Prompt: Sterek!Derek gets hit by an obedience spell and stiles takes full advantage of it.
**Dub-con is in the second chapter, which will be posted tomorrow**
Stiles was, as per usual, the last to trudge out of the trees and into the clearing that was situated on the far southern side of the preserve. It wasn't Hale land but it was still part of the Hale-McCall territory. Despite the difficult trek it took to reach, the clearing was favored by Derek and Scott. Tactically speaking it presented the pack with an open arena in which to train, it was far enough away from civilization that no one would accidentally stumble upon them or hear the ruckus and come to investigate, and it was nestled low enough in a valley that it allowed the wolves to practice training exercises in positions that gave them both an advantage and a disadvantage.
Unfortunately, the clearing's kickass positioning, while perfect for training, normally left Stiles to pick his way through the dense forest all on his own, trying not to land face first in the dirt when he inevitably slipped on a patch of moss or wet leaves.
Derek and Scott both made sure to offer him a lift but Stiles refused each and every time. He had his reasons, no matter how much Derek huffed and called him stubborn. Even if his reasons were mostly that he was a man, damn it, and didn't need his boyfriend or his brother carrying him through the woods like a damsel in distress. They were still reasons.
By the time Stiles managed to burst through the treeline and kick free of the underbrush the rest of the pack was already waiting.
"Batman!" Erica grinned, abandoning Isaac and their sparring match to saunter across the clearing to greet him.
Stiles snorted as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "If only. I'm sure one of Batman's cool as fuck gadgets would make this hike about a thousand times easier."
"Poor baby." Erica mocked, curling an arm around his waist and letting him toss an arm around her shoulders.
Stiles let her lead him toward the others. Scott was in the midst of pinning Jackson to the ground while Lydia and Allison cheered them on in between taking shots at the targets they'd set up on the far side of the clearing. Derek and Boyd were practicing evasion techniques while Peter watched, gleefully offering critiques and judgments. Isaac, after picking himself up off the ground where Erica had left him, came to join Stiles and Erica as they crossed the open field.
"Maybe we should look into buying you an ATV or something." Isaac suggested as he picked a few leaves out of Stiles' hair.
"He tried that already." Derek informed them, appearing out of nowhere and planting a hard kiss on Stiles' lips before he could respond. "Flipped it less than a mile away from the house."
Stiles rolled his eyes and kicked a smiling Derek in the shin. "Have I told you lately that I hate you?"
Derek, jogging backwards to avoid more blows, only smiled wider. "Love you, too."
Stiles was exhausted. Every muscle in his body ached, screaming at him as he dragged himself along beside Derek, limping a little when his hip protested a step. He winced when he laid his hand over the slowly purpling skin stretched across his pelvic bone.
"I can take it." Derek offered, gesturing to the bruise.
Stiles shook his head. "I earned this. That tackle was fucking epic. How many humans can say they took down a 6 ' 3" werewolf all by themselves? This bruise is my badge of honor and I shall suffer the pain with dignity."
"Right." Derek chuffed a laugh, catching Stiles by the arm before he could slip on a toadstool and land ass first. "What was that you were saying about being a stubborn jackass?"
"That you really should stop?" Stiles quipped with a grin.
Derek opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by the warning howl that echoed back from a couple miles ahead.
"Scott." Stiles would recognize that howl anywhere.
Derek wavered in place, unsure if he should run to Scott's assistance or stay to protect Stiles. "He has Isaac with him." Derek said, as though trying to convince himself that the other Alpha had no need of his presence.
Stiles was already shaking his head. "He also has Allison and Lydia."
Meeting Stiles' eye for a beat, Derek weighed his options.
"Go!" Stiles urged. "I'll be right behind you."
Derek only hesitated for a second before he took off at a run, Stiles struggling to do the same behind him. Ignoring the protesting twinge in his hip Stiles ran as fast as his legs could carry him, ears trained on the sounds of Derek crashing through the forest ahead of him since he could no longer see him.
A chill snaked down Stiles' spine when another howl went up, this time from Jackson. Pushing himself harder, Stiles ducked under a low hanging branch only to come out on the other side at the top of an incline he couldn't stop himself from tumbling down.
He came to an abrupt stop at the bottom of the hill, his hip flaring with fresh pain. "Shit." he spat, staggering to his feet and wiping his scraped and dirt encrusted hands on the legs of his track pants.
