#Phoe's Steter Meta

[takaraphoenix]

The thing about Steter is that it is so, so, so vital to me that Peter is madly, deeply, undeniably smitten and enamored with Stiles.

Stiles is the clever one. The snarky and sarcastic little shit who can keep up with him and keep Peter's interest. The only tolerable one. The one he comes back for. The one he'd kill for. His.

I don't need to read about Peter falling in love with Stiles. I need him to already be there. He's been there since the parking garage.

I need Peter Hale irrevocably, undeniably in love with Stiles.

[takaraphoenix]

My favorite part about GIF making is taking apart the interactions. Really getting to see moments that are over in the blink of an eye and overthinking them in my head.

I adore the parking garage scene, like probably every Steter shipper. There are so many good moments here, some big ones that have been rotating in my brain on repeat but also smaller ones that I had missed because they were over so quickly.

The following is a mix of both. Just everything about the parking garage that brings me joy, with running commentary that would be too much in the finished GIF set.

Why are you leaning against him, Stiles? Why is your arm on Peter? He just kidnapped you and is currently showing you the dead body of his nurse, why are you leaning against his shoulder?

Did you have to lean real close to whisper into his ear, Peter? Was that necessary? While you already had him bend over a car?

I'll never get over the sassy eyebrow and the exasperated eyeroll. What kind of exchange is this, in a hostage situation.

Yes, Peter, we know this and we love your for this.

The fact that Peter not only offers the bite, instead of forcing it, but that he goes out of his way to explain to Stiles that it could indeed kill him is something that has me in a vice grip.

Just the visual of them holding hands <3 Very important, needs to be included here <3

THREE TIMES. He asks for consent three times. He asks if Stiles wants the bite, when Stiles is too baffled to react, he asks again, and then when he has Stiles' wrist so close to his teeth, he asks a third time.

And when Stiles doesn't verbally reply, he keeps staring at him for multiple moments, making eye-contact with Stiles to check if he is declining, before he even just drops his fangs.

I just can't stress enough that this happens directly after we find his dead nurse in the trunk of his car, right after he had mauled Lydia and left her on the lacrosse field. He kills and maims and hurts uncaring, but he asks for consent, repeatedly, and when he is rejected, he allows it. Because he's a werewolf, he just bent Stiles' metal keys like they were made of paper; if he didn't allow it then Stiles wouldn't have been able to pull free from his grip.

And the face of disappointment and rejection after. Absolutely kills me.

But he accepts it and just... leaves Stiles, completely unharmed.

And this is Stiles' reaction to him leaving and it also kills me. Because Stiles audibly gasps, and he jerks forward, like he wants to stop Peter, opening his mouth to speak but closing it before saying a word.

How was I ever supposed to be normal about this ship...?

[takaraphoenix]

Oh, that Peter-Stiles dynamic is just so fascinating. Right off the bat. I remembered that it fascinated me, but I didn't remember that they are fascinating right from the start.

The tension in their first meeting at the hospital. How Peter, who has hurt or killed everyone he encountered so far, just... circles his prey until Derek gets there to defend Stiles.

The way Peter just. Tore into Lydia without a thought. But didn't harm Stiles at all.

The way Peter only bit Scott out of opportunity but wants Stiles in his pack - because Stiles is "the clever one" - and actually offers Stiles the bite. Doesn't force it onto him, fully giving Stiles the choice and then leaving without doing... any harm at all... when Stiles says no.

Obsessed with how obsessed Peter is with Stiles.

[takaraphoenix]

I think that part of why Stiles aiding in Peter's murder is so important to me is because it stands in such a contrast to Peter's behavior toward Stiles.

Peter never harmed Stiles, at all. He doesn't hurt him, the worst he does is drag him along by his collar and shove his face down onto a car but even that is done much gentler than werewolf strength could make it.

But Stiles? Stiles took the first step in Peter's murder, by throwing the first Molotov cocktail. By wanting to set the victim of a horrific fire on fire again.

