Seeking Comfort

The pack all start to arrive at Derek's, messy hair and tired eyes. They hug Derek when they come in, wanting both to comfort and to be comforted.

When they are all sat in the living room Derek clears his throat and cracks his knuckles.
"Stiles and I have agreed to try out a Dom/Sub dynamic for a little while to let him decide whether he'd like me to be is legal dominant. But this morning, Stiles went missing. We need to get any scent trail we can and follow it."

He separates the group and tells them where to go and look, telling Allison to stay at the loft and cook/ order some food.

The sheriff has been asked by Scott and Derek to wait to involve the police. So he agreed, reluctantly.

They find him at twenty past nine in the preserve. He is curled into a little ball on the floor unconscious. It's Erica and Boyd that find him, so they tell Derek to get here, quick.

It is raining hard and while the werewolves are unaffected, Stiles is worryingly pale and shivering, radiating pain.

Derek growls when he sees him, goes and noses at his stomach. He nuzzles his way under one of Stiles' arms and Erica shifts so she can pull Stiles onto Derek's back properly.

She shifts back and rubs her nose against Derek's chin to comfort him. They tell everyone to get back to the loft and then begin their journey back.

The sheriff is at the loft with Alison, pacing back and forth when Scott arrives.

Everyone starts to come in, thirty seconds apart from each other. Derek comes in last with Stiles on his back. He shifts and carries Stiles over to the couch. The pack and his dad crowds around his body, but Derek stalks off, a frown etched into his face.

When Stiles wakes up he's covered in pack members, overly warm but incredibly comfy.

"Where's Derek?" He asks, everyone grinning at the sound of his voice.
"He's uhm- gone out," Danny says, snuggling in further. Stiles tries not to look too disappointed.

"Hey, kiddo," his dad says gently as he squats down in front of the pack to be level with his son.
"Hi, dad," Stiles smiles sadly. John opens his arms and Stiles grins, standing so he can curl up with his dad.

But when he stands he yelps loudly and falls, Scott catching him.
"My ankle," Stiles pouts, staring down at the throbbing joint. "I need that."

Everyone chuckles.
"We'll go the doctors, c'mon, my mums in today," Scott says gently. He helps Stiles hobble to the car, the sheriff following them.

Stiles is quiet, still feeling blurry but now it is paired with a horrible weight on his shoulders and he feels sick.
"Why did Derek leave?"
"I don't know," Scott replies honestly. He watches his best friend's face fall and nod his head.

Stiles and Scott go in together to be seen by Scott's mum. She sighs when she sees them and pats the bed. Scott helps Stiles jump up and sits in a chair next to him.
"What happened?"

John stays outside and rings Derek, demanding to know where he is.
"My son is in the hospital and you've just ran off when you promised me you'd look after him," he argues.
"Why is Stiles at the hospital?"
"He hurt his ankle."
"I'm on my way."

Derek waits with the sheriff, foot tapping but eyes unfocused.
"Derek, what's wrong?"
"I uhm-" Derek sighs and shrugs.
"Son, have you dropped?"
"I'm not a-"
"I know you're not a sub, but doms can drop, too. When they feel like they've failed their sub. Once we can leave we'll get you both feeling better, okay?"
"Yeah," Derek murmurs.

When Stiles is brought out to the waiting room, foot in a cast and crutches over his lap where he's sat in the wheelchair, Derek whines.
"Oh hi, Derek!" Stiles waves. He is always happy after seeing Melissa, she was like a mum so she really helped with everything. Plus he felt pretty safe with her being able to fix him up. "I broke my ankle!" He exclaims.
"How on earth did you manage that?" John asks, smiling though because Stiles seems to be a bit happier.
"I don't know, can't remember anything after leaving the loft," Stiles says, eyebrows furrowing and the smile disappearing.

Derek is silent until Stiles asks him a question.
"Hey, you okay?"
"I'm fine."

When they get to the loft Derek goes to see the pack and John wheels Stiles into the kitchen.
"He's dropped," John says. "He needs a sub to look after. That's your job now, kid. Give him some easy tasks until he's back and then get him to do something bigger."
"O-okay," Stiles nods. He hugs his dad tightly before he has to go to work and then Scott pushes him into the living room.

Derek is sat with Isaac, who looks like he's reluctantly enjoying the treatment, on his lap, petting at him and holding him close. Everyone seems to have just left him to it, all on the other couch.

Stiles chuckles and waves at the pack.
"You broke it? Can I sign it?" Erica asks.
"Maybe later," Stiles nods.

Scott pushes him next to Derek's chair, hugging him quickly.
"We need a proper catchup soon. Maybe you could stay at my house soon?"
"That'd be nice. Hey Derek, can you take me upstairs so I can get changed?"

