Human is Just a Word 28/?
Chapter 28
Derek didn't like flying.
If somebody would have asked him, he would have said that he just liked to feel solid ground underneath his feet. Which was true. But it was only part of the truth.
Being away from his pack and territory was also part of it. The strong beacons of his pack in his mind faded away into nothingness, leaving him with an intense feeling of loneliness. Stiles was the last to leave him, maybe because he was human. Derek didn't have a human pack member since he had become an alpha so he didn't know if things like this were normal or not. He could ask Laura, she had humans in her pack, not claimed but still, but so far he had done pretty well on his own, no need to give his big sister ammunition by asking her for advice on how to handle human pack members. She would help him as best as she could, he had no doubt about that, but she would also milk him for it later. And on some level he feared that she would tell him that something was wrong with his bond with Stiles and he really didn't want to go there.
However, having his pack with him would have helped but it wouldn't make flying a better experience.
It started before Derek even got on the plane.
Werewolves didn't have to out themselves, not for the lack of trying from some anti-werewolf activists but so far the werewolves had managed to block such laws, but it certainly came up with his name when Derek checked in. Or it was just coincidence that they picked him for a thorough search. Sure.
Derek didn't like getting touched by strangers but he let them search him with a clenched jaw.
For sure he didn't like the smell of the security guy on everything in his suitcase. His underwear shouldn't smell like other people. Before this guy had his hands all over it, Stiles' scent had been lingering in the folds of his clothes but it was gone now.
It didn't get better once Derek was on the plane. By now he really regretted his decision to make this trip.
He traveled first class so he had at least some space. Being sandwiched between two strangers would have been the worst.
First class or not, the dead, sterile air was the same everywhere in this tin can and it didn't get better over time when the scent of the people around him started to clog his airways and was smothering him.
Derek felt the vibrations of the engines through his feet on the floor and rattling up his spine with his seat. He had a headache not twenty minutes into the flight.
Then the stewardess came by to offer food and drinks which he declined politely, he had learned to not eat or drink anything they offered on a plane. Even the water tasted chemical.
Derek just didn't like flying.
And he already thought with dread of his trip back. Maybe he should just rent a car and drive.
When he finally left the airport, he squinted into the bright neon lights greeting him and he wondered where he had left his sun glasses.
Derek took a cab to his hotel and before he bothered with anything else, he took a long shower to wash off the scent of strangers. Feeling slightly more like himself he ordered a late dinner and while he waited for his food, he got his phone out to let his pack know that he'd arrived safely.
He scrolled down to "Stiles" in his contact list and almost hit the call button before he remembered that Stiles wasn't the person he should call. Isaac had been his first beta and as such he was his second in command.
Shaking his head Derek scrolled back up until he reached "Isaac".
Everything was fine at home, Stiles had even managed to invite his friend over for tomorrow, and Derek ended the call with a lighter feeling in his stomach.
He would meet his client at the symposium at nine the next morning and Derek was beat from the flight so he dropped dead in his bed right after dinner.
At least the sheets smelled fresh.
The symposium was worth the trip, Derek decided around noon the next day. So far he had an in-depth conversation with his client, had sat in the audience when he had spoken about his work and had met two people interested in his service as a translator.
Derek had lunch with a Professor Rodriguez, a resolute woman in her forties.
"I know I should just write in English but I'm an astrophysicist, I'm not that good with languages." She put a fork full of her salad into her mouth, clearly waiting for a comment.
Her English was very good with an accent that gave it more depth but Derek knew that speaking a language and writing scientific work in it wasn't the same.
"A lot of people can't write in their own language." He offered. "That's what ghostwriters are for."
She tilted her head in surprise, that wasn't the answer she had expected.
"So, Mr. Hale." She said. "How do you approach a translation?"
Derek had to explain the progress quite often so he didn't even have to think about the answer.
"I need your book of course." He started. "Reference books and as many of the sources you used as I can get. Your notes would help as well. I need to get familiar with the topic before I can start translating." He paused and reached for the pass for the symposium hanging around his neck. "That's why I'm here. I wanted to hear my client speak. And we met in person. Emails and phone calls are fine but it's always better to talk face to face." That way he could listen to the heartbeat and see the other person's face and body language. People gave away a lot without even realizing it.
"That's a lot of work for a simple translation." Professor Rodriguez said but she seemed to be pleased with his answer.
"A friend of mine told me that you don't fuck with science." He answered with a smile.
She laughed at that and raised her water glass to it.
