Archive of Our Own

Stiles - 15 

The Beginning

When Stiles and Scott started their sophomore year, Scott decided that they were trying out for lacrosse. Stiles couldn’t care less about lacrosse, but he wasn’t going to leave his bro hanging.

They put on the too-large pads and scrimmage jerseys and headed out to the field, lining up on a bench with the other guys who were trying out. Stiles’s eyes widened with each yelled word from Coach Finstock - the man was obviously nuts, but it was Stiles’s kind of crazy. He decided then and there that he’d be happy to be on the team, even if it was just to watch Coach blow a gasket every practice and game.

While Coach instructed them on drills, the returning members of the team were playing a bit of a pick up game on the field. Stiles glanced over at them periodically, watching as some of the guys scored some pretty impressive looking goals. A few of them in particular had spot-on aim and Stiles was sure if the ball had been coming in his direction, he’d miss catching it and end up with a giant bruise on his face.

“Hale! Boyd!” Coach yelled, blowing his whistle. Two of the guys, C’s for captain on their chests, came trotting over and Stiles felt his heartbeat pick up. He frowned, grabbing his water bottle and taking a chug. Maybe he was a bit dehydrated.

Hale and Boyd stopped next to the coach and pulled their helmets off. Stiles absently noticed one’s dark skin, hair trimmed short against his head. The whites of his eyes and his teeth shone bright from his face as he smiled at the newbies.

That was all Stiles could take in from that captain, however - he nearly lost his balance on the bench when he looked at the other captain. Harsh, multicolored eyes took in each of the newbies one at a time, assessing. Stiles’s heart raced again and he felt a pull towards the guy. He had to physically grab the bench he was sitting on to keep from hopping up and catapulting toward the guy. 

Stiles took in the guy’s dark, messy hair, substantial muscles, and frowning, stubbled face. He was, for lack of a better word, beautiful.

The guy’s eyes finally moved from Scott to Stiles and the world froze - silence surrounding Stiles. Stiles choked on air, feeling like he was going to explode. He watched the way the guy’s mouth dropped open (in awe, maybe?) before swallowing deeply and licking his lips - there was no way he did that in response to looking at Stiles, no way .

Holy shit, but Stiles wanted that tongue on him, stat.

Stiles watched Coach clapped the guy on the back and all noise popped back into existence with a whoosh. Apparently Coach had been giving instructions the entire time - Stiles could have sworn it was dead silent when he locked eyes with the captain. 

Stiles, not knowing what they were supposed to do, let Scott drag him up and away from the dreamy captain. Apparently they’d been split into two groups for tryouts and Scott and Stiles were with Boyd, Scott said.

So that meant the dreamboat was Hale.

Stiles was distracted when they got started on drills, eyes drawn across the field like a magnet toward where Hale stood with his small group of rookies. Stiles got hit in the face with a lacrosse ball twice, knocked over four times, and missed catching a dozen other throws.

He felt a little bad about his poor performance, not just because there was no way he was making the team, but because there was also no way was impressing anyone - let alone hottie-captain of the lacrosse team Hale.

“Dude, what’s your deal?” Scott hissed to Stiles halfway through the drills, when they were standing in line for goal practice. Stiles was, naturally, looking over at Hale, who surprisingly glanced their way right at that moment. Hale’s eyebrows raised slightly before he shook his head and concentrated on his group. Stiles pulled his eyes away from Hale, looking at Scott. 

“I guess lacrosse isn’t my sport,” Stiles said, shrugging. Scott huffed, but clapped him on the back encouragingly. 

“It’s alright, we can find something else,” Scott insisted. Stiles shook his head, though. Scott really wanted to do lacrosse.

Stiles could concentrate. Stiles could keep his eyes on the goal, literally, instead of staring at Hale.

And he did concentrate, maybe not saving face completely, but scoring a handful of goals and not missing another pass for the rest of the tryout. When Coach blew his whistle, bringing everyone in, he grabbed Stiles’s arm.

“Thought you were a hard pass, Stilinski,” Coach said, “but you brought things around. Guess you had some nerves at first - maybe you’ve got something in ya after all.”

Stiles nodded, not breaking his stride as he continued on toward the bench. His eyes were once again drawn to Hale and he had to concentrate to make himself follow Scott and not walk directly over to the captains where they stood. He didn’t think anyone would appreciate it if Stiles went up to Hale and gave him an unprompted bear hug.

Stiles sat next to Scott on the bench once more, messing with his water bottle to distract himself.

“Roster will be posted tomorrow, after I confer with Derek and Vernon,” Coach told them. “Good work today, boys!”

Stiles, since his eyes were trained on the captains, noticed when Boyd muttered, “Hate when he calls me Vernon.” Hale - no, Derek - chuckled at the comment. The sound was soft and low, so Stiles didn’t hear it from across the huddle exactly, but he felt it rattle his bones. It warmed him from the inside out and he immediately smiled at the feeling.

Then Derek was looking directly at him, face returning to neutral at the sight of Stiles’s smile. Stiles gulped, wanting to do or say something - anything - to him, but then the rookies were dismissed and Scott pulled him toward the locker rooms. The returning players stayed on the field for proper practice, so Stiles didn’t get to see Derek before they showered, changed out, and Mrs. McCall picked them up.

The next day, Stiles and Scott saw that they made the junior varsity lacrosse team (Stiles mainly warmed the bench the whole season), so Stiles didn’t get to see much of Derek at all.

Derek - 18

Recognition

Derek couldn’t stop himself from grinning, his senior year turning out to be pretty damn perfect. His grades were up (no surprise, he’d always been the smart one in the family, much to his sisters’ chagrin), he had some of the greatest friends in the world (even though sometimes Erica bugged the hell out of him, he loved her for it), and together, he and Boyd had led the Beacon Hills lacrosse team to a season of victory.

He’d even been able to concentrate after seeing him for the first time.

It had thrown Derek, that first day of tryouts. The incoming group was mainly a bunch of scrawny freshmen and sophomores, and as the returning varsity players were scrimmaging, Derek had glanced over for a fleeting second to be completely unimpressed by the group.

But then Coach called him and Boyd over, wanting to see them drill the guys.

Derek looked each of them over very carefully, noting which ones had potential and which ones didn’t. The last in line was - he found out his name later - Stiles Stilinski.

To say the least: Stiles took his breath away.

He’d always heard stories from the older members of the pack about how they just knew : the second they met eyes with their mate, the world just… settled into place.

Derek had never believed them, until that day.

It was a good thing Stiles was assigned to Boyd’s group for tryouts, otherwise Derek was sure he wouldn’t have been able to keep himself in check. Even so, he found himself looking across the field at Stiles, watching him make a complete fool of himself and listening to his conversations with his friend Scott. 

Stiles was a complete klutz, but instead of finding it grating and annoying, Derek found it endearing.

But he was young, and so was Derek, and Derek had lots of other things to concentrate on. He could put off courting Stiles, at least for a while. They were just in high school, they had time.

Derek was just so excited he found his mate already. 

Laura had been looking for hers for years, hoping for her happy moment. He remembered her complaining regularly and loudly when she herself attended Beacon Hills High School, that she hadn’t found her mate there. Now that she was in college, it was still a point of contention. She’d even chosen to go far away for school - all the way to New York - in hopes that she would meet more people, have a higher likelihood of meeting her mate.

Derek knew he’d have to keep this from her, at least for a while, for as much reason of his own privacy as her potential jealousy.

For the rest of the fall semester and through the end of the lacrosse season, Derek channeled his energy into everything else. Anytime his wolf would whine, wanting to go to his mate, Derek would convince himself that he was impressing his mate from afar, proving that he was worthy.

That thought seemed to calm his inner beast, for a while.

Then Coach declared that for the remainder of the year, the graduating lacrosse players - Derek, Boyd, Isaac, and a couple others - would work with the junior varsity players one-on-one to make sure they were ready for varsity try-outs.

Derek, as fate would have it, had Stiles on his short list.

He let Coach coordinate schedules, avoiding Stiles until the afternoon they were set up to practice together. Coach had also set Isaac up with Scott on the same day, so Derek headed out to the field in his gear to find Stiles and Scott waiting there together. 

Derek’s feet led him directly toward them without his approval. With all of his other JV players, he’d all but ignored them in favor of prepping equipment and getting straight to work. With Stiles, though, he couldn’t help but want to greet him properly. As he got within a few yards, Stiles turned around like he knew Derek was there.

Their eyes met, and once more Derek felt like he was soaring.

He noticed Stiles walking toward him even as Derek came closer, feet seeming to move of their own accord. Scott grabbed Stiles’s lacrosse stick and whacked it on Stiles’s shoulder with a, “Don’t you need this, dude?”

Stiles seemed to startle out of a daze as Derek held back a protective growl - he couldn’t wolf out at Scott for teasing his friend, no matter how much he wanted to break anyone who hurt Stiles, even just a little bit. 

Stiles shook his head slightly and for a moment Derek wondered if Stiles felt it, too - the pull between them. It was almost like there was a string tethering them to each other - a bungee cord pulled taught, meant to bring them together no matter how far they were.

