I forgot to mention this but I wrote this months ago but it has been gathering dust on my laptop. I finally decided to post it. Enjoy :)
6 Months before the bite
Stiles laid on his front on his bed, staring at the wall in front of him. His back hurt and this was the only position he could be in that was even remotely comfortable. His mind was pleasantly numb, a result of taking way too many Adderall. However, they didn't get rid of the pain in his bruised body and every time he moved he winced. It had been a long night and he wanted to go to sleep but he was waiting for a phone call.
He was so tired that he didn't realise that Derek was in his room until he spoke.
"You stink of medicine," the Alpha said. Stiles was too drugged up to jump and all he did was raise his eyes to look at the werewolf, who was standing by the window, his face blank. Stiles didn't reply but he tried to sit up. A wave of pain went through his back though and even though he tried not to show it, Derek saw. He came over in three quick steps and he looked like he wanted to touch Stiles but he stopped himself. Stiles managed to sit up and crossed his legs and looked at Derek, who was definitely hovering.
"How are Erica and Boyd?" Stiles asked.
After Gerard had dumped him back at his house, after kidnapping and beating the crap out of him, Stiles had stumbled onto the porch and called Derek to tell him where the betas were. Derek had been angry but said he was planning on how to take Gerard out right at that moment and he would get Erica and Boyd soon. And then all the drama had gone down and Gerard had disappeared and Jackson had turned into a werewolf.
Lydia had taken Stiles home to rest and Derek, Isaac and Scott had gone to rescue the other werewolves. By then Stiles' Adderall had worn off and he really didn't want to go back to the Argent's house. He had started to shake just thinking about it.
"Isaac and Scott are looking after them but they will be fine," Derek answered, sitting on the bed next to him. Stiles nodded, hugging his pillow to his chest. His mind was still too slow and tired to think properly and now he know that Erica and Boyd were ok he could sleep.
"They told me what Gerard did," Derek said and Stiles was surprised to hear concern in his voice.
"It's nothing," Stiles told him.
"Show me," Derek said and it sounded like an order. If Stiles had been less drugged out he would have come up with some smart remark. Instead he just sighed and lifted his shirt. When Gerard had been punching and kicking him, Stiles had rolled over to get away from him and Gerard had started to kick his back over and over again. His entire back was bruised and there were a few areas of broken skin. He hadn't shown his Dad, not wanting him to worry anymore.
Stiles jumped as he felt a warm hand on his back and then sighed as the pain left him and his shoulders slumped in relief.
"Thank you," he breathed, turning around and looked at Derek who looked slightly shocked at the gratefulness.
"I'll come back in the morning to do it again," Derek told him and made to stand up. Stiles reached out to grab Derek's arm. Derek looked shocked again but he didn't growl or glare at Stiles.
"Stay," Stiles mumbled.
"What?" Derek asked, frowning.
"I'm scared Gerard will come back," Stiles told him, honest in his tired and numb state. Derek hesitated for a moment before nodding. He sat on the edge of the bed as Stiles laid down again.
"You can lie down as well if you want," Stiles mumbled, nearly asleep already. Derek didn't at first and Stiles didn't think he would, but just as he was drafting off he felt the bed drip and a hand rest on his waist.
Derek was gone when he woke up but he must have only just gone because his back wasn't hurting. Stiles felt embarrassed by his actions last night. Asking Derek to stay with him? How needy and girly and urgh! He was lucky that Derek hadn't torn his throat out. How was he going to look at Derek ever again?
It actually wasn't that hard, Stiles realised when he next saw Derek and he didn't act any different. Just his grumpy, stalker-eyed self. Maybe Derek was just as embarrassed as him. Either way, neither of them said anything and Stiles kept the fact that Derek had a heart a secret.
Present Day
Stiles managed to get the next day off school by giving his Dad the best puppy-dog eyes he could manage. It must be a skill that you get when you turn into a werewolf because his Dad sighed and nodded.
"Fine, but you're going in tomorrow."
Stiles nodded, pulling the covers to his chin. His Dad came over and sat on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on Stiles' forehead. His hand felt cold against Stiles' warm head.
