Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sheriff came home after a long night on shift. The supernatural community seemed to have quieted down for now, leaving the town peaceful. His shift was almost all night. It was just a bunch of drunkards and an indecent exposure charge that had happened that night. Coming home at 4 am was hard on him and his teenage son, Stiles who would be eighteen in just a few short months.

Sighing, he took his hat off and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He wasn't an alcoholic, he just liked to imbibe in a glass or two before bed. Settling in to his arm chair, he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to try to relax. The second he did, an ear piercing scream hit the air. Jumping up, he dropped his glass and grabbed his gun, bursting into his son's room. John had expected to find someone that broke in, but instead his son was writhing on the floor. His eyes were still closed as he had the blankets tangled around him, tying him up as his nightmare continued. "Stiles! STILES!" He holstered his gun and sat down next to him, taking him into his arms and holding him close, shaking him gently to wake him up.

The boy's eyes opened but they were still glazed over as he screamed. "Come back to me, Stiles. You're awake now. Dad's got you." The elder Stilinski murmured reassuringly as he held him. Slowly, the fog seemed to lift and he stopped struggling.

"Dad," he looked up at him and blinked, seeing the predicament they were in. Stiles sighed, knowing that this had definitely not been the first time. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, son. It isn't your fault. You can't control your dreams. Do you want to talk about it?" John offered, softly, but the younger shook his head. "Come on. I'll tuck you back in." The two Stilinski men stood and hugged for a moment. Remaking the bed, the sheriff made Stiles get under the covers and tuck them in around him. "Sweet dreams, Stiles." He said, kissing the young boy's forehead. Soon enough, he had drifted off to sleep once more.

Walking back downstairs, John walked out the backdoor, speaking gently. "Derek, come on out. I know you're there." His suspicions were confirmed when the black mass he had seen at the corner of his yard came over. The sheriff should probably be concerned that such an older man, werewolf, and ex felon was watching so closely over his son. But surprisingly, it didn't bother him, if anything, it soothed him a little.

"Sheriff," Derek's rough voice greeted him. The werewolf respected the sheriff and what he had done for them, and raising Stiles on his own.

"I want you to gather the pack at Scott's house tomorrow at about seven pm. We are going to all have a conversation. I'm sick of having my son waking up screaming due to nightmares. But I would put money on it that he is not the only one." John said firmly. "I want you all there, no if, ands, or buts. Is that understood?"

"Yessir. The pack will be there." The sheriff nodded as his words and he left, back to the shadows where he was dismissed too.

"Thank you." He said softly, turning back and entering the home. John retired to his room, changing into sweatpants and an old, ratty shirt that Claudia had always hated, making him smile at the fond memory. Falling asleep was hard for himself, but he did, promising himself that he would begin to solve this problem tomorrow at the McCall residence.

The next day.

The sheriff entered the home to find all of the pack already there- Scott, Kira, Malia, Derek, Lydia, and Liam- Stiles trailing behind him. Both Stilinskis sat down on the couch. All of the pack's attention went to the Sheriff.

"I don't want to beat around the bush about this." He began, looking at each of them, one at a time. "Stiles has absolutely horrendous nightmares, and I know he's not the only one." They all seemed to pale a little, even Scott. "So we are going to do something about this."

"It's not like we can go to a therapist. They would think we're crazy," Malia commented. The sheriff always liked her, but he was happy when his son and Malia broke up- she was too rough for Stiles.

"You're right there," Sheriff agreed with the young wolf. "Which is why we are going to help each other. All of us are going to discuss the nightmares with each other."

"Sheriff, I don't know if this is the best time for that. Something could be happening in Beacon Hills. What if another pack-" Scott was soon interrupted by Derek.

"Hush. It is for the betterment of the pack that we do this. The more we know about each other, the more we will know what the other is feeling and doing." Derek's voice silenced all other doubts. It was Scott that was alpha, but they all turned to Derek. His eyes may not be red, but his heart was an alpha and they all knew it. When it came down to it, Stiles thought even Scott would bare his neck to the ex alpha.

"Good." John nodded after a beat of silence. "Who wants to start?" Everyone looked at each other before Derek raised his hand.

"I will." They all knew that if Derek did it, surely the others should follow. Or that was the hope. Taking a sigh, he rubbed his face. "One of my repeating nightmares, is the fire. It's not the most recent, but it hurts the worse. I remember feeling them die through the pack bond. As soon as my mother died, all the bonds were severed." He spoke softly. Derek never spoke about his past. "And I'm the reason they died." Not wanting to hear that it wasn't his fault, he turned to the alpha next to him. "Now you."

"Holding Allison as she died. She said she loved me and I loved her. I just wish I could have made it work with her. I feel like I was an idiot for going into the woods and being bitten. Maybe she would still be alive if I had been human." Scott sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. "Kira."

"At the Calaveras. When they questioned me to torture Scott with the car battery," she gave a shudder and the alpha reached out to take her hand and squeeze it softly. "Lydia."

The ice queen. Honestly, Stiles was shocked she said anything, much less something serious. "Peter. Hearing him whisper into my mind, thinking of everything, everytime I see him, there's this smirk on his face- like he's seen me do...things." She whispered out, looking like a fragile girl for a second before sniffing and straightening her posture. "Liam."

"The well. How helpless I felt and how I got so close to crawling out before I fell the first time. If Scott hadn't found me, I would have slowly died." Liam bit his lip. "Does it get any easier?"

"Not at all." Derek answered, honest and blunt. "It doesn't get easier but you get better at locking up your feelings until you're alone and no one can hear you cry." It sounded like he spoke from personal experience. "Stiles." They all turned to the usually hyperactive teen who hadn't spoken a word this whole time. It was quite unusual.

Stiles sat there still, his face was pale and his eyes were rimmed red with barely contained tears. "I can't do this," he said quietly and went to stand from the couch. The door closing signaled that he left the house.

"I'll go get him." The sheriff stood up but Derek beat him to it.

"No. I will take care of it." He waited until John sat down and followed the younger Stilinski out of the door. Using his nose, he jogged to where Stiles was, just walking up the block. Derek got next to him, walking silently for a few moments.

"I don't know how you deal with this. All of the guilt." Stiles broke the silence as his voice cracked with emotion.

"You don't. You either let it eat you alive or you let someone else share the burden with you." He answered simply. Stiles didn't need fake reassurances right now, he just wanted the truth.

"What did you choose?" He asked, spotting a park bench and sitting down on it.

"For a long time, it ate me alive. Hell, I still blame myself, but I also share it with Cora and the pack. I'm not the only one that feels guilty or is maybe a little scared." Derek admitted as he sat down on the bench. His jean covered legs sprawled in front of him as he sat down always taking up a lot of space with his domineering presence.

"I can't share this with my dad, even. The more he knows, the more of a liability he becomes. And when it comes to my mom," he broke off to sob. "I look too much like her. He just gives me sad look and drinks until he passed out. I don't know what to do."

"Is that why you have nightmares?" Derek asked, letting Stiles speak at his own pace.

"Derek, I hate myself. I have secrets. My nightmares, they're...bad. They're really fucked up. My dad will wake me up when I start screaming. I don't know how to stop them." He hiccuped from crying.

"What makes you feel safe?" Derek asked softly.

"My dad and the pack." He frowned and wrung out his hands nervously. "But no one can be there all the time."

"Come on." Derek said softly, standing up and holding out his hand to Stiles.

"Where are we going?" Stilinski hesitated for a moment before sliding his small hand into Derek's rough, calloused one. He didn't answer and led Stiles to the Camaro, opening the door for him and helping him inside. Before getting into the car, he sent Scott a text to tell the sheriff that he would take Stiles home. Derek got into the car and began to drive him home.

"Pack is family and family takes care of each other, Stiles." He told the young human, a fond look on his face. Derek missed the constant chatter of the boy and wish he was the Stiles he knew. Or at least really the one he thought he knew. But now, he knows that the Stiles he had been for so long, was the mask he had let the others believe was him.

Derek pulled up to the Stillinski household and got out of the car. The younger boy slowly followed him and unlocked the front door for them. Taking Stiles hand, he led him up the stairs and into the boys room where so many of their encounters had occurred. But this was different than the others. "Put on your pajamas." He told the human softly who complied. Derek stripped off his leather jacket, shoes, and jeans. In the same amount of time, Stiles had changed into sweatpants and a large tshirt that had a BHPD symbol on it.

Raising an eyebrow, Stiles chuckled. "Are you planning on seducing me?" He gave a soft grin that was actually sincere. It made Derek's lips twitch at the corner.

"Shut up, Stiles." Their normal bickering was comfortable for them and made them both feel more at ease. "Get into bed." Stiles nodded, and got into his bed, scooting to the back corner where he usually started before he flailed in his sleep. His back faced the wall as he looked at Derek, pulling up the covers. Stiles always felt more secure like this, like nothing could burst through the wall to grab him. Derek let him settle and got in under the covers, laying there and taking up most of the space with his broad shoulders.

"This bed is not big enough for both of us." Stiles muttered and let out a surprised squeak when Derek wrapped an arm around his waist, tugging him close. The teenager ended up half sprawled on top of the older werewolf, head laying on his chest and hearing the comforting beat of his heart. "Better." He murmured softly. Stiles took a deep breath as he started to relax.

Derek's arm remained wrapped around his waist, fingers splayed on his hip underneath his shirt. Physical contact, that was something he could definitely give to him. His other hand gently ran through Stiles soft hair, making him smile. "What do you need Stiles?" He asked after the other had relaxed enough that he was half asleep.

"Control." Stiles answered with a sleepy murmur, nuzzling Derek's chest as he yawned.

"Wielding it or being controlled?" He asked, wanting to know which he needed to give Stiles.

"I need someone I trust to control me. I need to trust them enough that they won't let me do bad things. I need someone to hold me at night and make me feel safe, but also be aggressive in showing me that they have the power and not me. I always feel powerless, Derek. But not in the way I want to." Stiles tried to explain with a sigh.

"Alright. We will talk more later." Derek nodded and rubbed the other's back. "Be good and go to sleep, Stiles." A shiver went up the other boy's back at his words, but he nodded and closed his eyes again. Almost immediately, he drifted off into a sweet, dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter two

Stiles completely expected to wake up to an empty bed. But to his surprise, there was a warm body next to him. A true smile came over his face as he nuzzled the werewolf's neck. Derek's grip on his waist tightened as he woke up before looking at the human sprawled out on top of him. "Morning." He grumbled out.

"Morning." Stilinski mumbled back before he suddenly straightened. "Wait. Is it really morning?! I have school!" He scrambled off of Derek, nearly falling when he tangled himself in the sheets. Hearing a snort of amusement, Stiles quickly changed clothes. Derek pulled on the clothes from the previous night.

"You have a few minutes before you need to leave." Derek looked at his phone. Stepping close, he wrapped arms around Stiles waist, the younger looking up at him.

"Thanks. For staying." Stiles bit his lip. There was so much more he wanted to say. So much he wanted to do. But time was limited at that moment. "I'll talk to you after lacrosse? It's Friday so pack night, right?"

Derek nodded in agreement with the teenager. "I'll see you then." He let go of Stiles and handed him his backpack. "Your dad is downstairs. Say goodbye and go to school. I'll be at the loft when you're done with practice."

"Yessir." Stiles saluted him sarcastically. He had some of his original sass back just from such a restful sleep with Derek. Heading out the door, he said goodbye to his dad and headed to school just as Derek had told him to do. He expected the werewolf to jump out of his window, but instead he waited until the jeep was gone from hearing range. Going down the steps, he went to the kitchen and sat down across from the sheriff.

"Morning, Derek." The sheriff stood and poured him a cup of coffee, handing it to the werewolf.

"Morning. Thank you, Sir." He took a sip of the drink. There was a moment of silence before John sighed.

"Thank you for being there for my son last night. I know he usually doesn't have nightmares when Scott is over or another member of the pack, but no one can be here all the time." He looked up at Derek. "But you already know that."

Hale pursed his lips and nodded. "I do, Sir. I know I may not be your favorite pack member, but I am the least busy one. I don't have the Hale fortune anymore, but I have invested the money wisely and I am certainly not hurting for any money. I started my own construction company and I make my own hours. I can be here when he needs me."

"They're all hurting right now. Why Stiles?" Sheriff's eyebrow quirked in an imitation of Derek's legendary eyebrow language.

"Because Stiles is the pack. If it wasn't for Stiles, we would all be dead or hating each other. He kept me and Scott from becoming rival packs, he kept us alive, he gave us a reason to live. Stiles gave me a reason to live." Derek said softly. "Last night, he told me he wanted someone he trusted to take the power from him."

John gave the werewolf a look of disbelief. "Why would he want that?"

"He needs to learn how to trust again. I've had some experience with this kind of thing. I want your permission to do this- to fall asleep with Stiles and give him whatever else he needs." Derek explained, nervous but not showing it.

"Are you asking for my blessing to date my son?" Sheriff straightened up and gave Derek a look that would have a lesser man running out the door.

"If I'm lucky, then yes. Stiles will be eighteen in a few months. I would never pressure him. I just want him to be happy and if being together makes him happy then I'll do it." Derek nodded.

"Would being with Stiles make you happy?" The older Stilinski tilted his head.

"Yes." Derek admitted, swallowing the lump in his throat. It was the first time he had ever admitted it to someone. Most days he could barely be that honest with himself.

