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Derek has been dreading this very moment since his first date in high school. Well, actually Derek has been dreading this moment his whole life. But he also knows it’s a necessary moment in a relationship, at least a relationship he’s actually sure about. And god, is he glad that he’s never really been sure about any of his boyfriends or girlfriends before, because having this moment with any of them could’ve resulted in a lot of horrifying complications for him and his family.
But of this relationship, Derek is sure. Which is weird maybe, because this relationship hasn’t even been that long in the making yet, but Derek just knows it. He knows that Stiles is most likely – it really depends on how this moment is going to work out – the one for him.
Derek knows it when he looks in Stiles’ eyes on the rare occasions they get the chance to wake up in the same bed. Derek knows it when he gets to listen to Stiles sing along with the kitchen radio while Derek helps him bake cupcakes for the sheriff’s birthday. Derek knows it when he finally introduces Stiles to his family and his boyfriend helps his mom in the kitchen, chokes on a cigar in a failed attempt to impress Derek’s dad and on top of all that, sasses uncle Peter just when Derek has had more than enough of being the butt of every single one of his uncle’s jokes.
Yes, Derek is sure about it, even if it’s only been 6 months.
He warns his mother about the oncoming moment first. Not asking for her permission – because at 24 Derek will damn well do with his love-life whatever the hell he wants – but asking for her blessing (and hoping the blessing comes with some free advice, because he could really use some right about now). Because this moment, this talk really, and how Derek brings it to Stiles will make or break their relationship. And Derek really, really doesn’t want this thing between them to break.
Of course he’s scared of Stiles’ reaction, but let’s be real, he trusts his boyfriend more than he trusts himself with this. If Derek fucks up the delivery of the message, he can’t really blame Stiles if he nopes out. Hell yes, Stiles is incredibly understanding and smart and brave, which are all things that will help make this talk go rather smoothly. But there’s also the fact that Derek is the worst with words. The best speech he’s come up with so far, is just to come out with it and say it in one single sentence.
“Stiles, I’m a werewolf.” Simple, straightforward. And then he’ll just wait for Stiles to ask millions of questions which Derek will be all too happy to answer because it means that he doesn’t need to come up with all the words himself.
Yes, Derek knows it also sounds stupid and must seem ridiculously unbelievable to a human’s ears, but this is the best he’s got for now.
So here he is, at the kitchen table in his parent’s home, talking to his mom and basically asking her for dating advice. Which is incredibly uncomfortable and he wishes his cup of tea was actually big enough to hide behind.
“Derek, honey, I’m sure Stiles doesn’t need an overly long speech for this. Just… just go with what feels right to you?” Oh great, even his own mother has no advice apparently.
“That’s easy for you to say! You ended up marrying a werewolf.” Derek huffs and keeps his eyes glued to his tea. Talia patiently waits her son out till he’s ready to say what he’s really dying to bring up. To her surprise, she doesn’t even have to wait all that long.
“Mom, what if I scare him?” his voice seems smaller than it’s ever been.
“Oh, honey, you won’t…” Of course his mom would say that.
“No, mom, don’t do that. I really, really love him and I need to make this work but… what if I scare him away?”
“I know you love him, I’m not blind, son. But I also see how he looks at you, he loves you just as much. I don’t think a couple of claws or fangs could scare this boy away from you. But if they somehow do, then he simply wasn’t the one for you, Derek. You can’t be in a relationship where you have to censor yourself all the time, where you have to lie to your partner all the time. You’ll have to tell him and just hope for the best. Just be yourself and explain everything as gentle as I know you can. You’ll be just fine, Derek.”
Right, so the conversation with his mom was pretty much useless. No advice whatsoever. But he was going to do this anyway. He was just going to tell Stiles and hope for the best. He was going to be just fine. (Okay, fine, the conversation with his mom wasn’t useless at all, he got some very much needed words of encouragement out of it.)
It wasn’t quite enough encouragement to keep him from freaking out on his way over to the Stilinski household. But Derek was having this talk tonight, no matter how freaked out he got. The sheriff had a late shift so Stiles and Derek would have the house to themselves. Stiles had promised to make dinner and Derek promised to bring a movie. It was just going to be a regular datenight. It would be fine. Derek was just going to talk to Stiles during dinner, he was going to tease Stiles about the amount of questions he would be rambling off, they’d do the dishes together and watch the movie like nothing happened.
