A Drop Of Ink In Water

III & IV

"You can't do whatever you want, Jackson! Just because you like spending time with Hale doesn't mean you can ditch all the other clients to go with him. You have the liberty to choose your clients but when you chose one you stick with that person. They pay for the service. You're not doing some Internet shopping, here! You can't put an article in the shopping cart and then take it back because you like a different color better!" Stiles says in one breath.

"Okay, just drop it! I won't do in again!" Jackson retorts, glaring at him.

"Just be a little more of a professional, okay?"

"Jeez, you're such a pain in the ass."

Jackson leaves for his appointment without giving him a second look.

Stiles snorts.

"Asshole."

If only he could just fire the guy. It's not even like Jackson needed this job, he is already a rich son of a bitch. His dad is one of the most respected lawyers in town and he has been driving a Porsche since the age of 16! He doesn't even know why Jackson is working here instead of studying in some school for wealthy smartass kids. He's probably going through some rebellious phase and has chosen to become a host to piss off mommy and daddy…

Stiles is alone at the Moon again. He locks the door and goes upstairs to get some work done. He sits at his desk and turns on his computer. He has schedules to handle and the Moon anniversary is coming so he has a lot to plan. He manages to work for at least three hours before being disturbed by his phone. It's a text from his father. The Sheriff wants them to meet tonight because he apparently has something to tell him. Stiles raises an eyebrow, intrigued. What could his dad have to say that was so urgent? His dad had the habit to make heavy weather of simple things. It's probably nothing, he thinks throwing his phone on the desk.

He leans more comfortably in his chair, raising his hands high above his head, stretching every muscles of his back. He's contented with himself and even thinks of according himself some time to play World Of Warcraft. His boss is not here and doesn't mind anyway as long as work is done. Throat feeling a little dry, he goes getting a bottle of water in the mini fridge. He asked for it a month ago when he realized he spent more time at the office than at home. And the boss gave it to him. He likes the boss, he's cool, kind of mysterious and a bit creepy sometimes but cool. For a pimp, he means.

He walks to the window and takes a look outside. The sun is slowly is going down behind buildings and in a few hours the bar will open. He takes a sip of water and notices a reflection in the window. He jumps nearly choking on his water.

"What are you doing here?" He asks in a strangled voice.

Derek Hale is leaning against his office's door, arm and legs casually crossed. Black jeans, grey shirt and leather jacket, he looks absolutely the same as he did the night before. Stiles wonders if his closet is full of those same clothes.

Derek unfolds his arm and takes three steps toward him. Stiles counts them. One. Two. Three… Three steps toward his death. He shivers under Derek's unblinking stare.

Why ? Why did this have to happen to him?

"H-How did you get here? The door was shut." He manages to say as Derek steps closer. Five steps. He fumbles against the window. Move to the side, trying to reach something to use as a weapon. His hand closes on a pair of scissors. Useless, round-ended scissors. Whatever, he's not going to give up without a fight - even if it's against a fucking alpha werewolf. He holds the tool in front of him attempting to look menacing. And Derek actually smiles, white pointy teeth showing up. A predator smile. Stiles whimpers.

"What did I do for you to fucking hate me so much that you would come and find me on my work place to murderer me? You don't know me! I don't know you. I just read some articles on the internet and made some conclusion but that's it! So what ? I know you're a werewolf. It's not like I'm going to share the information and make myself the city nutjob." He asks, tone desperate as Derek steps closer and closer. Eleven. Twelve… "Is it my face ?" He continues, panic reaching its peak. "Do you not like my face? Because there's a very simple solution to that problem, I could just leave the country and you will never ever see me again. Ever. And – Oh my god please don't kill me."

Derek intruded his personal space. They breathe the same air and Stiles is sure the wolf can see every single drop of sweat running on his foreground. Derek chest touches his and one of his legs is between his own. Stiles is pinned against the wall, trapped like a fucking mouse in its own a hole. He notices the green of Derek irises is slightly circled by blue as the alpha's pupils reduces when his gaze caresses his face. Derek smiles again. Smirks at him. And Stiles knows he's somehow proud of himself. Proud he won this unfair fight. He feels fingers softly brushing his palm and disarms him of his scissors. Derek's eyes linger on him for a moment during which Stiles forget to breathe.

