by pebble/scifipony
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Characters: Scott McCall, Eli Hale, Allison Argent, Hikari Zhang, Mason Hewitt, Corey Bryant, Stiles Stilinski, rest of McCall Pack mentioned
Pairings: Scott/Allison, Mason/Corey, Liam/Hikari, Stiles/Lydia
Words: 1,813
Tags: Post-Canon, Movie-era, Fluff, Found Family, Pack Bonding, Pack Feels
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: Originally posted to AO3 and SqWA on February 9th, 2024. Written for the Scottuary Bingo event on tumblr for the prompt "Family". Takes place after the movie. All canon relationships apply.
Beacon Hills High wasn’t a particularly large school, so it didn’t usually matter that there was only one set of bleachers on the playing field. It wasn’t often that their home games drew a large enough crowd to fill them. Tonight, however, the stands were filled to capacity. Not because it was a noteworthy game, but because one of the players had several benches filled with his own personal cheering section.
Scott smiled at his fiancé as she plopped down into the seat beside him, her breath fogging in the air as she clutched her thermos of cocoa tighter.
“A little cold?” he asked jokingly.
Allison shivered exaggeratedly as she tucked in against his side for warmth. “Tell me again why these games are always on unreasonably cold nights?”
“I think it’s to scare parents out of attending,” Melissa commented from the next seat over. She pulled her coat tighter around her. “Can’t believe how long it’s been since I last sat on these benches. I forgot how uncomfortable they are.”
“It’s not that bad,” Scott said with a shrug, earning dirty looks from both women. He wondered if his werewolf physiology made him more resistant to cold than normal humans. Considering the way Allison tended to cling to him on cold nights, he supposed that was probably the case. “If you think this is bad, just wait until the first away game against Mission Academy. Their school is at a high enough elevation to get snow during their games.”
“I think I’ll be sitting that one out,” Melissa said. “I’ll be supporting from the warmth of my living room.”
Scott laughed and reached across to squeeze his mom’s hand. “Thanks for coming out,” he said sincerely. “I know it means a lot to Eli.”
Melissa’s face softened. “Wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” she told him. Jokingly, she added, “Not that he doesn’t already have a big enough support crowd here.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Scott had to agree. Malia was seated on the bench behind them, looking grumpy at the unseasonable weather, but fully ready to cheer her cousin on. Peter was seated beside her, trying his best to look like an unwilling attendee even though no one had pressured him into coming.
Immediate family wasn’t the extent of the group, either. The entire pack had turned out — at least, the ones who were able to get away from work for the trip here.
Lydia was sitting on Scott’s other side, doodling in her sketchbook as she waited for the game to get underway. Liam and Hikari were cuddled together against the cold, sharing some of the popcorn Melissa had brought. Corey and Mason had brought signs and banners, apparently determined to be the most supportive surrogate uncles ever. Sheriff Stilinski, Argent, and Parrish rounded out their little group — if you didn’t count Theo hovering in the back with a disinterested scowl on his face. Theo's attendance had also been entirely voluntary even if, like Peter, he seemed determined not to admit it.
Stiles’s flight from San Francisco had been delayed, but he was hoping to make it soon. He’d been texting Scott every fifteen minutes with frantic updates. Having been through the struggle of getting onto first line during his own high school lacrosse days, he knew what a big deal this game was for Eli.
The feeling of pack was heavy all around their little group, like a physical thing Scott could reach out and grab. It settled warmly in his chest and made everything snap into sharper focus. A blanket of comfort and calm that rested over the gathering.
It was rare these days for the pack to be all in one place. They’d been making more of an effort since the incident with the nogitsune last year, but trying to find time in between their various jobs and other responsibilities was difficult. Scott had learned to really appreciate moments like this. The comforting harmony of their individual heartbeats soothed away any remaining stress from the day.
“It’s been a while since I’ve watched anything related to sports,” Mason said. “So everyone else will have to let me know when to cheer and boo.”
Corey laughed, reaching over to adjust his husband’s scarf. “I think you’ll figure it out. It hasn't been that long.” He took another sip of his cocoa before adding, “At least this game doesn’t have a likelihood of ending in death. I don’t think we made it through high school with any pleasant lacrosse experiences.”
“There were a few,” Scott said. “And you weren’t a bad goalie by the end of high school. I’m surprised you didn’t continue it in college.”
Corey shrugged. “I think I realized sports aren’t my thing. Too much maiming, even without supernatural creatures involved.”
That was fair. Scott couldn’t blame him, considering how much Corey hated confrontation. He’d always suspected the sudden interest in lacrosse during his junior year had more to do with trying to impress Mason.
Lydia glanced over her shoulder at Hikari. “What about you?” she asked. “Have you played any sports?”
“I played a little softball in school,” Hikari said. “Mostly, I was involved in archery and track.”
“Archery?” Allison perked up at that. “Do you still shoot?”
Hikari smiled, her eyes brightening as she sat up. Beside her, Liam sighed.
