Book 2
Chapter 7

The Boy Who Waited

Mars knocked softly on Stiles' bedroom door 3 times. It was a foreign feeling- to feel like she couldn't just open the damn thing- but thin ice is thin ice. And that's exactly what was underfoot.

When he opened it, his face was a picture of confusion, and he messed with the handle. "Did I lock it?" He asked.

"Uh- No. I just- erm- wanted to give you your privacy." Mars cleared her throat, unable to make her eyes meet his.

Stiles head tilted to the side. "You okay?"

"I'm good. Actually." God, this was awkward. Her hand was fidgeting at her side, he looked at her expectantly. "I think I need to apologize. For pushing you to talk to me." His eyes narrowed and he pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. Mars allowed it, suppressing a smile. "I'm being serious."

"I overreacted." His face softened, her heart lifted at the sight.

The word vomit continued to spill from her, like she was unable to accept his forgiveness. "You didn't. I broke a promise in the worst way I could have. You have every right to be angry with me."

"Seeing as you've realized the error of your ways, I think I can find it in my loving heart to forgive you. For now at least." Her hands stopped fidgeting and the smile she was holding back broke free. Stiles opened the door wider. "You want to come in?"

She wanted to throw her arms around him, to ask why he had a sudden change of heart, but was too afraid he would end up thinking about it and change his mind. Instead, she walked into his room and let the warmth of familiarity overtake her. Everything Morell just said to her about him felt so distant, so irrelevant, now that he let her back in.

She let herself collapse onto his bed. "Make yourself at home, don't mind me." He joked, sitting back at his desk to work on homework. Something she should probably have been doing as well. Mars held up her middle finger in response. Stiles closed his textbook and turned himself in the chair to face her. "Why'd you get home so late, anyway?"

Mars toyed with the locket around her neck, silently contemplating all of the options she had. She could lie. It would be the easy thing to do, after all. But she made the mistake of looking at him, at his expectant eyes and warm presence. Lying had been the enemy, the cause of the god forsaken wrench between them.

No. She wouldn't lie.

But evading? That she could justify. Mars tapped the bed beside her, a clear invitation. He hesitated, but not long enough for her to get insecure. He laid down beside her, she instinctually curled into him, taking in his scent and the way his chest moved below her head and hand.

God, she missed him.

"I've barely slept without you these last few days." She whispered.

"Uh-uh. Don't think I don't know what you're doing." She could feel those expectant eyes bearing into the top of her head, but she didn't dare look up. She was already caught, after all.

"What's that?"

"Avoiding my question."

"It almost worked, too, didn't it?"

"You wish."

"That I do." She traced small circles on him with her thumb. Evading was out- maybe she could pretend to sleep?

Don't be ridiculous.

"I was… at therapy." She sighed, realizing if she didn't tell him now, it would just continue getting worse. That, and she'd have to move from the bed… and she was quite cozy.

"If you were with someone, you can tell me."

Of course he doesn't believe you. Mars sighed again. His insecurities weren't exactly unfounded. They'd been confirmed less than 24 hours ago. But she'd meant it when she said it was over. Maybe he thought it was someone else though? It also wouldn't have been a stretch to assume she was off with another guy that wasn't Don. She set herself up for this, she realized.

"I was with someone. My therapist."

He pulled her closer to him, fully enveloping her in his arms. "When did you start?"

"Today," Technically true.

"Talk about anything good?"

Mars finally looked up to him, a small smirk on her lips. "Eh. You. Not that great if you ask me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Me? Seriously? Of all the many things you need therapy for, you chose to talk about me?" Mars dug her chin into his chest. "Ow!" She let up at his yelp. "Did you at least tell them what a dashing young man I am? " Stiles, of course, mocked her faint accent at the word dashing.

"I did. Among other things."

"What other things?"

"That's a secret." His eyes narrowed at her, she loved that she made him squirm. The feeling of having him back was fleeting though, and his expression told her everything she needed to know. No secrets. Not anymore. Not if she wanted to keep him.

"It was an hour session, I can't tell you all of it. And it's not like I can give her the whole picture when it comes to my problems." He looked like he agreed, so she continued. "It boiled down to me… deciding I'm going to be, like, a better person. You know. For you. Or whatever."

She moved her head from his chest to his shoulder when he inhaled deeply. "Might take a while." She expanded, trying to pull her foot from the flame.

She'd freaked him out. Said too much, too fast. Of course she did. They hadn't even talked about the kiss yet, or what he wanted. She just had to jump to her desires. She hated that about herself, that she hadn't taken his feelings into consideration again.

Stiles brushed her hair from her face, and rested his hand lightly on her neck. "I can wait."

Was she confused? Relieved? Her mind replayed the moment he told her to stop sending him mixed signals. Was this the same person who said that? She was frozen, stuttering over what to say next. To do next. Should she kiss him again? She wanted to, but it seemed like too much, too fast. It would only muddy the water more, wouldn't it? It wasn't good timing. Morell wouldn't want her to, anyw-

Gently, Stiles pressed his lips to hers. It had none of the urgency of their first, and it somehow made her feel even more. She closed her eyes, returning it, at peace with him. When he pulled away, it didn't feel like they'd been rushed or cut short. It was just enough. Just right. He rested his forehead against hers. "Don't rush it, okay? I'll be here whenever you're ready."

Lightheaded. That was the word. She was lightheaded. She smiled, wanting nothing more than to kiss him again, but she knew it wouldn't be right.

"Does that mean you're ready?"

"Mmm. Maybe in a week or two, you know? I got a few dates lined up this week and-" Mars pushed him, playfully, he held her firm in his arms. "Yeah, I am. I know you're not though. I'd rather you get yourself right first, so we can do this right, than fuck it up to a point we can't come back from."

"But… you want… me?" This wasn't how she'd planned any of it. In fact, she'd literally just spent an hour talking about all the reasons this was exactly the opposite of what she was going to do. "You would want to be with me? Knowing what I did to that man? Knowing how many people I've been wi-" Stiles covered her mouth his face serious, yet strangely light. She glared.

"I don't care about what you did or who you did it with. I care about whoyou are and what you do going forward." He removed his hand when she nodded.

It was too good to be true. Like she was dreaming. But his body was solid weight on hers, and he smelled like him. She didn't think she had a sense of smell in dreams. He was real. For better or worse.

Maybe he wasn't sure. Maybe he hadn't thought it through. He was still furious with her when they last spoke, and he'd only had 2 weeks to process that there were feelings between them at all. Before she could stop herself, she blurted: "You don't have to wait for me, you know. If there is someone else."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "There's never seriously been anyone else."

"Lydia."

"Might as well be a figment of my imagination, as you've kindly pointed out through the years." She smiled at this, though she didn't think she'd been that harsh about it. "I'm okay with waiting, really."

"Even at a glacial pace?"

"How glacial are we talking?" Mars rolled her eyes, but she warmed at his smile. He gestured to the door. "Besides, if we started dating now, dad would never let us close the door again."