Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gold eyes watched the pack as Derek waited for the teenager in front of him to say something…not that the thing was really a teenager or even a human but it looked like one.

The creature was as rare as a hen’s tooth and Derek remembered being mystified by the stories that he’d heard as a cub, hoping to meet one but now with it staring him in the face Derek wanted nothing more than to have it gone.

 Gangly limbs shifted restlessly as the thing stared at them, large eyes set in a face that was dotted with freckles and Derek’s eyes flickered to the creature’s lips, lips that were curled into a smug smirk as the fae held his gaze.

“What do you want?” Derek demanded, thankful that none of the pack were trying to interact with the fae because these things could go from nice to deadly in the blink of an eye and they liked to…collect things. The last thing Derek needed was for it to decide that it wanted to add a teenage werewolf to its collection.

The fae snorted crossing its arms. “I want a lot of things…endless supply of curly fries, world peace but I’m not gonna get any of those cause my dad's not big on the whole breaking of rules thing so I’ve learned to settle,” The fae babbled and Derek couldn’t help the exasperated sigh that escaped him because he had enough trouble dealing with Scott’s warped sentences, he didn’t need to be getting a second dose from a creature that shouldn’t have even been in Beacon Hills in the first place. The fae pouted when Derek didn’t rise to his bait. “Come on dude, you can’t be that sour all the time or your face is gonna get stuck like that.”

“What do you want?” Derek gritted out again.

The fae blinked, cocking his head to the side. “Ok, no beating around the bush with you, huh? Well I kind of want two things….first I want to be part of your pack….”

“No,” Derek growled but the fae held up his hands.

“No, no hear me out. If I can be part of your pack I don’t have to step on your toes because I sort of have to protect these woods and you’re kinda squatting on my territory and I really don’t want to fight you all,” it explained, hands gesturing wildly and though there was no hint of a threat in the thing’s voice Derek knew that if the fae attacked them….it wouldn’t end well.

“You said two things,” Derek reminded it, ignoring the way his pack was shifting uncertainly behind him.

The fae grinned, sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. “The second thing is more of a work in progress, I just really want to climb you like a tree….and let me tell you I’m really good at climbing trees,” it purred and one of the betas choked on a laugh.

Derek sighed, swiping a hand across his face. “I’ll think about your first request.”

“And the second one?” the fae inquired, eyes fixed on Derek’s face and the alpha couldn’t understand how he’d missed the scent of arousal clinging to the creature’s skin.

“Not happening,” Derek informed him turning away.

“Challenge accepted, dude!” The fae laughed and when Derek turned to tell him there was no challenge the thing was gone, leaving nothing but the smell of lilies in its wake.

Chapter Text

*O*

Scott started as someone flung themself into the seat behind him. The seat had been empty ever since Mindy Smith moved away last month, the only person who occasionally occupied it was Isaac but Isaac had a free period which usually left Scott at the mercy of Mrs Hudson, their old history teacher.

Shrugging Scott resettled his head on his desk. Maybe one of the others had decided to switch seats, either way it wasn’t any of his concern…..

“Psst!”

Scott sighed as the person behind him rattled his seat before resigning himself to the fact that he really wasn’t going to be able to catch the nap he’d been looking forward to. Scowling he turned around and froze when he caught sight of the person who’d been annoying him.

“Hi!” the fae grinned, amber eyes gleaming in the light and Scott could feel himself hyperventilating but he didn’t have asthma anymore and he didn’t have a pump. What he did have was a deadly creature, if Derek was to be believed, smiling at him like mystical creatures just appearing in his class was normal.

“Dude, shut your mouth or you’re gonna catch flies,” the fae admonished and Scott’s mouth clicked shut without his permission.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” Scott whispered.

The fae shrugged, slouching in his seat and seriously the thing looked like every other teen Scott had met, amber eyes aside. “I’m here to learn the ways of your people and take over the world.” The fae responded blandly and Scott gaped. “Nah, I’m just messing with ya. My dad’s got a job so I’m supposed to blend in and be a good little human and what better place to do it than here? I get to learn, I make new friends and you guys get to give talk, dark and handsome messages for me, at least until he changes his mind and admits he’s hot for my bod.”

