The night of the winter formal is chaotic.
A lot of stuff goes down.
Lydia is attacked by Peter Hale.
Derek is rescued from being tortured by Kate Argent.
Who is subsequently killed by Peter.
Who is then killed by Scott, proving an old myth true by becoming human again.
Just like he wanted.
Amidst all of this, Peter Hale asks Stiles Stilinski if he wants the bite in a parking garage.
Stiles says ‘yes’.
Stiles stumbles into the clearing. It had taken him longer than expected to recover from the bite, bind his wound, and get to the Hale house.
Long enough that it looks like the action is over.
He hadn’t really known what to expect. He’d accepted the bite. Not for the reasons Peter said. Not for power or popularity or anything.
He’d accepted it so he could stand with Scott. Be pack and not just his best friend and brother.
Derek had said that wolves need a pack. Peter was obviously the worst alpha. Derek had potential but they’d all fucked everything up in the beginning.
Scott needed a pack now and Stiles would be it.
Except Scott’s bloody hand was clutching his chest as he made a wheezing sound Stiles was all too familiar with.
An asthma attack. The kind Scott hadn’t had since become a werewolf.
Bloodied hand. Wheezing breath. And Peter’s cooling corpse with its throat torn out.
Stiles was the ‘clever’ one. He could put the pieces together.
Either Derek had let Scott kill Peter so he could become human or Scott had gotten to Peter before Derek.
Didn’t matter.
What mattered that Scott was human. And Stiles isn’t anymore.
Stiles had bet on the myth being false. Or Derek not letting Scott kill his uncle. Or even Scott not being able to kill someone.
He figured the odds were small that this night would end with a human Scott.
He’d taken his chances.
He couldn’t tell if he won or lost.
He was happy for Scott. Of course he was. Scott hadn’t asked for the bite. Didn’t want to be a werewolf.
Stiles wasn’t even sure he wanted to be a werewolf. But he’d wanted to support Scott and give him a pack.
Stiles scrambled into the jeep to get the emergency inhaler he still kept for Scott. Ran it over and got him breathing again.
Watched as Scott beamed and left with Allison and her dad.
Stood as Jackson got into his car and left.
Had no idea what to do standing here with two cooling corpses and the only other werewolf in Beacon Hills.
Derek didn’t know why Stiles was still standing there. Why he hadn’t left like everyone else. Derek had expected to be alone, at the end of all of this.
He cursed at his ever terrible luck. While he hadn’t completely made up his mind, he’d planned on killing Peter himself. He wasn’t thrilled at the idea of killing his remaining family member but he didn’t want to risk Scott becoming an alpha.
Derek had been weakened by the torture. Scott had moved just a bit faster.
He’d gotten to Peter first and slashed his throat with far less hesitation than Derek had expected.
The little shit had actually become human again.
Which meant that Derek was really and truly alone in the world.
Omega.
Or he should have been.
Stiles was still just standing there. Derek suddenly realized that he was standing still. It was unnerving because he was almost always in constant motion.
Even sleeping, he moved more than he was now.
Derek felt a shiver of worry run down his spine.
“Stiles,” nothing, “Stiles!”
Stiles flailed and Derek saw the bloodied bandage at his wrist. He was in front of Stiles grabbing the wrist before it even started to fall.
“Heyyyy, Derek. Yeah. So. Funny thing happened earlier. How long before we know that the bite isn’t being rejected?” Stiles asked with a sheepish expression.
“When… How…” Derek didn’t even know how to begin asking the right question.
“Okay. We definitely need to talk. But we need to do it somewhere that isn’t here. We also need to take care of these bodies. Ideas? Suggestions?” Stiles actually paused long enough for Derek, if he could’ve found the words, “No? Okay. So this is probably going to sound horrible and morbid, but I think we should grab these bodies, put them in the house, and torch it.”
Derek flinched.
“Fuck. I know. But if we play this right, we can pin the murders on Kate. Say she was trying tie up loose ends. So she killed her accomplices. Kidnapped Peter. Grabbed you. And was going to finish the fire she started. I came out here to drown my sorrows after being ditched by Lydia at the dance. Saw what was happening. Ran into the house, startled Kate into dropping one of these handy self-igniting molotov cocktails, she went up in flame. I grabbed the closest person, you, dragged you out but by the time I had you out the house was fully engulfed. They won’t be able to tell that Peter and Kate died from neck wounds if the bodies are burnt. Sound good, big guy?”
Derek just nodded. He knew Stiles was smart. That he thought quickly on his feet. Derek didn’t want to see what was left of his family and home burn… but it could work.
“Great! You need to do the heavy lifting, sourwolf, ‘cause I’m not a werewolf yet and I can’t pick Peter up.”
They set up the scene. With the use of the cocktails, it only took minutes for the house to burn hot.
Derek tells Stiles, “The bite took. I can smell it.”
“Because that isn’t creepy or weird,” Stiles mumbled.
Stiles was exhausted. It had been a really long night.
Emergency services had come. By the time the fire trucks arrived, all they could do was ensure the fire didn’t spread to the nearby woods. It was too hot and the structure already too unstable to risk going in.
