Chapter Twenty-Four:
"So...What are that chances that they've figured out we're gone by now and haven't told my dad?" Stiles questioned, curling the blankets tighter around him as he stared into the fireplace. Derek didn't answer him instead just grunting in acknowledgement of the fact that Stiles had spoken.
It was beginning to get dark outside (not that they could actually see much outside because it was storming up a shitload thanks to the spirit of eternal winter vengeance or whatever) and Stiles was both bored out of his mind and frigid with worry. Also frigid with cold, what with the almost freezing to death thing.
They'd been there for hours, maybe four? And so far Stiles was really trying not to focus on the fact that he was basically in forced company with an antisocial dick-bag. And the fact that there wasn't any food...or mobile phones...or more than two shabby blankets, or basically anything they needed to survive for more than a couple of days.
And yeah, okay, Derek had been fine when Stiles had first woken up- nice even. But that soon ended after they both got dressed into semi-damp clothes and the Alpha seemed to realize that he had been spooning half-naked with a kid he hated. After that Derek just seemed to be silent and awkward soaking in some kind of identity crisis one can only have in the state of doubting their masculinity because of snuggles.
"Derek." Stiles whined, staring into the fire and tapping his still-weak hands against the sooty floorboards. Derek had been steadily feeding it with a supply of wood (luckily) kept inside the kitchen area of the house. The sound of the storm outside screamed as the structure creaked and shook. Stiles winced; they might've been inside, but with the amount of holes in the roof- the shelter wasn't making much difference to the freezing temperature.
"What." Derek didn't ask, just mumbled. He was lying on the couch stomach up, his muscled forearms resting over his eyes and his legs spilling over the side. It was the first time Stiles had seen him look so human; his body so relaxed even if it was obvious his mind was not.
"I'm bored Derek. And since it would be completely out of character for you to have any board games here- though I have no doubt you'd be killer at connect four- I want you to talk to me." Stiles was facing in the opposite direction, but he could still tell that Derek's face held it's typical annoyed scowl at his words.
"No." the alpha responded, the grunt angry and almost disbelieving. Stiles got it though; a year ago he'd never have believed it if you told him he willingly tried to start up a conversation with Derek Hale.
"Dude, Derek c'mon. It'll only be for a while- my brain's going haywire here and I need a distraction we could both use a distraction from the cold I know that."
Knowing he wasn't getting anywhere Stiles amped it up a bit, "I took my meds without food this morning and since I doubt I'll be having food or meds in the near future I probably wont be as talkative tomorrow." It wasn't just an excuse; Stiles' brain was going pretty nuts and he could barely concentrate on one topic at a time...it was starting to make him feel a bit disfocused. He really did need someone to just talk to him.
"Wait. You wont be as talkative tomorrow?" Derek asked in clear confusion, and Stiles heard the sound of the man sitting up.
"Yeah," said Stiles, turning around to face Derek with a half-assed grin, "People think ADHD makes you talk a mile a minute...And I guess it does when I'm actually on my meds. But off them I'm probably going to be stuck in my head- too distracted to really bother with conversation." Stiles chuckled, "Dad used to call it 'being off with the fairies' when I did that as a kid."
Derek frowned, his defined brow crinkling characteristically, "So...I won't have to put up with you babbling tomorrow?" he asked, and goddamn him he almost sounded excited.
"Nope- but right now I need a conversation to keep me from bouncing off the roof. Anyway- if you don't I'll just talk out loud to both of us and I guarantee that topic line will be way worse that whatever you can conjure up." Stiles smirked, laying down in front of the fireplace again on his belly- this time facing Derek and the couch.
The teen was lucky he wasn't afraid of Derek anymore; because the glare the man threw him was full of all the threatening power he usually saved for just Peter.
"C'mon Derek please?" Stiles whined, pouting at the man, earning a harsh glare at his stuck-out lips.
Derek sighed, sounding for all the world to be annoyed but Stiles could see that look on his face, that smirking, anticipatory look that meant the alpha was up to something.
"If I have to do this," Derek said 'this' with a look of plain-and in Stiles' oppinion uncalled for- disgust, "then I get to pick the topic of conversation."
