Cow-t 10. M1. Safe.
Parole: 4000.
Prompt: Colpo di scena.
Fandom: Teen wolf.
TAG: Mention to knotting. Modern!Au. Attempt to omicide. Werewolves.
Everyone has that ONE neighbour said Peter once. The one is crazy about Christmas that make Santa Claus look an amateur. It never happened to Derek but the phrase stuck with him.
He didn’t think about it since that faithful first December.
It started with a song.
At 8.00 AM.
Not just any song.
A Christmas carol.
It was just the first of December.
Derek lay on the bed staring at the ceiling.
He was tired after the full moon, they went out of the town with his betas and had an amazing run, he came back in the early hours in the morning and now there was a freak playing Jingle bells full force just on the other side of the hall.
He knew there was a new tenant, he just never met him.
He pushed a pillow on his head and cursed the world.
——
But it kept going on.
During the day he heard all single Christmas’s song ever made. He was ready to kill.
The only problem was that the music wasn’t aloud at all, if you are not a werewolf, is that is the case you hear everything going on on the floor. From the teen girl sneaky his boyfriend inside from the apartment in front of his to the old lady talking to her cats near the elevator.
The new tenant was just near him, so it felt like the music was playing directly in his head.
——
The following week they guy toned it down a little, swapping to carols to Christmas ambience’s music. It was still annoying but bearable.
Of course, it wouldn’t last. By the weekend carols were back and now the guy was singing along. He had a weird voice, he wasn’t really deep but it didn’t sound like a teenager either. He wasn’t awful at singing to be fair, but he did it for hours. That night Derek had to bring his pack out for dinner to escape his apartment.
Unfortunately, Erica was another Christmas enthusiastic so he had to promise her to go Christmas’s shopping altogether.
——
On Sunday morning, exactly a week since the beginning of his personal hell, Derek woke up on a scream.
He jumped out of the bed, only his boxer on and looked around confused. Then he heard it again. Someone calling for help from…outside?
He ran on the balcony and localised the source.
There was a guy clinging on the rail of the Christmas den, how he had been calling the apartment near his in his head. The guy looked pale, not weird considering his legs were on the wrong side of the rail.
“Any help?” He said, his voice shaking. The guy was looking at him and Derek bounced out of his trance. There was a gap between their apartments, not big, especially if you are a werewolf. Derek just put one foot on his rail and jumped landing on the other porch. He grabbed the guy by the arms and lifted him back on the platform.
“What were you doing it?” He shouted. He wasn’t a morning person and he didn’t even realise he just jumped three meters on the 10th floor of the building in front of a stranger.
“My cat.” Said him speechless, he pointed weakly at a black cat, standing on the ledge near the corner of the building. Derek glared at the animal using his alpha voice without even thinking: “Come here!” The cat leapt back, running inside, which left the two of them alone with the proverbial elephant in the room (or balcony if you want on the nose).
“Coffee?” He said.
Derek nodded slowly following him in the kitchen, but he was freaking out inside. What he was going to tell?
His worries got momentarily flushed away by the decorations, they were scattered all around the flat, some of them already on and some other stuck into cardboard boxes. It was a massive amount, more than Derek ever saw altogether.
It was a lot to take in, Derek walked looking around tiptoeing around boxes.
“Sugar?”
Derek focused on the guy again.”
“No, thank you…”
“Styles! Nice to met you and I should be the one doing the thanking, you just saved my sorry ass!” He smiled and turn to take another mug. So, Derek had a good view of the said ass. It was rounded and he had the feeling it would fit perfectly in his hands.
He shacked away the thought blaming it on his prolonged abstinence.
He had to change the subject fast.
“I’m Derek,” he thought frantically about what he could say and spit out the first thing it came to his mind. “So, we like Christmas?” He regreted it the moment it left his lips.
Styles’s smile widened erupting in a laugh, he threw back his head exposing his neck and Derek was down on perverted thoughts again, featuring that neck and a necklace on love bites. Where on hell had been last time he had a good fuck? He felt like a scum lurking after a boy he just met.
“Yeah, I take Christmas very seriously, if the building didn’t have rules about it I would have decorated the hallway as well.”
Derek nodded, he made those rules, the landlord was his uncle and he was irremovable about it.
“So? You do parkour?”
He looked at Styles clueless.
He blushed a little, scratching his temple. He had the habit to bite his lips, Derek wished he could have a go at that as well. Distracted he gaped at the nest question.
“You know,” Styles waved at the balcony, “we all the jumping thing I guessed.”
He was screwed. He went to the park but he got the feeling Styles was talking about something totally different.
“I stunt!” He shouted out. He didn’t mention he did it once, as a personal favour for one his uncle contacts, and that’s was how he got his apartment for free.
Styles mouth formed a perfect O.
