Human is Just a Word 24/?
A/N This is the last Wednesday chapter at least for now. I have to slow down or I will run out of chapters very soon. So I'm cutting back to one chapter a week which I will post on Saturdays.
Chapter 24
"Now everybody thinks that I'm a werewolf." Stiles said.
"Just because I picked you up?" Derek asked, not touching the fact that apparently it was a bad thing for Stiles to be a werewolf.
"Why else would the alpha of the local pack decide to pick up my drunken ass?" He sounded as if he was repeating something somebody else had said to him. "And then I told Sean that I'm human and now he thinks I'm your bitch." He spat out the last word. "He ran away when he realized that we would study in your living room. Entering an alpha's den seems to come close to entering a lion's den." He pushed his half-eaten pasta away with a sigh.
"Most people don't interact with us much." Derek offered, remembering the ruckus at that very school when Isaac had become a werewolf. However, back then people had been more focused on the idea that Isaac had killed his own father, Derek hadn't thought that the students had paid close enough attention to the whole werewolf thing to recognize him years later.
"And I thought I had some strange ideas about werewolves." Stiles said with a sad smile.
"But you know better now." Derek offered. "Maybe your friend will come to terms as well."
"Yeah, maybe."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the table and Derek tried to think of something to lighten the mood when suddenly the front door opened and Erica stormed in.
"Derek." She yelled before the door was even open. "Stiles. I need cuddles."
"You need what?" Stiles spun around in his chair.
There was no sight or smell of blood on her and when she came closer, Derek didn't smell pain on her either. However, she smelled like she was stressed and angry.
"Cuddles." She repeated. "I wouldn't say no to pasta either. Is there some left?" She made big eyes at them.
"What happened?" Stiles asked while Derek fixed her a plate.
"Boyd kicked me out." She slumped down in a chair with a pout.
"What did you do?" Stiles asked.
"Nothing."
"What were you about to do?" Derek asked and put the plate in front of her.
Now she hesitated. "I might have been about to yell at our latest client?"
Derek raised his eyebrow at her.
"He's a moron." Erica dug into the pasta. "And a misogynist. He refused to let me work out the security plan for his club. Boyd is handling it now. Apparently he is slightly less biased when it comes to black people than to women. Thank god he doesn't know that we're werewolves. I almost showed him my fangs just to see his face." She grinned but then sobered up when she saw Stiles' face. "What?"
"His friend and half the school thinks that Stiles is a werewolf." Derek informed her. "They didn't take it nicely."
"Why would they think that?" Erica frowned at Stiles who kept himself busy with stacking his and Derek's plate.
"I picked him up from a party the other day and somebody recognized me." Derek let out a sigh. "Apparently that's enough."
"So you need cuddles, too?"
When he turned back to them Stiles couldn't hide his smile.
"Cuddles sound great." He said. "And a bad action movie and popcorn."
"Deal." Erica said, not even bothering to see if it was okay with Derek that they were planning another pack night in his living room. Not that he minded.
After they had cleared the table, they made room for the den.
Derek and Stiles sat with their backs against the couch, legs stretched out and a bowl of popcorn between them while Erica lay on her belly with her chin propped up on her fists in front of them. She had her own bowl of popcorn and Derek was sure that it was the bigger one no matter what she said.
When it was time for bed, Derek and Erica changed and then the wolves took Stiles in the middle. Derek wasn't surprised when not much later Stiles had him in a bear hug and didn't let go the whole night. Not that Derek wanted it any other way but he made a point of looking grumpy in the morning when he worked his way out of Stiles' death grip.
"You can't fool me." Stiles mumbled and drew him back into his arms. "You're all big alpha werewolf on the outside but on the inside you're a cuddler."
Derek snapped his teeth at him but Stiles just buried his face in his neck and drifted back to sleep for another five minutes.
Erica gave him a wolf laugh with her tongue hanging out before she shifted to human.
"Who wants pancakes?" She asked which actually managed to get Stiles moving. He gave Derek one last squeeze before he let go.
"Do you want more pictures of us like that?" Derek hissed once Erica was upstairs in the bathroom. "You know that she's sending your father every one she takes."
"Nothing Dad hasn't seen." Stiles stretched and lazily scratched his stomach. He made a point of not looking at Derek sitting very naked next to him and Derek tried to do the same and to not stare at the stripe of skin showing above the waistband of Stiles' boxers.
Somehow Erica's pancakes drew in the other members of the pack and for breakfast they were all together once again.
This was nothing compared to the breakfasts Derek's family had when he'd been a kid, those had been loud and chaotic and just wonderful, but these were good, too. Body told them about their new client. He would have liked to kick him out but he was paying good money and he would bring in other clients as well so he put up with that asshole. But he would make sure to charge him double for his attitude.