"You both stay for dinner on Sunday nights. You sleep here on school nights. No sex until he's eighteen." He told him his rules. "And if he is unhappy, then this immediately ends and I'll come for your ass, Hale. Understand?"

"Yes Sir," Derek nodded. Finishing drinking his coffee, they both stood and the Sheriff shook his hand.

"Pack up some of his stuff and bring it to the loft. It'll make him more at ease sleeping there. Don't forget his pillow." John told him and Derek went up the stairs. He grabbed a few changes of clothes for the younger boy and the pillow, stuffing it one of Stiles bags. Derek used the door for once, waving goodbye to John as he left and went to his loft.

After school

Derek could hear Stiles Jeep chugging up the driveway. Rolling his eyes affectionately, he sighed and put away the groceries he had bought for pack night. Stiles got out of the car and entered the loft, heart a comforting, fast, beat. "Hey, Big Bad." He grinned. Sniffing the air, Derek's nose scrunched up. Stiles reeked of sweat and grass. It was disgusting- and if he was honest with himself, completely arousing.

"You're affronting my senses. Go shower. Your clothes are in the left side of the bureau." He said by way of greeting. Stiles raised an eyebrow, a perfect imitation of the one Derek usually uses.

"Why are my clothes in your loft?" Confused, he looked around as if expecting them to jump out of the walls.

"You're spending Friday and Saturday nights here. Sunday's are dinner at your house. School nights we stay at your house." Derek explained it slow, like he was talking to someone who didn't have a full brain.

"What about my dad?!" Stiles sputtered out, raising his arms in confusion.

"He agreed. These are actually his rules. Now go shower." Derek looked back to the book in his hand, successfully dismissing the human. But this was Stiles. Walking over, he snatched the book from his hands.

"You talked to my dad about our cuddling schedule?!" He squeaked a little at the end of the sentence.

"It was his idea to do therapy in the first place." The werewolf shrugged. "He was fine with it. Now go shower." Adding a little growl to the command, Derek gave him a hard look. If this was back at the beginning of their relationship, Stiles would have shit himself. But now he knew this growl really meant 'You're very amusing and annoying, but I'm not quite sure what to do with you, so please just do what I said.' Grinning, Stiles nodded and went up the stairs to Derek's bedroom.

Derek had indeed grabbed clothes from his room- his favorite red hoodie was there along with a few pairs of pants and shirts...wait...and yup, those are Stiles batman boxers, causing the teenager to blush. 'Control yourself Stilinski. He's just trying to help.' Stiles reminded himself. Grabbing fresh jeans, an avengers tshirt, and batman boxers, he hopped in the shower, using the same shampoo and soap that he had come to associate with Derek.

Muttering curses under his breath, the werewolf remained downstairs. If he was honest with himself, the teen that he sent into the shower, smelled absolutely delicious. It was like Stiles with a scent booster when he was so sweaty- young, fresh, cinnamon cookies, and this indescribable scent that was just Stiles. Derek was addicted to the smell and always tempted to just lean in and scent the young boy's neck. But that was it. Stiles was a boy. He couldn't go through with that. Not now. Not yet. His head snapped up when he heard the noise of feet coming down the stairs.

Stiles immediately went into the adjoining kitchen, opening the fridge door as he whistled. Taking out a water bottle for himself and turning to Derek. "Want one?" The werewolf nodded and soon was tossed one. The throw was a little wide but still no challenge for him to reach out and grab it, leaving Stiles muttering about stupid werewolves and their reflexes as he sat down on the couch. Turning the tv onto some mindless channel, he curled up in a ball, taking a sip of water as his eyes closed. Derek continued doing work on the dining room table, glancing over into the living room to check on Stiles every few minutes.

Soon enough, the human was fast asleep, a pillow under his head and clutching one to his chest. Just like everything else though, Stiles moved in his sleep, unable to keep still. After an hour or two of watching this, Derek gave up on any notion of work and sat down on the couch next to Stiles. Pulling the others feet into his lap, he lightly drew random patterns on his ankles. A content smile was on his face, watching some stupid tv show, with the person he cared about most sleeping next to him. Stiles let out a happy sigh and stopped shifting so much, just settling on the couch because of the werewolf's touch.

At about seven o'clock or so, he could hear Scott's motorbike making its way up the long driveway. The pack was coming for their pack bonding night like they always did on Friday and since Derek had the most space, it was always held there. Gently, his hand moved up Stiles sleeping form to jostle his shoulder gently. "Wake up, Stiles." The human groaned and shifted away from him.

"Five more minutes." He begged softly, still mostly asleep.

"Scott is coming up the driveway. In 3...2...1," Derek counted it down to Scott opening up the door.

"Stiles, man, I got this new video game and..." Scott's voice trailed off as he noticed Derek and Stiles position on the couch. "Uh, do you guys want me to leave?"

"Yes. Five more minutes of sleep." Stiles nodded and turned on the couch. The werewolf rolled his eyes and stood up.

"I'll go get you a soda. Sit up, Stilinski. The rest of the pack is almost here." Derek got up. He went into the fridge and brought back two sodas, one for each of the teens. Once he was in the living room, he was pleased to find Stiles sitting up and having a somewhat intelligent conversation with Scott. Derek moved away and sat in his usual recliner as all of the pack members began to trickle in- Malia, Lydia, Kira, Liam, Mason, and Danny, the two humans their latest editions to the pack.

Once everyone was there, Stiles as usual would take everyone's order for pizza and figure out how to make it work best. It took quite a few full pizzas to fill the wolves stomachs, so they had a large majority of places for takeout on speed dial. It was Malia's turn to pick the pizza place and Danny's turn to pick a movie. Of course that meant Stiles ordered from Antonio's. The sound of laughing and talking filled the loft as he finished placing the order. Walking into the room, he leaned against the wall watching the scene.

Mason and Danny were cuddled up next to each other, with Liam sitting on the other side of Mason. It seemed as if Danny was finally getting over the alpha that had fled Beacon Hills last year. Mason had adapted rather well to their group, and Liam was slowly getting control over his wolf- no longer snapping at all of them constantly or having to be put back in his place. Lydia and Malia were sitting next to each other, talking about a math problem or something. He wasn't really sure and could only catch snippets of the conversation. Eyes now travelled to Kira and Scott, kitsune and alpha. Their heads were pressed together as they talked in low tones, gentle, loving caresses on each other's hands or arms. It made Stiles chest ache. He only wished he could have something like that. Lastly his golden eyes landed on Derek who was staring at him with green eyes that he loved to stare into. The werewolf's corner of his lip was turned up in a crooked smile like he knew what Stiles was feeling. Stilinski's heartbeat stood up as they looked at each other, smiles on their face. He felt so much for this older man but he didn't quite understand it yet and he definitely didn't think the sentiment was returned. The doorbell rang with their pizza and Stiles jumped, the moment between them broken.

