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Stiles was watering the garden behind the pack house when he heard a sound behind him. He spun around and saw a black wolf. “Derek, is that you?” he asked, making sure that the hose was pointed away from him.
The normally fluffy and beautiful fur that Derek normally had in his wolf form was all matted and dirty, and he had a few healing cuts on his body. He must have hurt himself hunting in the preserve. And he also had his hackles up and was growling.
“Oh, stop it, Sourwolf,” Stiles scolded. “I’m gonna have to clean you up, mister, before you go inside the clean house. Now get over here so I can hose you off, and maybe I‘ll use your favorite shampoo on you in the tub if you‘re a good boy.”
Instead of growling at the dog reference, Derek stared at the hose and whimpered.
Stiles was very confused, but he wasn’t going to be deterred. He’d cleaned the house all morning while everyone else was out of the house, and no one, not even the alpha that he was dating, was going to come in and dirty it all up just a couple of hours later. He aimed the hose at Derek.
Derek actually yelped when the water hit him and scurried off into the preserve.
“Get back here, Derek!” Stiles yelled after him. But the wolf didn’t reappear. “You’d better clean yourself off in the river if you don’t want to be hosed down, but I doubt that’d be any warmer than this!” Shaking his head, he turned back to the garden.
But no sooner had he done that than he heard someone running. Spinning around again, he saw human Derek running towards him looking angry and no sign of the injuries or dirt that he’d had just a few minutes before.
“Where is he?” Derek growled, looking toward the preserve.
“Where is who?” Stiles asked. “And what happened to you? You went off into the preserve, and there’s no way that you could get clean and then dressed that fast!”
“What are you talking about?” Derek asked, a little calmer than before. “I just got here, chasing the smell of a lone beta wolf. And the smell is right around here.”
“Lone beta wolf…,” Stiles repeated, the pieces quickly coming together in his mind. “You mean I just tried to hose down a beta thinking it was you?”
Derek’s eyebrows raised. “You did what?”
Stiles laughed, embarrassed. “Yeah, I thought it was you. I mean, he was black just like you, and I thought you’d gotten injured and dirty chasing squirrels in the preserve or something! And then I tried to give you… him a bath!”
Derek laughed. “Oh, Stiles!”
“Hey!” Stiles grumbled. “I was trying to take care of you!”
“I know,” Derek said. “And I thank you for that.” He kissed a pouting Stiles on the cheek.
“Hmph!” But Stiles grinned at him despite the grumbling.
**********
A few days later, the lone wolf was discovered, just a teenaged kid on the run searching for his family. He was allowed safe passage through Beacon Hills, and avoided all hoses on his journey.