[my brain locked in for a smidge, do not expect much]
the idea of a vegetarian werewolf sounds ridiculous but also hilarious, like ?
imagine Stiles coming to this revelation — to be fair to him, he’s probably never fully witnessed Derek eat anything more than a piece of gum or granola bar.
he’s never seen Derek grab a slice of pizza on one of their many pack nights at whoever was hosting. when he really thinks about it, those late night stops at the diners, Derek’s only ever ordered a coffee or water along with a slice of pie or a basket of fries.
this time around, Stiles is hosting pack night at his new apartment. he’s been staring at his phone for the past half hour, deciding between the offered pizza deals and the betas suggestions; some bickering over pineapple on pizza, others begging for a meat lovers, scott pressing him about his god forsaken buffalo chicken pizza, Lydia telling Stiles to order from somewhere nice (i.e. expensive).
too many suggestions ends up giving Stiles more anxiety than he’d like. Derek sidles up beside him, already presenting his amex card, telling Stiles to just get it all. “add a margherita pizza to that order, by the way..” Derek says.
Stiles’ face twists up, “margherita? i’ll get you a pepperoni like a normal person..”
“i don’t eat pepperonis, Stiles — i don’t eat meat,” Derek informs him.
Stiles stares back him blankly, waiting for Derek to say “just kidding” but Derek stares back at him with just as much of a deadpan expression.
“you don’t eat meat?” Stiles repeats in disbelief, “Derek, i’ve literally seen you take down a deer. even poor little rabbits!”
Derek shrugs, a slight smile playing at his lips as he says, “yeah, but that’s just for sport. i don’t actually eat them, i just… maul them a little..”
Stiles rolls his eyes at Derek’s smirk, walking away before he earns another headache. he puts in the order for the stupid margherita pizza along with the hawaiian, buffalo, and meat lovers.
when the pizzas finally arrive, the whole pack cram into Stiles’ small kitchen, clamoring over each other for a slice. Stiles watches as Derek hangs back, waiting for the minor chaos to die down before gliding over, knowing all the while Stiles is eying him as he grabs two slices of the margherita. he gives Stiles a cheeky wink as heads back into the living room to join the rest on the couch.
Stiles’ glare goes unnoticed. he grabs his own serving, sitting beside Lydia just as the movie starts but his mind only goes on and on about how Derek, big, bad… tall.. strong… Derek prefers tofu over steak.
it’s maybe all Stiles thinks about over the next few days. the next time they all go out to eat, Stiles is watching Derek and what he orders. noticing Derek order a spinach and peppers omelette, “no ham,” at the diner after a rough fight in the woods. that his pick-me-up of choice is a trail mix and fruit after sparring. when Stiles sneaks into the loft, he peeks in the fridge thinking Derek must be hiding a lamb chop somewhere. instead what he finds is a meatless pasta à la vodka, soup containers filled with various beans, and bags of kale.
“a ha!” Stiles shouts when he finds a single portion of grilled chicken in the back of the fridge. he’s startled by Derek when he turns around, knocking his head on the refrigerator door but still waves the evidence in Derek’s face.
Derek’s eyebrows raise as he stares down at Stiles with arms crossed. “what are you doing here?” he asks.
Stiles ignores the question as he rubs at his throbbing head. “i knew you weren’t serious — you were just pulling my leg, weren’t you?”
there’s a beat of silence as Derek takes the ziplock of grilled chicken from Stiles, turning it around to point at the tape that is scrawled in sharpie, “CORA - DO NOT TOUCH”.
“oh,” Stiles says, huffing an awkward laugh. he clears his throat before asking again, “you really don’t eat meat? aren’t werewolves like notoriously carnivorous?”
Derek shrugs nonchalantly, that familiar small smile curling at his lip as he explains, “i know it’s probably weird, considering. but i’ve been a vegetarian since i was a kid.”
it’s not that long of an explanation as Derek tells him how he came to be a vegetarian. mentioning how he even tried meat again briefly but couldn’t stomach it. how he’s unsure if it’s the texture, the taste, or the combination of both that turns him off of it.
there’s a brief moment where Stiles seems sincere, intently listening, telling Derek he understand because, “i’m the same way about mushrooms!” but soon enough, Stiles is cracking jokes that have Derek scoffing and rolling his eyes.
[and then yaddayaddayadda, they get together and Derek makes a comment about ass being the only meat he eats 😏]
