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"All unites who are available, neighbors called about loud noises, 2727 Coulter Lane."
"Dispatch." Derek picked up the radio "this is 30-at-224, we are on it."
"So what do you think, crazy ex-girlfriend, or crazy ex-boyfriend?" Boyd, who sat next to him, asked.
Derek thought for a moment "I'm gonna go with crazy ex boyfriend, like there's not enough of those" he sighed and turned on the alarm.
They got to their destination after five minutes, approaching carefully to the door, there was no loud noise, probably calmed down.
"Police, open up!" Boyd yelled,
A male opened the door, and Derek examined him- light-brown hair, around 28, maybe 29, light stubble and a fake smile, no bruises, at least not visible.
"Hi," the man smiled at the both of them "I'm so sorry you had to drive all the way here for nothing, my boyfriend and I were arguing"
"Is he still here?" Boyd asked,
"Yeah, I'm Theo, by the way." The man introduced himself "Stiles! Come here for a moment."
A man, seemingly younger, around 24, black hair and light skin, came to the door, he, unlike Theo, had a black eye, and looked scared as hell.
"Stiles, why don't you tell the nice officers what happened?"
The man, or as Theo called him- Stiles, was barely looking at Boyd and Derek "I'm sorry," his voice was shaking "I just... I dropped a bowl and it broke, and Theo and I got in a fight over it, you know how it is" he looked at Derek, giving him a weak smile.
"Yeah.." Derek said, unsure "how did you get that black eye?"
"Oh, this?" Stiles touched his eye "it's nothing, I'm a teacher, one of the kids threw something at class, and it hit me, thank you for your concern"
"Sir, I'm gonna need you to come with me, we need to fill out some forms, just something formal for the Captain" Boyd said,
It was a regular thing for them at cases like this, separate the abuser from the victim, try to protect them.
"Of course, officer." Theo walked with Boyd, leaving Derek with Stiles.
"I know how it is," Derek told him "at first he seems nice..you're in love and it's nice, he gives you attention"
"Excuse me?" Stiles asked, he seemed surprise, probably praying that Derek didn't notice the other little things.
"But then you do something wrong, and they get mad, and they apologize, of course, but it happens again, and again and again and again, until you're trapped and you can't get out. I've been there, with my ex-girlfriend." Derek said,
Stiles grinned "I don't know what you're talking about"
"Did Theo gave you the black eye?"
Stiles looks down, he looks ashamed of himself "We've been dating for three months now, he's trying to get better. Really."
"I know, my ex-girlfriend was an alcoholic. One day she got so angry, she threw a plate at me, my sister made me report her, she's in jail for a long time now."
"I can't leave him. I can't be selfish, not when he needs me." Stiles said,
"Taking care of yourself is not selfish, It's necessary."
Stiles looked over Derek's shoulder, making him look back as well and see Theo who was talking to Boyd.
"This is my card" Derek handed Stiles a piece of paper "if you need anything. At any hour, really..just..call me. I'll help you with anything."
"Thank you." Stiles said, almost inaudible, and just in time for Theo to arrive.
"I hope he didn't bore you, officer." Theo said with a charming smile.
"Not at all, he just told me about the neighbors, thank you for your cooperation, sir, have a good evening."
Derek tried to hold himself until Theo closed the door, he turned away and walked to the car, ignoring Boyd and his pleads for Derek to stop.
"You're thinking about Kate." Boyd pointed out when they got into the car,
"They're all the same. He's hitting him, Boyd. And we can't arrest him and throw him in jail!" Derek groaned,
"It sucks, I know." Boyd said with a gentle voice "but we have to follow protocol"
"Screw protocol!"
"She's in jail, Derek." Boyd said, getting Derek's attention "Kate can't hurt you anymore."
Kate was the worst time in Derek's life.
He was submissive and quiet and refused to get any help,
His family and friends had to watch him as their little Der's light went out and the sparkle in his eyes disappeared. Until one day Derek showed up on Laura's doorstep with a cut on his cheek, because Kate threw a plate at him, probably something he said... and she called the police.
Kate was in jail the day after.
Her dad blamed him for his daughter going crazy, her brother still met with him, he kept telling Derek it's not his fault.
"She's his Kate." Derek said in defeat,
"My friend owes me a favor. I'll ask him to put an eye on Theo, make sure that Stiles is ok."
"Thanks"
************************
It's a week later and Derek is asleep after his shift, his phone is ringing, and he shots up from his bed.
A habit he picked after becoming a cop.
"Hello?" He asked, still sleepy.
"Derek" Derek recognized the voice, it's Stiles.
"Stiles?" Derek asked "it's 2am"
"I know, I know, I'm..it's..I'm at my brother's house. It's Theo. He's here and he's banging on the door and he wants to hurt me..you said I could call you and I don't know what to do.." Stiles barely finished the last word, Derek can hear him sobbing.
"What's the address?" Derek already jumped out of bed, he's putting on his pants and running to his car.
"2680 Clifford Street, please come fast" Stiles begs,
"Stiles, listen to me." Derek said, at the same time he's texting Boyd who's still in his shift "grab anything that you think that could hurt Theo. I'll be there in five minutes"
"He broke the door, Derek please c-"
The phone hangs up abruptly, leaving Derek alone.
"Fuck!" Derek hits his steering wheel, he can't drive fast enough. But he gets there eventually.
