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Smoke.

...

Smoke!

The pack!

Derek's mind snapped back to the present to discover that the smoke he could smell was not coming from a burning house in the reservation but from the blonde woman bending down to gaze at his face and puff cigarette smoke at him.

So, it's morning then, he thought listlessly, it begins again.

Kate Argent grinned at him as she took another drag of her cigarette before breathing smoke into his face again.

"Good morning, Derek." The smirk on her face made his wolf roar in fury, clawing to escape the broken shell of a body it was trapped in.

God, why couldn't he die already?

Stiles balanced a tray with two take away coffees on top of a tupperware container of cookies which in turn was stacked on top of a second tupperware container of lasagne as he walked too fast through the hospital corridors. Luckily Mrs McCall already told him which room Parrish was in because he didn't really have time to stop and ask at the nurse's station. He nearly ran into several people before he finally made it to Jordan's room.

"Knock, knock!" Stiles announced loudly as he skidded to a halt without dropping the coffees, cookies, and pasta.

"Stiles?" Parrish blinked up at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Dad told me about your accident so I brought you some supplies." Stiles placed the food down on the bedside table and beamed at his father's deputy. "Some proper food because hospital food sucks balls, some cookies and, of course, coffee. Exactly the way you like it."

Parrish was Stiles' favourite deputy and when his dad told him that morning that he'd gotten caught on some razor wire lying about the reservation Stiles had made immediate plans to visit the hospital as soon as he could after school. So he'd been rushing around all afternoon - rushing home from school, rushing to make some cookies, rushing to get coffee from the good coffee shop, and then rushing to the hospital.

"I hope the second one isn't for you," Jordan commented drily. "You do not need caffeine."

Stiles shook his head. "It's for Scott's mum. She's working a double, she needs a pick me up."

Parrish shook his head, smiling, and accepted the coffee Stiles passed over to him. He took a sip and groaned.

"This is heaven. Thank you, Stiles." He took another sip before eyeing the containers. "Chocolate chip?"

"Uh-huh, my mum's recipe. And some leftover lasagne because I know you love Italian food."

"You're the best, kiddo." Parrish grinned. He shifted and grimaced when the movement pulled at his stitches.

"I'll take this coffee to Mrs McCall and then I have a travel chess set in my bag, we can play a few rounds before I have to take Dad some dinner," Stiles chirped, picking up the second coffee cup.

"Take her some cookies too," Parrish suggested. Stiles scooped up the container too and left the room. A quick stop at the nurse's station told Stiles that Melissa was checking on some patients over in the Crossing Home. He set off to deliver the coffee and cookies. He wasn't really paying attention as he wandered through the long-term care wing, on the lookout for Mrs McCall, so he walked into a blonde nurse coming out of a patient's room.

She swore as hot coffee spilt down both their fronts.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry!" Stiles gasped and babbled apologetically as he looked around for something to wipe the coffee off the nurse's scrubs but she just laughed and shook her head.

"It's alright, cutie," she assured him. "I have a spare set in my locker." She smiled and Stiles took a step back. Her smile was slightly disturbing. And cutie? What was he? Five?

"Right... well... sorry..." Stiles trailed off and the nurse's smile widened. She patted Stiles' cheek and he cringed inwardly as she walked off. She smelled of cigarette smoke and Stiles watched her walk away with a frown. He couldn't put his finger on it but something didn't feel right about her. And Stiles always trusted his gut feelings.

He glanced down at his coffee stained shirt before looking mournfully at the now half-empty latte he had intended to gift to Melissa. No point now, he supposed, and he looked around for somewhere he could dump it.

As he looked around he caught a glimpse inside the room the nurse had just exited. He could see a man in a wheelchair, faced towards the windows. From this angle he could only see the left side of his face. He had dark hair and stubble, a straight nose and a nicely angled jaw. Stiles felt like a creeper but he stared at the side of the man's face for a little while. He was ridiculously attractive even if Stiles could only see half of his face. However, his expression seemed oddly blank.

Stiles spied a sink in the room. Ah-ha! He could dump the last of the coffee in there and toss the cup.

"Excuse me?" he tried, knocking lightly on the door.

The man didn't even stir.

"Excuse me, I just need to borrow your bathroom and bin."

Still no response.

Stiles hesitated. He went to take a step into the room when his name was called from down the corridor. He turned to Melissa with a smile.

"His Mrs McCall!" he greeted. "I... uh... I brought you coffee but it kind of... ended up..."

"All down your shirt? How did that happen?" Melissa questioned, taking the half empty cup and giving Stiles an amused look.

"I ran into a nurse. Blonde and kind of creepy? Looks like she might feast on the blood of babies?"

Melissa raised her eyebrows.

"She came out of here." He waved at the slightly open door.

"Oh, Kate Argent. She's Derek's personal nurse." Melissa glanced into the room and absently took a sip of the coffee.

"Derek?" Stiles questioned, looking in at the unmoving man.

"Hale. You remember the Hale fire that happened seven years ago?" Melissa's voice was low so that only Stiles could hear what she was saying. Stiles cast a glance at her grave expression before returning his eyes to Derek Hale. Oh yes, he remembered the Hales and the night his father had come home smelling of smoke and some weird, sickly scent that Stiles would later learn was the smell of burnt human flesh. Derek had been a junior at high school but Stiles had seen him around town from time to time, he was seven years older than Stiles and he was so cool.

Stiles hadn't known what had happened to Derek.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked softly.

"He's catatonic, we think. Sort of a... waking coma? I don't know how to explain it because we've never seen anything like it. He doesn't need machines to keep him alive but he's unresponsive to everything and requires near constant care." Melissa sighed sadly and sipped at her coffee before looking at Stiles who wrenched his eyes from Derek to look at her. "He has no family left so he's here alone, not alive but not dead either."

Stiles' stomach tightened and he looked back at Derek.

"Oh."

They were both silent before Stiles remembered the container of cookies and the chess set in his bag back in Jordan's room. He offered some cookies to Melissa before turning to go back to visit with Parrish. He looked into Derek's room one last time though, unable to explain the aching desire to just go into the room and sit with him for a while.

"Dad?"

"Mm?"

Stiles hesitated, picking at his reheated lasagne as the Sheriff sipped at his soda and read over the report in front of him. He was already finished his dinner, having eaten it in relative peace as his son was silent. It was a rare occurrence but it meant there was something on his mind so he was simply waiting for Stiles to bring it up.

Stiles looked down at his dinner before looking up at his dad again.

"Do you remember Derek Hale?"

Sheriff Stilinski raised his head and met Stiles' eyes.

"Of course I do," he replied. "Why?"

"I saw him today at the hospital... Mrs McCall said he's catatonic and all alone. Did all his family really die in the fire? There's nobody to visit?" Stiles asked, feeling a little desperate for reasons he couldn't fathom.

"Well, there were two family members unaccounted for after the fire but we've never heard from either of them. So Derek's been alone in the hospital all that time." His dad sighed and studied Stiles. "Poor kid. He was only seventeen."

Stiles swallowed, suddenly not feeling all that hungry.

The aching desire Stiles had felt outside Derek's room didn't dissipate and so the next afternoon he found himself back inside the hospital. He made his way to the long-term care ward again and down to Derek's room. He didn't get lost thankfully and he stood outside the closed door nervously.

"Stiles?"

