(closed)

[workout]

WHO: Scott McCall, Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin
WHERE: Heropa. Ice cream shops?? Also later residence #028.
WHEN: August 5, evening.
WHAT: REUNIONS or slumber parties whichever
WARNINGS: Teenagers

[ THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK starters below!! ]

Comments

HEROPA, derek hale.

[workout]

[ Scott ends up getting to the coffee shop about thirty minutes early and takes a seat at one of the tables outside. He orders a coffee to be polite, then just lets it get cold while he fidgets with his phone. He's starting to get antsy when a familiar scent catches his attention, but a glance down the street reveals no familiar faces.

Still out of view. He stands up anyway, waiting for Derek to round the nearby shop corner.

Probably. I mean it is Derek, Scott wouldn't be completely surprised if he was on the roof for no apparent reason. ]

good.

[altercate]

[ it's late, derek probably smells like sweaty and alcohol and irritation, but it ebbs into relief when he finally catches sight of scott. it's not really a good thing, that scott's stuck here too, but now that he is, derek can maybe take a breath.

or worry about yet another person, who knows how this is going to shake out. ]

You didn't get me one?

[ the best greeting, clearly. ]

[workout]

[ Definitely kind of smells like booze and irritation. That earns a bit of a look, more curious than skeptical, but he doesn't pry.

Yet. ]

Do you even drink coffee?

[ Like do you do anything normal people do, not sure. Absolutely the best greeting. ]

[altercate]

Black coffee.

[ like that distinction is important. it kind of is, as far as derek's concerned. ]

Did you get here alright?

[ though scott looks fine, so the question is more a formality, derek's nod to social graces before they talk about more important things. ]

[workout]

[ Black coffee. Of course it's black coffee. Barely resisting the eye roll, here. ]

Yeah. The porters are really easy to use if you're registered.

[ Very natural pause here. Except not even a little bit natural, he's just trying to make this question sound very casual. ] Are you registered?

[altercate]

[ scott doesn't really have to ask, derek already knows what's coming. he rolls his eyes, resists the urge to lift his wrist so scott can see for himself. ]

No. I'm not. [ like derek's irritated with the entire line of questioning. ] And I'm not planning on changing that.

[ as if that's going to nip the coming argument in the bud. ]

[workout]

[ So there's that. Scott looks mildly bemused by the quick shut-down, if not surprised. ]

Do you have a problem with the rest of us registering?

[ The tone's honestly curious, interested in Derek's opinion rather than asking for a fight. ]

[altercate]

I understand why you would.

[ lydia had summed it up neatly. they're young and they have no income, no place to live without it. derek gets it, he just doesn't like it. ]

I don't want any of you to. I don't trust this place. Or the people running it.

[ bluntly, even though that argument hadn't gotten him much traction with lydia or stiles. ]

[workout]

[ Scott gets it, honestly. Maybe he's just gotten used to worrying, but such an easy handout makes him wonder what the catch is. ]

I know. Neither do I.

[ The way he says it makes it sound less final; more of a gentle observation, candid without being harsh. ] Trust them, I mean. But I don't think they want to hurt us.

[ Very general, maybe very generous. Not necessarily an endorsement. The only parallel Scott has is the other Alphas, building up strength in numbers; enough to know that there's a big difference between knowing someone needs you alive and knowing they won't cause collateral damage. ] We can figure it out after we've saved up some money.

stiles, lydia & derek (??)

[workout]

[ Scott doesn't tell Derek they're meeting Stiles and Lydia for dinner. He doesn't even tell Derek they're having dinner, actually. What he does is time it so that he and Derek happen to be walking by a pizza place at the exact same time as Scott told Lydia and Stiles to meet him there, so it's kind of 50/50 as to whether they'll get Derek to stick around.

As soon as he spots them, he flashes a broad smile and meets them halfway, one hand settling on Stiles' shoulder. Not quite a hug, but same kind of gesture; it's not like it's been that long since he last saw him, it's just that the whole "Stiles almost died while you were gone" thing makes the sight of him more of a relief than it'd be otherwise. ] Hi.

[ Just hi. It has the decency to sound a bit awkward, but that's the only recognition the screwed up Big Picture is getting for now. ]

[immuno]

[ Wow nice to see you too, asshole. I see how it is.

