Authors Note: HEYO! XD Please tell me what you think; I would love to know XD I own nothing and no one, apart from the following: Sam Campbell, Charlie Jones, Zane, Chase, Gabriel, Ben, Mia, Harlequin (Harley),Stiles' fox = Melrakki (Rak), Stiles' wolf = Okami (Oki), Derek's wolf = Cana, Diego, Serena.
JUST SO YOU KNOW: like everyone else, I have no idea what Stiles' real name is, so I'm going along with what everyone else puts :) and I've made his middle name up XD
Please review XD
You guys are all so amazing and I love you all! In a non-creepy non-psycho kind of way XD
SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, BUT I'M AT UNIVERSITY!
Chapter 49 - Part 1
Stiles
I just stood there, not knowing what to do. I couldn't stop looking at what was happening, but I didn't want to watch. It felt like I had been punched in the gut. Like someone had pushed their way through my chest, crushing everything they could reach. I felt like I was going to be sick.
"Kill her." Okami told me. "Kill her now."
I couldn't move.
I felt like I couldn't breathe...
The guy glared, storming away and yelling how Sam would regret it. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, kicking and slamming his hands on whatever was in his way.
Sam ignored him. She just kept kissing Derek until the guy had disappeared. The moment the guy was gone, she yanked herself away from Derek, pushing him back slightly, hacking and spitting onto a patch of grass near her.
"Oh, God! Someone, please, give me some mouthwash!" she begged. "The hetero is getting to me!"
Everyone else just laughed. They couldn't stop laughing, even Harley.
Sam ran the last couple of feet to her car, almost ripping the driver's side door off of the car. She dug around the compartment, every little space she could find, before pulling out a little dispensable mouthwash, gargling and pretending to choke.
"Wow, bad kisser, huh?" Jackson snickered.
"She caught me off guard!" Derek protested.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Boyd smirked.
I practically blocked out everything that was being said. I just couldn't concentrate on the situation anymore. I honestly felt pathetic...
I wrapped my arms around my torso, leaning against the side of Derek car, staring at the ground. I just wanted to erase the entire moment and go home. That was all. I just wanted to move on from the situation.
I heard Sam using her cell, speed dialling a number as we all stood there. I heard Charlie's voice come from the other end of the phone, just like I heard Sam yell about what had happened.
"Oh my God! How was it?" Charlie giggled. "I mean, Derek is kind of a hunk, not a bad looking guy."
"AWFUL!" Sam screamed, pacing over to the other girls, trying to get the scent of Derek off of her. "Such stubble, so manly! I demand your lips as treatment for the hetero I may have been infected with!"
Charlie just said she loved her and she'd see her the next day, clicking off before Sam could protest.
Everyone else just found the situation funnier, mocking both Sam and Derek, almost like they were trying to piss them off.
I just grabbed Harley's hand, muttering something about getting home before the sun went down.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I was laying in bed, just staring up at the ceiling.
That moment just kept running through my head, I couldn't get it to stop. I felt just about ready to cry, like I was going to breakdown like a pathetic, pining child. I tried for hours to think of anything else, tried to think of something that wouldn't make me feel like shit. But nothing worked.
Even thinking of something else that would make me feel like shit didn't work! Not my Dad still running around somewhere, not the trial against Zane and having to see his smug face... My mind just kept going back to the same exact place.
Sighing, I flipped my duvet off of me, pushing until I was sitting up.
All I wanted was to sleep. That was all. Was it so bad that I just wanted to sleep? Was it so bad that I wanted a few hours of thinking about nothing? Then again, if I wanted that, it was probably better if I got wasted as fuck...
Yeah, not the best thing to do right now.
Switching my lamp on, I rubbed my hands over my face, running them through my hair. I just needed something to take my mind off of everything. I needed something, anything, that would occupy me enough to make me forget about what happened.
That was what I needed.
The question was, what?
Looking around my room, I tried to look for anything that seemed like it would be able to work, seemed like it would help me.
That was when I saw the photo album on my bedside table.
Picking it up, I gently ran my hand over the front cover. It was just a simple, black leather cover. That was it. But it meant so much more than just that.
Flipping it open, the first picture I was met with was of Mom and me, the day I was born. She was sat in her hospital bed, he brown hair sticking to her sweaty, red face, smiling widely as she looked down at the bundle in her arms that was me. She just looked so happy, absolute joy lighting up her face... I missed that face.
There was pictures from birthdays, Christmas', Halloweens... Any and all holidays, any and all milestones, had been captured and put in the album. They were pictures I cherished, memories I treasured and wanted to remember for as long as I could.
They were the only happy memories I had until I came back to Beacon Hills.
The next day, the day before my birthday - August 25th - I was hoping it would be a calm day. A day where I wouldn't have to think about what had happened after dinner then night before.
That wasn't the case.
Sam and Charlie were hanging out with us, the redhead bringing up all the crap that had happened. Derek was just ignoring them all, blocking out everything that was being said. It was like he had completely zoned out, retreating inside himself so he couldn't hear anything.
Alright for some...
I, on the other hand, had to sit there and listen to them go on and on. I had to sit there and be reminded of it all, even with an over dramatised re-enactment courtesy of Danny and Jackson.