Stiles answered the door, taking the mass amount of pizza boxes. All of the pizza places had Derek's credit card to charge so they didn't need to pay. Smiling at the normal pizza guy, he handed the boxes to Scott. "You guys have a fun night!" He winked at the other human.

"Thanks." Stiles blushed a little and closed the door. Walking into the kitchen, he found the whole pack looking at him. "What?" He asked confused. Liam passed him the receipt and he saw what was written on it. 'Hey cutie that answers the door, I think you're adorable and I hope you'll cal me some time. Xoxo Dave' with his phone number attached.

Bright red, he passed the note back to Liam. "Shred it." Claws appeared and it was immediately in a hundred pieces. It was like the spell had been broken, the pack all reaching for the pizza and beginning their conversations again. Stiles put two pieces on his plate, and took his normal seat. Derek at the head, Stiles on his left and Scott on his right. Derek turned to the human.

"It would have been okay if you wanted to date him, Stiles." Derek said low, taking a bite from his pizza.

"I've got my eye on someone else." Stiles shrugged. Honestly, Derek felt himself deflate a little. It wasn't a lie. And he was positive it wasn't him so his face became neutral. Occasionally he let out a grunt or a growl during the packs conversations but mostly he just sat back and watched the interactions.

When it came time for the movie, Danny chose Terminator- much to the dismay of a few members of the pack. Everyone settled in to their usual spots- Lydia and Malia on the small couch, Scott and Kira on the floor, Danny, Mason, and Liam on the bigger couch, and Derek on his huge recliner. Usually Stiles would end up on the floor or squeezing with one of the other pairs, but not today. Right now, he grabbed a bowl of popcorn and plopped himself half on top of Derek and half on the arm of the recliner. The werewolf had a bit of a surprised look on his face but didn't comment, taking a handful of popcorn and eating it as the movie began.

Slowly but surely, an hour in, Stiles had put the popcorn down and was slumped against Derek's side, half asleep. The older man wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled the younger completely into his lap. Stiles jerked a little, looking up at Derek with a slow blink before burying his head in the neck of the other. Scott watched the exchange and raised an eyebrow at Derek as the werewolf began to scent mark the human. Derek didn't lower his gaze, a challenge to the alpha, but Scott merely grinned and nodded, turning back to the movie.

At the end of it, the pack stood up, cleaning up the area like Stiles had been trying so hard to teach them how to do. They did a pretty good job and Derek was quite impressed. Each one of the members said goodnight and touched a part of Stiles- his cheek, his head, his shoulder- scenting him as pack, as theirs. Once everyone was gone, Derek smiled softly. Stiles looked so peaceful in his sleep, the worried crease on his forehead smoothed out, and the always moving mouth finally quiet. Gently, he stood up and went upstairs to his bedroom. Laying Stiles down on the bed, Derek couldn't help himself as he kissed his forehead. Remembering that he had to toss out the pizza boxes, he went downstairs.

Grabbing the boxes, he whistled and walked to the end of his driveway, moving quicker than normal because he wanted to get back to his bed. Nothing to do with Stiles, he told himself as he put the boxes in the pile. Suddenly, his head snapped up when he heard a shout come from his home. Eyes bleeding gold, he ran into the house and up the stairs. Bursting into the bedroom he looked around for an enemy but saw none- only Stiles, whimpering and squirming in the sheets. Fear and anxiety poured off of the boy. Switching back into human form, he gently shook Stiles. "Wake up, Stiles. I'm here. Nothing to worry about. They can't get you."

Stilinski continued to whimper, hands curling in the sheets as he tossed and turned. Derek didn't know what to do. Eyes bled gold with frustration and rougher than he meant to, he growled "Stiles." The younger instantly jerked away with a sob in his throat.

"Derek?" He asked, eyes wide and red as he rubbed his face. "I'm sorry. I had a nightmare." Stiles hiccuped as he started to cry.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Derek had never watched this happen to Stiles before and he didn't quite know what to do. But if one of the pack were this stressed out, he would offer them comfort so he would do the same to Stiles. He sat down on the bed next to him, pulling the other into his lap. One hand lightly gripped the back of his neck, rubbing his thumb back and forth while the other remained around his waist. When Stiles sobbing had calmed down somewhat, his nose buried in the other's hair. "Want to talk about it?"

There was a beat of silence. "It was my mom. Most of my nightmares lately have been the nogitsune, but this one has happened ever since she passed away." A tear fell down Stiles face. "I saw her the day before she died and I told my dad I couldn't visit her again. That it was too hard. She passed away alone the next day when I would have been there if I hadn't said I wouldn't go again. It's my fault." Derek would have reassured him that it wasn't but he knew that wasn't what Stiles wanted. Besides, he hated when people did that to him about the fire. "And in my dreams, she reaches out for me. But I turn away every time. Then she dies and it goes to the funeral and I fling myself on the casket, begging her to wake up. That's usually when dad wakes me up because I start screaming." Derek nodded and silently kept him company. The presence of the wolf was commanding and calming all at once.

"Do you want some water? Or chocolate?" He asked softly, running fingers through Stiles short hair. Derek knew that it could help him jolt his body and get over the shock of his panic attack.

"No. I just need you to hold me." In the moment, Stiles had never felt or sounded so broken to Derek. Nodding, the elder held him close. Over the course of an hour, Stiles breathing evened out, his eyes were half closed, and his heartbeat had synced up with Derek's. It was perfect. But Derek had something he needed to ask, and now was one of the few times they would be alone.

"Stiles?" He said in a shushed voice, knowing the teen was only barely awake.

"Mmm?" Stiles answered without really saying anything.

"You said you wanted someone you trusted to take control from you. Let me be that person." Derek offered. He would have thought Stiles had fallen asleep by the long stretch of silence, but his heart was beating quick as a bunny.

Just when Derek was getting ready to tell Stiles to forget about it, he heard a soft, barely audible, "okay." And that was enough for him.

"Good. Now sleep." Clearing his throat after it, he kissed the top of Stiles head. Soon enough, the human was once more asleep and the werewolf joined soon after.

Chapter Text

Stiles could TOTALLY get used to this kind of wake up. It wasn't the shrill jerk of his alarm when he had to go to school, or his dad pounding on the door, or Scott blowing up his phone with texts and the noises waking him. No. This was completely different. It was a slow coming to awareness. There was gentle sunlight spilling in through the window, a right arm around his waist, and breathing in his ear. Eyes slowly opened to look at Derek- the stunning, dark haired beauty that looked even better when his face was relaxed. He wasn't frowning or scowling, just relaxed- maybe even a slight upturn to the corner of his lips that Stiles loved.

"Shut up." Derek mumbled and pulled the human closer against his body.

"I didn't say anything!" Stiles sputtered, speaking into Derek's chest now, laid out on top of him.

