Author's note: this chapter contains sexual content. Not overly graphic but, just in case, consider yourself warned.

Derek

Being around pack used to be something ordinary for Derek. A bunch of high school kids, annoying and childish at times, with their teenage struggles and unfunny jokes, they couldn't fully replace his family but… they were his. His to lead. His to take care of. His to protect.

But ever since he failed so spectacularly at all of the above and had two of them nearly killed, Derek learned to stay away. And after a while, they learned to stop coming over unless there was an emergency. Which is why seeing the cars in his driveway filled Derek with dread he didn't use to have. He could feel them even before he could smell them. Everyone was there. Something serious must have happened.

He didn't bother parking his Camaro and ran inside, almost breaking down the door on his entry. "What's going on?!"

Everyone jumped a bit at his energetic arrival but for an emergency, they seemed suspiciously calm. Beers, pizza, and board games on his coffee table also didn't support the urgent danger narrative, Stiles's innocent smile even less so.

"You're late," Erica said, pointing at the clock on the wall.

Huh?

"It's fiiiine." Isaac threw a pillow at her and then grinned at Derek. "We know our way around here. We ordered pizza. Pepperoni with cheese stuffed crust for you."

"Wait, I thought that one was mine!" Jackson said, frowning at him.

Malia grabbed the piece of paper from the table and shook her head. "No, you wanted barbeque chicken."

"That was before, but then I changed…"

Derek tuned out the pointless bickering. It was clear now that there was no emergency. They were throwing a party here. The question was - why? He turned to Stiles and pinned him with a glare waiting for an explanation since he had no doubt this was his doing.

"Uh, yesterday you texted us to come hang out after work, remember?" Stiles showed him the message on his phone and Derek immediately checked his own.

Dammit. When the hell did Stiles get a hold of his phone? Derek must have been losing his touch if he let his guard down around the little shit long enough for him to text the whole pack. Now the big question was whether a public spanking was still taboo or permissible when there were extenuating circumstances.

"It's been a while. Everyone was so happy," Stiles said placatingly, opening a beer bottle and handing it to Derek as if that was supposed to mollify him. As if the fate of his ass was not hanging in balance. As if he trusted Derek not to do anything rash or embarrassing. Or lethal.

Derek took a sip and grumbled something about insufferable teenagers. He didn't get a chance to stew though as Lydia was already dragging everyone to play Dixit, whatever the hell that was.

Board games have never been Derek's forte. He was tragically bad at them and his Alpha status did little to protect him from relentless teasing. This time though, he couldn't find it in him to mind it. His wolf was so freaking happy to be surrounded by his pack, that several times Derek caught himself smiling without reason or even laughing with others. Thankfully, nobody grilled him for it, even though the knowing looks Stiles kept sending his way were pretty annoying.

Dixit was a charades-like game where each player was supposed to guess another player's card based on a single clue they had given. When it was Stiles's turn to be the "storyteller", he described his card as "establishing connection". Derek nearly choked on his beer and then very pointedly cleared his throat but Stiles refused to acknowledge the warning.

Now if the little shit thought he was gonna spill the beans and get everyone involved in their situation without Derek's consent, he had another thing coming! Derek scanned his cards to see which one fit the description and chose the one where a little mouse was getting ready for a guillotine instead of the more obvious choice of an old wizard writing a letter. Hopefully, Stiles would be able to identify his card and get the hint before he ended up sharing that little mouse's fate.

"Nothing fits," Scott complained, lost in his cards.

The way Stiles's eyes sparked in excitement suggested he was waiting for something like this. "Well, how could people establish connection?" he asked conversationally.

Scott shrugged. "By interacting?"

"By listening," said Malia and as others started throwing suggestions, Derek realized what Stiles was doing. He was not giving them away, he was brainstorming.

"Finding something in common."

"Learning another language."

"Sex."

Everyone turned to look at Lydia.

"What?" She shrugged. "What can be more connecting than sex?"

