The Kids Aren't Alright

She had, so she nodded. “Did you?” 

“Yeah! I did.”

“Happy new year, Mac.” 

“Didja make a resolution for this year?”

A soft smile spread across the teenagers lips as he leaned forward on the table in the commons area and he nodded to the younger girl, fingers tapping briefly against the side of his bowl that held his food.

Mac’s eyes gazed over Stiles, a frown on her lips. She had got used to being silent, but the words were already itching to pour out of her mouth. “Are you okay?” She asked, tasting the words. “We didn’t really, uhm, talk after. I mean, I didn’t talk at all after, but I think sometimes it’s just good to talk about it?”

He shrugs, “I’m sorry I was an asshole before”.

Originally posted by youneedmetosurvive

“It’s okay, grumpy face,” she said softly, forcing a smile onto her lips. “You weren’t really... mean. Just guarded.”

“Yeah…yeah, of course it is.”

“I just-- I annoy people, when I talk..”

“Oh, I definitely mean it. And I know at least the first verse of most of the popular ones.”

“That’s okay! I can lead, if need be. I kind of have an entire catalog of christmas music inside my brain, because it’s one of my favorite kind of musics. With my family, my dad would play the piano and Papa and I would put on a show, it was so much fun.”

Stuart fell silent as the young girl pressed her fingers against his lips, and he nodded, the apology for mentioning the Void in the first place written on his face. He let out a shaky sigh before saying softly, “If you need anything…if I can help you at all…just let me know.”

Mac nodded, pulling her fingers away from her lips. She moved to open hers, but they stayed trapped shut-- like they were still tied together. She sent him a silent ‘Thank you’ instead, tapping his hand.

Blake took her not moving away as a sign, reaching over to touch the girl’s hand gently with her own. Finally, she spoke, “I’m so sorry, baby.” The words welling up too many emotions at once. She never would’ve imagined when James had begun fostering children that they would become as important to her as her own brother. 

Mackenzie was slow to act, but she turned her hand upside down, grabbing Blake’s. She didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything else, but she held Blake’s hand. She would be okay.

“You know, back before we lost our home, I used to decorate it until it looked like a completely different house.”

Mac gestured to herself with a large grin before gesturing around the hospital. She had wanted to do that here, simply to bring the holiday spirit. But she had lost herself- her own spirit- after the Nogitsune.

“I, for one, do not think the Christmas spirit is amiss.”

“Do you need help?” 

“Do you want to help?”

Blake quietly moved into the room, her movements slow so as not to frighten Mackenzie. It was so different from the way she normally was - where she would have rushed the girl and checked her over obsessively until she was certain that Mac was okay. This time was different, though. She knew that the girl, normally buoyant with words, was not okay. There was no need to check to make sure. She could see it in her eyes. When she finally came close to the girl, she sat down slowly, near enough that she could touch her if she reached out. Still, she did not. 

Mac stared at Blake, her eyes welling up in tears. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw herself down in that basement. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw him. Looking at her like she was the scum on her shoe. She didn’t want to close her eyes.