#selfignitingimagines

[selfignitingimagines]

How To Be Human Part 3

Hey ya'll I just updated HTBH on A03 with the third part of the series!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[selfignitingimagines]

Void Stiles- Made For You

Request- your ability to create art through writing never fails to amaze me!! been reading and rereading your work for years 🧡 may i just ask if we will ever get to see part 2 of insatiable w void stiles?

A/N- After literal years, here is part 2 of Stiles- Insatiable :)

“Are you ever going to stop moping?” 

You glanced up from where you sat on the grimy floors of the Oak Creek barracks. You were curled in on yourself, knees tucked up to your chest as you sat against one of the moth-eaten bunks. 

It had been days since Allison died and Void whisked you away, but you were still reeling from the grief. Not just yours, but everyone else’s too. The burden of Lydia’s pain was still a particularly heavy weight on your chest. It was a sensation so horrifying that you weren’t even sure you could accurately find the words to describe it. It was almost as if you could feel her spirit splintering in two.

Void studied you as tears continued to stream down your cheeks. You hadn’t responded to his snide comment, instead glancing up only briefly to meet his gaze. Your eyes were sharp, glinting like a knife with hatred and rage and fear. 

Yet, as he continued to watch you sob and tremble, it occurred to him that the fear wasn’t directed toward him. You were afraid of yourself, of your own ability to tap into the emotions of others. You had never felt something this strongly, never experienced the crushing weight of grief quite like this. 

He felt a twinge of something stirring inside himself. An emotion he once thought dead was rising to the surface, spurring him to move toward you. 

“You poor little thing,” he cooed, crouching in front of your shaking form. 

You recoiled as he reached out for you, startled at the sympathetic look that had replaced his usually vacant expression.

“Don’t touch me.”

He could see the distrust in your eyes, the confusion at his gentle actions and words. You couldn’t be sure that this wasn’t just another one of his tricks.

Your back was still flush against the rusty metal of the bed, but you made an attempt to scramble away from him. 

Void was simply too fast for you.

His hands sank into the musty fabric of the old mattress on the bottom bunk, caging you in. The two of you were now chest to chest as he forced you back against the bed. Your combined weight caused the ancient springs to creak and groan under you.

“Not so fast, Little Rabbit.”

He reached up, causing you to flinch back in anticipation. You closed your eyes, but the expected blow never came. He simply traced his thumb across your skin, swiping the tears from your wet cheeks. 

“It’s too much for you to feel,” he observed. “You can’t control it at all, can you?”

You shook your head. He was right.

“If you continue like this, it’s going to destroy you.”

You finally risked a glance up at him. “You mean…”

“You’ll die…or if you’re lucky, you’ll slowly go insane.”

He seemed to be frowning at the thought. He absentmindedly reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear, lost in his own contemplation.

“Isn’t…isn’t that what you want?”

Now it was his turn to be shocked. His hollow eyes widened. “No. Of course not.”

“But I thought that was what you wanted…chaos, strife, pain?”

“Not yours. If you couldn’t handle it, if it overtook you…you’d be lost to me forever.”

“I…I don’t understand.”

Void sighed. “Let me explain in a way that your feeble little human mind can comprehend.”

He reached up, cupping your cheeks gently in his hands. His fingers were freezing. The icy twinge of his skin on yours made you flinch, but you couldn’t pull away.

 “In the thousand years that I’ve existed, I’ve never seen anything like you. I wouldn’t have to destroy a pack of werewolves or level a city to feed off the chaos. I wouldn’t have to kill your friends. I could feed off of you alone.”

“What if I don’t want you to?” you asked softly.

“Then I guess more people will have to die.”

His hoarse voice sent a chill down your spine. He trailed his hand down your neck, feeling your muscles tense under his fingertips. 

Void inhaled deeply. He could practically smell the grief and fear coming off of you in waves. It was taking its toll on your trembling body. He could feel how exhausted you were. 

“I can take it from you,” he murmured against the skin of your neck. “I can take it all away.”

You closed your eyes, considering his offer.

 Your entire life had been colored by the flood of other people’s emotions. There was no way to separate yourself from them, no way to silence the flow of constant chatter, no matter how hard you had tried. 

As terrifying as it was, the only peace you had found was in Void. When he placed his cold hand on your neck, he was taking the weight from your shoulders.

You knew Void was a monster. He had killed one of your classmates, possessed one of your friends...but why couldn’t you bring yourself to refuse him?

“Stay with me,” he pleaded. “Be with me. I was made for you, Y/n. You know it just as much as I do.”

You felt yourself nodding against his cheek, before you could even think about stopping yourself. His grip on your throat suddenly tightened. He stole the gasp from your mouth before you could even make a sound. 

His lips were on yours, urgent and surprisingly warm. When he kissed you, it felt like he was stepping right inside your skin, bringing with him an icy chill that spread through your entire body. 

Void latched onto everything you had been feeling, the fear, the grief, and slowly drew it out of you. 

When he finally pulled his fingers away from your throat, you felt bare and raw, but strangely satisfied. That crushing weight had been lifted off of you. Now all you felt was exhaustion. 

Your knees buckled, and you pitched forward into Void’s waiting arms. A shaky breath escaped your lips as he lowered you into his lap, supporting your head with one cold hand. 

“It’s alright,” he murmured. “You just need to rest.”

His other hand pressed softly into the small of your back, cradling you against him.

The edges of your vision were blurring, but as you slipped into unconsciousness, you saw his pale lips curl into a tender smile.

[selfignitingimagines]

I did a thing...

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Summary: Lillian Martin and Theo Raeken are not friends. They're barely even allies, if you could call them that. She's always hated the conniving werewolf, and he's never been fond of the sharp, judgemental banshee. When Scott asks her to take Theo in, she can't say no, despite her reservations. She doesn't want a roommate, let alone one with a deceitful and murderous past, but she would do anything for Scott. Theo and Lillian soon find they have more in common than they once thought. Lillian is struggling to use and control her powers, while Theo is still learning how to be human. As a new threat moves into Beacon Hills, their growing connection is threatened. Lillian soon finds that it might not be Theo's past, but hers, that comes back to haunt them.

[selfignitingimagines]

Theo-Revenge

A/N- Hey guys, I hope you’re having a good holiday, whatever you’re celebrating. I’m feeling the Christmas spirit a little differently this year, but I’ve been working on this one for a long time. It might not be your typical cozy holiday story, but I hope you enjoy it.

“Y/n! Come take a shot with me!”

As soon as you stepped through Lydia’s front door, you smiled. 

Malia paid no mind to the cold wind rushing through the door as she strode over in shorts and a tank top. The only item of clothing on her body indicating it was winter was the fuzzy, red Santa hat she was wearing. 

She grabbed your arm and yanked you toward the kitchen before you could even take your coat off, leaving the door to slam behind you. 

You laughed. “Hold on!”

You barely had a chance to take in the decor before she was pulling you behind her.

Fake candle lamps lit the front of the house in every window. Tinsel and colorful, glowing 

lights were wrapped around the banister of the staircase. You could even smell the pine from the live wreath hanging from the door. 

Lydia’s parties were always extravagant, and this Christmas was clearly no exception.

When you stepped into the kitchen, she looked over her shoulder and smiled at you. She was leaning over one of the countertops, wearing a pair of elf ears tucked into her red curls. She was attempting to perfect a charcuterie board that already looked flawless. 

“Jesus, Malia, let her breath before you get her drunk.”

“Well she’s gonna need it.”

“Wait, what?” you asked.

She never got the chance to answer, but you managed to catch the dirty look Lydia 

flashed her. They knew something you didn’t.

“Why are you always going around slamming doors?” Stiles joked as he dug around in a large cooler on the floor.

 He pulled a couple beers out, dripping icy water onto the floor. “It’s like you were raised in the woods or something.”

He grinned at Malia. She rolled her eyes, but caught the beer he tossed to her without complaint. “Thanks.”

“I think that was technically me who slammed the door,” you told him, deciding to brush off Malia’s earlier comment.

“You want one, Y/n?” he asked. He was also wearing a pair of elf ears. 

“No thanks. I think I’ll take you up on that shot though.”

Malia grinned. “Yes!”

“You have to try the eggnog!” Lydia insisted.

Stiles groaned. “Aw, come on, Lydia. You know no one likes it.”

Lydia huffed and crossed her arms over her dress. “That’s actually not true. Scott’s drinking it right now. Right, Scott?”

“Scott just got a cup to be nice.”

Scott popped his head over the couch. He had been sitting on the sectional, in full view of the whole kitchen as Home Alone played quietly on the flat screen TV. Liam and Mason were sitting next to him, sporting their own Santa hats.

Sure enough, Scott was holding a bright red solo cup in his hand. 

“Isn’t it good?” Lydia asked pointedly.

Scott let out a nervous laugh. His brown eyes were wide and guilty. “It’s, uh…better than last year’s.”

Stiles burst out laughing. Lydia huffed and turned back to the charcuterie board in a flurry of curls and sparkly fringe.

“I’ll try a cup,” you promised her.

She flashed you a grateful smile and gestured with the knife she had been cutting cheese with. “It’s in that punch bowl.”

You pulled off your coat, and tucked it into the hall closet. When you returned to the kitchen, Malia was waiting eagerly with two plastic shot glasses in her hand. 

You eyed the amber colored liquid carefully, and then decided to pour yourself a cup of eggnog to wash it down with. Once you were ready, you tapped your shot against Malia’s and tossed it back. 

You winced at the burn of the alcohol and quickly chased it down with the eggnog, grimacing at the taste. 

“That was disgusting.”

“The whiskey?” Lydia asked hopefully. 

“Both. Sorry Lyds.”

Deflated, she turned back to slicing up her block of gouda, muttering to herself. “There’s always next year.”

Stiles grinned and threw an arm around her shoulders. “That’s the spirit!”

“You do realize I’m holding a knife don’t you?”

You laughed at their banter as you followed Malia into the living room. She headed straight for the stereo, cranking the volume up.

“Dance with me!” 

The rest of the night became a blur. You, Malia, and Lydia danced for what felt like hours. Even the boys joined you after a while, though everyone took a break when Stiles insisted on performing his own rendition of ‘Last Christmas’. 

You took shot after shot and, eventually, you didn’t even mind the taste of Lydia’s spiked eggnog. She was so proud she nearly burst into tears. You didn’t have the heart to admit that you were so drunk you didn’t care anymore.

Right as Malia was managing to talk you into your sixth shot, Lydia’s doorbell rang. You glanced across the room, taking a mental tally of your friends. Everyone in the pack was there.

“Did we invite someone else?” you asked Stiles. 

A strange look crossed his face. You couldn’t read it.

“Scott?”

The Alpha had never had the best poker face, and tonight was no exception. He looked guilty as hell. 

“Guys, what’s going on?”

Liam and Mason shrugged. They looked just as clueless as you were. 

“Malia?” you demanded.

“They said I couldn’t tell you!” she blurted. 

Stiles hissed her name, but you never got the chance to ask her what she was talking about. Lydia walked back into the living room, casually gesturing toward the kitchen. 

“If you want something to drink,” she was telling someone. “Eggnog and liquor are in there.”

Trailing behind her, looking sheepish, was Isaac Lahey. He was bundled up in a gray coat and a matching scarf that was tucked around his neck. His dark blonde curls weren’t even mussed from the wind. He looked as perfect as he always had, and the sight filled you with rage.

As if he could sense your anger, he looked toward you. He had the nerve to smile. “Hey, Y/n.”

Instead of saying all the insulting things that were hovering on the tip of your tongue, you simply shoved past the others and hurried down the hall. 

This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. 

It had taken you months to stop crying when Isaac had betrayed you and disappeared off to France when the pack needed him most. Now, over a year later, you felt like you were finally healing. Of course Isaac had to return and ruin that too. 

“Y/n, wait!”

You paused in the middle of the hallway. Your gut was telling you to keep walking, but there was a small, wounded part of you that wanted to see what Isaac had to say.

“Just hear me out,” he begged. “Please?”

Before you had a chance to answer, he was already pulling you down the hall and into one of Lydia’s guest rooms. He shut the door behind you, muffling the sound of “Santa Baby” that was playing in the background. 

You crossed your arms over your chest and glared at him bitterly. What could he possibly say that could make things right between the two of you?

“Listen. What happened with me and Allison…that wasn’t me.”

Your jaw dropped. You certainly hadn’t expected that. 

“I was possessed by the Nogitsune,” he continued. “It made me do that on purpose. It knew it was going to ruin our relationship.”

