Chapter 65: ☽︎Parasomnia☾︎

...

"I know his family left town around the time Theo was nine or ten, his older sister died in an accident when he was eight." Stiles rattled off to his father as he and Y/n followed the man into his office.

"Please go to school." Noah pleaded in vain.

"I already tried that." Y/n sighed as she sat on the couch, waiting for Stiles to be done with his rant so they could leave.

"Dad, this kid's a werewolf." Stiles insisted.

"Your best friend is a werewolf. You are dating a witch who's sister is a werecoyote. I'm still not sure what Kira's supposed to be."

"Kitsune." Y/n lazily called, her head now resting on the back of the couch.

"When the flying monkeys come soaring through this station," he waved his hands around for emphasis, "you will have my undivided attention. Until then, just go to school."

"Y/n could actually do th- wait. What did you do?" Stiles cut himself off to narrow his eyes at his dad.

"What?" Noah glanced down at himself. "What do you mean, 'What did I do'?"

"There's something different about you." He looked Noah up and down.

"What are you talking about?"

Stiles moved to be right in Noah's face as he tried to look closer at the details, trying to find the thing that was different. "What is it? What's different?"

"For the love of God, Stiles, just go to school. Y/n get him, please."

"Yes, sir." Y/n got up and grabbed Stiles' hand, intending to pull him out of the station, before he spoke up again.

"I will go if you promise to do a full background check of the Raekens."

"No." Noah denied. "You know what? Just because I'm the only law enforcement officer who knows anything about this, does not make it my responsibility to do something every time you have a minor suspicion."

Even Y/n paused at that, knowing Stiles came to the same conclusion as she did. "Well..."

"Except you're not the only one." Stiles and Y/n both looked to the benched deputy who was going through a file.

Noah had to admit defeat at that point. "Parrish!" Jordan was tasked with the check up on the Raekens, which only produced one document for Stiles to examine.

"So you ran a background check, and all you found was a speeding ticket?" Malia asked as she followed Y/n and Stiles up some stairs at the school.

"Speeding ticket signed by Theo's dad eight years ago." Stiles explained.

"Which means what?"

"Who speeds?" He stopped walking to address the sisters, which neither of them answered. "People trying to get away from something."

"Or someone with a lead foot." Y/n added. She wasn't trying to discredit his suspicions, just trying to give another view point to the situation. It's always good to keep in mind all possibilites, and she has to pick up the slack from his one-tracked mind.

"Well, how many tickets do you have?" Malia wondered.

"None." He answered.

"Now how about if the Sheriff didn't help you?" Y/n asked with a raised brow.

"Ssseventeen." He answered after a moments thought.

"I don't know, Stiles." Malia sighed. "I mean, I see why you're worried. He's really hot. He's got like great hair, perfect body. You should definitely feel threatened."

Stiles looked at her in surprise, looking at Y/n in question if she thought the same. She noticed his look and shrugged. "I mean, yeah, he's attractive, I guess."

"Well, thank you, Malia. Because I do. Now more than ever."

"Don't worry, love. I only have eyes for you." She winked at him, and he couldn't help but smile to himself. Even though he knew how Y/n felt about him, it always felt nice to hear about it every now and again.

"You want me to torture him?" Malia suddenly asked.

Stiles shook his head. "No, I don't want you to torture him."

"Yet." Y/n ammended.

"I'm pretty sure I can take him." Malia insisted.

"I have a plan. All right?" Stiles said. "There are steps to doing this right."

"What steps?"

"We get the story. Verify the facts. You find the piece that doesn't fit and... And catch him in the act. That's how you do it." He looked past the sisters and noticed Theo himself getting out of a car. The girls turned as Theo also spotted them, giving them a smile and a wave.

"Why are you so suspicious of this guy?"

"Because I remember Theo from fourth grade. Okay? That's not Theo."

"To be fair, a lot can change in eight years." Y/n pointed out.

"There's just something off about him."

"Well, if he's up to something, we'll figure it out. We always do." She assured.

...

