#its about stiles losing his mom and cora losing her whole family

[bericas]

you kept me going, the band-aid is falling off now.

[thebigoblin]

Sterek Fic Recs Part 3

[You can find the first two lists here: Fluffy Sterek Recs & Sterek Fic Recs. Also here's a special fic, check it out]

First off, thank you all for a 100 followers!! As of September 7, 2021 you've made me feel really, really good about my obsession with two oblivious idiots (with sprinkles of the hale pack and other fandoms), and this is my way of thanking you ♥️

If you're on PC, you can see that there is a page dedicated solely to fic recs, which caters to other ships & fandoms too. So don't feel left out if you're looking for something other than Sterek!

Without further ado, let's get to it then!

an awful curse

Isaac is asleep in a chair. The angle of his neck makes Derek wince in sympathy.

"Isaac," Derek says.

Isaac snaps awake immediately.

"You're-"

"Where's Stiles?"

"Stiles?" Isaac asks.

Jesus. It's not like they know more than one.

AU - Canon Divergence | 6.3k | By blinkiesays

Throw Away The Key

Stiles knew it was stupid to go to the hunters’ headquarters all by himself, so when he finds himself caught, he can really only blame himself.

It shouldn't surprise Stiles when the situation quickly goes from bad to worse as the hunters throw him to a feral werewolf waiting to tear him apart.

Sucks that it's Derek, though.

AU - Canon Divergence | 5.9k | By mommymuffin

Whatever Happened Last Night, Why Did Glitter Have to Be Involved?

Derek rolled out of bed in search of his phone - quickly finding it in the pair of jeans that had evidently been tossed aside haphazardly on the way to the bed. Seeing the pants sparked flashes of memories - wolfsbane-laced alcohol, loud music, multicolored lights.

Peter’s new supernatural-friendly club - the pack had gone to the opening night party.

He unlocked his phone and opened the pack group chat, which Erica had affectionately named ‘Moon Sluts’.

>>Derek: What the fuck happened last night

[or: Derek wakes up with three things on his mind: he feels like he was punched by a troll, his mate is missing, and there's glitter covering his bed. Oh, and the pack group chat is mildly helpful]

**

Prompt #159 - “Also, my bed has glitter in it for reasons I do not recall.”

Crack Vibes | 1.2k | By ash_mcj

Good to Eat

So if Stiles married Derek Hale, he could become Jewish too? Perfect. It was settled. Stiles gleefully shoveled a forkful of cheesy shells into his mouth.

"Uh oh. I know that look.��� Claudia shook her head.

"Don’t worry, Mom, ” Stiles said, reaching for his plastic Batman cup.

"I’ve got a plan.”

"Good luck, Derek Hale,” his mother muttered.

Rude.

AU - Childhood Friends | 1.7k | By Jmeelee

Murder Brows and Avoidance Tactics

Derek gets the wrong end of the stick.

Written for prompt: "You're jealous, aren't you?"

AU - Everybody Lives | 2k | By Dragonink13

Double Vision (only registered users can read this one)

"So what caused my hearing and sense of smell to dull?"

Deaton's brow furrowed, all amusement vanishing from his face. "What do you mean?"

Derek snapped, letting loose all of his anger and fear at the man before him. "I mean I can't hear your heartbeat or the cars down below or the birds in the attic! I can't smell the flowers in Mrs. Everett's apartment, I can't smell the rotting burger in the fridge that Isaac left in there a month ago, I can't smell or hear anything like I normally can!" Deaton mouth was pressed into a thin line. "Can you explain that?!"

 Tumblr Prompt: Derek jealous of himself.

AU - Everyone Lives | 6.1k | By Novkat21

Kiss?

Derek likes kissing Stiles, honestly he does. Until he doesn't.

Fluff | 3.6k | By clotpolesonly

Oblivious Misadventures, and Other Such Tales

Going to college was exciting and new, a chance for new friends and a fresh start, and the best part was, there was a supernatural fraternity on campus, meaning Scott finally had the freedom to be himself.

Then he met the resident human who came with a stalker alpha. What was the point of a supernatural fraternity if he still had to pretend to be human. And seriously, did Stiles ever fall asleep somewhere normal?

--

(aka - Five TImes Scott Found Derek and Stiles Sleeping, and the One Time He Didn't)

AU, Supernatural is real but not known by everyone, Alive Hale Family | 11.2k | By Little Spoon

Call Me (Cliché)

When the sheriff's sister ends up in a wheelchair for the duration of summer, Stiles' dreams of three months full of pack bonding, late-night video games and bro-time with Scott come crashing down. He's temporarily relocated to Redford, a three hour drive away, and he can already tell he won't be getting many visitors.

Sure the pack will forget about him while he's gone, Stiles is determined to make the most of his summer of isolation, training his body and mind - and his magic - so he can come back with a bang, and maybe catch a certain Sourwolf's eye.

Then Derek shows up at his window one night with a flimsy excuse about needing research done. Suddenly, his summer away is looking a whole lot more interesting.

AU - Canon Divergence | 84.6k | By Orphan_Account aka the author has dissociated themselves from the fic

Shiver

Stiles has really, really cold hands. Luckily, Derek knows just what to do about that.

Established Relationship | 1.7k | By canistakahari

Derek Hale's Possible Heart

An anon sent me a sterek prompt for Laura teasing Derek and Stiles joining in, then somehow sharing their feelings for each other in the mess of things.

AU - Canon Divergence | 4.3k | By loserchildhotpants

What's a Secret Identity?

Stiles sipped at a mug of coffee, absently watching the news play in the break room. Because of course a news station couldn't play anything other than its own content, even in the one part of the office that was supposed to be a safe space from work. His interview with Superman was making a rerun and Stiles glanced at Derek before commenting absently, “I’d totally let Superman fuck me.”

Derek, who had been in the middle of a swig of coffee, choked violently, “That’s not something I needed to know at nine in the morning, Stiles.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow. “What time would you prefer I tell you about all of the things I would let Superman do to my body?”

AU, Derek is Superman | 7k | By Chrystie, imabignerd and kate882

i see that you've come so far [just like them old stars]

But her big brother’s unwillingness to touch anyone, like he thinks he doesn’t deserve it isn’t the only thing she notices. She also notices how Stiles doesn’t touch him.

Everyone reaches for Derek in some form or another, but Stiles- Stiles is something different altogether because he reaches for Derek but he never makes contact.

He’ll be trying to shimmy past Derek and instead of putting a hand on his arm like most of them do, he’ll reach out with a hand and stop it scant centimeters away from Derek’s skin.

Or they’ll be walking alongside each other and Stiles will hover a hand on Derek’s lower back.

It’s both fascinating and tragic to watch, like NASA lost control of one of their robots and instead of it landing on the moon it’s fated to gravitate around it.

AU - Canon Divergence | 2.3k | By crossroadswrite

Déjà Vu

There’s a shop in Beacon Hills that no one knows anything about except that the mysterious proprietor, a witch in whispered circles, knows what you need before you do and that the things given are always just what you need.

Derek, lost after a breakup, heads into the shop to see if he can find something to help him forget his ex. The witch gives him a potion to drink, and when Derek wakes up, he finds he’s sixteen again and there’s a new student at his school, Stiles Stilinski.

Everything is familiar and yet not, and Derek finds he’s strangely drawn to Stiles in a way that is entirely supernatural.

AU, Supernatural is Real | 8.8k | By gremlins-came-and-got-me and StaciNadia

Start Small, Like Oak Trees

The months following Allison's death have passed Stiles by in a haze of monotony. He sleepwalks through days that seem to lose their color, an unwilling passenger in a body he no longer trusts. Eventually, he thinks, he'll just fade away. He isn't sure anyone would notice. Then, during a spur of the moment grocery run, he stumbles upon Derek Hale attempting to console a lost child, and for the first time in recent memory the world doesn't seem so awful.

He's not sure what he'd been expecting when he eventually convinces Derek to move into the Stilinski's spare bedroom, but a newfound passion for weeding and topsoil certainly isn't it.

AU - Canon Divergence | 24.2k | By SmallBirds

Undercover K9

As it usually goes, Derek acts before he thinks. This time he has a good reason, though-it's all Stiles' fault. Mostly.

Or, that time when Derek volunteered to spend all his spare time as a wolf with the Beacon Hills Sheriff's Office K9 Unit, just to protect Stiles' dumb ass.

Future Fic | 17.9k | By Cobrilee

Rose Colored Glasses

“Obviou—um, what? Derek?” Stiles managed. “What? You’re not colorblind. You’re colorblind?”

“Yes.” Derek said gruffly. “And?”

“And? What do you mean and? You can’t see colors?” Stiles demanded, thrown. “Does it—what kind is it? Red-green? Blue-yellow? Why doesn’t—oh my god, is this why your entire freaking wardrobe was completely black until like two years ago? Oh my god!”

“There’s nothing wrong with having a favorite color, Stiles.”

Established Relationship | 2.2k | By SassyStarboard

1,460 Days (gotta clean my slate)

Two years after Scott becomes Alpha and Derek gives it up for Cora, Stiles gets hurt during a fight and ends up in a coma for two weeks. According to the nurse, a guy has been visiting him every day and, as much as he wishes it were Derek, it sounds a lot like Scott. Except he and Scott aren't even friends anymore.

AU - Canon Divergence | 10k | By army_of_angels

This is it for now. Happy reading y'all! ♥️

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, outtoshatter!

Dear @outtoshatter​. You requested fluff, getting together, alternate first meetings, and something!Stiles. This was so much fun to write, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to create something for you. I hope you have the loveliest of holidays!! <3

Read On AO3

*****

Derek is a romantic. He dreams of finding his mate, of connecting with that special someone who will make his heart swoon.

"How did you know Dad was the one?" Derek asks his mom as he digs out a pink, glittery bear from beneath the pile of loose-limbed plushies. "Were there fireworks when you first met, or—?"

His cheeks flame. He can't tell his mom that the spun-sugar scent of Jenna's hair makes his heart race, or that the smell of Mark's baseball jersey gives him a boner. In fact, Derek's embarrassment is so thick she probably scents it despite being surrounded by a bunch of seven-year-olds with sugar highs from birthday cake and soda.

"The first time you meet your mate will always be significant,” Talia says as she hands the bear over to one of Cora's classmates. “It might be passionate and explosive, or it could spark a bond that builds and grows. It's influenced by who you are and where you are in your lives. But deep inside, you'll know. Your wolf, especially, will know."

"But what if my mate isn't a wolf? What if they can't sense the connection?"

"Humans cherish the notion of 'true love' as much as we do. And I bet your mate is someone who's sensitive and wise." She leans down and ruffles Derek's hair.

Derek wriggles out of his mom's touch. He's thirteen, not three.

"You think?" he asks. Maybe it is Jenna or Mark, although he was hoping his mate would be someone more… well, special.

"You'll see." Talia's smile disappears as she studies the line where Cora and her friends are waiting at the stuffing station. She counts their numbers under her breath and shakes her head. "Someone's missing. Will you help me find them, Der?"

Derek sighs. It might be Cora's birthday, but he's missing practice to babysit a bunch of second-graders at a Build-A-Bear. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I know this seems like an unbearable chore, but it means a lot to your sister that you're here. And to me, as well." His mom runs a hand along the back of Derek's neck and gives him a gentle squeeze.

Perhaps it's because it's close to a full moon, but Derek feels restless and edgy. Guilt washes through him at his snappishness, and he apologizes to his mom, giving her a quick hug before starting his walk-through.

There are bins of bears and cats and dogs and dragons in every color imaginable, their limp bodies waiting to be plumped up with poly-fill. He’s surprised Cora wanted a party here; her interests run more along the line of laser tag than dolls or stuffed animals. Although there's a backstory, he's sure; Cora had mumbled something about wanting to invite her whole class 'unlike that Lydia Martin', whereupon Mom's fangs dropped and her eyes flashed red. The next thing Derek knew, they had made a reservation for all twenty children.

It's not until Derek passes the displays of the Marvel and Star Wars bears that he finds the errant partygoer. Unlike the other boys in the class who dress in athletic wear stamped with Nike and Under Armor logos, he's wearing a faded t-shirt and a plaid overshirt, topped off by a pair of worn trainers.

Derek looks down at the limp plushie in the boy's hand. "Hey. Are you here for Cora's birthday party?" he asks softly.

The boy raises his eyes. They're ridiculously large for his face, amber orbs framed by long lashes and a buzzed haircut that make them look even bigger. Suddenly, they narrow as he looks Derek up and down.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

Derek frowns, the defiance taking him by surprise. "Maybe I work here."

Any shyness the boy may have seems forgotten as he takes a step closer.

"No, you don't," he says, his tone raised in challenge. "You don't have a nametag and you're not wearing a vest."

The kid's smart. Derek is filled with the weird urge to push his buttons and protect him at the same time.

"You got me," Derek says, holding up his hands. "I'm Cora's brother, Derek." He points to the animal in the boy's hand. "Don't you want to wait in line with the others and get your bear stuffed?"

The boy straightens out his arm. "It's not a bear," he says. There's a slight hesitation, then he's turning the animal over. Derek sees that it has a long muzzle, pointed ears, and plastic blue eyes. "It's Can… um, Canis…”

"Canis Lupus. A wolf," Derek says, surprised.

The boy nods vigorously. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I didn't know if I was allowed to get something that wasn't a bear." The boy hangs his head, his fingers digging into the wolf's ample fur. "I've never been to one of these parties before."

Ah. Another reject from Lydia Martin's party list. The news makes Derek inexplicably angry.

"If I was getting one, I'd get a wolf, too," Derek says.

The boy looks up, his earlier disapproval of Derek apparently forgotten. "Yeah?"

