for bitty

[triskehale]

Derek knows that Bitty and Jack have been a thing for awhile now, maybe about a month. But then Bitty lost his friend, and Derek isn't such an asshole that he'll mess with Bitty right away. But then Bitty comes into work humming and grinning and smelling so much like sex that Derek can't help it. He just can't.

There's the fact that Derek himself is also in a good mood, and also reeking of morning sex. But Bitty can't smell that.

He waits for Bitty to join him in the back, whistling and swishing his hips all the while, and Derek raises an eyebrow once he gets close enough. "Looks like someone woke up on the right side of the boyfriend this morning."

Comments

[puckandpie]

That's not something I've thought about. I imagine, Jack might not take it well if he found out some other way and realized I'd been keeping it secret. That said, I'm not sure how he'll take it at all. Especially since I'm fairly sure he knows all about my embarassing crush on him. It might make him wonder.

It's quiet for a moment and I glance over at Derek when he speaks again, a surprised laugh bubbling out when I see the glint of light reflecting off a sharp fang. "What, would you shift right in front of him? That might actually give him a heart attack!"

[triskehale]

"Maybe if he doesn't believe you," Derek shoots back, but he's only kidding. Mostly. He looks over at Bitty with a more serious expression and rests his palms against the prep table. "Look, if you want my advice, I say tell him. He's already seen some of what this city can do, so is it really that much of a stretch to tell him about werewolves and vampires?"

He shrugs and straightens up again as he gives Bitty a look that's slightly more casual. "It's up to you, but it might be good if he knew to be careful. Not all supernaturals are as nice as I am."

[puckandpie]

"You're probably right," I reply, something about that look on his face getting to me somehow. I definitely can't say that I haven't seen Derek's serious face before given that it's honestly more rare that I see him outright smile (though it's really nice when I do) but that looks is moe of the authoritative, alpha one.

Weirdly, it reminds me a little of Jack.

"No, you are," I amend then, looking back at my mixing bowl. "You're right. And if anything happened to him because I didn't warn him, I'd never forgive myself. It might actually help if he knows there's someone like you on his side, too. Might make the rest of the weird things seem less scary. I mean," I add, feeling my face flush a little as I give a shrug, "it did for me."

[triskehale]

Bitty is sort of en exemplary pack member. He listens to advice and really considers it without just meekly accepting it. He obviously respects Derek and thinks highly of him, trusts him. Bitty makes Derek feel like he might actually be doing something right as an alpha this time. He's grateful for that.

His expression softens at Bitty's admission and Derek reaches out to palm the back of his neck for a moment, squeezing reassuringly before letting go. "I'm glad it did. Hopefully it'll help Jack, too. It'll be okay, and if you need any help you know where to find me."

[puckandpie]

Derek's hand is warm at the back of my neck, a comforting weight for a few seconds as I let out a breath. Funny how, even just a few months ago, that touch would've had a whole different sort of affect on me.

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you," I tell him, watching a second as he turns back to his cuts of meat. I hesitate for a second or two then, nervous about possibly overstepping some kind of line before just going for it. I'd like to think that Derek is one of my closest friends here even if maybe he doesn't feel the same way. I shouldn't be so worried about, I know.

"You, uhm... you seem really happy lately," I manage, grabbing a bowl now for the butter and eggs. "I just-- it's nice to see. Really nice. I've wanted to see you happy for a really long time."

[triskehale]

Derek thinks that might be it, but then Bitty mentions his current and undeniable happiness. He smiles, cheeks going a bit pink, and looks up at Bitty. It's clear to Derek just how much he's cared for here in Darrow. It's a little overwhelming sometimes, just how much he's grateful for it. Bitty has always been someone that he can count on, and though their relationship has gone through some confusing periods, maybe even some awkward ones, they've settled into this. Now Bitty is one of his very best friends, a crucial member of his pack.

"I am happy," Derek says, sounding a little surprised by the words. He smiles softly and looks up at Bitty. "It's not just because of Barry. He's a big part, sure. But I just-- I have a good life here. Good friends."

[puckandpie]

"Oh, I think Barry is a bigger part than maybe you wanna say," I argue and it doesn't even really hurt to say it. Not like it might've all those months ago. Now it just feels like a truth, something easily acknowledged, at least on my end. "You've had good friends here for a long time as far as I can tell. Lots of them long before I ever turned up. But in all the time I've known you, which is comin' up on a year here real soon, I've never seen you smile so much."

Wandering over to the fridge, I grab two eggs, glancing back at Derek over my shoulder as I go. "I may not have some superhuman sense of smell, but I can see things just fine, Mr. Hale. And I know people. I know my friends real well, in particular. And I'm just glad someone could finally make you as happy as you deserve to be."

[triskehale]

"Here I was trying to give you a compliment, and you couldn't just graciously accept it," Derek shoots back, but his teasing smile softens at Bitty's genuine words. He reaches over to sling an arm around Bitty's shoulders once he's close enough, pulling him in for a quick squeeze. "Thanks, Bitty. I could say the same for you, you know."

[puckandpie]

"Yeah, yeah," I tease, trying to brush it off even as I feel my cheeks go warm. I give him a nudge with my elbow, just a little thing because I really don't mind him touching me at all. It doesn't feel like it used to, at least not entirely, but I've always been a pretty tactile person and, if absolutely nothing else, Derek with his broad shoulders and miles of muscle, is a comfort.

And, honestly, he isn't wrong. Even if Derek couldn't smell it on me, there's a good chance people can tell how happy I am just from the way I've been smiling lately. And it's all Jack.

"I guess now we're both just hopeless," I tell him, flashing him a grin. "It's a good feeling, though. Hopefully nothing happens for awhile to take it away."

[triskehale]

"Hopeless," Derek agrees. He's been hopeless before, in the most sorrowful and devastating of ways, but when it comes to his feelings about Barry, hopeless isn't so bad.

Bitty reminds him that he could lose it all at any moment, just like he did with Stiles, and he feels a flash of panic in his chest. Stiles was so incredibly important to him and Derek doesn't want to sully his memory, but Barry is-- Derek never knew that he could have someone like Barry, someone who could care so much about him. With Barry, it's mutual in a way that it never seemed to be with Stiles.

He barely survived losing Stiles. He has no idea what he would do if he lost Barry.

His throat tightens and he takes a breath, color returning to cheeks gone pale as he gives Bitty a small smile. "Yeah, let's hope."

[puckandpie]

It's not hard to miss the way Derek goes quiet and I look over again to find him staring down at the countertop, his face pale. My heart thuds for a second, tripping into a flash of panic, but he only swallows and takes a breath before trying for a smile.

I want to tell him everything will be fine, but given what I've seen of Darrow in the past year alone, I know I can't. Nothing is certain here. Nothing at all. As happy as we both might be right now, it could all slip away in a second and we both know it.

So instead, I only give him a nod in return and try for my own smile. "I'll hope hard enough for the both of us," I tell him, knowing optimism isn't really his strong suit. "And until then, you just work at keeping happy, alright?"

[triskehale]

"That sounds like a good plan," I tell him, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "I'm pretty new at it, you know. I need to focus."

He winks at him and then goes back to doing his own food prep. "Now come on, pup. We've got drunk people to feed."