Fic: Discovery Channel (4/12) Part 1
Title: Discovery Channel
Author: kayevelyn
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Stiles/Derek
Rating: Overall R
Warnings: eventual knotting
Summary: Stiles is the best werewolf ever. fork in the road au. (were!stiles)
Notes: Let's just not talk about how I wrote all of this chapter on Saturday and surprised myself when I came out of the writing coma and saw the chapter was 12k OTL
[Read on AO3]
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Derek woke up with his internal clock, eyes snapping open to stare at the ceiling as he used his other senses to take in every detail in his room. Stiles was pressed against his side, arm thrown over Derek’s stomach as he slept soundly. Derek thought about trying to edge out of the embrace, his mind already racing with the million things he needed to do. He needed to find the hunters who had attacked them. He needed to figure out what Stiles and he could do to protect themselves against future attacks. He needed to move their cars from where they were parked by the old house. He needed to make sure the wound on Stiles’ side had healed, even though he had already checked the night before.
Stiles snuggled closer to him, his hand stroking Derek’s stomach and chest in a soothing gesture. “Too early,” he mumbled, obviously half-asleep. “Calm down.”
Derek blinked and shifted, wrapping both arms Stiles, who burrowed deeper in his embrace. “Sorry,” he whispered, not sure what else he could say. He hadn’t meant to wake up Stiles.
Stiles made a noise that might have been agreement as his breathing evened out. Once Derek was sure he had fallen back asleep he slowly untangled himself from Stiles, planning on at least getting up, brushing his teeth, and as he ran his hand over his chin, probably shaving too. Stiles didn’t make a fuss about being left alone, and by the time Derek had returned from his morning hygiene ritual Stiles had taken over the bed.
He shook his head, grabbing their clothes from where he had tossed them into a pile the night before. It was only 5:30 giving him time to wash them so Stiles would have clothes that fit him for school. If they were smart they would have kept a change of clothes or two around his apartment, but they hadn’t thought that far ahead.
While Derek waited for the clothes to wash, and then dry, he started mentally plotting out what he would do today. He couldn’t just roam around half-looking for the alpha anymore. He needed to find the hunters.
He ran a hand over his face. He’d never dealt with hunters except the once, and it wasn’t exactly the most rousing example. He wished he had someone to go to. His family had been self-sustaining so they never needed outside wolf help, and they had been respected, or at least feared, enough that hunters never tried anything.
Until Derek had fucked up and gotten the whole compound burned.
He shut his eyes against that train of thought. That was a dangerous path and he couldn’t risk drowning in self-pity when Stiles’ and his survival rested on him being completely focused.
He’d start looking at the old house, trying to track the scents, which he knew was going to be a long shot. They hadn’t stayed long enough to make an impression, but maybe he could get a close enough match that if he started looking at motels in town, and in the surrounding towns he’d get a hit.
Which left him with another problem. He was a Hale. Any hunter worth their weight would know the name, and while there had been humans in his family, hunters knew he wasn’t one of them. Every instinct inside him was screaming at him to run. They had no pack, no alpha to protect them. He had a giant target on his back labeling him a werewolf to anyone who knew what to look for, and hunters were smart. They’d follow the path to Stiles soon enough. The two of them hadn’t been particularly subtle about hanging out, and while Stiles always got a good laugh about the gossip he heard in class, gossip was dangerous.
“Can’t a guy get a decent night’s sleep without waking up to his friend freaking out?”
Derek looked up to where Stiles was standing in the entrance to the living room, rubbing his eye. “It’s 6:15.”
Stiles glared at him, still rubbing the sleep out of his other eye. “It’s torture. I don’t get up until like 6:45.” He yawned as he walked over to Derek, dropping onto the couch. “That half hour is a huge difference.”
“You do know you don’t need sleep like a human.”
“If Spike can drink hot chocolate with marshmallows I can sleep for however long I want.” Stiles blinked, and it was like a switch had flipped and he was suddenly wide-awake. “What have you come up with?”
Derek stared, but then it wasn’t that hard of a conclusion to come to. Of course Stiles would know he was figuring out their next move. He pushed the idea of running out of his mind. Stiles would never agree unless there was no other option.
“I’m going to be trying to track whoever was at the house, figure out if they are here to kill us or just,” he paused, not sure what to say. He’d heard his parents talk about a code that hunters had. He knew that if packs proved they weren’t dangerous, blended in well enough with the community, hunters would leave them alone. Unless they felt like killing.
“Or just what? Sending a message?”
“Something like that,” Derek agreed. He looked at Stiles, sprawled out on the couch. He could tell he was thinking, wanting to say something.
“Honestly, do you think they are after the alpha, or are they after us? Or does it matter to them as long as they get a nice stuffed wolf at the end of the day?”
Derek shrugged. “Who knows. The news of the murder might have alerted them, even though it’s just been labeled an animal attack.” He paused. “Hunters have all means of tracking werewolf movement. They keep tabs on important wolves. They keep tabs on big packs. They hear whispers. For all we know they were just in the woods to be in the woods and it was luck that they found us.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Stiles asked, and Derek was surprised to hear vague hope in his voice.
He looked at Stiles and frowned. “You can’t skip school.”
“But why?” Stiles whined. His face turned serious too quick for Derek to process the change. “You can’t do it subtly. You’re a Hale. They will have you pinned for a wolf immediately, if you weren’t actually the one they were hunting.”
“I know. But they don't know someone else has been bitten. At most they know there are two of us. If they think I’m just here on my own, if they don’t suspect anymore than that, maybe nothing will come of it.”
Stiles looked at him, and Derek knew he could see every lie he had just said. “I will be monitoring you all day. By text and by sense. If I hear the slightest tremor from you, if you miss a single text, I’m coming for you.”
“I’ll be fine, Stiles.” He swallowed. “But thank you.”
“It’s what pack is for,” Stiles said with a slight smile, before he got up and headed for the bathroom. “In between your dangerous mission of hunter searching pick me up an extra toothbrush.”
Derek shook his head. “Buy it yourself.”
“It’s your place, you do it,” Stiles called, shutting himself in the bathroom.
Derek sighed, getting up to grab their clothes from the dryer. People were starting to wake up within the complex, and Derek categorized every single person he saw. He already knew who lived on his floor, even though they hadn’t introduced themselves personally. He did it out of habit and now he was glad. It would make it easier to know when someone was looking around, trying to find him.