"Yep that's right." Stiles grinned- getting a bit excited. He hopped up of the floor in one steady (and uncommonly non-clumbsy) move and spun, sitting his ass down on the couch next to Derek with a flop.
Stiles turned to the man and leaned in, hands on his knees and teeth flashing with his manic grin he usually saved for Jared Greenburg. Actually, in hindsight that was probably too much; Derek might've gotten creeped out and backed out of even looking at Stiles let alone speaking to him.
But instead he just asked, "Any topic right?" a tad bit of hesitation in his voice as he leant back against the couch cushions, obviously getting comfortable enough to sit there for a while whilst they had their 'chat'. Stiles smiled and did the same thing, bringing his knees up to sit cross-legged, back leaning against the arm and body facing Derek.
"Yep any topic." God, it was kind of crazy talking to Derek like that. Dude was so awkward and hostile they had to plan conversations before actually having them.
"Okay then," Derek anounced-looking at Stiles seriously instead of the evil, mischievous look he was expecting to see on the man's face, "Tell me about that vampire from a few weeks back."
Okay, so this obviously wasn't going to be just a 'funny/embarassing' topic of conversation Derek would inflict on him, but in true Alpha style it was going to be painful and not fun for anyone involved.
"Ahh- I really don't feel comfortable dis-" Stiles started, but was interrupted by Derek demanding; "You said any topic, right? Well this is my damn topic. I have a right to ask anyway, considering he was another supernatural being invading my territory. I have to look out for the pack after all." Derek's voice was lower than usual when he spoke- the voice you would actually expect a man with that kind of face to have...not the surprisingly young, boyish voice the alpha usually spoke with.
"Ugh. Yeah. Okay, fine." Stiles muttered angrily, rubbing his hands down his face and going back up to scruff up his hair a little- a movement he always did when feeling anxious. He felt as well as glimpsed eyes tracking the movement.
"So, what do you want to know?" the teenager asked, only peeking at Derek a moment before looking streight down at his hands. In that small moment all Stiles had seen was Derek looking back at him with a rare kind of intensity.
"You told Peter the both of you "parted ways on bad terms"." Derek stated gruffly.
"Yes, yes I did." Stiles stalled slowly, a fake, sarcastic smile planted plainly on his face.
"Stiles." So Derek obviously wasn't in the mood for beating around the bush, okay then.
"Yeah- so, uh-," Stiles mumbled, looking at the ceiling and scratching his chin anxiously, "You know what?" he asked, "Fuck it- you're going to just question me anyway so I might as well tell you the story." Stiles stopped for a second and then glared pointedly at the man, "Don't breathe a word about this to Peter though...or the next bed you'll wake up in will be a flowerbed of wolfsbane and mistletoe."
"Thats...and inventive threat." Derek mumbled under his breath but Stiles still heard it. The house was silent after that- excluding the wind and crackle of the fire- as Derek waited for him to talk.
Stiles breathed in harshly through his nose, "Okay so, have you ever heard of the uh...," Stiles searched his memory for the name, "The Falkner family?"
The teen looked up from glaring at his hands to see Derek stiffen next to him, eyes flashing slightly and eyebrow-furrows deepening. He stayed silent though, obviously waiting for Stiles to talk.
"Yeah so- apparently they send people, well- vampires or whatever, out to scout out towns? See if the local supernatural populous is playing by the rules?" Stiles raised his eyebrows at Derek, waiting to see his input.
"Yes, I am well aware of the Falkner's scouts. One came through once before when I was young...they checked our pack out, deemed us safe and moved on." Derek stated, and Stiles hummed in acknowledgement.
"Yeah-well, evidently they must've heard of the change in hierarchy; because they sent another scout to check out the town a few weeks ago." Derek stiffened more at Stiles' words, but didn't speak, waiting for Stiles to continue instead.
"Uhh. It turns out he thought I'd be the best bet to see if the pack was good or not? Toby I mean- he was the scout," Derek's brow creased even further and his eyes flashed for a second, but beckoned for Stiles to continue, "Anyway since I smelt like a bunch of wolves or whatever, I must have been eligible to have a professional opinion of you or something. So yeah, he got close enough to find out whether you guys were baddies or not...then he left." Stiles breathed out, remaining relatively calm on the exterior even if his stomach felt like it was going to revolt against him. He'd given up thinking about Toby, or even acknowledging what had happened- but now...
