Unsurprisingly to Stiles, Scott's performance didn't improve much the next round... or the one after that. It was two parts painful, one part frustrating, one part absolutely hilarious. Stiles managed not to laugh though, mostly via the pain and frustration. Even Jackson's amusement died down, replaced, it seemed, by pity, sympathetic cringing, and a touch of boredom. Derek had learned constructive criticism wasn't apparently wanted from him. Scott didn't do great with the stuff as it was, which he'd worked on slightly over recent years, but clearly he still had some hard limits about where he'd accept it from, even growing increasingly frustrated with Jackson's prodding, which were mostly the same things Derek had been suggesting, worded a tad more bluntly.

Stiles really didn't get why Scott had such a dramatic dislike of Derek specifically. He considered maybe it was something about being reminded of his dad, but Scott usually wouldn't be direct enough to voice such issues outright, as with the jab from earlier. He was starting to think it was more of an issue of jealousy, of animosity born out of concern he'd lose Stiles to their relationship. He wouldn't put it past Scott, he could get pretty possessive and anxious about his friendships. Stiles had half a mind to put them all out of their misery and voice the advice himself, even though he knew fuck all about what to actually do, just so Scott would actually listen to the other two. But he was equally tempted to let Scott suffer the whole round unless he figured it out on his own. Lydia seemed equally bemused and content letting Scott punish himself for his own lie, though she did seem to be completely throwing the round to even the playing field so he didn't feel as bad.

As a result though, the game had a pretty relaxed vibe. Everyone having peerage, Allison and Jackson's fiery, competitive rivalry dampened by quarreling concerns over Scott… He and Derek mainly competing with each other, flirty teasing sparing now that he'd proven he did in fact know what he was doing, and both too distracted by the drama with Scott to focus much on Jackson or Allison's performances, so they were both just giving words of encouragement and congratulations for each turn. Lydia had given them a few looks, but as far as he could tell she wasn't glaring, so he assumed they weren't being annoying yet. That or their over the top bordering on condescending praise of Scott was entertaining enough to make up for it. Stiles contemplated for a minute whether or not he was ready to give in and tell Scott what the others had been telling him all game.

"You can do it, bud!" He called, deciding to let him suffer at least a turn longer.

"We believe in you." Derek echoed, a bit more genuine. Stiles smiled over at him, knowing it would still annoy Scott. "What?" Derek whispered to him, a little grin on his face, Stiles couldn't tell if he was being just as mischievous as him or genuinely trying to be sweet, but it seemed like an adorable combination of the two.

"Nothin'. Just cute." He fawned dismissively. For some reason, it got a tiny chuckle.

"Shut up." Derek murmured under his breath, giving a tiny nudge, as they both went back to watching Scott ready his ball nervously. He rolled and… missed completely, gutter ball right at the end… Again. Jackson's face seemed genuinely, immensely pained. Stiles wouldn't lie, he almost found that more entertaining than Scott's own karma.

"Stilinski." Jackson sighed with a quiet groan of impatience.

"Yessum?" He answered mischievously, already knowing what Jackson wanted.

"Do something about your dumbass of a friend so we can actually play a decent round."

"Oh, but why would I when I'm getting such delicious sadistic pleasure from watching you both suffer?" He asked snarkily, knowing Scott could hear them, but getting the feeling he was fine with that position if Jackson was also suffering.

"Because I'll hit you, nerd." Jackson ground out, boredly.

"Assuming I'm not just as much a masochist as I am a sadist is a deadly mistake, Whittemore." He countered, obviously amused, as Allison decided to apparently go give him some pointers instead. Jackson just rolled his eyes. Derek gave a bit of a laugh at his quip, but a nudge too, leaning in to speak lowly to him.

"Seriously, if he doesn't get better soon, please put him out of his misery and just tell him what to do…" Derek pleaded, the tip of his nose brushing Stiles' jaw in a way that made him feel so weak. It still made him smile, but he sighed for show.

"Of coooourse… What was it? Throw it harder and make sure he's not angling his wrist?" He asked, wanting to make sure he gave the right advice.

"I mean… you're an amazing bowler, don't you know?" Derek didn't seem to be teasing with that one, but genuinely confused that he didn't have critiques of his own to share.