"You still have a slight fever," his Dad said, his brow frowned in worry.
"I'm fine Dad, just the flu I think," Stiles tried to reassure him, trying to smile but it didn't quite reach his eyes. His Dad noticed.
"Has something happened?" He asked, "You don't seem yourself."
Stiles shook his head, the fake smile still on his face.
"I'm fine Dad, I'll be at school tomorrow, I promise."
The sheriff nodded and patted his shoulder.
"Try and rest today, ok?"
Stiles just nodded and the Sheriff left, leaving Stiles to crawl deeper into his covers and try and block the noises of the busy morning. The only way he could keep his head in one place was by listening to his Dad settle down in bed and his breathing even out. It was comforting in a way, knowing his Dad was near and safe and peacefully asleep, but at the same time Stiles could still hear the weird sound in his Dad's heart and it worried him.
Finally, after most of his neighbours had gone to work or school, Stiles got up to shower and get ready. He put his headphones on so he couldn't hear much. He automatically took his Adderall and then started doing his homework. Danny emailed him the notes from yesterday's lessons so he decided now was a great time to catch up. It was difficult and he ended up side tracking many times. He watched episodes of Breaking Bad, cleaned out his wardrobe and started a short story that he had been planning for a while. Well, he opened up word and wrote and rewrote the first sentence about ten times before deciding to get started on his maths homework.
The doorbell rang at about 4pm and Stiles could smell who it was before the person even got to the door. He sighed and went downstairs, dragging out his steps until the person rang the doorbell again.
"Ok, ok," Stiles sighed, opening the door. Scott stood there, his mouth gulping and his eyes wide.
"Stiles!" He said, seeming speechless, "You're...you're..."
Stiles sighed again, annoyed. He pushed Scott out onto the pouch, going with him, and shut the door behind them so that his Dad couldn't hear them.
"You're a werewolf!" Scott exclaimed.
"How can you tell?" Stiles asked.
"I can smell it," his friend told him and Stiles realised what he meant. Scott did smell different to his Dad and his neighbours, who had been the only people he had been near since he had become a werewolf. Scott smelt of his apple shampoo and of Alison's perfume, but he also smelt like wood and dirt and fur. Like it was engraved on his soul. Stiles wondered if he smelt the same. He hadn't been in the woods since he was bitten so he didn't think so.
Thinking of the forest made something inside him stir and he felt a desire to run and climb and jump through the trees and bushes.
Well, that was strange. Stiles normally avoided exercise and now he wanted to do it.
"What happened? Did Derek do this?" Scott asked. He looked worried but excited and very confused, but Scott always looked confused.
"Yes, Derek bit me," Stiles sighed, pacing the pouch. Now he was outside all he wanted to do was move. He felt trapped.
"Did you ask from for the bite?" Scott asked and Stiles rubbed a hand through his short hair.
"No, of course I didn't," he told him, his tone angry.
"What!?" Scott asked, even more confused now.
"I really don't want to talk about it," Stiles told him, his pacing getting more frantic, "I just skipped school because I can't control the whole multiple senses thing and I can hear everything and that is just from my room so I thought that school would be even worse and I didn't call you because I thought it would be weird to be like 'hi Scott, guess what, I have sharp teeth and the ability to heal very quickly now, we should call ourselves the wolfy bros or something just as lame' and I needed time to think but it hasn't worked because I can't think straight and the walls feel like they're closing in and I can't breathe because there is so much going on and I can hear everything, and did you know that there is something wrong with my Dad's heart?"
He stopped pacing and looked at Scott, whose mouth was agape.
"What...? No, of course I didn't, I...I've learnt not to listen to everything," he told Stiles.
"Well good for someone," Stiles grumbled, wringing his hands together.
"So Derek bit you on purpose, when you didn't want it?" Scott asked, a growl in his throat as his eyes flashed yellow in anger.
"I don't know if he meant to do it," Stiles told him quickly, "But yeah, pretty much."
"I'm going to go over there," Scott growled, his eyes still yellow.