He wondered how long they’d be safe here.
Derek went right to the house after he had made sure that Stiles was safely at school. They hadn’t had time to run there together to get their cars: Derek had to drag Stiles away from making the bed at 7:15 and tempt him with a cupcake confetti poptart to get him out the door in time, and so he had promised to drop off Stiles’ Jeep before anyone noticed it was missing from the parking lot.
He was relieved that none of the scents had gotten stronger over the night, meaning that no one had stumbled upon their cars parked there. If they had Derek wasn’t sure if Stiles would be able to stop him from taking them both and running. He couldn’t protect them if the enemy knew more about them than they knew about the enemy.
After he had dropped Stiles’ Jeep off in the school parking lot he headed back to the house. Even from his first trip there he knew it would be a dead end, but Derek still patrolled around the woods, trying to pick up the scent of something different. Nothing was standing out, but he tried to remember every little detail as he moved onto the motels.
Stiles kept to his promise, sending him text messages periodically through the day. They ranged from simple, just making sure you aren’t dead texts to comical, I bet you look like such a creeper. Derek was surprised that with each one he wasn’t getting more annoyed, and by lunchtime when he got the text that asked him to simply get a little closer to the school so Stiles could make sure he was fine, he realized that the texts didn’t bother him because they were just proof that he did have someone checking in on him.
***
Allison woke up in a great mood. She didn’t have to force herself to get up for her morning run with her mom, and it wasn’t just because that had been part of the deal when her parents had let her go to Jackson’s party the night before. Her mom noticed the shift right away, but she didn’t comment on it until they were looping back towards the house.
“Are you going to tell me about this party?”
Allison burst into a grin, and quickly ducked her head. “It was a party.”
She looked at her mom, who was just nodding as they picked up their pace. “I see. Anything special happen at the party? Maybe something involving the boy who picked you up?”
“Is it that obvious?” Allison asked, even as the smile refused to disappear from her face.
Her mom laughed. “You just have that look. I’m sure I wore it after I met your father for the first time.”
Allison looked away, focusing on her running. “It’s way too early for that kind of talk mom.”
“I’m just saying. You look like a very happy young girl, and I like seeing you like that.”
“Thanks, mom.”
She hoped that by the time she got to school her excitement wasn’t as obvious. She wasn't sure if she could handle people making comments about her demeanor, and even if everyone else was too polite to comment on it, Lydia wouldn’t hesitate. She’d ask, and tease like she hadn’t been right there clapping giddily when Scott asked her to dance. Or told her he liked her, and asked her out.
The memory made Allison unable to get rid of her smile and she jogged as fast as she could in her heels to the bike racks right as Scott was locking his bike up.
“Hey,” she said, waving before she realized that was weird and out of character for her and stopped.
Scott turned quickly, and his smile might have been even bigger than hers. “Hi!” They stood across from each other awkwardly as people passed by. “Last night was a lot of fun,” Scott finally said, edging just a little closer to her and Allison nodded.
“Yeah. It really was.” She moved closer to him so she wasn’t taking up as much space on the sidewalk.
She jumped in surprise when Scott reached out and grabbed her hand in his, but her smile was not disappearing from her face.
“So, you haven’t changed your mind?” Scott asked, running his thumb over her index finger.
Allison shook her head, squeezing his hand. “Can’t say I have.”
“Good. That’s really good.” He started to walk them towards the school doors but Allison stopped him.
“Wait. Don’t you wait for Stiles?”
Scott’s eyes went wide and he was immediately scanning the parking lot for Stiles’ jeep. “Yeah. I-“ he looked embarrassed. “I kinda forgot. With the whole,” he looked at her and dropped his head. “I was really nervous you were going to think about it last night and realize you are way out of my league.”
Allison couldn’t stop herself from laughing, moving closer to Scott so she could whisper in his ear. “I’m sure Stiles will forgive you.”
“Stiles will forgive him for what?”
They broke apart quickly at the sound of Stiles’ voice, but Allison made sure that she didn’t let go of Scott’s hand. She liked holding it.
Stiles looked a little worse for wear, even though his clothes were clean and he seemed put together. It was something deeper, something in his face that made Allison know immediately something was wrong. She could tell that Scott saw it too because he was stepping forward with one arm up, pulling Stiles’ into a hug.
Scott still held onto her hand as Stiles and he embraced, Stiles burying his face in Scott’s neck. Allison wanted to look away. She wanted to ask questions, she couldn’t help it. She was naturally curious and something had obviously happened. But she stood there, watching as Stiles squeezed Scott tight before pulling away with a faint smile on his face.
“Thanks,” he said.
“No problem,” Scott responded, looking at him. “Everything alright?”
Stiles nodded. “Just a long night. I ended up crashing at Derek’s again. Hence shirt.” He pointed to the shirt he was wearing, a dark grey thermal that was too big for him around the shoulders instead of his normal t-shirt and over shirt combination. “You’d think the guy was allergic to color.” He started walking, grinning at Allison as his eyes darted down to their hands. He gave her a thumbs up while Scott wasn’t looking and she blushed. She may not know what was going on but she was glad she had Stiles’ approval. There was enough drama with Jackson disapproving of Stiles and Danny, she didn’t want to get involved with it.
“Did Derek drop you off? I don’t see your car.” Scott was still looking in the parking lot, probably trying to find his Jeep.
“Yeah,” Stiles said vaguely. “Derek’s gonna drop it off later so I’ll have it when I get out. Have you seen Danny?”
Allison and Scott both shook their heads, as Stiles veered off towards the locker room with no more than a wave. She looked at Scott concerned. “Is everything alright with him?”
She watched as a ton of emotions played across Scott’s face and he opened and closed his mouth multiple times, obviously unsure what he should say. “Uh. I think he just had a rough night? Sometimes nights with Derek do that to him.” He rubbed the back of his head as they walked to her locker.
Allison nodded, thinking about Danny and Jackson’s overprotective attitude. “Is Derek Stiles’ ex or something?”
Scott stared at her with wide eyes. “Derek and Stiles? No. No, they uh. They used to be friends? Like a long time ago. There was a fire, I guess? And Derek’s whole family died, and so he left? But like, it was way before my time so I’m a little fuzzy on the details?” He took a deep breath, letting go of her hand as he tried to use his words. Allison waited, picking up her books carefully. “Derek is like Stiles’ older brother. They have a lot in common, and so they hang out together.” He shrugged. “He’s an alright guy.”
