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Contrary to popular belief amongst the pack, Scott isn't completely oblivious.
Granted, he does sometimes take a little longer to catch on to certain things, but it's not like it happens all the time or anything. So while the pack laugh and make absentminded mentions about Scott's cluelessness, he can just sit back and share a private smile with himself, while knowing that when it comes to Derek and Stiles, he knew first.
Okay, so perhaps he didn't know first, it's not like he really registered it in the beginning. He didn't think anything could ever come from it, and all he really knew was that whenever he was in the same room as Derek and Stiles, was that they hated each other's guts, and that there was an obscene amount of sexual tension. But Stiles was in love with Lydia at the time, and Derek didn't have feelings, so he pushed it aside, and ignored it. The first observation slowly disappeared over time, leaving only the sexual tension, which Scott refused to acknowledge, because ew.
The pack would probably argue that of course he knew before the rest of them, he was the only person who was ever alone with them at first, but the fact remains.
Scott knew first.
At least, that's what he tells himself.
Fair enough, the pack knew about the actual feelings before Scott did, but Scott noticed the attraction, the (god help him) budding romance, before any of them. He plans to use it against them as much as possible in the future.
Still, while Stiles is now over Lydia and Scott has realised that Derek actually does have a heart, he honestly isn't aware that there's actually anything past physical attraction involved between them. So when Stiles tells him about finding dead animals at his house, Scott doesn't connect the dots.
He does, however, find it hilarious.
Dead animals.
What the fuck.
"It's not funny! I was drunk and confused, it was really weird. And I was hungover the second time. Maybe I'm hallucinating? No, that can't be right, my dad saw them," Stiles says, reprimanding him.
"It is funny, Stiles. You had a dead animals in your house. Why were they even there?" He asks.
"I have no idea. I'll talk to Derek about it, see if there's anything weird in town that would do that."
"What if he doesn't know?" He wonders.
"Dunno. I'll just tell my dad it probably wasn't supernatural, then," Stiles replies, shrugging.
Scott hums, contemplative. There's an idea, niggling at the back of his mind, making him try to remember something. Dead animals- he vaguely recalls reading something about that from one of the books Deaton had lent him a few months ago on werewolves. The pack was just forming, deciding to stick together, and Deaton had thought it imperative that Scott at least learn some things about the history of his species. He can't quite reach the thought though, and gives up, choosing to dwell on it later.
"So, how was last night? Have fun?"
"Yeah it was great, before, you know. Finding a dead stag on my porch. But apart from that, I had fun," Stiles remarks.
"Good," Scott says, smiling. "Now help me with biology."
Stiles tuts and rolls his eyes, but complies, grabbing some textbooks. They spend the rest of the day like this, sprawled across the bed, switching between studying and video games, before they have to leave for pack movie night. He can't stop the jump of his heart and the smile spreading across his face when he sees Isaac, and goes over to see him straight away.
"Hey," Scott greets, breathless and nervous.
"Hi," Isaac replies, smiling shyly as they sit down together.
"How was your weekend? Do anything special?" He asks.
"No, not really. I did go to Jungle last night though," Isaac answers.
"Really? I- I didn't know you were going."
"Neither did I, it was a last minute thing, you know? Erica convinced me to go," he explains, looking up at Scott through his eyelashes, and Scott is drawn to the length and shape of them, the way they brush his skin and accentuate his eyes.
God, Isaac is so pretty.
He wishes he could explain this thing with Isaac, he wishes he didn't feel this way about him, wishes he didn't feel so guilty. Because he loves Allison, he does, loves her so much he aches from it, quite literally adores her, so he doesn't know why his feelings for Isaac are so persistent. Being in love with him is a dirty secret that Scott keeps hidden, gnawing away at his insides, consuming him with shame. He's pretty sure Stiles knows, but doesn't say anything, which he's grateful for. He can't imagine what he'd do if Allison knew- loving two people is so complicated.
