#the jungle teen wolf

[derpylittlenico]

the following brought to you by Shower Thoughts tm tm tm

a "whump but not actually" not-fic? fic idea? whatever.

...

ok, so.

we know stiles is a pending accident on long legs. this isn't a secret.

but what if some member of the pack (maybe a mother henning Scott? or curious Allison? hell, maybe goddamn Isaac being a nosy bitch) accidentally catches a glimpse of a shirtless Stiles, and. just. bruises. bruises all over. from nip to goddamn hip.

cue...whoever...losing their shit via mass text to everyone else in the pack, because??? je m'fuhkin escuse? thu fucc??

I mean they are understandably Worried, bc those are so not lacrosse bruises. they would have seen that shit happen, and definitely heard about it too, because Stiles is unafraid to whine loudly, at great volume...well, unless he's actually hurt. so the fact that he's said nothing?

they are totally having guilt spirals, wondering is Grumpy Brows was right about wolves being too rough to be safe around humans, and is that why didn't he say anything??? bc he's spiteful and didn't want have to admit maybe Derek was right? bc omg, he'd totally not mention deep tissue bruising just to spite Derek.

(cue lots of Scott hand wringing and worried frowns. maybe even Derek staring melodramatically out of windows too dusty for even him to see out of bc he's Like That)

only?

......yeah, no, that's not what's going on, at all.

bc, see, Stiles is friends with the ladies from the Jungle. They are his best bitches, and he's learned not to bitch about a few minor bruises after hanging around people who routinely put on staggeringly tight compression tights and five inch high heels. Never mind the plucking and waxing.

It only took one Amateur Drag Night for him to learn to "suck it up, buttercup."

but anyway. they are his besties from other people's testes, and so drag his happy ass into shenanigans as often as possible.

...which includes pole classes at the local rec center, Thurs afternoons and every other Sunday evening.

and yeah, the bribe of free food following a two hour Lady Guhgah boogy sesh in short shorts is a nice bribe, but he doesn't really need to be bribed to hang out with them. They're a fuhkin blast to hang out with, and have some Stories.

(and also don't ignore him when he asks if they think he could be attractive to gay guys)

and ofc, though he only came for the good music and better company, he'd still put his entire ass into it and get really good at it. bc, as the queens have taught him, if he's not serving absolute cunt when the opportunity arises, why even bother.

but before all that, while he's still learning?

he'd bruise.

a lot. like? a lot a lot a lot.

bc the thing tv and movies don't tell you about pole dancing is that part of the trick is training your skin to kinda...stick? suction on? to the pole like Cameron Diaz stuck to the car windshield in That One Scene in The Counselor.

(but he doesn't talk about that movie. or that scene. bc some things just need to be forgotten.)

tl, dr?

in those early days, while he was still clenching more than clinging, in between getting dumped on his dump-truck, he admittedly looks like he's been PvPing the Hulk for funsies. Or picking fights with Creepy Grandpa Argent. Or just, like, generally slamming himself into walls.

so yeah.

"whump but not," bc the pack is scrambling to find a way to have an intervention over Stiles hiding injuries, bc he forgot to mention he and Jizz Taylor and Gloria Hole and Bicurious Georgia have decided to learn pole technique alongside Natalie Martin, a few bikers from the local biker bar, and Stiles' 55 yr old neighbor.

[adeceasedtulip]

Hypothetically if I were to write an I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here AU for one of my main fandoms at the moment, would anyone read it? I just think it'd be really fun to update daily as if it were actually the show but with my favourite characters instead!

So question is...

Thank you!!

[froggos-are-superior]

Part 2 of fandom pride pfps, again, feel free to use!

[radiato]

Fierce Freedom T-shirt

Embrace the spirit of liberation with this striking T-shirt, featuring a majestic beast breaking through the shackles of the ordinary. The bold red-to-white gradient fur and piercing yellow eyes capture the essence of raw power and unbridled passion.

https://radiato.threadless.com/designs/fierce-freedom

[thetemplarknight]

Werewolves explained - from ancient legends to Hollywood!

As the horror genre revives in the movies and streaming TV series - it's time that werewolves were explained being a hugely popular monster!

What are the origins of the Werewolf myth? This strange story of cursed people unable to resist transforming into a wolf at the Full Moon – with the consequent murderous rampage. Why is this monster so enduring and if anything, more popular than ever? It came as a surprise to me to discover a literary genre termed ‘werewolf erotica’ and all that teen-focussed TV content featuring our lupine…

[tonyrossmcmahon]

Werewolves explained - from ancient legends to Hollywood!

As the horror genre revives in the movies and streaming TV series - it's time that werewolves were explained being a hugely popular monster!

What are the origins of the Werewolf myth? This strange story of cursed people unable to resist transforming into a wolf at the Full Moon – with the consequent murderous rampage. Why is this monster so enduring and if anything, more popular than ever? It came as a surprise to me to discover a literary genre termed ‘werewolf erotica’ and all that teen-focussed TV content featuring our lupine…

[noahshands]

side blog for keeping track of fics! Updated: 07-30-24

main tumblr: sorrowsofsilence

FANFIC RECOMMENDATIONS:

MDNI 18+ || adding to this list as time goes on!

BAD OMENS

• into the abyss of bad habits - @veronicaphoenix

Noah Sebastian x reader x Oli Skyes

• kingdom come - @concretecultist

Noah Sebastian x reader

• nosferatu 1 - @valiantroeagleangel

Nicholas Ruffilo x reader

• delicate beginning rush - @concreteburialplot

Nicholas Ruffilo x reader

• the solemn hypnotic - @deathblacksmoke

Nicholas Ruffilo x reader

• intertwined • @concreteburialplot

Nicholas Ruffilo x Noah Sebastian

• miracle - @thefallennightmare

Noah Sebastian x reader

• teach me - @gretaswhore28

Jolly karlsson x reader

• if im there - @spicywhenspeaking

Noah Sebastian x ofc

• devour me - @darksigns-exe

Noah Sebastian x reader

• lost in the concrete jungle - @ladyveronikawrites

bad omens x reader (star wars AU)

• a friend down in hell - @cookiesupplier

Nick folio x ofc

• delicate beginning rush - @concreteburialplot

Nicholas Ruffilo x reader

• mouthful - @the-way-of-words

jolly x Nicholas x Noah

• unexpected - @withcrossesandframes

Nick folio x reader

• discretion - @sitkowski

noah sebastian x nick folio

TENET

• time after time - @mypoisonedvine

Neil x reader

• Patience - @chellestrash

Neil x reader

• feel better - @twinklelilstarkey

Neil x reader

SUPERNATURAL

• One hell of an agent - @samsno1

Sam Winchester x reader

• guessing game - @bunnysbrainrot

Sam x reader x dean

TEEN WOLF

• let me help you - @theemporium

Void stiles x reader

[teecupangel]

Hey, what you think about Desmond in Teenwolf universe? Like him working there in bar and eventually help gang with supernatural problems(because well he can fight and doesn't want these teenagers die?)

Oh, man. I was into Teen Wolf years ago so let’s see what we can do with this one.

First of all, we’ll put Desmond in the gap between Season 1 and 2. Why?

Because he’s there to investigate the killings of Season 1. It’s a personal thing.

Well…

It’s connected to Ratonhnhaké:ton because his Bleed of Ratonhnhaké:ton makes him believe that there is something familiar with the way those people were killed by a ‘wild animal’.

He’s not sure if it’s related to a POE though but it’s worth investigating (we will also be moving the timeline of Teen Wolf so S1 happened in 2013 instead of 2011 and this is after Desmond saves the world from the Solar Flare)

The real reason why he’s there though is because he’s supposed to be hiding. After his attack on Abstergo’s Rome facility, Interpol has been on his tail so he needs to lay low for a bit.

We’re also placing him between S1 and S2 so there’s some time for him to integrate himself to the plot. Specifically, he’s working in the Jungle where the problematic teenagers would get themselves in trouble later when the hunt of the Kanima starts.

That’s also when he becomes entangled with the plot because he’s been researching about the ‘new’ killings happening all around Beacon Hills and, Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, there were a lot of reds calling themselves ‘hunters’.

Desmond has a feeling that something more was going on.

In this one, Desmond actually spots the teenagers as they enter Jungle because he’s been a bartender long enough to spot problems (and Jungle doesn’t want problem, especially since being a gay club means they’re not unused to some… annoying flies) so he pats the other person working the bar with him, which is a silent signal that he was going to switch to being the teenage bouncer and give their actual bouncer another scolding (seriously, he doesn’t care if sweet boy Danny is planning to graduate early or whatever, he’s still in highschool)

Then he feels it.

Something about these teenagers that alerts him. A ghost of a Bleed from Ratonhnhaké:ton…

And then the Kamina attacks and all hell breaks loose.

Unorganized Notes:

Would absolutely push himself into Derek’s little pack because he sees the cool front that Derek is showing and calls bullshit on it. He doesn’t know they’re werewolves yet but he knows something is up and Derek’s pack has information. Caring for the pack later on was not the plan.

He sees Erica, Boyd and Isaac as recruits in need of care. Derek is annoyed with him though because he keeps butting in to tell him to be nicer or to explain it more and- Desmond has no idea what a Stiles is but he’s probably being insulted, the asshole.

He does learn what a Stiles is because Stiles annoyed him by visiting the club repeatedly. The Drag Queens love him and has adopted him and has band together to stop Desmond from throwing his underage ass out.

Stiles is the one who spills the whole werewolf hunter thing because he thought Desmond’s strange mannerism (“It reminds me of my dad but like… more spec ops?” “You play too many video games, squirt.”) might mean he’s a hunter.

Oh and Stiles being in the club a lot? Yeah. Sheriff Stilinski gets into this whole mess because he’s sus of Desmond. It doesn’t help that Desmond has been teaching Stiles a few tips of how to fight (“Why… why do you know that you should kick off the tail lights of a car if you’re inside the trunk?” “My dad’s a cop, dude. I know how to shoot too. Wanna see?” “With your flailing limbs? Nah, I’m good”)

Desmond is an annoying older brother to both Derek and Stiles. The pack loves him for it.

Scott thinks he’s cool too but he’s a bit wary of him since he’s close to Derek. He’s also worried that he’s being used to pull Stiles to Derek’s pack.

But that’s not really Desmond’s problem at the moment because the Bleed of Ratonhnhaké:ton he’s been ‘feeling’?

That’s because Ratonhnhaké:ton has confronted werewolf hunters before. To be more exact, the Argents during his time in France. Arno Dorian is actually the one who got the wrath of the Argents but that extends to the Brotherhood in general.

The Argents are not Templars but they definitely don’t like the Brotherhood. And Gerard Argent? He has a feeling an Assassin is snooping around their hunting ground. It’s only a matter of time before he finds the rat.

[takaraphoenix]

I've recently realized something about me and Teen Wolf that is, to me, baffling.

Usually, I'm a shipper first. I latch onto a character, that's mine now, and then I latch onto a "flag ship", one ship that I ship above all else, but I multiship hard and usually, once I latched onto a character, I ship them with practically everyone I don't family zone/friend zone.

Teen Wolf is different for me.

I did latch onto a character hard, Stiles is my guy, my baby boy and also my bastard boy to equal parts. Sarcastic little shit.

And I do have my "flag ship", I adore Sterek, it's my go-to, I feel feral about them.

But I only really have two and a half ships for him total. Even though there is a ton of characters on that show who all have interesting dynamics with him and, for all intends and purposes, I should have at least a dozen Stiles ships.

Teen Wolf is kind of... the only... fandom where I care much, much more about the platonic dynamics than the romantic. To the point that I "family zoned" practically every character who interacts with Stiles.

And I know it's the whole concept of pack dynamics. I have such strong, deep feelings about the pack, about Stiles' role in the pack and the very much platonic love that could be there, between them all.

I do want to see Stiles loved and cherished, but decidedly in a non-romantic manner in most cases.

Give me Boyd and Erica bonding with Stiles, after their shared trauma in the Argent basement, being protective of the human who tried to save them and took a beating for them.

Give me Isaac growing attached to Stiles, seeking him out the most.

Give me Jackson absolutely hating that he grew attached to Stiles, give me them bonding about the kanima and nogitsune trauma.

Give me Lydia and Stiles being geniuses and doing research and judging everyone around them.

Give me Danny and Stiles going to the Jungle together and Danny growing fond of Stiles even as Stiles exhausts the living daylight out of him.

Give me Scott and Stiles being brothers by anything but blood, getting into trouble together.

Give me Allison and Stiles be the pack humans together, be the Scott whisperers together.

Give me Peter and Stiles snarking it up and coming up with the plans while rolling their eyes at everyone else.

Heck, give me all of these and I might not even need romance in it, at all. I'll still take it, the cherry on top of pack fics is when the Alpha is irrevocably in love with Stiles, sure. But... somehow, inexplicably, the romance is nearly taken for granted, like, yeah, all of this is happening in a Sterek setting. It's the platonic dynamics that I desperately seek out and that excite me to find in the fics.

I care first and foremost about Stiles and second about everyone else loving Stiles, because damn it all to hell, he deserves to be loved. And I honestly think that's the reason why he is the favorite character to me, because I care so deeply and fiercely about him.

[secretly-an-automaton]

Characters I claimed as aromantic based on minimal evidence ‘cause lord knows we don’t get real representation:

Sasha James (The Magnus Archives)

Diana (Market of Monsters) —this series does have some canon ace characters though

Lee Ping (Detentionaire)

Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)

Arthur Lester (Malevolent) —this one’s a pretty widely accepted headcanon

Ororo Munroe (X-Men)

Sam Manson (Danny Phantom)

Raven (Teen Titans)

Enjolras (Les Misérables) —just listen to Red & Black

Bethany Walker (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle)

Kira Yukimura (Teen Wolf)

Tiger Claw (TMNT 2012) —I can’t even begin to explain this one

Coraline Jones (Coraline)

Wybie Lovat (Coraline) —gotta love that aro solidarity

Elsa (Frozen)

[n1ghtm4r3-p01s0n]

The Ultimate Emo/Scene Name List - WARNING: Long post, and make sure you read the trigger warnings!

