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Melissa and the Sheriff had insisted that Scott and Stiles take their time getting to UCLA.
"No sense in you boys getting tired and getting into an accident," the Sherriff said.
So Scott and Stiles loaded up the rental van and, even though they were only driving to UCLA decided to take the long way. The long way included two days camping at Yosemite, freezing while taking selfies on the Golden Gate Bridge and Stiles trying to convince Scott to let him smoke up in the van.
"No, Stiles," Scott said.
"C'mon, dude, it doesn't even affect you and it's medicinal," Stiles said.
"I will call your dad," Scott said.
"Whoa, no need to play dirty," Stiles said. He held his hands up in a gesture of peace.
“Totally harmless and pot free," Stiles said. "Do you want me to show you my neck?"
"Bro, I do not need to see your neck," Scott said.
"I'm trying to placate your not so inner werewolf," Stiles said.
"Placate," Scott said.
"Hey, I listen to your word of the day," Stiles said. "I also have a medical condition and-"
Scott flashed his eyes at Stiles. It wasn't supposed to work on Stiles but somehow it always did anyway. Stiles settled down and the rest of the trip was boring.
When they got to Westwood, there was a woman wearing a Bruin blue hat and a "Welcome, first years" t-shirt. Scott pulled the car up to her. She looked at their room assignment.
"Athletes, I see," she said. "Tripp Hall is that way. Parking is two blocks past. Here's your parking pass."
Scott started to roll up the van window when she held up her hand.
"I'm Erica, by the way," Erica said. "We have a welcome meeting this Saturday. You should come."
"We who?" Stiles asked.
Erica flashed her eyes at them.
Scott and Stiles pulled into their parking space. They had both come to UCLA on baseball scholarships. Stiles, a shortstop, was on the human team and Scott, a second baseman, was on the werewolf team. Beacon Hills hadn't had enough weres to field different teams and the thought of playing on different teams had made them mopey for days until Melissa suggested that they apply for a dispensation for Stiles so he could room in the werewolf baseball house with Scott. It was to that building that they pulled up. Members of the team were milling around, moving furniture, playing frisbee and generally keeping an eye out.
One of them came over to greet them as they stepped out of the van.
"Derek," he said.
"I'm Scott, and this is Stiles."
"Stiles?" Derek asked.
"Stiles," Stiles said. "Only Scott knows my real first name and he pinky swore."
"Pinky swearing is a time honored werewolf tradition," Derek said.
Scott flushed, "We were five."
"I hope you know," Derek said as he turned to Stiles, "that this is the first time we've let a beta bring a human into the house."
"But Scott isn't –OW," Stiles said as Scott's fingers pinched him on the stomach, "I mean, it is totally an honor to be in your werewolf club."
"Let's get our stuff unloaded," Scott said. "I'm hungry."
"Dinner is at 6. It's mandatory for everyone who lives in the house.”
"Hope I'm up to sniff," Stiles said.
Scott grabbed Stiles ear and led him inside.
"Bedrooms are soundproofed," Derek called.
Scott dragged Stiles up the stairs into their room.
"What are you doing?" Scott asked.
"That guy.”
"Derek," Scott said.
"Is an asshole. Did you see the way he looked at you?"
"Stiles, " Scott said, "He can get you kicked out of the house. Hell, he's captain of the baseball team. He can probably get you kicked off the team."
"Fine," Stiles said rubbing a hand over his buzz cut and the back of his neck.
"I'll play nice," Stiles said. "But I want the bed by the window."
"Only if your promise no neck jokes," Scott said. "To ANYONE."
"Pinky swear," Stiles said.
Scott's hand went to the back of Stiles neck. It always seemed to settle Stiles. Scott didn't know what it did to him.
"We ready to do this?" Scott asked.
Stiles opened the door and he and Scott made their way downstairs.
"Let's unload the van," Stiles said.
Someone wolf whistled as they opened the front door.
"Couldn't wait, could you?" he said. "I'm Isaac, by the way."
"Wait for what," Scott said.
"Hey, no judgment…"
"Scott."
"No judgment, Scott," Isaac said. He put a hand on Stiles shoulder and started to run it across Stiles' shoulders.
Scott flashed his alpha eyes at him.
"Whoa," Isaac said. "Rumor was you were a beta."
"Rumor was wrong," Scott said.
"Gotcha," Isaac said. "I'm going to go...somewhere else now."
Stiles looked at Scott with a question on his face. Scott looked at Stiles, promising him that they would talk about it later.
The welcome dinner was a big thing for the baseball team. Stiles was fortunate that the human team's welcome dinner was on a different night so that he could attend the werewolf house one. He was living with these dudes after all.