“Captain Hale,” Stiles greeted as he took his from Scott. 

“You can call me Derek, I’m not captain anymore,” Derek said. Did Stiles just shiver? Maybe he should be wearing another layer, or maybe Derek should go warm him up -

“Derek,” Stiles repeated, voice a little breathy.

Okay, that was Derek shivering now, because that was the first time he’d heard Stiles say his name and all he could imagine now was Stiles saying his name while Derek laid him out on his be-

Nope. Not the time. Lacrosse. Concentrate, Derek.

“Stiles,” Derek said in greeting, “good to meet you, finally. I’ve noticed a few things lacking in your stick handling, so we’ll start with that.”

Derek had to will his feet past Stiles and onto the field, noticing Stiles gulp deeply as he passed. If Derek inhaled deeply to memorize Stiles’s scent, well.

Derek led Stiles through a few throwing and catching drills, getting a feel for how Stiles worked. Stiles took a little while to get with the program, his klutzy nature in full force, explaining it with a, “Sorry, ADHD here. Meds aren’t quite right today, not sure why.”

Derek accepted the explanation, able to smell a whiff of pharmaceuticals from Stiles. He started moving a little closer to Stiles as they drilled, touching his shoulder, elbow, hips to guide Stiles into better form.

Or at least, that’s what he told himself.

Derek pointedly ignored the whispered comments and questions from Isaac across the field, who’d noticed Derek was acting a bit strangely. “Dude, I’m pretty sure he can follow instructions, you don't need to get so hands-on.” - “Seems like you’re enjoying yourself, though.” - “Holy shit, Derek. Either Stilinski’s meds are seriously not working or you’re working him too hard, his heart sounds like it’s going to explode, it’s so fast.” - “You didn’t get into this much detail with Greenburg the other day, I think Stilinski will be fine.” - “Derek. This is like a bad reenactment of Ghost, except with lacrosse sticks instead of clay.”

Derek also scheduled a follow-up practice with Stiles, even though Coach had only asked for one session.

“You want the field again next week?” 

Derek nodded as he stowed his gear in his locker. “Yes, sir,” Derek replied, ignoring Isaac’s pointed look. “I think Stilinski could use a little more practice time.”

Coach’s eyebrows raised, obviously surprised. “And you’re doing this out of the goodness of your heart, Hale?”

Derek pulled his outer jersey off to hide the flush on his cheeks. “For the good of the team, Coach. Make sure you won’t miss me too much next year.”

Coach let out a booming laugh and clapped Derek on the back. “So be it. Hope Stilinski’s skills pan out, Hale. The field is yours Wednesday afternoon.”

Derek pointedly avoided Isaac for the rest of the afternoon, not wanting to hear any more of his snarky commentary.

Maybe he was teasing himself, but he didn’t think he could go without seeing Stiles again, now that they’d actually interacted.

Stiles - 16

Cora

Junior year was set to be the hardest so far, Stiles decided. He was taking a handful of advanced classes, which meant not only more workload, but also not as many classes with Scott.

It was the second day of school when his history teacher, Mr. Watkins, told them about their long-term, multi-layered project. It would be done in pairs, he said, of their choosing. “But choose wisely, because this is where a large majority of your grade will come from,” he said before letting the class go on a partner-hunt.

Stiles looked around the room, absently noting the people he’d been in school with since kindergarten and almost immediately dismissing them all as candidates.

Stiles was smart, he needed a partner that could keep up with him.

Unfortunately, Lydia was in a different class period from Stiles, so he couldn’t partner with her. If he could have even convinced her to partner with him - he would have had to remind her that his grade point was only a few tenths below hers.

Before Stiles could stand to approach any of his classmates, two hands settled firmly on his desk. He looked up to see Cora Hale hovering over him, eyeing him skeptically.

“Partner proposal,” she said, like she was haggling. “You’re smart. I might not be quite as smart as you, but history is by far my best and favorite subject. Neither of us will drag the other down, or dump the work on each other.”

Stiles leaned back in his chair, considering her. He’d never actually spoken to Cora Hale, who had only started going to public school in ninth grade - in fact, the only reason why he knew her name was because she’s Derek’s younger sister. 

Derek, the obsession that Stiles hadn’t been able to shake, even after not seeing the guy since he graduated. (And yes, okay, Stiles actually attended BHHS’s graduation last year under the guise of school spirit but really just to watch Derek from afar. It wasn’t creepy, though. He dragged Scott along.) Derek, who Stiles couldn’t stop thinking about, to the point that he’s read all city records about the Hale family, knows how many of them there are, where they live, what they do for work…

And the fact that Stiles knew Derek is attending Berkeley, but only in person part-time.

Derek spends much of his time, still, in Beacon Hills, at the family home.

The family home that’s in the preserve, which is the only reason why Stiles has never done any late-night drive-bys.

He’s a little obsessive, but he’s not a stalker.

Cora’s nails started tapping on Stiles’s desk, obviously growing impatient at his lack of response. He cleared his throat, holding one hand out.

“Partner proposal accepted. Equality in workload, decision making, and presentation expected.”

Cora nodded, accepting his handshake. She squeezed his hand a little harder than he expected and inhaled deeply. She cocked her head to one side, looking a lot like a confused puppy, like she was trying to figure him out. They were interrupted, however, with Mr. Watkins regaining the class’s attention.

Cora sat next to Stiles for the rest of the class period.

He noticed many little things about her in that time. She had the same dark hair as Derek, but hers was obviously longer and tied up in a ponytail. She usually had it in a ponytail, he realized now that he was considering her. She didn’t wear make-up, the Hale genes obviously treating them all well in the natural beauty department.

Even with her fantastic features, though, Stiles wasn’t drawn to Cora the way he was drawn to Derek. He felt… almost a kinship with her. Like she was right , like he’d known her his whole life.

Which was just untrue, seeing as the Hales homeschooled until high school. He supposed that Cora had been around Beacon Hills before that, but he didn’t remember seeing her (or Derek) before his freshman year.

During the rest of class, he also noticed some of Cora’s quirks.

She cocked her head to the side a lot, so he figured that was an outward mannerism of her thought process. She never pulled out a cell phone - did she have one? - like the other students, even to just check the time. A few times, she’d flex her hand a bit, like she had a cramp in it. This was usually followed by the tapping of her fingernails on her desk, and he noticed that they were very sharp.

At the end of class, Cora caught his attention - not that it had strayed far from her even while Stiles had been taking notes.

“I’d prefer to work at my house, for the project,” Cora told him. Stiles found himself nodding in agreement. “My parents are…pretty strict about where I can go and when. It’d just be easier for you to come over.”

Stiles packed up his backpack. “No problem. My dad’s not home regularly anyways, especially nights and weekends, depending on his shift. I’m happy to come to yours.”

And maybe catch a glimpse of Derek, Stiles thought to himself. I wonder if he’s thought about me at all.

“Cool,” Cora said, walking next to him on the way out of the classroom. “We probably don’t need to start quite yet, but maybe next weekend?”

Stiles nodded, pulling his cell phone out and holding it out to her. She grabbed her own and traded.

Stiles quickly pulled up her contacts, noticing that she had less than twenty people in her phonebook before quickly adding his name and number to the list of her close family and friends. It almost felt…right to be included in such a small group. She traded their phones back quickly.

“See ya round, Stilinski,” Cora said before she turned around and disappeared in the crowded hallway.

Stiles was interested to see how this new partnership would work out.

Derek - 19

Ordered

Derek’s first year of college was going better than he could have ever imagined. He’d made tons of friends (in addition to keeping up with Boyd, Erica, and Isaac; they were pack - practically family), enjoyed his classes (even though they were just the basics his first semester), and didn’t hate his roommate.

Derek had even been able to organize his schedule so that he was only on campus about half the time with more flexibility when needed - he wanted to be able to be home for the full moon and any other times the pack needed him home.

All in all, it was fantastic.

In late September he came home for an extra long weekend (Wednesday night through Monday mid-day) and got to spend some quality time with his sisters while his mom was away on Alpha business. She’d left Laura in charge (with their dad’s supervision), so Cora and Derek made sure to get on her every nerve.

The first time he walked into Cora’s room to scheme, though, he lost his train of thought.

“Zone out there, bro?” Cora asked from where she was sitting at her desk, working on homework. Derek shook himself out of his funk, laughing.

“I guess,” he said, flopping onto her bed. He took a deep breath in, scenting the family-pack-home of her room. With his deep inhale, though, he caught a whiff of something else - something enticing. He rolled toward her, breathing in again.

“Stop sniffing my stuff, freak,” Cora mumbled, shuffling some papers before shutting her book with a thump. The displaced air whooshed the scent toward Derek and his brain almost had it pieced together -

“I’m thinking we leave the door of the chicken coop open tonight,” Cora said, effectively interrupting Derek’s concentration. He grinned, loving his little sister’s wicked ways.

It was a month later, a week-long stay at home coinciding with a full moon on Tuesday, when Derek came back from running through the preserve Saturday early afternoon. As soon as he stepped into the kitchen door, his world felt like it shifted on its axis.