It would look so well around Derek’s…
“I need to go!” He stood up startling Styles that almost fall off his own chair.
“Yeah, sure, sorry for the fuss.” He kept talking following him to door. “And thank you once again.”
Derek nodded waving his hand without looking back. He reached his door before realising he didn’t have a key.
——
“What did just happen?” Styles was talking with cosmic creepers as usual while petting the cat. The feline wasn’t used to live into an apartment, he did well the first weeks but that morning Styles forgot the balcony’s door open and they almost dyed.
“Did just a super cool, crazy hot guy risked to fall from a ten-story building to save me? Did Christmas came early this year?”
The cat lifted his tail showing him his ass as a response, as he walked away.
The ring bell startled him so he almost crushed in a door escaping the sound.
“Stupid cat,” said Styles going to the door.
“Derek?” Here it was, standing in the doorway half-naked and impossibly hot.
“Sorry to bother you, I can’t get in my apartment so I was wondering if I can use your porch again.”
Styles would have said yes to anything, too focused at not staring at those abs. He already opened his mouth when the words took in.
“What? Do you want to jump out the balcony again? No way! You may die!”
Derek looked surprised at his concern.
“It’s not a big deal.”
“It is! You may be a stunt man but what if something goes wrong? Do you really want me to watch you fall for ten floors and die horribly because of me?”
Derek looked at him in disbelief. He didn’t really know how to reply.
“There is someone else with the key?”
“Yeah, my uncle.”
“Perfect, just call him. You can wait here. Well, I have to go out. But you are free to stay as long as you need, I have Netflix and food. Let me just found my phone so you can call your uncle.”
Just liked that he walked away on a speechless Derek.
The conversation with Peter was awful, Derek knew the man wasn’t going to let him forget this like…ever.
“You are locked out?” His tone was neutral like he was still trying to decide if it was some sort of complex joke.
“Yeah, I…my neighbour, he was in danger and I jumped on his porch to help him.”
“Don’t tell me.” Peter’s voice was drolling in sarcasm.
“It’s not a good idea to risk my life again.”
“I bet.”
“So I was thinking if you could bring me the keys while I wait in his apartment.”
There was a long silence. Derek was about to control if Peter hanged up when he spoke again.
“Tell me is a facade to fool this human.”
“Yup.”
“You own me, nephew,” Derek swore inside. Why he didn’t call one of his betas?
-Because you were busy watching Styles lips- suggest his conscience.
“Well, tell your damsel that everything is okay, I’m confident you can find your way back in your apartment as soon as he left.”
“Yup.”
“This was funny, I may have to thank this human…”
“See you later.” Derek hung in a hurry.
“All good?” Said Styles peaking from the bedroom half-dressed.
Derek nodded fighting the urge to taste that neck.
Luckily Styles was late, so he left soon still repeating to make himself comfortable and that he was going to retrieve the keys in the evening.
Derek waited for a while after the door closed before locking it.
Then he went on the balcony and jumped back.
He dropped on the bed.
He needed to get laid.
Like yesterday.
–
Derek pushed his head under the cold water of the shower. It felt like a big, gigantic joke. He lived nearby Styles for weeks without meting him and now he was bumping into the weird guy almost every day. Styles was always happy to see him and his wolf was driving him crazy. He wanted the boy and by the scent of arousal that Styles let it out every-single-time he had the feeling it was mutual. But he simply couldn’t.
Literally.
“What am I supposed to tell him? Don’t worry if feel like my dick is growing inside your ass, it’s normal for a werewolf. Oh, and hope you don’t mind being tied to me for an hour. How do you think is going to go?” He shouted at his pack.
They were at Boyd’s and Erica place. They usually avoided gathering there because their scent was so thick that it was almost disturbing, but Isaac was staying into a student house and Derek just wanted to get out his apartment.
“Maybe you want to tell him beforehand.” Said Erica.
“I can’t tell him at all!”
He left after lunch hating the world. It’s not that he didn’t try to get laid these days but it was useless, his wolf wanted Styles and he couldn’t get into it with anyone else. It’ wasn’t the first time that his instinct was attracted to a human, but usually, it went away after some days.
Probably it didn’t help that he could smell Styles from his bedroom. He could hear him masturbating for God’s sake. Lost in his mystery he couldn’t find his keys, maybe he left them at Erica house. He cursed. The universe must hate him.
As he called the elevator he wondered where was Styles, he could tell that he wasn’t home.
He didn’t have to wonder long.
The elevator arrived but he couldn’t get in. There was a giant bush coming out.
“What…?”
“Derek? Is that you?” Said a known voice behind the branches.
“Styles?”
“Oh thank God you are here, the delivery guy helped me tucking it in the elevator but I seem to be stuck and I don’t want to push and break something.”
