"Statistically, who buys the most sheets?" Stiles asked, twisting his fingers around his pencil as he looked over at Lydia.

"Women," Lydia said off the top of her head. "I mean, men buy sheets, sure, but I don't even have to look at the facts to know that it's most likely women."

"Right." Stiles smirked. "And most, say, beers, that are largely purchased by men, they use sexy, mostly naked women to market beer, right?"

"Yes…" Lydia narrowed her eyes. "Where are you going with this, Stiles? This is Advertising 101, not gender studies."

"Shh, they're related," Stiles said with a smirk. "Let's turn the tables. Let's use sex to sell bed sheets – I mean, sex has a lot more to do with beds than it does with beer anyways, so let's use it to sell sheets."

"Stiles, is this an excuse to get half naked women on the other end of your camera?"

"Nope." Stiles grinned. "We're not going to use women. Come on, Lydia, you're a genius, you have to know where this is going."

Lydia's face split into a wide grin. "Oh, Stiles, I like this very much."

"Exactly. We can pay someone like $50 bucks to pose, get some shots, make an advertisement – I'll do the photography, then you can work your artistic magic with your computer…"

"Stiles," Lydia shook her head. "$50 isn't gonna get anyone that we'd want posing naked to pose naked."

"Okay, well…then it's on you to foot the bill," Stiles stated.

"Not a problem." Lydia grinned, grabbing her laptop, starting to type up the ad. "Alright, we're having a casting on Friday in Photography Studio H. 5 PM. Work for you?"

"Hell yeah." Stiles smiled. "I love doing group work with you."

"Do you ever do it with anyone else?"

"Nope." Stiles shook his head. "You and I are dynamite."

"Yes, we are." She smiled. "Now, go to your room and think about your concept," she stated.

"Yes, mother." Stiles grabbed his books, heading to the dorm he shared with Scott to get to work on their project.

When he got to the photography studio, there were already guys lined up and down the hallway, and he had to wonder how much Lydia had offered the ad, because some of these guys were flat out smoking hot. This was going to be a tough decision to make.

"Excuse me, coming through," he said, elbowing past them to get into the room.

"I can't believe Lydia Martin is auditioning guys to take their shirts off," he overheard one of them muttering.

"I mean, do you think she's looking for some side action? I heard her boyfriend lives in London."

"I think," Stiles said, unable to avoid cutting in. "That she's trying to pass a class with flying colors. You hit on her, your cut," he threatened. "She's taken."

As much as Stiles didn't like Jackson, he had respect for the relationship, and for the fact that Lydia loved him, and that she managed to be the one person to get Jackson to be anything other than an asshole.

"Who are you?" One of the guys asked.

"I'm Stiles," he stated. "The other half of this casting project, so like I said, you act crude or rude to her, you hit on her when you know better, you're done."

"And what if we hit on you?"

"What?" Stiles looked out over the group to see a young man looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What if we hit on you?" he asked again. His blonde hair was perfect, and from what Stiles could see through his t-shirt, his arms were nicely toned.

"That's cheating," Stiles stated, though it was taking everything he had not to climb the guy like a tree right then and there. "No flirting, we're trying to be professional here."

And with that, he disappeared into the room, where Lydia was already hard at work, setting up.

"Jesus Christ, Lydia, it's like a meat market out there! What did you put in that ad?"

"Just the basics, you know," she smiled. "Offering $500 for a day's work of shirtless modeling to a man between the ages of 20 and 25, the audition place and time, and our names."

"And you knew," Stiles said with a smirk. "That putting your name on their with that amount of money was gonna draw a massive crowd, didn't you?"

"Maybe." Lydia nodded. "Not just mine though. I put yours down too, that way we'd have a good chance at pulling more guys of a homosexual persuasion, and they buy sheets too, you know."

"What?" Stiles frowned.

"You are never going to understand that you're not awkward looking anymore, are you?" She rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"You're like catnip for gay guys, all sexy, and totally unaware of it." She shrugged. "Now help me set up this tri pod, I want good photos of everyone so we can make the most informed decision."

