OTA; various locations and times

[mensrea]

A) One’s An Incident

“—listen to me!”

Somewhere near you, whether it’s at the park or on the sidewalk or in the café or riding the tube, there is a young man engaged in a heated conversation. The identity of the person he’s arguing with may not be readily obvious to those without supernatural hearing; the discussion is taking place over the phone. Should you attempt to tune Stiles out, it’ll quickly prove fruitless. His voice rises in volume the longer he’s on the call.

“I’m telling you, it’s fine. …No! I’m not sending you a picture of it. There’s nothing to see! …No. …No. It was just an accident, okay!?”

Distractedly, Stiles turns in your direction. There is an ugly, swollen bruise taking up half his face, clearly the work of someone’s fist. You may be able to infer that this is what the fight is about.

“—oh my god, don’t. You were the one who shipped me off here. You don’t get to pull that card on me, not now. …Dad. …Dad. Would you— …Would you just TRUST me for once!?”

Whatever his father responds with, it elicits an immediate reaction from Stiles. Expression twisting miserably, he seems to lose all energy for continuing the exchange. His voice is wooden, weary.

“Fine. I gotta go. …Yeah, I will. …Alright. Love you too.”

The call ends. Maybe you make eye contact with Stiles awkwardly. Maybe you decide to talk to him. Maybe you try to pretend you hadn’t overheard.

“Sorry about that,” he says to you, light and cheery. His smile is tight. “You know how it is. My old man always has to get his say in.”

B) Two’s A Coincidence

If you venture to the library, you’ll likely find Stiles buried nose-deep in an oversized tome. He’s piled high a wall of literature around him, to the point where it might be difficult to see him from the front. The titles of the books? All on mythology and mythical creatures. On occasion, a particularly interesting passage has him muttering under his breath and jotting down a few notes in his journal. Feel free to pull up a chair and harass him; he could use a break.

C) Three’s A Pattern

Guess who just drove his shitty used bicycle into you or your vehicle? This guy. Eyes wide, he hastily stammers out an apology, then loses his balance. Both bike and boy crash to the ground in a mess of whizzing gears and muffled groans. Maybe he took you down with him.

D) Four’s A Warrant

Night in London isn’t kind to humans—not that that’s ever stopped Stiles from exploring the city at inappropriate hours. However, there’s something different about the young man tonight as he wanders the streets aimlessly. For one, he’s clad only in a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt with no shoes in sight. He doesn’t even have his trusty lacrosse stick on him! If you get close, you’ll see the unfocused, glassy fog to his eyes. Hopefully your intentions are well-meaning. Or maybe you’re looking for an easy snack. Either way, Stiles doesn’t seem to be in a position to argue.

( If you prefer brackets over prose, I’ll follow suit! PM me if you’d like to plot out a specific starter for your character! c: )

Comments

[mensrea]

When Apollo mentions the location of the spare clothes, Stiles wheels around in alarm. But it’s too late—the guy has already rounded the car to the trunk and…has paused, very clearly and obviously noticing the scrapes. Stiles averts his face, trying to look innocent, and flinches at the sound of the trunk shutting. Somewhat sheepish now, he trots after Apollo into the building.

“You know how, in cartoons, you always see people riding these things?”

Stiles points at the coat-hanger conveyor belt. The clerk gives him a dubious look, as if trying to see where this question is leading.

“I’ve always wanted to—”

Noticing the clerk, Stiles cuts himself off and smacks his lips.

“Yep, nevermind. Annnyways… Where were you headed, dude?”

[apolly]

... Oh my god. Apollo's the perfect picture of a facepalm before he heaves another sigh, popping open his wallet and handing the money over. Luckily it's not much, fairly cheap, but it's the rental that Stiles will have to worry about.

One the money's taken care of he swings the duffle bag around his shoulder, opening the top and pulling out a tracksuit. He's not part of the school's physical classes at all, but they gave him one anyway.

"I was going to buy a desk and fridge for my office, among other things. I can drop you off wherever or you can come along, it's up to you. Uh... be right back, though."

The clerk is kind enough to point Apollo to the restroom, and it takes Apollo a record amount of time before he comes out in dry clothes and drops his wet suit into a bag for the clerk to take away. What a fucking day.

[mensrea]

By the time Apollo returns, the clerk looks about ready to kick Stiles out of the store. Maybe the lawyer could hear Stiles testing out the bell on the front desk. Repeatedly. When he spots Apollo, he whirls away from the silently fuming clerk to beam.

“Dude! Look at you. Wanna do some suicide runs? I’ll time you.”

Just ignore him, Apollo.

[apolly]

Does this kid bother everyone he meets? Is no one safe from Stiles's Mouth of Disappointment?

"Will you stop for ten seconds? It won't kill you." Exasperation is evident in his voice and he apologizes to the clerk, agrees that Stiles is a brat, and promises to come back tomorrow for the suit. Luckily Apollo owns five more of the same damn thing, but it doesn't change the fact they're tailored.

"Okay, Stiles. Do you want to do errands with me or do you want to get dropped off?"

[mensrea]

Wow, Apollo! That’s hurtful. How dare you.

Chastised for all of ten seconds, Stiles shrugs off the rebuke with a dismissive ease which is almost impressive.

“Oh my god, you really ARE such a dad. I’m not five, dude! I’m not going to do errands with you.”

He definitely does not feel that apologetic for the accident.

[apolly]

God, again with this.

"... A dad." Apollo's eyebrow raises up, taking a few steps towards Stiles with crossed arms. "A dad? I'm asking you because it's gonna be your office space. If you want to leave a good impression, you can start right now."

[mensrea]

Stiles has no intention of leaving a good impression, yet. Frankly, he's still convinced this is all a very bad dream and he'll wake up later debt-free.

