PANTS ON FIRE ▹ Stiles Stilinski

chapter three

chapter three
DIE HAPPY
(season one, episode one; wolf moon)

THE ROOM WAS FLOATING AND THE MUSIC WAS MUFFLED. He was a few drinks in and Danny left a little while ago to dance with this guy, who was pretty damn hot (or maybe that was the vodka talking?). Already feeling weightless, Eli reached for another red cup from the beverage table, one that would push him over the edge, and began nursing it. Across the living room, he caught sight of a familiar brown buzz cut and warm brown eyes hiding behind the crowd.

Stiles leaned against the wall surrounded by a few classmates and lacrosse players, his pale red button-up a stark contrast against the cream-coloured paint. How couldn't Eli notice him, especially when the whole room — the music, loud chatter, and everything in between — faded to nothing in his presence.

A goofy grin sat on his lips and he held a red plastic cup loosely. From the slump of his shoulders to the way he leaned against the wall without care, Eli had never seen Stiles so at ease. Maybe it was the alcohol soothing his nerves. Maybe it was the crowd he surrounded himself with. Or maybe he was pretending to be someone else. Whatever it was, like always, Eli was drawn to him and only him.

"Fuck it," he muttered, bringing the cup to his lips one final time and swallowing the remaining liquid. The hard liquor, dampened by the sweet taste of cranberry juice, left a faint burning sensation in this throat.

And, although he knew he should slow down, Eli refilled his cup. His nerves still caused his stomach to knot. He needed a tiny bit more liquid courage to face his crush without acting like a fool.

Weaving through the crowd, shoulders knocked into his back and people bumped into his hip, causing a faint ache to spread up his torso and down his thigh. Eli kept his drink steady, dodging it from the movements of wild teens, preventing it from spilling on the floor. He was only successful to a degree though. A dancing and very much drunk girl bumped into his arm hard and his cup wobbled. The red liquid of a vodka cran spat on the floor as a few droplets flew over the cup's rim. Thankfully it wasn't on the nice white rug and thankfully it was only a few drops. Almost immediately the droplets disappeared under the wild feet of partying teens.

Calling his loss, he continued through the crowd. He had promised to help Lydia tidy up afterwards, he'd clean it up then.

Once he finally approached and inserted himself into the group, he stood between two girls in his grade — Kelsey and Maria — and across from Stiles. Kelsey's mom was Eli's aunt's best friend which resulted in hundreds of playdates when they were kids. Due to all the forced hangouts, the pair grew to like one another and became close friends. He gave a short wave and greeted everyone in the circle 'hey!'

"Eli! I am so glad you're here," Kelsey greeted with a dopey smile, a little tipsy. Raising to her tiptoes, she pressed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself and she planted a soft kiss on Eli's cheek. The red lipstick coating his lips left a faint impression on his skin and her red curls brushed his neck, causing shivers to run along his spine. "You were so awesome today."