Chapter Text
Stiles Stilinski is bored, bored out of his mind. He’s home from college for the summer. He should be at home playing video games, hanging out with his best friend Scott McCall, or spending time at the beach with his friends. None of those things were on the table though. No, instead Stiles had been an idiot and mentioned something about a summer job to his dad.
When Stiles did this, what he had in mind was helping Scott out at the animal clinic he worked at. Spend time with his best friend and get paid. Two birds with one stone. But Stiles’ dad had taken it upon himself to get Stiles a job at the bookstore in town. Why?
Because Stiles just so happened to spend most of his down times between the pages of books.
Now his father meant well, Stiles knew that, but Stiles didn’t want to work there. He wished the owner had told his dad he didn’t have room for Stiles but a kid had quit, leaving an opening for Stiles to fill.
So that’s how Stiles found himself sitting behind the checkout counter, bored out of his mind, late on a Thursday afternoon. The place was dead, completely empty. The one and only customer that had come in was a little old lady and that had been three hours ago and she hadn’t even bought anything.
The bell over the door had announced her entry and Stiles greeted her with an award winning smile, offered her his assistance and stood up from his chair, eager to get up and actually do something. But before he could even step out from behind the counter, the lady waved him off, telling him she didn’t need any help.
His face fell and he slumped back into his seat, propping his elbow on the counter as he rested his cheek in his hand with a pout. The lady shuffled around in the cooking section and grumbled about the books being too big for her liking. Stiles offered to show her some smaller books but she shook her head and said that smaller books wouldn’t offer as many recipes. Stiles gaped at her incredulously. Why not get a bigger book then?
After the lady left, Stiles had two agonizing hours left of his shift before he’d be free to go. He was desperate for a way to entertain himself. So he pulled out his phone and started playing Tetris. After that had lost his interest he started reading his book, being careful to look up and watch for customers. Mission: Entertain Stiles was a success. For now at least.
An hour later Stiles’ book was completely forgotten and flipped over on his lap. He had his feet propped up on the counter as he leaned back in the chair. He was timing himself to see how long he could keep a pencil balanced on his upper lip. His current record was 15 seconds. Balancing said pencil required stillness and one thing Stiles wasn’t very good at was staying still.
Unbeknownst to Stiles, someone had entered the store about ten minutes ago and was currently perusing the books in the back. After a few minutes, they headed towards the front of the store with a few books in hand. Completely oblivious, Stiles continued with his pencil balancing act and didn’t register someone talking to him. Fed up with being ignored, the guy slammed his books down on the counter to catch Stiles’ attention.
“ Holy mother of-“
Caught completely off guard, Stiles flailed as he fell into a heap on the floor, hitting his head on the counter. Stiles groaned and brought a hand up to his throbbing temple, slowly standing as he tried to reorient himself.
“ Look, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention but was that really necessary?"
He rubbed his head a bit more before looking up to glare at the guy that had scared the living hell out of him. Stiles figured he would apologize for scaring him, thus resulting in the huge bump that was inevitably forming on his head, but no, he was just scowling at Stiles as if Stiles had done something wrong.
Stiles gaped at him soundlessly for a few minutes, unsure if he should be angry or scared, before deciding on the former. He huffed in irritation and raised his eyebrow at the man in question, demanding an explanation.
“ What’s your problem, huh?”
Stiles didn’t think it was possible but the mystery man’s scowl deepened. He could feel the hate rolling off of him in waves.
The guy took a step closer to the counter and pushed the books forward with a finger.
“ Why don’t you stop clowning around and do your job,” he snarled.
Stiles flinched away in shock.
Not one to stand down, Stiles scowled right back, though his was nowhere near as intimidating.
“ Excuse me? I was doing my job until you decided to come along and try and give me a heart attack!”
Stiles knew he was behaving unprofessionally but he couldn’t help it. All the guy had to do was politely ask to be rung up and then he could’ve gone on his merry way so that Stiles could go back to blissfully doing nothing the rest of…Oh. Okay. So maybe the guy had a point but that didn’t give him the right to just march up and start barking orders.
Stiles gave a relenting sigh and opened his mouth, ready to apologize, but then the guy quirked an eyebrow at him.
“ Really? You define what you were doing as working? I define it as laziness.”
And with that, Stiles’ mouth snapped shut with a click.
“ Nobody was-No, you know what? I don’t owe you an explanation. Just-“
Stiles snatched the books the guy had slammed onto the counter, rang them up and threw them haphazardly into a bag.
“ -Here. That’ll be fifteen dollars.”
Stiles looked back at him expectantly, their eyes locking in a silent battle, before the guy slammed a twenty dollar bill on the counter, grabbed his bag, and turned to leave.
