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‘I hear you’re getting down and dirty with Derek Hale,’ Lydia said, sitting down opposite Stiles, making him choke on his burger.
‘I. Wait. What? How?’ Stiles spluttered.
‘I have my sources,’ Lydia said, smugly.
‘That’s not really an answer,’ Stiles pointed out. ‘And anyway, it’s only been a couple of weeks.’
A couple of weeks that Stiles was still kind of convinced might be a dream because he had spent a lot of it kissing Derek and getting to touch him. In that time he had found out that Derek loved getting his hair stroked, that he hated garlic (which Stiles had only discovered after eating garlic bread. Derek had refused to kiss him for two whole days) and that they both loved curling up together on the massive sofa Derek had bought for the house.
‘Which is plenty of time for me to find out those things,’ Lydia said.
‘Well, that’s both scary and not at all surprising.’
Lydia cocked her head, gaze sharp. ‘Does it bother you that I know?’
Stiles shook his head. ‘It really doesn’t.’
‘Well then. So, tell me, how did you manage to bag that?’
‘Honestly? I really have no idea.’ He could easily list all the reasons he was into Derek, but he was somewhat flummoxed by his apparent appeal to Derek.
Lydia lent forward. ‘I bet the sex is explosive. I mean, those hips.’
Stiles felt his face flush and he rubbed the back of his neck.
‘That good, huh?’ Lydia said with a wicked smile.
‘Uh -’ Stiles didn’t want rumours that could get Derek into trouble to start flying around, but, at the same time, he didn’t want anyone else knowing what was or wasn’t going on between him and Derek.
Before he could find the right word combination, Lydia’s eyes lit up with understanding. ‘Oh, really?’
‘Lydia -’
‘No, don’t.’ To his surprise, she smiled. ‘Good for you, Stiles.’
Stiles wanted to ask what she was talking about, but before he could, Jackson slammed his tray down next to Lydia.
‘So, is he banging Derek Hale?’ Jackson asked with a sneer. ‘Or is that just wishful thinking on his part?’
‘Jackson, don’t be so crude,’ Lydia snapped.
Jackson looked as startled as Stiles felt and he slumped forward, a scowl on his face.
Stiles was less surprised when Danny sat down next to him, grinning madly. ‘So, have you worked out if you’re attractive to gay guys yet, Stiles?’
‘Oh my god,’ Stiles said, realisation dawning way too late. ‘That’s why you were telling me to be safe.’
Danny laughed. ‘I’ll take that as a yes, shall I?’
‘Asshole. Although, technically, I think I’ve worked out I’m attractive to bisexual guys.’
‘I think you can safely assume that if you’re attractive to one, you’re attractive to the other.’
‘Probably,’ Stiles conceded. ‘But, dude, why didn’t you clue me in?’
Danny knocked his shoulder against Stiles’. ‘Would you have believed me?’
‘Well, no. Obviously not. But having you clue me in would have been significantly less scarring than Coach talking to me about my hot older boyfriend before he was my hot older boyfriend.’
‘Finstock?’ Danny repeated.
‘Apparently we weren’t subtle.’ Which Stiles found hilarious now he was no longer mortified.
‘Oh my god,’ Jackson muttered into his food. ‘You’re so clueless that even Finstock knew before you did.’
‘More than a little embarrassing,’ Stiles admitted. ‘But the end result is awesome, so I’m not really complaining.’
‘Whatever freaky things you and Derek Hale are getting up to, I don’t want to know about it,’ Jackson said with a theatrical shudder.
‘Jealous?’ Stiles asked. ‘Knowing you aren’t getting any of that.’
‘Shut it, dickward.’
‘With a vocabulary like that, I totally see how you were able to woo Lydia.’
‘Nobody wooed me,’ Lydia said, kicking him under the table.
Stiles held up his hands. ‘That’s totally not what I meant.’
Lydia raised an eyebrow, but before Stiles could babble and get himself into even more trouble Scott sat down beside him and Allison sat next to Jackson.
‘Hey,’ Allison said, nudging Jackson with her elbow and coaxing a reluctant smile from him. That was a friendship Stiles still didn’t understand.
Scott bumped his shoulder against Stiles, eyebrows raised and he glanced from Jackson to Lydia to Danny.
