Oh look at me updating daily now! There are officially three chapters left and an epilogue I will have you know!
Also, if you're looking for something more short and sweet I guess, I've just published "Screaming In The Dark", and it's sequel "Trapped In The Dark", two quick one shots that I am proud of so go and give them a read and tell me what you think!
Derek sent the last text and put down his phone, relaxing onto the sofa and clearing his mind. He was...happy. He never thought he'd say that again but he was happy. That idiot boy was right, he had a pack, a family that cared for him.
And he had Stiles. He didn't even care about what had brought them together in the first place, he was just glad they were together. Stiles was his anchor, his way of calming down when everything became too much for him. Of course he would still have trouble displaying emotions, but the other day he spoke about his sister for the first time in a year, and that was something.
He remembered a conversation he had with Deaton over the phone, and even he didn't know what was going on.
"I guess you were lonely, so your body chose someone for you. I don't know, Derek, I've never seen this kind of thing before because I've never helped werewolves like you."
He remembered being angry at Deaton, telling him that he was completely useless. He remembered the slow burn inside his heart, the longing feeling for Stiles when they were apart. But now it was no longer there, it was replaced with another feeling: admiration. Adoration for the idiot boy that had completely changed him in a matter of weeks. The person he worried about if he had to drive home alone. The person he enjoyed being with when they sat together eating pizza or watching TV. The person he just plain cared for as they sat together in front of the fire, talking about their past.
The pack didn't seem to mind they were together, hell they in fact spurred it on.
"Whey Derek's not a loner anymore!"
"Finally Stiles, you can moan to someone else!"
"It's nice you two are together, now we don't have to worry about you both being forever alone anymore."
He'd taken the comments with a light heart over the past few weeks, knowing not to get pent up about them because Stiles took them with a pinch of salt. He in fact enjoyed getting all of the attention for once. Being the Batman instead of Robin.
He got up and carried himself to his bedroom, inhaling once he was inside and smiling. Stiles' scent was still faintly lingering in the air, and it comforted him. He got undressed and pulled the bed-sheets up over himself, inhaling into his pillow once more before falling asleep.
Stiles woke up and immediately checked his phone. He had three messages, one from Derek ("Need to see you today"), one from Lydia ("Remember dinner tonight! Pick me up at 7?") and one from Scott ("Dude we need to get this chemistry project sorted out before Harris kicks our asses")
He replied to Lydia first, telling her that yes, of course he'd pick her up at 7, and of course he'd remember. He then replied to Scott, telling him that tomorrow they could get together and do the project (although he knew for certain it would be him doing the project whilst Scott would talk about the latest hair grown on Allison's head or something ridiculous), and he didn't even bother replying to Derek, he just got up, put some clothes on and left the house to drive to the Hale household.
It was a cloudy day outside and the roads were empty. Stiles liked it this way because it gave him time to think. It gave him time to think of his dad, and how much better their relationship was recently. It gave him time to think about the pack, and how happy everyone was. And it gave him time to think of Derek and how happy he looked. He took his eyes away from the road a second to switch the radio on, and looked back up to the road.
Amber eyes. Those amber eyes were in the bushes yet again. There was no mistaking them; they glowed for Christ's sake. Stiles' breath hitched in his throat as he carried on forward along the road, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were beginning to turn white. Yet the amber eyes did not move as he passed them. The wolf stayed lurking in the bushes, his body unseen as the jeep passed the spot where he stood, and Stiles breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that the torment wasn't over. He knew he was being watched. But in his mind, he was glad that it was him that was worrying, and no one else in the pack. He didn't dare tell Derek because Derek would be on guard again, not letting Stiles out of his sight and blaming the pack for not looking out for Stiles.
He didn't want that. He didn't want people worrying for him, he could do that himself thank you very much.
He got to Derek's house safely and switched off the engine, waiting one...two...yep, three seconds before Derek was at his door.
"Can't you at least wait until I am inside your fricken' house to say hey?" Stiles asked, turning off the engine and stepping out of his jeep, "It's what normal people do. They open the door and let people in and go 'hey! Nice to see you.'"
"I'm not normal people," Derek said, and shoved Stiles up against the jeep forcefully, leaning in and licking Stiles' neck. Fuck, Derek could turn him on so easily.
