Fandom: Teen Wolf

Story Title: "Brighter Than Before"

Summary: Stiles hates group projects on principal.

Character/Relationship(s): Erica Reyes/Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin/Stiles Stilinski, Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Jackson Whittemore/Lydia Martin Isaac Lahey, Sheriff Stilinski, Melissa McCall

Rating: T

Warnings: Mentions of epilepsy, language

Story Word Count: 17000+ (so far)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable.

Notes: It's finally done! I honestly can't believe it, haha. I just want to thank everyone that ever helped me with this story, who commented it or anything, because it is very much appreciated. (Also, don't ask me for a sequel, because I have thought about it and the only sequel this could have is one where Erica would die, so. Don't do it.)

Brighter Than Before

Chapter Five

There's a part of Stiles, the part of him that had honestly believed that he was going to stay a virgin forever due to his inability to appear attractive to either sex, that can hardly believe that this happened. He just had sex with Erica Reyes. If you had told him six months ago that this was going to happen, he would have laughed straight in your face.

Now, though, now it's nice. Erica's brought the blankets up to cover everything, but she looks beautiful, even with her hair all messed up and mascara dripping down her face. When she notices that he's looking at her she turns to him.

"I'm going to put on my PJ's now," she informs him, and walks to her suitcase. He watches her walk there before getting up to slip his boxers back on, and then gets on the bed again. He doesn't feel like getting his t-shirt.

Unsurprisingly, Erica looks just as good naked as she does in her ratty t-shirt and Batgirl shorts. In a way he's almost glad that she's not wearing something lacy and satin—he always imagined that this was what Lydia Martin wore to bed—because it feels less premeditated.

Though, he also muses, they are two sixteen year olds who are dating and sharing a hotel room. How spur of this moment could this be?

"Sooo," Stiles says, in an effort to wave the awkwardness out of the air. After she stopped patting his back the two of them had just stared at the ceiling, unsure of what to say. Stiles definitely wasn't sure what to say, but now that there are layers between them and the other person's skin, the words flow easier.

"I'm tired," Erica cuts him off before he can continue. "Aren't you tired?"

Not really, he wants to say. I want to talk about something, anything. Even feelings, or whatever it is that girls want to talk about after sex. All girls except Erica, it seems like. She doesn't seem to want to talk at all, instead looking at him in an expectant way, like she wants him to agree with her.

"Uh, sure," Stiles clears his throat. "I guess."

"Okay then," Erica says, and she turns on her side, leaving her back to him. Even though she did the same thing last night, it seems more deliberate now, less her trying to get comfortable and more that she was trying to block him out. And this time, she didn't kiss him before going to sleep.

It takes hours before Stiles can sleep.

.

Erica's dressed and packed by the time Stiles wakes up. He yawns and Erica's head pops up from where she's reading one of the graphic novels that she brought. "Hey, you're up," she says. "Good, I'll go get breakfast while you're getting ready and then we can get on the road."

Before Stiles can blink, let alone form a response that isn't intelligible, she's practically skipping out the door, leaving him behind. He tries not to think that anything's weird about this, though. She had already told him that his parents were itching for her to get home, worried about her having a seizure so far from home and her doctors. They'd almost not let her come, but Mr. Reyes had finally won out, letting her come. It made sense that she'd want to get on the road as soon as she could.

He gets dressed and shoves everything—his costume, all the dirty clothes, everything that he got at Wondercon—into his big and considers that a job well done on the whole packing thing. Erica's suitcase and costume bag are sitting in a neat pile by the door, ready to go at a moment's notice.

Erica gets him a muffin like she did yesterday, blueberry, his favorite. She also has a to-go cup of coffee for him and her too, and she hands them to him with a strained smile. He wants to ask what's going on, but he probably doesn't actually want to know, so he just smiles back and eats the muffin and drinks the coffee and hopes for the best.

"We're on tumblr," Erica announces, scrolling on her phone. She turns the screen towards him, and they are on one of the cosplay blogs that Erica follows. It's a picture of the two of them and Stiles is laughing, the part of his face that wasn't covered contorted with it. Erica's leaning in and kissing his cheek. He remembers that after that Erica had thrown her head back and laughed.

"We look good," he says, and Erica nods, looking towards the picture with a fond look on her face before making her screen go black and putting her phone in her pocket.

.

The farther they get from Anaheim the more Erica seems to fold in on herself, staring out the window and at her phone. Looking at anything but him, it seems like.

