Chapter Text
It starts when Scott announces Derek's dead that Stiles stomach clenches the first time. The pain from it getting worse and worse the further away from Beacon Hills the school bus took them. Derek was dead, Scott wasn't looking to good and Coach was being an asshat as usual. Derek was dead. The statement kept ringing through out his head. Nights of research on the Darach. Heather, Erica. Dead. When they stop at the rest stop after Jared throws up it's a relief. Allison stitches up Scott while Issac beats the shit out of Ethan again. Scott gets weird and everything calms down. Stiles forgets his adderall so his mind is going a mile a minute. When they get to the hotel is when everything goes to hell. Boyd, Issac, Scott, and Ethan are acting crazy. Stiles, Lydia and Allison are trying to save the day. They manage to stop Ethan from cutting himself apart, Boyd from drowning and Issac from his crippling panic. Stiles knows what panic is like. He's been there. It's the were abouts of Scott that is the most worrying. They can't find him anywhere. Its when they go to get the last road flare that they find him drenched in gasoline with the final road flare that things get tense. Allison's crying, Lydia can't seem to breathe, and Stiles is dying a little bit as well. Dying because everything that they have been through is his fault.
"It all started that night, the night I gotten bitten. Remember the way it was before that? You and me? We were nothing. We weren't popular. We weren't good at lacrosse. We weren't important. We were no one. Maybe I should just be no one again. No one at all. " Scott says, and every word is like a punch to the gut. They seem to ring in Stiles head along with thoughts about Derek and his other dead friends. But Stiles can't see Scott this way. He can't see his best friend tear himself apart with guilt when Stiles knows the truth. It's his fault. It's been his fault all along. So he tells him everything he needs to talk Scott down.
"Scott, just listen to me. You're not no one. Scott, you're my best friend, okay, and I need you. Scott, you're my brother. Alright, so if we're gonna do this, then I think you're just gonna have to take me with you then" he says as he's stepping into a puddle of gasoline to save his best friend, Stiles could do that. Stiles could help in some way even if it was to die with his brother. Taking the flare out Scott's hands he tossed over his shoulder somewhere. He could feel the tears running down his cheeks, Allison sobbing in the back ground, and Lydia's intake of breathe. It was the intake of breath behind him that made him think over everything he's been through in the past year and what its gotten him. He felt the heat on his back from the fire and the weight of Scott, Lydia and Allison around him from where they hit the ground.
The flames are reaching full height when Lydia tugs on his sleeve.
"Stiles do you see that? Do you see what's in the fire?" She whispers in his ear. As he's turning around to glance at what she means he catches the dark cloak, the sinister feeling and knows. He just knows this is the Darak. The one who has been killing for sacrifice's and who knew how many more he was gonna kill.
" I see it... I see it holy god. Is that what or who I think it is?" He says back. Still staring into the flames as the Darak disappears.
"Stiles what do we do?" Lydia asks him. She's trembling slightly next to him. When he stands up he pulls her with him. Scott and Allison have already moved to get an old hose connected to the hotel to put the remaining fire out.
" Well Lyds, What I know I'm gonna do is get my shit, and sleep on the bus to start with. Then I'm going to go home and do more research and your gonna help me." He tells her. Inside he's panicking but he needs to figure things out. Scott and Allison have out out the fire and are standing a little ways away in a hug so tight it looks painful. She is sobbing into his chest and he seems to be shaking as he's holding her.
"Hey Scott! You ok man?" He says as he walks towards the couple.
"Yeah man, I think I'm ok. Thanks dude. That really cleared me head up." Scott says giving Stiles a hug. Now these two may be brothers but they don't hug to often. Its a nice feeling. Lydia clears her throat behind them a few times, and when they let go and turn around she's back to good old Lydia.
"McCall you need a shower, Stiles you too. You both smell like gas. And might I add that I would like to get the hell out of this hotel. I mean seriously was no one listening when I said I don't like this place?" She says with a perfectly arched brow. When they go to respond she holds up a hand.
"Don't even try to make excuses. Both of you go get cleaned up, then pack your shit. We are sleeping on the bus. I am not setting another foot in that hotel if I don't have to." She's says as she starts walking away with a sway of her hips. The other three just stare at each other for a minute before following after her.
"Oh and another thing" She says twirling back towards them on the stairs. "Get Boyd and Issac into the bus too. I don't want anymore mishaps with ritual suicide." and with a final hair flip she leaves to go into her room. Allison close behind her.
When they both get back to their room after checking in on Boyd and Issac and updating them on the change of plans, stiles shoves the few things he had unpacked back into his duffle bag while Scott gets in the shower. They don't say anything to each other. They don't need to. For right now everything that needs to be said, has been. Stiles is just putting on clean t-shirt when Scott steps out on the shower. After they get their stuff together they walk out the door, meeting Issac and Boyd on the landing.
