“Derek, are mates a thing?”
“Yes.”
“And…???”
“Wolves can chose to mate, like humans chose to marry.”
“So it’s not some kind of mystical moon destiny?”
“Stop reading werewolf smut, Stiles.”
“Shut up! But explain.”
“Mating is a kind of magic. It requires intent and consent. So a wolf can’t mate a human unless they know what mating is. Especially since it’s for life.”
“Is there some kind of sex ritual or whatever?”
“No. Just intent and consent. Mates don’t have to be sexual. Or even romantic.”
“Huh.”
“It’s magic. It conforms to the intent, so pretty much anything goes.”
Stiles wakes up.
He’s immediately awake and aware. Knows exactly where he is.
(In bed. Derek sleeping next to him.)
He smiles into his pillow.
Spends a few moments just laying there. Basking in the warmth of the bed. The steady cadence of Derek’s breathing.
And above all, the scent of them together. The way it’s become twinned into something new.
You can’t really tell Derek and Stiles apart by scent alone these days.
It’s beautiful. It’s everything.
(Derek shifts in bed, breathing changes. Stiles looks over and falls in love again because of a sleepy smile and drowsy eyes.)
Turns out everyone but Stiles and Derek thinks them eloping is a big deal.
Even some of the wolves.
He just doesn’t understand.
Everyone knows they’re mates. People get divorced but mates are forever.
Importantly: marriage is a human thing. Neither he nor Derek are human.
Not human, but they move through a human world.
They did it for legal reasons, like Derek being able to make medical decisions for him. So that Stiles can share/access Derek’s money.
They wear rings to have a human-readable sign of claiming.
(It’s reduced the amount of unwanted come-ons Derek gets, to his delight.)
A Fact About Werewolves:
The full shift is rare.
Only person Derek knew could do it was his mom.
She’d been a powerful, respected alpha.
He never thought he’d be able to do it.
Werewolves aren’t human. Even when they look human, they are wolves.
There’s no ‘inner wolf’ distinct from a ‘human’ side.
Most wolves are socialized in a human world.
It can create a disjunct between conscious thought and instinct.
It’s why bitten wolves almost never fully shift.
It also requires an inviolable anchor. Too easy to become only instinct.
Derek’s not surprised Stiles manages to do it.
“Hey, Lydia? Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Make it quick. I have things I’d rather be doing.”
“I want to apologize for my creepy and inappropriate behaviour in the past. I’m really, really sorry.”
She smells surprised.
“Why are you only apologizing now?”
“I didn’t realize…”
“How could you not know?”
Her scent is angry.
If anyone deserves an honest explanation, it’s Lydia.
“Little known fact about me: I’m autistic. I don’t pick up on social cues. I can’t intuit them either. No one told me it wasn’t acceptable behaviour.”
“Apology accepted. I don’t forgive you, though.”
“Stiles, what do you think about expanding the pack?”
“Hmm… I certainly wouldn’t mind a bigger pack. Did you have someone in mind?”
“No. This is one thing that I definitely want to do differently. Be more careful in who I choose. The bite is a gift and it should go to people who deserve it.”
“That’s great, Derek. You see? This is why I chose you. Because you are good. You said things would be different and they are. You’re becoming a good alpha.”
The scent of pridejoyhappiness coming off of Derek is intoxicating.
So is his small smile.
“You always wanted to go to Columbia,” his dad says.
“Yeah, Dad. I did. Things change.”
“You’ll resent Derek if you change your dreams for him.”
“Dreams change, dad. I’ve changed. I’m a werewolf. And mated to the alpha. It would be irrational to resent Derek when I can adjust my dreams to include him.
“When I dream of the future, these days, he’s always there.”
“You can’t build your life around another person, son.”
“Isn’t that the point of relationships? Didn’t you do this with mom?”
“You’re only 18.”
“And I’m literally in a relationship only death can break.”
Derek rushes into the hospital. He needs to get Stiles out of here before someone realizes he’s healing too fast.
Alpha wounds heal slower but still faster than is normal for humans.
He reaches the nurse’s desk, “Where is Stiles Stilinski?”
“Are you family?”
“I’m his husband.”
She blinks at him and directs him to where Stiles is.
Derek is too focused to see Melissa McCall standing nearby.
She follows him to Stiles.
“Did you two really get married?”
Stiles answers, “Yeah. When I turned 18.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Why would we? It’s not really all that important.”
“Stiles, do you want kids?”
“No. I never have.”
“Why not?”
“No particular reason. And I kind of figure you should only have kids if you really want them. Do you want them?”
“I used to, before the fire. Before I was an alpha. My time alone with you is already precious and with the pack it never feels like enough.”
“OMG! I will honestly never be over just how soft and sappy you can be.”
Stiles leans over; gives Derek a soft kiss.
In Stiles’ loneliest moments, he never dreamed of something this awesome.
(Reality is so much better.)
“Derek, can mate bonds be broken?”
“Not easily.”
“So, like, if mates are for life, what happens if you have an abusive mate? Are you just trapped forever?”
“No. We can’t hurt our mates. It’s why it requires absolute trust.”
“But what if?”
“If you start intentionally hurting your mate, you break the bond. Because we can’t hurt our mates. Hell, even simply wanting to hurt your mate, well, means you aren’t mated anymore.”
“Wow. So wolves don’t have abusive relationships?”
“Not what I said. This is why mating is so rare. Absolute trust and love. Breaking the bond hurts.”
They are at the diner.
Derek’s laughing when it strikes him that he is absolutely and totally in love with Stiles.
(It’s been so long since Derek’s felt light enough to laugh.)
(Derek’s laughter might be the only thing Stiles loves more than his smile.)