Charlie found it hilarious, she said how she wished she had been in town to see it happen. I would have happily traded places with her for that one moment.
Whilst they all spoke in the living room, I managed to slip away, moving myself into the kitchen and closing the door. It was the only way I could block out everything they were saying and doing. The silence was, actually, kind of refreshing. I mean, with so many people in the house, it could get extremely loud at times...
Sometimes, silence was needed, you know?
Grabbing a can of cola out of the fridge, I lifted myself onto the counter, leaning back against one of the shallower cupboards. I never would have been able to sit on the counter in Dallas. If I had, it would have gotten me a one way ticket to the basement... I had never thought, in all my life, I would be in a loving home. A home where people actually wanted me. Where I wouldn't be beaten.
Sighing, I closed my eyes, opening the can and taking a small sip. In my head, all that was playing was the evening before. It wouldn't stop, just that one part where Sam kissed him. It was as if it was on a loop, going round and round.
It was torture.
It hurt me. It was this pain that just wouldn't go away.
But I had no idea how to make that happen.
I kept wondering what my Mom would say to me. Kept wondering what advice she would give me if she was still alive. I wondered what my Dad would say, if he was still the Dad I loved, the Dad I had before Mom died. I wondered what any alive, loving parents would say to their child to help them. I would never know and I couldn't even begin to guess...
When the door to the kitchen opened, I almost fell off the counter. It shut again just as quickly as it had opened, with only one person coming into the kitchen.
A Derek scented person, to be exact.
Derek leant against the door, ankles crossed and arms folded loosely over his chest, smiling a little. He just stood there, smiling for a second.
"So this is where your hiding." Derek said.
"I'm not hiding!" I protested.
"Then what are you doing?"
I didn't have a comeback. I didn't know what to say next. I mean, what could I say? 'I'm not hiding, I'm just trying not to think about my best friend kissing the guy I'm in love with'? No. I couldn't say anything like that. That would make me look pathetic and like a complete and utter tit. No, I couldn't say that, I couldn't do that.
"Not yet..." Okami sang.
Nodding, still smiling, Derek pushed off of the door, walking to the other side of the kitchen where I was sitting. He walked calmly, his hands slipping into to pockets of his jeans. He didn't say anything as he walked, just stayed silent and kept an even pace.
Derek leant his side against the counter, next to where I was sitting, leaning his back a fraction so he could look at me easily.
"You haven't been acting like yourself." Derek told me, small smile still on his face. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, yeah! I'm fine!" I grinned.
I regretted saying that the moment it left my mouth.
"I know your lying Stiles. I can hear your heartbeat." Derek said. "If you don't want to say right now, that's fine. But, please, don't lie to me."
Looking into his eyes, even though he kept that small smile on his face, I could see the slight hurt he tried to hide cause by me lying to him. It made me feel more like crap. It made me feel like an asshole.
"Sorry..." I whispered, looking down at the can in my hands and putting it down. "It's just... Habit, you know?
I heard Derek shift beside me. I didn't know what to expect as he moved. I didn't know where he was moving to. I should have expected the hug... It seemed to be his go to when he was with me. He managed to wrap his arms around my waist, somehow slotting between my legs. His scent invaded my senses, no trace of Sam anywhere on him. It made me happier more than it probably should have, but I didn't care. I managed to move my own arms, lifting them to wrap around Derek's neck, resting my forehead on my left arm.
I still couldn't figure out why I seemed to be able to completely relax in Derek's arms. I couldn't figure out when I always felt better when he hugged me. I couldn't figure out why hugging Derek was better than hugging anyone else.
It sounded stupid. Trust me, I knew it did! It sounded completely and utterly stupid. But it was true. That was how I felt, all the time. Ever since the first time he hugged me, that was how it felt.
"I just want you to be ok." Derek told me, resting his head on mine. "I just want you to be happy."
He made it hard not to love him.
Derek
That night, after Harley had gone to bed, Stiles got drunk.
I didn't know where the alcohol had come from.
I didn't know how he drank it without me noticing.
All I knew was that he was absolutely wasted.
He and Sam had exhausted each other by dancing around the room, singing as loud as they could - thank God for soundproofing - before tripping over. Whilst Sam landing on top of Charlie, Stiles landed in my lap.
He did not want to get up. Not that I minded at all... I would have preferred it if he had been sober and actually realised what he was doing, but I would take whatever I could get at that moment.
I had managed to shuffle Stiles around a little so he wasn't sitting in an awkward position and was, hopefully, as comfortable as I was at that point. Yes, everyone else was snickering, joking, but I didn't care. I was happy. They could do or say whatever they wanted, because it did not matter.
I let them all get it out of their system before moving the conversation on. It was easier than I expected, if I was being completely honest.
Of course, after a matter of minutes, Sam took it down a very strange road...
"I'm a Vagetarian!" Sam declared.
"A what?" Scott spluttered.
"A Vagetarian."
"This girl is strange..." Cana whispered.
No one really knew what she was going on about. Well, no one but Charlie that was. But Charlie would know, she was engaged to the little ball of weirdness that was Sam.
"I've seen you eat mean..." Boyd frowned.
"Not a vegetarian, a Vagetarian!" Sam sighed.
