Derek the Martyr Stiles the Halfwit
Stiles was going to kill him. Ok, kill was a strong word – maim – Stiles was going to maim him. That is actually a possibility for a puny human like him. But more realistically, Stiles knew he was going to provoke Derek until he threw him against a wall and…well... Stiles stopped his thoughts right there before his daydreams consumed him. How could they not? He may be mad at Derek, but even at this moment in time, he couldn't deny his attraction to the guy, because 'acceptance made it easier to cover the scent of his arousal'- or at least that's what Isaac had taught him.
Why was Stiles angry? What had Derek done, you might ask? Well Derek, Mr. High and Mighty, had thrown himself in front of a wolfsbane bullet that would have barely grazed Lydia. Ok, it would have been painful, but at least she wouldn't have been poisoned. Stiles may be slightly in love with the guy but it didn't mean he couldn't be infuriated. Well, at least until the beast himself was standing in front of him. That was Stiles' last thought before he raised his hand to knock on the door to the refurbished Hale house, interrupted by the Sourwolf of his desires opening the door… smiling? Stiles would be lying if he said he didn't feel both pleased and pissed. And that's when he lost it.
It's not like there was anyone else there, Derek was all smiley whilst in an empty fucking house, after having wolfsbane poisoning two fucking hours beforehand! "Why, the fuck, are you smiling?" Stiles practically screamed at Derek. His smile melting off his face, he replied dumfounded "What?" Infuriated Stiles began to rant ,angrily: "You jumped in front of a bullet, that could kill you, to stop Lydia from a graze. A fucking graze Derek!" Derek opened his mouth to interrupt, "Don't. You're an AWESOME Alpha, but shit like this is why you smiling is strange. You're a Martyr!".
Derek listens, fascinated, only throwing him into (yet another) damn wall to shut him up.
"Stiles?" He growled
"What?" Stiles grumbled like a petulant child
"Shut up" Derek finished.
They stayed like this longer than entirely necessary, but this was nothing new, both of them oblivious to even their own sexual tension. This time was different though. Today was the anniversary of Claudia Stillinski's death; the day Stiles' mom was taken from him after her years of suffering. Not that Derek knew that, "Why do you care Stiles? Why do you care if I die? If I smile? Is it that bad if for once in years I feel like I can move on, have a pack, a family, something to save?" Stiles hadn't thought of it that way, and he said as much "I didn't think of it like that, I guess I was just being selfish. I just can't cope with losing someone else on this day, or any day really. I already had a go at the kids for being so much like you. I'm sorry I freaked out and lost my shit when I thought I was going to lose you."
A few beats of silence pass, understanding and something not entirely dissimilar to yearning, flittered across the wolf's face as Stiles turned to walk back out.
"I don't get you" Derek admits, shocking Stiles out of his own thoughts and stilling him.
"What do you mean?" He whispers
When Derek answers his voice is close, too close, "You are the most caring and sensitive member of the pack but… you can also be the sly, manipulative and calculated one. You act like an Alpha, yet you don't need to."
"I do. I need to keep my family safe."
"Even me?"
Especially you, Stiles thinks, wishing he had the balls to say it.
He couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead he walked away, completely dropping the conversation. He left behind a confused Derek, feeling lonelier than he had since the home he now stood in had first become an empty shell.