‘They were curious about Derek,’ Stiles said with a shrug.
Scott pulled a face at the mention of Derek, but then he rallied and shot Stiles a supportive smile.
‘What about Derek?’ Allison asked a small frown on her face.
‘Stilinski managed to bag himself Beacon Hills’ resident murder suspect,’ Jackson told her. ‘If you can believe it.’
There was surprise on her face which confused Stiles: he’d assumed Scott would have told her everything. But then, maybe Scott was showing some awareness for once and actually thinking about the fact that there were issues between Allison and Derek. Or he just didn’t want to talk about Derek, even to Allison.
Allison looked at Stiles. ‘You and Derek?’
Haltingly, and with lots of grimaces, Derek had told him about how Kate had displayed him to Allison and Stiles already knew Allison had shot him with an arrow so he only nodded, not wanting to tell Allison too much. Especially after Chris Argent’s warning not too long ago. ‘Me and Derek,’ he confirmed.
Allison worried her lip between her teeth, obviously weighing her words. ‘Are you sure, he, I mean, are you sure it’s safe?’
‘I can’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t be,’ Stiles said steadily. Stiles wasn’t stupid enough to think that Allison wouldn’t tell her dad as soon as she saw him and he didn’t want to give them any ammunition. ‘Derek pretty much keeps to himself unless he’s having dinner with me and Dad. Hell, sometimes he even stays and watches the game.’
‘Your dad knows?’ Allison asked, disbelief written all over her face.
‘Well, yeah. Derek isn’t a secret. Of course he knows. Plus, I’m a horrible liar and he’s the sheriff.’
‘Completely awful,’ Scott agreed, with a grin. ‘Utterly terrible.’
‘Ha! You’re one to talk,’ Stiles said. ‘Your face does this thing and everyone knows you’re talking shit.’
‘Shut up,’ Scott said with a laugh. ‘You babble, telling anyone who will listen how you’re not doing the thing that you’re doing, letting everyone know you are definitely doing that thing.’
Stiles narrowed his eyes. ‘I don’t like you anymore.’
‘So, your dad’s okay with you dating an older guy?’ Danny asked.
‘Well, “okay”, might be overstating it, but he likes Derek, so he’s not trying to stop it or anything.’
‘How’d you swing that?’ Danny asked, actually sounding impressed.
‘Yeah, Stilinski, how is your dad okay with you doing an ex-convict?’ Jackson said.
‘Hey! Derek isn’t an ex-convict, asshole,’ Stiles snapped. ‘He was arrested under the suspicion of and released when it became obvious he hadn’t done it and then the manhunt for him was called off when the two idiots who implicated him retracted their statements. He never went to prison, so he was never a convict. It’s not difficult to understand, dumbass.’
‘Defensive, much?’ Jackson scoffed.
‘Yeah,’ Stiles said. ‘I am defensive of my boyfriend. Deal with it.’
Lydia smacked Jackson before he could say or do anything and Scott leaned into Stiles supportively.
‘Ignore him,’ Danny said, frowning at Jackson. ‘He’s being a dick.’
Stiles snorted. ‘When isn’t he a dick?’
‘Screw you, Stilinski.’
‘You probably don’t want Derek to hear you say that,’ Danny advised. ‘I don’t think he’d appreciate you taking that kind of interest in Stiles.’
Jackson glared at Danny. ‘Traitor.’
‘Then stop being such a shit.’
Jackson’s expression soured even further, but he did shut up, much to Stiles’ relief.
The conversation moved away from Stiles and Derek, although Allison kept shooting him troubled looks when she thought he wasn’t looking.
‘So, Stilinski,’ Jackson said, as they deposited their trays by the trashcans, ‘how does dating a werewolf work? Are you his mate? His bitch?’
‘Wow. Jackson. How original. Did it take you all lunch to think of that? Is that why you were so quiet?’
‘Bite me.’
‘You say that to all the boys, don’t you, Jackson?’
Jackson scowled and stamped away towards Lydia.
Danny and Scott were talking about their geo homework and Stiles jumped when Allison linked her arm through his.
‘Hey,’ Stiles said with a smile. ‘My spidey senses are telling me you’re feeling troubled.’
Allison gave him a wan smile.
‘About Derek, I’m guessing.’
