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- Peter.
Most things come quickly to Peter hale. He’s annoyingly intuitive, objectively intelligent and he only ever offers his heart to a handful of people, maybe less. Although, he initially agreed to be with the pack, needing Derek as his alpha and not him, considering the bang-up job he did as Alpha. It was...a comfortable situation if he was lying to himself. He didn’t care much for the pack, as he should as a member. Not too many people paid attention to him either, no one was really curious about him and his thoughts other than Derek. And Stiles. Stiles. In reality, Peter was always fond of Stiles. He made shit jokes that actually had a laughable quality, he had big ideas. His brain wasn’t small like other humans he had met, and even werewolves as well. He was...different, in a way Peter admired. He liked Stiles and generally tolerated the rest of his nephew.
This is why it didn’t come to much of a surprise to Peter when Peter noticed what he did. Stiles slow creeping incorporation to the pack. He was a human after all, not that humans couldn’t be pack or even be emissaries if they needed to. But Stiles was more than that, to seemingly all of them. Even Peter.
It happened after an attack, just your run of the mill monster summoned by the nemeton, the literal beacon in the center of Beacon Hills. Nothing that the pack wasn’t equipped to handle, it was over pretty quickly. But that didn’t stop their little human from checking on everyone last one of them. It started with Erica, Isaac, and Boyd, he touched them all checked them all out even as they fussed making sure he was alright as well. Telling him that he was more fragile than them, and Stiles instantly shoots back that “it doesn’t mean my life is more important than yours”. That managed to shut them up and let Stiles check them out. They were cleared, he moved on to Lydia and Jackson. Of course, they both made it out without a scratch, Jackson was barely ever hurt after a fight and Lydia was under constant protection from him anyway. Next was Scott, which was over pretty quickly because Scott insisted that he needed to check on Allison. Which resulted in an eye-roll from Stiles. Peter was next.
Peter went stiff, puffed out his chest. Stiles looked him over, assessing the damage, and then his finger skated across his shoulder. A pat and then he was gone. Peter’s muscles and body tensed he flexed his fingers as he inhaled. What the fuck? He thought to himself. Stiles had just scent marked it. It was short, subtle but for some reason it relaxed him, and that made him uncomfortable. It startled him because he had never been relaxed by a human’s touch. Or anyone, generalized trust issues just didn’t let him get close no matter what. His eyes followed the lines of Stiles’s back as he made his last stop. Derek. Derek grumbled as he lifted himself from the ground, a slash to the abdomen, nothing that wouldn’t heal in seconds, but Stiles treated it like it was life or death. He quickly slid to the ground when he saw him, and his hands were all over the alpha. And Derek groaned at him to stop, and not to worry, to check on the others. Stiles smiled and said that he already did, knowing that Derek would tell him to do that.
“Stiles. Stop.” Derek growled out and Stiles rolled his eyes and dropped his hands. He lifted the hem of his shirt to show him that the slash was already healing. Stiles shrugged but he stayed and he didn’t get up to collect everyone until Derek did.
That’s when he noticed. The immovable force that checks over the pack, watches everyone's back and doesn’t move until the alpha does.
- Erica, Isaac, Boyd.
Stiles was also a weirdo. They all thought so, but that didn’t stop them from hanging out with him. He was also incredibly smart, anyone would tell you so. So Erica, who didn’t struggle as much as Issac, or did a little better than Boyd, employed Stiles to help him study.
“Why do you have to do this here?” Derek groaned as he came down the stairs from the loft.
“Erica said this was like the packhouse? Where their alpha is and they have meetings and stuff here? So Erica suggested we do it here.” Stiles explained easily as he looked through his textbook and circled something on his paper.
“No one asked me.”
“Derek, can we use your place to study?” Stiles looked up through his lashes.
“No.”
“Tough.” Stiles shrugged, and the loft door slid open as he did. Derek growled softly, but Stiles knew that he wasn’t going to kick them out.
“What’s up Batman!” Erica hollered as she entered, dragging Isaac inside by his hand and Boyd following behind them, carrying his and Erica’s bag. Stiles couldn’t help but smile, he never knew how Erica got them to do anything she asked.
“Yo Catwoman! Took you long enough.” Stiles shouted back and Derek groaned. Stiles looked up, he could have sworn he would have left already. Stiles watched as Derek went to sit on the couch behind him. Crossing his arms over his chest.
“I had to drag Isaac out of bed, he was sleeping and then Boyd refused to come over unless he grabbed coffee first. But anyway we’re here!” Erica explained walking over, two boys in tow and sitting down. They all pulled out their school supplies and stuff before starting.
The next hour was draining and it was mainly Erica and Stiles arguing back and forth about the school, TV Shows, Movies, and especially superheroes. They ultimately ended with Stiles winning, being the one with superior knowledge out of the two of them. Erica was a close competitor.
“Stiles. A word.” Derek barks out, and Stiles startles. Stiles follows Derek under the stairs.
“See what I mean?” Erica whispers to Issac, who is still trying to figure out how the fuck this problem works, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Huh?” He looks up and follows Erica’s gaze. “What about it? They’re always like that.” From an outside perspective, it looks like Derek is speaking quietly, complaining to Stiles. And Stiles is laughing really loud, pushing and punching Derek in the shoulder as he complains.
“Exactly! Derek isn’t like that with anyone else! Only Stiles.”
“Okay?” Boyd chimes in. “They’re mates.” He adds disinterested, laying back with hands behind his head. Out of the corner of Erica’s eye, he can see Derek stiffen, knowing that Derek can hear them.
“What? With Stiles?” Erica whisper-shouts.
“That makes sense for some reason...Stiles is always looking after us. Constantly arguing with Derek and protecting him as much as he can with him being human. And Stiles is almost as scary as Derek sometimes. But whenever he’s around I feel so calm and weirdly safe.” Isaac explains and then shrugs.
“But if Stiles is Derek’s mate, that makes him like our pack mom? Denmaker, non-werewolf daddy.” Erica spouts and Derek growls at her from the corner of the room. Isaac straightens up immediately and even Boyd tenses before slowly relaxing again. Stiles grabs his bicep to get his attention and Derek slaps it away before dismissing him and running up the stairs.
He doesn’t come back down by the time Erica, Isaac, and Boyd leave. He hugs Erica tightly, whether it was he couldn’t breathe, we’ll never know. Issac gives him a lingering bro hug, and Boyd gives him a sturdy handshake, and Stiles’s finger brushes against the other wrist lightly and he smiles.
They walk down the stairs away from the loft and Erica speaks first. “He definitely just scent marked us, no?” Erica asks the boys and they both nod, but don’t comment.
- Allison.
“What’s going on between you and Derek?” Allison asks on the way to school. Stiles offered to take both Scott and Allison but they couldn’t get a hold of him. So they left without him.
“What do you mean?” Stiles asks.
“Well, you’re like….close. Did you finally confess?” Allison asks, her voice suddenly going higher with excitement.
“Confess what?!”
“You’re ever-growing man-crush that started like the moment you met him?” Allison says this isn’t news.
“What the hell!! I don’t have a crush on Derek Hale!”
“Why is it “Derek Hale” and not Derek?”
“What? That’s his name!”
“Do you want his name to be Derek Stillinski?” Allison asks with a sly grin. Stiles flushes red at the implication.
“Allison, am I missing something?” He grips the steering wheel a little tighter. “Like sure, he’s a guy who has been chiseled in God’s image. Every man who ever tried to match his beauty is smitten on spot. And every time I close my eyes I want his cock to spread to my throat. And I want to feel his stubble across every dip and crack of my body. I want him to ram me absolutely so hard with whatever size dick he has, bet the fucker is hung as shit. I want him to rail me until I forget my fucking name. But that’s lust, Allison. Not love.
After her initial shock of images that she didn’t need, and clear her throat and hopefully her mind she opens her mouth to speak. “You’re in love with Derek Hale. You have been for a while, every time we're at meetings or even when the two of you are in the same room you’re like, floaty. And it’s not just you, Derek seems...different when you’re around too. Like not as broody.”
“Well, I’m just like part of the pack, it’s not like that,” Stiles explains. But Allison doesn’t buy it.
Especially after school during the pack meeting, Stiles makes a joke of sitting in Derek’s lap when all of the spots are taken. And Derek hesitates for a fraction of a second before tossing him off. Ultimately scooting over so he can just sit beside him. Stiles recovers quickly and throws his arm around Derek, technically the back of the couch, but Derek doesn't argue. Or even growl in his direction. Yeah. Lust my ass.
- Jackson and Lydia.
The fucking difference isn’t lost on Lydia either. Stiles’s arm is practically on Derek’s shoulder. Lydia perks up an eyebrow. She nudges Jackson to get his attention, he looks over slowly. Follows Lydia’s finger before scoffing. He pulls out his phone, typing quickly before pressing send.
> Jackson [4:58pm] I knew they were fucking
Lydia’s phone goes off and she pulls it up quickly, smiling and texting back.
> Lydia [4:58pm] Oh? Go on.
> Jackson [4:59pm] They’re all over each other all the time. During meetings, during battle, they probably fuck every time no one is around. Stiles always smells like Derek.
> Lydia [5:00pm] Yeah? I don’t have werewolf smelling, you know? But what if they just spend a bunch of time together, like you and me?
> Jackson [5:01pm] Aren’t we fucking?
Lydia laughs, and Jackson smiles.
> Lydia [5:02pm] Point taken. But don’t you all smell like Derek?
> Jackson [5:03pm]Yeah. We all smell like pack, but you smell like me and Ally smells like Scott. Erica, Isaac, and Boyd basically smell like each other. And then, Stiles smells like Derek.
> Lydia [5:04pm] Peter?
> Jackson [5:04pm] Like pack, sometimes like Derek, but then again they live together.
> Lydia [5:05pm] Okay. But Stiles smells like Derek? Like he...owns Derek?
> Jackson [5:06pm] Not like that. Like they have each other's backs like they’re always there for each other. Protect each other. Stiles even sometimes smell like an alpha…
> Lydia [5:07pm] Is it possible he is?
> Jackson [5:07pm] What? No.
> Lydia [5:07pm] If Stiles was Derek’s mate, he would be like the pack mom, denmaker, he takes care and nurtures the pack in a different way than Derek. Where Derek leads, Stiles’s cares.
> Jackson [5:08pm] I guess?
> Lydia [5:09pm] I’ll do some research, but I think...Stiles is Derek’s mate. It makes sense with the way he treats the pack.
Jackson shrugs and pulls his arm over Lydia’s shoulders. Lydia eyes Derek and Stiles for the rest of the meeting. Their interactions are more noticeable when you pay closer attention. A hand on Derek’s bicep. A hand on Stiles’s back when they walk. A push on the shoulder when either of them tells a joke. His growls are softer, and any time someone says something even remotely bad about Stiles, Derek stares at them. No words, his lips in a flat line.
- Derek.
Sometimes Derek saw it and wanted anything else to be true. Now, he wasn’t in denial. No. Stiles Stillinski was the first-ever person that Derek had trusted after the fire. After Kate, even after Peter. And since he was the only one inside of his own head. He could even admit to liking him, like when he was close. Liked when he touched him, liked when he smiled at him. He enjoyed the way he got along with the pack and admired the way he was so open. Sure, he never shut the fuck up but you never had to guess what he wanted or what he was thinking. Stiles told you. You never had to wonder. Unless you were Derek Hale.
Stiles seemed to personally enjoy toying with Derek. He made him guess the hard stuff, he made Derek confess things he’s never told another living soul. Or dead soul for that matter. They were..each other's confidant, or at least Derek confided in Stiles. And fuck, Stiles actually listened. Derek hated the way that Stiles made him smile, even made him laugh. He swears he always knew the kind of person he was, the person that was closed off. Wanted power and sought it out. Stiles made him realize he was wrong. He wanted...companionship, friends, trust, and love. Like he had with his mother, his father. The people he called family. Now he had a new family, a small, shortlist, that started with Stiles.
And he wanted anything but that to be true. Stiles...admittedly. Was no longer legally an adult. His birthday had passed months ago, there was an entire party and celebration. Even Scott managed to be there on time and didn’t bail halfway through. That always ground Derek the wrong way. When you were as close to someone like Scott and Stiles were, you were supposed to always show up. Be there, or don’t bother. Derek is just now realizing, that maybe that’s what he wants with Stiles, and maybe even more.
It’s not like he doesn’t notice. The way he’s softer with Stiles, and not just because he’s human. No, Stiles is comforting in a way he’s never experienced before. And please don’t ask him to explain the way that his scent makes him feel. (Absolutely crazy and calm all at the same time.) And when they were alone, the thoughts that plagued him. The way that he licked his fingers after eating, and the obscene noises as he did so. Derek swore that Stiles knew the effect, but then he reminded himself. That a boy, so small, so smart, is also incredibly dumb. Derek was smitten before he even realized.