Stiles wasn't really sure how that was possible, but he had gotten a little more action since coming to college. Sure, he was only just a freshman, but people reacted differently to him here than they had in high school – both men, and women, and while he wasn't exactly the "different person in his bed every weekend" sort of guy, he also wasn't anything close to a virgin anymore.

"Alright." Lydia smiled, clearly pleased with the set up. "Let's let the first stud in. You," she kissed Stiles on the cheek on her way to the door. "Are a genius."

"How's Jackson gonna feel about this?" Stiles asked.

"We have rules." Lydia smiled. "I can look, so long as I don't touch."

"You two are made for each other." Stiles rolled his eyes and fiddled with his camera as Lydia let the first guy in.

It was sort of surreal, having all of these fairly good looking men come in, take their shirts off, and try to impress the two of them. They answered basic questions about themselves, posed for pictures, and left, all shooting smiles at Stiles, Lydia, or both of them, either because they were attracted to them, or they thought it would somehow increase their odds.

"Okay, next!" Lydia opened the door, and the guy from earlier – the one who had joked about hitting on Stiles – came into the room.

"Hey." He waved one hand as he entered.

"Name, age, major, extracurricular – especially ones that might be scheduling conflicts for shooting." Lydia stated. After about 8 guys already, she was down to business, and Stiles liked that – he liked her no nonsense, no bullshit sort of personality. They had a job to do, and she was going to see it through.

"Kyle Parrish, ma'am. 20 years old, US History major, TA for professor Lauderbeck, US History department, and I'm in ROTC, ma'am."

"Army, Navy, or Air Force?" Lydia asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Army, ma'am."

"I like you." Lydia smiled at him, looking at Stiles, who didn't say anything – the guy was damn hot, and he was afraid that anything that came out of his mouth right now would just be mush. "Any previous modeling experience?"

"No, ma'am."

"And what made you come in to check out our ad, then?" Lydia asked.

"I could use the money, and it sounded fun."

"Alright, well take off your shirt, let's get started."

"Yes ma'am."

"I could really get used to that," Lydia muttered to Stiles.

"I'm telling Jackson you have the hots for one of our modeling candidates," Stiles teased, adjusting the lends on the camera.

"Oh please," Lydia rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure I've ever seen a man less interested in me." She paused.

"Or more interested in you."

Stiles almost dropped the camera, because at the exact same time Lydia said that, Kyle's shirt hit the floor, and hot damn. It was every bit as good as expected…and then some.

"Very nice," Lydia said with a smile, eyeing him up and down.

"Thank you, ma'am. I work very hard to stay in shape."

"It's working." Lydia looked at Stiles. "What do you think?"

Okay, now she was intentionally trying to get a rise out of him! She hadn't done this with any of the other guys.

"Looks good," he stated, raising the camera, hoping to hide his severe blush behind it.

"Alright," Lydia stated. "Just a few basic poses, so we can get a feel for what you'd give us. Try and look natural."

"Yes, ma'am." Kyle did as he was told, and Stiles, as he had with the others, snapped the obligatory test pictures.

"Alright." Lydia nodded. "You can put your shirt back on now, but we'll need your phone number and e-mail to get in touch with you," she stated. "You can just give that right to Stiles on your way out.

Kyle nodded, and did as he was told. He wrote down his information, and on his way to the door, he handed it to Stiles, punctuating his departure with a wink.

As soon as the door shut, Lydia turned her gaze to her best friend.

"If you don't hit that, I'm going to kill you," Lydia stated in that way she had about her, where something was just so clearly fact. He hated that she had that way about her, but at the same time, he respected it.

"Next!" Stiles called, to avoid having to talk about this anymore.

About 12 guys later, they were finally done.

"Alright, let's see what we've got," Lydia stated as Stiles put the memory card into the computer adapter so that they could look over the headshots.

They spent a few minutes analyzing each set, skipping it if it wasn't what they were looking for, and going to the next. When they got to Kyle, though, Lydia turned and looked at Stiles.

