LITTLE DARK AGE,

***

“I think this is where I question whether you had a brain cell to begin with,” Leah said with a smirk even as she kept her arms crossed in front of her. When was the last time she had a normal conversation with someone her age? Leah honestly couldn’t be sure. College was all about keeping her head down without getting in her head too much. “I feel like Twin Peaks might be more of the Echo Springs vibe. Maybe it was aliens.”

Leah’s gaze followed the direction he pointed and she shrugged. “I’m just going to assume if you were the serial killer you would have already murdered me instead of taking me to your Jeep. So, I guess I’ll take the ride.” She hadn’t really thought to bring her car on her trip across town and into the woods. She hadn’t really thought at all before this point. Or maybe she’d thought too much about the wrong things?

.

“Oh there was definitely one still loose, rattling round in there somewhere, don’t worry it’s gone now.” Stiles tilted his head as if assessing before nodding curtly in faux-satisfaction. In the two school plays he’d gone in for and never again once leaving middle school, he had been cast over and over as the narrator. “True, it feels like the sort of place people could take witchcraft seriously... I call dibs on being log lady.” 

“Word, let’s go,” He tromped off through the leaves, trying to not limp too much and shortening his stride gladly so that he didn’t overtake Leah with his gangly legs. “I always feel like I’m being watched when I’m out here, I have no clue why apart from maybe the squirrels and shit. I think that’s just me though.” 

Oh

That was… unexpected

Though, definitely a pleasant type of unexpected

Derek had just assumed that Stiles would never…. want…. him…..

After all, why would he? Derek was twelve flavors of fucked up and Stiles-… well, Stiles wasn’t exactly the most trauma free person either, but he was charming and funny and beautifull inside and out and he was so damn smart, he was… what did the kids these days call it? A treat? Stiles was a treat and he could have anyone he could want and Derek was….. something to look at, he supposed

But he knew Stiles wasn’t that shallow, sure he had expressed interest in Derek’s body before- not intentionally probably, but Derek knew what lust was when he smelled it- but that wasn’t the same thing as actually wanting to be with someone, and Derek knew Stiles well enough by now to know that he didn’t go for someone just because they were attractive

God, he’d spent years pining after Lydia Martin, practically ignoring the other people who’d had crushes on him….

Deciding not to think about any of that anymore- atleast not right now- Derek eagerly gave into the kiss he had longed for for so long, his fingers twisting gently into Stiles’ hair, the necklace clutched in his other hand banging against his wrist as he pulled Stiles closer, letting him guide everything, not wanting to overstep his boundaries but craving the attention all the same

It was insane that only moments ago, he’d been living through the worst moments of his life on repeat, and now…. he couldn’t remember the last time anything felt so right and good and perfect

.

Stiles slanted his mouth open against Derek’s, relished the grate of stubble at his cheeks and the flex of thick shoulders beneath curious fingers. There was a frantic sort of passion to him, at any moment his brain would catch up with other parts of himself and the reality of their situation would pull him back to abrupt anxiety, he shoved reality away with all his might to take a step and pull Derek into his place. He fumbled with the door without breaking the kiss, crowding him back to cage him against it with the whole of Stiles’ comparatively meagre bulk. 

There was another soft noise directly against Derek’s lips at the grip in his hair, a mindless encouragement that he wouldn’t have thought himself capable of making a few hours ago. The Stiles that had first met the Hale years before could hardly keep up with the influx of new information, whether it was the cold sweat from the real memories or the overwhelming reality of how one of Derek’s big hands felt, hot on his hip like a brand and better than the idea. 

Kicking relentlessly at the cerulean water of the pool, muscles cramping with exertion, certain that the only thing he needed to do was to keep the werwolf’s head above the surface. The shock of being slammed against a steering wheel, unable to cut into Derek as he paled and wasted away on the vet table. The unspoken trust that had built, against all their instincts even when they’d tried to sabotage it with spite, growing relentless and strong.  

“No, I’m calling you as tall as you are foolish.” He said, raising his eyes skyward in annoyance. Comments about appearance were petty and common - they weren’t what Kaz preferred with his jabs. He eyed the other man warily, tightening his grip on the shovel. He wasn’t an idiot - he wasn’t going to give away the shovel, even if it probably would’ve made him look more innocent. With five pounds of metal force behind it, it wouldn’t take much for the other man to knock Kaz out if he handed over the shovel. 