Y/n was wiping off her hands of charcoal residue as she got ready to leave the Art room (they did a classic 'draw the fruit bowl' piece, using only charcoal and fingers to color and shade the plastic food) when Stiles rushed in. He grabbed her bag and her hand before he took off again, making her yelp in surprise as he started to pull her along behind him. She managed to get a hold of her bag while she was being dragged and huffed in slight annoyance when they finally stopped at Scott's side, who was sitting on the steps outside.

"You. You're coming with us. Come on." Stiles told him.

"I've got a free period." Scott said.

"So do we. And so does Theo Raeken."

"You're lucky I do." Y/n lightly glared at her boyfriend.

Stiles glanced over her comment as he beckoned them along. "Let's go." Stiles' plan was to interrogate Theo in the locker room which is where the three stood now, listening to the teen's story of how he became a werewolf.

"I was skating in the neighbor's empty pool, trying to do a handplant. Nobody was home. I'm not that good of a skateboarder, but I guess I was feeling pretty determined because I completely lost track of time. I didn't even realize that it was night until the yard lights came on. Like I said, I wasn't very good. On my last try I went down and hit hard. Really hard. I was sitting there at the bottom of the pool and I realized something. I never heard the board come back down. It came at me fast. I barely had a chance to turn around before it bit me. Right here." Theo pointed to his right side.

"Then, it wasn't an accident. He wanted to turn you." Scott said.

"Right. So why aren't you part of his pack then? You know, why didn't he come back for you?" Stiles asked Theo.

"Because by the time of my first full moon, he was dead."

"How did you know that?"

"I met another one of his pack a couple weeks later. He told me the Alpha that bit me was killed by two of his own Betas. They were twins."

Scott looked at Y/n and Stiles then. Stiles gave a look that said it sort of checked out, while Y/n lightly furrowed her brows and tilted her head a bit as she thought about what he said. There was something weird about it, and it wasn't just because it almost sounded rehearsed. It was obvious he was talking about Ethan and Aiden, the only twin wolves they know who killed their Alpha. But the strange part was, the whole pack was supposed to have been annihilated per Deucalion's orders. The twins were Omegas and were all too eager to use their new-found ability to it's full capacity. Ethan had even said so himself, they killed each pack member, one-by-one, saving the Alpha for last. They wouldn't have let a straggler go.

"Scott, listen to my pulse. I'm telling you the truth." Theo said, noticing the couple's looks.

"Or you're just able to control your heart rate while you lie your ass off." Y/n pointed out, her tone a little sharper than it had been before making Scott look at her with an expression that asked her to go easy on him.

"Why would I lie?"

"Because maybe you're not who you say you are." Stiles answered.

"Okay." Theo looked to Scott. "In the fourth grade you had an inhaler, I had one too. I remember this day where I ended up in the nurse's office with an asthma attack. A bad one. I was waiting to be taken to the ER. You were waiting for the Principal. You told me what would happen when you go to the ER for asthma. How they give you oxygen and an IV of prednisone. You made it sound easy. Like everything would be okay. I've been by myself this whole time. Everybody knows that lone wolves, they don't make it on their own. I swear I'm that same kid from fourth grade. I was hoping you are too." Scott seemed to believe him. Stiles, on the other hand, still wasn't sure. Y/n did think that this was the Theo they knew in fourth grade, but, like she said before. A lot can happen in eight years. The bell rang and Theo sighed. "I better not be late for class. You're not the only ones I need to make a good impression on." He joked before grabbing his bag and leaving the three alone.

Scott slung his bag onto his back and gave Stiles a look. "No. Don't give me that look." Stiles denied his friend.

"We have to give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes." Scott said.

"Not this time. All right. I'm right. There's something off about him. I can feel it." Stiles claimed as he also equipped his backpack.

"Y/n and Lydia are the psychics. Not you."

"We're not really psychics." Y/n said. "That's more of a human trait. But I'm starting to agree with Stiles, now." Stiles looked at her in pleased surprise, while Scott seemed to deflate a bit.

"Not you, too, Y/n." Scott almost whined.

