#also check out my ao3 I wrote a story vaguely related to this and forgot about it until now

[arkangelo-7]

Clark Kent loves football.

I know it’s kind of implied that Clark is a baseball boy, because it’s usually considered the all-American sport and Clark is an all-American guy, but I would put money on Clark being a massive football fan.

As someone from the south, I can confirm that most of the guys I know are obsessed with football (even the ones that play actually baseball)—like, come on, there is no way that this self-respecting kid from Smallville isn’t absolutely obsessed with the NFL.

He knows the stats. He watches the draft. He’s in a fantasy league with some guys back from Smallville. He’s got ESPN on his phone and he checks it at least four times a day.

And you bet your ass that he has never misses a Kansas City Chief’s game.

I hc that when Bruce finds out about Clark’s obsession with the NFL, he buys a box at the Super Bowl and takes Clark as a birthday gift. Bruce probably thought it would be a cute bonding experience, but Clark activity spends the next two hours screaming at the field, talking trash about the other team, and ranting about how Mahomes should just “run the ball.” Bruce thinks he fucked up majorly (this poor city boy has never been to a football game before and has no idea how to handle the culture), but when they leave Clark’s gushing about how fantastic that game was and thanking Bruce profusely. He’s so confused.

[hellofromthe-otter-slide]

Only Time Will Tell - Chapter 4: The French Mistake

Alrighty, guys! Here’s the next chapter in Only Time Will Tell. We get a look into Jules and Liv’s superhero operation, and a nice surprise at the end.

I would like to thank @wasatindasky and formally apologize to her, because last chapter, I did not give her the credit of coming up with Falcon for Liv’s superhero name. She also helped me out with this chapter too.

Enjoy!

Read on AO3.

~

Lena’s first thought as Jules moved to let her into the apartment was that it felt like a home. It was warm and inviting, and there were small things that made it more personal. There were pictures of Jules and Liv stuck up on the fridge with people Lena didn’t recognize, all of them laughing or smiling at the camera, arms around one another. There were photos that lined the wall too, and Lena noticed that it looked like there were missing spots where photos used to hang, but she didn't think about it too much.

It felt so different to Lena’s apartment back in her own time, impersonal and minimal and barely used.

Jules threw her bag into a chair at the table and went into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of scotch.

Lena smirked as Jules took a long sip.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just,” Lena laughed a bit, “You are definitely Alex Danvers’ daughter.”

Jules finished the glass and poured a second, “It’s been a long day. Not only did my latest experiment completely flop, now I’m hiding a younger Lena Luthor in my apartment, and I have to have dinner with my moms in approximately an hour and pretend like everything is normal.”

“Not to mention the fact that Aunt Maggie is totally going to know something is up,” Liv said as she came into the kitchen, changed out of her super suit and into casual clothes, “She’s like a bloodhound for lies.” She took the glass of scotch from Jules, and Jules tried to grab for it, but she wasn’t fast enough before Liv poured the rest out in the sink. Lena could almost see Kara doing the same for Alex at their last Thanksgiving, and she was almost surprised that Liv didn't try to hide the entire bottle too.

Lena expected Jules to get upset, but she just sighed as she watched the scotch go down the drain. “Really?”

“You have to drive later.”

“My car can drive itself.”

Lena wasn’t even surprised to hear that.

“If you’re drunk, you’re definitely to rat us out.”

Jules scoffed, “I’m hurt that you think two glasses of scotch will get me drunk.”

“And you shouldn’t be using alcohol as a coping mechanism, yet here we are,” Liv turned and opened one of the cabinets, pulling out three glasses.

Without being asked to, Jules went to the fridge and pulled out a pitcher, “I don’t have a problem.”

“And we would like to keep it that way,” Liv said as she took the pitcher and poured three glasses of water before bringing one over to Lena waiting by the table.

“Can I ask why we’re keeping me a secret?” Lena asked, taking the offered glass.

