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.*･｡. WAITING FOR SUPERMAN .*･｡.
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014.
TEENAGE FUGITIVE.

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——

    "So— what exactly are we gonna say to Boyd, if we find him?"

Scott pursed his lips, glancing up at the ice rink from where they stood in front of his bike. He hadn't really had a chance to think about that part, not in depth anyway, but it was definitely going to be something along the lines of how awful Derek Hale was. Lois was usually quite good when it came to improvising in situations, and he was hoping that that, alongside her immense and burning hatred for Derek in general, would help them out.

"Everything."

    "Everything?" She echoed.

"...yeah."

Lois knew that he was bluffing. Really, Scott hadn't even spared a thought as to where they would start, too held up in the midsts of wanting to stop Boyd. She sighed, "You have no clue, do you?"

   He smiled sheepishly, "Not really."

"Luckily for you, McCall, I have a childhood rivalry with this kid." Lois informed as though he wasn't already aware. He always noticed her mild glare whenever Boyd passed them in the halls, which he often returned, and he had seen how she had snatched the keys to the ice rink from him.

"How is that good for me?" Scott asked with a frown, unsure of how or why that was useful. "No— how is that good for any of us?"

"Because that means I'm not gonna be scared to say anything hurtful to his face," She smiled genuinely, as though she were his saving grace, which she would be. "It makes me more honest — we have a mutual feud going on still, which means he'll know I wouldn't be trying to help him if it wasn't serious, right?"

For a minute, Scott thought about what she'd said, a small smile on his lips. Lois was probably was the smartest one out of the trio, definitely the smartest, and she always showed off her brain at the best of times. No one else would have thought about that type of logic, but she had. It was true; Boyd was likely to be more swayed by the girl whom he'd had tension with for years if she was genuinely telling him not to take Derek's offer. You don't usually help but the people that you hate, and for that reason perhaps the boy would listen. It was all well and good when Scott warned him, but the fact that Lois would be at his side was helpful leverage. Plus, she was right. She was incredibly honest — Lois Lane wouldn't lie to him, she would be sure to tell Boyd about everything.

Scott almost wished that he could have taken credit for the idea, but he couldn't. So, instead, he nodded.

"Stick with that and how much you hate Derek, and we'll hopefully be back by last period." He gave a confident nod, then made for the entrance of the ice rink.

He seemed to have a boost of confidence.

With a sigh, having a an awfully bad feeling about most of the current situation, Lois quickly followed behind him. It felt odd to be back in the rink so soon after the last time, and she couldn't help but secretly hope that Boyd wasn't there. The idea of seeing him there again, after so many years, sent chills down her spine.

Lois' dislike towards the boy had started in that very rink, and she didn't like how her stomach flipped at the memories. Was this what they meant about life coming full circle? She wasn't sure.

   Plus, it was freezing.

Did he have to be here?

    "Boyd?" Scott called out, already on his way to the ice while Lois hung back and looked around. She noticed the photo-booth where herself and Lydia had taken photos on the same day that they met, but Boyd had ripped them in half.

   She frowned at the memory — would it really be that bad if they let him take the bite? It might have been a bit drastic, and a bit bias, but all in all it had seemed like a good enough idea, to Lois. Maybe if they just left before they found him...

   Knowing that, deep down, she'd never really be able to live with herself if she let more innocent people die (and Scott would never speak to her again) Lois walked on, rolling her eyes.

   It wasn't long before she recognised the familiar sound of the zamboni, and Lois quickly snatched Scott's wrist in her hand and marched towards the rink. Boyd had been riding the zamboni for years on end, and the last time that Lois had checked, he hadn't managed to lose his job in just one day. Lois knew that it was him. So, she charged right onto the ice with Scott following very closely behind her.

