Chapter Text
Disclaimer: Teen wolf does not belong to me in any way shape or form.
"Uh… kids?"
She took a few seconds to peel her tired and groggy eyes open, the confused and slightly alarmed voice cutting through her well-needed sleep. Stiles' room, and the boy himself, slowly coming into focus. The latter still sound asleep, his head turned into the pillow.
Lifting a hand, she rubbed her eyes and turned over onto her back, stretching away her bleariness only to spot the Sheriff hovering over the threshold of the bedroom door, a perplexed – if not a little mortified – expression twisting his face.
"Oh… morning Sheriff" she greeted, pushing herself to sit up, "how was work?"
He seemed confused by the initiation of a semi-normal conversation with his son's girlfriend who was currently in said son's bed, giving his head a small shake.
"Y'know… it was… somewhere I should've stayed," he said in dread before muttering under his breath "I really need to learn to knock".
"Why?" she asked, her head tilting to the side in wondering.
He chose not to reply – or maybe he couldn't – and instead just waved his hand out towards them, the clear response being something along the lines of 'private bedroom activities'.
"We didn't have sex" she reassured the half-disturbed, half- embarrassed father, "if we had, the bed would probably be broken".
His mouth popped open in surprise, still taken aback by her blunt ways.
"T-Thanks for the… the heads up?"
"Stiles just, uh… he didn't want me to be alone. That's all" she added, glancing down at his peaceful sleeping form, completely dead to the world. "Me and my mom are still at odds and he wouldn't let me go back to my crappy motel room, so…"
The sheriff's gaze softened at that, his sympathy for her chasing away the awkwardness he felt. His exhausted, crinkled eyes suddenly turned fatherly and warm, taking her under his wing.
"How about I make you breakfast?" he offered, "do pancakes sound okay?"
If someone had told her a few months ago that she would be dating the Sheriff's son and that very same Sheriff was offering her a meal under his roof, she wouldn't have believed it.
Her and authority were like laxatives and one-ply toilet paper… a disaster waiting to happen.
"Sure" she smiled, swinging her legs from the bed and standing up, but he soon deliberately looked the other way, his face reverting back to mortification again.
"Just, uh…" he mumbled, "wear pants".
She didn't know what he meant until she glanced down, realising just how short Stiles' tee was on her, barely skimming the tops of her thighs and leaving very little to the imagination.
"Right" she acknowledged, "good idea".
"Meet me in the kitchen" he said, turning around, "and leave sleeping beauty to his slumber".
She snickered to herself, noticing Stiles was still out of it, lightly drooling on the pillow and he mumbled something about Reese's and turned the other way. He needed his sleep; the weekend having been a stressful one.
As quietly as she could, she tiptoed from the room, heading to the bathroom where she grabbed the black jogging bottoms Stiles had given her, pulling them up to her waist and overturning the band. She took a couple minutes to brush her teeth and run her hands through her hair that had dried wavy, throwing it up into a messy bun on the top of her head.
When she skipped down the stairs, all she had to do was follow the wafting aroma of sweetness and found the Sheriff, still dressed in uniform, by the stove, pouring pancake mix into the pan.
He smiled at her, breathing a sigh of relief at her fully dressed. "Is blueberry pancakes okay? Stiles' mom always used to make them for him. It's just become a habit".
She melted a little at that antidote, walking up to him and nodding. "Yeah, sounds great".
She watched as he flipped the couple that were in the pan, the oddly shaped blobs packed full of melting and bursting blueberries.
"Are things still bad at home?" he asked, "because if you need a place to stay…"
She could tell he felt a little awkward offering that, knowing what he was probably accidentally insinuating, but he simply cleared his throat and looked back down at the pan.
"Things are always bad at home" she chuckled, trying to be funny and play it off, but it still made him frown, "but it's okay. I'm used to it".
"You have a difficult relationship with your mom" he stated, not questioning. His observation skills spot on.
"Difficult is a bit of an understatement, but yeah. We don't really get along, especially after last year".
He knew what she referring to… her crazy and irrational behaviour as a result of her stifling grief.
"My dad was sort of the referee" she continued with a snort, "now he's gone, well… we don't have anyone to force us to wave the white flags anymore".
