Proud to Call You My Own

All Our Firsts

Pride 'Extra'

Stiles didn't really think anything of it when Derek started acting weird because Derek was weird. There was no reason to think that him meeting with just Stiles's dad was weird because Stiles loved that Derek and the Sheriff had an amazing relationship. He didn't really notice when Derek was on the phone a little more than he usually was seen as how Derek was planning on getting some sort of job. Not that he was telling Stiles what kind of job it was.

What did surprise him was when Derek sent him a text, 'Date night tonight?'

He responded, 'Sure. Takeout and Netflix?'

'No.' was all he got back.

Stiles rolled his eyes and went back to his computer where he was looking at classes he might be getting enrolled in. He stopped obsessing with just enough time to shower and get dressed, picking some black jeans, a dark blue button-up and a black vest. If they were going out then he could dress up with the best of them and when he was with Derek, Stiles couldn't seem to help the little part of him that wanted to look his best so it made sense that the stupidly attractive werewolf was with him, much to Derek's confusion.

When Derek knocked on the front door, Stiles just shook his head and walked over to open the door, with every intention of making fun of him for actually using the door, just because they were a legit couple handed stopped the werewolf from using his bedroom window to get to Stiles in the middle of the night. Then he caught sight of Derek and everything got caught in his throat.

"Good evening Stiles," Derek choked out as he looked up and down at Stiles while the human did the same. The werewolf was standing there in dark blue jeans, clean and pressed with black biker boots on, a dark red Henley under his leather jacket and he looked good enough to eat. In fact, Stiles thought as he stepped over the threshold and pulled Derek in for a long and wet kiss. When he pulled back he whispered, "We don't need to go out, we could just go back to the loft and say we went out."

Derek smiled, "As much as I would like that, I made reservations."

Stiles sighed like going out was going to be so difficult even though they both knew it was a lie. Stiles loved to eat and he was going to enjoy this even though he didn't understand why they were going out in the first place. He released Derek just enough that they could close the door and walk over to the Camaro. Derek opened the passenger door for him and Stiles snorted, though he couldn't help when those kinds of things made him warm inside. He wasn't a woman or anything, they were both men but sometimes the care and consideration that Derek gave him was more than he'd ever experienced so he had no idea that he'd enjoy it so much.

Derek let his hand run from the back of Stiles's neck and down his shoulder as Stiles slipped into the seat and Derek closed the door. He walked around the front, shaking his hands a little as he moved and the human frowned, wishing briefly that he was a werewolf so he could read Derek the way that the werewolf could read him. Derek got into the car and he wondered for a brief moment if he were a werewolf, would this relationship be the same.

Would Derek prefer him to be a werewolf?

Would it be easier for them both if he were?

Derek shifted in his seat and he looked at Stiles, "Are you okay? You smell…"

Stiles waved Derek off before he had a chance to say whatever he was planning on saying and smiled, "It's nothing. Where are we going?"

The werewolf smiled and said nothing, so Stiles watched the world slip by the car in wavering speed. He looked around when he realized they were going out of town and he shifted to look at his boyfriend again, "Where are we going?"

Derek just smiled and kept driving.

Stiles started fidgeting, wringing his hands because he had nothing to do. Feeling the sweat dampen in his palms so he wiped them down his legs, even before the world went to the dogs because between the anxiety that he'd had most of his life and the shit of the supernatural Stiles wasn't the biggest fan of surprises. Miles go by while he continues to freak out before Derek reached out and took one of Stiles's hand and he wanted to pull away. He was sweating and he didn't want Derek to know.

"Stiles, calm down, there's this steak house that I thought you would like. It has curly fries?" he asks like permission.

