Work Text:
Teen Wolf || Sterek || Teen Wolf || You and Me Against the World || Teen Wolf || Sterek || Teen Wolf
Title: You and Me Against the World – The Alphas of Stiles Stilinski
TW Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Jeff Davis and MTV. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: m/m, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, s05e10: Lies of Omission, Spark Stiles, Erica Lives, Boyd Lives, Pack Mom Stiles, Pack Feels, fluff, hurt/comfort, m/f
Main Pairing: Derek/Stiles
Side Pairings: Boyd/Erica, Liam/Hayden
Teen Wolf Characters: Mieczysław 'Stiles' Stilinski, Derek Hale, Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd, Isaac Lahey, Cora Hale, Peter Hale, Liam Dunbar, Hayden Romero
Summary: When Scott rejects Stiles after learning about Donovan and when Scott denies Hayden the bite to save her life, instead of trying to kill Scott, Liam goes to Stiles for help. Stiles grabs the pups and drives off, drives to find the Hale Pack – and an Alpha who will help them all.
You and Me Against the World
The Alphas of Stiles Stilinski
Stiles stood soaked in the rain, all alone in the parking lot of the vet clinic. He was freezing cold, but the rain was only a part of it. The real cold came from the inside. Scott knew about Donovan. And it had gone about as bad as Stiles thought – maybe even a little worse, because not only did Scott not believe Stiles, no, Scott believed Theo over Stiles. Believed that Stiles had killed in cold blood, didn’t understand the concept of self-defense. And when Stiles asked – no, begged – for anything to do to fix this… Scott walked away from him. Just walked away, into the vet clinic, leaving Stiles alone in the rain. The action had spoken louder than any words.
After everything that Stiles had done for Scott, after how he had always been on Scott’s side, now that Stiles needed Scott – needed Scott’s support, needed his brother to believe in him, to pay back the blind trust Stiles had always put into him – Scott left him. Said loudly without words that there was nothing Stiles could do to fix this. That Stiles fighting for his life and accidentally killing someone was the thing that broke their life long friendship.
When motion came back into Stiles, he stumbled toward the Jeep and climbed in, but for the longest time, he just sat in the dark, hunched over the steering wheel, clutching it and shaking violently from the cold and the pain and the anger. The vet clinic door opened and Scott stormed out. Stiles watched quietly, watched how Theo and Liam followed. They were talking, Liam clearly angry.
Something in Stiles snapped at that. Theo had taken Stiles’ best friend, he was not going to take Stiles’ pup too. Not that he would ever admit that aloud, but ever since Scott had dropped the tied up and terrified kid in the bathtub, Stiles had grown attached. Erica once joked that Scott had baby trapped Stiles, that if not for Liam, the Hale Pack could have had Stiles. The thought made his heart clench with regret and longing now. He missed them painfully.
“Hey, Liam. What’s up?” Stiles asked near forcefully as he stepped up.
Theo stared at him intensely. The alpha had always unsettled Stiles. There was the way he would look at Stiles, like a prize to own. The kind of alpha that set all alarms off in an omega. Now, Stiles knew it was about more than Stiles being a rare male omega, he knew it was about the Nogitsune and about the darkness Theo thought he could have inside. The Alpha Mate of Theo’s made-up little evil version of the Beacon Hills Pack. Stiles bared his teeth at the alpha on instinct.
“Scott refuses to give Hayden the bite. She’s dying,” Liam said, tears in his eyes. “She’s dying but if she got turned into a full wolf, maybe she’ll survive. But Scott… Scott is so afraid to fail that he’s not even trying. He’s dooming her to definitely die just so he won’t have her blood on her hands.”
Oh. Stiles stared at the beta, unsure what to do with that. Scott was really showing his true colors today, wasn’t he? No death, not caused by him directly. But if he just stepped away and let things take their course, then it wasn’t his fault, apparently. Anger curled in his gut.
“Come on, Liam. I have an idea,” Theo tried, side-eyeing Stiles.
If Stiles were a wolf, he would be flashing his eyes in that moment. He had a good hunch what Theo was planning. On a Beta bitten and turned by a True Alpha could take a True Alpha’s Alpha spark. He was using Liam as the middleman. So Liam could take the spark – probably with honeyed words about how if he were the Alpha, then Liam would be able to give Hayden the bite himself – and then in reality, Theo would tear out Liam’s throat himself to become the Alpha.