The laughter dies away.
Stiles takes in this new scent of lovelovelove.
It’s the sweetest thing he’s ever smelled.
Derek can smell that Stiles reciprocates his feelings.
He treats Stiles to a new smile.
It’s slow and soft.
Warmth floods through their pack bond.
This is suddenly the best day in both of their lives.
“I’ve noticed Scott hasn’t been around lately.”
“We aren’t friends anymore, dad. Plus, he isn’t pack.”
“You’ve been friends since kindergarten!”
“He crossed a line with Derek. I can’t be friends with someone like him.”
“You can’t forgive him and move past this? Even if you two don’t stay friends, forgiving him could give you some closure.”
“Closure? I don’t need it. And forgiveness isn’t necessary for closure anyway. I’m not angry. I don’t hate him.”
Noah drops the subject. Because you can’t argue against that kind of apathy.
(People forget that the opposite of love is apathy, not hate.)
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“Seriously, Derek?”
“Okay, okay. But what’re you going to study in college? Do you want a career of some kind?”
“Not sure yet. Not now that I know Beacon Hills is where I’ll always want to be.”
“You don’t want to be a cop like your dad?”
“Ha! Be a part of one of the most oppressive institutions of the state? No, thanks.”
“Huh.”
“Look. It’s because my dad’s a cop that I have intimate knowledge that the American justice system is garbage.”
“You’re the most amazing person I know.”
It doesn’t take long for the pack to find Boyd and Erica.
(Stiles and Derek working with each other are formidable.)
They aren’t, however, allowed back into the pack.
Betas who run when things get hard can’t be trusted or relied on.
And trust is everything in the pack now.
But Derek is trying to be different. A good alpha.
So he finds another, more established pack willing to take them in.
It’s hard, but Derek hadn’t been the right alpha for them.
(Stiles holds him, later, as he falls apart. Because this is yet another thing he’s failed at.)
It’s the full moon and the pack is running in the preserve.
This is one of Stiles’ favourite parts of being a werewolf.
The feeling of pack is unmatched.
Amongst the exhilaration and jubilation, he feels a kind of peace wash over him.
So caught up in the moment he doesn’t notice he’s running on four paws.
Doesn’t notice until a large, black wolf with gleaming, red eyes pounces on him.
They roll and begin to play.
Together they sing a song joy.
Later, the pack curls around each other.
They shift back and Derek holds him.
Sleepy and content.
“Stiles, you turned down a full-ride to Columbia? Can we afford this?”
“First, Berkeley’s in-state tuition isn’t bad and it’s one of the best schools in the world. Second, Derek’s paying.”
“We may not have much, but we don’t take charity.”
“It’s not charity. Derek’s my mate. Even if he wasn’t, he’s my alpha. He’ll pay for anyone who needs it in the pack.”
“Explain.”
“The strength of wolves comes from our pack. From us working together. This is true of humans but for us it’s instinct. It makes Derek – all of us – feel good when Derek provides for us.”
Stiles is having one of those days where everything feels to loud and too bright.
No amount of twitching, flailing, or pacing is helping.
Without much thought, he finds himself in front of Derek’s door.
Seeking both the comfort of alpha but also how Derek himself is a refuge.
Derek is quiet.
It used to make Stiles anxious.
(Before he could scent emotion.)
Now? It quiets his mind and makes him calm.
Derek guides him into his bed.
The heavy weight of him is grounding. So is the comforting scent of alpha.
In these moments Stiles is still and quiet.
“Son, Melissa called and said you and Derek are married. This true?”
“Yeah, dad. It isn’t a big deal.”
“Eloping isn’t a big deal? Really?”
Stiles can smell his dad getting angry and he is confused.
“Yes. Really.”
“I’m your father! And you still live at home. You have to tell me these things. Why would you do this?”
“Um… about that. I’m moving in with Derek next week. Got married for legal reasons.”
“Stiles! You can’t…”
“I’m an adult now, so I can. We’re mates, dad. Marriage is trivial. Just paperwork for things like hospitals and money and shit.”
A Fact About Derek:
Mating with Stiles hasn’t ‘fixed’ him.
It’s smoothed out some of his sharper edges.
Maybe even mended some of his broken pieces.
(Like the ones that told him he would never have this. That he’d never be able to trust deeply enough to mate.)
Being with Stiles doesn’t erase his trauma from being raped as a kid. Or even from Scott taking his body autonomy (again).
Being with him has given Derek some of the space and peace he needs to work on healing.
Makes him want to be better as an alpha and a man.
It’s their first date and Stiles looks amazing.
“You look great.”
“Really? I know I’m awesome, but I guess I don’t get how you’re into all of this.”
“Stiles. You get that not everyone is attracted to the same thing, right?”
“Right…”
“I’m not particularly interested in guys who look like me. I like that you’re a little softer than me.
“Plus, for wolves, scent is always more important than looks. You could be the supermodel of the world but if you didn’t smell right? I wouldn’t look twice.
“It’s just an added nice bonus that you are my type.”
They are having a lazy afternoon.
Stiles enjoying being held by Derek. Feeling safe, warm, and content.
Derek enjoying holding Stiles. Feeling connected, loved, and happy.
They haven’t been together all that long. Even if feels like they’ve been falling in love since Stiles joined Derek’s pack.
Their relationship is an organic thing. Slowing growing until, suddenly, it blossomed into this.
More than Derek ever thought he deserved.
Everything Stiles always dreamed of.
It feels fast, even if they took their time.
“Derek?”
“Yeah?”
“Be my mate?”
“Okay.”
A new bond flares between them.
It’s a surprise.
(But not really.)