Chapter Text
The suns’ rays enveloped Stiles’ skin like a warm blanket as he stumbled upon the clearing. Stiles knew he was dreaming, for one, there was no way in hell that Stiles managed to trek through the woods without a single mark on him, and second, his mother, his dead mother, was standing a couple feet away from where he stood. They resembled each other a lot. The same upturned nose, pale mole dotted skin, and doe amber brown eyes. It’s been seven years since she passed, but not a second goes by where Stiles yearns to feel her touch or hear her voice again. Smiling, Stiles raises his arm and gives her a small wave which she returns. The same warming smile painted on her lips. There’s so much he wants to tell her, so many questions he wants answered, but when he opens his mouth to speak, his mother does the same. He closes his mouth to let her talk but she does the same too. Stiles lets out a laugh and watches his mom do the same.
“Stiles?”
He knew that voice. The deep, velvety tone of his voice was something Stiles would always answer to. Its owner being the main cause for his many late night dreams. Stiles smiled as Derek stepped into view but felt his happy side fall short and get replaced by sheer panic. Derek stepped out partially shifted, glowing eyes and fangs out on display for the world to see. Is he crazy! Mom doesn’t know about werewolves, she’s gonna freak! How is he supposed to explain this? ‘Oh hi mom, this is my boyfriend Derek. Don’t mind the claws and fangs, he just decided to meet you dressed up as a werewolf.’ Stiles internally face palmed but let Derek lace their fingers together nonetheless as they both started walking towards his mom.
“Mom this is-” Stiles turned to face his mother but stopped short. His mom was nowhere to be found except for an elderly man that stood in her place. The man returned his equally confused expression and seemed to be holding hands with an unseen person. Stiles chewed his lower lip anxiously and slowly reached out towards the older man, his heart pounding at seeing the other doing the exact same thing. It was as if they were mirroring each other. With a startled gasp, Stiles realized that the older man is actually him!
Derek leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Happy birthday Stiles.” He murmurs against his skin. When Stiles raised his hand to cup Derek's cheek, he recoiled in shock as he stared at his hand in horror. His hand, no longer sporting the young, youthful skin of an eighteen year old, was now wrinkled and worn out looking. He looked up at Derek in a panic and could see his reflection in Derek’s eyes. His old, wrinkled and sunken self. To his mute horror and mortification, Derek simply raised his hand to his lips and kissed the back of his hand, offering him a warm smile.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Stiles jolted awake and reached over to his nightstand and hit the snooze button. He rubbed his face and sat up with a groan. He wasn’t looking forward to the day and just hoped that his dad respected his wishes about not wanting to cause a huge fuss over his 18th birthday. Just as soon as the thought passed through his mind, his dad knocked on his door and walked in holding two wrapped gifts with a sheepish smile on his face.
“Happy birthday kiddo.”
Stiles gives him an awkward smile and holds his hand out for the gifts. “I thought we agreed. No presents.”
The Sheriff shrugs. “Technically, I didn’t. These are from your aunt. Wants you to document your senior year for memories or something.”
Sure enough, after opening both gifts he holds a small camera in his hands and sighs. “Not sure if I’ll be in any of the pictures but I’ll try taking a few pics when I can.”
His dad chuckles. “How's it feel to finally be eighteen? You’re already getting pretty old.” He teases.
Stiles rolls his eyes. “I’m not that old.”
“I don’t know about that. Is that a grey hair?” His dad points to a spot on his head, expression serious.
Stiles eyes widen in horror. “What! No!” He panics and scrambles out of his bed to his floor length mirror to see for himself, only to stop when he hears his dad laughing.
He turns to his dad with a scowl on his face. “Not a funny old man.”
His dad just laughs. “It was a little funny, anyways, hurry and get dressed. You don’t wanna be late to school on your birthday.”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me. Also I’m going to Derek’s after school. Lydia has this sort of birthday dinner at their house.” Stiles shrugs.
The sheriff nods and leaves his room.
Thirty minutes later, Stiles pulls into the school parking lot and parks his jeep. He takes a few quick deep breaths before exiting the car and slamming the door shut. A quick scan of the lot, he spots Scott and the others and makes his way over.
“Happy birthday bro!” Scott calls out a little too loudly, pulling him into a quick bro hug. Stiles winced slightly at the volume in his voice and patted his back. “Thanks dude.”
Allison, Kira, and Isaac smile at him and give their own birthday wishes albeit more quietly than Scott had. He gives his own thanks to the trio as well blushing slightly.
“Uh, hey, you guys mind if I take you guys’ picture? My aunt wants me to do some kind of senior documentary thing.” Stiles explains awkwardly while holding out his camera.
“Yea! I could take the picture if you want, I don’t have to be in it.” Kira offered.
Isaac rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, you need to be in the picture.” The curly haired teen argues pulling her into the frame. Stiles holds up the camera and snaps a quick picture. “Got it.”
Danny, Malia, Violet, and Garrett soon arrive and Stiles finds himself snapping another photo of the group. A familiar jet black Camaro suddenly pulls into the parking space across from Stiles’ Jeep and Stiles has to try and stop the sudden giddiness he feels once Derek exits out of the vehicle.
“Oh great…Hales’ here.” Danny says dryly.
Stiles ignores him in favor of watching Derek heading towards him, a hint of a smirk on his lips. Stiles flushes when Derek is suddenly in front of him and lets himself be pulled into the Werewolf’s arms. “Happy birthday love.” Derek murmurs into his hair and presses his lips to Stiles’s forehead.
