Chapter 7
As always, his internship passed by way too fast; this one particularly so because it was only two hours.
He greeted his uncle and Nick in the lobby with a smile, trying not to laugh as Nick rubbernecked, trying to take everything in.
They were back in the car and on their way to safe spaces in no time.
Stiles was surprised by how quaint it was; located in a beautiful old brick building with a very huge, yet friendly, guard at the entrance, who happily waved them inside.
His uncle pulled him into a hug before he could walk in. “I’ll pick the both of you up later. I’m proud of you; you know that, right?”
Stiles nodded quietly before pulling away and meeting the guard’s slightly glassy eyes and wobbly smile, obviously having heard his uncle.
Nick grabbed him by the arm and they hurried inside.
It was just as nice inside, painted in warm earthy tones with bright happy paintings on the walls.
The woman at the desk waved them over with a smile and they quickly made their way to the desk. “Uh, we’re here for the support group?”
She nodded, still smiling. “Is this your first time?”
Both boys nodded and gave her the paperwork they had filled out and she couldn’t help but grin. “Well, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. It’s through the door to your right. Don’t be nervous, Julia is great and I’m sure you’ll love the other people in your group.”
Walking in, they were greeted by a beautiful curvaceous woman in flowing bohemian skirts, light brown hair, sun kissed with blonde, plated back and glasses perches on nose. “You must be Stiles and Nick? Please, take a seat. It seems that we are all here, so once you’re comfortable we can all introduce ourselves and get to know each other a little bit.”
They sat down in comfortable living room chairs, positioned in a circle so everyone could see each other easily.
Julia smiled at everyone and finally spoke. “So, first, welcome to Safe Spaces, everyone. My name is Julia and I handle most of the teen activities that we run in here. Since this is a new group, I’m just going to explain how our meetings work. They’re to help teens like you who are coming out and might feel alone or have trouble meeting other people who are Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, Transgender or, other, like yourselves. Getting to talk to other people who are going through the same things can help you not feel so alone. Now, a lot of people come in thinking that this is therapy and, although we do sit down and talk about experience and such, this is not all we do. Every week will be something different; it’s a chance for all of us to get to know each other and talk about different subjects, like bullying and safe sex. If you all feel comfortable, we might sit down and talk about issues that any of you have been having. Some days we might just sit down and watch a movie together. Safe Spaces is exactly what the name entails; it’s a safe place for you to be yourself and talk with others freely, without worrying about backlash.”
She paused, letting everything sink in before continuing. “Again, since this is a new group, how about we start by introducing ourselves and tell the group a little bit about ourselves. I’ll start. Like I mentioned, my name is Julia. I’m twenty-eight and a fully licensed social worker. I’m married to my beautiful wife Sophie, and I might have an unhealthy obsession with lipstick.”
The group chuckled lightly and started to relax as everyone went around the circle and introduced themselves.
There were two other boys, other than Stiles and Nick, who were gay. One was named Patrick, and the other one was Joe. They seemed to have come together, like Stiles and Nick did, obviously familiar with each other. One of the girls introduced herself as Patty; she was a Lesbian and a ballet dancer. Jaden was Pansexual and a football player, and the final girl named Jessie blew Stiles away when she announced that she was transgendered and going through therapy before being allowed to take hormones. She was so beautiful he never would have guessed she hadn’t been on hormones for years.
Julia smiled at everyone. “Alright, now that we’ve all introduced ourselves we can discuss a few things, if everyone feels comfortable. I’d like for each of you to discuss what your experience has been coming out, if you have. As we know, times are changing and most people really are supportive of alternate lifestyle choices but –.”
Patrick snorted. “It hasn't changed that much, just ask my parents what they think.”
Joe piped in. "Yeah? Not even all of the weirdos are supportive. Look at the Avengers, I bet none of them are gay or allies. Especially Captain America. Apple pie and Leave it to Beaver don't leave a lot of room for social justice and being an ally to a bunch of fags."
Stiles lurched forward only to be stopped by Nick, who shook his head before speaking up. “That’s where you’re wrong. Stiles is friends with Tony Stark and, after he got attacked by a bully, he took us shopping and we met up with Cap. He was the nicest, most down to earth guy out there and he told me that he would never stand for any kind of discrimination. He hates all bullies.”