“Mostly because we’re so unsure of how you got here,” Jules said, pulling herself up to sit on the counter, “Someone could be looking for you, so the fewer people who know you’re in this time, the better.”

“We also don’t know exactly what effect you being here will have on your time or ours,” Liv sat at the table, “And it’s probably best that there aren’t two Lena Luthors seen around National City. It’s bad enough that a few people saw you in the DEO.”

Lena sat across from Liv at the table and took a sip of her water. She didn’t realize how thirsty she actually was until that sip, and she downed the entire glass in a few gulps.

Liv smiled again, that same familiar smile, “Thirsty?”

“I didn’t even realize I was.”

Jules hopped off the counter and brought the pitcher to the table, “Might be an effect of the time travel.”

“It could be, but it could be that I haven’t had anything to eat or drink in a while,” Lena said while pouring herself another glass, “I have a tendency to forget.”

Liv laughed, digging in a bag on the floor and pulling out a tablet, “I’m glad that’s something you’ve always done.”

Lena had guessed that if future-her knew Jules, she probably knew Liv as well, but Liv said that with a familiarity that Lena didn’t expect. She sounded like Kara when she dropped by her office with Lena’s favorite, chastising her for focusing so deeply that she forgot to take care of herself. Liv even had the same fond, exasperated eye roll that Kara had when Lena tried to explain herself.

“Come on,” Liv said, changing the topic quickly and getting up from the table, “We need to check the computers before you have to leave, Jules.” She disappeared down the hallway, and Jules shook her head with a smile before nodding at Lena to follow.

They passed by a few open doors, and Lena curiously peeked in. The first was a bedroom, everything clean and obvious organized, every little thing having a specific spot and not even a hair out of place. Lena guessed that this was Jules’ bedroom, but she was proven wrong as she noticed Liv’s suit left across the bed. When they passed the second door, it was another bedroom, Jules’ bedroom, messy and disorganized with a work table in the corner covered in technology that was in different states of being taken apart.

Lena was almost surprised, but from what she knew of the two girls already, it seemed to make sense.

She followed Jules through the door at the end of the hall, and she was pretty sure she just walked into one of her fantasies.

The room was filled with computers and tech, and it was all so much more advanced than Lena could comprehend at first. She wanted to ask how everything worked or maybe just try and figure it out herself, and she especially wanted to sit in one of the chairs and try something out.

If she could figure out the Legion’s spaceship from a thousand years in the future, surely figuring out tech from thirty years in the future would be simple.

“I had the computer running an analysis before I went to the DEO,” Live told Jules and Lena as they came in. She was sitting in front of row of computers, all doing different things.

“Yeah, why did you say to meet you at the DEO instead of here?” Jules asked, taking the seat beside Liv.

“Honestly? I was trying to snoop and see if they caught something our computers didn’t.” Liv pulled the chair near her out and silently offered it to Lena. Lena didn’t take her eyes off the monitors running diagnostics and checking police scanners as she sat, drinking it all in and trying to work through how each one works. She could already imagine the code she would write for each program running, and she wondered if she was even close to what the actual code looked like.

“Find anything?”

“Nothing. They caught the disturbance, but they didn’t deem it important enough to look into.”

Jules looked at the monitors and seemed to notice something, “Well, the program I wrote to discern the waves for alien technology doesn’t seem to be picking anything up related to this, so we can rule that out.”

“So, what? We assume this is some incredibly intelligent human messing with time travel?” Even as Liv said it, it sounded like she didn’t believe it.

Jules smirked, “It could be magic, too.”

Liv dropped her head into her hands and groaned, “This is definitely something a fifth dimensional being would pull for fun.”

“Fifth dimensional beings?” Lena tore her attention away from the computers, “That’s beings like Music Meister and Mxyzptlk, right?”

Liv nodded, “Horrendously annoying and very hard for Kryptonians to defeat.”

