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The sound of wild life was distant, the sound of visitors of the park a pleasant background noise, and the occasional wind coming in through the office’s opened door and windows was nice and made Derek relax even more than he already was from just sitting there, head tilted back and eyes closed as he took in the pleasant quiet of the nature around him.
Being out in the wild relaxed his wolf more than he thought anything ever would be able to. Out here, he didn’t feel so tense and so jumpy, something he always was out in town and even at his own apartment. There was just too much noise, too many people, and not enough of his own kind around.
Derek loved being out in nature, so being a park ranger was really the perfect job for him. Especially since he managed to convince his own pack to join him as his team of rangers as well.
Erica had been the only one to try to get out of it more than once, but she came around after the rest of them dragged her out in the wild and she got to feel the freedom and calm of the park.
She stopped arguing after that and gladly did her job like the rest of them.
Derek slowly cracked an eye open at the sound of a car - the motor sounded old and rusty. An unsafe vehicle but working - coming to a parked halt in the parking lot outside the rangers’ office he was positioned inside of.
There were car doors shutting followed by two voices - both male, one loud and excited, the other quieter but just as excited - and no more than a minute later, two guys walked into the office.
The guy stepping in first had a crooked jaw and kind, brown eyes, a warm smile on his lips when he looked over at where Derek was half lying down in his chair behind the desk. The guy behind him had a mess of brown hair, moles dotting his pale skin, and brown eyes that looked almost golden in the light shining into the office.
Derek’s eyes rested on him for longer than he would likely admit, but who could blame him? He was beautiful and he radiated with happiness and excitement.
“Hey,” the guy with the kind eyes said with a nod as he stepped further inside. “We can camp here, right?”
“Oh my God, Scott,” the other guy exclaimed, throwing his head back as he slapped Scott’s chest. Derek’s eyes immediately dropped to the long neck that got revealed with the movement, and he had to swallow down the urge to go over there and bury his face against the pale skin, to kiss it and leave a mark. “It’s a park. Why the hell wouldn’t we be able to camp here?”
“I don’t know, I was just asking!” Scott replied, his shoulders moving up in a quick shrug.
“You can camp here,” Derek interrupted the two of them and stood up, smoothing down his uniform as he did. “But do not start a fire where there’s not an opening. I don’t want to deal with you two setting anything on fire.”
He ignored the offended look at the still unnamed but still so beautiful guy and pointed over at the maps next to the door. “Take a map with you, don’t go anywhere you’re not allowed, and don’t get lost. If you do end up lost, do not separate, especially not if it’s dark.”
“Dude,” the guy started, huffing at him. “We’re twenty, not five. We’ve got this.”
Derek crossed his arms, raised his brows, and gave him a look. “I don’t doubt that, I’m just doing my job. I’m not really up for campers going missing.”
“And we won’t go missing, relax, big guy.” The guy paused for a moment, and Derek tried not to make anything of the look he gave him, brown eyes moving over him and a very familiar scent radiating from him.
Lust.
“I’m Stiles, by the way,” the guy - Stiles - said, the corner of his lips tugging back in a flirtatious grin. “This is Scott,” he continued, pointing his thumb over at where Scott was rolling his eyes. “And you are?”
“Ranger Hale,” Derek replied shortly, his heart beating loudly in his chest. This kid stunk of lust, and Derek wanted to roll around in it. This was bad.
“Aw, c’mon.” Stiles stepped further inside, the grin turning to a smile and his shoulders pulled back as he stood up taller. “I don’t even get a first name?”
“Seriously, Stiles?” Scott murmured behind his friend, shaking his head.
Derek narrowed his eyes at Stiles, his nostrils flaring as he took in the scent of him. “Maybe if you manage not to do anything stupid on your little camping trip, I’ll give you my first name.”
Stiles scoffed at him, but the lust didn’t fade. “Rude.” His eyes ran over Derek once more, a pink tongue slipping out between his lips to wet them, and the flirtatious grin returned. “I’ll get your first name tomorrow then, Ranger Hale.”
And then Stiles threw him a wink, grabbed a map, and headed out of the office along with a groaning Scott.
“I thought we went camping to have some brotherly bonding, Stiles,” Derek heard Scott say when the two of them had left the office, and he could see them walk toward a blue and old looking jeep parked in the parking lot. “Not to flirt with the rangers.”