"No," Stiles said firmly and to his surprise Scott stopped where he was and his eyes returned to their normal colour and he just stared at Stiles, looking slightly surprised himself.
"No, just leave it," Stiles told him, pacing again. Scott watched his nervous and restless movements.
"Have you actually been outside since you changed?" He asked.
"Not really, just in my garden," Stiles replied.
"Come on," Scott laughed and then pulled Stiles to his jeep.
"Where are you going?" Stiles asked, allowing himself to be dragged.
"I'll show you the good things about being a werewolf," Scott told him. They got into the car and Scott directed him to the forest the other side of the town, away from the Hale house.
Stiles took a deep breath when they got out of the car. He could smell pine, grass, red berries and fur. So many smells but they smelt fresh and natural and something inside of him wanted to run through all of it. Just run until he couldn't think anymore.
"Race you," Scott grinned, as if reading Stiles' mind. Stiles looked at his best friend, grateful beyond belief, before setting off in a run.
Immediately he felt different. He felt free. He could hear Scott running beside him and this excited him. They ran through the trees and the brushes, the wind rushing past them. Stiles' feet seemed to know exactly where roots and rocks were because he jumped over each one and didn't trip once. He could hear the squirrels and deer running away from them but he didn't want to chase after them. He wanted to out run Scott, who was close on his heels. He heard his best friend laugh and he looked around, a smile on his face as he snuck his tongue out. Scott quickened his pace slightly and Stiles could see he was going to beat him so he span around and caught Scott's body before pushing down, pinning him to the ground. Scott looked winded for a moment before laughing again and pushing Stiles away with strength he had been too scared to use on his friend in a long time. Stiles jumped backwards and crouched down and Scott did the same. They circled each other and Stiles felt excited and happy and everything he hadn't the last couple of days.
Scott pounced first but Stiles managed to dodge him, much to both of theirs surprise. Scott pounced again and caught him and they were both wrestling, dragging each other to the ground and rolling over each other. The forest was soon alive with the sound of their laughter.
They use to wrestle all of the time when they had both been human. They were both guys and they had known each other since they were two, so it was just natural for them to play fight. It had never lasted that long though because of Scott's asthma and then it had stopped altogether when he had become a werewolf because of the sharp teeth and claws and increased strength.
But this felt great. They felt like brothers again.
They messed around for hours; wrestling and racing each other but when it started to get dark they decided to head back as not to worry their parents.
They walked back side by side, laughing and chatting. It was the closest Stiles had felt to Scott in a long time and he felt relaxed.
That was until he smelt a familiar scent. The scent that had lingered in his room, even though he had changed the bedding and scrubbed the whole place. He spun round to see Derek standing behind them. Scott followed his actions and growled when he saw the alpha.
Derek's eyes looked blank as always as he looked at Stiles, who tensed under his glance.
"You didn't die," Derek said, stepping closer. Scott stepped in front of Stiles, his claws out and posed ready to attack.
"No thanks to you," he growled.
"Back down Scott, this has nothing to do with you," Derek told him firmly.
"Of course it does," Scott told him, "Stiles is my best friend and you hurt him."
Both Derek and Stiles were taken aback. Scott had officially become part of Derek's pack months ago, so he was pretty much programmed to do whatever Derek told him to do. However, he had just disobeyed a direct order from Derek and hadn't even realised.
"It's ok Scott," Stiles whispered behind him and Scott instantly calmed down. His claws retracted and he stood up straight, stepping behind Stiles.
Both Derek and Stiles noticed this, but Scott seemed oblivious. Stiles frowned before looking back at Derek, who looked lost for a moment before his black, if a little grumpy, persona took over again. Stiles hated it when he did that; always hiding his emotions. Part of Stiles, the new wolf part of him, wanted to go over and wrap his arms around the moody alpha, but a bigger part of him, the human part, wanted to kick and punch him.
"What are you doing here?" Stiles asked instead.
"I smelt you and I wanted to see if you were ok," Derek told him.
"No, I'm not ok," Stiles snared, "You've completely turned by world upside down."
"I didn't mean to-" Derek started but Stiles cut him off, stepping forward and glaring at him. His eyes flashed orange as he growled.
