otp: push pop rings

“What do you mean he was too late?” Caroline was trying to keep her head, she was trying not to notice the fact that his skin was a few degrees colder than normal, that his normally hammering heartbeat was absent. “Stiles if you’re saying what I think you’re trying to say, just say it,” she pleaded him. “I need you to say it out loud.” Caroline knew that this was always a possibility, and in a way it was something she wanted to happen. Being with Stiles forever was the only thing she knew she wanted, but it was supposed to be his choice. It was supposed to be something they’d decide together. He wasn’t meant to be murdered and bleed to death alone. She was supposed to be with him. “Tell me that what I’m thinking isn’t true. Tell me you didn’t die tonight.”

Caroline climbed out of bed, somewhere in her mind noting how cold the floor was on her bare feet. She grabbed her hoodie from behind her door as she went, forgetting in her tired haze that she had vampire speed and didn’t have to walk the distance. She opened the front door as silently as possible, careful not to wake her mom as she slipped out. “What’s going on?” she asked him, pulling her hoodie tighter around her even thought she wasn’t cold. “Why didn’t you just come up?” He wasn’t facing her, which made her worry more. This had to be bad news, she could tell something was off the moment she saw him. A billion questions ran through her mind. Who died? Who’s a monster? Who’s in danger this time? 

Where he once would’ve met the sight with a dopey look of love and adoration, now he only sighs heavily, clearly annoyed at being interrupted as he turned to face the girl that was standing in his way–both literally and figuratively. He arched his brow at her question, looking as perplexed as ever, “Well if I had known you were joining me I would have brought a friend along for you.” He glanced down at the lifeless body behind Caroline and frowned, looking almost genuinely remorseful, “I really need to learn control, I would have preferred to savour her. One of the nicest I’ve had honestly.” He tilted his head to the side while he continued to look at his ‘handiwork’, not even having bothered wiping the blood off his hands or face.

"I don't even recognise you anymore."

The girl he had drawn out from the bar to the back alleyway was stumbling towards the street, barely gasping out a cry for help as she staggered from side to side. As he sped round to block her (the speed was another thing he enjoyed terribly), the twisted smile that graced his face was nothing of the dopey smile Stiles Stilinski once bore, the only familiar thing about him now was his face. “Ah ah ah, I wasn’t finished with you. Trying to leave me on a half empty stomach? That’s not very hospitable of you is it?” He said in a tone that would be unrecognisable to anyone who knew him, and cupped her face in his hands gingerly–as if she were his lover and not his food source–and looked into her eyes, “Don’t leave me again, okay?” The girl, with her bloodied neck and pale face simply nodded, her blank expression replaced by a cry of anguish when his fangs pierced her skin again, her limbs falling limp as he drank selfishly and unapologetically.

The smell of blood was strong in the air, and it took Caroline less than a second to find him, his face buried in the neck of a pretty girl. "Stiles!" she sped at him, ripping his meal away from him and ignoring the feral noise that came from him. Caroline kept her gaze on Stiles as she carefully lowered the girl to the ground, cursing herself for not arriving a few moments earlier. Maybe then she would still be alive. She folded her arms, the usual joy she felt at seeing Stiles was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she felt a heavy weight settle on her chest. The sight of him covered in blood and looking like a shadow of his former self had her wondering if she should have ever convinced him to turn. Maybe this was her punishment for wanting to be with him forever. "Well?" she prompted. "What do you have to say?"

He grew silent for a moment then, as if he were deliberating both of their words as he ran the tip of the stake along his fingers. “You’re both pathetically in love with each other it’s sickening. Pleading for each others lives… I’d be touched if the idea didn’t disgust me really.” He said after a moment, the smirk returning in full force. “And besides,” He grinned even wider, “If I really wanted to break you, Miss Forbes, don’t doubt that I know exactly where to point this stake.” He droned on menacingly as he dragged the stake up his own chest, pointing it straight at Stiles’ chest, just shy of the actual place his heart lay. “Call my bluff, I dare you.”