Having trouble coming up with a name for yourself? Do you planning on using a part of your real name but can’t find a word to go with it? Well, worry no more!

Today, I’m here to provide as comprehensive a list as possible! I’ve scoured the internet, and some sources have some problematic suggestions. So, my goal is to break down possible names into easy to understand categories. Obviously, this will be a VERY long list, so keep that in mind. There is also a section purely made up of words used in the past that are to be used/reclaimed at one's own risk/discretion due to the words being used to oppress or belittle various minority groups. I will also be sharing my sources at the bottom for stuff I used from online, alongside any trigger warnings that may be needed. Without further ado, let’s go! Also feel free to reblog with suggestions to add!

TRIGGER WARNING: Some of the suggestions include elements of horror, violence, weaponry, gore etc.

Animals

Rex (as in T-Rex)

Stegosaurus

Wolf/Wolfe

Kitty

Bunny

Lynx

Hawk

Eagle

Moth

Spider

Raven (also applicable to pop culture - see Raven from Teen Titans and Raven Queen from Ever After High)

Claw/Clawed

Fang

Animal

Beast/Beastly

Carnivore/Carnivorous

Jurassic (as in the Jurassic Period, also applicable to pop culture (see Jurassic Park))

Snake

Chameleon

Jungle

Hyena

Cheetah

Fossil

Sabertooth

Skink

Deer

Vole

Weasel

Ferret

Moose

Ermine

Shrew

Mouse

Rat

Corvid

Magpie

Pigeon

Bee

Wasp

Butterfly

Tarantula

Velociraptor

Serpent

Viper

Cat

Rattlesnake

Cobra

Bat

Monsters

Vampire

Werewolf

Zombie

Monster/Monsta/Monstar

Ghoul

Demon

Angel/Angelic

Reaper (also applicable to foods (Reaper Pepper))

Ghost

Fallen (as in Fallen Angel)

Curse/Cursed (in reference to witchcraft)

Hex (in reference to witchcraft)

Boo (common saying associated with Halloween and cartoony ghosts)

Bone (in reference to skeletons)

Sacrificed/Sacrificial (in reference to religious rites)

Dead/Deadly/Death/Deathless

Immortal

Alien

Extraterrestrial

Anomaly/Anomalous (also applicable to pop culture, in reference to the SCP Foundation)

Damned

Eerie

Creepy

Exorcism/Exorcist

Ghastly

Imp

Succubus/Succubi

Incubus/Incubi

Undead

Abominable

Devil

Supernatural (also applicable to pop culture, reference to Supernatural TV show)

Paranormal

Sacred/Sacrament

Specter/Spectre

Banshee

Poltergeist

Siren (also applicable to music, see Sleeping with Sirens)

Dragon

Dragon Slayer

Kraken

Archangel

Starship

Halloween

Dragon Slayer

Angelface

Mermaid

Pop Culture

Jigsaw (as in Jigsaw from the Saw franchise)

Ghostface (from the Scream franchise)

Krueger (as in Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street)

Myers (as in Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise)

Voorhees (as in Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise)

Chucky (as in Chucky from Child’s Play)

Lala (nickname for Draculaura from Monster High)

Hyde (as in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde)

Lestrange (as in character who shall not be named from franchise by TERF author that shall not be named)

Lockhart (another character from the franchise mentioned above)

Coraline (as in Coraline by Neil Gaiman)

Jinx/Jynx (League of Legends character)

Blitz (Helluva Boss character)

Loona (K-Pop group, Helluva Boss character)

Shadow (as in Shadow the Hedgehog)

Killer/Killa/Kyller (as in Jeff the Killer)

Grim/Grimm (as in Grim Reaper and the Brothers Grimm)

Eldritch (as in Eldritch Horror)

Eevee (from Pokemon; you can use any Pokemon you like)

Hellraiser (as in the film by Clive Barker)

Jabber (as in Jabberwocky from Alice in Wonderland)

Wonderland (as in Alice in Wonderland)

Jedi (from Star Wars)

Necronomicon (Evil Dead franchise)

Avenger (in reference to MARVEL's The Avengers)

Scourge (see Warrior Cats and Sonic Comics character)

Zelda (from Legend of Zelda)

Skellington (as in Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas)

Phantomhive (as in Ciel Phantomhive from Black Butler)

HelloKitty (Sanrio character)

Akira (anime film of the same name)

Memetic (term used by the SCP Foundation)

Blackheart (as in the Ghost Rider villain)

Colours/Shades

Crimson (Red)

Black

Neon

Rouge (also applicable to pop culture)

Ruby

Violet

Indigo

Cyan

Blue

Rainbow/Rainbows

Porcelain

Green/Greene

Weapons/Violence/Semi-NSFW

Blade

Razor

Knucklebuster

Uppercut

Scar (also applicable to pop culture, Lion King character,)

Eyeball (body part)

Torture/Tortured/Torturous

Torment/Tormented

Fatal/Fatality (also applicable to pop culture, Mortal Kombat)

Brutal/Br00tal/Brutality/Brutally

Berserk/Berserker (also applicable to pop culture, see the anime 'Berserker')

Chainsaw

Hacksaw

Bear Trap

Grenade

Bomb/Pipebomb/Timebomb

Dynamite

Acid/Acidic

Heroin

Marijuana/Mary-Jane

Cannabis

Alcohol/Alcoholic

Booze

Vodka

Brandy

Whiskey

Blood/Bloody/Bloodied

Flesh

Gore/Guro

Raw

Casualty

Crackhead

DrugAddict

Erotic/Ero/Erotica

Explosive

Execute/Execution/Executor

Beheaded

Decapitation/Decapitated

Flailing

Gutting

Handgun

Hangman

Homicide

Hostage

Hurt (also applicable to emotions)

Pain/Pained/Painful (also applicable to emotions)

Jackknife

Laceration/Lacerations

Attack

Murder/Murderous/Murderotic

Massacre

Assassin/Assassination

Regicide

Cannibal/Cannibalism

Cyanide

Pothead

Suffocate/Suffocation

Steroid

Puncture

Violence/Violent

Wound/Wounded

Bruise/Bruised

Serrated

Gruesome

Autopsy

Asphyxia/Asphyxiation

Curbstomp

Assault

Battery (also applicable to technology)

Annihilation

Addict/Addicted/Addiction/Addictive

Arson/Arsonist

Ambush

Crucifixion/Crusifixion

Tequila

Beatdown

Throwdown

Arsenic

Collision

Manslaughter

Bite/Bites

Plants

Belladonna

Nightshade

Wolfsbane

Rose

Lily

Sakura

Toadstool

Thorn (also applicable to pop culture, see Thorn of the Hex Girls from Scooby Doo)

Hazel

Foods

Cupcake/Kupcake/Cuppycake/Kuppycake

Strawberry

Lollipop

Candy

Cocoa/Kokoa (alternatively; Coco/Koko)

Chilli

Cheyenne (as in Cheyenne Pepper)

Cookie

Pumpkin

Jawbreaker

Jerky

Juicebox

Caffeine/Caffeinated

Treat

Macha

Skittles/Skittlez

Ambrosia (also applicable to mythology (food of the Greek gods))

Smoothiecake

Smoothie

Teacup

Slushie

Coffee

Sugar/Sugarrush

Space

Luna

Stellar/Stella (also applicable to pop culture, Helluva Boss character)

Nova

Mars

Pluto (also applicable to mythology, Roman counterpart to Hades)

Galaxy

Meteor/Meteorite

Nebula

Stardust

Star

Mythology

Persephone (Greek Goddess)

Hel (Norse Goddess)

Fenrir (Norse God)

Thanatos (Greek God)

Baba/Yaga (Slavic folklore character)

Artemis (Greek Goddess)

Freyja (Norse Goddess)

Cerberus (Greek Creature)

Hades (Greek God)

Loki (Norse God)

Medusa (Greek folklore character, can also reference the piercing)

Satan (Ars Goetia demon)

Beelzebub (Ars Goetia demon)

Athena (Greek Goddess)

Lucifer (Ars Goetia demon, Bible figure)

Technology

Error

Hack/Hacker

Analog

Digital

Malware

Virus

Corruption/Corrupted

Java

Machine

Mechanical

.exe (or similar file extensions, such as .sai, .txt, .rar, .szs, .psd etc)

Robo/Robot/Bot

Animatronic

Electronic (also applicable to music)

Automaton

Automatic

Systematic

Syntax

Emotions

Heartbroken

Heartless

Depressed

Lonely/Loneliness

Hopeless

Helpless

Ache

Envy/Envious/Envied

Hatred

Jealous/Jealousy

Lust/Lustrous

Shock/Shocked/Shocking

Panic/Panicked/Panicking (also applicable to music, see Panic! At The Disco)

Cowardly (also applicable to pop culture, Courage the Cowardly Dog)

Rage/Raging

Scared

Confusion/Confused

Wrath/Wrathful

Minerals/Crystals/Metals

Onyx

Amethyst

Obsidian

Titanium

Steel

Sulphur

Mercury (also applicable to mythology)

Uranium

Garnet

Pearl

Topaz

Quartz

Iron

Silver

Jewel

Gem

Crystal/Krystal

Diamond

Amber

Azure (also applicable to colours/shades)

Elements/Natural Phenomena

Blaze

Fire/Fiery

Flame

Hellfire

Ember

Poison

Venom (also applicable to pop culture, Spider-Man character)

Drowned/Drowning (also applicable to pop culture (Minecraft mob) and weapons/violence)

Hurricane

Typhoon

Tsunami

Earthquake

Tornado

Storm

Thunder/Thunderstorm

Blizzard

Dust Devil

Toxic

Volcano

Eruption/Erupted

Electric

Spark

Frozen

Hail

Ignite/Ignition

Lightning

Magma

Night

Sunset

Twilight

Aurora (as in Aurora Borealis, can also be applied to music if you wanna reference the singer AURORA)

Inferno

Frost/Frosty

Music

Metalhead

Melody

Megalovania (song from Undertale)

Brightside (song by the Killers)

Hatsune/Miku (in reference to Hatsune Miku)

VOCALOID

Synthesizer

Orchestra

Symphony

Rave/Raver

Rock

Anthrax (also applicable to 'Use at Own Risk')

Bring _ The Horizon/_ Brings The Horizon (reference to Bring Me The Horizon)

_ Eat World (reference to Jimmy Eat World)

Jitterbug (phrase used in 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go' by Wham and title of Hachiya Nanashi VOCALOID track)

Jitterdoll (niki VOCALOID track)

Serenade

Breakdown (also applicable to 'Use At Own Risk')

USE AT OWN RISK

These are names that have been used in the past BUT often rely on oppressive stereotypes involving women, mental illness/disorders, LGBTQIA+ people, Indigenous people and so on. Some of these are also just straight up mental/medical conditions and medications. I would advise only picking one of these if it is a term you wish to reclaim for yourself. Do so at your own risk.

Insane/Insanity

Delirious

Demented

Psychotic/Psychosis/Psychopath

Nuclear

Bitch

Whore

Crazy

Hallucinate/Hallucination

Haywire

Suicide/Suicidal (also applicable to pop culture - see Suicidal Sadie CreepyPasta)

Mania/Manic

Maniac/Maniacal

Paranoia/Paranoid

Savage

Mad

Fag/Faggot (only reclaim if you are LGBTQIA+)

Mental

Xanax/Xamax

Schizophrenia/Schizophrenic

Dementia

Genocide (added to here and not to 'weaponry/violence/semi-NSFW' due to the current genocides happening in the world)

Warfare (added here for the same reason as above)

Asylum

Amphetamine

Hooker

Neurotic

MISC IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

A

Accidental

Axis

Ambitious

Amazing

Apocalypse/Apocalyptic/Apokalypsis

Abyss

Abdomen

Amor/Amore

Ambition

Apparel

Atomic/Attomick/Attomik

Atrophy

Alluring

Asshole/Asswhole

Abrasive

Atelophobia

Arachnophobia

Abstract

Adorable

Anonymous

Audacious

Antorcha (Spanish for 'torch')

Avenge

B

Baby

Bang

Blah

Boom

Brigade

Bombard/Bombardment

Blast

Biohazard/Biohazardous

Beauty/Beautiful/Beau

Bow

Bottom Jeans

Barbie

Babycake

Babydoll

Break/Breaks

Brave

Bacteria

Bandaid/Bandage

Blackout

Bittersweet (also applicable to foods and emotions)

Barbaric

C

Catastrophe/Catastrophic

Claustrophobia/Claustrophobic

Crash

Chaos

CreepyPasta

Crunch/Crunchy

Chuunibyou

Coward

Chick (also applicable to animals)

Carnage (also applicable to pop culture, see Spider-Man villain)

Chaosbaby

D

Daring (also applicable to pop culture)

Devious

Darling

Disaster

Daydreaming

Destruction

Doll/Dolly

Decay/Decayed/Decaying

Dark/Darkened

Deceit/Deceitful

Daily

Dial

Deutschland

Danger

Destroy

Discord

E

Ecstatic

Ecstasy

Emergency

Extreme

Echo

Exposure

Enchanted

Endanger

Enigma/Enigmatic

Epidemic

Endemic

Egotistic/Egotistical

Entropy

EatsZombies

F

Frightful

Foul

Foe

Futile

Flash

Flicker

Feeble

Funeral/Funerary

Forsaken/Forsakened

G

Girly

Gab

Gangster

Glitter

Gorgeous/Goregeous

Gluttony

H

Havoc

Hazard

Heartbreaker

Heist

Hiatus

Hoax

Hyper

Heart

Horizon

Hollywood

I

Impolite

Immature

Ill

Iris

Infection/Infected

J

J'Adore (also applicable to pop culture, see Jade J'Adore from Bratzillaz)

