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Lacrosse practice in the blazing sun was horrible. It was a bit worse when there was no wind at all. But Stiles knew something else that topped the list.
He hated lacrosse practice in a heavy downpour.
Which is how he’s been spending his week. Weather forecasts last weekend said that there were winds blowing in from the north. However, they failed to forecast that with the winds brought the rain, and no, it wasn’t a light pitter-patter.
It was the type of rain that started at dawn, and continued until evening. It would have its light moments, offering a drizzle and allowing the clouds to roll around the sky. But it didn’t change the fact that it was wet the entire day, making Stiles completely miserable because he hated being outside while it was raining.
Thus, he has been sulking for four straight days during their practices at the field. Finstock has deemed it ‘entertaining and challenging’ to be playing in the mud and the rain. Which, sure, Stiles would totally agree with that. But why did he also deem it necessary for everyone in the team to play every single day?
“Billinski! Take a seat first! Greenberg, switch” Finstock announced,
Stiles couldn’t be any happier at those words. He trooped towards the benches, even if they were mud-stained and wet. It was still a place to sit and rest, and he didn’t have the luxury to complain either. He passed Scott, who gave him a sloppy pat on the back, before he ran towards the center of the field.
Stiles sat, ripping off his helmet and trying to watch the game. The rain was still pouring, making the ground slippery and disgusting. He grimaced as he watched Danny try and block a goal, but slipped and fell sideways in a small pit of mud. Stiles looked away, feeling bad for their goalie.
That was when he noticed the seemingly random patch of black at the edge of the field. He refocused his eyes, trying to see as far as he could with the visibility that heavy rain offered. The patch did not move, and he was about to just turn his attention back to his teammates when his brain clicked and flashed the words “Derek-the-Creeper-Alpha-alert” in a nice and readable font.
Come to think of it, he has noticed that black patch ever since they started their rain-practices. He never really took notice because he was way too occupied being pissed off with the rain.
Apparently, creeping did not rest even on a rainy day.
Has Derek been creeping over their practices then? Does that also mean that he has been soaked in the rain everyday for four days or more? Was there an actual valid reason on why Derek was just standing between trees, under the relentless rain that had no clear signs of stopping?
Stiles was about to formulate another set of questions in his head, when a whistle sounded and he almost jumped from the bench.
“Horrible and sloppy again! I’ll think twice whether we’ll push through with practices tomorrow. Dismissed!” Finstock shouted, pointing towards the general direction of the locker rooms.
Scott walked over towards Stiles, a stupid grin on his face. Seriously, how was he still so jolly with all this rain? “Stiles! See you on Sunday, okay?”
He raised an eyebrow, missing the context “what’s on Sunday again?”
“Call of Duty catch up session! I’ll be leaving tomorrow, so we already agreed to continue the mission when I come back home”
’Oh right’ Stiles thinks. Scott was going on a two-day immersion trip for his bio elective class, just when they agreed to continue playing the mission they took so long to reach. To make up for his absence, Scott promised Stiles that he’d dedicate his Sunday for them to finish the mission.
“Yes yes. I remember now” Stiles answered, grinning at his best friend. “You better make it out alive from your immersion thing. Don’t get eaten by flesh-eating slugs or giant carnivorous plants”
Scott laughed loudly at at his best friend’s words “I think I’ll survive this. Besides” he said, shaking his head like a dog once they entered the sheds “Isaac is in the same class, so I guess we can look out for each other?”
“Well, that’s good then” he replied, not really knowing what else to say. “I guess you won’t miss my sorry ass “
“Are you kidding?” Scott answered disbelievingly “there’s a reason why we’re playing C.O.D on Sunday, man. I keep on imagining scenarios in my head already”
Stiles smiled “well. Great to hear that. I probably won’t notice you gone anyway, with all this rain and schoolwork” he clapped Scott’s shoulder, walking towards their lockers to gather their things “I won’t miss you at all”
--
That was such a big, fat lie.
Stiles felt even more miserable the next day. After reading Scott’s goodbye text that morning, he felt horrendously horrible. To add to that, the rain was beating down on his window, making it the perfect bed weather.
He was about to curl into his sheets and just forget about school, but he had three tests to take today, and those accounted to a sizeable chunk of their final grade. With a grunt, Stiles dragged himself out of his bed to get ready for school.