Allison nodded again as she shut her locker. “Well as long as Stiles is okay.” She bit her lip. “And if I can help with anything I totally will. He’s my friend too, even if we aren’t super close.”
Scott grinned, holding her hand again. “I will definitely tell him that. So. I know this might be a little sudden, but we could go see a movie this weekend?”
“Are you asking me on a date?” Allison asked, all other thoughts disappearing as Scott gave her a cute pleading look.
“We should all go somewhere on Friday,” Lydia announced as she took her seat at the lunch table. She was the last one to arrive, having to stop by to talk to her one of her teachers, and so when she said this she had everyone’s full attention. Allison wondered if it had been her plan all along.
She glanced at the boys, who, minus Danny, seemed to think this wasn’t the greatest idea ever. She looked at Lydia holding Jackson’s wrist, still grinning. “Come on guys, we’re all friends, and we’re all dating. We should do something together. It will be fun.”
Allison nodded in agreement. It didn’t sound that bad, and the only people who had any problems with each other were Stiles and Jackson, and in a group of six they could definitely buffer any clashes.
“I think it sounds alright,” Allison said as she looked at Scott for confirmation.
He looked surprised, turning to Stiles who was one his phone, sending a text message. When he saw he was getting no help from Stiles, Scott looked back at her, and then Lydia, and then Jackson. “I mean. What would we do?”
Jackson took a bite out of his apple. “We could go bowling.”
“No,” Danny said. “You know I’m awful at bowling.”
Stiles put his phone away and tucked his arm back in Danny’s, moving closer to him. Allison only noticed because they didn’t normally do many public displays, but today if they were together Stiles found a way to cling to Danny. “I’m sure you’re fine,” Stiles said, kissing Danny’s cheek.
Danny laughed. “I don’t think you know how dangerous it is going bowling with Jackson. He’s ruthless.”
Lydia clapped her hands. “So is that a yes? We’re going to go out tomorrow?”
Everyone nodded, except Stiles who looked concerned.
“I think I have plans.” He said as Danny shook his head.
“Nope. You promised me one official date and I am using it.”
Stiles pressed his face in Danny’s neck. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Lydia glared at him and Allison could only guess that she stepped on Stiles’ foot with her heel when he jerked up from Danny’s side. “You’re going to come, right Stiles?”
“Ow, yes Jesus. What do you have in your heels? Knives?”
Lydia grinned viciously at Stiles. “They are called stilettos for a reason.”
Jackson looked at her confused. “What does that mean?”
“A stiletto is a really sharp, pointy dagger,” Stiles said shifting. “I’m sure Lydia carries one in her purse to stab all the unsuspecting people.”
“Only people who annoy me,” Lydia shot back.
Allison raised her eyebrows as an argument broke out between the three of them, and she looked at Scott, who seemed just as concerned.
“Think it’s too late to back out?” Scott whispered.
Allison looked at their friends. “I don’t think they’d even notice if we didn’t show up.”
Danny was grabbing all the utensils from the table in an attempt to prevent a knife-fork-spoon fight from breaking out and Scott grimaced.
“We should probably go just to make sure they don’t kill each other,” he said, finishing up his lunch.
***
“You’re definitely going to come tomorrow right?” Danny asked him as they walked out of school, and towards Stiles’ Jeep. He had a day off of conditioning because the season was starting next month and Finstock didn’t want them over practiced by the time the season came around.
“Yes I am definitely going to come tomorrow.” He raised his right hand. “I solemnly swear and all that good stuff.”
“Because I can see how much you really, really don’t like the idea of going on a group date.”
“It’s not that,” Stiles said as they got to his Jeep, parked near the back of the lot. “If we are there together I will deal with Jackson, and not challenge him to a utensil fight. Which, for the record, I would have won.”
Danny laughed, pulling Stiles into a hug and a kiss. “I’m sure you would have.”
Stiles gave him a look. “Hey, I have extreme skills, like you don’t even know.”
“I can’t begin to imagine?” Danny asked with a laugh, kissing him again.
Stiles couldn’t complain in the slightest with the teasing kisses, even when one of their classmates called at them to take their make out session into the car. He broke the kiss reluctantly. He liked the reassurance that Danny was there with him, and he had needed it after last night, just like he needed to know that Scott and Derek were fine too. The fact that being overly cuddly with Danny all day meant that he got a make out session against his Jeep at the end of the day was just a plus.
“Are you free?” Stiles asked, shifting against the door of his Jeep. “Or do you at least want a ride home?”
Danny grinned, kissing him once more before pulling away and heading to the passenger sided. “Sure.”
Stiles flailed as he got into the jeep. “Sure? What does that mean? Sure to which one?”
Danny just shook his head, still grinning. “Sure.”
Stiles pointed a finger at him before starting the car. “I am taking you home. I was going to be nice and let you come over, because my dad is at work until eleven tonight, but now I’m not sure I want you to come over.”
Danny laughed. “Sure.”
“You are the worst boyfriend ever,” Stiles groused, starting the jeep. There wasn’t as many cars jamming up traffic anymore so Stiles was able to maneuver out of the parking lot and onto the road quickly. The two of them rode back to his house in silence, and Stiles was able to think back on his day.
He hadn’t told Scott he’d been shot, too worried that Scott would freak out at the news. Scott knew something had happened though, and he definitely hadn’t bought the whole “Derek and I just ran really, really far” excuse that Stiles fed him. He was sure part of that was the fact that he had been texting Derek all day to make sure he was alright.
Even Lydia had noticed, and had tried to take his phone during History just to see what was so important. Danny had been a lifesaver there, intercepting his phone and returning it without a glance at the contents.
Stiles knew he was lucky to have Danny, who was so trusting, and didn’t ask too many questions. He accepted everything Stiles said in the same way Stiles’ dad did. Like he trusted him that much to tell the truth.
Stiles wasn’t sure if Danny and his dad just thought he was boring, or if it was something more. He liked to hope it was something more. He wanted to believe that people trusted him because he was a trustworthy person. Minus the few lies about werewolves, and all that entailed, there wasn’t much Stiles hid anyway. And he would tell them if he thought it would do some good, but it wouldn’t. Especially with hunters.
