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"Are you going to say anything?" Stiles asked as he stumbled over a root and just barely managed to catch himself. Derek shot him an irritated look and continued leading the way through the woods. "I'm just saying it's kind of creepy, I mean you basically just kidnapped me from my house in the middle of the night, forced me to drive here, and now we're just walking in the woods," Stiles stopped to flail his arms around. "Not talking!" Derek also stopped and seemed to turn around with a heavy sigh.
"We used up the last of Deaton's wolfsbane the other night so we're going to replace it, you're here because it gives me a rash." He turned around and was a few yards away before Stiles forced his body into motion and ran to catch up.
"Why you?" Derek gave him a sharp look and Stiles backtracked quickly. "I mean, why not Scott? He's the one who actually works for the guy and it makes sense to send him out on his errands cause you know he works for him and, uh,"
"I volunteered." Stiles blinked in surprise and turned to gape at the man who continued staring straight ahead as if he hadn't said anything.
"Oh." He finished lamely, they spent the next few minutes walking in an awkward silence. Stiles was itching to start a commentary about the history of wolfsbane, but realized Derek probably knew all about it. Maybe he could talk about other plants then? He looked around hopefully, trying to find a plant he could recognize.
He spotted a few flowers that looked like some herbs Deaton had told him about, but he couldn't tell exactly which ones they were. He squinted his eyes a bit and tried to study them as they passed. He suddenly ran into Derek's back and gasped a bit as he started to fall backwards. Derek reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt to jerk him forward.
He settled and froze as he realized how close he was to the werewolf. His eyes trailed upwards until they met Derek's and he realized the other man looked amused.
"We're here." Stiles blinked and looked around, he noticed they were on the edge of a clearing and he could just barely make out a purple bush on the other side. They started walking towards it, but the closer they got the more Derek's nose wrinkled in irritation.
"I can take it from here." Stiles announced, stopping and giving the man a stern look. "Obviously, it's irritating to be this close to it and I think I can pick a few flowers without any problems." Derek leveled him with a stern look before relenting and gesturing him forward with a mock bow. Stiles felt his eyebrow twitch, but graciously decided to ignore it as he stalked forward. He crouched down next to the bush and started to reach for a flower when a hand grabbed him. He flinched in surprise and looked up to see Derek looked intently into the woods.
"Something is coming." He whispered, eyes glowing a fierce blue as he waited for the threat to come out. Stiles felt his heart clench and he scrambled a bit to get behind him. He tried to hear what was coming and was only alerted to the fact it was about to come out when Derek tensed. He held his breath and felt it all come rushing out in a laugh as Derek straightened up with a scowl.
"I didn't realize baby ducks were such a threat." He teased the werewolf before walking around him to crouch down next to the small bundles. Derek peered over his shoulder at them with a glare as if blaming them for being ducks and not monsters. "They're so cute." Stiles cooed, holding out a finger and stroking the head of one of them. There were four of them and all in various shades of brown and Stiles grinned as they moved a bit closer.
He scooped one up and held it close to Derek's face. The man recoiled a bit before focusing on the small bird and then glaring at Stiles.
"Get the flowers." He growled, standing up quickly and moving away to stand guard. Stiles rolled his eyes and started to pluck flowers.
He's such a Sourwolf." He muttered to the little ducklings, a growl from a little ways away told him Derek had heard him. He grinned broadly to himself and picked the flowers a bit faster.
Little Ducklings.
"Um, Derek?" Derek felt his eyebrow twitch and continued walking, hoping that Stiles would get the memo and continued being silent. Well, mostly silent. The teenager had the bad habit of humming when he couldn't speak and it was driving him insane. "Derek!"
"What?" He growled, coming to a stop and resisting the urge to rub his eyes. He turned around and blinked in surprise. Stiles was standing just behind him and was shifting from foot to foot awkwardly as he glanced behind himself. He caught site of four little bodies scuttling after them and sighed as the four ducklings came to a stop by Stiles legs.
"I think they like us." The boy said with a wide grin, crouching down to stroke their heads again. "Can I keep them?"
"Why are you asking me?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow.
"My dad would never let me keep them at home, so I'd have to keep them at yours."
"No." Stiles looked a bit heartbroken and Derek felt his resolve begin to crumble the longer the hazel eyes stared up at him. He resisted the urge to fidget and turned back around and continued walking. "You'll have to buy them food." He smiled a bit as he heard Stiles whoop before shaking his head and glancing back. "That also means you have to clean up after them." Stiles looked up from where he was putting ducklings into his sweater and nodded enthusiastically.