Stiles doesn't want to be paranoid, doesn't want to worry about a monster in the closet that isn't really there, a figment of his imagination. It could be anything, really. Erica could be feeling tired; they had a really long day with an athletic end to it before they went to bed. Or maybe she's not feeling well, maybe she's sore after the first time in a way that guys aren't.

There's also the possibility that the sex was so appalling and atrocious that Erica just wants nothing more to do with him, that she's just thinking of a way that she can break up with him once she's not dependent on him for transportation.

The last thought puts a weird weight in the pit of his stomach and a lump in his throat, not one made up so much of tears as much as bad feelings.

He tries not to think about the last option, but it chases his train of thought, occasionally catching up and consuming it before he eventually gets free. He looks at Erica a few times, her hair pulled back and her face free of make-up, but she never notices him looking at her.

Stiles don't want to think about it, so he turns his music up and hopes that it'll drown out any doubts he has. It doesn't, but at least he tries.

Erica finally looks at him when they pass the 'Welcome to Beacon Hills' sign. She smiles, and the knot in the base of his stomach loosens some. "This was really fun," she says and he does not read too much into that. "I had a good time."

"Yeah, me too. We'll have to do this again eventually."

She nods. "Definitely."

They don't talk the whole rest of the way to her house, and when he finally stops the jeep they sit in an awkward silence for a heartbeat, but before Erica gets out Stiles decides to take the plunge. "Hey," he says. "Did I do something wrong?"

Erica's eyebrows furrow. "Why would you think that you did something wrong?"

"I don't know, maybe because you're acting really weird?"

She just looks at him before saying, "I don't know what you're talking about." She opens the door and hops out. She reaches into the backseat and grabs her things and slams the door, walking to her front door before Stiles can get out and try to help or anything. She waves, and Stiles takes that as his cue to go.

.

Monday morning Erica isn't waiting at her locker for him, the way that she'd been waiting every morning since they'd officially started dating. Stiles ignores the feeling at the pit of his stomach, instead just walking to his own first period.

When he sees Scott, though, he can't help but ask, "The first time that you and Allison had sex, was she really weird after it?"

Stiles isn't exactly one hundred percent sure that Scott and Allison have had sex yet, but he's about ninety-two percent sure that if they haven't yet then they've gotten really close. Scott's told him about a few things, but nothing in detail, mostly because Stiles just really doesn't want to hear about it. It'd be like hearing about Snow White and her Prince Charming having sex and, well, there's a reason that Disney movies stop after the wedding.

"Whoa, dude, did you and Erica have sex?" Scott asks, lowering his voice at the last two words so that no one looks at them. Stiles doesn't know how impressed he should be by this lack of subtly.

"Yes," Stiles admits. He'd jacked off to the memory before bed last night. "And it was pretty bad and now she's acting really weird, and she wasn't waiting at her locker this morning and now I don't know what's going on."

Scott looks distinctly uncomfortable, because while they're best friends and tell each other everything, this is the most they've talked about feelings in public. But, he's still a best bro, so he puts his hand on Stiles's shoulder and squeezes. "Have you tried...talking to her? I mean I know it sucks but girls like it when you talk about this stuff and I mean, she hasn't broken up with you or anything yet." He seems to realize that was the wrong thing to say when Stiles opens his mouth, so he continues quickly, "Not that Erica is going to break up with you! Because she wouldn't do that! She totally likes you."

"I hope you're right," Stiles says, and he counts down the minutes to history class.

But, just as his luck would have it, Johnson doesn't let them work on their projects, so there's no chance for him and Erica to talk. He tries to get her attention a few times, but eventually Johnson says, "Mr. Stilinski, is there a problem?"

Stiles slides down further into his seat. "No," he answers, and Erica looks at him. When she realizes that he's looking back she goes back down to the notes in her spiral, letting her hair fall over her face.

It's like Erica has actually become Catwoman by the time lunch rolls around, because not only does she dissipate after history class like smoke, she's nowhere to be found during lunch either. Stiles walks over to Isaac, who's eating alone today, and slams his tray down in front of him.

Isaac looks up and raises an eyebrow before going back to his tater tots. "If you want to know where Erica is," he says before Stiles can even ask, "I'm not supposed to tell you that." He looks up to look at Stiles again. "But, I can give you a hint, because this whole thing is stupid."

"So do you know what's up with her?" Stiles asks hopefully. This would help so much, if Isaac would just tell him.

