Beginnings:: Sick Fantasies verse :: For sarcasticdefence

[sassiopath]

The first time it happened had been the mechanic that had purposefully gouged Stiles on a transmission overhaul in the Jeep. The Sheriff had covered the cost, and been a bit surprised to find nearly half the money paid refunded to his credit card. Especially when he got a call the next day to come to the mechanic's.

Someone had used a drill and gouged holes throughout all of the equipment.

No one put two and two together.

The second time had been a senior, a new transfer in, who thought taking pot shots at Stiles the way Harris did was the quick route to make friends at Beacon Hills High.

Leaving the school that day, he'd been jumped somewhere between school and home. The resulting beat down had left him with two broken ribs, a busted nose and his jaw wired shut.

Those gifts were subtle though. The first open gift had been when Harris came into his room during his break and found his desk on fire.

Yet each time Peter made sure he wasn't around, that he wasn't seen. Despite them being gifts for Stiles, he knew if the boy connected him to them, it would go badly. So it was he just happened to be in the same grocer's the boy was that afternoon. Entirely accidental run in, of course.

Coming around a corner, he very nearly literally ran into the boy.

Comments

[sarcasticdefence]

"Let's not consider Jackson, he's a poisonous little toad." Stiles looked away. "And the Argents are fucked up. We all know that. And yeah, they kind of terrify me too."

[sassiopath]

"So really, you're kind of terrified or hateful of most people around you," he asked, arching a brow. "I guess that puts me in the same class as most. Though I like to think I'm a better class."

He glanced at the basket, then raised his gaze back to him. "You cook?"

[sarcasticdefence]

"I don't have a brilliant opinion of humanity as a general rule," he agreed.

He looked at his basket. "Who do you think feeds my Dad? Mom died years ago and given the choice, he'd load up on fast food that'd do his heart in."

[sassiopath]

"There is an outlook we share, though I would worry about someone your age, with your life, having that outlook. Doesn't speak well for the future," he admitted, wincing a bit at the idea.

"I... Admit I never thought about it. Hadn't with Derek until I got so sick of burgers and pizza I threatened to choke them all with it." He said it lightly, with a laugh. Wasn't true, right?

[sarcasticdefence]

"You don't know anything about my life," Stiles countered. "You don't really know anything about me."

He didn't laugh. He didn't believe it was a joke.

[sassiopath]

He fell silent, considering that.

"And if I'm willing to learn," he asked softly, challenging Stiles in that way.

[sarcasticdefence]

Stiles blinked. "Yeah. No. Your idea of get to know scares me. It probably involves vivisection."

[sassiopath]

Again that roll of the eyes and a heavy, annoyed sigh. "How about we get someone to torment and torture you and see how well you recover mentally. Not that I would let that happen to you. You have to realize that we're all works in progress, Stiles."

[sarcasticdefence]

"Yeah, I did the torment thing for years with Jackson and the beating the shit out of me as well, but I'm still not killing people, am I?"

[sassiopath]

He paused, taking a deep breath and then shaking his head. "I won't make you think about what I heard that day. It's horrible enough I endure it every moment of every day."

He started to say something else and then just shook his head again, harder. "Right. Good day, Stiles. I thought, given this run in, I would try. I see that my past will not change. No reason to try and be a better man. Thank you for that reminder."

[sarcasticdefence]

"If you place your self worth on this one guy, you have bigger issues than the mass murder."

[sassiopath]

"It wasn't my self worth I was placing on you. It was an attempt at showing I could control myself, control those instincts that Kate brought out in me. Who else should I try with? Most would have tried to kill me by now, expect Derek. He keeps me around to feed his guilt."

[sarcasticdefence]

"His guilt? Of surviving?" Stiles was curious, despite himself. "And I remember your nurse's body still. And that whole trying to get Scott to kill us."

[sassiopath]

Peter frowned at Stiles though he nodded. "Of course. I live with their screams, with the knowledge I couldn't save them from inside. He lives with the knowledge he wasn't there to die with them. We both have our own pain over their loss, and our own way of handling it. I sought revenge and now fight the monster she made by her actions. He fights the monster she made of what he sees as his own actions," he said, speaking low so others wouldn't over hear.

He considered that. "The nurse was my paranoia. I still was fighting for control of the psychosis the fire caused. I recognize it now. Then, then it just seemed who I was. I almost couldn't remember the man I was before. I knew though that people left. Like Derek had. I didn't want to lose Scott the same way."

[sarcasticdefence]

"And now," Stiles challenged.

[sassiopath]

"And now what? Am I cured? No. Am I working through it? You could say that," he said, staring at him without anger. "What do you want me to say, Stiles? I'm better? It would be a lie."

[sarcasticdefence]

"I'm sorry for kidnapping you, threatening you violence, committing violence and trying to bite you would be a good start," Stiles hissed.

[sassiopath]

"I can and will apologize for anything but offering you the bite," he said, tones darkening slightly. "That is a gift that I truly felt you deserved."

[sarcasticdefence]

"Fine, can and do apologise for the rest then."

[sassiopath]

He straightened, looking at Stiles. He was serious, his expression both fierce and yet as sincere as he might.

"I'm sorry for kidnapping you. I'm sorry I risked your life instead of protecting it. I did think you were a prime candidate for the bite, and I should have respected that."

[sarcasticdefence]

Stiles was actually surprised. "Oh. Well. Thanks. For recognising I have rights as living person."

[sassiopath]

He wanted to point out none of them had done that when they'd ignored his mental illness and instead lit him on fire. That did make him bristle.

"Funny. I would have thought someone concerned with that wouldn't have further tortured a man with mental illnesses by lighting him on fire but to each their own."

[sarcasticdefence]

"We were out of other options on how to slow you down enough to kill you. Fire was the only option we had left." He rocked on his feet again. "Okay, it was a slightly tasteless choice, but we were really desperate and scared."

[sassiopath]

"Yes, well so was my family when they were burned to death and I burned beside them but I had few options that night, did I," he asked, looking away because he hadn't meant to go here, and the memories of it were still fresh and raw in his head.

"Right. Whatever. Certainly doesn't matter to any of you and I'm expected to swallow it and pretend it didn't happen," he said with a false cheer.

[sarcasticdefence]

Stiles glanced away. Sometimes, it was easy to forget Peter was a victim before he was a monster. "Well, really, we expected you to stay dead and not have to go over the moral dubiousness of burning a fire victim to death."