Jules pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time and started to stand up. “I have to go. If I’m late again, I think they’ll find my body in the bay. You should call Oracle, though. See if she has any ideas.”

The name Oracle sounded vaguely familiar to Lena, like she had heard it in passing before, and for some reason, it made her think of Gotham.

Jules left with a wave, and Liv dropped her forehead against the desk. “Do you have any ideas how you got here?”

“I really wish I did.”

Liv turned her head to face Lena, her cheek smushing against the desk, and Lena smiled at how adorable it was. She was certain she had seen Kara do the same thing when she was having trouble writing an article.

“Do you want to help me come up with something to narrow it down?”

“Oh, thank god, I was waiting for you to ask,” Lena moved to the seat Jules had just been sitting in, “I think I may have some ideas for programs that’ll help.”

The two worked together, bouncing ideas off one another and making changes to the program that Lena started. Lena didn’t know what to expect but working with Liv was simple. It was almost like she was working with herself. Liv had the perfect solution to any problem Lena hit, and she voiced Lena’s ideas as Lena thought them.

They were mostly through a program to determine if the was created by technology when Liv pulled a phone from her pocket.

She seemed to hesitate as she answered it.

“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

Just like with Jules earlier, she could only hear Liv’s side of the conversation. She continued working on the program, but she couldn’t deny that she was trying to listen in on the conversation because she was curious.

“Yeah, I’m home. Why are you asking?”

Liv’s eyes widened at the response, and she shot up from her seat. Lena watched her run out of the room, and she got up to follow without a second thought, worried that something might have happened.

Lena caught up to Liv just as she answered the door, and there was a voice already filling the apartment.

“I know Alex, Maggie, and Jules have their family dinner tonight,” the voice said, “and your mom is off chasing a story, so I brought your favorite, and I figured we could do a Mom-and-Liv night like we used to.”

The person came in, and Lena felt like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, because coming through the door was an older Lena Luthor carrying far too much take-out for two people. Older Lena froze at the sight of her younger self standing awkwardly in the kitchen.

As for Lena, she was on the verge of a panic attack, because she just put together the last piece of the puzzle that she kept missing. Liv, like a copy of Kara with small differences. Green eyes that mirrored Lena's, and a sharper jawline. A smirk so similar to her own, and the ease that they worked together.

She put it together so easily that Liv was Kara's daughter. It was so obvious.

She never would have guessed that Liv's other parent was Lena Luthor.

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @ohhalenostilinski!

I'm very happy I got the prompt I did, it gave me a lot of wiggle room to write in terms of plot. Although I couldn't include any smut, I hope you will like it ohhalenostilinski! I tried my best and mostly wrote this based on your request of 'angst with a happy ending'. :)

Read on AO3

*****

What Gay Erotica Reveals

When Cora had gotten him the book, he’d scoffed, a scowl marring his features. Derek had been immensely amused but refused to show it. Instead, he thanked her offhandedly and put the book in his bedside drawer, somewhere where it would be safe from the rest of the pack. They would tease him forever if they found him in possession of gay werewolf erotica (he still had no idea how Cora even found this).

He never intended to read it and, after several months, he forgot it existed.

It was on a particularly bad day, one that started out shitty and ended even shittier, that he decided to give it a chance, on a whim. He’d had an argument with Stiles, yet again. Stiles had insisted on being bait for the latest human-eating monster of the week and Derek had adamantly refused. Stiles, self sacrificing idiot that he was, always seemed to forget that he was human and did not heal like the rest of the werewolves. For as long as they’ve known each other, Derek has tried his hardest to keep Stiles away from the crossfire but that seemed to make the human even angrier. 

Stiles definitely did not like being excluded, even when it was for his own safety. It was a subject of great discourse between the two of them, causing them to constantly butt heads and argue. Stiles wanted to help but Derek wanted him safe. Stiles wanted to protect them but Derek wanted to protect him . Stiles hated him, but Derek… he loved the human.

