Courting Alphas – Stilinski Style
AN: This is a very late birthday present for SpaghettiTacos. I hope it is what you wanted. Happy belated birthday!
Derek slid his finger through the silver ring on the end of the keychain, lifting the small wolf into the air to get a closer look. It was a dark matte grey with its tail wrapped around its legs and its nose pointed toward the sky, posed as if howling to the moon.
It had been left in the center of his desk inside a large envelope with his name on the front of it. Except for the minute trace of Stiles' scent, there was no indication of who had left he trinket. With a shrug Derek dropped it into the side drawer and forgot about it.
A week later after an easy, but extremely messy battle against a group of sprites ("They're called a resolution" Stiles informed anyone within range) a gift certificate to a hand detailed car wash appeared in his mail box. Shrugging, Derek happily took his car in the next day and enjoyed the crisp shine and smell of clean leather seats.
Stiles smiled happily at him the next meeting from across the room in the large frayed chair he had claimed as his own. Derek's only response was a deepening of the furrows of his brows but he otherwise ignored the teen as he critiqued their last battle and made plans for new training moves.
A week later he found a dozen sugar cookies with paw print decorations on the counter of his kitchen. He was about the call Stiles and remind him that upon pain of death the key to his apartment was for emergencies only when he saw the note telling him that a tray of lasagna had been left in the refrigerator. Heating himself up a large slice, Derek decided that the phone call could wait for another day.
After that Stiles started to show up at pack meetings with the little gifts. A werewolf bobble head doll that growled when you bopped his head was proudly displayed by Stiles on the center of Derek's coffee table. It quickly ended up in the junk drawer in the kitchen.
For the pack meeting discussing the arrival of some new hunters that had come to train with Chris, ("They need to learn to follow the code and being in an environment where a healthy pack is active will help them distinguish between rogue and tame wolves." Derek didn't appreciate being referred to as tame.) Stiles showed up with a three foot tall stuffed wolf.
Derek had frozen in place when presented with the toy. He was more than slightly relieved when Peter grabbed it out of Stiles' hands and ripped its head off. The pack chuckled as Isaac and Peter tossed the head back and forth. It wasn't until later that Derek realized that Stiles hadn't laughed once.
On his birthday, which Derek hadn't told anyone in the pack, a large package was delivered to his loft. Inside was an intricate quilt of deep blues and greens with stylized wolves running along the border.
Having had enough of the strange gifts showing up Derek went to the source of the most up to date information on the oddity that was Stiles. "What the hell is all this about," he snarled half wanting to pin Scott to the side of the vet clinic.
Scott smiled and looked embarrassed as he ran his hand through the thick mop of brown hair. "Oh, yeah, uh – really you should just ignore it. Throw them away if you don't like it. It's not a big deal or anything. He's not expecting anything back you know."
"That doesn't explain anything. Why is he giving me all this stuff?" Derek stepped into Scott's personal space making sure the beta knew he was serious.
Scott had long ago stopped being intimidated by Derek's displays but acted nervous despite the lack of fear. "Look, I'll talk to him, tell him to knock it off but don't hurt him or anything. He doesn't mean anything by it."
"Scott," he scowled. "He doesn't mean anything by WHAT?"
"The gifts and things. He's got a crush on you. He had a crush on Lydia for years and she just ignored him which was fine. I know you see him more than Lydia did but aside from the presents he's bringing you he hasn't been too annoying about it. Don't worry. I'll get him to stop." With that last bit said Scott ducked under Derek's arm and headed into the clinic.
Derek stood outside thinking for a long while.
The next pack meeting was more of an excuse for Isaac and Scott to lounge around in his living room, eat his food, and annoy Peter. Derek found that he didn't really mind any of that.
After a while he noticed one member's absence. "Where's Stiles?"
"He's jeep broke down but I was already almost here so I told him to just skip today's meeting. I told him it was for the best. You know, give you space so you don't end up killing him for bringing stupid trinkets to you all the time."
"Oh thank God," Peter moaned from the darkest recess of the room. "One less teenager."
But to Derek the room suddenly felt too big and nothing seemed to be in its right place. He flopped down in the large chair that smelled strongly of Stiles and fingered the edge of the quilt where the wolves ran free.
Two days later there was a knock on his door, which was strange because the pack all had keys and never bothered knocking anymore. Derek opened the door to find a downcast Stiles standing in the hallway. He disregarded Derek's motion to come in, just rocked back and forth slightly on his toes.
