┌─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┐
chapter six!
MILKSHAKES BRING
DOM TO THE YARD
└─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┘

( pre-unleashed, pt. i )

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VERA STIRS HER milkshake with her straw, blending the soft, foamy whipped cream with the light brown color of the chocolate delicacy and subsequently making Cora frown from across the table at the local diner. The werewolf's wide, brown eyes narrow in irritation as they watch the circular motions of Vera's wrist going mindlessly around and around the tall glass.

Eventually, Cora can't take it anymore. She reaches out with supernatural speed until her hand is firmly enclosed around Vera's forearm and holding it in place. The other girl looks up in slight surprise.

"You still do that to your milkshakes?" her sister questions, releasing her arm. "And quit moving— you're making me anxious."

Vera rolls her eyes. "Yes, I still mix my whipped cream into my milkshake." She eyes Cora's drink, which is nearly identical to hers except for the fact that Cora had chosen to scoop all of the whipped cream off and eat it first. "And it's not my fault— it's the ADHD. I can't help when I need to move."

Cora huffs a sigh out of the corner of her mouth, gaze flickering around the diner restlessly. This is the place that Vera and Dominic have been going to for meals since they were in middle school. The food is terrible for their bodies but so good to their taste buds, and so they've been indulging in the safety of Dawson's Diner for years, finding comfort in the salty fries and heavenly burgers. Not to mention they have amazing milkshakes. It's a place not very well-known in Beacon Hills, the staff so small that they know Vera and Dominic by name and have their regular orders memorized by now.

There are rings under Cora's eyes from a lack of sleep. She and Vera have had to share a room since the rescue last night, and since Derek is supposedly "too busy to buy actual furniture," he'd merely gone to the store and purchased another sleeping bag. Vera is sure it's not the worst place Cora has slept during her six years on the run in South America, but the cold, hard floor covered by a thin piece of fabric still doesn't match the comfort of a bed.

All three of them — along with Miss Blake, who had been the one trapped in the boiler room — had survived the night of the full moon. Vera had nearly cried in relief when she, Scott, and Isaac had burst into the basement at the first light of the sun and seen Derek on his knees, covered in blood and deep gashes that had yet to heal. Cora and Boyd had been lying unconscious on either side of him. It had been clear that he'd surrendered himself to them, allowing them to tear him to shreds if they so wished. And they'd almost succeeded.

The sun is the only reason why she and Cora still have their brother.

Vera raises a brow at her sister. "You already look antsy."

"He's late. I'm impatient."

As if he'd been summoned by their words, Dominic Shire bursts through the entrance of the diner like he'd been in a rush to arrive there. The tiny bell above the door jingles and causes the hostess to glance up. Dominic gives her a polite wave before turning toward his and Vera's usual spot: a booth against one of the gigantic windows to the left of the door.

Vera had strategically sat Cora so her back would be facing Dominic when he arrived. He notices instantly, eyebrows creasing as he walks closer and notices someone else in the place he usually sits. Cora doesn't turn around to look at him. This makes the chasm between his brows grow deeper, stopping him short a few feet away from the booth. "Uh."

"Articulate as always, Dom," Cora drawls sarcastically, choosing that time to finally turn toward him and shoot him a wry quirk of her full lips.

Dominic drops his backpack and stumbles backward so hard he bumps into one of the chairs at a nearby table and has to catch himself before he falls. He blinks hard as if expecting her to be a mirage, darting his wide-eyed stare to a smirking Vera.

Because of his friendship with Vera, Dominic had been roped into the supernatural early on. He'd first learned about the existence of werewolves when they were in first grade and he'd watched an angry, six-year-old Cora tear a soccer ball to shreds after losing a game during recess. They'd spent their childhoods together. Even though Cora often accidentally scared others away due to her aggressive nature, they'd found friendship in each other. And he'd been just as devastated when the Hale fire happened.

Finally, he finds his voice. His eyebrows furrow into thick lines when he demands,  "What the fuck? I thought you were dead!"