That scent - the one that had enticed him in Cora’s room - was on full-scale attack in his house. Whatever - no, whoever’s scent it was, they were here.

Derek’s feet took him to the den where he immediately realized what was going on.

Stiles was sitting on the floor, huddled with Cora over books and papers and posterboard and markers and - was that glitter? Derek shook his head and grabbed the doorway to hold himself back from launching across the room to scent Stiles’s neck.

He wished Cora had given him a heads up, but to do that he would have had to tell her about finding his mate last year at Beacon Hills High. He hadn’t told anyone, not his sisters, not Boyd, not his Alpha.

He wanted to keep it to himself for a little while longer, that’s all.

But now? Now that Stiles was in his house , (looking like it was not the first time he’d been there, too) and Derek was unprepared?

His family would surely notice his interest, immediately.

In fact…

Cora started to turn around to greet Derek, probably scenting him from the sweat of his workout, but before she could finish looking over her shoulder Derek ran off, bolting up the stairs and into his room.

Maybe a long shower would help him clear his head and prepare for Stiles to be in his orbit once more.

Half an hour later, Derek knew the shower wasn’t working. He’d turned the water up as hot as he could, nearly burning his skin off, before realizing that a cold shower would be better for his…situation.

Not even the cold water could get the smell of his mate out of his nose, though.

He eventually got out of the shower, dressed, and prepared himself to head downstairs. He could hear laughter - Cora’s and Stiles’s - and he desperately wanted to join in. Would that be weird?

Before he could stop himself, he was downstairs, veering into the kitchen at the last minute to get a drink. 

“Derek!” Cora yelled from the den, louder than she would have called for him normally but she was probably putting on a show for Stiles. “Come meet my history partner!”

Derek chugged a glass of water and refilled it before going into the den. The two of them were still in the same basic positions as earlier, and yes that was glitter. Mom was going to freak when it didn’t come out of the carpet.

Derek met Stiles’s eyes and his breath was gone. It seemed that his infatuation had only grown, after not seeing the guy for months. The handful of lacrosse one-on-ones they’d had (and really, Stiles hadn’t needed that many, but it gave Derek a valid excuse to see him) hadn’t felt anywhere near as intense as this.

Cora noticed the change in atmosphere of the room and turned to look at Derek. He couldn’t meet her eye.

“Hey, Stiles,” Derek finally said, after the awkward pause became, well, too awkward.

“Derek,” Stiles greeted simply. His heartbeat was elevated, which Derek had always attributed to lacrosse when they’d previously been together. Maybe Stiles’s heartbeat was always a little fast.

“You two… know each other?” Cora asked, standing and crossing her arms. Derek finally looked over at her, noticing her What the hell is going on? Look.

“Yeah,” Stiles answered, standing as well. He wiped his hands on his jeans. Derek just wanted to hold them in his own, feel the calluses on Stiles’s palms and the warmth of his skin. “Derek helped me with lacrosse last spring, he was really great. I mean, it was really great.”

Derek couldn’t stop the blush from forming on his cheeks. His mate had just said he was great! Cora threw another incredulous look his way before turning back to Stiles. “That’s great.”

“Everything’s great,” Derek supplied unhelpfully. “I’ve gotta go.”

He practically ran from the room, heading back toward the stairs until he heard his name.

Derek turned to see his mother down the hallway, standing in the open door to her study with a knowing look on her face. “Care to join me a moment?”

She knew, Derek knew she knew. He nodded, filing into the study like he was a child. Truthfully, being around Stiles made him feel like a child, with how out of control he felt.

Derek sat on the loveseat in the study, his mom settling right next to him. She took the glass of water out of his hand and set it on the coffee table, taking his hands in hers.

“Have something to tell me, sweetheart?” 

Derek looked at her face, blushed, then looked away. He was nineteen, dammit, he shouldn’t be this crazy or shy about anything in life anymore.

But then again, mates .

“It’s Stiles,” Derek breathed, glancing toward the door to make sure it was closed. “He’s…”

Talia squeezed his hands reassuringly.

“He’s my mate.”

It was the first time Derek had said it out loud, and now that he had, he felt like shouting it from the rooftops. He felt like running into the den, wrapping his arms around Stiles and never letting him go. He felt like -

“You will not tell him,” Talia’s voice cut through Derek’s euphoria like a bucket of ice water. He looked at her, shocked. 

“Wha-?”

“Derek,” Talia said, her voice calm but clear. “I understand that he is your mate and you are excited. But there are rules, customs, certain ways of going about mating with a human.” Derek swallowed back a sob that threatened to escape.

“One day it will be time to tell him, time to court him,” Talia continued, “and when that day comes you will be ready. The pack will be ready. But now is not that time. You may not begin courting until Stiles is 18, and mating may not occur until he is 21. These are the rules for those of us with human mates.”

Derek’s heart felt like it was being ripped from his chest; his wolf was howling mournfully within him. “But,” he started, and his mom pulled him in to settle against her chest. She shushed him like he was a baby, and it was then that he realized that he was crying.

“Shhh, sweetheart,” she cooed. “I know it’s hard. It will be hard. But this is for our protection, and for Stiles’s protection. He couldn’t understand right now anyways; humans don’t feel the connection the way supernaturals do, the way your wolf does. But one day, we will do this right and you will be with him. I promise you, your time with your mate will come.”

Derek nodded, trusting his Alpha mother and pushing his doubts as deep down as he could.

Stiles - 17

Summer

“Ahhhh…” Stiles said, stretching his arms wide as he walked out of the front doors of the high school, Cora on one side and Scott on the other. “Finally summer!” 

The atmosphere around them was equally charged with excitement, students happy to be free from teachers and homework for a few months. It had been a tough year for Stiles, especially with the number of advanced classes he’d been taking, but he had kept his grades up and actually fostered a social life.

If you could count hanging out regularly with two people - Scott and Cora - a social life.

Stiles counted it, though, because it meant that he now had two home-away-from-homes. Any day could find him playing video games at Scott’s house, hanging out with the two of them somewhere around Beacon Hills, or studying at Cora’s. 

Studying at Cora’s had become his favorite thing to do, but don’t tell Scott. Of course, they didn’t just study - that’s what their relationship had started out as, thanks to their long-term history project, but Stiles quickly realized that he and Cora got along great and their study sessions often ended up with either dinner at the Hale’s or watching a movie or gossipping or going to meet up with Scott.

It all worked out in the end, because Scott had started dating Allison in the middle of the school year, so Stiles had someone to hang with when Scott was occupied.

And really, that’s all it was. He liked Cora, sure, but Stiles wasn’t interested in dating her. In fact, he still - a whole year-plus later - still got crazy feelings around Derek. It had toned down a bit over time, after seeing Derek relatively regularly. Stiles didn’t have to concentrate so hard to stop himself from walking over and standing close to Derek at all times, he didn’t have to white-knuckle his chairs when Derek walked in the room anymore.

So he might relish in the times Derek would join them for a movie, or sit and study with them, or just generally hang out with them. But Stiles didn’t take credit for that - the Hales were a close-knit family (proven by their family-only bonding nights that they had once a month that Stiles was never invited to) and he thought it was awesome that the siblings actually enjoyed hanging out together.

“Ice cream?” Stiles asked Cora and Scott, the three of them walking over to the Jeep.

“I’m going to Allie’s,” Scott answered. “But tomorrow COD, right?”

Stiles grinned. It was a tradition to spend the first Saturday-into-Sunday of summer vegging at Scott’s house, he was glad to see that would continue. “Of course. I’ll come over tomorrow with pizza.”

They fistbumped and Scott hopped onto his dirt bike, Stiles rolling his eyes as Scott revved the engine and took off. He turned to Cora.

“Ice cream?” he repeated.

Cora grinned. “You’re taking me home anyway, so I’m down.” She opened the passenger door of the Jeep and threw her backpack in the back, as was routine by now. “I’ll text Derek and Laura to join, if that’s okay?”

Stiles nodded. He hadn’t hung out with Laura, their oldest sister, all that much, but she seemed cool. She just graduated from NYU and had moved back to Beacon Hills permanently.

Stiles thought she was a little crazy for coming back to their little corner of the world after being in an awesome place like New York, but he knew the Hales stuck together.

Soon, they were parking along main street and walking over to the ice cream parlor. Stiles heard, rather than saw, Laura’s Camaro coming down the street and they turned to watch her veer into a parking spot half a block down. 

“She’s gonna crash that thing one day and go flying out the windshield,” Stiles commented, “and all you Hales are gonna be distraught because she’ll break her back and not be able to walk and then she’ll never get to drive her precious Camaro ever again.”

Cora just laughed, a little harder than Stiles thought was appropriate, but he shrugged it off to watch Derek climb out of Laura’s car. 

Stiles could watch Derek do pretty much anything and be entranced, but today Derek’s jeans hugged his thighs perfectly and his hair had grown out slightly since Stiles had seen him last, enough that he longed to run his fingers through it.

God, he’s gorgeous .