"It sounds like your mom hasn't processed her grief" he suggested, "when we lose someone… it changes us".
His words were hauntingly familiar to his own situation. Still saddened and affected by his wife's demise.
"Yeah, it does. Hence why I'm now such a ray of sunshine" she quipped sarcastically, smiling to prove she was being playful, "but it's alright. Another year and a half till I turn eighteen and then I'm out of her hair for good. I'm sure she's counting down the days".
The Sheriff chortled, "the day Stiles leaves for college is the day I finally get some peace and quiet".
"Good luck with that. I don't think it's possible for Stiles to give anyone peace and quiet".
He laughed, nodding in agreement with her, plating up a couple of the pancakes before pouring some more mixture into the pan, making it sizzle.
"Kayla…" he sighed, scratching his chin, "I'm sorry it took so long for us to find out who caused the fire. It shouldn't have taken six years. Your family must have been going through hell".
She knew, sooner or later, this would get brought up. Already having been braced for his words.
"It's not your fault" she reassured, "Kate covered her tracks well".
"Deep down I knew it couldn't have been an electrical fault. It was too neat, too precise, you know? And, as far as we knew, there was no connection between your family and her".
Oh… if only he knew.
"She was a psycho" she muttered, "psychos don't need a reason".
"Are you sure there was no overlap between your families? Some sort of history?"
He seemed visibly pained that he couldn't understand why Kate did what she did, clearly yearning for answers to come to terms with Beacon Hills's worst tragedy.
"Not that I know of" she said, keeping her voice steady as she lied smoothly. Maybe one day he would know the truth, but today wasn't to be that day. Not when he had so much on his plate already.
"You'd never seen Kate before?"
"Not that I can remember".
He shook his head, still perplexed by all his unanswered questions as he flipped the remaining two pancakes out the pan and grabbed the two plates, nodding to a rickety old wooden table.
"Take a seat. Do you like maple syrup? Or chocolate or toffee sauce?"
"Chocolate, please".
He obliged, grabbing the bottle from the cupboard before joining her at the table, sitting opposite her. His expression was kind and generous but tired nonetheless. He had probably had less sleep than her this whole weekend, of course he would be exhausted.
"Sorry Kayla. I didn't mean to bombard you with questions so soon. This must be incredibly difficult for you".
It was, just not in the way he thought. Although she felt relief that her family finally got justice, it was distressing to know – to see – the kind of horrors they went through as they fought for their lives.
"Honestly? I'm used to it" she shrugged, picking up her fork and stabbing into the pancakes because, let's face it, she kind of was used to it. Grief was a constant state for her. It wasn't anything new.
"They haven't found the people that hurt your dad and brother".
Again, it wasn't a question. More of a statement.
"Murdered them" she mumbled, "and no, they haven't. But the cops back home don't really care. It just got swept under the rug and blamed on a robbery gone wrong".
The smoke screen for her family getting hunted down… a burglary gone tits up. That's what her family had been reduced to, never mind the disaster of a slow response from the local police.
"Yeah… I read the file" he admitted, although she suspected as much. He was the Sheriff after all, and he needed to know as much of the picture as possible, especially considering that within six years, her family had been targeted twice. "You were lucky to get out alive".
"Lucky…" she mused, not really feeling all that lucky since.
"Could Kate have had something to do with their deaths as well?"
She had thought about that, but it seemed too perfect. Like, after all this time, her family's deaths were explained and wrapped up with a little ribbon. If Kate had done it, she would've taken great pride in the fact she had. She would have been dancing and laughing with glee. She had already admitted to ten murders, what was two more to add to the list?
"I don't think so" she shook her head, "the MO's are too different".
"You mean the-the teeth?"
She blinked in surprise, taken aback by his statement. Clearly, he had read the reports in depth.
"Yeah" she mumbled, "they took their… their teeth".
"Their canines".
She hadn't told anyone about that – about how, when her family were being brutally murdered, they got mutilated and violated, too. Their canines, which had lengthened and sharpened due to being forced to turn from the electrical shocks, were torn from their mouth with pliers. Like some sort of sick keepsake.
"That doesn't sound like a robbery to me" the sheriff acknowledged sadly, "especially because nothing was taken".
"My family's lives were taken. They took my family from me. The reason doesn't matter because they're still gone and they're not coming back".
