(open) breathe, cold, another bad dream

[mensrea]

Who: Stiles Stilinski and YOU
When: Night of Aereuer 13
Where: The shared dream
What: "Dream a Little Dream" event catch-all
Warnings: Language, check individual prompt tags

[ Deep within the Looking-Glass House, there is a mirror framed in ancient-looking oak that’s pocketed with holes, like something has eaten through the wood. Depending on your relationship to Stiles, you may notice at first glance that it seems the mirror frame is decorated only with unsmiling, weary faces. These faces belong to: Noah Stilinski, at the crown; Scott McCall; gaze pointedly averted; Claudia Stilinski, the details of her features erased by time; Malia Tate; Lydia Martin; Melissa McCall; Allison Argent, eyes closed and expression lax as if asleep; Kira Yukimura; and Liam Dunbar. Upon closer examination of the mirror, you might realize that the frame itself is constructed from the upward-winding roots of a massive tree stump at the bottom.

The mirror’s glass ripples. Enter? ]

i. research | open | cw: none | video

---

[ You enter a modern teenage boy’s bedroom. A calendar pinned to the wall indicates that the date is January 2011, even though the view from two windows suggests pleasant, balmy temperatures. Stiles, sporting a buzzcut and younger than his current self, is seated at a desk, poring over information on his laptop. Around him on the carpeted floor are dozens of books and printed-out pages, all related to the topic of werewolves. With manic energy, Stiles takes a moment to compare notes from one text before returning to the laptop, fingers skidding over keys.

Eventually, a knock on the door startles him. Looking nervous about who his potential visitor is, Stiles opens the door, only to immediately relax upon seeing the grinning face of his best friend, Scott McCall. After some initial gossip, they get down to the reason for Stiles’ desperate research: He believes that Scott is turning into a werewolf. The conversation dissolves quickly into an argument about whether or not it’s safe for Scott to keep his date with Allison Argent on the night of a full moon. Deciding to cancel the date on Scott’s behalf, Stiles takes his best friend’s phone. In a clearly uncharacteristic bout of rage, Scott slams Stiles into a wall, pulls back a fist as if to punch him, and then directs his fury on the desk chair instead. They both freeze.

Scott apologizes, regaining control over his emotions. As he moves to depart, you’ll find Stiles – Mirrorbound Stiles, that is – watching the scene from where he’s leaning against the closet door, expression closed and guarded.

Once Scott leaves the room, the memory of Stiles sets the upturned desk chair right, showcasing the claw marks that have gouged the leather. ]

You know, [ begins Mirrorbound Stiles, voice deceptively casual, ] no one ever thanks you for being right all the time. Go figure.

ii. my cousin, Miguel | open | cw: Derek half-naked from the waist up | video

---

[ Another sunny day, another memory set in Stiles’ bedroom. This time, the calendar on the wall indicates that the date is February 2011. Three young men are already present, one of them obviously a younger version of Stiles. But another may also be familiar to you – Derek Hale, seated in a chair away from the other two, bloodstains evident on his Henley shirt. The third is Stiles’ classmate Danny who, despite being lab partners with Stiles, has apparently not been invited over to discuss lab work. Stiles tries to wheedle Danny into tracing a text, which he allegedly knows Danny is capable of from snooping through Danny’s previous arrest report. Danny refuses and they settle down to do lab work. When Danny inquires about Derek, Stiles lies and claims that Derek is his cousin, “Miguel.”

Danny asks about the bloodstains on Derek’s shirt, which prompts Stiles to suggest that “Miguel” can borrow one of his clean shirts. However, given the distinct size difference between Stiles and Derek (read: noodle versus tank), none of the shirts fit. Danny, who is gay, becomes flustered and distracted by Derek’s godly body. Noticing this, Stiles uses it to his advantage in order to convince Danny to trace the text for him. Danny finally agrees and Stiles smugly celebrates. ]

Listen. [ Mirrorbound Stiles is loafing around on the bed, paging aimlessly through a magazine on skateboards. ] It was for a good cause, alright? Don’t get judgmental on me. Derek was totally fine with it.

