Chapter Text
Jackson didn’t know who he was looking at anymore. This boy in front of him wasn’t Stiles Stilinski. This wasn’t the boy who had been his best friend from kindergarten until the fourth grade. This was a boy who’d finally reached his breaking point. This was a boy that Jackson didn’t know and he was sick of it.
It had only been two weeks since Stiles moved in, and only three weeks since the Sheriff died. Jackson knew that grief appeared differently in everyone, but he didn’t have to like it. He didn’t like seeing Stiles so quiet... so still. Lifeless. He didn’t like seeing Stiles getting thinner as the days went by or seeing how his dark circles seemed to continue getting darker as his bruises faded.
Stiles’s figure was frail, and his skin was paler than usual. Jackson knew he wasn’t eating like he should. He didn’t leave his room unless it was to go to the bathroom. It was freaking Jackson out. Stiles was no longer the spastic teen with too much sass. He was a shell of his former self and it was scary. Stiles wasn’t nearly this bad when his mother died a few years prior, but then again, he had a support system at the time. Now Stiles had no one.
Jackson was pissed at that. Where the hell was McCall? He hadn’t visited once. His anger increased when he ran into him the other day. The asshole was hanging with Lahey instead of his grieving best friend. Why did Stiles even like him? He knew they haven’t been talking, not even through text. He wasn’t even sure if Stiles had a phone anymore.
The thing Jackson hated the most about this was how much he cared. Things were not the same anymore. Things haven’t been the same since he was bitten and used as a murder machine. Life was no longer simple and his past worries seemed so insignificant compared to now. He had died, but at least he had Danny and Lydia there to keep him together. Stiles had no one to do that.
He remembered how Lydia explained what happened that night. How he had died, and she went to Stiles. How Stiles was hurt after the game, yet still drove through that wall to save him. How he was beaten as a message. It didn’t take long for Jackson to realize it was Gerard who hurt him. His eyes nearly flashed at the thought. He was glad the bastard was dead and couldn’t hurt any more people. He deserved to rot in hell. He also remembered how Scott worked with Gerard. He didn’t care if it was a trick. It was fucked up like all of this supernatural bullshit.
Maybe that was why Stiles didn’t reach out to McCall. Stiles had been beaten just to find out his best friend worked with his kidnapper. That betrayal was far beyond simply forgive and forget. Jackson didn’t know anyone who could just move past that. In all honesty, he didn’t Stiles to move past that. Maybe Jackson was projecting, but then again he held grudges.
“You’re coming with me to Danny’s,” Jackson told the slightly older teen. He doubted that Stiles would refuse or even argue. He’d been like a robot on autopilot since arriving. Stiles listened to the Whittmores every request no matter how small or big. Jackson hated it.
“Okay.” Stiles’s voice was small but held no hesitation. Jackson rolled his eyes in irritation but led Stiles to his Porsche none the less. The car ride was silent, besides the low hum of the radio. Stiles stared out the window with a blank expression, watching as everything blurred together as the car moved. Jackson knew he was making the right choice.
“Hey, Stiles.” Danny grinned once the two entered his bedroom, “How are you holding up?”
Stiles shrugged in response while picking at a loose thread on his shirt. The action irked Jackson, but he wisely didn’t comment. “Where’s the bathroom?” Stiles asked meekly. Danny pointed him in the right direction and turned his attention to Jackson.
“Are the Whittemore’s not feeding him?” Danny learned early on never to refer to them as Jackson’s parents.
Jackson snorted, “They left for some trip a week after he came.”
Danny frowned, “Why the hell did they take him in?”
“It looks good I guess,” Jackson shrugged.
Danny sighed, “Okay so what are we going to do about this?” This was the reason Jackson was friends with Danny. He understood Jackson without having to probe him for answers.
“We take care of him until he can take care of himself.”
“I’ve always wanted a kid.”
Jackson narrowed his eyes, “We’re not adopting him.”
“Aren’t we?” Danny challenged with a playful smirk.
Jackson rolled his eyes, “No.” He thought for about it for a second, “Fine.”
“Where’s McCall?” Danny questioned after a short period of silence. Jackson listened out for Stiles and answered once he heard him crying in the bathroom. It might be awhile before he came back.
“With Lahey.”