His other classes were dull for a Friday, except perhaps the ones that had a test. Somehow, he managed to survive everything. Well, not yet everything, since he still had lacrosse after.
He silently prayed to the rain gods to keep on raining and drown Finstock’s brain. Maybe he’d forget about practices altogether.
But nope. About an hour later, the entire lacrosse team was walking to the field, equipment in tow, while Finstock walked alongside them, currently busy with his phone. When they reached the bleachers, thunder cracked through the quiet afternoon, and a flash of lightning was seen in the distance.
Finstock cursed, looking up from his phone to the dark skies. He then walked up in front of the team and started yelling “Unfortunately, we can’t have practices with visible lightning. The principal will immediately take me down if he sees any lacrosse on the field. So, everyone take a hike! We’ll continue with practices on Monday instead”
Cheers sounded from the team, as some immediately made their way back to the locker rooms. Stiles smiled, enjoying the idea that he won’t have to get soaked to the skin needlessly. He followed his teammates back into the locker rooms, then took his time to change and fix his things.
For some reason, the rain muddled his brain and made him function slowly. Thus, his haphazard-dumping of clothes stretched from the usual five minutes to an unbelievable thirty.
Another crack of lightning was heard, just when Stiles was zipping his bag closed. He threw his hands up in frustration, then dove inside his locker to pull out the spare umbrella he kept inside.
He rushed out of the school, opening his golf umbrella like a boss, and proceeded to cross the grounds to get to the parking lot. He was unlocking his door when his eyes caught another patch of black on his right side.
Stiles was tired already, but he found himself curious and maybe a bit concerned for the Alpha werewolf creeping around him. Deciding on his plan of action, he threw his bag inside then reached under his seat to procure a small, black item. With that, he closed his door and stomped towards the opposite side of the lot.
“Are you following me?” he spoke when he was about ten feet away, well aware that Derek was listening.
There was no movement, except for a huffed out breath. Stiles finally stopped a feet away from the broody-alpha, somehow shielding both of them from the downpour.
“Well?” Stiles asked
“Stiles” Derek answered curtly, raising an eyebrow at the teenager. “You should go home already. It’s not safe”
“Hello, sourwolf! Why are you looking so grim about this? Yes, we have been spending too much time outside, and yes, there is a rogue pack on the loose in Beacon Hills. But if you’ve noticed, I am practically surrounded by wolves whenever I’m at school”
Derek looked around, even took a step back to look behind Stiles. “I don’t see them anywhere right now”
The boy rolled his eyes, not amused by the observation. “Look. Take this umbrella already, okay?” he extends his arm and offers the small umbrella to the werewolf. “Lucky that it’s black. This way, you can go back to your usually broody, creeper ways. Only this time, you won’t be soaked”
Derek doesn’t make a move at all. He just looks at Stiles and blinks once, perhaps to get rid of the rain water accumulating on his eyelashes. Stiles starts getting irritated and rests his large umbrella on his shoulder, grabs Derek’s hand, and shoves the umbrella in his palm. “It’s the spare one I keep in my jeep. Do you need a manual on how to use a freaking umbrella Derek? Because unfortunately my umbrellas don’t come with an instruction manual”
The werewolf just glares at Stiles, but the rain just softens the look and makes it pitiful instead of menacing. Stiles fights down the urge to laugh and continues talking instead “I know you have super werewolf powers that prevent you from getting the flu, but you don’t have super werewolf drying powers” he shrugs, then sighs “why are you following me anyway? Is there trouble lurking? Oh wait, there is. But, I also have a personal army of werewolves who are usually around me anyway, so I’m pretty sure that I’m o—“
“I don’t trust them when it comes to you”
Stiles stops mid-sentence, a bit taken aback by Derek’s words. The alpha doesn’t trust his pack? “Wait, what do you mean you don’t trust them?”
Derek frowned deeply “I do trust them, it’s just that…” he stops himself
“No, no. Continue talking”
“Nevermind” the werewolf says, shaking his head. He looks at Stiles seriously “go home, Stiles. Okay?”
It was Stiles’ turn to huff in annoyance, as he turned around and walked back to his jeep. As he zoomed past Derek on his way out of the lot, he couldn’t understand the strange feeling in his chest.
