??? ??????? ?? ????. → liam dunbar

❛ perishable. ❜

𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧.

After Kate and the berserkers stormed the hospital the night before, delivering a chilling ultimatum, Nova had never wished harder that she were just a normal human. The revelation Kate laid at her feet clung to her like a second skin—one she couldn't peel off no matter how hard she tried.

She kept it to herself. The pack had enough on their plates now that the benefactor's plan had imploded. Even if she told them, what could they do? Fix her powers? Rewrite her nature? Deep down, she didn't want to believe Kate, but the words had sunk in, replaying in her mind like a curse: You'll have to kill someone.

She tried to smile, to act normal, but the weight of that sentence made it impossible to breathe. It wasn't until Stiles nudged her that she realized she'd been completely zoned out.

"If you're not gonna listen, you can go sit in the Jeep," he muttered, tossing her the keys as he, Lydia, and Sheriff Stilinski walked into the station.

Nova caught them without a word, offering only a half-hearted glare before making her way out. She didn't get far. Just as she was nearing the exit, a staggering Deputy Parrish pushed through the doors, looking like he'd walked straight out of a wildfire.

"You look like an open autopsy—" she started, but her sentence never finished. Parrish shoved past her and took down another officer in seconds. Nova's breath caught as realization hit: the sheriff had been shot, and Parrish... Parrish was not just a regular deputy.

Now, hours later, she was slouched on the living room, watching her dad check over the man who had just survived spontaneous combustion. She'd wanted to visit Noah in the hospital, but Lydia had dragged her home, insisting it was a school night and she needed rest.

Derek examined Parrish with a skeptical eye. "He covered you in gasoline?"

Before the man could answer, Nova—curled in a leather armchair—cut in with her usual flair. "Are you sure you didn't know you couldn't burn? Because I'm calling it—liar, liar, pants literally on fire."

A round of exhausted sighs followed, the group too used to her sarcasm to even react properly.

"And you know that quote—'Some people fear the fire. Some become it'? Yeah, you really committed to that metaphor."

As the others ignored her banter and got back to deciphering the deputy's mystery, Nova noticed Scott give her dad a nudge, glancing back at her on the armchair. The message was clear. With a quiet sigh, she got up and padded to her room down the hall.

But before slipping away, she paused, looking back at Parrish. "Being supernatural doesn't make you a monster," she said, her voice softer now. "What you do with your powers—that's what counts."

She didn't wait for a response. Pajamas on, face washed, she was just climbing into bed when her phone buzzed. She cursed under her breath—she'd promised to always answer after the last few close calls.

The name on the screen made her blink: Liam Dunbar.

Nova had mixed feelings about Liam. He was cute, sure. Sweet. She liked being around him. But the idea of a boyfriend had never appealed to her—at least not until he texted her to come over. Without hesitation, she pulled on leggings and slipped out the back door.

Still half-asleep, she barely registered what she was doing until she was standing in front of his house thirty minutes later. When he didn't answer her text, she pulled out a bobby pin—one of Stiles' old tricks—and quietly let herself in through the back door.

The house was dark and quiet. She crept up the stairs, following the faint light under one door. When she opened it, she found Liam on the floor, surrounded by scattered copies of the Deadpool, his face pale and panicked.

"Hey," she said softly, kneeling beside him. "Just look at me. You're okay."

She wrapped her arms around him, and though he didn't react at first, his breathing gradually slowed. Finally, he leaned into her, grounding himself in the comfort of her presence.

After a long pause, she helped him onto his bed and began cleaning the mess. When he patted the space beside him awkwardly, she joined him without hesitation.

"Why'd you call me?" she asked, breaking the silence.

Liam turned to face her, both of them suddenly very aware of how close they were.

"I just... we kinda have a thing, don't we?" he mumbled, cheeks turning red.

Nova let out an unexpected snort, trying to smother it with her hand.

"Don't fall in love with me, Dunbar," she teased, but her smile faded when she saw his face fall.

"But we've kissed. You flirt with me all the time," he said, voice tinged with confusion and hurt.

"That's not flirting—it's just charm." She grinned, but the look in his eyes made her pause.

He sighed and turned away, but she caught his next words: "I guess now's not the best time to ask you on a date."

She didn't respond at first. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder, letting the familiar scent of raspberry shampoo lull him into a false sense of calm.

"In two weeks," she whispered. "Ask me again then."

"Why wait?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her.

"So you have time to convince me."

He smiled, and just as he was about to say something, Nova cut in with a final grin.

"Until then... one kiss wouldn't kill you."

o. 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧.