Fic: A Different Bite
Author: froggydarren
Title: A Different Bite
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Stiles/Derek (pre-slash, getting together)
Character/s: Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale
Summary: The new big bad in Beacon Hills left marks on the victim's neck. Derek is now almost officially a consultant for the Sheriff on supernatural cases, and Stiles figures, who would know things that the Beastiary or pack experience don't?
Warnings: reference to theoretical dub-con (aka vampire seduction techniques)
Submission Type: Fic
Word Count: 2800
Prompt: #110: Thirst
Author's Notes: Takes place an undetermined amount of time after already aired canon. Beta-read by Nomi.
"So, about the…"
Before Stiles can finish the question, Derek levels him with a glare. It's one of those that Stiles had previously categorized as don't ask me stupid questions unless you want me to slam the window after I jump right out of it. The one that he was used to a little more than anyone else thanks to Derek's general lack of appreciation for Stiles' kind of humor.
"But…"
Stiles opens his mouth again but the words die on his lips when Derek groans, and yet again, the question remains unspoken. Stiles turns to his laptop and tries to focus back on the bits of information they do have so far, even though half of it is only in his mind -- the Sheriff is still not willing to actually allow them access to the files, let alone leave them in Stiles' or Derek's possession -- so he's struggling a little.
"What was the shape of the wound again on the last one?" Stiles asks, narrowing his eyes on the sketch that Derek had scribbled on a piece of paper. "They're not bite marks, are they?"
"Not wolf ones, or anything we've encountered before," Derek says, thumbing through the printed out Beastiary. "Nothing I have seen before, either."
"So, about the v…"
"I don't know if there are vampires, Stiles," Derek finally grunts the answer to the question that Stiles has been trying to ask since they left the crime scene. "I've never seen one, never heard about anyone mentioning them outside of the crappy books Laura was reading. What I do know is that, as you're well aware, werewolves don't work the same as in those shitty vampire books."
"Any of them?" Stiles blurts out, a little thrown off by the amount of words Derek just used.
"Not the ones I've been exposed to," Derek sighs and slams the Beastiary closed.
"That was either too many of them, if I go by the expression in your face," Stiles smirks, "or not enough, so you don't know how accurate the depictions are."
"What does it matter, anyway?" Derek's exasperation shows on his face.
"Just curious." Stiles tries for nonchalance and misses by about a mile.
Derek's eyebrows do something that Stiles can't even begin to describe, a sequence of movements that show surprise, curiosity and judgment all in one. But then there's a glint in Derek's eyes, and Stiles freezes, his own eyes widening in surprise.
"Curious, eh?" Derek asks and puts the Beastiary aside before he gets up from his spot on Stiles' bed. "What is it that you're curious about? Wondering what you need to be cautious about? Just thinking of possible dangers that we might come across? That's what you'd like me to think, isn't it?"
Stiles' heart is pounding faster with each step that Derek takes towards him. He doesn't know what is happening, but his body makes it very obvious -- no matter how he tries to calm himself down -- what he wishes it was.
"I don't think that's it, though." Derek smirks when he's next to Stiles. "I think you wouldn't mind knowing that someone was thirsty for you. You wouldn't mind having someone try to seduce you."
"Not all that keen on being sucked dry," Stiles blurts out and immediately feels the blood rushing into his face. "I mean, blood sucking, is what I was talking about. Definitely not the way I'd want to go, not after making it out alive after a kanima and a bunch of werewolves and a fucking Alpha Pack. I mean, not that sucking is an entirely unpleasant thought, or a little biting, but I'd rather not meet an incubus or anything like that in person."
"You'd be easy prey, wouldn't you?" Derek says quietly, his lips turned up in amusement at Stiles' rambling. "It wouldn't take much to make you follow."
"Just how desperate do you think I am?" Stiles bristles. "I'm not the same kid as when we met, Hale. Not like I'm a virgin anymore, either."
"Oh, I know," Derek chuckles. "You may have thought you were subtle and only bragging to Scott, but trust me, everyone knows. It might put off some of the bloodsuckers, actually, the ones that do prefer their prey untouched."