Scott wrinkled his nose. “I’m not gonna be the go between for you and him! And you really can’t be here!” he protested.

The fae just smirked. “Yeah, well my admissions form says otherwise. One Genim Stilinski otherwise known as Stiles, that’s me, is officially a student of Beacon Hill’s High. The way I see it, you’re stuck with me wolf-boy.”

“Derek’s not going to be happy about that.” Scott retorted, hoping that the threat of the alpha would shake the creature up a bit but the fae just grinned, leaning forward.

“Derek as in Derek Hale?” he questioned and Scott shook his head but the look on Stiles’ face said he knew that Scott was lying. “Oh, oh, this is good. Now I know why he flipped my switch so hard, I mean all you wolves have the whole animal magnetism thing going for you but Derek…I wanted to climb inside his skin the second I saw him being all broody. And that sounded way less creepy in my head but I’ve said it so yeah, me in Derek’s skin or his bed, I’m not too picky. But I don’t usually like like guys I’ve been lusting after that kid for years and then….” he trailed off, eyes narrowing in thought and Scott exhaled a sigh of relief when the bell rang, but before he could move the fae’s attention flickered back to him. “Tell Derek that I’ll be seeing him soon,” the fae told him and for a second something shifted beneath the creature’s skin , giving Scott a glimpse of what this thing really was but the image was there and gone before he could react. By the time his brain rebooted the fae was gone, leaving only a yellow rose to mark that he’d ever been there.

Scott reached out to touch the thing but the second that his fingers brushed the petals, the flower crumbled leaving a pile of dust in its place.

Chapter Text

Finding the old Hale house wasn’t hard because Stiles had been here before, when his mother was still alive. It was a shock to see it now though. In his mind’s eye the house had been grandiose brimming with energy and laughter. Now it was dark and as silent as a grave.

There was no one home; he could tell that much by the stillness of the air but Derek’s presence clung to the area which meant that the alpha was still living here.

Stiles wrinkled his nose at the thought of anyone living in this place.

Stepping onto the porch he tried the door and he wasn’t surprised when it swung open because werewolves were practically their own alarm systems so why would Derek need to invest in a lock?

Inside the house wasn’t better than the outside and Stiles frowned at the blackened walls.

He’d assumed that Derek had just taken over from his mother as the pack’s alpha but now he wasn’t so sure.

Taking another step Stiles let himself breathe.

Something had happened here, something that had changed the entire energy of the place, twisting it into a foul parody of what it had once been.

He could feel the memories pressing in on him trying to break through the thin veil that kept him in the waking world but Stiles kept them at bay as he took step after step until he could see the living room from his vantage point.

Turning in a slow circle he inhaled, letting the toxicity of the presence that lingered in the charred walls seep into his lungs like his mother had taught him.

Pressing his hands against his chest Stiles exhaled, pouring his energy into the spell that sent his will spiralling from him wrenching at the chains that bound him to Beacon Hills as they’d held his mother before him and around him the world shifted.

The blackened wood peeled away from the walls, leaving it white and pristine even as the light from the evening sun died away, casting the house in shadows that tugged at him as Stiles descended the stairs.

In this place Stiles was almost a part of the memory itself but at the same time outside of it. Nothing that happened here could touch him but he couldn’t interact with them either, cursed to simply watch and nothing more.

A lone howl rolled through the air and it took Stiles a moment to realize that it was coming from beneath him.

Of course the pack would have had somewhere to stay safe during the night of the full moon but everyone wasn’t here yet. He couldn’t feel Derek and the howl hadn’t been a call for the hunt. Instead it was the call of an alpha telling her pack to come home.

The moon wasn’t up so that meant that Derek was most likely still at school but as a wolf he would be able to feel the call and Stiles knew it wouldn’t be long before he came running.

Stiles had just taken a step towards where he assumed the basement was when the memory froze like the world itself couldn’t bear to see what was happening. Stiles stumbled forwards as the scent of smoke caught his attention, clogging the air around him as it rolled through the house like a fog, followed by the crackle of burning wood.

