'cause it's too cold
for you here and now
so let me hold
both your hands in the holes of my sweater'

Stile's breath hitched at the slight burn and the pleasure coursing through him. He felt Theo's fingers dig into his hips painfully, sure enough to leave bruises. "I love you," Theo breathed into his ear before he pressed open mouthed kisses to Stiles' shoulder.

"I love you too," Stiles managed to breath out.

'another day shipwrecked
can you hear my prayer
if you have the answer let me know'

Stiles can't explain it, can't find the right words that could fully sum up the bad feeling that has been stirring in his bones for the last couple of days. Something bad was surely coming, something that would shatter their plans. He was on the verge of a panic attack, all day every day recently. He'd lay awake in the night trying to prepare himself for whatever was coming.

Theo had his chimera pack and Scott was slowly reassembling his pack, the only thing Scott needed to do was get Malia and Lydia back onside. Theo was hunched over a book while Scott looked tiredly at the pages in front of his face, they didn't know what they was up against how could they possibly know what to research?

"I have a bad feeling guys," Stiles spoke "like a really bad, something awful, is going to happen."

Theo looked up from the book in his lap "It's going to be okay Stiles," he said "what we're doing now… it's working."

Scott's jaw tensed briefly, he still didn't like Theo but he was trying and Stiles was grateful for the effort his best friend was putting in.

"I mean like end of the world awful Theo," Stiles sighed "something bad is going to happen, I can feel it."

Liam frowned and murmured "I thought Lydia was the banshee,"

Everyone was tired; the morale of the group in the room was pretty low. Stiles knew he had a tendency to pick and worry at the smallest things but in Beacon Hills the small things have tended to be a cause for concern. Theo sat up straighter in the chair he had previously been slouched in "I know there is a lot on the line and I'm part of the reason that you're worrying," he said "but this chimera has to be stopped and if crossing the Dread Doctors means we can save a lot of lives then I'll face the repercussions."

Stiles continued his pacing back and forth in the room, he couldn't possibly sit still. He hadn't been still in the past couple of days; he's got a nervous energy he can't quite work off. He's wringing his hands together as he paced, there was nothing that could be said that would offer any sort of comfort to his restless mind.

"Is it always this tense?" Mason asked with a look of tiredness and a look of awe, Stiles remembered those days. How new everything was, it was exciting and scary and didn't feel real. He felt bad for the boy because it only goes downhill from there on, everyone becomes a suspect and any little thing that happens must be part of some bigger and scarier plan.

It breaks you. Stiles was damaged, mentally. Theo would assure him he wasn't damaged, just far too experienced.

"Death, doom and gloom all the time, twenty four seven buddy." Stiles informed him.

"It's not been all bad," Scott said softly "remember when you were trying to help me control when I would shift and keyed that car?" he asked "you got me beat up pretty bad because of that."

Stiles remembered, it seemed like a lifetime ago but he remembered.

'ain't no sleep when the wicked play
all we do is get laid
ain't no love when the wicked run
all we do is get lay off
lay off
lay off
we the wicked ones'

Stiles knew about Theo's previous affiliation with the Dread Doctors and he still stayed by him, what kind of person did that make him? Terrible?

The bad feeling that was bone deep hadn't gone; it had only intensified over the next couple of days. Stiles could barely eat or sleep and he knew he had people worried, his dad specifically. Theo had expressed his concerns so Stiles had promised to at least try and eat something after meeting Scott, they were planning on how to retrieve Lydia and convince Malia to re-join the pack. They'd all fallen out of touch with each other.

Stiles was jumpy and his mind was playing tricks on himself he reminded himself as he walked home along the dark streets of Beacon Hills. There was nothing to panic about, he just needed a good night's sleep and he'd be feeling slightly less like shit.

But there's a sound in his ears causing him to tilt his head and press it into his shoulder in hopes it would disappear, he couldn't put a name to the sound. He'd heard this noise only a handful of times before but it couldn't be… not here, not now. "He was supposed to remove the obstacles," he heard faintly, it had him quickening his pace and glancing over his shoulder "now we're going to remove the distraction." Stiles couldn't see anyone or anything in sight, he must be hearing things. He's slowly losing the plot, surely. But there's a flicker in the corner of his eye, something that caught his attention. It's under a street lamp, the soft glow flickering and three shadows emerging.

His palms were sweating and his feet were hitting the pavement hard, he missed his Jeep. Stiles never expected he'd be on the receiving end of this but that bad feeling that had buried itself deep within his bones had affected him, the lack of sleep and eating had him feeling nauseous and dizzy.

His head hurt, his body ached and his throat felt so dry it hurt to swallow. He didn't remember his bed being this cold and uncomfortable, opening his eyes felt like too much effort but as he lolled his head to the side, he was met with the unmistakeable feeling of cold metal. That caused him to jerk slightly and feeling restricted in the use of his limbs. His arms and legs were bound to the chair, this felt eerily similar to the time he was in Eichen House. "What," he murmured as he tugged and then looked at his surroundings.