"It's another way for her to say she'd a lesbian." Charlie said.
And that still made no sense.
Everyone just stared at her, waiting for a further explanation, just blinking, confused.
"Sam combined the word vagina with the word vegetarian." Charlie grinned.
"D-Does that mean I'm a Cockivore, 'cause I'm gay?" Stiles giggled.
"Yes, yes it does! And Derek is a co-vag-ivore because he's bi!" Sam yelled, excitedly.
I just sat there, looking between everyone like I was at a tennis match.
"Then what are the rest of us?" Jackson asked, tilting his head, confused.
"Jax, you and the guys are Vagetarians like Sam and Charlie. The girls, like me, are Cockivores." Stiles explained, still giggling. "Though they're the only ones that have eaten cock."
I was definitely putting a ban on alcohol in the house...
"I wish I had the ability to get drunk." Peter chuckled.
"You're just grumpy because you haven't been laid." Scott snorted. "Does your dick still even work?"
"You should ask your mother."
It always goes back to Scott's mother...
"I wish I had the ability to wipe this from my memory." I sighed.
"You wish no such thing!" Stiles grinned, snuggling into me.
I had to help Stiles get to his room. He couldn't walk in a straight line, stumbling everywhere. He just grinned, giggling as we walked... He was relatively well behaved, to be honest.
Until his bedroom door was closed.
The moment we were in his room, Stiles moved until he was in front of me, wrapping his arms around my neck. That was fine, I didn't think anything was going to go one beyond that situation.
Then he spoke.
"Derek. Derek, Derek, Derek, Derek, Derek." he whispered. "I, I, am ready to be boyfriends now."
Everything ground to a halt.
I didn't expect that to ever come out of his mouth. I never expected him to ever want that. I never expected that was even a thought in his head. But there was no blip in his heart rate. It didn't rise, it didn't skip, nothing. It was steady. Well, as steady as it could be when he was drunk...
"You, you need to sex me up. Right now!" he grinned.
"Yes please!" Cana snickered.
"You're drunk." I told him.
It was like talking to a brick wall. As I tried to move Stiles away from me, he just clung onto me tighter, trying to pull my shirt up and off of me. He was like an octopus! Somehow he seemed to have more hands than I could stop!
I wished I didn't have to stop him. I wished that I could actually be with him.
But I refused when I knew that, for one, he was drunk and, two, he wasn't ready for it. I didn't want to take advantage and I didn't want him to regret anything he did, especially with me.
I only managed to stop Stiles' hands when he fell backwards onto the bed.
"Stiles. You are drunk." I said, slowly. "As much as I want this, and I do, I want you to be sober and want it too."
Leaning forward, carefully, I pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"Sleep. You're going to need it for tomorrow." I whispered.
Stiles passed out almost instantly.
He didn't let go of me, an iron grip around my hands.
I didn't want to wake him up.
I just lay down next to him, hoping it wouldn't end up being a bad idea.
Stiles
When I woke up, on the morning of my birthday, alone. It was strange, because I remembered Derek being there the night before. Not to mention part of the bed was still a little warm. I could quite easily say that I remembered everything that happened the night before.
I remembered the conversations.
I remembered Derek helping me upstairs.
I remembered what I had said to Derek.
But, most importantly, I remembered what Derek had said to me.
Any embarrassment I would have felt vanished as his words ran through me head. I couldn't stop grinning. If he had actually meant that, if he had actually meant what I thought he meant, then I had been wasting so much time!
I had spent months thinking he was completely straight - I was wrong about that.
I had spent months thinking he would never want to be with me - apparently, I was wrong about that too.
"I'm not wasting any more time." I whispered to myself.
I got out of bed as quickly as I could, the alcohol that had been in my system enough to get me drunk, but not enough to affect me that morning. I practically ran into the bathroom, shedding my pyjamas as I went, flicking on the shower before I started to brush my teeth.
I couldn't stop bouncing on the balls of my feet.
I couldn't do anything fast enough.
All I wanted was to hurry up and get downstairs!
I kept grinning at myself in the mirror, not being able to stop Derek's words from going round in my head. That was the kind of thing I liked going on a loop! The more I thought of it, the happier I got. I mean, it proved both my Dad and me wrong!
My Dad always said that no one would love me. No one would love a fuck up. No one would want me. He would always tell me some variation of that and I believed him. The more he said it, the more I believed him. I never thought anyone would ever be capable of liking me, let alone wanting to have any sort of relationship with me. I thought I was fated to be alone.
But Derek said he wanted it.
I literally jumped down the stairs. At one point, I almost fell down them, my grip on the banister the only thing keeping me up. Both the living room and kitchen doors were open, so it was easy to tell where everyone was.
It was easy to tell where Derek was.
I head straight for the kitchen.
I completely blanked everyone as they called out to me, their voices not even registering.
I noticed nothing else but Derek.
I marched right up to him, his expression getting more and more confused the closer I got. I could see that he was about to ask me something, probably going to ask if I was alright, but I didn't let him.
Grabbing Derek by his shirt, I yanked him down, connecting my lips to his.
