After the pack had left, Derek forced himself to leave the house and get in his car. He didn’t want to disturb Scott’s Mom more than he already had.

Now he was just sitting here, staring at the steering wheel.

Stiles was hard of hearing. He didn’t notice conversations around him because he didn’t hear them.

He didn’t ignore Derek, he just didn’t hear him.

He hadn’t ducked down because he hadn’t understood their words.

Fuck.

Stiles didn’t watch movies in theaters.

Stiles preferred to text.

They had watched the movie marathon with subtitles. His phone's light flashes when he has an incoming text. Derek had previously found both of these things annoying.

Derek was a fucking idiot.

No wonder Stiles had laughed at him when he had invited him to a concert.

Derek dropped his head against the steering wheel, groaning at his own stupidity.

He felt the pack bonds. Scott was mad. Stiles was hurt. Derek had really messed up this time.

—

He waited until the morning to go talk to Stiles. It gave the teen a night to recover from a head wound, and to hopefully calm down enough to let Derek explain.

Not that he knew what he was going to say..

When he reached the Stilinski house it was quiet inside. When he climbed up to Stiles window, however, he saw Stiles and his father both standing in the room making quick gestures at each other.

Derek had seen Stiles and Scott make strange gestures at each other before. Nothing as elaborate as this, and only brief movements. He had brushed it off as them being strange, after all Stiles was always flailing his arms around. Now it was pretty obvious they had been speaking sign language.

Derek had to restrain himself from bashing his head against the wall in front of him. He did press his face against it though. He had always thought he was smart, but apparently he was the dumbest person alive. What kind of Alpha didn’t notice one of their packmates was hard of hearing? A bad one, that’s what.

“I’ll be more careful, okay? I promise.” Stiles voice came through the window, bringing Derek out of his own thoughts.

“I just want you safe. I love you, kid.”

There was rustling and the sound of clapping. The two were hugging, obviously having a moment. Derek now felt like a total creeper, hanging out outside a teenagers window and listening to his conversation with his father.

“I love you too, Dad.” Stiles murmured.

Derek tuned them out after that. He only listened again when he heard the front door shut, and then the sound of the patrol car revving to life.

Right. Now was his chance. He just had to find a way to-

The window beside him slid open, and Stiles head popped out.

“You can come in now, creeper wolf.”

Derek nodded, sliding into the window behind Stiles. The boy took a few steps back and crossed his arms, glaring at him from the middle of the room.

Derek stayed where he was. Stiles might not want him to stay long, after all.

“How did you know I was out there?”

Stiles raised an eyebrow at him, “I could see you.”

“Right,” Derek said, feeling awkward. He looked around the room for a second before turning back to Stiles. “I’m sorry, about yesterday… I didn’t know.”

Stiles frowns, “you didn’t know what?”

“About.. that you’re..” Derek makes a gesture at his head.

Stiles is now glaring at him, “are you trying to imply I’m mentally unstable or something? Because that’s all kinds of offensive.”

“No!” Derek sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, “I didn’t know you.. couldn’t hear well.” Derek said lamely, crossing his arms in a defensive posture he couldn’t shake.

Stiles stared at him for a few seconds, his face blank, “you didn’t know I was hard of hearing?”

Derek closed his eyes, hearing Stiles say it made the whole thing sound horrible. “I’m sorry, no one told me, I didn’t know.. I would never have-“

“Invited me to a concert? Looked pissed when I didn’t notice you talking to me? Threaten to kick me out of the pack because I don’t ‘listen’?” Stiles listed off, his face still disturbingly blank.

“Um, all of the above?”

There was a beat of silence, and then Stiles threw back his head and burst out laughing.

Derek stood there, blinking in surprise.

“Are you okay?” He asked after Stiles had laughed for two solid minutes. The boy was now leaning over, clutching at his stomach. Stiles doesn’t lift his head. Derek rolls his eyes at himself, Stiles probably hadn’t heard him. This was going to take some getting used to.

He steps forward, remembering Lydia said that Stiles needs physical touch to get his attention. Stiles stands up straight again before Derek reached him though.

“Oh man, that’s hilarious. Dude, you should see your face right now! You look like you’re apologizing for killing my first born child or something.” Stiles wheezes, looking far too pleased for this situation.

Derek shifts on his feet. Shouldn’t he feel bad about this? He opens his mouth but no words come out.

“This actually explains a lot. I always thought you were just an insensitive dick.”

Derek winces, he kind of was. Well, in for a penny..

“I thought you were a hyperactive spaz.”

Stiles grins at him, “I am. A hyperactive spaz who’s deaf in one ear, and only has partial hearing in the other.”

Derek frowns. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

Stiles shrugs, waves him off, “apparently I hide it well. I’ve always only had partial hearing, so I learned ASL and how to read lips and body language at the same time I was learning to talk.”

Derek watches Stiles as he starts to move around his room, obviously considering the conversation over. He wonders about Stiles wording, he’s always had partial hearing, did that mean he wasn’t always deaf in one ear? Derek shakes his head. Stiles would tell him if he wanted Derek to know.

“Alright big guy, are you joining me or not?”

Derek shakes his head again, clearing away his thoughts. When he looks up he finds Stiles sitting on his bed, a PlayStation controller held out to him in invitation.

Derek’s chest warms at the sight. He had thought Stiles didn’t want to be part of the pack, but Derek was now realizing this was all a big miscommunication.

He took the controller, sitting down in the bed beside Stiles. He could learn how to talk to Stiles. Lydia had been right after all.

This was his pack. He could fix it.