Stiles’ fingers itched to check his messages, even though he knew Derek hadn’t sent him anything, but he stopped himself. He was with Danny, and he was driving. He should be responsible.
He did give in once he pulled into his driveway, checking through the updates Derek had sent him, before sending him a text telling him that he was hanging out with Danny but if something came up to tell him.
“Are you coming?” Danny asked, getting out of the Jeep.
Stiles looked up, slipping his phone back in his pocket. “Yeah. I just had to tell Derek not to bother me.”
Danny nodded. “So it’s cool for him to text you all throughout school but not when you’re with me.”
“Exactly,” Stiles said, jogging around the Jeep to catch up with Danny, slipping his hand into Danny’s.
“Will you ever properly introduce me to Derek or will I forever be left with the image of him denying you candy and dragging you out of the video store?”
“That one. Definitely that one, mostly because that’s about the best impression Derek is capable of leaving,” Stiles said, opening the door and letting Danny in. They dropped their bags at the door, and Stiles stripped off his hoodie, dropping it over the couch. He turned to look at Danny, who had taken off his own jacket. “So, do you wanna stay down here or?”
Danny’s eyes flicked up to the stairs, and Stiles felt the pit of his stomach heat up. He hadn’t intended the afternoon to be anything but innocent, but from the way they were looking at each other he wasn’t sure if that was possible.
“Your room is fine,” Danny said, and Stiles nodded, grabbing Danny’s wrist and pulling him upstairs.
He had intended on putting in a DVD, or pulling out his laptop. Danny liked watching him play WoW, and he always had commentary about the game, but the moment Stiles turned to look at Danny once they were actually in his room, he knew that wasn’t happening.
They were kissing before the door to his room shut. Stiles stumbled backwards, bringing Danny with him as he sat down on the bed. They didn’t stop kissing even as they rearranged themselves, Stiles turning them around so he was straddling Danny’s lap as he leaned back against the bookshelf behind Stiles’ bed.
He could feel the wolf rolling in the feeling of being so close to Danny. It was the best way to make sure Danny was alive, that he was real. Even though Stiles knew he was fine, he could see it plain as day, doing this with him made Stiles feel so much better.
Stiles was biting and licking at Danny’s shoulder, giving him a wicked hickey that the team would probably bust his balls about later, when he felt Danny’s hands at his hips, playing with the edge of his shirt. Stiles pulled away to look at him. He could tell Danny was slightly nervous, and Stiles didn’t blame him since they hadn’t gone this far before. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, he had nothing to gauge this relationship against, but he could hear Danny’s heart picking up while he tugged on the shirt.
Stiles nodded his head just a bit, and then he was lifting his arms over his head as Danny took his shirt off of him. He let out a breath, shivering a bit from the look Danny was giving him.
“Not all of us can be Mr. Muscles,” Stiles said since he needed to say something. He couldn’t sit in these silences while Danny admired him.
Danny’s eyes darted up to his face and he grinned as he pulled Stiles back in for a kiss. “Nothing wrong with that.”
Stiles laughed before he was pulled back into another kiss. It felt different, being shirtless on top of Danny, feeling his hands moving over skin instead of clothes. He shivered again as Danny traced his nails lightly down his back, causing him to break the kiss.
“That’s cheating,” Stiles whispered.
Danny smirked, doing it again. “What is?”
Stiles opened his eyes, even as Danny kept moving his hand up and down. “That.”
“That? Not very descriptive,” Danny laughed softly and kissed Stiles, deepening the kiss before Stiles could protest.
He felt himself getting hard, and straddled across Danny’s lap there was no doubt Danny couldn’t feel it as well. Danny shifted underneath him, moving their hips together, and Stiles gasped. This was definitely further than they had gotten before, and he wanted to remember each detail. He wanted to take it slow, but at the same time he wanted more.
Stiles reached down, tugging at Danny’s shirt. He wanted it off so he could feel what skin on skin felt like. He wanted to know if it was as good as he thought it would be. Danny broke their kiss, pushing gently at Stiles to get him off of him.
Stiles went, watching as Danny flipped their positions, careful not to fall off the bed, moving in between his spread legs. He suddenly looked shy as he started to pull his own shirt off, and Stiles helped him as much as he could, mouth going dry as he saw naked flesh. He’d seen Danny shirtless before but this was entirely different. They were in his room, and it was getting dark, and Danny was in between his thighs, pressing his hips forward so their erections ground together.
Stiles gasped, his hands moving immediately to explore Danny’s chest as they kissed. The feel of skin was amazing and he pushed himself up so they could be touching as much as possible.
He could feel the wolf in the back of his mind, content and actually under control. He didn’t even feel like he was holding back as he rocked his hips against Danny’s.
Danny gasped, breaking the kiss to bury his face in Stiles’ shoulder, biting and leaving his own mark. Stiles groaned, running his fingers through Danny’s hair to encourage him. He knew any mark Danny made wouldn’t last long, and he was sure that would raise some questions but he didn’t care.
They were both getting sweaty, and his jeans were pressing tight against his cock in a way that felt too good. He could feel Danny’s and it sent a thrill through his body, knowing that Danny was just as turned on as he was.
Danny let go of his shoulder, and Stiles turned his head to kiss him. He could tell they were both close, could hear it in the way Danny’s heart was picking up, the way his eyes were dilated and he was panting and it just turned him on more knowing that he had done this. Danny wanted him this much. Danny was enjoying this just as much.
Stiles gasped, pressing his lips to Danny’s as he stilled, coming in his pants. He felt Danny go still as well, and the room immediately smelled like sex. Stiles pressed his face into Danny’s neck, kissing and biting gently before Danny rolled over, keeping him in a hug.
“Wow,” he whispered after their breathing had evened out. The air was cooling them down, and Stiles could see goose bumps forming on Danny’s skin.
“Yeah,” Danny responded and then he laughed, leaning over and kissing Stiles. “Yeah.”
Stiles blushed and he was glad it was dark now so Danny couldn’t see it. “Sorry about your pants.”
“No problem. Hazard of the job.” Stiles snorted at that response. “I should have a change of sweatpants in my bag from gym.”
Stiles nodded. “You mind if we stay like this for just a little bit?”
“Nope. That is fine by me,” Danny said as he cuddled closer to Stiles.
