They have Lacrosse practice after lunch and Stiles is glad when warm-up is over and he can collapse on the bench completely exhausted. . It's a mystery to him how anyone can actually play Lacrosse after six laps around the field. Coach is back and training is just as nasty as it used to be. Scott and Liam look as determined and fit as ever of course and he thinks that wolf powers do come in handy quite often. Liam is looking up at Scott while he explains their strategy for the next game as if he had the answers for all the questions in the universe. Stiles grudgingly admits that the kid wasn't half bad at the sport before he was bitten. Scott – not so much. His asthma used to always get in the way of everything.
Before his inner eye Stiles sees a younger version of Scott and himself. They're sitting in the stands, eagerly watching the game, their perfectly groomed and hardly ever used Lacrosse sticks in hand.
"I don't understand why he doesn't at least let us practice", young Scott says, leaning over to him. "How are we going to get any better sitting on our asses?"
"In my case it might have something to do with the fact I got concussion after falling over my own feet last time he let me play. But that's just a guess."
"He could give us another chance!"
The younger version of Stiles points down to the field where Jackson has just casually plowed down numbers 9 and 12, two of the youngest players. "He's in a bad mood. Lydia has been sitting with her girls during lunch break. Trust me you don't want to play today."
That's exactly the moment when coach Finstock calls Scott's name while number 12 is limping off the field. Young Scott jumps up as if stung by a bee. "Good luck!" young Stiles calls.
Stiles smiles half-heartedly because he remembers exactly how that went down. Scott was on the field for about ten minutes before Jackson hit him like a wrecking ball, resulting in an asthma attack on Scott's side. He sees himself running down to the field and kneeling down next to Scott with his inhaler in hand. He remembers Danny coming over to them, sympathetically asking if he can help and coach desperately shaking his head at them and waving them away like an annoying fly.
Now Jackson is a werewolf and in London, Danny left town with his werewolf boyfriend and Scott is out in the field, werewolf-captain of their team. Only coach is still the same, yelling at the players, despairing over Greenberg.
And Stiles of course who can't take his eyes off Scott as he scores another goal. Some things never change.
Stiles drops two heavy bags onto the kitchen counter and opens the door of the fridge to put the beer bottles in. It's Friday afternoon and the week has gone by rather well, considering the fact that Stiles is falling apart. He's on a downward spiral and he knows how difficult it is to stop this once it has started. Scott hasn't acted any different from usual, apart from being a bit more physical. And of course that's enough to send Stiles' thoughts reeling. Was it just his imagination? But he remembers at least two times Scott has put an arm around him in the last week. Maybe he's just deprived of physical contact because he' so used to having a girl friend by now. The thought of Scott wanting to be touched is distracting and Stiles decides not to think about that possibility too much. Not now.
Maybe it's just that he's hyper aware of Scott once again. He almost wishes he was back with Malia all of a sudden, because being with her always took his mind of things. But using her like that is completely out of the question of course. He'll forever be thankful for her for saving him from the humiliation of finishing school as a virgin and he'll always love her in a way, so seeing her as a distraction from Scott won't happen.
Something has to happen however or he's going to drive himself crazy this time. He puts away the pasta, meat and canned tomatoes that he bought because he decided to cook Scott dinner tonight. It's not like he gets something warm to eat that's not delivered pizza very often. Scott doesn't cook and Melissa hardly ever has time to, working days and nights at the hospital. Stiles learned how to cook a little because he decided that his father needs to have a healthy home-cooked meal every now and then. And of course it's totally okay to cook for your best friend. It's not romantic or anything. No worries there. It's nothing fancy anyway and he wants a nice meal himself.
It's too early to start cooking now however and he makes his way up to his room and slumps down on the bed. Tonight is going to be the first night for just the two of them in a long time and he's going to push his feelings to the very back of his mind and make the best out of it. Maybe they can talk a bit more about their plans after school. Stiles really wants to make sure they don't go to different colleges. He's totally okay with having to spend his whole life in the friend-zone, he really is. But he can't even think about losing Scott. Hearing less and less of him, suddenly not knowing what's going on in his life, not knowing who he's with or who his friends are. He's totally not okay with that. Come what may he can't let Scott slip away from him. It's what frightens him most, a lot more than chimeras or wendigos or berserkers. More than a new girlfriend for Scott even. So he's not going to let that happen. The two of them were a pack before there was anyone else and they're going to stay together.
He's at his laptop, reading online about UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine when he hears the doorbell. Scott has a key of course but out of politeness he still rings the bell when it's not an emergency.
Stiles opens the door and Scott smiles broadly at him. "I think we should totally do it today", he says.
Stiles takes a step back. "Woah", he says. "Do what?" And for the fraction of a second he thinks his dreams might actually come true.
"This", Scott says, holding up a pack of DVDs. It's Star Wars parts four to six and this really is the second best thing Scott could be talking about.
"Honestly?" Stiles asks.
"I promised, remember? Also brought you this." He holds up a whole bag of Reese's.
"Bro you know, this is really close to my ideal date", Stiles says. "Can't believe you'll finally stop being a total ignorant."
