Work Text:
Derek stepped into his loft sliding the heavy door shut behind him, but stopped at the bottom of the steps leading him into the main room. The familiar scent hit him, fresh, which meant either he was still here or had been recently. He let his gaze wander around, until it caught on his bed. The wolf walked over and crouched down beside it. Stiles lay at the very edge curled around one of the pillows against his torso, his head just so on the upper end.
"Stiles." Derek said his name quietly and the boy roused with a sigh, blinking his eyes open.
When he saw Derek's face in front of him, he curled in on himself further. If he didn't smell so tired, afraid and confused, it would have been hilarious with his long limbs and the pillow he hugged. Without another word Derek straightened and moved to the bathroom to change, before returning and getting into bed on the other side. As the werewolf shuffled around to get comfortable and subsequently got closer to the human, Stiles flinched, almost falling off the edge.
Derek stilled and Stiles felt his eyes on the back of his neck. "Can I…? Can we switch sides?"
The wolf raised an eyebrow, but shuffled closer to make room on the side closer to the wall. Stiles scrambled over him clumsily. Derek grabbed his waist to steady him above his body, when he wavered on his knees and hands. His hand caught on Stiles' t-shirt and it rid up a few inches. Derek's fingertips brushed over shallow scrapes and he turned his body with Stiles' onto his side to look at the boy, who rearranged himself in a comfortable position, his back facing the wall.
"Why are you here, Stiles?" Derek asked softly.
"I'm tired." The human had wrapped himself back around the pillow, he had taken with him.
"And you can't sleep at home, because?"
"I can't…" The words came out as a whimper.
"Who did that to you? Is that the reason?" The wolf had to at least try to get some information out of the teen, before he shut down.
"Yes." At least he answered one out of two questions. "Please let me stay…?" The hopefulness in his eyes broke Derek's heart a little. How desperate did the boy have to be to seek refuge here with him.
"Of course." The wolf nodded. He itched to touch, to sooth, but feared it wouldn't be welcome, with the way his back looked. Stiles smelled of all of the others, none of them especially strong, who would have done the marking to his pale skin. And he didn't think any of them had reason to, much less doing it in a way that had Stiles afraid to sleep at home.
"Should I turn around?"
The human shrugged noncommittally. It didn't matter, he just couldn't have someone behind him. Derek shuffled around again and turned his back on Stiles anyway, more comfortable facing the door. Stiles took comfort in staring at the swirls of the wolf's triskele tattoo. Slowly the human drifted off to sleep.
He was woken again by a vicious growl, that had him scramble against the headboard pulling the comforter with him, for whatever protection it would grant. Derek was standing in front of the bed with his claws out, positioned between him and whatever had come in uninvited. It took Stiles a few seconds to catch his breath, which he hadn't even noticed he had lost and focused on the figure beyond the wolf. He felt the panic in him rise again at the electric blue eyes he saw. Derek growled once more and the shadow moved back a little.
"I came here for him."
Stiles flinched on hearing the voice, drawing his knees closer to his body.
"You will not get near him again." Derek growled back. "You are not welcome here."
The coyote growled herself trying to get around the wolf. The older man moved quickly and threw her across the room into the opposite wall. Stiles gasped behind him. Derek stalked over to her, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her struggling body up to throw out and lock the door. He stood in front of the closed door heaving for several minutes, waiting to calm down and listening to the retreating sounds of his cousin. Derek stepped back to his bed staring down at Stiles' still cowering form.
"Were you hiding here?"
The human had calmed as well and now dragged his hands over his face. "Make that a failed attempt." He whispered miserably. Very carefully Stiles moved down into a laying position again.
Derek dropped himself onto the mattress as well, staring at the ceiling. "Do I get a corner of my blanket back?" He asked gently and let his head fall to the side to look at the boy.
Reluctantly Stiles loosened a corner and pulled it far enough to reach the wolf's arm. The rest was still securely wrapped around Stiles.
"Really? I defend you and you hog my bedding?" There was no heat in his accusation and he simply shifted closer, until he had pulled enough to cover himself, his side almost pressed against Stiles' front. The boy didn't make another sound as he drifted back to sleep.
