It's late at night. Stiles is dead asleep on the couch and Derek is sitting at the opposite end of it, wide awake. He couldn't help but look at the small werefox that was just inches away from his leg.

Derek wanted so badly to let his instincts kick in, he just wanted to keep Stiles safe, in his arms. God, that stupid 'mate pull' was getting annoying. Especially since he didn't know if it was affecting Stiles differently because of the fact that Stiles was never attracted to him in the first place, unlike Derek.

So while Derek wants to do anything to keep him safe, and feel like he was protecting him, Stiles probably just felt scared and confused.

Derek keeps his eye on Stiles, whos eyes were shut lightly and his tail was tucked up behind his leg. His face facing the outer part of the couch.

Without noticing what he was doing Derek slowly started sliding down the couch until he was laying down next to Stiles. Derek was about to pull his body away and head upstairs to prevent himself from screwing something up when he felt Stiles' slender body lean into him.

It took the werewolf by utter surprise. Slowly though, he glanced down at the werefox, gently wrapping an arm around his body protectively and watching as Stiles unconsciously moved his head from the couch to Derek's chest.

Derek can't help but smile, even if Stiles didn't know it was him he was up against.

Both of the boys melt into a more comfortable position as Derek takes the outer edge of the couch and Stiles takes the inner part, and Derek. Half of the skinny boy laid peacefully on the wolf's broad chest, his nose in the crook of Derek's neck.

Derek wrapped his opposite arm around the boy's back, attempting to pull him closer and into his arms. He doesn't get very far before he too falls asleep with his head brushed up against Stiles' dotted forehead.

---

Stiles is the first to wake up. The night had been dreamless and empty. He could barely remember anything from yesterday, which was probably a good thing. The moments he did remember were vague and fogged, like Gerard, or the pain, or Scott, or Derek... Derek.

Slowly opening his eyes Stiles noticed that it was Derek's arms he was in. Stiles' legs were tangled with his and his arms and head were on Derek's chest. Part of him wanted to get up and walk away from the awkward situation soon to come, but something made him stay.

Something made Stiles feel safe for the first time all week, no all year. It just all seemed to click. So he stayed. Stiles closed his eyes once again and nuzzled his nose lightly on Derek's chest. The small action caused Derek's eyes to slowly flutter open.

Unlike Stiles, Derek remembered everything from the night before. They way Stiles' eyes were filled with pain, after Gerard showed up in the woods, when Scott came to Deatons office, when Stiles accidentally called him Der. All of the confusion.

Derek looked at Stiles who was still laying peacefully in his arms. His breathing was shallow and stiles tail was wrapped around his own leg. Derek sighed and attempted to gently bring Stiles closer.

Stiles allowed himself to slide closer to Derek's muscular form, and took a deep breath, taking in Derek's foresty scent... if that's even a word.

The two boys laid there in silence and Stiles opened his eyes once again, this time acknowledging Derek. Stiles slowly gazes up at the werewolf who had his arms wrapped around him in a protective manner.

"Morning sleepy head." Derek mumbles in a gruff tone.

Instead of answering Stiles made a sound that resembled the noise of a motor as he stretched, this caused Derek to lightly chuckle and roll his eyes.

Suddenly Stiles' eyes snap in realization. Stiles gets up and out of Derek's arms fairly quickly and makes his way to a computer that was in the kitchen.

Derek, taken aback, groggily (and sadly) follows the quick werefox and watches as he clicks each key and presses search.

"Stiles, what are you doing?" Derek asks, resisting the small temptation to put his arms around the fox.

Instead of answering, Stiles starts scrolling through the search, finally hovering his mouse over a link before clicking.

Derek cocks his head to the left and the tip of Stiles' tail twitches. Stiles quickly glances at the page he had looked up. And there in bolded letters was what he was looking for.

"Some werewolves have a mate. The mates are their destined soulmates. They are often chosen to be together by their pasts, and the way they interconnect with each other, or balance the other one out. In a normal situation there will only be one mate, but in a few recorded situations there have indeed been two chosen mates. In this situation though, one of the mates is more than likely to be treated to death."

Derek reads over the information after he hears Stiles sigh.

"This is actually happening." Says Stiles, unable to ignore the fact that he may actually be gaining an attraction towards the sourwolf in the room.

Derek watches as Stiles' mind seems to whir around the room trying to connect dots and make new ones. However he can't really tell whether it's confusion or stress filling up the we're fox's eyes.

"We need to figure this out at least vaguely before we talk to Argent." Stiles concludes, looking ti Derek for confirmation.

Derek takes his turn to sigh, his mind now whirring around, trying to figure out what he should tell Stiles. The information was there, everyone that seemed to know about mates Is saying the same thing. Which just keeps getting approved over and over again in Derek's mind with what he's been going through ever since Stiles turned. Or even when he wasn't turned.

"Stiles-" Derek begins.

The werefox makes eye contact with the wolf and lets his tail release the stress it had built up.

Derek hesitates before he continues, "Deaton, Kade, that website, how my parents were..." Stiles averts eye contact for a second before looking back, "It just all adds up. Yes, this is actually happening, and as much as you seem to be trying to avoid this whole situation I can see the struggle in your eyes."

This makes Stiles look down in surrender as well as to make Derek stop reading his mind through his eyes.

"Stiles, we have everything we need to know how to get through this, "mate pull", but what we really need to focus on is how we are going to keep Mason alive in the first place, because as of now, I can already tell hanging out with me is not helping him." Derek states, Stiles takes a deep breath, "We need to go to Argent so we can talk to him about Gerard and how we can get rid of him. Again." Derek finishes.

Stiles nods in understandment. "You're right," he breaths out, "I am trying to avoid it. Just because I hate how true everything has felt. Everything anyone describes. We have a bigger problem right now with Mason and Gerard, yet the only one that floods my head is how you and I... and Mason... we'll not exactly Mason currently but. You know." Stiles trails off, somehow getting a sliver of his point across without saying the actual words.

"I just, don't get how you are so cool with this whole thing. It seems so easy for you." Stiles says slowly, looking back at the brooding werewolf.

"Trust me it's not," Derek says under his breath, "but you're not alone, we'll figure this out. We just need to talk to Argent, like I said before."

Stiles nods again. "Ok."

"Ok" Derek replies closing the laptop so Stiles could no longer see his worries projected on a screen.

Both of the boys' minds stop whirring and they relax.

"I'm going to call Argent so we can head over in a little bit." Derek says.

"I'm going to Lydia's house for a little bit." Replies Stiles, looking directly at the floor.

"That sounds good. Give me a call when you're done and I'll let you know if you should come over to Argents?" Derek asks, Stiles looks up and gives a short curt nod before standing up and walking over to the couch to get his phone and his red hoodie to put back on over his white t-shirt.

"I'll see you soon." Stiles says, only before running out the front door, making his way to Lydia's. The only other person that he could trust with telling her his sudden rush of feelings.

🐺🦊🐺🦊🐺

A/N: Oh my god. It has been too long since I have written in here. I am very truly sorry. I started high school at the end of last year and marching band, sports, and just plain ol' school is stressful. However for being a freshman I am still alive. Finals are coming up, and I promise I'm trying to get back on here. You can thank SamanthaRushing6 for begging me to post😂.
Anyways, thank you all for your support. I'm sorry I can't live up to posting. Again, I PROMISE I will finish this book. Thank you all for the comments and votes, I always love going through the comment sections, they always make me smile.

Until next chapter!
~Hurricane