Derek lifts his head from Isaac's neck and nods. He lets Isaac crawl off of his lap into the pack pile before he pushes Stiles to the bottom of the stairs. Stiles smiles and holds his arms up so Derek can pick him up.

He wraps his legs around him best he can, resting his head on his shoulder.
"Thank you for looking after me so well. I'm sorry for running away. I was just scared."
"It's my fault. You should have been safe with me," Derek grumbles as he climbs the stairs. Stiles kisses his shoulder.

"I made the decision. I was scared of what was going to happen. I'm sorry," he whispers.

Derek sits him on the bed and pulls his top over his head.
"We will make the rules later," Derek says. "If you still want to-"
"I still want to," Stiles interrupts.
"Okay. Let's get you into something warm."

He helps Stiles pull some warm pyjamas on, careful of his foot.
"Thank you, Stiles smiles.

Derek agrees easily, wanting to please the sub, when Stiles asks for a piggy back.

"Can we have some food?"
"Should be some left."

There's pizza left over from when Allison ordered it. He grabs a plate for himself and Stiles to share and arranges then on the couch.

Stiles is in his lap, wrapped in Derek's arms and it seems like everything will be okay.

A little later, when Derek and Stiles aren't blurry headed anymore, the pack goes out so they can talk in private.

Stiles is sat on the couch, curled up beneath a blanket, Derek in the armchair.

"So I know what rules I want but I want to know your opinions.

Your first rule is to be respectful. I understand you are very opinionated, but I'd like you to try and be as respectful to everyone as possible.

Second rule, no swearing.

Third, try to do as I say at all times.

Fourth, always respond to my messages. If you're not with me I want to know you're safe.

Fifth, try to take care of yourself. Take medication, try to eat and sleep, ask for help if you need it.

You can always colour if you need to, no repercussions for that.

Punishments will be things like spanking, having your privileges taken away. If you disagree with a punishment we will reconsider, if you feel like you need one you should ask, if you feel like either of us are angry we will do it later.

If you want to add or change the rules we will sit down and talk it over. If you act in a way I consider misbehaving, but we haven't established in the rules, we will talk about the punishment following.

The pack knows, they will know your rules, will text me if you misbehave around them. We will need a lot of open communication with this Stiles, I really hope we can do it."

Stiles nods his head.
"Can we uhm-" he flushes and clears his throat. "For the punishments could we have a tally board so I know how many things I've done wrong and then have the punishments at the end of the week?"
"Yeah. We'll do a tally for rewards, too, because that will help make you feel better."

Stiles closes his eyes and slumps against the couch.
"Can I kneel for a little?"
"Can you with your ankle in the cast?" Derek asks. Stiles' face drops a little.
"Doesn't matter," Stiles mumbles. Derek sighs and sits next to him. He grabs onto Stiles' thighs and pulls him so he is straddling his lap, feet dangling over the edge of the couch. Stiles holds onto his shoulders as he settles back a little.

"Better?" Derek asks hopefully.
"Yeah. Thank you."
"Our relationship won't be sexual, by the way. It is strictly for the Dom/sub experience," Derek murmurs, a hand resting on Stiles' hip.

Stiles stays quiet, dipping his head and closing his eyes. Derek lets him float, decides to test something out. His hands take hold of Stiles' wrists and move them together behind his back. He squeezes them together like a set of restraints would do and watches for a reaction.

And it's wonderful. Stiles relaxes even more, shivering. Derek watches as the goosebumps form on his skin, smiles to himself.
"Good boy, Stiles. We have one more thing to talk about so I need you to come down a little."

Stiles takes a few minutes to himself before he curls against Derek's chest.
"Yeah?" Stiles asks.
"I want you to start going to therapy. I know you're scared, but they're there to help, right? Their main priority is helping you get better. My mum goes to a therapist that knows about the supernatural, so you can go to them. Okay?"

Stiles doesn't respond. Derek sighs and runs a hand through Stiles' hair.
"Do I have to enforce it by putting it in your rules?" Derek asks. Stiles shakes his head. "Okay. Thank you. You want me to come with you?"
"Yes please," Stiles whispers. Derek pats his thigh.
"Good boy using your manners."

The next day Derek drops Stiles off at his dad's house, making sure he's settled before he leaves. Stiles giggles when Derek is dumbfounded with how to prop his leg up.