"Your heart is beating too fast. I can hear your mind working. Either go to sleep or get us some coffee." Sleepily Derek's eyes remained shut.

"Alright." Stiles huffed and got out of bed, nearly falling as he got his legs under him. First things first, he used the en suite bathroom to relieve himself. Somehow, he managed to get downstairs and started to make coffee when he heard the shower go off downstairs. As he waited for it to brew, Stiles wondered around, always a curious cat. Seeing the desk that was in the corner that he knew Derek sometimes used, he riffled through the drawers. What he found, surprised him.

Derek came down the stairs, smelling the coffee but not hearing Stiles moving around. Coming around the corner, he walked up behind him, silent as a ninja until he spoke. "You know it's not nice to go through people's things." Stiles jumped about a foot, arms flailing and dropping the pieces of papers.

"And you know you're not supposed to sneak up on me like that!" Huffing he bent down and picked up the papers. Derek definitely did not look at his sweatpants clad ass. No, siree. This was also the time Stiles turned around to see Derek, standing there in gym shorts and a wife beater. It really was unfair that someone could be that hot before noon.

"What are these?" Stiles asked, holding up the papers as he tried to distract himself. Forcing his eyes to stare into Derek's green ones, he glared half heartedly.

"They're blueprints. For the Hale house." He said slowly like explaining it to a child. Derek moved back into the kitchen, filling up two cups of coffee while Stiles watched. How did Derek know the he took two sugars in his coffee? Did he really notice that much? Stiles hummed in thought and took the offered cup.

"Are you rebuilding it?" Bouncing on his feet a little, Stiles smoothed out the plans on the desk, looking them over.

"I've been thinking about it." Derek admitted as he sipped his coffee. "I love the loft and it's great for us now, but we are eventually going to need more space." He thrummed his fingers against the mug.

"I think it's an awesome idea!" Stiles beamed and Derek couldn't help but give him a small smile back. "So show me what all these lines mean!" Gesturing at the plans, he grinned at the elder. Derek moved closer and pointed out at each part.

"First floor has Kira and Scott in one room. There's a small adjoining room, you know, in case they need space or something. Lydia and Malia are on the same side of the hallway. Across from them are Liam, Mason, and Danny. There's also a few guest rooms. Each bedroom has an en suite bathroom. Basement has a gym and a few other rooms for everyone. Second floor is your room and my room, across from each other. There's some more small bedrooms." Derek explained.

"And what about the third floor?" He pointed to the attic space that had no label on it.

"Well, that's a surprise." Derek chuckles and rolled up the sheet. "You'll see when we do it."

"Well I really think you should do it, Der." Stiles nodded and drank from his mug, smiling. "I'm really craving some pancakes."

"Feel free to use whatever you need." The werewolf waved towards the fridge and cabinets. Stiles hummed and moved away from the warm wall that was Derek Hale and opened up the refrigerator. "Any fruit you don't like?"

"Blueberries." Derek wrinkled his nose and the human turned around with a shocked, exasperated look on his face.

"You don't like blueberries?! How else do you get your Vitamin C and K? And why do you have them in your fridge if you don't like them?" Derek leaned against the counter and just had a satisfied grin as Stiles rambled on. It had been awhile since he had such a good babble going, and Derek certainly wasn't going to tell him to shut up. He was finally getting the old Stiles back. "Huh?" Stiles put his hands on his hips, obviously waiting for an answer. It took him a moment to think back on what the other had said.

"Because you like them and so do the rest of the pack." He explained like the answer was obvious as he shrugged. "I also prefer Wavy over Barbecue chips, but you, Malia, and Kira always ask for them so I keep a stash."

In that moment, it hit Stiles how much Derek was truly the one who took care of everyone. It was nothing against Scott, but most days the boy could barely focus on anything that wasn't Kira, and when he did it was a life or death situation. Derek was different. He had been an alpha- a pretty shitty one at that, but now he had learned from his mistakes. Of course now, he still growled and grunted responses, but they were lighter. He even cracked a joke or two. Hale noticed everything that happened, he learned to be a better alpha by being a beta. Stiles blinked at realized he had just been staring at Derek for the past minute and the other merely stared back.

"You're a pretty cool goose," Stiles settled on saying.

"A goose?" Derek repeated raising an eyebrow. Stilinski merely nodded and went back to making strawberry pancakes for the two of them. Soon, he served up two plates, sitting with Derek at the counter as they ate.

"So what do you want to do today?" Stiles asked as he munched happily on the food. Derek's eyes were staring way too long at the way that tongue licked the strawberries from his lips. Jerking back, he went to eating again.

"Don't you have homework or something?" He muttered, looking at his own plate.

"Nah. Finished it at school yesterday." Stiles grinned, proud of that. "I was hoping that maybe, we could, I don't know, do some training?"

Derek's green eyes snapped up to his golden ones. "You want to learn how to fight? Shouldn't you talk to Chris about this? He's the Hunter, he knows guns and stuff better than I do."

Stiles immediately began to shake his head. "No. I can't go to Chris. You're the only one that I would trust enough to train me. At least, right now." Derek chewed on his bottom lip as he thought for an answer.

"Alright. Go shower and I'll clean up." He gestured to their empty plates. Stiles bolted out of the kitchen, throwing a 'thanks Der!' Over his shoulder as he took off. A true smile came over Derek's face as he started to clean up the plates. Stiles did trust him. He said it and his heart didn't skip a beat. Still smiling to himself as he sat on the couch, Stiles bounded down the stairs, dressed in gym shorts and a white t-shirt with some converse.

"I'm ready to kick your ass, wolfy." He did what could only be described as a 'Stiles attempting to be a ninja but just flailing and would have managed to fall on the floor if Derek hadn't caught him'. "Thanks." The human murmured sheepishly and Derek couldn't help but think that was adorable.

"No problem." Clapping his shoulder, Derek headed out the front porch. "First things first, we have got to get your cardio going. Let's go for a jog."

"I'll have you know I have amazing cardio! I play lacrosse." Stiles proudly puffed out his chest. Together, the two took off running, no where in particular, just a giant loop to get back to the house. Besides, Derek knew these woods better than anyone.

A few hours later, it was decided that Stiles did indeed have better stamina than most humans. But he also almost fell six times, and would have been in the hospital if it wouldn't have been for the werewolf's quick reflexes. They were finally back to the loft. Stiles laid down on the ground in front of the building, star fished out and breathing heavily. Chuckling, Derek went into the loft and got them two water bottles, putting the bottle next to the human's head. Stiles grabbed for it, breathing raggedly with a red face.

