Human is Just a Word 46/?
Chapter 46
Sean was reeking of fear.
After dinner Stiles and Sean went upstairs and minutes later Derek heard them talking but he didn't strain his ears to make out the words. He trusted Stiles to handle this. Stiles might not even know it but he was good at handling things like this.
Derek set up his place to get some work done. Since there won't be any private time for them tonight he could use the time to finish his current project. And to see if Professor Rodriguez had answered. They had hashed out the last details and the contract was signed but somehow they were still writing back and forth. They talked mostly about her work but by now Derek knew that she had a daughter and two sons and that her first grandchild was on the way. He hadn't told her that he was a werewolf but he had told her that he was in a relationship now. She had asked for a picture of Stiles and then had gushed over what a fine young man he was. They didn't share their deepest secrets but Derek was looking forward to her next email.
When Stiles came downstairs to get some snacks, Derek could smell Sean's anxiety on him and the wolf in him whined in need to make it better. So he blurted out the first thing coming to mind, sleeping in the den always helped, but Stiles didn't want the blankets and pillows they used for their pack nights. In hindsight it was better that way, Derek wouldn't like the scent of a stranger mixed with the scent of pack.
However, Derek got the mattress from Isaac for them and when he heard that the movie they were watching was over, he went upstairs and knocked at Stiles' door.
Sean tensed when he entered the room but he did call him Derek and didn't seem that close to a heart attack any longer so Derek called it a win. He had offered to sleep with Isaac tonight but it looked like this would work out just fine.
The boys took turns in the bathroom to get ready for bed, not that Derek thought they would go to sleep any time soon, and since he was up here, Derek used the chance to change into something more comfortable for the rest of the evening as well.
That was why he was in his bedroom and couldn't not hear when Sean hissed: "Dude, they bite you?"
Derek stood there, frozen. He remembered every mark he had left on Stiles' body. He had spent an entire hour earlier just mapping them out and maybe adding one or two new ones. For school Stiles had been careful, by now Erica had given him a small make up case for himself and he did a pretty good job, covering himself up in the morning if necessary. Derek tried to stick to spots Stiles could cover up easily with his clothes but he had a thing for that spot on Stiles' neck, he had to admit.
And Stiles liked to bite back, so there was that.
But all that didn't matter now because he was pretty sure that Sean had just caught Stiles shirtless.
Derek was right outside Stiles' door when he heard Stiles' respond: "They don't bite me."
Fighting the urge to storm in and defend his mate, Derek dug his claws into the door frame. Stiles could handle this. He trusted Stiles to handle this.
"This is all Derek." Stiles continued after a beat. "And the only reason he isn't looking the same is because of his freakish werewolf healing abilities." The last part came out rather frustrated.
"Are you telling me you want this?" The disgust was clear in Sean's voice.
"Yes." Stiles yelled. "I like it. I want him to leave marks all over me. I would show them off with pride if people weren't already thinking that I'm the pack's bitch."
There was an uncomfortable silence and Derek could only guess that Sean was one of those people.
Stiles sighed. "Remember the day when you asked me if I was high?"
Now Derek perked up. Stiles and drugs? He would have smelled it on him, he was sure of that. And Stiles wasn't stupid enough for that. Aside from that one party he hadn't even been drunk. He hadn't even taken a sip from the bottles he used for cooking, Derek was pretty sure of that as well.
Sean made an affirmative noise to the being high question.
"That was the day I found out that Derek and I are mates." Stiles explained. "I was flying so high on endorphin you have no idea."
Derek let out a long breath.
It looked like Stiles had it under control, so Derek dislodged his claws from the frame and went downstairs where he turned on the TV loud enough that he couldn't hear what they were talking about upstairs.
When he went to bed hours later, the boys had another movie running and were talking in low voices. Derek didn't disturb them and went to bed instead.
It was the first time in weeks that he slept alone and he didn't like it one bit. Especially knowing that Stiles was just behind the wall and with a stranger who might even count as an enemy.
Derek slept in his fur, he always felt more secure that way, but he didn't sleep well.
Some time during the night Isaac slipped in and after that Derek slept better.
When they woke up early the next morning, Stiles and Sean were still sleeping.
They shifted and got dressed so they wouldn't flash Sean by accident.
"Is that Stiles' friend in there with him?" Isaac asked while he shimmied into his jeans.
"He needed a place to crash." Derek answered. That was all Isaac needed to know. He could most likely smell the fear and uneasiness still lingering in the air and if somebody could piece this puzzle together, it was Isaac.
However, Derek didn't know what had been going on at Sean's place, he wasn't injured and hadn't smelled hurt, so it wasn't like what Isaac had dealt with when his father had still been alive.