“Liam,” Stiles growled softly and grabbed Liam by the arm. “C’mon. We’ll figure this out.”
Liam turned big, hopeful eyes on him. And though Stiles knew Theo had gained some brownie points with Liam by being the one to find and save Liam and Hayden when the two had been taken by the Dread Doctors, Stiles also knew that he would always have Liam’s trust first. Pack Mom privileges. When nobody – not even his dad, certainly not Scott, or anyone else in the pack – had taken him seriously in his concerns about Theo, it had been Liam who’d gone out to investigate Theo with Stiles. Which meant Liam also understood Stiles’ concerns about Theo.
“Do you have a plan?” Liam asked, afraid and hopeful.
For just a second, Stiles pressed his lips together. He remembered Erica’s joke, the flare of missing the Hale Pack and in that moment, a plan started forming in Stiles’ mind. He gave a sharp nod.
“Yeah. Yeah, I do. Let’s go and get Hayden,” Stiles instructed, then shot Theo a glare. “You can go and trail after your Alpha. Good luck with the Dread Doctors.”
Theo ground his teeth together, knowing he couldn’t push without looking suspicious and also knowing that Stiles wasn’t going to take him along. In the end, the alpha turned around and retreated, leaving Stiles and Liam alone. The two headed into the vet clinic to where Hayden was.
“Okay,” Stiles whispered as he knelt next to her, then let his eyes wander through the clinic. “It’s good you took her here. Deaton should have everything we need to… to slow it down.”
“Slow it down?” Liam sounded agitated. “But that’s not… We need to save her!”
“We can’t,” Stiles replied while moving around Deaton’s space to gather all the ingredients. “But your idea isn’t bad, being a proper were would stabilize her, it would eradicate the faulty DNA and stabilize the wolf side. She needs an Alpha’s bite and due to being half-wolf already, she should be primed to accept the bite and transition smoothly. But we need to slow down her deterioration until we actually reach the Alpha I have in mind, okay? Now calm down and help me.”
Liam snapped to attention at that command and followed Stiles’ lead as Stiles called out ingredients. Ever since he’d figured out he was a Spark, he’d been devouring Deaton’s books. He had taught himself the basics of ritualistic magic, potions, wards. Protection and healing. The things that Deaton had to offer. Finally, it’d pay off.
/break\
Hayden was still out of it but feeling much better than she had in the past few hours. With a soft groan did she come to it, blinking up at Liam. She was laying on his lap and he was staring down at her with worried eyes. His hands were shaking as his fingers ran through her hair.
“H… Hey,” Liam forced a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit,” Hayden groaned and arched off the seat she was on.
“Yeah, we’re on our way to fix that,” Stiles called out from somewhere.
Hayden turned a little and saw the back of the front seats. She was in a car. Stiles was driving them somewhere. Closing her eyes, she turned back to Liam, nuzzling into his stomach. Just weeks ago, she had still hated him, but he was such a puppy-dog, it was impossible to stay mad at him. He was there for her when it felt like nobody else was.
“Where are we going?” Hayden asked after a moment.
“I’m getting you to an Alpha who’s going to give you the bite,” Stiles offered.
“...Scott?” Hayden asked in a small, unsure voice.
She didn’t really like that Alpha much. He’d used her as bait, without even telling her and Liam, had put them in danger selfishly, instead of working with them, which had resulted in Hayden and Liam getting taken by the Dread Doctors. Liam gave a low growl and held her closer.
“Nope. Not Scott. An… old friend,” Stiles’ voice did something strange and so did his scent. “Derek Hale, Alpha of the Hale Pack. They… They used to live in Beacon Hills. They… They left.”
“Why?” Hayden asked confused.
“Well, so… the Alpha who turned Scott was Derek’s uncle and we kinda killed him together – he got better, after his death, don’t worry – which is how Derek became the Alpha. He turned three Betas, Boyd, Erica and Isaac. Things got a little… messy. Boyd and Erica tried to leave, got captured by the Alpha Pack, we all worked together to free them, found Derek’s sister Cora too.”
“Less exposition?” Hayden frowned, not knowing any of these names.
“I am getting to the point, miss sassy-pants,” Stiles huffed. “This was right about the time Scott became a True Alpha. Isaac’s allegiance had shifted and he joined Scott’s pack. Derek took the rest of the Hale Pack and left, conceding the territory to Scott. The Hale family has a ranch, just outside Silver Lake, and they… they left for a fresh start. They came back to help with the Nogitsune, to… help me. But Allison died, and Isaac had… grown very close to her. So when the Hale Pack returned to Silver Lake, Isaac went with them, to get away from this town. All that’s to say, the Hale Pack have been… allies, for a long time now. Longer than the McCall Pack has existed. We worked together when the assassins hit Beacon County too.”
Hayden furrowed her brows at that. There was so much melancholy in Stiles’ voice. It felt like more than just allies. She knew longing when she heard it. Liam hugged her closer, like he was trying to physically keep her from slipping away. She curled her fingers into his shirt.
“And you think this Derek will help me…?” Hayden asked.
“I… I hope so,” Stiles whispered. “I haven’t seen them since the assassins thing blew over. But for now, it’s you and me against the world, pups. So we’ll see.”
/break\
“You’re very quiet today,” Peter paused for a moment. “Well, not that you are the most talkative person alive. I’m fairly sure that title goes to Stiles, anyway.”
Derek gave a low growl at both the teasing and the reminder of Stiles. He missed the quippy omega, more with every day. Leaving Stiles behind in Beacon Hills had been the hardest thing Derek had ever done, and every time hurt more. When he’d first left, after the Alpha Pack, him and his pack had needed to get away from this place of pain and with his loaded past with Scott, Derek didn’t want to fight over territory. Besides, fighting with Scott would hurt Stiles and that was the last thing in the world that Derek wanted. So he’d rather left, started anew. Built a new home.
“There’s something… off,” Derek replied softly.
He’d felt unrest in his bonds since last night. He didn’t know what it was – he had gone through the pack house and checked on all his Betas, but everyone seemed fine. So he’d gone on a run through the woods, thinking that could settle his wolf. It had not helped.
“Maybe you need to see Stiles,” Erica suggested, perking up. “We could take a trip.”
She was sitting perched on the table, her feet on either side of Boyd’s lap as her mate sat on a chair in front of her, his hands on her hip and his gaze on her. Derek finding them in the vault, freeing them, it had repaired a lot of what had been broken between them. Fighting the Alpha Pack and the Nogitsune side by side had solidified their pack-bonds.
“No,” Derek whispered, shaking his head. “Visiting Beacon Hills won’t help.”
“Beacon Hills has never helped anyone,” Isaac declared as he wandered into the room.
“But Stiles would,” Erica argued, stretching Stiles’ name.
Derek turned away from his bickering Betas and instead looked out of the window, watching the forest around them. Yes, Stiles would help. It was what Stiles did. Right from the start, even when complaining the entire time, Stiles had always helped. With the wolfsbane bullet, hiding Derek when he was a fugitive – despite Stiles and Scott being the reason why he was a fugitive in the first place – and treading water for two hours to keep Derek alive. Stiles was crucial to the Hale Pack, had been even before it formed, in the constellation that it was in now.
“A word, dear nephew?” Peter requested.
“Well, that’s never a good sign,” Erica commented.
“I’ll take over breakfast,” Boyd sighed and got up to take Peter’s place at the stove.
“Thank you, pup,” Peter smiled and scent-marked Boyd in passing. “Derek.”
With a sigh did Derek follow his uncle. Even that was thanks to Stiles. While looking for Boyd and Erica, Stiles had taken over research with Peter, had grown closer to Peter and integrated the former Alpha into the pack, forcing him to spend time with the rest of the pack. Even when he snarked and made comments about Peter, he still implicitly showed trust in the man and that trust had gone a very long way in Derek putting trust into his uncle. There was still a lot of old hurt to work through, but the two had rekindled a relationship that was better than it had been since Paige’s death.
“I understand why you’re trying to avoid the boy,” Peter started once the two were in the sound-proof study. “He tempts you too much and you’re afraid of that.”
At that, Derek gave a low warning growl and flashed his eyes red. “Tread careful, uncle.”
