I DROPPED THE WET TOWEL into Stiles hamper, pulling my damp hair over my shoulders as I walked over to his bed and flopped on it. I laid on my back in my pyjamas, a pair of shorts and an oversized shirt next to Stiles. He hadn't moved since I'd left to take a shower and I so desperately wanted to know what was going on in his head. He was just staring up at the ceiling having changed into his pyjamas and I wasn't sure what he found so interesting.

I sat up and turned to face him, crossing my legs underneath me as I sat on his bed, "Are you okay?" I asked him curiously.

He nodded, "More than."

"Then why are you so quiet?" I asked curiously, "And what's so interesting about the ceiling?"

"Come here." He mumbled, taking my hand gently and pulling me forwards. I shifted to lie back down again and Stiles lifted his arm for me to move into his side. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as I looked up at the ceiling — my body pressed against his. With his free hand he pointed at his white painted ceiling, "When I was a kid I would try to make patterns out of the dots. I started doing it when my mom got diagnosed, I think it was just a way to jump out of life for a minute. I haven't really ever stopped doing it, I might be bored, stressed, stuck on a question on Harris' homework — I just look up at my ceiling and create a pattern in my head to bring my focus back in. It helps me keep a hold on the ADHD too."

I processed everything he said to me while looking up at the dots. I vaguely remembered Stiles mom being diagnosed but we were young at the time and I didn't really understand it. My mom had told me that she was poorly and I wouldn't be able to go round for a while until she got better. I didn't know that what she meant by 'get better' was until she died. Stiles used the dots on his ceiling as a coping mechanism and I had a strong feeling that I was one of the only people who knew about this.

I took in everything he had to say before asking, "What pattern are you creating now?"

"A star." He murmured.

"That's creative." I noted, looking away from the ceiling and turning my head to look at him. I let my eyes wander, flickering from his eyes to the shape of his brows, the freckles dotted scarcely across his face, his jaw, his lips. I swallowed and then he turned to me, our noses almost touching.

This was the second time we'd gotten this close to one another, the first being mere hours ago in Scott's bathroom. I met Stiles' hazel gaze until he sat up suddenly, taking me by surprise.

He extended his legs in front of him and ran his hand over his short hair while I stared at his back in slight shock.

"Stiles..?" I mumbled, slowly sitting up next to him. I reached out and placed my hand on his upper arm, "What's wrong?"

"I—" He haltered, his words lodged in his throat and I could see the frustration on his face. It was like he really wanted to say whatever he had to say.

"It's okay." I assured him, "You can tell me."

"I don't want to tell you." He finally said, looking to me again. My face must've dropped, reflecting the disappointment I felt because he sighed softly, "No, it's not like that." He assured me quickly, "It's just not something I can say."

I nodded in uncertainty, "Okay."

He chewed the inside of his cheek in contemplation and I saw the war in his eyes. Whatever was going through his mind really was testing him and his will on whether to or not to act upon it. I was curious to know what it was but if Stiles couldn't convey it to me I would have to wait. He seemed to be deep in thought but his eyes still flickered every so often, travelling around my face until I noticed them freeze on something. His gaze was just a little lower than my eyes and there was only one possibility I thought it could be.. unless he was staring at my nose or my chin for whatever reason.

I found my heart rising somewhat and I tried to keep my breaths regulated, not showing Stiles just how much I was anticipating this right now. His eyes flickered up and met my gaze fleetingly and I saw a sort of determined fire behind them. He couldn't of met my eyes for more than two seconds before he looked back down and then he was leaning closer towards me.

I closed my eyes as soon as he made the move and I waited for him, the connection in anticipation.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose when Stiles pressed his lips to mine for the first time, a firmness behind his movements and goosebumps coated my body. It was a like a spark had been lit on the end of every single nerve receptor in my body and they all contributed to create a feeling I could only describe as bliss. Stiles froze for a moment, testing the waters between us and I took it as the opportunity to lean in further.

He wrapped his arms around me, threading his hand into the back of my hair and slowly he kissed me again. His lips moulded against mine perfectly and I made no effort to quicken up his slow pace. I was too busy being swept away by the swarming feeling of what could only be described as butterflies in my stomach — overpowering me. My hands were laid flat against Stiles chest and I ran them up and on to his shoulders before clasping them loosely behind his head.

