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Stiles flopped down onto the couch with a large sigh. It was August and Derek’s loft didn’t have air conditioning. Derek had told him werewolves regulate temperatures better than humans, but Stiles thought he just liked to suffer.
Isaac nudged his leg and frowned down at him. Stiles tossed an arm over his eyes and ignored him until Scott came in from the kitchen and said, “Dude, move over.”
Stiles made great show of heaving himself up and sitting at the end of the couch. Scott settled in beside him, and Isaac joined them, looking at Scott like he'd hung the moon. Stiles thought after five years of this shit Scott really should have noticed Isaac’s massive crush on him by now. Then again, Scott wasn’t the only werewolf in the pack who seemed oblivious about being pined over.
*Derek dropped a stack of catalogues on the coffee table. “Let’s get started.”
“What’s up, boss?” Erica asked, popping her gum.
“I have a new project,” Derek said. Stiles wondered if that meant the betas were his old project, but he didn’t voice the thought. He had, in fact, matured somewhat in the three years he’d been at college.
“Most of you only have one year of school left, and then you’ll be moving back home permanently,” Derek continued. “I’ve discussed living arrangements with some of you, and in light of those discussions, I’ve decided to rebuild my old house.”
Stiles pushed himself up from his slouch as the pack reacted with varying degrees of excitement and enthusiasm. “Whoa, rebuild like…”
“A lot of the existing structure will be torn down. I’ve spoken to a professional who’ll salvage what he can, but the finished product will be very different from the original,” Derek explained.
Stiles relaxed slightly. He didn’t think it’d be healthy for Derek to create an exact replica of his childhood home, but taking the foundation and reclaiming it in a new way was entirely different.
Derek started passing out the catalogues. “I’ve only just started discussing the plans with the builder. I want you all to take some time to consider what you think should be included before you go back to school.”
“Like what?” Isaac asked, flipping through the glossy pages.
Derek huffed. “I don’t know, anything. We’re only going to build it once, so I want it to have everything we need.”
“How are you paying for this?” Scott asked.
Derek narrowed his eyes and stared at him for a second. “Scott, my whole family died in a fire that was ruled an electrical problem.”
Scott blinked up at him. “Yeah…”
Derek just stared at him again, so Stiles said, “Insurance money, Scott. The electrical company probably had to settle and the Hales would’ve had insurance.”
“Oh!” Scott exclaimed, turning back to Derek with his puppy dog eyes. “Sorry, man.” Isaac patted his shoulder reassuringly and Stiles rolled his eyes, wishing they'd bang already.
Derek’s frowned deepened. “Scott...Are you talking with Allison right now?”
Scott shrugged. “I’m not really sure? We were at the beginning of the summer but...you know how it is.” And they really did. Five years since Scott had first fallen for Allison, and they were still playing this on again, off again game where no one ever knew if they were together or friends or mortal enemies. (On Allison’s side. Scott would never consider her an enemy.) Stiles didn’t know how Scott had the patience for it, but when Allison beckoned, he went running back. No other relationships either of them had managed to stop their “great love story.”
Derek looked like he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Well, if you do talk to her, don’t tell her any of the plans for the house, okay?”
Scott bristled. “Derek, Allison wouldn’t--”
“Please, Scott,” Derek interjected. “This is our new den. It’s important that I know we can be safe there.”
Scott sputtered a bit, trying to object, but Derek didn’t usually make many heartfelt requests. Demands and orders, sure. All the time. But nothing with a “please.”
“Scotty,” Stiles said, pulling his attention to him. “It’ll be better for Allison if she doesn’t know the details. She’s still a hunter. You don’t want to force her away by testing her loyalty, do you? Better she doesn’t know so she doesn’t have to make the choice to use the information against us.”
“Right. Okay,” Scott said. As Stiles suspected, it was much easier to get him to agree if he thought his silence was to Allison’s benefit. Stiles really wished that after all this time, after everything Derek had done to help him, Scott would show him the same loyalty as he did the girl who’d tried to kill them all at some point or another.
Derek nodded his thanks to Stiles. “I found these helpful because they have floor plans, and designs, but use whatever you want, and let me know what you want added to the final blueprints.”
“Ooh, can we have a fun room?” Erica said.
