Chapter Text
Riding in a car packed full of people he didn’t like should have been agonizing for each and every second. In reality, it passed like a muddled blur--broken only by Deej’s disappointed looks and the occasional too-friendly touch from Kylie. For some reason, the entire situation felt surreal; like he was just watching everything happen from a distant dream. The ache in his chest felt like a dull burn, twisting and prodding occasionally, but easy enough to ignore. Every time Derek tried to think of reasons to go back, or even to think of why Stiles had acted so irrationally, it was like someone was pouring tar into his brain and gooping up his thoughts until there was nothing solid to focus on.
They stopped for lunch at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Derek had a fish sandwich suggested to him by Jen, and then nearly spat it back out after remembering upon the first bite that he hated fish. He almost tried to order something else, but when Amber pointed out that it would take too long, he ended up nibbling on his fries while everyone else conversed cheerily around him. He felt like something was broken, but he had no idea what it was.
Arriving at the Turner’s home felt like finally reaching the prison he was sentenced to life in. There were at least five betas lounging here and there, most of them sniffing at Derek before dismissing his presence as unimportant. Deej had spent the last hour of the car ride texting with Nick, and he made a beeline for his room once they walked through the door.
Jen pressed her hand against the back of Derek’s shoulders, guiding him down the hall. “You’ll be staying with Kylie. I mean, you’re engaged, after all. No reason to keep you apart. It wouldn’t hurt to get a jumpstart on some cubs, if you’re feeling up to it. This has been a long day for you, so don’t feel rushed.”
Derek didn’t know what to say, mostly because any time he tried to tell her how very much he did not want to make cubs with her daughter, his tongue became heavy and impossible to use. He ended up making a tiny noise of acknowledgement as she all but pushed him into Kylie’s room.
It was like a five year old had vomited rainbows all over the place. Nothing matched the way it should have, and Derek was pretty sure that some of the band posters on the wall were the same ones he’d seen in the room of a pre-teen they’d saved from a striga the year before. Derek had to take a second to just sit on the bed and breathe. He knew, somewhere deep inside, that this was so far out of his hands it was ridiculous. At the same time, no matter how badly Derek tried to remember why he’d agreed in the first place, it was like someone kept re-directing his train of thought into stupid things like why Kylie had a purple dust ruffle.
The more Derek tried to think of ways to reverse the situation he was in, the more nauseous he felt and the more his head began to hurt. It wasn’t long before he had a crippling migraine with absolutely no progress in organizing his thoughts. He felt exhausted, enough that sleep sounded like a much better idea than trying to escape.
Derek was out before his head even hit the pillow.
When he woke up, it was to the weight of a body on top of his own. It wasn’t Stiles’ weight--Stiles always favored his injured side in everything he did--but someone else’s. Derek cracked an eye open, gut burning in horror at the sight of Kylie on top of him in nothing but a sheer night gown, breasts visible through the material. She was fumbling with the fly of his jeans, one hand rubbing slowly up his hip and then down his thigh like she was trying to get his body to react the way she wanted it to.
Unthinking, Derek howled and threw her off of him. She went tumbling to the ground in a heap of limbs and shrieking. Derek leapt to his feet, clarity of mind hitting him in a rush. He had no idea why he ever agreed to any of this; why he would leave Stiles and the pack behind because of a stupid argument. It was so unlike anything he’d ever done before that Derek’s chest ached with shame. There was no excuse for his behavior, not even if Stiles’ words had been true. Derek knew Stiles, and he knew that Stiles said shit without thinking. He also knew that Stiles would never genuinely want anyone to leave without a good, solid reason. Hating Derek was not one of those reasons--not when they’d been kissing and happy in bed just that morning.
No. Derek hadn’t been thinking. That was exactly the problem. He’d felt spellbound the entire time--which was exactly what must have happened. They’d been so focused on their immediate problems that they hadn’t thought to watch out for something as underhanded as a spell being cast by someone in the Turner pack.
Hurriedly getting his pants back on, Derek snarled when Kylie tried to shuffle back over to him. “Get away,” he snapped, teeth bared and eyes flashing in warning. Kylie hesitated, and that was enough for Derek to turn on his heel and march out of the room. Kylie followed, shouting obscenities and practically clawing at his arm to try and drag him back into her room. Derek shoved her, watching as she stumbled for a moment and then caught herself against the wall.
Satisfied, Derek continued down the hall. He made his way through the living room, ignoring the way Jen and Amber practically leapt to their feet in shock. Derek was going home--even if he had to run the entire way there.
“Derek?” Jen asked, wary. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“I’m going home,” Derek growled, shoving one of the betas aside.
“Alex!” Kylie howled, “Alex, get out here!”