For a moment, he was frozen. For a moment, I wondered if I had done the right thing. But then he seemed to catch up with what had happened. He completely relaxed, his arms wrapping around my torso as he pulled me closer. My right hand let go of his shirt, sliding up until I could bury it in his hair, my left only tightening around the material.
I couldn't stop.
I didn't want to stop.
All I wanted was Derek and I didn't care who knew!
I could feel something inside me click as I kissed him. It was almost like a new part of my brain had opened up, like it had been hidden until now, if that even made sense. Everything felt heightened, even more so than I ever knew it to be. Every touch, every brush... It was intoxicating!
We only pulled apart when oxygen was needed.
Derek was grinning, but he just looked so taken aback, like he still couldn't understand what had just happened. His hands were resting on my sides, keeping us close together, as if he thought I was suddenly going to disappear...
Placing my hands on his shoulders, I managed to push Derek back slightly, just enough for me to be able to see his face fully. He had gone bright red and, only then, did I notice the audience of our Pack.
But I didn't care.
"I'm sober and I sure as hell want it too!" I told him.
He just stared at me, his grin somehow getting bigger than it already was.
I never knew it would make him so happy...
Still grinning myself, I managed to worm myself out of his hold, which was worth it when I saw the pouty look on his face, turning around to pick Harley up from where he was standing on his chair at the table, the kid practically jumping.
I lifted the boy up, holding him close to me, listening to him chatter away about how he was helping Boyd make breakfast that morning because, apparently, I wasn't allowed to cook since it was my birthday.
However, I didn't once move more than five feet away from Derek.
Everyone kept asking Derek and I questions. Some were asking if we had been together the entire time; others decided to ask, jokingly, when the wedding was. All of them, however, all seemed to agree that it was about damn time it finally happened.
Isaac was smug, saying how he knew, before any of them, that it would happen. He told them how he knew a lot of things before them... None of them believed him until I said it was true. Of course, Isaac was my favourite Pup. Not that I would tell any of them that.
I sat with Derek in the living room, not bothering to sit in my own armchair like I usually would. I couldn't understand why, but I just didn't want to leave his side.
"Because he's your Mate." Melrakki said, haughtily.
Maybe he was right, maybe it was because of that. I just knew I didn't care. I liked being close to Derek. I liked that I didn't have to keep pretending.
Harley seemed to like it as well. He crawled onto my lap, leaning back into Derek and me, with Phantasia clutched in his hands. Derek didn't seem to mind so much either, gladly wrapping his arms around both Harley and me.
"So, you two are definitely dating now, right?" Allison asked, smiling.
I had no idea what to say.
Did I say yes? Were we actually dating? It was probably something that needed to be talked about, I guess. But, then, what the hell was I supposed to say in response to that?
Derek seemed to be having the same problem.
"Why don't we leave the interrogation for now; wait until they've had a chance to talk?" Peter chuckled. "Besides, we have a birthday to celebrate."
As soon as the words left Peter's mouth, they all jumped up. Boyd went running towards the kitchen, taking Harley with him, yelling something about breakfast. Everyone else went running upstairs, screaming how they were going to get the presents. Watching them all stumbling away, pulling at each other to try and get up the stairs first.
I hadn't seen them act so much like little kids.
Turning slightly, I couldn't stop laughing, hiding my face in Derek's shoulder to try and muffle the sound. Not that it worked all that much.
"I think I'll go keep an eye on them all." Peter sighed, smiling. "They don't seem to be acting their ages right now."
That was one way to put it...
Peter walked up the stairs far calmer than any of the Betas. I could hear him speaking to them, telling them that celebrating a birthday did not include a wrestling bundle... The image that popped into my head just made the situation a lot funnier than it was.
Derek tightened his arms around me slightly. I could feel him shaking lightly, trying to resist laughing. They were just giant children! And I loved it. I loved that they all acted the way they did, I loved that they could be so immature. It made me feel comfortable, in a way.
It didn't really made sense, but it was true...
"They're idiots." Derek snickered. "Complete and utter idiots."
"It's the best!" I snorted.
Derek turned his face down into the top of my head, burying it into my hair. I could feel him grinning. I couldn't remember a time Derek had been so happy... I couldn't remember a time he had smiled and laughed so much.
It warmed me to know he seemed to be this happy.
"Peter's right." Derek admitted, sighing slightly as he leant further back into the cushions of his armchair.
"Right about what?" I asked, still trying to stop laughing.
"We probably need to talk about this all. You know, just to make sure we're both on the same page. That way, neither of us will be worrying about anything we do or say to each other."
"Yeah... That's probably a good idea..."
And it was. It sounded like a great idea.
That way I wouldn't be so anxious that I was overstepping some boundary or another. It would help, even if it only helped a little.
"But we can do that later." Derek told me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Right now, we're celebrating."
Groaning slightly, I slumped down a little, Derek just chuckling slightly.
"BREAKFAST IS READY!" we heard Harley yell from the kitchen.
Yeah... He still hadn't quite got that he didn't have to be so loud for us to hear him.
"Looks like we're needed." I smiled, clambering off of Derek's lap, starting to walk towards the kitchen.
"Hey, wait." Derek called, catching my hand gently and turning me around. "Happy Birthday, Genim."
It was, around, one that afternoon when Sam and Charlie showed up.