He jumped and turned to face Mrs McCall.

"Hi Mrs McCall! I was just here to, um, here to see Parrish again. Yeah. He buried me at chess yesterday. And you know me. Can't stand to lose. So I needed to challenge him to a rematch. You know I-"

"Stiles, Jordan was released this morning. And his room was over the other side of the hospital." Melissa folded her arms and gave him a look he recognised very easily. One he caved to every time.

"Okay, I wanted to see Derek," Stiles admitted. "You said he's been all alone and I just..." Stiles glanced behind him at the closed door.

Melissa's face softened and she smiled. "Go ahead, Stiles. I'm sure Derek would appreciate some company for a change. Even if that company never shuts up."

Stiles grinned and turned to open the door to Derek's room. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Derek was in his wheelchair like yesterday and faced towards the windows. Stiles wondered if Derek appreciated that - could he? What did it mean that he was catatonic? Stiles made a mental note to do some research on Derek's condition that night.

"Derek?"

Stiles stepped further into the room, suddenly feeling a little awkward. Thankfully his ability to talk himself to death in any situation kicked in before he could chicken out.

"Hi Derek, I'm Stiles." Stiles walked into the room and grabbed a chair, dragging it over to sit with Derek. "Mrs McCall said you never have any visitors so I thought I'd change that."

Stiles placed the chair slightly in front of Derek, but not obscuring his view of the gardens, and sat. He gasped, recoiling slightly at the terrible burn scars on the right side of Derek's face. Stiles had been right. Derek was gorgeous. But those scars. They looked so painful.

The worst part though were his eyes.

His eyes, a beautiful shade of hazel all greens and warm ambers melted together, were blank. It was unnerving looking at them.

"Um... So, you don't know me. I mean, I kind of know who you are? You're a bit older than me but I used to see you around town a lot. You were so cool. I kind of wanted to be your friend." Stiles chuckled nervously. "So, um, how about I tell you about me? I'm Stiles Stilinski - no Stiles is not my real name but I'm not telling you what it is, maybe later, but it's really embarrassing so even though you can't laugh at it I need to get to know you better before I tell you - and I'm a junior. My dad's the Sheriff, but you probably knew that..."

And so he rambled on, telling Derek about his life with his dad and about his best friend Scott and all the trouble they got up to together. He told him about his classes at school, how much he hated Mr Harris and how funny Coach Finstock was. He told him about bench warming for lacrosse. He told him about Lydia Martin and her beautiful hair and how smart she was and how much of a douchebag her boyfriend Jackson was. He told Derek about Allison, the girl Scott was crazy about but didn't have the guts to speak to.

He chattered endlessly for a couple of hours until Derek's blonde nurse showed up.

"Oh, you're the cutie from yesterday," she commented, her creepy smile back in full force. Stiles swallowed nervously. "Melissa said you'd be in here. Thanks for dropping in, Derek never gets any visitors."

The way she said 'Derek' had the hairs on the back of Stiles' neck standing up.

"Um... no problem," he said warily.

"Well, it's time for me to give Derek a bath so..." She waved her hand at him and Stiles jumped up. He looked down at Derek and felt another pang in his heart.

"I'll come back, maybe not tomorrow, I have a test to study for and well I tried to study last night but I just ended up reading some weird fanfiction that an internet friend sent me about... uh never mind so not tomorrow but soon, okay?" Stiles promised. "Okay. Bye, Derek."

He inched past Kate Argent, shuddering a little as she winked at him, before dashing down the corridor. He turned back and looked at the closed door to Derek's room. Man, that nurse gave him the creeps. He wondered if she was related to Allison in some way. She seemed so different to Lydia's very sweet best friend. Stiles added Kate Argent to his list of research topics for that night and left the hospital, wondering whether Derek was in any state to actually hear anything Stiles had said to him.

Derek's wolf growled as Kate shut the door once the kid had left. Derek hated this. The return to vague consciousness, if it could be called that, in the last year made his existence worse. At least when he was lost in darkness and agony he didn't have the ability to think or feel.

This was worse.

He was trapped in this body. He wanted to die. But his wolf pushed him towards healing.

Derek didn't want to heal. He wanted to die.

Even before he realised he was under Kate's "care".

She stalked towards him.

"Find yourself a little friend, Derek?" Kate taunted. "It won't change anything. You're still stuck here, with me. I know you can hear me, Derek. I know you're alive in there. Alive with the knowledge that everyone you love is gone and it's all your fault. A new little human playmate won't change that."

She grabbed his wheelchair and spun him towards the bathroom. Derek let himself fade out of consciousness. It was the only way this would be bearable. She always made the water boiling hot. To remind him of the fire, she always said. She made sure he felt it, watched his skin turn red with burns. Only where clothes would cover it of course, she wanted to keep this job.

Derek's wolf howled with bloodlust.

He shoved it down to silence. Wishing for Kate's death would do no good. He couldn't do anything to her in this state.

Derek felt Kate's hands undressing him and moving to place him on his chair so she could wash his body with the boiling water and the soap that smelt far too strong. He remembered how once he'd desired her hands on him more than anything else in the world.

Now it was repulsive.

It infuriated his wolf and made him wish for death all the harder.

He tried to escape but couldn't find anything to pull him away from the present at the first touch of a hot sponge on his chest, Kate's nails digging in and scratching him as she dragged it over his skin.

An image of amber eyes jumped to the fore of his thoughts.

That kid. The one who didn't stop talking for over two hours.

Yet they were the best two hours of Derek's existence since the fire.

He let his memory be swept up in the cadence of the boy's voice. The way he spoke faster when he was excited, the way he laughed in the middle of the stories he told Derek. His voice had softened when talking about his father, his friend Scott, and Scott's mother, Mrs McCall one of the nurses who had dealt with Derek a lot over the last seven years. His voice had turned bitter when speaking about Mr Harris or Jackson Whittemore. And there was a strange tone when he spoke about Lydia Martin, the dangerously smart and beautiful girl Stiles proclaimed to be in love with. Derek couldn't quite identify what it was.

Stiles' voice was the most beautiful sound Derek had ever heard.

And it let Derek escape Kate for just a little while.

Stiles spent his night researching catatonic states and comas and it was strange. None of the information really matched up to Derek's case, just like Melissa said. The closest he could find was a catatonic stupor but they weren't supposed to last the way Derek's was and the person was still neurologically functional for the most part. Derek just seemed... broken.

Perhaps that was the way things went when your entire family died in a fire but you didn't. Stiles didn't think he'd want to wake up if he was in Derek's place.

He continued reading up on coma patients until it was three am and he remembered school. He was practically a zombie the next day when he arrived at school and met Scott at his locker.

"Dude," Scott sighed. "Don't tell me you stayed up all night reading slash fic again."

Stiles shook his head as he started pulling his books out of his locker.

"I was reading up on comas and catatonia," Stiles explained.

"What?"

Stiles explained about Derek as they walked to first period.

"Oh, I think my mum's mentioned him," Scott nodded. "You just talked to him?"

"Yep." Stiles yawned as he dropped into a chair in their English classroom.

"Can coma patients even hear you?"

"He's not really in a coma." Stiles frowned. "It's... really weird, man, he's like awake but he's not? Machines don't keep him alive but he doesn't respond to anything you say."

"That sounds so creepy." Scott shuddered a little and Stiles frowned.