“Aren’t these things supposed to be tied?”
“Well, I was playing it with a string, I didn’t thought it would just open like a flower.”
“You know what? Forget it. I think the problem is the tip, can you recline it a bit so I can trail it out?”
Panting and puffing they managed to get the tree out. Derek lift it without thinking and started walking toward Styles apartment.
“Whoa! What did I do in my previous life to deserve such a knight in shining armour that always saves me?” Said Styles, in a dreamy tone.
Derek blushed. And so did Styles when he glanced at him over his shoulder. Probably he didn’t mean to say it aloud.
“It’s nothing.” He blabbed letting the other man open up the door before taking the tree inside.
“It’s a lot actually, let me offer you something.”
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to.”
“I want to! Please? Just let me cook you dinner.” Derek hesitated. It had been a really long time since he was so interested in someone, but he was worried. Worried he might like Styles too much.
“I don’t know.”
“Come on, I’m new to this city, they hate me at the office and I barely speak to anyone, let me do t his for you, save me again? I swear I will die if I spend another night alone with Netflix and Creepers.”
Derek blinked.
“Creepers?”
“My cat, like Cosmic Creepers.”
“Yeah I figured, you just look young to know that movie.”
“Ouch, that hurt, I’m not that young. Give me some credit.”
Derek was smiling, he felt his resolve crumbling.
“So? It’s a yes?”
“It’s a yes.”
“He said yes!” Shouted Styles raising his arms. He grabbed the cat repeating to his face. “Did you hear it? He said yes!”
Derek break into a laugh, he couldn’t remember last time he laughed like that. Bit Styles was simply hilarious, he couldn’t be helped.
He stopped to see Styles looking at him in awe. The boy jumped meeting his eyes and fled into the kitchen leaving an astonished werewolf with a grumpy cat.
“How about pasta?” Shouted Styles from the kitchen.
“Sound perfect.” Said Derek looking around.
The apartment was very different since last time, the cardboard boxes were gone and there was Christmas in every detail. One may be expected for the whole thing to look exaggerated and messy but it didn’t, it felt studied, like those Christmas photo you see on magazines, but with the warm feeling of a lived-in home. It was like walking into a Dickens’s story.
Styles revealed to be an amazing cook, the smell was so good that Derek had his mouth-watering long before the food was ready. Styles’s cooking was weird as Styles, he said it was Italian but probably some Italian grandmother would have a heart’s attack looking this recipe. Styles put bacon to fry then he added orange juice, salt and finally thick cream.
Nevertheless, it was delicious.
Styles was an amazing company, he was smart and funny, he had this lively brain which made him from one argument to another. Derek found out to his delight that he loved listening to him talking about very specific topics: like who invented croissant or which English king had more sons.
They talked for hours. Derek didn’t even notice the time fled by, it was around two in the morning that his eyes locked on Styles lips, they were talking about a book on divine turtles from Sir Terry Pratchett. How did even end up on that argument?
Styles was thirsty, Derek could tell by the way his tongue kept passing on his lips.
He wanted nothing more than tasting them, he leaned forward on the couch closing up the distance while Styles was in the middle of a sentence.
Finally, they were kissing.
The werewolf heard the human heart jump and then drumming hard. Clumsy finger closed in his hair while he pushed forward with his torso.
Styles fall back and Derek followed him thrusting his tongue inside. He tasted like orange. It felt like a dream, but Styles erection was very real on his tight. Derek grounded his hips and Styles moaned in the kiss.
It was perfect, his wolf was howling.
He never was that wolf, the hot-blooded one who popped a knot every second, but he had a very painful one inflating due to all of his pent up frustration.
He jumped away, scrambling backwards until he was pressed on a wall. His breath was ragged and his erection painful in his pants. Styles looked gorgeous still buried in the pillows with his hair ruffled and his lips red from the kissing.
“Derek… what…”
“I must go!”
He was out of the door in a second and into his apartment in two.
It couldn’t go on like this.
“Fuck!” Said a voice on the other side of the wall. “I told you he can have anyone Creepers, why am even surprised?”
A sob broke the silence and Derek felt disgusted with himself.
–
He remained buried in his house. For days to avoid the boy.
That didn’t stop him to hear him sigh. He was unhappy and his wolf squirmed.
He didn’t want to see anyone, not even his pack. He wished he could just tell Styles, he was a good guy, he didn’t deserve to suffer because of Derek.
But it couldn’t be helped, there were rules. Derek’s family helped to write some of them, he was expected to set an example.
All of his goodwill went to the dogs some days later. It was late at night. Derek busted awake for apparently no reason. His wolf was restless. Something was off.
Fear.
Styles heart was beating too fast, struggling sounds came from the other part of the wall.
