Chapter Text
Stiles started the fasten the seatbelt sign and chewed his bottom lip, the light had to go off soon, it had to, he couldn't sit here much longer tied to his chair like some kind of unruly animal. Stiles took a deep breath and closed his eyes, sending his mind to his happy place in the hopes it would distract him.
Stiles was juggling an arm full of papers and text books while he tried to navigate the bustling campus corridors. The feeling of being a small child in a room full of adults compounded by the sheer volume of people around him right now. The corridor was hot, stuffy and noisy; every time he readjusted the various folders someone else bumped into him and unbalanced them all over again. Stiles could feel his breath catching in his throat as his heart beat sped up, he knew graduating a year early was a bad idea. He was already one of the youngest in his school year and now he was at least two years younger than the youngest person he had seen since getting out of bed this morning. Now he couldn't even walk down the corridor without having a panic attack. Not wanting his class mates to see his pending break down he shoved his way to the side of the corridor and scrambled for the door to the bathroom, he almost fumbled everything he was holding as he pushed the door open and fell inside. Slamming the door behind him he leant against it, immediately feeling like he could breathe now there was space around him. Holding his notes firmly to his chest he kept his eyes closed and took a few more deep breaths, focusing on how his heart settled to a more acceptable rate. A throat clearing caused him to snap his head up once more, staring open mouthed at the man sat with his feet on the desk and a book in his hand in the room that was clearly not the bathroom.
Finally there was a chime that signified the seatbelt sign being switched off, he wasn't fully convinced the seatbelt had actually separated by the time he was on his feet and in the aisle. Stretching his legs Stiles walked to the bathroom, swinging his arms from side to side, as much as he could in the cramped space, to relieve the tension. Fighting down the simmering frustration Stiles reminded himself he wasn't trapped on this long haul flight for just anyone.
"Hi" the man closed the book and set it to one side stared expectantly at Stiles.
"This isn't the bathroom" wow was that really all he could think of saying.
"no it is not"
"I will just...." Stiles gestured to the door he was still leant against.
"If you leave it about 15 minutes the masses will all be in their classes, a lot more space out there"
"and you?"
"I don't have class till after lunch"
"What do you study?" Why wasn't he leaving? He was just going to stand here and make an ass of himself. Stiles startled when the man in front of him let out a bark of laughter.
"I TEACH criminal psychology" Stiles felt his face heat under the continued scrutiny.
"Oh," Stiles stood twiddling the hem of his shirt looking somewhat lost and innocent. "so you are Professor Hale?"
Professor Hale looked up in surprise over the edge of his book, "Yes, how did you-"
"My name is Stiles I am in your class this afternoon" Peter refocused on the book in his hands
"you are mistaken I do not have a Stiles in my class. Not only that my class is reserved for post graduate something you couldn't possibly be unless you -"
"graduated early yeah and my surname is Stilinski, Stiles is just a nickname"
"well well you must be something incredible to graduate early with high enough grades to be granted access to my class" Professor Hale stood up and prowled closer to Stiles, that was the only way Stiles could describe the rolling walk that approached him. "I will look forward to seeing you this afternoon Stiles" Professor Hale leant into his personal space and opened the door behind him, thankfully the corridor was now empty so no one could see the way Stiles had to squeeze through the impossibly small gap between the incredibly hot professor and the door to escape.
"Thank you Professor-"
"Peter"
"Thank you Peter".
Stiles had been to the bathroom, walked the length of the plane five times and had ordered far too many snacks from the trolley and it had been oh 45 minutes since the seatbelt sign had turned off. How was he even going to survive this flight, he was going to die of boredom or maybe become so frustrated he throws himself out the air lock, maybe flushes himself down the toilet, just something to get this mind numbing boredom to go away. Peter always complained he wasn't patient enough, that he could never be still, by the time he had left his first of Peter's classes he thought the Professor was going to kill him. It was only later Stiles learnt the true meaning of that look.
Peter was talking animatedly, walking back and forth in front of the board and gesticulating as he explained to the room full of eager students exactly why criminal psychology kicked ass. Stiles was watching him pace whilst chewing his finger nail and bouncing his leg under the desk. He didn't even realise he was doing anything until his other hand began drumming on the desk and Peter exploded.
"Mr Stilinski, Stiles! Are you intentionally trying to distract me from teaching or are you naturally annoying"
"Oh! Uhm I think I am just naturally annoying, Sorry Peter" Peter grinned and walked back towards the board.
