Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Dude, it’s just a little scratch,” Stiles insisted.

Derek had his arm in a vice grip while he stared down at the injury and the guy was starting to cut off necessary blood circulation. “It isn’t serious,” the werewolf finally decided. “You’re lucky. That thing could have killed you.”

Stiles pulled his arm free, but it was clear that it was only possible because Derek let him go. “I don’t think it wanted to hurt me. It only went for you because you threatened it. I can’t believe gargoyles are a thing now.”

“They’re not,” Derek replied.

Stiles had seen enough drawings of gargoyles and castles during his Middle Ages phase to know that he was correct. “So what was it that scratched me then? Hmm?”

Derek glared at him. “I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t a gargoyle. We should probably just head back. Whatever it was is gone now.”

Stiles checked the time on his phone and he decided that he was fine with ending their patrol a little early. Things had been quiet for the last few weeks, but Scott and the others decided that they would all take turns patrolling different areas of the preserve to make sure nothing was happening under their noses.

It was a lot of territory to cover, but they were doing the best they could.

“I’ll text everyone and let them know what happened,” Stiles said.

He followed Derek through the darkness of the preserve and he kept quiet as he composed a text and sent it to the pack’s group chat. He put his phone away and zipped up his jacket since the temperature had dropped a few degrees while they were out looking for evildoers. He kept his eyes on the back of Derek’s head so that he couldn’t stare at the man’s perfect ass instead.

He did not need the werewolf catching the scent of his arousal and calling him out.

After the moments of silence became too much, Stiles decided to strike up a conversation.

“So why did you volunteer to partner up with me?”

Derek kept his eyes on the path ahead. “Everyone else was already paired up.”

Stiles felt a little hurt to know that Derek hadn’t actually wanted to spend time with him. He knew he shouldn’t have let himself think that the former alpha would ever return his feelings, but he was known for falling for the wrong people. It was kind of his MO at this point in his life.

“Oh. Sorry to pull you away from whatever it is you normally do on a Friday night. At least the preserve is quiet. Aside from the gargoyle, I mean..”

“How can it be quiet if you never shut up?” Derek asked sharply. There was an edge to his tone that made Stiles stop walking. He recovered by the time the werewolf turned back to look at him.

“You know me,” he responded halfheartedly. “I always have a lot to say.”

“For someone that talks so much, you don’t really have much to say.”

That hurt, too. He knew he talked too much, both because of his ADHD and because of his nerves. He’d been an acquired taste since he was in elementary school. That was why Scott was pretty much his only friend growing up.

Stiles resumed walking. It didn’t take long for them to reach the spot where they parked their vehicles and Stiles thanked his lucky stars that he could escape Derek’s company before he continued to make a fool of himself. It was obvious to him now that Derek didn’t want anything to do with him. It had been clear for a while if he was being completely honest with himself.

“See you around, Derek.”

“Bye.” The werewolf didn’t even bother to look at him.

Stiles didn’t waste any time. He got into his Jeep, started it up, and began his journey home. His father’s vehicle wasn’t in the driveway when he got there and that reminded him that his dad had switched to night shifts for the weekend to cover a deputy’s vacation. He wasn’t happy about it, but he knew his dad didn’t really have much of a choice. Sucky hours came with the job title.

He walked up the stairs and sat down at his desk. It hurt to think of Derek because that reminded him of the guy’s apathy toward him, so Stiles focused on the gargoyle that they encountered in the preserve. He booted up his laptop and started his research with the usual websites and forums that were known to the supernatural and hunter communities, but he didn’t find anything useful.

It was almost midnight when his eyes started to become heavy. He changed into his pajamas, did a half-assed job of brushing his teeth, and climbed into bed. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep.

Stiles walked into the animal clinic and he paused long enough to make sure the door closed behind him. Deaton looked up from where he was organizing some of his more career-appropriate supplies. “Stiles, it’s nice to see you. I’m sorry, but Scott isn’t here.”

“I know. The jerk canceled our plans so he could go hang out with Isaac instead. I’m actually here for you.”

Sure, he was jealous. It was becoming more and more common for Scott to cancel their plans so he could go hang out with Isaac or Allison. While he always tried to be understanding, he was starting to get the message that his best friend had more important people in his life now, people that he’d rather spend his free time with. He didn’t want to be the clueless guy that didn’t know when his friendship had ended, but that was kind of what it felt like.

There was a time when he thought his bond with Scott was unbreakable. Now, he was starting to wonder if it had ever been as strong as he believed it was.

“I see. How can I help you?”

“I’m hoping you have some information on gargoyles. Derek and I ran into one in the preserve last night when we were out on patrol. Derek startled it and I got scratched, but it left without a fight.”

“Show me,” Deaton instructed. He abandoned his supplies and walked over to Stiles. The human held his arm out so that the veterinarian could get a good look at his latest injury. It was nothing to write home about, but Stiles appreciated the concern.

“It itches a little, but Melissa always says that they do that when they start to heal. I put some antiseptic on it this morning after my shower, but it doesn’t hurt.”

Deaton twisted his arm slightly to get a better look, but he soon released the limb. “It looks like a normal cut. Are you certain it was a gargoyle that you encountered?”

“Positive. Derek thinks I’m wrong, but that’s just because he assumes that I’m a useless idiot. I know what we saw.”

Deaton nodded once and accepted his take on the situation. “Well, I should have something about them in one of my books. Did you and Derek come across anything else that was unusual?”

Stiles shook his head while they walked to the man’s private office where all the research books were kept. “No, nothing. Why?”

“Gargoyles are rare in this part of the world. Some view them as a harbinger of evil, but the truth is that they seek out those that wish to bring harm to innocent people.”

“Like protectors?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Deaton unlocked the cabinet storing the rarer books using one of the keys on the ring that he always had in his pocket. He removed a leather-wrapped book and carried it over to the desk so that he could look through it.

Stiles sat down in a wooden chair next to the desk and he watched the former Hale emissary work. He still had trust issues with the man, but Stiles recognized that he’d proven himself to Scott at the very least.

“Here we go. This should be what you’re looking for.”

Stiles slid the book closer so that he could get a look at the entry. It featured a personal account of a man that broke bread with a clan of gargoyles after they all worked together to protect a small town in the French countryside following World War Two. He devoured the information in front of him and he was thankful that it had already been translated into English.

He inhaled a deep breath when he got toward the end of the third paragraph. “Oh.”

“What did you find?” Deaton inquired.

Stiles pointed to the part that he’d just read. Deaton leaned over and he skimmed the text. “‘Should the blood of one who is pure of heart be spilled by this noble creature, let it be known that they have been kissed by the fates themselves. They will soon be blessed with the same gifts.’”

Deaton looked up and met his eyes. Stiles could feel his anxiety starting to ratchet up and he did his best to keep it under control, but the techniques he’d learned as a child weren’t always effective. “It’s saying that I’m going to turn into a gargoyle, right? That is what it’s saying.”

“Well, yes,” Deaton admitted. “Though, to be honest, we don’t know for certain that’s going to happen to you, Stiles. It’s possible that the cut wasn’t deep enough.”

Stiles groaned. “We both know my luck isn’t that good. What else does it say?”

The emissary looked back down at the text and he read the next few lines. “It details how you’ll remain human until you trigger the gargoyle’s abilities for the first time. Most of them will only be available to you in your shifted form, but you’ll be able to call on some of them while you’re human. I suggest you focus and try to heal the cut on your arm. That will tell us whether or not this entry even applies to you.”

Stiles looked down at the cut. He ran his hand over it and felt the dull ache from the pressure, but it barely hurt. He pictured the cut healing itself in his mind’s eye and he was thankful that he took his Adderall before he left because he found it much easier to visualize than he did without the medication. He willed the injury to heal and, in the next breath, it did.

All signs of the injury vanished before their eyes. Stiles stood up and he started to pace around the room. “They’re going to be afraid of me. They’re going to try to take me out so that I can’t hurt anyone!”

Deaton shook his head, but Stiles really wasn’t paying attention. He was too busy imagining scenarios where his supposed friends ambushed and then killed him without care or concern.

“Stiles, that isn’t going to happen. This doesn’t make you enemies. In fact, this will make you better able to assist them in protecting the town.”

He looked over into the man’s brown eyes. “You can’t tell them, Deaton. I-I’ll tell them eventually, okay? I just need some time to figure out how.”

Deaton sat down in his desk chair and spun it around so that he was facing Stiles. “I don’t think it’s wise to keep them in the dark, but I’ll honor your wishes for the time being.”

“Thank you. Derek and his betas were so ready to kill Lydia when they thought she was the kanima. They only put up with me being around because of Scott and this will be the perfect excuse for them to get rid of me. I know it.”

“I don’t believe that. Look, I have a patient coming into the clinic in about twenty minutes for a pet checkup. We can work on honing these new abilities of yours once I’m finished. I’ll leave you with more books to read in my absence.”

Stiles nodded and worked on calming himself down. He knew he needed help and he accepted that it would be foolish to not take advantage of Deaton’s expertise. He didn’t completely trust the guy to keep his secret, but he felt like he had to trust someone and the emissary was the only person available to him until he gathered the courage to tell everyone else.

A voice in the back of his mind told him that they wouldn’t care. An even crueler voice told him that the news would just confirm their reasons for distancing themselves from him. His insecurities won out over the sliver of optimism that resided in his psyche and he felt completely alone.

Chapter Text

Three Weeks Later

Stiles jogged over to where Deaton was standing. They were in the preserve and it was mid-afternoon. Stiles had just gotten out of school and he was the first one to arrive even though Deaton had texted everyone about the body that he discovered while out collecting herbs for some of his poultices. It looked to be a teenager close to Stiles’ age, but Stiles didn’t recognize him. He had bite marks all over his neck where whatever had killed him had feasted on flesh and blood.

The only positive was that the body seemed freshly killed and that helped cut down on the odor, but not by much.

“That’s really disgusting.”

Deaton put a few q-tips into plastic bags. They were each coated with pale slime that he’d lifted off of the body’s fingertips. Stiles sniffed the air, but his new enhancements didn’t include a werewolf-level olfactory boost.

“I also called your father,” Deaton informed him. “He should be here shortly.”

Stiles stood up straight and he looked back at his Jeep. No one else was in sight, but he was on edge and feeling slightly jittery all of a sudden. He could feel his inner gargoyle shifting inside as if it was trying to push itself out to protect him. It was an interesting sensation, but Stiles was getting accustomed to all the changes that came along with becoming a supernatural creature. “Something else is out here. It’s close.”

The man’s cool-as-a-cucumber mask began to slip away in light of the potential threat. “Can you identify it?” Deaton asked.

“No, not like this. Just keep an eye out in case the thing that did this is ready for a second course.”

Deaton placed the bag of samples into the interior pocket of his coat. The druid led Stiles away from the body and closer toward the Jeep in case they needed to make a quick escape. “I take it you still haven’t told the pack what happened to you.”

Stiles laughed nervously, but there was also an edge to it that surprised even him.

“Nope. It’s hard to bring it up when Scott keeps canceling our plans. It’s not like any of them are beating down my door to spend time with me, Deaton. Maybe I should just keep this to myself? We’ll all be leaving for college soon and then I can go my own way. I’m pretty sure that’s what they want.”

Deaton scratched the back of his neck. “A pack is a family, Stiles. You should be able to tell them anything.”

Stiles looked down at his shoes. The ground appeared dry and brittle and the grass was pale from lack of water. “Maybe I’m not pack then,” he offered.

“I don’t think you actually believe that.”

“I don’t really know what to believe anymore, dude. I appreciate your help, but it’s my decision on whether or not I share this with anyone. If I tell them about me now then they’ll probably just assume I’m the thing that killed that guy and then the real killer will still be out there targeting people. We can’t let that happen.”

Deaton bit his bottom lip, but Stiles sensed that the points he made were ones that the man couldn’t just dismiss. “Okay. I’m sorry things are so difficult for you right now, Stiles. I’m sure things will get better in time.”

“I won’t be holding my breath.”

He turned his head to the right and listened as his ears picked up footsteps coming closer. After a long moment of time where Stiles grew nervous about their safety, Derek came into view. It was almost like he just walked out after materializing into existence.

It was obvious that the guy ran since he wasn’t wearing any shoes or socks. Stiles was worried that the werewolf had heard his conversation with Deaton, but the werewolf barely acknowledged his presence and Stiles knew his secret was safe.

“Thank you for coming, Derek. Sheriff Stilinski and the rest of the pack are on their way.”

Derek moved toward the body. Stiles saw his nostrils flare when he tried to pick up the killer’s scent, but he returned to them after a few beats. “There’s a distinctive scent in the area that I can’t identify. It doesn’t belong.”

“I haven’t heard of any other deaths or missing persons. This is either an isolated incident or the first of more to come,” Deaton noted.

“Probably the latter,” Derek agreed.

A thought came to Stiles’ mind and it intrigued him. “Lydia wasn’t the one to find the body. I wonder if that’s significant?”

Deaton also seemed interested if the way his head snapped toward Stiles was any indication. “Perhaps it’s something that can cloak its victims from the senses of a banshee?”

“Is that even possible?” Derek asked.

Stiles responded first because he already knew what Deaton was going to say. “All things are possible. Even gargoyles.”

Derek rolled his eyes and he spent the next few minutes checking his phone to get an ETA for the others. Stiles had suspected that the werewolves had a separate group chat without him and he saw the screen of Derek’s phone when he tilted it a little too far to the right as he tapped out a message with his thumb. Now he was certain that he’d been excised and the truth made him want to hide under the blankets and fall into a coma for a few years.

The sound of Scott’s motorbike grew close enough for Stiles and Deaton’s human ears to perceive it. Stiles was thankful for the distraction from his thoughts even if his former best friend’s arrival did nothing to abate them.

Scott parked behind Stiles’ vehicle and both he and Allison got off of the motorbike and walked over with their helmets in their hands. Allison was the first to get a good look at the body.

“I know him,” Allison gasped. “His name is Dallas. He lives in my neighborhood.”

“I don’t recognize him. Did he go to our school?” Stiles inquired. He tried to be gentle, but he needed to get as much information as possible in order to figure out what was responsible. He wasn’t known for his tact, but he didn’t want to be overly abrasive if she and the murder victim had been friends.

She shook her head and pushed her hair behind her ears. “No, he was homeschooled by his parents. They’re very religious. We only interacted a couple of times, but he seemed nice.” Scott wrapped his arm around her and he held her close to him for support.

Stiles looked away from them. It felt like an intimate moment that he was intruding on and he didn’t want them to feel like they were being watched. Another vehicle pulled up and Stiles was relieved to see that it was his father.

John Stilinski looked over the body for any initial clues and then he turned back to all of them.

“I need to call this in and handle it by the book.”

“We have to wait for Lydia,” Scott announced. “She might be able to sense something that we can’t.”

“Okay, but only a couple of you should stay. The rest of you should go before anyone sees you hanging around,” John directed.

“Allison and I will stay and wait for Lydia. The rest of you can go,” Scott instructed. As alpha, it was technically his call even though Stiles didn’t appreciate the clear dismissal. The sad part was that he wasn’t even surprised by it.

Stiles turned to Derek. “You want a ride home?”