Scott toes off his shoes. "Thought I should take that final step to nerdism. Are we ordering pizza?"
"No, I've decided to grace you with my cooking today. It's spaghetti with meatballs."
"You know this is getting closer to my ideal date", Scott says, following Stiles to the kitchen. "Please don't burn anything."
Scott leans against the kitchen counter while Stiles starts cooking. "This was a really good idea, you know?" he asks and takes the beer Stiles hands him. "You were right by the way. We should be spending more time together."
Once again Stile asks himself where this is coming from. They've never really talked about their friendship. It's just so natural, they've never really discussed it. And there was only one time he ever doubted it.
"There was so much going on I've never really come around to telling you I'm sorry", Scott says so he's obviously been thinking the same thing. "About our break-up, I mean."
"It wasn't really a break-up", Stiles says, but somehow that word fits.
"It was. And I should have made you explain, should have never believed you were acting for any other reason but self-defense. I should have believed in you, even if you couldn't."
Stiles doesn't want to think back to that night when he faced Scott in the rain and saw in his eyes that he wasn't going to be forgiven. He was getting soaked to the skin without even noticing it, water running down his face, tears stinging in his eyes. In that moment it had felt like nothing made sense anymore. He had been able to go on after nearly dying to find the Nemeton, after being possessed by the Nogitsune but at that moment he had wanted to give up. To just let himself be washed away by the rain.
He feels Scott's arms around him all of a sudden and for a moment he thinks that Scott doesn't only have the ability to take away physical pain, but emotional turmoil as well. Then he realizes that it's not his wolf power. It's just Scott and he leans into him.
"I should have listened to you when you mistrusted Theo", Scott says. "Things would have gone different then."
"It's just who you are", Stiles says, bringing up a hand to touch Scott's arm. "You give everyone a chance. It's alright."
"I'll listen to you next time", Scott says. And then he does something that he's never done before. He leans in and presses his lips to Stiles' neck. It's just a fraction of a second and at first Stiles doesn't even really react to it. And then his knees go weak and his heart flutters in his chest and he's just glad that Scott doesn't face him when he finally moves away.
Stiles grabs the bag of pasta and spills the noodles all over the stove.
"Damn." He collects them and throws them into the boiling water. "Let's not talk about it anymore", he says. "Theo I mean. Just let my words be gospel in the pack from now on and we're fine."
"Deal", Scott says and takes a sip from his beer. "Better watch those noodles. I'm counting on your cooking skills."
Stiles decides to push what just happened to the back of his mind because otherwise he's sure to spoil their food.
Scott sets the table in the living room like the good friend he is while Stiles proceeds to make the pasta sauce. Scott is sufficiently amazed about the food and wolfs down three plates.
They sprawl on the couch afterwards, feet on the table and when the entrance music is playing, Stiles is truly happy. He just wishes there weren't those twenty centimeters between them that always seem to be there nowadays. When they were little they often used to cuddle when they watched movies together. They also always slept in one bed when they spent the night at each other's houses. Which was quite often because either the sheriff or Melissa had night shifts most of the time.
They didn't stop too long before Scott met Allison. He hadn't been too enthusiastic about girls before that. Stiles was the one always obsessing over Lydia, while Scott's mind was usually on Lacrosse or his job at the animal clinic. For a while Stiles had even thought that Scott might be gay just like him, just too shy and awkward to admit it and they could somehow make the transition from friendship to being a couple. Then Scott got bitten and things went batshit crazy in Beacon Hills. And they haven't stopped.
Considering the fact that Stiles has been waiting for ages to watch Star Wars with Scott, his mind isn't really on the movie for once. Of course he's seen it so often he could talk along with the characters so it doesn't really matter.
They watch part four and five and eat all of the peanut butter cups and drink more beer. Then Scott stretches and looks at him.
'Oh my god it's so beautiful when the boy smiles', Stiles thinks.
"I like it", Scott says. "Who's your favorite character?"
"Luke Sykwalker. Who's yours?"
"Considering you're my Yoda, how could I name anyone else?" Scott asks.
"You always seemed like a Leah guy to me", Stiles says. "But I doubt you'd be Han Solo enough for her."
"I'm Han Solo enough for everyone", Scott says and Stiles is afraid that he's right.
Later in bed he can't sleep of course because his brain decides to rerun the kiss on the neck for at least twenty times and finally it feels completely unreal and he isn't even sure he hasn't imagined it.
He leans over to the side where Scott is peacefully snoring on a mattress. They still aren't nearing a full moon. Scott has told him that he still feels it, even though he can control his shifting now. But it exhausts him, makes him irritable and restive and Stiles always tries to be with him then. He hasn't asked Scott if he's found another anchor, he just assumes that the pack is his anchor now.
And he hopes that Scott will be able to sleep peacefully for awhile now. That whatever they will have to deal with next takes it's time. Scott deserves a rest.
Stiles on the other hand hardly sleeps that night, tossing and turning and overthinking things. He gets up at sunrise and makes Scott breakfast.
When Scott finally appears in the kitchen in his boxers, disheveled and sleepy, Stiles realizes that he still loves him so much, that it will never stop and that he really needs to talk to someone about this, because otherwise he's going to explode.