Work Text:
Sterer || Teen Wolf || Berica || Teen Wolf || Journey Home || Teen Wolf || Berica || Teen Wolf || Steter
Title: Journey Home – Mischief Mondays Series
TW Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Jeff Davis and MTV. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: m/f, m/m, Erica Lives, Boyd Lives, Jackson Doesn’t Leave, Pack Alpha Derek, Left Hand Peter, Right Hand Stiles, Pack Feels, hurt/comfort, fluff
Main Pairings: Boyd/Erica & Peter/Stiles
Teen Wolf Characters: Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd, Mieczysław 'Stiles' Stilinski, Peter Hale, Derek Hale, Cora Hale, Isaac Lahey, Jackson Whittemore
Summary: After they get out of the basement, Boyd and Erica still decide to leave. They stay in contact with Stiles though and as they try to find a new home, Stiles keeps them updated on how the Hale Pack is doing. Until they make the call to return to Beacon Hills.
Journey Home
Mischief Mondays Series
They were tired, exhausted and still hurt. Sweat and blood was running down their bodies, Erica was shaking with the aftermath of an epileptic episode that she’d had after being cut down from the wiring. Boyd’s arm was tight around her waist, stabilizing her, holding her close. He was a firm and strong wall of heat and protection against her side. He made her feel safe and like she belonged.
“You’re still going to leave, aren’t you?” Stiles asked in a sullen, soft voice.
He was gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles were turning white. Well, they were turning white where they weren’t already scrapped bloody. His eyes were dull, the bruising beneath his left eye very prominent against his pale skin. Erica couldn’t look away from it.
“Yeah, we are. Nothing really changed,” Boyd replied, looking back at Stiles in his car too.
They weren’t getting into the car with him. He had offered to drive them home. Home wasn’t an option for them now though. Right now even less so. The state they were in would raise questions. Questions they couldn’t answer. All the lies that had been piling up lately were just another factor in why they had chosen to run away in the first place. Before the Argents had caught them…
“We wanted to leave because Derek sucks at this and because it’s way more dangerous than he made it out to be! Yeah, sure, Derek told us there are werewolf hunters, but I didn’t expect kidnappings and torture!” Erica hissed, her eyes flashing. “We just got kidnapped and tortured so hunters could get Derek. Because they don’t just want to hunt werewolves, this is all about the Hales. It’s always been about the Hales. It’s some weird family feud between Derek’s family and the Argents and I don’t want to be dragged into it! I don’t want to be hurt anymore, Stiles!”
There were tears burning in the corners of her eyes and her lip was trembling. When he had turned them, Derek hadn’t disclosed just how much pain there would be. Erica remembered the full moon, the medieval torture devices Derek had broken out for them all. And now the Argent basement…
“I…” Stiles trailed off, unsure, his eyebrows drawn together as he looked at him. “I get it.”
For a long moment, they looked at each other and then Erica lunged forward. The car’s door still stood open so she could easily reach Stiles and wrap herself around him. She’d grown fond of him, just the same as with Boyd and Isaac. He was pack, maybe even more so after last night. But just like Isaac seemed to have changed his mind and decided to stay in Beacon Hills, Stiles was also going to stay. And that was okay. Erica and Boyd would be able to make it work on their own.
“Gimme your phone,” Stiles demanded, his voice muffled by her shoulder. “I expect you guys to text me or call me and just… keep me updated how you’re doing, where you’re going. Okay?”
Erica nodded quietly and handed her phone over, watching Stiles type in his number and save it. Boyd handed Stiles his phone next and there was a small, sad smile on Stiles’ lips as he looked at them one last time. This was goodbye. Boyd and Erica were going to start over somewhere.
/break\
“You suck at this and that needs to change,” Stiles announced as he waltzed into the loft. “Also, this place needs… cleaning. And… like… furniture. Not just a sad couch. And a personal touch.”
“I’m gonna give you a personal touch if you don’t leave,” Derek growled out in warning.
