Stiles stayed under Derek, kissing him for another few minutes before rolling him over so Derek was on his back in the bed, and then climbed up and left the room with a quiet "I'll be right back."
He came back with a warm washcloth and a towel. He sat on the bed and touched the sticky t-shirt Derek was wearing, his eyebrow raised in question, and Derek nodded. Permission granted he helped Derek sit up and pull the shirt off, without making more of a mess. When his hands slid down to the damp sweat pants he hesitated for a moment before Derek's hands started pulling them off. He might have choked just a little at his first look at Derek fully naked, but he only spent a few seconds... okay several seconds, ogling before he began wiping him off with the warm washcloth. He dried him off and then pulled Derek over, so he could examine the mark on his neck.
The actual bite was healed, but there was still a livid bruise colored hickey that he was almost equal parts ashamed and proud of. He wiped across it; cleaning off the blood and cum that was starting to crust on it.
"It's still in there, you know." Derek said softly. Stiles must have shown his confusion, because he went on, "You and me. Not a lot, but enough stays as it heals. I'm going to smell like you now. A new undertone of Stiles in my scent." He was smiling softly, but Stiles was...
Stiles was freaking the fuck out. "I'm sorry." He said, looking like he wanted to cry.
Derek, who had been almost petting the mark, unconsciously, jerked at his words. "What?"
"I didn't ask. You wanted to take this slow and I didn't fucking bother to ask about permanently altering you."
Derek's face eased up then, and he asked Stiles a question, which threw him. "Did you think about doing that, Stiles? Did you decide biting me was a plan, and then think hey let's douse it in cum?"
"What? No, I wasn't thinking, like normal. It just seemed like..." His voice faded off as realization came to his eyes. "Scenting and marking."
"Which are instinctive and right. You didn't do anything wrong, I promise."
"Shit, what about the other Alphas? One kiss dropped the wolf last night into fight mode. Did I just paint a target on you?" Stiles asked, worried mind already trying to think of ways to protect his mate.
"I don't know, for sure what another wolf will sense. I mean I'm still fairly covered in your scent. I think we're going to have to talk to Peter. None of the others have his control over their senses, or the knowledge to understand what they're sensing."
"Let me get cleaned up and we'll head over to talk to him." Stiles said, before looking down and realizing Derek was still naked. "Um, did you want to throw your clothes back on, or borrow something clean?"
"My stuff's fine, I can always change once I get back to the apartment." Derek stood up and started tracking down all his clothes.
Stiles nodded and then climbed out of the bed. Taking a deep breath, he stripped without looking at Derek, wiped himself off and then pulled on a pair of boxers and jeans. While Derek was getting dressed, he remade the bed and gathered all the dirty clothes. It was a little after Noon by the time they left the house.
When they got moving, Stiles asked something he'd been wondering since realizing what he'd done to Derek. "How do wolves scent and mark humans?" He asked quietly.
"There are a few different ways. If you're not the Alpha you would bite your mate. But traditionally it's the dominant partner who marks the submissive, to show who they belong to." He said, quietly.
"Dude, do I ever do anything traditionally? If you're mine, then I'm yours, and I want people to know it." Stiles looked over at Derek, who beamed back at him before continuing.
"I remember reading something about a tattoo. Maybe scenting the ink before it's used. I think it's another thing we'll have to ask Peter about."
"I wonder if we could do the tattoo without ink, like with the scent alone. At least until I'm 18, I really don't want to cause my dad to have a heart attack over me being tattooed, but I want to be scent marked, as soon as possible."
Derek rubbed his hand along Stiles neck, distracting him until they both heard horns and Derek grabbed the wheel to pull them back into their lane. "Oops. Maybe I should wait on doing that, until we're parked."
"Maybe you should wait until we're in a bed." Stiles said with an over done leer and then a smile.
When they arrived, Derek directed him to a garage door with a keypad. Derek jumped out and punched in his code, before climbing back in while the door raised. "If I'm going to be living here long I'll get one of the door sensors for the Jeep." He said before directing Stiles along the garage to where the Camaro was sitting. He pulled in next to it, and then shut the Jeep off.
One look at the Camaro had Stiles scrambling out of the Jeep and rushing around to Derek's side. Derek turned to see what he wanted, but quickly found himself spun around and leaning against his own car. Stiles pressed against him, and darted in for a kiss, hands sliding up to cup his neck and down to the small of his back, holding Derek in place. When he pulled back, Derek was looking pleased, but very confused.