He kissed me once more, the pressure not as firm as the first time but his lip lingered for a lot longer before he pulled away from me. I watched as his eyes fluttered open slowly, as if he was testing if he was in a dream or not and when he met my gaze they widened slightly.

"I—wow." He finally muttered.

I realised then that Stiles wasn't who I had him pinned out to be. I thought that him waking up to us cuddling would freak him out because he was usually that type of person. I thought for a moment that he would maybe freak out after our kiss but he showed no signs of such, in fact he looked the total opposite. Maybe he wasn't freaking out because it was me? I wasn't sure.

I nodded in agreement with his words, cupping the back of his neck and running my fingers through the bottom of his hair.

"You're the first person I've ever kissed." He admitted to me. 

"You're the best person I've ever kissed." I countered.

His eyes widened, "Really?"

I nodded, "Really."

He seemed happy, floating on cloud nine as he said, "I've been waiting to do that for a while now."

"I'm glad you did." I said to him.

"Me too." He nodded.

I reached out and cupped his cheek softly, brushing my thumb across his under eye, "Do you have to sleep on the floor tonight?"

"I might have to put something in front of the door to stop my dad walking in." He said to me in amusement.

"Do it."

"Yeah, then he's gonna know we tried to barricade him out when he opens the door in the morning." Stiles replied.

I chuckled under my breath, "Imagine it."

"I don't want to." Stiles said in amusement, "He'd pull me out of bed by my ear."

I laughed and Stiles laid back, pulling me down by my hand to lie besides him again and I propped myself up on my elbow next to him, my head in my hand.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a while and it left me to my thoughts. While tonight had started out disastrous for pretty much all of us it has definitely straightened out for Stiles and I. It probably couldn't of gone any better actually but there was one more thing I wanted out of it.

Was this where Stiles and I were stopping now we'd admitted our feelings for each other? We'd had the kiss and we knew we liked each other but was that it? I don't know.

"Stiles." I mumbled, shifting my weight.

He was laid on his back, looking up at the ceiling and he turned his head to meet my eyes, "Yeah, what's up?"

I controlled my exhale, "What now?"

Her furrowed his brows, "What do you mean?"

"Well, we like each other and we've kissed.. are we staying as friends, or—?"

I rose my shoulders and dropped them as I fell short with my words. I remember word for word what I had said to Lydia around three months ago when I'd moved back, I wasn't looking for anything. At the time I hadn't been and honestly I had no idea what had changed. I knew that I wanted this though and that I wasn't just putting it in the universe because we'd kissed. If it was something Stiles wasn't sure about I would wait, the last thing I wanted to do was pressure him into something he wasn't ready for.

I rolled my bottom lip under my top before saying, "Don't feel pressured." His silence clearly meant something. He was thinking about whatever reply he was going to give me.

"No, no.." He said to me gently, his eyes softened as he shook his head, "I don't—you're not pressuring me."

I nodded once to myself.

Stiles took a deep breath and he exhaled, "I don't know what changed with you." He said to me, "As far as I knew you weren't looking for a relationship and that was why you rejected that boy at Lydia's party that night. I told myself over and over again that it wasn't going to happen, I tried to talk myself out of it but no matter what I said it didn't work."

He paused for a minute before he sighed deeply, "Once I knew I liked you I thought about what it would be like to be with you. I got jealous of Scott because he'd gotten the girl he wanted but I couldn't get the girl I wanted. Alex, I wanted you to be my girlfriend from the moment I realised I had feelings for you but I don't want to rush you into anything."

I rubbed my thumb across the back of his hand, "Stiles you're not rushing me into anything." I assured him, "I'd love to be your girlfriend."

His eyes widened, "You would?"

"Yeah." I nodded, "Only if you'd be my boyfriend though."

"Y-yes." He stuttered in shock and I smiled brightly at him. I truly was very lucky to have somebody like Stiles in my life, a boy who cared so deeply for me and I hoped he'd remain a constant.

I leaned in and I pressed my lips against his gently, feeling the soft brush of his lips against mine. Butterflies consumed my stomach as we kissed and they only intensified as Stiles cupped my cheek and threaded his fingers gently into my hair. For a boy who had never kissed someone before he knew how to kiss a girl.

We slowly kissed each other, caught up entirely in the moment and lost in each other that we didn't hear the footsteps down the hall or the voice of Stiles' dad. It was only when he stopped in Stiles' doorway, his previous sentence being interrupted, did we pull away.