You felt rage boiling up inside you. “Seriously? Okay, what’s your excuse for completely disappearing with Allison’s dad?”

“I was hurting-”

“You never even called!”  

He stepped forward, grabbing both of your hands. “Y/n, I still love you. I’ve always loved you and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for everything-”

You shook your head and jerked your hands out of his grasp. “Nope. No way. I’m not doing this with you.”

For over a year, you had ached for some kind of explanation, for an apology from Isaac. Now that it was coming out of his mouth (however half-assed it may have been), you realized it didn’t matter. You didn’t need one anymore.

When it came to your friends, though, that was an entirely different story. You couldn’t believe they had just sprung this on you.

You shoved open the guest room door and headed right for Lydia’s coat closet. You yanked the fabric off the hanger, not even bothering to shut the door behind you.

“Where are you going?” Isaac asked. “You’re drunk.”

“Anywhere but here,” you muttered. 

You stalked down the hall, passing the living room on the way out. Everyone was staring at you. Aside from Liam and Mason, the guilt was plain on their faces. 

“Fuck all of you!” you spat.

You turned away and walked toward the door, hurt that your friends had kept Isaac’s return from you. 

You heard heels clicking on the tile behind you. Lydia was trying to follow you. 

“What the hell?” you hissed, whirling around to face her. “You couldn’t have given me a head’s up?”

“If you knew he was going to be here, you would never have shown up,” she protested.

“You’re damn right.”

Lydia sighed. “Don’t you think it’s time you forgave him?”

“For cheating on me with Allison and then disappearing off to France? I think I have every right to never forgive him.”

When you turned, Lydia grabbed your wrist. “Y/n, you can’t drive like this!”

“I’m not going to!”

You jerked open the front door and stormed out, slamming it behind you.

You trudged down the icy sidewalk, still attempting to zip up your coat. The zipper was caught on the lining, and no matter how much you tried to force it up, it wouldn’t budge. 

Your frustration was beginning to boil over. You couldn’t believe the entire pack had lied to you about Isaac’s return.

Tears began to slip from your eyes. You stubbornly wiped them away. Even though Lydia’s neighborhood was deserted, you didn’t want to take the chance of someone seeing you cry. 

Despite your fears, no one seemed to notice as you stalked past countless multi-colored lights and obnoxious blow-up decorations. Everyone was inside their warm houses, celebrating Christmas Eve with their own friends and family. 

Your vision began to blur slightly, and it occurred to you that maybe that fifth shot with Malia had been too much. 

You kept walking until you were sure no one would follow you. The cold December air was stinging your face, but you were too stubborn to turn around and go back. 

You knew you looked ridiculous, stumbling around in the cold, but at that point going back would have drawn more attention to yourself. At least out there, there was no one to see you.

You walked so far that you reached a part of Lydia’s neighborhood you didn’t recognize, even though you had been visiting her here for 12 years.

There was a playground about forty yards ahead with a small parking lot next to it. It was deserted, save for one black truck that didn’t seem to be running. 

Just as you looked back toward the walkway, your legs flew out from under you. Your back slammed onto the cement, and you wheezed in pain.

When you felt the ground underneath you, it was slick and cold. You must have slipped on a patch of ice and gotten the wind knocked out of you.

Theo Raeken, who had been sleeping in the back of his truck, looked up when he heard your footsteps. He had parked in this neighborhood hoping to find a place to sleep without someone calling the police on him. When he looked out the back window and saw you stumbling around with your coat half-way unzipped, he began to think he had picked the wrong parking lot. 

But as you trudged down the sidewalk, he realized you didn’t seem to notice him at all. You were probably too plastered to recognize his truck, but then why were you all alone?

Part of him wanted to get out and check on you, but he hesitated. No one in Scott’s pack liked him, and they certainly didn’t trust him. There was a pretty good chance you would spit in his face if he offered to help you. 

As if the universe was making the choice for him, you suddenly slipped on a patch of ice. Theo watched you slam onto the ground with a violent thump, and he sighed. 

It looked like he would try to be the good guy tonight.

You laid there on the ground for a few moments, unable to move until the breath came back into your lungs. It was a clear night in Beacon Hills, and the stars were shining brightly in the night sky.

Suddenly, the constellations above your head were replaced with a familiar face looming over yours. His dark brown hair had grown longer and shaggier, and he didn’t look as clean and polished as he once had, but you would recognize those piercing eyes anywhere.

“Theo?” you asked, your voice hoarse.

“Need a hand?”

You nodded, and he knelt next to you. Theo helped you up into a sitting position, examining the back of your head. You weren’t bleeding, which was a good sign. 

He glanced down at your face, which was still flushed bright red. He could tell that it wasn't from the cold. 

“Rough night?”

“You could say that.”

“Here,” he said, standing up and offering his hand. “Let me walk you back to wherever you came from.”

You snorted. “Hell no.”

“What? You don’t trust me?”

You raised an eyebrow. “Did you seriously just ask me that?”

“Alright,” he agreed. “I deserve that.”

You shook your head. “You’re not the problem. I’m not going back there.”

“To where?”

“To Lydia’s.”

“So what? You’re going to walk around here in the cold all night?”

“Maybe.” You crossed your arms stubbornly over your chest, still sitting in the patch of ice. “What are you doing out here?”

“Well, I was trying to sleep, until you fell on your ass and woke me up.”

You frowned, glancing over at his truck, which still wasn’t running. “Why are you sleeping out here in the cold?”

“Why do you think?” he asked. “I can’t exactly get a job or an apartment when I’ve been living in underground tunnels for the past ten years.”

“Oh.”

“Come on,” Theo insisted.

He reached out again, and you reluctantly took his hand. “Be caref-”

When you stood up, your boots hit the exact same patch of ice, sending you sliding again. 

Luckily, Theo was there to catch you this time. His arm came around your waist, catching your body pulling you against him before you could fall. 

He had pressed you against his chest so tightly that you could feel the heat emanating from his body. He was gazing down at you with those piercing blue-green eyes, and you swore you saw a hint of a smile on his lips. 

Your heart was hammering in your chest, and it wasn’t from fear. 

You cleared your throat. “Uh, thanks.”

“No problem.”

He let you go, easing you back onto the sidewalk. 

“Let me take you back. It’s only going to get colder.”

You bristled. “No. I told you, I’m not going back there.”

“Why?” he asked. “You have a fight with Lydia or something?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you snapped. “I’m not going.”

Theo huffed and threw up his hands. “Fine. Sit out here and freeze then.”

“As if you actually care.”

You stalked away as your breath billowed out in front of you. Theo was right. It was getting colder by the minute.

You fumbled with your zipper as you headed in the opposite direction. Theo looked over his shoulder. You were struggling with your coat as you walked, and if he looked close enough, he could see tears slipping down your red cheeks. You  weren’t just drunk, there was clearly something wrong.

He sighed and then, against his better judgment, he turned and called out your name. 

You paused. “What?”

“At least let me fix your jacket.” He jogged over.

You were too drunk to protest as he stepped closer, and you realized that you didn’t really want to. He felt so warm. You were briefly tempted to lean in and curl up against him, but you told yourself that was the alcohol talking. 

Theo grabbed the zipper and fabric, and, in one smooth motion, pulled them apart without breaking them. Then, he zipped the coat all the way up to your chin and smoothed down the shoulders.

You stared up at him, a little shocked. The action was so tender. It was something you never would have expected from Theo. 

“You don’t have to tell me why you won’t go back,” he began. “But at least come sit in the truck. It’s warmer.”

“Okay.”

When you followed Theo into his truck, he started his car and turned up the heat. 

“You don’t have to turn it on just for me,” you told him. 

“I’m cold too,” he promised, but you had a suspicion he was exaggerating for your sake.

You leaned back into his passenger seat. “Why are you being so nice?”

“I’m trying this new thing where I actually help people instead of hurting them.”

You smiled. “I think you’re doing pretty good.”

He looked over at you. He was smiling too.

“Do you want me to take you anywhere else?” he asked. “I can drive you home.”

You shook your head. “My keys are in Lydia’s house. I’m gonna have to go back there eventually, just not now.”

“Do you…wanna talk about it?”

You took a deep breath. “It’s kind of complicated.”

“I’ve got all night.”

You bit the inside of your cheek. Spilling your guts to Theo Raeken was something you weren’t keen on, but then again, he didn’t really have room to judge. You needed to open up to somebody, and it looked like it was going to have to be him.

You took a deep breath. “So I used to date this guy named Isaac…”

Theo sat there and listened as you explained the events from earlier that night. 

Much to your surprise, he listened intently. He nodded along with what you were saying, sometimes raising an eyebrow or frowning, but he never interrupted you once. 

When you were finished, he whistled. 

“I don’t blame you for being angry. That guy sounds like an asshole…and that’s saying something coming from me.”

“And the worst part,” you continued softly. “He tried to tell me he still loved me.”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

You nodded. “He said he loved me the entire time. Even when he kissed Allison…even when he left without telling me.”

Theo could see the tears welling in your eyes. 

“You wanna believe it, don’t you?” he asked gently. 

You nodded again, reaching up to wipe the tears off your cheeks. “Yeah I do, but…I think he’s lying. I mean, I’m not a werewolf, but I can tell.”

“No one who loves you would let you walk around in the cold, drunk and alone. He’s lying. And you don’t have to be a werewolf to see that.”

“Yeah,” you agreed softly. “I know.”

Theo let out a scoff. “What a dick. If that were me, I would have chased after you. I’d be running up and down the street looking for you, trying to prove it.”

You smiled. “That’s sweet.”

He shrugged. “It’s true. It’s what anyone who loves you would be doing.”

You nodded. 

“Speaking of,” he continued. “Where’s Scott and his little band of heroes?”

You bit the inside of your cheek. It felt strange to be bad-mouthing your pack with Theo, but they were the only friends you had. It wasn’t like you had anyone else to talk to.

“They’re back at Lydia’s…partying with Isaac.”

“They knew he was coming and they didn’t tell you?”

You shook your head.

He snorted. “And they were surprised when you stomped out of there?”  

“They think I should forgive him.”

Theo seemed thoughtful. “Would that make you feel better?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know.”

He shook his head, leaning back in the seat and throwing his arms behind his head. “You want my opinion?”

“I have a feeling you’re going to give it anyway.”

He rolled his eyes. Then, his face grew somber again.

“Forgiveness is overrated,” he told you softly. “Revenge is much more satisfying.”

“You’re saying I should get revenge?”

“No, I’m saying you don’t have to forgive him, not if you don’t want to. Sometimes you can’t. Sometimes there’s no good way to feel about something.”

You knew he was talking about the Dread Doctors. They had stolen him as a child, and manipulated him into killing his sister and becoming their monster.

You opened your mouth, but before you could say anything, Theo spoke. It looked like that would be a conversation for another day.

“I should get you home.”

“I think I’m sobering up-”

Before you could finish protesting, he waved you off. “I’ll run into Lydia’s and get your keys.”

You blinked. “You’d do that? But-”

“They already hate me,” he told you with a shrug. “I’m not worried about it.”

You briefly wondered why Theo was being so nice to you. Of course, it could have been a ploy to worm his way back into the pack, but he didn’t seem like he thought very highly of them anymore. 

Maybe this was his attempt at trying to be human. That was something you could respect, and, after all, he had helped you up off the ice. He had listened when no one else seemed to care.

“You wanna come home with me?” you asked him suddenly. 

Theo laughed. “I thought you said you were sobering up.”

“I am.” You rolled your eyes at him. “What?  You think I’m trying to invite you into bed with me?”

Theo grinned. “Are you offering?”

You smacked his shoulder, and he laughed. “You’re a fucking pig!”

“You know I can see you smiling, right?”

You glanced away, looking out the foggy window, suddenly feeling like the whole idea was silly. “I was going to offer you my spare room.”

Theo didn’t answer. You looked back, but he was no longer smiling anymore. He seemed more guarded than he had been all night.

 “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t, but you’ve been keeping me warm. I’m not letting you freeze in your truck all night.”

“I’m fine.”

“Stay for one night,” you insisted. “Then we’ll be even.”

Theo studied you for a moment. He was clearly skeptical of your kindness.

“You’d be doing me a favor. I probably shouldn’t be driving anyway.”

You understood his hesitation, but you didn’t want him to be out there alone, especially around Christmas. There was also the fact that you didn’t want to return to an empty apartment and stew about Isaac’s return all night by yourself. Maybe your motives were partly selfish, but if Theo picked up on that, he didn’t seem to care. 