"Totally." Derek crouches down and strokes the wolf's fur. "It's pretty skinny though," he says as his hand lingers on the nape of its neck. "We'd better go and fatten it up. Maybe get it some clothes?"

The boy shakes his head. "Wolves don't wear clothes," he says, his exasperation plain. "Duh."

Derek snorts. "Well, how about one of those scent things?" The discs seem to be popular; most of the other kids have one in hand.

The boy lifts the wolf to his face and buries his nose in its fur. "Nah. He smells good the way he is. But he needs a heart."

"Okay. Let's get one, uh—"

"Stiles," the boy answers. "Stiles," he repeats with a small scowl as Derek stares, bemused. "That's my name."

"Oh. Okay, Stiles." Derek stands up and holds out his hand. "Let's go. We've got a wolf to build."

Stiles places his hand in Derek's. It's small and a bit clammy, but Derek doesn't mind, surprisingly. They head towards the front of the store where Stiles takes his time in choosing a red heart out of the bin of hundreds. There's another display close by filled with a selection of noisemakers.

"Do you want one?" Derek asks as Stiles stares. There's a lot to choose from. "They have some songs and animals noises, and—"

"They don't have any wolf ones, though," Stiles says, seemingly put out. He pushes one of the buttons, rolling his eyes as a dinosaur's roar breaks through the tiny speaker. He chooses the dog button next.

God, no, Derek thinks.

Thankfully, Stiles passes on that one, too.

"What about this one?" Derek asks, pointing to number eleven. When Stiles presses the button, they hear the lub dub of a human heart, steady and true.

Stiles' face breaks into a huge grin. "That's perfect."

Derek opens the drawer, takes out the sound chip and hands it to Stiles, who curls his fingers around its edges and holds on tightly. By the time they make it to the stuffing station, Stiles is bouncing on his feet, a bundle of barely contained energy. He's also staring with a horrified expression at a boy who's twirling in a circle while rubbing his bear's poly-filled heart across his chest and down to his belly.

"Uh, Derek? Do I have to do that?" Stiles whispers as a Build-A-Bear employee eggs the boy on.

Maybe it's the vulnerability in Stiles' face, or the wobble in his voice, but Derek wants nothing more in that moment than to soothe Stiles' worry. He leans over and whispers, "You mean, act like something's crawling up your butt?"

Stiles lets out a half-gasp, half-laugh. "I can't move like that! What if I do it wrong and his heart won't work?"

"Listen to me, Stiles. I'm thirteen and I know a lot about wolves. Rubbing your wolf's heart on your pants or doing ten jumping jacks isn't going to make him come to life. What he needs is for you to care for him. To love him, and believe in him with all your might. Okay?"

"Okay." Stiles gives Derek a grateful smile, his face radiating his happiness.

Derek stands a bit straighter and catches his mother's eye. He's sure it's his alpha's approval and nothing else that makes him feel warm and tingly inside.

~*~

Derek used to be a romantic. He once dreamed of finding his true love, of meeting that special person whom he could care for and be cared for in return. But a series of bad relationships with people who either wanted different things in life (sorry, Braeden), or were only interested in him for his family's powerful connections (thanks, Jennifer), or who were, to put it bluntly, vindictive, psychotic stalkers (hello, Kate) has left Derek realizing not everyone is destined to have a mate. Of course, that also means one of the great Hale legacies has come to an end, although he's not sure why the Fates decided to pin that dubious distinction on him.

He doesn't want to end up like his Uncle Peter who, after losing his mate, creeps around with people half his age, filled with snark and cynicism. So Derek tries to settle, without success. His friends and family blame his inability to have a meaningful relationship on 'being too choosy', or 'not trying', or his 'emotional constipation'. He supposes it's a damning statement when even his best friends have given up their matchmaking attempts and relegated him to babysitting duty.

Derek's trying to decide whether he has time for a quick run before he goes grocery shopping, or whether he has enough milk and butter to postpone the errand altogether, when an EMT kit lands by his feet.

"Any plans for tonight?" Erica asks. Her smile is a bit too bright, her tone a shade too innocent.

Derek frowns and gives his co-worker the side-eye as he tries to figure out her angle. He can't believe there was a time where he thought he and Erica could be anything more than friends. She's gorgeous, of course, but she's also too perceptive and blunt as hell, and she calls Derek out on his bullshit more than anyone else aside from his own sisters. She feels like safety—like pack—but his wolf knows there's nothing more. Besides, she's snagged herself a handsome and brilliant ED doctor in Boyd—along with a ring, a two-bedroom Murray Hill apartment, and a five-year old daughter.

"Catching up on the second season of The Mandalorian?" Derek grins, baring a toothy smile of his own.

"Are you thirty-five or sixty-five, Derek? Because seriously, I can't tell. And since you phrased your answer in the form of a question and this isn't Jeopardy, I'm assuming those plans aren't set in stone."

Fuck. Erica had promised after the last disastrous blind date that she wouldn't try to set him up again. "I'm really not in the mood for company—"

"Even if it's a little girl who loves her godfather more than anyone else in the world?"

Derek sits up straighter. "You need me to watch Hailey?" He couldn't love Erica and Boyd's daughter any more than if she were his own.

"If you're up to it," Erica says, actually looking contrite. "I know it's your first day off in almost two weeks and I normally wouldn't ask, except… Well, the New York Public Library's doing this Children's Authors series, and her favorite writer's going to be reading today."

"The Fox and the Spark? I'm somewhat familiar," Derek says drily. He's read the story so many times he could recite it in his sleep.

"Yeah." Erica lets out a small laugh. "So, there's a second book that's coming out and the author's signing copies. Boyd was supposed to take her, but he has to cover for someone who called out with a family emergency. Greenberg won't let me change my shift, and I know you just finished yours, but—"

Derek puts a hand on Erica's shoulder. Next to Laura, Erica's his closest friend, and it's not like he really had plans.

"Don't give it another thought. Of course I'll take her."

A wave of relief sweeps over Erica's face. "I owe you one, Hale."

Derek lets out a small huff. He's pretty sure that if they were keeping tabs, he's going to come out on the short end when it comes to Erica and Boyd. Besides, an afternoon out with Hailey is bound to be better than his last several dates, even if he has to put up with a bunch of screaming kids.

~*~

As it turns out, there are a bunch of kids, but none of them are screaming because the man in front of them's woven some kind of crazy magic and has them in his thrall. He has thick brown hair that's the epitome of hipster chic, a wide mouth that pulls into an easy grin, and is wearing a heather grey t-shirt paired with khakis and a red hoodie. He looks young—young enough that Derek thought he worked for the library at first, a notion that's dispelled once Mrs. Purcell, the head librarian, gathers everyone together. His smile is bright and engaging, although it falters a bit when Mrs. Purcell stumbles over his name.

"Mieczyslaw," the man says with a self-deprecating grin. "Like 'mischief'. But I'll tell you a secret. No one calls me that, not even my family. You can just call me 'M'."

The news seems to delight the kids, who shout "Hi, M" in a loud chorus. M shows his appreciation by running across the front of the room and handing out high-fives.

"Is that really him?" Hailey wriggles in Derek's arms and cranes her neck, trying to get a better look. The construction-paper fox ears that they super-glued to her headband earlier that afternoon gets pushed aside at a precarious angle.

"That's really him," Derek affirms, which earns him an excited squeal.

"Put me down, D!" Hailey says with all the imperiousness of her mother, and it's all Derek can do, even with his superhuman strength, to keep her from toppling over.

"You can find a spot up close. No pushing or shoving, and if you can't see, ask politely. I'll be back here, okay?" He leans in and nuzzles her cheek to let her know she's safe and protected.

"Okay!" Hailey gives him a quick squeeze back before making her way up front. Derek is glad to see one of the other girls make room for her as Hailey sits down in the second row and clutches her book happily.

Derek straightens and runs a hand through his hair. He feels someone watching, and when he looks up, he suddenly locks eyes with M.

M rubs the back of his neck as a light flush spreads over his cheeks. It doesn't help to diminish his already-youthful appearance; in fact, it makes him look vulnerable—like prey—and the thought causes something to flare hot in Derek's belly. It's only when someone nudges him impatiently that he realizes that he's gawking in the middle of the room, surrounded by a restless audience that comes up to his knees. Derek mutters his apologies, then takes his six-foot frame to the back of the room where he watches from behind a row of brightly colored, miniature plastic chairs.

M starts off by saying that his best friend Scott is a veterinarian who works at a wolf sanctuary, and that M always thought wolves were the coolest. The tidbit makes Derek straighten to his full height and he puffs out his chest, inordinately pleased.

Most of the children already own copies of M's latest but choose to watch as M holds up a giant book that's nearly a foot-and-a-half tall. The pages are filled with illustrations—courtesy, M says, of his friend Isaac. The pictures are warm and soft, and detailed in a way that appeals to both a young and older audience. But even though they're beautiful, Derek finds his attention drifting elsewhere. He's mesmerized by the way M's fingers dance across the pages as he reads, how his eyes grow bright and animated when he hears the children laugh at his vocal impressions, and the way M's mouth—god, his mouth—turns down at the corners when he reaches a poignant scene. His voice defies categorization: it's raspy yet young, melodious but slightly off-pitch, and serious yet mischievous, as if an old soul had somehow merged with an adolescent’s energy.

The truth is that Derek's too distracted by M to pay close attention to the story. But after his brain momentarily shorts out from watching M lick his thumb to turn the page, it manages to reboot and catch the his next words:

"You need to care for him," the fairy said as Milo hugged his wolf. "You need to love him and believe in him with all your might."

Derek listens in a daze as M tells the group how Milo's wish for his wolf to come to life comes true. His own wolf perks up, and against the stench of the colognes and soaps and sweat of the crowd, he can pick out the welcome scent of citrus and cottonwood from back home. It's intoxicating, yet soothing and breathtakingly familiar, and in that moment the thread of hope that Derek's long thought cut manages to wriggle into his heart and take hold.

~*~

Derek absolutely does not push his way towards the front of the line. He just has longer legs.

His heart is in his throat and he's holding tight to Hailey, who's clutching her copy of Build A Wolf close to her chest. Derek doesn't understand how he could have missed the signs: the smattering of moles that grace M's cheek, the adorable tilt of his nose, or the warm intelligence of his eyes.

"Hi," Derek says when they reach the table where M's seated, his voice catching.

The Sharpie that M's twirling lazily between his fingers falls with a clatter. M stares at Derek, seemingly lost for words. A beautiful pink flush highlights his cheeks that Derek wants to trace with his thumb.

"You're a bit older than my usual fan. Bigger, too," M croaks. His face turns even brighter, and Derek can smell his surprise and the faint spice of his arousal.

"Stiles?" Derek blurts out. Upon seeing M's shocked expression, Derek tries to backtrack. "I'm sorry, it's just… well, you remind me of someone I knew from back home." When M doesn't deny the assumption, Derek continues, "I'm Derek Hale. Cora Hale's brother?"

M scrubs his face. "Wow, dude… wow, yeah, I am." He looks around and lowers his voice. "I'm surprised you recognized me. Or that you even remember who I am." When he smiles it's small and embarrassed, but Derek can also detect the happiness that colors his scent.

"I know you're probably busy, seeing as you're on a book tour and all, but do you want to grab a bite after you're done?" Derek feels breathless, and it's totally unlike him to be so forward, especially in the midst of an increasingly antsy crowd, but he feels like he's been waiting for this moment forever. "I mean, it can be something low key," he adds hastily, in case he's laying it on too strong. "I haven't been home in a while and it would be nice to catch up, and—"

There's a strong tug on his shirt sleeve. "Hi, Mr. M," Hailey pipes up. She's wearing a sweet smile but her eyes are impatient and determined. "Can you sign my book for me?"

"Sure, I'd love to." Stiles gives Derek an apologetic look. He greets Hailey with a complicated fist bump after commenting on her fox ears, uncaps his Sharpie, and opens the book to the front page. "Who should I make it out to?"

"To Mommy and Daddy and Hailey," Hailey decides. She tugs on Derek's sleeve more forcefully. "Do you think Mommy will like that?" she asks in a loud whisper.

Derek bends down and kisses her forehead. "I think she's going to love it," he says, nuzzling her neck. When he stands back up, Stiles has finished signing, but his smile seems a bit forced. "So, about dinner..." Stiles doesn't answer immediately; Derek falters as he takes back the book, his hopes sinking with each passing second.

Stiles' eyes lower, his once-happy scent souring. "Sorry," he says, his expression unreadable. "I'm on a tight schedule."

Both the human and wolf sides of Derek are confused by Stiles' sudden rejection. "Maybe a drink?" he tries again, desperate. He may have been a terrible judge of character in his previous relationships, but he can't be wrong, not about this.

Stiles shakes his head. Before Derek can press his case, there's a cough as the father and son behind Derek fix him with matching glares. Derek and Hailey get shuffled towards the door, and by the time Derek regains his bearings and looks back he discovers that Stiles is posing for a selfie with the kid, his scent now off, his smile a bit too forced.

~*~

There are several truths about the holidays—and the end of the year in particular—which are that the crowds are larger, the stress is higher, and people tend to avoid hospitals as much as possible. It also means that Derek's unit is flooded with calls, from decorating mishaps and drunken shenanigans to medical emergencies that are so far gone they can no longer be handled by an urgent care. He hasn't hung out with both Boyd and Erica in nearly a month, and even though it's for a quick bite in the hospital's cafeteria, he'll take it.

"Seriously, Hale. You'd better have a smile on your face after your PTO."

Derek looks up from his burrito, his brows furrowed.

"I don't know why you think I have PTO, Erica, but I don't," he says, grimacing as a glob of beef and avocado drop onto the wax-paper wrap. He's never requested a holiday week since he started with the FDNY eleven years ago. His family's all on the West coast, and he'd rather leave the prime vacation weeks to his co-workers. It's not like he has someone special to share the holidays with, after all.

