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There was blood everywhere. Derek's teeth were elongated into the fangs of a wolf and his eyes glowed an eerie red as he let go of first the shoulder he had gotten a hold of, and then the head held firmly in his grasp by bleach blonde hair. Both parts fell wetly to the ground, the vampire's body aided as he pulled her talon tipped hand from his chest; her last ditch effort to go for his heart.
She had fixated on Stiles, his boyfriend, the man he loved. Had put their pack and the entire town into chaos in her pursuit of the dorky, loud mouthed young man. She had wanted him, but vampires could not turn the unwilling. The thing with that was that most people were willing, either for power, the eternal life, or to escape death in its many quickly approaching forms. Few said no even as they felt their lives fading away. Stiles had. So if she couldn't have him, she was going to make sure that Derek couldn't either.
Leaving the gory mess of the bitch who had dared to try and take Stiles, he turned and went back to where Isaac and Erica were trying to save him. They had got there in time to disrupt her killing of Stiles, but he was still bleeding out.
He shoved Isaac out of the way, and pulled Stiles up into his arms, looking over the wound to his neck. Fucking vampires, they always went for the neck.
"Derek, I..."
"Shut it, Stiles," he barked out in reply, assessing the damage, gauging the chance of it working, gauging just how pissed off Stiles was going to be with him when this was over and settled.
Stiles tried to laugh, and ended up coughing, causing Derek to growl as it made more blood seep out. "Stop that," he growled out. He then met those brown eyes that had become impossibly ingrained into his very life and being. The thought of them closing forever made his chest clench so very painfully. No, he couldn't lose Stiles. Not now. A year as this boy's boyfriend wasn't nearly enough.
"Sorry."
"What," Stiles tried speaking, but was cut off as he gave a weak cry of pain. Derek bit into his shoulder, as close to the wound on Stiles' neck as he could. He bit, and sat back, eyes trained on the wound, looking for the first signs that the curse would take. This all happened in a matter of seconds after the fall of the vampire, and as soon as the blood flow slowed to a stop, he knew that it would be alright. His eyes closed and a shaky breath left him.
He moved Stiles into Erica's arms, and was up and moving away. Stiles had been quiet after the bite, and Derek could not look into his eyes to see the betrayal there. The pack was still all around them, the remnants of the small Vampire Coven in bloody heaps, quickly decomposing in the absence of the life giving curse.
"What are you standing around here for, get this mess cleaned up. Erica, get Stiles back to the house to heal." Still, he allowed his beta form to fade, though his eyes stayed red.
"Derek," he shook off Scott's hand as the younger wolf tried to.... do whatever it was a best friend did when he watched his best friend turned against his wishes to save his life.
"Don't dawdle. We need to set this place on fire."
It was almost a week later, and still Derek hadn't approached Stiles. Yes, he was avoiding the situation, but he needed to distance himself. He felt Stiles looking out the window of his bedroom each and every morning that Derek left the house before the sun broke over the horizon. Watched him leave for another day of avoiding him.
If there was one thing that Derek knew well and respected it was Stiles want and need to remain human. There were many times in the past when he became exasperated over the frailty of his humanity. However, Stiles managed to keep living, and managed to pull them all together. The pack wouldn't be what it was if Stiles had been anything but human. Derek wouldn't have become the alpha he was if Stiles hadn't been a human. It was that humanity that was constantly saving their asses. It was what had Derek falling in love with him.
That realization had hit him the second day. Love. Since Kate Argent, he had held himself back from love. Part of his resistance to starting to date Stiles had to do with the fear that he couldn't love him. And now here he was, a year later, and completely in love with the man. On the heels of this realization came the realization that this meant Stiles was his mate. The one person he would love all of his life. The only person he would love like this.
Which hurt. the rest of the time was spent dealing with this, and preparing himself for the rejection. Preparing himself for the inevitable moment when Stiles would reject him, leaving Derek Hale to a life that would be spent alone wishing for the one thing he lost, because he had done the unthinkable. He had turned Stiles without his permission. Turned him knowing full well Stiles never wanted to become a werewolf.
He saw the looks, he knew what they meant. His pack was disappointed in him right then, leaving Stiles alone. Scott had even tried talking to him, only to be stared at until he gave up and walked away.
It was now New Year's Eve. He was out in the preserve, gathering up the courage to finally go and face the music.
As soon as he stood he paused, head turning slightly. He could hear the footfalls in the snow, muted as they were. The person was closer than they normally would have been because of this. The scent on the cold, bitter air was achingly familiar, and forever changed. Stiles. If he was honest with himself, he was surprised it had taken him this long to find him and tear into him.
"You know, running away and hiding every day is really fucking shitty, Derek."
Derek sighed at Stiles words, and turned halfway, giving Stiles his profile as he turned his head to look at him completely. His hands were in the pockets of his leather jacket, and he looked his normally, at ease, hard to approach self. Not that his sour persona had ever really been a deterrent where Stiles Stilinski was involved.
"So what, it's the silent treatment now?" All said with hand and head movement involved; hands out to the side, head swiveling a bit in Stiles' usual way. "Great. Real great. And here I thought you were done with the whole angst driven Sourwolf routine. Seriously, you got Harry Potter beat with all the angst. I mean, seriously."
Derek turned around completely as Stiles finally stepped up to him, and then shoved at his chest with his index finger. "You are an idiot. An asshole. A ginormous fucking dickhead. You think you can just turn me and walk off, leave me to your betas to handle?"
Now faced with Stiles in all his glory, face flushed with anger and not the cold, eyes flashing that telltale gold, Derek was speechless. What made it even more difficult? Those were Derek's t-shirt and sweats Stiles was wearing. Honestly, Derek had no idea what to do right then. He was getting mixed signals now, and this? This was so far out of his comfort zone it wasn't funny. Stiles was his first actual, decently functioning relationship... in as much as it could be when you had the supernatural in the mix.