"He's not creepy." He didn't know why he sounded so defensive. "He's... lonely."

"How can you tell?"

Stiles shrugged and sank in his seat. He watched as Scott perked up when Allison and Lydia walked into the room together, smiling and laughing about something. Stiles watched Lydia mournfully. Maybe he'd ask her to Homecoming or the Winter Formal. Screw Jackson, she deserved better. Despite the fact that Lydia sat two seats in front of him, his fantasy about taking her to a dance evaporated quickly in light of more thoughts about Derek.

He still couldn't quite figure out what his condition was exactly. More importantly, however, was the issue with his nurse. It was unclear what was causing it, but something about her put him in edge, made him wary. He was worried and he didn't know why.

Damn it.

He needed to study for the damn test but he could feel an itch under his skin. He was going to end up back at the hospital this afternoon.

And sure enough he wound up joining Derek in his room. He almost felt like he was being judged when he admitted he should be studying so he spread his books out on the floor. He managed to get plenty of study in for his test while chatting randomly about his day. He finally gave up studying after a few hours and looked at the time. He should be getting home and eating some dinner. He started packing up his things and told Derek as much.

"It's just going to be me again, though," Stiles admitted quietly. He glanced up at Derek whose face was expressionless and eyes as blank as the day before. "Dad keeps working late shifts at the station so I end up eating alone. It kinda sucks, man, you know? Always making dinner for one. And I worry about him. Yeah Beacon Hills has to be one of the most boring places in California but it's still dangerous. Like someone left razor wire in the reservation. That's how Parrish ended up in here. If something happened to my dad..."

Stiles shook his head and stood up. "Sorry, didn't meant to go all teen-angst on you there. You don't need me sulking on you. Anyway I'll come back tomorrow, okay? I get more homework done here than I do at home. Catch you later, Derek!"

Stiles left Derek's room feeling relieved that this time he hadn't been interrupted by Kate.

It wasn't until Stiles' fifth consecutive day visiting him that Derek began to believe him when he said he'd be back the next day. Every day after school that week Stiles had dropped in and he'd dropped by on Saturday morning and stayed until Kate arrived in the early afternoon. Derek hadn't wanted him to go. He had never felt so awake as when Stiles was in his room, chattering almost non-stop or studying, which he never did quietly.

Stiles never stopped making noise or moving in some way. He was like a whirlwind, constant and unstoppable.

Derek enjoyed that more than he ever thought he would.

Stiles' scent had begun to settle into the chair he always sat on and the room always smelt of chocolate and cinnamon and apples and jasmine and other springtime scents that had Derek's wolf preening with happiness.

When Stiles talked Derek made sure to take everything in. At first he'd just let the sound of Stiles' voice was hover him but now he allowed the words to sink into his brain. They kept him there in the present. Stiles told him about everything. Derek felt as though he knew everything about the Sheriff and Stiles' best friend Scott and Scott's mother Melissa. He felt up to date with the goings on in the town since Stiles reported all the gossip and police business to Derek.

After that fifth day when Derek started believing he would come, Kate's torture became bearable. He was able to ignore the things she did to him. The pain, the smoke, the taunts. All of it faded into background noise when he thought of Stiles and the fact that he would see him again the next day. Her words about how his loneliness was his own fault, all his family was dead because he was a stupid little boy who thought he was worthy of love didn't matter to him anymore. He focused on Stiles' scent and felt calm.

And Stiles continued to come. There were a couple of days he didn't make it but he always told Derek beforehand, and the one time he didn't the next day he apologised profusely and explained that it had been a "bro-mergency" and Scott had needed him.

"Stupid Allison," Stiles scowled, dropping onto the floor beside Derek instead of his chair. Derek wondered why and then his wolf rumbled happily when Stiles leant his head on Derek's knee. "Why can't she see how good Scott is? Scott asked her to the dance, you know? And what did she say?"

Stiles paused for dramatic effect.

"She said 'who are you again?'." Stiles made an angry noise. "Scott was devastated. Then that douchenozzle Jackson mocked him in front of the whole locker room before cross country practise. She's going to the dance with one of the other guys on the team and Jackson told him that. Dick. I tripped him over when we started running. He's got a scrape on his perfect chin now. See how good he looks in homecoming photos with Lydia now."

Derek wished he could laugh with Stiles but he still couldn't find how to work his body.

Stiles let out a mournful sigh and turned his head until his forehead was pressed against Derek's leg.

"I probably won't be here tomorrow," Stiles explained softly. "It's uh... it's my mum's birthday..."

Derek had never heard Stiles mention his mother before.

"She... she died when I was a kid. It's been a while but..." He sighed again and one of his arms came up to wrap around Derek's knee. That explained why he was sitting so close. Derek was very familiar with the need for contact during emotional times. Wolves were tactile creatures and Derek soaked up the first friendly human contact he'd had in seven years. He wanted Stiles to never stop touching him.

Stiles talked quietly for a long time. Telling him all about his mother. How she was so beautiful and smart. How she painted on the weekends and Stiles would sit and watch her. How she made amazing cookies and cakes and taught Stiles how to cook as a way to distract him with something productive when his ADD was really bad. He curled his other arm around Derek's lower leg as he continued on to how she'd gotten sick, a form of dementia that was incurable, and how Stiles had watched her forget him and his dad. How he had been there when she'd died. His panic attacks after.

Derek wanted, more than anything, to curl up with Stiles and hold him, leech some of his pain away.

Stiles finished talking and was quiet for a little while, still holding Derek's leg.

He laughed weakly at one point and lifted a hand to his face. He turned and looked up at Derek.

"You're the best listener I've ever met," he joked tiredly. He was smiling but his eyes were dull rather than wide and bright and beautiful. "Hey, do you play chess? I have a chess set. Hang on."

He got up and Derek could hear him doing something behind him. Then Stiles turned his chair so that he was beside his small table, Stiles' chair on the other side. There was a travel chess set on the table between them and Stiles grinned.

"You can be white. Let's play."

Derek allowed contentment to settle over him as Stiles moved pieces for him and essentially played against himself, narrating as he went and complaining about Coach Finstock again. He was under the impression that Stiles spent a lot of time with him because he was lonely. Scott seemed to be his only close friend and Scott worked most afternoons at the vet. Derek felt sad that Stiles didn't have anybody to be with but he was more than happy for Stiles to choose to spent time with him instead. He hoped Stiles never left.

"Hey, I have the afternoon off. You want to come over and play COD?"

Stiles glanced up at Scott at the locker beside him. Scott was looking at him hopefully. Luckily he'd bounced back after Allison's rejection. A new girl had started at school, Kira Yukimura and she had started hanging out with them. She seemed to have a crush on Scott and Stiles hoped they went to the dance together. It was next weekend. Stiles didn't want to go.

"Can't," Stiles said. "I'm-"

"Going to the hospital?"

Stiles blinked in surprise and Scott smiled.

"Mum told you how much time you spend there. She seems happy someone is hanging out with Derek. But... what do you even do?"

Stiles shrugged, feeling self conscious. He wasn't sure how to explain his relationship with Derek. Was relationship even the right word here? It was a little too one-sided for that he thought. But he couldn't stop himself going. He always felt better after he'd spent a couple of hours talking to Derek and playing chess or doing homework. Being around Derek helped him be calm and also gave him a chance to unload everything he couldn't tell Scott or his dad because as much as he loved both of them, he didn't feel comfortable spilling his feelings to them. Derek was a good listener.