Peter slowly walked down the spiral staircase, drawn out by the voice of the pretty and vicious boy. He hadn’t gotten a good look at Stiles at the warehouse, a bit distracted by the kanima turned wolf, the double-crossing first beta of his and the murderous hunters. As Peter reached the last step on the staircase, he had the perfect view on Stiles and all his bruises and scrapes. The scent of blood and pain was heavy in the air and the boy looked clearly exhausted. Peter suppressed the growl that was building up in his chest but he couldn’t keep his eyes from flashing electric blue.
“What,” Peter asked, his voice measured and contained. “Happened to you, sweetheart?”
He caught Stiles’ chin with his fingers, forcing Stiles to look him in the eyes. Those big honey-colored eyes were defiant and annoyed as ever, a small sneer on his face as he tried to dislodge his face from Peter’s grasp, color rising to his cheek. Peter would delight in it more if it wasn’t for the injuries. Finally, Derek raised his gaze, eyebrows furrowed as he also took in Stiles’ appearance.
“Gerard Argent is what happened,” Stiles admitted annoyed, his arms crossing over his chest.
Unlike Peter, Derek didn’t suppress the growl. “What does that mean, Stiles. What happened?”
“What happened is that Gerard’s men snatched me off the lacrosse field last night and before I came to the warehouse to save the day by delivering Lydia, I had some lovely one-on-one time with Grandpa Argent,” Stiles’ voice was dripping with sarcasm and annoyance. “Well, not entirely one-on-one because Gerard clearly likes to be watched. He had Boyd and Erica strung-up in there too.”
The way Derek’s spine went rigid at that told Peter that these names meant something to him. The other Betas, then? By Peter’s account, there should have been at least one more – there was the angsty pup that had left with Derek and was living at the loft right now, the one that the little Argent had sank two knives into, and the failed Beta, the first one Derek had bitten who then turned into the kanima. At least one more must have been bitten to constitute the bare bones of a pack.
“Where are they? Are they alright?” Derek asked and walked to Peter and Stiles. “Are you alright?”
Stiles looked surprised at the question and it just confirmed how utterly Derek had been failing as an Alpha. After all Stiles had done for Derek, the boy should be Derek’s first Beta – bitten or not – and his Right Hand. Instead, Derek had turned all these strangers, these insecure teenagers, and now his pack was falling apart around him. If Peter’s sanity wouldn’t be hinged on this pack, he would be gloating at his nephew’s failure. As it stood, he too required this to change, as Stiles had put it.
“I’m fine,” Stiles grumbled dismissively. “I think Boyd and Erica are too. They were… Well, they were somewhat harmed, but they were already healing when we… parted. They left. They were running away when the Argents snatched them up and after they were released, they still left. Because you suck – and don’t growl at me, Sourwolf, because I’m still here. You may suck, but I’m still here. I agree that you have been doing a mediocre job at this Alpha thing, but I also think that you are improving and I believe that you can improve even more. I want to help you.”
As cynical as Peter was, there was a small fraction of him that felt compassion at the look on Derek’s face. It was pure surprise. Like Derek couldn’t comprehend that someone would help him and not abandon him. Maybe Peter wasn’t the only Hale with issues. It was not his problem though.
“...How?” Derek asked warily, watching Stiles like he was something strange and unusual.
Peter could agree with that assessment. Stiles most certainly was strange and unusual. And Peter couldn’t wait what that magnificent boy was going to do next. The way it sounded, Peter was going to directly benefit from it. If anyone could whip Derek into shape and make him an adequate Alpha, then it was the human boy who had taught a bitten wolf about control. Peter smiled a little, pleased.
/break\
It took a night long hike through the woods until Boyd and Erica reached Silver Lake. It was the closest town into that direction. They were close to collapsing, not having really healed from the torture yet since their bodies didn’t have the chance to heal. The local pack near immediately found them and took them in, for now. They were established, large – a dozen people – with good organization; they went on patrols in pairs to secure the territory. Which was how they had found Boyd and Erica. They were, in short, everything the Hale Pack hadn’t been. They also lived in one big house, all together, like a family, despite not being a familial pack.
“Maybe that’s part of what Derek was lacking?” Erica asked softly in the evening when the two of them were curled together in Boyd’s guest room to sleep. “He came from a familial pack, there like weren’t any bitten wolves in the pack? Maybe he doesn’t know how to handle… any of that.”