"Hey, man, I just whip the pretty ball down the wood bit, and I let the bowling gods decide the rest." He jokingly explained, as Allison hurried back, sitting back down with optimistic anticipation. She didn't say anything to them about their chat or Scott, but Derek didn't seem to have any adverse reaction to their little chat, so he assumed it was uneventful. At least until, Scott looked back at the lane away from a glance at Allison, and Derek's arm suddenly was in front of his abdomen, as if getting ready to protect him or keep him from running forward. He glanced at Derek's face as discreetly and quickly as he could. His eyes were fixed on Scott and his every movement, looking serious and concerned, but Scott only approached the lane. Stiles took the initiative to take Derek's hand with his own, so his arm across him would seem less suspicious, figuring he could let go quickly if Derek needed to get up to stop Scott from doing something. Derek spared a glance, and relaxed a bit while staying alert, Stiles assumed realizing he was being too obvious. They both watched attentively as Scott stepped forward, took a breath, and took another quick step forward rolling the ball down the aisle, hard and, by effect, quick. This was confirmation enough for him that Scott was okay, and he relaxed, laying his head on Derek's still tense shoulder. Scott had probably used his wolfie powers to figure out what he needed to do, and it just freaked Derek out. He got confirmation as Scott turned, with a proud goofy smile and normal brown puppy dog eyes, once all the pins had been laid out. Derek relaxed back into the seat next to him, grabbing his hand back and giving a squeeze. Allison made giddy cheering noises, congratulating him on getting his first strike, too busy giving a shocked gasp and laugh to actually say anything. "Awesome roll, Scotty boy!" He offered instead, enthusiastic even knowing how he managed it. Only then did it hit him that Scott had managed to control his powers on command, and his face turned a bit shocked. He got close to Derek's ear before whispering, barely audible. "What'd she say to get him to control it like that?" He looked to Derek's face since he couldn't hear as well as Derek, which would make any answer way more obvious than the question. Derek clammed up, opening his mouth as if he didn't know what to say, apparently not wanting the answer to reach prying ears. The soft blush creeping on Derek's face pointed toward it being something inappropriate rather than just sensitive information, so Stiles relaxed against him again, signaling he didn't have to answer. Unfortunately, Lydia seemed to have the same question.

"What did you say to him?" She leaned over to ask as Scott came back, a bewildered look on her face. Allison was equally as speechless as Derek, though clearly proud on top of the slight embarrassment and dumbstruckness.

"I, uh, I just… gave him something to think about…" Allison answered vaguely. Lydia looked away bewildered, back at Jackson, who looked like he was trying to solve the zodiac case. Stiles didn't know what to do, watching gears turn in Jackson's head. He put his hand over his mouth, not knowing what else to do with it that wouldn't be suspicious. He looked around trying to think of something to say to distract Jackson from his thoughts. His eyes landed on Juliet with just a glance, not wanting to get caught when he realized he was staring at nothing. He gave a soft snap, down by the floor. Derek pulled his arm away as he let go of his hand, but it wasn't really his biggest concern right now. He glanced back to make sure he had Juliet's attention. She was indeed standing, bobbing her head at him excitedly, waiting for an order. He gestured vaguely with his head over toward a ball rack, acting like he was adjusting his neck, but being sure to look to her then it then back to her before looking away, hoping she'd get it, or at least realize he needed her to do something similar. He returned his attention to the group, Allison and Scott cutely cooing back and forth among themselves over the good roll, Lydia seeming to have mostly brushed it off, Derek seemingly being onto what he was worried about, though if he was also worried he was much better at hiding it, and Jackson, giving Scott a skeptical glare. Stiles bit his lip as Jackson seemed to finally be forming a coherent suspicion to voice.

And just as his mouth opened, went the echoing crack of thick sturdy wood breaking with easy force, and the thunderous clacking and then wood again as the balls fell down to the next layer breaking that shelf, and so on and so on, five layers worth, only to end with the shelf falling over. The entire time Stiles watching Juliet bound about excitedly watching what she successfully orchestrated, weaving around people who approached to try to stop the mess to no avail. Welp, he was just as distracted as everyone else, but it was a successful distraction nonetheless. He glanced to Scott and Derek to gauge how much they were giving away of seeing something everyone else wasn't. Scott was clearly, to him at least, trying very consciously not to yell at Juliet for what she'd clearly done, but Stiles didn't suppose anyone would realize that. Derek just had his hand on his mouth in general horror and shame. Stiles tried his best to communicate a subtle shrug with a facial expression to... he didn't know how much success. Derek just nudged him, giving a seemingly worried look at the floor behind him. He turned to see what more had transpired only to see two sources of movement coming toward him… Juliet, and a bowling ball she apparently decided to nose across the floor to him, seeming very pleased as it gently booped his ankle and he hesitantly picked it up, hoping no one noticed. He felt bad that he couldn't praise her, or explain he didn't in fact want a bowling ball, just wanted her to mess with them. But she seemed so pleased with herself and sure she did a good job, he couldn't be unappreciative, so he took it, using it as a further distraction. "Hey, look at that, it's just my size." He quipped to Derek, showing him the number embossed in the black marble patterned ball with silver glitter. When he looked up to him, he'd swear Derek was using every ounce of restraint he had not to glare concerned daggers at him.