He didn’t think, he just ran, tearing through the unfamiliar house as screams rent the air, cries for help and howls mixing into a cacophony that threatened to tear him asunder.

The door to the basement was easy enough to spot and Stiles grabbed at it but his fingers slid through the thing like it wasn’t there even as flames licked at the base of the door racing out until they were lapping at Stiles’ feet but he didn’t see that, didn’t even notice as the fire spread to the rest of the house.

The screams grew, changing in intensity until they were little more than animalistic sounds of pain and fear but Stiles couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t fucking save them.

The thought sent him to his knees as he pounded against the closed door because these were his lands, his family’s lands. How the hell had something like this happened here? How had…..

The thought trailed off as Stiles was suddenly yanked from the basement and suddenly he was out on the porch staring out into the darkness as sirens wailed in the distance.

But Stiles didn’t see that, he didn’t hear the crackle of the fire or the silence that weighed on his soul like an anchor trying to drag him down because somehow while his family had been mourning his mother Derek had lost his entire pack.

None of that mattered as Stiles stared at the woman watching the Hale house burn.

Stiles didn’t know her, had never seen her before but he knew a fucking hunter when he saw one and as far as he knew there was only one family of hunters that called this place their home.

*O*

Derek shoved the door to his house open, his lips pulling up into a snarl at the unfamiliar scent in the air. He hardly had the time to make out the frozen figure of the fae standing at the top of his stairs when the boy blurred with a shriek that sent Derek to his knees.

The cold gust of air that swept over him slammed the door as it fled from the house. By the time Derek had managed to clear the ringing from his ears the fae was gone, leaving a trail of roses fluttering down against the burned stairs.

Derek stared at them in confusion before he forced himself to his feet, blinking away the stars still dancing across his vision.

He wasn’t sure what the hell had just happened but he had the sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t good.

Bending Derek plucked one of the flowers from the floor only to yelp when the damn thing burst into flames.

Derek grimaced at that because he didn’t know much about the fae but he was pretty sure that that wasn’t a good sign.

Chapter Text

Stiles’ presence stretched until he was nothing but air, existing only through sheer force of will as he spread over the woods that surrounded the Hale house. He could feel it now, the emotions that he hadn’t noticed because he was so caught up in finally returning home. The very woods wept for the tragedy that had happened here, it was imprinted into the soul and it grew in the trees. The forest shared Derek’s pain broadcasting it to the skies and Stiles took it all. He absorbed the pain and sorrow until it was all he was and he sent it spiralling outwards into the skies laughing as they darkened.

He retook his human form as the first drop of rain fell and it felt like a benediction pressed against his skin as he stood, arms outstretched as if to embrace the very skies.

His heart hurt, his chest felt like someone had reached inside it and tried to rip his lungs out but he knew that these weren’t his feelings; he was just reflecting the memory of the pain that lived in the walls of the old house. He couldn’t understand how Derek could stay there because Stiles would have razed it all to the ground.

The sound of soft footsteps made him tense and he spun with a snarl only to freeze when he came face to face with the very man that he’d been thinking about.

Derek was watching him warily and Stiles wondered what he looked like, right now?

“What were you doing in my house?” Derek demanded and Stiles barely choked back the hysterical laughter bubbling in his throat at the thought of that place.

“Look I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but your house is sort of a tomb, dude.” Stiles shot back and Derek’s non-reaction told Stiles all he needed to know about that. He couldn’t exactly judge Derek, not when he’d spent most of the years after his mother’s death cuddling with any article of her clothing he could weasel past his dad.  “I didn’t actually mean to go to your house,” Stiles continued when Derek just stared at him. At least the wolf wasn’t flashing any teeth because with Stiles’ fragile state of mind that would have gone down about as well as someone brining a flamethrower to a dynamite factory. “Your beta kind of let your secret identity slip, not that it would have been secret for long because I’m awesome at aggressive observation and research. Google is my bitch.” Stiles told him and Derek just rolled his eyes but Stiles wasn’t exactly blaming him for that one. That was the reaction that most people had to his babbling, after all. “Where was I?”