It hurt him, knowing that Stiles loathed him. He always tried to mask his pain, or at least he tried his best to do so. The rest of the pack always seemed to know, so in tuned with their Alpha that any shift in his emotions was obvious to them. They would give him pitying looks, ones he ignored every time he was pulled into another argument with Stiles.

They fought each other with words and sometimes, even when he tried to hold back, it would get physical. They would push and shove each other. That day, Derek had accidentally used more strength than he anticipated, shoving Stiles hard against the wall. He’d clenched a hand in the human’s collar, practically lifting him off his feet. They’d been so close, Derek could hear his heart beating rabbit fast, see the golden amber color of his eyes flash in anger.

Then, so quick it was almost imperceptible, Stiles smelled of fear. Derek had dropped him immediately, stepping back and leaving a large space between them, heart pounding. He felt his blood run cold, hands clammy with cold sweat, knowing he’d been the source of Stiles fear. Now, not only did Stiles hate him, he feared him.

It was like a bucket of ice water had splashed over him, and he felt himself deflate, shoulders hunched and head down. All of the anger was gone, and he was left with a sense of empty despair, knowing he always hurt the people he loved. He’d turned around, refusing to meet Stiles eyes.

“...Derek?” Stiles’ voice wavered, his tone uncertain as he stared at Derek’s tense back.

“Go home Stiles.” Derek gritted out between clenched teeth, shutting his eyes so that he wouldn’t have to see Stiles’ leave him. The human seemed to remember his anger then, and left the loft in a huff, slamming the door on his way out. It had been a bad day, even for him. So, in an effort to try and forget the mess he’d made of his relationship with Stiles, he decided to read the gay erotica Cora had bought him. He figured he could at least garner some amusement from it, even if he thought erotica was the garbage of human literature and should not be read by anyone with any form of intellect. Despite the widespread belief within the pack that he was the strong and silent type, he prided himself in his capabilities to hold up an in depth discussion on just about any genre of book. He loved reading. After the fire, he read as a way to cope, to lose himself in the lives and stories of others so he wouldn’t have to live his. Eventually, he started healing through reading, using it as a form of therapy. He learned from the characters and he grew up with them. He used them as models of how he should deal with his grief, each story lessening the burden on his shoulders just a little bit more.

It saved him when he needed it most. He could, and would rant on about the horrors of erotica, including the glorified sexual abuse aspects of it and the many emotionally manipulative relationships that the books portrayed. It brought up bad memories of Kate and that was something he didn’t want.

Sighing, Derek sat up against his headboard, laid comfortably on the mountain of pillows on his bed. The book looked quite normal from the outside, without the usual horrendously photoshopped covers. It was instead a brown textured, faux leather bound book. The only indications of the author’s identity was their pen name, S.S. He lightly traced his fingertips over the gold embezzled title as he tried to hold in a laugh at the cheesy name. Release the Beast was spelled out, in beautiful cursive writing, hilariously classy even when the subject of the book was most likely all porn involving werewolves.

Finally, he cracked open the book settling in for a long and painful read.

xxxxxx

Derek closed the book, letting it fall slack in his grip as he tried to hold back the tears in his eyes. That was...not what he had expected. The story, despite it’s inclusion in the Erotica genre, had been emotional, fun, and most of all, it was beautiful. There were many parts of it that Derek resonated with and he felt like he related with the main character’s love interest Darren. He’d expected an erotica scenario involving all werewolves. Instead, it’d been a rather harrowing tale featuring more than one supernatural creature and the main romance was between a werewolf and a human. They had fallen in love, through many trials and tribulations. They’d hated each other at first but learned to coexist and later love each other. This book was apparently a two part series, though the ending left the readers with implications that the main character Stefan was going off to college and Darren was going to break up with him. It hit...a little too close to home. As he’d read, he’d noticed startling similarities between the main character and Stiles, enough that midway through he started imagining it was them in this story. It was perhaps a bit embarrassing, how willingly he daydreamed and lost himself in a love story between him and Stiles. It was painful too, knowing it was something he could never have. Stiles hated him, and Derek didn’t believe he was good enough for the human. It was better if Stiles left Beacon Hills completely, and never came back. Staying here, with the pack, he was constantly dragged into dangerous situations and injured. Derek didn’t want to imagine a world where Stiles didn’t exist, killed by one of the many monsters they constantly had to face. No, it was better if Stiles went to college, far from this madness. Just like Darren, Derek would have to distance himself from Stiles so that the human would willingly leave. Except in his case, he didn’t need to do that, since Stiles didn’t want to be in his presence even on the best of days.