He’d told Derek to say he’d been unconscious when Stiles had pulled him out of the house. To say that the last thing he remembered was from a few hours ago or whatever.
This meant that all the police questioning had been directed his way. It hadn’t been easy lying to deputies he’d known his entire life.
Still. It was finally over and he was able to go home.
His dad had to stay behind because he had a lot of work to do.
Stiles hoped that Derek was waiting. Because he was already starting to feel an itching sensation under his skin. The world was feeling a little sharper.
He was mentally exhausted but his body… well, it felt better than it had any right to.
Derek was waiting and had taken a shower, which was good. Stiles needed one and jumped in before saying anything.
Next was food. He made a bunch of whatever and served it.
He and Derek sat at the table.
“Soooo… I’m a werewolf. And you’re a werewolf. Does that mean we’re brothers? Like you told Scott? Because I know we’ve had kind of an iffy relationship so far, but I am 1000% down with being your werewolf bro. How do we do this? Cut our palms and become blood brothers?” Stiles looked eagerly at Derek.
“Why did you take the bite? Especially from Peter?” Derek asked.
“You told Scott that he needed a pack. You and Scott get along even worse than we do. So I figured, if Scott needs a pack, then I’ll be that. When Peter asked he said a bunch of stuff about the powers and whatever but that’s not why I did this,” Stiles rubbed his head.
“Humans can be pack. There were humans in my family.”
“Oh. Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Man, things have been so crazy. And, um, we definitely weren’t on friendly enough terms for me to show up and ask you a bunch of questions…”
“Well. My sister and alpha had just been murdered. And then you and Scott blamed me for her murder. Then blamed me for another murder. I don’t know why you guys think I’m the villain,” Derek said grumpily.
“Okay. Look. You can tell from the whole ‘me taking the bite so I could be Scott’s pack thing’ that I support my friends. It was his idea both times to blame you and I went along with it. Which, yeah, I realize was super shitty. So, I’m sorry. Scott hated you because you kept telling him to stop seeing Allison. I know I threatened to leave you to die at the side of the road, but I didn’t! Um, sorry about that too. I know that none of this was your fault. That you’ve been trying to help and we’ve been shitheads. But look how I helped tonight. Totally didn’t have to do any of that. We’re werewolf bros now! Um, unless you don’t want to be. Which, fine, I know I’ve been an asshole and I’m annoying, there is a reason I only have one friend, so I totally understand…”
“Stiles,” Derek growled, “Stop. Fine. We can be pack. With Peter dead and Scott human, I don’t have a pack anymore. It’s dangerous to be an omega. Also? Becoming a werewolf for pack and not for power is one of the best reasons I’ve ever heard.”
Stiles stared for a long moment, stunned. Because that sounded like actual praise. From Derek Hale.
“Great! Werewolf bros 4lyfe!” he held his fist out for Derek to bump and he got what was probably the most reluctant and grumpiest fist bump to ever bump, “Um… Can we actually have a pack without an alpha? Is it really just as easy as calling each other pack and it’s done?”
“If we had an alpha, we’d become pack by submitting. Usually involves a bite–”
“Because of course it does!” Stiles interjected.
“–to create a pack bond but without an alpha, there are a few ways to build a pack. The most common is mating. If a wolf mates, their mate is automatically pack. We can fight for dominance and when one submits, the other becomes a pseudo-alpha. The last is actually pretty close to the blood brothers thing you mentioned, but with an oath to create the bond,” Derek explained.
“Wow. From what Scott has said, I think that’s the least vague answer you’ve ever given to a werewolf question. You must really want this pack thing to work. Which, cool, I do too. While I’m going to have a million questions about mates later, I’m guessing that one isn’t an option,” Stiles waits for Derek’s nod, “The fighting for dominance thing seems a little… much. Especially since you were born a wolf and have like 50lbs of muscle on me. Plus, I think I’d want to know you better before I ‘submit’. That leaves blood brothers. What’s the oath? Also, pack bonds? Why didn’t you say anything to Scott?”
“Scott didn’t want to listen. But he knew about them since it’s how the alpha was trying to call him out. It’s this metaphysical connection that ties pack together. It’s what helps keep us anchored and prevents us from going feral. The oath can be anything, as long as it’s sincere and pledges your loyalty and strength to the pack.”
Stiles nodded, “Okay. Let’s do this! I want to do this before I finish turning so that I’m as anchored and human as I can be when I’m done.”
They both cut their palms and clasped hands. As Stiles uttered the final word of his oath, he felt the bond snap into place. He couldn’t describe it if he tried.
It was like that sense of safety he got when he hugged his dad. Or the warmth of his mom’s memory. The confidence of knowing your place in the world. The beauty of belonging. The joy and relief of not being alone.
It was all of those things. And none of them.
It was pack.
Derek left the Stilinski house feeling cleansed. He had a pack again.
He hadn’t realized just how much loosing Laura, his alpha and pack, had been impacting him. His thoughts already felt clearer.
Already he could see how being an omega had been fucking with his mood and behaviour. How unnecessarily antagonistic he’d been with Scott.
He wasn’t, in fact, an angry asshole always one step away from violence.
