The clock ticked in the background, as if mocking the boy, reminding him of everything still left to do that evening. He had been sitting there for hours now, playing over in his mind every instance he could recall, as if he were seeing them for the first time. It was astounding how blind one could be without realizing it, how stubborn and foolish youth made a person. But as each day went on, the boy grew older.
It was hard to ignore all the signs, the things he had witnessed changing. Lydia wasn't in love with him, she never would be; though he knew he had a place in her heart. Maybe that was enough, it had been the thing to open his eyes to what he'd truly want.
No matter how he looked at it, it was cruel how blind he'd been. There were too many instances to ignore, too many to be coincidence. The formula was there, it had been forever, and now he was left understanding it all.
The thing to determine now was how afraid he was, how real it was, or how much was just in his head. It couldn't all be in his head, not with how it was all making him feel, that much he was almost sure of. But where did that leave him? Where to go from here? There was still so much to do, other, more important things mounting.
Tired of thinking anymore on it, Stiles rose from the edge of his bed and grabbed his keys. He didn't even have to look at the clock to know it was 9:30. Slamming the door behind him, he sat in his jeep a moment, staring out into the blackness. The plan was to go to the station and pick up Scott and Jackson, but that wasn't what he wondered about. Where was any of this going to go after all the smoke cleared? Was there even a place in all of this for what he was feeling?
Sure he'd find the answers when he needed to, the boy decided it best to ignore everything else and do what needed to be done. There were more important things that required his attention than the overwhelming feelings growing in his heart. He needed to have a clear head. This night would be unkind, and the last thing any of them needed was for something to go wrong.
But something always went wrong, no matter how hard they tried for it not to. And as he turned on his jeep, the headlights beaming ahead, he saw a figure cast in their light.
He did all but shield his eyes from the glare, looking straight through the window at him, Derek, his eyes burning straight through the boy. They remained locked for a moment in the glance before the wolf moved around to enter the jeep. Stiles said nothing, but hung on baited breath to know why the Alpha had no waited.
"Plan's changed," he announced, pointing the boy on, forward through the dark.
Stiles sat confused a moment, shaking himself out of the daze Derek's eyes had put him in. "Wait. What do you mean it's changed?"
"Jackson said Scott got a text from Allison and ran off. He didn't say much else but we have to get to the station, something's wrong." Panting all the information out that he could in a single breath, Derek sat impatiently waiting for Stiles to react, to do as he'd instructed and drive.
Instead, the boy sat there, stunned, his expression wrought with confusion. "Well where did he go? Did he say?"
The wolf sighed, frustrated, "No, he didn't. Now would you drive? The longer we sit here the worse things are gonna be when we get there."
"Worse how?"
"Just drive!"
Obeying the temper in Derek's voice, Stiles quickly put the jeep in gear and took off down the road. He drove them to the station, as had been the plan initially, only this time he wasn't alone, he had a man sitting next to him, one he wished to ask a million and one questions, all of which would have to wait.
Derek got out of the jeep and ran to meet Jackson, who's eyes were glued to his phone. They argued for a moment, or at least shouted, but Stiles' human ears could not make out the words exchanged. Eventually they approached the jeep, both climbing in, riled and angry.
"We're going to my house," Derek announced, "we're pretty sure Scott went there."
"What would he go there for? Aren't the Alphas-"
"We think Allison set a trap for him there, because Jackson hasn't heard from him in over an hour." Almost growling at the boy through grit teeth, the wolf looked over to him, urging him to drive.
Taking off from the station, Stiles kept his eyes on the road as he fought the urge to start questioning the already impatient wolf. But his concerns got the better of him, as he ignored the other burning questions tormenting him. "Fine! Fine. But what about Isaac and the rest of them?" He couldn't help but worry for his friends. They weren't what Scott was to him, but they were a pack, they were family, all of them, even if he himself were still but a mere human running with wolves.
Aware they could not be in two places at once, nor could they do this alone, Derek sighed, aware he'd made a very precarious decision. "They'll be alright. We need Scott. There's no way we can do this without him. Jackson's too… wild."
Glancing back through his rearview, the boy looked back at their former enemy, the wolf that had to find a resolution within himself to become whole. Jackson sat looking out the window, his eyes averted in shame, aware he still had an untamed rage that could not yet be controlled.
Turning his eyes back to the road, Stiles thought over everything that had been plaguing him, everything he knew to be true and those which still seemed like ghosts merely haunting him. Love seemed to be the driving force within each wolf he knew; Isaac, Scott, and Jackson all found their anchors with love, while Boyd and Erica found it with each other.