He ignores the ache in his chest as he thinks of Stiles.

"Yeah, well the thing is, now you do. The week between Christmas and New Year's," Erica clarifies as she takes a bite of her burger. "You never exercise the perks that go with your seniority, and don't think it's gone unnoticed. It's the department's gift to you. "

Derek stares, flummoxed. "Greenberg will never go for it."

"Are you kidding me? He was the first to say 'yes'. Said he's tired of seeing your grumpy mug whenever he rings in the New Year."

Boyd grins at Derek's obvious discomfort. Derek gives him the middle finger, which makes Boyd chuckle out loud.

"I don't even know if my family's around," Derek protests. Laura often spends the holidays with her husband's family in Sun Valley, and Cora's hard to pin down any time of year.

Erica and Body give him twin looks of guilt. "They are," Boyd says as he takes something out of his coat pocket and hands it to Derek. "We already spoke to Laura. She can't wait to see you."

"Ho, ho, ho." Erica grins.

"What's this?" Derek asks as he stares at the envelope in Boyd's hand.

Boyd shrugs but Derek's not fooled by his casual stance. "A first-class plane ticket. An early Christmas present from us to you." His usually placid expression grows sheepish. "Look man, we don't want to put you in a bad spot. If you really don't want to go, use the credit for another trip. But we knew that if it were up to you, you'd be spending Christmas alone, eating leftovers and watching It's a Wonderful Life for the hundredth time."

"Who says I need to be in a relationship to be happy?" Derek asks, his hackles rising. Besides, Boyd has it all wrong. Derek has Die Hard on his Christmas queue.

Yippee ki yay.

Boyd holds up both hands. "Not me. If you want to be a bachelor forever, I'm not one to judge."

"But I am," Erica says. "You don't date anymore, Der. Hell, when's the last time you even got laid? Which would also be fine, except it's not, because you're miserable and it's obvious that's not what you really want."

Sometimes Derek has a hard time following Erica's logic. Unfortunately, this is not one of those moments.

"It doesn't matter," he says, digging the excess rice out from his wrap. "I'm better off alone."

Erica and Boyd share a look. Derek feels a pang of envy at the way they so easily read each other's thoughts and their mutual love and support. He'd always fancied himself a romantic, but to finally find his mate only to be rejected flat out hurts worse than anything Kate had put him through. Which… well, it says a lot.

Boyd nudges the envelope towards the remains of Derek's burrito. "Do what's right to you." And just like that, he changes the subject as they argue over whether Brees or Brady will end the season with the most touchdown passes and have the better chance of securing a berth in the Super Bowl.

~*~

Minutes after Derek sets foot inside JFK, he remembers why he hates flying. It's the noise and the stress, the smell of impatience and sweat, and the lack of personal space as he waits to clear security. He jams his beanie down to cover his ears, and the glower he's wearing doesn't help the dubious looks being cast his way. By the time he reaches the concourse, he has to duck into a coffee shop to catch a break from all the commotion.

He's standing in line, trying to decide whether he'd rather have a green or carrot smoothie, when someone's suitcase catches his heel.

"Shit! Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" The stranger pulls back the offending piece of luggage, and Derek suddenly catches a whiff of a familiar scent amongst the flurry of clothing and limbs. "Are you okay?  I'm not exactly graceful on most days, but I'm working on like two hours of sleep and… " The man's voice trails off as he meets Derek's gaze, his whiskey-colored eyes widening further. "Derek?" he squeaks.

"Stiles," Derek answers, his voice equally strangled.

Stiles blows out a deep breath. "Oh, wow. What are the chances?" he mutters. His face turns blotchy.

Derek's wolf is pawing at his chest, begging Derek to not waste this second chance. "Uh… seeing as we're both here, I'm going to repeat my offer. For the drink. And a meal, if you'd like. Although I guess it's more like a grab and go." He's stumbling over his words and he feels the tips of his ears heat.

Stiles glances at the breakfast wraps and fruit bowls displayed behind the plexiglass counter. He pastes on a grin, although it seems strained at the edges. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, man; that'd be great." He orders an OJ and an egg wrap, while Derek finally decides on the green smoothie.

"Is that all you're getting?" Stiles asks after an awkward moment of silence.

Derek shrugs. "I ate before I got here. But you can order something else. I'm in a generous mood."

"Haha, big spender. I mean… " Stiles ducks his head and bites his lower lip. Derek watches helplessly as it reddens and swells. "Doesn't your daughter or wife want something, too?"

"I don't have a daughter or a wife," Derek says, his brow furrowing. "Or a girlfriend or a boyfriend, for that matter."

Stiles' mouth drops. "But who was the girl you were with at the book signing?"

Everything starts to slot together. Derek lets out a small chuckle of relief. "Hailey? She's the love of my life. She also happens to be the daughter of my best friends, Erica and Boyd, and my goddaughter. They couldn't make it to your signing because of a scheduling conflict, and I jumped in as a favor." He hands over a twenty to the cashier and deposits the remaining change in the tip jar, his shoulders suddenly lighter.

"Ohhh." Stiles wheels his bag around as they head out towards the gates. He stays close to Derek and his scent grows brighter and sweeter. "I totally jumped to the wrong conclusion," he confesses with a rueful grin. "And I don't want to make the same mistake twice, so I'm going to ask you straight out: are you heading back to Beacon Hills? Because if you are, I'd like to take you to a real dinner. If you're interested, of course," he hastens. "If not, that's cool, too—"

Derek stops and places his hand on Stiles' arm. "I happen to be going back to Beacon Hills. And I'm definitely interested."

A quick check of their tickets shows they're on the same flight into Sacramento International. When they reach the gate, Derek marches up to the counter and trades in his first-class ticket for a business-class seat next to Stiles. He hurries back to the waiting area, flashing a 'thumbs up' sign and grinning like a loon. The look of pure joy that lights up Stiles' face makes Derek's wolf howl with glee.

"So I was curious... why did you choose Mieczyslaw as your nom de plume?" Derek asks as he sits, resting his bag on the floor between them.

Stiles huffs out a laugh. "Mieczyslaw is my name—at least, it's the one I was born with. But it was too complicated to say, so my best friend Scott nicknamed me 'Stiles' when we were younger." He shrugs, as if to say, the rest is history. "Anyway, I wrote The Fox and the Spark for Scott and Allison's son and they finally convinced me to submit it to a publisher. I really didn't think it would go anywhere, and it seemed like it would be less of a rejection if I sent it as 'Mieczyslaw' instead of 'Stiles'."

"And then you ended up with a best-seller," Derek finishes with a grin. He stares at the label on his cup, rubbing an edge that's grown worn from condensation. "Hailey's favorite book is The Fox and the Spark. But I think I'm partial to your latest. The one where a boy builds a wolf out of snow and wishes he'd come to life."

Stiles sucks in a deep breath. "It's based on one of my greatest memories."

"The memory of a wolf? Or someone else?"

Stiles' cheeks stain a beautiful pink. "Uh, a little bit of both? I've always been drawn to wolves, but I've also never forgotten how nice you were to me at Cora's party. I mean, you're Derek Hale—Cora's cool, older brother. I kind of built you up after that, turned our meeting into some kind of mythos, but even then I hadn't been prepared for you to be so…" He gestures with his long, graceful fingers up and down Derek's torso. "I mean, look at you. You're ridiculously hot, plus you were so amazing with your goddaughter. You probably work saving kittens or puppies or endangered wildlife or something—"

Derek coughs. "People. I'm an EMT."

"See! I mean, your fucking perfect. It's a good thing I didn't know all these things before, because otherwise, like, mind blown." Stiles mimes an explosion with his hands.

"I'm hardly special. Although I do have a book written about me. How many people can say that?" Derek teases.

"Yeah." Stiles' grin fades slightly, his hands falling to his sides. "About that. I know it must seem weird, but I'm not some obsessed fan, I promise."

Derek shakes his head. It's too early to tell Stiles about werewolves and their mates, but he wants Stiles to know that the feeling is mutual. That Stiles' story is the same one Derek's been living in since they first met.

"It's okay, Stiles. I feel the same way, too." Emboldened, he takes Stiles' hand in his, his eyes dropping to Stiles' mouth as his mate licks his lips.

"Dude," Stiles whispers, awed.

~*~

By the time they touch down in Sacramento, Derek's learned all about Stiles' closest friends. He learns that Scott is a werewolf as well, though bitten and not born, and that Stiles is considered part of Scott's pack. He's surprised to know that the infamous Lydia Martin is now one of Stiles' closest confidants, and that they'd briefly dated before deciding they were better off as friends. He also discovers that the Sheriff who busted Derek and his friends on Senior Prank Day (and let them off with a warning) is none other than Stiles' dad.

Derek and Stiles eventually connect the dots and realize that Stiles' friend Isaac went to the same college as, and remains friendly with, Erica and Boyd. He's happy to know that Stiles also lives in New York, on the Upper West Side near Riverside Park, which happens to be one of Derek's favorite places to jog. And he discovers other things about Stiles—like how Stiles is ticklish along his sides (just below the curve of his lowest rib), and how his lips are just as soft as they look, and how Stiles goes absolutely crazy when Derek scents and mouths his neck.

In fact, by the time they disembark, their mutual attraction is pretty much apparent to everybody—including the Sheriff, who pointedly avoids looking at Stiles' neck, and Laura, who just laughs.

Stiles lifts the hem of his scarf to hide the evidence, his cheeks flaming. Derek's just glad that neither the Sheriff or his sister can see the other places Derek's marked.

"Looks like you've finally found a flight you enjoyed, baby bro," Laura says as she wraps her arm around his shoulders and squeezes. "I'm so glad you're home."

Derek closes his eyes and breathes Laura in, his wolf settling at the smell of her shampoo, the warmth of his skin, and the feeling of home. "Me too."

Laura nuzzles the crook of his neck. "You smell different," she says as she leans back, her gaze sharp and assessing.

Derek glances at Stiles, who looks over to Derek at exactly the same time and waves at him with a blinding grin. "Um, yeah. About that..."

"I don't mean in that way," Laura says, wrinkling her nose. "Although he is a cutie. What I mean is that you smell... happy."

"I am," Derek says, realizing he means it. He can't wait to introduce Stiles to the rest of his family and begin formally courting his mate. But for now, he and Stiles know they have something special. They've entered the next chapter of their lives, one that already has a great beginning.

And the romantic in Derek knows this story will have a happy ending.

[mojoflower]

Teen Wolf mpreg fic recs (99% Sterek, 1% Steter)

I know that you love me, even when I lose my head by LunaCanisLupus 22 E, 136k, Complete.  “We’re not mates, Cora,” he insists. “I mean look at him-“  //  “Ouch,” the kid says, no longer pushing that shit eating grin.  //  “He’s- he’s,” Derek tries, at a loss of how to explain why this can’t be possible. Why it shouldn’t be possible.  //  Or the one where Derek gets attacked by hunters, ends up with amnesia and forgets Stiles is his mate.

Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Stiles, Alpha Derek, but Stiles is a BAMF, BAMF Stiles, presumably Actual Derek is also a bamf, but College Derek is pretty useless, Heh heh

Wow, this story just grabbed me and didn't let me go and now it's the end of a full day and I have no excuse for abandoning everything except that I was really involved and enjoying the plot.  //  Stiles is such a fucking badass, I love this, he's super-smart and strategizes and handles everything that comes up like a pro and it's totally easy to see why they have such a large and powerful pack. 'College Derek', meanwhile, is a complete sexist asshole (with the whole Alpha/omega thing) who says some super hurtful things in the first half out of sheer ignorance mostly -- although occasionally it's spite. Stiles handles it as well as he can, trying to hide that it hurts and striking back because he has backbone for god's sake... but his bondmark is slowly fading and that's terrifying and tragic.  //  Meanwhile, the Silva pack is due to arrive with some manifest bad intentions, and Peter is lurking around stirring up trouble, and it's a really fucking bad time for Derek to not remember who he is, because it makes their pack vulnerable.  //  Great story.

The Lighthouse Keeper by tugela54 E, 75k, Complete.  On a rural island just off Alaska’s northern Inside Passage, stands a centuries old lighthouse - the perfect sanctuary for its keeper to hide when the moon is full, to burn and rage through its cycle with the townsfolk being none the wiser.  //  But then a new resident comes to Beacon Harbour – a bright-eyed young student chasing an elusive whale species – and all of a sudden those thick stone walls seem paper thin…

Bottom Stiles, Like Whoa,  

 Whoa, that was an intense climax, I'm kinda breathless. Great story. Stiles is earnest and funny (and sooo hot for the giant, hairy, handsome man -- when author says size difference they are not messing around and it's mentioned frequently) and Derek is monosyllabic and awkward. They figure it out eventually, and there is hot sex (did I say size difference and hirsuteness?). Laura's a great werewolf-sister (Derek is the only werewolf) and her son Seth is a cutie. The cast of characters (Chris, Jordon, Finstock, Angus, Gladys and the two First People Miriam and Jonah) are interesting and fleshed-out. Love the plot, and the take on Derek's werewolf (not Teen Wolf style), love the First People lore and rituals, love the setting waaay up in Alaska on this tiny island.  //  (Don't let Major Character Death tag scare you, you're gonna be just fine.)

Hey Lover, I Got a Sugarcane by pibroch (littleblackdog) Steter, E, 17k, Complete.  [References to Mpreg rather than straight-up #mpreg]  “Put Peter on the phone,” Stiles says, too sharp to be polite.  //  “What?” Derek sounds completely thrown. “Stiles, I don’t think— Okay, you’re obviously not understanding what’s happening here. Peter isn’t talking. He’s basically just growling at this point, and he’s rounding on anyone that gets too close. He actually bit me when I tried to take back my pillow. I nearly lost a thumb.”  //  “Derek.” The reality of this shitshow of a situation is finally kicking in, undeniably, and Stiles needs to hear Peter’s voice. “Just trust the omega, okay? Tell him it’s me, and give him the damn phone.”  //  ---"Wrangling Rut-Drunk Alpha Boyfriends 101" by Stiles Stilinski, omega and responsible adult person.