“I’m leaving!” Derek repeated when two more betas tried to block his exit. “Get out of my way. You did something to me, didn’t you? You did something to Stiles, too!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Derek, “ Amber approached, hands out like she was trying to calm a skittish animal. Derek felt caged, the hair on the back of his neck rising like hackles and his nails turning to claws. Amber tried to set a hand on his arm and he gnashed his teeth at her until she backed up. He’d fight his way out or die trying.
“Derek, you’re just having some anxiety about being in a new place, is all,” Jen assured, shaking her head. “We all get like that, it’s okay.”
Derek opened his mouth to protest, except the words never came out when he was hit with a rush of vertigo. He shook his head, trying to dispel the sensation. “No,” he breathed, vision spotty, “no I’m not. I want... I want to go home.” That’s what he wanted. He’d almost forgotten. That longing for familiar faces and scents was enough to give Derek the energy to hiss, “I want my pack.”
“We are your pack, honey,” Jen said. Derek knew she was wrong, knew because his stomach hurt just thinking about it. He knew, but at the same time, he felt confused because part of him was saying that her words were true. Part of him was screaming at him to listen to her; that she was his alpha and that this was his new home. He glanced around, taking in the sight of Deej and Ivanna hovering, of Alex watching with Kylie holding his arm like a lifeline. These strangers were meant to be his new family, weren’t they?
“No... no, I have one back in Beacon Hills,” Derek muttered, hand coming up to press against his temple in an attempt to dispel the headache that had started to settle right between his eyes.
“They abandoned you, Derek,” Jen reminded him sharply. Her words stung like a knife digging in the space right under his heart. Derek forgot how to breathe, forced to listen as she continued. “Don’t you remember? They don’t want you anymore. We want you, though.”
That seemed... right... they did say cruel things to him. Not only that, but it had been so hard to get them to be pack in the first place. They were probably happier as a pack without him to interfere. Stiles deserved so much better--someone who wouldn’t cause him so much pain. He shook his head, eyes closing to try and block out the image of Alex, Deej, and the rest of the betas watching him like he was some kind of joke.
A tiny, pathetic noise of defeat came from somewhere deep inside Derek. It was like an invisible hand had wrenched the sound from him. He didn’t even know why he’d wanted to leave in the first place.
“I guess,” Derek admitted quietly, rubbing his aching head. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Jen grinned, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder, “we all get like that sometimes.”
Deej, from where he stood next to Ivanna, shook his head. He looked ready to lunge across the room and strangle Derek, but Derek had no idea why. They were pack, and pack loved each other.
Kylie unclamped herself from Alex’s side, rushing over and clinging to Derek with a happy sound. “I’m so glad you changed your mind!” She smacked a kiss against his cheek, and it left Derek feeling like ants were crawling under his skin. He wanted to pull away, but his arm was heavy like lead in her grasp. She tugged him back towards her bedroom and Derek’s feet moved on their own, following her every step. Things felt disjointed and fuzzy around the edges, like his body had officially been programmed to autopilot against his will.
With a gentle push, Kylie had Derek falling back against the bed so that she could clamber on top of his body with a happy purr. Derek wanted to scream and push her away, but he couldn’t find the energy or motivation to do either. She kissed him, open and wet, and it felt disgusting. Her tongue was slick when it pried Derek’s lips open, wriggling inside while she pushed him harder into the mattress. Derek hated the way her claws dug into his chest, hated how much he didn’t want this but couldn’t stop her. He felt sick to his stomach, felt guilt that told him this was betrayal in the highest form. Derek didn’t understand why, because he knew they were engaged and that meant he should be enjoying it and not hating it.
Kylie’s teeth bit into his mouth as she smiled, hands moving to start tugging at his pants again.
“So we’re into rape now, huh, sis?” Deej’s voice came from the doorway. Kylie jerked her head up, hissing and curling her hands into fists. Derek wondered why his body felt like it was made entirely of immovable mass, limbs heavy when he tried to at least sit up while Kylie growled and cursed at her brother.
“None of your business, Deej. Besides, he wants it--don’t you, Derek?”
He didn’t, not really, not when he could barely move his body other than to blink and breathe. He tried to say no, to tell her this, but he found himself nodding, much to Kylie’s delight. She gave Deej a smug look, thumb flicking open the button to Derek’s fly for emphasis.
“He’s under a compliance spell, Kyls. What do you think he’s going to say?” Deej hissed, jaw flexing like it was taking all of his willpower not to howl and scream instead. Kylie snorted, dragging down the zipper in a slow, exaggerated manner. She shrugged, watching Derek and studiously ignoring her brother’s judgmental staring.
“We’re engaged, so it’s not like it matters.” She said dismissively, palming Derek roughly through his boxers. Derek made a pained noise, feeling crowded and violated in so many ways.
