Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Stiles is waiting to pay for his gas and a Reese’s when he notices something pink out the corner of his eye; a shiny little self help book sitting with the gossip magazines next to the registers. He double takes and snorts, before darting his eyes around to see if anybody else is finding the humor in the title; How to Seduce An Alpha. The cashier is busy chatting it up with some overweight truck driver in dire need of a belt so they completely miss this golden moment of hilarity. He feels ridiculous as he pulls the small book out of under a Star magazine to get a better look at the cover. How to Seduce An Alpha Male’s cover is bright hot pink with shiny silver embossed lettering with a silhouette of a muscular cowboy and authored by somebody named L. Hood.

He quickly grabs the book and shoves it underneath his candy bar, keeping it close to his chest while scanning the back of the gas station suspiciously. He feels silly wanting to buy the book, but his curiosity outweighs his desire to cling on to his last ounce of dignity. At first it’s fodder for his ongoing teasing and bickering with Derek “I’m The Alpha” Hale, but as he pays for his purchase (while avoiding the cashier’s beady judgmental eyes) he starts wondering if it’ll actually work.

Stiles has spent over two years being in very strong denial of his very strong attraction to Derek. His denial consisted of trying not to get a boner around Derek and then pretending he wasn’t trying not to get a boner around Derek. Once Derek, and all of his other furry friends, were gone his pants were off and he couldn’t help it if he imagined Derek’s hands, mouth, or the bulge he sometimes spotted when Derek wore his extra tight jeans. He so loved those tight black jeans; they were sonnet worthy.

It wasn’t so bad in the beginning when Derek was the king of standoffness and intimidation and they barely spent any time around each other. What little time they did spend together usually ended up with Stiles getting hurt or, like that one time over a year ago, almost drowning. Two years of fighting the good fight by the Alpha’s side has turned their acquaintance into a steadily growing friendship as real trust was built between them.

Nine times out of ten when Stiles couldn’t get a hold of Scott or didn’t want to (like when he needed somebody else to complain about Scott to) he’d call Derek to rant and rave about something or other as Derek would quietly listen, only throwing in a sarcastic remark or an understanding word when Stiles needed it. Some nights when Stiles’ dad was working he’d call up Derek and talk his ear off just to feel like he wasn’t so alone. He had his dad, Scott, and Lydia, who had become a close friend, but his dad had his job, Scott had Allison and Isaac, and Lydia had big important plans that left Stiles alone most of the time. They all had somebody else while Stiles had his jeep and his uncanny ability to talk nonstop for hours about Johnny Depp’s career choices.

Though Derek and Stiles talked on the phone two or three times a week that still didn’t mean they got along swimmingly. Derek stilled rolled his eyes and liked pretending he knew best while Stiles loved teasing and bickering with him. They were currently in a silent war because Derek had thought it was a good idea to claim that Daredevil was the best Marvel character ever created. They had been debating back and forth as they battled a yeti (whose weapons of choice were snowballs and icicles, meaning Beacon Hills High was having its first ever snow day). Stiles disagreed so much he felt it was necessary to throw a snowball right in Derek’s face when he wasn’t expecting it. Stiles could only apologize with his hands so much (he wasn’t going to be the first one to talk) for the hidden rock inside and the resulting nosebleed, but really, with Derek’s super alpha healing ability what was a little nosebleed when it came to literary education?

Speaking of literary education, the self help book has rave reviews all over the back cover and inside the front flap. Dozens of women going on and on about how they snagged their alpha male spouse or current fiance. Stiles reads the reviews at every red light as he drives home. He kicks his shoes off as he enters his room before jumping face first onto his bed with the book in his hand. The crazy thing about this self help book was that it didn’t actually sound too crazy. The book starts giving him ideas of Derek actually being wooed, which turn into plans of wooing, which has Stiles daydreaming of actually having Derek like Scott has Allison or Erica has Boyd, and eventually face planting into the book as sleep overtakes him.

Chapter Text

Stiles skips all the parts in the book about being feminine and having panache, because he doesn’t have child bearing hips and he’s pretty sure panache is something that goes on cakes. He can totally be patient though; you don’t have a crush on Lydia Martin for most of your educational career without having a bit of patience. He does need to work on his smiling though, because from the practice ones he was throwing himself in the mirror that morning before school... he looks like a cross between a serial killer and somebody suffering from a mild stroke.

He is well aware of the ridiculousness of following the book’s suggestions, but what can it hurt? Derek probably won’t even realize what Stiles is doing, and if he does then it’ll either confirm what Stiles has been dreading this whole time or it might give Stiles the shock of a lifetime and he’ll end up with somebody he’s been daydreaming about for over two years.

There have been times after spending time with Derek, whether it’s an evening spent together chasing lone omegas around in his jeep, going to the movies with the pack and sitting next to him in the dark with their arms pressed snugly together, or simply having a conversation with him, that the thought of being together in all this makes Stiles irrationally happy. Stiles would try so hard to make Derek happy and to make him lose that lonely look he gets when they all have to leave Derek at his apartment. Stiles can count on one hand the number of times he’s seen Derek actually laugh and he’d like to be able to see him laugh more often, maybe even kiss him as he’s laughing, or smother his laughter with his own mouth. Those thoughts have been crossing his mind more often lately causing him to drift off and start daydreaming at random times of the day. Or the desire to jump Derek into a hug as he bends over to tie his shoe or when he opens his apartment door to Scott and Stiles in just his pajamas. He wants to wrap himself around Derek and let him know that he’s loved and whoa…

Stiles throws the used floss into the trashcan and shakes himself roughly. He’s never admitted to himself how strong his feelings for Derek have been getting. It’s a bit jarring for those words to suddenly click into place and feel so right.

He’s eighteen, he’s going to college next year, and he’s in love. Factual statement.

“Be patient, Stiles,” he says to himself in the mirror and attempts another smile; it looks more goofy than serial killer. “I’m on my way!”

It’s a Friday so school drags on. It feels like a century before lunch arrives  and even then he has to sit through listening to Scott and Isaac have a long conversation about dog breeds and which would be best for Scott’s new apartment while Allison and Lydia talk about fun things to do around NYU at the other end of their table. Erica and Boyd are probably off making out in an empty classroom. They’ve been rather attached to each other after Derek saved them from the Alpha pack a few autumns back. They all have plans after school to go to the roller rink which is conveniently located across the street from the bar Derek works at. Stiles has an idea.

The idea was for Stiles to wait for Derek to get off work and then spend some quality time together, and maybe drop a few hints while smiling sweetly (or serial killerly). That was before Lydia dragged him around the rink countless times while he fell over, busting his knees against the hardwood floor and the lack of decent coffee or sleep the night before caught up to him. He tries to keep active and awake with a few energy drinks, but as Scott helpfully reminds him they always make him dead on his feet two hours later. Stiles should have went home with them when they left at midnight, but he missed when Derek came over to see them on his break and Stiles has a plan, dammit! He should have at least driven himself, but of course his dad is limiting the amount of gas he is willing to pay for and so it was a carpool for him.

It starts to get chilly and he can’t go into the bar because he recognizes a Volvo parked right in front of the building and knows that it belongs to a deputy who is friendly with his father. He isn’t willing to risk having that disappointed look directed towards him more often than it already is, so Stiles slumps against the brick wall next to the employee exit and waits until 2 o’clock arrives and Derek appears for their bonding time to start. He can and will be patient.

He falls asleep almost ten minutes later.

“My butt hurts,” is the first thing Stiles mumbles as Derek pulls him up onto his back. Stiles’ arms and legs immediately cling as Derek uses his werewolfy strength to stand up straight as if Stiles weighed nothing.

“You shouldn’t have been sleeping on the ground,” Derek mumbles back as he starts walking down the street to the parking lot reserved for employees. Stiles sleepily rubs his cheek against Derek’s leather clad shoulder, it all feels like a dream to him.

“You didn’t come say hi and I’m being patient,” Stiles replies, lips brushing against Derek’s ear. His whole back seems to shiver at the touch and causes Stiles to automatically squeeze him tighter.

“You were skating with Lydia,” Derek states as if that explains everything. Stiles wouldn’t have even gone skating if not for the fact it was really close to where Derek worked and the chances of running into him increased.

“I wanted to talk you about something,” Stiles whispers into Derek’s ear right before he steps off the curb, jostling Stiles slightly and knocking their heads together.