I wanted to be pissed at Sam.
I wanted to give her the cold shoulder.
So that was what I tried.
I wasn't going to let Sam get away with kissing Derek. Why should I? She knew how I felt about Derek, she even kept telling me she shipped Derek and me. But then she went and put her mouth on him!
Sure, he was the only single guy that was of age and she didn't see as a father or brother figure, but that excused nothing!
She had violated the Best Friend Code!
That kind of shit deserved some form of punishment!
Sam bounded into the living room, screaming Happy Birthday at the top of her lungs. She flung her arms around my neck, leaning so far forward onto the couch that her feet were, literally, off of the ground.
She only moved off me when she noticed the lack of a reaction she got from me.
"Stiles?" she frowned. "Everything alright?"
"You really think everything would be alright with him, after you tongue fucked his man?" Lydia scoffed. "Please, I cut a bitch out of my life in Senior Year just for thinking she could touch Jackson. She went from Popular Girl to a Wannabe in a matter of hours."
I couldn't see what look Sam had on her face. I just stared straight ahead, arms folded over my chest, ignoring Sam as best as I possibly could.
It was going to take a lot to make it up to me.
"Then I guess Stiles won't want his present." Sam sighed. "Isn't like we got him anything to do with gaming. You know, like what we were talking about the other week."
Yeah, that would do it...
"SAMMY, MY BESTEST FRIEND!" I yelled, jumping off of the couch and grabbing her in a bear hug.
Come on, I wasn't going to pass up on what sounded like an awesome present.
It was the first time in a long time I had celebrated my birthday.
It was the first time in a long time I had presents.
It was the first time in a long time I felt like my birthday was something good.
I hadn't expected to get so many things. I thought that, maybe, I'd get one or two from each couple, at most, but I was dead wrong. I had a whole stack from each couple. I had a whole stack from Deaton. I had a whole stack from Peter and Harley as a pair. I had a whole stack from Derek.
It was overwhelming, to say the least.
I had no idea what to do. For a while, I just sat there staring, trying to make sense of it all. It was uncomfortable, this slightly awkward tension hanging in the air as everyone waited for me to make my move, waited for me to start making my way through all the things they had bought. Things they had bought, for me.
I wasn't used to that.
Everyone was just smiling at me, Peter ready with his camera for a moment he deemed necessary to capture and keep. They were all waiting, almost excited for me to begin opening the things they had found me.
My heart thumped slowly.
A lump stuck in my throat.
I could feel my eyes burning...
I need to leave.
"I need another drink." I breathed, looking away from them all. "Anyone else need one?"
I didn't get a reply. I took it to mean no, so I left with my cup in my hand. I fast walked away from them all, making my way into the kitchen and shutting the door behind me, softly.
For a moment, I leant against the door, an intense pressure sitting on my chest as I tried to breathe through it. I couldn't understand what was wrong with me. I didn't know why I was getting so emotional! I used to have a handle on them all, I used to be able to convince anyone I was as emotional as a robot. Now... Now, I wouldn't be able to convince a baby that that was the case.
I was a wreck, everyday. Nightmares, little thoughts I would have during the day... Whatever it was, I couldn't get through the day without breaking down even just a little.
And it was happening again, on my birthday.
All because of presents.
Pushing off of the door, I walked further into the kitchen. I placed my cup in the sink, gripping the edge of the counter as I stared down into the metal bowl. I needed a way to calm down, I needed a way to just chill out, so I could go back into the room that was full of my friends - my family.
I didn't know how.
Slowly, I lowered myself to the ground, not letting go of the counter until my knees hit the floor. I turned slightly, pushing myself as hard as I could into the corner of the counter, dragging my knees up to my chest.
The moment I could feel my eyes well up, I placed my forehead to my knees, pressing my hands down on the back of my head. I couldn't understand why I was reacting this way. I never wanted them to get me anything. Even when I used to celebrate my birthday, I never wanted anyone to get me anything. I always felt bad about it. I never felt like I deserved it. I mean, why should I get something just for being born? How was that even a thing?
But that didn't explain why I was sitting on the floor, crying about it...
It was seconds before I heard the kitchen door open, shutting softly. I already knew who it was. I could smell his scent getting closer and closer.
"I would say I was feeling a bit of déjà vu," Derek said, gently, sitting himself down next to me. "But, last time, you weren't sitting on the floor, upset."
Derek wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer to him. I let myself fall into him; kept going until my head hit his chest. He just held me tightly; it felt like he was completely surrounding me.
"I don't- I can't-" I sobbed. "Derek..."
The Alpha wolf practically dragged me onto his lap. It almost reminded me of after we saved Sam from Veronica, when she was passed out on Deaton's table, when I had completely broken drown. He huddled me as close to himself as possible, his arms almost hiding me entirely from view.
I felt safe like that.
I felt protected.
"It's alright, Gen. Everything's alright. You're fine." Derek whispered. "It's understandable."
"Then why don't I understand?!" I croaked, trying to force myself to stop.
"No one does, when it's about themselves. You're just not used to this, Gen. You've gotten used to what happened in Dallas; you've gotten used to looking after everyone else, making sure they're happy. You never think about you; you never want anything out of it. You're just a little overwhelmed."