Derek sat down next to him and pulled off his shirt, sweating but no where near as much as Stiles. He may or may not, have several fantasies going through his head about using that stamina and making Stiles red faced for other reasons. Honestly, the other wasn't faring much better, one look at Derek's abs and his blushed face was for another reason. Did he have no idea the effect he gave him? He could probably smell his arousal. At that thought, Stiles jumped up, having drained the water. "I'm thinking some sandwiches for lunch. What do you want on yours?"

"Whatever you put on yours as long as there's some sort of meat." And no, Stiles mind did not turn that dirty and his dick certainly did not twitch in his pants. Nodding, he walked back to the house and went inside, making them sandwiches. Derek groaned once the human went inside and lid down on the ground. He had to get his hormones under control! Hell, he hadn't felt like this since he was a teenager and jerked off several times a day.

Stiles came back and handed him the a roast beef and cheese sandwich, sitting down cross legged and munching on his own. "So what do you think we should do next?"

"Once we finish up lunch, you're going to try and touch me and I'm going to dodge you." Oh what a metaphor for their relationship, Stiles thought as his mind laughed at him. "Then we will try vice versa."

"Sounds good." Stiles nodded. In companionable silence they finished eating, Derek getting up and bringing the plates inside. He brought out two more waters for the next round. Standing in front of Stiles, he shook out his arms and looked at him.

"Come on. Try to touch me." Soon it became apparent that it didn't matter whether Stiles went right, left, up, or down. Derek was always one step ahead, moving just a little so Stiles would hit air.

"Derek." Stiles whined his name and put his hands over his face. "This is impossible. You're just too fast."

"You keep showing me what you're going to do before you do it." Derek explained, wrapping fingers around Stiles wrist to put his hands down from his face. "Watch and try to dodge me."

"Okay." Stiles nodded. His eyes were focused on Derek, when suddenly there was movement and his shoulder was touched, causing him to flail and hit the hand. "Hey!" The werewolf merely gave a teethy grin (hehe).

"Focus Stiles." He murmured lowly and went to reach out to the human again. Stiles focus was on Derek's chest, seeing the movement, his hand reached out and grabbed his wrist before he could be touched, an electric charge going through his fingers. Derek jerked away, with a flinch. "Ow, Stiles!" His eyes widened.

"Derek. What was that?" Stiles reached for his hand and turned it over. Sure enough, there was a small black burn on Derek's wrist. "Did I...how did...?" He was speechless. Completely and utterly speechless.

"Deaton did say you were a spark. And your eighteenth birthday is coming up- you're going to have powers start to appear. It's a good thing. I just have to teach you how to control them." Derek gave him a soft smile and clapped his shoulder. Looking around, he realized it was dusk and the stars were beginning to show in the sky. "You did a good job today. Let's go in and wash up. Want to order some Chinese?"

And that was the perfect end to their Saturday. Curled up on a couch with the Avengers movie in because Derek didn't see it- which really how did that happen?!- bellies full of Chinese, and exhausted bodies. Stiles and Derek had started with a reasonable amount of space between the two, but slowly they went closer until Stiles head was on his shoulder and the human had a tight arm around his waist. A happy noise came from the ex alpha.

"Are you purring?" Stiles asked, blinking contently up at Derek who's tips of his ears became a tad pink.

"It's a wolf thing." He murmured, sucking his head with embarrassment.

"I like it." Stiles smiled. One of his hands reached up to card through Derek's hair, a gesture he had seen the wolves often use on each other as a sign of affection. Of course he didn't realize it was also used to cover the other in their scent, but he didn't need to. He expected Derek's hair to be stiff with protect but it was smooth and luscious, moving through his long fingers like silk. The werewolf's noises grew louder as he pushed into the hand, the movie ending. "Ready for bed?" Derek nodded and Stiles stood up, taking his hand and leading him up the stairs.

Slowly they both changed clothes- Stiles into sweatpants and a t-shirt, Derek into a pair of gym shorts with no shirt. The werewolf got in bed first since he took up more space. Stiles slid under the covers and immediately had an arm wrapped around his waist as his head buried in Derek's chest. Fingers traced random patterns on the bare skin. "I used to be afraid of geese, but not anymore." Stiles said softly.

Derek was about to ask him what the hell he was talking about. But then the conversation from earlier echoed back to him when Stiles called him 'a pretty cool goose'. Smiling, he pressed a kiss to the younger's head. Immediately Stiles relaxed in his arms, eyes closing. "Good night, Der."

"Good night, Sparky," the nickname slipped out of his mouth. The only indication that Stiles heard him was this hum of complete contentment. Derek decided that the nickname would stick, but only for him to say. He would be the only one to see Stiles like this. With one last kiss to his human's forehead, he smiled and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

Slowly, Stiles blinked himself awake. The past three nights he had gotten used to waking up beside his personal heater. "Der?" He whimpered softly when he didn't see the werewolf, but could soon smell coffee and bacon in the air. Sitting up, Stiles yawned and rubbed his eyes. On the bedside table was a mug filled with coffee and a note.

Get dressed and come downstairs. Training after breakfast. -D

And damn if Stiles didn't reread it a few times, heart skipping a beat from excitement. Quickly, he dashed into the bathroom, doing his business before looking for some workout clothes. Derek had apparently only grabbed him one pair of gym clothes. Shrugging, he took a pair of Derek's instead, figuring the wolf wouldn't mind if he borrowed them. The shorts were a little big on his thin hips and his shoulders weren't broad enough to fill out the tshirt, but it was manageable and okay to work out in.

Derek hummed as he cooked eggs and bacon for the two of them. Truthfully, he had always loved to cook but didn't do much of it since the fire. Cooking reminded him of his mother yelling at the younger children, his father reading a book, and uncle Peter making sure he didn't fuck up the recipe. Chuckling as he remembered these fond memories, he heard a creak going down the stairs.

Sticking his head out of the kitchen, he looked at Stiles and barely kept in a whine. The human was in HIS clothes. Covered in HIS scent! His wolf was telling him to mate, after all, he already has smelled like ours for so long. We always knew he was our mate.

Shaking his head to dislodge these thoughts out, he realized he had missed something that Stilinski had said. "What was that?"

"I said I hope it's okay if I borrow these. You only packed one pair of gym clothes and mine are still all sweaty from yesterday." Stiles spoke slowly and Derek nodded.

"Yeah, no problem. My stuff is your stuff." He softly smiled and his wolf clawed at the surface to show Stiles exactly what that meant. "I'm making some eggs and bacon. I hope you like them."

Stiles took that as a cue to sit down on the breakfast counter and begin talking. Honestly, Derek couldn't even tell you what he was talking about. His focus went from the food he was cooking to Stiles and back and forth. Not what he was saying, but how he was saying it- Long fingers gesticulated his points, drawing shapes in the air or just flailing, eyes widened with excitement, lips full and pouty but just slightly chapped, moles dotting the freshly tanned skin from their time out in the sun yesterday. And for the first time, in so long, since Kate, he WANTED. Jennifer and Braeden, sure they had slept together, but it wasn't like this. It wasn't this all consuming need to please the human, to make sure he was satisfied, to take him to bed, to make him soup when he was sick, to cuddle up to him on the couch when the pack was over, to go out on a date because it made Stiles grin and his dimples would come out. To put it simply, it terrified the werewolf. Stiles had absolutely no idea how much power he truly possessed over him.

