Last episode, but not the last chapter, of the season, it's been a long time coming.
I know I haven't had a constant update schedule and I'm so sorry for that, things have been back and forth and it seems to be always something tbh.
I've been struggling with my depression more and more, lost my writing inspiration, and lost the effort I use to put into things.
That's why it's been taking me so long, I won't write if I'm not enjoying it or feeling it because then you guys don't get the best of my writing.
So sorry for not staying constant and everything for you all.
Hope you guys have an amazing day. 💗
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Charlie was in a panic the moment he received the unnerving call from Stiles, informing him that Scott and Kira were missing-taken, actually. He groaned as he tore his room apart, searching his desk and dresser drawers.
"What're you looking for?" Malia questioned him, watching Charlie with a close eye as he seemed to twitch every now and then.
But more than usual this time.
"Ezekiel's number," he threw out his reply in a rush. "He wrote down an emergency number and-and I lost the sticky note and I am freaking out!"
Malia noticed how his body tensed and his face seemed to pale in worry. No one knew where Scott and Kira were, and it didn't help that neither answered any of their phone calls. Stiles had called Charlie and caught him up on what he missed; Kira and Scott had a date night gone wrong and suddenly they're being whisked away to Mexico all over again.
"What color's the sticky note?" Malia asked Charlie, interrupting his panicking thoughts.
Charlie paused, "Uh, I forgot," he admitted sheepishly.
"You forgot?" Malia said disapprovingly.
"That's why I'm panicking!" He cried dramatically, moving over to look around his bed.
After another round of unlucky searching Charlie threw his hands up, "Okay-screw this," he snatched his keys up, pulling Malia behind him. "There's no time."
"Where're we going?" Malia wondered as she hurried along with Charlie to his car.
Charlie paused to unlock their doors, catching Malia's gaze, "To get more help."
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"A jewelry shop?"
Charlie nodded, throwing himself out of his car, "Yeah, my friend works here."
The two approached the doors to the small store and Malia shook her head, "So, what? We're gonna ask them for some matching necklaces? Maybe even some for the rest of the group?"
Charlie rolled his eyes at Malia's comment, "Y'know, for a girl who was a werecoyote for half her life, you've become very fluent in sarcasm," he informed her, quickly dragging her into the store.
"Its been the easiest thing to learn so far," she told him, the two teens bypassing the few customers that had the owner's attention to storm into the back of the building.
"We need your help!" Charlie blurted as the two stumbled into the very small break room.
Charlie bounced on his feet, seeing Ezekiel pause in the middle of taking a bite of his food.
"Hello, Charlie, oh, I'm fine thank you for asking," Ezekiel nodded, putting his fork down. "It's been a while-weeks actually, how've you been? Oh, fine just wondering if you suddenly erupted into a fiery ball of teenage Phoenix!" He hissed at the pair, standing to his feet abruptly.
Charlie gave the man a sheepish look, "I was busy?"
"With what? Avoiding me," Ezekiel scoffed, bringing Charlie in for a short hug. "What can I do for you, Charlie."
Charlie and Malia shared a look and Charlie scratched the back of his neck, "Well..."
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"You mean to tell me that Scott and Kira have only be missing for a few hours and you guys just automatically make the assumption they've been taken?"
Charlie and Malia sat across from Ezekiel in the very small break room. The two -mostly Charlie- had explained their situation and the significant lack of actual information and Ezekiel was... hesitant.
"It's Beacon Hills, Ezekiel," Charlie rubbed his face stressfully, "if two supernatural beings go missing after everyone thought we had beat the bad guys, somethings definitely wrong."
"Right..." Ezekiel slowly nodded, furrowing his brows. "And you think Kate, Chris Argent's supposedly very deceased sister took him."
"It's-it's a possibility," Charlie nodded, nibbling his lip as he watched the man anxiously. "Actually, no, that's-it's definitely her. She has, um, a tendency to not go away."
