Golden Lives

by SunflowerQueen (Always_MimiTs)

Summary:

Stiles' Familiars decide to try and play matchmaker, this is five times that it didn't end in a confession, and the one time it did.

Notes:

• For Lamely_Me.

This was a new style for me, doing an outsider perspective, but it was very fun to play around with. Hopefully it shows that I loved writing this.

The three familiars share a look, knowing that they’re going to have to step in. Their Spark is too stupid to realize what he needs so the three of them have to take control of the situation. Jinx, the sphinx who has been with Stiles the longest, knows she must take the lead. The Banshee and Wolf told them exactly who they needed to try this with, having seen exactly the same thing that they did. She nods at Nostradamus and Xavier, before strutting out of the shop.

Weaving her way easily through the crowd of people outside of her Spark’s magic store, she heads to where she senses the Hybrid one. Feeling very pleased with herself she twines in between the Wolf/Kanima legs, knocking the poor man into someone else. Disappearing quickly to stir up trouble between the man and the Alpha wolf she knocked him into. The growls begin quickly, but the look in the younger man’s eyes tells her that she needs to remove him.

She reluctantly strides back over to the two Weres, slashes the Alpha’s face to distract him from the other one. She then does her best to get the Hybrid to follow her, knowing that she needs to get him away from the Alpha. Since it’s clear that he’s afraid of the Wolf and would lose the fight. She can’t try to get her Spark and this oaf together if he gets killed before she can even get them in the same room. She herds the Hybrid into her Spark’s shop getting him to safety.

“Jinx! What have you done?” Stiles storms out of the back room glaring at her.

She just stares back at him, not giving him the satisfaction of responding. She may be able to communicate with her Spark, but she won’t do it when he’s acting this way. She’s only trying to help him, so he doesn’t have a right to be angry with her. Both of them hold the stare, ignoring the blonde who is panicking beside her. This is not how she expected this to go, but that’s not going to stop them trying.

“I’m sorry for whatever Jinx may have done to cause this reaction, sir… Oh shit. Jackson?! Are you okay? What did she do to you?” Stiles says rushing towards the Hybrid, worried about the state the other man is in.

“I’m fine, Stilinski. She saved my ass I think. Stopped an Alpha from attacking me.” Jackson says nonchalantly, shrugging like it didn’t matter, despite everyone knowing better than that.

“Shove it, Whittemore. Get your ass into the back. I have to check you or Lydia would have my head… Nope, you’re not allowed to give me that look, you can fuck yourself. Just follow me so we can get this over with, dude.” Stiles says frustratedly, heading to the back room not even glancing back to check if the other man is following him because he knows that the Hybrid will.

“I’m fine, asshole.” Jackson says sassily, following the Spark despite the protests.

“I hear you, pretty boy, but I’m not going to piss Lydia off, I value my life.” Stiles says condescendingly, stopping in the middle of the back room, pointing to a stool near where he’s standing.

“She really won’t care as much as you seem to think Stilinski. Stop being so dramatic. Nothing even happened so there is literally nothing to check or be worried about.” Jackson says annoyed, sitting in the stool nonetheless.

She watches pleased at the duo interacting. None of them expected it to happen immediately, but this is both more and less progress than she was expecting. Her Spark begins checking the Hybrid over carefully. Watching the two together she now understands why the Banshee and Wolf were adamant on it being this one that they went after. Both men clearly gravitate towards and are enamored with each other.

“Jackson, what is this?” Stiles asks concernedly, pointing at something on the Hybrid’s arm.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Jackson responds, pulling his arm away from Stiles roughly.

“Jackson…” Stiles starts to say, but whatever words he was going to say died in his throat.

“It’s really nothing.” Jackson insists firmly, but him averting his eyes says more than his words do.

“Sure, whatever you say, Jackson, whatever you say.” Stiles says indulgently, turning his attention to the rest of the Hybrid, letting what the other man is hiding from him go, for the moment at least.

“I’m serious, it really is nothing, asshole.” Jackson still insists, despite the fact that it clearly isn’t nothing, all of them know it’s something , he’s just too stubborn to tell her Spark the truth which is stupid, but she’s not going to push too soon.

Stiles shakes his head, but doesn’t protest again. He just carefully checks over the Hybrid as best he can with the man clearly trying to hide things from him. She knows that her Spark is upset with the blatant lies, but she also knows he’s not going to push the idiot to tell him. Personally she would, but it’s not her responsibility to do it now. She’ll let her Spark have the control of this situation, for now at least. Not willing to let things become stagnant when they're stupid, but not wanting to push too hard and scare either one away from each other. Because the Banshee thinks this may be their only opportunity to do this.

She shares a look with the other two familiars and the three of them agree that this was the correct one to pick. They can clearly see the way the two idiots feel about each other. So they feel secure in their choice of mate for their Spark, this is the correct one. The Banshee and Wolf were correct about this being the one real choice for them. Because no matter how oblivious the idiots are it’s very clear that they have strong feelings for each other. They likely have for years based on the things the Banshee told them. They won’t doubt the Banshee’s knowledge on these two morons again because it’s clear she knows them well. 

Turning her attention back to her Spark and the one they’re trying to set him up with, she cocks her head slightly, confused. She’s not quite sure how to read either ones’ expression, but the tension in the shop has definitely increased exponentially. She watches the two men carefully trying to figure out what it is that’s happening, but she can’t figure it out. The men are now lost to the world, only really able to pay attention to each other. Staring into each other’s eyes, seemingly searching for something in the other. The duo really are lost to the rest of the world, only able to focus on each other, no matter how much they’d deny it, it’s clear to them all.

“Stiles!” Lydia, the Banshee calls out from the doorway, startling everyone in the room.

The Hybrid and Spark jump apart guiltily, causing the Were to end up on the floor. The Banshee and the Wolf just laugh at the duo. Her Spark glares at the couple before pulling the Hybrid up off of the floor where he had fallen. The blonde glares at the two women, knocking into them storming out of the room. The silent rage in her Spark’s eyes tells her all she needs to know about how he feels about the other man storming out because of the couple being a dick. It does nothing to stop the couple from cackling about the situation. She’s frustrated with the couple not caring about potentially ruining things before they could happen.

“What the fuck do you want?” Stiles asks frustratedly, continuing to glare at the cackling couple.

“Nothing, dear. Just didn’t know where you were.” Lydia responds brightly, pulling her partner out into the main shop with her to get away from the angry Spark.

Her Spark growls slightly at the response, clearly frustrated with what just happened. She wonders how much longer it’s going to take to get the duo to realize and admit their feelings for each other. Because she's not sure if this situation won’t delay it further and clearly genuinely upset her Spark. Though the strong reaction from her Spark makes her wonder if he’s as blind to his feelings as they thought he was. Because he seems frustrated by the interruption in a way she couldn’t have predicted. Sharing another look with the other familiars tells her that they are in agreement that there might be more there than expected.

---

Nostradamus, the pigeon familiar who has been with the Spark for the least amount of time, takes up the second position. Since his ability to fly makes his plan the easiest one to attempt next. Nodding at the other two he flies out of the shop, collecting other birds on his way to where the Hybrid is. His plan is only slightly less dangerous than Jinx’s was, but he can’t bring himself to care all that much. They just want their Spark to be happy and they really believe that the blonde Hybrid is the best way to accomplish that. The Spark has been lonely for a while now, jealous every time he’s with the Banshee and Wolf.

So this is the only real solution to it, the moron isn’t going to do anything about himself, so they have to do what they can to help him. None of them trust the Spark to help himself, since he’s really good at ignoring if he needs something while helping everyone else. So the five of them are going to do what they can do to solve the problem for the Spark. He knows that Stiles is really bad at anything that involves taking care of himself, despite the fact that the man is very capable of taking care of everyone else in his life. Though that’s likely the reason the moron needs at least three familiars, though they’re pretty sure more are coming eventually.

He and his cohorts wait until the blonde is closer to the shop, doing their best to not draw attention to themselves too soon. He watches the Hybrid closely, seeing that there is something bothering the man, but not willing to stop the plan. Knowing that being near the Spark will end up helping the man more in the long run than being left alone would be. So he leads the dive to drive the man to seek shelter once again in the shop. Trying not to cause the man too much damage, but still wanting to be convincing enough for the man to head into the shop for safety. Since this would be pointless if the man decided to go anywhere else.

He and the other birds swirl around the Hybrid hoping the attack will end with the blonde heading into the store. The second one of the others plucks hair out from the Were’s head is when they get a real reaction from the man. The blonde swats them away before sprinting into the store once more. He coos to the others before shooting after the man, hoping the Spark won’t realize that he’s the one to have caused this the way that he did with Jinx last time. He doesn’t handle the scorn from the Spark nearly as well as Jinx does. Still feeling a little out of place from being the newest addition.

