𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄
𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓, 𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓?
☽𓋼𓍊𓋼☾

Lyla quickly rushed into the Argent's apartment, anxiety high at the news of Stiles breaking out of Eichen House, said spastic boy officially missing. She heaved, stumbling into Chris' office, "Sorry I'm late. I was at the hospital to see Isaac." Allison nodded, Lyla smiling weakly up at the Sheriff; him, Allison, Derek and Chris surrounding the desk.

"What's the plan here?" Stilinski asked as Allison picked up an empty bag to gather the non-lethal looking ropes, stun guns and smoke bombs. Lyla stepped between Allison and Stilinki, reaching out and gathering some of the items to help Allison.

"Our best shot right now is for Derek to pick up Stiles' scent at Eichen house. Especially if he went through something stressful there."

"Should all five of us be going to the same place?" Stilinski squinted over at Chris, who shook his head, "Where else has Stiles been showing up?" Allison inhaled deeply, "School, the hospital." Derek shook his head, "Okay, hold on. We did this already. He disappeared; we started looking for him. Then walked right into a trap at the hospital." Lyla frowned, staring down at the weapons intently, "He's getting us to repeat the same moves." She muttered.

"So, what do we do? Wait for him to come to us?" Allison questioned, looking over at Derek. "We can't. Not if the Oni find him when the sun goes down." Stilinski nodded, placing his hand against the desk, "Scott's working on them right now with Kira."

"That's the problem." Chris mumbled, looking over at the four, "We're trying to outfox the fox." The group fell silent, each of their pounding hearts loud in Lylas ears.

"Listen." The Sheriff spoke up, "I'll understand if anyone wants to back out." They fell silent once again, before Derek shook his head and leaned down against the desk, "I'm not gonna be the first wolf to run from a fox." Lyla nodded in agreement, "And I'm not giving up on Stiles."

The group began gathering the weapons again, Chris huffing, "And apparently I'm carrying the lightsaber." He held up the large electric taser. Allison looked over at Derek, "Dad, you and Derek hit Eichen House, Sheriff, it's you and me at the hospital, and Lyla, you'll do the school and then the four of us will meet you there." She yanked the bag over her shoulder, Lyla nodding in agreement with the plan and following Allison into the hallway and out the front door.

𓋼

Lyla nervously walked through the empty school, boot heels clicking against the tiles as she made her way to the basement; where Scott and the twins found him the second time he went missing. Recently, she had been trying to imagine her life if Jo never moved them here. What she'd be doing right now, if she would've made friends anywhere else they went.

She knew for a fact she probably wouldn't be running through an empty high school on a Saturday to find her friend that was possessed by an ancient evil fox spirit wanting to kill them all.

She swung the basement door open, swallowing thickly before stepping down them quickly. The basement was dark, illuminated only by the small, dim overhead lights and red emergency lights.

"Hello?" She stuttered, her voice echoing against the walls before disappearing into the darkness. She wandered deeper into the basement, electrical equipment buzzing loudly around her.

She had made it almost all the way around the basement when her phone rang loudly, taking the girl off guard. A scream escaped her throat, clutching her stomach in fear before yanking her phone from her pocket.

"Did you find him?" Allison sighed on the other end, "Not...necessarily. He's at his house. We're on our way now, meet us."

"Got it."

Lyla slipped her phone back in her pocket and happily ran out of the eerie basement, letting the door slam behind her.  She rushed to her bike, starting the machine before swinging it around and darting in the direction of Stiles' house. When she arrived, the Sheriff's truck and Argent's car was parked outside, alongside Stiles' jeep.

She quickly stepped inside the house, looking around for the group, before her ears perked up at noise from upstairs. Sighing, she jogged up the stairs and into Stiles' room, where Stilinski, Argent, Allison and Derek were huddled around each other, more specifically, Stiles' chess board.

"What are these sticky notes for?" Argent asked as Lyla rounded the group and stepped between Argent and Stilinski. She frowned, curiously glaring down at his chess board, the pieces covered in different colored sticky notes with all of their names on it. Lyla bit the inside of her cheek, eyes landing on one of the knights, where her name was scribbled across the purple sticky tab. "This is what Stiles used to try and explain to me about all of..." Stilinski looked up, looking between Derek and Lyla and the Argents, "You."