“Something?” Derek asks nonchalantly as if the heat of Stiles’ body isn’t affecting him like Derek’s is doing to Stiles. They finally reach Derek’s camaro and he sets him down gently, holding him up against the car as he fishes for his keys in his pockets. Stiles wakes up a little bit more and swallows as he leans back against the cool metal.

“I wanted to let you know,” Stiles starts and rubs at his eyes roughly. “I’m here if you ever need me.” His voice is seems loud in the quiet streets. Derek unlocked the passenger door and locks eyes with Stiles. “You can- I want you to- If you need to,” Stiles exhales through his noses and shakes his head. “I want to be the person you lean on,” he finishes quickly. He wanted to say much more and confess everything, but his mind feels muddled and he can’t think straight. The vulnerable open look on Derek’s face though tells him that it meant a lot.

“I,” Derek clears his throat and opens the door for Stiles. “You waited two and a half hours to tell me that?” Derek’s voice isn’t accusing or demeaning, but rather more curious and quiet.

“I can be patient,” Stiles says and then gives him a big and goofy smile. Derek laughs softly and suddenly brings his hand up to rub at the side of Stiles’ head playfully.

“Get in and I’ll turn on the heater, your ears are freezing.” Stiles’ smile widens to the point where he feels like a doofus, but Derek smiles back and waves his hand to get him inside the car. Derek shuts the door for him before going around and getting into the driver’s seat. The warmth soon engulfs Stiles and he’s warm and happy and soon finds himself drifting back to sleep, face pressed against the window.

Stiles wakes up late Saturday morning tucked snugly into bed with no shoes or jeans on. Smiling to himself at a job well done, he stretches slowly as he reaches for his phone to check his text messages.

Derek H.: “You drooled on my window.”

Chapter Text

“It’s a medical fact that Alpha males can’t process words too quickly. Or so says my husband, the doctor! Alpha males don’t like having information overflow, so when getting to know your chosen alpha male don’t talk too quickly or give out too much information at first. Leave a little mystery and make sure you open your mouth extra wide!”

This chapter confuses Stiles because he knows that Derek isn’t an idiot and this chapter is practically saying that all alpha males are Tarzan like creatures, pounding their chests, and not understanding English. It’s also very challenging for somebody with ADHD and Stiles debates just skipping it entirely, but when it comes to wooing Derek he wants to do it right. This is why when he calls Derek up Sunday night to talk about Isaac’s upcoming birthday party, he makes sure he spaces his words out a bit more for a mysterious flair.

“Are you feeling okay, Stiles?” Derek asks abruptly.

“Yesss. I mean, I guess,” Stiles drags out. He waits a moment before asking, “Why?”

“I just told you I’m finally watching Isaac’s copy of Buffy and you hummed at me.” Stiles has been trying to get Derek to watch Buffy ever since that stakeout a year ago when Derek said he always changed the channel when it came on tv. “Am I bothering you?” He suddenly asks, voice low and sounding a bit hurt.

“Of. Course. Not, Derek,” Stiles replies and suddenly realizes he sounds drunk and like he’s being bothered. He wants to kick himself.

“Are you being sarcastic?!” Derek snaps, using the closed off voice he hasn’t used with Stiles in months, not since Stiles asked him about fixing up his family’s old house instead of wasting money on rent.

“Nooo!” Stiles starts panicking and flails an arm out even though Derek can’t see him. “I’m reeeaalllly excited for you to be watching Buffy!”

“Are you drunk? Your father doesn’t work tonight, what are you doing drinking?” The closed off voice is gone and replaced with his are-you-kidding-me attitude. Stiles normally finds it hilarious, but his dad is downstairs working on some cold cases and wait- how’d he know that?

“How’d you know dad doesn’t work tonight?” Stiles asks, obviously catching Derek off guard.

“He never works Sundays which is why I was surprised when you called,” Derek mumbles, suddenly sounding distracted.

“I call you sometimes on Sundays!” Stiles protests, not knowing why he feels the need to defend himself.

“Not when your father is home and, if he is, usually it’s after midnight and you’re half asleep,” Derek replies uncomfortably and Stiles smiles to himself.

“How do you know all this?” Stiles rolls around on his bed feeling slightly like a teeny bopper.

“Well, you only call me when you don’t have anybody else to talk to,” Derek answers as if that’s true. As if he believes that. Suddenly the smile is wiped clean off Stiles’ face.

“That’s not true,” Stiles protests weakly. He knows it’s partly true; Scott is usually the person Stiles calls when he’s feeling bored, but that’s because Derek always seemed so busy… except when Stiles calls him. “I mean, Scott’s my best friend, but he’s been working on his relationship with Allison lately and Isaac is like his little werewolf bro and Lydia wouldn’t have it with me calling and ranting to her and-” and you always answer.

“Stiles,” Derek says quietly once Stiles trails off. “I know. It’s alright.” Except it isn’t alright to Stiles. “If I didn’t want to talk to you then I wouldn’t answer.”

“I like talking to you,” Stiles whispers, still feeling like a horrible friend. How did he think he could be a good boyfriend or whatever if Derek felt like the last resort?

“Listen, Isaac just came home and dinner is ready so I’ll talk to you later.” Derek’s voice is calm and soothing and Stiles wishes he could just listen to him talk a little longer. “Or I’ll see you Wednesday at the party.”

“Okay,” Stiles buries his face underneath his pillow.

“Bye, Stiles.”

“Bye,” Stiles presses the button and then pushes his phone away from him and off the bed. The phone call was supposed to bring them closer together but instead issues have popped up. Issues that have apparently been there for awhile and Stiles had no idea they were even bothering Derek. Derek tried to act like he wasn’t bothered, but Stiles knows he still has insecurities from when Erica and Boyd left him and from when Peter tried winning his trust back just to end up trying to cut him in half. The only person that stuck beside him since taking the bite was Isaac and even he’s talking about leaving the state for some animal rescue in Montana. Instead of soothing those insecurities like a good friend he just added more.

He feels suddenly like an ocean has opened up between himself and Derek. He kinda wants to drown in it.

The next day Stiles texts Derek an unusual amount during classes, which results in his phone being taken away for a short time, but at lunch he resumes trying to make Derek feel included in his life. Derek has been replying back sporadically, but not to every text or else Stiles’ phone would be constantly vibrating. Erica keeps threatening to have a disinterested Boyd smash his phone if he doesn’t stop shoving food into his mouth while not looking because apparently having mustard around his mouth isn’t appetizing to others. He’s on a roll telling Derek a story that happened a week ago in PE and he’s almost forty texts in when Derek replies suddenly.

Derek: I know what you’re doing and you don’t have to.

Stiles gulps and almost chokes on his nasty school fries before hastily replying.

Stiles: what do you mean

Derek: I’m okay with not being in your top ten list of friends.

Derek: Stop beating yourself up over nothing.

Stiles: TOP THREE!

Derek: That’s nice of you.

Derek: Don’t feel obligated to include me in everything.

Stiles: i want to though :)

Stiles: and not just cause ur my alpha ;)

Derek doesn’t respond back. Stiles tries calling him later that night when his dad is making dinner; Derek doesn’t answer.

Wednesday night arrives in a flurry of streamers and balloons and radio silence from Derek. Only, it’s just Stiles that Derek has been ignoring because Scott shows up at Lydia’s house loudly proclaiming that Derek and Isaac are only thirty minutes from pulling up the driveway. Stiles has been steadily working on getting drunk, thanks to Lydia’s parent’s alcohol cabinet, as he tapes up little Birthday wishes all around the living room. It’s Isaac’s first ever surprise birthday party, or birthday party ever, so Lydia has invited all of her popular friends to come along and praise Isaac on surviving for eighteen years. She’s making sure the punch stays unspiked this time.

“Ten more minutes, everybody!” Scott yells at the rowdy group of at least fifty teenagers who completely ignore him to continue bopping along to the music and grinding against each other. Stiles only recognizes a few and instead of joining in he clutches at his bottle of Jack and escapes to the back of the room.

The book has failed him completely. Stiles read the reviews again about how Mary-Anne thought, “The second chapter is crucial to getting your alpha male! If you open up and talk too quickly he’ll lose interest or tune you out completely. Keep his attention and stay mysterious, girls!” Mary-Anne was an idiot. He almost set the book on fire last night. He should have set it on fire last night. He’s going to set it on fire when he gets home!

“SHUT UP!” Lydia screams across the crowd, startling Stiles into almost dropping the heavy glass bottle. “They are coming up the drive!”

