Beacon Hills Eye Clinic [4/?]
Title: Beacon Hills Eye Clinic
Pairings: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski/Peter Hale, Stiles Stilinski/Cora Hale, Scott McCall/Isaac Lahey, Peter Hale/Lydia Martin, Cora Hale/Allison Argent (All pre-established relationships)
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 3,077
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
Warning: none
Summary: Allison struggles with many different thoughts about Cora while Stiles keeps treating the Hales. Derek wishes that Peter was dead all over again and Isaac worries about the sanity of his pack.
Previously in ‘Beacon Hills Eye Clinic’…
Cora had managed to mess with both Stiles and Allison’s minds in one visit to the clinic. Scott had finally found out what the word ‘broom’ stood for and had enjoyed the consequences. While things had gone far too fast for his liking, he had given Isaac an intimate kiss to reassure him that everything was fine.
There was nothing that screamed peaceful morning more than the sound of a pencil sharpener working diligently. It was a familiar sound to Allison whose mother had sharpened pencils each morning before leaving to teach. Allison usually treated her pencils equally, but today she couldn’t resist putting more pressure on one of them. She glanced at the small heart that was carved near the bottom. The heart was for her, but she couldn’t decide if she liked it or not.
Cora Hale had crossed her mind several times over the weekend. She didn’t know why she had kept thinking about her. Cora was a Hale; the niece of Peter Hale who had killed her aunt. It was Kate who had started the war so she couldn’t really blame Peter, but it still hurt to think about the things that had gone down between the families. So many lives had been lost and the survivors had suffered from guilt and sorrow. While she didn’t mind the Hales coming to the clinic, she wanted to treat them like any other patients.
Allison sighed as she thought about her initial reaction to Cora. Something had terribly bothered her when she had first seen her. She hadn’t known that the woman was a Hale until she had gotten the chart back and yet, she had tried to stab her with a pencil. She had been lucky that neither of the doctors had seen it. She shouldn’t have reacted with violence when the patient hadn’t really done anything. Perhaps her hunter instinct had immediately recognized a dangerous werewolf? Still, there was no excuse for her actions when she wasn’t a hunter anymore and she owed Cora an apology. A fruit basket should do.
There was actually one more thing that troubled her. Even after finding out the patient’s name, she had admitted to Stiles that Cora was attractive. Where had that come from? Wasn’t she into nice people? She had loved Scott who had to be the nicest werewolf ever. Was it the badass attitude? Did she miss the action and conflict?
Allison put down the pencil with determination. It didn’t matter even if she found Cora attractive. She had no intention of getting involved with a patient who happened to be a Hale. She also had no illusions of how things would play out. She had gone to a nurse school that was next to a med school. People might sleep with the nurses, but they always ended up with the doctors. Given Stiles’ interest in her, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Hey, you’re here early.” Scott put down the helmet and gave her a big grin.
“Yeah, I felt like getting an early start.” Allison smiled back.
“You look distracted. Is this about Cora Hale?”
Allison gave him a questioning glance and Scott pointed at the pencil in front of her.
“Oh, I just finished sharpening it.”
“How did she even do that?” Scott looked at the carved heart and then at his claws.
“She obviously sharpens her claws. I can respect that in a person.” Allison looked at her perfectly sharpened pencils with pride.
“It looks like I might not be the only one who’ll have to bend the rules.” Scott laughed.
“I think I’m offended.”
“I think she liked it when you were offended.” Scott winked.
“I don’t care if she liked it or not.”
Scott knew about the dark history between the Argents and the Hales, but he liked to think that all the bad blood was a thing of the past. “Hey, remember how you said I could still talk to you even when we’re not together anymore? I want you to know it goes both ways.”
Allison nodded. “Thanks, Scott. That means a lot. But I hope we’ll never have to talk about this.”
“Then I hope so too. Whatever you want,” Scott said sincerely.
Allison poked at his arm with the eraser on the pencil. “Remind me why I broke up with you?”