"Him," she stated. "I want him, and he wants you, and you haven't been had in awhile, so that makes this all perfect."

"What? Jesus, Lydia, let's try and keep this professional."

"It's college," Lydia stated. "There is so little professional about any of this."

"I think it's technically prostitution if we pay him, and then I fuck him."

"Not if you're wise about it." Lydia smiled. "And besides, he's the best one, anyways – and I like the way he called me ma'am. We're using him."

"Yes, ma'am," Stiles mocked.

"For some reason, it doesn't quite do it for me when it's you," Lydia mused.

"Yeah, never did." Stiles shrugged. Getting over Lydia had been hard, but he had done it, and now he had an amazing best friend, and partner in crime. At the end of the day, there was nothing wrong with that, and he knew it.

"Alright, so it's a lock on Kyle." Lydia smiled. "Why don't you just give him a call a little later, set up a time for the shoot."

"Why can't you do it?" Lydia asked.

"Because we both know he wants you to."

With that, she grabbed her bag and flounced out of the room, leaving Stiles to wonder how she could be so damn…Lydia all the time. She was never off her game, and at times, it was even a bit unsettling.

"Kyle Parrish speaking."

"Uh yeah, hi, this is, um, Stiles, from the advertising class modeling thing earlier?"

"Oh, hey." The tone in Kyle's voice clearly softened, even Stiles couldn't miss that, and he bit his lip, sinking down onto his bed.

Scott, his roommate, and other best friend, was at Allison's, so he had the room to himself, which was good. He didn't need his best friend picking up on his awkwardness, and somehow, despite being oblivious about so many other things, Scott could always tell when Stiles had a crush, and he always made fun of him for it.

"I just wanted to let you know that, assuming we can find a good time to shoot, you've got the job."

"Oh, really? Thank you, sir."

Stiles froze. Jesus. Sir? Him? This was…not good. He was in so much trouble.

"You're welcome, and you don't have to call me sir, I don't, I mean…yeah, we just need to find a time for the shoot. What's your schedule like?"

"Friday evenings are my best bet, but I could also do Sunday morning," he stated.

"Either of those would be just fine," Stiles stated. It was for a class, so it took precedence, right?

"Okay. Where are we doing this?"

"Do you know the Four Seasons in town?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah."

"We're doing it there, we sort of need a double bed, and the dorm room I have just isn't gonna cut it."

"Alright, sounds good. How about Friday night, then."

"Um, yeah, okay." Stiles nodded. "I'll get the reservation, and pass along the information to you."

"Great. I'll see you soon."

The other line clicked and Stiles sighed, going online to get the number for the hotel. Lydia was paying – she supported Stiles' vision for the shoot, and wanted him to have anything, to have all of it.

When Friday rolled around, Stiles blitzed through his classes, then took his shooting equipment to the hotel to get set up. He was well aware, when he left keys for Lydia and Kyle at the front desk, after walking in with a bunch of photography equipment, that the gaze bestowed upon him by the concierge was suspicious at best, but he ignored it.

He and Kyle weren't making a sex tape, and he knew that, so what did he care if he was being judge by a stranger? He was going to take awesome pictures, and get them to Lydia, who was going to add just the right slogans and copy, and make it into a perfect ad campaign.

He had only just finished setting up – changing the sheets on the bed, getting his camera ready, etc., when there was a knock on the door.

He went and opened it to see Kyle standing there, looking actually sinful in jeans and a t-shirt that didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination.

"Oh, hey," Stiles stated. "I left a key for you at the front desk, sorry, I should have mentioned that."

"It's fine." Kyle smiled. "I found the place."

He walked into the room past Stiles, set his backpack down and looked around.

"Man, you do not mess around. All of this for a school project?"

"I mean…" Stiles shrugged. "Half of it's Lydia, she doesn't half ass anything."

"And the other half?" Kyle asked.

"I think…I mean, this might be something I debate a future in, but I'm not sure if that's something I'm actually interested in, or if I've just watched too much Mad Men."

Kyle smiled, laughing ever so slightly.

"Alright, so where do you want me?"