Jailbait

Jaundice

Jaywalk

Jeopardy

Jingle

Jive

Joint

Jubilate/Jubilee

Junction

Juxtapose

K

Katastrophe/Katastrophic

Krunch/Krunchy

Kawaii

King

Kitching/Keching

Killjoy (also applicable to music, see My Chemical Romance)

L

Lush

Loathe

Lovely

Lucky

Legendary

Light (also applicable to pop culture, Light Yagami)

Luz (also applicable to pop culture, Luz Noceda)

Love/Luve/Luv

Leper/Leperacy

Litterbug

M

Macabre

Macroscopic

Mafia

Magnetic

Malady

Malice

Mutiny

Malediction

Marauder (also applicable to pop culture - won't say the name but you know what franchise this was popularised in)

Medical

Membrane

Mesmerize

Metallic

Mortician/Mortuary/Morticia (last one applicable to pop culture, in reference to Morticia Addams)

Mortified

Mystery

Myth

Mayday (also applicable to popculture, see Mayday from No Straight Roads and the Helluva Boss character Verosika Mayday)

Malevolent/Malevolence

Millionaire

McCrackin

Monstrawrface

Miracle/Miraculous (also applicable to pop culture, see Miraculous Ladybug)

Morgue

N

Ninja

Notorious

Nocturnal/Nokturnal

Naughty

Nasty

Nihilist/Nihilistic/Nihilism

Nightmare

Necro

Necromancer/Necromancy

Necrotising (in reference to Necrotising Fasciitis)

Nefarious

Neuron

Nerd/Nerdified

O

Overdrive

Original

Outcast

Odd

Obscure

Obsolete

Obsession

Oblivion

P

Prince/Princess

Punk

Plastic

Parable (also applicable to pop culture, see The Stanley Parable)

Pandemic

Pirate

Q

Queen/Queenie

Queer

Quack

R

Random

Revenge

Reckless

Royal

Riot

Rebel

Rude

Rawr

Rad

Rotten

Ravenous

Ruthless

S

Sabotage

Scary

Silly

Sadist/Sadistic

Sahara

Salivate

Spectacular

Synthetic

Supercharged

Surrender

Stethoscope

Sublime

Sterile

Stealthy

Spinal

Spiffy

Sinister

Scoundrel

Scandal

Shell

Scene

Spookbat

T

Tears

Tragic/Tragedy

Terror

Trick/Trickster

Temptation

Terrible

Twisted

Trash

Tenacity

Trauma/Traumatised

Temptress

Tuberculosis

U

Unusual

Ultimate

Usurper

Urban

V

V.I.P

Vendetta (also applicable to pop culture, see V for Vendetta)

Velicious

Victorious/Victory

Vandal/Vandalism

Vain/Vanity

Vile

Vortex (also applicable to pop culture, Helluva Boss)

Void

Vengeance/Vengeful

Valentine/Valentines

W

Wacky/Whacky

Wicked

Wonder/Wonderful

Wise/Wisdom

Wreckless

X

Xtreme/X-treme

Xx/xX

XoXo/XOXO/X0X0

X-ray

Y

Young

Z

ZigZag

Zero (also applicable to pop culture, see Nightmare Before Christmas character)

SOURCES

http://esgbeauty.blogspot.com/p/scene-names-directory.html?m=1 (TRIGGER WARNING: site listed actual genocides as name suggestions (e.g. Holocaust) or elements related to genocides/wars (e.g. Kamikaze) - view at your own discretion. For this list, I opted to remove these suggestions as I think these are remnants of the edgy humour of the 2000s that is best being left behind.)

Some of these suggestions came from my friends and members in Scem0 K1dz (Discord server).

https://thescenebible.blogspot.com/2021/10/blog-post.html?m=1 (Currently working on slowly adding anything from here.) TRIGGER WARNING: A lot of names involve mental disorders, medical conditions and medications. I will be including some of these, mostly in the 'Use At Your Own Risk' section.

[sephirthoughts]

Father: Verb

Summary: 11 year-old WMD Sephiroth is assigned a new handler/bodyguard, named Vincent Valentine.

rating: gen/teen and up

(prev chapter linked at bottom)

Chapter 3: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Time slipped by, behind the high walls of Shinra Manor, and summer had long turned to fall. When Vincent arrived at Sephiroth’s quarters, on this particular morning, Sephiroth was sullen and monosyllabic. He refused to go to the dining hall for breakfast, and ate a tray of nutritional pastes in gloomy silence. In the training yard, he was ferocious and bloodthirsty, hurling his body at Vincent, with total disregard for his life, like he’d gone rabid.

When the blade of his sword snapped off, in Vincent’s gauntleted hand, Sephiroth threw a blast of fire into Vincent’s face and used the distraction to and leap on him like a jungle cat, knocking him to the ground. He only managed to hit him once, before Vincent flipped him onto his back and pinned him. The boy thrashed and kicked, snarling through his clenched teeth, his pupils contracted to savage slits, in the glowing green irises.

“Let me go! Fight me properly!”

He managed to twist a hand free and strike Vincent in the mouth with his closed fist, before the man caught the wrist and pinned it again.

“Sephiroth!” Vincent said. “Stop this, right now! You are out of control, and you are going to hurt yourself. Use your words. Tell me what is wrong.”

“No! Get off me!” Sephiroth roared, writhing like a snake in his grasp. “Liar! You’re a liar! I hate you!”

Vincent’s blood froze. If he’d had any human color in his skin, it would have drained, at that moment. Was it possible? Had the boy found out, somehow? He swallowed in a dry throat. “What did I lie about?”

“You know what!” Sephiroth spat. “You said you’d never leave me, but you did! You didn’t even say goodbye and you left me here, all alone! You’ve been gone for three months!”

So, it wasn’t that.

Potent relief washed over Vincent, immediately followed by gut-wrenching guilt, over his absence. He’d been locked up, deep underground, made to fight monstrosities created by the Shinra science division, to test their capabilities. That was part of the deal he’d made with the devil, in order to be here.

Time didn’t affect him much, and he had no idea how long it had been, till he came out. He hadn’t realized that, for the child who was waiting for him, three months must have seemed an eternity.

Meanwhile, Sephiroth’s respiration was growing increasingly ragged, and he hadn’t stopped struggling. On a sudden impulse, Vincent sat down in the dirt, dragged the boy into his lap, and wrapped him up tightly in his arms.

Sephiroth resisted, at first, not understanding the gesture, but after Vincent held him fast, for a moment, he stopped trying to push him away. He hadn’t calmed down, though, and in fact seemed to be getting worse. He was shaking all over, his face was pale and clammy, and he was taking rapid, gasping breaths.

Vincent had no idea what to do, now. He’d embraced the boy from pure reflex. He had no training regarding how to soothe a child who was having a full-blown panic attack. The only analogue he could think of was dealing with pain.

“Bite me,” he blurted out.

Sephiroth blinked up at him, uncomprehending, and continued to hyperventilate.

Vincent cast his cloak to one side, exposing his leather-clad shoulder. “Here. You can’t hurt me. Just bite down on me, until the pain stops.”

Without hesitation, Sephiroth bared his perfect, white teeth and bit into Vincent’s shoulder, panting and snarling like a wolf cub, tearing at the leather armor, clawing Vincent’s chest and sides, with his small, but exceedingly strong fingers.

“Good boy. It’s ok,” Vincent murmured, patting his back. “It’s going to be ok.”

After a minute or two, Sephiroth’s respiration began to normalize, and his body stopped shaking. He released the bite and looked up at Vincent, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “Why did you tell me to do that? How did you know it would work?”

Vincent gave a rueful smile. “Because it works on me.”

The boy’s rage had receded, but the hurt and resentment were still keenly visible, in his eyes. He clambered out of Vincent’s lap and sat sullenly on the ground beside him, hugging his knees.

“I’m sorry, Sephiroth,” Vincent said quietly. “I didn’t mean to be away for so long. It wasn’t my choice.”

“I thought you were never coming back. The professor said you probably hated babysitting me, and asked to be transferred away.”

Vincent clenched his jaw. Fucking Hojo, that sadistic bastard. Never missed an opportunity to twist a knife.

“He said…he said you’d get a woman,” Sephiroth continued, picking anxiously at the cuticle of his left thumb. “He said you’d have children of your own, and you’d stop coming back. Because you wouldn’t want to waste time with a brat like me, who isn’t even your son.”

“None of that is true,” Vincent said patiently. “Even if I wanted to, which I do not, my body is dead. I can’t have children, anymore. That old man says things to hurt you, intentionally. You know that, and yet you let his words torment you. You let him make you doubt me.”

“But you were gone for so long,” Sephiroth said miserably. “You never tell me when you’re leaving or where you go. I never know when you’ll come back. I keep thinking…you must have someone more important than me. Someone you’d rather be with, than me.”

“Sephiroth, look at me.” The boy lifted his head, and Vincent reached out to brush a lock of silver hair out of his face. “There is no one more important to me, than you. You are the only person I care about, in the world. I don’t want a woman or children. I don’t want to transfer away. I want to be right here, with you.”

“Really? Y—you mean it? You won’t find someone else, and forget me?”

“I mean it. Don’t listen to that bitter old man, anymore, ok? Trust in me.”

Sephiroth scowled. “You say I should trust you, but how can I, if you never tell me anything?”

“I’m sorry about that,” Vincent sighed. “I know it’s hard for you, when you don’t know what to expect. If they sent my orders ahead of time, you’d be the first to know. I wish things were different, but my life isn’t my own. It belongs to Shinra.”

“But why does it belong to Shinra?”

“You know better than to ask.”

“I know. Sorry.”

“Because of that, there will be times when I’ll have to go away. I won’t know when, or even for how long. But I promise you, I will always come back. No matter what, I will come back, to you.”

Sephiroth looked at him searchingly, attempting to assess the man’s sincerity. His big, blue-green eyes were pink rimmed, as if he were about to cry, but tears never fell from those eyes. He never cried.

“Ok,” he said, at last. “But you promised. Remember, you promised.”

After the scene in the training yard, it was a simple matter to talk Vincent into staying after supper, to watch the historical documentary Sephiroth claimed he had been looking forward to. And of course, once that boundary was breached, it would be an even easier matter to make it a regular occurrence.

His emotional outburst had been one-hundred percent genuine, but now that he was calmer, he could hardly be blamed for turning the situation to any advantage he could. Besides, a neglected child playing upon a parental figure’s guilt, in order to coax out a little more quality time with him, wasn’t exactly a dastardly scheme.

That evening, in Sephiroth’s quarters, Vincent sat on the sofa, beside him, with his arms crossed under his cloak. Just as Sephiroth had predicted, he fell fast asleep, less than a third of the way into the lengthy, exceedingly dry documentary (which was the only type of film the boy had access to).

He watched the man sleeping, for a few minutes, with his chin resting in his palm. Then, as stealthy as a cat, he began to scoot closer, inch by inch, till their thighs were touching. Vincent didn’t stir.

Sephiroth paused and observed him closely, until he was certain he was still asleep. Then, ever so gingerly, he leaned over, and laid his head on Vincent’s shoulder. The man continued to sleep soundly.

Pleased with his success, Sephiroth gradually nestled his small body more and more comfortably against Vincent’s. Now fully embracing his leather-clad arm, he gave a deep yawn. It would be fine, he told himself. He’d just stay like this, till the end of the film. As long as he didn’t fall asleep, Vincent wouldn’t catch him acting like a baby, and it would be fine.

Vincent woke, disoriented, to the lights and colors from the video screen, flickering across his eyelids, and the strange feeling of a warm weight, pressing on one side of his body.

He looked down, to discover Sephiroth hugging his arm, with his heavy, silver head resting on his shoulder. He must’ve dozed off, watching the film. He reached over, intending to shake him awake, then hesitated.

The boy’s sleeping face looked so peaceful, he couldn’t bear to wake him. Well, whatever, he thought, as he withdrew his hand. If the boy wanted to sleep on him, for a little while, what was the harm? As soon as the film was over, he’d put him properly to bed.

Thus decided, he remained wide awake, in a catlike state of vigilance, until the film concluded, more than an hour later, never moving a single muscle, for fear of disturbing the sleeping child. Then, taking great care not to jostle or jolt him, he lifted his little body gently from the sofa and cradled him against his chest, to carry him to his bedroom.

Sephiroth’s skinny arms came up, of their own accord, and wrapped themselves around Vincent’s neck. As they did, he took one of those, soft, stuttering breaths that children often do, in deep, contented sleep.

With that final blow, the armor around Vincent’s heart shattered. All at once, the decade-long weight of love, loss, regret, desperate longing, and profound, fathomless grief, struck him full in the chest. It was far too much for any man to bear. But this child…this perfect child was the product of all that pain.

Time slowed to a halt, in that unremarkable hallway, and for a single, shining moment, Vincent saw the world revealed to him, as it might have been. All the ugliness and horror of their desolated lives fell away, and he was simply a father carrying his little boy to bed, after staying up late, watching a movie.

He nearly fell to his knees, shot through the core, with the agonizing poignancy of it. Why had he ever believed himself capable of killing this child? He couldn't even bear to wake him from a peaceful sleep.

Steadying himself with a hand on the door frame, Vincent clutched the boy more securely to his chest, pressing despairing kisses to his silver hair, before the enchanted moment flickered and faded, and the cold claws of reality sank back into his flesh and bones.

He was a dead man—a carcass, inhabited by an ancient demon, and the child he was carrying to bed was a bio-engineered weapon, belonging to a corporation. They had both been sacrificed to the whims of a madman, and any hopes or dreams they may have had for themselves were already forfeit.

But that fleeting moment had forever altered the trajectory of the future, for these two people. Who could have predicted that one breath from a child’s lungs would be Vincent Valentine’s final straw. The tipping point, at which a beaten dog became a wolf. Even he, himself, was yet unaware.

Vincent laid the boy in his bed and tucked him in, then stood gazing down at him, his eyes a pair of glowing embers in the dark. Just then, Sephiroth’s eyes fluttered open, luminous green, to contrast with Vincent’s crimson.

“Vincent,” the boy said softly.

“Mm,” the man replied.

