cr: deathcabjenny via tumblr

When you'd left to visit a newly opened diner with your best friend, Stiles, it wasn't raining. In fact, the sky was such a clear amber colour that you were convinced you'd be able to see the stars when evening broke. By the time you were leaving the diner, however, you were shown to have made a grave assumption.

"It's pouring, Stiles," you said dryly, peering out the diner windows. Stiles was beside you, zipping up the front of his hoodie.

"Well done for stating the obvious, Y/N," Stiles teased, causing you to groan in frustration. You hadn't had the sense to bring a hoodie; instead you were wearing a thin shirt and a pair of jeans. One look outside at the sheets of rain cascading from the sky was enough to make you regret your decision completely.

"We'll need to run," you murmured, wishing one of you had had the sense to bring a car.

Stiles snorted, shaking his head. "I'd rather not. The rain is fun, Y/N! Loosen up a little," you gave him an unimpressed look, reaching out to push his shoulder playfully.

"That's easy for you to say - you have a hood!" Stiles grinned at this, nodding gleefully as he flicked the hood over his head.

"We should leave, I think the waiter's getting impatient," Stiles said, gesturing to where your waiter was lingering beside a couple who were clearly after your booth.

Humming in agreement, you followed Stiles towards the bar where you'd been instructed to pay. "How much was it?" You queried, not remembering the sum printed on the receipt.

Stiles waved his hand, digging in his jeans for his wallet. He pulled it out a moment later, nimble fingers pulling out a few notes with a flourish. "Don't worry about it, I'll pay."

"Stiles-" you tried to interject, only to be on the receiving end from one of his infamous glares.

"Y/N, this was my idea! Let me pay for you. Please," one glance at the earnest expression on your best friend's face and you gave in, knowing his stubborn nature to be a force to be reckoned with.

"Fine," you grumbled, waiting beside him as Stiles settled the tab.

Once the money was exchanged, Stiles linked your arms together and pulled you towards the door. You groaned, the icy rain outside looking the opposite of inviting. Stiles spoke up, giving your arm a squeeze, "we've got to face it eventually, may as well do it now. Besides, my house is only a five minute walk away."

"Let's do it," you agreed, figuring it made more sense to get it over with.

To say the rain was heavy was an understatement: the moment you stepped outside, raindrops were splashing all over your body, coating you from head to toe. You shrieked, speeding up considerably. Still attached to Stiles, the both of you began to speed walk in the direction of his house, the rain making the journey slightly difficult.

By the time you stumbled into Stiles' porch, you were completely soaked through.

"***," you exclaimed, resting your back against the closed front door as you regained your breath. You'd ended up running the last few streets, the rain too heavy to want to stay out for longer than you had to.

Stiles was sitting on the ground, panting similarly to you. His shaking fingers kept trying to untie his laces, the tremor in his movements a result of the chill. Now and then, a small curse slid from his lips, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he continuously failed to undo them.

"Idiot," you commented, kneeling beside him. You grabbed his hands, pushing them aside. Stiles gave you an inquisitive look, watching your movements carefully.

Smiling slightly, you nimbly undid his laces on your first attempt. "Thank you," he murmured, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to warm them up.

"You're welcome," you stood up after kicking off your shoes, reaching down to help him up. Stiles grabbed your hands, the small action sending a series of sparks flying around your skin.

Hmm...

Once off the ground, Stiles let one of your hands fly loose. The other, however, he made no move to release. Instead, he only tightened the grip as he led you up the staircase and towards his room. "My dad's away tonight, workin' a nightshift," he said, teeth chattering.

You hummed, letting him know you were listening. If you were being honest, you'd admit that you were paying more attention to the curve of his hand pressed against yours than his words.

When Stiles eventually let go of your hand, it was to rummage through his drawers to find you something to wear. "Could I get that hoodie? Y'know, the one with the robot on it? That's always really comfy."

Stiles turned around to glare at you, shaking his head. "No, you can't."

You pulled a face, making a sound of indignation. "Why not?"

"Because you stole it from me. Two months ago."

You felt a warmth at your cheeks, biting your lower lip. "Oh yeah...I'd forgotten about that. Sorry." Stiles just rolled his eyes, throwing you a grey hoodie instead.

"You can use that one as long as you promise to give it back," he said, placing a hand on his hip. You laughed, nodding your head in agreement.

"Okay, I promise I'll give it back," judging by the glint in his eye, it was clear that Stiles knew he wouldn't be getting the jumper back any time soon.

Stiles passed you some tracksuit bottoms as well as a pair of socks before grabbing his own change of clothes and walking towards the door. "I'll go change in the bathroom," he explained, brown eyes flickering deliberately over your face.

It was then you looked down to see your shirt had been completely soaked through, exposing the lacy trim of your bra. You felt blood rush to your cheeks, internally groaning as you nodded. Stiles disappeared from the room, shutting the door firmly behind him.

You got over the embarrassment of him seeing your bra pretty quickly - it wasn't like it was something he'd never seen before. The both of you had been close for enough years that you'd accidentally seen the other naked on multiple occasions.

