Chapter Text
Scott was his best friend, true. But he hadn’t been the first to hold the title. That honor (maybe, burden) belonged to Theo Raeken. The boy he learned to play baseball with, had his first sleepover with. The boy who’d pinky promised to be his best friend forever and then left without a word. Not a single call. Not a letter, postcard, smoke signal. Not even a nice fruit basket.
Stiles had been destroyed. He’d convinced himself that Theo left because of him. And yeah, from the perspective of seventeen, he got that Theo hadn’t had a choice. But in eight years, Stiles had lived in the same house. His landline had been the same. A number that Theo had memorized, and even if he’d forgotten it, that could still be found in the phonebook. He’d had ample opportunity to reach out, and he didn’t. Now he was back, and honestly, Stiles wished he’d just stayed away.
***
“You don’t remember me, do you?” The question was directed at Scott, Theo’s eyes trained on the alpha. If he’d taken half a glance at Stiles, it wouldn’t have been a question, because he’d recognized him instantly, and he was dumbstruck. Yes, obviously, he’d changed. He was taller and more filled out, his face less round. But certain things about Theo were engraved in his memory. His cupid bow lips. His adorably distinctive nose. His striking hazel eyes.
“You know him?” Malia’s question was directed at Scott, too, since Theo had given no indication of knowing Stiles as well. That, Stiles decided, was probably better, because he wasn’t sure he could speak.
“They used to.” Oh, so he was acknowledging Stiles’ existence now. How thoughtful. “Trust me, I never thought I’d see you guys again.” Well, he sure hadn’t made attempts to prevent that. “A couple of months ago, I heard of an Alpha in Beacon Hills. When I found his name was Scott McCall, I just couldn’t believe it.”
Right. Of course, he wasn’t acknowledging Stiles. He was back for Scott, and Stiles was just the human who came along with him. Buy one true alpha, get a useless human free. Theo probably hadn’t even known that Stiles would be part of the pack.
“I came back to Beacon Hills. Back home with my family. Because I wanna be part of your pack.”
Stiles needed to be literally anywhere but here. He could not deal with this.
“Lydia’s waiting for us,” he said abruptly, and Scott shot him a confused look. He’d probably expected Stiles to run into Theo’s fucking arms or something. Well, that wasn’t happening. He’d stopped pining for his ex-best friend years ago. When he left, Scott had filled the empty holes left in his heart. Most of them. He didn’t need Theo.
For his part, Theo didn’t seem offended. He just waved a dismissive hand and grinned, showing perfect teeth. “Yeah, you guys were doing something. I should be getting home anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The rest of the pack started toward the school, but Theo was walking their way, and Stiles found himself rooted to the spot. The result was that Stiles was left undefended. Theo halted next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Stiles’ pulse spiked, and he could feel the warmth through both layers he wore. Theo whispered in his ear, squeezed his shoulder, and kept walking.
“It’s really good to see you, Mischief.”