He tries to shaky off the weird panic attack he was about to have, wanting Derek to know that this wasn't about him or them even though he thinks it is. He doesn't know what's happening and having all of the information was one of his earliest coping mechanisms in life. He had barely known how to read when he tried to find everything there was to find about the thing that was killing his mother, watching her fade before him. He'd learned bigger words, everything he needed to know to figure out why she wasn't here anymore. He'd done the same thing with heart disease and anything else that could take someone else away from him, to the point of making his father crazy with it. He couldn't let Derek think the wrong thing about this, even if it was partially wrong.

"I love you Derek," Stiles blurted out, turning in his seat towards the man.

"But you don't trust me," Derek responded sadly.

"No that's not it, I don't trust the unknown and sometimes I suck at life because of it. Ask Scott about every surprise party he ever tried to give me. Ask my dad about going to a doctor's appointment or anything. He would have to tell me everything before I would get in the car and then if something my dad wasn't expecting happened in the appointment I would freak out."

"Is this whole going out with me, if I want to surprise you, is that going to cause you this anxiety forever?" Derek asked as he pulled over on the side of the road and put the Camaro into park. Stiles took a shuddering breath and shook his head because he couldn't stand the idea that this was going to ruin their date.

"Derek, we can go, please?"

He reached out and took Stiles's hand between both of his, "I know all about fear and anxiety. I hope for more from you and for you, I have learned so much from you about moving on from what has happened. I'm asking that we can learn together."

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, a small pouch and Derek pulled Stiles's hand over and laid it palm up. He shook the pouch and out dropped a thin silver ring and Stiles looked up in surprise.

"I am going to keep surprising you for the rest of your life, if you'll have me?"

"Are you…?" Stiles started, breathing shallow breaths as he tried not to pass out. He screwed up Derek's proposal, if he'd been a werewolf maybe he would have been able to scent the excited part of this, he would have known in his heart that Derek was always trustworthy.

"Stiles, this was supposed to happen after you shoved your face full of cake but this works too. Will you marry me?"

He shuddered as the words came out of Derek's mouth and he leaned into the man's space and pressed a short kiss to Derek's lips then leaned back, "Derek are you sure? I am going to be like this for who knows how long. I'm not a werewolf, just a ridiculous human and you're so amazing and sweet and I love you."

Derek pressed in close enough to kiss Stiles and quiet the madness that was streaming out of his mouth. The werewolf held his left hand, pulling the red ring off and replacing it was the ring, "I love you Stiles, right here and now. I hope some day to take you on an adventure that you don't feel anxious about but you never hated me for taking things slowly even though you are a horny man," Stiles chuckled and pressed his forehead into Derek's temple. "Why would I stop loving you for having this issues? I wouldn't. So I am going to ask again, are you going to marry me?"

Stiles smiled then looking down at the ring and nodded, his vision blurring as tears of joy fill his eyes and he nodded, "Yes of course I will."

Derek smiled and pressed in for another kiss, separating when they both started laughing. Derek's deep rumbling chuckle vibrated along his hand where it was resting on the werewolf's chest. Derek held Stiles's face in his palm and smiled, "Thank you. Now, can I take you to a steak dinner?"

Stiles nodded and leaned back into his seat for a moment before he snapped his hand out and stopped Derek from putting the car back into drive, "Wait? I know this is ridiculous but I just need to ask."

"Nothing you are feeling is ridiculous."

"Its just that I wonder sometimes, if it would be easier if I was a werewolf. Would you feel differently if I was a werewolf?"

Derek frowned, "No. I love you Stiles. Whether you're human or not, do you want to be a werewolf?"

Stiles sat back and thought about it, "Sometimes I think about it, knowing and sensing what you know. The senses and the healing and all those things."

"But?"

"I like me just as I am," Stiles said with a small smile, "Is that an okay answer?"

Derek leaned over and squeezed his legs gently, "Of course, and it always will be."

Stiles nodded and waved out over the road in front of them, "Then off to our engagement dinner!"

Derek rolled his eyes, "You're an idiot."

"Yes but I'm your idiot."

Derek smiled as he started the car again, "Yeah, you are."