Sterek One-shots

Christmas Lights.

Derek exhaled loudly and nodded, "Fine but I'm not helping." Stiles pulled a face.

"You say that now but just you wait." He turned and set about pairing his phone to the Bluetooth speakers. Derek didn't complain nor did he tell Stiles that he actually quite enjoyed the music.

–*-*–

Derek watched Stiles over the top of his book as the teen strung lights up above the fireplace and around the mirror that hung there. The boy kept getting them all tangled up but he never lost the beautiful smell of joy that surrounded him. Not once. It was amazing, in its own way and Derek loved it. He could just sit here, listening to Stiles' slightly rough voice sing the words of all the Christmas classics, watching as he danced to the choruses in a way that spoke of only carefree happiness, forever.

Derek couldn't believe how lucky he was, he'd found a Pack that loved each other unconditionally and would do anything for one another. As well as this they had a wonderful Pack mom (as Isaac liked to call him) that would do anything to make the rest of them feel content, safe, comfortable and loved. Stiles would do anything to protect The Pack even when there was no real threat and it was amazing.

He adored how much Stiles cared for their Pack, he loved how much Stiles enjoyed caring for their Pack. It was incredible. He wished to stay in this moment for eternity but alas he could not. The main reason being that Stiles was calling his name and Derek had been just staring at him for a solid minute.

"Yeah?"

"A little help?" Derek stood up, finally realising why Stiles needed his help: he'd managed to get a long string of lights wrapped around his feet, up to his legs and it was somehow pinning one of his hands to his side. Why did he like this idiot again?

"How?" He ran a hand down his face.

"I don't know," Stiles said earnestly. "It just happened and when I tried to get out of it myself it got worse. How was I supposed to know Jackson's light set was so long?" That was why, he reminded himself, because he was so fucking sweet and he didn't even notice it. Derek wanted to tell him just how much he meant to him. But it wasn't just him, the whole Pack had expressed their love for Stiles in the last Pack meeting.

Stiles had been running late and had sent Scott a frantic text to tell him that he was on his way but he had had to stop by the station to give his dad something he'd forgotten and then he had to pick up the pizza. Scott had relayed this to everyone and it had ended in a conversation about how lucky they were to have him. Derek had agreed and it seemed to surprise everyone, bar Lydia who was never surprised by anything.

Yes, maybe Derek had been a little harsh to him when he'd first arrived here but he'd been kind of taken off guard.

Derek sighed, "Alright, hold still." He started to carefully untangle the lights from the boy but eventually had to tell him to sit down so that he could get them off his feet.

"Thanks, man." Stiles laughed as Derek finished setting him free. Derek felt a weird pang of loss when he stood up, almost wanting to pull Stiles close to him again. He pushed the feeling down.

"Just don't do it again." Stiles nodded and went back to setting everything up.

–*-*–

Derek glanced, once again, over the top of his book to see what Stiles was doing. He'd gotten a step ladder out and was now draping tinsel over the top of one of the bookcases. Derek shot up, book clunking to the floor when he saw the ladder wobble. Just picturing Stiles hitting the floor, human body unable to heal him as quick as the Were's, made him move faster. He got there just in time to catch Stiles who let out a loud gasp, whole body shaking in fear as he looked up at Derek. A soft thud by his feet alerted him to the fact that Stiles' antlers had fallen off.