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“Someone owes me 50 bucks!” Stiles called out as he encouraged his captive towards the booking desk and heard the noise in the bullpen rise with cheers and applause. “Thank you, thank you!” he laughed.
“Take a number, Stilinski,” the booking officer drawled with an amused look. “Got three before your guy. Boyes’n’Co hit a crack den down by the docks.” Stiles whistled through his teeth, impressed. He patted his own prisoner on the shoulder, moving away from the desk and depositing the criminal on the bench beside the crack den haul.
“That’s fine,” Stiles replied, glancing over his shoulder at the booking officer. “Charlie here doesn't mind being in close quarters with these fine, upstanding citizens, do you?” He uncuffed Charlie , using the cuffs already attached to the bench to restrain him. Charlie gave him a glare and pointedly didn’t open his mouth to retort. “Good man,” Stiles winked and stood up, turning to walk towards the bullpen.
“I’ll give you a shout when it’s his turn, Cap!” he heard and spun a full circle, giving the booking officer a wide grin and a thumbs up when he saw her again.
“Who’s dealing with the Hale arrest?” the tired looking duty officer on reception for the day stuck her head through the double doors that split the foyer and the detectives bullpen. The name brought Stiles up short, why wouldn’t it? He hadn’t heard the name in nearly 12 years.
“Trent, he’s not on till 2 though,” someone called out and Stiles diverted his trajectory towards the double doors - just to take a peak .
“Mona,” Stiles said before the woman disappeared. He jogged the last few feet to the double doors and casually glanced around the frame to check out the foyer. “What’s the first name?” he asked, frowning when he saw no one familiar. He looked at Mona, who had her eyebrow arched. “There was a family called Hale back in Beacon, I’m curious-”
“Stiles?” he heard and his head snapped around, eyes widening as he saw Cora Hale stepping out from the one blind spot the foyer had from the entrance of the bullpen.
“The name’s Derek,” Mona said helpfully. “Now, be a dear and Captain this mess off my desk?” he gave her a sour look as she backed away, a small smirk twitching at the corner of her mouth.
“Stiles! You work here?” Cora was suddenly there and Stiles held a finger up to her before looking back at Mona.
“She signed in?” Mona gave him an indignant look that made him roll his eyes before he gestured for Cora to follow him back through the bullpen. “Marco! I want that 50 in the fund by 5!” he called as he saw the detective in question walking quietly away from his desk. He saw the man falter but obediently raise a hand to show he’d heard.
“Hale’s in three if you need him, Stilinski!”
“Thanks Kay!” he called and lead Cora through the obstacle course that was the bullpen to and inside his glass walled office with a very shiny ‘Captain’ title on top.
“You made Captain in 10 years?” Cora’s voice traveled before the door snapped shut and he saw the detectives amusement even if he couldn’t hear it. He gave them all the finger and finally took his seat so he could look at Cora directly.
“No, I made it in 9 after kicking and screaming my way through college and grad school while simultaneously attending the academy and working beat until, at year 4, I made detective where, after 5 more years, they made me the poster child for recruitment and gave me a nice office and a head boy's badge: Youngest Captain in the department's history,” he explained easily and she eyed him like he was an experiment and she was waiting for explosive results.
“Scott mentioned you’d worked your ass off to get where you got,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken.
“I didn’t know you and Scott were that close,” he glanced up at the door when he saw/heard one of his detectives knocking. He gestured the woman in and she opened the door, holding a case file out for him.
“Thought you might want the file, Captain,” she supplied and he smiled, taking the offered file.
“Thanks, Sam.” she nodded and left the room without a backwards glance.
“We’re not,” Cora went on. “We call every month, he gives us updates. Did you hear about Lydia and Peter?”
Stiles just snorted as he read the brief file page.
“I got the shiny invite to prove I heard about it,” he said. “I was working that day. Someone took my bank hostage - with me inside. By the time it was over, the reception was done with.”
“I can tell you’re really broken up about missing the happy couple’s nuptials,” she snorted.
“If she’s happy, I’m happy. At least she’s alive,” silence met his comment and he continued to read until he finished and closed the file, laying it on the desk. “So he was in a club that was raided and he didn’t have any ID on him? Unless he suddenly changed his entire attitude regarding his fellow man, I’m going to say him resisting arrest and causing a brawl was slightly embellished, yes?” When she made a so-so gesture he raised an eyebrow, which in turn made her roll her eyes.
“He might have objected to being touched with the force cops use these days but hey, at least he wasn’t shot!” her grin was fake and they both knew it. “We’ve been in Seattle for six months and he’s been hot and cold since the first week, he’s Derek and he’s being weird . But now that I know you’re here, I’m hoping it’s what I think it is and he can go back to normal,” she heaved an annoyed sigh and he waited for an explanation. “If he didn’t know you were here officially, he might have thought he was going loco,” she supplied helpfully, the hinting towards scent being quite strong and Stiles nodded again.
He picked up his phone and hit a button. “Kay, can you bring Derek Hale in from three with his personal affects and his release papers? Thanks.” Hanging up, he sat back in his chair.
Ten minutes of idle chatter later, three things happened that made Stiles regret coming into work that day.
First: Trent, the original arresting officer, walked in to start his shift and saw Derek being processed out at Booking. He was less than pleased and started shouting up a storm before he’d even clocked on.