"Look Derek I didn't mean to be a pain. I'm not that stupid boy that used to think that I could wear down Lydia and she would one day fall madly in love with me and we'd live together in a house with a white picket fence. I just wanted to make you smile by getting you something you would like. I didn't mean to bother you or anything."
Stiles took a deep breath, glancing up at Derek once before continuing. "Look, I had this before Scott told me I was making you angry. If you don't want it you can just throw it in the garbage or something but I wanted you to have it. I promise I won't be a pain in your ass anymore after this so if you could NOT throw me out of the pack, I'd really appreciate it."
Shoving a brown paper bagged lump at him, Stiles turned and fled down the stairs and out to his jeep. Derek unwrapped the mass of paper and cupped the small statue in his hands.
It was delicately carved from onyx, each hair on the wolf's body carved so that it looked like his fur was blowing in a breeze. Its eyes were red and the wolf stood in an attentive stance with its tail flagged and head forward and alert. Placing it on his desk Derek sat looking at it for a long time trying to figure out Stiles.
The hyper teen missed the next two meetings. It was amazing how much quieter it was without Stiles and not in a good way. There wasn't the constant flow of ideas and plans, no jokes to break the tension, and only the snacks in Derek's kitchen to feed the rest of the pack with.
"You usually have cookies Derek." "Where're the hot fries?" "How come you are out of soda?" All these questions had the same answer: "That's what Stiles usually brings."
Derek found himself missing the energy Stiles brought with him. He found himself sitting more and more in the beat up old chair that was slowly losing the scent of Stiles and being replaced by his own.
By the third week Derek had enough and informed Scott to make sure his partner in crime made it to the meeting. Worried about the lack of teenage appropriate snacks, Derek made a food run before the pack arrived.
The teenagers filed in, Isaac and Scott joking happily back and forth while Stiles moved quickly to his usual seat and sat curled in it, not making comments or eye contact.
Derek tossed a greasy bag of burgers and fries toward each bottomless pit making sure he saved the right one for Stiles. The teen kept his eyes downcast as he slowly opened the bag. The others had half inhaled their food before he even took the first bite.
"Hey, how come Stiles got curly fries?" Derek ignored the whine focusing more on the way Stiles' head jerked up and the look that crossed his face; curiosity, confusion, and gratitude.
"He lives on those things. I wouldn't want him to expire after we finally got him back." The rest of the group laughed while Stiles' lips curled upward slightly at Derek's attempt at a joke.
Over the next few months Derek seemed to find a Stiles-centric item where ever he went. They called to him from shelves and displays and he found himself finding reasons to buy them.
The first was simple, black batman signal keychain. Derek slipped it under the windshield wiper of the blue jeep while Stiles was at school one day. At the next meeting he felt a tingle of happiness as he watched the key ring flip around Stiles' finger.
The next was a package of bobble headed Avengers for the upcoming moving that Stiles had been rambling about for months. His own werewolf bobble head still sat on the corner of his desk, its tinny howl playing softly in the room whenever Stiles walked by.
He left the box of them on Stiles' chair. The teen arrived early bringing an arm load of snacks and drinks with him. He rambled on about his day as he unloaded the pile of goods that would end up as wrappers and crumbs seconds after the rest of the pack arrived.
Derek gently guided Stiles out of the kitchen, herding him toward his chair. The teen tended to make a mess when left unsupervised and Derek had better things to do that day than clean. Stiles chattered nonstop as he walked into the living room and then went completely silent.
After almost a minute of nothing but the sound of his breathing and heartbeat Derek stepped out of the kitchen to see what had happened. Stiles was frozen in front of the chair staring at the box set. Derek walked over and stood behind him breathing in the scent of his confusion and fear.
"Why? Why are you playing with me like this? What did I ever do to you that could make you want to hurt me like this?" Stiles picked up the box and thrust it at Derek's chest. "I'm not stupid. I know I made an idiot out of myself for years with Lydia thinking that could just overwhelm her with my affection until she realized that I was the one for her. But I'm not that fool anymore. I knew that someone like me would never have a chance with you. I just wanted to give you something nice, I never meant for you to find out or feel uncomfortable."