Derek chuckled, while Stiles tried very hard not to glance his way. Derek cleared his throat and followed his example.

"I don't think you can find anything even remotely resembling sex on these cards," Boyd pointed out and Erica fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"You just have no imagination." She showed one of her cards with some kind of vegetable on it. Eggplant? Others groaned in unison.

"Communication, empathy, support," Alisson continued throwing in ideas, pulling them out of the cringe territory. She might have been trying to help Scott pick a card, but she came the closest to what Derek would expect those binding spells were about. And as far as he was concerned, he and Stiles have gone a long way in all three.

"A good data package and proper internet provider." Jackson was helpful as ever.

Scott finally chose a card and then everyone's cards were shuffled and uncovered. For once Derek knew exactly which one was Stiles's. A wolf reading a book, (*cough cough* diary), was a pretty straightforward one.

Despite being the only one who guessed correctly, he was still at the bottom of the scoreboard by the time the game ended. Lydia won that one with Stiles a close second. They played a couple other games, which Derek lost just as convincingly, and then finished off with Monopoly, where Derek was first to go bankrupt. After suffering through the obligatory teasing, he thought about retreating to the other room to work on his laptop, but couldn't persuade his wolf to leave, and just grabbed a magazine instead, keeping one eye on the game.

Stiles was savage. He was decently lucky, but that wasn't a reason he was bulldozing others one by one out of the game. His deceptively attractive offers of joint ventures somehow always ended with Stiles taking over and the other party going bankrupt. The only one who didn't make any dealings with him was Jackson and that was probably the only reason he was still in the game, grasping at straws while Stiles was slowly building up on the property around him.

Of course, it was only a matter of time till Jackson ran out of luck and "visited" one of the hotels which Stiles timely nicked from Lydia.

"This is bullshit!"

Stiles ignored his outburst and grinned like a villain. "Welcome to Stilinski's Boardwalk experience! Thank you for choosing us as your preferred accommodation. Your luxury suite is ready for you. It will be $2000, please. Will you pay in cash or by card?"

"This shit ain't even yours!" Jackson whined.

"Of course it is, Lydia gave it to me."

"Thief!" Lydia hissed with mock offense.

"Aww, come on, you love me."

Though her unamused look suggested she was still reeling from that loss, she covered it up with an eye roll. "After all the moody bitching you've been doing lately, I wouldn't be so sure. Seriously, half the time I feel like I'm talking to Derek."

Stiles burst out laughing and Derek didn't know who to glare at first. He tried, alright?! The school subjects were already bad enough without Lydia's nagging and are-you-okays. He was about to kick Stiles under the table cause the joke was not that funny without context, but Stiles must have realized it as well and quickly got a grip on himself.

"Jackson, what's taking so long?" He patted the board, switching back to his latest victim.

"Shut up, I'm thinking." Not that Jackson had many options there, paying up would mean selling the last of his buildings. He was screwed.

"A painful process, I'm sure."

"I'll show you 'painful process', you-"

"Knock it off, Jackson," Derek interrupted him, eyes flashing red to put him quickly in line.

Jackson was stunned for a second before turning to Derek completely bewildered. "What? You are taking his side?!"

"I sure as hell ain't taking yours." In truth, Derek rather enjoyed how Stiles outsmarted everyone. Though given the curious looks others were sending his way, he should have realized it was quite out of character for him to get involved in their bickering, and especially side with Stiles of all people.

"Whatever." Jackson tossed his cards on the table. "I don't want to play this game anymore."

Derek checked the time and threw his hands up in victory. "Perfect. Stiles won. Now you can all finally go home." There were still 20 minutes before their switch, but it was better to keep it safe. "Stiles, as a winner, you deserve a prize, so you are on cleaning duty. The rest of you have a good night."

Stiles had the common sense to look scandalized and others cheered at his plight. Two birds with one stone, reputation restored.

"Wait, is no one gonna help?!"

"You got it, buddy," Scott said, patting him on the back while the rest of the pack vacated the premises in record time.

