Chapter Text
"Derek, I need you to marry me," Stiles says.
Derek does a literal spit-take with the coffee he's just drunk. Because what?
"What!?" Derek sputters.
***
The thing about Stiles is that Derek isn't entirely sure whether he likes him or not. Sure, he can be sweet, funny, and witty. And he's, frankly, gorgeous. But on the flip side, he can also be very annoying and irritating.
Derek's known him since high school, remembers him as an awkward, loud-mouthed omega who shot his mouth off at nearly everyone.
They never really hung out together, though their social circles always mixed. Stiles' best friend Scott played on the high school lacrosse team with Derek and some of his close friends, and Stiles was also good friends with Derek's younger sister Cora.
There were times, here and there, when Derek thought that maybe there was something between him and Stiles. They were alpha and omega, and Stiles could certainly be considered a good catch when he wasn't being aggravating. Derek had always had a bit of a thing for sarcastic quick-witted omegas who weren't afraid to tell him what was what. Or afraid of him at all, come to that. It also didn't hurt that Stiles had looks and a scent that could get Derek's motor running, fueling many a 'private time' session, though he'd never admit it out loud.
But the timing never seemed to be right for them. When one of them was single, the other was in a relationship. Or one or both of them were too far up their own asses with teenage angst and ridiculousness.
Derek left for college a year ahead of Stiles, and when he came home that first summer he'd heard that Stiles had left town with Theo Raeken. Derek hadn't seen him again after that.
Until now.
***
"Will you stop that," Stiles whispers harshly, gaze darting around the coffee shop as Derek fusses with the mess he's suddenly made with his coffee.
"Well, excuse me for having a reaction," Derek gripes. "What did you expect would happen when you asked me something like that?"
"I don't know," Stiles mutters.
"Christ," Derek says, swiping at his face with a napkin. "This is a weird idea for a joke, Stiles."
"It's not a joke," Stiles says. He looks at Derek, brown eyes wide and worried. "I need your help."
"By marrying you?" Derek asks.
"Yes," Stiles says. Derek eyes Stiles suspiciously. He wracks his brain but can't really come up with a scenario where suddenly marrying Stiles – who he literally hasn't seen in years – would be a viable solution.
"Okay, you're going to have to explain this to me," Derek says.
"I will take you not immediately throwing your coffee in my face and leaving a good sign," Stiles says. Derek grunts. Stiles glances around the shop again before leaning over the table, closer to Derek. Derek mirrors the move, catching Stiles' scent. It's mostly like what he remembers from high school; definitely not unpleasant.
"If you didn't want people to overhear, why ask to meet in public?" Derek asks.
"I didn't think you'd agree to meet somewhere private," Stiles says. "Alright, so... I'm pregnant." Derek's eyebrows shoot up.
"What--"
"Just hear me out," Stiles says, holding up a hand and looking down at the table. Derek narrows his eyes. "I… Okay, look, you know what things are like for unmarried, pregnant omegas, right? I mean, I know you're an alpha, but I also know you're not completely ignorant."
Derek does know. As far as omega rights have come in the past decades, there are still a lot of areas where they fall short. Especially where body autonomy and children are concerned. Society has gotten to the point where, in most places, unmarried omegas can either get an abortion or retain custody of any children they bear as long as the alpha sire doesn't contest it. If the alpha does contest it...
"So you're worried about your alpha?" Derek asks.
"I don't have an alpha," Stiles says harshly, eyes blazing. "I got away, finally. And to stay away I need to do something about this baby." There's a lot that Stiles isn't telling Derek, obviously, but Derek can read between the lines enough to know not to ask about it. He doesn't need to know particulars right now. He also doesn't ask why Stiles just doesn't get an abortion that would solve all his current problems. He knows that omegas, whether married or not, need permission from the alpha sire to abort legally. And illegal abortions are mostly unsafe to the point where the risk isn't worth it unless someone was really desperate. There's also still a stigma that comes with getting an abortion, which Derek thinks is absolutely ridiculous, but these are still the times they're all somehow still living in.
