Human is Just a Word 13/?
Chapter 13
Stiles retreated to his room to unpack the rest of his stuff, at least that was what he told Derek. What he really needed to do was to think. This whole human in a pack thing had turned out completely different than he had expected. Not that he was complaining, quite the opposite.
To clear his mind he wrote an email to his dad, telling him in detail what had happened so far. Over the phone Stiles had been careful, you never know if a werewolf was listening in, and he didn't want to upset Derek by talking bad about him. Not that there was anything bad to say about him. So far he had been the most gentle and most understanding werewolf Stiles had ever met. However, the others had been Scott and Peter and his pack, not exactly role models of their species.
Stiles read over the email again before he hit send. At least his father could help him with the transition to a new school, there would be paperwork from the Beacon Hills High School involved which his father could arrange since Stiles wouldn't come home any time soon.
Home, he thought and looked around the room that was his now. It didn't feel like his. There were his clothes in the closet but it wasn't enough to actually fill it. The walls were bare and the furniture impersonal pieces he didn't know. It felt like a hotel room. He had expected a prison cell so he was okay with the hotel room feeling.
If he stayed here for longer, he would have to make this room his, though Maybe put up some posters and fill the shelf with books, he mused.
Stiles wrote a second email with a list of things he had forgotten to pack, asking his dad to send them over but then he realized that he didn't even know his new address. He could ask Derek but he didn't want to disturb him just yet. The man had stuff to do and no time to coddle him. So Stiles left that email for now, a few days wouldn't matter anyway, and then he sat there, not sure what to do next.
Stiles let himself get lost on the internet for a while and before he knew it, it was two in the afternoon and his stomach demanded attention. Not sure what to do about that he closed the laptop and then stood at the door, hesitating. Derek had said that he could use whatever he wanted. He could watch TV, read his books or raid his fridge. Those weren't the exact words the werewolf had used but it had been what he'd meant.
However, Stiles still didn't know him very well and it felt weird to just go up to the fridge of a stranger and help himself.
"This is stupid." He muttered and opened the door.
He found Derek downstairs at the kitchen table with his laptop and a pile of books and notes scattered all over the table. He looked up when Stiles came down the stairs.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." Stiles hurried to say and was about to go back upstairs. Food could wait.
"No, it's fine." Derek made a point of putting the pen down he'd used for some quick notes and looked expectantly at Stiles.
"It's after noon." Stiles said. "Did you have lunch? I can make us something if you want."
Alarmed Derek looked down at his laptop, checking the time.
"I can make us something." Derek offered. "Just got carried away."
"Let me, please." Stiles didn't want Derek to do everything for him. Stiles was the intruder here, he lived under Derek's roof and ate his food, the least he could do was to make him a sandwich.
Reluctantly Derek let go of the laptop he had been about to close.
"I should be done here in a minute." He glanced back at the screen.
"No problem." Stiles opened the fridge to check what he had to work with. It wasn't full but Derek had some basics. "Believe me I know how engrossed one can get in their work. Been there more than once. I only want to look up something on the internet and bam, it's three in the morning and I have school the next day."
Stiles made the sandwiches and by the time he was done, Derek had cleared the table so that they could eat.
"There isn't much in the fridge." Stiles observed. "What were you planning to cook the next couple of days? I can do the groceries if you want, just give me your credit card and a list." He wondered if that was a bit too forward but the words were already out of his mouth. "At home I did the groceries most of the time. With dad's schedule, he doesn't have time for it most of the days." He paused because now his dad had to make time for that. And for everything else.
"I don't really cook." Derek pulled Stiles out of his thoughts.
"Oh, let me guess. Erica cooks for all of you." If the pancakes were anything to go by she was a great cook.
"Don't let Erica cook anything but pancakes." Derek almost looked panicked at that thought. "She'll kill us all."
"So, who does the cooking around here?"
"Nobody." Derek shrugged. "Boyd and Erica usually eat at work and Isaac on campus. On the weekends it's mostly take out. We're not exactly that domestic."
Stiles thought about that for a moment. "What about you?"
Derek threw him a questioning look.
"What do you eat if you don't cook? Don't tell me it's instant ramen and mac'n'cheese."
Derek was suddenly very interested in his sandwich.
"Oh my god, it is instant ramen and mac'n'cheese." Stiles gaped at him. Sure, his werewolf metabolism should take care of the worst of it but still. "That stuff's not good for you. That's bad food. Bad, bad food."
