"You're dating Danny? As in our lacrosse teammate Danny? The guy who is Jackson's best friend and is, you know, a guy? The kind with a penis?" Stiles breathed heavily as he kept pace, but managed to scratch his head and stare at Scott without tripping. "I mean, I know people can change over the summer. I grew my hair out at that summer camp dad sent me to, but summer school made you gay and you didn't tell me!"

"I'm not gay. And I'm telling you now," Scott replied with a shrug as he leapt over an empty garbage can that had fallen over on the sidewalk. "Jackson moved to Vermont to get away from Derek's constant attempts to murder him, and Danny needed a friend. We spent a lot of time together. It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal, Scott. Friends don't suck each other's dicks. Unless you and I have been doing this all wrong," Stiles noted with a serious lack of couth.

"Could you please not put that image in my head? I like not shooting myself in the face," Scott asked as he shuddered. He made a point of looking ahead instead of at his best friend. "Besides, I thought you liked Danny."

"Everyone likes Danny, I'm just shocked that you 'like him' like him. Does Allison know?"

"I haven't heard from Allison all summer: I didn't want to push things. The most contact we had was me including her in a mass 'Happy Fourth of July' text and getting a smiley face emoticon back in return." Using the back of his hand, Scott wiped the sweat from his forehead and flung it on the ground. Stiles was running in place even though Scott had stopped, and the wolf found it somewhat annoying but didn't say anything. "I mean, how am I supposed to take that?"

"I think it means you should talk to her before she comes to school tomorrow and finds you and Danny snogging at your locker," Stiles advised as he stopped running and began doing squats on the sidewalk.

"Snogging?" Scott had no idea what the word meant. He started running again, and Stiles fell in sync with him. They passed by Lydia's house and Scott noticed that Stiles didn't even so much as blink in its direction.

"You know: kissing. Making out. Groping. Surely you've read a Harry Potter book. Or watched Dr. Who. Anything British?" Stiles added. He looked indignant when Scott shook his head in the negative, and Scott took it as a cue to smile. "How are you and I even friends?"

"Because nobody else will deal with your hyperactive ass and I'm the worst socialist in existence?" Scott offered as they turned the corner and ran onto another street. This one was lined with identical houses full of the nouveau riche.

"I don't think you know what a socialist is," Stiles commented thoughtfully. "Then again, neither does cable news, so I can't judge you too harshly."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Scott wondered as he waved to a woman mowing her lawn. She ignored him. "Why are we running in this neighbourhood again?"

"Because these people actually pay their taxes, so the roads and sidewalks aren't full of holes and cracks. Unlike your house in the Beacon Hills ghetto?" Stiles guessed with a laugh. "Let's be honest, Beacon Hills likes segregation."

"Huh?"

"Never mind, my flaming homosexual of a best friend," Stiles said dismissively to Scott. "We should probably get back to my jeep before someone has it towed off for clashing with their mailbox."

"I'm not gay!" Scott shouted after Stiles as he stopped to wipe the sweat from his face with his shirt. "And I'm not flaming. Am I?"

Stiles just laughed, and Scott debated whether or not to use his wolf speed to leave Stiles eating his dust.

When they reached Stiles jeep, Scott was notably not as out of breath as his friend. Nonetheless, Stiles continued to talk as though he would die if he didn't. "So, you actually passed summer school and are joining us as a Junior?" Stiles asked. "I mean, you had a lot of incomplete grades at the end of last year."

"Yeah. Turns out when Jackson goes away and Derek stops harassing me and the hunters disappear for a few months of training in wherever the Argents went... I had a lot of free time I didn't have before. And Danny is a great tutor," Scott explained as he pulled his shirt off and climbed into Stiles' jeep. "Can you turn the AC on? I'm dying here."

"I just want you to know that this attempt to seduce is kind of an epic fail," Stiles snorted as he buckled up and started the vehicle. "Also, is dating your tutor kosher? Or is that some kind of unethical educator thing?"

"He's not my tutor. Danny just helped me out a lot with summer school. The school gives him a summer job of coming in and reformatting the computers and other techie stuff. He tried to tell me a couple times, but it might as well have been Latin."

"Well, at least you're pretty," Stiles said with a wink.

