Feels like falling

Chapter 9

It took several attempts and multiple phone calls before Stiles was able to find out where Derek was staying and even then he wasn't sure if Lydia had given him the correct address. Seriously, there was no way Derek could be staying at a place like this. This was the sort of place that millionaires brought there secret lovers; the kind of place that celebrities stayed when they left rehab and needed to lie low for a while. This was not the type of place he would expect to find a werewolf who had previously been living in the burnt down shell of what had once been his family home.

He wasn't even sure the Hale house could actually be classed as a house. Most houses Stiles had been in had at least 4 walls and a roof.

How could someone go from that wreck to this place? It has a freaking doorman for God's sake!

Deciding it wouldn't hurt to just ask if Derek did in fact live here, Stiles made his way through the large oak doors. The doorman looked Stiles up and down with a barely concealed look of revulsion.

"How can I help you Sir?" He sneered as though it physically hurt him to talk to the short haired boy in the bright red hoodie and ripped jeans. Pushing aside the sudden shame he felt at how he was dressed Stiles tried to act confident.

"I was told my friend lived here but I think I might have been misinformed. You know how friends can be. They're not always the most reliable when it comes to things like this. Just last week Scott sent me to the other side of town just because he wrote something down wrong. Oh and there was that time that..." Stiles trailed off at the doorman's obvious disinterest. Really the man could at least try and pretend he didn't think Stiles was worth less than the dirt on his shoes. He could at least wait until the younger boy left before judging everything about him from his un-kept hair down to the sneakers he was wearing with the small hole at the tip of his left big toe.

"Anyway," he began again "is Derek, Derek Hale, staying here." Again the man tried to control his reaction but a brief flash of surprise flashed across his face before he schooled his expression back in to what Stiles assumed was supposed to be a neutral expression but only made the man look like he was having stomach pains.

"Mr Hale is staying on the top floor," and the sneer was back "you may go straight up." The man replied as though, yet again, it physically pained him to speak to anyone who didn't wear a suit or drive a Bentley.

"Thanks." Stiles shot back half-heartedly; already making his way across to the elevator in the back corner before the man had finished speaking. Stepping in to the elevator and noticing the six small numbered metal buttons he didn't hesitate before pressing the top one. What a jackass he thought as the steel doors slid shut blocking the obnoxious man from his sight.

Not for the first time tonight Stiles found himself wondering how Derek could afford a place like this. Anyway, even if the alpha could afford this place Stiles never would have thought Derek would choose to live somewhere so pretentious. He would have to explain himself at some point in the future, just not tonight. Tonight he had more important questions that needed asking and nothing would stop him from getting the answers he knew he deserved.

Or at least that was what he thought until he knocked on Derek's door. The door was answered by what Stiles could only assume was an angel; if such things existed (he would have to remember to ask Derek about what was a myth and what was real. More importantly, what was dangerous and what wasn't.)

The woman who was holding open the door had waist length chocolate brown hair, which was curled loosely down her back, and matching beautiful warm brown eyes. Said eyes were watching him with a mixture of curiosity and surprise as Stiles stood taking in the vision in front of him. This had to be the wrong address.

Stiles was about to apologise for the intrusion and make his escape before things could get anymore awkward (although he doubted he could do anything worse than stare at a complete stranger for several minutes.) when Derek appeared from another room, his shocked expression matching Stiles own.

"Stiles?" the wolf asked, sceptical of what he was seeing. Looking between the two beautiful people in front of him, Stiles saw the moment the woman's expression turned from confusion to understanding.

"Oh so you're the mysterious Stiles I've heard so much about." She spoke to the younger boy before turning to Derek "You didn't tell me you were expecting company tonight babe."

After Derek remained silent for several minutes Stiles realised it would be up to him to speak for the wolf.

"Ah sorry," he rubbed at the back of his next whilst rocking backwards and forwards on the spot, avoiding any unnecessary eye contact. "that's my fault. I didn't tell him I was coming. Honestly I wasn't even sure if I was in the right place 'cause a doorman? Seriously? And even if I was in the right place I didn't want to give him a chance to escape before I got some answers this time."

A soft giggling cut him off. A giggle that didn't belong to him and definitely didn't belong to Sourwolf, he sometimes wondered if Derek was actually capable of laughing or any expression other than anger or confusion. That meant that the unexpected noise had to have come from the 'angel.'

"I'm sorry it's just you're exactly how he described you. Lanky, spastic and can't stay quiet for longer than 5 minutes at a time. I've never heard such an accurate description." She said before dissolving in to another fit of giggles.

"Right..." Stiles continued to look anywhere but at the dark haired man who was still standing quietly in the open doorway. "I think I should just go. I'll talk to you later, it wasn't important anyway." He said as he momentarily looked at Derek before looking away again, trying to hide the pain he knew must be visible in his eyes "erm, have a good night you two." He said as he headed back down the hallway and towards the elevator he had just come up in. He ignored Derek's weak shout after him.

How could Derek not tell him? Not tell the pack? Something like this is something they should know about.

Maybe everybody already knew and they were just trying to save his already fragile feelings. Trying to protect the weak human yet again.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, calm down and think. What was there for Derek to tell the pack anyway? Maybe she was just an old friend or a neighbour. His hopeful thoughts were thrown aside as he remembered the way she had called the wolf babe. People didn't call their neighbours, practically a stranger, babe, especially when Derek had obviously just moved in to the building.

But then again if Derek did have a girlfriend why didn't they know about it. It was hard to hide anything from a pack of teenage werewolves. Stiles knew only too well how nosy they were when it came to other members of the pack.

He was brought out of his internal rambling by the ding of the elevator signalling the end of his journey.

He should have expected it really but the sight of a lightly panting Derek waiting for him on the other side of the doors still caused him to jump slightly. Again he expected the words Derek spoke when he noticed Stiles arrival. However, that didn't take away their sting.

"You weren't meant to know about her, not yet anyway." He half spoke, half whispered as Stiles stepped out of the small metal box suddenly feeling trapped.

Even though he had been expecting Derek to say something like that Stiles had no response ready so instead he chose to remain silent for once in his life and let Derek do all the talking.