“Your relationship with google,” Derek deadpanned and Stiles wanted to kiss him because come on, the guy was cute and had a sense of humour even after what had happened to him.

“Yeah, like I said I found out from one of your puppies who you were so I decided to pay your pack a visit but…..” Stiles trailed off here, the sorrow welling up like it wanted to smother him. “I expected more of you, I remembered more of you.” He finished on a whisper and Derek’s eyes narrowed as he stared at him.

“You’re from Beacon Hills?” he inquired and this time Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Of course I’m from here. What, did you think I was making up the whole prior claim thing so that I could muscle in on your territory?”

At Derek’s silence Stiles shot him a withering look.

“Really? Shakespeare writes a few freaking lines about trickster fairies and suddenly everyone expects us to lie about shit and fly around on tiny little wings that look like a rainbow puked on them,”

“And you don’t?”

Derek’s voice was still speculative and Stiles really wanted to kick the guy in the shin but he wouldn’t because he wasn’t actually three years old, despite what his dad said, and werewolves were built like freaking tanks. He’d probably end up with a broken toe and a bruised ego.

“No we don’t…..” he gritted out before thinking that over. “Ok we kind of do but not all the damn time so you can hop down off your high horse Van Helsing, because you don’t see me throwing around movie tropes like we’re in a remake of Mean Girls,”

The look on Derek’s face said that he didn’t get the reference and Stiles’ annoyance melted like ice cream in July. If he didn’t think that Derek would take off a finger he’d have flung himself at the alpha ages ago. Derek made Stiles want to just wrap him up in cotton and do really, really nasty things to him.

 Not necessarily in that order either.

“Do you ever finish a sentence?” Derek asked after a pause and Stiles flashed him a brilliant smile that was about as real as the Prada bags he’d seen some of the girls at his new High School parading around with.

“I’ve got ADD so sue me,” he shot back, rubbing at his arms when another drop of rain hit his face. It wasn’t at all surprising that Derek didn’t even seem to notice the rain that had was coming down on them both. After all werewolves thought that roughing it meant sleeping in caves with a bear or two. A few drops of rain was probably more of a nuisance to Derek than anything else but Stiles couldn’t help the shiver that made its way through him as another few drops hit his skin.

Licking his lips he met Derek’s eyes. “Was it your entire pack?”

Derek didn’t even pretend to not understand the question as a growl rattled from his chest. “My pack is still strong. You’ve seen them.”

“I’ve seen the bunch of kids that you’ve been totting around and I know that you know that they’re not the pack I’m asking about,” Stiles shot back.

The air between them seemed to crackle with Derek’s anger but Stiles held his ground because this wasn’t him being nosey, this was fucking important!

“It’s none of your business.”  Derek snapped, fur sprouting along his cheeks.

“In case you missed the fact that this place….” Stiles spread his hands wide, letting the wind embrace him. “This all comes under my protection so you’re fucking stupid if you think I won’t find out what’s been going on. Humans might have short ass memories most of the time but trees never forget and they’re not half as quiet as you think they are.” Stiles continued, dropping his hands to his side to hide the ways they were shaking. “I’ve been in your house, I felt what happened there. I saw it,” he breathed, ingoing the way that his voice cracked as the grief and pain rose up like a wave inside him. “I’m not asking this shit because I’m cruel. I’m asking because there’s a part of me that wants to raze this whole fucking town starting with the first hunter I find and I can’t do that!” he snarled, tugging at the sleeves of his hoodie.

“Why?”

Derek’s voice made Stiles’ gaze shift from his own feet to the man’s eyes.

“You didn’t even know the, so why would you want revenge?”

Stiles chuckled bitterly at that. “Because my family made a pact. We guard these woods because we’re as much a part if it as you are. When it hurts, we hurt,” he explained slowly, praying that Derek would understand. When his mother had died Stiles had no one to lash out at, no one to blame, so he’d pushed all his anger down, hidden it behind the quick smiles that he offered his father and an endless fountain of words. But this was different, this pain came with a face and Stiles’ blood sang with the need for retribution because someone had hurt what the fae had claimed as theirs. Someone had thought themselves above the pact that everyone knew.

“She’s dead.”