When Isaac heard about Stiles' problems at school, he felt instantly guilty, Derek could tell.
"Derek had to come to school a few times when I attended there." He said in a meek voice, eyes fixed on his plate. "That must be why …" He took a shaky breath and Erica drew him into a fierce hug.
"Sorry." Isaac mumbled, face buried in Erica's shoulder.
"It's not your fault what those assholes do." Stiles assured him and hugged him from the other side.
After breakfast the others left for work and college, leaving Stiles and Derek alone.
"You okay?" Derek asked, silently offering to call school and tell them that Stiles wouldn't come in today.
"Better I face them today." Stiles straightened up. "It would only get worse if I stayed home."
He was probably right but it didn't help the uneasy feeling in Derek's stomach. One member of his pack was in distress and there was nothing he could do about it. His wolf didn't like it one bit.
When he was alone Derek cleaned up the kitchen and packed away the blankets and pillows of the den before he sat down at the kitchen table to work. It took him a while to get into it but work was a good distraction. So when his phone rang he was tempted to not answer because he was in the flow and didn't want to lose the momentum.
He didn't recognize the number but in the end he answered anyway.
"Is this Derek Hale?" A woman at the other end asked. Derek confirmed that he was indeed Derek Hale. "I'm calling because of Stiles Stilinski, am I right in the assumption that you're his legal guardian?"
"That's right." He had still no idea what this was about. "Is Stiles alright? Did something happen?"
"I can assure you that he's fine but we would like you to come in to school, Mr. Hale." The woman said. "There are some things to discuss."
The woman refused to give him any details over the phone so Derek drove to the school with mixed feelings. The only explanation he could come up with was that things had gone out of hand and some bully had laid into Stiles. But she had said that Stiles was okay. Whatever that meant.
When he arrived at school, Derek forced himself to walk down the hallway instead of just dashing down towards the principal's office.
He smelled Stiles before he could see him. The teenager was clearly nervous and annoyed but his scent wasn't tainted with pain or distress. Derek immateriality breathed easier.
"What's going on?" He asked when he approached Stiles who was sitting in front of the office.
"I don't know." Stiles took the finger, he had been chewing on, out of his mouth. "They called me out of class but didn't want to tell me anything until you arrived. I didn't do anything, I swear."
Derek gave him a nod to show him that he believed him and then reached for the door knob. "Let's find out what this is about, then."
There were three people waiting for them in the office and Derek didn't see a familiar face. Granted, it had been years since he had to deal with the principal on Isaac's behalf but he had hoped that the man was still in office.
"Mr. Hale, I'm glad you could join us today." The new principal, his name tag on the table read Mr. Cunningham, held out his hand for a shake but his whole body was rigid like he was concealing his anger. He introduced the other people in the room. A Mrs. Hanson, the school's councilor, and a Mr. Miller, one of Stiles' teachers.
"What is this about?" Derek asked when he took the offered seat.
"Mr. Hale." Mr. Cunningham sat down behind his desk and folded his hands in front of him. "As you know, this school accepts werewolves as students but we would have liked to be informed beforehand if one of our students is not human."
"Oh my god." Stiles blurted. Immateriality three death glares were directed at him. "For the last time. I'm not a werewolf."
"I understand that it is sometimes easier to not tell anybody." Mrs. Hanson spoke up. She sounded caring and understanding. Derek had the sudden urge to strangle her. "But it is necessary that our staff knows about werewolves among the students."
"That doesn't change the fact that there is nothing to inform you about because I'm still not a werewolf." Stiles said regardless of the fact the she had spoken to Derek.
"Mr. Hale." The principal took over again. "Is it correct that you're the alpha of the local werewolf pack?"
"That is correct." Derek said, forcing his body to stay relaxed. He wanted to just get up and leave but they had to sort this silly thing out.
"You are Mr. Stilinski's legal guardian?"
"Yes."
"And Mr. Stilinski is part of your pack and lives with you?"
"Yes." Derek said and crossed his arms over his chest.
"And you still want us to believe that he is not a werewolf?" The other man spoke for the first time. "That's ridiculous."
"Ever heard of human pack members?" Stiles asked in a tone clearly saying that he thought they were morons.
Obviously that thought hadn't hadn't occurred to them. There was a round of helpless glances.
"But you're not a family member." Mrs. Hanson was skimming through Stiles' file. "This says that you're parents are John and Claudia Stilinski."
"You don't have to be family to be pack." Derek said.
Something like understanding dawned on their faces.
"I see." The principal said, seeking a reassuring glance from Mrs. Hanson. "We would like to speak with Mr. Stilinski alone for a moment, please."
With that Derek was kicked out of the office but he stayed close enough to the door to listen in to them easily.
"Stiles." That was Mrs. Hanson again. Now she sounded even more caring. "Do you want to stay with him?"
Chapter 25
Masterpost