Isaac frowns at him quizzically, probably able to smell his guilt, and Scott opens his mouth to say something, anything, but is interrupted by a sharp and sudden wave of hurt and helplessness that emanates from across the room. They both turn to see Derek and Stiles exchange a few words, with Derek looking upset. Derek clenches his jaw and spins away from Stiles, stalking off upstairs. He begins to pace, murmuring under his breath.
"Of course... Not animals. He's not a wolf..." Derek mumbles.
What the hell is Derek mumbling about? Whatever it is, it makes him sound ridiculous, and Scott has to bite down hard on his lip to stop himself from laughing aloud, knowing that it's cruel, considering that he was just in pain. When Isaac starts snickering however, he just can't hold it in any longer, and joins him, shaking with laughter. Derek comes to an abrupt stop, ending the flow of words from his mouth upon hearing their giggling, and Stiles notices too, sticking his middle finger up, despite not understanding.
Then, once everyone's arrived, Derek makes everyone watch romance movies, which, okay, Scott isn't complaining about; they're not that bad, and spends the whole time staring at Stiles and trying in vain to slow down his heartbeat. Stiles doesn't have anything on his face, so maybe he looks hotter today? Scott supposes that his jeans are tighter than usual.
None of these things point to the conclusion that Derek is leaving Stiles dead animals though, so Scott can't be blamed for not knowing that.
He's just gotten home from lacrosse practice when he gets the call. It's just Stiles, so of course he answers it. He doesn't quite expect what Stiles has to say though.
"Scott, I, Scott! You have to come to my house, you have to..." He babbles.
"Stiles, slow down. What's wrong?"
"Scott help me, someone's trying to kill me, Scott please..."
Scott almost drops his phone while trying to simultaneously shove it into his pocket when he begins to run. He sprints to Stiles' house, following his scent up the stairs and throwing his bedroom door open.
"Stiles, Stiles, you sounded urgent on the phone, what are you- oh." He stops dead when he sees Stiles sitting there, completely fine, glaring at some... Flowers? And chocolates? Whatever's going on, it seems trivial. "You- you called me over here for this? Stiles, I ran here. I was worried about you!"
"I'm worried about me too, Scott! What is this stuff?" Stiles exclaims.
"It's flowers and chocolate," he replies drily.
"Is it? Are you sure it isn't poison?" Stiles asks.
"Yes, Stiles. I'm sure."
"Oh. Why are there flowers and chocolate on my bed?"
"I don't know. Do you think it has something to do with the animals?" Scott wonders.
"Maybe. Can you smell them? See who left them... Or something?"
"Fine," he relents, miffed at being treated like a bloodhound, but goes over to the stuff on the bed, and chooses to use the chocolates. He lifts them to his nose, sniffing.
He immediately recognises the scent, it's unmistakable.
The musky smell of the loft, leather, and pack, all with a hint of regret buried underneath.
Derek.
He can't stop the box from slipping from his fingers, dropping once more onto the bed, while Scott stands frozen in shock.
"Scott? Scott? What is it?"
"I- it's... It's um. I. Wait... Just wait..." He says, moving away from the bed. "But why would he?" He asks himself.
Sure, Derek has never been normal... But this? This is a whole different kind of weird.
And then it clicks.
The books on being part of a pack.
He remembers the page on... Courting. Werewolves- usually alphas- showing their affection through wooing.
Derek can't- he wouldn't. Would he?
There doesn't seem to be any other explanation, because why the hell would Derek leave Stiles flowers and chocolates?
"Oh. Oh. My god."
Derek is courting Stiles.
"What?"
Shit. Did he say that out loud? With a look at Stiles' face he confirms that it was only a thought, as Stiles just looks impatient.
"I... Can't. I'm not allowed. I- i'm sorry, man. It's um... It's complicated."
He doesn't remember much about it, but he does remember that he isn't actually allowed to tell Stiles, and he can't help but feel a little guilty about this. Stiles is his best friend, and this is happening to him, not Scott. It doesn't seem fair that Scott can know, but Stiles can't. It's a rule of pack though, and Scott can get kicked out if he tells Stiles. Derek probably wouldn't actually kick him out, but Scott knows that he'll be pretty pissed off, so decides to keep his mouth shut rather than provoke the wrath of his alpha.
