Author's note: To all the spankos I promise there will be at least one more discipline scene in the fic, as well as a couple less serious ones. Nothing in this chapter though.

Fluff and drama inc;)

Kelvin Morton. That was the name of the thug. Derek recognized him too, even though when they saw him he was clean-shaven with a short military haircut, and in the picture, he had a beard and long hair.

Stiles sent the name to Jordan right away with instructions to dig whatever he can on him. Derek did the same with one of his trusted private investigators and the next day they were back to Beacon Hills grilling the Deputy for info.

"Does the name Deucalion ring a bell?"

Both Stiles and Derek shook their heads and Jordan turned the computer screen to show them a man in his mid-40s. There was absolutely no doubt that the guy was an Alpha. Even in the photo, his face exerted dominance and power. He was one of those Alphas who could command respect with a single look.

"Shady guy. He has a gun store and a shooting range, though I'm pretty sure that it's being used mostly for money laundering. In reality, he runs a range of underworld operations from drug trafficking to contract killing."

"A crime lord, huh," Stiles scoffed.

"And a sneaky motherfucker. He has been charged 5 times and walked 5 times. He must have some very powerful friends at the top. The evidence magically disappears, the jury is bought, he gets a mistrial… yadda yadda yadda."

Stiles and Derek exchanged a look.

"So how does he connect to Kelvin Morton?"

"The gun you gave me has been purchased by Deucalion's gun shop and Kelvin worked 2 months at his shooting range 3 years ago."

"Is that enough?" Derek asked.

Jordan sighed. "It's enough to draw the connection and nothing else. Derek, if you are on Deucalion's shit list, this is serious."

"That was never in doubt, Jordan," Derek replied, his tone as grave as the expression on his face. "What else is there?"

"He works as a shop assistant at the local electronics store. Single, childless. Spent 3 months in jail for assault 10 years ago, a couple parking tickets, nothing major."

"Anything to tie either of them to Mason Palmer or Peter Hale?"

Jordan stared at him. Derek ignored his gaze, his fingers running on the keyboard to check himself.

"I know what you are thinking, Derek," Jordan finally said. "And if you are saying what I think you are saying, then it's not safe for you to stay here."

"It's fine, they won't kill me."

"You brought me a gun."

"That's because Stiles decided to jump around screaming 'police'."

Stiles shrunk under the glare Jordan regarded him with. "Hey, focus on Palmer and Co., I'm the good guy here," he said defensively.

Jordan cast him an annoyed look, the one he often sent to Jackson when the Omega was in full brat mode. "I think it's time you tell me the full story."

Stiles glanced at Derek since it wasn't his decision to make. He asked Jordan for a favor, but clearly that was how far the Deputy was willing to go blind and Stiles wasn't really surprised given the circumstances.

Derek rubbed his forehead weighing his options and then capitulated with a sigh, probably figuring that it was safer to give Parrish the full picture rather than having him fill in the blanks himself and jump to conclusions.

Jordan listened intently without interrupting. Stiles felt the disapproval radiate from the Alpha as Derek described the shooting episode, but thankfully Jordan refrained from commenting.

"Your dad is gonna kill you both," he told Stiles when Derek finished.

"I know."

"You have to tell him."

Stiles grimaced but nodded. He knew he will have to tell the full story eventually.

"So what now?" Derek asked, changing the topic.

"I'll put surveillance on Morton, hopefully, he will give us something to work with. I'll try to dig more and see if something connects to Blast Pharmaceuticals, Palmer, or your uncle."

"You have to keep a low profile on this."

"Of course," Jordan agreed.

"And what should we do?" Stiles chimed in.

"Nothing. You sit tight and wait."

Derek opened his mouth to protest, but Jordan cut him off, "If you approach the guy yourself, they'll know we are onto them and we will lose whatever advantage we have right now. No, you have to just go on as if nothing happened. And don't give them any reason to get rid of you. Remember that whatever you do can inadvertently put Stiles in danger."

Derek closed his mouth admitting defeat.

xxx

Doing nothing and going on as if nothing happened was not a hardship. For Stiles anyway. He guessed that Derek was not happy about finally getting a solid lead - a name of a person who could be behind the murder of his family - and not being able to act on it. The Alpha didn't complain though. Whether it was because he was serious about Stiles's safety, or simply because he was too grateful to finally progress with the investigation to complain, Stiles didn't know. Though it was probably both.

