❛ Ain't it fun? Livin' in the real world. Ain't it good? Being all alone. ❜

SEASON 2, EPISODE 6
frenemy

THE NIGHT HAD just begun when Jackson, as the Kanima, revealed himself and bolted. Allison took care of Lydia, taking her home to try and calm her down with some half-baked reason on what happened. Willow was about to start begging her mom to let her go help, but Starla turned on her heel and walked inside.

⠀⠀⠀Distraught, Willow almost sent Stiles on his way to help Scott when Starla returned holding a necklace to both of them. She explained that it was the best she could do, for now, another protection charm she had been working on for months to give her daughters. It wasn't fully charged yet, but it would have to do for the time being.

⠀⠀⠀Bridgette and Laurel continued to stand back. Now that the threat was out of their home and not Lydia, they weren't too concerned about it. Well, Laurel wasn't. Bridgette stayed behind because Laurel told her to and, not one for conflict, did as she said.

⠀⠀⠀Willow didn't think long on it. Instead, she and Stiles rushed to his Jeep and followed Scott's text to the club where he had found Jackson run to. Stiles parked, and the two burst from the car, running to the building and meeting Scott on the side of the building as he peered around.

⠀⠀⠀"Holy cr—!" Scott exclaimed when Stiles and Willow appeared behind him without a word.

⠀⠀⠀"Sorry, I'm sorry!" Stiles exclaimed, taking a couple of steps away from him.

⠀⠀⠀"Did you see where he went?" Willow asked.

⠀⠀⠀"I lost him," Scott sighed.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" Stiles asked, stunned by his statement as his eyes went wide. "You couldn't catch his scent?"

⠀⠀⠀"I don't think he has one," Scott admitted.

⠀⠀⠀"All right," Stiles stated, thinning his lips. "Any clue where he's going?"

⠀⠀⠀"To kill someone."

⠀⠀⠀"Ah, that explains the claws, and the fangs, and all that. Good. Makes perfect sense now," Stiles ranted sarcastically, glaring back at Scott. Scott returned his gaze with an annoyed frown, Stiles huffing in exasperation. "What? Scott, come on. I'm one hundred and forty-seven pounds of pale skin and fragile bone, okay? Sarcasm is my only defense."

⠀⠀⠀"Just help me find it," Scott hissed.

⠀⠀⠀"Not 'it,'" Stiles corrected Scott quickly before his mind started to turn like Derek onto Lydia. "Jackson."

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah. I know. I-I know," Scott said quickly.

⠀⠀⠀"All right, but does he know that?" Stiles asked, turning to Willow. "Did anybody else see him back at your house?"

⠀⠀⠀"I don't think so," Willow stated, shaking her head.

⠀⠀⠀"And he already passed Derek's test, anyway," Scott added.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, but that's just the thing," Stiles added, frowning. "How did he pass the test?"

⠀⠀⠀"And how did Lydia not?" Willow asked with a frown, looking between the two.

⠀⠀⠀"I don't know," Scott muttered, shaking his head.

⠀⠀⠀"Maybe it's like an either-or thing," Stiles suggested, turning to debate his thoughts with Willow. "Derek said that a snake can't be poisoned by its own venom, right? When's the kanima not the kanima?"

⠀⠀⠀"When it's Jackson," Scott breathed out.

⠀⠀⠀Their conversation paused as Stiles started to back away from their small circle. Willow looked back at him while Stiles stared up at the roof. His features contorted into fear as he continued to stare. She followed his steps and looked up as well to see the kanima prowling on the roof.

⠀⠀⠀"Uh, dude," Stiles called to Scott, unable to say anything else from the lump in his throat.

⠀⠀⠀Scott turned to look at them and did as Willow, following their steps to see the kanima's tail whip inside the building.

⠀⠀⠀"He's inside," Scott muttered.

⠀⠀⠀"What's he gonna do in there?" Stiles asked.

⠀⠀⠀"I know who he's after," Scott told them, now looking at the line going into the club. Willow followed his gaze and noticed Danny in line getting his ID checked.