I've loved other things I've read by this author

Delicious. And also funny.

I've Got A Sure Thing by skoosiepants  T, 11k, Complete.  Stiles's water breaks ten miles outside of Beacon Hills.

Fox Stiles, Werefox Stiles, Daddy Stiles

Precious: I love the style, it tumbles and tumbles over itself. Stiles is himself. Derek keeps hanging around, and he loves little Princess Leia. Cora keeps laughing at them. Stiles might be a little confused.

******

He calls Derek and says, “I think your entire family is here, dude,” and Derek roars, “What?” and, “Don't call me dude, “ and, “Fuck, I'll be right over.”

Derek shows up in his EMT uniform and with his partner Boyd, stoic and amused, and the wild look in Derek's eyes is probably as close to a panic as Stiles will ever see him in.

Derek says, “Oh my god, Laura,” and grabs for Prin just as Prin launches herself out of Laura's arms toward him. He swings her up in a practiced movement and settles her on his hip and Laura grins so wide her fangs are showing.

“The pack wanted to meet her, even Mom's here,” she says, gesturing toward a big black wolf that looks almost exactly like Derek in wolf form – the wolf lifts her head and sneezes at them, then goes back to nosing through Stiles's DVD collection.

“Mom,” Derek says, and holds Prin up so she hides his face. Prin tugs at his hair and knees him in the eye and giggles when he shoves her up so her tummy is balanced on the top of his head, it's so cute Stiles can hardly stand it, his life is insane.

“Okay,” Stiles says, clapping his hands together, “I'll make tea.”

I don't think that means what you think it means by ThroughTheTulips  M, 21k, 7 works, Complete.  Ever notice how aliens have mostly similar customs to humans in Stargate? There never seem to be words or concepts that just don't translate. For the most part that makes sense given how they were spread deliberately across the universe, but there should be more weird stuff.  //  So I made some. This is very fluffy and ridiculous. Enjoy.

I simply can't with this. What an unanticipated, hysterical delight.

 I Know Where Babies Come From, Derek by DiscontentedWinter  E, 52k, Complete (series is 132k of deliciousness)  [Implied Mpreg, rather than actual #mpreg].  Stiles finds a baby on the porch.  //  It looks exactly like him.  //  Well, this is awkward.

Favorite, read again, still a favorite

Funny and unique and gripping (and there's one part that's simply fucking heartbreaking, god every.time. I bawl like a baby). I love this so much. It's totally one of my return-again-and-again-comfort-fics (even though there's very little that's slow-paced and domestic about it).

 monday i can fall apart but by friday i'm in love by tryslora  M, 6k, Complete.  It's just past five in the morning and Stiles is barely awake, wearing only sleep pants that hang low below his pregnant belly, and he can't get the damned brand new jar of decaf coffee open. But he has a neighbor, and he's too tired to think that waking someone else up at this hour might not be the best (or politest) of ideas.

Alpha Derek, Omega Stiles, Caretaking,  

lol.  short and funny and sweet and Alpha!Derek is a caretaker (and pregnant omega!Stiles is a sass-spewing dork)

 finger on the trigger and all fired up by tryslora  E, 6k, Complete  [Implied Potential Mpreg rather than #mpreg].  Derek goes undercover to expose a drug trafficking ring running inside of a porn studio. What he finds is Stiles.

Hot and funny.

 I'm Not Immune by moodwriter  E, 24k, Complete.  “Did they inject anything into you? You can hold me back. You can stop me. I can’t stop you.” Stiles is in full blown panic mode now.  //  The one where Stiles and Derek get kidnapped, and sex needs to happen for reasons.

Great story, grows as it's written. Follows a lot of emotional development, tangled in the godawfulfucking situation they're trapped in.

Fire, Fury, and Flame by IAmAVeronica  E, 125k, Complete.  Stiles Stilinski was never going to be the omega who got knocked up right after high school, and then he's accidentally artificially inseminated with a stranger's sperm.  //  Awesome.  //  And the father of Stiles's baby just so happens to be Derek Hale. Half-feral, quite possibly a murderer, and pursued by a gleefully sadistic band of hunters who are only too eager to use Stiles and his baby to hit Derek right where it hurts.  //  Joy.

Omega Stiles, Alpha Derek, Mpreg, Kidnapping, Stalking, cultural ramifications of a/b/o

So, Stiles, the omega-rights activist who never wants anything to do with an Alpha and wants to avoid any of that biological imperative bullshit, winds up pregnant a la Jane the Virgin. BUT. Derek is unwilling to commit, or even to have Stiles tell anyone who the baby-Daddy is. This could be because a complete psychopath has him in her targets.

Kate is one fuck-scary villain, just, crazy as a bag of cats and vicious with it, and the filth that comes out of her mouth is truly chilling.

Stiles gets kidnapped pretty early on, which is frightening enough, and then she's back for another try. At that point, he's kidnapped again, this time by Derek, who whisks him across the country to the Preserve, a werewolf compound in Maine. Here, Stiles is the only human, pregnant and vulnerable and trying to make a temporary life until the baby is born. But will it only be temporary?

There's love, sociopolitical musings, lots of angst, lots of danger. The baby is born about 3/4 of the way through the story, and then Kate comes around to terrorize everyone again. Even though Derek and Stiles are living in a house that's reinforced with bars and a panic room, she still manages to nearly burn Stiles and the baby…

 Rescue Me (& Take Me In Your Arms) by tumtatumtum  E, 34k, Complete (series is 37k so far).  Just when Stiles is starting to reach panic-attack levels of stress, a leather jacket and firm thigh are pressed right up next to him, and an arm is casually thrown over his shoulder. Stiles looks up to thank this kind person who is saving his life, and suddenly forgets what air is.  //  Because HOT. DAMN. Call the police and the fire-man, this guy is smoking.  //  Or the AU where Derek helps save Stiles from an ex, and a steamy BDSM relationship ensues- with feelings all over the place.

Fake/Pretend Relationship, Sub Stiles, Dom Derek

Whoooaa, Nellie. Strap in for a ride, folks. Hot and also hilarious, which is a difficult combo to achieve. Loads of D/s sexy times. Stiles is precious. Derek is possessive and a wee bit insecure. They're awful fun to watch together.  ***The one where Stiles is Alpha Mate which magically means he starts leaking slick outta his ass, even tho he's human.

*******

[Kept trying to find this fic using key words bar and boyfriend and ex-boyfriend... which finally got me there. It's SO worth a re-read or ten.] I also tagged it with fake/pretend relationships, since it's fake for about the first 5 minutes, until Derek puts his hand on the back of Stiles' neck and Stiles moans and MELTS and lo, romantic and sexual interest is born.)

 It's a mad, mad world by ElisAttack  E, 74k, Complete [No #mpreg]  "They call him the Feral Wolf." The man laughs hysterically as Stiles backs away from him, fear coursing through his veins. "Feral Hale. Do you know why? Huh?" The man creeps closer, testing the restraint of his chains, white talcum falling from his skin, swirling in the air like the dust devils plaguing the wasteland. "Because he's fucking mad."  //  Or the one where Stiles is a prisoner looking to return home, but to do so, he may have to rely on a questionable drifter.

Really enjoyed this. Very interesting take on alpha/omega, haven't seen it before. And yay for apocalyptic mad max-type world. Scary as fuck.

a little advice for aspiring fires by The Byger (Byacolate)  E, 42k, Complete.  Regardless of his sadly lacking social circle, Stiles was going to have to get some physical contact or he was going to explode. Seriously. It’d be messy and Derek would probably become even more emotionally constipated having to clean up little bits of Stiles from his pristine walls and furniture.

Touch-Starved, Skin Hunger, Omega Stiles, Sassy Stiles, stiles talks CONSTANTLY, Mpreg, Kidfic

But We're Still Sleeping Like We're Lovers by CharWright5  E, 110k, Complete  [No #mpreg].  There are several things Stiles Stilinski knows to be facts: he's a werecoyote like his parents; his twin sister Malia could use a filter more than him; he's an Omega and terrified of his upcoming heat; and Derek Hale-McCall will never see him as anything more than his kid brother's best friend. Doesn't stop Stiles from asking the Alpha to help him during his heat. Or from developing some serious feelings that go beyond the bedroom. Basically, he's totally screwed, in more ways than one.

Fox Stiles, Creature Stiles, he's not a fox, but when I'm cruising that tag, I'll like to read this story

Idiot boys. Hot sex. More idiot boys. Angst. Fluff.

Jurisdiction by elisera  M, 7k, Complete (series complete at 20k).  John is a pretty level-headed guy. He wasn’t always, back during his own Sturm und Drang period, but he married a firecracker of a woman and got a kid with an affinity for trouble like he got payed for ending up in it, so someone had to level out or they would’ve ended up living in a treehouse or Lapland doing god knows what. Anyway, getting a hold of his temper is one of John’s better life achievements. It makes him a good sheriff and it kept him from blowing his lid too badly those last two years when Stiles started acting out in a way that John had never seen before.  //  But the temper is still there.  //  He’s reminded of it when he comes home on a random Saturday in March after spilling his milkshake all over his uniform shirt only to notice he didn’t have a spare in the station and finds Stiles bend over the kitchen sink with hunched shoulders.

Papa Stilinski is a total badass and mmm mmmm mmmm, so is Derek. Stiles has got some awesome muscle looking out for his best interests.

Into Something New by marguerite_26  E, 9k, Complete.  [Implied Mpreg rather than #mpreg].  Something is happening to Stiles. He’s losing time. Something is messing with his head, with his body. Maybe if he felt better he’d think to be worried.

 Nowhere Man by 1lostone  E, 76k, Complete.  [Mpreg (off screen)]  When Stiles leaves Beacon Hills, he does it without a backwards glance. For two years he is happy on the other side of the country- until someone targets not only him, but his daughter.  //  Unfortunately, the asshole bodyguard his dad hired to make sure he gets back home is none other than Derek Hale. And that's really not very good for either of them.

1lostone is, as always, the goddess of the lengthy, painful, disturbing, angsty, violent, sexy story. God, I love it.

The Second Coming (of Werewolf Jesus) by lupinus, uraneia  E, 40k, Complete.  Stiles was enjoying his senior year until his crazy English teacher decided he made the best candidate to gestate Derek's kid. Now Stiles is a seventeen-year-old pregnant dude and he and Derek have to figure their shit out, because in nine months they are going to be tied together for the rest of their lives.

Sweet: very fluffy and domestic.

Pride and Place by DarkAthena (seraphim_grace)  E, 63k, Complete.  (Part of series A/B/O bodice rippers) [Mpreg, Discussion of mpreg, no men were pregnant in the making of this fic].  Derek Hale, Earl of Osterbrook, has inherited, following the death of Lord Montfort, a run down house in Yorkshire he neither needs nor wants, convinced his staff are robbing him, and with the mystery of a missing ward, he manages to get himself talked into a ridiculous bet, that he cannot pass as a steward until Midwinter, nearly two months away. So can he maintain the charade? Find the missing child? and manage to turn the shambles of a house around, or will he give up and let Peter take the thousand pounds he bet.  //  now with explicit epilogue - the rest of the story is teen rated though, so if you don't like the idea of explicit sex in your bodice rippers - just don't read that bit.

Great story.

The Well of Living Waters by kalpurna  E, 30k, Complete.  King Derek takes a consort.

 Within His Power by NoBezel  E, 69k, Complete.  [Discussion of mpreg]  Derek is a wolfish cyborg, brother of the Governor of California, heir to the Hale fortune. Stiles is a un-sequenced human in a world of designer DNA. When Derek is forced to choose a mate, no one expects him to choose Stiles. To be fair, Derek doesn't expect him to say no.

Pretty fucking phenomenal. Lots of world-building and political intrigue. If you're in it for the tropes, you'll be disappointed, but otherwise it's intense and dense and lovely.

The Threat of Human Sacrifice by vampireisthenewblack  E, 45k, Complete.  The sheriff bought a crib and made Derek help him put it together. Stiles thought of Hemingway and the shortest, most heartbreaking story ever told, and dismantled it on his own while Derek was out.  //  [The one where Stiles getting knocked up is the least of his worries.]

So excellent and intense.

The Honey and the Sting by the_ragnarok  M, 19k, Complete (series still wip)  Derek didn't remember what happened when he went into heat. He could only assume the worst. The truth may be stranger than that.

Beautiful.

Tiny Houses by ohmyjetsabel  E, 77k, Complete.  "So this is what Stiles does. He lies in Scott’s bed and waits for Melissa to say she’s found someone to get it out of him, to cure him of the wrongness and the bad, and he dreams.  //  God, he dreams.  //  He dreams of fire and swollen bellies and that scene in Alien, of giving birth to jackals through his urethra, the whole horrific nine yards. His head is a terrible place to be, he can’t imagine his stomach is much better, why anyone would want to put a thing inside of it."

Fuck.

 Shifts by gryvon  E, 15k, Complete.  Stiles has what he's always secretly wanted - he's in a relationship with Derek and he's one of Derek's betas - but all that gets turned upside down when Gerard kidnaps him and his unexpected baby.

Who doesn't want Stiles having emotionally confusing sex with Derek, getting knocked up unbeknownst to either of them, and then kidnapped for the future baby? I mean, really. It's classic.