Meanwhile, Stiles focused on work and the remaining exams. His calendar also showed a big red mark for his biennial FTD testing coming next week, which he conveniently ignored in favor of "more pressing" matters. He passed the last two exams with flying colors but his good mood was gone when he heard that Scott failed three of his.

His best friend was quite serious about his studies but just as Stiles expected, managing a part-time job with schoolwork proved quite hard for Scott and took a toll on his grades. And of course, the proud Alpha refused to accept any financial help. Isaac tried. Stiles didn't even try knowing Scott would never let him pay for anything again.

And now Scott failed. And Stiles felt like crap. He always helped his friend and now he was so preoccupied with his own life-drama that he never even bothered asking how Scott was managing. And it turned out… he wasn't. Stiles didn't have the subjects that Scott failed, so he couldn't even tutor him.

Feeling useless he just slumped on the sofa with a beer, staring blankly at the wall. There was nothing else to do anyway. Ruby jumped in his lap probably sensing his grim mood but unable to make it better.

That's how Derek found him. Tipsy and sad, in all the senses of the word.

"What happened?" he asked, skipping the pleasantries.

"Hello to you too."

"Stiles."

Alpha-mode activated, Stiles thought irritably. But then he looked at Derek's face and the concern he found there was kinda sweet.

"Scott failed his exams."

"And?"

Stiles fought the rising irritation because getting mad at Derek was not the correct response. He kept his tone even as he explained patiently. "And I did nothing to help."

"Did he ask for your help?"

"Well no. But clearly he struggles financially now that I don't… you know…"

Derek frowned. "Scott's finances are not your responsibility," he said as if it was something so obvious he couldn't believe Stiles was not getting it.

"But I always helped."

"He is an Alpha. If anything he should have been the one taking care of you, not vice versa."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "We never played this dynamic shit game. I would never even stay friends with Scott if he started flaunting his dominance at me." He realized that perhaps he should have weighed his words better because he was in a relationship with Derek, who never hesitated to 'flaunt his dominance at him'.

Thankfully Derek didn't seem to take offense. "That's beside the point, " he said, shaking his head. "Shielding Scott from his responsibilities would have never helped him in the long run, so now he is stumbling over it, just the way he would have a couple years ago when he started uni."

"So basically it's still my fault."

"Scott allowed himself to be shielded. He is an Alpha, it's his job to know."

Stiles resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. "You are awfully strict with your own dynamic."

"Because that's the way it is. As an Alpha, you have the responsibility to take care of and protect all those that are weaker than you."

Yeah, I've heard that one before.

"So what, he can't even accept help now because he is supposed to be a superman?"

"No Stiles, knowing when to ask and/or accept help is one of the things that responsible people do. But he will have to figure it out himself. It's not your job to solve his problems for him. Your attempts to do that is what got him in this situation, to begin with."

Stiles threw his hands in the air in indignation. "And this is supposed to make me feel better!?"

That was the second time in a course of two minutes that Derek basically said, that even though it's not his fault, it's still kinda his fault. And that was about as helpful as putting out the fire with gasoline.

Derek stared at him for a moment and then ran a hand through his hair tiredly. "Yeah, I'm not good at this."

Stiles silently agreed but refrained from commenting.

"Sorry, I didn't realize... Let's try again. Come here."

Stiles hesitated only for a split of a second, before getting up and practically falling into Derek's embrace. The strong arms wrapped around him tightly and immediately the calm content feeling washed over him, dulling the initial frustration. In fact, it felt so nice Stiles wondered whether it wasn't one of Derek's special were-Alpha abilities, because the tighter he held him, the less anything else seemed to matter.

"We should do this more often," Stiles purred into his chest.

Derek chuckled and placed a kiss on top of his head. "All you have to do is ask."

"I don't want to ask."

Another soft chuckle, the hands tightening around him.

"Ok."

xxx

The weekend after the end of the exams was marked as the club night. Lydia organized it each year and didn't take no for an answer, so even Derek ended up begrudgingly agreeing under her pressure.

Liam had a school trip that day and Stiles was happy that they won't be leaving him alone for the evening while they went to have some adult fun. The boy seemed on edge lately. He stopped by almost every day and spent the night at least a couple times a week, privatizing Stiles' room for good. (Well Stiles pretty much moved to Derek's room, so that wasn't really an issue.) Liam acted normal for the most part but Stiles could tell that something was bothering him.