"Traitors!" Stiles pouted, but after putting everyone out of business he didn't have many sympathizers left. Even those who sent him apologetic looks didn't stick around to help. He peeked at Derek, acting rather guarded now that they were alone again. "You ain't helping either, I take it?"

Derek crossed his arms on his chest and allowed himself a small smirk. "I'm gonna supervise you."

"Come on, you can't be mad. You enjoyed it. I know you did."

He did. And he wasn't mad. But he couldn't let Stiles think it was ok to act behind his back like this. "That is beside the point and you know it."

Stiles lowered his gaze for a second, then shook his head with a frown. "You have been hermitting here for months with your needles and yarn and your wolf has been suffering for it!"

"It doesn't make it ok."

"The pack needed it and so did you," Stiles said stubbornly. "I'm not sorry."

"You will be if you ever do this again." Having Stiles clean the place by himself should be enough to discourage further escapades, but just in case it wasn't, he now knew what to expect.

A blush crept up Stiles's cheeks and Derek briefly wondered if he just issued a threat or an incentive. Probably a combination of both. Stiles nodded as if he read his mind and reached the same conclusion and then dropped a complete non sequitur.

"We should have sex."

xxx

Stiles

Derek's reaction was not what Stiles expected. Or rather, there was no reaction. His face was completely blank, to the point Stiles wasn't sure if he even heard him. "Well?" he prompted him.

Derek shrugged. "I'm waiting for the punchline."

"There is no punchline. I'm serious. We should have sex."

Ok, there was a reaction now. First, Derek's eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, then his eyes narrowed, jaw tightened, and frown lines marred his forehead. Stiles was tempted to poke right in the middle of it but kept his hands to himself.

"To…?"

"Break the curse," Stiles finished for him. "Or try at least."

Derek's face twisted with skepticism that Stiles might have expected but wasn't happy to see whatsoever. "You really think this shit is like… what, STDs?"

"No. If it was, then it would happen after we had sex, not before," Stiles replied, matching Derek's sarcasm. "Maybe it's a good thing you are spending some time in school again. You obviously need it."

"Yeah, keep up the attitude, see what happens."

The fluttery feeling in Stiles's stomach went straight down to his dick. It was a second spanking threat Derek issued within 5 minutes and all it did was make Stiles horny. Of course, since they were about to switch any minute now, there was no time for that anyway, but just the fact that Derek went there was filling Stiles with giddy happiness.

After the last spanking a few days ago, when Stiles woke up from his nap feeling as merry as a bird, Derek laughed saying he expected him to sulk. Stiles told him that maybe he would if he wasn't so afraid that Derek would never do it again. Derek could have reassured him that he would, but he didn't. So Stiles was back to the limbo, where provoking Derek was a no-go, and purposely fucking up was too far and just not worth it. But now, hearing Derek's casual threats, things seemed to be looking up again.

Derek was quiet for a moment, deep in thought, and then shook his head. "The mage said a failed Misery spell was more likely."

"Yes and I also think so," Stiles agreed. Frankly, he didn't think Derek would even consider it. "But there is nothing we can do about a failed spell without the original caster. This is something we can try to rule out the alternative. And you heard others. What is more connecting than sex?"

As if on cue, the clock struck twelve and the carriage turned into a pumpkin, or in their case, it was quarter past midnight and Stiles was back to staring at his own face sporting Derek's usual scowl. Out of habit, he checked the mark on his wrist and then silently greeted the wolf. By now it was almost ordinary. Just another day in Beacon Hills.

Derek closed his eyes and puffed out a sigh. "So you expect me to fuck my own ass?"

"We can wait for another day, but I think it's more likely to work if we are reversed." Stiles would offer to do it twice, but he didn't want to push his luck. "If you have a problem I can be on Top."

"A virgin with werewolf strength. Not happening."

"I'm not clueless, I watched porn. I'd be gentle."

Derek tilted his head with his signature "you're an idiot" expression that even Stiles's features didn't soften much. "I've seen what kind of porn you watch, you ain't getting nowhere near my ass."