“Why do you want to kill me?”

“…”

“Is it because of what I am? Because…I’m dangerous?”

“Why do you think I want to kill you?”

“I saw you, in my dreams, before you came here. You wanted to kill me, but you never did. Sometimes, you look at me just like you did in my dreams, and I think you might really kill me. But you never do.”

“I don’t want to kill you. Get some sleep. We have training in the morning.”

“Vincent, wait,” the boy called out, sitting up, as he turned to leave. “I—I’m sorry I acted out, today. I promise, I won’t do anything like that, ever again. I’ll always listen to you and I’ll never misbehave. I won’t even talk back anymore, just—just don’t leave, ok? Please…don’t leave me.”

Vincent went back and knelt by the boy’s bedside, looking very much like a fairytale monster, about to drain an innocent victim’s blood. “Sephiroth, I already promised, I’m not going to leave you. Not for good. It’s you, who will leave, eventually, and that’s the way it should be. Before you know it, you’ll outgrow me, and you’ll get out of this place, and become the hero you’re meant to be. Then the whole world will love you.”

“I don’t want the world to love me, I just want to be with you,” Sephiroth fretted, then he brightened, as an idea occurred to him. “We could both leave! We could go somewhere else, where they can’t find us! Then I won’t have to be a hero, and you won’t have to go on missions, and we’ll never have to be apart, ever again.”

Vincent shook his head. “You have your whole future, ahead of you. I would never want you to throw it away, for me. Besides, when you grow up, things will be different. You won’t want to be with me, all the time, anymore.”

“What things will be different?”

“Well, one day, you’ll find a special person. When you do, you’ll want to spend as much of your time with them, as you can. You won’t want an old man like me around, getting in your way.”

Sephiroth looked troubled. “But you’re my special person. You’re the one I want to spend my time with. Why would I change?”

“You’ll understand when you’re older. But don’t worry. No matter where you go or what you do, I’ll always be watching, cheering you on. And any time you need me, I’ll be there for you.”

“Vincent…do you love me?”

Vincent took a breath, and let it out slowly. “Yes, I do.”

“I think I love you, too, but…I don’t know if I really understand what love means,” Sephiroth said, fidgeting with the buckles on Vincent’s cloak. “People use it all kinds of different ways. They say they love their spouses or children, but they also say they love chocolate chip cookies. It’s so confusing.” The boy’s eyes flickered tentatively up to his face. “What way do you love me?”

“Hm,” Vincent said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I guess…I love you a little more than chocolate chip cookies.”

Sephiroth dropped the buckle to put his hands indignantly on his hips. “Just a little?!”

“I mean…have you had chocolate chip cookies? They’re amazing.”

“You—! Well, I don’t even love you at all! You’re with canned peas! And corn!”

“Whoa, let’s not say things we can’t take back. I put you on the same level as chocolate chip cookies, and you put me way down there with canned peas and corn? Such a cruel child.” Vincent sighed and made as if to leave. “If that’s how you feel, I guess I’ll go toss myself in the trash, then.”

“Nooo!” Sephiroth pretended to wail, jumping up to throw his arms around Vincent’s narrow waist, with strength that would’ve snapped a regular man’s spine, but didn’t faze Vincent in the least. “Don’t toss yourself in the trash! I love you even more than chocolate chip cookies! I love you as much as spaghetti!”

“Wow, spaghetti?” Vincent said, looking down at him, with raised eyebrows. “Well, I guess I better not throw myself out, then. I know how serious you are about pasta.” He ruffled the boy’s hair and then jerked his chin toward the bed. “Ok, back to bed. I’m not letting you sleep in, tomorrow.”

Sephiroth went obediently back to his bed, where Vincent tucked him in, a second time. “Sephiroth, listen. It’s not safe for us to talk like this, in front of anyone else. If the Shinra people find out we have a non-professional attachment, they might decide to separate us. So, don’t hug me or say you love me, when anyone else can see or hear, understood?”

The boy nodded gravely. “I understand. If the professor knew I hugged you, he’d—” He faltered, not wanting to say aloud what he thought the old man would do to him, for fear of Vincent’s reaction. “—he’d scold me, for acting like a baby.”

Vincent, of course, sensed the boy’s fear of the old man, and was angry, anyway. “Acting like a baby? You are a baby. That rotten son of a—”

“Chocolate chip cookies,” Sephiroth interrupted.

“Huh?”

“That’s what I’ll say, instead. Chocolate chip cookies. And you’ll know what I mean.”

“Ah. I see. That’s pretty clever. Ok. We’ll do that.”

“Goodnight, Vincent,” Sephiroth beamed. “Chocolate chip cookies.”

“Goodnight, Sephiroth,” Vincent replied, very nearly (but not quite) smiling. “Chocolate chip cookies.”

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY:

old wolf teaches wolf-pup to deal with anxiety by biting. the world's boots and sofa cushions collectively tremble

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

any updates on the feral!derek tag?

For sure.

The Legend of The Alpha by Killmesoftly_s

(1/1 I 214 I Mature I Sterek)

It's been nearly a decade since the Alpha-also known as Derek Hale, left Africa to live in America with his husband Stiles. Danger lurks on the horizon as Kate Argent, a treacherous envoy for Gerard and his sadistic league, devises a scheme that lures the couple to the Congo. Kate plans to capture the Alpha and deliver him to an old enemy in exchange for diamonds. When Stiles becomes a pawn in his devious plot, Derek must return to the jungle to save the woman he loves.

“A normal man can do the impossible to save the one he loves. My husband is no normal man.”

Beyond the Boundaries by frogknight

(1/? I 765 I Mature I Sterek)

Stiles Stilinski is dead.

The pack in Beacon Hills is still learning to navigate life without their friend, protector, and family, but Derek - Derek is forced to continue living as if the world around him hasn't collapsed and his very soul hasn't been ripped away from his body.

Five years after Stiles's death, Derek had moved away from Beacon Hills and its ghost, but his haunting persists. He's ready to give up, but when something sinister, ancient, and powerful clawed its way from its grave, a power familiar to Derek and his pack, he has no choice but to keep it dead, even if it means losing everything for the second time.

Or the one where we don't watch the TV series and completely make the characters our own and the fandoms' because it's so much better. Also, we're keeping Mechanic! Derek and the canon that he's kept the jeep running because it's his Stiles Jeep! Also Stilinski-Hale Family Feels.

Of Blood and Feral Wolves by Flicker_Ash

(2/2 I 2,127 I Teen I Sterek)

After Stiles is hurt in a surprise attack, Derek's wolf takes over and won't let anyone near him. Doesn't matter if it's Scott or a paramedic, when there's blood and no sarcasm, no-one's touching Stiles.

[strangerstilinski]

𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐈 ✶ Teen Wolf Rewrite

Stiles Stilinski / Original Female Character

TW | S2

chapter six

fic summary; as if the last month and a half hadn't been stressful enough – now there were a few more werewolves, a kanima, and a seriously disturbed old man added into the mix. but amber, stiles, and scott could totally handle it. it would be fine. everything was great.

word count; 12,386

chapter notes; the trio subdues jackson using totally normal, and not at all illegal methods. gerard argent is a creepy old asshole. danny eventually cracks to give up some useful information. and lydia, as always, is leagues smarter than she gets credit for.

masterlist

c h a p t e r s i x

frenemy

The wind whipped loudly as it beat in through the open window, blowing Scott's hair around wildly as he hung the top half of his body out of the moving vehicle, using his nose to guide them out to the edge of town. After ten minutes of following some scent that only he was aware of, he eventually pulled his head back inside of the vehicle, dropping into his seat and fidgeting as if he were ready to bolt from the car at any moment.

Amber was about to question his sudden restlessness when Stiles slammed down on the brakes all-too suddenly and the Jeep jerked to a violent halt, coming to a stop just before they could run over a nearly imperceptible line of tire spikes that stretched across the cement between dilapidated buildings. Roscoe's tires squealed in protest and one of Stiles' arms was thrown out across Amber's chest to counteract the continuing momentum, holding her back against her seat and only narrowly saving her from bashing her head against the metal dashboard.

Amber gasped at the sudden stop as Stiles leaned his weight onto his left arm over the steering wheel. Forearm still pressed to her chest, he turned to look across the vehicle at Scott, "Right. What do we do now?" He questioned immediately.

Instead of offering a response, Amber was hit with a sudden rush of cold air, the passenger door thrown open as Scott shot off into the dark.

"Wh- Scott-!" She yelled in surprise at his retreating form.

He didn't turn around. Instead, he scaled the tall, fifteen foot chain link fence at the edge of the road in a quick, inhumanly agile move and dropped down gracefully to the other side before taking off into the darkness.

"I- Be careful!" Amber called out uselessly as he vanished from sight.

"I'm just a car to him," Stiles muttered despondently to himself, "I am nothing more than the superhero's chauffeur to and from battle."

Amber couldn't hold back a roll of her eyes, reaching over to pull the passenger door closed before turning to her boyfriend, "Are you fishing for a compliment, right now?"

"What?" Stiles asked in confusion, "No-"

"Mhm, whatever you say," With a shake of her head, she pulled his arm away from where it was still thrown across her sternum and wrapped her fingers around his own as she placed their hands over the gearshift, "Let's go, Batman." She urged playfully.

The grip of his hand tightened beneath hers and he was shifting the Jeep into reverse without any further prompting. The car whipped around in a flash and they began to drive along the dark buildings in search.

They continued on for several minutes before they seemed to come to a slightly more populated area. A cluster of cars had been parked in a large lot, people lined up along the side street as they waited to be let into a brick building. What had once been a warehouse now donned a bright, neon sign reading Jungle.

No words needed to be shared before Stiles parked his own vehicle in a spot at the back of the lot. He was dropping an arm around her shoulders the moment they met at the front of the car, both of them watching for late night traffic as they crossed the dark street and headed toward the alleyway at the side of the busy building.

As they crept closer, Amber could make out the dull thumping of bass-heavy music pouring out from inside, the pulsating sound only confirming her suspicions that the building had been converted into a nightclub.

The two spotted Scott making his way around from the back of the brick building and their feet carried them in his direction that much faster.

He hadn't yet noticed them. Scott had stopped at the corner of the building to peek out at the line of people queued before the door. Amber reached out to grab ahold of his shoulder but just before she could make contact, Scott spun to face them sharply, the defensive reaction causing both Amber and Stiles to jump in surprise.

"Holy crap!" Scott exclaimed in slight relief upon realizing that it was only his friends.

"Sorry!" Amber apologized quickly, "Sorry, we didn't mean to-"

"Did you see where he went?" Stiles interrupted, letting his arm drop from Amber's shoulder to his side as he looked around them, gaze making a slow trail as if he expected Jackson to appear out of thin air.

"I lost him." Scott admitted quickly, already looking back toward the crowd of people out front.

"What?" Amber huffed in disbelief.

"You couldn't catch his scent?" Stiles asked incredulously.

"I don't think he has one." Scott revealed with wide eyes.

"Alright. That- that's fine." Amber sighed, "Do you have any idea where he's going?"

"To kill someone." Scott replied seriously.

The genuine way he voiced the information had Amber's eyes flicking to her boyfriend and she managed to catch sight of Stiles' slow blink of irritation before he spoke.

"Ah.." Stiles nodded in mock understanding, raising his eyebrows with a hum, "Well that explains the claws and the fangs and all that.. Good. Makes perfect sense now-"

Scott turned around to shoot Stiles an annoyed glare while Amber rolled her eyes fondly. There was a brief moment of silence between the three of them before Stiles simply barreled on.

"What? Guys, I'm a hundred and forty-seven pounds of pale skin and fragile bone, okay?" He defended in a whine, "Sarcasm is my only defense!"

"Baby, don't be so dramatic." Amber scolded, reaching up to smooth her thumb back and forth along the back of his neck.

Stiles perked up slightly, "Was that 'baby' like a cute pet name or 'baby' because you think I'm acting like a-"

"Will you guys just help me find it-" Scott demanded seriously, looking between the two of them with a scowl.

"Not an 'it' anymore," Amber was quick to reminded him, "It's Jackson."

Scott sighed, "I know. I-I know."

"Alright, but does Derek know that?" Stiles asked suddenly, "Did anybody else see him back at your house?"

"I mean, I-I don't think so but he already passed Derek's test anyway." Scott said quietly.

"Speaking of that, how the hell did he pass Derek's test?" Amber questioned as she looked between them, "I mean, he said they poured it down his throat and he was paralyzed, right? If he's the kanima, shouldn't it have not worked? I mean, how could that even happen?"

"I don't know." Scott frowned.

"Maybe it's like an either/or thing," Stiles supplied, "I mean, Derek said a snake can't be poisoned by its own venom, right? So, when's the kanima not the kanima?" He prompted, looking between Scott and Amber.

"..When it's Jackson?" She questioned aloud.

Scott frowned and peered around the side of the building again to look at the crowd while Amber gnawed on her lower lip in thought. She was suddenly tugged backwards by a hand fisted in her shirt and she allowed Stiles to drag her back a few steps before she turned her head to look at him in confusion. Her gaze followed his own wide blown eyes to the roof of the building where she saw the kanima crawling its way down the bricks.

Her stomach dropped.

"Uh.." She choked out weakly as she stumbled back into Stiles' chest.

"Dude-" Stiles said, gaining Scott's attention.

Scott turned back around to look at his friends curiously, stepping toward them and following their gazes up the side of the building where the kanima was now crawling inside through an open window, tail swishing in the air behind it.

"Y'see that?" Stiles asked Scott, watching the dark scaly tail still hanging outside the window as it flicked back and forth.

"He's inside." Scott stated obviously.

"What's he gonna do in there?" Amber questioned nervously.

Scott was silent for a moment and Amber's gaze drifted back down to her friend at his lack of response. He was looking anxiously at the crowd of people lined up at the door again.

"I know who he's after." Scott announced.

"What? Who?" Amber questioned.

"How? Did you smell something?" Stiles asked quickly.