They’d been given two guest rooms, but after an hour, Erica had sneaked into Boyd’s room, giving him those big, worried doe-eyes and Boyd was powerless to do anything but open his arms for her. They’d been laying entangled on Boyd’s bed for the past hour, not really sleeping but also not talking, not until Erica had just spoken up at least. One of Boyd’s arms was around her waist, moving his thumb gently up and down, rubbing along her spine. Her curls were absolutely everywhere and should bother him but this close to his nose, the scent was all encompassing. It smelt like her shampoo – strawberry – but also just like her. There was something incredibly soothing about Erica’s scent and Boyd felt like he could stay surrounded by it forever.
“Any of that,” Boyd repeated slowly, tilting his head thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re right.”
Derek had been new to being an Alpha, he had also been new to having a pack with bitten Betas, he was new to a pack that wasn’t his family, he was new to teaching wolves control and even more so to connect with their inner wolves, something that must be coming natural to the born wolf. Maybe all of that had been too much for Derek and the Alpha had been overwhelmed. There were times when Boyd had really believed in Derek, had thought that this was his place. When the two of them had fought the hunters together, in front of the rave, while Erica, Stiles and Isaac had been inside to interrogate the kanima. They had worked together, like a real pack. Boyd had liked that.
“Do you…” Erica trailed off for a moment, unsure. “Do you miss your family…? We just left?”
Boyd tensed at that. The two of them didn’t really know each other. They may have been thrown into this pack together, fighting hunters together and trying to learn control, but they hadn’t really learned anything about each other. Maybe that was another failing of Derek’s. The Alpha had never really bothered to get to know his Betas, or to have them get to know each other. Erica was looking up at him with those pretty Bambi-eyes of hers and he felt his heart melt a little. There was no pack anymore, there was only Boyd and Erica. They could do better now, at least with each other.
“It’s complicated,” Boyd admitted, wrapping his second arm around her too. “When I was little, my sister… my sister died. She died when I was with her. I was her big brother, I was supposed to protect her, but I failed her. My parents… I don’t know if they blame me for it, but I know they’ve never looked at me the same way after. It’s… suffocating. Around every corner in that house is her ghost, haunting me. Making me remember what I lost, how I failed her. That it’s my fault.”
Erica’s fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer and tightening their hug. “Yeah. I mean, I didn’t lose anyone, but I know what it feels like when your parents look at you in a certain way. I’ve always just been my sickness. Dad would probably prefer to wrap me up in bubble-wrap. Everything was always about protecting me, keeping me safe, not… not really about what I wanted or what would make me happy. It was so suffocating and I just wanted to get away from it.”
A small, sad smile tugged on Boyd’s lips as he buried his nose more in her curls. They’d start over, start fresh, somewhere new where their past didn’t define them, where they could just be.
/break\
Stiles’ heart was racing in his chest, threatening to break out of it. He subconsciously leaned more into Peter as the two of them were yelling into Stiles’ phone, telling Derek about the vault’s material and the fact that Cora had been cut off from the moon for who knew how long. His head was still spinning about the fact that the Alpha Pack had kidnapped Cora Hale – that Cora Hale was alive. The Alpha Pack’s threat had come with a warning about Cora. Derek, Peter, Stiles, Isaac and Jackson had worked together to figure out where the Alpha Pack was hiding, until they now finally figured out it was the bank. While Derek took his two wolfly Betas to free Cora, Peter had stayed back at the loft with Stiles, listening to Stiles ramble about what was bothering him and understanding the actual problem, which had resulted in this phone-call.
“Calm down,” Peter murmured, his fingers curling around Stiles’ neck and squeezing.
Three months ago, Stiles would have only freaked out more about having the Bad Touch Wolf this close to his breakable neck. But while Stiles had worked with Derek on his communication and leadership skills, he had also worked together with Peter quite a lot, especially in coming up with a plan to get into the bank. Planning a heist with Peter had been… fun. That wasn’t supposed to be fun. Stiles wasn’t supposed to enjoy spending time with Derek’s formerly feral uncle.