A Mating Moon by unpossible  E, 37k, Complete.  (Series 55k so far.) [this is not mpreg, just to be clear]  “Hey, Scott, so, I uh, there’s this amazingly hot guy and I’m uh, gonna spend the weekend with him but, you know, just to be careful, I’m sending you his picture, so if by some terrible chance my bloated corpse shows up sometime Monday, just, y’know pass this along to the authorities.” He pauses. “Uh. Kidding?” and then hangs up with a rush of air.  //  “That is the worst voicemail in the history of voicemails,” Derek says.

fucking fantastic

 (Once in a) Blue Moon by clarkoholic, skywardsmiles  E, 60k, Complete.  (Series 63k so far.)  Stiles and Derek are getting along, but they’re not a family, and they’re sure as hell not mates. Christ, they’re basically just two stupid guys who happened to get pregnant because of a full moon and sheer dumb luck.

Oh, the angst, the pining, the guilt, the blame, the anger. Total pain-fest while we watch Stiles nearly die from the burden of the pregnancy. Lovely sweet ending, of course.

Tried and Tested Series by dancinbutterfly  E, 53k, 12 works, Complete.  In which Derek has a sex emergency with unplanned results, Stiles could be the baby daddy on one of those horrible MTV pregnancy shows, Sheriff Stilinski takes in strays and life in Beacon Hills never has a dull moment, not even when things are calm.

Really wonderful series. Stopped at Part 11, so am waiting for updates. A good investment of time, even incomplete. ;D  //  [Huh, evidently I missed an update somewhere along the line!]

In the Solstice of our Hearts by ravingrevolution  E, 73k, Complete.  "You're not putting that up your butt," Scott told him flatly and Stiles couldn't stop the pissed off whine he made, but his friend continued. "Stiles, you can't put that up your butt, you know that. Your butt won't be ready for anything to go in it until-"  //  "Okay, okay!" he said, flailing his hands to stop his friend's lecture. "Message received, no butt stuff until I'm pounced on by some freaking animal in the forest and ravished to within an inch of my life. Got it. Thanks, Scotty, I mean heaven forbid I actually try to take control of my life and give myself a fighting chance or anything."  //  "Not all alphas are animals," Scott said quietly.  //  Maybe he was right, but Stiles wasn't holding his breath.

Omega Stiles, Berserk Stiles, omega beast, everyone's a virgin, Hurt/Comfort, care taking

The one where there's a Mate Run in the woods, and Derek with his pack manage to frighten Stiles up a tree from whence he falls and is impaled on a branch (ouch!) and then they spend a week in a cave while Stiles heals. Meanwhile, Kate and her cronies are sneaking into the month-long Mate Run with the intent to a)finally kill Derek and b) sneakily bond with some omegas. So Stiles goes berserk, which is the omega form of a hulking violence monster, to protect Derek. (Story could have stopped there, but carries on for another 1/3.)

[stetervault]

Any recommendations for a multiple chapter Good Peter fic?

There’s a Good Peter tag you could search up, and here are some of my faves:

know who i am by Aminias (SeeingRed)

What about the first time Stiles runs up to Peter, and Peter tries to take him back to his mom, and he’s like you can’t, my mama’s in the hospital, and daddy thinks I don’t know, but she’s gonna die “

or

At least Five times Peter and Stiles find each other + One time its mutual er something like that

or

Love.

With Mars Bars, Snickers and Skittles by FeelingsDusk

Peter wakes up one year and almost ten months after he managed to drag himself out of the burning Hale house to find the remaining members of his family tired, worn down, stressed and downright miserable.

The situation is unacceptable and he won’t stand for it.

Baby Stilinski-Hale by Triangulum

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Peter says. Stiles just shrugs. “Are you going to tell me why, or do I have to guess?” Stiles would love to glare at him and snark back like they always do, but her nerves are just too frayed and she doesn’t have it in her. Peter seems to sense this and frowns, his face morphing into one of concern. “Stiles..?”

He takes a few steps closer, slowly as if he’s trying not to startle her and that makes her want to let out a hysterical laugh, but she keeps it in. He sets his hand on her shoulder, the other going to the side of her neck. He frowns at the way her pulse is racing, as if he needs to physically confirm what his ears are already telling him. She lets him touch her, knowing without even needing to think about it that he won’t hurt her. She does let out a bitter little laugh at that. Well, physically he won’t.

“What is it?” he asks and the genuine concern in his voice almost breaks her. He leans down and stares into her eyes, their faces so close, and she sees his nostrils flare. “You smell…different.”

Well, that’s her cue.

“I’m pregnant,” she whispers.

Or

The one where Peter gets Stiles pregnant and is a big old softie about it.

Love is Thick by Green

Peter finds out his best friend is sick, and she has a surprise for him.

When It All Falls Apart by Peter Hale (RyloKen)

Stiles doesn’t know what to do.

He’s on the verge of losing everything in the divorce, on the verge of breaking down. He hates himself, hates what he is, what he’s not. He has no husband, no alpha, no mate. He’s about to lose his mind, and he has no hope.

His mother used to tell him; when you’ve hit rock bottom, the only way out is up. But what’s the point in trying to climb out of Hell, when the Devil’s waiting for you with an army of lawyers?

And with his heat just around the corner, Stiles doesn’t think he has anything left to give. He needs a miracle.

He just didn’t figure his miracle would wear Alexander Amosu and fight his battles with a smirk that could kick-start the apocalypse.

Ace In Your Face by SushiOwl

saintrenee asked: Steter, ace!stiles doing everything in his power to avoid Peter who had started courting him after the two of them being friends. Maybe involve something along the lines of “did you just jump out a window to avoid me?!”

Red String verse by gryvon

Peter had given up hope of ever finding his soulmate until the red string on his finger leads him to a four-year-old. He’s going to Hell. Or jail. Or both.

Living On A Wire by oriolevent

What the hell is Stiles supposed to do now that his band’s been broken up and Scott’s gone solo? Get tangled up with the Hales, of course.

Jabba the Mutt by sugarpanties

Stiles comes across a puppy. The pack doesn’t approve. Peter does, so when Stiles storms away, the werewolf isn’t left behind.

Strange Duet by BelleAmante, thiliart (thilia)

The past three years have been a series of shocking, or not so shocking, successes for 2018 Tony award winner and two time Grammy nominee, Stiles Stilinski. You don’t typically find classically trained opera singers singing alternative folk rock to crowds at Coachella. Nor do you find indie singer/songwriters winning best actor awards at the Tony’s for their Broadway debuts. Stilinski has made it his lifetime habit to defy and exceed all expectations.

-or-

A Steter fic loosely based on Phantom of the Opera

Just Let Me Be Your Ticket Home by pibroch (littleblackdog)

Look, it really wasn’t her fault that she missed him. Less than five months of frequent and enthusiastic sex had not given her nearly enough time to get sick of him yet.

Holidays with Steter by DiscontentedWinter

Peter and Stiles spend Halloween together.

They listen to their hearts. Those cheap, disgusting candy hearts.

Hey, whatever works.

Altruism by ladyoneill

Stiles is kidnapped by hunters out to punish human sympathizers. By the time the Pack finds him, he’s been forced into prostitution. Peter’s the only one who can get him back.

Tight Jeans, Leather Boots Make a Stiles Go Wee-Woo by Elpie (Horribibble)

Feeling lonely and alienated at a college across the country, Stiles decides to explore his ever-developing sexuality at the closest gay bar.

He just wasn’t expecting quite so many bikers. Or such good food. Or Peter Hale.

And here are some without the tag but I thought fit the category anyway:

On idiocy and stupidity by FeelingsDusk

As a rule, Stiles doesn’t go home unless he’s forced to and he spends all his time either studying or experimenting with anything and everything that catches his attention. He doesn’t care about making friends but he does have some people he’s in good terms with. He doesn’t want more, attempts to force the issue with him will be met with a sneaky and swift retaliation, as many can attest.

He may be an idiot like professor Callaway always tells him, but he doesn’t care.

He doesn’t need anyone.

And then ickle itsy bitsy Cora Hale enters Salem, gets sorted into the special tier and, wide eyed after one of his experiments blows up spectacularly, she points at him before telling professor Callaway, who was with her, I can choose anyone right? I want him to be my mentor.

Naughty Hookers (Swathed in Wool) by pprfaith

Stiles is happy with his store, his hobbies, his friends. Peter’s just trying to figure out how to raise his nieces and nephew without fucking them up too badly.

Paths cross.

Proposing To Strangers by moonstalker24

At the end of a strained relationship, crime novelist Stiles chooses to hide from the world inside a bar with far too many motorcycles outside it for comfort. Here he’ll meet the man of his dreams, eat food and propose marriage, all within the first five minutes.

Peter doesn’t know who this kid is, but he’s cute and looks like he could use a break. So he feeds him. He’s not expecting a marriage proposal, but with what comes after, he doesn’t really mind.

The Unexpected Marriage of Peter Hale by moonstalker24

This is the story of how Peter gets married without technically dating anyone.

“You can bring your boyfriend with you,” Talia says.Peter stops giving Henry more bits of dried fruit to stare at his sister “Boyfriend?”“Of course!” Talia gestures at Stiles who looks around behind him with wide eyes. “I’m sure the whole family would be interested in meeting your young man.”

Stiles Stilinski’s Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Werewolf by moonstalker24

(As Observed By Scott McCall, Best Friend Extraordinaire)

Scott doesn’t like the werewolf that followed Stiles home from a folklore seminar. Neither does anybody else. Somehow, it’s Scott’s job to tell Stiles that.

Sanctuary by DiscontentedWinter

The Hale Wolf Sanctuary isn’t just for wolves.

It turns out it’s for Stilinskis as well.

Surprising, unplanned and wonderful by RebaK1tten

Stiles is an omega happy with his gender and looking to court the right alpha and be courted back. Three guesses who the right alpha is.

Monopoly by Triangulum

It’s Monopoly time,“ Scott says without looking up from Mass Effect.

"Monopoly time?” Derek asks.

“Safeway and all their sister stores like Albertsons are doing their Monopoly game,” Stiles says. He grabs his backpack and rifles through it before pulling out his Safeway Monopoly board with little Monopoly pieces stuck to it.

Isaac snorts from next to Scott.

“You’re not going to win anything,” he says.

“Oh ye of little faith,” Stiles says. “I already won a $50 gift card.”

“What, seriously?” Isaac asks.

“Stiles wins something every year,” Scott says, groaning as his character dies. “Last year he won a $5,000 college scholarship.”

“Fingers crossed for the vacation,” Stiles says.

Or

Peter woos Stiles with Monopoly pieces.

Life’s a Ball of Yarn by Triangulum

“He’s so cute!” Erica coos, reaching out to scratch the fluffy calico kitten in front of her.

The only problem is that kitten is Stiles and he doesn’t want Erica’s fingers anywhere near him. He hisses and when her hand keeps on coming, he sinks his teeth into it. Erica howls and shakes her hand, making Stiles fly off and skid across the loft floor.

“I think he might not want to be touched,” Peter drawls.

“He let you hold him,” Erica grumbles.

“I didn’t lunge at an animal the size of a potato with my nails out,” Peter points out, and YEAH.

Or

Another fic where Stiles gets turned into a kitten.

Hale Escorts by Triangulum

Peter usually doesn’t take clients, but Lydia doesn’t usually send people his way, either. But she’s asked this of him, to help her friend who’s never been able to come with a partner, never had a sexual experience that has ended in anything but discomfort, pain, and/or disappointment. And of course, the girl in the photo is exactly his type. He wants to devour her, make her scream and writhe and shake, show her how pleasurable sex can really be.

OR

The one where Peter Hale is a professional, high-end escort and owner of Hale Escorts, and all of Stiles’ past lovers have been seriously awful.

Stiles Stilinski: Wolf Whisperer (and Provider of Pop-Tarts) by ChuckleVoodoos

Stiles realizes that Peter might, in fact, be in need of a friend. And what better candidate than Stiles himself (accompanied, of course, by delicious pastry treats)?

All In A Spin by ShippersList

Stiles can’t really talk anymore but, with Peter, he realizes he doesn’t have to. Even if their spoken communication consists of one swear word and stuttered syllables, they understand each other. And that’s what counts.

If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out by mia6363

Commander Stilinski looked like he fell out of a propaganda video, his armor still smoking as he pulled off his helmet and handed it off to First Officer Argent. He had a few bruises down his neck but his smile was bright.

“Glad to see you safe and sound, Mr. Hale. I’d hate for Derek to lose a member of his family.”

“I told you,” Derek snapped at his superior, “he’s not worth this, Commander.”

Life Is What You Bake It by ladypigswagon

“You’re not broken Mr. Stilinski, nor are you a freak,” Deaton says, reaching into a drawer and searching for something, “You are simply asexual.”

“Asexual?” The word tastes heavy in Stiles mouth but it doesn’t feel wrong.

“Asexuality is not uncommon in society,” Deaton continues, finding what he was looking for. Unsurprisingly it’s a pamphlet. “There are lots of omegas, betas and alphas are asexual or a form of asexuality. There are many chat forums and websites that cater specifically to asexuality. Obviously you will not be required to go to play-mating classes anymore and if you so wish you can remain off the suppressants.”

Stiles clutches the pamphlet in his hands. Asexual. Not broken, just asexual. It’s a word that Stiles can definitely get used to.

Alpha Peter and the Ragtags by Triangulum

Derek has been one of Stiles’ best friends for years, almost as long as Scott. They’ve been friends through Stiles’ mom’s death, and through Derek’s ex trying to burn the Hales’ house down. So Stiles only feels slightly badly for ogling Derek’s hot uncle. He’s covered in tattoos and easily the most attractive man Stiles has ever seen.

“Hello, Stiles,” Peter says, his voice like silk.

“Peter?” Stiles stammers. “You’re back.”

“Astute as ever,” Peter says.

“Oh, fuck off,” Stiles says. Peter just laughs.

