Chapter Text
“Scott! Hey! Scott, what are you doing?”
Scott felt like he had been electrocuted. His wolf-side took over and he sprung back, landing five feet away.
Derek looked absolutely shocked. His hands were still in front of him from having pushed away Scott. Then his eyebrows bunched together in a severe frown, and his jaws hardened.
They were in Derek’s loft, early morning light only just permeating through the dusty window. Scott had been checking on him, as had been his routine of late. The beta had taken a long time to recover, his human body rejecting the bite for as long as it could, before giving into the wolf powers. Deaton had feared that Derek might have become immune to the bite, and that there was no saving the man.
But all those worries were in the past. Now, it was a different kind of ‘losing’ that Scott was forced to face.
“Oh my god!” said Scott, trying best to hide his rising panic. He felt like someone was gutting him with a knife. His heart beat was loud. He couldn’t have hidden his intentions, nor the ferocity of his feelings, even if he wanted to. Derek’s heart was racing, too, but clearly, not for the same reason.
“Scott,” said Derek, His mouth was a thin line of disapproval.
“I read it all wrong, didn't I? I totally led myself to believe something, that was not there!” said Scott, speaking more to himself than to the other wolf. Without realizing he worked himself up into a full blown tirade. “I mean, the first guy I have feelings for, how could I possibly assume that he would like me back! Oh my god! I just told you I like you, like right after you rejected me. And I’m still talking about it. Okay. I’m gonna stop. Now. And, I’m gonna leave, now. This never happened, okay? Forget that this ever happened.”
Scott was already moving backward, putting as much distance between him and the older man.
“It’s okay,” said Derek, but his face told Scott how much it was not. He could smell Derek’s irritation and discomfort. There was nothing there that indicated, he would encourage Scott’s advances. Ever. “I’m sorry if I misled -”
“No, no, its on me. I’m the one who....I...I’m sorry!”
They didn't speak for a whole minute. Neither of them moved. Derek was glaring less now, but his face was still decidedly neutral.
“It’s no big deal,” said Derek. “Just don’t -
“Yeah,” said Scott, cutting of the beta, “Don’t try something like that again and make it awkward for us and the pack in general. Got it.. I’m gonna go now before I die from shame.”
Scott turned swiftly and left the loft in a hurry.
If Derek smelt Scott’s pain, he made no show of it.
****
“You did WHAT?” said Stiles, exclaiming. All the freshmen in the school corridor turned back to look at them curiously.
Scott had known this was exactly how Stiles would react.
“I tried to kiss him,” said Scott, sighing, and looking at the floor. “He shoved me off.”
“Yeah, I heard you. What I meant was, what the hell were you thinking, Scott? I mean, this is Derek we are talking about! Mr. Sourface? He bares teeth at the tiniest human emotion aimed at him. You can’t just go waltzing into his den, sweep him off his feet and K-I-S-S him! That’s an insane move right there!”
“Stiles!” said Scott, hissing. “Keep your voice down.”
“But, what were you thinking!” said Stiles, huffing.
They made their way to the lockers. There was at least five more minutes till they had to go for their Math class. The substitute teacher’s mysterious death had been a topic of gossip for while. Math class was still a little unsettling for the students. Including those who knew what actually happened to him.
“I know,” said Scott, sighing yet again. He picked up his books from his locker and banged it shut with more force than necessary. “I just thought -”
“You should be honest and come outright about your feelings for him,” said Stiles, finishing the other boy’s thoughts. Stiles watched as his best friend grew sad. He didn’t have to be a werewolf to taste the sunken feeling in the air. He had seen with his eyes how affected Scott became when the forever brooding wolf had almost died.
“Yeah,” said Scott, turning his back on his closed locker and banging his head against it. Hard.
“What happened, then?”
“He isn’t interested in me as anything but as his alpha. He told me not to ever bring it up again.”
“He said that?”
“Not in so many words.”
Stiles understood. Werewolves had various levels of communications, after all. Smelling, howling, stances.
Stiles realized that this wasn't going to be like those times with Allison. Nor like the short time Scott had been with Kira. Derek was different. Allison had been a teenager’s first love, and Kira, an admirer of his boyishness and alpha strength, someone Scott liked to flaunt to. Derek? Derek was....well, Stiles knew that Scott cared enough for Derek to not take this rejection, lightly. In fact, Stiles had a sinking feeling that Scott might not get over him, for a long time.
Even after Derek had clearly shown he was not interested.
And, of course, on top of everything, Derek was now pack.
It was going to be hard.
Scott didn't have anything else to say. Neither did Stiles. He wouldn’t console friend, nor tell him that things were fine, because the alpha would know a lie when he heard one.
“I don’t know what to say,” said Stiles, instead. He leaned back on the adjacent locker and bumped shoulder with the sulking boy.
****
Scott and Liam were fighting a pack of wendigo that had broken into their school.
Lydia had tipped Stiles over phone, who along with Malia had rushed to inform Scott. Liam had turned up after Scott called for him.
