Chapter Text
Mieczyslaw Stillinski, a.k.a. Mischief, a.k.a. Stiles, was four years old and he had no friends and his favorite person in the whole world was his mother. Sheriff Stillinski had no problems with this, because Claudia Stillinski was one of his favorite people too. Claudia had no problem with it, because her men were her favorite people; but she was bothered by the 'no friends' part. So, even though all her boy wanted to do was stay inside and read his comics; even though that is what made him happy, she insisted on them going to the park everyday. So far though, Stiles just stayed close to her, going off when she encouraged, but eventually, always, returning to where she stood or sat.
Today though, was a special day, and Claudia had put in a lot of work to make sure that her son would have the best day possible. She had rented a bounce house, invited all the neighborhood children, along with the ones her little Mischief went to daycare with and had spent all day decorating the house. Inside and out, there were streamers and balloons every-fucking-where. Now, people were set to arrive any minute and stiles was in the kitchen drooling over his cake with his father. Her Mischief had tried to convince her to cancel the whole thing and keep the cake, which John had looked close to supporting. Junk food monsters, the both of them.
Claudia went to save the cake and prayed today would go well.
Even though Stiles was the birthday boy, he was currently hiding by the bounce house, watching all the kids that were there with him go crazy. Well, they were there, but they weren't with him.
Stiles rocked back and forth on his heels, watching them chase each other and scream. Jackson was the one chasing everybody; he had brought his new water gun and had immediately started attacking everyone when he had been brought by his mom. Stiles had been the first casualty of said water gun.
There was a gentle breeze that made Stiles kind of regret not putting on a sweater, but if he went to grab one, that meant he would have to move. He did not want to move.
Stiles looked down and started to dig with the toes of his shoes, sucking his lips in and biting down. Why couldn't they have just gone for curly fries? Just him and mom and dad.
"Happy birthday, Stiles."
The voice shocked him, his head shot up to see that it was Danny that had wished him 'happy birthday'. The other boy was also smiling at him.
It took a second for him to get over his shock and smile hesitantly back.
"Thanks."
Almost as soon as he had finished Jackson came running over and grabbed Danny. The boy almost barrelled them both over, but managed to contain it to only bumping harshly into Danny. Jackson grabbed Danny's arm, started tugging him away, "Danny! Come on!"
Then he looked at Stiles briefly, but only to glare mulishly at him and then pulled his friend away. Danny went, turning back to smile at Stiles one more time, before allowing himself to be pulled into the fray that was the mass of children a few feet away.
Stiles slumped back, watching them all erupt into controlled chaos that no adult or outsider not in the game could be possible of understanding.
Someone sneezed, loudly, behind him.
Stiles jumped, just managed to keep himself from letting out a scream. He hunched, frozen, eyes wide and tense, heard some sniffling and slowly turned to looked behind himself. He saw no one, then pressed himself closer into the netting to see around the bright blue pillar on his right. Stiles could still hear the sniffling over the sound of the air pump. There was another boy, wedged into the corner, almost kitty corner to where Stiles was wedged, if the pillar wasn't between them.
Stiles thought about not saying hello to them, but he noticed how small they looked. Nobody looked that small because they were happy. He was better at looking small than Stiles was.
So, Stiles walked around the swaying pillar and, like every choice he had made in his short five years of life, just jumped right into it.
"Hello."
The other boy looked at him, arms wrapped around his knees, a little shocked looking. He looked around, like he thought that Stiles had meant someone else, which made Stiles smile widen because it had been just what he had done when Danny had spoken to him.
"Hi."
Stiles started to fidget in place, animation slowly starting to come back to him.
"My name's Stiles. What's yours?"
"Scott. Stiles? That's--it's your birthday today, thanks for inviting me." Scott was slowly starting to get animated right back. Nothing like Stiles though, no other kid tended to get animated like Stiles got.
Stiles didn't say that his mom had been the one to invite everyone, instead he shrugged, "Welcome." He looked at the bouncy house, then back at the other boy, "Do you like Batman?"
A bigger grin, "And Superman."
"Wanna see my comics?"
"Yeah!"
Stiles walked around to the entrance of the bouncy house, following the other boys progression until he clambered out of the plastic castle and quickly put his shoes back on. Stiles led him away to the back door, showing him where to put his shoes in the mud room.
The chatter of the adults was the first wall of sound that they hit when they walked into the house.
Stiles mom and dad's voice came through from the dining room, where the food was most likely being set up. There were other voices too, of the other adults that had stayed when they had brought their children over. Nobody was in the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" Scott watched Stiles reach into the fridge and take out the big cake that his mom had ordered and picked up yesterday. A chocolate sheet cake with batman colors. Stiles quietly eased the fridge door closed, or tried to, because his hands were currently occupied with stealing his own birthday cake. Then, Stiles new partner in crime, rushed forward, grabbing the handle and making sure it shut quietly.
It made Stiles just that more fidgety, excitement settling in. He was starting to think that Scott was okay.
"Do you like chocolate?" Stiles whispered.
Scott looked unsure, but in the face of Stiles own enthusiasm he was helpless to resist returning it.
"I love chocolate cake."