"Nice…" Derek muttered, face twisted subtly in worry, but going with it, not really having any other choice. "Weird, but nice." He nodded in agreement, as if nothing paranormal had just happened.

"I oughta use it." He remarked to the group in general, then making eye contact with Jackson to get his attention even more. "Might be lucky." He shrugged with a smirk at Jackson, getting up to take his turn, ignoring Jackson's further bewildered expression following him. Allison gave a shrug, as he passed. He had to assume she didn't know about her dad's line of work. He hadn't gotten to pry much, and even still he wasn't sure how great an actress Allison was, but he couldn't help but think about this stuff more now that he knew about it and that his "family" were hunters. No way she could so easily brush off something obviously strange like that if she knew. He rolled, hit a little too far to the right, and only the right 8 pins fell. He gave a bit of a chuckle. "Guess not!" He called back at the others. Picking up the other to use once the pin rack set the pins back down. He managed a spare. "Quicker, at least." He muttered aloud.

~!~

They were almost done with the first game, and Jackson already seemed to be agonizingly bored. That or aggravated, but Derek was getting more annoyed vibes. Like he just… wasn't having fun. He supposed maybe because there was no longer the distraction of Scott's inability. He could see that. It had more or less devolved into the six of them just taking turns rolling a ball down the lane, occasionally making a remark to each other, and lightly flirting with their respective dates. Derek didn't know if Lydia was intentionally still throwing, or if she just thought it was more fun having Jackson "help her". It did get the two smiling more than the competitiveness that had arisen with Scott's improvement did… Well at least, got Jackson smiling more. Lydia seemed to be enjoying both a fair amount. It seemed to him that despite Jackson's posturing and teasing, Lydia enjoyed competition way more, at least in this respect.

"That is… seriously amazing…" Allison fawned as Scott came back to sit down, and Stiles went up to take his turn. The two casually high fived, grabbing and holding on as Scott sat down with a smug smile. "Uh, Jackson… How many strikes is that?" Allison either didn't notice the tone shift or didn't care, leaning over to ask Jackson teasingly. Jackson sighed before readjusting to look at the screen.

"It's six…" He ground out, turning a still skeptical, but significantly dulled glare at Scott. "In a row…" Fuck. He supposed he'd have to have a talk with Scott later about restraint and sportsmanship. He wouldn't bother with it now. Not only would it be suspect if they wandered off, he also didn't want to spoil Scott's fun for tonight. He got up as Stiles came back, gently grazing his hand as he passed to go take his turn. Derek's attention was pulled from his roll, as Lydia suddenly stopped radiating jovial energy, and he whiffed it, hitting an embarrassing 3 pins. He turned as he waited for his ball to return and the pins to set. She was looking at Jackson as he stared off into space. He wanted to ask what was wrong on impulse, but knew better. Besides, it was probably just her reacting to Jackson being in a mood. It would be weird if he drew attention to it. He turned his attention back to his frame, listening idly to the conversation in the back of his mind.

"Something just finally clicked, I guess." Scott brushed off. It wasn't a bad lie, but it was a bad excuse. Allison and Lydia didn't seem perturbed though, and Jackson didn't seem like he was going to be convinced, so he didn't suppose it mattered. 6 pins. Oh well. At least he wasn't pulling a Scott and doing too well.

"Maybe it's natural talent." Allison countered, seeming proud of him. Derek smiled at that as he came back.

"If you're throwing…" Stiles murmured to him with a cheeky smile as he came back.

"What, and inflate your ego? Never." He laughed, wanting to keep quiet to not interrupt the others' conversation, but wanting to make sure he was loud enough for Stiles to make out. He'd completely missed Lydia turning around after she got up, surprised to see her facing Scott as he sat down and returned his attention to their company.

"I could use some natural talent…" She drawled, seeming to be approximating a sweet tone, but not quite on point. "Mind helping me out this time, Scott?" She asked, quirking her head to the side and giving a smile.

"Uh-... Nah, I think you're good." Scott reassured, clearly not picking up on Lydia trying to change up the dynamics, and not seeming to think twice about it. "Go for it!" Lydia didn't seem pleased with Scott's lack of cooperation, straightening her shirt and giving a terse smile.

"Well… Thanks for the vote of confidence." She said with a heavy ounce of frustration, before turning to approach the lane.

"Sorry, babe, I can help, I was just-" Jackson sighed, moving to get up, snapping out of what had apparently been a dissociation fit.