Quickly, you peeled off your soaked clothes and arranged them over one of his radiators. You decided to take off your bra too, the wet material uncomfortable. When you slid Stiles' hoodie over your head, you almost moaned at how nice the soft material felt against your clammy skin.

Stiles knocked on the door a few minutes later and you yelled that it was safe for him to enter. He shuffled inside, wearing similar clothes to yours. "Better?" He asked, already knowing your answer.

"Infinitely," you confirmed, pulling at the sleeves. Stiles grinned, beckoning you forward.

"I reckoned we could watch a film, maybe Star Wars?" You didn't miss the way his eyes seemed to light up as he mentioned one of his favourite films. "You could stay over too, if you want..." He trailed off, giving you a slightly lopsided grin.

Smiling, you nodded your head. "That sounds good!"

You had a quick conversation with Stiles and developed a 'game plan' before he slipped from the room once more. You texted your parents to let them know you'd be staying at Stiles' (something that had begun to happen a lot more, as of late) before disappearing into the bathroom.

You spent a good five minutes combing through your wet hair, giving up in the end as it was just a losing battle. After drying off your face, you made your way through to Stiles' room to find him already there.

He had the main light switched off but the lamp perched atop his bedside table on, a warm light filling the room. Beside the lamp were two mugs, a few grubby stains dribbled down the side of them. A large bowl of popcorn was resting on his duvet, Stiles standing with his laptop balanced in his arms.

"This looks very homely," you commented, closing the bedroom door behind you. Stiles glanced up, giving you a soft smile. You took a moment to admire the way the warm light that filled the room seemed to bring out the golden flecks in his eyes.

"I made hot chocolate," he said, gesturing towards the messy mugs. You made a sound of delight, quickly moving across the room to grab one of them. You took a deep drink, making a deep sound of enjoyment.

"That tastes so good," you admitted, licking your lips. Stiles smiled, looking triumphant, before looking towards you and frowning.

"Oh, you have a little-" he put his laptop on the bed before reaching out, a hand moving towards your face. "Could I..?"

"Yeah," you breathed out, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

Gentle fingertips brushed across your upper lip, collecting some of the milky froth you'd failed to remove yourself. Stiles' breath fanned across your left cheek, his gaze fixed so intently on your lips that you found it difficult to remember how to breathe.

"Got it," Stiles said, fingers staying on your face for a beat longer than you'd expected. When he pulled back, you tried to ignore the pang of disappointment that rocketed through your chest.

"Thank you," you muttered, a little on-edge. Your heart felt as though it was beating at a thousand miles an hour, the moment seeming incredibly intimate.

"You're welcome."

The both of you stood there for a moment. You made eye contact with him and it took every ounce of your strength to avoid falling straight into the swirling golden depths of his eyes. Stiles gave you a small smile, him being the one to break the moment when he stepped back and picked up the popcorn bowl.

"Which side do you want?" He asked, gesturing towards his bed.

"My side," you responded immediately, slipping under the duvet and moving towards your spot - the section of the mattress closest to the wall. Stiles waited until you were comfortable before getting into the other side, passing you the popcorn as he fiddled with his laptop.

Once he set up and began the film, Stiles passed you your mug of hot chocolate and lazily wrapped an arm around your shoulder, pulling you closely against his side.

Your friendship with Stiles had always included a lot of physical intimacy, but even you had to admit that there was a hint of something more-than-platonic in the way he squeezed your arm.

Throughout the duration of the film, you only seemed to inch closer to the boy you called your closest friend. It was as if your body was moving of its own accord, your brain screaming at you for crossing lines while your heart ached to feel a connection with him. Your heart won, and you ended up curled against his side with your head resting on his shoulder.

Stiles didn't seem to mind - in fact, he further accommodated your actions by shifting his hand lower to support your back, effectively anchoring you closer to him.

By the time the film finished up, you were convinced you could've fallen asleep right then and there, pressed against the warm side of your best friend. His fingers toyed with the ends of your hair, the gesture both comforting and slightly endearing.

"I guess I should go," Stiles mumbled, moving as if to get from the bed. You made a sound of protest, grabbing his arm quickly.

"Wh-What? Why?" You asked, blinking blearily. It was now past midnight, fatigue clouding your speech.

"I should take the couch. You can take the be-"

"Stiles, shut up," he turned to look down at you, an amused expression on his face. You frowned back at him, trying your best to look grumpy. "We always share blankets on the couch, I'm sure sharing the bed for the night is fine too. If you're up for it, that is."

You tried not to sound too eager, not wanting to come across as being pushy. Stiles' face seemed to split into a smile as he nodded, grabbing his laptop and moving it onto the bedside table. "Are you sure? I don't want to make things weird."

"Stiles, we've seen each other naked more times than I can count. To be honest, I'm surprised we haven't done this before. Plus, it's not like we're doing anything weird...We're not having sex, or anything," with the way Stiles' jaw loosened, you began to regret the second part of your speech. "You know what I mean!" You tried to cover, biting your bottom lip.