But Isaac just shakes his head. "You need to ask her about that, I'm not getting into the middle of this stupid crap," he says. "She's still at the school, though. She's in the room with the books in it. Think you can figure that out?"

Stiles ignores Isaac, who has been mostly lukewarm towards him ever since he and Erica started dating, and starts his walk to the library. Isaac has quit telling him to leave Erica alone, but he still hasn't opened up to Stiles completely. He's pretty sure that the only reason that he's not outright rude is because of Erica, so there's that at least. Things might devolve if this thing with him and Erica don't fix, though, and that's a particularly depressing thought.

Sure enough Erica's in the library, behind the mythology book shelves, and she's studying with her binder open, eating a sandwich.

"Erica," he says, and he's thankful that the librarian seems to have left for lunch as well.

Erica's just bitten into her sandwich, and her eyes widen when she sees him standing there. She swallows and grabs her bag. "Hey, I've got to go do a thing-"

"No, sit down," Stiles tells her, beyond exasperated by this whole thing. He's starting to get angry at this point because all of this is so stupid, pointless, just drama for no reason at all. "What is your problem? And don't tell me that you don't know what I'm talking about because you literally are eating alone in the library to get away from me."

For a moment Erica seems to hesitate, and he can see all of the options crossing her mind, before she finally floats back into the chair and sets her sandwich down. She's looking at the sandwich instead of him, when she finally starts to talk. "I just..." Erica takes a deep breath, and exhales, before she finally looks at him square in the face. "If you break up with me, I don't want it to be because the sex was so bad, you know? Or because we had sex and then that was it, you know? So I figured if I stopped talking to you"

"When did I ever act like I was going to break up with you? Especially after-" the librarian walks in then, and Stiles has to lower his voice, "what happened in the hotel? Seriously, Erica?"

"I don't know," she admits finally. "I just sort of freaked, okay."

Stiles doesn't understand why she can't see that he's not someone who's going to brush her off because she has epilepsy or isn't Lydia Martin or anything else that she thinks about herself. He doesn't know how to tell her that either, can't really put it into words and have it make sense. So instead he says, "Look, I'm not an asshole. Don't think that I'm going to break up with you about something that stupid, okay? Because that wasn't cool and it freaked me out too—I was thinking that you were trying to break up with me. As for the other thing, well, you know what they say. Practice makes perfect, and we've got nothing but time."

There's a ghost of a smile playing at Erica's mouth before she leans over and kisses him right on the mouth. Stiles can't react, can't do much more than push his lips slightly into Erica's, before the librarian clears her throat and gives them both a pointed glare.

"Sorry," Erica tells her, bright red and unapologetic. There's heat in Stiles's face as well, but somehow he feels infinitely better about everything.

.

Stiles actually can dance, twerking aside. He's been to a few dances, opting mostly to hang out with the other guys and eat whatever they've had on the tables and admiring Lydia from afar. It's not a particularly good way to hone dancing skills, but he's never stepped on any toes (unlike Scott) and he counts that as a point in his favor.

Last year he and Scott had skipped the winter formal, opting instead to play video games and eat pizza and stay up all night, but this year they have girlfriends and are practically expected to go. It feels like pressure, but at the same time it's not.

Scott agonizes for days about how to ask Allison, even if he does it silently. Stiles just shrugs and goes, "I don't know, dude, whatever you think Allison would like," so much that he eventually turns to his mom for advice and leaves Stiles alone.

As for asking Erica, well, that's easy enough. They go see a movie and when he goes to drop her off, instead of leaning in for a kiss Stiles asks, "Hey, do you want to go to Winter Formal with me?"

"No, I think I'm going to go with Isaac instead, sorry."

"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? The best friend falls in love with the boyfriend instead of the best friends getting together?"

"So do you want to go with Isaac instead?" Erica asks. "Danny would be offended."

"Whatever, Danny doesn't even like me," Stiles says, grinning.

"Then I guess I'd better say yes, especially if you're not going to get Danny."

"Great," Stiles says. Really, he's got it easy.

.

Even though it's sort of depressing, Stiles still has a nice sports coat and black pants left over from the last string of funerals that he had attended, and he drags them out from the back of his closet He uses a lint roller to get off all the dirt and who knows what made its way onto his best clothes.

Stiles wants to look good for Erica. He's sure that she wouldn't care if he went naked, but he still wants to look pretty nice. He had something to tell her, and he wanted to tell her wearing something fancy, since the Winter Formal was, well, formal.