He waits outside of the shop for a minute before swooping in through his window. Perching on one of the shelves with a perfect view of the blonde pouting and the Spark looking over at him concerned. The customer that is being helped tries to ignore the change in the atmosphere but it’s clear that they feel it as well. Slightly speeding up the interaction to get away from the tension running through the shop now. Jinx and Xavier go to rub against the Hybrid’s legs, hoping to smooth out some of the tension. Even if just for the amount of time it takes for the customer to leave. Which is proven pointless when the customer grabs their purchase and strides quickly out of the store.

“You okay, Jackson? This is the second time this week you’ve crashed into my store… Is that blood? Are you bleeding?! What the fuck is going on with you? Come on, let’s get you cleaned up. You didn’t win last time, you surely won’t win this time.” Stiles says torn between amusement and worry, lightly dragging the other man into the back room again.

The three familiars follow behind the two men, slightly worried about the lack of response from the blonde. Stiles sits the Were on the stool once again, before stepping away to his lab. He’s not sure exactly what the man is getting from his lab, but he’s not that surprised by it. Keeping his eyes on the Hybrid tells him how bad they ended up damaging the man. He fights back the wave of guilt that washes over him, fairly sure that being near the Spark will help the man more than they hurt him. Their Spark walks back out of the lab carrying a few vials and a towel, setting them down on the little cart and pushing them over to where he left the Were.

“I need you to strip. Don’t give me that look, Jackass. I need to check you out more thoroughly than I did last time. I'm not going to do anything nefarious or perverted so seriously stop giving me that look. You have blood on you so no arguments, I’m not getting in trouble because you want to be difficult.” Stiles says pointedly, looking into the eyes of the other man.

“Why do I have to strip though?” Jackson asks softly, something like despair coloring his voice, looking away from the Spark.

“Because I need to make sure that there isn’t something that could actually affect you. There are creatures around here that have a thirst for Weres blood or like to poison Weres. So I need to check you over fully, Jackson, because I refuse to be held liable for you getting sick or even dying so shut up and strip for me.” Stiles says firmly moving to make eye contact with the Were hoping that he’ll listen this time.

“Fucking fine.” Jackson says petulantly striping down completely, averting his eyes clearly feeling too exposed.

“Thank you. Don’t punch me. I need to touch you to check some of them. I’m not any happier than you are about it. It’s just how it has to be for me to know for sure if it’s something dangerous.” Stiles says casually as he can, flinching slightly at the tension that runs through the other man.

“Just get it over with so I can go.” Jackson says angrily crossing his arms across his chest as if to protect himself from the other man.

Stiles nods silently before checking every inch of the other man, not taking any chances. They know he’s not only doing it so that the Banshee and Demigod won’t have his head for letting Jackson get sick. But he’s so strongly trying to make it seem like that’s the case to the other man. Probably to himself as well now that he thinks about it. The Spark is very deep in denial and it’s going to take a lot to get either man to realize the depth of their feelings for each other. He just hopes that they will be able to get the men to realize how they feel without causing either one too much pain.

It’s likely that one will figure it out quicker than the other one, but he’s not quite sure who will figure it out first. Both of the men are really good at ignoring their own needs and emotions so it’s really a toss up. The Spark is taking his sweet time checking out the other man. Making sure that he won’t miss even a single thing. Needing to be sure that the Were is going to be okay from the ordeal. Though the look in the Were’s eyes ruffles his feathers, he’s not quite sure what the look is but it doesn’t seem to be good.

Rashly, he makes the decision to do something that the Spark will be angry with if he notices. He flies a little closer, opening his senses fully, focusing on the Were. Regretting the action nearly immediately because he feels the whirlwind of emotions running through the man. Trying to decipher the mess of emotions rushing around is difficult. The only things that are easy to pick out are pain, loneliness and a vague sense of nostalgia. The sharp spike of panic is unexpected and strong enough to throw him out.

“You really don’t need to be this thorough, Stilinski. It was just a few birds diving at me. The only reason I ran in here is because they started stealing my fucking hair.” Jackson says tensely, clearly fighting the want to pull away from the other man.

“I hear you, pretty boy. But I’m not going to take a chance. Not for this. There is actual danger if I miss something, like you genuinely could die. So I’m going to be as thorough as possible because I don’t want to be at fault for another death.” Stiles says tersely, voice getting tight at the end, though he refuses to acknowledge that fact.

The Spark isn’t able to see the broken hearted look that the other man gives him at what he said since he’s avoiding looking at the blonde’s face. Focusing on the rest of the Were’s body to avoid facing what he said without meaning to. He makes eye contact with his fellow familiars to see if they’re thinking the same thing as he is. The sadness and determination is reflected back at him from Jinx and Xavier so he knows without a doubt that they are thinking the same thing that he is. They have their work cut out for them in more ways than they expected. Since their Spark needs more help than just a relationship to fix the loneliness and jealousy.

He’s worried about how this meeting between the two men is going to end up now. The feelings that this one drug through them might sour things and undo some, if not all, of the progress that they have made so far. He didn’t think that it would turn out this way, go this poorly and bring forward such difficult memories for both of them. There was no way that he could have predicted how this was going to go, no one could have. These men are so complicated that figuring out their potential interactions would be a fool’s errand. The trauma these two men carry only makes things more difficult to predict.

He truly couldn’t have even slightly believed that this would happen from his plan, but there’s nothing to be done about it now. They only have the option of moving forward and hoping for the best. Their Spark is finally done checking over the Were standing naked in the middle of the back room, starting the cleaning process after. The Spark is being so very careful and tender in the way that he’s cleaning the wounds of the man. It’s so very rare to see the Spark so focused and careful, they’ve decidedly never seen it from the man outside the lab. Where the Spark has little to no choice in the matter. It’s really telling about the level of the Spark’s feelings for the man.

“Stiles?” Jackson asks barely above a whisper, sadness and discomfort coloring the man’s expression in a way that worries the three familiars.

“Yeah, Jax?” Stiles answers without looking up, but with a tone of worry laced through the two words.

“Why are you wasting your time on me this way?” Jackson asks hesitantly, averting his eyes when the Spark looks up at him quickly.

“Making sure you’re not going to die is not and never will be a waste of my time, Jackson. Gods, pretty boy, do you really think I hate you that much? In what world do you truly believe that I would feel making sure you don’t get sick or die is a fucking waste of time for me?!” Stiles responds offendedly, clearly very upset with the insinuation that he would ever feel like making sure the man didn’t get sick or you know fucking die was a waste of time for him.

“I… You don’t?” Jackson asks quietly, sounding torn open in a way no one could have expected from the man.

“Gods, Jackson. No, I don’t hate you at all, much less enough to feel like making sure you’re going to be okay is a waste of my time. We’re a long way away from who we were back in school and even at the height of our differences I would never truly feel that way, Dumbass.” Stiles says firmly, trying his best to make eye contact with the other man, likely to show the truth in his eyes and words as well.

“But…” Jackson starts to say but his voice very quickly dies in his throat after making eye contact with the Spark kneeling in front of him.

“Jackson, dude! I don’t hate you. I never have, Dumbass. Not even when we were in school did I hate you, especially not like that. I can’t even believe that you really fucking believe that. What kind of person do you think I am? Gods, I’m not heartless.” Stiles says torn between hurt and angry about the assumption.

“I didn’t know. How could I have known? You sure made it feel like you hated me enough for that to be the case.” Jackson responds defensively, crossing his arms.

“Jackson, I didn’t know that I made you feel like that was the case. Gods no wonder you’ve been so fucking reluctant to be near me if you felt that I hated you that way. I have never and would never fucking feel that way about you, I have no reason to hate you, I never have, dude.” Stiles says firmly, needing the other man to understand and believe the words that he is saying since it is the truth.

The noise that escapes the Hybrid is one that none of them are quite sure what it means. The look in the man’s eyes is much easier to figure out. The war between excitement and despair is very clear in the Were’s eyes. Stiles stands up, turning the other man’s face to look him in the eyes again. The tension in the room heightens sharply the second the two men make eye contact, like meeting gazes opens some kind of portal or something between the duo. The Spark holds eye contact while running a thumb down the Were’s jaw, gods only knows how neither man realizes how intimate that is.

“Jackson, I have never hated you. I will never hate you, I doubt that I’m truly capable of hating you. You’ve been a major part of my life for so many years, doesn’t matter that a lot of the time you weren’t technically a positive part. You were one of the few constants I had, so I never could have or would have hated you. Constants, even not very positive ones, have a place in my heart, especially after all the bullshit that happened.” Stiles says firmly, but with an undertone of sweet softness, something that the Spark rarely uses.

