CHASING PHANTOMS // TEEN WOLF [bxb]

PRISONER OF THE MIND

***

       When morning came, Allison and Lydia were careful not to disturb Stiles or Jake when they slipped away to return to their homes with an escort from Aiden. Scott eventually had to leave for school as well and the Sheriff had come by around that time to pick Stiles up and take him home.

       Jake remained asleep and did not stir when Allison removed the gauze from his forehead nor when Stiles's fingers ghosted over some of the marks on his face in a parting touch when leaving with his dad.

       Scott purposefully neglected to tell Stiles that Melissa was on shift because he knew Stiles would refuse to leave Jake in the house alone and in turn would disregard his own need to rest.

       He had been mulling over what to do when Derek told him to just go to school. He was confused at first until he gathered that the older man would keep watch rather than leave.

       That was how Derek and Jake ended up staying in the McCall living room while the others were elsewhere.

       The injured teenager woke up one time just to fade back out, a second time to learn the details of everyone's whereabouts and Stiles's status, and a third time to the light slowly filtering out of the room with the setting sun.

       "Melissa won't appreciate you glaring at her flowers," he croaked when he noticed Derek looking out the window with a scowl and his arms crossed, his voice frail to his own ears.

       "I already broke her window," Derek deadpanned bluntly. "And her back door," he added as he recalled the details from the Oni showdown.

       He then turned to face Jake with an unimpressed expression that did not reveal his actual concern. "You awake for good?" he asked.

       Jake gave the barest of nods both to say you've got a point and to confirm he was in fact the most awake he'd been since yesterday. "Any news?" he prompted tiredly, the exhaustion lingering regardless of his renewed coherence.

       "Stiles is apparently going to check himself into Eichen," Derek reported blandly as if the information didn't yank the rug right out from under Jake. Truthfully, Derek had been more than shocked to receive the text from Scott a few minutes ago.

       "I'll take you there when you can get up," he said simply, grumbling under his breath about babysitting annoying teenagers. 

       He would never admit that he cared for them, and he especially wouldn't admit that he volunteered to watch Jake to make up for the fact that he'd been forced to leave him behind after the bombing.

       Jake's dazed brain was a little slow on the uptake until it hit him full force. "He won't be safe there," he argued as he tried to sit up. He was met with an airy feeling that crept up his spine to his head, his body overwhelmingly weak and painfully sore.

       "What part of 'when you can get up', did you not understand?" Derek groaned in annoyance. He crossed the room while Jake regained his bearings and gently pushed him back down.

       "He's not going yet. You've got time," Derek told him honestly. It was probably best if he didn't get up at all but there was no way in hell Jake would agree.

       "Not enough," Jake countered because he knew there was next to nothing anyone could do if Stiles had already made up his mind. He had to go now, and if he couldn't convince him, then he'd need time to assure him it would turn out okay.

       The Sheriff would've already tried to talk him out of it and if he was still going then that meant he was unsuccessful, and Scott would've tried next only to fail, so it fell to Jake but he had a feeling he wouldn't succeed either.