Peter looked unimpressed, raising one eyebrow at him. “You loved before and you lost. They’re quite alike too, aren’t they? Startlingly so physically speaking – omegas with big doe-eyes and moles – but beyond that. They both stood up to you, never taking any of your nonsense.”
Derek stood with his arms crossed, his fingers digging tightly into his biceps. What his uncle was saying was true. Both Paige and Stiles were beautiful spitfire omegas who had easily brought Derek to his knees. He’d thought he had found love with Paige, had found his mate in her, and then he held her as she died. He couldn’t do that again. He couldn’t watch Stiles die. He’d gotten too close to that before, when the Nogitsune had taken over Stiles. Derek couldn’t go through that again.
“If you avoid him, haven’t you lost him already?” Peter asked, his eyebrows raised.
/break\
Stiles was tired and shivering by the time they pulled up to the Hale Ranch. He’d… He’d never actually been here before. It was always the Hale Pack coming to Beacon Hills, to fight the oni, to fight the assassins. Maybe that was why Stiles hadn’t seen them since Mexico. Because they were tired of always having to be the ones to come over. Stiles should have kept more in touch. They probably didn’t even want to see him. Would Derek help them…?
“Okay,” Stiles’ voice was a little shaky, just like the rest of him. “Come on.”
The omega got out of his Jeep and watched Liam gather Hayden up in his arms. It was strange, just how much they reminded him of Scott and Allison when all of this had began. The puppy-love, the loyalty to each other, the young wolf, turned against his will, filled with so much anger. He couldn’t let Hayden meet the same fate as Allison, dying in her love’s arm.
“And you think Derek will give her the bite?” Liam asked with worried eyes.
He’d met Derek, during the assassins mess. Derek and Stiles had been the ones to teach him control during the full moon. Yet another thing Scott had failed at as an Alpha. Looking back at it, Stiles really had been ignoring the red flags all over, mh? Looking at things through the pink-tinted glasses of brotherhood. Peter had warned him months ago, told him that Stiles’ place was with the Hale Pack, at Derek’s side. Stiles wished he’d listened. Taking a shaky breath, he knocked.
“What’s up, Sourwolf?” Stiles forced a cheerful smile when the door swung open. “Missed me?”
The snark was easy, but oh, looking at Derek Hale, Stiles was overwhelmed by just how much he had missed the alpha. His musky scent, like the forest ground but spiced with cinnamon. Wide hazel-eyes stared at him in surprise while Stiles drank in the sight. His stupid Henley spanned far too tight over his chest, his arms seemed to have gotten even bigger than last time they saw and the stubble on his cheeks was closer to a beard now. But overall and most importantly, Derek looked lighter. Not as grumpy and tormented as he used to.
“Wait, is that Stiles?” Erica called out and then she was right behind Derek. “Batman!”
“Why are you damp?” Cora asked from Derek’s other side, frowning at him.
Swallowing hard, Stiles waved one hand. “Never mind that. I need your help, Derek.”
“What do you need?” Derek asked immediately.
And oh wow. Fuck. Stiles really only came to them when he needed something, didn’t he? He’d feel so much worse about this if Hayden’s life wasn’t on the line. And though he may not really know her, he did know she didn’t deserve to die and he knew how much Liam loved her. He also knew what losing Paige had done to Derek and what losing Allison had done to Scott. Stiles couldn’t let that happen to his pup. Taking a step back, he motioned at Liam and Hayden.
“I’m gonna explain all of it later, I promise, but right now, I need you to give her the bite. It’s the only thing that can save her,” Stiles said. “Please, Derek. Please.”
Derek’s impressive eyebrows furrowed as his gaze wandered from Stiles over to Liam. “Cora, go and get Isaac and Boyd to help settle her in – pillows, towels for them, they’re all wet. Erica, get me Peter. She doesn’t look good, I don’t know if the bite will take-”
“It’ll take,” Stiles declared firmly, holding the Alpha’s gaze. “She’s already half wolf.”
“What… does that mean?” Erica asked as they headed inside.
Derek stepped up to Liam and took Hayden from him, though the beta growled, causing Stiles to glare. “Let him, pup. He’s going to help her. Come on, let’s get inside.”
“Why does it smell of wet cat in here?” Peter asked with a wrinkled nose. “Ah. Stiles.”
