Space (was just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get too close)

A Reunion 4 Years in The Making

Scott remembers vividly, like it had happened just yesterday. The moment Stiles came to the decision to separate himself from the supernatural chaos that was Beacon Hills, it had been building over time and he knew that- expected it even. Stiles was an incredibly strong person, passionate and selfless...but that didn't make what happened to him over the course of their early High School years just, well, disappear. It didn't change the fact that he had lost people who he'd grown to care deeply for; Allison, Erica, Boyd. Hell even Aiden had earned his care. And they had all died, all from supernatural causes.

They'd been sitting at Scott's kitchen table with their homework spread out in front of them, desperate to get caught up like they usually ended up doing after neutralizing another one of Beacon Hills' supernatural baddies. But some thing felt off, had since the beginning of the school day, and Stiles reeked of guilt and something else that Scott had been unfamiliar with. Turned out to be Stiles' particular brand of defeat, as he'd discovered when his best friend suddenly dropped his highlighter and ran a hand over his face. And then he'd taken Scott into a tight, almost desperate hug and told him that he loved him- he cared so much and that would never change. Not even if there was an entire world between them. That freaked him out.

With good reason too, seeing as he'd shown up to school the next day with his signature buzz cut making a comeback, and had responded to Lydia's questioning with a casual, "I'll have to buzz it for bootcamp anyway." as if it was something she should have known. To say the least, half of the senior class ended up flipping out, including Coach- "What- Stilinski! I will not let you give your position to Greenburg!" because well, Stiles may not have been the most popular person ever but he did have thing he did where he loved and accepted unconditionally- and yes, even high school nitwits could pick up on that. And oddly enough, the pack makes it through most of the day without losing their shit. He's proud of them, proud of himself really, because this is their pack member. Their human that was apparently ready to hightail it out of BH and straight into the big bad world without them. But first and foremost it was Stiles willingly leaving him behind. Even after all they had been through together, all of the times they had only survived because they had each other's back. It's that thought that ultimately breaks Scott though, when everyone is gearing up for lacrosse practice. It causes the stupidest, cheesiest group hug complete with a few tears nobody would be caught dead shedding afterward.

What was he supposed to do without his best friend, his partner in crime? He'd already lost friends to untimely deaths, and watching Stiles head off to bootcamp for the fucking Marines? It felt like he might as well have been signing his death certificate. He watched the news, knew what was going on, and knew he couldn't do anything to protect one of the single most important people in his life. Marines were the first to head into the fray, tended to have the more dangerous front-lines jobs. Why Stiles felt pulled toward that particular branch is mind boggling to Scott until the Sheriff sits him down, house quiet after Stiles had actually left and tells him that Stiles may not have claws or "glowy eyes" but he was just as entitled to protecting something important to him. Scott gets that.

To say the least it wrecked him for months. But promises of letters and the occasional skype had set him back up on his feet, gave him something to look forward too when he's left staring at Stiles' empty desk at school, graduating without the one person who had made such a huge deal about the pack sticking together...looking at Roscoe left parked in the Stilinski's driveway untouched for months. He even started college, they all do, and are constantly reminded that there is a piece of them missing. Even with the letters- he has yet to actually be able to sit down and Skype anyone- they feel like there is a gaping black hole where Stiles should have been.

But the letters. They start off a little awkward, a new form of communication between them that was never really exercised seeing as they could just, you know talk. But from the first to the second and onwards they steadily grow more comfortable, start to hold that stupid sense of humor that was pure Stiles' and it makes Scott happier than he ever thought he would be from looking at a piece of friggin' paper. It has him running to campus post after every single class to check if he'd gotten any mail, had him logged onto skype 24/7 just in case.