Derek frowned in confusion. “Like a game room?”
Erica cackled and Stiles threw a pillow at her. “No! You take your Fifty Shades references and keep them far away from me!” Erica grabbed the pillow and gave him a predatory grin. “I mean it, Erica. Do not make me lecture you on safe BDSM practices and healthy relationships. Again.”
“We got it the first three times, Stiles,” Boyd said, rubbing Erica’s back as she pouted.
“What the hell are they talking about?” Derek asked. Scott and Isaac shrugged, but Stiles was sure Isaac knew exactly what they were talking about.
***
Stiles grabbed his swiffer and glared at his dad’s kitchen floor. “You should have a mudroom.”
“Hmm?” Derek said, looking up from the carrots Stiles had given him to chop.
“In the new house,” Stiles said. “You should have a mudroom, so you and the betas don’t track dirt through the whole goddamn house every time you come in from training.” He pointed at the foot prints on his floor leading across the tile.
“Mudroom,” Derek said with a decisive nod.
Stiles finished with the swiffer and went back to his stove, debating whether to use two smaller pots for the potatoes or take the time to get the big one up to a boil. “And a bigger kitchen.”
“Bigger?” Derek echoed.
“Bigger than this.” Stiles gestured around the room. He didn’t mind staying with his dad during the summers. In fact, he kind of liked being back home. But… “You all eat so much, there isn’t enough room to cook it all. You should have a big stove. And counter space. Lots and lots of counter space.”
“Pantry or cupboards?” Derek asked, bringing the carrots over for Stiles to add to the roasting pan.
Stiles eyed his own shelves, considering. “Both.”
“Sure,” Derek agreed, then grabbed a potato and started peeling with his claws.
Stiles laughed and bumped Derek with his hip. “Raised by wolves.”
“If you don’t want me to help…” Derek said with a smirk.
“Shut up and keep peeling, alpha.” They settled back into comfortable silence, listening to the pack talk over the TV in the next room.
***
“I’m going to see the builder again soon.” Derek sat at Stiles’ computer chair while Stiles packed for the move back to school.
“Cool,” Stiles said.
“You haven’t told me what kind of room you want,” Derek prompted.
“What do you mean?” Stiles said, shoving more T-shirts into a laundry bag.
“Everyone gets a bedroom, even if they don’t live there, and can do what they want with it,” Derek said.
“Right.” Stiles thought it was a good idea to have somewhere for them to crash. He'd passed out on the floor of the loft and woken up in Derek’s bed too many times to count.
“But I want everyone to have another space, too.” Derek grabbed a blue shirt off Stiles’ desk and tossed it to him. “An area to hang out in.”
“Like what?” Stiles moved onto jeans.
“Well, Erica wants a craft room,” Derek said.
“Oh shit, yeah,” Stiles said with an excited bounce. “With a giant table and a sink.”
“Sure,” Derek said, eyeing Stiles’ hips. “Boyd wants a big garage.” Boyd’s mechanic apprenticeship was ending this year and he’d already gotten a job lined up at a local place.
“With extra spaces so my Jeep can visit your Camaro?” Stiles asked.
Derek sighed. “Stiles, cars aren’t…Whatever. Sure.”
“Nice,” Stiles said, smirking. Derek pretended to be annoyed when Stiles anthropomorphised things, but Stiles thought he kind of liked it. He knew for a fact Derek started calling his coffee maker George after Stiles named it and refused to make coffee for people who referred to it as anything else. “What does Isaac want?”
“An indoor pool.”
Stiles set down the jeans in his hands, and raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
Derek shrugged. “His dad wasn’t always an abusive asshole, and Isaac used to be on a swim team too.”
Stiles nodded. “Can it not be chlorinated? It still makes me think of…”
“Yeah, no, I’m looking into that saltwater system,” Derek assured him. “But what do you want?”
Stiles hummed. “Maybe a movie room. You know, with a giant TV and a bunch of comfy couches. That way Erica and Boyd can cuddle on their own, and I don’t have to share with Scott and Isaac.”
“That’s something for everybody,” Derek said.
“So is the pool, isn’t it? And I bet I’ll use Erica’s craft room, that sounds epic.” Stiles riffled through his closet in search of his best hoodies.