“Alright. I’ll stay for tonight.”

He put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. Though you had walked for what seemed like forever, he was pulling to a stop in Lydia’s driveway in about ten minutes.

“I’ll run in and get your keys.”

You glanced toward the house. It looked warm and inviting, glowing bright with all the multi-colored lights Lydia and her mother had strung up. You wanted more than anything to go back in there and enjoy the holiday cheer with everyone else, but you knew that wasn’t happening tonight. You were too angry.

Theo began to get out of the truck, but you called out to him.

“Wait, I want to come with you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“You said revenge is much more satisfying, right?”

His lips curled into a grin. “Yeah, I did.”

You walked up to the porch and instructed Theo to stay there and wait. When you walked back inside the house, Lydia, Scott and Isaac all rushed into the foyer. 

“Y/n,” Lydia snapped. “What’s wrong with you? You scared the hell out of us!”

“Lydia,” Scott chastised. “We were just worried about you, Y/n.”

You ignored them as you grabbed your purse from where you had placed it in the coat closet.

When you began to turn away, Lydia grabbed your wrist. “You’re leaving again?

“You didn’t even come after me,” you pointed out. “So clearly you weren’t that worried.”

Lydia flushed. Scott looked down at his feet, and Isaac was standing there with a dumbfounded look, as usual.

“You can’t drive like that,” she said softly.

“I’m not the one driving.”

They all stared at you with a mixture of confusion and disappointment. Before they could ask any more questions, you were gone, slamming the front door behind you. 

You remained there on the porch for a few seconds. Theo was waiting there, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. Once you were sure they were watching, you grabbed Theo by the collar and kissed him. He froze for a moment, surprised at the feel of your lips on his. He hadn’t expected that this was what you had in mind, but he wasn’t complaining.

He suddenly gripped your hips with an eagerness that startled you. His lips were warm 

and hungry. He was kissing you like he was starving, but, then again, maybe he was. You weren’t the only one who had been alone for so long. 

You gripped the soft flannel of his jacket, digging your nails in when he bit your bottom lip playfully. You suppressed the moan that was threatening to escape your mouth.

You and Theo were so lost in each other that, for a moment, you forgot your original plan. You were quickly reminded when you heard a low growl coming from behind Lydia’s door. 

“Isaac, stop,” a voice warned.

You pulled away, breathless and a little stunned at the fervor Theo had shown when he kissed you. “Let’s go.”

He held open the passenger side door of the truck for you, and you were both silent as you got in the car. You refused to look at him until you were out of Lydia’s neighborhood. When you finally did, you saw that he was grinning. 

“What?” you asked. 

He looked over at you, raising an eyebrow. “You sure you’re not trying to invite me into bed with you?”

You laughed. “We’ll see how the rest of the night goes.”

[selfignitingimagines]

Derek- For The Better

A/N- Here is part 2 of Maybe You Should. Sorry for the three month wait! Hope it lives up to expectations.

Original Request: can you do an imagine where the reader is a well known vocalist in  beacon hills and one night the pack goes to an underground party(you  know the umm like illegal shows something like that whatever im  sorry😂)and they see her again when their like a following a lead and  they see her there and she's like getting information(she's a hunter)  with like you know slight seduction but nothing excessive but the guy  sees the pack and he runs and reader gets really badass like woah and  can the pairing be with derek?

----

    “Derek! Derek! Hey, let me go!”

    Derek turned at the sound of your familiar voice. You were sprinting up to the barricade that separated the Hale property from the rest of the world. Fire trucks and police cruisers surrounded  his house, which had been reduced to nothing but a burned out shell.

    “Ma’am, stop!” 

You were shoving past a couple of Beacon Hills Sheriff’s deputies, too quick for their pudgy, fumbling hands to grab. Acrid smoke filled the air, making you gag, but you never stopped running.

    Derek had been standing in his front yard, staring in horror as the Coroner began to carry the bodies of his family members, covered in white sheets. They had run out of body bags a while ago.

    “Derek!”

    You suddenly crashed into him, throwing your arms around his broad shoulders. “God, I thought you were-”

    You yelped as he shoved you off, sending you crashing onto the leaf-covered yard. 

    “Derek-” you began, scrambling to your feet. 

    Before you could finish, he was grabbing you by the throat and shoving you up against a nearby tree. 

    “I know you did this!” he screamed in your face. “I know you helped them!”

    “No! I didn’t-”

    “Stay away from me or I’ll kill you! I swear to god, I’ll kill you!”

    Derek sat up in bed with a start. He was drenched in sweat, and he had kicked his covers off in his sleep. They sat on the cold floor of the loft in a jumbled heap, looking sad and forlorn as the first rays of morning light shined onto them.

    He sighed, burying his face in his hands. Derek couldn’t get you out of his head. 

    Since the night at the underground show, thoughts of your reunion had plagued him. You had always been able to hide your feelings behind a hunter’s bravado, but you forgot that Derek knew you better than anyone. 

    It wasn’t just the circles under your eyes that you hid with concealer, or the urgency in your voice when you confronted Lydia that made him think something was seriously wrong. What set off alarm bells inside Derek’s head were your final words before disappearing that night.

    Maybe you should hate me. 

    Admitting guilt had never come easily to you. It was something you would never have done unless you had to. Unless you felt like you wouldn’t have another chance to say it.

    Your words had an air of finality to them, one that sent Derek’s stomach working itself into knots. Something was missing when it came to this whole situation with Kate. He was sure you held that missing piece, but he didn’t know if you would survive long enough for him to figure it out. 

    Yes, you had been reckless in the past, but he had almost watched you launch yourself off of a balcony and onto a werewolf three times your size. That wasn’t just reckless. It was suicidal.

    “She’s spiraling, Dude,” Stiles had told him in the parking lot. “She put a knife up to my freaking throat!”

    They were all crowded around Stiles’ jeep, going over how their plan had failed and what their next steps would be.

    Lydia, who normally disagreed when anyone said something negative about you, was uncharacteristically silent. Her lips were pressed together in a grim line. 

    “Maybe we can reach out,” Scott suggested. “Maybe she’ll tell us what she knows. ”

    Derek shook his head. “She doesn’t trust us.”

    “But she might trust you.”

    Derek glanced over at Lydia. He raised his eyebrows. 

    “Are you serious?”

    As it turned out, she was. 

    That was why Derek was now walking up the stairs of your apartment building, following the directions Lydia has given him. She was the only one you trusted with the location of your home.

    “She’s going to kill me for doing this,” the redhead had muttered to him.

    Derek reached up, knocking softly on the door of your apartment. He tapped his foot nervously, but he could hear you moving inside your apartment. 

    The sound of a television was playing softly in the background, and the fabric of your jeans began to slide across your leather couch. You were getting up.

When you heard the knock on your door, you walked over to peer out of the peephole. When you saw that it was Derek, you bristled. How the hell had he gotten your address?

For a second you considered not opening the door, but you knew he could hear you. It would be stupid to ignore him.

    Derek waited for what seemed like ages. He stood on the other side of the door, listening to your racing heartbeat. You took so long to open it that he began to turn away, sure you weren’t going to. 

    Then the lock clicked and the two of you were standing face to face. 

    “I’m going to kill Lydia,” you stated.

     “It’s not her fault,” he lied. “I insisted.”

    You crossed your arms over your chest. “What do you want?”

    “To talk,” he told you.

    You frowned. “What? Are you here to scold me again?”

    “No. I just…I just wanted to see if you’re okay. Can I come in?”

    You thought about it for a moment, glancing down at the brown paper bag in his hands. “What’s that?”

    “Wine.”

     “I’m listening.”

    “You still like rosé, don’t you?”

    “Maybe.”

    The smug look on Derek’s face was almost enough to make you slam the door right then, but there was something in his eyes that made you pause. 

    He did look worried. He might have been grinning at you, but his green eyes were stormy. Stress lines were forming at the corners. 

You could tell he was just as afraid for you as you were, even though he had no idea what was going on.

“Fine. Come in.”

    —-

    An hour later, you and Derek were sprawled out on your sofa, finishing off the bottle of wine. You were situated at one end with your legs extended next to his. He was leaning back against the opposite arm of the sofa, studying you intently.

    It reminded you of the countless nights the two of you had spent on the Hale’s basement couch before the fire. You and Derek would stay up until 4am, sitting just like that while you talked for hours or watched horror movies. 

By sunrise, Talia would usually find the two of you asleep on the cushions with the blank, fuzzy screen of a finished VHS tape still on the TV.

    The memory made you smile fondly, until Derek broke the silence.

“I owe you an apology,” he began. 

    You waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. You’re right. It was stupid.”

    Derek frowned. “I’m not talking about the underground show.”

    You leaned back against the end of the sofa, setting your wine glass down onto the nearby end table. “What are you talking about then?”

    He took a deep breath. “I blamed you for the fire. I pushed you away. You didn’t deserve that.”

    “We were kids,” you reminded him softly. “You had just lost your entire family.”

    “So did you.”

    A lump began to form in the back of your throat. You blinked hard, attempting to stop the tears that were threatening to spill. 

    “I left you with the Argents,” he continued. “I left you with Kate.”

    You shook your head. “Derek, they would have killed you. That was why I told you to stay away and-and then the fire…”

    You broke off, unable to bring yourself to even speak the words.

    “I should have fought harder for you…and for that I’m sorry.”

    “You don’t need to apologize.”

    You tried to say it confidently, but the tears were coming down now. There was a slight tremor in your voice as you spoke. 

    Derek moved closer, grabbing both of your hands in his own. “I do. I need to. And I need you to know that I’m going to fight for you.”

    “Derek,” you whispered. “I’m not the same person anymore.”

    “Neither am I. Just let me in,” he pleaded. “I want to help. Whatever is going on with Kate, whatever you’re afraid of, it doesn’t matter.”

    You shook your head and reached up to wipe your eyes. “You don’t understand-”

    “I know she killed your parents too. I know exactly how you feel, but you can’t keep running away from the people who are still here.”

    “I-”  You took a deep, shaky breath. Could you really come clean and tell Derek the truth about that night? 

 “I don’t want to talk about Kate.”

    “Okay,” he agreed. “We don’t have to.”

    He watched as the tension melted from your shoulders. Any questions he had about Kate weren’t going to be answered tonight.

    He let go of your hands and leaned back. “Can I ask you something?”

    “As long as it’s not about me and Kate.”

“You know, I’ve never seen you with a...you’ve never had…”

Derek paused for a bit, unsure how to broach the question.

    You let out a disbelieving laugh, wiping the stray tears from your face. “Are you asking me why I’ve never dated anyone?”

    Derek went red. “I just…I haven’t seen you with anyone in, like, ten years.”

     “Dating is kind of hard when your whole life is a secret, don’t you think?”

    He nodded. “Yeah. I get that, but some people already know.”

    “Which reminds me,” you said with a smile. “What happened to Braeden?”

    “Nothing. I mean, she was a great fighter, a great person, but…”

    “But what? She wasn’t good enough for the big, bad Derek Hale?”

    Your voice was teasing, but Derek wasn’t smiling back at you. In fact, he looked pretty grim.

    “No,” he said softly. “She wasn’t you.”

    The words slipped out before he could stop them. The minute he spoke, he realized he had made a mistake. You were staring at him in absolute shock, but now he had told the truth, and he had to keep going.

    “It’s always going to be you,” he admitted. “No matter what I’ve done, who I’ve been with…I’m always going to love you.”

    “Derek, all I’ve ever done is hurt you.”

    “That isn’t true. Y/n, I love you and I know you still love me.”

    You couldn’t deny it. You had loved Derek since you were fifteen, and you always would.

    “Please,” he begged. “Just stop running from me.”

     His green eyes were desperate and pleading. When you looked into them, you caught a glimpse of the Derek you had fallen in love with those years ago. The one who would have done anything, even died for you, if it meant keeping you safe. 

     Maybe it was time to let him try.

     “Okay. I’m done running.”

     You moved forward, closing the distance between the two of you. His lips met yours, and for the first time in ten years, you kissed him back. One of his arms came around your waist and pulled you closer, up and into his lap. 

     You clung to him, to the warmth emanating from his chest. You had ached for Derek for so long, ever since he had ended your relationship. It hadn’t mattered that he had forgiven you years ago. You never let yourself give in to those feelings until now.

 Your love for Derek was something you had kept locked away and hidden with the darkest parts of yourself. Now, as you faced what might possibly be the end of your life, you realized you couldn’t keep it from him any longer.

    “Wait. I need to show you something.”