The first thing he sees is Theo's car, a jeep, of course.
The door is down, Derek gets his gun out, ready for anything.
He searched the living room and kitchen, the bedroom might be the lucky one.
He's ready with his gun when he hears a scream, screw the gun. Save Stiles.
"Theo Raeken. Hands up where I can see them!"
"Officer Hale," Theo smirked "you called the cops? That's really rude, Stiles!"
"Leave him alone." Derek said, Stiles is on the floor, nothing critical but just some cuts and bruises.
"I'm just having a chat with my boyfriend"
"Did he hit you, Stiles?" Derek asked,
"Yes." Stiles said quietly,
"Shut up, Stiles!" Theo yelled at him "you keep whining and I'll give you something to really cry about!"
Derek decided to leave the gun, he's jumping on Theo, using only his hands.
Theo managed to push him, punching him in the face.
"Assaulting an officer. Just another reason to arrest you."
"Theo Raeken!" Boyd walked in, thank god.
"I want my lawyer." Theo said as Erica, Boyd's wife, put the handcuffs on him,
"Yeah ok, after you explain why your boyfriend has bruises " Boyd said as he walked Theo out of the room.
"You ok?" Erica asked,
"I'll live."
"And..." she nods toward Stiles' direction,
"I'll take care of him." Derek walked to Stiles, who's still in shock.
"It's over." Stiles threw into the air, Derek wasn't sure who he was talking to.
"Yeah, it's over.." Derek said gently "so what happened?"
Stiles finally looked at Derek "I left Theo the day after I met you. I moved in with my brother, but he planned a double date with his wife and my sister and her boyfriend..Theo and I..we were supposed to go to..but then we broke up..they wanted to stay, but I was just gonna ruin their evening."
"Ok, I'll tell them to call your brother. Do you want to move to the couch, maybe?" Derek asked, Stiles got up without saying a word, he goes and sits on the couch.
"Thank you" Stiles said after ten minutes of silence,
"For what?" Derek was confused,
"When you gave me the card..you said you'll come, and you did."
Derek doesn't answer, instead he just hears a man.
"Stiles!" Someone yells, when he turns around he sees two men running to Stiles, one hugging him and the other one standing near them,
"Lydia and Allison are gonna be here in a couple minutes, what happened?" The man who hugged Stiles asked,
"Deputy Hale." Derek recognized one of the man as Jordan Stilinski, a fellow worker.
"Deputy Stilinski" Derek nods "what are you doing here?"
"My brother" Stiles points at Jordan "my sister's boyfriend" he points at the other man,
"Scott McCall." The man introduced himself,
"What are you doing here?" Jordan asked,
"Theo came." Stiles answered "I called him crying, and he came to save me"
"I told you this man is bad." Scott said,
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Jordan hugged him "I can't thank you enough for saving my little brother."
"He won't come back for a lot of time. He's with my ex-girlfriend now"
"She doesn't deserve you, if it helps." Stiles told him,
"It does, thank you."
"Stiles!" Two women run to their direction, Derek knows the red-head one as Lydia, Jordan's wife.
"Alli, I'm fine!" Stiles calls when Allison squishes him into her hug,
"Derek, this is my little sister, Allison, and you already know my wife, Lydia." The woman gives him a look the makes Derek feel uncomfortable, like he's being judged.
"Who's that?" Allison asked,
"He's the guy that saved Stiles."
"Thank you" Allison pulled him into a hug,
"It's fine, I was just doing my job..I hate when people get away with stuff."
"Well, not anymore, because Theo is gonna get a lifetime in jail for hurting my little brother" Jordan said,
"J, I'm fine." Stiles held Jordan's hand "Derek saved me."
"I'll give you some time alone..it was nice meeting you, Stiles, glad I could help." Derek excused himself from the room, and got into Erica's car,
"So?" Erica asked,
"There's a possibility I have a crush on the Sheriff's kid" Derek said,
"Jordan?" Erica asked, she knew Jordan. They all knew Jordan.
"Apparently Jordan has a little brother and a little sister" Derek sighed, he heard Erica chuckling, saying how screwed he is, before driving away back to Derek's house.
*******************
It's been six months and Derek almost forgot about Stiles.
He asked Jordan how Stiles was doing, it was the polite thing to do.
The last time he asked, Theo went into jail, and Stiles is now living with Jordan and Lydia, going to therapy and thinking about dating again.
"Morning!" Derek heard someone call behind him,
"Stiles," Derek greets him with a smile "what are you doing here?"
"I'm sure Jordan told you that Theo is now in jail, I left the apartment and I'm living with him and Lydia, but I need a place of my own, and I need money."
"I thought you were a teacher"
"I was. I'm just..I'm supposed to be those kids' role model, and I can't do that as long as I'm..me."
"So..."
"So Jordan got me a job as a receptionist, he talked to our dad and convinced him that I can't stay in bed forever so now I'm here."
Stiles' smile is beautiful, "It's good to see you smiling" Derek told him,
"It's because of you that I get to smile..you saved me..." Stiles said, "I need to make it up to you!" He called out of nowhere,
"Stiles, it's fine."
"No, I have to!" Stiles insists "Friday night, dinner on me?"
"What, like a date?" Good one, Derek, good one.
Stiles' face turned into a shining smile again "yeah, like a date."