"I don't want to hear it and I don't want you anywhere near me."
Derek looked shocked as he watched Stiles' wolf come out in his temper.
"I trusted you Derek!" Stiles said, his voice breaking slightly. He cleared his throat and stood up straight, determined to hold onto his dignity for once.
"Just leave me alone, I can't stand to be near you."
And before he could see Derek's reaction, Stiles spun around and started walking towards his jeep. Scott followed quickly behind him.
6 months before the bite
Stiles stared up at the stars, trying to count them but he kept losing count way too quickly. He shivered, wishing he had brought an extra jacket. It was summer but the nights still got pretty cold. He took a swig of the bottle of whiskey ha was holding, knowing it would warm him.
He was in the woods, lying in a clearing with his head against a rock. He looked up at the dark sky, his mind numb with the drink. He had drunk a lot, but he had planned on getting drunk. Just to forget everything for a little while.
He started counting the stars again, concentrating really hard on counting them all. He lost count again as someone stood over him. He was so drunk he didn't even flinch.
"Derek, you made me lose count!" Stiles laughed in mock anger.
"You stink of whiskey," Derek told him, looking down at him. He had his hands in his leather jacket and his eyebrows were raised as he looked down at Stiles.
"Do I ever not stink?" Stiles asked, not realising he was slurring his words.
"No, but whiskey smells really bad," Derek replied as he wrinkled his nose.
"Aww, that was so adorable," Stiles cooed and Derek frowned.
"Like a little puppy!" Stiles giggled, not scared of Derek and his glare at that moment.
"How did you find me?" Stiles asked, taking another swig of his Jack Daniels.
"I was out for a walk and I smelt you," Derek replied, before bending down to grab the bottle.
"No!" Stiles snapped, holding it tightly to his chest, "Jack is my only friend at the moment, don't take him away."
"What happened to Scott?" Derek asked, straightening up and looking down at him again.
"Scott's a bastard!" Stiles told him, sitting up and pointing at the werewolf, "he doesn't care about me, he doesn't care about anything, just Alison, even though she nearly killed Erica and Boyd, I mean, how fucked up is that!?"
He took another swig and pouted as the bottle became empty.
"Oh Jack, why do you have to disappointment as well?" He chucked the bottle to one side and it rolled over in the grass. Stiles leant back against the rock, closing his eyes in frustration. He felt Derek sit next to him and he opened his eyes, looking up at the stars.
"Me and Scott used to come here all of the time, whenever one of us was upset, but when he became a werewolf and found out that he couldn't get drunk anymore, he just stopped coming," Stiles mumbled, "I still like getting drunk and I still get upset!"
"You know, drinking isn't always the best thing to do," Derek told him. Stiles started laughing and once he started he couldn't stop. He hit Derek playfully, who looked at him like he was crazy.
"Oh come on!" Stiles laughed, wiping the tears from the corner of his eye, "You are a werewolf! And you live in an abandoned train warehouse, but you're telling me that drinking is bad for me."
He laid back down, still giggling. His head was lying just beside Derek's leg, where he had hit him earlier. He could feel that his skin was warm even through his jeans.
"What are you upset about?" Derek asked.
"You don't care," Stiles mumbled, staring back up at the sky. The dark sky with its twinkling lights calmed him.
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't care," Derek replied, but Stiles remained quiet. The drink was making him feel sleepy and his eyes closed. He shivered, the cold getting to him. He wrapped his arm around his chest, too tired and drunk to get up and actually leave.
He suddenly felt a soft warm weight on him and he opened his eyes slightly to see himself covered with Derek's leather jacket. Stiles smiled and then turned over so he was pressed against Derek's side. Derek tensed slightly but Stiles felt him slowly relax.
Stiles shamelessly nuzzled into Derek's side. It was warm and soft and everything Stiles needed at that moment. He went to sleep pretty quickly.
Derek was there when he woke up, lying down now with Stiles pressed to his side. Stiles quickly rolled away and then groaned as Jack betrayed him once more by giving him a headache and a rolling stomach.