    Derek followed you as you pulled away and rose from the couch. His brow furrowed in confusion, but he walked behind you as you headed toward your bedroom. 

    “I swear to god,” you told him, as you opened the door. “I’m not crazy.”

    “I know you’re n-”

    Derek froze. His words caught in his throat as you revealed the inside of your room. One entire wall was covered in newspaper clippings, looseleaf note pages and printed out photos. Almost all of them had been scrawled on with sharpie, and some of the items were connected with red string tacked to each piece. 

    You walked over and grabbed a single piece of paper, tearing it from where it was stuck to the wall. You offered it to Derek silently, and he gently took it from your hand. 

    He recognized Kate’s handwriting instantly. His stomach churned as he began to think of the love notes she used to write him, all those years ago when he had fallen for her manipulation.

    The note was short, but the four words scrawled on the paper were enough to make the hair on his arms stand up. 

    “‘I’m coming for you,’” he read aloud.

This was why you had been so desperate to find Kate. You had wanted to get to her before she could find you.

    “I should have told you,” you said softly. “I just…I didn’t want you to get hurt, Derek. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”

    Derek had a deep frown etched onto his face. He shook his head and then stepped forward to envelope you in his arms. 

    You stood there for a moment, stunned, but leaned into him nonetheless. 

    “God, Y/n, how do you think I would feel?”

    You didn’t say anything. Instead, you just buried your face into his warm shoulder. He reached up, running a comforting hand down your hair.

    “She’s killing hunters, isn’t she?” he asked. “Everyone from her past.”

    “I think so,” you whispered. “And I’m pretty sure I’m next.”

    He reached up, cupping your face in his hands. “She’s not going to touch you, Y/n. I promise.”

    You nodded, not sure what else to say. 

    “Do you trust me?” he asked softly.

    You took a deep breath. 

    Your relationship with Derek had become so twisted and broken. After the death of your parents and the fire, you had known things could never be the same between the two of you. For years, you weren’t sure if you could even be allies.

     Now, you were beginning to realize that, despite the rift between you, Derek had never stopped fighting for you. 

     “If there’s anyone I can trust,” you began. “It’s you.”

      Derek nodded. He began to turn away, but that was when you grabbed his hand. 

      He smiled against your lips as you tugged him closer. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy. 

     Derek walked you backwards until you hit the edge of your bed. Your duvet began to brush against the back of your thighs. That was when he reached down and scooped you up, wrapping your legs around his waist. 

      He laid you onto the bed and you tugged him down by his shirt, attempting to close the distance between you. You had been apart for too long. You needed him close, and Derek was happy to oblige.

—--

      A few hours later, Derek awoke and rolled onto his side, feeling the cool fabric of your sheets brush against his chin. He groggily reached out for you, but his fingers only found empty covers. The space where you had been sleeping still felt warm, as if you had only gotten up moments ago. 

     A twinge of unease crept down his spine, but, for a moment, he assured himself that  you must have gotten up for a glass of water. That was when the coppery smell of blood wafted toward him. 

     Derek lept from the bed, throwing open the door with a bang. He followed the scent of your blood, only to find you in the living room. You weren’t alone.

     “Hi, Handsome.”

     In the moonlight shining from the window, Derek could see Kate standing there, holding a clawed hand to your throat. 

      Her blonde curls shimmered in the light. Kate looked like she always had, beautiful and blood-hungry. 

      She was grinning at him, revealing her sharp canines. She held a shotgun in her other hand, already stained red with your blood.

     There was a large gash on your head, no doubt the way Kate had subdued you. Blood was still dripping down your face, trickling onto your neck. 

     “Let her go,” Derek snarled. 

     Kate burst into laughter. “Seriously? Could you be any more cliche, Derek?”

     He let out a low growl. Kate rolled her eyes.

      “Let her go, or what?” she asked smugly. “In case you didn’t notice, I’ve got all the leverage here.”

     Derek met your eyes. They were filled with tears. 

     “What do you want?”

     “No, no, no,” she mused. “This is between me and Y/n.”

     She let out a sharp laugh and tightened her grip on your throat. Derek winced as you let out a pained, choking sound.

     “Would you believe that this little bitch has been trying to hunt me down?” she asked Derek. “She was going to try and kill me! After everything I did for her!”

     “Fuck you,” you managed to choke. 

     Kate let out an enraged snarl. In seconds, she was tossing you onto the floor. You hit the cold, wooden floor with a violent thump. 

     Then, Kate was pressing the muzzle of the shotgun up to the side of your head. 

     “Kate, no!” Derek shouted. “If you kill her, everything you taught her means nothing!”

     The Blonde paused. She glanced back at Derek with suspicion. “You’re just trying to stop me from blowing her pretty little head off.”

     “I don’t want you to kill her. You’re right. But you don’t want to kill her either. Everything that you did, everything you taught her…it made her who she is. I can tell that you’re proud of her.”

     You glanced up cautiously. Kate was gazing down at you, past the barrel of the gun. 

     She was wearing an expression that was so foreign, you felt like you had been transported into an alternate reality. Derek was right. As fucked up as it was, Kate was proud of you.

     “She’s the one thing you did right, isn’t she?” Derek continued. “If you kill her, that all goes to waste.”

     “I made you,” she said softly. “And you were going to try to kill me.”

     “I-I was,” you admitted. “But only because that’s what you taught me.”

     Kate laughed. “You’re right about that, Kiddo. See, you like to think that we have nothing in common. But we’re the same…more than he knows.”

     She nodded over her shoulder at Derek. “Or does he know?”

    You were silent. Derek watched as the color drained from your face. Kate let out a sharp peal of laughter. You flinched at the sound.

    “You are exactly like me,” she mused. “So what? You’ve been lying to him all these years?”

    “What are you talking about?”

    Derek glanced between the two of you. Kate’s expression was gleeful. You looked horrified.

    “Tell him,” Kate ordered, leveling the gun at you once more.

    Your voice came out in a broken whisper. “I can’t.”

     “Then I’ll shoot you, and I can tell him after you’ve bled out on the floor.”

     When you didn’t say anything, her finger moved toward the trigger. “Suit yourself.”

     “Stop!” Derek ordered. “Y/n, just tell me. Whatever it is, I won’t care.”

     “I wouldn’t make promises you can’t keep, Derek.”

    “Kate, please,” you begged.

    “Tell him!” she snarled, slamming the butt of the gun into your face once more.

    You collapsed onto the floor with a cry of pain. Kate had hit you so hard that white bursts were exploding across your vision.

    Derek had to fight to hold himself back. If he made one wrong move, Kate would kill you without a second thought. He watched, practically trembling with rage as you pushed yourself up on shaky hands. A bruise was already beginning to form across your cheek.

    “Last chance,” Kate told you. She pointed the shotgun at you once more. “Tell him you’ve been lying to him.”

    “Fine,” you whispered. 

    You looked up at Derek, and when you spoke, your voice was thick with shame. “Kate didn’t kill my parents. I did.”

    The stunned look on his face only confirmed that you had been right to keep it from him. 

“What?” he asked. “But you always said-”

    “She lied!” Kate snarled. “And she told you I did it? No. She killed them on the full moon. Not me.”

    “I didn’t want to-”

    “But you still pulled that trigger,” Kate cut in. “That’s why you’re just like me, Y/n.”

    “You locked me in the distillery with them!” you screamed.  “They were going to tear me apart!”

    Derek watched as the tears streamed down your face, leaving streaks in the blood that was already beginning to dry on your skin.

    “You did exactly what you were trained for,” Kate snarled. “Hunt and kill…and that’s all you’ll ever be able to do. Just like me.”

    “You’re right,” you whispered shakily. “I am just like you.”

    Kate smirked. “See? I told y-”

    Before she could react, you swept your leg into hers, knocking her off balance. 

     Kate roared as she fell onto her back, fumbling with the shotgun. When she managed to get to her knees and point the gun toward you, you were ready. 

     You shoved the barrel away just in time. As Kate pulled the trigger, the bullet sailed toward your living room window and shattered the glass. 

     Derek took the opportunity to lunge toward Kate, but she quickly ripped the gun from your grasp. She backed away from you and racked the shotgun. 

     You screamed as the bullet hit Derek in the chest, creating a large, bloody hole in his shirt. He let out a painful, ear-splitting howl, but then his knees hit the hardwood floor. A few moments later, so did the rest of him. 

     Kate began to pull more shotgun shells from her pocket, but you tackled her to the ground before she could load the gun. It spilled from her hands and clattered onto the floor, but she didn’t stop.

     “You stupid little bitch,” she snarled.

She yanked you up by your hair, shoving you into the wall behind you. The plaster cracked at the force.

Kate was pinning you by the throat. You scratched and clawed at her arms, but she was so much stronger than you. A scream was working its way up your throat, but you couldn’t breathe enough air to let it out.

This was the moment you had been terrified of. This was the moment Kate promised would come. 

She grinned at you, and you could tell she knew it too. That was when she thrust her claws into your stomach.

The pain was sharp and immediate. A strangled gasp escaped from your lips. Your fingers slipped from her hand on your throat, instinctively clutching at your abdomen.

“No!” Derek shouted. 

“Say hi to mommy and daddy for me,” she spat, before yanking her claws away. 

You fell to your knees, clutching your bleeding stomach. 

Then, the world suddenly tilted. You found yourself lying on your side with your cheek pressed against the wooden floor. Through blurry vision, you could see Kate climb out of the broken window.

The coppery taste of blood began to well up in your mouth as she disappeared into the night.

“No, no, no!”

Derek was suddenly leaning over you, pressing down onto the wounds Kate had left. Your vision went white with the pain, and you were pretty sure you screamed, but everything was hazy. 

Derek was breathing heavily, barely able to hold himself up as he held pressure to your wounds.

“Y-you,” you gasped weakly. “You’re hurt.”

Derek shook his head. “I’m healing. But you…”

“D-Derek-“

“Scott and the others are coming. They heard me howl.”

The look on his face was still stricken. 

“Not fast enough, huh?”

“I don’t know. I-I don’t know.”

You swallowed, gagging bitterly for a moment on the blood in your mouth. “I’m sorry for…for lying…for everything.”

“No.” His green eyes were welling with tears. “No. No you don’t have to apologize. I never should have believed Kate. I never should have let you go.”

“I pushed you away.” You reached up, grasping one of his hands, which was now wet with your own blood. “I’m…I’m most sorry for that.”

Your grip on his hand began to grow limp, and Derek could tell you were fading. 

“No!” he cried. “No, Y/n, come on. Stay awake. Please. Please!”

This was Derek’s worst nightmare, repeating itself all over again. The thought of losing someone else he loved, losing you, was unthinkable. 

You looked back up at him, but it was a struggle to fight the darkness creeping at the edge of your vision. Soon, the sound of his desperate voice began to fade too.

“Y/n, come on, please. I can’t lose you. I can’t…I can’t…”

His face began to blur, along with the other dark shapes that had entered your vision. You were just barely able to recognize a familiar pair of brown eyes before white hot pain spread through your arm and up your body.

Then, there was nothing.

—--

    You woke to the sound of birds chirping. The incessant chattering was sharp in your ears, almost painful.

When you opened your eyes, you could see bright sunlight shining through a row of large, square windows. You flinched away from its intensity, rolling over onto an unfamiliar mattress. 

You yanked on the fluffy gray comforter wrapped around you, pulling it over your head in an attempt to block the light and sound out. Once you were enveloped in the darkness, you tried to orient yourself.

The last thing you remembered was being attacked in your apartment, but you definitely weren’t there anymore. That was when you felt the bed dip. 

A warm hand came down to rest on your shoulder. “Y/n? What’s wrong?”

“The light,” you whispered. “It hurts.”

“Ah.”

 You felt the bed shift and,suddenly, the covers by your feet were being carefully lifted up. 

He wriggled under the comforter until he had crawled up beside you in the bed. His warm fingers came to rest on your cheek. 

“Hey, look at me.”

You opened your eyes. Derek was studying you carefully. “Do you know what’s happening?”

You thought back to the night before, when Kate had nearly killed you. Your hand came up to touch your abdomen. There should have been pain where Kate’s claws stabbed through you, but there was only smooth, bare skin.

When you pulled up the oversized T-shirt Derek had dressed you in, you saw that the wound had completely healed. 

“Scott bit me,” you realized. 

Derek nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry. I know he would have given you the choice, but…”

“There wasn’t one.”

“Yeah.”

“She would have killed me, Derek. You guys did what you had to do.”

“I’m still sorry.”