"So they do exist?" Stiles rounds back to the original question again.
"I don't know," Derek shrugs. "I figure if they do, and if one shows up here, we'll deal with it then."
The words give Stiles no relief, his mind still dwelling on the possibility of vampires somehow being the next big bad to invade Beacon Hills, but he's not as focused on it as he was. Derek is still standing right there, closer than he usually is when they're here, in Stiles' room, trying to do some research.
"So this isn't one," Stiles finally mumbles, trying to bring his thoughts back to the current case they've been figuring out.
"No," Derek shakes his head. "The marks could be from a bite, but there was no inexplicable blood loss, not according to what your Dad said."
"Good, that's…" Stiles sighs, then he rubs his forehead like he's trying to get rid of a headache, "good," he finishes then, his tone showing his frustration.
"Would you want it to be a vampire?"
Derek's question startles Stiles into looking away from the sketch. There's a second of silence, and then Stiles' shoulders lift into a shrug.
"I'd prefer if there was nothing attacking people," he says. "I mean, at least anything supernatural. Humans suck enough as it is."
He knows almost immediately that he failed, that Derek isn't buying the words as all that's on Stiles' mind. Of course, it's not technically a lie, but Derek knows now how to pick up on Stiles' attempts to deflect, knows how to read when Stiles says something true enough to not trigger the tell-tale skip of his heart that would give away a lie.
"They're probably not fun." Derek's lips turn up into a wry smile. "Not sure where they'd be on the scale of everything we've already dealt with, but I can't see them as being harmless little pixies."
"Dude, if they'd be as harmless as the pixies we did deal with," Stiles shudders at the memory, "then that's the opposite of harmless."
"A vampire would go for the easy prey," Derek continues, acting like Stiles didn't say anything. "Focus on one of us, single out the one most susceptible to seduction."
"Are you…" Stiles starts, but the words die in his throat when he feels Derek's finger on his neck.
"They tend to go for the opposite sex, but they wouldn't have to worry rejection from you, would they?" Derek smirks. "You'd be a good target for a succubus and an incubus, Stiles. You're the human…"
"…the desperate, pathetic human kid who is bi and can't get laid either way?" Stiles finishes in a bitter tone.
"No, receptive to seduction, though, and attractive enough to be more interesting," Derek counters, and his fingers press a little against the side of Stiles' neck. "Sure, according to legends…"
"Ha! I knew you knew something!" Stiles says with excitement, but Derek's frown makes him shut up immediately.
"…according to legends, they don't always go for the easiest prey, unless they are into the virgin thing," Derek continues, and his eyes drop to where his fingers are touching Stiles' skin. "It's a challenge for them, to find and lure in someone who wouldn’t drop to their knees for anyone, but who would still be intrigued. Someone to satisfy their thirst."
"You do realize that you sound like someone with experience, right?" Stiles mutters, trying to ignore the shivers that are running down his spine thanks to Derek's touch.
"None with vampires," Derek shrugs. "I can't say I don't understand the thirst, even if it's not for blood like theirs would be."
"Oh," Stiles lets out, his eyes widening as his mind tries to connect the dots between the words Derek is saying, understand what Derek is not saying out loud.
"Then again, it's different, because it's not like I ever tried to act on anything," Derek says quietly, like he's talking to himself instead of Stiles.
"You're… you're not… what are you saying, Derek?"
"Is it something that you'd want, Stiles?" Derek asks then, snapping out of his thoughts. "Would you give in to something like that? Being wooed, seduced, lured in with pretty words and a pretty face?"
Stiles doesn't answer, confused and intrigued at the same time. They'd never talked about anything like this before, Derek never once brought up Stiles' crush that started the moment Derek growled at him and Scott about private property. Stiles always figured Derek was just being nice, that he didn’t want to embarrass Stiles with a rejection. But the way Derek is looking at him now is throwing all those assumptions out of the window. Because Derek is staring at Stiles like he's the last glass of cold water on a scorching hot day, and Stiles can't speak out of fear that if he does, the moment will be ruined.
