What Would You Do Without Me? // Teen Wolf

You Can't Take Beacon Hills Out Of The Boy

Even though they'd had Scott's going away party the night before, there was still a few days before he actually had to leave (that night was just the only day everyone would be free at the same time). So, the following day, Stiles and Scott found themselves in the back of the vet practice with Deaton, going over some final parting details. Every interaction they had seemed to be about their impending parting, it was driving Stiles mad. Scott refused to stop working, absently completing tasks that Deaton had assured him he didn't need to do, he just couldn't let go of the few things that made it feel like nothing was changing. They were, in their own ways, tired of remembering that they would soon be separated and for the first time it was a real and important decision that they had made for themselves. It made Stiles smile despite himself, it didn't matter how much Scott wanted to get out of Beacon Hills, he was also scared of the change, they both were. What a pair.

"Scott, you need a change of scenery. A break from Beacon Hills." Deaton said softly, taking a syringe away from him with a fond smile. Scott shrugged off his comment and reached to take the tool back but Stiles took it from Deaton and set it on a countertop.
"Dude, stop. It's getting ridiculous. We've got like three days to relax before you leave, no more work." Stiles said, shaking his head.
"Stiles is right, you need to have a respite before you go, however short." Stiles tilted his head and waved his hands in Deaton's direction as if to say 'see?'. It wasn't often that Stiles agreed with Deaton nowadays, they butt heads more often than they didn't, but this was definitely something they agreed on. Scott just needed to stop, for five minutes.
"Then we should talk about Stiles." Scott said, turning to look at his best friend with one of his brows raised and Stiles could've killed him right then, alpha werewolf or not.

"I think you're right." Deaton said, coming to stand beside the table then and reluctantly Stiles came to stand opposite the older man, Scott at his side.
"We do not have to do this right now, or ever, maybe if we just ignore it, it'll go away!" Stiles declared, visibly crumpling when Deaton gave him a disapproving look. He'd spent the entire summer avoiding moments like this one, wanting to completely avoid addressing his magical ability. He didn't trust Deaton as far as he could spit, so he certainly didn't want to get his information and training from the druid, but there were few other options for him. So, he figured he'd just pretend the magic away.
"You're a spark Stiles, you have an innate ability to do magic without ever learning it, that isn't something that will just go away." Stiles wanted to scream.
"I don't know why you'd want it to, that's awesome dude." Scott added on, only making Stiles crumple further. He was so over having supernatural things thrust upon him, especially ones that affected him directly.
"It appeared out of nowhere, who says it won't go away just the same?" He asked, gesturing vaguely with his hands, glancing up to see the same disapproving look on his would-be-mentor's face.
"You need to learn to control it, whether you like it or not this is a part of you now and if not trained you could become dangerous." Deaton replied, turning away from the boys to look in a cabinet. Stiles was more than sick and tired of things being dangerous, everything seemed to be dangerous now. He missed living in oblivious bliss, but part of him also was glad that he understood what had been happening for the last few years - he couldn't imagine how scared anyone who didn't understand was. Knowing about the supernatural was both something Stiles was elated about and terrified of. Werewolves, werecoyotes, hellhounds and kanimas, they were all fascinating, he was always learning something new.

After the kanima issue, when he first discovered the supernatural, Stiles had taken it upon himself to do as much research as he could, discerning fiction from reality and keeping notes on it all. Gerard Argent had kept a bestiary intended to help kill, Stiles wanted to create one that would help supernaturals survive.

Stiles pulled himself from his thoughts as Scott poked him and he realised that Deaton was holding a book out to him.
"This book is a collection of my own personal findings on sparks, a combination of all the reading that I've done. It may be an easier introduction to the topic for you." Deaton explained and Stiles took the book, regarding it suspiciously.
"You've never worried about giving us a head start before." He pointed out, looking back up from the leather cover to Deaton.
"This is different. Spark information is scattered and hard to come by, whereas werewolf lore is plentiful if not always fully informed." Stiles slowly nodded, accepting the explanation but still not entirely believing it. He didn't doubt that Deaton cared about Beacon Hills but he primarily cared about the balance, and so he found himself questioning the druid's motives - what was his play here?

They continued, flitting between topics but never saying anything substantial - that was just the way with Deaton, he was intent on making them work for everything they had. When they finally left, Stiles paused just beside the jeep making Scott pause in turn.
"You okay man?" Scott asked, closing the door he'd just opened in favour of moving to stand beside his friend.
"You gotta stop feeling guilty for leaving Scott." He said, figuring this was a better route of conversation than the mess really in his head.
"I don'-"
"Yes you do. You're desperate to leave, you never wanted to be a werewolf nevermind an alpha, but you're still clinging on to what you know. You're allowed to want change and escape." Stiles turned to him with a watery smile and Scott embraced him without a thought.
"Thank you." Scott mumbled against the side of his head and Stiles only held him tighter. Scott would never stop looking for permission and Stiles was only too happy to be the one to give it to him - his friend deserved it.

When they separated, they climbed into the jeep without another word and Stiles backed out, pulling onto the road toward Scott's.
"You going to read the book Deaton gave you?" Scott asked, watching as the world passed by outside the window. He'd miss the jeep, no matter how much he complained about it, Stiles knew.
"I will but I'm not only going to read this. You know me Scotty boy, I'm going to get sucked in and find everything I can." He responded, sparing a moment to glance over at him just to take in the sight of his friend in the passenger seat.
"Where else will you look?" Scott looked to Stiles then, doing much the same, memorising the sight of Stiles sitting at the wheel.
"Library, Derek's place, Chris and Allison's place, I'll even ask Peter and ask about the Hale vault. I need all the help I can get if Deaton is right about me becoming dangerous." Scott just nodded along, glad he wasn't leaving his friend totally high and dry.
"Hey, maybe I can check the college library too, they have a folklore course so they might have some interesting stuff." Scott offered and Stiles couldn't restrain his smile.
"I can't stop you, can I?" And they both laughed - of course he couldn't. Scott might be going away but he'd never truly leave Stiles to fend for himself. You can take the boy out of Beacon Hills but you can't take the Beacon Hills out of the boy.

"I'll ask Lydia too and Kira, doesn't hurt to check three different college libraries." Stiles suggested, slowing to a stop outside Scott's.
"Put it in the group chat. Malia is heading out to France soon so she might be able to look there too."
"Werewolves started in France, they might have something we don't." Stiles agreed.
"We could ask Chris if he's got any family stuff Malia could pick up while she's there." And Stiles only nodded.
"Go see your mom, dude. I'll see you when you head out." Scott nodded too then, smiling sadly before hopping out of the jeep and heading inside, not stopping to look back because they both knew if he did they'd turn on the police radio and get themselves into trouble.