You shook your head. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I should have told you about my parents.”

Derek shook his head. “No. Don’t apologize.”

“But-”

“It wasn’t you. It was Kate. Nothing you told me changes the way I see you.”

He stroked his thumb down your cheek, swiping away the tears that were beginning to fall. “Nothing could ever make me stop loving you. You have to know that.”

“What if I hurt you?” you ask. “What if I can’t control myself on the full moon?”

“You’ll be able to eventually. It takes practice and patience.”

“I’m not very patient,” you muttered. 

Derek smiled. “Trust me, I know.”

You looked up, playfully smacking him in the chest. He caught your wrist, and pulled you closer. His other arm snaked around your waist, tugging you against him until your lips met his.

You felt surprisingly giddy, even though you were terrified at the thought of what would come next. You weren’t sure how you would handle becoming a werewolf, or what that would mean for your relationship with Derek. 

Yet again, the life you knew had been ripped away from you in a single night.  While the idea frightened you, you had a feeling that, this time, it was for the better.

[selfignitingimagines]

Derek- Maybe You Should

    A/N: I’m finally filling this wonderful request. I figured I’d split it into two parts, so you’ll have to let me know what you guys think.

    Request: can you do an imagine where the reader is a well known vocalist in beacon hills and one night the pack goes to an underground party(you know the umm like illegal shows something like that whatever im sorry😂)and they see her again when their like a following a lead and they see her there and she's like getting information(she's a hunter) with like you know slight seduction but nothing excessive but the guy sees the pack and he runs and reader gets really badass like woah and can the pairing be with derek?

     The moon was rising in the sky as Stiles’ jeep pulled into the parking garage. His brakes groaned as they came to a halt. 

    “Scott and Derek are already here,” Lydia told him from the passenger seat. She was glancing down at her phone, reading a text from one of the boys. 

    “Great. Let’s hope our guy is here too.”

    Stiles hopped out of the jeep and walked around to open the door for Lydia, who stepped down and pulled her purse onto her shoulder. 

    It had been a long time since anything supernatural had threatened Beacon Hills, but Lydia was beginning to find dead bodies again. 

    Each of the victims had been brutally murdered, and the evidence pointed to a familiar face. At every crime scene, the werewolves had discovered the unmistakable scent of Kate Argent.

    It wasn’t surprising, considering Kate’s new supernatural abilities and her insatiable search for power. Scott had always known she would be back at some point. He wasn’t sure why she was in Beacon Hills now, but he knew they had to stop her.

    After meeting up with Stiles and Lydia, he and Derek would meet the informant that had Kate’s location. It was an odd place for a meeting, but this venue was small enough that they could corner the man, and large enough that they could remain inconspicuous. 

    This was why, when he suggested the underground show location, Scott hadn’t said no.

    You were there that night as well, doing some recon of your own, though Scott and the others didn’t know it yet. As a prominent vocalist in Beacon Hills, you were a permanent fixture at these sorts of things. They were perfect for gathering information discreetly, and on top of that, they were fun. 

    You loved to sing. You always had, and it was the perfect cover for your real job. Being a werewolf hunter wasn’t the type of thing you could put on a business card.

     If you were being honest, you were more of a mercenary than a hunter. You tried to stick to a tight moral code, one based less on traditional hunting values and more on not being an asshole. That was why you were searching for a connection to Kate tonight. 

    She might have been the one to kill Gerard, but she was still the reason your whole family was dead. She was motivated by personal gain and vendetta, just like she always had been.

    You hated Kate more than you would normally hate a target. They were all scum, but when you looked at her, all you could think about was what she had tried to turn you into. 

    You thought about that as you sat in the makeshift dressing room, staring at your reflection in the glowing lights that bordered the mirror. Dark lipstick and sharp eyeliner were part of your signature look when you performed, but even with the familiar makeup, you didn’t recognize yourself. You hadn’t in a long time. 

    As you gazed in the mirror, you noticed the curtain that was covering the door rustling behind you. Your whole body went rigid. Maybe Kate had heard you were looking for her and decided to beat you to the punch.

    Your fingers inched toward your right boot, ready to grab the knife hidden inside it.

    “Y/n, you’re on in two minutes!”

    A stagehand popped through the curtain. The tension in your shoulders eased. 

    “Thanks,” you said curtly.

    She was gone as quickly as she had appeared, her dark ponytail bobbing behind her.

    You took one last look at yourself in the mirror and smoothed down your curls. 

     Maybe you weren’t sure who you were anymore, but you weren’t concerned about it. As long as you were eventually the woman who killed Kate Argent, nothing else mattered.

------

    Stiles and Lydia walked into the warehouse, peering through the crowd. Beacon Hills had made a name for its Underground Show ever since Matt Dahler murdered one of his victims during a performance there. The event had become a sort of morbid cult favorite, drawing in all sorts of performers from across the state. 

     The warehouse was crowded, and as Stiles and Lydia scanned the crowd for Scott and Derek, they spotted them down by the bar. After what felt like ages, they were able to weave their way through the sea of sweating bodies to get to them. 

    “So,” Stiles quipped. “What are we drinking?”

    Derek rolled his eyes.

    “Kincaid is up in the sound booth,” Scott explained. 

He was leaning against the bar, scanning the swarming crowd. 

    “Kincaid?” Stiles repeated. “Like Japanese mob-boss, bodyguard Kincaid? The guy who kicked all our asses?”

    Scott nodded. “I guess he’s doing anything for money these days.”

    The music faded in the background, and people shuffled around the stage. Some headed toward the bar for their next drink as the DJ got up to announce the next act. 

    “Next up, we’ve got a local artist. Some of you may know her, the Siren of Beacon Hills, Y/n Y/l/n!”

    Derek froze, then glanced over his shoulder.

    “Wait a second,” Stiles said. “Is that-?”

    “It’s her.” Derek sounded tired. 

    Stiles looked over at Lydia, who was studying Derek intently. 

    “That’s not good,” Scott said with a frown. 

    As Lydia liked to say, you and Derek had a history, and a painful one at that. The two of you had been high-school sweethearts before the death of your parents, but the relationship crumbled when you were adopted by the Argents at sixteen. 

     After being raised with a moderate take on the supernatural, you were suddenly a part of one of the most violent and dogmatic hunting families in the country. Shortly after, Derek’s entire family was burned alive inside their home by Kate Argent, now your adopted older sister. 

     Needless to say, things were never the same between the two of you. You didn’t speak for almost a decade, and for a while, Derek didn’t think you ever would.

     Years later, when Scott brought a new generation of supernatural problems to town, the path of your lives still seemed hopelessly intertwined. You remained neutral at times, helping the pack mostly for Allison’s sake, but that meant rekindling some sort of relationship with Derek.

     You would disappear for months at a time, and when you did show up, it was always in the middle of whatever supernatural disaster was blowing through Beacon Hills that month. 

     Each time you came back, he was reminded of what could have been.

    After Allison died, you took a step back, blending into the background once again...until you learned that Kate was still alive. 

    Scott always believed you meant well, but your recklessness had gotten in the way more than once. At the end of the day, you had your own priorities.

     You preferred to think of yourself as dedicated to your mission. So what if you got in the way of every carefully crafted plan the pack made? You had your own way of doing things, and it was faster and more effective. 

     At this point, you would kill Kate and anyone working for her if you had to.  You weren’t going to justify that to Scott or anyone else. You didn’t need to.

     Down at the bar, Stiles narrowed his eyes.

     “Anyone else think it’s weird that she’s here at the exact same time as us?”

     Lydia rolled her eyes.

     Derek slammed his beer down onto the counter. The Redhead jumped, startled, as he lunged from his seat.

     The legs of the stool scraped against the cement floor as he moved, though it was barely audible under the heavy base and your crooning voice.

     Before he could shove his way through the crowd, Scott grabbed his arm.

      “What are you doing?” he hissed. “We’re supposed to be laying low.”

     “It won’t matter if she gets to Kincaid first! She’ll make a scene in front of everybody. Kate will know we’re onto her and be gone by morning.”

     “What are you gonna do, Derek?” Stiles cut in. “Just pull her off stage?”

     “I’ll drag her down by her hair if I have to.”

     “Someone’s bitter.”

     “That’s just going to cause a bigger scene,” Scott protested.

     “Oh for god’s sake,” Lydia breathed, throwing up her hands. “All three of you are ridiculous. Why don’t I just go talk to her?”

     “Because she’ll sweet talk you into letting her go,” Derek snapped. “I know you have a soft spot for her.”

     Stiles looked between the two of them with an uneasy glance. “I’m gonna have to agree with Derek on that one.”

     Lydia huffed. “She’s Allison’s godmother.”

     “Was,” Derek corrected. “She’s only looking out for herself now. Once she gets that location, she won’t tell us where it is. She’ll go there alone and get herself killed, then Kate will be in the wind again..and where does that leave us?”

     Lydia glared at him with sharp green eyes, but she couldn’t find it in herself to bite back a reply. As much as she wanted to believe you would help, she knew Derek was right. 

     “If we keep fighting we’ll never find Kate,” Scott pointed out.

     “You got a better idea?” Derek asked him.

     “Yeah, actually, I do.”

----

     “Great set, Y/n!”

     “You too!”

     You thanked the band and crew as you walked off stage, still feeling that natural high from performing. The cheers of the crowd echoed back into the dressing room, and you allowed yourself a moment of vanity as you enjoyed the sound. 

     Sweat was pooling at the back of your neck. You pulled a scrunchie from your bag and tied your hair into a bun, tucking it back in preparation for what was coming. 

     You reached into your boot, feeling for your knife just to make sure it was still there. You were just about to slip out of the dressing room when you heard an unfamiliar male voice calling your name. The person sounded like they had a thick, exaggerated southern accent.

     “Y/n? Hey, uh, are you in there?”

     You walked forward, but paused outside the curtain.

     “Who is it?”

     “Oh, uh, you don’t know me. I just thought your set was awesome, and uh, I just really wanted to see if I could get your autograph. I came all the way from the great state of Texas-”

     Suspicious, you yanked back the curtain. When you saw the figure standing outside the dressing room, you scoffed.

     “Stiles, what the fuck are you doing?”

     “Oh, hey!” he cried. “Heh, sorry I thought that you would think that was funny. It was just a little prank, you know? Uh...I just wanted to come say hey. We haven’t seen each other in forever and I saw you on stage…”

     “Stiles, you don’t like me,” you reminded him, crossing your arms over your chest.

     He feigned surprise. “Wh-what?! Me? Come on, I mean, I admire your unorthodox methods, actually-”

     Before he could speak another word, you had pulled the knife from your boot and shoved him up against the nearest wall. He gulped as you placed the blade at his throat. 

     “I know you’re trying to stop me.” 

     “Hey, hey, hey! I-I’m just trying to help. I swear!” 

     “You can tell Scott I don’t need anyone’s help.”

     “Y-yeah. I can...I can, uh, pass that on.”

     You glared at him, but pulled the knife away from his throat nonetheless. You stormed off, leaving him still plastered against the wall, too scared to move. 

     You headed for the sound booth where your informant was working tonight, shaking your head in disbelief.  

     You couldn’t believe that Scott and the others had the nerve to get in your way. You knew they were trying to stop you from killing Kate. Scott didn’t believe in killing anyone, no matter what they had done. If he had it his way, Kate would never get what she deserved.

     You crept down through the building, headed toward the sound booth. You passed a few people on your way, but they were all working backstage and seemed to be too busy with their own jobs to give you much thought. A few recognized you and gave a quick wave, but that was about it.

     When you made it to the room the sound booth was in, you peered through the heavy metal door, which was cracked and propped open with a brick. You could see your informant sitting in a folding chair in front of the sound equipment. 

     He was wearing a dark, baggy hoodie with the hood pulled up. He seemed smaller than you anticipated, though it was hard to see in the dim room. The only light came from the glow of the soundboard and speakers.

     Your fingers tightened around the knife, ready to put it against the man’s throat. It would be easy enough to get Kate’s location. Most people were willing to talk with a blade pressed to their jugular vein. 

     You reached forward and yanked down the hood, intending to press the blade down. When you did, you saw a long shock of familiar, strawberry blonde hair spill down from the hood. 

     “Lydia?!”

     You stumbled back in shock. She rose from the chair and turned to face you, looking guilty the whole time. “What the hell are you doing?!”

     “Trying to stop you from doing something stupid!” 

     “You have no idea what I’m doing!”

     You turned, intending to run out the door in search of the informant, but she reached out to grasp your arm. “Y/n, wait!”