Turning on his heel, Stiles ran to the door before Derek could even get over the shock of his words. The younger man was opening his jeep's door before he jolted into motion. Stairs blurred beneath his feet as he raced to stop Stiles from leaving. Still he was almost too late, reduced to standing spread armed in front of the exit leading to the street.
Stiles leaned on the horn, his face a red mess behind the dust covered window. "Move you fucking wolf or I will run you over." Applying the gas and the break simultaneously, Stiles hopped the jeep forward a foot in warning.
"You're going to have to run me over Stiles. I'm not moving until we talk." Stiles dropped his head forward and thumped it against the steering wheel. Using the moment of inattention Derek opened the door and scooted Stiles over to the passenger side.
Derek didn't want to have this conversation in the loft where his uncle or Isaac or even, God forbid, Scott could just walk in and interrupt so he pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the preserve.
Stiles was silent the whole way which Derek figured had to be a record for the ADD ridden young man. He had known Stiles for almost two years and even treating water to save their lives he hadn't been this quiet.
Derek was starting to worry that he had somehow broken him when Stiles spoke. "If you're taking me out to kill me you better make sure my dad, the sheriff, never finds the body because he will so make your ass a rug to go in front of his fireplace."
"Stiles, you don't have a fire place."
"Fuck you."
Derek turned off onto a small road that had seen better days. Childhood memories of happier times with his family rushed over him. The jeep bounced and jittered down the last bit coming to a stop in front of a jumble of rocks. He turned off the engine and palmed the keys before walking around and opening the door for Stiles.
The younger man didn't budge, just stared at Derek with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Derek tried to be patient, really he did, but ended up reaching in and dragging the squawking teen out of the jeep and over to the boulders that formed an uneven staircase to the top.
The sky was starting to darken, the light blues of the day turning to dark purples that heralded dusk's approach. Sitting on the edge, legs dangling over the side, Derek held onto Stiles hand until he sat down at his side. Leaning, Derek pressed his shoulder against the smaller males and let the sounds and smells of the forest calm him.
"Why are we here?"
"So I can explain."
The sun crept toward the horizon flooding it with a beautiful display of oranges and reds. Derek slid a bit closer to Stiles so that their knees would brush and rested one hand on the rock behind him angling his body so that Stiles was almost leaning against him.
"Are you waiting for pigs to fly? The world to end? I always thought that it would be something along those lines for you to finally talk."
Stiles gazed determinedly out at the horizon, very obviously NOT looking at Derek. The wolf on the other hand took his time looking over the human's features before resting his chin on his shoulder.
"I didn't understand what you were doing. At first I thought you were just teasing me but then you brought me the quilt and I couldn't see how that could be a joke. I asked Scott and he got all flustered. I guess he told you to back off or something but that's not why I asked. Stiles, I didn't understand. God, the last relationship I had was with Kate. I haven't been thinking about anyone that way for a long time."
Stiles' long fingers twined together, rolling and sliding against each other. They clinched together at the sound of Kate's name, his human heart losing a beat at the pain heard in Derek's voice.
"It's okay. I understand. Thanks for breaking it gently to me and everything. I'll be glad if we can just be friends, you know, forget this ever happened."
Derek wanted to growl. He was using his words and Stiles still didn't understand him. "I don't want to be your friend." He whispered pushing into Stiles' space. He saw the look of pain for just a split second before he captured his lips in a kiss. They were just a little dry and chapped. Stiles' heart skipped twice and then raced as he wrapped his arms around Derek's shoulders and returned the kiss.
Derek was not surprised to find that Stiles kissed like he did everything else in his life; with wild abandon and full commitment. They were both breathless by the time they broke away from each other. Derek could see the different shades of whiskey brown in Stiles' eyes as they sat with just inches separating them.
Stiles leaned forward, his eyes never leaving Derek's lips. The alpha was just letting his eyes fall closed in anticipation when Stile's phone went off. Fumbling for it, Stiles swiped the screen and exhaled an angry "what".
"The hell are you?" Scott sounded petrified and furious. "You better not be dead, or almost dead, or in some sort of deadly situation because I will kill you. You're supposed to be at the loft. Where the hell are you?"
Derek let the smile spread across his face as he watched Stiles' expressions as he tried to respond to his worried best friend. The phone in his own pocket rang and Derek answered it with a little more aplomb than Stiles.
"Nephew, if you are going to insist that I attend these little pack get togethers, the least you could do is be here to keep me from killing all your annoying betas."
