DEAD MAN!
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE.
it's called the kanima.

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DESPITE MISSING OUT ON A DAY OF SCHOOL, AFTER HIS MOVIE DAY WITH TOBY, ADRIAN WAS KEEN TO GET BACK ON THE LACROSSE FIELD TO DISTRACT HIMSELF. After all, lacrosse was a pretty good way to clear your head when your mind is running wild.

Adrian winced behind his helmet as number nine got sent to the ground by another player from the opposite team, flying in the air before landing with a deafening thud. Gasps were heard amongst the crowd as Coach rose to his feet. "Come on! Is that even a teenager? I wanna see a birth certificate!" He yelled.

Adrian shook his head as he jogged to stand beside Scott, the two teens clutching their gear tightly. "We're losing players."

"I know!" The werewolf cried, looking desperately at the player. "Who even is that guy?" He looked over at the player who had gained most of the tackles and looked double their age.

"Eddie Obomowitz." Adrian rolls his eyes, familiar with the player and his tactics. "They call him 'The Abomination'."

As if he had heard the boy, Eddie turned to face the two teenagers. He glared at Adrian, the boy glaring straight back. Scott looked between them, confused. "You guys don't seem to like each other." He observed.

The Martin scoffed. "We may or may not have a past where things got physical after they lost a match."

The tanned boy's eyes widened. "He was the guy that broke your nose?"

Adrian smirked, twirling his lacrosse stick in his hands. "You should've seen his face."

Coach's whistle blew again, players running round the field. Adrian was at the top of his game, front and centre in earning the most goals. Unfortunately . . . someone wasn't very happy about that.

Adrian flung his ball into the net, cheers for him ringing through his ears as it went in. The teen smirked, catching someone's eye across the field.

Eddie rolled his eyes as he jogged past the boy, shoving his shoulder with his on purpose. "Out of the way, twink."

It was a grumble, but the words were clearly meant to reach the redhead's ears. Adrian reacted by slowly walking closer to the player, a cold expression on his face. "What did you just call me?" No anger was shown in his voice just yet.

Eddie scoffed and looked the boy up and down. He grinned to himself, as if pleased by his next words. "Oh come on, Martin. You ain't fooling nobody." He walked closer to the boy, getting right in his face. "The only thing I'm wondering is who's the other twink that has got you wrapped around his little finger. Or, should I say di-"

That was the breaking point for Adrian. Charging forward, he tackled Eddie on the ground harshly with little to no effort. Players on the field and people on the sidelines noticed and gasped at the harsh contact.

Adrian Martin didn't stop there. Getting on top of the boy, he swung his fists again and again; blinded by the disgusting words thrown at him.

"Martin!" He heard Coach's whistle and voice call out to stop as he continued to punch the boy, feeling his fists sting.

Hands pulled him off the Eddie, making Adrian fight back harshly. He screamed at the player lying on the floor with a bruised and bloody face, keen to get more hits in.

"Adrian!" Another person rushed to his aid, grabbing onto the him. Stiles was the only person who the redhead didn't fight or move to shove away, making all the others step back so the buzzcut could calm the boy down. "Whatever he said, just ignore him, okay? Just ignore it."

Adrian kept his hard gaze on the injured player, his body still filled with anger. Eddie was trying to get under his skin, he knew that. It was a common tactic of his . . . one that always seemed to work on Adrian no matter what he said.

"Adrian," Scott appeared next to him, a sympathetic look on his face. He had heard the entire conversation. "it's not worth it, man."

Adrian met his eyes, giving a rather harsh look. "But you heard what he said!" He gestured to the player getting checked out by the paramedics.

"I know." Scott answered immediately. "Trust me, I'm angry too. But that isn't going to win us the game."

The redhead was silent before he let out a noise of anger, taking off his helmet and throwing it to the ground. He walked over to Coach, muttering under his breath as he passed. "Put in another player for me. I'm done for today."

"Wha- Martin!" Coach shouted after him, not receiving any answer as the boy walked on.

Stiles followed after the boy, grabbing him by the shoulders to steer him back round to face him. His boyfriend pushed away from his hold, causing him to frown. "Adrian,"

"Leave me alone, Stilinski." The redhead grumbled. He didn't know where he was going to go, but he knew it had to be away from the lacrosse pitch.

A sigh came from the buzzcut teen before he grabbed the forearm of the Martin, dragging him along as he walked. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Adrian didn't even try to fight it, allowing the boy to drag him along by his lacrosse gear.

