The day Scott has been dreading finally rolls around; Thursday. He has just sat down in Chemistry and is doing breathing exercises in an attempt to slow down his rapid heartbeat. He's unsure if he's more terrified about actually getting an F, or having to face up to Lydia's wrath if he does so. The test papers are handed out and slowly the room falls silent. Scott's body heats up and small beads of sweat begin to form on his forehead, his fingers twitching from the adrenaline that is rushing through his veins.
But all of that fades into a steady rhythm when he realises that he actually knows the answer to the first question.
He steps out of the classroom forty minutes later to find Lydia waiting for him in the hallway.
"How did it go?!"
Scott ogles her, surprised. "Don't you have class?"
"I've got enough AP points to skip some," she answers matter-of-factly. "Now tell me how you did!"
"I think I did okay," Scott finally admits. "The first half went really well, but the second half was harder. I probably made some mistakes in there, but I think overall I'm gonna be fine." He looks down at his jeans when his phone vibrates in his pocket, smiling when he sees a text from Liam. He quickly types a response, telling him the same thing he has just told Lydia.
Lydia's lips form a smile. "Sounds good enough for me. And, to celebrate, I'm taking you and Stiles to the mall this Saturday."
Scott's face lights up at that. "Sure, why not?"
So Lydia picks Scott and Stiles up said Saturday afternoon. She's driving, after having clearly stated that she won't step into that death machine Stiles calls his jeep. Scott doesn't mind, since Lydia's car is fancy. The seats have heating in the back and her stereo is way better than Stiles'. He doesn't say that, obviously, for he's sure Stiles would never speak to him again if he did.
"Hey, man," Stiles says when Scott gets into the passenger seat. His best friend is jumping up and down in the back, patting his shoulder excitedly. "Did you receive your grade yet?"
Lydia starts to drive off as a fragile breath slips past Scott's lips and he smiles shyly, eyes averted to his lap. "Nah," he dismisses him, "and don't talk about it, because I don't want to jinx it."
"Oh, come on," Stiles waves his words away. "We can at least celebrate a little."
"Exactly," Lydia replies, "I know this great little doughnut store. I can have a peach and strawberry milkshake and you guys can stuff yourself on pastries. It's gonna be fun."
Stiles gives Lydia a look. "Since when do you like milkshakes? And pastries?"
Lydia shrugs lightly, turning left at an intersection. "I always have."
"No you haven't."
"I have!"
"You're a liar."
"And you're annoying."
"Guys. Guys!" Scott comes in between his friends, slight laughter in his voice nonetheless. "Stop it. Let's just go there and talk about something else."
"Alright. Yeah, great. We can do that," Stiles replies, turning to face his best friend. The smirk on his face is cheeky. "How are you and Liam?"
Scott's eyes widen a little and he quickly looks away. "I don't know," he answers. His fingers start playing with each other nervously. "He texted me after my test, but other than that we haven't really spoken. I haven't really seen him either; not since Tuesday when we studied and went stargazing."
"What?!" the unified reply sounds.
Scott's stomach clenches when he realizes what he has just said. "Oh. Oh, yeah, right, I didn't tell you guys… I mean, I meant star… Star…" he tries to get out of it, but his mind is drawing blanks.
"Ah, you guys went star gazing together?!" Lydia repeats, voice squeaking from excitement. "That is adorable."
Scott's embarrassment grows. "It wasn't anything special, okay?" he lies. "He just wanted to show me something."
"The stars he sees when he looks into your eyes?" Stiles swoons teasingly, making kissing noises in the shell of Scott's ear.
Scott laughs, pressing the palm of his hand against his face. "No! It wasn't about that."
"Then what was it about?" Lydia wants to know, trying to keep her attention on the road, but her curiosity growing.
Scott shrugs lightly, licking his lips. "We talked about the universe, about how big it is. He said it makes him feel irrelevant and that he likes that feeling and I said I hated it."