“ Wha-?” Stiles spluttered as he stared at the bill before calling after him. “Hey! This is too-“
“ Keep the change.”
The response was growled back over his shoulder as he left.
Now that he was gone, Stiles let out an incoherent string of words as he fell back into his chair. A few minutes later, the bell over the door announced someone’s arrival. Stiles groaned, assuming it was the guy again.
“ What do you want now?!” he snapped.
Stiles looked up with a prepared glare only to be met with a kicked puppy look from his best friend.
“ Scott?”
Scott nodded, looking at Stiles apprehensively. Stiles realized what he had said and grinned apologetically at his friend. Taking note of the time, Stiles started packing up his stuff so he could, finally, clock out.
“ Sorry, buddy. There was this guy that came into the store just before you and he just got under my skin-I mean I don’t think the guy could be any more arrogant –anyways, what are you doing here?”
His friend snorted in amusement before answering his question.
“ Way to bite my head off there. And you’re off now right? I figured I’d pick you up; we can grab some food and hang out for a bit.”
Stiles hadn’t realized how hungry he was, but at the mention of food his stomach let out a loud growl as if he hadn’t eaten in days instead of just a few hours. Stiles spun around and stared at his friend with admiration in his eyes.
“ Food? Curly fries?”
Scott nodded with a smug look on his face.
“ Of course! What else? I know you too well.”
Stiles chuckled as he walked over, threw his arms around his best friend’s shoulders and nuzzled his cheek.
“ Oh Scottie, you beautiful, beautiful boy. You’ve restored my hope for humanity.”
Stiles was probably overreacting but it felt like ages since just he and Scott had hung out without Scott’s girlfriend in tow. He loved the girl, he did. She was a perfect match for Scott. And she also happened to be one of Stiles’ closest friends. But he also really missed his best friend. Plus, after his encounter with the scowling customer, he was looking forward to associating with someone who didn’t hate his entire being.
Stiles stepped away and gripped Scott by the shoulders as he herded him to the door.
“ This’ll be great! Just me and you, like old times!”
“ Uh, Stiles, abou-“
But before Scott could finish his sentence, the bell over the store announced yet another arrival in the form of Allison Argent, Scott’s girlfriend. She greeted them both with a sweet smile as she made her way over to them.
“ Hey Stiles, ready to go?”
He stared at her blankly, not understanding her question.
“ Uh, go?”
A confused expression took over her face before she threw a disapproving look Scott’s way.
“ You didn’t tell him? Really, Scott? You’re hopeless,” she chastised fondly.
She rolled her eyes at him before looping her arms through Scott and Stiles’, leading them out of the bookstore and making her way over to what Stiles recognized as her car.
“ Scott wanted to grab some food and I thought it’d be nice to invite you along. I think Isaac is gonna join us as well. I asked Jackson and Lydia but neither were answering their phones so it’s not hard to guess what they’re up to.”
She waggled her eyebrows at Stiles and he forced a laugh even though he didn’t find it remotely funny. Yes, he was over his crush/obsession with Lydia Martin, but that didn’t mean he wanted to picture her and her boyfriend going at it.
The trio slid into the car and Allison pulled away from the curb, heading towards the diner they frequented.
So much for guy time with Scott…
At least Isaac would be there so Stiles wouldn’t feel like the annoying third wheel like he usually did. And he’d be getting his curly fry fix, so it’s not like it would be a total bust.
Don’t get Stiles wrong, he was completely happy for his best friend. He wasn’t bitter about him spending most of his time with Allison, and he wasn’t jealous, either. Well he was, but he wasn’t jealous of her. He was jealous of their relationship itself.
They rode in silence; Scott and Allison making goo-goo eyes at each other the entire time (“Come on! Watch the road!”) before arriving at the diner. Stiles got out of the car with a huff and marched inside, his two lovesick friends giggling behind him.
He headed for their usual booth in the back corner where their friend Isaac Lahey was already waiting. When the curly-headed blond saw them, he waved his hand lazily in greeting as Stiles grinned and slipped into the booth next to him while Scott and Allison sat across from the two boys.
“ Hey guys, I ordered us all cokes and two large plates of curly fries. That alright?”
Stiles nodded eagerly as Scott mumbled a thank you, not taking his eyes off of Allison.
Isaac rolled his eyes and shared a look with Stiles before miming throwing up. This went completely unnoticed by the infatuated couple, so when Stiles started laughing they both shared a confused frown. They opened their mouths to ask but with perfect timing their waitress showed up with their tray of drinks and food, successfully distracting them.
Stiles’ eyes gleamed at the golden-brown deliciousness before him and let out a content moan as he popped one into his mouth.
“ Man, I swear these just get better and better each time we come here.”