Stiles just smiled, cheeks a little pink as he explained. "I've wanted to do that every time I've seen you next to that car." He took Derek's hand and they headed for the elevator.
Derek barely has the key in the door before it's jerked open by Peter. "Where the HELL have you been?" He stepped back tilting his head, obviously sniffing at them. "I never expected you'd have an issue with follow through, Derek."
"I'm fairly sure I made it perfectly clear how much this wasn't any of your business, Peter." Stiles snarled at him, stepping in front of Derek.
There was a note of approval in Peter's eyes, before he continued. "It wouldn't be, if you two hadn't let the Alpha pack know you were in the process of mating."
"What's happened?" Derek asked, eyes flashing.
"The wolf you two tangled with last night made it back to the pack. Apparently he was barely alive and covered in another Alpha's pheromones, and since he reported that the two of you left together, the pack is assuming you followed instincts and mated." Peter sneered slightly before catching the glower on Stiles' face and thinking better of it.
"How did you find this out, exactly. I some how doubt you get the Alpha Pack newsletter." Stiles asked.
"Most of it I beat out of the Alpha I helped Isaac and Scott protect Jackson from." Peter replied.
"Why was it after Jackson, some kind of retaliation, because they think they lost their prize?" Derek asked, furiously.
"Apparently, he's the second place trophy. Jackson's an Omega. I should have realized, with his eyes. Despite his Beta status in the pack, he was born an Omega human." Peter explained.
"Fuck, he's more than that, isn't he?" Stiles said, thinking hard. "The Whittemore's run this town. He's the sole heir to a lot of property and money, not to mention the settlement from his birth parents that he gains access to in less than a year... which Erica fucking knew about."
"And if they can control the Whittemore land through him, they can make a claim on at least some of our Territory." Derek said eyes wide. "We need to find him an Alpha, now."
Peter had no sooner turned to look at Stiles, before Derek shifted, growling. "NO!"
"Be reasonable, Derek. The two of you could easily keep him in line, and you never know, it might even be fun." Peter leered at Stiles, earning a swipe from Derek.
"Um... there is no fucking way you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting." Stiles said, staying out of the potential reach of Derek's claws. "Because I like living. I want to keep living. Life has gotten inexplicably wonderful in the last day and there is NO way I'm letting you get me killed over the likes of Jackson."
Peter held out his hand placatingly. "Stiles, once Jackson's properly claimed, the Alpha Pack will have no reason to harass him, or you for that matter."
"Who the HELL is talking about the Alpha Pack." Stiles all but snarled. "I'm more than willing to kill every one of those fuckers at this point. I meant his actual fucking mate. She knows more ways to make a man suffer than you can possibly imagine, otherwise you would have never, EVER crossed her with that whole back from the dead thing. Trust me, I was obsessed with her for years, I know what she's really capable of."
"What are you talking about, Stiles?" Peter asked confused.
"Seriously? You were inside her head and you don't realize Lydia is an Alpha female. She's always had Jackson just this side of collared and leashed. Just let her know what the situation is and he'll be claimed faster than you can say 'Heel, boy.'"
Now Peter looked almost disgusted, but Stiles didn't think it had anything to do with Lydia, herself. "There is a bit of a problem with that. Now that you've made me aware of it, there are certain issues with Lydia I should have realized. If you recall, I mentioned that Alpha females and Omega males have hermaphroditic qualities, that is to say gender specific genitalia and mating specific genitalia. I believe Lydia's parents, since she was human and her doctors unaware of the significance of being born an Alpha, were given the choice to surgically 'correct' what they saw as a defect." Stiles could see how offended and angry Peter was over the situation, and felt the same. "I'm almost completely positive that the mating specific genitalia were removed from Lydia almost immediately after she was born. As such she would be unable to properly claim an Omega." Peter finished.
"Maybe I'm misunderstanding something here, but isn't the point of a mating for the Alpha to feel they have claimed, and the Omega to feel they have been claimed? Like if they psychologically believe it, the bond takes, right?"
"Essentially, that is the nature of the bond, yes." Peter said, looking at Stiles curiously.
"Well why on earth would Lydia need a dick to feel like she owns Jackson? Don't tell either of them about the Alpha female secondary stuff, just that she needs to claim him. Hell, I know for a fact she's marked him already, with her nails. If you don't introduce the doubt of her not having the proper parts, I doubt either of them will notice, or care, and it won't bring any doubt about 'if' she can claim him into play. Plus her gender specific stuff still works, right? If they want kids later in life she can have them the human way."