"You would, wouldn't you?" Derek smirks, the silence from Stiles obviously answer enough for him. "There's one legend that says they turn into someone you're already attracted to. That they wear a face and body you already want, to make the chase easier."
"Um…" Stiles is still lost for words, partly because of Derek's almost predatory expression and partly because of the movement of Derek's fingers against his neck.
"Or does it not matter whose face you'd see? Is it about the biting for you?"
"Derek, what…?"
"I'd have guessed for so long that you'd want Lydia's face, you know?" Derek says, looking like he's not paying attention to Stiles at all. "That even when you stepped aside after Jackson was proven to be her true love, she was still the one you wanted. Even when you were dating others, I kept wondering if you ever really got over her."
"I did," Stiles answers, though he's not sure Derek needs to hear it. "It hasn't been her in a long time," he admits and watches as Derek's eyebrows move up.
Both of them stay silent for a moment, Stiles trying to figure out how to open his mouth and speak without admitting to who has been on his mind in the last few years, Derek listening to the increasingly erratic beat of Stiles' heart and his shaky breath.
"How do I…" Stiles finally speaks, but his throat feels dry and he pauses to try and clear it. "I mean, if there was such a thing as a vampire, and by some miracle they tried to seduce me, how would I recognize it?"
***
There's something in his tone that gives Derek pause. His voice and his expression are hesitant, like it's not a hypothetical situation but one that’s an issue right now, like Stiles is trying to figure out whether he's being lied to or not. That's not new, Stiles is always trying to match the werewolves’ lie detector techniques even without being able to hear someone's heartbeat, and he's gotten really good at reading the pack's tells.
"Assuming the legends I heard were true," Derek says slowly, not moving away from Stiles and not pulling his hand from the pulse point on his neck. "You'd see them as the person you want most, first of all."
Stiles nods almost imperceptibly and Derek hears the uptick of his breathing.
"They'd probably try to hit your weak spots. Insecurities, desires that you haven’t shared with too many people," Derek continues, and he moves his thumb along the side of Stiles' neck. "I don't think there's a scent or anything that they'd try to use on you, though I've heard that they do that to werewolves, because scent is important to us."
Just as he says the words, Derek takes a deep breath and the mix of book ink, coffee and cotton -- the combination that he's gotten to know as Stiles -- hits his nose. His brain registers it along with the words he's said, and it combines into the inevitable question that Stiles has just asked. How do I know this is real?
"Derek?" Stiles blinks when Derek freezes up and his thumb stops moving.
"Yeah," Derek replies, but his mind is still reeling.
With everything he has just said about vampires and their methods, the situation they're in suddenly makes him wonder. It's Stiles, Derek thinks as he takes a deep breath, tries to reassure himself that the glamour wouldn't go as far as mimicking the scent of a person. Of course that wouldn't matter to humans, but would a succubus ever try to target a werewolf, try to add in the layer of pretense?
The scent that he takes in is undoubtedly the same as the one that Derek knows so well, there's no denying it, but he still hesitates.
"What has you thinking so hard, Sourwolf?" Stiles asks, and he stands up to face Derek. "Is it something you remembered about vampires? Something we should note in case they are real?"
"No," Derek shakes his head. "It's just, if they exist, if what I said is true, then…"
He stops, wondering if he already said too much, if Stiles' brilliant mind will connect the dots. From the way Stiles' eyes widen it's clear that he's adding everything up and coming to the conclusion that Derek isn't sure he wants Stiles to land at. It might change everything.
"So you're…" Stiles gulps and looks like his mind is reeling. "You're hesitating now because you think that now… that I'm… that…"
Derek nods before he can think better of it, and then ducks his head.
"I'll just… go," he blurts and starts to move towards the window, his familiar escape route.
"Don't," Stiles says before Derek can get too far. "Wait."
Derek spins around and faces Stiles. There's enough tension in the room now that he can feel his wolf grow uneasy. He's torn between running away because he thinks there's no way Stiles won't react badly, and staying only to wipe away the expression in Stiles' face.