"Are such vulgarities really necessary?"
Startled, Stiles' head shot up. His searching gaze landed on a feminine form standing in the shadow of a massive oak tree a few feet away.
"I have a colorful vocabulary." Stiles informed the newcomer through panting breaths.
A high, tinkling laugh rent the air, making Stiles cringe. "I suppose that is one way of looking at it." the woman agreed as she stepped forward from the shadows.
Stiles couldn't stop the gasp from leaving his lips.
The woman, if such a word applied to someone who was so clearly not human, was breathtakingly beautiful. Her long blonde hair hung around her bare shoulders in an unnaturally pale curtain and set off the sparkling heliotrope irises framed in almond and set in an angelic face. Full pink lips parted in a smile over pearly white but slightly too sharp teeth.
"Where is your wolf, Spark?" she asked with a tilt of her head that had her hair shifting to one side and giving Stiles a peek at pointed ears.
Fucking Fae, Stiles thought.
"I think you probably know the answer to that better than I do at this particular moment." Stiles hazarded, wondering if he could get a scream out before the faerie could rip out his throat.
The tinkling laugh was back, once more causing Stiles to flinch. "He will come to no harm." the faerie said in what Stiles thought was probably supposed to be assurance. "Ronan would not act without provocation."
Stiles snorted abrasively. "Have you even met my pack?" he questioned, shuffling back a few unobtrusive steps.
The faerie's purple eyes narrowed, flashing with a warning Stiles refused to heed. "Sharp tongues can be quite dangerous, Spark. You would do well to mind yours."
A painful stab of bright light flared behind Stiles' eyes, temporarily blinding him. As the pain spread through his head Stiles thought he heard a cut off howl vibrate the air but couldn't be sure. His stomach swooped low and he prayed whatever remained of his pack within the forest could handle a single faerie on their own.
He bit back the exclamation that wanted to tear from his lips, not wanting to give her the satisfaction. "I'll try to remember that." he snarked instead.
The faerie took a few steps closer, one hand extended, palm out, in his direction. "You've no idea the power you possess." she sighed, almost as though the idea pained her. "A spark of your caliber... You should not be wasting such power playing pet to a pack of mongrels."
"I'm not a pet." Stiles snapped, taking another step backwards. "And those 'mongrels' are my family."
"Family?" The faerie shook her head sadly. "Would they keep you if they knew?" she asked, the skin of her palm glowing a soft gold as it neared him.
"Knew what?" Stiles queried, eyes widening and breath leaving his lungs in a whoosh as his back collided with the trunk of a tree. "They already know that I'm a spark. So, I'm sorry to burst your bubble-"
"Quiet!" the faerie commanded, eyes flashing another warning. Unlike the first time, Stiles obeyed immediately, snapping his mouth shut with a click. "Your pack of dogs may know that you hold a spark, but the know nothing of your heritage." she murmured almost gently as she pressed her glowing palm over his heart.
Warmth flooded through Stiles' chest, filling his lungs and spreading out through his limbs. Distantly, he thought he heard clawed paws pounding the ground but he couldn't focus enough to care one way or the other.
"If they knew where your magic comes from, from whom your blood was born, would they allow you within their ranks? Or would they rend your flesh from your bones and leave you to the earth?"
Stiles' heart stalled before picking back up and beating a rapid tango against his ribs.
"Have you not wondered why the flame of magic sings in your veins, Spark?" The faerie asked, her fingers digging harshly into the muscle of his chest. "Why a child born to human parents should wield power no human could contain."
"I never really thought about it." Stiles gasped out as the woman's fingertips sank through his skin. It didn't hurt, exactly. It wasn't as though her fingers tore through his skin, ripping their way in. More accurately they simply slid through like a knife through warm butter.
"I can taste her in your blood. You belong to the Fae, Spark." she all but cooed, her voice low and smooth. "You belong to me."
"As... Flattered as I am, that's not going to happen." Stiles pressed his mouth into a flat line to convey his conviction. "I belong with my pack, with Derek. It doesn't matter where my spark came from. It's mine and I'm theirs. End of story."
"You heard him."