Derek shook his head. “No.” He turned and retreated back the way he came without saying anything else. Stiles was getting tired of being given the cold shoulder. He was getting to the point where he was ready to start cutting his losses. He turned back to the others, but it wasn’t like his relationship with Scott or Allison was any better.

“I don’t think this was a random murder,” he warned. “Something’s out here and it’s just getting started.”

“We’ll figure it out, man.”

Stiles looked over at Scott. The placating tone stung even worse than Derek’s apathy. “I’ll start researching after I finish my homework. Let me know if you find anything that might help me narrow it down. See you later, Deaton. Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Anytime,” Deaton replied.

Stiles walked over to his Jeep and he started it up. He maneuvered around Scott’s bike and then he drove back to the main road. He wanted to stay and do some investigating of his own, but he accepted that he wouldn’t be able to do that with law enforcement and crime scene technicians swarming the area. He also thought it was a bad idea to go searching for something without having any idea as to what it was he was looking for.

He drove home and kept to his word. He finished his math homework and made an outline for an essay that was due in a few weeks. After his school work was finished, he switched to the same websites and forums that he used when he searched for information on gargoyles. He read all the new postings first and then he moved on to other sources of information.

He leaned back in his chair a few hours later once his stomach growled loud enough to catch his attention. He didn’t know what he was looking for and he needed more information. He closed his laptop and he headed downstairs to the kitchen to search for sustenance.

He made himself a cup of microwavable mac and cheese and ate it with unbuttered toast. It wasn’t an elegant meal, but it was enough to get rid of the hunger. He looked at his phone after he got back to his bedroom, but no one had sent him any updates. He eventually sent a text directly to Lydia asking her if she sensed anything at the scene, but she didn’t reply.

She still hadn’t when it was time for him to go to bed.

Chapter Text

Stiles was late to school the next morning. He barely had time to see or talk to any of the pack before lunch. He was the last to sit down at their usual table because one of his substitute teachers made him stay behind and apologize for speaking out of turn even though, by her own admission, everyone else in class did the exact same thing. He gave her a fake apology to keep the peace and then he made up an excuse about having low blood sugar and needing to leave.

“What are you guys talking about?” He asked once he was there long enough to pick up some of the conversation.

Scott kept his focus on Lydia and Allison. They were sitting on either side of him at the head of the table and Stiles was seated across from Boyd and Erica with Isaac to his left.

“We were talking about the other bodies we found in the preserve last night,” Erica explained. “We all went out when it was dark and we started looking around. Derek and Lydia teamed up and they located them a few miles from where Deaton found the guy yesterday. Why weren’t you out there with us, Batman?”

Stiles bit his tongue to keep from saying something he would regret. “No one told me you were searching.”

“We didn’t really need you,” Scott reported.

“It’s fine,” he replied. It wasn’t, but he wasn’t going to waste his time trying to convince them of the contrary. “Tell me about the bodies. How many were there?”

“Three other bodies, but parts of them were missing and there were bite marks on their necks and torsos. They were all male teens and they’re all from Beacon Hills,” Lydia revealed. “It’s sad to think that they died out there all alone.”

“Deaton told us he’s going to do some research for us in between patients,” Scott added. “He’ll report in as soon as he figures out what we’re looking for.”

“Are you guys going back out tonight?” Stiles asked reluctantly. He already knew the answer, but he wasn’t expecting everyone to suddenly start avoiding him with their eyes. That told him everything he needed to know.

“Uh, maybe. We’ll let you know,” Scott muttered.

Stiles sat back in his chair and he focused his attention on eating his lunch. He was burning calories a lot faster now that he was a supernatural being and he found a new appreciation for the soggy vegetables that the cafeteria served. They still didn’t taste like much, but they were fuel for his body and that made them too useful to waste.

The others talked around him, but no one seemed interested in inviting him into their conversations. He stood up and left the table with his tray almost ten minutes before the bell was due to ring. He dumped his trash into the trash can at the door and he deposited his tray onto the rolling cart like he did every other day.

No one chased after him or tried to check in.

He retreated to the library and used a school computer to open up a few of the more G-rated websites to begin another research spiral. Danny had taught him how to circumvent all of the common internet filters that the school district used to keep the weirder and more adult websites blocked from the student body, but he didn’t want to risk being discovered if he could help it.

He most definitely did not want any of the school administrators looking into the kinds of things he researched.

Thinking about the killer monster proved a decent enough distraction to keep him from focusing on his current status with the pack. The new information helped him narrow things down tremendously, but there were no definitive answers with the limited resources he had available.

He skipped his mathematics class after lunch and he stayed in the library to continue his research, but he ended up leaving before the period was over. He deposited all of his belongings in his locker and he snuck out through the exit in the boy’s locker room. He walked across the empty lacrosse pitch and stepped into the part of the preserve that backed up to it.

His inner gargoyle was antsy to be unleashed and Stiles knew it was because it wanted to hunt the creature that was killing so many innocent kids. He didn’t understand why his dad hadn’t told him about any of the missing persons reports and he definitely intended on having a conversation with him later in the day, but he had to back burner it given his current priority. He couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was purposefully keeping him in the dark about things and he didn’t like it.

He walked for close to twenty minutes before he felt the familiar twinge in his gut that told him something dark and twisted was close by. It wasn’t hard to notice that there weren’t any sounds coming from any nearby animals. That was always a bad sign and he knew that it usually meant that the bad thing was nearby and most likely watching him.

He balled his hands into fists and he felt raw power surging in his veins. His head turned to the right when he heard a loud hiss. His eyes searched the trees and the ground around him, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He started to pull out his phone to do some GPS mapping when he heard footsteps coming from the other side of the clearing.

He looked over in that direction and saw Derek step out from where he’d been hiding amongst the larger trees. He frowned at Stiles the entire time it took for him to walk closer.

“You heard that, right? The hiss?” Stiles asked. The sound confirmed his most prominent theory about the identity of the creature.

“I heard it. What are you doing out here all alone?”

Stiles swept his arm out at the forest in front of him. “I’m investigating. What does it look like?”

“By yourself? Someone should talk to your father about your suicidal tendencies.”

His fists clenched tighter. “He knows all about them. See you around.”

Stiles took off in the direction that the hiss came from. His senses were telling him that the big bad was still close, but not close enough for him to get to it as a human being. He started to walk around a large sycamore tree when he felt a hand on his shoulder pulling him back. He spun around and looked into Derek’s gorgeous green eyes.

His heart was a traitorous traitor and he hated all of the emotions.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“I was about to ask you the same question, dude. Why are you following me?”

“I’m making sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

Stiles fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I don’t need a babysitter. It’s never going to show itself with you following me around. It’s attracted to young guys and you don’t fit that description anymore.”

Yeah, his dig was intentional. It was clear as day that Derek was vain about his appearance, though he wasn’t as bad as Jackson.

“I’m not leaving you alone out here.”

Stiles turned away from him and he put his hand on the closest tree. He controlled his breathing and focused his mind before he lost control and said something he was going to regret. “I can take care of myself. We both know you don’t really give a damn about me.”

Derek reached out and he grabbed him again. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m tired of being kept in the dark. Robin doesn’t stay in the freaking Batcave!”

Derek backed away from him and he released Stiles’ shoulder. “That was Scott’s decision. He just wanted to keep you safe.”

Stiles scoffed. He didn’t even know where to begin. “That’s great. I’ll make sure to kick his ass the next time I see him. I’ll even tell him you did your part and told me to leave, but I’m no longer your responsibility.”

He started walking again and Derek moved to block his path. “Turn around and go back to school.”

“You’re not my dad and you sure as hell aren’t my alpha. You can’t just boss me around!”

Derek clenched his jaw. Stiles could see that he’d hit a nerve by the way Derek’s blue eyes flashed at him. “I may not be an alpha, but I can still take you.”

Stiles hadn’t been afraid of Derek for a long time. “Are you sure about that?”

“Unless you have mountain ash in your pocket, you won’t put up much of a fight,” Derek boasted.

Stiles didn’t have any mountain ash on him and he didn’t want to expose himself by fighting and making himself look like an enemy. He knew they would definitely see him as a threat if he did that. He turned back toward the direction the creature was in and he let out a disgruntled sigh when the alarm bells in his head began to go quiet. “You let it get away! Thanks a lot for slowing me down, dumbass.”

Derek lifted an eyebrow and Stiles wasn’t fazed by it. He was too angry to care about Derek’s attractiveness. “You should be thanking me for keeping you alive.”

Stiles laughed. “Oh, give me a break. You all couldn’t care less about me.”

Stiles turned and he started walking back toward the school. He could hear Derek’s footfalls trailing behind him and he knew the werewolf was making sure he didn’t resume looking for the killer. He stepped over a fallen log with a grace that he lacked for most of his life, but Derek didn’t bring it up. He heard the werewolf make the same jump, but then his footfalls stopped.

Stiles looked back at him out of curiosity. “What? You don’t want to be seen with me either? Are you afraid I’ll ruin your reputation?”

The werewolf went still and he looked moderately admonished.

“Why do you think we don’t care about you?”

“It’s pretty obvious that none of you want anything to do with me. You can barely stand to be in my presence. Scott is always canceling our plans to hang out because I’m not Isaac or Allison. Your former betas think I’m a complete waste of space and it’s no secret that I’ve been invisible to Lydia all my life. None of that is ever going to change.”

He shrugged his shoulders and continued. He needed to get it all out, to verbalize the things he’d been feeling for so long. “I’m not pack. It took a while for me to get it, I’ll admit. I’m sure you all found that hilarious. Anyway, I have more important things to do.”

He turned around and finished his trek back to the school. He headed directly to his Jeep and drove home even though he knew the school would call his father and tell him how many classes he missed. He didn’t really care. He had a mission and it was far from over.

Chapter Text

Stiles was only home long enough to do some targeted research about how to kill the lamia that he was sure was nesting in the preserve. He didn’t find any specific instructions so he surmised that it was a pretty basic process. Decapitation was always a fool-proof way to get the job done and he knew his new claws were sharp enough to make it happen.

It would probably give him nightmares for years to come, but he was willing to deal with those if it meant no more kids had to die. He sent Deaton a text about the identity of the creature, but he left out that he was heading to the preserve to track it and kill it. He didn’t want the emissary alerting the pack and putting their lives in danger.

He just hoped that Derek had given up his own search and gone home.

He drove to an isolated part of the preserve and he parked on the side of a poorly maintained dirt road. The surface was full of potholes and avoided by all the locals so he knew his Jeep wouldn’t be discovered for a while if he ended up dead. He left a hastily written note to his dad in the glove box just in case, but he was confident he’d get the job done and live to tell the tale.

He entered the preserve and his instincts led him in toward the evil bitch. It was like a compass in his head was pointing him in the right direction and he felt the alarm bells go off as he got closer to the creature. He was going slow moving on human feet, but it was daylight and he didn’t want to risk being seen by anyone if he took to the skies.

As it was, he had no adequate cover story if one of his dad’s deputies found him roaming around.

He walked for almost an hour before he had to stop and take a rest. He got a drink from the bottle of water he shoved into his jacket pocket and then he re-evaluated his position. He surmised that he had to be close because he could sense the Lamia’s presence within a few hundred yards. He let his breathing even out and then he resumed walking.

He moved southeast for another few minutes and then he froze. A nearby hiss caused his entire body to tense up. His eyes tracked onto movement as a woman in a flowing white dress began to dance toward him. “Hello there,” she called out. Her voice sounded like music and he knew it was how she got her hooks into her victims.

“I know what you are. I’ve come to stop you.”

She looked nervous when she realized he wasn’t falling under her spell, but she regained her confidence far quicker than he expected. She grinned and she licked her lips. She stopped moving her hips suggestively and changed tactics.

“What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Stiles.”

“Hmm, you’ll do nicely. I’ve been so lonely and I can tell that you feel the same. Maybe we can keep each other company?”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “I know all about your tricks, but they won’t work on me. I’m immune.”

“Fascinating.” He saw a hint of anger in her eyes, but she did her best to keep up the charade. She continued to move closer. “I think I’m gonna like the taste of you.”

“That’s just gross.”

Stiles unleashed his inner gargoyle and his flesh began to harden at a rapid rate. The color of his eyes dulled until they were totally gray and it wasn’t long before the rest of him matched. Claws protruded from the tips of his fingers and he flexed them a few times to remove some of the stiffness that came from the shift. His pointed tail swayed behind him and brushed against the leaves of a nearby bush.

The lamia hissed and she started to back away, but Stiles lunged and some of his claws pierced her neck. He tore into her flesh and he felt the warmth of her slime-like blood coat his hands. The illusion she was using to help her seduce young men started to fade and her true form became visible.

The top part of her body was that of a woman, though her hair was white and frizzy and she had sunken eyes that looked dark and ghoul-like. She continued to hiss out in pain as the lower part of her body — the part that was covered in scales and shaped like a snake — began to move about in a panic. Stiles dodged the first assault of her tail, but the second sent him careening backwards into a nearby tree. The wood splintered on impact and he stood up and leapt a second time to prevent her escape.

Her entire body convulsed a couple of times and then she collapsed on the forrest floor while she bled out. Stiles finished the job by separating her head from her body and then he used his claws to dig up the dirt so he could bury her divided remains in separate pieces throughout the preserve. He didn’t want to take any chances by letting any of the nearby animals feast on her remains.

Once the task was complete, he shifted back to his human form. He found his way to a nearby stream that he passed earlier and he washed the gloopy blood-like substance off of his hands in the water, but he knew he wouldn’t feel clean until he took a hot shower at home. The creature inside felt content and at ease over fulfilling his duty and Stiles mentally thanked it for its help even though he wasn’t really able to communicate with it.

He walked back to his parked vehicle and he put on the spare change of clothes that he had the forethought to bring along. He drove home and debated whether he was going to eat or shower first.

Chapter Text

“Where in the hell have you been?!”

Stiles barely had time to close the front door before his dad was yelling at him from the other room. He knew he was going to be in trouble when he saw the cruiser parked in the driveway, but he thought he’d at least make it into the living room before he got grounded for the rest of his life.

“I was out in the preserve. I had a lamia to deal with.”

His father stared. “A what now?”

“A lamia. It’s a snake-woman from Greek mythology, but she’s actually real. Well, she was. Now she’s pretty dead.”

John glared at his only son. “You skipped school so you could go kill something in the preserve? Why didn’t one of the others try to talk some sense into you?”

Stiles narrowed his eyes as the memory of everyone’s actions resurfaced. “They weren’t invited.”

John ran a hand over his face. “Son, you’re going to be the death of me.”

“Nah. Your diet is gonna get you first.”

John sat down on the couch and he patted the empty seat next to him. When Stiles didn’t move, he looked over at his son. “Sit or die.”

Stiles complied. “I’m pretty sure Child Protective Services would find it interesting to know that the town’s beloved sheriff is threatening his only son with homicide.”

“They’ve never met you,” the man retorted.

Stiles couldn’t hold back his proud smile even though the joke was at his own expense. “Fair enough.”

“Son, you can’t skip school to kill supernatural creatures. I know something’s been up with you lately, but I was trying to give you time to come to me about whatever it is that’s been bothering you. You’re barely home and I can tell that you’re hiding things from me again.”

Stiles folded his arms across his chest. “Kind of like how you’ve been dealing with the pack behind my back and hiding missing persons reports from me?”