The words yanked Stiles from his thoughts and he frowned at Derek.

“The person who killed my pack is dead,” the alpha explained. There was a hint of something else in Derek’s tone but Stiles couldn’t detect any outright deception.

“So those guys really are what’s left of your pack?” he asked and Derek inclined his head.

“I lost one pack and I built a new one,” he offered up, his voice steady and Stiles exhaled slowly as he took that all in.

“Ok,” he whispered, glancing at the dark skies overhead. “Ok, that’s good.”

His anger was draining from him like the ground beneath his feet was sucking it into itself and Stiles swayed for a moment before he caught himself just as Derek took a step forward.

Stiles held up a hand to stop him. “Nah, I’m fine. I just think I need to go home and sleep.”

Derek didn’t say anything to that but as Stiles turned his back on him he could feel Derek’s eyes boring into him until the trees blocked their view of each other.

Chapter Text

Stiles draped himself over his father’s back and it said a lot about their relationship that the Sheriff didn’t even drop the coffee he was drinking. That was despite the fact that Stiles hadn’t used the door again.  His mom used to say that the sheriff had a touch of magic to him but to Stiles he’d never been anything other than human. It was his humanity that made his Dad magical in Stiles’ eyes.

“Bad day at school,” the sheriff guessed as he sipped his coffee, absentmindedly reaching other one shoulder to ruffle Stiles’ hair.

Once upon a time the move would have made Stiles frown but after his mother had died, he saw every second with his Dad as the gift it was.

“School was fine,” he muttered finally when the silence started to feel heavy with his Dad’s worry.

The sheriff hummed beneath his breath and Stiles straightened so that his father could make his way to the sofa before flopping across the man’s lap.

His Dad shifted his coffee so that it wasn’t directly over Stiles’ head before speaking.

“I’m taking it you saw the Hale pack then? I came across the report today, damn tragedy.”

Stiles huffed a little as the memory of the fire ripped through his mind. Turning he buried his face against his father’s leg, breathing in the familiar scent of gun oil and home that clung to the Sheriff.

“I know that humans can be just as cruel as any supernatural creature. I know that but there were kids down there, Dad.” He whispered, remembering the whines and the sounds of screams that had echoed from the locked basement.

“Knowing human nature doesn’t mean that we can accept it.” The sheriff responded but he didn’t try to placate Stiles and for that he was thankful.  “So what are you going to do about it?”

Stiles turned so that he could meet his father’s eyes. “I’m going to protect what’s left of them.”

The sheriff nodded, holding out the rest of his coffee as an offering and Stiles rose so that he could take a sip. Stiles didn’t need words to know that his Dad was with him because if there was one thing that could be said about the Stilinskis it was that they stuck together.

*O*

Derek knew that the fae was out there again. He could smell him even from the house and his wolf was caught between wanting to run the boy off their lands and fear of what the fae could do if provoked. It left Derek in an uncomfortable limbo for a few days before he snapped.

Leaving Boyd and Isaac in charge Derek followed his nose out into the woods.

As he walked he noted the places where the fae’s scent was stronger like the teen had lingered in certain places longer than others.

At each spot there was a ring of flowers…a fae circle. Talia had told all her children about the circles and why it was important that they avoid them at all costs unless they wanted to be stolen away.

Derek wrinkled his nose at them, but skirted the circles because tempting fate wasn’t something that he was willing to do.

Finding the teen wasn’t exactly hard and Derek paused as he caught sight of the teen.

Today the fae was wearing a red hoodie that cast shadows around his face. He was standing in one of the circle of flowers, fingers outstretched like he was reaching for something. His eyes were closed and as he raised his hands his head tipped back sending the hood tumbling off his head.

There was a crackle of something humming through the clearing and Derek’s wolf pawed uncertainly at the barrier that kept it under control as the fae’s lips began to move.

Words slipped from the teen’s lips but Derek couldn’t recognize any of them as the humming became louder until he could feel it rattling through his bones and it took all his self-control not to retreat. No matter what the fae said these were his lands and he wanted to know what the hell the kid was up to.

The sound rose until Derek had to cover his ears as the hum changed into something sharp and piercing that felt like it was trying to burst his ear drums.