Sure. He was angry. Who wouldn’t be? But he knew to keep a tight grip on his temper. And he wasn’t even all that angry in an immediate sense. It was more a distant, abstract anger at the loss of his pack. The sharpest edge of his anger was always turned towards himself. At his own vulnerability and weakness.
Even taking into account his grief, he barely recognized the person he’d been since Laura died.
He knew how he responded to grief. It was to become withdrawn and isolated. Not angry.
It was the first time he’d been an omega, been without a pack. Maybe he could’ve managed better if he’d known or been prepared.
Too late now. But he was so grateful for Stiles.
Sure Stiles needed pack as much as he did. But Stiles had saved him from becoming a monster.
He shuddered to think of how he might have acted if he’d gone straight from omega to alpha. What the drive to build a pack would’ve caused him to do.
Derek made a promise to himself.
He’d already lost two packs.
He would not lose a third. He knew he wouldn’t survive it.
So he’d protect Stiles. Would do whatever it takes to ensure he never regretted being Derek’s pack.
Derek would get over himself and his shit so that he could be the pack Stiles needed.
Stiles was feeling wired in a way entirely unfamiliar. He was used to feeling twitchy and hyper. This wasn’t like that. He felt like he was about to burst with energy.
The sensory overload he was dealing with was kind of a lot. This was going to take some adjusting. He understood, better, why Scott had been on such a hair-trigger when he’d turned.
So many things about the world seemed sharper. Sounds and smells grating in ways that they hadn’t before. He suddenly wondered if it was because his recently human brain didn’t know how to process this level of sensory information yet. Wondered if Derek had the same problem and if that’s why he was so grumpy.
He didn’t have to go to school today, his dad letting him stay at home because of the long night and, well, trauma.
At the edge of his senses one thumping heart snagged his attention. A scent teased his nose.
It was Derek.
Some inner part of him that had been coiled with tension suddenly eased and everything felt so much more manageable.
He didn’t have long to wait for his window to open and Derek to slide in.
The burst of Derek’s scent was… Stiles didn’t even know. But he found himself clutching at Derek and sticking his nose in his neck because, wow, Derek smelled good. It was like every awesome and comforting smell rolled into one.
He felt the vibration of Derek’s chuckle, “Hi, Stiles. Nice to see you too.”
A warm hand sweeping down his back. An arm coming around him to squeeze.
Jesus, was this what pack was supposed to feel like? How had Scott resisted this?
He pulled away feeling like he should be embarrassed but he really wasn’t. That had been too good.
“Um… hey, Derek. So I basically just pounced on you. Sorry about that,” Stiles said.
Derek rolled his eyes, “Why are you still bothering to lie? You aren’t sorry. It’s okay, though. You’re new and I’m pack. We can work on your subtlety later.”
“Wasn’t Scott part of your pack? Why were you both so… against each other?” Stiles wondered.
“We were only technically pack. My uncle was my alpha because he killed my sister. Scott’s alpha because Peter bit him. Both of us were rejecting him, though. Now that I have a real pack again, I can see how I was sliding into becoming an omega and it was fucking with my head. Making me more aggressive than I’d normally be,” Derek answered.
“Wow. That’s the most words you’ve said in one go. Shit. Going omega must’ve really done a number on you if this is who you are with a pack. Like… you’re still grumpy but you aren’t exuding angry, asshole vibes. Does this also explain why Scott was such a douche as a wolf?” Stiles asked.
Derek nodded, “I tried to tell him that pack was necessary but I did it all wrong. I was too scared and angry. This has all been such a mess.”
“True. But we have each other now! So that isn’t too bad. And Scott might not’ve wanted you to be his wolf Yoda, but I sure do. I’d really like to get a handle on these senses so they aren’t so overwhelming. I have school tomorrow and I need to be able to deal.”
Derek was a surprisingly patient and good teacher when his brain wasn’t hopped on omega rage.
As much as Stiles would’ve liked to be some kind of wolf prodigy, he wasn’t. His ADHD hadn’t gone away, although it was somewhat more manageable. He managed to get enough control that school the next day wasn’t horrible.
Stiles and Derek barely had time to catch their breath before their next big challenge.
Kate Argent had been confirmed dead. Body identified by dental records. What she’d done had been very big news. Because the sheriff had found enough evidence to tie her to the original Hale fire. And enough for the recent murders.
This meant funerals, though. It meant more Argents coming to town.
It means Gerard Argent comes to town.
It means he comes to town and they watch as he cuts an omega in half and declares war on werewolves.
It’s a problem because while they are a pack, they’re only two betas.
A bigger pack would make them stronger. But without an alpha they can’t expand. Can’t turn any new wolves.
Sure they could add some humans but they don’t have anyone they can trust.
Not Jackson who came demanding the bite and threatening to expose them.
Not Scott who is steadfastly pretending like the supernatural world doesn’t exist.
Certainly not Allison or Chris (not that Derek would trust them and Stiles isn’t much more inclined).
Allison left Derek to be tortured and Chris did nothing to stop his dad, despite a token protest.
So far, no one knows that Stiles is a werewolf. But that actually makes Derek more vulnerable because he looks like an omega.