Stiles grinned. "Technically, it would be my ass."

"No."

It had the finality to it since Derek turned on his heel and headed out but Stiles still prodded, "No in general or no to me topping?"

Derek quickened his step as if he couldn't get out fast enough. "I'm going home so that your father doesn't call for a search party and you have some cleaning to do."

"Well, think about it!" Stiles called after him, but the only reply he got was a slam of the front door.

xxx

Derek

This was a terrible idea and Derek couldn't believe he was actually considering it. Sleeping with a pack member was not smart to begin with, but sleeping with somebody who had a crush on him was just beyond stupid. Even though Stiles was not prone to drama, Derek didn't want to give him false hope. It was one thing to bust his ass and pretend he was disciplining him and not playing into his fantasy, but sex always complicated things. Feelings could get involved and feelings could get hurt, especially since Stiles was a virgin and Derek was…well, a dick.

If this was just Stiles's Hail Mary attempt to have sex with him, Derek wouldn't have given it the time of day, but it wasn't, and Lydia was not the only one stating the obvious, Dargamar suggested it quite bluntly as well. Derek would lie if he said he never thought about it. The chance that somebody cursed them just so that Stiles could get laid was not high, but at this point, a drowning man would clutch at a straw and the alternative was to keep doing big fat nothing.

At school, people were discussing SAT tests, and several times Derek had to find an excuse not to answer when he was taking his. He texted Stiles asking about it and got a short but very telling "oh, shit" in reply, which could either mean that it was soon, or that it fell on "Derek's" day.

And voila, it was both. Now they were on the clock with only three weeks left to figure this out. And that was not all, in two days it was… fuck. As usual, the thought was too agonizing to be put into words, even just in his head. He didn't want to spend that day in Stiles's body. He needed his wolf to grieve with him and share the pain.

Impulsively, he grabbed his phone and texted Stiles, "Alright. Let's try it." Stiles didn't message back to clarify what he meant. Derek just hoped neither of them would grow to regret this ill-advised solution.

By the time he made it home, it was already late evening. Finstock, the lacrosse coach, caught him in between classes and threatened dire consequences if he missed practice again, so Derek had to go. Thankfully, Stiles was not particularly good at it, so except for a few weird looks from Scott and a couple comparisons to Greenberg from the coach, it seemed that no one spotted the difference. But damn… sports were hard as a human.

He found Stiles sprawled on the sofa watching Netflix. If he was at all nervous, he didn't let it show. In fact, he looked pissed.

"Theeeere, you are," Stiles drawled, eyes still fixed on the TV. "I thought maybe you got lost or suffered temporary amnesia and forgot where you live."

"I was running laps on the field to keep your sorry ass on the team," Derek snapped, matching Stiles's attitude with his own. "You're welcome."

"Oh…" Stiles turned around, surprise written on his face. He clearly thought Derek was avoiding him or changed his mind, or God knows what. "I'm usually benched anyway… but that's not, uh, I mean, thank you." He tripped over every single word. "So, uhm, you still wanna do this?"

No. "Yes." Maybe. Whatever. "But I need a shower." And Stiles would probably need one as well… did he even know how to prep himself? "Did you…?" Derek trailed off, hoping that Stiles wouldn't make him spell it out as this was already awkward enough.

"Yeah," Stiles rubbed his neck, visibly uncomfortable, "I already, uh, got myself ready."

"Good." And thank heaven for small mercies. Derek retreated to the bathroom and closed the door on an exhale. He needed a shower. Nice and long one too. Just not too long to give Stiles a reason to second guess him again and get all butthurt. Though once he realized that Derek wasn't trying to back off, his bravado was gone, replaced with a vulnerability that Derek didn't quite know how to deal with.

When he pictured it during the day, he mostly focused on mechanics. Mainly, how to psych himself to get hard with the only visual stimulus being "his own face and body". And no, he didn't get boners just looking at himself, attractive or not, he was not that much of a narcissist. But now he feared that the tricky part was not gonna be the mechanics.