Derek rolled his eyes as he glanced over at Stiles. Stiles rolled his eyes as well and made a face at his phone which had gone strangely silent.
"Who are you with Stiles?"
"Why can I hear Scott's voice through your phone Derek?"
Stiles mouthed 'busted' at Derek.
"It's about time." Peter sounded pleased which sent a shiver of fear down Derek's spine. "It's about time you claimed him and made Stiles an official member of your pack. I was starting to think you would let him slip away."
Derek felt a blush travel up the back of his neck as Scott yelled, "WHAT!?" over the phone. "I swear if Derek hurts Stiles I will kill him."
"Don't be an idiot Scott. Stiles has been sniffing around Derek like a bitch in heat for months. If my nephew didn't have his head so far up his angst ridden ass they would have been fucking on every flat surface in this apartment long ago."
Derek could have sworn he heard Scott' vein burst at that mental image. Stiles was a bright red but had a huge grin on his face. Reaching over he slipped his hand into Derek's and squeezed.
"I don't think they need us on our ends to continue that fight." Stiles ended the call and placed his phone on silent. Derek heard Peter sneer, "Please, he's eighteen. Sex is ALL he thinks about and Derek had such a long dry spell that even the Sahara feels sorry for him," just before he ended his own call.
"I guess we should go back before they kill each other." Stiles made no move to get up, just rested his head on Derek's shoulder.
"Peter's already died once. He's used to it." Derek liked the feeling of Stiles laughter, the way his shoulders rocked up and down against his chest and the warm breath that brushed along the column of his throat.
Derek's phone rang again. "Isaac?"
"Derek, are you and Stiles going to come to the pack meeting tonight? If not can the rest of us go home before Scott starts bleeding out of his ears. Peter's giving him a 'places Derek will sex Stiles up' tour of your loft. I'd rather not be here for the death and dismemberment portion of the evening."
Derek laughed, pulling Stiles closer against his chest. "Tell everyone the meeting is canceled today. Inform my uncle that if there is any blood shed he will have to answer to me. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
Tipping Stiles back, Derek kissed him, letting his tongue explore slowly, deepening it until Stiles moaned beneath him, clutching at him with needy hands. "The loft should be empty by the time we get back. Would you like to come in with me for a while?"
"If you invite me in, I'm not leaving until tomorrow." Stiles' lips were swollen and red, his eyes blown, and the warm scent of his arousal filled the air.
Derek couldn't answer, just tossed Stiles over his shoulder and jumped down from the boulders easing his landing with bent knees as he cradled Stiles, pressing a kiss to his lips before releasing him.
The next meeting was two weeks later. Stiles still curled in the large beat up chair but Derek lounged on the overstuffed arm letting his boyfriend lean against his chest while he ran fingers through his thick hair.
Scott alternated between happiness for his friend and a threatening scowl directed at Derek. He had already given the alpha three different versions of the shovel talk.
Isaac and Cora had warned him against breaking Stiles' heart. Allison and Lydia had dropped by with newly created arrows that had hollow shafts filled with wolf's bane that would break off inside the body. Lydia smiled when she expressed the events that would lead up to them being used against Derek.
Even Peter, his voice laced with snark and sarcastic comments, warned Derek of the dangers of breaking Stiles' heart. "Why does everyone assume I'm going to be the one breaking Stiles' heart. He could break up with me. I'm the one who's messed up and broken."
Peter dropped his indifferent act for just a second and almost hugged his nephew, stopping at the last second to awkwardly pat his shoulder. "That boy doesn't know the meaning of quit. Once his given you his heart, he will be yours forever. Stiles is a one person guy and you my dear nephew, are lucky enough to be that person. Don't fuck it up."
The meeting came to a close. Derek walked the pack out to the door as Stiles picked up the left over cartons of food and cans of drinks. On his return Derek helped with the last of the mess before they both headed up the stairs to Derek's bedroom.
They slipped beneath the covers and curled into each other's embrace. A sliver of moonlight shone through a window casting Stiles in a silver glow. Derek kissed him, tracing the lines of his body with his lips. Sitting up, he gazed down on the teen sprawled across the bed.
"I love you." Stiles' face lit up, smile wide and bright.
"I love you too Derek." The alpha leaned back in for another kiss happy to have been courted and won Stilinski style.