Stiles was up to here with Derek. He had finally gotten his boyfriend to a diner so they could sit down and talk for once. Yet, all Derek wanted to do was avoid every possible subject that had to do with their relationship. He was just sitting there speaking his eyebrow-language and nibbling on some fries.
"You know we have to talk about this. I know we have to talk about this. The pack knows we have to talk about this. Hell, I bet the whole town knows we have to talk about this, Derek," Stiles groaned out, gesturing emphatically with his hands over the table.
"I doubt the whole town knows," Derek chewed out between fries. Stiles all but facepalmed.
"That is so totally not the point." Stiles threw one of his fries at Derek, who looked like he had decided that the napkin on the floor was more deserving of attention than this conversation.
"You just wasted a perfectly good fry." This time, Stiles did facepalm.
"I'm tired of this, Derek. I don't think I can do this anymore." That got the wolf's attention. He looked up, eyes narrowing in discernment.
"Can't do what?"
"This! We are in a relationship. We have been for the past year. But you still won't open up to me! It's like I'm dating Chris Argent!" Stiles hands almost knocked over his cup from flailing around. Derek tried to open his mouth, but Stiles was far from finished. "And on top of that, you won't let me anywhere near any supernatural that comes to town we have to face. It is like having the overprotective part of the relationship without the boyfriend part. I know I can't do much, but this is still my town and this is still my pack-"
"There is no pack!" Derek interrupted, "There was barely ever one in the first place, and, if there was, it sure doesn't exist anymore!" His volume grew so much that they were starting to turn heads, but Stiles continued anyway.
"That is because you and Scott are too busy fighting over your Alpha status and size of your teeth to get anything done! And that bleeds through to everyone else! Erica and Lydia are always biting each other's heads off, Boyd and Issac barely talk anymore, Allison and her father never speak either and they live in the same house! Not to mention, Peter and you haven't seen each other in ages, Jackson and Danny practically hate each other, and Erica and Boyd broke up over this shit!" Stiles took a breath. "You two are supposed to be the alphas of this pack, but you couldn't lead a train down a straight track!" The whole diner was looking at them now. Some wore confused expressions - probably because of the whole "alpha" and "pack" thing. But you could tell the supernaturals in the crowd were absorbing every juicy detail of the dysfunctions of the "mighty" Hale Pack. Derek looked self-conscious as he glanced around at the supernaturals preparing to spread the news of his failures.
"Stiles," he said in a hushed, urgent tone, "We are not talking about this right now."
—
"No, Derek. We are not talking about this ever. Because you refuse to!" Stiles slammed his hands on the table and started out the door, throwing dollar bills at the counter like it somehow offended him. Derek was startled as he rushed after him, habitually throwing more money at the offending counter.
"Stiles!" He yelled, but Stiles was already out the door. Derek all but sprinted through it, grabbing onto his boyfriend's arm as soon as they were out of the diner. "Stiles, slow down. You need to listen to me." Without meaning to, his eyes flashed red, willing Stiles to obey. And, really, his wolf should have known better. As soon as Stiles turned and saw the crimson in his boyfriend's eyes, something in him snapped.
"Oh! So you can alpha me but not the pack?!" Stiles snatched his arm away. But Derek's wolf was already started. He took both of his boyfriend's arms this time around and pinned him against his Camaro.
"There is no pack! Don't you get it?! You spelled it out to me earlier. None of us can be in the same room without biting each other's heads off! We are not a pack and we barely ever were!" If he looked back on this later, this was the moment Derek should have stopped. "And! So what I don't let you near danger? I am your alpha! And you are just a human with some magic tricks." Stiles eyes widened in shock, his mouth parted, and his brow furrowed. Derek, in horror at what he had said, took a step back, letting Stiles go. A moment passed in terrible silence. Stiles attempted to sniff back what was quickly becoming a vulnerable sadness. Derek felt his wolf seem to whine in dread and regret. Then, making the decision they both knew was inevitable after Derek's words, Stiles squared his shoulders and started to his jeep.
"We're done, Derek," Stiles stated without looking at his lover, "Whatever this was, it is over."
Derek helplessly - hopelessly - reached an empty arm after him, his mouth opening to say something, anything. However, before he could form an apologize - before he could start to beg for forgiveness, - both their phones went off. Stiles pulled out his phone and read the text from Erica. Derek read his from Boyd. Both of them were identical: "there are witches in the preserve."
Without paying Derek any mind, and before said wolf could stop him from running into danger, Stiles ducked into his car and took off in the direction of the location Erica shared in the message.
Derek took a moment to add another mistake into his overflowing, mental jar, steeled himself, and took off in his car in the same direction his boyfriend - his ex-boyfriend - had.