"No problem."
Little Ducklings.
Stiles frowned as he looked around the loft with a critical eye and nodded in satisfaction.
"Okay, they're in the box, they have water and some bread for now, there are newspapers down in case they pee or something, you have my number, I'll be back tomorrow with an actual cage or pen or something." Derek waved a hand dismissively.
"Stiles, I'm a werewolf, I think I can handle a couple of ducks." Stiles rolled his eyes and picked up the bag of torn up wolfsbane.
"Alright, I'll drop these off for you and see you tomorrow." Derek ignored him in favor of the book he had open in his lap. Stiles huffed a bit before shaking his head as he left. "Don't forget to sleep." He threw back as he slid the door shut with a loud bang. He yawned widely as he rode the elevator down and slapped his cheeks a bit to wake himself up. It wouldn't do for him to get in an accident on his way home.
He shot a quick text to Scott telling him about his new ducklings before pulling out and heading towards Deaton's clinic. He drummed absently on the steering wheel as he started to think of names for his new baby's. He'd decided on one of them and was struggling to think of some others by the time he'd pulled up to the clinic.
He found the copy he'd made of Scott's key and settled the bag on the counter before locking up and getting back in his car. His phone suddenly blared out the tune to Ghostbusters and Stiles answered it in confusion.
"Derek?"
"Come back."
"What? I only left like fifteen minutes ago." He could practically hear Derek's teeth grinding from the other end.
Just get over here." The line went dead and Stiles entertained the idea of ignoring the man's order and just going home to sleep before sighing and heading back. He'd just stepped out of the elevator when he heard furious squawking and hurried over to open the loft door. Four ducklings tumbled out and fluttered around his ankles.
"They've been doing that since you left." Derek said, appearing in the doorway with a glare. "They just sat at the door and started making that noise." Stiles stepped into the room and shut the door with an incredulous look.
"How'd they get out of the box?"
"They tipped it over." Derek bit out, trying to kill the birds with his glare. "I tried putting them back in, but they kept doing it." Stiles looked down at the innocent looking ducklings and rose an eyebrow.
"They seem fine now." The four of them had settled down by his feet and were blinking up at him. He knelt down with a soft smile and gently stroked their heads. "Well, call me if they do it again." He managed to get out the door before he heard the noise start up again. Derek threw open the door and practically dragged him back in.
"They don't like it when you leave." He growled, eyes glowing blue as he shook him a little. "I swear to god if I don't get to sleep because of them, I will rip your throat ou-ow!" He let Stiles go and stared down in surprise. The ducklings pecked at his toes again and he stumbled back, trying to get away while also trying not to crush them. "What are they doing?" He cursed and walked over to hide behind his desk.
"I don't think they like you threatening me." Stiles said in amusement, crossing his arms and watching as the ducklings chased after him. "Are you seriously running from baby ducks?" Derek shot him a glare before yelping as the ducks pecked at his feet.
"This really hurts." He said, forehead burrowed as the ducks split up and he tried to figure out how to avoid them. "Are they seriously double teaming me?" He leapt over the desk and came to a stop near Stiles before heading for the stairs.
"Maybe they're supernatural ducks?" Stiles asked in amusement, giving in and reaching down to pick up two of them. He settled on the couch and put them in his lap. The other two noticed and squawked in irritation as they ran over and tried to fit in as well. Derek stayed on the stairs and scowled at them, watching as the four ducks nuzzled at Stiles sweetly.
"This is unbelievable." He muttered, resting his elbows on his knees and shaking his head causing Stiles to chuckle and smirk up at him.
"You're just upset that they like me more." He teased, stroking their heads triumphantly. Derek glared at him and disappeared upstairs, he reappeared a moment later with a blanket and a pillow. He threw them onto the couch and disappeared again.
Stiles watched him go with a frown and started making his bed on the couch. One of the ducks wandered over to the stairs and stared up them curiously before squawking. Stiles ignored him and settled the other three on the blanket before walking over to pick him up.
"Come on, time to sleep." He muttered, settling him down with the others and laying down. He turned towards the back of the couch and curled around them comfortingly. He'd barely closed his eyes when he felt one of them climb over him and then seconds later another squawk. He groaned as he got up and stomped over to the little animal. "Now I see why Derek was so upset."
