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Derek has never made it a habit to watch any of his pack members. Sure, he did keep an eye on them when something was happening in town, he even followed Scott that one time. But he’s not spying on anyone, hasn’t done it even when he started creating his own pack. Maybe he should have, then, because he knows now that his Betas could have done with a little more guidance and watching.
He knows better now, and his pack may be small, but it’s solid. He has his Betas -- despite the close calls, Erica and Boyd came back to him eventually, and Jackson and Cora might not be around, but they’re still extended pack -- and he has an alliance with Chris on the hunter side, and Scott’s pack. They both watch over the territory now, with Derek having the seniority not only because of the Hale legacy, but also because Scott is in college. So Scott’s one Beta, Liam, is also under Derek’s protection now, at least until he’s finished high school.
Lydia is, by her own declaration, no one’s pack but her own, even when her relationship with Jackson happens to be in the “on” stage. The humans are affiliated with both packs, which for some odd reason actually works -- Derek doesn’t get it, and Satomi couldn’t explain it either, but they’ve stopped questioning it.
It’s only when the supernatural decides to go bump in the night that Derek increases his night watch, when he checks in more often than he normally would. When something is lurking around town, Derek swings by the McCall and Stilinski houses to check on Melissa and the Sheriff, invites Liam to stay with them at the loft, and keeps in touch with those who are out of town.
But then there’s Stiles. Even when things are quiet, Derek can’t seem to stay away. Sure, Stiles isn’t the fragile human he used to be in high school, and has turned out to be a little more than just a Spark. He’s not quite on Emissary level yet, but Derek and Scott both know that he’s considering splitting those duties -- when he’s fully trained -- between the two packs. He decided to do his college studies online for the most part, and barely leaves Beacon Hills, though he doesn’t live with his Dad anymore either.
Instead, thanks to Derek owning the building where his own loft is, Stiles has an apartment rented, a few floors below what is now the Hale pack loft. It’s really partly why Derek finds it so hard to stay away, since Stiles is within earshot, technically. Okay, so Derek has to stretch his hearing a little to actually hear anything from Stiles’ place, but he can if he needs to.
It doesn’t help that he knows the exact layout of Stiles’ apartment, and that he knows which items from Stiles’ old bedroom moved with him. One of them is an old All Time Low poster, that Derek gets reminded of often, thanks to Stiles’ habit of blasting his music just that little too loud. Boyd usually just smirks when it happens, Erica -- when she’s around -- hums along, and Derek… Derek withdraws into a quiet corner and tries to not remember what he walked in on the first week after Stiles moved in.
But it’s there, at the back of his mind, the image of Stiles in sweatpants and a tight T-shirt -- Derek wondered then when Stiles’ wardrobe lost the loose shirts and multiple layers -- dancing to one of the songs that Derek has since memorized.
“Maybe it's not my weekend, But it's gonna be my year,” Stiles sings along now, like he did that time when Derek actually saw him.
Derek knows the song, knows the lyrics to it by heart, and something inside his stomach twists when he thinks of the words. If Stiles feels that way, if he thinks that he’s stuck, that Beacon Hills is a trap, then Derek wonders if he should do something that would give Stiles an escape out of town. Before he can spin too far into the tornado of guilt that usually follows thoughts like this, he can hear the song change, and it’s yet another one that he recognizes.
The tone is different, and he can hear Stiles singing along more clearly, the words “I wanna fall so in love, with you” make him frown. He doesn’t know who Stiles is singing about, but Derek assumes that there is a someone, if Stiles’ dedication to belting out the song is any indication at all -- and to Derek, it’s pretty much a skywriter message.
“You know, you’re not subtle at all,” Boyd’s voice comes from upstairs, and Derek only hears it clearly because he’s already listening in to things he wouldn’t normally hear.
Derek huffs in response, and he hears a chuckle from Boyd, before another comment floats down the staircase and to Derek’s ears.
“He knows you’re listening,” Boyd says, and Derek freezes. “He’s known for a while, figured it out when he heard you humming Weightless during one of the pack meetings.”
If it wasn’t for the music still filtering through the walls of the building, and Stiles’ voice singing “Together we'll move on, just don't turn around”, Derek would try to break the silence by saying something, anything to stop his mind from spinning.
“Go, that’s the closest to an invitation you’re gonna get,” Boyd says, still upstairs, still knowing that Derek’s hearing is on high alert.
By the time the words reach Derek’s ears, he’s already halfway through the loft’s door, but he stops, turns his face up to where Boyd’s room is. He manages to mutter a “thanks” before he bolts towards the stairs to get to Stiles’ apartment.