"Now this is the first thing to note about psychology is individual perspective. We can study, we can research, we can be the best of the best but that does not mean we automatically understand the intricacies of what is happening inside someone's mind. What Stiles uses as a focusing technique is a distraction to others. This difference in perspective can be most interesting to observe in criminal behaviour"
Stiles felt his mind wandering as he watched the passion filter into his movements, his words. The muscles rippled under his fitted Henley and jeans making Stiles' heart pound in the most distracting way. He wanted so desperately to impress the man in front of him and he was already struggling to pay attention Peter was staring expectantly at the room in front of him which suggested he had asked a question he was waiting for the answer to. Unfortunately Stiles had no idea what that question was.
"It can be detected in observable changes in the structure of the brain itself Peter" a voice called out from the back of the room.
"That is correct but please address me as professor Hale"
Miraculously Stiles was able to focus for the majority of the rest of the class and managed to keep the tapping to the minimum although every so often Peter would glare over at him and he would realise he was clicking his pen or tapping his fingers again. He slowly packed away all his stationary as he waited for his class mates to leave the room ahead of him, as he walked to the door dragging his feet he glanced up at where Professor Hale was collecting the register and packing away his laptop.
"Sorry if I was disruptive today Professor Hale I will try harder tomorrow"
"It's perfectly fine Stiles and I told you before call me Peter".
Stiles swallowed around the lump forming in his throat and nodded, backing out of the room and into the bustling corridor. Stiles had spent the next few weeks dedicating every moment of his time to his first assignment, determined to get the best grade of the class for it. Of course that was only to validate his own sense of self worth and identity and had absolutely nothing with impressing the Professor which was making guest appearances in his dreams. He may have been slightly smug when he handed the paper in and by the time Peter was ready to hand them out, graded, Stiles was so excited he was practically vibrating in his seat. One by one Peter handed out the papers in silence, starting with those sat at the back of the room and gradually working forwards. As Stiles had sat in the front row from day one this meant he was one of the last to be given his paper. Instead of a grade on the front of his booklet was a sticker "see me after class" his stomach plummeted and he felt cold all over, had it really been that bad? He thought he had done really well. Stiles couldn't focus for the next hour and for once he was distracted by more than Peter's glorious physique and liquid sex of a voice. As his peers filtered out one by one Stiles resolutely remained seated, staring down at the paper and toying with the corners of the pages.
"Stiles?" Stiles looked up and realised he was now alone with Peter, he took a deep breath and tried to fight down the stinging prickling his eyes. He would not cry god dammit.
"I thought it was really good" Stiles' voice came out quiet and hurt and was addressed solely to the now slightly dog eared paper before him. Everyone had warned him about the reality check of college, sure he was the smartest kid in high school if not the smartest in town but when he got to college he would be average at best. Peter walked to the desk next to Stiles and leant against it looking far too good for this situation in Stiles' opinion.
"So did I" Stiles wasn't sure how but Peter made his statement sound more like a challenge than a reassurance. "Objectively you have the highest grade in the class"
Stiles leant back in his seat, calmer now he knew Peter wasn't about to fail him, "And subjectively" Peter smiled and moved so he was leant on his own desk, facing Stiles head on.
"Most students wouldn't have picked up on that. Subjectively I am trying to decide if critiquing a paper written by the professor of the class is inspired or moronic"
"You speak as if they are the only two options when in actual fact there is a third. I didn't select your piece intentionally it was just where the research took me. Ignoring it to gain you favour would be entirely biased and then we would be in the exact same situation only you would be asking me why I would disregard your work instead of critiquing it as the core evidence piece it is." Peter laughed aloud, maybe up until then Stiles had thought they were having a slightly flirty intellectual debate, now he felt like Peter saw him as a small child explaining Santa Clause to his parents.
"you are going to do very well in this class Stiles" Peter clasped his elbow and Stiles felt his heart skip a beat, Peter's eyes flicked to Stiles chest briefly before returning to look him in the eyes. "Have a good night Stiles"
Stiles hunkered down in his seat and clamped his eyes shut, the only way he would make this flight slightly bearable would be to sleep through most of it, he just hoped he didn't snore.
