triskehale | with the beast inside there's nowhere we can hide

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with the beast inside there's nowhere we can hide

Derek unexpectedly has the night off from work, thanks to a schedule mix up and them being overstaffed for a Sunday night, so he rouses Stiles from his homework and takes him out for dinner. He's been craving Italian food something fierce, so he lets Stiles pick a place that fits the bill. Stiles checks Darrow's version of Yelp on the older computer, and Derek smiks fondly when he gets frustrated and starts slapping the side of the bulky monitor. He finds a place and they set off, walking at an easy pace. The temperature gets cooler the closer they get to the ocean, and the fall breeze blows crisply around them. Stiles shivers and Derek resists the urge to do something as ridiculously sentimental as give him his leather jacket, but he does move in a bit closer so as to share his body heat.

They have a good time at dinner, and Derek makes good use of his first paycheck to order them more food than strictly necessary, even more than a werewolf and a growing teenage boy could hope to eat. Stiles tries to puppy eye his way into some wine, but Derek just laughs him off. They talk about Stiles' school and Derek listens indulgently as he goes on about working at the comic book store with Seth, who he still hasn't met, but hopes to soon. Derek returns the favor by sharing stories from his short time at Prohibition, including the body building douchebag who thought he could take Derek on in a fight and ended up getting literally tossed out on his ass.

Even though they're both stuffed full, Derek orders cheesecake and a large glass of port to share. He takes a large drink and then passes it over to Stiles, smirking at the pleased look on his face.

They leave the restaurant full and happy, and they grab a DVD to watch on the way home. It all feels domestic in a way that Derek is weirdly okay with. It's simple and easy, spending time with Stiles, and Derek thinks that maybe he'll be okay if this is all he ever gets. Stiles is here, at his side, and he cares about Derek. That's undeniable. He cares in a way that Derek thought no one else would ever care about him again. He's pack, and he's a pain in the ass, but they matter to each other. It still amazes Derek sometimes.

The air is even cooler now and when Stiles moves in closer to him, using Derek's body for warmth and to shield him from the wind as they walk, Derek just laughs and puts his hand on Stiles' back, rubbing up and down a bit.

They're a few blocks from home when there's a break in the wind and in that few moments of stillness, Derek catches a scent on the air. It's wolf, strong almost like an alpha, and Derek stills and lets out a low growl, instinctively pulling Stiles close.

"Wolf," Derek says in response to the confused noise Stiles lets out, and he lets his eyes glow as he looks around. He catches the scent again, stronger and getting closer, and blinks as Derek realizes what it is.

It's even worse than a strange wolf, because this is someone that Derek can't fight off. This is a wolf that could take Stiles from him with nothing more than his presence alone, and Derek lets out a sharp whine and pulls Stiles even closer, wrapping an arm around his waist and leaning in to scent his cheek, like that will help at all.

Derek's wolf is whining and growling, telling him to fight, but he knows that he won't. Fighting would just guarantee him losing Stiles completely. He knows Stiles won't forget about him, and he'll still be in Derek's life, as long as he plays nice and doesn't give him a reason to have to choose. Derek can do that.

Stiles looks up at him, confused, and Derek gives him a long, sad look, leaning in to butt their foreheads together for what he hopes isn't the last time. He lets the contact linger, keeping his arm around Stiles' waist, and then turns to face forward as Scott approaches.

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Scott had been putting out feelers for a job, checking with every vet he could find in the city to see if they needed anyone. It wouldn't be the same as working for Deaton, but it was what he had experience in, so it was a good place to start.

He spent the evening filling out the applications he'd gathered, sitting in a coffee shop for at least the illusion of company. They were all now tucked into a folder, ready to return to his prospective employers first thing tomorrow morning. He'd grabbed a burger and a milkshake, then taken a long walk, avoiding going home to the empty, dark apartment as long as he could manager.

Finally though, he'd sighed and started toward home--only to stop dead in his tracks as he caught an unexpected scent. He started following it, breaking into a jog until he turned a corner...and there they were. His nose hadn't been lying. Standing in front of him were Derek Hale and..."Stiles?" He broke into a wide grin at the sight of his best friend.

Derek bumps foreheads with Stiles and gives him such an upset look that Stiles isn't sure what the hell is going on; he has no idea what could be so bad that it makes him look at him like that. His mouth falls open to ask, but Derek looks away from him and he naturally starts to follow his eyes.

Holy shit. It's Scott.

His grip on Derek's shoulder goes deathlike, hard and fast for a moment, and then he lets go, hand lingering as long as it can on Derek until he literally can't anymore, arms flying fast around Scott in the limb-iest, gangliest, hardest hug he's ever given his best friend, nearly bowling him over. "Scotty! Oh my god. No way. Holy shit, you're here." It should be bittersweet, because he knows what it means that he's here, but Stiles thought he'd never see his friend again. It's as much of a relief as it can be.

He finally takes a step back toward Derek to give Scott room to breathe, hands sliding down to his shoulders to hold him at arms length, looking him over before looking back at him with the faintest of laughs. "You been working out, man?"