Part 2
Author: kayevelyn
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Stiles/Derek
Rating: Overall R
Warnings: eventual knotting
Summary: Stiles is the best werewolf ever. fork in the road au. (were!stiles)
Notes: Let's just not talk about how I wrote all of this chapter on Saturday and surprised myself when I came out of the writing coma and saw the chapter was 12k OTL
[Read on AO3]
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Derek woke up with his internal clock, eyes snapping open to stare at the ceiling as he used his other senses to take in every detail in his room. Stiles was pressed against his side, arm thrown over Derek’s stomach as he slept soundly. Derek thought about trying to edge out of the embrace, his mind already racing with the million things he needed to do. He needed to find the hunters who had attacked them. He needed to figure out what Stiles and he could do to protect themselves against future attacks. He needed to move their cars from where they were parked by the old house. He needed to make sure the wound on Stiles’ side had healed, even though he had already checked the night before.
Stiles snuggled closer to him, his hand stroking Derek’s stomach and chest in a soothing gesture. “Too early,” he mumbled, obviously half-asleep. “Calm down.”
Derek blinked and shifted, wrapping both arms Stiles, who burrowed deeper in his embrace. “Sorry,” he whispered, not sure what else he could say. He hadn’t meant to wake up Stiles.
Stiles made a noise that might have been agreement as his breathing evened out. Once Derek was sure he had fallen back asleep he slowly untangled himself from Stiles, planning on at least getting up, brushing his teeth, and as he ran his hand over his chin, probably shaving too. Stiles didn’t make a fuss about being left alone, and by the time Derek had returned from his morning hygiene ritual Stiles had taken over the bed.
He shook his head, grabbing their clothes from where he had tossed them into a pile the night before. It was only 5:30 giving him time to wash them so Stiles would have clothes that fit him for school. If they were smart they would have kept a change of clothes or two around his apartment, but they hadn’t thought that far ahead.
While Derek waited for the clothes to wash, and then dry, he started mentally plotting out what he would do today. He couldn’t just roam around half-looking for the alpha anymore. He needed to find the hunters.
He ran a hand over his face. He’d never dealt with hunters except the once, and it wasn’t exactly the most rousing example. He wished he had someone to go to. His family had been self-sustaining so they never needed outside wolf help, and they had been respected, or at least feared, enough that hunters never tried anything.
Until Derek had fucked up and gotten the whole compound burned.
He shut his eyes against that train of thought. That was a dangerous path and he couldn’t risk drowning in self-pity when Stiles’ and his survival rested on him being completely focused.
He’d start looking at the old house, trying to track the scents, which he knew was going to be a long shot. They hadn’t stayed long enough to make an impression, but maybe he could get a close enough match that if he started looking at motels in town, and in the surrounding towns he’d get a hit.
Which left him with another problem. He was a Hale. Any hunter worth their weight would know the name, and while there had been humans in his family, hunters knew he wasn’t one of them. Every instinct inside him was screaming at him to run. They had no pack, no alpha to protect them. He had a giant target on his back labeling him a werewolf to anyone who knew what to look for, and hunters were smart. They’d follow the path to Stiles soon enough. The two of them hadn’t been particularly subtle about hanging out, and while Stiles always got a good laugh about the gossip he heard in class, gossip was dangerous.
“Can’t a guy get a decent night’s sleep without waking up to his friend freaking out?”
Derek looked up to where Stiles was standing in the entrance to the living room, rubbing his eye. “It’s 6:15.”
Stiles glared at him, still rubbing the sleep out of his other eye. “It’s torture. I don’t get up until like 6:45.” He yawned as he walked over to Derek, dropping onto the couch. “That half hour is a huge difference.”
“You do know you don’t need sleep like a human.”
“If Spike can drink hot chocolate with marshmallows I can sleep for however long I want.” Stiles blinked, and it was like a switch had flipped and he was suddenly wide-awake. “What have you come up with?”
Derek stared, but then it wasn’t that hard of a conclusion to come to. Of course Stiles would know he was figuring out their next move. He pushed the idea of running out of his mind. Stiles would never agree unless there was no other option.
“I’m going to be trying to track whoever was at the house, figure out if they are here to kill us or just,” he paused, not sure what to say. He’d heard his parents talk about a code that hunters had. He knew that if packs proved they weren’t dangerous, blended in well enough with the community, hunters would leave them alone. Unless they felt like killing.
“Or just what? Sending a message?”
“Something like that,” Derek agreed. He looked at Stiles, sprawled out on the couch. He could tell he was thinking, wanting to say something.
“Honestly, do you think they are after the alpha, or are they after us? Or does it matter to them as long as they get a nice stuffed wolf at the end of the day?”
Derek shrugged. “Who knows. The news of the murder might have alerted them, even though it’s just been labeled an animal attack.” He paused. “Hunters have all means of tracking werewolf movement. They keep tabs on important wolves. They keep tabs on big packs. They hear whispers. For all we know they were just in the woods to be in the woods and it was luck that they found us.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Stiles asked, and Derek was surprised to hear vague hope in his voice.
He looked at Stiles and frowned. “You can’t skip school.”
“But why?” Stiles whined. His face turned serious too quick for Derek to process the change. “You can’t do it subtly. You’re a Hale. They will have you pinned for a wolf immediately, if you weren’t actually the one they were hunting.”
“I know. But they don't know someone else has been bitten. At most they know there are two of us. If they think I’m just here on my own, if they don’t suspect anymore than that, maybe nothing will come of it.”
Stiles looked at him, and Derek knew he could see every lie he had just said. “I will be monitoring you all day. By text and by sense. If I hear the slightest tremor from you, if you miss a single text, I’m coming for you.”
“I’ll be fine, Stiles.” He swallowed. “But thank you.”
“It’s what pack is for,” Stiles said with a slight smile, before he got up and headed for the bathroom. “In between your dangerous mission of hunter searching pick me up an extra toothbrush.”
Derek shook his head. “Buy it yourself.”
“It’s your place, you do it,” Stiles called, shutting himself in the bathroom.
Derek sighed, getting up to grab their clothes from the dryer. People were starting to wake up within the complex, and Derek categorized every single person he saw. He already knew who lived on his floor, even though they hadn’t introduced themselves personally. He did it out of habit and now he was glad. It would make it easier to know when someone was looking around, trying to find him.