But of course, it didn’t happen like Derek pictured it would. It was so much more uncomfortable than that.
“Can you pass me the coke? Derek? Earth to major Hale!” Stiles sniggered when Derek finally managed to zone in to real life again. “What’s up with you? You’ve been distracted all night. It’s not fun when I’m not the one distracting you.” Derek was so nervous he barely even managed to smile at that, which finally started to really worry Stiles.
“I just… there’s just something that I’ve been meaning to talk to you about and I was wondering if you had some time to talk about it now?” No, that was stupid, Derek, backtrack! “I mean, of course you have time to talk that’s what datenight’s for…. Fuck. I’m not good at this.”
“Hey, dude, it’s fine. We’ve got all night, take all the time you need.” Of course Stiles would be amazingly understanding and patient with him. Of course he would. But the patience calmed Derek down enough to finally really take the plunge.
“So, there’s something about me that I never really told anyone before. I just… I just needed to really be sure of this, of… of you, before I could talk about it. And I hadn’t really thought about bringing it up yet, not with you, because we haven’t been going out for that long. I mean, 6 months isn’t short, but… still… But I realized that it doesn’t matter how long we’ve been going out. What matters is that I love you and I trust you and you deserve to know and it’s just not going to work if I don’t talk about it. And I really do want this to work.” Stiles smiled reassuringly as Derek grabbed his hand on top of the table.
Stiles quickly got in a whispered “I love you too” before he let Derek continue the speech.
“But you know I’m not good with words. I’ve thought about a good way to bring this up or to ease you into this but… there’s just no way that’s going to happen. So I’ll just say what I have to say and then you can ask whatever it is you want to know about it and I’ll answer everything. Anything you want to know. Okay?” Derek was probably working this up way too much, but he couldn’t take that back anymore.
“I hope you realize you just gave me a free pass to bug you all night about this and to never let this go.”
“I know this sounds crazy, but… I’m a werewolf.”
The only reaction that Derek got was a raised heartbeat and a pair of quickly blinking eyes. Stiles didn’t say anything for a while but he hadn’t pulled his hand away yet either, so Derek was taking that as a good sign.
“You’re… you’re a werewolf?” Derek just nodded because he really didn’t trust his voice right now.
“Okay…. Okay. That’s fine. That’s…. Dude, you really worried me for a second. I thought this would be like a super serious talk. I mean, not that this is a joke. I get that it isn’t a joke. It’s not funny, I’m not laughing. I just thought that it would be serious serious. But this is fine. We can totally work with this.
I mean, I haven’t really thought about it before, but I’ll think about it now. And you know me, I’m pretty sure I’ll find something to like about it. I’ve read some things about it before, obviously I don’t know a lot about it and you’ll have to guide me through this probably. But we can totally work with this.”
What?
“We can… work with this?” Derek had been prepared for a lot of things. He’d been prepared for Stiles running away and calling his dad. He’d been prepared for Stiles to grab the nearest knife and try to stab him to death. He’d been prepared for yelling and disbelief and he’d hoped for eventual understanding. But this was… too tame.
“Yes, we can work this out, Derek! It’s a kink, it’s not the end of the world.” Stiles actually squeezed Derek’s hand this time, trying for all his might to reassure his boyfriend.
“A kink?”
“A erm… a lifestyle? What do you prefer?” Okay, so there was definitely some kind of misunderstanding going on. Which Derek had been so careful of avoiding with the straightforward “hey, stiles, I’m a werewolf”-approach.
“Stiles… what… what do you think I meant?”
“That you’re a werewolf. You know… erm… god what’s it called again? A… a furry? You’re a furry. And, Derek, I really am cool with it. It’s not that big a deal for me, I swear. If you like to growl in the bedroom, that’s fine. Oh god, yes… dude, I am so down for you growling. This is going to be awesome. I mean, I was a bit weary at first because of the whole doing sexy stuff with an animal kind of thing. But if your furry erm… fursona is a werewolf, that means you’re still kind of human which is going to make this a lot easier on me. Because this is my first time, baby steps and all that.”
