CHASING PHANTOMS // TEEN WOLF [bxb]

SLEEPLESS

***

       Relief did not even begin to capture how Jake felt when Stiles finally answered his calls the next morning. Apparently, he'd figured something out last night that was too urgent to stop and tell or text anyone that he was leaving. Jake was mildly upset for the sole reason that there were literal sword-wielding shadow demons Stiles didn't know about yet that could've hurt him. On the other hand, he was mainly just grateful he was alright.

       Having agreed to meet Stiles and Scott early at school that morning so Stiles explain himself, Jake made his way through the halls until he found the pair. Scott shot him a worried look and Jake understood why as soon as Stiles turned around. He just barely avoided physically reeling at the sight of his boyfriend and then internally winced at his first thought being that he looked like utter shit.

       "Did you sleep at all?" Jake asked as he stopped beside them, gently angling Stiles toward him with a hand on his upper arm so he could examine the tell-tale signs of sleep deprivation plastered all over his face. His plan to slap him on the shoulder to scold him for last night's stunt went so far out the window it made it to outer space.

       "Doesn't matter," Stiles shook his head and grabbed Jake's hand instead, wasting no time in pulling him down the hallway and expecting Scott to trail along.

       It took Scott a second to react since he was surprised by the sudden and urgent move but the confused look Jake shot him over his shoulder spurred him into action and he sped up.

       "There had to be chemicals on the key I found because it glowed from the paint which has phosphors in it," Stiles was already rattling off the beginning of his explanation as they rounded a corner into the next hallway that led them to the chemistry classroom on the first floor.

       "It got me thinking about the chemistry closet and how someone had to let Barrow in, you know?" he continued as he barged into the room. "So I come here to test the theory and it's the same key!" he stressed animatedly. "And the writing on the board? It was-" Stiles cut himself off when he whirled around and noticed the chalkboard had been erased.

       "No, no, it was just here," he muttered in disbelief, taking a couple steps forward just to make sure he wasn't seeing it wrong. Whirling around again toward the closet, he missed the worried and perplexed looks he was getting from his two best friends.

       "Okay, here, just look," he searched for the key on his ring as he walked to the door, sifting through all the keys twice over and still coming up empty. "I had it this morning, I swear to god, it was right here," he said in disbelief as he turned toward them again.

       "The key you mentioned last night?" Scott asked to clarify as he moved deeper into the room and approached Stiles almost cautiously like he was afraid he'd startle.

       "Yeah, I showed it to you, right? Didn't I show it to you?" Stiles asked more frantically as he let the ring drop between his hands, glancing up and over at the empty chalkboard again where he'd written the numbers beside the first set this morning to confirm it was his handwriting.

       Scott thought back to that moment and then shook his head regretfully. "No, you just mentioned it," he recalled. He followed Stiles when he walked closer to the board again, letting Jake trail behind them both as he wracked his own memory for the image of the key.

       "I was here a couple hours ago and the message for Barrow spelling Kira's name was right there in my handwriting and I had the key to the chemistry closet," Stiles gestured at the chalkboard despite its emptiness not helping his case. He knew how this looked and he needed them to believe him.