"But why?"
I curled my hands into Derek's shirt, grasping hold as hard as I could. I just wanted to understand what was going on with me. I just wanted to understand what was going on in my head. I just wanted to understand!
"Probably because you're still not used to people caring about you again." Derek told me. "We're never going to stop caring about you, Gen."
It took me a few minutes to calm down. It probably would have taken longer if Derek wasn't there with me... The minute I was composed, I breathed, grabbing a drink before walking back into the living room with Derek, taking my seat on the floor again, with everyone else.
No one commented on what happened.
No one asked why it looked like I had been crying.
No one questioned anything.
They just acted like nothing happened.
God, I love them.
Harley shuffled closer to my side, leaning against me, lightly, after I got myself settled, placing the can behind me. I glanced towards the large pile of gifts. I had no idea where to begin; no idea what I was supposed to do.
Then I had a present shoved onto my lap.
I looked up in time to see Sam rocking back onto her heels. She gave me this kind of smirk, waiting for me to start opening it, since I didn't have the make the choice anymore of where to start.
I peeled the paper slowly, trying to make as little noise as I could - not that that worked. I would keep glancing up, looking at someone every now and then to try and gage their reactions.
They were patient with me.
They didn't try to rush me.
They let me take my time.
Sam and Charlie, in total, gave me: a PlayStation 4, an Xbox One and, about, five games for both consoles. Apparently Sam knew a guy in the UK that got her a good deal... She tried to convince me that it 'wasn't much' - I almost shook her to get it into her head that, yes, it was a lot! It was far more than she and Charlie should have got me!
Deaton, though he hadn't been able to come to the house on the day, had somehow managed to pass the gifts I had told him not to get me onto Derek and Peter, so I could open them even though he couldn't visit. There were four cardboard boxes, all of them filled to the brim with books. Half were on the Supernatural, and the other half were fiction books. Some were books I had read, some were books I had never even seen before. Some were in English, some were in Greek, some were in Latin and Archaic Latin... It ranged, depending on the book and what it contained. He was definitely going to get a piece of my mind, considering how much everything would cost.
Erica and Boyd got me recording equipment. Microphone, stand, cables, a DI box, pop shield, the works... I had software - Logic ProX - on my laptop already, so I could create tracks and record no problem. The equipment were the pieces of the puzzle I was missing. They thought that, maybe, I could start recording my own things at home, if I didn't get a chance to in our actual class. Again, they were reprimanded.
Lydia and Jackson got me a bunch of amazing art supplies. Canvases, pencils, paints, pastels, charcoal, drawing pads, you name it... All this art stuff, more than I had ever had in my life time! And not the shitty things you find in preschools or anything. It was proper professional stuff. It was ridiculous to me, seeing it all laid out in front of me was almost surreal. Before I even opened my mouth, Jackson just shrugged and said he didn't just want to waste in inheritance... They were still scolded.
Scott and Allison got me Sherlock stuff - the Benedict Cumberbatch version. Posters, shirts, a version of the skull Sherlock keeps, including little figurines, amongst other things. They even got me my very own Sherlock style deerstalker hat, along with the entire series thus far! The hat went straight onto my head before anything could be said about it. Just like the others, they got rebuked.
Isaac and Danny got me the box set of the TV show Supernatural, from season one all the way up to the most recently released season. Not only this, but I got some pretty sweet merchandise, including four Pop Vinyl dolls of Sam, Dean, Castiel and Gabriel. I tugged on the hoodie, I put on the Samulet... I was Fanboying to the extreme, but I was still able to tell the two off.
Peter and Harley got me a few things. Harley drew me a few pictures that, I assumed, Peter had put in frames. They got me Harry Potter merchandise - t-shirts, scarves, a wand pen... I couldn't keep track of them all. They didn't stick to one house, mixing and matching all four. That was fine by me, I liked each of the houses. Of course they got, figurative, slaps on their wrists.
Derek, I had no idea what to expect from him. I could say for definite that I did not expect the first thing I opened. It was the glass rose that I saw in Cyprus. It had been encased in a ton of bubble wrap, laying delicately in the middle. He had gotten me a bunch of the Manga and Anime I had told them all about. Ready for me to force them all to watch. Ready for me to read and fall even more in love with the characters. I couldn't actually believe I could read them, could watch them without getting a baseball bat to the head, or a belt to the back. He had gotten me a blood red leather jacket with a soft, purple, material hood attached to it. Apart from the colour and the hood, it looked almost exactly the same as the own Derek owned himself. He knew I liked it, he knew I was thinking of buying one of my own. I didn't have a chance to scold him before the last gift was showed into my hands.
Deaton, Peter and Derek actually came together for the last one. It was a photo album. Every photo was from when I lived in Beacon Hills, before I had to up and leave to Dallas. Photos of Derek and me. Photos of the Hale family, Deaton and my Mom. Photos of everything and everyone. Some moments in the pictures I remembered, others I couldn't. Every picture had a caption - the date; the people, in order, from left to right; a couple of lines explaining what was going on. The moment those photos finished, it jumped straight to after I had moved into the house. Photos of all of us at the house, photos from our holiday to Paphos, photos from birthdays and Christmas... It was one of the, if not the, most valuable gift I had gotten that day.
