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After he left Lydia with Jackson, Stiles climbs into his car where Peter is waiting for him. He is pissed at him for attacking her, not understanding why he would do this.
So he is quiet, driving in the direction Peter tells him. He sighs and Peter throws him a glance. “Don’t feel bad. If she lives, she’ll become a werewolf. She’ll be incredibly powerful.”
And isn’t that the problem? If she lives she’ll be like Scott and wouldn’t be interested in Stiles anymore. Well less so than before, he guesses. Even he and Scott didn’t spend much time together anymore. He was always with Allison or Derek. And Stiles understands, of course he does but he can’t help but feel bitter about it.
“Yeah and once a month, she’ll go out of her freaking mind and try to tear me apart.”
“Well actually, considering that she’s a woman, twice a month.” Stiles isn’t expecting such a comeback from the werewolf and his mouth stays open as he looks at the older man. He tries to cover his laugh with an awkward cough but regarding Peter’s amused expression he isn’t doing a very good job. Damn it. Why does this asshole has to be funny? That isn’t fair. At all.
When they arrive at the garage, Stiles parks the car and gets out. Peter is at his side a moment later and grabs him by his shirt to drag him along. As if Stiles couldn’t walk alone. Smug creeper.
Peter leads him to another car, a really beautiful car. Where did he get such a car? How unfair is this? “Whose car is this?” He asks suspiciously.
“It belonged to my nurse” Peter answers and gets the keys out of his jacket. Well that is reassuring.
“What happened to your… Oh my god!” He exclaims as Peter opens the trunk and Stiles sees the body of said nurse.
Without a care Peter takes the bag and hands it to Stiles. Then he looks thoughtfully at the former nurse. “I got better” He decides and closes the trunk.
Then he takes out his phone and Stiles scoffs. “Good luck getting a signal down here.” Peter hands him a device. “Oh, MiFi. And you’re a Mac Guy.” Stiles adds when Peter opens said Mac. “Does that go for all werewolves or just a personal preference?”
He knows he is rambling but, damn it, Peter is really freaking him out. He doesn’t even expect to survive this whole trip to save Derek. If Peter doesn’t need him anymore no one could stop him from just killing Stiles. And also he always rambles when he is nervous. His Dad often complains about it but he can’t help it. ADHD does that to someone.
Peter also seems a little bit exasperated judging by the look he is giving Stiles, but doesn’t say anything. Well that’s actually nicer than to tell him to shut up. Which is basically the thing people always tell him like Derek. Who they are trying to save. Concentrate, Stiles!
“Turn it on. Get connected” Peter commands and looks back at the Mac.
“You know, you’re really killing the whole werewolf mystique thing here. Look, you still need Scott’s username and password and I’m sorry, but I don’t know them.” He lies without a blush. Even if Peter is nicer than he expected, he doesn’t want to help the psycho.
“You know both of them.” Peter cuts in, sure of himself.
“No, I don’t.”
“Even if I couldn’t hear your heartbeat, I would still be able to tell that you’re lying.”
Stiles doesn’t say anything but his eyes must be giving him away. “I can be very persuasive, Stiles. Don’t make me persuade you.”
And doesn’t that sound threatening? Charming. So the thing is, Peter hasn’t hurt him at all and Stiles isn’t stupid. He knows he could. Peter needs him, his help, to find Derek. Even if Stiles doesn’t want to help him, he’s not stupid enough to get killed by the Alpha.
So he nods and starts typing, but can’t help but ask “What happens after you find Derek?” Even if that guy is a dick he wouldn’t want to happen anything to him. Nothing life threatening at least.
“Don’t think, Stiles. Type” Peter says urgently. Stiles wonders if he is worried about his nephew, his last living relative. Could that be? Stiles assumes he doesn’t exactly know the Alpha but what does he know about him?
He knows that Peter and Derek are the only survivors of the Hale Fire. Their entire family was burnt alive and then Peter was in a coma for six years. If Stiles isn’t mistaken, and he rarely is, Derek didn’t visit Peter and he was in the hospital under his own name. Where everybody could find him. Sure, Derek didn’t know it was the Argents who burnt his family but still. He could have at least visited his uncle. So why didn’t he?
Stiles doesn’t know how it feels to lose a pack bond but he can imagine it must be even more painful than to lose someone who isn’t pack to you. It must be physical pain. And maybe that’s the reason why Peter wants so desperately revenge, is so unstable and crazy. Maybe he feels alone, left by everybody he ever loved.
Peter makes an impatient noise and Stiles shakes the thoughts off and continues typing.
“You’re gonna kill people, aren’t you?” He asks resigned. He thinks he can understand it. If someone killed his Dad and justice couldn’t help… maybe he would kill the responsible people too. But no innocents and he is afraid that will happen if Peter goes.
“Only the responsible ones” Peter says as he if read Stiles thoughts. Creepy. He hopes the Alpha is telling the truth.
“Look, if I do this, you have to promise to leave Scott out of it” Because even if Scott had been a little bit absent the last few weeks he was still his best friend, his brother. He doesn’t want him hurt or become something he doesn’t want to be.
“Do you know why wolves hunt in packs?” Peter asks after contemplating his words for a moment. “It’s because their favoured prey are too large to be brought down by one wolf alone. I need Derek and Scott. I need both of them.”
