Nature and Nurture: Finding the Perfect Blend

Chapter 7: The History

Notes:

It had to happen. Here be the start of the explicit rating.

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The next day Stiles was again by himself and he was moping in the kitchen.

He and his dad hadn't worked things out during dinner last night, conversation being small and general. Stiles had gone to bed feeling rather small in general, too. He wasn't any better when he woke up, and his mood hadn't improved at all through their quiet introspective breakfasts.

His moping reached epic proportions when he tried to figure out his Derek problem. Seriously, he needed to get a handle on his feelings. He was pretty much emoing all over the poor guy every time Derek got near him. It didn't make it any easier that Derek had been physically close to him for the past two days.

Stiles couldn't recall pack bonding ever being this intense. But then, he and Scott were practically already bonded before Scott had been bitten. Liam was, well, Liam, and really didn't know anything about wolf culture, and Malia and Stiles had bonded through sexual gratification and a general need of one another.

What he'd had with Malia, while being all sorts of perfect at the time, wasn't anything like what he was experiencing now. While Derek's pack bonding method of getting all up in Stiles' personal space and giving warm hugs was awesome in the most obvious ways, it was also confusing the hell out of him. He couldn't help reciprocating, but he wanted more.

It was midday, and even after hours of inner debate, Stiles still couldn't come up with any way to stop what was happening. He was going to be in love with Derek for the foreseeable future, and he wasn't going to jeopardize their pack bonds by refusing them, so that really left him with no possible outcome but one.

At some time Stiles would make a move and everything would go wrong, because Derek would reject him and he'd be devastated.

He'd been crushed before by Lydia's continued rejection. But Stiles wouldn't harass Derek afterwards like he'd done to her, holding out hope for something more. Or become best buds with him when Stiles got over himself. It would hurt too much. He'd also be hurting Derek; destroying the newly-made bonds between them, and then how awkward would it be if Derek stayed in Beacon Hills because he'd still be part of Scott's pack. Or he'd leave and Stiles would have run him out of town.

Stiles didn't even know right now who he actually was. How was that fair? Derek had finally managed to work out his life and here was Stiles trying to drag him down into the quagmire of his. He had a history of sucking everyone close to him into his messes time and time again. Scott getting bitten. The Nogitsune. Donavan. Being fae. It just kept going. Stiles was going to screw this up. It was just a matter of when. And considering how intense it had been in only just two days of bonding, it was going to be soon.

Stiles was standing in the kitchen where the window looked out into the backyard. He placed his hands on the sink, leaning into the sun's heat, not worried about astral projecting anywhere, just wanting to feel good. After a while, there was a discomforting tingle that started in his palms. When he pulled his hands away the feeling quickly faded. He touched the sink with his fingertips again only for the discomfort to come back. He removed his hand.

"No way," he said to himself. He had to check this out and that required using his computer. Normally he'd use his phone but he couldn't remember where he'd put it.

Back in his room, he looked up 'stainless steal' and found he was correct in his assumptions. He'd been having a reaction to the iron in the sink.

"Oh, come on! Are you kidding me?" he moaned.