"Oh, well actually we're waiting for Lydia."

"Of course we are." Kyle nodded. "She's a firecracker."

"You can say that again – oh, hold on, this is her." Stiles picked up his phone as it rang. "Hello?"

"Hi darling, look, you're going to have to do the shoot without me, Jackson just surprised me from out of town, and I haven't seen him in forever, and you know how he is, the animal," she laughed.

"Hang up," Stiles heard Jackson saying in the background.

"Oh god, okay, go satisfy your boyfriend, I don't wanna hear it." He hung up the phone and turned back to Kyle. "So…it looks like it's just us."

"Pity," Kyle stated, though he honestly sounded as though he couldn't have been less upset by that, and something about that made Stiles smile.

"Alright, well first off, you need to uh, just…" Stiles sighed. God, he needed Lydia here! Why did Jackson have to choose this exact day to come into town? He couldn't have waited a couple of hours?

"Take off my clothes?" Kyle was already kicking off his shoes, and by the time he tugged at the top of his shirt, yanking it off his slender, but toned torso, Stiles felt like sinking into the dime a dozen hotel carpet would be a more effective option than going through with this photoshoot.

"I mean, just…some of them."

Stiles turned to fiddle with the camera, and by the time he looked up, Kyle was standing in nothing but boxers, his fingers already hooked through the waistband as though he were about to drop them.

"What are you doing?!" Stiles asked, his eyes going wide.

"I'm undressing," Kyle said with a grin.

"Yeah, but you…you're good." Stiles put a hand out to single that he didn't need to go any further.

"What are you selling here?" Kyle asked. "You're selling sheets, and you're using sex to do that, so don't you want to perpetuate the image that we just had sex?"

"I mean, yeah, wait – we?"

"You know." He smirked. "Me, the other person who's not in the bed right now, but was a few minutes ago. And since you're probably not trying to sell a one night stand, odds are, they're coming back, so why would I have my boxers on?"

"That's…a good point," Stiles choked out. "Are you sure that's okay? I mean, we'll cover you with the sheets, all of the important parts, I just…"

"I'm sure." Kyle smirked.

"Okay, well I won't look," Stiles promised, going back to his camera. "Just drop 'em, climb into bed, and pull the sheets around you and let me know when you're ready."

"Okay."

Stiles spent several seconds fiddling with the zoom on the camera before he got the okay and looked up.

Kyle was lying in bed, partially covered by the sheets, and he looked positively delicious. If Stiles could capture this the right way, there was no way that he and Lydia could do anything other than a perfect score, because he knew that her copy would be perfect. It was Lydia.

"You okay?" Kyle asked, looking up at Stiles.

"Yeah, you just…you sure you haven't done this before?" he asked.

"Had sex, or modeled?"

"Jesus, modeled!" Stiles gulped.

"Oh, well then yeah, I'm sure." Kyle winked at him. "So what do you want me to do?"

"You know, just like you said," Stiles stated. "You just had your mind blown in bed by the most amazing woman, or man, or whoever, and they got up to go make coffee, and you're lying in bed, waiting for them to come back so that you can, you know, go again."

"Sounds good." Kyle took a deep breath, and shifted, leaning, grabbing a pillow, snuggling it slightly, and looking in various directions as Stiles started to take pictures.

They tried pictures with his eyes closed, pictures where he was lying on the bed looking longingly, contemplatively towards the door, pictures where he had a big goofy smile on his face – and while those were Stiles' favorite, he knew they wouldn't work for the ad.

"Okay." Stiles finally spoke up after about an hour. "I think we're good here."

"Alright." Kyle nodded. "You get what you needed?"

"And then some." Stiles nodded.

"Good. Hey, have you tried the sheets?" he asked, rolling onto his side, looking up at Stiles, who instinctively snapped another picture of the alluring position.

"What do you mean? No, I just have the standard issue dorm sheets on my bed.

"Well how can you really sell a product that you haven't tried?" he asked.

"Oh, well I'm sure Lydia has tried them."

"With her overseas boyfriend?" Kyle asked skeptically.