Scott was glad his best friend was comfortable around him after the whole coming out thing. Not that it was much of a thing. Even his mother had been fine with it and insisted Scott bring Danny home for dinner sometime, though Scott didn't think he and Danny were quite that serious just yet.

"So, when you decide to stop being half-naked, what are we doing next? I kind of have plans later," Stiles told Scott as he stopped at a stop sign. "And these plans don't exactly involve being covered in sweat and reeking of B.O."

"You have plans? Since when do you have plans?" Scott teased as he put his shirt back on. The air conditioning had made it colder than he was expecting and it took a few seconds to adjust. "And I need to stop at the grocery store. Think you can drop me off at Allison's after?"

"You told me you didn't have any money," Stiles said as he looked at Scott out of the corner of his eyes. "You don't get paid until Friday..."

"Mom gave me the EBT card. I figure I'll buy some chocolates for Allison. You know, I can sit down with her and tell her about Danny and stuff. And the chocolates will make her not hate me. I hope."

"Dude, you are so buying me chips. I'm starving."

TW

As he walked up the driveway of the Argent household, Scott caught the scent of Wolfsbane. It was no more than he was used to from before, nowhere near enough to actually hurt him, but it was the first reminder in a long time that he wasn't normal. He turned and waved goodbye to Stiles as the jeep pulled away from the curb.

Scott really hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake. It wasn't like it was a rare occurrence or anything.

About three halfhearted knocks and ten seconds later, Scott found himself looking up at an unimpressed Chris Argent. Scott couldn't smell anything like hate or anger coming from the man, but he could easily see the annoyance on his face. He let himself relax, certain there was no immediate danger.

"Hello, Scott. It was only a matter of time before you stopped by," Mr. Argent sighed in defeat as he gave the teen the once over. "Allison is up in her room. Leave the door open."

It wasn't a request.

As he walked past his ex-girlfriend's father and into the foyer, Scott noticed several cardboard boxes packed up and sitting by the door. It was as though someone were moving in. Or moving out.

With a shudder he hoped nobody saw, Scott passed Gerard's things and walked up the stairs. His legs felt heavier with each step. Everything in him wanted to turn around and run out of the house: book it past Mr. Argent, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with crossed arms, and never look back. Luckily, Scott's will was a lot stronger than his fear.

Before he even realized it, Scott was standing outside of Allison's bedroom with a hand poised to knock. He choked down his misgivings and rapped on the hollow wood, regretting it each time his knuckles connected.

"Coming!" she called cheerfully. Scott couldn't remember the last time he heard Allison's happy voice, but he was certain it was sometime before her mom died. The last thing he wanted to do was take away her happiness.

Beaming, Allison opened her door. When she saw Scott, the smile fell from her face. However, her lips did twitch into a grin for half a second when she saw the box of chocolates in his hand.

"Hey," she said quietly in a distant but not unfriendly voice. Even though she tried to hide it, Scott could easily hear the pain behind her words. "I guess you heard we're back."

"Lydia mentioned it last week," Scott confessed nervously. "I wasn't sure if I should come by or not."

"Oh? I didn't know you and Lydia were on speaking terms, after all that stuff with Jackson." Allison was clearly not wanting to address the span of time between Scott learning she was home and when he showed up to see her. He was more than happy to oblige. As far as he was concerned, it was a good thing.

"Some things changed while you were gone," Scott told her in an unnaturally even voice. "I'm sure Lydia told you that Jackson moved."

"We knew. Dad has people on him."

"Does he have people on me?" Scott wondered.

"He doesn't think he'll need them," Allison said in a non-answer. "You cut your hair."

With the change of subject, Allison stepped back and motioned Scott into her room. He did so reluctantly, and she closed the door behind him. Allison leaned against it and looked at Scott, taking the sight of him in.

"You dad said to leave it open," Scott warned to he pointed at the door.

"He can bite me," Allison replied without a hint of anger or malice. "I missed you. I wanted to see you so bad, but it wasn't a good idea. It still isn't a good idea."

"I missed you, too," Scott agreed as he put the box of chocolates on Allison's dresser. Her eyes lingered on them for a few seconds before she looked back at him. "And I agree, this isn't a good idea, but I felt you needed, no, you deserved to know."

