Stiles' POV
I ran my hands through my hair as I sat in the uncomfortable chair. I was currently waiting for my group counseling session to start. I've been at Eichen House for about three weeks and I have never been so stir crazy in my life. I missed my dad, I missed my friends, and I even missed school.
I know I'm here for everyone else's safety, but it still sucks being locked in this crazy house.
"Alright," the doctor, who's name I never bother to remember, began. "Who would like to start?"
I zoned in and out as some people gave long, detailed descriptions of how they've been doing while others nearly mumbled they were fine.
"Thank you for sharing with us, Oliver. Who's next? What about you, Stiles?" My head popped up when I heard my name.
I was about to decline when a nurse walked over with a girl following behind her. "Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Walker. We have a new patient."
"Wonderful," he nodded. "Take a seat."
The girl looked around the circle before her eyes stopped on me. Her cheeks turned red when we made eye contact. She sat down and started fiddling with her fingers. "Why don't you introduce yourself? Say your name, how old you are, and why you are here."
"Oh umm," the girl cleared her throat, looking around the room. "I'm Y/F/N Y/L/N. I'm sixteen. And I'm here. . ." She paused, nervously fiddling with her fingers.
"It's okay, Y/F/N." Dr. Walker smiled, encouraging her to continue.
She looked around the room, her eyes stopping on me. She cleared her throat before looking back at her hands in her lap.
"I have severe anxiety attacks. Over the last two or three years, my anxiety has gotten so bad that it has actually started to interfere with my sleep. I barely sleep and it got to the point where I started sleep walking. A few nights ago, during one of my "episodes", I ended up outside. I was walking across the street and almost got hit by a car. That's when my parents decided they couldn't. . . That it was better for me to be here then at home."
She looked back up at me and I instantly noticed the tears she was trying to hold back.
"Well, we are glad to have you here," Dr. Walker smiled. "That is a good place to stop for today. See you guys tomorrow."
The rest of the group got up to leave, but I stayed in my seat and watched as the doctor walked over to Y/N and kneeled in front of her. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but by the look on her face I could tell it made her feel uncomfortable.
"Looks like someones got a thing for the new chick," Oliver teased, putting his hand on my shoulder making me jump.
"Shut up, Oliver." I said brushing his hand off my shoulder and standing up. I went over to the bookshelf, pretending to skim through the titles, but focused on the new girl. I watched as she walked around the room, nervously fiddling with her fingers.
I held my breath as she made her way over to the bookshelf that I was standing next to. I debated before deciding to introduce myself. "Hi, I'm Stiles." I said, holding my hand out for her to take.
She hesitated for a second before taking my hand in hers. "I'm Y/N. But I guess you already knew that from the. . .thing," she stuttered gesturing at the circle of chairs that were now empty.
I noticed I was still holding her hand and quickly dropped it. "Are you from Beacon Hills?" I asked.
"Umm, no. I'm actually from Burbank."
"Wow, that's kind of. . .far." I internally groaned when that came off judgy. "I didn't mean. . ."
"It's fine," she shrugged. "You're right. My mom grew up in Beacon Hills. She had a brother who had a condition similar to mine and they ended up sending him here. They helped him then so my parents figured they could fix me too."
The way she said "fix" made my heart sink. "You know Y/N, just because you have anxiety and you sleep walk doesn't mean you need to be fixed."
"Thank you, Stiles," she sighed. "But that's not what my parents think. To them, I'm defective. To them, the only thing that can be done is locking me in a crazy house. To them, I don't exist."
Y/N finally let the tears she's been holding for who knows how long fall. I reached over and grabbed her hand, intertwining our fingers.
"I've had anxiety since my mom died. It's gotten worse to the point where I have random attacks in the middle of class. Before I came here, I slept walked into the woods, three miles from my house. I understand more than most."
*****
Y/N and I spent the next few weeks eating every meal together, sitting next to each other during our group sessions, and pretty much every minute of free time we had we spent together.
The more I got to know her, the more I knew she didn't belong here. All I wanted was to get out and take her with me, but a part of me was scared. I knew that if I brought her with me, I could end up hurting her.
"Y/N, can I ask you something?" I cleared my throat as we walked through the gardens, our hands brushing against each other every so often.
"Of course," she said, sending me the smile that makes my heart beat against my chest.
"You know I would never hurt you," I started. I paused, unsure how to word what I wanted to say.
"That's not a question Stiles," she giggled. "Of course I know that. What's going on?"
I stopped walking making her stop too. "You deserve better than this place. You deserve a life outside. You deserve. . .so much more."
"Stiles, what's going on? Are you okay? You're starting to scare me."
I ran my hands through my hair and let out a frustrated sigh when I noticed I wasn't making any sense. I turned towards her, trying to think of what to say.
Instead, I grabbed her face with my hands and pressed my lips to hers. It took her a second before she started kissing me back. We pulled apart when neither one of us could breathe.
"I want to get out of here," I whispered with our foreheads pressed together. "And I want you to come with me."
She leaned back, looking at me with wide eyes. "Stiles," she gasped. "I can't. . . I can't leave unless," she stuttered.
"Unless the person who checks you in, checks you out," I finished for her.
"Yeah and Stiles, I don't think my parents are coming any time soon."
I reached up and cupped her cheek in my hand. "There's another way," I whispered.
She took a step away from me, turning her back to me and running her hands through her hair. "Stiles," she sighed.
"Hear me out," I said walking around her and taking both of her hands in my own. "My dad is the sheriff and he is already going to get me in a few days. I can call him and have him bring the paperwork to get you out too."
"That's never going to work," she whispered taking a step back, her hands falling to her sides.
"He's law enforcement. With the right cause, he can get us both out. Y/N," I whispered, taking a step towards her but not grabbing her hands. "You are the only thing keeping me sane. I can't leave and go on with my life, knowing you are stuck in this hellhole. Please, Y/N. . . I love you."
"What?" She gasped.
"I love you," I repeated with a big smile on my face.
"No," she whispered, taking another step back like she was getting ready to run. "You don't. . . You can't love me."
"Why not?" I asked, my voice breaking as the girl in front of me started crying.
"Because I'm. . . I'm crazy! Stiles, I'm messed up! You can't love someone who barely sleeps at night. Okay? You can't love someone who's own parents gave up on her. You just. . . You can't."
She was about to run away, but I quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into my chest. "You can't love someone as broken as me," she sobbed, tears instantly wetting the front of my shirt.
I reached up and ran my fingers through her hair as I rocked us back and forth. I started to quietly hum a song as I felt her relax. I pulled away and caught a tear with my thumb.
"Let me prove to you that I can, that I do, love you." I said, not looking anywhere but at her beautiful eyes.
"How?" she asked, softly.
"Well, for starters, let my dad get you and me of the most hellish place on earth."
With a laugh, she grabbed my face and pressed her lips to mine. I smiled into the kiss as I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me. She was the first to pull away.
"I love you too, Stiles."
"Then let me get you out of here. Please," I begged. I smiled when she bit her lip and nodded.