You don't have to love me [McHaleinski]

Part 1

Part 1

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This is not happening.

There's a never-ending list of things that Derek regrets in his life - at varying degrees. Offering the Bite to a group of emotionally unstable teenagers, not putting Peter back into his grave immediately after he crawled out, anything involving Kate Argent. Now he can add taking advice from Stiles Stilinski to the list.

Go track down the witch with Scott, he said.

Commune with your Alpha on the hunt, he said.

Finally grow a spine and ask him out, he said. Or just shove him against the nearest available surface and kiss him. Stiles suggested that too.

Hunting down the rogue witch in their territory had been the easy part. Controlling his heartbeat, keeping Scott from noticing how nervous he was - that was harder. But none of that matters now, because like everything else in Derek's life, it's all gone to hell in a handbasket. All it had taken was the witch blasting a spell at them as she made her escape - and Scott shoving him just of out the blast radius.

And now...

There's a child staring at him. A cherubic-faced child is frowning at him from the spot where Scott once stood. And there's no doubt who the child is because that's Scott's frown in miniature, and Scott's nose wrinkling cutely, and Scott is a kid.

Derek breathes deeply. Fuck.

He regrets everything that has led him to this.

"Scott," he greets cautiously.

The boy's brows furrow. "Who are you? Why are we in the woods? It smells funny." He rubs his sleeve over his nose. Derek can't really blame him for that. The sharp, crackling smell of magic is overpowering in the air around them - and will be for days.

Derek kneels slowly, eyes never leaving Scott's - as if the boy were a frightened wild animal rather than a lost child. He's... not sure that's a good way to approach the situation. Especially not when the little boy backs away a few steps, his eyes flashing Alpha red.

The anxiety hits Derek like a brick wall. The whine gets stuck in his throat, his eyes flashing in deference to his Alpha. He raises his hands gently, fingers spread in an attempt to show Scott he doesn't mean him harm. "I'm Derek," he says. "I'm your... friend." The word hitches on his tongue. He doesn't know what he is to Scott. Has never known exactly where he and Scott stand.

"I don't have a friend named Derek." And if Derek's heart sinks a little, he ignores it. He doesn't even know to what extent Scott is a child. Or what he remembers. "But you um..." Scott continues, almost bashfully, "you smell safe. Like Stiles too." So he's attuned with his powers, as young wolves so often are.