"Well, maybe it's a message from Stiles. The real Stiles." Allison spoke, looking up at the Sheriff. Lyla reached out to graze her finger on top of Derek's sticky note, "Or a warning from the nogitsune." Lyla added, glancing up at Allison.

Lyla looked over at Argent as he reached in front of her and grabbed a knocked over pawn that was off the board, looking down at the sticky note labeled Isaac. "You think there's any reason my name's on the king?"

"Well, you're heavily guarded. Though I guess that the alarming detail is that you're one move from being in checkmate." Stilinski looked up at Derek with concern. "Lyla's right." Argent broke the silence, the blonde looking up at him curiously, "It's not a message from Stiles...It's a threat from the nogitsune."

Allison perked up, "He's at the loft. That's what he's trying to tell us." Argent nodded in agreement with his daughter, peering up at the Sheriff through his lashes. "And he wants us to come there."

"Nights falling." Derek muttered, not peeling his eyes from the chessboard. Argent looked between Stilinski and Derek, "This couldn't sound any more like a trap." Lyla sucked in a deep breath, Stilinski shaking his head, "I don't think it is."

"I think your opinion might be slightly biased, Sheriff." Stilinski stuttered at Argent, sticking out a shaky hand, "Hear me out. What we're dealing with here is basically someone who lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason."

"Meaning what?"

Stilinski's voice softened, "We're not dealing with a killer. It's a trickster. The killing is a just by-product." Lyla inhaled, looking up at Stilinski as Derek spoke up again. "If you're trying to say it won't kill us, I'm not feeling too confident about that."

"It won't," Stilinski shook his head, "It wants irony. I-It wants to play a trick. It wants a joke. All we need to do...is come up with a new punch line." Lyla furrowed her brows, looking back down at the chessboard as Argent glanced from the setting sun out the window to the Sheriff, "The sun is setting, Sheriff. What do you have in mind?"

𓋼

Lyla inhaled shakily, looking over as Sheriff slid the loft door open, her, Allison, Derek and Argent standing quietly to the side and out of sight. She was unsure of what she'd see in there. Would it be Stiles? Would it be a semblance of the boy she knew? Would she see the same void, the same darkness in his eyes that she did the night at the animal clinic?

"Hi, dad." She heard his voice from inside the loft, thumb picking at the skin of her pinky, other hand nervously turning the ring on her finger around the digit. She watched as the Sheriff reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, metal clinking against itself loudly in the silent apartment floor. "You want to handcuff me?"

She watched the Sheriff move into the loft, out of her eyesight. Nervously, she glanced over at Allison, who's eyes were closed and head tilted up towards the ceiling. "If my son is still here, if there's still a part of him standing here in front of me, then he'll put these on willingly, and he'll come with me. Because he knows I'm here to protect him. From himself, and from others."

She listened to the silence in the loft, before the handcuffs clicking closed echoed into her ears. "You're not my son." Then the sounds of the handcuffs breaking, Lyla looking over at Argent as he nodded, the four of them quickly stepping into view of the loft. Lyla watched with a lump in her throat as Stiles chuckled, looking between each of them as they surrounded him. Derek curved to his left, Allison to his right and Argent next to Stilinski, while Lyla moved so she was next to Allison but behind Stiles.

Allison raised her stun gun, pressing the trigger, two strings of blue electricity escaping it. The electricity was loud as it shot at Stiles, the boy catching it and stretching it out in front of him, effectively breaking the stun gun. Lyla's eyes widened and heart beat quickened as he tossed the gun behind him, the broken weapon sliding across the floor next to her feet.

Derek growled, baring his teeth at Stiles and lunging at him. Lyla held back her yelp as Stiles grabbed Derek by the arm, bending it backwards to illicit a cry of pain from Derek. Stiles slammed Derek's head into the table between Lyla and Allison, before grabbing him by the shirt and throwing him across the room. Lyla stepped forward, breathing shaky as she grabbed him by the shoulder. Stiles spun to look at her, dark eyes squinting at her before grabbing her by the arms. She cried out at the strength of his grip, eyes widening as he spun her around, arms bent behind her unnaturally before throwing her against the brick wall.