   The tables had turned, and now Lois was the one eager to stop Boyd from making the biggest mistake of his life. She had simply wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, without letting anyone die, and she was the only one who knew exactly the route and rhythm that the zamboni would take; she had watched Boyd resurface the ice for years. Lois was the only one who really knew Boyd, she had grown up with him close by, and while she didn't like the boy much, she didn't want to let him die. The sooner that Scott and Lois stopped him, the sooner that they could get out of there and get back to normal.

   Her father would kill her for skipping school, again.

    "Boyd!" Lois eventually snapped. He always started from the left of the larger rink, then moved onto the smaller one. "Turn it off."

   When the boy only continued to move along the ice on his zamboni, Scott took a step forward. "Boyd, we just want to talk. Come on— please?"

   No response.

    "What are you? Six?" Lois scowled.

    "Did Derek tell you everything?" After sending her a frown for her tone, Scott asked again with a sigh passing his lips. His life as a werewolf hadn't been easy so fat, not even in the slightest. He didn't want Boyd to go through what he had to, not when it was only getting worse. "And, I don't just mean going out of control on full moons! I mean everything."

   It was then that Boyd switched off the zamboni and turned to face them, ignoring the sarcastic smile he received from Lois. He stared at Scott blankly look, though underneath it was curiosity.

    "He told me about the hunters."

   Lois scoffed, "What? And that's not enough for you to say no?"

    "Whatever you want, there's other ways to get it." Scott added on to the end of her words. She wasn't exactly the best when it came to emotional talks half the time, but he really needed her help, nonetheless. She was the best shot he had at this.

    "I just wanna not eat lunch alone, everyday." Boyd told them, glancing at Lois a little longer than he should have.

   Though, the brunette couldn't hide the shock that had laced her face. Boyd had wanted friends. That was all. It had made her chest ache — she never considered that he might have felt lonely, before. She felt quite stupid to have thought otherwise, having known that the boy never sat with anyone in the cafeteria, nor did he have anyone to sit with in classes, or in homeroom. Lois felt her cheeks grow warm. How didn't she realise? It was so obvious.

   Scott pursed his lips together, guilty as always.

And Lois glanced at him momentarily, worried that he would blame himself for that, too. Of course he would. This was Scott McCall, after all. He felt guilty for everything, even if he couldn't have done anything more.

    "If you're looking for friends, you can do a lot better than Derek." He eventually told the boy, and Lois nodded along in agreement. She hated Derek, too.

    "And a teenage fugitive." She added, cocking a hip.

    "Ouch— that really hurt, guys."

   Lois groaned and span on her heel, Scott mirroring her actions perfectly and as though they were in sync, they stared at Derek with sharp glares. On his left was Erica, who had looked vastly different to how she had the other morning during gym class on that climbing wall, and on his right was Isaac — the boy she really hadn't seen since she had nearly died in the station while trying to break him out.

   He looked different, too. A dark, leather jacket adorned his shoulders, matching the pair of skinny jeans and sneakers that finished his new look. Isaac Lahey had always been quiet and nerdy but now, the blonde boy looked like a new version of Derek Hale. His mirror image, almost. It caused Lois to wrinkle her nose.

   It oddly suited him. But, she would never say that aloud.

Especially not since she had called him a fugitive and he had heard.

    "I mean— if you're going to review me, at least maybe take a consensus." Derek mocked, noticing how Lois had eyed up Isaac before looking away. He smirked, "Erica, how's life been for you, since we met?"

   She hummed, "In a word...transformative."

   Lois rolled her eyes and glared a little harder when she growled at them, an action that only made Erica laugh.

   Now that she knew Lois wasn't scared of her, she almost looked foreword to it. In fact, Erica was pretty impressed. Most would run crying, considering they weren't supernatural in the slightest, but Lois Lane didn't. It meant that she could push the brunette to her limits, that she could test exactly how far she could go before Lois had snapped like a pencil in her hands. And Erica would enjoy it.

    "And, Isaac?"

    "Well, I'm a little bummed about being a fugitive—" he glanced pointedly at Lois, who cringed but let her fiery eyes stay. His lips twitched at her anger, "—but other than that, I'm pretty great."