Derek settled in, eyes heavy with sleep and heart just as weighed down. At least Darren had gotten a taste of what it was like to be in a relationship with the person he loved. Derek would never have that.

xxxxxx

It was several weeks after he first read the first book that he decided to look up the author to see if the second book was out yet. To his dismay, there was practically nothing on the author and this was the only book they’d written, with vague promises from their publishers that a sequel was coming soon. He was hopeful, and very invested in the storyline even if he felt slightly ashamed of it. He wanted to know what happened with Darren and Stefan. He wanted them to have a happy ending. After they dealt with the monster, with Stiles finally getting his way and acting as bait, Derek tried his best to put the book to the back of his mind. Sometimes, he would re-read it, almost as a guilty pleasure. Before long, the book was thumbed through and crinkled, well used in a way that all his favorite books shared. He was also incredibly curious as to who the author was. In between all the made up lore in the story, there were some parts that were worryingly true, as if the author had experienced those circumstances before. Considering that half the time Darren and Stefan were thrown into life threatening battles, it was a little alarming. The author seemed incredibly knowledgeable on supernatural entities, to a degree that indicated they were probably a supernatural creature themselves, or knew people. He’d thought about asking Cora where she found the book, that maybe she could give him some answers. However, he quickly dismissed that idea, knowing Cora would never let him live it down if she found out he’d actually read the book she gave him as a gag gift. Thus he was stuck waiting, pining after that sequel and periodically checking the interwebs for any news on the book. He’d also tried his hardest to avoid Stiles, knowing the human feared him. Derek didn’t want to hurt the human, and if his presence was enough to make Stiles uncomfortable, then he would remove himself from his life. It made his wolf whine in pain, heart breaking at the thought of avoiding the person he held so dear. Of course, Stiles instantly noticed this avoidance and started badgering him about it. He’d asked why at first but when Derek didn’t give him any answers, he’d started retaliating by ignoring the alpha as well. Derek knew it made the pack uncomfortable. They could smell the sadness from Derek. Stiles constantly smelled of anger and hurt during pack meetings, arms crossed and eyes glaring at Derek from across the room. He wasn’t even trying to be subtle, Stiles was fed up with Derek’s bullshit. Despite all this, he grit his teeth and persisted, ignoring the instincts within him that practically screamed and snarled at him to be with Stiles. To bask in the human’s presence and to take care of him. In the end, it didn’t matter what he wanted. He needed Stiles to feel safe.

xxxxxx

The day that changed his life, and his whole perspective, started like any other. He’d gotten a call from Scott, and parsed that a new monster had showed up at the preserve and they were trying to gather information on it before it attacked. They’d assigned Stiles to his usual job of researching and figuring out what exactly this new intruder was, and also how to kill them if they turned out to be malevolent. Unfortunately, Stiles had been the one to discover the monster. Reckless human that he was, he’d decided it was an excellent idea to go look for herbs in these potentially monster infested woods. Instead of finding the wolfsbane he’d wanted to experiment with, he’d found what looked like a half bird, half woman creature. He’d barely escaped with his life, batting the creature away as it swooped at him with his trusty magic baseball bat. When Scott told him this, he’d almost crushed his phone, worry and panic racing through him. Stiles was probably injured from this encounter, and no one in the pack bothered to check on the human. Instead, they’d immediately put him to work doing research. God, he felt like such a failure as an alpha. Pack wasn’t supposed to be like this. Pack was supposed to look out for each other, and if he had to be the first one to reach out, then so be it. Part of it was self serving, he was giving in to his instincts to reach out to Stiles and just envelop the human in safety. To make sure he was fed and safe. Uninjured. He could use this recent incident as an excuse to check up on him, and though a part of him still warned against interacting too much with Stiles, he gave in. It’d been too long and his wolf was getting exhausted from the negative emotions Stiles always felt around them.