Derek disregarded it as teenage hormones and told him to stop fretting, and while Stiles agreed that it could have been just a 'puberty thing', he still wasn't convinced. Whenever he asked Liam about it, the boy denied everything and promised that everything was fine. So perhaps he really was overthinking it...

But then he asked him what he would like for his birthday and the boy looked as if he had been punched. He forbade Stiles (or Derek for that matter) to buy him any presents or to throw him a party. Liam was so adamant about it and looked so upset, that Stiles didn't dare to argue and never brought up the topic again.

Derek thought that maybe Liam had some bad memories associated with that day. Maybe his parents died on his birthday? After all, they still knew next to nothing about the kid. Stiles kept contemplating whether he should just ask Jordan to run a background check on Liam Dunbar, or whether it would be a breach of their carefully built trust. Derek would have probably done it already if his last attempt in forcing the issue didn't result in the kid disappearing on them for a week.

...

The club was packed by the time they got there. Scott, Isaac, Lydia, and Jordan were already sitting at their reserved table with their faces covered in fluorescent body paint. Danny and Jackson were running late, which was not unusual. The music was booming through the dynamics and people on the dancefloor were jumping to the beat, their faces glowing with neon colors. Stiles was eager to join them, the atmosphere swaying him right away.

Derek went to get them drinks and Isaac grinned at Stiles suggestively.

"What?"

"I heard that you guys have finally consumed your marriage."

Stiles's first instinct was to shush him, but then he realized that Jordan already knew everything, which meant that Lydia knew everything as well and he wouldn't be surprised if she fed Danny and Jackson some version of the truth as well by now. So basically everyone knew about the BRP anyway.

"Well, you could say that," he commented with a lopsided smile.

"Liam said you are like rabbits during the rutting season."

"Rabbits don't have a rutting season, they just go at it whenever..."

"Exactly."

Stiles tilted his head to the side, letting Isaac have this win, while everyone else stifled their giggles.

Danny and Jackson came shortly after, both already wearing the fluorescent makeup, making Stiles and Derek the only people not conforming with the club's "dress code" for the night.

"Let's go get the paint!" Stiles hopped off his seat excitedly, grabbing Derek by the arm.

"Over my dead body, Stilinski."

Stiles rolled his eyes, not really surprised by that response. "Who's the drama queen now?" He didn't press him though and just went alone, allowing himself a flirtatious smile towards the pretty Beta who colored his face, as a small payback. But when he turned to see if Derek was looking, he found that the Alpha was engaged in a discussion with Jordan, paying him zero attention.

Whatever.

He fully intended to let Derek be and just enjoy the night out with his friends, but then the beat changed to the tunes of his favorite song of late and before he knew it, his hand grabbed Derek's to pull him on the dancefloor. The reaction was as expected. The Alpha didn't even budge, raising an eyebrow with a hint of annoyance.

"Come on, grumpy. Dance first, talk later."

"I'm not dancing, Stiles."

"It's ok, big guy, I won't judge if you're terribad."

"I don't want to."

"It won't hurt, I promise."

"Stiles."

And there it was - that look. The 'cut the crap' one Derek used when he was done with the banter and further arguing would not bode well. Stiles tried not to feel dejected and was saved by Lydia who took his hand with a cheerful "Let's go" and dragged him right in the middle of the jumping crowd.

Stiles was once again reminded why he spent so many years in love with the pretty Omega despite his feelings never being reciprocated. She was just awesome like that. Two minutes of her goofing around to the beat and Stiles all but forgot that she was not the partner he was hoping to get to the dancefloor. Who cared about that 'grumpyhole', anyway? Stiles was here to have fun!

Suddenly he was spun around, the rapid movement making him lose his footing for a second, but the strong arms held him tight, while Derek's lips pressed against his in a kiss that was surprisingly rough and demanding. The crowd kept jumping around them, but Stiles didn't care about the song anymore, savoring the uncharacteristically salacious kiss. He wondered what could have possibly sparked such an unexpected burst of passion in Derek.

"Okaaay," he drawled when Derek finished raping his mouth with his tongue. "What was that?"

"Just a small reminder about who you are here with."

That sounded possessive. Did he just come all the way to stake his claim? Stiles glanced at their table just in time to see Isaac and Scott fist-bumping each other.

Stiles wrapped his hand around Derek's neck, fingers brushing through his hair. "Hmm… I'm not sure, could you remind me again?"

...

