The Long Way Home

Chapter 10

Stiles could count on his hand how many times he'd seen Derek look like shit, when he had a wolfbane bullet in his arm, after he killed his uncle, when said uncle came back from the dead, and after that whole fiasco with Gerard and Jackson. It's only been like two weeks since that happened, and now it feels like it's been years ago. The teen shook his head, he wondered when he would finally become jaded towards hunters and their holier-than-thou-goals, he's pretty sure that after this, nothing any of the other hunters would do will surprise him anymore...not after going through something like this; this might take the cake.

Anyway, back to Derek. He looked like shit, and Stiles was pretty sure he had no room to talk, in fact he probably looked worse, though the blood drying in Derek's scruff gave him an almost unhinged look. If Stiles had just run into Derek looking like this, he's pretty sure he'd have turned tail and ran-that or call his dad and have him arrested...again. The thought almost made the teen laugh, almost.

Following Derek was becoming easier as they went on, he wasn't sure if he was growing use to walking in an overgrown forest, or If the wolf had chosen to take the easier path so Stiles wouldn't strain himself. Either way he was grateful, for all Derek's faults and short comings he had the potential to be a good alpha, maybe even a great one, like his mom had been, or his sister Laura would've been.

He felt Derek's eyes on him, no doubt picking up on the shift in Stiles' moods, it was getting harder and harder for him to keep his mind on track, but what could he do? He'd just have to find some way to cope or get a handle on his ADHD, he had a sharp mind sure, but you know, tangents.

"What's wrong?" Derek said gruffly.

Stiles flinched slightly, after sitting for so long with nothing but the sound of the forest, Derek's voice had startled him, sounding almost foreign to his ears.

"To much time to think about things." The teen responded.

Derek nodded in understanding. "To many things to focus on."

Stiles was taken a back; how did he know what Stiles was going through? Yeah sure you could look up everything and anything on ADHA, but it sounded like he understood what it was like, could wolves even get ADHD?

"When we're dropped into a new environment-I guess you could say our senses go haywire, too much to focus on at once can make us flighty and agitated. It's a lot like what you go through, in order to keep some control, we have to try our best to focus on one thing at a time-I know it's not the same for you but maybe we could try something?" Derek said as he stepped over a slightly uprooted tree.

"I'm willing to try anything, I mean I know there are still things we need to talk about but if you think you've got something that can help focus a bit more I'm game, though I tend to get hyper focused form time to time." Stiles said with a small smile.

"The last thing we need is that, it comes in handy with research and helps with attention to detail but we don't need that, just enough to get you through the days." Derek responded as he surveyed his surroundings, Stiles unconsciously doing the same.

"Yeah, you're right about that-wait did I just agree with you?" The teen questions.

Derek smirks, and the blood coating his mouth making him look straight-up maniacal.

Stiles couldn't help a huff of amusement. "Don't let it go to your head, big guy."

The scent of smoke reaches Stiles' nose after a few more minutes of walking, on reflex he pauses wondering what's up a head. Derek catches his hesitation and motions him to keep walking. The teen keeps close to Derek, even if the wolf says it's okay, he's still going to be weary.