I felt my cheeks flush a crimson colour in embarrassment and I couldn't meet the eyes of Sheriff Stilinski. I focused on Stiles' desk chair as he sat up to speak to his dad. His mouth was wide in shock and his eyes watched as he spluttered in an attempt to try and form a coherent sentence but he couldn't get anything out. We were horribly embarrassed, not really knowing what to say or where to look in regards to Stiles' dad. I cast a fleeting glance his way to see him in his pyjamas but I hadn't even heard him come home never mind upstairs.

I was expecting to see his eyes wide like Stiles' or a shocked expression on his face but he looked.. oddly.. calm. In fact, the longer I looked I swore I spotted the faintest of smiles on his face.

"Well." He said after some time of silence. He rubbed his hands together and nodded, "It's about time."

My brows rose incredibly high in surprise and my eyes widened to match. It's about time? What was about time? Stiles and I didn't even know we liked each other until earlier so how did he know?  

"I must admit, I was expecting to walk in on it sooner rather than later. I'm surprised it's taken you both this long to realise you like each other." The Sheriff said to us.

"Wha—dad!" Stiles gaped.

"What?" He replied innocently, "It's the truth Stiles.. but hey, I'm happy you both finally figured it out. Now, any responsible parent would say leave the bedroom door open and I am that responsible parent but I know you can't sleep unless the door is closed Stiles so I won't say that but you can get your ass on that spare mattress."

"Dad." He groaned, "I can't sleep on the mattress forever."

"We'll get you a sofa bed then." Sheriff Stilinski smiled, "G'night."

"Night." I mumbled, still overwhelmed in embarrassment.

"Yeah, night dad."

He closed the door after us and left Stiles and I just looking at each other in silence. We were dumbstruck and at a massive loss for words.

I watched as Stiles opened his mouth to say something but no words fell passed his parted lips. He tried over and over again to start a sentence but in the end he shrugged with an expression that said it all..

What the hell.

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Stiles and I were lounging on his bed, open text books and pizza boxes around us. We'd long given up on the studying but we didn't have the effort to put all the books away. I shifted on his bed, reduced to a food coma from the amount of slices of pizza I'd eaten and I knocked a book off the edge of his bed. We heard it's thud as it echoed around us over the quiet tone of the music we had on in the background but neither moved to pick it back up.

"What was that?" Stiles asked me tiredly.

"By the sound of the thud I'm going to take a guess at World History." I mumbled in response, turning my head and looking towards him as he laid propped up against his headboard. I was sprawled out across the bottom of his bed, a pillow under my arms for support.

Stiles and I had taken the day to ourselves. It was the most relaxed Saturday I'd ever had. The only time we'd moved was to either go to the toilet or to get food, we just lounged on his bed all day. The night had settled in now, brimming eight o'clock and the both of us were getting tired. After the Sheriff had left us Stiles and I stayed up well into the night talking about all sorts. I had told him about all the places I'd lived and we'd reminisced about the times we'd spent together when we were younger. Stiles told me about the crush he had on me in second grade and we laughed quietly about it, too afraid to wake up his dad across the hall.

Stiles was reluctant to sleep on the spare mattress when I finally started to drift off at three this morning but he moved and it was a good job too because the Sheriff did check in on us this morning.

Stiles rubbed his hands over his face as he yawned loudly, "I'm so tired."

Watching him yawn caused me to yawn also and I nodded in agreement, "Me too."

He picked up his phone from his bedside table, "My dad will be home soon."

"Do you think he'll be okay with me stopping over again tonight?" I asked him, "If you want me to, of course."

"No, no, of course I want you to stop." He said to me in response quickly, "But yeah, I think my dad will be more than fine with it."

I nodded and felt about the bed for my phone, "I'll text my dad."

Stiles watched me as I looked for my phone, not even lifting my head from the pillow to look properly. I couldn't feel it around me and I slid my hand under the pillow I was resting my head under and found it there. While I was texting my dad I heard Stiles' phone buzzing as if he was receiving a text message and after I was finished with my phone I put it back under my pillow and looked back at Stiles. He was typing, replying to a message probably and he locked his phone before tossing it lightly to the side, "Scott's here."

"Oh right." I nodded.

