There was nobody around the lake to see the glass eyed girl walking into the water fully clothed. The new moon and the stars were the only light. Her hands were stretched in front of her, like she was trying to reach for something.
A boy reached the lake seconds after the girl vanished underwater, his eyes searching for something he wasn't sure was real. He was sure he'd seen a shadow making it's way to the lake. He took a look around again, starting to make his way back to the city. His eyes stopped at the lake, his feet changing direction.
Derek doesn't really know what to do with his life now. His uncle is locked up in Eichen House, Kate is gone, Cora is back in Argentina, and even though she asked him to stay with her he decided to go back to Beacon Hills. Scott is okay, he had Braeden and Stiles had Malia, Lydia is... Not okay, but getting there, she went to England so she could be away from all the mess and with Jackson. He supposes she will be back eventually. Erica and Boyd are finally talking to him again, and Isaac will be back from France in a couple of weeks.
He should be happy. Things were finally okay.
But he isn't.
And the reason why he isn't is sleeping in his couch right now, in a position that shouldn't be possible and in no way looks comfortable. The spaz, brown (in the right light gold) eyed boy has been spending more and more time in the loft. After he found out about all the books that survived the fire, Stiles had turned Derek's loft in a library and his couch in a bed.
He doesn't really know how the boy got under his skin. One day, Stiles was nothing but an annoying teenager trying to ruin what was left of his life and without him noticing the flailing teenager became important. Maybe too important. He knows what he looks like, okay? He knows he looks like a bad boy, a guy with a past and a couple of arrests and Stiles is so young, pure in a way that makes him ache in a weird way.
Stiles moves and his body slides the rest of the way to the floor in a very complex side thing that Derek knows he wouldn't be able to pull off had he been awake. The pages of the book he has under his face look like they are about to split. His eyelashes long and dark against his cheeks.
If Stiles were awake he would throw the book at Derek and call him a creeper. If he's being honest to himself he's painfully aware of how creep he is being, but what can he do? Stare at the boy while he's awake? That would be weird. And would probably scare him. Or make him wonder if he wasn't the possessed this time
The door opens and Derek finally, after God knows how long, stops looking at the sleeping boy on his floor. "Hey Derek" Braeden walks up and gives him a kiss "Did Stiles find whatever he was looking for before he fell asleep?"
"I don't think he did" Derek gets up and goes to the kitchen to get another cup of coffee. "He fell asleep about 15 minutes after he started reading that book."
She walks to the kitchen and hugs him "Did you get a chance to find out what he's researching?" He pours two cups of coffee, turns around and smiles at the woman.
"Not really. I only know it has something to do with the Hale powers. Something about where did the power go when I healed Cora" Derek kisses her forehead, lets her go and grabs two cups of coffee, making his way to the living room. Sitting on the couch he puts one of the cups on the floor next to Stiles head, knowing that the smell will probably wake him up.
He doesn't have to wait much, a few seconds later Stiles is already waking up. Before he even opened his eyes he was already talking "Do I smell coffee? You better have made me a cup, Derek. Oh, look, coffee." Stiles takes a sip while sitting. "Seriously, dude, you make the best coffee. Hands out, no doubt" He drinks another sip, this time moaning a bit around it. He grabs his cellphone and looks at the time. "Shit. Shit shit shit. I have to go, my dad is gonna kill me." He grabs his backpack and the book, never letting go of the cup. "I'll bring your cup back tomorrow, I promise." And with that the door closes, leaving a very confuse Derek inside.
Derek blinks.
And then blinks again.
Stiles had just taken his shirt off and Derek felt completely at lost as to what to do with the unexpected view of pale skin and freckles. Freckles he wants to play connect the dots with. And not only that, but there were muscles at sight. Intellectually he knew Stiles had to have some muscle, he played lacrosse for fucks sake, but knowing and seeing were two different things.
And then there was the happy trail.
For some reason none of the others had body hair, and finding out that Stiles of all people had a happy trail made his brain stop.
Probably because all the blood that should be up there had just made a hasty retreat to his cock.
Braeden punches Stiles who loses balance and falls, taking her with him. He uses the fact that she is distracted to move and pin her to the ground. Which makes Derek feel a bit lightheaded, since the small amount of blood he still had circling his body made it's way to join the rest on his cock. His eyes can't help but making their way through Stiles' back, following the trail of freckles all the way to down to his ass.
Braeden looks sweaty, lying underneath Stiles, her hands pinned above her head and the image of being the one in that position takes over Derek's brain. "That was really good. You have to learn how to use your clumsiness as an advantage. Now, let me up". Braeden gets up and makes her way to Derek, smiling at him. He places his book on his lap, hiding his reaction to the whole Shirtless Stiles thing.
"The training is good to him. He is getting more confident." Derek only smiles at her and nods his head, hoping she won't think something is wrong. She turns to Stiles and signals for him to come closer, since he's still lying on the grass. "We'll have to finish the training early today because I have to go out. But you should try to convince Derek here to train with you a bit."
