AN: Hey guys – sorry it's been so long. I wasn't happy with where the story was going, but then a few days ago I revisited it, and changed a lot, and now I loooove it! Please RnR – honestly that's what gives me the drive to write! So RNR pls! hope you like it
Sana went up to have a nap around lunchtime. I stood at the foot of the stairs wondering if I should go with her. I knew it would be weird of me after only one night of sleeping next to each other, but it was just so obvious that she'd actually slept that night. I had even contemplated just driving around the neighbourhood for a few hours prolonging the drive, once I'd seen her nod off. I paced a bit but was interrupted by my dad walking through the front door.
"Hey kiddo"
He must have seen the surprised face I had made when he came in.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah…Yeah…What's up, why are you home already?"
He looked a bit sceptical for a moment.
"Well I forgot my lunch at home, so I thought I'd just come home and have lunch with my son and…eh…his friend."
"Oh, uhm Sana is just taking a nap…She didn't sleep much last night apparently."
"Okay, well I guess it's just us…just like old times." Dad smiled at me and took two plates out of the cabinets.
As we sat to eat I just remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, Lydia gave Sana her old phone, so she has one now. I'll send you her number, so you can reach her if you need to."
"Oh…that's very generous…"
He looked a bit taken aback but didn't say more about the subject.
I knew he worried about money all the time, and I thought maybe he was a bit embarrassed that someone else had gotten her the phone.
"Yeah…Lydia said that they have this deal where it literally makes no difference if there's another phone or not…" I said trying to sooth whatever just happened by making it sound like it wasn't that big a deal.
I don't think it worked.
Dad changed the subject.
"Are you ready for the game on Friday?"
"Yeah, I can't wait! Are you gonna be able to come?" I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.
He smiled, his eyes glittering.
"Are you kidding? Of course! I love seeing you play."
I laughed.
"Yeah I guess now that I'm actually on the field it's more fun to watch."
"I can't wait Stiles, of course I'll be there."
We had a moment where we just looked at each other smiling.
It was interrupted by a tired looking Sana who walked down the stairs in a long-sleeved t-shirt that reached her midthigh. I'd had a talk with her about modesty, but apparently it wasn't as effective as I'd hoped.
"Stiles…?"
"Yeah?"
She held a short pause.
"I can't sleep…"
I side-eyed my dad.
"Uhm…yeah, maybe just…okay?" I gestured for her to go upstairs again while saying this.
She sleepily wiped one of her eyes with her sleeve but nodded and turned around, back up the stairs.
When she was out of sight I dared to look at my dad again.
"Uhm…Yeah…I'll…clean up later."
My dad smiled and shook his head a little.
"I'm not going to say more than I already did…just promise to remember what I said, and…I might not understand it fully but…then again…I can kinda see it."
"What do you mean?"
"Well…" He got up and placed the plates in the dishwasher.
"She'd been alone most of her life, and then her life is turned upside down. You told me she'd had nightmares, so I'm just thinking…she must have experienced a lot of horrors that you and I could only try to imagine. Which I'd rather not," The last bit he said so quietly, it was almost under his breath.
"I talked to Melissa about the sleeping thing –"
"– Noooo, daaaad?!" I interrupted and leaned forward to hide my face in my hands.
"I know, but just wait a minute! She told me about something called touch deprivation or skin-hunger."
I looked at him like he was insane.
"Skin-hunger? Seriously? That sounds…gross"
Dad laughed.
"Yeah, I guess it's not the best sounding name for it. Melissa said that humans are wired from birth to crave physical contact, and without it, we can get quite anxious."
I thought about the hug from that night.
"I think I know what you mean…it's like the thing about hugs helping to release that chemical thing, right?"
"Exactly…Melissa said that one of the side-effects can be difficulty sleeping, anxiety and a lot of other things… maybe she's experiencing that."
"Yeah…maybe…I just can't really imagine her having much of it when she was with the hunters so…I'm not sure that's it."
I stood up, hesitating.
"Go ahead kiddo, I'm heading back to work anyway."
I sent him a sideways smile.
"Thanks dad."
