clearly unpopular opinion, but Derek would not be the dominant one. idc that he's taller, older (and no one, not even the actors, knows how much older lol) and has superpowers. Derek is the softest fucking werewolf on the show. he gets beat up more than Stiles does. he's consistently shown to be unsuited to being an alpha. Stiles is a snarky bastard whose response to being threatened by people with literal superpowers is to threaten them right back. even when he admits he's afraid of someone, he still has no problem standing his ground if he feels it's worth it.
Forget gruff top Derek and leetle softboi Stiles. Give me tired, jumpy Derek who can only finally let his mask down and work through his trauma around his boyfriend, who maybe doesn't seem like much at first glance, but goes toe-to-toe with crazed shapeshifters and kicked a demon out of his own body and once held paralyzed Derek up in a pool for two fucking hours do you know how much denser muscle is than fat?! Derek had the buoyancy of a goddamn anvil.
Derek is soft and forced to act tough. Stiles is tough as hell but constantly dismissed and underestimated. Derek offered to teach Scott how to be a wolf but couldn't because he was born one. Stiles figured it out with one night, an internet connection, and a fistful of Adderall (and a nice big dose of spite XD).
let Derek be soft. Stiles's got him.