Derek finally breaks the contact to put the scissors down on the shelves.

He backs off a little, smirk unwavering.

"I'm here for business." He says.

Stiles is sitting at his desk, Derek in front of him. The wolf keeps looking at him so intensely he's feeling edgy.

"So… business, hun? That's great ! Really great !" Stiles fingers tremble as he clumsily tries to get the information files out of the drawer. "You'll see you won't be disappointed. We offer the best services in town! Well, we are the only ones working in this sector but you know…" He smiles stiffly. "So you have someone in mind, yet?"

"Yes."

Derek eyes don't leave him making Stiles want to flee out of the window.

"Okay. Nice. Great. What about the date of the appointment? Do you have an idea of the date so I can check if that person will be available?" He talks too much. He says useless things when he's tensed. He's not following the procedure anymore. Consult client, then consult host and then check dates. He'd seriously need a couple of Adderall.

"What's the longest period I could hire someone?" Derek asks inclining his body toward the desk, elbows firmly resting on his thigh. He observes him like an oak, tilting his head on the side.

Stiles swallows hard.

"That would be three weeks…"

He feels like he's being cornered again.

"Then, three weeks it is." Derek replies.

Stiles licks his lips nervously and feels the wolf's eyes track the movement. The hair at the back of his neck rises. He knows he's going to regret his next words but he says them anyway. He prays to be imagining things.

"So, who is it? Who do you want to hire?"

The alpha smiles. Amused.

His eyes clearly say, I think you already know. They lock with Stiles' when he finally says,

"You. I want you."

Stiles' heart misses a beat. He doesn't know when he stood up but his feet are now planted on the ground. He's panicking.

"I think there's a misunderstanding here. You can't hire me. That's impossible. I'm not - " a whore, he thinks but he immediately regrets at the thought of Scott and swallows the word back. " - a host."

He tries to back off again but Derek moves faster. He barely understanded what happened when he finds his ass back on his chair. Derek has his two hands gripping the armrests and his face is two inches from his. He realizes that Derek could do whatever he wanted with him. Derek is a werewolf, an alpha werewolf who could tear him apart without blinking an eye. Derek could do anything and no matter what he tried to save his skin there was no way out. And somehow that enrages him.

"I don't care," Derek calmly retorts.

And Stiles loses it.

"What – What do you mean you don't care? I can't do it. I don't want to do it. Do you understand? The answer is no. NO. So you better drag your alpha werewolf ass down earth and get yourself a sense of reality because you're not the freaking sun and everything doesn't turn around you. It's not because you want something that people are going to come and serve it to you on a silver platter. Oh, I'm sorry bad choice of word. Whatever, the conclusion it's still the same. No." Stiles utters.

Derek lowered his gaze during his tirade. His eyes turned to the floor but Stiles can see his shoulders go up and down as he exhales loudly. Derek growls and Stiles spots fangs. He can see the wolf is trying his best no to tear his head off. Deep down he knows Derek won't hurt him – not too badly at least – he knows Derek won't kill him. He doesn't understand why but he's sure of it.

"What's the usual tariff? I'll double it." Derek declares in a voice not quite human.

"What?"

Derek growls gets deeper.

"I'll triple it," he continues.

Stiles just shakes his head, speechless.

"Just leave, okay."

Derek makes a frustrated sound. He breathes hard for a moment, seemingly trying to regain his senses. When he raises his head again, his eyes glow red a second before going back to normal. His face is human when he says, "I'm not done."

Then he storms out of the office.

"You said what?" Scott exclaims.

Stiles is walking to his dad's house, a bag of groceries in one hand and his phone in the other. He moves the phone away at the sudden shout then smiles awkwardly at the passersby who stares at him.

"I know right."