"Der, I'm okay. Scott will be here in ten minutes, I'm not dropped," he says softly. Derek slumps, sighing.
"Sorry. I just don't want to mess this up," Derek apologises.
"Can you stay until Scott gets here? Explain my rules so he can tell you if I've been bad or not?" Stiles asks nervously.
"Of course I can. Is it alright if I talk to all of the pack while you're here? Tell them your rules, how it's going to work?"
"Yeah. How often are we going to see each other?"

"Well," Derek sighs and lets Stiles cuddle into him. "I want to see you at least once a day. I'll pick you up from school and we can spend some time together in the evenings. Maybe you can stay at mine when your dad is on nights so you're not alone. Or I could stay here if you wanted me to."
"That sounds nice," Stiles smiles. He closes his eyes and sighs contently.
"You've been really good, I'm very proud of you," Derek praises. Stiles beams, clearing his throat.

When Scott knocks on the door Stiles jumps, relaxing when Derek soothes him.
"It's okay."

He lets Scott in, hugging him.
"Thank you for looking after
Stiles when I wasn't there. You're a great alpha."
"Thanks Derek."

Stiles grins and lets out an 'umph' when Scott jumps onto him. Derek chuckles and sits on the chair opposite.
"So Scott, we want everyone to know Stiles' rules so they can tell me if he misbehaves when I'm not around. I'm meeting with the pack now but I wanted to speak to you first."

Scott nods his head, smiling up at a blushing Stiles.
"I knew your rules when your dad was your Dom, it's okay. Just need to make sure you aren't misbehaving, right?" He soothes. Stiles agrees quietly, averting his eyes.

Derek explains all of his rules, Scott listening carefully as he speaks. His phone buzzes a couple of times, but he ignores it until he's finished speaking. When he checks it he has lots of texts from the pack telling him to hurry up because they're all there.

"I'm gonna go now, Stiles. I'll see you tomorrow."
Stiles opens his arms for a hug when Scott moves out of the way. Derek grins, bending down to envelope Stiles in a tight hug.

"Be a good boy, okay?"
"I will," Stiles promises. "Thank your for helping me."
"It's okay, love. Text me before you go to bed if I haven't messaged you."
"Okay."
They squeeze each other again before Derek hugs Scott and leaves.

Scott looks expectantly at Stiles after he hears
Derek drive away.
"What?" Stiles asks.
"You've been crushing on Derek since you met him! Have you told him?"
"Of course I haven't," Stiles groans. He looks at Scott, frowning. "What do I do?"
"Tell him!" Scott urges.
"Don't be stupid, Scott. That would only back fire. Derek could never like me like that and then he'd find it awkward and stop the whole thing we have right now," Stiles sighs.

Scott pouts and holds his best friend tighter, cuddling him like he did as a kid when Stiles had a panic attack. Stiles nuzzles his face into Scott's neck, knowing that it comforts Scott to be scented. He licks Scott's neck and grins when Scott flicks him.

"Derek's text you," Scott says as he hands Stiles his phone. They're lounging on the couch, television playing quietly in the background of their conversation.
"Thanks."

'I hope you're being good, Stiles. Scott will tell me if you're not.'

'I'm being as good as can be. Thank you for looking after me xx'

"Shit- I put kisses! What if he thinks I'm flirting?" Stiles gasps.
"You swore," Scott points out. Stiles' face drops.
"Fuck," he breathes out, eyes getting teary already. He sits forward and rests his head in his hands.
"Hey, Stiles, deep breaths. You're okay, let's ring Derek."
"No! I've been bad and he'll want to break up and-"

"Stiles." Derek's voice breaks through his cries. Stiles wipes at his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Stiles sobs. Scott holds the phone closer to Stiles.
"Oh no, Stiles, it's okay. I'm coming back. Scott can stay if you want him to but I will be there with you, too."

Scott holds him until Derek gets to the house, Derek cradling Stiles to his chest as he continues to cry. He smooths down Stiles' hair, shushing him quietly as he sits down on the couch.

Scott smiles sadly and gestures to the door, pointing at himself. Derek nods his head.

"Calm down, it's okay. What happened?"
"I- I swore!" Stiles wails. He grabs a fistful of Derek's shirt.
"Oh love, can you tell me why and what you said?" Derek asks, voice gentle and soothing.
"Shit because I put kisses and didn't know if I should and I overreact. And when Scott told me I swore I said fuck," Stiles explains, sniffling and wiping his face on Derek's shoulder.

Derek takes a moment to just hold Stiles and comfort him with touch.
"Should we put this on the tally board then? And at the end of the week we'll deal with it."
"Yeah. I'm sorry," Stiles repeats.
"No worries. If you feel like you need to we will do your punishment now so you don't have to wait. When do you want it?"
"Now please," Stiles says weakly.
"Okay, good boy. We're going to do three spanks for each curse word so six in total. You lie over my lap now love."