"I'm just saying, I'm starting to get the sense that he's not being totally forthcoming."

"It could be just-"

"It's not just a feeling, Scott." She cut him off and sighed. "My gut is never wrong."

Stiles pointed at her in triumph. "See? I'm not the only one." Scott lightly shook his head with a little smile of amusement as he walked away. Stiles put his hands on Y/n's shoulders and planted a quick kiss on her lips before grinning at her. "I love you. You are amazing, you know that?"

She chuckled as she stepped out of his reach, starting to head to her next class. "I know." She smirked at him over her shoulder, putting a little more sway into her walk. She smiled in victory when she heard him stumble over himself to follow behind her.

...

Scott, Kira, and Malia were sitting together in the library to study when Stiles, pulling Y/n yet again behind him, rushed up to their table with two pieces of paper flapping in his hand. Y/n sat down with a sigh, finally getting to catch her breath after Stiles pulled her here, there, and everywhere, while Stiles sat the documents on the table to show everyone. "So you found something?" Scott asked.

"Another signiture." Stiles answered. "This is Theo's dad's signature on a speeding ticket from eight years ago. And this is his dad's signature on a transfer form to Beacon Hills High School from just a few days ago."

"How did you get his transfer form?" Kira wondered.

"Did you break into the Administration Office?" Scott followed up.

"No, I did not break into the Administration Office." Stiles denied.

"He made me break into the Administration Office." Y/n said, giving Stiles a blank look.

"Can we just focus on the signitures, please? They're different."

The three leaned closer to examine the two pen marks. "They're sort of different." Malia said after a minute.

"They're completely different. Come on. Look." He pushed the papers closer as he started to point out the differences. "The garlands don't match, the undulations of the sinuous stroke are totally off. And look, look at this." He traced a part of the signiture with his finger. "Perfect example of the Criminal Tremor."

"So now, Theo is Theo, but his parents aren't his parents?" Kira summarized.

"Basically someone isn't someone." Y/n ammened.

"And when I figure out who that someone really is, someone's in big trouble." Stiles added.

"But no one's done anything wrong." Scott said.

"Yet. If Theo's parents are both psychotic killers then obviously, we should not trust him, right?"

"Our dad is Peter and my mom is the Desert Wolf." Malia pointed out.

"Okay..." Stiles rubs his forehead in slight frustration.

"Well, we weren't raised by them." Y/n said, making Malia tilt her head in agreement.

"It's fine." Stiles appreciated Y/n trying to help plead his case, but he knows he needs more than his suspicions and her support to convince everyone. "You know what? I'll figure this out myself. Right? I don't need you or you or you." He gathered the papers in a huff and walked away. "I don't need anyone!" He called over his shoulder.

Y/n shook her head after him before turning to look at her sister. "How was your driving test?" She asked making Malia shrug lightly.

"I hit a mannequin and ran over some cones."

Y/n nodded. "Not bad. I almost ran over my teacher during my first test." They shared a laugh before she was suddenly pulled from her chair by Stiles.

"I don't need anyone, but you, I need." He claimed before dragging her out to the Jeep.

Y/n got into the passenger seat before giving a confused smile to Liam who was happily sitting in the back. Only after Stiles got the Jeep running is when Liam decided to make his presence known to the older boy. "What's a Criminal Tremor?" Stiles turned to glare at Liam as he held the documents up, making Stiles reach back and take them from him.

"It doesn't matter." Stiles said before he reversed out of the parking lot.

...

Theo reached into the back of his car and grabbed a brown paper parcel. He looked around for a moment before closing the trunk and walking into the woods. Stiles looked at Y/n and Liam, who he had roped into going along with his stake out. "I told you he was up to something."

"We just spent three hours watching this dude play video games in his bedroom." Liam complained. "He better be out here covering up a mass murder."

"Well, let's find out." Y/n said, stepping out of their hiding place and following Theo with the boys behind her.

"You still got his scent?" Stiles asked after a few minutes of walking.