"I think they may be connected. The fire, and the murders" the Sheriff admitted, "in what way, I don't know. But something feels off to me, and I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't follow my gut".
"You want to look into my dad and brother's deaths?" she asked in surprise, wondering why he cared. It wasn't that long ago she was banging on every police station in Louisiana, demanding they do their jobs and find out who killed her family – yet nothing came from it. Written off as a home invasion with casualties. The suspects in the wind.
"… I already have" he admitted, "I requested all files and evidence be sent over as soon as possible. They were reluctant, but I can be quite persuasive".
She knew the deaths were connected – the connection being that they were werewolves, but unlike her family in Beacon Hills, she didn't know who brutally took the lives of her dad and brother. The unknown hovering over her head like a grey cloud.
Despite the impact her family had on their community in Louisiana, their deaths were brushed aside. The evidence probably corrupted. The police knew they were out of their depth with something so serious, so instead of admitting that and getting help from someone like the FBI, they rushed to explain it away and rid their hands of it.
That was one of the many reasons she struggled back home. Unable to convince them to get her family the justice they deserved.
Maybe the Sheriff would have better luck.
Maybe she would finally know who ruined her life and took what little family she had left away from her.
"I… I just wanted to be honest and upfront" the Sheriff sighed, "and hope it won't be awkward because, well… you're dating my son".
Awkwardness was the last thing on her mind.
She didn't know what to say, unsure if she was meant to feel thankful and appreciative or angry at her family's privacy being upturned, but if there was even the smallest chance that the Sheriff could prove it wasn't just a robbery gone wrong then it was worth it in her eyes.
Without thinking, she stood and threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him from the wooden chair. Relief, and appreciation, coursing through her veins.
He let out an 'oomph' at her sudden weight that crashed into him, awkwardly patting her shoulder.
"Thank you" she whispered, still clinging to him, "thank you for trying. No one else has".
In the human world, written off as a home invasion gone wrong. In the supernatural world, simply hunters. Unfortunately, neither was that uncommon.
"I can't make any promises, but maybe a fresh set of eyes will find something".
It was times like this she missed having a fatherly presence in her life… feeling at ease and safe with him. Which, again, was weird. He was police. He was the actual authority. Usually that never boded well with her.
"Come on, eat your pancakes before they go stale".
They fell into a comfortable silence as she sat back at the table, shoving some in her mouth.
Since staying at the motel, she had been living off takeaways and snacks – some warm home-cooked food, even something as simple as pancakes – was a welcome relief.
"How about, this week, you spend some time here? We could all order pizza, or Chinese food? Or Mexican?"
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
"I want to get to know my son's girlfriend – and thank you for taking him off my hands" he added jokingly, although he probably wasn't joking, "no ulterior motives, I swear".
Well, it beat either staying alone in her motel or crawling back to her mom with her tail between her legs at any rate.
"Sure" she grinned, "I vote Mexican".
They chatted back and forth, relaxing in each other's company. Moving onto happier and easier topics of conversation that didn't centre around her family getting brutally murdered, when they heard Stiles calling out her name in panic and rushing down the stairs, followed by a thud and a yelp. Sounding like he slipped and fell, landing in a heap at the bottom.
The Sheriff rolled his eyes, putting his head in his hand. "I told him to stop wearing socks on the stairs, but does he listen? No".
She chuckled, turning around as he hurried – well, limped - into the kitchen, taken aback at the sight of her and his dad sitting eating breakfast together.
"What-What-What's going on?" he stuttered, wincing as he realised he got caught sneaking Kayla into his house, and bedroom, yet again.
"I'm getting to know your girlfriend who you keep trying to hide from me" the Sheriff said pointedly, "behind closed doors".
"Oh… uh, heh…" Stiles exhaled breathlessly, scratching the back of his neck that was flushing a light pink, "it was… it was late. Like super late. Late and downtown motels aren't a good combination. And we stayed dressed… ish".
His explanation was feeble, and it was clear the Sheriff didn't buy it, sending Stiles an unimpressed look.
"You and me will have a little talk later" the Sheriff said, making Stiles gulp as he nervously slinked to sit down next to her, unable to meet his father's eyes.
