Baseball Bats and Sour Wolves

Chapter 26

Stiles heads back to the loft tired, Scott seriously drained the energy right out of him. He wouldn't drop the subject of Peter, and how evil he was, blah, blah, blah. Stiles always thought he would get tired of repeating himself, but apparently not.

Stiles really wants to see Derek, and Peter and just go to sleep, but he has a feeling they'll want to know what happened and how it went. He wants to tell them too, but he also doesn't want to include the part about Peter. He doesn't deserve it, not after how far he's come, how much he's tried to change.

He enters the loft, and goes up the stairs slowly. Exhaustion setting into his bones, and making him want to just curl up on the stairs. When he gets to the top, he doesn't even have to open the door, Peter's there with a look of worry. Stiles can see Derek behind him, with the same expression.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Stiles questions, with a frown. He moves closer to Peter and curls a hand around the back of his neck. Peter melts instantly, rumbling and leaning closer to Stiles.

Stiles glances over at Derek, and beckons him closer, Derek moves so fast that by the time Stiles blinks he's already in front of him. Stiles smiles and curls a hand around the back of his neck too, which just like Peter causes Derek to melt. They're noses are stuck in his neck on either side, and Stiles tugs the hair at the back of their necks affectionately.

"What's up with you two?" Stiles hums, Peter moves back a bit to answer him.

"We can smell how tired you are, we're just worried about our Alpha that's all." Peter explains.

Stiles grins, and drags them all over to the couch. He pulls both of them down by their hands and snuggles into Derek's side, while Peter snuggles into his. Stiles sighs, content. He loves pack cuddles, Derek and Peter seem to as well.

They don't ask what happened with Scott, and they don't really demand anything but snuggles from him. Every so often, one of them will brush against him to scent mark him, which he doesn't mind. He scent marks them back every once in awhile, which makes them preen under their Alpha's attention.

Stiles feels this is the easiest thing in the world, to just lay here with his pack and feel loved, and give his love to them. Stiles curls into Derek's side and falls asleep, with Derek and Peter's emotions flowing through him.

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Peter wakes up slowly, he's not sure what woke him, but a look at Stiles is all he needs to know why he woke up. Stiles is mumbling in his sleep, tossing and turning. He's sweating, and Peter can hear his heart pounding.

"Stiles." Peter mutters, placing a hand on Stiles arm. Only Stiles flinches at his touch, and Peter pulls back as though burned.

Peter can see that Derek is starting to wake up. He's brow furrows, and his nose twitches. He can probably smell Stiles' distress, and panic.

Stiles shifts, and mumbles something that sounds a lot like he's begging someone to stop. Peter goes to try and wake him again, but Stiles still flinches at his touch. Derek's eyes blink open, and he looks down at Stiles with a frown of concern.

Peter looks away, thinking maybe Stiles doesn't want him in his pack anymore. Maybe when he gets the spark from Scott he'll kick Peter out of his pack. Derek stares at him, and Peter tries for a smile.

Derek leans down and givers over Stiles, Peter watches carefully.

"Stiles." He whispers, he touches Stiles cheek. Stiles flinches away, and Peter's eyes widen. Maybe it's just his dream that makes him flinch away.

"Maybe we should just try using the pack bond, to send him feelings of safety and reassurance." Derek suggests, Peter nods.

They both focus on the bright bond between all three of them, and push the feeling of safety through the bond. Stiles melts into the couch, and leans closer to them. They send the feeling of reassurance through the bond, and Stiles quits mumbling. 

Peter can feel Derek's relief through the bond, and he wonders when his nephew is going to tell Stiles that he has feelings for him. It's pretty obvious and for someone so smart, Stiles hasn't seen what's right in front of him. He wonders if Stiles feels the same way, he hopes Stiles does, he doesn't want Derek to get hurt again.

Stiles startles awake with a sound of panic, he flinches away from both of their touches, and Peter can tell that Stiles isn't fully there yet. He doesn't know where he is, which is why he isn't letting them touch him.

"Stiles, your in the loft. It's just Peter and I." Derek assures, and Stiles blinks hard.

"Oh, I-I was. He was." Stiles chokes on a sob, and Peter frowns. He reaches out slowly, allowing Stiles the chance to move away from his touch. When Stiles sees his hand he moves forward and burries himself in Peter's neck, trying to calm his breathing.

Peter's hands hover over Stiles' back, and he stares at Derek with both surpirse and confusion. Derek just smiles, and moves closer to the both of them. Derek wraps both Stiles and Peter in a hug, pressing against Stiles' back. Stiles melts into the embrace and sighs, Peter tries not to move away, but Stiles breath is tickling the skin on his neck. 

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When Stiles finally calms himself down, they ask how it went with Scott. Stiles, feeling well rested and calm, doesn't dread talking to them about it.

"He's willing to exchange the spark, but we didn't really come up with a date to do it." Stiles explains, Peter and Derek stare at him with soft smiles. Because it's just like Stiles to get really excited and forget about making a date.

"And there were no problems when you said we were already in your pack?" Peter asks, and even without the pack bond surging through them, Stiles can hear the anxiousness in Peter's voice.

Stiles doesn't want to crush Peter this way, but it doesn't matter what the others think, they can either join his pack with Peter in it. Or they can feel free to find another Alpha. Peter is Stiles' beta, and possibly his right hand man.

"He didn't like it, but I didn't really give him a choice. Your in my pack whether they like it or not, and you will stay in my pack. Both of you." Stiles declares firmly, eyes burning with a fire Peter's never seen before.

"Why wouldn't we want to be in you pack Alpha." Derek purrs, with a grin. Stiles rolls his eyes and shoves at him. Peter laughs at them.

Outside the loft, unknown to them, sat the same beta that planned on stealing the spark. He just had to wait, and find out when they were doing it, and where.

"Just a little longer." He mutters, vanishing into the shadows.