#sterek the sea beast au

[celestialvoid-fanfiction]

Teen Wolf The Sea Beast AU:

In a world where the oceans are ruled by giant monsters and beasts that attack passing ships, the Hunters are hailed as heroes for hunting the beasts and protecting the people.

The Hunters have a code: honour and protect all who come before and all who will come after.

Derek was one of many children orphaned by the beasts after they attacked the ship. He was the sole survivor, plucked from the sea by the nutritious Captain Peter Hale who took him in and raised him like his own son.

The Inevitable is the most famous of all Hunter ships, captained by Peter Hale, who never shied away from a fight. The first mate, Stiles Stilinski, an expert with any weapon and the only person who can stand up to the Hales without consequence. Derek Hale, who killed five beasts in two days. The Quartermaster Boyd, who keeps the crew in check. The medic, Scott, who has stitched the crew up more times than he’d like to admit.

But Derek’s world gets rocked when he meets Isaac, a young orphan whose parents died on the Monarch, a Hunter ship that was destroyed by beasts and left no survivors. He tries to convince Derek to let him join their crew and when that fails, he sneaks aboard the Inevitable as it sets out to hunt the Red Blustery, the beast that took Peter’s eye, on order of the king and queen. Amused by Isaac’s string will, he lets the boy stay aboard.

The next day, the Inevitable catches up with the Red Bluster. The harpoon it but the Bluster starts to drag them in circles until the tides form a whirlpool that threaten to drag them under. Isaac, thrown from the safety of the cabin Derek told him to stay in and armed with a knife that Stiles gave him to protect himself, Isaac cuts through the ropes tying them to the Bluster. Peter orders Derek to stop him but Derek hesitates. Isaac cuts through the ropes. The ship rears back. Derek and Isaac are thrown overboard. Derek races to help Isaac, but Isaac’s looking past him, terrified. Derek turns to see the Bluster, waiting beneath the surface.

Derek grabs Isaac and swims back to the surface, pulling him aboard the row boat that the crew had cut loose for them.

“Bring the child to me,” Peter orders.

“He’s just a kid,” Derek argues. “He was only trying to help.”

“Bring him here,” Peter repeats.

“What are you going to do to him?” Derek demands.

Peter draws his gun. “I gave you an order! Bring him here!”

Derek steps in front of Isaac, shielding him. “He’s just a kid.”

Before anyone can react, the Bluster breaks the surface, it’s jaws closing around the row boat and takes Derek and Isaac with it as it dives back into the water.

Isaac starts panicking and Derek tries to find a way out. Isaac is the first to realise they’re not in danger, he tries to convince Derek not to kill the Bluster. But Derek won’t listen; the beasts are dangerous, and if they don’t kill the beasts, the beasts will kill them.

The Bluster takes them to an island where the sea beasts nest. Derek and Isaac make shelter in the abandoned shell of one of the beasts. Isaac asks Derek about all the stories he had read about the beasts, the Infinite, the crew, and Derek answers them all.

Meanwhile, thinking they’re dead, Peter is hell-bent on revenge. He make a trade with a black market weapons dealer despite the protests of the crew. 

The next morning, Derek gathers their supplies and takes them to the row boat, explaining the plan of getting to the nearest island to flag down a ship and get them back to port. But as they leave, a crustacean beast attacks them. Isaac is knocked from the boat and Derek fights the thrashing water to get back to him, grabbing his spear and readying his aim when the Bluster breaks through the surface and begins to fight the crustacean.

Derek readies the spear, hesitating as he tries to figure out which beast to hit. The crustacean lunges at the Bluster, pinning it down. Derek could stand by and let the crustacean kill the Bluster, but he doesn’t; he throws his spear, hitting the beast in a vulnerable place and taking it down.

He races to Isaac’s side, pulling him into the boat. The hull has been punctured and they have to return to shore in order to repair it. But Isaac has an idea, he stands up, turning to the Bluster and asking for help. He uses a shell and a coconut and the bail to mime them in the boat and puts them on his head to show the Bluster what he’s asking. The Bluster sinks below the water and Derek tells Isaac that it’s a waste of time; the beasts don’t want to help people, only attack them. But suddenly the boat lurches as the Bluster lifts the row boat from the ocean. Isaac looks back at Derek, a hint of smugness to his smile. 

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Derek says.

On the three day trip, the Bluster helps Derek fish and Derek and Isaac pull the spears from the beast’s back. Slowly, a bond begins to grow. Derek reads through the book that Isaac has studied religiously, finding faults in the stories and things that never happened. They slowly come to realise that everything they think they know is a lie.

The Bluster takes them to a nearby island, setting them down ashore so they can flag down a ship. But a royal ship is in the bay and upon seeing the beast, they fire upon it, injuring Isaac and Derek. The Bluster tears through the ship. Peter and the Inevitable show up, baiting the Bluster into a fight. Peter uses the poison harpoon gun he procured to take the beast down, tying it to the stern to tow back to port. They’re about to leave when they spot a row boat from the wrecked naval ship rowing out to meet them, aboard is Derek cradling Isaac’s unconscious body in his arms.

When Isaac wakes up in the infirmary, he hears Derek trying to explain everything to Peter and Stiles, but Peter won’t have a word of it.

“We’re Hunters,” Peter says with finality. “You’re either with me, or your my enemy.” 

Isaac tries to attack Peter, but Derek stops him--unable to chose between the man who was family to him and the kid he knows is right.

Days later, they tow the Bluster into the bay, stopping the ship before the balcony where the king and queen stare in horror at the sight of the beast. Isaac sneaks out of his cabin and uses his knife to cut through the restraints--but the ropes are thick and his knife is too small. Peter makes a grand speech about how the royals think the time of the Hunters is over, that they aren’t needed anymore. He vows to prove them wrong by killing the Bluster. He draws his sword and raises it, ready to plunge it into the beast’s heart, but another blade crashes against his, stopping him.

He looks up, his eyes filled with rage as he glares at Derek. Derek tries to reason with him, but Peter is too far gone. Peter begins to fight Derek. He knocks him down and moves to kill the beast.

Isaac is frantically sawing at the ropes when a shadow passes over him. He looks up to see Stiles, sword in hand. Stiles smiles at the kid and says, “I should’ve given you a bigger sword.”

With one clean slice, Stiles cuts the Bluster free. The poison wears off and the beast begins to move. Peter is knocked ashore where he grabs a gilded spear from a statue. He readies himself to throw it, facing up against the Bluster.

“Stop.”

The voice is small and quiet, but it’s enough to make them both freeze. 

Isaac stands between Peter and the beast.

“This doesn’t end unless you end it,” he tells the Bluster.

The beast seems to understand him. The churning water settles as the beast calms down.

Derek grabs the spear from Peter’s hold, stepping over to Isaac’s side where everyone can see him. He raises the spear high above his head and shouts “No more hunting!” before smashing it against his leg, snapping the spear pole in half.

The Bluster understands the gesture. It lowers its head and allows Isaac and Derek to climb onto it, proving to the people that the beast isn’t a monster.

But it isn’t over yet: Isaac exposes the royal family as frauds who made up stories to make people fear the beasts and love the royal family for employing Hunters to kill the beasts and keep the people safe. The king and queen deny it, shouting for the royal guard to kill the beast.

Isaac continues, bringing up the fact that thousands of beasts have died, just as thousands of Hunters have--their bones lying together at the bottom of the sea. He tells of his parents on the Monarch, and how he wouldn’t have been orphaned if it weren’t for the lies. The queen says the Monarch and its crew were inconsequential and all the Hunters who have fallen only had themselves to blame. She orders the commander to fire, but the commander turns to the queen, her face composed as she says “My family was on the Monarch.”

The crowds begin to shout, demanding the king and queen let the Bluster go. The royal family cave and let the Inevitable escort the Bluster out of the bay, followed by the cheers of those who watch on.

Isaac looks up at Derek and smiles. “Now it’s over.”

The war between the people and the beasts ended but the code still stands: honour all those who came before and those who will come after. 

From that point on, no ships sailed past the strait and into the territory of the beasts. Derek get a house by the shore and adopts Isaac. Every evening, they sit on the dock and watch the sun set over the water.

[aurevell]

Pairing: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale

Length: 13,879 (Complete)

Tags: Sterek, Medieval/fantasy AU, Fae Stiles Stilinski, fae rules and trickery, two lonely boys who get better, light angst, eventual happy ending

Summary: When he was younger, Derek’s mom warned him of the fae and their penchant for mischief. So when he meets one in the woods many years later, he steels himself for a trick.

As it turns out, though, Stiles isn’t quite what he expected—and avoiding his spell may be much harder than it seems.

Read on AO3

Derek is still holding back a howl when the strange being slips out from among the trees.

The forest is wild here, much wilder than the woods he once called home. He can feel it when he runs at night, the way the crisp air stuffs his lungs, seeming to cool him from the inside out. It carries the smell of dampness and loamy earth and pine, but there’s always something else Derek can’t identify, something rich and vaguely sweet.

The people in the village down the mountain say that this land is full of magic. The caves to the east are full of goblins, and elves roam the hills farther off. There are strange lights at night, foul beasts in the rivers, haunting voices from fallen trees. Back when Derek first moved here, many of the villagers tried to talk him out of living alone in these strange woods. There was plenty of work for him on their farms, they’d insisted, for someone with strong hands for mending and cutting and digging. More than one hinted that he might find a match among them, a pretty girl to tend a house. The thought makes his stomach twist even now.

These days, when he heads down for his weekly supplies, they mostly leave him alone. He’s an outsider, even after two years in these woods. They’re no less polite, but they’ve never understood how he manages to eke out a life here.

They don’t know what kind of monster he is. They don’t know that he isn’t human like they are. They don’t know that he belongs to these woods, if it’s possible for him to belong anywhere at all.