“Yeah, but it’s still a group thing. It doesn’t count,” Derek insisted.
Stiles looked over his shoulder and Derek was avoiding looking at him. He realized he was leaning over with his ass in the air and flushed. “Um, what about a meeting room?”
Derek’s gaze flicked over with a scowl. “For what?”
“Pack meetings,” Stiles said. “Like when we have a supernatural situation, and we all get together and make plans to get rid of it. You know, pack business. Training even.” He tossed his hoodie on the bed. “Oh! It could have a great big table, and a bunch of maps and shit.”
“Okay,” Derek said. “But that’s definitely for the benefit of the pack.”
Stiles flopped down on his bed. “I don’t know, Derek. Just make it a home, and I’ll hang out anywhere.”
The bed dipped as Derek stretched next to him. “Okay.”
Stiles ended up rushing through the rest of his packing because he stayed there with Derek far longer than he should have. He hadn’t wanted to waste his last opportunity to rest comfortably with Derek before leaving.
***
When Stiles had first left for college his freshman year, he'd assumed Derek wouldn’t bother talking to him at all until he got home. Even though Scott had broken down and joined the pack properly, Stiles had never been formally inducted. He'd never asked for the bite, and Derek had never offered. So even though Stiles attended all the meetings, contributed to the plans, and used his meager magic skills to their benefit, he’d always thought of himself as more pack adjacent, rather than actual pack.
So he was fairly surprised when a couple hours after he’d arrived in his dorm room, he’d gotten a text from Derek saying, Keep your window locked. It made him snort in amusement because the only one likely to crawl through his window was Derek, especially now that he was on the fifth floor. Even then, Derek had been using the Stilinskis’ front door since senior year when the Sheriff had threatened to make him replace the roof if he kept climbing on it. (The next summer he’d helped them redo the roof anyway.)
He was even more surprised when a week later Derek texted him, Saw your Dad today. He didn’t smell like french fries. You’d better use your meal plan instead of eating out all the time.
Derek continued texting him like that. Little updates about the pack, or the territory, reminding him to stay safe, take care of himself, and focus on school. He kept waiting for them to peter off, for Derek to decide he'd completed his social obligation and quit. Until Derek texted him, Scott thinks you won’t come back.
Stiles had stared down at his phone for a minute, completely surprised. He’d finally texted back, Scott worries too much. I’ll always come home to the pack.
Derek had replied with a simple, Good.
So for the most part, Derek’s texting in Stiles’ final year was no different than his first. The only thing that changed was the addition of random house questions.
The first one was East or west? It confused him so he had to ask what the heck Derek was talking about. Bedroom windows. Facing east or west? He was glad he’d asked so he could emphatically say West west west!!! The view from the house was going to be great and it'd be a shame to have to cover the windows with blackout blinds to avoid the early morning sun.
Stiles mentally shrugged at White, black or stainless steel? And responded with You know how I love shiny things. He did some research after Granite or marble? Which lead him to suggest Quartz. Just as pretty but way more durable. He also reminded Derek of the Great Kitchen Incident of 2014. Stiles’ dad was still grumbling about the claw marks.
When it was time to pick doorknobs and faucets and so on, Derek upgraded to sending pictures. Stiles laughed his ass off when he got a package filled with paint chips. When he couldn’t decide between two colours, he’d go for the one with the more interesting names, like he had with Burnt Toffee or Likable Sand.
Stiles didn’t tell Derek, but he liked being involved even though he was miles away. He liked knowing Derek was thinking about his opinion, about him. Even if it wasn’t exactly in the way he wanted him to.
Stiles had tried to open himself up to more people when he went to college. He'd made some great new friends, but all the romantic relationships he’d started just hadn’t stuck. On the days he was feeling particularly down on himself, or brutally honest, he knew that was his fault. He kept comparing them all to Derek, and that just wasn’t fair to anyone.
So for his final year, he focused on his studies, answered Derek’s questions, and imagined a life he’d never have, in a house that wasn’t yet built.
***
During Christmas break, the house was a construction zone and Stiles couldn’t really make heads or tails of what the end result would be. He’d nodded and smiled when Derek tried to show him what the different areas would be, but he must not have done very well because Derek rolled his eyes and gave up pretty quickly.