Derek stayed silent for a few seconds, frozen in the act of processing what he's just heard.
"He what." It wasn't a yell- Derek hardly ever yelled, but the anger still carried through in the harsh whisper, especially since he unconsciously was leaning closer to Stiles, hands clenched into fists on top of his knees. Wow, he was taking this harder than Stiles had anticipated.
"He could've-" Derek gritted, shaking his head angrily and glaring at the wall behind Stiles' head, "He could've come to me. Spoken directly to me. Jesus he had other ways of finding out rather than-"
"Seducing the fragile human?" Stiles offered with a bitter smile.
"Seducing?!" Okay, so maybe Derek did raise his voice from time to time. You know, when he was utterly pissed...liiiike he looked now. Jeez there were veins pooping on his neck and everything.
"Yeah- uh. Yes." Stiles confirmed, not really knowing what to say without making Derek any angrier or himself any guiltier. He'd been a stupid, horny teenager and now Derek knew about it.
"What did he do? Did he-" Derek started off hissing angrily, his eyes red and his hands clenched into fists, he stopped, however, closed his eyes and just breathed for a few seconds. In and out, in and out- harsh, stuttery, angered breaths untill Stiles could see him visibly deflate; still looking angry but less so...more a defeated, agonised look now.
"Did he-," Derek started out again, much calmer but obviously having trouble since his words came out cracked and gritted, "Did he touch you...More than what I saw that night on your porch?"
Stiles blushed, shame flaring trough his body like a punch to the gut at the reminder that, yes, Derek had seen his unbelievably moronic actions; had even pulled Toby from him, warned him off and still Stiles went back for more.
"I-uhh." was all he could get out in response.
"Stiles please. I need to know this." Derek was asking a lot of him and it was surprising that he cared enough to even get this angry, but Stiles could somehow see in the man's hazel eyes that yes, he indeed needed to know. Whether to be reassured or just...sure of what had happened.
"We made-out a bit. On a bed," Derek growled suddenly- way more animalistic than a regular human rumble and making Stiles shiver in instinctual fear, "He uh- tried to go futher than that but I wasn't comfortable with... doing that- not with someone I barely knew." Stiles sighed, "In hindsight I'm kind of glad I stopped him."
Derek wasn't talking- hell he didn't even look like he was breathing. Just staring at Stiles in horror and fury pure and utter, red-eyed, pointy-toothed fury, the veins in his neck were standing out harshly.
"You- you okay there dude?" Stiles asked wairily, not sure how to handle a wolfed-out Derek all by himself...especially one so furious.
"He-you- He tried to-," Okay; so furious he couldn't get words out...Stiles wasn't entirely sure he was safe, and so he hopped off the couch in a slow, hesitant 'no sudden movements' way, and edged a little back towards the ashen wall behind him.
"He tried to-on a bed- more than making out, when he was- That bastard had the nerve to even-" Derek looked just...in his own head; staring at his hands like they were the vampire he'd very much like to get those hands on- in you know... a violent way.
"C'mon- deep breaths Derek. In and out- in and- there we go. See everything's fine, all fine..." Except they were stranded in the middle of the preserve with no food, barely any shelter and amost no chances of warmth beyond the fireplace.
"I am going to kill that little fuck. I am going to absoluitley-" Derek spat harshly, but Stiles interrupted him, "Yeah, okay, we get it- teeth will rip out throats...actually that's more of a vampire thing. Claws will slash faces then."
"His face?" Derek let out a harsh, humorless laugh,fists and claws dragging dangerously into the couches fabric "More like I'm going to castrate his tiny little-"
"Okay!" Stiles interrupted hurriedly, "Please, God, do not talk about castration infront of a teenage male. Jesus. Unpleasant dude. Unpleasant."
"You're joking right now? Seriously? How can you be so okay with this?" Derek accused, disbelieving.
Stiles scratched the back of his neck. "Because I've had weeks to get over it...besides just because I'm not violently angry like you doesn't mean I'm okay. I spent like, three days after he left holed up in my room eating nachos and shouting 'poison' by Alice Cooper at the top of my lungs." Stiles sighed, wincing slightly at the embarrassing memory.