Perhaps Isaac had been right. He'd whispered a secret to Stiles one night over the mounds of books they were scouring for clues on how to defeat the Alphas, one which had seemed so trivial at the time. Everything as beginning to make a strange sort of sense now, though it all remained clouded behind uncertainty.
"I don't think it's anger, it can't be."
"What are you talking about?" Stiles looked up from the passage he had been struggling to decipher, inquisitively searching the other boy's expression to understand what he meant.
"Derek. He told me once that his anchor was anger. It can't be. Anger only makes it worse, harder to control. The Alphas… All they have is anger, but Derek believes in pack, he isn't like them."
"Well maybe he's just wired differently. I don't know, he always comes off as angry to me, always slamming me around when I say anything. The guy has issues, but I've never seen him lose control. And I was there when Scott first turned, he- Well let's just say he wasn't very pleasant to be around, and that anger did anything but control him."
"See, that's why I think he was lying. Or at least wasn't telling all of the truth."
The two sat in silence a moment, which Stiles broke with a simple shake of his head. "Derek's nothing but anger. The guy has more enemies than he ever will friends. But that's what works for him, I guess."
It couldn't have been anger that was his anchor, not with all the evidence against it. Maybe anger drove him, but it wasn't what grounded him. Stiles knew that in that hardened heart of the wolf beat so much love. He cared for his pack but had been reluctant to open himself up to them, to trust them after everything he'd lost. It was the love he had for his murdered family that kept him in that dilapidated mansion, and it was surely their memory that kept him going all this time.
Derek's anchor was love, it had to be, there was no way anger could keep him from becoming a beast like his uncle once had been. And even more evident was the control and power he'd had lately, the more he opened himself up to trusting his pack, to the odd sort of kindness he'd shown to all of them, including Stiles.
That was why the boy was sure it wasn't all just in his head, it couldn't be. Yet he drove on, silently determining this all himself, trying to figure out the answers on his own, as they traveled toward an uncertain future.
They sat outside the Hale house, which looked abandoned as ever, and watched to see any sign of life. Finally Derek spoke, breaking the nervous silence that had filled the jeep. "Call him, see if he answers," he commanded the boy, but did not take his eyes from the house.
Hesitant for a moment, Stiles let his lingering gaze leave the wolf and fall to his pocket as he fished out his phone. Dialing quickly, he listened to it ring, waiting to hear something, anything, but hoped it wouldn't be… "Voicemail," he signed, setting the phone down in his lap as his hands clutched back onto the wheel.
Again a silence filled the jeep, as Stiles watched Derek decide what to do, wondering all that was going on in the wolf's mind. Finally he turned, their eyes met, and for a moment Derek's expression softened. His eyes looked at the boy with an alarming sort of realization, as if he'd said something when he knew he hadn't.
Wondering how he must have been looking at him, Stiles quickly shook his head and looked away, averting his eyes. "So uh- What's the plan?" he stammered, looking off at the house. Trying to remain in the moment, to remind himself of his friend possibly trapped or hurt inside, he pushed back all other thoughts and feelings and focused on Scott and he alone.
"I'm going in. Jackson, if you hear me-"
Understanding completely, not needing to be told, the young wolf nodded, "I'll be in right after you."
The two werewolves shared a nod before Derek stepped out, and though he had been tempted to reach out for him and stop him, Stiles remained still. Keeping his hands clutched around the wheel, he watched the Alpha walk in front of the jeep and turn back, pointing at him. It was an order to stay, which he resented but understood, as unlikely it would be followed.
If anything was happening to his friend, he would be there in a heartbeat to help save him, no matter how dangerous. Derek wasn't the only one to have lost someone he loved; Stiles had watched his mother die, saw his father struggle to go on, and knew how it changed you forever to have that life extinguished before its time. Whatever was happening, he couldn't let that happen to Scott, he couldn't lose his best friend.
Sitting anxiously, awaiting any sign, the two boys sat in the car silently. The awkwardness was thick enough to cut with a knife, though neither of them did anything to remedy it. Tempted to speak twice, Stiles relented, keeping his mouth shut, opting for the peace instead.
What could he say to him anyway? He'd likely ask about Lydia, come off as that longing teenager again, that loser with an undying crush. But it had died, the flame had been extinguished to nothing but mere embers warming his heart to the girl. She'd always have a place in it, for he admired her and cared deeply for her. The one thing he'd learned was that it wasn't love, not the kind that she and Jackson had, and it never could be.