⠀⠀⠀"What, how? How?" Stiles asked, looking around wildly without noticing Danny. "Did you smell something?"

⠀⠀⠀"Armani."

⠀⠀⠀Knowing that the kanima was after Danny, Stiles led them down the side of the alley toward a door that hadn't been guarded. He approached the door, trying to open it, but it was locked. Stiles shook the door, trying to loosen it, but it was no use. He sighed, stepping away, and started rambling on other ways they could get in.

⠀⠀⠀While he was trying to figure out a way in, Willow glanced at Scott, and he looked back at her, both with a knowing look. Scott rolled his eyes, and Willow shook her head before nodding toward the door. Scott smiled, taking the lead, and walked up to the door while Stiles continued to talk.

⠀⠀⠀"Or some kind of—" Stiles was saying, his back now to them.

⠀⠀⠀Scott took the handle and ripped it off without a second of thought. Stiles turned with wide eyes, staring at the now open door.

⠀⠀⠀"Handle that we could rip off with supernatural strength," Stiles finished, then sighed. "How'd I not think of that one?" he asked Willow as they walked inside, but all she could give him was a shrug and a short laugh.

⠀⠀⠀Inside the club, all the house lights were off. Only neon-colored lasers illuminated the crowd of drunk bodies dancing and drinking together. The music was nearly overwhelming, and they could feel the bass move through their bodies with every beat.

⠀⠀⠀Willow felt stressed just being inside with the hundreds of people close enough to touch her and not enough room for personal space.

⠀⠀⠀Willow and Stiles were dragged away from Scott and introduced to a group of beautiful drag queens fretting over the two of them. There were only three, but it felt like a whole arena as they spoke over the music to each other and to the two teenagers.

⠀⠀⠀"Wow," Willow exclaimed. She focused on the woman in front of her and tried to let her anxiety not get to her. "Your makeup is to die for."

⠀⠀⠀"Thank you," the woman grinned, her hand holding firmly onto her arm, and Willow felt like she was trying to keep her upright and reassure her everything was alright. "The name's Sahara, yours?"

⠀⠀⠀"Willow!"

⠀⠀⠀"You and your girlfriend are precious," Sahara gushed, glancing over at Stiles and asked them. "Are you two dating?"

⠀⠀⠀"No," Stiles called over. "She has a girlfriend!"

⠀⠀⠀"Guys!" Scott shouted back at them, standing where they left him without noticing they had left as he looked over the crowd. "Everyone in here's a dude! I think we're in a gay club!"

⠀⠀⠀Scott finally turned back to them and stared at them with wide eyes when he realized where they were standing.

⠀⠀⠀"Man," Stiles called back sarcastically, looking at Scott with a deadpanned expression. "Nothing gets past those keen werewolf senses, huh, Scott?"

⠀⠀⠀"Did you not know that?" Willow shouted at Scott, raising an eyebrow.

⠀⠀⠀"Did you?" Scott retorted.

⠀⠀⠀Willow widened her eyes, raising her brows, and nodded her head at him like he was stupid. Scott narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance but didn't continue.

⠀⠀⠀"Can we get going?" Scott asked them, growing impatient with the two.

⠀⠀⠀"We have to go," Willow told the women with a reluctant smile to leave them. "We're meeting a friend."

⠀⠀⠀"It was good meeting you two," Sahara said with a wide smile. "If you ever want some makeup tips, call me."

⠀⠀⠀Sahara handed Willow her card, drawing it from her chest, and Willow smiled as she took it, pocketing it.

⠀⠀⠀"Will do!" Willow smiled with a nod.

⠀⠀⠀Willow trailed after Stiles and Scott towards the massive crowd that forced a sea of anxiety into the pit of her stomach. She kept close to Stiles, staring at the crowd as it parted, but someone caught her attention. She slowed down, pausing as the two left her behind and the road to the bar closed. Willow didn't worry, forcing herself to where they had been walking, and approached the familiar face dancing.

⠀⠀⠀"Rowan?!" Willow shouted.

⠀⠀⠀Rowan turned to look at her, his thick eyebrows furrowing with the call of his name. He looked down at her. His eyes widened, and a grin spread across his face.