They’re at Stiles’ place and everything in Derek is screaming runrunrun. There’s a reason why he and Laura left. They would’ve preferred to stay. Be with Peter. But when you’re being hunted, you have to go to ground. You can’t afford to have dead weight (which was an awful way to think of Peter but…).
Stiles is pacing and Derek just latches on. He needs the scent and comfort of pack right now. Stiles melts in his arms and they spend long moments breathing each other in.
“You know. Being turned is almost worth it for this alone. Nothing calms my panic and anxiety like hugging and scenting you. I could’ve really used this after my mom died,” Stiles mumbles in his chest.
Derek smiles. Because he knows, “Laura and I spent a lot of time cuddling after the fire. I think it’s the only way I got through it all.”
Stiles pulls back slightly and smiles. It doesn’t last.
“Ideas for what to do? I’m really worried here. Kate was able to take down your pack when it was big and strong. She also didn’t care if she killed humans. How much danger is my dad going to be in?” Stiles asks.
“My instincts are telling me to run. Run far and fast. I’d love to stay. This has been my family’s territory forever. But there’s a reason why Laura and I left.”
“Running… not my favourite idea but, yeah. It’s the only way I see us getting out of this. And I can’t risk my dad. Scott’s probably fine because he’s human and dating Allison. But I also don’t know that he likes you enough to not blab. We can’t run together. Or it can’t look like that. Does anyone even know you’re still in town?” Derek nods because he doesn’t go out much but he needs gas and food, “Good. You’re going back to New York. You’ll contact my dad to let him know where you’ll be in case he has more questions or whatever. You’re the most obvious target. Your name being Hale and all. No one knows I turned. Haven’t even told Scott. So I’ll be fine for a week or so.
“Then, fuck my life, I’m going to run away. It’s going to kill my dad but not really because he’ll be alive and they should leave him alone. Even if my dad is the Sheriff, he can’t use police resources if I’ve run away, instead of going missing. It’ll have to be convincing.
“When you get to New York, buy an RV off of craigslist or whatever and drive to Reno. I’ll meet you there. You can buy us some burners before you go.
“Wait. Fuck. What are we going to do about money? It’d be awesome if we could get some fake IDs. Otherwise, shit will get tough for us. I especially need something that says I’m eighteen.”
“Breathe, Stiles. We don’t have to worry about money. I’ll stop at the Hale vault and get some cash and bonds. We’ll have a few million. I already have false documents. With bank accounts and everything. Laura and I already did all of this once. I can get documents made for you in New York. The RV is a good idea. It’ll keep us moving and leave almost no paper trail. The less you’re seen, the better. But make it two weeks. I’ll leave tomorrow and I’ll need a bit of time to get your papers and everything set up.”
“Okay. Okay. Wow, it’s kind of awesome to see this competent side of you. Go team!” Stiles pumps his fist into the air.
Derek’s packmate is ridiculous.
Stiles feels better now that they have a plan.
He doesn’t have any desire to stop hugging Derek, though. It really does feel amazing. And the man smells so good.
Almost… suspiciously good.
Like. His dad smells good. It’s homey and comforting. Derek is pack so maybe that explains some of it but… he seriously smells like every good thing Stiles has ever wanted rolled into one ruggedly handsome, muscly package.
He’ll look into this later.
For now he has to make plans.
The first thing he does is tell Scott that Derek left town. He only does this once Derek confirms that he’s in New York. Stiles worried that the hunters might’ve intercepted him.
He knows that if tells Scott, he’ll tell Allison, who’ll pass it along to her family.
Stiles starts laying the foundation for his eventual running away.
Tells Scott he’s having trouble sleeping because of the nightmares he’s been getting. Asks Allison if she can get him a knife or a gun because he’s afraid all the time. Starts staying out late, skipping school, not doing his homework, and getting detentions. His dad is mad and disappointed all the time and it fucking sucks.
Stiles starts ‘sneaking’ his dad’s booze. Heck, he even drinks it because why not? It doesn’t do anything but he likes to pretend it might. He starts smoking and the smell is disgusting.
All of this will paint a picture of a teen who isn’t coping well.
He drains his savings account by withdrawing money every day. Not enough to trigger any flags but he has two weeks to do it. He also – and this really sucks – starts stealing money from his dad. It’ll add to the illusion.
It’ll be believable when he writes a note and runs away.
He knows his dad will look but he won’t be able to use police resources. Not for a runaway. He could get away with it in Beacon Hills but no other department will waste the resources.
Kids run away all the time. It sucks but there isn’t anything the police can do about it.
No one will connect him with Derek. Not when he’s on record accusing the guy of murder twice. He never had Derek’s number and they’ve never contacted each other on his phone – he’s been using the burner to keep in touch.
He spends the next week and a half on a razor’s edge of anxiety.
It tests his control. Derek left several shirts that Stiles uses when it starts getting really bad. The fact that he’s skipping a lot of class also helps. It’d be great to spend more time in the preserve but it’s too dangerous with all the hunters.
There’s one really shaky moment when Gerard and some of his cronies ‘casually’ bump into him at the store.
They proceed to ‘gently’ interrogate him about the night Kate died. He sticks to the official story. Plays dumb when they hint around werewolves.