“Dude,” Deej said faintly, “I’m seriously going to get mom in on this.”
“Mom killed dad,” Kylie snapped, body going tense before she forced herself to relax and resume groping Derek, fingers tracing the outline of his flaccid cock in hopes of getting some sort of reaction. “I don’t think she’s going to care what happens to my mate.”
“Kylie, don’t do this,” Deej stepped into the room, spreading his arms out in a pleading gesture. “Don’t be like her, please.”
The look that crossed Kylie’s face was similar to the one a person would make when smelling or seeing something particularly foul. Her nose crinkled as she sneered, but her hand blessedly drew back. She climbed off of Derek’s body, adjusting her nightgown and puffing her chest out. Deej grimaced, glancing away and looking particularly sickened at the sight of his sister’s nearly-exposed breasts.
“Just because I don’t do it today, doesn’t mean it won’t happen eventually.” Kylie said stiffly, fixing her hair and brushing her bangs from her face.
“Thank, Kyls, I mean it.” Deej gave her a smile, but it was answered with an annoyed eye roll from Kylie before she brushed past him and out the door.
Derek struggled to push himself up, breathing labored and head roaring in pain. Deej must have noticed, because he quickly said, “get up,” and any resistance Derek had previously met was gone as his body hauled itself into a sitting position on the bed.
“Fix your pants.” Deej added, watching Derek’s hands mindlessly move to button his fly. He was scowling deeply, brows pinched together and making a crinkle appear in his forehead. “You know what’s wrong, don’t you?”
Trying to talk was difficult when his mouth felt like it had been sealed shut. Deej sighed and added, “answer me.”
Derek nodded. “A spell--a strong one.”
Grimacing, Deej shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked back on his heels. “I wish I could stop it, dude. I’m so fucking sorry. I had no idea.”
‘It’s okay.’ Derek wanted to tell him, but he couldn’t control his mouth enough to get the words out. Instead, he stared and hoped his face didn’t look too angry.
“It’ll be okay, I swear,” Deej promised. “Seriously, things will get better. Just give it time.”
Derek wanted to laugh in his face--or spit in it, he wasn’t sure. Until now, Derek had been under the impression that Deej was on their side...but his confidence in the other werewolf was starting to get weaker with each passing moment. It was hard to really be sure of anything when his mind was stuck in a permanent state of slow fuzziness.
“Get some sleep,” Deej suggested. The only problem was that, with Derek spellbound, it was more of a command than anything. Derek was helpless to stop his body laying itself across the bed, or his eyes closing, or his mind shutting off completely until he was dragged into a sense of nothingness.
--
Waking up was more gradual than anything, like someone had started to turn up the dimmer switch on Derek’s consciousness. He felt Kylie’s body pressed up against his side, her scent thick in his nostrils. To someone else, she might have smelled good, but to Derek it was more sickening than anything. He missed Stiles’ scent, missed the smell of his apartment and the pack. Hell, he was even starting to miss Allison’s hugs the more he was stuck settling for Kylie’s embrace. Anything was better than this place--full of foreign smells and creaky rooms.
They way his eyes burned, Derek knew tears were welling in them right before he blinked and forced them to trickle down his cheeks. He hadn’t felt this miserable and hopeless in years. The only upside was that the spell had worn off enough for him to be able to wipe at his face. It took a second, but Derek managed to push himself out of bed and pad silently out of the bedroom.
The first thing Derek did was find the bathroom. After taking care of business and washing his face, he went out into the living room to see that the first light of dawn was just starting to trickle in through the blinds. Deej was at the kitchen table, bags heavy under his eyes as he tapped away furiously at his laptop. He sniffed once, going utterly still before jerking his head up to stare at Derek with wide eyes.
Derek opened his mouth to say something, but Deej quickly brought a finger to his lips and then gestured for Derek to come over. Just the tiny bit curious, Derek obeyed. Deej moved the laptop enough so Derek could see the screen, and his heart nearly stopped in his chest at the sight of Stiles’ username up in a chat window.
Typing, Deej wrote out for Derek, too many people here. someone might wake up and hear us talking. we can type for now, they won’t suspect anything. i’m on the computer all the time, anyway.
It made sense, actually. Derek felt a little impressed--mostly because it wasn’t something he would have thought of so easily. He nodded and Deej erased his last line and typed again.
do you feel fully in control yet?
Derek took a second to consider leaving, just getting up and walking out the door and going back home, but as soon as he tried to actually take a step towards the front door, his head started to ache and his thoughts started to blur. He shook his head, taking a seat next to Deej and telling himself he would stay--if only to get rid of the migraine that was starting to develop.
