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“Scott! My man, we need to talk. Like bro talk, you know?” Stiles bumbled into Scott’s office like he belonged there, and as much time as he spent there writing and pilfering coffee, it was probably only a matter of time before he was considered a resident. He and Scott shared a manly hug and then he plopped down on the extra chair, scuffing his feet.
“So, how’s my favourite fur butt?” he asked, pulling a Tupperware container full of brownies from his bag and handing it to Scott. “To my brother from another mother, freshly baked this morning at Casa Stilinski with extra chocolate chips and love.” Scott tore into the first brownie with relish and it wasn’t until he was halfway through the second one that he seemed to recognize it as the bribe that it was.
“What do you want Stiles?” Scott asked and looked at him with eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“What do you mean?” Stiles asked innocently. “Can’t a guy visit his best friend without raising suspicion?”
“Not when that guy is you and bringing brownies, which are delicious by the way, so cut the crap and tell me what’s up” Scott said sternly and Stiles slumped in his seat, rubbing his neck for a moment.
“So, there’s this thing and I really need a werewolf’s advice.” When Stiles saw Scott’s anxious face he felt stupid for worrying his friend. “It’s nothing dangerous” he quickly assured. “No supernatural evil creature trying to take over Beacon Hills or anything, just a question on werewolf behaviour.
“Oh, okay, but wouldn’t it be better to ask Cora since she’s actually a born wolf?” Scott asked, calmer now that he knew that he didn’t need to ward off a supernatural invasion, and contemplated taking another brownie. Stiles, on the other hand, had gone from feeling a bit nervous to being downright horrified because of the suggestion.
“No way!” he squeaked out, face burning as he blushed furiously. “This is definitely not something that I can talk to Cora about” he continued, feeling mortified at the mere thought. “You’re the only werewolf I know that I can talk to about this.”
“Oh no!” Scott said, suddenly looking alarmed. He backed away, holding up his hands in front of himself like a shield. “I am so not discussing knotting with you.”
“Nothing?” Stiles frowned and then a look of understanding spread over his face. “Oh, you mean knotting! Well, there’s an idea but we’ll save it for later, okay?” Scott looked slightly anxious at the prospect of having that discussion. “No, I needed to talk to you about courting.”
“So it’s not about sex?” Scott was visibly relieved when Stiles shook his head. “Why can’t you talk to Cora about it then? She probably knows a lot more than I do.”
“Because she is terrifying?”
“Yeah, that’s true” Scott acquiesced. “So who’s courting you?” he asked and Stiles gave him a look.
“Really, Scottyboy? How many werewolves do we know that could possibly court me?” “Isaac?” Scott finally suggested after thinking for a long while and Stiles barely resisted the urge to bash his head against the desk.
“Isaac?” he asked. “As in Isaac, the guy currently having some weird on off relationship with Cora and is not even remotely gay? That Isaac?”
“Maybe I didn’t think that one through” Scott admitted. “But there’s no one else, except for…” His eyes widened in surprise. “Derek?”
“Now he gets it” Stiles grumbled. “Yes, I think that Derek is courting me, how do I know for sure?”
“Um, so what’s he doing?” Scott asked and then grimaced. “And I can’t believe that I’m actually asking that” he groaned, looking pained, but that didn’t keep Stiles from launching into a long and elaborate description on Derek’s behaviour.
He talked about all the times that Derek had brought him food and how he always seemed to have Reese’s at home, even though he didn’t like them himself and Laura didn’t get to eat them because of the chocolate. How Derek came to take care of him when he was sick and let him stay the night when he was scared after the amusement park, and when his car didn’t work. About how he gave him a lift so that he wouldn’t miss his important meeting and how he went as far as fixing his Jeep so that Stiles wouldn’t have to take it back to the garage. Hell, Derek had even emailed him a business plan to help him expand his business and offered to help him bring in more clients when Stiles was stressed about his financial situation and no one, not even his father, would have thought about doing that.
“Okay, so he’s been helping you out a lot” Scott said. “That’s good.” Stiles huffed frustratedly.