It helps that he babbles and talks and flails a lot. Knocks a few things over. Plays up being clumsy. By the end of it they think he’s an idiot but they don’t think he’s a werewolf. So he counts it as a win.
Derek freaks the fuck out when Stiles tells him about it.
He picks a day when he knows his dad will be working the night shift and overtime. It’ll give him plenty of time to drive to the Bay Area and ditch his jeep. Big cities are a great place for runaway teens to get lost.
Stiles figures that the tear stains on the note he writes to his dad will help convince him.
He writes a note for Scott. With subtle hints about the supernatural motivations for running away. He knows it’ll make Scott cover for him. Insist that he really did run away.
He grabs his bag and leaves.
Derek’s two weeks separated from Stiles are agonizing.
He wants to be with his pack. He hates flying. But he also didn’t want to lose the Camaro, so he stores it in one of the other Hale vaults.
It takes him a week to get stuff squared away in New York. He owns the apartment he and Laura shared, so it’ll act as a ‘permanent’ address for him.
Getting the fake papers for Stiles is easy enough. There’s a whole network of supernaturals involved in this sort of thing. Fake identities are frequently the domain of vampires. They live long lives and, in this modern world, need good identities to stay under the radar.
He gets several sets made for both of them, in case one identity gets compromised.
Derek gets a current one that says he’s eighteen. He smiles knowing that Stiles will be amused by this. But will also appreciate that Derek is competent when he has time to plan. He figures that if they’re travelling around in an RV and camping, they can both say they are taking a gap year.
He modifies the idea by buying a truck and a camper. He figures it’s unlikely to see two guys going around in an RV. He considered getting an old VW bus but decides that if they’ll be living out of it, he wants something where they can bathe and cook. He goes all in and buys some dirt bikes and a trailer. Not only will it help sell the story, but give them something fast and maneuverable if they need to make a quick getaway.
Derek gets himself ready by growing out his beard. He’d been mostly clean-shaven in Beacon Hills. Only some stubble. He gets a douchey eyebrow piercing, trims his hair, buys some new clothes. He looks in the mirror and shudders at the dudebro, fratboy look he has going. He’s wearing a polo shirt – collar popped – and blue jeans. He has Oakley sunglasses hanging from his shirt. A backwards baseball cap.
He hates it but amuses himself with the thought of how Stiles will react when he sees Derek.
Once everything is squared away, he has a week to make it to Reno.
Before Stiles became a werewolf, he never would’ve hitched anywhere. Now he’s pretty much guaranteed that he’ll be stronger and tougher than anyone who picks him up. It also really helps that he can smell when it’s a bad idea to get into a car.
It isn’t like evil has a smell or anything. But if you open a car and get strong traces of fear or, well, cum, he figures that he wants nothing to do with it. Mostly it isn’t too bad. A lot of the people – especially the truckers – who pick him up are really just dying for some conversation and company.
If there is one thing Stiles does well, it’s talk.
It takes him a few pre-emptive drop offs for him to finally learn how to have a real conversation. In the past, he’s mostly just babbled and info dumped on people. There’s a reason Scott was his only friend. But when your conversational partner can and will stop the car and ditch you on the side of the road? You learn fast how to fall into the proper give and take of a conversation.
It’s a new skill.
Once he’s developed it and had lots of practice, turns out that people actually find him pretty likable.
Derek had sent a picture of what their new ride looks like. He’s actually impressed at the detail and thought Derek put into it.
When he reaches their meeting spot he trips and chokes on air. Because Derek Hale looks like the douchiest dudebro he’s ever seen. Worse than Jackson.
Derek’s grinning and laughing at Stiles’ antics and, wow, horrible wardrobe aside it’s really beautiful. Stiles’ heart skips a beat but he pushes those thoughts away.
“Oh my, god. Derek. Why do you look like that? What happened to the sourest wolf to ever wolf?” Stiles sputters.
“What? You don’t think I look good, bro?” Derek says with a cocky smile.
Stiles is pretty sure his brain just broke.
Derek’s face goes serious, “I figured our cover story can be that we’re taking a gap year before college. Travelling around and seeing the country. It’s why I picked the truck and got dirt bikes. Though the dirt bikes can be used if we need a fast getaway. We’ll have to go shopping and get you some new clothes so you can look the part.”
This is the moment Stiles Stilinski learns that he has a competence kink. It’s probably the worst possible moment to learn this about himself.
He also learns that he likes beards.
(He has a sneaking suspicion that it’s really just Derek he likes but he can’t dwell on thoughts like that or Derek’ll smell it. Not that Derek will necessarily know that Stiles’ boner is for him. But still.)
Stiles goes in for a hug and for the first time in weeks feels tension bleed out of his shoulders.
His packmate is right here. Warm and solid and smelling so good.
Derek is… glad Stiles likes their cover story. He is.
What he didn’t anticipate is that Stiles is surprisingly toned underneath his baggy clothes. He’s not skinny (as Derek thought) but lean and lithe.
Combined with his pretty face, he’s exactly Derek’s type. It isn’t good because Stiles is young. He’s also a werewolf now and will be able to smell it the moment Derek starts having thoughts.
He focuses on what they need to do.
For all that they have moments of levity, they aren’t actually on a fun road trip.