Stiles was a virgin. It was his first time. Not something Derek ever considered a gift or a problem, it rarely mattered except for how careful he had to be. But with Stiles… Derek would never admit it, but deep down it actually kinda pleased him, that he would get to be his first. And he couldn't even blame that feeling on his wolf. No, that was all him. So much so that he briefly considered postponing it for a day, just so that he could do it properly, in his own body.

But of course he quickly reminded himself that this was not a mission of losing Stiles's virginity but breaking the curse. And the fact that he somehow managed to forget about it was pretty alarming. Better to get it over with.

Stiles was waiting for him in the bedroom. He was sitting on the bed, one knee pressed to his chest, and while he clearly tried to appear casual, he looked everything but.

"This won't do," Derek said with a slight shake of his head. Anxious and uptight was not the best state for sex, especially if one was a werewolf. "If you don't relax you might put your own body in the hospital."

"I'm fine."

Stubborn little shit.

"Take off your shirt and lie down."

Stiles seemed puzzled for a moment, but the wolf in his body carried out the issued command. "Just the shirt?"

"For now." Derek climbed on the bed, gently prodded Stiles to turn over on his stomach, and then sat on top of him.

"What are you-" the rest of the question got muffled in a moan as Derek dug his hands into Stiles's back, kneading the stiff muscles. He didn't plan on doing any foreplay, but he needed Stiles to loosen up and a massage was the least awkward way to achieve that.

"I need you to try and relax a bit. It's not going to hurt, we will take it slow." He tried to get his voice to a soothing low register. It didn't reach the growly rumble he was used to, but it had to do.

"I'm not afraid-" Stiles started to protest, but Derek just kept talking over him.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to. You need to keep in mind how much stronger you are. Try to stay passive, use your words if you don't like something. Feel free to touch yourself, but don't overdo it. If you come too soon, you might not enjoy the rest."

"Derek, I don't need-"

"Close your eyes. Don't talk. Listen. I'm not patronizing you, I'm placating the wolf inside of you. He is dominant, and not exactly used to this."

Stiles turned his head and shot him a curious glance. "So, you've never bottomed?"

"I did," Derek pushed Stiles's head back down, "but I have full control over him. You don't."

Stiles mulled over that information for a bit. Derek almost thought he'd let it go but of course, no such luck.

"So… you didn't like it?"

"Don't worry, you will."

"I asked about you."

Derek shifted a bit back and landed a hefty smack to Stiles's butt. "And I told you to be quiet."

xxx

Stiles

Stiles giggled, but it came out more as a growl. The wolf was not used to being on the receiving end of such attention from Derek. And while Stiles appreciated such attention very much, with their bodies reversed he doubted there would be any more of it even if he asked. So he quelled all the sassy remarks and settled on enjoying the massage (and drooling into the pillow imagining kinky what-ifs).

As expected, it had the side effect of getting him hard, which under different circumstances might have been mortifying, but in this case, it was kinda why they were here. Unfortunately, Derek didn't seem to be in a hurry to move things along, and for a good ten minutes did nothing but work on his back, while Stiles was getting dangerously close to humping the bed sheets.

"If you keep going, I'm just gonna come in my pants," he said with a groan.

"What?" Derek's hands left his back and Stiles could smell his confusion, then the implication of his words sank in and Stiles was "rewarded" with another brisk smack. "You were supposed to relax."

"Oh, I thought we were having sex. My bad." Stiles's commitment to be a good boy only lasted so long. The follow-up swat to his butt was not a surprise either. "And FYI, this is not helping."

Derek must have realized it as well because he didn't spank him anymore and turned him around. Stiles's bulge spoke for itself and Derek did a quick work of getting him out of his jeans. It was nice to see that while Derek wasn't aroused before, his pants started filling out as he was undressing him. Stiles reached out to return the favor, but Derek didn't let him and ordered him to get on all fours instead.