"What is?" Stiles begs, shaking him.
"This. It's... Oh god. I..." He says, shaking his head. "Who would've thought?"
Not Scott, apparently.
"You have to tell me Scott, I need to know if I should be fearing for my life," Stiles pleads, whining.
"You don't need to worry about that. Your life definitely isn't in danger. Your virtue is though."
When he sees Stiles face become thoughtful, he realises that he probably shouldn't have said that.
"I should go, Stiles. I'm sorry. But I can't tell you, I swear. Talk later?" "
Wha- Scott!" He hears behind him as he turns and almost runs from the house, beginning the walk home.
He tries not to let his thoughts stray to what Derek's doing as he starts walking, however, somehow, between Stiles' house and his own, he thinks too much about the courting situation, and manages to work himself up into thinking that it's a joke. Sure, he has no doubts that there's attraction, but Derek and Stiles have never really gotten on, not properly. Why would Derek start courting Stiles out of the blue? Stopping himself from going to Derek's loft is impossible at this point, the fact that he's his alpha not even occurring, because how could he do this to Scott's best friend? How dare he?
"You're courting him!" Scott yells as soon as he walks in.
"Yes," Derek replies, not bothering to lie, standing up and squaring his shoulders, obviously preparing for an onslaught of anger.
"Why? Is this some sick joke? Are you making fun of him? I know you two never used to get along Derek, but you're pack now, and you can't treat him like this!" Scott shouts, fuming, pushing him in blind rage.
"It's not a joke."
Scott hears 'joke', and carries on. "It's not funny- wait." He pauses, registering what Derek's just said. "It's not a joke?"
"No."
His heartbeat is steady.
"Oh. You... You like him," Scott realises, unable to prevent a wide smile from spreading across his face. Derek Hale, frowny, growly Derek Hale, is trying to woo his best friend with chocolates.
"Yes," Derek grudgingly admits.
"That's so gross! Ew, you and Stiles," he says, trying not to shudder. He loves Stiles, he really does, but he doesn't want to ponder too much on the idea of him and Derek.
"Shut up," Derek growls.
"Aw, Derek, I had no idea!" He exclaims.
"That's because you're completely clueless about everything, Scott," Derek grumbles, and Scott almost scoffs. "Did you tell him what was going on?"
"What? No. I read those books Deaton gave me on packs and werewolves and stuff. I'm not allowed, right?" Scott says, incapable of keeping the annoyance from filtering into his voice.
"Right," Derek confirms. "Um... What did he think? Of the gifts? Did he... Like them?" He adds after a pause.
"I don't know. I mean, I think he was just really confused and too freaked out to have a normal reaction, you know?" He guesses.
"I suppose that's better than last time," Derek says morosely.
"Last time? What- oh," It falls into place. "The animals. That was you. Oh, Derek, man. You're hopeless."
The books had mentioned having your wolf side take over at first, telling you to do things like you're an animal. He just can't believe that Derek listened.
"Whatever," Derek snaps, obviously embarrassed.
"I better go, anyway. Nice try!" Scott says as an afterthought, when he realises his standing date with Allison, and turns to leave, satisfied with Derek's answer.
He's surprisingly okay with the idea of Derek and Stiles.
So maybe he isn't entirely okay with it.
It's not like he actually objects to the idea of them together, but Derek is going about it all wrong, all he has to do is ask Stiles out, like a normal person, and Stiles would totally be up for it. Stiles has been coming up with ridiculous theories all day as to what could be going on, and it's driving Scott crazy not being able to just explain what's happening. He zones out in class, trying to come up with a loophole, and doesn't notice Jackson whispering his name until his elbow hits Scott in the ribs.
"Ow! What is your problem?" He hisses.
"I've been trying to get your attention for a full five minutes, Scott. I was gonna ask if you still suck at bowling."
"Yes, I still suck," Scott mumbles.