Everybody immediately quiets down as the lights are dimmed low. They can hear Isaac saying something and sounding confused along with a slightly deeper voice answering him. The door is slowly opened to reveal Isaac with a little birthday sash (courtesy of Erica) and a little plastic crown (thanks to Stiles).

“SURPRISE!” Everybody shouts at once while releasing party poppers and confetti into the air. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

Isaac backs up surprised and slightly shaken, his eyes glow golden for a moment before Derek clasps a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Thankfully, nobody seems to have been paying attention, or they just chalk it up to a trick of the light instead of Isaac being a supernatural creature of the night.

“Happy Birthday, man!” Scott exclaims and practically jumps him into a hug. Stiles cheers with him because he really is happy to see Isaac so pleased and getting good attention. The guy’s been through a lot and just seems to want to be liked.

“Happy Birthday, Isaac!” Stiles shouts as well as raising his bottle in the air. Isaac and Derek’s eyes both zero in on him. Isaac waves and smiles goofily back while Derek shoots him a narrow-eyed look, which is Stiles’ cue to exit the scene.

Half a bottle of Jack later and Stiles has made it from relaxing on Lydia’s lawn chair to being slumped next to Lydia’s lawn chair on the cold concrete ground. He’s really comfortable though; he has the bottle nestled between his legs and is just hearing  a dull thump-thump from the party raging on inside. Dark thoughts are swirling through his mind as he thinks about how pathetic he truly is to be using a self-help book to seduce his crush. He doesn’t even realize somebody is walking up to him until there’s dark boots in his peripheral vision.

“We need to stop meeting like this,” Derek murmurs as he presses the toe of his boot against Stiles’ thigh. Stiles tries to bat it away, but just ends up clutching Derek’s ankle; it feels strangely small and delicate in his hands.

“You need to stop ignoring me,” Stiles slurs out harshly as he pulls the ankle closer to himself, causing Derek to do a little hop to keep from falling over.

“I haven’t been ignoring you,” Derek protests, but he looks and sounds guilty. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”

“Obviously not me!” Stiles pushes the ankle away abruptly and smirks as Derek almost falls backwards before catching his balance. Minutes pass with Derek just standing there, staring down at Stiles. It feels awkward, which is a feeling Stiles has never felt in the presence of Derek before. Sure, he’s felt badgered and bothered and bewildered, but never awkward and uncomfortable. He can’t read whatever expression is in Derek’s eyes, mostly because it’s too dark and he doesn’t know if he actually wants to see. He wishes he were sober and that Lydia would turn on the back porch lights.

“Did you mean it?” Derek asks quietly as if he doesn’t want to disturb the noises around him. Stiles looks up at him with a raised eyebrow, about to say something sarcastic. “When you said I was your alpha?”

Stiles jerks his head back in surprise.

“Yes!” he exclaims wildly. “Cause you are! I’m in your pack so you’re my alpha- wait am I not in your pack?” Dread drops into his stomach like a heavy weight. “Do you not want me in your pack? I know I’m a bit sloppy right now,” Stiles starts to sit up straighter and brushes off invisible crumbs from his hoodie. “But I wanna be in your pack! Derek, let me in your pack!” He lets it all out in one rush of breath and wishes he didn’t sound so distraught.

Derek crouches down with his hands on his shoulders.

“I think you’ve had too much to drink,” Derek whispers and the light from a window shows off the fond expression on his face.

“Am I in your pack?” Stiles whispers right back, sounding like a lost child.

“Of course.” Derek pulls him up by the arm to sit on the chair.

“Good,” Stiles replies back, after clearing his throat to sound manlier, and tries to look unbothered by anything. His stomach feels uneasy with the sudden movement of being pulled off the ground. “I don’t feel well.”

“Do you need me to take-” Stiles vomits on his boots.

The rest of the night goes by in a daze of trying to vomit all the contents of his stomach up in various places as Derek rubs his back and places a cool rage against his forehead. Stiles somehow ends up home in the safety of his own bed as his shoes are being pulled roughly from his feet. He squeaks loudly as warm hands start pulling off not just his hoodie, but his t-shirt and the long sleeved shirt underneath of it, all in one go.

“You have vomit on your shirt, Stiles,” Derek’s soft voice informs him as he eases the shirts from Stiles’ head and pushes him back on the bed gently. “Do you want to take off your own pants or do you need me to?”

“I want you to take off my pants,” Stiles giggles as he rolls around to shove his head on a pillow. Everything feels nice and fuzzy and warm and Derek’s hands have left an invisible impression on his collarbone. Thankfully, good ol’ Jack has rendered him incapable of really showing how much he likes Derek undressing him, or so he thought.

Derek’s fingers pulls at the back of Stiles’ belt to get him turned over and then his knuckles are brushing against his half hard dick and Stiles is shooting straight up.

“I can do it!” He wobbles to his feet and pushes against Derek until he’s headed into the direction of his bathroom. “I’m taking a shower!” Stiles yells and locks the door, suddenly feeling way too sober.

“Do you need me to wait?” Derek asks through the door. “To make sure you don’t pass out and knock your head against the tile?”

“I’m fine. I’m all fine here now, thank you! How are you?” Stiles cringes feeling even more uncomfortable than Han Solo.

“I’m going to get you a glass of water, okay?” Derek offers, sounding concerned.

“I can do it! I’m all good now. A cold-hot shower will clear my head nicely, thanks!” Stiles moves around the shower curtain to sound like he’s busy while his mind is reeling from the feel of Derek’s fingers on his skin and then his subsequent freak-out. He can’t confess his feelings to Derek while his mind is still cloudy with an awkward erection.

“Message me when you wake up tomorrow,” Derek demands through the door as Stiles starts turning on the water randomly.

“Okay, will do. Bye!” Stiles ducks his head underneath the spray and yelps at the freezing water. He stays perched on the edge of the bathtub trying to listen for any sounds in his bedroom. After fifteen minutes he eventually exits the bathroom and looks outside his window for any sights of lurking werewolves. His phone is lit up showing off three new message alerts.

Scott: saw u vom on derek lol!
Lydia: I cannot believe you vomited in my house! It still smells like throw up in my bathroom and all over the ground outside! You’ll pay for this, Stiles.
Erica: Go get him, tiger ;)

Sadly, the book has no chapter on how to handle such a situation.

Chapter Text

“Alpha males love it when a woman shows off her nurturing side! Make sure you brush up on your culinary skills and break out those encyclopedias, because it’s time to feed your future man body and soul. Teach him something he doesn’t know about a subject he loves, or scrounge up some delicious yet healthy snacks to show him you mean business. Have at him, divas!”

The next day at school is awful thanks to his hangover and Mr. Harris yanking his sunglasses from his face. He still feels slightly mortified by his actions from the previous night and of course nobody lets him forget it. Lydia gives him a firm talking to and makes him stop by after school to clean her bathroom and power wash her lawn furniture. Erica just keeps smirking and winking at him despite a grumpy looking Boyd rolling his eyes at her. Scott claps him on the back and jostles him, calling him The Man.

During lunch they make plans for a cookout at Derek and Isaac’s place on Saturday which is a perfect time to start feeding Derek’s body. The only problem is, Stiles can’t cook. Or bake. Or make anything that doesn’t have instructions on the box. If only he could barbeque without setting fire to anything this chapter would be a breeze. He volunteers to be in charge of grilling, but Boyd immediately shuts him down and Isaac tells him to just bring dessert. He can totally work with dessert.

The feeding Derek’s mind part is a bit more complicated. He already tells him random facts about school, like how his English teacher is going through a messy divorce and has to leave the room for a good cry whenever they discuss love sonnets. Or how much it hurts when Scott flicks a rubber band at his ear. Or how Lydia can make you feel extremely stupid and exceedingly smart in the same sentence. Stiles needs to tell him facts about things he loves, which is the hard part.

Stiles knows that Derek is currently in the middle of the second season of Buffy, but his favorite show is Game of Thrones, his favorite book is The Giving Tree, and his favorite band is the Foo Fighters. He can’t really give him interesting facts about those things, because as he’s gotten to know Derek he’s learned that once Derek likes something he researches everything about whatever that subject is. He can sit and listen to Derek recite The Giving Tree from memory or explain the whole plot of Game of Thrones or all the bands Dave Grohl has been in. He needs to find something that Derek takes an interest in, but hasn’t yet had the time to really explore. His mind immediately goes to wolves.

Stiles knows that Derek has a soft spot for wolves; he’s seen him watching a documentary on them once before and he actually said thank you to Isaac last Christmas when he was given a big glossy book about them. Derek has never really given away information about them like he does when questioned about his other interests so Stiles thinks that this could be a great chance to feed Derek’s mind. When he gets home after school he immediately starting googling about wolf facts.