Instead, he placed it on the ground, the tip of it jutting into the earth as he leaned on it, longing for his cane instead of the rusty metal. It’d make a decent weapon, but his leg ached, and moreover, the cane was always a comfort - particularly in talking to people. New people. People who saw a creepy looking man digging in the woods and thought the worst.

Well, usually, they were right about the worst, admittedly. This was a time when they were wrong. 

“I don’t need any help digging a hole. This isn’t a two person job, so you’re welcome to run along and go bother someone else.”

.

“Oh so you think I’m tall?” Stiles cocked his head toward Kaz in spite of the clear annoyance in the blue eyes gazing heavenward. It was as though the brief surprise in the man’s eyes was all he would ever see once those gates clanged close, concrete, steel, impenetrable. It seemed to be worth the extra suspicion to rest his weight on the tool, maybe Stiles was more intimidating to this guy than he’d have expected and yet somehow it didn’t seem likely. 

Derek had been taught since childhood to control his strength, not to hug too hard, to be gentle with the fragile humanity around him

But fuck. all. that.

Derek squeezed, he hugged Stiles the way a child would hold a teddy bear, with white fingertips and sweaty palms and sucking in breath after breath as the scent of his packmate flooded his nose again

God, he felt like his senses had been put on mute all this time, and now he finally had them back

Stiles smelled warm and familiar, like freshly laundered cotton and mulled apple cider and a little bit of oak and a sharp, stinging spice that Derek had learned long ago meant anxiety and emotional distress

That last part hadn’t always been a prominent part of Stiles’ scent, but…

After a couple of shaking breaths, Derek pulled back just enough to cup Stiles’ face and kiss him

He didn’t care about the preamble anymore, he was so fucking tired of the masks everyone wore around eachother out of fear of getting hurt, Derek didn’t think it was possible to hurt more than he had that morning so what was a little more pain? And he had been bottling up the desire for closeness with Stiles for…. years, if he was being just brutally honest with himself, he always locked it up tight with all of his other feelings and pounded it with a mallet whenever it risked making an appearance, and he was sick of it

The last few weeks getting to know Stiles as their most…. pure, unharmed selves had been like a fairytale, and Derek had suffered so much loss that he didn’t think it was much if a surprise that he wanted just a little bit of a fairytale in his life

“Sorry…” he breathed as he pulled back, sucking in another breath, arms still around Stiles

“I’m… sorry for just…. just springing that on you….”

Chewing his lip, he let one hand stay carefully placed on Stiles’ back, the other reaching into his pocket for what he had grabbed earlier

“I-.. you don’t have to… feel any kind of-…. I just…. sorry.…”

Derek’s arms encircled him in an instant and he took great gulps of Stiles’ likely disappointingly human but still familiar scent, “I gotchu, issok.” He slurred on repeat into the ridge of Derek’s collarbone, inadvertently rubbing perfect circles around the Triskelion without even noticing he had started using the flat of his palm, speech hampered by the band around his ribs from the force of the embrace. 

The harsh whuffs of hot breath over his neck were overwhelmingly comforting all of a sudden to the point that his throat tightened painfully; having not had the rest of the pack all up in his business getting their good olfactory dopamine from his pheromones or whatever it was they seemed to need to do when they alternately pawed and sniffed at him. Stiles was trying, he didn’t know how else to comfort Derek, where to even start. 

The startled little yelp that had been brewing was swallowed as Derek guided his jaw into place with his hands, tilted his chin up until their mouths met. Stiles’ brain promptly short circuited and the soft press of his hands jerked to twist desperately at fistfuls of fabric. There had been something holding him back from the ease of Echo Springs Derek with the sweet dog, the happy family life and carefully cultivated career, like Stiles was the black hole that sucked the people around him into chaos. 

Now every ounce of the tension that had brewed, thick and static in the hour before a storm crackled like a live wire between them where Stiles thought it had only been him. The strange determination to hold each another at arms length even when they’d allied, claim distrust, yet how terrifyingly easily they’d unquestioningly die for each other, how they nearly had already a hundred times over.

Pain

Everything had been going just fine, he was making breakfast as usual with Leia wandering around the kitchen in circles waiting for a hand out, and then suddenly…. the most indescribable agony shot through Derek’s veins

The memories slammed into him like a speeding train, flashes of his family’s deaths pounding through his mind one by one as he dropped to the ground and screamed, alerting poor Leia as she barked and wimpered, unsure of what to do

He must have spent an hour on the kitchen floor, reliving the pain of the past decade, remembering every little hurt, each loved one lost, like a screw being driven through his skull, one by one…..