Or

The one where Peter is a tattoo artist and an alpha without a pack, and Stiles is college student and best friends with Derek. When Peter moves back from New York, there’s immediately something between them.

Whiskey is My Kind of Lullaby

Peter is a simple saloon owner on one of the outer planets between the Aaru Belt and the Olympus Galaxy. He’s done with trouble. Done with adventure. So fucking done with rustlers. That is, until a cute young outlaw named Stiles wanders into his bar. Peter has this problem where he can’t seem to resist charming narcissists (perhaps because they remind him of himself). And when said narcissists turn his life upside-down, the worst part is he’s not even that upset about it.

[teenwolfpotential]

Season 4 Sterek: Scenes & Dialogue

Purpose: To identify and catalog all the direct and indirect Sterek interactions in season 4 of Teen Wolf.

Notes:

“Stiles Talking” or “Derek Talking” indicate only one person is present in the scene while the other is talked about or referenced with an image

if not labeled that, a scene incudes Stiles and Derek directly interacting

names for each scene are how the scenes are tagged on my blog, if a scene has a “/” it’s because there are tags relating to different parts of the scene

“…” indicates a scene jump or unrelated dialogue that’s been cut out

() have been added to clarify unheard actions in a scene that affect the dialogue or to clarify the presence/awareness of Derek or Stiles throughout the scene

dialogue source is http://transcripts.foreverdreaming.org/viewforum.php?f=137, episodes were watched to clarify in some cases

Ep 1: The Dark Moon

Stiles Talking: Poor Conversationalist

Lydia: We're here for Derek Hale. 

Araya: Is that so? 

Lydia: We know you have him. We've heard you can be bought. 

Stiles: It's 50,000 for Derek.

...

Araya: Grief and loss, mija. I wonder why, when you and your friends have suffered so much loss, you would risk it again for someone like Derek Hale. 

Stiles: 'Cause we don't like to lose.

...

Stiles: Aaaa... Come on. Just give us Derek. You don't want him anyway. Haven't you noticed what a downer he is? No sense of humor, poor conversationalist. Just come on, take the money. 

Araya: Severo? Show them how the Calaveras negotiate.

Stiles Talking: Derek Texts

Stiles: Ok, so how long has it been? 

Scott: Weeks. He hasn't gotten back to any of my texts. 

Stiles: Has Derek ever returned your texts? 

Scott: Once. Definitely once. But this time it felt different. So I went to the loft. The alarm was on. Everything looked okay. But then I found these. So I sent a picture of it to Deaton. He said that it's the mark of a family of hunters based out of Mexico. The Calaveras. 

Lydia: What would they want with Derek? 

Stiles: You don't think they killed him, do you? 

Scott: I... I don't know. That's why you're here.

...

Stiles: Lydia, what? Is he dead? 

Lydia: No. But I'm not sure he's alive either. 

Scott: What does that mean? 

Lydia: I don't know. There's something not right. I just... I don't know. 

Stiles: So if the Calaveras have him, how do we find them? 

Scott: Mexico.

Stiles Talking: Kate’s Impossible

Kira: But if the Calaveras don't know where Derek is, that means they didn't take him from the loft. Right? 

Stiles: Maybe he left on his own. 

Scott: Maybe someone else got to him.

...

Scott: Kate. 

Stiles: That's impossible. It's impossible. That can't be what he said. 

Malia: Why? Who... who's Kate? 

Stiles: She's a hunter. An Argent.

...

Stiles: So what now? 

Scott: She thinks she knows where we can find Derek. 

Malia: She gonna tell us where? 

Scott: Uh, actually, she's giving us a guide.

Stiles Talking: Kate Killed His Family

Malia: Okay, I'll ask. Who's Kate Argent? 

Kira: Uh, I'd like to know, too. 

Stiles: Well, we were at her funeral. So, I'd like to know how she got out of a casket that was buried six feet underground. 

Scott: She was never in it. 

Lydia: She was Allison's aunt. And a total sociopath. 

Kira: You don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to. 

Malia: Um, yes, he does. 

Scott: Yeah, she's right. You guys should know. You need to know. 

Stiles: All right. Kate was the one who set the fire that killed most of Derek's family.

Scott: Some of them survived, like Cora, and Peter. 

Lydia: A very angry Peter.

Scott: Yeah, he's the one who bit and turned me. 

Lydia: And the one who finally caught up to Kate and killed her.

Stiles: And we saw her buried. 

Scott: No. We saw a casket, remember? She wasn't in it. The Calaveras heard that Kate had been killed by an Alpha's claws. They wanted to make sure she was really dead. Her body was healing. More and more, as she got closer to a full moon. She was coming back. So they switched out the bodies. If a hunter is bit, they have to take their own life before they change. The Calaveras, they treat the code like law. They make it their responsibility to enforce it. 

Stiles Talking: Someone Find Derek

Braeden: What happened? 

Stiles: I don't know. It felt like we hit something. 

Braeden: Scott, we need to get there by night. It's too dangerous otherwise. 

Stiles: Go. 

Scott: Not without you. 

Stiles: Dude, someone needs to find Derek. We'll figure something out. We always do. Just go.

Scott: Okay

Young Derek

Malia: Is that him? Is that Derek? 

Stiles: Uh, sort of.

Ep 2: 117

So Not Ok With This

Deaton: Wow. 

Stiles: Wow? Wow as in, "I've seen this before and I know exactly what to do," kind of wow? 'Cause that's the kind of wow we were hoping for. 

Deaton: I think you might be overestimating my abilities. 

Lydia: He's cold. Really cold. 

Scott: Do you think this is permanent? 

Deaton: I'm not sure a medical diagnosis is even adequate. This is well beyond my experience. 

Stiles: So what do we do with him? 

Deaton: Until he wakes up. Probably not much. It might be best to leave him with me. He'll be safe here. 

Stiles: You mean from Kate? 

Deaton: If she's alive and she is what you say she is, she won't be able to walk past that gate. 

Lydia: Why would she want do this to him? 

Deaton: Knowing Kate, it's probably for a reason that won't be any good for anyone but her.

Stiles: And bad for everyone else. 

Deaton: You guys should probably go home. He doesn't look to be in any danger. So maybe the rest of you should get some sleep? It is a school night... And you all need to start taking care of your own lives again. 

Scott: Someone should stay with you. 

Lydia: I'll stay. My grades are fine... despite missing a few classes. 

Stiles: I'm so not okay with this.��

Lydia: Guys, go. 

Stiles: No. 

Scott: Text us if anything happens. 

Stiles: Nope, still not okay with it. Not going anywhere. All right, just 'cause you're stronger...

Stiles Talking: No Memory

Deaton: I don't think he's just younger in body. I think he's younger in his mind too. 

Lydia: He didn't recognize either of us. And he looked like he was scared out of his mind. 

Stiles: So if you're a teenage werewolf and you're scared, where do you go? 

Scott: A wolf goes back to its den. But Derek lives in a loft. 

Stiles: Not when he was a teenager. 

Lydia: The Hale House? 

Deaton: He wouldn't remember the fire. It wouldn't have happened yet. 

Lydia: Hold on. Say you do manage to catch up to him? What are you going to say to him? That his whole family is dead? 

Scott: I guess I'm going to have to. 

Lydia: Oh... Good luck with that. 

Stiles: She's probably right. Maybe you shouldn't. You know, at least until we figure out how to get him back to normal. 

Scott: I can't lie to him. 

Stiles: Okay, I'll do it. 

Scott: I don't think any of us can. Remember, he can hear a heartbeat rising. When we find him, we tell him the truth. 

Deaton: If he gets to the house first, you won't have to.

Stiles Talking: Time Traveling

Sheriff: I'll handle this. I want you to be honest with me. Absolutely and completely honest. Have you been time traveling? 

Stiles: Hang on, what? 

Sheriff: Because if time traveling is real, you know what? I'm done. I'm out. You're going to be driving me to Eichen House. 

Scott: We found him like that. 

Sheriff: Where? Swimming in the fountain of youth? 

Stiles: No. We found him buried in a tomb of wolfsbane in an Aztec temple in Mexico underneath a church in the middle of a town that was destroyed by an earthquake.

Where’s My Family

Derek: Why would I go anywhere with you? 

Scott: There was an accident. You lost some memory, but we can help you get it back. 

Derek: How much memory? 

Scott: A lot. But you can trust us. 

Derek: You're an Alpha. Okay, who are you? And who is he? Who are you? 

Stiles: Oh, we're the guys keeping you out of jail. 

Scott: Let us help you. 

Derek: No. 

Stiles: Okay, dude, you almost tore apart two cops back there. You need to listen to us. And that starts with no fangs, no claws, no wolf man. You got that? 

Derek: I'm fine as long as it's not on a full moon. 

Scott: You still have trouble with the full moon? 

Derek: I said I'm fine. 

Stiles: All right, you coming with us or not? 

Derek: You want me to trust you? Where's my family? 

Scott: There was a fire. And... They're not here anymore. They're fine. Just had to move out of Beacon Hills. And we're going to take you to them as soon as we figure out how to get your memories back.

Stiles Talking: Ass is Fine

Scott: I shouldn't have done that. I lied my ass off. 

Stiles: Hey, your ass is fine. You saved him a ton of unnecessary pain. We'll figure this out in a day or two, he goes back to being old Derek, everyone's happy. Except for Derek, who's never happy. 

Scott: It's just another person that we're lying to. I always feel like it's always been better when we tell the truth. With Lydia, my mom, your dad. 

Stiles: Yeah, but that is Derek Hale in there. He may be a kid right now, but he's still Derek Hale. 

Scott: All right. Take him to my house and don't let him out of your sight.

Stiles: And where are you going? 

Scott: I'm going to go talk to the guy we should have gone to before. 

Stiles: Uh... Yeah, I hate that guy.

My Cousin Miguel (Young Derek) / Spanish

Stiles: We're going to wait here for Scott. We're going to sit quietly. We're not going to call or talk to anyone. 

Derek: Do I talk to you? 

Stiles: No. 

Derek: Fine. 

Stiles: Good. 

Derek: Who's going to talk to him? 

Stiles: Ah! Are you getting taller?

 Agent Mccall: What are you guys doing here? 

Derek: We're waiting for Scott. 

Agent Mccall: Yeah, so am I. We're supposed to have dinner. I brought extra. You guys hungry? 

Derek: Yeah. 

Stiles: No. We're not hungry. 

Derek: No, I'm starving. 

Stiles: Neither of us are hungry. Thanks, though. 

Agent Mccall: Okay, well if you're not hungry, Stiles, your friend can still eat with us. What's your name? 

Stiles: Miguel. My cousin Miguel. From Mexico. So... 

Agent Mccall: (SPEAKING SPANISH) 

Stiles: Oh my God. 

Derek: (SPEAKING SPANISH)

Agent Mccall: Fantastic. Egg roll? 

Derek: Hell, yeah.

...

Agent Mccall: So, uh, Miguel. What did you say your last name was again? 

Stiles: Oh, it's Juarez. Cinqua... Tiago. 

Agent Mccall: That's a mouthful. How do you spell that? 

Stiles: Phonetically. 

Derek: Mr. McCall, you're an FBI agent? 

Stiles: He's low level. Very low level. He doesn't even have a voice. 

Derek: So do you investigate murders? 

Agent Mccall: Sometimes. When it's a federal crime. 

Derek: What about fires? 

Stiles: Oh my God, I wonder where Scott is. Shouldn't Scott be here by now? We should call Scott. 

Agent Mccall: What kind of fires are you talking about?

Derek: Do you know anything about the Hale family?

Wall Scene Redux

Stiles: Okay, I didn't lie. I omitted certain truths. Vital truths now that I think about it. 

Derek: I don't want to talk to you. I want to talk to the Alpha. I'll talk to Scott. 

Stiles: Okay. I'm going to go get him. My phone's downstairs. Going to call him real quick. You stay here, just don't move, okay? Don't move. Don't... I thought you...

Stiles Talking: Out the Window

Stiles: No, he's in your bedroom, he'll be totally fine. To be honest, I'm starting to miss the old Derek. So, if you actually think that Kate's coming to find him... You might be right.

Ep 3: Muted

Stiles Talking (maybe?): Muted Board 

Stiles: Okay... I promised I'd help you study. Then we can go back to that. Lots of that. Like, so much... What's with all the highlighters anyway? 

Malia: Green is for the things I understand. Yellow, is for "I'm working on it," and... Red means I have no clue. I am mostly using red.

(Malia explains her highlighter system ending with red, Stiles looks at his half-dismantled crime board that has his similar colored thread system, a picture of Derek is the most visible with red thread, Stiles turns forward again and smiles for a moment, he turns to kiss Malia)

Ep 4: The Benefactor

Stiles Talking: Stealing Lines

Stiles: Liam, hey! Scott: We need to talk. 

Liam: No, you need to back the hell up, okay? Both of you. 

Scott: Can you just listen for one second. Please? Liam... We're brothers now. 

Liam: What? 

Stiles: Oh, God. That's... 

Liam: What are you talking about? We just met and you bit me. 

Scott: The bite... The bite is a gift. 

Stiles: Scott, stop. Please stop. You, you, we're trying to help you, you little runt.

Ep 5: I.E.D.

Stiles Talking: Murder Review

Stiles: So, the Walcott's were the first. At least the first that we know about. Four murders. Sean, his brother, and their parents. They were killed by a professional assassin called The Mute. Weapon of choice, a military tomahawk. But then The Mute was killed by Peter Hale after he tried to blow up Derek with a Claymore mine. Next was Demarco. He delivered a keg to the party at Lydia's lake house. And got decapitated outside his car.

...

Stiles: And then last night, 23-year-old Carrie Hudson. 

Scott: It's a dead pool. A hit list of supernatural creatures. This is only part of it. The rest still has to be decoded.