John inhaled a sharp breath. “Yeah. Kind of like that,” he admitted guiltily.

Stiles instantly felt regret for further straining their relationship, but this time the blame wasn’t all on his shoulders. “I didn’t mean to lie to you. I was just trying to get a handle on all of it before I told anyone. I sort of jumped in front of Derek a few weeks back and a gargoyle scratched me.”

“A gargoyle? An actual gargoyle or someone dressed up in a costume?”

He looked at his father like he was an idiot only to feel bad about it a moment later. He ran his hand down his face in an attempt to reset his facial expression, but he wasn’t sure if it was all that successful.

“An actual gargoyle, obviously.”

John sighed. “It was just a scratch?”

“Yeah, but I healed it with my new powers. It turns out that a person of pure heart becomes a gargoyle when they’re maimed by one. I’ve been spending the last few weeks learning about my new powers and training myself to use them. I can even fly, but I’m still not so great with the landings.”

John reached over and he clasped his son’s shoulder. “In any other house the parent would present you with a drug test and they’d instal a GPS tracker on your cellphone.”

“Yeah, but you know I’m not on drugs. Watch my eyes.”

Stiles focused on the shift and he saw the moment his dad’s eyes widened. “Your eyes are grey.”

“I know. I can see much better when they’re like that, things my human eyes can’t perceive. Do you want me to shift all the way?”

“Not right now,” John said quickly. Stiles stopped himself from changing and he felt the familiar tingle as the color returned to his irises. “Jesus, son. Are you okay? It doesn’t hurt…?”

“No, it doesn’t hurt. It actually feels like there’s this part of me that’s boxed up most of the time. It feels good to let it out. Gargoyles are like these protectors that punish evil. It was my duty to track down the lamia before she could hurt anyone else.”

John thought it over and he went still after he rested his hands on his knees. Stiles could see that the man understood. “I’m glad she won’t hurt anyone else, but you should have told me about this from the beginning. You definitely shouldn’t have left school without calling me first. Your principal is probably going to give you detention for skipping class.”

Stiles didn’t like detention, but he could think of a lot of things that were far worse. “No biggie. Maybe I’ll make some new friends while I’m there.”

John tilted his head to the side. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

The man knew his son well enough to not be convinced, but he didn’t appear to have the fight in him to get into it. Stiles appreciated the reprieve. “Alright. You’re grounded until you leave for school tomorrow.”

Stiles grinned at the obvious win. “That’s more than fair. Thanks, pops.”

“And you have to make dinner. I’m thinking burgers.”

“Turkey burgers. That’s your punishment for hiding things from me,” Stiles countered, reveling in the fact that he had some power to even the score.

John relaxed in his seat. “Fine. At least it’s not tofu.”

Stiles climbed the stairs and he grabbed his favorite beach towel before he went into the bathroom to take a hot shower. He combed his hair after he dried himself off and he wrapped the towel around his waist. He returned to his bedroom and was immediately annoyed to find Scott and Derek waiting for him.

“What are you guys doing here?”

Stiles didn’t want to see them. He was glad they showed up after his gargoyle talk with his father instead of during the big reveal, but he couldn’t think of anything they needed to discuss.

“Derek told me he found you alone in the preserve while he was out tracking the thing that killed those guys. What the hell were you thinking, Stiles?”

Stiles occupied himself by pulling clothes out of his drawers and off the hangers in his closet. “Are you serious? You tattled on me?”

“He needs to know how reckless you’ve become,” Derek explained.

Stiles slid his boxer briefs on underneath his towel and then he repeated the process with his checkered pajama pants. “I’m not reckless. I had everything under control before you showed up and started throwing your weight around. The lamia took off because your presence freaked her out.”

“What’s a lamia?” Scott asked.

Derek beat Stiles to it. “It’s a creature from Greek mythology. She’s part woman, part snake.”

“She’s also dead,” Stiles informed them. “I spread her remains throughout the reserve to be sure she couldn’t resurrect herself. Her days of murdering innocent teenagers are over. I mean, her human illusion wasn’t even all that attractive.”

Stiles heard the werewolves scoff. He could practically feel them glaring at the back of his head while he put on his shirt and tossed his used towel into the hamper by his closet. He stayed quiet and occupied himself by putting on his socks. When he looked up, they were still there and still furious with him.

“You’re an idiot,” Derek accused.

“Yeah, I have been.”

The beta seemed unsure how to respond. Unfortunately, Scott had to open his big mouth and make things worse.

“Why didn’t you tell me you identified the creature?” Scott asked. “We would have backed you up.”

Stiles laughed. “Yeah, sure you would have.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Stiles glared into Scott’s big brown eyes. He knew his former best friend could turn on the sad puppy dog look on a whim and he refused to fall for it.

“It means that I’ve been left out of the loop for the last time, Scott. I’m done with being demoted to the JV team. I’m done with being told about things after the fact and then scrambling to get information when it’s already too late!”

“Is everything okay up there?” His dad called up from the base of the stairs.

“It’s fine, dad. I’ll be down soon,” he yelled back.

Stiles stood and he plugged his cell phone into the charger on his nightstand. He hadn’t meant to be so loud, but his anger got the better of him. He took a breath to center himself, but it wasn’t as effective as he would’ve liked it to be.

“We’re just trying to protect you,” Scott responded.

“Great. Consider me protected. You can both get out of my house now.”

Scott rushed forward, but he stopped himself from actually trying to touch Stiles. “Dude, I’m sorry. I just…you don’t know how dangerous it is out there.”

“I’ve been by your side since all this started, Scott. I know better than anyone how dangerous this world is. The lamia is dead, but we all know that it won’t be long before something else drags itself here to cause trouble. You promised me that we’d be together in all this after that crap you pulled when you teamed up with Gerard, but I think you just told me whatever I wanted to hear so I would move on. You’re still making decisions without me and a real pack doesn’t function like that.”

Scott looked like he’d been slapped, but that hurt soon shifted into bitterness. “You’re not a werewolf, Stiles. I’m the alpha and that means you do what I say. I wouldn’t even be like this if it weren’t for you dragging me through the woods to look for a dead body!”

It was Stiles’ turn to feel like he’d been punched in the gut. “I’m sorry about that! You know I am! I’ve done everything possible to make sure you always had someone watching your back and I’ve put enough blood, sweat, and tears into this so-called pack to prove myself to each and every one of you a dozen times over, but I still get treated like I’m useless.”

His insides felt tingly as his anxiety level began to ratchet up. He shoved everything down and pressed on to keep from breaking down in front of them. He refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

“I’m done,” he said as he made eye contact with Scott. “I’m done trying to be part of a pack that doesn’t want me. I’m done being friends with someone that blames me for everything that’s gone wrong in his life except when it makes him popular, or good at sports, or someone that people actually want to hang out with. I’m done with all of you. Get the hell out of my house. I won’t ask again.”

He turned and walked calmly down the stairs. His father was sitting on the couch with the television muted and Stiles knew that meant his dad heard everything that had been said. Stiles took one look at the man before he started to unleash the tears that he’d been holding back. John stood up and he pulled his son into a firm hug so the teenager sniffled and sobbed into his shoulder.

“It’s gonna be okay, kid. I promise you that.”

Chapter Text

Severing ties with the pack was difficult when they still saw each other so often at school, but Stiles did his best to keep his distance. He started sitting at an empty lunch table far enough from the others so that he couldn’t be seen from where they were. He asked his chemistry 2 teacher to give him a new lab partner and the two weeks of detention he got for skipping school were spent without any of his former pack mates. It was difficult, but he was dealing.

The hardest part was being alone all the time. He found it almost impossible to make friends with anyone else because he didn’t want to have to lie to them about the supernatural. Instead, he focused his attention on honing his new abilities. Deaton helped him out for a while even after Stiles distanced himself from the others, but he felt like the veterinarian was claimed by Scott and the pack so he stopped going there, too.

He spent a lot of time patrolling the preserve on his own, but things had been surprisingly quiet. It felt like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Part of him was worried if he’d be able to protect the town on his own.

He’d forgotten it was the full moon or he would have anticipated running into the werewolves on one of their night runs.

“Stiles,” Derek said slowly, his tone laced with something that Stiles couldn’t identify. He came to a stop in front of him.

“Derek. You look…uh, how are you?”

“I’m good.” All Stiles heard in that statement was I’m better without you.

He felt like a complete dumbass. His heart was beating a mile a minute and the only thing he could think to do was to run away, but his higher brain fought to stop that from happening. It was a miracle that his brain was working at all, but somehow it won out. “Great. Well, I should get going.”

Stiles turned and he started walking in the direction of his Jeep, but the rest of the pack picked that moment to show up. Cora tagged Derek on the shoulder and told him he was it. Then she noticed they weren’t alone.

“Stiles?” She asked.

He turned back to face everyone. Scott and Allison were noticeably absent from the group, but the rest of them were all present. Even Lydia was running with them and Stiles couldn’t help the jealousy he felt when he realized that her and Derek were dating. She was sticking close to Derek’s side, far more than she used to. Stiles knew she had a type when it came to choosing her partners — they were always model-level attractive with chronically bad attitudes — but it still stung to see Derek show such affection for someone else.

It hurt even worse to know that he had been ignored in favor of the former subject of his very own teenaged fantasies, but life, as Stiles was learning, was a bitch.

His obsession for Lydia came about at a time when he was still kind of lost over his mother’s death. Lydia was like a breath of fresh air at a difficult time and his feelings for her were real and true, but they paled in comparison to how he felt for Derek. He hated to admit that those feelings for the werewolf were still there.

He saw Derek as a survivor, someone strong and capable with an almost altruistic sense of duty even in spite of all the trauma he’d been through. Derek was full of rough edges, but he was also selfless when he encountered someone that needed help. Stiles had seen it before even if it was never directed at him personally.

Cora stepped forward while everyone else stood still. “Hey there.”

“Hey,” he replied. “I thought you went back to South America.”

“I did, but I missed my dumb brother and I eventually decided that I couldn’t stay there anymore. I’ve only been back a few days.”

Stiles didn’t know what he was supposed to say. He was happy that Derek had his sister back in his life. He still wanted them to be safe and happy. Cora treated him like an annoyance before she left, so he had no clue why she was suddenly acting like they meant anything to each other.

“We’re running because it’s the full moon. Do you want to come with us?”

He wanted to, but he knew that way led to further heartbreak. “It sounds like a pack thing and I’m not pack. I need to visit my dad at the station in half an hour, but welcome home.”

He fled before any of them could try to talk him into staying. He didn’t want their pity.

He eventually found himself wondering if Cora was smiling at him because he was on the outside looking in. It was possible that her shift in happiness was a direct result of his separation from the pack. He knew he annoyed her like he annoyed everyone else, but it wasn’t like the others didn’t get on his nerves at times, too.

His inner gargoyle was docile and that told him that the preserve was safe for the night. He decided to leave and follow through on his plan to visit his dad. The man was pulling a couple of doubles while two of his deputies were out with the flu and Stiles thought he deserved a moderately healthy meal for his sacrifice.

Stiles was still hurt and angry with his dad, but he needed someone in his corner and he suspected that his dad felt the same way.

He bought a burrito bowl from the local Chipotle and had them add some chips and salsa to the bag. The station was pretty empty when he arrived with only Parrish and one other deputy in the building. It felt serene there, like a safe place that even the darkest of creatures couldn’t destroy, and he liked the calm even though that sort of thing usually made him an anxious mess in need of stimulation.

“Hi, Jordan. Is my dad here?”

The handsome deputy flashed his pearly whites at him, but they didn’t have the same effect as a certain someone smiling when he thought no one was looking. “Hey, Stiles. He’s actually out on a call. He’ll probably be back soon if you want to hang out in his office.”

Stiles offered his own best smile in return. They were still in the early stages of figuring each other out, but Stiles was pretty confident that the two of them would eventually become friends. He knew his dad liked and respected Jordan and his father’s endorsement was key. The man was usually a pretty good judge of character, after all.

“Thanks, Parrish. I brought him dinner so he better not be in some drive-thru somewhere picking up a greasy burger.”

Jordan laughed. “I’m sure he knows better than that. Yell if you need anything and try not to snoop at any of the confidential files on his desk.”

“I’ll do my best to resist the temptation,” he teased. He walked into his dad’s office and turned on the light. The desk was organized according to his dad’s tried-and-trusted filing system and Stiles knew better than to mess with it. He picked a seat in one of the chairs and decided to wait it out.

His dad showed up fifteen minutes later with a bottle of water he got from a gas station when he stopped to fill up the cruiser’s tank. “Hey, pops. I brought you dinner.”

John eyed the bag suspiciously. “Chipotle? What’s the special occasion?”

“I thought you deserved a treat since you’ve been covering for Jennings and Ferguson. I even had them add steak instead of chicken.”

John took the bag from his son and he dug in as soon as he sat down behind his desk. “Thanks, kid. What have you been up to tonight?”

“I went out to patrol the preserve. Everything is copasetic.”

John clicked his tongue. “That’s it? Stiles, you’re seventeen years old and it's Friday night. You need to live a little. I can’t believe I’ saying this, but isn’t there some party you could go to?”

Stiles wasn’t the social butterfly that he always imagined himself to be. It’s not like being the sheriff’s kid did him any favors, but he wasn’t going to bring that up knowing it would make his dad feel guilty.

“None that I was invited to. Besides, it’s not like it would be that fun since alcohol doesn’t do anything for me anymore.”

John finished chewing on a salsa-laden chip. “You’re never going to be this young again, son. You should be out there making out with girls and talking to your friends.”

Stiles looked down at his hands. “I ran into the pack earlier tonight. They were out on a full moon run, I guess. It turns out that Cora Hale is back in town, but seeing her was sorta weird. She actually seemed happy to see me.”

“Oh?”

“The thing is that she hated me before she left. It’s weird. Anyway, let’s talk about something else. What sort of call were you on?”

“It was a 10-62.”

“B and E,” Stiles translated.

“Yeah. It turns out the owner came back from vacation a few days early. This is so damn good.”

Stiles wished all of his father’s calls could be that safe and uneventful. He was also glad to see that his dad was enjoying his meal. “Okay, I’m gonna head home. Try to get some sleep tonight or you’ll be dead on your feet tomorrow.”

“Yes, dad,”John replied.

Stiles left the station and he drove home with the radio blaring music that he sang along to. He wasn’t happy, but he was trying the archaic philosophy where he faked it until it all fell into place. He fixed himself a root beer float and turned on one of the Batman movies that was playing on one of the cable networks.

The movie was just getting to the part of the story where the villain’s identity was revealed when his phone started to vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and cursed when he saw the name that showed up on the caller ID.

“What do you want, Derek?” He asked coldly. He fully expected to get yelled at and insulted even though he hadn’t done anything wrong. That was how their conversations usually went.

“…ambushed by hunters in the preserve. We…help. Wolfsba—.”

The line went dead and a chill traveled down the length of his spine.

Stiles jumped to his feet and he grabbed a bag of his newest tonics from the shelf in his bedroom. He removed his shoes and socks and then he proceeded to wrap the bag around his ankle using velcro straps to secure it in place. He exited his house through the back door and he stripped out of his clothes completely before he took off running. He triggered his shift on the way and he took to the skies as soon as his oversized wings had formed.