"That was the point," she says, sliding over and patting the spot beside her, calm as ever. "Now sit down. Your milkshake has been melting for the past ten minutes."

Dominic picks up his backpack and carries it the rest of the four feet to the table, dropping it on the checkered tiles with a dull thud and sliding into the booth beside her. He's unusually quiet. His green eyes stare blankly at his drink, which had started to melt long ago, condensation forming on the outside of the ornate glass and pooling around the bottom. Cora had also eaten the whipped cream. He doesn't seem to notice that it's missing.

Vera and Cora share amused glances. The former is seated across from them with her left leg bent beside her and the other folded beneath her. Her elbow is propped on her knee, spoon in her left hand even though she isn't going to use it. The position makes her loose cream-colored blouse slide off her shoulder a bit, revealing the strap of her baby pink bralette. It's also tucked meticulously into her jeans. Her chestnut hair is messy, currently thrown over one shoulder so none of the strands get into her milkshake.

Dominic speaks again. "How— where have you been?"

"South America," Cora replies nonchalantly. "I was on the run after the fire and I found a wolf family there. I came back after finally hearing about Laura... and how Derek was back. But I did not expect to return and find out that Vera is a ghost—"

"Phantom," she corrects instantly.

"Whatever. I think the real question is, though, where have you been? You were twenty minutes late. And you reek of—"

As if no time had passed between them at all, Dominic reaches over and slaps his hand across Cora's mouth to shut her up. The girl shoots him an indignant and half-enraged expression. It's too late, though. As he'd moved, the collar of his deep red sweatshirt had shifted to reveal a litter of dark bruises on his neck, their color intensified by the hue of his hoodie in combination with his pale skin.

"Were you late because you were screwing someone?" Vera demands with an amused sparkle in her eye, mouth dropped open in a disbelieving gape.

Dominic yanks his hand away from Cora, adjusting the collar of his hoodie to hide the very obvious marks. He shoots Vera a glare as his cheeks flush pink. "Let the whole diner know about it, don't ya?"

"Who was it?"

The boy chooses this moment to take a long sip of his M&M milkshake, leaving the two girls stewing in suspense. He finally takes a break for air and runs a hand through his brunet locks before sighing, "The new kid. His name is Ethan Steiner."

Cora abruptly seizes his bicep with brute strength, gripping it so hard that Dom winces and turns to her with a bewildered expression. Her eyes have lost all their warmth. "Don't see him ever again. Do you hear me?"

"Cora — ow—"

"Do you hear me?"

"Why?"

Vera sets the spoon on the table, gauging the level of pain in Dominic's face and straightening up in case she needs to intervene. Her eyes dart around the diner to see if anyone is paying attention to the way Cora's eyes are starting to glow, or how her claws are beginning to poke out from once-normal fingernails. She hisses a low warning. "Cora!"

The werewolf releases Dominic and sets her hands on the table, curling them into tight fists as she squeezes her eyes shut. Her chest heaves with rattling inhales. Vera can hear her muttering the Hale mantra lowly beneath her breath. "Alpha, Beta, Omega. Alpha, Beta, Omega."

Dominic rubs the spot she'd placed him in her iron grip with a grimace. "What's wrong with Ethan?"

Once Cora has calmed down, she opens her eyes again to reveal their natural shade of chocolate brown. Her voice is low so the rest of the diner won't overhear. "He and his twin are part of the Alpha Pack. They can combine bodies to form this giant wolf— Boyd and I saw them do it."

She doesn't have to say it for Dominic and Vera to know what she means. Ethan was probably pretending to be interested in Dominic to gain more information on the Hale pack. Whatever supposed attraction had most likely been an act, a show of false security.

Peter's words to Derek echo in her mind. "And if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant Alpha."

So that's who he'd meant. Had everyone else known about the evil twins and just hadn't thought to tell them? Sure, it's Saturday, so they haven't exactly been in school since rescuing Cora and Boyd last night, but still. It would have been nice to have a warning.