She nodded. ‘It’s just. My dad’s been telling me about what happens to wolves when they become omegas. It’s not pretty, Stiles, and they’re dangerous.’
‘Allison, I get that you’re concerned, but Derek’s fine, I promise.’
‘You can’t know that,’ Allison said. ‘Omegas just snap, go feral without any warning.’
‘Derek isn’t going to hurt me, and he’s definitely not going to kill me.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because he’s more into protecting me and I trust him.’
‘I hope you’re right, Stiles. But if you’re not, you know you can call me and my dad anytime, right?’
Stiles gently pulled his arm from Allison’s. ‘I appreciate it, I do. But...’ He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Look, I get that you think you’re looking out for me, but this is Derek we’re talking about and don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think your dad really knows how to be all that neutral when Derek’s concerned.’
Allison frowned. ‘Doesn’t mean he’s wrong about what happens if Derek goes feral.’
‘Derek isn’t going feral.’
‘You don’t know that. Omegas have no ties -’
‘Derek has ties,’ Stiles snapped. ‘He’s tied to me.’
Allison stared at him for a second and then her shoulders shook as she turned her head away and pressed her hand to her mouth, before turning back to Stiles, eyes laughing.
‘Okay, that probably wasn’t the best word choice out there,’ he said, fighting a smile.
‘Probably not,’ she agreed, smile fading. ‘I’m not saying it to be horrible, Stiles. I’m just worried about you.’
‘And I get that. I really do, but please trust me on this. I’m not being a naive idiot here, or anything. I totally get how dangerous Derek can be and I respect that.’ This probably wasn’t the time to say that he found Derek’s strength a turn on or that it made him feel safe, no matter how true it was.
‘Stiles, if he gets hurt -’
‘He’s already been hurt, like close to dying hurt and he let me help him. And this was back when he found me annoying, but not in a sexytimes way.’
‘What happened?’
‘That’s not the important part, Allison,’ Stiles said, suddenly remembering that Derek had had to kill the hunters that had come after him and that letting Allison know that was probably a bad idea. ‘The important bit is that he never once tried to hurt me.’
Allison didn’t look convinced, but she bit her lip and nodded. ‘Okay. But promise me that you’ll call me or my dad if that stops being the case.’
‘It won’t,’ he said, pushing open the classroom door. ‘But okay.’
---
By the time school ended, Jackson’s comment about being Derek’s mate had wormed its way into Stiles’ brain and he was particularly distracted all through practice, Jackson throwing him knowing smirks the entire time. After showering he drove straight to Derek’s.
Derek was baking - baking - when Stiles walked into the kitchen.
For a moment he was utterly distracted by the way Derek’s jeans hugged his thighs and the tight material of his Henley emphasised his shoulders and he nearly tripped over his own bag when he dumped it by the table. He pressed a kiss to Derek’s shoulder before hopping on to the counter, grinning when Derek leaned in to press a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth before rubbing his cheek against Stiles’.
When he pulled away the tips of his ears were red and there was a small, pleased smile on his face.
For a few minutes more Stiles was distracted watching Derek’s hands work as he finished stirring what Stiles thought was probably brownie mix and poured it into a tin. He let Derek put them in the oven and start to tidy away. ‘So, uh, question. Do werewolves mate? Like, for life and all that shit.’
To his surprise Derek fumbled the sugar as he went to put it away and they both watched it spilling out across the counter. Perhaps he could have timed that better.
‘Butterfingers.’
‘What did you say?’
‘Butter-’
‘No, Stiles. Before that.’
‘Oh. That.’ Stiles felt his face go hot and he fiddled with the hem of his shirt until Derek stilled his hand. ‘Jackson was being an ass at school, which, yeah, no surprise there, but he said some things. And, well, you know my brain. So. Am I your mate?’ He frowned. ‘Is mates even a thing? And if they are how does that even work? Is it some shitty pre-destiny thing or is it more of a guideline?’
Derek was standing stock still, his face blank.
‘Uh, Derek, that non-expression on your face isn’t exactly comforting. I’d assumed that it was just a product of Jackson reading too many paranormal romance books and just trying to get at me. But, uh, is it a thing?’
‘Kind of. I guess.’
‘Kind of?’ Stiles repeated. ‘You guess?’
Derek nodded.