"You're good, hun, I'll try on my own this time." Lydia ground out in an unnervingly determined, confident tone, as she grabbed her pink ball off the return. Jackson sat back down, radiating apprehension. She rolled without pause, delivering a strike as if it was nothing. "Yes!" She exclaimed under her breath as she made a celebratory gesture, before coming back to sit down. "I... think I'm getting the hang of this." She lied. It wouldn't have been a bad lie were it not for the sudden tone shift from humble deference to jovial confidence.

"Aye! Way to go, Lyds!" Stiles exclaimed proudly, though he didn't give off any signs of genuine surprise.

"Yeah." Derek offered faking a bit of a laugh, hoping to just brush off the elephant in the room and defuse the tension in the air. "Talk about natural talent, that was like perfect form!"

"Hm!" Lydia gave a little triumphant noise, smiling back at him, then looking at Jackson, elbowing him. "Well, I did learn by watching the best, didn't I?" That at least coaxed a little smile out of Jackson, giving Lydia a gentle kiss on the cheek before going up to take his turn. Derek was a little surprised to see Allison lean across the space between the seats, Lydia leaning toward her slightly in turn.

"Ya know, you don't have to pretend to suck just for other people's benefit?" Allison said, honestly a bit patronizingly, but seemingly well meaningly as her friend. Lydia gave an amused scoff that sounded like she was probably rolling her eyes, but she was smiling when she turned her head to talk to Allison.

"Sweetie, trust me, I'm perfectly happy sucking for other people's benefit…" Lydia cooed suggestively, cocking her head to the side condescendingly in return, not leaning back at all yet, but not exuding any efforts at intimidation either. She gave a ghost of a laugh before looking away and leaning back into her seat. Allison conceded and did the same a second after, shaking her head dismissively, rolling her eyes in return though she had a smirk enough for one to assume she believed her. Derek was too busy biting his lip to keep from blushing out of embarrassment to lend much care to their drama and figuring out how playful it was.

"Gotta agree with Lyds here." Stiles said rather than just letting the awkward moment die for the rest of their sakes, and Derek swore to fucking god if he made this worse… "Willingness to save others from looking completely incompetent is a very valuable trait in a friend or significant other." Thank god. Derek praised in his mind, sipping his drink. "Humiliation should be left in the bedroom." Stiles of course went on to joke, saying it perfectly casual. Derek couldn't help but choke up on carbonation and start coughing. Past Lydia's laugh, he could hear Stiles snickering. Alright, no way he didn't do that on purpose. He elbowed Stiles, making him bark his laughter in surprise, as he caught himself to keep from falling off the seat. "HEY, hey!" Stiles laughed.

"Absolute asshole." He coughed, trying not to laugh and make his situation worse.

"Not ready for the kink conversation, it seems, Stiles." Lydia giggled as her laugh died down, glancing over at them both.

"You shouldn't have started it with the teasing, buddy." Stiles laughed. He did his best to glare, despite the fact he was sure his blush completely destroyed any of its severity.

"What are we talking about?" Jackson asked as he came back, seeming eager for some brevity and fun conversation since he was bored with the game.

"Go." Derek pushed Stiles up with a chuckle, not giving him time to answer.

"All's fair in love and war!" Stiles called as he went to take his turn.

"We were talking about how humiliation belongs in the bedroom." Lydia drawled, smirking.

"Let me guess, the two who've been teasing each other all night are the proponents on that one?" Jackson chuckled.

"Exclusively, in the bedroom." Lydia corrected, before Derek could say anything to explain.

"Oh, opposition then?"

"Not at all, Stiles is the one who said it." Allison joked, despite giving him a pitying smile.

"Oooooh, I see." Jackson said, looking over to him. "I wouldn't worry about it, man, discussing flirting boundaries can be hard, Stilinski's very unclear about that kinda thing." He consoled mockingly, clearly aware they were joking around.

"No." Derek corrected, figuring that was enough teasing, though he grinned along, not wanted anyone to think he was actually mad. "Stiles purposely made a sexual joke, to make me choke on my drink. Like an ass." He directed at Stiles as he came back over to sit back down.

"Purposely?!" Stiles said in feigned shock. "That's such a rude thing to assume, Der. Scott, can you believe this?"

"Huh?" Scott said, apparently having tuned out.

"The terrible thing Derek just said to me." Stiles said, despite cozying up close.

"Oh, yeah. Awful, the worst. I can't believe you'd say something like that, Derek…" Scott said clearly having no idea what was going on.

"You literally said-" Derek started, but Stiles pecked a kiss to the corner of his mouth, cutting him off with the distraction.

"Your turn, babe." Stiles smirked at him. Derek shot him a knowing playful glare.

"I'm gonna remember this." Derek jokingly threatened before kissing Stiles back and getting up.