Derek’s grin was palpable, and Stiles felt his heartbeat speed up and he started sweating. He felt himself smiling back, barely containing the urge to run to Derek and hug him, baby koala style.

“Stiles!” Laura said with a grin. Her teeth were awfully white. “It’s great to see you again.”

“You too, Laura,” Stiles said, holding the door open for them all to go into the ice cream parlor. “Congrats on your graduation.”

Laura turned to pull Stiles into a headlock, giving him a noogie like only an older sister could. “Thanks, Cora told me you got a 4.0 this semester, too.”

Stiles batted Laura away, blushing a bit. “Yeah, it’s no biggie.”

“Stiles,” Derek said, getting exactly 100% of Stiles’s attention with the way he said his name, “that’s a huge biggie. Way to go, I’m proud of you.”

If Stiles thought that it was possible for his heart to burst with pride, that’s how he was feeling right now. Derek was proud of him? Stiles felt like he could fly, with how much Derek’s praise meant.

He was also sure he was blushing beet red from head to toe, so he turned to look at the ice cream flavors, letting the older Hales tease Cora about her 3.89 GPA for a minute.

They sat outside to eat their cones, Stiles having to look away from the way Derek’s tongue lapped at his pistachio ice cream.

“So this needs to be a regular thing,” Laura said. “Sibling ice cream, every Friday afternoon this summer.”

Cora nodded enthusiastically, and Stiles grinned tight-lipped, until Laura nudged him with her shoulder.

“You’re included, of course,” she said conspiratorially. “You’re practically a Hale, anyways.”

Stiles could have sworn that Laura glanced over at Derek when she said that, but it was so quick that he wasn’t sure. Did Laura know about his crush (okay, more than a crush, but he was not obsessed, okay? Or stalking.) on Derek? He’d have to keep himself in check a little bit better when she was around.

“Of course Stiles is included,” Cora agreed. “He’s only going to spend, like, all summer hanging out with me, because Scott is goo-goo over Allison.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, thinking of Scott’s love-smitten behavior, agreeing.

They finished their ice cream fairly quickly before it melted and Laura hopped up. “Derek and I are running to the store, but we’ll see you two later.”

Stiles watched them go, noticing how fit Derek looked in his t-shirt. “Stop drooling,” Cora muttered, making Stiles drop his jaw. 

“What?” Stiles asked, fumbling to get his keys. Cora just smirked.

Stiles spared one more glance over to Laura and Derek, who were now at the Camaro talking with one of his dad’s newest deputies. It looked like a serious conversation, but Stiles figured he’d hear about it later on if it was something bad. He climbed into the car, excited to hang out all summer with Scott, Cora, and maybe Derek.

Derek - 19

Laura

October’s full moon landed on a weekend, which was always Derek’s favorite kind of full moon. Especially since this year he wasn’t able to arrange his courses quite as perfectly as last year - he’s only able to come home on weekends, and even with that the number of group projects in his architecture classes have kept him on campus more than he’d like. 

The good thing was that he and Boyd had an apartment off campus together this year, so when Derek needed some pack bonding he was able to hang out with Boyd and Erica easily. They’d even spent the September moon near Berkeley, since it was on a Thursday and they couldn’t get home. While it was Derek’s first full moon away from his family, he was able to enjoy it with his best friends and packmates.

All that said, the October full moon weekend was only the second weekend Derek had been home since starting his sophomore year, and he hadn’t seen Stiles since the summer ended.

To say he was in withdrawal was a bit of an understatement. He’d become addicted to Stiles over the summer, seeing him more days than not.

But he was pushing through, keeping with his mom’s rule of no courting like a good son - like a good beta. He latched on to every comment Cora made on the phone about Stiles, their classes together, and the shenanigans they’d been getting up to like it was a lifeline. 

Saturday afternoon brought all of the Hales to the moon bar-b-cue, Derek’s dad manning the grill like always. Derek had been spending all morning trying to get some classwork done, so he didn’t head outside until he heard Talia call for him.

Derek walked out to the backyard, going to sit next to Cora, when he was surprised to see Jordan Parrish down the table, sitting between Laura and Talia. Before Derek could lean over to say something to Cora about it, Talia stood, getting everyone’s attention.

“The moon brings us together every month as a family and a pack, and I am pleased we are all here today together. This moon, however, is especially exciting, as we are being formally joined by a new pack member.”

Talia put her hand on Jordan’s shoulder, smiling down at him. “Jordan Parrish, Laura’s mate, is joining the Hale pack and taking part in the run tonight. I hope you welcome him with open arms as I have, and everyone should plan to be here for the winter solstice when Jordan and Laura’s mating ceremony will take place.”

As his family and pack offered their congratulations around the table, Derek was torn in two directions. 

Of course, he was happy that Laura had found her mate and he truly liked Jordan, from the little bits that he knew of the man. He’d been there the first day Laura had seen Jordan, at the beginning of the summer when they’d gone for ice cream. He hadn’t realized Laura’s wolf had recognized him, though, and she hadn’t said anything to him about it since.

On the other hand, Derek’s wolf was enraged. Why was Jordan being welcomed into the pack so quickly, when Derek had found his mate so long ago and they were being kept apart? Where was Laura and Jordan’s formal courting? Where were the steps that Talia had demanded Derek follow in order to have his mate at his side?

Cora’s hand on Derek’s arm startled him out of his inner seething and he looked at her, realizing his claws were out. He was sure his eyes were glowing, too. Before Cora could ask what was wrong, Derek stood and ran into the preserve, away from his pack, to be angry in peace.

As angry as he was, he knew he didn’t want to ruin Laura’s moment.

Derek found a fallen tree about a mile away from the house and spent his energy tearing into it, breaking branches and bark away with his claws and tearing gouges deep into the wood. Finally, energy spent, he fell to the ground and leaned against the tree, hands covering his face as he cried frustrated tears.

“That was quite the show,” Derek heard across the clearing. He flinched, wondering how long his mother had been standing there. He wiped his eyes, but didn’t get up to greet her. Talia observed him for a minute before coming to sit on the log next to him, her knees next to his shoulder.

“What’s wrong, pup?” Talia finally asked, reaching a hand out to pet Derek’s hair like she’d done when he was young. Derek flinched, finding his anger again.

“What’s wrong?” Derek spat, flinging himself up to stand in front of her. “What’s wrong ?”

Talia just looked at him, face completely calm. It made him even angrier.

“I found my mate long before Laura did, and you banned me from doing anything about it, but now Jordan gets to be in our pack like it’s nothing? You said to me that there were rules, that I needed to follow pack etiquette and court Stiles properly, but now Laura and Jordan are having their mating barely six months after meeting?”

Derek growled, turning to slash claw marks onto a nearby tree before turning back to Talia. 

“Why are you doing this to me?” he asked her quietly, needing to know why he and his mate were being punished.

Talia sighed, standing and walking over to him. “Things are different with Laura and Jordan, pup. Jordan is supernatural - he feels the mating bond as much as Laura does. The etiquette for supernatural pairings is vastly different than that of a human mate, I told you this.”

“But Stiles -”

“But Stiles, nothing,” Talia said, voice harsh. “I know that you are certain, but he is not of age, not even eighteen yet, and he is not supernatural. You will wait, as I told you to, until I say it is time.”

Derek felt his eyes flash at her, but Talia immediately flashed hers back, making Derek submit. “If you cannot wait, you will be banned from all contact with Stiles.”

Derek’s wolf reacted badly to that, even with his Alpha before him, lashing out in anger. Immediately Talia had Derek on the ground, claws at his throat. He whined, frustrated and angry. 

Most of all, though, he was sad.

“You will wait , Derek. Don’t make me say it again.”

Derek didn’t know how long he stayed cowering on the ground after his mother left, but the moon had risen and Cora’s comforting presence as a wolf encouraged him to shift and run for the rest of the night, only going back to the house when the sun rose.

Stiles - 17-18

The Bracelet

Cora had been getting more and more personal, of late.

Stiles wouldn’t have minded, really, except for the fact that Cora kept asking why Stiles didn’t date, who did he like, was he straight or gay or bi.

Apparently saying, “I like someone, but it isn’t going to work out,” wasn’t enough information for Cora Hale.

They’d just delivered the last of their college applications to the mailbox in the center of town (“It’s much more fun to take the apps somewhere than just clicking a button or letting the mail carrier grab it, Cora!”) in early December that Cora finally got it out of him. It was either that she’d worn him down for long enough, or that Stiles was missing Derek so fiercely that it hurt (he had barely spoken a few words to the guy since summer), but Stiles fessed up.

Cora, surprisingly, was ecstatic that Stiles had a crush on Derek (because no way was he going to tell Cora that what he felt for her brother was so much more than a crush - it was a yearning, serious, deep feeling that boiled from the inside out, pulling him toward Derek like a magnet). 

From that moment forward, Cora made sure to update Stiles on Derek’s every move.

Stiles wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but it was nice to know what Derek was up to after not talking to the guy for so long.