Stiles goes to lie down but Derek stops him.
"Underwear down," Derek says gently. "If you're not comfortable with that you can keep them on."

Stiles pulls them down, bending over and settling on top of Derek's thighs.
"Do I have to count?" Stiles asks.
"No, it's okay."

Derek squeezes his thigh gently, rubbing his hand over Stiles bum. He can feel Stiles getting hard against his thigh and bites his lip before he brings his hand down for the first time.

Stiles whimpers, back arching and hands gripping Derek's jeans. He bites his lip hard to stop the embarrassing noises falling past his lips as Derek smacks him twice quickly. Each hit makes his head blurrier, thoughts slow and clouded.

"I'm so sorry," Stiles whispers when his hips buck and he rubs his dick against Derek's jeans.
"It's okay, Stiles. That's a normal reaction. Rather flattering too," Derek laughs lightly. "We can finish this and get you to the bathroom so you can take care of it."

He shushes Stiles when the pale boy whines and brings his hands down again. Stiles kicks his good leg, gasping at the even harder smack Derek delivers. Derek makes the last smack the hardest before he pulls Stiles' underwear up and cradles him to his chest. Stiles is sniffling and wiping the tears away from his face. Derek rubs his back comfortingly, shushing him and whispering soothing words.

Stiles squirms, dick pressed to Derek in the best way. He moans and bites his fist.
"Shit-I'm sorry," he groans.
"It's okay, love. You look beautiful all flushed and worked up," Derek compliments. Stiles' eyes go wide and his heart skips a beat. After he's said it Derek realises just how stupid it was.

He's always had a thing for Stiles and having him in his pack settled his wolf's need to find a mate. And the whole pack helped him become a better Dom. Derek still likes Stiles, can't remember feeling this strongly about another person. However, Stiles is young and now he is mentally ill because he is involved with Derek and the pack. Now Stiles is his sub. He needs to be careful with if and how he tells Stiles about his feelings for him. His main worry is if he tells Stiles and the boy agrees simply because of their dynamic. His wolf makes him form such quick and extreme feelings and he's sure that it won't take long before he explodes.

"Let's get you to a bathroom," Derek says, breaking the stunned silence. "We can invite the pack over, yeah?"
"Yeah," Stiles says quietly. He's still blurry, but he can't comprehend what was said to him.

Derek carries him to the downstairs toilet and sets him down, patting his head and telling him to shout when he needs him.

He sits on the couch and sighs, Scott coming down because he can hear that everything's over.
"What was that about Derek?" Scott sighs.
"Leave it, Scott," Derek grumbles, texting the pack to come over.
"No, Derek. You can berate me all you want, but that's my best friend and I want to know what is happening."
"I'll let you know when I do," Derek huffs. He stands up and rubs a hand over his face. "Want a drink?"
"Coke," Scott nods. "I'll order some Chinese."

Not long later Stiles calls out for Derek, flushing when Derek helps him into his wheelchair.
"Scott is ordering Chinese and the pack should be here in a few minutes. Want a drink?"
"Yes please," Stiles smiles, glad it's not awkward.

When the pack is there Stiles is sat on Derek's knee, legs over the people crowded round them. Scott and Isaac nuzzle Stiles and they all squish together to be close. The comforting cuddles and being surrounded by pack helps Stiles float a little, however he has started responding quicker and understanding things.

Allison answers the door when the food gets there, her and Lydia making sure there are enough drinks and cutlery for everybody before they grab their own food.

Stiles lets the pack sign his cast, pouting when Jackson just colours a block of black in.
"That's mean," he whines. Derek lets him snuggle against his chest.
"Don't be a dick Jackson," Derek tells him.
"Just because you two have a thing," Jackson mutters and Stiles can't hear him, but the wolves can.
"Just because I don't want a member of my pack being an ass," Derek growls.

Scott raises an eyebrow, licking Stiles' neck to see what kind of reaction that pulls from Derek. The growling gets louder and he gets a whack on the back of the head.

Stiles giggles and sticks his tongue out at Scott, but he is desperately trying to figure out what this all means. He yawns and rubs his eyes tiredly.

"Come on, mister. Bedtime," Derek says and stands up.
"I'm not a little kid," Stiles whines.
"Didn't say you were," Derek grins. "Say goodnight to the pack. We'll be downstairs if you need us, okay?"
"I-I'm sleeping alone?" Stiles asks nervously. "What if I have another nightmare. I can't handle that, Derek."