⠀⠀⠀"Low!" Rowan exclaimed, taking her into his arms and crushing her into his chest. "What are you doing here?"

⠀⠀⠀"What am I doing here?" Willow retorted, confused. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in San Francisco State... y'know? For college?"

⠀⠀⠀Rowan didn't respond right away, taking his sister's hands in his and forcing her to dance like an idiot with him.

⠀⠀⠀"Well, I was," Rowan stated, clenching his teeth and his cheeks turned slightly rosy from either the alcohol or embarrassment or possibly both. "Then I was kicked out."

⠀⠀⠀"You were kicked out?!" Willow loudly exclaimed, jaw-dropping to the floor.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah," Rowan shrugged, brushing it off like it was no big deal. "It seems like the college board doesn't like when students sleep with their teachers for good grades."

⠀⠀⠀"Rowan!"

⠀⠀⠀"I wasn't even getting good grades for that!" Rowan shouted back at her. "Only Cs!"

⠀⠀⠀Willow shook her head, not wanting to get into it with him. She closed her eyes, thinking over what to say next, then looked back up at him with a sigh.

⠀⠀⠀"So, what are you doing here?" Willow asked, looking around at the crowd then back at him. "I didn't even know you were in town."

⠀⠀⠀"Well, I thought maybe I should do something fun before mom and dad kill me," Rowan explained, and Willow nodded in understanding.

⠀⠀⠀If her parents were hard on Willow and her sisters, they were even harder on Rowan as the oldest and the one that should be setting an example for his siblings. Rowan had been an example, that was sure, just not the good one their parents wanted.

⠀⠀⠀"Why are you here then, Low?" Rowan asked, raising an eyebrow at her and looking around the crowd. "They might be your type, but you're definitely not theirs," he laughed.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm here with some friends," Willow explained, and Rowan looked back at her in amusement by her statement. "Not for what you're thinking. To keep it short, my friend Scott is a werewolf, and this other guy at our school is this thing called a kanima and is here now to kill another one of our friends, Danny, who doesn't know about all this. So, we're trying to keep that from happening," she continued, sucking in a breath after not pausing for a second in her quick explanation.

⠀⠀⠀"That's the short version?" Rowan asked with a breathy laugh, releasing one of her hands and allowing Willow to lead him over to the bar. "We're gonna need to catch up if that's the case."

⠀⠀⠀Willow looked back at him, nodding.

⠀⠀⠀"We do," Willow stated, looking exhausted as she did. "That's just what's happening right now."

⠀⠀⠀Rowan stepped up to the bar, shaking his head, and turned away to call the bartender over.

⠀⠀⠀"Hello," Rowan greeted him with a flirty smile, resting his arm over the counter and winking at him. Willow rolled her eyes at him but didn't say anything. "Vodka cranberry for me and a cosmo for the lady."

⠀⠀⠀The bartender nodded, wiped his hands on a towel, and walked away.

⠀⠀⠀"Willow," Stiles hissed at her from the other side of the bar. Willow looked up, finding him standing across from her and staring at her with an exasperated expression. "How'd you get someone to buy you a drink?"

⠀⠀⠀"Well, we had a passionate love affair, but then I found out I was gay—" Rowan began loudly.

⠀⠀⠀Willow let out a disgusted noise, pushed her hand against Rowan's arm, and glared at him.

⠀⠀⠀"He's my brother," Willow explained before Rowan could say anything even more embarrassing.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles' jaw dropped, and his mind seemed to take a minute to process what she said.

⠀⠀⠀"I didn't know you had a brother," Stiles said.

⠀⠀⠀"You don't talk about me?!" Rowan exclaimed, turning to look at Willow, offended. The bartender walked by, setting down their drinks, and Rowan picked his drink up to sip from dramatically. "Willow, I've told all of my friends about you."

⠀⠀⠀"And I wished you didn't," Willow retorted.

⠀⠀⠀Seeing that the conversation was continuing, Stiles and Scott left their side of the bar and stood behind Willow and Rowan's stools to talk to them in a small circle.

