Missing Something part 4
The next couple of days were a little confusing for the pack. Seeing their Alpha basically trying to nurse Stiles back to health as a pure wolf was so shocking that more times than not they were all speechless around them.
Everyone except Peter. Who never let a opportunity to make a joke at Derek's expense. He also kept bringing dog toys into the house. Which Derek wanted to chew his legs off every time he had to step over a dog toy on the floor.
But Derek mainly focused on Stiles. On helping him as much as he could. Derek spent a lot of his time being showered with affectionate touches from Stiles. Which was so different than what he was used to that his wolf started to get confused. Derek knew that this was just for Stiles. But inside him, his wolf began to look forward to the time he got to bond with Stiles in this way.
On the third day Derek was sitting in the living room with Stiles with Star Wars on the tv in the background as the pack came in after school to do their homework and come hang out for the evening.
They piled in and left the door open. Derek couldn't say to shut it since he was in his wolf form so he just gave Stiles a little huff against his hair as if to tell him he would be right back and trotted out from under his gentle petting hands and made his way over to the door.
He pushed it to close but someone's boots were in the way. Growling softly he leaned down and snatched them in his maw and tossed them away from the door then turn to push the door closed.
Only it was being closed slowly already.
By Stiles.
Stiles was standing beside him slowly shutting the door and locking it. Derek was so shocked that he just looked up at him. As Stiles slowly looked away from the door he looked back to Derek and reached out softly scratching his ears. There was even a little smile on his lips. Stiles was smiling. Derek yipped with glee and licked Stiles hand.
"See if he will follow you Derek!" Peter whispered from the hallway.
The rest of the pack was standing and sitting in shock watching as Derek nodded and started to walk backwards in his wolf form to see if Stiles would follow him.
Stiles watched as Derek moved backwards. Derek huffed up at him and then backed up a few more steps. Stiles took a few steps to try to be able to reach him. Derek praised him with a soft lick to his hand and then trotted away and spun back around to see if he would follow him.
John was standing on the stairs just gripping the railing with tears brimming in his eyes watching his son take his first few steps after weeks of being catatonic.
Stiles took a few more steps and nearly tripped over a dog toy that Peter left on the floor. Suddenly Derek rushed forward and put his body under Stiles flailing arm catching him and pressing his shoulder into Stiles hip to keep him upright.
Stiles grunted as he held himself up by leaning on Derek. He slowly stood to his full hight and then Slowly Derek took a step forward. Stiles matched that step as he held onto Derek by the fur at the nape of his neck.
Derek then started to take Stiles on a walk around the house slowly leading him one step at a time. One of the pups opened the back door and he lead him out into the back yard where the sun was shining and the soft warm breeze ruffled Derek's fur and Stiles wild hair.
Stiles started to look up at the sky. Then as the pack watched from the back porch he looked around the back yard and down at the grass. Slowly Stiles knelt on the ground and touched the grass.
Derek sat beside him. Stiles leaned his body against Derek and kept one hand in his fur as he reached out and touched the grass smiling softly.
"Stiles. Son?" John softly called to him from the porch.
Stiles didn't react at first.
"Stiles. Son can you hear me?" John called softly. "Please son."
Suddenly Stiles blinked and his pupils contracted and his scent turned sour. Fear and confusion filled the air. Derek suddenly whined and leaned up hooking his head over Stiles shoulder and snuffling his ear and trying to pull Stiles back from whatever was happening in his head.
"John wait. He's not ready..." Peter was beside John talking to him quietly. "He needs more time... pushing him now might push him back instead of forwards."
Stiles scent was still sour so Derek snuffled into his hair and ear and into his neck. Stiles was ticklish so he began to twitch and snicker and his scent turned soft and honeyed with joy again. Stiles grabbed at Derek's fur and wrapped his arms around his neck burying his face in his neck.
"I can wait... I just want him to get better." John nodded watching his boy smile and hug Derek.
After dinner Stiles and Derek had walked all around the backyard and even Derek got Stiles to laugh a few times as he played with him. As the sun started to set Derek was ambling by Stiles and he leaned against his legs rubbing his body across his legs scenting the boy.
He didn't realize what he was doing until he looked up and saw Peter watching him with a frown. It wasn't judgement it was worry in his eyes. Worry for Derek.
Derek stopped and looked back at Stiles and realized that they smelled of eachother so much that it would be hard to recognize which was which through scent.
