Stiles spent the weekend at Scott's, spending most of the time playing video games before the two of them were so tired that they both collapsed into bed and fell asleep. It was a relief when Stiles woke and did not have an automatic to the werewolf-like warmth Scott gave off from beside him. It was even more comforting to find that, even though they had ended up cuddled during the night, Stiles hadn't woken up with an erection that pressed into the warmth before him. Instead, Stiles had woke feeling calm and comfortable, just as he had always done when he had crashed at Scott's. It was only a momentary worry that had struck, aware of how he had been reacting to Peter's presence. It both reassured him and worried him that Peter was the cause of Stiles waking up overly hot and bothered and not the actual warmth of the wolf.
Sunday night arrived quickly after another intense gaming session, to which Stiles and his father had sat before the television and ate pizza. Since the issue with the police and Stiles coming back from Gerard's kind hospitality, Stiles had been worried about how his father would react to him. He had wondered if the man would fall back into his drinking habit and working overtime to drown out whatever emotions he was feeling. Stiles had always hated coming across his father huddled over with a bottle nearby, although it was a sight he was accustomed to, so when he was put on leave from the force, it hadn't surprised Stiles one bit that the bottles had made a reappearance. Thankfully, Stiles returning home with bruises seemed to remind his father that he was needed in a sober mind.
Pizza and watching a pointless show was a huge improvement for Stiles. The two talked about unimportant things, edging around anything overly deep. Stiles talking about the new game that was released and the weekend of games, whilst his father talked about the latest sports results and how things were finally beginning to settle around the town, even if the fear from the numerous murders were still present.
A part of Stiles wanted to desperately inform his father about the supernatural events and creatures but the more rational part of his brain reminded him of just how bad that would be. He didn't want to put his father into a position where he would be in more danger than a Sheriff would normally be. Even though Stiles knew that being unaware was also a problem, but having the knowledge was not always a good thing.
"You ok son?"
Stiles looked up, slightly confused at being addressed.
"You're in another world? Am I that boring?" John chuckled.
"N - no," Stiles said, refocusing his attention. "I was just thinking."
"What about?"
Stiles bit his lip, unsure of what to say. He wanted to be honest but he also knew that unloading the truth wasn't possible, nor was it even an option.
"That new game," Stiles said finally. "There are all sorts of creatures in it and the lore is really interesting." It wasn't the truth but it could work to cover up anything that he could say that would seem weird.
"The lore?"
"Yeah," Stiles nodded, thankful that his dad was asking more, whilst dreading it in the same breath. "You play as a supernatural creature, Scott chose to be a werewolf. It was... I was really interested in the theory behind it."
"What did you pick?" John asked, putting his plate down on the coffee table.
"I was a human," Stiles said honestly. "I - werewolves are cool and everything but they have weaknesses - not to say humans don't have weaknesses -"
"Why not be a werewolf?" the honest curiosity in John's tone made Stiles pause. The boy's throat felt dry, memories of Peter's lips at his wrist asking pretty much the same question.
"I - Jeez dad," Stiles said, the words were full of how uncomfortable be felt. "I don't want to be ruled by the moon, I would rather be in control and yeah, super strength and super senses are nice, fast healing would be great - but I don't want people hunting me because of something - because I can't control myself when my pulse gets too fast. I don't want to hide a part of myself from people -"
"You've put a lot of thought into this," John commented lightly, watching his son carefully. He noted how the boy flushed.
"It was interesting?"
"You telling me that or asking?" John asked, unable to stop his amusement.
"You know what I'm like," Stiles shrugged, hoping to deflect the topic, now feeling even more unsure on just what he was thinking by bringing the topic up.
John hummed thoughtfully, obviously debating whether or not to push the conversation.
"I understand not wanting to be ruled by anything but yourself," John finally said, seeming to weigh his words carefully as he spoke.
Unconsciously, Stiles sagged with relief, thankful that somebody seemed to understand, even if it was only theory based.
"You don't think it's stupid?" Stiles couldn't stop the question, inwardly cringing at the patheticness of himself.
John sent a sharp look at Stiles.
"Why would it be stupid?"
"I - well you know," Stiles shrugged.
"It's ok to want to be in control," John said gruffly. "You've been told this time and time again," he added, remembering Stiles' huffs when he was regularly seeing his therapist who would talk about his need for control and how it was ok, especially after experiencing such an out of control situation like losing a family member.
"Don't act like my therapist," Stiles said with an eye roll.
"Someone has to sometimes," John shrugged.
Stiles rolled his eyes, before eyeing his father slightly. "I need to do homework and you need to put the rest of the pizza away."
"I'll have another slice," John said.
"No," Stiles interrupted. "No more, you've had enough and it's full of bad stuff."
"One more won't hurt me."
"You said that about getting the whole pizza, a couple slices won't be bad, I've not had unhealthy foods lately so it can be a reward," Stiles said, imitating his father's voice. "I know for a fact you've been eating burgers and junk in your office."
"Go do your homework," John said with a huff, his annoyance more of an act at this point since they both knew nothing would change.
Stiles shook his head, he didn't have the energy to argue too much. He knew that as soon as he was out of sight, the rest of the pizza would disappear, leaving only a box and his father's innocent face behind. Letting his dad feel like he won this round, Stiles left him, not even bothering to pretend to move the box out of reach in the hopes it would stop the man.
Not wanting to get his hopes up, Stiles made his way to his room, remembering to grab his bag on the way, needing to take out the supplies he had taken to Scott's and not used. Even though he made a point of not thinking about the possibility, Stiles couldn't stop the sigh of relief that escaped when he saw the familiar large ball of fur peeking out from under his bed covers.
"I should start charging you rent," Stiles said with a laugh, his mood having skyrocketed as he made his way over to the bed. He was glad that he took his shoes off downstairs, and that he had not chosen to wear any restricting clothing over the weekend as he crawled into the bed, letting himself press against the body of warmth.
"Would it be silly to say I missed you?" Stiles asked, smiling even wider at the huff he got in response. Peter wriggled in Stiles' arms, turning his wolfy body until he could press his muzzle against Stiles' neck. A shiver left Stiles when the cold nose pressed against him and a quiet growl left the wolf.
"Shush," Stiles chastised lightly. "He's my friend."
Stiles wriggled, tempted to pull back when Peter's tongue made contact with the bare skin of his neck.
"That's disgusting," Stiles complained half-heartedly.
Peter whined softly, snuggling further into Stiles. Stiles let his body relax, his fingers tangling into the fur. It was so similar yet so different to how he felt around Scott. There was the same comfort and warmth, yet so much more as well as an overwhelming feeling of security. Just being so close to Peter made something in Stiles' chest ease, an ache he had not noticed.
Letting himself relax completely, Stiles made a mental note to panic about how calm he felt around Peter. He briefly wondered if it was due to the wolf coat the man wore, or whether the same effect would happen if he were human, but that was something to focus on more in the morning, when Peter had left.