⠀⠀⠀"Stiles, Scott, this is Rowan, my older brother," Willow introduced them. "Rowan, Stiles, and Scott, my friends. Don't be weird."

⠀⠀⠀"Your friends..." Rowan mused, looking between the two. "Your friends with your ex?"

⠀⠀⠀Stiles smirked and asked, "So, you talk about me?"

⠀⠀⠀"No," Willow stated simply.

⠀⠀⠀"He's the one that you're—"

⠀⠀⠀Willow slapped her hand over Rowan's mouth, glaring at him.

⠀⠀⠀"Shut up," Willow hissed. "And I'm not."

⠀⠀⠀"No, no," Stiles brushed her off, crossing his arms, and turned to look at Rowan expectantly. "I'm the one that Willow's...?"

⠀⠀⠀Rowan snickered, turning to look at Willow.

⠀⠀⠀"You are."

⠀⠀⠀"Suck a dick, asshole," Willow told him, raising her middle finger to his face.

⠀⠀⠀"Gladly," Rowan said with a shit-eating grin, winking at her.

⠀⠀⠀"What are you guys on about?" Stiles exclaimed, looking between the two.

⠀⠀⠀"We'll talk later, kid," Rowan whispered to him, resting his hand on Stiles' shoulder and winking at him.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles realized he wasn't getting anywhere with the two of them, shaking his head, and turned back to the crowd. His eyes scanned over everyone and finally located the reason they were inside.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey," Stiles called to the others. "I found Danny."

⠀⠀⠀"I found Jackson," Scott commented.

⠀⠀⠀The four looked up at the ceiling where the kanima crawled along the lights. Their stares seemed to alert the kanima of them as it craned its neck to look down at them with his sharp lizard-like yellow eyes.

⠀⠀⠀"That's what your up against?" Rowan asked, taking another sip of his drink at the site of it. "Oh, how I've missed Beacon Hills."

⠀⠀⠀"Get Danny," Scott instructed Willow and Stiles.

⠀⠀⠀"What are you gonna do?" Stiles asked him before he could run out.

⠀⠀⠀Scott flicked his hand out, producing his claws for them to see.

⠀⠀⠀"Works for me," Stiles nodded.

⠀⠀⠀"I'll be here, at the bar," Rowan told them even though they hadn't looked to him to help. "I'm a little too drunk to be throwing out magic."

⠀⠀⠀Willow and Stiles glanced at him but nodded. They moved into the crowd, trying to get to Danny, but there were so many people. Stiles kept getting turned around, and Willow became overwhelmed by how close people were to her.

⠀⠀⠀They paused for a moment, reassessing what they needed to do and where they were going. Then, Stiles found Danny again and grabbed Willow's hand, pulling her behind him. Stiles started to shout for Danny just as the fog machines began to fill the room, making it even more difficult for them to find Danny.

⠀⠀⠀"Caelus, move this smoke from our vision," Willow cast, taking her hands and trying to move the air out of their way, but there was just so much of it, and it just kept coming.

⠀⠀⠀By the time they made it to Danny, he had already been paralyzed. Along with a couple of other men inside the couple. Thankfully, Danny had only been paralyzed rather than murdered, but it created an even more unsettling feeling in their stomachs if it was on purpose.

⠀⠀⠀"We need to find Scott," Stiles stated, both sure Danny was safe for now and a crowd forming to look at the paralyzed victims.

⠀⠀⠀The two rushed back to the bar first, Willow peeling Rowan away from a man he had been talking to and dragging him behind her.

⠀⠀⠀"Call me!" Rowan shouted, raising his hand to the side of his face to mimic calling.

⠀⠀⠀The three ran out of the club and into the parking lot, where a trail of blood led them to Scott hovering over Jackson. They turned the car, and before Willow could fully process what she was seeing, Stiles had slapped his hand over her eyes.

⠀⠀⠀"Are you serious?" Willow asked, turning toward Stiles to direct her anger, but he kept her blind.

⠀⠀⠀"He's naked!"

⠀⠀⠀"And?"

