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Moonlight shines fresh from dark rain clouds and through the window, illuminating a part of his face in the rough shape of a crescent. He looks paler, softer, despite the lack of warmth.
Tapetum Lucidum, he thinks absently. A term he has long been familiar with before his transformation to a werewolf. Loving animals and wanting to be a veterinarian made sure of it. Really, he was just bored before he even got under the sheets.
He shifts and the mattress creaks just under the slightest weight as he turns over to his side. The bed long gone after him and stiles were doing something as silly as jumping on it to test the springs or whatever when they were younger. It was dumb and they certainly broke something.
His forefinger and thumb rub against the texture of his sheets. He would like to go somewhere. He did get used to that. But he’s grounded from going anywhere and from seeing his best friend, Stiles. What they did wasn’t so bad… Maybe a little. He frowns at the memory. It was a terrible plan.
He’s unable to sleep. He could maybe try leaping out the window right now and his mom wouldn't hear much of a sound - but he did that yesterday. He didn't get far when she was just pulling into the driveway, and she yelled in terror for a second and honked the horn before realizing the dark running figure with glowing white eyes was her own son.
He got a scolding from that.
He hears a shuffle then a knock over his head. He sits up, high on alert and looks to the window. He kind of hopes it's some branch or a regular owl.
Instead, his eyes meet a dark, hooded figure with the pale light outlining broad shoulders. He jumps back and if it wasn’t for the pert button nose and the way his lips appear - he would have been lunging for a bat only to remember he gave it to Stiles, of course. And that he has claws. Yet, he definitely recognizes him.
‘Open it,’ Stiles mouths desperately from outside and visibly trembling too. Wasn’t it just raining a few minutes ago? Scott rolls his eyes, the nerves draining from his body, and he fights down the smile that tries tugging his lips up. “You're ridiculous,” Scott says after he slides it open, letting the cold air swoop in and instantly make him shutter when it hits his exposed chest.
The smell of fresh mildew fills his nostrils and so does the smell of wet clothes.
“Geez, it's dark, what are you doing in bed, buddy? Isn’t it early?” Scott could say something, but Stiles already rolls over the bed, barely telling him to move over before he becomes a catapult of limbs. His sneakers make a scraping, slippery noise and another loud grunt from his bed as he tumbles to it.
Scott watches the door for a moment before sealing it back. He hopes his mom didn’t hear anything and was long asleep.
Stiles grins like his plan has always been fool-proof from the beginning and he’s not so sure yet.
Scott shuffles closer to him as he unfurls. “Dude, what if my mom finds out? You shouldn’t even be here.” He doesn’t even sound concerned. Scott is grinning like a goof.
Stiles sits up, face rosy and hair messy as he yanks his black hood off his head.
“And why not?”
He watches him settle into a comfortable sitting position. His hair sticking up oddly from who knows what. Maybe he’s a little distracted. Stiles pouts, fixing his hair self-consciously before hitting him.
Scott frowns. He knows that Stiles is aware of the reason why. He kind of got him grounded in the first place. “I'm grounded?”
“Won’t stop me from seeing you,” Stiles fusses. His stubbornness will be sweet until it gets them in trouble.
“From you,” and Scott sighs. “I’m grounded from seeing you outside school, dude.”
Stiles unceremoniously scoffs. “What is this, forbidding Romeo and Juliet from seeing each other? I know what I’m doing!”
Scott blushes and chest moving as his laugh bubbles out of him. He immediately muffles himself in his hand with a cough, remembering himself and the situation. And his voice softens for effect. “Our love is as passionate as theirs?”
Stiles looks up at him with wide eyes and is almost shy, easily flustered maybe. He shakes his head and as if getting the message, lowers his voice. “Ok, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“You're coming to see me when it's forbidden.”
Stiles eyes him challengingly. His pupils wide and the blue light hitting parts of his face.
“And clearly, you're not getting forced to marry so I must be on my way.”
Scott smirks. “And I’m not willingly drinking deadly poison.”
Stiles grumbles underneath his breath, ‘sassy.’ He shrugs off a backpack from his shoulders and then his hoodie.
Immediately his eyes train curiously to the backpack he’s missed.
He wonders if he brought pranking equipment or anyway to get him out of the house.
“Are you sleeping over?”