Stiles: the japanese word for wolf means great god
Derek: Oh?
Stiles: wolves can swim distances of up to 8 miles aided by small webs between their toes
Stiles: do you have webbed toes?
Stiles: that really would have helped when you ALMOST DROWNED IN A POOL
Derek: I have normal toes.
Stiles: i bet they are really cute
Stiles: a hungry wolf can eat 20 pounds of meat in a single meal which equals a human eating 100 burgers
Stiles: how do you keep your girlish figure?
Derek: I don’t eat 20 lbs of meat?
Stiles: wolves that mate usually stay together for life
Derek: I know.
Stiles: wolves will respond to human howls
Derek: Are you doing a report on wolves?
Stiles: just using my unlimited texting plan to educate sourwolves :)
Derek: It’s almost two in the morning. Go to sleep.
Stiles: is your brain full?
Derek: What does that even mean?
Stiles: i’m feeding your brain!
Derek: Cute.
Stiles: really????!!!
Derek: Goodnight.
Stiles: :P night

The day of the barbeque rolls around and Stiles spends most of the day frantic scouring the internet for easy dessert recipes that would appeal to Derek. Derek is a lot like him when it comes to dessert: they both love chocolate and peanut butter. The recipe for peanut butter brownies seems easy enough and Stiles has all the ingredients. It takes an hour to get the damn thing in the oven and then forty minutes pacing around the downstairs waiting for it to get done and somehow it still ends up burnt around the edges and too gooey in the middle. He’s out of time now though, so he wraps it in foil and jumps in his jeep to head over to Derek and Isaac’s apartment.

Everybody is already there when Stiles pulls up and there’s music quietly playing as well as a delicious honey sweet smell coming from the backyard. He walks right in without bothering to knock and interrupts Boyd and Erica kissing against the refrigerator.

“I brought brownies!” Stiles exclaims and holds up the pan. They both stop and eye him like he’s grown another head.

“Are they edible?” Boyd asks as he wipes the lipstick from his mouth.

“Are we going to get food poisoning?” Erica raises an eyebrow at him as she nuzzles against Boyd’s jaw.

“Well, you’re werewolves! You’ll heal,” Stiles pouts and leaves them alone in the kitchen; taking his brownies to the back porch where Derek is manning the grill with his henley shirt sleeves rolled up and an apron tied around him. Scott and Isaac are practicing lacrosse in the backyard as Derek idly watches them throw the ball back and forth. “I brought brownies,” Stiles announces and shows them off to Derek.

“Brownies?!” Scott yells and comes running over to them. “Did you blowtorch the sides?” he asks as his fingers get closer to the pan. Stiles slaps them away a little too roughly.

“You don’t get any!” Stiles scolds and puts the foil back over them.

“We are not eating out here!” Lydia exclaims as she comes walking up from where she was standing with Allison by the small pond. “It’s freezing and I don’t trust your patio furniture.”

“It’s not that-” Isaac starts to argue and Lydia throws him a dark look.

“Come help me set the table, Isaac.” She pulls him along into the house. Allison and Scott follow them inside while mumbling something about getting the mashed potatoes ready, leaving Stiles and Derek alone.

“You can go put those in the kitchen,” Derek offers, nodding to the pan of brownies that Stiles is still holding.

“I don’t want them to have any,” Stiles replies bitterly, remembering the time he made cookies for Thanksgiving last year and they all pretended to gag and vomit. It may have been an awful idea to try bake for Derek.

“You’re just going to eat them all?” Derek asks, looking at him from underneath his lashes.

“You can have some.” Stiles smiles and shows them off again. “They are peanut butter and chocolatey,” he brags.

“I do love that combination.” Derek huffs out a laugh and starts taking the meat off the grill to place it on a large plate.

“I know.” Stiles rubs the back of his neck, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“I’ll have some after dinner,” Derek says quietly. “Can you help carry in a plate?” Stiles nods and they walk in on an eerily quiet living room. The couch is pushed back and a large folding table is set up in the middle. The only two empty seats left are right next to each other and placed slightly too close making it difficult to eat or dish out food without bumping elbows.

After everybody is stuffed full they all shuffle outside to watch a meteor shower that Isaac promised would be amazing. They bring sheets from the closet (which Isaac promises to rewash with his own quarters) and spread out across the sloping backyard that’s slightly wet with dew. They have all already paired up by the time Stiles retrieves a knife for his brownies. Boyd and Erica are off to the side in the shadows, Allison and Scott are pretending not to be sitting a little too close to each other on their sheet by the pond, and Lydia is running his fingers through Isaac’s hair across from them. Derek is hugging his knees on his own giant blanket off the porch with the lights turned off. Stiles plops himself down like that’s where he’s meant to be and places the brownies on the blanket between them.

“Are you ready for this?” Stiles asks playfully as he pulls off the foil, wads it up in a ball, and throws it at Isaac who is apparently fast asleep with his head across Lydia’s lap.

“The dreaded Stilinski brownie?” Derek laughs quietly, but sobers at Stiles’ wounded look. “It can’t be as bad as they made it sound.”

“Of course they aren’t that bad! Peanut butter and chocolate, dude,” Stiles informs him as he cuts a rather behemoth piece and hands it over to Derek before cutting himself a smaller one. They were gritty and underdone in the center, but if you stayed away from the center and the burnt edges they weren’t too bad.

“Good,” Derek mumbles around a mouthful. Stiles practically lights up at the praise.

“Do you know wolf packs have gotten into bloody battles over howling?!” Stiles suddenly asks, wanting to show off his “nurturing” side.

“What do you mean?” Erica asks loudly, causing Isaac to jerk awake.

“Some members aren’t allowed to howl and if they try to join in they all gang up on it,” Stiles replies a bit louder so Lydia and her non-werewolf hearing can listen since she’s turned towards him for the answer.

“Do you guys howl together at the moon?” Lydia asks while looking at Derek. He shrugs.

“We never howl together,” Isaac answers for him, sounding like a putout child.

“We should totally howl together!” Scott pipes up as he and Allison pull their blanket closer to the rest of the pack.

“We have neighbors,” Derek informs them with his arms crossed, but the chocolate on his lips take away from his I’m-The-Alpha attitude.

“We could go into the forest,” Boyd points out helpfully.

“There are no wolves in California,” Derek argues like that’s the end of the discussion.

“There are tonight!” Erica yells and pulls Boyd to his feet. “Let’s go!”

“Wait!” Derek tries to protest, but everybody is already jogging towards the dense woods. Stiles lingers a bit, smiling at Derek, before taking off with the rest of them.

“Aaahooooo!” The first howl from Scott is loud and bounces off the trees around them followed by a quiet and low one from Isaac.

“AHO!” Stiles screams out, chuckling to himself.

“Aahhrrrooooooooooo!” The howl from behind them is louder and even Stiles can tell it’s from an Alpha. Their Alpha. The moon shines down into a clearing in the forest, showing off Erica’s look of glee as they all let out an answering chorus of howls. Even Allison joins in, half howling and half giggling with Lydia, who still looks regal as she tilts her head back.

“AHO! AHOO! AAAHOOO!” Stiles yells up at the falling stars ahead, seeing out the corner of his eye that Derek is coming into the clearing. He looks beyond joyful. He looks proud and his eyes are bright with hope. Stiles can’t help himself as he walks up next to Derek and throws his arms around him in a loose hug; Derek’s arm comes around him immediately to rest on his lower back. They both howl along together until they’re hoarse and it’s past midnight.

Stiles leaves the brownies behind because apparently Derek actually loves them. He thought he was just being nice at first, but then he caught Derek eating them while nobody else was around so he must have really enjoyed them. He stops by the sheriff’s department on his way home to bring his dad a salad from McDonalds (the only place still open). He sits and watches his dad eat and they talk about school and plans for college until his dad forces him to go home and get to bed.

After Stiles showers and changes into clean pajamas he goes over and opens his window halfway. He takes a deep breath of the night air and then howls quietly into the darkness. He waits a few minutes, not expecting to hear anything, until the distinct rumble of Derek’s howl answers him back. He goes to sleep with a smile.

Chapter Text

“Ladies, it’s important to remember that all males, and especially Alpha males, love a confident woman. A woman with panache and an air of feeling sure of oneself will always attract an Alpha male’s eyes. Don’t be afraid to let your inner diva come forth and be bold! Be fearless and good luck, gals!”