The person at the front of the line was admitted inside the club and as the next person stepped forward, Amber blinked in surprise at the sight of Danny handing his ID over to the bouncer who was working the door.

"Yeah. Yeah, I smelled Armani." Scott told them, nodding his head in Danny's direction.

Amber yanked the two boys back into the alley sharply and they made small noises of protest as she did so. When she released them, they both righted their shirts and shot her matching looks of disgruntled confusion.

"Danny must have a fake, but we are not old enough to get in here. And don't even start to fight me on this. Your fake IDs suck-" She told them before they could make the argument, "So, we'll just have to sneak in through the back."

"Have I told you how ridiculously attractive you are when you're coming up with a plan?" Stiles questioned, wincing when he received an immediate punch in the shoulder from Scott.

Without a moment's hesitation, Amber was tugging her long-sleeved shirt over her head to leave herself in just the tiny lace bra top she had on underneath, adjusting the hem of it where it ended above her belly button.

"What are you doing?" Scott and Stiles both asked in abnormally high voices.

She blinked at them in surprise and dropped her shirt carelessly to the filthy ground in the alleyway, "I'm making myself club-y." She told them obviously, "We'll get kicked out in ten seconds if we're walking around in there looking like sixteen year olds who don't belong."

She bent over at the waist to fluff her hair with her hands before standing back upright again and taking in the boy's outfits with a frown.

"What?" Stiles asked after a few seconds, shrinking back under her gaze.

"Gimme your sweatshirt." Amber demanded, holding a hand out.

Stiles narrowed his eyes, "You just took your top off and now you wanna steal my sweatshirt?" The words fell from his lips with barely concealed disbelief.

"No, I just want you to not be wearing it," She told him, "You are not going to wear a zip-up hoodie in a nightclub." She stated obviously.

"Uh, I am going to wear a zip-up hoodie in the nightclub," Stiles defended without hesitation, "Because this is what I'm wearing. It's cold out!"

"It won't be cold in the club!" She argued.

"We seriously don't have time for this, you guys," Scott scolded them, "Come on."

Amber huffed, leaning over her boyfriend's shoulder and plastering herself to his side as they walked down the alley to the side doors of the building, "You win this round, Stilinski." She whispered in a warm puff of air over his ear.

A quiet noise rose in his throat at the feeling of her lips against the shell of his ear and Amber laughed quietly, pressing a sloppy kiss into his short hair. She released her boyfriend and fell into step between him and Scott as they snuck over to the side doors of the club.

Stiles' reached out first, and when the door didn't immediately open beneath his grip, he proceeded to shake the knob violently. After a few moments without success, he released the door with a sigh, scrunching his nose cutely as he stepped back and looked up at the building in search of another way in.

"Alright, maybe there's like a, uh.. Like, a window we can climb through," He suggested as Scott wrapped his own fingers around the doorknob, "Or some kind of-"

There was a sudden crunch of bending metal followed by a loud creak as Scott pulled the door open. He dropped the torn off doorknob into Amber's hand and she snorted in amusement, shaking her head as she handed the disfigured piece of metal off to her boyfriend.

"-Handle that we could rip off with supernatural strength." Stiles finished lamely, "How'd I not think of that one?" He asked in disbelief as Amber tugged him through the doorway and into the building.

The music from the speakers pounded loudly inside, bass thrumming with heavy vibrations that Amber could feel nearly rattling the bones in her body. The large space was dark aside from the strobe lights that flashed at random intervals, the stop and go of the blinking lights making it difficult to make out distinct faces in the crowd.

The moment they'd stepped inside, there were bodies bumping against them as people crowded together in the dark space, club-goers moving around in tight proximity, pressing close and grinding together sensually to the thumping beat of the music. The clubgoers dancing against one another seemed to be almost exclusively same sex couples and it only took Amber approximately two seconds from the moment they stepped inside to realize that Jungle wasn't just a night club, it was a gay night club.

Two girls trading kisses between distracted steps bumped Amber's shoulder as they headed to the hallway toward the restrooms, shooting her a halfhearted apology before one of the girls grabbed the ass of the other and they both giggled and disappeared in the dark.

"Dude!" Scott yelled over the music after a few moments, "Everyone here is either a dude, or a girl making out with another girl!" He observed slowly, "I think we're in a gay club!"

"Nothing gets past those keen werewolf senses, huh, Scott?" Stiles yelled sarcastically from a few feet away.

Amber turned around to find her boyfriend being doted on by a group of mildly intoxicated, but beautifully done up drag queens, one of them stroking a finger along Stiles' sharp cheekbone admiringly.

"He's pretty cute isn't he?" Amber asked the women sweetly, pulling Stiles out of the horde by his arm and giving her boyfriend's cheek a loving pinch.

"Amazing cheekbones, this one," One of the ladies complimented, "If I had cheekbones like that I'd die happy."

Stiles blushed and after only a few more exchanged pleasantries, he pulled Amber away from the group, dragging her in the direction of the bar as she laughed at him. Scott followed only half a step behind them, the warmth of his chest pressed against Amber's back as he tried not to lose his friends in the crowd.

"She was right. You do have amazing cheekbones, y'know-" Amber said loudly over the music.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, you." Stiles squeezed his hand lightly where it was wrapped around her arm.

As they pushed through the final throng of people that separated them from the bar, Stiles finally released his girlfriend, stepping up to slam both of his hands down on the bartop with enthusiasm.

"Three beers!" Stiles demanded in visible excitement.

The shirtless bartender threw the rag in his hands over his naked shoulder and looked between Scott and Stiles with narrowed eyes, "You two got IDs?"

Both boys scrambled for their wallets and stealthily pulled their fake IDs from the back pockets, handing them over as Amber grimaced with a small shake of her head.

The pathetic slips of paper weren't even laminated.

The bartender raised his eyebrows and shot a small smile at the boys in disbelief, "How 'bout two Cokes for you guys?"

"Rum and Coke?" Stiles asked quickly, "Sure!" At the bartender's unimpressed look, Stiles sighed, "Coke's fine, actually.. I'm driving anyway-"

The bartender slipped away to ring up their order, re-emerging to set one green glass bottle onto the counter and following up immediately with two plastic cups of cola, sliding Scott and Amber's drinks toward them with a grin.

"Those two are paid for." He told them, nodding his head in a gesture to the other side of the bar.

Amber looked over the man's shoulder and saw a boy lifting his drink in salute to Scott and a very pretty girl with short hair grinning at Amber just a little further down. Amber took her bottle with a shy smile of thanks before she turned to face Scott who was grinning bashfully, and her boyfriend who was wearing a deep scowl.

"Oh, shut up. Both of you." Stiles snapped before either one of them could even speak.

"We didn't say anything." Scott defended as he grabbed his drink.

"Yeah, well, your faces did." Stiles huffed, dropping a few bills on the bar-top before slipping the tiny cocktail straw in his drink between his lips and taking an angry sip.

"I told you not to wear the hoodie," Amber pointed out with a shrug, bringing the bottle to her lips and taking a tentative sip of the cold beverage. She swallowed the bitter liquid, frowning as she examined the bottle in her hands, "..I'm not sure I like beer." She admitted.

"Just be grateful you got one." Stiles muttered grimly, taking another long sip from his Coke.

Amber leaned in to redirect the tiny straw in his fingers to her own lips and pulled in a long sip of the carbonated sweetness to wash down the lingering traces of beer. She abandoned her bottle on the bar behind them without an ounce of regret, wiping the cool drops of lingering condensation from her hand as she rubbed her palm over her jeans.

Stiles moved to drape himself over her back, bicep slung over her shoulder as he held his drink where they could both easily reach the straw. They stood watch beside the bar and scanned the crowd on the dancefloor through the flashing lights for a couple of minutes in search.

"Hey, I found Danny." Stiles announced suddenly over the loud music, bright lights flashing over his features as he pulled back to leave his cup behind them on the bar.

"I found Jackson." Scott countered, his eyes glued to the rafters along the ceiling.

Amber's eyes snapped up to the industrial metal beams above the dancefloor, heart pounding nervously when she just made out Jackson's scaly, more terrifying form moving in calculated steps with its attention glued to his friend on the dancefloor.

"Guys. Get Danny." Scott told them without looking away from the creature.

"What're you gonna do?" Amber questioned worriedly, eyes flicking between her best friend and the kanima quickly.

Scott held his hands out at his sides wordlessly and claws suddenly emerged, sharp pointed nails sprouting from his fingertips.

"Works for me." Stiles acknowledged, grabbing Amber's shoulder and pushing her in the direction of the dancefloor.

One of her hands held a firm grip on the hood of her boyfriend's sweatshirt as they pushed through the throng of grinding bodies, mumbling apologies as they turned this way and that to slip through the narrow spaces between couples. Her eyes caught on Danny once again as a group parted and she waved a hand above her head in an attempt to get his attention.

"Danny!" She yelled over the loud thumping of the music.

There were hands suddenly on her waist, fingers pressing into the strip of bare skin on her stomach as someone plastered themselves to her back. Hot breath fanned out over her ear and her hand slipped from Stiles' sweatshirt when she flinched in surprise, watching hopelessly as he immediately disappeared in the crowd.

"Someone named Danny ignoring you?" A deep voice asked.

Amber's fingers grappled at the hands on her waist and they loosened their grip easily, releasing her as she spun around to face an attractive man with light hair. She blinked in surprise and took a small step back.

"I thought this was a gay club." She stated over the loud music, her body being nudged forward into the man's chest when someone bumped into her from behind as they danced.

"I'm bi," The guy told her, shouting in an attempt to be heard over the noise of the club, "Heard you calling out for Danny and thought you might be too-"

"Oh! I, uh-"

The stranger looked out at the crowd before focusing on her again, "Oh! Wow. Shit- Is Danny a girl? Like, Danielle?"

"I- Sorry! Sorry, I actually really gotta go-" Amber apologized awkwardly, cutting the conversation short and stepping back as a heavy cloud of fog fell from the ceiling and cascaded down onto the dancefloor.

As she began to push through the crowd again, it was significantly more difficult to see than it had been only a few moments before. The fog from the machines above them was thick and the flashing lights seemed to make things more blurry as they reflected against the clouds in the air.

"Stiles?" She yelled over the music, "Danny!" She called out again uselessly.

A scream sounded out over the bass-heavy music and she pushed her way through the crowd more frantically. There was a familiar red glow just a few yards away, two bright beacons cutting through the dark that prompted Amber to shove her way through the bodies with more vigor. She scrambled to get to where she could just barely make out Derek's glowing eyes through the thick gray clouds of fog.

She pushed through just as Derek swiped a clawed hand through the darkness and scratched a deep gash across the kanima's throat. A yelp of surprise spilled past her lips as her hands flew up to cover her mouth, watching with wide eyes as Derek took ahold of the scaly creature and moved toward the back door that was positioned only a few feet away at the edge of the dancefloor.

"Derek!" She called out, stomach tossing and turning with nausea as she trailed behind and pushed out the doors into the alleyway with a crash, "What did you do!" Amber yelled after him in panic, her feet carrying her in the direction she'd seen him vanish as he'd headed toward the parking lot, "Did you- You killed-?"

She blinked in confusion, twisting around in slow turns as she looked for any sign of Derek, only to come up empty — The werewolf was gone. Her eyes fell to where Derek had dropped the creature to the pavement uncaringly, her heart pounding painfully in her chest as she looked down at the bloody creature who'd been left for dead.

In the light of the parking lot behind the building, she could see that Jackson was already beginning to return to normal; scales slowly fading into smooth skin and bulky frame shifting back into a smaller teenage body. It only took a minute for the shift to fully take effect and then Jackson was naked and unconscious, his pale human skin marred a deep crimson with the blood from the gash in his throat.

She fell to her knees beside the boy as soon as he'd returned to normal, her shaking hands hovering in hesitation over his bloody chest as she debated what to do. The cut along his throat already appeared slightly smaller than it had only moments before and she watched in relief as Jackson's chest rose and fell with slow breaths.

The sound of running footsteps approaching had her head snapping up to find Scott rounding a parked car and skidding to a stop a few feet away from where Amber was knelt beside Jackson's naked, blood soaked body. He blinked at the scene in front of him in surprise and Amber leaned back to sit on her heels with a shaky breath.

"I- We need to clean all the blood off so we can make sure he's healing-" She told him weakly, eyes flicking back down to Jackson's bloody throat again.

Scott merely blinked again and there were suddenly another set of footfalls running through the parking lot. Amber looked around the parked cars worriedly but it was Stiles who came into view next, the look of shock on his face closely resembling Scott's.

"Guys, c'mon, seriously-" She urged when neither one of them moved nor said anything.

With a collective flinch, the boys both jumped into action all at once. Stiles rushed over to help Amber to her feet while Scott grabbed ahold of Jackson's hands, already beginning to drag him across the pavement in the direction of the Jeep.

"You're gonna scrape up his back-" She started to protest, taking an immediate step toward Scott.

"He'll heal, Amber." Scott reminded her as he pulled Jackson around to the trunk of the vehicle.

"Right," She shook her head, "You're right."

The moment Stiles had tugged open the door to the trunk, Amber was digging around in search. She located a couple bottles of water, unscrewing the cap from one and immediately beginning to pour it over Jackson's neck and shoulders. The blood and water mixed together to rinse away in a cloudy stream down his body, revealing the smooth, clean skin of Jackson's throat.

"I gotta say.." Stiles began suddenly, casting a sidelong glance back toward his girlfriend as he dug around in the back of the vehicle, "Not loving how close you are to Jackson's naked junk right now." He admitted as he emerged with the thick wool blanket that they kept in the trunk for picnics and camping trips.

"Dude." Scott deadpanned in disbelief, already helping Amber rinse Jackson off with the second bottle of water.

Amber wiped at a stubborn patch of drying blood from Jackson's neck beneath the stream and shook her head at her boyfriend, "Yeah, now's not an ideal time for jealousy, Sti."

"Yeah, alright, point taken." He conceded weakly.