Accepting this had been difficult, it had been painful, but it was for the best. It wasn't fair to neither he nor Lydia for him to continue pining for her. They were friends and nothing more, and if nothing more, he appreciated the fact that she wanted to be part of his life at all. For as high a pedestal he placed her on, she could never fall, for as many imperfections and flaws as she had, she was perfect to him in every way and would remain so.
Derek on the other hand, it was his flaws which drew the boy to question everything. Every misguided judgment he and Scott had ever made of him, every mistake the Alpha had made, even the cruelty he seemed to always have toward others. Though he had found it difficult to look past them at one point, Stiles had always understood them. It had taken some time to forgive, and he could never seem to forget every single transgression, but each of them had lead him to this point, to this realization.
He sat drumming for a moment, having a song nervously stuck in his head, waiting impatiently to see Scott and Derek run from the house back to the jeep. They still had to go rescue the others, had to find Peter and beat him for his betrayal, if not kill him, and - Derek was right - the longer they sat there the more impossible it was going to be to do so.
Annoyed, Jackson clutched his hand around the boy's wrist, ceasing the incessant noise. Looking over at him timidly, Stiles expected him to scowl at him, only to find his eyes looking past him, toward the house.
"What-"
Jackson quickly silenced the boy, hushing him as he listened to what the human could not hear. Jumping from the jeep, he sprang toward the house, running after something, the boy had no clue, but something had alarmed him.
Sitting there a moment more, drumming once more on the wheel, Stiles' urgent need to protect his friends won over his better judgment, and he climbed swiftly out of the jeep as well. Standing there, the house looming over him, he wandered toward it slowly, terrified of what might be lurking in the darkened forest that surrounded him. His heart beat loud enough any werewolf within a mile would surely hear him, but he swallowed his fear and continued on toward the mansion.
As his foot landed on the first step leading onto the porch, the three wolfs scrambled out of the house, all frantic and scared. They nearly bowled the poor human over as he spun in place, watching them as they ran for his jeep.
Derek quickly turned back, looking at Stiles, terror gripping his eyes. "Stiles! Run!"
Without a moment's hesitation, the boy took after the other three, rushing to the driver's side. He jumped in, the last to shut his door, and frantically searched within his pocket for his keys. Scott shouted from the back to hurry, only making the boys hands shake more. Managing to get the key into the ignition, Stiles let his eyes wander back toward the front door of the Hale house, only to see a darkened figure almost fly out, as if the mansion were spewing it from its depths.
The cloud traveled swiftly through the air, nearly engulfing the jeep, and all Stiles could do was sit there in terrified wonder and watch. Reaching over as Jackson and Scott yelled from the back, Derek turned on the jeep and slammed his foot down on the gas, knowing nothing else would get the boy's attention. It worked, and Stiles frantically gripped the wheel, taking control of the jeep in time to avoid hitting a tree.
They sped off toward the caves, where they knew the Alphas had been staying. Their mission was back underway, despite the setback of Allison's ruined trap. She had gone off the deep end with that one, and Scott sat quietly heartbroken in back, eyes plastered on the view outside the window.
"Hey! Heads back in the game!" Derek shouted, trying to keep everyone's minds focused on their objective. This wasn't about them tonight, they could worry about everything else later, right now was about their pack.
Stiles fought the urge to look over at the wolf as he drove through the forest, fearing every moment he went over a bump and broke the line of sight given by his headlights. It didn't matter it was a full moon or that the three of them would change any second, if they hit a tree head on they were as good as dead, or at least Stiles would be.
Thankfully they made it safe and sound, all fingers and toes intact. The werewolves piled out of the car, one by one, but Derek turned back to take something from the back, something Jackson had been carrying with him.
Seeing his chance, Stiles caught his attention, leaning slightly toward him, trying to make eye contact. "Be careful, alright?" he begged, meaning not just to look out for Scott - which was always his intention - but this time the Alpha himself as well. "I don't wanna have to say goodbye to anyone tonight."
His eyes rose to meet with the boy's, slowly looking into them with a soft sort of surprise. Feeling his heart race slightly, Derek nodded, giving the bag a hard yank as he pulled it free from the back seat. "I will," he assured him, choosing to believe he'd meant him and not just Scott.
The two shared a second more in their gaze before Stiles watched the wolf walk away, hoping this wouldn't be the end before they'd had a chance at a beginning. Maybe he should have said something to him, spoken up, made his last words to him count. But there wasn't time, they weren't ready, and there were more important things they had to worry about than a conversation best had later.