“Mm, let’s see… You got tired of my gigantic biceps, jaw-dropping abs, and my enormous, superhuman, surreal…”
“Okay, okay! I get it!” Allison burst into giggles. Her heart felt much lighter now. Scott was the best ex-boyfriend ever.
Scott was also the best nurse ever when it came to showing enthusiasm. “Dr. Stilinski! Mr…”
“Yeah, I know. Mr. Hale is here.” Stiles sighed into the intercom. Derek Hale had made an appointment this time. “What did I ever do to them, Scott? Why are they attacking me with their perfect existence? One knows how to stare, another one knows how to talk, and the other one knows how to smile.”
“Hmm, this must be the stare-y one then. Get ready, Stiles. He’s done drinking the clean water we provide,” Scott reported happily.
“I bet he drank it disgustingly sexily, staring down at the water cooler. Oh my god, I think I want to be the water cooler.” Stiles wanted to go on about how he would also like to be the paper cup, but he heard the door open.
“Ah, good morning, Mr. Hale. I was hoping you wouldn’t come back.” Stiles smiled in apology.
“Am I not welcome here?” Derek sat down anyway.
“Of course you are! I just meant I hoped your infrared would be fixed, that’s all.” Stiles wondered if he would have to get that expensive lawyer after all.
“It’s fixed. I’m here for something else though.”
“Really? Another battle with some evil force?” Stiles wondered if it would be safer to move their practice to the nearest town. He could always visit his father during the weekend.
“No. More like friendly fire. I train werewolves for a living and one of them punched me in the eye,” Derek lied through his teeth. It was a relief that the doctor wasn’t a werewolf.
“Ouch, sorry to hear that. What are the symptoms? Is there pain? Blurriness? Or are you just here to make sure everything’s okay?”
“I’m just here for a checkup. It’s the left eye.” Derek didn’t want to overdo it and end up with some controversial treatment.
“Okay. Put your chin on the machine, please.”
“Doctor, is there any way not to involve this machine? I’m not a big fan of it.” Derek didn’t want to cause trouble, but he felt stupid around big machines.
“Ah, then let me do it another way.” Stiles picked up a hand-held ophthalmoscope. “But you’ll have to excuse me for being all up in your space. Would that be all right?”
Hale yeah, that was more than all right, but Derek simply gave him a nod.
“Great. Let’s see…” Stiles wheeled his chair in front of Derek’s and held up his tool.
Derek resisted the urge to close his eyes. The point here was to keep his eyes open, but the doctor was so close. He breathed through his nose to inhale the inviting scent. As a doctor, he smelled mostly of sanitizer but underneath it, there were traces of peach, honey, and sun tree. He wanted a lick or a bite, but he knew his manners. Then out of nowhere, jealousy shot through him from head to toe. How many other werewolves would’ve been tempted like this?
“Whoa, no need for the Alpha eyes. Is everything okay?” Stiles looked at his patient with worry.
“Sorry. It’s been a stressful day.” Derek went back to his human eyes.
“It’s only nine in the morning…”
Derek showed off the Hale glare, but Stiles was having none of it. “No. No glaring. You want to put less pressure on your eyes. And, I treat werewolves on a weekly basis, Mr. Hale. Glaring doesn’t do anything to me unless it comes from my partner. Now let’s get back to your eye.”
Derek sat there, feeling a little scolded. The doctor reminded him of Laura who had always looked out for him but had scolded him every once in a while.
“Okay, what’s with the sad eyes now?” Stiles put down the ophthalmoscope again. “Please don’t be sad. This is a happy clinic! We aim to please your eyes if you haven’t checked out our motto yet. We have lollipops if you want. Would that make you feel better?”
“I’m not a child.” Derek sulked. He couldn’t help but feel like a child though.
“Oh, but they’re big! Nurse McCall loves them! They’re adult lollipops.” Stiles was reminded of the ‘broom’ incident and died cackling. Of course Scott would love big adult lollipops.
