It came more as a shock than anything when Derek called him 'Alpha' as opposed to 'dumbass', 'dorkface', or just plain 'Stiles'. For the first time in his life, he was genuinely speechless, going as far as silencing his current tirade with an aborted shriek.
"I'm sorry." He said after rebooting his brain. "What did you call me?"
Derek stood across his bedroom, his body rigid and arms crossed. A furious glare hardened his face, but the highest points of his cheeks and his ears were tinted red. Stiles was pretty sure he caught the Alpha wolf glancing at the window, as if he wanted to escape.
"Nothing." He said through gritted teeth.
Stiles huffed, a nervous laugh escaping him. "Look, man, I get it. Your brain is probably as fried as mine. Life has been pretty stressful on all of us. First, your sister dying, then to find out it was your uncle that went bat-shit crazy. Not to mention, the family of Hunters just itching to tear us all in half. Becoming Alpha, having to recruit, though I'm still a little shaky over whether or not that's really necessary, Scott's recreation of Romeo and Juliet." He paused to exhale. "Yeah, we've been through hell lately."
"Can you just shut up?!" Derek spat, shifting from one foot to the other. "Is there anything on this planet that will make you stop talking?!"
Stiles scoffed, "Well, I think we've established a big bad werewolf calling me Alpha is a good start." He smirked when he saw Derek's eyes flash red for the briefest moment before he visibly pulled himself together. "By the way, it wasn't me that just leaped through a guy's window like he was fricking Edward Cullen!"
"Who?"
"Ugh! Why do I even bother with you, you cultureless bloodhound!" He stood from his desk chair, ignoring the open, incomplete, essay on his computer. "Why are you here?"
Derek turned, half-facing the window but head turned in Stiles' direction. "I was seeing if Scott's little crush gave you anything new on the Hunters."
Stiles shrugged, a crooked frown on his face. "No, you had to come all the way here for that? A little text saying 'yo, Stiles, anything new? Hiked a leg on your dad's car by the way, LOL' could go a long way."
The wolf rolled his eyes, exhaling through his nose. "Whatever. If you're just gonna waste my time, I'm out of here."
Derek turned to leave, but without thinking, Stiles rushed across the room, putting a hand on the older man's shoulder. Derek threw a glare at him over his shoulder, looking down at his hand like it was the most offensive thing in the world. For once, Stiles refused to budge.
"You don't waste time, Derek. You knew this could have been done over the phone, so why are you here?" Derek's jaw was firmly set. Stiles briefly imagined nothing short of the jaws of life could get him to speak. "Come on, man. Is everything alright? Full moon's next week, right? Is something going on with the pack?"
"It's nothing." The Alpha replied. "Coming here was a mistake. Just forget about it."
Stiles didn't know where the idea came from, but once he realized the thought, he couldn't hold it back. "So it's about you, huh? It's personal, isn't it?" No answer. Stiles then removed his hand, wiping his sweaty palm on his flannel pants. "Look, big guy, if you need to talk, we can talk—"
Before Stiles could react, the wolf turned with a snarl and threw Stiles into the nearest wall, arm across his throat. He had the oddest sense of nostalgia for a moment before he laughed half-heartedly. "I guess I hit the nail on the head?"
"Shut up!" Derek hissed, fangs elongated. It seemed self-preservation, what little of that Stiles had, flew out the window as he stared into the older man's red irises.
"Look, you came to see me, okay? While I'm all for getting thrown around, a little warning and consent may be something to remember for next time." The reply, Stiles noticed, made Derek react. He blinked rapidly, colors changing with each pass. It looked like out of all the responses Stiles could have said, Derek didn't expect that. "Why did you call me Alpha, Derek? You're too much of a control freak to let things like that slip. I bet if I looked in your nightstand, you would have binders full of every little thing you say and do throughout the day." Derek looked away from Stiles for a quick second, and suddenly it was like Stiles was hit over the head with an idea. "Maybe that's the problem?"