Derek climbed through Stiles’ bedroom window, silent as he dropped down into a crouch. Stiles seemed to be working on something on his computer, headphones on and chewing absentmindedly on the string of his hoodie. Derek sighed, running a hand down his face as he straightened up. Stiles oral fixation always caused him varying degrees of frustration, it made him want to do things to the human. Things he refused to let himself want.

He walked over to Stiles, carefully leaning over him and reading the words on Stiles’ screen. Derek was ill prepared for what he read, since he’d expected Stiles to be researching their newest monster. If he’d known Stiles was doing something personal, he would have never invaded his privacy.

It was then that Darren realized he could do better than a spastic teen like Stefan. Their relationship wasn’t worth all the trouble. He knew what he had to do.

“Let’s break up.” Darren said, voice gruff as he-

“What?” Derek couldn’t help but let the word fall out of his mouth, his brain too shocked to comprehend what was now clear to him.

Stiles jolted in his seat, finally alerted to Derek’s presence by the puff of breath against the back of his neck. The human flushed and threw his arms out towards the screen almost knocking the entire thing over. He spared an arm to quickly tug down his headphones before putting both arms back on the screen. Futilely trying to cover the words. “What the hell, Derek?” Stiles hissed out, his eyes narrowed into a glare even as his blush revealed his true embarrassment. “What have we said about climbing into underage teenager’s rooms like a creeper?” Derek ignored the comment, his brain still attempting to wrap itself around this discovery. “You’re the author.” Derek whispered out, almost breathless as he started connecting the dots. “I’m Darren.” The werewolf couldn’t help the laugh of disbelief that left him, slowly backing away from the desk until the back of his knees hit the bed. He let the weight of his discovery pull him down onto the bed, still too shocked to meet Stiles’ eyes. “Wh-” Stiles smelled of panic for a split second, his eyes darting around the room as if to search for the nearest escape route. That was until Derek’s words caught up with him. Suddenly, the human’s eyes sharpened and focused on him, mouth dropping open slightly.

“You read my book.”

Derek flinched back, both at the fact that Stiles now knew he’d read his book and also because Stiles had just confirmed what he feared. Derek wasn’t stupid. If Darren was him, then Stefan was most likely…

“Yes.” The werewolf confirmed, there was no point denying it now. “It was… good.” Derek reluctantly admitted, his hands fisted tightly into Stiles’ bed sheets, still refusing to meet the human’s eyes. Instead of making fun of him, like Derek had expected, Stiles seemed to relax and let his arms fall away from the screen. “Oh.” The human lit up suddenly, posture straightening. Stiles pointed a finger at him, his grin wide and smug. “You read gay erotica!” Ah, there it was. The mocking begins. He knew it was too good to be true. Stiles wouldn’t just let this particular piece of information go.

“I don’t read gay erotica.” Derek retorted, feeling the urge to sniff in disdain. “Cora gave it to me so I read it.” “Whatever dude,” Stiles waved his hands, as if to dismiss Derek’s defensive words. “You read it so it still counts.” “Don’t call me dude.” Derek growled under his breath, hating that even when Stiles frustrated him, it was still endearing. There was a short moment of silence, both lost in their own thoughts before Derek decided to confront Stiles on the issue that’s been bugging him this whole time.

