For the Love of Chaos

Because of the mark

Scott and Stiles stayed at Derek's that night. Stiles didn't do much sleeping much like Derek. Scott was snoring softly in Erica's room. She had agreed to bunk with Boyd that night. Stiles was in the living room on his computer and practicing his magic.

What he didn't know was that Derek had come out of his room and was watching quietly from behind him.

Stiles gently lifted a pencil that had been sitting on the coffee table. His eyes set on the floating wood. With a snap of his fingers the pencil broke in two.

"Ha," Stiles gasped out excitedly, careful to keep his tone low so as to not wake anyone.

Another snap and the pencil went back together.

"Wow, impressive," Derek's spoke up finally, causing Stiles to lose concentration. The pencil fell to the table with a soft clank.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Stiles glanced behind the alpha half expecting the others.

"No, I came out here cause I couldn't sleep. I was watching for a minute. You put the pencil back together," Derek gestured to the coffee table before coming around and taking a seat on the couch next to Stiles.

"Yeah, according to Bonnie, I can undo my own magic to an degree. I can unlight flames I lit or fix sticks I break. I cannot however, heal wounds I make," Stiles explained.

"Bonnie," Derek nodded.

"She and I have been emailing back and forth. She's teaching me a lot."

"In exchange for what?"

Stiles frowned. "She wants me to use my magic for good."

Derek smelled the guilt coming off of him.

"You are."

"I know," Stiles nodded, his eyes boring holes into the wood flooring.

"What aren't you telling me?" Derek knew that Stiles was leaving something out.

"She made me promise not to use blood magic."

"Okay?"

"But how else am I supposed to take out Deucalion?" Stiles finally looked up, meeting Derek's eyes.

"You don't," Derek frowned. "We're doing this together. You just do what you can without getting yourself killed."

"That's not gonna be enough," Stiles tone turned hostile, "You've seen what he can do. The packs he's wiped out. I'm not letting that happen to mine."

Derek, who had been ready to shut down whatever Stiles was saying, fell silent.

"I didn't mean...I just meant...You know what I'm trying to say," Stiles huffed, backtracking.

"Stiles, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you said blood magic was dangerous. I don't want you going down that road. You don't have to do this alone. We'll be with you. And I'm not saying it's gonna be easy but-"

"It's gonna be impossible. What do we have that the other packs didn't? They had numbers. We don't. They had experienced emissaries. We don't. What makes us so different?"

"Are you always this doomsday?" Derek smirked slightly.

"Only when it's true," Stiles huffed, leaning back in his seat.

"Maybe that's what's gonna help us win. Smaller numbers, less experience. They see us as easy targets but they may be underestimating us."

"How are you this calm? You've literally lost everything once. Aren't you afraid of losing it again?" Stiles snapped.