Stiles nodded before piping in. “When I first moved here, I met Nick when he was getting beaten up by homophobic bullies. Because I stood up for him, it put me on their radar. It wasn’t until that same bully and I both ended up doing internships at Stark Tower that he finally caught up with me. He beat the crap out of me and I managed to get away and locked myself in an elevator. Jarvis let Tony know and he got the elevator running again and talked me through my panic attack. After I told him about how they were bullying Nick and I because he was gay and I was bisexual, he put the fear of God into that bully and then took us shopping, adamant that if we could up our social standings it would make it harder for bullies to get to us and then set me up with a self-defense instructor. I found out later on that it was Steve Rogers when we went shopping and he met up with us.”
Stiles took a break, clenching his fists lightly. “Both Tony and Steve have shown only support and acceptance towards us. Steve used to be tiny before he became a super soldier; he used to get beaten up on a regular basis but refused to stay down. He hates bullies of any kind and for anyone to say any different is a disservice to his name.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment before Joe finally huffed a quiet. “I’ll believe it when he shows up at one of our meetings.”
Julia finally stepped in, managing to guide the conversation to a safer topic and then the rest of the meeting went well. Everyone got to know each other a little bit better and Stiles and Nick left feeling pretty energetic and excited about their next meeting, despite the shaky start.
When Phil picked them up, he brought both boys out to eat, wanting to hear about their first meeting.
They happily shoveled pizza into their mouths between weaving their story about their first meeting, from the shaky start with someone badmouthing Cap and moving towards the hilarious story that Jessie had told about her first time trying on makeup.
Phil listened to everything with a small smile on his face, happy that he had pushed Stiles to go.
That night, Stiles sleepily recounted the story a second time, now to his father, who also wanted to know how his first group meeting had gone.
He fell asleep with his father still on the phone, which only huffed amusedly and wished him a good night in a hushed whisper.
The next morning, he woke up an hour before his alarm, showered, and rummaged through his closet before the alarm even rang, trying to find casual workout clothes that still made him look good.
He was still rummaging an hour later when his uncle knocked on the door and peeked in curiously. “I was just looking in to see if you were ready. Breakfast is on the table and we need to head out soon if you want to be on time.”
Stiles huffed and pointed at the ten outfits he had laid out on the bed. “I don’t know what to wear! I want to look good, but not like I’m trying.”
Phil couldn’t help but look amused as he stared down at the outfits and pointed to Stiles old Lacrosse tracksuit. “That color looks good on you and it has your name on it. Wear that one.”
Stiles nodded, wondering with wry humor if Tony would kill him for wearing clothes he hadn’t bought himself.
Slipping on the tracksuit, he quickly made his way to the kitchen and practically inhaled his breakfast, much to Phil’s amusement.
The drive to the gym felt like it took forever with Stiles squirming in his seat as if he hadn’t had any of his Adderall that morning, but he had, Phil had made sure of it.
When Phil pulled up on the curb, Stiles launched himself out of the car, calling out a hurried. “Bye, uncle Phil. See you later!”
Quickly walking into the gym, he looked around, noticing the huge boxing ring in the middle of the room. The whole thing looked like he had stepped into one of the vintage boxing photos he liked looking at when he was younger.
Steve was already there, dressed in sweats that should do nothing for him, but looked amazing, attacking a punching back with quick but calculated jabs.
When he noticed that Stiles was there, he turned to face him with a smile on his face. “Hey, Stiles, glad you could make it.”
Stiles damned his fair skin; sure he was blushing crazily as he moved forward to shake hands with the Cap. “Thanks for agreeing to train me.”
He clapped Stiles on the back, almost causing stiles to buckle under the action and Steve couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh; it’s like seeing me back in the day, though honestly you’re a lot less scrawny than I was. We can turn you around yet.”
He clapped him once more, gentler this time, and stiles chuckled back. “Yeah, I bulked up a bit playing lacrosse back at my old school. I was mainly on the bench, sadly, or I’d most likely be a bit more built.”