"Why does it smell like gasoline out hear?" Issac says with a sniff to the air. When Stiles looks closer he can see Boyd's nostrils flare to as if taking in the scent. "Well you see boys. while you were both re-orienting yourselves with the real world, we were making a big explosion to roast marshmallows in the parking lot. It's to bad you missed out." Stiles snarks on the way down the stairs. The girls at the bottom already waiting. The looks and Boyd and Issac's faces are almost comical and a relief to Stiles after the night they have had. As they settle down on the bus. Lydia gives him a look saying they will have words. Many many words about what happened. Stiles dreads that conversation. He dreads having to re live tonight. For now he just wants to sleep. There is one more thing he has to get out though. His brain is about to explode if he doesn't say something.
" Scott Buddy? Dude we lived. You now officially have to sit down and watch all of the Star Wars films like you promised." He says turning in his seat to look at Scott. Scott just rolls his eyes and drifts off while from the back of the bus, he hears a muted chuckle and Issac's question of "Who hasn't seen Star Wars? Scott have you been living under a rock?" with that Boyd's laugh gets louder until they are all laughing. Its infectious, if not a little hysterical. The relief that they all lived, for the past few hours is astonishing. They laugh and laugh all poking fun at Scott until one by one they get quiet and finally drift to sleep.
Morning came all to soon with bang of the bus door and the Coach yelling at them. "I don't want to know, I really don't want to know. But in case you missed the announcement, the meet's cancelled. So pack it in, PACK IT IN!" Finstock yells as other students start filing past then still sleepy teens. The most surprising thing is when Ethan voluntarily next to Scott. Stiles and him exchange uneasy glance when Ethan bites out " I don't know what happened last night, but I'm pretty sure you saved my life." When Stiles tries to tell him, he was the one to save his life he disregards him and gets up after a quick jab at maybe not saving his life next time. When Lydia get a hold of the coach's whistle and turns it upside down wolf's bane comes out of course.
It's always wolf's bane. It all makes sense now. Every time coach blew the whistle yesterday wolf's bane would enter the air and slowly poison the werewolves on the bus. It was almost the same as Lydia's birthday. Except it was just the wolves hallucinating this time. When Stiles takes the whistle out of Lydia's hands he isn't quite sure what to do with it. He knows he wants to get rid of it before coach notices he has....oh shit he already noticed. Which leads to Stiles tossing it out the window.
"STILINSKI!!!!!!!" Coach yells making the whole bus quiet as it pulls away from the hotel. Everybody turning to stare at the new showdown between Stiles and Coach Finstock. "What the hell did you do with my whistle?" he yells.
"Well coach, I uh, You see...." Stiles stammers trying to get his ADHD brain to cooperate to come up with an excuse. Thankfully Scott jumps in with an excuse for him. Scott his best friend and this is why.
"But coach there was a bug on it." Or maybe not. Looking to Lydia for help is no use because she just rolls her eyes in a your on your own gesture. Stiles might strangle Scott. Nope he's definitely going to strangle Scott. The coaches face seems to get redder and redder as the two start sinking further and further down into their seat.
"Stilinski, McCall next practice your both running suicides for two hours! Everyone else here will carry out regular cross country activities! Any questions?" Finstock shouts out. "Not another word Stilinski or I will throw you off the bus next." He says then turns around to go back to his seat.
"Stiles buddy?" Scott asks quietly. When Stiles turns to him, His best friend already looks kinda sheepish. When Stiles goes to open his mouth the coach yells at him again. It looks like the creepy fuck is going to enforce his no talking policy by staring at him the whole ride home. What is it with me being a creeper magnet? Stiles asks himself.
First Derek... oh. Derek....Derek is dead Stiles. He won't be creeping on you anymore. There won't be anything like that anymore. No abuse, no threats no Derek. The pain in Stiles chest returns all at once. What was wiped out with panic last night comes back in full force as he remembers Derek is dead. Derek is dead and he isn't coming back. They have to fight the Darach and the alpha pack all on there own. Or with Peter, but then again no one likes Peter. Stiles definitely didn't want Peter's help. No thanks.
As everyone seemed to be settling down for the long bus ride, Stiles mind was racing. The sound of his phone buzzing broke him out of his thoughts though. On it was a text from Lydia. "We need to talk, when we get home." When he looked up to see her watching him, he just nodded then went back to his thoughts.
When they got back to Beacon Hills all hell was going to break loose. A storm was coming and Stiles didn't want to be part of it.