Ficlet: What If It's You?
Author: on_the_ground
Title: What If It's You?
Rating: G
Pairing/s: Stiles/Jackson
Character/s: Stiles, Scott, Jackson (mentioned)
Summary: Since the day he saw him, Stiles makes sure not to miss that train.
Content Notes: AU, fluff, angst, nobody is dead, future fic.
Warnings: None
Submission Type: Ficlet
Word Count: 1000 words
Prompt: #252 - Chase
Author's Notes: The remaining 536 words will be added on AO3.This is an idea I had last week which I didn't think I'd write but then it worked with this prompt and I thought I could give it a try. It's been fun to write for a universe so different from "AISWY". So, this is part of a new AU series also called "What If It's You?" which might have three parts, I'm not really sure. Thanks so much to my lovely beta once again. Edit: I've just added a banner.
He looks at him from the last seat of the next coach. He’s close but not too close. Just enough so that he can see him perfectly.
Exactly 7:55 AM. Every day he gets on the train at the same time and Stiles appreciates the punctuality or he’d miss him on the way to work.
Smart jacket, henley and smart jeans, not scruffy, trainers… he’s seen every color variation of that outfit by now and he couldn’t choose a favorite if he tried. Then, there are those days where he’s wearing a dark suit, a shirt and tie -blue, red, light yellow- and perfect shoes. And those days… shit… those days it’s ever harder to look away from him. Those day he’s breathtaking, even more than usual. Not that he needs a suit to stand out in the crowd, because he’s seen him up close. The first time he saw him he was sitting almost right in front of him. He’s seen his clear blue eyes and those perfect cheeks and cute freckles splattered on his face. He’s hot and mysterious no matter what he wears.
Since that day Stiles hasn’t missed the 7:50 am train. Three months later he knows his day would be ruined if he doesn’t make it to that train. The thought of not seeing him has become unacceptable, even if twenty minutes on the same train isn’t enough. Not nearly enough but that’s what he has and that’s all he’ll ever have since there’s nothing he can do and he knows that. Every day at 8:15 the stranger gets off the train and he’s gone.
Now, he hates Fridays because it means that he won’t see him again for two days. Since when does anybody hate Fridays? He used to love Fridays. You’re supposed to love them. Something is wrong with him, it’s not like he doesn’t know that. But knowing it and doing something about it are two completely different things. He’s known that for a while.
***
“This is the guy?” Scott asks raising his eyebrows, before taking another sip of his cold beer.
“Yeah…” Stiles takes his phone back from his friend, putting it back in his jacket pocket.
“You can barely see him…” Scott shrugs.
“Okay, yeah, it’s not the best picture in the world.” Stiles admits reluctantly. “I had to be discreet, you know? But you can see his face… sort of...”
“Not really…” Scott shakes his head.
“People were standing in the way… it wasn’t easy.”
“Obviously.” Scott nods.
“Okay, I’ll try again since you’re curious… but you know, I don’t want him to think I’m some kind of stalker or something…”
“But you are some kind of stalker... you know that, right?”
“That’s not true.” Stiles says offended. “I don’t follow him around. We just happen travel on the same train, that’s not my fault.”
“Yeah. Except for the part where you make sure that you both are on the same train.”
“Hey, I need to get to work. So what if I leave a few minutes earlier? This way I’m never late.”
“Stiles… You have a crush on a guy you don’t know anything about. This is crazy, how long has this been going on exactly?”
“Two months but it’s not like that… it’s not a--”
“The hell it isn’t.” Scott frowns. “You never said anything…”
“Because I knew this is what you were going to say. I knew you wouldn’t understand it. What did you say the last time? That I’m always chasing after the wrong type? That I couldn’t see straight when it came to Nathan? That I shouldn’t have trusted him? That--”
“Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll admit that I did say those things and maybe I shouldn’t have--”
Stiles snorts. “Maybe? Just Maybe?”
“Okay, you’re right. Is that what you wanted to hear? You want me to apologize? Because if that’s what you’ve been waiting for, I can do that.”
Stiles opens his arms motioning for Scott to continue.
“Yeah.” Scott closes his eyes for a second before looking directly at Stiles again. “I know… I realize that I might have crossed the line that day. And I shouldn’t have said what I said. It just sucked to see you hurting like that because of that asshole. I was pissed with him. And I was pissed with you for trusting him. As fucked up as it, and believe me, I know it is fucked up, I was pissed with you for letting him hurt you… and that’s the only reason why I said all those things… which you didn’t deserve, you know? And I’m sorry. I’m sorry if that conversation got out of hand. I’m sorry if I hurt you too.” Stiles can hear the sincerity in his friend’s voice and that’s more than he expected to here, that’s for sure. “It wasn’t fair. I know it wasn’t”.
“Damn right, it wasn’t. But he was an asshole, you’re totally right about that.”
Scott smiles and takes another sip of beer.
“But anyway, that’s why I didn’t tell you. After every you said, I knew you wouldn’t understand this. I knew you’d make fun of me and say that, I don’t know… that I have a problem or something. And maybe I didn’t tell you because, because I know you’d be right… because I know this whole thing is stupid, the most stupid thing I’ve ever done and yeah, there’s a lot to choose from on that list. But shit, if you saw him…” Stiles licks his lips and looks away from his best friend. “I don’t know, maybe you’d get it…”
Maybe he’d get why Stiles can’t help himself.
Stiles runs his right hand through his hair as he tries to find the words.
“It’s not just that he’s hot, which he is… but there’s this mystery around him, I guess.”
