1 He’s looking at himself in the mirror. It isn’t something he often does these days. He generally avoids it. Derek’s looks have done nothing but cause him trouble. Even with the beard and the eyebrows, something about his face always seems to scream ‘vulnerable’ to predatory women. When he shaves, he looks at his jaw and neck. Same when he buzzes his hair. He can’t remember the last time he stopped and looked at his reflection....

“Derek, are mates a thing?” “Yes.” “And…???” “Wolves can chose to mate, like humans chose to marry.” “So it’s not some kind of mystical moon destiny?” “Stop reading werewolf smut, Stiles.” “Shut up! But explain.” “Mating is a kind of magic. It requires intent and consent. So a wolf can’t mate a human unless they know what mating is. Especially since it’s for life.” “Is there some kind of sex ritual or whatever?...

Perhaps the worst thing about werewolves was their love of nature. Stiles? Did not love nature. He didn’t like the bugs, the lack of plumbing, and he especially didn’t like the lack of wifi. However, because the pack was mostly werewolves, they’d decided that they needed to go camping – as a pack. Stiles didn’t get it because they could run around as they pleased in the preserve while he stayed near toilets and wifi....

Stiles groaned as he sat up in bed. He was in pain. Then again, he was almost always in pain. Today seemed like a five, so not too bad. He wouldn’t need one of the percocets sitting on his nightstand. Small victories, he supposes. He was, however, dizzy. Too dizzy. He glares at his walker, because of course today would be a walker day. Not like he’d planned on running a few errands....

Derek’s reading to him and Stiles is kind of drifting on the sound of his voice. They do this most nights. Stiles has always loved Derek’s voice. The way he looks, it’s always a surprise that he doesn’t have a deep, gravelly voice. It’s lighter. Smoother. It’s comforting and Derek’s surprisingly good at doing the voices. Also at being significantly more expressive than when he speaks. Derek usually reads to him while he’s cuddled up in some way....

色不异空, 空不异色, 色即是空, 空即是色 When the Nogistune knocked on the door, Stiles let it in. Stiles went from something to nothing. The Nogistune was void and so was he. Stiles realized he had a problem when he heard about how Noshiko told everyone that the Nogistune was a demon. A creature of chaos. It was a problem because it wasn’t true. How could Void be chaos? Chaos was something and the whole point of voids is that they are nothing....

When Derek decided that he really couldn’t take one more awful thing happening to him and left Beacon Hills, he found himself drawn back to New York. Other than the years with his pack in Beacon Hills, New York was the only other place that had felt like home. He’d only had Laura but they’d made it work. Cities were hard on werewolves but could also be easy, depending on your situation....

1 Derek’s been hanging on by a thread ever since he gave up his spark to heal Cora. He doesn’t regret it. Could never regret it. Not when it means his sister is alive. He just wishes that they were together. He understands why she left. Beacon Hills hadn’t been her home for a long time. She’d returned because she’d heard about a new Hale alpha and pack. Derek isn’t an alpha anymore and he’s lost his third pack....

Pride Stiles had a problem. A fashion problem. It was a problem because he liked his clothes and the way he dressed. It was comfortable and he felt attractive. Something pretty much everyone in his life had a hard time believing. How could he feel attractive in baggy clothes and flannel? Sporting the grunge look when it wasn’t the right kind of retro? Some people thought he was trying to hide his body because he wasn’t as cut or bulky as many of his friends....

Changes Xander knew that something was wrong when he stopped being able to eat Twinkies. In fact, Xander was pretty sure that it was the end of the world. Maybe not the world-world, but certainly his world, when the day came that he couldn’t eat Twinkies anymore. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the taste, he did. It also wasn’t that he was suddenly concerned about his weight and health, he wasn’t....