"Yo. DerBear. You there? You burned a piece of bacon." He was snapped out of his gaze by those fingers, snapping and waving in his face.

"Yeah, sorry. I guess I got lost in my thoughts." Derek nodded and finished up the bacon and eggs. Putting them on plates, he handed Stiles one and sat down across from him with a smile. Trying his best to focus on the food and not the human, he looked at his plate as he ate.

"I got a question for you." Stiles began and looked up to Derek. The werewolf raised an eyebrow and he knew that meant 'continue'. "How do you know so much about Sparks? Did you research them or did you know one?"

For a moment, there was silence and the question hung in the air. "My father was a Spark. My mom may have been Alpha, but we all would have rather pissed her off than dad. They were a scary duo. That's how they held on to Beacon Hills for so long." There was a fond look on his face as he talked. This was more than Stiles had ever heard Derek talk about his family, so he leaned forward and soaked up every detail.

There was another beat of quietness as Stiles took in the information. "My parents were the same way. Mom was really easy going, but when you pissed her off, you better run." He chuckled softly. "Everyone thought dad was the scary one because he carried a gun."

"Your dad is pretty intimidating." Derek nodded and took another bite of food. "But he's a good guy. We actually got along pretty well when we talked."

"So." Stiles twirled his fork in his hand, finished with his food. "How did you know I was having problems with my nightmares?"

"I always checked on the pack at night before I fell asleep. I could hear when you had trouble and your dad caught me checking in on you-"

"You mean being a CreeperWolf." Stiles interrupted.

Rolling his eyes, he continued like nothing happened. "And he decided to call the meeting. I just made sure that everyone showed up and the rest was history, as they say."

Stiles smiled and nodded. "Well thank you- for checking in on me, and taking care of the pack." Derek's tips of his ears blushed red and he tilted his head in acknowledgment.

"Ready to go train?" He asked softly, standing up and grabbing their plates, putting everything in the dishwasher. "We have dinner with your dad later."

Stiles groaned and laid his head on the table. "That's going to be so embarrassing. Meet Stiles cuddle buddy? Ugh." He sighed and looked up at Derek. "Can we just back out?"

"Nope. It was part of the deal." Derek grabbed the back collar of the shirt Stiles wore and tugged gently. "Come on. Let's get started."

Later on.

"Stiles." Derek growled out at the boy standing in front of him. The human was barely standing on his feet, red faced, and breathing hard as he swayed back and forth. "Focus."

"I am." Stiles gave his own impressive growl back. His teacher had been riding him for hours on how to focus but it just wasn't working! "Fuck!" He cursed and sat down on the grass, pulling off his socks and shoes.

"What are you doing, Stiles?" And damn if it didn't make him shiver the way the other said his name.

"What needs to be done." Huffing, he stood back up, feet bare as his toes dug into the earth beneath him. Somehow, his posture became straighter, eyes sharper as he looked at the werewolf.

"So that's where you get your power from." Derek murmured lowly, sorting things out in his head. The baseball bat Stiles used so often, was made of a tree. It could directly be linked to his powers. Realizing this, he bent down and picked up a stick, tossing it to the other. "Blow up that tree." He pointed at one across the yard.

"I can't just blow up a fucking tree with a branch, Derek." Stiles made an annoyed noise. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard which says a lot considering my best friend is Scott." Derek stepped up close next to the human. His eyes turned golden and his fangs started to lengthen.

"Try it." He growled in his ear. Stiles knew that he should be scared, that he should be wanting to run, or at least fight him. But Stilinski had never been a normal child. A spike of arousal went through him as he looked at the other, before closing his eyes. He needed to focus and he could only do that if he couldn't see Derek. Lifting up the branch blindly, he heard a pop and opened his eyes.

"Wrong tree." Derek commented, back to his human form except for the gold eyes. "But you did a good job. Now go wash up and change. Don't take too long, I need to shower too before we head to your house."

"Yeah." Stiles dropped the tree stick from his hand as he bit his lip. His eyes were dilated and he knew he absolutely reeked of lust and desire. "Der?"

"Yeah?" Derek was grabbing water bottles that they had drank earlier, not even looking at him. Stiles wondered if he had felt the same thing, but decided that he shouldn't ask.

"Never mind." He swallowed the lump in his throat and went into the house. Stiles headed upstairs and got in the shower, quickly washing off his sweat as questions and thoughts bombarded his mind.

The moment that Stiles had turned on the water, Derek's control broke. He switched back to beta form, claws piercing the water bottles, eyes glowing bright, fangs sharp as a knife. "Fuck, Stiles." Crouching down, he put his changed hands on his face to cover it as he took in deep breaths.

It took all of his strength not to jump the human in that split second. The worst part? Stiles didn't even get scared when he half changed. No. He got aroused. Did he have any idea how he was absolutely WRECKING Derek's control? The smell was so delicious and once he closed his eyes, Derek's eyes had been trained on his neck. The long expanse of white skin, that he wanted to ruin and bite down repeatedly until the whole world could see that Stiles was his and only his. But he couldn't. Not yet. For now, he would just have to keep his distance. Taking a last, shuddering breath, he forced his wolf to back off and go back to human form.

Walking into the house, he suddenly was overcome by how much it smelled like Stiles. On the couch, in the kitchen, against the wall, on the floor, but his bed was the worst. Or the best depending on how you looked at it. The room didn't just smell like Stiles. It smelled like THEM. Their scents completely mingled from intertwining their bodies as they slept. "Dammit." Derek was completely focused on this as he ripped clothes from his drawers with barely contained frustration.

"Showers free." Stiles was leaning against the door to the en suite bathroom, a crooked smile on his face. The teenager was dressed in a black widow tshirt, jeans, and a plaid shirt over the top. His damp hair just made Derek want to walk up and tug on it, press Stiles into the doorframe and devour his mouth.

"Thanks." The werewolf said dryly instead, moving past Stiles and shutting the door. Now was not the time to discuss feelings and he knew it. They had to get to his father's in twenty minutes. Derek wouldn't even have enough time to jack off because he lived so far away from the center of town. He cursed his need for privacy.

After a quick shower, Derek changed into khaki shorts and a dark green vneck. "Whoa. You own something that isn't black?" Stiles eyes widened from where he laid on the bed when Derek came out.

"Black is easy to wash blood out of. Let's hope there's no blood tonight." Derek frowned and looks at his top. "I really like this shirt." Stiles burst out laughing at the dry humor. Of course he proceeded to take the werewolf's arm and drag him out to the car.