That sent a clear message. Stiles was not to undress him, touch him, or kiss him. They were not lovers. This was just a means to an end. Nothing personal, strictly business. And yes, that sucked, but as Stiles was waiting for Derek to show up, he had plenty of time to adjust his expectations.

He did as he was told and listened to Derek rummage through the contents of his bedside table and then curse under his breath.

"What is it?"

"I can't find the condoms," Derek explained, looking genuinely lost.

"Well, I promise not to get pregnant then." Seriously, why would they even need condoms? Werewolves were vulnerable to shit like mountain ash and wolfsbane, not STDs. "You're a werewolf, I'm a virgin… or the other way around, doesn't matter. Either way, we are good."

"Fine." Derek waved his hand, giving up. "But you should never be this careless otherwise."

Oh, for God's sake! "Are we trying to break the curse or are you giving me a lesson in sex-ed?"

"Shut up and turn around." Derek pushed him back in position and lowered his underwear. "I'm gonna prep you with my fingers now. It can feel a bit weird at first, but shouldn't be unpleasant."

"I know." It's not like Stiles never tried to finger himself.

Derek stilled behind him. Gee, just how innocent did he think he was?

"Good." Derek didn't say anything else and got to work.

He was slow and gentle, just like he promised. In turn, Stiles tried to stay in position and keep his reactions at bay, limiting himself to quiet "ohs" and grunts. Several times Derek had to remind him not to tense up but after a while, Stiles stopped feeling self-conscious and started enjoying it a bit more. Derek was thorough, going up to three fingers, and even though Stiles didn't think he was that big, he appreciated the thought.

The only problem was that Derek was really taking his time with this. To the point that Stiles started to wonder if he even knew that sex was done with penises and not fingers. The question was about to slip from his lips when Derek finally withdrew his fingers.

"Alright, I think it's enough."

Stiles had to stifle a sarcastic "no shit". He couldn't afford to jeopardize losing his virginity now when he was this close, just one step away. But Derek misunderstood his silence.

"You ok?"

"Yes. Absolutely. Let's do it. Come on."

Despite Stiles's enthusiasm, Derek was hesitating. "Are you ok with staying like this? Cause I don't think I'll be able to do it while staring at my face."

"You think your ass is better?" Stiles couldn't help but laugh.

Derek chuckled as well. "You might be surprised, but I've never seen my body from this angle before."

"And how is it?" Stiles turned his head and cast him a salacious look.

"Not bad, actually."

The banter eased the awkwardness and for a moment, Stiles almost forgot why they were doing this. If they were together having their first sex, he would have preferred to be able to see Derek's face as he entered him. He probably wrote about it in his journal, which would explain why Derek was asking about it. But they were not here to make all Stiles's fantasies come true. They were here to break the curse. And while getting it doggy-style was pretty far from a romantic first time, it was still hot.

"Then, what are you waiting for?"

xxx

Derek

The first thing that broke through Derek's peaceful sleep was a tickling sensation. The one that usually requires an immediate scratch, but his hands were busy for some reason, and he rubbed his face against the pillow to alleviate the itch. The fabric was oddly damp and as he returned his head to the original position, the hair was back in his face, prickling his nose.

A sleepy growl ripped through his throat, and he instinctively tightened his embrace around the source of warmth and irritation, burying his nose deeper into that spiky hair. The source vibrated with a muffled giggle, the smell of happiness hitting Derek's nose. It was the most comforting scent, lulling him back into the grasp of dreamland. And Derek would have probably let it take over if it wasn't for something in the back of his mind clicking with recognition.

Stiles.

Part of him clung to the pleasant state, persuading him that all was as it should be, but the other more rational part jerked him out of the peaceful slumber with a punch. And as the awareness settled in, the mortification soon followed.

Derek was not generally a hugger. He liked his space during sleep. It was only when his wolf got head over heels for the person Derek had in his bed, that he found himself in such precarious positions. But then again, it was ages ago, and Derek was genuinely in love back then.