In the morning they were making pancakes. Derek stood directly behind Stiles, barely an inch between them and directed him in which ingredients he was to put into the batter next. That was how Scott found them when he rounded the corner to the kitchen.
"What do you want, Scott?" The older werewolf didn't even turn. "The eggs next." He pointed at the box with a smooth wave of his hand.
The alpha blinked a few times, not sure what he was witnessing. "Malia came to me. She said you wouldn't let her see Stiles."
Derek stayed exactly where he was, but at last turned his head to look at the other wolf. "See him? She broke into my apartment in the middle of the night. Did you see what she did to his back?" His voice was calm and low. "The milk." He instructed Stiles quietly.
"Yes." Scott admitted.
"You are his alpha. You're supposed to protect him. Not let some coyote maul him at night." Derek was still speaking calmly, he simply wasn't willing to spent the energy arguing with Scott this early in the morning.
"She's your cousin."
"You turned her back. She's your problem."
Stiles half turned bumping his shoulder into Derek's chest and showed him the even gooey batter he had created, smiling at Scott in the process. The alpha was at a loss, his best friend had come to Derek, apparently to hide from the persistent girl and succeeding to shake her. He had to make sure she stayed away from Stiles. For him. He owed him that. And he appeared to be content with the older wolf by his side, whatever that meant.
"I'll take care of it." He turned to leave.
"Thanks."
"Bye, Scott." Stiles called after him as the door slid closed again.
Derek finally moved to put a pan onto the stove to heat up, before replacing himself behind the teen. When the pan was warm enough he put some butter in and then some batter. Stiles waited in anticipation with the spatula in his hand.
"Flip it."
The pancake was a beautiful golden brown color and Derek took one big plate and two smaller ones from the cabinet. Stiles put the first pancake onto the big plate with a giddy giggle, when it was done.
"Next one." The older man encouraged him.
Derek tore a small piece off the warm pancake and put it into his mouth to taste, which elicited a satisfied hum.
"Hey." Stiles protested and was about to start a rant, when Derek fed him another piece and he too hummed in pleasure, just as his father rounded the corner and froze at the sight of the two young men standing close, almost touching. The sheriff cleared his throat and both turned just enough to look at him, relaxed expressions on both faces.
"Dad." His son smiled brightly.
"Sheriff." He nodded at the older man, then nudged Stiles. "Flip."
"Morning boys." He looked around. "Should I even ask?"
"I'm making pancakes." Stiles informed him excitedly.
"I can see that." He accepted the mug with coffee Derek handed him gratefully.
Stiles put the fresh pancake on a plate and handed it to his father as well. "Thank you." Upon tasting the food he smiled. "These are good."
"I made them."
Both older men chuckled in amusement and Derek took over the cooking while Stiles leant over the breakfast bar opposite his father. He had taken the first pancake for himself and put a generous amount of maple syrup on it. The wolf put one more pancake on either of the Stilinski's plates and then made the last two for himself and joined them.
The sheriff went to the bathroom before he was going into work. Derek put the dishes away and Stiles had followed him. As he turned around he stood practically nose to nose with the human. They were searching each other's eyes. Derek carefully cupped Stiles' cheek with his left hand, which made Stiles' breath hitch slightly and slowly brought his face closer, until their lips met in a chaste kiss. That was exactly the moment John came back to say his goodbyes and froze. The wolf retreated a little only to have Stiles follow and reattach his lips in another gentle kiss, before he took half a step back to really look at the older man.
"Is this a thing now?" The sheriff asked flatly.
Stiles' gaze jerked to his father and back to Derek, who looked at him expectantly with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I guess it is."
"He's seventeen." John reminded the werewolf.
"I know." Derek's lips curled up in a small smile.
"Good. I expect you home for dinner. Bye."
The moment the door closed behind his father Stiles hit the wolf in the arm. "Couldn't you have waited until he was gone?" He snapped.
"No. He has to know."
"So you purposely kiss me the first time, when he is watching?" Stiles flailed wildly and almost yelled in his exaggeration.
"Yes."
He pulled his own hair in frustration. "What am I gonna do with you, Sourwolf?"
Derek shrugged innocently and ducked his head. "You could kiss me again."
"Yeah." Stiles licked his lips and did just that.