The Druid

Chapter 7

"Why, Dad? Why?" Stiles whined dramatically. "You know I hate cooking."

"Because you haven't learned yet and you need to." Noah chuckled. "This will be a good experience for you. And you won't be relying on takeout all the time."

Stiles groaned again. Derek chuckled. "Oh, come on, it'll be fun." He grinned.

Stiles stared at Derek. "Sourwolf? And fun? That'll be something to see at least." He grinned.

Derek laughed. "I can have fun!" He protested. Hearing Derek laugh was like music to Stiles' ears.

The three of them enjoyed pleasant conversation as they ate. It flowed well together, like Derek was perfectly suited to the Stilinski family. After dinner, Stiles was booted out of the kitchen as Derek helped with the dishes because he didn't 'want Stiles hurting himself before tomorrow'. Or, at least, that was the excuse he justified himself with wanting to keep an eye on Stiles and make sure he was safe. And Stiles certainly wasn't complaining.

Though he did find it sweet that Derek was being so caring. Stiles honestly didn't know he could act like that given how reserved the older wolf tended to be around the pack. Though, he supposed, he hadn't been around Derek long enough to see just how much of a gentle nature he had. If things went the way Derek was secretly hoping they would, Stiles would see a lot more of that sweetness.

Stiles settled on the sofa and picked up the TV remote to turn it on and browsed through to Netflix and opened the app, scrolling through the list both he and his dad had made until he found the current show they were watching. It was something they always made sure to do when Stiles' mom passed away and it kept them close. Stiles pressed play on the episode they were up to and paused it at the beginning so Noah didn't miss the start and began playing games on his phone.

He didn't notice Derek and Noah walk into the lounge until Stiles felt the sofa cushion beside him sink a little and smiled when he saw Derek as his father sat back down in his armchair. Stiles picked up the remote and pressed play, setting it down on the coffee table.

About a few minutes into the episode, Stiles ended up falling asleep. His eyes slowly drifted shut and his head lulled to one side, falling onto Derek's shoulder. Derek frowned a little and looked at Stiles before he shifted the teen a little, letting him lay down on the sofa with his head in Derek's lap. While doing this, Derek unknowingly gathered Noah's attention.

Noah sighed, watching his son. "He's been getting extremely tired lately." His voice carried clear worry. "I'm starting to get worried. If it gets worse, I'll go to Melissa and get her to check him over. If he needs to get treatment, then he does. I just don't know what's causing it, apart from the obvious stress."

Derek nodded. "That's a good idea. Hopefully it's nothing and it's just sleep he needs to rest his body. Maybe he'll get more now that Scott isn't taking up all of his time."

"Hopefully." Noah sighed again. He and Derek watched the rest of the episode and Noah set it back to the start so Stiles wouldn't miss it. He closed the app and switched it back to normal TV before turning the screen off, indicating that it was time for bed.

Derek carefully got up without disturbing Stiles and delicately picked him up, making sure he was settled in his arms before heading for the stairs.

"Oh. Thank you, Derek. Perks of werewolf strength, huh?" Noah chuckled as he followed Derek up.

Derek chuckled as well. "Cora used to fall asleep on the sofa all the time. Mom would make either Dad or I carry her up to her room." He said as he entered Stiles' bedroom and set him down on the bed. He slowly got him tucked in and pulled the covers over him and made sure he could sleep properly.

"Derek, can I talk to you about something?" Noah asked softly, leaning against the doorframe.

"Of course." Derek turned to face the elder Stilinski.

"I've seen the way you look at him. Promise me you'll keep him safe? That you'll always protect him?"

Derek blinked. Had he really been that obvious about how he felt for Stiles? He thought he had always been discreet. He really hoped that the pack hadn't picked up on it. He couldn't help the nod. "Of course. I promise I'll keep him safe. He'll always be protected."

Noah smiled. "Thank you." He said softly. "You can stay if you want. If not, just make sure the door's locked. You can slide the key back under the door if you do leave."

Derek nodded with a smile, feeling like he had just earned Noah's blessing. "I will. Thanks, Noah."

"Any time, Derek." Noah hummed and shut the door to Stiles' bedroom. He had really changed his tune about Derek after being informed of the supernatural world and learned about what Stiles' friends had become. Derek turned back to watch Stiles before he laid down beside him on top of the covers and drew him into a protective hold. He breathed Stiles' scent in and closed his eyes, feeling calm feelings that always washed over him whenever he smelt Stiles' scent.

But the icing on the cake for Derek was when Stiles rolled into him and settled against him properly, all the while appearing more comfortable. Derek watched the younger male nuzzle into his chest, breathing in a soft and slow pattern as his body relaxed into the sudden comfort. Derek swore he was going to have a heart attack from how cute Stiles was being.

He stayed with Stiles for a couple of hours before he eventually detached himself. He kissed Stiles' head just before he got up and smiled when a soft smile appeared right after on the teen's face. Maybe he really did have some feelings for Derek. Only time would tell if Stiles confessed them or not.

He headed downstairs quietly after collecting his shoes and jacket, making sure he had everything else before he slipped out the front door. He locked it and slipped the key under the door before heading to his car. He paused when he got to it and slowly surveyed the area, feeling like someone was watching him. He didn't see anyone but that feeling never left as he got in the car. He looked up at Stiles' bedroom window and smiled to himself before driving home.

He tried to be as quiet as possible when he got home, sneaking in through the front door while hoping like hell his family were asleep. That hope was immediately slashed to shreds when the lights flickered on as soon as the door clicked shut. He gave up trying not to make noise and locked the door before facing his family.

"Out for a late-night run, nephew?" Peter asked. Derek responded with a glare.

"Why do you smell like Stiles?" Cora questioned with a frown.

"Because I was at his house, like I said I'd be. I told you I was going to scent their house." Derek said evasively and made a beeline towards the stairs to disappear from the interrogation.

"Not so fast, Derek, you did more than scenting." Peter voiced, stopping Derek in his tracks.

Cora gasped. "Did you and Stiles—"

"No, Cora, we did not." Derek immediately cut her off and glared at both family members, especially Peter. "Stiles had a nap before dinner, he offered for me to stay with him, so I did. Then we had dinner, with Noah there," he put the emphasis on those particular words, "and then we watched some TV. Stiles fell asleep so I carried him up to his bedroom. That's it." His voice held an annoyed tone.

"Alright, alright, no need to get so annoyed, nephew." Peter chuckled, holding his hands up in defeat.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Now that you've finished interrogating me, I'd like to go to sleep." He made his way up to his bedroom. He heard his sister giggling and shook his head, a small smile appearing. It was good to hear his sister laugh after all the misery she had been put through. It reminded him of when they were younger and Derek had made the mistake of telling his family about his crush on Paige.

He shook his head and got into bed and laid there, looking up at the ceiling as he thought about his sister's words, about how he smelt like Stiles. Knowing that his scent was laid on him made him extremely happy. He rolled over onto his side, falling asleep with a smile on his face and excitedly waiting for tomorrow.