“Derek,” Stiles’ voice had only an edge of panic at this point. “Tell me how it’s going, damn it!”
“Allison broke the mountain ash. Cora ran out. We’re going to chase her. Peter. I need you.”
Peter ground his teeth together. “I’m on my way, Alpha. Where are they headed?”
Stiles was walking before Peter was done speaking. The wolf frowned at him and followed.
“They’re headed for the school. I want to split up, stay in pairs. Come and join Jackson.”
Peter made an affirming noise and put on his jacket. “Darling, I believe he only asked for me.”
“Yeah, well. I’m the Right Hand, this is my pack too, and also I’m the one with the car.”
“I have a car too,” Peter argued, one elegant eyebrow cocked in condensation.
“No,” Stiles snorted and shot Peter a look. “You have a midlife crisis compensation. Do you really want your precious Cobra scratched up by your feral niece, Peter? Or do we take the Jeep?”
He smirked victoriously when Peter glowered and followed him to the Jeep. He’d fought really hard in these past three months for his spot. He had helped Derek become a good Alpha, reconciling with Jackson, growing closer to Isaac, being civil with Peter. It was a small and broken pack – every individual in it was broken in their own way, which only made it all the more complicated – but by now, Stiles thought that they were a good pack too. He had befriended Isaac and was even getting along with Jackson, at least somewhat. Now that Jackson was a proper wolf, he seemed… different. He also knew how important pack was, because he knew what it had been like without one.
“How… are you dealing with this?” Stiles asked, eyes darting to Peter. “With Cora being alive?”
They hadn’t really talked about it. Both Hales had kind of pushed that down and refused to talk about it. As much as Stiles was pushing Derek, even he had his limits. And at this point, he was also attached to Peter and kind of cared about the snarky wolf. Part of whipping Derek into shape had also been to implement proper pack hierarchy. Derek, the Alpha, needed a Left Hand and a Right Hand. The Right Hand was the Alpha’s second in command, their trusted adviser and general. The Left Hand was the Alpha’s enforcer, who protected the Alpha and the pack from any threat as best as he could. It was, apparently, a position that Peter had already had with the old pack. Stiles had been somewhat surprised when Derek asked him, but then… the Alpha’s only other options were Isaac and Jackson and yeah no, neither of those two were fit for that position.
“I’ll be dealing with it when I know what state Cora is in – and if it’s really her,” Peter replied.
There was a cold edge to his eyes and a tightness to his mouth, but Stiles had learned to read the wolf well enough to know that Peter was tense. He’d lost everything, Laura and Derek had chosen to abandon him. Cora was family that had been taken from him but could return. She was… hope. Stiles really, really hoped that this would work out, for both Hale men. For all of them, really.
/break\
Erica and Boyd had only stayed in Silver Lake for about a week before they had been asked to move on. Turned out the pack that had compassion for the two teen wolves hurt by hunters had less compassion when they learned that Erica and Boyd had turned their back on their Alpha and chose to leave their pack. It seemed that loyalty was really valued high by the wolves. And they didn’t want to hear anything about Derek not being a good Alpha – because they had known Talia Hale and regarded the Hale Pack highly, thinking there was no way this was a Hale’s fault.
The pack at least had mercy on them and gave them a couple hundred bucks before sending them on the way, but they did so to help out the Hale Pack. It was a bit infuriating for Erica – okay, it was a lot infuriating. They weren’t Hale Pack anymore. They were looking for a new home!
The two hitchhiked their way over to Fox Creek, still in Beacon County. There was a pack there too, the Ito Pack. But Alpha Ito was a very strict and stern woman and she didn’t seem in the business of taking in new members. She too allowed them to stay for a while, to regroup, but she sat them down and very seriously told them to get their act together, grow up and go back home.
Boyd and Erica had headed toward San Francisco, after that. Figuring that they may have a better chance in the big city and also to get further away from Beacon Hills. Not that they managed to really leave Beacon Hills behind. They had Stiles’ number and they used it, a lot. Keeping him updated on how their journey was going, where they were, how the local pack was, what they were doing. Stiles, in return, kept them updated on what was going on in Beacon Hills.