“I… You really mean that? I don’t understand…” Jackson says quietly, brokenly.

“Yes, Jackson, I mean that. You have always been some shade of important to me. You were the only real constant that I had for a long time after my mother’s death, so I latched onto that in a slightly unhealthy way. But our rivalry made me feel alive when I barely even wanted that to be the case. So I truly mean it when I say I don’t think I could ever actually hate you.” Stiles says firmly, shrugging slightly to make it seem less like it's a big deal, despite it being a very big deal.

“So I wasn’t the only one to use the rivalry to feel alive when things became too fucked?” Jackson says fake casually, also pretending that these things aren’t a big deal despite the fact that all of them know that it very much is.

“No, you decidedly weren’t the only one to do that. I definitely did it as well. It was grounding in a way that very few things were. Not totally sure why that is the case, but it very much is. I was grateful for it in a way that I still won’t fully admit to, not even to myself honestly.” Stiles says casually, shrugging lightly once again pretending that what he said isn’t a huge deal, despite definitely being a huge deal.

“I don’t know how to respond to that. I appreciate the honesty, even more so because it’s clear that we’ve been very clearly not honest before now. I never could have expected to have held any kind of importance to you while we were so vile to each other the way we were back then.” Jackson says passively, though his eyes show the depth of how much this conversation has affected the man, the slight tears welling up.

“Don’t be stupid, pretty boy. How could you have truly never held any importance in my life? We’ve known each other for as long as either of us remember and we weren’t always antagonistic as we were in middle and high school. You were the first person that I talked to in preschool, dude. You never… Doesn’t matter. But there is no way that you could have been anything other than an important fixture in my life, even though not always positively.” Stiles says calmly, chuckling slightly at the man, once again rubbing down the Were’s sharp jawline.

“I didn’t think you would remember that… It went so poorly that I never expected you to remember that fact. I only remember because I made a fool out of myself which isn’t something that I’m used to as you well know.” Jackson says embarrassedly, chuckling at his own stupidity.

“How could I have forgotten? You may feel like you made a fool out of yourself but honestly I don’t agree with that at all, I think it was the most human I’ve seen you. In a positive way. It was likely one of the reasons that I didn’t end up hating you. It made you human in my mind.” Stiles says laughingly, lightly nudging the blonde’s head with his own.

“I’m not sure how to take that… That doesn’t sound in any way positive. I…” Jackson trails off, leaning slightly into the touch on his cheek, shaking his head.

Stiles chuckles slightly, holding eye contact with the Hybrid, before doing something that he so rarely does. Showing the other man his memories, his thoughts and the event from his side of things. He assumes that the Spark made this decision so that he didn’t have to try and explain in words, but this is something that is so intimate. You don’t do this with just anyone. Only people that you’re really close to or you know have some type of very close relationship with, it’s typically only done with partners or kin. So him making the decision to do this with the Hybrid is the most telling thing he could have done, though neither man will recognize the fact,

“ Oh… ” Jackson says dumbly, eyes wide and a little afraid.

“Yeah, pretty boy, you understand now?” Stiles says pointedly, running his thumb tenderly over the man’s jaw once again like it’s nothing.

“Yeah I guess I do now…” Jackson says averting his eyes with a slight flush dusting his cheeks.

“Good. Glad we’re on the same page now, pretty boy. So stop being a dumbass, okay?” Stiles says brightly like they didn’t just have multiple intense conversations throughout the time he’s been checking over the Hybrid.

“Shut up, Asshole.” Jackson says sassily, chuckling and lightly punching the Spark’s shoulder affectionately.

“Okay, pretty boy. Whatever you say. Now let me finish cleaning you up and checking you over, okay?” Stiles says condescending, finally removing his hand from the other man’s face.

Jackson nods in response so the Spark turns his attention back to cleaning the Hybrid and double checking all of the man’s body. Seemingly not at all realizing how intimate the entire situation has been. Sharing a look with the other two familiars tells him that he’s not the only one questioning how these men can be so blind. Because none of that was anything that coils be considered casual or friendly. All of that was very much more than either man realizes at this point. They have their work cut out for them clearly, because how in the world could neither man realize that something more is between them.

“You seem to be safe, pretty boy, you really need to be more careful.” Stiles says teasingly, standing back up in front of the other man.

“It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose, Asshole.” Jackson says sassily, shaking his head at the Spark’s insinuation of being the one getting himself into trouble, rightfully so in this case considering that it really has been others causing trouble for the Hybrid.

Stiles chuckles and shoves the Hybrid slightly, hip checking the other man before handing the clothes back to the man. The blonde flushes slightly before rushing to get his clothes back on, seemingly having forgotten that he was naked. He’s actually pleased with how positively this event is seemingly going to end up, despite the fear from earlier. Both men seem to be in rather high spirits and there were definitely strides made during this time. Yes they still have a ways to go. But today it seems like they might not have to invest nearly as much time into it as they believed they were going to need to try to get the men to realize the way they feel about each other.

---

Xavier looks towards Jinx and Nostradamus, the tegu is nervous to make his attempt to get the two men closer to each other. He’s not quite sure that his plan won’t cause more trouble than he expects. His is supposed to be mild compared to the other two’s but after how things went last time he’s not so sure. Worried that he’ll cause a fight or something in between the duo they’re trying to get together instead of helping move things along the way they’re trying to do. The look on Jinx’s face tells him that his worries don’t matter, he better get his ass going or she’ll take it out of his tail.

Slipping out of the shop, he draws the man that fucked up with the Hybrid towards where he senses the man. Doing his best to make it happen closer to the shop so that it’s an easy decision to make, going into the store to seek refuge. Since they all know that Jackson doesn’t want to be near his ex, but honestly he’s also likely reluctant to go back around the Spark after the emotions that were dragged through them last time. So timing feels very important in this scenario, given that they’re trying to get the Hybrid and Spark into the same room again. In hopes that the duo continues to make strides towards realizing their feelings.

Waiting less than a block away from the shop, he continues drawing the two men together. He’s hoping that the Spark is too distracted to notice that he’s using more power than any of them typically do in regular life. He doesn’t want to be yelled at the way that Jinx was, since he won’t be able to wave the reprimand away like Jinx can do without trouble. She’s very used to it so it really doesn’t faze her, he isn’t the same way. Focusing back on drawing the two men into running into each other, he brings them closer to the shop. Seeing the Hybrid’s reaction to seeing his ex makes him feel like there is something that they’re missing.

The blonde caught sight of his ex before the ex noticed the man, hiding quickly. Fear coloring every feature that he has. Xavier quickly stops drawing the men together, leading the ex away from where the Hybrid is hiding. Once the ex is barely visible the Hybrid begins rushing sneakily towards the shop. Decidedly not how he expected this to happen, but at least the blonde is still going to the store to hide or at least be away from his ex. Hopefully feeling safe and secure in the shop, since they all know that the man is safest when the Spark is there to keep an eye on the Hybrid.

Following the Were closely once the man passes him, keeping in step as best he can with the man. Pleasantly surprised by the fact that the blonde does easily crash into the shop where the Spark is doing inventory. Luckily there isn’t anyone else in the store due to how the Were threw himself into the store. The Spark immediately rushes towards the man, carelessly dropping what was in his hands. Focus solely on the panicking Hybrid, worry coloring every inch of the Spark’s expression and body language. Easily pulling the other man into his space, placing the Hybrid’s hands onto his chest, clearly hoping to ground the man as much as he can.

“Pretty boy! I need you to breathe with me. Try to match my breathing for me. I don’t know what happened, but I’ve got you. You’re safe here with me, so let’s take some deep breaths and focus on me, please? I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear to the gods that you’re safe here with me, I’ll not let a damn thing hurt you as long as I can in any way help it.” Stiles says soothingly, but as firm as steel, not willing to have the other man doubt him.

“I never thought I was gonna see that man again… I… FUCK!” Jackson falls into Stiles’ chest seemingly trying to hide from the world, shoulders shaking.

“I’m not going to ask anything, you can tell me if you want to, but for now I’m shutting the shop down for the day. Come on. I’ll take you up to the apartment that I have here, even though I rarely stay up there it’s kept clean.” Stiles says soothingly, easily waving a hand to set the wards and shut down the store like he said he was going to, carefully dragging the Hybrid up the stairs to the apartment hidden away upstairs.

“You don’t have to do this. It’s nothing really. I’m just being an idiot.” Jackson says distantly, not being at all believable.

“Pretty boy, stop being a dumbass. You don’t have to tell me what happened, but that doesn’t mean you get to just lie to me this way. I’m not going to push you to tell me what happened or who you were talking about but don’t do me the disservice of lying to me that way.” Stiles says firmly, but still trying his best to be soothing to the still panicked man.