Stiles’s eighteenth birthday came just a few weeks after Cora’s, Stiles, and Scott had all gotten their college acceptance and scholarship letters (Cora and Stiles planning on Berkeley, Scott on UC Davis), so they used all of that as an excuse to do some underage drinking at Stiles’s house while his dad was on shift. 

They crashed collectively in the living room, Scott sprawled face down on the recliner and Cora and Stiles lying on the couch, heads on opposite armrests and bodies tangled up in the middle. The sheriff woke them all up when he got off shift, choosing to ignore the stench of alcohol for once. He even fried up eggs and bacon for them to sober up before heading to bed himself.

“Your dad’s the best,” Scott commented with his mouth full. Stiles didn’t yet have it in him to agree or disagree, especially with his own mouth full.

“Stiles, can you take me home in a bit?” Cora asked before shoving an entire piece of bacon in her mouth. He nodded. “Sweet, make sure you shower first, too.”

Stiles didn’t even question why he had to shower to take Cora home until they were heading up the long driveway to the Hale house. 

“Why’d I have to shower, if I’m just dropping you home?” Stiles asked. He glanced over to see Cora smirking as she looked out the window at the passing trees. “What did you do, Cora?”

Cora held her hands up in a placating manner. “Dude, chill. Just have another little birthday present for you, no biggie. I figured you wouldn’t want to get it smelling all nasty like you did this morning.”

Stiles reached over to slug Cora’s shoulder, but unsurprisingly she caught his fist in her hand and pushed it away. It was at that moment that the house came into view behind the trees and he pulled up to park behind Derek’s car.

Oh, shit. Derek was actually home for once.

Cora pranced up to the house quickly, so that Stiles was left trailing after her. “Cora! Are you going to get my present?”

She left the front door wide open so he headed inside, going for the stairs toward Cora’s room before his heart thudded in his chest. He turned, knowing deep down even before he looked that Derek was standing in the den living room.

“Happy Birthday, Stiles,” Derek said quietly. He had a soft smile on his face, one that Stiles recognized was reserved only for special occasions. Was his birthday a special occasion?

Stiles couldn’t stop himself from approaching Derek - it had been so long since he’d seen the man, and he felt like he was coming home. Derek held out a small gift bag to Stiles, who took it, letting their fingers touch.

A zing of excitement went up and down Stiles’s spine from the simple brushing of fingers.

“You didn’t have to get me a gift, Derek,” Stiles commented, but he tore into the present anyway. If this was something Derek had gotten for him specifically, he was going to treasure it forever.

It was a leather bracelet with M S branded into it - a little off-center, but that just proved to Stiles that Derek had made something for him. There was a leather band and ring on the open ends to tie it together, the silver ring glinting prettily in the light.

“You made this?” Stiles asked softly as he fingered the leather in his hand.

Derek didn’t answer at first, so Stiles looked up at him. Derek was watching where Stiles was holding the bracelet. As soon as he felt Stiles’s eyes on him, he cleared his throat and nodded.

“Can I put it on you?” Derek asked, and Stiles was nodding before he’d even finished asking.

Carefully, Derek took the leather from Stiles’s hand and wrapped it around his wrist. He tied a beautifully complicated pattern with the leather ties around the ring until Stiles was sure he’d never get the bracelet off himself.

“I finished it with a specific kind of leather wash,” Derek said as he worked, “which means you can get it wet and it won’t get ruined. So you don’t have to take it off to shower or whatever, you can keep it on as long as you want and it won’t get gross.”

Derek’s thumb traced the empty leather space next to the initials after he was done tying it off, cupping Stiles’s hand in his own. 

“Thanks, Derek,” Stiles breathed, the moment heavy. “I love it.”

Feeling a jolt of confidence, Stiles twisted his hand until he could thread their fingers together. Derek stared at their joined hands for a moment before looking up at Stiles. Stiles felt like Derek was trying to tell him something without using his words, and he wished he could read Derek’s mind. 

For the first time in a long time, the tugging in Stiles’s gut got overwhelming, the feeling of home and right and mine driving him to want to jump into Derek’s arms and never leave. 

He felt himself take a small step forward, pulling at Derek where they were holding hands. Derek’s mouth opened, a soft breath escaped, before -

“Derek, it’s time to go.”

Derek’s hand pulled away like he’d been electrocuted and they both turned to see Talia standing in the doorway. Derek barely glanced at Stiles before brushing by him, the moment between them completely lost.

Talia turned to follow her son, leaving Stiles confused and empty, save for the warmth on his wrist where Derek’s bracelet lay.

Derek - 20-21

Miserable

Derek was miserable.

Cora, the pest of a little sister she was, had gotten it out of him after the dramatic show during the October full moon that Stiles was his mate. She’d been surprised, but more supportive than Derek could have ever imagined.

Just like Derek, Cora was pissed at their mom for keeping Derek from wooing Stiles (“Cora, I do not want to woo him!” “Of course you do, he’s your mate. You want to woo and court and kiss and fu-” “Shut UP!”), but she did her best to be supportive of him from the sidelines. She didn’t want to earn their mother’s wrath any more than Derek did.

Cora sticking her nose where it didn’t belong was how Derek ended up making Stiles a birthday present - a bracelet with Stiles’s initials on it. But it was so much more than that: Derek had specifically left an empty space for him to add an H to the initials one day, and he may or may not have rigged a simple, but elegant, engagement ring onto the bracelet.

When Cora found out t that Derek had already bought Stiles a ring, she freaked. But at the same time, she went all gooey every time she saw it on Stiles’s wrist now, so it was a good thing.

Derek knew, because of Cora, that Stiles kept the bracelet - his gift - his ring - on his wrist at all times and his wolf howled with pleasure at that knowledge.

But still, Derek was miserable.

He wanted nothing more than to go to Stiles, hold him, love him, be with him. His mom, however, had reamed him out for giving Stiles a gift that day.

“He’s eighteen, mom!” Derek argued, once Stiles had left the house. “I’ve read up on courting, Uncle Peter has given me more books on werewolf customs than Laura has read, and she’s next in line for Alpha! I can start courting him now that he’s an adult!”

Talia’s eyes flashed. “The books that Peter has given you were written before the modern age,” she spat. “Eighteen may be the age for legal adults, but that doesn’t automatically mean you can begin courting. Besides that, you are supposed to get your Alpha’s blessing before initiating courting, and may I remind you that you do not have my blessing yet .”

Derek didn’t come home for the next two full moons, unable to face his Alpha with how angry he was. If it wasn’t for living with Boyd, whose pack bond with Derek was strong, he thought he might have gone a bit crazy from staying away from the pack for so long.

He also didn’t think he could handle seeing - or even just scenting - Stiles in his family home. His wolf would probably overcompensate and do something drastic if he was around Stiles right now.

So, the entire summer, Derek stayed in Berkeley, choosing to take some summer classes and keep himself busy. He got a job bartending, studied, and ignored his wolf instincts that yearned for Stiles.

Everything got much, much harder when Stiles and Cora started their freshman year at Berkeley.

Derek was still living off campus with Boyd, so he had a bit of an excuse why he didn’t see them regularly, but Cora often tracked him down. She never brought Stiles around to Derek’s apartment, but she did keep him informed on Stiles’s well-being - how he was studying more than sleeping, drinking more energy drinks than eating food, and getting hit on by classmates practically by the day.

Cora assured Derek that Stiles never gave any of them the time of day, though. That placated his wolf some. So did the knowledge that Stiles was still wearing his bracelet.

At the holidays, Derek gave a lame excuse of why he couldn’t drive back with Stiles and Cora. He knew he wouldn’t be able to be in the car with Stiles without dramatics, so he feigned an extra assignment and came home a day later. 

When he got home, he was surprised to see his mom waiting for him on the front porch.

“Your sister has told me a lot of things today,” Talia said, patting the bench seat next to her. Derek sat, not knowing what Cora could have told her. “Namely, that both you and Stiles are miserable.”

Derek frowned, looking down at his hands. He wasn’t going to confirm or deny - he was still pissed at his mom for keeping his mate from him.

“I have discussed things with Laura, Alpha to First Beta, and we have decided that you may tell Stiles about us.”

Derek’s eyes shot up, searching his mother’s face for details. “About us?” he repeated, wanting clarification.

She nodded. “About werewolves. About our family, our pack.” She studied him seriously. “About mates, if you wish.”

Derek gulped. He wanted to run to Stiles right now, kiss him silly, tell him everything. 

But at the same time, he was scared. And hurt.

And he knew Stiles was hurt, too. 

The whole situation - them meeting, getting close, and then Derek suddenly avoiding Stiles for so long - was a mess, and Derek knew that he couldn’t just throw Stiles into the deep end with all of this.

“Cora is willing to help, if you need it. But Derek…”

Derek met her eyes again. This time, it was his mother, not his Alpha, looking back at him. “Be careful.”

Derek nodded, staying on the porch long after Talia went inside. He had a lot to think about.

Stiles - 18-19

Revelations

Stiles’s freshman year was going surprisingly well, from an outsider’s perspective. He got along well with his potluck roommate and had made some new friends, while still keeping up with Cora daily (and facetiming Scott every few days). His classes were going well, after testing out of some of the basic ones with his high school test scores.

