thepicketfencecliche | new york wolves } of interventions and game plans

Alexis: [so after talking with Cora earlier, the Alexis that comes home is a ball of concern and worry and spent most of the subway ride trying to figure out the right way to approach it and in the end she decides "intervention" may be the best route. She knows that he's been through a lot lately, but this? This doesn't feel like Stiles. And she wants to try and help before it gets too far. So she makes her way into the apartment and glances around] Stiles?

Stiles: [ he's sitting on his fire escape. He had gone up to the roof to smoke, and was now just airing out before he went back inside. He was tempted to just press against the brick and hide, but his keys and bag were in the living room so she would know he was somewhere. He sighed] On the fire escape.

Alexis: [drops her bags next to his before following the sound of his voice to the fire escape. She doesn't come out, but she does sit on the window seat next to it, pulling her legs up into her chest] I talked to Cora.

Stiles: [just nods, looking off at their view of the alley. Luckily they didn't have another side of windows looking at them - they were able to afford a view that was at least mostly private.]

Alexis: You know I love you, right? And if this was just a once in a while thing I wouldn't really care because we all need to relax sometimes but she makes it seem like you're doing it a lot. Are you?

Stiles: [his hand is going to shake a bit as he reached up to scratch at his face] I only do it when I really need it. [which is an answer that is not an answer]

Alexis: [yeah and she's going to call him out on it] And how often do you really need it? [a beat] How often have you done it this week, for example?

Stiles: Twice. [and it was Tuesday]

Alexis: That's practically every day.

Stiles: [and he's just going to stare at the brick wall, but she would feel that he was closing down on her as his lips set into a firm line]

Alexis: [yep, she knows that look] No, don't start - don't shut down on me. I'm worried about you.

Stiles: I'm fine, Alexis.

Alexis: No you're not. You're not fine, you wouldn't be getting stoned if you were fine.

Stiles: [she was blocking his entrance back into the apartment so he couldn't even storm away that way. He just wanted to get the hell out of there] This is my life, alright! You don't get to tell me how to live it, Alexis. So just leave it alone.

Alexis: No! I won't! I'm done leaving it alone! I'm sick and tired of watching my best friends just cover up the fact that they're miserable with something else. I've tried letting you guys work it out, I've tried being encouraging and not judging but I can't do it anymore because all you both are doing is hurting yourselves. Cora is turning into Malia and running from her feelings and you're smoking and trying to forget, but what are you going to do when that doesn't work anymore, Stiles? Eventually your body is going to get used to it and the high won't be as good - what will you do then? Try something harder?

Stiles: [and he's just going to grit his jaw and stare at his hands, staying silent. Because he didn't know how to answer it, and he wasn't sure he wanted to try]

Alexis: [she isn't really sure she wanted an answer to that either so she's just going to keep going, reaching for him gently and placing her hands over his] This isn't going to make you happy. It just means you get to pretend not to be miserable for a little while, but in the end that's not going to be enough. This isn't going to make the problem go away, Stiles. It's putting off dealing with it. Whatever it is whether it's Cora or the kidnapping or God only knows what else but if you let this get too far it will ruin you and Hal and I will lose you and that's not what I want. So let me help you. Please.

Stiles: [he looked at her hands on his a moment, and he closed his eyes because he knew she wasn't going to like what he was about to do, but he wasn't going to make promises that he couldn't keep. So he just pulled back and stood up on the fire escape] You can't help me, Alexis. I'm sorry. I know you want to, but you can't fix everything.

Alexis: [grits her teeth] Can't or you won't let me?

Stiles: [he just shrugged] Does it really matter?

Alexis: Yes, it does!

Stiles: I don't think I can be fixed. So whether you try, or I just don't let you... it's not going to matter. This is who I am now, and that's it.

Alexis: It matters to me. It matters because you are my friend and someone that I care about and when you hurt yourself like this it hurts me too because yes, you're right, maybe I can't fix everything, but you're my family, Stiles. So if you think I'm just going to give up and walk away you really don't know me at all.

Stiles: No, I know you won't walk away, even when you should. But right now I don't need this, okay? So I'm walking away from this conversation. [and he's going to start up the fire escape]

Alexis: [will watch him go and grit her teeth for a moment before slamming her fist into the window frame and pushing away to go hide in her room for a bit]

Hal: [and he's going to come home not knowing any of this, heading right into the kitchen for something to snack on]

Alexis: [threw herself into a paper so while she hears him come in she doesn't acknowledge it right away, not wanting to lose her focus]

Stiles: [and he's eventually come back to his room, locked the door and is hiding with his headphones on so he can't hear anything as he does his homework]

Hal: [and he's going to nom on a bagel as he heads into his and Alexis' room, looking over at her typing away] Working on anything interesting?