His fake name is ‘Darren’ and Stiles just calls him ‘Dare’, makes it easy and he feels like himself. Stiles’ fake name is ‘Mike’ of all things. Stiles refuses to be called Mike, though. He can’t use ‘Stiles’ because it’s too distinctive. He tells Derek, with the slightest salt tang of tears in the air, that his nickname will be ‘Mischief’. He doesn’t explain why and Derek doesn’t ask.
So begins Dare and Mischief’s Epically Awesome Road Trip of Fun, as Stiles calls it.
They use the nicknames. Even in private because they both know that just because they can’t see or hear anyone, it doesn’t mean that no one is listening.
They head south in Nevada first to do some desert camping. Not too far because Stiles’ first full moon is fast approaching. They spend the night running around in the desert.
It’s the freest Derek has felt in years.
Stiles has no problems. He’s firmly anchored on pack and family.
It isn’t easy but they settle into a routine. They drive for a few days until the next camping area. They usually stay for about a week. They go on long hikes that can last for days.
Stiles is so homesick in the first few months he spends an embarrassing amount of nights crying himself to sleep in Derek’s arms.
He has bouts of melancholy that make him silent. The kind of quiet his dad might’ve killed for when Stiles was younger. Derek usually talks about his pack and family during these times.
Derek’s pack was large. Stiles never really thought about it but it means that Derek has so many days where he feels the loss more keenly than others. This week it’s his cousin’s birthday. The next week his aunt. Those are the days Derek gets especially quiet. Those are the nights he holds Derek as he cries.
Stiles doesn’t question it anymore. They sleep every night cuddled together. It’s pack and comfort.
In the early days, they were too focused on running for it to mean much more.
But there are moments.
Like the first time Derek takes his shirt off and Stiles sees his chest hair growing back. Because he apparently manscaped like a good metrosexual. Stiles totally pops a boner.
Even that stops making him feel awkward. They’re two guys who spend all of their time together. There are a lot of boners. Most of his aren’t even caused by Derek. Stiles isn’t sure if he’s learning tact or adjusting to being a werewolf since he doesn’t mention it when Derek gets a boner.
Neither of them comments on the scent of cum in the shower. Stiles doesn’t even listen when Derek is jerking off. He knows. They’re both aware when the other is doing it. But it stops being embarrassing and they don’t talk about it.
Stiles sends his first postcards to his dad and Scott two months into their trip. He can’t bear the idea of calling, since hearing their voices will probably break him. But he wants to let them know that he’s okay. He starts sending one every time they stop in a city.
Stiles comes to have a new appreciation for Derek. Who is surprisingly smart and knowledgable about this new world he’s in.
Derek teaches him pack protocol. When Stiles was human, he probably would’ve bristled at a lot of it. Since he’s supposed to be submissive to all alphas, even if he doesn’t have to obey anyone but his own. His babbling and lack of filter won’t be tolerated. He has the instincts to help guide him but he learns his lesson the first time they have to ask an alpha to go camping in her territory.
He mouths off and she breaks his arm. He might heal fast but he feels pain and that hurt. It might’ve not made much of a difference to him but they also break Derek’s arm.
The pack shares the punishment.
He’ll learn tact and when to shut the fuck up because he refuses to be the reason why Derek gets hurt.
Derek knows most of the territories and alphas they need to deal with, so it makes introductions and getting permission easier.
It’s the only way they get any supernatural news. It’s how they find out that Gerard Argent left not long after they did and tried to force an alpha to give him the bite since he’d been dying from cancer. He’d been short on time and picked a strong alpha with a strong pack.
He was dead. The Argents, though, hadn’t moved out of Beacon Hills.
It still wasn’t safe to return.
On full moons when they’ve hiked deep into the wilderness, Stiles will whisper, “You are Derek Hale, my packmate and I love you.”
Derek will whisper back, “You are Mieczyslaw ‘Stiles’ Stilinski. Your dad is Noah Stilinski and your brother-friend is Scott McCall. You’re my packmate and I love you.”
Derek masters the full shift six months into their trip, when they are in the mountains. Real, wild wolves live in the area and they’d gone hiking to hang out.
Howling and singing with the pack had been a magical experience and Derek just… shifted. Turned into a beautiful black wolf.
Stiles had pounced on him with glee.
It was rare and the Hales were one of the few who could manage it. A month later they find out it applies to the betas they make when Stiles does his first full shift.
Stiles’ favourite part of being a werewolf, before the full shift, had been the full moon. The way it sang to him and made him feel more alive than at any other moment. The sheer joy of running with pack.
It’s about a million times better as an actual wolf.
Derek watches as Stiles does homework on his laptop. They enrolled one of his identities in an online school. Neither of them wanted Stiles to miss out on an education. This way, if they can go back to their real identities, Stiles still has the chance to go to college. Have something resembling a normal life. Not have to give up all his hopes and dreams for the future.
Stiles has grown a lot. Losing his mom and taking care of his dad had already forced him to grow up fast. These past months have done so even more.
Derek can’t really think of him as a kid anymore. He’s still a teen and he’s young. But he isn’t a kid. Derek certainly doesn’t treat him like one.