“You wrote a love story. About us.” Derek gestured between them, his mind still trying to wrap around the fact that Stiles most likely didn’t hate him. In fact, it seemed like the human had romantic feelings for him. It was mind boggling.

Stiles spluttered, his mind racing as he tried to come up with an excuse. “It’s not about us.” He quickly blurted out, cursing when Derek gave a pointed look at Stiles chest where his heart had skipped and betrayed his lie. “It’s fine, Stiles. I’m not angry about it.” Derek tried to reassure the human, not quite sure why Stiles was so nervous. “I just… didn’t know.” Derek didn’t elaborate. He wasn’t sure himself what he wanted to say or ask. He didn’t know anything. He didn’t know why Stiles seemed to like him. He didn’t know why Stiles wrote gay erotica. There was just so much he didn’t know.

“Sure.” Stiles scoffed, his lips twisting into a hurt grimace as he took Derek’s words the wrong way. “Of course, you would have never expected this. Because someone like me could never be with someone like you, right?” “No I-” Derek closed his eyes as he tried to gather his thoughts, his words failing him yet again. When he opened them, Stiles was watching him closely, body tense. He knew that he could hurt the human easily, if he wanted to. And Stiles seemed to expect it. However, Stiles’ words couldn’t be further from the truth. “I thought you hated me.” That seemed to startle Stiles, a frown and bewildered look crossed his face as he leaned back in his chair. “I never- why would you think that?” Derek looked away, a grimace rising unbidden as he clenched his hands in his lap. He didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t want Stiles to confirm how much he hated and feared him. “Derek?” Stiles whispered quietly, both a question and worry in his words. At Derek’s silence Stiles stood up and slowly kneeled down between Derek’s legs, his hands cautiously stroking over Derek’s. Slowly, his hands unfurled from their tense clench, and he allowed the human to lightly hold his hands. It wasn’t until he’d relaxed that Stiles brought a hand up and grabbed his chin, gently turning Derek’s head so that now they were looking at each other properly.

“Why do you think I hate you?” Stiles asked again more firmly, his honey gold eyes searching Derek’s own heavy gaze. Derek closed his eyes and sighed, his hands slack in the human’s grip. “You always smell like fear around me.” It hurt to say out loud, and it was still something he was ashamed of. He never wanted his pack to fear him. Especially not Stiles.

When Stiles stayed silent, Derek finally opened his eyes again, watching as Stiles smiled sadly. “You’re not the only one that has issues. I’m not afraid of you Derek. I’m afraid of being hurt by you. I’m afraid of you finding out about my feelings.” Stiles let out a harsh laugh, looking away as his eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I tried so hard to hide it, but it was all for nothing. Now you know.” The human shrugged, standing up in an attempt to step away from Derek. The werewolf grabbed onto his arms and pulled him close again, cradled in between Derek’s legs as he stood. “How does our story end?” Derek asked, his voice rough as he felt hope for the first time in forever. Stiles stared down at him, a puzzled frown on his face. “Darren realizes that Stefan wasn’t worth the trouble. They go their separate ways and Darren finds another person to love.” Derek’s hands tightened on Stiles’ arms briefly, before sliding down to hold his hands. “And what about Stefan?” Finally, Stiles looked away, feeling a lump in his throat as he fought back the wave of emotions he felt. “He’s only ever loved Darren. And will never love another.” The words were said in a pained whisper, the quiet only broken by Stiles’ harsh breaths as he tried to hold in his sobs. “Ok.” Derek replied back, voice soft as he gently tugged Stiles until the human fell into his lap. He wrapped his arms tight around Stiles, rubbing his back comfortingly even as Stiles clung to Derek.

“Derek.” Stiles forced out the name, hiding his face in Derek’s neck as he felt his tears wet his cheeks. “If you’re going to reject me, this isn’t making it any easier.”

