Work Text:
It took Stiles almost a year and a half to notice. He gave himself a stern talking-to, since he thought he was more observant.
His freshman year in college was spent mostly in the dorm rather than in the apartment Peter was living in. And, well, freshman year!
Peter had talked Stiles into going home for the summer and taking distance learning classes instead of in-person classes. Stiles appreciated the time with his dad, and with Derek. The August full moon run turned out to be epic and enjoyed by all.
Back in Washington for his sophomore year, Stiles gave in and agreed to stay with Peter full time. He figured it wouldn't be a hardship to have his own bathroom and a quiet space to work that wasn't in the library.
It was the October full moon that Stiles first noticed something... odd.
"Hey! Full moon's on Friday this month," Stiles said a few days before. "How about a movie marathon?"
"Really? I supposed you want to watch those dreadful Sharknado movies," Peter rolled his eyes.
"Nah," Stiles shrugged. "We can watch whatever you'd like."
Peter's eyes narrowed. "Even a Bogart marathon?"
Stiles nodded. He knew Peter enjoyed older movies and some of them were harder to find, although -- thanks to the internet -- everything could be found somewhere. "Sure. Your turn to pick, and Bogie made some great movies."
"This isn't a homework assignment of some sort?" Peter asked. Not that he was unwilling to help, but Stiles would usually be overt about it.
"Nope," Stiles said. "I'm mostly caught up, so I can take the entire weekend off and do Pack things with you."
Peter looked absurdly pleased for a moment. If Stiles hadn't been watching, he might have missed it.
"All right," Peter nodded. "I'll get some extra snacks, too!"
"That works!" Stiles grinned. "It's a date!"
The movie marathon was fun. A couple of movies were dreadful, or simply didn't stand up to time, but they had fun. They ended up cuddled on the couch, sharing snacks as they watched the movies Peter had assembled.
Waking up entangled together on Saturday late morning was an oh! moment for Stiles. It was rare that Peter slept in but knowing he was comfortable enough to sleep when Stiles might be awake was enlightening.
That made Stiles start to pay closer attention.
Whenever they were together, Peter would always keep himself distant from Stiles. Behind the breakfast bar in the kitchen, in a separate chair in the living room, or on the other end of the couch. Peter had never been overly tactile with anyone but Stiles knew 'wolves craved a certain amount of touch.
It was subtle. Peter would have an excuse, sometimes not, to move away when Stiles would move close.
The November full moon was on a Saturday, so it was Stiles' chance to test his new theory.
"Saturday's the full moon. How about another movie marathon?" Stiles asked. "Maybe some early Dr. Who?"
"Don't you have some projects due early next week?" Peter frowned.
"One's done and the other I can finish up on Friday," Stiles replied. "Worse case is I have to proofread it and I can do that Sunday night."
"I suppose you'd like me to get snacks again," Peter faux-sighed. The small grin gave him away.
"Ooohhh... maybe we can do ice cream sundaes!" Stiles bounced in his chair.
"Not only no, but hell no," Peter pointed at him. "The last time you over-dosed on ice cream you were sick for two days. You can't afford that."
Stiles sat back. "Oh. Right. That wasn't pretty," he admitted ruefully as he rubbed the back of his neck. "And I do need to be in class on Monday."
"I will take care of the snacks," Peter declared. "You line up the episodes you'd like to watch."
"I will," Stiles promised. He'd never admit to obsessively curating a set of Dr. Who episodes over the last three weeks.
Stiles deliberately sat close to Peter on the couch as he started the first episode. He regularly handed Peter snacks and pointed out trivia about each episode.
Peter finally wrapped an arm around Stiles, holding him close. "Relax. We have all night."
Stiles melted into Peter's side and lay his head on Peter's shoulder.
"How are you doing?" Stiles asked softly. "Just... checking on you."
"This is good," Peter replied. "Thank you."
This time Peter was awake when Stiles woke up. When Peter started to move, Stiles tightened his arms and mumbled, "Don't go."
"I should..." Peter started.
"You should maybe talk to me," Stiles encouraged.
"This is... harder than I thought it would be," Peter admitted. "Especially now that you're here all the time."
"Silly 'wolf," Stiles sighed. "You've been working too hard to stay away from me. Except on the full moon. So. You're trying hard not to get too close..."
Stiles watched Peter's eyes get slightly wider.
OH!
"You idiot!" Stiles growled. "I never thought I had a chance..."
Peter hauled Stiles closer and made him stop talking by pressing their mouths together.
Stiles was lost in the soft lips on his own and the warm body when Peter stopped.
"Peter?" Stiles whined.
"Sweetheart, we need to talk..."
"That's not encouraging," Stiles muttered.
Peter laughed softly. "Safe, sane, consensual. I promised both Derek and your dad..."
"My dad knew before I did?" Stiles groaned. "Oh, man. I'll never live that down."
Peter wrestled them both so they were sitting up. Stiles was still plastered against Peter but it gave them both a moment to breathe.
"My 'wolf sees you as our Mate," Peter admitted. "Derek figured it out a while ago and, well, suggested I talk to your dad."
Stiles snickered. "He played the Alpha card on you, didn't he?"
Peter reddened slightly. "It was unexpected, to be honest. But I promised them both that I'd wait for you. This had to be your choice. But I didn't realize how... difficult it would be to be with you all the time."
"Now what?"
Peter took Stiles' hand. "While living together suggests we're compatible, I'd like to court you."
Stiles leaned in for a soft kiss. "I'd like that very much."