--
Saturday morning didn’t feel like a morning at all. It was like an extension of his sad Friday night, drowning in series marathons and internet browsing.
It was almost two in the afternoon when he decided to head on to the kitchen to fix up some lunch. He checked the refrigerator and stood in front of it for a couple of minutes, like he was analyzing its contents. Finally, after concluding that he wanted bread and milk and his house didn’t have what he wanted, he shut the fridge and sped up his room to pull on a pair of pants and his favorite red hoodie. A minute later, he was pulling out of the driveway in search for food.
He was about to take a right on the second block, when a familiar looking black Camaro passed in front of him.
Completely forgetting his hunger pangs, he took a left instead and went after said vehicle. He found himself wondering why in the world was he choosing to go after Derek Hale instead of food. But found himself answering his own question with the standard “I’m bored”, so he slowed down a bit and hid behind a tall delivery van.
As expected from the werewolf, he was not up to anything suspicious or exciting, as the Camaro took a right turn towards the Hale property. Stiles stopped just before the turn, then sighed and did a U-turn instead. He had zero intentions of speaking with Derek, and he was still hungry anyway.
He found his way back to his house, after picking up some bread, milk, and a bag of chips. He was fishing out his keys from his pocket when the rain suddenly poured, making Stiles trip and stumble inside, afraid of getting drenched.
“Great” he mumbled out, idly watching his carton of milk spill all over their floor. Good thing the hole wasn’t so big, so by the time Stiles recovered and picked up the carton, it was still three-fourths full. He grabbed his other groceries and set them aside first, as he searched for a rag to clean up the mess he made before he went up to his room.
--
Thunder and lightning jolted Stiles awake from his nap.
His computer was still resting on his lap, with an open Word document and about four pages worth of lowercase “F”. He was supposed to be writing an outline for a book report that was due next Tuesday, but the weather and food must’ve lulled him to sleep instead. Sighing, he took note of the time (it was almost six in the evening), then moved his laptop to the empty space beside him.
He reached out for his phone and checked for messages. There was only one, and it was his dad telling him that he’d have to stay for another shift because it was a rainy day. Stiles completely understood the somewhat-vague message, as it was a habit of his dad to stay at the station because vehicular accidents almost always tripled during rainy days. He blew a breath as he texted his dad to be careful, and to remember to eat dinner, then got an answer with an affirmation and a smiley.
Stiles stood up and stretched, trying to get rid of the sleep kinks especially from his legs. He walked over to his window and stared out at the downpour, noting the lack of cars on the street, not to mention people and random black patches sitting by…
Wait a second.
He moved closer to his window and squinted his eyes. True enough, there was the black, creeper patch of darkness sitting by his jeep. His brain could’ve easily dismissed it for a stray dog, except said “dog” was about twice the size of an average Labrador.
Stiles pushed open his window, ignoring the strong gust of wind and rain that instantly dampened his shirt. He cleared his throat and yelled “Excuse me! Yes, you creeper werewolf!”
He almost jumped when Derek turned to glare at him, alpha-red eyes glowing through the fog and rain.
“Yes, I am talking to you sir. Please step away from the vehicle and get your soggy ass up here, pronto!”
When there were no signs of movement, he yelled again “Sir, I have to ask you to step away from that lovely, blue jeep. You see, my father is the sheriff of this town, and he’s particularly fond of the vehicle, as I am. So, to save yourself from any more trouble with the officials, I suggest you get up here now”
Derek moved his head to the side, and finally got on all fours and started to walk nearer the house. He looked up at Stiles, but basically just continued sitting on the wet grass.
Stiles was quickly losing his patience. “Jesus Christ Derek. You’re soaking wet. Will you get up here so that you don’t look like a sad, abandoned puppy already?”
After a few more seconds, Derek leaped up effortlessly and landed on the roof in front of Stiles’ window. He jumped inside once Stiles stepped away, looking back to see the window being sealed shut.
“Okay, will you please explain why you’re being creeper-wolf outside my house, in the pouring rain?” Stiles spoke, turning around to look at the large wolf sitting in his room. “No, hold that thought. Get yourself to the bathroom, shower, and I’ll get you a towel and some clothes. Then you can explain yourself”
The wolf snuffed, then shook his fur before making his way to the bathroom down the hallway. He didn’t miss out on the loud protests as he returned back to his human form and stepped inside the shower.
