Lydia drops Scott off at four thirty. He manages to tell her a quick 'thank you, good luck and have fun', before she spurts off towards the location of her date. Scott enters his house through the front door, swiftly discovering the smell of his mother's cooking is already filling the hallway. Apparently its spaghetti and meatballs that she's making. It's one of Scott's favourite meals, and also his mother's; probably because of how easy it is to make.
Once he has closed the door behind him, he immediately notices the suitcases that are piled up next to the staircase. Scott walks up to them, putting his backpack down next to one of the cases. The contrast of their sizes makes him frown. He turns around and moves into the kitchen, where his dad is sat at the table, and his mom is, as expected, in front of the stove.
"You're leaving," Scott voices his observation. It's not a question; he knows his suspicion is accurate.
His dad nods, averting his gaze. "I am," he confirms. "The case I've been working on closed up, so…"
Scott's eyebrows rise. "So there's no reason for you to stay here anymore, right?"
His father sighs deeply as Melissa continues to stir her sauce. "I'm sorry, Scott," he says. "But you and your mom have built such a nice life together. I don't want to intrude on that."
Scott catches his mother nodding slowly in the background. "It's alright," he brushes it off, just another apology in a series of many. "I get it."
Rafael doesn't respond to that, so, just like he did on Monday morning, Scott moves upstairs. He doesn't want to talk to his dad. He doesn't want to say goodbye. He didn't get to do that the first time either, so why should he now? If his dad wants to leave, then he should just leave. Scott has made it clear he doesn't need him and that's the truth. He really doesn't. He just wants to forget his father ever came back in the first place.
The only thing Scott is slightly upset about now is that he can't talk to his mom. He wants to tell her that he has been to see Allison. He wants to share that experience, but not when his father's right there. He doesn't know. He wasn't there when she died. He didn't get to see Scott's broken heart then, and he doesn't deserve to see it now.
Given that Scott does feel like talking to someone, at least, he texts Liam.
'I really liked your card,' he types before sending the message.
Liam's response comes quickly.
'Really? You didn't think it was lame?'
Scott chuckles at that, because it's what he's come to expect from the boy. It's typical Liam Dunbar; unsure, vulnerable and…actually, it's kind of cute.
'No, not all. It's awesome. And well thought of,' Scott praises him.
Liam replies with a smiley emoji and, somehow, that's enough for Scott. He grins as well. Maybe he doesn't want to bring down the mood by telling Liam about the graveyard. It's probably not that well-suited a conversation to have over text either, since it's about his ex-girlfriend. Scott clutches the phone a little tighter in his hand, brushing his thumb across the letters of Liam's name still displayed on the screen.
Downstairs, the front door shuts. Scott can hear it falling into its lock; a clear indicator that his dad has left. He sighs, flopping backwards onto his bed. A voice in the back of his mind is still voicing its disbelief that his father has left again, but Scott keeps telling himself that he isn't really that surprised. It had been inevitable. His dad hadn't particularly come back for them, but for his work. It had just been a convenient coincidence that his job had assigned him to Beacon Hills.
Scott also hadn't expected him to stay. All had been said and done; there was nothing left. If anything, the past twelve years had proved that Scott didn't need him in his life. He and his mom were fine by themselves. Sure, their financial stability might have increased a little, but that would have required his mom and dad getting back together, and Scott didn't see that happening in a million years. His mom might have put up with Rafael being around, but that was all there was to it.
No, they didn't need him.
But Scott fails to completely push down the nagging feeling that he still isn't reason enough for his dad to stay.
His mom calls him downstairs at dinner time and the empty seat at the table feels strangely familiar. Maybe even a little too normal. Scott puffs out a deep breath, the image of his dad already retreating back to the faint memory it had always been.
His mother puts a hand on his shoulder before she sits down. "Are you okay?" she asks.
Scott locks eyes with her and nods convincingly. "I'm fine," he answers. And he means it.
Melissa smiles, nodding. She takes a large spoon from the table. "Put up your plate," she says and Scott does so. The sauce makes a soggy sound when it's put on top of the pasta.
"How was school?" Melissa asks after they've both started eating. There's a glass of red wine next to her plate.