The full moon was visible on the unusually cloudless night, but he didn’t have time to marvel at the natural beauty. He coiled his tail around his left leg to prevent it from disrupting the aerodynamics as he sought out the pack. He knew he needed to get to them as quickly as possible given the amount of danger they were in.

Derek sounded like he was barely hanging on when he made the call and Stiles acknowledged that he would never forgive himself if Derek died waiting for him to arrive.

Humans, by nature, didn’t trigger his preternatural senses, but he was able to track the werewolves even though they weren’t intrinsically evil. Stiles soared over the tree tops to help give himself cover. His internal radar identified the pack and directed him to a location only a few miles away from where he’d encountered them earlier in the evening. His ears picked up the sounds of Lydia trying to plead with one of the hunters, but the man’s profanity told him that her pleas weren’t going to help. Stiles dove down through the treetops and he attacked.

The hunters were subdued with little effort thanks to the aid of his enhanced speed and agility, but he was forced to cover himself with his nearly indestructible wings a few times to deflect the bullets that were sent his way. While his skin was thicker and more durable in his shifted form, only his wings were capable of protecting him from modern weapons, and even then they wouldn’t hold out forever.

Lydia backed away from him once the hunters were all incapacitated. He could see genuine fear in her eyes and he felt bad for adding to her stress given what she’d just been through. He could just barely smell the wolfsbane poisoning each of the werewolves on the ground.

Derek growled and his eyes flashed in warning on his approach, but Stiles wasn’t going to be deterred by the guy’s bad attitude. He kneeled down next to the beta and immediately winced when the werewolf lashed out and embedded claws into his gut. Stiles rolled his eyes, but the injury he received wasn’t life threatening. If anything, he was annoyed that he didn’t anticipate the attack.

Derek gasped once recognition set it.

“Stiles?”

The beta pulled his claws out of Stiles’ torso and he looked appropriately contrite for inflicting damage. Stiles did his best to compartmentalize the anger he felt over Derek’s past actions, but he found it difficult even with the man lying nearly helpless before him. He eventually concentrated on the task at hand and let his shift recede.

Soon he was completely naked and kneeling next to Derek’s prone body. “Did the bullets go all the way through?” He asked.

“Stiles?” Derek asked a second time, his voice more gravely.

“I’ll explain later. I need to know if the bullets went through or not. Do you know?”

Derek nodded his head in a jerking motion that reminded Stiles of a broken bobblehead. “They went through.”

“Good.” He retrieved the vials of tonic that were velcroed to his ankle and he uncapped one of the lids before he pressed it to Derek’s lips. “Drink this. Lydia, help me pass these out to the others. We have to make sure the bullets are out of their bodies before they ingest the tonic.”

The banshee gathered her wits and averted her eyes from his exposed junk as she collected the other vials and passed them out. Out of all the werewovles, Boyd was the only one shot with a bullet that lacked an exit wound. He was also the only one that was unconscious. Stiles used his claws to dig the hunk of metal out of Boyd’s shoulder and he tossed the bullet far, far away before Lydia poured the tonic down the guy’s throat.

When his ears picked up on all the heartbeats around him normalizing, the reality of his exposed secret finally set in.

Chapter Text

Stiles was sitting on the couch in Derek’s loft while all the betas stared at him from their vantage points scattered around the room. They all had cuts and gashes that they were healing in addition to the bullet wounds, but the bleeding had stopped and they had all changed their clothes which meant that they no longer looked like they’d barely survived a trip to a war zone.

Stiles winced from the pain of his own injury when he turned his body to get more comfortable. He lifted up the old BHHS t-shirt that Derek loaned him and he ran his fingertips over the five holes in his torso. They were deep.

“I’m sorry. I thought you were going to attack,” Derek explained.

“It’s not a big deal. Are you sure Scott and Allison are on their way? I only want to do this once.”

“They’ll be here soon,” Isaac confirmed. “They were annoyed about being disturbed on their date, but they’ll be here.”

Stiles looked over at Lydia. She was sitting in-between Derek and Cora and she looked like she could use a stiff drink. He decided to spend the wait healing his own wound instead of watching how Lydia and Derek interacted with each other.

He leaned his head back and rested it against the couch while he visualized his body repairing itself. His skin warmed in the affected area until it finished stitching itself back together and only then did he open his eyes. He lifted up his shirt a second time to check that the wounds healed correctly and he decided they passed inspection.

Erica leaned over so that she could get a good look, but Stiles knew they were all looking even if they weren’t making it so obvious. “How did you do that, Batman?”

Stiles saw no harm in explaining. He felt a little anguish over her using that particular nickname. “It’s one of the perks. I heal faster than you do, but my body only heals to a certain point unless I consciously trigger it.”

“They just pulled into the driveway,” Boyd announced.

Stiles kept his hands in his lap and he waited the three and a half minutes it took for the elevator to bring them to the top floor. The door slid open and Scott and Allison walked inside like they owned the place. Stiles locked eyes with him for half a second before Scott focused his attention on Isaac, his second in command.

“Tell me what happened,” Scott ordered.

“Hunters ambushed us while we were out in the preserve,” Isaac elucidated. “All of us wolves were shot and poisoned with wolfsbane. They knew what Lydia was and were planning on taking her back with them to wherever the hell they came from. We weren’t dying fast enough and Derek managed to call Stiles for help while they were figuring out what to do with us.”

“You didn’t answer your phone,” Derek elaborated. He was giving Scott a death glare but the true alpha didn’t even look at him.

Scott chose to focus on gathering more information. “What happened to the hunters?”

“I knocked them out,” Stiles explained. “I don’t think any of them will be able to identify me since they only saw me in my shifted form. I could tell they had evil intentions, but I couldn’t track them like I was able to track the lamia. I have no idea where they are right now and that kind of annoys me.”

Scott scowled and Stiles felt uncomfortable with the sudden attention. “Your shifted form? What are you talking about?”

“It all started the night that gargoyle scratched me.”

“Gargoyles aren’t real,” Allison stated firmly. She possessed an unwelcome air of superiority that faltered once she noticed the way that Stiles was looking at her. “That’s what Derek told us,” she added.

“I was wrong,” Derek admitted.

Stiles couldn’t help but notice that Derek didn’t include an apology for doubting him. He wasn’t expecting one, but the sentiment would have gone a long way to make Stiles feel like Derek didn’t think of him as a complete waste of oxygen.
“It turns out that a human becomes a gargoyle when they get scratched by one. I can shift into a gargoyle form where my skin is more durable and I have claws and enhanced senses. Anyway, I gave your betas some of the restorative tonic that I’ve been perfecting. They’re all healing a little slower than normal. They’ll be better once the tonic binds with the remaining wolfsbane molecules in their blood.”

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Boyd asked.

"I hung out with Deaton for a while. He's the one that helped train me on how to shift and use all my abilities. He used me as manual labor and taught me some of his recipes. That led to a research spiral and a 2AM Amazon purchase of a badass home chemistry set.”

“Why didn’t you answer your phone when I called?” Derek questioned, his eyes focused back on Scott. “We would be dead if it weren’t for Stiles.”

“You’re welcome,” Stiles interjected, but it was clear to him that no one was going to thank him. He stared up at the ceiling for a while as he listened to the conversation happening around him.

“We were at the movies on a date,” Scott defended. “I reached out as soon as I saw all the missed calls once the movie was over.”

Derek’s own scowl made it clear that all was not forgiven, but they had more pressing matters to attend to. Since he was no longer the alpha, Derek had to let Scott take the lead on figuring out their next move. “We need to decide what to do about the hunters,” he pressed.

“Do they know your identities?” Stiles asked.

His mind was working to try to determine the best way to move forward. He didn’t want to hurt humans, but it was clear that they weren’t innocent. He couldn’t just stand on the sidelines and let people be hurt. If there was one thing he was sure of it was that hunters would never abandon a target. He watched as the betas all shook their heads in response to his question, but something didn’t sit well with him.

“Then how did they know that Lydia’s a banshee?”

“I screamed. I sensed the death surrounding all of us and then the hunters attacked,” Lydia described. Derek reached over and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “They heard my scream and knew it wasn’t normal.”

The sight of Derek comforting Lydia made him feel like he’d been submerged in another tank of ice water and his inner gargoyle started to become agitated as it took his emotional reaction as a warning of an imminent attack.

“That means they don’t know who we are or how to find us,” Boyd reasoned.

“Yeah, but they’re not going to just go away. They saw all of your faces and most of you look young enough to be high school students,” Stiles noted. “It won’t be hard for them to get their hands on a yearbook. The public library has copies going back fifty years.”

“I’ll call Deaton and see if he’s willing to act as our emissary for a meeting with them,” Scott stated. “We should regroup at the clinic before we go looking for them. Allison, can you call your dad and see if he knows where they might be staying?”

“Sure,” she replied, “but I doubt he knows anything. He would have warned me if he knew they were in town.”

Derek appeared conflicted over the plan that Scott chose. “You want us to go track down the hunters? What are we going to do when we find them?”

“We’ll order them to leave,” Scott answered.

Stiles kept his mouth closed. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something, but it did the trick. The betas didn’t seem all that interested in rushing back toward danger and Stiles couldn’t blame them.

“Scott, they’re probably long gone. Even if they are still there and we do find them, they aren’t going to just leave us alone. They have plenty of knives and enough bullets to go a few more rounds. We can’t underestimate hunters. They’re killers,” Erica said. She ran a hand through her hair and pulled out a crumpled up leaf that was tangled up in her golden curls. “No offense, Allison.”

Allison, to her credit, seemed to agree with Erica’s assessment. “No, I agree with you. They already attacked the pack without provocation. They clearly don’t follow any sort of code so they aren’t likely to listen to reason.”

The true alpha seemed perturbed by everyone questioning his strategy. “Guys, we’re doing this. Be ready to go in five minutes.”

Derek clenched his jaw and Stiles saw the moment he gave in even though he obviously didn’t agree with the plan they were being ordered to follow. Stiles felt the need to state the obvious because, despite his valid feelings, he didn’t want any of the pack to die.

“Scott, they’re not even healed yet. They’re not strong enough for another confrontation.”

Scott glanced at him and his eyes flashed to signal that he was ready to move on from discussing the matter. “Deaton will fix them up before we go out. They’ll be fine.”

“Are you serious? There were at least eight hunters and they were well armed. You’re making a bad call.”

The true alpha crossed his arms in front of his chest and his nostrils flared out. Stiles recognized the expression on his former friend’s face. It was the look he got when he was closed off and that meant it was useless to try to convince him of anything.

“This doesn’t even concern you, Stiles.”

“Fine. You’re in charge and if you want to lead your pack to the slaughter then that’s your God-given right, mister true alpha. The funeral home just got done burying a bunch of kids that were killed before their time. What’s a few more, right?”

Stiles stood up and he walked across the room to the oversized windows and the door leading to the balcony. He stepped outside. He took off the old t-shirt in one swift movement and he let it fall down by his feet. He heard numerous gasps of surprise when he started to pull down the sweatpants. A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed that everyone had followed him to the balcony, but they were all still inside and watching him through the windows. They were waiting to see what he was going to do.

Stiles summoned his courage and he removed the sweat-pants before he tossed them next to the discarded t-shirt. He was standing in front of all his former friends and he was totally naked, but the anger and frustration he felt were more than enough to override the embarrassment that he should have been feeling.

“Oh, my,” Erica whispered suggestively.

“Guys, what’s he doing?” Allison asked.

“Just watch,” Cora answered.

Stiles let the gargoyle rise to the surface and his skin hardened at the same moment the color of his hair and skin started to fade to grey. Claws grew on the ends of his fingers and toes. His muscles began to double in size and he gained a few inches in height. Horns sprouted out of his forehead and then his wings grew out of his shoulder blades. He looked back one last time, his eyes meeting with Derek’s for a long moment as if to say goodbye, and then he jumped off the balcony and flew home.

The rest of the weekend was tediously unproductive. He spent most of his time at home looking into ways to increase his gargoyle senses to track the hunters after he got word that the pack was unable to locate the creeps that attacked them. The issue was that he wasn’t finding anything useful on tracking humans, even ones with evil intentions, and it left him feeling like he had a pretty big blind spot.

He didn’t want to go to the animal clinic and risk running into the pack just to talk to Deaton, so he stayed home and watched television as a distraction.

His dad was exhausted by the time he finally got home from his weekend of double shifts. He patted his son on the head like a well-trained dog owner and then he retreated upstairs to his bedroom for some much needed sleep.

Chapter Text

Stiles was ambushed by his locker first thing Monday morning. Cora was alone and Stiles had a feeling that her visit wasn’t exactly authorized by the pack’s supreme leader. “Scott is going to get us all killed,” she complained.

“Probably so,” he admitted without hesitation. He pulled his World History textbook out of his locker and then selected the appropriate notebook to go with it. He accepted that Scott usually had good intentions, but he was too trusting and naive to be completely effective.

“That’s it? You have to do something!”

Stiles met her eyes. They were green like Derek’s, but they weren’t as expressive in his opinion. Any idiot could see that she was beautiful, but he he wasn’t attracted to her. “It’s not my place. In case you haven’t noticed, Scott doesn’t listen to me anymore.”

“He’s going to get my brother killed. I know you don’t want that,” she said pointedly.

He went still. “How do you even know about that? No one knows!”

She scoffed at the insult to her intelligence. “Please, I’ve seen the way you look at him. It wasn’t that hard to figure out.”

Stiles fought the urge to cram himself into his locker and close the door. The problem was that he was starting to learn that running away and hiding didn’t actually accomplish anything. His problems always had a way of coming after him when he’d previously tried that approach and he was done with repeating the same old patterns.

“Look, my feelings aren’t important. I don’t want Derek to die, but Scott is the alpha and pack matters are his decision. Am I happy that Lydia and Derek are together? Of course not. And it’s also kind of shitty for you to play on my feelings when it’s clear that he’s not interested in me. Do I want them both to be happy? Sure, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. I don’t want to look like the jealous loser pining from the sidelines.”

“You are the jealous loser pining from the sidelines,” she teased. He hated that she was kind of right.

“Well, not anymore. I’m waving the white flag. I’m accepting the futility of my feelings and moving on with my life.”

She reached out and grabbed his arm before he could walk away. “Stiles, please, help me. I can’t lose my brother. And for your information, Lydia and Derek aren’t together. She isn’t even my brother’s type.”

Stiles turned back and he searched her face for any signs of deception. “I don’t believe you. Even if I’m wrong, it’s not like Derek’s suddenly going to remember that I exist. The guy treats me like he wishes I would drop dead ninety-nine percent of the time. He wants nothing to do with me, Cora, and I can't keep putting up with the way he treats me just because I’m in love the guy.”

She was visibly shook by his revelation. She lost her hold on him and her hands fell to her sides. “You’re in love with him?”

Stiles scratched his chin. He was so ready for this conversation to be over. “You’re missing my point. Derek never wanted to spend any time with me and he was always putting me down and telling me to fuck off in that special way of his. I finally got the message. I can’t help you with Scott. I’m sorry, but I can’t. And let’s not gloss over the fact that you hate me, too. You made your opinion of me very clear before you left for South America.”

“Excuse me? What the hell are you talking about?”

Stiles slammed his locker closed and he clutched his textbook and notebook a little tighter. “Are you kidding me? You treated me like I wasn’t good enough to be around you and you didn’t even know me.”