Stiles almost passed out he was so relieved to hear Derek's voice ring out from behind the faerie. "Oh, thank you baby Jesus." he panted, sagging against the tree at his back when the faerie withdrew her fingers from his chest, leaving behind perfectly unmarred skin.
She turned to face Derek, a snarl twisting her lips. She raised her hand again, palm out and glowing a deep shade of blue. "I would not suggest you try to stop me, Wolf."
"Funny." Derek smirked. "Your friend said the same thing." he said, then threw a dismembered head onto the ground between them.
The faerie shrieked at the sight and threw the light in her palm in Derek's direction. He ducked it just in time for it to sear a hole through the trunk of a tree a few yards behind him.
"I will have your life for his!" she screamed, a new light building in both hands, a throbbing and angry shade of red.
"Try me." Derek growled and then charged.
Stiles watched in slightly detached trepidation as Derek collided with the faerie and they both hit the ground. He wanted to help, to put himself between them or find a way to put the faerie down, but his limbs would accommodate him. He could do nothing but watch as the faerie tossed Derek clear across the forest. He hit a tree with a resounding crack and then slumped to the ground with a whimper.
The faerie turned her attention back to Stiles but before she could take another step Scott barreled out of the trees and tackled her, teeth snapping angrily at her throat. Erica was a step behind him, heading straight for Stiles as Isaac and Boyd emerged behind her and went for Derek.
"Stiles?" Erica questioned, cupping his face in her hands.
He tried to meet her gaze, to let her know he was mostly okay, but his vision kept skipping, eyes sliding in and out of focus. "Derek." he mumbled, speech slurred.
"Isaac's got him." Erica told him, glancing over her shoulder when a sharp yip reached them.
The faerie had managed to put both Scott and Boyd on their asses, but Derek was climbing to his feet, his eyes glowing Alpha Red as he shifted to his beta form. Isaac followed Derek's lead and fell in behind him.
"Wait!" It was supposed to come out as a warning shout but it left Stiles' lips as little more than a breathy plea.
Derek turned his head in Stiles' direction at the same moment the faerie threw a light pink ball of light at him and sharply commanded him to, "Stay!"
The light hit Derek in the chest, knocking him back a step, but he obeyed immediately, feet planting firmly in place.
The next moments were a blur as Stiles found the strength to stagger forward, Erica holding him up, and Scott pounced on the faerie, fangs tearing through the vulnerable flesh of her neck. A warbled and gurgling scream ripped through the air before it was extinguished in a wet burble. Scott let the body fall to the ground, the head rolling away in a tangle of blood stained hair.
"Derek!" Stiles called, stumbling closer and already reaching for him.
The Alpha blinked once and then turned toward the sound of Stiles' voice. "I'm fine." he assured, looking down at his hands as though questioning his own assertion.
"What the fuck was that light?" Isaac asked, eyeing Derek warily.
"That was her magic." Stiles explained as he and Erica came to a stop in front of Derek and Scott and Boyd came to join them. "She hit him with some kind of spell thingy or whatever."
"Do you feel any different?" Scott asked cautiously.
"No." Derek shook his head, frowning at the pack around him.
"Maybe it didn't work?" Scott offered though he sounded skeptical.
"Did you see the way he stopped on a dime when she told him to stay?" Boyd pointed out. "There's no way it didn't do something."
"Alright. We're gonna have to go to Deaton's." Stiles sighed, extracting himself from around Erica's shoulders and reaching a hand out to touch Derek's neck. He didn't jolt when the hum of magic buzzed along his skin but it was a near thing. "I'd ask if you're okay with that but you have literally zero choice."
Derek snorted. "If it stops you from freaking out for the next week, I'm fine with it."
"Alright, I'll call Jackson and let him know what's up." Scott nodded as he pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans. "He and Peter took the girls back to the house." he informed Stiles at his questioning look.
"Oh, right. Okay."
The group started off in the direction of the Hale house, Scott and Erica helping Stiles hobble across the uneven ground. He stopped suddenly, turning back to see Derek still standing in the exact same spot, staring down at his feet as if he couldn't figure out how to work them.
"Derek?" Stiles asked. Derek's head lifted quickly, his brow furrowed and questioning. "Come on." Stiles waved a hand for Derek to follow them and the Alpha didn't hesitate to do as he was bid.
"I'm sorry." Stiles held a hand up to stop Deaton mid-sentence. "Could you just repeat that for me one more time?"
"It's a compulsion spell." Deaton dutifully repeated.
"Meaning what, exactly?" Stiles pressed, leaning heavily against the metal table beside where Derek had perched at Stiles' behest.
"Meaning that Derek would feel compelled to do whatever the caster told him to do." Deaton explained. "My guess, in this instance, is that she wanted to claim you and needed Derek's permission to do so."
"Claim him?" Derek growled the question.
Deaton nodded seriously. "The Fae are not known for living amongst humans. But, every now and then, a faerie might choose to... Fraternize with a human. Any child born of that..."
"Fraternization?" Stiles sniped.
"Would, in the eyes of the Fae, belong to them. As little respect as the Fae have for werewolves, they can't usurp someone who has already been claimed. They need the Alpha's permission to take them. I would assume that she hoped to compel you into granting her that." Deaton told Derek.
"Are you trying to tell us that Stilinski has faerie blood?" Jackson scoffed from his position beside Scott.
The rest of the pack was back at Derek's loft waiting for word of their Alpha's condition. Scott had insisted he and Jackson accompany Stiles and Derek to Deaton's, just in case there were more Fae lurking in the woods.
"He does indeed." Deaton confirmed.
"My spark comes from faerie magic?" Stiles balked. "Who in the hell..." he trailed off as he remembered the faeries words when her hand had been buried in his chest, answering his own question before he'd even asked it. "My mother."
"If I had to hazard a guess I would be willing to wager Claudia was at least half-Fae." Deaton mused. Stiles swallowed hard around the lump in his throat and leaned into the arm Derek pressed against his side. "She may not have even known, herself." Deaton continued.
"Aren't the Fae immortal?" Derek asked the question Stiles couldn't force himself to ask.
Deaton's eyes softened, his expression sympathetic. "They are. However, there are a few substances that are deadly to faeries in large quantities. If Claudia were exposed to them unknowingly..."
"She wouldn't know to avoid them." Scott finished.
"Then why hasn't Stiles keeled over yet?" Jackson queried, tactful as ever. At the dark looks thrown in his direction he added, "What? It's a valid question!"
"He's right, though his delivery is lacking." Deaton made a pained face before saying, "As far as I can figure, Stiles is less than half-Fae. His diluted blood would offer him protection from things like iron, salt, and certain plants, but would also make him inherently magical."
"So..." Scott bit his bottom lip in hesitation, "Does that mean that Stiles... He'll live a normal human lifespan?"
"Not necessarily." Deaton considered the question. "He could live longer, though not nearly as long as a full-blooded Fae would."
"So not forever then." Stiles choked out the comment in the hopes that it would make him feel a little more like himself and a little less like an invader in his own body. It didn't.
Everyone in the room watched Stiles process for a long moment before Deaton spoke again. "As for Derek-"
"What about him?" Stiles asked sharply, thankful to have a distraction from his own thoughts but angry that it should be at Derek's expense.
"The enchantment should wear off in a few days."
"Days?!" Stiles and Derek both exclaimed.
"Until then," Deaton rolled his eyes, "just be careful what you say around him."
Stiles couldn't help but notice the Vet's eyes were fixed firmly and solely on him. "Wait, why just me?"
"The magic will only respond to another Fae." Deaton explained simply.
"Seriously?" Scott frowned.
Derek narrowed his eyes at the other Alpha. Scott looked appropriately cowed.
"Derek?" Deaton asked. "If you have no objections I'd like to test it, just to be sure."
After a long moment of internal debate Derek nodded his acquiescence.
"Scott, order Derek to do something but do not use the Alpha command." Deaton instructed.
Scott pushed away from the counter and stopped right in front of Derek, his arms crossed over his chest. "Derek." Derek raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Punch me in the face."
Jackson laughed, Stiles sighed in irritation, Deaton pinched the bridge of his nose, and Scott braced for the hit, but Derek didn't move.
"Huh." Stiles frowned contemplatively.
"Now Stiles." Deaton urged.
"Oh, right." Stiles looked up to meet Derek's eyes and said seriously, "Derek, bark."
If looks could kill Stiles would be nothing but a corpse, but Derek did as he was told.
Stiles stared at Derek for a beat, his lips parted in shock. "Well fuck."