Scott almost chokes on his spaghetti, remembering what had happened. "It was good, actually," he answers in between coughs.
Melissa frowns at him. "Did something happen?" she prompts, a strange tone underlying her voice. "Scott McCall, did you fail another test? And don't lie to me because I will-"
"No! No, I'm doing well." Scott throws his hands up innocently. "I actually get my grade from that chemistry test tomorrow, so…"
"Then what happened?"
Scott's cheeks redden. "Well, actually…" He puts his fork down, getting up from his seat. His backpack is still in the hallway and he searches inside it for the gift he had received.
With a quiet sense of pride, Scott hands it to his mother. She looks at it, surprised, but then her face twists into an expression that perfectly mirrors the one Lydia had shown when Liam had given Scott the card. "That is so sweet," she comments. "Who gave it to you?"
Scott pokes his fork into his food shyly. "Liam."
His mother's eyebrows rise in amusement. "Ah, from Liam," she repeats, nodding. A gentle smile breaks around her thin lips. "Are you guys…?"
"No," Scott quickly denies mid-chew. "No, we're not together." He swallows his food. "But, err… I guess we do like each other."
Melissa nods, continuing her expectant stare. Scott glances up at her awkwardly. "What?" he asks after a while.
"Well…what else?"
"What do you mean 'what else'?"
Melissa snorts, holding up her cutlery slightly. "Well, I don't know what you kids do when you like someone nowadays. I mean, are you going on a date? Do you want to be with him?"
Scott shrugs a little. "At first I wasn't sure," he decides to be honest. "Because…" He twists his fork. "Because of Allison."
His mother's face falls as she hums softly.
"But Lydia and I went to her grave today," Scott tells her. "And…this is going to sound stupid, but…" He sighs. "I asked her if it was okay if I moved on."
Melissa nods. The serious look on her face doesn't fade as she asks, "And what did she say?"
Scott smiles a little, twisting the long strings of spaghetti around the tines of his fork. "She's okay with it, I think."
Melissa smiles gently, nodding a bit more before she goes back to eating. She doesn't respond to Scott's words, but from the relaxed vibe she's giving off, Scott can tell she's proud of him. A weight he hadn't noticed before lifts from his shoulders. Suddenly, the world around him seems to brighten up a little, because if everyone around him is so okay with the idea of him and Liam, then there's no reason why he shouldn't be. So, when he and his mother have both emptied their plates, Scott breaks the silence.
"I want to return the gesture."
Melissa puts a hand in her curls, leaning her elbow onto the table. "What were you thinking about doing?" she asks while gently toying with her wineglass.
"Well, at first I thought I'd get a card as well, but I guess that's not very original. You know, because he already gave me one…"
Melissa nods.
"…So now I'm thinking maybe I'll cook him something for lunch tomorrow?" He sounds unsure. "Because I've noticed he hasn't been eating well."
Melissa scoffs a little at her son's naivety. Just like Stiles, she had also noticed her son's eating habits had worsened. But she also knew not to force anything upon Scott. She trusted he would be fine; simple as that – maybe Scott got his naivety from her.
Scott's still frowning at her, so quickly she replies, "Do you know his favourite meal?"
Scott blushes lightly. "I don't."
"Then why don't you give him this?"
Scott's frown deepens. "What? Our leftovers?"
Melissa laughs, slumping down into her seat. "He doesn't need to know that."
"Mom…"
"Are you saying you don't like my cooking?"
Scott knows better than to confirm that assumption.
So the next day, there's a tupperware box in his backpack. It's huge, bulging awkwardly from the confines of Scott's bag, but he decides it's worth it. Lydia's the first one to notice. He runs into her on his way to first period.
"Did you bring your books for the entire year or something?" she asks, letting her head fall back to look. "You do know we're not freshmen anymore, right?"
Scott snorts. "No, it's my lunch."
Lydia frowns at him. "I thought you always had peanut butter sandwiches."
"I do," Scott replies, a little surprised she knows that.
"What happened? Did your mom forget to buy bread?" she giggles.
Scott pulls on the hem of his shirt. "No… I just have a different lunch today."
