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"What’s a full moon like for you?"
Scott looks up from his textbooks at Kira, who’s slumped across the table and reading New Moon. Or, she was, before she set it down to ask him.
He frowns and absentmindedly traces circles into the table. “I don’t know how well I’d be able to describe it. They kind of suck. My skin kind of…You know when you get the flu and you get achy? It’s like that, plus everything pisses me off.”
"Everything?" she asks, tilting her head slightly. "Or like—just the stuff that you normally put up with? And on the full moon you just don’t have the patience to deal with it?"
"Probably that," he says, shrugging. "But the aggression is really bad. I have to focus really hard on trying not to respond with violence."
She giggles a little, and goes back to reading New Moon.
He waits, sure that the giggle means something.
She turns the page, still snickering.
"Okay, what?" he asks, grinning a little.
She looks up at him, like she’s surprised. Liar. “Nothing! It just sounds like you’re on your period. Are you also hornier that day?” Then she starts giggling again and buries her face back into the book.
He rolls his eyes. He’s kind of…never horny. “I guess PMS is a valid comparison? Minus the whole blood thing. Kind of.”
"I imagine," she offers, turning another page before looking up at him. "You probably react differently than curling up in a ball, though. Is chocolate a thing for werewolves?"
"No, usually I just feel like running."
"I take it back. It’s completely different than a period." She makes a noise of disgruntlement. "Why is Jacob such a douchebag?"
"Why are you reading that?" he asks skeptically. "Did Stiles tell you there was good information on werewolves there? Because I haven’t noticed very many correlations."
"Did he tell you that?” she wonders, quirking an eyebrow at him. “I’m reading it because Lydia was saying she hated it, but it’s basically a rite of passage for teen girls to read it, so I have to.”
"I thought it was just Twilight that was the requirement?” he mumbled. He kind of remembered that conversation, a couple days ago. On one hand, he was glad Lydia and Kira were becoming friends. On the other, it was weird to watch a 17 year old girl read Twilight three years after it was cool.
"Well, yeah, but I already read Twilight, yesterday. And two things—one: I’m dating a werewolf, not a vampire, and two: if I’m going to pick between team Edward and team Jacob, I need to read all the books. “
"Have you picked yet?"
"So far, Jacob is slightly less annoying. I’ll report back later."
"I’m sure Lydia will be thrilled to hear all your opinions," he says doubtfully. He’s not sure Lydia really cares about Twilight very much at all.
Kira shrugs, apparently unbothered by his tone. “When’s the next full moon?”
"Next Tuesday. Why?"
"Just wondering. Will you try to kill me if you see me?"
"No, of course not!" he says immediately, pushing aside his textbooks to reach out and grab her hand. "You’re…I wouldn’t—of course not."
She smiles at him beatifically. “Great! So is it cool if I come by to see you after school? I can leave before dark and everything. I just want to try to make you feel less…terrible? I guess?”
"I don’t know…" he says hesitantly. "It seems dangerous."
"You can handle it, Scott," she says. She meets his eyes calmly. "I know you can."
"But my anchor—"
She pats his hand, where it’s still holding hers. “I trust you.”
And he can’t argue with that.
Tuesday, Kira shows up in black leggings and a loose t-shirt. “You wanna run with me?” she asks. “I pulled out my old track shoes.”
"I usually run barefoot," he admits, but he laces up a pair of shoes. He feels like crap, but at least his girlfriend is the cutest person in the world when she’s wearing a shirt she stole from him. Actually, their mixed scents make it better, less terrifying. He almost trusts his instincts around her.
But not quite.
"If I get snarly," he says as he finishes tying his shoes. "I—don’t run. Or try to hide. Or get scared. Just. I don’t know—try to be still and talk me through it?"
"It’s not going to be a problem," she says confidently. "I know you, Scott. You’re good."
"Being a good person doesn’t make you a good werewolf," he reminds her.
She smiles at him. “Come on. I’ll tell you whose team I’m on while we run.”
They jog around the neighborhood at the pace Kira sets. It’s more jogging than running, but that’s mostly so she can talk to him while they run, she says. “I can go faster, but talking wouldn’t be possible!” she chirps. “I ran track in middle school. But I quit in high school. Too much pressure; too much time.”
He doesn’t mind the jogging. He likes talking to Kira, and he’s still burning energy. “Whose team are you on?”
"Not Jacob or Edward. They’re both abusive and terrible.”
He laughs a little. It’s not really funny; it’s just that she sounds so indignant. “So whose team?”
"Team Bella, obviously," she says. "Team Someone Tell Bella She’s Being Abused."
"Oh, of course," he agrees. "When did you finish the books?"
"In English today. Very boring class, honestly. Hey, let’s pick up the pace? I’ll have to stop talking but I think—" She starts full out running rather than finishing her sentence, and he hurries to catch up with her.
They end up running in the park. Some of the trails go into the preserve, and she only slows down for a second to glance back at him before turning onto one. Apparently, Kira has decided that he can be trusted enough to run with in non-populated areas.
He can’t say it’s the right choice, but he also knows he’d sooner kill himself than hurt her. He just has to maintain that control. Yeah. It’s possible.
He hopes.
The last full moon wasn’t too bad. Derek was back and helped him through using himself as an anchor, and he thinks this time he’s got it.
Maybe.
Hopefully?
He runs alongside Kira to make it feel less like he’s chasing her.
She glances over at him, not exactly panting yet, but breathing hard, and raises an eyebrow. “Ch—challenge?” she asks, and then starts running faster.
Well. He can feel his control slipping, but he’s not angry. He feels playful. So he let’s it take over, just a little, and chases after her.
She’s laughing breathlessly, like she can feel him catching up. She pushes herself faster.
It’s amazing. Scott wants to roll around in a field of wildflowers with her. Like, literally just roll around. That wasn’t a euphemism. Just. Yeah.
He catches up to her eventually, but he let’s her evade him a few times before catching her around the waist and spinning her around to hold close.
She laughs as he shoves his face in her neck and curls her fingers into his hair. Her chest is heaving from all the running they’ve been doing, and she seems content to rest all her weight on him.
He’s breathing a little hard himself, but it feels great.
"You’re so cute," she tells him.
In response he lifts her and spins her again, making her laugh and laugh.
That night, after Kira has gone home and Scott has gone over to Derek’s to make sure nothing terrible happens, he doesn’t feel so bad. The two of them play video games on the console and TV Stiles lent them until Scott falls asleep slumped against Derek’s shoulder.
It’s easily the best full moon he’s ever had. When he wakes up, he texts Kira a smiley face. She sends him a heart, and he smiles until Derek kicks him out.