"What is with you today?" Jackson asks.
"Nothing, I just... Nothing." He sighs.
"Sure, nothing," Jackson says, raising an eyebrow. "That's why you've been staring into space all day."
Scott shrugs.
"C'mon Scott, tell me! What's the big secret?"
"If I tell you it, will you promise not to tell anyone else? Anyone in the pack, I mean," Scott asks, sighing and deciding that he needs to tell someone.
"Okay?" Jackson agrees, frowning.
"I found out yesterday, that um... Derek is courting Stiles."
Jackson looks completely expressionless until what Scott has just said registers with him, and he breaks out into uncontrollable laughter, almost sobbing. He tries to muffle it, stuffing a hand over his mouth, but fails, resulting in everyone in the room, turning to him, including Finstock, who looks unimpressed.
"Do I need to ask you to leave, Whittemore?"
"No, I- no, coach. I'm sorry," he stammers through his barely contained giggling.
Finstock shakes his head in exasperation, but doesn't say anything else, carrying on with the lesson. Jackson leans over to Scott again.
"Are you serious? Like, he's actually courting him?"
"Yes, he's actually courting him. I directly asked him, and he said yes. It's just... Irritating me," he admits.
"Why? Don't you want them together?" Jackson wonders. "I thought you'd be all for Stiles getting together with someone. Even if it is Derek."
"I do want them together, and that's exactly why it's irritating me. Stiles has no idea what's going on, or that it's Derek. Derek's being an idiot about it. He doesn't need to woo Stiles."
"Good point. That's a shitty plan. Does Derek realise this?"
"I don't think so. Either he's ignoring it voluntarily and being a complete dick, or he actually thinks it's the best way to get Stiles to like him back," Scott explains.
"And Stiles is oblivious to this whole wooing thing?" Jackson asks.
"You can't blame him, Derek's doing it anonymously! I don't see the merits in that at all, but it's a stupid idea anyway, even if he did leave clues that it's him."
"Why don't you just tell Stiles what's going on?"
"I can't, and neither can you. Pack rules," Scott grumbles. "Don't think I don't want to. Stiles won't shut up about it, although you can't really blame him for that either. One day he's coming home to find dead animals, and the next, there's flowers and chocolates on his bed."
"Flowers?" Jackson practically squeaks.
"Yep."
"Oh man, what is he doing? That's pathetic."
"Tell me about it. It's kind of sweet, I guess... But yeah, mostly pathetic. Honestly, Stiles was so confused. Derek better not carry on with this for long, I think it might kill me."
Jackson snorts, turning to face the front again, looking pensive. Scott thinks he's probably coming up with ways to torture Derek with this new information.
What Scott doesn't think, however, is famous last words.
He should've.
Because Derek carries on with it for ages.
Scott has to suffer through incessant flirting at the bowling alley, Stiles constantly questioning why Derek asked Harris to be nice, and him raving about new comics that some unknown person gave him vouchers for, all in the space of a few months.
Sadly, that person is not unknown to Scott. He wishes he hadn't given Derek a heads up on that last one, but hey, he wanted it to be over, and wasn't aware that Derek would still keep it anonymous. Scott is nearing the end of his tether, close to just telling Stiles everything, consequences be damned.
Thankfully, one afternoon, Isaac drops by after school, accidentally intruding on Scott and Allison's date.
"Hey, Scott I was just asking if- oh," Isaac stops, looking surprised. "Sorry, I didn't know you were gonna be here Allison, I didn't mean to interrupt-"
"No, no it's fine, Isaac. Stay," Allison says.
"You sure?" Isaac asks nervously.
"Yeah of course. Here, sit down," Allison replies, moving away from Scott, leaving Isaac a space in between them. Scott tries not to read too far into it and get his hopes up.