Derek sat back and folded his arms as the doctor kept dying. It should’ve been annoying, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stop him. The doctor’s laughter seemed infectious as the corners of his mouth started to twitch. He wondered if this was what they called ‘laughter therapy’. After all, the doctor had treated him with unorthodox methods last week.
“Ahem, sorry about that.” Stiles felt awkward as he cleared his throat. At least, the patient didn’t look sad anymore. “Well, I’m happy to tell you there’s nothing wrong with your eye. But you were worried enough to come down here, so I urge you to eat and sleep well for the next few days.”
Derek frowned as he realized that he should’ve come up with a condition that guaranteed him another trip to the clinic. “One more thing. My eyes get a bit bloodshot these days.”
“It’s probably the stress you mentioned. Eat and sleep well.”
“They also feel strained around the corners.”
“Eat and sleep well.”
“Frequent dryness?”
“You’re a werewolf, same orders. Anything else?”
Derek could tell that the doctor saw through his lies. Feeling like a scolded child again, he shook his head and left the office. He needed a better strategy, but that kind of thing had never been his forte.
Derek groaned as he got closer to the loft. The man whose forte was coming up with strategies seemed to be inside. He wished that he could pick his uncle’s brains like the bad old times, but Peter would purposefully give him the most terrible ideas. He didn’t even know why he cared about the doctor. He knew how to respect the rules unlike the rest of his pack and he didn’t think that the doctor would like him back. He owned a mirror so he was aware of his looks, but why would anyone want to handle all the darkness inside him?
The sight that greeted him when he opened the door was alarming enough to make him forget about his misery. Cora and Peter were chatting on the couch, eating fruit out of a fruit basket. In any other family, it would’ve been a lovely scene; a niece and an uncle sharing healthy fruit on a beautiful winter morning. But the Hales never got something nice like a fruit basket.
Derek sprinted to the couch before Cora could take another bite of her apple. He couldn’t lose her again.
“Derek!” Cora yelped, startled at her brother’s behavior. He frantically sniffed various parts of the apple before moving on to the rest of the fruit.
It was Derek’s turn to yelp when a hand came across the side of his head.
“What are you? A rabid dog? Get your nose out of the basket.” Peter frowned until something caught his eyes. “Wait a second. Is that a new jacket I’m seeing? Or do I need to get my eyes checked?”
Derek sighed at the amusement in Peter’s voice. Why couldn’t there be mountain ash in Peter’s banana? “It’s none of your business.” He took off his jacket and hung it up near the door.
“But it is. As the only member of this pack that knows anything about fashion, I must say you chose well. But you already have several leather jackets, so I wonder if this wasn’t you trying to impress the good doctor.”
“It’s still none of your business.”
“But again, it is my business since I’m in the treasure hunt as well.” Peter sent him a sly smile. “The good news is, at least you don’t need a new bed. It’s still brand new unlike mine.”
“Shut up or I’m going to get another leather jacket out of you.” Derek sat down and grabbed a peach.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure the doctor would respond to such smooth talking. This is going way too easy for me.”
Cora rolled her eyes as she finished her apple. “Don’t count me out just yet. He couldn’t take his pretty eyes off me, and I mean all of me. And, I happen to communicate with people better than Derek.”
Peter laughed. “My dear niece, you should know that’s not much of a compliment. Everyone communicates better than Derek. Even dogs.”
“I’m starting to feel the urge to get that new leather jacket.” Derek flexed his biceps.
“Again with those meaningless, violent threats.” Peter clicked his tongue.
“Don’t you have any work to do? Or is the sommelier business not going so well?” Derek missed Isaac who often acted as the buffer of the pack. It was good that he got more clients though.
“I’m not sure if you’re familiar with this era, Derek, but we have something called the Internet. I suppose you wouldn’t know. You’ve never been good with electronic equipment. Remember how you used to be scared of the microwave?”