Stiles walks up to them and smiles. Derek feels his heart doing acrobatics in his chest and internally sighs. He knows he's falling for the teen and he also knows that this will probably end in tears.
Chances are big that it will be his tears.
The door opens and Derek raises his eyes to look at the newcomer. Stiles is covered in water and shaking. "What the fuck? Why are you out on this rain? Are you trying to get a cold?" Derek gets up and makes his way to the cupboard. Grabbing a towel he makes his way to Stiles, who came in and is taking his shirt off. Derek hands him the towel and turns around, averting his eyes. trying to avoid the temptation of oogling the teen. "Do you want some clothes? I think I have something that fits you"
"Yes, please! I'm freezing" Derek goes to his dresser and pulls a pair of sweats too small for him. "Dude, I've been trying to call everyone but the phones are down and I needed to talk to you" He grabs the clothes Derek is offering him and undoes his belt. Derek decides that for the good of his sanity he should move to another room. Maybe the kitchen. It seems like a safe place to hide.
"What did you have to say that was so important? And isn't Scott's house closer to yours?" Stiles walks into the kitchen, toweling his hair. Derek's clothes don't fit him perfectly, but they are not that big, he just has to remember not to get distracted by the fact that his smell is mixing with Stiles'. "Want some hot chocolate?"
Stiles gives him a smile "Yes! One hundred percent yes. And what I have to say is that I don't think this rain is natural. I mean, it is natural, but I think something supernatural is causing it." He sits in one of the stools Derek has bought since moving back. "Don't you feel something magical in the air?"
Derek puts a cup full of hot chocolate and marshmallows in front of Stiles and drinks from his. "I've felt something weird in the air for about two weeks. Actually about a week before the rain started." He ignores the moan Stiles gives when he drinks the cocoa, trying to keep himself sane. "But that doesn't explain why you drove to the farthest house in a torrential rain that you believe has a supernatural origin."
"Well, actually it has a bit to do with the feeling question. Since the nogitsune I've been able to feel when something weird is happening on the forest." Derek raises a brown "I know, I didn't say anything to anyone because I didn't know for sure if what I was feeling was really about the preserve or if it had something to do with the nogitsune. But then about a week before the rain begun I started feeling like something really wrong was going on. Somehow I knew it wasn't with me, I knew it had something to do with the preserve." Derek made his way around the kitchen's island and sits next to Stiles. "I went to take a look around and the only thing I could see were some pretty big tracks... They kind of looked like snake tracks, but I don't think they were. They were too big and too deep." Stiles looks to the side and sees the Eyebrows Of Doom. "What?"
"Are you fucking crazy? You are telling me that even though you knew that something supernatural was going on in the woods you went there? Alone?" Stiles averted his eyes, looking back at his cup. Derek picks up the cup to have something to hold and focus on so he doesn't punch the nearest hard surface.
"I can take care of myself, you know? But I will admit that I felt something weird... Something was pulling me to the water and it was hard not to get into the lake. You know, the one you through Jackson's body in?" Derek just rolls his eyes "Not to mention I could swear I had seen someone around the lake, but there was no one there. Could it be mermaids? Are mermaids real, Derek? Do mermaids kill people?" Stiles' heartbeat got faster with each question and Derek has to control himself not to roll his eyes again.
"No, Stiles, mermaids aren't real. Just like Vampires" Stiles gives him a look, like he's not sure he believes what he is being told and takes another sip of his cocoa. Not wanting to get into that argument again. The last time it went on for 5 hours.
"I think we should look into it. Will you help me?" His eyes get twice as big and Derek takes a moment to think about how Stiles looks younger and carefree that way. His heart gives a little squeeze, almost like it is mourning all that the boy has lost since he got mixed with werewolves.
"Sure. But we have to tell the pack about it." Stiles makes a weird noise in the back of his throat. He gets up and puts his empty cup on the sink and turns to look at Derek.
"I don't wanna tell them now. Can we wait until I have something more than 'I think I feel something weird coming from the preserve?'" He walks to the living room and sits on the couch, Derek follows him, the smell of their mixed scents starting to get to him.
Derek sits on the other end of the couch, as far as he can from Stiles, and that earns him a calculating look and then Stiles feet on his lap. He looks at the feet and he knows he must look confused because the next thing he hears is "They are not going to bite you, Derek. Last night I was reading about werewolves habits and there was this whole thing about how you guys are tactile, I figured you would like touching someone from the pack. And who knows" he wiggles his toes "maybe I could score some foot rubs".
Derek pushes Stiles feet away "I'm not rubbing your feet, Stiles. And okay, we don't tell them now, even though I think you should tell Scott, this is his territory now" Derek feels the bile raising in his throat. It's not that he doesn't like Scott, but Beacon Hills had been his family's territory for generations and it didn't feel right to have another Alpha there.
Stiles just gives him a sad smile, like he knows what Derek's thinking about. "I will. I just need to find something concrete before I speak to him."