War isn't over • LM / SS

Chapter 35 - the final nail in the coffin

"i hate it here so i will go to
lunar valleys in my mind
when they found a better planet
only the gentle survived."

word count: 5.2k

Derek Hale pottered around the kitchen, a tea towel slung over his shoulder as he juggled the various hot pans on the stove. Sausages and bacon sizzled in one of the skillets while pancake batter sat in a container on the countertop.

After the breakdown they had endured last night, he was letting them sleep in (——he had already told the school that the twins wouldn't be in, which left them with one less thing to worry about). He couldn't deny that a part of him felt guilty for not being here but he was back, and he didn't intend on going anywhere.

Although Jade had let her emotions crash through, it seemed to have been a momentary thing, because an hour after her meltdown, it was already off again. He reckoned it was a defence mechanism; when she felt threatened or under stress, her mind subconsciously made her numb. It wasn't done on purpose or with malicious intent—— she was simply trying to protect herself from being hurt again.

With that being said, it meant that they had a longer day ahead of them and he had a feeling that it wasn't going to be straightforward. It would definitely cause an absurd amount of emotional pain, he was sure of that.

He continued to cook as the 10 am news blared from the radio, updating him on the usual 'animal attacks' and the latest weather forecast. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he flipped a pancake on the pan as Max emerged from his sister's bedroom. "Good morning," Derek chirped, unusually good-humoured for the ungodly hour in the morning.

"Morning," Max groaned, rubbing his knuckles into his eyes to rid them of sleep. Looping his foot around the legs of a stool, he yanked it out from the island to sit down. "Jade's still asleep so I'm just gonna let her wake up on her own. I don't think she's been sleeping well. Anyway, between everything in eichen and then her humanity on top of it, she's exhausted," he tipped the carton of orange juice, pouring it into a glass.

Derek hummed in agreement, using a spatula to get the pancake onto a plate in one piece. "I didn't come back just for Jade, you know. How've you been?" he gently asked, grabbing a tub of strawberries and kiwi from the fridge and setting them down on the island.

Max sipped on his juice to buy himself time, averting his eyes from Derek's concerned stare. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, he just didn't exactly know how to put what he was feeling into words.

Most people his age had normal coping mechanisms; they would journal or talk about their feelings or not have much to complain about. He had tried all of the healthy ways of coping, but sometimes he simply felt everything so deeply, so intensely, that drinking was the only way he could escape from his thoughts. "I'm fine," he smiled softly, reaching for the nutella.

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not stupid. And I can hear your heartbeat," Derek folded his arms over his chest, sitting opposite him. Lying about what you felt must be a family trait that all the Pierce's had; he had to pry for at least two minutes until he found out the truth.  Uncomfortable silence lasting longer than a minute was usually all it took for Max to break, but his sister was typically more stubborn.  "Maximilian, are you gonna tell me what's going on or do I have to guess?"

He cringed at the use of his full name, wrinkling his nose in disgust. He seriously thought his parents had been on crack when they decided to call him that.  In all seriousness, they had the entire alphabet to work with and they thought, "yeah this is what we're going with." His sister got a nice, normal name and he got bombarded with fucking Maximilian. "I'll tell you if you swear to never call me that ever again."