Frowning, Deej nodded at him and then started to type into the chat window.
deejadoodle: Derek’s up. He’s here, but the spell is still keeping him from leaving.
The reaction from Stiles was almost instantaneous. Derek had forgotten how fast he typed, but it was easy to remember when the chat window started pinging again and again as Stiles practically blew it up with messages.
thestilinsking: DEREK
thestilinsking:DEREK ARE YOU OKAY?
thestilinsking:I’M SO SORRY. I WASN’T SAYING THOSE THINGS.
thestilinsking:LIKE IM PRETTY SURE YOU KNOW THAT NOW BUT I HAVE TO SAY IT ANYWAY
thestilinsking:I DIDN’T MEAN ANY OF IT. IT WASNT ME
thestilinsking:YOU’RE OURS. THEY CANT HAVE YOU, REMEMBER?
Derek knew he was grinning like an idiot. His cheeks were aching and his chest was swelling with a combination of relief and elation to know that Stiles was okay, and that nothing he’d said had been true. Deej cooed quietly, and then typed up a message to Stiles.
deejadoodle: he’s smiling. i think he’s blushing. aw that’s adorable. can i keep him?
Stiles’ answering message came back immediately.
thestilinsking: NO.
A window appeared, flashing the stilinsking wants to video you like a beacon. Deej flailed, rushing to type up a message to Stiles in the chat.
deejadoodle: can’t talk, pack will hear.
thestilinsking: turn off the sound. I just want to see him, ok??
“Oh my God,” Deej hissed, lip twitching to hide a smile as he hit the mute button and accepted the call.
The second Derek saw Stiles’ face, he thought his heart was going to explode into a thousand pieces. There wasn’t even any reason, other than the fact that he was seeing Stiles and he was okay and smiling and happy to see Derek alive. Allison, Isaac and Scott were in the background, all of them hovering so they could each see the screen, and it helped fix a little bit of the broken pieces inside of Derek to know that his pack was there for him. Unthinking, he reached out to take the laptop from Deej, pulling it in close so that he could see everyone properly.
Stiles waved, typing, hey there big guy. miss me?
It took Derek a second of hunt-and-peck to respond with, yes, because he did.
Though he tried to hide it, Stiles practically preened at the knowledge--Derek could tell with the way his shoulders twitched back and his right eyebrow twitched up.
thestilinsking: can you hold on just a little longer? we’ve got a way to fix all this.
Apparently, the look on Derek’s face was enough for Stiles to add, we’re coming for you. but we think that guy’s magic will just send us right back home if we don’t do this right.
Derek normally wasn’t a man of too many words, and it was only worse with something as slow as inexperienced typing on a keyboard. He nodded, and sent Stiles, ok, to let him know he understood.
thestilinsking: we miss you, man.
Stiles brought his hands up, making a little heart. It was pretty childish, but so much Stiles that Derek had to frown at how badly he wished he was back home--if only to crush Stiles into a stupid, suffocating hug. It was a far better option than being forced to chat with him over a muted video.
Scott wiggled his way past Stiles, typing out a message while Stiles tried to un-usurp the laptop.
thestilinsking: we have a plan dont worry
i hope so, is what Derek typed back. Stiles was staring at the screen, frowning like he wanted to say something, when a rustling noise came from somewhere in the house. Someone was waking up.
Deej grabbed the laptop back, dragging it towards himself to shoot off a message to Stiles that they had to cut the call short.
Derek pressed in close, trying to get a last look at Stiles and his packmates before the video closed and Deej pulled up a random blogging website. He made a shooing motion at Derek, gesturing towards the coffee maker and wiggling his eyebrows meaningfully. Derek huffed, getting up and going to make a pot of coffee, as per Deej’s silent suggestion.
It wasn’t long before Amber was emerging from her room in a fluffy robe, hair a complete mess and her face looking like she was ready to kill kittens if they mewled at her wrong. She hip-checked Derek away from the coffee maker to pour herself a cup, ignoring his presence entirely. He took it in stride, shuffling towards the living room with his own mug and finding a tattered old recliner in one corner to settle himself in.
He stayed there for most of the morning, entertaining himself with a musty-smelling copy of Moby Dick that had been used as more of a decoration than actual reading material. The Turner pack mostly mingled, some bickering and others ignoring everyone as they went about their daily routine. It wasn’t until he’d re-read the same sentence for the fifth time after hearing Kylie and one of the betas getting into an argument over who stole who’s hair brush that Jen finally struck up conversation with him.
“So, Derek, sweetie...how long has it been since you became the alpha?”
Derek kind of wanted to throw the book at her head, but he knew that would only end with Alex putting him under another spell to the point of near-unconsciousness. He grit his teeth, muttering, “a while.”
