Running Away

Stiles was halfway through packing his second bag when Derek appeared in the window. Stiles hardly glanced at him, didn't look at him long enough to see the expression on his face: almost surprised, almost confused, but not quite either.

"We missed you at practice today," Derek said after a moment.

Stiles scoffed. "No you didn't."

"What are you doing, Stiles?" Derek asked finally.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Running away."

Stiles wanted to argue, to say that wasn't what he was doing, that he was getting away from the town that doesn't care about him. But really, he knew running away was exactly what he was doing.

"Why?" Derek asked in the absence of Stiles' defense.

"Why do you care?" Stiles retorted.

Derek gave him an odd look, like he was genuinely surprised Stiles would ask. "Of course I care."

"If that's true, you have a really hilarious was of showing it."

Stiles could see Derek bite back whatever it was he really wanted to say, and instead went with "What about your dad?"

"I got his shot. He's better off without me. You all are."

"You're an idiot," Derek said, with a look of absolute disbelief.

"See? This is what I was saying about having a funny way of showing you care."

"An actual, honest to god, idiot," Derek continued, as if Stiles hadn't said a word. Stiles could see the anger rising in him, but it wasn't like his normal anger. "You really think any of us is better off without you? He'd be dead if it weren't for you. We all would."

"Why are you trying so hard to get me to stay?!"

"Because I don't know how to do this without you!"

Stiles blinked several times and shook his head, trying to make sense of that. What? "What?"

"I'm… not good at this," he struggled to say. "Being Alpha. Just like you're always saying. I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time, and you… I can't do it without you. I'll get them all killed."

Stiles let out a laugh ."You're kidding right? I'm just a human. I can't do anything. I'm not strong like all of you. Even Allison and Lydia… Allison's got her hunter training, and Lydia's got her magic. What have I got? That's right, nothing!"

"Is that what you want? To be a wolf?" There was something lying under that question, but Stiles was to engulfed in his own anger to really see it.

"No! I don't. But maybe I wish someone would think I should be."

"I don't want you as a wolf," Derek said calmly now.

"See. There you go. I'm not good enough to be like you-"

"That's not it at all. You're perfect as a human, Stiles. You don't need the bite."

Prefect. Stiles blinked and tried really hard not to read so much into that tiny statement. He took a deep breath and calmly asked "What are you doing here, Derek?"

"I'm begging you not to go!" he shouted, not even close to calm.

And Stiles just really didn't get it. "Why? Why do you care so much about me leaving?"

Derek stared at him, studied him for a moment. "You really have no idea, do you?" And before Stiles could even consider what it was he was asking, Derek was pressed against him, Derek's lips were pressed to his own. For a moment, he was too shocked to react, but then he pressed back against Derek.

But then he pushed away, biting his lip in anger.

"You can't do that," he hissed. "You can't just use my feeling for you against me like that. It's not fair." He turned back to his duffle bag and started shoving things violently into it.

"Stiles," Derek said softly, reaching for his wrist. Stiles snatched it back.

"Don't."

"Stiles," Derek said again. "It's not like that-"

Stiles rounded on him. "Then what is it like? Because from where I'm standing, I'm not really sure how else I'm supposed to interpret that!"

Derek took half a step back and looked away. He opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say, didn't know how to put into words.

And just like that, it all fell into place.

Stiles' eyes widened. "Oh. Oh. Oh my god. You-?" He opened and closed his mouth a few more times in shock. "Really?" he finally asked.

Derek finally looked at him again, and the look in his eyes kind of broke Stiles' heart. "Please. Please don't go. I… I need you."

Stiles was still completely shocked, and thus it took him a moment to really hear those words, and a moment longer to really hear them. "Yeah. Yeah. No."

He must have realized that he wasn't really making sense, that his words weren't doing him any favors, because the next thing Derek knew, they were pressed together again, only this time Stiles was really there with him, moving against him, digging his hands into his hair.

It was Derek who pulled back this time, and Stiles let out a small whine as he did so.

"You're staying?" Derek asked against his neck. He had to hear it.

"Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely," he said, breathing heavily.

"Good," Derek said, kissing him again.