**********
Peter glared at the departures board as hard as he could as if that would change what it said but no matter how much Hale attitude he sent it's way his flight remained delayed. Karma really had the worst timing to come and kick him in the ass, he had promised Stiles he would be in Beacon Hills to meet him at the airport, the poor kid had been nervous enough flying alone as it was. If Peter had his way he would have been right beside his boyfriend but he had to speak at a conference the other side of the country and Stiles couldn't come with him because he had exams the same day. Something that wouldn't have been a problem if Peter hadn't forced him to change classes, had to admit it was worth it though just so he could date the boy. Peter turned primly on his heel and headed to the check in desk, maybe he would have better luck glaring at the teller there than the board in front of him. As he got in line he sent a text to Stiles letting him know he might be a teensy bit later than planned.
**********
It had started by Peter speaking to him after lessons, just a passing comment here or there, soon if Peter didnt approach Stiles then Stiles would approach Peter. He would recommend a book or TV show, ask questions about the upcoming assigned reading and ask his opinion on current events. Slowly these passing comments got longer until they would become full discussions making Stiles late for his other classes on more than one occasion. After the second time in one week being late to his Law class Stiles had decided he would have to explain to Peter that he couldn't hang round to chat after class. Peter had taken it very well and Stiles thought that would be the end of it, right up until Peter decided Stiles should come to his office at the end of the day instead. It did make perfect sense as it wouldn't make Stiles late for class and Peter quickly began ordering in food for him so he didn't have to worry about cooking something when he went back to his room. One night he walked in to the office, it was way past the point of Stiles needing to knock as Peter resolutely kept this slot available solely for him, and Peter was slumped over the desk with his head in his hands.
"What's up?" Stiles stopped in the doorway, concerned he would be intruding on an emotional moment and crossing some kind of line. Peter looked up at him all of a sudden and Stiles didn't think he had seen a man look so desperate.
"It's all gone. Derek, my nephew he works for a tech company, he sent me this new laptop and I was transferring things over and everything, and I mean everything, is gone."
Stiles dropped his bag by the door and walked forwards purposefully, Peter pushed his chair back to allow enough room for Stiles to lean over the keyboard and waited with baited breath as Stiles began to tap away. In no time at all Stiles stood up "Is this what you lost?" he gestured to the folders clearly presented on his desk top.
"how did you do that?" Peter was flabbergasted, sure he wasn't a computer wizard but he knew enough and those files were gone!
"I had a friend in high school, he was good at finding things in computers that maybe didn't want to be found." Peter started between Stiles and the computer and back again, rising up from his chair in one fluid motion.
"Stiles, Oh my god, I could kiss you!" Stiles straightened and turned around, Suddenly very aware of how close he was standing to Peter. Peter seemed to realise it too as he subtly wet his lips and glanced down at Stiles' plump mouth.
"Ok" Stiles regretted the word as soon as it was out of his mouth, Peter would probably tell him it's just an expression and he was being completely inappropriate. He was so busy cycling through what Peter would say it took him a moment to catch up to Peter's lips pressed firmly against his own.
Stiles woke up slowly, gradually becoming more aware of his surroundings and surfacing from his dream. Can it be called a dream when it is a memory? He wasn't really sure, but that memory had fuelled a lot of dreams along the lines of a bad porno and earning a better grade from his professor. Later those dreams had fuelled some very steamy memories too. Thankfully enough time had passed that he no longer felt like the air was getting caught in his throat but not enough time that he was ready to wake up, mumbling sleepily to himself Stiles snuggled back down into the chair and closed his eyes again.
**********
"What do you mean cancelled?!"
"I'm sorry Sir but I don't know what else I can tell you, we physically do not have the pilots to fly the air craft, if we cant fly the air craft we have to cancel the flight"
Peter closed his eyes and groaned, he tried to keep his temper in check, it wasn't this woman's fault but he couldn't help feel she was responsible from keeping him away from Stiles. Peter grabbed his carry on and slumped into a stupidly uncomfortable airline chair fumbling for his phone to send another message to Stiles. Of course his phone was out of battery and his charger was in his luggage which was already on the flight, the cancelled flight. Normally he would pack things more carefully but this was supposed to be a short flight and he had been running late so he had just rammed things wherever they ended up. Peter felt a combination of frustration, disappointment and sadness, he had promised he would be there to meet Stiles. That Stiles wouldn't have to walk into the wolves den alone. And now Stiles was letting Stiles down, letting his soulmate down.
