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Stiles was always loud; vibrant, talkative and a little bit hyperactive thanks to his ADHD diagnosis. He was never one to keep his mouth shut, no matter who he was talking to or how many times friends told him to keep quiet. He had learned early that what he had to say may not be important to everyone, but it was important to someone and that was all that mattered.
He liked Lydia because she was social. She went out of her way to talk to everyone around her, profiling her classmates to see if they fit with her expectations of popularity. With the exception of Stiles, she gave everyone an equal opportunity to get on his good side and she did that with her loquacious personality.
He liked Malia because she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Some would call her blunt, rude, maybe even a bit abrasive, but Stiles never saw it that way. He envied her outlook on life where telling the truth trumped any societal norms that told her to lie. It was one of the first things that attracted him to her.
The thing Stiles liked most, apparently, was that neither of them really wanted him. That seemed to be his type, really. The women that were too beautiful, too desirable, for someone like Stiles. The women that settled and then realized their true potential.
Enter Derek Hale; Beacon Hills’ most desirable bachelor who kept himself far, far away from the spotlight but for some reason, stayed around the makeshift family Scott had created. He never thought much of Derek--
Who was he kidding? Derek would never be attracted to him so Stiles was immediately enamored. He tried his hardest to be normal around Derek and what that meant was his voice was the loudest, his comments the most sarcastic, and his game… lacking.
But Derek wasn’t like Lydia or Malia. His voice was barely audible; he spoke with his glares, his furrowed eyebrows, and his tense body language that seemed to always be directed at Stiles - not that he really minded. During those rare moments Derek did speak, Stiles had to strain his ears to hear him. He already had a hard enough time focusing on the annoying number of things happening around him, but attempting to listen to Derek became his highest priority.
He didn’t really mind it, though, when Derek would mutter something only he was paying attention to. It was usually full of sass and humor and Stiles would always laugh. He liked how it almost always caught Derek by surprise. Sometimes, it was full of self doubt and concern that Stiles thought must have been some heavy, deep-seated trust issues. Stiles was all too familiar with those.
Sometimes, Stiles wouldn’t hear him. His mind too focused on the plans being formed, the arguments being yelled, the shouts that weren’t so easily discernible through the background noise of growls and huffs. He’d look around at the pack, trying to focus on one voice, figure out what their next move was, and somehow his eyes always landed on Derek.
His lips would move and Stiles cursed himself for not being better at reading them. There were times where he would imagine it was Stiles’ name pouring from those lips, followed closely by breathless moans and beautiful confessions. He would stare at Derek, only Derek, in the chaos of it all and it would calm him more than he thought was possible.
“Stiles,” Derek’s voice would say in that deep sultry tone that drove Stiles crazy.
“Stiles.” He could practically see Derek’s lips forming his name, whispering the sweet nothings that Stiles craved to hear.
“Stiles!” Derek’s voice was clearer this time, enough to snap Stiles out of whatever stupor he was caught in, and he jumped out of his seat. He hit the ground hard and felt the bruise forming on his skin as Derek shuffled over to him.
Stiles looked around and noticed they were alone. “Where is everyone?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck and doing his best not to stare at the bulging muscles on the arms Derek had crossed in front of his chest. Derek eyed him curiously.
“They left a few minutes ago,” he said softly, eyes like stone on Stiles’. Stiles could only nod in response as he leaped to his feet and stared back at Derek. He hoped his gulp wasn’t too audible from where he stood. “While you were…” Derek waved his hands in Stiles’ general direction and Stiles thought he saw a smirk on Derek’s lips.
“Completely spaced out,” Stiles finished for him. “I didn't mean to overstay my welcome,” he said softly, biting the inside of his cheek as he finally willed himself to meet Derek’s eyes.
“You don’t.-- Ever,” Derek said slowly. Derek might not have wanted him to hear the last word that was muttered but Stiles figured he didn’t realize how closely he paid attention.
“Why do you always do that?” Stiles asked, because he always had a hard time keeping his innermost thoughts to his brain. Derek raised an eyebrow and shrugged as though that was enough to satisfy Stiles’ curiosity. Stiles rolled his eyes. “That. Why do you never talk?”
Derek huffed out a laugh. “I talk,” Derek argued. Stiles laughed right back at him.
“Sure, sure. And I’m the strongest out of the two of us,” Stiles sassed as he flexed his almost nonexistent biceps. When Derek laughed, Stiles’ stomach clenched. He had an amazing laugh. “Seriously, Derek, name one thing that wasn’t sarcastic that you’ve ever said to me,” Stiles challenged. He wasn’t expecting Derek’s face to soften or for him to take a step forward so that Stiles could feel the heat from his body.
“You’re beautiful,” was about the last thing Stiles expected to hear from Derek’s lips. It took him a moment to catch his breath as Derek gazed into his eyes as if he was waiting for Stiles to run.
“I said not sarcastic,” Stiles reiterated, believing that the words must have been a joke; some cosmic hilarity that would haunt him for years to come.
Derek blinked and shook his head. “I’m not being sarcastic,” he said softly. Stiles gaped at him, trying to find any malice or humor in his eyes, but he found none and it knocked the wind right back out of him.
“Why haven’t you said that before?” Stiles said as he wasn’t quite sure how to react.
Derek blushed and rested a gentle hand on Stiles’ face before whispering, “I’ve said it a million times, you just haven’t heard me.”