"Okay, hold on—" Scott said, "This isn't exactly a fair fight."

Derek looked amused at his words. Two betas against one omega would be easy, especially when recognising the fact that Lois Lane couldn't be counted in the crossfire. She was just human, after all. If she got involved, then the fight would likely kill her.

"Then go home, Scott." He shrugged carelessly, hands in his pockets as his betas moved tauntingly towards the lone teenager.

Raising a brow at their movement, Scott held out an arm in front of Lois. She nodded her head slowly, her face fully blank but understanding his instructions, and inched herself back five steps. He, however, stood still and where he was. Her eyes never left the duo that had started to advance on them, and she knew that Scott wouldn't have let his leave them, either. They might not have been in this world of supernatural for long, but the pair had been in situations like this before — it wasn't new to them. Together, Lois and Scott knew what they were doing.

But for Erica and Isaac, it was.

Scott let out a low growl and crouched down, his clenched fist slamming into the ice beneath them and sending a ripple of cracks across the rink. His claws scraped against the floor and his head flew back up, eyes glowing a bright amber to match his fangs that were newly bared.

   Lois smirked at the wolves, "He meant fair for them." 

It was only seconds before Isaac's body was sent flying into the side of the rink. Erica tried to tackle Scott but he shoved her away with ease, waiting for the boy to try and fight him once again. Lois watched as Isaac shoved her friend into the side of the zamboni and punctured his chest with his claws, making herself and Boyd jump back in shock, but she was smart — Lois knew that Scott would be alright, and he would heal faster than they could blink.

   She cringed when Scott was thrown across the ice like a rag doll, his knees sliding against the cold surface, but he pulled himself to a stop. He tackled Isaac with a growl and tossed Erica off his back.

   It was a move that Lois would have scoffed at, had it been a better time. Had Derek not even taught them how to fight?

She had better moves, and she was human.

With a final to kick to Isaac's face and confirming that the two betas were down for good, Scott breathed heavily. He really hadn't wanted to hurt them, but he had needed to.

"Don't you get it?" He spoke out to them desperately, holding his bleeding side but not caring about the injury as much as he would have done if he were human. Scott sighed, "He's not doing this for you. He's just adding to his own power, okay? It's all about him—!"

"He makes you feel like he's giving you some kind of gift—" Lois piped up, "—when all he's really done is turn you into a bunch of rabid, guard dogs!"

"It's true..."

Derek laughed lightly, "...it is about power, Scott."

   He walked towards the omega, eyes glowing a dangerous shade of red, one that made Lois uneasy. She hadn't seen his eyes since he'd become an alpha — not other than the night he murdered Peter Hale and stole his title. The man threw his fist down to his side and unleashed his set of claws, his head snapping in each and every direction as he turned. Derek's fangs poked out from the rows of his teeth and he hissed a growl. It made even Scott's body shake from inside and out. That was it; Derek was an alpha now, and he wasn't going to be as easy to take on as his betas were.

   At least, that's what Lois gathered.

But Derek had head-butted Scott and sent the teenage boy back into a heap upon the ice rink, before she could process it.

   Scott staggered up slowly, only to be swiped with claws and cut across the chest. Derek proceeded to strike the boy across the face once, twice, and a third time. Before he could have made a fourth, Scott fell to the ground in a pile of limbs and blood, wheezing and groaning from the pain he felt. Lois resisted the urge to squeeze her eyes shut and continued to look, not wanting to let her best friend die all because she hadn't been able to watch.

   When Derek pressed his foot against Scott's neck and the boy had started to turn a vibrant purple, Lois found herself launching at the alpha and shoving him back. He seemed confused but it hadn't lasted for too long, because Lois' fist had hit his cheek with a loud crack!

    "Back off, Derek!" She had snapped, listening to Scott cough up blood by her feet. She cringed and turned back to the man with a crippling glare, "What is wrong with you?"