"And he didn't chop off your head? Dude, how can you still be alive?"

"I don't have a freaking clue! One minute he was all wolfie and I want to kill you slowly and the other he was back to his broody annoying self! Maybe it's the moon. The full moon turns you into blood lusty murderers. Maybe another moon has the opposite effect. Maybe it can make you nicer."

"I don't think so…"

"Well, I don't know okay." Stiles takes a mouthful of air. "Whatever, the only thing that matters is that I'm still alive and unbroken. I'm not ready to die that soon. The world still needs a Stiles not to fall in infinite despair." He's arrived in front of the house and fumbles to find his extra key.

"Yeah…"Scott agrees, chuckling. Then he continues, "What did he want, anyway? What does Derek Hale want with you?"

Stiles almost drops his key.

"Oh, something about his uncle. Nothing important." He lies. "The guy is insane… Dude, I have to go. I'm at my dad's."

"Hey, did you tell him about your job?"

Stiles mood darkens at the sudden change of topic.

"No. I'm waiting for the right time."

He hates lying to his dad but he doesn't want him dad to be disappointed in him.

"You really should tell him already. It's been months! My mom isn't exactly okay with me being a host. But she's glad I'm not lying to her."

He can't believe he's being lectured by Scott.

"Yeah, yeah. Another time. I'm not ready yet."

He ears Scott sigh.

"Ok… don't be late." His best friend warns before hanging up.

"I'm never late..." He mutters putting his phone back in his pocket. "You are the one always late." Stiles only has two hours before having to go back to the club and he'd like to stop at his house before. "Daaad? I'm here." He closes the door behind him and takes off his jacket the conversation still lingering in his mind.

There was also no way, he was telling Scott that Derek fucking Hale wanted to jump him. The fact was already unbelievable to him. He didn't know if he should feel flattered, scared or scandalized. Why would a guy like Derek want him? It was probably some kind of weird weak and average human kink. Maybe Derek was into SM – that wouldn't be surprising – maybe he wanted to chain Stiles up in a basement and do unspeakable things to him. Stiles shivers. Besides if Scott knew that he would be become all protective and that only lead to more trouble.

He puts the grocery bag in the kitchen, takes out the vegetables he specially bought on the way for his father.

The sheriff enters the kitchen and Stiles smiles to him.

"What's that?" His dad asks.

"The key to your immortality."

The sheriff snorts and then grimaces at a zucchini.

"I'm sorry dad, you know I won't be able to stay long. I'm meeting Scott."

"Yeah, right. It won't be long." His father declares. "Sit."

Stiles obeys and follows his father in the living room, sitting on the sofa.

"What's going on? You don't have a girlfriend, do you?" He asks teasingly.

His father rolls his eyes. Stiles can see his shoulders are tensed and now that he looks closer, his dad looks a little pale.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush." The sheriff says after a short pause, then he takes a deep breath. "I'm not the sheriff anymore."

Stiles eyes widen.

"What? What happened?"

"My superiors decided that someone else would be more competent at the job than I am."

Stiles gawks at his dad, he feels like he lost his bearings. His father had been sheriff since forever. Since back in the days his mother had just died. He remembers his dad killing himself at work, doing late shifts, not being home often. But Stiles had felt lonely but he understood working made his dad happy. It had been one the important things that kept him from drowning. His dad had told him that being the sheriff, he felt like he was making a difference, like his life made more sense. His father lived for that job!

"That can't be possible. You're the best at this."

His dad lets out a hollow laugh.

"Well, they seem to think over wise…"

His father rubs his face with a hand and Stiles feels his throat tighten.

"What are you going to do ?"

"I don't know…" His dad replies, voice cracking.

Stiles gets up and hugs him.

TBC

Here's another chapter! Wow, I didn't expect so much enthusiasm for the first chap. Thank you all so much for your reviews, favs and follow ! Sorry to the people I couldn't answer to, I feel bad. It'd be nice if you could let your e-mail so I could reply. See you soon for the next chapter !