Then as suddenly as it had started it stopped and the fae dropped his hands to his sides, exhaling harshly in the silence that settled around them.

“You know that shit does not get easier, no matter how many times I do it,” the fae whispered, his eyes still closed but Derek knew damn well that he was talking to him.

“What the hell were you doing?” Derek demanded and this time the fae’s eyes opened, the rich amber ringed with black until the teen blinked.

“Setting up protection circle, what the fuck did it look like I was doing? Because I sure as hell wasn’t making an offering to a fertility God or something even though God knows that if anyone deserves to get laid, it’d be me.” The fae muttered, brushing himself off as he stepped out of the circle which shrunk until all that was left of it was a single flower swaying in the wind.

“We didn’t ask for protection,” Derek pointed out tersely because he could protect his pack. He ignored the tiny voice that pointed out that he hadn’t done a really good job at protecting his pack before.

The fae shrugged. “That’s all good and well but I’ve got a duty here and I’m gonna do it, if you catch my drift. Plus I had to make up for barging into your house and my Dad really doesn’t want to have to start issuing restraining orders against his own kid so this is me giving you a peace offering.”

The words “And you’d better take it,” weren’t said but the glare that the kid shot his way heavily implied it.

Derek pinched his nose as he stared at the teen but the fae didn’t even twitch. “And you’re just going to keep making these and staying out here forever?”

“Well for any part of forever when I’m not at school or sleeping, or eating, or watching TV….” Derek held up his hand to stem the flow of words.

He’d gotten enough information from Deaton to know that having the creature on his side was a good thing though Derek wouldn’t be doing a happy dance anytime soon.

“Fine, come with me,” he ordered spinning on his heels before marching back towards the house.

“Dude, does this mean you’re totally on the ‘let Stiles into your pack’ thing?”

“First, this is a trial run, also Stiles is an unfortunate name that I didn’t want to believe.”

“Hey, fuck you, Stiles is an awesome name. You wish your stupid face was called Stiles,” the fae muttered.

“Stiles, shut up!” Derek growled glaring at the kid from the corner of his eye but Stiles just grinned.

“I feel like this is going to be the start of a beautiful relationship between us.”

Chapter Text

Derek didn’t know how to cope with Stiles. On a daily basis the fae would swing between friendlier than a puppy to homicidal and back at the drop of a hat. At least his betas seemed to like the teen or they were too terrified to not like him.

In all honesty Stiles didn’t look or smell threatening but sometimes Derek would catch a glimpse of something else hiding behind the teen’s human façade and he was man enough to admit that it worried him. Having Stiles with the pack meant that he knew where the fae was most of the time and that was enough to settle some of Derek’s anxiety.

As if conjured by Derek’s thoughts Stiles shoved the door open, grumbling to himself when it hitched. There was a tense stand-off between door and fae but finally Stiles sighed and slipped through the crack, kicking the door shut as soon as he was inside.

Unwrapping his fingers from the top of the doorframe Derek crossed his arms across his chest as he waited for Stiles to notice him.

Honey coloured eyes found Derek’s in the dim light and Stiles huffed out a breath. “Dude, I think your house hates me,” he complained as he stepped closer, dropping his backpack on the floor and Derek’s fingers twitched with the need to pick it up. Having a pack of teenagers had apparently turned him in a neat freak or a den mother…Derek wasn’t sure which one was worse.

“You’re supposed to be at school,” Derek responded eying the way that Stiles’ shadow seemed to flit between the patches of darkness that blanketed most of the living room.

Stiles wrinkled his nose at that, his eyes darting to the side and despite the lack of change in his scent Derek could read body language well enough to know that the fae wasn’t pleased about something.

“I kinda can’t and before you start on about drawing attention to myself I’ll have you know that my Dad totally gave me a pass for today,” Stiles muttered, his fingers tangling in the hem of his shirt and for a moment the scent of ash hit Derek full in the face. “My mom died today so it’s a little hard to stay human, you know? I usually take the day off completely but I thought I could manage it this time around.”