Stiles doesn’t even know how to begin to be confident and the book just keeps repeating to “wear form fitting dresses and bright lipstick and to be bold!” Whatever being bold means, he’s pretty sure it doesn’t mean wearing layers upon layers of clothing to hide your lack of muscles, or flushing whenever somebody pays too much attention to you. He can’t help it that his cheeks tend to go flaming red when anybody stares at him for a little too long.

Stiles is pretty much sure this is where his plan will come to an end, because how the hell is one supposed to just become confident and Alpha attracting just from reading a book? So he stops sending Derek little wolf facts and their phone calls are bordering on brief. It’s been two weeks since their barbeque and Stiles needs to accept the fact he isn’t all that alluring and there’s no way he could ever seduce anybody, let alone Derek.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” Lydia asks, startling him out of his thoughts and bringing him back to the noisy lunchroom. The whole table is giving him a worried look. He pinches himself when he feels his face start to heat up.

“Yeah, why?” He rubs at his hair, awkwardly avoiding their gaze. He doesn’t really remember going through the lunch line or sitting down next to Scott at the table; his head hasn’t been functioning properly lately.

“We just asked you the same question twice,” Lydia informs him with a quick eyeroll. “Sorry, we’re so obviously boring you.”

“I was just thinking about someone, thing! I was thinking about some things,” Stiles stutters out before digging into his plastic pasta with an equally plastic fork.

“You were thinking? How shock- Ouch, Scott! I will kill you!” Erica yells and throws her empty milk carton at Scott’s head. “Don’t kick me again!”

“You okay, man?” Scott asks him quietly, ignoring Erica’s threats. “Who were you thinking about?” Stiles shakes his head, not wanting to answer that question in a room full of lie detectors. “C’mon, Stiles. You’ve been acting off the last few days.”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, Scott,” Stiles grits out, ignoring the way the whole table is watching them and listening in.

“After school? We’ll talk before heading over to the pack meeting?” Scott asks, pleading with his little puppy dog eyes that Stiles could never refuse.

“Yeah, sure,” Stiles says just to get him off his case. He loves Scott like a brother, but he does not want to talk about Derek with him. Scott though doesn’t pick up on his little lie and beams at him.

“We’ll have a bro weekend, just me and you!” Scott declares throwing a lazy arm around Stiles’ shoulders.

“That means I get Isaac!” Lydia claps loudly. “I’ve wanted to try and take a straightener to your hair to see what you’d look like.”

“Oh my god, give him Bieber hair!” Erica cackles as she ruffles Isaac’s locks; he looks physically pained.

It’s after lacrosse practice when Scott finally corners Stiles in the locker room. Stiles had been dragging behind hoping there wouldn’t be any time for Scott to question where Stiles’ mind has been for the past few weeks. He had no such luck.

“Are you going to tell me now or what?” Scott demands as he slams against his locker next to Stiles.

“Or what?” Stiles tries as he pulls on a clean shirt. He slams his own locker door shut and collects his bag.

“Oh, c’mon! You used to tell me everything and now you keep getting all quiet and sad like you used to whenever you’d see Lydia with Jackson,” Scott badgers, following him out of the locker room. It’s a good thing he brought up Jackson when Lydia wasn’t around because ever since Jackson and his family moved to the East coast his name has been off limits. Two years and Lydia still fights with him over the phone, but anybody can tell she still cares about him and his well-being with his new pack. “But it seems to be worse this time, because you haven’t told me who you’re crushing on.”

“I’m not crushing on him!” Stiles yells back without thinking. It’s not a lie either, this isn’t a simple crush. The first few months of knowing Derek he had a crush on him, a borderline wow-you’re-scary-but-I-want-to-kiss-you type of crush, but then Derek dropped his guard after the Alpha pack left and Peter died (again) and he laughs and smiles and sometimes wears dorky looking glasses. Derek likes The Giving Tree! How could that have ever stayed a simple crush?

“Him?” Scott asks, ridiculously raising both of his eyebrows. Stiles gulps loudly. There is no way Scott is going to let this go. “You can talk to me.”

“I just -” Stiles huffs and pulls his backpack higher up on his shoulder. “There’s this guy and he’s,” he trails off not knowing how to explain it all without saying Derek’s name.

“Is he being mean to you?” Scott asks seriously with his eyes flashing.

“No! Down, Kujo!” Stiles bats him on the shoulder with his bag. “I’m out of his league and it sucks!”

“Did he tell you that?!” Scott looks absolutely shocked. “You don’t deserve that, Stiles!” Stiles rolls his eyes, before walking towards the parking lot. “I mean it. You’re my best friend and I know you better than anybody and you’re not out of his league!”

“Just get in the car,” Stiles demands as he climbs into his jeep. “We’ll talk about this more after the meeting.”

“Why do you always do this to yourself, man?” Scott asks with a worried look. “Do you not think people like you? You’re valuable merchandise.” Stiles knows what Scott is trying to say so he pants him on the shoulder with a small smile.

“You can stop now,” Stiles replies with resignation. “I know someday my prince or princess will come.”

“Exactly!” Scott agrees loudly with his big happy smile. “But who is he?” Stiles rolls his eyes and quickly steps on the gas. Scott tries continuing the conversation once they’re on the road, but thanks to the new radio system his dad installed for his eighteenth birthday, he can’t actually hear him.

“Is it somebody we know?” Scott asks as they walk up to Derek and Isaac’s apartment, forcing Stiles to stop and jerk him back from the door by the arm.

“Can you stop now? I don’t want the rest to know,” Stiles hisses out. He’s terrified of letting it slip in front of all those werewolfy ears and just knowing that Scott is practically in on the secret is causing Stiles to get twitchy and sweaty.

“Nobody else is here yet,” Scott shakes off Stiles’ arm and his concern with a shrug. “Do I know him?” he continues asking as they get closer to the door. “Just say yes or no and then I’ll stop!”

“Why does it matter?!” Stiles does not screech, but comes close to it. He does not want to talk about his feelings for Derek in Derek’s apartment; it’s ridiculous, but it feels like the couch cushions or his armchair will rat him out. This can’t be happening now! Stiles isn’t ready for the rejection and the pitying looks the pack is bound to give him when it comes to light.

“Is it Boyd?” Scott’s question is met with a scoff as he unlocks the door with the hidden key underneath the welcome mat. “Isaac?” Scott asks with a worried look.

“No!” Stiles throws a disgusted look towards Scott as he goes over to get a bottle of water from the fridge. It’s not that Isaac is unattractive or gross, but Isaac is basically the pack’s little brother (despite being the same age). Isaac is so sweet and cuddly. He doesn’t want to have sex with Isaac!

“Derek?” Scott asks quietly like he already knows the answer. Stiles is bent over rummaging for water when he stills and slowly stands up to meet Scott’s eyes. “I know that look. I’ve known that look since we were seven years old and you got caught doing something you weren’t supposed to!” Stiles rubs at his eyes roughly, not believing this is happening here and now. “You like Derek?”

“Listen,” Stiles holds a hand up to keep Scott from interrupting as he tries to quickly gather his thoughts. “I think I’m a pretty well adjusted guy considering all the shit we’ve been through and had to put up with all our lives. So, does it matter,” Stiles swallows roughly, already feeling like he’s been talking for hours. “Does it matter who I fall in love with over the years? Does it matter that I wanted to be happy and make somebody else happy for once? I just- We’ve come so far to be where we are with the group we have and I can’t help it, man. I don’t know how or when, but yeah, I love the guy. How could I not?”

“Love?” Scott smiles knowingly. “I asked if you liked him.”

“That’s all you heard?” Stiles asks angrily before gulping down his bottle of water. He doesn’t feel so bad now that he’s gotten it all off his chest. He feels lighter knowing that Scott knows and isn’t mocking him for his ridiculous love interest.

“They’ve just pulled up,” Scott informs as he goes to open up the front door.

“Who?” Stiles looks out the kitchen window, trying to calm his racing heart by paying attention to something else.

“Isaac, Erica, and Lydia,” Scott replies sounding suspiciously guilty.

“Where is everybody else?” Stiles asks, taking stock of the freezer’s contents to see what he can heat up for the meeting.

“Boyd’s helping his grandma for a little while longer and Allison has something planned with her dad. They’ve been trying to spend more time together and really bond before she goes off to college,” Scott rants on. “I’m going to miss her too, I mean. She’s going to be across the country, but we’ll talk and Skype and if it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” Stiles throws him skeptical look, having known after being best friends for most of his life when Scott is avoiding a subject deliberately. His vision seems to narrow and everything closes in when Stiles realizes there’s somebody running the shower in the apartment.