He wondered how long they’d be safe here.
Derek went right to the house after he had made sure that Stiles was safely at school. They hadn’t had time to run there together to get their cars: Derek had to drag Stiles away from making the bed at 7:15 and tempt him with a cupcake confetti poptart to get him out the door in time, and so he had promised to drop off Stiles’ Jeep before anyone noticed it was missing from the parking lot.
He was relieved that none of the scents had gotten stronger over the night, meaning that no one had stumbled upon their cars parked there. If they had Derek wasn’t sure if Stiles would be able to stop him from taking them both and running. He couldn’t protect them if the enemy knew more about them than they knew about the enemy.
After he had dropped Stiles’ Jeep off in the school parking lot he headed back to the house. Even from his first trip there he knew it would be a dead end, but Derek still patrolled around the woods, trying to pick up the scent of something different. Nothing was standing out, but he tried to remember every little detail as he moved onto the motels.
Stiles kept to his promise, sending him text messages periodically through the day. They ranged from simple, just making sure you aren’t dead texts to comical, I bet you look like such a creeper. Derek was surprised that with each one he wasn’t getting more annoyed, and by lunchtime when he got the text that asked him to simply get a little closer to the school so Stiles could make sure he was fine, he realized that the texts didn’t bother him because they were just proof that he did have someone checking in on him.
***
Allison woke up in a great mood. She didn’t have to force herself to get up for her morning run with her mom, and it wasn’t just because that had been part of the deal when her parents had let her go to Jackson’s party the night before. Her mom noticed the shift right away, but she didn’t comment on it until they were looping back towards the house.
“Are you going to tell me about this party?”
Allison burst into a grin, and quickly ducked her head. “It was a party.”
She looked at her mom, who was just nodding as they picked up their pace. “I see. Anything special happen at the party? Maybe something involving the boy who picked you up?”
“Is it that obvious?” Allison asked, even as the smile refused to disappear from her face.
Her mom laughed. “You just have that look. I’m sure I wore it after I met your father for the first time.”
Allison looked away, focusing on her running. “It’s way too early for that kind of talk mom.”
“I’m just saying. You look like a very happy young girl, and I like seeing you like that.”
“Thanks, mom.”
She hoped that by the time she got to school her excitement wasn’t as obvious. She wasn't sure if she could handle people making comments about her demeanor, and even if everyone else was too polite to comment on it, Lydia wouldn’t hesitate. She’d ask, and tease like she hadn’t been right there clapping giddily when Scott asked her to dance. Or told her he liked her, and asked her out.
The memory made Allison unable to get rid of her smile and she jogged as fast as she could in her heels to the bike racks right as Scott was locking his bike up.
“Hey,” she said, waving before she realized that was weird and out of character for her and stopped.
Scott turned quickly, and his smile might have been even bigger than hers. “Hi!” They stood across from each other awkwardly as people passed by. “Last night was a lot of fun,” Scott finally said, edging just a little closer to her and Allison nodded.
“Yeah. It really was.” She moved closer to him so she wasn’t taking up as much space on the sidewalk.
She jumped in surprise when Scott reached out and grabbed her hand in his, but her smile was not disappearing from her face.
“So, you haven’t changed your mind?” Scott asked, running his thumb over her index finger.
Allison shook her head, squeezing his hand. “Can’t say I have.”
“Good. That’s really good.” He started to walk them towards the school doors but Allison stopped him.
“Wait. Don’t you wait for Stiles?”
Scott’s eyes went wide and he was immediately scanning the parking lot for Stiles’ jeep. “Yeah. I-“ he looked embarrassed. “I kinda forgot. With the whole,” he looked at her and dropped his head. “I was really nervous you were going to think about it last night and realize you are way out of my league.”
Allison couldn’t stop herself from laughing, moving closer to Scott so she could whisper in his ear. “I’m sure Stiles will forgive you.”
“Stiles will forgive him for what?”
They broke apart quickly at the sound of Stiles’ voice, but Allison made sure that she didn’t let go of Scott’s hand. She liked holding it.
Stiles looked a little worse for wear, even though his clothes were clean and he seemed put together. It was something deeper, something in his face that made Allison know immediately something was wrong. She could tell that Scott saw it too because he was stepping forward with one arm up, pulling Stiles’ into a hug.
Scott still held onto her hand as Stiles and he embraced, Stiles burying his face in Scott’s neck. Allison wanted to look away. She wanted to ask questions, she couldn’t help it. She was naturally curious and something had obviously happened. But she stood there, watching as Stiles squeezed Scott tight before pulling away with a faint smile on his face.
“Thanks,” he said.
“No problem,” Scott responded, looking at him. “Everything alright?”
Stiles nodded. “Just a long night. I ended up crashing at Derek’s again. Hence shirt.” He pointed to the shirt he was wearing, a dark grey thermal that was too big for him around the shoulders instead of his normal t-shirt and over shirt combination. “You’d think the guy was allergic to color.” He started walking, grinning at Allison as his eyes darted down to their hands. He gave her a thumbs up while Scott wasn’t looking and she blushed. She may not know what was going on but she was glad she had Stiles’ approval. There was enough drama with Jackson disapproving of Stiles and Danny, she didn’t want to get involved with it.
“Did Derek drop you off? I don’t see your car.” Scott was still looking in the parking lot, probably trying to find his Jeep.
“Yeah,” Stiles said vaguely. “Derek’s gonna drop it off later so I’ll have it when I get out. Have you seen Danny?”
Allison and Scott both shook their heads, as Stiles veered off towards the locker room with no more than a wave. She looked at Scott concerned. “Is everything alright with him?”
She watched as a ton of emotions played across Scott’s face and he opened and closed his mouth multiple times, obviously unsure what he should say. “Uh. I think he just had a rough night? Sometimes nights with Derek do that to him.” He rubbed the back of his head as they walked to her locker.
Allison nodded, thinking about Danny and Jackson’s overprotective attitude. “Is Derek Stiles’ ex or something?”
Scott stared at her with wide eyes. “Derek and Stiles? No. No, they uh. They used to be friends? Like a long time ago. There was a fire, I guess? And Derek’s whole family died, and so he left? But like, it was way before my time so I’m a little fuzzy on the details?” He took a deep breath, letting go of her hand as he tried to use his words. Allison waited, picking up her books carefully. “Derek is like Stiles’ older brother. They have a lot in common, and so they hang out together.” He shrugged. “He’s an alright guy.”