"Don't need it." She pointed to the shoe prints in the ground which they followed. Liam suddenly stopped, catching the couples' attention. "You okay, Liam?"

"I forgot, I was supposed to meet Mason at the school gym."

"Okay, why didn't you just tell him?" Stiles asked.

"Tell him what?"

"Anything."

"I can't just tell him anything."

"Why not?"

"Because I haven't-" Liam threw his arms up in frustration. "I haven't told him everything."

"How come? We said it was okay." Y/n reminded.

"Yeah, I know, but it's not that easy. It's a lot to accept."

"He watched my dad blow up a berserker with a land mine. I think the groundwork's been pretty thoroughly laid for acceptance. Scott, Y/n and I have been through this. Okay? More than once. It's just always better when they know."

"Liam, listen." Y/n put a hand on his shoulder, gently coaxing him to look at her. "I understand how scary it might be, telling your best friend about the supernatural, and that you yourself are something supernatural. Believe me, Scott and Stiles didn't always know I was a witch, and I hid it for a while. And it caused quite a few problems for me. I don't want to see the same thing happen to you. And if it helps at all, he seems pretty enthusiastic about the whole idea." She smiled when he nodded a little in agreement. "Just think about it, okay?"

Y/n and Stiles started to walk again. Liam wanted to listen to what the older girl said, but his doubts kept coming back. "But what if he freaks out?" He called as he followed behind them. "What if he doesn't want to talk to me? What if he tries to stab me with something silver? What if-"

There was a thud and when they turned around, Liam was nowhere in sight. There was a hole that none of them had seen before and Liam had fallen right into it. "What the hell are you doing?" Stiles asked as he and Y/n looked down at the wolf. Liam just shook his head and Stiles sighed, frustrated, until he heard footsteps and spotted Theo again. "There he is. Hurry up. Stop screwing around." Stiles took off and Y/n shook her head after him before turning back to the boy in the pit.

"Here, make sure you didn't lose anything." She instructed, her eyes glowing as she made a fire spark to life in her hands and directed the light so he could look around. Liam found his phone in the mud and picked it up. He checked to see if it was still working, frowning at the string of messages he had recieved from Mason. The light from Y/n faded and Liam turned on his flashlight. Something glimmering caught his eye and he looked closer to see it was a necklace with a leaf shaped pendant. "You got everything?" Y/n called after a moment, causing Liam to look up at her and nod. She reached down to take his hand, using her magic to help pull him out of the hole.

She itched the back of her neck as they started to walk again and they quickly caught up with Stiles, who was hiding behing a tree while he observed Theo on a bridge over a river. "Try and get his scent." The two did as asked and Y/n furrowed her brows at what she was picking up. "Get anything?"

"Soap." Liam answered. "It's nice. It smells good."

Stiles gave him a look. "Not his soap, his emotional state."

"Remember what we talked about? The chemosignals." Y/n reminded.

"Oh, yeah. Okay." Liam nodded and tried again. He also frowned at what he was now smelling. "I... He's sad."

"He's sad?" Stiles repeated.

"Not just sad." Y/n corrected. "He's grieving."

"Grieving?" Theo pulled a white lily from the paper parcel and let it fall into the water below. "Oh, my God!" Stiles quietly exclaimed as he quickly ushered the witch and wolf away from the scene. "Go! We have to go."

"What? Why?" Liam asked.

"Go! Right now. Just go."

"Is this where I think it is?" Y/n asked and Stiles nodded. "Oh, hell."

"What? What is it?" Liam asked after they got far enough away.

"That's the bridge where they found his sister." Stiles explained.

"What sister?"

"The one who got lost and died from exposure. He's leaving a flower for her."

"That doesn't sound evil."

"I know." Y/n suddenly grabbed the back of their shirts to make them stop walking, gesturing upwards with her head when they looked at her. They followed her gaze and saw Theo looking down at them from a large tree branch.

He jumped down to stand in front of them, and gave them a smile. "What are you guys doing?" He took a step forward and Liam matched it, giving him a warning growl.

"Easy." Y/n put a hand on his arm, but Liam kept the hard stare.