On the way there, Stiles bopped along to the music, singing out random, obnoxious lyrics when he knew them. Which was surprisingly often, not that Derek minded. More than once he caught himself staring at Stiles off of a reflection to watch him dance in his seat.

Once they pulled up to the house, Derek shut off the car with a turn of his key and Stiles fell silent for a moment. "You ready for this?" He asked the younger boy softly.

His answer was a sad smile. "Not really. But if we don't get out soon, we are really going to ruin that shirt." Stiles opened the door and stepped out. It took Derek's mind a second to catch up before he followed his lead and got out, walking up to the front door with his hands in his pockets.

Stilinski put the key in the lock and turned it, opening it up to their plain house. "Hey dad." He greeted the elder, walking up and giving him a long hug. They had gone a few days without seeing each other. While this wasn't rare, they also didn't want to squander the quality time they did get together.

"Sir." Derek smiled softly as they shook hands. The sheriff pulled him in for a hug, and while it shocked the werewolf, he did return it. It had been awhile since he had a dad hug, and he wasn't going to give up this if he could.

"Call me John, son. You're pack." Clapping the younger on the back, he pulled away and headed into the kitchen. "I got us some Chinese food."

"Dad!" Stiles gave an exasperated sigh as he followed after him. "You know you shouldn't be eating that stuff."

"Once a week is okay to cheat a little. I'm not a vegetarian, Stiles. I'm a grown man. Sometimes I need to be a little bad. Derek agrees with me. Right?" He looked over his shoulder as the werewolf entered the space.

"Right." He nodded.

"Der!" Stiles turned around, hands on his hips and a playful glare on his face.

"He carries wolfsbane bullets and is the sheriff." Derek held his hands in the air in a defensive gesture.

"Stupid men." The human muttered and started filling up glasses with water for them to drink. The grumbling ceased when Derek reached out and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

Stiles put down the drinks and started moving around the kitchen. "I'll do it. You go sit and talk to your dad." Derek moved forward and grabbed the plates. "You haven't seen him all weekend. He missed you." He said softly. Stiles was about to argue but then his face had a more tender look on it as he nodded.

"Thanks, Der." He patted the other's shoulder. Stiles went with the elder and together they sat on the couch, discussing football games as Derek set the table. Plates were put it out below the glasses, forks, knives, and napkins to the right of the plates. Hearing the doorbell, he listened to John open the door and pay. Stiles came in and sat to the right of the head of the table and Derek took the left. The sheriff sat at the head chair. Putting the bags down, Stiles began to pull out all of the food and Derek would pull away the bags to help. John watched the way they worked together with a curious eye.

Finally, everyone had what they wanted. They all had helpings of rice, Stiles went for sweet and sour chicken, Sheriff got general Tso's, and Derek had Kung pao chicken. For a moment there was silence as they dug in. "So what did you guys do this weekend?"

"Worked on training so I'm not helpless." Stiles answered succinctly with a mouthful of food.

"Swallow before you speak." His father admonished lightly. John turned to the werewolf who hadn't spoken yet. "And why are you doing his training and not Chris?"

"I can give him more practical experience than Chris can. I've worked with humans in the past. Some of my family was human. It's kind of nice to be doing it again." Derek admitted with a soft upwards quirk of his lips as his eyes went to Stiles who was grinning wide at him.

"Oh! And I can make shit blow up now!" Stiles added, making his father almost choke on a sip of water. Derek reached over and patted the eldest's back.

"Stuff. Not shit." John corrected before clearing his throat and nodding at the other in thanks. "Now what's this blowing things up?"

"We've always known that Stiles is a Spark. It seems like he's starting to manifest some powers. Stung me pretty good a few times. And blew up a tree." Derek smirked a little as he thought of the situation that led to that. The tips of the human's ears turned slightly red as he remembered.

"I hope you boys are being safe." John gave both Derek and Stiles a look that gave his words a double entendre.

"We will be." Derek nodded his reassurance. "How was the police station this week?" He asked, effectively steering the conversation away. Stiles foot bumped against his in a silent thank you. The rest of the dinner went back without any interesting comments.

After a bit, the sheriff stood with a yawn, saying he was going to bed. "Night, son. Love you." He hugged Stiles before pulling Derek in for one as well. "Take care of him." John murmured into the werewolf's ear.

"I promise." Derek smiled. Soon, John went up the stairs and they could hear him moving around as he did his nighttime routine.

"I'll clean." Stiles started to collect the plates and utensils.

"You wash, I'll dry." Derek smiled and helped him, bringing the dishes to the counter. He tossed out the trash and grabbed a towel, taking a wet plate from Stiles. They stood shoulder to shoulder as they worked.

"So that wasn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be." Stiles broke the silence as he handed Derek the second plate.

Chuckling softly, he nodded in agreement. "Your dads just looking out for you Stiles. You're still seventeen." Drying the plate, he put it in a pile and got another from the younger.

"I know, I am," he sighed softly. "I really don't feel it. After everything we've been through, it's hard to deal with something so mundane as age."

"You'll be eighteen in a few months. And when you do turn that magical number, we'll do something special. Promise, Stiles." Derek spoke softy as he finished with the third plate. Stiles started to wash the utensils.

"We don't have to." He said softly as he handed them to Derek.

"I know. I'm not going to tell you what it is though. It's a surprise." Derek finished with the forks and knives, wiping his hands before gently doing the same for Stiles.

"Sounds like you've been thinking about it a lot." Derek put the towel on a hook to dry, wrapping an arm around the other's waist.

"I have." He kissed the top of his head, pulling him into his body. "Want to watch some tv before we go to bed?"

"I could catch up on some shows." Stiles nodded. Taking Derek's hand, he led him to the couch and the two sat down. "Ever seen Desperate Housewives?" At Derek's furrowed brow of confusion, he gave a fake shocked look. "Oh you're in for a treat!" Stiles started the recording and leaned into the werewolf. This was the beginning of Derek's secret trash television addiction. But that's another story. After a few episodes, Stiles was sound asleep, snoring softly in Derek's ear. Gently, he picked him up and headed up the stairs. Derek put him in the bed and stripped him down to his boxers before doing the same to himself. Getting into the bed, he wrapped arms around Stiles, who's head went to his chest. "Der?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Right here, Stiles." The werewolf said softly, running fingers through his silky hair. "Go to sleep."

"Mm thanks, Der," Stiles head tilted and he pressed a kiss to his naked chest before falling back into a deep sleep.

"Good night, sweetheart." He murmured softly, kissing his forehead before closing his eyes. Soon, Derek was asleep in Stiles bed, the two wrapped up in each other. And if the sheriff looked in on them when he got up for work, shaking his head fondly, no one else would know.