It didn't exactly resemble a very hygienic medical practice; Stiles knew where he was though. The Dread Doctors had caught up with him, had he passed out? Fainted? He couldn't remember. All he knew was the panic bubbling up inside of him had him wanting to shout and scream for help. Could he get away with shouting? Were they here?

Stiles closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to even his breathing, he couldn't have a panic attack here, not now.

Upon opening his eyes Stiles saw the three Doctors approaching him, each with a tool in hand. The ghost of the bite from Donovan on his shoulder ached as he tried to tug on his ties "No," he said "please."

He tugged as hard as he could on the ties and the material cutting into his skin didn't faze him as he shouted out "No!"

"Scott!" Stiles shouted as he tried to pull on the ties once more "Theo!" he knew it was a hopeless attempt but he prayed something could hear his distress. He felt the sharp prick of a needle in his forearm that had his vision blurring and tiredness taking over once more.

'you were a walking talking corpse at best
and i swear i couldn't wait to get you off my chest
and when you asked us why
we couldn't look you in your eyes'

Scott watched as the realisation set in that Stiles was missing, Theo was angry. Scott had sat and endured Theo shouting at him, how irresponsible and stupid he had been to let Stiles walk home on his own when they had teamed up against the Dread Doctors. Scott had sat and taken it because he should have offered Stiles a lift, a quicker way home. Theo took it out on the classroom, smashing stuff and tipping things over.

He'd never seen Theo so angry but the wrecking of the classroom seemed to tire him out. "He's defenceless," Theo had sighed as he sank down the wall "this is because of me."

"Don't underestimate him," Scott said "he's not entirely defenceless."

Theo looked at him "If he's hurt because of me," he said and stopped as he shook his head.

'sick of the lack of signal
sick of the lack of touch
sick of the static voice
it's not enough it's not enough
baby it's hard to be just what you need when all i speak is static screams
can you hear me?'

Stiles opened his eyes once more feeling groggier than ever, it took a moment to realise he wasn't tied down to the dreaded bed any more, instead he only had one tie and that was being shackled to the floor. He brought a hand up to his forearm where he remembered a brief shooting of pain and then sleep. How long had he been out of it? How long had it been outside of this room?

He was alone; the only noises consisted of the slight buzz from the lights up ahead mixed in with his breathing. The thought of his dad had him wanting to vomit; his dad would surely know something is up. He didn't know how long he'd been here, Stiles made a mental note of investing in a watch for future reference. He couldn't feel his phone in his back pocket.

Stiles tugged his leg that was shackled to the floor and couldn't believe how heavy the chain was.

He slumped back against the metal pillar that someone so kindly placed him near. Stiles scoffed into the silence at the situation he found himself in. Of course something bad was going to happen, he hated being right or well… he hated being so anxious about everything that he'd proved himself right about something bad happening. Might not have been end of the world awful but this was pretty awful.

'waiting for a roar
looking at the mutating sky
the city is my church
it wraps me in the sparkling twilight'

Stiles is aware of his surroundings when he comes to, he's in a car and there's a heavy protective arm over his shoulders. He frowned because the Doctors are not meant to have an air of protectiveness around them and Stiles should definitely not be smelling Theo's aftershave… Theo's aftershave is what was invading his sense of smell, Stiles jolted immediately as he opened his eyes, practically hitting the top of his head on the roof of the car. "What… what…" he said looking at a worried looking Theo and then looking at Scott who was behind the steering wheel.

"Stiles," Theo said calmly "you're okay, we found you."

"I'm dreaming," Stiles said as he shook his head "this is a dream… whatever they injected me with must be causing this because I don't remember… I would've known… what?"

Theo frowned as he reached for him "They injected you with something?" he asked sounding concerned "where?"

"Does it matter where?" Scott asked sounding unsure "surely whatever it is has done what it's needed to do."

Theo shot a glare at Scott "It matters to me," he said "I'm fairly certain it was only a strong sedative but you never know what to expect with them."

Stiles frowned "I must be dreaming…" he said, he was warm and Theo was there with Scott.

Theo's lips lifted upwards ever so slightly "Does this feel like a dream?" he asked before moving in and pressing their lips together once more, hands travelling up Stiles' neck and playing with the hair at the back of his head.

Theo was strong and present under his hands and Scott was making a point of keeping his eyes on the road "I'm really not there anymore?" he asked in disbelief.

Theo nodded his head "It took a day and a half but it brought everyone together long enough to find you," he explained "I'm so sorry Stiles."

Stiles shook his head "It's not your fault," he said as he allowed his body to relax for now. He remembered walking home from Scott's and he remembered what they'd said. Remembered how they said they needed to remove the distraction…

It's difficult to fully comprehend that he's sleeping in his own bed with Theo slinging a protective arm and leg over him; he knew sleep would be a difficult thing to grasp but he was home and he was safe. Stiles assumed getting grabbed by the enemy was going to become a regular occurrence in this line of work. Could this be considered a line of work? Stiles wanted to snort at the thought. Maybe they could set up a supernatural task force at the police station. The town would really be considered utterly mad then.