Vera shifts her softened gaze to their childhood friend, who merely stares hard at his shake with his hand still clamped over his bruising biceps. The unmistakable expression of betrayal is beginning to make the corners of his mouth pull into a frown. His features eventually harden, hurt flashing in his eyes before he reels himself together and extinguishes the rage creeping up on him with a small smile.

"Ah, well, at least I still have Charlie from hockey camp."

Vera's voice is gentle. "Dom—"

"I don't really wanna talk about it. I just wanna stuff my face with a double cheeseburger and drown my sorrows with this milkshake."

And that's the end of that conversation.

The three of them lapse into an uncomfortable silence. Vera and Cora had ordered long ago, asking the waitress to bring out their food when Dominic arrived. It's not long later when she appears with a tray full of burgers and copious amounts of fries that make Vera's mouth water as the food is placed in front of them. Cora's eyes alight with excitement, gaze darting around her plate like she isn't sure where to begin. Dominic immediately begins creating a pool of ketchup on his plate.

Vera is about to dig her hands into her burger when her phone starts buzzing in her pocket. She groans, digging the device out and quickly reading the contact on the display: STILINSKI. Her finger presses the Accept Call button so hard she almost jams it, using her free hand to pick up her shake and put the straw to her mouth. "What?"

"Are you a virgin?"

Vera chokes on the shake. Cora, who can hear the conversation clear as day, raises her eyebrows mid-chew in mild shock.

"Stiles," Vera begins sweetly, then hardens her voice along with her cutthroat glare that could melt the frozen heart of Peter Hale, "what the absolute fuck?"

"I think there might be virgin sacrifices going on," the boy explains at a rapid-fire pace that makes her have to strain to keep up with him. "That guy at the pool? He had a purity ring. And Heather, my friend since diapers who was also killed, was a virgin. Same with this girl from the woods." He pauses for breath. "Can you ask Isaac, too?"

"I'm not asking Isaac if he's a virgin."

Dominic chokes on a fry at her out-of-context words. Cora reaches over and pounds his back with brute strength, successfully dislodging the food from his throat.

"I don't wanna do it, either!" Stiles exclaims. Then his voice turns thoughtful, and Vera can clearly picture the scheming expression on his face. "Well, hey, maybe you could just bang each other and get it over with..."

Vera's eyes nearly pop out of her head. "Stiles!"

"Okay, okay! I'm just trying to prevent you from becoming human sacrifices, so technically I'm helping you. Wait, what about Dominic?"

"I'm not screwing—"

"No, God, that's not what I'm asking. I meant is he a virgin?"

Vera's gaze flickers to where Dom's hoodie covers the hickeys on his neck. Those, combined with her friend's history of casual hook-ups, tell her all she has to know. "Definitely not."

"Well, that's good." Vera wonders if it's the quality of her phone, or if Stiles' voice has gotten tight. "Alright. If anyone tries to use you as a sacrifice, call for help, and that means I'm right, so I told you so. You might thank me for this one day."

He hangs up. Vera thinks that was the strangest phone call she's ever had with anyone, but knowing Stiles, it probably won't be the last bewildering conversation she has with him.

______

a/n:

dom is lowkey a hoe but we love him anyways!!! and he deserves all the love because literally everyone he likes ends up hurting him somehow!!! his type is basically people who are potentially dangerous and who he should definitely not be around but he's around them anyway because they're hot.

this chapter is a filler because there's an 11-day break between episodes 3 and 4, so i need to get some important information/scenes included before i start writing the actual episodes again. we love character-driven chapters!! the next one will be a bit longer and also have some vital things included, plus a ~*Scene*~ with isaac that leaves vera very flustered

i hope you enjoyed this even though it was short! i love the dom x cora x vera dynamic so much; what an iconic trio.

—kristyn

p.s: check out the cast list to see a very special someone who was recently added!

( word count: 2.4k )