They’re equals. Both betas and packmates. Derek is older and more knowledgeable about the supernatural. Stiles is younger but thinks so much faster on his feet. He’s also really good at putting the pieces together and seeing the bigger picture.
Derek thinks they balance each other.
As a pack, they work incredibly well together.
Their time on the road hasn’t been entirely peaceful. But dealing with the threats has been relatively easy. Between his knowledge and Stiles’ quick thinking, they’ve been able to handle everything so far.
Not for the first time, Derek thinks Stiles would be an incredible mate.
It’s one piece of werewolf lore he hasn’t told Stiles much about.
He’ll need to soon.
The mating bond is a natural, organic thing.
It grows with love and trust.
There’s no one Derek loves or trusts more than Stiles at this point.
He can already feel the faintest threads of a new bond building between them.
Derek becomes an alpha when they try to go hiking in Alabama. They seek out the local alpha to ask permission and he’s a raging asshole.
He breaks all the protocol and tries to force them into his pack.
Normally, two betas would have no chance against an alpha with a pack (it’s not a particularly strong pack, but still). They have months of living and fighting together. It’s almost easy. Most wolves don’t actually fight all that much. Most are settled into territories and just live their lives.
Derek and Stiles are on the run from hunters. They train all the time. They’ve also had enough fights that they can move silently and in tandem.
They take the alpha down and Derek tears out his throat.
The pack isn’t large and they’re all traumatized. None of them want a new alpha, so Derek teaches them how to make a beta pack and they leave.
It’s weird to have an alpha in their small pack of two.
Stiles can feel the way it increases his power.
In the end, not much changes. Derek doesn’t go on a power trip. Doesn’t even insist that Stiles submit. He tells Stiles that he likes the way their pack works.
“Alpha Hale, you and your mate are welcome to spend a week camping here,” the local alpha says.
Stiles has trained himself not to react when he’s surprised. He and Derek practice on each other. They can lie to wolves now.
He and Derek are going to be having an interesting talk later because he hasn’t said much about mates.
Stiles thinks that, given how forthcoming Derek has been about all of his other knowledge, the omission must’ve been on purpose.
“So… mates, huh?” Stiles begins.
Derek blushes. Stiles had been irritated, bordering on angry. They don’t fight much anymore. They did in the beginning as they learned to live in each other’s pockets 24/7.
That blush kills all of his ire. Because it makes Derek adorable.
“I, ugh, didn’t think it’d come up since it was just the two of us. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it, I swear. I just wasn’t sure how to tell you that we’ve started building a mating bond,” Derek says. He’s kind of mumbling and it’s the cutest he’s ever been.
Stiles thinks about it. He’d thought the shift in their bond was because Derek was an alpha now. But then… he never submitted. Derek is an alpha but he isn’t Stiles’ alpha.
“Okay… you’re going to need to explain,” Stiles says. He knows Derek will be able to read in his chemosignals that he isn’t angry.
“Mating isn’t a destiny, soulmates sort of thing. Mate bonds grow organically between people who love and trust each other. The people involved define how the bond grows. It can be platonic and between more than two people. But they can only start growing when there’s a certain kind of… desire? Or intent between the people. Like most magic, intent shapes it. It grows with the people you love and trust the most. With people you spend time thinking about building a future. With people you want to hold close and be with forever,” Derek explains.
Stiles takes a moment to digest all of that. Derek isn’t a talker. He talks more than he used to. But the most he usually talks is when Stiles is having a bad day. He definitely doesn’t talk like this.
“If I hadn’t lost all ability to be embarrassed around you, this would probably do it. I won’t even try denying that you’ve come to be all of those things for me. I might’ve once said that I loved my dad more than anyone. With Scott as a close second. It’s still true, to an extent. But I was willing to leave them, if it kept us all safe and alive. I couldn’t do that with you. Not anymore. I’ll stay by your side, even if it means dying. I don’t want any future without you, sourwolf,” Stiles can feel some tears trailing down his face.
Derek places a warm hand on his neck. His eyes are so soft right now, “It’s the same for me, Mischief. I love you.”
Stiles leans in to give Derek a gentle kiss.
Their fledging mating bond becomes solid and unbreakable.
Not much changes after they mate.
They make out now. They even occasionally have sex. Not a lot, since it turns out that neither feels the need.
Stiles had always thought, especially at seventeen, he’d be about having all the sex, once he finally had the chance. He definitely thinks that Derek is super hot. But it doesn’t translate into a lot of fucking.
It’s super fun and he likes it. But not more than he likes a good hug or cuddling with Derek. Different kinds of fun and enjoyment, but they’re about the same to him.
It’s all about the sense of intimacy, comfort, and love.
Stiles becomes an alpha only a few months after Derek.
It’s almost the exact same scenario as before.
Remote pack with a shitty, abusive alpha.
With Derek already an alpha, this time it is easy. Like the last time, the traumatized pack wants nothing to do with alphas so they go on their way.
While Derek had never treated him as anything less than an equal, Stiles likes that they are on a level playing field again.
They get a reputation for being a nomadic alpha pair. Mated and entirely non-aggressive. But also knowledgeable, strong, and willing to lend a helping hand.
