Baseball Bats and Sour Wolves

Chapter 38

Derek can't stand to watch Stiles fight another wolf, he doesn't have any weapons, or claws. His whole being is vibrating to do something, intervene and fight for Stiles. Defend him, protect him. Derek knows he can't do that though, and Peter seems to notice his nerves, because at some point, he'd curled his hand around Derek's wrist.

Derek thinks it's to both to hold Derek back, and give Peter the comfort of touch, he's just as nervous as Derek is. Derek can feel Peter's nerves through the pack bond, and can tell for a fact that Peter wants to jump in as much as Derek himself. At some point, Stiles sends his reassurance down the bond, but it doesn't ease Derek's nerves any. Peter just growls under his breath, muttering about stupid Alpha's.

Derek knows for a fact he doesn't mean it, he just thinks Stiles is being stupid for sending reassurances down the bond at a time like this. Derek can agree with that, because Stiles knows it won't help, but he tired it anyways. To ease their nerves, while he's in the middle of fighting, Derek almost shakes his head in amusement.

Smelling Stiles' blood, but not hearing him cry out makes Derek almost launch forward, it's Peter's strong grip on his wrist that stops him. That and watching as Stiles ducks under the wolf and wraps his arms around his throat, uttering a threat that makes Derek's wolf whine in submission. Expect this wolf is apparently stupid, he digs his claws into Stiles' arm, drawing more blood, and then tries to pin Stiles to the floor.

Stiles just uses his teeth, enough to draw blood, and then his eyes glow red and he doesn't hold back. It looks almost like Stiles has his own wolf under his skin, and Derek feels strangely content with that thought. When Stiles finally wins the fight, knocking the other wolf on his ass, and muttering out an 'I'm the Alpha now,' Derek actually wants the ground to swallow him whole.

But he laughs, and he's hasn't laughed this much since the fire, Derek realises as he makes his way to his Alpha, that he may just be in love with Stiles Stilinski. It startles Derek to think it, but he knows it's true, he thinks maybe he has been for awhile, Derek's never been good with feelings. He wants to try for Stiles though, wants to love him, and be loved by him, but most importantly he really wants to kiss this man in front of him. Derek ignores that stray thought and examines the wounds on Stiles' arm and shoulder.

"These are kind of deep." Derek points out, Stiles doesn't even bother looking down at them. He stares at Derek instead.

"Are they?" Stiles sighs, and Derek looks up to make eye contact with him.

Derek inhales sharply, he's never realised how golden Stiles' eye are. They're beautiful, Derek thinks, breathtaking. They look a dark brown this close, but they're darker than when they're in the sun, in the sun they look liquid gold, but in the darkness they look like the bark on trees. Stiles waves a hand in front of Derek's face.

"Earth to Derek," Stiles says, waving his hand again, Derek blinks. "Dude, are you okay?" Derek nods, but doesn't respond.

"So, what are we going to do with these two?" Peter motions to the two wolves off to the side, and Stiles cocks his head to the side. 

"Mmm, well. I guess we get them to leave town." Stiles shrugs, like he isn't quite sure himself.

"Stiles, this Lucas was going to kill you to get the Alpha spark." Peter growls, and Stiles rolls his eyes.

"Well, I won. Fair and square, quit being so protective, Mr. Marshmallow Wolf." Stiles teases, Peter rolls his eyes in return, but doesn't look like he wants to drop the argument. 

"First things first, we need to get you to the hospital or something," Derek states, looking down at Stiles' arm, and shoulder. Stiles raises an eyebrow at him. "They are deep, Stiles, and we need to get them looked at." Derek knows that Stiles hasn't even tried to argue, but he knows that look.

 "And how do we explain how I got claw marks on my arm and shoulder?" Stiles questions, looking to Derek expectantly. "I mean we can't say wolves, because there haven't been any in California for like 50 years or whatever it was." Derek frowns at him.

"Well, we can find Melissa, and she can at least look at them." Peter interjects at the sight of Derek's expression. Stiles glances between them, and sighs.

"Fine, but later, we have a bigger problem," Stiles casts a glance at the still unconscious werewolf, and the girl by his side. "We still don't have a solution for them." Stiles rubs his forehead, and looks between Peter and Derek.

"I thought you said you'd just let them leave town?" Derek asks with a confused face. Stiles nods.

"Right, ideally they'll just leave, but after everything they went through just to get to the spark, you really think they're just gonna leave?" Stiles answers and Peter nods. 

"That's true, I think they'll keep trying to sneak back into the territory and steal the spark from you, or they might just take off and try to find another Alpha to take the power from." Peter states, with a shrug. 

"I mean, maybe we should just talk to them, see why they wanted the spark in the first place." Stiles suggests and Derek nods along.

"It can't hurt, but just be careful, I have a feeling the girl is a little hostile because you beat her, whatever he is to her." Derek's brows furrow, and Stiles sighs again.

"Just one day, that's all I want. One day with no one trying to kill us, is that so much to ask for?" Stiles groans, and then begins walking in the direction of the other two wolves. Peter and Derek follow him at a bit of a distance.

"Hey, I'm Stiles. What's your name?" Stiles asks the girl, and crouch down to be eye level with her. The girl is glaring at him, but Stiles just plasters a kind smile on his face, and waits for her to answer.

"Wait a minute, aren't you the cashier from the other day?" Peter questions suddenly from behind Stiles, and the girl turns her glare onto Peter with a smirk.

"Shame, you don't even know how to recognize your own kind, even when they're standing right in front of you." The girl sneers and Peter narrows his eyes at her, and the beginning of a snarl is forming on his lips. Stiles flashes his eyes briefly at Peter in warning, and Peter sighs before letting his fangs recede.

"Care to tell us your name?" Derek brows are furrowed and he glares right back at her when her eyes flick over to him. 

"My names Misha, and this is my brother Lucas." She sighs, and Stiles nods encouragingly.

"Okay, Misha, nice to meet you. This Peter and Derek," Stiles points to each of the wolves in turn to introduce them. "Why does your brother want the Alpha spark?" Misha stares at him distrustfully.