"But I don't wanna," he whines, sounding exactly like the five-year-old he claimed he was not.

[apolly]

Time to wake up for real, asshole!

"I'd care about what you wanted if you were twelve years younger." Luckily, that wasn't the case. Either way, he gave Stiles the option, and there's no turning back now. "I'll get everything done by myself, just give me directions."

With that said, he fishes out his keys while walking out the door, now dry and not gross. Thank goodness.

[mensrea]

A normal human being might feel guilty about leaving Apollo to do these errands by himself, especially after trashing his clothes and car. Not Stiles. He's unabashedly relieved he doesn't have to be dragged around like a child. With a cheeky wave goodbye to the clerk, he jogs out of the store and to the car.

"I'm staying in Sutton." He gives the directions to his grandparent's place.

[apolly]

"In the car, tell me in the car..." Apollo sighs, opening the door for said car and sliding and back in.

And abruptly drops his forehead on the wheel.

It has been a seriously bad day. He can't even begin to describe it, and his mood has definitely not gotten that much better.

... He should pick up ice cream at the store.

"Okay. Sutton." Here we go, as he pulls back on the road.

[mensrea]

Stiles observes the momentary break in composure with a thoughtful air before sliding into the passenger seat. The seat belt clicks into place, and then he's glancing at Apollo from the corner of his eye.

"You married, dude?" he asks conversationally, because he absolutely can't shake this idea that Apollo is older than he looks now.

[apolly]

"No," Apollo answers simply, eyes on the road. Stiles would be right, considering Apollo's appearance and height puts him in mid teens territory.

"I work way too much for that kind of thing."

[mensrea]

Didn't stop my dad, comes the thought, but he doesn't voice it.

"Soooo...would you say you're married to your work then?"

[apolly]

"Sure am!" It makes Apollo laugh at least, which is a sign he's trying to take it a little easier.

"Most people would find it bad I guess, but I love what I do. Making a difference in someone's life is really important to me."

[mensrea]

The admission has Stiles scrutinizing Apollo in a new light, so to speak. Head tilted, he studies the young man in the fractured daylight. His fingers have stilled from their constant, restless tapping.

"My dad is the sheriff back home," he says suddenly. "He'd approve of what you do."

And so does Stiles, for that matter.

[apolly]

"Oh yeah? If your dad ever testified we'd be fighting it out." Apollo laughs. Everyone hates defense attorneys, and he's got to learn to laugh at himself. Even though his life was a giant stressball.

"Sheriff's an all-day job. He must love being active."

[mensrea]

A rueful smile tugs at his mouth. Despite what the lawyer may believe, his father would definitely appreciate a guy like Apollo. Unlike his son, the Sheriff is slow to cast judgment or to act on suspicion. The man tries to do things right, the first time—and if that means taking time to be thorough, so be it. Apollo ensures that justice isn’t served to the wrong person; yeah, Stiles is sure his father would approve.

“More like all day and all night.” There’s an implication in his tone that the correction is meant to be humorous, but the amusement doesn’t reach his eyes. “Probably not great for his health. He doesn’t know about…stuff.”

Stiles makes a huge, vague gesture.

[apolly]

"... Really?" As far as he knew, Stiles was a regular kid. If he had powers he definitely didn't show any at the haunted house.

But he had a bigger question weighing on him.

"Then why did he let you move across the globe to stay with your grandparents?"

[mensrea]

"He didn't let me," Stiles returns with a scoff, a hint of bitterness coloring his tone. "It was his idea. Things back home were getting intense, and it's not like I could explain to him that I was skipping school or getting into fights because of supernatural evildoers. He probably thinks I'm on drugs."

Glaring out the passenger window, he tries not to compare his relationship with his father to Scott's relationship with the man. The Sheriff has already stated multiple times that he trusts his son's best friend more than he trusts his son.

"I guess it's for the best you're married to your work. Maybe it's better that way."

[apolly]

Stiles on drugs... Apollo nearly snorts at the thought. Stiles had enough energy on his own to not need any drug whatsoever.

"So you got grounded, right out of the country." Sounds about right. "I'm married to my work, sure. But I didn't have parents growing up." It was already weird dropping that bomb, but it seemed to connect with other people somehow.

"I'm an orphan, y'know."

[mensrea]

The passenger window is abandoned, Stiles twisting in his seat to fix Apollo with an intent, weighty look. Though the Sheriff may have been perpetually absent due to long work hours, at least he's had opportunities to spend time with his old man. Stiles had been devastated by the loss of his mother; he can't imagine losing both parents. But that's assuming Apollo knew his parents at all.

"You weren't adopted?"

[apolly]

"A few times, but they never worked out. It wasn't so bad when I started college, but it's probably why moving across the globe didn't bother me." He wasn't really attached to anyone at home anymore except for his best friend who was training to become an astronaut anyway. He'd be in space, and Apollo'd be in England.

"So I can't say I know a lot about parents, but I know about independence."

[mensrea]

"Hey, you turned out alright." Though he grins, his words are sincere. Reaching over, he lightly punches Apollo in the arm. "I guess."

Settling back, he considers the dashboard. "Where you from?"

[apolly]

Apollo smiles in response, making an eventual turn to another road.

"I turned out great. My hair's perfect, anyway." It's a joke. Probably.

"Los Angeles, born and raised. You?"

[mensrea]

Lips pursed, Stiles definitely decides against commenting on the hair. Apollo's hair sure is...something. Perfect isn't the word he'd use, though.

"Knew it!" He snaps his fingers. "I thought I could hear SoCal in your voice. I'm from Beacon Hills. Pretty small, so I wouldn't be surprised if you'd never visited."