"Come on, Stilinski! Hussle!" Coach shouted. Stiles huffed, shaking the sweat off his brow. He had never anticipated the effort it would take to be on the front line. After all his time on the bench Stiles was out of practice. He watched Scott run across the field and make a goal with ease. It was hard for Stiles not to be jealous of his best friend. His grace and power. All the things that came with being a werewolf. Stiles had to put up with all of the danger of the supernatural realm without any of the perks of actually being part of it. Scott always said it was overrated, but Stiles knew that was bullshit. Scott didn't even have to try anymore. Stiles burned with jealousy.

"Damn it all! Stilinski!" Coach screamed. "Get your rear in gear!"

Stiles jumped at the sound of his voice. "Yes sir!" He ran forward, determined to make a goal.

Only to get plowed down by Jackson. Stiles' head spun as he was knocked to the ground. He groaned, now his ass and pride were sore. He flashed that shit-eating grin at Stiles.

"Sorry, didn't see you there." Jackson drawled. He didn't sound very sorry.

Stiles ignored him, pushing himself up off of the ground and picking up his lacrosse stick. He sighed at the torn net in his scoop. It must have snagged on a rock when he had fallen. The Stiles thanked his lucky stars that it wasn't his head that got snagged on that rock.

"Hey, Coach!" He called, jogging over to show him. "I've gotta repair this."

Coach sighed. "Sure, whatever Stilinski. Just do it and get back out on the field."

Stiles nodded and ran off to the locker rooms. They always kept some spare rope in the metal cabinet in Coach Finstock's office. Stiles pulled it out and quickly began weaving a new net for himself. He was so preoccupied with the task that he didn't notice Derek enter the room. He nearly had a heart attack when he looked up to see Derek's scowling face in the doorway.

"Christ!" He yelled, slapping a hand over his racing heart. "You scared me!"

Derek ignored that. "Pack meeting. Sunday. Nine in the evening."

"No hello? No pleasant 'nice to see you?'"

Derek glared at him. Stiles threw his hands up in exasperation. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Are you coming or not?" Derek pressed.

"Yes! Fine!" Stiles spat. He sounded like a rebellious teenager. But then again, Stiles was a rebellious teenager.

"Good." Derek said. He was gone with the blink of an eye. Literally. Stiles blinked and the man was gone. He shook his head. Damn werewolves.

    —•☽♡❍♡☾•—

The pack meeting was unusually calm. Nothing apocalyptic was happening in the supernatural world at the moment. It ended up basically being a social gathering. Derek sat at the front of the room, just listening in on everyone's conversations. Stiles had clocked out. He didn't know what they were talking about. Probably werewolf stuff he didn't understand.

He was too busy daydreaming to realize that Derek was staring at Stiles. There was something about him. Something he couldn't quite place. Stiles kept catching his attention. Drawing him in and always making him look twice. Sometimes Derek questioned Stiles' humanity. It seemed more like Stiles was an incubus. A tempter luring him in with soft lips and curved hips. But it wasn't his body. No. That wasn't what was catching Derek's attention. So what was it?

Maybe it was his eyes. His lashes were dark, just like the brown color. Brown is such a common eye color. There's really nothing special about brown eyes. But Stiles' eyes... What was it about them. Something about them drew Derek in. And it wasn't just the beautiful coffee color.

Perhaps it was his habits. Everyone has little habits. Like Lydia playing with her hair. But Derek loved the way Stiles rolled his eyes at everything. Sometimes he'd stand outside Stiles' window and watch him do his homework. He always drums his fingers on the desk in time with whatever song he's listening to. If you look closely enough you can see him moving his lips. But he's not singing along to the music. He's whispering profanities at his homework and making sarcastic comments at word problems. Even if no one hears them, Derek knows that he does it. It's adorable.

Oh GOD. There's no way. Derek growled, shaking his head. He did NOT just call Stiles Stilinski adorable. Ugh. And he was doing so well being in denial. Well, that was it. He had finally admitted it to himself. He had a crush on Stiles. God. Damn. It.

Derek didn't know what to do. He had never done this before. He had some flings in the past, but they didn't really mean anything. That was just him getting his rocks off. Now he loved someone. God. Derek was so sexually frustrated it hurt. No, really. It hurt. His jeans were a bit too tight at the moment. Again, Derek could feel his blood pressure rise as he got more angry. He just got a boner in a pack meeting. In front of everyone. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. How was he supposed to hide this?

Scott looked over at him with a smirk on his face. Shit. He had been discovered! Scott could probably smell how sexually frustrated Derek was. Derek wasn't surprised by this. He could smell it on himself. That's how bad it was. He needed to get them all out of there before someone else picked up on it.

"Pack dismissed." Derek growled.

"What?" Isaac said, sitting up straighter. "But..."