Well, fuck him. “He’s not gonna help you.” Because he is Scott and he’s too good and has too strong morals. He’s the complete opposite of Peter or Stiles who had thought a few minutes ago about killing someone for his Dad, who can understand a little bit why Peter is doing this.
“Oh, he will. Because… it’ll save Allison.” Ah, well that could actually work. Smart man. If Allison is involved Scott will possibly do anything. Idiot.
“And you will, because it will save Scott. Your best friend whom you know so well you even have his username and password.” Asshole. He knows he’s right and is so fucking smug about it.
Stiles sighs and starts typing the username. He can practically feel Peter’s bafflement next to him as he sees it. Now it’s Stiles turn to be amused.
“His username is ‘Allison’?” Stiles continues typing without responding. “His password is also ‘Allison’?” Peter sounds as though he couldn’t believe it and now Stiles is completely amused and laughs quietly.
“You still want him in your pack?” Stiles teases the Alpha wolf, doesn’t even think about how dangerous it could be to anger the other man. He doesn’t get the feeling he wants to attack and hurt Stiles.
Peter turns away and mutters something which could be something along the lines “Should have bitten the other one” but he isn’t exactly sure so he doesn’t say anything. It flatters him that Peter thinks he would be better than Scott, never mind how fucked up that sounds because, well, it’s Peter.
As the Mac beeps and indicates the search is finished Stiles blinks confused and makes a questioning sound. Peter turns curiously to him and looks at the screen.
“Wait, what the… That’s where they’re keeping him? At his own house?” Doesn’t seem very smart to him but well to each his own.
Peter seems to get more from this information though and grins smugly. “Not at it. Under it. I know exactly where that is.”
Peter suddenly turns his head as if he’s hearing something. Which he probably is, considering he’s the Alpha and Stiles a pathetic human. “And I’m not the only one.”
Peter packs the Mac away, opens the door and throws it on the seats. Then he pauses for a moment and looks to Stiles. “Give me your keys.”
Urgh, Peter would leave him here, would he? Great, fantastic. Stiles also doesn’t really wanna give him the keys to his Jeep. His Mum’s Jeep which is the only thing he has left of her.
But Peter would be able to get them after all so he sighs and gives them to him. “Careful. She grinds in second.” He tries to joke but even to his ears it sounds a little bit choked.
But Peter doesn’t go to his Jeep like Stiles expected him to. He takes the keys and bends them in his hand so Stiles couldn’t use them anymore. So he couldn’t follow Peter. Clever man. And such an asshole. Stiles couldn’t say it often enough because it’s so fucking true. He also looks incredibly smug again and Stiles wants to punch him in the face.
The Alpha goes to the car without saying anything else. Stiles should’ve been relieved that he comes out of his without being harmed. But his mouth has obviously other ideas. “So you’re not gonna kill me?” He’s officially the dumbest person on this planet.
Peter turns around again and walks up to him. “Oh God.” Thanks mouth. Dad, Scott, I love you. Please remember me smarter than this.
“Don’t you understand yet? I’m not the bad guy here.” And isn’t that the problem? That Stiles understands him, understands his need for revenge?
“You turn into a giant monster with red eyes and fangs and you’re not the bad guy here?” Well deflection is also a solution. A bad one, but whatever.
“I like you, Stiles.” He likes him? What the fuck. When did that happen? Stiles is so not prepared for Peter to admit that.
“Since you’ve helped me, I’m going to give you something in return. Do you want the bite?”
Stiles is very sure he misunderstood Peter. Because he couldn’t have asked him that, could he?
“What?”
“Do you want. The bite?”
Oh fuck, he didn’t misheard him. Peter Hale, fucking Alpha, offered him the bite. What the hell is one to do when something like that happens? Stiles is a little bit over his head with this. Peter continues, doesn’t seem to see that storm is going on inside of Stiles.
“If it doesn’t kill you, and it could, you’ll become like us.”
“Like you?”
“Yes, a werewolf. Would you like me to draw you a picture?” Asshole. Still an asshole. But yes, his question might have been a little bit stupid. Might.
“That first night in the woods, I took Scott because I needed a new pack. It could’ve easily been you. You’d be every bit as powerful as him. No more standing by his side, watching him become stronger and quicker, more popular, watching him get the girl. You’d be equals.”
Stiles should say no. He knows how Scott’s life has changed since his transformation. He knows Scott despises Peter for it. But he also knows how much good happened to Scott since then. And if he would become a werewolf maybe Scott and him could become closer again. He wouldn’t be the one who always gets left behind. He could protect himself and could fight alongside his friend. Maybe Scott would hear him, wouldn’t dismiss everything he said because he couldn’t understand this whole wolf business.
Peter is still watching him, calculating. As if he sees what Stiles is thinking. And then he speaks again.
“Or maybe more.”
Peter takes his wrist and lifts it to his mouth. He waits for a moment, eyes fixed on Stiles face to see his reaction. Stiles swallows, not sure how to act and what to say. But he knows the decision was already made when Peter offered him the bite, offered him to be part of his pack.
“Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
Peter’s grin gets bigger, his fangs grow longer, sharper and he exhales the breath he was holding against Stile’s skin. “You will be a magnificent wolf, darling boy.”
And then he bites down.