“What?” Jackson could practically hear Danny’s anger. Danny knew about everything Jackson and Lydia did. He was there as Lydia explained what happened that night. They agreed to have no more secrets, so that meant Danny knew of McCall’s betrayal. “Of all fucking times? His best friend just lost his last family member!”
“McCalls a dick,” Jackson stated simply. It was a thought that crossed his mind whenever he saw the other teen. It may have been out of pettiness before the Supernatural became intertwined in their lives, but that didn’t defeat the fact that it was true.
The two sat in silence as Danny gathered his thoughts. A couple of times Danny stood up to pace around the room before sitting down again. It reminded Jackson of Stiles when he would focus on something intently. A few minutes later Stiles joined the two again. His eyes were rimmed red, and he was slightly sniffling. Danny immediately stopped pacing and eyed Stiles for a second before engulfing him in a hug. Stiles stiffened for a moment, but eventually gave in. It didn’t take long for Jackson to smell the tears.
Jackson sat awkwardly on the bed. He wasn’t good at expressing himself, not like Danny was. He kept his feelings in. Expression wasn’t big with the Whittemore’s. He felt an odd sense of Jealousy at the sight in front of him. He wished he could say or do something, but what could he do? He and Stiles weren’t friends anymore not even close, but he hated seeing him suffer.
Jackson didn’t hate Stiles. He didn’t dislike him either. That didn’t stop him from feeling betrayed either. They were best friends until McCall came around and decided that Jackson was mean. McCall didn’t understand shit, but Stiles went along with it because both their mothers were best friends. He didn’t exile Jackson completely at first. Honestly, Jackson didn’t know what Stiles’s breaking point was, but eventually, they stopped talking. That’s when Jackson decided he that he’d show them mean.
Now he didn’t want that anymore, well not for Stiles. Stiles was suffering. He had just lost his last family member and needed people around him. If Scott wasn’t going to be that person, Jackson would. He’d just have to figure out how.
“Danny’s going to put on a movie and I’m going to make you some soup or something,” Jackson spoke as he stood up to do just that. Danny gave him a nod and a small grin before herding Stiles onto his bed.
Jackson decided to make the can of tomato soup he’d found in the pantry. He figured that Stiles wouldn’t be able to stomach too much in his current state. He made his way back up to Danny’s room with the soup and some snacks. Jackson immediately noticed that Stiles was in a pair of sweatpants he once leftover and one of Danny’s soft t-shirts. Danny and Stiles were cuddling in the bed, staring at the contents in Jackson’s arms. Stiles’s stomach rumbled, ushering Jackson to hurriedly hand the teen the soup.
Jackson gave Danny one of the packs of gummy bears and joins the two under the cover. Danny thanked him and pressed play, allowing Monsters Inc. to start. The three remained silent as the movie went on. Stiles had only two spoonfuls of soup by the time the movie reached the halfway mark. Jackson frown at that. There was no way he wasn’t hungry. Stiles’s stomach had growled lowly many times so far. Jackson grabbed a fruit slice from one of the bags of gummies and handed it over silently. Stiles hesitantly accepted it, allowing both their fingers to brush each other lightly.
Stiles twirled the gummy with his fingers before speaking, “Why are you doing this?”
Danny frowned at the teen after he paused the movie.
“Just eat the damn candy,” Jackson growled.
“Just eat it Stiles or he’ll pout like a baby the whole day.” Danny rolled his eyes before looking at Jackson pointedly, “Eyes.”
Jackson caught on immediately and let his glowing blue eyes shift back to its regular baby blue color. He took a few moments to calm himself and completely missed how Stiles was wildly looking between him and Danny.
“He knows ?!” Stiles nearly knocks his soup over, but Danny’s quick reflexes saved it.
“You think I would’ve let him get away with not telling me what was up?” Danny quirked an eyebrow.
Stiles flushed slightly, “Fair point.” He mumbled out. “That doesn’t explain why you two are being nice to me.”
“No one deserves that,” Jackson said flippantly. He was staring at the ceiling but could feel Stiles staring at him. He could smell the tears welling up in Stiles’s eyes again.
“But why do you care,” Stiles whispered. Jackson couldn’t tell if he had meant to say that.
“Shut up and just accept that I do.”
Stiles nodded and leaned against Danny again and nibbled on the candy in his hand. Danny let the movie resume and Jackson scooted closer to Stiles and would occasionally hand him different snacks throughout the movie. For the first time in weeks, Stiles smelled content and Jackson’s wolf nearly purred at the realization.