He couldn’t help the little smile that tugged at his lips as he sat back down. People flirting with him wasn’t a rarity, but people like Stiles - people who radiated comfort, happiness, and safety? Those people were so rare, this was probably the first time it had happened.
“Hey, you can’t blame me, Scotty,” Stiles said, opening up the back of the jeep to pull out camping gear. “That guy is hot like burning, and I’m painfully single. We can’t all be lucky enough to have a three year relationship with a badass.”
There came a mumbled reply from Scott, but Derek tuned the both of them out. Instead, he settled back in his chair, tilted his head back, and close his eyes to focus on the calm nature surrounding him.
*
“North area clear,” Erica’s voice told him through their radio. “And quiet. Couldn’t hear any heartbeats but I did find some little girl’s shoe. I’ll put it in Lost and Found before I leave.”
“Good. I’ll head back when-” He stopped the moment the sound of yelling and panicked voices reached him. He stood frozen for only a second, before he went into full sprint and headed over toward where the voices came from.
Derek didn’t know what he was expecting. Maybe an animal circling campers, maybe someone hurt calling for help.
He definitely did not expect to see two very familiar people stomping the ground. The ground that was somehow on fire.
“What the hell are you two doing?” he practically roared as he stormed over there and pushed the two of them away.
The fire wasn’t big. No, it were just a few flames that had caught some dry grass, but it could have easily turned into something much bigger and much more dangerous, and Derek couldn’t deal with fire. Not after everything that had happened.
The flames died under his boot and when they were gone, he didn’t waste a second to snap his head around and glare at Scott and Stiles, both of them clinging to each other, both of them smelling of fear - although one of them smelled of arousal as well.
Derek didn’t need to focus his senses to figure out Stiles was the one smelling of both fear and arousal. The look he gave him was enough.
There was a tense silence between them, the only sound the wild life somewhere in the distance, but the silence didn’t last for more than a minute.
“So, I guess I’m not gonna get your first name in the morning?” Stiles said, a nervous grin forming on his lips.
Derek huffed at him, a near growl rumbling in his chest. “You get one warning,” he said, pointing at both of them. “If me or anyone else find you two fucking something up again, you’re banned from the park.”
Stiles opened his mouth to protest, but Derek didn’t stick around to hear any of it.
When morning came - Derek had spend the night walking around the park, a trained ear on the two campers - he found himself leaning against the outer wall of the office, arms crossed and narrowed eyes on Stiles as he packed their camping gear in the beat up jeep.
He could smell the nerves from where he stood, didn’t need to be any closer to know that Stiles’ heart was beating rapidly, nor did he need to see his face to know that he was having a silent conversation with Scott.
Scott’s snickering grin was enough.
With a sigh that sounded more like a groan, Stiles made a wild movement with his arms and turned to head for the driver’s side of the jeep. His hand was on the handle when he cast Derek a look and offered him a smile.
“See you next time, ranger!” he called out with a grin and, if Derek hadn’t mistaken, a wink.
Derek didn’t move. Not even when he saw Erica coming over toward him with a teasing grin, because she had heard what Derek had heard Stiles tell Scott just as they drove out of the parking area.
“Dude, we gotta come back here.”
*
The next time Derek saw Stiles, it was around noon on a Tuesday, a bit over a week since they met for the first time.
The sun stood high on the cloud free sky, and Derek had rolled up his sleeves. There was a pleasant heat in the air, and it attracted more visitors to the park. Which was why he was in the middle of helping a family of five get their things back in their car after they had had an outdoor lunch, when he saw a blue jeep come to a halt just a few parking spaces away from him.
He watched as Stiles climbed - or more like fell - out of the jeep, watched as long fingers ran through a mess of brown hair, and watched as those brown eyes scanned the area before landing on him, pink lips stretching into a smile.
Derek tried not to stare. He tried not to feel a pang of excitement when Stiles lifted a hand in greeting. He tried for all of two seconds, before he knew he had failed. Because no matter how bad he knew this was, he couldn’t stop himself from staring.
Not even as the family of five thanked him and left, not even as Stiles made his way over toward him, the smile firmly on his lips.
And it was only when Stiles was standing a few steps away from him that Derek noticed the lack of Scott following after him.
“What, no fire starting partner with you today?” he asked, cocking a brow.
Stiles snorted, the smile not faltering even as he rolled his eyes. No, it only grew wider. “Nah, Scott had other things to do. Other things meaning his girlfriend. Besides, him and hiking don’t mix well together. Asthma, y’know.”