“I’m sorry… I just… I haven’t…” Jackson keeps starting and stopping, seemingly unable to decide what he wants to respond and how he wants to respond to what the Spark said to him and the situation as a whole.

The Spark just holds the Hybrid closer and continues to bring the man up to the apartment. Assuming that the safety of being somewhere that only smells of Stiles would help calm the man down from the panic. Since the man seems to be comfortable in the Spark’s presence despite the state that the man is currently in. Mid panic attack the way he is at the moment, but somehow comfortable being in the Spark’s hold the way that he is. Doing his best to keep up with the duo he and the other familiars are rushing up the stairs behind them. Not willing to lose sight of the two men, wanting to be there in case something goes south.

The Spark lightly pushes the man down onto the couch, leaving the man alone momentarily to bring back tea. Easily slotting himself in beside the man, allowing the Hybrid to seek the comfort that he needs without having to actually acknowledge the fact that he wants or needs the comfort. Just freely letting the other man take as much as he needs from him. Trusting that the man understands his own needs at least slightly. Doing his best to offer the man everything that he can without drawing too much attention to the fact that the man needs comfort the way that he does. Knowing that the man isn’t in the head space to actually be able to handle it being pointed out.

He realizes now what must have happened between the Hybrid and the ex that he purposely brought near the man. Fighting back the waves of guilt he focuses on how well his Spark is handling the man, pleased that he’s able to help the upset Hybrid. He wishes he had chosen something different now that he understands something that he’s not sure anyone else knows about what must have happened with that ex. He hopes that his Spark doesn’t ever realize what he just did to the man that he very clearly is in love with. He never would have chosen this is he had actually known what that ex had to have done to the Hybrid to get this reaction out of him.

“I’ve got you, pretty boy. You’re safe with me, I swear to you. I will not let anything happen to you. I’m right here and I won’t allow someone to hurt you or get to you. I’m not sure what brought this about but I promise you that I won’t allow anything to happen to you.” Stiles says firmly, but with a softness that is so rare from the sarcastic little shit that is the Spark.

“Do you think I would have come here if I didn’t know that? If I didn’t know that I was safe here, safe with you, I wouldn’t have chosen to come here of all places. Or do you think that I would go somewhere that I felt unsafe after running into… Doesn’t matter. Forget it…” Jackson stops himself from admitting too much for the moment, not ready to tell the Spark everything that part of the man wants to, he’s just not ready for that.

“I’m not going to make any assumptions, pretty boy. I only know what you tell me. I know you well enough to not assume anything, since I know that you don’t like when people think they know more about you than they actually do. So that’s not something that I’m going to do to you, I know better than to do that to you. I respect you enough to not do you the disservice of doing exactly what you hated people doing while we were growing up.” Stiles says easily, not hesitating at all to be very candid about his reasoning and feelings about the man in his arms, not when it comes to this at least.

“ Oh… I… I didn’t know you knew that…” Jackson says softly, melting further into the Spark’s hold, clearly relaxed in the other man’s presence, trusting the man holding him to protect him if it came down to that.

“Dude of course I knew that. I remember what things were like and how things were for you back then, so there’s no way that I wouldn’t know not to do that same bullshit to you that everyone always did to you then. I’d prefer not to do that to you the way others have done.” Stiles says softly, keeping a tight hold on the other man hoping that it’ll comfort the man in his arms enough to ground him.

“I didn’t think you cared enough to have known that back then…” Jackson says softly, unconsciously scenting the other man, nuzzling closer.

“Oh, Pretty boy. Even back then you were some level of important to me. You’ve never really not been important to me in some way, you know? Again you’ve been a constant to me so you mattered to me from the beginning. It wasn’t always super positive, but you’ve always meant something to me. Don’t be a dumbass. I told you this last time I saw you. You matter to me, Jackass.” Stiles says sassily, a soft smile covering his lips despite the tone.

“I really didn’t think you’d ever bring that up again if I’m being honest. I thought we were going to pretend you never said anything of the sort.” Jackson says softly, hesitantly, hiding his face in the Spark’s chest, embarrassed.

“I’m not afraid of you knowing that, pretty boy. As long as it doesn’t make you uncomfortable I don’t see any reason to hide the fact that you matter to me. You have a right to know that I don’t hate you, that I’ve never hated you and never will.” Stiles says simply, seemingly meaning it.

“I appreciate that, I think. It’s unexpected, but not unwelcome. You matter to me too…” Jackson says softly, barely above a whisper, as if afraid to admit it out loud.

The Spark just calmly runs his fingers through the blonde’s hair, hoping that it will help calm the other man down more. Sharing a look with the other familiars the guilt comes back quickly since they saw the same thing that he did. He never would have made that choice if he knew the extent of that man and what he’d had to have done to the Hybrid. He wonders if the blonde will open up to the Spark about it, since there isn’t a better time to take that jump then when you know the other will do anything and everything to protect you. Though honestly it wouldn’t be surprising if the man doesn’t tell the other about what his ex did. He’s hoping that he will though.

“Sti?” Jackson says shakily, trying to draw the Spark’s attention to him again.

“What’s wrong, Jax? I’m right here, pretty boy. I’ve got you no matter what.” Stiles says softly, though there is an undertone of steel, strong and unwieldy, in his voice.

“My ex… He’s the one that I saw. The reason I crashed in here the way that I did. He’s… The things you asked me about the last two times, he’s the cause of them… He…” Jackson voice breaks, shoulders shaking once again, curling further into the Spark’s embrace.

“You don’t have to tell me if you aren’t ready to talk about it.” Stiles says soothingly, running his fingers through the blonde’s hair calmly.

“I’ll never tell you if I don’t do it now… And you should know, I want you to know, I trust you to know. He wasn’t a good guy, I let him get away with far more than I should have. I should have stopped it, but I just let it happen. I let that man hurt and control me. It took… I’m still surprised that I was able to get out of that situation. Because I felt so very stuck, felt like the Kanima was pleased to have a master again…” Jackson says, voice fading the further along he gets into telling the Spark about the ex.

“I have one thing that I really need you to hear and understand, okay? What he did to you was on him, none of it was your fault. Not a single damn thing was your fault. He’s the one in the wrong, not you, never you. Gods, I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Whatever that man did to you was not in any way your fault, no you can’t make the argument that you’re stronger so you never should have let it happen. That’s not how shit works, pretty boy. You were not and never would be responsible for others’ actions. But I’m glad that you were able to get out of that situation, you deserve someone who will care for you, not hurt you.” Stiles says firmly, not willing to let the other man blame himself for the abuse that his ex put him through, knowing that it would only make things more difficult for him if he continued blaming himself for it.

“But…” Jackson starts, but when the Spark he’s lying on growls lightly he stops speaking.

“No buts, pretty boy. It’s not on you. You are not to blame for what the dickhead did to you… Let’s think about it this way, what would you say if Danny, Lydia or I said that? Would you be in agreement that it was any of our faults? Or would you be against that statement?” Stiles says leadingly, hoping that he can get the other man to at least slightly understand exactly what he means when he says that it’s not Jackson’s fault.

“Of course not, Asshole. But that’s different. This was my fault, there’s no arguing that fact.” Jackson says plainly, fully believing that he is correct, that it is his fault.

“Gods, Pretty boy. No. Absolutely not. It’s not any different for you than it would be for any of us. It’s not your fault at all. If you believe you’re at fault that means that you also believe that I’m at fault for my ex’s actions.” Stiles says plainly, not willing to just let the man blame himself.

“What do you mean?” Jackson asks hesitantly, seemingly not quite sure whether he wants to know the answer or not.

“I mean that you technically would believe that I’m at fault for what my ex did, since whatever arguments you could make could also be applied to Danny, Lydia and I. Since all of us are some shade of more powerful than our partners or exes. So whatever thoughts you have about yourself in that situation very well could be about us as well, you know? You are not at fault anymore than any of us would be in your mind, Jackson. You have no reason to blame yourself for the bullshit that the waste of space that is your ex and his actions. You are not in charge of his actions, so you are not responsible for a damn thing that dick did, you understand?” Stiles says firmly, trying not to get too frustrated with the blame that the Hybrid is taking on himself, because he knows exactly why that is something that Jackson believes.

“What did your ex do though?” Jackson asks, focusing on the wrong part of what Stiles said.

“Took nearly everything from me. They… I didn’t think I was ever going to get to have this shop or anything because they left with all that I had. All of my money, every fucking cent that my mother had saved for me to be able to… They nearly ripped my dream away from me.” Stiles says distantly, trying not to get too into his feelings about that situation again, since it’s something that had him messed up for years after it happened.