The way that Derek would flash his eyes at the human, and then Stiles would tilt his head back and bark with laughter. It just made Derek want to fucking smile and pull him in. But then...that would lead to kissing and kissing is a getaway to the other thing. Derek shook those thoughts away from anyone in the pack would pick up on it. Or Stiles did.
He noticed the way he was with the pack. With Peter, and Erica, and Boyd. They were more than friends, almost family. Like the one that Derek was born into. It was comforting watching Stiles build their family up. When did he start calling it that? Their family. In a conversation...he might slip up and say, our family. Derek swallowed thickly.
“Stiles,” Derek said quietly in the silent room. Stiles had been sitting at the computer for hours, tapping his pen. Stretching his neck, licking his lips in focus, his heartbeat always faster than it should be. His mind runs a million thoughts.
“Yeah, big guy?” Stiles says, finally looking away from the computer, his eyes looking tired.
“What…” Derek starts. What are we? Really Derek? “Something changed between us.”
+1 Stiles.
Stiles swallows thickly, and the way that Derek’s eyes dip down to his neck and back to his eyes tell him that he heard it.
“I’m sorry?” Stiles says, swallowing again and then clearing his throat.
“You and I are different, the pack is different. Because of you...and me.” Derek explains. And Stiles just blinks at him. What? Stiles changed the pack? He was only human, he couldn’t do anything like that. And what did he mean by the two of them? Fuck . Derek knew. Allison already knew, but he was sure he got away with that. (No, he wasn’t.) Stiles stares up at Derek...waiting for him to go on. What he gets instead is Derek staring at him. For some very long minutes. The most torturous minutes of Stiles’s short life. Which will shortly end with Stiles's next few works.
He bolts up from his place on the floor, paces, and looks down at the ground. He can feel Derek’s piercing gaze, which would probably be hot in any other scenario. But Stiles is about to... confess. To not only Derek Hale, but the alpha of a werewolf pack, the guy who has starred in every single gay fantasy, which is all he’s had since he met him, every night.
“Look…” Stiles starts, he never chooses his words carefully. Why would he start now? “Derek Hale, you insufferable, selfish, ex-power crazed, idiotic alpha, Derek Hale. I like you. No. No. I love you. I’m in love with you. And I know how crazy that sounds because I’m literally only eighteen, and you’re well you. You come with so much baggage, but it’s not like I don’t come with my own drama. Dead mom, a dad who’s trying his best with me . Imagine trying to manage me, god, and then there’s me. I couldn’t even let myself confess that I loved you, who could love me? Who deserved to love Derek Hale when he couldn’t even love himself. Understand himself and how absolutely, powerful, compassionate, funny, and strong he is.” Stiles stares at Derek with a flushed face. He did it again, he kept talking until he spilled absolutely everything. He had to look away from the...blank? Surprised? Confused? The expression on Derek’s face. “And don’t get me started on me and you. Sharing jokes? Laughing and touching and actually getting along? And the pack!!! What the hell is with that? They treat me like you! Like I’m their precious alpha-like I’m fragile... but powerful and they listen to me? What the hell is happening?”
“We’re mates. Making you the pack denmaker.” Derek says short, almost forced. Stiles just balks at him. Stiles, once again, waits for him to explain and it never comes.
“Like... mates ? As in werewolf mates? The ones that take care of the pack and basically become like their mom and shit?” Stiles grabs his chin and thinks to himself. “But we’re not together...I mean not that I don’t want us to be...that would be incredible. Jesus, imagine dating Derek Hale. Well...you are Derek Hale so you wouldn’t know but have you taken a look at yourself in the mirror and taken the time to appreciate yourself...because fuck. Derek. Jesus, please shut me up.”
“With pleasure,” Derek says. And before he knew it Stiles was lifted into the air with Derek’s lips crashing into his own. He’s confused, breathless, puzzled for a brief moment before Derek’s smell of pine and leather surrounds him quickly and he kissed him back. His kiss is desperate, something that Stiles is sure that will disgust Derek, but doesn’t. No, the alpha growls into his mouth before taking claim. His tongue searching behind his teeth, tasting him. Derek kisses him until their breathless, Stiles suffocating slowly with the force of Derek’s mouth. He lets him down, his feet hit the ground.
“Do you accept me as your mate?” Derek asks, his voice and hoarse, and Stiles curses every god for making him even hotter than usual.
“Yes, absolutely.” And Stiles watches as his eyes flash red in the reflection of Derek’s.