Steve smiled. “You’ll get there. Rome wasn’t built in a day. We’re going to start with basic self-defense and exercise; knowing the self-defense is fine, but if you are in a position that you can’t use it, you need to be able to run away, preferably faster than your attacker. Live to fight another day is not the same as being a coward.”
Stiles nodded seriously, already knowing this, having run from too many monsters in too short of a time. “I’m hoping to eventually join the police force or do something like that, so it’ll help for when I have to take basic training too.”
He nodded seriously. “Definitely, depending on what branch you’re looking to get into, it can be pretty tough. Alright, so let’s get started. We’re going to start with some warm-ups and then we’re going for a run. Once we’re back, we will get started on a few basic self-defense maneuvers.”
Steve walked Stiles through a few stretches, helping him here and there to angle his body into better position to get the best stretch, causing Stiles to tense up and fight back the arousal he was feeling, not wanting to pop a boner in front of Cap. It was awkward at first, but he finally managed to move past it, knowing that Steve had been in love with Peggy Carter and as straight as they came. He would never stand a chance, but he could enjoy spending time with him and eventually become friends. He had done it with Lydia; he could do the same with Steve. It wouldn’t stop him from being ridiculously attracted to Steve Rogers and having to fight awkward boners on occasion, but he could survive. He was so thankful that Cap wasn’t a werewolf and able to smell it on him.
Once he was fully stretched, they set off for a run around the nearby park. They received one or two looks, but thankfully, the park was pretty quiet. They ran for a good twenty minutes without speaking.
When Steve noticed that Stiles was looking around, he smiled, speaking without sounding winded at all. “I like running here because it’s always decently quiet and I don’t get bothered much.”
Stiles nodded, managing to follow pace but rather more winded. “I bet you get that often, being Captain America and all.”
He chuckled lightly, speeding up lightly. “Yeah, it’s not as bad as you would think, and you get used to it. The worse is probably trying to gently let women down who come on way too strong.”
Stiles snorted. “What about men?”
Steve laughed, not even slowing his pace. “Men are very straightforward in general, there are some jerks, don’t get me wrong, but it’s pretty easy to tell them you’re not interested. Women can be… Scary when told no.”
Bursting into laughter and had to stop, bending in half to try to suck in a breath while his laughter sent him gasping.
Cap just stopped, looking at him with a grin, eyes glittering with amusement. “When you’ve gotten your breath back we can head back to the gym and get started.”
Stiles nodded, taking his time, waiting until his breath was once again coming out evenly.
They walked briskly back to the gym and Steve guided him to a matt. “So, we are going to look at a few different self-defense techniques from different schools. My main goal here is for you to be able to take down an opponent easily and quickly. The first rule to that is that there are no rules. You fight dirty if you have to. Now most people’s first reaction is to go for the groin, and although it can work, if you’re going against someone who is trained, they can take all sorts of damage and keep going, and this includes bullets. Your best bet is trying to rattle their head to either knock them unconscious or at least stun them enough to either cause more damage or get away.”
He listened to everything Steve told him with more focus than even he thought would be possible, following movements and striking in the way that he was shown, going faster and faster until Steve felt that Stiles had gotten a good handle on it before moving towards something else.
It wasn’t until his uncle walked into the gym that Stiles realized how much time had passed.
Steve smiled and waved Phil over. “It’s alright, Phil, we were just wrapping up.”
Stiles frowned lightly confused. “You two know each other?”
Both men nodded, smiling. “Yes, it was on a similar investigation like the one at Stark Tower.”
Stiles shook his head. “Still don’t believe you’re not a spy, uncle Phil.”
Steve snorted and Phil just smiled. “Now that you’re done with your training for the day, do you think you still have enough energy to go to the shooting range?”
Stiles perked up at the mention; they hadn’t been to the range since Stiles had moved back and he missed it. He was tired but not nearly exhausted enough not to want to go shoot things. “I can handle it.”
Cap grinned, slapping him on the back lightly. “Don’t overdo it. With the workout and the kickback, you might be sore tomorrow.”
He nodded, torn between not wanting to leave and badly wanting to go do some target practice with his uncle.
His uncle solved his dilemma for him quite easily. “I have some pizza in the car, so you can eat on the way.”
Dear god he was starving. He waved goodbye to Cap, who was holding back his laughter just barely at his enthusiasm over the pizza. “See you tomorrow?”
