Bonded

Chapter Nine

A/N: So I've noticed on my end that after I post a picture to a chapter (not in the text, on the top) that when I open the actual chapter (not to edit it, just to normally read), the picture shows up like ten times. Do you guys see this and do you know if there is any way to fix it? Thanks.

Derek could feel the draw of the lurking moon that must have been high in the sky at this point. His eyes were in their wolf form and his claws were paying a visit. Stiles had fallen asleep sometime ago and now Derek was hunkered down on the side of the bed, protecting his body.

Stiles shifted in his sleep and Derek jerked at the noise. "Mate, mate, must protect mate, mate, mate..." the wolf inside of Derek chanted. "Yes I know," Derek replied to it, "I'm doing the best I can."

Just then a door opened from upstairs. Derek growled into the darkness, huddling closer to Stiles. "Must protect mate, must protect mate." He was fully alert now, and would attack the person coming down the stairs if they seemed to wield a threat to his mate.

"What's going on?" Stiles sleepily mumbled behind Derek.

Derek just looked at his mate with his wolf eyes and Stiles went quiet. "Oh no!" the wolf inside of his cried. "He's scared. Must comfort mate."

Derek slowly approached the frightened boy, keeping the intruder in the back of his mind for the moment. Stiles slowly looked relieved when he saw all Derek wanted to do was curl around him.

Long fingers brushed through the wolfs hair and a breath whispered upon him, "It's okay. I'm here now."

Derek breathed in his mates sent and nestled his face in his neck. The intruder had retreated back upstairs and his mate was here. How did he go so long without this?

"""

Stiles woke up to the sound of bacon sizzling and the smell of freshly fried eggs. Derek was standing by the small stove in the kitchenette, seemingly cooking in his beta form. The hair on his head looked quite a bit thicker and Stiles could see sideburns prominently sticking out, but he couldn't get enough of his mates perfectly sculpted back. The muscles were defined and Stiles could tell he worked out regularly. In the moment, Stiles was kind of ashamed of his gangly teenager body.

He saw the other man sniff the air before snapping his head back to Stiles. Stiles slightly jumped, almost feeling like he had been caught doing something naughty, and maybe he had. But Derek was his mate, right? That surely gave him all the rights he needed to stare at the god in front of him.

Derek smiled with sharply pointed fangs hanging out, "Finally woke up, did you?"

Stiles looked at his hands and nervously rubbed him together. Why was he getting nervous now? Just because Derek looked perfect and he... looked not so perfect? Or anywhere near perfect.

Derek's brows turned down and he abandoned the bacon. "What's wrong?" he asked, worriedly.

Stiles looked up, ashamed, "It's nothing."

"It's clearly something," his mate retorted.

"You just look so," Stiles trailed off, not knowing the right definition of Derek's impeccable body form.

Derek looked down, upset and almost sad. "Scary," he whispered. "I know, and I'm sorry. You can leave if you wish." He moved away from the bed before Stiles could understand what he was saying.

"No. No, no! That's not it at all. I was just going to say, you look so perfect and I," he trailed off again and pinched the extra skin on his belly. He was as skinny as a stick but his belly sure had the extra skin for his nonexistent six pack.

Derek turned around and approached Stiles again, pushing him back against the bed. He kissed where Stiles pinched and said, "You," another kiss, "are perfect."

Stiles snickered as Derek continued to lay light kisses upon his sensitive stomach. He started laughing as Derek ran his fingers over his side. "Sexy," Derek winked as he turned and went back to the bacon.

Stiles went back to admiring his mates back. He sure as hell had the right.

"""

Derek knew it was his wolf making him this frisky. The full moon had him right on the surface but during the day Derek could slightly repress his power. That didn't mean that the wolf inside of him didn't find Stiles downright delicious. The kid didn't have to have ripped muscles or an eight pack, all he had to be was his mate and that he was.

Breakfast went smoothly and soon after Stiles fell asleep again on his stomach. The omega sure did wear out quickly, Derek thought.

Derek heard the door open again shortly after, similar to last night. His hackles rose and he was in full alert again.

"It's me," his father called down the stairs, slowly making his way to the basement. Derek knew his mother had sent him instead of herself. Another alpha in the basement would have definitely set him off.

Derek's father slowly made his way down stairs and stopped at the bottom, looking at the couple. "Is everything going alright?"

Derek curtly nodded, wanting the other presence to leave.

"Alright," his dad smiled tightly, getting the message and retreating back upstairs.

Everything had been going alright, and for that, Derek was happy. He snuggled his head into Stiles and soon fell asleep as well.