"Homework. I talk." Stiles shifted uncomfortably. "Oh my god, it's weird isn't it? I don't even know the guy. I spend hours talking to him. You think I'm a freak!"

Scott laughed. "Yes, but not for that. Can I come with you?"

Stiles blinked in surprise. "Um, sure? I think I've told Derek everything about you so..."

Scott beamed at him and Stiles remembered why he was so lucky to have a good best friend. Kira ended up tagging along too and they piled into Stiles' jeep and headed towards the hospital.

"I just hope his creepy nurse isn't around," Stiles muttered.

"You mean the one you think is a vampire?" Kira asked. Stiles could hear the laughter behind her tone. "What was it? She looks like she feasts on the blood of innocents?"

Stiles scowled. "Now I hope she is there! If you saw her you'd understand! I swear, she looks like she wants to eat me when she sees me. Like she's planning all kinds of terrible things behind her evil smile and her evil words and her evil pet names." He glanced over at Scott in the passenger seat and Kira in the back, both looking at him with amused smiles. "And the way she talks to and looks at Derek gives me the creeps."

"Why?" Kira wondered.

"Mum said she's a good nurse," Scott added. "She's Allison's aunt right?"

Stiles rolled his eyes and winced inwardly on Kira's behalf at the mention of Allison. "Just because she's related to Allison doesn't mean she's anywhere near as nice and effervescent. She's creepy okay. And she looks at Derek with these... eyes... Eyes that are plotting evil things."

They were all quiet for a moment. "Do you think she's mistreating him?"

Kira sounded worried and Stiles loved her even more. Damn, he was staging a bro-vention. Scott needed to realise how awesome this girl was. Much better for him than one who didn't know he existed.

He didn't answer Kira but they arrived at the hospital soon so it didn't matter.

Stiles lead them towards Derek's room. The door was closed and he was about to knock and open when Scott grabbed his wrist. His eyes were wide, horrified, as he stared at the windows to Derek's room Stiles frowned but Scott dragged him back a step and Stiles realised they could peek in through the blinds.

He and Kira gasped in unison.

"Bitch!" Stiles spat and leapt for the door.

"I'll get Mum!" Scott announced and ran off down the corridor as Stiles burst in through the door.

"Get away from him you psycho!" Stiles shouted as Kate leapt away from Derek, the lit cigarette falling from her fingers and singing the carpet. Her eyes narrowed immediately and she yanked down the sleeve of Derek's robe but Stiles had already seen the small round burns, clearly made by a cigarette.

That explained why she always smelt like smoke.

That explained why she gave Stiles the creeps.

It also explained why his stomach dropped when she stalked towards him. Stiles turned to leave the room but she was faster than he thought and she grabbed his arms, squeezing so tight that her fingernails cut into his arms even through his shirt.

"Ow! Let me go!"

"You're going to keep your mouth shut," Kate whispered dangerously. "Or you'll regret it."

"Not likely! Why are you torturing Derek?" Stiles demanded. He tried to kick her but she trapped his leg between hers. She smiled sweetly.

"You don't know anything about him," she informed him. "He deserves it. Disgusting beast."

Stiles ignored the pounding of his heart and the fear curling on him as Kate's grip tightened even more painfully. He only cared about what she just called Derek. Derek whose entire family was dead. Derek who was all alone, trapped in his own body and mind.

"You're never going to hurt him again!" Stiles announced. "My dad's the sheriff you psycho bitch. You're going to jail."

Stiles appreciated the timing when Kate backhanded him to the ground just as Melissa and hospital security burst into the room. The grabbed Kate and manhandled her, shrieking out of the room, informing her that the police were on their way.

"Stiles, are you okay?" Melissa asked worriedly, looking at his cheek.

"I'm fine. It'll bruise but I'm fine. Derek's hurt." Stiles pushed himself to his feet and leapt over to Derek's side, easing up his robe and letting out a distressed sound at the sight of copious burns. The new ones were oozing and Stiles dropped to his knees beside Derek like he often sat when he wanted to talk about something personal.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I knew she was creepy."

Melissa efficiently cleaned and dressed Derek's burns while Stiles held his hand and patted the back of it.

"Mrs McCall do you think you could take care of Derek from now on?" Kira suggested. She and Scott were sitting side by side on the bed, watching Stiles and Mrs McCall with Derek.

Melissa looked up at Kira and smiled.

"I could," she agreed. "I'll see what I can do. He definitely deserves a little TLC."

"You're the best Mum, they have to let you look after him," Scott decided. Melissa smiled at her son and patted Stiles' shoulder when she finished taking care of the burns.

"Okay, kids, don't stay too long, alright? He'll need some rest to let these heal," she said. She was preparing the leave the room when the Sheriff burst in. Stiles looked up at his dad who stared at him in shock.

"They just told me everything," he explained. "Stiles, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Stiles protested. "Derek was the one in the hands of a psychopath for seven years! Ask him if he's alright!"

Melissa ran her hand through Stiles' hair once.

"Do you need me to answer any questions?" Melissa asked.

"Yes. You and the kids," the Sheriff sighed. Stiles looked up at him and then at Derek. "I'll talk to you later, Stiles. Melissa?"

Melissa and the Sheriff left, talking in low voices. Stiles dropped his head back onto Derek's leg while Scott and Kira relocated to closer to him.

"Derek, this is Scott and Kira. I told you about them," Stiles introduced. "I can't believe that she got a job here. How did nobody notice what an evil witch she is?"

"She's been arrested now," Kira soothed. "She won't hurt Derek anymore."

"Yeah." Stiles looked up at Derek and grinned. "Hear that, buddy? You're free!"

It was probably a sign of Derek's weirdly implicit trust in Stiles that he knew Kate would never be returning but Stiles still would. Every day, without fail. Sometime he was accompanied by Scott and Kira. It was nice when his room was filled with people, people who smelled of each other in the way family did. Derek's room started to smell like those three kids but also like Melissa McCall who, after much discussion with the hospital, became Derek's personal nurse. She was gentle and kind. She talk to him as she bathed and dressed him. Sometimes she lingered, still talking, the way Stiles did.

The love and kindness in the people who visited him was good.

Seeing Stiles almost every day was good.

Derek finally gave in to his wolf and stopped resisting. The healing process was long and hard but with the near constant contact from Stiles and Melissa he found the strength to heal faster.

Fast enough that he actually felt the pull of a full moon for the first time in seven years.

A full moon was what he needed.

If he could phase, fully, then he could trigger the healing process to work faster.

As pleased as Stiles was that Kira and Scott had started dating, he hated being a third wheel more than he hated being alone all the time. Thankfully though, when Scott and Kira were being unbearably cute, he had the perfect escape. He had no visiting hours when it came to Derek, all the staff were just pleased Derek finally had someone coming to see him, so he could come and go as he desired.

Which is why he had a bag of greasy take out that he was smuggling into the hospital at dinnertime after he'd escaped having to accompany the lovebirds to an ice cream parlour. As he wandered into the hospital and snuck past an orderly, Stiles wondered if Derek had liked ice cream.