He settled back down and yawned widely as he closed his eyes, he snuggled under the blanket and sighed as his body relaxed. He felt irritated when he felt the tiny patter of feet climb over him and then another squawk. He whipped his blanket off and glared at the little bird sitting by the stairs.
He rolled his eyes and glared at the other ducks, who all chirped at him innocently. He gathered them all up in the blanket and trudged up the stairs. He hesitated once he was up there before deciding that the one door that was shut was the one he needed. He opened it cautiously and nearly jumped when Derek growled a bit.
"Sorry." He mumbled, walking in and standing in the doorway awkwardly. "They won't be quiet."
"But you're down there with them, why are they upset now?" Derek asked angrily, sitting up and rubbing at his face. Stiles shrugged a bit as he juggled the blanket holding the ducklings.
"They probably imprinted on both of us, I mean we were both there and they stared at both of us so they probably need to-" Derek cut him off with a growl and a flash of wolf eyes.
"I get it, now get in."
"Seriously?" Stiles gaped, almost dropping the blanket and fumbling as he tried to catch it. Derek gave him a look causing Stiles to give in and walked slowly to the bed. He hesitated for a moment before Derek lifted up the blanket and he slid in. He settled the ducklings between them and laid down quietly.
"We never speak of this again." Derek said after a few moments of silence.
"Agreed."
Little Ducklings
"Derek is letting you keep them at his house?" Scott asked in disbelief as he unloaded bags of dog food.
"Dude, they imprinted on us, it's not like we could just leave them."
"Imprinting actually occurs only right after they have hatched." Deaton commented from where he was organizing pots. "They most likely have just latched onto you for now, if you like I can contact a friend of mine who has a farm." Stiles frowned a bit and picked up a jar to look at it.
"I think that might be best." He finally muttered, sighing a bit and looking up. "I mean I would love to keep them, but with all the supernatural going on in this town I feel like they'd just end up neglected." Deaton nodded approvingly while Scott suddenly looked thoughtful.
"So you and Derek are like their mom and dad?" Stiles blushed and fumbled with the jar he was holding causing Deaton to take it from him with a stern look.
"Wha?! Why-why would you say that?" He scoffed and struggled to figure out what to do with his hands. Scott gave him a weird look and stepped a bit closer.
"You okay dude? You look a little sick." Stiles gave a little jerk of his arms and gave a little salute.
"Yup, totally fine, gotta go back to the ducklings before Derek, uh, eats them or something, Deaton thanks for the pen and let me know what your friend says!" He stumbled out of the clinic and walked quickly to his jeep. He hadn't acted weird, he'd been totally cool, Scott hadn't noticed a thing, Scott was oblivious. Yup. He hadn't nearly given away the fact that he and Derek had slept together.
No, they didn't sleep together, they slept in the same bed in the same space.
Together.
Stiles let out a groan and hit his head on his steering wheel. He was over thinking this. It was because of the ducks, that's the only reason they had done it. He didn't want to do it again. Even if he had woken up to Derek cuddling him. Nope. He woke up to Scott cuddling him all the time. It was okay. Friends did that all the time.
But was Derek his friend?
Obviously, they trusted each other to do stuff and they fought along side each other. That meant they were friends right? Right. Stiles gave a firm nod and started driving back to the loft, glad that he'd worked it all out.
Little Ducklings
"So we need to clean the cage out everyday," Stiles mumbled as he read over a blog on ducks. "Um, don't need this bit cause Deaton gave us food, huh, apparently there are a lot of different opinions on how to bathe them." Derek looked up sharply from his desk and narrowed his eyes at the teen on the couch.
"I didn't sign up to bathe ducks."
"I wasn't going to make you. "
"Good." Stiles rolled his eyes and tried to hide his smile when he looked over and noticed Derek absently petting one of the ducks. "What should we name them?"
"What?" Stiles blinked in confusion. "Wait, no, I mean I heard you, but I can't believe you asked." Derek got a look on his face that looked suspiciously like a pout except Derek Hale didn't pout.
"I was just asking since you seem set on keeping them." Derek replied, shrugging like it wasn't a bit deal and staring down at his book intensely.
"Only for a bit, Deaton knows someone who keeps ducks, we're going to see if they'll take them."
"Why?" Derek asked with a frown as he looked over.
"We really don't know anything about ducks or what they need and they can't be house broken so it just seems like the best plan. I mean I don't think you want me over here all the time."
