Stiles sleeps through the day and the following night. His body exhausted. Used in the best of ways. He dreams of nothing, his sleep the most restful he's had in years.
He wakes the following morning against a cool, rock hard chest. Stiles smiles. Mumbles out "good morning", his voice rough, slow.
"Morning." James replies quietly, stroking Stiles' hair out of his face. "Want breakfast?" He asks just one tiny second before Stiles' stomach answers for him. James smiles against Stiles' hair. "Let's get you something to eat, then." The vampire whispers and gently nudges Stiles off of him. "Come on." He says, getting off the bed. Stiles sighs, stretches like a cat, elongates the moment as much as possible. His stomach rumbles again and James smirk. "Let's go, human. You need nourishment." Stiles squeaks as if insulted.
"Like you don't." James lifts one perfect eye brow at him.
"I can go for days without nourishment." Stiles gapes. "There are perks to being a supernatural creature." James shrugs and walks away, out of the bedroom.
"Wait for me!" Stiles yells, kicking the sheets off of himself. He tangentially realizes that he's wearing clothes. He can't remember when he got dressed. And cleaned. He feels clean. What happened while he was out cold?
"We took care of you." Derek grins as he crosses those godly arms over his chest, leaning on their bedroom door frame. Stiles jumps on the spot, a spontaneous curse leaving his lips in the same instant.
"What the fuck?"
"You were muttering." Derek smirks but moves forward and places a chase kiss on Stiles' lips making him forget everything. His stomach rumbles again.
"Food." Stiles says smartly.
"Come get it!" Scott yells from somewhere, most likely in the kitchen. Stiles grins but goes downstairs.
"Coffee!" He lets out on a yawn. Kira pats his head as he sits at the breakfast corner where James hands him a steaming cup of pure brown heaven. A little pain shoots up his spine as he sits down - a sweet reminder of how Derek claimed him the last time he was conscious and a blush creeps up his cheeks.
"You stink!" Scott says bluntly. Stiles' eyes widen over the edge of the mug.
"You guys said..." He turns to James. Derek sits on his other side. Boyd snickers from where he's perched on the window sill, Erica in his lap. Stiles blushes deep red.
"They did. But it's still not enough..." Jackson crinkles his nose at Stiles. Lydia jabs an elbow in Jackson's side. "What? It's true!"
"It very well may be, but you're rude. Shush!" She admonishes. Stiles sticks his tongue out at Jackson, face returning to his coffee mug as Lydia gives him the stink eye.
"So what d'I miss?" Stiles asks with his face still half buried in the heavenly mug.
"We spoke to Deaton while you were asleep." Isaac pipes out from the counter where he's keeping Allison company while she fries eggs for the whole pack. Scott nods. "He says that it sounds like the Alpha Pack is after James."
"Alpha Pack?" Stiles asks incredulously. "How does that even work?" Derek sighs at his side.
"They choose a leader willingly." He answers, instinctively knowing Stile' meaning.
"You know of them?" Stiles turns to his side to look Derek in the eyes. Derek nods, his left hand cupping the back of Stiles' neck, as if to anchor himself. Stiles sighs, turns to his other side. Takes James' hand into his own. "What do you know?" Stiles asks Derek, leaning into the beta's touch, while still facing the vampire, holding his hand.
"Deaton said his sister once was the emissary of one of their packs..." Scott begins. "They all killed their packs... To gain power... all of their packs... including their emissaries..." Scott sounds miserable and Kira sits on his lap, hiding her face in the juncture of Scott's neck and shoulder.
"So... Deaton's sister..." Stiles begins.
"Dead." Derek finishes. "They kill everything in their path. Gain power from it."
"What about the leader...?" Stiles asks and tightens his grip on James' hand when he feels the vampire shiver slightly at his side. Derek gets up. Moves to James' other side. Crowds him in as he speaks. Stiles watches him move, a small smile forming on his lips seeing his mate's reaction.