“Heh, hey, Boyd, look,” Erica rolled over to show Boyd her phone. “Blackmail material.”
Stiles had sent her a photo of Derek and Cora doing what looked like a hug. Apparently, finding and rescuing his supposed to be dead sister had softened Derek some. Stiles was very proud of him for his progress – and he was super not subtle about how he kept telling them that.
“He looks… happy,” Boyd commented softly. “That… I’m glad for him.”
Erica raised her eyes to look at him, seeing that he was genuine. For a moment, Erica mulled it over. When they had first left, she had resented Derek. For lying – because he said the bite would heal her, but it didn’t, she had had seizures again under the kanima venom and when exposed to electricity – and for the torture-devices, for the angry way he led them, lacking compassion. They’d been gone for four months now, having spend three of them here in San Francisco, and with the time and distance, Erica didn’t feel that strongly anymore. At his core, Derek was a deeply traumatized guy who had lost his whole family and had tried to force a replacement pack.
“Yeah,” Erica whispered softly. “Good for him. Stiles says that Derek’s reconciling with his dead uncle too, you know? That part is still wild to me. I mean… Derek killed the man, stole his Alpha spark, after the uncle had killed Derek’s sister first to steal the spark from her, and now he is… back alive. And part of the pack. I swear that family could feed a whole telenovela.”
Boyd gave a soft chuckle, his dark eyes so warm. A slight blush rose to Erica’s cheeks. The longer the two of them stayed together, the closer they got. The more they moved, the more it felt like it was just the two of them against the rest of the world. They’d started out in a really cheap motel in San Francisco, then they got jobs and earned at least enough to upgrade to a small one bedroom apartment. Boyd was working at a mechanic’s shop and Erica was waitress in two diners.
“You want pizza for dinner today?” Boyd asked, turning toward their fridge. “It’s… empty.”
Both worked hard, often times they were too exhausted to go grocery shopping. Though on his days off, Boyd would cook for them. He was really good. Erica loved those days, when they got to be lazy, together and just have fun. It felt weirdly domestic – well, it was domestic by definition, but it felt the way it should with family, or maybe something more. It made Erica’s heart race.
“Do you wanna go out for pizza?” Erica blurted out before she could change her mind.
Boyd furrowed his brows at that, looking somewhat confused. “We could just order some…?”
“No, I mean, going out. Together,” Erica flushed and bit her lips. “Like a… date? Maybe?”
Stiles had given her that stupid idea. He’d told her, one evening when the two were on the phone, that the way she talked about Boyd sounded like she had a crush. She had stared at the wall wide-eyed for a long time, wondering about it. In the end, she realized that he was right. Over the past months, she may have actually fallen in love with Boyd. That the other wolf was really handsome was undeniable, but something about his quiet, calm demeanor really complimented Erica’s louder, wilder side. They fit together, they balanced each other out. And everything they had been through in the past months, the way they stuck together. Parting had never crossed either of their minds.
“Okay,” Boyd’s voice croaked a little. “Yeah. Let’s… Let’s go out for pizza, then.”
Erica beamed, her smile nearly splitting her face. While Boyd got changed, Erica quickly shot Stiles a text about how she was going on a date with Boyd – and that Stiles should get onto bagging his own wolf. Oh, Erica had totally noticed the way Stiles kept talking about Peter Hale. He talked about Peter more than anyone else in the pack, how Peter and Derek’s relationship was going, that Peter and Cora were rally rekindling things and had cleared the air between them and that them talking about Laura had also helped heal things between Peter and Derek, that Peter and Jackson were a horrible duo, how smart Peter was, how impressive Peter’s book collection was, how stupidly obscene Peter’s v-neck shirts were (though Erica had to admit that one was true after Stiles sent her three different example pictures. She also had to admit that the man was fine). It was painfully obvious that Stiles had a crush on Peter. Regardless of how hard Stiles tried to deny it.