Allison nodded again as she shut her locker. “Well as long as Stiles is okay.” She bit her lip. “And if I can help with anything I totally will. He’s my friend too, even if we aren’t super close.”
Scott grinned, holding her hand again. “I will definitely tell him that. So. I know this might be a little sudden, but we could go see a movie this weekend?”
“Are you asking me on a date?” Allison asked, all other thoughts disappearing as Scott gave her a cute pleading look.
“We should all go somewhere on Friday,” Lydia announced as she took her seat at the lunch table. She was the last one to arrive, having to stop by to talk to her one of her teachers, and so when she said this she had everyone’s full attention. Allison wondered if it had been her plan all along.
She glanced at the boys, who, minus Danny, seemed to think this wasn’t the greatest idea ever. She looked at Lydia holding Jackson’s wrist, still grinning. “Come on guys, we’re all friends, and we’re all dating. We should do something together. It will be fun.”
Allison nodded in agreement. It didn’t sound that bad, and the only people who had any problems with each other were Stiles and Jackson, and in a group of six they could definitely buffer any clashes.
“I think it sounds alright,” Allison said as she looked at Scott for confirmation.
He looked surprised, turning to Stiles who was one his phone, sending a text message. When he saw he was getting no help from Stiles, Scott looked back at her, and then Lydia, and then Jackson. “I mean. What would we do?”
Jackson took a bite out of his apple. “We could go bowling.”
“No,” Danny said. “You know I’m awful at bowling.”
Stiles put his phone away and tucked his arm back in Danny’s, moving closer to him. Allison only noticed because they didn’t normally do many public displays, but today if they were together Stiles found a way to cling to Danny. “I’m sure you’re fine,” Stiles said, kissing Danny’s cheek.
Danny laughed. “I don’t think you know how dangerous it is going bowling with Jackson. He’s ruthless.”
Lydia clapped her hands. “So is that a yes? We’re going to go out tomorrow?”
Everyone nodded, except Stiles who looked concerned.
“I think I have plans.” He said as Danny shook his head.
“Nope. You promised me one official date and I am using it.”
Stiles pressed his face in Danny’s neck. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Lydia glared at him and Allison could only guess that she stepped on Stiles’ foot with her heel when he jerked up from Danny’s side. “You’re going to come, right Stiles?”
“Ow, yes Jesus. What do you have in your heels? Knives?”
Lydia grinned viciously at Stiles. “They are called stilettos for a reason.”
Jackson looked at her confused. “What does that mean?”
“A stiletto is a really sharp, pointy dagger,” Stiles said shifting. “I’m sure Lydia carries one in her purse to stab all the unsuspecting people.”
“Only people who annoy me,” Lydia shot back.
Allison raised her eyebrows as an argument broke out between the three of them, and she looked at Scott, who seemed just as concerned.
“Think it’s too late to back out?” Scott whispered.
Allison looked at their friends. “I don’t think they’d even notice if we didn’t show up.”
Danny was grabbing all the utensils from the table in an attempt to prevent a knife-fork-spoon fight from breaking out and Scott grimaced.
“We should probably go just to make sure they don’t kill each other,” he said, finishing up his lunch.
***
“You’re definitely going to come tomorrow right?” Danny asked him as they walked out of school, and towards Stiles’ Jeep. He had a day off of conditioning because the season was starting next month and Finstock didn’t want them over practiced by the time the season came around.
“Yes I am definitely going to come tomorrow.” He raised his right hand. “I solemnly swear and all that good stuff.”
“Because I can see how much you really, really don’t like the idea of going on a group date.”
“It’s not that,” Stiles said as they got to his Jeep, parked near the back of the lot. “If we are there together I will deal with Jackson, and not challenge him to a utensil fight. Which, for the record, I would have won.”
Danny laughed, pulling Stiles into a hug and a kiss. “I’m sure you would have.”
Stiles gave him a look. “Hey, I have extreme skills, like you don’t even know.”
“I can’t begin to imagine?” Danny asked with a laugh, kissing him again.
Stiles couldn’t complain in the slightest with the teasing kisses, even when one of their classmates called at them to take their make out session into the car. He broke the kiss reluctantly. He liked the reassurance that Danny was there with him, and he had needed it after last night, just like he needed to know that Scott and Derek were fine too. The fact that being overly cuddly with Danny all day meant that he got a make out session against his Jeep at the end of the day was just a plus.
“Are you free?” Stiles asked, shifting against the door of his Jeep. “Or do you at least want a ride home?”
Danny grinned, kissing him once more before pulling away and heading to the passenger sided. “Sure.”
Stiles flailed as he got into the jeep. “Sure? What does that mean? Sure to which one?”
Danny just shook his head, still grinning. “Sure.”
Stiles pointed a finger at him before starting the car. “I am taking you home. I was going to be nice and let you come over, because my dad is at work until eleven tonight, but now I’m not sure I want you to come over.”
Danny laughed. “Sure.”
“You are the worst boyfriend ever,” Stiles groused, starting the jeep. There wasn’t as many cars jamming up traffic anymore so Stiles was able to maneuver out of the parking lot and onto the road quickly. The two of them rode back to his house in silence, and Stiles was able to think back on his day.
He hadn’t told Scott he’d been shot, too worried that Scott would freak out at the news. Scott knew something had happened though, and he definitely hadn’t bought the whole “Derek and I just ran really, really far” excuse that Stiles fed him. He was sure part of that was the fact that he had been texting Derek all day to make sure he was alright.
Even Lydia had noticed, and had tried to take his phone during History just to see what was so important. Danny had been a lifesaver there, intercepting his phone and returning it without a glance at the contents.
Stiles knew he was lucky to have Danny, who was so trusting, and didn’t ask too many questions. He accepted everything Stiles said in the same way Stiles’ dad did. Like he trusted him that much to tell the truth.
Stiles wasn’t sure if Danny and his dad just thought he was boring, or if it was something more. He liked to hope it was something more. He wanted to believe that people trusted him because he was a trustworthy person. Minus the few lies about werewolves, and all that entailed, there wasn’t much Stiles hid anyway. And he would tell them if he thought it would do some good, but it wouldn’t. Especially with hunters.