"The leader is chosen freely. At least that's what wolf-lore says. He or She triples his or her power after being chosen. I don't know very much else..."
"Deaton says they're dangerous..." Isaac speaks up again.
"I don't see why we have to risk our necks for an useless leach..." Jackson pipes up, his face blank, void of feeling, as usual. Derek growls the very second. James makes himself smaller.
"Because he's MY MATE!" Stiles jumps off the chair. "Mine and Derek's. And he's pack." Everyone is staring at Stiles. "You wouldn't want them after Lydia, now would you?!"
"Stiles." Scott warns. Lydia pins him down with a dangerous look, arms crossed over her chest. Jackson looks right into Stiles' eyes.
"No..." He relies almost inaudible. Stiles nods.
"Then it's settled." Stiles says. Turns to look at James, who's staring up at him with crimson red eyes. Derek's blue ones watch him, too. Stiles turns to Scott, his body already reacting to those looks. "How do we stop them?"
"We can't..."
"How. Do. We. Stop. Them." Stiles asks again, each word like a punch in the pack's face.
"Deaton said something about wolfsbane..." Isaac says quietly, coming up behind Scott, a plate of scrambled eggs in his hand. Lydia gets up quietly to go help Allison with the rest of the food. Kira kisses Scott's cheek and gets up to help as well. Erica pecks Boyd's cheek and joins the other women. Stiles watches them. He wants to follow but Scott speaks up and draws his attention to the discussion at hand.
"Yes. Deaton said that we could trap them with wolfsbane and then get Allison to shoot them with a silver arrow. That might help. But he's not sure it can stop the Alpha of the pack." James pulls his legs up onto the seat, hugs his knees. Derek pulls him in with a strong arm over his shoulders, Stiles places his hand on James' knee cap.
"We need an emissary to trap them with the powder..." Isaac says while looking at Stiles.
"I'll do it." Stile says almost the very second.
"No, you won't." Derek growls, eyes flashing bright blue. Stiles turns to him with a gasp. "You will NOT put yourself in danger." He growls. Scott's jaw is on the floor. Quite frankly, everyone's jaw is on the floor.
"Excuse me?" Stiles squeaks out.
"You're my mate. I can't allow you to..."
"You can't allow me?" Stiles squeaks again. "Excuse you! I am NOT five for you to allow me anything!" Stiles flails wildly, narrowly missing braining James with one of his hands
"Stiles... you're human..." Derek tries to explain. Scott groans and shakes his head incredulously. Big mistake the Alpha mutters.
"HUMAN... HUMAN!?" Stiles' voice has gone almost two whole octaves higher than normal. "I'll have you know I may be HUMAN but I am by no means DEFENSELESS!" Stiles booms. Derek's eyes flash blue again, his fangs elongate.
"You are defenseless against a pack of Alphas." He growls in a low voice, complete opposite of Stiles' high pitch.
"Oh! I will defend myself all right! I'll fucking break off an extra-large branch of mountain ash, wrap it up in wolfsbane, roll it in mistletoe and shove it so far up their freaking asses they'll taste the other end of it on their tongues! You can't tell me..."
"ENOUGH!" Scott yells, eyes red, fists punching the table. Stiles shuts up out of being fully caught by surprise while Derek succumbs to his Alpha's will. A pregnant quiet falls over the kitchen. Kira breaks the awkwardness by setting down a plate of food. Stiles doesn't even notice what it is.
"Derek." The Alpha mate says in a quiet voice. "You can't tell Stiles to stay behind. He'll want to protect his mate, just like you want to protect them." Derek looks down at his hands, twining his fingers in his lap. He looks almost like a six year old child being told off by his mother. Kira smiles warmly and turns to Stiles. She catches his hand on the table top before going on. "Stiles, you can't blame Derek for wanting to protect you." Stiles nods.