Derek sprinted out of the balcony, with a Deja-vù he jumped over the void to land on Styles porch silent as a cat. There were strangers in the dark room. One of them holding something on the floor. He had two hands close of Styles throat as he strangled him.
Derek went wild, he busted through the window not bothering opening the door. Glass shattered flying everywhere. He pushed one man out of the way to grab the other one and peel it off from Styles. As the second men crashed on the wall sliding on the floor unconscious Derek evaded a bullet, the gun didn’t make a sound but he saw the first man lifted his arm and he acted on instinct. He landed near the coffee table.
Perfect. He closed one hand around the edge and threw the table at the aggressor. The impact made a terrible sound of broken bones.
Fast as it started the fight was over. Derek collected Styles into his arms lifting him off the floor, he took him to the kitchen and he sat him over the counter to get him away from the killers. He was shaking a little but he didn’t smell like blood. Derek turned on the light.
“Derek…” Said Styles his voice rough, his neck didn’t look good, it had purple sings, Derek was furious if he didn’t have a needy Styles asking for water he had been slaughtering the aggressor for sure.
When he handed the glass to Styles he realised his claws were out.
He froze.
But Styles didn’t react, he just took the glass gulping water carefully, he asked for the phone and Derek went looking for it, taking a moment to turn human again.
Maybe Styles didn’t notice them, he had a near-death experience, probably his mind was somewhere else.
He couldn’t be more wrong.
Styles tapped on the phone quickly still sat on the counter, Derek was standing between his legs, his wolf was worried and he couldn’t fight the instinct to protect the guy.
“So werewolf?” Asked Styles putting the phone aside.
Derek nearly choked on his spit.
“You knew?”
“That you were a werewolf? I wondered but you could have been many things, I knew you were supernatural if that’s what you mean, you weren’t exactly subtle about it.”
Derek was in shock. “No, I mean, you knew about supernatural?”
“Dude, I’m FBI those guys knew everything, but I knew since long time ago, my best friend was bitten in high school I kind of have my own pack back home.”
“You are FBI?”
Stiles sighed.
“Why everyone is so surprised when I say so, I’m not even bad, those guys wanted me death because I caught their boss last year, that’s why I had to move here, it was supposed to be temporary but finding the remaining of the organisation turn out to be very complicated. Anyway, the guy who just met my coffee table was the brother of the boss, it was the last head of the organisation still free.”
It was a lot to take in, but Derek’s wolf was focused on one small detail.
“So you can go back now?” He asked.
Styles stared, then slowly raised a leg, hooking his ankle behind Derek’s waist to drag him close. “Well, maybe I can be dissuaded to stay…”
Derek’s hands trailed up on his tight while he lowered himself to kiss him. Styles hugged him close and Derek pushed him gently against the cupboard, his tongue working its way inside the hot mouth.
It wasn’t ravenous like last time, it was…soft, and slow. Both of them washing away the fear in the comfort of their bodies pressed together.
They broke apart when Styles phone rang, the human reached for it, keeping Derek closer leaning on his chest.
“They are coming.” He said sliding the free hand around his chest to hug him.
“Who?” Derek let him, returning the hug, now that there wasn’t anything stopping him anymore he wasn’t going to let him go easily.
“The squad from the department, they will be here in two minutes, we knew that there was the possibility that they may found me here, so there is a base in the other building.”
“So you have to stay here?”
Styles didn’t answer right away.
“No,” he said in the end, “they already blocked the entrance.”
“Do you want to stay here? I can take you to my apartment.”
Styles searched his eyes. “Derek, I don’t think I can… I mean I want but… I just almost dyed.” Derek shushes him with another small kiss.
“I would never ask you to, it’s just that my wolf doesn’t like you being here. I don’t like you being here.”
Styles smiled.
“Then: please, take me away.” Derek lifted him and they kissed again, it felt natural and it had nothing sexual. They were just taking comfort after a scary episode.
“Styles?”
“Mmmh?”
“I think I left the keys inside my apartment.”
“Oh, God!” Styles threw his head back and laugh.
–
There were voices talking in the other apartment, stuff was moved around and Derek heard them order some furniture to replace what was smashed in the fight. It looked like they were used to this kind of situations.
Snuggled in Derek’s bed, Styles told him all about his pack and his father. Derek was surprised to hear they basically had just two actual werewolves in their group, but on second thought it made sense that Styles belonged to a unique pack.
Derek told him about his betas and his uncle. He wasn’t ready to talk about his family and his past but they had time. He knew already that he wasn’t going to let go of Styles, that they were meant to be together.
Happy and sated he cuddled him close, pressing a small kiss on his neck and his nose in the messy locks to inhale his scent.
In the morning he was going to kiss him awake, and in the morning after, and in the morning after that.
His wolf purred and he slid into the sleep lulled by Styles quiet breathing.