Jk Lydia doesn’t give a fuck she pretty much expected this level of homo or more. Admittedly, there’s a twinge of sadness to her smile when she watches how Scott and Stiles meet one another because Allison, but it fades quickly. It’s good that he’s here.

Her eyes turn up towards Derek because what else do the third and fourth wheel do but stare at each other awkwardly.

She’s not going to offer an awkward hi. It’s Derek Hale—staring is honestly the less awkward option. ]

[ex_question191]

[ what the fuck is this "no hug" bullshit though. the last couple of months are literally the longest stiles has been separated from scott since they met each other as kids, and he's been jittery like he was gonna wet himself pretty much the entire walk over with lydia. so scott goes for an adult shoulder clap and stiles basically launches himself at him. ]

[ but there are two other people standing, like, right there, so he keeps the bromance to a back clap and a brief, eye-contact-heavy smile once he pulls back. ]

Good to see ya, buddy.

[ a little head tilt, acknowledging: ]

Derek.

[ sorry, no hug 4 u, wolfman. ]

So, who's hungry?

oh whoops i didn't know i wassupposed to be here forgive me

[altercate]

[ derek figures out what's happened about the same time as scott and stiles fling themselves into each others arms, so his irritated expression is probably lost on them. he steps to the side, ending up more or less next to lydia, nodding at her while he ignores whatever he saw in that expression.

this doesn't feel quite right. it's not lost on derek that the last time he was in similar formation, allison argent was standing next to lydia, looking at him like she was deciding where she wanted to put an arrow first. but derek's not going to bring that up, just breathes out, watches as stiles and scott separate, nods his acknowledgement of the greeting. ]

I'll let you catch up.

[ since derek clearly doesn't think this offer extends to himself, though he looks significantly at lydia, like she needs to know she is in charge of making sure scott and stiles stay out of trouble and possibly get scott on board with hassling stiles about teleporting.

it's a lot to be communicated in one look, but derek's eyebrows are up to the challenge. ]

you are totally supposed to be here

[immuno]

[ Lydia perks up at the blatant attempt to excuse himself and she has the gall to look baffled and like nO STOP THAT. This is karma for all the times she made fun of him. Now he's leaving her alone with them. Her eyes flash wide and she shoots him an imploring look like excuse you. No. You're helping. ]

[workout]

[ He might not have gone for the hug, but he still gives as good as he gets when Stiles takes the initiative. None of that back clap business, either, just a full on embrace with a brief squeeze to Stiles's shoulder before he pulls back.

Meaning yes, he misses Derek's irritated look. It's easy to fill in the blanks. Scott's about to interrupt Derek's attempt at an exit when he catches Lydia's silent cue, then he's looking back to the other werewolf to offer a much more vocal one. ]

You haven't eaten yet.

[ Like that's ironclad. You're hungry, we're getting food, deal with it. ]

[ex_question191]

Seriously, who turns down pizza.

[ stiles murmurs, mostly to himself, otherwise ignoring derek being a big baby about getting some food with them. he's still too preoccupied with scott to really cast much shade. ]

lmfao jeSUS

[altercate]

I do.

[ because sniping at stiles is second-nature, whether or not it's indicative of derek's actual food preferences. he feels at a weird disadvantage, awkward next to the three of them. derek's aware of the ways he doesn't exactly fit, and while he's good at play-acting his way through that in most cases, this isn't one of them.

this is somehow less easier to navigate than life-or-death situations. derek isn't really surprised.

though leaving might not be an option, considering the way lydia and scott are looking at him. derek huffs, like he's being inconvenienced. ]

I'll stay for a little while.

[ because leaving himself a convenient out is absolutely necessary. ]

RESIDENCE 028, stiles.

[workout]

[ Alternate universe or no, creeping into a house way after hours with Stiles is still incredibly familiar and nostalgic. It's also kind of a moot point; some of the lights are still on when they come through the front door. Scott enters first, and he's busy taking in the dimly lit main room while Stiles gets the door behind him. ]

This is better than the houses in Nonah.

[ "Better". More like home, less stuck in the middle of a big city. He isn't whispering, but he's careful to keep his voice down. ]

[ex_question191]

[ the door creaks as stiles tries to close it slowly and carefully, and he winces. half his housemates have superpowers, so he definitely doesn't wanna wake them up and piss them off in the middle of the night. ]

[ the place is, while bare, actually pretty tidy, given all five residents are young guys: levi's set a chore roster, and he and erwin are military enough (and scary enough) that the other three stick to it. still, stiles just shrugs. it's been a while, and it still doesn't feel like home. ]

They're pretty much all like this.