He never ran into Derek on campus. 

Stiles wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, considering that he was somehow hyper aware of Derek’s presence at all times. It was like he had a compass inside of him, Derek his north.

He couldn’t really explain it, but when Stiles sat in his ten am Intro to Criminology class, he knew that Derek was in the same building, a couple floors above him. When Stiles and Cora met for lunch after classes on Thursdays, Stiles could always feel Derek walking across campus to his car.

It was this awareness, and general lack of interest, that kept Stiles from agreeing to any of the dates he was asked on. He couldn’t imagine trying to sit across from someone at dinner when he knew - could feel - that Derek was sitting in his apartment a couple miles from campus.

Derek even avoided him when they drove home for Christmas break, although Cora rode with Stiles. 

In the car, Cora pestered him some about his “emotional well being” as she put it, but Stiles knew it was all out of love. She’d seen the way Stiles was acting on the daily - going through the motions while not having his heart into anything. By the end of the car ride, she was quiet.

Stiles, for once, let the quiet last.

Cora didn’t drive back to campus with Stiles, but was knocking on his door the instant she was back. When Stiles went to let her in, Derek was standing behind her.

Stiles’s heart raced a little bit. “Hey,” he greeted lamely, trying not to show his excitement about being in the same room with Derek for the first time since his birthday. 

Cora rolled her eyes, pushing past Stiles to flop onto his bed. His roommate was out, which was probably a good thing with both Hales visiting. It would have been a bit crowded, with the huge purple-and-pink elephant in the corner of the room.

Derek stepped inside as well, hovering by the door. Stiles stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say. He was afraid if he opened his mouth, something crazy like “I’ve missed you so much, never leave me again” would come out. Cora cleared her throat, giving Derek a look.

“Um,” Derek said, not meeting Stiles’s eyes. “Cora and I were wondering if you’d like to have dinner with us tonight?”

Stiles was surprised, looking to Cora for answers. She didn’t help at all - in fact, she was flipping through one of his advanced statistics textbooks. He knew for a fact that she didn’t know a single thing about advanced statistics - she was purposefully ignoring him. Stiles looked back at Derek.

“Sure, I could eat,” he said simply. Derek looked up at him, giving him a small smile, before nodding. 

Thus Stiles began seeing Derek semi-regularly again.

Stiles still could tell when Derek was nearby, somehow, but the intensity of the feelings lessened. It was like, now that he was seeing Derek regularly, his body was getting its fill of the man and didn’t need to be hyper aware of him all the time anymore.

Spring Break came with the three of them riding home together.

“We’re staying home a couple extra days for the full moon,” Cora said before they left. “You okay staying a bit longer?”

Stiles wondered, briefly, what the full moon had to do with anything, but he figured it was a Hale family thing. “I’ve only got one class Monday, so I’m alright staying longer. I can afford to miss one class.”

They took Derek’s car home and Cora sat in the backseat, sleeping the whole way. Derek and Stiles chatted the entire drive, and Stiles found himself wondering at how easily they got along, even after not seeing each other for long periods of time.

When Stiles’s birthday came around in April, Derek threw him a party at his and Boyd’s apartment off campus. There were about twenty people who came and went throughout the night, but Stiles had to admit that he enjoyed himself the most once everyone had gone home (even Boyd, who went to stay the night with Erica) and only he, Cora, and Derek were left. 

They crashed on the couch together, sprawled out like Cora and Stiles had done many times before. The only difference was Derek, laid out on the floor next to them on a pile of pillows like he was Stiles’s own personal guard dog.

Stiles woke the next morning to the smell of pancakes and rubbed his eyes clear to see Derek standing at the stove.

“Oh man, a birthday party and home-cooked breakfast?” Stiles said, standing and stretching. “Whatever have I done to deserve all this?”

Derek turned and smiled at Stiles over his shoulder. Stiles’s heart soared at the image of domesticity Derek made, daydreaming for a minute about how this could be his life, if he wasn’t so chickenshit about admitting to Derek that he was in lo- like with the guy. “Go brush your teeth, breakfast will be ready in a few.”

Stiles did his business in the bathroom before throwing a pillow at Cora’s head to wake her up. Derek was still flipping pancakes, so Stiles set out plates for them at the small table and poured juice.

Derek brought the pancakes and syrup over just as Cora came out of the bathroom and they served themselves and ate in silence for a few minutes. Stiles noticed Cora glancing over at Derek enough times that he finally gave in to his curiosity.

“What gives, guys?” Stiles said, putting down his fork. “You’ve been acting squirrely ever since we sat down to eat.”

Cora and Derek shared a look, proving Stiles’s point that something was actually going on. “Look, Stiles…” Derek started, pushing his pancake around on his plate a bit when no more words came. 

Cora groaned. “Stiles, we have to tell you something,” she blurted out. Derek looked at Cora, but Stiles couldn’t tell if he was grateful or annoyed at her taking over the conversation.

“What? Are you dying? Is something wrong at home?” Stiles’s mind was whirring with horrible possibilities of what the two of them together would need to talk to him about. 

“No, no, nothing like that,” Cora said, wiping her mouth with her napkin before putting her hand on the table, palm up. Stiles stared at it, waiting for something to happen before -

With a minute, audible click, Cora’s nails were suddenly long and sharp - no, now they were claws more than nails.

“What the hell?” Stiles breathed, heart thumping in surprise but his curiosity winning. He reached out for Cora’s hand, turning it over in his own before touching the end of one sharp nail with his finger.

A bead of blood formed where her claw had pierced skin.

“Ow,” Stiles complained, sucking on his now injured finger with a frown. He looked up to see Cora and Derek staring at him, slack-jawed. “So you’ve got freaky hands?” he prompted, sure that there was more.

Cora and Derek shared a look before Cora shrugged, her face morphing its shape. Derek, obviously taking Cora’s lead, also changed his appearance with a quick jerk of his head.

Stiles studied their faces for a minute, taking in the elongated noses, lack of Derek’s eyebrows, added facial hair, and very prominent, pointy teeth.

“Huh,” Stiles said simply. He reached out for Cora’s hand again, brain whirring. “Full moon…” his brain supplied as he stroked one of her claws, more carefully this time.

“We’re werewolves, Stiles,” Derek finally said, and everything clicked into place. Stiles looked up at their faces again before they shifted back, looking normal as ever.

“Werewolves,” Stiles repeated. Shouldn’t he be more freaked out about their revelation? He figured yes, he should be, but both his mind and his heart knew that there was nothing to freak out about - they were still Derek and Cora and he still felt safe - home - with them. 

“Okay,” he finally said, shrugging and going back to his pancakes. He could feel their eyes watching him closely as he stuffed his mouth full and started chewing.

“Seriously?” Cora said after he’d swallowed. “Okay? That’s all you have to say?”

Stiles shrugged again. “What, do you want me to have a panic attack and run screaming from this apartment, never to see you again?” Stiles put his fork down, pointing his thumb toward the door. “I can do that if you want me to…”

Derek, to Stiles’s surprise, laughed. Cora and Stiles both stared at him as Derek full-belly, head-back, laughed. 

It was the most beautiful thing Stiles had ever heard.

Soon, Stiles and Cora were laughing too, and the rest of breakfast consisted of Stiles peppering them with questions about werewolves and their family - their pack . 

When they were done with breakfast, Cora went to gather her things. “Need a ride?” Stiles asked, not really feeling like leaving yet.

Cora immediately shook her head. “No, I’m going to leave you two here.” Stiles frowned. “There’s a bit more that you need to hear from Derek.”

Stiles looked over at Derek, who he was pretty sure was purposefully standing at the sink so Stiles couldn’t see his face.

“Oh…kay,” Stiles said as Cora practically ran out the door. 

“Good luck!” she called from the hallway before slamming the door shut, leaving Stiles and Derek alone.

Stiles stood next to the table, wondering what Derek needed to talk to him about. What else, besides werewolves, did Derek have to reveal?

“I think the spatula is clean,” Stiles commented dryly, moving over to the couch and flopping down on it. He could give Derek space, he supposed. Stiles grabbed a pillow and hugged it to his chest, pressing his face into it and breathing in deeply.

The scent of Derek on the pillow made his heart flutter and he suddenly felt calmer than ever. Was that a werewolf thing? Were they rubbing off on him? Was that what Derek had to talk to him about?

Stiles was still breathing into the pillow when the couch shifted, Derek sitting down. Stiles moved the pillow to the side, facing Derek.

Derek was staring at Stiles’s hands - more specifically, at the bracelet Stiles still wore on his wrist.

“You still have it on,” Derek commented, reaching out slowly before tracing the indented M and S on the leather band.

Stiles swallowed heavily. “I’ve never taken it off,” he replied truthfully. Derek’s eyes jumped up to his, seemingly surprised. Stiles gave a half shrug, not wanting to move enough to dislodge Derek’s hand. “It feels… like I’m supposed to wear it. Every time I thought about taking it off, it just felt wrong.”