“So you’re hiking today?” With a huff, Derek started walking toward the rangers’ office and let Stiles follow him. “At least you can’t set fire to anything then.” He cast him a quick look, eyes narrowed slightly. “Unless you’re a bigger idiot than I thought.”
“Oh my God, you’re such an asshole,” Stiles told him, jogging up to walk next to him. “And yet still so hot. It’s kinda unfair, did you know that? Like, I saw you be nice to that family just now, but you’ve been nothing but an asshole to me.”
“Because you set the ground on fire. I still don’t know how you managed to do that.” Derek stepped into the office, rolling his sleeves back down. “And stop flirting with me,” he said, turning around to find Stiles eyeing him up and down, his bottom lip caught between his teeth.
Stiles hummed softly, his head tilting to one side, before he shook it. “Nah, I don’t think so, big guy.” Standing up straight, he shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped closer. “Anyway, where would you recommend hiking if you’re a beginner?”
Derek let his eyes roam over the guy standing in front of him. Took in the sight of those pink and kissable lips tugged back into a smile and those bright, brown eyes watching him so closely. Stiles was definitely a beautiful man, a lean and muscular body obvious even under the layers of clothes he wore, and Derek would love to give in to the flirting and just let it happen.
Except he didn’t do that. He didn’t do a quick fuck and then never spoke to the person again, and he doubted Stiles was after anything but that.
“There’s a trail just to the right of here,” Derek said, crossing his arms over his chest. “You can’t miss it.”
“And I wouldn’t be able to convince you to lead me to it, would I?” The smile quickly turned to a grin, brows raising.
It was tempting, honestly, but Derek just narrowed his eyes and gave him a look. A look that had Stiles laughing and holding up his hands in defeat. “Relax, sourpuss, I don’t expect you to.”
With the smile back on his lips, Stiles turned around to walk back outside. “I’m still gonna get your name, by the way,” he said, throwing Derek a look. “See you later, ranger Hale!”
And with that, Derek was left to stand there, surrounded by the scent of Stiles and his lust.
*
“Derek.”
The sound of Erica’s voice made Derek stop in his steps, and he reached for the radio strapped to his belt. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“I need a med kit,” she told him, an annoyed sigh followed her words. “Some idiot hurt himself.”
“On the way.”
It took him no more than a minute to locate Erica, finding her scent easily, and he headed over toward her after getting a med kit from the office. He was no more than a few meters from where she was, when he heard a familiar voice.
“- hurts! It’s not my fault there was a branch there!”
Of course.
Derek was not surprised to find Stiles sitting on the ground with his pant leg rolled up to above his knee and complaining loudly at Erica, Erica who stood there with an amused grin on her lips, her shoulders shaking lightly as she obviously held in a laugh.
“First a fire,” he started, catching both their attentions, “and now you somehow managed to hurt yourself. I’m starting to think you’re a danger to yourself and everyone around you.”
Stiles turned his head and looked up at him, and Derek could see dirt on his face. “Oh, shut up, asshole,” Stiles said with a scoff. “The branch was just suddenly there, it’s not my fault!”
“You’re surrounded by trees,” Derek said, crouching down in front of Stiles. “It’s your fault for not looking out for branches in the first place.” He turned and gave Erica a quick nod. “I’ve got it from here, Erica.”
Erica looked between the two for a moment, her eyes resting a bit longer on Stiles before she looked at Derek and snorted. “Sure thing, boss.”
Derek kept his eyes on her for a moment, then turned his attention back to Stiles and his scraped knee. It wasn’t bad, barely even bleeding. “Maybe I should have gone with you after all,” he said, shooting Stiles a glance as he opened the med kit. “Seems like you need supervision.”
Stiles scoffed at him and rolled his eyes, hissing slightly as Derek touched his knee. “I can function just fine by myself, thank you very much. Although I’m not gonna say no if you wanna accompany me next time I come hiking.”
Derek gave him a look. “You plan on coming back?”
“Damn right I am. One little injury isn’t gonna keep me away from here, buddy.” Stiles looked at him, watched him silently for a moment or two, then grinned. “At least one good thing came out of this.”
“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”
“I finally got your name.” The grin grew wider. “Derek.”
*
Stiles became a regular hiker after that.
He stopped by the park at least once a week, sometimes twice if he didn’t have too much school work to deal with, and he would always spend the first several minutes of his visit flirting with Derek, the last several spend with even more flirting, and he always left with a wink.