I walked into my bedroom and saw her sitting on the bed, arms curled around her legs.
I tried not making it weird and just walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down. She uncurled and started laying down, so I did the same. It felt weird. Like we'd done it a million times before.
I laid on my back and lifted my left arm, so that she could get comfortable sliding into the nook, her lying on her side. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"How was practice yesterday?" She asked, her voice tired and quiet.
"It was good…Scott's really helping me…"
A small silence.
"Are you ready for the game on Friday then?"
"Yeah…I think so…how was your night with Lydia?"
"Good…we watched a lot of movies and talk about stuff."
I hummed instead of saying okay.
"How did you sleep?"
"Not great…I spend most of the night thinking." Her speech was slowing and sounded almost like a whisper.
"Yeah? About what?
When I didn't get an answer, I look down to see her eyes were closed, and her lips were slightly parted.
She slept for a few hours, while I looked at things on my phone. I texted Scott for a while. He told me Lydia wanted to throw a party after the game on Friday. We joked about the fact that it could go both ways, cause if we lost the game, it would be a pretty sad celebration, but if we won it could be amazing. Either way, Lydia threw good parties. When Scott asked me what I was doing, I replied that I was just relaxing a bit. He'd basically interrogated me the day before, and I didn't want to add to the stream of questions.
I'd made the mistake of telling him about the night and about my theory about her being able to sleep with me there. He was laughing a bit and said that he'd give it two weeks tops before Sana and I were together. It was weird. When he'd said it, I was equally annoyed and excited. I thought about what he'd said.
"I'm not saying it to annoy you or anything, but seriously, you two have become this…like…pair…not like a couple, but just like…a unit."
I'd gotten the text saying that Sana was sleeping over at Lydias' after he'd said that.
I showed it to him.
"See? It's not like we're inseparable!"
"Weak argument dude…"
I knew it was.
"But seriously dude…all jokes aside…how are you feeling man?"
"What do you mean?" I'd picked up another lacrosse ball.
"Do you like her?"
I'd thought for a moment.
"Honestly? I don't know…I can't tell if it's this…protective instinct thing or if I actually like her…I mean…I like her as a person! She's actually really funny, but not in a way where she's trying, and she's…beautiful and smart…she picks everything up like crazy fast…I guess it helps that she's really curious and has like no filter, so she'll sometimes ask things where she doesn't know it's inappropriate…"
Scott nodded and looked like he was turning every word over in his head.
"Well…actually, lately she's getting more…filtered…it's like she's picked up on the fact that there are certain things that are weird to talk about…I can't really explain it. I guess it's mostly a feeling."
We'd stopped playing and just stood for a bit. Scott tilted his head and asked: "Explain the protective instinct thing."
"It's…it's like I look at her as this…fragile…little thing…but we both know that she's not always fragile…like…when she's comfortable, she's strong and ballsy but…I'm scared that what I'm feeling is protectiveness because I know she's been too hell and back and now she's trying to find her feet. And I love helping her find it, and it's awesome introducing her to all this new stuff…honestly, it makes me appreciate it all more."
Scott sat down on one of the benches and I joined him.
"…I'm worried is like the Malia thing…"
Scott looked confused.
"What do you mean...what do you mean by the Malia thing?"
I thought for a second.
"Do you remember what is was like when we met Malia, and we just sort of…. fell into a relationship? I…I loved Malia…I did…but there was definitely an element of… protector during our relationship…Like I know she was the strong wolf, but she was also this young girl who needed to be taught how to be…human…do you know what I mean?"
Scott mulled it over for a second.
"Yeah, I think I know what you mean."
Scott got up from the bench again and picked up another ball.
"Maybe you shouldn't think too much about it and just…feel your way though it."
I looked up from my hands.
"Are you telling me to just follow my heart?" I let out a breathless laugh.
Scott smiled.
"Yeah, I guess that's what I'm doing."
I got up and joined him.
"You're such a cliché…"
I woke up taking in a deep and sudden breath, while sitting up with a start.
"Hey, hey…you're okay…" Stiles said.