"You were both in distress last night." Isaac said quietly which explained why he had come over in the middle of the night.
"We're fine." Derek stepped closer and drew his beta into a tight hug. Isaac buried his nose in Derek's neck and took a deep breath.
They only broke apart when there were noises coming from the next room, indicating that Stiles and their guest were waking up.
"Let's get some coffee started." Derek said and gave Isaac one last pat to the shoulder.
Not knowing what Sean liked for breakfast, Derek only got the coffee maker going and waited for the boys to come downstairs. With every minute his uneasiness grew, Sean had seen the marks he'd left on Stiles and now he knew that they were mates, breakfast was bound to be more awkward than dinner last night.
The shower was just shut off when the steel door of the loft slid open and Boyd stepped in. Erica followed on his heel and the smell of warm pastry goodness came in with them. They were both still in their business outfits and they looked like they had a long night. The weekends were always the worst in their job and this had only been the Friday night.
"We bring breakfast." Erica proclaimed while Boyd went straight for Derek and buried his nose right where Isaac's had been only minutes ago. Looked like Isaac hadn't been the only one sensing his distress last night.
Erica shoved the paper bags at Isaac and then she was nuzzling Derek as well. Everything was melting away and Derek just bathed in the attention of his pack.
"I didn't know this would be a pack breakfast." Stiles suddenly spoke up but before somebody could say something to that, he had all three betas all over him. Laughing awkwardly he stood in the middle and let them rub their scent into his skin while they did their best to crush him in a group hug.
Derek watched them with a proud smile but then he remembered Sean. The boy stood at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes wide with something close to horror.
While the betas were comforting Stiles, and for the moment even Stiles seemed to have forgotten their guest, Derek walked over to Sean but made sure that he didn't block the way to the door. Keeping his distance he asked: "Do you drink coffee?"
"Yes, thank you."
Derek had the feeling he would have said the same thing if he'd offered him bleach to drink.
"Stiles is worried about you." Derek said without moving to make the offered coffee. "When you saw the bite marks on him yesterday, he freaked out a bit. It's nothing somebody outside the pack has to know about." He didn't try to threaten the boy, he looked threatened enough already, he was just stating a fact. This was pack business and they had always kept that to themselves.
"They felt it." Derek nodded to the still ongoing group hug. "Isaac came over last night because he felt that I needed some company." He wasn't sure why he was telling Sean this, he was a stranger after all, but it felt right. He was Stiles' only friend outside the pack and as that he was kind of pack as well. Not bonded into it but he was close to one of the members and as that close to all of them. Derek didn't really know how to put it in words, it was more of a feeling to him. His pack would understand what he meant but Sean wasn't like them.
"Are they doing that often?" Sean asked and then shied back as if he was scared by his own boldness. It was the first time he had addressed Derek directly.
"We comfort each other when we feel that one of us needs it." Derek said. "And we would never hurt each other." He didn't know what exactly Stiles had told his friend but he felt the need to point that out.
Boyd and Erica had brought cinnamon rolls and danishes for all of them but they waited for Derek's cue on what to do. If he wanted them to leave, a slight shift in his posture would be enough. Derek eyed Sean who was now watching the group breaking apart to set the table for breakfast.
For now he seemed to be fine and Derek thought that having breakfast with the whole pack would probably be less awkward than it would be with only him and Stiles.
Sean stuck to Stiles and didn't say a word during the meal but he was watching the pack with interest. Boyd and Erica talked about the event they had been working at last night which was more than enough to carry them over the meal.
Nobody pestered Sean with awkward questions and he did relax after a while.
Once they were done, Boyd and Erica excused themselves, they were dead on their feet and just wanted to go to sleep. Isaac followed them a minute later but he took his time, scenting first Stiles and then Derek. He had always been the most sensitive to the feelings they shared over he bond. He even brushed Sean's arm on his way out and Derek wondered what his beta was seeing in the boy. Did he remind him of himself? They hadn't talked about why Sean had slept here tonight but Isaac was observant, Derek was sure that his beta had a pretty good idea on what was going on with Sean. Probably a better idea than Stiles who had spent half the night talking with his friend.
When Isaac had left, Sean shifted from one foot to the other, clearly not sure what to do next.
"Want to watch some cartoons?" Stiles helped him out in the most childish way possible. Judging by the relieved smile Sean gave him, it worked.
Derek remembered how Stiles had told him when Sean had run at the very the idea of setting a foot in an alpha's den. Now he was sitting with Stiles on said alpha's couch on a Saturday morning, watching Spongebob Squarepants.
Chapter 47
Masterpost