“Ha, ha, ha,” Stiles shot him a glare. “Good to see you too, Zombiewolf.”
“And who is this, dripping mercury all over our floor?” Peter asked disturbed.
“Hayden,” Liam growled softly. “She needs help. She’s getting worse. Stiles did something at the vet clinic and it slowed down what’s happening to her, but… but she’s still bad. Please help her.”
Stiles stepped up to Derek as he placed Hayden on the couch. “She’s a chimera, an experiment. Half wolf and half… I don’t even know, honestly. But she already is half wolf. So the bite should take more easily! I think it would stabilize her DNA. Save her life.”
“You think…?” Peter trailed off with narrowed eyes.
“It’s my best guess,” Stiles shot the alpha a glare and then turned hopeful eyes on Derek. “Please.”
“Stop,” Derek growled low. “Stop saying that.”
Stiles’ brows furrowed and he stepped away from the alpha. They had a complicated history, for sure. But when push came to shove they had always relied on each other, hadn’t they? Derek was the only alpha who had ever really made Stiles feel safe. His stomach turned as he averted his eyes.
“What my eloquent nephew is trying to say is that it’s… very unfitting for you to be begging, sweetheart,” Peter supplied with one raised eyebrow as he joined Derek. “Mh. I’ve never seen anything like it. But she does smell of wolf – and of jaguar. The same distinct scent as Kate.”
At that name, Derek tensed. He shot Peter a look. Meanwhile, Stiles was still trying to comprehend what Peter had just said. Begging… really wasn’t Stiles’ style, was it? But he had gotten so used to it now. Begging for scraps, for attention, to be believed, to be trusted. He startled when something soft wrapped around him. When he looked up, he saw Boyd holding a fluffy towel.
“Why are you wet, Stiles?” Boyd asked softly. “Your skin is freezing.”
Derek gave a low growl at that, shooting Stiles a look. “Isaac, put on tea. Cora, show Stiles to a bathroom. Get him a change of clothes from my room. Liam-”
“I’m not leaving Hayden’s side,” Liam interrupted the Alpha, bravely meeting his eyes.
At the boy’s determination, Derek’s eyes softened a little and he nodded. “Come here, hold her hand. The transition is going to take a toll on her, she will need an anchor.”
Stiles furrowed his brows, unwilling to leave his pup, but being forcibly steered out of the room by Cora. “You won’t be of any use to anyone if you die of a cold.”
“Humans aren’t that breakable,” Stiles huffed offended. “Fussy wolves.”
“Just take a warm shower and get into some dry clothes, Stiles,” Isaac called from the kitchen.
/break\
The memory of Paige was suffocating as Derek watched Liam hold the girl, crying and pleading her to make it. Only that this time, Derek had been the Alpha to give the bite. The circumstances were different though. For Hayden, it was a final chance. If she died, then she would die despite Derek’s best effort, not because of him. He stood vigil over the two young teens, his arms crossed.
After his shower, Stiles returned to the living room, looking far too tempting in Derek’s hoodie, fidgeting with the sleeves. The boy curled together on the couch and told the Hale Pack everything that had happened since they’d last seen each other. Theo, the Dread Doctor, Donovan, Scott.
“It’s like… Allison’s death changed him,” Stiles whispered, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “Or something, I don’t know. But he is so desperate to not kill anyone that he… that he’s been alienating his pack, putting us all at risk too… Kira… Kira, she… She’s been losing control and he knew that, has been noticing but ignored it until it became a huge problem that could no longer be ignored and now she’s gone, left to… I don’t even know. He keeps holding all of us to his standard but he also ignores advise and he… He used the Alpha claws on this guy, Corey, without… without even explaining to Corey what he was doing, or the risks of it, and without any heads up, just sank his claws into his neck. It’s fine if he risks killing Corey out of impatience, but if I kill someone in self-defense, I am irredeemable, left out in the cold on my own.”
Stiles was hugging himself, glaring fiercely but smelling distinctly of salt. Derek frowned. Hearing about Donovan, about the fact that someone had once again tried to kill Stiles and that Stiles had done what he had done – had survived – and hearing that, instead of being relieved that his resilient best friend had survived, Scott rejected him. Derek’s claws dug into his own arms at the thought.