Ezekiel leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, "I gotta admit, Charlie, I'm a little skeptical."
Malia rolled her eyes, dropping her hands from holding her head up, "Listen, are you gonna help us or not? Because right now you're wasting time we could be looking for Scott and Kira. Time we don't have."
Ezekiel watched Malia with a surprised look at the young girl's attitude, continuing his staring as she looked to Charlie, "I thought you said he was useful," she hissed.
Charlie have Ezekiel an awkward grin, knowing fully well that Malia's whisper was not whisper at all, "He is useful," he said from the side of his mouth, "he taught me about the Phoenix."
Malia's gaze went back to Ezekiel, "Okay, so... be useful then," she deadpanned, waving him on.
Ezekiel went to speak, but the shrill ring of Malia's phone sounded and she dug it from her pocket, staring at the screen for a few moments before Charlie leaned over to swipe and answer the call.
Malia gave Charlie an annoyed look, she hated phones at the moment. They were annoying and loud and they always woke her up for school. She could never figure out how to turn it off so she had broke Charlie's phone in an attempt to sleep peacefully
Luckily it had been time for an upgrade.
"What?" Malia grunted into the phone.
"Malia-hey, can you get to Scott's ASAP?"
"It's Stiles," Malia told Charlie. "He wants me to go to Scott's.
"Yeah, and if you could hurry that'd be great. Kinda running low on time right now if you didn't already know."
Charlie looked in between Ezekiel and Malia, bothering his lip again as he tried to come to a decision. He sighed, digging in his pocket and holding his keys out to Malia.
She stared at the in confusion, "What?"
"I need to talk to Ezekiel," he told her. "Take my car to Scott's and help Stiles."
Malia gave him an odd look, "But I don't have a license, Charlie... or a permit."
Charlie paused, "Oh... right, uh..."
"And I'm not gonna just leave you," she scoffed. "Not when Scott and Kira are missing and maybe dead."
Charlie choked on his spit, "Wha-they're not dead, Malia! Jesus-they're-they're just..." he trailed off, not sure what to say next.
"They're just missing and could potentially being dying as we speak," Malia finished for him with a stern nod.
Charlie wasn't sure what to say or what to focus on. He was struggling to keep his anxiety under control, and the constant reminder of the endangered lives of his best friends did not help his situation whatsoever.
He closed his eyes tightly and began counting to ten. Once he reached ten he'd go back to one and start again, focusing on his numbers.
"Uh, Hello? What the hell is going on?" Stiles called, still on the phone. "Is anyone coming to help, or am I gonna have to sniff Scott's dirty laundry myself? Because me and Scott are close but not nose deep in his dirty clothes hamper close."
"Shut up," Malia huffed, roughly tapping the red button on the screen, nodding proudly to herself when Stiles's ranting was suddenly cut off.
"Charlie?" Ezekiel leaned towards the big in concern. "You alright, buddy."
The temperature in the room seemed to suddenly skyrocket and Charlie blew air from his nose, "Panicking is really not a good idea right now," he told the two. "I still have just about as much control as Liam."
"Who's—y'know what, nevermind," Ezekiel quickly stood to his feet. "I'll help, but under one condition."
Malia watched the older man suspiciously, watching as Charlie hesitantly opened his eyes, "What is it?"
"I want you to work here until you go to college," Ezekiel requested. "Starting this summer."
Malia growled lowly at the man, "The summer isn't meant to be spent inside all day. And that means he'll be here all the time and I don't want him to be here all the time-"
"Okay," Charlie interrupted Malia, deciding to stand to his feet. "I-I need more training anyway."
"A lot more training," Ezekiel reminded him.
"No," Malia told Charlie, "I don't want you to."
"Listen, Lia, we can talk about this later, but right now you need to get to Scott's and help Stiles and I need to try and learn as much as I can from Ezekiel before we have to leave for Mexico."
Malia glared at Charlie angrily and Ezekiel's eyes went wide, "Mexico?" He sputtered out.