His only fear was that there wouldn't be a later, that something would happen, either to Derek or someone else, that would prevent them from having it. This lead to wandering thoughts manifesting into worry, which escalated into an anxiety attack.
Left panting breathlessly for a moment, leaning himself against the wheel of his jeep, Stiles tried to stop the pain in his chest from growing, but it was no use. The sound of snarls and growls erupted from the caves, jolting the boy from his seat. All thought had left him and only instinct remained, the instinct to save his friends.
Aware he was but a human running into a den of wolves, the boy couldn't care less, all that mattered was that no one he cared about died. He rushed in, stopping short of the cloud of dust kicked up by all the fighting, and struggled to see what was happening. Nothing, he couldn't see a thing, no matter how he tried.
Then, through the darkness and flying fur, came a figure barreling straight for him. Gripped in fear, Stiles did little more than tremble when the figure ran past him, taking a moment to realize who it was. Erica, running for her life, followed by Isaac and Boyd. They were all worse for wear and terrified themselves, which only worried Stiles more.
Peering through the dust to see into the fray, he saw another figure, larger this time, tumbling over another, then back into the darkness they both went. It was moments before anyone else came running out, and who it was relieved the poor boy.
"Stiles, run!" Scott huffed as he ran past, his hand grazing Stiles' arm, jerking him from where he'd been standing against the wall of the cave. The wolf looked back as he ran, begging his friend to follow him.
But there were still two people in there he cared about, one was the love of his former obsession's life, the other he was almost sure he was in love with. Worried whether he should stay or go, Stiles looked for any sign of who was fighting, who was winning, or who was wounded. He couldn't see anything though, no matter how hard he tried, and though he felt sick with himself as he back slowly out of the cave, he decided to run.
Nearly to his jeep, he heard footsteps behind him coming fast. Picking up his speed as much as he could, Stiles ran, terrified it was one of the Alphas ready to pounce and kill him. It would be a horrible way to go, plowed down by a massive beast with no way to defend himself, but it wouldn't surprise him. Luckily that wasn't how his story would end, not today.
A voice came from behind him just as he was scooped up and carried off over the shoulder of a strapping jock. Jackson had thrown the boy over his shoulder and was rushing him faster than he could ever run on his own toward his jeep, toward the others. He watched as Derek fell back, defending them, giving them a chance to escape.
Reaching out his hand as an Alpha attacked the wolf from behind, as if to stop it from happening, Stiles shouted, screaming on top of his lungs. "Derek! NO!" But it was too late, the Alpha had sunk his claws into the flesh of the man as he turned in time to face it. He watched as they both fell to the ground, feeling his eyes water and stream with tears.
Everything turned to a blur as Jackson thrust Stiles into the jeep and climbed in behind him, barking the order to him to hurry and leave. But they couldn't leave Derek, they just couldn't. Through the head beams he watched the two werewolves rip and tear at each other, unable to distinguish one from the other.
Until suddenly he saw it, a glimpse of the man he knew, the eyes he'd grown so familiar with. Finding a calm within him, Stiles turned on the jeep and sat with his hands clutching the wheel, waiting for his moment. As it came, and the Alpha was thrown off the other, Stiles slammed the peddle to the floor, ramming his car into the beast, pinning it against the bolder that sat just outside the cave.
He and Jackson sat slumped over a moment, the impact jolting them from their seats, though neither were gravely injured. Derek shifted back and quickly moved to Stiles' door, catching the boy in time as he opened it and his body fell out. He was unconscious, Jackson was barely able to rouse himself, but was already healing. They had to get out, they had to run and follow the others back to the abandoned station.
Carrying the limp boy in his arms, Derek ordered Jackson to run ahead, to let the others know he had the human and that they were safe. He would bring him somewhere the Alphas couldn't find them, a place they wouldn't look. It would give them time for Stiles to wake and Derek to heal, and maybe time to rest.
Laying the boy down gently onto the ground, Derek sat himself a few feet away, watching over him. The smell of the flowers would have been intoxicating had they not been so deadly to him, but he remained, keeping an eye over the unconscious boy.
It was difficult to keep his eyes open with the field of wolfsbane before him, even if he was sitting as far as he could away from it. His wounds had begun taking longer to heal, but were closing none the less, the blood no longer running from them. As he sat there, his entire body screaming in pain, all he could do was thank the stars that they'd made it out alive.
