This Land is Mine
Birthday fic for kettlebaggins ;) Rated: G, ~2k words, [ao3]
After graduation, Stiles headed off to college. When he comes back for Thanksgiving break - the first time since he started at Berkeley - there are surprises waiting for him that he's never even dreamed about.
It was after everything settled down, just after graduation. Everyone in the pack was busy with trying to arrange dorms and apartments at the colleges they chose -- Scott and Kira staying near enough to Beacon Hills to keep hold of the territory, Lydia at Harvard with Jackson due to transfer after the first semester in London, Stiles at Berkeley, Liam and Malia heading into senior year. Peter and Kate were gone, the Sheriff and Parrish had the side of the law covered, Melissa got Chris a job with the hospital administration and Cora promised to come visit often since she moved closer.
Liam and Malia found out first, obviously, since they were calling Derek’s new apartment their home -- Malia had moved there permanently once the secret of her parentage was revealed and Liam hung around as often as he could. Both of them were sworn to secrecy, along with Scott, who had to be informed as he was the pack Alpha. None of the others knew of the change until Thanksgiving break, when they all finally found time in their college schedules to get back to Beacon Hills for the holiday.
Stiles was the first one to get back, a day earlier than he’d announced since one of his classes got cancelled. He didn’t bother calling, figured he could surprise everyone with the early arrival, but to his dismay he only found an empty house as both his Dad and Melissa were stuck in double shifts. Malia and Liam were still in school, so Stiles decided to head over to Derek’s, figuring that Derek at least would be home. With the money brought back, as far as Stiles was aware, Derek was still trying to figure out what to do about a job or college.
They all had keys to the apartment since before they left, so Stiles barged right in and hollered a greeting from the hallway. Instead of being greeted with the grumble he was expecting from Derek, his ears caught a quiet whine and the sound of something falling over in the kitchen. His reflexes still trained for danger from the years of being attacked on an almost daily basis, Stiles froze and reached for the phone in his pocket without thinking twice. Before he could dial Derek’s number, though, he heard the hushed tone of Derek’s voice speaking in a tone that Stiles never heard before. Curiosity stronger than his caution, as usual, Stiles walked towards the kitchen door, holding his breath until he peeked in.
“Hey, Stiles,” Derek said and looked up when Stiles’ shoulder thumped against the door frame.
“Derek,” Stiles managed to say before his jaw dropped in disbelief.
“Hey, shh,” Derek whispered then, turning his face to the small figure hiding behind him. “It’s Stiles, remember? We looked at pictures and Malia and Liam told you all about him.”
“Who’s…” Stiles said, then gulped when he felt the dryness of his throat. “Who’s that?”
“Hey, Lia, want to say hello?” Derek said instead of answering Stiles.
The little girl peeked out from behind his back to look at Stiles and then glanced to Derek before she raised her arms, obviously asking to be lifted up.
“Hey Stiles, this is Lia,” Derek said when he got up and walked closer with the girl in his arms. “She’s…” he paused and took a breath, then followed up with a trembling voice, “she’s Laura’s.”
Stiles’ eyes opened wide at that piece of information, but he caught himself before a gasp escaped his mouth. Instead, he leaned a little forward and looked at the girl, who looked to be about four years old if he was to guess, and he grinned when he recognized features he was used to seeing on Derek’s face. Her eyes flashed yellow when he lifted his hand towards her, so he pulled back immediately.
“You turn that young?” The question slipped from his lips before he could think about it.
“Just the eyes,” Derek explained. “She won’t start turning fully until she’s a teenager, and even now it’s only because the full moon is close.”
“How… what…”
Stiles tried to clear his mind enough to come up with a coherent question, but his brain was still processing the fact that he was in Derek’s kitchen, with Derek holding a werewolf child who was apparently his niece.
“Hey Lia, want to go play in your room? We’ll finish up the snacks for everyone later, okay?”
Derek’s tone was gentle as he set the girl down and Stiles could only stare as she rushed off with barely a glance at either of the men.
“Laura had her with a guy she’d met in New York, just before she… before coming back here,” Derek started explaining without waiting for Stiles to ask. “Lia was with the pack we stayed with there until this summer. Her father is… well, he’s human and he doesn’t know,” Derek put an emphasis on the last word, which told Stiles just enough. “It wasn’t safe before,” was the last thing that Derek said.
“Wow,” Stiles whispered. “Scott knows, I’m guessing,” he added, and he slumped into one of the kitchen chairs, opposite Derek.
“He’s the Alpha, I would never bring someone into the pack without him knowing,” Derek nodded. “I just… it wasn’t something I knew how to talk about. She was… the pack in New York would’ve taken care of her if…”
“Hey, no,” Stiles interrupted Derek’s train of thought. “You didn’t. You’re still here. Both of you now, I guess.”
“I wanted to tell you, before the others, but I didn’t know how,” Derek mumbled, his voice almost too quiet for Stiles to hear.
“In words, Derek,” Stiles couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at his lips.
“Hi, Stiles, I’m the legal guardian of a four year old girl, after I could barely take care of a pack,” Derek spat out with a slightly mocking tone. “Yeah, I can see how that would’ve gone down well.”
“Do you think I would judge you, Der?” Stiles leveled the man in front of him with a glare. “You did well with the pack… hush, you did,” he said firmly when Derek’s mouth opened to protest. “You were never planning to be an Alpha of a pack and considering the circumstances…”
“The circumstances being me having been cocky and stupid,” Derek blurted out.