Caroline's breath caught in her throat as he pointed the stake at his own chest. At Stiles' chest. She was frozen in shock, not expecting things to go this way at all. Caroline could handle anything the nogitsune did to her, but hurting Stiles? She knew he would feel it. But what would staking himself do to him? Could it kill him? Caroline didn't know. And she wasn't about to take the risk. "Don't," she choked out, leaning forward against the ropes despite the way they burned her. She now had deep wounds where the ropes had burned through layers of skin and flesh. The kind of wounds that took a lot longer, and a lot more blood to heal than most. "Don't do it. I swear to god. Do whatever you want to me. I'll feel every bit. I'll let my pain swallow me whole if that is what will make you happy. That's what you want, isn't it? I won't fight you. Just don't hurt him. You don't have to hurt him." 

"Hell? Darling haven’t you noticed yet? I’ve brought it with me." After grabbing a few of his tools from the table behind her he moved around to face her again, kneeling in front of her with that smug smirk that once belonged to her Stiles. "You might not believe you’re living it, but he definitely is." He tapped his own forehead before his lips practically curled back, giving her one of the most menacing smiles she probably ever would have seen on Stiles. "How many stakes do you think I can get in you before Stiles here cries wolf?" Then without warning he plunged the vervain soaked stakes deep into her thighs, one first, twisting it as his smile grew before the other followed suit in her other leg. 

When she was sure she could talk without crying out in pain, Caroline released her bloodied lip from her teeth, her breathing coming in gasps. "You will not break me," she told him, her voice low and harsh. "So just give up on this. Get in my head instead. I'm stronger than him, faster, harder to kill. You could do so much more with my body. Take me instead."

The boy had been reduced to a whimper, helplessly watching the woman he loved being burned alive. He felt a great sense of satisfaction and fed right off of their pain, smiling gleefully as he tugged on the chain again, the shutters closing seconds before the girl had become engulfed in flames. “There…” He taunted, “…that wasn’t so bad was it?” Letting go of the chain, he walked over to her once again and crouched in front of her, tilting his head as if he were truly concerned about her wellbeing, “How are you feeling, blondie? I daresay you’re probably in better shape than your boyfriend… emotionally that is of course.”

Caroline could, however, talk to Stiles. He could see and hear everything that the nogitsune could. Caroline weakly lifted her head, her eyes meeting Stiles' empty ones. She gave him a small smile, her chest heaving as she still tried to catch her breath. "Stiles," Caroline managed to get out between gasps, her throat raw from screaming. "Stiles I'm okay. I'm fine. Don't worry about me, please. Just don't look, okay? I love you. I'm fine." Caroline knew that he wouldn't listen to a word she said to him. That he would watch every second of this and blame himself for every little move the nogitsune made. Her gaze hardened and she clenched her fists, the burning of the ropes against the skin of her wrists a dull sting compared to what she'd just experienced. "You can go to hell."

He returned his attention to Caroline and started to walk around her slowly, like a predator would with their prey. “Pain, yes Caroline. Strife. Pain. Chaos. Things you’ve no doubt learnt when trying to find out as much you could about a nogitsune.” He felt Stiles stir in his mind, as if trying to figure out what he’d be doing next. The thought brought an even bigger smirk to his face. “But you know the one thing you should definitely know about a nogitsune, Caroline?” He asked, obviously meant to be rhetoric, and went to stand where he did seconds before. His gaze ran down her figure, focusing on the marks the ropes were leaving where she was bound, a gesture obviously meant for Stiles. Slowly he met her gaze again, the smile faded from his face completely. “They lie.” With a yank of the chain next to him, the cellar filled with light as a trapdoor in the ceiling opened, aged leaves and dirt falling followed quickly by pure sunlight that shone directly on the blonde.

Stiles stopped in front of her, and she lifted her gaze to meet his, not liking the expression on his face as he looked her over carefully. But before she could respond in any way, the room was filled with light. Caroline couldn't see. She couldn't breathe or hear. All she could feel was her body being burned alive by the sun. Her skin bubbling and blistering under the heat. A horrible scream ripped from her body as she sat in the chair, unable to control it or hold it in like she had planned. Caroline wished she was dead. 