"It's me," Stiles whispers with absolute disbelief. "Did you not want me to know? Or is it because you don't want to face that it might not be really me?"
"Both," Derek blurts and starts panicking when Stiles' face crumples into a disappointed expression. "I… no, that's… I didn't think you'd want…"
Derek can smell the change in Stiles' mood more than he can see it, can feel the way the disappointment morphs into something a lot more pleasant. There's a smile tugging on the corner of Stiles' mouth, and the sight alone is enough to stop Derek from moving - he's not sure what's going on through Stiles' mind, but he can't walk away from the possibility of finding out.
"Just so you know," Stiles says then, and he walks closer to Derek. "It would be you. If vampires were trying to seduce me, they'd have to be you."
"Oh," is all that Derek says, but it's enough for Stiles to nod in acknowledgment and step closer, a smile now openly playing on his lips.
"You're an idiot," Stiles says then, his fingers slipping between Derek's. "How could you not know that I'd fall… that I fell for you a long time ago? I thought you guys smelled everything," he adds and blushes.
It's clear to Derek now, the smell of arousal that's mixing with the scent of Stiles, stronger somehow now that he knows that it's directed at him.
"I mean, I've always known you were hot," Stiles rambles on when Derek doesn't say anything. "Why do you think I knew who you were when we met you that time in the forest? I mean, sure, I was a bit crazy about Lydia," he says and Derek can't stop the snort at the 'a bit' part, which earns him a glare from Stiles."But dude, you're how I figured that guys were also on my boner radar. Well, you were, at least, what with your hair and eyes and leather jackets and please feel free to shut me up anytime now before I embarrass myself even more."
"It's you," Derek says, and Stiles narrows his eyes at him before it clicks. "I wouldn't want this to not be real," he adds then, and leans forward, his lips brushing against Stiles'.
"I'm real," Stiles breathes out a moment later, when he pulls away from the kiss enough to speak, then he looks at Derek with more determination than Derek's ever seen in him. "And this better be real too," he adds and kisses Derek again.
Title: A Different Bite
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Stiles/Derek (pre-slash, getting together)
Character/s: Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale
Summary: The new big bad in Beacon Hills left marks on the victim's neck. Derek is now almost officially a consultant for the Sheriff on supernatural cases, and Stiles figures, who would know things that the Beastiary or pack experience don't?
Warnings: reference to theoretical dub-con (aka vampire seduction techniques)
Submission Type: Fic
Word Count: 2800
Prompt: #110: Thirst
Author's Notes: Takes place an undetermined amount of time after already aired canon. Beta-read by Nomi.
"So, about the…"
Before Stiles can finish the question, Derek levels him with a glare. It's one of those that Stiles had previously categorized as don't ask me stupid questions unless you want me to slam the window after I jump right out of it. The one that he was used to a little more than anyone else thanks to Derek's general lack of appreciation for Stiles' kind of humor.
"But…"
Stiles opens his mouth again but the words die on his lips when Derek groans, and yet again, the question remains unspoken. Stiles turns to his laptop and tries to focus back on the bits of information they do have so far, even though half of it is only in his mind -- the Sheriff is still not willing to actually allow them access to the files, let alone leave them in Stiles' or Derek's possession -- so he's struggling a little.
"What was the shape of the wound again on the last one?" Stiles asks, narrowing his eyes on the sketch that Derek had scribbled on a piece of paper. "They're not bite marks, are they?"
"Not wolf ones, or anything we've encountered before," Derek says, thumbing through the printed out Beastiary. "Nothing I have seen before, either."
"So, about the v…"
"I don't know if there are vampires, Stiles," Derek finally grunts the answer to the question that Stiles has been trying to ask since they left the crime scene. "I've never seen one, never heard about anyone mentioning them outside of the crappy books Laura was reading. What I do know is that, as you're well aware, werewolves don't work the same as in those shitty vampire books."
"Any of them?" Stiles blurts out, a little thrown off by the amount of words Derek just used.