Both Derek and Peter looked completely gobsmacked.
"Mate with him or turn him, but so help me God, Derek, you don't get that mind of his in this pack you're a fool." Peter said before heading further into the apartment, to get a phone.
They watched him walk away, and then Derek turned to face Stiles. "You know, I think that was the first bit of advice from him in a very long time, I'd completely agree with. You are amazing."
Stiles smirked back. "Is that you're way of telling me you love me for my mind?" He shot back, before realizing what he'd said. "I, uh, I mean not that you, you know..."
"And then you go back to being a dumbass." Derek said before growing serious. "I don't know if what I'm feeling is love, but I really think it might be. I loved my family, but that's not the same thing. I thought I loved Kate. I really did, but even without the shit she did, looking back I can see it was infatuation, pride, and maybe a sort of puppy love." He stopped to glare at Stiles. "No dog jokes. What I felt for her was nothing compared to what I feel for you already. I think that's what really scares me about all of this."
Stiles stepped up to Derek. "I'm pretty damned sure I love you, too." He said, before leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips.
They didn't stop until Peter cleared his throat behind them. "As much as I loath to interrupt what seems to be good solid progress," Stiles growled low in his throat and Peter rushed on. "the others will be here soon. I've asked them to get Lydia, but I'm not sure she'll show up, considering my presence."
"If they tell her it's about Jackson, she will." Stiles said. "Why don't you go on in and change, and I'll get some of our answers from Peter, while we have a chance. With your wolfy hearing you can always listen in."
"Good idea." Derek said before turning and heading further into the apartment.
Eyebrow raised questioningly, Peter led him into the living room. "Would you like something to drink, Stiles? I believe we have some coffee, Pepsi, or some bottles of water?" Peter kept his face blank, but his eyes were dancing in good humor.
Stiles smirked. "I'd love to accept your gracious hospitality, Peter. A bottle of water would be great."
A warm look of approval was on Peter's face as he walked from the room, and then a minute later, back in. "So what questions did you and Derek need answers to?" He asked, passing the cold bottle to Stiles, while dropping a coaster on the coffee table in front of him.
"A lot of it had to do with scenting and marking, but most of it has become moot. We wanted to ask about how much you can sense from his altered scent, but if the Alpha Pack is already aware..."
"Then his scent doesn't matter much. Good point. What else did you want to know about scenting and marking?"
"I want to be scented and marked." Stiles held up his hand to stop a slightly confused looking Peter from talking. "I know it's generally the submissive partner, yadda yadda yadda, but me being the sperm donor to our relationship doesn't make me a better anything than Derek. I want the same mark of ownership because he's going to own me just as much as I own him."
Peter was smiling now. "I knew you were the one, Stiles. I'm assuming your avoiding the standard option?"
"Despite everything the bite can do, we don't know what effects it would have on brain chemistry. Not to pick a fight, but for awhile there you were a bit of a psychopath and I didn't see any magical werewolf powers healing that up. So why would it necessarily help my ADHD? Can you imagine a hyper werewolf? It would be like that old cartoon dog who hopped around the tough bulldog until he got pissy and told it to shuddup- Oh my God, screw the cheesy sitcom, my life is already a fucking Looney Toon." Peter was giving him a look that clearly questioned his sanity. "What I mean is, should something happen where me taking the bite is the only option we have to save my life, then yes by all means, but be ready with the were-bondage games to make sure I don't hurt anyone. Otherwise I don't see it as the best option for me."
"I'm glad you didn't do something stupid like remove it altogether in case of emergency. That being said, you have two other options that I can think of; there was a tattoo method, it wasn't often used by our pack, but I have heard of it, perhaps Deaton will have an idea on how to mix it up, if that is your choice. However, I'd be willing to bet you two have ignored a very obvious answer."
"You're probably right, since we didn't discuss anything other than bites and tattoos." Stiles said, sitting forward. "What are we missing?"
"An Alpha's claws can only turn if the bite is deep and fairly bloody. Our claws are exceedingly sharp, but if the wolf in question isn't trying to maul you, if they have control, they could easily damage just enough to allow for proper marking. Similar to the tattoo without the ink. You would of course have to um, manually scent the area you've prepared, but I'm assuming you already know that can be entertaining in and of itself."
Stiles blushed and nodded. Just then the buzzer sounded, letting them know the others were outside.