Derek feels a bit bereft when Stiles pulls away from him, and he takes a few steps back and lowers his gaze while they hug. There's a pit in his stomach and he frowns, sliding his hands into his pockets, unsure of what to do. He should leave them alone; it's not like he's needed for their reunion.

Being around Scott makes him feel uneasy, because the last time he really had any interaction with Scott was when he used Derek's body as a weapon without his consent. Scott didn't even find him worthy of knowing the plan that he was such an integral part of, and just used him like a tool he could throw away after. It hurt more than he'd admit, and he can't help but to feel betrayed by him.

And now he's here, with Stiles so willingly in his arms, and Derek begins to brace himself for change.

Scott had to chuckle at Stiles' exuberant greeting, but he was just as glad to return the hug--maybe not quite as tightly, he didn't want to break bones. "I'm here," he promised, grinning at his friend.

His grin didn't fade as he looked past Stiles to the other man. "Hey, Derek. Good to see you," he greeted, leaving off the 'alive' part. There was no reason to tell him what had happened back home, especially when he felt responsible for it. Cowardly, maybe, but he preferred to think of it as living in the now.

Stiles looks between Scott and Derek anxiously, knowing full well when the last time that Derek saw Scott and all that it entailed. He and Derek never have really talked about it, but Stiles isn't stupid to begin with, and knowing Derek as well as he does now, it's not hard to figure out that this is more than a little awkward. Derek looks anxious, and Stiles doesn't want to lose him or his friend.

Derek lifts his head when Scott greets him, not really sure how to take it. It's not like Scott has ever really been a fan of his. But hey, him being civil will make things easier on Derek, and he can play along. "Hey, Scott."

He looks over at Stiles, who looks anxious and unsure, and Derek nods a little and clears his throat. "Well, uh. I should leave you guys to it." He takes an aborted step towards Stiles and then stops, dropping his hand. His wolf feels uneasy around Scott in a way that it never did before, and he isn't sure why. "I can just head back to the apartment."

It'll be hard to walk away from Stiles and leave him with Scott, and his wolf is very much against the idea, judging by the way it's already clawing at his insides in an attempt to get out, but it'll be easier this way. Stiles won't have to try and spare his feelings, and Derek can go wallow and fret in private.

He tries to walk by Stiles, but his wolf won't allow it. Stiles is his pack, and before Derek even realizes what's happening, he's reaching out with clawed fingers to squeeze the back of Stiles' neck. He pulls away before he can do something even more ridiculous like try to scent him or growl at Scott, because he really doesn't need to embarrass himself any further.

There's a part of him that desperately wants Stiles to make some sort of declaration to Derek as his alpha, to make his place known and ease Derek's fears, and he needs to walk away before he has to watch it not happen.

"Uh. Okay," Scott said, his grin fading to a confused frown. Derek's behavior as he moved past Stiles only increased his confusion. He was clearly missing something here, and he looked from Stiles to Derek in puzzlement.

Stiles blinks and looks from Scott to Derek, then back again. This is probably going to be awkward. ...okay, it is awkward, but what's he supposed to say? They did kinda... well, the whole bite thing? Pretty much not okay, and while Stiles has had months to get through everything with Derek, Scott hasn't had the same luxury. And it's not really something that Stiles can explain away for him.

He looks over at Derek and reaches up to pat his hand on the back of his neck despite how firm the grip is, patting the back of it reassuringly and resting it there while he talks. He doesn't make a move away from Derek, but he doesn't move away from Scott, either. "I, uh. I don't know what you know about here, man, but Derek and I kinda popped up when things were, uh. 'Tense'? That's a good way to put it, right?" He looks over at Derek for a moment before realizing this probably is something he's not gonna want confirmation on before looking away quickly, head ducked a little.

He's a little surprised when Stiles grabs his hand, and even more when he doesn't let go. It helps to reassure Derek of his place in Stiles' life, and he turns to stand next to him, letting his hand slide down to his lower back. "I assume you're referring to when Scott used me as a weapon, and forced me to turn someone against my will? I'd call that tense."

You may be an alpha, but you're not mine. Derek still remembers how it felt to lie there on the cement floor, weak and betrayed with sour blood and mountain ash in his mouth. It was easy to put it out of his mind here in Darrow, with Scott nowhere around and Stiles in the center of his attention, but now it's rushing back. "But it's fine, it's old news. You were right, anyway. I'm not your alpha."

He stays close to Stiles, hand curled around his hip, and tries to look confident. The urge to lay a claim on Stiles is strong, but he holds back. He's curious to see if Stiles will declare Derek his alpha in front of Scott like he's proud, or if he'll avoid the subject entirely. The latter would hurt, of course, but Derek supposes he would understand. He just doesn't want his pride damaged in front of Scott anymore than it already has been.

Oh. Derek was from then. Well, great, Scott had a few months of awkwardness between them to live through all over again. Awesome. "Oh. Right. Uh...I guess 'sorry' kind of doesn't help much," he said with a rueful smile. Especially since...he wasn't, not really. A little sorry that he hadn't let Derek in on the plan, but the rest of it he didn't regret. He'd done what he had to do to stop Gerard. "So...okay. I guess I'm from your future, then."