Jen’s lips thinned, cheek twitching like she was biting the inside of it. “I see... well, how many children do you hope to have?”
When he tried to say, ‘none’, it was like his lips sealed themselves together. He glanced around the room, catching Alex sitting innocently at the kitchen table and sipping at his tea. For a second, he glanced up to give Derek a tiny smile, winking and then going back to reading whatever was on his phone. The truth pushed itself out of Derek almost immediately after.
“A lot,” he blurted, “I miss having a huge family. I want that again, even if I have to adopt.”
“Well,” Jen said breezily, “hopefully it won’t come to that, will it? How was your first night here, by the way? I hope Kylie wasn’t too rough on you.”
Oh, if the pack was here, Derek was pretty sure Stiles or at least Erica would be going after Jen with a lead pipe. They weren’t, though, and all Derek could do was keep himself from snarling. Instead, he gave her a tight, impassive smile and shrugged in a way that couldn’t be taken as particularly good or bad. Luckily, Jen seemed satisfied enough with that.
“Hey, man, wanna play some games?” Deej popped up from behind the couch, gesturing vaguely to the hallway where most of the bedrooms were. Derek was awful at most games--his only specialty were with the older consoles--but saying no was kind of difficult when Alex was nearby and ready to zap him with another compliance spell if need be.
Deej must have noticed his indecision, because he reiterated with, “I think you totally want to play,” so that the little part of Derek still taken under by the last spell had him shrugging and standing. If he tried hard, Derek might have been able to resist, but he knew it wouldn’t be worth the hassle when he was pretty much stuck in a nest of vipers with a viperine as his only friend.
Turning on the console, Deej tossed Derek a controller and flopped back on the bed, gesturing for Derek to find a place to sit and get comfortable. Derek stood there awkwardly, wanting to throw the controller at Deej’s face, but then Deej sighed and said, “sit down and play.”
Derek did exactly that, despite his best efforts not to.
He spent most of the time accidentally dying or getting killed in some ridiculous manner while Deej cackled and kept checking his phone like it was some sort of addictive drug. Derek wanted to ask if it was Stiles, but it was pointless to do so because the pack listened in on everything that went on. It was the fifth or sixth time that Deej pulled his phone out that he actually did something, and that was only to tuck his phone back in his pocket and whine, “shit, dude, it’s hot as fuck in here. Mind if I open the window?”
Derek himself didn’t feel hot, or even particularly warm, but he shrugged anyway. Deej grinned, getting up and clambering over to his bedroom window. Before he opened it, he turned and pressed a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. Derek stared, disbelief striking him dumb as Erica’s blonde head popped up in the window as it opened up. She waved, hoisting herself inside and being immediately followed after by Isaac.
The only sound in the room was the screaming of monsters on the television from the video game as Derek’s betas hurried over and practically patted him down for injuries. Derek didn’t even think, practically manhandling Erica into the tightest hug he could manage while Isaac returned to the window to help Allison climb in.
She was in her usual hunter’s suit--black boots, leather jacket and matching pants with fat pockets stuffed full of various weapons designed specifically for supernatural extermination. With her hair tied up in a tight bun, Allison tucked a few stray curls behind her ear and came over to give Derek a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and a kiss on the cheek.
Stunned couldn’t even begin to describe how Derek was feeling. It was almost like he was living in some kind of dream, his pack coming to save him and showering him with fond gestures in the process. Erica pulled away, reaching out to fluff up Derek’s bangs before looking over at Deej.
Deej was staring at his phone, three fingers held up as they counted down. When he brought down the last finger, the entire house shook violently with the sound of a deafening boom. Splintering wood and howling came from the living room, and then a bone-rattling roar exploded from close by. It was a roar Derek hadn’t heard in quite some time.
Stiles had brought that stupid yeti with him.
The smile on Isaac’s face was threatening to split his cheeks as he wolfed out and gave Derek a thumbs-up before wrenching Deej’s bedroom door open and running out with an animalistic cry. Erica gave him a friendly slap on the ass, following after Isaac. Allison cocked her crossbow, looking at Derek expectantly.
“What? Did you think we’d just give you up so easily?” She asked, laughing softly at the blank look Derek gave her in response.
Another crash came from the living room, this one followed by Stiles’ voice bellowing, “Ride like the wind, Jobo!”
Jobo gave an answering warble of yeti jibberish and smashed something. The sound of Stiles’ voice was like a lure, dragging Derek to finally follow his betas out into the throng of chaos. There was complete madness going on, Stiles sitting on Jobo’s shoulders while the beast grabbed members of the Turner back left and right and threw them around like they were ragdolls. Ivanna was nowhere to be seen, Deej quickly coming to stand at Derek’s side. “Holy shit, they went all out, dude.” Deej whispered.
