It's like using a public bathroom to spend time with werewolves; there's no privacy and everyone knows what you're doing.
Lucky for stiles there is an unwritten rule for them to keep what their noses tell them to themselves. Unluckily for stiles he didn't have an all powerful nose.
Again on the lucky side Derek had taken it upon himself to stage whisper to stiles all of the things they could smell in a game they shared to rile their friends up.
"He smells like sex, electric burns and," Derek grinned wickedly. "Like Kira."
"Oh really?" Stiles whispered back voice laid enough even human ears would hear it. "Electric burns you say?"
They turned in sync to look Scott up and down before snickering together. Scotty turned bright red as he stalked to the kitchen ignoring the laughter behind him.
Isaac shook his head and plopped down on the couch beside them.
"You two are horrible! You did the same thing to ally and me," Isaac glared at the still laughing pair. "Just wait until it's your turn."
That sobered the pair up.
"I'll never be in a relationship. I don't want to fall in love again," Derek shook his head and stared into the distance remembering his first and second loves and what they had cost him. "Because if I do it'll only end badly."
Stiles grins and stretches his long body.
"Yeah you have the worst track record Der-bear," stiles laughed easily. "And I already have my true love. Malia my unparalleled beauty. We promised we'd get married when we turn 18!"
Derek and Scott having heard this before rolled their eyes, Isaac only looked confused.
"Who?"
"Malia my love," stiles waved airily. "We went our separate ways when we were 6 but we promised to meet again when we were 18 to get married."
The werewolves in the room pause briefly as they listened to stiles' steady heart beat.
"Your telling the truth." Isaac frowned at stiles. "But why haven't you told me before now?"
"You never asked."
Present:
In a parking lot behind an office building one after another the pack fell to the ground as their greatest fear took over their minds. The monster fed off of the fear leaving the wolves weak and disoriented.
Stiles ran forward hunting knife in one hand baseball bat in the other only to hear Scott crying under his breath for his dad to stop. The true alpha rocked back and forward in a way he hadn't done in ten years.
Stiles pushed to stand beside Derek who stared at his hands in mute horror and faced the floating face of a true monster.
The man before him wore a well tailored suit and converse sneakers. His hair was gelled in a widows peak and and hands gloves as he grinned manically at the weakened werewolves. His cold black eyes turned to stiles and the grin widened with more teeth than humanly possible.
"Well well let's see your fear boy," he waved a hand towards stiles and looked at it as if to read a book. "My my how interesting."
"I've faced my greatest fear!" Stiles hefted his baseball bat and pointed it threateningly at the monster. "You have no power over me so be gone! Leave this place or I will kill you!"
The bravado fell short however as the creature laughed in delight.
"What a brave little soldier you are. Tell me will you be brave when you truly face your fear?" The figure snapped his fingers and the rest of the pack went limp, looking around as if waking from a dream. "Your fear is so delicious I won't even need to show you an illusion of it. No I can show you the real thing right here."
"I've faced my fear! You can't control me!" Stiles knew his voice was cracking however he couldn't stop as his panic built stronger.
"Oh but you haven't boy," the creature moved in sweeping elegant movements to stand before stiles. "You've been hiding too long."
Lydia all but dragged stiles out to the dance floor.
"Dammit stiles you'll never get a girlfriend, or a boyfriend for that matter, unless you start making yourself available!" She flicked her hair over one shoulder as she moved to the music. "How do you know that girl is even staying loyal? You should have some fun!"
Stiles smiled fondly at her before holding out his hand. Together they danced for the duration of the song and then stiles lead her back to the table Allison and Kira had claimed for them.
"Look guys thank you," stiles lead Lydia to her seat and places himself opposite the others leaning forward to speak quietly. " really I know this is coming from a good place but it's not necessary. I found that one person for me a long time ago. I know she loves me as much as I love her and that's never going to change. One day we'll be together when I'm 18 and I'll be happy with her. But until then I'm not going to date anyone else. Ok?"
"But stiles," Kira glances at the other two for support. "How do you know? That she's being loyal and hasn't moved on?"
"Because I know," stiles smiled softly blushing in an expression of pure love and affection. "When you meet the person who makes your whole soul sing with joy you'll just know that you will love them forever. The last time we spoke she told me she loved me more than anything and we will be together."
"We're sorry stiles," Allison reached a hand forward to hold his. "We didn't realise you both still talked about this. We thought you were holding on to some childhood crush. We'll let it go ok? Just let us meet her someday?"
"I promise I'll introduce you as soon as I can," he grins again and stands. "Now let's dance!"
The three girls join him on the dance floor and the four friends enjoy themselves until sunrise completely satisfied with a night of friendship.
Kira didn't hear a lie in his heart beat and Alison's training didn't detect any liars signs. Even Lydia with her suspicious nature was moved by the story of true love.
Stiles and Derek started hanging out when they were the last two left when the pack had all paired off. The jokes from their friends didn't bother stiles however Derek felt the need to clarify things.