[ he tells scott, leading him to his room. ]

Are you gonna move to Heropa?

[ he hadn't even thought to question it until now, but the idea of scott not makes stiles heart pull. he doesn't want to uproot when he's finally got a job and is getting a car and a couple of people remember his name, but he's too codependent for them to live in separate cities. it's like all his secret fears about college showed up to plague him a whole year early. ]

[workout]

[ If he gets the weight behind the question, it doesn't show. Scott's quiet for a second while he steps into Stiles's room, taking in the weird mix of familiar (the scent) and the not so familiar. He's gotten so used to Stiles's room looking a certain way, it's hard to imagine him anywhere else. ]

Probably? It makes more sense than you guys all moving to Nonah. [ A brief pause, thoughtful. ] I can commute for work. It's easy with the porters.

[ Or so he's been told. He got here quickly enough, though, so there's no reason to assume otherwise. ]

[ex_question191]

Cool.

[ stiles breathes, blatantly relieved. he should be more embarrassed about the clutter of his room than he is: it looks like he's lived there for a couple years and not months. but it's mostly because he'd bought a lot of stuff and just kinda left it, new jeans tossed over a chair, laundry half in the hamper, a bunch of practice files from the police station scattered across the little desk. ]

I mean, you know I'd move for you. I will, if you want someone to split rent with. Or maybe they'll just move you into another one of the houses. I dunno, risky business, man. Roommates.

[ is he fishing? he's blatantly fishing, though he's acting casual, tossing his satchel down and sprawling on the bed. ]

[workout]

[ He probably wouldn't notice the shift in atmosphere if he weren't so used to Stiles. And maybe he's just projecting, but the drop in tension still seems palpable— for a few seconds, anyway. Then Stiles starts fishing.

And this is the polar opposite of those college fears, basically. Getting to move in with your best friend a full year early? Yes please. Scott's inspecting the new jeans like he's expecting to find some weird futuristic fashion faux pas, maybe some stealthy spandex, but when Stiles finishes he turns to flash him a broad smile. ] Dude. We're getting a house.

[ Said more like HOW GREAT IS THAT than as any kind of plan or statement. They'll figure out the technicalities later, right now he's jazzed about the possibilities. Although, after a slight pause: ] Do you think Lydia... ?

[ So many ???s there. Lydia putting up with them, for one, but the Stiles and Lydia thing is still kind of the biggest ????. There's a minor difference between moving past your epic crush and sharing a bathroom with them. ]

[ex_question191]

[ just like he is still without a superhero name, stiles has not yet delved into the wonderful world of spandex costumes. he's not really sure he could pull off the tights and undies look anyway. ]

[ he turns his head and grins back at scott, swoopingly happy. he always just makes stuff easier. he says it like it's no big deal, them getting a house, but also like it's the greatest ever thing. ]

I think Derek is gonna be the real challenge.

[ stiles points out, because a) he doesn't want to talk about lydia and b) getting derek to live with them might actually be an impossible task. but then again, it might work out like getting him a job and car copayments and pizza, where they just tell him it's happening and he grumbles and goes along with it. derek hale: secret pushover. ]

[workout]

[ Definitely capable of rocking the spandex, maybe not so much the undies look. Scott abandons his casual investigation of the room in favor of moving over to sit down on Stiles's bed, leaning forward onto his elbows, entirely at ease. ]

Not that much of a challenge. [ Except on second thought, maybe it will be. Derek's always been kind of a loner, but lately Scott's put a lot of that down to circumstances, not choice. His expression mellows slightly while he considers it, second-guessing himself a moment later. ] You really think he'd rather be on his own here?

[ "On his own", like they can't live in different houses and still interact. Teen dramatics or pack instincts, you decide. ]

[ex_question191]

I dunno.

[ who knows what goes on in derek hale's mind? actually, stiles is pretty good at sussing him out, but he just doesn't think derek would come unless forced. whether he'd enjoy living with them is this whole other thing, too. he's older than they are. maybe he should have friends and roomies who aren't in high school. ]

You know he hasn't even registered?

[ stiles murmurs, bemused and a little absent while he thinks it through. ]