Second: Derek looked three seconds away from exploding, the furry kind.
Third: Cora mentioned, though admittedly she sounded shocked herself, that she recognised Trent as a one night stand Derek never called back months ago.
Stiles realised that Derek had been the ‘best fuck’ Trent had ever had; the man had been open about his conquest and, looking at Derek, Stiles would always see why, but evidently Trent didn’t read the One Night Stand bible and felt snubbed. He saw Kay, on the booking desk, point towards his office and as one, both Trent and Derek turned his way. Trent seemed to pale while maintaining a healthy angry glow of red, while Derek seemed to shut down all emotion.
Stiles pointed at Trent and gestured for him to come to the office.
When Trent stepped inside, Cora stepped out, closing the door behind her gently.
“So, care to tell me why you’re making a scene in my bullpen?” Stiles asked.
“My prisoner is being released without my-”
“He’s being released because there’s paperwork issuing that release,” Stiles interrupted. “And the only people who issue release papers work in the DA's office. Do you want to argue the toss with the DA? No, you don’t. You’ve already pissed enough officials off to last you a lifetime. And this stunt? With Hale? Arresting him for not having ID during a raid? Are you trying to get yourself fired?”
“He resisted arrest-”
“He shouldn’t have been arrested in the first place!” Stiles snapped.
“You weren’t there! How do you know anything other than what’s in that damn file?” Trent snapped, loud enough to travel through the walls of his office and they both heard the bullpen go silent.
“Because I know Derek Hale,” Stiles reasoned. “And I don’t believe he resisted arrest to the degree your report states. The DA's notes read, and I quote, ‘ No defensive wounds found on any arresting officers, no DNA samples taken from the scene indicated any criminal activity by the accused, no evidence was found to corroborate the account within case file ... you get the idea,” Stiles finished. He stood up, leaning on the desk and lowered his voice so it wouldn’t carry to human ears. “If I find out you brought him in to my cells because he didn’t call you back after a one night stand, I’ll have your badge. Do you understand me?” Trent was pissed, but he nodded. “Leave the Hales alone.”
By the time Trent left his office, Derek was stood waiting beside Cora with Kay and they all filed inside, Kay handing the release forms over before leaving.
“Your taste in bed partners hasn’t improved I see...” Stiles opened with and Cora snorted.
“I didn’t think he’d arrest me because I didn’t call,” the man rolled his eyes.
“Did you top?” Stiles asked, eyebrow raised and Cora put her palm over her face, head shaking while Derek settled on a glare for an answer. “Hey,” Stiles smirked, holding his hands up. “Either you were the best ass he ever had or the best-”
“Stiles!” Cora said loudly without moving her hand and Derek’s glare had a red tinge to it by that point.
“Either way,” Stiles pressed on. “You were good enough for him to let everyone here know about it. For two weeks... at which point, come to think of it,” he thought back. “He started getting pissy. Man, you must’ve been good ,” he gave Derek an impressed look that earned him a smug smirk that in turn, drew a bark of a laugh out of him.
“Can this conversation be over now? You’re the Captain of a police department, you sound like you’re still in High School,” Cora glared, hand now gone and Stiles gave her an innocent look. “That would work better if you didn’t have a claw mark running across your face.”
“I know,” Stiles lamented. “Scott never lets me get away with anything these days. But yes,” he produced a form already partially filled in and added a few details before handing it over. “Sign where the x’s are, date accordingly after reading the cautionary notation telling you that had you been charged and then acquitted, you would’ve had a year long probationary period. It’s mostly a deterrent. No one wants the law up in their business if their business is kinda personal, y’know what I mean?”
“How the hell did you ever make Captain?” Cora asked, genuinely curious that it could actually happen.
“Saved the Mayor, saved the local council, caught a terror cell and got my face and chest sliced up... got the Medal of Valor and a nifty office.” He leaned on the desk and smirked at her. “They try to keep me in but I like to walk the beat still so the guys bet me $50 a month that I can’t bring in 10 bad guys before the brass grounds me. I think, personally, the brass cottoned on early and think this is a happy medium for all involved. Besides, I’m damn good at telling people what to do and my plans are amazing.” Neither Hale looked convinced. “Do you want me to continue talking about your brother’s sexual prowess with my detective...?”
“You’re the man, I get it!” Cora said quickly and loudly, making Stiles grin some more and Derek scowl. “Everything signed?”
“Yup, you got your personal effects?” At Derek’s nod, Stiles produced a business card and handed it over. “On the off chance you get into another unwarranted bind, produce that, I’ll get a call. If I get a call and it’s not unwarranted, not even the supe’d up moon juice will save you from the shit I’ll send your way. Got it?” Though he was smiling, he was deadly serious and both Hales nodded before they all stood up. “My cell’s on there too,” he added without explanation and opened the door of his office.Cora left first, Derek following - pausing when he got close to Stiles so he could lean in to whisper in the Captain’s ear.
“ I topped, ” Stiles heard and laughed again, watching the siblings walk away.
“Like you’d do anything else!” he called and Derek glanced back, winked, and disappeared through the double doors.
“Not sure if its the guy or the girl you’re diggin’ over there Cap... but I’d totally tap-”
“Don’t even finish that sentence Grey,” Stiles laughed. “They have stupidly good hearing.” Shaking his head is went back into his office, letting the door swing shut behind him.
Time for paperwork.