Stiles woke gradually, his head pounding and body aching in places he had no idea could hurt the way they did. He sat himself up slowly, looking around at the sea of flowers he was laying in, and wondered for a moment if he'd died in the accident. Derek's hand on his shoulder assured him he hadn't died, and he looked over to the wolf with relief that they were both fine.
But there in the wolf's eyes he could see something was wrong, he looked sick, and werewolves didn't get sick. "Derek-"
"I'm fine," he assured the boy, "How about you? Can you stand?"
"Yeah, I think so," Stiles replied with a slight nod. He struggled a bit to get to his feet, but Derek rushed in to help him the rest of the way. Awkwardly the two stood looking at each other a moment, before the boy took his first step, then another, leaning some weight onto the man beside him.
They walked like that a ways, Derek's strength slowly returning to him, as Stiles concentrated on the ground ahead of him. Careful not to trip on anything, he stumbled only somewhat, but kept to his feet. It wasn't long before his concentration was elsewhere, lingering on the thoughts that had been haunting him all day.
Finally he asked, looking to the Alpha with great apprehension, allowing the wolf to guide him a few steps as he braved saying the words he had wanted to before. "Do you love me?" he blurted out, though there was little force behind it, his choice of words hadn't been the very best. Wishing he'd been more tactful about it, all he could do was leave it, since what was said could not be undone.
"What?"
Groaning, Stiles looked swiftly away from the wolf and stumbled, catching himself with a grunt as he fought to stay on his feet. "Please don't make me repeat that," he begged, looking at the ground once more as they walked.
An uncomfortable silence fell between them, following them a few more yards toward Derek's house. The man intended to get them to his car and have the boy off to the hospital as quickly as he could, but something told him they'd be delayed now.
He struggled to find something to say, some answer to give the boy. It wasn't as simple as what he'd asked, or so that was what he felt. Maybe it was, maybe there was nothing else to say other than those three words, but something in him told him he shouldn't. Instead, he battled with himself, convincing himself that it was better for the human to keep as safe a distance from the wolves as possible, despite how involved he insisted on being already.
There was no denying the feelings he'd held inside him for so long, they had nearly eaten him alive at one point, but he'd sacrificed himself, like he always did, for what he thought was right. "Let's just get you somewhere safe," he insisted, "then maybe we'll talk."
Before long they arrived at the Hale house, situating themselves into Derek's car, and sat there a moment, quietly. The Alpha looked ahead into the darkness, hands on the wheel and engine off, as the boy looked over and wished there was something he could say. Instead, Stiles chose to keep silent, an uncharacteristic move for the boy, but one he knew was best.
His hand slowly left his lap where it had been sitting and moved over to grasp Derek's, taking it from the wheel and holding it there beside the accelerator. Their eyes met and the wolf let out a heavy sigh, still too frightened of the danger it would put the boy in.
"Stop worrying about me," Stiles insisted, able to read the man's eyes better than anyone.
He always had, this was no secret, but now it almost scared him to know that the human had found his one weakness. Shaking his head, Derek stole his hand away from Stiles, turning on the ignition instead, but remained there a moment, looking back out at the forest.
They had entered a new place, one neither of them could really escape from, and one neither truly wanted to leave. Reluctantly, Derek looked back over to the boy, mournful and concerned, sighing in place of words.
"I'll be fine, I always am. I have a pack of werewolves to protect me, remember?"
"It's not that easy-"
"Why not? I've played it over in my head a million times, Derek, and one thing has always remained constant. You might act like you hate me and even gotten rough a couple times, but I can see it in your eyes. I can see it now, even. You love me, and I don't know for how long, but it's there. What I want you to know is that it's mutual, I… I lo-"
"Don't." Frustrated by the images of Stiles being used as a tool against him, a weakness others would exploit, Derek put the car in gear and took off through the night.
Rather than bring him to the hospital, the two arrived at the Stilinski home. Having been quiet the entire way, Derek sat silently with the car in park, waiting for Stiles to get out. He looked straight ahead, avoiding anymore eye contact with the boy, and breathed deeply as if angered, waiting impatiently for him to leave.
Seeing the coldness and temper in Derek's expression, Stiles got out of the car, angered himself at how stubborn the wolf was being. He hadn't gotten but a step away from his door before he felt an arm reach around him and take the key from his hand. Turning his head, he saw Derek standing beside him, pushing the door open for him and waiting for him to enter.
