Warning; cheating.

Third Person's.

Freshman Year:

They had known each other since the seventh grade, when Y/N had moved to Beacon Hills. Stiles and her had bonded instantly, both of them having a obsession for Star Wars and other 'geeky' things.

Now, they were in freshman year, their friendship still going on strong. It was a Sunday, and the two were at Y/N's house, watching a movie. One of the characters on the screen cracked a particularly crude joke, causing the girl next to Stiles to snort. She quickly clamped her hand over her mouth, blushing profusely at the sound she had just made. Stiles just laughed, both at the noise and Y/N's obvious embarrassment.

"Shut the hell up, Stilinski." she said through her hand, almost as if it were a threat.

"I can't help it, that was funnier than the movie itself." he responded, turning away a little when Y/N smacked him on the side of the arm.

"You're so mean."

"No, I'm not."

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

After their short lived yelling match concluded, they both burst out into laughter simultaneously. Each of them got to the point in which they were doubled over from such an intense core workout.

"You're so childish." Y/N said in between breaths.

"I think you mean we're so childish." Stiles corrected, holding up his index finger.

"Of course." she leaned up against his arm before turning her attention back to the film that was still playing on the television. He smiled down at her.

Stiles loved Y/N wholeheartedly. Platonically, of course. He was debating on telling her that, but didn't want to make it awkward by using the word 'love'. Teenagers were tricky people, and he figured the words could be kept for a better time.

Sophomore Year:

They were at the park together, doing their math homework. Y/N computed a function on her calculator, the end of her pencil positioned between her teeth. Her face lit up as the answer popped up on the screen before her, and scribbled down an answer in her notebook, a small smile appearing on her lips. Stiles noticed how her hair moved softly with the breeze in the park. He thought she was breathtaking, even doing something as mundane as schoolwork.

She then looked up at him, a triumphant grin upon her face. "Finished before you, Stilinski."

"What?" Stiles snapped out of his reverie, his gaze drifting down to his workbook that sat hardly touched on his lap. Y/N leaned forward to see how much he had done already, before she saw his nearly blank page.

"You've hardly even started!" she laughed. "You usually finish before me, what's gotten into you?"

"Oh, um, nothing, really. Just lost in a thought, I guess." He said, shrugging. He was not going to admit that he was distracted by her. Her hair. Her lips. Her eyes. Everything about her.

"Well, hurry up and finish. I want to get lunch, and I'm not going without you." Y/N said as she placed her books back in her bag. When she noticed that he wasn't doing anything but staring at her, she snapped her fingers in front of his face, laughing again. "Hello? Anybody home? Christ, Stilinski, am I that gorgeous?"

"Yeah, I mean, no! I mean, y-you're not unattractive, but I wasn't staring at you, j-just in your general direction." Stiles managed, a blush rushing to his cheeks. That was a trainwreck. He quickly diverted his attention to the page of homework before him, scrawling out (probably incorrect) answers.

He had always heard about that feeling you get, the 'butterflies in the stomach' type of feeling, when you're in love with somebody. He felt that now, and was confused. Y/N was his best friend, he couldn't be falling for her, could he? He loved her platonically, but was that all he felt for her? Should he tell her?

Love was a strong word, and it held meaning. Stiles decided that it would be best to withhold it, at least for now. They were sixteen, and he figured that feelings come and go, and that his little infatuation with Y/N would pass at some point.

Junior Year:

Stiles was in love with Y/N, and he hated it. He hated the way he pretended to be supportive when she dated other guys, when he really wanted her to be with him. He hated the way she told him about dates she went on, and how nice and how cute other guys were. Stiles wasn't typically one to get jealous, but in situations concerning Y/N, he probably had a temper worse than the Hulk himself.

Now, she was ranting to him in his room, rambling on about how her (former) boyfriend cheated on her. Stiles, of course, was angry for Y/N. Who in their right mind wouldn't be overjoyed to be with her? At the same time, he was relieved that she got away from that jerk, both for himself (which he felt mildly guilty about) and her.

"I just don't get it." Y/N said, pacing back and forth in Stiles' small bedroom. "Am I not good enough for him?"

"W-what? He isn't good enough for you. If he can't see how absolutely amazing you are, he doesn't deserve you." He said, his voice laden with spite when he talked about her old boyfriend.

"Thanks, Stiles." she said, giving him a small smile. It was then that Stiles could see tears in her eyes. She was obviously trying not to let them fall, but they were there all the same.

"Hey." he said, getting up off of his place on the bed before crossing the short distance between him and Y/N. He pulled her into a hug, her head against his chest. Sometimes he forgot how much taller he had gotten. "You shouldn't cry over him. H-he's a piece of shit, and you shouldn't waste your tears on him."

Y/N laughed softly, and Stiles was able to feel the sound reverberate through his torso. He decided that he should just tell her how he felt about her, how he was completely in love with her. Just when Stiles was about to articulate his feelings into words, Y/N began to speak again. "I hate boys. I hate romance, and I hate love. I'm done with it."

Stiles changed his mind. Maybe now was not the time.

