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Just as she finishes drying the last plate from this morning's dishes, Melissa hears the front door open.
"Scott, you home?" She calls out, shaking her head when there's no response. She opens the cupboard and puts the plate in its place before turning, leaving the towel on the counter as she walks into the living room. She stands at the bottom of the steps before calling out again.
"Scott, I'm going grocery shopping before my next shift, are you okay for lunch?"
No response again, and Melissa sighs before grabbing her purse from the banister at the bottom of the steps. She turns to leave, only to notice Stiles standing quietly by the door. He looks upset, fiddling with his keys and not looking at Melissa. Calming from the initial surprise, she can tell something is wrong.
"Stiles, sweetheart? You okay? Scott's not here right now."
"I know, he's with Allison." He still won't meet her gaze.
"Was there something you needed?"
"I, uh. I was hoping I could talk to you about something." His eyes drift up toward hers before they snap away, darting around the room as his brain works.
"Oh. Okay, yeah. C'mon, let's sit down." It's not often that Stiles comes to her, and if he's here instead of talking to Noah she knows it must be serious.
Melissa leads them over to the couch, arm around his shoulders, taking her purse off in the process. She sits cross-legged, facing Stiles, but doesn't push him. She remembers him coming to her when Claudia was sick, leaning on her for support.
"It's about Scott actually," Stiles starts. "I've been trying to figure out how I feel about something and I don't know who else I can talk to about it with."
"That's okay, you know I'm always here to talk if you need it."
Stiles nods, reaching forward to ask for her hand. It's something she's noticed helps him sometimes, feeling the hand of someone else, holding it without the explicit intent. She obliges, noticing how he still won't meet her eyes.
"At first I thought I was feeling jealous of how much time Scott was spending with Allison, y'know? I mean, it's always been the two of us against the world."
Melissa doesn't interrupt, but she lets her thumb softly move against his hand as a show of solidarity.
"But I don't have any bad feelings about Allison. She's a really good person from what I can tell, and she's gotten us an in to the popularity crowd."
Again, Melissa doesn't say anything, but she can't help but roll her eyes. Popularity always means more to kids, her own high school years such a distant thought that she doesn't remember how popular she even was. She had her friends in Noah and Bobby, and that was all she needed.
"The thing is, I feel like… maybe I like Scott?"
It's phrased as a question, like Stiles needs Melissa's approval or confirmation.
"I would hope you like him," Melissa jokes. "I mean, you're always spending the night, going on adventures."
"Yeah," Stiles starts. "But I think… I don't know, it's probably stupid." He starts to pull his hands back, but Melissa holds tight.
"Stiles, the way we feel is never stupid. It's okay to have feelings." Her free hand swipes a tear from his cheek and she nudges his chin to encourage him to look at her. When he does, there are tears in his eyes.
"I think I like Scott though. Like, I like Scott how Scott likes Allison. I don't think I just like him as a brother."
"Oh. Oh . Stiles, there is nothing wrong with that. You hear me? I know me and your dad joke about you guys being brothers, but that's all it was - a joke. Whatever you might feel for Scott, hell, for anyone, is totally valid. There's all kinds of love out there, between all kinds of people, and I'll support you through any of it."
"Really?" Stiles asks.
"Really." Melissa offers a finger to Stiles, giving him a smile. "And no matter what you decide to do, I swear it'll be okay, Stiles. Pinky promise."
The gesture is returned, just as Scott walks in.
"Hey you," Melissa calls out. She looks to Stiles and winks before getting up. "I'm headed to the grocery store, you boys need anything?"
"I'm okay, thanks," Scott answers, heading to the fridge for lunch.
Stiles nods at Melissa and gives a classic Stilinski half-smile before answering too.
"I think I'm okay."