He counted to ten and he tried to imagine his darker emotions drifting away, but the visualization was only mildly successful. He could sympathize with her struggle, but he didn’t think he could help her even if he was willing to put up with the way they all treated him. “If you want to get through to Scott then you need to get Allison on your side. Your best bet is to recruit Lydia because she’ll get you Allison and Allison will get you to Scott. Now, I’ve gotta go to class. Good luck.”

Stiles ignored her protests as he walked away. He hunkered down in his seat once he got to his class and he waited for the bell to ring. He was completely taken by surprise when Danny took the desk in front of him. The guy turned around so that they were facing each other. “You okay, Stiles? Who was that girl you were just talking with in the hallway? It looked like she really pissed you off.”

He couldn’t help but be a little suspicious about why Danny seemed interested, but the guy was liked by everyone in the school and Stiles didn’t think he had a bad bone in his entire body.

“I’m fine, Danny. That was Cora Hale and I was just reminding her that Scott and I are no longer friends.”

“Whoa! Really? You guys have been friends for years. I always thought you two were ride or die, ya know?”

Stiles chuckled. “It turns out I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did.”

Danny gave him the Mahealani look of sympathy, a patented expression that instantly made everyone feel better. Stiles, it seemed, was immune to it. “That’s brutal. I’m sorry, man. Maybe he’ll come to his senses once he sees what life is like without you.”

Stiles wanted to believe that, but he felt like they were both beyond that point now. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. We’re too different. I guess it’s really true that people grow up and grow apart.”

Danny chuckled, but Stiles could see the hurt that he was trying to conceal. Having a father in law enforcement had certainly payed off when it came to learning how to read people and the things they tried to hide.

“Tell me about it. Jackson stopped returning my calls once he moved to London. He was distant for a while before that, I guess, but I understood because of everything he was going through. I just thought he’d figure his shit out and remember that I’ve always had his back. Instead, he ghosted me. I’d probably punch him in the face if he walked through that door right now.”

Stiles could empathize because he knew exactly what that kind of insensitivity felt like. “I would actually pay good money to see you punch him.”

Danny smiled and suddenly the world seemed a little brighter. “Well, maybe we should stick together. I could use a new study buddy and I’m also in the market for a new best friend.”

Stiles was shocked into silence, but he recovered as soon as his brain reset. “Me? You want to be friends with me? Since when?”

“Look, I know we were both on opposite sides of all the drama between Jackson and Scott, but the two of us have never been enemies. You’re one of the few triple threats in this place. You’re kind, intelligent, and you don’t give a damn about what other people think about you. Sit with me at lunch, okay?”

Stiles sat there for a moment, but the proposition sounded better the longer he sat with it. He looked away from Danny and watched his teacher and a handful of fellow students enter the classroom. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

Danny flashed him a dimpled smile and then he walked to the back of the room and took his assigned seat.

Chapter Text

“Are you gonna eat that?”

Danny slid his two-ounce cup of fruit cocktail across the table. Stiles reached out and pulled it the rest of the way over, but it didn’t sit for long. He finished the contents in four overflowing spoonfuls that he shoved into his mouth. When he looked up, Danny was laughing at him.

“What?” Stiles felt his cheeks hit up in embarrassment.

“Nothing, man. It’s just that Jackson always asked for my fruit cup when we sat together. For two people who supposedly hate each other, you both have a lot in common.”

“Bite your tongue.” Stiles shivered at the thought of having anything in common with Jackson freakin’ Whittemore. “Hey, what did you get on the last question of that pop quiz in second period? I think I misplaced a decimal point.”

“Uh, I can’t remember. I’m sure you did fine though.”

Stiles mentally patted himself on the back for effectively distracting Danny and leading him to a topic that had nothing to do with Jackson. “I hope so. I need good grades if I’m gonna get into any AP courses next—.”

Their conversation reached an abrupt end when they looked over and saw Lydia Martin staring at the two of them from the edge of their table. She was dolled up in a dress that looked like it came out of the pages of one of the fashion magazines that she always brought along to the pack meetings. Danny pushed his lunch tray away from himself and he folded his hands together on the faux wood surface of the table.

“Can we help you?” Danny inquired.

“What are you two doing together?”

“We’re friends now,” Danny explained. “Is that a problem?”

Lydia’s hands came to rest on her hips and Stiles’ life flashed before his eyes. He’d seen her dress down a freshman when they were all sophomores and the poor girl had skipped school for an entire week before relocating to a private school in Beacon Heights. “So you’re not dating each other?”

Stiles fought and won against the urge to chew her out for inserting herself into something that wasn’t any of her concern. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no, we’re not. Is that all?”

She bit her bottom lip and stared off into space for a moment before she regrouped. “For now.” She turned away from them like they’d been shunned and they watched her walk back to the pack’s usual table with her heels clacking against the linoleum floor.

Danny took a relieved breath when it was clear that she wasn’t going to come back. “That was interesting. What do you think she was after? Why would Lydia care if we’re dating?”

Stiles had no earthly idea about her motives, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Scott had the pack watching him from afar. Now that he was a supernatural creature, it kind of made sense that they would want to keep tabs on him. He’d thought the pack was preoccupied with the hunters, but it possible that he’d been mistaken.

“Stiles? Are you still with me?”

Stiles blinked the dark thoughts away, but the damage was already done. “Yeah, of course. I was just trying to figure out her angle. I’m sure it’ll become apparent at some point in the near future.”

Danny laughed. “You’re probably right. So…can I ask you a personal question?”

Stiles gave Danny his full attention. “Go for it.”

“Are you still part of their pack?”

Stiles hoped he played it cool, but it was a question that came completely out of left field. Danny had a smirk on his face like he knew exactly what was going through Stiles’ head. He looked to be enjoying himself.

Stiles had the option to play dumb, but that wasn’t the route he wanted to take. Danny clearly had information and it seemed like a good idea to gauge just how much the kid knew about the supernatural happenings of Beacon Hills. “How do you know about the pack?”

“I’m a very perceptive person.”

Stiles stared ahead. It wasn’t all that helpful in helping him determine just how much Danny knew. It left him with more questions than answers and Stiles was pretty sure that Danny had intended it to be that way.

“No, I’m no longer a part of the pack. They don’t want me around anymore.”

Danny seemed to be taking that information in. Stiles could see that the guy’s mind was working as he planned his next move. “Okay, but then what did Cora want to talk to you about earlier in the hallway?”

Stiles sighed. He was most definitely not going to get into his feelings for her older brother. No way, no how. “She figured out something that I haven’t really shared with anyone.”

“She knows that you’re in love with her brother,” Danny realized.

Stiles placed his head on the table. “What the hell?! How do you know these things? Are you telepathic? Are you a witch of some kind?”

Danny’s smirk returned. “You thought I actually believed his name was Miguel? Give me a little credit.”

“Fair enough.”

Danny reached over and he patted Stiles’ hand for a few moments. “Jackson told me his real name when I saw him hanging around the school one day. He’s incredibly hot and difficult to miss.”

“You have a better chance with him than I do. Wait. Did Jackson tell you about werewolves?”

Danny shook his head. “Nope. The jerk still hasn’t trusted me enough to tell me about any of this stuff. I found out about the supernatural when I hacked into the FBI in seventh grade. They have an entire division in charge of investigating crimes related to supernatural creatures. I’ve been researching things discreetly since then.”

Stiles was both surprised and impressed. “Why didn’t you ever say anything? You were dating a member of the alpha pack for crying out loud!”

Danny winced. “All I knew about Ethan was that he was a werewolf and that he was interested in me. It was never going to work out, but we both had fun while it lasted.”

Stiles couldn’t bring himself to fault the guy for running toward a chance at happiness. As far as he knew, Ethan had genuinely cared about Danny. In fact, those feelings were probably what made the guy so agreeable when the twins switched sides.

“I think Jackson kept you in the dark because he wanted to make sure you were safe. That’s why I didn’t tell my dad about all this stuff, but he got pulled into it anyway. Did you know that Jackson was a lizard for a while?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, I knew. He recorded himself one night and I erased the video evidence to protect him. I’m glad you guys figured out a way to fix him.” Danny started to organize his stuff when he looked up and saw the clock. “Look, I’ve gotta go to class early to meet with one of my teachers, but we should talk more about this later. I’m still curious to find out what you are.”

Stiles refused to look away. “What are you talking about?”

Danny shook his head and looked disappointed. “It’s obvious to anyone with a brain that you’re different. You don’t have to tell me until you’re ready, but I’m good at keeping secrets.”

“I trust you, Danny,” Stiles admitted. He meant it.

Chapter Text

The music was loud inside of Jungle. A lot of tight young bodies were gyrating in tandem on the dance floor as they moved along to the beat. Stiles’ head was bobbing along as he waited for a drink with Danny at the bar. Some of the other patron’s eyes were watching them, but Stiles was oblivious to the lust and leers that he was eliciting from the regulars as he teased Danny about his drink order.

“Any drink with ‘sour’ in the name has got to be a ploy to get you to spend more money in order to get drunk.”

Danny smiled at him and Stiles bit down the urge to poke at Danny’s adorable dimples.

“Says the guy that got a vodka and cranberry. Could you be any more unoriginal?” Danny jested.

Stiles handed over the cash for their drinks and then he put the change into the tip jar. It earned him a suggestive wink from the bartender, but the guy wasn’t Stiles’ type. “At least my drink isn’t glowing like it’s radioactive.”

Danny smiled. He presented the neon green drink to Stiles so that he could take a sip and Stiles licked his lips to chase after the taste. The cocktail was sweet and tart, a combination that he was very much a fan of. “I take it back,” Stiles offered. “Wanna trade?”

“Nope,” Danny answered. Stiles allowed himself to be steered to a table in the corner and they both took a seat.

“We’re dancing later, right?” Stiles asked him.

“Of course! Why else would we be here on a Friday night?”

Stiles took a sip of his own drink and the bitterness of the cranberry juice left him feeling slightly thirsty. The alcohol would do nothing to him now that his metabolism was faster than a human’s, but he still enjoyed the taste and the experience of sharing a drink with a friend.

Danny was slightly tipsy and full of courage two drinks later. Stiles joined him on the dance floor, but it wasn’t long before men flocked over to them to enjoy the conquest of dancing with the two youngest patrons in the club. Stiles allowed himself to have fun and if the way the guy grinding against him was any indication, he wasn’t the only one enjoying himself.

His dance partner had buzzed hair that made Stiles want to rub his head, but he resisted the temptation. The guy wore a vintage Sex Pistols t-shirt with the sleeves cut to show off his muscled arms. He was also wearing a pair of dark jeans and black sneakers. The guy had moves and Stiles enjoyed himself, but he was ready to move on by the time the song ended. Unfortunately, his dance partner had other ideas.

“Wanna head into the bathroom?”

Stiles shook his head. “Thanks, I’m good.”

“Prove it,” Sex Pistols encouraged. He placed one of his hands on Stiles’ back and started to push him toward the bathrooms, but Stiles spun around and evaded the guy’s grasp with very little effort.

“No, thanks,” Stiles reiterated.

The guy’s jovial expression slipped away as if he’d been insulted. Stiles suspected that the guy’s advances weren’t turned down that often, but he wasn’t interested in a bathroom hookup with a stranger. He turned and moved back toward Danny, but a hand grabbed hold of his wrist and kept him from leaving.

“You don’t get to tell me no. You’ve been acting like a fucking tease ever since you walked in here,” Sex Pistols scolded.

Stiles glared back at the guy. “Even if that were true, I don’t owe you anything. Let go of my wrist and go find someone else to help you get off. I’m not interested.”

The pressure on his wrist increased as the creep resumed trying to pull him toward the bathroom. Stiles twisted out of the man’s grasp and he put a few steps in between them, but he was careful not to turn his back on the guy.

“Don’t tell me no one has tapped that ass before. Are you scared, baby? Let me take care of you.”

Stiles grimaced at the guy’s attempt to sway him. “I’m not your baby and my sexual history is none of your business. This is the part of the evening where you go away.”

Sex Pistols made a step toward Stiles, but his path was abruptly cut off when a leather jacket-wearing werewolf got in his way. Stiles couldn’t see Derek’s face, but the cocky attitude slipped off of Sex Pistols’ face and a look of abject terror appeared there a beat later. The dude scrambled to get away from Derek and Stiles lost track of the guy once he made through the exit doors.

Derek turned to face him and Stiles did his best to not cower under the guy’s judgmental eyebrows. “What are you doing here?”

Stiles crossed his arms in front of his chest. He appreciated Derek’s intervention, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t have dealt with the situation on his own. He didn’t need anyone coming to his rescue anymore.

“Danny and I came here to dance. I could have handled that guy on my own, you know.”

“It didn’t look that way to me.”

Stiles sighed. “What are you doing out in public where the people are? I thought you were allergic to fun.”

Derek pretended that being around so many people wasn’t bothersome, but Stiles knew better. “Cora and Erica wanted us all to go out. We’re bonding.”

Stiles looked around and he saw a group of familiar faces watching them from a table by the bar. Stiles didn’t see Peter there, but everyone else was present. Stiles saw the grin on Cora’s face and he knew that she must have overheard him talking about going out to the club with Danny earlier in the day at school.

“Well, have a good time with your pack,” Stiles offered.

He turned and he started working his way through the crowd so that he could get back to Danny. He got distracted on the way there when a guy tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he wanted to dance. Stiles appreciated being asked for his consent and he agreed even though he wasn’t really attracted to the guy.

They danced along to the rhythm of the music and Stiles felt the tension start to ease out of his body. His partner leaned in so that Stiles could hear him over the music. “Is that guy your boyfriend?”

Stiles turned his head and he saw that Derek hadn’t moved from the spot where Stiles left him. The former alpha was glaring at the two of them as if their very existence was offensive. “No, he’s not my boyfriend,” Stiles answered honestly.

His dance partner pulled his hand off of his waist. “Do you think he knows that?”

“Trust me. The guy is just pissed that I’m here having a good time.”

His dance partner shook his head in disbelief. “Oh, honey. He’s looking at you like you’re the most important person in the world. I’m kind of terrified to be so close to you. In fact, I think I’m gonna find someone that doesn’t have a bodyguard following him around. It was fun while it lasted, cutie.”

Stiles muttered a curse when the guy danced away from him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Danny was still enjoying himself with a blonde guy sporting a crew cut. Making his way to the bar, he pulled a five dollar bill out of his pocket and waited for the bartender to work his way over to him.

“Hey, Stiles.”

Stiles looked up and he saw that Allison was standing next to him. She flashed him a warm smile and then leaned in close so that their conversation had less of a chance of being overheard. They weren’t that far away from the werewolves, but the loud music and other patrons made it more difficult for their enhanced hearing to function effectively.

“Hey, Allison.”

“I wanted to thank you for coming to everyone’s rescue the other day. Lydia said you really saved the day. I also wanted to warn you.”

Stiles met her eyes. He could smell the floral perfume that she liked to wear, but it was subtle like perfume was designed to be worn. “You don’t have anything to worry about me, Allison. I’m not evil and I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

Her eyes went wide for a moment. “No! Um, that isn’t what I wanted to say. I just wanted to warn you about the hunters. They’ve been laying low, but we’re pretty sure they’re still in the area.”