"Alright," Derek says. "But is marrying me your only option?" Stiles goes quiet and gnaws at his lips a bit. "Aren't you still friends with Scott McCall? If you'd need to marry anyone for something like this, I'd've thought you'd pick him." Though, even as he says this, Derek frowns. It's been about maybe five years since Stiles graduated high school and left town with his boyfriend at the time. For all he knows, Stiles and Scott aren't even friends anymore. Just because Derek has kept in contact with his high school friends, doesn't mean Stiles has.
"I don't think I can trust Scott on something like this," Stiles says grudgingly, like he doesn't want to believe it. "Believe me, if that would work I wouldn't be trying to drag you into this mess."
"So you trust me, then?" Derek asks.
"I think so," Stiles says. "At least, you've never given me a reason not to. And I... Do you remember that thing with Erica Reyes in high school? That party?" Derek nods. Even with that fairly vague descriptor, he knows exactly what Stiles is talking about. That whole situation was traumatic enough that it's forever burned into Derek's memory. He doesn't really remember anything about the actual events of that particular party, too hyped up on adrenaline and fury at the time, just what he'd eventually told the cops afterward. About how Erica, an omega, had suddenly gone into heat at the party and had almost been attacked and raped by several nearby alphas until Derek had realized what was happening and fought them all off until Erica could be safety transported back home.
"She's Erica Boyd now," Derek says. Stiles nods.
"Right," he says. "I haven't really kept tabs on... anyone except Scott, really. I wasn't at that party, but I heard about what you did, and I've always judged you as a person based on that. So, unless you've made a complete 180 since then, I think I can trust you with this."
"That's a lot to hang something this serious on," Derek says.
"I know," Stiles says. "But Cora vouched for you. She's actually the one that suggested you when I told her about this whole plot. And I trust her. After what she's done for me the past months, I trust her with my life." This information comes as a surprise to Derek. As far as he knows, Cora is one of the people Stiles ghosted after leaving town.
"And on top of that," Stiles continues, grimacing. "And I know this makes me sound like a total sleaze. But your family's loaded. If Theo ends up coming back to try to claim the baby, he wouldn't be able to afford to go against whatever your family could throw at him. Money talks and all that."
"Theo? Theo Raeken?" Derek asks. "He's the sire?" Stiles nods miserably. Derek narrows his eyes at Stiles. Derek remembers Theo from high school; they played lacrosse together. He doesn't remember Theo particularly fondly, but he never really disliked him to the point of considering basically stealing his omega and baby from him.
"I know you and Theo were, like, friends or whatever, in high school," Stiles says. Derek is surprised to hear his voice shake. "But I cannot go back to him. And I can't let him have this baby. Maybe he always treated you fine, but he is not a safe person."
"But... you left with him," Derek says. "After graduation. That's what everyone was saying."
"I know," Stiles says. "And it was the biggest mistake of my life. And not doing everything in my power to protect this baby from him would be an even bigger mistake. But I can't do it on my own, no matter how much I want to." Derek looks him over. Stiles has hunched in on himself in his seat and is looking down at the table between them. Derek also notes the paleness of his skin, the moisture gathering on his lashes, and the trembling of his lips. There's a thread of desperation starting to weave itself into his normal scent, and it's setting a lot of Derek's protective instincts on high alert.
There's definitely something more going on here than just someone trying to make a clean break with an ex. Derek would be stupid not to notice.
"Okay," he says, after a full minute of silence. "I'm not saying no, but I need time to think this over." Stiles nods and looks up at Derek through his eyelashes.
"I can give you a week," he says. "Don't... don't ask me for any more time than that. I'm not sure how much time I have to work with."
With that, he gets up from the table and walks away. Derek's gaze follows him out of the shop and into the parking lot, where he climbs into the passenger seat of a police cruiser that Derek recognizes as belonging to the sheriff.
The cruiser starts up and drives away, disappearing beyond the view of the window. Derek stays sitting at the table for the next little bit, alone with his racing thoughts.
***
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