Realizing that his life had been a lie up until now

It was at around the hour mark, long after Leia had given up and decided to just curl up on the floor next to him and lick his face continuously, that he remembered something else-

He wasn’t alone here

Springing suddenly to his feet, he ran out of the house, not even bothering with a jacket- but paused breifly, turned back inside and grabbed something from his nightstand before rushing back out, barely remembering to close the door behind him as he sprinted down the street

He had never been so uncoordinated, spilling into the driveway like a stumbling madman as he tumbled up the steps and started pounding frantically on unfamiliar door

“STILES!!!” he shouted, hands shaking as he banged against the door

“STILES!!!!!”

@wittyliability​

I feel like it’s more than guilt though, I feel like I lost something. Some of us have to make mistakes. some of us have to get our hands a little bloody sometimes. some of us are human! Where’s my dad? Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it? A shadow. I’m a thousand years old you can’t kill me. So if you’re gonna do this then I think you’re gonna have to take me with you. I’m fine. Yeah, aside from the not sleeping, the jumpiness, the constant overwhelming crushing fear that something terrible is about to happen. Say it. Say you believe me.

The memories utterly crushed him with their full weight, mind reeling as his brain struggled to process the sheer volume of new old information streaming back in from whatever spell had interrupted them.

Stiles jolted upright from where he found himself sprawled against the shower floor, the water still spraying down lukewarm atop him nearing cold, he was gasping in pathetic little panicked breaths that were mostly steam. He tore at the shower curtain with a shaking hand, ripping it back to make sure that he was actually alone. On coltish, trembling legs he hauled himself out of the bath, collapsing on his knees by the toilet bowl nearly losing the singular slice of pizza he’d been able to wrangle for lunch with a pitiful moan. 

He startled like a deer at the pounding coming from his front door, looking around wildly for the flannel pyjama pants that he’d discarded before his shower and shrugging on a hoodie that hung open around his wet chest, fingers refusing to cooperate with the front zip. With the smooth metal of his bat in his grip he crept down the hallway, the strange static and buzzing that he noticed from time to time now blotted out almost everything and his vision swam with it. Stiles’ arms shook like leaves.

The last thing Atem remembered, he had been closing up the shop for the day

We don’t talk about Bruno, no no no, we don’t talk about Bruno

The Encanto soundtrack had been addictive for weeks, so he was hardly surprised to have been playing it when he was closing up

Humming to himself and dancing a little as he brought the broom against the floor, glancing at the shelf of new releases that he had just put out, and then… then….

He told me that the life of my dreams would be promised, and someday be mine He told me that my power would grow like the grapes that thrive on the vine

“Holy fucking Christmas cake Batman!”

Atem sucked in a breath, blinking quickly as he looked around at his surroundings

He… wasn’t at the game shop anymore….

He was outside now, in the woods…. wearing his jacket….? When had he put his jacket on? When had he left? Where was he?

A seven-foot frame, rats along his back When he calls your name it all fades to black

Slowly, he reached up to take the earbuds out of his ears… only to find that they weren’t there to begin with….

Hands trembling, he slowly lowered his hands again, steepling his fingers as the music he swore he had been listening to just…. stopped…. as if it had never been there to begin with…

He wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there in silence, time sort of… moved… at a weird pace sometimes….

“Let me help you,” he said suddenly, smiling politely as he bent down and took the stranger’s hand, as though the entire episode had just been a dream, and he was back in the waking world now- even if he still didn’t know where he was or remember how he had gotten there

“Christmas Cake you say? Would you be speaking of the American variety, or the Japanese variety? I can’t say that I care much for the fruit cake Americans are so fond of, but I used to live in Japan and they had quite tasty strawberry cakes at Christmas,”

The one eye that could still see the stranger focused as best it could, they stood frozen in fear with a tremor right through them. Whoever it was he’d scared half to death and confused to boot.

“Thank you, you’re kind considering I just made you look like you saw a ghost.” He quirked an awkward grin toward Atem as they helped haul him unsteadily back to his feet. “Oh God that sounds so awesome, I would love to try Japanese Christmas Cake. At least it sounds like they use the fruit properly rather than abuse it like they do here.” Stiles paused thoughtfully, scrolling through his mental rolodex of useless facts. “Isn’t it like a national tradition that they really like eating KFC on Christmas too? I can’t blame them, that also sounds awesome.” 

