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1: The Unicorn
“What’s this all about?” Stiles asked, cranky, as he got out of the Jeep. He’d given up a lazy Sunday in bed with Derek to be there.
Scott, Erica, Isaac, and Boyd, and Jackson were all waiting for him in the preserve. Scott had called Stiles only twenty minutes earlier, ordering him to meet them all there. Derek apparently hadn’t been invited, but then again Derek had told Scott that he wasn’t to be disturbed unless someone’s life was in danger.
“Unicorn,” Boyd said.
“Unicorn,” Stiles repeated back blankly. “Unicorns are real. Oh my god,” he said, sounding more excited. “Unicorns are real.”
“Yeah, chill out,” Erica said. “Unicorns are real, and we’ve been trying to deal with this one for two hours. And so we had to call you.”
Wait, had to call Stiles? That made it sound like an afterthought. And after two hours? Why hadn’t they called him in the first place, especially knowing how excited he would be about unicorns? And also, why Stiles?
“Why Stiles?” he said, internally grimacing as he referred to himself in the third person.
“Unicorns only calm down around virgins, duh,” Isaac said, twisting his scarf through his fingers. “I thought you were supposed to be the expert on this stuff.”
“I know that,” Stiles said slowly. “So why would you need Stiles?”
“Because we needed a virgin,” Erica said. “Obviously.”
“Yeah, except I’m not a virgin,” he said without inflection.
“What?” Scott gaped. “Since when?”
“Seriously?” Stiles asked, scrunching up his face in irritated puzzlement.
He’d been living with Derek for almost six months—ever since high school graduation. It wasn’t like their relationship was a secret or anything. Stiles and Derek had a standing Friday-night date night—pizza and pinball at the local arcade, and they’d run into various members of the pack too many times to count. Besides, they smelled like each other (and each other’s sex). Why on earth would Scott think that Stiles wouldn’t be tapping that perfect ass? Ugh, Derek’s ass. Stiles inwardly smirked, knowing what would be waiting for him at home.
“As if anyone would want to have sex with Stiles,” Jackson sneered. “Don’t lie to us.”
“Wow, harsh.” Stiles blinked.
It didn’t surprise him that Jackson was an ass (why was he even there anyway?), but seeing Scott and the betas nodding along to the statement hurt. Sure, he and Derek had waited for a year to sleep together—after all, Stiles was a minor when they first started going out. But the moment Stiles had turned 18 (12:07 A.M. on the dot), Stiles had no longer been a virgin.
“I guess you can go home then,” Scott said. “It’s dangerous, and we’ve got this covered.”
Stiles raised an eyebrow—in the time since he’d gotten there, he’d already thought up three ways to deal with the unicorn. “But I—”
“Just go home, Stiles,” Scott sighed.
“Fine.” He got back in the Jeep and headed towards his and Derek’s loft. If they ended up getting stabbed by the unicorn, it would be their own damn faults.
2: The Blind Date
“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Elliot said, leaning in a bit. “I’d like to do this again, but we don’t have to end it yet. You want to come over to my place and have a... coffee?”
Oh shit, Stiles thought. This—this was a blind date? Oh god, had that been flirting? Stiles had just thought—ugh, he was so oblivious sometimes. He’d thought that Scott was trying to expand Stiles’s social circle with some new friends, since it was pretty obvious that he and Scott had been drifting apart for some time now. Scott had his betas now, since he’d taken over Derek’s pack after Derek became a beta. And Scott had said that Stiles would totally get along well with this guy he knew from vet school—and they had gotten along great, and had the potential to be friends. But apparently that hadn’t been Scott’s intention—the alpha was instead trying to break up Stiles and Derek.
“Hey, you seem like a super swell guy,” Stile said, wincing as the word ‘swell’ actually left his mouth. “But I didn’t realize this was supposed to be a date. I’m actually pretty happy in my current relationship. I just hadn’t realized Scott disliked my boyfriend this much.” He sighed, unhappiness tingeing his features.