"Not the ones I've been exposed to," Derek sighs and slams the Beastiary closed.
"That was either too many of them, if I go by the expression in your face," Stiles smirks, "or not enough, so you don't know how accurate the depictions are."
"What does it matter, anyway?" Derek's exasperation shows on his face.
"Just curious." Stiles tries for nonchalance and misses by about a mile.
Derek's eyebrows do something that Stiles can't even begin to describe, a sequence of movements that show surprise, curiosity and judgment all in one. But then there's a glint in Derek's eyes, and Stiles freezes, his own eyes widening in surprise.
"Curious, eh?" Derek asks and puts the Beastiary aside before he gets up from his spot on Stiles' bed. "What is it that you're curious about? Wondering what you need to be cautious about? Just thinking of possible dangers that we might come across? That's what you'd like me to think, isn't it?"
Stiles' heart is pounding faster with each step that Derek takes towards him. He doesn't know what is happening, but his body makes it very obvious -- no matter how he tries to calm himself down -- what he wishes it was.
"I don't think that's it, though." Derek smirks when he's next to Stiles. "I think you wouldn't mind knowing that someone was thirsty for you. You wouldn't mind having someone try to seduce you."
"Not all that keen on being sucked dry," Stiles blurts out and immediately feels the blood rushing into his face. "I mean, blood sucking, is what I was talking about. Definitely not the way I'd want to go, not after making it out alive after a kanima and a bunch of werewolves and a fucking Alpha Pack. I mean, not that sucking is an entirely unpleasant thought, or a little biting, but I'd rather not meet an incubus or anything like that in person."
"You'd be easy prey, wouldn't you?" Derek says quietly, his lips turned up in amusement at Stiles' rambling. "It wouldn't take much to make you follow."
"Just how desperate do you think I am?" Stiles bristles. "I'm not the same kid as when we met, Hale. Not like I'm a virgin anymore, either."
"Oh, I know," Derek chuckles. "You may have thought you were subtle and only bragging to Scott, but trust me, everyone knows. It might put off some of the bloodsuckers, actually, the ones that do prefer their prey untouched."
"So they do exist?" Stiles rounds back to the original question again.
"I don't know," Derek shrugs. "I figure if they do, and if one shows up here, we'll deal with it then."
The words give Stiles no relief, his mind still dwelling on the possibility of vampires somehow being the next big bad to invade Beacon Hills, but he's not as focused on it as he was. Derek is still standing right there, closer than he usually is when they're here, in Stiles' room, trying to do some research.
"So this isn't one," Stiles finally mumbles, trying to bring his thoughts back to the current case they've been figuring out.
"No," Derek shakes his head. "The marks could be from a bite, but there was no inexplicable blood loss, not according to what your Dad said."
"Good, that's…" Stiles sighs, then he rubs his forehead like he's trying to get rid of a headache, "good," he finishes then, his tone showing his frustration.
"Would you want it to be a vampire?"
Derek's question startles Stiles into looking away from the sketch. There's a second of silence, and then Stiles' shoulders lift into a shrug.
"I'd prefer if there was nothing attacking people," he says. "I mean, at least anything supernatural. Humans suck enough as it is."
He knows almost immediately that he failed, that Derek isn't buying the words as all that's on Stiles' mind. Of course, it's not technically a lie, but Derek knows now how to pick up on Stiles' attempts to deflect, knows how to read when Stiles says something true enough to not trigger the tell-tale skip of his heart that would give away a lie.
"They're probably not fun." Derek's lips turn up into a wry smile. "Not sure where they'd be on the scale of everything we've already dealt with, but I can't see them as being harmless little pixies."
"Dude, if they'd be as harmless as the pixies we did deal with," Stiles shudders at the memory, "then that's the opposite of harmless."
"A vampire would go for the easy prey," Derek continues, acting like Stiles didn't say anything. "Focus on one of us, single out the one most susceptible to seduction."
"Are you…" Stiles starts, but the words die in his throat when he feels Derek's finger on his neck.