It's so ruthless and vicious and it is contrasted so hard by how Peter truly goes out of his way to not harm Stiles.

Not in the hospital when Stiles realizes Peter is the Alpha. Even though Peter could have so easily killed Stiles before Derek got there, but instead Peter just stood there and smiled at Stiles.

Not on the lacrosse field when he could have janked Stiles around, forced him with threats of violence. Even though Peter had just violently and animalistically attacked Lydia, yet even the act of making Stiles get off the ground is straight-up gentle by guiding him by his chin and not hauling him up with force.

Not in the parking garage, where it would have been so easy to force the bite onto Stiles, where it would have been so easy to just kill Stiles once he fulfilled his use. Even though we see the dead nurse in his trunk, because he killed her for being no longer useful. Even though he wants to give Stiles the bite, yet he accepts the rejection. And he just... leaves, not a hair harmed on that boy.

Peter's own behavior toward Stiles already stands in stark contrast to his behavior toward literally everybody else.

And, to me, it is heightened even more by the contrast of Stiles' own ruthlessness.

Because Peter did something worse than harm Stiles. He harmed those Stiles loved. He bit Scott and he tore into Lydia.

And it's probably my favorite character trait of Stiles', his unbreakable loyalty and his ruthless defense of those he loves. And I like to think it's also Peter's favorite character trait of Stiles'.

Which makes the murder so much more fucked up, in such a delicious way. Because it was traumatic and literally deadly to Peter, but I like to think that a part of Peter appreciates the part Stiles played in it.

Peter, who killed everyone who was involved with the Hale Fire, appreciates the ruthless murderous intend Stiles feels when those he loves are harmed and wronged. Even when it's the one boy he never harmed, never wanted to harm.

And that's fucked up and twisted and delicious and perfect.

[takaraphoenix]

I saw someone refer to Steter as a comedy relief duo earlier and it just completely sent me, because that's just... so far from what Steter is, in canon?

As I'm currently rewatching the show, it has shot up into being my favorite ship on the show because of the gravitas it has.

It's a ship that highlights Stiles' fearlessness in such intriguing ways, in canon. From the boy who yelled at a feral Alpha in the school, to their first face to face meeting at the hospital, when Peter recognizes him, knows him, acknowledges him ("You must be Stiles", as though Stiles' reputation as the one who figures things out proceeds him, as he is the first one to put together that Peter is the Alpha).

There's nothing comedic about the scene on the lacrosse field, when Stiles is kneelng beside Lydia's unconscious form and Peter... for reasons beyond comprehension... decides to curl his claws beneath Stiles' chin and guide him up. Not grab him by the arm and haul him up, not command him, not demand.

This is... sensual, filled with tension, and I don't even necessarily mean the sexual tension (even though the imagery of Stiles kneeling before Peter and Peter grasping his chin is something that I find hard to not see a sexual read on).

Peter kidnaps Stiles into the parking garage to force the boy to track down Derek and, sure, the "His username is Allison? His password is also Allison?" - "Still want him in your pack?" is absolutely iconic and is comedic... how do you boil that entire exchange down to "comedy relief"?

The way Peter offers Stiles the bite - Peter, who so far, only took whatever he wanted, never asked or offered - and doesn't force when Stiles says "No". Even the way Peter catches Stiles on the lie is a moment of tension and revelation on Stiles' part. The way Peter acknowledges Stiles as the clever one.

The season 1 finale? When Stiles sets the survivor of a horrific house fire on fire? Absolute riot, huh. It's vicious, it's cruel - it's everything.

And when Peter is resurrected? Sure, Stiles sarcastically asks if someone can kill him again and sure, Peter snarks about living in a cave system. But even in that episode, these brief comedic moments are absolutely overshadowed by the way Peter and Stiles work together, figure out what the vault is made of, then call Scott to warn him and Derek, by finishing each other's sentences. Two brilliant minds working together, on the same wavelength.