Theo raised his hands up in silent submission and chuckled. "Why do I get the feeling this kid's tougher than he looks?"

"Only when we let him off his leash." Stiles said.

"Stiles, we were in Little League together. Why are you so suspicious of me?"

Stiles looked away as he pulled the papers from his pocket. "Because of these." Theo took them and looked them over. "One's a speeding ticket signed by your dad eight years ago. The other one's a signature on a transfer form to Beacon High. They're different." Y/n glanced at Stiles, her lips drawn in a line. She didn't think it was a good idea to tell the person you suspect of evil doing that you are, in fact, suspecting them. But it appeared the cat was out of the bag, and if Theo is behind something shady he was going to be a little more careful at covering his tracks now.

"Huh. Yeah, they do look a little different."

"No, they're totally different. Signed by two different people."

"So my dad's not my dad? Like he's an imposter?"

"Yeah, something like that." Liam agreed.

"Who do you think I am?"

"We don't know yet." Stiles admitted.

"Want me to give you a DNA sample or something?"

"No. I don't have anything from the fourth grade to match it to."

Theo was quiet for a moment, and he looked down. "You know, Stiles, I came back here for Scott... But I also came back for you. Someone like you. Someone who's willing to walk into the woods in the middle of the night to protect his friends. I don't have anyone like that, but Scott does." He glanced at Y/n and Liam. "You all do. I know I'm in the right place. I'm meant to be here. I'm meant to be a part of this pack."

Not much else was said after that. Theo went one way and the other three were left to trudge back to the Jeep where they found Scott leaning against his motorbike, waiting for them. "Find anything?"

"Nope." Stiles answered shortly.

"I- I fell in a hole." Liam smiled, trying to ease the sudden tenstion. He deflated a bit when no one reacted, Stiles getting into the Jeep and Scott going to the window. Y/n gently patted his shoulder and gave him a little smile, assuring him that he was okay.

"It was the bridge where his sister died, wasn't it?" Scott asked his friend.

"Yes, it was. Very embarrassing. So we are gonna leave now." Stiles turned the ignition but the engine just sputtered. Stiles closed his eyes with a sigh. "Son of a-" He quietly cursed to himself before calling the Beta. "Liam, just do me a favor, get in the car and turn the ignition when I say." He instructed as he got out of the car and moved around to the hood while Liam took up the driver's seat. Scott and Y/n followed Stiles to the front of the car. Y/n could feel his frustration and she wanted to help, she just didn't know how to do that exactly.

Stiles fiddled with some engine components while Scott looked at him. "Stiles?"

"Be with you in a sec. Try it." He called to Liam, the boy doing as told but the engine still didn't turn over.

"Stiles."

"Yes. Okay, we followed him out here." Stiles snapped at Scott. "What do you want me to say? That I'm a stalker, huh? That I'm crazy, totally paranoid? None of this is new information." He glanced at the Alpha for a moment before messing with the engine again.

"Now are you gonna try to at least give him the benefit of the doubt?"

Stiles threw a hand up. "I give people the benefit of the doubt. I've given a lot of benefit to a lot of people."

"Like Derek? Kira? Liam?"

"I was right about Peter. Try it again." He called for Liam once more, but yet again the engine only sputtered. Stiles glowered at the Jeep, his mind in a frenzy. "You know, I bet you still think that there's something about him that can be saved."

"Maybe."

Stiles exhaled sharply in irritation. "It's bad enough Y/n goes to see him." He muttered, but he was still heard. Y/n looked away, the comment having stung her a bit. She knew he wasn't happy about her visits with her father, but he understood why she did it. At least she thought he did. "Try it again!" The engine still didn't come to life.

"Stiles, let me give it a jump." Y/n offered, only for Stiles to instantly deny her.

"No, I've got it."

"Why can't you trust anyone?" Scott asked, and that seemed to be the final straw.

"BECAUSE YOU TRUST EVERYONE!" Stiles shouted before yelling and slamming his fist into the car in frustration. His face instantly contorted in silent pain, not wanting to cry out.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You could've broken it."

