Cycle to Contradiction

When Stiles runs off in the middle of the night because Scott called, Derek leans against the wall by Stiles' window so he won't be seen and growls.

When Scott momentarily loses control and pushes Stiles into a wall, hard, Derek has trouble keeping himself in check, for the first time in years.

When Scott rushes off to Allyson, leaving Stiles angry and exasperate and speechless Derek frowns, swearing under his breath.

When Stiles runs into the burning house in order to bring Scott out Derek is rushing after him furious.

When Stiles is in the hospital, mild scrapes and burns bandaged and treated, Scott is camping on Allyson's roof, keeping her safe. Derek howls at the moon, scouting the roof of the hospital.

Derek is angry with Stiles for being so attached and loyal and determined and bloody stupid. He is livid with Scott for being so oblivious and ignorant and selfish and dull. He's furious with himself for being such a pathetic coward, for hiding in the shadows and scaring Stiles off, and for helping Scott. Derek is just angry.

ooOOoOooOooOOoOoo

Stiles is walking up to the door of the burnt house. He's more limping than walking, really but that doesn't matter because he's finally at the door and he is pushing at it lightly. The hinges squeak as the door opens. Stiles doesn't bother knocking because he knows Derek is there and he knows that Derek knows that Stiles is there, too.

"Derek," he calls out, sounding much more determined than he feels. There's a pause followed by: "You know, all that creepy hide-and-seek is getting really old. I know you're here, you know I know you're here, you know I'm here, you know I know you know I'm here..."

Stiles stops his rambling with a confused look in his eyes. He has no time to reconsider all he has just said, though, because Derek appears at the top of the creepy-looking staircase and then he's suddenly right in front of him.

"You want to repeat that," Derek looks amused. Stiles isn't.

"I'll pass," he counters before taking a step into the werewolf's personal space. Derek is no longer amused, Stiles is dead-serious and silent.

"Stiles," Derek begins, "why are you here?"

There's a smirk tugging at Stiles' lips, after that. It's so tiny you wouldn't notice it but Derek has studied Stiles' face so much that it's as obvious to him as a blot of ink on white paper.

"You know, you're not as ninja as you think you are," Stiles' smirk grows a bit wider, he takes another step. "I saw you or heard you every time you hid by my window.

"I saw you by the back of the school when Scott lost control this one time and pushed me into the wall," another step, another tug of the lips.

"I heard you swearing on the day of the fire when Scott ran mid-sentence after getting that freak-o text from Allyson," step. Tug.

"I know you were the one to pull me out of that house," Stiles is so close they are almost touching. Derek fights the urge to step back, holding his ground.

"I heard you howling the night I spent at the hospital," it's hard for Stiles to contain the smugness out of his voice and the smirk off his face now but he's still doing a pretty good job.

"I can feel it, you know," Stiles' hands are on Derek's shoulders. "Since that first time, seeing you in the woods, I could feel the tug at my heart every time I looked at you. I could see the secret in your eyes every time you growled or pushed me into a wall or threatened."

Stiles is smirking now, without holding it back. He's so close Derek seems to be barely managing himself. Hale is infuriated at the advantage Stiles seems to posses over him. It's so strong it's almost enough to make him growl but there's something more to Stiles' teasing, as if the boy needs to get it out.

"Derek," the teasing, the sly arrogance are out of Stiles' voice now as he announces: "I know what's going on."

Stiles is smiling wide now but it's different than the arrogant tug at his lips. He is smirking a bit sheepishly before lightly connecting their lips. The kiss is soft and light and delicate. It's full of strength and determination and something else, deeper, sweeter. When the kiss is broken Derek pulls Stiles closer, wrapping his hands around the boy tightly.

"Finally," he whispers into Stiles' neck, breathing deeply.

ooOOoOooOooOOoOoo

When Scott calls in the middle of the night, Derek answers, telling him rather rudely to fuck the hell off because it's two in the morning and nothing that is not a question of life-and-death is important enough. Stiles just snags closer, nuzzling into the werewolf's shoulder or chest or neck, whichever requires less effort.

When Scott starts breathing harder, heart running wild and self-control at the end of the line Derek steps in, hands on McCall's shoulder, calming him down and talking about Allyson. Stiles is sitting in his computer science class, writing a new program. When the bell rings he sprints down the hallway and then the stairs, hoping his mate didn't wait for long.

When Scott rushes off to Allyson mid-sentence, Stiles laughs turning to the werewolf reading on his bed. A moment after the door closes behind Scott; the book is discarded and deemed as insignificant. Stiles jokes at how they never get any work done, kissing Derek deeply.

When the alpha attacks Stiles is ready with a bow and arrow. He's been practicing and he's ready to protect his mate. The poisoned arrow strikes the Alpha in the chest as it lounges forward. By the time Derek is back on his feet the alpha is gone. Stiles is smiling smugly at first but soon throws all humour aside and clings to Derek for dear life. Tears that weren't spilled are evident in his voice as he rumbles on into Derek's ear before the wolf kisses the boy senseless. The bow and arrows are forgotten as the pair lowers themselves to the ground, exploring each other's bodies in the moonlight.

Derek doesn't howl anymore. He's not alone. He doesn't need to signal his pack or reach out to the other wolves. He just hugs Stiles closer, falling asleep to his mate's steady heartbeat.

Derek smiles at the way he comes to the conclusion he knows everything there is to know about Stiles and yet every day he still finds something new about his mate as if Stiles deliberately tries to prove him wrong, just out of spite. He smirks at the way Scott tags along after Allyson, like a puppy on an invisible leash. Hale thinks Allyson is as amused as he is and he thanks heavens he doesn't have a mate as brutal as her. Derek laughs at the way Stiles tumbles into Hale's new apartment after a particularly hard day, greets him with a chaste kiss and then drops onto the couch, PlayStation controller in hand, ready to go. Derek vaguely remembers a different time where he also laughed and smiled a lot. He smirks – albeit a bit guiltily – at the realization that it still doesn't compare to the way his life is now.


Just a quick, short fic of my favorite couple (of the moment). Taking a brake from "Cabin Fever" to lay this thought out. I've had a bit of a struggle with some tense and just wording so feel free to mention is you spot anything funky.

R&R! :DD