Word: Flak
...
"You'd better keep running, Derek! You've only done thirteen laps so far, and you promised me twenty! Now work those legs!"
"Yes, Alpha," Derek ground out, glowering over at his Alpha (while he was out of sight; he wasn't stupid).
"Good. And don't think I didn't feel that glare," Stiles called with a smirk.
"How's he do that?" Scott muttered beside Derek, both Betas evenly matched as they sprinted along the forest trail.
Derek honestly had no idea and just shrugged in response. On the other side of Scott, Isaac seemed to seriously contemplate the question.
"Maybe Alpha's have eyes in the back of their heads?" he suggested.
"Really, boys? Eyes in the back of his head? Have you seen Stiles' head?" Erica pointed out, rolling her eyes at them and putting on an extra burst of speed to get passed them and catch up to Boyd.
As if in silent agreement, the three men decided to speed up as well, and they all started running faster.
"It's not a race, guys! It's to test your endurance and stamina; keep it steady!" Stiles called.
"Yes, Alpha!" they chorused, obligingly slowing down, though a small amount.
"Scott, Isaac, you're done for the day," Stiles called on the next lap.
Boyd and Erica's car was no longer there, so they must have finished as well. Isaac and Scott gave Derek a brief look of sympathy, but still left him to do his final five laps. He didn't mind running on his own, it helped him clear his head. For the final lap, Stiles took a place beside him, running at his slower pace easily. They finished in silence, and Derek took a minute to breathe deeply before straightening to provide Stiles with his report for the day.
"I don't want to deal with your flak today, all right, Derek? Just save it up for tomorrow, and you can hit me with a double whammy then. Deal?"
"Yes, Alpha. Is... is everything all right?"
"Yeah, fine. A guy deserves a break on his birthday, right?" Stiles joked, grinning a broad and over-the-top fake grin.
Derek faltered slightly; he hadn't realised that it was Stiles' birthday. It was the first one since Stiles' father had been killed by a rogue Alpha; as such, it was almost a full year since Stiles had hunted the Alpha across California to Beacon Hills and killed it, leeching its power for his own. He wasn't a wolf, not exactly, but he was no longer human either. Yet, he had proved that he still had all the abilities an Alpha did, including the ability to turn people into werewolves. He'd turned a few teenagers from the local high school with their permission, of course, and Derek found himself drawn to the red-eyed young man that burned.
Stiles had decided to stay, even enrolling in the school to stay with the majority of his pack. Despite being in town for a year, no one had any idea of what he was; if they did, they kept it to themselves. It was of little consequence anyway, because everyone that came before Stiles - whether to pledge allegiance or to challenge him - soon found themselves submitting to him instead. (An entire pack of Alphas had been subdued in this way and sent on their way. Derek was glad when they were gone; someone could have died if they'd had to fight them.)
Hesitantly, Derek reached out and grabbed Stiles' forearm gently. Stiles was distracted by the zipper on his duffel bag and didn't see him move. They both knew that Stiles didn't like to be touched, and despite it just being the two of them, now was apparently no exception. Stiles' eyes filled with the Alpha red glow as he hissed and snatched his arm away.
"What the fuck, Derek?!"
"Sorry, Alpha," he said, contrite and immediately looking down at his feet, away from his Alpha's red eyes. "I want to take you out for dinner; it's your birthday."
"You don't have to do that, Derek," Stiles muttered, turning away and heading to his Jeep, duffel bag finally zipped and slung over his shoulder.
"Yes, I do. Please, Alpha."
Stiles sighed softly, the warm rush of air barely audible even to Derek, but he turned to face Derek again, and nodded briefly.
"Fine; let's order Chinese on the way home, we'll stop off and buy a cake - no candles - and then we'll marathon Star Wars. Sound good?"
"It sounds perfect, Alpha," Derek said with a smile.
He moved forward slowly and making his intent clear, Stiles still a bit shocked from his earlier touch. When Stiles gave a minute nod, Derek smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his Alpha's mouth. Stiles was slow in responding to his kiss, but when he did, Derek's toes curled against the forest floor. He relaxed into Stiles' touch, his Alpha's fingers firm on his shoulders.
His Alpha had helped him get revenge on the Argent family, and there was nothing Derek wouldn't do for Stiles, Alpha or not. It seemed that Stiles was the only one that didn't believe that, no matter how many times Derek tried to tell him otherwise. Tonight, Derek hoped that he could show Stiles what he meant to him instead.
...
End of word challenge.
Thanks for reading!