"Alice Cooper? Really? You couldn't have picked a better heartbreak song than him?" Derek was joking, but it was soulless and deadpan. Stiles could see clearly that the man was still pissed. Not red-eyed anymore, but pissed like he was stuck in his own head- trapped in his anger.
"Dude I wasn't going to sing Adele or something- not when the neighbours could hear me." Stiles joked, moving to sit hesitantly back next to Derek on the couch.
"You're embarrassed by Adele, but not Alice Cooper?" the alpha snorted disbelieving. And hey, Derek Hale actually knew who Adele was. Huh, surreal.
"Hey! Alice is a legend man. Ain't no shame in jamming up a Cooper classic." Stiles smiled- but rather than smile back Derek sighed.
"Why are you so bothered about this anyway?" Stiles asked in genuine confusion. It's not as if Derek had shown any hint of caring before.
The werewolf looked troubled as Stiles stared at him, his brow furrowed and his eyes downcast; like he was having an argument inside his head.
After a while, he looked up at Stiles and sighed, the shadows on his face flickering with the glow of the fireplace.
"Stiles- I know, I know I seem like an ass sometimes but I really do care." Derek looked pained; like he'd rather have chewed on wolfsbane than admit his feelings.
"Really?" Stiles asked incredulously, raising his eyebrows. "Because I find that hard to believe." He stared right into Derek's rainbow eyes as he spoke. "The only times we ever really see each other is when either you or Scott need each other's help. I'm just along for the ride. Hell, you and I aren't even friends dude; we're acquaintances with a mutual interest in surviving."
"I-," Derek started, a frown on his face, "We're friends." the protest was a weak one, but somehow the man's face conveyed how much he truly believed what he had just said.
"Oh? And what makes you think that?" Stiles asked in actual genuine confusion. How the Hell did Derek think they were friends? Why did Derek think they were friends- especially since it was Derek who did all the unfriendly things.
"You- we help each other." the alpha mumbled, rubbing his hands over his face and refusing to look at Stiles, "You helped me after Boyd. You- with the pool and the bullet- even with Jennifer you were the only one after that to even acknowledge my involvement."
Stiles frowned in confusion, "Dude I literally screamed insults at you and reminded you of your poor life decisions."
Derek huffed, "Yes- but you still bothered to talk to me about it. Not ignore the problem. And- you trusted me. You trusted me to help you guys find your dad."
That was true- Stiles had done that.
"We've saved each other's lives countless times Stiles. You're not even afraid of me anymore I can tell. We trust each other. I'm pretty sure that means friendship."
"I-Is that why you care so much about what happened with Toby?" Stiles asked, feeling like he was in a dream or some kind of alternate universe.
Derek looked pained, "No," he said, "Look- just forget it okay?"
Stiles frowned, "Wait that doesn't make any sense. If it's not our "friendship" that made caused you to get so upset... then what?"
"Stiles just drop it." Derek sighed, not sounding angry- just tired.
"No- I want to know. I told you about Toby, which was hard by the way- so you can tell me this." Stiles crossed his arms angrily and stared streight into Derek's eyes.
"You know what? No." Derek growled, jumping up from the couch and moving to the staircase, his strides long and angry.
Stiles reached out a hand, grabbing his arm and stopping him (though with his supernatural strength Derek probably could've continued walking if he'd tried), spinning the man around to face him at the foot of the stairs.
"Just tell me dude- It can't be that ba-mmph." Stiles was talking one second and suddenly woah lips. Yes, those were lips on his. Mmm hmm they certainly were. Soft, wet and ultimately fleeting.
It didn't last long, the kiss, and before Stiles could even process what had just occurred Derek Hale, the man who'd kissed him, was breaking away and storming upstairs.
The teen stood frozen at the bottom of the charred staircase, his mouth gaping open and his brain short-circuting. He heard the sound of Derek slamming a door loudly upstairs.
Even in his confused state, he still wondered whether or not to go after Derek- stop him from going upstairs into unsheltered coldness. But, then again, Derek had that whole 'werewolf tolerance to extreme temperatures' so maybe he would be fine.
Besides he should be left alone to think. Hell, Stiles needed to be left alone to think- because seriously what.
What.
What the fuck had just happened.