"It's not broken."

"Stiles, let me see your hand." Y/n asked, holding her own hand out for him.

"I'm fine." He insisted.

"Let me see it." Her voice was firmer, no longer a request but a demand. And this time he listened, letting her take his injured hand and hold it in her own. He watched her eyes shine in the darkness, watching her wince slightly as she eased his pain and healed his hand. When she let him go he stretched his fingers experimentally, finding that it no longer hurt, didn't even have a red mark from where he struck the metal.

The Jeep finally roared to life, the headlights shining on them. Y/n gave Scott a look and he understood that she was telling him to let it be for now. He promised to talk to them later before getting onto his motorbike and departing. Stiles and Y/n dropped Liam at the school per his request before he headed towards her house. The drive was silent as he took her back home, and the silence persisted as he pulled up to the house and turned the Jeep off, neither of them moving to get out just yet. She could feel his flurry of emotions, mostly his irritation at the Theo situation. But he also felt bad about something.

"I'm sorry." He suddenly spoke, his voice quiet yet loud in the small space of the Jeep. He wanted to say more, say he was sorry for his outburst, sorry for what he said about her, but he wasn't able to get the words out. She understood what he meant nonetheless.

"I know." She reached over and took his hand, bringing it up to her lips to place a soft kiss on his knuckles. He looked over to see her gentle smile and gave her hand a small squeeze in return. "I'm sorry too." He furrowed his brows at her in confusion, silently asking what she meant. "I know how you feel about Peter, and I know you don't like me seeing him. But I can't just let it go."

He sighed, but nodded. "I know. I don't want to stop you, I know what it means to you. But I don't want you to get hurt by him again."

"I won't. I promise. But, just in case I'm wrong and I do, you have free reign on saying 'I told you so'." She joked making him chuckle. "You know I believe you about Theo, right?"

He nodded. "I just wish Scott did."

"I know you want Scott to listen, but you have to remember, he's got a big heart and can't help but find the good in people. Or at least hope for it. He trusts you, I know he does, but he isn't the type to seek out the bad and he usually needs some proof of wrongdoing before taking action. Kind of like your dad, in a way. The whole 'innocent until proven guitly' shtick."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed.

"Hey." She gently called, making him look at her again. "He'll come around, eventually. Don't worry about it too much for now, okay?"

"I'll try." He promised, and she was satisfied with that for now.

...

Stiles wrote Theo's name on the board, glancing up when he saw movement by his door and spotted his dad standing there. "Usually, we wait until they do something wrong before we declare them guilty." The older Stilinksi said.

"Well, he's guilty of something."

"Accusations require proof. And proof always trumps instinct. It has to."

"I know, Dad."

"Let it go, Stiles. Get some sleep." He tapped on the doorjamb before turning away.

"Hey, Dad." Stiles called as he moved around the glass board and to his door where his dad stood again.

"Mm-hm." He hummed as he rested his hand on the door.

"Uh, I got it. There's something different. I know what it is."

"Okay." Noah responded with an unsure smile, not knowing where this was gonna go.

"You're not wearing your wedding ring anymore."

The smile faded from the Sheriff's face as he looked at his hand and the faint tan mark left behind on his ring finger. Not really wanting to talk about it, he glanced at the board behind his son. "You're sure this kid's guilty?"

"Absolutely."

"Then all you gotta do it wait. If they're really guilty, eventually, they make a mistake. They always make a mistake." Stiles nodded as he looked back to Theo's name.

~~~

Published: 4/20/22

Tomorrow is my birthday so you get some videos to celebrate! I wanted to do a double update for it instead, but I had a very busy week and couldn't get any writing done so I can't really afford the extra chapter. But I think videos are just as good 🥰

☽︎𝑰𝒇 𝑷𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒀/𝒏 2☾︎

☽︎𝑶𝒇𝒇 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 😘☾︎

https://youtu.be/6HjABBA1f7c

(For some reason this video doesn't want to load, so I'll have to settle with a link for now and try again later)

☽︎𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 😩☾︎