Amber reached out to take the blanket but Stiles refused to hand it over, moving forward instead to carelessly wrap it around Jackson's naked body himself. Once Jackson was covered, Scott stepped forward and scooped the unconscious boy up with ease, moving around the side of the Jeep to lay him down in the backseat.

Amber wiped her hands off with a napkin from the glove compartment as she sat down in the front seat and Scott and Stiles piled into the vehicle only a second behind her. They pulled around the building and parked at the front instead so they could watch as the paramedics began to wheel paralyzed clubgoers outside.

As soon as they spotted Danny being carried out on a stretcher, Scott was climbing stealthily from the Jeep and Amber couldn't hold back a sigh.

"Jesus. How many people did Jackson attack in there?" She asked in distress, looking between the boy in the backseat and the doors of the building where there seemed to be an endless train of stretchers rolling out of the doors.

"I'm not sure," Stiles mumbled, "A lot."

His fingers were drumming against the steering wheel in a quick rhythm, the quiet thudthudthud of his hand coming down again and again in an agitated beat. Amber watched the anxious tick for a long minute before placing a hand on his thigh and giving it a soft squeeze.

"What is it?" She asked quietly.

"We shouldn't still be here," Stiles said with a shake of his head, "Scott needs to hurry up."

"Maybe you should just get a more inconspicuous car," Amber suggested, eyeing the bright blue paint on the Jeep's hood before her eyes flicked back to meet her boyfriend's unimpressed glare, "-Or not."

It was only another couple of seconds before the passenger door was being wrenched open again with a creak as Scott climbed back inside the Jeep. Amber and Stiles both turned toward him expectantly and Scott frowned under the weight of their gazes.

"I couldn't get anything out of Danny." Scott announced.

"Okay, can we just get the hell out of here now before one of my dad's deputies sees me?" Stiles asked frantically.

He spun around in his seat to turn the key in the ignition, but the engine merely ground weakly as it struggled to turn over. A short blare of a siren rang out above the noise of the Jeep's struggle as another police vehicle hurtled into the parking lot in front of them. They all watched wide-eyed as Stiles' father's Sheriff's cruiser came to a stop just a few yards away.

"Oh my god. Oh my god! Could this get any worse?" Stiles yelled in panic.

A weak groan sounded from the backseat as Jackson shifted beneath the blanket with his eyes still closed and they all spun around to look at the boy in surprise.

"That was rhetorical!" Stiles snapped at Jackson's sleeping body.

The three friends sitting in the front spun to look back out the windshield again in distress as the lights on the Sheriff's cruiser continued to flash at them almost tauntingly.

"Get rid of him!" Scott told Stiles in a rush.

"Get rid of him!?" Stiles repeated just a bit too loudly, "We're at a crime scene and he's the Sheriff-"

"He- He's not just gonna leave-" Amber told Scott obviously.

Scott shuffled in his seat and gestured to the police vehicle in front of them again with wild movements of his hands, "I- Do something!" He amended.

Stiles' face pinched up like he wanted to say something else but instead opted to flail his arms at them in silent frustration before throwing the driver's side door open and falling out of the car in a mess of limbs. The door slammed shut behind him and Amber watched intently as Stiles and his father approach one another but her attention was torn away when Jackson sat up in the backseat.

"What's.. What's hap-"

"Shh. Back to sleep," Amber cut off his weak questions, pressing a hand to Jackson's chest and urging him gently to lay back down, "I'm gonna go help Stiles." She announced, not waiting for a response from Scott before she was tumbling out of the vehicle after her boyfriend.

"Wha'd'you mean what am I doing here?" Stiles asked his dad, "What? It's a club! It's a club. We were clubbing, y'know?" He explained as his girlfriend stepped up beside him, "At.. At the club.."

He dropped an arm around Amber's bare shoulders as he spoke and his father eyed the unconscious gesture obviously, giving the two of them a knowing look.

"Not exactly your type of club." Sheriff Stilinski stated, raising his eyebrows deliberately at his son.

Stiles blinked in realization and took a small step away from her as he dropped his arm, hands coming together in front of himself in a display of nerves.

"Uh. Well, dad," He started slowly, "There's a conversation that we-"

"You're not gay." Sheriff Stilinski interrupted blankly.

"W- I could be!" Stiles was quick to defend.

"Dressed like that?" His father asked judgmentally as he assessed his son's outfit.

Stiles balked, "Wh-"

"Told you." Amber muttered under her breath just soft enough that only Stiles could make out her words, masking the quiet comment with a cough.

He frowned petulantly, looking between his father and his girlfriend, "I-"

The Sheriff's eyes drifted over to Amber with an unimpressed look before moving back over to his son, "Not to mention you have a girlfriend."

"Open relationships and polyamory are actually a lot more common than you think-" She supplied, finally inserting herself in the conversation, "Not to mention bisexuality. Or bi-curiousity. And then there's pansexuality, which there's a lot of debate about, but I think it's honestly kind of just ano-"

Sheriff Stilinski seemed entirely uninterested in her rambling and he shook his head as he took a small step to move past them in the direction of the parked Jeep. Stiles and Amber both jumped, frantically moving to block his path again as the Sheriff narrowed his eyes at them reproachfully.

"This is the second crime scene the two of you just happen to have shown up on this week," He scolded them seriously. Amber shrunk back slightly and Stiles opened his mouth to say something but was cut off when his father continued, "At this point, I've been fed so many lies, I'm not sure I know the kids standing in front of me," He snapped, voice raising as he looked between them critically, "Now, what the hell is going on!"

There was a soft thump from inside the Jeep and they all looked over at the sound to find Scott waving with an innocent smile.

Stiles looked back to his father again with wide eyes, "W- Dad, I- I just-"

"The truth, Stiles." The Sheriff snapped harshly.

"The truth.. Alright," Stiles sighed, "The truth is-"

"We were here with Danny." Amber announced, the words falling from her lips as casually as she could manage.

"Yeah," Stiles agreed without a moment's hesitation, quick to add supporting evidence to her lie, "He just broke up with his boyfriend, so, y'know. We were just trying to take him out and get his mind off things. That- That's it."

Sheriff Stilinski looked between the two teens consideringly, studying them for hints of deception for a moment before his mouth pulled back into a small frown with a slow nod of his head.

"Well that's really good of you guys," The Sheriff sighed in contrition, "You're good friends."

There compliment put a grin on Stiles' face and he slapped a hand against his father's bicep before taking a small step back, pulling Amber back toward the Jeep with him.

"Hey," The Sheriff called out just as they'd started to turn away. The couple spun back around nervously and the man nodded his head at Amber, frowning as he eyed the amount of skin she had showing, "Put a sweatshirt or something on, will you? It's fifty degrees. You'll catch a cold."

Amber fought to hold in a sigh of relief, "Will do!"

With a shake of his head, he turned away from them, walking in the opposite direction of the Jeep as they climbed back inside. Stiles was turning the key in the ignition before he'd even pulled the door shut behind him and he was speeding out of the parking lot the moment the Jeep rumbled to life beneath them.

As if on cue, Jackson let out another quiet groan from the backseat and Amber made a soft noise of distress herself in response.

"What are we gonna do with him?" She asked, looking at Scott frantically.

"I don't know!" Scott worried, "Why do you always expect me to have the answers?"

"Maybe because you're the werewolf-" She defended.

"Okay, uh, what about your house?" Stiles suggested  as a way of ending the argument before it could really start, nudging Amber with his shoulder.

"Jason is getting off a twenty-six hour shift-" She paused, pulling Stiles' wrist toward herself and pushing his sleeve up just enough to check the time on his watch, "-An hour ago. He's already home."

"Alright, what about Scott's house?" Stiles asked, looking across the car at the other boy in question.

"Not happening. My mom's there," Scott disapproved immediately, "We- We need to take him somewhere that we can hold him long enough to figure out what to do with him."

"Or long enough to convince him he's dangerous." Amber added, peeking over her shoulder to ensure that Jackson was still asleep.

"I still say we just kill him." Stiles admitted with a wince, tensing as he braced himself for the hit he already knew was coming from the girl beside him.

"Cut that out." She snapped as she delivered a punch to his bicep, "We're not killing anyone."

"Gah! F- Okay, okay!" Stiles surrendered, rubbing his arm with a pout for only a moment before his mouth dropped open with a slow blink. A thought had suddenly popped into his brain, his eyes flicking over the road unseeingly as he got lost in his own head.

"What?" Amber questioned immediately upon recognizing the look on his face.

"I got an idea." He announced, eyes still bouncing around distractedly in thought.

She studied her boyfriend with a frown, "Does it involve breaking the law?" She questioned weakly.

"By now don't you think that's a given?" Stiles responded without actually answering her.

Amber sighed, "Just trying to be optimistic." She muttered as she turned forward in her seat.

"Yeah, don't bother." Stiles told her, reaching over to squeeze her knee.

She and Scott shared a look of commiseration, twin frowns on their faces as Stiles sped toward their new destination.

Amber blew out a warm puff of air, directing the heat into her cupped palms before adjusting the large sleeves of Stiles' borrowed flannel over her cold hands. Her anxious gaze jumped between her two best friends as she shuffled her boots nervously in the dead leaves beneath their feet.

"Okay. So, Scott and I will leave in a few minutes and you'll stay here to keep an eye on Jackson," Amber began to recite their plan once more, her attention focused on Stiles as he leaned back against a tree and nodded in agreement, "I'll drive back out during free period to bring a change of clothes for you and something for you both to eat. You keep checking Jackson's cell phone in case anyone tries to get a hold of him. Um. Just, hang tight and one of us will call you if anything comes up." She promised anxiously.

"Babe, he's not even awake yet. I'll be fine," Stiles attempted to reassure her, "I mean, how hard is it to stand guard of an unconscious asshole handcuffed in the back of a prison transport van?"

As if on cue, Jackson began to yell from inside of the van parked a few yards away, signaling that he had finally awoken.

"Stiles! McCall! I'm gonna kill you!" His angry shouting was muffled slightly by the thick reinforced walls of the armored vehicle.

With a collective wince, the three leapt into action. Stiles took a small step forward and brought his lips to Amber's forehead in a quick goodbye before Scott was leading her through the trees in the direction of her house.

After fifteen minutes of silence, Amber finally voiced the question she'd been ruminating on throughout the hike, stepping carefully over a fallen branch as she spoke, "Y'think I should be offended or relieved that Jackson didn't even mention me?"

"Relieved, probably." Scott answered easily.

She nodded in response, sighing happily as she finally followed Scott's steps through the treeline and into her own backyard.

"Oh, thank god." She exclaimed in relief, "I feel disgusting. I want to-"

"You don't have time to shower." Scott interrupted knowingly, "We have enough time to grab your car and that's it."

"What?" She whined, looking down at her clothes from the day before and the oversized checkered shirt she had buttoned over the top, "But-"

"Don't you keep a change of clothes in your gym locker?" Scott questioned.

"No-?" She narrowed her eyes at her best friend, "Oh.. My god. You have a change of clothes at school? You're going to be able to change and I'm not?"

"Dude. We need to be on time for first period if we don't want anything to look suspicious," Scott reminded her, "And it's already-" He checked the time on his phone, "Shit. It's already seven forty-five!"

"Shit!" She reiterated, running with him toward the house where they grabbed her keys and climbed into the Pacer in a rush.

Her eyes flicked to the analog clock on the dash as she moved her feet over the pedals and shifted gears, speeding down the road toward town. They had thirteen minutes.

She whipped into a parking spot at the front of the building with two minutes to get to their first class, which was a miracle in itself considering she'd managed to turn the normally fifteen minute drive to the school into an eleven minute one.

They dashed through the building in what was nearly run and Amber found herself fumbling to put in the combination to her locker correctly so that she could pull out her things.

She'd gotten zero hours of sleep, not a single one of her homework assignments was completed, her boyfriend was babysitting a kidnapped kanima slash pain in the ass, her phone was down to forty-six percent battery, and based on the slew of texts she'd received over the last twelve hours — there was a pretty good chance that Lydia was going to kill her.

She could already tell that it was going to be a rough day.

The trilling of the phone on Mrs. Patterson's desk was startlingly loud when it rang out in the middle of their Algebra II lesson that afternoon and the teacher jumped in surprise, laughing at herself as she placed her marker down beneath the whiteboard and turned to pick up the receiver. Her eyes flicked to where Amber was sitting for a moment as she conversed with someone, giving verbal affirmation to the person on the other line with a small nod.

Amber's heart was pounding nervously in her chest as the older woman hung up the phone, nodding toward the girl and moving back over to the board at the front of the room.

"Amber, you're needed in the office, dear." Mrs. Patterson told her, "I'm not sure how long it'll be, so just take your things with you, just in case."

"I- Um, okay." She stuttered in surprise, gathering her books into her arms and leaving the room in an anxious blur of movements.

Her mind was racing with the possible reasons for being called down to the office. She thought of Stiles, alone in the preserve with Jackson, and she swallowed nervously as she stepped into the main office. The secretary's desk was deserted when she arrived and she looked around in confusion for only a moment before the door to the principal's office was swinging open behind her.

She flinched as she spun around, finding Gerard Argent smiling at her in what she figured he'd intended to look like faux kindness, but in reality only succeeded in making her feel more queasy.

"Miss Callisto," He greeted slowly, "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have a quick word with you in my office."

She swallowed. Her hands tightened around her books for a moment and the old man's eyes seemed to catalogue the movement, his grin pulling up on one side as he took in her visible nerves.

"No need to panic, you're not in trouble," He joked, "I just have a couple of questions for you."

She laughed shakily and fought to calm herself, forcing the three day old image of Scott, covered in his own blood from his encounter with the old man, out of her mind as she stepped toward Gerard.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course, Principal Argent."

She dropped her books into the chair in the corner of his office and settled into the seat across from the large desk, watching with a small wave of relief as the old man rounded the wooden surface to settle into his own chair, the desk serving as a barrier between them.

"I hear you're going to be studying with my granddaughter this afternoon." Gerard prompted slowly, studying her with a grin that she found uncomfortably menacing.