Stiles has finally stopped grinning, and he's nodding understandingly. "Because of your dad, right?" he asks. And just like that, the atmosphere in the car darkens.
"Yeah," Scott confirms. "Anyway, it was a nice talk."
"And nothing else happened after that?" Lydia pushes, eyes glancing towards Scott occasionally, who finds his heart in his throat again.
"Well, err…" he hesitates. "We held hands?" It sounds questioning, as if he isn't sure that's a thing of importance.
But Lydia's high pitched squeal tells him it is. Stiles puts his hands over his ears dramatically. "That is adorable," she comments. "Oh my God, you two are going to be the death of me."
Scott and Stiles give her a weird look, because that's really exaggerated to say the least.
"What? I'm a supporter of love. Especially cute love," she justifies herself, tugging a strand of hair behind her ear.
Scott quickly twists his neck. "Who said anything about love?"
"Well, aren't you in love with him?" Lydia asks impudently.
"No…" Scott answers with a hard look on his face. He moves again, biting his bottom lip. "I mean…I don't know…I definitely don't feel the same way about him that I felt about Allison…"
Lydia swallows, moving her right hand from the steering wheel and on top of Scott's knee. "That's because he isn't Allison. You shouldn't compare them."
Scott nods slowly and he's glad when the conversation ends after that.
They arrive at the mall a while later. Lydia parks her car – Scott and Stiles gripping the handles tightly out of fear – and they emerge, slamming the doors shut.
When the three of them step inside the mall, Scott isn't surprised to see that it's busy, given the fact it's Saturday after all.
"Okay, where's that doughnut store of yours?" Stiles asks, looking around the huge building.
Lydia flicks her wrist up, checking her watch. "First I have to do some shopping," she announces and she doesn't hesitate to storm off. Scott follows her quickly, but Stiles' arms fall next to his sides.
"You didn't say we were gonna go shopping!" he replies in an upset tone before a groan escapes his throat and he surrenders, following his friends with a hurried pace.
"You really believed she wouldn't?" Scott asks when Stiles has caught up with him.
Stiles grumbles something, pursing his lips into a thin line. Scott can picture the stormcloud above his head, so he snickers softly.
"Alright," Lydia says when they've entered a store. "I'm looking for sexy, but classy, something in a vibrant red that brings out my lips, preferably a dress."
Stiles hangs his head, letting out another frustrated breath, causing Scott to chuckle again.
"What's the occasion?" he asks.
"I don't want to say," Lydia answers, before moving forward. Scott gives her a weird look, but then decides that it'll be quicker if they each search in a different direction. He takes the right, meanwhile eying Stiles, who's at the other side of the room. It doesn't seem like he's actually trying to find something, but Scott figures the sooner they do, the sooner they can leave. He starts scanning the racks, picking out different clothes occasionally, but none of them seem right.
The men's department is in the back, where it's surprisingly quiet. There aren't any housewives scurrying and rummaging past each other to get to the sales and Scott decides it really is true that most men don't like to shop. He's about to turn around and walk back to the women's stuff when he notices a familiar set of faces. He squints a little, but then perks up when he identifies them as Mason and Liam.
Mason's wearing dark coloured jeans and a white shirt; both of them still have tags on so Scott figures he's in the process of trying them on. He turns around in front of Liam a couple of times, who just looks bored to death, but quickly fakes a smile when Mason catches his stare. Scott walks up to them, amused by the theatrics, and right when he's about to greet them, Liam already catches him.
"Hey!" Scott says, excitement in his voice, "What are you guys doing here?"
Liam gives Scott an obvious look. "I told you. Mason has a date tomorrow."
It takes a couple of seconds, but then Scott remembers, face lighting up. "Oh, yeah! Right!" He turns to Mason. "How's it going?"
"It's intense," Mason answers and Scott doesn't really know what that means, but he nods sympathetically anyway.
"Scott? What do you think of-Liam!" Lydia comes up from behind them. She's holding a crimson dress in her hands. "I didn't know you would be here."