"Don't worry" she smiled, "I told him we didn't have sex. I didn't mention the other thing though-ugh".
She was cut off by Stiles, in a panic, shoving half a pancake into her mouth just to shut her up.
"Heh… ha, that's… that's not…. Oh wow" he exclaimed, trying to play off her words like they meant nothing, "look at the time. We should probably get back to the hospital".
"But-"
He grabbed her hand, dragging her away before she could object further.
"Bye dad".
The Sheriff heard the commotion as they left, shaking his head.
Kids.
Luckily for Stiles, he had some spare clothes in the back of the jeep that he changed into from his pyjamas – some jeans, a tee with some outrageous design on it with a plaid shirt and a maroon and grey hoody thrown over it. However, unfortunately for her, she was left commando in his joggers and white tee.
"Why were you having breakfast with my dad?" he asked as he sped to the hospital in the jeep.
"Because he offered" she shrugged, "is that a problem?"
"No, no… it's just… well, the only time you've been left alone with my dad is when you were bailing Derek out of jail and when he picked you up for being drunk and disorderly".
"Okay, first off-" she pointed out, "-I wish I left Derek's sorry ass in that jail cell, and secondly, I wasn't being drunk and disorderly. I was passed out in a dumpster when he found me after being drunk and disorderly".
"My point still stands".
"You're scared he's not going to like me, aren't you?" she guessed with a chuckle, "that he won't 'approve' of me?"
"What? No" he whipped around, looking at her in panic, lowering his voice, "I just, well… y'know… he's the Sheriff".
"Not the secret you think it is"
"And my dad".
"Uh huh" she muttered, unsure where he was going with this, "I can see the resemblance".
"And you're… well, we are… breaking the law lately. On multiple occasions".
"You've been breaking the law since you could walk. It's nothing new".
"Okay, good point" he exhaled a laugh, "I just… I don't want him to get the wrong impression of you before he gets to know you like I do, that's all".
"That's sweet, but your dad and I are chill. I've told you that before".
"He arrested you" he pointed out bluntly.
"It wasn't arrest. I didn't end up in the cells".
"Every time you speak to him, I'm scared you'll give him heart failure" Stiles added, "he… he's a read-between-the-lines kind of guy. You're blunt – scarily so".
"And?"
"And-" he sighed, fighting for his life during this conversation, "-I… I don't know where I'm going with this…"
"I do" she shrugged, "you're insinuating that your father, the Sheriff, will dislike me, your girlfriend, because I'm a criminal and a junkie, with a record longer than your arm".
"Uh…"
"Logically, it makes sense" she pointed out, "maybe you thought your first girlfriend you would introduce to your dad would be 'sugar and spice and everything nice', but I'm not changing who I am to impress anyone".
"I wasn't asking you to-"
"Good, because it's not happening. And anyway… I like your dad" she said, "he's nice. I trust him. He reminds me of my own dad. He doesn't treat me like a waste of space. He treats me like a human that's fucked up, but is trying to be better".
He seemed to realise he had gotten the complete wrong end of the stick, reaching for her hand.
"Kaylz, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel crappy. I'm sure my dad does love you. You're just the first person that I've ever been crazy about and I really want you both to get along".
"Well, we do, so relax" she smiled, "but I hope this means my speeding tickets get wiped too".
"Hey guys" Scott greeted with a pleased but tired smile. "Did you manage to get some sleep?"
Although Scott meant it innocently with absolutely no level of dirty undertones or suggestions, Stiles still broke out into an awkward coughing fit, casting an embarrassed glance to his friend.
"Oh relax" she slapped his chest, followed by an eye-roll, "he wasn't asking if we banged".
"No, I really wasn't" Scott exclaimed, shaking his head.
"Oh" Stiles muttered, "then yes, we had a good sleep".
She smirked at his discomfort, giving him a playful nudge.
"Very good… right Stiles?"
Her boyfriend groaned in mortification, whereas poor Scott simply recoiled a little, a disturbed frown between his brows.
"We're going to have to like muzzle you or something" Stiles muttered.
"A muzzle wouldn't stop me talking. It would just stop me putting things in my mouth" she smirked, much to her own amusement. "Which, by the way, I enjoy very much".
"A gag then".
"But then I'll like it too much".