⠀⠀⠀"Ew, Willow, I didn't know you thought of him that way," Stiles exclaimed, gagging in between his words.

⠀⠀⠀"You know what I mean!" Willow exclaimed, agitated. "He's hurt, and we're standing around like idiots."

⠀⠀⠀"Well, maybe you are. You have some guy's hand over your eyes," Stiles joked, indirectly calling her an idiot, and it further irritated her.

⠀⠀⠀"Guys!" Scott snapped at them. "What do we do with him now?"

⠀⠀⠀"What do we need to do?" Rowan asked the three. "Are we wrapping him up and tucking him in, or are we beating the shit out of him and taking his lunch money?"

⠀⠀⠀"Um," Scott muttered. "Neither?"

⠀⠀⠀"We need to talk to Jackson," Willow told him, still blind to the situation.

⠀⠀⠀"Got it," Rowan stated. "Okay, hold on."

⠀⠀⠀Rowan walked away from them, his boots clicking against the gravel, and a car beeped not too far from them. Rowan opened the door to his car, dug around, shut it, and walked back. He tossed something to Scott.

⠀⠀⠀"Wrap him up. Did someone drive?" Rowan asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Stiles did," Willow stated, pointing back at him.

⠀⠀⠀"Go get your car, so no one has to see you guys carrying a passed-out kid in your arms," Rowan explained.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles hesitated, then removed his hand from Willow's eyes and ran for his Jeep. Willow glanced over at Scott and Jackson, seeing that Scott had done what Rowan told him.

⠀⠀⠀"Alright, when he gets back, you guys put him in the backseat," Rowan continued, his previous flirty, laid-back demeanor completely gone. "Willow and I will go get something secure to keep him in."

⠀⠀⠀Scott nodded his head, and Stiles pulled up with his Jeep. Willow helped Scott carry Jackson to the Jeep, Rowan opening the door and moving the seat so they could somehow maneuver him inside.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm going to talk to Danny and see if he knows anything first," Scott stated.

⠀⠀⠀"Good idea," Rowan nodded.

⠀⠀⠀Scott jogged away, and Stiles looked at Rowan through the rolled-down window with narrowed eyes.

⠀⠀⠀"You sound like you know a lot about this kind of thing," Stiles commented.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, babe, I know more than any of you kids think you do," Rowan stated with a smirk, avoiding answering, and turned to Willow and nodded his head. "Come on, we have a transport vehicle to steal."

"COULDN'T GET ANYTHING out of Danny," Scott stated, climbing into Stiles' Jeep.

⠀⠀⠀"Okay," Stiles nodded, looking over at the ambulance Scott had previously been talking to Danny and then the deputy car parked not too far from his own. "Can we just get the hell outta here now before one of my dad's deputies sees me?"

⠀⠀⠀Scott nodded, and the two turned forward to head out but were interrupted when the flashing lights of a police car started to shine red and blue onto their faces. Stiles' jaw dropped in surprise, eyes widening, then his hands began slamming against his steering wheel from frustration.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Could this get any worse? That was rhetorical," Stiles exclaimed.

⠀⠀⠀"Get rid of him," Scott hissed.

⠀⠀⠀"Get rid of him?" Stiles repeated back at him, annoyed. "We're at a crime scene, and he's the Sheriff!"

⠀⠀⠀"Do something," Scott continued.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles sighed but got out of the car. He approached his dad with a nervous smile, waving his hand while his dad scowled back.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey!"

⠀⠀⠀"What're you doing here?" Mr. Stilinski hissed back at him.

⠀⠀⠀"What do you mean what am I doing here?" Stiles asked, furrowing his brows in mock confusion. "What? It's a club. It's a club, we were clubbing, you know? At the club," he continued, pumping his fist as he turned to the Jeep for his dad to see Scott was with him this time.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles' dad looked back at the club then back at Stiles with a raised brow.

⠀⠀⠀"Not exactly your type of club," he commented.

⠀⠀⠀"Uh, well, dad... There's a conversation that we—"

⠀⠀⠀"You're not gay."