Derek glared at him, but there wasn't any heat, only exasperation. "What are you talking about?"
"You're a control freak. Every little thing you do is calculated and strategized. You eat, sleep, and breathe your pack. But what about you, Derek? Huh? Who looks out for you?" Derek growled deep in his chest as he pressed harder into Stiles, pressing on his airway. Stiles relaxed in his hold, sure in what he needed to do next.
Within the span of one breath and the next, he wedged his leg between Derek's, suddenly pushing off the wall and using their momentum to spin Derek and pin him against the wall, reversing their positions. Derek tensed under the arm Stiles had to his throat, his other hand propped on the wall inches from Derek's head, caging him in.
Stiles expected him to fight. To hurl his ass across the room with his wolf strength, but what he didn't expect was for him to sag lightly, as if in relief. "Call me Alpha again."
Derek stared firmly into Stiles' eyes, face carefully stoic. "Not a chance, Stiles."
Stiles leaned in, noticing Derek's nostrils flare, taking in his scent. "Are you sure? You seem pretty comfortable under me." The blush on Derek's face grew darker, and Stiles was feeling both powerful and terrified over this discovery. Out of everyone, literally everyone, why him?! "We both know you could have thrown me like a frisbee just now. We both know that if you didn't want to be pinned, I would have broken my leg before I made you budge, so come on, Derek. Call me Alpha."
"No."
Stiles smirked. He must have suddenly grown an extra set of balls or developed a suicidal tendency, because he leaned forward, running his nose along the length of Derek's neck. He couldn't smell much over the other man's…cologne? Aftershave? It seemed to have its desired affect, however, as Derek squirmed under him.
"Get off of me, Stiles." His voice shook on Stiles' name, making the teen's suicidal streak run deeper. He rose up off of Derek's neck, his lips brushing the shell of Derek's ear.
"Why are you so afraid, Derek? Why is my pup holding back?"
A mix between a groan and an unearthly snarl escaped the Alpha wolf. The sound did things to Stiles, making his blood boil and his body shiver.
"That's it, pup. Say my name. No need to be afraid. Who am I?"
It was quiet except for the sounds of Stiles' soft breaths against Derek's ear and the older man's heavy breathing.
Then, as Stiles decided to pull away, to brace himself for the wolf attack he was about to receive, the sound came forced and broken from Derek's mouth.
"Please, Alpha."
The tortured sound made Stiles' pull back. Derek was pliant in Stiles' hold, his eyes wide and suspiciously shiny. With a gasp, Stiles took his arm from its place on Derek's throat, catching the wolf when his knees gave.
"Hey," he soothed, as if speaking to a spooked animal, "Easy. I'm here." He didn't know where the hell this instinct came from, but now that he felt it, he couldn't let it go. "It's okay, pup. Your Alpha's got you. You don't need to worry about anything with me."
"I know." Derek whispered, head bowed.
Frankly, this was scaring the crap out of Stiles. He never thought he would see Derek so fragile, so vulnerable. It was hot for a moment, but now? Honestly, he just had to make sure that Derek was okay.
"Tell me what you want to do, pup." He tried to lace some kind of authority in his voice, unsure where to go with this 'Alpha' thing, but he could tell it sounded half-assed at best.
Derek shook his head, taking breaths that were too fast and too shallow. "I don't know." He looked up at Stiles, face completely open and completely shattered. "I don't know, Alpha." It was like something had taken over Derek, leaving him unable to hide behind his badass persona anymore. It made Stiles almost touched that he was the one Derek chose.
His hands took Derek's, careful to avoid his extended claws. The werewolf was still hyperventilating, clutching Stiles like a lifeline.
"Let's sit, okay? Yeah, sitting. Sitting's good." With a grimace for his nervous rambling, he helped Derek down to the floor, but as soon as he settled against the foot of the bed, Derek curled tightly around him. The werewolf was shaking and starting to dry sob between breaths.
