At the first touch of her skin against his, he stills. Glancing up slowly, he regards Malia with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. He expects rebuke or irritation. Nothing could have prepared him for the declaration that comes instead. There’s a tiny part of him that believes he must have misheard. Because no way did she just…so easily, earnestly—

“Me too,” he says shakily, swallowing. “I m-mean. I’ll protect you too. I promise.”

Stiles can’t be sure why he returns the oath. They barely know each other. Yet he continues to stare at her like she’s something remarkable, something precious. A full body shock courses through his veins, leaving him winded and electrified. This kind of thing doesn’t happen to him. This kind of thing is reserved for people like Scott. No one has ever offered him anything even remotely like this.