"You didn't text back," Derek replied, shifting his hips so they met Stiles', sending another wave of pleasure down Stiles' spine as he moved his hips to push back.
"I'm here aren't I?" He almost choked as Derek started biting Stiles' neck lightly, holding him closer so Stiles couldn't pull away. "If we're gonna...you know...can we at least do it inside the house?"
He heard Derek growl and felt him pull away, walking away as he grabbed Stiles by the arm and pulled him along. "Gosh Derek you're so romantic, I am so glad you took me out to dinner before you had your way with m..."
Derek shut Stiles up by forcing his lips onto Stiles' once more, and Stiles felt his tongue, rough and hard up against his lips as he opened his mouth to let Derek dominate once again. Soon his shirt was off, and so was Derek's, giving Stiles a free pass to break away and run his hands up the alpha's torso, stopping at his neck and then back down again, slowly and gently, stopping at Derek's belt. Derek kissed his favourite spot on Stiles' neck, the place where his pulse was strongest, and he breathed out slowly, his warm breath sending tingles through Stiles' veins. "I need you," he heard the wolf say into his neck, and Stiles smiled and tilted his head so it rested on top of Derek's. They stood there, inside the door for a while in that position, holding each other and listening to each other breathe in and out.
"I know you do," Stiles replied eventually, moving his hands away from Derek's belt to either side of the older man's neck, pulling him away slowly so he was now looking into Derek's eyes, "I know." Their foreheads came together gently and they stood still for a minute before Derek leaned in to kiss Stiles' lips lightly, leaving little kisses across his jaw line and finally down to his neck, returning his head to the place it once was.
They didn't have sex, and Derek didn't mind that. In fact, he actually preferred their day together. They sat with each other half naked on the sofa, him getting annoyed at Stiles' stupid sarcastic comments and Stiles laughing, calling him a sour wolf and punching his shoulder every time the teen cracked a joke. He stayed awake as Stiles rested his head in Derek's lap after watching a movie as he took a nap, and Derek was secretly glad that Stiles was finally starting to grow out that buzz cut as he had something to run his fingers through as the boy slept on him. No one called him, no one texted him, it was as if the outside world knew that he just wanted to spend one day alone with the teenager that saved him. Nothing could spoil this day.
He heard Stiles mumble in his sleep slightly, and he looked down to see a small smile planted on the boy's face, which in turn made him smile too. It completely baffled him that he had made someone happy. It completely baffled him that someone wanted to be around him, yet alone sleep with him. It completely baffled him that someone wanted him. But he was glad that that person was Stiles. Stiles knew the angst he was going through, he knew that deep inside of him there was still pain that needed to be healed, and Stiles could relate to that. Stiles let him be angry with him when needed. He knew that the idiot boy would just stand there and let Derek throw things at him if needs be. That idiot boy was too compliant, too nice. Derek didn't deserve him. But he had him.
It was 7pm, and Stiles pulled up outside Lydia's house in his jeep, tapping his hands on the wheel slowly, waiting for Lydia to finally finish getting ready. She walked outside of her house on the stroke of 7, and Stiles almost fainted from just how on-time she actually was. He'd dressed himself in a smart shirt and his favourite black blazer, and black jeans. Lydia opened the jeep door and stepped inside, placing her bag on the floor and leaning back in her seat. "Hi," she squealed, "you look happy."
"You're actually on time," Stiles joked, pulling a mock face of shock and Lydia slapped him on the shoulder.
"Just shut up and drive," she replied, clipping in her belt.
Stiles did as he was told and drove to Lydia's favourite restaurant, some Italian place that was way too expensive for his taste. Thankfully Lydia had reserved a table, and Stiles blessed himself for deciding to look half-decent.
They ordered their food and, although they were both 17, the waiter brought over a bottle of wine. "None for me," Stiles said just as the waiter was about to pour the red liquid into his glass, "I'm driving."
Lydia's parents obviously had a big influence on this place if they were serving alcohol to Lydia and her friends. Lydia nodded at the waiter and he poured her a glass, the delicious looking liquid filling the empty glass slowly as Stiles admired it's colour with awe.
"So," Lydia said after about half an hour of mindless chit chat, swallowing her mouthful of pasta and placing her fork back down on the table, "you and Derek, huh?"