Except the boy was talking around a mouthful of fry so it just came out as gibberish, but he said the same thing every time so his friends just nodded in understanding.
Scott and Stiles started talking about the newest video game they were obsessing over while Isaac and Allison started talking about the grades they had ended the semester with. Stiles felt perfectly content. He was having fun with his friends and for a change he wasn’t vying for Scott’s attention. Well, at least until Allison tapped him on the shoulder and offered to feed him a fry, then Scott fed her a fry and so the pattern continued.
They are nauseatingly cute… Stiles thought fondly.
Though, the act did get old, and a tad annoying, fast. Stiles gritted his teeth to prevent himself from saying anything rude, but thankfully Isaac took matters into his own hands and threw a fry at the both of them.
“ Jesus! Go get a room! Why invite us along if you’re just gonna shoot ‘sex eyes’ at each other the entire time?”
The words sounded harsh but his tone was light, so Scott and Allison knew he wasn’t really mad at them. Still, they both flushed in embarrassment before mumbling an apology. His irritation evaporated and Stiles smirked in amusement as he threw another fry at the two.
“ Go on, get out of here. We can entertain ourselves without you two. Go have fun.”
Allison chewed at her lip for a moment, debating silently before glancing at Scott who looked ready to grab her and run. She giggled shyly before smiling apologetically at Stiles.
“ Sorry Stiles, do you want a ride back to your Jeep? Isaac, you need a ride home?”
They both shook their heads and said, “Nah, I’ll walk,” at the same time, waving her off to go have fun with Scott. Allison hugged and kissed them both on the cheek before making her way back to Scott’s side and leaving the diner. They ate the rest of their food quietly before Isaac decided to break the silence.
“ So, today was your first day at the bookstore, right? How was it?”
Stiles had temporarily forgotten about the rude transaction at work, but now that he was reminded of it, a scowl mirroring the man’s spread across his face. Isaac grimaced at the expression and laid his hand on Stiles’ shoulder.
“ Ouch. That bad, huh?”
Stiles sucked down the rest of his coke, laid down his share of the bill, and slid out of the booth with Isaac in tow before answering.
“ It wasn’t completely terrible I guess… Just this guy came in and he was just a pompous ass. Arrogant and demanding and-and…”
Stiles wasn’t sure what else there was to say about the man. He shook his head in irritation before nodding in the direction of his work.
“ Forget it. Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”
Isaac said a quiet thanks and they walked silently to where Stiles had parked his jeep that morning. Well, it would’ve been silent if it weren’t for the fact that Stiles started ranting about the mystery guy again, gesturing wildly with his arms.
“ And his scowl! You should’ve seen it. If scowling was an art he’d be the fucking master! And he was acting like he owned the damn place! Marching in and barking orders… accusing me of not doing my job…”
Stiles started grumbling under his breath, not caring if Isaac could hear him or not at this point. Isaac shook his head in amusement; it was entertaining to see Stiles get so riled up. They rounded the corner and made their way over to Stiles’ jeep.
“ Well… were you?”
Stiles stopped muttering under his breath and looked up to glare at the tall blond before unlocking the door.
“ That’s beside the point! No one had come in before him for hours! Ugh! Dammit Isaac! I thought I said to forget it?”
Isaac nodded in agreement as Stiles slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and then leaned over to unlock Isaac’s door.
“ Yea, you did. But then you brought it up again so, as a good friend, I listened.”
Isaac sent a cheeky smile Stiles’ way, sliding into the jeep as well. Stiles huffed in annoyance as he navigated his jeep onto the main road.
“ Here I am, giving you a ride home out of the goodness of my heart, and what do I get in return? You teasing me. That’s a helluva thank you, Isaac.”
The tall blond clapped Stiles on the shoulder, not feeling an ounce of guilt.
“ Ah, but that’s why you love me, is it not? Anyways, the guy was probably just having an off day. You probably were too. So, if he comes in again, just apologize. You never know, it might’ve been just a onetime thing. Odds are, you’ll never see him again and you can work there peacefully from now on.”
Stiles nodded absentmindedly as he drove through town and towards Isaac’s house.
Yea, that makes sense. Still… I kind of would like to know who he is… A name would be helpful… I wonder if he just moved here… I’m sure I’ve never seen him before… I’d remember someone that attractive…
The amused chuckles coming from the boy next to him brought him out of his internal reverie.
“ So he’s attractive, is he? No wonder you can’t stop talking about him,” Isaac commented.
Stiles gaped over at Isaac, unsure of how he knew exactly what he was thinking, before looking back at the road and seeing he was about to run a red light. He slammed down on the breaks and brought them to screeching halt, making them both lurch forward in their seats.