Derek ducked his head and was that a blush? That was totally a blush.
"Okay, here's the deal because I'm just a mere human and I'd grow fat and would die at age thirty by clogged arteries with that diet." Stiles said, thinking of his father who would use the chance to stuff himself with cholesterol now that Stiles wasn't around to keep an eye on him. "I'll do the groceries and the cooking."
"You don't have to do that." Derek rejected the offer immediately. "I can cook for us, it's not going to be haute cuisine but I can do some basics. For one person it's just … why bother?"
For the first time Stiles realized how lonely Derek was. He had his pack, sure, but they had their own lives. Derek was an alpha werewolf who sat alone in his apartment most of the time. That was wrong on so many levels.
"Let me do this." Stiles pleaded. "You weren't planning on taking me in and I'm still surprised that you did. You could have just throw me to the wolves, literally, but you didn't."
"You don't have to pay me back in any way." Derek said with a stern look, meaning more than just the cooking, Stiles got that.
"I know. But I want to do this." If he was honest, he liked cooking. And until school started, he wouldn't have much to do anyway.
"I'll make a list."
They ate their sandwiches in silence for a moment but silence never sat well with Stiles.
"Speaking of lists." Stiles said. "I made one with stuff I'd like my dad to send me. If that's okay with you."
"Of course." With his thumb Derek brushed bread crumbs from his lips and Stiles hurried to look away. "If you need anything else, just tell me."
"The address of this place would be good for starters."
Derek gave him the address and while they were at it, they exchanged phone numbers as well. A minute later Stiles sent out messages to the other pack members so that they would have his number too. Erica sent him back a selfie to use for her contact which was forty percent sexy and sixty percent "I'll murder you in your sleep", Stiles immediately added it to her number.
"You probably want to get back to your work." Stiles guessed when they had finished their lunch.
"I was in the middle of something." Derek admitted but didn't move.
"I'd like to have a look at that park and get a feeling for the area in general." Stiles said carefully, still not sure about the rules around here. Was he allowed to just go outside? "I could do those groceries on the way. If you point me in the direction of the nearest store."
"Stiles, you don't have to ask for permission." Derek said, clearly suppressing a sigh. "You can do whatever you want. Just don't get into trouble."
"Where would be the fun in that?"
Stiles left Derek to his work and a few minutes later he rode the elevator down, ready to explore the neighborhood. The pack had the top two floors for themselves while the lower floors were occupied by human tenants who didn't even know that there was a werewolf pack living right on top of them.
Stiles didn't know how that was possible but he was from Beacon Hills, the heart of the Hale territory. This was the outskirts. A territory carved from scraps Laura and Peter had thrown at Derek. The people around here probably had never heard about the Hales and since werewolves liked to keep a low level, there was no reason for them to assume that a pack was living here.
Derek had offered his car but for now Stiles wanted to explore by foot. He crossed the street and entered the park. It was a nice summer day so he wasn't the only one enjoying the afternoon in the park. It wasn't crowded, they were too far from the center for that, but there were children playing, joggers, people with dogs and people without dogs. Stiles had always loved dogs but his dad had never got one for him.
"Now I have a whole pack." He muttered under his breath, thinking of last night. He'd never slept that good in his life.
Stiles had expected that the bond would bother him like at the gas station when he hadn't known where Derek was but he was fine. He felt Derek's presence in the back of his mind and to a lesser degree what he assumed was Isaac and either Boyd or Erica, the other one must be too far away to sense, but it didn't really bother him that Derek wasn't just a few feet away.
Aware that his face still looked awful, Stiles kept to himself while he explored the park but he observed. It wasn't even something conscious, it was just a thing he did. By the time he left the park he knew its layout and he would recognize a few faces. With the park this close by it would take no time for him to know the regulars.
Done with the park he went in search for the grocery store Derek had pointed out. He wasn't planning on buying much, just some things for dinner which he could carry home easily. He had Derek's credit card in his pocket but it would feel wrong to abuse it.
Stiles had some money and his dad had said he would send more but that wasn't enough to get by. He was depending on Derek and that didn't sit right with him.
"Maybe I should look for a job." He mused while he tried to decide if Derek was more of an apple or banana type of guy. Then he remembered the apple juice he had seen in Derek's fridge and put the apples in his cart. The man needed some vitamins.
Chapter 14
Masterpost