So Stiles’ first real look at the house was when it was completely finished. He was the last person to finish exams, so the day after he got into town, the whole pack met at the house for dinner.
He took a minute to appreciate the clean lines of the exterior before bounding onto the porch. He liked the sturdy feel of the steps, and he smiled at the porch swing in the corner. It would be a nice spot at the end of a long day to sit with a glass of wine and a...friend. Completely platonic, non-romantic friend/alpha.
Erica flung open the door and jumped on him, squeezing him into a tight hug. “Finally! Come and see everything!” She dragged him inside and began the grand tour. They started with the kitchen, since that was where the pack was gathered.
“Wow,” Stiles said. The kitchen was spacious, and all its appliances were massive. “This is an industrial grade stove.”
“You said big.” Derek leaned against the smooth, dark counter while the pack greeted Stiles, offering him hugs and pats to make him smell like pack again.
“I could feed a whole army in here,” Stiles said
“Then get cracking,” Scott teased.
“No way.” Erica said, commandeering Stiles’ arm again. “You’re coming to see the rest of the house. Then you can play with all of Derek’s new toys.” Stiles tried not to flush as his mind went somewhere very different from kitchen equipment. If Erica’s smirk was anything to go by, he wasn’t very successful.
She started by showing him the dining room. Stiles knew Derek had planned for a formal space as well as the more casual kitchen table he'd seen, but he hadn’t expected it to be so big. “You could fit twice as many people as our pack has at this table.” He traced his hands over the solid wood, admiring the natural grain.
“The pack will grow. Now we have room for everyone, and we can host other packs,” Derek told him. Stiles nodded. He’d been working with Derek to reestablish themselves and form connections with other packs. It would be much easier now that they could welcome them into their territory and present themselves as stable and strong.
He saw Isaac’s glistening pool, admired the mudroom, and promised to check out the garage later. Erica dragged him into her craft room. “Look how massive the table is! It comes apart so you can do bigger projects or multiple small ones.” She shoved Stiles down onto one of the stools. “And Derek got me a sink. I didn’t even think to ask for that, but it’s perfect.” She opened a cabinet to show off the deep metal basin, paint brushes already set alongside it to dry.
Stiles looked over and winked at Derek, who was leaning against the doorway. Derek smirked back while Erica raved about all her cupboard space.
When she was finished with that, she brought Stiles to the library. The shelves weren’t filled will books yet, but it was so big that Stiles had a Beauty and the Beast moment thinking about the potential. It even had a couple of sliding ladders. “For getting books, not playing on,” Derek said when he saw Stiles eyeing them.
Stiles flopped onto a couch and was pleased to find it was comfortable enough to curl up with a book. “What’s with all the desks?” he asked, noticing the two rows of tables.
“I was homeschooled until high school. I’ll probably do the same thing with my own kids,” Derek explained. “They should have a good work space.”
“Come see the meeting room!” Erica dragged Stiles off the couch and across the hall before he could dwell on the idea of Derek with children.
“Maps!” Stiles exclaimed. The room had a wide table and more than enough chairs for everyone, and a cabinet filled with maps.
“Most are of Beacon Hills and our territory. There are a few of California, and some random ones, I thought…” Derek trailed off and Stiles pulled out one of the rolls.
He laughed when he realized it was a map of Middle Earth. “Nice.”
“Derek’s office is through there,” Erica said, pointing to an adjoining door. “And there's another one on that side.”
“Why do you need two offices?” Stiles asked. He popped his head into the second one and admired the cream-coloured walls, large desk, and picturesque view.
“I don’t,” Derek said. “But someone else might find it useful.”
Stiles nodded, and made plans to stake it out.
“Moving on!” Erica declared. “I’m not going to show you all the bedrooms because there is a truly ridiculous amount. He even put a playroom in.”
“A playroom?” Stiles asked.
“Yeah, for kids. Lots of storage bins. And a trainset.” Erica said.
Stiles raised his eyebrow at Derek.
Derek crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. “Trains are interesting.”
“Doesn’t matter. Derek’s bedroom is awesome.” Erica hurried them up the stairs and down the hall. She opened the door with a flourish and guided him inside.
“Holy shit,” Stiles breathed. Derek’s room was warm but elegant. The abstract painting Stiles had bought him for Christmas two years ago dominated one wall, while a west facing window looked out over the preserve. The bed was the size of a small lake, with a cloud of blankets spread over it.