"I think I'm going to die," Stiles moaned, putting his head in-between his legs. He heard Derek chuckled beside him and felt a tag on his arm.
"Come on, I'll drive you home where you can die there," Derek told him. Stiles slowly obeyed and then followed Derek through the trees. His head felt light but not in a good way. He needed his bed and a bucket and a mouthful of adderall. He was glad when they reached his jeep where he had parked it in a small clearing near the road, and grateful when Derek took his keys and got into the driver's seat. Stiles defiantly didn't feel like driving.
The drive back was all kinds of awkward silence and his house was a welcome sight.
"Erm..." Stiles started, not knowing the proper etiquette here. What do you say to the werewolf who let you sleep on him in the middle of the woods, drunk, and then drives you home the next morning?
"Thanks for, you know, looking after me last night and making sure I didn't get eaten by badgers or something like that."
"Its fine," Derek told him, not moving. Stiles felt weird being the first one to step out of his car but he went to open the door anyway. He stopped as Derek put a hand on his arm.
"You can talk to me, you know," Derek said and Stiles felt too embarrassed to look at him.
"Eh...thanks," Stiles mumbled, blushing like an idiot. Before waiting for Derek to say anything else, Stiles opened the door and fled into his house.
Present day
Stiles walked along the school corridor with his eyes on the ground, trying to block out everything. The girls laughing by the lockers, the boys playfully teasing each other, the kid panicking over his homework in the library, the girl crying in the bathroom, the teacher arguing on the phone with his wife, the kids bullying a fresher in the changing room.
"Hey," one voice managed to bring him back to focus. Scott was standing next to his locker with Isaac.
"Hi," Stiles mumbled, opening his locker and wincing as someone slammed theirs shut behind him.
"You look rough man," Isaac told him, leaning against the row of lockers beside him.
"Yeah, well, being a werewolf doesn't agree with me as much as it does for you," Stiles told him, frowning as he heard someone being shoved against a locker. He could smell fear, sadness, hurt coming from all around him.
"You'll learn how to control your senses," Scott reassured him.
"How do you deal with it?" Stiles asked, leaning his head against the door of his locker. He wanted to curl up in his bed, with Derek's strong arms around him, stroking his hair and-
No! He was still angry with Derek, he reminded himself.
"I use to have my headphones in all the time," Boyd told him, coming up behind them. Erica was with him. She looked at Stiles like he was an adorable puppy.
"Hey Wolfy boy," she cooed and he glared at her, but there was no real anger behind it. He was too tired. The neighbours next door had been arguing all night. Their house was too far away for normal human ears to hear but now he had wolf ears he could every word.
Thinking that Boyd's idea was a good one, Stiles started searching through his bag.
"I've left my headphones at home," he moaned, closing his eyes and sighing in frustration. He felt something being pushed into his hand and he opened his eyes to see Boyd holding him his headphones.
Stiles looked at him, surprised but touched. Boyd had always given off the impression that he couldn't stand him.
"Anything you need, just ask," Erica smiled, before grabbing Boyd's hand and stalking down the hallway towards their first lesson.
"What just happened?" Stiles asked, looking after them, confused. Isaac patted his shoulder, grinning at him.
"You're one of us now," Isaac told him, "We've got to stick together."
"Yeah, yeah," Stiles smiled, plugging the headphones into his ears and turning his music on. Good old Alkaline Trio blustered into his ears and the majority of the sounds around him went away. He sighed in relief and then said goodbye to the two werewolves, before walking towards his first period.
He could still hear things but only things around him. He tried to focus on the lyrics and it worked mostly. He pulled his hood up as he walked into his classroom and sat at the back of the room. He hoped that his teachers would leave him alone as long as he looked like he was concentrating on what they were saying and doing the work. For some teachers it did work but in third period, the teacher demanded Stiles take his hood off and look like he was part of the class.
As soon as he took off the headphones, Stiles was hit by an overwhelming amount of noise. He couldn't focus then. There was too much going on. It was like he could hear everything!