On his worst days, he doesn’t mind the thought that something in the forest might kill him. After all, it feels no less than he deserves. Of course, he still fights tooth and nail when the situation demands—when the trolls invaded his territory, for example, or when he ran afoul of a scaled river-demon in the outer glens. But some days, he isn’t quite sure why he’s here, nor does he have anywhere else to go, and so it seems as good a time as any for something in these dark woods to crush him under its thumb.

On his better days, he sits in the tiny cottage he’s rebuilt, watching the fog creep into the bare branches of the elm trees farther off, and thinks that it’s not a bad life. It’s not the life he’d known or the one he’d expected, but there’s something about the quiet of the woods that he doesn’t mind.

By the light of the moon he patrols his land, the little corner of the world he considers his territory. In wolf form, he howls for his dead and his living.

The moon is full tonight, glinting now and then behind a sea of rippling clouds, and Derek can feel it sing in his blood. He’s run for miles across his land, across his home, and though the energy never quite fades, he feels the sudden urge to sit and watch the forest come alive in the night. He finds a copse of trees in a shallow lowland, rimmed by thick bursts of spring coneflowers, and comes to rest on a weathered log.

Somewhere in the world, Laura and Cora are alive, Laura with her mate and her new wolf-cub. Peter may be with them still, though it’s hard to say with his uncle—he’s never been quite the same after the fire. Somewhere, all of them are maybe gathered under the light of the full moon, beside their new pack-mates, to howl into the night sky. Derek is much too far away to hear them, but a part of him imagines that he can. He could join them, howl into the air as well, except for the fact that his old life feels too far behind him, too distant from where he is now.

He shifts into his human form and settles against the log, and for some time he dozes to the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves overhead.

Much later, when Derek lays eyes upon the creature, he thinks he might be dreaming. When he straightens to take it in, he knows it can’t be human: no human could move so soundlessly through the wood. Derek hadn’t heard it step through the undergrowth, only catching sight of it now that the silver moonlight glimmers upon its pale skin. Oddly, there’s nothing particularly threatening about it (though Derek knows by now not to place much stock in appearances). There’s only dark hair, dark eyes, a wisp of a smile. It wears a deep green tunic and brown trousers, and if he hadn’t known any better, he might have mistaken it for a lost villager. But its heartbeat is inhuman—thin, almost silent.

“You’re handsome,” it murmurs slyly, slipping easily through the flowers. “What are you after? You’re not one of my normal customers.”

Derek’s spine grows tense as the being approaches. He’s not sure whether it means to fight him, or whether it’s only passing through. “Customers?”

The being shrugs one shoulder delicately. “Either you need something, or you’ve found exactly the wrong place for a nap.” He jerks his head to one side, and Derek’s line of sight follows the movement. Among the coneflowers are little white-capped mushrooms, a perfect ring of them looping around the tiny clearing.

It’s a fairy circle, Derek realizes. His heart sinks, his eyes snapping back to the creature—the fae. The creature seems to read his thoughts. “It’s also a circle of oak, ash, and thorn trees. Twice magic,” the fae adds. “Thrice if you count that it’s the first full moon of spring.” That sly smile hasn’t quite left its face.

As unassuming as this being appears, Derek is keenly aware that it is likely the most formidable enemy he has ever faced here in these woods, and his mind stutters to life as he works to determine the best strategy to escape in one piece.

Long ago, Derek’s mother taught him about the fae. Remembering this makes his throat go tight, especially the thought of her wry, exasperated glances to make sure he and his sisters were still listening. Fae are powerful creatures, she’d once explained, with ancient magic and severe tempers that lash out at anyone who doesn’t follow the proper etiquette. Fae are mercurial. They hold grudges. They act in spite. Those on the wrong side of fae magic find themselves trapped in the land of the fae, or seven years into the future, or less their firstborn child. Or just as likely, dead. Derek will have to tread carefully around this stranger if he means to get out of here without a fight he’s sure to lose. He can’t give offense, nor can he afford to appear rude. He can’t let the fae trick him for its own purposes. He can’t let his guard down.

The fae seems to be calculating something about him as well. As it—he—comes a little closer, those eyes catch the light of the moon, and Derek can see that they aren’t so dark after all. They’re the color of honey, a strange amber glowing from their depths.

“What happens with your normal customers?” Derek can’t help but ask.

“Well, they’re usually goblins, for one thing,” the fae snorts. “They’re dumb as rocks, can’t do spells to save their lives, so they sometimes come out here bartering for fairy lights, the kind that last just shy of eternity. You know, for all the cave-digging. I used to see the occasional elf, but since their new king’s on another racism kick, they’re suddenly too smug to trade with a fae. But I never get humans,” he adds, studying Derek. “I thought you were all too smart to come around here.”

Derek balks at this. He wonders if the goblins actually get home in one piece, or if they live to regret accepting a fairy gift. He doesn’t like how close the fae has come, but the only reaction he’ll allow himself is to lean subtly backward.

The fae stops a few feet away, his spine straightening. “So, then. To business. What do you want, and what are you bartering?”

Derek’s mouth opens and closes. “I don’t have anything to barter.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” the fae says with a wink.

Derek swallows. He can’t let himself fall into the potential trap of making a trade, but would it be offensive to say he doesn’t want anything at all? That he never meant to come here in the first place? He takes a gamble. “I only wanted to meet a fae.”

At this, the fae blinks. Derek is surprised to see his face brighten in surprise, and something about the curve of his smile seems suddenly genuine. “Oh. Is that right?” he hesitates for just a moment, the lines of his posture softening, and Derek has the strange impression that he’s splattered ink across the fae’s usual script. The being huffs with something like laughter. “Okay. Well then, I guess you’re meeting one now. I’m Stiles.”

“Is that your real name?” Derek asks skeptically.

Stiles snorts again. “No way. My real name is unpronounceable. No one uses it, ever.”

Derek nods slowly. It’s a clever explanation, or it would be if Derek didn't know any better. His mother once told him that names are carefully guarded secrets among the fae, that to speak a fae's name is to have power over them. The same is true for Derek, though: telling this creature his real name is to step under Stiles’s control. “I’m Daniel,” he replies, stomach twisting a little as he offers his father’s name. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Stiles hums and steps closer, settling cross-legged onto the grass at Derek’s feet. Derek barely manages to keep from recoiling. “You’re not really a human, are you, Daniel?” he asks, quirking his head to the side. “You’re something else…” his eyes flit up to the moon, then back to Derek, pausing to search him for a moment. Then he perks up. “Oh! You’re that one werewolf that moved just over the hill. The old cottage in the elm grove.”

“Yeah, a while ago. I didn’t know this was fae territory, though.”

“Oh, it’s not,” Stiles says dismissively. “I’m not with the courts; it’s just me. But what brings you out here? I thought you guys usually hold onto your territories for generations or something.”

“Too many bad memories,” Derek replies shortly. He pauses, hoping his bluntness isn’t rude, but Stiles doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, his expression grows a little softer.

“Sorry to hear it,” he murmurs, and then adds, “So you’re alone.” Derek bristles a little, both because it’s the first time someone’s said this so casually to his face, and because he realizes how stupid it is to let on that there’s no one else here to help defend him. Before Derek can decide how to reply, though, Stiles smiles at him. “Well, it’s not so bad out here. The forest has a bad reputation, but it’s really nice once you’re used to it. Beautiful, even. If sometimes a little deadly,” he grins. “But I guess you’ve learned that by now.”

“There have been some…close calls,” Derek admits, wary.

“Anyway. I’ve never met a werewolf before,” Stiles says, bouncing in place a little. “You look much more human than I’d have thought. I couldn’t even tell you weren’t one right away. If I hadn’t overheard some of the trolls gossiping about you, I wouldn’t have guessed. You don’t seem very wolfish,” he adds dubiously.

“No, it’s—I mean, while I’m in human form, I just look human,” Derek explains, growing perplexed. “I can do a partial shift into a wolf, or a full shift.”

“Can I see?” Stiles asks. His eyes are wide and curious.

It’s impossible to tell whether this is part of some game, some trick to have Derek transform and to trap him somehow. But if so, Derek can’t see the purpose, and he’s much more dangerous in wolf form anyway, in case the fae means to try something. He shifts fully into a wolf, feeling his limbs stretch and the fur ripple over him. As a wolf, his vision is even better, and he can make out faint tracings of moles on Stiles’s skin as the fae leans in a little for a better look.

“Oh,” Stiles says excitedly, and to Derek’s surprise, he runs a hand through the fur on his back. It’s not unpleasant, and the touch is gentle and a little uncertain. Derek can’t remember the last time someone touched him just because they wanted to. “Are you still going to run under the moon?” Stiles asks, again trailing his fingers through Derek’s fur. It’s very distracting. “Because if so, I can keep you company for a bit. I’m faster than I look, at least in the trees,” he adds mischievously. “It might be fun to race with someone who can actually keep up.”

Derek cocks his head. Games upon games. What does this fae want from him? He can’t understand what the trick is—and maybe it’s foolish, but because he can’t see one, he decides it’s better to play along rather than risk offense. He can’t really reply, but he gives a snort that he lets Stiles interpret as he will. The fae grins wider. “Alright, then. Hmm. So if you follow Fell Creek to the north, there’s a clearing where the water forks. Do you know it? It’s not far from where you live, I don’t think.” When Derek nods, Stiles adds, “That’s where we'll finish. Are you ready?”

Derek nods again, and though he shouldn’t be surprised when the fae dashes into the trees without another word, he somehow isn’t expecting it. When he snaps out of it and bolts after Stiles, he can hear laughter ringing from somewhere farther off.

Trick or no trick, these woods are Derek’s now, and he knows them nearly as well as he’d known the forest around his childhood home. Trees streak past him in a dark rush, and he sprints across fields and undergrowth dappled with silver light from the moon. He catches sight of Stiles every now and then, bursting through the leaves and around tree trunks—but the fae seems to appear always just ahead of Derek’s path, his footsteps nearly soundless in the night.

