Archive of Our Own ^beta

Boyd snarled, crouched over an unconscious Isaac as Kali charged, Aiden close behind. Tensing in preparation for the kill, to his horror Stiles stepped in front of them, shoulders tense beneath his baggy hoodie. Boyd's jaw dropped, a yell caught in his throat as he heard Scott scream for his friend to step back; that's when Boyd saw it, other than the two alphas less than a yard away. Grey sand, no, ash slipped through Stiles thin fingers and seemed to dart away the instant it touched the ground. The grey curved around them, closing in a perfect circle a millisecond before Kali and Aiden reached them.

The two alphas bounced back as if an invisible wall was between them...but then they smiled.

Stiles began to sway and Boyd, teeth gritted as his wounds healed at an agonizingly slow pace, only barely caught him as he fell; he held back a roar when the thin teen nudged his more or less shredded leg. He had misjudged, thinking the barrier had been put up in time. Blood soaked the human's front from three claw marks across his gut and he heard Kali laugh as she paced outside the barrier, having Aiden charging at Scott who had stuck his claws through Ethan's chest the same moment a wolfsbane bullet exited the side of the twin's neck.

"Come on little human. You can't stay in there forever."

Boyd looked down at Stiles who's eyes were wide, lips pressed tight as he tried to manage the pain. He looked to his side, relieved to see Isaac healing though the other beta was still out cold. Turning back to Kali as Stiles whimpered in his arms, he tried not to look when he heard Derek roar and a pained gasp from Scott. He was surprised the sound of the Argent' gun shots and arrows hadn't made him wince yet but that line of thought was cut off when he saw Ms. Morelle approach.

"You're not the only one's with a pet human."

Boyd snarled as she reached to break the line, tensing again but suddenly the guidance counselor paused, moving backwards with a small laugh. Kali looked confused but Ms. Morelle addressed Stiles instead.

"Salt. How clever though now you're trapped too. "

Kali bared her teeth then charged off, Boyd not even bothering to watch her as he continued to glare at the woman before him. He heard Isaac groan behind him but his gaze never wavered, not even when she lowered her eyes and stepped back into the shadows. Stiles moaned, eyes squeezing shut as blood soaked his hoodie and the waistband of his jeans, making Boyd's scratched arms slick; he suddenly heard a whisper of a voice.

" He'll be dead by the time someone comes along to break the circle."

Boyd let out a warning growl and the voice didn't come back. Ignoring Isaac's confused whines, he turned his attention to the moaning boy in his arms, concentrating as he felt the last of his own wounds knitting together to take away the pain. Dazed eyes met his and a jolt went through him as Stiles spoke.

"W-when the barrier breaks-"

No. Just no. He knew where Stiles was going with that thought so he growled warningly. Boyd's eyes darted around, searching for something that would bring hope but realization continued to settled. He and Isaac were trapped in here with a dying Stiles while the Argents, Scott, Derek, Cora, and Peter fought against the remaining alpha pack. Ethan lay dead several feet away, Aidan attacking the Scott-Argent tag team with a vengeance while the three Hales do their best to take on Kali. Deucalion and Ms. Morelle continue to stand by and watch the commotion, dodging an attack here and there but idle for the most part; they were likely waiting for Stiles to die and for the barrier to fall as a result. It rattles Boyd, the sacrifice Stiles is trying to make because he can remember another time they faced a hopeless opponent, in a basement, with Stiles talking and talking until Mr. Argent... His grip tightens on Stiles when the other teen tries to talk.

"Shut up, just shut the hell up."

"For what's worth...m'sorry...s-shoulda done something sooner..."

Isaac is slowly waking up but Boyd ignores him, looking down at Stiles with stern eyes, " Shut up. We weren't your responsibility then and we aren't now, " Boyd swallows down his anger, " You just have to throw yourself into things, don't you, Stilinski?"

Stiles smiles weakly, revealing bloody teeth; Isaac chokes, eyes wide as he looks between them and the fight going on. He tries to move past the line but he can't, bouncing off the barrier much like Kali had. Their attention is momentarily drawn as Scott lets an arrow and bullet laden Aiden fall lifelessly to the ground but then Deucalion is laughing, sunglasses suddenly in hand. Fear courses through them and Isaac begins to hyperventilate, pushing at the barrier before he snarls at Stiles' pale form.

"Break it! Break the damn line!"

"He can't, " Boyd says sternly, which manages to halt Isaac who has already transformed again, " Only a regular human can-"

"Allison!"

The curly haired girl is running towards them but is intercepted by Ms. Morelle. Kali is more or less done for as Mr. Argent, Peter and Cora corner her on the landing while Derek and Scott stand snarling before the main Alpha. Boyd bares his teeth, turning to Isaac who once more attacks the non-visible wall as Allison dodges an impressive judo move from their school therapist. In his arms, Stiles chokes, red dribbling down his chin.