Derek was quiet, but shifted his hand to thread their fingers together - just like they’d done the day Derek had gifted Stiles the bracelet. 

“There’s a reason for that,” Derek finally said. Stiles’s eyes looked back up to Derek’s face from where he’d been looking at their hands, noticing how perfectly they fit together.

“A werewolf reason?” Stiles prompted, heart racing when Derek nodded.

Derek took a deep breath in before releasing it slowly. He met Stiles’s eyes.

“You’re my mate, Stiles.”

Derek - 21

Confrontation

Derek had played the scene out in his head a hundred different ways, thinking of all the possibilities, but leave it to Stiles to react in a way he never could have expected.

After asking the hundred clarifying questions about mates, what it meant, demanding the full story of Laura’s mating process (and how drastically different it had been from Derek himself), and how Derek knew Stiles was his (which Derek couldn’t really explain in words, but Stiles seemed to immediately understand anyway), Stiles asked the one question Derek could answer with clarity.

“Why are you only telling me now?”

Derek looked down at their joined hands, heart pounding. “My mom - my Alpha - told me I couldn’t tell you, that I had to stay away from you.”

Stiles rose to his feet, dislodging their hands and suddenly smelling like fury. “What?” he yelled, anger clear in his voice. “Why the hell not? Why would she keep this from you, from me - from us ?”

Derek didn’t actually have an answer for that, so he shrugged, cowed by Stiles’s fury. He watched Stiles pace the room a few times, muttering to himself and seemingly getting angrier by the step. Derek felt the room buzzing with energy.

“Stiles -” Derek tried to interrupt him, wanting to know what was going through his mind. He didn’t even know if Stiles was accepting him as mate (oh god the thought that Stiles would reject him) but here he was, angrier than Derek had ever seen him. 

“Stiles!” Derek repeated louder, finally getting his attention. Stiles turned toward him and froze, face immediately softening.

Before Derek could anticipate his movement, Stiles launched himself over the coffee table to press their faces together in a very, very messy kiss. Derek, after the initial moment of shock, pulled Stiles close and angled their lips together to deepen the kiss properly.

His wolf howled inside his chest, happier than he’d ever felt before. His mate was kissing him!

Finally they let themselves up to breathe, Stiles resting his forehead against Derek’s. His eyes were closed, so Derek got to enjoy the view of his mate with kiss-swollen lips and flushed cheeks. Derek breathed in deeply, smelling the happiness radiating off of Stiles.

There was still the underlying anger, though.

“Unlike me, you’re a man of many words,” Derek said softly, “can you tell me what you’re thinking right now?”

Stiles chuckled, not opening his eyes yet. He leaned in for another quick kiss before shaking his head clear and standing up again.

“Do you have classes today?”

Derek shook his head no, even though he did. He wanted to spend the whole day with Stiles, if that’s what his mate wanted.

“Good. Pack an overnight bag, we’re going to Beacon Hills. I’ll be back in half an hour with my stuff.”

Derek couldn’t form words around his surprise before Stiles was out the door. He heard the Jeep start downstairs and drive off, and it wasn’t until Stiles had gotten far enough away that Derek couldn’t hear him that Derek actually stood up from the couch.

Why did Stiles want to go to Beacon Hills?

The drive was quiet. Stiles insisted on taking the Jeep, for whatever reason, and the only sound in the car was the radio playing quietly. Derek could smell the anxiety and anger still rolling off of Stiles in waves, and if it weren’t for the fact that Stiles’s hand was laced with his own the entire way, Derek would have thought Stiles was upset with him.

Derek ended up sitting there, thumb caressing Stiles’s hand in his own, daydreaming of the future. Of his future, with Stiles.

All of the sadness he’d felt the past few years, since he’d been hiding his feelings from Stiles - or just hiding from Stiles in general - seemed to have disappeared. Stiles knew the truth now, Stiles had accepted him as his mate, Stiles had kissed him.

Derek may have daydreamed quite a bit about that kiss, and more .

Derek was pulled from his reverie when Stiles turned onto the road that led to the Hale house, the car jerking with each bump. He looked over to Stiles, seeing a determined look on his face.

“Stiles?” Derek said softly, squeezing his hand. “What are we doing here?”

Stiles looked over at Derek for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m not mad at you, Derek. I promise.”

That was all Stiles said as they made it the rest of the way to the house.

Unsurprisingly, Talia and Peter were on the porch when they parked. Derek was sure that they’d heard the Jeep approaching, or maybe Cora had texted to let them know that Stiles now knew about werewolves. 

Before Derek could do anything, Stiles was out of the car and marching toward the house. Derek hurried after him, worried about the amount of anger he was sensing from Stiles yet again.

“Mrs. Hale,” Stiles greeted, words cutting like ice. 

Talia cocked her head to the side, obviously sensing Stiles’s anger. “Stiles, good to see you.” She looked past him to Derek. “Derek.”

Derek simply nodded in greeting, focused on Stiles.

“Mrs. Hale,” Stiles started, glaring at her, “ or should I call you Alpha Hale now? Whichever it is, with all due respect…”

Stiles took a deep breath, outwardly bristling.

“You are a complete and utter bitch and I cannot believe that you would treat your son so poorly. How could you be so glaringly idiotic toward your family, your pack ?” 

“Stiles!” Derek cried, moving to grab Stiles’s arm to - what, calm him? Anything so that Stiles would stop talking. Derek could see Talia seething at Stiles’s words.

“No, Derek!” Stiles yelled, stepping out of Derek’s reach and closer to Talia. “Your mom has been completely out of line and obviously totally out of touch with anything you or I would have wanted.” Stiles rounded back to Talia, pointing his finger at her menacingly. “It’s not your fucking business when, how, or where Derek should talk to me about anything .”

Talia’s eyes flashed at Stiles, her anger rising. “You will not speak to me like this, Stiles Stilinski,” she growled. Derek cowed a bit, nervous for his mate. “You are not of our kind, you do not know our customs. I will do as I please, and my pack will do as I tell them so will all members of my pack .”

Stiles scoffed, obviously unafraid of Talia in that moment, even though Derek knew he should be.

“You’re wrong, Alpha, ” Stiles spat. Derek had never heard the title spoken with so much negativity. “You had no right keeping me and Derek apart like you did.”

“Be careful of your words, Stiles,” Talia said lowly, “or I will ban him from his mate permanently.”

A burst of wind blew through the yard, ruffling Derek’s hair and Stiles’s sweater. Stiles’s scent had gone way past angry now, he was positively livid.

“Try me,” Stiles replied darkly, before the flowerbeds along the front of their house burst into flames. Talia startled, surprised, while Peter reacted immediately. He pulled Talia away from the flames and ran around the house to get the hose.

Derek looked at Stiles, shocked. Stiles was watching the flames, face thoughtful. Derek began approaching him slowly as Stiles lifted his hand, wriggling his fingers.

Just as Peter came around the house with the hose on, Stiles lowered his hand - flames puttering out as he did so.

When only smoke and charred flowers remained, Stiles looked back at Talia. “Apparently I’m more ‘of your kind’ than we all thought,” he said simply, before turning back to the Jeep. Derek watched his mom for a moment, who was looking scolded for the first time ever. She closed her mouth with a click, turning back to the house.

Derek, a moment later, followed Stiles to the car.

Stiles - 20

Supernatural

The car was silent as Stiles drove them to his dad’s house. There were a million things running through his mind, the biggest being How the hell had I controlled that fire ?

Derek was a strong, calming presence next to him; it was almost like Stiles could feel Derek’s pride and support inside his chest. Stiles couldn’t stop himself from reaching for Derek’s hand as he drove, feeling the comfort directly.

His dad’s cruiser wasn’t in the driveway when they got to Stiles’s house, which Stiles was relieved about. He hadn’t told his dad they were coming to town, and he’d rather have a moment to breathe after the chaos of the past hour. Derek followed him inside, setting their overnight bags down by the door.

Once the front door was closed, Stiles turned and tucked himself into Derek’s chest. Immediately Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles, turning his nose into Stiles’s cheek to inhale deeply.

“Is that a wolf thing?” Stiles mumbled. He was pretty sure if he were looking at Derek, the would see the wolf-man blushing.

Derek breathed in again, nodding. “Scent is big for us. Your scent…” Derek swallowed deeply, finding the words. “Your scent has always been calming for me, even when it was just the smell of you in my house after you’d been studying with Cora. Your scent is one of the many reasons I knew you were mine.”

Stiles pulled back, wanting to watch Derek’s face while they talked. He led them to the couch and collapsed on it, dragging Derek down next to him.

“It’s more of a…tugging feeling for me,” Stiles said. Derek looked surprised, but Stiles kept on. “Like, the first time I saw you at lacrosse tryouts I had to physically hold the bench so I didn’t lunge at you. It’s like I needed to touch you, or something. And then, when you stopped talking to me last year…” Derek looked ashamed. “When your mom ordered you to stay away from me, I still always knew where you were, you know? Like on campus, it’s like I had a compass inside of me that was pointing to my north, to you.”