/break\
Peter had never expected Derek to become a good Alpha, if he was being honest. Perhaps part of it was pettiness. Derek had stolen the Alpha spark from him, after all, so why should he want the boy to succeed? Yet over the summer of Stiles forcing Derek, Peter, Isaac and Jackson to work together and become a proper pack, Peter saw Derek grow. And then they freed Cora together and got to reunite with her, all three of them talking about Laura. It had been a hard conversation, a loud and aggressive but also soft and painful one, and it had gone a long way in healing them. There would always be anger and resentment, from Peter for them leaving him and from Derek for Peter killing Laura, but they were now both willing to head into the future together.
“Pe—eter,” Stiles’ voice was a soft whine that did things to Peter that were entirely inappropriate.
Jackson on the couch snorted at the sound. Peter shot the other Beta a glare before he aimed a perfectly charming smile at Stiles. The boy was sprawled out on the couch, his legs over the backrest of the couch and his head hanging upside down over the edge.
“What can I do for you, sweetheart?” Peter asked with a purr, approaching his boy.
There was a low scoff from Cora too and Peter chose to ignore his niece. The pack was having one of those mandatory ‘pack nights’ that Stiles had insisted on to make the pack bond. They had been perceived as cruel and unusual punishment by absolutely every other member of the pack at first, but over the months, they had all grown used to it. Maybe even fond of it. Peter quite liked Jackson, the jock reminded him of himself, he had an appreciation for Isaac’s dry attitude and, the most important part, pack nights meant he got to spend the entire evening in Stiles’ presence.
In the beginning, they were his only chance to be close to the boy. By now, he was delighted that Stiles sought him out even outside of them. To research the Alpha Pack together at first, now to also research the Darach and everything else that caught Stiles’ interest. Stiles was greedy for knowledge and Peter? Well, Peter was greedy for Stiles so he was happy to use knowledge as bait for his prey.
“Look what Erica sent me,” Stiles held up his phone. “Boyd’s been taking some baking classes and she gets to be his guinea pig. These brownies look absolutely delicious. Do you know how to make brownies? I can cook, but I can’t bake for shit, I just don’t have the attention-span for it. My mind gets distracted between steps and then everything is ruined and stuff. But you are a great cook, so?”
“So, do I also know how to make brownies?” Peter asked amused, earning a nod. “Yes, I do.”
He remained standing, just watching the boy. Stiles pushed his lower lip forward and somehow his already ridiculously big eyes widened even more. Peter felt himself melt. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for that boy. The initial intrigue and attraction had long since grown into so much more and Peter was quite determined that Stiles should be his, in every sense of the word.
“Peter,” Derek growled annoyed. “Just make him brownies. I can’t look at that face.”
“That is honestly so rude, Sourwolf,” Stiles huffed and threw a pillow at their Alpha.
“For being the only not-wolf in the room, you have stupid effective puppy-dog eyes,” Isaac said.
“Ah. Better,” Stiles praised with a grin and sat up, aiming said eyes at Peter. “Well?”
“Not puppy,” Peter said with his head tilted. “Bambi eyes. Big, sad Bambi eyes.”
There was a stretch of silence before the other wolves all grunted in agreement. Stiles yelped wide-eyed and then glared at them all. Peter smirked pleased and headed to the kitchen to make his boy those brownies. He was allowed to provide for his chosen mate, make him food.
/break\
The Hayes Pack in San Francisco had been… tolerable of them. They’d been in the territories of two other packs within San Francisco before landing here. The first pack had practically chased them out, thinking they were too lose to being omegas, posed a danger. The next pack was simply not interested in adding any new members. They had been kind of snobbish, expecting someone new who wanted to join the pack to actually offer something useful to the pack. That had stung, but in a way Boyd also understood. If packs accepted every wolf who walked into their territory, they could bring danger and disaster to their own packs. Alpha Robert Hayes was kind and welcoming.
“Morning, babe,” Boyd murmured, voice rough with sleep as he rolled over to look at Erica.
She blinked sleepily at him and then smiled softly. Erica in the morning was still his favorite. She wore her make-up and her clothes like armor, but when they were in bed alone, she was just herself. Soft and vulnerable, and she allowed him to see her like that. It made him fall in love even more. Leaning in, he brushed his lips against hers, her fingers slowly wandering over his chest.
“Good morning,” Erica grinned. “What’s on the plan for today?”