Lydia's eyes narrow in suspicion. Scott notices, but swiftly avoids her penetrating stare.
"Scott, did you know we're creatures of habits?" she offers slyly.
"Are we?"
"Hmhm. Apparently it's very hard for us to break through them. You could almost say our habits are like addictions. It can take us a lot of time and effort to stop doing them."
"Really? That sounds interest-"
"What's in the bag, Scott?"
Scott flushes and quickly thinks of a distraction, "How was your date?"
For a moment, Lydia blinks at him, but then she throws up her arms, tilting her hands at the wrist like she has just been blessed. "Oh my God," she replies. "It was great. He's such a gentleman. And you'd think he only looks good in his police uniform, but it turns out he has great taste." There's a swooning undertone in her voice. She moans. "I can't wait to have him on my arm."
Scott snickers, glad that she has stopped her interrogation. He shakes his head, thinking he could never talk the way about someone like she does. If Scott hadn't known Lydia, he'd think she'd be one of those stuck up girls who only thinks of boyfriends as nice accessories.
Yet, Scott himself can't help but imagine what it would be like to have Liam on his arm. Well, maybe not on his arm, but just holding hands. Not pinky holding like they had done in Liam's garden either, but actually holding hands. On the beach, maybe, or during a long walk in the woods. He had done that once with Allison. Scott had loved that. The woods are so quiet at night; a little scary, but one of those scaries that brings out a sort of intimacy. It hints to opportunities for something more; that one might get scared and the other might have to comfort them, like in the movies; it's unoriginal and clichéd, but still nice. Maybe they would hear something rustling in the bushes and Liam would jump. Or maybe Scott would pretend to jump if Liam wouldn't. Their grip would tighten a little, reassuringly, and then their intertwined fingers would loosen and they would trail their arms around each other's backs. Maybe they'd stop at the cliff right after, the one that overlooks the city. And maybe the moon would be full, casting that silver glimmer across Liam's face that Scott thinks mixes so perfectly well with that particular shade of pink on his cheeks. And maybe Scott would notice how soft his lips look in that same serene moonlight. And maybe Scott would be staring into those ocean coloured eyes; drowning in them. And maybe their faces would suddenly draw closer and then maybe…
"Scott? Scott, are you even listening?!"
"Huh, what?" the guy replies, blinking rapidly. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Lydia shakes her head. They've stopped walking and are now at her locker. Her arms have crossed in front of her chest and she's tapping her fingers onto her arms. "I was asking you why Jordan hasn't called me yet."
"Oh," Scott replies, before thinking. "Well, has he admitted that he likes you? Because, as you said, that's usually it for guys after that point."
Lydia rolls her eyes. "If I wanted a witty answer like that, I would've asked Stiles," she fires back. A sigh slips past her full lips as she opens her locker. "Maybe I should've kissed him."
"Didn't you?" Scott wants to know.
Lydia gives him a look. "Of course I didn't," she answers. "You have to give them something to long for. Always save the best for last." She pokes her index finger into his chest.
Scott nods, mentally making notes, because there's a possibility he will actually need those tips in the near future. That is, if everything goes according to plan. Not that Scott really had a plan. No, Scott had proved multiple times to be awful with plans. Therefore, right now, the 'plan' was to run into Liam at school and offer him the food. And to ask him out on a date. See? Great plan.
Lydia moves in front of his eyes, snapping her fingers. "Really? Again?" she asks, a disbelieving tone in her voice. "You're being very distant today, Scott McCall. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were up to something."
Scott shrugs, quickly twisting his body away from her so she won't be able to completely catch the busted look on his face.
"Are you up to something?" she asks.
Scott blushes furiously, and for a moment he debates lying to her, but then reminds himself he's a terrible liar. He also doesn't really want to tell her, though, because if something goes wrong today he will have to suffer through her asking about it later. Then again, maybe Scott should accept that fate, because if Lydia keeps staring at him like that he will most certainly cave and…
The bells rings through the corridors and Scott exhales a relieved sigh. Literally saved by the bell, he quickly exclaims, "Gotta go. I've got chemistry." Hastily, he takes off.
"Text me!" Lydia calls after him.