It was the first time such a question had occurred to him. Lately he'd been spending a lot of time (times when he should have been studying, time when he was chilling in his dad's office at the station, during boring classes, you know, pretty much all the time) wondering things like that about Derek. He wondered what foods he liked, he wondered if he preferred parties or staying in, he wondered if he liked to read and what books he might like, he wondered if he was nerdy, he wondered if he liked sweaters, he wondered if he preferred summer or winter. He wondered what his family had been like. He wondered whether Derek was quiet or loud. He wondered what Derek thought about the things Stiles shared with him. He wondered a lot of things about Derek Hale and he wished that Derek could answer all those questions for him.

Stiles sighed a little. He spent so much time thinking about Derek that he hadn't even noticed how much he didn't care when Lydia and Jackson had another very public break up at lunch the day before. Scott had suggested Stiles offer Lydia comfort but Stiles had just shrugged. Lydia had sat down near him in study hall and even she looked confused when Stiles didn't try to talk to her like he usually did.

Crap. How did this happen? He was gone on a guy who wasn't even conscious, not really.

He tried to shake the weird melancholia off as he reached Derek's room. He knocked once, like he always did to announce himself, before he opened the door-

(He will deny to his death that what happened next was anything less than manly).

-and shrieked, dropping his take out and slamming the door shut again.

Thankfully there was no staff in the corridor.

Stiles tried to calm his racing heart before he cracked open the door again and peered inside.

Sure enough it was still there. The hugest, blackest wolf Stiles had ever seen. It was tangled in Derek's robe and the sheets off his bed and it was staring at the door almost expectantly. Gleaming blue eyes burned into the crack of the open door as if it knew Stiles was looking at it. It wasn't growling though. It seemed to be waiting.

Stiles sometimes wondered at his own idiocy. Especially in moments like that one. Where he pushed the door fully open and slid inside before closing it behind him. Even if the wolf wanted to eat him he had to get Derek out.

Stiles looked at Derek's wheelchair but it was empty. As was the bed since that was where the wolf was standing.

The wolf seemed to stand to attention when Stiles stepped into the room but he was more interested in locating Derek. He didn't seem to be in the room and Stiles' heart clenched in fear. He looked at the wolf. It was the only thing in the room and he stared in horror.

"Did you eat Derek?!" he demanded of the great, black animal. The wolf made a strange huffing sound, almost seeming like it was rolling its eyes before it flopped onto the ground, ears pricked and stared up at Stiles with wide, electric-blue eyes. Stiles stared back. He wasn't sure how a wolf had even gotten into the hospital but he was pretty sure he should mention it to somebody so it could be removed, no matter how... domestic it seemed.

The wolf huffed when Stiles turned towards the call button and before he knew what was happening the wolf bowled him over and flopped down over his thighs, looking up at him in irritation. Wait, could wolves even feel irritation? Stiles wasn't sure but this animal was sure looking at him like he was an idiot.

"I don't know where you came from but..." Stiles trailed off and looked over the hospital gown the wolf had been tangled up in when he arrived. Derek was nowhere to be seen. This wolf seemed ridiculously familiar with him. It seemed impossible but... "Derek?"

The wolf's eyes shut and he pressed his snout into Stiles' belly, huffing contentedly.

"Oh my god, Derek? You're... Oh my god!"

Stiles could feel anxiety setting in.

Derek was a wolf.

Derek was a wolf.

Derek was a wolf!

But how? How was Derek a wolf? And why was he a wolf now? Why wasn't he a wolf when Kate was burning him with cigarettes?

If Derek was currently a wolf did that make him a werewolf? Would he be a person again? What if this was the only way Derek could move around, if he was a wolf?

Dear god! Derek was a wolf who was currently crushing him and snuffling into his clothes.

Stiles' breathing was starting to get shallow and Derek whined, pressing closer to him and looking up at him with big blue eyes. How were his eyes that blue? They were almost glowing.

"I'm... okay... I think," Stiles gasped. He tentatively reached a hand out. Derek butted his head into Stiles' hand and whined again. "Oh my god. It really is you."

Derek blinked.

"Um... can you turn back? Into you? Is that possible? Just I don't think Mrs McCall should walk in here and see you all wolf-like. Not that it's not cool or anything - because oh my god, you're a wolf, that's kind of awesome but also kind of terrifying because how? - but she might freak?"

Derek looked almost amused and he backed away from Stiles and jumped lightly onto the bed. There was a moment of stillness and then Stiles couldn't look away as he watched the wolf's body morph back into a very human, very awake, very naked Derek Hale. Stiles averted his eyes as Derek tugged his robe back onto the bed along with the sheets and covered himself up.

"You can look," a weak voice said. Stiles turned his eyes back to the bed and Derek was watching him. For the first time his beautiful hazel eyes weren't blank, they were alive and they were watching Stiles with a kind of intensity Stiles had never seen before.

"Derek... you're... awake?" Stiles approached the bed carefully. "But... how?"

"I'm healing faster now." Derek leant back into his pillows. "I'm still weak. I can't really move well in this form but my... uhm..." He looked at Stiles warily. "My wolf is more healed than I am. I needed to change to heal, to wake up. As soon as the full moon rose an hour ago I pushed myself to change."

Stiles took another step closer. "Is that... have you... what...?"

Derek chuckled. "I've always been like this. A born werewolf. You're taking this very well."

He sounded suspicious.

"I'm trying not to run screaming," Stiles admitted and Derek smiled. It was the most beautiful thing Stiles had ever seen. His face, gorgeous though marred with burn scars, lit up with the smile even though it was small. It was as though a piece of sunshine had broken away from the sun and taken up residence in Derek's body.

"That's okay. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to talk to you." Derek looked at him with those intense eyes again. The hazel flashed electric blue for a moment and Stiles leant closer.

"Dude... this is... awesome!" Stiles grabbed his chair and dropped into it. "So... werewolf? Dude. I mean... does it hurt? When you change?"

Derek shrugged. "I've never actually done that before. It was a bit of a shock. My mother could phase fully and so could my older sister. But I was never able to go past my beta form. It hurt a little but... I'm glad. It made me remember that I'm still alive."

Stiles grinned. "What's a beta form? Was all your family werewolves? Oh my god, I can't ask about your family. I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. I mean if you want to talk. You can. I talked your ear off about all my stupid problems. You can talk to me if you want to. But you don't, of course. Stupid. I'm a kid. I couldn't really-"

"Stiles." Derek looked amused again. "It's okay, really. I spent too long wallowing in the agony of my family - my pack - dying. You stopped me from continuing. You can ask me whatever you want."

"Right... but first I should get a doctor in here or something. They're going to flip."

Derek closed his eyes and groaned.

"Come on, dude, they'll just poke at you for a little while. Then they'll leave you alone."

Derek nodded. "Very well. I can smell the curly fries and the chile cheese fries you brought in. Share with me before you call the doctor? I haven't eaten a solid meal in seven years."

Stiles winced but retrieved the bag of take out and shared with Derek before alerting the hospital staff that he'd woken up. Stiles was forced out of the room and ordered to wait in the corridor while the doctors and nurses checked him over and asked him questions and marvelled at the 'miracle' of Derek waking up.

Derek enjoyed being awake and regaining his strength. He could feel his body healing. It was sluggish but much faster than before when his desire to die was impeding the process. He was able to eat meals - though the doctors wouldn't let him eat junk food Stiles managed to sneak some in occasionally, Scott and Kira too when they visited - and actually enjoy the view of the garden he had.

