Nature and Nurture: Finding the Perfect Blend

Chapter 5: the Nogitsune

Stiles groggily started to come to. He was getting annoyed with all of the passing out and waking up he'd been doing. It didn't make him any less angry that this time he'd been knocked out by Deaton. He was lying wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. It was nighttime, and his dad was sitting on the other couch with Melissa.

Stiles slit his eyes and didn't move.

"This can't be happening again. It just can't." Stiles' dad had his head in his hands. "Why is it always my son? He doesn't deserve this."

"Noah," Melissa said firmly, "all of them go through too much, I agree. But it's the world we live in."

"Then we'll leave! You can't tell me Beacon Hills is the same as everywhere else. It's a damn beacon for God's sake!"

"You wouldn't leave, even if you truly believed it was the best thing to do. You wouldn't abandon this town and its people."

"I would if it would keep Stiles safe!"

"It wouldn't, Noah. One, it's Stiles. He'd find trouble wherever you moved to."

Stiles' dad groaned in weary agreement.

"Two, Stiles wouldn't leave his friends. And you saw him with Derek today. You think he'd walk away from that?"

"That's not new on his side and I'm pretty sure Derek would follow him anyway."

Stiles tried not to squirm. Okay, so pretty much everyone was aware of his feelings for Derek. He could deal with that. But what was this about Derek following him if he left? Not that he was going anywhere, Melissa had that right. Stiles was shocked his dad was talking about pulling up their lives just because bad stuff was happening.

"We'll work this out, Noah. Scott's coming soon. When he's here we'll make a plan. Isn't that what our boys do best?"

"Yeah. Although their plans could use work." They both laughed a little. "But they always pull through. You're right, Mel."

"I'm a mother. I'm always right."

Derek chose that moment to walk into the living room. "You're awake," he said to Stiles.

Stiles' dad and Melissa turned their faces towards him so he rolled his eyes and sat up. "Yeah." He leveled a glare at Derek. "I'm extremely pissed at you. You helped that bastard inject me and knock me out!"

"It was necessary, Stiles."

"Necessary? I wasn't going to hurt anyone!"

Derek crossed his arms defensively, clenching his jaw. Stiles expected him to get angry and fight back. But he remained stubbornly silent, looking away.

Stiles couldn't keep a hold of his anger. He reminded himself that Derek was trying to help him. He pushed the blanket off the couch. "Come over here, Derek, please."

Derek sat down on the end of the couch. Stiles forgo pussy-footing around and scooted over, leaning into him. Derek wrapped tentative arms around him and Stiles hugged him back.

"That's our cue to go." Melissa pulled Stiles' dad up by the arm and they left the room.

When they'd gone Stiles said, "Don't do it again, okay? If that's the only option, talk to me. I can't take being knocked out, it's not something I want to go through again."

"I'm sorry." Stiles could feel Derek's sigh. "But you need to understand, you weren't acting normal."

"This is me. I am acting normal," Stiles insisted, and Derek snorted. Stiles moved to give himself some space. "No, listen, every time I turn around, someone is watching me, trying to get me to talk, monitoring me. Then you ganged up on me. I wasn't going to sit back and take it."