Having their fill of 'reminders' on the dancefloor, the two retreated to the bar to raise the alcohol levels back up appropriately. Derek even let Stiles have a shot of vodka, something that was normally off-limits for him. All in all the evening was turning out great and nothing foreshadowed it turning to shit shortly after.

"Derek? Is that you?"

Stiles recognized her right away. The Omega looked just as beautiful as she did in the picture with Derek, her features soft, her expression kind and amiable, her scent incredibly feminine and alluring. Unlike Lydia who was all that but with a spunky look to it, the girl emitted meek submission, which triggered all protective instincts Stiles had in him.

"Paige," Derek breathed out surprised.

Stiles felt the Alpha tense next to him. Not that he blamed him, meeting your ex was always an awkward thing.

"I thought it's you. You look well," she said, rubbing her palms somewhat nervously. Stiles found her discomfiture quite endearing... up until he noticed the way Derek looked at her.

"So do you. How have you been?" the Alpha asked, his face a mixture of sadness, guilt, and longing.

Paige glanced at Stiles as if to remind Derek that he forgot to introduce him, but Derek seemed oblivious at his lack of etiquette.

"Hi, I'm Stiles, nice to meet you," Stiles introduced himself, offering his hand for a handshake. Paige took it with a smile so warm Stiles felt his cheeks heating with an impromptu blush. He glanced at Derek and the Alpha's gaze was fixed on Paige's hand or more precisely at the engagement ring on her finger.

Paige caught his stare but didn't hide her hand. "I've been good. I finished my degree, so I teach kids to play cello now. You?"

"Good for you." Even through the booming music Derek's voice sounded constrained. "I manage our pharmaceutical division."

"Nice."

"Yeah."

The uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Stiles wanted to say something to dissolve the tension but couldn't come up with anything.

"It was nice seeing you, Derek," Paige said, casting them both a small smile and walking away. Derek didn't reply, just following her with his gaze.

Ok, that was so awkward...

Stiles cleared his throat, feeling the need to say something. "Wow, her scent is something..."

"Yeah," Derek agreed absentmindedly.

"Should I be jealous?" Stiles joked, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Why would you? Haven't you seen the rock on her ring finger?" His tone sounded too bitter for Stiles' liking.

"Almost as big as the one you gave her."

Derek stared at him in shock.

"I found the picture of you two, I know you were engaged," Stiles explained.

"What?! So it was you going through my stuff?!" Derek barked angrily.

Stiles was taken off guard by the sudden animosity. "I wasn't going through your stuff, Derek, it just came up when we opened the boxes from the basement."

"You nosy little shit! I hope you are happy with your findings then."

"Are you mad at me or at the fact that she moved on?" Stiles snapped back.

"You have no fucking right snooping through my belongings!"

"I wasn't! You are so pissed, one would say you still have feelings for her!"

"How I feel about my ex is none of your goddamn business!"

Stiles just stared at him, processing. The hurt feeling was almost suffocating. "Fuck you, Derek," he turned on his heel and stomped off.

He went outside to get some air. Derek accused him of snooping, told him that his feelings were none of Stiles' business, and never actually denied having feelings for his ex. Stiles wasn't one to jump to conclusions, but this one seemed pretty straightforward. Hurt mixed with anger as Stiles fumed in indignation.

None of my business? And what were we doing this whole time? Casually fucking around? Fucking asshole!

His internal tirade was interrupted by the sounds of somebody throwing up right next to him.

"Isaac? Man, you ok?" Stiles asked, surprised.

"I swear I'm never eating at that Indian place again," Isaac croaked, retching again. Scott held him by both sides, even though Isaac clearly wasn't drunk enough to fall.

"I think we should get you home," Scott said gently.

"I swear it's the food," Isaac protested, looking between Stiles and Scott.

"Can I come with you? Stay over at your place?" Stiles asked, watching both of them frown in confusion. "Had a falling-out with Derek."

Isaac glanced at Scott and then shrugged, "Sure."

...

An hour later Derek called Isaac on the phone asking about Stiles. Isaac told him that Stiles was staying with them for the night, which was met with an awkward silence from the other side, followed by a curt "ok" and a disconnect.

Well, at least Stiles wasn't the only one pissed.

xxx

The night helped to subdue most of the anger. Don't get me wrong, Stiles was still angry and hurt, but it didn't feel like the end of the world anymore. Derek was a dick, and it was not the first time he lashed out at Stiles. That didn't necessarily mean that they are over and that everything they did was casual fucking around.