It’s enough to spark Derek’s sense of competition, and he leans into his sprint, hoping to pull ahead in the race. Eventually, Stiles rushes in front of him, hurrying off down a low-slung ravine that should, by all rights, be in the wrong direction. Derek runs for a few paces, then stops short. Despite his mother’s voice in his head, he turns to hurry after the fae. He’s just in time to catch a glimpse of Stiles’s pale skin disappear around a rocky shoulder, and he speeds furiously toward him. When he rounds the bend, Stiles is just ahead of him, his face turned to grin. He bursts through a wall of vines that hang from the branches above, and Derek crashes into the leaves behind him.

When he comes through the other side, he’s somewhere he decidedly shouldn’t be—a clearing that must be nearly a quarter-mile away. It’s as if he’s suddenly been transported from one place to another. Or as if Stiles has led him through a magical portal within the leaves. “Shortcut!” the fae calls cheerfully. Derek should really stop and think about this, and he’s going to have a headache trying to process it all later. But for now, Stiles is winning and Derek leaps onward to catch up.

There’s no competition in the end, which was pretty clear from the moment they started out. Derek puts on a burst of speed, sprinting so quickly that his paws can barely keep up, but Stiles is always a few paces ahead, sometimes more—the fae has a way of disappearing and reappearing in the deep green leaves.

At last, Stiles comes to a halt on the banks of the stream where the water divides, a wild grin upon his face. “It was a good match,” he says magnanimously as Derek arrives just behind him, shifting back into his human form.

“You swept the floor with me,” Derek replies, and he can't completely hold back his smile. His limbs still thrum with energy, his heart racing in anticipation as if the game isn't yet finished. “Maybe if you hadn’t cheated…”

Stiles laughs, and Derek’s charmed by the musical sound of it, the way his cheeks dimple just a little. The stream babbles behind him, sparks of silver moonlight reflecting onto them both. “I wasn’t sure how fast you were, or if I’d need to or not, and better safe than sorry,” the fae says mischievously. He’s so close, close enough that Derek could reach out and touch him. He’s curious to feel his skin without the barrier of wolf fur. Stiles smirks, adding, “Besides, nothing was specified about the use of magic. Did you like the trick with the shortcut? I wouldn’t show that to just anyone.”

The reminder of magic turns Derek’s skin cold. This is a fae, he scolds himself. A trickster. You can’t know what he wants, you can’t let him in, and you can’t trust him. “It was…nice,” he says awkwardly, and then he clears his throat and takes a moment to weigh his next words. “All of this was nice. I’m glad I got to meet you. But it’s getting late, and I need to go home now.”

“Oh! Yeah, of course,” Stiles replies, shuffling away a little as the air between them becomes suddenly more formal. Then he smiles. “This was nice, wasn’t it? I liked playing with you.” Derek’s mouth twists at the wording, but before he can decipher it, Stiles leans forward, pressing his lips to Derek’s cheek. When he pulls back, the skin there feels strangely cool. “Get home safe, Daniel. Have a good night.”

He retreats into the trees, disappearing into the shadows almost between one instant and the next, though Derek stares after him for some time.

Derek takes a few deep breaths as if it might clear his head. Whatever Stiles is after, it must have something to do with the way Derek feels now, the way his cheek still prickles as if from the night chill. Derek’s falling for his tricks, just like the fool his mother had tried to warn him out of becoming. Stiles may have reached out a hand of friendship to Derek, but there’s nothing real about it—and Derek will never repeat the same mistakes he once made with Kate.

Read the next chapters on AO3 :)

[softderekhale]

from the archives: snippets of a sterek pacrim au

hey y’all! i definitely haven’t been super active on this blog or tumblr at all lately, for a lot of reasons but mainly just... life. doesn’t that suck sometimes? but i really, truly hope everyone is doing well and you + your loved ones are staying safe. (long reflection + tumblr fic after the cut, lol)

i’ve been in kind of a funk with writing since the last time i “had” to do it, which was 12 days/sterek secret santa like, 6 months ago. it’s frustrating to me that i went from writing my longest fic ever exactly 2 years ago to having almost zero output now, but i’m trying not to be too hard on myself and i know writing is a really fickle pastime. anyway, this is a really long leadup, but i decided to just release some stuff i wrote into the wild. it’s either here or my google drive, so i might as well see if anyone wants to read it! 

pacific rim is undoubtedly one of my favorite movies of all time (it was only bumped down by into the spider-verse, but they’re almost tied ;D). it came out right after my sterek obsession began, and i always imagined writing a sterek au based around derek and stiles being drift compatible. that whole concept has always been so lovely to me and fits in nicely with some of my favorite soulmate-y tropes. this idea always felt too ambitious, though, and i didn’t write a single word of it until i rewatched the movie in november/december 2019. i wrote the following stuff in an extremely giddy haze over the next few weeks. i’m not good about pushing myself to write, so i never added any more, but i still really like what i had/have! i hope maybe someday i’ll feel the urge to come back to it. but anyway, here’s my completely self-indulgent homage to one of my favorite movies and one of my favorite fandoms. in my au chronology for this, following the events of the first movie, global governments and the ppdc decided to deploy jaegers for continued deep sea exploration to further benefit scientific discovery and avoid wasting such expensive tech/training. this lead to a lot of corporate interference re: treasure hunting, etc. (national treasure, but make it underwater). oh, and werewolves exist (because wouldn’t they make great jaeger pilots?!). also, A SECOND PACIFIC RIM MOVIE WAS NEVER EVER MADE. THE END. laura and derek were copilots before a kaiju-fighting incident forced them into early retirement. laura is still alive, though! (because it’s me.)

***

“Mayday! Mayday! LOCCENT, do you copy? This is Luna Geminae paging for backup. LOCCENT! Danny, we can’t hold them much longer…”

Laura’s growl of frustration rang in Derek’s ear as he strained against the beast.

“Keep holding it, Derek. You can do this. I know you can. They’re so close, Derek, they’ve gotta be. Just a few more—”

Derek never knew how Laura intended to finish that sentence. All he would ever remember was the scream that tore out of her throat. Later, he would describe it as the first time he ever understood the meaning of “bloodcurdling.”

“Laura!” Derek gritted his teeth as pain roared down his left arm, causing his vision to blur and spark white around the edges.

“My arm, Jesus, my fucking… They got my arm, Derek—” 

As water poured into the cabin above and around him, the last thing he remembered hearing was Laura’s anguished howl. Then the sky became fire, and everything went dark.

***

The day of the accident convinced Derek that his world would never stop burning.

For months after, when he lay staring at the ceiling until the early hours of the morning, the staticky shapes his eyes created to fill the darkness always melted and formed a wall of flames no matter how many times he scrunched his eyes shut and buried his face in his pillow. The noises, too — the ambient whoosh of the Dome’s ventilation system and the soft heart-like thud of the power grid soon coalesced into a unified, rhythmic chant that sounded more and more like Laura’s scream the longer Derek listened: Derek! Help!

In the days and weeks following their accident, Derek had tried every trick he could think of to reassure his subconscious that Laura was alive and safe, and would remain so even after she left his line of sight. For almost a week after she was released from the medical bay, he slept in the spare bunk above her. As reticent as he normally was to invade Laura’s privacy any more than he had to, experiencing her near-loss allowed panic and instinct to envelop Derek’s frayed nerves. He never fully explained it to Laura, but he didn’t have to — she never questioned his presence, nor did she point out that Derek always waited to fall asleep until he was certain she had already drifted off. 

Eventually, though, Derek realized the routine was leaving them both sleep-deprived and irritable. He resolved to move back to his own quarters, not wanting to smother Laura with his relentless, anxious presence. But he knew she still sensed his distress — every evening at 2300 hours, like clockwork, she knocked on his door to tell him goodnight and gently pressed her right palm against her brother’s neck before waving and returning to her own room. It was a routine they continued even now, half a decade beyond the fight that had left their Jaeger decimated. 

They had made progress, which Laura was always quick to remind her younger brother. Nothing could have prepared him for the aftermath of the accident, though, and the dark places where Derek’s mind would drift when there was no one around to distract him. Alone with his thoughts, no reassurance was strong enough to quiet Derek’s memories.

He shifted again in bed, his half-awake mind scrambling to remember the breathing exercises Deaton had taught him over the years.

Inhale through your nose. One. Two. Three. Hold. Exhale through your mouth. One. Two. Three—

Derek!

Start again. Inhale through your nose. One. Two. Three. Hold. Exhale through your mouth. Slower this time.

Good. Again.

***

This comes way after the scene above lol sorry

“Right hemisphere locked. Left hemisphere locked. Vitals are steady. Initiating neural handshake.”

Danny’s voice echoed through Derek’s head as he let his eyes flutter shut and tipped his head back. He’d been anxious about this moment for days now, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t secretly a little — or a lot — excited, too. Drifting was a heady, emotional experience, and if he and Stiles were truly compatible, Derek might finally get to settle the unease he had felt since his connection with Laura was severed.

“Alright,” Danny said. “You should be feeling it in three… two… one.”

Derek’s eyes flew open, but his gaze defocused as he felt his center of gravity list forward before returning.

As his sense of internal balance returned, the tingle of the neural link fizzed over his scalp. There it is. Slowly, then all at once, he felt the rush of Stiles’ mind meeting his own. Their emotions flowed over one another like water, memories flashing and sensations pulsing before slipping away into their shared flow of awareness. Derek had trained himself long ago to let himself float until the waters steadied, and he could feel Stiles, ever perceptive, do the same.

“Neural handshake established and holding at 100 percent.”

Without having to think twice about the gesture, Derek felt his knuckles meet his palm as he dipped into a customary bow. As he and Stiles led Luna in her first exploratory steps, Derek felt the weight of any lingering fears melt away.

