Fic: Dreamcatcher || PG-13 || Stiles/Erica
Dreamcatcher
Stiles/Erica, PG-13, 700-ish words
Established relationship, post-Nogitsune, no Erica death (obvs)
Written to fill the "comfort" square of my VERY old teenwolf-bingo card.
It's chasing him again.
It's chasing him again.
Every door Stiles tries at every building is locked tight and he's forced to run. Up and down endless alleyways and side streets that all look the same but feel so foreign.
He should know this are of town, feels like Derek's loft is nearby but every time he thinks he's close the thing chasing him gets closer and Stiles can't bear the sensation of his insides turning to ice in its presence.
That's what it does, it freezes him out. Takes over and leaves him in the dark and screaming but no one can hear him. That's what he wants to do right now, to scream out for someone to hear him and let him inside but he knows it's too risky and it will find him that way.
He doesn't want to be the cause of anyone else innocent being caught in his trauma.
Not again.
He gets to the dead end alley, the inevitable finale, and knows the rest of eternity in this dream will be spent trying to claw his way out from the depths of his own mind. It happens too often at night when Stiles actually manages to sleep more than three hours at a time, a regretful predictability.
He's just so exhausted from the running and fighting and knowing what's going to come. He turns to face it as it stalks him, leaving flickering lights and a grey residue like ash in its wake.
Stiles closes his eyes in the dream, maybe it won't be as bad if he gives in this time...
But it doesn't get him when its supposed to.
He opens his eyes and sees it retreating, or maybe he's the one moving. All he knows is surfacing and relief.
"It's okay, Stiles. Wake up, I'm here."
Stiles struggles to open his eyes, feels like there's weight trying to pull him back under. He fights it and sits up suddenly, inhaling sharp and deep.
"It's okay," Erica murmurs beside him as she rubs his back. Stiles blinks a few times, then looks over at her, surprised. She's fully dressed and his window is wide open so she just got here.
Just in time.
"Thought you were having a wolves-only night," Stiles said softly, his voice trailing off at the end as Erica scratches her nails over his scalp. He feels his tension melt away and his head slumped forward into his chest.
"It's only fun and games until the first wolf falls asleep and everyone else draws on their face," she says with a laugh.
Stiles snorts and scrunches up his face. "Isaac?"
"Of course," Erica replies, then leans forward and rests her cheek on Stiles' sweaty back. "I could feel you anyway."
"Yeah?" Stiles asks but his tone isn't as light as he'd like it to be.
"I can always feel it when you go there. When you think it's coming back for you."
Stiles sighs and rubs his face tiredly. Erica scrambles out of bed, strips down and pulls a t-shirt out of Stiles' drawer before sitting down in front of him, practically on him.
She cups his face with her hands and makes him look into her eyes. "You know it's gone, right? The nogitsune is dead and gone and you're safe."
"Tell my subconscious that," Stiles replies, trying to smile, but his voice cracks and he looks down at his hands, twisted together so tightly his knuckles are white.
"Come here," Erica instructs and lays down in the bed, pulling Stiles down with her. He goes willingly and snuggles up in her embrace, loving the feeling of her hands running through her hair. "I'll help my Batman any way I can. If that means I stay with you every night I'll do it. It'll be a sacrifice, but-"
Stiles interrupts her with an honest laugh and relaxes. "I don't think Catwoman was ever this comforting to Batman."
"Fuck you, I'll be Alfred, then," Erica shoots back.
"So you'll cook me breakfast in the morning?" Stiles asks slyly but gets an elbow in the ribs.
"Don't push it, Batman," Erica murmurs in Stiles' ear, smoothing a hand down his back and soothing him off to sleep again.
Stiles/Erica, PG-13, 700-ish words
Established relationship, post-Nogitsune, no Erica death (obvs)
Written to fill the "comfort" square of my VERY old teenwolf-bingo card.
It's chasing him again.
It's chasing him again.
Every door Stiles tries at every building is locked tight and he's forced to run. Up and down endless alleyways and side streets that all look the same but feel so foreign.
He should know this are of town, feels like Derek's loft is nearby but every time he thinks he's close the thing chasing him gets closer and Stiles can't bear the sensation of his insides turning to ice in its presence.
That's what it does, it freezes him out. Takes over and leaves him in the dark and screaming but no one can hear him. That's what he wants to do right now, to scream out for someone to hear him and let him inside but he knows it's too risky and it will find him that way.
He doesn't want to be the cause of anyone else innocent being caught in his trauma.
Not again.
He gets to the dead end alley, the inevitable finale, and knows the rest of eternity in this dream will be spent trying to claw his way out from the depths of his own mind. It happens too often at night when Stiles actually manages to sleep more than three hours at a time, a regretful predictability.
He's just so exhausted from the running and fighting and knowing what's going to come. He turns to face it as it stalks him, leaving flickering lights and a grey residue like ash in its wake.
Stiles closes his eyes in the dream, maybe it won't be as bad if he gives in this time...
But it doesn't get him when its supposed to.
He opens his eyes and sees it retreating, or maybe he's the one moving. All he knows is surfacing and relief.
"It's okay, Stiles. Wake up, I'm here."
Stiles struggles to open his eyes, feels like there's weight trying to pull him back under. He fights it and sits up suddenly, inhaling sharp and deep.
"It's okay," Erica murmurs beside him as she rubs his back. Stiles blinks a few times, then looks over at her, surprised. She's fully dressed and his window is wide open so she just got here.
Just in time.
"Thought you were having a wolves-only night," Stiles said softly, his voice trailing off at the end as Erica scratches her nails over his scalp. He feels his tension melt away and his head slumped forward into his chest.
"It's only fun and games until the first wolf falls asleep and everyone else draws on their face," she says with a laugh.
Stiles snorts and scrunches up his face. "Isaac?"
"Of course," Erica replies, then leans forward and rests her cheek on Stiles' sweaty back. "I could feel you anyway."
"Yeah?" Stiles asks but his tone isn't as light as he'd like it to be.
"I can always feel it when you go there. When you think it's coming back for you."
Stiles sighs and rubs his face tiredly. Erica scrambles out of bed, strips down and pulls a t-shirt out of Stiles' drawer before sitting down in front of him, practically on him.
She cups his face with her hands and makes him look into her eyes. "You know it's gone, right? The nogitsune is dead and gone and you're safe."
"Tell my subconscious that," Stiles replies, trying to smile, but his voice cracks and he looks down at his hands, twisted together so tightly his knuckles are white.
"Come here," Erica instructs and lays down in the bed, pulling Stiles down with her. He goes willingly and snuggles up in her embrace, loving the feeling of her hands running through her hair. "I'll help my Batman any way I can. If that means I stay with you every night I'll do it. It'll be a sacrifice, but-"
Stiles interrupts her with an honest laugh and relaxes. "I don't think Catwoman was ever this comforting to Batman."
"Fuck you, I'll be Alfred, then," Erica shoots back.
"So you'll cook me breakfast in the morning?" Stiles asks slyly but gets an elbow in the ribs.
"Don't push it, Batman," Erica murmurs in Stiles' ear, smoothing a hand down his back and soothing him off to sleep again.