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"Take my jacket," Derek insists. "It's cold out."
Stiles shakes his head. "I'm fine. Just a quick drive home."
Derek frowns. "Except the heater in your jeep isn't working."
"I'll be fine," Stiles insists, stepping out the door.
Derek stops him with a hand to his shoulder. "Take the jacket, Stiles."
"I don't - I don't want to," Stiles argues, looking anywhere but at Derek.
"What? Why? I don't want you getting sick."
"Being cold has nothing to do with getting sick - "
"Take the jacket, Stiles."
"No!"
Derek pauses, studying the human for a long moment. "You've been talking to Deaton, haven't you?"
Stiles eyes dart back to his and then away again. "Maybe I have."
"He doesn't know what he's talking about."
Stiles glares out at the preserve. Trees as far as he could see, all slowly being covered in fluffy white flakes falling from the sky. "You can't just claim a person when - "
"I haven't been claiming anybody, Stiles. I wouldn't - I wouldn't do that without permission."
"Deaton said - "
"It's courting, Stiles. There's a huge difference between courting and claiming."
"One leads to the other, though, doesn't it?!" Stiles demands, fiery brown eyes staring at him.
"Let's go back inside," Derek requests, noting the way Stiles teeth were starting to chatter.
"N-no, I'm going home."
"Just come back inside, Stiles. Please. You shouldn’t be out driving in this - I don't - I don't want you to get hurt."
"Because the human's so f-fucking fragile?" Stiles snaps. He starts towards his jeep again, but Derek takes hold of his arm and won't let go. "Just let me go, damn it!"
Derek drags him inside, closes the door, and slams Stiles back against it. "It's nothing to do with you being the human, Stiles. It's just because you're you and I don't want you getting hurt."
"Ruin your courting plans?" Stiles spits.
"Did Deaton even explain this shit to you? Or did you overhear him talking to Scott?!"
Stiles heartbeat gives it away.
"Okay, I don't know what you overheard - "
"Deaton was telling Scott how to claim Kira and mentioned that it was like what you were doing with me. Which, what the fuck, Derek? You can't just - "
"Claiming involves my cock in your ass and my teeth in your neck, Stiles - I haven't claimed you and I never would without your express consent. I'm not that kind of werewolf." His eyes are red and he feels high on the scent of Stiles so close.
"You've been scenting me," Stiles insists. "And - and - "
"And trying to figure out if you're interested," Derek growls. "I can smell the way you're attracted to me, but I didn't - I don't want a relationship with you to only be physical."
Stiles is silent for a moment, studying the alpha werewolf that's got a thing for slamming him into walls. "Lydia said - "
"Lydia knows nothing about this."
"She said I was your anchor."
Derek takes a step back and then another, slowly backing away from Stiles. "That's - that's none of her business."
"It's true?" Stiles asks, surprised.
Derek takes a deep breath and then immediately regrets it. He can taste Stiles on his tongue now - can taste the arousal deep in his groin, the confusion crossing his brow, the mix of cinnamon and sweat that encapsulates his entire being. He nods, staring somewhere past Stiles' left shoulder.
"Why haven't you just asked me? Out on a date or something?" Stiles asks after a long moment.
"I was - I was working up to it," Derek admits.
Stiles studies him a long moment. "Tonight was supposed to be a date, wasn't it?"
Derek looks away, irritated.
"And - and last Friday - that was supposed to be a date, too?"
"It's not my fault that you want everything to be a pack night, Stiles."
Suddenly, Stiles looks immensely pleased. "You've been trying to ask me out for months, haven't you?" He advances on Derek, reaches out to grab Derek's shirt as he starts to back away.
Derek refuses to reply, too humiliated by his inability to pursue his mate in a way that was understood.
Stiles pauses, reaching into his pocket for his phone. He pushes a few buttons and then holds it up to his ear. "Dad? I'm staying out at Derek's for the night. I think the roads are getting icy. Yeah, I will. Love you, too." He hangs up the phone and slides it back into his pocket. "What're we going to do now, Mr. Hale?"
Derek's eyes widen.