“Why didn’t I know about this? Does Lydia know?” Jackson asks with an undertone of hurt.

“No and seriously don’t tell her. She’ll have my head for not telling her. I just… I felt stupid, I was ashamed of letting myself get tricked that way. They had such an easy time robbing me for all that I was worth. I didn’t want to tell anyone, so I didn’t, Peter found out on his own though… He’s the reason that I was still able to have my dream… That’s part of the reason that I don’t want to admit it to anyone else, Peter doesn’t want everyone knowing that he helped out. You know how he can be about admitting that he’s actually a solid dude, thinking that it’s a weakness for too many people to know.” Stiles says passively, hoping that the other man won’t push too much for more information.

“You want me to keep that from Lydia? I… Peter helped you? I’m not that surprised. You are his favorite, so of course he’d do all that he could to help.” Jackson says chuckling slightly.

“Please don’t tell her. She won’t forgive me for it, not for a long time. You know that she’ll hold it against me that I didn’t tell her about it. I just couldn’t tell her, I know that she would have tried to help and at that point I would not have handled that nearly as well as she would have wanted me to. I was far too prideful at that point, I wasn’t in a place where I could even consider being honest about it. Peter had to trick me into taking his help, I’m still impressed with how he did it.” Stiles says pleadingly, chuckling lightly at the memories of Peter tricking his young ass into accepting help, by turning it into a challenge.

“I have so many questions, but I get what you’re saying. I know exactly how you must have been feeling at that point. I’m glad that Peter was able to find out and help your ass even when you didn’t want to help yourself. I’ll do my best to keep it away from Lyds. But she’s scary as fuck when she believes that shes being lied to, so I probably would cave in that case. Also I wouldn’t be all that surprised if she didn’t already know since Cora is a Hale.” Jackson says, nuzzling closer to the other man, once again scenting him.

“I never even considered that. Huh… She totally could know, but I feel like she’d call me out if she did know. Not in the moment of course. But it’s been years now so I feel like she would have said something before now about it.” Stiles says, running his fingers through the blonde hair again.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. She’s very good at biding her time.  Though I don’t know if this is something that she would be petty about, I kind of doubt that she would be in this case. She cares a lot about you so I don’t really think that she would bring something up that would upset you as much as that likely would, you know? So I think the only way that you would know is if you brought it up or you asked one of the Hales if she had been told about the situation.” Jackson says distantly, seemingly lost in thought.

“You’re right, but I’m not sure I want to know if she knows or not. I’m not ready to know. Because as much as I love her, she still very much scares the shit out of me. I don’t want to know whether she'd be disappointed in me for all of it.” Stiles says quietly, seemingly unsure on whether he wants to admit to it or not, but clearly deciding to do it despite that fact.

Both men get lost in thought cuddled together on the couch, both seeking comfort and giving it away. He looks over at the other two familiars and ducks his head at the look that Jinx sends him. How could he have known though? It’s not his fault that the ex was much worse than they could have known. It’s clear that the Hybrid hadn’t told anyone before today, so no one could have told them that fact. Thus it is not his fault that he brought the bastard near the Hybrid. There was no way that he could have known about it. Turning back to the two men curled together on the couch reveals the sight of the two men asleep cuddled together on the couch.

---

Jinx knows that after last time maybe she shouldn’t put the man into danger, but she knows that it’s the best way to draw the two men together once again. Ignoring how strongly Xavier and Nostradamus are against her going through with her plan, she strolls out of the shop. Nothing is going to convince her not to do this. She knows that it will be good for both men eventually, even if it isn’t in the moment. She’ll just have to make sure that the actual damage is kept to a minimum, so that there isn’t anything lasting done during this event she's causing. Grateful that the storm means that there aren’t many people out to get caught in the middle.

She waits in an alleyway, cautiously drawing in the rogue hunters that the Demigod had run into the other day. Knowing that this is probably a little too much, but not caring enough to stop it. She draws the Hybrid and the Rogues to meet near the alleyway that she’s in, the closest one to the shop. Hoping that her Spark won’t realize that she’s the one bringing this about, since he won’t let this one go nearly as quickly as he let the last one go. He’d be mad at her for months, would likely restrict her access to the magic and many things involved with being a familiar of such a strong Spark. But this is worth the risk, her Spark’s happiness is important to her.

The Hybrid reaches her first, but there is barely a second before the Rogues get there as well. Time seemingly stops for a minute before the first shot rings out, the Hybrid dodges the bullet but that was all the Rogues needed to know that the man is a creature. The look in the Rogue’s eyes tells her that she can’t wait for her Spark to realize it on his own. She needs to get him here and quickly at that. Calling out telepathically to her Spark she tells him to come save the Hybrid, knowing that she can’t get involved like she did with the Alpha. Since they would know that she’s not just a random cat.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Stiles screams out at the Rogues, not even trying to be smart about it.

“Scram, this isn’t any of your business.” One of the Rogues responds, waving his gun at the Spark.

“I promise you that this very much is my business. You’re going to leave right now. Or I will make you regret ever existing. I’m willing to be nice and give you the option of leaving now. But if you don’t leave immediately I will tear you to shreds, understand?” Stiles says plainly, acting like he’s talking about the weather or something else so very mundane.

“Fuck off.” The same Rogue responds stupidly, underestimating the danger they truly are in.

“Wrong answer.” Stiles says viciously, pinning all three men against the wall.

“What the fuck are you?!” The Rogues yell out frustratedly.

The Spark only smirks in response.

“Apparently your worst nightmare.” Jackson responds for the other man.

The Spark can’t quite resist preening slightly, but quickly focuses back on the men he has pinned against the wall. Smirking slightly at the struggling men he has trapped against the bricks just outside of the alleyway. Cutting a look over to the blonde, eyes flaring in rage at seeing the state of the other man. Turning his attention back to the Rogues he follows through on his threat, tearing the men apart for trying to kill someone that he cares about. Doing his best to keep it as clean as he can while very much tearing these men to pieces, slightly blind in his rage at seeing the Hybrid hurt once again in front of his store.

“Sti… They’re dead, you can stop now. I’m right here and I’m safe, thanks to you.” Jackson says softly, not quite sure if he’s right behind the reasoning the Spark is blinded with rage the way that he is currently.

The Spark struggles with himself for a moment before pulling himself back together, making the bodies disappear and turning slowly to face the Hybrid. Head down as if he’s ashamed of how he lost control of himself in that moment. The Hybrid shakes his head before pulling the other man into a tight hug, scenting him unconsciously. The two men are just clutching each other tightly on the sidewalk, careless to anyone who could stumble upon them. Nothing else seems to matter to either man, only each other. Though it doesn’t take all that long for the Spark to register that he should take the Hybrid inside to check him over.

Walking backwards still wrapped around the other man he inches the two of them into his shop. She follows closely behind the duo who are truly blind to the rest of the world. The only thing either of them are thinking about is clearly the other man. The Spark doesn’t even waste a moment, summoning the potions and tinctures that he might need before leading the other man up to the apartment with him once again. The three familiars are able to follow after them without either man noticing them at all. She’s ignoring the glares from the other two familiars not willing to feel bad about what she did, well it worked didn’t it?

The Spark begins undressing the Hybrid without a thought once they’re in the safety of the apartment. The Hybrid doesn’t even blink at that fact, both acting like that’s a completely normal thing to do with your friends. Despite it very much not being that, it’s not typically something that you do so easily with someone that you’re not super close with. That’s not even taking into account the trauma that both of these men carry when it comes to consent and control. It seems like when it comes to each other they don’t have the same reservations that they have with most everyone else. Sharing a look with the other familiars tells her that they’re also confused.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t get there quick enough. I should have been smarter about things since I knew they were around. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to protect you from dealing with them. I shouldn’t have been so naive when it came to Rogues being in town. I’m so sorry, Jax.” Stiles says brokenly, cupping the other man’s cheek, holding eye contact.

“Hey now, it’s not your fault, Dumbass. You got there before anything deadly happened and that is literally the only thing that matters. You got there and saved me, doesn’t matter outside of that. You made sure that I wasn’t killed and that’s more than enough for me. I appreciate you coming for me the way you did. I’m okay, I promise, Sti. I’m here safe and sound thanks to your quick actions. So please don’t go blaming yourself for dumb shit when you quite literally saved my ass.” Jackson says firmly, trying to pull the man out of his spiral before he gets too deep into it to be pulled out easily.

“But I could have gotten there quicker and made sure you weren’t hurt. I should have…” Stiles starts, but has to stop when the other man covers his mouth.