"That's good then." Derek said, "I can't wait." He continued staring at his book with a strange expression on his face. Stiles stared at him for a few moments before closing his computer and traipsing over to him.
"I was thinking about Waddles." He said, walking around the desk and leaning on it with his arms crossed. Derek turned his chair to face him a bit more and raised his eyebrows.
"Waddles? Really?"
"I think it's cute." Stiles defended with a smirk. "Besides it's better than just calling them ducklings." Derek seemed to agree since he shut up and furrowed his brow, prompting them both to sit there silently for a bit.
"What about Mallard?" Derek said, breaking the silence and looking a bit uncomfortable. "Mal for short." Stiles thought it over before nodding enthusiastically.
"That's a good one, now let's see." He turned to stare at the ducks and smiled a bit. "Ok, the big one with the white feathers on top is Waddles and the one on your desk can be Mal." Derek nodded slowly before reaching up to poke the small duck in the chest gently.
"You like that? Huh Mal?" He muttered, Stiles pretended he couldn't hear him and stared at the other two ducks.
"Two more." He announced causing Derek to roll his eyes and mutter something that sounded like 'I can count'. "Let's see, we could call these two Daisy and Donald, they tend to stick together."
"Isn't that kind of cliche?" Derek asked with a frown causing Stiles to pout over at him.
"Yeah, but I can't think of any more names. Can you?" Derek shook his head and sighed as he eyed the two smaller ducks. "No, okay than, Daisy and Donald it is." He said happily.
"Daisy just pooped on the floor, so you better clean it up." Derek replied, forever determined to crush his happiness.
"Daisy, you are a lady." Stiles scolded, reaching down to pick up the light brown duck. "Ladies do not go on the floor. They at least try to go in the pen." He set her down and proceeded to wipe it up. "Speaking of the pen, do you think they'll stay in it tonight without a problem or should I stay again?" Derek seemed to freeze a bit before he continued flipping pages and shrugged.
"It's up to you." Stiles hesitated for a moment as he looked over at Derek and blushed.
"We can see if they make a fuss when I leave again, if they do, I'll stay." Derek looked up and nodded in agreement. Stiles smiled a bit before flopping down on the couch as soon as he moved his laptop out of the way. Instantly, Daisy and Donald were settling around his legs while Waddles plopped down on his chest with a superior look. "I should of named you Jackson, you're so smug." He said, poking his bill.
There was a snort from behind him and Stiles craned his head back to see Derek looking stoic as ever, even if his lips were curling up a bit. He smiled proudly to himself and gave Waddles a quick stroke before settling back and closing his eyes.
Little Ducklings
Derek stretched a bit as he stood up from his desk and picked Mal up from where he was resting. He walked over to the couch and set him down carefully beside Daisy and Donald. Stiles let out a small huff at the addition before turning his head slightly and continuing to sleep. Derek crossed his arms and took the time to study him for a few moments. His hair had been messed up from its usual spikes in his sleep and his heart rate was actually steady for once.
Derek closed his eyes and listened to the beat for a few moments before heading into the kitchen. He looked through all of the cabinets for something to eat and finally found a frozen pizza in the freezer. When he had woken up this morning wrapped around Stiles, he had thought that the teenager would have made things worse. Instead, his heart rate had increased and he'd blushed hotly before scrambling to take the ducks out. A beep brought Derek out of his thoughts and he slid the pizza into the oven before heading back to the living room.
Waddles perked up as he approached and hissed as he reached out to shake Stiles.
"Shut up." He muttered to it, letting his eyes glow and shaking Stiles softly. Stiles stretched and looked up at him in confusion. "There's a pizza in the oven."
"Okay, I'm going to give the kids a bath while that's cooking then." Stiles announced as he jumped up and dislodged his passengers. Derek raised his eyebrows before shrugging and gesturing upstairs.
"Go ahead, it's the second door to the left." Stiles nodded as he herded the little ducklings up the steps. Derek shook his head at the image and walked back into the kitchen. He heard the water start and grinned to himself when Stiles started cursing. He was still cursing when the timer ran out and the pizza was sitting on top of the stove cooling off.
Derek sighed and walked upstairs to peer into the bathroom.
"What are you doing?" He asked in disbelief, eying the large puddle of water and Stiles who was currently leaning out of the tub trying to grab Mal. "Are you naked?" Stiles blushed and flailed a bit causing him to wince as he smacked his ribs on the edge.