Dinner was pizza but they all sat down at a table and used paper napkins and everything. Stiles wouldn't have minded a beer but when the rest of the table can't get drunk, he supposed it was too much to hope that the house would keep a stock of Corona.
"So," Isaac said when everyone was seated, "I guess we should welcome the house alpha."
The table exchanged glances.
"What alpha?" Derek said. "Everyone at this table is a beta except him."
Derek gestured to Stiles. Stiles would have been offended but, well, he made it a point not to argue with weres-except Scott of course.
"Scott," Isaac said. "Our new alpha second baseman."
Stiles was about to say something when Scott put a hand on his arm. Stiles knew that Scott needed to handle this and needed him not to make the sarcastic retort that he had been about to make.
"I thought you were bitten," Derek said.
"I was," Scott said.
"So who did you kill for your power?" Derek said. "Because we don't allow that on this team."
"No one," Scott said.
"No one," Derek said.
"Oh my God," Stiles said. "He didn't kill anyone."
"Stiles!" Scott said and Stiles shut his mouth. Again. He wanted to defend Scott, he always wanted to defend Scott, but he seemed to be hurting more than helping. The weres at the table were all flashing their eyes, probably because of the energy being passed between Scott and Derek.
"I was told," Scott said, "that I am a True Alpha."
"A true Alpha," Derek scoffed. "And who would have told you that?"
"The local veterinarian," Scott said.
"You saw a veterinarian? You do realize we aren't actually animals?" Derek said.
"Deaton-" Stiles started to say before Scott looked at him. Stiles slumped in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Deaton is also an emissary," Scott said. "He helped us-me when I needed help."
"Deaton?" Derek said, "My mother had spoken about him."
"But you should have told us you were an Alpha before now. Things would have been different," Derek said.
"I don't understand why but if there is anything else you need to know just tell me. I'm hoping to learn about being a werewolf from the team. I still don't know a lot. I don't even know who turned me," Scott said.
The table fell silent after that. Everyone looked down at their plates with a sudden intense interest in their food.
Scott felt young all of a sudden. Stiles reached to squeeze Scott's neck where it met his shoulder and Stiles gave Scott the smile that meant "Even if these dudes don't appreciate you, you will always have me".
Scott felt himself relax and the overall mood at the table lifted.
Scott and Stiles felt that they barely had time to breathe. They struggled to find their way around campus, to meet with their respective teams, to find time in the batting cage and to keep up with the academic demands of UCLA. They had barely settled in when midterms arrived.
"It's a good thing we don't play a fall sport," Stiles said one night while they studied in their room.
"Yeah," Scott said, "You would definitely be in trouble."
Stiles briefly considered returning to his econ textbook but instead he launched himself at Scott. Scott always let him briefly get the upper hand which Stiles appreciated but about 5 seconds later Stiles was flat on his back on the floor.
"Give?" Scott gripping both of Stiles wrists in one hand.
"Give," Stiles said.
There was laughter from the hallway and they looked up to see Isaac standing in the doorway. Scott flashed his eyes briefly without even realizing he was doing it. He took a breath. This seemed to make Isaac laugh even louder.
"Not my fault you two can't shut the door," Isaac said.
Scott and Stiles glared. Well, Scott glared. Stiles mostly looked annoyed. It was hard to glare at a werewolf to begin with, even harder while you were flat on your back. Isaac threw his hands up.
"Okay, dudes. I'm going," Isaac said.
Scott and Stiles could hear his laughter all the way down the hall.
Stiles was skyping with Kira one night after they got back from fall break when Isaac knocked on the door, sat down on Stiles bed and said, "So how long have you and our baby alpha been fucking?"
Stiles blushed underneath the sunburn he had picked up running the stadium steps. "Dude," he said, gesturing to the screen.
"I'm sorry, " Isaac said. "How long have you and Scott been making sweet love?"
"Isaac," Stiles said, trying to kick a dodging Isaac. "Let me introduce you to Kira, Scott's ex-girlfriend."
Kira waved. "If it helps, it must be less than 6 months because Scott and I broke up 8 months ago and Scott isn't the ‘rushing into things' type."
"Kira," Stiles hissed.
"Stiles," Kira whispered back.
"There is no…no fucking or lovemaking or anything of the sort."
"But you smell like him," Isaac said.
"Oh, that doesn't prove anything," Kira said. "They always smelled like each other. It made sex a little weird sometimes."
Stiles made a noise but Isaac and Kira laughed like they were the best of friends.
"Werewolf?" Isaac asked Kira.
"Kitsune," Kira said.
"You know," Stiles said. "I really have important things to do. Very important. Studying things."
"Course you do," Kira said.
"How could you do that to me," Stiles said.
"It was pretty easy," Isaac said. "It was also really, really fun. Don't worry though, Scott is getting the same talk from Derek."
"What?!" said Stiles.
