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“You have a cute concentrating face.”
Stiles paused, glancing up at Erica. She offered a grin and sat up slightly, reaching out to poke gently between his eyebrows.
“You get all scrunched up,” she smiled, “And you stick your tongue out slightly. It’s cute.”
Stiles tipped his head to kiss her fingertip and she grinned, settling back again. It was Sunday and there was a pile of homework waiting on Stiles’ desk back home, but the weekend had been incredibly warm for early spring and he couldn’t pass up an evening with his girlfriend and boyfriend. The three of them were at Erica’s, out front on the swinging bench on the porch. It was dark, but the porch lights were on, and it was warm, a gentle breeze helping to swing the bench slowly and soothingly.
Isaac was squeezed in on the end, knees curled up on the bench as he read quietly, and Erica had her feet in Stiles’ lap as he painted her toenails. She was wearing her Batman pajamas with the tiny shorts – the same pajamas she’d been wearing when they first kissed – and one of Isaac’s plaid shirts. Her curls had dropped during the day, gently framing her face, and Stiles couldn’t help but gaze at her for a moment with a fond smile on his face.
Erica grinned back and flexed her toes slightly on his thigh. “What color did you choose?”
Stiles squinted at the bottle. “Midnight Kiss?” He carefully painted another nail; it was a dark, shimmering blue with a hint of sparkle. “I thought it’d match the dress you’re wearing to the Spring Dance.”
Erica smiled. “That’s cute.”
“Apparently I’m very cute tonight.”
“You’re always cute.”
Stiles smiled and finished her nails. He capped the bottle and set it aside, and leaned back, dropping one foot to rock the swing slowly back and forth. Erica kept her feet in his lap as her toenails dried. It was quiet, but it was nice. Peaceful.
After a moment, Isaac switched to holding his book with one hand and reached out, gently stroking the back of Stiles’ neck, and he sighed, closing his eyes as he just enjoyed the moment.
The three of them hadn’t been together that long. Erica and Isaac had been having a no-strings arrangement since the beginning of junior year, but it wasn’t until they’d invited Stiles in that it became something more serious. It had been Erica who had initiated after months of circling around each other, flirting but never daring to take it a step further. On one of their study dates at Isaac’s, she’d suddenly cupped Stiles’ face and kissed him, and then Isaac was kissing him too, and then there’d been a date, and another one, and then a talk and that was that. Stiles officially had a boyfriend and girlfriend.
They hadn’t had sex yet. Stiles wasn’t a virgin by any standards, but this was new, and they’d decided to take it slow. Their lives were busy and often scary, and their relationship was something soft and nice and good in the midst of that. None of them wanted to go too fast and ruin it.
And Stiles…Stiles was terrified of ruining it. Terrified that this was just a fleeting thing because good things never lasted for him. Things were quiet now – besides the ups and downs of senior year – but every time he kissed one of them, there was this shadow in the back of his mind telling him that it could be the last time he kissed them.
One of the lights inside went out and Erica smiled, flexing her toes again but this time high up enough to make Stiles jump slightly.
“Jenna’s gone to bed…and my parents won’t be back until tomorrow.”
Stiles stroked his thumb over the arch of her foot and she bit her lip, tipping her head back slightly.
“I have homework.”
“Come inside?” She asked, then raised an eyebrow. “I can ask if you want to come in for coffee if you want.”
Stiles almost smiled. He glanced towards the house. “Your sister’s home.”
“It’s Jenna. College has not made her any less boring. She’ll be asleep by ten.”
“Maybe not tonight.”
Erica tilted her head, opened her mouth to say something, but Isaac set aside his book and gently gripped Stiles’ chin, turning his face towards him. He pressed a slow, soft kiss to his lips.
“See you at school tomorrow.” He murmured.
Stiles kissed him again, then leaned over to kiss Erica. “See you tomorrow, babe.”
She smiled and said softly in his ear, “Love you.”
Stiles forced a smile back and got to his feet. He didn’t let himself look back as he walked to his jeep.
-:-
Isaac was an incredibly good kisser. He knew when to add a little more pressure, when to open his mouth to deepen the kiss. He knew when to tease and when to use tongue, and he had the timing perfect for sliding a hand into Stiles’ hair, or to roll on top of him and slot their bodies together.
Stiles liked Isaac taking control, but he loved it when Isaac tipped his head back to expose more of his throat to Stiles’ mouth. It never failed to send a thrill through Stiles when he lay back and let Stiles guide the kiss, moaning when Stiles tugged at his curly hair or nipped at the hinge of his jaw.
All in all, kissing Isaac was fucking amazing.
So Stiles was kind of on cloud nine from making out when Isaac pulled back mid kiss and murmured against his cheek, “You know you’re not gonna lose us, right?”
He blinked, licking his lower lip. After a moment, he withdrew his hands from Isaac’s back pockets, stroking up his back. “Do I?”
Isaac pulled back, blue eyes gazing down at him with an intensity that made Stiles’ breath catch. “Stiles, you’re not gonna lose us.”
Stiles thought of Allison, chest aching. He thought of Jackson, and Boyd’s sister, and Derek and Braeden. He thought of the people they’d lost and the people who had left, and he swallowed, dropping his head back against the blanket. The picnic food was forgotten and thankfully no one else had thought to enjoy the sunshine by the river bank, so rolling around on the blanket had quickly become the priority.
“You can’t promise that. Our lives are dangerous.”
Isaac frowned. “Things have been quietly lately.”
“Yeah, but that never lasts.” Stiles swallowed. “What if next time we can’t beat it? What if next time I lose you, or Erica?”
Isaac was quiet for few beats. Finally, he stroked his thumb along Stiles’ collarbone and let their foreheads rest together. “You’re right. I can’t promise that. But…we love you, Stiles. Like, a whole lot. And yeah, maybe someday you might lose one or both of us, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give this, us, a chance, because maybe this will last and we can be happy. You deserve happiness.”
Stiles bit the inside of his lip, unsure how to respond, but Isaac just gave him an understanding smile and pulled back, grabbing the tub of strawberries.
-:-
“So…what do you think?”
Erica carried on dancing with Isaac, hips swaying with his mouth brushing against her neck, but she looked at Stiles, pursing her lips as she considered.
“I think it’s a dance.”
Stiles snorted. He’d been to enough dances now to realize nothing much changed except for the decorations. But it was good being here with Erica and Isaac, dancing and laughing and having fun. Erica looked beautiful in her short blue dress and her curls pinned up, expression bright and carefree. He and Isaac were wearing matching suits, but Isaac pulled off the look a lot better, and it never failed to warm Stiles’ heart when he saw Isaac’s huge, genuine grin or heard his laughter. He couldn’t believe that he got to have this, got to be happy with two amazing people, but…he did.
Erica smiled and grabbed his hand, tugging him against her to dance with them.
Eventually, they cleared out with the rest of the people who had stuck around to slow dance, piling into Stiles’ jeep. Erica kicked off her heels and Isaac loosened his tie, and Stiles didn’t need to ask; he just drove, parking outside Erica’s. The two of them walked her up to the porch where she paused.
“You know…my parents and Jenna are out for the night.”
Isaac pressed a hand to Stiles’ back, kissing just beneath his ear. “Wanna come in with coffee?”
Stiles waited for the fear to come, for the niggling worry that he couldn’t have this, that this would only hurt him more eventually. Instead, he felt warm and happy and this time, he grinned and took both of their hands, letting them lead him into the house.