“Uh, nothing! Just that Derek should be getting out theshowerrightnow,” Scott hastily replies before running out the front door to help with the bags of grocery Isaac is pulling out from the trunk of the car. Stiles’ heart stops. Starts. And then shatters in his chest. The water abruptly shuts off. He feels betrayed.

“I have to go!” Stiles calls out to whoever is listening and starts to run for the door, fight or flight kicking in. He’s not prepared for the confrontation yet.

“Stay for dinner,” Derek says urgently from behind him. Stiles turns around quickly and catches him leaving the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist, body still wet and glistening from the shower. Stiles’ eyes narrow in on Derek’s hair plastered to his forehead to avoid looking anywhere else. “We have to talk after.”

“After?” Stiles whimpers out as he resists the urge to simultaneously fuss with Derek’s wet hair and flee the building. He feels like his heart is the loudest thing in the room, hammering away rapidly inside his chest. He wants Derek to press the issue and for them to finally figure out where they stand after all these little moments they’ve shared, and have been sharing, over the last couple years. It could be seen as a close friendship, except for the fact Stiles never felt like this with Scott or Danny. Either Derek will tell him thanks but no thanks, or something else will happen… something more. Both outcomes terrify Stiles.

“Stay after everybody else leaves,” Derek says over his shoulder, a shoulder that Stiles then stares at until Derek closes his bedroom door with a soft click.

“Stiles!” Erica yells as the pack enters the small apartment. “Finally, you’ve come to take the rest of your brownies back home!” She’s carrying six grocery bags in each fist and acting like they weigh nothing.

“Derek didn’t like them?” Stiles asks, surprised. He honestly thought they were nothing special, but the way Derek ate them that night made him think otherwise.

“He won’t eat the last one and he won’t let me throw it away, because Stiles made it,” Erica hisses out. “The other day I was jonesin’ real bad for some chocolate thanks to aunt flow and you’d think my alpha would take one for the pack and take care of his little beta, but nooo!”

“Did you just call yourself a little beta?” Isaac asks disbelieving, mouth full of something chewy, causing his cheeks to puff out like a squirrel as he makes his way inside the kitchen with more bags.

“I am a delicate little flower,” Erica growls back with a slap to the back of Isaac’s head, causing him to spit caramels on the kitchen counter.

“Isaac, what bag did the cashier put the meat in?” Lydia interrupts him from saying something he’d later regret.

“Meat?” Isaac asks nervously. “We got meat?”

“Oh my god!” Erica throws a bottle of juice into the refrigerator and then leaves the kitchen, storming off towards Derek’s room.

“I told you to get the ground beef, Isaac! How are we supposed to make hamburgers if we don’t have any meat!” Lydia starts unloading the grocery bags a tad too violently.

“Let me do that,” Stiles suggests quickly and takes the ketchup bottle out of Lydia’s fist before she slams it down on the counter.

“It’s not my fault you didn’t double check!” Isaac tries to defend himself while edging out of the kitchen. Stiles can hear Erica’s raised voice from inside Derek’s room.

“Let me get dressed!” Derek’s muffled voice growls out.

“Why would we have to double check?!” Erica yells, coming back into the kitchen with a murderous look on her face.

“Guys, it’s just mea-“ Scott tries to defend his friend bravely, puppy dog eyes in full effect.

“Shut up, Scott!” Lydia and Erica yell in unison, successfully cutting him off.

“I got distracted?” Isaac whimpers out while showing off his bag of wrapped caramel and raising his neck slightly towards Erica in submission.

“Distracted?!” Erica cries out, taking his bag of candy away and leaving him looking brokenhearted.

“Leave Isaac alone!” Derek commands from the doorway, pulling his tight white tank top lower on his abdomen; Stiles’ eyes follow the movement hungrily. He has to jerk his eyes away and think about a nude Finstock to keep from admitting any unwanted arousal smells. “Give him back his candy,” he demands, ignoring Erica’s stomping her foot and Isaac’s pleased look on his face. “I’ll order a pizza if you three will just stop yelling.”

“I’ll make pudding!” Isaac suggests with a smile, picking up a box of instant chocolate pudding.

“I told you you already have three boxes-“

“Erica, you’ll come with me to pick up the pizza,” Derek interrupts her as he pulls on his jacket. The apartment is suddenly quiet while Erica pouts, Lydia continues putting up the groceries in a calmer manner, and Isaac and Scott share his bag of candy.

“PMSing pretty bad, huh?” Scott asks, trying to break the tension.

“Scott!” All five shout in irritation.

Despite the weirdly rocky start to the evening, after the rest of the pack make it back to Derek’s apartment and four boxes of pizza are provided, everything settles down nicely. Everything except for Stiles, of course, who can’t seem to sit still even more than usual. He can’t tell if this talk he’ll be having with Derek after everybody leaves will be a good or a bad talk, especially since Derek isn’t acting any differently towards him. He has to talk himself out of just slipping out the front door while everybody is distracted with fighting over the pizza or over what movie to watch. There is a lot more fighting this pack meeting than any other meeting, which worries Stiles a bit. He wonders if this will be the last pack meeting he’ll ever be welcomed to and then quickly shakes himself out of that line of thought. If Derek didn’t want him there anymore, then he wouldn’t be there, and Scott would certainly fight for him. Isaac wouldn’t even hesitate to defend Stiles as well as Lydia and Erica (who wouldn’t allow her favorite person to pick on to get kicked out). Stiles also feels like he and Boyd share the same disbelief at everything going on around them and often are the only two people that aren’t acting ridiculous and Boyd wouldn’t want to be stuck without another level-headed member. Nope, this is his pack.

Scott keeps sending him reassuring smiles throughout their pirated copy of The Hobbit, which Stiles returns with a glare. He knows Scott didn’t mean for their conversation to steer towards Stiles confessing his love for their Alpha, but he can’t help feeling slightly betrayed. Scott gives him the biggest piece of pineapple pizza and offers him his last breadstick. Stiles accepts the peace offering with a nod.

“How long is this movie?” Erica asks just as the trolls turn into stone. Lydia and Isaac are practically glued to the screen, whispering to each other about differences in the book.

“Just two more hours,” Isaac replies mournfully, clutching his pillow as Erica groans.

“How about we stop now and finish it next time,” Derek suggests while not making it sounding like a suggestion. Stiles’ heart starts pounding in his chest. He was hoping for another two more hours to get his thoughts and feelings in order. Erica eyes him suspiciously.

“Derek,” Isaac whines. “Please, I’ve been wanting to see this forever!”

“Then you can go watch it in the theater.” Derek turns the light on, causing Lydia to huff. The new source of light shows of Derek’s pinched expression which indicates he’s either nervous about something or in pain. Isaac mumbles something about the Beacon Theater being spit ball ridden and disgusting, but Stiles isn’t paying attention. He’s watching Derek actually fidget.

“Are you hurt?” Stiles asks without thinking, making Derek throw him a confused look.

“C’mon, Isaac!” Erica stands up suddenly, shoving Boyd’s head off her lap. “You can watch it at my house.” She grins and holds her hand out.

“What?” Isaac practically shrinks away, looking up at Derek for help.

“You can tell me all about your Tolkien boner on the drive over, it’ll be,” Erica pauses to swallow roughly. “fun.”

“Then I’m coming too,” Lydia announces, quickly scrambling to her feet. “You still haven’t given back my jeans.” Erica shrugs and pulls Isaac up roughly by the scruff of his neck, already pulling him to the door.

“Isaac’s staying the night!” Erica yells back as she throws open the front door, pulling a confused and worried looking Isaac roughly behind her with Lydia on his heels.

“Well, that was weird,” Boyd grumbles as he rolls off the couch and lands on his feet. He salutes Stiles and follows his girlfriend outside.

“Scott, go home!” Erica yells from outside.

“What is happening?” Scott asks weakly and then both his and Derek’s ears do that weird twitching thing that happens whenever they are listening in on something. The tips of Derek’s ears go red and he rests his head in his hands. Scott’s eyes go wide. “Oh, right. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, buddy,” he says a tad bit too loud and quickly stands up. “Call me tomorrow when you get home or uh, whenever you wake up, right. Yes. Goodbye!”

Stiles gulps.