“Well, yes,” Stiles shrugged. “But hey, we were all a little stupid then.”
“Were?” Derek was grinning when he looked at Stiles again.
“Hey, I’ll have you know I’m now seriously dedicated to my studies and my textbooks,” Stiles protested.
“Like you ever were anything but dedicated to research.”
“Came in handy at times, didn’t it?”
“That it did,” Derek nodded. “But isn’t the college experience supposed to be fun?”
“Who says I’m not having fun?” Stiles laughed.
“Well, I wouldn’t expect you to join a frat or something,” Derek said more seriously, “though I have a feeling Scott will have his hands full keeping Liam out of one. But in all the calls and emails, you never mentioned parties or…” Derek paused and gulped, then looked down at his hands before he added quietly, “dating.”
The silence that followed the last word was matched by the tension that immediately filled the air in the kitchen. Stiles’ mind spun with words he couldn’t properly put together into sentences, thoughts he’d had from pretty much the day that Scott and he ran into Derek when they were looking for Scott’s inhaler. Derek, meanwhile, seemed to be studying his fingers, and looked like he was waiting for the ground to swallow him up.
Before either of them manage to figure out a way to speak in coherent sentences again, the front door slammed and Stiles turned around just as Malia stepped into the kitchen.
“Hey Derek, where’s… oh hey Stiles, welcome home!” Malia said cheerfully, then paused and looked from Stiles to Derek and back. “Oh… oh boy,” she muttered as her eyes widened. “Der, I was gonna ask if Lia is ready for swimming, but… you two… you do whatever, I’ll get her, don’t mind me,” she was still rambling as she moved towards the bedrooms.
Stiles took a breath and looked back to Derek after a moment, but didn’t speak until a goodbye and the slamming of the front door echoed across the apartment.
“I’m not,” Stiles said then into the silent room. “Dating, I mean,” he added when Derek didn’t move. “I wasn’t…”
“Why?” Derek interrupted and finally lifted his eyes from his hands.
“You don’t … fuck, how can you not know why, Derek?” Stiles said, exasperation seeping through each word. “Why would I bother with meaningless, fleeting college dates?”
“Stiles,” Derek breathed out the name, but didn’t follow it up with anything else, only continued to hold Stiles’ gaze when their eyes met.
“Did you think I would… what, leave here and go wild? Do stupid shit like getting drunk and sleeping around? Find a willing body to keep me warm at night the moment I moved away from here?” Stiles rambled on, more and more agitated with each word.
“Stiles, I…”
“Did you expect me to walk away from the pack, and what… spread my wings?” Stiles hissed, stood up and pretty much stomped over to Derek’s side of the table. “How … Derek, look at me,” he said more quietly when Derek’s face turned to the table again. “How could you not know?”
After what felt like hours, though it was barely a minute, Derek looked up, his eyes struggling to meet Stiles’.
“Derek?” Stiles whispered then, suddenly feeling his stomach drop when Derek stayed quiet. “Did you… do you want me to… date?”
Stiles could feel his lungs constricting and knew that he’d need to take a breath soon, but once the words were out, there was nothing else he could do but wait for Derek’s answer.
“I…” Derek started, but then clenched his eyes closed and took a deep, shuddering breath. “Stiles, I…”
In the pause that followed, Stiles’ brain switched into overdrive and his mouth began moving without it being a conscious decision on his part.
“I could, you know, I mean it’s not like … it’s college, I’m sure there’d be someone drunk or high or desperate enough and it makes sense that you wouldn’t, why did I even think that it was an option,” he rambled and leaned against the table, hands clenching the edge and his eyes focused on the way his shoelaces were tangled in the wrong direction. “I’m sorry, I’ll never bring it up again, I don’t know why I was stupid enough to think that you… it doesn’t matter, and this won’t be awkward, right? I mean, we’d managed to get past me almost cutting off your arm and then there was the Miguel thing and the paralysis and … it doesn’t even matter, anyway, you’ve more important things to worry about than my assumptions that…”
“Stiles, breathe,” Derek finally spoke up and Stiles could feel the warmth against his hand where Derek’s palm wrapped around it.
He took a deep breath, still shaking with nerves and excess energy reminiscent of the beginnings of a panic attack, but he didn’t manage to turn his face to Derek, afraid of what he’d find. But then Derek was standing and Stiles felt the werewolf’s body heat closer, hands on top of his own that were still gripping the edge of the table.
“I didn’t know,” Derek whispered, close enough that Stiles could feel the warmth of Derek’s breath. “I didn’t think you’d… and now with Lia...”
“You’re an idiot, Derek Hale,” Stiles said then, a chuckle rumbling in his chest. “Oblivious, stubborn idiot.”
And with that, Stiles looked up into Derek’s eyes, smiled when he saw the brief flash of yellow in them, and leaned forward. Their lips met and he hesitated for a split second when Derek froze, but then Stiles felt arms wrapping around his waist and lifting him up onto the kitchen table as Derek kissed him back. They barely came up for air for the next while, and Stiles didn’t bother opening his eyes or reacting when the front door opened again.
“Hey Der, Sti….” Scott’s voice rang across the kitchen and broke off almost immediately. “Yeah, never mind, you know Stiles is home early. I’ll just… get back later,” Scott blurted and then the front door slammed again.
Stiles grinned against Derek’s lips then, and resumed kissing him almost immediately. Everything else could wait.
