It was five years, six physiatrists, and an addiction to chocolate peanut butter ice cream later. Stiles was different. He'd lost his closest friends after becoming a self inflicted mute for the better part of a year. The only person who really talked to him at all was Scott, an old high school friend, and those conversations always ended badly anyway. Stiles' dad decided a move would be best. He'd borrowed countless 'for dummies' and self help books from the library after that, and for a man who wasn't an avid reader, he raced through the pages quickly. The sheriff was determined to help his little boy.

Of course, he wasn't the sheriff anymore. He was just Mr. Stillinski. Even Stiles started referring to him like that. They'd moved to a bigger town, with more lit streetlights at night and neighborhoods where the houses were closer together and the mailboxes and trashcans shared the same space. Three, nearly four years in and Stiles still didn't have any new friends. He was out of school, and decided against college. He just didn't have the energy to provide any effort. His father however, gave him the choice between school and a job. He now worked at a little dinky ice cream shop downtown that would sing a jingle whenever you put a buck in the tip jar.

Mr. Stillinski became a police officer, carrying over from his previous occupation. He didn't like how constricted he felt in a cubical though. It wasn't much of a life, but it was a living, breathing partnership. Stiles would get home about an hour before his father, collect a spoon and the carton of chocolate peanut butter then flick on the TV. He never watched much of whatever played, but it was part of the routine.

When his dad got home, he'd fix dinner-which was never as good as the ice cream-and they'd sit down to a meal. Those were generally quiet. They never talked about the incident all those years ago, and Stiles still barely talked. Whenever the kidnapping became a topic, Stiles would visibly shudder. He'd start to sweat and make strange noises followed by his infamous panic attacks. Those had gotten much worse.

It wasn't much of a life. However, they were both breathing together. That counted for something... right?

It was another day in the dinky little downtown ice cream parlor. Stiles was entertaining himself by watching a couple flirt over a chunk of bubblegum flavored sorbet. The girl must have been half the man's age, and kept making these little high pitched giggles that made Stiles want to jam cotton balls down his ears. The bell jingled over the door and another couple stepped inside. Two couples in the shop almost beat the record. Which was three. Stiles made a day of these things.

"So many choices..." the girl grinned, folding her arms and squinting her eyes towards the flavors list.

The man at her side was tall, and a bit rough looking. He was handsome, Stiles would give him that, but he seemed very unapproachable. His stubble was perfectly framing his jaw, and the way he stood with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket was appealing. Tall dark and furry gave a little grunt to the girl at his side before mumbling out his own order, "Chocolate peanut butter."

Go figure.

The girl was indecisive and a little annoying, pausing her menu browsing every few seconds to giggle and grin at the man or ask him a question. Stiles thought the dude's perfectly good ice cream would die a horrid, melting death before she even considered something. He technically wasn't supposed to, but he handed the man his ice cream over the counter with a look of pity. The man smiled and nodded, his scruff making the smile known. Stiles decided to call this guy scruffy.

"Can I try a couple flavors?" The woman asked expectantly, taking a moment to flip her hair. Literally flip the stupid thing.

Stiles nodded slowly, but kept his mouth shut and lips tight. That seemed to draw Scruffy's attention as he looked up from his half eaten helping of heaven. The girl did that annoying little head shake and shoulder lift that looks like a combination of sassy, cocky, subjective, and frankly; rude, "Well?"

Stiles nodded a little quicker and wider, but really didn't want to use his words if he didn't have to. His voice already felt dry and he just knew if he tried to speak it would come out all cracked and high pitched. He didn't do well with people anymore. He used to be able to talk a mile a minute.

She girl looked about ready to glare before Scruffy rolled his eyes, "Just pick already. I'd rather not have to eat ice cream soup."

Stiles smirked a little. Scruffy was pretty witty. With a frustrated huff, the girl poked her finger against the glass that separated customers from the ice cream and called out the names of a couple flavors as Stiles got some tiny spoons for her to taste them. After trying Bubblegum, Lemon tart, Raspberry and Strawberry Burst, she decided on plain Vanilla. Stiles was a little annoyed.

The couple he'd been watching before had already left by the time Scruffy got to the counter to pay. The bitch took away his only source of entertainment. "Sorry about that." Scruffy apologized as he pulled a wallet from the back of his jeans, "Gwen's pretty indecisive."

Stiles thought for an awkward moment, fishing around for a good reply. He finally smiled plastically, raising a hand in a ''no worries'' kind of way. Scruffy grinned before placing a bill down on the counter, obviously more then he needed to pay. Stiles started to make change, but Scruffy mimicked his hand signs and told him to, "Keep it." before turning back to the girl who waited by the door with her Vanilla ice cream and an annoyed expression.

What a bitch.

Scruffy nodded his head with respect before following her out the door. The shop was empty now, and Stiles was bored again. He scooped himself a Chocolate Peanut butter before settling down onto a stool that sat behind the counter. He took a satisfied bite of his ice cream before shutting his eyes and humming some tune that got stuck in his head when someone came in earlier whistling it. Just another day.

Scruffy came back in a couple days later with a different girl. This one was blonde, and seemed to have an affinity for leopard print. To be honest, she sort of resembled a hooker. Stiles didn't expect to get recognized, he was a wallflower after all, but Scruffy seemed more stand-offish this time around. It wasn't as if there was anyone around him to have an intelligent conversation with, Stiles was quiet and the girl really didn't look like she could hold an interesting topic for long, but he was very reserved that day.

No offence to her, but... she asked which ice cream smelled the best. Then asked Scruffy if she would smell like the ice cream she chose after she ate it. He wasn't being stereotypical, but this was one of those girls that just makes other blondes look bad.

"Chocolate Peanut butter." Scruffy muttered, "Double scoop."

Stiles nodded and scooped it into a dish before handing it over the counter. He didn't have a doubt that 'smells' would take as much time as the girl he was with before. He liked nicknaming people, it helped keep strangers in a line when he thought things over in his head, "You should get the strawberry one."

The blonde turned a little to smile at him, "I do like the smell of strawberries... and it will match my lip gloss color!"

Stiles frowned. What? The strawberry flavored ice cream would match the color of her lip gloss. Who knew! Maybe she really would smell like strawberries later. She looked liable to drop a rainbow out of her leopard print anytime now. Just explode into a fireworks show of sparkles and cotton candy.

Scruffy came back again with another girl later in the week.

Then two more times with a few more different girls.

Again and Again he came back, each time with a different girl and something just a little different about the way he carried himself. Stiles liked observing this giggalo, and fell into a habit of preparing a Chocolate Peanut butter double scoop whenever he was Scruffy walk through the door. It took almost two week for one of the girls to actually say his name, "But Derek! I want a lot of ice cream! I can't just pick one flavor!"

Derek seemed like a very fitting name, but Stiles still applauded himself for choosing a name like Scruffy, and decided he liked that better.