He loosened his grip, allowing Stiles to breathe again, and tried to shift his face away from his head. Damn, did he drool on the pillow too? Yep, not at all embarrassing... Then he realized that his pelvis was still pressed against Stiles with the worst case of morning wood, and the wet stain on the pillow became the least of his problems.

So much for keeping things casual.

"I see someone's ready for round two."

Derek disentangled himself and rolled away, squeezing his eyes shut with an inner groan. Not only was Stiles awake this whole time, but he also knew that so was Derek, so feigning ignorance was not an option anymore.

"Don't flatter yourself," he grumbled, trying to will away his erection.

Stiles didn't reply or turn around, but Derek could practically see his grinning face. They stayed like this for a couple minutes - Derek trying to get his bearings and Stiles oozing mirth and typical post-coital bliss. Smug little shit.

"Was nice though," he said quietly.

Derek hoped that he was referring to sex and not to his morning faux pas. Cause, man... that was just… Gah. Anyway, he was glad to hear that Stiles liked it, even if he couldn't exactly say the same.

I mean, on a purely physical level it was all good. It was pleasant and he got to come. But being focused on several balancing acts at the same time, Derek's personal enjoyment had to take a backseat. He needed to make sure Stiles was not in pain, prevent any potential freakouts from the wolf, and try to maintain the status quo by limiting personal touch to the minimum. Just a few encouraging words to keep the wolf calm, just enough gentle strokes to keep things going, no passionate speeches, no wandering hands, no losing one's head, because come morning, things still had to get back to normal.

His original fear that he might lose an erection because he was fucking "himself" proved to be a non-issue. In fact, in the body of a teenager, the real challenge was not to come too soon and Stiles's soft whimpers and quiet moans were making it even more difficult. Derek could tell he was restraining himself, just like Derek was restraining himself, but his reactions were genuine, showing his inexperience, and that was a feature, not a bug.

In the end, the whole thing felt impersonal and mechanical to Derek but if Stiles still managed to enjoy it, he would allow himself to take pride in it. It was no easy feat.

Too bad all his nightly efforts to maintain boundaries were overturned by his wolf turning into an octopus and spooning the heck out of his prey. And Derek didn't even want to think about what it all meant. Ridiculous. To think, he was wary of sex because he thought Stiles would get too attached. Instead, his dear wolf lost his marbles and developed a crush of his own. As if Derek's opinion didn't matter. And since when was the wolf into bratty annoying barely-adults anyway?

"Do you think it worked?"

It took Derek a moment to realize what Stiles meant. Once again, he managed to forget the actual reason they were lying naked in the same bed. They didn't magically switch at the climax as Derek hoped they would. They came together, with Stiles going off first and Derek following shortly after, and then both collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. Or at least Derek did because he was exhausted after his lacrosse practice. Stiles might have taken a shower but Derek was out too fast to know for sure.

The bodyswap came at night as it always did and their wrists didn't have the Misery mark right now but that didn't mean anything. Maybe it worked and then they will never switch again. Or it didn't and, well… "I guess we will find out at night."

"Yeah." Stiles nodded. "Fingers crossed."

"And if it didn't, perhaps it will help you get over your little obsession."

Derek wanted to bite off his tongue as soon as he said it because the way it sucked all the happiness out of the room was so fast, he nearly got whiplash from it. Instead, all his senses got flooded with Stiles's hurt and the smell was nauseating.

"Right." Stiles rolled to the other side of the bed and started collecting his things and getting dressed. He didn't say anything else, but that was even worse than if he started yelling about what an asshole Derek was. Because that would give Derek room to come up with a way to make things right again. "I'll be going, uh, home. See you."

Fuck. He was gone so fast. Derek could see how much Stiles wanted to get away and he didn't know if there was anything he could say at this point that would stop him.

And the worst thing was that he knew this would happen. Sex always complicated things. Feelings always ended up getting hurt. And Derek was the worst boyfriend material out there. He just fucking proved it.

TBC

And on this cheerful note, I wish you Happy Holidays!;))