“ Dammit Stiles! Are you trying to kill us?” Isaac exclaimed at the same time that Stiles whispered incredulously, “Why didn’t you tell me you were psychic?!”
The curly blond just rolled his eyes and gestured at the road.
“ The lights green now and why the hell would you think I’m psychic?”
“ You knew exactly what I was thinking,” he hissed. “Only psychics can do that!”
Stiles was jumping up and down in his seat, as if his friend being psychic was the most exciting news ever. Isaac just rolled his eyes and turned his head to look out the window.
“ Stiles, sorry to disappoint you, but I am not psychic. You were mumbling to yourself and the only part I heard was you saying how sexy the guy was.”
Stiles spluttered incoherently as he pulled up to the curb of Isaac’s house.
“ I didn’t say he was sexy!” he hissed. “I said he was attractive, there’s a difference. Besides, now that I think about it he really wasn’t that good looking.”
Talk about an understatement! The guy was gorgeous and Stiles knew it, he just didn’t think Isaac needed to know just how tall, dark and handsome the guy had been. Stiles just shrugged nonchalantly, maintaining a steady gaze with the blond. Isaac snorted in disbelief as he slid out of the jeep, shutting the door and leaning his head into the open window.
“ You say that, but the blush across your face is saying something completely different.”
Isaac smirked at Stiles as he pushed away from the jeep and made his way up his front walk.
Knowing he was blushing made Stiles blush even more and yell after the blond.
“ Jerk!”
Isaac just threw his hand up in a wave, “Thanks for the ride. Love you too!” before making his way inside. Stiles shook his head in amusement, smiling fondly before heading home.
~*~
It was getting close to ten when Stiles pulled his jeep into the driveway. The house was clouded in darkness and empty despite the hour. He didn’t think anything of it, far too used to his dad working late into the night for it to be unusual.
He made a detour into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before taking the stairs two at a time up to his room and powering up his Xbox. He was hoping to play with Scott; he wasn’t online- probably still with Allison- but Danny and Boyd were, so he started a game with them, losing touch with reality for a few hours.
Hearing his dad come home from work distracted Stiles from the task at hand. He glanced away from the screen to check the time and was surprised to see that it was a quarter past midnight. An indignant shout come through his headset.
“ Dammit Stiles! Why weren't you watching my back?!”
The shout brought his attention back to the screen and he saw that he had left Boyd undefended.
“ Sorry boys, my dad’s home. I’m gonna talk to him for a bit then catch some Z’s,” he explained before signing off and making his way downstairs.
Stiles poked his head into the living room before making his way to the dining room, finding his father sitting at the kitchen table. The sheriff was biting into a burger from some fast food joint as he greeted his son.
“ Hey kiddo.”
“ Hey Dad, please tell me that’s a veggie burger.”
His dad took another bite, his eyes crinkling with pleasure as he shook his head.
“ Sorry son, a sheriff shouldn’t lie. It’s a delicious cheeseburger with everything on it.”
Stiles groaned, fixing his dad with a disappointed frown before stepping into the kitchen.
“ It’s a heart attack on a bun. Come on Dad, we’ve talked about this. You need to start eating healthier.”
Unperturbed, the sheriff continued eating his burger.
“ You talked, I listened. There’s nothing wrong with my diet or my health; I’m fine son.”
Stiles bustled around in the kitchen some more before placing a small salad in front of his father.
“ Eat,” he said in a stern voice.
His dad frowned at the salad as if it had personally insulted him. With a relenting sigh he took a bite of the salad and quirked an eyebrow at his son.
“ Happy?” he asked around a mouthful of lettuce.
“ Ecstatic! I’m gonna hop in the shower.”
He left the room and bounded back up the stairs and into the bathroom, a satisfied grin on his face.
Once he was finished with his shower, Stiles made his way to his room and changed for bed. He then ambled down the hall towards his father’s room. He found him sitting on his bed, looking over his latest case. Stiles cleared his throat to get his dad’s attention.
“ Hey, I’m gonna get some sleep. ‘Night Dad.”
The sheriff looked up and took off his reading glasses, holding his hand up at Stiles.
“ Hey, wait a minute. I forgot to ask, how was your first day?”
“ It was-“ Stiles was ready to complain, tell his dad the truth about how crappy it was and how he didn’t want to work there, but, seeing the hopeful expression on his dad’s face, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. “-Good, dad. It’ll take some getting used to, but it was...good.”
His dad gave him a warm smile, pleased to hear that.
“ That’s great son, I knew you’d love it. Alright, good night. Get some sleep.”
Stiles nodded, softly hitting his fist against the wall as he pushed himself out of the doorway.
“ Yea… Thanks for the job, Dad. Good night.”