Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and a few OC's
Authors note: Woot woot, I am officially juggling three fics now. Let's hope they all come out in tact, with tact and finished.
Warnings: Smut, mild angst, some violence in the future(I'm pretty sure, though this may not go that direction)
Of Woods And Wild Things-
Chapter One:
Derek remembers finding Stiles in this warm little nook in the book store his mom worked in, wrapped up in quilts and folded into himself, silently mouthing the words to "Where The Wild Things Are". He remembers crawling up next to him because the boy smelled good, like smoke and dead leaves and earth. Like wood and warmth and old things. He remembers Stiles blinding smile, all crooked teeth and chapped pink lips, as Derek read along. Humming in agreement when Stiles pointed out his favorite parts, and even pointing out a few of his own. Stiles had stacks and stacks of books, said he did this every day while his mom worked, that he wasn't in school yet so he had the time, but he'd be starting Kindergarten next year and it would be awesome.
He blushed when he asked Derek's name and gaped when Derek told him he was in first grade, he asked a lot of questions, so many Derek had a hard time keeping up. Derek realized really soon that Stiles was a motor mouth, hyperactive and bright and curious. He never stopped, and at first it annoyed Derek beyond imaginable, but it really didn't last long. Stiles with his big mouth and even bigger heart, witty even then, and sharp as a tack, wormed his way into Derek's heart and wrapped him around his tiny fingers. Because Stiles is warm and open and inviting, he asked all the right questions at the right times in the right ways, so that Derek couldn't deny him. Couldn't deny him the information he wanted, and Derek finds him wanting to give it to Stiles. Finds himself faced with the knowledge that he would give Stiles the world beneath his feet if he could, and he would trust him to take care of it too.
It's with this trust, and this love that he hands Stiles his world so easily when the time comes. Telling him of werewolves and packs and of the earth spread out beneath them, or at least what he knows of it. And Stiles is shocked at first, then enthralled, enthralled and hungry, hungry for knowledge, and pleased. Before Derek knows what's going on he's got a lap full of Stiles, cradling his face in those pale small palms, staring him in his eyes and looking at him like he just gave Stiles the cure for cancer of something, and he's kissing Derek's nose and breathing into him and Derek knows he doesn't want Stiles that way. But he does want Stiles and his barefoot feet and leather, beaded anklets, his curly hair and bright honey brown eyes, with his amazing, terrifying mind and his crooked smile. He just wants, he just wants Stiles and his scent and his loyalty and his presence and affections the way he wants his fathers and mothers and pretends to not want Laura's and the rest of his siblings, the rest of his pack, yet it's still different.
Because Derek doesn't want to sink into the soil with them and stare into their eyes as their eyes marvel at the constellations. Because Derek doesn't want to crawl into Laura and build a home in her heart and find structure in her bones the way he want's to build into, onto, with Stiles. Derek knows he doesn't want Stiles romantically though, not yet at least, maybe later. But he does want Stiles, and Stiles magnificent, bright beautiful chaotic world. Wants to be apart of Stiles, because Stiles is already a part of him. It's in that moment he feels the shift in the pack hierarchy, the moment he accepts Stiles as a part of him, Stiles as pack. He feels Stiles elbow his way in next to Derek and settle in.
Derek hadn't felt this way since he first met Stiles as a five year old pup, drawn in by his scent and his warmth and his honesty. Hadn't felt that enraptured and that enchanted since he first realized how insanely, crazy, intelligent this boy is. Or just how crazy he is in general, Derek was enthralled, Derek was caught.
If Derek hadn't already been wrapped around the boys finger those past nine years he was now. A small part of his mind tells him there both to old for Stiles to be climbing in his lap and it still be platonic but he shuts it down so quick he's not even sure it was there in the first place. He's pretty sure that road leads to no where. So he just wraps his arms lazily around Stiles waist and let's him bump their foreheads together before going in on Derek. Shooting off questions at rapid fire, positively buzzing with the new knowledge. Not for a second doubting Derek's honesty.