Stiles felt like an idiot for misjudging her motives, but he didn’t think it was all his fault concerning her history. He avoided her eyes for a good thirty seconds and thanked every deity imaginable when the same bartender from before appeared and gave him a toothy smile.

“What can I get ya?” He asked, completely ignoring Allison’s presence in favor of the guy in front of him.

“Just a bottle of water, please,” Stiles requested. He would be lying if he said he didn’t like the attention.

“Make that two,” Allison chimed in.

The bartender disappeared to the other end of the bar and he pulled two bottles out of the refrigerator. He returned and Allison payed for both of them.

“Thanks,” Stiles told her. “And I’m sorry. It’s just weird, you know?”

She nodded her head. “Tell me about it. Look, if you ever need anything, my dad and I are still here for you.”

Stiles smiled at her. “Thanks, Allison. Have a good night.”

“You, too.”

They went their separate ways. It wasn’t a big gesture on Allison’s part, but it felt like a starting point.

Stiles located an empty seat in the back of the club at one of the tables and he removed his cell phone from his pocket and did a quick browse through his neglected social media accounts. The bottle was half empty when Danny joined him at the table.

The guy was sweating, but it only made him look more attractive. Stiles suspected it was the neon lights that glistened off of his damp skin. There was a time when he could have been into Danny, but it was clear to him that they would never be anything more than friends. He slid the water over to Danny and the guy took it with a grateful smile.

“I saw Derek and the rest of the pack over by the bar. Do you want to get out of here?”

Stiles thought it over and then he shook his head. Danny had been excited to go out to the club with him and he didn’t see the need to cut their evening short. “Nah. Give me a chance to recover and then we can rejoin the hotties on the dance floor.”

“Yes! Good answer, Stilinski. Sorry I drank the rest of your water.”

“No problem. There’s no time like the present.”

He stood up and followed Danny back into the hoard of dancing clubbers. He let himself move along to the beat of the music and he was prepared when a blond guy walked over to him. The guy put his mouth to Stiles’ ear and introduced himself as David before he placed his hands on Stiles’ hips. He found himself smiling at Danny over the guy’s shoulder, but the happy mood came to an abrupt end when the guy’s smile fell and he backed away from Stiles.

“Sorry,” blondie spat out. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”

Stiles glared in the direction that Derek was standing in off to the side of the dance floor. The beta’s eyes were on him and he looked smug over the fact that he’d successfully scared away another one of his dance partners. When he turned back, Stiles managed to see blondie’s backside as he made a beeline for the safety of the outdoor smoking section. He was temporarily distracted by how enticing the guy’s butt looked in his tight slacks, but then he became angry over Derek’s interference.

It wasn’t like he wanted to go home with the guy. Stiles just wanted to enjoy himself and he didn’t appreciate Derek acting like a possessive idiot.

He pushed his way through the crowd and he grabbed Derek by the wrist in order to drag him outside so that he could say what he needed to say. Stiles avoided the smoking section so that they wouldn’t be overheard. He released Derek’s wrist and ignored how disgruntled the guy looked.

“Listen up, Hale. I can dance with whoever I want and you have no right to glower at me. You don’t get to scare them off. I’m not going to hurt the precious humans so you can stop worrying about what I’m doing on the dance floor. Let me have a little fun, Derek. I’ve fucking earned it!”

He spun on his heel and walked back inside. He noticed the pack moving toward the door to follow them outside and check on Derek. Stiles did his best to avoid them and their judgmental expressions. He wished that he could lose himself with a few shots of liquor, but that option was gone now. He got another bottle of water from the bar and he returned to the table in the back.

He ignored the way Cora smirked at her brother when Derek re-entered the club. They returned to their own table and moved out of Stiles’ line of sight after that. Danny eventually returned with a guy following close behind him, but he went away when Danny whispered something into the guy’s ear.

“What happened? I saw you drag Derek outside.”

Stiles tapped his fingers on the surface of the table. “He still thinks he’s my keeper. He was scaring guys away when they were dancing with me and I had to put my foot down and tell him to back off. Just because I’m supernatural doesn’t mean I’m a threat. You’d think a werewolf would get that.”

Danny reached over and he rubbed his shoulder. “What a prick. Want me to have him thrown out? I know the bouncer.”

“No, it’s not worth it. Sorry to ruin the good mood. Are you still buzzed or do we need to go back to my house and raid the liquor cabinet?”

Danny appeared to think it over. He tipped his head toward the dance floor and offered his hand to Stiles once he got up from his seat. “I have a better idea. Come with me.”

Stiles took Danny’s hand and he let himself be led back to the dance floor. Instead of disappearing into the crowd, Danny turned back to him and he winked at Stiles before he grabbed his torso and pulled him in. Danny was semi-hard and Stiles felt every inch as their pelvises pushed together. He’d seen what Danny was working with in the showers after their numerous lacrosse games and he knew that Danny wasn’t shy about his sexuality, but he never imagined a day when Danny would be rubbing up against him in a public setting.

The scenario seemed even more impossible since they were surrounded by dozens of horny people that were, in Stiles’ estimation, far more attractive than him. He eventually relaxed and let himself get lost in the music. Danny was a good dancer, but he was also patient and forgiving of Stiles’ wild gesticulations. It came as no surprise that Danny was a popular dance partner at the club and Stiles found himself earning numerous jealous looks from the guys around them as Danny started to laugh and enjoy himself.

The song changed from a techno remix into a hip hop song and they eased into the different style without any difficulty. Danny grinned like the Cheshire cat when he spotted something over Stiles’ shoulder. The joy on his new friend’s face piqued his curiosity.

“What’s so funny?”

“First of all, you’re actually a pretty good dancer. I was admonishing myself for never asking you to dance at one of the school dances. In other news, Derek is glowering at me and I’ve seen his eyes flash more than once. I’m not afraid of him and he’s getting pissed that I’m not scampering away like a scared little animal.”

Stiles smirked. “Serves him right. Thanks, Danny. I totally would have danced with you at those school dances if you’d asked me to.”

Danny leaned in so that Stiles could hear him over the hollering of some of their neighbors. “There are still plenty of school dances before we graduate. You better be ready at the next one because everyone’s gonna be talking about our sick moves.”

“Deal,” Stiles agreed.

They danced together for two more songs, but the water and cranberry juice eventually caught up to him and Stiles had to excuse himself to go to the bathroom. He was washing his hands when Derek entered and secured the door using the deadbolt.

“We need to talk,” the werewolf insisted.

Stiles dried his hands on paper towels. “We have nothing to say to each other, Derek.”

“I have plenty to say.”

Stiles turned off the faucet with the paper towel before he tossed it into the trashcan between them. “Fine. You have thirty seconds.”

“This place is full of men leering at you like you’re some piece of meat. They want to take you home and make you into one of their conquests. The place reeks of arousal and those guys you were dancing with may have seemed nice, but none of them are good enough for you.”

Stiles was stunned. He couldn’t remember a time when Derek had said so many words to him.

“Are you kidding me? You’re not my keeper. I wasn’t going to leave with any of those guys. Danny and I came to dance and have fun. We aren’t planning on hosting an orgy back at the sheriff’s house after closing time.”

Derek took a few steps forward. Stiles could see that the werewolf was fighting with himself as he tried to decide what to say next. “I don’t like it when they touch you. I can smell them all over you even now and it makes me crazy. My wolf has these instincts to protect you and it takes all my control to keep from tearing those idiots to shreds.”

Stiles frowned. “But you hate me. Why would you care if guys are touching me? It almost sounds like you’re jealous.” Stiles knew he had to be wrong. Derek may not be dating Lydia if Cora could be believed, but that didn’t mean that Derek wanted to date him. That just wouldn’t compute.

Derek continued to move closer. “What if I am?”

Stiles sighed. “You’re not. You don’t like me.”

Derek went still. “Why do you keep saying that? Why do you think that I don’t care about you or your safety?”

His hands balled into fists. “Seriously? You’ve been pushing me away ever since we met! You act like it’s some kind of hardship to be around me and when you are, you act like you can’t wait to get away from me. You’ve told me numerous times that I’m a liability to the pack, that I’m gonna get you all killed. Why wouldn’t I think that you hate me?”

Derek opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He looked down at the floor and avoided Stiles’ eyes. “I don’t know how to do this,” he said weakly.

Stiles stared ahead and he waited for Derek to elaborate. It took a minute, but he knew he needed to be patient and give Derek a chance to explain his behavior. “I ended up killing the first person I fell for after she was bit by a rogue werewolf.”

“Paige,” Stiles said.

Derek was shocked that Stiles knew her name. HIs eyes went wide and he looked like he’d been kicked in the balls. “You know about her? About what I did?”

Stiles inhaled a deep breath and he put his hands on his hips so that they weren’t flapping around as he spoke. “Some of it. Peter told me about what happened to her, but we both know he likes to embellish the truth to fit his own narrative.”

“I let myself feel something for her and then she died at my own hand. The second person I cared about murdered most of my family. I don’t—I don’t know how to care about someone and let them in.”

Derek finally looked up and met his eyes. “I’m like all these other guys because I want you even though you’re only a kid. My wolf wants to claim you as our mate and I want to be with you in every way possible, but I’m dangerous to you, Stiles. People around me get hurt. That’s why I went along with the plan when Scott said he wanted to save you from yourself. It was easier to push you away than admit how much I love you.”

Stiles blinked. He found it impossible to form any coherent sentences as his mind rebooted from the overload that Derek’s confession caused. “You love me?”

Derek took a cautious step forward so that they were within reach of each other, but then he stopped advancing. “I love you,” the werewolf reiterated. “You’re funny and sarcastic and I think you have the biggest heart out of anyone that I’ve ever met. The way you smell is intoxicating and I can’t sleep unless I know you’re safe. I’ve made mistakes because I don’t know how to do this, but I do love you. You’re the most important person to me and I would kill anyone that hurt you.”

Stiles threw himself forward and he smashed his lips together with Derek’s. They were both desperate to feel each other and Stiles’ hands did their fair share of exploring Derek’s body as their tongues developed an elaborate push and pull during their kiss. Stiles pulled back and he rested his head on Derek’s shoulder as he finally allowed himself to breathe again.

“You are pack,” Derek said. “You’re pack in every way possible. You’re my family, my mate. You’re everything to me, Stiles. I’m sorry that I keep hurting you; I don’t want to do that anymore.”

“We’ll figure it out together,” Stiles told him. “I was so hurt when I thought you and Lydia got together, but I wanted you both to be happy. I tried to be supportive, but I was jealous even though I was pissed at you.”

Derek chuckled. “Lydia? No way in hell. She’s not my type.”

Stiles smiled into Derek’s leather jacket. “That’s what Cora said. Are your feelings the reason she’s been so nice to me since she got back?”

Derek shrugged his shoulders and it made Stiles’ head tilt upward slightly since he was still pressed into Derek’s side. “I told her how I felt about you as soon as reminded her that she would be dead if you hadn’t given her mouth to mouth in that ambulance. She told me that I could do a lot worse. I’ve done so many stupid things, Stiles. I pushed you away because I was afraid to let you in, but you got under my skin anyway.”

Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek’s waist and he held on for dear life. “I forgive you. I love you, too, Derek. I thought my feelings were unrequited and I was trying to avoid making you uncomfortable. That’s kind of how this stuff works out for me.”

“This isn’t one-sided,” Derek promised.

“Good. I hope you know that I’m never letting you go now. Uh, we should probably get out of here before someone pisses themselves waiting for us to unlock the door.”

Derek laughed and he took Stiles by the hand. They interlocked their fingers and exited to find that there wasn’t a line waiting for the bathroom. Boyd and Erica were shoulder to shoulder telling people that the bathroom was temporarily out of order so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Danny gave him a knowing smile before he let a ginger in tight jeans lead him toward the bar.

Things seemed to be okay for once, so it was Stiles’ typical shitty luck that Lydia unleashed a scream of doom when she sensed someone close to them start to die.

Chapter Text

Stiles was the first to arrive. His landing was still less than perfect, but it was better than his previous attempts in the preserve. He let his gargoyle form recede and he stepped inside the animal clinic with caution. He looked around and discovered that the hunters were long gone. Deaton’s body was in the lobby next to the wall shelf of standard pamphlets covering everything from feline nutritional needs to proper heartworm removal. Stiles began CPR in spite of the large amount of blood leaking out of Deaton’s body.

He knew resuscitation was a long shot, but Deaton had helped him and his friends countless times and he refused to give up when there was a chance, slim as it was.

Deaton had a gunshot wound to his chest and he was bruised and cut from the restraints and beatings. Stiles focused on the chest compressions and rescue breathing, but he abandoned all that and went in search of one of the electronic defibrillators in the back storeroom. He carried it out and resumed compressions while the machine charged itself.

The device made an audible chime and he ripped open Deaton’s shirt without any thought of how expensive it had been.

Deaton wore nice clothes. The man seemed to take pride in his appearance and Stiles felt a flash of guilt before he remembered that it wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t get Deaton to come back to life. He placed the adhesive paddles over Deaton’s bare chest and then he pushed the buttons on the console. Electricity poured into the man’s body in an effort to restart his heart, but the only outcome was a slight twitch in Deaton’s extremities that soon faded.

The machine was automated and it did all of the work. It re-charged itself once it recognized that its first attempt had failed. The mechanisms inside clattered loudly a few times as the electricity level was increased by twenty joules before a second attempt could commence.

The third attempt was successful and Deaton moaned from the amount of pain he was in as he regained consciousness. His eyes blinked open halfway and he looked at the figure leaning over him. “Stiles? What happened?”

“You’re okay,” Stiles told him. “The machine brought you back. The pack is on their way and they’ll take your pain as soon as they get here, but you’re probably going to need a blood transfusion and some surgery. Just a little. Should we take you to the hospital?”

Deaton shook his head. “There’s o-negative in the back. Scott knows what to do. We planned…for this.”

Stiles gripped the man’s shoulder. He found himself wishing that he had the ability to take the man’s pain. Unfortunately, that wasn’t one of his gifts. “Just hang on,” Stiles ordered.

Deaton looked around at the damage the hunters did to his clinic. Furniture had been smashed and papers, glass, and numerous other items were strewn all over the floor. It was obvious to Stiles that the scene had been staged to look like a burglary.

“They wanted information on the pack. They wanted to know about you, too. I lied and said I didn’t know the gargoyle’s identity, but they weren’t fooled. You need to warn Melissa, Chris, and your father. They’ve been watching all of us.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Stiles promised. He had his hands placed over the gunshot wound and he was attempting to apply enough pressure to control the bleeding without going overboard and causing further injury. “It looks like the bullet went all the way through. Do you need me to get you some pain medication or one of your funky herbs to chew on?”

Deaton sighed at the affront to his herbalism talents. “Just stay with me, Stiles. Please.”

Stiles felt guilty for ghosting the guy after he’d kept his word and protected his secrets. He acknowledged that he owed the man an apology for his actions, but the current situation somehow seemed like the wrong time to give it. “I’m not going anywhere. Do you want to hear about my night while we wait? It’s got more twists than Melissa’s favorite telenovela.”

“Why not? I can’t help but notice that you’re missing your clothes.”