Liam just nods. "This is Mason," he introduces his best friend.
The red head examines him before she starts pointing her finger, indicating at his jeans, her lips pursed. "You want them a shade darker and a little more...playful. The legs are too straight."
Mason's eyebrows rise in surprise, the boy shifting his weight to his other leg. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, nodding at her. "Your dress needs to be strapless."
Lydia eyes him suspiciously for a moment.
"Want to shop together?"
"Deal."
And just like that, the two of them run off, leaving a flabbergasted Scott and Liam by themselves.
"Well, they bonded easily," Liam says, blinking.
"I guess they both like to shop…" Scott mumbles.
"More like; they're obsessed."
Scott chuckles, kicking the floor awkwardly. He moves his hands into his pockets, suddenly aware of his heartbeat again. Since when had he started noticing that so often?
"Congratulations on your test," Liam says a moment later.
Scott smiles down at him. Liam's attempt to make conversation calms his nerves a little.
"Thanks. No grade yet, though, so keep your fingers crossed," he says, holding up his intertwined index and middle finger.
Liam smiles gently. "I will."
And just like that, the tension between them returns. Scott sighs softly, mentally chastising his friends for bringing this to his attention. He feels awkward, because their silences used to be comfortable, but now they're not. Their eyes meet, and Scott's breath hitches in his throat. He quickly looks around himself, blinded once more by the intensity of the ocean in Liam's eyes.
"Stiles should be somewhere around here as well…" he mutters, standing on his tiptoes and looking around the store.
"He's over there," the younger one points out. "Apparently Lydia and Mason have caught him."
Scott shakes his head when he sees them. "Poor Stiles…" he says, seeing that his best friend appears to have been appointed as their pack mule.
They watch Mason come back with a long sleeved shirt. It looks like a hoodie, but the fabric's thinner than one would expect. It's coloured in a deep shade of green and Mason holds it up expectantly.
"Looks nice," Liam comments.
"Great," Mason replies. "It's for you." He sticks out his arm. "Here. Try it on."
Liam scrunches his nose. "Nah, I'm good."
Mason rolls his eyes, not taking no for an answer. "Try. It. On."
Liam huffs, taking the shirt reluctantly. Scott is watching him with amusement splayed across his face, tilting his head to watch Mason storm off again. "You don't want to buy something?"
Liam shrugs a little. "I just hate trying stuff on."
Again, Scott's heart is beating against his ribcage. He feels like he's about to dive off a cliff. "I think it would look good on you," he says, a soft shiver in his voice.
"You do?" Liam asks, an unsure expression on his face as he looks up at Scott.
Scott beams down at him, because there aren't any shadows on Liam's face and it makes him look all soft and innocent. "I do."
The boy sighs. "Well…okay then…" he mumbles, turning towards one of the fitting rooms. Scott grins, his stomach tingling, because Liam's trying something on because of him, and he doesn't know why he finds that so great, but it definitely is. He sits down in one of the clothed seats in the middle of the fitting area.
A minute later Liam pushes away the curtain, showing off the shirt. He has his arms stuck out from his sides awkwardly. "There it is…" he says, face twisted in uncertainty.
Scott cocks his head in confusion, because the shirt suits Liam really well. It's not that he didn't expect that, it's just that Liam didn't seem to feel the same way. "Well, do you like it?"
Liam looks down at himself, shrugging. "Do you?" he asks when he has looked back up.
"I do, yeah."
"Okay, then…"
Scott's eyebrows knit together, because Liam still doesn't sound that excited. "It's okay if you don't," he offers, trying to figure out where his friend's indifferent attitude is coming from.
The boy raises his shoulders again.
"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" Scott attempts.
"Not really," Liam answers guiltily.
"Why not?"
Another shrug.
The frown on Scott's face deepens. He gets up from the chair, closing the distance between them. He sticks out a hand towards the mirror attentively. "You wanna look together…?"