“Whoa, seriously? Well I’m officially embarrassed, throwing myself at you like that.” Elliot blushed unhappily—unsure whether to direct his anger at Stiles or at Scott. “Hate to break it to you, Stiles, but your best friend is a major dick.”
“Yeah.” Stiles’s heart drops down into his stomach. “Yeah, he is. I’ve—I’ve got to go. It was nice to meet you and I think in another timeline we could be friends. But—”
“No, I get it. Totally.”
“Thanks,” Stiles mumbled, sliding on his hoodie and making a beeline for the door. He was already pulling out his cell phone, hitting redial to call Derek.
3: The Ring
“I came to ask your blessing,” Derek said, glaring at the Sheriff.
“I’m not a priest, son.”
“I—no,” the ‘wolf said, rolling his eyes. He could see where Stiles got his sense of humor from. “To propose. Marriage.” Derek gritted out the word as if it were physically painful to say.
“I’m flattered, but I’m not—”
“Not you. Stiles. I’m going to ask Stiles to marry me.” At this point, Derek’s ears were blushed red, and pink spots high on his cheeks threatened to overwhelm his face.
“Stiles?” The Sheriff asked deadpan. “You’re going to ask Stiles—my son, Stiles—to marry you? Why?”
“You’re seriously going to make me—because I love him, obviously. Why else?”
“You love him? Stiles?”
“What the—what is going on? Of course I do. I know you don’t really like me, and you don’t trust me. It’s clear every time Stiles and I come over for dinner. But I—”
“Stiles, and you. Are together?”
“Yes?” Now Derek looked puzzled. “Obviously. I mean, we’ve been together almost two years.”
“What.” That wasn’t even a question, Derek thought.
“You mean you didn’t know?” Derek stumbled over the words. Why wouldn’t the Sheriff know? “Stiles lives with me, we see you when we’re out on dates sometimes. We ran into you last week at the grocery store.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Oh god,” Derek groaned, sitting down at the table. “This isn’t happening right now.”
“But Stiles isn’t even gay.”
The ‘wolf looked up and cocked an eyebrow at the Sheriff. “I’m pretty sure he is.”
“But—huh. Suddenly a lot of things make more sense.”
“I assumed you knew. I mean, everyone knows, it’s not a secret. And it’s not like—”
“Two years, you said? You, in your mid-twenties, have been dating my 19-year-old son for two years.” The Sheriff twitched, wanting to go for his gun.
“We didn’t—nothing happened until—we waited.”
“Uh-huh. Stiles was okay with waiting.”
“I didn’t give him a choice. I didn’t want—I—before I was ready, and Stiles—” Derek was tripping over his words.
“Oh,” the Sheriff said, understanding. A beat of silence stretched between them. “I’m not sure if you’ve already bought a ring, but would you like to—I mean, if it’s not too—can I show you Stiles’s grandmother’s ring?”
4: The Break-Up
“Get out,” Derek growled at Scott, holding Stiles close to his chest. “All of you.”
“What the hell, Derek,” Scott said, flashing red eyes at the other ‘wolf. “I’m the alpha, you have no right to boss me around. And he’s just a human, he’s not pack anyway.”
“You think you’re still my alpha? Or allowed to have your little meetings in our house, when you just kicked Stiles out of your pathetic excuse for a pack? And somehow you expect me to choose you over him? Screw you, Scott. And get the hell out of our home. You’re not welcome here.”
“You—Stiles? You’d give up your pack for Stiles? Really, him?”
Derek continued his rant—probably the most words any of them had ever heard him string together. “And you think your pack is going to survive without him? He’s the goddamned backbone of this pack. Always has been, always will be. Saving your asses time and time again, and god knows why he thinks you’re worth saving, Scott. You’ve been a shitty friend to him for years. Taking advantage of him, ditching him the moment someone better—or god forbid a girlfriend—comes along. In the two years we’ve been together, have you ever known Stiles to pull that same bullshit on—”
“Der—” Stiles mumbled quietly into Derek’s neck. The younger man was still trembling, though his voice was steady. “He’s not worth it. He’s not worth anything. Just take me to bed.”