He could hear the kid right at the back of the class scribbling a massive circle or something. It was really annoying. The chalk on the board sent chills down his spin and had him clutching the table. His teeth felt on edge as the teacher slowly stroked the chalk down. Stiles always heard someone crying somewhere in the school and someone else talking on the phone down the hall. He shouldn't be able to hear these things. He didn't want to hear these things; the pain in the sobs and private conversations. It wasn't right.
He didn't want it!
"Stiles!" A voice shook him out of it. He looked up to see Scott looking at him with concerned eyes. Stiles looked down to his hands to see that his nails had grown and he had clawed into the wood, leaving long scratches on the desk. He snatched his hands away and then quickly covered the damage with his notepad.
"You ok?" Scott whispered, leaning over him. Stiles shook his head, biting his lip.
"Just concentrate on one thing," Scott told him.
"I can't," Stiles said, his voice desperate.
"Try my heart," Scott said and Stiles could smell his slight embarrassment but it was overshadowed by Scott's need to help his friend. Stiles obeyed and concentrated on the soft thumping of Scott's hear. The even, steady beats calmed Stiles' own heartbeats so it wasn't racing so much and his nails grew back to their normal shape and length. He could still hear the crying and the chalk was still unnecessary loud, but Stiles didn't feel as stressed out. He still couldn't concentrate on the actual lesson though and spent the rest of the lesson staring at his desk.
As soon as the bell ran, Stiles rushed out of the classroom, not even saying goodbye to Scott. He went straight to his car, not caring that he still had half the day to go. He drove home quickly and as soon as he pulled up he rested his head on his stirring wheel and sighed. He felt sick and his head hurt.
The full moon was in a week as well so Stiles knew this was going to get a lot worse. He needed a strategy and he needed one now, otherwise his grades were going to slip and he will never be able to step outside his house again.
For now he swallowed two more adderall. He looked at the white pot, reading the label that said in bold 'ONLY TAKE 2 A DAY'. He was on his fourth, but he shrugged and downed two more.
When he got into the house his Dad was waiting for him. He was sitting on the couch in his dressing gown, looking tired and worried. Stiles looked at him sheepishly.
"I got a call from the school," the Sheriff told him.
"I still don't feel well," Stiles mumbled, sitting next to him and staring at the wall. He hated lying to his Dad.
"You can't keep missing school like this," his Dad said.
"I know," Stiles sighed, rubbing his head.
"I've got a Doctor's appointment in the morning, do you want to make one for you?" The Sheriff asked. Stiles shook his head.
"No, I'll be in school tomorrow, I promise," Stiles told him. The Sheriff nodded.
"Well, I don't want you going out tonight, if you're ill you stay in."
Stiles nodded and the Sheriff patted his leg.
"If these headaches persist then you're going to have to go to the Doctors," the Sheriff told him, seriously and Stiles could smell the fear on him. Stiles looked at him to see his Dad's eyes looking older than they should. Stiles swallowed the lump in his throat and said,
"They're probably nothing, Dad, it's just the flu or something."
"Yes," his Dad tried to say with conviction that wasn't there, "Probably, now go get some rest."
Stiles obeyed and went to his room. He tried to shake the guilt away of lying to his Dad and making him worry, but Stiles knew that was a feeling that wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
"What did you do?" A concerned voice said as Stiles vomited his guts into the toilet for the third time.
"Go away," Stiles moaned, turning his head to see Derek standing in the doorway, looking worried and angry.
"You stink," he said, coming into the room. Stiles groaned, resting his head on his arm which was in the toilet seat, not caring how gross that was.
"How did you get in here?" He asked.
"Your dad left his window open," Derek told him, kneeling down next to him.
"Why are you here?" Stiles growled.
"I heard you throwing up and I wanted to make sure you were ok."
"I'm fine," Stiles grumbled before throwing up again. He groaned as he saw the small white pills floating in the toilet. He had taken too many, he knew that, but he had got frustrated with them not working. He thought that if he took enough then they would have to start working. Instead his body rejected them and he started vomiting his guts out.
He felt something cold being pushing into his hand. Derek had gotten him a glass of water and Stiles wanted to be angry but he was in fact grateful. He glared at Derek nevertheless as he downed half of it.
"I don't need you here," Stiles told him.