Stiles’ fingers itched to check his messages, even though he knew Derek hadn’t sent him anything, but he stopped himself. He was with Danny, and he was driving. He should be responsible.
He did give in once he pulled into his driveway, checking through the updates Derek had sent him, before sending him a text telling him that he was hanging out with Danny but if something came up to tell him.
“Are you coming?” Danny asked, getting out of the Jeep.
Stiles looked up, slipping his phone back in his pocket. “Yeah. I just had to tell Derek not to bother me.”
Danny nodded. “So it’s cool for him to text you all throughout school but not when you’re with me.”
“Exactly,” Stiles said, jogging around the Jeep to catch up with Danny, slipping his hand into Danny’s.
“Will you ever properly introduce me to Derek or will I forever be left with the image of him denying you candy and dragging you out of the video store?”
“That one. Definitely that one, mostly because that’s about the best impression Derek is capable of leaving,” Stiles said, opening the door and letting Danny in. They dropped their bags at the door, and Stiles stripped off his hoodie, dropping it over the couch. He turned to look at Danny, who had taken off his own jacket. “So, do you wanna stay down here or?”
Danny’s eyes flicked up to the stairs, and Stiles felt the pit of his stomach heat up. He hadn’t intended the afternoon to be anything but innocent, but from the way they were looking at each other he wasn’t sure if that was possible.
“Your room is fine,” Danny said, and Stiles nodded, grabbing Danny’s wrist and pulling him upstairs.
He had intended on putting in a DVD, or pulling out his laptop. Danny liked watching him play WoW, and he always had commentary about the game, but the moment Stiles turned to look at Danny once they were actually in his room, he knew that wasn’t happening.
They were kissing before the door to his room shut. Stiles stumbled backwards, bringing Danny with him as he sat down on the bed. They didn’t stop kissing even as they rearranged themselves, Stiles turning them around so he was straddling Danny’s lap as he leaned back against the bookshelf behind Stiles’ bed.
He could feel the wolf rolling in the feeling of being so close to Danny. It was the best way to make sure Danny was alive, that he was real. Even though Stiles knew he was fine, he could see it plain as day, doing this with him made Stiles feel so much better.
Stiles was biting and licking at Danny’s shoulder, giving him a wicked hickey that the team would probably bust his balls about later, when he felt Danny’s hands at his hips, playing with the edge of his shirt. Stiles pulled away to look at him. He could tell Danny was slightly nervous, and Stiles didn’t blame him since they hadn’t gone this far before. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, he had nothing to gauge this relationship against, but he could hear Danny’s heart picking up while he tugged on the shirt.
Stiles nodded his head just a bit, and then he was lifting his arms over his head as Danny took his shirt off of him. He let out a breath, shivering a bit from the look Danny was giving him.
“Not all of us can be Mr. Muscles,” Stiles said since he needed to say something. He couldn’t sit in these silences while Danny admired him.
Danny’s eyes darted up to his face and he grinned as he pulled Stiles back in for a kiss. “Nothing wrong with that.”
Stiles laughed before he was pulled back into another kiss. It felt different, being shirtless on top of Danny, feeling his hands moving over skin instead of clothes. He shivered again as Danny traced his nails lightly down his back, causing him to break the kiss.
“That’s cheating,” Stiles whispered.
Danny smirked, doing it again. “What is?”
Stiles opened his eyes, even as Danny kept moving his hand up and down. “That.”
“That? Not very descriptive,” Danny laughed softly and kissed Stiles, deepening the kiss before Stiles could protest.
He felt himself getting hard, and straddled across Danny’s lap there was no doubt Danny couldn’t feel it as well. Danny shifted underneath him, moving their hips together, and Stiles gasped. This was definitely further than they had gotten before, and he wanted to remember each detail. He wanted to take it slow, but at the same time he wanted more.
Stiles reached down, tugging at Danny’s shirt. He wanted it off so he could feel what skin on skin felt like. He wanted to know if it was as good as he thought it would be. Danny broke their kiss, pushing gently at Stiles to get him off of him.
Stiles went, watching as Danny flipped their positions, careful not to fall off the bed, moving in between his spread legs. He suddenly looked shy as he started to pull his own shirt off, and Stiles helped him as much as he could, mouth going dry as he saw naked flesh. He’d seen Danny shirtless before but this was entirely different. They were in his room, and it was getting dark, and Danny was in between his thighs, pressing his hips forward so their erections ground together.
Stiles gasped, his hands moving immediately to explore Danny’s chest as they kissed. The feel of skin was amazing and he pushed himself up so they could be touching as much as possible.
He could feel the wolf in the back of his mind, content and actually under control. He didn’t even feel like he was holding back as he rocked his hips against Danny’s.
Danny gasped, breaking the kiss to bury his face in Stiles’ shoulder, biting and leaving his own mark. Stiles groaned, running his fingers through Danny’s hair to encourage him. He knew any mark Danny made wouldn’t last long, and he was sure that would raise some questions but he didn’t care.
They were both getting sweaty, and his jeans were pressing tight against his cock in a way that felt too good. He could feel Danny’s and it sent a thrill through his body, knowing that Danny was just as turned on as he was.
Danny let go of his shoulder, and Stiles turned his head to kiss him. He could tell they were both close, could hear it in the way Danny’s heart was picking up, the way his eyes were dilated and he was panting and it just turned him on more knowing that he had done this. Danny wanted him this much. Danny was enjoying this just as much.
Stiles gasped, pressing his lips to Danny’s as he stilled, coming in his pants. He felt Danny go still as well, and the room immediately smelled like sex. Stiles pressed his face into Danny’s neck, kissing and biting gently before Danny rolled over, keeping him in a hug.
“Wow,” he whispered after their breathing had evened out. The air was cooling them down, and Stiles could see goose bumps forming on Danny’s skin.
“Yeah,” Danny responded and then he laughed, leaning over and kissing Stiles. “Yeah.”
Stiles blushed and he was glad it was dark now so Danny couldn’t see it. “Sorry about your pants.”
“No problem. Hazard of the job.” Stiles snorted at that response. “I should have a change of sweatpants in my bag from gym.”
Stiles nodded. “You mind if we stay like this for just a little bit?”
“Nope. That is fine by me,” Danny said as he cuddled closer to Stiles.
Part 2