31 Dates with Derek Hale
Summary: After four years of not being noticed by his crush, Stiles decides to give up. The next day, Derek shows up at his house claiming his love. Angered at being ignored, Stiles refuses until Derek makes a proposition. Will Stiles end up forgiving Derek? Will they live happily ever after? No one knows! - Rated M for future chapters. I do not own Teen Wolf nor the characters. MaleXMale; you've been warned.
Chapter 2: "A Second Chance"
The heavy rain outside finally turned to a drizzle by the time Stiles picked himself up off the floor. His eyes were red and puffy, his head hurting from the amount of crying he had done. He sighed, shuffling his way to the kitchen. The only thing he needed now was a nice, soothing cup of ginger tea and some sleep. Lord knows what time it was and even though it was a weekend, Stiles still needed his sleep. Because of Scott and the gang always chasing monsters, Stiles rarely ever got to be in his own bed. Thinking of the warm covers and foam mattress made his eyes droop. Quickly he started to brew the tea, setting out his favorite mug and some cream as he wait.
At the whistle of the kettle, a series of rapid knocks pounded his front door. Startled, Stiles tried to think of who could be at his front door. He knew Scott was probably already asleep as well as the rest of them. Groaning, he quickly removed the kettle from the stove top, making sure everything was off. The knocking turned frantic.
"Yo, what's with all the ... knocking?" Stiles froze in the doorway as he took in a drenched and panting Derek Hale. Derek. Hale. His throat clenched and his heart tightened.
Derek ran his hand through his hair, slicking back his bangs from his eyes as he stood upright. The minute he took Stiles in, he felt sadness, regret, guilt, and fear. Stiles's face was flushed, his eyes red and he smelt of tears. Derek knew he was the cause of those tears and it only made his guilt grow.
"D-Derek," Stiles said, mentally cursing himself for the way his voice cracked, "what are you doing here?" Instead of an answer, Stiles only got a brooding stare like always, except this time Stiles could've sworn he saw a gleam in those hazel green eyes. Was Derek...crying? "Der-!" Stiles was caught off as large arms engulfed him, drawing him in close. Despite Derek's body being wet down to the core, he was radiating heat. It made Stiles body go hot and his cheeks burn with a blush. He almost let himself get wrapped in the moment until his brain reminded him why he was crying moments ago. Pushing, Stiles took a few steps back, leaving Derek with a confused expression.
"What are you doing?" Stiles asked. "Are you ok? Sick? Did that run in the rain give you fever or something?"
Derek shook his head. "Stiles. I'm here to -" Derek paused. There was no easy way to say this. What had he expect? He had just rushed over to confess a love he only just realized he had. Fear gripped him. What was he doing? This is wrong. He shouldn't be here. Derek turned to head back at the door when he heard a muffled curse before a hand grabbed his arm.
"Damn it, Derek!" Stiles yelled. He wasn't about to let Derek walk away again. His head was overwhelmed with thoughts, screaming to get out. It was now or never. "Derek if you have something to say, say it! I can't take your silence anymore! You're always brushing me off, glaring at me, pushing me against things and snarling at me. I can't take it! I-I can't ..." Stiles voice trailed off as tears flooded his cheeks. He hadn't realized he started crying but the wetness was there. "Crap," he mumbled, pulling his sleeve down to wipe at his eyes.
At that moment, Derek's heart tore. "Stiles," he whispered, before pulling the teen in, burying his face in Stiles's neck. "I am so sorry. I hadn't realized that I had been hurting you. I'm so sorry." Stiles body went still, his arms limp. Derek was sorry? Did that mean he cared? Stiles brows drew together. Derek didn't care.
"What is this? Why are you hugging me?" Stiles asked, trying to push away, but Derek refused.
"Stiles -"
"No! Stop this!" Stiles screamed. "Stop suddenly act like you care! You don't care! You never cared!" Stiles's voice was cracking, his chest heaving as his emotions started taking over. "You never cared before so why are you here? Why after I finally accepted the fact that you won't give me the time of day that you show up and suddenly care? Four years, Derek! Four fucking years I've known you and tried to get you to notice me in the way I notice you! You just constantly pushed me away! Always! Anytime we were out, it was never "Stiles come help me" or "Stiles, I need you to do this"! It was always "Go home, Stiles", "Go away, Stiles", "Not now, Stiles". You never.." Stiles broke off. He was now on his knees, slumped over in defeat as his shoulders shook. "You n-never..." He couldn't continue as wave after wave of pain washed over him.
Derek stood there, his heart ripping as the wolf within howled. This pain, this raw hurt that Stiles was showing was because of him and he hadn't even known. Dropping to his knees, Derek bent down in front of Stiles, lowering his head. Stiles gasped. Derek never bowed to anyone, let alone expose his neck. It wasn't natural for an Alpha. Yet..