Stunned, the boy complied, leading the wolf in. The two stood in silence as Derek slowly closed the door behind him, then gave a nod for him to start climbing the stairs. Again, Stiles did as he was told, taking each step with great effort, while the man followed close behind him, helping him the entire way.
They entered his room and Derek reached for the lights, but with a gentle hand, Stiles stopped him. "Leave them, my he'd hurts."
Watching the boy walk over to his bed, Derek felt his heart race, fearing he was concussed or worse than he'd thought. But like he'd said, he wouldn't worry about him anymore, he had to return to his pack. Turning at the door, he began letting himself out, stepping away from the fear he had coursing through him.
It wasn't that easy though, at least Stiles wouldn't let it be. He called out to him, "Still a sour wolf!" he teased, "But what else should we expect from Derek Hale. It's alright for him to shut everyone out and pretend like they don't matter just so he can sleep at night. Doesn't matter that we all worry about him too or that we're scared of losing people we love.
"Isaac's an orphan now and so's Jackson, and let's not forget that I've lost somebody too. But that doesn't matter because Derek lost his whole family, he had to build a pack from nothing, and no one trusted him because he couldn't let anyone in. You know what, Derek, go get your pack, you ask them what they've needed most from you this whole time, and I bet you they'll tell you all the same thing. Trust. And you know where real trust comes from? Love.
"Despite everything you've ever done to the rest of us, we all love you, we care if you get hurt or if you die, especially me-"
Having stopped in his tracks, Derek turned quickly to face the boy, stopping him from saying any more. "Don't! Don't say it. Please."
"Why not? One of us has to. I lo-"
"Stop!"
"NO! I LOVE YOU! I don't care if you're scared, I do. Despite the time you tossed my head into the steering wheel of my car, or the countless times you've pushed, pulled, and slammed me up against things, I love you. I can see it when you look at me, and I've come to grips with it. I'm in love with a nutjob, and that's okay, because I know he loves me too. Now just say it and you can go off to your pack and act like everything's normal, I'll lay here and try to sleep off this migraine, and we can figure everything out in the morning."
How was it that this child, this sarcastic, scrawny boy had managed to be braver than a werewolf twice his size? Floored by Stiles' words, Derek let his head fall, ashamed at how stubborn he'd been. There was nothing he could do to prevent things from happening, no matter how hard he tried, and they both deserved to have something good.
A deep sigh escaped him as his shoulders fell along with his resistance. "Are you sure this isn't just some way of you getting over Lydia?"
"Don't even try that. You have- No… Know what? Forget it, Derek, just-"
"Stiles-" Taking a step forward, preventing the boy from shutting him out and retracting his chance before he'd bothered seizing it. "I'm sorry I did all those things to you. I… There's not a lot I know how to do anymore that make much sense. I react, I let my anger take over. But… You're right, I have been avoiding saying anything because… There's so many reasons-"
"I don't care about the reasons, Derek, just be honest with me."
Locked in a dead stare, the two remained hushed a moment exchanging a few impatient glances, until finally the wolf broke. "Fine! I lo-"
"No, not like that! You- Just calm down and- I'm shutting up."
Derek sighed and nodded thankfully at the boy before attempting it one last time. His eyes closed and heart racing, he felt the words travel slowly from his chest along his tongue, until finally escaping in something nearly as quiet as a whisper.
"I love you. I've been afraid to- I thought you wouldn't-"
"Feel the same way? Yeah, I wouldn't have thought so either." The boy sat at the foot of his bed, grinning, watching the wolf's face change in the light shining in through the window. "The thing of it is, Derek, I'm still a teenager, I'm still figuring out all there is to know about myself. And if that means… maybe I like guys like I like girls… Or maybe it's just you. Ya never know. But I wanna find out."
"See," Derek sighed, "that's the thing, you're still a kid."
"So? More time to try new things. Look, this doesn't have to happen overnight. I don't expect you to jump into bed with me right now or kiss me for ten minutes straight. We can just… take it slow, see what happens. There's a ton of things we can figure out later. Go be with the pack now. At least now we know where we stand."
Nodding in agreement, Derek took a step back, unwilling to ruin what had been said between them with anything else. Stealing a glance back at the boy as he let himself out of the room, he watched Stiles curl himself up in bed and face his back toward the door.
He was safe now, no more monsters, no more unspoken tension between them, they had cleared the air. Hopefully this would lead them to a good place, somewhere they were capable of going, not toward destruction like Scott and Allison. But there wasn't much room in this world for a werewolf and human to have a love affair, nor would it be easy with their past and those that knew them. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't, but they had agreed to at least try.