That silenced Stiles, taken aback by her words although an enticing smile soon worked its way to his lips.
"And here I thought there was no one more sexually frustrated than Stiles" Scott pointed out, earning him an affronted "hey" from his best friend.
"Sort of in my nature" she shrugged.
"Speaking of, uh… I don't suppose you've figured out how to stop doing… what you do?" he asked gingerly, seeming uncomfortable as he shuffled backwards a little.
"Huh?" she muttered, not following much of this conversation.
"Well, it's just… you're giving off a much stronger scent" he explained nervously, "and it's sort of making me a little dizzy…"
He was five feet away from her and gaining inches by the second, awkwardly sliding backwards, trying to distance himself from her 'allure'.
"I thought we determined the danger zone was, like, two feet. So, you're safe. I'm not going to accidentally seduce you" she explained, but Scott just shook his head, his movements becoming a little sluggish.
"Nope. It's definitely… growing".
The fact she wasn't sure if he meant her seducing ability or his penis was a little confusing, but she just crossed her arms, annoyed that this was still happening.
"Well, I'm not doing anything" she defended herself, "I'm not trying to turn you on".
Stiles was watching their conversation like an interesting tennis match, his expression becoming more and more perpetually disturbed.
"Dude" he exclaimed, "you really need to stop getting boners around my girlfriend".
"Do you think I want to?"
"Maybe you're an exhibitionist and I never knew. You know, like those serial killers that turn out to be well-respected members of society".
Scott rolled his eyes, not even dignifying Stiles with a response as he looked at Kayla.
"Is there any way you can just… turn it off?"
"Off?" she asked, "I don't even know how I turned it on".
"Oh, don't say those words" Scott whispered under his breath, closing his eyes momentarily, "do not say those words".
"What words? Turned on?"
Scott twitched, awkwardly adjusting his hoody further down.
"This isn't doing wonders for my self esteem guys" Stiles threw in, "if anything, it's plummeted all the way down to my toes. Thank you".
"How can I stop doing something when I don't even know what that something is" she pointed out, "I can't change my scent".
Scott took another careful step back, looking like he was debating running for his life as if she was some evil dangerous monster out to get him, when in fact all she was doing was standing there innocently, looking at him like he was a weirdo.
"Okayyyy" Stiles dragged out, stepping between them, "this is getting out of control. Scott, keep it in your pants".
Scott looked at his friend like 'what the fuck?', his jaw dropping at the accusation.
"I am keeping it in my pants" he insisted, although the uncomfortable bulge said otherwise.
"Good. And it better stay there" Stiles muttered, before turning to face her. "Kaylz... maybe you should speak to your mom and aunt again".
"Why?"
"Because they might know how you can fix this".
"Or maybe guys can learn to control themselves".
"I mean... yeah" Stiles agreed, "but also, if you're giving off some kind of seduction thing then maybe we should learn how to control it before you have the entire town under your spell, hm?"
She grunted out an agreement, pulling her phone from her pocket.
"Fine" she muttered, scrolling down to find her aunts' number, "this whole thing is so fucked up, by the way".
"You're telling me" Scott muttered, unable to look her in the eye.
She held the phone to her ear as it rang a couple of times, her aunt picking up quickly.
"Hi sweetie" Jane greeted, "is everything okay?"
"Apparently not" she muttered, "so this whole seducing thing I got going on... how do I control that?"
"...What do you mean?"
"I mean ever since I got bit, guys can't get too close to me. When they do, they get all horny and shit. Now it seems to be getting worse and my friend, the werewolf, is completely freaking out-"
"I'm not 'freaking out-'"
"-because there's something in my scent that's arousing him" she finished, "so what do I do about that?"
There was silence at the other end of the line for several seconds and she could tell that she completely caught her aunt off guard.
"Uh..."
"Great advice. Thanks".
"Your scent is that strong already?" Jane asked in surprise, ignoring her snark. "What is it like?"
"I don't know" she shrugged, looking at Scott, "what do I smell like again?"
"Delicious. Sweet. Like candyfloss and bubblegum" Scott muttered, "and it's really powerful".
"You get that?"
"Your friend is probably more affected because of his heightened sense of smell" Jane answered, "okay, um... I think you have to think of your scent like an elastic band. Something that stretches out around you, but can be snapped back and tightened".
