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“So – Call of Duty? Halo? Or maybe we could play Horizon Zero Dawn – although, maybe not since that’s a single player thing.” Boyd sighed and looked over at Stilinski who was sat on the couch, staring at him expectantly.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about us getting some bonding time, Boyd my man! Just me and you – mano et mano – getting to know each other through the time-honoured tradition of video games!” Stilinski grinned at him, looking earnest.
“What makes you think I need to spend some time bonding with you?”
“Well – Erica won’t be back for a little while since she’s out doing that thing for Derek – which, you know, she’s a certified badass but even I’m a little worried about her. She can be a bit of a – loose cannon and there’s no knowing if she’ll listen to what Derek said about it just being reconnaissance, so I thought you’d be – well – you know – just – “
“Are you accusing me of pining?” Boyd asked incredulously, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at the other man.
“Pining? Pft, no – not pining! I mean – pining! Men don’t pine! Girls pine – men just suffer!” Stiles looked vaguely hunted. “In manly silence if you prefer.”
“You know Lydia would kick your ass for even thinking that, right?”
“I know – literally as soon as it left my mouth I realised what an ass I sounded! I’m trying to be there for you. In a manly way of course. A buddy way.” Boyd looked at Stilinski properly, seeing that he really was worried.
Yeah, Erica could more than handle herself in a fight – often proving more vicious than any of them when it came to training. He had seen her almost take down Derek with her sneaky attacks, so he had no worries about that. He just – didn’t like the thought of her being out there without some form of back-up ready to hand, and they had no idea just how bad this new threat was.
Hence needing reconnaissance.
He realised that Stilinski – Stiles – was just trying to take his mind off of things, be there for him – and he felt himself soften just a little. Annoying little shit was always there with his off-the-wall ideas that Derek sometimes actually listened to, and he did seem to give a shit about what happened to them. His plans were far less pile-in and beat things up and more work just outside the lines and get people arrested, which led to far less bloodshed and injuries on their side but had still proven effective.
He also realised that Stiles was always trying to make the two packs work together – determined that Beacon Hills would be protected rather than jostling for position the way that Scott and Derek often interacted. He was a good guy and Boyd hadn’t ever given him a chance before.
“How about ‘Fortnite’?” he said, smiling unwillingly when Stiles gave a fist pump before turning to set up the console.