For some reason, Scott chose not to call Kira. Malia had hung back with Lydia, at Stiles’ request. ‘What if she screams?’ was all the explanation he gave, when Malia pointedly glared at him.
The rest of them had headed to the school, immediately.
It was mid-night and so, no casualties other than the supernaturals were expected. The two werewolves and the human with a baseball bat could have handled it on their own. Liam had become better at controlling his attacks, too, landing them where necessary, and holding back when he need to duck and defend. They didn’t need help.
Suddenly, there was a sudden movement behind them, and Stiles yelped. Scott and Liam froze.
Derek had just appeared, jumping in from one of the windows. Stiles made a face, and flipped off the older man behind his back.
After that, the fight only lasted for thirty more seconds. Derek, although a beta, lacked nothing in the skill department and was far greater in his experience. The wendigo pack, all six of them, were extremely wounded.
When they retreated, Scott didn’t run after them. Neither did the other two werewolves.
“So what do we do now?” said Stiles, panting with all the swinging he had done. They still hadn’t figured out what the creatures were doing here, in the first place. Now they were gone, and the pack didn’t even know what they looked like in their human form. “Should we -?”
Stiles was cut off by a deadly growl that rang through the corridor. Jerking in fright, Stiles looked at the fallen family. His worried body became tense with the anticipation of another attack.
But, there was no movement in the shadows.
Stiles couldn’t look at Scott, because the alpha had his back to him. He looked at Liam, instead, questioningly. But the younger boy had his eyes on his alpha, looking weary. Almost like he was afraid. Even as Stiles watched, the kid then gave Derek a furtive glance, but swiftly shifted back to his alpha, as if the little glance had somehow physically stung him.
Derek too had his back to Stiles, but the older man stood still, hands to his side. It didn’t look like he was in the slightest troubled about anything. From the angle of his head, Stiles could tell, he was looking far from where the other two werewolves were standing.
Then, Scott started trembling.
It was not in agony.
Stiles could hear the heaving, uncontrolled breath coming, swifter and swifter, and he grew more confused by it. Stiles thought, that if this was Scott’s reaction to Derek’s presence, it was a little extreme. Yes, even despite the rejection. Especially, since he knew that Scott blamed the entire fiasco on himself.
Stiles reached forward and placed a hand on Scott’s shoulder.
As if shocked by the contact, Scott lunged away from him. The wolf-boy turned to look at him, crouching low. Stiles felt a shiver go down his spine, when he noticed the red eyes and bared teeth aimed at him. The animal’s growl did nothing to placate him. Chills rose, and Stiles was reminded of the first time this had happened, back in the locker room, two years ago. One could never get used to the horror of having a predator, aiming his anger at you
Stiles was starting to get worried for his organs, if not for his life. He would have still mouthed off something. Only, before he could utter a word, Scott jumped through the window that was there on the end of the long hallway, and disappeared.
A few seconds later, Derek left, too.
Liam still stood right where he had been standing all along. One glance at his sheepish face, and Stiles immediately understood that whatever had happened seconds before, the younger wolf was in on it.
“You tell me right this instant what the bejesus happened or I’m gonna skin your -”
“You can’t skin my anything,” said Liam, jutting his jaw forward. “But I’ll tell you.”
Liam hesitated for a few seconds, growing even more embarrassed by the second.
“Oh my god! Tell me already, you little runt!”
“Derek smell like sex,” said Liam, blushing a shade of red that looked dangerous to his skin. “A very male one.”
“So? He jacked off. God, Liam, TMI! Every heard of personal space? You can’t go smelling people -”
Liam growled, and his eyes turned gold.
“He smells like some other man’s semen!” said Liam, his voice loud with the anger that was quickly overtaking him, “Ugh! I can’t believe you made me say that! Stiles, you dimwit. I heard you guys talking in the morning. Can’t you put two and two together? He fucked some random dude, right after he rejected Scott!”
Liam stomped off, disappearing around the corner, human style.
Stiles was going to chide the beta for swearing, but those words died in his tongue when he realized what was actually said.
***
Stiles reached Lydia’s, five minutes later. He had to pick up Malia. But as he reached Lydia’s door, he noticed that there was no light coming from Lydia’s room. He sneaked inside, his sneakers trodding on the well maintained lawn, and checked the garage. Lydia’s car was safe and intact.
Smiling a little ruefully, Stiles trekked back to his jeep, headed back home.
He was going to have to sleep alone that night. He hadn’t done that in a while.
He sighed as he put his key on the door’s lock, trying not to make any loud noise. He would rather not have his father waking up, when he really didn’t need to.
The door unlocked with a rustic click.
Then, a familiar howl filled the silent night.
Stiles stood still, feeling more disheartened. He didn’t want to go inside, just yet. He traced the phone in his hand, hesitating. He wanted to talk to Scott.
If not Scott, at least Malia, or Lydia. Or heck, he would talk to even Scott’s Mom, if that would help. He wanted to know what he could do, how he could get Scott to -
His thoughts were cut off, when not two, but three more howls joined in on the first powerful one, mounting into a chilling lament that was loud and clear even to his human ears.
And, Stiles knew right then, that something was very wrong.