“He totally got the best bed, come see,” Erica said. She pushed Stiles down onto the bed and clambered on beside him. Stiles had to admit it was just the right amount of soft but firm.
“I told you to pick whatever bed you wanted,” Derek said. The exasperation in his voice made it clear they'd talked about this before.
“Yeah, but I didn’t know this was an option,” Erica insisted. She stood up on the bed and started jumping. “It’s so sturdy. You could have like olympic level sex on it without the thing even creaking.”
Stiles scrambled off the bed as much to avoid the idea as Erica’s feet.
The door they’d entered in was still open but there were three others in the room. “What’s this?” Stiles asked, hoping to change the subject.
“Those two are closets.” Erica bounced down to her butt then off the bed. “I don’t know why he needs two closets for his identical outfits.”
“I don’t know why you need one devoted entirely to shoes,” Derek countered. Erica sniffed in distain and went over to the third door.
“Come see the en suite.” She pulled Stiles over and flicked on the lights.
“Ooh,” Stiles exclaimed, admiring the large expanse of light green tiles. “This is nice.”
“The best part,” Erica said, and dragged him to the ground. “All the bathrooms have heated floors.”
“Seriously?” Stiles spread across the floor so he could feel the heat kick in and radiate up. “Now, that’s fancy.”
Derek snorted and smirked down at them. Stiles looked around the bathroom from his spot on the floor and caught sight of something inside the massive tub. “Why do you have two shower heads?”
“For my mate,” Derek said.
Stiles felt a cold twinge in his stomach and he knew it was jealousy colouring his voice when he asked coldly, “Your mate needs two?”
Derek rolled his eyes. “No, dumbass. So I can shower with my mate, and neither of us will be left standing in the cold.”
“That’s actually kinda smart,” Stiles said. He'd spent a few showers shivering in a corner while some girl washed her hair, and couldn’t say they were a fond memory. He was quickly bombarded with visions of showering with Derek. And they were doing a lot more than washing hair…“Do you even have a mate?” Stiles asked, trying to push the images from this mind.
For a moment the question was greeted with silence. Then Derek said, “Not yet.”
The cold in Stiles’ stomach turned to solid ice. He thought about the big dining room table, the desks in the library and the playroom down the hall. He pictured Derek’s giant bed, the two closets, and stared at the shower as realization hit him.
Derek had built this house for his mate. He'd designed these rooms with a second person in mind. Envisioned the life they'd build together while he'd built them a home.
A life that Stiles wanted. In a home he'd helped design.
He picked himself up off the floor and headed for the door. “Great. I should start dinner.”
“Stiles?” Derek frowned as Stiles pushed pack.
“Good job, Derek, it turned out really well,” Stiles said, barely glancing back as he all but ran for the kitchen.
“Don’t you want to see your room?” Erica called.
Stiles knew she didn’t mean to, but her question just twisted the knife in further. His room, because he'd never be sleeping in Derek’s bed again, like he used to in the loft. “Later.”
He focused on the kitchen, and making dinner with his friends around him. The kitchen could still be his, he could make a space for himself there.
When dinner was over, he went back to his father’s house, leaving the pack in their new home.
***
It took Stiles a while to feel comfortable in the house. He knew Derek was watching him and Scott kept frowning in concern. After they had a few pack dinners and movie nights, and he spent time with the betas in their special rooms, he started to feel welcome in the common spaces.
He still hadn’t spent the night in his bedroom at the pack house. His father was surprised, but happy to have him, and the betas were confused, but they didn’t ask why.
He’d been home from school for a few weeks, and he was ensconced on the couch in the gigantic library. Stiles was a big fan of the foot stools, because they meant he could put his feet up and balance his computer on his lap while Derek sat beside him, looking over his shoulder.
“I think that’s good, you can mail this out to the Orland pack tomorrow,” Stiles said, giving the letter one last skim. The Orlands were the first pack who’d reached out to them in a friendly way when Derek was trying to pull his act together, so it felt right that they be the first of their allies invited to visit in their new house.
“Okay. Thanks for your help,” Derek said, but he didn’t move away from where he was flush against Stiles’ side.