"Stiles," Derek looked up, his eyes red as his own tears spilled over. "Stiles, no amount of apologies can make up for what I have done. I have never meant to hurt you, I swear. I -" Derek paused, gritting his teeth in anger at himself. "I only pushed you away to protect you. I know that sounds stupid, but it's true, Stiles. I care about you, so much. I may not have realized it before, but I do now. The whole reason I kept you at a distance was because I wouldn't have been able to bare it if you got hurt. I couldn't let you get close because those who get close to me always end up dead and Stiles... Stiles, I couldn't live if you were to die because of me."
Stiles swallowed the lump that had gathered in his throat, trying to take everything Derek said in but his head was swirling too much. He lowered his head. "Derek, I can't -" He was cut off as Derek pulled him into another hug. Stiles tried to fight off, but his arms went weak. His heart pounded and he knew that despite everything, he still loved Derek. Yet he couldn't just suddenly forgive Derek nor believe that Derek all of a sudden returned his feelings.
"Stiles." Derek pulled back, holding him at arms length. "I know you don't believe me and I don't expect you to, but I love you. Stiles, I love you." Stiles shook his head.
"Then why, Derek? Why all of a sudden?" Stiles asked. "What is it about me that you love?" Stiles knew that was a harsh question to ask, but he needed to know if Derek truly did love him.
Derek was taken back at the question. "I love you because you're you, Stiles. You're brave, you always put your friends first, you have a weird sense of humor but you are funny some times, and -"
"Those aren't reasons to love me Derek. Not like how I love you. Scott loves me as a brother for those reasons," Stiles stated. "Derek, to love someone is to notice the small things about them that no one else sees. Like how I love you for those small, warm smiles you try to hide whenever the pack is together. How your eyes light up when you see us getting along. I love you for the moments when you're reading a book and how you get so easily wrapped up in it. Or how when you're passionately cooking when you think no one is around. Those are the things I'm speaking of."
Derek's eyes were wide. He always though he kept everyone at a distance yet here was this teen, this kid, who had seem to see right through him, right to his soul. Derek inwardly smiled. His wolf has chose well. "Alright." Stiles head snapped up. "I'll prove it to you. Give me one month. 31 days to show you that I love you."
Stiles sighed, knowing it was a bad idea. Yet, as he looked into Derek's eyes, he could see the Alpha was determined. Was there really any harm in giving him a second chance? Well, there was. Derek could end up realizing he didn't love Stiles and Stiles would have to go through another episode of rejection. The again, if Derek really did love him, Stiles's dreams would come true. Stiles bit his bottom lip in thought. What were 31 more days compared to four years?
"Fine. You have 31 days starting tomorrow, er, today -what time is it?" Stiles wondered, looking around for a clock. Derek fought off a chuckle, already seeing a reason to love the teen.
"2:30," Derek said.
"Right. You have 31 days starting today to show me if you love me," Stiles stated. Derek nodded, leaning towards him.
"Well, I already found one."
"What?" Stiles asked with his brow raised. Derek chuckled, lifting his hand to swipe a stray tear away with his thumb off Stiles's cheek.
"I love the way you get so easily distracted," he confessed. Stiles blushed.
"Hey! I can't help it, it's my ADHD," Stiles pouted. Derek chuckled, leaning closer.
"Well, it's adorable." With that, Derek closed the space, claiming Stiles's lips. Stiles gasped, about to pull away before his brain clicked off. His body relaxed, giving into the warmth as he began to return the kiss. Derek pushed forward, turning his head so he could deepen the kiss. Stiles let out a small moan as he wrapped his arms around Derek's neck, tangling his fists in the back of Derek's hair. Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles's waist, pulling him closer. When Stiles felt a warm hand on his lower back, he broke the kiss.
"Cheater," he mumbled, turning his head away to hide his red cheeks. "No kisses on the first day." Derek grinned as he pulled back.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."
"Yeah, well, you should probably go home now," Stiles said. "I need some sleep and so do you." Derek nodded as he stood, holding Stiles hand to help him up.
"I'll see you later," Derek said as he walked to the door. Stiles followed.
"See you then. Good night, Derek."
"Good night, Stiles." Derek grinned one last time at him before walking out the door. Stiles closed it shut before locking the dead bolt. He turned away, slumping against the door as he let out a deep breath. "Holy fucking hell," he whispered to himself. In the span of thirty minutes, he had experienced heart break, accepted his fate, and was then confessed to. That was too much. Rubbing his face, Stiles pushed off the door and made his way upstairs, tea forgotten as he lost himself in the gentle covers of his bed.
Outside, Derek stared at the clearing stars, noting the stars as they appeared. He had confessed to Stiles and now, he only had 31 days to either have him or lose him. Taking a deep breath, Derek began walking over, his mind set on having Stiles as his mate for the rest of his life.
A.N: Alrighty! There it is! Second chapter. Now the real fun will begin. I hope this didn't suck. Took me a moment to get to it. Hopefully, I can keep updates frequent and not make you guys wait too long. Anyways, enjoy and I'll see you in the next chapter! Please remember to review! Feedback is always welcomed.