People often thought of soulmates as walking in and laying eyes on someone and being struck by lightening. The feelings crashing through them and just knowing this was their person; that's how it appeared in films, on TV and in romance books but wasn't it. The people who thought otherwise didn't have soulmates.
Soulmates were exactly that soulmates, they were a connection of two people on a deeper level. It was getting to know someone and what makes that someone them you couldn't do that just by looking at them. Hell if that was how things work they wouldn't call them soulmates they would call them....Sightmates....god maybe he was spending too much time with Stiles he was even starting to think like the kid.
The kid he was about to let down and couldn't even let him know why. Peter felt like a grade A asshole right now even if it wasn't exactly his fault. Grinding his teeth he decided he wasn't going down like that.
**********
Stiles was sat on Peter's desk, Peter had his sleeves rolled up and had kicked his shoes off, Stiles sweatshirt was dumped on the floor somewhere. They were eating noodles out of Chinese take out containers and laughing, Stiles had his sock clad feet resting on Peter's thighs and Peter had his own resting on the edge of an open desk drawer. Stiles had never felt so relaxed in his life, never felt so content. Peter was telling Stiles about a new place to eat he had found, it was greasy and cheap and completely not where Peter would normally eat but it was tasty and inspired and Stiles could listen to him talk all night.
"You will have to take me sometime" and just like that the mood soured, good job Stiles! Peter sighed and put his food down.
"Stiles - " Stiles rushed forward to stop Peter before he could start.
"I just don't get what the problem is"
"this isn't fair on you"
"The school has no rules against dating a student! There were too many soulmate cases for them to uphold it"
"It's not about the official ruling on soulmates"
"I'm not saying we are soulmates-"
"You don't think we are soulmates?"
"what? You are getting this all twisted" Peter's hands gripped Stiles' hips firmly, cutting off the increasingly anxious babble coming forward.
"Stiles, the reason it is a problem is you are a bright and capable student, you are smarter than everyone in that classroom myself included. There are already snide and jealous people who question how you got into such a prestigious class in a prestigious school at such a young age and continue to score so highly - "
"that's their problem not mine"
"yes it is but if they find out you are sleeping with the professor they will have their reason and they will hold it against you. Any achievement you make will not be held in value because of me and I am not willing to let my soulmate go through that"
"your soulmate?"
"Yes Stiles, don't you feel it?" Stiles nodded swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Professor Hale I would formally like to drop your class"
"Stiles no then we are back to your achievements being affected because of me"
"My achievements are already affected by you" Stiles laughed and leant until his nose was practically touching Peter's "you think I score highly in your class imagine what I would score if I had blood in my brain instead of my dick watching you teach" Peter opened his mouth to object and Stiles spoke over him "and I know you can smell it every time I am in class with you with that wolfy nose".
"So you are going to what, drop my class? Then what?"
"Then my soulmate is going to take me to this amazing disgusting cheap fancy restaurant he has discovered."
Stiles caught Peter's mouth in a kiss and the both of them leant back onto Peter's desk, shoving everything in their way to the side. Peter spent the next two weeks picking noodles out of the open desk drawer.
Finally the seatbelt sign came back one with a chime, normally that was something which drove him crazy but now it represented landing and an end to this eternal flight. Stiles was so hyped walking through the airport he barely had to take a step, he could just vibrate down the terminal. He was so keyed up he thought the security guy was going to pull him over for a very intimate search and in all honesty Stiles wouldn't blame him. He was grinning like an idiot when he turned his phone from airplane mode to let Peter know he had landed, as messages started pinging through his face fell and he stopped in his tracks. His change of pace was so sudden the person behind him crashed straight into his back, the vibration of energy rippling through him stopped as easily as it had begun. Peters flight was delayed....crap!
**********
Natasha rolled off the luxurious double queen-size bed and carefully picked her way through the throngs of bodies on the floor. As quietly as inhumanly possible she gathered her discarded clothing and got dressed pausing momentarily at the door to the hotel suite to survey her handy work. Even if she said so herself that was one hell of a party, and isn't it just wonderful how easy it was to locate the pilots; all hanging out together at their prestigious clubs just waiting to be picked off one by one. The mess of tangled bodies that covered almost every available surface was extremely satisfying to look over, this wasn't her first orgy but it was definitely the most productive she had ever had. So maybe she roofied a few of the guests she only did that after she had her fun, she wanted to make sure they got enough rest to recover after all, that and give her enough time to get to beacon hills before they were fit enough to fly the god damn plane.