Derek enjoyed the hot water, taking his time to soak in the warmth. It really was freezing outside, since he has been under the rain since early afternoon. He heard Stiles enter the bathroom then close the door back again, but he ignored it. By the time he was done, he found a thick blue tower, a large white shirt and light gray track pants sitting by the sink.
He went back to the boy’s room to find him sitting on his bed, ankles crossed over one another and concentrated on his laptop. Derek went back to the window, seeing a small pile of clothes thrown over the puddle he caused earlier.
“So, care to explain?”
Stiles didn’t even look up as he spoke. Derek moved closer towards the pile of dirty clothes on the floor, then hesitated and shuffled back to the opposite corner near the door. “I was just…” he started, as he sat down.
“Hmm? I’m listening…”
The alpha looked around, then fidgeted a bit “I have to keep watch, and—“
“Wow, while getting soaked in the rain? Nice one…”
Derek growled a bit, and Stiles smiled. The alpha heaved a breath before continuing. “Stiles. You’re alone, okay?”
“I know that”
“There’s a rogue pack of werewolves in Beacon Hills”
“Again, old news”
“They’re out to get the humans of my pack”
“Aaand, that’s not re—“ Stiles stopped “wait, what?”
“The humans, Stiles. They know that I have humans in my pack, and that they are the most vulnerable and easiest to target” he scrubbed at his head, messing up his wet hair even more “They’ve heard too many stories about Lydia’s near-insanity, so they won’t touch her. Allison is a hunter, and werewolves can basically smell the wolfsbane wafting from her bag. As for you…”
“As I told you, I’m fine” Stiles said, slightly put-off. “I have enough werewolf protection as is”
Derek leered at Stiles “And as I told you, I don’t see them anywhere. Your so-called ‘werewolf protection’ is out on a little field trip” he drew his knee closer to his body and relaxed against the wall. “Am I right?”
No sense in lying to the alpha anyway “So what? It’s raining really hard. What if those wolves don’t like the rain? I don’t see anyone creeping around me. Except you”
“They’re not ‘creeping around’ because they know I’m watching you”
“Why are you then? Watching me?”
“Because you’re pack”
Stiles looked up from his laptop “I don’t see you creeping around Lydia or Allison then” he said nonchalantly, turning his attention back to his PDF file.
“Because you’re important”
He continued reading through the pages about the significance of the Boston Tea Party when he felt an uneasy movement around him as Derek added “…to me”
The boy stopped his scrolling at those words. He didn’t dare look up. Instead, Stiles chuckled and smiled, like he was in on a stupidly big secret.
After moments of silence, Stiles found the right words to respond with. “Nice answer. That earns you a spot next to the person you consider important then” he moved his thick comforter aside, clearing the opposite side of his bed. “Come on, big bad werewolf. I’m sure you were soaked to the bone from all that creeping around. Time to get some rest. One time offer. Going once…”
That got Derek moving, as he swiftly stood up and crossed the room. He stayed beside the bed awkwardly, and Stiles let out an exasperated sigh, reaching out to pull Derek down.
The alpha fell on the mattress with an audible thump, landing right beside Stiles. The bed was really warm, and Derek found himself curling towards the boy, craving the unique warmth very much different from his own. His nose picked up the various scents that suddenly overwhelmed him, and his cheek rubbed against the pillow’s fabric that was incredibly soft.
“Are you sure you’re a werewolf? Because you’re actually a cat, with the amount of shoving and squishing you’re doing right now”
Derek growled lowly, settling his head more comfortably on the pillow; his nose nudged right beside Stiles’ hip. He inhaled deeply, registering the smell of soap and Stiles, and he instantly threw his arm over the boy’s stomach, drawing him even closer.
“Woah there!” Stiles said, swaying a bit from the action. He lifted his laptop a bit and uncrossed his ankles. “Who knew that you were such a cuddle bug? Is it the weather? Does it make you extremely clingy or something?”
“Stiles”
“Hmm?”