Alexis: Something for history. [doesn't really look up, until she finishes the paragraph and she gives him a small smile that isn't all there] How was class?

Hal: Too many numbers, not enough usable memory in my head to process it all. [smirks and goes to sit on the edge of the bed next to her, rubbing her back]

Alexis: [closes her eyes a bit as she leans into him, starting to relax a little] Stiles and I ... he's not happy with me right now.

Hal: What happened?

Alexis: Did you know he's been smoking pot? A lot? Derek caught him with it in his backpack when he was at the Hales today.

Hal: [sighs] Yeah, I know. He smokes sometimes in the morning when whatever bond he's got with Cora hurts too much. It helps clear his head. It's not like it can actually do any damage to him, Alexis. He's a werewolf - his body pretty much pushes it back out of him minutes after he finishes.

Alexis: It's not the physical things I'm worried about. It's the psychological ones.

Hal: Yeah, well you're not the only one worried about him there. But I think he needs someone a bit better at helping him than we're capable of, and he needs to be in a place to want that help.

Alexis: I know. I know that. But I couldn't not say anything, because if I didn't say something now, then when? When he started missing classes? When he starts trying something harder?

Hal: Hey, I'm not saying you weren't right in saying something. I just... I mean I'm still seeing that psychologist dad got me to help me deal with the kidnapping. I don't think Stiles has talked to anyone except that Marcus guy, and that was right after it happened. And what, he's kidnapped, tortured, and manipulated into doing what he does, gets rejected and thrown out of the family he has here, loses his girlfriend he's got some weird werewolf bond to... and still no one's stepped in and offered him professional help. He thinks he's fine, but he knows he's not, but he's too stubborn to ask for help. And do you see any of the Hales really spending a decent amount of time around him to know that he needs this? [Hal is angry at the Hales, if it's not clear]

Alexis: He talks to Laura every week. And you know, for a while, he didn't really give them much of an option because he went across the country to go home. Malia tries to spend whatever time with him she can, but that doesn't always work out because he doesn't want to put her in the middle. Look, I'm not saying anyone's hands are clean in this but they didn't kick him out of the pack. The pack is still there, he just won't go to them.

Hal: Cora told him to go, Alexis. She pushed him away and made him feel he couldn't go. He's scared to death of Peter. He went home because he didn't know what else to do. The only reason he even came back was because we asked him to. He says he wants Cora back, but she's off screwing some other guy.

Alexis: Don't get me started on that. Did you know he has a girlfriend? Apparently she's okay with it or they're in some kind of weird werewolf threesome but she is just as bad about this as he is, only instead of using narcotics, she's using orgasms.

Hal: ... What was he even doing at the Hale house today that would have let Derek find the stuff?

Alexis: [sighs] Cora had a panic attack in their chemistry class and he took her home. She was trying to ... I don't know, make things better, I guess, so she invited him up and Derek was there.

Hal: So if Derek hadn't been there... fuck man [rubs at his eyes]

Alexis: Or at least not have been paying as close attention.

Hal: Maybe we should just lock them both in a room together and let them figure it out.

Alexis: It's not like the thought hadn't crossed my mind.

Hal: I'm down for this plan.

Alexis: But how. And when. And how do we try and maneuver two werewolves into an enclosed space when we are but two lowly humans?

Hal: They're in the same lab class, right? Lock them in the lab room?

Alexis: [her eyebrows go up] They do have a lab to make up.

Hal: I'll keep eyes on Stiles' schedule and let you know what day it'll be.

Alexis: And I will make sure Cora doesn't weasel out of it. Not that I think she will. It's school. It's the only thing she values as highly as her pack.

Hal: Then we have a plan?

Alexis: Yep. Oh! And I can talk to the TA. Make sure he doesn't give them any slack on making them do it together.

Hal: Oh, yeah, do that. [smirks and leans in a bit to kiss her] Feeling better now that you have a game plan?

Alexis: [smiles into the kiss a bit before nodding] Yes. Much better. Thank you.

Hal: Good. So, you want to go figure out dinner before you get back to that paper?

Alexis: How do you feel about Mexican?

Hal: Si, muy bueno.

Alexis: Perfecto.

Hal: You and me. Stiles can fend for himself tonight.

Alexis: [nods] I agree. Let's go.