That was confusing his wolf. Wolves only scent their mates like that. He could feel it. The pull that his wolf felt to scent Stiles more. To claim him as his very own. He told his wolf that Stiles wasn't his and to his dismay he actually gave a pained whimper. His ears drooping.
Stiles caught this and knelt down beside him and buried his face in Derek's neck rubbing his face into his fur. Derek's wolf whimpered and his paw raised to hug Stiles as the boy put his arms around him.
Derek felt his heart start to ache. He was going to miss this when Stiles was better. The boy would never in a million years ever touch him like this in his right mind. So... he would let himself enjoy it while he could.
In the setting sun he held his human and his human held him back.
That night he waited until Stiles was asleep to get out of the bed where Stiles had pulled him into and held onto him in order to get to sleep.
He trotted out of his room and changed back into his human form. It hurt. His body was sore from being in wolf form for days on end.
He rolled his shoulders and leaned against the wall and tried to get his head right.
A pair of shorts were held out by Isaac. "Are you okay?"
Derek took the shorts and nodded. "I'm fine." He pulled them on and scrubbed his fingers through his hair. He needed a shower.
"It's good to see you again. Not in fur." Isaac smiled shrugging.
Derek reached out and ruffled Isaac's hair. "Good to be in skin again."
They soflty laugh together and then Isaac sniffs. "It's so weird to smell you guys now... it's making my wolf a little confused who I'm around."
Derek's lips lose their smile. "Really?"
Isaac shrugs. "It's not that big of a deal. I know you're you. But my wolf... I don't know its like I feel like I can't touch Stiles now cause... it would be wrong or something..."
Derek sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. "It's because Stiles is sick... and my wolf has been scenting him so that no other wolves would want to hurt him. It's basically like a big sign saying don't hurt this it belongs to an Alpha."
Isaac's eyes go wide. "Belongs?"
Derek growls. "Not like that." Isaac flinches at that so he groans. "It's protective. Like for a pup."
"I get it." Isaac nods and heads back downstairs.
Derek headed to the bathroom. But ran into Peter first, lurking on the stairs in his usual lounging lurkiness. "You need to take a day off... go running or something..."
Derek gave him a silent snarl. "I'm fine."
"Sure you are." Peter scoffs.
Derek went and took a shower ignoring Peter's remarks. And that ache inside him.
As he got out of the shower and started to dry himself off he smelled it. The sour scent of fear.
He was bounding up the stairs and into Stiles room within seconds. He had a towel around his hips and he saw exactly what he had hoped was not going to happen tonight.
Stiles was having a nightmare. His body tense and shaking and his fists gripping the sheets whimpering in fear.
Derek was beside him in an instant. "Stiles. Stiles it's okay. It's safe."
But Stiles just continued to shake. Derek tried to shift back into his wolf form but it hurt so much that he fell to his knees. He was unable to shift back just now. It was too early. "I can't shift back yet Stiles. Please... I promise you're safe."
Stiles was making scared noises and twitching.
Derek reached out softly touching his arm but he flinched away and whimpered.
Derek couldn't think of anything and his wolf was deep inside him whimpering aswell. Derek leaned in and let a soft wine escape his human vocal chords.
Stiles turned towards it and reached out. He made a soft noise again showing that he was here beside Stiles. Stiles reached out feeling Derek's chest. The hair covering his chest was still a little wet from the shower.
But it was very different being touched like this when he was so human. The ache bloomed deeper. A soft whine escaped him again.
Stiles stopped making fearful noises and now just reached out in his sleep and grabbed at Dereks chest and shoulders in his sleep. Derek didn't fight his pull and lay down in bed with him. Somehow Stiles' fingers found there way into his still damp black hair and Derek had to close his eyes from the sight of Stiles reliefe. To see that Derek himself was his own form of protection against nightmares was too much. Too much to handle for the man who had been alone for so long.
He didn't even realize he was making soft whining noises deep in his throat until Stiles started to pet his hair to sooth him and cuddled closer to him. His arms circle Stiles waist and he pulls him closer. Stiles pulls Derek's head onto his chest and holds him close. His body relaxing more and more as he held the alpha in his arms in his sleep.
Derek spent the rest of the night laying ontop of the sheets with a towel around his hips and his head laying on Stiles chest listening to his unique heartbeat.
To be continued