   Lois then peered behind Derek and to his betas. Scoffing, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at them as though they were insane — which, they were. "You think this is a game? Any of this?" There was nothing in response, and the girl shook her head as she spoke, "Well, congratulations!" Her gaze travelled to Boyd, recognising the fear upon his face because she had felt it, too.

    "You've just won at ruining your lives, forever—!"

   Isaac and Erica frowned, choosing to brush off her words.

Instead they stared between her and their alpha, wondering why Derek hadn't taken his chance to rip her to pieces. How hadn't he?

   But Derek simply cracked his jaw and observed Lois. She was powerful. More than he had ever really estimated. In fact, he had always underestimated Lois Lane — he had known that she was a spitfire and highly strung, but he hadn't expected her to punch him. Even worse, he hadn't ever expected it to hurt.

   Derek Hale has clearly underestimated Lois Lane. He'd briefly contemplated offering the bite, but she had rejected the offer from Peter while he was still alive. While he had never really understood why she had turned it down back then, now he did.

   Lois hadn't needed the bite because she was already powerful.

It was just that no one really knew it.

   The girl bent down to Scott's side and helped him sit up, wiping at the blood upon his cheeks with the sleeves of her shirt. They would be stained but she didn't care. Throwing away the shirt was going to suffice, even if she did love it. Lois turned in time to watch Derek and his puppies walk away and scowled when Boyd jumped off the zamboni to join them. Although, he didn't follow them before looking down at Scott first. She noticed him cringe.

    "Don't—" Scott wheezed, "You don't want to be like them."

    "You're right." Boyd nodded his head, and for a split second, Lois thought that they had gotten through to him. She thought that he had changed his mind, until he lifted up his hoodie and showed them the bite.

    "Boyd..."she shook her head, "You've made a mistake."

   He stared at the pretty brunette, the gaze lingering for all of a moment, but he directed his eyes away when his heart lurched in his chest. She looked disappointed, but then again — Boyd had never seen her look at him in any other away. Lois didn't like him, and she never would. Then again, he had never given the impression that he liked her. She'd never understand why he was doing this, and Boyd never planned on telling her. He wondered if she already knew, though he decided otherwise. She didn't know yet, and Lois didn't need to know — not when he had already made his decision, and it still hadn't changed anything.

   She didn't need to know.

   He looked at Scott one last time, "I want to be like you."

   And with that, Boyd was gone.

• • •

"Oh my— ew! Scott, this is—"

"Don't gag at it! I think I'm gonna be sick—!"

"If you're sick, I'll be sick!"

"Am I going to die?" Scott paled, "Wait— probably not."

   Lois gagged as she surveyed his wound, not liking how she could see the muscle tissue moving instead of seeing his skin. It looked nasty, and it was times like these that she wished her aunt had never been a doctor. Due to the career choice, Lois had been given the job of patching her best friend up when things went wrong.

   Luckily, Scott tended to heal before she even got the chance to take a look at it. But not this time.

    "Why aren't you healing?" She accused, even though there was nothing to be accused of, and stood up from where she had been knelt in front of him. "I'm pretty sure I can see bones, Scott!"

   Feeling faint, he shuffled on his feet awkwardly and continued to push through the door of the vets, having used his spare key to get them in. Scott's face flushed at the thought of bone and he quickly shook his head in attempt to rid the idea, as well as his stomach of the queasy feeling. It was churning, and he wondered whether it would heel when the cut was so deep. The last thing that they had needed was for him to pass out and get concussed; then, they'd be in real trouble, which they certainly didn't have the time for, right now. Scott paused, could werewolves even get concussions?

The pair hadn't been successful in making it back to school. In fact, they hadn't even gotten close. There was no way that they'd be able to sneak Scott in while he was still bleeding out. So, Lois and Scott had had to resort to their Plan B: patching him up in the vets and hoping that their parents wouldn't kill them for skipping, again. It wouldn't have been the first time that they skipped out.