"They tend to go for the opposite sex, but they wouldn't have to worry rejection from you, would they?" Derek smirks. "You'd be a good target for a succubus and an incubus, Stiles. You're the human…"
"…the desperate, pathetic human kid who is bi and can't get laid either way?" Stiles finishes in a bitter tone.
"No, receptive to seduction, though, and attractive enough to be more interesting," Derek counters, and his fingers press a little against the side of Stiles' neck. "Sure, according to legends…"
"Ha! I knew you knew something!" Stiles says with excitement, but Derek's frown makes him shut up immediately.
"…according to legends, they don't always go for the easiest prey, unless they are into the virgin thing," Derek continues, and his eyes drop to where his fingers are touching Stiles' skin. "It's a challenge for them, to find and lure in someone who wouldn’t drop to their knees for anyone, but who would still be intrigued. Someone to satisfy their thirst."
"You do realize that you sound like someone with experience, right?" Stiles mutters, trying to ignore the shivers that are running down his spine thanks to Derek's touch.
"None with vampires," Derek shrugs. "I can't say I don't understand the thirst, even if it's not for blood like theirs would be."
"Oh," Stiles lets out, his eyes widening as his mind tries to connect the dots between the words Derek is saying, understand what Derek is not saying out loud.
"Then again, it's different, because it's not like I ever tried to act on anything," Derek says quietly, like he's talking to himself instead of Stiles.
"You're… you're not… what are you saying, Derek?"
"Is it something that you'd want, Stiles?" Derek asks then, snapping out of his thoughts. "Would you give in to something like that? Being wooed, seduced, lured in with pretty words and a pretty face?"
Stiles doesn't answer, confused and intrigued at the same time. They'd never talked about anything like this before, Derek never once brought up Stiles' crush that started the moment Derek growled at him and Scott about private property. Stiles always figured Derek was just being nice, that he didn’t want to embarrass Stiles with a rejection. But the way Derek is looking at him now is throwing all those assumptions out of the window. Because Derek is staring at Stiles like he's the last glass of cold water on a scorching hot day, and Stiles can't speak out of fear that if he does, the moment will be ruined.
"You would, wouldn't you?" Derek smirks, the silence from Stiles obviously answer enough for him. "There's one legend that says they turn into someone you're already attracted to. That they wear a face and body you already want, to make the chase easier."
"Um…" Stiles is still lost for words, partly because of Derek's almost predatory expression and partly because of the movement of Derek's fingers against his neck.
"Or does it not matter whose face you'd see? Is it about the biting for you?"
"Derek, what…?"
"I'd have guessed for so long that you'd want Lydia's face, you know?" Derek says, looking like he's not paying attention to Stiles at all. "That even when you stepped aside after Jackson was proven to be her true love, she was still the one you wanted. Even when you were dating others, I kept wondering if you ever really got over her."
"I did," Stiles answers, though he's not sure Derek needs to hear it. "It hasn't been her in a long time," he admits and watches as Derek's eyebrows move up.
Both of them stay silent for a moment, Stiles trying to figure out how to open his mouth and speak without admitting to who has been on his mind in the last few years, Derek listening to the increasingly erratic beat of Stiles' heart and his shaky breath.
"How do I…" Stiles finally speaks, but his throat feels dry and he pauses to try and clear it. "I mean, if there was such a thing as a vampire, and by some miracle they tried to seduce me, how would I recognize it?"
***
There's something in his tone that gives Derek pause. His voice and his expression are hesitant, like it's not a hypothetical situation but one that’s an issue right now, like Stiles is trying to figure out whether he's being lied to or not. That's not new, Stiles is always trying to match the werewolves’ lie detector techniques even without being able to hear someone's heartbeat, and he's gotten really good at reading the pack's tells.
"Assuming the legends I heard were true," Derek says slowly, not moving away from Stiles and not pulling his hand from the pulse point on his neck. "You'd see them as the person you want most, first of all."
Stiles nods almost imperceptibly and Derek hears the uptick of his breathing.