“Now you’ve done it,” he mumbled. “That’s going to be the only topic the rest of the night.”
He didn’t sound annoyed, though. The fond exasperation in his voice reminded Scott of how he felt whenever Stiles kept him up late on the phone, rambling about his theories on various unsolved murders.
“I need to get back in practice,” Allison told Hikari, ignoring Liam. “We could shoot together sometime, if you’d be interested.”
“I’d love that. I tried teaching Liam before, but he’s…”
“Hopeless?” Liam filled in for her.
“I was going to say a work in progress.”
Scott’s phone vibrated in his pocket, pulling his attention away from the conversation. He fished it out and checked the latest update from Stiles. ‘Entering town now. Stall the game if you can. A very minor explosion if you have to.’
Shaking his head, he shot back a text and tucked his phone away again. He wasn’t planning on starting any explosions, but he did hope his friend made it in time.
The coach’s voice suddenly entered his hearing, drawing Scott’s focus to the field before them. The team had finally emerged from the locker room, and he quickly spotted Eli on the sidelines with his teammates. Even without being able to pick up the rapid beating of the kid’s heart, or the unsteady flutter of his breathing, it was easy to see how nervous he was as he took a seat on the bench.
Leaning over, Scott murmured to Allison, “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Allison took one look at Eli and nodded in understanding. “Let him know we’re all rooting for him,” she said.
“I will.”
He stole a quick kiss before standing and making his way down out of the bleachers.
If he’d been unsure of Eli’s mental state before, the anxiety he could smell rolling off the kid in waves confirmed it. He was sitting at the end of the team’s bench, knee bouncing restlessly as he twisted his lacrosse stick in his hands.
Scott clapped his hand onto Eli’s shoulder as he squatted down beside him. “Hey,” he greeted softly. “Excited to get out there?”
The teen relaxed considerably, but his hands still fidgeted as he admitted, “I don’t think I can do this.”
“We’ve been practicing all summer. You worked really hard to make first line. You earned this.”
Eli shook his head. “What if I can’t control… it?” His eyes glanced furtively around as he avoided saying the actual words, but there was too much pre-game noise for there to be any real risk.
“Remember how you’ve been training with the full moon,” Scott told him. “Focus on your anchor and you’ll be fine.”
“I’m going to break someone’s leg,” Eli moaned. “I just know it.”
Scott smiled, reminded of his own anxieties over the same thing. “You won’t,” he reassured the teen. “Keep your wolf side muted and it will be okay. You’ll have a little advantage from being faster and stronger than you used to be, but you won’t hurt anyone as long as you don’t tap into your powers.”
He reached over and tapped the center of Eli’s chest, where he knew the kid tended to keep the Hale family’s triskelion under his shirt. “Recite your mantra if you need to, take a deep breath, and focus on having fun. You’ve got this.”
Eli tugged the medallion out of his shirt, rubbing a thumb over it with a sad smile.
“He’d be proud of you,” Scott told him.
Closing his eyes, Eli took a steadying breath and gave a sharp nod. “I hope so.”
“He is. And the rest of your family is here to cheer you on.”
“Do we get pizza for dinner if I manage to score?” Eli asked half-jokingly as he tucked the triskelion away again.
Scott laughed. The kid had the appetite of both a teenage boy and a young werewolf, and it showed. “It’s supposed to be a surprise, but my mom is treating the whole pack to pizza at her house after the game. Even if you don’t score.”
The coach blew his whistle, cutting through the noise of the pre-game chatter. “Alright, let’s huddle up!” he called out sharply.
Scott stood and gave his youngest beta a thumbs up. “You’ll do great.”
Eli nodded, his chemosignals smelling more excited than nervous now. “Thanks.”
He rejoined his team as Scott climbed back up the bleachers to the rest of the pack. An armed snaked around Scott's shoulders as a figure suddenly appeared at his side. It might have startled him if he hadn't already heard Stiles's mad dash from the parking lot.
“Ha! Made it!” Stiles exclaimed, breath still heaving from his run. “Told you I’d make it.”
Hugging his friend, Scott grinned. “Good thing. I really didn’t want to be arrested for arson tonight.”
“Have I taught you nothing about how to avoid leaving evidence at a crime scene?” Stiles sighed in faux disappointment. He took a seat, squeezing himself into the limited space between Lydia’s and Scott’s spots, before greeting his girlfriend with a kiss.
Allison reached over and grabbed Scott’s hand as he sat down. “Is Eli going to be okay?” she asked quietly.
Scott glanced down at the teen werewolf, running out into the field now with his teammates around him. He listened to the gentle murmur of the pack’s various conversations blending together as they waited to cheer on their youngest member.
He nodded, a proud smile crossing his face. “He’s gonna be fine.”
This fic is also archived on AO3 [Link] and SquidgeWorld [Link] - If it is found anywhere else, it is posted without my permission.
Thank you for checking out my fics! If you would like to chat with the author, you can contact me on my tumblr or dreamwidth, or leave a comment below!