Stiles sighed as he stopped, turning round to face the boy with sincere eyes. "I need to do something and you need a distraction. You know how much I love watching you play, but you need a break sometimes, Tiger."

"Lacrosse is the distraction and break." He growled out of anger and frustration. None of it was aimed at his boyfriend though, a sign Stiles was now learning to recognise.

The buzzcut boy wasn't letting him off that easily, grabbing his hand to drag them away. "Come on." He stopped when the hand he was holding pulled away, making him stop and turn back. "Adrian?"

"I'm sorry. I-I-" He stumbled away from the boy, shaking his head. Too many thoughts were racing through his head. He hated admitting it, but Eddie's words were getting to him. His mind started to doubt the one thing he was so sure was one of the best things in his life.

"Hey," Stiles might as well have been a mind reader, because one look at his distant eyes told him what the lacrosse player had taunted his boyfriend with. When he took a few steps closer to the teen, he gingerly grabbed his hands in his. "Whatever he said, don't listen. We know who we truly are and it's our choice. He's just trying to get in your head. Don't doubt us."

"I'm not." The redhead's voice cracked slightly as he looked down at the hands he had learned to hold in times of comfort. "I just- I don't want my sexuality to be the only thing people see me as and clock me for."

"Tiger, no one will ever see you differently." Stiles shook his head with a fond smile. "Whatever Eddie told you, was a game plan. You can't let your opponents get in your head, no matter how hard they push."

"I know." Adrian knew every word escaping Stiles' lips were correct as he tried to take them all in. "I know. I promise I'm working on it."

"Good." Swiftly, Stiles leaned forwards to press a quick kiss to the boy's cheek. Ignoring his boyfriend's shocked and blushed face, the buzzcut grabbed onto his hand once more. "Now, let's go get those keys!"

The two boys walked towards the bleachers, Adrian noticing Allison at the end with Gerard next to her. When they passed, the redhead noticed Allison slip a pair of keys- which most likely belonged to her grandfather- into Stiles' hand.

"Didn't take you for a bad boy, Stilinski." Adrian joked when his boyfriend proudly displayed the stolen set of keys in his hand. The buzzcut teen winked back at him in response. "What are we even looking for?"

"A book Gerard has in his office. The beastiary. It's a book supposedly filled with creatures of the supernatural and could help us figure out what this thing is." The spastic boy explained, filling the boy in on what big things he had missed.

The young couple made their way through the school parking lot, about to head towards Gerard's office when the supernatural creature of the two caught sight of someone sitting in their car; crying.

Now, call Adrian heartless, but he honestly would've just left the person to sob in their own sorrows. But this was no ordinary person. No. It was Lydia Martin . . . one person the teenage boy hated seeing upset.

"Adrian? What are you doing?" Stiles stopped when he noticed the boy no longer walking beside him, staring at him in confusion. "We need to go."

"I can't. Lydia," The Martin boy trailed off, watching the tears fall from his sisters face. It reminded him of when the head of her teddy bear came off and she cried all night. Adrian was the one to cheer her up then and he would be the one to cheer her up now.

Stiles, catching sight of the strawberry blonde and her upset state, hesitated before nodding. "Okay, be careful. Text me if anything happens."

"You too. And Stiles?" The buzzcut teen stopped when he got called back, looking to his boyfriend to see him smirking. "Nice outfit. I forgot to tell you that this morning."

The boy grinned and chuckled, jogging off and disappearing hopefully to Gerard's office. Meanwhile, Adrian attended to the crying Lydia Martin.

He knocked on her car window, a sob coming through Lydia's throat as she turned to
face her brother. "Go away, Adrian."

"Well, you of all people should know that would never happen." Adrian shook his head, setting his hand on the window. "C'mon, Lyds, tell me what's wrong."

His sister suddenly whirled round to face him, giving Adrian a good look at her tear-stained face. "Look, I don't need anyone seeing me cry." She wiped her eyes.

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Lydia, we're family! We've seen each other cry since birth! Plus, you're a Martin! You shouldn't care if people see you cry."

The strawberry blonde sniffled. "Why not?"

Adrian smiled kindly. "Don't tell mum I was being nice and said this, but I think you still look pretty when you cry, Lyds."

Lydia sniffled and bit her lip, deciding on her options before rolling down the window. "You're gonna think I'm crazy."