"Know what?" she inquired. Scott didn't answer right away, and Allison repeated herself in a strained voice. "Scott, what do I need to know?"

"I'm seeing someone else."

They both pretended not to notice the tears welling in her eyes. "Oh," she whispered. Scott was certain she knew that he could hear her, because she continued in a whisper. "Do I know her?"

Scott bit his bottom lip and wondered how to tell her. It wasn't everyday you came out to your ex-girlfriend. He debated whether to do the big speech or throw himself out the window and hope the fall killed him. He would never do the latter, though. Not after what happened with Allison's mom. He still loved her too much for that.

"Danny."

Laughing awkwardly, Allison stepped away from her door and walked towards Scott. Then she passed him and stood at her window. Scott couldn't tell if she was looking for something outside or if she was looking away from him.

"Danny Mahealani," he clarified to her back. She stopped laughing. "You know him, right?"

"We weren't close friends or anything, but yeah. I know Danny," Allison answered without turning around. "I also remember that you were straight when I left for the summer."

"Things happened," was all he could say. His mind raced with dozens of half-coherent explanations that he'd never voice aloud. "It was a dull summer otherwise."

"Dull. Right." Allison's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Are you happy?"

Scott wanted to tell Allison that he was happy with Danny, but that he'd never been happier than he was when he was with her. And even though it was the truth, his mouth wouldn't form the words. So, instead, he just said, "Yes."

"Does he know?"

"Know what?" Scott asked, slightly confused. "Everyone knows we broke up?"

Allison laughed again, and she finally turned back to Scott with a genuine smile. "No, does he know that once a month you become a raging beast?"

"No, he doesn't know about the wolf thing," Scott admitted. "That's a hard thing to talk about. I mean, I never even came out to you about it. Your dad kind of tried to kill me and I wolfed out."

"This is so awkward," Allison noted as she crossed the distance between them and hugged Scott. They broke apart just as quickly and she wrinkled her nose at him. "You kinda stink."

"That would be because I was out exercising before coming over. Stiles dropped me off."

"Thanks for thinking enough of me to let me know you're gay." Allison smiled.

"Why does everyone assume I'm gay?" Scott groaned loudly. "Bisexuality is a thing, you know."

"My mistake," Allison apologized with a grin as she kissed Scott on the cheek. He missed the sensation and wanted to return the gesture, but held firm. "Are we able to be friends?"

"I think we can try," he said doubtfully. Allison noticed his tone and her smile drooped. "It's gonna be really weird. I still love you."

"I love you, too, Scott," Allison admitted as she looked at the floor. "But too much has happened. My mom died, Gerard's body disappeared so he could still be alive out there, Derek and his pack are on the loose..."

Scott shook his head sadly. "I know. I promised I would wait. Give me the word and I'm yours."

"That's not fair to Danny," she pointed out sadly. "Scott, we can't be dragging other people into our mess with the intention to hurt them on down the line. It's not fair to you or me, and doubly so for anyone we may become involved with. We bring baggage into the lives of everyone we touch, whether we want to or not."

"I can't help it if it's true." It was Scott's turn to turn his back to Allison. He opened her door and saw her father standing in the doorway, glaring angrily. Scott couldn't bring himself to be appropriately afraid. "I'll see you tomorrow, Allison."

TW

"This is the last time I'm saying it," Scott warned Danny as he crashed on the Mahealani family sofa. His boyfriend just blinked at him without saying a word. "I'm over coming out to everyone. It's a pain and I don't see why it's their business. Is it my business who Greenberg is jacking off to? No, it's not. So why would he or anyone else care who I have sex with?"

"We're not having sex yet," Danny reminded Scott as he looked to make sure none of his family members had heard the outburst. When he was satisfied that neither of his parents was going to circle them like a hungry wolf, he settled down beside his boyfriend and reached for his tablet. He fiddled with the setting on one of his apps as he continued talking. "Also, you're never done coming out. Like, every single day of your life you come out to someone new, whether you mean to or not. Someone asks about your girlfriend? Wife? Who that guy is in the picture with you at the baseball game. You know, normal conversations and stuff."

"Why do they care?" Scott groaned as he stuck his feet on the coffee table. He groaned again when Danny shoved them off.