She snorted in denial. "So if I think it hard enough, I can control my own scent?"
"Theoretically, yes".
"What kind of crack have you been smoking?"
"Kayla!" Jane chastised.
"Sorry, what wine have you been drinking, because man I could do with some".
"I know this is a huge adjustment for you, and maybe you should've been told sooner so we could prepare you, but I'm trying to help. It's sort of similar to what werewolves can do, right? Masking their scent? Except for you, you're just trying to keep it contained".
"Okay. Say that works" she suggested, but her tone held a lot of denial, "how would I even do that?"
"Focusing and channeling" Jane said, "by recognising that power and siphoning it away. Sort of like you've got a bubble around you, and that bubble stops you involuntarily making everyone want to sleep with you and thinking they're head over heels in love with you".
"So... willpower?"
"Yeah"
"Willpower which I don't have" she stated, because it was true. She was very rarely able to control herself when it came to, well... anything.
Her aunt sighed, unable to disagree with her there.
"Okay, well, thank you" Kayla said, "I'll give it my best shot".
"Kayla, honey" Jane called out before she could hang up, "if you don't control it, it will only get worse. More dangerous. You need to practice and master this".
"Yeah... I know" she whispered, hating having this much responsibiltiy. "Bye".
When she hung up, both boys were looking at her expectantly, although only Scott heard the other side to the conversation.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this but..." the werewolf mumbled, still flushed an adorable pink, "maybe you should practice. On me".
"I'm sorry, what?" Stiles spluttered, his neck on the borderline of being broken as he spun to look at Scott, "what?"
"Well, you need to get control of this right?" Scott shrugged, "and how else will you if you don't practice".
Stiles seemed surprised, spluttering out a bunch of vowels and consonants, his jaw swinging like some sort of cocaine addict.
"You want me to seduce you?" she asked, making sure she understood what he was insinuating.
"I don't want you to, but how else will you learn?" Scott asked, "I had to learn to control what I am, and you and Stiles helped me. I want to help you too".
She couldn't deny his logic... it made sense. Better to practice with a friend - someone she trusted - rather than inadvertently causing everyone around her to act inappropriately.
Stiles looked as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing, debating both his choice of friend and girlfriend.
"Are you both insane?" he asked, "what... how... huh?"
"Stiles" Scott whispered, leaning into him, "do you really want every guy hitting on your girlfriend for the rest of time, right in front of you, forever?"
Stiles frowned, slowly realising just how uncomfortable and awkward that would be. Picturing guys being unable to control themselves and, most likely, how pissed off and insanely jealous that would make him.
"On second thought-" Stiles nodded, "-I think it's a great idea. Scott's a stand-up guy. Very respectful. You should totally put the moves on him".
"Are you just saying that because I have absolutely zero sexual attraction to Scott - like, whatsoever?"
"I feel a little offended by that" Scott mumbled, "did you have to say absolutely and then zero? I have sex appeal".
"You have adorable, annoying little brother energy" she corrected, "even though you're older than me".
"By, like, a month".
"See? Annoying".
"Huh" Stiles cut in, a daunting look of realisation spreading across his face, "in all my stalking-uh, research-" he quickly corrected, "-I never thought to find out your birthday".
"So you admit you were stalking me then?"
"Do you admit you kissed me first?" he retaliated with.
"No" she snorted, "because I didn't".
"Then I plead not guilty" he grinned, "so when's your birthday?"
"Really?" she asked, "that's what your main concern is right now?"
"How does Scott know your birthday?"
"Because he made fun of my driving license photo in geography. Said I was glaring harder than Derek if McDonald's tried to give him the 'Filet-O-Fish'"
"Well-" Scott coughed, "-you did look terrifying".
"The bitch took my photo before I was ready".
Stiles' gaze hovered between them before humming. "Yeah, now you mention it, I can feel the sibling energy but that's beside the point. When's your birthday?"
"I don't celebrate my birthday-"
"When's your birthday?"
"My god you're persistent".
He smirked, clearly pleased with that statement.
"Just tell him" Scott rolled his eyes playfully, "before he breaks into the administration office".
Honestly… she wouldn't put it past him.
"Fine" she chuckled, "it's… October 31st".