"Get out of here!" Derek nearly yelled. Immediately Issac and the others jumped up and ran off. Scott sighed and stood at his own leisurely pace. He walked over at tapped Stiles' shoulder. Stiles had zoned out again. But Scott caught his attention.

"Coming?" Scott asked.

Stiles shook his head. "Go on without me. I'll find me own way home."

Derek forced himself to look at some uncharted point away from Stiles. Now he realized that demanding that they all leave might have been a mistake. He had been left alone with Stiles and his boner. Great. Derek wanted to get up. He wanted to leave before Stiles figured out his... "Little" problem. But there was no way he could discretely hide this. Not without placing his hands over it completely. That would be too obvious. Derek nearly had a heart attach when he realized that Stiles was staring him down.

But Stiles wasn't focused on Derek. He was lost in his thoughts. Thinking about love, actually. Lydia. Did he have a chance with her? He had been pining after that girl for... Years. More than half of his life. It was clear that he wasn't getting any close to getting the girl. Was it time to move on? Consider other options? Find someone who not only wanted him, but would make him happy? Could he move on? Where would he even begin?

Derek suddenly noticed the sadness in Stiles eyes. What was he thinking about? Had someone hurt him? Was his dad getting him down about his grades again?

Then they locked eyes. Derek could see the cogs in Stiles' head turning. He was definitely thinking. But about what? A million questions were turning in his head. Now Derek was thinking. But all Stiles saw was Derek's usual scowl. 

"Uh... Sorry for staring at you like that." Stiles said timidly. "I'm gonna go now."

Derek watched him leave. A part of him was disappointed to see him go. Another part, the one thinking about his situation downstairs, was happy he was finally alone. Now he had time to think. Time to really think.

... As soon as he got his rocks off.

    —•☽♡❍♡☾•—

Derek sighed, tilting his head skyward again. The wind stung his cheek and icy fingers reached down his jacket, sending shivers down his spine. He could still hear Stiles' heartbeat. Even when he was so far away. They were still connected. Derek knew they had a bond. He ran his hands through his dark hair. Above him, the moon shone brightly. The light seemed to dance through the trees, casting shadows on the forest floor. 

Why Stiles? He wondered. What about us make us compatible? Could this really work?

Stiles was a sweet boy with a big heart. He was one hundred percent brave and two hundred percent insane. But he was also smart. Sometimes it appeared that Stiles had finally lost his fucking mind, but in the end they always found out that he was being a genius. Whenever he was acting crazier than usual, he always had a reason. Some big discovery that they hadn't thought of yet. Maybe that had something to do with his ADHD. His mind worked in a different way, and often much faster, to keep up with his hyperactive tendencies. Stiles was also loyal. He had loved Lydia for years and years and never given up on her. Through all the rejections, through every bad boyfriend, Stiles had stayed with her. He had run across town when he heard that she was hurt and stayed in the emergency room for days to make sure she was okay. Though Derek found him annoying, he had to admire him for his quick wit and unending loyalty.

But Derek wasn't anything like Stiles. He was crude and pragmatic. He rarely smiled. In fact, he can remember Stiles telling him several times to fix his "resting bitch face." Years of loss and hurt had turned Derek into a cold, bitter werewolf who was afraid to get close to anyone. He thought about himself way too often and made everyone around him uncomfortable. In the face of danger, he was calm and collected. In the face of social situations he was a hot mess. There was no obvious comparisons between Stiles and Derek. So how could they work this out? 

He heaved another long-suffering sigh. It seemed pretty hopeless. 

Derek walked back towards the ruins of the Hale house. Derek found it easier to think here. Though as a result, his thoughts ended up being violent and melancholy. But that was okay. As long as he had a clear head to think about Stiles. 

He stood where Laura had once been buried. He remembered how angry he had been when Scott and Stiles had disturbed his sister's grave. He was still angry about that. But he still saw this patch of dirt as the place where Laura's spirit was at rest. Childhood memories came flooding back to him.

"Come on Der!" She whined. "Play house with me!"

"No!" He growled. "That's weird! I'm not going to get married when I'm older."

She giggled and smiled at him. "Yes you will!" Laura insisted. "You're going to find your mate someday! Then you'll understand."

Derek smiled at the memory. A rare smile. A real smile. Laura would be laughing at him if she was there. He could almost hear her say "I told you so." Laura was spunky. She'd tell you exactly what was on her mind and bother you near to death, but she had a way of telling you exactly what you needed to hear. She was understanding and she gave the best advice. Derek missed her advice. He missed her. 

"Help me, Laura." He whispered. "Help your idiot brother in love."

===========================

I have a confession to make: I know fucking nothing about lacrosse. I don't know the difference between a linerback or a home goal or a touchdown or what. I also didn't pass science and I can't read numbers. I have ADHD and I am severely out of shape. So yeah, don't criticize my lack of knowledge on sports. May Google save my sorry ass.

-💕 Bubblegum 💕