Stiles wondered how long it was going to take for this topic to come up. He smiled to himself and spoke. "Yes, me and Derek."
"How is it going with you two?"
Stiles didn't really know how to respond to that question. There were so many responses running through his head, yet he couldn't really put a finger on the words that sounded right.
"Great," he responded finally as Lydia gave him a worried look.
"Great? Is that it? I brought you out for some gossip, Stiles, not some mindless chit-chat."
Stiles sighed and put his knife and fork together on his plate. "It's great," he began, not looking up from his finished plate, "I talk, he listens. He talks, I listen. Funnily enough we have a lot in common and...I like him a lot."
Lydia squealed, and it made Stiles jump. She clapped her hands together and a grin spread across her face, threatening to break it in two. "I'm so happy for you!" She cried, reaching a hand across the table to cover one of Stiles', "it's so nice to see you happy again."
"I feel it," Stiles said, looking back down at his plate. He could feel his cheeks flush and turn red, and he was suddenly hot with embarrassment. He felt awkward, talking about his feelings with someone other than Derek. Hell, he didn't even explain his feelings properly to Derek.
How did he even feel about the alpha? Were they boyfriends? No, that word sounded too...childish. They were partners, lovers...no that sounded too crude. He couldn't put a name on their relationship; all he knew was that he was happy regardless. He didn't feel quite so alone anymore. In the mental sense, that is. Of course he wasn't alone physically; he had the likes of Lydia and Scott to keep him company. Scott would be with him through thick and thin, he knew that.
But it was nice to be able to share memories of his mother with someone who had also lost someone. He couldn't talk to his dad because he could just how sad the Sherriff still was about it, and he didn't want to depress his father. He liked to sit with Derek at night and talk about his mom before she died, and he finally got him to talk about Laura, his sister. He remembers that night well, it was a big breakthrough for the both of them.
Realising he hadn't spoken in a while, he looked up at Lydia who was still grinning. "Wanna get out of here?" He asked, looking around for the waiter with the bill, "it's getting super busy in here and I am dying to see a film."
"Sure!" Lydia answered, finishing her wine. Stiles noticed that she looked a bit tipsy, and made a mental note to himself not to let Lydia drink anymore tonight. He didn't want to have to face the Martins when he dropped her home, they were scary people.
The waiter came and they split the bill, (Stiles was insistent on paying the full bill himself, but Lydia is just as ignorant as he is), and they got up to leave, thanking the waiter and walking to the door. "Now it's time for you to tell me all about you and Jackson if you're going to want more out of me about Derek," Stiles said as they approached the door, "not the gory details though, I don't want to puke up my dinner."
Lydia ignored the comment and turned around to hug Stiles. "I'm so glad we're friends," she said, pulling back and looking into his eyes, "and I am so glad you're finally happy."
The touching comments from the girl he once loved made Stiles blush once more, and he looked away to open the door so she could walk out. "Same," he replied, noticing Lydia's smile as she walked out, and he followed her outside.
Derek was watching an old black and white movie that he didn't really care for whilst lounging on his sofa thinking of other things. He did a lot of that recently. Thinking. His mind seemed clearer and his thoughts were more crystal, not so jumbled like they were before. He thought of his sister, and her smile that always made him smile in return. He didn't think of her for too long though, as Derek hadn't cried in years. Not even when he buried his sister all alone. He only felt anger then. Just anger.
Thoughts of his childhood entered his mind. His sister taking him to the park. His dad teaching him about what he was, and how to use it to his advantage. His mother baking pies and slapping away his hand as he reached out to grab a slice. His mom's home-made apple and blueberry pie was always his favourite. He hadn't eaten it since the fire. His eyelids felt heavy as the warmth of the fire mixed with the low buzz of the television made him sleepy, and he drifted off into a slumber on the sofa, peacefully and alone.
He woke up to Scott crashing the door down, his eyes amber with rage and shouting out Derek's name.
"Derek! Derek are you here?"
"In the living room! Scott what the fuck is going on?"
The rage in Scott's voice, and the look on his face together put thoughts into Derek's mind that he didn't want to be true. He really didn't want them to be true.
"Derek..." Scott began, sniffing the air and almost screaming when he didn't get the scent he was looking for.
It was true.
"Stiles has gone."