     You reluctantly turned back to face her. “What?”

     “Allison wouldn’t want you to do this.”

     You felt a pang in your chest. Lydia was telling the truth. Allison would want you to be a team player, to ask for help, but you could never bring yourself to do that. 

      In the end, it didn’t matter. She was dead anyway. 

     “You don’t understand. I have to do this. I have to find Kate.”

     Lydia frowned. The look in your eyes was desperate, almost crazed. You really did believe what you were saying. 

     “Y/n, we’re working on it.”

     You huffed. “Not quick enough!”

     “Why can’t you just let us help?” she cried. “You can trust us.”

     “Scott will never let me kill her, Lydia. Don’t you understand? As long as she’s alive, she’ll never stop.”

     “Scott’s not the only one who wants to help.”

     “Derek would never go against Scott. He comes first.”

      “Are you sure about that?”

     You paused. “Yes.”

     She raised an eyebrow. “You hesitated.”

     “Let go of me, Lydia. You can’t stop me.”

     She stared at you for a moment, her green eyes dark and troubled. “I know.”

     She released your wrist, and you stalked out of the room and down the hall. You rubbed at the marks her pink-painted nails had left in your skin. 

     You didn’t have time to analyze what she said, but a part of you had latched onto her words as you raced down the hall. Maybe at one point, Derek would have put you before anyone, but that was a long time ago. You weren’t sure why she would think that now.

     You shook away those thoughts, trying to focus on where the informant could have gone. If the whole pack was here, that meant they had their own plan. 

     You had known Scott for a long time, and Derek even longer. If they wanted to meet with someone, they’d want to do it somewhere private and away from the crowds.

     After exploring the warehouse for a few minutes, you noticed a rusty metal door on your right. The faded red paint on it told you that it led to a fire escape. You opened it and slipped outside, stepping onto a rickety metal platform. 

     You had a good vantage point from the second floor, and you could see that you were standing at the back of the building. A few cars and vans were parked below you, no doubt from people working the event or transporting equipment. 

     There were some flood lights attached to the building that cast a dim glow and illuminated the pavement lot below. Even with the light, you didn’t see anything worth noting. 

     A breeze blew past you as you leaned over the fire escape. You welcomed the sensation of the cool air on the back of your neck, but you still had work to do. You were just about to turn to go back inside when you heard the creaking of a metal door opening below. 

     You pressed yourself back against the fire escape, keeping to the shadows as voices began to drift up from below. You didn’t recognize the second voice, but you could tell the first one was Scott’s.

     “I appreciate you meeting me here.”

     “I’d appreciate my wire transfer.”

     You peered down through the holes in the metal platform. Scott and another man were standing next to the warehouse door, carefully keeping out of the light. Someone else was standing next to Scott, but you couldn’t see who it was from that angle.

      You could see that the informant was huge, definitely bigger than Scott. His hair seemed to be completely gone or buzzed very close to his head. 

     “Woah, woah, hold on. We already sent you the money, Kincaid”

     That was Stiles, but where was Derek?    

     “That was the fee for a meeting. If you want information, it’ll cost you more.”

     You rolled your eyes. Kincaid was right under the fire escape. If you jumped over the ledge and took him down, you would catch him off guard. With a little force, you were sure he would give up Kate’s location.

    You stood up, ready to leap over the edge of the fire escape. Before you could make another move, the door behind you flew open.

    A hand clamped down over your mouth and an arm snaked around your waist. Before you had time to react, you were being yanked back through the door and into the warehouse. The door slammed shut in front of you. 

    You bit down on the fingers covering your lips.

    “Ow! What the fuck?!”

    The hands dropped you, and you stumbled forward, trying to balance yourself. Derek was standing there, a sullen look on his face as he shook out his hand. You could see a tiny trickle of blood dripping from his fingers. 

    You shoved past him and ran toward the fire escape door, but when you reached out, the handle was gone. In its place was a broken metal stub. 

    When you glanced back at Derek, he smirked and pulled the crumpled metal handle from behind his back. He had pulled the door handle right off. 

     “Looking for something?”

    “What the hell is the matter with you?” you demanded.

    “What’s the matter with you? Are you trying to get arrested?”

    “The Sheriff wouldn’t arrest me.”

    “You’re drawing too much attention,” he insisted. “What was your plan, huh? Just tackle Kincaid?”

    You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “Maybe.”

    “Why do you always have to do things the hard way?”

    “Because my way is faster…and, no offense, but it doesn’t look like you and your little band of heroes got any information either.”

     Derek was fuming. His green eyes were cloudy and dark. He was clenching his jaw and his hands were curled into fists. It would have been hot if it weren’t so annoying.

    You started to turn away, but Derek grabbed your wrist. You gritted your teeth. 

    “Get the fuck off me.”

    “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

    “I don’t care.”

    You tried to pull your wrist from his grip, but you couldn’t compete with his strength. He stepped forward, caging you in against the wall. 

     The cement was cold against your back as he pinned your wrists above your head. He stared at you, his expression unreadable.  

     “That’s your fucking problem. You don’t care, but they do. Do you have any idea how upset they would be if something happened to you?”

    He nodded at the wall behind him. Scott and the rest of his pack were on the other side of it with Kincaid, stealing the information you had fought so hard to get.

    “Just them?” you asked. “Or you too?”

    There was a cool glint in his eyes, and you could only imagine the memories that were flitting around in his head. It was no use though. You were trying to hit a nerve that had lost feeling a long time ago.

    When he didn’t answer, you flashed him a bitter smile. “Don’t worry, Derek. I know you still hate me.”

    His eyes held yours for a moment. He looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, his phone rang. 

    With one hand, he reached down and pulled it from his jeans. “Yeah?”

    You could hear Scott’s muted voice on the other end of the phone. “Kincaid ran.”

    Derek’s mouth formed a grim line. “What?”

    “He got spooked when you pulled Y/n back inside. I think he thought she was one of Monroe’s hunters.”

    Derek closed his eyes and let out an exhausted sigh. “Alright. Thanks.”

     Without another word, he dropped your wrists and stepped back. You kept your eyes trained on the cement floor, avoiding Derek’s at all costs. You couldn’t stand to see his sullen, puppy-dog eyes and the disappointment they held.

     You turned away from him and headed back toward the dressing room, but before you could get far, he called out to you.

    “I don’t.”

    You paused, glancing back over your shoulder. “What?”

    “I don’t hate you.”

    You swallowed. “Well, maybe you should.”

    Derek frowned as you turned away. Every cell in his body was aching for him to follow you down the shadowy hallway. There was so much he wanted you to know, but it had been so long since you had let him close.

    Maybe that was his fault for pushing you away so carelessly. It had been years since then, but he had accused you of helping Kate start the fire that killed his family. 

     He knew you were forced into training as a young hunter. He knew she had used you just as much as she had used him. At the time, he didn’t care. He was so angry, and even though you had loved him, Kate planted the seeds of doubt in his mind long before the fire.

     Derek let himself be manipulated by her, and, even a decade later, he had never managed to heal your relationship. He wasn’t sure if he ever would.

[selfignitingimagines]

“You come back from a trip to the East, but you don’t come back from the dead.”

Argent! Twin AU mood board based on the new clip from the Teen Wolf movie.

[selfignitingimagines]

Liam- Badass

A/N: This one has been in my ask box for a really long time, but I hope you guys enjoy it! I’ve been rewatching season 6, and Liam has grown on me a lot as a character!

Request:  Hi can you plz do a review where (based in season 6 episode 14 where everyone Is judging Liam and all that) and the reader is trying to be nice to him and be his friend when no one else will but Nolan has a crush on her and that is another reason he wants Liam to change so she can she the “monster” he is thx❤️❤️😘

“Find anything interesting?”

You jumped. The voice had startled you as it came from behind a library shelf. When you turned, a pair of blue eyes caught yours through an empty space between books.

“Sorry,” Nolan Holloway apologized, smiling sheepishly as he came around to your aisle. “I wasn’t trying to scare you.”

“It’s fine,” you told him. “I was just trying to find another copy of the bio textbook for Liam. He forgot his.”

Nolan glanced back toward the collection of tables in the middle of the school library. One was occupied by Liam, Mason and Corey, with a single empty seat waiting for you. 

“Study group?” he asked. 

“Sort of,” you told him. “It was kind of spontaneous.”

He nodded. “You know, I don’t really get why you hang out with those guys. Mason and Corey, I sort of understand, but Liam? He just seems like he’s hiding something.”

You raised your eyebrows. It wasn’t the first time someone had questioned your friendship with Liam because of his temper, but Nolan seemed to be talking about something else entirely.  “What do you mean?”

“You have to notice all the weird stuff that goes on around here, right?” 

“I think everyone does.”

“Yeah, so haven’t you noticed that they’re always at the center of it all?”

“Not really, no,” you told him. “You sure you’re not imagining things? The bio exam is coming up and I don’t think anyone is getting much sleep…”

You trailed off as you noticed he was still staring at your friends. You were about to just back up and leave when he turned to you. 

“I’m not sleep-deprived. I just pay attention. I pay attention to you too, you know.”

He had this strange, intense look in his eyes, and you were suddenly uncomfortable.

“Okay,” you agreed, struggling to keep a polite smile on your face. “Well, I’ve gotta get back to studying so…”

You trailed off and turned, quickly walking back to your table. 

“There aren’t any more books,” you told Liam.

“That’s fine. We can just share...hey, are you okay?”

Liam had seen Nolan getting a little too close to you over by the bookshelves. He knew he had a tendency to be a little overprotective, and, as Mason had also pointed out, a little too jealous. Maybe he didn’t have a right to be, but there were many times that he couldn’t help it. He had heard the way the other lacrosse players talked about you in the locker room. 

Nolan himself had said a few disgusting things when he didn’t think Liam had heard him. Though he couldn’t confront his teammate outright, he made sure to check him extra hard at practice. 

Maybe that was why he had been so suspicious as he watched Nolan breathe down your neck while you searched for an extra textbook. Maybe it also had something to do with how much Liam cared for you, and the fact that Nolan seemed to be up to something worse than getting into your pants. 

You nodded as you sat down at the table. “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just...I don’t know. Do you ever get the feeling like something bad is about to happen?”

Corey and Mason shared a concerned look, but Liam tilted his head. 

“Like what? We might fail the test? Cause I don’t think I need a feeling to tell me that.”

“Shut up,” you complained, feeling the worry roll off your shoulders. “We’re going to make sure you don’t.”

You scooted your chair closer to him and opened up the textbook you had left on the table. “Let’s start with Chapter Nine.”

He leaned in to read next to you and flashed you a grateful smile. You were just about to turn the page when a couple of books slammed onto the table. You flinched at the noise, instinctively moving closer to Liam. 

Nolan was standing at the edge of the table, smiling at the four of you. “Hey guys.”

“Hey, Nolan,” Mason said politely.

“Mind if I sit?” Nolan asked. 

Liam opened his mouth to protest, but Nolan was already pulling a fifth chair up to the table.

Corey glanced over and met your eyes. He had seen you talking to Nolan in the stacks, and by the way his eyebrows were raised you knew he was wondering if you had invited him over. You shook your head.

Mason cleared his throat. “Studying for the bio test?”

“Trying,” Nolan said with a strange grin, sitting down next to you. “Trying to understand how organisms evolve and change.”

“I don’t think this is on the test,” Corey said hesitantly.

Nolan’s lips twitched, and he clicked the pen in his hands, over and over. He glanced around the table. “Do you think DNA changes?”

“If it’s damaged,” Mason told him. 

“I wonder if any of us have changed,” Nolan wondered aloud. “And if we did...would there be any way to tell?”

“Like a DNA test?”.

Nolan smiled as he turned the pen over in his hands. “I was thinking a different type of test.” 

Liam stood up suddenly. 

“You know what, Nolan? This is a private study group. Get lost.”

Nolan nodded, seeming to understand. He pushed himself up from the table, flashing you a warm smile. For a second, it seemed like he was going to leave. Then, looking right into your eyes, he stabbed his pen into Corey’s hand.

You let out a shriek, and Corey cried out as blood splashed onto the table. Now it was glistening on the wood and your textbook.

“What the hell is your problem?” Mason demanded, but Nolan wasn’t phased. 

He reached forward, jerking Corey’s hand up and holding it high for everyone in the library to see. The hole that should have been there was gone, like it had completely healed. 

“Look at him!” he snarled at you. “Look at him!”

The entire library was staring. Kids looked up from their textbooks and phones to find a sight that confused and terrified them. What they didn’t know, and what you didn’t know, was that this was only the beginning.