“What was that?” he asks nervously, pulse hammering in his forehead. Derek shrugs weakly, avoiding his gaze. “Is Erica okay? I’ve never seen her go after Isaac like she did earlier and-“

“She’s pregnant,” Derek blurts out, eyes going big as if he didn’t mean to announce it.

“Whoa,” Stiles breathes out and settles back into the couch, knees aimed at Derek next to him. He wasn’t expecting the pack to be growing this soon, and especially not with a pregnancy. He thought for awhile there it might happen with Scott and Allison, but then they broke up and Allison decided to be celibate until after college. He’s worried and scared for Erica, but excited for a little baby to be around. He always wanted a younger brother or sister. “How long have you known?”

“About a week. Nobody else knows yet.” Derek turns the television off, leaving the small table lamp on the end table as the only light source in the apartment. It feels intimate with only him and Derek on the small couch with nobody else around. "Not even Boyd."

“Just you and me?” Stiles asks, trying to calm himself down. They’ve been alone loads of times before and have talked in darker places than this, but things have changed now and he can feel it in the air between them. He doesn’t think Derek is going to respond at first and is thinking about something else to say when he notices Derek staring at him strangely.

“Yeah, it’s just you and me,” Derek almost whispers out, eyes traveling all over his face. Stiles is about to say something funny to break the tension when Derek places his arm on the back of the couch, movements slow yet sure. His muscles are on display in his white tank top, arm bridging the gap between them and almost touching Stiles’ shoulder.

“And Erica,” Stiles replies hoarsely, eyes locked with Derek to try and pay attention to the conversation they are supposed to be having. He thinks for a moment maybe this is what Derek wanted to talk about instead of Stiles’ confession he overheard with Scott earlier. Maybe Derek wasn’t paying attention?

“Of course,” Derek murmurs with a slow smile spreading across his face. Stiles is struck dumb for a few seconds, which always happens whenever Derek gives him one of his real smiles, and only comes back to himself when he sees out the corner of his eye Derek’s fingers stretching and brushing against his plaid clad shoulder, sending a jolt through his body. He stands straight up before he realizes what’s happening.

“Good talk,” Stiles yelps and tries to walk pass, but Derek grabs him by the hips to keep him from leaving. Derek’s right hand is on his left hip and his left hand is on his right hip and Stiles can’t breathe.

“Stiles,” Derek says like his name doesn’t mean shut up or stop talking or why are you still here. Stiles makes the mistake of looking down and meeting Derek’s eyes. “I stopped running so shouldn’t you?”

“You like me?” Stiles asks, knowing the answer because of that soft and vulnerable look in Derek’s eyes. Derek stands up and puts them pressed up against each other, no gaps between their bodies like it always should be.

“Sorta,” Derek teases and Stiles wants to laugh and smile. He can’t help the smile that breaks across his face and buries it between Derek’s shoulder and neck. Derek brings his hands up to wrap around his waist and pull him across into a hug.

“I’ve been trying to seduce you,” Stiles confesses into Derek’s shoulder. His huff of laughter brushes across Stiles’ ear. “It totally worked.”


“You could have just stated your intent,” Derek says with a shrug, bringing Stiles face up to stare at him. Derek inches his face closer as if asking permission. Stiles closes the distance a little too quickly, mashing their lips together almost painfully. Derek brings a hand up to the side of Stiles’ face to gentle their kiss, opening his mouth to slide his tongue against Stiles’ bottom lip.

“Mmf,” Stiles groans almost angrily and opens his own mouth to bring the wandering tongue inside. They deepen the kiss, going from gentle and slow to all tongues and teeth and excitement. “I wooed you with my wiles,” Stiles announces playfully as they break apart for air, a gigantic grin breaking across his face when he notices Derek’s redden and soft mouth.

“No, the brownies were what really did it for me,” Derek replies seriously, staring off into space above Stiles’ shoulder wistfully, thumb still leaving a trail of gooseflesh under Stiles’ ear and upper jaw. Stiles’ eyes widen, having only seen this playful side of Derek a handful of times, though more and more frequently as the pack became more like a family and the trust grew between them. Each time Stiles realizes that Derek feels comfortable enough around him to let his guard down it makes his heart feel ten times too large for his chest.

“You are such a shit!” Stiles headbutts Derek’s shoulder lightly, wanting to get closer to Derek.

“Minutes into our relationship and you’re insulting me?” Derek asks, mock offended in the typical dry voice he uses whenever he’s teasing Stiles.

“Relationship?” Stiles repeats and yet it comes out as a question, ears reddening with delight as his arms wrap around Derek’s neck more firmly.

“Um, yeah,” Derek says, sounding suddenly worried and looking a bit embarrassed. “I mean that’s what I thought.” His eyebrows knit together in his trying-not-to-show-my-hurt-feelings expression.

“Yeah!” Stiles replies quickly, not wanting to torture Derek for any longer. “I just. I didn’t know you would be so willing. I thought you’d be grumpy and I’d have to talk you into it which obviously wouldn’t require that much effort after you’ve seen all this pale and freckly skin laid out- ”

“I thought you’d be sarcastic and smug. I was right,” Derek deadpans with a tilt of his head, brushing their cheeks together and sending shivers down Stiles’ body thanks to his stubble. Stiles repeats the movement absentmindedly, delighting in being close to Derek and not worrying about being interrupted thanks to the pack’s hasty retreat, which he really doesn’t want to bring up.

“Are we flirting right now?” Stiles asks excitedly, edging on giddy as he brushes his fingertips through the short hair at the back of Derek’s neck and realizing he can actually touch any part of Derek he wants whenever he wants (reasonably) in front of whoever he wants.“Will you have dinner with me and my dad?” he bursts out unable to contain himself. “This is so great,” Stiles mumbles before he kisses at Derek’s stubbly cheek and jaw while Derek seems content to rest his head on Stiles’ shoulder, not rushing things There’s a question though, that’s been nagging at Stiles ever since Derek wrapped his arms around him. “But why?”

“Why?” Derek asks, moving his head to kiss Stiles’ arm that’s still wrapped around his neck. “Why are we flirting? Why do you want me to have dinner with your dad? Why is this so great?”

“Why me? Why now?” Stiles blurts out, pulling out to look Derek in the eye. Derek’s expression is soft and open, he resists leaning forward to kiss him.

“Really? You don’t know?” Derek raises his eyebrow with a confused look. “Stiles, I’ve loved you since you jumped in that pool when I was drowning,” he states ever so simply. Like it’s easy to talk about his feelings now, despite the fact that over two years ago acting like a wounded animal, lashing out while simultaneously trying to pull anybody, somebody closer. “Not many people would have done that for me. Actually, nobody would have done that for me and yet here was this guy who saved me without even knowing me, and after I’ve treated you and your best friend so badly.” Derek breaks eye contact and swallows roughly while looking guilty. Stiles runs a hand through the back of Derek’s hair to try and comfort him, to let him know there’s no hard feelings for those first few months. “I – it took me awhile to accept that I was having feelings for somebody. That I could trust somebody else. And you never left. You’d never leave me alone. I’d growl and you’d just smirk at me like I wasn’t a monster.”

“You aren’t a monst-” Derek smiles and kisses Stiles softly.

“I know that now, thanks to you and our pack,” Derek whispers and lowers his head to kiss at Stiles’ neck once more. Blood rushes straight to Stiles’ cock, want and need suddenly thrumming through him without an outlet.

“Holy shit, I’m so turned on right now,” Stiles announces in a husky voice as he presses his body closer.

“I’ve noticed.” Derek smirks and firmly shoves his thigh between Stiles’ own, causing him to slide down a bit to get more friction.

“Oh fuck,” Stiles hisses out and tries to go back for a kiss and ends up mouthing at Derek’s chin and jaw. “Can we- fuck – yes, that. Can we have less clothes and more- fuck,” Stiles rants as he can’t help bucking his hips against Derek’s thigh, trying desperately for a better angle. Derek’s hands clamps down on his ass, pulling him up his body as Stiles automatically wraps his long legs around Derek’s waist.

“Your ass is amazing,” Derek whispers into his ear before biting down on the soft lobe, hands full of Stiles’ jean clad ass.

“You can y’know, do stuff to it if you want,” Stiles whimpers when Derek pulls on his earlobe with his teeth and then licks the soreness away.

“Stuff?” Derek questions with a smirk, moving them into his bedroom slowly. He pushes Stiles up against a wall to press a wet open mouthed kiss against his throat, making Stiles claw at his back eager for more. “Tell me, what stuff.”