"No! Dude, I'm in my boxers! It was the only way they would come near the tub and even now they're being little shits." He glared at them and Derek stifled his laughter when he turned to glare at him. "Dude, help me."
"You said you wouldn't make me wash any of them." Derek pointed out, causing the teen to pout.
"That was before I knew how hard it was." Stiles whined, splashing the water a little. Derek sighed and rolled his sleeves up as he knelt beside the tub.
"You so owe me." He said sternly, knocking Daisy back in. Stiles beamed at him and grabbed Donald.
"We'll do it one at a time." He told him, Derek nodded in agreement and they proceeded to capture and clean each of the ducks with little trouble until they got to Mal. The little duck bit both of them and kept jumping out of the tub. "He's like you." Stiles muttered causing Derek to cuff him over the head. They finally managed to grab him and Stiles held him steady in the water as Derek started scrubbing at his feathers.
"He has something stuck to his tail." He complained, leaning back for a moment. Stiles rolled his eyes and stared at him unimpressed.
"Well rub harder."
"You do it!"
"No, I'm holding him, you're supposed to rub." Stiles said, glaring at him in frustration.
"He's not even mine!"
"Well he likes you the best!"
"No one else has even met him yet!" Derek shouted back, waving his hands. They were both cut off by laughter from the door.
"Well, well, well, doesn't this look like a party?" Peter smirked at both of them and crossed his arms. Scott and Issac were peering around him with expressions of horror and Derek jerked back as he realized what they were thinking. Stiles held Mal up quickly.
"Oh my god! It's just a duck!"
Little Ducklings
"I hate Peter." Derek muttered half an hour later after the three werewolves had left, sitting on the couch and sighing. Stiles shrugged as he walked over and sat down next to him. The ducks following behind loyally and settling around the two of them.
"Yeah, he's pretty much a douche, but you gotta admit it was funny." Derek rolled his head slowly to stare at him and Stiles held his hands up. "I'm just saying." Derek rolled his eyes and let out a deep sigh and settled into the cushions. Stiles watched him curiously, he still had his default brooding expression, but even that seemed to lighten a bit as Mal waddled over and plopped onto his thigh.
Derek's hand came up and started stroking him softly, his body relaxing bit by bit as he did so until his head was tipped back and he was slouched down. Stiles blinked in surprise when he realized this was the first time he'd seen Derek so relaxed and not stiff. Times with the Kanima aside. It was actually kind of adorable and made him want to see it, like, all the time.
"What is it?" Derek rumbled, his voice lower than usual, his head rolling along the cushion to stare at him curiously. "Your heart sped up for a moment." Stiles swallowed nervously and shrugged his shoulders.
"Just thinking." Derek gave him a disbelieving look, but seemed ready to let it slide as he closed his eyes. Stiles settled his back against the armrest and contemplated sticking his feet in Derek's lap before realizing that would force Mal to move. He quickly tucked his feet behind Derek's back and into the cushions. Daisy and Donald immediately put themselves onto his shins while Waddles waddled imperiously up to his lap.
Derek let out a deep sigh and seemed to relax even more causing Stiles to giggle a bit at the look on his face.
"Shut up." The werewolf muttered, opening one eye to peer at him lazily. "Werewolves are tactile creatures, it feels good to have pack so close."
"I'm pack?" Stiles asked, feeling a flutter of happiness in his stomach. Derek's eyes opened fully and he turned to stare at him seriously.
"Of course." Stiles smiled brightly and snuggled down into the cushions. They stayed like that for awhile, just enjoying the quiet and petting the ducks. They'd stayed like that for so long that Stiles jumped when his phone went off.
"Hey Dad, what's up?" He answered, trying to soothe the three ducks that had been on his lap. Derek seemed to tense a bit and Stiles absently rubbed his foot across his lower back in an effort to calm him.
"Yeah, just letting you know I'd be late tonight."
"That's okay, I'll be staying over at Derek's anyway." There was silence on the other end for a few moments.
"Is there something I should know about?" Stiles choked a bit and blushed when Derek raised his eyebrows at him.
"We're just taking care of the ducks!"
"What ducks?"
"Oh, yeah, we found some ducks the other day and Derek's letting me keep them at his loft." Stiles smiled at Derek again and the werewolf rolled his eyes with a smile.
"Yeah and I'm sure your big eyes didn't have anything to do with it." The Sheriff stated and Stiles smirked as Derek straightened a bit to glare at him.
"Of course not." His dad chuckled.