"Not on the furniture. My mom will kill us."

"Your mom loves me," Scott teased with a grin. He reached into the candy dish on the coffee table and began unwrapping a peanut butter cup. Thinking better of it, he offered it to Danny when he had finished removing the foil. "Here, take it and make me feel like less of a crappy boyfriend."

"We're boyfriends now?" Danny raised a quizzical but amused eyebrow as he took the chocolate and popped it into his mouth. "You think we're that serious, McCall?"

"We have been dating a month. And I have dinner at your house on the days my mom works night shift..." Scott counted off the reasons before Danny grabbed his hands and smiled. There was chocolate smudged on the corner of his mouth.

"I was kidding, loser," Danny admitted as he let Scott go and reached for another piece of candy. He fished out some licorice and peeled off the plastic before taking a bite. "We can use the word 'boyfriend' if you want. I'm fond of it myself."

"I told Allison."

Scott watched as Danny stopped chewing his licorice mid-bite and put the remainder of it down on the screen of his tablet. "Oh. That had to be fun. Stuff like that is why I'm glad I came out in junior high when everyone else was looking at Playboys. No offence."

"Am I supposed to be offended?" Scott was confused. Even though he was dating, and occasionally making out with, one of the hottest guys on the lacrosse team, he still had a stack of Playboys hidden in the vent under his bed. It's not like Beacon Hills really needed to use the furnace all that often. And his mom refused to let him use the air conditioner because it was too expensive.

"No." Danny ran one hand through Scott's hair as he picked his licorice up with the other. "How did she take it? She was your great first love and all."

It was cute how nervous Danny was. Scott didn't want to tell him everything that was said, or how much he regretted some of the things he had told Allison. He'd told her things he didn't want to admit to himself. Repression was never a good thing, but the worried look on Danny's face made Scott squash it. He reached out and caress Danny. Using his thumb, he wiped the chocolate off Danny. Scott then smiled and licked it clean before answering.

"She wants to try to be friends. She also thought I was gay. So did Stiles. That's going to happen a lot, isn't it?"

"Straight people don't get being bi. Neither do most of the gays," Danny shrugged as he stared at Scott's mouth. "So, I take it things went better with Stiles than Allison?"

"That they did," Scott agreed. He picked Danny's tablet up and put his head in his lap. Looking up, Scott decided that watching his boyfriend eat was nowhere near as sexy from the new angle as it was from the old one. He kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the sofa. "I really don't feel like going home."

"You really should, though. I mean, you do know you stink, right?" Danny noted as kindly as he could. "Also, I can't have boys stay here past nine."

Scott rolled his eyes and sighed. "I ran over here from Allison's and it's only seven thirty."

"I wasn't telling you to leave now," Danny snorted before finishing his licorice. He played with Scott's hair as Scott scrolled through the music library on Danny's tablet.

"There's a lot of Lady Gaga here. Like, demos of stuff from when she used her old name. Is there something you're not telling me?" Scott asked with a grin as he skipped to the next album. "Um, what is The Longest Journey and why do you have its soundtrack?"

"It's a computer game and I like the music," Danny answered simply as he snatched the tablet from Scott's grasp and played a random track. "And everyone likes Gaga. Douche."

"Greenberg doesn't like Gaga."

"Greenberg is a dick."

Deciding he was done needling Danny, Scott closed his eyes and debated whether or not he wanted take a quick nap. Allison's face lingered behind his eyelids. He pushed her away and reached up to feel Danny's arm. Even though he had told her he would wait, he moved on. And he told her he would walk away from Danny if she asked, but now he wasn't sure what he would do if he had to choose.

Scott loved Allison. He doubted that he would ever stop. But he supposed he needed the reminder of why he was with Danny to begin with. It had nothing to do with the muscles or the dimples, because a few months ago Scott didn't even know he'd like them as much as he did now. Danny was comfortable. He was like that warm blanket you crawled under during a cold snap. There was no fire, no passion, but there was pleasantness and warmth and Danny was sweet enough. It was nice to have someone he didn't have to tiptoe around over issues beyond his control.

"Danny?" Scott whispered as he kept his eyes closed. He felt the leg he was resting his head on shift as Danny leaned down to better hear him. "You know what a werewolf is, right?"