"So you're ok with this completely platonic hanging out?" Derek was obviously uncomfortable as he shifted from foot to foot and looked anywhere in the room except at stiles. "Because I can't have anything romantic and I'm not looking for sex with a pack mate."
Stiles grinned at Derek and decided to pat his head like a child.
"It's ok Der-bear, it's not that your not totally jumpable because I've got eyes," at this stiles wagged his eyebrows in an exaggerated expression. "But I'm gonna stay loyal to Malia. So how about awesome best bros?"
And if as the weeks went on and the two hung out more no one questioned it. And when the werewolves in the pack could smell the beginning of desire and longing coming from a Derek who played the best friend perfectly, well, they kept it to themselves.
It was sweet Kira who decided to ask stiles about Malia. They had just started watching the notebook and everyone except Lydia wasn't paying attention to soppy romance.
"Hey stiles," Kira was laying across Scotts lap with her feet across stiles but she pushed herself up to look him in the eye. " can I ask you something? Something personal?"
"Course you can Kira. If you wanna know my dick size just ask!"
"Um," Kira blushed bright red. "No I want to ask you about Malia."
"Oh ok." Stiles sat back slowly and smiled for the girl. "What do you want to know?"
"Well where does she live?" The timid question came out softly.
"Last time we talked her family was going to move to Australia."
"Oh." Kira nodded before asking with a bit more confidence. "What is she like?"
"She's brave. When we were kids she dragged me around to play. She never cried in front of the little kids and always put on a strong front. She would sing to the little kids to cheer them up and she never let me get away with lying. Actually when we talked on the phone last she totally called me on my bullshit!"
Stiles laughed at this because nobody called him on his bullshit like a annoyed Malia.
"What does she look like?" The question came from Lydia who had her head leaning against stiles' legs.
"Her chocolate hair had these sun streaks last time I saw it. Cut to her shoulders. She was always a tomboy though; pretty as a button and wearing jeans and shirts. Her eyes usually look rich chocolate brown," Stiles blushed a bit while speaking. "She kissed me last time I saw her and that's when I noticed the green in her eyes."
Isaac and Scott made gagging noises saving stiles from an embarrassing himself further by becoming the targets for some well thrown cushions. He was thankful for the distraction from embarrassment.
However as the pack returned to mocking Lydia's choice of movie stiles bumped his shoulder into Kira's and whispered "thanks" to her.
Stargazing had become a hobby for Derek and stiles. In the otherwise lonely hours when their pack mates had paired off for dates and romance Derek would drive tiles out into the depths of the preserve to a rock outcrop that looked out over the forest, the town and it seemed the whole world. The stars would shine brightly without the towns lights to interfere.
Those nights began as a time to relax in the serenity of the preserve but soon evolved to a race to see who could identify the most constellations while lying on the rug in the cool nights.
Eventually the nights would turn colder and they continued the tradition now cuddled close for warmth and covered in blankets. It was on one of these nights while perfectly at peace that Derek asked a question that broke his heart.
"Do you ever think Malia is looking at these same stars?" It was an innocent question however it felt more weighty than Derek understood himself.
"Sometimes I do. I know I can look up into the sky and see these amazing balls of light. We used to sit on the roof and watch the stars and she pointed one out to me," stiles pointed to a bright star in the night sky. "That one. Sirius. She would say it was our guiding star and would always lead us to each other."
"Do you truly believe you'll be together when you turn 18?" Derek held his breath so he could focus on stiles' heartbeat completely.
Without skipping a beat or hesitating stiles answered.
"I do."
Present:
The creature stalked around Stiles circling like a shark as he sniffed the air, tongue lashing.
The pack had dragged themselves to their feet preparing to protect their pack mate. Derek stumbled forward a few steps desperate to reach stiles.
"I've faced my greatest fear. I've seen it and lived it. You have no power over me." Stiles was shaking causing a tremor in his voice.
"I think not little soldier," the figure stopped in front of stiles while staring at the pack. He stooped low to stare into stiles' eyes. "I can see your fear. I can taste the terror. You are so afraid and of oh so many things. Of so many people. Do they not know how afraid you are? Have their dog noses not tasted your trepidation marking you as pathetic, weak, unless prey?"
The resounding sound of growls enriched the night air. Eyes flashed at the monster but the werewolves found themselves immobile.
"Don't listen to him stiles!" Derek was desperately fighting against his own body to push forward. "He's just trying to get into your head!"
A low breathy chuckle escaped the creature before stiles.
"I'm already in there. Now stiles," the creature stepped back to view the whole pack as a whole a sadistic grin twisting his almost human features and eyes flickering lightning fast to each expression trying not to miss a morsel of the visual feast. His voice rang out clearly dripping with poisoned honey. "Why did you never tell your friends Malia is dead? Don't you trust them?"
The gasp that tore out of the teens throat was echoed behind him. He forced himself to glance behind at his pack only to reel away from the looks of horror, sadness and confusion. He couldn't look at them for more than a second before crippling pain tore at his chest.
"No."
A sweet little girl flashed in his mind sitting by a pond full of ducks.
"No."
An orphanage full of little kids who cried all the time and the gentle hearted girl who sung to them to cheer them up.