Stiles blushed from the embarrassment, but he wasn’t about to leave Deaton’s side to go search for pants. “Danny and I went out to Jungle to drink and dance. We just wanted to let loose and have some fun, ya know? The pack ended up showing and Derek glowered at all of my dance partners until they got scared and ran away. Then the jerk followed me into the bathroom and acted like an actual human being. Can you believe it? Our first kiss happened in the bathroom at a gay club. I feel like such a cliche. Next thing you know I’ll be losing my virginity in the woods on the night of the full moon.”

Deaton smiled, but the man looked weak. Stiles could tell that he was barely hanging on.

The teen was scared that he was going to lose Deaton again if Scott didn’t hurry up and follow through with whatever emergency plan they’d all worked out. “So your issues are resolved then?”

“I forgave him as soon as I understood his reasons, but an apology doesn’t just make everything better. I intend to make it very clear that this is his only free pass. I’m kind of thinking we should do couple’s therapy, but that might actually scare him away.”

On one hand, he was thrilled with the possibility of having Derek in his life again. The downside came when he recognized that Derek was a creature of habit. The man had spent so much time pushing everyone away that Stiles knew he couldn’t just expect the guy to change overnight. There were going to be a lot of heart to heart discussions in their future.

“Things were going pretty well until Lydia screamed and freaked everyone out. We got kicked out of the club, but we were already planning to come find you by that point. I shifted and flew here since I knew it would be faster. The others have got to be close.”

Deaton groaned when he started coughing, but his lungs seemed to be free of blood and Stiles considered that to be a good sign considering how close the bullet came to the man’s internal organs. He was still trying to decide if he should throw caution to the wind and just call an ambulance when the pack started showing up.

Isaac started to take Deaton’s pain while Scott helped Stiles carry him to one of the exam rooms. The true alpha began to set up everything for the blood transfusion and then he started to cauterize the damaged blood vessels and suture the entry and exit wounds. Isaac was a natural as Scott’s assistant. He was so good at it that Stiles was going to suggest that Isaac look into the surgical nursing field as a career, but he decided to wait until a more appropriate time.

Derek presented Stiles with a pair of sweatpants that he kept in the trunk of his car. Stiles kissed him on the cheek and whispered his thanks before he put them on. He had to use the drawstring to keep them from falling off his hips, but no one was interested in his attire given the severity of the situation. The rest of the pack made their way into the building and the girls started to clean up the damage after Lydia took adequate photos in case Deaton needed them for the insurance company.

Stiles accepted the task of calling Melissa and his dad to fill them in on the threat.

Allison called her father and explained. He was already in a secure location and Allison told him to stay put. A thought came to mind later after the call was finished and Stiles pulled Allison aside. The werewolves around them would be able to hear every word, but Stiles wasn’t concerned with hiding anything from them at that point.

“Allison, I need to ask a favor. Do you think your family might have information on gargoyles? I’ve been trying to research a way for me to track the hunters with my supernatural radar thingy, but I’ve been coming up empty handed.”

She thought it over before she responded. “I’ll text my dad and ask him to start looking into it. We may not have anything, but it’s worth a try. Besides, it’ll give him something to focus on.”

“Thanks, Ally.”

She smiled at him and then looked over his shoulder before she stepped in a little closer to give them the allusion of privacy. “So, is it true? You and Derek are together?”

Stiles smiled back and he felt the heat on his cheeks from blushing so hard. “It’s so true,” he replied happily. “We still have some stuff to figure out, but I’m optimistic that we’ll work through it.”

“You know, Lydia’s been trying to set the two of you up for months,” she revealed. “You’re both way too oblivious for your own good.”

Stiles was stunned. He felt kind of bad for sort of secretly hating Lydia when he thought that she put the moves on Derek. “She was? Why didn’t I know?”

Allison just smiled in response. “You know Lydia. It wouldn’t have been fun for her if either of you knew about her plan.” Her smile fell away when she saw something behind him. “Uh…why is Danny here?”

Stiles turned around and he was surprised to see Danny walking into the animal clinic. A few remnant pieces of glass crunched underneath his sneakers and Stiles felt like an epic jackass for abandoning his new friend at the club. Stiles left Allison’s side to walk over. “Crap. Danny, I am so sorry for ditching you. Things just happened so fast and I sort of lost my head for a while there.”

Danny waved his hand to show that he wasn’t bothered. “I get it, Stiles. You don’t have to apologize. I caught an Uber and got here as soon as I could. I may have illegally tracked Scott’s phone, but his password is still Allison’s name so we’ll just say it's his fault for being an open book.”

“Nice! Wait…I don’t have to apologize to you? Why is that exactly?” He was not expecting a free pass.

Danny just flashed one of his dimpled smiles. “Lydia’s scream meant that someone was about to die, right? That’s what banshees do. I mean, that’s what I’ve read.” The boy’s eyes scanned the remaining signs of damage and there was still a large pool of blood where Deaton had been bleeding out on the floor. “So is everyone okay?”

Stiles nodded. He was immensely thankful that he could say with certainty that things looked up, but the hunters were still out there somewhere and he knew that they were probably plotting to take them all out with extreme prejudice.

“Scott and Isaac are taking care of Doctor Deaton. The hunters tortured him to get information about the pack, but he didn’t give them anything useful. The guy was dead when I found him. He has a gunshot wound to the chest, but he’ll probably stuff a bunch of dandelions in there and be good as new."

Stiles knew he was being glib, but he kind of needed to act that way to retain his sanity. “I’m just thankful I got here in time. That’s why I flew instead of riding with the others. I really hope someone grabbed my clothes.”

Erica chuckled from the corner where she was sorting Deaton’s paperwork. “I grabbed them. They’re in my trunk.”

“Thanks, Catwoman,” Stiles said.

His eyes settled back on Danny and the guy looked gobsmacked. “You flew here? What the hell are you, Stiles?”

Stiles looked over his shoulder. Allison, Lydia, and the remaining betas were all back to pretending to ignore them while they concentrated on cleaning up the mess. He figured that Deaton wouldn’t mind if he used his office and he motioned for Danny to follow him. They sat down on the loveseat and Stiles looked at his friend.

He knew that Danny was trustworthy, but there was a part of himself that was hesitant to fully explain since it meant that it could put Danny in danger. “Just tell me, Stiles,” Danny pushed.

Stiles scratched a spot on the back of his neck. He attempted to be diplomatic as he moved forward. “It’s not that I don’t want you to know, dude. I just don’t want hunters to come after you to get to us. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe, but bad things could still happen. These people hate werewolves and anyone that associates with them are just as guilty in their eyes. Good hunters like Allison and her dad are rare and you could be caught in the crossfire.”

“This is my life,” Danny stated, his tone even and calm. “I could have pretended that I didn’t know anything about all this stuff, but I still helped cover for Jackson when he needed my help. You’ve all done a lot to help make this crappy little town safer for those of us that don’t have a supernatural advantage. It’s time for me to step up and do my part.”

“Okay, if you’re sure. I’m a gargoyle. It’s a recent development.”

Danny tilted his head to the side. “Really? Those are actually real?”

“Sure are. I guess we’re pretty rare in this part of the world, but I was scratched by one in the preserve a few weeks back and now I’m no longer a member of team human. The same thing would happen to you if I scratched you, not that I’m planning on springing that on you any time soon.”

Danny appeared to be pleased by his statement and he leaned in a little closer with interest. “So you can actually fly? Do you grow wings or is it some kind of gravity-warping ability?”

Stiles grinned. He felt giddy knowing that Danny got the excitement of it all. Sure, it came with negatives as well as the positives, but sometimes Stiles needed to focus on the good and remind himself that the universe didn’t want them all dead. “I grow badass wings that are near indestructible. I also grow horns, but I think they’re more for balance than anything else. Hey, watch my eyes.”

Danny giggled when the color drained out of Stiles’ eyes. He let the color return a moment later and he blinked as his vision slipped back to normal. He was thankful that Danny didn’t seem to feel the need to run for his life.

“I should go check on Deaton.”

Danny stood up as soon as Stiles did. “Sure. I’ll go hang out with Lydia and Allison and see if they need any help cleaning up.”

“Thanks, Danny.”

“Anytime, Stilinski.”

Stiles walked into the exam room that Deaton was recuperating in. He had an IV giving him blood and a second one giving him medications. Isaac was finishing up putting antiseptic cream over the gunshot wound and the fact that the guy was being careful with the stitches didn’t go unnoticed. Isaac had been a jerk when he’d first been turned, but now Stiles was seeing a caring side that the beta had rarely shown before.

For the first time, Stiles was seeing a part of the guy that Scott and very few others had been able to witness. Seeing him like that helped him to understand what it was that Scott saw in him. The true alpha looked up from the machine monitoring Deaton’s blood pressure.

Stiles suddenly remembered what Melissa asked him to relay to her son during their phone call.

“Your mom is finishing up her shift and then she’s going to catch a ride with my dad. She told me to tell you that she’s going to bring some of those special bandages to help with the healing process. I forgot what she called them.”

Scott pursed his lips. “Thanks, man. Uh, look….I don’t want to be a jerk, but I wish you would have talked to me before you told Danny about us.”

Stiles chose not to be offended. He knew it was an easy assumption to make and he didn’t blame Scott for being worried about another person knowing their business.

“I only told him about my gargoyle side a few minutes ago. If you want to know what Danny knows then you should probably just talk to him yourself. It’s actually an interesting story. The important thing is that I wasn't the one that told him about werewolves or the pack.”

“Oh. I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.”

It wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to, but Stiles thought the guy deserved a break. He knew that Deaton was like a father figure to him and seeing him hurt had to be difficult.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re the alpha and you’re just looking out for your pack, Scott. I get the need to be careful with who knows your secret. That’s why I kept all of this from my dad for as long as I did, although that was just as much about keeping him safe.”

Isaac finished applying the cream and then he deposited the applicator in the nearby trash can. “Is it true that you did CPR and that you had to shock his heart?”

“It isn’t a big deal. That machine did all the work,” he answered.

“You saved his life, Stiles,” Isaac pointed out.

“He’s right,” Lydia chimed in. She was standing in the doorway looking like she’d just stepped off the runway of a New York fashion show. She had her I-know-I’m-right smirk plastered on her face, but it wasn’t directed at Stiles. No, she was looking directly at Scott. “Look what we were able to accomplish when we all worked together.”

“I get it,” Scott said. Lydia seemed to accept his response.

“Alright. Allison and I are going to ride with Danny and visit the gas station down the street. We’re gonna grab some snacks and drinks. We’ll get Deaton some gatorade since he’s going to need the extra electrolytes.”

“Take Boyd and Erica with you, huh?” Scott suggested.

Lydia nodded before she disappeared back into the other room.

Stiles looked around the room in search of Derek and he found him sitting on the floor in the corner so that he was out of the way. Stiles walked over and he sat next to him before he knocked their shoulders together. “You okay, hot lips?”

Derek smirked at the affectionate nickname, but the guy looked tired in a way that Stiles hadn’t seen since the guy first arrived back in Beacon Hills when he was in search of his missing sister. “Yeah. You?”

Stiles wasn’t riding the high he felt when he first kissed Derek, but everyone was safe for the time being. “I’m good. My dad is going to stop off at the house and get me some shoes and a clean t-shirt before he picks Melissa up from the hospital.”

“I like the way you look now,” Derek admitted.

Stiles blushed at the compliment. “I’ll be sure to remember that and take full advantage when we don’t have witnesses around to hear you moan my name.”

“I approve,” Derek assured him. Stiles leaned over and rested his head on the werewolf’s shoulder.

“Let’s just stay like this for a while, okay? Wake me up when my dad gets here.”

“I’ve got you,” Derek promised.

Chapter Text

Stiles opened his eyes and he discovered that he was no longer cuddled up against Derek’s side in the exam room. At some point he’d been placed on the loveseat in Deaton’s office and covered with a blanket. He found a pair of his socks and shoes next to the closed door and one of his shirts was suspended on the doorknob with a hanger. He dressed himself before he left the room.

The pack was scattered around the lobby of the clinic. Most were seated in folding chairs from storage and Stiles felt his heart flutter in his chest when he saw Derek and his dad talking as they shared gas station coffee. It was easy to see that they were at ease around one another and that meant they had developed trust and mutual respect at some point.

He really hoped his relationship with Derek wasn’t going to disrupt their camaraderie. He would be lying if he said that a part of him didn’t feel cheated by the fact that he didn’t get to witness the development of their friendship, but he accepted that he couldn’t continue to focus on all the bad things that happened, on all the things he missed. He inhaled a breath and recognized that while they all had issues to work through, he needed to try to focus on the present and the future in order to move forward with his own struggles.

Erica looked up from a trashy gossip magazine and she waved at Stiles. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

“What time is it?” He asked.

“Almost ten,” Erica answered. Stiles recognized that almost everyone had changed clothes and that meant they’d probably left at some point.

He was surprised to hear that he’d been sleeping for so long. His body felt recharged and he’d slept better tan he had in weeks. “I slept for eleven hours? Why didn’t you guys wake me up?”

“You needed to rest,” his dad told him. “Nothing happened while you were snoozing. Other than the fact that you kept saying Derek’s name in your sleep.”

Derek looked down at his coffee cup and he kept his eyes there until someone else dared to speak. Thankfully, it was Scott that came to his rescue. “Stiles always talks in his sleep. One night he had an entire conversation with one of the characters from Star Wars.”

That was news to Stiles. “Really. Which one?”

“One of the robots, I think,” Scott responded.

Stiles narrowed his eyes. “They’re not robots, Scott. Allison, you’ve got to make him watch Star Wars. The only way it’s going to happen is if you put your foot down.”

Allison laughed. “I’ll get right on that for you, Stiles.”

“Thank you,” he told her. “At least someone in this room understands the importance of George Lucas’ vision. Even if he is a homophobic and misogynistic asshole.”

“Language,” John warned, but there was no heat in his tone. In fact, he was using his coffee cup to poorly conceal the smile on his lips.

Stiles shuffled over to his dad and he hugged him. “How’s Deaton?”

“Much better,” Melissa revealed. “It’ll take him a while to heal the injury, but the bleeding has stopped and he’s out of danger. He’ll need to keep using the antibacterial cream to prevent against an infection. Everyone’s been taking turns to absorb his pain, but I expect his injury won’t keep him down for long. He’s as stubborn as you are, Stiles.”

Scott stood up and he stretched before he pointed his thumb toward the exam room. “I should head in and check on him.” They were all quiet as they watched him go, but there were other issues that Stiles needed to be brought up to speed on.

“Any news on the hunters?”

Allison perked up. “They haven’t reached out, but my dad is using some of his sources to identify them. Your dad was able to lift a few fingerprints that might help speed up the process.”

“I put a rush on them, but we just have to hurry up and wait for the time being. You know how backed up the county lab is.”

Stiles ran a hand through his hair. He was desperate to figure out a way to protect the pack from the hunters, but he felt as powerless as he felt in Gerard Argent’s basement while Boyd and Erica were suspended from chains.

“How are you feeling?” Derek asked him.

Stiles winked at the guy. He didn’t know if Derek had told his father about the change in their relationship, but he was in a good mood and he wanted to have a little fun. “Jestem zajebiście.”

Derek blinked in confusion since Polish wasn’t one of the languages he was fluent in. John groaned and Lydia cackled. Stiles looked over at her. “You speak Polish, too?”

“Of course I do,” she boasted. Her eyes settled back onto the scientific magazine that she was reading like nothing had happened.