Derek couldn’t respond to that, he didn’t know what to do. He barely even knew what Stiles was talking about. His boyfriend thought it was a sex thing. In any other context, that would just have been a normal thing for Stiles to assume. Derek honest to god would have never thought it was a possible reaction to him coming out as a werewolf. Silver lining was that Stiles was indeed just as patient and understanding as Derek could’ve hoped he’d be, so yes, Derek had that going for him. Which honestly counts for nothing if he can’t make Stiles understand that Derek doesn’t like to be a werewolf in the bedroom. Well… he does, but that’s because he is one not because he likes to be one. Not that he doesn’t like to be a werewolf - … now he was confusing himself.
“Derek… that was what you meant right?” He could only shake his head.
“Okay… then what did you mean?” Stiles squinted at his boyfriend who apparently couldn’t get a single word out anymore.
“Fuck, did I screw up your whole big serious talk? And now you’re not saying anything anymore… do you need me to guess?” Stiles really fucking hoped he didn’t need to guess because he really didn’t know what else Derek could’ve meant with that. But Derek’s only response was a nod.
“You’re not even going to help me with charades or anything? Nope? Nothing? Great, so I’ll just be stuck asking yes or no questions. That’s fine. That’s…. totally okay. But after this we’re going to work on your communication skills.” Stiles took in a deep breath.
“Okay, so just to clarify, it’s not a sex thing then?” Derek shook his head no, which was already confusing.
“Ugh, no, no, no. Let me try again without the negotiation, those questions and answers always trip me up. Is it a sex thing?” Nope… okaaaay.
“Oh but is it a furry thing in a non sexy kind of way? Also no? Goddamnit… I don’t know what else “I’m a werewolf” can possibly mean, Derek! Are you like… allergic to the sun? No, for fuck’s sake, Stiles, that’s vampires. Get your shit together.” He facepalmed, completely fed up with his rambling mouth. “Great, now I’m talking to myself. In front of my boyfriend. Who’s apparently a werewolf.”
Oh fucking finally! Derek finally saw Stiles’ eyes widen in shock and disbelief.
“Oh my god. You can’t be serious. You’re actually a werewolf?”
“Yes!”
“No!” Stiles finally pulled his hand out of Derek’s hold. “No, no, no! You’re not supposed to sound so relieved at that! What? Why? How?!” Stiles stood up from his chair and started pacing on his side of the table. Muttering to himself and occasionally glancing over at Derek.
“A werewolf. A fucking werewolf. Six months and 23 days have I been dating a werewolf and I didn’t notice anything. Fuck, my dad is going to kill me for being so ignorant about the person I’m dating! Are you happy now, Derek? My dad is going to kill me!” Stiles put his hands on his hips and stared his boyfriend dead in the eye.
“What have you got to say for yourself? Your little werewolf ass just got me killed. Now what? I mean, my dad killing me is really the best case scenario here. Because let’s be real, what’s actually going to happen is him never believing me and just putting me away in some kind of psych ward! That’s what’s going to happen! You better fucking get me out of there, you hear me? I don’t care if you burn yourself on the silver freaking doorknobs, you’re going to get me out of there! Speaking off: that’s my grandma’s silver cutlery set you’re using, how the fuck is your skin not melting off?”
“That’s not how-“
“Oh my god, listen to me! I am going crazy! No you’re not a fucking werewolf! You’re my boyfriend, just my boyfriend. You are totally fine around silver and I always go so heavy on the garlic and yet you’re still here, or is garlic vampires again? That’s not even the point! Don’t mind the garlic! We went to that movie that one time and we stopped at the make-out point like two horny teenagers afterwards and then you said the moon was pretty and I said something ridiculously cheesy about your eyes which is also not the point. The point is that you pointed at the full moon with your very human fingers without magically turning into a wolf! Ha! I knew it! You’re not a werewolf!”
“I’m fine with silver, garlic is a myth about vampires who don’t exist by the way, and I only turn when I want to turn. I have control, not the moon.”