Smiling, I felt a tear slide down my cheek.
Charlie and Boyd took charge of food.
I refused to go out anywhere, telling them all we should just stay home and get some take out, or something. Boyd and Charlie, when they had heard that, had decided to take on the food job themselves.
Boyd brought his skills from the bakery, taking charge of any baked goods, as well as, apparently, my cake. Charlie took on dinner and I had no idea what she was making.
No one would let me in the kitchen.
No one would let me help out.
It frustrated me. I was used to doing everything myself; I was used to looking after, not being looked after. It was weird to me, I had no idea what I was supposed to do with myself, other than sit there with the others.
In the end, Harley ended up sitting on me, Derek by my side with his arm around me. I never used to like being touched. I never wanted to be touched by anyone. I hadn't felt like that in months. I actually welcomed being hugged, I welcomed a pat on the back...
It was still so strange to me.
"I don't understand why I'm not allowed to see." I muttered, letting myself slump against Derek's side.
"Because it's a surprise!" Harley beamed. "That's what Uncle Peter told me."
I could feel the change in Derek when Harley called Peter, Uncle Peter. Not his body language, but his emotions. I didn't get it through scent. I could literally feel his the change in emotions. He wasn't upset, he was far from upset. Derek actually kind of liked it.
It was like this warm, almost bubbly feeling wrapping around me...
"Uncle Peter told you that?" Derek smiled, brushing the back of Harley's head with the palm of his hand. "Did he tell you what a surprise is, Bud?"
"Yuh-huh! He said it meant you keep a good thing a secret from someone so, when they find out, they don't expect it and are really happy." Harley told us. "Is that right? Did I explain that right?""
"Yeah, yeah that's right, Bud."
All the while, I just watched Peter's surprised face on the other side of the room, listening to every word the kid said.
It wasn't that long after the conversation with Harley that I was actually allowed into the kitchen. We all sat down at the table, homemade pizza spread out in front of all of us. I hadn't expected my favourite food to appear in the kitchen. And it was just, like, one type of pizza. It was many different types of pizza.
I was sure it was as close to pizza heaven as I would get!
"This looks amazing..." I grinned.
"It'll taste even better." Sam laughed. "Trust me."
The second everyone was around the table, we started eating. Everyone took a slice of each pizza, passing plates so everyone could actually reach all of the food. Plates were piled high, large slices coming off either side of the plates we had them on.
They was so much cheesy goodness!
"Best. Twentieth. Birthday. Ever!" Okami yelled, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth a little.
"This is the only twentieth birthday we'll have, Dumbass." Melrakki sighed. "But I must agree, this is a damn good birthday."
"Don't call me a Dumbass, you oversized squirrel!"
Rolling my eyes as subtly as I could, I just tucked in.
Now, the pizza was better than I could have imagined it being. It was one of the best homemade versions of takeout food that I had ever tasted since I could start eating solid food.
I could probably go as far as to say it was the best pizza I had eaten.
"Charlie... You gotta teach me how to make this." I told her. "Seriously, I've never made pizza like this before."
"Only if you teach me how to make a few things in return." Charlie smiled. "I need to widen my repertoire of recipes."
"You, my friend, have got yourself a deal!"
It was, about, an hour after dinner that Boyd and Charlie reset the table. This time, with dessert food. So I actually got to see the cake Boyd had been working on. It was the first time I had actually be allowed to even catch a sniff of the cake, let alone a look at it.
The cake was an exact replica of the mural I had painted in my room.
Right in the middle, was a silver moon. To the left of it, was a stark white wolf neck and head, it's right eye showing in a bright red. To the right of it, was an orange, brown, white and black fox neck and head, it's left eye showing in a bright purple. Behind it all was a grey and black sky, clouds almost misting behind them. Above it all, in red and purple, large block letters, instead of the word CHANGE, was the words: HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, STILES.
It was amazing.
Boyd had a real skill.
The candles casted a slight shadow on the cake in the darkness of the kitchen, almost brightening up the eyes of the wolf and fox. It was absolutely beautiful, better than anything I would have ever been able to make. And I told him as much.
The moment the candles were out and the lights were back on, I got Harley to kneel on his chair. I got him to curl his hand around the handle of the knife I was using to cut the cake, my own hand on top of his. I got Harley to help me cut the cake, for no reason other than I wanted him to help me. There was nothing wrong with that, Harley was keen to help me, so I saw no problem with it. No one had a problem with it.
The inside of the cake was layers of red and purple, just like my eyes. It was just simple food colouring, but the colour was so vibrant, so bright. It was an unexpected pleasure.
I looked up at Boyd.
He was anxious, that much I could tell without his scent. It was the first time that any of us had seen his work, so of course he was nervous! I would be nervous! Just like I was when I showed them some of my art.
So I hugged him.
I walked up to the kid and hugged him. I told him that it was the best looking thing I had ever seen.
And that was the truth.
The cake looked absolutely fantastic and, if that was the sort of work he produced, I wouldn't be surprised if he made a killing with his products.
I was proud of him.
We all went to bed rather late that night. It was so late that Charlie and Sam took one of the spare rooms, a room that had, pretty much, become theirs for when they were at the house.