“I know!” he replied, throwing his hands in the air. “But is it because he likes me or is it because he likes me likes me? Or is it because I’m pack? Or because he wants to thank me for babysitting Laura?”
“But he’s done other things right?” Scott asked. “Like at the hospital when he kept scenting you?”
“That’s what he was doing?” Stiles asked surprised and Scott raised his eyebrows.
“Really, Stiles?”
“I had other things on my mind” Stiles said defensively, slightly pouting. “Pneumonia, remember?” Scott shoved him lightly.
“Come on, he was totally scenting you whenever that nurse had touched you. And he freaked out when you said you had a date.”
“I was only joking!” Stiles protested. “I was meeting Danny at the Jungle.”
“But Derek didn’t know that and he blocked the door until Danny explained to him, remember?”
“Right” Stiles admitted and then remembered something else. “Oh! Also, the next day I asked him to draw out the pain in my legs and he refused, flat out slammed the door in my face. It was only because we were dancing all night but I bet he thought that I’d slept with someone.” Scott winced at the thought of his best friend sleeping with anyone. “Get over it, Scott, you have children with Allison and I know for a fact that they weren’t delivered by the stork. In fact, I’m even willing to bet that I heard the exact moment that they were conceived” he continued, knowing that this would either rile Scott up or make him mortified. He was only joking though, even if he actually had been staying with the McCalls around that time, the first thing Scott had done when he moved in was soundproofing the bedroom.
“Moving on” Scott choked out, blushing bright red. “He’s been pretty protective of you, right? Takes care of you, wants you to be okay?”
“Yeah, but then again, is it because I’m pack or is it because I’m, well, a BILF?”
“BILF?” Scott apparently didn’t understand the reference.
“Babysitter I Like to Fuck” Stiles helpfully supplied and Scott sputtered.
“Stop it, stop it” he winced. “Why did I ever agree to this?”
“Because you’re my best friend” Stiles answered matter-of-factly.
“I’m seriously considering revoking that status” Scott grumbled. “Okay, so he’s been essentially providing for you with food and stuff, helping you, scenting you. He’s being protective and a little possessive. You know, he helps everyone in the pack but not this much and he’s never this protective, unless Laura’s involved.
“Tell me about it” Stiles chuckled. “He even abducted me for her sake.”
“What?” Scott shouted in alarm and Stiles winced when he realized how he’d made that sound.
“No, no, it wasn’t like that. She refused to eat anything other than pierogi so he yelled at me to come, threw me over his shoulder, carried me straight into the kitchen and ordered me to start cooking. But that was because of Laura so I don’t know if it counts?”
“Maybe it does anyway” Scott mumbled “I mean, he trusted you to take care of his child, right? He’d not trust just anyone with her. And he guarded you during the full moon.”
“Squished me more like” Stiles muttered. “He’s seriously heavy, but still he wants to be on my stomach like a little teddy bear. But yeah, he slept on me, and Laura I guess, and he chased me when we ran. So, what’s the verdict, wolfy?” Scott seemed to have been rendered temporarily speechless by the conclusion that he’d arrived at because he only nodded, is eyes a little wild.
“So, I’m going to take that as a yes, that Derek has, in fact, been courting me” Stiles concluded.
“It’s more than that” Scott said seriously. “Stiles, he provides for you and protects you, and he lets you take care of and raise his pup. Don’t you see? He thinks of you as his mate.” Stiles snorted loudly.
“What an idiot” he said and Scott stared at him in alarm.
“What? I thought you liked him too? And Laura?”
“Duh” Stiles eloquently answered. “Of course I do. But if he’d just told me he liked me instead of all this sneaky business we could have had lots of sex already. Hell, we could even be having sex right now.”
“TMI! TMI!” Scott cried, frantically trying to cover his ears. “Just go talk to him, before you scar me for life!”
“Yeah, because obviously I’m the one who has to get this show on the road” Stiles grumbled. “Why do I always have to do everything myself?”