Derek's reaction to his ex suggested that there might be lingering feelings on Derek's part, and Stiles was definitely not thrilled about that. But then again, the two barely said three words to each other - hardly enough to draw definite conclusions. What Stiles needed was more information. And conveniently there was a hungover Isaac sitting right next to him, groaning into his mug of coffee.

"I need you to tell me about Paige," Stiles said.

Isaac raised his eyebrows at him and then shook his head. "I don't think it's my story to tell, Stiles."

"Yeah well, I understand your loyalty and shit, but I need to know where I stand with Derek. Because if he is not over her, I think I deserve to know."

"Well, what did Derek tell you?"

"That I'm a nosy little shit and that his feelings for her are none of my business."

"Ouch," Isaac winced sympathetically.

"The fuck?" Scott frowned in disapproval.

"I know, right? Anyway, he did tell me that they broke up after the gas leak in her apartment. He never mentioned they were engaged though. And yesterday we ran into her in the club, which was awkward as fuck. Even more so, when it turned out she got engaged again. Derek could have shown that he moved on as well," Stiles took out the spousal necklace, rubbing the ring pendant between his fingers. "But he didn't even introduce me."

"That was probably for a different reason than you think," Isaac said. He hesitated for a bit and then sighed. "You have probably noticed that Derek is not a regular Alpha."

"If you mean that he is a pissy version of Clark Kent, then yes, it was hard not to notice."

"The Hale line is probably one of the purest lines in the States. His parents were very strict about family heritage. Derek being the only male heir, it was a given that his spouse will have to be a strong female Alpha of 'breeding age', that will bring something valuable into the bloodline."

Stiles was not surprised really. Derek's old fashioned upbringing hinted at the fact that his family valued their Alpha bloodline. They were called purists, or more derogatorily - breeders because in a sense, it was very similar to animal breeding where the endgame was to produce the most desirable offspring. In such families marriage was a purely political thing. Union with a Beta or Omega was absolutely out of question, not to mention same-sex marriage.

Given Derek's abilities, the family was obviously quite successful in this sense.

"All children were free to fool around with whoever they wanted, as long as they eventually fulfilled their duty to the family. Peter was like a black sheep of the family pissing all over their purist agenda. His attitude was a source of constant tension. Derek didn't really care about any of it, till he fell in love with Paige. They engaged in secret and Peter found out. So when Talia transferred part of her Hale Industries shares to Derek without any prior discussion, Peter flew off the handle and told them about Derek's engagement. I don't know the details, because Derek never talks about the specifics, but there was a huge fight with furniture flying and words like "disown and disinherit" thrown around. Derek left in anger and that night the fire happened."

"Shit," Stiles grimaced, currently forgetting about the fact that he was angry with the Alpha.

"Yeah. Derek was devastated that the last words he said to his parents were hateful and bitter. His relationship with Peter never recovered. And after the gas leak, Derek became convinced that Peter was behind it."

"You are not?"

Isaac shook his head, "I know Peter for as long as I know Derek. He fools around and he is a dick but I don't believe he could have done it. Anyway, when Paige got out of a coma, Derek decided that he couldn't endanger her like this ever again. But if he told her the truth, she wouldn't have accepted it. So he told her some purist nonsense, that he changed his mind and that now that his family was gone he couldn't step all over their legacy like that…"

Stiles drew the conclusion himself, "And a Beta boyfriend or better yet husband would not conform with those lies. I get it."

Isaac nodded. "Derek stayed away from relationships after that. Obviously he didn't plan on starting one with you either."

Stiles sighed. A lot of Derek's behavior made sense now.

"Look. I can't tell you if he is over Paige or not. But yesterday when I mentioned that you and Lydia would make a cute couple and Scott went on about how you were in love with her the whole highschool, Derek pretty much sprinted after you."

Stiles laughed, the weight on his chest finally lifting somewhat. "So that's what it was? I wondered what made him suddenly change his mind."

Derek got jealous.

The knock on the door interrupted their snickers. Stiles thought that they must have summoned the Alphahole with their gossiping, but it turned out to be Liam.

"Hey Liam, the grumpy-dick sent you?"

The boy cast them a sheepish smile. "You could say that. But I come in peace!" he raised his palms in the air demonstratively, "So what happened? He looked pretty pissed and hungover."

"Lover's spat," Isaac offered helpfully when Stiles didn't answer, mulling over how to phrase it.

"Oh that," Liam said, seemingly losing interest in the topic. "Boooring. So, you coming home?"