She groaned in pain, head aching and vision blurry as she leaned up on her elbows to watch. Argent pointed his gun at Stiles, loading it with a click as Stiles turned to look at him. The room fell quiet, Lyla's stomach dropping as Stilinski held a hand up to Argent, "Argent, listen to me, don't do this."

"Why not?" Lyla tuned into the hunters quick heartbeat, the man obviously not wanting to shoot the innocent boy in front of him. "I've done it before? Werewolves, berserkers. I can easily add a nogitsune to the list." Lyla stood to her feet slowly, not wanting to draw attention to herself as she leaned back against the brick pillar. Sheriff raised his gun towards Argent, cocking it with quick finger.

"You're not going to shoot my son." Argent looked between Stiles and the Sheriff, "You said it yourself, Sheriff. That's not your son." Stiles tilted his head at him, Lyla's eyes locked on the side of Stiles' pale face. "Put it down." Stilinski warned, neither men lowering their weapons. "Put it down!"

"Dad, he's going to shoot me." Lylas face fell at the boys quivering and soft voice, watching from the side as his eyes began to glisten with tears. Tears she couldn't tell were real or fake. "He's going to kill me, dad."

"Don't listen." Argent mumbled, Stilinski shaking his head and keeping his gun raised at Argent's head, "Put it down. Now! Do it! Put it down!" Stiles tilted his head at Argent, his face darkening as a smile almost tugged at the corners of his lips. "Pull the trigger. Come on."

"Listen to me, you put the gun down, now!" Sheriff shouted, Lyla swallowing the lump in her throat, "Argent, put it down!" Her cries were drowned out by the Sheriffs shouts, Argents face falling at Stiles' words, "Shoot me."

"Put the gun down now!"

"Dad!" Allison shouted, her please being lost by the mans shouts as well. "Shoot me!" Stiles shouted, Lyla jumping in shock as the Sheriff continued yelling at Argent and Stiles' antagonizing. "Argent you put it down!"

"Strife." Allison whispered, pulling Lyla's feared attention to the brunette as the once sunset lit loft turned dark, nothing but the moonlight shining through the window giving it light. "Stop it! Stop it, this is exactly what he wants!" Allison cried out over Stilinski's shouts, the man quieting down to look over at her. "Not exactly." Stiles muttered, soft voice gone and replaced by a gravely tone. Lyla moved over to Allison protectively, Stiles' eyes glancing over at her, "I was kind of hoping Scott would be here. But I'm glad you all have your guns out,. Because you're not here to kill me." Stiles turned around to face the window, Lyla's eyes following his as the Oni appeared in the loft.

"You're here to protect me." Stiles stepped behind Argent and Stilinski, the Oni pulling out their swords and flinging them around in sync. Argent's gun clicked with an empty magazine, Stilinski pointing his gun at the Oni while Argent pulled another gun out. The two men began shooting, Lyla and Allison stepping back as the gunshots rang loudly through the loft and going directly through the Oni.

Three of them disappeared, Lyla spinning her head around nervously as they appeared behind Stiles. Lyla rushed forwards, stepping in front of Stiles with glowing blue eyes and claw's extracted, Allison stepping to her left with her dagger and Derek appearing at her left.

The Oni swung their swords around, before each of them charged at them. Derek roared at one, grabbing it and tossing it to the side while another ran towards Allison. Lyla didn't have time to think about them as an Oni rushed towards her, swinging its sword at her throat. Lyla turned her body, dodging the sword and reaching out to grab it by the arm. She growled, yanking the Oni forward before throwing it back. It landed on one knee, looking up at her and flinging the sword around, almost slicing the side of Lyla's arm.

The Oni left her no time to defend herself before jumping towards her. Before it could attack, the Oni had disappeared into a puff of smoke. She quickly spun around and looked back at the others, Argent and Stilinski checking each other for injuries and Allison panting heavily, Derek down on the floor. And Stiles nowhere in sight. Lyla exhaled in exhaustion, walking over to Derek and bending down to check on him, Argent mirroring her. His shoulder had been sliced open. "You okay?" She mumbled, wincing at his now bloodied white sleeve.