“Stilinski, you’re going to listen to me right now. You saved me and that is all that matters. I’m okay thanks to you coming to save me. So shut the fuck up about it being your fault in some way. You’re being an idiot and you’re too smart to be this dumb, so stop it.” Jackson says firmly holding eye contact.

“Let me check you over, please?” Stiles says, pulling back from the hand over his mouth.

“Whatever you need to do to stop spiraling because of me, dude.” Jackson says affectionately, shaking his head with a soft smile.

The Spark begins checking over the other man, mostly to know that the other man is actually here safe. That he did get there in time to stop the bastards from killing the Hybrid. Soothing himself with the fact that the man is safe and standing in front of him. She fights back the guilt rolling through her stomach at the way this hurt both the Hybrid and her Spark. Questioning if she might have really pushed too far. Shaking it off for now she comforts herself with seeing the two men so absorbed in each other, the way that they’re easily showing that they care about each other. Pleased to see that they have made progress through the meddling.

Continuing to check on the man for any injuries that he can find, not willing to take any chances. Which is fair since even though the Hybrid is less affected by most strains of wolfsbane, that doesn’t mean he’s immune to any damage from it. Only that they’re less deadly than they would be to others thanks to the Kanima side of him. The familiars watch silently as their Spark does his best to hold himself together while having to make sure that there isn’t any active danger for the Hybrid from his run in with the Rogues. Though this time he’s not hiding the worry under the guise of doing it for someone else, which is progress.

The Spark kneels down in front of the Hybrid, checking lower in case they did something more than they could have predicted. Not at all willing to take any chances when it comes to this, openly showing that he’s worried and cares about the other man, not hiding the depth of the feelings in the slightest. Once he’s checked everything that he can he rests his head momentarily on the Hybrid’s hip, hiding his face from all of them. The shaking in the Spark’s shoulders tells them all the reason that he’s hiding his face at the moment. Not quite ready or comfortable showing that he’s quite that affected by the situation.

“Sti, I’m okay, we’re both okay.” Jackson says soothingly trying to get the other man to calm down slightly.

“But you almost weren’t, Jax.” Stiles responds brokenly, face still pressed into the man’s hip.

“Yes, that is true, but you came to save me. Look at me. I don’t think there is somewhere else I would have preferred to be near when getting attacked. Because I have no doubt that you would come for me, or I could seek safety here with you. I trust you.” Jackson says softly, doing his best to make eye contact with the other man.

“You trust me?” Stiles asks softly, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

“Of course I do, Asshole. Why wouldn’t I? You’ve been saving my ass all the time in the past three weeks, even when you’re not there. I know that you let people know that I was under your protection. So I know I’m safe with you.” Jackson says simply, shrugging slightly like that isn’t a big deal to both of them even though it definitely is.

“I didn’t think you would know that. But all of my friends are under my protection. Which means all my allies also have to protect the people that I need them too. Lydia wanted to throat punch me when she found out that I had her under my protection, but I explained the reason it’s so important to me and she decided to let it go. Because yes she doesn’t really need it but, in our world we need to have as many people on our side as we can get, so I keep my people as protected as I can. Why else would I make sure to have the amount of allies that I do? I have to make sure me and my people are as safe as possible at all times.” Stiles says passionately, standing up to cup the other man’s cheek once again.

The Hybrid just leans into the touch, not quite sure how to respond, but wanting to make sure the other man understands that he cares. Stiles just runs his thumb over the Hybrid’s cheek bone, thoughtlessly brushing a kiss against the Were’s forehead. Neither one reacts to that or the fact that the blonde is still naked. They just stand looking into each other’s eyes, the rest of the world seemingly fading away for the duo, too absorbed into their own little world together. Sharing a look with the other familiars tells her that they reluctantly agree with her tactics, only because of the results. Which is better than them being upset with her like earlier.

She’ll admit that what she chose to do was more risky than she likely should have done, but it wasn’t like she wasn’t there to make sure things didn’t escalate too far. She got her Spark there quickly and that’s what counts, right? She helped the duo admit some of their feelings, so that has to count for something. Right? Doesn’t matter really. Both men are okay and safe now, so that’s the important part. She won’t choose hunters again though, because that was far too close for comfort and she’s never quite seen her Spark so enraged as when he found the Rogues trying to kill the Hybrid. So she clearly won’t make the same decision again.

The duo are still just absorbed into their own little world, heedless to the Hybrid’s nudity. Maybe they should just leave the men alone for the time being, let them ground themselves in peace after the trauma she just put them through. Since it’s clear that they’re going to be like this for a while. Looking over at the other two familiars then towards the door, trying to get their opinion on what they should do. The nod she gets in response doesn’t surprise her, so she nods back, turning her attention back to the men again. Pleased with the fact that both men are so comfortable seeking comfort from each other. She leads the way out leaving her Spark alone with the Hybrid, hoping that the duo will be able to be okay after this. She jumps up to sit on the main counter, eyes on the entrance, keeping watch for her Spark.

---

Nostradamus decides to take it easy on the man after the stunt that Jinx pulled last time. Considering the duo didn’t leave that apartment until midday the next day after the trauma, they don’t want to hurt them like that again. So he’s just going to have the Demigod tease the Hybrid thoroughly until the man just goes to bug the Spark. Knowing for sure that the blonde will hide away in the shop with Stiles to avoid the teasing. Flying out of the shop to where the Demigod and Hybrid are talking a few blocks away from the shop, he coos to the Demigod to get his attention. Hoping the other man is too distracted to notice.

‘I need you to tease him enough to leave.’ Nostradamus communicates to the Demigod, pleased with the nod he gets in return.

Putting more distance between himself and the two men, he watches them. Keeping an eye on them so he knows if it’s going to take more than the teasing to get the man to go to the Spark. Though he’s pretty sure the Demigod knows what he’s doing having known the man for a long time at this point. It seems like it isn’t going to be all that difficult considering how often the man is looking towards the store already. It’s rather cute to see how enamored the man is with the Spark, he wonders how long it is going to take for the men to realize the depth of their feelings for each other, he’s hoping it’ll be sooner rather than later.

Since he knows that Jinx will not hesitate to go too far again, not being all that worried about feelings only the final outcome turning out how she wants it to. She means well, but she’s too focused on outcomes to care about the means in which she uses to get the results that she wants. Shaking that off for now he turns his attention back to the Demigod and Hybrid, needing to focus on them to make sure that things are going as planned. Not willing to leave things up to chance because he wants both his Spark and the Hybrid to be happy. They can see that the duo are happier when they’re together.

The Demigod is clearly pushing exactly the right buttons to rile up the Were, considering the blonde is already pouting about whatever the Demigod has said so far. He has no doubt that the Demigod is going to get the reaction that they want out of him. All of it seems practiced and honestly rather like a dance. They know each other so well that it’s fun for them both even though the blonde is also a little upset. It’s all very fascinating to watch. Seeing their interactions is different from the Spark and any of his friends. Though they seem very much like how the younger Hales are together,

They really do seem like they’re siblings now that he’s actually paying close attention. The men are ridiculous, not caring about their surroundings despite being in public. It’s like they don’t remember the Rogues at all, he doesn’t understand them. I guess that doesn’t really matter, whether he understands them or not. All that really matters is that the Hybrid and his Spark are in love, but too stupid to know without them having to get involved in the process. So he just needs to make sure he understands well enough to help move things along, which he does. Where it matters he does understand the blonde as best as he can.

The fun friendly button pushing has taken a turn and he’s not sure what happened. The blonde’s face is covered in betrayal and he’s not sure what the Demigod could have possibly done to get that reaction. The man looks just as confused and concerned about the Hybrid as he is, meaning the Demigod didn’t mean to bring forth whatever just happened. The Demigod tries to lay a hand on the Were, but the blonde stands quickly. Striding away aggressively, clearly very upset about something. The Demigod points towards the blonde as if he wasn’t already planning on following the man.

Shooting after the Were easily, not exactly surprised that the blonde is heading to the Spark. Though he was worried that whatever line the Demigod crossed would have been too much for the man to want to be around anyone else. He’s glad to see that the man is easily striding to the shop, not at all hesitating in his stride. He’s actually impressed with how much the blonde has improved in knowing that getting comfort isn’t wrong. He’s taken strides in accepting that he sometimes needs help, yeah mostly just with the Spark, but still impressive nonetheless. He’s very proud of the progress the Hybrid has made recently.

The man stops outside of the door, hesitating for the first time. Running a hand through his blonde hair the Were seems to debate within himself. Though it doesn’t take long for the man to come to the decision to continue his trek to the Spark. Pushing open the door to the shop and striding relatively calmly inside. Seeming to relax at just being in the store near where the Spark is. The tension is not nearly as strong in his shoulders as it was moments before. Calmly waiting for the Spark to notice him, since he’s not going to interrupt the interaction the Spark is having with one of his customers. Though he doesn’t have to wait too long for the customer to leave.