It’s a month before the start of what would be Stiles’ senior year that they get word the Argents have left Beacon Hills.
Stiles remembers that Allison used to move around a lot. The Argents are hunters and they follow their prey.
Beacon Hills has been quiet.
Stiles and Derek made sure of it.
No one tried to take the territory, despite the lack of wolves because they’d essentially spent the last year and a half networking and building alliances.
People know them. Know that they are strong and ruthless when they need to be.
With the Argents gone, it’s time to go home.
Coming back to Beacon Hills this time is an entirely different feeling for Derek. The last time he’d been scared, desperate, and grieving after feeling his bond to Laura snap.
This time almost feels like a victory.
He’s returning with his territory secure and stronger than he’s ever been.
For the first time, he’s looking forward to the future.
To building a pack with Stiles.
Stiles will attend his senior year, despite already finishing high school. This way his real identity will have a diploma and he can do the whole college thing.
His reunion with his dad involves a lot of crying.
His dad is too happy to have him home to bother with being angry. He’s stunned when Stiles and Derek sit him down and explain everything.
Stiles decided it was necessary. He didn’t really want to lie to his dad. Wants to take this as a fresh start. But he also needs to let his dad know that he’ll be living with Derek. Who can either move in with them until he’s eighteen or at a place of their own.
It’s not an easy conversation. Because his dad still remembers him as sixteen and, well, a kid. Not a man just a few months shy of eighteen. Definitely not as an alpha werewolf mated to another alpha.
His dad has his moments of being angry and mumbling about age of consent laws. Stiles tells him they’ve never actually had sex in a state where he wasn’t older than the age of consent. It’s eighteen in California but not everywhere.
His dad tries to argue about his boyfriend (he can’t bring himself to say ‘mate’) moving in with them (because he will not be letting Stiles out of his sight for a long time). Where Stiles would’ve once been argumentative or pleading, he just calmly tells his dad how it’ll be.
It isn’t a negotiation.
He and Derek are bonded for life. They’ll be getting married the day Stiles turns eighteen.
This really gets his dad going about how they could at least wait until Stiles finishes college.
Again, Stiles just explains they have a magical life bond. Human marriage is trivial in comparison and they’re only doing it because it’ll make certain human things easier.
Basically, his dad just really needs to accept that Stiles isn’t human anymore. He’s spent the past year and a half living a life beyond most human rules and society. He has no intention of stuffing himself into a box he no longer fits.
It’s hard.
But his dad loves him and wants him around more than he wants to argue.
So Derek moves in.
It doesn’t go as well with Scott.
He’s heartbroken with Allison gone.
But it’s more that Scott had started training as a hunter. He wanted to be with Allison and that was one way to do it. He’d also had no positive experiences with werewolves and believes in what the code-abiding hunters do.
The main problem? His asthma. He can’t be a proper hunter for the same reason he was always stuck on the bench.
He’s stunned and angry that Stiles is a werewolf. Blaming Derek at first. Stiles explains how and why he was turned. Why he had to leave.
It doesn’t help much. Scott has always unfairly blamed Derek. Still doesn’t like him.
Isn’t happy at all to hear that they’re mates.
It’s a bittersweet homecoming.
Both Derek and Stiles are thrilled that they can stop looking like dudebros. Derek immediately buys monochromatic shirts, tight black jeans, and a leather jacket.
He keeps the beard because Stiles really likes it.
Stiles doesn’t go back to his old style. He’s grown up a bit too much to want to wear baggy graphic shirts. He ends up with colourful fitted shirts, skinny jeans, and oversized cardigans.
Derek makes fun of him for being a hipster.
Then kisses him hotly because he thinks Stiles looks hot.
Stiles makes a big splash when he returns.
Not only because the Sheriff’s runaway kid has come back.
But because he’s come back hot with a sexy, older boyfriend. Or so Stiles hears being said about him in the school.
Class is boring but easy. He doesn’t join lacrosse. He doesn’t bother with any school activities since he doesn’t care about going to some fancy college. He’s staying local. He’s done the whole moving away, independent thing and wants nothing more than to settle into his territory and build a pack.
So he spends his time in class learning about his classmates. Seeing if any of them would be suitable for the pack.
He pays special attention to those who look like they need a pack. The lost and lonely. He makes sure they don’t have any big dreams of leaving Beacon Hills. He doesn’t expect to find many candidates. Thinking that he and Derek will have to pick adults who’ve finished college and settled into a career.
Stiles finds three: Boyd, Erica, and Isaac.
He and Derek talk it over.
He befriends them in school. Scott doesn’t get it but Scott made his own friends while Stiles was gone and, well, he still loves Scott like a brother. But they’ve grown apart. He wryly thinks that most siblings don’t actually hang out together at school.
They turn Erica, Boyd, and Isaac as each turns eighteen.
It settles something, deep within them to finally have betas and to be in their territory.
Derek is beyond thrilled when his younger sister, Cora, turns up.
It’s a beginning.
On full moons in the heart of their territory, Stiles will whisper, “You are Derek Hale, my mate and I love you.”
Derek will whisper back, “You are Mieczyslaw ‘Stiles’ Stilinski. You’re my mate and I love you.”