Pack Mentality // s. stilinski

Eleven ✔️

Cadmus' nerves rocketed sky high as the door of his house was opened. "Oh good, you're back!" he heard his mother say from another room. "Dinner's almost ready."

"How was the game?" Chris asked, just as Gerard and Allison appeared in the doorway.

"Why don't you ask the star player?" Gerard asked, and Cadmus stepped out of the way so that Scott could step up. There was an awkward little smile on his face, his hands clasped nervously behind his back.

"Hi," he greeted them innocently, though Cadmus swore he could hear his voice cracking. Cadmus watched his parent's reactions carefully- at first they glared at Scott, but then their gazed moved to Gerard, who was grinning like he was the one who'd scored the winning shot. Then, as Cadmus anticipated, their eyes went to him and he busied himself with looking at his sister with a concerned expression, as if to show that he was worried how she would react towards having dinner with her ex-boyfriend. It seemed to convince his parents, because they sent one last scathing look towards Scott before ignoring Gerard and finishing getting dinner ready.

* * * * *

Dinner was more than awkward, to say the least. Cadmus was sat next to Scott on the right side of the table, Allison sitting across from him. Chris was on the end of the table, his fork clenched in his hand as he stabbed his salad with deadly force, his eyes broodily fixed on the leafy food. His mother was sitting opposite of Scott, her almost reptilian like eyes fixated on him, causing him to shift uncomfortably every few seconds. Cadmus could only imagine how he would feel once that gaze turned on him- inevitably, he thought. She couldn't stand him, and he wasn't even human anymore. He nearly shuddered thinking about it, at a table full of hunters. Gerard had planted himself at the other end of the table, and would glance around at the table a few times every minute as if he were waiting for somebody to speak. But nobody did.

Cadmus cleared his throat awkwardly, causing everyone to look at him. "Could you pass me the salt, Scott?" he asked as politely as he could manage, seeing as Scott was nearest to the shaker. Scott nodded, making to reach for it when it was snatched from him by Cadmus' mother.

"I've got it," she told him icily, before handing the salt to her son. Cadmus blushed, sending his mother a look. She sent him one back and he looked away, glancing down at his food in embarrassment. He would apologize to Scott after this was done.

Allison let out some weird little cough that was caught in the back of her throat and both she and her brother turned to watch their father angrily rip his green bean in half with his teeth, glaring at Scot menacingly, who seemed not to notice as he was gazing at at Gerard with wide, anxiety ridden eyes.

"All right," Gerard sighed finally, setting his fork down gently. It clinked against the side of his plate, and Cadmus flinched at the noise. His stomach was home to a riot of flips and turns and swirls, not unlike how he imagined Scott was feeling. Everything was making him nervous, from the way his mother's unforgiving eyes would switch over to him for a split second, to the way that the glasses tapped against the wood every time they were set down.

Like he said, he was terrible at keeping secrets. Of course, he was getting better, but still.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" Gerard asked, raising his eyebrows at the people around him. Nobody answered, so he continued. "Is it that uncomfortable that they dated?"

Cadmus had to stop himself from audibly snorting, and bowed his head, running a hand through his tousled hair. His lips parted as he stared down at his lap, watching his fingers shake as they rested atop his jeans. His blinked, stiffening his arm in an attempt to make it stop. It didn't work, and he pushed his hand into his pocket. When he glanced back up, he noticed Scott looking at him strangely, and he knew that the werewolf was slowly putting the puzzle pieces together, noting that Cadmus was nervous because of 'what Stiles hadn't told him', whatever that was.