Lois had tried to contact Stiles and Luna to see what might have happened to them amidst the chaos, and to let them know Boyd had already made his decision, but neither of them had answered their calls.

The lack of response hadn't instilled much hope into Scott and Lois, but they could only pray that their friends weren't dead.

That, and make sure that Scott didn't die, too.

"I don't know," he sighed, "I should be healing, not bleeding."

"It's because it's from an alpha."

A scream passed Lois' lips until Scott pushed a hand over her mouth. They both stared at Deaton incredulously, wondering how neither of them had noticed that his boss had been stood there all along. It scared Lois even more that he had mentioned the alpha, as thought it hadn't been an absurd concept. Scott had just been outed as a werewolf, and it was like Deaton already knew. How in the hell had he known?

He glanced between the pair and sighed, "I think— maybe, we better have that talk, now."

Glancing between the man and her friend blankly, unsure of what that talk had referred to, Lois couldn't help but entertain the possibilities of hitting Derek and he had killed her, there and then. Perhaps all of this was a dream that she would wake up from, or maybe she was dead and in hell.

   Deaton quickly ushered Scott over to a table and told him to lift his shirt, exposing the wound on his side. He did as his boss told him to — probably not wanting to risk getting fired — and Lois could only follow after them, lamely. She watched skeptically as the veterinarian poured a clear liquid only a gauze, still unnerved by the fact that the man had acted so normal about the wound on his employees' side. Honestly, she didn't understand how he had even known about the alpha, but it didn't really seem like the right time for her to ask.

    "They're coming back, so we don't have much time to talk." Deaton said as he went to put the gauze on Scott's size, only for the boy to back away hesitantly.

    "What is that?" He queried, unsure.

    "Rubbing alcohol." Deaton explained. It was a response that neither teenager had expected, but one that made sense when they thought about it. He lifted an eyebrow at the boy that worked for him, "You don't want it to get infected, do you?"

   Scott shook his head, unable to do much else.

    "Lois, hold this." She was instructed by Deaton and she didn't question i, placing her shaky hands over the gauze while he taped it down. Deaton noticed her tremors but didn't make a point of recognising them — he was aware of how overwhelmed the two of them must have been. "You'll heal the same; just not as quickly, because of Derek. It's a strike from an alpha,"

   He nodded and then frowned, staring at his boss in much confusion, "Okay— but, how do you know all this?" For a second, Scott forgot where they were. "Actually, how'd you know anything?"

    "It's a long story," the man inspected his wound for the final time to assure the gauze was secure, "What I can tell you, is that I know about your kind. Your kind? I can help..." He glanced at the body upon the table that they had tried not to mention, "This? This is something different."

   Lois wondered how she hadn't even noticed the dead corpse that laid in the middle of the room, centre to any place she would have been stood. The girl decided to blame it on the fact that her best friend had nearly been killed by Derek Hale, once again, and that his boss somehow knew about the supernatural world going on around them. Admittedly, that was more than enough to throw anyone's mind off-kilter. She thought she'd stick with it.

   All in all, it was a good theory.

    "Well— do you know what did it?" Scott glanced at the clawed chest for a moment before looking away.

A chill travelling down his spine when he came to realise that another innocent person had died — another one. He felt sick.

    "No..." Deaton sighed, "But the Argents will."

   Lois huffed, folding her arms over her chest and hugging herself.

"Why do they always come back into it?"

    "And this is the crucial part—" Lips pursed tightly, Deaton took a second glance between Scott and Lois with quite a serious look brewing on his face as he spoke up, once again. Something told the brunette girl that whatever it was that they were about to find out, she wouldn't want to hear it. "—they'll have a record, or book. It'll have descriptions, histories, notations; of all the things they've discovered."

    "All the things?" Scott echoed, "How many different things are there?"

   Deaton didn't have the spare time to respond as a car horn sounded from outside of the vets, the three staring at one another in alarm. He knew exactly who it was.

——

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