“Jax! What are you doing here? Are you okay, pretty boy?” Stiles asks excitedly, walking over to meet the Hybrid.

“Danny said something while we were hanging out that really upset me… I came here instinctually once I started to leave him on the bench we were at. He didn’t even know that what he said was going to get the reaction it did.” Jackson says quietly, shoulders slumping seemingly feeling guilty for his reactions to whatever the Demigod said that was so upsetting to him for some reason.

“Do you want to talk about it or do you want a distraction from whatever happened, pretty boy?” Stiles says calmly, easily accepting the fact that the Were instinctually came to him after being upset like it’s not a big deal or anything, which it very much is.

“He said something that my ex would say to me… Not on purpose or anything, but he still did it. I… I don’t know what I want. I just needed to not be there and apparently needed to come here based on my instincts having me come here.” Jackson says softly, averting his eyes.

“If you’re not sure, we'll do a mixture of the two. Come on, I’ll show you something and we can talk at the same time. Two birds, one stone and all that shit. I think you’ll like this so come on, pretty boy. You get a rare peek behind the curtain, not many get that chance.” Stiles says casually, reaching a hand out for the other man to grab onto.

“Okay, Sti. That works for me. Thank you…” Jackson says more bashfully than expected, accepting the hand easily.

The Spark smiles easily at the other man before pulling him into the back room. Though he doesn’t stop there, he leads the man into his lab. No one other than him and the other familiars have been allowed inside the lab. Not even the Banshee can force her way in there. At this point they have just to be willfully ignorant of their own feelings. Because they can’t actually be this stupid, right? They have essentially confessed to each other multiple times at this point, but neither one is registering it at all. If he thought he was confused by people earlier that has nothing on how confused he is currently.

Part of him doesn’t even think it’s worth it to follow them, but since the other two did, he does the same. Not wanting to be the only one not with the men when it was his turn to push the men closer together. He’s not even slightly surprised to find the two men bent over the Spark’s family Book Of Shadows, once again something that he doesn’t let anyone else near. Since it reminds him too much of his mother to be willing to risk anyone damaging it. So him showing this to the other man is so very important, but again neither man realizes it at all. That’s the one thing that should be expected at this point, them being stupid about the significance of all their shit.

Looking again shows that both men are actually aware of the level of importance and intimacy this is. The flush covering both of their cheeks and the look in their eyes tell him that it might not be too much longer until the men figure their feelings out. This might have been the turning point of the entire operation to get the men together. Since there is finally some recognition in the duo’s eyes in a way that there just hasn’t been before. The Hybrid looks so honored when the Spark lets the man touch the book. It’s honestly such a wholesome interaction and he’s glad that he’s able to see it. He has faith that these men will figure out their shit soon.

“He made a joke about my hair color, he made a blonde joke and I freaked out… It’s literally a joke that he’s said before and it didn’t affect me at all, even after my ex. I don’t know what it was that made this time different, but it just was, I can’t explain myself at all, Sti.” Jackson says softly, opening up about what happened to make him seek shelter in the shop once again.

“You saw the man recently and you talked about it with me, it’s going to be closer to the surface because of that. It’s just a part of life, a shitty part, but still just a part of life unfortunately. You’ll get back to the point where it doesn’t hurt the same way that it did today, but it’ll take time to get to that point. You’ll heal and it’ll be less heavy, I promise that you will given time. I’ll be here for you if you want me to be there, pretty boy.” Stiles says softly, soothingly.

“You’d want to be there to help through it? Like actually be involved in the process? Or just be accessible so I have somewhere to come to hide if I need to?” Jackson asks, torn between confused and embarrassed, but with a soft smile.

“Whatever you would want or need from me, pretty boy.” Stiles says simply, smiling softly at the Were.

“That’s quite an offer there, Sti.” Jackson says teasingly, but with a softness in his eyes.

“Maybe, but I really do mean it, Jax.” Stiles says firmly, shrugging it off.

The Hybrid just lightly nudges the Spark and turns his attention to the Book Of Shadows. The duo easily transition away from the topic and return to looking at the book like nothing even happened. Sharing a look with the other two familiars shows that he’s not alone in wondering what is wrong with the men. None of them understand the way that they’re just so easily able to ignore the intense or heavy things they talk about or confide in each other in. They’re so strange and illogical in a way that they didn’t expect. It doesn’t seem likely that they’re going to take the next step today, so they leave the duo to their time together.

---

Xavier doesn’t have all that much trouble with his next plan considering the Hybrid is already in the store. All he has to do is convince the men to fall into the trap that the others have all decided on. He didn’t even get to choose what this was going to be, but he just wants his Spark to be happy. So he will do what he can to get the two men into position for the Banshee and Wolf to handle the rest. He’s going to do something that will get him in trouble later, but it’ll be worth it no matter how upset his Spark will be with him afterwards. Waiting for the perfect opportunity, he readies himself for some pain from getting himself stuck.

Getting himself stuck was the only solution that he could think of. Especially since he has to get both men to come for him. So purposely getting stuck in one of the hardest to maneuver areas is what he had to settle on. Since that way there is no question that it requires two people to save him from his own ‘stupidity’. He’s probably never going to live this down, but a needs must as it were. He really doesn’t want to do this, but it’s really the only option he has that would likely work the way the others want it to. He needs to remind himself that this is for his Spark, that he is doing this to help his Spark get his mate, the mate he deserves to finally have.

He loves both of these idiots and his Spark will heal any hurts he gets, no matter the fact that he is doing this on purpose. It’ll be worth it, he knows this, but it’s still scary. He hates this area, they all do. So he’s dreading this in a way that he didn’t expect at all. But he loves his Spark enough to jump face first into one of his fears. He can and will do this. His Spark and Hybrid are more than worth it, they deserve happiness and they deserve each other. So he’ll do his part to help them get to that point. Taking a second to steel himself he walks straight into the little hidden alcove in the supply closet, making sure he’s stuck in there.

‘Help! Help me! I’m stuck and scared!’ Xavier calls out to his Spark and Hybrid telepathically.

He stays as calm as he can, despite wanting to panic at being stuck in a place that he’s genuinely afraid of. Not quite ready to deal with the welling fear inside of himself from being stuck in this way. Despite the fact that he made the choice to do it, he’s still terrified of it, he hopes that the duo will get here soon to get him out of this pickle that he got himself into. He hears them crash into the back room, feet slapping on the tile racing to get to him. Just hearing them near him calms him down from the panic he was in. Having them close means that he’s going to get out of here soon. They finally get to him, not noticing the door shutting behind them.

“Xavier! How did you get stuck in here? You hate this area, what were you even doing here dude?” Stiles asks frustratedly, doing his best to keep himself calm from the worry about his familiar.

“Sti, shut up, let’s just get him out of here.” Jackson says, shaking his head, trying to get the Spark out of his head.

The duo do start doing their best to quickly and carefully get him out of the tiny alcove. That honestly he’s far too big to have been able to get himself into anyway. He does his best to make it easy for them, but it still takes more time than he would like for them to actually remove him from where he wedged himself into. The duo wrap him up in their arms and he finally calms down, knowing that he’s safe in their arms. He nuzzles both men in thanks, feeling guilty that he panicked all of them as much as he did, even if it was for good reason.

‘Thank you, dads.’ Xavier says thankfully, too riled up to realize what he said.

“Did he just say dads?” Jackson asks incredulously, but is clearly touched by being included that way.

“Yeah, pretty boy, he did indeed say dads. I was wondering how long it would take for him to. He’s my sweet baby, just the actual goodest boy I could have asked for.” Stiles says lovingly, eyes bright with happiness, cuddling his boys even closer.

“Why would I be included in that, Sti? I’m the new guy here.” Jackson asks deflated, not feeling like he has any right or reason to be given such an affectionate title from the sweet familiar.

“Are you sure you want to start this conversation, pretty boy? I will lay it out completely and thoroughly. So you need to be sure that you’re ready for that before asking those kinds of questions.” Stiles says seriously, ready to admit to his feelings and how involved his familiars have been in trying to push the two of them together since he has known what was going on.

“Yes, I want to know. Explain it to me. Because I really don’t get it.” Jackson says softly, not even trying to hide how vulnerable he’s feeling.

“Partially because all of my familiars are attached to you because of the fact Lydia told them that I was in love with you and they’ve been very adamant in getting involved with trying to get us together. They’ve been doing it since the Alpha incident, Jinx is the reason you even were in danger with that Alpha. They meant well and honestly I’m grateful for them doing it, but they’ve been pulling some sketchy shit in an attempt to get us together. I doubt they ever considered how you felt about it, just trusted Lydia’s opinion. I’m sorry that I didn’t stop them, I just…” Stiles trails off at the end, shrugging slightly, not really wanting to get into that at the moment.