***

For a moment, she wondered if he knew. If he knew that her parents had literally paid for her to go fucking camping near here and she wound up even further into ‘crazy town’ than she’d started out. She clenched her jaw and counted to ten and thought of a dozen things her court mandated therapist had tried to help her with. “You know there are arguably a hundred scarier movies than Friday the Thirteenth, right?” Real life? That was the real fucking scary one.

“I mean, if I enjoyed the pain and suffering of others, then sure. It would make me feel better,” she replied, deadpan as ever at the stranger who somehow already understood her humor better than anyone she knew. She couldn’t make a joke without her parents freaking out and considering locking her up in the hospital. The thought actually made Leah crack an awkward half-smile in the fading light. “But uh… maybe we should head back to town and get you some ice for that first.”

.

It clearly hadn’t been the right thing to say and Stiles’ brain went into overdrive like a too-hot laptop fan. It was Camp Crystal Lake? From that movie, right? It didn’t quite make sense to him that she was stood there like he’d caused her physical pain, all the muscles pulling tight and vivid across her face. He let her pause to collect herself. “Oh pffbt yeah, I’m just reeling through The Big Names that people recognise even if they’ve never seen, I’m sure I could think of a better comparison for Echo Springs if I had a brain cell to spare today.” 

“You’re welcome,”

God, why was Derek so…. smitten with this guy? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d fallen so head over heels for anyone, much less someone he barely knew, it was strange but… but he also very much enjoyed it, he was… happy... about it, like he had found a peice he hadn’t even realized was missing until this moment

“Wow, I have to admit, I didn’t see that coming, I guess we’re more alike than either of us first thought, and you’re right, furries are more than welcome to carry on however they please,”

As for the hotness of turning into a werewolf… well, maybe that conversation was better held for when they had coffee later…

“No no, you can mess with me,” Derek said quickly, before almost instantly regretting how…. desperate…. and kind of weird that sounded and hurrying to correct himself

“I mean… I’m glad that you’re comfortable with me, I want you to be comfortable with me, and it sounds like your sense of comfort with people is the same as mine, my sisters and I show we care by lightly tormenting eachother,”

Derek didn’t really have any freinds to speak of- hadn’t since highschool- so he wasn’t sure how far people tended to go in non-familial relationships, but he was willing to give just about anything a try to keep the amazing connection that he was forming with Stiles, this weird bond that he could swear had been there for years and years somehow….

“Yeah I do, I grew up on a nature preserve, so it’s like being back home for me,”

The woods had always been such a source of comfort for him, he wasn’t sure if that was all to do with the familiarity and hominess or if there was something else wired into his brain that made him feel comfortable surrounded by trees and dirt and wild animals, but he didn’t care that much to explore it, in all truth, Derek never thought too much about that sort of thing, it was almost as if there was something in the back of his mind that always jumped out and warned him not to, like a trap being triggered, whenever he thought too much about things like that, he would find himself awash with ice cold dread and panic, as though he were experiencing horrible terror...

Derek gave a short laugh, his lips pulled into a small grin, glad- albeit a bit surprised- that someone else shared his sense of humor

“That makes two of us, and for the record, if either of us is going to be regretting this relationship, I have a feeling it’ll be you,”

People often tended to regret… pretty much everything when it came to Derek, that probably sounded self-centered somehow, but it was true, there were reasons he didn’t have any freinds- and it was because of more than just his being anti-social, it was almost as if Derek was cursed somehow or something…

“Oh yeah? Have you ever seen Gaeilge? Ireland’s native language, my grandparents immigrated here from Ireland before my mom was born so they still speak it and are determined my sisters and I will too, most non-Celts don’t even think it’s a real language,” he snorted, shaking his head

“My other mom is from Mexico, so she taught us Spanish when we were kids, you ever hear Spanish and Irish trying to come out of the same mouth? Trust me, I get language difficulties,”

Derek’s lips curved into a smile at Stiles’ reaction, happy to see that his new… freind? Was Stiles a freind now? His new whatever Stiles was- was a dog person

“No breaking ankles, but you can definitely still snuggle with Leia,” he offered, carrying Stiles to the couch with Leia trotting loyally beside them, tail wagging and tongue lolling out, clearly excited by the presence of a new freind, evidenced again once Stiles was set on the couch and she was given the chance to jump up and immediately rub her head up under his chin, licking him enthusiastically

“Yeah… I uh, used to work the E.R. in Brooklyn, doesn’t get much worse than that, atleast not in the U.S.,” he agreed with a short nod, shifting a little on his feet

“It’s alright, I chose this job,” he shrugged back, settling down in front of the couch and very carefully rolling up Stiles’ pant leg, trying to take care not to cause him any pain, though with his ankle being swollen, that was easier said than done

“Criminal Psych? Wow, that’s really interesting, what made someone as

sweet and innocent as you interested in a dark, disturbing feild like that? Silence Of The Lambs?”