“Anything you need, baby,” Derek whispered into his ear, immediately curbing his anger. The comforting nickname made Stiles’s heart slow down, just a notch.
“Baby,” Erica mouthed to Isaac, eyes widening.
“Two years?” he mouthed back.
“Let’s go to the bathroom and get you cleaned up. They’ll be gone by the time we get out.” He glared at all of them—the McCall pack, no longer his pack as he felt the pack-bond snapping. It was painful; he wanted to get down on his knees and howl, but Stiles needed him right now. Still gripping Stiles tight, they made their way to the loft’s bathroom.
Derek sat Stiles on the counter and, wetting a washcloth, wiped away his tears. “I love you,” he said.
“I know,” Stiles replied, looking at his knees.
“I love you,” Derek repeated.
Stiles knew his fiancé would keep repeating the words until he got the desired response. His mouth twisted into a wry smile. “I love you too.”
“Good. You want to cuddle in bed and watch a true crime show?”
“Yes please.”
The McCall pack had cleared out of the loft, as Derek had expected. Even if he wasn’t an alpha anymore, they knew that he could tear them apart without breaking a sweat. Instead, he softly laid his sleepy mate down on their bed and curled up behind him. Stiles reached forward and unpaused the show they’d been watching earlier on the laptop, and settled back against Derek’s warm chest.
5: The Make-Up
Stiles was swinging around the living room, singing quietly to the baby girls. “Little puppies, get excited, grandpa’s coming tomorrow.” He shimmied, Laura giggling as Claudia reached out a little fist to touch her dad’s cheek. “And he’ll take you out all day, so your daddy can get laid—”
A knock on the door. “I’ll get it,” Stiles yelled up the stairs, even though he knew Derek wouldn’t be able to hear him from the shower. Since the twins had arrived, they’d soundproofed most of the rooms in their two-bedroom bungalow, near Berkeley where Stiles was finishing his undergrad degree.
With the sleeping babies in a sling on his chest, in their half-shifted ‘wolf forms, he answered the door. Erica, Isaac, and Boyd were standing outside, looking awkward. And none of them were wearing leather coats—Boyd was even wearing a polo shirt.
“Oh my god, they’re so fluffy,” Erica coos, staring at the ‘wolf cubs. “I didn’t realize you had kids.”
Stiles took a step back, not inviting the trio into the house, but he didn’t send them away either. He just wanted to keep their scent out of the bungalow—and off of Stiles and the kids.
“I didn’t realize werewolf sperm could knock up Stiles,” Isaac said, confused.
“You idiot,” Stiles said affectionately. “They’re adopted; parents were killed by hunters. Besides it’d be me knocking up Derek, not the other way around.”
“TMI,” Boyd said, staring wide-eyed at Erica staring at the cubs. Stiles smirked, and wondered if there’d be werepuppies in their future.
“No, not TMI. I’m listening,” Erica said, smirking at Stiles, who just rolled his eyes.
“I missed you guys,” he said quietly. The four of them had been texting occasionally since a fae incident involving the Sheriff a year earlier had forced them to briefly work together, but it wasn’t the same.
“We missed you too,” Isaac said equally quietly. “It’s—things got bad.”
“Bad?”
Isaac and Erica shared a look, debating what to tell Stiles. Instead, it was surprisingly Boyd who spoke up. “Scott cracked.”
“Cracked?”
“He’s nuts, Stiles,” Erica said. “I thought true alphas were supposed to be good alphas, but he’s angry, ever since you left. I never—we never realized how much of his humanity was anchored in you. I don’t think he realized.”
“He hit me,” Isaac added softly.