Derek wiped his hand down his face, laughing quietly - maybe a little hysterically. “Mom said there was no way for you to know,” he admitted. “She said since you were human, you wouldn’t recognize the bond and everything had to be different.”

Stiles started playing with Derek’s fingers absent-mindedly.

“I was so fucking mad when Laura and Jordan got mated, because it was all so fast,” Derek told him. “I’d known you were my mate for years and all mom said was not now , or not yet . And her reasoning was because you’re human!”

Derek leaned in to press their foreheads together. “Apparently you’re not as human as you seem,” he said quieter.

Stiles hummed. He was obviously new to the whole werewolf thing, but seeing that he apparently caused and then controlled fire, he was not entirely human. “So are there, like, wizards or something? Am I a wizard?”

Derek chuckled. “I don’t know about wizards, but there are mages and witches, and probably some other magic types. Us werewolves tend to stay away from them. I’ve never heard of a werewolf mated to a magic user, I don’t think it’s super common. But you having magic - that has to be why you can feel our bond.”

Stiles put his free hand on his chest, right above where he felt Derek. Derek watched him carefully before reaching out to cover Stiles’s hand with his own. They were still for a minute before Derek leaned in slowly, obviously waiting for Stiles to stop him or slow him down. Stiles didn’t want Derek to move slowly - they’d been moving slowly for years now. 

He reached out to grab Derek by the back of his neck, pulling him in to kiss him. They’d only kissed a bit earlier, after Derek’s big mate reveal, so this was still new to Stiles. The feeling of Derek in his chest bloomed bright while their lips danced, warmth and love and home swirling inside of him.

“It feels so right,” Stiles muttered against Derek’s lips, not wanting to pull away. Derek grinned, kissing him messily around his smile.

“You can say that again,” Derek agreed.

The front door opening made them jump apart. “Stiles?” 

“In here, Dad,” Stiles answered, and in a second his dad was walking around the corner. “Sorry we didn’t give you a head’s up we were coming home.”

Noah’s eyebrows raised at the sight of them on the couch, holding hands and sitting close. “Is something going on I should know about?” he asked judiciously, setting his jacket down on his armchair.

Stiles looked over at Derek, silently asking what they could tell him, but also begging with his eyes for permission to tell the whole truth.

Derek nodded, seeming to understand exactly what Stiles wanted. 

“Yeah, Dad,” Stiles said, nodding toward the chair. “You might want to sit down for this.”

Derek - 22

Courting

Being with Stiles was simultaneously the best and the worst thing ever.

It was the best because Derek no longer had to tamp down his wolf instincts when he was around Stiles, he could touch and scent and kiss as much as he wanted.

It was the worst because Derek wanted to be around Stiles all the time now, which obviously couldn’t happen because they both had lives.

Derek graduated with a job offer from a state-wide architecture firm, which he was very excited about. While he would be able to work remotely, though, initially he had to go to the main office for training for a month.

Their main office was in San Diego.

A whole month away from his mate seemed horrible, until Stiles reminded Derek that they’d stayed apart for much longer than that in the past.

“It’s just worse now,” Derek insisted. “Now that I know what it’s like to have you.”

Stiles grinned, obviously loving the clingy side of Derek. “I know, big guy,” he cooed. “We’ll just have to make up for the lost time when you get back.”

Derek growled, mind going in a thousand directions. They hadn’t gone further than some heavy petting yet, because even though Talia had finally relented on her restrictions to their courting, Derek still wanted to go about things properly. 

He wanted to take some time courting Stiles, plus he wanted to make sure that he proved to his mate that he was a good provider. 

Stiles teased him for his wolfy instincts, but Derek knew it was out of love. They couldn’t just hop right into a full-fledged mate-ship, Derek wanted to woo Stiles.

Not that he was admitting that to Cora, of course. She could never know.

So he went to his training, leaving his mate in Cora’s capable hands, and video called Stiles every night. And some mornings. And sporadically throughout the day, when he had the chance.

While he wasn’t actually working or talking to Stiles, Derek was scheming. He had Boyd and Erica back home running little errands for him, called important people to make deals, and made sure everything would be perfect.

Even though Stiles had another year of college left (Derek’s mate was so smart he was going to graduate in three years, and Derek howled with pride at his genius of a mate), Derek wanted to make sure everything was ready for them, long-term.

The day Derek returned home from his training, he went straight to Stiles’s childhood home to pick him up.

“Why aren’t we just staying home?” Stiles complained, leaning across the console to kiss Derek hello. “I’ve missed you, want a snuggle.”

Derek smiled. “You’ll see,” he answered, pulling the car away from the curb. Stiles pestered him the entire drive, but Derek wouldn’t relent about where they were going.

He headed for the preserve, turning down a different road than the one that led to the Hale house. Stiles looked out the window curiously, excitement in his scent.

The trees parted before them to reveal a house, not as big as the pack house, but still substantial. Derek knew it was a four-bed, three-bath layout with a sunken living room and huge patio that led directly into the trees.

Stiles’s scent had spiked and he was looking between Derek and the house. “What’s this?” he asked, starting to smile.

Derek parked and got out of the car, meeting Stiles when he climbed out as well. “This,” Derek said grandly, smiling wide, “is for you. For us.”

Stiles’s jaw dropped, obviously shocked. “For us?”

Derek nodded, heading toward the porch and pulling Stiles after him. “I designed it for a class last year, with us in mind. Once I had the sketches done, I sent it to builders here in Beacon Hills. Boyd and Erica have helped me put the finishing touches on it while I’ve been gone.”

They paused at the front door and Derek held out a key to Stiles. “Care to do the honors?” he asked.

Stiles put his hand over Derek’s so that they both held the key. “Together,” Stiles answered.

Derek’s heart thrummed. Together sounded perfect.

Stiles - 20

Together

While Talia still preferred them to wait for their mating ceremony until Stiles was 21, she no longer had a leg to stand on when it came to her reasoning. According to her, Derek had to wait until Stiles’s 21st birthday because he was a human, but soon after the fire incident, Stiles had begun working with magic users both in Beacon Hills and around Berkeley to hone his skills. 

Stiles officially was not just human, based on the amount of magic he had. 

Because of this, and because it seemed that Talia was a bit afraid of Stiles and the amount of power he had, Derek threw her rules out the window and courted Stiles properly.

First it was getting his job lined up, the ability to provide for his mate. Then it was the house, giving them a den of their own. (Stiles only wished he could stay there forever; he still had a year of school left so it was a lot of back-and-forth.)

There were other little things, wolfy traditions surrounding the full moon runs (which Stiles was now invited to, thanks to Talia finally coming around) and smaller gifts.

At the pack gathering in October, in a very similar setting to Laura and Jordan’s announcement, Talia welcomed Stiles into the pack officially. Stiles was overwhelmed by the love he felt from Derek and his pack in that moment, so much that some of the plants that had gone dormant for winter around the house bloomed like it was spring.

Derek’s smile was radiant, and he got out of his chair, moving to kneel beside Stiles. Stiles’s eyes widened, knowing what was happening but still completely shocked by it.

“Stiles,” Derek said, grinning, “you may have always known you were my mate, but you probably didn’t realize that I gave you a ring a long time ago…”

He grabbed Stiles’s hand, reaching for the bracelet that Stiles had always worn on his wrist, ever since his eighteenth birthday. Derek’s fingers nimbly traced the M and S there, before touching the empty place next to the letters.

“I can’t wait to etch the H into this, like I’d always planned to,” Derek continued, before turning Stiles’s hand over to start undoing the leather laces. Stiles tried to pull his hand away, but Derek gave him a look.

“I promise I’ll put it back on you, but there’s something I need to do,” Derek said, getting the bracelet off and fiddling with it in his hands for a minute. Then he was holding out a ring - the same ring, Stiles realized, that had been part of the clasp on his bracelet.

“Will you wear my ring now, properly, and be mine?”

Stiles laughed with giddiness and dove for Derek, making them tumble into the grass. Derek rolled them so that he was hovering above Stiles, who offered his hand. Derek slipped the ring onto Stiles’s finger before kissing him soundly.

“I love you,” Stiles said quietly, but he was sure the other wolves still heard him. Derek’s nose brushed his in an eskimo kiss. 

“Love you, too,” Derek replied. They kissed again before Stiles pushed Derek up and away.

“Now gimme back my bracelet!” he demanded, holding his wrist out. Derek, and many others in the pack, laughed at his demands while he tied the leather back where it belonged.

Two months later, at the winter solstice, they had their mating ceremony under the light of the moon. Stiles felt the swelling of emotions swirling in his gut - from both him and Derek - as Talia’s voice blessed their union. They used the pack bonfire to add the third initial - H - to Stiles’s bracelet right then, just as Derek had planned it all along.

After a night full of wolfy romping and celebration, they returned to their home. The home Derek had made specially for them, and collapsed into bed. As tired as Stiles was, he couldn’t get to sleep.

He was too entranced with watching the man next to him, the love of his life, his mate, as he slept.

Stiles knew, no matter what happened, that everything would be fine as long as they were together.