The Hybrid lets go of him, nearly causing the Spark to drop him. The blonde is staring, looking very betrayed, more betrayed than is warranted for the situation in his opinion. Though he wouldn’t be surprised if the man thought that the Spark was lying to him about what he just said. Considering how the Were has been acting it’s honestly likely that that’s the reason the man is looking as betrayed as he does. His Spark doesn’t even see the look on the other man’s face, too busy hiding his face in shame. Both think that the other is about to break them, even though they’re both dumbasses that love each other more than anything else.

“That’s a fucked up thing to lie about…” Jackson says brokenly, curling in on himself trying to protect himself as much as he can.

“What the fuck?! I’m not lying! Why the fuck would I lie to you about something like that? I’d not have any motive to lie about that of anything that I could be lying about. Why would I choose something so embarrassing and a really bad look for me and my familiars?” Stiles says incredulously, not at all prepared for the mindfuck that was Jackson’s reaction.

“Why would Lydia tell your familiars such a lie? I don’t get it. Why did they even believe the lie?” Jackson says haughtily, pretending like he doesn’t care.

“Jackson, you stupid little shit. It’s not a lie! Why do you assume that it’s a lie?!” Stiles says frustratedly, unconsciously tightening his hold on Xavier.

“Because people don’t feel that way about me. Not in a way that counts at least. It’s only about my looks or things that I have, like money. Which isn’t you, you’re not shallow like that. So that only means that it’s a lie, a joke, or something equally false.” Jackson says plainly, truly believing that he couldn’t be wrong about this.

“Holy shit man. You actually believe that, don’t you? Gods, pretty boy, you’re wrong.” Stiles says disbelievingly, sadly placing Xavier onto the floor.

Walking up to the blonde without hesitation, needing the other man to know that he’s telling him the damn truth. Know how he actually feels about the dumbass. That he’s so stupidly in love with the man, has been for a damn long time, longer than he could have ever guessed. No longer will he skirt around how he feels, the Hybrid has every right to know the way that he feels about him. Because he’s not ashamed of being irrevocably in love with the Hybrid and would much rather spend every single day of his life by the man’s side. Cupping the blonde’s cheek, trying to get the man to make eye contact with him, so he can see the truth in his eyes.

“Jackson, I am in love with you. I have been for longer than even I know. I swear to you, pretty boy. I am irrevocably in love with you and have been since school. I know that you aren’t really going to believe me, at least not at the moment. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m wholly and completely in love with you, Jax. You’ve had my heart for a damn long time, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m happy with how I feel about you, very happy actually.” Stiles says firmly, doing his best to get the man to understand and believe him, running his thumb thoughtlessly over the other man’s cheek.

“What?” Jackson asks brokenly, not sure if he’s hearing the Spark correctly, unable to consider that he’s not alone in having feelings.

“I’m in love with you, pretty boy, have been for so many years now. You have my heart, you’ve almost always have had it I think. Part of me knew it since middle school, but I wasn’t in a headspace to actually face it. I would want to be mates, if that’d be something you were interested in. It’s you, it’s always been you. Lydia has known for longer than I have, which is why she helped my familiars meddle. Everyone knew how I felt about you other than you and myself. I swear on my magic and family line that I’m in love with you and would love nothing more than having the honor of being mates with you. I am so fucking in love with you that it’s all I can think about now. You’re always on my mind, Jax. Literally the first thought in my mind, the last thought before I go to sleep and honestly in my dreams more often than not.” Stiles says lovingly, focus solely on the man in front of him, running his thumb lightly under the Hybrid’s eye to wipe away the tears there.

“I didn’t… I couldn’t… You actually love me? You’re IN love with me?” Jackson questions barely above a whisper, tears continuing to fall uncontrollably.

“Yes, I actually love you, I’m irrevocably in love with you. There is not even an ounce of doubt inside of me about my feelings for you. Now that I genuinely know how I feel I know it every second of the day. I keep falling further in love with you. Every single day, I fall deeper in love with you, Jax. I wouldn’t change a single damn thing about my feelings for you. I would love it if you felt the same, but even if you don’t I won’t ever regret loving you.” Stiles says firmly but fondness laced throughout it just the same, holding eye contact through his confession, showing the truth in his eyes as best as he can.

“I never imagined… I don’t understand why or how you feel that way about me. I didn’t even consider that you might have feelings for me too. But holy fuck I believe you, I don’t get it, but I do believe you. I… Ditto?” Jackson says embarrassedly, flush covering his cheeks, with a soft smile on his lips. 

“Are you saying you have feelings for me too, Jax?” Stiles asks as calmly as he can, not wanting to fuck things up by being too intense about it.

“Yeah I am, Sti, or at least trying to.” Jackson says bashfully, blushing brighter with a guilty expression covering his face.

“Does this mean you want to be with me? That I get to have you how I’ve wanted for so long now? Can I kiss you, pretty boy?” Stiles says excitedly, no longer able to pretend he’s not affected, far too excited about the chance he now has.

“Yes… All of that… Please?” Jackson pleads unabashedly, not trying to hide from it any longer.

Stiles smiles brightly before brushing his lips lightly over the blonde’s. Easing both of them into the change in their relationship. Just trading pecks back and forth. Once again in their own little world, seemingly the only thing that matters to them is each other. It took a lot of time and help from others but they finally got there. They deserve each other, deserve to be happy after all the things the men have been through throughout their lives. They’ll never have to face any of those things alone, never again will they be alone. Though neither man was ever truly alone, they just both had felt that way. They’ll know better moving forward, that they truly aren’t alone.

“About time, morons.” Cora heckles the kissing men, having opened the door again to tease them.

“It really has been many years in the making, boys.” Lydia says condescendingly, soft smile on her lips despite the tone.

“I can’t believe it took you so long to realize what we’ve all known for years.” Ethan says laughingly, ignoring the elbow the Demigod shoves into his side.

“I’m happy you guys finally found your way together, you both deserve happiness and I believe you guys will have that together.” Danny says happily, just genuinely happy for his best friend finally getting the man he’s wanted since they were children.

“If it took any longer I would have honestly knocked your heads together because it was getting ridiculous. I don’t know how you both are as smart as you are, but still so very stupid at the same time.” Peter says, tone torn between teasing and genuinely frustrated.

“I have to agree with Peter on this one, you guys were ridiculous to deal with.” Derek says blandly, attention more focused on Nostradamus, his favorite of the Spark’s familiars.

‘You’re welcome, morons.’ Jinx says unabashedly, not feeling even an ounce of remorse for what she did.

“You nearly got Jackson killed both times you meddled, Jinx the shady bitch sphinx. I know that you brought those Rogues near him, I’m not nearly as stupid as you seem to think I am, you little shit. So you absolutely have no right to join in with the others.” Stiles says upset, honestly annoyed with the level of disregard.

Jinx just huffs before turning her nose up at them and striding out of the room. At Stiles’ glare the others follow the cat away from them. He truly wanted to be wrong, but he knew that he was right that she had caused that part of it. He’ll ground her for it later, but for now he’s only going to focus on the love of his life. Not wanting to let something sour finally getting the opportunity to be with the Hybrid how he’s wanted for a long time. Pulling the man more fully into his space, he kisses the man again, pleased with being able to do that now. He truly never expected to be allowed the opportunity of having this with the man.

“Sti?” Jackson says pulling away, needing to say something.

“Yes, baby?” Stiles says affectionately, smiling softly.

“I need to tell you something, explain myself a little bit.” Jackson says guiltily, averting his eyes.

“Baby, I already know why you struggle actually addressing your feelings. I understand that. I’ve always understood that about you.” Stiles says soothingly, assuming.

“That’s not technically what I was going to tell you about. Though you are right that I have a hard time using words to express my feelings. I was going to tell you that you and this relationship are a dream that I’ve had since elementary school, Danny has known the entire time.” Jackson says softly, blush dusting his cheeks and a shy smile.

“I fucking love you, Jackson.” Stiles says passionately.

“I feel the same… I love you. I kind of always have…” Jackson says softly, slight fear in his eyes.

“I love you, nothing will change that I promise.” Stiles says firmly.

“I believe you, I love you…” Jackson says bashfully.

“Good.” Stiles says softly.

Everything else fades away for the duo, only each other remaining. He watches them for a few more moments then just decides to leave them to it. Happy that his dads are finally together the way they have always wanted to be.

Notes:

I really hope you enjoyed this and it did the art justice! 💗💕💜