Things went fine for the first handful of weeks. The office hut started to smell more and more like Stiles, and Derek spend more and more time in there. The times he didn’t, he wandered the park and always kept an ear focused on the now familiar heartbeat and scent coming from Stiles.
The times Stiles was clumsy and managed to hurt himself, Derek was right there within the first few minutes, med kit ready.
And after the first time Stiles got lost and wandered around the place until it got dark, Derek provided him with a radio of his own. Just in case.
Stiles, of course, used the radio to ramble on and on about anything and everything to Derek throughout the day, which Derek had found annoying the first few times, but now found it calming to know someone wanted to talk to him that much.
And it was calming because he knew Stiles was safe.
Isaac had caught him doing it one morning while Stiles was gearing up for a long hike on a sunny Wednesday, and Derek’s betas had never let it go since then, because of course Isaac hadn’t listened to him and kept it quiet.
All three of them, even Boyd, teased him about the growing crush he had on this human who just wouldn’t leave him alone.
This human who radiated happiness and comfort, radiated home as well as lust and nerves. This human who Derek found himself to care about the more he got to know him.
It was terrible and it worried him.
Because Derek didn’t have a great relationship history. The people he cared for romantically always ended up either hurt or hurting him.
Which was exactly why he was on edge and nearly panicked when he hadn’t heard from Stiles for hours on a late Friday afternoon.
It was on hour four of radio silence, that Derek stopped being stubborn and brought his own radio up to him, eyes on the darkened park ahead of him. “Stiles, did you hurt yourself again?” he asked, meaning to sound like he was joking but he knew his voice was full of the worry he was feeling.
There was no response. Nothing. He couldn’t hear Stiles’ heartbeat from where he stood, but he did catch his scent and slowly started walking in the direction it was coming from.
“Stiles, if you lost the radio, you’re not getting a new one,” he told the radio, not expecting a reply this time. Because he knew he wouldn’t get one anyway.
He kept walking, the air cool around him and the moon high on the now dark and clear sky. He walked for what felt like several hours, before a very strong scent hit him.
Fear.
Panic.
That was all it took for his eyes to suddenly flash red and for his legs to star moving faster.
He ran- no, he sprinted toward where the scent of fear was coming from, his ears picking up the sound of a rapid heartbeat somewhere further up the trail surrounded by thick trees.
The further into the woods he got, the stronger the scent became. His own heartbeat raced along the one he could hear in his ears, his own nerves suddenly high along with the panicked thoughts running through his mind.
Whatever was happening or had happened, obviously Stiles was terrified.
And sitting very, very still.
Stiles was on the ground leaning against a large tree, his eyes wide and his whole body shaking slightly, his hands curled into tight fists and his breathing shallow.
And walking nearby was a mountain lion. Growling and obviously on the hunt.
Derek could smell blood, but he didn’t focus his senses enough to figure out if it was Stiles or the animal bleeding. He couldn’t focus, because all he saw was red, anger replacing panic.
He stalked forward, catching Stiles’ attention when he was only a few steps from him, and he ignored the way the guy shook his head and tried to make him stop.
He ignored it and instead let himself shift, his claws digging into the palms of his hands and his fangs poking against his lips. He was roaring before he had even walked past Stiles, knew Stiles was looking at him with wide eyes and fear only growing in him.
He wasn’t worried about that for the time being though, could only focus on the mountain lion turning to him and growling in return to his roar.
There were distant sounds of responding howls, and Derek knew his pack would be heading toward him any second now. The mountain lion seemed to sense that as well, because it only took one more growl and roar from Derek, his eyes flashing a bright red, for the animal to turn and run away.
He stood quietly and watched the mountain lion disappear into the darkness, watched it run behind trees until he couldn’t see it anymore. He stood there quietly as he shifted back to his completely human form, his eyes going from red to the hazel they usually were.
And when he knew he was shifted back, he slowly turned around to face Stiles.
Stiles who was looking at him with wide eyes and a heartbeat so rapid, it sounded like his heart was trying to break its way out of his chest.
He was scared. Derek didn’t need to smell the air around them to know this. He wasn’t scared because of the mountain lion. No, he was scared because of Derek.
There was another scent underlining the fear, but Derek didn’t bother reading into it. Instead, he carefully stepped forward. “You’re hurt,” he said, crouching down in front of where Stiles was still sitting on the cold ground.