He nodded. “Saturday and Sunday. Tony said that we could set something up for once or twice during the week since the school year is almost done. They can just shorten your internship to regular hours for those days. Once school is out we can change things around.”
Stiles nodded and waved goodbye, dragging his uncle towards the car as he waved goodbye to Steve, who waved back, still amused.
Once they were settled into the car, Stiles happily munched on his pizza while they drove to the shooting range.
Once there they signed in, Stiles was surprised to find May waiting for them with her lip quirked lightly in a semblance of a smile when she saw him, proving to Stiles that she actually liked him.
Stiles grinned and waved in greeting. “Hey, May, is this a coincidence or were you waiting for me and uncle Phil?”
May shrugged. “Your uncle mentioned he was bringing you and I was curious to see what you got.”
Stiles grinned even wider. “Awww May, I knew you liked me.”
She huffed and shoved him forward. “Come on, kid, set up and show me what you got.”
He chuckled, checking over the Beretta 92F he had picked out. He made sure everything was good to go before placing his “Ears” and his safety glasses on and placing himself into the familiar stance, with legs apart, back straight, and taking the safety off his firearm.
He fired round after round until he was out and then pressed the button to bring his target closer, smiling in triumph as they were all in a decently neat circle around the chest, excluding a few bullet holes at the head, because he loved zombie movies and needed to get a few headshots in.
He pulled his cellphone out and took a snapshot of it quickly so he could post it to Facebook later and share it with his dad.
When he looked up, May was looking at his target and nodding approvingly. “Nice work, kid.”
Stiles beamed, pleased and moved to replace his target with a fresh one and continued practicing.
They stayed for about an hour before Stiles started to tire and his uncle ordered him to unload his weapon and put it in the gun safe.
Stiles loaded his target photo while they drove home, tagging his father in it with the description: “Out at the firing range with Uncle Phil. What do you think, Pops? I told you I’ll beat your record when I get to the academy.”
Once they arrived home, they sat down and played a little bit of Call of Duty until Stiles could barely keep his eyes open and Phil ordered him to go to bed.
He got up and slowly made his way to his room and finally stripped down to his boxers before throwing himself on the bed and checking his phone, which had a few comments on the photo he had uploaded.
He couldn’t help but smile, while reading them.
Scott McCall: “Since when do you shoot guns!? Or are even a good enough shot to do headshots???”
Nick Aristov: “Holy Crap, dude! No zombie will ever be a match for you!”
Tony Stark: “Nice aim, kid. Maybe I should have asked Romanoff after all.”
Scott McCall: “SINCE WHEN DO YOU HAVE IRON MAN ON YOUR FACEBOOK!?”
John Stilinski: “Good job son, but you will have to do better than that to beat my record ;). I’m proud of you. And Scott, Stiles has known how to fire a handgun since he was ten. His uncle let him research what handgun he wanted and he picked out a Beretta 92F and, on that Christmas, that was his gift.”
Allison Argent: “Nice choice and good work, Stiles! You’re a better shot than I am, though I prefer the bow, so that might be why. Ever thought of taking up the bow?”
Heather Caruthers: “Woooow! Stiles is all BAMF! Who knew!”
Stiles yawned widely before answering.
“Thanks, guys. Scott, what dad said is right, I’ve been practicing on and off since I was ten. It’s not something I ever really talked about. It was something that I shared with my uncle back then, since I rarely saw him. Tony has been on my Facebook since he had Jarvis hack my account and add himself to my account. Who even does that?
Nick, I am fully prepared for the zombie apocalypse, are you? ’Cause you don’t want to be the one we keep around as cannon fodder!
Tony, Steve is fine for an instructor, thanks. We had fun today; I learned a lot for a first class.
Dad, don’t you worry, I’ll get better and whoop your butt.
Allison, we all remember the crossbow incident, so I don’t know if a bow would be a good option for me. I don’t know, we will see.
Heather, I don’t know if I’d call myself a BAMF just yet, but maybe one day, now that Captain America is whipping me into shape ;).”
Stiles barely pressed send before his eyes were closing and sleep was enveloping him.
That night his dreams were filled with red, white and blue.