"No. I don't think I want to. He didn't even care enough to come fetch me himself," Stiles complained sullenly.

"Oh he cares, trust me. He slept on your side of the bed."

Stiles was rendered speechless for a second there before finding his voice again. "And how would you even know which side I sleep on?"

"Left."

"..."

"Ok, and how did you get in again?"

"The door wasn't locked." The boy fetched Stiles' keys from his pocket and handed them over. "And I assume, this is why."

Stiles remembered asking Derek if he was taking keys because he cba to carry them around in his back pocket all night. So either Derek hoped that Stiles would come back at night... or he was so drunk he forgot to lock the door. Either way...

Stiles couldn't fight a smile stretching on his lips. Derek definitely cared.

xxx

Stiles refused to go back home with Liam because despite the situation not seeming quite as dramatic, he didn't want to be the one to make the first step. And yes, maybe that wasn't particularly mature, but hey, Derek kept calling him a teenager, so he was allowed, alright?

He didn't want to overstay his welcome at Isaac's either, so he headed to the park to clear his head. The weather was nice, and the grass area was full of people picnicking and playing frisbee. Stiles wouldn't mind being one of those couples, making out on the blanket and feeding each other strawberries.

Though it was hard to imagine Derek doing any of those things. I mean, he would make out on the blanket just fine, as long as it led to vigorous fucking. Derek was not exactly a romantic type. He always cringed so hard whenever an Alpha protagonist did some eccentric romantic gesture in the movie. He and Liam both agreed that they would sooner die than to live through so much farce and embarrassment with no guarantee of success. Stiles pointed out that that was kinda the appeal, but neither seemed to share his opinion.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the bench creaked under the weight of an extra person sitting down. Stiles didn't have to see who it was, he could recognize that elevator smell anywhere.

"Isaac?" he asked conversationally, without turning his head. It was unlikely that Derek would just randomly stumble upon him.

"Yeah."

For a while no one said anything. Stiles kept staring at the dog running after the frisbee, while Derek just sat there at the loss for words.

"I don't know how to do this," the Alpha said finally.

"Do what?"

"Make this go away. Normally I'd just get flowers of jewelry…"

Stiles turned to face him, tilting his head to the side. "So what did you bring me?"

There was a pause as Derek realized that he actually had no peace-offering. "Shit…" he scratched the back of his head with a grimace, "Well, just an apology, I guess."

"That's an impressive downgrade. But let's hear it."

Derek fidgeted, then straightened his back, then fidgeted some more and let out another "Shit."

When a minute passed and Derek still didn't produce anything that would even remotely resemble a verbal apology, Stiles shook his head incredulously. "Wow, you really suck at it!" He was torn between feeling indignant and amused at Derek's lack of composure.

"Look, I'm sorry, ok? I was an ass," Derek snapped, wincing at his own tone which came out gruff and bitter. "Seeing her… Seeing her move on.." he corrected, "You were right, it was hard. I guess in the back of my mind I always thought that maybe there could still be a future between us, once I put this whole shitstorm behind me," Derek trailed off and Stiles noted that this apology was certainly not making him feel any better.

"Hm," he just hummed, trying to not let on his own feelings on the matter.

"The truth is… when I came home feeling like shit, I realized that it was not because I saw my ex or because she got engaged... but because you were not there with me."

Stiles felt his wounds patch up, the warmth spreading over his chest.

"So," Derek looked at him and waited for Stiles to meet his eyes. "Come home? Please?"

Stiles couldn't fight the smile any longer. "Ok, it's still pretty weak compared to flowers and jewelry, but since you are so strongly against romantic gestures, I guess this will have to do."

Derek shook his head in mock irritation. "You are such a brat." He glanced around, his eyes lingering on the nearby ice cream stand, "How about ice cream?"

Stiles considered the tribute and shrugged. "Ok."

Derek came back with a cone of vanilla. Stiles was pleased to note that Derek remembered his favorite, but of course, he was not going to make it easy for the Alpha.

"Oh gee. No fucking imagination. That place offers so many different flavors and toppings and you come back with this?"

"Alright," Derek said with a frown. "I'll get you another, which one do you want?"

"Vanilla."

"But that's…" then he realized that Stiles was just fucking with him. "That's it, Stilinski," he pointed a finger right into Stiles's face, "Next time I'm spanking the forgiveness into you."

As if Stiles took any of those ridiculous threats seriously anymore… "Shut up and kiss me already."

And for once Derek did as he was told.

TBC