"Alright, have fun, love you."
"Love you too." Stiles settled back down and Derek huffed at him.
"You knew what you were doing?" Derek asked causing Stiles to snicker.
"Of course, me and Scott perfected the puppy dog eyes, I just don't use them as much."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" The man muttered as he stood up and stretched. Stiles watched him and blinked when he turned to face him. "Are you going to sleep in my room again or did you want to try down here?" Stiles hesitated for a few seconds before standing up and clearing his throat a bit.
"I think it'd be better to just do your room, but we might be able to just have them in the pen than the bed." Derek stared at him for a bit before nodding slowly and walking over to pick up the pen. Stiles herded the ducks up the stairs and then into the pen after Derek set it down. The four of them stared at them before seeming to realize they wouldn't leave and settled down.
"Thank god." Derek muttered as he pulled his shirt off and walked towards the bed. Stiles blushed a bright red and tried to look anywhere else. "Are you coming or not?" Derek asked, causing him to look up. Derek was looking over at him in confusion from where he was lying down and Stiles fell a swell of longing rise up. He squished it down savagely and hurried to climb into the bed.
Stop it, he told himself harshly, the only reason you're allowed in here is the ducks. You never thought like this before, why now? Because Derek actually has feelings. Stiles squirmed a bit and stilled when Derek spoke up.
"Stop moving." He sounded pained and Stiles curled in on himself a bit more.
"Sorry." He murmured with a yawn. Derek seemed to shift a bit closer and Stiles felt his eyes close as the other man's body heat warmed him up. "Night." It was silent for a few heartbeats before Derek let out a deep breath.
"Good night Stiles." He sighed before he curled towards him. That couldn't be right, Stiles thought sleepily, Derek didn't seem like the type to cuddle. Why would Derek want to cuddle me? He fell asleep still feeling confused.
Little Ducklings
Stiles flailed awake and looked around in confusion. Derek was grumbling from next to him.
"Your phone." He mumbled before rolling back over and pulling the blanket over his head. Stiles snatched his phone up from the floor and answered it quickly.
"Stiles? It's Deaton."
"How'd you get my number?" Stiles asked as he flopped back down on the bed. The ducks made a little noise before they settled back down after Stiles looked at them.
"Scott." Deaton answered, sounding amused. "Now, my friend is able to take the ducks, but you would need to drop them off at her farm. I'll text you the directions." Stiles cleared his throat a bit as Derek rolled over to stare at him.
"Yeah, uh, sounds good, thanks." He hung up and stared at the ceiling for a bit before sighing and rolling out of bed. That seemed to be the norm now that he was involved in the supernatural world. He looked back to see Derek still staring at him. "What?"
"You don't want to give them up." He said in a matter of fact voice causing Stiles to scowl at his hands.
"No, but I also know we can't take care of them, we don't have time or the resources and with our luck some supernatural monster would eat them." He sighed again and started pulling clothes on.
"Do you want me to come with?" Derek asked softly causing Stiles to stop throwing his clothes on and look over at him with wide eyes. They stayed like that for a few heartbeats before Stiles seemed to deflate in on himself.
"It's so stupid, we've only had them for two days and yet I like them so much." He flopped down onto the bed and tilted his head back to peer at Derek. "Yes, please come with me." Derek patted him on the head as he got up and wandered into the bathroom. Stiles stopped himself from sighing again, he was going to develop a disorder or something, and hurried to get the ducks outside.
Derek appeared in time to help him herd them up the stairs and watched as Stiles puttered around his kitchen, pulling out pans and eggs.
"We could always visit them." He announced after a few sniffles that Stiles tried to make discrete. Stiles glanced over at him in confusion. "The ducks, we could always ask to visit them every now and then." Stiles visibly perked up and smiled over at him brightly.
"You're right, we should do it anyway. I mean I trust Deaton, but his friend could be planning to eat them or sacrifice them and I'm not about to let anyone eat my babies!" Derek tried not to grin in triumph as Stiles started on a tangent of sacrifices and how they differed from rituals. He nodded at appropriate times and Stiles seemed to take this as encouragement as he stood up and started pacing as he waved his arms for emphasis.
Derek wrinkled his nose after a moment and walked over to the stove to realize that Stiles had left the eggs in his excitement. He rolled his eyes in amusement and quickly scooped them out before they could burn anymore. He scooped them onto plates and forced Stiles to sit down and placed the plate down in front of him.
