Chapter Text
Stiles had been successfully tailing Derek during his morning jog for weeks now. He knew the angel's route like the back of his hand, knew exactly when to duck behind a tree or blend into the shadows to avoid detection. But today, his luck ran out.
"Stiles?" Derek's surprised voice echoed through the quiet morning air, causing Stiles to jerk in surprise, losing his balance and falling out from behind the tree he was hiding behind.
"Ouch," he muttered as he scrambled to his feet, brushing off the leaves and twigs. He looked up to find Derek standing in front of him, an eyebrow raised in question. "Uh, hi Derek."
"Hi?" The angel echoed, clearly bemused. "What are you doing here?"
Stiles felt his cheeks heating up. He stuttered out, "I... I was... um... you know, enjoying... nature?"
Derek looked around at the deserted path, then back at Stiles. "At 6 in the morning? Behind a tree?"
"Uh, yeah. You see," Stiles stuttered, "I... um, I was trying to... observe the... the squirrels."
"Squirrels?" Derek repeated, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.
"Yeah, squirrels," Stiles nodded enthusiastically, "Did you know they are actually quite fascinating creatures?"
Derek chuckled softly, looking at Stiles for a moment before his gaze shifted upwards. "And the horns, Stiles?"
Stiles' hand instinctively flew up to touch the pair of small horns that had sprouted on his head, a physical manifestation of his demon nature. He blushed furiously, "Oh, these... these are... I... um..."
"They're cute," Derek said simply, his smile genuine.
"Cute?" Stiles squeaked, his cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red. "They are... they're demon horns, Derek. They're not supposed to be... cute."
"Well, they are," Derek insisted, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess you're just a cute demon, then."
Stiles was stunned into silence, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He had been caught spying, had grown demon horns out of nervousness, and now Derek was calling him 'cute'. It was definitely not how he had imagined his morning would go.
"Oh," was all Stiles managed to say, his mind a whirl of thoughts and his heart pounding in his chest. Derek just chuckled again, his green eyes twinkling with amusement, before he turned around and resumed his jog.
As Stiles watched him go, his eyes lingering on Derek's wings, he realized that despite the embarrassment, the morning hadn't been a complete disaster. After all, Derek had called him 'cute'.