"Stiles, why did you take so many?" Derek asked and Stiles could hear the grief in his voice. This took Stiles aback.
"I wasn't trying to top myself if that is what you are thinking," Stiles told him, "I just wanted them to work."
"You shouldn't need them anymore," Derek said, sitting on the edge of the bath. Stiles looked up at him and glared at him.
"My ADHD isn't like Scott's asthma or Erica's epilepsy, it isn't something physical that the bite just cures! It's to do with my mind and it is still in me, the bite just made it ten times worse! I can hear everything, Derek, everything!" Stiles told him, his voice steadily raising, "Before the adderall kept me focused and I could actually function, even if you didn't like the smell, but now my amazing new body just absorbs them and they have no effect, so in short my mind is way more active than it should be, my medication doesn't work and it is all your fault!"
"I'm sorry," Derek mumbled, and Stiles looked at him, not believing the sincerity in his voice.
"Yeah, just know that you've ruined my life and all because you wanted your stupid little pack to be stronger," Stiles growled, leaning away from the toilet and against the cupboard under the sink. He took a sip of the water and looked at Derek, wanted to make sure his next words got through to the thick werewolf's head.
"Well, it all went to waste anyway because there is no way I am joining your pack."
"I didn't mean to bite you," Derek told him, sounding desperate.
"Did you know about my Dad's heart?" Stiles asked, because maybe, just maybe, Stiles could forgive him if his answer was the same as Scott's. If Derek hadn't known that his Dad wasn't well then he had one less think to be angry about. But if Derek had heard the odd heartbeat of his Dad's and hadn't said anything...well, Stiles didn't think he could ever forgive Derek. Ever.
"Yes," Derek answered after a slight hesitation.
The glass in Stiles' hand broke as he squeezed it too hard. He felt his eyes change colour and the hair on his hands grow. His teeth were sharp as he growled at Derek.
"Get out!"
"Stiles, I knew it was nothing!" Derek told him, standing up as Stiles stood up, his claws sharp.
"Get out!" Stiles yelled, his whole body shaking in anger.
"Stiles, calm down," Derek said, his own claws growing but the rest of his body stayed the same.
"No!" Stiles yelled, "I don't want to be a werewolf, Derek! I don't want to be able to hear every little thing, like my Dad's unhealthy heart and the couple next door arguing and the girls in the bathroom crying."
"I'm sorry," Derek said again, his voice quiet. He looked at Stiles, his green eyes meeting Stiles' bright orange eyes, "I am really sorry."
Stiles stopped for a moment, breathing heavily and looking at Derek's guilt ridden face. Stiles could tell it was guilt because he had seen it often enough on his own face. Stiles' hands unclenched at his side and his nails grew back to their normal size.
"Just..." Stiles mumbled, looking away, "Just leave."
And Derek did. He walked past Stiles, who closed his eyes as he did so. Half of him wanted Derek to stop and touch him. To hold him and kiss him. The other half wanted to tear his eyes out.
Derek left and Stiles stood still, trying to calm his nerves and his racing heart. He felt drained and his head was pounding. It was late and he hadn't managed to finish his homework. He had to go to school tomorrow and his heart hurt. It was like it was covered in lead, weighing it down and pressing it tightly.
Stiles felt his body return to normal and he quickly cleaned up the broken glass and flushed away his failed attempt of sanity. He stripped down and crawled underneath the covers, pulling the bedding over his head. It was dark and for once quiet. It took him a while to realise it was quiet though and when he did it felt slightly weird. He could hear one thing. A heartbeat. It wasn't his own though because his was always fast and erratic. This one was slow and steady. It was Derek's.
Stiles could smell him now as well. He was sitting in his car across the road; the window open.
The wolf inside Stiles whined with want when he realised Derek was there.
"Go away," Stiles mumbled, half to Derek, half to the new wolf inside of him, "I don't need you here."
Derek didn't reply and Stiles had half a mind to go down there and tell him where to shove it. The sound of the heartbeat was too relaxing though and Stiles found himself listening intently to it, counting each beat like he would sheep.
By 25 he was asleep.