"They'd probably try to hit your weak spots. Insecurities, desires that you haven’t shared with too many people," Derek continues, and he moves his thumb along the side of Stiles' neck. "I don't think there's a scent or anything that they'd try to use on you, though I've heard that they do that to werewolves, because scent is important to us."
Just as he says the words, Derek takes a deep breath and the mix of book ink, coffee and cotton -- the combination that he's gotten to know as Stiles -- hits his nose. His brain registers it along with the words he's said, and it combines into the inevitable question that Stiles has just asked. How do I know this is real?
"Derek?" Stiles blinks when Derek freezes up and his thumb stops moving.
"Yeah," Derek replies, but his mind is still reeling.
With everything he has just said about vampires and their methods, the situation they're in suddenly makes him wonder. It's Stiles, Derek thinks as he takes a deep breath, tries to reassure himself that the glamour wouldn't go as far as mimicking the scent of a person. Of course that wouldn't matter to humans, but would a succubus ever try to target a werewolf, try to add in the layer of pretense?
The scent that he takes in is undoubtedly the same as the one that Derek knows so well, there's no denying it, but he still hesitates.
"What has you thinking so hard, Sourwolf?" Stiles asks, and he stands up to face Derek. "Is it something you remembered about vampires? Something we should note in case they are real?"
"No," Derek shakes his head. "It's just, if they exist, if what I said is true, then…"
He stops, wondering if he already said too much, if Stiles' brilliant mind will connect the dots. From the way Stiles' eyes widen it's clear that he's adding everything up and coming to the conclusion that Derek isn't sure he wants Stiles to land at. It might change everything.
"So you're…" Stiles gulps and looks like his mind is reeling. "You're hesitating now because you think that now… that I'm… that…"
Derek nods before he can think better of it, and then ducks his head.
"I'll just… go," he blurts and starts to move towards the window, his familiar escape route.
"Don't," Stiles says before Derek can get too far. "Wait."
Derek spins around and faces Stiles. There's enough tension in the room now that he can feel his wolf grow uneasy. He's torn between running away because he thinks there's no way Stiles won't react badly, and staying only to wipe away the expression in Stiles' face.
"It's me," Stiles whispers with absolute disbelief. "Did you not want me to know? Or is it because you don't want to face that it might not be really me?"
"Both," Derek blurts and starts panicking when Stiles' face crumples into a disappointed expression. "I… no, that's… I didn't think you'd want…"
Derek can smell the change in Stiles' mood more than he can see it, can feel the way the disappointment morphs into something a lot more pleasant. There's a smile tugging on the corner of Stiles' mouth, and the sight alone is enough to stop Derek from moving - he's not sure what's going on through Stiles' mind, but he can't walk away from the possibility of finding out.
"Just so you know," Stiles says then, and he walks closer to Derek. "It would be you. If vampires were trying to seduce me, they'd have to be you."
"Oh," is all that Derek says, but it's enough for Stiles to nod in acknowledgment and step closer, a smile now openly playing on his lips.
"You're an idiot," Stiles says then, his fingers slipping between Derek's. "How could you not know that I'd fall… that I fell for you a long time ago? I thought you guys smelled everything," he adds and blushes.
It's clear to Derek now, the smell of arousal that's mixing with the scent of Stiles, stronger somehow now that he knows that it's directed at him.
"I mean, I've always known you were hot," Stiles rambles on when Derek doesn't say anything. "Why do you think I knew who you were when we met you that time in the forest? I mean, sure, I was a bit crazy about Lydia," he says and Derek can't stop the snort at the 'a bit' part, which earns him a glare from Stiles."But dude, you're how I figured that guys were also on my boner radar. Well, you were, at least, what with your hair and eyes and leather jackets and please feel free to shut me up anytime now before I embarrass myself even more."
"It's you," Derek says, and Stiles narrows his eyes at him before it clicks. "I wouldn't want this to not be real," he adds then, and leans forward, his lips brushing against Stiles'.
"I'm real," Stiles breathes out a moment later, when he pulls away from the kiss enough to speak, then he looks at Derek with more determination than Derek's ever seen in him. "And this better be real too," he adds and kisses Derek again.