Chapter Text
"So, what is this werewolf tradition all about?" Scott asked.
Derek had just mentioned a tradition his family usually did on the full moon in April. That's all he had said. There were no details.
"Its a bonding experience," Derek replied. "Werewolves don't particularly care about modesty, so we would go for a swim completely naked."
"You mean you'd go skinny dipping as a family?" Stiles clarified. Derek nodded and Stiles grimaced. "That's not weird at all," he said sarcastically.
Derek sighed. "I told you modesty isn't really something that matters to us. You should get used to it, Stiles."
"Oh, trust me. I am used to it." Stiles glanced at Scott with a grin.
"Keep it in your pants for five minutes," Derek groaned.
Scott had gotten used to the whole werewolf thing and figured he'd embrace it, so he was very interested in finding out more.
"Shush, Stiles. Anything else I should know, Derek?"
Derek seemed to gather his thoughts. "If you decided to go along with it, we'll head to the pond out in the preserve tomorrow night. My parents used to go into the water first. So, the alpha and his or her significant other. You and Stiles would go first. Its a display of leadership. The water will be kind of cold this time of year and you would be leading the rest of us in."
"Can we just wear swimming trunks?" Stiles pleaded. "I really don't want to go skinny dipping with a crowd."
Scott and Derek both started at him. "So the pack is a crowd now?"
"When I'm naked, yes!"
Scott turned back to Derek. "We don't have to do this though?"
Derek shook his head. "Not really. Its not a werewolf thing, its just a Hale thing. But it would mean a lot to Cora and I if you agreed."
The two boys had a whispered argument after that. They knew full well that Derek could hear everything they said.
"No, absolutely not," Stiles whispered harshly.
"Come on, Stiles. We owe Derek. Its the least we can do."
Scott gave him puppy dog eyes and Stiles couldn't say no to that.
"Fine. But I'm not swimming in freezing water, okay? I'll at least step into the water. And I'm covering my junk at all times. Half of the pack has seen my dick already and that's too many of them."
"Trust me, Stiles, the rest of us don't want to see that," Derek admitted. "You learn to not look at things you don't want to see."
The following evening after the sun went down and the moon had risen, the pack piled into Stiles' jeep and Derek's mom-mobile.. er, Toyota. There was a short walk to the pond. The moon was high in the sky and bright enough to lighten up the shore of the small pond where some teenagers threw drunken parties during the summer. The ground was littered with old beer cans, bottles, and, okay, eww, used condoms.
The pack stopped about ten feet from the water and everyone was staring at Scott and Stiles, waiting.
"Do we really have to do this?" Stiles complained.
"Yes," Scott said as he pulled off his shirt.
There was a wolf-whistle. Cora. Stiles turned to glare at her.
"Sorry, couldn't pass that up," she laughed..
Stiles had his back to everyone and was slowly removing his clothes and grumbling about stupid werewolves and freezing water and freezing his balls off. Scott wasn't entirely comfortable so he stood there cupping his things in his hands. Stiles was taking his sweet time.
"Today, Stiles," Lydia snapped. "The sooner this is over, the sooner we can all go home and get warm."
Scott stepped out into the water until it was halfway up his calf. Stiles stopped at the edge of the water.
"How bad is it?" Stiles asked.
"Not too bad," Scott replied shakily.
"Really?"
Scott shook his head. "I lied. I think I'm getting hypothermia." He was all stiff (not in that way) and frozen, so he slowly shifted around to face the shore. "We don't have to actually swim, do we, Derek? Because I don't think even the wolves would survive that." There was no response. "Derek?"
Both of them turned. The pack was gone. Scott leaped out of the water as though it were hot lava.
"Scott, I think this was a trick."
"You don't say," Scott snapped. "DEREK!" he roared.
"Scott?"
"Yeah."
"Our clothes are gone too."
"FUCK."
They trudged back to where they parked. It was only over a hill. Stiles kept stepping on sticks and complaining. That didn't irritate him. The fact that Derek.. Derek of all people did this to them. Derek was never anything but serious. He couldn't believe Derek tricked them.
"I didn't think Derek had a funny bone in his body," Stiles grumbled. "I'm going to kill him."
The vehicles were gone when they got to the clearing where they parked.
"OH COME ON!" Scott bellowed.
Stiles was hugging himself tightly. "S-Scott?" Scott looked at him and saw that he was shivering. He wrapped himself around Stiles.
"What a-are you doing?"
"Well, you know how you sleep naked under the covers with someone to stay warmer or something? I figured this might help a little."
"T-thanks."
After a minute or two, Stiles' shivering subsided a little and they released one another. They held hands as they stumbled nakedly thought the woods. Scott didn't want to get separated. He didn't really know where they were headed. At least it was night time, they could avoid being seen if they had to leave the woods.
"Ouch, damn it," Stiles mumbled.
"What?"
"I stepped on a pine-cone."
Neither were in the mood to laugh, but Scott couldn't help himself. The ridiculousness of being naked in the woods, freezing, and stepping on a pine-cone was kind of funny. He burst out laughing. Stiles started at him disapprovingly the entire time.
"Sorry," he said with a cough trying to calm himself. "It wasn't really funny. This whole thing is stupid."
Stiles sighed. "If you don't punch Derek in the face next time we see him, I'm going to be very disappointed."
"Why don't you punch him?"
"Because I don't want to break my hand."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "You've got some werewolf in there, remember? Tap into it."
"Oh.. Right."
They trudged toward the road and walked half a mile before seeing Stiles' jeep parked on the side of the road. As they got closer, Derek's vehicle came into view and so did the pack. They were all grinning like evil people. When he saw Derek, Stiles abandoned all efforts of covering himself up. He ran at Derek and punched him right in the face.
"You fucking dick."
He was about ready to wail on Derek, but Scott stopped him. "Stiles.. Stiles. Stop. Don't get carried away." He turned to Derek. "You asshole." He punched Derek in the jaw. The crack caused everyone to cringe. "I expected this from someone like Lydia or Isaac, but not you, Derek."
Derek spat out blood. "April Fool's?" he said uncertainly with a weird grin.
"Here's your clothes," Isaac said tossing them over. "Please put them on. I never want to see another penis flapping in the wind ever again."
"Oh like this?" Stiles asked swinging his hips wildly. He was so pissed he didn't care what anyone saw anymore. All of the pack averted their eyes. "You certainly weren't complaining when you agreed to be part of this."
Scott didn't even have anything to say. He just pulled his clothes on and got Stiles to do the same. Then he pushed Stiles toward the jeep and said, "let's go."
"Yeah, fuck you," Stiles said pointing at Derek. "And fuck you," he pointed at Isaac. "And fuck all of the rest of you too."
They climbed into the jeep and sped off. That meant all of the others had to squeeze into Derek's vehicle and that was going to be uncomfortable for them. They deserved it.
"Bunch of ungrateful jerks," Stiles muttered.
"We'll find a way to get them back, don't worry," Scott assured him.