And Derek's looking for malice or fear or any other dangerous thing when he gazes into Stiles eyes. All he finds though is warmth and possessiveness, that and Stiles always burning curiosity. Sure, Derek's probably got his blinders on, he's been best friends with the boy since first grade, he's in eighth right now. That's seven years in total, but still, he looks at Stiles open face, all rosy cheeks, dimples and freckles galore, wide eyed and long lashed, and all Derek can see is home. All Derek can find is peace.
"Do you wanna stay the night" Derek's hoping Stiles will say yes so they can hold an impromptu pack meeting and Stiles can get a better feel of what he's apart of now. That and Derek bought him this Batman comic he really wanted and he'd love to read it with him.
Sleep over's with Stiles usually consist of old horror movies and pig outs in Derek's nest of a bed. Stiles will fangirl over Dracula and Derek will him watch with thinly veiled amusement. It'll get late and Stiles will crawl onto Derek and they'll read "Where The Wild Things Are" and Stiles will fall asleep half way through it and Derek will whisper the ending to him because that's the part both he and Stiles love, their both huge momma's boy's.
Stiles leans back, clasp his hands behind Derek's neck to keep from falling and looks Derek square in his eyes. Nodding before his face splits into this blinding smile that still hits Derek like a two ton truck.
"The usual's" he ask, and Derek nods this time
"Of course"
The following fall is filled to the brim with the some of the most bittersweet memories Derek owns. Stiles learning about werewolves and becoming official pack turns into Stiles becoming werewolf expert Stiles and him apprenticing Derek's mom in training the wolves along with healing and taking care of medical affairs. It also turns into Stiles and him running the woods like the wild things they are, barefooted and besotted though neither of them will ever admit it. Stiles dives into folklore beliefs and stories and practically buries himself in their library.
He loves how the Native American's interacted with and interpreted the wolves and the world around them. He insist on bonfires and barefootedness', "give to the earth what you take from the earth" and meditate, meditate, meditate. He wears headdresses and anklets with feathers and beads and braids that all mean something, all hold significance. He takes the time to explain each action and accessory and it's significance to Derek.
Derek always listens too, but he also always ends up giving him chase. Running after Stiles into the forest and twining between the tree's. Laughing in the wind and shifting slightly for the boost in speed, racing past the human, then doubling back and tackling him into the soft soil and the rotting earth underfoot. Heat bleeding into the boy beneath him, who's panting and laughing hitting at Derek like he wants to escape. But Derek's nuzzling his neck and scenting him and he knows there is no other place the human would rather be than trapped between Derek and the earth.
And it get's a little colder and Stiles pants turn into mist and Thanksgiving's going to roll by soon and then tragedy strikes. Stiles mother is killed in a car accident. The loss tears Stiles apart, it starts with the panic attacks that make Derek's chest ache, and comes to a head(of sorts)in an almost forest fire that nearly kills Stiles from smoke inhalation and shear disappointment in himself. Because Stiles has always held the forest dear and he almost destroyed it. Then what would he have left?
Derek angrily informs him that Stiles would have life, life and his father and his pack and he would have Derek. Derek who would go batshit crazy if something happened to Stiles.
After that incident it's separation anxiety and some pretty bad sleep walking, then the nightmares that make Stiles sob in his sleep and Derek's wolf howl. It settles down with the prescription of adderall and the most bittersweet Christmas to ever come to fruition.
Derek takes a year and a half's savings from grass cutting, pool cleaning, leave raking, snow shoveling, and a short stint at Archy's Grocery and buys Stiles a grand piano, albeit banged up when he got it. But he smooths out the chips and sharp ends, sands it and glosses it shiny and smooth. He works intricate carvings and burns into it, an ocean, that transcends into a beach, then fields of grain, which transcends into a forest, and then once again an ocean. The whole time the moon hangs low in the sky, journeying across the changing terrain.