A fond, soft smile, lit up Derek’s face, the affection clear in his words. He nuzzled into Stiles’ neck, breathing in deep the unique smell that was Stiles. The human shivered in his arms at the tickling sensation and melted a little more into Derek’s embrace. “What makes you think I’m going to reject you?” Stiles sat up quickly, almost hitting Derek’s head with his own. He stared down into Derek’s eyes, searching for any signs that Derek was joking. “Do you…?” He didn’t know what to ask. Did Derek feel the same way? Or was this just something casual. He didn’t think he’d be able to survive only having Derek for a few fleeting moments before the werewolf inevitably moved on to someone better. For once he was speechless, and Derek seemed to understand. The werewolf chuckled lightly, amusement and happiness shining in his eyes as his lips pulled up into a teasing grin. “I think we should write our own story. One where we’re both in love and have been in love with each other for a while now. But we’re both idiots so we never realized.” “What?” Stiles asked, almost jumping out of Derek’s lap in his excitement. “You love me?” Derek rolled his eyes, tugging Stiles back down as he tried to get the human to settle. “Yes.” There were still many reasons why they shouldn’t be together, ones that Derek has been telling himself for years. But in that moment, nothing else mattered. Stiles loved him, and it was a heady rush of endorphins, knowing that the human he loved and respected felt the same way about him. Stiles seemed to deflate suddenly, biting his lips in a nervous gesture as he stared down at Derek’s lap. “Are you sure? I mean, would you even want to date me? Wait are we even at the dating stage or am I moving too fas-” Derek shut him up with a kiss, muffling any further protests. Stiles eagerly ran a hand through Derek’s hair, grabbing onto the strands as the kiss successfully distracted him. Derek licked into his mouth, taking the opportunity to tug gently at Stiles’ lower lip.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Stiles lips were swollen, and his eyes were glazed over.

“Yes.” Derek spoke with a deeper voice than usual, the heavy kissing from before more arousing than he cared to admit. “Huh?” Stiles absently responded, tongue flicking out to lick his lips lightly. Derek’s eyes darkened with want when he noticed, barely holding onto his urge to kiss Stiles again. “Yes to everything. With you.” Derek clarified, smiling even as he pressed kisses to Stiles’ bared neck. “I-oh okay.” Stiles stuttered out, hips moving without his permission as he ground down into Derek’s lap. They both groaned and Derek placed both hands on Stiles hips to lift him slightly, stopping the human. “Not now.” Derek gritted out, his heavy breathing belying how affected he truly was by the situation. “Later, I want to make sure we do everything right.” He needed Stiles to understand just how important he was to Derek. He would not touch the human until they’d at least established some boundaries. “But Derek-” Stiles whined as he tried to move his hips, moaning even louder when Derek’s grip tightened. Derek let out a frustrated groan, thanking the gods for his ironclad will, honed by years of interacting with Stiles who was a natural tease. “No.” Derek responded, firm in his decision to at least date Stiles first before they got physical. “Dates first.” “Fine.” Stiles couldn’t help but pout, sliding off of Derek’s lap and flopping down onto his back beside him. He tugged until the werewolf also laid down, taking the opportunity to snuggle in close, stealing Derek’s warmth. They both yawned, the events of the last hour finally catching up with them. As they both drifted off into a comfortable sleep, Stiles muttered some words that made Derek smile, his hands holding Stiles close. “I’m going to date you so hard, Derek Hale, you won’t even know what hit you.” “I look forward to it.”

xxxxxx

Months later, Derek was given a Christmas present that startled a laugh out of him. The pack had crowded around the gift, curiosity driving them to poke and prod at the book. Stiles looked on, smug, and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Derek as the pack investigated the present he’d given the werewolf. When they finally passed back the leather bound book to Derek, he smirked, and traced the title and words embezzled on the front cover with a reverent finger. Tamed and Claimed

By S.S. for my Sourwolf

Fin