"I don't know." Stiles shrugged.

"Why don't you try them now?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, okay, just drop all of the other assignments I have this weekend and take a Friday night nap, sounds good," he said sarcastically.

With a smile, Kyle stood up, baring fucking everything, and walked over to Stiles, taking the camera from his hand and setting it on the desk.

"Napping was…not exactly what I had in mind," he stated.

"What-"

"Before Stiles had a chance to process what was going on, Kyle was leaning in, kissing him.

"Wait." Stiles pulled back. "This isn't right. We're – I'm paying you for this."

"So I won't take the money," Kyle said softly.

He reached out, put his hands on Stiles' hips, pulling him in closer.

"You…you sure?" Stiles asked.

"100%."

Stiles responded by leaning in, kissing Kyle back.

It was sort of unfair, the way the odds were – Kyle completely undressed, Stiles still clothed from head to foot, but Kyle helped to take care of that. He reached up, gently pushing the hoodie from Stiles' shoulders, smiling as it fell to the floor with a soft 'thud.' The rest of his clothes followed shortly after that, and Kyle eased Stiles back on the bed, kissing him, his hands wandering all over the other man's torso.

"Was that so bad?" Kyle asked after round two, rolling over, pulling Stiles close to him.

"Did I ever insinuate that I thought it would be?" Stiles asked, tilting his head to the side, though he allowed Kyle to pull him in as little spoon.

"No, but you seemed a little hesitant," Kyle admitted, tracing his fingers over Stiles' bicep, smiling as he poked down on one of the moles dotting the other man's skin.

"Yeah, I mean, hesitant, but not disinterested." Stiles turned in Kyle's arms so that he was facing him. "First off, this was supposed to be professional, and...so much for that." He laughed. "Second, I didn't think a guy like you would actually be interested, you know, I thought you were flirting for the job."

"And once I had the job?" Kyle asked.

"I...don't know." He sighed.

"Well to get the record straight, I'm definitely interested," Kyle stated. He reached out, putting his hand gently on Stiles' cheek, pulling him in for a kiss.

"Yeah, I noticed." Stiles smiled when he pulled back from the kiss, looking at him. "So do you wanna have the awkward talk now, or later?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"What awkward talk?" Kyle asked.

"You know, the...was this a one time thing, or not, and if it's not, what is it..."

"Ohhh, that awkward talk." He smiled gently. "Well...I, for one, would like to get to know you better."

"Yeah." Stiles smiled. "I'd like that, too - I mean, to get to know you better."

"So we'll go out," Kyle said decisively. "We'll have a few dates, and if we're as compatible in that respect as we are in bed..." He trailed off, looking at Stiles suggestively.

"I like the sound of that."

"Then get over here."

Kyle pulled Stiles back into the kiss, his hands trailing down Stiles' sides, exploring the skin he had just spent the last couple of hours getting to know physically.

Just as they were nearing the corner on getting a start on round three, though, the door made a funny sound, and seconds later, it swung open to reveal Lydia and Jackson.

Four different people reacted four different ways.

Stiles shot back away from Kyle, who caught him just enough time to keep him from falling naked out of bed, acting like it was nothing at all that they had just been walked in on. Jackson moved to shield his eyes from the sight, while Lydia folded her arms across her chest, a smile curling into place on her face.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" she asked.

"What are you /doing/ here, Lydia?" Stiles asked, trying to cover himself up, despite already having all of the necessities hidden by the sheets.

"Well, I knew you'd left a key, and I knew you had the room all night, because the Four Seasons doesn't exactly do hourly, and you sent a text saying the shoot had wrapped up, so..." she shrugged. "We didn't think you would still be here."

"Well, we are," Stiles said stupidly.

"Yes, yes you are, and can I say, good going?" She stated. "I mean, I knew there was flirting, but I thought it would take you two idiots at least a little more beating around the bush to get to this point."

"Well, um...okay then." Stiles looked up at her awkwardly. "Please leave."

"Yes, babe, can we /please/ go? I've seen enough of Stilinski naked to last a lifetime," Jackson interjected.