Adrian had to withhold his smart aleck comment. "Trust me, Lyds, you'd be pretty surprised at what I would believe after these past few months. Now, tell me what's wrong."

Lydia then began to rant about all her problems to her brother, ranging from Jackson to her forgotten time in the woods and the effect it had on her. Adrian listened and never interrupted, allowing his sister the time to vent to someone. He felt like she really needed it.

The boy only spent a few minutes with his sister before he decided it was time he headed back to Stiles to make sure everything was okay. Lydia seemed to have gotten over her little breakdown anyway; talking smack about Jackson again and stating she was going back to the lacrosse game to show him she was completely unfazed by their breakup.

Adrian let her go, thinking he would be able to go back to Stiles just in time to help out when he suddenly heard rustling from inside Gerard's office. Thinking it was his boyfriend, the redhead stepped in . . . and was surprised to see who was inside the office instead.

Toby Valack, the golden boy who avoided trouble like it was the plague, was rustling through Gerard's cabinets quickly. He didn't hear his friend come in, continuing to rummage.

"Toby?" The sound of the boy's voice made the blonde jump and release a small scream, eyes wide as he turned round to face his friend who gave him a look of shocked confusion. "What are you doing in here?"

The redhead was surprised to see the blonde perk up at his presence, a wide smile coming onto his face as he walked closer to the boy after digging some papers out his bag. "Adrian, you're just the person I wanted to see!"

"I am?"

"Yeah. I could really use a hand and you're the only person I trust with this." The Valack boy nodded, rustling through the sheets of paper. After he grabbed one, he turned to the boy seriously. "I know I may sound stupid with this, but you have to believe me when I say this is true."

"Ok. Try me." The popular teen responded, crossing his arms as he awaited what his friend was so keen to share with him.

"Okay," Toby took a deep breath to prepare himself, closing his brown eyes before reopening them. "Do you believe in the supernatural?"

The boy who had been keen to listen and believe his friend soon lost all feeling in his body, his heart plummeting to his stomach. His mouth was open, but Adrian struggled to find the words. ". . . What?" His voice was merely a whisper.

"Just hear me out!" The blonde cried, hands upfront as he gestured to the papers in his hand. "There's been reports all through Beacon Hills history about strange, unexplainable occurrences that haven't been solved- especially after these few months!"

"Toby . . ."

"There are tons of different species out there. I know it!" The blonde determinedly nodded, trying his best to get the redhead on his side. "All I need is to find one specific one and things will be fine."

"Toby, please." Adrian sighed, stepping forward. What was he to say? All he could do was beg at this point.

"It's called a Necromancer." All wind got knocked out of Adrian's body, stopping his movements. "They have these abilities revolving around the dead and are incredibly rare."

"Toby . . . stop." The boy whispered, almost pleadingly.

"I need to find one, Adrian. I know there's at least one out there! If I find one . . . everything will be okay." The blonde explained calmly, despite his face telling a different story. His eyes displayed fear, a fear his best friend had never seen before.

"Toby just stop!" Adrian yelled when he saw the boy going back to his rummaging in Gerard's office. Toby turned round with a confused expression, seeing his friend giving him a stern look. "Stop this."

"Look, I know it's hard to believe-"

"It's insane!" Adrian screamed, stepping forwards so their faces were closer. He could not help his attitude. He was scared . . . and Adrian Martin really disliked feeling scared. "This stops, Toby. This stops right now."

"No! Please, you don't understand, Adrian!" The two boys now found their voices raising unintentionally, a rising tension growing between them. The Valack boy ran his hands through his blonde strands, looking desperate. "I-I need to find one!"

"Well, let's pretend for one moment that this supernatural dream of yours is real. Why do you need a Necromancer?" Genuine curiosity sparked inside of Adrian as he watched the boy crumble.

Toby bit his lip, tears gathering in his eyes as he shook his head. "I . . . I can't tell you." He whispered, looking up to meet his unconvinced friend. "Please, Adrian . . . help me." His voice cracked.

Adrian's face remained cold as he shook his head. "Give me the papers, Toby." He whispered, not liking where he knew this was going to end.

"Adrian-"

"Give me the god damn papers!" The Martin boy screamed urgently, his hand outstretched. "Now!"

Trembling hands placed the papers in Adrian's hand, the redhead looking up to meet Toby's scared face. He felt bad, he really did. But Adrian wasn't letting Toby get into something he didn't understand; not after everything he had seen these past few months with the supernatural.