With Laura, Derek had always felt like they were extensions of one another, movements and decisions cascading seamlessly from a fully unified thought process. Drifting with Stiles, though, felt unlike anything Derek had ever experienced. They were two sides of the same coin — each aggressive and reserved in equal, opposite measure. If Derek and Laura were reading from the same script, he and Stiles were finishing each others’ sentences as they improvised the same scene. 

When they first met, Derek had found Stiles anything but graceful — but now, as they nearly seemed to glide across the ocean floor, he felt foolish for not realizing the instinctive adjustments and calculations stiles was constantly making based on his surroundings. As they steered Luna across the testing ground, Derek felt his temples begin to thrum with an energy he hadn’t felt in years. Best of all, he knew Stiles felt it too — he could literally trace the path of his elation as it wrapped around Derek’s senses and amplified his own excitement.

“How are you doing?” Derek shouted across the rig. It wasn’t a question he needed to ask verbally, but he chose to anyway, knowing it would help ground them both in the present moment and prevent any stray thought spirals from taking over their link.

“So good, dude. This is — this is unreal,” Stiles replied, slicing through the air with his left arm to test the angle of the jaeger’s knuckle daggers.

Derek smiled. “Not exactly like the simulators, huh?”

“Nothing like the simulators, man. Holy shit.”

As they continued to acclimate to the drift, Derek took Stiles through a few more of Luna’s signature maneuvers. Stiles’ extensive research showed, and combined with the knowledge he and Derek now shared, the moves seemed to come naturally.

“Do you want some music?” He and Laura always played music when training, but he didn’t want Stiles to feel—

“That’s all I want right now, Derek.” Derek’s grin broadened as Stiles flicked through the controls hovering in front of him. A heavy bass line thrummed through the cabin, and Derek finally did what he never thought he would be able to again in his lifetime: he let his mind relax and free-fell into the drift.

***

Two hours after he and Stiles had eaten dinner and finally parted ways, Derek still couldn’t stop thinking about their drift.

That wasn’t unusual, all things considered — emotional transfer was common, especially for werewolves and especially during the first few drifts with a new partner.

Every time Derek thought about his connection with Stiles, though, and the experience of their emotions weaving together, his mind kept snagging in one place. It was a place that had struck Derek even during the high of the neural handshake, not because it felt odd or foreign, but because it felt hauntingly familiar — but looked ugly and sinister looming over someone else. 

It was anguish. It was a grief that had been doused in shame and set alight. It was a feeling of loss and self-loathing that made Derek feel like he was suffocating. It was exactly the way Derek had felt every day for years after the fire, and again after the accident. 

He had tried to explain it to Laura as dispassionately as possible all the times she chided him for blaming himself or expressing guilt over what happened to their family, but he never knew how to describe it until he experienced it through Stiles’ memories. It was sore, like a bruised rib, a persistent ache that radiated out from the point of impact and lingered at the edge of his consciousness. Distractions might be able to push away some of the pain, but as long as he kept breathing, it would always be there.

Derek hadn’t seen exactly where Stiles’ pain radiated from, but it seemed to shroud the memories of his mother especially strongly. Stiles told him she had been sick, though — why would he feel guilty about her death?

He sat up, his leg bouncing as he fidgeted absently with a hangnail. Since deciphering what that unexpected shared emotion reminded him of, Derek couldn’t stop thinking about it. This, he knew, was normal too — without an outlet, emotional transfer tended to create a feedback loop as a co-pilot bounced back and forth between their own memories and their partner’s. 

Before he could talk himself out of it, Derek shot up and strode to the door. It was late, almost midnight, and the full body experience of drifting had left Derek racked with fatigue. But — he just wanted to talk to Stiles. To be near him, again, as if it were a substitute for the feeling of absolute synchronicity they had just shared. It would only take a few minutes.

He was so distracted by his own jumbled thoughts that it took him a moment to register who stood just outside his door as he flung it open — it was Stiles, hand paused in mid-air.

“Stiles.” Very eloquent, Derek, he chided himself with an internal voice that sounded suspiciously like Laura.

“Oh— Well. Um. Hi.” Stiles gave a small wave before shoving his hand in his pocket. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were about to—“

“I was about to find you.”

Stiles paused. “Really?”

Derek stepped back, nodding toward the doorway. “Really. Do you want to come in?”

As he and Stiles stood facing each other silently, Derek scrambled for exactly what he wanted to say. Everything was so effortless when they were in the drift. Why was it so hard to find the words now?

To his relief, Stiles was the one who broke the silence. “Sorry, I’m sure you’re tired… I’m just kind of keyed up, I guess, and I couldn’t—“ Stiles ducked his head down. “I don’t know. I thought it might help to see you.”

“Don’t apologize. You have good instincts,” Derek assured him. “And I— I wanted to see you too,” he added, feeling the tips of his ears heat. 

He could almost feel Stiles’ sigh of relief in his own chest. “Can I sit?”

“Of course.” Derek scooped a discarded pile of clothes off his bed and gingerly sat down after Stiles, mindful of the careful space between them. “Are you feeling okay?”

Stiles’ eyebrows jumped. “Yeah, I feel fine, I really do, but I just feel… jumpy, I guess. Which is normal for me, but I can tell this is different. I don’t know how I know, but…” he trailed off, gesturing abstractly in front of him.

Derek nodded. “I know what you mean. You can’t really prepare for the drift until you’ve done it,” he said, remembering how disjointed he felt after his first few test runs. “But it gets easier,” he added.

Stiles shook his head. “I’m not worried about it. I trust you.” His eyes shot up to meet Derek’s, as if challenging him to dispute the steady, honest heartbeat behind his words. 

Derek was surprised to feel something behind his eyes sting at the pronouncement. He looked away from Stiles’ scrutinizing gaze, but he felt the other man’s eyes continue to study him. “I’m glad. I— that means a lot to me.”

Stiles nodded, remaining thoughtfully silent. Derek sensed he wanted to ask something, but wasn’t ready to admit it on his own.

“Is there anything I can do?” Derek asked gently, eyes seeking Stiles’ again.

Stiles looked pointedly away and bit at his thumbnail. “Um. It sounds stupid now. But I read… I read that physical contact can help,” he mumbled, so quickly Derek might not have caught it without his magnified hearing.

He realized Stiles’ admission may have felt embarrassing for a human, but for Derek, it was almost a relief. He reached forward slowly and cupped his hand over Stiles’ shoulder with a light squeeze. 

“It’s not stupid. You felt how intense the drift is. When you separate from a complete mental overlap, it can be disorienting. And you know how tactile wolves are — that makes it even harder for us, so you’re probably getting some of this from my own emotional bleed.” He didn’t miss the way Stiles melted into his touch, his whole body swaying into their point of contact.

Stiles nodded. “Yeah. That makes sense. Thanks,” his gaze flicked up to meet Derek’s.

“Do you—“ Derek didn’t really know how to ask for more contact. It came so naturally with other werewolves, so he’d never really had to think about it before. “I don’t want to touch you in a way you’re not comfortable with. But if you want to lay down, or you want me to lay down or…” He took a sharp, steadying breath. “I’m trying to say that I understand, and I think it will make us both feel better, and I’m fine with whatever level of contact you’re okay with.”

Stiles laughed, a bright and unexpected break in the tension. “Jesus. Listen to us. I feel ridiculous, but— Thank you. You’re very considerate.” He paused, expression drawing almost imperceptibly tighter. “I want that too, though. I want you to feel comfortable. If you’re not, if there’s anything I do— I promise I’ll ask, first, and if you can tell me, I want you to.” 

Derek felt a lump rise in his throat. Stiles’ words were sincere, but carefully chosen. He wasn’t sure how much of his own memories Stiles had observed, but it seemed to have been enough to understand that physical touch had once been a powerful weapon wielded against him.

“Thank you,” he answered quietly, before gently tugging at Stiles’ arm. “Here, lay down.”

The bed was barely wide enough for both of them to lay side by side, but it was just enough space for both men to settle on their backs with their elbows carefully layered between them. Derek hesitated for a moment before angling his head against Stiles’ neck. “Is this okay?”

Stiles hummed in agreement, the back of his hand flitting against Derek’s so softly he almost thought he imagined it. “This is perfect.” He inhaled deeply through his nose and tilted his head closer to Derek’s. They lay silently for a handful of minutes, and the rhythmic in-out of Stiles’ breathing nearly lulled Derek to sleep.

Suddenly, Derek felt Stiles still. “Why were you about to come look for me?”

Derek huffed. “I wanted to see you.”

“What, you had to check in on the rookie who can’t handle a drift?” Stiles’ tone was light, devoid of any real offense, and he jostled his shoulder gently against Derek’s.

“You did great. If anything, I— I hadn’t done it in so long, and Laura was my only co-pilot before you.” Derek frowned, remembering the heavy emotions of Stiles’ that had ensnared him earlier. He didn’t want to overwhelm Stiles, but he also wanted him to know that he both empathized with and thought highly of him. 

“I never thought I would get in a rig again,” Derek continued. “I don’t think I trusted myself enough. I carry… I carry a lot of guilt, Stiles. But when I thought about piloting with you, the guilt didn’t win. You’re the first person who’s been capable enough, smart enough, strong enough, that I didn’t have to worry.” 

Stiles didn’t respond at first, and a flash of panic seized Derek before he felt strong, warm fingers curl around his own.

“I won’t let you down,” Stiles said, his voice nearly a whisper and rough with emotion.

“I don’t think you could,” Derek whispered back, before he let his eyes slip shut and exhaustion overtake him.

***

When Derek awoke the next morning, he was startled — but it wasn’t in reaction to the way Stiles had draped himself over Derek in his sleep. Feeling Stiles’ arms around his waist felt oddly natural. The surprising part was how well he had slept — it was the first night of uninterrupted slumber he could remember having in months, if not longer.

***

yeah so... that’s all for now! if you read this, thanks and i hope you’re doing well!!! ❤️ 

[passiveinsane]

Fic Recs

two weeks of procrastination special!