"And I haven't seen nearly enough," Kyle stated, earning him a look from Jackson that could cut glass.

"Right, just one more thing, Kyle," Lydia turned to him. "Do you plan on making an honest man of my friend, here?"

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded.

"Right, then I feel obligated to let you know that if you break his heart, or anything like that, I will feel more than obligated to make your life a living hell." Of course, as she delivered the threat, she managed to keep a flawless smile plastered on her face.

"Yes, ma'am," he said again.

"Why is he calling you ma'am?" Jackson asked.

"Because he, like you," Lydia said pointedly. "Appreciates the value of a strong woman. Now come on, Jackson, we're going."

"Yes, ma'am," Jackson said, following Lydia out the door.

"You know," Kyle said, turning back to Stiles. "If everyone had a friend like her, the world be a lot less confusing."

"True," Stiles nodded. "Very true, but alas, there is no one in the world even remotely like her."

"Love goggles?" Kyle asked.

"Once upon a time, yes." Stiles nodded. "We grew up together, but that guy she's with, that's true love, and the older she and I got, the more realized we were much better suited as partners in crime."

"Can't say I'm upset to hear that," Kyle stated. "Now...where were we?" He snaked his arm around Stiles' slender waist, pulling him close.

"So, that couldn't really have gone any better than it did," Lydia said with a smile, swiveling around in her desk chair to look at Stiles.

"What, to project?"

"That, too," Lydia stated. "I meant with Kyle, though."

"Oh, yeah...that." Stiles lowered his head, blushing.

"I wanted to bring it up right away, but I wanted you to look over the finished campaign first."

"And it's flawless," Stiles said with a smile.

"The campaign?"

"That, too." Stiles blushed. Which, of course, Lydia noticed instantly.

"You're blushing!" She grinned. "Oh my god, so the sex was that good?"

"Yup." Stiles nodded. "And the cuddling afterwards...and the talking…"

"If you two get married, I'm taking full credit," Lydia stated.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there." Stiles laughed. "We haven't even had our first date yet, but…"

"But it's going to be amazing?" Lydia asked.

"I hope so." Stiles smiled.

"It will be." Lydia reached into her desk and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Stiles.

"What's this?" Stiles asked.

"It's the money that he wouldn't take for modeling." She smiled. "I think you two should use it to have one really nice night out, or several decent ones."

"Lydia, I'm not just going to take your money to impress a guy…"

"It's my father's money, and he's an asshole 50% of the time, so you'd really be doing ME a favor." She smiled at him. "Besides, I'm rooting for you two. I like him."

"Yeah, because he calls you ma'am," Stiles quipped.

"That doesn't hurt," Lydia smiled. "But mostly, I like the way he looks at you, like you're something special, and maybe you're an idiot, but you're an idiot that's my partner in crime, and if you're going to be with someone, I want it to be someone who looks at you like that...it doesn't hurt that he looks like this, either." She gestured to the final ad picture on her screen, smiling.

"Yeah, that...definitely doesn't hurt at all." Stiles smiled, taking the envelope. "Thank you, Lyds." He leaned in, kissing her on the cheek. "You're the best."

"I know." She shrugged.

"Hi." Stiles bit his lip as he arrived in front of the student union, where he and Kyle had agreed to meet for their date.

They hadn't decided what they were going to do yet, but Stiles was pretty sure, or at least he was hoping, that it would be fun no matter what. From the few interactions they had had, Kyle seemed more promising than anyone Stiles had been around in awhile, and he really wanted to get to know the person behind the body and amazing blond hair.

Of course, as soon as he saw Kyle standing there, looking spectacular in jeans and a t-shirt, all he wanted to do was drag him to the nearest room with a lock, but he pushed that urge aside, smiling.

"Hey. You made it."

"Did you think I was going to stand you up?" Kyle asked.

"Maybe a little." Stiles shrugged. "Residual insecurities from high school."

"Ahh." Kyle nodded. "Grow out of your awkward phase just recently, then?"