The next time they interact is when Peter tells Stiles about Paige, explains what the blue eyes mean. It's one of the more heavy and serious moments in the season, aside from all the death scenes. It's a big lore drop and character background on both Peter and Derek. And it's Stiles this information is shared with. It's a serious moment and even as Peter tells it all, Stiles doesn't trust, sees past the silver tongue and that too is part of the appeal.

When Peter and Stiles work together to save Cora's life in the hospital, while the Alpha Pack is hunting them down? Blind trust. Stiles asks Peter to help him and Peter doesn't even ask, much less quip, he just follows Stiles' lead and they work together.

Now, I'll admit, I haven't seen seasons 3B through 6 in six years and hey, maybe they'll be a real Abbott and Costello in season 4 and I'm just not remembering it, but damn it all to hell if the first half of the show doesn't present them as two clever minds challenging each other, with a growth from terror and pain to respect and teamwork.

I understand and respect not liking a ship, but I am genuinely baffled when people deliberately misinterpret a canon to suit their needs. Always makes me wonder what alternate reality's version of the show they were watching, surely not the same as me.

[takaraphoenix]

The fact that Peter absolutely stalked Stiles in canon honestly means a lot to me. He really is such a Creeperwolf about Stiles 💜

"You must be Stiles."

-> How did you just... recognize Stiles on sight? What context did you have for Stiles when you meet him in the hospital? It's said with such certainty, like Stiles has some grand reputation that Peter is delighted to finally meet in person, but how exactly?

"You're the clever one."

-> Sure he is!! HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT THOUGH? And why do you know that Stiles has Scott's password? It's not really a common thing for friends to know each other's passwords??? But you knew with absolute certainty that Stiles would know Scott's. Why do you know Stiles that well?

"Chess is Stiles' game."

-> It sure is, but HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? Literally nobody else figured out that chess was a clue left by Stiles. Not his dad, not his best friend, nobody considered this, but for SOME reason Peter Hale knows that chess is Stiles' game and not the Nogitsune's.

Peter's absolute obsession with Stiles is genuinely so very important to me 💜

[takaraphoenix]

Alpha Peter has just become so important to me, honestly. I want him to get that second chance, to build a proper pack. And to get his clever boy.

He always wanted Stiles in his own pack. Stiles was the only one he offered the bite to, the only one he consciously, deliberately chose for his own pack. And this would just make him want Stiles more.

Peter becoming an Alpha again through whatever means and doing everything that this time, Stiles will be his. That Stiles will choose him the way he had chosen Stiles.

[takaraphoenix]

The other day I had a lucid nightmare. That was a very new and intense experience. And it made me think of Stiles.

Because that's essentially what happened with the Nogitsune. He had nightmares that he was very much aware were nightmares, where he knew he was asleep and tried to wake himself up.

While the show very beautifully portrays the psychological side of that experience, I am now a little hung up on the physical side.

You can't force yourself to wake up when your body is still locked in sleep, even while your mind is awake. That was, quite frankly, much more terrifying than the actual nightmare at hand. Your brain giving your body an order and your body not obeying. Because you can feel yourself in your unmoving and unresponsive body, even while your mind is in the dream.

I desperately want Stiles to bond with Peter "spent six years in a coma, locked into his unresponsive body" Hale about this particular experience of the possession.

Even if it's not 100% the same, even if Stiles only went through this for short amounts of time, over a short period. I think it would be beautifully fucked up if they got to share this.

[takaraphoenix]

The thing about the "underground cave tunnel" exchange between Peter and Stiles is - well, actually there's two things.

First of all, the snarky reply to Stiles' very legitimate question as to where the supposedly dead werewolf is living would absolutely fuel Stiles' spite into figuring out where Peter really lives.

Secondly, the Batman of it all. Yes, yes, I'm aware Batman doesn't live in the Batcave, he lives in the mansion above it, but really the first thing I thought when Peter said underground cave tunnel was "Batcave".

Stiles, who has canonically referred to himself as the Robin to Scott's Batman (as a complaint and with distaste because he wants to be Batman), and who became the Batman to Erica's Catwoman?