“Thank you.” Stiles breathes out shyly.
Derek gives a small nod towards Scott and the others and wraps an arm around Stiles’s waist, pulling him against his side.
“We’ll catch you later bro.” Scott says looking at Stiles with a small smile on his face. Stiles nods and watches as Scott and the others follow behind him.
“Ready to start the day, birthday boy?” Derek teases, already leading them towards the building.
Stiles shakes his head, a smile forming on his lips. “Don’t remind me. I’m still trying to mentally prepare myself for what your sister has planned for me.”
Derek laughs, holding the door open for him. “It’s nothing extreme. Just me and our family.” Stiles visibly relaxes at that.
“And maybe a couple gifts.” Derek adds.
Stiles sighs. “You guys didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I know. But we wanted to.” Derek tells him, reaching down and lacing their fingers together. “Besides, do you really want to be the one to tell Lydia she can’t get you anything?” Derek asks with a knowing expression.
Stiles lets out a small laugh. “Yea I get your point.”
Suddenly a flash of blonde hair came into his vision and he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug. “Happy birthday!” Erica squeals excitedly.
“Shh.” Stiles returns the hug, and quickly looks around making sure no one heard her. Erica pulls back and thrusts a box with a giant bow on top in his direction. “Lydia told me to give this to you and for you to wear it later tonight.” She smiles brightly.
Stiles just shakes his head and rolls his eyes fondly. “Thanks Catwoman.” The she-wolf beams kisses his cheek before skipping to Boyd’s side. The quiet teen nods his head at the human in acknowledgment. “Happy birthday Stiles.”
“Thanks Boyd.” Stiles says with a small smile.
“C‘mon, English class is calling our names.” Derek tells him, leading him towards their class after waving goodbye to his siblings.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Sitting in the back of the room, with their desks pushed close together, while the play for Romeo & Juliet played on the tv screen, Stiles and Derek were having a whispered discussion.
“Will I be hunted down if I decide to ditch the party?” Stiles whispered, still not having warmed up to the idea of a surprise party being thrown for him.
Derek chuckled quietly. “You’ll be fine, I made sure Lydia didn’t overdo it. Besides, it's rather difficult to tell her no.”
“My birthday is not really a big deal, I would have been happy with a card.” Stiles grumbles, fully aware that he sounds like a whiny brat but doesn’t care.
The corners of Derek’s mouth lift slightly. “Try telling her that. Although, if you don’t want to risk upsetting a banshee, I’d advise against it” He jokes playfully.
Stiles huffs, pouting in defeat and turns his attention back to the movie.
They remained in silence for a few minutes before Derek began speaking again.
“I sort of envy him.” Derek said softly.
Stiles blinked in bemusement. “Who?”
Derek nods his head towards the screen in front of the class. “Romeo.”
Stiles frowns and looks back at the screen. “Huh. Well I mean I guess. Juliet is quite beautiful.”
Derek rolls his eyes and sighs. “Not the girl, I meant his suicide. Humans have it easy. Just one deep cut from a normal dagger, jumping off a high building, it is extremely difficult for my kind to die easily.” He explained.
Stiles just stared at him with wide eyes. “What the-why the hell would you be jealous of something like that?”
Derek frowns looking straight ahead. “It’s something I had considered. Just once.” He traces patterns in Stiles’s arm and slowly turns his arm over and runs the tips of his fingers over the barely visible, silvery bite mark on Stiles’ arm.
“I wasn’t sure if I was going to get to you in time. I had to come up with some kind of last minute plan in case you didn’t make it.” Derek confesses.
Anger and hurt flashes through Stiles’s mind. “W-why? Why would you do that?”
Derek gave him an incredulous look. “Well I wasn’t going to live without you. I told you, my world is meaningless without you in it.”
“So, what? You were just going to kill yourself and leave behind your family?” Stiles questions upsettingly.
Derek shrugs. “I love my family…but it wouldn’t have mattered. The day I met you, is the day I knew I’d do anything and everything to keep you safe. If you’d had…died,” Derek says, voice pained. “I would have followed you.”
Stiles just gives him a sad look and squeezes his hand. “It wouldn’t have been your fault.”
“Tell that to my heart. I knew Boyd and Jackson would never agree to help me.”
“Good.” Stiles interrupts.
Derek continues like he didn’t say anything.
“So, I figured I’d try to provoke the Alpha Pack into killing me themselves.”
Stiles blinks. “The what?”
Derek breathes in shakily. “The alpha pack-,”
“Now, who would like to repeat the last lines of iambic pentameter just to show they were paying attention.” Their English teacher suddenly called out to the room.
“Mr. Hale?”
Derek inhaled sharply, trying not to show his annoyance at the sight of Mr. Chases’ smug look.
“Of course Mr. Chase.”
”O here will I set up my everlasting rest and shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh.
Eyes, look your last. Arms, take your last embrace. And lips, O you, the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing death.”
He finishes the last word with a quiet whisper, and laces his fingers with Stiles’ under their desks.
Mr. Chase narrows his eyes at the werewolf slightly before slowly turning to face the screen. “Eyes on the screen class.” He says, a hint of irritation in his voice.
They didn’t talk for the remainder of the class period, and Stiles found himself sneaking small glances in Derek’s direction. The werewolf no longer looked to be paying attention to the play, but seemed to be deep in thought.