The “sweet and innocent” part was a joke, clearly, but he was genuinely curious about why Stiles had found himself in such a unique feild

“I don’t remember the context at all but I take all comedic opportunities as equal. Uhuh, they’re not hurting anybody after all.”

The quickness to jump in had Stiles grinning crookedly. He made a mental note not to be so insufferable, as much as he wanted Derek to be comfortable around him he didn’t want to remind the guy of his siblings all the time.  “Word, I’ll remember that. Again I’m wondering if you should be careful what you wish for but soft bullying coming right up.”

There’s a nagging part at the very back of his brain that for some reason expected almost no furniture, the bare minimum. His instincts weren’t usually this all over the place. Derek’s home in actuality couldn’t be more different. “That must have been a nice way to grow up.”

“Is that a challenge big guy?” Stiles stuck his tongue out, Derek’s laugh making something fizzing and bright erupt within him. He let himself look then, a sweep from the floor to the very tips of Derek’s dark hair. “I can’t imagine that but I’ll take your word for it.”

For some reason, it took too long for Stiles to go through the possibilities in his head as to why, he did indeed have scraps of memory of the lyrical, ancient language. “Cool as hell that you’re still being taught one of the Celtic languages, that’s a little more impressive than people going apeshit on March 16th every year, shows some culture.” For some reason the word banshee in particular rose out of the fog in his head. Must have been for an online game or something. “El español es un idioma muy útil, también muy bonito. So, you’re tri-lingual is what you’re telling me?” 

Maybe he could get used to the carrying thing, he thought quietly. “Leia! Give you a blaster and I bet you’re better than me and Han Solo over here combined, you should have gotten the Jedi training montage, we all know this.” Open arms welcomed the dog in question, squalling delightedly at the kisses she rained down on his neck and face.

“Shit, some rough stuff must go down that close to Manhattan, I like NY state though, foresty hills and lakes all over.” He hummed in agreement. “That’s what I mean, its admirable that you choose it every day even with the awful stuff, you know? To help people.” Stiles felt warmth suffuse him as Derek knelt and carefully manipulated the sore joint, hands almost unbearably gentle. 

“Well, I say this with no ego and, also, with no surprise, but other people are stupid,”

He could understand why someone might call Stiles annoying- but he didn’t agree with that assessment

Stiles was eclectic and talked alot and had a weird sense of humor, but Derek checked two of those boxes himself, and people often made comments about him being a serial killer just because he was quiet and kept to himself, there was no winning with people in general, unfortunately

I don’t judge

“You sure? Because your face did kind of a.. weird thing when I said ‘werewolves’, I’m not a furry- to be clear- not that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s.. not it..”

He paused, sighing a little

“I’m just digging myself in deeper, aren’t I?”

Although Stiles didn’t seem repulsed by the idea of seeing him for coffee, so maybe not…

“Thursday sounds great, I work late on Thursdays so I have some free time in the afternoon,”

Was he… setting up a date? Derek “Forever Alone” according to his sister Hale? If Laura could see him now

The thing was, Derek wasn’t sure what he had done wrong in this scenario, a sincerely confused and concerned expression painting onto his face

“What do you mean? How am I being a dick?”

