A Beauty and A Beast

It's A Marsh Mellow World In The Winter

Stiles was snoring away when a pack of wolves jumped on his bed, howling and barking. Stiles fell out of bed with a shout. "Stiles, it's snowing!" Erica howled as Boyd helped him up. "Yay snow." Stiles yawned, mussing with the dirty torn dress he was still wearing. Lydia laughed. "Here, the Alpha allowed me to get you new clothing." She handed him a pile of clothing. "Thanks Lyds." Lydia was shocked at the nickname but said nothing as she led the wolves out so Stiles could change. The clothes were a little big on the lanky man but it was better than the dress. The long sleeved green shirt was worn, like a favorite shirt. Stiles had to tear off a shred of the accursed dress to create a makeshift belt to hold up the black pants. Throwing on his red hood, he was ready to face the world. He opened the door and Lydia stopped him in the hall. "Not. So. Fast. Remove the red hood." Stiles opened his mouth to say no but the threatening look of the red head had Stiles removing his jacket. Lydia tossed him another red jacket, this one with a white stripe across the torso. He pulled it on, the white fluff on the rim of the hood tickling his neck. "Thank you Lydia."

Scott and Isaac barked when they saw Stiles. "Come on, Stiles! I wanna play!" Isaac nudged Stiles' knees with his head as Scott nipped at the end of his jeans. "Alright, alright! Hold on!" Stiles laughed. He looked up the stairs where the Alpha was watching them. "Go on, I'll be there in a minute." The wolves scampered off, yipping to one another happily. Stiles walked up to the Alpha. "Hey," The Alpha turned to stare at him with red eyes. "Do you wanna play with the pups and I? In the snow? Or is that above you?" Stiles teased gently. The Alpha gave an almost smile. "I would love to." The Alpha began to wonder why Stiles' smile made him feel like he accomplished a major feat.

The Alpha led Stiles out to the courtyard where the pack was already playing. Lydia was laughing with Jackson who was shaking stray snow off his flank. Isaac and Scott laid next to each other, licking each others' fur. Erica and Boyd were roughhousing, rolling in the snow, barking. Isaac raised his head. "Stiles!" Isaac got up and ran to the human, tugging gently on his sleeve. "Please play with me. Scottie's being lazy and Erica deserves pay back." Stiles laughed and gave the Alpha a fleeting glance before going off to plot with the curly haired wolf. Scott padded up to his Alpha. "I've never felt this way about anyone before." The Alpha muttered as he sat next to the wolf. He looked excited. "I want to do something for him. But what?" Scott nudged the Alpha gently. "Well, there's the usual things: flowers, chocolate, promises you don't intend to keep." The Alpha glowered at his beta. "I'm serious." Jackson walked up, overhearing their conversation. "Scott wouldn't know romantic if it bit him on the tail." He snorted. Scott huffed at him, offended, but as he looked back on his life with Isaac, he was right. Jackson turned his attention to his Alpha. "It has to be something very special. Something that sparks his interest." Scott blinked, recalling a memory. "Wait a minute! I've got it!" The Alpha leaned down as Scott began to whisper his plan.