"Oh, look at the time. Gotta go," Isaac said.
That afternoon, Scott came into the house and Derek was waiting for him by the front door.
"Stalker much?" Scott said.
Derek grabbed Scott by the elbow and led Scott up to Derek's room. He sat Scott down on the bed and shut the door behind them.
"Talk," Derek said.
"About…" Scott said.
"Stiles," Derek said.
"Is he causing some kind of problem in the house," Scott said.
"Yes, all kinds of problems," Derek said. "But the big problem he's causing is your problem."
"My problem?" Derek said.
"We let him live here when he was the best friend of a Beta not the boyfriend of an Alpha. You are the highest ranking wolf in this house, Scott and you are fucking Stiles and no one can figure out how to treat him. We need to talk about rules. The rules are different in this situation then what we were prepared for."
Scott sat there, "We aren't sleeping together or dating or whatever anyone thinks we are doing. He's my best friend."
Derek raised an eyebrow.
"You always smell like him, he always smells like you. We all know you share a bed. You wrestle. You let him touch your neck."
"Yeah, but those things aren't a big deal," Scott said.
"You let him touch your neck," Derek said. Sometimes he regretted his mother's lectures on the Hale Family Responsibility to Bitten Wolves. This was one of those times.
"How many people have you let touch your neck since you turned?" Derek said.
"I don't know," Scott said.
"You do know," Derek said. "There is no way that you don't."
"Allison. Kira. Stiles." Scott said.
"Allison and Kira," Derek said. "I assume those are the ex-girlfriends?"
"Yes," Scott said. "But we-"
Derek interrupted Scott. He knew if he let Scott talk they would be at this all day. He had a paper to write and a baseball team to wrangle.
"And, just so we can skip over some steps because I want to leave this room some day, you let them touch your neck only during sex?"
"Fine. Yes." Scott said. "I only let three people touch my neck and two of them only during sex. Please get to the point where this involves Stiles."
"You're having sex with Stiles," Derek said.
Derek was glad that Isaac had drawn the short straw and confronted Stiles because he assumed that Stiles had bounced off a wall at this point. Scott just blinked.
"I'm having sex with Stiles," Scott said. "Wouldn't I know if I was having sex with Stiles?"
"No, because some idiot turned you and didn't tell you a single thing about what being a wolf meant. You let him touch your neck, even in front of people. Every wolf in this house thinks that you are sleeping together. Every wolf in this house knows you want to because you would never let him near your neck otherwise."
"I won't bore you with werewolf lore right now but you let him touch your neck in front of people. You might as well be wearing rings as far as this house goes."
"But I don't want to have sex with Stiles," Scott said. "I've never wanted to have sex with Stiles. Is this a wolf thing?"
"No," Derek said. "The wolf is acting but the feelings are all you and Stiles. My point is, we need some rules about Stiles place in the house-"
"I want to have sex with Stiles," Scott said.
Derek glanced over at Scott because, duh, isn't that what he had been saying, when he saw the look on Scott's face. Scott looked stunned.
"Let's talk later," Derek said.
"I've gotta find Stiles," Scott said. He ran out of the room not even looking back at Derek.
Derek rubbed his beard with his left hand. The first rule, he thought, was going to have to be about sex in the public areas of the house.
Scott flung the door open to the room he shared with Stiles.
"Dude," Stiles said.
"Dude," Scott said. "Derek just told me that we've been having sex.
"Isaac just asked how long we've been together," Stiles said. "Does everyone think that?"
"I think so," Scott said. "But do we-"
"Think we've been doing it," Stiles finished.
Scott sat down on Stiles bed, his leg touching Stiles.
"Touch my neck, please," Scott said.
Stiles lifted his hand up and rested his palm on the back of Scott's neck. Scott froze briefly, overthinking it, and then he relaxed into Stiles hand. Stiles slowly rubbed his thumb across where Scott's hairline met his neck and Scott felt himself melting. He turned his face toward Stiles and kissed him, a tiny dry peck on the lips.
Stiles hand stopped moving and Scott leaned back in kissing Stiles. He broke the kiss and looked back at Stiles.
"This is okay," Scott said.
"It would be better if I could take off your shirt," Stiles said.
Scott lifted his arms up, "Go for it."
Stiles ran a palm up Scott's stomach up to his rib cage. Scott made a noise and pushed Stiles hands away. He quickly shucked his shirt and threw it in the direction of the laundry basket. He quickly did the same with Stiles shirt.
Scott put his hand on the back of Stiles head and kissed him until Stiles broke the kiss.
"How about we lie down?" Stiles said. Stiles laid down and started to unbutton his jeans. Scott put a hand over Stiles' hand and they both froze for a minute.
"Yeah," Stiles said.
"Yeah," Scott said.