"And trust me, I will break you. Because the thing about me is, you can’t barter with me. I don’t want power, or an army of undead creatures, I don’t want to dominate this putrid little hole of a town.” He grinned as Stiles grew quiet in his mind, hesitant and helpless. His eyes remained on the blonde sitting quietly in front of him for a moment before he walked over to a chain that hung from the ceiling and grasped it loosely, fingers drumming along the length of it. “If you can guess what it is I do want. I won’t pull on this chain. And trust me, neither of you want me to pull on this.” He smirked, turning his head to the side to glance back at her once more, “Oh and just in case you were wondering, Stiles can see and hear everything I do. So I’d try to guess correctly unless you want him hate himself even more for being so useless.”

She thought about not answering. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of playing along with his stupid game. But she didn't want to hurt Stiles. And if she could delay the inevitable, even by just a few minutes, it was something. "You want pain," she told him after a moment, her whole body tensing as she waited for his answer. Her eyes fixed on his hand touching the chain, watching for the slightest movement. She knew whatever it was would be painful, she just hoped that maybe the nogitsune was lying about Stiles being able to see and hear everything. The only thing was, she wasn't willing to take that risk. Caroline would have to hold on, to keep her emotions in check. She needed to be strong. She refused to let Stiles see her break.

He stood when she grew silent, taking a few steps back so that he stood in front of her, eyeing her with a sinister grin. Please don’t. The abrupt change in the boys tone almost caught him by surprise, but he had figured that the boy would turn to useless pleading eventually. Please don’t hurt her. I’ll do anything you want. He had to stop himself from snorting out loud at that comment, “You have nothing I want.” He replied, answering them both. The sinister smile returned as he walked around her and leaned over, his mouth by her ear, ”Nothing I can’t get out of you myself.” He smirked and grabbed her chin to force her to look at him. “Do you know what my favourite thing about this is?” He asked her, though continued on before she could muster out a reply, “No matter what I do, no matter how much you want to hurt me…” He paused for a second, his smile stretching out even wider, “You can’t… Not when I’m in the body of your beloved Stiles Stilinski.”

Caroline listened to him speak, her jaw clenching in anger. She didn't care about herself, she would survive this... hopefully. And really, she kind of deserved it for what she'd done. It was her job to look out for this, to notice when Stiles slipped away. To notice when he was replaced by this monster. But she didn't. And this is what she got for it. All Caroline cared about was Stiles. She couldn't shake the idea that he could see all of this, that he was in his own head screaming at her to help him. To do something. "Don't do this," she spoke finally, knowing it would do no good. "Don't do this to him. He doesn't deserve any of this!" The nogitsune was right. No matter how much he hurt her, no matter what he did, she would never do anything to save herself that meant hurting him. Not even if he was going to kill her. He was safe, simply because he'd chosen to take over the body of the boy she was in love with. 

In the middle of the room was a single chair with everything he needed already set up. After setting Caroline down in the chair and strapping her in with the vervain laced ropes, he practically bounced excitedly as he waited for her to come to, eyeing the tray of tools he’d set aside just for her. Every second that passed the more the screaming in his head became clear, louder, angrier. It only proved to widen his grin. He stepped forward and crouched in front of the chair when he saw her begin to stir, the lanterns he had lit giving this dank cellar some light. “I wouldn’t struggle too much if I were you. Even someone as strong as you can’t break through these ropes, especially when it’s soaked in vervain…” 

Caroline looked around the room frantically, her heart sinking at the familiar sight. She'd been here before. With Stiles, actually. Before they had started dating. It was Halloween one year, and their friends had dared them to go down here. It was rumoured that the ghost of Thomas Lockwood lived in the cellar, and it was tradition for the teenagers to go down at least one Halloween in their lifetime. Stiles had been scared shitless, but Caroline had held his hand the entire time. They got through it together. Caroline brought her eyes back to Stiles in front of her, finding the simple action to be quite tiring. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked him, her voice weak. "What do you want?"