Ep 6: Orphaned

Werewolf Strength

Stiles: What the hell is happening to this kid? 

Deaton: He's been poisoned by a rare wolfsbane. I need to make an incision and you need to hold him as still as possible. 

Stiles: Hey, Derek, how about a little werewolf strength? 

Derek: Yeah, I'm not the only one here with werewolf strength. 

Deaton: If you can't hold him still, the incision might kill him. 

Stiles: Derek, he's slipping. I don't think I can hold him. Ah! 

Peter: I guess I still have a little werewolf strength myself. 

Derek: Yeah, maybe more than a little. 

Stiles: Hey, Doc, I don't think he's breathing. Is he okay?

Deaton: I think he'll be fine, but probably out for a while. 

Stiles: Guys, can you hear that? I think he's saying something. 

Brett: The sun... The moon... The truth... The sun... The moon... The truth... 

Deaton: Three things cannot long be hidden. The sun, the moon, and the truth. It's Buddhist.

Peter: Satomi

Derek Talking: Hyperactive Spaz

Malia: Maybe we need to try something different. Maybe we need to think like Stiles. 

Derek: Like a hyperactive spaz? 

Malia: Like a detective. If they're really Buddhists, then maybe instead of asking where werewolves hide, we should be asking... 

Derek: Where would Buddhists hide. When Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree, he looked to the east for enlightenment. 

Malia: Is there some kind of eastern point in Beacon Hills? Derek: Yeah. At Lookout Point.

Stiles Talking: Deadpool Key

Stiles: Okay, well, we know one thing. Both of the first two keys, Allison and Aiden, they're both names of the dead. Right? 

Lydia: But we've already tried every other dead person's name we could think of. And if you haven't noticed, there were a lot of tries. 

Stiles: Yeah, I noticed. You okay? 

Lydia: The only other Banshee I've ever met. And I think I might have just drove her over the edge. 

Stiles: Lydia, it wasn't your fault. I was there, too. And you're probably not the only... Hold on. Banshees predict death. Right? So what if the third key is someone who isn't dead... 

Lydia: But will be... Call Parrish. We need to call Parrish.

Ep 7: Weaponized

Stiles Talking: Peter’s Money

Stiles: It's half a million dollars. Scott. What are you going to do, just slide it under your mattress? 

Scott: I have to talk to Derek. The money's his. 

Stiles: You mean his and Peter's. 

Scott: What does that mean? 

Stiles: It means maybe we should proceed with caution. 

Scott: You don't think we should tell Derek? 

Stiles: No. No. No, of course we have to tell him. I'm just... I'm just saying, some of that money's Peter's, right? 

Scott: Yeah. 

Stiles: Right? Peter. Homicidal killer? Remember? You want to give $500,000 to him. 

Scott: So we should give Derek his money back. But not Peter? 

Stiles: I didn't say that. 

Scott: Stiles, what are you saying?

Stiles Talking: Satomi’s Pack

Malia: We found Satomi's pack. Derek and I. But they're dead. 

Scott: All of them? 

Malia: All the ones we found. 

Stiles: Then where's Derek?

Derek Talking: School Quarantine

Derek: What's that? 

Melissa: Naloxone. We need to wake her up. 

Derek: I thought you said she needed to rest. 

Melissa: That was before I found out the CDC just put the high school under quarantine with Scott and Stiles still in there.

Melissa: Braeden, look at me. You were shot, but you're in the hospital now and you're fine. Do you understand? Good. Okay. Last night you were in the woods and you came across another pack? Do you know what happened to them? 

Derek: I told you, they were poisoned. 

Braeden: No. No, they were infected. It was a virus designed to kill werewolves. It did. It killed them all.

...

Derek: I have to get to the school.

Satomi: What about the others at Lookout Point?

Ep 8: Time of Death

Stiles Talking: Evidence Board

Stiles: Hey. Where have you been? 

Malia: Talking to Peter. 

Stiles: Okay. You think that's a good idea?

Malia: If he can help me find my mother, I don't think I care. 

Stiles: You might be related to him, but you're not like him. 

Malia: Maybe I am. That night I caused the car crash... 

Stiles: You mean when you were out-of-control on the full moon. 

Malia: There's a part I didn't tell you about. Right before we got in the car, my mother... My adoptive mother, I guess... We got into a huge fight. I don't even remember what it was about, but... I remember what I said. 

Stiles: Malia. 

Malia: I said, "I wish you were all dead." 

Stiles: Killing doesn't run in a family. 

Malia: Maybe it does in mine.

(Malia puts the deadpool sheet with Derek’s name as the key up on the murder board with red tape before leaving, Stiles stares at the board with the camera zooming towards Derek’s name on the sheet)

Ep 10: Monstrous

Derek Talking (Scott talking to Derek): Stopping Deadpool

Braeden: Scott, you heard anything from Stiles or Lydia yet? 

Scott: Lydia's still talking to Meredith. Stiles and Malia are headed to the lake house. They're trying to stop it. 

Brett: What if there is no stopping it? What if it doesn't end until we're all dead? 

Derek: Then let's send a message. Let's make something perfectly clear to anyone with a copy of that list. It doesn't matter if they're professional assassins, hunters, or an amateur who just picked up a gun. Anyone who thinks they can hunt and kill us for money, is gonna be put on another list. Our list. They get to be a name on our dead pool.

Ep 11: A Promise to the Dead

Date Kidnap

Stiles: What the hell happened? 

Derek: It was supposed to be a date. 

Sheriff: They were both here? 

Braeden: And they're both gone.

Ep 12: Smoke and Mirrors

We Really Bringing Him

Derek: We really bringing him? 

Stiles: We really bringing him? 

Peter: We're bringing everyone that we can. And considering Scott and Kira were taken the night before a full moon, we should probably get going. 

Malia: What's that mean? 

Peter: If Kate took Scott back to the same temple that she took Derek, how do we know she's not planning to do the same thing to him? 

Liam: What, she wants to make him younger? 

Derek: Or take him back to when he wasn't a werewolf. 

Peter: A werewolf can't steal a true Alpha's power. But maybe a Nagual jaguar, with the power of Tezcatlipoca behind her... Maybe she can. So, if everyone is sufficiently freaked out, I say we get going. 

Stiles: We can't. Not without Lydia. 

...

Derek: What's she doing at the school anyway? 

Malia: We got Kira's sword, but we need something with a stronger scent. Lydia went to get a jacket out of her locker. 

Stiles: Nothing. 

Braeden: If she has a car, she can catch up to us. 

Peter: That's a good point. We'll call from the road. 

Stiles: No. What if something happened? What if she's in trouble? 

Peter: Fine. You stay, you find her. We're gonna go on without you. 

Liam: I could call Mason. He has a study group at school. Maybe he could look for her. 

Stiles: All right. Fine. I need to be back there with Derek and Liam. I've got some experience dealing with out of control teen wolves. You'll be okay riding with Peter? 

Malia: He is my father.  Maybe we could do some bonding. 

Stiles: No. No bonding. Play the radio, play it loud. 

Peter: Remember what we're dealing with. It's not just Kate, it's Berserkers. You might see human eyes behind those skulls. Do not assume that there's any humanity left. Oh. This little one is terrified of them, aren't you? Don't worry, my friend. It is that fear that will keep you alive. A reminder to everyone. You do not fight Berserkers to survive, you fight to kill.

Mexico Van

Derek: All good? Okay. I brought something to help you. This has been with my family for centuries. It's a very powerful, supernatural talisman. We use it to teach Betas how to control themselves on a full moon. 

Stiles: Yes, it's powerful. Very powerful.

...

Liam: Whatever you’re gonna teach me, I think you better start.

... 

Derek: Liam, you with me? We have a mantra that we use. You repeat it, you focus on the words. It's like meditating. You say the words until you feel control coming back to you. 

Liam: Okay. Okay, okay! What are the words?

Derek: Okay, look at the triskelion. See the symbol? I have a tattoo on my back, it's the same thing. Each spiral means something. 

Stiles: Alpha, Beta, Omega. 

Derek: It represents the idea that we can always rise to one and fall back to another. Betas can become Alphas. 

Stiles: Alphas can become Betas. 

Liam: Can Alphas become Omegas? 

Derek: All you have to do is say the three words. And with each one, you tell yourself you're getting calmer, more in control. Go ahead. 

Liam: Alpha, Beta... 

Derek: Slower. 

Liam: Alpha... Beta... Omega... Alpha... Beta... Omega... 

Derek: Good. Say it again. Remember, every time you say the words, you're getting calmer. 

Liam: Alpha, Beta... Omega. 

Derek: Say it again. 

Stiles: Derek, I don't think the powerful talisman of self control is working. 

Derek: Liam, say it again! Liam! 

Braeden: Derek? 

Stiles: I think we're gonna need to go a little faster. 

Derek: Keep going!  Liam! Liam... 

Braeden: We're almost there.

...

Stiles: Focus!  I really don't think Alpha, Beta, Omega is resonating with him. 

Derek: You know any other mantras? 

Stiles: Yeah. I do. Liam, Liam. What three things cannot long be hidden? Liam! Liam, look at me. What three things cannot long be hidden?  What three things?

Liam: The sun... the moon... the truth. 

Stiles: That's it. Say it again. 

Liam: The sun... the moon... the truth. 

Braeden: Derek? 

Derek: We're okay. 

Liam: The sun... the moon... the truth.

...

Liam: I can't believe I did it. For a minute there, I thought I was gonna tear the two of you apart. 

Stiles: Yeah. That would've made for an awkward ride home. So, thanks. 

Derek: Think you can bring the same level of control and strength inside La Iglesia? 

Stiles: Alright, we might actually be able to do this.

Save Him

Peter: How bad is it?

Derek: I'm fine, I'm fine. Just get to Scott. Just find him. 

Derek: We'll be right behind you. Go. Go! 

Derek: Hey, hey, save him.

Goodbye for Now

(Stiles comes up to join Scott, all of Malia, Liam, Scott, and Kira end up looking at Stiles almost at the same time with no dialogue, the scene cuts to Derek nodding at Scott and leaving with no wide shot to show if anyone else is still standing there)

[interspecieslesbianism]

The Ones That Got Away 2

Had ideas for sequel. Wrote ideas down. Turned into fic. This was actually supposed to include them confronting the media too, but I wanted to keep all the chapters about the same length. So at this point one more chapter, then we’ll see where it goes from that.

Also I spent a lot of time being shmoopy in the first part of the fic, so I apologize ahead of time for that. I have emotions about Stiles and Derek and cuddling ok? Also big spoon Stiles. Anyway, read on!

Derek’s phone buzzed with a text. Then buzzed again. And again. Derek ignored it in favor of kissing Stiles’ shoulder. He didn’t care that it was now after noon and they had essentially spent the whole morning in bed. After eight years apart, Derek figured they deserved it.

After Stiles said yes they had picked themselves up and tumbled back into Stiles’ house, where they had spent three glorious hours just getting to know each other’s bodies again. Stiles’ time in the southern California sun had added a few more freckles to his body, and Stiles seemed endlessly fascinated by Derek’s beard and the feel of it against his skin. After a quick brunch of mostly leftovers and eggs, they had tumbled together into Stiles’ bed for a nap.

It reminded Derek of the summer they had moved in together. They had spent their days acting like newly weds. Now they really would be.

Just as Derek was starting to think whoever was trying to get a hold of him had given up, his phone began to ring instead.

Stiles poked his head out from under the comforter with a whine and Derek sighed. He rolled over and scraped his phone off the nightstand. Stiles curled up behind Derek, his arm draped over Derek’s waist and trailing his fingers distractingly through Derek’s chest hair, which made it very hard to answer the phone.

“Mom is going to kill you.” Laura said by way of greeting. “Also hi Stiles.”

“Hello to you too sis.” Derek huffed.

“Sup Laura.” Stiles said, happily eavesdropping.

“There is no way mom could expect me to go see her first.” Derek continued, stroking the jut of Stiles’ wrist bone with his fingertips.

“Uh yeah she can. You’re supposed to use grandpa’s ring.” Laura shot back.

“What the hell ring do you think I used?” Derek asked, trying not to laugh.

“You already had it?” Laura asked after a long minute.

“Since before graduation.”

Derek could practically feel Stiles’ eyebrows raise, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Well she’s still going to be annoyed the rest of the world found out her baby boy got engaged before she did.” Laura countered.

“What are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you seen the news, Der? What have you two been doing? Wait. Don’t answer that.”

Derek and Stiles both snickered.

“Assholes. You two should still check the news. Start with TMZ. Their story is particularly hilarious. Stiles, I’m surprised your agent or whatever isn’t blowing up your phone?”

“Mmmm…she probably is.” Stiles sighed and rolled away from Derek to hunt for his phone in his dress slacks from the night before.

“If mom calls you, will you just tell her that we’ll visit today if we can?” Derek asked. “Tomorrow at the latest. I swear we won’t leave California without seeing her.”

“If you ever leave it again. But will do. If you don’t show up she might just make the trip to L.A. herself.” Laura reminded him.

Derek sighed. “I know. Thanks for the heads-up, sis.”

“Anytime, little bro. And congratulations from me and Cora.”

Derek thanked her and hung up before climbing out of bed to look for Stiles.

He found him talking on the phone in the living room, pacing before the tightly drawn curtains. One look out the door window told Derek there was a horde of paparazzi camped across the street. At least Derek had remembered to pull his pants back on. Stiles was still naked, and Derek tried to remember if the curtains had been closed that morning.

“Yes this is a real thing that is happening!” Stiles was saying into his phone. “I promised to tell you if I was gonna pull any stunts. Yes thank you I know what happened last night and what it looks like this morning, but I’ve waited eight years for this and I’m not giving it up now! I don’t care if I have to keep repeating the story. Alright. So long as we’re on the same page.”