".....of course the Welsh witches always, oh, I forgot the eggs." Stiles muttered to himself as he looked at the slightly burnt eggs.
"It's fine." Derek replied sitting across from him and handing him the salt. "I made sure to get them out before they burned too much." Stiles stared at him with a strange expression on his face that had Derek tensing up a bit. "What?" He asked defensively.
"Nothing." Stiles muttered, smiling at him and shoveling the eggs into his mouth.
Little Ducklings
"And Mal likes to be sit on people's laps." Stiles said, twisting his hands together nervously and looking around. "Daisy and Donald like to sit together, but they tend to gang up on Mal and Waddles just sits there and gets fat so you should watch them for that, oh, and-"
"I think Casey got it all." Derek interrupted, putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling at the farm owner. "We should get going before we hit traffic." Stiles looked at him before crouching down and hugging the ducks.
"I'm going to miss you." He whispered, Derek rocked on his heels for a moment before crouching down next to him and scooping Mal up for a moment.
"Be good." He muttered, ignoring Stiles' grin from next to him. He straightened up and cleared his throat awkwardly as Casey smiled at him sympathetically. Stiles also stood up and Derek put a hand on his back and started steering him towards the Jeep before he could break away (again) and go back.
"Maybe we should go back." Stiles said after a few minutes of driving. "I feel like they're just sitting there squawking and looking for us."
"They're fine." Derek said softly, reaching over and settling his hand on the back of Stiles neck. "Casey would have called if something was wrong. You did give her your number and your dad's number plus my number and just about everyone else's in the pack." Stiles would have glared at him if he hadn't been able to hear the teasing tone and when had that happened? He'd never be able to tell if he was teasing before.
"Thanks for coming with me." He said, looking over to Derek with a smile. "I don't think I could have done it by myself." Derek shrugged his shoulders and gave him a quick uplift of his mouth.
"It was fine and besides, they were just as attached to me." Stiles laughed and Derek's twitching lips actually made it into a smile before Stiles' phone rang and he turned back to watching the road.
"Hey Deaton."
"Just calling to check if you made it."
"Yup, just finished dropping them off." Stiles said brightly before smacking his forehead. "I completely forgot with the whole duck business, but did you get the wolfsbane?" Derek stiffened a bit and Stiles looked at him in confusion.
"Yes, actually, I was going to ask about that. Was there any reason you suddenly decided to pick some for me?" The man sounded amused and Stiles frowned.
"Derek said we used up the rest of yours and that you needed more." The line was silent for a moment and Stiles stared as he noticed Derek blushing a bit.
"Did he?" Deaton asked neutrally, "Well, tell him thank you for thinking of my stocks."
"Will do." Stiles said, still staring at Derek. "Bye." He turned in his seat to face Derek, who was sitting there and staring intently at the road. "So that was Deaton."
"I know." Derek said, his hands tensing on the steering wheel for a moment.
"He said he didn't need wolfsbane."
"I know." Derek said again, this time much more softly. Stiles crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the werewolf.
"So why did we go and pick some for him?" Derek shifted uncomfortably for a moment and Stiles suddenly felt like hitting himself in the face. "It was to mess with me, wasn't it?"
"What?" Derek finally turned to look at him with a shocked expression.
"It was!" Stiles shouted, "I can't believe it! Did you think it would be funny to wake me up in the middle of the night and just drag me through the woods? Well? God, I can't believe you." He turned away from the other man, who continued to stare at him in shock.
"That's it." Derek announced, pulling over to the side of the road and parking the car. He turned in his seat and stared intently at Stiles. "That is not why I brought you out that night."
"Than why?" Stiles asked bitterly, staring at him angrily. "Because that's the only reason I can think of!"
"Is it really?" Derek asked, starting to get angry himself. "Do you honestly believe that's the only explanation?"
"What other reason would there be?" Stiles shouted back, his arms finally uncrossing so they could wave around. "I mean-" He was cut off as Derek leaned forward and kissed him; effectively shutting his brain down. He stared as Derek pulled away and looked at him expectantly.
"Stiles?" He asked, suddenly looking a whole lot more unsure of himself. Stiles blinked and smiled at him.
"I like you too." He muttered, blinking and laughing a bit to himself. "You don't even know." Derek gave a small smile back.
"Good." He pulled back onto the road and after a moment, reached over and laced his fingers with Stiles', who let out a breath and relaxed into the seat.
"Yeah, good."