But Scott decides he's going to pretend like he hasn't heard her.
Five minutes later class has started and Scott moves from one awkward and nerve-wrecking situation into another; his teacher is handing out their tests from last week.
Scott's knees won't stop bouncing up and down and he's pretty sure he's causing the entire floor to tremble with his nerves. A couple of his classmates look up, giggling at his nerves. Scott smiles back anxiously, bowing his head a bit more.
His heart skips a beat when a sheet of paper is shoved across the table. Scott carefully looks up and notices his teacher hasn't moved away from him yet. Scott's dark eyes scroll over his handwriting until he sees his mark in a terrifying shade of red that always makes his stomach drop.
B-.
Scott exhales such a deep breath that he has to catch the paper to stop it blowing away. He quickly looks up at his teacher.
"Well done, Scott. It's nice to see you're putting in more effort."
Scott nods. "Thank you," he mutters shyly, heart still pounding in his throat.
Though he isn't sure if that's from his excitement or from his nerves. One scenario down, and one to go…
Later that day, Scott runs into Liam. He literally runs into him, the two of them crossing the same corner in one of the school's hallways. Liam bounces back a bit further than Scott after his head bounces off Scott's chest. They both blink at each other in surprise, but then laugh.
"Hey, I was just looking for you," Scott says, closing the distance between them again, this time with a little less force. "Unless you're heading somewhere important?"
"I'm not," Liam answers, shaking his head. He curiously looks Scott up and down. "What's up?"
Scott's backpack slides off his arms. "I brought you something," he explains, "you know, as a thank you for the card."
"Ah, you really didn't have to," Liam replies, but is seemingly intrigued; standing onto his tiptoes to sneak a peek into the bag. Scott doesn't comment on it, but just grins instead.
Where Liam had a hard time finding Scott's gift in his bag yesterday, Scott is quicker. He holds up the gigantic tupperware box.
Liam squints, scooting a little closer. His scent infiltrates Scott's nose and the teenager wonders how he had never noticed how nice Liam smells before. A bit sweet and salty. Like those honey mustard dressings they put on salads. Or the sour sweets that are covered in sugar; the ones that always make his jaw hurt, but also have a syrupy flavour.
"What's that?" Liam asks, a deep frown on his face. "It looks like…worms."
Scott chuckles. "It's lunch. I brought it for you. My favourite: spaghetti and meatballs."
"Oh. Oh, that's food?!" Liam exclaims, taking a step back. He folds his hands over his mouth guiltily. "I'm so sorry. I didn't really mean that about the worms…"
Scott laughs. "It's alright." He looks through the transparent plastic himself. "It doesn't look too appealing, does it?"
"Did you make it?" Liam asks.
Scott's ears warm. "I did," he blinks rapidly, offering Liam the box. The boy takes it.
"Thank you," he replies, looking at the box again. "But I have to ask, why lunch?"
Scott shrugs a little. "I just thought you looked a little pale and could use a nice meal. And I read somewhere that people…you know, like you…sometimes forget to eat," he answers a bit cautiously, hoping he won't offend Liam.
But, a little to Scott's surprise, the boy smirks and nods slowly. Gesturing at Scott, he asks, "Wanna share it?"
Scott's face lights up. "Sure!" he replies, because that also means he can buy a little more time before he has to continue with his plan and ask the dreaded question.
Liam nudges his head towards the school's cafeteria and Scott follows, walking beside him.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you," Scott then remembers aloud.
Liam looks at him expectantly.
"I received my grade for my test from last week, remember? The one we studied for?"
"Of course I remember. What did you get?!"
The anxious tone in his voice warms Scott's chest.
"B minus," he answers.
"Wow!" Liam utters, eyes bulging, smile bright. "That's great! Well done!"
"Thanks," Scott chuckles, puffing out his chest a little. "It felt good to have all that hard work pay off."
"I bet it did."
"How's your History going?" Scott then wonders.
"Well, I failed the test that was due three weeks ago. You know, the one I was studying for during lunch that time. And I haven't had once since. I think the next one is going to be in a week or two or something? I don't know, can't remember right now," Liam explains. "But, wow, a B minus. I'm so proud of you."