Liam isn't looking up at him, but nods slowly. "Okay," he whispers.
Dumbstruck as to what's going on, Scott puts his hands on Liam's shoulders and turns him around, facing the back of the small fitting room. He watches Liam through the full-view mirror, Liam slowly looking up at himself. He has a hard look on his face as he twists and turns a couple of times, examining himself.
"See? It looks good on you," Scott compliments him, encouragement thick in his voice.
"I don't know…" Liam replies softly. He slides a hand through his hair. "You can see my collar bones sticking out and my neck's too long…" He rubs his cheeks. "And I need to shave."
Scott gives him a questioning look. "What are you talking about? No you don't," he says, sounding a little upset.
"Look," Liam says, turning to his side in the mirror as he sticks out his chest.
"Well, of course you're gonna see your collar bones when you stick them out like that," Scott points out, not understanding Liam's judgement.
"I just don't think I look that good," Liam replies, locking his jaw. The ocean in his eyes freezes.
Scott still has his hands on the boy's shoulder. He stares at him through the mirror, not responding for a while. His brain's working hard on figuring out why it's raining in Liam's head again and everything clicks together when he remembers a story he read from a girl on the internet just that week.
"You don't like looking at yourself, do you?" he therefore asks, voice low.
The hardness in Liam's eyes fades and he shakes his head. "Not really," he says. "I don't like how I look."
"Well…what do you see?"
Liam frowns accusingly. "I'm not going to tell you. Then you'll see it, too."
Scott shakes his head, puffing out a quiet breath; not from annoyance, but in an attempt to clear his mind. He thinks.
"Do you want to know what I see?"
Liam stares at him, his back still turned to Scott. He nods slowly.
Scott clears his throat, noticing that lips have run dry from the tension. "I see…" he starts, "…really cool hair."
That causes Liam to chuckle. "Cool hair, really?"
"Hey, mine won't keep sticking up like that," Scott answers with a small smile before he continues, "And I see a couple of broad shoulders."
He squeezes them. "And pecs! Look, you can see them through your shirt." Liam blushes, shuffling a little. "And you have nice eyes."
Liam glares at himself, his face softening a little after a while. He takes a step forward to look
more closely, so naturally Scott follows – his hands still haven't moved and extending his arm like that is just uncomfortable. He can feel the radiance pouring from Liam's body, which doesn't make any sense. Maybe he can feel the warmth he's giving off or maybe it's electricity or even chemistry, but Scott is sure he can feel a certain tension. Liam widens and squeezes his eyes a couple of time. Scott's still holding his breath quietly.
"I do have nice eyes, I guess…maybe…"
"You do!" Scott exhales reassuringly. "They have a nice colour."
"I suppose…"
It stays quiet between them for couple of seconds, before Scott breaks it with a confident sounding phrase, "Maybe you need to focus on your eyes, instead of anything else."
"What do you mean?" Liam wonders.
"I mean, instead of looking in the mirror and looking at everything you feel like is wrong with you, maybe look at your eyes instead," Scott explains. "Just…every time you see your reflection, you focus on your eyes. And after a while, you start noticing something else you like about yourself and then you'll add that to it as well."
Liam blinks up at him, before nodding slowly. His eyes fall onto himself again. "I guess I could try that…"
"You can!" Scott's smiling brightly again. "Now take off the shirt and buy it," he chuckles. "Or I'll buy it for you."
His enthusiasm proves to be contagious, because in a wave of silliness Liam laughs and promptly pulls the shirt over his head, without the curtain being closed. A bit surprised, Scott takes a step back and retrieves his hands. He's looking at the strong muscles in Liam's back and can't help but sneak a glance into the mirror. But as he does so his eyes automatically hover over at Liam's left arm. Apparently old habits really do die hard.