"Shut up" Stiles exclaimed through a choked gasp, "you're a Halloween baby?"
"Yup, I was my mother's very own jumpscare".
"Oh my god, that is so cool" Stiles continued, "that is like the coolest thing ever. How did you get even cooler? My god, you are so out of my league" he added.
"I'm glad you think so" she smirked, "because I hate it".
"Why?"
"It just makes me feel cursed. Like I have bad vibes or something" she shrugged, throwing her arm out to the invisible 'bad vibes' she was referring to. "Anyway, am I seducing your best friend or not?"
"Now that is a sentence I never thought I'd hear you say" he muttered under his breath, "but… sure. Just to clarify-" he added, "-definitely no sexual attraction?"
"Definitely" she smirked.
"Guys, I'm right here" Scott whined.
"Would you rather I was sexually attracted you?" she asked, "because, y'know, if you cut your hair, maybe styled it, fixed your eyebrows-"
"No" they both exclaimed in unison, both as panicked as the other.
"Okay then" she nodded, not really understanding their weird behaviours, "sorted".
"… What's wrong with my eyebrows?" the werewolf asked, his fingers skimming along his brow bone.
"I don't think you want me to go there".
"Okay, enough about the brows" Stiles cut in, "we gotta get practising before you have the whole of Beacon Hills seduced".
"Right. So, I, what? Just get close to him?"
"Not too close" her boyfriend chirped in, "but close enough".
"How close is close enough?"
"Close enough that if he tries to touch you, you can punch him instead".
"Hey".
"Sorry bud" Stiles shrugged, "has to be done".
Scott nodded reluctantly, accepting his fate.
Luckily for them, this early in the morning it was still relatively quiet. The night shift nurses were handing over to the dayshift nurses whilst the patients still remained asleep, which meant they pretty much had the corridor to themselves.
She took a deep breath, trying to picture what her aunt had told her. About how her aura, her energy, was like an elastic band - it could be snapped back if she focused hard enough. Controlling whatever weird seduction crap was going haywire inside her since getting bit. Once she could stop it, things would be okay… right?
She regulated her breathing, taking a few moments to compose herself as she slowly inched a little closer to Scott, only now a couple of feet between them.
At first, he seemed fine. Unaffected almost, like her pre-bitten days. It wasn't until a couple of seconds later when he looked at her like someone looks at an adorable puppy, did she realise maybe the whole seduction thing was easier said than done.
She took a step back, further away from Scott, which caused the dopey look to melt off his expression.
"Whoa" he muttered, "that is so weird. I felt like a… like a smore".
She frowned, "a smore?"
"All warm and gooey and full of sweetness".
"Weird description, but okay".
"It's like your scent" Scott clarified, "sickly sweet. For those seconds, I actually forgot I had a girlfriend".
"Huh" she muttered.
She tried again, only this time she got a little closer and stayed a little longer in Scott's personal space, focusing on imagining drawing that energy back within herself, but judging by how Scott was looking at her like she was an all-you-can-eat buffet, she guessed it wasn't working.
"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" Scott whispered, reaching out to touch her hair, but she stepped back, watching as the charm seemed to soften from his face.
He looked at his hand in mid-air, gulping in panic, before snatching it away behind his back.
"I did not mean to touch you inappropriately".
"Chill" she chuckled, "if you had, you'd be in one of these hospital beds. So far, you've been pretty respectful".
Stiles snorted, clearly disagreeing with that statement.
"Would you rather I practice with someone else?" she reminded him, "because, trust me, most guys aren't like Scott. Brian had me pinned against the lockers".
"He just better not have better game than me" Stiles muttered under his breath, folding his arms across his chest.
She tried - again and again and again. Each time, Scott still looked like something out of an animated Disney movie, and she was made to step back before his lovey-doveyness became too intense - or, she feared, she might do something unintentionally to trigger the infatuation to continue, long after she had stepped away from him.
"I don't know how to control this" she sighed, "you're still getting seduced, right?"
Scott reluctantly nodded, his cheeks smudged a light pink.
"Maybe you're overthinking it" Stiles explained, "we stressed about how Scott would learn control, and it was as simple as managing his heart rate. Maybe you just need to find that one thing that snaps everything into place. Like clutch control in a manual car. The biting point".