He isn't sure how to bring the topic up with his dad, but when the Sheriff knocked on the door and looked in he knew this was it.

"Everything going all right, son?" he asks, sticking his head in.

"Yeah," Stiles says. Erica is going to text him when she was ready so he could go pick her up, but so far there was radio silence. "So. How did you know when you loved mom? How were you sure?" This was a bit of a segue, but if he didn't just straight up ask, Stiles knows that he's not going to ask at all.

The Sheriff's eyebrows raise, and he suddenly looks years older like he always did when mom was brought up, but he still went to sit on the edge of Stiles's bed with him. "Is this about Erica?" he asks, and when Stiles nods he continues. "Well, for me it was easy. We'd known each other for a while, and I thought she was beautiful, but it wasn't romantic for a long time. But one day, I just looked at her and I knew that she was the one for me, and that as long as she was up and kicking that I wasn't going to be happy with anyone else."

He shrugs. "Falling in love doesn't have to be this big, complicated thing. Sometimes, you just do it and you don't realize that it's happening until you're already in the thick of it."

"Thanks, Dad," Stiles says, and he's surprised to find that he means it. Generally his mom is a topic that they both avoid as much as they can, but this talk doesn't hurt as much as usual. Doesn't have the same underlying level of pain.

Before he can continue this conversation, Erica finally texts him. "That's my cue to go, Dad," he says. "But...thanks for all the help."

"Happy to," his dad replies.

And, well, this is still less awkward than the whole condom thing, which is a win and a half.

.

Erica's dad is waiting for him when Stiles gets to the Reyes house. "Erica wants to make an entrance," he informs Stiles, rolling his eyes. Stiles nods and wonders silently if he can tell that Stiles took his daughter's virginity.

Is he really looking at Stiles funny, or is that just his imagination? He can't be sure, so Stiles just awkwardly stares at his shiny black shoes and hopes for the best. Think positive thoughts, and maybe he won't get attacked by someone who has a father's righteous fury on his side.

"Are you guys ready?" Erica calls from down the hall, and her dad rolls his eyes again.

"Oh Lord," he mutters, but shouts for her to hear, "Yes, please, come pull out all the razzle dazzle on us."

"Shut up, Dad, I can hear you rolling your eyes," Erica says, but she walks out anyway and Stiles feels his jaw hit the floor.

Her dress is red and formfitting, with cleavage everywhere, but everything else she's wearing is black. Her hair is down and curly, like the way she wore it at Wondercon, and her lipstick matches her dress. "What do you think?" Erica asks.

"It's a little...much, but you look great," her dad tells her before Stiles can respond. "Your boyfriend's going to have to mop up his drool when he gets back, though."

"You're beautiful," Stiles finally manages to croak out, and Erica looks pleased.

"You're sweet," she tells him. "And look pretty snazzy too. Definitely good enough to be my date, huh, Dad?"

"You two get out of here," Mr. Reyes says, opening the door for them, and Erica blows him a kiss.

She seems happy tonight, happy and vibrant and excited, and she positively beams whenever Stiles opens the door for her. "Thank you, good sir," she giggles, and wraps her fingers around his. She starts to pull him towards the lights, where everyone else is headed.

He squeezes her hand before he begins. "Erica, before we go in there I have to tell you something."

This stops Erica in her tracks, and she furrows his eyebrows at him. "What's up? You look like you're about to puke."

He feels like it too, could practically feel the bile rising up in his throat, but he pushed it down. If he doesn't say it now he isn't going to say it at all. "I love you," he says finally.

Erica freezes again, but before she can even open her mouth Stiles goes, "You don't have to say it back. Oh God, just don't say it back if you don't mean it, because that would suck and I just don't want to go there, but I just wanted to say that before we went to the dance or whatever. So yeah, there's that, I guess we can just-"

But whatever Stiles is going to say—oh God what isn't he saying—gets gut off when Erica kisses him in the middle of the parking lot. Stiles hears someone walking by wolf whistle, but he ignores them, instead focusing on the press of Erica's lips on his. It's better that way anyway.

"I love you too," she says finally, pulling away from him. Her eyes look suspiciously wet, but she doesn't wipe at them or anything. "I think I have...for a while now."

"Well, now that that's settled," Stiles says, offering his arm. "You ready for this?"

"Born ready," Erica says, and they walk in together.