Which proves to be a good thing, because when Scott's dark eyes scroll along Liam's limb, he notices something that makes his heart drop into his stomach. In a shocked reflex he grabs the boy's hand. It startles the younger one and he freezes when he follows Scott's gaze. A sense of disappointment alights Scott's nerves and he can even feel the stings of slight anger boiling on the surface of his skin when he examines the new mark on the boy's upper arm. Thoughts of misunderstanding cloud his mind and Scott really doesn't get it, because he had thought Liam had been doing okay lately.
But apparently it was the contrary. The undivided attention Scott had given the boy hadn't been enough.
It looks like the cut has already started healing, so Scott wrings a little bit of comfort out of the possibility that it might be an old one.
Liam opens his mouth to say something, but then the sound of footsteps infiltrate their ears. Scott quickly loosens his grip and takes a step back, while Liam pulls the curtain closed right before a middle aged man walks in. Scott nods at him politely and the stranger gives him a weird look in response. It's only then that Scott figures it might be quite awkward for a stranger to smile at you when you're about to take off your clothes and try on something new.
"We're leaving," Stiles suddenly pops up from behind the corner. The smile on his face runs from ear to ear and Scott can't think of a time he has seen him happier.
"Have Lydia and Mason found their outfits, then?" Scott asks, confused, because he's sure they haven't tried them on.
"Nope. But we're leaving," Stiles answers, more sternly now. "I'm done. Mason's coming over to change in a bit. Where's Liam? Hurry up."
"I'm finished," the boy answers, pulling away the curtain and stepping out. Scott looks down at him, but Liam avoids his gaze. The taller one's face falls a little.
Mason comes up from behind Stiles. He attempts to walk past Scott and Liam, but then pauses when he seems to remember something. "Are you buying it?" he asks, pointing at the shirt in Liam's hands.
"I am," Liam subconsciously demands Scott's attention again. He has looked down at the piece of clothing and is now straightening his back.
And just like that, Scott perks up.
He, Lydia, Stiles and Mason wait for Liam outside while he pays. Lydia and Mason are chattering endlessly and Stiles is just standing there with his hands jammed into his pockets.
"Can we go to the doughnut store now?" he asks in a bit of a whiney voice when Liam finally exits the store.
Lydia checks her watch again. "We can. But afterwards we're back on our mission again," she says.
Mason's nodding along with her determinedly and Stiles just huffs in annoyance. Scott punches his shoulder with a broad smile before catching Liam looking up at him.
The boy mouths a 'sorry' and Scott's smile is comforting and gentle. 'It's okay,' he returns the gesture, making Liam's lips curl. The taller one wraps a quick arm around his shoulders when the gang starts walking, forcing Liam against his body for only a mere second. Yet, naturally, Scott worries, but decides to let it go for now. It's unfair to get mad at his friend, for he doesn't know any better. Besides, this small, non-verbal interaction lets him know they're okay and that they'll talk about it later, which is at least something.
They have to go up the escalator to get to Lydia's now famous doughnut store. Stiles is still dumbstruck as to why she likes it all of a sudden, but Scott has stopped questioning it, especially when they walk inside and the smell of freshly baked goods hits his nose.
"You guys pick out a table. I'll order," Lydia indicates, and, of course, everyone obeys.
Scott picks out a seat next to Liam, because for some reason, he feels like being close to him. A silly thing, and something new, because he can't think of another time when he had been so conscious about picking his place to sit.
A couple of minutes later, Lydia comes back with some drinks and two boxes. When they open them, everyone looks in awe at the contents, for the pastries look delicious. Stiles is the first to grab a chocolate covered doughnut. Mason follows, but Scott and Liam go for two that are full of yellow custard.
Lydia's drinking her strawberry and peach milkshake, a satisfied look on her face as she watches her friends enjoy the food. Stiles' lips are covered in chocolate and Liam's laughing at Scott, who has managed to spill some of the custard on his chin.
"This is really good," Mason says, his mouth full. "I mean, I've had doughnuts before, but this is just heaven."
Lydia smirks, the tip of her straw near her lips. "I know, they're great."
"How did you find out about this place?" Liam wants to know.