"I changed you against your will," he said, an attempt at trying to explain his distance.
"No, you dunderhead. You bit me without asking."
"I fail to see the difference." Because really? Derek did. They meant the same to him. Both meant that he had done something Stiles had made known he never wanted. He took the glare from Stiles with a blank face, trying to keep his own emotions in check.
"What I mean, you idiot," Derek was really tired of the name calling, but he deserved it and so let it go, "is that you just didn't ask, not that I was unwilling."
Derek stilled, eyes widening before narrowing. Hope flared up, but he squashed it. He couldn't let that hope flare up. But it seemed that, no matter how much he tried to control his emotions, Stiles was always able to see some little giveaway. Some tell.
"What, do I need to spell it out for you? I didn't want to fucking die right then, like that. If you had asked me, I would have said yes. So I'm just a little ticked you didn't ask, and even more so that you had to go in 'super angst mode' and avoid me for a week. Damn it, that was the shittiest fucking Christmas ever! All I wanted was to just spend time with you, alone. But oh no. Some vampire psycho chick had to kidnap me, and torture me, and try to get me to be a bloodsucker for life. Then my amazing boyfriend sweeps in to save the day; and saves me, I might add. But do I get snuggles in a bed while I slowly heal as I become a werewolf? Oh no. I get Erica - doll that she is - playing babysitter. And Scott. And Isaac. And Lydia. And fucking Peter and Danny, but no you. For an entire week!"
Now Derek's eyes are wide, and his hands are held up in surrender as Stiles shoves at him during his little tirade, pushing him back, because Derek is too shocked to not take the couple steps back that Stiles seems intent on causing.
It only takes a moment for it to sink in. All those words and their meanings. The fact he had thought too much into all the wrong things and forgot one simple thing; to talk to Stiles. Because in the end? It was Stiles' life that was changed, and he was the only one to know what went on in that chaotic mind of his.
Stepping forward, he reached out and pulled the lanky man into his arms. His body gave a slight tremble as finally, after a week, he was doing the one thing he had wanted to do most during that time; hold his mate. He pressed his face into the crook of Stiles' neck, and just let himself indulge. He became familiar with Stiles' scent once more, enjoying the slight touch of his own scent from the clothes Stiles wore. And thankfully, Stiles returned the embrace.
"Oh, so this is why you guys are all so smell happy," he muttered as he did some face burying of his own. This caused Derek to smile a bit for the first time in over a week.
"I'm sorry. I was afraid you would say no if I asked. We, I... couldn't lose you." Finally, the words left Derek. The relief in knowing he hadn't lost his mate forever allowed him to push that door open just a bit more to let the truth of his emotions come out.
"What? And you think I wanted to lose you? I didn't want to die, because I didn't want to leave you. If you had shown up later, I would have said yes to her, because in the end? At least I could still see you, be with you." Derek felt those skinny, but strong arms tighten around him. "I love you, Derek. So stop avoiding me. Please. I need you right now. I can't do this alone."
Derek had to press his eyes closed at those words. He felt so warm, so... triumphant. And most of all, it... this felt so right. Like finally, all the pieces slid into their proper place.
Pulling back just a bit, he looked into the warm brown eyes of the man he loved, his mate, and said the words that since the death of Laura he had been unable to even think about, let alone say. "I love you, too." And then he leaned in, sealing the declaration with a kiss. With his hands cupping Stiles' face, he deepened it, but kept it slow. He poured his emotions into it, feeling lighter than he had in years as Stiles responded. It was perfect, this kiss. Stiles was... perfect. And one day, he would tell Stiles that he would never love anyone else, but for now? Well, for now this was enough. Stiles had enough to worry about.
Later, when they finally made it back to the house, it was just in time to see Peter greeting Argent and the Sheriff as if they had been old friends. This was slightly disturbing to see, and Derek was fairly certain it would be a sight he would never get use to seeing.
"It's like the perfect beginning to a joke. 'So a Sheriff, Hunter and ex-psycho Werewolf walk into a bar...'"
Derek snorted just a bit in trying to restrain a chuckle, earning a kiss to his cheek from Stiles, and a brief glance from his uncle. So Christmas had been a disaster, but perhaps New years, at least, would be alright.
"Batman! Get your furry ass in here and save us all from Lydia's horrible taste in pop music!" Derek groaned at Erica's words as, instantly, it was as if Stiles had ingested large quantities of adderall and was up to the house in a shot.
"Oh, I got the perfect thing! Get my ipod, I got classic music you all will love."
"Stiles, if you play Spice Girls again, I'm going to kill you!" Scott yelled from inside the house.
Derek sighed as, inside the house, bickering rose up. Reach up, Derek pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Well, I think I remember there being a back porch to this place. Seems like it would be a good place for beer." The Sheriff said, a cooler in his hand.
"You have no idea," Melissa said as she came up to them, having escaped the chaos inside the house.
"Follow me, lets leave the kids to play. Derek, you coming?" Derek was about to tell his uncle that, yes, he was going to join them, but, as Spice Girls started to play, he saw Stiles at the door, calling for him.
"You guys have fun. It seems I'm needed."
Alright, so the New Year came in just as chaotic as Christmas had been, but with a distinct lack of blood and life crisis. Well, unless you count threats on Stiles life from Jackson while Stiles and the girls danced around the large family room singing along to horrible 90's and early 2000 pop music. However, getting to kiss Stiles as the Ball hit zero was entirely too worth it. Stiles was around to see another year, and the world was right again.