Title: What If It's You?
Rating: G
Pairing/s: Stiles/Jackson
Character/s: Stiles, Scott, Jackson (mentioned)
Summary: Since the day he saw him, Stiles makes sure not to miss that train.
Content Notes: AU, fluff, angst, nobody is dead, future fic.
Warnings: None
Submission Type: Ficlet
Word Count: 1000 words
Prompt: #252 - Chase
Author's Notes: The remaining 536 words will be added on AO3.This is an idea I had last week which I didn't think I'd write but then it worked with this prompt and I thought I could give it a try. It's been fun to write for a universe so different from "AISWY". So, this is part of a new AU series also called "What If It's You?" which might have three parts, I'm not really sure. Thanks so much to my lovely beta once again. Edit: I've just added a banner.
He looks at him from the last seat of the next coach. He’s close but not too close. Just enough so that he can see him perfectly.
Exactly 7:55 AM. Every day he gets on the train at the same time and Stiles appreciates the punctuality or he’d miss him on the way to work.
Smart jacket, henley and smart jeans, not scruffy, trainers… he’s seen every color variation of that outfit by now and he couldn’t choose a favorite if he tried. Then, there are those days where he’s wearing a dark suit, a shirt and tie -blue, red, light yellow- and perfect shoes. And those days… shit… those days it’s ever harder to look away from him. Those day he’s breathtaking, even more than usual. Not that he needs a suit to stand out in the crowd, because he’s seen him up close. The first time he saw him he was sitting almost right in front of him. He’s seen his clear blue eyes and those perfect cheeks and cute freckles splattered on his face. He’s hot and mysterious no matter what he wears.
Since that day Stiles hasn’t missed the 7:50 am train. Three months later he knows his day would be ruined if he doesn’t make it to that train. The thought of not seeing him has become unacceptable, even if twenty minutes on the same train isn’t enough. Not nearly enough but that’s what he has and that’s all he’ll ever have since there’s nothing he can do and he knows that. Every day at 8:15 the stranger gets off the train and he’s gone.
Now, he hates Fridays because it means that he won’t see him again for two days. Since when does anybody hate Fridays? He used to love Fridays. You’re supposed to love them. Something is wrong with him, it’s not like he doesn’t know that. But knowing it and doing something about it are two completely different things. He’s known that for a while.
***
“This is the guy?” Scott asks raising his eyebrows, before taking another sip of his cold beer.
“Yeah…” Stiles takes his phone back from his friend, putting it back in his jacket pocket.
“You can barely see him…” Scott shrugs.
“Okay, yeah, it’s not the best picture in the world.” Stiles admits reluctantly. “I had to be discreet, you know? But you can see his face… sort of...”
“Not really…” Scott shakes his head.
“People were standing in the way… it wasn’t easy.”
“Obviously.” Scott nods.
“Okay, I’ll try again since you’re curious… but you know, I don’t want him to think I’m some kind of stalker or something…”
“But you are some kind of stalker... you know that, right?”
“That’s not true.” Stiles says offended. “I don’t follow him around. We just happen travel on the same train, that’s not my fault.”
“Yeah. Except for the part where you make sure that you both are on the same train.”
“Hey, I need to get to work. So what if I leave a few minutes earlier? This way I’m never late.”
“Stiles… You have a crush on a guy you don’t know anything about. This is crazy, how long has this been going on exactly?”
“Two months but it’s not like that… it’s not a--”
“The hell it isn’t.” Scott frowns. “You never said anything…”
“Because I knew this is what you were going to say. I knew you wouldn’t understand it. What did you say the last time? That I’m always chasing after the wrong type? That I couldn’t see straight when it came to Nathan? That I shouldn’t have trusted him? That--”
“Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll admit that I did say those things and maybe I shouldn’t have--”
Stiles snorts. “Maybe? Just Maybe?”
“Okay, you’re right. Is that what you wanted to hear? You want me to apologize? Because if that’s what you’ve been waiting for, I can do that.”
Stiles opens his arms motioning for Scott to continue.
“Yeah.” Scott closes his eyes for a second before looking directly at Stiles again. “I know… I realize that I might have crossed the line that day. And I shouldn’t have said what I said. It just sucked to see you hurting like that because of that asshole. I was pissed with him. And I was pissed with you for trusting him. As fucked up as it, and believe me, I know it is fucked up, I was pissed with you for letting him hurt you… and that’s the only reason why I said all those things… which you didn’t deserve, you know? And I’m sorry. I’m sorry if that conversation got out of hand. I’m sorry if I hurt you too.” Stiles can hear the sincerity in his friend’s voice and that’s more than he expected to here, that’s for sure. “It wasn’t fair. I know it wasn’t”.
“Damn right, it wasn’t. But he was an asshole, you’re totally right about that.”
Scott smiles and takes another sip of beer.
“But anyway, that’s why I didn’t tell you. After every you said, I knew you wouldn’t understand this. I knew you’d make fun of me and say that, I don’t know… that I have a problem or something. And maybe I didn’t tell you because, because I know you’d be right… because I know this whole thing is stupid, the most stupid thing I’ve ever done and yeah, there’s a lot to choose from on that list. But shit, if you saw him…” Stiles licks his lips and looks away from his best friend. “I don’t know, maybe you’d get it…”
Maybe he’d get why Stiles can’t help himself.
Stiles runs his right hand through his hair as he tries to find the words.
“It’s not just that he’s hot, which he is… but there’s this mystery around him, I guess.”