And there was a lot he could tell them about that future--but very little he was willing to tell. He really hoped neither of them asked. "So, uh. How long have you two been here, then?" It almost sounded like they'd shown up together, and Scott was--really, really glad that they hadn't been alone, and that Derek had...what? Watched out for Stiles? There was definitely something between them that hadn't been there back home. Or maybe it had been, but it was intensified now. Or maybe he was just reading things in their body language that weren't there, or didn't mean anything, or--yeah, he was just going to wait for more information, he decided.

"Man, why is everyone from the future? Why am I the only one from the past? I wanna be from somebody's future!" Stiles sighs, put upon and disappointed, but it's not like that's the real issue here. Even though it means that everyone else knows more than he does - a thought that makes him more than a little twitchy. Scott is looking at the two of them like he's trying to figure something out, and man, if it's what Stiles thinks he's thinking? Even he doesn't know what's going on. They'd talk about it later, he was sure.

"I've been here almost eight months. Derek's been here a bit less. When'd you get here? Where do they have you living? Did you pop up with anyone else?" Stiles has a lot of questions, but really, he's mostly just glad Scott's here. Even if this is all more than a little awkward.

Derek is uncomfortable, to say the least, but Stiles doesn't seem to want him to go. He doesn't seem ready to make any declarations, either, but Derek can't say that he's surprised. He drops his hand from the back of his neck and just stands behind him, wound tight.

"Sorry doesn't mean much when it isn't sincere," Derek grits out, swallowing hard and doing his best not to outright glare at Scott. The best he can do is to look sullen. Really, he should get over it. There's no shortage of people that have used him, but that along with the fear that he'll take Stiles away, leaves him feeling very cool towards him.

He stays quiet after that, looking down at his boots as Stiles excitedly fires off his questions. He really should walk away, but that feels like it would be admitting defeat, giving up Stiles without a fight.

Hokay, so not such old news after all. Despite Derek's words the alpha continued radiating hostility in waves even a normal person would be able to pick up on. It was making him increasingly uncomfortable, but he did his best to ignore it.

He turned to Stiles, giving up on further conversation with Derek since he was clearly high on his list of least favorite people. "Eight months? Wow, that's a long time. I've only been here a few weeks, myself. I'm in High Gate Terrace, and no, no one else came with me. I've been flying solo, for the most part." He grinned, mentally running through Stiles' rapid-fire questions to make sure he got them all. "Did I miss any?"

Stiles isn't quite sure how to describe the situation, but he's pretty sure that it's somewhere in the realm of ridiculously awkward. He looks between Derek and Scott, standing so he's sort of standing between the two, one hand on Derek's back, thumb and forefinger framing the back of his neck and giving the guy a quick squeeze to show he's there for him while he looks back at Scott with an expression that's says the same is true for him.

His pack and his friend. As fond as he is of both of them... yeah. Awkward.

"IIIIIIII think we've all made a mistake or two. Some of them, uh, way bigger than others, I'll grant you, but hey - I'm working through my shit, and I'm just a skinnyass regular kid, right? You guys are werewolves, you like. Endure all sorts of shit. ...including making up your differences. ...right?"

He immediately decides that maybe this isn't the time to try and get the two of them to reconcile, the hopeful, ridiculously huge grin coming off his face immediately. Probably time to change the subject.

His hand still resting on the back of Derek's neck, he listens to Scott with his usual intensity, nodding through his answers like he's trying to grade Scott on his accuracy. Of course, without missing a beat: "Gold star, A+, bud. The hell've you been doing? I haven't seen you! Dude, I'm in school."

As much as he appreciates Stiles' show of support, the hand on the back of his neck is a bit stifling, almost like he's trying to get Derek to submit, though he knows that isn't the case. He calmly takes Stiles wrist and and moves his hand to lower it, all the while moving even closer to him so that Stiles won't think he's upset with him.

He watches Stiles as he speaks, eyes going soft and fond without him even realizing. Stiles wants so badly for this to work out, and Derek can give him that. Maybe.

"I'm not looking for trouble, Scott. You did what you thought you had to do, and it's done. But do not use me as your tool, or your weapon, ever again. If you want something from me, you ask me." He's only ever wanted to be on the same team as Scott, and his betrayal stung Derek deeply. He's not sure why, since betrayal is something that he's intimately familiar with. He's not exactly ready to trust Scott, but he can move past this, both for Stiles' feelings and his own sanity. "I see no reason for us to be at odds here."

Actually, he does, and it's standing right between them, but he'll cross that bridge if they ever come to it.

"Yeah. Sure. No problem," he told Derek, frowning a little as he looked between the two of them. This was all really weird, and he wasn't sure why.

He took a breath and turned back to Stiles, shrugging. "What have I been doing? Not much. Settling in, figuring things out. I should probably look into the school thing too, huh?" Derek was making him edgy for some reason. Despite the other wolf's words, there was a current of tension still that was making him tense. "Hey, do you want to go get a cup of coffee or something? Catch up?" He wasn't exactly excluding Derek from the offer, but his attention was focused on Stiles as he asked. He kind of wanted some time to talk to his friend without Derek all...weirdly hovering.

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