‘So, how about you unvague that for me.’
Derek glanced at the sugar still spread out across the counter, but shook his head. He stepped around Stiles so that he was standing between his legs. ‘There is no one person you are predestined to be with forever and ever.’
‘Oh, thank god,’ Stiles breathed. ‘Not that I don’t want to be with you forever and ever,’ he hastened to add, curling his hand in the hem of Derek’s Henley, his fist resting on Derek’s hip. ‘I just want to be with you because I want to be with you and not because some idiot wrote it in the stars.’
Derek quirked a small smile at him. ‘But there are people who you are thought to be more… compatible with, I guess is the way to put it.’ Pulling Stiles towards the edge of the counter, Derek pressed closer, his hands skating up Stiles’ sides until they rested on his shoulders. He nosed along Stiles’ jaw, making him shudder when Derek said, low into his ear, ‘People who compliment you and bring out the best in you.’
Wrapping his other arm around Derek’s waist, Stiles pressed his face into Derek’s neck and grinned. ‘Bring out the best in you, huh?’
He felt Derek nod. ‘And challenge you. Drive you crazy.’ There was a pause. ‘Make you feel safe.’
Stiles wiggled impossibly closer, his arms tightening around Derek.
‘Same,’ he whispered into Derek’s skin, knowing Derek would hear him. ‘Same for me, too.’
‘Come on,’ Derek said after a few minutes of them hugging. He stepped away from the counter and pulled Stiles with him. ‘We’ve got some time.’
‘Yeah? Do you have plans for what you want to do with that time?’
Derek linked their fingers together and led him through to the living room. ‘I do.’
‘Gonna let me in on your grand plans?’ Stiles asked, kicking off his shoes before letting Derek pull him down onto the sofa so Stiles was straddling his thighs.
Derek’s hands settled on Stiles’ hips and he nosed along his jaw and bit lightly on his earlobe, making Stiles whine. ‘I think you’ll like them.’
‘Are you sure?’
He pulled back, grinning. ‘Absolutely.’
For a moment Stiles completely lost his breath at the sight of Derek grinning so freely. He chest felt tight and he brought up a hand to ghost along a cheekbone, smiling when Derek nuzzled against the palm of his hand. ‘So come on then, tell me what this plan is.’
One of Derek’s hands came up to press against the back of his head and Stiles had a passing thought of what it would be like if he let his hair grow out, giving Derek something to hold on to. It turned him on way more than he’d expected it to and he filed it away in the back of his mind to think about later. When he didn’t have a pliant Derek beneath him.
Derek’s voice was pitched low when he said, ‘Make out with you like this for a while and then push you down onto the sofa and make out some more.’
Stiles felt his breath hitch and he nodded his head vigorously. ‘Yeah, yeah.’ He swallowed. ‘I’m definitely on board with that plan. One hundred percent approve.’
When Derek’s lips met his, he didn’t even try to hold back the moan, diving enthusiastically into kissing Derek back. His favourite after school activity was definitely getting so lost in Derek’s kisses, that Derek was all he could think about.
‘Hey, does this mean I have to thank Jackson?’ he asked a little later, throwing his head back against the armrest as Derek kissed under his jaw and down his throat. He had a hand on Stiles’ head, rubbing gently and Stiles was definitely thinking about all the merits of longer hair right then. His other hand had slipped under Stiles’ t-shirt and his thumb was rubbing small circles on Stiles’ hip, making him feel slightly dizzy.
Derek paused and pushed up slightly so he could meet Stiles’ eyes. ‘Why do you have to thank Jackson?’
‘Well, because if he hadn’t been such a giant douchebag at lunch, we’d never have had this conversation. Or at least not for a long while, I’m guessing.’ He stared at Derek, one eyebrow raised until Derek nodded reluctantly in agreement. ‘That’s what I thought. So, really, it's thanks to Jackson, we’ve had this talk and got it all out of the way and we’re good now.’
‘How were you thinking of thanking him?’
Stiles carded a hand through Derek’s hair, pulling gently, biting his lip when Derek closed his eyes, looking completely blissed out. ‘Something with the right amount of emotional scarring.’
Derek laughed against Stiles’ mouth. ‘Something tells me you won’t have any difficulty coming up with the appropriate reward.’