A flash of white came from the corner of his eye and Derek turned to stare in numb disbelief as a unicorn reared up and kicked Kylie in the face. There were spatters of blood all over it’s coat, horn dripping red as it galloped towards one of the Turner betas and impaled her through the chest with a loud whinny.
Derek had no idea what the hell was going on.
Alex was in the corner of the room, slowly being corralled in by Isaac and Erica, the both of them snarling and flexing their claws. He threw his hands up, blurting, “would you look at that? You just killed my paycheck. I think my job here is done,” and disappearing with a loud crack of smoke.
Just behind them, Amber fell to the ground, skin pale and lips blue as Nick stepped closer with both hands out--twisting his palms as a small vortex of air continued to pulse around her head and suffocate her.
Next to Derek, Deej sighed, “he’s so sexy when he uses his magic to kill my oppressive family members,” and hopped over one of the dead betas on his way over to the mage’s side.
Boyd tore the throat out of another Turner beta, eyes glowing bright as he howled in triumph before bounding over to Scott’s side and tackling Jen just as she knocked Scott to the ground. Erica pounced on Amber, taking advantage of the woman’s weakened state to shove her clawed hand straight through Amber’s chest and into her heart. Apparently, Nick had been distracted from his spellwork by Deej’s very enthusiastic greeting kiss.
Stiles, still perched on Jobo’s shoulders with one hand buried into the yeti’s long mane of hair, waved frantically at Derek. “Sweetums, I’m so sorry about the delay! Traffic was awful!”
With the spell that had been keeping him complaint finally broken, Derek, of all things, could only stupidly say, “rush hour is pretty bad this time of day,” and watch as Stiles’ face lit up as he released a loud and delighted cackle. It was like the life had finally been breathed back into Derek’s body, chest fit to burst with suffocating affection for this foolish, stubborn human that had somehow crawled under his skin and fit himself next to Derek’s heart like a permanent fixture.
Kylie’s bloodcurdling screech of rage caused both of them to look over and see Allison on her back, using a small staff carved from rowan to strangle her. She clawed at Allison’s arms, choking as the skin of her throat smoked and bubbled.
“Wait!” Stiles cried when Allison pulled a blade from the holster on her thigh. Allison hesitated and Stiles added, “this one’s mine!”
“Seriously, dude?” Scott whined from where he was wrestling around with Jen. “This isn’t some cheesy action movie!”
“Hey, don’t judge me--she tried to get nookie from my man.” Stiles snapped, patting Jobo on the head. Jobo made a low rumble in her chest, lumbering over and plucking Kylie up like some sort of cheap toy, pulling Allison away and setting her back down before squeezing Kylie so hard that everyone could hear the snapping and crunching of her bones.
“I hope you didn’t think you’d get away with it,” Stiles said, watching as Kylie’s enraged expression slowly turned into one of terror. Stiles ignored it, reaching for the gun tucked into his side and pulling it out. He flicked the safety off, lining up the shot and shooting her clean in the head. The bang was deafening, jarring the last of the betas into losing their concentration. Stiles tucked the gun away as Kylie went limp in Jobo’s hand, life immediately gone out of her.
Derek had almost forgotten how terrifying Stiles could be when he put his mind to something.
Jobo let Kylie’s body drop to the ground with a thud as Jen screamed and howled in enraged distress. The sound was cut off when Deej jumped on her distracted state to run his claws through her neck, killing her almost instantly. A hush went through the room as the last few betas reacted to the change of alphas, most of them backing down quickly while one tried to keep fighting and was killed by Isaac.
Deej stared down at his hands, flexing his fingers as his eyes glowed red. He looked up, taking in a deep breath and looking to the last of his pack. “I’m the alpha, now,” he said lowly.
The seriousness was broken when Stiles howled in laughter, followed quickly by Scott and Allison as they dissolved into hysterics. Derek knew exactly why they were laughing, and had to keep from crossing his arms and pouting. That was years ago, and it wasn’t like there was much else you could say when you suddenly became the alpha, anyway.
It was only a little comforting to know that Deej and everyone else looked utterly bewildered as to why the three of them were practically in tears. Stiles caught his breath first, wiping at his eyes and chuckling as he scratched Jobo behind the ear. “All right, big girl. You can let me down, now.”
Making a small noise, Jobo lifted him off of her shoulders, waiting until he had his cane out before she set him properly on the ground. The unicorn that Derek still had no explanation for let out a snorfle and nosed up against Nick’s elbow. Derek was only slightly distracted by it, but only because he couldn’t tell if it was actually shimmering, or if that was just from the sunlight reflecting off all the blood in it’s coat.