As Derek stood up with his claws out, Cora threw herself on her brother’s back. “Derek! Can help me move my bed upstairs?”
“What’s wrong with your bed?” Derek hiked her up even though he wished that she wouldn’t act like a kid.
“It’s winter. I don’t want it to face the window.”
“Fine.”
Unable to say no to his little sister even when she could do it alone, Derek glared at Peter and headed to the stairs. He wanted to help her and get some time to think in his room. He needed another way into the clinic. He needed information. But where could he possibly find out what the doctor liked?
“Eh, I don’t know how to say this.” Isaac rubbed his chin as he checked his phone.
“You don’t like the coffee?” Scott was worried. He was hoping that Isaac would enjoy Heather’s coffee.
“The coffee’s fine. But the sanity of my pack isn’t.” Isaac was torn. Derek wasn’t the only one who had asked him to pry information out of Scott. Peter had asked the same thing yesterday when they had been shopping for V-neck sweaters.
“What’s up with your pack?” Scott was curious. He had never been part of a pack. He had been bitten by a lone Alpha who had been hunted down shortly after by the Argents. Stiles and Allison had helped him embrace his new self, but he had never looked for a pack.
“I’ll be straight with you.” Isaac scratched the tip of his nose. “They’re all over Dr. Stilinski and want to know what makes him tick.”
Scott wanted to tell him that he shouldn’t give out such private information, but then he remembered how Stiles hadn’t told him about the significance of the ‘broom’. “Leather. Definitely leather.”
“Anything else?” Isaac sent a text to both Derek and Peter. While his loyalty lay with his Alpha, Peter was still part of the pack.
“Ah, I think I talked too much already. Sorry.” Scott smiled. He didn’t want to send his best friend into his mother’s ER.
“Nah, I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t mean to put you in a tight spot.” Isaac reached out for Scott’s hand on the table. “Your break’s almost over. Let’s talk about something fun now.”
“Well, I was thinking maybe we could do something later.”
“Sounds great. What do you have in mind?” Isaac drew circles with his thumb on Scott’s wrist.
“How about a ride on my bike? Before it gets too cold. We can ride all the way to the woods! The weather’s clear today, so it’s going to be beautiful.”
“Oh, a bike…” Isaac tried to pull his hand back, but Scott was quick to catch it.
“You don’t like bikes? I swear I’ll keep you safe.”
Isaac hesitated. He didn’t want to kill the mood.
“Hey, we can do something else instead. But it’s okay to tell me if you’re up for it.” Scott squeezed the trembling hand. He wished that he could take away more than physical pain.
Isaac looked into Scott’s eyes for a while. “I was once chased by two Alphas. I was on a bike with this girl who saved my life, but she didn’t make it.” He didn’t think that he would ever get rid of the guilt.
“I’m so sorry.” Scott lifted Isaac’s hand and kissed it. That was one of the main reasons why he hadn’t joined a pack. He could do without any of the werewolf drama. “How about we take my mom’s car then? I can borrow it.”
“It’s okay. That was a long time ago. I think I’d like it if you helped me turn it into a fond memory. Just remember that I might hold on a little too tight.” Isaac grinned despite the lingering sadness in his eyes.
Scott nodded as his heart swelled with delight at the amount of trust that Isaac was putting in him. They still knew so little about each other, but he liked where they were headed. “You’re very strong, you know that?”
Isaac shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. Never really felt that way.”
“You are. You seem to have overcome all kinds of tragedy and yet, there’s still life in you.”
Isaac gave him a small smile. “That’s awfully nice of you, but you’re the ideal werewolf. I’ve seen you take away patients’ pain. I’ve only used my claws to hurt people.”
“But now you don’t! You cut hair with them.”
“Yeah, but it’s still very new.”
“Well, I eagerly look forward to the day you cut mine.” Scott leaned forward and kissed his date on the nose. He could get used to sweet coffee breaks like this.