[ Actually, Derek smashed his face against the jeep steering wheel for this little stunt, but that’s neither here nor there. ]

iii. when is a door not a door | open | cw: none | video

---

[ A school bell signals the start of a new period. Stiles, appearing closer in age to his current self, rushes into the classroom and makes a beeline for his usual desk – only to find it already occupied. A creature of habit, Stiles asks the girl seated there to switch, but she just responds to him in what seems to be sign language. Perplexed, he sits down at another desk and waits for class to start.

The room grows unnaturally still and silent. No one moves. A heavy atmosphere descends upon the scene, like you’re being watched despite your relative safety as a visitor to this memory. When Stiles looks at the front of the room, the teacher – his lacrosse coach – is staring directly at him with unblinking intensity. Coach begins signing, the exact hand motions signed by the girl earlier, which Stiles fails to understand. Becoming increasingly unsettled, Stiles excuses himself from the class.

As he goes to leave, Stiles glances over his shoulder; the entire class is now wordlessly signing the same phrase over and over at him. As one, they pick up the pace, signing at Stiles more frantically. Coach’s eyes are wide and imploring, as if begging Stiles to take heed. Disoriented, he stumbles away, and then startles violently into awareness back at his desk, Coach blowing a whistle to get his attention. Was it all a dream?

Next to him, Scott is staring at Stiles uneasily. Stiles dismisses the visible concern, saying he just fell asleep. Scott says that Stiles wasn’t asleep, nodding at Stiles’ desk. There, written in his own hand, is a notebook page covered with line after line of “WAKE UP.” ]

“When is a door not a door,” [ recites Mirrorbound Stiles, staring out the classroom windows. He won’t look at the scene. ] That’s what they were signing – a riddle.

iv. next of kin | open | cw: blood | video

---

[ Stiles – nigh identical to his current self, down to the clothes that he arrived in Aefenglom wearing – is standing at a hospital admissions desk, more agitated than usual. The on-duty nurse there can’t seem to find his father’s insurance information, which aggravates him further. He heatedly informs her that his father is the Sheriff of the county and is definitely covered. Another woman, Melissa McCall, steps in to let Stiles know she’s contacted her son Scott and that she can message Malia. Stiles hurriedly rejects the idea, not even seeming enthusiastic about Scott arriving.

Behind them, the nurse asks if there is anyone else who needs to be notified about the Sheriff – a next of kin. Voice trembling, Stiles says it’s only him.

Mirrorbound Stiles has no pithy quips to offer. He’s at the edge of the memory’s bounds, hand pressed against doors that would bring him into the ER if he could only open them. ]

---

( ooc | CR & plotting comment. If you want to figure out a specific prompt for your character, hit me up! Here’s a playlist of other scenes I’d be willing to do! )

Comments

[itsjiaheng]

[ whatever he's about to say initially after that reveal he holds, waiting to see what stiles literally has up his sleeve. jongdae isn't sure what he's expecting. some kind of weird exoskeleton or something? definitely not weird hairs. there's a few seconds there where he just looks confused before it clicks. ]

I mean.. that doesn't look much different from the people growing fur right now? [ kinda. it's a stretch. ] And later you'll get to do like.. I dunno.. spider stuff, right? [ what do spiders do even besides try and get into your house? he's not sure. ] That might actually be fun.

If you can turn yourself into an actual spider that—.. well, that might actually be pretty gross. But otherwise it's pretty cool! You're your own thing.

[mensrea]

Thanks, but no thanks.

[ While Jongdae’s attempt to find a silver lining is appreciated, Stiles is under no illusion about the repulsiveness of his Monster species. As someone who has spent almost his entire life trying to fit in, this fate as the only Mirrorbound Arachne is less than ideal. Talk about a worst-case scenario, honestly. ]

Anyway, I think Vampires –

[ Stiles cuts off suddenly, looking confused. Then, before he can get another word out, he disappears from the memory. ]

( ooc | sorry to cut this short but I need to close up on my mirror logs! )