Mostly, though, he enjoyed being able to converse with Melissa and thank her for everything. He enjoyed being able to respond to Stiles when he visited. They played chess and this time Derek actively engaged and he tended to lose a lot.

"I knew you were going easy on me before," Derek teased, alluding to how Stiles rigged their old games so that "Derek" always won. Stiles had blushed at that and the sight of the blood flooding his cheeks made Derek's wolf yearn but Derek ignored it, now was not the time.

He enjoyed meeting Scott and Kira properly and whispering to Stiles, when they briefly left to get drinks, that he was right, they were sickeningly adorable together. He was glad Scott hadn't actually dated Kate's niece. She was probably a lovely girl but Derek didn't trust any Argent in any capacity and Scott was far too gentle to be caught up with their politics. Stiles was grateful too when Derek explained that their family were hunters and Kate was the one who'd killed his family. Stiles demanded Derek tell the Sheriff and, although he didn't want to, Derek managed to talk to Stiles' father about it.

"Alright, we'll look into this, gather some evidence," the Sheriff nodded.

"Thank you, Sheriff," Derek said. "I don't know how much evidence you'll find but..." He shrugged.

"Call me John, son, and we'll find something. She won't get away with this." The Sheriff- John, smiled. "My kid won't stop talking about you. Even before you woke up. He seems to think you hang the moon."

Derek couldn't help his smile. "You've got a good son, Sher- John. He's... really helped me heal."

John grinned. "He probably talked you into consciousness, knowing him."

"Stiles mentioned that you never found the bodies of my sisters. Do... do you..." Derek trailed off, his stomach turning over. He wasn't an alpha. At first he'd thought it was because he was almost dead but now he was awake and he was still just a beta. And he could feel his alpha... somewhere. He just didn't know who it was or where they were.

"We're trying to track them down. We looked for a little while after the fire but couldn't find them anywhere. Now you're awake though we're hoping it will be easier," John explained. "Do you know where they might have gone?"

"New York?" Derek frowned. "We had... friends in New York."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. You rest up, son. I'll take care of all of this."

Derek nodded thankfully. It only took a few seconds after his father left the room before Stiles raced back in and hopped up on the edge of Derek's bed. Derek still wasn't strong enough to walk around and he hadn't asked to be helped into his wheelchair yet. Stiles was always trying to help him but Derek would rather he didn't. He wanted Stiles to be his friend, not one of his nurses.

Or... well, he wanted Stiles to be a lot more than his friend but the kid wasn't even seventeen yet and his father was the Sheriff. Derek almost died once, he'd rather not repeat it. Plus he didn't want to freak Stiles out. His wolf was yearning to claim Stiles as his mate and he didn't think Stiles saw him as anything more than the guy he visited in the hospital. He couldn't help the feelings though. Stiles was his new anchor, Derek realised as the next full moon approached. Winter was well and truly here and Christmas was approaching as well as December's full moon which was calling to Derek. Yet the pull of the moon was nothing compared to the pull of Stiles. His scent was a permanent fixture in this room, thank goodness because Derek hated the sick and chemical smells of a hospital, and it settled Derek better than anything else in his life had to this point.

Stiles was everything and Derek couldn't lose him. So he planned to keep his feelings to himself.

"Dad's going to look for your sisters," Stiles said with a grin. "He'll find them, don't worry."

"I know. Stiles, thank you."

Stiles had been digging in his bag for something and he looked up curiously.

"For what?" he wondered.

"Everything."

Stiles blushed and smiled. He ran a hand through his messy hair and shook his head.

"You're welcome, dude. I hated seeing you in here all alone."

"I stopped feeling alone when you started coming to see me," Derek admitted. Stiles looked bashful and he produced his laptop quickly with a movie loaded up to watch. "What's that?"

"Dude, you've missed seven years of pop culture, you need to catch up. I'm taking you on a tour of the Marvel Cinematic Universe!" Stiles announced. Derek smiled and moved over so Stiles could settle down beside him and place the laptop on their thighs to watch Iron Man as Stiles explained was the first movie in this franchise that was growing and apparently next year was going to be epic with the first Avengers movie and Stiles couldn't wait until they got up to Captain America because he went to see it twelve times over the summer it was so perfect. It was apparently that perfect because of Chris Evans who is an amazing Cap and has an ass carved by the Gods. After that statement Stiles turned bright red and busied himself with loading the movie while Derek watched him with growing amusement. He was overcome with the sudden urge to scent Stiles' neck, especially when he was bright red with the scent of embarrassment oozing out of him. He resisted the urge and settled back, enjoying the warmth of Stiles pressed into his side as they watched the movie with Stiles' excited narration keeping Derek happy.

"What's your real name?" Derek asked, halfway through the movie. Stiles head was resting on his shoulder and Derek was surreptitiously turning his head every now and then so that his nose brushed Stiles' hair and he could smell him properly.

Stiles made a funny noise.

"You told me you'd tell me eventually," Derek added. "When you knew me better. I promise I won't laugh."

"It's really bad," Stiles moaned, turning his face to hide it against Derek's chest. Derek chuckled and ran his fingers through Stiles' hair.

"Tell me."

Stiles mumbled something that Derek didn't understand.

"What?"

"It's Godzisław," Stiles muttered.

Derek blinked. "How do you even spell that?"

"It's Polish. My Dad's family. Babcia calls me Godek which I hate so I started going by Stiles when I was in Pre-K and Jackson douchenozzle Whittemore laughed at my name." Stiles scowled. "You can't tell anybody. Nobody remembers my name and I don't tell anyone." He glared at Derek and Derek found it too adorable so he manfully swallowed his laughter and patted Stiles' head.

"Okay, I won't breathe a word. Now watch the movie... Godek." Derek couldn't resist.

"I hate you!"

Stiles loved the time he spent with Derek and he kind of hated how he was falling for him. But he couldn't help it. Derek was nerdy and kind of a dork. He liked warm sweaters as Stiles discovered after Babcia knitted him one and made Stiles take it to him. Derek wore it every day after that even though the cold didn't bother him as much as it did humans. Derek loved reading so Stiles brought him new books every day since when Stiles was at school Derek had nothing better to do than read. He liked listening to Stiles geek out about comic books. He was a history and English lit buff so he helped Stiles with his homework-

("Seriously? I had this assignment when I was a Junior!"

"Excellent, do it for me!"

"Stiles...")

-Derek also read a lot of non-fiction to catch up on what he missed while he was trying to die. Stiles also learnt some things about PTSD from Derek without Derek even saying anything. Derek hated the smell of cooked meat and he flinched whenever someone walked past who'd been smoking. Stiles hated that Derek's nose was so good. He also got a little lost sometimes when they watched a movie with fire in it. Stiles had learnt to remember all scenes with flames and skip them quickly. Whenever he did so Derek dropped his face into Stiles' neck and breathed. It had seemed weird at first but Derek was very tactile and Stiles really enjoyed it so he just let Derek smell his neck sometimes.

Derek was one of the kindest, most wonderful people Stiles had ever met. He thought Stiles was entertaining, if an idiot at times, and let him ramble about anything and everything.

Derek also taught him about the world of the supernatural. Stiles felt pretty special to be brought into that confidence.

They spoke every day, for hours, and played chess and read and watched movies. Stiles spent more time with Derek than he did with Scott. Scott teased Stiles about his "boyfriend" while Kira pretended she wasn't giggling at Stiles' blush.