“Wrong response, Derek! You’re supposed to go “hahaha! April fools!” oh my god, is this a prank video? Is there some sort of hidden camera somewhere?” When Stiles started to search the kitchen for a camera, not caring if he smashed some plates in the process, Derek figured it was time for the big guns.
“Stiles, there’s no camera.”
“Well that’s very stupid then. You know you should record your pranks, you can make good money from a prank video these days.” He sighed and finally turned around to face his boyfriend again, probably trying to calm himself down before asking for a proper explanation of what the fuck was going on. Instead Stiles squealed when he actually saw Derek’s face.
“F-f-furry!” Stiles pointed a very accusing finger to the sideburns that somehow magically appeared on his boyfriend’s face. Once the initial shock died down, he studied Derek’s face more. Glowing eyes, a very disturbing lack of eyebrows, lots of teeth, and yes, Stiles knows that rationally he should have been the scared one, but instead it was Derek who looked afraid.
“Okay… so… so this is real.” Well, at least Derek didn’t burst out of his clothes and turned into an actual wolf. That’s a silver lining, right? “Fucking hell…. My boyfriend’s a werewolf. Well, I haven’t ruled out the possibility of me dreaming right now, so pinch me. Actually no! Don’t, those look incredibly sharp. Just, just let me…”
“Hey!” Derek made sure to pull his claws back before he pulled Stiles’ prying fingers out of his sideburns.
“Just checking! So… those were definitely real. Where did your eyebrows go, dude?”
“Does that mean you’re not going to run away?”
“That depends. What does a werewolf’s diet consist of? Because if it’s pale scrawny bi dudes, then I am at least going to put an effort into running away from you.”
“We rarely hunt, sometimes we go for deer or rabbits, but we don’t really need to. We just eat like humans do.”
“Rabbits? Wait, “we”? How many of you are there? Is there a whole flock of werewolves in Beacon Hills? How has no one ever noticed that before? Where do you hide?” Stiles had about a million burning questions left to ask.
“It’s a pack of werewolves, it’s my family, you’ve met them, you know where they live and you’ve also been to my apartment. We don’t hide. We just… don’t usually tell people what we are.” Derek was still looking uncomfortable.
“But you told me.” That’s when Stiles’ inquisitive eyes finally softened.
“Yes. Because I love you and I trust you and I… I want us to last.”
“Oh my god, you sap! I love you too, I’m not going anywhere. Unless you decide to eat me. In the none sexy way. In which case I’ll definitely run.”
“For fuck’s sake, why do you always have to make everything about sex? What was all that furry nonsense anyway?” It was the worst, that’s what it was. Because now Derek will blush every freaking time anyone asks what happened when he finally told his boyfriend.
“Hey, in my defense you are furry! Wait, do you have a tail?” Derek rolled his eyes.
“Don’t be like that! It’s not like they teach us about werewolves in our biology classes. And you promised I could ask whatever I wanted to know. So, what are your superpowers? I mean, I’m assuming there’s some kind of advantage to being a werewolf that’s not magical sideburns.”
“We’re faster and stronger than humans and our senses are heightened.”
“What, like smell and hearing and stuff?”
“Yes.”
“So you totally noticed it every time I tried to fart sneakily.” Derek nodded and Stiles winced. “Sorry, dude.”
“It also means I understand everything you talk about in your sleep. You really shouldn’t be calling me a sap.”
“What? I don’t talk in my sleep!”
“You do, Stiles.”
“Fine, if it bothers you that much you can sleep on the porch tonight. My dad would’ve hated for me to take a dog into my bed anyway.” He raised his chin before walking to the living room and turning on the TV.
“Dogjokes. Great. Should’ve expected that.”
“Yes you should’ve.”
“Well, I’d get used to them faster if we’re together more often. How about you move in with me?”
“What? No! You don’t get to be so casual about tha-… Oh my god.” Of course the sappy wolf would put a key in a jewelry box just to make it all adorable and perfect and impossible for Stiles to refuse.
“Okay, I’ll move in with you. I’ll have your mom write down how to take care of you. When to walk you and what to feed you.” Derek let out an exasperated sigh.
“You know people aren’t going to believe any of this, I can still break up with you.”
“Oh shush, you. You’re totally in love with me.”
“Yeah… I am.”