He turned around and spotted Derek hovering by the door. Stiles motioned him over and Derek slipped his arms around Stiles’ waist as his fiancé turned back towards the shuttered windows.

“Yeah, they’re already parked across the street. Well, Derek and I were actually probably going to go visit his family and my dad. Out of town, yeah. I know you usually want me to bunker down but – Yeah? Okay. Probably tomorrow, since it’s so late and we won’t get there until after sunset. Alright, will do. Thanks, Leah.” Stiles hung up the phone and turned so he could catch Derek’s lips in a quick kiss.

“Is she mad?” Derek asked.

Stiles shook his head. “Not mad, just annoyed. Leah is the kind of person that doesn’t like surprises. But she’s gonna put out a press release stating we are going to indeed be getting married, while we’re out of town. We could always just stay there?” He suggested hopefully.

Derek shook his head and Stiles sighed. “Oh alright fine. But you know we’re going to have to do interviews and get hounded by the press until someone more important does something, right? Are you okay with that?”

“Well I’m marrying Hollywood’s hottest director, so I better get used to it.” Derek teased, bringing Stiles’ hand up to his mouth, kissing the gold wedding band with its glittering diamond inset.

Stiles stroked Derek’s cheek with the same hand. “Why didn’t you tell me you had this all those years ago?”

“Because you were right.” Derek sighed. “We couldn’t both have pursued our dreams. Didn’t matter if I stayed here or you went with me. Now we’re both in better places, and I’m not going to risk losing you again.”

Stiles hesitated, and then seemed to force himself to ask, “So there was never anyone else?”

Derek shook his head. “I went on a few dates, but with my thesis there never was much time for socializing. And I kept comparing them to you.”

Stiles sagged a little in relief and Derek tightened his arms around him. “Thank god. After that first year I almost called you a dozen times, but I told myself I couldn’t because you had probably started your life back there, and I couldn’t ask you to put it all on hold for me.”

Derek kissed Stiles’ cheek and rubbed his back. “It’s always been you, Stiles.”

Stiles let out a shaky sigh and smiled at Derek. “Same for me, Derek. If I couldn’t be with you, I couldn’t bring myself to be with anyone else.”

They kissed, and kissed, and kissed until a barrage of texts to Stiles’ phone interrupted them.

Stiles sighed, “I should probably check those.”

Derek nodded and took a step back. “I’ll go pack an overnight bag for you.”

“Kay. I love you, Derek.”

“I love you too, Stiles.”

XXX

Beacon Hills was only about three and a half hours from L.A. by car.

Stiles’ townhome had an attached garage, but Stiles had almost hit two of the photographers that had jumped in front of the car to try and get a picture of them. Beyond that and the girl at the window of the Arby’s they stopped at for a late lunch looking like she was going to pass out when she saw them, it was a smooth ride.

Derek’s home was closest to the highway, so after Stiles checked to make sure his dad was on his way there too, they pulled off the highway and onto the preserve. Derek loved L.A. and New York, but the preserve felt like home.

The house was ablaze with light and noise when they pulled up, the ten cars pulled into every available spot making parking very difficult. Derek had forgotten just how big his family was, living with just Laura and Cora.

Stiles wound up parking near to the driveway and they walked hand-in-hand the rest of the way up the hill.

Derek was about to open the door when his mother beat him to it. “There you two are!” Talia beamed at them and Derek couldn’t help but smile back. God, he missed his mom sometimes.

Talia pulled Derek into a hug first, then Stiles.

“I always knew you would join the family one of these days.” She said, escorting them into the dining room where almost every member of Derek’s family was gathered.

He’d forgotten how overwhelming his family could be, but Stiles took it all in strike. He’d always been so good with Derek’s family. It had been at their first Christmas dinner with the Hales that Derek had known Stiles was The One.

The sheriff arrived fifteen minutes after they did, and Derek had to fight not to get overly emotional when John hugged his son and shook hands with Derek. It was so odd. Derek and Stiles had grown up not twenty miles apart, but it had taken college to bring them together.

It made logical sense, of course. Derek had been leaving high school when Stiles entered it. But every time Derek thought about it, he remembered how looking at Stiles felt like coming home.

[feelingsdusk]

You asked for prompts, if you're still interested - BAMF!Stiles that shows everyone that he doesn't need saving, especially from Peter (who's simply smitten). Have a great day!

The best helping hand is at the end of your own arm.

Stiles can say without a doubt that he has never been the strongest or the fastest or the smartest, but he can also say that he has never needed to be saved either. He does that by himself just fine, thank you very much, because he may not be the est anything, but he's strong enough, fast enough, smart enough and, essentially, everything enough to take care of himself and the people he cares about.

And if he isn't, well, he finds a way, he learns, he gets better.

Okay, okay, he has to admit it takes him embarrassingly long to kick his ass into gear, but excuse him if the sudden knowledge of the existence of a whole new world has left him floundering for a bit... especially with attacks raining left and right on him apart from his usual school drama.

But enough is enough and it's time to get his ass into gear already. He draws the line at being kidnapped and tortured by a geriatric fascist and having to sacrifice his poor Roscoe to save people that didn't appreciate it afterwards, fuck you very much. Because Stiles is not like this, he doesn't let things catch him off guard. Where he's concerned, pre-emptive strike may as well be his middle name. Or if he does get caught off guard (because he may not be the smartest but he knows it), he always has backup plan after backup plan lined up to execute. In short, pre-emptive strike may be his middle name, but forearmed is his third.

With that in mind, when he can finally move without having his whole body protest loudly in pain, he orders three different rare species of aconite (ones that he knows will survive in California's weather) and he goes in search of his mum's gun. His dad gave it to her when Stiles was about five years old because a twerp that was angry at his dad tried to take it on his family. Needless to say his dad took steps to have them as safe as possible when he wasn't there to protect them and, despite her vehement protests, took his mom to the shooting range after making her get a license until she could hit on the target every time. Then he got her a Glock 19 (smaller and lighter than the 22 that his dad has in his safe) and a full case of 9mm hollow-point bullets. His mom wasn't happy at all, because she was against guns, so without telling him, she hid it where she was sure Stiles wouldn't accidentally find it, bought an almost identical BB handgun and went on with her life as normal. His dad never found out and since he never had the heart to go through her things after she died (Stiles was the one that painstakingly slowly moved everything to the attic), he never took the gun.

In fact, Stiles is pretty sure he doesn't even remember it, which works just fine for him, because he would have had to steal the one in his safe or find a way to acquire one illegally otherwise.

It's painful, both physically and mentally, and he ends up filthy in the process because neither Stilinski has set a foot up there since Stiles brought the last of his mom's belongings up while his dad was passed out in front of a bottle of whisky. It takes him veritable hours to find both guns and the extra bullets and pellets hidden in a box full of knitting patterns and needles and he flees the moment he has it in his hands.

He takes a shower and then filches his dad's cleaning supplies to take care of the gun. He hides it and takes her mom's BB handgun to practice in the backyard, because he can get access to more than enough pellets but can't afford to waste actual bullets. He has good enough aim but he has to be better for what he has in mind.

When the wolfsbane arrives he sets out to work with it. Because he's a vengeful bastard, he fills the empty space in the bullets with four different mixes of the three aconite he has and then seals the opening, careful to not mess up with its balance. He puts a tiny mark on each bullet's case to know which is which just in case an accident happens and then fills the two empty magazines he has alternating the kind. This way, even if someone manages to take the gun from him, they have a quarter of probability of actually getting the cure and three-quarters of poisoning themselves even more.

He tries to work out the be a spark thing but it's an utter failure other than for his ability to make the mountain ash function enough to make a barrier. The Internet doesn't help, no matter how much he tries, so he reluctantly goes to Deaton. The cryptic man talks in circles for fifteen minutes, gives him another pouch of mountain ash and then shows him where the door is. Stiles mentally gives the man a big fuck you very much and moves on to greener pastures.

He trains. Trying to get stronger is an exercise in futility when one's average opponents can lift a car one-handed without even breaking into a sweat, so he has to get smarter. Getting faster seems like a moot point too, but again, if he's smarter about it, it will help. And so, he concentrates on agility, on falling without hurting himself, on jumping without fear out of harm's way. Self-defense seems like a good idea, but without anyone to actually practice on (because Scott is in despair land being consoled by his new best friend Isaac and he hasn't called since summer vacation started... and Stiles is salty enough about it to not call himself) he's had to be content with just memorizing the moves.

A month into summer vacation, he learns from his dad that Erica and Boyd are still missing and he frowns.

It's not like he cares about them -Erica gave him a concussion with a part of his own car, Boyd treated him like an irritating pest and, more importantly, they both left him behind after he helped them out of the Argent's basement- but he heard them talking about going back to Derek last time he saw them and he doubts they're willingly putting their parents through a calvary while hiding cozily with their alpha after a whole month. Which can only mean one thing: there's more supernatural shit about to go down.

He decides to go to talk to Derek anyways. He doesn't fancy being pushed against walls just because the werewolf can't control his temper enough but at this point it's not like he has any other options and he needs to know if he's being paranoid or if his hunch is right to decide how to proceed.

As luck would have it, Derek is not the one at the loft.

"Are you stealing those?" he asks with one cocked eyebrow.

"Why, Stiles, hello to you too," Peter drawls. "FYI you can't steal what's already yours."

"Since you're officially dead, you don't actually own anything, though."

"Touché."

Stiles bends into an exaggeratedly pompous half-bow before turning serious and asking without preamble. "So, Erica and Boyd?"

Peter cocks his head as if he's found a particularly interesting puzzle and then smirks. Stiles braces himself.

"What do I get out of this?"

"Your continued survival?"

Peter laughs heartily and then smirks again. "Ah, I knew I liked you for a reason. What do you know about the alpha pack?"

Oh, boy.

"Say, Peter," he muses after the man brings him up to speed, "how much better is a werewolf's sense of smell and hearing compared to the ones of a normal wolf?"

Peter pauses and looks at him carefully, with an unholy gleam on his eyes. "Practically the same."

"Huh. Interesting. See you, creeperwolf."

And Stiles unceremoniously leaves.

So, according to Peter, they have combed the preserve and found nothing, which means that they must be hiding in one of the abandoned buildings around Beacon Hills or they would be drawing too much attention (if what Peter says of some of the members' appearance is true) to themselves. There can't be many of those around Beacon Hills, right? It's a small town after all.

---

Peter is at the loft too when Erica and Boyd crawl their way back with a surprising addition in tow. Derek and Isaac gape for a moment before hugging them tightly. Peter hovers at the fringes because the first thing that comes out of his nephew's mouth when Cora looks at him is he killed Laura.

(It shouldn't smart this much that Cora, whom was left behind just like Peter, stays put.)

They explain what happened... or what they know anyways. Cora was already captured by the time Erica and Boyd were imprisoned in the bank's vault. They were kept in a mountain ash circle and no moonlight would reach them, so they were slowly losing their minds. The alphas would rough them up every day and barely feed them. Then, today, just after they had been paid a quite painful visit, shots (the muffled kind that suggested a silencer) and screams started and continued until just one heartbeat remained. Whoever it was, they moved around a lot for a while and then they stood still. Then, several hours later, more shots and screams erupted before silence reigned. Once again, the person moved around for a bit before coming to the vault's door. They opened it but the werewolves didn't dare come out for fear of being shot too. However, just after leaving the door unlocked, the person left. After a while, Cora dared to peer outside and found the mountain ash line disrupted. Outside their former prison, there was a lot of blood painting the tiles and some walls, but no bodies at all. They hightailed out of there.

Five alphas that have annihilated pack after pack all around the country, taken down in a matter of hours by one single person. One person with enough steel in his core to not panic about having to dispose of five bodies when it's not even fully dark out now. Peter feels giddy with want.

(Unfortunately, nothing ever falls on Peter's lap, so if he wants, he's going to have to make sure he gets it himself.)

He slips out stealthily and wonders where his dear boy is thinking to hide the bodies. The answer is the Preserve, of course, so he makes a guess of where exactly that might be in there and then he takes off running. Then he thinks about it, stops to grab some curly fries (he sneers in disgust at the grease that seeps through the paper bag) and then he heads out again.

He finds Stiles grunting as he drags one body to a very deep pit that has been obviously prepared beforehand. Peter can't help the broad grin that splits his face. He grabs one leg and hauls it up one-handed and Stiles starts a little, letting go of the body to put him at gun point. Peter just tosses Kali carelessly to the pit and hands him the curly fries. Stiles blinks surprised for a moment and then rolls his eyes, holstering the gun. Peter leaves him there munching happily at the greasy monstrosities and goes to grab the last two former alphas to toss them to the pit. Then he helps the teen dose them with a concoction that has him sneezing the whole time before filling the hole with the soil that was separated to the side. Very cleverly, the topmost part of it has been carefully taken so as to not disrupt the grass on it, so when they put it back in its place, it looks as any other patch of forest floor.

Peter wants, he wants so bad.

He wants this ruthless yet caring boy. He wants his resourcefulness, his cleverness, his loyalty. Hell, he wants his cheekiness, his rough edges, his always running mouth and his stupidly spastic ways.

"Congratulations," he says instead. "But what about the darach?"

"The whassit?"

"The dark druid that has been preparing for a ritual on the Nemeton," Peter states simply.

Stiles stops where he was folding the newly clean tarp he used so that no evidence was left on his jeep. He looks at Peter, gaze penetrating and unwavering.

(He wonders if he's given himself out, if it's too clear that he makes people want to keep him around by making himself useful and indispensable, and he fidgets inwardly.)

"Isn't this something Deaton should notice right away?" Stiles asks suddenly and Peter blinks surprised.

"Indeed."

"Huh," he muses. "Maybe we should pay him a visit."

Peter grins.