“You should call your father,” Peter advised. “Tell the dear sheriff that you’re staying here for a few days, to recover. Isn’t that right, Alpha?”
Peter shot his nephew a look that had Derek nearly baring his teeth. He knew he was being manipulated by the older Hale. But Peter had always been of the opinion that Stiles was what kept the Hale Pack together, the glue between them. Derek knew it too, had seen it, marveled at the way Stiles had so easily and naturally made himself Pack Mom. In the idealistic world that Peter had planned, Stiles would be the Alpha Mate to Derek, leading the pack together.
Derek knew it was strategic on Peter’s part. When Derek had first build his pack, it had been an unstable mess, only after Scott and Stiles had joined the pack had they actually managed to work together. And then Scott’s betrayal had cracked things. And then Scott had become an Alpha and… and he had taken Stiles with him. By then, the pack had already become more stable, thanks to Stiles, but Peter, who had already lost his entire pack once and had failed as an Alpha himself before, wanted to ensure the future of the Hale Pack. That was all.
Derek understood that. He had lost their old pack too, after all. He’d been in a pack of two with Laura, she’d never bothered to build a real pack in New York – had never been a model Alpha that Derek could have learned from. When Derek had turned Boyd, Isaac and Erica, he had been bad at it, he knew that, had nearly lost the pack he’d built too. He knew the pack was better now, they trusted each other, relied on each other. Derek knew Peter’s worries were a response to what they had lost in the past and he knew it would be fine even without Stiles.
Or at least that was what Derek had been telling himself for months now. That the Hale Pack would be fine without Stiles, that Derek didn’t need Stiles. Yet even when he didn’t need Stiles, he never stopped wanting Stiles. The headstrong omega was Derek’s perfect match. He talked when Derek stayed quiet, met Derek’s strength with a strategic mind, he was as protective of the Betas as Derek was. Stiles was the perfect Alpha Mate for him, Derek knew that. Beautiful, strong-minded omega.
“Erica, Cora, go and prepare two guest rooms,” Derek instructed. “Hayden needs rest and I doubt Liam will be leaving her side any time soon.”
When he turned away, a soft hand rand down his arm to catch his wrist. Derek turned and paused, taken aback by just how beautiful Stiles was as the omega stared up at him with those large eyes. His long lashes painted dancing shadows over Stiles’ pale cheeks.
“Thank you, Der,” Stiles whispered softly.
“Of course,” Derek frowned at him. “I’ll always help when you need me. You don’t have to thank you. You didn’t have to beg me either.”
Stiles’ heart jumped at that and the omega nodded slowly.
/break\
Stiles tried to sleep. He really did. But he just couldn’t sleep without his pillow. And the thoughts swirling in his head didn’t help matters any either. He kept replaying his confrontation with Scott, the look on Scott’s face as he had flinched away from Stiles, like he was afraid, or disgusted. Or both. He got out of the guest room and made his way over to Liam and Hayden, finding the two curled together on the bed. Hayden’s breathing had evened out. It was no longer rattling, but it wasn’t weak either. A small, pleased smile spread over Stiles’ lips at that. He turned away to leave them be and instead headed to the living room.
“You should be resting, Batman,” Erica commented. “Fairly sure you caught a cold, you know.”
“Yeah, well, maybe I should have changed into dry clothes before flooring it to Silver Lake,” Stiles huffed out a weak laugh. “Guess driving two hours in wet clothes wasn’t so good.”
He rubbed at his face and sank down onto the couch next to her. Erica and Boyd were sitting together, having watched a movie by the looks of it. Boyd had paused it when Stiles had wandered on. The alpha and omega pair looked at him with smiles before Boyd pulled him closer to cuddle up to them. Being in Gerard’s basement had forged a strong bond between the three. Stiles knew he wasn’t a wolf, wasn’t Hale Pack, but sometimes he swore he could feel a pack bond between them.
“So, now that you are a single mom of two, are you perhaps looking for a strong, capable stepfather to step up?” Erica asked teasingly. “Because Derek’s become a pretty good Alpha.”