"Adrian . . ." Toby tried one last time, his lips quivering as his eyes built up with emotional waters.

"Get out of the office, Toby." The same cold expression was painted on as Adrian looked at the boy, showing no remorse. "Get out before someone sees."

And with that, the Valack boy sniffled and trembled as he walked past his best friend. The gathered tears now fell past his cheeks, his fiddling hands gripping at his baggy t-shirt.

When Gerard's office door closed with a gentle click, Adrian let out a sigh and leaned against the desk in front of him. All the words he had said to Toby came flooding back like a nightmare, reminding him of the boy's desperate need to find his kind.

Why a Necromancer? He couldn't help asking himself in his mind, looking down at the printed information Toby had reluctantly given him about Necromancers. It was nothing Adrian hadn't read before with Stiles sadly.

"I'm sorry, Toby." Adrian whispered alone in the room, shaking his head. "I'm just trying to protect you."

The door to the office suddenly swung open, revealing a wide eyed Scott. Adrian turned at the sound, alert. "Scott?

"It's Stiles." The tanned werewolf informed the boy, raising his hand to reveal a text the Stilinski boy had sent. "We need to find him and Derek. Now."

"Lead the way."

The two began to run as fast as they could through the school, their hearts pumping fast. Adrian's mind tried not to astray too far to what could happen if him and the werewolf were too late. He couldn't think like that. All he needed to think about was saving Stiles and Derek.

Eventually, Scott and Adrian reached their location- which was the school swimming pool. The two boys immediately noticed rippling at the near end of the pool, two figures underwater struggling to swim up for air.

The Necromancer and werewolf reacted instantly, both reaching down to the two boys. Derek was pulled out of the water by Scott just as Adrian got his boyfriend back up to the surface, the two breathing heavily as air entered their lungs.

The redhead immediately hovered over the boy, panic lacing his eyes. "Are you okay?" He was slightly panting, the running and fear for his boyfriend all catching up to him.

"Yeah, I . . . I just need to lay here for awhile." Stiles tiredly spoke, waving it off as his head fell back. Adrian didn't blame him. Holding a paralysed Derek Hale couldn't of been easy. "Thanks for saving me."

Adrian smiled down at him. "Anytime."

❚ ❚ ❚

"How exactly are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?" Adrian confusedly asked Scott and Stiles as he looked over their shoulder to see the beastiary that was on the USB stick connected to Gerard's keys they had previously stolen.

Scott, who had the laptop rested on his mum's car, scrolled through the online book only to reveal it was written in a whole new language. Stiles looked displeased at the situation, opening his mouth to speak when two people suddenly approached.

"It's called the Kanima." Derek told them, Erica by his side as she smirked at them.

Stiles looked up, clearly unhappy being told this news now. "You knew the whole time."

"No. Only when it was confused by its own reflection." The older werewolf explained, making the Martin of the three friends confused.

Scott's lips turned down in a frown. "It doesn't know what it is."

"Or who."

"Well, what else do you know?" Stiles asked.

"Just stories. Rumours." Was the answer they got back.

"But it's like us?" The tanned werewolf questioned, his eyebrows furrowed.

Derek nodded at him. "It's a shape shifter, yes. But it's- it's not right. It's like a . . ." He trailed off, not knowing how to describe it to the three of them.

Luckily he didn't have to. Stiles finished for him. "An abomination." He mumbled.

Silence soon filled the air between them after Derek nodded, him and Erica going to walk away when Scott spoke up. "Derek. We need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argents."

"You trust them?" Derek glared, his voice going up at the mention of the family hunters who wanted him dead.

"Nobody trusts anyone. That's the problem. While we're here, arguing about who's on what side, there's something scarier, stronger, and faster than any of us, and it's killing people!" Scott yelled to the man.

"And we still don't know anything about it." Adrian spoke up with a sigh, getting the younger werewolf's point. He wasn't keen on working with hunters and Derek either, but if it finally put an end to all this supernatural mess . . . he was up for anything.

Derek just stared at them, unaffected by the threat amongst them. "I know one thing." He stated, voice monotone. "When I find it . . . I'm gonna kill it." And with that, him and Erica walked away from them.

A U T H O R. N O T E
this chapter took forever! but thankfully, self isolation helped ya girl out.

ngl, i wasn't going to put toby in that office scene but i thought it was important. gotta add my bean! see ya in the next chapter.

GIF MADE BY ME !
━ R O S C O E O B R I E N