"You're right, it's not weird at all," Stiles echoed, a firmness to his tone. You nodded decisively, reaching behind you to arrange your pillows. Stiles did likewise, fluffing his pillows in a dramatic fashion which caused you to let out a small giggle.

You shuffled yourself down the bed, resting your head against the soft feathers as you waited for Stiles to gather himself together. He seemed to take a moment, gazing off into the distance with a look you recognised all too well.

"Stop overthinking, Stiles. It's okay," you said softly, trying to calm some of his apparent nerves. Stiles gave you a weary smile.

"It's just been a while since I've shared my bed with anyone," he responded, shedding a little light on his feelings. You had a moment of realisation - you'd be the first female to share his bed since his past romantic encounters. You weren't sure if that made you uneasy or, rather, elated...

You reached up to pat his arm, trying to reassure him. "You don't need to, I just thought-"

"No, I'll do it. I've always wanted to- well, I have a comfortable bed," Stiles corrected, a blush spreading across his cheeks. You ignored the blip, not wanting to raise your hopes by reading into his words too much. "Can I turn off the light?" You nodded, completely settled.

Stiles reached across to his bedside table and, after fiddling with the switch on his lamp, the room fell beneath a blanket of darkness. You turned onto your side, mirroring Stiles so you were both facing one another.

Once your eyes had adjusted to the shift in light, you were able to make out a few fuzzy details of his face, such as the sharp line of his jawline and the curve of his lips. Lips that seemed to be lingering just out of reach.

"Hey Stiles, have you ever thought about us-" you caught yourself just in time, a thrum of panic striking across your body as you realised you were about to say something you could never take back.

"Hmm?" He queried. You didn't reply, instead retreating into your head. "Y/N? You alright?" He added, reaching under the duvet to find your hand. He linked your fingers together, the warmth of his skin helping to alleviate some of the tension held in your body.

"Sorry," you said, swallowing. "Have you ever thought about life after high school?"

Stiles squeezed your hand, perfectly unaware of the tingles his actions spread across your body. "Of course."

"What do you think will happen?" You asked, adding, "to us?"

Stiles seemed to ponder this, his answer coming a few delayed moments later. "I think we'll be just fine. We've both applied to the same college, and we have backup ones too. In an ideal world, I guess we'd end up at the same one, but even if we don't, we'll still be...best friends." Stiles seemed to want to say something else, his lips spitting out best friends as if they'd done something to personally offend him.

"You sure?"

"Yes. We have Skype, texts, phone calls..." He paused, thumb brushing over the back of your hand. "Y/N, you're my favourite person. Even if we end up on opposite ends of the country, I'll never let you go. You're always going to be the most important person in my life."

You found yourself sniffing, surprised to feel a few stray tears welling in your eyes. "Shut up, you're going to make me cry," you warned, no heat to your words. Stiles let out a chuckle, grip on your hands tightening.

"Sorry," he mumbled, not sounding sincere.

A comfortable silence filled the air, both of you unsure of the words to come next.

"Could I move closer? I'm feeling kinda chilly," you admitted, making a bold leap. Stiles agreed almost immediately, releasing your hands so you could readjust your position.

You shuffled closer, one hand moving up to hover above his side. "Could I..?" You asked, Stiles nodding quickly. You rested your hand just above his hip, legs tangling together as you inched even closer.

"Is this okay?" You asked, a nervous tremble to your voice. You were so, so, close to him that his breath was fanning across your face.

"Yeah," you could hear him gulp, loosely connecting your two free hands so they laid between your two entwined bodies.

Stiles said the next words, words that sent a jolt down your spine.

"Your lips are getting really close to mine," he said - not an accusation, just an observation. You froze, moving to pull back when he made a soft noise and shook his head. "It's okay...It's quite nice, actually."

"Yeah?" You asked, heart beating at a rate faster than you were comfortable with.

"Makes me wonder what it would feel like to just...move forward and kiss you," he admitted, sounding bashful.

"Maybe you should," you encouraged, not quite able to believe this conversation was taking place.

"Maybe I will."

When Stiles failed to close the gap within half a second, you found yourself giving into your screaming desire. You nudged your mouth towards his, gently brushing your lips against his. The point at which they connected felt incredible, as if every nerve on your body was on fire in the most exquisite way imaginable.

Stiles kissed back, soft lips pressing against yours with a needy hunger. You let out a surprised gasp when he parted his lips, allowing your mouths to dance together in the most intimate way possible

To say the kiss lasted a few seconds, it simultaneously managed to span lifetimes whilst also being nowhere near long enough.

"St-Stiles," you stammered, blinking quickly.

"Mhmm?"

"You're my favourite person too."

Stiles let out a small chuckle, releasing your hand to brush a strand of hair from your face. Once done, he let his hand rest there - a light weight pressing against your cheek.

"Want to try doing that again?" He offered, a thread of hope hanging from his words. You nodded your head eagerly, earning a louder laugh from Stiles who quickly obliged.

When you woke the following morning, your hands were still attached.

Maybe the rain was worth it after all.