“No problem,” Stiles sent the letter off to the wireless printer and closed his laptop, setting it on the end table.
“It’s nice to have you back,” Derek said. “Permanently.”
Stiles shrugged. “Yeah. It’s nice knowing I won't have to pack up and leave again at the end of the summer.”
“Mmhmm,” Derek hummed. Stiles shivered a bit. Derek’s mouth was uncommonly close to Stiles’ ear. Stiles nearly jumped out of his skin when Derek’s teeth brushed against his earlobe.
“Derek,” Stiles said with a start, but as soon as he turned his head, Derek captured Stiles’ mouth with his own. Stiles sighed as Derek’s hand cupped the back of his neck. Derek rocked their lips together a few times before gently sliding his tongue forward, testing the waters before delving in as soon as Stiles opened for him.
When Stiles had to pull back to catch his breath, Derek returned to his ear, nipping at the shell, and pressing kisses to the hollow behind it, sending sparks down Stiles’ spine.
Stiles leaned into the touch and breathed, “Derek.” He couldn’t believe the fantasy he’d imagined time and again was coming to life.
“Want you,” Derek murmured. Stiles could only nod. Derek took that as permission to let his hands wander, eventually pulling Stiles over to straddle his lap and returning to kiss him breathless all over again.
When Derek sucked a mark into his neck, Stiles rocked his hips down and moaned, “More.”
Instead of repositioning them on the couch, Derek stood up, lifting Stiles along with him.
“Shit, Derek,” Stiles said, wrapping his legs around Derek and hoping not to fall. “What are you doing?”
“Taking you upstairs to bed.”
That rush of ice hit Stiles in the stomach again, and he dropped his feet to the ground, pushing Derek away. “What the fuck, Derek?’
Derek blinked, clearly confused from the abrupt change. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not having sex with you in the room you designed specifically for your mate,” Stiles spat. He backed away from Derek and stumbled over the footstool, only saved from falling by Derek reaching out to steady him.
“What?” Derek said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Seriously?” Stiles pushed Derek’s hand off, and used his fingers to count as he listed, “Your giant olympic sex bed? The his and hers closets? The fucking shower? You made that whole room in preparation for your mate, then you made more rooms for the kids you’d have with her. I get it, okay? But I’m not desperate. I’m not fucking around with you in the room you made for someone else.”
Derek continued to look upset and confused. “No, Stiles, you don’t understand. I made that room for you.”
Stiles jaw dropped, and his anger burst like a bubble, as confusion and disbelief took it’s place. “What?”
Derek gave a frustrated growl and hesitantly reached out again. Stiles didn’t avoid the touch as he waited for Derek to find his words. “I did plan the room, thinking about my mate. I told you I only wanted to build the house once. I made it for you. I was waiting for you.”
Stiles shook his head. “No. No, you never...I’m not…”
“I love you,” Derek said. “I’ve loved you for years, but I didn’t want to hold you back. I decided to wait until you finished school. I didn’t want you to feel pressured into this, so I didn’t say anything while the house was being built, but it’s for us. I built it for you.”
Stiles held his breath, and waited for Derek to smirk and say, “Just kidding.” He didn’t though. He just stared back at Stiles, waiting.
“You mean it?” Stiles finally said.
Derek nodded. “It’s okay if you aren’t ready for that. I understand. But please let me try. Just give me a chance to show you how good we could be together.”
“Okay,” Stiles said.
Derek blinked at him. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I want that, I want to try,” Stiles said, stepping into Derek’s space. “Say it again?”
“Which?” Derek said, carefully sliding his arms around Stiles’ waist, like he was waiting to be pushed away again.
“Say you love me.”
Derek pressed a kiss under Stiles’ jaw. “I love you.”
“Wow,” Stiles breathed. “I wasn’t expecting that. Never thought it could happen. It’s pretty handy though, since I love you too.”
Derek gave a short startled laugh before he kissed Stiles again, a claiming press, branding them both.
Stiles put his arms around Derek and jumped, rewrapping his legs around his waist. Derek caught him easily. Stiles smirked at him and said, “It think you said something about upstairs?”
Derek didn’t set him down until he could drop him onto their bed.
A couple hours later, Stiles confirmed that having a double shower was indeed, a very, very good idea.