Stiles was quietly watching him, brown eyes wide and focused only on Derek. Derek half expected him to flinch when he reached out to grab him, but he didn’t. No, Stiles just let himself be picked up into Derek’s arms.
The whole way back to the rangers’ office, there was a tense silence between them. And the silence continued as Derek sat Stiles on a chair, got a med kit, and patched up the wound on his leg.
The silence didn’t end when Boyd came running into the office and looked between the two. Derek didn’t take his eyes off of where his hands were working, didn’t take his focus off of the sound of Stiles’ slowly calming heartbeat.
Not even when Boyd stepped over, got the phone number to Stiles’ dad, and made the call.
And when Stiles got in the passenger seat of a police cruise, Derek couldn’t help the sinking feeling he got.
The sinking feeling that he wouldn’t be seeing Stiles again.
*
A full week passed without a single sign of life from Stiles. A full week passed by, and Derek had been moping around in the office. He would deny it, did deny it, but he knew what Erica was saying was true.
He was pining. He was sitting in that office most of the day just waiting, hoping for that blue jeep to stop by. He was sitting there and hoping a brown haired beauty would stop by and flirt with him for a while before asking for a radio and then continue to talk to him throughout the day.
He was hoping for that, but it didn’t happen.
Not until eight days after the incident.
The weather wasn’t great, the sky full of grey clouds that told them it would rain soon. The park was nearly empty, only a few young people wandering around, one or two of them having taken a camera with them.
Erica and Boyd were wandering around the park keeping an eye on them just in case the mountain lion or any other wild and dangerous animal decided to show up and recreate the attack the week before.
Isaac had taken the day off. Apparently he had a “sort of date.” They hadn’t pressed or asked what he meant with “sort of”.
And Derek was stationed in the office like he had been for the past week. It was past noon when he heard a familiar engine further down the road, and he shot up from his seat the second he saw a familiar blue jeep park outside.
He stood frozen as he watched Stiles climb out of his jeep, more carefully this time. He stood frozen as he watched Stiles look through the window and catch his eyes, and he stood frozen as he watched Stiles step into the office and close the door behind him.
There was a silence between them while they just looked at each other. The silence wasn’t tense, only slightly awkward, and it only lasted for half a minute, before Stiles broke it.
“I’m sorry for not coming back sooner,” he said, taking half a step closer. “My dad kinda forced me to stay in bed and let my leg heal a bit. It’s totally fine though! Doesn’t even hurt and it’s not that bad.”
Derek finally let out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding, his shoulders slumping. “Stiles, I should be the one to apologize. I didn’t-”
“Derek, shut up,” Stiles interrupted. “You have literally nothing to be sorry for. You saved my life, why would you be sorry for that?” He paused, sighing softly. “Although you could be sorry for not telling me you’re a fucking werewolf sooner.”
Derek lowered his head, nodding for a moment. “I know,” he murmured and swallowed thickly. “I just- I wasn’t sure I could trust you with that secret yet.”
“And now you are?”
There wasn’t a second of hesitation when Derek nodded. “Yes. Considering there haven’t been any hunters coming after me and my pack, I do. I trust you.”
Stiles’ heart started beating rapidly and a flush spread across his cheeks. “Good,” he said with a smile growing on his lips, and he stepped closer. “Because I like you, and I kinda really wanna ask you on a date.”
Derek was over by him in a second, and he didn’t hesitate when he reached up to cup Stiles’ face, nor did he hesitate to lean in and press a kiss to those pink lips.
There was a surprised noise from Stiles, but Derek felt long arms wrap around him and the lips pressed against his own kissing him back after just a few seconds.
Kissing Stiles was nothing like Derek had expected it to be. Not that it was bad, no, it was just better than anything he had imagined. Stiles’ lips were soft, but Stiles wasn’t kissing him softly. No, he was kissing him like that was his only source of air. He was kissing him with a desperation that send shivers down Derek’s spine and made him lean further into it.
Derek didn’t want to stop kissing Stiles, didn’t want to deal with the outside world. He wanted to just stay with Stiles’ scent surrounding him and with Stiles’ lips pressing against him.
He didn’t want the kiss to end, so when Stiles leaned back to break it, he couldn’t help but lean forward in an attempt to keep it going.
“I take that as a yes then?” Stiles managed to get out before Derek’s lips pressed against his again.
Derek only replied with an affirming hum, too focused on kissing Stiles as much as he could to bother forming words.