Scott's gaze lowers towards the floor shyly. "Now let's hope I can keep it up, even without Lydia's help."
Liam turns his head forward again, nudging Scott's shoulder with his own. "I bet you can."
Liam's encouraging words linger in Scott's ears. It feels strange having him believe in him, but it's a nice strange. Scott truly thinks he can do anything as long as Liam has faith in him. The only thing he wonders about now is if Scott makes Liam feel the same way, because that's kind of important if they want to take this friend…relationship…to the next level. He dares another look sideways. Liam immediately glances back at him from the corner of his eyes, but when Scott's vision strikes his, he quickly looks away again. Scott smiles.
And somehow he thinks he doesn't have to worry about that.
It's busy in the school's lunchroom. Scott and Liam just about manage to steal a free table, sitting down next to each other. Liam opens the container before giving Scott a hard look.
"How are we gonna eat this?"
"Oh, right!" Scott remembers, rustling through his backpack to find a fork. "I only have one, though."
Liam shrugs. "I don't mind sharing," he assures, "unless you have some weird disease I have to know about."
Scott shows a crestfallen look and Liam laughs, poking the fork into the food. He puts it in his mouth and right then Scott's face turns more serious.
"Although, I do have one thing…"
Liam's face falls. "What?" he asks with his mouth full, now reluctant to chew.
Scott takes the fork from him, smirking. "Nothing. I'm just messing with you."
Liam's head falls forward and he sighs through his nose; careful not to spill any food. "You're the worst."
Scott grins, taking a bite himself. He chews a couple of times, but when the vegetables mash between his teeth, he frowns. This isn't even half as tasty as when it's hot. Oh my God, how could he not have thought of that? It's pasta. It's disgusting when it's cold. He eyes Liam carefully, embarrassment visible on his cheeks.
At first, Liam doesn't seem to mind the taste as much. That is, until he swallows. He catches Scott glaring at him and quickly smiles. "It's good," he says.
Scott's stomach warms. His jaw starts to hurt from trying not to burst out into laughter, but in the end he gives in to it. "You liar! No, it isn't!"
"Oh, thank God," Liam says with clear relief, slumping back in his chair. "I'm sorry, but this is disgusting." He moves his hand over his mouth, covering up his chuckle.
"Don't be! It's horrible," Scott replies, throwing the fork down. "I knew I shouldn't have listened to my mom."
"Your mom?"
Scott's eyes widen. His neck flushes a deep crimson as he hides his face in his hands. "Ah, man," he mutters.
Liam tilts his head. The ends of his spiked up hair move along with the prompt motion.
"I told my mom about your card and that I wanted to do something nice," Scott blurts out truthfully, "so she said I should give you this lunch, but I didn't make it. She did! Last night! I'm so sorry."
A rumble of laughter boils up from Liam's stomach. "I knew there was something to it!" he exclaims. "You always blink a lot when you lie."
"I know! I know, I'm a horrible liar," Scott admits, "I know I shouldn't lie. I felt like doing something nice. And it sounded even nicer when I said I had made it myself."
Liam shakes his head, index finger and thumb pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's okay," he says.
"No… No, it's not okay," Scott replies. "I'm an idiot." He inhales a deep breath, finally moving his hands from his face. "It's just…your card…it was so sweet, so I wanted to return the gesture."
Liam has pursed his lips inwards, nodding along, still full of amusement. Scott meets his gaze.
"Okay. Okay, tell you what," he prompts, pulling himself together. "How about I take you swimming? This weekend."
"Swimming?"
Scott now realizes how lame that actually sounds. "Yeah…" he answers nervously. "And then out for dinner! And afterwards we can go to the movies! And…and I can even, like, rent a hotel room, or something. We can make a whole weekend out of it. And of course I'll be paying for everything."
Liam chuckles. "Swimming sounds nice, actually."
"Really?" Scott sounds surprised. "It does?"
"Yeah, I love to swim," Liam assures him.
"Alright. Okay, great! Great, that's good," Scott rambles with burning cheeks. "Then it's a… it's a, err…"
Liam smiles gently. "It's a date."
Scott exhales a relieved sigh.