Teen Wolf

Support by Epibreren | stiles isn’t in the loop au

In which Stiles and Derek are dating, and Stiles is under the impression that Derek is a furry.

Welcome to Rosie's Diner can I interest you in an eye-opener? by crossroadswrite | diner au

An entire diner is shipping sterek because they believe they’re a couple. Stiles and Derek, of course, are not (yet).

i wait for you like a lonely house by bleep0bleep | future au

“Derek isn’t sure why he buys the house.”

The (Figurative) Death of Destructo-Derek by newtypeshadow | Werewolf boyband au

“Derek Hale is a clumsy destruction magnet.

Except that he isn't. Unlike everyone else, Stiles can see the curse obstructing Derek's senses and tangling his limbs and causing increasingly destructive accidents. And now that the curse is turning deadly, Stiles is damn well gonna break it—whether Derek Hale believes it exists or not.”

Foundations by Spooks, thesuninside

“Spooks: Yanno, I can't believe that for a show set in California, they didn't do anything with natural disasters.”

Somewhere to Start by Lissadiane | fantasy au(???)

Beauty and the beast au where Stiles is half-fae, Derek is the heir to the Hales, and they’re both in the middle of a political ploy.

Special Order by bleep0bleep | stiles is a food critic au

Stiles, world-renowned food critic, wanders into the restaurant and life of Chef Hale.

dude, it's wednesday by stressingbisexual | series

Stiles is a twitch streamer, and other than that it’s canon-y.

adhd??? i think you mean GAYdhd amirite ladies by weeabooty

If the title isn’t convincing, there’s nothing to say.

Give Me Shelter by WonderWolf

Animal shelter volunteers au, where Derek gives punny names to cats and Stiles picks up more than one stray.

tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie by magneticwave

“In the low light from Scott’s candles, Lydia is breathtaking. Jackson is still a butt-ugly lizard monster, but he looks like he’s having a religious experience with Stiles’ trifle, so that’s validating in a weird sort of way.” Please read this, it’s so good, cackling will happen.

Once Upon a Time by lady_ragnell

“Five fairy tales Stiles isn't the hero of, and one he might be.”

CSI: Beacon Hills by Jerakeen | restricted work, must have ao3 profile to access

“Back when Stiles was in high school Beacon Hills didn't have a crime lab, because they simply didn't need one. Those were the days.”

Werewolf Daycare by dinolaur

Stiles is forced to take care of the pack: toddler versions. Derek is not useful.

coffee housing by kellifer_fic

Superhero!pack au.

Kiss the Cook by idyll

“Derek's a professional chef, and Stiles is a blogger who butchers his recipes.”

At All Costs by forestofbabel | time-traveling stiles

“Stiles is sent on a mission in time to protect Derek Hale at all costs. He doesn’t know why Derek Hale is so important to the future, but Stiles takes his mission seriously.”

Stiles Stilinski and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Well Maybe It Wasn’t That Bad…) by thegirlgrey

Stiles has a very bad day, and then a very good one.

This is Ridiculous by zosofi | future au | Explicit

“There's a unicorn in Beacon Hills. A fricken' unicorn. In fricken' Beacon Hills, California. And it turns out that unicorns aren't drawn towards virgins in a happy-go-lucky let-me-lay-my-not-at-all-metaphorical-horn-in-your-lap way. No. They kill them. And guess who's the only virgin idiotic enough to get sucked into the Beacon Hills supernatural scene? Stiles, that's who.”

Hallowed Grounds by damnfancyscotch

“Everything in Beacon Hills is the same when Stiles comes home from college.

Well, except for the fact that he's a published author now, Scott is halfway across the world with a travelling circus, Erica's epilepsy has been cured, her boss offers him a job too, and there's this weird black dog that seems to be following him around just to judge him.

Oh, and the murders, of course.

But other than that stuff... totally the same old BH.”

Unofficial Stiles Stilinski by elliot_edison | series

“ "So you're the boy he was complaining about the first week of school." Derek tried to remember what she was talking about. When he did, he decided it was his turn to want the world to swallow him whole.

"What?" Stiles frowned.

"Oh, it's nothing bad, sweetie." His aunt Hazel (who has a weirdly calming affect on everyone, which he was grateful for) assured him. "Peter, dear, remind me, what were his exact words?"

"I believe they were something along the lines of 'he spent a whole hour yelling at me and covering me in hello kitty band-aids. I think I want to marry him.'" Peter gave him a look. "Right?” “

Half-hearted Contestant by LadyDrace | not!fic

Stiles is on Derek Hales’s bachelor TV show, but he’s mostly (mostly) there for the food.

Sparkly Pens by mm_coconut | Explicit

Journal entries by Stiles (and Derek.) NSFW

ATLA

Swear by naggeluide

“Toph grew up in the Earth Rumble, and Zuko went through adolescence at sea. Neither of them are shy about using profanity.”

NDRV3

Liar's Gift by booperbeanv3

Ouma gives a bento box, homemade, to Shuichi. They’re dumb and gay.

The Way to a Man's Heart (is through his stomach) by orphan_account

“Shuichi wishes he had at least an hour to think of a response to that, but he doesn't, so he just stares dumbly back at Kokichi. Then, there's a forkful of pancake and strawberry directly in his face. Does Kokichi really expect him to let himself be fed like that? On the same fork, even? When Shuichi doesn't bite, Kokichi frowns again. “Come on, one bite?” His bottom lip juts out, and Shuichi has to wonder if Kokichi can tell that he is hopelessly infatuated after a handful of interactions. It's so bizarre to him, the way he feels like the biggest idiot on the planet and the luckiest guy in the world to be the subject of Kokichi's attention.

And that is decidedly too much emotion for being offered a bite of pancakes, but Shuichi also hasn't ever been in a situation quite like this one before. Every word out of Kokichi's mouth feels like a test and Shuichi just wants to know the right answer. It's overwhelming.”

kokichi is gay and shit at cooking: the saga by hejustkeptonyoing

Crack, but also incredibly funny crack.

Marvel

Bring Your School to Work Day by notoneforreality

“Or yes. Clint waited all of ten seconds for everyone (tonight: Tony, Bruce, Steve, Bucky, Clint, Natasha, Pepper and Peter) to take their seats at the long dinner table before gleefully announcing that Peter had a field trip to the compound next Wednesday. Peter, sat between Bucky and Nat, opposite Tony, buried his face in his hands.

“Lord lend me patience or a handgun.”

Two separate guns were thrust into his field of vision by two separate hands, and Peter blinked. Bucky and Nat narrowed their eyes at each other and Tony snatched both guns away before Peter could touch either.

“Absolutely not. Creepy Russian sensibilities away please.”

Bucky tried to slip Peter a knife, but Steve caught him at it and confiscated the weapon.”

@pbparker by fromstarttofin | twitterfic

“peter parker @pbparker

what i was expecting when i woke up:

-to study for my finals -to eat some captain crunch -for mr stark to brief me on the press conference

what i was not expecting when i woke up:

-500 ??? thousand ??? followers ??????????”

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Hi! Do you know any Sterek Cinderella fics? Or any fairy tale besides little red riding hood? Thanks!!!

I LOVE SOME GOOD OL’ STEREK FAIRY TALES!!!! -Letta

Grumpy Frog Look-alike by literaryoblivion

(1/1 | 1,905 | Teen)

Stiles finds a frog in one of his searches for the missing Prince Derek, and he befriends it and talks to it. After a while it kind of looks like Prince Derek to him, but maybe he's just lonely and going crazy with boredom.

Don't Say No by ObliqueOptimism

(1/1 | 1,906 | Teen)

Everyone knew the story. Stiles grew up watching the Disney version, little did he know that he would live out his own tale of the story.

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo by orphan_account

(1/1 | 2,349 | Gen)

“The Stilinskis are of royal blood, Lydia, and the Hales –”

“– are piss-poor peasants after having disgraced themselves in battle centuries ago?”

Derek looks away again. “Yes,” he says miserably. “I’ll never be good enough for him.” He feels more than hears Lydia sigh and step away.

“We’ll just have to make him forget about politics, then,” she says softly. “He won’t care what house you’re from the moment he sets eyes on you.”

“In these clothes?”

“Don’t be idiotic.” Lydia raises her wand and bites her lip contemplatively. “I’m your fairy godmother, Derek. I think I can work a little magic. But first – we’ll need a pumpkin and some mice.”

--

In which Derek is a Disney princess, but not really, and Stiles is the prince who actually remembers what Cinderella looks like.

Forevermore by AsagiStilinski

(1/1 | 3,098 | NR)

Once upon a time, there was a wolf prince, who's family was slaughtered by an evil huntress, legend says that he resides locked in a tower in the burned remains of his kingdom, waiting for someone to save him, and Stiles is about to become that someone

Fathoms Below by Saucery

(1/1  | 3,163 | Teen)

An absolutely shameless fusion with The Little Mermaid. Shh, just come.

The Prince and The Cobbler by FairyNiamh

(1/1 | 3,699 | Teen)

After his Royal Ball, Derek seeks out a certain cobbler with a familiar shoe. Really? Stiles is no Cinderella!

wander and wait by sinequanon

(1/1 | 3,714 | Teen)

Wherein Kate is an evil stepmother, Scott misses his friend, and Stiles ultimately has his revenge.

The Beauty and the Wolf by Shinigami24

(8/8 | 3,748 | M)

The tale of the beauty who loves the beast becomes the next matchmaking attempt.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by LessonsFromMoths

(1/1 | 3,948 | Teen)

The boy snorted. It was an ugly sound. Not one you would expect from a...princess? “Well obviously the fairytale didn't get everything right.”

Obviously. Derek’s eyes trailed over the slender boy. Rose-red lips, pink-tainted cheeks, slender frame, skin as white as snow. The fairytale got enough right. “And your dwarves?”

The boy outright laughed then. “Less like dwarves, more like nuisances.”

In which Stiles is Snow White, Derek is confused, and fairy tales aren't all that they cracked up to be.