Peter: I live in a network of underground cave tunnels

Stiles, internally: He has a Batcave. Holy shit now I have to fuck him, I'm so gonna fuck him

...And then Peter ruined it by telling Stiles that he lives in a normal apartment. You could have gotten laid if you played your cards right, Peter.

[takaraphoenix]

Oh, the Steter is so gonna carry me through 3A, isn't it? Me and @kimmycup finally started 3A on our shared watch and just 03x02 Chaos Rising gave me so much life.

The fact that Peter and Stiles were left alone in the loft and though Peter acted exasperated at Stiles' rambling, he was so clearly listening closely to what Stiles was saying, because he actually filtered out the important bits, picked up the things Stiles stumbled over and immediately launched into action.

On the 'we dismiss Stiles when his instincts tell him something is up, even though Stiles' instincts have literally not once been wrong' show, we really get to see Peter following those instincts and help Stiles figure out what exactly is going on.

And when they figure it out and call Scott? There was no need for them to pose like that, so close their arms are literally touching? I am obsessed with the circling shot of them facing each other and making the phone call. Also obsessed with the way they practically finished each other's sentences when explaining it all to Scott.

Damn, this ship really has shot up to my number one spot in this fandom. They're so good they make me feel feral.

[takaraphoenix]

It's fascinating to me that, even eighteen years and well over a thousand fics into being a fanfiction writer, I can still discover new kinks to write about.

Consent's never been something interesting to me. Don't get me wrong! The vast majority of my smut is consensual, but it's more a... step that leads to the interesting bits. It's never been an interesting bit to actually focus on. They consent, then they move on to the fun parts, the sex and/or BDSM, and that's where the focus lays.

Peter Hale is the first fictional character who makes consent sexy to me.

I'm fully hung up on that scene of him offering Stiles the bite, holding his wrist, teasing, asking, and dropping it when Stiles says no, even as he hears the skip in his heartbeat that indicates it's a lie, he takes the spoken consent at face value and backs off. I sank my teeth into that scene and I let it fundamentally shape my interpretation of this ship.

And I know Stiles factors into that too. He gets violently pushed around, threatened, hurt, tortured, so much in canon, has so many things happening to him against his will, that this angle of just one person genuinely respecting his boundaries has me buzzing with excitement.

[takaraphoenix]

Making Steter GIFs and going through all the Steter scenes for that, right?

Went through De-Void trice. Each time slower and with a finer comb, looking for a specific quote.

Because I've seen Steter GIFs before with that quote and I was so sure it had to be from De-Void.

"I like your plan, Scott. I really do, especially the part about turning Stiles."

After all, De-Void is the episode where Scott wants to turn Stiles to get rid of the Nogitsune but due to Alpha-inexperience, he ends up calling Peter to consult first. That line slots right into the episode plot.

But it's not there.

So I went and googled it and got an actual source and what do you mean it's from 06x08?

Are you telling me that on TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, Scott has the genius idea to turn Stiles into a werewolf and BOTH TIMES, he ends up talking to Peter about it first? Really? Really?

When making Stiles' life altering decisions, please consult Peter Hale first?

[takaraphoenix]

I'm just sitting here, post De-Void, gently cradling Alpha Peter.

The fact that they called Peter, because they needed an Alpha with experience turning people (...when Derek turned more teenagers than Peter and Peter was feral at the time).

The fact that Peter was the one who figured out how to get Stiles back. Out of everyone. The reason we got Stiles back was because Peter sent Lydia and Scott into Stiles' mind.

The fact that, when Scott and Lydia were lost in Stiles' mind, it was Peter's scream that broke them out of the illusion and set them onto the right path.

The fact that, directly the next scene after that scream, is Lydia making Scott call out for Stiles to break Stiles out of the illusion because they're pack. Scott, as Stiles' Alpha, roared to get Stiles' attention to break him out of the illusion. Just like Peter had just more or less roared in the real world and helped break Scott and Lydia out of the illusion.

I am just having such normal feelings about all of this.