"Some might argue that I'm still in my awkward phase, but for the most part, yes." Stiles smiled, glad at how easy it was to just...be around Kyle.

"So, what do you want to do?" Kyle asked.

"Maybe walk into town and grab dinner?" Stiles suggested. "My treat, you know, since we didn't end up paying you for the modeling thing…"

"I liked the compensation I ended up with much better," he said with a teasing smile...which caused Stiles to blush.

"I'm glad."

They walked into town, talking about classes, and ROTC, and where they were from, and what they classes they were taking, how the professors were, and how Stiles would rather take a test than write a paper, but Kyle was the opposite.

"Oh, this looks good," Stiles stopped in front of what looked like a pretty decent thai place.

"Works for me." Kyle got the door, holding it open for Stiles, who smiled as they were both led to a table.

"So," Stiles stated, once they had ordered the food. "What really made you answer our ad? Because you didn't take the money, so you couldn't have needed it that badly."

"I saw your name attached to it," Kyle said, unashamed of the reply. "I'd seen you around campus before, asked about you, so when I saw your name on the ad, I figured it couldn't hurt to answer it, meet you."

"So you stalked me? Check, please," Stiles teased, smiling over at Kyle.

"I thought you were sexy, I wanted to meet you, that's it. Nothing creepy, I promise." He smiled and looked at Stiles, tilting his head to the side. "Why did you choose me?"

"Your abs," Stiles said instantly. "And, you know, the way you look, with that blond hair..." He smiled. "You had good head shots."

"And I flirted with you," Kyle reminded him.

"Yeah, for some reason you flirting with me impacted Lydia's decision to choose you more than my own."

"She was really pulling for the two of us to have a go of it on those sheets, wasn't she?" Kyle laughed.

"It's Lydia." Stiles shrugged. "I sort of stopped questioning most of what she does years ago, and just accepted that she's brilliant, and if she thinks you're good for me, you're probably good for me."

"I'd like to be." Kyle smiled. "I like to think I already was."

"Yeah, definitely not going to argue with you on that one." He nodded.

Kyle reached across the table with a lull in the silence and took Stiles' hand.

"I like you," he stated. "You're interesting."

"How so?" Stiles asked.

"You know what you like, and who you are, you know how smart you are, I'll bet, but you don't expect people to fall all over you for it. You're still a little bit reserved from high school, where maybe you weren't at the top of the social ladder, but you've found your niche, and you've grown into yourself, and you're just dead sexy."

"Okay, you have to stop that kind of talk," Stiles said with a smile. "Or we're not gonna make it past salad rolls before I drag you off to the bathroom to have my wicked way with you."

"You see," Kyle smirked. "That's just incentive for me to keep talking like this."

"You think I won't do it," Stiles stated.

"Pretty sure you won't," Kyle challenged.

"Oh hell no." Stiles stood up and grabbed Kyle's hand, dragging him to the bathrooms and into a stall, locking the door.

"Okay, confession time," Kyle panted, pulling his jeans back up. "I knew you'd do it, that's why I provoked you."

"Asshole," Stiles said lightly, trying to catch his own breath, because jesus, sure, Kyle wasn't the first guy he'd ever had sex with, but he'd never had sex like this, in a public bathroom. He'd never needed to have anyone badly enough that it had to be right then and there. It was...a strange feeling, at best.

"So, that was good," Kyle smiled.

"It was awesome."

"We can't go eat out there now," Kyle pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that." Stiles laughed. "Sneak out the back?"

"This is one of the weirdest dates I've ever been on," Kyle stated, using that as his form of agreement.

They exited the bathroom, waiting for just the right moment to escape out the back door without anyone seeing them. It wasn't a dine and dash, not really, since they hadn't eaten yet, but they had ordered, so there was that. Stiles fully intended to go back and pay the next day, but right now, he was sweaty from sex, and that just wasn't the way to have a sit down dinner.

"Want to go back to my dorm and order a pizza?" Kyle asked. "My roommate is with his girlfriend."

"Sounds good." Stiles nodded, falling easily into step by the other man.