The Little Glass Button by RossellyBea

(1/1 | 4,208 | Teen)

“Scott, I love you like a brother, but come on. Why in the world would an omega ever pick me? Let alone an omega prince? I may be an alpha, but the chance of me getting the prince's attention is non-existent. Non-existent.”

Omegaverse Sterek Cinderella. That pretty much sums it up.

The Hale Swans by ophelianipples

(5/5 | 4,715 | Gen)

“But remember -” said the fairy - “from the moment you commence your task, until it is finished, even should it occupy years of your life, you must not speak. The first word you utter will pierce through the hearts of your sisters like a deadly dagger. Their lives hang upon your tongue.”

An AU of 'The Wild Swans' in which Derek tries to save his sisters and Stiles is fascinated by his odd behaviour (and stunning good looks).

Under The Sea by myrandomnesslife

(1/1 | 6,246 | Teen)

In which Stiles is Ariel and Derek is Eric. With a twist.

The Rest Is Unwritten by mikkimouse

(2/2 | 6,267 | Teen)

Once upon a time, the werewolf king and queen invited five fairies to the christening of their only son. The fairies bestowed the boy with gifts—beauty, grace, wit, and the most adorable teeth in all the land.

But before the fifth fairy could give her gift, a wicked fairy from the other Court arrived and cast a terrible curse on the baby prince. He would have a life full of tragedies, she declared, and die young, of a broken heart.

The king and queen were beside themselves with grief. It was very old, powerful magic, so there was little they could do to break it. However, the fifth fairy had yet to give her gift. The curse could not be broken, she told them, but it could be altered.

She bestowed upon the prince the gift of perseverance, so that he would never lose his will to live, even in the face of countless tragedies. And when he found the one who would stand by his side and face those tragedies with him without fail, that is when the curse would be broken. Because the fairy knew there was nothing in all the world more powerful than true love. Not even a wicked fairy's curse.

A Tale Spun from Love and Void by Toxin

(1/1 | 7,230 | Teen)

When Kate Argent kills most of his family, Derek makes a deal with a Nogitsune in order to avenge their deaths. In exchange for killing his first love, however, the Nogitsune demands Derek’s next one as payment, whenever Derek falls again. Never believing he’d make the mistake of opening his heart to anyone else, Derek takes the deal.

Fortunately, the only thing the Nogitsune likes more than pain is riddles, and when it finally comes for Stiles, it offers Derek a chance: if he can guess the Nogitsune’s name before the time runs out, Derek can keep the boy. The only problem is, Derek doesn’t even know Stiles’ actual name, and that soon becomes an issue in and of itself.

Or,

A Teen Wolf twist on the Rumpelstiltskin tale, initially inspired by the fact that Stiles’ name is nearly impossible to guess in three tries. Written for the Sterek Writing Room's 'Fairy Tale September' prompt.

[sterek-bingo]

Happy New Year everyone!! To celebrate the great occasion of a new year, we've come to present you with this year's theme description post!! Under the cut you'll find the official descriptions for 2018's Bingo themes, in case you were stuck or just needed a little more clarity!

Tattoos- From triskeles to burning flesh to pack symbols, tattoos have always played a very big role in Teen Wolf, and there’s no reason not to continue that trend! There are so many ways to use tattoos, so many styles and themes, from the classics to the more unique, let your creativity really shine with the most personal form of art there is!

Werewolves Are Known- What used to be one of the most popular AU tropes can easily be applied to canon now, but you can feel free to use whatever universe setting you’d like for your peice! Canon, AU, A/B/O, crossover, the only rule is that werewolves are known to exist by ATLEAST a portion of the general public- it doesn’t have to be the entire world, it can be as small as one town, just so long as a portion of the general public know werewolves exist, the choices are your’s!

Zombies- From The Walking Dead to iZombie, from Afterlife With Archie to Warm Bodies, it’s safe to say that zombies have taken over modern pop culture, now it’s time to let the dead invade the world of Teen Wolf as well! You can easily make a zombie crossover with HUNDREDS of different media sources, or you can create your own universe and mythology- you could even set it in the Teen Wolf universe! Be it due to science or magic or something in between, the dead are rising, now will Stiles and Derek defeat them? Or… are Stiles and Derek PART of them…?

Witch & Familiar- The theme of a witch and a werewolf working together as two halves of an unstoppable pair has been popular with the Sterek fandom since the beginning, and though it’s usually Emissary!Stiles lending his assistance to Alpha!Derek, it might be fun to switch things around with Derek as a familiar lending his assistance to witch!Stiles- or the reverse! Perhaps you’d like to mix things up and make it witch!Derek and familiar!Stiles, whatever inspires you, feel free to let it run wild!

Bodyguard- Bodyguards have always had a certain appeal to them, be they for a celebrity, a politician, a member of royalty, or- most recently- even for a hitman, there’s just something inherently romantic about a person putting your life before their own, and now it’s time to apply that to Sterek! Be it one protecting the other, both as bodyguards working together, rival bodyguards, it doesn’t matter really, just as long as there’s some life saving (or .. life protecting?) going on, it’s all good here!

Hospital (Hurt/Wounded)- As it turns out, people really love wump! We had so many similar themes that we sort of boiled them down into this- if it involves Derek or Stiles (or both) being injured, ill, in a hospital, or even just emotionally wounded, if there’s some sort of pain involved you’ve got the right theme! Bonus points if you can incorporate multiple styles of using this theme!

Fantasy/Fairytale- From Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella to Alice In Wonderland and The Wizard Of Oz, fantasy and fairytales have always been part of culture, and with the rise of live action remakes like Beauty And The Beast, retellings of old classics like Kubo And The Two Strings, and the creation of modern fairytales like Moana, they seem to be more popular than ever! Let yourself be inspired by the fantastic world around you and carve out a new- or old!- fairytale or fantasy world for Stiles and Derek to be part of!

Spies/Assassin- With Dylan O'Brien starring in American Assassin and Tyler Hoechlin as a leading role in Stratton, the Sterek fandom has certainly had assassins and spies on the brain lately, and Sterek Bingo is getting in on the trend! From legends that Derek is a killer by the name of La Lobo, to the fact that Mitch sounds suspiciously like a nickname for Miecyslaw, there’s certainly alot of in-universe references to work with, and plenty of Hobrien related projects to play with too, or- and ofcourse this is always encouraged- go with your own thing! Let these two cuties start putting the “Fun” back in funeral!

Roadtrip- Who doesn’t love a good roadtrip? Junk food, awesome tunes, stupid car games, the inevitable moment when someone stares at the trees too long and gets car sick.. roadtrips!! Time to let Derek and Stiles enjoy- er… “enjoy”?- all of the wonders of spending an obscene amount of time alone in a car together- or not alone, there’s always the possibility of a family trip or a pack trip too- where are they going? On vacation? Away from Beacon Hills? On a mission to stop a random villain? Or does the destination even matter at all if you have barbecue potato chips, coca cola, and The Eagles on a four-disc set?

Thunderstorm- To some, thunderstorms are soothing, to others, they’re terrifying, but one thing is universal about them- they make for GREAT fan tropes! Let your headcanons loose with this one, does Stiles find the pelting of the rain and soft rolling thunder to be soothing? Does Derek have to cover his sensitive werewolf ears each time he hears a storm approaching? Maybe after The Wild Hunt their perspectives have shifted, or maybe there’s no emotional or psychological attachment at all and they just get caught in the rain after their car breaks down, whatever it is, let the ideas pour down like rain!

The Bite- The Bite is a gift…. right? Well, it’s finally time to make that decision for yourself! Be it a gift, a curse, or something in-between, the point of this theme is all about the bite…. now, it doesn’t //have// to be a werewolf bite, it could be from a vampire, an incubus, or… er.. a human… not every bite has to be transformative, sometimes it’s just kinky, other times it’s about marking a mate or keeping a pack together or- .. really about anything you want it to be about! As long as there’s biting, it’s fine by us!

Monster Of The Week- Ahh the famous Monster Of The Week, popularized by shows like The X-Files and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, to those unfamiliar, the Monster Of The Week idea is about episodic storytelling rather than linear storytelling, one week Buffy fights a sea monster, the next she fights a goblin, and the creatures have no connection to eachother, in terms of fandom, it’s sort of the same idea, choose a monster- any monster!- and create a peice about Stiles and Derek… fighting it, helping it, creating it, heck maybe one of them even IS it, this would be a great chance to flex the Paranormal Investigator AU muscle, but it doesn’t matter what the monster is or how they relate to the story, as long as it’s got a random monster involved, it fits!

Vacation- I think it’s safe to say that Stiles and Derek deserve a vacation right about now, don’t you? They can go anywhere in the world! Hawaii, New York, Tokyo, Paris, even some random small town in Nebraska, all that matters is that they’re away from Beacon Hills and intend to have a break in life… now, if it happens to get interrupted or not, that’s entirely up to you, they can do anything and be anywhere as long as the intention is to have a break from the hell-town they were born in!

Magic Gone Wrong- Magic is an incredible and dangerous thing, for all of the advantages magic has, it certainly brings some disadvantages along with it as well, magic is not an exact science, and at times that’s great! At others… not so much, and for every instance of magic going RIGHT, there are surely atleast three others where it’s gone WRONG, your job is to create a peice about one of those very instances, the circumstances are completely up to you, as long as it involves magic that didn’t *QUITE* go the way it was intended to

Heartbeat- Hearbeats can oftentimes be the soothing reminder that someone is alive… or the cold shock that they aren’t, or, for werewolves, a very convenient tracking device, be it a tool for tracking, spying, or gaining some form of comfort, werewolf hearing has certainly made heartbeats an important tool in the Teen Wolf toolbag, and now it’s time for you to expand on that! Take any genre and any purpose you want to expand on this theme, the only point is that someone’s heartbeat is involved!