⠀⠀⠀"Wha—I could be!" Stiles exclaimed, a little hurt that his dad so quickly told himself.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles had already come out to Willow, and he supposed Dillon since he was the one he had made out with a few times. There was no relationship, just a little fling, but Stiles was willing to go further. However, Blair avoiding them had made it difficult for the two to see each other recently.

⠀⠀⠀Either way, maybe he wasn't ready to fully come out of the closet, but he thought that his dad would be a little more understanding of who he knew he was. Now, he worried from his comment that he didn't think so.

⠀⠀⠀"Not dressed like that," his dad stated, looking down at his son's clothes.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles followed his line of sight to the gray shirt and oversized striped hoodie. Stiles didn't see the issue but pushed that aside, looking back up at his dad and crossing his arms.

⠀⠀⠀"What about bi?" he asked.

⠀⠀⠀"That's the one Willow is, right?" his dad asked, the lines on his forehead becoming more prominent as he looked over his son once again.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles nodded, saying, "Yeah, you like guys and girls with a preference."

⠀⠀⠀His dad nodded his head, looked him over a third time, and thinned his lips, shrugging.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, I could see that."

⠀⠀⠀"Well, see, that's why we were here," Stiles said quickly, catching his dad before he could walk past him and go to his Jeep. "I was talking to Willow recently, and I explained that I think I might be bi, and she was really nice about it. I mean, I would think she would be. She's bi. So, she and Scott were like, why don't we go to a gay bar so you can see how you feel, and you know, I think it's true," Stiles rambled. Then he realized he was really talking about this with his dad and wasn't just using it as an excuse to get out of something.

⠀⠀⠀Well, he was, sort of, but not entirely.

⠀⠀⠀Stiles' dad narrowed his eyes further, taking a second to let it all in, then shook his head.

⠀⠀⠀"No."

⠀⠀⠀"That was kind of rude," Stiles said under his breath.

⠀⠀⠀His dad rolled his eyes.

⠀⠀⠀"That's not what I meant. We can talk about that later," his dad told him seriously, taking what he said to heart but moving past it because he knew his son. "But there's something else. This is the second crime scene that you just happened to have shown upon, and at this point, I've been fed so many lies I'm not sure I know the kid standing in front of me. Now, what the hell is going on?"

⠀⠀⠀"Dad, I-I—" Stiles stuttered, not sure what else to say.

⠀⠀⠀"The truth, Stiles."

⠀⠀⠀"The truth? All right..." Stiles muttered, flinging his hands out to his sides. "Well, the truth is we were also here with Danny. Yeah, because he just broke up with his boyfriend. So, you know, we were just trying to take him out and get his mind off things. That's-That's it."

⠀⠀⠀"Well," his dad said, nodding his head and seeming to finally accept what Stiles had to say. "That's really good of you guys. You're good friends."

⠀⠀⠀Stiles grinned, patting his dad on the arm, then backed away quickly while pointing at him. His dad could only shake his head. Stiles took his defeat, rushed back to his Jeep, and flew out of the crime scene before his dad changed his mind.

⠀⠀⠀"Can I ask you something?" Scott asked once they had been driving a few minutes down the road.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, man," Stiles sighed, knowing he had been listening.

⠀⠀⠀"Was it true?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah," Stiles stated, glancing over at him. "Yeah, I wasn't lying."

⠀⠀⠀Scott nodded, "Well, I'm proud of you, man."

⠀⠀⠀"Thanks," Stiles said, smiling genuinely at his best friend.

⠀⠀⠀"Next time you need to talk, know you can always come to me, too," Scott continued. "I'm not saying you should have told me first, but I'll never judge you."

⠀⠀⠀"I know that. It just hasn't been the time," Stiles explained, noting all the things that had been going on around them.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah," Scott sighed, looking out his window. "I know."

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

I love Rowan. He is my son and I love him so much, ugh.

SONG: Ain't It Fun by Paramore

Thank you for reading! Leave comments telling me your thoughts on this chapter, but however you interact, know that I really appreciate you reading. I hope you enjoy, and until the next one.