“Oh fuck, you weirdo,” Stiles moans with his head thrown back as Derek continues marking his skin with sloppy bites and wet sucking kisses, not moving any further towards the bed. “I could act like your fingers are my fingers and open myself up on them like I do in my own bedroom, thinking about you.” Derek groans and thumps his forehead against Stiles’ shoulder, back shivering as if imagining the sight unravels him. “Your dick would feel so good inside me and I’d ride you so slo- “ Derek doesn’t let him finish before he covers Stiles’ mouth with his own, moving forward until finally Stiles’ back meets the bed underneath him. Derek doesn’t allow Stiles a moment before he’s pulling off his layers of shirts and throwing them away from the bed like they offend him. Stiles automatically wants to even the playing field and goes to pull off Derek’s tank top.

“No,” Derek objects, pulling Stiles’ arms away from the hem of his shirt and placing them above Stiles’ head. “I want to see you first.”  

Stiles knows he isn’t built like Derek or Boyd are, or even Scott since his furry little change, but the way Derek’s eyes roam hungrily across his chest and stomach keeps him from trying to cover up. Derek suddenly dives forward and bites at the hair underneath Stiles’ belly button, causing him to jerk forward to cradle Derek’s head in his arms as he continues to lick and bite the trail.

“Dude, I’m going to cum in my pants if you keep doing that and I don’t think my confidence can handle that right now,” Stiles groans out trying to buck Derek off and pulling at Derek’s reddened ears.

“I’m going to suck you off,” Derek suddenly states and immediately starts unbuckling his belt like not having Stiles’ cock inside his mouth is a crime against humanity. Stiles starts giggling at his own thoughts, as Derek peels his jeans off his legs. “What’s so funny?” Derek asks lightly, actually sounding happy and enjoying himself.

“It’s like my cock not being in your mouth is a crime against hum-ugh - ” Stiles tries not to buck up into the wet heat of Derek’s mouth. He tries to settle back against the blankets and not think about coming right down Derek’s throat. “Nude Finstock,” Stiles mutters and makes the mistake and looking down just in time to lock eyes with Derek while he swallows.

Derek pulls Stiles’ flailing hands towards his hair and hums when his fingers clench and pull.

“Dude, this is so not fair,” Stiles whimpers and tries to go for the tank top with his left hand while his right holds on for dear life. He pulls up the cotton weakly, exposing a thin line of skin just above Derek’s belt, and suddenly he’s coming with a full body jerk. “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Stiles mumbles as his body becomes overwhelmed.

Derek hums in approval as he continues sucking and swallowing until Stiles becomes too sensitive; pulling his mouth away reluctantly. Stiles lays there breathing deeply and feeling sluggish and sated with Derek resting his head against his naked thigh trying to catch his breath. After a few minutes Derek straightens his body up to crack his back and Stiles’ eyes go straight to the bulge in Derek’s pants and his dick has the audacity to twitch.

“Take your shirt off,” Stiles tries to sound demanding, but ends up sounding wrecked and hoarse. Derek raises an eyebrow at him, but does as Stiles says with an amused smirk. “Yeah, come to daddy!”

Stiles gets smacked in the face with Derek’s shirt.

Derek is hovering over Stiles’, both of them completely naked, nosing at Stiles’ neck and ear breathing deeply. Stiles is content to just run his hands up Derek’s flanks and stomach while feeling Derek’s erection brush against his own every once and awhile. It’s nice and intimate. He watches Derek’s back shiver as he digs his nails in lightly and suddenly Stiles wants more. He rolls around underneath Derek, who huffs out in annoyance. Stiles shushes him and pulls the pillows underneath his chest, clutching them and waiting for Derek to get with the program.

“Are you sure?” Derek asks quietly, lips brushing against his nape.

“I was sure a year ago,” Stiles whispers back, resting his head on the pillow. Derek kisses him gently on the back of his neck once more before he’s trailing them all the way down and roughly bites him on an ass cheek. “Hey!” Stiles protests and tries to turn over, but Derek holds him still and buries his face in between. “Heeeyeah.” Stiles slumps over his pillow, not knowing if he wants to push back or escape forward, which results in Stiles rocking against the mattress wantonly. “Fuck, yeah okay,” Stiles breathes out heavily when Derek’s tongue enters him suddenly, causing him to shiver and shake. His cock is making the sheet underneath him wet with precum and he really wants to come again, but doesn’t want to move away from Derek’s mouth, and now his fingers, as he slowly opens him up.

When Derek pulls back and bites his cheek again he wants to push him right back to where he was, but instead allows Derek to kiss his neck and get a small bottle and a foil packet out of the side table. Stiles’ heart feels like it wants to burst out of his chest and it comes as a relief when Derek stretches over him, fingers entering him once more but this time with lube, and whispers in his ear, “Are you ready?”

“Fucking yes, please, Derek!” Stiles whimpers and begs as Derek removes his fingers and sits back on his heels away from him, but he can’t seem to feel embarrassed when he hears Derek putting the condom on and slicking himself up behind him. Derek turns Stiles’ head to kiss him as he slides inside slowly, but Stiles pulls away to bury his face in the pillows beneath him. “Fuck!”

“Is it too much?” Derek asks and stills immediately inside him, barely halfway. Stiles tries to pull him forward with a hand on his sweat slick thigh, but Derek doesn’t budge.

“Yes, no- it does not feel like what I have at home,” Stiles blurts out rapidly. “It’s you and I love it. Having you finally,” Stiles cuts himself off trying to move backward and get comfortable. He feels half out of his mind with want, knowing it’s Derek inside him, trying to get used to the stretch, and the need to come again. “I love you so much, please just move,” he begs, absentmindedly saying whatever comes to mind. Derek makes a choked sound and starts pushing in again slowly, causing Stiles’ back to bow with each slow movement.

“You look so gorgeous like this,” Derek whispers in Stiles’ ear as he finally bottoms out after what feels like an eternity. They both are panting heavily with Stiles moving around restlessly as Derek presses wet kisses all along his back and shoulders.

“You feel gorgeous,” Stiles whines out, trying to shove his hand between himself and the bed to get at his cock. He gives up when Derek slides back in while holding his hips still. Derek is set on continuing slowly and stops whenever Stiles tries to speed things up. Stiles continues a stream of talking, moaning, and whimpering. He feels full and knowing that it’s Derek inside him and wants to be inside him gives him an endless thrill. He doesn’t know how he is going to handle having to leave the bedroom in the future when he could be having sex with Derek.

Derek finally picks up the pace and suddenly the pillow is out of his grasp as Derek pulls him up and backwards on his lap, one arm wrapped around his chest while the other strokes his cock. “Shit, shit, shit,” Stiles whimpers as he stares down at Derek’s hand stroking him off. “I’m going to come.” Stiles falls on his hands and knees, causing Derek to push up harder inside him and tighten his hand around Stiles’ cock as Stiles comes hard, clamping down around Derek’s own cock buried inside him and coming all over Derek’s hand.

Derek groans and pushes further up inside him before stilling, and biting down on where Stiles’ neck and shoulder meet. The arm wrapped around Stiles’ stomach shakes and jerks as Derek comes with a curse and Stiles’ name on his lips. They stay that way, motionless, before Stiles’ muscles give out and he can’t hold them both up anymore so they collapse on the bed.

“I wanted you to come on my face,” Stiles rasps out, only half joking. He hisses as Derek pulls out slowly while apologizing with kisses across his shoulder.

“Next time,” Derek replies, sounding just as wrecked as Stiles.

“Tease!” Stiles accuses and swats at Derek’s ass as he goes to dispose of the condom.

“I’m not the one who was talking about the dicks I have at home,” Derek shoots back playfully before crawling back into bed with a wet rag, pulling Stiles over and away from his wet spot.

“It’s just one little toy,” Stiles mumbles into Derek’s sweaty shoulder, trying not to be embarrassed as Derek cleans them both up.

“You’ll have to show it to me sometime,” Derek whispers into Stiles’ ear, pulling him close to wrap his blanket around them.

“I could have just told you about Derek Junior instead of bothering with that book!” Stiles declares angrily and snuggling into Derek’s arms. They both feel sweaty and gross, but he’s too comfortable to move and plans on sleeping until there’s morning sex and then shower sex. He has this all planned out.

“Derek Junior?” Derek asks with a huff of laughter. “You’re just making that up,” Derek replies with his lips ghosting against Stiles’ forehead. “And what book are you talking about?”

“I’ll have to show it to you sometime,” Stiles says with a smirk, mind going straight to the chapter called Ruin Him in Bed. “It’s an interesting read.”