"Um, yeah," Amber agreed immediately, licking her lips as she quickly tried to think of something to support the lie, "History," She supplied, "The midterm is next week, so.."

"History.." Gerard repeated, the slowness of his drawl made Amber nervous for half a second, worried that she'd said something wrong, but then he was nodding his head and continuing, "One of my favorites.. Especially military history."

"I, um, I don't know a lot about military history, to be honest," Amber told him, "We cover a lot of World War Two and the Civil War but, um, not much else. We don't really.. Delve into it."

"Hm," He hummed with a frown, "You ever hear the phrase, 'know thy enemy'?"

Her heart stuttered nervously, "Um, yeah, I think I've heard that before."

"It's from The Art Of War by Sun Tzu," Gerard explained slowly, "Do you know what it means?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows and deepening the wrinkles in his forehead.

"I, uh.. You have to really know your enemy to beat them," She answered cautiously, "Inside and out. All their nuances and weaknesses and such."

"That's right," He nodded, "I think it's safe to say, you and I both know I'm having that very problem.. An enemy about which I know next to nothing. And it's killed one of my own. Among others."

"Yeah, I've heard," She responded after a moment, "Um, I'm sorry for your loss."

The old man hummed noncommittally again, "Did you hear Jackson Whittemore didn't show up to school today?"

Amber blinked, "Um, no. I didn't hear that."

"His parents called and so did the police," Gerard revealed, watching her reaction closely, "Your friend Mr. Stilinski is absent today as well. Isn't that an interesting coincidence?"

"It is a coincidence," She agreed easily, "Stiles called me this morning to let me know he wasn't feeling well. He usually gives me a ride to school but today I had to drive myself."

"And Mr. Whittemore, you wouldn't know anything about his absence, would you?"

An innocent pout sat on her lips as she shook her head in denial.

"Well, let me tell you what I know," Gerard started slowly, "I know that a teenager's first instinct is to protect their friends-" He pushed up from his chair and began to move around the desk toward her, his steps agonizingly slow, "And I believe that you, Miss Callisto, would always want to protect your friends, even if it meant lying."

The old man came to stand at her back and rested his hands lightly over her shoulders atop her flannel as he continued on.

"-So, I want to ask one more question, and this time with a small advantage."

She glanced down at Gerard's large hands and her jaw clenched uncomfortably when the old man delicately pulled her hair back until it hung behind her shoulders. She let out a slow breath through her nose and the muscles in her thigh ticked with the impulse to run.

He squeezed her shoulders beneath his hands and she took her lower lip between her teeth painfully as she felt one of his hands slide to cup the base of her neck, the other pressing two fingers firmly against the side of her throat, and Scott's warnings suddenly rung in her head, his voice echoing in her ears.

"Be careful."

"Allison's grandfather is dangerous."

"If he corners you or Stiles, you run, alright? I can't have you getting hurt."

Amber moved to stand from her chair in a rush but was push to sit back down abruptly, wrinkled hands settling back on her shoulders with a firm grip.

"I'm not going to hurt you," The old man promised, his hands retaking in the mildly threatening position they'd been in only moments before, "I just want to get a sense of your pulse. Think of it as a game-"

Before she could think better of it, Amber was speaking breathlessly, "I'm not sure what kind of games they had back in your day, but nowadays-"

"It'll be a quick one," He promised with a low chuckle, "All you have to do is tell the truth."

She huffed out a frustrated breath but nodded in complacency, swallowing loudly against his fingers in preparation.

"Do you know anything about Jackson being missing?"

"No." She said easily, moving to stand from her seat only to be yanked back down again.

"Is he in trouble?" Gerard followed up immediately, the pads of his fingertips pressing back into the hollow of her throat.

"No," She repeated firmly, "And that's more than one question."

"Does this have anything to do with my granddaughter?"

"No." She snapped.

"Does it have anything to do with your friend Scott?"

Amber blinked, slightly caught off guard, "No."

There was a brief moment of silence in which Amber grew slightly more nervous and significantly more angry.

"Your pulse jumped." Gerard told her, his raspy voice much too close to her ear to be comfortable.

His hands were knocked away as threw herself up and out of the chair, "Because this is crazy!" She snapped, spinning around to face him with shaking hands, "It's inappropriate and ridiculous. I mean, what-"

"I'm sorry, dear," Gerard told her in feigned surprise, hands coming up in a show of surrender, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I'm not." She quickly denied, "I'm not frightened."

Gerard's eyebrows rose with clear condescension, as if he didn't believe her in the slightest, "No?"

"No." She reiterated, shaking out the sleeves of her borrowed shirt until they fell to cover her hands. She moved them behind her back in an attempt to hide the way her fingers had began to tremble.

"Well, good then," Gerard turned to open the door to his office, stepping aside in a gesture that she was free to leave, "You may go. Thank you, for humoring an old man." He chuckled.

She grabbed her books from the chair against the wall in a rush and made to leave. Just as she was about to step over the threshold, Gerard stuck an arm out in front of her with an eerie smile etched onto his face.

"Ah. Just one more thing, Miss Callisto," He said when she paused abruptly behind his blockade, "Might I suggest you try to stay out of trouble.. A pretty young lady such as yourself really should really keep her focus on-" His eyes narrowed as he paused to choose his words carefully, "Less dangerous affairs."

Her lips pulled into a tight line but she gave him a small nod, taking a tentative step forward and barely holding back a sigh of relief when Gerard dropped his arm and allowed her to pass.

The moment she was out of the main office, she was rushing down the hallway toward her locker with quick steps, throwing her books inside and pulling her phone from her pocket with still-trembling fingers. She clicked on Stiles' contact and brought the phone up to her ear but instead being greeted by the familiar dull ringing, it went immediately through to his voicemail box.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," She hissed, clicking his contact a second time and bringing the phone up to her ear once again, "C'mon, Sti-"

"Yo, it's Stiles! Leave me a mes-"

She swore again and shoved her phone back into her pocket, looking at the clock hanging in the hallway in contemplation for a few seconds before slamming her locker shut with a curse and taking off in the direction of the rear parking lot.

Once she reached the treeline, she paused for a moment and took a steadying breath. The fastest way into the preserve was through the woods in front of her. If she ran, she could most likely make it to where they'd parked the transport van in less than five minutes — As long as she didn't take a wrong turn somewhere and get lost along the way.

Easy.

She took off in a sprint, racing through the trees and pushing her legs as fast as they could go while trying not to trip over the numerous rocks and tree roots that jutted up from the uneven ground. The incline was brutal and her boots weren't ideal for running but as she finally came up the final stretch of the hill, she spotted the bright white of the van in the distance. The brown lettering on the side of the vehicle contrasted starkly against the clean paint and she found herself pushing her legs that much harder.

Stiles had taken up post on the ground, back resting against the trunk of a tree as he used one of the many keys on his keychain to carve mindlessly at the large stick in his hands in boredom. His head snapped up suddenly at the sound of her running footsteps and he abandoned his stick to scramble to his feet clumsily.

"Hey, what-" He caught Amber by her arms when her feet skidded in the leaves in front of him in an attempt to come to a sudden stop, looking at her with surprised eyes as she panted heavily, "Woah. What's wrong? What happened?"

"Didn't- Didn't answer- Your phone." She scolded between deep lungfuls of air.

"It-It died like an hour ago-" Stiles told her apologetically, "Why what's wrong?"

"They.. Know." She gasped between breaths, steadying herself with her hands on his chest.

"Who knows what?" Stiles asked, pushing a slightly sweaty lock of her wild hair out of her face and securing it behind her ear.

"They know. Know Jackson's missing-" She explained as she tried to catch her breath.

"What?" Stiles said in confusion, "No, they can't. I've been texting his parents since last night. They don't have a clue."

He pulled Jackson's phone from the pocket of his sweatshirt to show her the series of messages he'd sent to Jackson's father as evidence. Amber grabbed his hands to steady the screen as her eyes skimmed the texts.

"No," She shook her head with wide eyes, "Allison's grandfather just pulled me from class to ask me all these questions, alright? It was practically an interrogation. And he- He said that Jackson's parents went to the police-"

Her words seemed to finally get through to him and Stiles' eyes widened, holding Jackson's phone loosely in his fingers as if the device were carrying some contagious disease.

"-They know." She finished.

Stiles made a noise of distress and pawned off the cell phone as he ran to the front of the stolen van, wrenching the passenger side door open and reaching over to click the dispatch radio on.

"All units, please proceed to Beacon Hills Preserve as instructed. Proceed with caution until Sheriff Stilinski's arrival. Repeat: Proceed with caution."

Another panicked squeak left Stiles' throat and Amber was already looking at him with wide eyes when he spun around to face her.

"What do we do?" She asked in a rush.

"We get far, far away from here-" Stiles told her, already rounding the vehicle and climbing behind the wheel.

She jumped into the passenger seat and her wide eyes fell to the phone in her hands, "What about his phone?"

Stiles blinked and froze where he had already begun to shift the vehicle into drive, as if he'd forgotten about the device already. He took it from her limp grip and tapped at the screen rapidly, clicking the contact labeled "Mom" before wiping the phone down with the sleeve of his sweatshirt and throwing it out the window just as it began to ring through.

"Okay.. Okay, and where are we going?" Amber questioned as the tires of the vehicle crunched along the forest floor.

"No idea." Stiles told her honestly.

"They were tracking his phone, right?" She questioned, "That's how they know where he is?"

"Yup."

"Okay," She licked her lips, face scrunching up in thought, "Okay, let's go to the lookout."

Stiles flicked his eyes over to her briefly in confusion as he drove the large van through a narrow patch of trees.

"-It's at the opposite end of the preserve," She explained immediately, "They won't have manpower to spread their search that far out from his phone's location. Not for hours-"

"You make a really hot criminal, y'know that?" His gaze momentarily drifted back over to her again, "You're freakishly good at it."

"I'm not so sure my skills at being a criminal are something I'm necessarily proud of." She noted with a wince.

"A hot criminal." Stiles corrected immediately.

She reached across the car to rub her thumb softly along the side of his neck, shaking her head fondly as she watched him smoothly maneuver the rough terrain through the preserve.

"Yeah, whatever. Just get us outta here, Clyde."

Later that afternoon, the nightclub victims from the previous evening – all of whom were blessedly alive – were only just beginning to be discharged from Beacon Hills Hospital after being subjected to a whole slew of tests and blood work as doctors and police struggled to figure out exactly what had happened.

Amber and Scott had finally managed to locate Danny's hospital room just as the boy was starting to collect his things and readying himself to head home.

"You're sure everything's okay between you and Jackson?" Amber questioned Danny disbelievingly once more.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Danny repeated, looking between her and Scott in confusion for a moment before rifling through his wallet with a frown, "Did the cops have to take my fake ID?" He bemoaned with a dejected sigh.

"You didn't do anything to make him angry?" Scott was quick to follow up.

Danny furrowed his brows, "How angry?"

"On a scale of one to ten, one being kind of irritated and ten wanting to kill you.. Violently." Scott elaborated.

Danny merely shrugged, "Jackson's always kind of at a four-"

Amber snorted.

"-But we're good." He promised, "I was actually doing him a favor."

At this, Amber's posture straightened and she uncrossed her arms from over her chest as she perked up in interest, "What kind of favor?"

"I was recovering a video for him. I put it on my tablet," He explained before pausing in realization, "-Which is in the trunk of my car.. And probably still at the club.."

"What was on the video?" Scott asked before Amber could voice the very same question.

Danny frowned, "I'm not really supposed to say."

"Danny, c'mon, this is important." Amber insisted.

He continued to frown and Scott sighed, "What if we told you this could be a matter of life and death?" Scott tried.

"..I'm not supposed to say." Danny repeated slowly.

Amber scrunched her nose up in irritation and tapped her foot against the floor distractedly, "What if I told you we can get you your fake ID back?"

Danny blinked, hesitating and clearly on the cusp of caving in.

"C'mon, Danny.. Good fakes don't come cheap-" She goaded gently.

He sighed, eyes flicking between them with a put out look upon his face, "Alright, fine. It was just some video he took of himself in bed, okay? I promised I wouldn't watch it and I didn't. Whether he was sleeping, jerking off, whatever, I don't know. I just know he filmed it a couple weeks ago-"

"A couple weeks ago, like, maybe say.. Fifteen days ago, a couple weeks ago?" Amber pressed quickly, wide eyes flicking to Scott for a moment before refocusing on Danny.

The boy shrugged, "Yeah, I guess, sometime around then. He borrowed a video camera from Matt and like two hours of the footage got mysteriously erased."

"But you recovered the footage?" Scott questioned.

"Yeah. Like I said, it's on my tablet," Danny told them, sounding slightly exasperated, "You guys better have been serious about getting my ID back because Jackson's gonna kill me if he finds out I told you anything."

Amber winced at his choice of words but nodded nonetheless, "Yeah, totally. We'll get it, I swear."

"But we should get going-" Scott added quickly, pulling Amber's arm and tugging her in the direction of the doorway.

"Thanks, Danny!" She called out over her shoulder.

The two moved down the hallway in the direction of the exit with fast steps, but were forced to stop short at the sight of Scott's mom, the woman blocking their path with raised hands.

"While I think you being here to check on your friend is all sorts of commendable, I've gotta play tough mom right now, even though I'm not very good at it." Ms. McCall said weakly, eyes focused on her son.

Scott looked as if he wanted to argue, eyes drifting to Amber in silent plea before focusing on his mother once again, "Right now?" He asked, not quite able to keep the desperation from creeping into his voice.

"Yes, right now," Scott's mom said firmly, "I just got a call from your principal. You are failing two classes?"

Amber's eyes widened at the information but she attempted to school her face into something slightly less surprised by the time Ms. McCall's gaze drifted over to her.

"I- I know," Scott flicked his eyes over to his friend again as he continued, "And that's why I'm going to study with Amber and Stiles. Right now." He fibbed.

"You are?" Ms. McCall asked skeptically, looking between the two teens.