It didn't take long for Kyle to reach out, lacing his fingers through Stiles' as they walked.

"So you said your dad's a sheriff?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah."

"I've thought some about going into law enforcement, you know, if I don't stick around the army after ROTC."

"Do you have a hero complex?" Stiles asked.

"Something like that." Kyle shrugged. "I just want to help people, you know? ROTC is a good way to pay for school, but at the end of the day, sometimes I'm not sure the army does the kind of good that I want to be doing."

"Oh god, don't tell me you're some kind of saint," Stiles groaned, rolling his eyes.

"I would think that after what we did in that bathroom back there, you'd know that I'm not."

"Fair enough." Stiles nodded. "For the record, you'd look hot in one of those uniforms - cops, army, any of them, really."

"You're ridiculous," Kyle teased.

"I am." Stiles nodded. "But I'm starting to think you like that about me."

"You wouldn't be wrong." Kyle squeezed Stiles' hand, smiling as he continued to walk.

The dinner that they shared was pleasant, the conversation was even more so, and by the time that they were done eating and talking, it was pretty clear that there was more between them than just sex. A lot more...though that didn't stop them from falling into bed once they were done eating.

"Do you have to go?" Kyle asked, putting his arms around Stiles once they were finished.

"Nope." Stiles shook his head. "Not if you don't want me to."

"I want you to stay the night," Kyle stated.

"What about your roommate?" he asked.

"Odds are, he'll stay with his girlfriend, and I put a sock on the door anyways, just in case." He smiled. "I don't bring people back ever, and he has his girlfriend here all of the time, so he'll make it work."

"Well now you're making me feel special," Stiles stated.

"You are," Kyle said softly, tracing his hand over Stiles' bare torso.

"You think I'm special?" Stiles asked.

"I know you are."

Stiles just smiled and leaned in, kissing Kyle deeply as they tumbled onto the bed together.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Stiles ran out the door of his house in Beacon Hills, grinning wide as the yellow cab pulled up in front of the house.

"You're here!" He practically tackled Kyle as he stepped out of the cab.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, tiger! It's only been two weeks."

"Yeah, the two longest weeks of my life," Stiles stated, leaning in, kissing Kyle softly, not caring that the cabbie was definitely eyeing them.

"Yeah, well like I said, I had to go home and visit my family before I could come visit you." Kyle smiled, looking at Stiles. "But now I'm here, and we can spend the whole summer together."

"I can't believe you found a job in Beacon Hills," Stiles stated, grabbing Kyle's suitcase and helping him into the house.

"It's a lot easier than finding a job back home, plus, free rent," he teased.

"Yeah, just wish my dad would let you stay in my room," Stiles said wistfully, leading Kyle into the guest room of their house.

"Speaking of your dad, where is he?" Kyle asked.

He'd met the Sheriff once before, when he'd come up to visit Stiles at school, and they'd gotten along well, especially with Kyle's interest in law enforcement, and Stiles had actually started to feel a bit like a third wheel until Kyle's hand on his knee under the table let him know that, yeah, Kyle knew he was still there.

"He's at work. He'll be home for dinner, though" Stiles promised.

"When's that?" Kyle asked.

"Not for at least two hours," Stiles smirked.

"Then get over here." Kyle dragged Stiles close to him, pulling him over to the guest bed and easing him down on it.

He lay on top of Stiles, kissing him long, deep, trying to make up for the two weeks that they had been apart.

Maybe in the grand scheme of things, four months of being together wasn't actually all that long, but Kyle knew, and he was pretty sure that Stiles did too, that what they had was something real.

"I love you," Kyle said softly, looking down at Stiles, biting his lip as he waited, reading the slightly younger man for a reaction.

"You...you do?" Stiles asked, his breath catching in his chest.

"Yeah." Kyle nodded. "That's okay, right?"

"More than." Stiles leaned up, kissing Kyle softly. "I love you, too."

A/N Alright, I hope that you enjoyed that little standalone! It's based off of a photoset of Ryan Kelley (who plays deputy Parrish), and written for a friend of mine! I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you had fun reading it!