Derek had helped me carry all of my gifts to my room, placing them all near my desk for me to sort out another day. With just the two of us in my room, everyone else asleep or getting ready to sleep, with no chance of them walking in, the air around the two of us changed slightly. Not in a bad way, definitely not in a bad way. Just different.
Derek placed the last of my gifts on my desk, turning to face me with a small, almost shy, smile. He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand shuffling slightly from foot to foot. I knew what he wanted to ask, he just didn't know how to bring it up.
"We can talk about it now, if you'd like." I told him, softly.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
Nodding slightly, Derek relaxed a little. I got him to sit on my bed, sitting on it myself, facing him. This time, I let Derek take his time. I allowed him to sort out his head and just waited for him to feel able to articulate his thoughts.
He bit his lip at little, dragging the flesh through his teeth over and over again. It got to the point where I could start to smell a trace amount of blood. I pushed myself onto my knees, getting myself closer to Derek. I lifted my hand, cupping his cheek and carefully pulling his lip from his teeth. It was a deep red, small spots of blood appearing from the skin from where his canines had started to pierce it.
I didn't move.
I didn't move my hand from his face.
I just sat there, in front of him, on my knees, just looking into his eyes. Staring into the deep, forest green colour of his iris'.
Derek lifted his hand, covering my own that was on his face, running his thumb over my knuckles. He started to relax a little more, his shoulders unwinding little by little.
"I just... I just want to know you want this." Derek said, quietly. "That you actually want to be with me. In an actual relationship."
"Derek, I've been attracted to you since the beginning. When I first saw you in the university's parking lot, in my head because I didn't know your name, I was referring to you as 'Hot Guy'." I told him. "I realised I was attracted to you the night after Thanksgiving and it was more than just your looks. I've wanted to be with you for months, but I thought you were straight and, even if you did like guys, that there would be no chance in hell you would want me. I didn't even know you were bisexual until Peter told me, when we were in Paphos!"
I watched Derek's eyes widen slightly, I watched as the words started sinking into his heads.
"Every accidental kiss, I didn't want to run away. I wanted to stay, but I was scared I thought you didn't want it. And I was scared because... Well, I thought I would change you. I thought it was my fault that Dad and Zane turned on me, that it was something I did." I explained. "I didn't want the same to happen to you, I didn't want you to turn out like them because of me. I mean, sure, after everything that happened in Dallas, I realised it wasn't my fault but, before that, that was what I thought. So, trust me, I do want this, Derek. I mean, Okami and Melrakki keep telling me your my Mate and I wanted to rip Yiannis apart for being near you and I wanted to do the same to Sam for kissing you."
Looking down, I stared down at my knees.
"I don't even know what they mean by you being my Mate..." I muttered. "They won't tell me."
Derek's hand found its way under my chin, gently coaxing my head up to look at him again. The moment I was looking at him again, he pressed his lips to mine. It was so gentle, it felt like a soft brush of skin on skin.
Both of my hands drifted to the back of his neck, just like Derek's arms wrapped around me as softly as he could. He shifted himself closer to me slowly, moving until there was barely any space between us.
He always seemed to be so gentle. All the time, with me, he was always gentle. It was a complete one eighty from what I was previously used to.
It was addictive.
"I can explain it, if you want." Derek whispered against my lips. "I can tell you what you need to know."
"Tell me?" I murmured.
"It means I'm yours. And you're mine. Real wolves Mate for life - so do werewolves. The way it was explained to me was, it's like there's a missing piece inside you. And empty space that nothing can fill, apart from your Mate. Your Mate makes you complete. A Mate is like what humans think of as soul mates. That one person that was made specifically for them."
"And you're mine?"
"Yes. Just like your mine."
It was hard trying to get to sleep.
I didn't know what was wrong with me. I just kept tossing and turning, staring up at the ceiling. It was aggravating, uncomfortable. Almost like that itch you just can't scratch. It was like the time Okami was bugging me to let him out.
It got to the point where I just wanted to go for a run.
I wanted to put on some shoes, leave the house and just run.
But I didn't think that would help.
All I wanted to do was sleep. That was all I wanted to do. I wanted to lay down, close my eyes and sleep. I just needed to get rid of the itch but, to do that, I needed to find out what was causing the itch.
That was when Derek came into my room.
He knocked on the door, walking in shortly after. He closed to door quietly, leaning against the wall. I sat myself up, slicking the switch on my lamp so I could see him easily, watching him watching me with a small smile on his face.
"Can't sleep either, huh?" I asked him, mirroring his smile.
"Something like that." he chuckled. "I could also feel your frustration."
"How?"
"We're kind of linked. If your emotion is strong enough, I'll be able to feel it. Just like you'll be able to do with me."
Derek pushed off of the wall, walking closer to me. He sat down on the edge of my bed, leaning his elbows on his knees. He looked at me from over his shoulder, smile still on his face.
For a second, we just sat there in silence, just looking at each other. It wasn't uncomfortable, just quiet. Peaceful.
The itch started to go.
It didn't take long for Derek to lie down next to me, especially after he realised I wouldn't mind him doing so. Falling asleep was very easy after that.
Now to work on Part 2!
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