"He's dying!" Allison screams, kicking Ms. Morelle's legs out and dodging a roundhouse kick. The emissary doesn't respond other than with a fierce uppercut.

"Well done, " Deucalion is saying from some feet away, " Your pack is strong, meaning all the more power to you when you kill each and everyone one of them."

"He'll never join you!" Scott snarls.

Deucalion smiles and Boyd feels the world dim and sway as Stiles grows eerily still, " Oh? You don't think so? I would say that-"

Allison lets herself be thrown, eyes closed as she focuses; her back slides across the line, breaking it and allowing Isaac to charge towards where Scott and Derek stand. If Boyd had kept his gaze there he would have seen Peter and Cora join him as Mr. Argent holds Ms. Morelle at gunpoint but his eyes remain on Stiles, mind flashing back to the school, the cafeteria, the rink, the basement, the motel... He hears Allison stand and retrieve her bow, heart skipping a beat as he hears her notch an arrow even if he knows it's not meant for him.

A partially healed Boyd stands, biting his lip as Stiles hangs limply in his arms as blood drips loudly onto the floor. Everything is red, he thinks dimly. He takes two steps back, away from the battle but he's drawn the attention of the main alpha, " Hm, one less to kill since it seems one of yours is already dead."

After that, all Boyd can remember is frantically listening for a heartbeat.

He wakes up in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by Scott's scent and a little bit of Isaac. Blinking, he sits up, surprised to see new wounds slowly healing on his arms. He sees Isaac curled up on the floor and can hear Scott talking on the phone downstairs. He listens in, learning that Derek is coming over so Scott can head to the hospital since Allison and Lydia just left. Then, he hears something about the Sheriff being there and it all comes flooding back. Boyd can't smell Stiles' blood on him, meaning someone cleaned him but he remembers the feel of it sliding down his arms, soaking his shirt front...

"Hey."

Isaac is looking at him nervously and Boyd stands without another word, wincing as he feels a few aches. There's a flurry of steps and Scott is in the doorway, eyes wide.

"Chill, okay? You just-"

"Where is he?"

Scott looks at the floor, " Dead. You...we killed him."

Boyd feels like all the air leaves his chest before he realizes there's something wrong with those words. No, no, Scott doesn't understand so he snarls, taking three steps forwards until he's right in the other teen's face, " No, Stiles. Where is Stiles?!"

Scott looks stunned and he can hear Isaac gasp behind him. No one speaks for a long time, Boyd fisting and un-fisting his hands before there's a shuffle on the roof. Derek climbs in, followed by Cora. A few minutes later Peter appears behind Scott, receiving a grimace from all of them. Boyd eyes each of them, waiting for an answer when Scott finally begins to sputter, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Apparently Boyd had been right; the person at the hospital was Stiles and with that information he shoved past Scott and Peter, shrugging off Derek's hand.

"Wait, dude, he's okay. We got him to the ER in time. You don't need to-"

"I have something to say to him," Boyd snarled because he did; he had a list of things to say to Stiles and none of them were thank you. Eyes flashing as he ignores Isaac, he wrenches open the front door, heading down the driveway. It's only when his bare feet meet the cool title of the hospital waiting room that he realizes what he must look like. Still, his angry guides him and after some intimidating looks and cold words, the nurse sees his name on the visitation lists and tells him room 216. He knows that's right by intensive care and forcing his claws to retract, he ignores the others as the burst into the hospital behind him. He's too angry to think, almost enraged by the time he gets to Stiles' room but somehow the second he's inside...he deflates.

He slumps in the chair besides the teen, staring at his pale face, sweat soaked brow and...he swallows hard, " He acts like we're his responsibility, like..."

Scott doesn't comment when his throat closes up, preventing him from continuing. Everyone is silent, even the Sheriff when he enters with a cup of coffee and bloodshot eyes. Boyd offers him his seat but the elder Stilinski shakes his head, settling on the cot that has been placed in the room. Scott goes to sit next to him, the sheriff putting an arm around Scott like any father would do. Derek just stands by the door and Boyd can't help but hate his alpha, hate Scott and everyone. He thinks he hates Stiles too but it dissolves quickly with each beat of the monitors and each drip of the IV and transfusion bag. He gulps, looking down at his bare feet; it's blatantly clear, despite how many times he's denied it.

Stiles is his friend now, whether he likes it or not.

And somewhere in a painful corner of his mind he hears Erica laugh, sees her grin in his mind's eyes as she says in her blunt, snarky way, " Stilinski isn't that bad, once you get used to him. Atleast he's not Greenburg." And Boyd laughs, though it comes out as a sob as he rubs at his face with a shaky hand. Yeah, yeah...he guessed he could do worse.

END