Stiles is in tears, his mother had wanted him to get piano lessons. Derek figures they can teach each other because now he's so broke he can't afford a teacher and he's to proud to ask for the money. The fact that he built up most of that grand instrument with his own hands makes him puff his chest out in pride, and that makes Laura snort and earns him a giggle from Stiles and this warm fond look that makes his stomach burn.
Winter comes and captures the town in ice and snow. Taking out their electricity a few times and resulting in snow days. Which Stiles insist are play days, that always end in him with a runny, red, nose and a nasty cough that puts Derek on edge. But there's no telling that boy no, so Derek just plays along and he always nurses Stiles back to health afterwords.
Stiles and Scott become even closer and Scott's stupid puppy ways grow on Derek. Before he knows it they've got another pack member( he honestly drives Derek more insane after the fact).
Spring rolls around and Stiles is silently convinced that Derek is trying to seduce him through the classical guitar he gets for his birthday. Which he picks up as easily(if not more so) as he did the piano. But fifteenth year old boys don't try to seduce soon to be twelve year old ones, they worry about high school and girls and things beyond Stiles realm. Or at least that's what Stiles thinks is going to happen, that Derek's going to forget him when he goes to high school, or worse, start acting like he's his superior or something and Stiles is going to have to shoot himself.
But Derek's ego does not inflate with age and before they realize it summers kicks their ass's in to gear. Soon their roaming forest again and swimming in questionable creeks. Sleeping out in Derek's back yard and picking on Scott for being the more fearful of the group( Scott was the definition of Scary Mary). Taking ballet lessons for a 200 buck bet and ending up leaving the worst blackmail material ever in Laura's hands( some ballet Shakespeare adaption of a play he tried not to remember. They'd somehow got roped into participating in it and Laura had the gall to bring a god forsaken camcorder to the recital).
Independence day showed Stiles to be wrapped in Derek (who was wrapped in some random sheet) watching their small fireworks show and eating his own weight in fare food. Laughing as Laura and the younger sisters cringe at their downright horrible rendition of the Star Spangled banner. Chasing each other through the tree's, sparklers lighting their way. Sobbing at two in the morning missing his mom and wrapped in Derek. Stiles birthday comes later July and it proves to evoke more tears. Stiles nightmares return and Stiles and Scott become even more attached at the hip. Derek practically lives with Stiles, where ever he chose to live that night( his house, Scott's house, in a box, with a fox).
Stiles has a panic attack he day Derek goes to get his high school schedule and Derek has to convince him that no matter what he will always be Stiles and Stiles will always be his and they will always be equals. No matter how old Derek get's and how much muscle he picks up.
And boy does he pick up some muscle, puberty down right kiss's Derek's ass. Derek was always that awkward looking kid with the gangly limbs and these eyes that seemed sorta big for his face. The last of his baby fat refusing to die and rounding his features, and to top it off he had these outrages eyebrows that made him look like he was permanently angsting'.
But the summer shows to put the young wolf through a transformation of grace and good looks. All of the sudden his torso catches up with his legs and arms and his baby fat gives way to sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw. Roping arms and thighs make him look built and the absence of acne that seemed to plague poor Scott (and leave Stiles baby face alone) leaves him looking clean. He's all tall and man like and suddenly kids are flocking to him when last year they were calling him a cradle robber behind his back (ludicrous! Derek was to young to be a cradle robber one, and two there was nothing going on between Stiles and him).
Derek pays them no attention though because now he is angsting. High school sucks balls, the food stink, the kids stink, it's all to loud. Not to mention these girls get the ridiculous notion that touching him is okay and he comes home smelling like too much perfume and other people arousal and it makes him angry that he can't just wash most of it off. Laura laughs at his discomfort over Skype and tells him his off put personality will only give him an 'air of mystery' and the girls will multiply. Stiles comes home when he get's out of school though, showered and in sweats like usual, and he crawls into Derek and they do homework and somehow it's better. At least a little bit so.
Derek still hates high school in everyone in it though.
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