"He's coming up, said he wants to talk."

At that I heard the front door open and close and footsteps echo downstairs before getting louder. Scott was heading up, the stairs creaking under his feet and I turned my head to greet him as he opened the door.

"Hey." He said to us both sheepishly.

"Hey, Scotty." I replied, smiling nicely at him. He appeared guilty as he glanced between Stiles and I, clearly apprehensive about what had happened last night. I wasn't sure if Stiles was angry with Scott, whether he was annoyed about the fact that Scott would do something like that to him. It didn't matter if he got me mixed up with Lydia, it was still the principal of it, I guess — like Stiles kissing Allison when he knew Scott liked her.

Stiles remained silent and I nudged his leg with my foot gently, looking to him. He met my eyes before sighing, "Hi." He replied unenthusiastically.

Okay, so maybe he was mad.

Scott took a seat in Stiles' desk chair and leaned his elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands, "Stiles I'm really sorry about yesterday." He apologised, "I-I don't know what came over me. It was the full moon, it took all of my control away."

Stiles remained silent, pressing his lips together and I looked over at him to see him refusing to look up from the bed. It was like they were breaking up all over again.

"I wouldn't kiss Lydia.. or Alex for that matter if I was in the right mind. Stiles, I swear, I'm really sorry."

My heart ached for Scott. He was so lost. He didn't know what to do with himself lately or how to handle the werewolf situation. It had been a lot for him these past couple of weeks and he'd lost Allison too. She'd broken up with him and he was heartbroken, he didn't have a clue how to fix himself. He needed Stiles right now to not only help him out with his crazy life but he needed him to be a friend. I was here for Scott, I always would be but I wasn't Stiles. I didn't have the bond with my friend that he had with Stiles.

"Stiles." I mumbled, looking at him knowingly.

I couldn't force Stiles to forgive Scott though, he was his own person. I knew him though and I knew how on and off he could be with his feelings. He'd probably already of forgiven Scott and he was just being too stubborn to admit that he had.

I watched as his poker face broke and he sighed, his shoulders sagging and he nodded. I gave him a small smile as Scott sighed heavily in relief.

"I was mad with you." Stiles told him, "It just hurt that you'd kiss someone thinking I liked them."

"I know and I was a douche but I never would've done it if it wasn't the full moon." Scott replied.

"Yeah well it just makes me scared." Stiles added as he eyed Scott, "I don't want you to make a move on Alex when the next full moon comes around."

"I won't, I promise. I'll of gotten— wait." Scott frowned in confusion as he stopped himself. He recoiled back into the chair and looked at Stiles and I, pointing between us, "Are you..?"

"Yeah." Stiles nodded, a small tinge of a blush on his cheeks as he smiled at me, "Last night after that whole you kissed Lydia fiasco."

I nodded, "I guess we owe you a thanks?" I said to Scott, "You helped us admit it to each other."

"I—I.." He stuttered, looking between Stiles and I, "I thought you liked Lydia?"

Stiles shook his head, "No."

"But you didn't tell me you liked Alex." He frowned.

"I know." He nodded, "I didn't tell anyone."

Scott nodded once before he said sincerely, "You could've told me, you know?"

"It's nothing personal." Stiles said to him, "I was trying to ignore it but we've talked about it." He looked at me and I gave him a small smile of comfort.

"Well I'm happy for you guys." Scott said to us though I could see the pain in his eyes. He was missing Allison, "Just don't make out when I'm around please."

"Duly noted." I nodded.

"So, uh, what happened with you last night?" Stiles asked our friend, rubbing his hands together.

Scott collapsed back in the desk chair and groaned, "Well I tried to kill Allison and Jackson, didn't I?" He told us.

My eyes widened, "You didn't?"

"I just lost it." He said to us, "My brain was tricking me into thinking they were making out in his car and I got so angry."

"So did you stop yourself, or—?" Stiles asked him, "I know you said she was your anchor, did she pull you back somehow?"

Scott shook his head as he sighed, "I jumped on top of Jackson's car and just as I was about to rip into the top of the roof I was pushed off."

"Pushed off?" I frowned, "By who?"

Scott looked up from the floor to us both and he said, "By Derek.. he's alive."

___________________

A/N; I listened to Heather when I wrote Stiles & Alex's first kiss & it gave me all the feels🥺 also, the slow burn is finally over!!