"Was that not in the story?" Charlie laughed nervously. "Oops, must've skipped that part, oh well, too late now!"
With a quick turn to his heel, Charlie spun toward Malia, placing his hand on her arm, frowning when she snatched her arm away, "Malia, come on."
"I want you to come with me," she told him stubbornly. "I won't go if you won't."
"Please, Malia. This is Scott and Kira we're talking about."
"So?" She scoffed.
"I know you care about them just as much as I do, so please just listen to me and go help Stiles. We'll have plenty of time to argue over our summer plans when we get back."
"If we get back," she muttered, scuffing her heel against the floor as she dropped her head in a pout.
"I'll see you at the meeting spot, okay? We'll figure things out from there, I promise," Charlie watched Malia pleadingly and she sighed as she gave into his pretty blue eyes.
She'd never admit it but if Charlie looked at her with soft, wide eyes... she would never be able to say no to him, and she had no clue at all how that could be possible.
"Fine," she huffed, tossing her head back before looking back at Charlie. "But if you get hurt I'll kill you," she told him, punching him for good measure.
Charlie rubbed the sore spot she left, but smiled nevertheless, "Don't worry, Malia, we'll be fine."
His smile was small and faint, not as full as it could be considering the current circumstance. But he was trying to put on a brave face, not only Malia and his friends but for himself. Because he knew as soon as he let himself fall into his pit of overthinking is where he'd feed all of his hungry problems that were snapping at him to fall back down.
Charlie jumped when Malia gave his cheek an odd kiss, the contact neither comfortable or uncomfortable. It was just... warm. Promising, even.
"Be smart," Malia told him, nodding as she looked up at him slightly, their height difference making her feel unfortunately smaller.
Had Charlie grown taller since she first met him? It certainly seemed like it.
Charlie blushed the softest, almost unnoticeable shade of pink, "O-of course, I'll see you when we're done."
She nodded, scanning his face one last time before she took off out of the store.
Charlie ruffled his flattened hair, looking back to where Ezekiel stood, watching with very curious eyes.
"So," he started, "that's the girl."
Charlie nodded, rubbing his lips together, "That's the one," he told him. "Now, what do we do first?"
Ezekiel pondered over the question for a moment, and Charlie wondered if he was just as clueless as he himself was.
"How much time do we have?"
"Maybe two hours, if we're lucky," Charlie sighed, checking the time on his phone and fanning himself as his panic set back in.
"Then I guess we're gonna have to skip a couple steps and jump straight into fighting," Ezekiel nodded. "Simple enough."
"Wha—uh, I wasn't planning on fighting," Charlie shook his head in a definite 'no' gesture. "I was thinking of maybe getting the Phoenix to boost my agility so I could, uh, so I could, like, run away, y'know?"
Ezekiel stared at Charlie closely, knitting his brows together as he thought very intently about something. After a few moments of silence, he shook his head, "Nope, fighting time has arrived, you got extra clothes?"
"No..." Charlie trailed off. "Darn, guess that means no fighting today."
"Oh, not so fast, Acton," Ezekiel grinned in amusement. "I've got plenty of gym shorts and random shirts I keep here for when we have to clean. I always come prepared," he said, disappearing into a closet across from the cramped breakroom.
Charlie watched nervously, awaiting the clothes Ezekiel was getting for their 'basic training'.
"And here we are," the older man sighed, handing Charlie the clothes, "all fresh and ready for you to sweat in them. Or burn them off, I guess."
"We don't have much time-"
"Then shut up and stop wasting it," Ezekiel interrupted. "Get dressed and meet me in the back."
"Is the back even big enough to train in?"
Ezekiel nodded, "It'll work for what we're doing right now," he said, gesturing to the clothes Charlie gripped tightly onto. "Hurry up and get dressed, fire boy. We're wasting daylight."
Charlie groaned to himself.
He was so screwed.
"And bring the fire extinguisher back here too!"
Charlie nodded, definitely screwed.