Senior Year:

"I think we should use this as a prop for our project." Y/N said, turning around to Stiles with a small Han figurine. They had to make a short movie for their History class about a significant event that took place over the course of history, and they were buying props at the local store.

"Why would we ever use an Han action figure for a Civil War skit?" he asked, laughing.

"True, I guess." Y/N reasoned, frowning as she inspected the toy in her hands. "We could use him as a paperweight or something, though. He's still cool."

"Okay, but we have a budget and you just used about ten dollars of it." Stiles said as he pushed the shopping cart along behind her.

"Make that twenty dollars." Y/N said as she stopped abruptly. She grabbed something off of the shelf, and before he could see what it was clearly, she shoved it in his face.

"We are not buying a new baseball bat." Stiles said. Y/N's face fell.

"Come on, Stilinski, Please? I'm going to buy it even if you say 'no' so you might as well make it easier on yourself." she said.

"Fine." Stiles muttered, rolling his eyes. "I just gave you a new one last week."

"You'll get over it." Y/N dismissed his complaint.

"We should look for actual props, rather than baseball bats, you know." he said, causing Y/N to scrunch her nose up in abhorrence at the prospect of doing actual schoolwork.

"Fine."

"You'll get over it." Stiles said, mocking her. She stuck out her tongue at him as she began to walk towards the aisles that held supplies they actually needed. He watched her as she looked at practically everything they passed, touching and examining things that she thought were interesting.

Stiles was so distracted by staring at Y/N, he had spaced out and accidentally ran into her with the front of the shopping cart.

"Ow, watch it!" she yelled, giving him the stink eye.

"Sorry! Are you alright?" Stiles winced, almost as if it were him who got hit with the cart.

"I'm fine, but are you?" Y/N questioned. "This is like, the tenth time you've gone off daydreaming within two weeks."

"It's nothing." Stiles said, waving his hand in a vain attempt to get off the subject.

Y/N looked at him with faint concern before her eyes shone with realization. She smiled widely and put her hands on her hips.

"Who is it?" she inquired.

"What? Who- what are you talking about?" Stiles asked, scratching the bad of his neck. He wasn't making eye contact with her.

"The girl you're fawning over." Y/N said simply. "Or boy, I'm not judging you. At least, not for your sexuality."

"I-I'm not gay!" Stiles sputtered.

"Okay! I get it, it's alright either way." Y/N said, putting her hands up to signify concedence. "But I know you like somebody, we've been friends for what, five years? Spit it out."

For being so smart, Y/N wasn't able to tell that it was her who was the cause for his random daydream sessions.

Stiles wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her that she was the one he was fawning over. He wanted to tell her that she was the highlight of his every day, and that she lit up his life with a certain energetic fire that he couldn't resist. He just wanted to tell her that he loved her.

The words almost poured from his mouth right then and there, but he quickly collected them before they could tumble over his last line of defense. He wasn't going to jeopardize their friendship because of how he felt for her. There was a risk that his feelings were unrequited, and he wasn't going to take it. Sometimes, people are better left in the dark, so that's where he kept Y/N.

"Malia T-Tate." Stiles improvised. In this instance he'd rather lie than tell the truth.

"Oh, Tate, I know her, she's nice. I'll put in a good word for you." Y/N said, nodding her head.

"Thanks." Stiles said as they continued walking down the seemingly endless aisles of the store.

He was anything but grateful.

Graduation:

"I love you, and I have ever since the ninth grade." Stiles said to a stunned Y/N. He had practiced those words over and over, as he was determined not stutter his way through the admittance of his feelings. He decided that he'd tell her after graduation. It would be symbolic, like he'd gotten through high school and his fear of telling her.

"I, um, Stiles I," she started, blinking rapidly. "Stiles, I've w-waited for this for the longest t-time and I-"

He wasn't able to hear her response, though. Y/N fainted. She fucking fainted. Luckily, Stiles reflexes allowed for him to catch her before she hit the ground. Holding her in one arm, he used his other hand to pull his cellphone out of his pocket. Before he could press '9-1-1', her eyes fluttered open.

Stiles let his phone drop to the ground as he averted his attention from it back to Y/N. He gently pushed her hair out of her face as she regained consciousness. She squinted up at him, noticing that the sun was directly behind his head, making him look somewhat angelic.

"Are you okay?" Stiles asked her, his brow crinkled with concern.

"Yeah, I just- lots of emotions, you know?"

"Don't get me started on emotions." Stiles said with a small smile. He looked down at her for a few moments before letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "So, are you going to answer m-"

Before he could answer, Y/N grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down so his lips collided with hers. Stiles was taken aback, but after his initial shock, leaned into the kiss. After a few moments, they pulled away from each other (prompted by the few stares of the other graduates they received).

"So, is that you returning my feelings or..." He trailed off.

"Yes." Y/N laughed, still wrapped up in his arms. "I love you, Stiles Stilinski."

Stiles remembered the angst that he felt over the past years for withholding his feelings. Looking down at the girl whom he loved, he knew that she was worth the wait.

•~•

Thank you for reading!
-lys.