"The only thing I'm driving right now is myself - to insanity" she exclaimed, "I'm going to have to live on some remote island in the middle of nowhere and survive from eating falling coconuts and live bugs, aren't I?"
"Definitely not" he reassured her, "especially the bugs part".
"If I can't be around guys then-"
"You can be around me" he reminded her gently, "and, look, I really think you got this okay? Practice makes perfect".
"Practice also makes Scott horny".
"Yeah, but we're just going to blissfully ignore that part and pretend all of this never even happened, okay?"
She muttered in agreement, turning back to face Scott.
"You sure you want to keep going?"
He seemed a little hesitant but soon nodded, holding his breath in preparation for the onslaught of hormones that were about to invade and take over his body.
She stepped forward again, their bodies almost touching. For a couple of seconds, she thought it worked. It wasn't until she looked up and saw Scott's eyes glow amber did she realise - nope - her focus and concentration still hadn't worked.
She huffed out an indignant grunt, taking a step back and crossing her arms.
"This is a waste of time" she proclaimed, "I'm making him so horny, he almost wolfed out right here".
"Actually-" Scott corrected, "-I didn't feel like I felt before. Well, not as strongly anyway".
"Then what was with the eyes?"
"I said not as strongly. My body is still reacting to you, but I feel more in control".
"See? It's working" Stiles encouraged, "keep going".
So she did. She tried again and again and again. Surprisingly, each time, although Scott still said she smelt amazing and sweet and somewhat enticing, he was pretty much compos mentis the entire time - able to realise and understand that her scent was all-consuming but not get pulled into her web of seduction.
She decided to test it one last time, getting even closer to Scott so they were nose to nose, watching his expression change to surprise and confusion.
"Uh… Kaylz…?"
"You feel anything?" she asked, only able to see the soft deep browns of Scott's irises, their noses squished together.
"… U-Uncomfortable?" he murmured, too frightened to move - like she was a bomb that could go off at any moment.
"Incredibly, highly uncomfortable" Stiles reiterated.
She waited a few seconds, holding his gaze to triple make sure that her close presence wasn't making things happen that shouldn't, his breath fanning out across her face.
"Any below the belt action?"
Wordlessly, and with great panic in his eyes, he shook his head and because their noses were pressed together, it made her head turn to the side with his.
"Then I think we're good" she said.
He gulped, clearly unsure what to do next. Especially when she didn't move away.
"Can I, uh…" he jerked his thumb behind him, "you're kind of intimidating me".
"Good" she smirked, "men should be scared of me. I can crush them".
Scott's eyes widened even more, probably not realising she was just yanking his chains.
"Okay, okay, okay, enough of that" Stiles interrupted, prying them away from each other by their shoulders, "see? distance. Much better".
"Well I'm… glad I could help" Scott said, a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "if you guys are staying here, can I head off to get some sleep?"
"Sure. Thanks for your help Scotty".
Scott said goodbye and left, leaving her and Stiles alone.
"I told you you'd be able to control it" Stiles smiled, "total scorpio energy".
"Don't tell me you believe in all that zodiac crap" she chuckled, taking a seat.
"I didn't believe in werewolves yet here we are" he shrugged, a bright smile on his face as he sat next to her, "maybe there's something to it".
"Stars are just giant balls of gas in the atmosphere. I don't think it's much more profound than that".
"I don't know" he mused, "my mom was big on astrology. She would take me out at night and show me all the different constellations. We could just sit out there for hours watching the stars".
"That's sweet" she smiled, "but I still think it's just ancient bullshit. People were just bored before they invented TVs".
He laughed, "Yeah, most likely. Still, maybe one night we should do that. Just sit and watch the stars for a while".
"It's a date" she smiled.
A/N) yayyyy another chapter. I love Kayla and the Sheriff bonding and the fact he is looking into her dad and brothers deaths is just the best - but hmmm wonder what he will find ;) I am trying to expand on that in this rewrite. I really want to include Kayla's friends from Lousiana, maybe like a weekend visit or something, because I think the interactions with Stiles would be hilarious haha and Stiles could find out more about Kayla, and her friends could interrogate him... would be funny. Definitely enjoying fleshing this rewrite out :)