Stiles made his way over to Derek, cane clicking against the floor as he smiled. “Told you we’d fix this,” he said, reaching out and gently cupping Derek’s shoulder.
“Where did you get the unicorn?” Derek blurted--instead of saying something more important, like ‘I love you’, or ‘I’m so proud of you’, or even ‘thank you for saving me’.
Stiles had the audacity to look sheepish, shrugging and gesturing vaguely. “We needed something to summon that could carry Nick, and, you know, I was all for Cthulu or whatever, but like...unicorns, man. How was I supposed to pass that up? Besides, Basil’s a total sweetie.”
There was probably something Derek should do, like cross his arms and look menacing, or maybe to lecture them on how reckless they had all been. He didn’t do either of those things, though. All he could really do was reach out and grab Stiles, pulling him in until Stiles was crushed to his chest with a soft grunt.
Stiles dropped the cane with a loud clatter, clutching to Derek and sagging in a way that spoke volumes about how scared and freaked out he must have felt about the entire situation.
“Thank you,” Derek muttered, because he’d had a few long years to learn when to show gratitude where it was due.
With a tiny wiggle and snuffle into Derek’s throat, Stiles sighed, “you’re mine. I wasn’t gonna give you up that easily.”
Pulling away, Derek finally did what he’d been wanting to do for hours, cradling Stiles’ face in his palms and kissing him. Stiles’ mouth curled into a smile against his lips, words muffled as he cooed, “aww yeah, kisses. The hero always gets the kisses. Best.”
“Shut up,” Derek growled into his mouth, nipping at the corner of Stiles’ top lip and kissing him again, trying to at least squish the grin right off of Stiles’ face. He didn’t really care, anyway, as long as he got to keep holding Stiles like this.
Nearby, Deej and Nick were talking in soft undertones. Isaac had Jobo on body-cleanup duty while Allison and Scott got their post-adrenaline cuddling on and Boyd and Erica bickered on who had the best kill. Basil the unicorn was in the pantry, munching on apples and Ivanna had appeared out of nowhere and was fawning over the fact that there was a unicorn in her kitchen--though she soon wandered over to Isaac to help him with moving the remains of her old pack. The betas who were still around seemed to be at a loss for what to do, and were mostly hovering uneasily near Deej.
“Is it any different?” Nick asked Deej.
Shrugging, Deej ran his tongue over his fangs, as if seeing if they had changed at all. “It’s...intense... I don’t know. I just feel really in control right now. This is weird.”
It would probably be best if they kept contact for a while longer, if only so that Derek could help Deej with the transition into being a new alpha. He said as much to Stiles, mouth nuzzling agains tthe hollow of his cheek. Stiles nodded, squeezing Derek tight. “Might be a good idea. We don’t need him going on a turning spree like you did when you became alpha.”
Derek gave in to the childish desire to pinch Stiles in the side, taking pleasure in the way he squirmed.
“I kind of miss the blue eyes,” Nick said. Deej let out a tiny dismayed sound, one that had Nick quickly shaking his head and adding, “but the red is kind of sexy. unhinged. I like it, it’s different, but a good kind of different.”
They kissed, slow and happily, to a point where Derek had to look away. He almost wanted to ask Stiles what he thought of the red alpha eyes, but decided not to when Stiles sighed and thunked his head into Derek’s shoulder.
“You know what I miss?” Stiles muttered, sliding his palms around until they rested on Derek’s lower back.
“Hm?”
“Butt squeezies.”
“What?”
Stiles’ hands slipped down to cup Derek’s ass, massaging for a second before squeezing with a contented sigh. That was when Derek realized that Nick might be cute and nice, and everything Deej could ever want...but Stiles was everything Derek had ever needed.
A tiny, contented rumble came from deep in Derek’s chest, fingers sliding down until he could give Stiles’ bottom a return squeeze that had Stiles snorting in amusement. Stiles lifted his head and ducked in to give Derek a quick peck on the lips before he pulled away reluctantly. “As much as I love post-bloodshed snuggles, we really have to figure out what’s going to happen now.”
It was true, sadly. They needed to help Deej adjust to his new power as an alpha, and straighten out what would happen to the last of the Turner pack. Not only that, but Derek had a feeling that going home would be met with a few key discussions like his relationship with Stiles and the ethics of summoning mythological creatures for the sake of bloodshed and looking cool.
No matter what, though, Derek figured that as long as he had the pack and Stiles at his side, nothing they faced in the days to come would be much of a trial at all.