They try to concentrate on the movie, but understandably, it doesn't last long. With three teenagers who are all in love with each other stuck in the same room, it's safe to say that it ends with them in a tangle of limbs on Scott's bed, finally realising that their feelings are mutual. Surprisingly, it's Allison who makes the first move, seeming to snap when the sexual tension reaches its peak, as the couple on screen finally get together. She looks at how tense they all are and rolls her eyes, giving Scott a meaningful look before leaning over and pressing a lingering kiss onto Isaac's lips. Isaac seems shocked, and Scott is too, but Allison sighs exasperatedly at them.
"Oh come on. Are we all just going to deny the fact that we all want to be with each other?"
"What?" Scott and Isaac splutter simultaneously.
She just raises an eyebrow.
But Scott finally understands that he isn't the only one who loves the two other people on the sofa, so he slowly joins in when Allison goes to kiss Isaac again, pressing his lips to her neck, his heart bounding with joy and his smile radiating with satisfaction as he crushes it against two different bodies later that night.
Stiles congratulates him the next day, somehow already knowing, and then moves on to complaining about the mysterious cupcakes he found in his kitchen. Scott is a little mellowed out for that one, though, so doesn't angrily text Derek, demanding that he tell Stiles what's actually happening. He just tunes it out, unenthusiastically agreeing with Stiles that it's extremely creepy, as they stroll to English.
Then it gets even more ridiculous, which is impressive.
Scott genuinely believes that he deserves a medal for dealing with poor Stiles' confusion again, when his alleged stalker, who is actually just Derek, gives him a list of foods his dad should be eating- a gesture so nice that Scott reconsiders whether this one is Derek, but changes his mind when he remembers that Derek does have emotions nowadays.
On the other hand, it is nice to be in the know for once, he thinks as he smirks at Lydia and Danny's questioning looks at him and Boyd, as they create a betting pool with them, Jackson and Erica on what Derek will do next. Ha. Lydia always knows everything first, way before everyone else, even though she isn't even a werewolf. She probably doesn't know that Derek might fix up the jeep next week, but Scott does. It's a good feeling. Boyd disagrees, however, and says that it'll be a cutesy teddy bear. Pfff. Erica and Jackson's theory seems more likely than that, although holding up a sign for Stiles at the next lacrosse game does sound a bit far-fetched. It isn't as unlikely as teddy bear though.
His smugness fades when he reads a new text that he's just received from Derek, asking for Stiles' locker combination. Not to do with the jeep then. Damn.
Wtf why
He replies, wanting to know the details at least.
Why do u think? Just tell me.
Derek refuses to go into specifics, and is most likely standing around the high school like a creeper, so Scott rolls his eyes and tells him the combination, curious at what to expect to hear from Stiles next time he opens his locker.
Strangely, he hears it from Jackson first.
Boyd has supposedly won the bet, seeing as Jackson had seen a teddy bear in Stiles' locker, but Scott suspects cheating- nobody could be that spot on. He's a little surprised that Stiles still hasn't texted him about it, he knows he's got a study session with Allison, but it's kind of abnormal for Stiles not to moan about his next gift to him straight away.
So Boyd won the bet. It was a teddy bear.
Scott huffs.
He's obviously a cheater
The response from Jackson comes immediately.
I agree.
Scott snorts, sending Stiles a text asking him about the bear, before putting his phone down and turning on the TV to distract himself. Stiles doesn't reply for another few hours, and it isn't in the form of a text, but a phone call. He picks up after the fourth ring, fumbling in his sheets to grab the phone. Stiles doesn't greet him, and instead, goes straight to conversation.
"You bastard! You knew, you dick! How could you let me suffer like this?" He whines.
"Stiles, what are you-"
"Derek! You knew he was courting me!"
"Oh. I, Stiles, i'm sorry. I literally wasn't allowed to tell you. Pack rules," Scott explains.
"Oh, that makes it... Better, I guess. You still owe me," Stiles comments.
"Sorry. I'm glad you finally know, anyway," Scott says, sighing.
"Me too. I can't believe someone like Derek is interested in me."
"Shut up, it's the other way around. You're awesome."
Stiles scoffs, but doesn't argue, just changes the subject.
"It must've been hard for you to live through all this without being able to tell me."
"You have no idea."