“We have to make a decision,” Boyd whispered lowly, resting a hand on Erica’s waist.
The grin slipped from Erica’s face at that. Pack was a commitment. And though Alpha Hayes was kind, it just… didn’t feel the way it should. The way they both thought it should. It didn’t feel like pack. Robert had talked to them about it, told them that new Betas needed some time to acclimate, to see whether they felt at home with the pack and whether the pack got along with them. He’d given them a month’s time so they as well as the Hayes Pack could see if this could work.
“It’s weird,” Erica huffed in frustration. “Like, with other packs in the past, there was… hostility, or other issues. There was a concrete reason why it didn’t work. This just…”
“Doesn’t feel right?” Boyd suggested with a small smile, nodding. “Yeah, you’re right.”
Things in Beacon Hills may have been messy and complicated and painful, but with each other, with Isaac and with Stiles, things had felt right. That was what they thought pack should feel like and they were seeking that… just in a more peaceful territory, with a more stable Alpha. Erica groaned softly and rolled over to grab her phone to distract herself. She cooed softly.
“Aw, look at that,” Erica held up her phone with a picture of Stiles and Isaac on a couch.
Boyd felt a pang of longing in his chest at that. He wanted pack, but pack was back in Beacon Hills.
“Things in Beacon Hills have calmed down,” Boyd whispered softly. “Stiles said that Peter tore the Darach’s throat out, that the Alpha Pack are dead and gone too. The pack has… really come together. Stiles said that Derek trusts them more now, doesn’t he?”
“I mean, Derek chose Stiles over his… girlfriend,” Erica winced. “I do feel bad for Derek on that.”
Learning that the woman Derek was seeing was actually the bad guy they were hunting must have been a low blow. That Derek had pushed through that, with his pack, showed his growth. Many of the things Stiles had told them over the months were signs of Derek’s growth.
“You want to go back,” Erica said after a long silence, looking at Boyd knowingly.
Heaving a sigh, Boyd sat up against the headboard and pulled Erica flush against his chest. “Yeah. I think… I think we needed to get away to heal. But I also think that… this place isn’t home.”
“Beacon Hills is a hellhole filled with painful memories,” Erica argued reluctantly. “Is it home?”
“Our pack is home,” Boyd countered, pressing a kiss to her temple. “You are home and I think that Stiles and Isaac are too. And maybe… this Derek could be too. We’ve all grown.”
Erica hummed softly and pressed her lips together. “I… I do miss them. And my parents…”
Boyd forced a smile at that. He had to admit he did too. Running away had been childish but being away had put some things into perspective. It may not have been so long yet but he still felt much more mature than he had that night after the basement.
/break\
Stiles was buzzing out of his skin. He’d already told Isaac, but only Isaac, about Boyd and Erica’s decision to return to Beacon Hills. They hadn’t seen each other in months, but Stiles still felt that thrumming that he had come to understand meant pack for them both. He had helped Derek shape the Hale Pack through trials and pain, they had survived the Alpha Pack and the Darach together, but there was still a hole that was shaped like Boyd and Erica. They had been OG Hale Pack, with Derek and Isaac, they belonged there too. And Stiles still couldn’t shake the memories of the basement, still jolted awake screaming some nights.
“Did you have coffee and energy drinks again, sweetheart?”
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, grounding him. When had Peter Hale’s touch started to calm him? He still remembered fear and terror, on the lacrosse field. So much had changed since then. He turned his head to look into concerned blue eyes. Peter rounded the couch to sit with him.
“What’s troubling you?” Peter wanted to know. “...It’s not a new threat, is it?”
Stiles snorted softly. They finally had peace. When the Darach had taken Stiles’ dad, Melissa and Chris, Stiles had felt like his world was shattering. They’d needed to find the Nemeton and Peter, Peter had let Derek use the Alpha claws on him to unlock the memories of the Nemeton. It had been a huge sign of trust, to let Derek and his claws this close. Stiles was so proud of both Peter and Derek for how far they had come and so grateful for them both in their help to save his dad.