"Yeah, are you?" He muttered, gripping his arm tightly. She nodded, ears perking up at the sound of footsteps. She spun her head back, Argent and Stilinski raising their guns when Scott and Kira rounded the corner. The each released a breath of relief, the men dropping their guns and Lyla's shoulders slumping.

"What happened?" Scott's voice was stern as he looked around at the defeated group. "They disappeared." Allison panted, Scott and Kira moving further into the loft, "They literally just vanished."

Sheriff breathed heavily, "And so did Stiles."

𓋼

Lyla huffed as she turned the handle of her front door, staring down at her phone as she removed the key from the lock and stepped inside the dark house. Locking the door behind her, she quickly typed out and sent the text to Jo, letting her know she was home. Heavily exhaling, Lyla tossed her keys into the bowl by the door and kicked off her shoes, leaving them by the door and entering the dark kitchen.

She yanked the fridge open and pulled out a bottle of water, leaving the fridge door open to keep the kitchen illuminated while she chugged the cold water. It felt good in her stomach, refreshing after such an exhausting day.

"Fuck me." She whispered, tossing the empty bottle in the trash and closing the fridge door, flooding the room back into darkness. She dragged her feet to the stairs in exhaustion, heaving herself up the steps, silently daydreaming about her bed. As she approached her room, she made a mental note to go and check on Isaac first thing in the morning, too exhausted to go anywhere at this time of night.

She gasped as she opened her bedroom door, senses jumping into overdrive at the figure on her bed. "Isaac?"

The boy didn't move, just staring intently at the 1975 band poster stuck to her wall. "Isaac?" She frowned in worry, closing her bedroom door and dropping her bag to the floor, rushing to his side, "Isaac—why are you out of the hospital?" She worried, stepping in front of him and bending down to examine his now healed face. She sighed, relief taking over the worry at the sight of his face, black electrical burns and raw skin now healed, revealing his smooth, freckled skin. His eyes drifted from the poster to her face, reaching out a hand and softly brushing the backs of his fingers across her cheek, "I wanted to see you."

She furrowed her brows, gently holding his knees as she rested her butt against the heels of her feet, "Did you just walk out of the hospital?" He smiled, blue eyes staring down at her, "It's okay. I feel a lot better." She reached up and cupped his cheek, a small smile taking over as she looked up at him. "All healed."

Lyla nodded, "I missed you." She whispered, rubbing her thumb over his cheekbone slowly. "C'mere." He whispered under his breath, wrapping a soft hand around her arm and bringing her up to him, pressing his lips against hers. She sighed against him, realizing just how much she had really missed him over the past few days. She had missed his lingering glances, his snarky comments, the soft kisses.

She smiled against his lips as he pulled her onto his lap, hands slowly reaching up to peel her jacket from her shoulders. Isaac pulled away from her, eyes flicking over her features before moving a hand up to tilt her neck back. He leaned in, pressing kisses against her throat, an almost inaudible moan leaving her lips as she closed her eyes.

He continued the kisses, slowly moving up her throat as his hands fiddled with the bottom of her shirt. She smiled, pulling her hands from his shoulders and reaching down to pull the grey fabric from her body to reveal the white bra underneath. He swallowed thickly, glancing down at the silky material, before looking back up at her through his lashes.

"I think I'm falling in love with you." He whispered through a heavy breath, Lyla's breathing catching in her throat as she stared down at him, "What?" He smiled tiredly and nodded slightly, "Yeah." She smiled, eyes searching his blue ones for any sense of hesitation. She was definitely falling in love with him, no matter how much she wanted to deny it. They had only been together a few months, but she knew she felt it, she knew that she did. When she detected no hint of hesitation, she reached out to grasp his neck, "I think I'm falling in love with you too."

Isaac smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist and slowly lifting her up, turning around to drop her on to the bed. She watched through hooded eyes as he bent down over her, attaching his lips to hers with fervor. Her hands grasped at the bottom of his shirt eagerly, eyes opening as he pulled away, allowing her to peel it off him. She sighed happily, hands splayed out across his bare chest as he reached down to unbutton her jeans, "Are you sure?" He whispered, leaning down to press a kiss against her stomach. Oh, she was so sure. So, so sure. She nodded, cheeks flushing a deep shade of pink as he trailed kisses from her stomach and up between her bra covered chest.

"I'm sure."