studmuffin | → there's just a few things I think that you should know

That's what it's like when there's a bad smell.

[ A snort. ]

Fine, c'mon.

[Derek watches, and leads at the same time. It's close to the full moon and he should be feeling pack under his skin, not...

Just Isaac.]

He scares you.

Derek?

[ It feels weird talking about him like he's another person - like he's not right there. ]

Yes.

I scare you.

[ A little rebelliously. ] You don't scare me.

[ But there's the slightest uptick of a lie in his heartbeat and he seems to shrug it off, breathing out. ] Like we've already discovered, there's not a whole lot of trust going on here.

[He's quiet for a minute, like he's thinking about it]

Do you want him to -

Do you want us?

I don't know.

[ That's honest at least. ] I can't - everything's super confusing. I don't know if I've just stockholmed myself into - [ What are words. ]

It doesn't matter what I want. He doesn't care.

It can be good.

[He says it so casually, matter-of-face]

He cares.

[ He wants to laugh again, but instead he just jams his hands into his pockets. ]

He doesn't want it. And I'm not brave enough to keep trying. Not when the person of interest has literal claws and not the figurative ones.

[He's quiet for another moment]

I can tell you how you did it. As a wolf.

[ He looks at him, looks at this Derek who actually genuinely wants the other him, feels something sad twist in his stomach. ]

You mean my sarcasm and wit didn't do the trick?

It helped.

[Derek feels a twist of-

He misses Stiles. He misses how Stiles would just ease up next to him, almost touching.]

So, I have to be all wolfy to be in with a shot, right? [ He can't keep the bitterness out of his voice there. ]

Because fuck that.

No.

[He shrugs]

It's not the wolf that did it.

[ Oh. ]

Okay, what did?

[He nudges Stiles into the woods; it's still icy, and he's watching in case he trips]

You didn't like me at first, but you took what I had to say.

You trusted me.

[It's not a small thing. Derek doesn't trust anyone because of Kate, and Peter, because they tore his world apart and they did it so easily, fooled him so casually]

It took a while.

I'd trust you a lot more if it were a mutual deal. [ He's watching where he's going because he doesn't really want to break anything else, trying to pick his way through dark woods. ]

It's kind of hard when you don't listen to me.

It's not going to be mutual. Not for a while.

[He snorts]

I listen. I may just not let you know that.

Well, that's frustrating.

[ He almost trips on a root, swears because it's fucking dark and his thoughts are already spinning. ]

So you're saying I just have to give you - him - the benefit of the doubt and let it all get out of hand and just hope things are going to change? Because I'm kind of a pessimist lately.

[Fast, he catches Stiles, just by the non-broken elbow]

That's what I'm saying.

What did you fight about?

[ Eyeing him up. ]

In general or are you a psychic now?

You were living with me not that long ago. You left for a reason, right?

No way dude, I'm not being Watson. [ But there's - amusement there. ]

You want to bite people in the City. I think that's a dumb idea. So I left.

[A consideration, and then a bark of laughter.]

You told me not to, right?