John shook his head at his son’s antics. “You are most definitely your mother’s child.”

“What did you say?” Derek asked.

Stiles leaned in and he placed a kiss to the side of Derek’s neck. “Follow me somewhere more private and find out, big guy.”

Derek stiffened. “I’m pretty sure that would get me shot, Stiles.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t recommend that,” Deaton muttered from the doorway. Scott was behind him and ready to catch the man if he fell, but the druid seemed to be doing well in spite of his injuries. “It’s quite a painful experience.”

“It’s nice to see you’re doing well, Alan,” John said. “Come over here and take a seat.”

The druid sat down in one of the folding chairs. He was breathing heavily and winded from his short walk, but his body was under a great deal of stress as it worked to heal. Melissa didn’t seem overly concerned and that went a long way to keep everyone from overreacting.

“I’m sorry we weren’t here to help you when they attacked,” Scott piped up.

“I’m not,” Deaton revealed. “It would have been far more dangerous for the rest of you had you been here. They had questions about the creature that attacked them in the preserve and they wanted information on the pack’s weaknesses.”

“What creature?” Melissa asked.

“That would be me,” Stiles admitted. “I’m a gargoyle now.”

Allison looked up from her cell phone. “Hey, what ever happened to the other one? The one that scratched you, I mean.”

Stiles was equally curious about the gargoyle he and Derek encountered in the preserve. He had started to give up hope that the guy would reach out to him and reveal his true nature. For all he knew, the gargoyle was just passing through town and had left at the first opportunity.

“I don’t know. I tried to sense him out, but I came up with zilch. I think he probably left town.”

“It would have been nice for him to introduce himself,” John murmured.

“For sure. I mean, it’s also possible that the lamia killed him,” Stiles noted.

“I’m hungry,” Isaac interrupted. “I think we need another food run.”

“Definitely,” Boyd concurred, speaking for the first time from his spot in the corner with one of Deaton’s medical textbooks open to a chapter on canine diseases. “But we need real food this time. Not something you can get from a gas station.”

“I agree,” Lydia said. “I would kill for a chicken salad and a glass of iced tea.”

John ran a hand over the back of his arms. “I’m afraid I have to go in for another shift at the station. The flu’s been going around and someone else called in for this afternoon, but I’ll stay in contact and keep an eye open for suspicious strangers.”

Scott crossed his arms in front of his chest. “We probably shouldn’t stay here in case the hunters come back. I think we should avoid all of our usual hangouts as a precaution.” Stiles was impressed with the guy’s forethought. He just hoped it would be enough to keep them all safe.

Deaton ran a hand over the bandage covering his wound. “I would be most grateful if someone would drive me home. I don’t think they’ll come looking for me a second time.”

“Scott and I can drive you,” Melissa offered. “We’ll make sure you have everything you need to rest.”

Stiles turned to Derek and a couple of dirty thoughts flashed in his mind. He knew the wolves could smell his arousal, but he didn’t care. “My place?”

John walked toward the door. “I don’t want to know anything,” he said in his wake. Stiles took it as permission and he reached over and took Derek’s hand. He was aware that he still needed to have a conversation with his dad, but now he knew for a fact that Derek had at least brought up their relationship with him.

“Let’s go to the diner first,” Derek suggested. “We all need to eat.”

“I can handle that,” Stiles told him. He kissed Derek’s knuckles and asked Erica to get him the clothes he was wearing the previous night at the club since he wanted his jeans instead of the sweatpants he was wearing.

Chapter Text

Stiles sat in an oversized corner booth with Danny and Derek on each side of him while he told the others about the time he used Derek’s shirtless form to get Danny to help track a cell phone. He also revealed Derek’s punishment for the offense. “None of you can tell my dad about that. He’d be so pissed.”

“I’m really sorry about that,” Derek told him. “It was a defense mechanism. I was trying to scare you away.”

Stiles reached over and he rested his hand on Derek’s thigh. “All you did was make me want you more. Good thing, too. Greenberg asked me out the following week and I almost considered it.”

Danny chuckled. “Greenberg does seem oddly invested in your place on the lacrosse team, Stiles. I wonder why that is. I’m sure his girlfriend wouldn’t approve of his little infatuation with you.”

Allison gasped. “He has a girlfriend? Do we know her?”

Danny nodded his head, but Lydia beat him to the reveal. “He’s dating the mayor’s daughter. She graduated last year and they’re doing the long distance thing until he can join her for college in Las Vegas.”

Stiles was as surprised as the rest of them. He always thought Greenburg was the lovable idiot, a guy without much ambition but with a huge personality and generous spirit. Stiles felt Derek’s hand slide over his own and he immediately lost all train of thought.

Derek looked directly at the true alpha sitting among them. “I think now is the perfect time for all of us to apologize to Stiles for the way we treated him. We need to put everything on the table so that we can work through our issues.”

Scott slid lower in his seat, but Allison nudged him in the ribs and made him sit up straight. Stiles had no clue how the guy become a rare true alpha given the way he behaved on a regular basis. Scott could be so selfish and judgmental. The guy always thought he was right and he was born with a stubborn streak the size of Texas.

“I’m not going to apologize for trying to keep him safe,” Scott stated, talking to anyone except his former best friend.

Lydia groaned. “You made a bad call and you hurt your friend. You can at least acknowledge the way you made him feel, Scott.”

“I have nothing to apologize for. I did what I had to do.”

“Except that didn’t really work out. Did it?” Danny pressed.

Stiles looked down at his plate of curly fries and he slid the plate away from him. He no longer had an appetite. He was also pretty damn upset.

“Here’s the deal, Scott. You’re the alpha and you think that makes you better than the rest of us, but you’re not. It would be nice if you could step up to the plate and act like a true alpha is supposed to act, but you aren’t there yet. In the meantime, we’re all in danger and your inability to see the big picture is a detriment to our continued survival. Let me make myself perfectly clear here. You are not my alpha and I am not a part of your pack.”

He heard the whimpers coming from Derek and Erica and he felt a little crappy for saying what he was feeling, but he thought he owed everyone the truth.

“Derek is my boyfriend now, but we have our own issues to work through. I care about all of you, but you hurt me and I’m not sure if I’m ever going to be able to trust you guys like I used to. I’m going to do everything I can to stop anything and everything that sets its sights on all of you, but I’m not going to let myself be led around by someone that is making the same mistakes he harped on Derek for making not that long ago. None of us owe you anything, Scott. We’re all here because we want to support you, not because we have to.

“Sometimes your priorities are in the wrong place and it becomes a problem when we can’t rely on you. I’m not admonishing you for having a girlfriend or bringing Isaac into your life, okay? You just need to find a balance. You have good qualities, too, man. Some of the best qualities, in fact. None of us would be sticking by your side if we couldn’t see your potential, but you’re also your own worst enemy.”

He inhaled a deep breath and pressed on. “I am not your friend; you are no longer my brother. The only reason I’m here is because we have a mutual enemy and I don’t want you to die. You need to lift your head out of the sand and realize that being the alpha is more than just bossing everyone around. Until you get that, I’m not really interested in knowing you.”

Danny sensed it was time to go and he stood up. Stiles slid out of the booth and Derek followed him. The former alpha grabbed the check and he kissed Stiles on the cheek before he went to pay for the group’s meal since it was something he always did for the pack. Everyone else at the table was quiet, so Stiles and Danny started walking toward the door while they waited for Derek to finish up.

“That was so fucking hot,” Danny whispered. “I’m just gonna put this out there. I am totally down for a threesome.”

Stiles punched Danny’s shoulder, but he was careful to avoid injuring him. It was all in jest and he didn’t want to leave any lasting scars on his new friend. “Shut up. You’re going to make Derek slam my head on the steering wheel again.”

“I thought you said you enjoyed that,” Derek commented as he approached.

“Not as much as when you slam me up against walls,” Stiles admitted.

Danny’s laughter was enough to pull them both out of the moment of lust and fantasy that they fell into. Stiles cleared his throat and then he moved out of the way so that Derek could lead them toward his car. They’d taken a cab to the club the previous night since they both planned on drinking and they were now relying on him for a ride.

“You guys can just drop me off at my place,” Danny offered. “I’ve got an essay that I’ve been procrastinating on starting and it’s due soon.”

Derek shook his head. “It’s not safe for you to be on your own. You should come back to Stiles’ house with us.”

Stiles really loved Derek. He felt the need to make it known. “You’re pretty amazing, Derek Hale.”

Derek blushed and Danny stayed quiet so that they could have another semi-private moment.

Derek eventually started the vehicle and he pulled out of the diner’s parking lot. Without anything specific for them to talk about, Stiles’ thoughts shifted to something that had been nagging at the back of his mind. “So now is the perfect time for us to figure out a way to get Jackson back. Danny…any thoughts?”

Danny leaned forward from the back seat. “You want him back? I thought you hated him.”

“I don’t hate him. He’s an asshole, but I’d still trust him to watch my back. Besides, he’s your best friend and you miss him. As your newest friend it is my responsibility to do everything in my power to get his elitist ass back to town so that you two can deal with your unresolved feelings for each other. I highly recommend the bathroom at Jungle for any future heart to heart discussions you need to have.”

Derek flicked his ear and then he returned his eyes to the road.

“Seriously, dude. I’m gonna Skype him when we get home. You and Derek need to figure out whatever it is that you need to say to get him back here.”

“Shouldn’t we wait until the hunters are dealt with?” Danny asked.

Stiles thought it over. “I don’t think that the hunters are going to be a problem for much longer. We can’t live our lives in fear of the next attack or we’d never be able to leave our houses. Besides, I think I figured out a way to trick them into revealing themselves.”

“Would you care to fill us in?” Derek inquired. His eyes were narrowed and it was a clear giveaway that the beta knew his boyfriend’s plan was going to be dangerous.

“Okay, but you’re not gonna like it.”

Chapter Text

Derek and Danny sat on opposite ends of the couch. The sun had gone down and the only light was coming from the LED lamps that Stiles had encouraged the former alpha to buy after too many late night research sessions with dim lighting. He was human at the time and his eyes needed light, thank you very much.

Oddly enough, both of the guys were wearing similar expressions of disbelief while Stiles sat on the super-sturdy coffee table facing them. Derek’s eyebrows started doing the dance that they did when he was having two conflicting thoughts at the same time. Stiles understood why.

His plan was risky, but it also seemed like the best way to move forward.

“Will one of you please say something? You know I hate uncomfortable silences.”

“You’re absolutely insane,” Danny affirmed. Derek nodded in agreement.

“Well, yeah, but in this case it works for us, right?”

His initial thought was that he should just turn himself over to the hunters. He could use himself as bait and lure them into the preserve, but there was no guarantee they’d fall for such an obvious trap. He’d certainly never fall for it and that meant the pack’s enemies probably wouldn’t either. So he came up with another plan; a better plan.

The only caveat was that he had to get his dad to agree to go along with said plan.

“You’re serious about this?” Derek asked.

Stiles bobbed his head to show that he meant business. The eyebrows shifted again, this time showing just how worried the beta was for his safety.

“It’s not like anyone in this town is actually going to believe it when all is said and done. They’ve got blinders on, remember? We just need the hunters to believe it, right?”

“What about the pack?” Danny questioned. “Are you sure you want to leave them out of this? You made a big deal about them not including you to keep you safe and now you’re going to do the exact same thing to them.”

“It’s different,” Stiles assured them.

“Not really,” Danny muttered, calling him on his BS.

Stiles exhaled and he clasped his hands together in front of him. “Okay, it’s a little bit petty and there’s definitely some hints of revenge, but when it comes down to it, I really am doing it to keep them safe. I’m not saying we don’t tell them anything about what’s going to happen. I just think we should keep a few details to ourselves to ensure that the hunters don’t pull a wild card and screw it all up.”

“Okay, but I don’t think it should be your dad,” Danny announced after a long two minutes of silence.

“Why?”

Derek turned and seemed to be equally curious about Danny’s reasoning. Stiles was grateful that the two of them were getting along so well despite the awkwardness of the day when Stiles asked Danny to track Scott’s cell phone. Back then, Danny wasn’t even his friend.

“So many reasons. To start, your dad is the sheriff and he has name recognition. If things happen how we’re expecting them to, people are going to associate him with some weird stuff and he doesn’t need that kind of suspicion. Blinders are one thing. This would be too difficult for the voters to ignore and it could cost him his job.

“My second reason is that we might need him to provide backup. I can’t shoot a gun and if Allison and the others are going to be kept out of it, he’s a solid choice. Not to mention that he’s actually the sheriff and he might give the hunters some pause before they willingly slaughter all of us. It should be me.”

“He makes valid points,” Derek pointed out.

“Do you really want people looking at you weird and gossiping about you?”

Danny shrugged his shoulders. “I’m gay and I had a criminal record before I hit puberty. People have been gossiping about me for years. The only reason everyone ignores all of that is because of the dimples. And my best friend was rich and popular before he abandoned me.”

“Let’s do it,” Stiles agreed, accepting his friend’s willingness to play the role. He didn’t want Danny in danger, but if he was going to be in danger anyway then he would do his best to ensure that Danny was protected.

“I have a condition,” Derek told them. Stiles remained quiet so that Derek could verbalize his thoughts. “If we’re going to do this then I think we need to be a little more discreet. The YouTube video idea was good, but it could potentially expose us to even more hunters down the line. My way would require the entire pack’s involvement, but I think it would also give us a higher chance at success.”

“What are you thinking?” Stiles asked, almost afraid of what the answer was going to be.

“We get the pack on board with the plan. Once everyone knows what to do, we let them scatter around town and get people talking about the weird creature living in the abandoned train yard. It’s familiar territory for most of us so we’ll have that going for us, too.”

Stiles opened his mouth to reject Derek’s input, but it was pretty clear from the beginning that the beta was making a lot of sense. Instead of speaking, Stiles just smiled at Derek and practically swooned.

“You guys make a good team. You balance out each other’s crazy,” Danny teased. But there was truth to his words and they both knew it.

“All right, it’s a plan. We can use Chris and my Dad to help keep anyone other than the hunters from sniffing around, assuming they want to be involved. You should call Scott and tell him we want to meet up and go over a plan to draw out the hunters. After that, it’s up to him whether or not we let them go.”

“That’s very mature of you,” Derek noted, his eyes squinting a little as if he’s actually trying to see the thoughts going through his mind. “You’ve got something up your sleeve.”

Stiles played coy and pretended not to know what the object of his affection was talking about. “Scott is the alpha, right? It’s his call.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Derek urged. “I’m gonna be pissed if you don’t survive this.”

“Likewise.”

“I think that’s my cue to head out. I’ll grab an Uber and head home so that I can get started on my essay.”

Stiles shook his head. “No. We haven’t figured out how to lure Jackson back to town. And I don’t like the idea of you being alone while we finalize the plan. We need your dimples to help convince Scott and the others to give my plan a try.”

Danny chuckled and eventually acquiesced. “All right. Let me worry about Jackson, okay? I think he’ll be pissed if I call him with the two of you on the line. I’ll reach out to him once this is all settled.”

“It’s your decision,” Derek decided, kicking Stiles’ shoe to keep him from saying anything to the contrary.

“I’m cool with that,” Stiles told them. “As long as I don’t have to be the one to call Scott, I’m good.”