It wasn't Stiles' fault that he was in love with Derek Hale. It was Derek's fault.

So it was also Derek's fault the day Stiles' heart broke. The very same day that Derek was reunited with his sisters.

Laura and Cora Hale were definitely related to Derek, Stiles noted when they burst into the room while he and Derek were aggressively bantering during a game of Scrabble.

"I am so going to win!" Stiles crowed as he hit a triple word score with his next word.

"Stiles, that's not a word!" Derek protested.

"It's Polish!"

"You can only use English words!"

"You're just jealous because I'm whooping your little, wolfy butt again!"

"It's cheating."

"Come on, don't be such a sourwolf," Stiles teased. Derek looked up suddenly from glaring at the board to stare over Stiles' shoulder at the door. Stiles frowned and looked around just as the door opened to reveal two women, one around Derek's age and the other closer to Stiles'. Both were staring into the room as though they were drowning.

"Der," the older of the two breathed and Stiles managed to move himself and the bed table out of the way before she ran into the room and practically climbed onto Derek. He watched as they held each other, faces pressing into each other's throats. Derek's eyes were glowing blue and Stiles gaped when he saw the woman's glowing red. She must be Laura, Derek's sister and Alpha.

"Laura." Derek sounded choked as he held her tightly. He looked up. "Cora."

The younger girl ran across the room and joined the werewolf puppy pile. Stiles watched in fascination as they scented each other, just as Derek often did to Stiles. The girls were both crying and Derek looked pretty close. Stiles looked at the door to see his dad and Melissa standing there and watching with soft smiles. Stiles moved to join them, feeling like an intruder.

"Wait!"

Stiles turned around and barely had a moment to open his mouth before he had his arms full of a ridiculously attractive female Alpha werewolf.

"Thank you," Laura said. Stiles could feel her tears on his shoulder. "Thank you, so much. I can't... thank you."

"Um... no problem?"

Derek laughed weakly.

"Don't break him, Laura. He's a little fragile."

"Speak for yourself," Stiles retorted but he met Derek's eyes with a bright smile. "I'll leave you guys to catch up. Do you want me to get you some lunch?"

Derek nodded and Stiles extricated himself from Laura's vice-like embrace to leave the room. He shut the door behind him before hugging his dad tightly.

"Thank you," he said.

John chuckled and hugged him back. "It was easy once the news story broke about the miracle coma patient waking up. They saw the story. They also saw Kate the night of the fire."

Stiles pulled back and stared at his dad. "Does that mean...?"

John nodded. "We've got enough evidence to charge her with arson and nine counts of murder as well as her assault on Derek and statutory rape."

Stiles winced. He hadn't liked hearing that part of the story. It made him hate Kate more and he tried hard to pretend part of that wasn't raging jealousy.

He left the hospital to go and get one of the sandwiches that Derek loved from the deli and also picked up a couple for Laura and Cora. He went to the supermarket to grab some fruit. He snuck Derek treats because of his werewolf metabolism but he needed healthy food so he could heal even faster than he already was. He returned almost an hour later, hoping that was enough time for the crying to be done. He wasn't sure. After all, he didn't know anybody else who'd spent seven years thinking a family member was dead when they weren't.

He hesitated outside the door but it opened before he could do anything. It was Cora and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"We could hear you," she said. "Just come in already. I smell turkey and cranberry."

Stiles smiled and came in handing out the sandwiches.

"Thank you, Stiles," Laura said. She was looking at him as though he'd hung the stars and the moon and probably the sun as well.

"It's nothing. Derek likes their egg salad. God knows why. Egg salad is gross."

"Derek likes all kind of weird things," Cora comments and Derek scowls at her with the tips of his ears turning red. Stiles frowns.

"Cora be nice, if it wasn't for Stiles Derek wouldn't even be talking to us right now, we wouldn't know he was alive," Laura chided, beaming in Stiles' direction.

Oh, he was the weird thing Derek liked.

Wait... Derek liked him? Liked him? Or just liked him?

Stiles lost himself in pondering that question so he almost missed the conversation turn. He was turning an apple over in his hands when he caught the flow of words.

"...going to love it," Laura was saying. "It looks out over Central Park. It was a good thing we got a three bedroom place so you won't have to sleep on the couch. I think you'll like New York too. Once you're feeling better we'll get you to finish high school so you can go to one of the New York colleges. I've loved it."

Stiles stared between Laura and Derek.

"You're going to New York?" he asked.

Laura turned to look at Stiles after exchanging a stricken look with Cora.

"I need coffee," Cora announced. "Come on Laura."

The girls left, Laura giving Stiles a sad smile as they passed.

"You're going to New York?" Stiles asked quietly. Derek smiled and patted the bed. Stiles sat on the end. He stared down at the apple in his hands.

"I thought they were all dead, Stiles."

"I know." Stiles closed his eyes.

"They've built lives in New York. Beacon Hills has so many bad memories. I can't ask them to come back here. Not right now. Laura says she feels drawn here but she hates it here at the same time," Derek explained quietly. "I need to be with them. Werewolves... we need our pack."

They're both quiet. Stiles tries not to be selfish. Derek should be with his family. They had a lot of catching up to do. Derek also needed to finish school and try to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. Stiles was just the kid who wouldn't stop talking.

"It might be good for you," Stiles finally says. He looked up at Derek. "To get away from Beacon Hills."

"Maybe..." Derek doesn't look convinced. "Being away from you though..."

Stiles' heart leapt. "Being away from me?"

"It... it'll be hard." Derek looked nervous and his ears were red. Stiles smiled hesitantly. "You... my wolf likes you. You keep me grounded."

Stiles' smile grew. "You keep me grounded too."

Their eyes met and Stiles blushed and looked down at the apple in his hands. There was a knife from Derek's breakfast on his bedside table and Stiles pointed to it. Derek rolled his eyes fondly but passed it to him. He started peeling the apple so he could share it with Derek (another weird fact was that he didn't like apple skin).

"You'll stay here for Christmas though?" Stiles checked.

"Of course," Derek chuckled. "Flights to New York would be very expensive. Plus the hospital doesn't want to release me just yet. They will in the new year. And I hope that being with Laura will help me heal faster so... it might not be long until I'm healthy enough to fly out of New York back to California..."

Stiles nodded. He looked at Derek, pausing in his knife work.

"Promise you'll come and visit?"

Derek smiled softly. "As soon as my sister's allow, I will. And that is a promise."

Stiles beamed and Derek took the piece of apple he cut off for him.

Stiles and John spent their Christmas day in the hospital with Derek, Laura, and Cora. Presents were exchanged and Melissa and Scott arrived at lunch with proper food rather than whatever the hospital was serving. There was no roast for Derek's sake, something Stiles was grateful for even if his dad did grumble a little about a vegetarian Christmas lunch. At the end of the day Derek scented Stiles again before he left with his dad and Stiles noticed the looks Laura and Cora exchanged at that. He didn't care. Soon he wouldn't get to see Derek every day and he would take what he could get while he was here.

Derek was also dreading the day he would go to New York. He was so glad to have his sisters and his Alpha but he didn't want to leave Stiles. He could already tell it was going to be hard not seeing him every day.

Stiles came by the day before Derek was set to leave for a private goodbye. John was driving them to the airport tomorrow so Stiles would be there but they had both wanted one last afternoon just to spend time together. Laura and Cora gave him evil smiles but made themselves scarce.

