Word: Meliorism

...

"How do you manage such optimism all the time, Derek? I don't think one person should be allowed to be so sunny and smiling all the freaking time!" Stiles groaned, flopping over the back of the couch, his head pressed into the back cushions. "I don't want to deal with the McCall pack ever again. I'm running away."

"Very funny, Stiles. Get your head out of the couch," Derek muttered, shoving at Stiles' head without looking away from his book.

"Don't wanna," Stiles replied, voice muffled.

"What did Scott do this time?" Derek asked his mate, rolling his eyes.

"He talked down a boggart. An actual boggart, feeding off human misery and fear, and he talked it into leaving Beacon Hills."

"Must've been some talk," Derek muttered, raising his eyebrow as he returned his attention back to his book.

"Oh, it was. A stirring speech about living life and making the world a better place through meliorism, blah, blah, blah. Remind me why you brought me here?" Stiles asked with a groan. "We could've stayed in New York, y'know."

"You hated New York."

"I'm sure I hated it less than I remember hating it," Stiles groaned, flipping over the couch, kicking Derek in the back of the head on his way over. "We had fun in New York. Remember that first apartment we had?"

"The one with the death threats scrawled on the bathroom wall in pig blood?" Derek asked, rubbing his head before moving Stiles' feet into his lap.

"Yeah. That one cleaned up nice."

"You refused to step foot in that bathroom for two whole months, Stiles."

"We had some good sex in there, too," Stiles continued as if Derek hadn't replied. "Is that the apartment we broke the towel rack in, or was it the other one?"

"It was the other one; the one with the green and yellow kitchen," he answered, setting his book aside now.

"Ugh, I hated that kitchen."

"Didn't stop you from fucking me every chance you got when we were in there," Derek pointed out smugly.

"You cook naked, what else was I supposed to do?"

"A bit of warning would be nice next time; those oil burns took a whole day to heal."

"You still looked gorgeous," Stiles replied, leaning over to press a kiss to his lips. "Now, which place did I figure out how to auto-fellatio?"

"That was here, Stiles. You went to that yoga class with Lydia, came home and woke me up after I'd been on surveillance all night just to demonstrate just what you'd learnt."

"Don't act like you didn't love it," Stiles said, smirking at him. "All right, I like this place again. We can stay here. New York sucks."

"So do you," Derek said, snorting at his own joke. "And don't think you're getting out of dealing with the McCall pack that easily."

"Fuck. Why'd it have to be me anyway?"

"You look closer to their age than I do, so it was easier to get you into the school. Besides, Scott's already talking like you two are best friends," Derek said, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"That's because Jackson's a douchenozzle with extra douche, and I don't like bullies," Stiles muttered.

"Yeah, I know, Stiles. You've only got a few more months until you graduate, so just keep on going until then, all right?"

"Easy for you to say; you don't have to deal with teenage bullshit for the second time in your life... Besides, with everyone thinking I'm only 17, I'm being warned against spending time with you. They think you're going to corrupt my innocence or something."

"Who's they?" Derek asked tightly.

"School counsellor; she talks like she knows more than she says, and she's got the smell of an emissary about her. I'll be confronting her about it tomorrow if she doesn't back the fuck off."

"If she doesn't, let me know. I'm not about to let you be taken away from me, not again," Derek said, pulling Stiles onto his lap, pressing his lips against the nape of Stiles' neck.

"Please, like I'd let anyone try that again. I'd go fucking rabid," Stiles muttered, turning his head to kiss Derek heatedly. "Any word on the werewolf killers?"

"The agency thinks it might be the Argents. I've got Boyd and Erica surveilling them."

"So they won't be back for a few hours then?" Stiles asked with a suggestive grin, his eyes turning gold. "Race you to the bedroom," he said, jumping up and running off.

Derek stood and followed at a leisurely pace. "If we break anything, it's being docked from your pay this time," he called, smirking when Stiles swore at him.

"Fine, Alpha of mine. But the first one to orgasm has to deal with the McCall pack!"

(They tied. Scott was surprised to see Alpha Derek Hale the next day, but just smiled brightly and let him inside with Stiles following.)

...

End of the word challenge.

Thanks for reading!