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They don't understand, any of them. They whisper about it in their fancy suits and diamonds "why choose love match? Why not a simple house treaty. And for God's generous sake, of all the Stilinskis, why choose Stiles?"
They don't understand that the first time they met, Stiles had been trespassing, pretended to be a McCall. They hadn't seen their first official meeting. Of course they knew that Stiles had been incremental in bringing about 'justice' against Kate Argent, bur they'd also known Stiles had driven Derek crazy.
They didn't get to see the way Stiles was the only one that, when Derek was being stupid, stood up told him so, then suggested a better way.
They hadn't seen the way Stiles had held a paralysed Derek in a swimming pool for 3 hours because he'd worked out the AIcarrying the kanima bioweapon didn't do water. They didn't see the way Derek willingly turned his back on his attacker to push Stiles to safety.
They'd all heard about the bomb blast that had trapped them in a cellar, but they hadn't seen the way Stiles had pushed his way towards Derek and put him in the recovery position till he'd regained consciousness. They didn't see the way Stiles crumpled when, with nothing to focus on, he realised that actually he could die and they didn't see the way Derek, famously introverted don't-touch-me Derek took him in his arms and took him through it.
They didn't known that Derek had snuck in through Stiles' window, didn't know Stiles had seen him coming and disabled the security for him. Hadn't seen their awkward first kiss, didn't know that Derek had bolted, didn't know Stiles had visited Derek to tell him to stop "being such an emotionally constipated sourwolf" they didn't see Derek grab him and tell him he loved him in the only way how, by fucking him against the wall.
They didn't know that Stiles had understood, had told him every time Derek stole a moment that he loved him till Derek said it back. They didn't feel their heart beat so fast they were scared they might actually get a coronary the first time Derek had looked Stiles in the eye and told him he loved him. They didn't know the way Derek had faltered slightly over his words when telling his uncle, while Stiles had stood confident almost to the point of cocky when telling his father. They knew the announcement of the joining of the two houses through engagement, but they didn't see the hurried conversation Peter Hale and 'Sheriff' Stilinski had about it.
They weren't privy to the way Derek loved licking, biting and kissing every inch of Stiles every time they fucked, the way Derek loved adoring and worshipping Stiles every night when he held Stiles in his arms, they didn't know how Stiles suffered with worrying over both his father and Derek.
They only saw the gangly, talkative ADHD kid who'd seen his mother get shot in front of him aged 5 who was amazing with figures and facts and was in hacking second only to the legendary Danny Mahealini. The guy that was never quite first. Never quite the best.
And the fucked-up, permanently angry boy who had been abused and had possibly led to the murder of most of his family, who was a killer shot and ace fighter but couldn't even talk to the guy making him coffee every day.
They didn't understand that Derek had fallen for Stiles' strength, Stiles' lotalty, Stiles' ability to know what had to be done and follow through. For his infuriating inability to let anything go. For his clumsy flailing limbs finding elegance in typing binary codes. For all of him.
They didn't know that Stiles fell for Derek's weird heroism, for the way he couldn't bear to admit his failings, yet tried to make it up to you. The way responsibility ate him up, the way he despaired over his failing leadership. For his sense of family.
Oh yes, they all knew that the Hale Pack's difficulties righted themselves when Stiles joined Derek at the helm. That suddenly the Hales had businesses in tech that flew off the shelves because they were cheap and were confusing enough to appear cool and when it broke down you had to get a replacement of the same type. They didn't know that Stiles hadn't asked to help, that it was Derek who asked him.
They didn't see the way Stiles frantically made sure they knew everything about anyone who could harm Derek. Didn't know Stiles had personally ordered Derek's bodyguards.
And they never saw the way if you harmed Stiles the last sight you saw would be Derek calmly turning around from his love to give you a smile that would shatter into a growl.