After a moment, Derek lowered his eyes looking defeated and asked, "How long have you known?" Stiles cocked an incredulous eyebrow, and responded in the same icy tone he used to address Ms. Blake, "I really don't think you should be the one asking that question. But since you asked, I've known about pack dynamics since Scott was turned and I've known about my status in the pack since the pool incident with the Kanima." Stiles wanted to add, 'Perhaps if you had opened up more and told me things, I could've talked Erica and Boyd out of leaving.' But he knew Derek was feeling guilty enough at the moment and didn't need to be reminded of yet another failure. That didn't mean he wasn't going to tell him about the last 24 hours in the motel, but since everyone was still alive he thought it was allowable.
Derek didn't acknowledge that revelation so Stiles continued, "I think the better question is how long have you known? I'm operating under the assumption that Ms. Blake is a recent development and that there was consent from both parties, because if I find out otherwise I will have my wolves tear her apart." Stiles voice echoed around the apartment with the ferocity and absolute certainty of his statement. He paused for a moment to gauge Derek's reaction and allow him the opportunity to confirm or deny his assumptions.
Derek raised his head to face Stiles but avoided eye contact as he said, "I've known since the time Kate shot me in the arm and you took me to the clinic. I could tell that you would have cut my arm off even if you didn't want to, just to save my life. I haven't said anything about it because you are underage and it would be illegal for us to be in any kind of relationship. I was waiting until you were older to tell you that I had feelings for you, not to mention that I wanted you as a mate. I was giving you the choice to live your life outside of werewolves instead of permanently binding you to me by being my mate." Derek looked at Stiles at that point, his face set in a scowl that let Stiles know he fully believed what he was saying. "This was the first time I had even had Jennifer over to the loft and I had only seen her twice before. She already knew about werewolves when she witnessed the night that we rescued Cora and Boyd."
Stiles eyes widened slightly at Derek's confession and the orange tint faded, then they narrowed at the flimsy excuses of why Derek had kept his feelings to himself. The orange tint flared again at the mention of Ms. Blake. "First of all Derek, you weren't giving me any kind of choice by withholding your feelings from me. You were taking the choice from me. I know your reasons why you wouldn't want to date someone who is underage; I know how Kate used you, and I know the guilt you carry even though it's notyourfault. She took advantage of your teenage hormones, she pretended to care about you, and she set the fire that killed your family. There was no way for you to know that she was evil." Stiles exhaled and his eyes faded back to amber and his tone softened. "I don't blame you and I'm positive your family doesn't blame you. You have a good heart, Derek. I've known that for quite some time now. It's still a lame excuse though, since we both know that werewolves mate for life and that there would be no one else for me or you no matter what age we are."
Stiles deflated a little and his mind spun wildly as he contemplated why he felt he needed to reassure Derek when he just caught him in bed with someone else. And just like that, his anger snapped him back to the current situation and his eyes bled orange again. "Second, I want you to realize that even though I believe that you have a good heart, your betrayal of me as your potential mate hurts. If we were in the courtship process, I would be fully in my rights as an Alpha Mate to take your pack from you and force you from the territory to live as a rogue alpha. I am not going to do that though since we have only now openly recognized my position in the pack. I also do not want to permanently bind you to me if you truly want someone else, so when the pack arrives in a few minutes I will officially announce my intention to claim you as a mate. If you choose to return that intention then we can start the courtship process. If not, we can go our separate ways. Is that agreeable?"
Derek nods, flashes his red eyes, and tries to hide a smirk but looks slightly relieved. "You said the pack is coming here?" He asks looking like a confused puppy. His nostrils flare as if he's trying to scent the pack before they arrive and his eyes widen in slight horror as he picks up the lingering scent of sex.
It's Stiles' turn to smirk as he realizes what Derek smells. "Oh, yeah… They're going to realize what you were doing while I was saving their lives and they thought you were dead. That's the final thing I want to mention before we attempt to air this place out and I burn those sheets." His face gets serious again and he waits for Derek to give him his full attention. "I will let them tell you their stories of 'Hotel Hell' when they get here, but you need to know that the Darach targeted the wolves using hallucinogenic wolfsbane so they would kill themselves. Allison, Lydia and I saved Boyd, Isaac, Scott and Ethan before they could follow through with it. They will need your emotional support especially since they think you died. And yes, I saved Ethan's life which is why he and the Alpha pack are in my debt for the time being."
Stiles waited for that information to sink in. Derek nodded again even though he looked like he wanted to ask more questions. Stiles cut him off before he could; "Now I would suggest that you shower and open a few windows on your way to the bathroom and I'll set your sheets on fire." Stiles had a manic, but gleeful smile on his face. "There is a washing machine in the building, you know. I don't have to buy new sheets." Derek deadpanned as he climbed out of bed forgetting or not caring that he was naked.
Stiles throat ran dry as he took in the carved-from-stone body in front of him. He gaped for a moment and could feel his pants start to tighten before Derek's words registered. Derek smirked again as he could tell the effect he was having on Stiles and started walking around opening each window.
Stiles regained his composure once Derek was out of his line of sight and said, "I don't want to see those sheets ever again. I don't want a reminder of that woman left in this loft." He started pulling the sheets off the bed and if he happened to notice a bra bundled up in the mix, he wasn't saying anything. He glanced over his shoulder as Derek neared the bathroom and said, "Oh, and Derek? If you decide to return my intentions there will be no one else in your bed except me. Otherwise, I will have Dr. Deaton neuter you using wolfsbane laced utensils." Stiles smiled brightly as he turned back around and piled the sheets in a metal trashcan. He popped out onto the balcony and set the trashcan next to the barbeque grill, squirted some lighter fluid and threw a pack of matches into the can, and watched as the flames erupted. He was still smiling and humming along to a tune in his head when he went back inside to grab his phone and text the pack. He looked up to see Derek frozen in the bathroom door, still naked, with a look of horror on his face.
Stiles laughed brightly and said, "I'd hate to see your face if I told you what I'd do to the other person." He chuckled again as his phone buzzed in his hand. He looked at the message and then waved the phone at Derek, "The pack will be here in a few minutes, go shower! I'll bring you something to change into."
He and Derek still needed to have a long conversation about trust and the pack's future if Derek actually returned his intentions. But for now, if Stiles set out a certain orange and blue striped shirt that happened to be in his bag, only he and Derek would get the joke, and that would be a good enough place for this relationship to start.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this little one-shot. I'm actually kind of disappointed in Season 3 thus far and I'll probably be posting a rant and rave session at some point to get my frustration out. Look for it most likely after things get resolved on the show in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading!