Writing Prompts – Teen Wolf Series

A/N: Here's my collection of prompts inspired by Teen Wolf. A lot of them were half-assed, but who knows, some may end up being developed into longer fics in the future. The prompts in this chapter are mainly stand-alone ideas that appealed to me at the time of writing. And most of them are either Derek or Stiles-centric, because I can't get enough of those two.

The Forests of the Night (#32)

Derek loved the forest best after sundown, with emptied storm clouds above him and petrichor caressing his senses from under his feet. Once the rest of the pack were gone and he was truly alone he'd lose himself amongst the trees for hours, yearning for the freedom his inner wolf so desperately craved. It was nights like this, when he truly let go of his inconsequential human responsibilities, that he felt less like two halves of separate creatures stuck together with pins and staples. No; he was a wolf, and tonight, the spirits of his family ran beside him.

Contentment (#24)

It was days like today that made Derek glad he'd returned to Beacon Hills. After an afternoon of training with Erica, Boyd and Isaac, the pack tried to persuade him to congregate at Scott's house (along with Alison and Stiles) to watch a movie. It took a lot of effort to win him over but really, what else did he have to do? He succumbed to their pleas, externally seeming exasperated but inwardly glad that the teens seemed to have warmed to him as their Alpha. After months of worries, of ifs and buts, of supernatural dealings and of tangles with the law, Derek felt like he could relax for the first time. With hot bodies pressing against him from either side, the pack crammed onto the inadequately sized couch, he truly felt like he belonged somewhere. It was no replacement for his true pack, of course, for the presence he could still feel lingering within the cold walls of his old home if he really searched for it. But Erica, Boyd and Isaac, his new pack, were slowly but surely letting him in, and maybe, in time, he'd be ready to open up to them, too.

Vulnerability (#34)

Sometimes, Stiles hated being the only human in the pack. Well, the only human who couldn't take care of themselves; you even think of calling Allison weak and she'd probably punch you out. But Stiles? He was the weak link. Yeah, he was smart, and yeah, being on the lacrosse team meant he could run as fast as the next guy, but that didn't mean much when the supernatural being you were running from caught you. And that vulnerability was so frustrating. To have to constantly rely on Scott or Allison, or any other member of the pack, to have your back all of the time was pretty goddamn frustrating. And when they couldn't get to him in time, having to explain to his Dad why he shouldn't go out and try to hunt down the 'players on the other team' was the part he hated most.

An Act of Devotion (#50)

"Are you sure you want this?"

"I'm su –"

"Because if you do it, that's it."

"Look, sourwolf, you've gone over the pros and cons of this a hundred times, like I didn't know them already. This is what I want."

"But why?"

"I'm fed up of slowing you down –"

"If you're doing this to please me –"

"– No I'm not, you self-centred ass! I want to do this because I want to be a member of the pack. A real member."

"You are a real member."

Stiles shook his head sadly. "But I'm not, am I?"

A sigh. "I don't know if I'm comfortable with this."

"For chrissakes Derek, you were giving the bite out to Boyd and the rest like free samples of orange juice, why am I any different?"

"Because until recently you didn't want it! Erika and the others really wanted to improve their lives, but you? You have a family, friends, you've got everything they ever wanted."

"Yeah, I have a family, but you guys are my family too. I'm fed up of being on the outside, and fed up of being picked up and dropped whenever I'm no longer useful. Don't deny it; it's true. I want to keep up with you." He thrust out his wrist. "Please, Derek. Just let me in."

He frowned. A weary sigh escaped his lips. His alpha's eyes turned red; an unquantifiable pain exploded in his wrist, and then all went black.

Pride (#101)

Lydia was used to people calling her proud. Big-headed, stuck up, full of herself; different words maybe, but the semantics were all the same. But she just brushed it off. Because hey, at least she had something to be proud of.

Rejection (#45)

Stiles was used to Lydia turning him down. It was just part of the routine for the two of them, especially now they both knew neither of them actually wanted to date the other. Their friendly banter just felt a little hollow without a cheesy chat-up line, a swift rejection and a feeble attempt at passing it off as unimportant in there somewhere. Stiles knew that Lydia was in love with Jackson. She'd never admit it, of course, and their relationship was volatile at best and would probably end in tears for the both of them but she still wanted to give it her best shot and, well, Stiles could understand that. And you'd have to be blind not to know who the lacrosse player had feelings for. Either blind or Scott, who he swore had become even more dopey since falling head over heels for Allison. Everyone else in the pack knew though; it was difficult to avoid the knowledge, considering the object of his affections was their alpha.

The problem was that whilst Lydia and Jackson both loved each other, as warped as that love was, Stiles knew that his feelings were strictly one sided. He'd faced rejection from Derek more times he could bear to remember for reasons he had no control over, which frustrated the lacrosse player like hell because there was nothing he could do to change anything, he just had to wait. To trail behind the werewolf like a lost puppy. So Stiles kept playing the part of 'teenager-infatuated-with-the-hottest-girl-in-scho ol', because at least then he knew what he was doing; at least then he couldn't get hurt any more.

Warm (#14)

Stiles was a light sleeper, always had been. The sound of his Dad showering before the early shift never failed to wake him up in the early hours; neither did the sound of a car door closing, or a tree branch tapping at a downstairs window, or his phone beeping to let him know he had a facebook notification. Damn Aunt Gloria playing Farmville until 2 A.M. But with Derek lying beside him, his warm body radiating heat through thin layers of fabric, he always had a good night's sleep.

Envy (#96)

Scott would give anything to be human again. Even though he knew it was an impossible goal he clung to it anyway. Hell, he'd even welcome back his asthma with open arms if it meant he no longer had to deal with the responsibilities that came with being a werewolf. He could be with Allison without her father's disapproval, he could work hard at school, he could maintain his job at the vets, and he could move on with his life. Too bad it was nothing but a pipe dream, nothing but frustration manifested as envy of his best friend Stiles, who had everything he wanted but no way of sharing it.

Welcome Home (#76)

The day Derek returned to Beacon Hills was a truly shitty day. He must have spent at least a quarter of an hour stood on the porch, willing himself to open the front door. And after finally mustering up the courage his reward was the charred bones of the building's skeleton, everything different but still recognisable, a sketchy outline of the imposing building's former glory. He wandered through the dusty halls, rubber bands constricting around his heart every time he recognised a wallpaper pattern, the bones of a piece of furniture, the space in which a photo frame used to sit. But if he closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and held it, felt the pressure building in his chest, if he let the white noise grow inside his ears he could almost feel the presence of his family, picture them with a clarity he hadn't experienced in months due to the betrayal of his memory. Yes; as he finally let go of his inhalation, breath kicking up dust, he was with his family again.

They were smiling.

Faith (#105)

Derek was never really religious. He went to church every Sunday but then again, so did every other American family. Plus, it was hard to believe in a God when he was living proof that the supernatural and the occult actually existed. Privately he kept an appreciation for people who believed in a higher being, because to stand by your beliefs in this day and age, he imagined, was a real challenge.

The day his family burnt and he found out Kate betrayed him was the last day he believed in any form of faith.

Selfishness (#93)

He knew he was putting lives at risk by playing lacrosse on the full moon. He knew it was stupid, and he knew that both Derek and Stiles disagreed with his determination to carry on as if nothing was wrong. But for the first time, Scott actually felt like he belonged in school now; he was no longer an outcast, and he had a position on the lacrosse team and the school's hottest girl as his girlfriend to show for it. Could anyone really blame him for being a little selfish once in a while?

Patience (#104)

Teaching the pack how to act like real werewolves was seriously hard work. Erica, Boyd and Isaac acted like petulant children most of the time, unable to understand the gravity of their situation. There was a whole pack of alphas coming, for Christ's sake, this was no time to me messing around. And Scott, don't even get Derek started on Scott, if you looked up 'loose cannon' in the dictionary the definition would be a picture of his face. But even when he felt like giving up, when he felt like the road was too tough or the challenge too hard for his pack to take he took a step back and remembered that vital detail; they were his pack, and though patience wasn't his strong point, he had a duty of care to prepare them for anything. Derek just hoped they'd be ready in time.

Sympathy (#4)

Derek didn't want people to feel sympathy for him. He knew that compared to most people he'd had a pretty rough time, and in no way did he feel like his life had been easy. He also knew he'd made plenty of mistakes, and self-awareness about his own wrong-doings was what kept him from falling into a pit of sadness and never mustering up the strength to climb out. That was the reason he didn't want pity; he didn't deserve it. He deserved to be hated. He deserved to be blamed.

Sleepiness (#73)

Stiles was pretty good at all-nighters. After the number of last-minute exam cramming sessions he'd had to do over the years anyone would become familiar with being awake to see the sun rise in the morning. Since he'd been thrown into the world of werewolves and supernatural craziness, however, nowadays after making it home in the early hours Stiles wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep for a week. Dealing with the unknown was pretty exhausting, and he'd recently noticed sleepiness creeping up on him any time he sat down to relax.

But as well as being best friends with a werewolf he was also a high school student, so Stiles knew he had to grin and bear it. Even if it meant missing out on father-son time to catch up on sleep on a Saturday morning.

Pessimism (#54)

Whenever Stiles came up with a plan Derek couldn't help but be pessimistic about its chances of success. This kid was completely new to this life, wasn't even a werewolf, and he didn't understand the complexities that came with most supernatural territories. Deep down, though, the alpha knew that Stiles was pretty smart, and even though he only ever publicly broadcasted his doubts he knew his pack wouldn't be complete without their strategist beside them.

Deviousness (#78)

It saddened Stiles that he'd become adept at lying to his Dad. That should be something every teenager dreamed of, right? Sneaking off into the night to take part in all sorts of illicit activities without the parents ever cottoning on would be ideal for most of his classmates. But Stiles wasn't just creeping off to a house party without permission; he was getting involved in something big and out of his control, something that was truly dangerous. And if anything ever happened to him, well, he didn't want his deviousness to prevent his Dad ever finding answers.

Grumpiness (#82)

"What the hell are you talking about? It's a cat, it looks nothing like me!" Derek protested against the grumpy cat posters that had been stuck around the abandoned subway, ripping them down angrily in his wake. Funny how he thought there wouldn't be replacements for them next time they met.