In seconds, Liam had shoved Nolan off of Corey, knocking him to the floor of the library. “Get the hell away from us. Now.”

Nolan glared at Liam, shoving himself up from the ground. He snatched his books from the table and glanced toward you. “See what I’m talking about?”

Then he stormed off, shoving the library doors open and disappearing into the darkened hallway. 

When you looked back, Corey, Liam, and Mason were all eyeing you carefully, as if you were an animal that might bite. You glanced at Corey’s completely healed hand, and you made a decision that would define everything that came after that night. 

“Nolan is nuts,” you said firmly. “Let’s go study at my house.”

Their shoulders seemed to slump in relief, and Liam reached out to squeeze your hand.

You met his baby blue eyes, and a look of understanding passed between the two of you. What you had seen didn’t matter. These were your friends, and nothing could scare you away from them.

-----

It only took a few days for things to escalate to the unthinkable. Suddenly everyone was afraid of your friends.

You didn’t understand it. There had only been about ten other people in the library that night. Word shouldn’t have traveled that fast, and even if it had, what was there to be afraid of?

If Corey could suddenly heal from his injuries, that should have been a miracle. Unfortunately, not everyone thought that. 

When the three of you had walked into school that Monday, all people had done was stare or shy away from you and your friends. You couldn’t hear the whispers, but Liam seemed to be able to. He looked pained as you stood in front of your lockers. 

“Just block it out,” Mason assured him.

“They know,” Liam whispered nervously.

“It’s just rumors. They don’t know anything.”

You looked between the two of them. You didn’t know anything either, but you could at least tell that Liam and Corey were different. For some people, that was enough to be upset about.

Before you could interject, someone else did.

“They know everything,” Corey told them, coming up from the hallway behind you. “Two sophomores on the lacrosse team were there last night.”

Mason shook his head, still trying to convince Liam, and maybe himself, that things were okay. “Yeah, but it was late. It was pitch-black out, and there was fog on the road.”

Corey frowned. “It was a clear night, a full moon, and a well lit intersection.”

“Look, I have to get out of here,” Liam hissed. 

“No,” Mason insisted. “If you leave, these rumors never stop. You gotta just convince them that you’re a regular kid.”

“I’m not a regular kid.”

You blinked, looking between them. “Wait, what happened last night?”

The three of them shared a glance. No one said anything. 

“Look, you can tell me. I already saw what happened in the library. I don’t care.”

Liam and Corey hesitated, but Mason spoke up. “Okay, I’ll tell you.”

“Mason,” Corey hissed. 

“Come on, she already has all the pieces. She just hasn’t put them together yet. It’s safer for her to know the whole story.”

Corey didn’t look convinced. He was eyeing you carefully with his arms crossed over his chest. Defensive. 

“You’re right,” Liam told Mason, but when you looked into his eyes, he looked scared.

“Can you come with us?” Mason asked you.

You nodded and they led you away from the main hallway. You followed them into a quiet chemistry lab, where they locked the door behind them. There, they explained everything. 

Finding out that Liam and Corey were both supernatural creatures was a lot to take in. If there was nothing else going on, you might have needed more time to process everything. However, the news that a group of werewolf hunters was targeting and killing your friends seemed to override the shock. 

They explained that wasn’t their only problem, because after Liam had shifted in front of half the town last night, everyone, including the kids at your high school, seemed to know that he wasn’t human. 

“So,” you finally said. “What do we do?”

“Good question,” Liam said. “Cause I have no idea.”

“Remember what Scott said?” Mason asked him. 

Scott was the assistant coach for the lacrosse team, but he was only a couple years older than you. He hung out with you guys a lot, and he always seemed like a sweet, caring guy. You guessed he was probably in on the secret too. 

“He said ‘Be like Clark Kent’.”

Liam looked exasperated. “Clark Kent turns into a guy with a red and blue outfit and a cape. I turn into a monster with claws and fangs.”

“Then just get through the day without shifting,” Corey told him.

“Liam,” Mason said softly. “People are saying that Brett and Lori died in a car accident. We know the truth. They didn’t just die.”

You sucked in a breath. “They were murdered?”

Liam’s face softened. “The people who are after us are dangerous, Y/n. They’ll kill us, and anyone else that gets in the way. That means you too.”

“I don’t care,” you insisted. “You guys are my best friends. I’m not just gonna run and hide, especially if I can help.”

You reached out to grab his hand and squeeze it. His lips turned up at the corners, if only for a moment. 

“Then you’re with us now.”

You all agreed that Liam would try to keep cool. The rest of you would try to listen out for anything that might suggest someone was coming after him. Mason and Corey left the chemistry lab to head to their first period classes, leaving you and Liam alone together. 

You were both supposed to head to your own classes, but you lingered for a moment. 

“So...you’re not afraid?” he asked sheepishly. 

You shook your head. “Liam, I know who you are. Having claws and fangs doesn’t change that, even if it’s a little weird.”

He smiled. “A little?”

“Okay, maybe a lot,” you admitted with a grin. “But that just means you can eat the people that piss me off on a full moon.”

Liam frowned. “Werewolves don’t eat people on full moons.”

“So what do they do?”

“Exactly what we’ve been doing every full moon for the past two years. Eating junk food and playing video games.”

You thought for a moment. “And you have super reflexes?”

He nodded. “Yeah, basically.

 “So why do you suck so bad at COD then?”

Liam rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. He was relieved you were still treating him the way you always had. Telling you about the supernatural was always something he had wanted to do. You were one of his best friends, and he had always felt wrong hiding it from you.

He had thought about admitting his secret countless times before, but something had always stopped him. What you didn’t know was that Liam had always thought of you as more than a friend. He was pretty sure you felt the same way, but he had never asked you out.

Scott had questioned him about it once on the way home from a pack movie night. They had dropped you off at home, and as he pulled away from the curb in his mom’s sedan, he was looking at Liam with a smile on his face. 

“What?” Liam had asked. 

“Why don’t you ask her out?”

Liam flushed. Scott grinned at him. “I haven’t seen you look at anyone like that since Hayden.”

“I don’t know,” Liam said. 

“What do you mean?” he asked. “She likes you too. You can’t tell?”

“I know she does. It’s just...with everything going on, I don’t want to drag her into this.”

Scott nodded. “I get it...but you can’t spend your whole life doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Sacrificing your happiness to keep people safe. Even when you do that, they’re never really safe.”

“I don’t know,” Liam mumbled, glancing out the window into the darkness. 

“I had to learn that the hard way,” Scott had told him. “But maybe you do too.”

Now, as he stood across from you, he didn’t want to leave the chemistry lab. He wanted to hide in there with you for as long as he could and tell you everything, including how he felt about you. Before he could get the chance, you spoke. 

“Come on,” you said, nodding toward the hallway. “Let’s make sure you stay alive so I can beat your ass again this weekend.”

He had missed his moment, but he smiled at you anyway. “Can I walk you to class?”

“Duh.”

You looped your arm through his and headed out into the hall, ignoring the stares and fearful looks the entire way. 

------

You met up again in biology class, which you all had together. When you sat down at the table next to Liam, he pulled you close to whisper in your ear. 

Your heart skipped when he placed his hand on your arm, but he was too agitated to notice. 

“Nolan and Gabe are going to try to force me to shift. Corey said they’re going to block all the exits.”

You frowned. “Then we have to find a way to sneak you out.”

You glanced behind you, where Corey and Mason were sharing a table. 

“We’ve got a plan for that."

Mason explained that Corey could make himself and Liam invisible. They would sneak out down the halls and hopefully find an exit that wasn’t guarded by lacrosse players. 

When the bell finally rang, the four of you headed out of class. Corey and Liam slipped behind a pillar and disappeared into thin air. You and Mason led the way as they shuffled behind you, completely unseen. 

The four of you hurried through the school, but every exit you passed was blocked by an angry-looking lacrosse player.

“What do we do?” you muttered to Mason.

“Just keep going.”

You turned down another hallway, only to run right into Nolan. He was standing in the middle of the hallway with a few other lacrosse players. Gabe was right behind him. You and Mason stopped short at the sight.

“Hey guys,” Nolan said. His tone was casual, but there was no friendliness in his eyes.

Before you could attempt to go around him or the others, he stepped in front of you. His hands were curled tightly into fists.

“What are you doing?” you asked him.

“You should leave, Y/n. You shouldn’t get in the middle of all this. You’ll get hurt.”

You frowned. “Nolan, please.”

His gaze softened. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but then he simply opened his hand and blew a handful of white powder at you. The smell of flour drifted through the air as you and Mason were dusted. You felt terror grip you as you realized that Corey and Liam were covered too, making them suddenly visible.

You turned in horror, but before you could make a move, Gabe darted forward and threw Liam to the floor. Both Gabe and Nolan hauled him up, dragging him down the empty hall and into a deserted classroom. The other lacrosse players didn’t bother to grab you or Mason. Instead, they flooded into the classroom behind the others.

Some students passing by followed suit, eager to watch the fight they sensed was about to happen. 

“Wait here,” Mason told you, darting after them. 

He shoved his way into the classroom, ready to come to Liam’s rescue, but he was immediately grabbed by two lacrosse players. You frantically looked around for Corey, but he had disappeared again. You only hoped he was hiding somewhere safe, just in case they were planning on coming for him next. 

With Corey nowhere to be found, you shouldered your way into the classroom, but you were trapped behind the sea of kids trying to catch the action. 

You watched in horror as Nolan landed a punch to Liam’s face, causing blood to run from his nose. They shoved him to the ground, kicking and punching him. Every time Liam seemed to be close to snapping, he seemed to hold himself back. You were relieved, but you also weren’t sure how long he could keep that up.

“You’re fighting it!” you heard Nolan snap. 

Your blood boiled. You were sick to your stomach with both rage and terror. Liam was getting his ass handed to him. He couldn’t even fight back. 

You watched as Gabe snatched a tuft of Liam’s brown hair. He yanked him up from the classroom floor, only to slam his knee into Liam’s face. You flinched.

“What is going on here?!”

Suddenly the clicking of heels sounded from down the hallway. Mrs Finch was striding over, and the crowd of kids parted for her. Instead of looking angry, she just seemed scared as she realized what was happening. 

“Do something!” Mason pleaded, but Mrs. Finch just held up her hands, as if she were surrendering. 

“Sometimes it’s best to let them work things out on their own,” she told him, before turning back down the hall. 

Kids stared in shock, dumbfounded at her response. You took the opportunity to shove your way into the space she had left in the crowd. As you got closer, you saw that Liam was lying on his back. Blood was streaming from his nose, his mouth, and various other cuts on his face. 

Gabe was kneeling over him, punching him over and over. He raised his arm to land another blow, and that was when you moved forward. You had no idea what had gotten into you, but you couldn’t watch another second of Liam’s suffering. 

Gabe grunted in surprise as you knocked him to the ground. The two of you spilled onto the tiled floor, but he quickly recovered. He yanked your head back by your hair, causing you to cry out. 

Before you could register what was happening, pain was shooting through your skull. He had punched you so hard that it left you lying on the floor, dazed and seeing white for a few seconds. 

“Gabe-” Nolan began to say, but he was cut off. “Is this what’s gonna do it, Liam?” Gabe demanded, pulling you off the floor by your hair. “Maybe you won’t change if we beat your ass, but what about hers?”

Tears were streaming down your face, blurring your vision. You could still see Liam's eyes glowing yellow though. As much as it hurt, you weren’t willing to be the reason he shifted in front of everyone. 

“Liam,” you begged. “Don’t.”

You could taste your own blood on your lips. Judging by the look on Liam’s face, you probably looked terrible, even from the single punch. You knew they were going to do much worse.

Gabe balled his hand into a fist once more, and you closed your eyes, bracing for the next punch. 

“What the hell is going on?! Back off!”

Suddenly, Gabe was ripped off of you by the back of his shirt. His fingers uncurled from your hair, and you dropped to the ground on your hands and knees. 

“Get to the Principal's office now!” Coach Finstock was screaming. 

He had Gabe and Nolan by their shirts, and he practically tossed them out the door and into the hallway. He looked absolutely livid. You had never seen Coach so angry. He gazed out at the crowd of students around you.

“What the hell is this?” He demanded. “Get out, all of you! I can’t stand to look at your faces!”

The crowd dispersed, and Mason was let go. You scrambled over to Liam, who was still on his back. He was taking short, gasping breaths and his face was covered in his own blood, but he looked relieved. He coughed as the four of you, including Corey, who had reappeared, helped him off the ground. One of his arms was slung over your shoulder, and the other was slung over Mason’s.