"Oh, shit." Stiles mumbled, slowly brushing his fingers through the Alpha's hair. "It's okay, pup. I'm here. You're safe with me." His rapid breathing was ratcheting up Stiles' heartrate. Before he could give in to the wolf's panic, he clumsily took a hand, lifting his t-shirt to put the clawed hand to his chest.
"It's okay, pup. Alpha's here, but I need you to do something for me. I need you to breathe with your Alpha. Can my little pup do that?"
Derek nodded slightly where he had his face hid in the crook of Stiles' neck.
"That's a good boy. Feel my breaths. In." He inhaled deeply, holding it until he felt Derek inhale. It didn't go unnoticed that he inhaled through his nose, no doubt filling his lungs with Stiles' scent. "Now, out." He dramatically exhaled, the breath cutting short when he felt Derek's claws dig in his skin. He ignored it for now as he already felt the tension easing from the werewolf. "In. Out. In. Out. That's it, such a good pup."
He almost missed the pained sound escaping Derek.
"Words, pup." He said, his voice solid and strong in the quiet of the room. "Use your words."
"Can I lay with you, Alpha?" This was the smallest, most vulnerable tone Stiles ever heard come from the wolf.
Stiles tensed, forcing his breathing to stay even for Derek. "Uh, do you mean to cuddle or…?"
"Sleep, Alpha. I just want to sleep next to you. Your scent, it smells like-" he cut himself off, pausing for a moment. "It smells safe," he finally replied.
Without thinking, Stiles bent his head down to kiss the top of Derek's head. "That's because you are safe here, pup. As long as I have anything to say about it, nothing will hurt you here."
The sag of relief paired with a long shaky exhale assured Stiles he said the right thing, as much as it hurt to see someone so strong crumble like this.
It was a struggle to stand with Derek still so malleable in his arms, but as soon as he sat on the edge of his squeaky, worn, twin mattress, the werewolf climbed in beside him, wasting no time to lie them down and curl up over Stiles. He rested his head on Stile's chest, listening to his heartbeat. That alone forced Stiles' to calm his frantic thoughts, to give Derek an anchor until he regained control. The wolf threw an arm around Stiles' waist and a leg over his. He took a moment to nuzzle Stiles' shoulder and the side of his neck before relaxing against his side.
Stiles wasn't an idiot. It was just a shock that Derek, an Alpha, was scenting himself with Stiles, marking himself as his. It could have been the opposite, that Derek was marking Stiles, but with the mental state the wolf was in, Stiles highly doubted that was the case.
"Who am I, Derek? Say it." He couldn't figure out why he said it, but now that he did, he needed to hear the answer.
"You're Alpha. My Alpha." His voice sounded more even, more like the Derek Stiles knew.
"I am. When you need me, I'll be your Alpha. I promise. You did so well, pup." There was another small, broken sound in reply before he heard Derek clear his throat.
"Thank you, Stiles." His hands shook as he cuddled closer to the human.
Stiles smiled, eyes staring up at his ceiling. He didn't hesitate to wrap an arm around Derek, pulling him close to his side. He then leaned over, brushing his cheek across Derek's temple. He heard the wolf sniff before making a pleased hum.
"You're welcome, Derek. Sweet dreams, pup."
In a couple of breaths, Derek fell asleep, his clawed hands having long vanished. His fingers curled into the material of Stiles' shirt and his breath huffed over the side of his neck. He didn't have wolf senses but he could still smell a trace of Derek's scent, mixing with the familiar room around him and soothing him in a way he never expected.
"Good night, Derek. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."
The warmth of Derek's body and the gentle rumble of the older man's breathing eventually lulled Stiles' to sleep, but before he fully fell, he reached up to take Derek's hand, lacing their fingers together. He had no idea what to make of this new situation, but like everything else he's been through since Scott was bitten, he planned to make the best of it. And Derek's arms around him seemed like a pretty good start.