"You have to get Skype," Stiles was explaining. He was making a list of things Derek needed to survive in New York. "We will talk every night on Skype. We'll text too once you get a cell phone. And we'll be Facebook friends."

"God, there'll still be photos of me from high school on that thing," Derek groaned.

"I know," Stiles smirked. "I found you."

"Oh god."

Stiles cackled. "And you have to get twitter. We'll tweet each other too."

Derek smiled. "I don't think we need all these different ways to keep in contact. I'm not going to forget you."

"Tumblr too! We can nerd out together!" Stiles gave Derek a shy look. "I know but... I just want to make sure."

"Stiles..." Derek rolled his eyes and knocked the notebook off Stiles' lap, taking his hands and tugging him until he was kneeling on the bed closer to Derek. "You're going to be on my mind every day. I promise. And I'll call you lots, text you all the time, we'll skype as often as you want. And I will eventually come back and see you. Hopefully I'll be back to live here again. Beacon Hills is my home and I won't let the Argents run me out."

Stiles nodded. "You're going to have to tell me more about the whole hunter thing, you've been very vague."

Derek tilted his head. "Laura can explain it better. But yes, we'll explain it better."

"Okay so you make sure you do whatever it is you need to get better," Stiles ordered. He moved until he was straddling Derek's legs and Derek looked up at him in surprise. Stiles was blushing but his eyes were serious. "You exercise and take your medication. And eat lots. I want to see you in good shape."

Derek opened his mouth to respond but Stiles stopped him when he leant down and pressed his mouth to Derek's. Derek let out a small noise of surprised and his hands came up to hold Stiles' face. He pressed back into the kiss. Their lips moved softly against each other's until Stiles pulled away. He was blushing but he looked pleased with himself.

"Wow... so you do like-like me," he mused.

Derek rolled his eyes and let his head drop back. "God, Stiles. Of course I do."

"Good. So come back to me, yeah?"

Derek huffed a small laugh and pulled Stiles back in for more gentle kisses, whispering 'I promise' between every one.

Five Months Later

Stiles stared at the clock mournfully. The last five minutes of the last day of school were taking forever. It was so close to summer freedom. So close. He couldn't wait. No school. Sleeping in every day. The new Spiderman and new Batman movies were out in July. Unlimited time to talk to Derek. They hadn't skyped in a while, their schedules didn't match up, but they texted and called each other all the time. Derek avoided the question of when he was coming back and Stiles might be worried that Derek had only thought he had feelings for him because Stiles had been the first person to talk to him in seven years if it wasn't for the way he always said 'I miss you, sleep well' at the end of every day.

Stiles looked forward to late nights talking where he didn't have school the next day to worry about meaning Derek would make him hang up and go to sleep.

The bell finally rang and Stiles joined the others in cheering.

"Another year down!" Stiles sighed as he met Scott by their lockers. "One more to go."

Scott grinned. "And I don't have to do summer school this year!"

"Even better, bro!" Stiles wrapped an arm around Scott's neck as they walked out to the parking lot to meet Kira. "This summer is going to be brilliant. You've got a girlfriend and there are two superhero movies and-"

"Stiles."

"-late night video games and pizza and-"

"Stiles, look!"

Stiles stopped talking and followed Scott's gaze to where he was staring. Kira ran up to them as Stiles finally caught sight of what had Scott's attention. And the attention of most of the Beacon Hills High School student body. Everyone was whispering about the car and about the attractiveness of the man leaning on it.

"Stiles!" Kira gushed. "Oh my god, look at him! He must have gotten plastic surgery, the burns are gone!"

Stiles nodded numbly. He knew, of course, that it wasn't plastic surgery and he made a note to have Scott and Kira brought in on the secret in case he accidentally let something slip.

Right then that didn't matter. All that matter was the stunning piece of gorgeous wolf-flesh leaning against a sleek, black Chevrolet in the parking lot not far from Stiles' jeep. He was wearing a leather jacket and tight jeans that made his legs look... hot damn, and his cheeks were covered in dark stubble that hadn't been there when he was in hospital. Stiles had the burning desire to rub his face on it and lick it. He looked better than Stiles had ever seen him. Stiles heart was racing in his chest and he felt like me might throw up and he hoped that feeling was wrong because that would be beyond embarrassing.

"He's so hot," a girl near them was whispering. "I wonder who he's waiting for."

Stiles swallowed heavily and looked at Scott and Kira just as Derek appeared to hear them or catch sight of them or something else wolfy that meant he noticed them quicker than a human would. He pushed off the car and started towards them.

"Stiles, go!" Scott insisted, pushing him gently.

"Would you look at that?"

Stiles heard Lydia's voice and he glanced at her. She was eyeing Derek thoughtfully.

"He's taken," Stiles said without thinking, nothing harsh behind it, just automatic. Lydia looked at him with raised eyebrows. She looked impressed. Stiles smiled and then walked towards Derek, meeting him halfway to his car.

Stiles just stared at Derek when he stopped in front of him, taking in his gorgeous face and his beautiful eyes, so filled with life. He was smiling at Stiles, eyes burning with affection.

"I missed you," Derek whispered and Stiles swallowed nervously. This must be why Derek wouldn't skype with him. His face had healed and he wanted to surprise him? Stiles hoped so. This was one hell of a surprise. He hadn't never felt so happy to see somebody before.

"Derek..." Stiles tried to tell him but he couldn't seem to get the words out. Derek chuckled.

"I made sure to eat well," he teased, smiling so brightly that Stiles feels blinded.

"I... I can see that." Stiles' eyes dragged over Derek's face. "Your burns... they're..."

"My wolf cured them," Derek shrugged. "I wasn't sure-"

"You look gorgeous!" Stiles burst out and then blushed. Derek laughed again, eyes flashing electric blue briefly and Stiles shivered. Who knew Derek wolfing out was a bit of a turn-on?

"Thanks to you, Stiles," Derek whispered. "I'm better thanks to you."

Stiles smiled and looked down at his feet. Derek's arm tugged him in suddenly and Stiles looked up, meeting Derek's eyes again, suddenly very close. Stiles was barely aware of the fact that most of his classmates were watching them. All that mattered was Derek holding him and looking at him like he was everything he'd ever wanted.

"Are you in a relationship?" Derek asked. Stiles smirked. Derek knew he wasn't. He knew Stiles was waiting for him. They never said so explicitly but it was always there in their conversations, the knowledge that they were waiting to be together again.

"No..."

Stiles reached a hand up to touch Derek's stubble before winding his fingers into his soft, dark hair.

"Do you want to be?" Derek asked. And Stiles couldn't think of a cheesier way to ask so he laughed and pushed up on his toes.

"Oh, yes!" He yanked Derek into a kiss, less careful and less soft than the ones they'd shared before Derek left for New York. They kissed for a long time and Stiles heard Scott wolf whistle and yell something but he didn't care. They broke apart and Stiles hugged Derek, grinning when he buried his face in Stiles' throat.

"Are you back for good?" he wondered.

"We're rebuilding the house. Laura wanted to come home," Derek replied.

"And you?"

"I'm home right now," Derek replied. Stiles blushed. Cheesy, so cheesy and so cliché but it was the most romantic thing Stiles had ever heard and he held Derek tighter.

"Welcome home."