"Please don't."
The little boy who hated everyone but hid in the bushes to hear the girl laugh and sing.
"I can't. Don't make me-"
Sitting on a rooftop crying because nobody wanted him. A small cold hand creeping into his as the girl sobbed and cried and tried not to make a sound.
"Don't make me remember her! If I remember her I'll forget her!"
The day his dad found him and brought him back home. How he clung to her and they promised to see each other again.
"No!"
The scream tore out of stiles' throat followed by the clumsy yet swift movement of shoving himself forward into the unsuspecting monster burying his forgotten hunting knife in the creatures heart. A shocked expression flittered across the stretched face. The body fell with a dull thud and the pack felt themselves released. The creature began to dissolve blood disappearing into dust, body folding in on itself until only the clothes remained.
Scott took the first hesitant step forward feet clumsily scraping on the ground and reaching for stiles.
The teen startled shying away from his friend, his pack mate, with a ragged gasp and speed none would think he possessed he tore out of the area running for the nearby preserve, desperately putting distance between himself and the truth his friend had found.
…
The pack remained where they were all too stunned to move. Hardly breathing from shock they gathered close.
"Did anyone?" Scott could barely make himself say the words. He had seen pure terror in his friends eyes and had no idea how to react.
There was a chorus of sad little sighs. No one had know and they couldn't possible know how he felt right now.
"What do we do?" Lydia's voice was the softest it had ever been.
Derek reached down to pick something up. In his hand was stiles' wallet. A corner of paper peaked out. Absently he pulled it out and gasped.
The pack turned to stare eyes darting to the paper he held timidly.
SIX YEAR OLD DIES IN CRASH WITH FAMILY
Six year old Malia Tate dies in a tragic traffic collision hours after adoption is finalised….
"He never lied." Isaacs voice was hollow almost unfeeling. "When he said they'd be together when he turned 18 he never lied."
The pack moved faster than ever before. They dashed as a group along the scent trail until it disappears where stiles' jeep was parked moments before.
"We find him." Derek's voice was grim and brooked no argument. "Call when you do."
The search was frantic and full of the kind of terror produced from fear for a friend. The humans took to their cars speeding to familiar places; the loft, the school, the Stilinski house and many more destinations frantically watching the clock as time rocked by with stiles still not found.
Derek went to the old hale house driving carefully through the streets with a strange sense of calm. When he arrived he moved around the construction efforts with stilted grace but could fine no trace of stiles having been there that night.
He hesitated for a moment before taking off bare footed through the forest half shifting to gain more speed he cut towards their stargazing spot the place he knew stiles had fround some peace. When Derek arrived he saw stiles car and pulled out his phone. Typing out a message found him give us some timehe crept forward hesitantly.
There was no sounds of crying nor smell of tears. Just the quiet beat of stiles' heart. Derek stepped in a patch of dry leaves and the teen didn't even startle. He knew who would find him here and he know he could speak freely with Derek about loss.
"If I admitted it then I would have to face it and I can't do that."his voice was low and empty. "I'm moving on and going forward even if I don't want to. She's always stuck in a memory and I'm growing up. It's not fair! If I let my self remember her then her memory will fade. If I deal will this pain then it'll fade. I can't let her go!"
Derek was behind stiles now however the teen still hadn't looked at him. Derek sat down beside him carefully legs on the edge of the rock outcrop dangling over a 50ft drop.
"If I forget her then doesn't that mean I never loved her enough in the first place?" This time stiles did look at Derek his eyes big and pleading.
"The way I see it you loved her completely, to the point of not letting go over ten years later. But stiles," Derek's hand reached out searching for stiles'. "My family died 9 years ago and I'll tell you I can't remember what my grandma looked like. What my brothers favourite cereal was. I can't remember which brother had green eyes and which one had hazel. But that's ok because I know I loved them and they loved me. They wouldn't want me living in the past."
Stiles stared in silence out over the lights that are Beacon Hills township. The quiet stretched as the words settled around them.
The tears started slowly and fell silently.
"I decided I wanted to tell you but I couldn't," the choked voice whispered. "When we came here I start to think maybe she'd be ok with me moving on and loving someone else. Maybe she'd want me to be happy."
Derek's breath caught at the implication.
"But I can't just stop loving her or start being ok and that's not fair to anyone," he looked at Derek now with a sad smile. "Not to someone I could love with my whole heart. I have to be ok first."
"I'll wait," Derek pulled stiles close and rested his cheek on the younger mans head. "However long it takes."
…
Hours later and stiles stood at the door to the loft waiting to gain courage to go in.
"What's wrong?" Derek stopped with his hand on the door handle.
"I lied to everyone."
Before Derek could reply the door slammed open and stiles was dragged inside by his shirt. Warm bodies slammed into him and his pack surrounded him as tears fell.
"You absolute idiot stiles!" Lydia sobbed hitting him gently. "We were so worried about you! Don't ever make me worry like that again!"
He laughed and smiled through tears as his friends berated him. He was loved here and safe and sometime soon he felt he'd be able to share his story with them.