A look flashed in his eyes that Caroline couldn’t see before he turned around to face her again, smile still etched across his face. Stop. “I suppose I can settle for pizza then if that’s all we have.” Stiles crossed the room and took the box of pizza from her, settling it on his desk before he turned back to Caroline again, hands grasping at her waist as he pulled her flush against him and wrapped his arm around her lower waist, his lips quickly finding hers as if he were more hungry for the taste of her lips as opposed to the food she had brought. Don’t. The voice in his mind was weak, barely audible over the glee he felt at having Caroline in his arms. He silenced it with another kiss, his fingers reaching up to brush her cheek as he pulled away finally, smiling wryly back at her. “Sorry.” His voice sounded the opposite of apologetic. “I couldn’t help it.”

Caroline pushed her unease down, returning his smile when he took the pizza box from her and put it down on his desk. "Huh? You love pizz--" Caroline was cut off as Stiles' grabbed her waist and pulled her to him, his lips crushing hers in an unexpected kiss. It took her a second to recover, but she kissed him back, not quite returning his enthusiasm. She moved her hands to hold his on her waist, giving him a questioning look as he broke away. The unease she'd felt came right back at the look on his face. Something was wrong. She didn't know what it was, but she couldn't shake the feeling. "It's fine," she replied, running her hands up his arms and resting them on his shoulders. "Stiles..." she trailed off, knowing what she was about to say would ruin whatever good mood he'd managed to stir up. "You'll tell me when you feel it coming back, right? This isn't some... crazy goodbye kiss because you're scared?" 

At that thought Stiles shuddered as if something had passed through him, whether or not it was a breeze from the open window he wasn’t entirely sure, but he liked to think that it was some sort of sign from his mother that she was here with him too, standing over him like his own personal guardian angel. Stiles had never been a huge believer in God or a higher power, but there was always a first for things after all. His attention drew back to his doorway when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, soon followed by Caroline’s appearance in the door with plzza in hand. It reminded him of the time they had started talking again, waiting for their parents in their office and passing the time with pizza and a trip down memory lane. The thought brought a smile to his face, something that felt so strange and unfamiliar to him, even his voice was a little hoarse, “Took you long enough. I’m so hungry I could eat a whole zebra.”

So she'd decided to lead by example. Maybe if she stayed calm and acted like everything was fine, he would feel safer. It was a long shot, and Caroline new it had about a one in a million chance of working, but she had no other options. She'd left the room only once to get the pizza they'd ordered, racing back to the room and trying to act like she hadn't just used vampire speed. Caroline paused when she saw him smiling, but she didn't question it. "What's up?" she asked him, glancing at the clock and seeing that they still had some time before the nogitsune could reappear. That's if the vet was right about this. "A zebra??" Caroline let out a small laugh. "How about we just stick to pizza for now."

TW/TVD AU | Caroline wants Stiles to turn into a vampire to save him from his dementia, but he doesn’t want to.

"We’ve been at it for hours Care, maybe I should just accept that biology is one subject I’m never going to master." He huffed and leant back on his hands, dropping his head to the side so he could glance back at her.

Suddenly, it occurred to her. The only thing she could think of that had any real chance at making Stiles at least try to retain anything was sitting right in front of him. A slow smile came onto her face as she shuffled closer to him, bringing her hand up and cupping the back of his neck as she pulled his face to hers. She captured his lips with hers, liking how his surprise made him take a good second before he started kissing her back. Kissing Stiles was one of Caroline's favourite things to do, and she knew he felt the same. This could either blow up in her face, or it could work extremely well. Caroline started to deepen the kiss, opening her mouth a little and running her tongue along his smooth bottom lip. And then she broke away abruptly, dropping her hands and putting some distance between them. She grinned at him, waiting for him to recover a little before she spoke. "Every time you get something right," she told him, "You get to kiss me. If you get it wrong, the longer you have to go without that." Caroline could practically see the gears turning in his mind as he considered this. This could end up with no information being retained at all, or a hell of a lot. Either way, Caroline knew it would be fun.