"What are you thinking about?" Theo asked sleepily.

Stiles shifted slightly so his body was nearer the other boy's "I was thinking how Madagascar is starting to sound like a good option to reside in permanently," he joked softly "I don't know, I just wondered if this is going to be my life now. Working to keep the out of control supernatural creatures in line and keep from harming anyone. God, I can't even picture myself in a normal job anymore."

Theo was silent as he brought a hand up to trace invisible patterns on Stiles' shoulder "You could be a writer," he suggested softly "you could right about all the crazy things that have happened and nobody would think anything of it."

Stiles laughed "I couldn't picture myself as a best-selling author, could you?"

"I don't know," Theo sighed "I'd buy a book by Stiles Stilinski though."

'come and take a walk on the wild side
let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain
you like your girls insane'

"We've got our whole lives ahead of us," Stiles would repeat to himself in front of the mirror, it's a mantra of sorts. It's meant to be encouraging a positive thought process and widen his horizons. Technically yes, Stiles has a long life ahead of him but shit happens and he could still be hit by a car or a bus, he could be robbed and beaten, he could be killed by a supernatural creature or… Stiles shook his head. He's meant to be thinking positively and not obsessing over the 'ifs' of his future.

His conversation with Theo in bed still plays on a loop in his mind, he could write about all the crazy stuff he's been through. He could tell his story while providing advice to others who could be in need of help. If this was going to be a career option then he certainly wouldn't be running out of material anytime soon.

"Stiles, you okay?" his dad asked from the doorway.

Stiles turned away from his reflection in the mirror and smiled at his dad "I'm okay," he said "I was just… trying out some advice the counsellor gave me once." He added as an afterthought.

His dad looked slightly relieved that he was accepting some help "Good," he said "I hate to think of what you've been through and not being able to help you."

"I'm going to be okay dad," Stiles said.

It felt foreign to Stiles, the prospect of being okay. He envied people who could walk down a street without crippling anxiety about what horrors nightfall could bring to town. With Scott though, it was bearable. Theo was there even if it meant having to deal with the awkward tension between him and Scott. The pack was slowly coming back together, they were healing. One day though, one day Stiles would be okay. He'll have a fancy degree, a couple books under his belt maybe and possibly a family of his own. After all, he still had his whole life ahead of him.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Stiles asked Scott once as he was driving Scott home.

Scott looked out the window as he shrugged "Sometimes," he answered "I like to think that it's got to be better than our present."

Stiles gripped the steering wheel tighter for a brief second before relaxing his hand "It's not so bad," he said "aside from the anxiety, fear and near death experiences it is worth it knowing that I've still got my best friend."

"Do you ever think Peter has a lot to answer for?" Scott asked sounding faintly amused "we'd still be losers at school who worried about not making the lacrosse team and being invited to parties if he hadn't of bitten me that night."

Stiles huffed out a laugh "Perhaps so," he said "I feel like I've got to take some responsibility though, if we'd just been honest with my dad that night then he would've just driven you home instead of you having to walk through the woods."

"We would've been grounded for life," Scott pointed out "it's not so bad though, we've done some good and saved lives. I wouldn't change it, would you?" he asked.

Stiles shrugged and pulled a face "Ehh, some bits could be tweaked." He said.

'it's shaking the sky and i'm following lightning
i'll recover if you keep me alive
don't leave me behind can you see me i'm shining
and it's you that i've been waiting to find'

Life isn't exactly perfect but Stiles couldn't imagine going back to being the boy who was barely recognised by half of his current closest friends and not spending all of his free time solving the latest supernatural mystery.

"You know I love you right?" Theo said one evening they were lying in bed watching as the sun set and the sky changed from blue to a burst of a mesmerizing pink and purple before it would slowly fade to darkness. But it wouldn't be entirely too bad, the nightfall would bring the stars and they provided some beauty in darkness.

"I love you too," Stiles murmured not able to recall a time he felt this at peace. It was a first. He wasn't busy running around trying to help Scott or he wasn't fizzing with urgency to find some information. Stiles was just… still.

"I know things seem bad now," Theo said "but they'll get better. They always do."

Stiles hummed in agreement "We have got our whole lives ahead of us," he said.

A/N:

So I felt bad about realising that i didn't mark this story as complete as the first chapter had meant to be a one-shot! I would've felt guilty if i'd just changed it so thought i'd add another chapter making it a two-shot.

Songs used to inspire were:
1- Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood
2- Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - XYLO
3- Wicked ones - DOROTHY
4- Fire - PVRIS
5- White Noise - PVRIS
6- Midnight City - M83
7- Born to Die - Lana Del Rey
8- Shine - Years & Years