(everyone)

Scott is sitting on the floor--no, wait, now he's lying on the floor. Somehow he manages to look like he's melting down into the patchwork rug, a grumpy expression on his face.

He rarely has a grumpy expression on his face.

There's a beat-up notebook and three pencils near him, and four more pens in various areas of the room, as if they've been tossed. Because they have.

BD is very excited to see Scott. He lets himself be held for a few moments before he ends up scrabbling up and down Scott’s arms and shoulders anyway, just due to sheer glee. His happy tippy-taps remain gentle, at least.

Stiles nods as he carries the clearly-terrified animal closer in both hands. He has its legs held, gently, by its ankles, and directs Scott’s attention to one of its feet. “His foot is hurt, see? He was hiding in the atrium of the temple. I thought if I left him there, he was just gonna get eaten by one of the predators, that didn’t feel right.”

With both arms occupied, Stiles can only gesture to the Mantis with his chin. “Help me take care of him and I’ll tell you what BD and I found in the temple, okay?”

This is all So Much. After so long when Scott and Liam were on their own, trying to find anyone or anything and now it’s been like a day and here they are with so much new information!

So there’s a delay before Scott nods repeatedly, unsure how to split his focus between the poor injured creature and his old friend, still tapping away happily. He waves vaguely at Liam, who snorts but does head back into the ship.

[txt: scott mccall] omg youre good dw about it [txt: scott mccall] ill see you on saturday ok?

Stiles’ attention seems to drift away from texting, there, but at least he doesn’t actually seem mad or like he’s judging Scott. He’s just easily distracted.

Time ticks on, and eventually the time for the company picnic that Stiles has invited Scott to rolls around. The house that the address leads Scott to is a brownstone in the heart of Brooklyn, and parking nearby is abysmal, which might explain why Stiles takes the subway everywhere and why he has a dog small enough to fit in a backpack. The house itself, however, is clean and nicely appointed, and smells like a variety of different barbeque staples.

The front door is unlocked, festooned with balloons to indicate the right one for the party. Scott is not greeted by any humans, but he is greeted by two little dogs running up to the opening door, tails wagging at high velocity. One of them, he might recognize as Buddy Stilinski, from the pictures. The other is a little white dog with an underbite. They both look like they are in desperate need of pets.

Straight across the open concept first floor is the kitchenette and the door to the back yard. Stiles is standing at the stove, cooking something, while there is a woman at the island behind him, fussing with looks like hors d’oeuvres. Stiles looks up and beams at Scott, calling out a, “Heyyyy, Scott, glad you could make it!”

The woman standing behind Stiles leans over to him and whispers sotto-voce, “Is that the hot rookie?!”

Stiles’ response is mostly to threaten his friend with his spatula.

Thanks to Scott’s busy schedule, he doesn’t have a ton of time leftover to wonder if Stiles is regretting all his life choices or not, so that’s nice. Of course, also thanks to that busyness, he almost misses that the day of the party arrives when it does. 

Almost. He luckily thought to set an alarm for the day before, which gives him enough time to swing by his favorite paletería and fill a cooler with paletas in a variety of flavors. That seems like a good choice for a sunny barbecue thing, right?

Anyway. When he gets to Stiles’s place, he’s a little nervous to just let himself in, but the sound of barking helps move him along. Instantly, he’s kneeling to greet two small dogs, making sure they stay out of the cooler but giving them tons of attention in pats and friendly words. 

He looks up when he hears his new friend’s voice, opens his mouth just to shut it again. Instead, he takes the time to push himself back up to standing, looking down to hide the way he’s slightly warm in the face by the woman’s not-quiet-enough words. Also the weird smile he has from it, amused and touched and kind of embarrassed all at once.

Clearing his throat, he heads on over. “Hey! Uh. You got a place we can put these so they don’t melt?” 

[txt: hubby] i didnt do it on purpose [txt: hubby] you know how my brain is [txt: hubby] mmm i could maybe [txt: hubby] in theory what kind of treat would you want

[txt: hubby] what can i say [txt: hubby] i pull out all the stops when it comes to keeping my hot husband [txt: hubby] hows work today?  [txt: hubby] me and the pups havent had a call in like an hour [txt: hubby] time is d r a g g i n g

[txt: hubby] you cant divorce me [txt: hubby] then fig and fett would go with me [txt: hubby] who wou ld take care of them once i died of a broken heart?

[ @goingtosave​ ]

[txt: hubby <3] look at this thing i found on my photo roll [txt: hubby <3] i think i must have forgotten to show you?

[txt: scoots] okay well dont think about threesomes while you do it ok

[txt: scoots] what kind of NOT WITHOUT YOU dont you understand you noodle [txt: scoots] it means NOT WITHOUT YOU [txt: scoots] idk so I guess just??? [txt: scoots] dont think about it until youre done at work

Because that’s how this is going to work.

Scott is tempted, just for a moment, to throw his phone across the room. His break is actually done...two minutes ago, whoops, so his brilliant choice of farewell is:

[txt: scoots] maybe start with the thing where she wants a thruple?? [txt: scoots] what? no im p sure theres not actually this place is so boogie there’s no way it doesnt have CO detectors??

Well, now Scott’s lifelong bff is going to start doing a little bit of a different kind of panicking, now. What if he’s being poisoned to death and this is all a fever dream!?

[text: stiles] oh ok i guess that makes sense just be careful k??

With that surprising bit of normalcy from Scott, it’s time to go right back to stress and terror! What fun!

[txt: scoots] maybe you should just text her and ask?! [txt: scoots] at this point i have no idea whats going on anymore?? [txt: scoots] maybe im dreaming [txt: scoots] or theres a carbon monoxide leak???

[text: stiles] r u crazy i am not texting lydia to ask about knocking her up!!!

After a moment, another text gets sent, and Stiles can probably hear the switch from panicked life long bff to concerned but calm leader just from words alone.

[txt: scoots] mostly nowhere!! [txt: scoots] i offered to buy her coffee and she said she would marry me except im desperately in love with you (true) so she has to have us both [txt: scoots] and my brain exploded [txt: scoots] and here we are?!

[text: stiles] ok tjhat really sounds like a joke thoguh!!!

Scott is trying to grasp at all possible straws, here. If he had the time to sit and think about it, he definitely wouldn’t be very surprised at the Stiles part of all of this--obviously he’d jump at the chance to, uh. Do any number of things...with both Scott and Lydia. It’s Stiles. 

But he can’t really think on any of that because his brain is still melting in panic over the whole knocking Lydia up thing. 

[txt: scoots] I KNOW ITS WEIRD [txt: scoots] again NO i am NOT [txt: scoots] LYDIA BROUGHT THIS UP UNPROMPTED [txt: scoots] what was i supposed to do not tell you? [txt: scoots] i tell you EVERYTHING [txt: scoots] public is a strong word for it her office is like an actual room

@goingtosave​ started following you 

“I like to act like I really don’t care, but I do.”

“I know you do. I’ve always known you cared.”

This lovely moment of sincerity is slightly ruined with the sheepish wince that crosses Scott’s face. 

[txt: scoots] SHE BROUGHT IT UP FIRST OK???? [txt: scoots] and like real talk i had not thought about it before [txt: scoots] but i cannot stop thinking about watching you work her over [txt: scoots] i can never leave this office OHmygod [txt: scoots] she also said she doesnt wanna lose either of us and i told her [txt: scoots] SHE knows ive been in love with you as long as ive been in love with her [txt: scoots] so nothing happens without you [txt: scoots] but FUCK i am SO HARD