"How about we bring a load of blankets and pillows down and we can all sleep on the floor together?" Scott suggests.
"Yay! Sleepover!" Stiles cheers.
"Not a little kid my ass," Derek grumbles, chuckling when Stiles flicks his nose.
"Can we Derek? Please?" Stiles begs.
"Fine, but you're going next to me," Derek huffs.
"I can live with that," Stiles smiles, squeezing Derek tight. Derek smiles back, nuzzling against Stiles' cheek as they enjoy the moment together.

Erica spoils the moment by throwing a cushion at them.
"Ow, why is your pack bullying me?" Stiles whines, Derek chuckling and rubbing Stiles' head.
"Because they're jealous that they're not getting special treatment from their alpha. A couple of you find some blankets and pillows and we'll set them up downstairs."

Stiles spends the whole night curled up against Derek's chest with his best friend behind them. He wakes up early, the limbs and heavy blankets warping into monsters and injuries in his dreams.

He elbows Derek in the ribs, head butting Scott in the nose and his loud wails wake everybody up. Derek sis up, pulling Stiles up onto the couch behind them.

"Breathe, Stiles. Deep breaths for me. Good boy, it was only a dream. There we go. C'mon we'll go sit in the garden to get you some air," Derek soothes. He carries Stiles into the kitchen and grabs some water and a cereal bar before he goes to the garden.

Scott is holding his nose as he waits for Isaac to bring him some tissue. Isaac sits and worries over Scott, blushing when Scott reassures him he's okay.
"Thanks for your help," Scott grins, knowing his good friend needs the praise. Isaac grins, nuzzling into Scotts neck. "How about we go make some breakfast for everyone?"

Everyone is worried, disoriented and cuddling together to comfort one another while their alpha is comforting a sad pack member.

Stiles sniffles and wipes his eyes. It's dark out, the weather cold and rainy, but Derek provides more than enough warmth. The alpha kisses Stiles' head, lips lingering. Stiles leans into the touch, sighing.

"I'm sorry for ruining the pack sleepover," he whispers.
"You didn't ruin a thing. We'll go inside when you want to and I'll run and get the ingredients for he hot chocolate and brownies we wanted to make. We can all laze about and watch movies. Lots of cuddles and nice food should help, yeah?" Derek suggests, gentle voice calming Stiles.
"Can I come with you? I want to be close to my Dom right now," Stiles asks quietly. Derek coos and rubs Stiles' back softly.
"Course you can. We'll go get our coats on and get your wheelchair."
"I hate that chair," Stiles huffs.

"I know you do," Derek sympathises. "But I'm sure you'd hate walking on a broke ankle more."
"True," Stiles agrees. Derek stands, carrying Stiles back inside where they pull their coats on.

The pack have a great day baking together and watching films. Scott and Stiles have a talk out in the garden, reminiscing about how his mom would let them make the brownies with her. Derek finds them curled up in a deck chair together.
"Boys, c'mon, brownies and ice cream is ready. Everybody is waiting to start the film."
"Okay," Stiles smiles, lifting his arms up. Derek grins and picks him up.

"You feeling better after this morning?" Derek asks. Stiles nods, grabbing both of their bowls.
"I- uhm- I feel like I need to do stuff to please you. Could you start giving me tasks to do so I can do that?" Stiles asks nervously.
"That sounds good, I'm glad you told me. Good boy," Derek praises. Stiles beams.

The pack gathers in close, a large fluffy blanket covering them to keep them cosy. Stiles leans into the hand in his hair, smiling up at Danny. Ethan and Aiden are there, curling into his side. Isaac is curled up with Scott by his feet, Erica and Boyd cuddling close with Cora and Kita to the side of Derek. Allison, Jackson and Lydia are splayed at the end of the couch.

"Thanks you guys," Stiles says out of the blue. "For helping me with all of this."

The pack replies with a round of 'we love you's and 'you're pack!' Derek's chest rumbles with pride, ruffling Stiles' hair.

Isaac and Scott exchange glances when they notice the small, intimate moments Derek shares with Stiles.  They've never seen their alpha this way. Erica raises an eyebrow and nods when Scott nods, too.

At the end of the day the pack go back to their own homes and Stiles goes to the loft with Derek.

They fall into bed, both worrying about how they're going to handle their feelings for each other. Derek brushes Stiles' hair back and smiles softly down at him.

"Tomorrow I want you to choose a restaurant for us to go to. Wherever you want," Derek smiles. "You deserve a treat after all of the stress lately."
"Thanks. That's really sweet," Stiles grins. 'Almost like a date', he thinks. He yawns, pressing his face into Derek's bare shoulder. Derek kisses his hair and settles with an arm over his waist.

"Come on, sleep for now. Sweet dreams."
"Hopefully."