"But I can blame him for his choice of words." Stiles answers quietly, all fight and anger gone from his body as if Kira had just sucked it out of him with just that one simple touch.
"I'm sorry." Derek whispers and it's almost too small for Stiles' human ears to catch. Stiles turns to watch him. Derek looks miserable. His eyes are cast down. He won't meet Stiles' eyes. James looks at Stiles pleadingly. Stiles nods at the vampire. Kira lets go of Stiles' hand.
"It's not ok. We're going to talk about this further. Like normal people. But I understand and forgive you." Derek looks at him through his lashes. "And I WILL be the one to throw the wolfsbane." Derek's eyes flash beta blue again, but he says nothing. Stiles nods.
"Good. Now that THAT is settled." Erica pipes out, a little more than just an ounce of sarcasm lacing her tone. "We can EAT. I'm starving!" Stiles turns to her. Somehow the table has been filled with food as he was wrapped up in settling his first fight with Derek. Everyone takes their spot and starts digging in. Stiles does the same, though it's only his body seeking sustenance, as his mind races over the morning's events.
He gets Derek. He really does. Of course the wolf would want to protect his mate. Especially since Stiles knows he's only human and vulnerable. But he's far from useless. He can do some spells and Deaton has been teaching him this and that and he knows for sure that he CAN work with wolfsbane, mountain ash and mistletoe. He may not have claws, but he has magic. He can be useful. He can! And he will! No matter how many fights he's gonna have with Derek on the subject. Stiles is NOT going to be left behind like some kind of housewife while his mates go to war.
He chews with purpose, ripping into the food on his plate until a warm hand covers his forearm. Stiles blinks. Everyone has finished breakfast and has left him and Derek alone. Even James is gone. Stiles meets the werewolf's sad hazel eyes.
"I just want to know you're safe..." Derek says without preamble.
"Derek..." Stiles sighs. Derek shrugs. Stiles lets him speak, knowing just how hard it is for Derek to open up and put his feelings into words.
"I won't be able to fight them off knowing you're without protection... I need to be able to fight... Please, Stiles... Please stay back..." Derek pleads and his eyes are filled with emotion. Stiles has never seen him look so vulnerable. His heart is aching knowing he's about to break Derek's heart. He laces his fingers with Derek's, over his own forearm.
"Derek." Stiles sighs. "You know I can't." He holds Derek's gaze in spite of the pain growing in his chest. "I'm the only one who can work wolfsbane. Allison has to shoot arrows. Kira needs to whiled her sword and Lydia needs to focus on paralyzing them. I am the only one who can do this, Derek. You know it." Derek looks away.
"Stiles... I... won't be able to focus... my wolf will want to protect you first..." Stiles releases Derek's fingers in favor of caressing the werewolf's face, cupping his cheek.
"I promise to have Deaton help me with wards against them." Derek lifts his eyes to meet Stiles'. "I won't be a burden. I'll be an asset." Derek smirks.
"Well, you certainly are an ass..." A spark of amusement colors the depths of Derek's hazel eyes. Stiles gasps and gently slaps his bicep.
"You like my ass." Stiles grins in return.
"I do." Derek admits without hesitation. "And I want it in one piece..." Stiles sighs. Places his forehead on Derek's. "To take it apart whenever I please..." Derek adds quietly after a moment.
"GODDAMMIT DEREK! TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" Erica yells from some other room of the house.
"You shouldn't be listening to other people's PRIVATE conversations then." Stiles says calmly, only yelling out the private part of his sentence. He hears Boyd laughing and telling her it serves her right. Stiles turns back to Derek. "We need to make a plan. Before they come. We need to know how many wolves are in the pack. Train..." Derek nods.
"YOU need to train." Derek says with resignation. "If you're adamant about fighting, then, you should, at least, have the skills to protect yourse...mph!" He doesn't get to finish the sentence as Stiles crushes their lips together in a soul melting kiss that Derek answers with gusto.