Burning Slowly

Chapter 33

Stiles sat sullenly on the stairs that led to the second floor with his arms wrapped around his knees. He was ignoring everyone as they moved around packing up leftover food from the kitchen and cleaned up games they hadn't put away the night before. They were getting ready to leave, all their suitcases were already packed and sitting by the front door.

Allison walked towards him, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. He frowned at her, sensing a trick coming. She smiled and waved the cup back and forth in front of his face. He held his breath; it was crafty of her to use one of his primary weaknesses against him.

"Come on, Stiles," she said softly offering him the coffee.

He closed his eyes and buried his face in his arms. She rubbed his head and set the coffee down on the stairs between his feet. She was wickedly cunning; the aroma rose up between his legs and hit him full in the face. He licked his lips, but held his ground.

Stiles felt someone sit down on the stairs next to him and playfully punch him in the arm. He turned his head to the side and looked into Jackson's soft blue eyes. He rocked slightly to the side, careful of the coffee between his feet and bumped his shoulder into Jackson. He couldn't help but grin when Jackson smiled at him.

"The sooner we get back the sooner we can get your lacrosse skills up to par," Jackson told him. "If you're going to be first line then you need to bring your game up."

Stiles stuck his tongue out at Jackson. The blonde rolled his eyes and stood up after he bumped their shoulders together again. Stiles didn't mind. He wanted Jackson to know that he was okay with the whole bro hugging moments now that the air had been cleared between them. He wanted Jackson to be comfortable with everyone. Well, he'd prefer if Jackson was less comfortable with Scott. Stiles never went into the hot tub after Lydia had given him as much of the story as she knew.

Soft thumps above and behind him on the stairs warned that Derek was coming down. The werewolf stepped carefully around him, lifting both of their suitcases so they wouldn't bump into him as he walked past. Stiles loved to watch Derek walk; when he glanced up from Derek's ass he noticed that Derek was watching him. He buried his face in his arms again so that no one would see the color in his cheeks.

"I'm not carrying your suitcase out to the van, Stiles," Derek said. "I'm giving you a helping hand not a hand out."

Derek laughed when Stiles groaned into his arms. Stiles hated it when people used his own words against him. Words were his thing, other people weren't supposed to use them like that. It was unfair. He couldn't growl or scowl or wolf hug people into submission... well except for Derek.

Stiles felt the stairs move slightly again and he turned his head to look into Scott's warm brown eyes. His best friend grinned at him, but Stiles just turned his face back into his arms and leaned away against the opposite wall. Scott scooted over closer and poked him in the ribs trying to tickle him. Pain shot out through his side and he let out an involuntarily gasp.

"Oh, dude, I'm sorry. I forgot," Scott said, "You alright?" Stiles ignored him. "Come on don't be like that. You're dad told me that the weekend after we get back he's going to take us to a ball game. There's going to be ballpark hotdogs, flat soda, and many pretzels just waiting for you to eat them!"

Stiles turned his face to look at Scott. After a few seconds he glanced at Allison in the kitchen. Scott followed his gaze, then leaned closer to Stiles and whispered to him, "No girls allowed okay?"

Stiles grinned and opened his mouth, then remembered he wasn't talking to anyone and closed it again. Scott threw his hands up in the air and shook his head. He rejoined the others as they started to carry packed up bags and suitcases out to the van.

He put his head back down on his arms and stared longingly at the coffee between his feet. He licked his lips as he stared into the deliciousness. A perfectly manicured hand reached down and stole the cup just as he was about to reach for it. He lifted his eyes slightly and saw an expensive looking shoe tapping impatiently on the carpet.

"Stiles," Lydia said, "you're being ridiculous."

Stiles raised his head and pouted at her, turned on the puppy dog eyes. She regarded him with no empathy. He let his lip tremble slightly. She narrowed her eyes. He sniffled sadly. She shifted the coffee she had stolen from him to her left hand. He almost thought he had won when she lunged forward and snagged his ear in her hand, and yanked until he stumbled forward off the stairs and got to his feet. In that moment he realized that Lydia was unstoppable. He had reduced Derek to a quivering mess with less effort. Lydia was made of sterner stuff.

"I'm only going to say this once," Lydia told him as she let go of his ear. She looked to the door and pointed to the van where everyone was gathered putting things in the back. "If you stay here, and we all leave, you're never going to get to touch Derek again."

Lydia was a terrible person, but he was out the door before she had even finished laughing.

"Hey wait for me everybody," he called out as he grabbed his suitcase from next to the door, almost tripping over it as he rushed to the van.