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“Oh my god,” Scott says, smiling as he sits in the jeep next to Stiles.
“What?” Stiles starts the car and heads to Scott’s house. “What happened?”
“What happened? Do you really need to ask?” Scott raises his eyebrows with disbelief.
“You’re the one who said that the pack wouldn’t be surprised…”
“I know… but one thing is to know about it and another is to actually see it with your own eyes—Derek looked so uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, I noticed that too. But I think he’s just upset because he thinks we lied to him… Just because he’s the alpha he thinks he has to know everything.” Stiles shakes his head. “It’s stupid.”
“Yeah, but I think it was more than that… I think when you two told him about it he wasn’t expecting so much PDA right away,” Scott says, laughing.
“I know because I wasn’t either,” Scott admits, smiling. “Don’t get me wrong, I think it was the right amount of PDA given the circumstances. Maybe Jackson was trying to make a point.”
“You’re exaggerating,” Stiles frowns his brow.
“No, I’m not.” Scott shakes his head.
“Well, I don’t know what you were expecting… I told you he wanted people to know.”
“I know. But I didn’t…” Scott bites his lip, shaking his head.
“What?” Stiles frowns.
“I didn’t think he would be so…”
“So what?” Stiles raises both eyebrows.
“Affectionate, I guess.” He’s not sure if that is the right word but he can’t think of a better one. “Which is stupid, I know.” Scott shrugs.
“It’s not stupid. I know what you mean. Even now… even if they know he’s changed… I know it’s still a shock. That’s why I told you I didn’t want them to know. I was sure they wouldn’t understand it—Sometimes, even I don’t understand it.”
“Okay, I don’t like you saying that.” Scott shakes his head.
“Well, it’s the truth. Somewhere in the back of my mind I keep waiting for him to wake up and realize that this is a mistake.”
“Why? Why would he think that?” Scott frowns.
“Why? You know why.” Stiles waves his right arm. “People like him don’t end up with people like me. That’s not how it works.”
Scott can’t say it’s not a valid theory but at the end of the day, that’s all it is: a theory.
“Well, usually people don’t end up kidnapped and tortured by ruthless, vindictive werewolves either, don’t you think?”
Stiles knows that Scott clearly has a point there.
“Yeah… still...”
“And I think it’s great that he doesn’t give a shit.”
Stiles snorts. “Almost dying will do that to you. Your priorities change, you know?” Being happy without giving a shit what people think is one of Jackson’s mottos now.
“I must say that you two are really cute,” Scott grins, waiting for Stiles’s retort.
“Okay, I’ll absolutely kill you if you tell him we’re cute.”
Scott snorts. “I wouldn’t dare… but when he put his arm around you... and when he held your hand… oh my god, it was…” Scott licks his lips as he remembers. “I don’t know, it was priceless.”
Stiles smiles. “Yeah, I didn’t expect him to do that. I’m pretty sure it’s his wolf.”
Scott can’t deny it’s a possibility, especially being surrounded by other wolves.
“And before he left, when he kissed you like there was no tomorrow… Was that also his wolf? Or was he trying to make Derek’s head explode?” Scotts snorts a laugh.
“That might have been deliberate… yeah.” Stiles smirks. It’s a very Jackson thing to do, but he’s not going to complain. If he wants to torture Derek because of the way he reacted, he’s not against it.
Stiles stops the car as they reach Scott’s house.
“So all those things you said about the pack not being surprised was just a bunch of bullshit, right?—You were just trying to make me feel better.” It’s not like he doesn’t appreciate the gesture but he’d rather know the truth.
“No… no, it wasn’t bullshit. I think they get it but still, they need to get used it, that’s all. They need to… you know, re-examine the idea they had of Jackson, I guess.”
“It’s not like he’s another person just because he likes me.” Somehow the idea of anybody thinking that is infuriating. He likes Jackson the way he is even if some people might not be able to understand it. His own father being one of those people.
“Yeah, I get that… but I mean, you’re a guy and he was with Lydia before. That much has changed. He’s obviously not the same guy he was before you two disappeared, and anybody who didn’t believe it before will probably believe it now, don’t you think?”
Scott gets a text message and he sees that it’s from his mother.
Are you coming in?
I thought we were having dinner together.
“I have to go. My mother has a night shift,” Scott says, opening the car door.
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” The truth is that his father might be waiting to have dinner with him too since he’s usually at home on Sunday night.
“By the way,” Scott says, turning around and sticking his head through the open car window, resting his arms on the door. “I never believed it was your father who bought you that iPhone last month—It was for Valentine’s Day, right?” Scott raises his eyebrows, smiling.
“Shut up.” Stiles smirks, shaking his head.
He waits for Scott to back away from the car before starting the car, driving down the street.