Stiles raised his lip, in an imitation of a wolf snarl. “Asshole. A true alpha just means they have the potential to be a good alpha. What they do with that power is—”
“What are you doing here,” Derek growled, stalking up behind Stiles. He quickly stepped in front of the other man and the pups. Derek was dripping wet, a towel hastily shoved around his hips.
Boyd elbowed Erica in the ribs, and she in turn elbowed Isaac. Stiles looked on amused, but Derek was still growling and standing between Stiles and the betas.
“I—we were hoping that you’d be our alpha,” Isaac said softly.
“No,” Derek spat.
“We weren’t asking you. Stiles, would you…” Isaac trailed off hopefully.
“You realize I’m a human, right?” Stiles smirked.
“Yeah, no shit,” Boyd said.
“But you’re more ‘wolf than.. some other ‘wolves we know. And you’re trustworthy. And strong as hell. And loyal, to a fault. And… we just thought, y’know,” Erica said.
“That you’d be a good alpha,” Isaac finished for her.
Derek was still tense, ready to pounce on the betas if they made one wrong move. Stiles put a firm hand on his husband’s shoulder. “Take Claudia and Laura and put them down for their nap?”
And entire silent conversation went on between Stiles’s lopsided smirk and Derek’s expressive eyebrows. Eventually, the ‘wolf took the twins from the sling and headed to the back of the house.
Stiles turned back to the betas. “Can you—would you give me some time to think about this? Please?”
“Of course,” Erica said, shifting on her feet, disappointed. Stiles didn’t even have a werewolf’s sense of smell but he could feel her disappointment. He could also feel Isaac’s fear, and Boyd’s depression.
“Just for a few days, okay? I need to talk with Derek, and…”
“We get it, man,” Boyd said. “You got our numbers.”
“Thanks.” Stiles smiled at the three betas, bittersweet. “I’ll talk to you soon?”
After saying goodbye, he headed into their bedroom and plopped down on the bed across Derek’s feet.
“Well?” Derek asked, putting his book down. “You’re going to do it, aren’t you.”
“Obviously,” Stiles said, rolling his eyes. “They’ve grown up a lot over the past few years. And they don’t—they don’t deserve what’s happening to them. Scott hits them, Der. He hit Isaac. Isaac!”
Derek growled lowly and gathered his husband into his arms. He’d saved Isaac from an abusive home situation—it hurt to see anyone abusing that sweet kid, especially someone who should be making sure he’s safe.
“I know, that’s what I said. Grrrrr. Just like that.” Stiles was trying for levity, but Derek could tell the day had taken a toll on him.
He shoved Stiles’s head into the crook of his neck, letting the human scent him. Even without ‘wolf instincts, the musky smell of Derek, coupled with the light smell of the cubs that covered both of them, was a comfort to the younger man.
+1: The Non-Secret
“This is my husband Derek,” Stiles yelled into the ballroom over the noise, holding his and Derek’s hands aloft. “We’re married. We have kids. And sex.” At least this way, no one could accuse them of keeping their relationship a secret.
“Oh my god, Stiles,” Derek said, hiding his reddening face in the hand Stiles wasn’t holding.
“Hey, sourwolf,” Stiles said, turning to his husband of 8 years, smiling like a loon. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby. Most of the time.”
“Shut up. And thank you for coming with me.”
“Your high school reunion?” Derek shrugged, falsely nonchalant. “Of course.”
“I mean it, Der. Thank you.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Thank you.”
Derek sighed, knowing his husband was going to keep saying the words until Derek replied correctly. “You’re welcome, you dork.”
Stiles nodded to his betas, who were there as well—Erica pregnant with her and Boyd’s second pup, and Isaac catching up (and poorly flirting) with Allison.
“Dance with me?” he asked his husband.
Instead of answering, Derek softly kissed Stiles and lead him out to the gym floor. They swayed slowly to the music—top 40 hits from ten years ago. It made sense for their ten-year high school reunion, attempting to bring back memories, but Stiles didn’t have many positive memories from that time. Other than Derek, of course.
Derek was, and always would be, the best part of his life.