Stiles huffs, “No. Just visiting -”
“Wait - hide,” he demands, and Stiles quickly scrambles off the bed without a beat and takes cover in the bathroom.
The door slowly opens, and Melissa peaks her head, eyes immediately landing on his. “Just checking you were still here.”
Scott winces, “yeah, still here. Isn’t this a bit extreme? It was just Jackson, mom.”
“I know, honey. Good night, Scott.”
She shuts the door quietly and he groans, turning his head to the bathroom just as Stiles tiptoes out from there.
“It's only school textbooks.” Scott’s eyebrows quirk, half believing that.
The last time they have studied has been forever ago back when they were both humans and freshmen.
He doesn’t question it even when he should. Scott smiles, leaning into Stiles when he sits back down. Scott crosses his arms and digs in the backpack to find just textbooks. He’s telling him he came here with a bag full of books - that must have been a strenuous chore. It would be weird to send him back when they haven’t been caught by Melissa…
“You're the smart one with this subject,” Stiles says.
Scott caves into himself. He hadn’t heard that in a while. “I haven't had the time to study well.”
Stiles rolls his eyes. “Look. I tackle history and those other things, and you tackle math and biology. It's how we always worked.”
What if he's really behind and he doesn't know what he's doing.
"Am I dumb?” Scott blurts out.
Stiles frowns. “Dude, what, why?"
"I'm kinda behind and I haven't been able to focus on school and -"
"Hey, hey, a complete jerk would say that.”
“Like Jackson,” they snide together.
“But I will be honest, this lycanthropy stuff did muss you up a bit, but can't blame you for that.” Scott knows that. He just... “Come on, we’re one soul in two bodies, so, work with my loophole.”
Warmth blossoms in Scott’s chest, he feels a grin on his lips spreading until stiles smirks back and opens a couple of textbooks by their legs. “Okay. I'll turn on the light," Scott suggests as he quietly pops off the bed. Making silence look effortless as he makes it back to the bed.
—----
He wakes up the next morning in a heap of textbooks and papers and at this point, it's far from a visit. It feels natural considering countless of times he woke up like this with Stiles on school nights - or their plotting nights.
Scott softly groans, running a hand through his hair and he removes his free arm from Stiles’ back. He rolls out of bed, his neck and back temporarily sore from the odd position. Some of the papers must be crumpled.
He mindlessly pushes the stuff out of the way. Stiles turns and tries to swat at him when he pushes at his shoulder. “Let me get under.” He’s not really a morning person.
"M' …" He moans out, rolling a little.
He plucks the paper off Stiles’ cheek and Stiles lets out another moan and a slurred ‘thanks.’
He heads downstairs and he meets his mom in the kitchen with a mug out in front of her and some bread.
"Morning, mom!"
She looks at him from her coffee mug, a knowing glow in her eyes. "Morning, Scott. How did you and Stiles rest up?"
"Good -" his eyes go wide at the door frame as he stutters out, "we were studying," as an excuse.
He knows he's been caught.
“How do you know?”
She smiles. "Scott. Do you think you could sneak past me? I heard you two yapping it up and laughing last night."
Shit. Not silent enough.
"We didn't really go anywhere, I swear. I was only helping."
“Oh, I know you didn’t go anywhere.”
He was not prepared. “I did my homework?”
"Hm, okay. I understand. Well, I hope you still know you're grounded."
"That's fair." He walks around and gives a kiss on her forehead before opening up a bag of bread and a cup from the covers. He fidgets slightly, sheepishly grabbing a container of milk. He knows he's grounded but it would be weird to tell stiles to go home. "Can he stay at the house longer?"
Stiles shows up in the kitchen at that moment. Maybe overhearing as he winces and waves.
He could have hidden behind there for a little more time.
But she already knows. But secretly, Scott doesn’t really regret letting Stiles in last night. He kind of pleads with her to let him stay.
Melissa sighs. "Fine. But you boys don't cause trouble today. And you must do the dishes and clean up after yourselves. I won't do this again for you, ok?"
"Did I ever tell you you're the best mom, Melissa -"
"Ok, promise," he cuts in.
The rest of the day they stay inside, smuggling snacks and playing video games. More excuses to hang out together but he definitely has a feeling this is a rare deal.