The young woman shrugs casually. "Saw it in a commercial once."
But then an unfamiliar voice sounds behind them.
"Lydia?"
The five of them look up, confusion vivid on their faces – except for Lydia.
Which is why she's also the first one to respond. "Jordan, hi! What a coincidence!" There's a hint of surprise in her voice. "What are you doing here?"
Deputy Parrish is standing next to her. He has moved into the space between her and Stiles, the latter eying him with a disturbed look, before shifting said look towards Lydia. The half-eaten doughnut still hovers near his mouth.
"Are you kidding? I love this place. I always come here when I'm on break," Parrish answers. "I didn't expect to see you here, though."
Lydia nods hastily. "Oh, yeah, no, I'm in love with their milkshakes, they're great," she says, voice slightly higher than usual as she takes another sip.
Stiles' expression grows even more horrified at that, and he scoots closer to her. "You knew this was his favourite place, didn't you?" he hisses, eyes narrowed. "You conniving, lying little-"
But he doesn't get to finish that sentence, for the tip of Lydia's heel jams sharply into his shin. She's still looking up at the deputy, a bright smile shining towards him. Stiles cringes, pain flashing across his face. Parrish gives him a look, but then averts his attention back to the girl.
"Well then, maybe we can enjoy one together sometime?" he offers.
Lydia slides a hand through her long curls, ruffling them a little. She rests her chin in her palm afterwards, narrowing her eyes a little before her lips start to form an answer, "We could…" she sounds hesitant, but only Stiles can tell it's clearly faked. It sounds much more like an invitation to his ears. "You know, Valentines' is around the corner…"
Jordan nods. "Great," he replies. "Say I'll meet you here on Wednesday? At five?"
"Sure," she replies casually.
His and Lydia's eyes linger for a moment before he turns to the others and throws a quick wave. "Enjoy your food, guys," he says to them, before looking back at Lydia again. "And I'll see you on Wednesday."
Lydia smiles cheekily, squeezing her eyes in an assuring gesture before Parrish walks off. His stare holds as he walks off, and Lydia's smile widens.
"How did you know he would be here?" Stiles instantly asks as the deputy moves out of hearing range.
"Wait," Mason interrupts. "You knew he'd be here? That's awesome."
Lydia shrugs lightly. "Facebook."
Stiles' look of horror returns. "You Facebook stalked him?"
Another shrug.
Mason gapes at her in astonishment before hitting his best friend with the back of his hand. Liam rubs his shoulder. "Dude! I totally should've done that," he says, clearly impressed by Lydia's skills.
Liam chuckles, shaking his head before turning to Scott, who's doing the exact same. Their friends are the worst.
"I'm pretty sure you would've scared him off if you did," Liam reminds him.
Mason raises his shoulders, forcing the last piece of doughnut – which is actually too big – into his mouth.
Lydia finishes her milkshake, putting the empty cup on the table. "Alright, break time's over. Time to get back to our mission," she announces.
"But I'm not even finished!" Stiles exclaims, mid-chew.
Mason gets up. "I agree. We got to go. The mall's closing in, like, four hours."
Scott glances at Liam from the corner of his eyes, his gaze flicking to his upper arm again before he speaks up. "Hey, would it be okay if we meet up with you later?" he asks.
Lydia's face lights up and Scott knows she totally thinks he and Liam are dating, but he decides he's going to suffer through that – considering it's concerning Liam's well-being.
"Can I stay here as well?!" Stiles hopes, shooting a pleading look towards the red head.
"Nope, you're coming with us," Lydia answers, grabbing him by the collar.
"Ah! But why do Scott and Liam-"
"Come on," Lydia replies sternly, already dragging him off his chair. "We need our mule."
Liam turns to Mason. "Are you going to be okay?" he asks. "You don't really know them and all."
His friend scoffs. "I'm gonna be fine," he reassures. "I'll see you later, yeah? We still taking the bus together?"
Liam nods.
"Great."