Derek didn’t say anything to that because what could he say? The only reason why he hadn’t wolfed out when he’d heard about the fire was because every part of him, wolf and human had just stopped and then Laura had been there offering him an anchor. He knew first-hand that grief could rip apart even the sturdiest sense of self control and no one was going accuse Stiles of having much control over his self. The fact that the fae trusted him enough to come here when he was vulnerable made the wolf grumble happily but Derek kept his focus on Stiles because the teen looked miserable.

“What do you need?” he asked.

A year ago Derek wouldn’t have asked. A year ago he would have told Stiles to sort out his problems on his own but being alpha had taught him a lot. There was no one above him to sort of the pack’s problems and despite the fact that Stiles wasn’t truly one of them, the fae was pack where it counted.

Stiles twitched, his eyes widening for a second as he searched Derek’s face. Whatever he saw there made him nod and some of the tension bled from him.

“My mom and I…we used to run together. I know that wolves do it too and I would’ve gone alone or I can still go alone but if you want, you could…I mean, it’s not like I’m asking or anything but…”

It took a lot of Derek’s control to not roll his eyes at the teen’s babbling. “Stiles!” he barked interrupting the flow of words. “If you want to run, we can.”

“Ok, I mean thanks because you know you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to cause we can’t exactly keep our human form when we’re…..” Stiles trailed off as Derek tugged his shirt over his head. “Alright…I guess we’re gonna run then,” he finished lamely and this time Derek did roll his eyes as he walked past the fae, shoving the door open.

*O*

The further into the woods they got the more agitated Stiles became and if the kid was a wolf Derek would have ordered him to cut it the fuck out.

Finally they were far enough to avoid the occasional wanderer and Derek turned to Stiles cocking one brow in expectation.

The wild eyed look that Stiles shot him almost made Derek growl in frustration and Stiles must have noticed that he was at the end of his tether because the teen sighed.

“Look, I’ve only done this with my mom so don’t judge alright?”

“Stiles, I turn into a wolf. You’ve seen us howl at the moon and eat raw meat; I’m not exactly in a position to judge.”

Stiles licked his lips and Derek’s eyes tracked the motion absentmindedly. “Ok, alright,” the fae nodded, mostly to himself. “You’re gonna wanna stand back for this,” he warned and Derek took two steps back because Stiles hadn’t led him wrong yet.

Stiles glanced at Derek one last time before closing his eyes and inhaling. On the teen’s exhale the forest breathed with him.

The grass at Stiles’ feet began to inch upwards until they covered both his legs. Vines dropped from the trees overhead and Derek took a step forward in shock but the things curled under Stiles’ shirt tugging at it until the fae raised his hands allowing the vines to pull the shirt over his head.

It was then that Derek noticed the green tinge that seemed to be creeping across Stiles’ face even as his ears lengthened vanishing into the cluster of leaves that were sprouting from Stiles’ forehead.

The change took barely a second but to Derek it seemed like a lifetime before Stiles opened his eyes and the solid gold that greeted Derek made the teen seem even more alien.

Stiles’ lips tugged up into a small smile when Derek kept staring, revealing a mouthful of teeth that would make any wolf proud. “How do I look?” he asked softly his voice ghosting over Derek’s ears like the wind but Derek could hear the uncertainty in his tone.

Instead of answering Derek stepped out of his jeans, unashamed by his nakedness. “You look like you might keep up,” he shot back before he let the wolf free, his own body shifting as he took off.

As he ran the sound of Stiles’ laughter echoed after him then a second later a green blur shot past him and Derek did the only thing he could….he chased.

Around them the woods seemed to blur and for a second Stiles’ laughter was joined by the pounding rhythm of feet and paws that Derek knew couldn’t be real. He pushed himself faster, no longer only trying to catch Stiles but trying to outrun the ghosts of a past that would never stop haunting him.

Then Stiles was there, running beside him and Derek didn’t know when the other sounds had bled away, when the cool touch of the shadows had given birth to the warmth of the sun and a part of him didn’t care.

This was his territory now and he had a pack at his back. They weren’t perfect, none of them were but Derek could work at it and as Stiles’ mad cackle rose around him Derek was pretty sure that they’d be alright.