He was twelve when his family's perfect picture cracked down the middle. His father and older brother were lost to the sea in a storm that could have been avoided. He lost a part of himself to the tumultuous sea—the part that believed, hoped, dreamed. And now, he is seventeen and his brother returns a changed man. And, he changed too, notable when Peter Queen is bitten by a spider.

After hearing the people he considered his pack—his family—saying things that he would have never thought they would say, Stiles is disheartened and hurt. Yes, he knows he can be annoying and rude and doesn't know when not to poke the angry bear. Yes, he's human and maybe that makes him weak, pathetic, and questionably worthy. But to hear the words, "he will never be pack," it hurt

It's alright, he tells himself as he curls up under his comforter, knuckles bone white and crumpling one of the spare pillows. It's not a big deal, he whispers to the dark, lonely shadows, blinking away salty tears that cling to dark lashes. It's just one day, he thinks, just one day that happens every year, and he won't be upset about it. He won't be upset about it. Liar.

The reality was, the attack shouldn't have felt like it had come out of nowhere. It had been a perfectly normal, mundane school-day that should have ended with him in the jeep on the way to the Hale mansion. It didn't. There are worse ways to die, though Stiles Stilinski can't list them off the top of his head. His life shortened to simple facts, primarily: he's dying. Full sum. in

It was a horrid way to die, he thought to himself, alone—not even looked for, it would be hours before anyone worried over his absence and possibly days before they looked going off the past—in a dark forest with men who did not even know his name. They wouldn't hold him as his lifeblood soaked the forest floor. Full Summary inside; angsty!Merlin-one-shot. Immortal!Merlin.