“Shut up. About this. Or else I’ll rip your throat out”
In response, Stiles allowed his right hand to rest on Derek’s shoulder and stay there. “I’ve heard that many times already, sourwolf. Maybe you should take a nap first and think of a better threat for next time?”
Derek shoved his face nearer Stiles, squishing his nose between the pillow and Stiles’ hip. When the boy’s long fingers slowly trailed up and started raking through his damp hair, he couldn’t stop the low purr that escaped from his lips. He felt the bed move as Stiles laughed, and he was about to say something when Stiles beat him to it
“Sleep, Derek. God knows how long you’ve been driving around, being all cool creeper and—”
This caught Derek’s attention “Driving? What do you mean?”
“Uh, weren’t you driving around this afternoon?”
“No”
“Then who was in the Camaro…?” Stiles asked, completely puzzled
The alpha’s nostrils flared up in mild annoyance “Peter. I already figured that he’s been borrowing my car, but I never caught him anyway” he then peered up at Stiles, who was still messing up his hair “why were you following the Camaro again?”
“Huh? No I wasn’t” Stiles replied almost instantly, and Derek caught the quick blip blip of his heartbeat.
“If you say so…” Derek said, smiling a bit and tightening his hold on Stiles’ hip. “Will you get some rest, Stiles? I can’t sleep with your typing and clicking"
“Wow. Really?” he said, throwing a dirty look towards Derek. “I am sorry, your royal alpha-ness. I shall resume my school duties after your royal sleep then”
Derek snorted “Yes. You do that”
Stiles sighed instead. He was getting sleepy, just looking at the huge chunk of text on his screen, plus it was perfect bed weather right now. His brain was also reduced to mush with the proximity of the other man beside him, not to mention the arm draped around his waist. Derek-1, School Work-0.
With that, the boy saved his progress and put his laptop to sleep, closing the lid and moving it to his bedside table. Derek didn’t even move; just sort of swayed along with Stiles’ movement. He did, however, lift his head when Stiles moved around to get a comfortable position.
But Stiles was Stiles, and it took Derek about two minutes of being subjected to Stiles’ tossing and turning before he said “what is it now?”
Stiles didn’t refuse the chance to talk “aren’t you worried that my dad will come barging in with shotgun in tow when he sees you here?”
“I don’t see you being worried about it, so why should I?”
“But—“
“Besides, you dad won’t be back until the morning, right? Since he’s probably rained in by the weather and the amount of traffic violations and accidents”
“Wait! How’d you find—“
“You should really learn to read text messages in your head, and avoid reading them out loud. Who knows who might be hearing your secrets” Derek said, amusement underlying his tone.
“Hey! You’ve been sta—asjklfjgla”
The rest of Stiles’ rant was immediately cut off by a pillow being smothered over his face. Derek then maneuvered himself so that he was lying over Stiles’ chest, with another pillow to support his head. He then allowed the boy to throw off the pillow, remembering to plaster his sweetest, most annoying grin as Stiles glared at him
“You were—“
“Yes, maybe I was. But I don’t want to hear about it. Get some rest, Stiles. As you can notice, it’s the ‘perfect bed weather’ and believe it or not I actually like rainy days, but only when I’m indoors” Derek spoke as quickly and calmly as he could, not giving enough time for the other to interrupt him.
“Fine” Stiles said resignedly, heaving a breath but not moving otherwise. He eased his breathing then closed his eyes.
The room was getting darker with every minute, and Derek couldn’t will himself to sleep just yet. He directed his attention to the window, seeing the strong rains pour outside. He was trying to figure out how strong the wind was when Stiles mumbled, “Get some sleep Derek. Close your eyes. Shut off your alpha-eyes or something. It’s distracting”
“I can’t shut off my eyes” Derek retorted, willing himself to shift his eye color back to normal.
“Just try, okay?” Stiles spoke softly, his hand finding Derek’s hair and tugging it a bit. The alpha was about to shout or maybe growl when he felt the boy’s blunt fingernail scratching his scalp. It made him relax, and Stiles started using the pads of his fingers and it was even better and Derek had no choice but to just close his eyes.
“Goodnight, Stiles” Derek whispered, moving his head a bit until it was resting on the boy’s chest and he could hear the steady heartbeat.
There was an uptick for a second, a small smile, and everything faded to black as the rain continued to pour outside.