Stiles flopped on the ground, exhausted and covered in snow. Erica and Isaac laid down next to him, panting with snow in their fur. Isaac had created a full blown snow war among them. "Hey Stiles can you come with me for a second?" The Alpha asked. "Yeah sure. That's fine." Stiles got up and shook the snow off. Isaac and Erica rolled around in an attempt to get up off their backs. "I need you to close your eyes." The Alpha said as he led Stiles into the warm castle. "Close my eyes?" Stiles asked. "Yes. Do you not trust me?" The Alpha replied, his voice sad and hurt. Stiles hesitated, thinking it over in his head. He lived with this man, he talked with this man and this beastly man saved his life. "I do trust you." Stiles closed his eyes and held out his hands. The Alpha couldn't stop the smile on his face and his wagging tail. He grabbed Stiles' hands gently, minding his claws. "So, what are we doing now?" Stiles asked. "Stiles, there's something I want to show you. It's a surprise and that's why I want you to close your eyes." The Alpha said, a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest. He enjoyed this feeling. It was...different. Odd but comforting. The Alpha led the human to the door into the library. He let go off the human's hands and opened the door. "We're almost there Stiles." He laughed at the younger man's impatient face. "You should laugh more. It sounds lovely." Stiles blushed as he realized what he said. The Alpha grinned and barely restrained the urge to purr. He wanted to lick the man's cheek and kiss his neck and- The Alpha shook off the thoughts and led Stiles into the library. "Can I open them now?" Stiles asked, excitement barely contained. "No, no. Not yet. Wait here." Stiles laughed and obeyed for once. The Alpha drew back the curtains and sunlight filled the light. "Now?" Stiles was jumping up and down. "Now." The Alpha grumbled. Stiles opened his eyes and his jaw dropped. "Oh. My. God!" He squealed. "I can't believe it! I've never seen so many books in all my life! They're all yours?!" Stiles shouted. The Alpha winced slightly. "You-You like it?" The Alpha asked softly. "Like it? I love it! It's awesome!" In a fit of pure happiness, he threw his arms around the Alpha's neck and hugged him tight. The Alpha was shocked. He was frozen for a moment before hesitantly putting his arms around the human. "You can have it. This can be yours." Stiles pulled back. "Oh Alpha, I possibly couldn-" The Alpha insisted. "Please. I want you to have this." Stiles hugged the Alpha again, this one softer. "Oh thank you Alpha. This is wonderful."

The pack and Lydia watched the scene. "Well, would you look at that?" Lydia laughed. "Ha ha! Now who''s not romantic?" Scott sneered at Jackson who huffed. "It's very encouraging." Boyd rumbled. "I don't get it." Erica said. The pack rolled their eyes. "Alright, I need to go. There's chores to be done in the kitchen." Lydia walked away, Jackson following her.

"Have you read any of them?" Stiles asked as he ran his fingers along the spines, eyes devouring the titles before him. "A few." Stiles turned to look at him. "Which are your favorite?" Stiles asked. "Well," The Alpha began, mimicking Stiles' gesture, mindful of his claws. "I enjoyed 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." The Alpha seemed embarrassed. "That one was good. What about...Journey to the Center of the Earth?" Stiles asked, naming another Jules Verne novel. "That one was okay." Stiles' eyes bugged. "Okay?! Just okay?! Journey to the Center of the Earth is a classic! How can you say it is just 'okay'?" Stiles ranted. The Alpha enjoyed watching the human's energetic gestures. "Okay, okay. It's a classic. What about...fairy tales?" The Alpha asked. "Well...my favorite would have to be....hmm....this is a hard one....I can't decide. I enjoy them all." The Alpha looked at the human curiously. "Most would say they're childish." The Alpha commented. "Well, I'm not most people." Stiles replied. The Alpha smiled. "Was that a smile?" The Alpha swatted at the human. "It was! You smiled! Do it more often! I like your smile." Stiles blushed. He had no filter. Mental note: repair mental filter to prevent random stuff from exiting the mouth. Stiles grabbed a random book so he could hide his red face. Stiles opened the book. He found a collection of Emily Dickinson poems. "OH!" He jumped onto a chair and immersed himself into the world of Dickinson. The Alpha chuckled. Stiles didn't hear it. The Alpha stretched and laid down by the human's feet. On instinct, Stiles rubbed his feet on the fur. The Alpha made a noise of surprise. Stiles pulled his feet back. "Sorry! I forget you're not one of the pack." The Alpha licked his toes, making the younger man giggle. "It's fine and...I am too pack!" Stiles could hear how insulted the Alpha felt. "Sorry." He mumbled. "It's fine. Continue." Hesitantly, the human complied.

They sat there like that, a pile of unread books on Stiles' right and a small mound of finished books on his left. The Alpha was still by his feet, making the occasional noise as Stiles rubbed a good spot. Stiles yawned and the Alpha looked out the window. "It's late. We should go to bed." The human protested weakly as the Alpha lifted him up. "Let me do this. Just sleep Stiles. The library will still be here." Stiles wanted to comment on the Alpha's sarcasm but sleep overtook him quickly. The Alpha chuckled to himself and made his way to Stiles' room. He tucked the younger man in and couldn't resist licking his cheek. "Good night Stiles."