Mermaid- Ah mermaids, one of mythology’s most famous figures, they can be sweet and beautifull… or vicious and hideous, depending on your source, but every culture seems to have some variation on them, and the Sterek fandom has created an entire subculture involving mer!Sterek! Now it’s time to add to that! Be it with mermaids (or mermen!) who are, perhaps, involved in match-making Stiles and Derek (or fighting them) or be it Stiles or Derek (or both!) as a merman, one thing is for sure, something fishy is about to go on in the Sterek fandom (but bad puns aside are merfolk really fish? Discuss)

Yeti!Stiles- Ever since Stiles’ “Abominable Snowman” comment from season two, yeti!Stiles has… actually been shockingly small in fandom and I can’t imagine why! For such an easy trope-grab it seems to mostly swoop under the radar, now it’s time for you to change that! Create a peice involving Stiles as an abominable snowman (or “yeti”, as is probably more politically correct) it can be canon or AU or maybe a mix of the two, just as long as Stiles becomes Bigfoot’s colder-climate loving cousin, it’s all good here!

Dogs- Who doesn’t love dogs? From Yorkies to German Shepherds and everything in between, dogs are often thought of to be man’s best freind for a reason, but for Sterek? Mostly they’re just the source of unending werewolf puns! Be it that Stiles and Derek get a dog, or that Derek is, in his wolf form, MISTAKEN for a dog, the only important thing is that dogs- big or small- are in some way involved with Stiles, Derek, and the puppy love they have for eachother! (See, what did I say about the puns?)

Protective!Sterek- From episode 1 to episode 100, one thing has always been true of Sterek, it’s a relationship based not on arguing or banter or love/hate, it’s based on protecting eachother, keeping eachother safe, the first time they’re alone together Stiles tries to save Derek’s life, and ever since it’s been almost a game of who can protect the other next, who can save the other first, now it’s time to once again let that foundation shine in fandom! Create any peice featuring Stiles protecting Derek, Derek protecting Stiles, or even a combination of the two! These two are always trying to best eachother in the protection game after all, so why not feature both?

Dad!Sterek- I don’t know about you, but one of my all-time favorite things is Derek and Stiles as parents! Be they single parents, just meeting for the first time, have been married for twenty-five years and already seven kids, or fall somewhere in between, I just love these two as dads, and I hope you do too! The only requirement for this one is that one or both of the pair have atleast one child, let your imagination go all soft and fluffy for this adorable theme!

Fears/Phobias- A theme that, coincidentally, played a large part in the very last episode of Teen Wolf, playing with a charector’s fears or phobias can be great for both charector and plot building, and can without a doubt create some of the best peices fandom has to offer, be it with canonical phobias presented in the series, things you’ve headcanoned for them yourself, or an AU where everything is up for grabs, the goal here is to create fear for Stiles, Derek, or both- and hopefully, somehow, comfort those fears, though that part isn’t entirely necessary to fit to the theme

Amusement Park- And now for a break from the fear, it’s time to go someplace that’s (usually) considerably less terrifying- an amusement park! Disneyland, Six Flags, Universal Studios, as long as it’s an amusement park and Stiles and Derek are there, it works! It doesn’t even have to be a real-world place, there’s obviously nothing wrong with creating your own and running with it, one of the best things about amusement parks, after all, is the imagination the creators put into it

Celebrity/Famous- I’m sure at one point or another most of us have imagined what it might be like to be famous, now it’s time to put those imaginations to use and imagine what it would be like if Stiles, Derek, or both of them were famous instead! Actors, musicians, social media stars, even royalty, if the papparazzi is interested in them and they have a fanbase, they count!

Leaving Beacon Hills- Let’s be honest here, nothing good ever happens in Beacon Hills, and as the last two episodes of Teen Wolf proved, getting away from that place seems to do good for people’s health, now it’s time to treat Derek and Stiles to something other than horrors and traumas and get them out of there! It can be for good, or just on vacation, just on a work trip even, the point of this theme is to get them away from the town that wants to instill nothing but horror in these boys, and I think fandom can come up with plenty of ways to do that!

Christmas Baby!Derek- Here’s a fun fact, my first ever Sterek fic was written because I love Christmas Baby Derek THAT much, there’s just something about this soft little peach being born on Christmas that makes everything in the world a little cuter- and Stiles probably feels the same way, now it’s your turn to show some appreciation for one of the cutest Derek factoids around! No matter if Derek loves it, hates it, or feels indifferent towards it, we certainly know how WE feel about it, and we’d love to see how you feel about creating a Christmas Baby!Derek peice!

Flower Crowns- Is there anything fluffier and prettier than a flower crown? Probably not, so let’s celebrate them! There’s just something peacefull about seeing a charector with flowers in their hair, and now it’s your turn to add to the (surprisingly large) flower crown portion of the fandom! Be it fluff or humor or something softly somber, these boys deserve ALL of the flower crowns and it’s our intention to give them to them!

Bookstore- Ahh bookstores, the foundation of a large number of meet-cutes, meet-uglies, and things that have nothing to do with meeting at all, it’s pretty obvious that Stiles and Derek both love to read, so let’s put that love to use and introduce a bookstore into the mix! Chain store? Used store? Weird eccentric “This has been out of print for fifty years but we still have a copy” store? It doesn’t matter as long as it sells books and involves Sterek!

Hello Again- After spending time apart, it’s nice to say “Hello” again… be it a canonical separation, or something that happened in an AU, post-canon or canon-divergent, the goal of this theme is Stiles and Derek reuniting again after spending time apart, the reunion can be happy or sad, by chance or planned, it doesn’t matter in the end, all that matters is the two of them reconnecting after having spent time apart, and finally saying “Hello” again

Accidental Baby Acquisition- One of the oldest (and one of my favorite) fandom tropes there is, Accidental Baby Acquisition is much how it sounds, it’s about accidentally coming into possession of a baby! The means can be through magic, through stumbling upon a child in the woods, the classic “baby on a doorstep”, or any other situation you can possibly think of, all that matters is that Derek and Stiles accidentally find themselves caring for a baby!

Wild Card- This is the obligatory bingo square in the very middle where you can do absolutely anything you want! That’s right. There’s no restriction, no guideline, no THEME! It’s your freebie to do anything you may have been wanting to do, but haven’t really had the time or inspiration to do until now- here’s your chance. Now go forth and create Sterek!

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

hello guys! any update on the royalty sterek tag? either derek and stiles will do. thanks :)

I do love a royal AU, here you go!  -Emmy

When True Love Meets Its Match by BlueSunRay

(3,511 / Explicit / WIP)  *sterek, royal au, nurse!stiles, prince!derek, coffee shop au, human au

“Hi, welcome to the Tea Shop. My name is Stiles what can I get you today?” Stiles stated praying that his voice wouldn’t stutter or break as he spoke to the Greek Adonis in front of him.The man smiled at him, making Stiles heart beat faster and breathe a little deeper. How does someone manage to look so beautiful? It should be illegal surely?

“Well, Stiles, nice to meet you. My name is Derek. As for what I want? I’m not sure I think I’ll let you choose and surprise me.”Stiles might have thought that he might have died and gone to heaven after hearing the soothing tone of the man’s deep voice. It was like dark chocolate, and Stiles could hear the man speak all day if he was able to.

“Of course, sir, one special surprise coming right up, you can take a seat and I’ll bring it right over.” Stiles rushed out, ears pinking slightly. Derek smiled again and nodded in an almost regal way before slowly turning and walking over to a table by the window.

Stiles was so doomed.

Or when Stiles is a struggling student nurse and falls in love with the secret Prince of a small country Derek Hale. True Love has met its match.

Sail in the Night Sky by HyperLittleNori (Shiguresan)

(10,033 / Teen / Complete)  *sterek, prince!derek, trapeze artist!stiles, circus au

The tent’s canopy looked like sails in the night sky, and despite his family’s earlier protests, Derek felt himself drawn toward them like a ship out to sea…

The momentum of his movements sent him swooping forward like a gull across the waves. The ocean of people below gasped but were otherwise struck silent with awe. The bird glittered as he swung forward, glitter catching across his cheekbones and long fingers that stretched out with his arms, urging his impetus further. The swing carried his flight right up to where Derek was standing, as speechless as the people below. When their gazes met, Derek saw the deep amber eyes reflecting the light, as dazzling as the glitter that painted their edges.

My Prince by Egallore

(12,963 / Explicit / Complete)  *sterek, prince!stiles, gardener!derek, werewolves are known

Stiles likes to think that he’s lived a relatively simple, boring life. There’s not much prince work to do, and a ferocious beast on the loose. None of that matters to him though, because he can always past the time with the grumpy man that works in the palace garden

My Knight in Shining Fur Coat by Ivsterhart13, ScarSacrifices

(24,791 / Not Rated / WIP)  *sterek, prince!stiles, a/b/o, fantasy au, omega!stiles, knight!derek

when the Omega Prince Stiles is stolen from his castle the king will do anything to get him back. King Stilinski hires Knight Derek to track down his son and get him back. After six months the kingdom is about to give up hope when Derek received word from one of his closest comrades about the Omega’s whereabouts. The Knight travels to a distant land where he finds a heavily pregnant Stiles. Can Derek and Stiles make it safely back to the kingdom without being caught by whoever keeps sending those hooded men? Will the kingdom even want Stiles now that he’s no longer the pure, virginous, golden boy?

The Alpha and His Spark by sandyde03

(22,771 / Mature / Complete)  *sterek, werewolves are known, no hale fire, alive hale family, omega!stiles, a/b/o, mpreg

Stiles is pregnant. Derek is perpetually horny and possessive. Stiles is confused. Not by Derek sexing him up. He loves that. It’s the fact that ever since he started to show that he was with pup everyone has been avoiding his eyes.

No Mercy by Gia279

(64,742 / Not Rated / Complete)  *sterek, king!stiles, prince!derek

The story of the Boy King was this: when he was sixteen, the Stilinski kingdom was at war with the Novak kingdom. King John was on the front lines with his soldiers when his teenage heir came to check in with him. The king was struck down in a nighttime attack, in front of the boy. The boy took up the king’s dropped sword, mounted his war steed, and slaughtered the enemy forces.