Was Stiles straight, maybe? But… he had been dropping so many cues! And even if that were the case, why would he discuss going on a date with Derek then? Derek hadn’t been subtle, he was making it pretty crystal clear what his intentions were

He snorted, shifting his weight a little as he carefully pulled his keys from his pocket, getting ever closer to the house, and the makeshift-ambulance-to-be currently parked in the garage

“Mm, yeah, ‘cheesy’ is an accusation I’ve gotten before, but it’s no less true, I think ‘boring’ is the last word in the history of language I would use to describe you, and…”

Pausing, Derek slipped his key into the door and gave it a turn, easily juggling between keeping Stiles off of his bad foot and getting the door open

“I know it sounds weird and corny but.. there’s just something about you that I-… I want to know more about,” he confessed

”I hate people, I never want anything to do with them, it’s like I grew out of socialness in highschool, but… I like you, and I want to get to know you,”

God, that was alot of Words for him- personal, emotional words anyway

Derek could talk at length, he could recite text book passages and have long conversations with patients that sometimes saw the changing of the hour hand on the clock, but he didn’t do personal conversations so well, often finding himself…. stunted... somehow

Except this time

He paused, an eyebrow slowly raising, as though to meet the expression on Stiles’ face

“I can recognize a few letters but that’s as far as it goes, I have a cousin who lived in Russia for a short time and the guy who owns the bakery across from the hospital doodles in Crylic sometimes when he’s bored,”

He paused, lips ticking up a little as he shut the door behind him, the familiar sound of dog claws on hardwood clicking closer as a curious looking German Shepherd stepped around the corner, tail wagging and ears perked

“What flavor of Slavic are you? I would assume not Russian, most Russian names are easy enough to pronounce for English speakers, if not outright root words for alot of American names, so… what then?” he asked curiously, gently trying to herd the dog away from his injured guest, despite how much she clearly wanted to see more of Stiles

“Some people are just…. heartless….. trust me, I’ve seen plenty of it, sometimes I’m convinced that some people are outright born without hearts,”

Stiles glowed at Derek’s indictment of people, all of his teeth displayed at the stretch of the smile that creased the corners of his eyes. “Amen!” He crowed in agreement and then quieted as he realised how high his volume had wandered, he squeezed the hand across the shoulder holding him up. He murmured quietly and genuinely, “thanks.”

“No, I swear, I just remembered something about... 'kay,” He flapped his free hand around a little, flailing and not wanting to seem judgmental, “I tricked a friend of mine in High School after he got bitten by a dog or some shit that he was becoming a werewolf, didn’t even know what Lycanthropy meant.” The words made their way out of his mouth and his brain stuttered over it slightly, he kept probing around in his mind trying to prompt a memory that seemed... Right. He got vague impressions of a crooked jaw and dark, kind eyes but what kind of friend was he that he couldn’t remember the kid’s name? “I promise, didn’t give me furry vibes at all. They can carry on doing whatever makes those crazy kids happy. Its just like fantasy fiction dude, turning into a wolf being all strong and growly could be hot.” 

“You’re not! I just.” Stiles gulped a little. “It was another terrible nickname joke and I tend to, uh, I mess with people I’m comfortable around, so, I’ll try to. Not.” His face and neck lit up in flame at the admission, they’d been walking for a couple of minutes and he already felt... Safe. Something he hadn’t felt since his Father picked back up across the country. Ever since he’d been on his own. He had always had trouble making genuine friends, he was often hailed as good time until the inevitable negative side to his personality shone through. So many acquaintances, friendly faces and warm smiles but no one to call when he sat bolt upright at 4am, choking on his screams. 

“Oh wow, I like your place, you like the woods, huh?” He let himself be shifted against Derek’s side, another sensation he wasn’t used to. Feeling smaller, feeling light. He hadn’t been kidding about lifting him over his head, clearly and Stiles let a smug smile curl his mouth. “Luckily for you, I’m not lactose intolerant, I love cheese.” Cheese? Stiles. The next flow of words from Derek floored him, his throat felt tight, he could tell how much it took for the other guy to say all that. “Yeah, I can’t say you won’t regret it but... That sounds good to me, dude, you’re not so bad yourself.” He flashed him a bashful, almost shy smile. Thoroughly put on the back foot.

“We’re Polish. People normally say gesundheit when I tell them.” Stiles watched him, finding it interesting that Derek seemed to be so perceptive and observant of others around him. The clatter of little claws against the smooth wooden floor made his ears perk up, gaze eagerly searching for the source of the sound. All anxiety drained out of him. He made an excited sound as the German Shepherd stepped up to greet him, his eyes wide with utter joy, without thinking he gravitated down toward the dog as though magnetized oblivious to the issue he was possibly causing. “Oh you’re so sweet, lookatchu’ oh baby. Derek, let my ankle break, can I just hug you both for a sec?” Stiles turned his best puppy-dog eyes to the nurse attempting to help him, even though he was only making it harder for him to do so.