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Stiles never really thought that his father's comment had such a big impact on him. He never thought of that comment at all, period. It had been so long, so many years, that he needed Peter to almost force him into talking about it that he could admit it to himself: Stiles was scared. Not another-supernatural-creature-is-trying-to-eat-me-scared, but dad-is-gonna-hate-me-scared. Or worse.
"You know, sweetheart, I'm not eager to do this any time soon as I like not picking bullets out of me, but at some point you have to tell your father."
Stiles stopped in his movement for a second, so short that Peter wouldn't even have noticed if the younger man wasn't pressed against his side. Then he sat up, his attention completely gone from the Star Wars movie they were watching for the upteenth time, and turned around to look at Peter.
"What are you talking about?"
His tone was calm, his gaze questioning, but Peter could hear the heart beating rapidly in his chest - even faster than usual. Peter's gaze softened, something he only did with his precious human, and he took one of Stiles' hands in his, entwined their fingers.
"Stiles, we've been dating for almost three years now. We started when you turned eighteen and you are almost finished with college now. I know that we decided to keep this for ourselves - and it's actually really sad that no one in this pack realized by now that we are sleeping with each other-"
"Lydia has."
Peter smiled, nodded.
"Lydia has, but she is the only one. Considering she is the only non-were supernatural creature in this pack - and living even farther away than the pack does - this is pretty sad, don't you think?"
A small smirk appeared on Stiles' lips and he chuckled lightly. Their pack was really gullible. They had only mentioned once that Peter moved to New York for his work a month or so after Stiles did for college and suddenly it was completely normal that they were drenched in each others' smell. From meeting maybe a couple times a month. Yeah, sure.
"Let's leave Lydia out of this equation, okay? We decided to keep our relationship for ourselves at the beginning, because we didn't want anyone to accuse me of manipulating a barely legal boy into sex. Let's ignore the fact that we didn't actually sleep with each other until you turned nineteen, as no one would believed us. We've been living together for almost two years now. Neither your father nor any of your friends has ever visited you here because you are scared they could find out about us. And that's okay. I don't mind being your dirty little secret."
Stiles gasped, shaking his head.
"You aren't my dirty little secret! I'm proud of being your boyfriend!"
A soft smile spread on Peter's lips and he nodded slightly.
"Okay, you are proud of being my boyfriend. But explain to me why you are so scared to tell anyone about us. I just want to understand."
Stiles looked at his boyfriend of three years. Peter was so calm and understanding, he already knew - or at least suspected what was going on in his head. With a sigh Stiles lowered his gaze to where they fingers were still entwined. He pulled his hand away and took Peter's hand into both of his, where he started to play with his long fingers.
"I try not to think of it. You were dead at the time. We just found out that Jackson was the Kanima and followed him to Scandal. The gay club, you know? Somehow we managed to sneak in despite being underage and tried to save the day, as always. Of course it didn't work how we wanted it to and my Dad showed up with the police. I panicked and tried to tell him I was gay as an excuse as to why I was there because he didn't know of the supernatural yet. I didn't know I was gay at that time, I just thought I was bi-curious, or something. But Dad didn't even let me finish. He interrupted me saying I was not gay. When I told him I could be, because you know how I get, he looked me up and down and told me - and I quote - 'Not dressed like that!'"
Peter kept silent the whole time, let his lover talk without interrupting him. For once he didn't know what to say. He really didn't know how Stiles felt. Peter never really had to come out. As werewolves his family had smelled that he was attracted to men long before he had his first boyfriend and thus he never had to come out to them. He remembered that he often didn't like how everyone could smell what he felt or what he had done, but he was thankful nonetheless that at least here he didn't have to live with this uncertainty Stiles lived with for the past five or six years. And now he understood why he avoided telling their family and friends that they've been together for so long.
Slowly he pulled his hand from between Stiles' fingers. Instantly he could smell a mix of apprehension and fear roll over Stiles. Instead of addressing this he grabbed the younger man's forearm and pulled him into an embrace. One thing after another. First he would help his young lover with his fears regarding his father and then he would prove him that there was nothing that could bring him to leave his precious human. How could there? They even killed together if it was necessary. Not that Scott knew about the one or two supernatural creatures they had killed after he had graciously overlooked their killing nature and let them go.
Peter couldn't even imagine to ever let this perfect human go.
"I'm sorry that you've been carrying this around for so long. As a werewolf I never had to come out to my family, so I can't say I know how you feel. And I won't pressure you into telling anyone. Frankly, I'm happy to avoid being filled with metal.", he shrugged, but grinned when he heard the light chuckle directed into his neck.
"I don't know how you feel, but I can imagine that you don't feel good about the situation. I know how bad you feel every time you still have to lie to your father about some of the supernatural things we deal with, although he has known about us for some years now. You are a very honest person to the people you care for and I don't want to see you hurt about something we can easily change. It doesn't have to be now, or even this year, but I think you should think about telling at least your father. You deserve to be who you are and not who you think your father wants you to be."
Stiles remained silent for so long that Peter would have believed he fell asleep weren't it for his still rapidly beating heart. By the time the young man spoke again he was back to watching the movie which was still playing.
"I don't want you to be a secret. And I don't want to hide myself anymore. We're going back to Beacon Hills for Christmas anyway. Maybe we could go back Together with capital T, instead of together..."
Peter pulled his boyfriend a bit closer, scented him slightly.
"Whatever you want to do, sweetheart. You'll always call the shots."