When the remaining soldiers surrendered, he cut them down with his father’s sword and returned home a boy king with a bloodstained reputation.

Meant to be One by smittenone

(102,513 / Not Rated / WIP)  *sterek, a/b/o, omega!stiles, mpreg

His nerves felt like a live wire was running hot beneath his skin, hands fidgeting with the silken material of his robe. If he had the concentration to spare, he might had worried about tearing it.

It was all he could do to sit there at the vanity, eyes squeezed shut, and try to give in the constricting pressure around his chest that said that he was about to fall into a panic attack.Breath in. Breath out. His own heartbeat rushed in his ears.

He was only eighteen, and already he was set to marry one of the most elusive, feared monarchs in the world that he’d never even set eyes on before.

The Third Way by exclamation

(142,509 / Explicit / WIP)  *sterek, space au, royal derek, rebel stiles, kindapping

Peter Hale always taught that there were two ways to control a galactic empire: through force or through fear. Now Derek Hale is the ruler and trying to hold on to his uncle’s legacy, so he kidnaps the son of a rebel leader to use as a hostage. He hopes that keeping Stiles his prisoner will keep the rebels from launching more attacks, but he doesn’t expect the way Stiles gets under his skin and makes him question everything his uncle taught him.

[celestialvoid-fanfiction]

Among the Exhibits - Sterek Museum AU

Derek Hale is the director of the Beacon Hills Museum and the local expert in the fields of anthropology, palaentology and archaeology. Stiles is the enthusiastic college student who visits the museum almost every other day, studying among the exhibits and looking for job openings. Derek dismisses him at first, but then one day, Stiles accidentally leaves his study notes at the museum and Derek finds then when he’s doing a final sweep of the museum. Curious about what Stiles is studying and why he’s so intent on being at the museum, he takes a look inside and finds a mix of notes from entomology to archaeology. All the notes are really in depth, colour coded and at a level of study that should be beyond a college student. He hates to admit it, but he’s impressed.

[x]

  Derek stared at his computer, watching the blinking curser that sat, unmoving, on the blank page. His mind was reeling with fragmented thoughts that he didn’t seem to be able to string together.

He slouched back in his chair, running his hand down his face.

He turned and looked out the clear windows of his office which overlooked the main lobby of the museum, a small fleet of stairs leading from his door and into a small alcove hidden behind the offices. Across the lobby, he could see the models of whales and schools of fish that were suspended from the ceiling and lit by the walls of windows. To the far side of the lobby, beyond the front desk, he could see the open doorway that led into the exhibits of dinosaurs, deep sea creatures, and entomology.

“Stuff it,” he muttered to himself, pushing back his chair and rising to his feet. He shrugged on his khaki bomber jacket and made his way out of the office. He pulled the door shut behind himself, pausing to look at the brass plate: Dr. Derek Hale. Director of Beacon Hills Museum.

He trudged down the stairs, smiling to patrons and briefly saying ‘Hello’ as he passed and made his way down to the museum café.

The barista already knew his order off by heart and began to make it before Derek had the chance to order. He fitted a lid onto the paper cup and passed it over the counter to Derek.

Derek thanked him, paid and began to make his way through the museum. He stepped over to the front desk, reaching over and snatching one of the chocolate chip cookies that Lydia kept hidden behind her desk.

Lydia shot a dirty glare at him.

Derek smiled back at her and bit into the biscuit. “How’s everything going down here?”

“Good,” Lydia replied. “We did have a lost child earlier today—she had walked off on her mum because she wanted to look at the dinosaurs. That issue was resolved quickly and aside from that and a couple of issues with group bookings for the Egyptian exhibit, nothing eventful has happened.”

Derek nodded thoughtfully. He turned to walk away when Lydia said, “Oh, and the guy—Stiles—was here a little while ago, asking if there’s any job openings.”

“There’s no job openings,” Derek said. “But if something comes up, I’ll let you know and he can apply like anyone else.”

Lydia shrugged and turned back to her work.

Derek turned and walked away, making his way towards the open doorway that led into the dinosaur exhibit. This is where his love for palaeontology and archaeology had begun; years ago, when his mother had brought him to the museum and he had stood beneath the towering skeletons of mighty beasts. He had looked upon them with such wonder and admiration that he knew then that he would grow up to uncover their secrets. And he had; he had gotten degrees in anthropology, palaeontology and archaeology. He had travelled the world uncovering the fossilised remains of dinosaurs and ancient ruins. He had been the adventurer he had dreamed of being as a child.

But that dream broke when he was called in to identify the victims of war, tragedies and natural disasters, he had pulled bodies from rubble and looked at the corpses of children. He had built relief centres and given identities to many of the bodies, but it was those he couldn’t identify that haunted him the most.

He drew himself back to reality, noticing the young man who sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall and writing something in a thick notebook. His satchel sat by his side, full of notebooks and scattered pieces of paper while a small pile of text books sat by his other side. His thick brown hair was a tousled mess and his dark brown eyes were intently focused on whatever it was he was writing. HIs lips quivered slightly as he uttered the words to himself.

He had seen him there before, many times. He was a college student who attended the campus over the road and came here almost every afternoon. He’s find an exhibit and sit down. Derek had always though that it was to study; trying to find a place where he wouldn’t be disturbed, but when the museum got busy and noisy, he didn’t move.

Derek had learned to ignore him.

Derek turned and walked away, making his way through to the hallway that led to the small outside garden with a pool of crystal-clear water. The rocky walls surrounding it were covered in trickling rivulets of water.

It was peaceful, serine.

Derek sat down on one of the benches and hung his head in his hands. He breathed in deeply, smelling the sweet water and the rich petrichor. He felt his shoulders drop and his tensions wash away as he listened to the soft sounds of running water.

After a while, he straightened his back and sipped at his coffee.

The fragmented thoughts returned, except this time he was able to string them together.

He pulled the small notepad out of his jacket pocket and made a quick note of his thoughts before pocketing the booklet and rising to his feet. He tossed the paper cup into the nearby recycling bin and made his way back through the museum.

Lydia would have made the announcement that the museum was closing by now, so Derek began his final sweeps, slightly disturbed by how quiet and lifeless the rooms were without patrons.

He made his way back past the dinosaurs, pausing when he caught sight of a small notebook that lay on the floor. He crouched down and picked it up.

The tattered cover had frayed around the edges and the gold text that read ‘NOTES’ had been worn away. Down the bottom was a scrawl of pen, a name: Stiles Stilinski.

Curiosity winning him over, he flipped open the cover and looked through the pages of notes; notes on entomology, archology, planetology, engineering, and everything in between. He didn’t seem to have a focus of study or a singular interest, but it wasn’t just simply writing things down to learn. Derek flipped through the pages that had been thumbed smooth, looking at the in-depth notes, annotated essays and critical papers, colour-coded notes and pages of highlighting.

The notes were at a level of study that was beyond a college student, and Derek hated to admit it, but he was impressed.

The notes from today were on the process of fossilisation and carbon dating. Slotted in between the pages was a printed journal article, one that Derek knew well; one that Derek had written.

Derek flipped through the few blank pages at the end of the book before spying the final page, a messy list of dissertation titles, plans and a printed biography of Derek from the Museum website.

Derek let out a weak chuckle, closing the notebook and making his way back up to his office. He dropped the tattered notebook on his desk and collected his laptop, a few books and papers and slid them into his satchel. He stepped toward the door and hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at Stiles’ notebook.

He stepped back over to his desk and picked it up, carefully sliding it into his bag before stepping over to the stairs, switching off the light and closing the door behind himself.

Lydia was waiting for him by the door. He locked everything up and walked her out to her car.

“You look… chipper,” Lydia remarked, smiling up at him.

Derek rolled his eyes.

“Come on,” Lydia urged, gently nudging Derek’s arm. “What is it?”

“Goodnight, Lydia,” Derek said, unable to hide his smile.

Lydia pouted, but let it drop. She got into her car and started the engine, reversing out of her parking spot and waving to Derek as she left.

Derek waved goodbye before getting into his own car.

      The museum was quiet, as it usually is at that time. The sunlight streamed in through the windows, bathing the open rooms in light.

Derek sat at his computer, glancing down at the small notebook he carried around and the notes he had jotted down yesterday. His nimble fingers, darted across the keyboard, the thin black letters filling out the pages as his mind began to clear.

There was a loud bang.

Derek bolted upright, rushing to his office door as he saw someone run towards the front desk. He could hear panicked screaming but couldn’t make out the words.

He grabbed Stiles’ tattered notebook and made his way downstairs.

“Please,” he heard a panicked voice beg. “I’m sure I left it here. Are you sure you haven’t found anything?”

Derek stepped around the corner to see Stiles bracing himself against the front desk, his shoulders heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

“That depends on what you’re looking for,” Derek interjected, his voice calm and steady as he looked at the rugged young man.

“One of my notebooks. It had notes for my essay that I’m writing but I dropped it when I was here yesterday—I’m sure I dropped it here,” Stiles stammered.

Derek held up the tattered old notebook. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

Relief washed over Stiles. “Yes.”

Derek held it out for him and Stiles took it, thanking him profusely.

The young man turned and started to make his way back towards the large glass doors when Derek’s voice stilled him, “Stiles.”

He turned around and looked at Derek.

“That’s some great work you’ve done there,” Derek complimented. He paused for a moment. “There aren’t any job openings currently, but if you’re still looking for a supervisor for your dissertation, I’d be happy to take you on.”

Stiles’ face lit up with a bright smile, his dark brown eyes sparkling like gold as he frantically nodded. “That… That would be fantastic… Thank you. Thank you, sir.”

“Derek,” he corrected politely. “Call me Derek.”

Stiles nodded. “Thank you, Derek.”

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