"Good." Then Stiles led the way upstairs, followed by Scott, who grabbed two forks. They quickly walked past the doorways and then up the steps to his room, where Stiles showed Scott his comics and they ate half the cake before Claudia Stillinski's voice rang out, using Stiles full name and everything.
They couldn't stop giggling. Not even when the adults got upstairs and caught them chocolate-handed. Stiles just took another hugs bite and then licked the rest of the cake they hadn't eaten yet and said, "Mine."
Scott erupted into another whole set of uncontrollable giggles.
Scott McCall was the same age as Stiles and was therefore starting kindergarten that year much like Stiles was and therefore immediately became the one he would be sticking to. The day they met, after they had almost devoured the whole cake that was supposed to be for more than a dozen children, Stiles declared them best friends; to his mother, to Scott's mother and to all that was present when Stiles held onto the others hand and basically screamed "Mine!".
Claudia asked if Scott was okay with that, and before Stiles could begin to feel any sort of dejected or guilty over bulldozing his wants over another and possibly losing a friend, Scott started nodding his head hard and rapid firing words; 'yes-yes-it-was-fine-please-can-I-stay-over-and-play-with-Stiles-mom-please-I'll-be-good-I-promise!' that the adults thought he would start having an asthma attack.
Scott got to stay that night, and also got the promise out of Stiles parents for Stiles to spend the night at his place next weekend. Which, much to the chagrin of Rapheal McCall, but the joy of the three other parents, started a pattern for the rest of the boys lives.
They start kindergarten together and Stiles learns how to be sneaky with his revenge when it comes to people who are mean to his friend and Scott learns to come out of his shell more, because like heck is going to sit by and let others start bullying his friend instead when they can't get to him through Stiles. There are a lot of visits to the principal's office.
So. Many. Visits.
For three years, through kindergarten and grades one and two, Stiles and Scott remained best friends, fighting for each other and their right to remain so. Which is word for word what Stiles declared to their parents, teachers and principal when they tried to separate them in the second grade via the seating arrangement. The boys did not take that well and on the first day of class when they found out, there was much tears from Scott, and Stiles showed great promise as a mini future villain with the revolt he then orchestrated that had the students locking the teachers out of their classrooms.
They received detention for the whole year, but they got to sit beside each other.
When the boys turned eight, Scott's dad abandoned them and Stiles mom succumbed to her disease.
Both households fell under a dark cloud.
Stiles developed a fear of losing those he loved and became obsessed with his dad's, Melissa's and Scott's health, learning how to cook even though he could barely reach the buttons to turn on the oven. Scott got quiet, quiet like he was before he had Stiles as a friend, maybe even a little quieter.
It was only when Melissa got home from a night shift, exhausted and numb and looked outside--to the treehouse that Noah had made in their backyard a year after their boys had been friends--and saw a the small window lit up with soft blue light that things changed. She walked out, so confused because the boys were supposed to be at Noah's this week, and peeked through the window. There she saw the boys, sleeping on a nest of blankets, backs right up against each other, with a tv???--where did that come from?-- casting a soft light over them.
Turns out they had been living there for almost the entire week.
When Melissa went over to Noah's house--a phone call hadn't gotten an answer-- and entered with her own key--because a knock wasn't getting an answer either and his car was in the driveway--and found Stiles dad on the couch, with beer bottles on the coffee table in front of him with his uniform still on, she decided enough was enough.
She woke him up by throwing a bucket of ice water on him--she went to the store to buy the ice and everything, Stiles was rubbing off on her, she didn't think she used to be this invested in being petty--and then asking him where their sons were.
There was panic, there was yelling, there was them sitting down and talking all their shit out, because they had been through so much in just that year and so much hurt in their hearts. Melissa drove him back to her house so he they could wake up their boys and talk out everything with them.
Scott wouldn't eat unless he had Stiles right beside him, Stiles couldn't sleep unless Scott was within reach.
Noah was drinking alcohol instead of water when he wasn't at work, Melissa was only taking time off work that her boss made her take off.
They all cried.
They didn't trust anybody else with their children--the few times both families had tried babysitters, each one had quit after only one time and the last one they had tried called Noah in a panic because the boys ran away (they were hiding under the deck and had fallen asleep, they were both grounded for a month)-- and Noah didn't know if he could stay sober alone and both boys did not take well to being apart at all. Stiles started having panic attacks, Scott got sick.
Melissa made an executive decision after a week of this and signed them all up for therapy. She moved herself and Scott in with Noah and Stiles. She got the third bedroom and Scott and Stiles debated double beds vs bunk beds. Stiles panic attacks eventually stopped (especially after Melissa went after the first therapist that they went their kids to and stopped that manipulation happening there--he lost his license) and Scott gained back the weight he had been losing.
Six months after they moved in Melissa looked around from where she sat on the couch, at the boys who were debating which show to watch and Noah who was working on a report he had brought home with him with a cup of coffee by his elbow, and finally believed they would be okay.
Stiles and Scott got married for the first time when they were ten years old, with plastic rings that they got a dollar each and a piece of photocopier paper used to write the marriage license; which was just, "we promise to always remain best friends and stay together forever", with both their names scrawled at the bottom.
It was legit and nothing could convince them otherwise.