A/N: As is true for the entire series, this has a nebulous time frame AFA setting goes. For the purposes of this particular story, however, we'll have to say it's either set during season 2 or 3A, or after an alternate ending to 3A, because Derek is still an alpha.
Damn. I just realized he was only an alpha for a season and a half. That blows. Poor Derek was effin' robbed (in so many ways, but we'll just go with that one for now to spare me getting into an epic rant).
"A puppy? Stiles, what were you thinking?"
Stiles cooed at the squirming bundle of fluff in his arms, planting little kisses on her nose and laughing when her sharp little puppy teeth nipped at his mouth. He muffled a yelp when a tooth snagged on his lip, though, and made a face at the smirk Derek leveled at him.
"I was thinking it's Christmas in two weeks and we needed a sign of life in this cavernous, empty loft," he retorted. "She's my gift to myself." Derek rolled his eyes.
"Because what we really need is a living, breathing thing that we have to take care of. We have to remember to feed it and give it water and take it for walks. We're hardly ever here, Stiles. What is it going to do when we're away for days at a time, fighting the threat of the week?"
Stiles shrugged. "We'll take her with us. She'll be our battle dog. She can fight beside you and Scott and Isaac and Cora."
Derek scoffed impatiently. "Stiles, she's a puppy. An uncontrolled, untrained ball of fur. You'll be spending all your time worrying about her. No. You have to take her back."
The puppy whined and Stiles cast him a pleading look. "I can't! Look at how sad the idea makes her."
"I can see she's heartbroken," he snorted, gesturing at her licking Stiles' chin, but he sighed because he clearly knew he was on the losing end of this battle. "She gets into my stuff and she's gone, got it?"
Stiles set the puppy down so he could lean in and give Derek a loud, smacking kiss of thanks. Once loose, she scampered around the loft, heading for the Christmas tree to sniff at the enemy spruce branches and, apparently, bark threateningly at them. "I was thinking of naming her Delta."
"What, like Delta Burke?"
"Oh my God, Derek, please join us in this century. No, not like the actress. Like Delta Force. Military training. It's also next in line after Alpha and Beta in the Greek alphabet, well, after Gamma, but we're not naming her after radiation."
Derek glanced down as the puppy made her way back over to them. "We should name her Omega. Make sure she knows her place around here." The puppy apparently understood his scorn and, in a move Stiles was both horrified by and secretly gleeful about, lifted her tiny black leg to pee on his foot.
Stiles scooped her up, scolding her while trying to rein in his laughter at the disgusted, irritated look on his boyfriend's face. "I'll set up obedience training," he promised, and Derek rolled his eyes.
"Stiles. I'm an alpha. I think I can handle training one tiny puppy."
He reached for the wiggling bundle of black and tan fluff, but she growled and snapped at him, making him draw back his hand with a scowl and a curse. Stiles bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. "Sure thing, alpha. Let me know how that works out for you."
llll
Derek refused to admit it, but it didn't work out well at all. Delta was completely contrary and refused to listen to Derek even a little bit, and Stiles just pretended he didn't know what was happening. After almost two weeks, he was wondering when the stalemate was going to end. Okay, so stalemate wasn't exactly the right word-that implied neither side was winning, and Delta was clearly winning this one.
"Delta!"
Stiles stuck his head down the stairs and saw Derek and the puppy in a standoff, Derek's brows drawn together in a thunderous frown while Delta barked aggressively, her haunches in the air and her front dropped to the floor. Behind her was Derek's favorite red sweater, the one with the thumbholes in it, and it was looking a little worse for wear. She'd apparently clawed at it until it was in the shape of a nest, and Stiles could see little clumps of black fur all over it. Derek was trying to retrieve it, but she was having none of that.
"Stiles, get my sweater back from your stupid dog."
He complied quickly, knowing that Derek's patience, what little he had ever had, was running thin. "Delta, be a good girl, give Daddy back his sweater." Instead of responding to him, she plopped down into the pile of fabric and settled in, baring her teeth when Derek took a step toward her.
He threw his hands in the air in frustration and glared at Stiles. "What did I tell you about that damn dog getting into my stuff? I want her gone."
"Der." The plaintive look Stiles leveled at him didn't seem to faze him; he continued to stare malevolently at the animal that had turned her back on him and was pointedly ignoring him. "She just needs a little bit of time."
"It's been two weeks and she won't even listen to you when you call her."
"Training takes time," Stiles protested. "Doesn't it, Delta?" he asked, addressing the dog, who didn't even glance at him. Derek rolled his eyes and growled in irritation, and Delta turned and growled back at him. A random thought flitted through Stiles' mind and he almost choked on the laughter that bubbled up out of him.
"What?" Derek asked, his sigh put-upon and full of annoyance.
"She acts like an alpha," Stiles started, and Delta jumped up and barked at him.
Derek shot her a startled stare, his brows lifted in disbelief, and the laughter burst out of Stiles now. "You think you're a damn alpha, don't you?" he snarled at the dog, and she sat down, rubbing her butt over his sweater. Stiles howled, and Derek gave up, retreating into the kitchen and glaring at both of them.
"Are you an alpha?" Stiles murmured affectionately, getting down on the floor. He was delighted when she beelined for his lap, snuggling up under his chin. "Do we have to change your name to Alpha now?" She barked again, nipping at his fingers as he tried to stroke them over her head, and he chuckled. "Alright, I guess we're calling you Alpha."
"Absolutely not!" Derek protested from his place behind the counter, and Stiles smirked.
"I think she's already told us her name," he said, his tone apologetic but his face expressing his glee. "It wouldn't be right if we ignored her."
Derek groaned. "I regret ever letting you keep her." He studied the dog with a grimace. "Just so we're clear, she's an alpha in name only."
"Sure, Der, you let yourself think that," Stiles teased. To the dog, he stage-whispered, "Let him have this, okay, girl? He needs it." The dog licked his cheek and Derek rolled his eyes again. "So, what do you think about those obedience lessons now?"
Derek shot him a Look and took his coffee upstairs, effectively ending the conversation. Stiles picked Alpha up and nuzzled her face, grinning when she covered his face in little puppy kisses. Derek could be as scowly as he wanted to be, Alpha was an awesome dog.
llll
The next morning Stiles and Derek were awakened by the sound of Alpha's excited barking, and Derek sighed. "She couldn't even let us sleep in on Christmas?"
"Hey, she's excited. It's her first Christmas with us," Stiles yawned, pulling himself out of bed, pausing by the side of it until Derek was up, too. Alpha was romping around, dancing in circles and barking enthusiastically.
"Shut it," Derek growled, and surprisingly, she listened. Stiles plodded over to the couch while Derek went into the kitchen to fill two cups with coffee from the Keurig. In the few minutes it took to brew both mugs, Alpha nudged one of the presents over to the spot beside Stiles on the couch. When Derek sank down onto the seat, Stiles was covering his mouth with one hand to hide his grin.
"What is this?" he asked, surprised, and Alpha pushed the package closer to him.
Suspicious, Derek reached down and lifted it to his lap, noting the tag that said, "From Alpha" and unwrapping it with a side glance at Stiles. When he pulled the paper apart, he couldn't contain a chuckle. Inside the paper was another sweater, very similar in style to his red one only in a shade of deep charcoal gray, complete with thumbholes.
"I went shopping last night after dinner," Stiles admitted, grinning sheepishly. "I figured the least I could do was make sure you still had one good sweater, considering I brought home the beast that destroyed your favorite one."
Derek leaned over and kissed Stiles, a long, lingering one that told Stiles he was forgiven for the dog's antics. Alpha barked, what could only be described as a smile tugging at her snout, and Derek laughed as he reached down to lift her onto his lap as well. She lay down, licking her paw and apparently having no intention of going anywhere.
"Are you sure this mutt isn't magical or something?" Derek asked, shaking his head ruefully.
Stiles shrugged. "Who knows around here, Der? Who knows?"
Alpha lay her head on her paws, having bathed it thoroughly, and sighed contentedly. She knew.