--
Epilogue: one year later
After months arguing, sexiles, Stiles disappearing for two days in a fit of pique, and even more trial and error, the pack came to the conclusion that Stiles’ loss of memory couldn’t be fixed by magic because it hadn’t been caused by magic. The permanent brain damage was exactly that. Permanent. It was a miracle that Nick and Deaton were able to join ideas with Stiles enough to come up with a spell that gave Stiles the ability to borrow memories from the pack if the situation called for it. The downside was that it became such a hassle to cast that Stiles rarely did so unless the situation called for it.
Stiles still used the cane, but he’d gotten better about his physical therapy after realizing that over-taxing himself meant he and Derek had to resort to vanilla sex, which Stiles apparently had a grudge against on a good day. The added strain was enough for Stiles to settle into actually letting Derek and the others help him with far less complaint in the past months.
Deej moved to Florida, and he took Nick and most of the pack with him. They planned on visiting after they were fully settled, mostly so that Nick could catch up with Stiles and tell them stories about all of the monsters (both human and supernatural) that he’d encountered in the sunshine state.
Stiles moved into Derek’s apartment in the fall, and it was like he’d always been there. His stuff was constantly all over the place--to a point where he and Derek had gotten into a few arguments about who’s turn it was to do the dishes, or that someone had forgotten to take their clothes out of the dryer again. The fights never escalated much beyond heavy bickering, and when it did, they usually ended with someone getting fucked on the kitchen table.
When Derek’s birthday rolled around, Stiles presented him with a pair of edible underwear and a parakeet. The underwear Derek understood--because it had been an inside joke the week before. The bird, not so much. At least, not until Stiles had sheepishly admitted that Deej had told him about what Derek had said to Jen about wanting children. Derek had been shocked, and a little disheartened at the implication, until Stiles had explained that he wasn’t ready for kids, and that he hoped a bird would be acceptable until he was. Of course, after a beat, Stiles had added that Derek always reminded him of a bird when he puffed out his chest in pride or anger. Derek had almost pouted about that, but was mollified by the tease when he realized that Stiles had gotten him a bird because he wasn’t ready for a family yet.
Which is exactly why Derek’s morning routine had somehow become something like, ‘wake up, shower, make breakfast and feed bird. Feed boyfriend.’
Only today, Derek planned on changing his routine just a little. He didn’t want to feed his boyfriend, he wanted to feed his fiance.
His father’s ring sat heavy in his pocket while Derek went about scrambling a couple eggs as Stiles snoozed on obliviously. His parent’s wedding rings were one of the only things Derek still had from the fire, and while Stiles couldn’t wear his mother’s, his father’s seemed just about right. It might sit a little loose, but Derek figured they could always get it sized to fit him later on. Derek was sure it’d do just fine for now, though.
When the eggs were done and the toast buttered, Derek poured Stiles’ coffee--making it just how he liked it--and took the entire tray into the bedroom. Stiles was starfished out on the mattress with the covers half hanging off of his legs and his mouth open in a soft snore. Derek hovered in the doorway just to admire the view before he sat down in the little space between Stiles’ hip and the edge of the mattress. He put the tray down on the night stand, reaching over to card his fingers through Stiles’ hair. Stiles snuffled, cracking one eye open and then letting it slide shut again with a tired mumble.
Huffing on a laugh, Derek took Stiles’ left hand gently between his own, grabbing the ring out of his pocket and slipping it onto Stiles’ finger. It did fit a tiny bit too loose, but it looked so right on Stiles’ hand that Derek couldn’t help but run his finger over it fondly. Stiles’s eyes fluttered beneath his lids, already drifting back off to sleep as Derek bent down and gave him a kiss.
Blearily, Stiles muttered into Derek’s lips, “m’hungry,” and leaned up into the kiss with a happy sigh. Derek grinned, pulling away and grabbing the food tray while Stiles sat up with a yawn. He waited, watching as Stiles muzzily nibbled on his eggs and sipped at his coffee. It wasn’t until the cup was halfway gone that Stiles stilled at the clink of the ring tapping against the mug. He blinked, and then stared at the ring on his hand like he was trying to process what it was.
“Don’t tell me you proposed and I forgot,” Stiles croaked tiredly. Derek’s gut twisted, guilt slamming into him like a sack of bricks. He was such an idiot.
“No,” he said quickly, “I didn’t. I just. You know, I wanted to be-- I just put it on you earlier. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking, I just--”
Stiles shook his head, setting the coffee down on the tray and then putting the tray back on the night stand. Derek wanted to bite his tongue off, or maybe just go back in time and redo the entire morning.
“Get over here, you dweeb,” Stiles commanded, reaching out and grabbing a fistful of Derek’s shirt. “It’s been like a year since I got to call you my boo. Now I can do it whenever I want.”
The grin on Stiles’ face was infectious, spreading to Derek’s as he let himself be reeled in and kissed stupid. What they had may not have been the typical Disney romance, but it was plenty good enough.