This meeting went way better than the last and Derek was pretty sure that he would leave the table with a new client in his contacts.
Usually Derek didn't like crowded places, too many people, too many scents and noises, but he had to admit that he quite enjoyed the symposium.
The visitors where mostly scientists and people closely related to science and there was less small talk about the weather and more about radio signals in space. Everybody liked to talk about their topic and Derek learned a thing or two just listening in to the conversations in the hallways.
He attended to some panels and more often than not he found himself in the middle of a conversation with the person sitting next to him with no idea how that happened.
When he came back to his hotel late in the evening, he was dead on his feet but happy. He was actually looking forward to the second day.
Isaac had told him that Stiles had his friend over on Saturday so on Sunday Derek called Stiles to make sure that everything was okay.
"Hey." Stiles greeted him with a sleep heavy voice.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Derek asked, calculating the time difference in his head. It should be around eight in the morning on Stiles' end.
"I can go back to sleep in a minute." Stiles said in a low voice and it sounded like he was walking over to the kitchen. "Or not." He sighed.
"What?"
"Isaac just shifted and now he's lying spread-eagled in the den." Stiles said. "Naked." He added as if Derek didn't know what that meant. "I swear, he's doing that just to screw with me."
"I love you." Came Isaac's voice from the background.
"No pants no coffee." Stiles yelled. "Freaking werewolves." He muttered under his breath.
Derek covered the phone with his hand to hide his chuckle.
"I'm guessing everything went well with your friend yesterday?" Derek changed the topic.
"Sean almost got a heart attack when Isaac came upstairs around midnight but, yeah, it was fine." Isaac said something to that but it was too distant for Derek to make out.
"You scared him."
"I'm not scary." Derek heard the fake pout in Isaac's words.
"Not butt naked and with those droopy eyes." Stiles agreed. "Would you get your pants already?"
There was a pause while Stiles waited for Isaac to get his pants.
"How's the symposium going?" Stiles asked, remembering that he had Derek on the phone.
They talked for a bit and somehow the check-in call which usually was done in under a minute with Isaac turned into an almost fifteen minutes conversation which Derek only ended because the next panel was about to start.
Later that evening Professor Rodriguez asked him if he wanted to join her and a few colleagues for dinner and to his own surprise he said yes. After dinner they moved on to a bar which Derek actually enjoyed. The others were mostly talking about their work but by now Derek understood a lot and they were more than willing to explain some concepts in detail to him. The more drunk they got, the more they wanted to talk and Derek was more than willing to listen. His questions didn't seem too stupid and the discussion they had over he didn't know how many tequilas were mind blowing. And who knew that scientist could hold their liquor like this? Derek was quite impressed. He was the only one not effected by the alcohol but that didn't really matter, he had fun.
It was late when he finally made his way to his hotel but his flight wasn't too early in the morning so he could sleep in a bit. Before he turned in, he checked his phone one last time to find a message from Stiles. It was a video of a fluffy looking dog chasing his tail. It was labeled Isaac.
Nice. Was his short response, he was too tired to think of something more witty. And he had to admit that Isaac was kind of fluffy with his curly wolf hair.
Seconds later there was another message. This time it was a picture of a black wolf lolling his tongue in a dog laugh.
Derek answered that one with a Shouldn't you be sleeping by now?
Too much coffee. Came the immediate answer. And it's not that late.
See you tomorrow. Derek wrote and then put the phone aside. He drifted off to sleep with a smile on his lips.
The flight back wasn't any better than the one to New York, Derek still didn't like flying, but the thought that this would bring him back home to his pack helped a lot.
With his bag over his shoulder Derek climbed the stairs up to his loft, after hours in the plane he needed some exercise. He could feel his pack waiting for him and he just wanted to run to them. Stiles had been the first he'd felt but the others hadn't been far behind and now they were bright beacons in his mind again.
When he entered the loft, Derek had just enough time to drop his bag next to the door before he stood in the middle of his pack. The wolves were on him without hesitation, touching and sniffing, and a second later Stiles had him in a bear hug as well. Boyd had his nose buried in the crook of his neck and Isaac was nuzzling at his throat on the other side while Erica had her ear pressed against his chest to listen to his heartbeat. Somewhere Stiles had wiggled his way in as well and for a few minutes they just stood like that.
The scent of his pack filled Derek's nose and his clothes soaked it in, covering up the scent of strangers he'd brought with him.
"Welcome home." Stiles mumbled from somewhere near his armpit.
Chapter 29
Masterpost