Mason stared at him in awe. “I can’t believe you did that...and Y/n, I can’t believe you just tackled Gabe. That was insane.”

Liam nodded, looking between the three of you. “Clark Kent, right?” he muttered. 

“Yeah,” Mason breathed. “Clark Kent.”

Liam glanced over at you. He felt a lump in his throat when he saw the state of your face. There was a small gash on your cheek from where Gabe had punched you. A trickle of blood was making its way down to your jaw, and your lip was split open. The worst part was the bruising. The blood could be cleaned up, but the bruise that was beginning to form would be there for a while. That side of your face was also beginning to swell.

His blood was boiling. He wanted to tear Gabe and Nolan apart. In that moment, he didn’t care who saw. Then you spoke. 

“Liam,” you said softly. “I’m okay. I promise.”

You squeezed his hand. The feel of your fingers wrapped around his seemed to ground him. The tension melted from his shoulders. 

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

------

“God, I have no idea how I’m going to explain what happened to your parents.”

You looked over at Liam from the passenger seat of his Toyota. He had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. You raised your eyebrows.

“Why do you have to explain?” 

“Because I’m your best friend. I’m supposed to protect you...and everything that happened is my fault anyway.”

You lifted the bag of frozen peas that Coach had given you off your cheek. He had assured you it would bring down the swelling, but you were skeptical.  You pulled down the visor in front of you and glanced at your wounded face in the mirror. 

            Mason had cleaned the blood off with the lacrosse team first aid kit, but there was a visible gash where Gabe’s knuckles had connected with your cheekbone. The bruise, now a deep blue-ish purple, spread out across your cheek. Your lip was also busted and there was no way you’d be able to hide it.

“It’s not your fault. I’ll just tell my parents the truth. Someone was getting their ass kicked and I stepped in to stop them. Well, I tried anyway.”

“Okay, now you’re kind of making me sound like a little bitch.”

You shrugged, and you and Liam both burst out laughing. The movement in your face caused you to wince and Liam’s expression darkened. 

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to keep saying that.”

“I feel like I do.”

“You don’t,” you assured him. “Liam, none of this was your fault. It’s the hunters and Nolan, and that fucking psycho Gabe. Plus, I’m the one who tackled him…”

He didn’t answer right away. He was anxiously chewing on his lip, staring out the windshield. 

“Liam?”

“I think you need to leave town.”

You balked at him. “What? No way!”

“Gabe could have done a lot worse to you. Now he knows you’re involved. Staying here could get you killed. You and Mason both.”

“So what are we supposed to do?” you demanded. “Just run away?”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what you should do. I can’t protect you, Y/n. I can’t protect anyone.”

“I can protect myself-”

“No you can’t!” he snapped. “Look at your face!”

You flinched back at his sharp tone. Wordlessly, you turned away, slouching down in your seat to stare out the window. Maybe he was right, but his words had touched a nerve.

Liam wasn’t trying to hurt you, but he was terrified. If he couldn’t even protect you from Gabe, how was he supposed to protect you from trained hunters?

“Y/n...I’m sorry. I’m not saying you’re not strong. I just…I can’t lose you.”

You felt a flutter in your chest. Taking a deep breath, you looked back over at him. 

“Even if you can’t protect me, why would I leave you? If someone’s trying to kill you, I want to help. Even if it means getting hurt...even if it means dying. I can’t just leave.”

“I can’t be the reason something happens to you,” Liam protested. 

“You wouldn’t be,” you pointed out. “If these people are coming after you, that’s them. Not you.”

He shook his head and you could tell he was trying to work something out inside his head. He was about to turn down the street to Scott’s neighborhood, but he hesitated for a moment. You were both supposed to be at a pack meeting, but now he was having second thoughts about bringing you.

“Maybe I should just take you home. I promise I’ll come and get you as soon as this is over,” he swore.

“I can’t just leave you.”

“You can,” he insisted, pulling up to the nearest curb. Scott’s house was still a few blocks away. 

“If you want me to leave you, you’re gonna have to pick me up and carry me kicking and screaming out of town,” you told him stubbornly.

“Fine,” he said with a shrug. “Then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll throw you over my shoulder. I don’t care.”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re not serious.”

“I am!” he shouted. “You don’t realize how much danger you’re in.”

“You’re Clark Kent, right?” you demanded. “What if I’m Lois Lane then? I don’t remember her ever running away.”

He opened his mouth to protest. This wasn’t a comic book. It was real life, and you could die. But as you stared at him defiantly, he realized you already knew that. 

Asking you to leave him would have been like asking him to leave Scott and the others.

“Fine,” he said.

He put the car back into drive and pulled away from the curb. You drove in silence for a couple minutes, until he pulled into a driveway you presumed was Scott’s. There were several other cars out front. You recognized Stiles’ rickety, blue jeep right away, along with Lydia’s Martin’s Toyota and Scott’s motorcycle.

“Promise me you’ll just think about leaving?” he asked. “Just think about it.”

“Fine,” you told him.

Liam eyed you. “You’re lying.”

“So you can read minds now too?” you demanded. 

“Your heart skips when you lie. I can hear it.”

He slammed the door behind him, but came around to open yours for you nonetheless. You could tell he was pissed at you for saying you wouldn’t leave, but he would do the exact same thing and you knew it. 

As you followed Liam into the house, you saw a group of people clustered around the coffee table, examining a map. You recognized Scott, his mom, Malia, Lydia and two other men you didn’t know. One was tall with dark hair, and he was wearing a suit. There was an FBI badge hanging from his neck. The other was shorter, with piercing blue eyes. 

“...no one can leave,” the taller one was saying. “Gerard’s distributed all of his weapons throughout Beacon Hills, to anyone who wants them.”

The shorter one looked grim. “He’s arming his army.”

You turned toward Liam, wanting to ask what they were talking about. Before they could, Lydia, who had been staring vacantly out the window, yelled “Get down!”

She pulled Mason to the floor just as two arrows flew through the glass windows at the front of the house, shattering them. A bright flash spread across the room, blinding you just after you saw Malia shove Scott down. Liam tackled you to the floor, covering his body with yours.

Gunfire echoed across the room, and you felt a sharp, stinging pain in your side. You cried out, and Liam pressed himself harder on top of you. You closed your eyes, terrified of what would happen next. 

Suddenly, the gunfire stopped. You glanced up, and saw the taller man, who you now realized bore a striking resemblance to Scott, stand up. He must have been his father, you realized, as he drew his weapon from a holster on his side.

Liam pushed himself up, but when he did, he realized there was blood soaking through his t-shirt. When he felt for a wound, he realized it wasn’t his blood, but yours.

You were lying below him, and a pool of dark, red blood was staining your right side, soaking into your shirt and your jeans. 

“Liam, what happened?” you whispered. Your voice was soft and scared.

“No!” he shouted, looking around frantically for the others. 

But Mason and Melissa were both unconscious on the floor, lying in their own pools of blood, which were slowly widening on the floor. Lydia was bleeding, but awake, and she was using a hand to prop herself up using the coffee table. Scott’s dad was groaning in pain, one hand holding pressure over his bloody arm.

Everyone was hurt. Everyone needed help. 

When Liam looked back down at you, your eyes were closed. Your breathing was growing shallow, and he resisted the urge to scream. He reached down, frantically pressing both hands over your bleeding side. 

“Scott!” he cried. “What do we do?”

The alpha, riddled with bullet holes himself, struggled to his feet. 

“I don’t know.”

------

“You doing okay?”

Liam looked up at the sound of Scott’s voice. The older boy was looking down at him sympathetically, and Liam felt a twinge of annoyance. 

“Not really.”

“Mind if I sit?” Scott asked. 

“Sure,” Liam said, looking back down at the floor. 

The flimsy chair next to him groaned as Scott sat down. He had two plastic-wrapped breakfast bagels in his hands, one of which he held out to Liam. 

“No thanks.”

“Come on, you haven’t eaten since last night.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Okay.” He set the bagels on the side table next to them. “You know the nurse said she was awake. You don’t wanna go see her?”

Liam was silent. His mouth was pressed into a grim line.

“Liam,” Scott said softly. “What happened wasn’t your fault.”

“I brought her to your house,” he grumbled. “I was trying to get her to leave town, but she wouldn’t. So I agreed that I wouldn’t make her.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “God, I should have just dragged her out of town myself.”

“She’ll be okay,” Scott reminded him. “The bullet didn’t hit anything important.”

“Yeah, and it’s a miracle it didn’t. I could have gotten her killed, Scott.”

Scott reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Liam, look at me.”

Finally, he did. His blue eyes met Scott’s brown ones, and he felt himself tearing up, though he hated himself for it. He had forced himself not to cry all night, afraid that once he did, he would completely break down. 

But now, as the tears slipped down his cheeks, he couldn’t stop them. “It’s my fault she got hurt, Scott. This is what I was afraid of, and it happened.”

“None of this is your fault.”

Scott leaned over and brought Liam into a tight hug. “Remember when I told you that sacrificing your happiness doesn’t always keep people safe?”

Liam nodded. 

“You couldn’t have stopped this. Whoever was shooting at us was going to do it regardless. Who’s to say they wouldn’t have gone after her when you weren’t with her?”

“I could have made her leave town though.”

“No you couldn’t have. Making her leave you would have been like making you leave us. You never would have done it.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

Scott smiled and pulled away from the younger boy. “I know I’m right. I’ve been doing this for a while, remember? I know you feel like you’re responsible, but you’re not. She made her choice, and it was the exact same one you would have made.”

Liam nodded. 

“I think you’re perfect for each other, actually,” Scott continued. “You’re both stubborn as hell.”

“Yeah,” Liam said with a soft laugh. “We are.”

“Go see her. I’m sure you guys have a lot to talk about.”

Liam nodded and rose to his feet. “Thanks.”

Scott smiled in response, and Liam headed down the hall to your room. The nurse had given him the number a few hours ago, but he was afraid to visit you. He knew you wouldn’t be mad at him, but it was his own guilt he hadn’t been able to get past. Now he knew he couldn’t control what happened to you, and it wasn’t fair to punish you by staying away. 

He knocked on the wooden door, and heard your soft voice say “Come in.”

When he pushed it open, you were lying there, propped up against the pillows. You smiled when he entered, and he felt relief rush through him. Even in a hospital gown, you still looked beautiful.

He strode forward and leaned in, wrapping his arms around you. You buried your face in his shoulder, hugging him back. 

“I was worried you weren’t going to show,” you admitted. 

Liam flushed. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure if I should come.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” you told him. “I knew you’d feel like it was. That’s why I told Scott to go talk to you.”

He balked at you. “You...you told Scott to come talk to me?”

You nodded. “He came in to check on me once my parents left to eat. When you weren’t with him, I figured you’d be beating yourself up about it.”

Scott had been right. You really were perfect for each other. 

“You’re still in this mess because of me.”

“Yeah, but I made the choice to stay. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You’re telling me you wouldn’t do the exact same thing?”

He sighed and lowered himself down into the chair next to your bed. “No, I would’ve.”

“Look, there’s something I need to tell you,” you admitted. “I could never have left you, Liam. I know you wanted me to go, but if I’m gonna die, I’d rather do it with you. I love you too much to run away.”

He reached out, placing his hand over yours. “It wasn’t like I wanted to be away from you. I just thought that you would be safer. I was afraid of...well, this.”

He gestured to you, lying in the hospital bed. 

“Oh come on,” you said with a roll of your eyes. “I’m fine. Plus, I’m gonna have a kickass scar. It’ll be just like a video game.”

You reached down and pulled up your hospital gown, revealing the gauze over your side. “I’m gonna look like a total badass.”

Liam grinned. “You already are a total badass.”

You smiled up at him, and he felt his heart skip. Without hesitating any longer, he leaned in, cupping your face with his hands and pressing a soft kiss to your lips. Being gentle wasn’t exactly his strong suit, but your bottom lip was still busted from when Gabe had punched you. 

“I love you,” he murmured, pulling back to look down at your face. “And whatever happens, I want you by my side.”

You nodded. “Me too.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead, and you shifted to the other side of the hospital bed. You patted the space beside you. 

“Are we allowed to do that?” he asked. 

“I just got shot,” you complained. “I should be able to do whatever I want.”

Without another thought, Liam crawled up beside you. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you close so that your side was pressed against his. You snuggled into him, and for the first time in months, he felt like everything would be okay.