He carefully stroked my back while I gained control of my breathing again. I looked around, careful not to look at him.
I dreamt about my gift. I wanted to tell him so badly, but I was still afraid. I briefly wondered how long it would take for me to be ready to tell.
"Did you have a bad dream?" Stiles asked in a quiet voice.
I looked back a bit.
"Yeah…but only a little bit bad…"
Stiles sat up.
"Does…does it help when…I'm here?"
I turned again.
"Yes…it's not nearly as bad when you're here"
He looked like he didn't know how to say whatever came next.
"Should…should we just do this…that…should I just be here from now on?"
I got up from the bed and grabbed some clothes of off the floor.
"Okay…"
From then on, Stiles and I slept next to each other every night, and I slept through the night mostly.
We heard Noah come through the door downstairs.
"Stiles? Sana? You home?"
Stiles got up and went towards the stairs. I changed into the clothes I had picked up and went downstairs as well.
Noah stood by the door smiling.
"Sana, I got you something."
Stiles shifted a little.
Noah opened the door again to reveal a bike outside. It was baby-blue and had a basket in front. I didn't know what to say, but I felt so warm.
"Dad…you didn't have to…" I could tell Stiles' voice was a bit strained, but I couldn't tell why. But he was smiling a lot.
"I know, but I just thought that Sana should have a way to get around by herself as well" Noah said, smiling at me.
"I don't know what to say…thank you…I really like it!"
I went over to Noah and carefully wrapped my arms around his for a hug. It was very brief, and I could tell Noah was surprised and careful while hugging me back.
Stiles hugged him after with a little "thanks dad".
Noah went inside while Stiles and I stayed looking at the bike.
"Stiles…is it hard to ride a bike?"
Stiles looked up. At first, he looked surprised, then he bit his lip while smiling.
"I can teach you…it's one of those things where you don't forget once you've learned."
We spend most of the evening outside. Stiles taught me, and when I feel over, he was there to catch me, so I didn't hurt myself.
Noah called us in for dinner, and while we ate, he told us about when his dad had taught him to ride a bike. I hadn't learned yet, but as Stiles said, we made a head start.
Going to bed that night was a bit different. Stiles went to the bathroom and changed into his pyjamas, while I did the same in his room.
He knocked on the door.
"Are you…are you dressed?"
"Yes"
He came into the room, slightly hesitant, walked to the bed and laid down. He let out a long sigh.
"I'm just gonna go brush my teeth," I said.
I bumped into Noah just as I was going into the bathroom.
"Oh, sorry about that sweetheart."
He was also wearing his pyjamas.
"That's okay Noah…And thank you again for the bike. It's very nice of you!"
"No problem Sana…if you need anything just let me know."
He made his way towards his bedroom but stopped by the door.
"Oh, to you know where Stiles is? He's not in the living room."
"Yeah, he's in bed…"
Noah raised his eyebrows a split second but didn't comment further. The only thing he said was "Well…Goodnight then" and went in his room.
After brushing my teeth, I went into the room again. Stiles was laying on his side, facing away from the middle. I laid down next to him.
"Are you asleep?" I whispered.
"No not yet," he answered in a sleepy and slow voice.
I hesitated for a moment, but then said; "Your dad asked where you were, and when I said you were here, he seemed like it was weird."
A silence followed.
"Yeah…?" was all Stiles said.
When I still didn't say anything, Stiles turned to lay on his back.
"What is it, Sana?"
I turned to lay on my side facing him.
"Is it weird?"
Stiles scrunched his eyebrows.
"Which part?"
"The sleeping together part."
He thought for a second.
"I think it depends on a few things…like it's normally not something people do unless there's…some feelings involved…I guess."
I opened my mouth to say something, but Stiles beat me to it.
"But this is not weird…because it helps you, and there's nothing weird about helping someone…"
He said it kinda fast.
"Oh…okay then."
Silence again.
"Stiles?"
"Mmmh?"
"If it's not weird, could you do that arm thing then?"
"Sure" I could hear he was smiling while he said it.
He put out his arm so I could lay in the nook and put his arm around me.
"Comfortable?"
"Mmhh."