“No, I think we are actually allowed a small reprieve of peace,” Stiles grinned and then started bouncing a little. “But Boyd and Erica, they… they wanna come back home. Do you… Do you think that Derek would allow them back into the pack? I mean, they left, willingly, because he was a bad Alpha, and now that he’s a good Alpha they wanna come back and I’d totally get if he said no because it feels like they cheated out of doing any of the healing and growing and want to just reap the benefits, but I miss them like crazy and they should be Hale Pack and-”
Two soft hands cupped his face gently and he immediately fell silent, staring at the wolf with wide eyes. His heartbeat was racing at the closeness between them. Erica’s teasing words came to his mind again, how he should ‘get his own wolf’. He hated that she was right, that against better judgment, he had somehow fallen in love with Peter. Swallowing hard, he licked his lips and then flushed when he noticed the way Peter was tracing the movement of his tongue.
“Easy,” Peter murmured. “You’re spiraling. We talked about this. Slow down for me, mh?”
Stiles nodded sharply and subconsciously leaned closer to Peter. It was instinct at this point to seek the wolf out. However, Peter was already so close that they were now only a breath apart. Stiles’ heart stuttered when he realized just how close their lips were now. His eyes darted between Peter’s lips and Peter’s eyes and before he could overthink anything, he pressed his lips against Peter’s. He swallowed hard when he pulled away, seeing the surprised look on Peter’s face.
“That… wasn’t where I expected this conversation to go,” Peter offered slowly. “To answer your question, I think that Derek has grown as an Alpha enough to recognize that they were scared teenagers. There is a lot of work to be done on both sides to build trust, but I think that he will be willing. This pack has proven to be a culmination of second chances, after all.”
“Okay, great. Hugely reassuring,” Stiles nodded. “The kiss. Now say something about the kiss before I start freaking out that I just ruined the friendship we have built forever.”
Peter smiled and it was a softer and warmer expression than Stiles had ever seen. The next moment, Peter leaned in and pressed his lips to Stiles’ in a much longer and deeper kiss. Good answer.
/break\
Derek stood tense, with his arms crossed over his chest. To his left stood Peter and to his right stood Stiles, his Left and Right Hand. It had given him a stomach ache at first, to consider putting that much trust into his uncle. At this point, Peter had earned that trust and, at the very latest, when he had killed Jennifer – the Darach – he had shown that he was still the efficient, ruthless Left Hand that the Hale Pack could rely on. Stiles had been a no-brainer. The boy had been the brains behind most that had happened in Beacon Hills before the summer and even when Derek was still packless and they were hunting Peter, Derek had quickly come to rely on Stiles. Behind the three of them stood Cora, Isaac and Jackson, a united front. The Hale Pack.
“Relax,” Stiles murmured softly, giving Derek a gentle nudge.
All Derek gave in return was a grunt. Three days ago, Stiles had told him that Boyd and Erica wanted to come home and that they wanted to rejoin the Hale Pack. He had been able to read the nervous and excited energy in Stiles. Derek knew that both Stiles and Isaac had stayed in contact with them even after they’d left. Derek’s eyes darted behind him to Isaac who stood tense too. They wanted Boyd and Erica back. Derek… Derek didn’t really know what he wanted.
“Batman!” Erica yelled the moment her and Boyd reached the meeting spot.
Derek had chosen the preserve for the meeting. While Erica jumped Stiles and hugged him closely, Boyd pulled Isaac into a hug. Something in Derek’s chest ached as he saw the four of them together. That was how his pack had started and grew. He was proud of how far he had come, how far his pack had come, but the failure of the past did still haunt him. He knew he hadn’t been a good Alpha to Boyd and Erica. He’d worked to prove himself for Isaac and this could be his chance to also prove himself to Boyd and Erica. To do better by them. Be the Alpha Stiles thought he could be.
“Derek,” Boyd met his gaze and then he bared his throat in submission, eyes flashing golden.
Erica did the same and both of them stood before him, hearts racing nervously, holding each other’s hands as they feared rejection from the Alpha. Derek had bitten them, pulled them into this world. He had grown enough to see that they had run out of fear. If they were willing to give him a second chance, he was willing to give them a second chance too.
“Welcome home,” Derek flashed his eyes red, the smallest smile on his lips.
~*~ The End ~*~