Stiles sputtered and flushed at that. The way that sounded. He had laughed at her teasing, back when Liam had been freshly turned. Yeah, he knew he’d made himself Pack Mom, an important role in a pack that was traditionally occupied by the Alpha Mate. But it had been different with Scott, of course it hadn’t been like that between them. Scott was his bro. He was an alpha but Stiles had never looked at him as an alpha for himself. So it was hahaha, funny, to think of himself and Scott co-parenting Liam. But jokes about stepdad Derek? Now those had him flustered.
“Liam and Hayden do need an Alpha,” Stiles said once he regained control over the color of his face. “Things between Liam and Scott had always been… rough.”
“Oh, you mean because Scott turned Liam without his consent? The very thing Scott kept loading over Peter?” Erica quipped sarcastically. “Can’t imagine that to be a problem.”
Boy huffed amused and smoothed down her hair to press a kiss to the top of her head. It filled Stiles with longing. He too wanted an alpha to look at him so softly, hold him so gently, love him so fiercely. Maybe now more than ever, because he hadn’t felt this alone since his mom had died.
“More than that,” Stiles sighed after a moment. “Scott using Hayden as bait without telling them, then refusing to give her the bite when it was the only thing that could save her… This is irreparable. Liam isn’t going to return to Scott’s pack. Not… Not that it is much of a pack anymore. I mean, what’s an Alpha, a banshee and a coyote…? If Lydia and Malia are even going to stick around too. Scott has been pushing all of us away for months.”
“Sounds like Beacon Hills is running the danger of another feral Alpha,” Boyd commented.
“Perhaps,” Stiles winced. “But… Theo is the bigger problem.”
“I’ll take care of him, as soon as Hayden is stable.”
Stiles startled and turned around to look at Derek standing in the doorway. The Alpha’s eyes were soft as he looked back at Stiles. It was stupid but Stiles could feel tears prickling in his eyes. For months, he had plead with the McCall Pack to believe him about Theo, to at least doubt Theo, even if they didn’t blindly trust Stiles’ gut, they should have at least not trusted Theo. And here Derek was, with enough faith in Stiles, trust in Stiles, to believe him.
“We’re… going to bed,” Boyd announced suddenly, clearing his throat. “Eri, you coming?”
Erica made a small noise of protest but when Boyd slipped his hand into hers, she followed her mate upstairs. Leaving Derek and Stiles alone in the living room. Derek walked over to the couch and sat down next to Stiles. Without even thinking on it, Stiles scooted closer to the wolf, seeking his warmth. Erica was probably right and he had caught a cold or something.
“Dad’s on his way,” Stiles whispered as he leaned into Derek. “He said he is leaving Parrish in charge. He… wants to hear what happened, in person.”
Derek hummed, wrapping an arm around Stiles’ waist and pulling the omega against his chest. Stiles’ eyelids fluttered shut at the warm, safe feeling that Derek gave him.
“You know, Silver Lake has a great library science program,” Stiles blurted out without thinking. “I just, I’ve been thinking about college lately, what with graduation right around the corner. I was thinking, since it was close to Beacon Hills, so I would… I would be able to stay close to the pack while also… getting to be close to you guys again… And, just, if Liam and Hayden get to join your pack – I mean, you did give Hayden the bite, so I just-”
“Stiles,” Derek interrupted with an amused huff. “Yes. If they want to join the Hale Pack, they can. And… if you want to join the Hale Pack, you can too.”
Stiles tensed at that and turned to look at Derek in surprise. “But…”
“Scott doesn’t know what he’s losing by rejecting you,” Derek whispered, voice gentle. “I would never reject you, Stiles. If you wanted to join my pack, I would never reject you.”
Stiles’ heart was racing because not being rejected, well, that made Stiles think of entirely different things. Of telling Derek just how much he loved the alpha, had loved him for a long time now. Wanted him not just as his Alpha but as his alpha. Maybe it was the slowly fuzzy growing head, or the high from having saved Hayden’s life, or just this moment of being so close to Derek again for the first time in too long, but he found his mouth running away from him.
“Would you also not reject me if I told you that I love you?”
Stiles’ eyes widened the moment the words left his mouth. But before he had a chance to take them back did Derek pull him into a kiss. Closing his eyes, Stiles leaned into it.
“I would never reject you,” Derek repeated firmly. “Because I love you, Stiles.”
Stiles smiled against Derek’s lips, knowing that now, everything would be alright.
~*~ The End ~*~