Amber was already nodding in agreement, leaning her weight onto Scott's shoulder, "Oh, for sure. Stiles and I are gonna get him all studied up. Really pack this brain with knowledge-" She emphasized her words by rapping her knuckles against Scott's head firmly.

Ms. McCall pursed her lips as if she was deciding whether or not to believe the teens before speaking to her son again, "Did you know that if you fail one of your midterms, that they're gonna hold you back?" She asked quietly.

Scott deflated further, "He said that?"

"Argent." Amber grumbled under her breath in distaste.

"All of your friends are gonna be Juniors while you're still a Sophomore," Ms. McCall explained slowly, "Do you understand, Scott? You cannot fail."

"I know." Scott sighed again.

"Okay," His mom slumped in relief at the conversation finally coming to an end, "Thank you."

Amber took Scott's hand in hers gave it a reassuring squeeze as they stepped past his mother and continued in their escape once again.

"We seriously will help you study," Amber promised, "This weekend. All weekend. You're not gonna fail."

He gave her a dejected nod in response, "Thanks," He dropped her hand as they stepped out into the parking lot, "Now, let's go see what's on that video."

"If Jackson doesn't remember being the kanima then he's definitely not gonna remember stealing Danny's tablet." Scott grumbled, rubbing a hand through his hair in frustration as they explained their findings, or lack thereof, in Danny's car to Stiles and Allison.

"Why would he steal the thing if he doesn't even know what's on it?" Stiles questioned in disbelief as they stepped further away from the van and closer to the rocky cliffside of the lookout.

"Maybe he didn't take it," Amber suggested, "I mean, the trunk of Danny's car was definitely broken into, but it looked like someone messed with it, y'know? With tools. Not like it had been torn open with super strength."

Stiles regarded her seriously as he thought over her words, "Then someone else knows what he is." He pointed out.

"That could mean someone is protecting him." Scott realized, looking between them with wide eyes.

"It's like the bestiary says. 'The kanima seeks a friend.' Right?" Allison questioned.

"Okay, hold on-" Stiles cut in, rubbing his palms aggressively over his short hair as he processed the discovery, "So somebody watched Jackson make a video of himself turning into the kanima on the full moon, and then just erases part of it so he wouldn't know-? I mean, who would do that?"

"Somebody who wanted to protect him?" Allison questioned.

"There's something else-" Scott interjected, turning his attention to Stiles, "You said the only thing you found online about the kanima is that it goes after murderers.. What if that's actually true?"

"Well, no, it can't be. It tried to kill all of us, remember?" Stiles shook his head before making a show of taking his girlfriend's hand in his, "Tried to kill me and Amber twice. I don't know about you two but we haven't murdered anybody lately."

"But- But I don't think it was actually trying to kill us," Scott disagreed, turning toward Allison, "Remember, when we were at Isaac's the first time? It just went right by us, didn't it?"

Allison blinked in realization with a small nod, "You're right.. It just ran off."

"-And it didn't try to kill you guys at the mechanic's garage." Scott pointed out.

"No, I- I guess not." Amber frowned in thought.

"Well, yeah, but it tried to kill us and Derek in the pool." Stiles reminded them.

"Did it, though?" Scott questioned, looking between them.

"It would've," Stiles defended immediately, fingers tightening unconsciously around Amber's hand, "It was waiting for us to come out."

"..What if it was trying to keep you in?" Scott asked slowly.

The suggestion drove Amber's wide-eyed gaze to her boyfriend and she watched his jaw drop in disbelief, no sound leaving his mouth for a few slow seconds as he processed.

"Why do I feel so violated all of a sudden?" Stiles shook out his limbs in a full-body shiver, keeping his fingers tangled with Amber's but bringing his arm over her head and wrapping it around her shoulders to draw her closer.

"I- I almost drowned," Amber pointed out, "Twice."

"There's something else going on," Scott told them, "We don't know what it is. We don't know anything about what's going on with Jackson. Or why someone's protecting him-"

"'Know thy enemy.'" Amber quoted quietly, eyebrows drawing together in thought.

"My grandfather said that today." Allison told her.

Amber nodded, "Yeah.. Yeah, he said it to me too."

The four of them got lost in their own heads as each one of them tried to piece things together, a brief silence overtaking the group before Stiles spoke loudly.

"Alright! I've got it!" He exclaimed, "Let's kill Jackson. Problem solved-"

Amber reached her free hand up to pinch the softness of his stomach between her thumb and forefinger, glaring as he winced in pain.

"What did I say about suggesting we kill people?" She whispered seriously.

Stiles rolled his shoulders with a sigh, "To cut it out.. And that we're not gonna do that-"

"He risked his life for us," Scott interrupted, "Against Peter. You remember that?"

"Yes. But what did we just find out?" Stiles asked in irritation, "He got the bite from Derek. It's funny.. How he just got exactly what he wanted by supposedly risking his life for us-" He said, pointing out how utterly ridiculous the sequence of events was, "It's funny!"

"That doesn't mean he deserves to die." Amber told Stiles softly, resting her hand over the spot on his belly she'd just abused below his navel.

"Yeah, it doesn't mean he's not worth saving." Scott added seriously.

Stiles frowned as his gaze flicked between them, "It's always something with him though-"

"He doesn't know what he's doing." Scott defended.

"So what?" Stiles argued immediately.

"So, I didn't either!" Scott bit back.

Stiles frowned, deflating at the truth in his friend's words. A sigh fell from Amber's lips at the reminder of just how little control Scott had only a month before.

"You remember when I almost killed you and Jackson?" Scott asked Allison, turning back to his friends when his girlfriend nodded silently, "Remember when I tried to kill both of you?"

"Yeah, of course we do, Scott." Amber said quietly, voice hardly more than a whisper.

"I had you guys to help me," Scott pointed out, "He has nobody."

"That's his own fault." Stiles was quick to point out.

Amber thumped her head onto her boyfriend's shoulder at the lack of headway they were making with the conversation, pulling at his shirt to get his attention as she spoke softly.

"Look, Jackson's a dick," She agreed with Stiles quietly, "I know that as much as anyone.. But, it doesn't mean we shouldn't still try to help him."

Scott nodded, "If we can save him, we should try."

Stiles huffed, unhappy with his best friends ganging up on him, but eventually rolled his eyes with a shrug, "Yeah, alright. Whatever." He muttered, licking his lips and looking between them, "But if this comes back to bite us in the ass, I reserve the right to tell you both that I frickin' told you so."

"Deal." Amber and Scott both agreed with a shake of their heads.

Amber pushed through her front door in a wave of exhaustion. The only thing she wanted to do was take a shower and get some much-needed sleep, but Lydia was already waiting for her upstairs for what was supposed to be their study date, so she plastered a smile on her face.

"I come bearing flowers!" Amber announced hopefully as she stepped into her bedroom, "-For my amazing, beautiful, intelligent friend who's stuck by my side since we were in diapers.. And who I really hope isn't still furious with me for being weird, and cagey, and totally blowing her off-"

"You're like a lying, groveling, suburban husband," Lydia pointed out, not moving from her place in the middle of the bed, "Trying to beg forgiveness with flowers and apologies that I'm assuming will contain some sort of half-assed excuse that won't actually explain anything."

Amber deflated slightly at the truth in her friend's words.

"Does, um.. Does that mean you don't want the flowers?" She questioned dejectedly, stepping up to the side of the bed.

Lydia glared, "Of course I want the flowers. Don't be stupid," She scoffed, taking the bundle from Amber's hand and studying at them curiously, "Funny.. This is the second time someone's given me flowers in the last twenty-four hours." She commented quietly.

Immediately intrigued, Amber plopped down onto her bed beside the redhead, "Who else gave you flowers?"

Lydia shrugged, "It was just one flower. And I don't know his name."

"Was he cute?" Amber questioned in interest.

The flowers were set down gently onto the bedspread and Lydia narrowed her eyes, "Don't think you're going to be able to just change the subject. Amber.. What the hell is going on?" She demanded sharply.

"I, uh-" Amber swallowed nervously. She'd rehearsed about ten different excuses on her way home, but they'd all suddenly vanished from her brain as she sat in front of her friend, "It's-"

"Can you tell me what happened the other night?" Lydia prompted, continuing her list of questions without pause, "Why Derek Hale was there? Why it seems as if everyone around me is hiding something? How you got that golf ball sized bump on the side of your head?"

Amber found herself slightly stunned by the barrage of questions and she blinked as her fingers came up unthinkingly to the lump on her head — The swelling in the place where Erica had knocked her unconscious had finally gone down, but had been replaced by another bump just a few inches closer to her temple, where Isaac had unkindly bashed her head against the wall during their scuffle the previous evening.

"Hello?" Lydia demanded, snapping her fingers in her friend's face impatiently, "Anything?"

"I, um, I hit my head." She supplied stupidly.

Lydia's face flashed with genuine hurt at the singular, dismissive answer and Amber's heart ached as the redhead frowned at her, "And the rest?" She questioned weakly.

"I- It's not really my place to say anything. It's not.. They're not really my secrets to share." Amber said in a quiet voice.

"You can't even tell me why you and Allison both keep blowing me off?" Lydia asked, "I mean, even tonight! We plan to study and you text me to say you can talk for a few minutes but then you have to run? What is so important that-"

"Look, Lydia, I'm sorry. I really, really am. And I wish I could explain. But I can't. And-" Amber huffed, heart ticking up anxiously in her chest as she eyed her laptop on the desk, "And on top of everything I need to figure out how to translate five pages of a dead language that I didn't even know existed until-"

"What language?" Lydia questioned with a sigh, realizing she wasn't going to get the answers she seeked.

"Fucking Archaic Latin! It's ridicul-"

"I know Archaic Latin." Lydia interrupted casually.

Amber blinked in surprise, stumbling from the bed in her haste to grab her computer and bring it back over to Lydia, "You- You know Archaic Latin?" She repeated frantically, "How- What-"

Lydia shrugged, peering at the computer screen curiously as Amber clicked wildly at the trackpad to pull up the bestiary file, "I got bored with classical Latin." She explained simply.

"Can you- Will you read this for me?" Amber asked quickly, turning the screen around to show her the pages with the kanima illustrations.

Lydia hummed as her eyes scanned the page, "Mmm.. Kanima. A weapon of vengeance.. Is used to carry out the bidding of its master-"

"Wait-" Amber stopped her already, "Repeat that?"

Lydia rolled her eyes and traced her finger along the gibberish on the screen, "Kanima is a weapon of vengeance used to carry out the bidding of its master.'" She paraphrased again.

"Master?" Amber repeated carefully, "You're sure it's master? Because.. Mrs. Morrell's translation was a little rough but I'm pretty sure she said, that word specifically, meant friend."

Lydia shook her head, "She was wrong. It means master."

Amber's mind was racing at the implication. This changed absolutely everything-

"Is that important?" Lydia questioned curiously, wide green eyes attempting to understand Amber's reaction.

"I- Yeah, it is. It really-" Amber slammed her laptop shut and tripped over her own feet as she scrambled from the bed and in the direction of the doorway, "It's really important. Lyds, I- I am so beyond sorry and I love you, and you're amazing, and a freaking genius, but-"

"But you have to run?" Lydia finished disappointedly.

"Yes-" Amber confirmed, rushing back over to the bed and pressing a kiss into Lydia's perfect hair before hurrying back toward the door, arms flailing as she ran around the doorway, "I'm sorry! I swear I will make it up to you!"

"You'd better!" Lydia's voice called out.

Tripping over her own feet, Amber stumbled down the hall, movements clumsy with her haste to get back to Scott and Stiles to tell them what she'd learned.

Someone was controlling Jackson.

[equallyloyalandlethal]

I DID A THING! THIAM BIG BANG 2023

(ps, THIS IS WHY DANDELIONS HAS BEEN ON HOLD)

If Teen Wolf was a The Road To El Dorado type story.

ART BY: @xtarmanderx

Liam has struggled against the urge to leave Sevilla on account of Mason, his pseudo-brother. Now, though, beyond the itch in his neck, he saw a way to do it. Another fleet was leaving to the New World, and he would be on it, one way or another. Mason, ever the brain, refused to let him leave alone, determined to keep him out of trouble. This whole affair was never going to go as they planned, but neither of them knew the extent their lives would change. Least expected of all was the wolf who seemingly understands every word they say, or the hybrids hidden in the lower decks. -------------- For as long as Theo can remember, the only thing that mattered was his pack – the seven other experiments and his sister – were safe. Journeying across the Atlantic to the New World's jungle and finding some soul to lead him to the Nemeton hiding in it, was the latest in a long list of things he was willing to do for survival. Surviving Marcel and the apprentices' cruelty meant doing more than his fair share of things, ranging from plainly distasteful to truly horrific. His most pressing dilemma? Knowing where to start. Rather, his lack thereof, until he stumbled upon a blue-eyed blond and something began singing in his blood.

More Art For It:

[quotablefanfiction]

He’s two miles outside of town, soaking wet, mud-covered, without a phone, and it’s two in the goddamn morning on a Friday night. His dad’s at Melissa’s, and won’t know to look for him. Scott’s at Allison’s, and won’t know to look for him. The entire pack probably thinks he’s at home, because it’s not like he mentioned to anyone that he was going to Jungle to try and fail to get laid. Mox definitely thinks he’s at home, because he said that’s where he was going when he left the club. His life is a tragic tale. A tragic tale that, after all that build-up to ending in grisly murder, is apparently going to end in pneumonia. Devoid of other options, Stiles sighs and starts walking. Maybe, if he’s very lucky, there’ll be an axe-murderer in the woods; it would be a shame to waste the build-up.

Stiles POV after his jeep breaks down (chp. 1)

Crash Landers by gyzym (AO3) Teen Wolf – Teen/Mature – Derek Hale/Sterek Stilinski #Canon Divergence #Epistolary #Stalking

In which Stiles learns to Stalk That Stalk. (Or, how to accidentally woo your unfriendly neighborhood alpha in roughly five hundred handwritten steps.)