It was raining, it had been raining for a solid week now, and Derek was starting to think it was some form of curse formed specifically to annoy him. Taking off his leather jacket, he sighed as water dripped down onto the floor and all over the walls as he shook himself off. Ditching his shoes along side his jacket he went into the kitchen, opening the cupboards he searched through their bare insides. Looking at the lonely and few choices, he closed them again with a huff of annoyance at his inability to keep his shelfs adequately stocked. He picked up the phone, choosing to settle on calling for Chinese food instead. Another typical day in his boring life Derek noted as he settled down in front of the tv, flicking through reruns after reruns looking for something good to watch to distract himself from the deep loneliness he felt.

"It's raining, again." Stikes complained to his best (and only) friend Scott McCall, "It hasn't rained in two months, but then it starts to rain for a solid week, the week that we start lacrosse training. So I ask myself if it is some form of punishment specifically designed for me? That someone cruel up their is set on me not achieving front line this year. It's just evil to send rain now when I might actually have some hope in improving. I could have used a downpour of rain last month when it was bone dry and I had to sit through that boring-ass class, where I almost fell asleep like 4 times."
"I feel you man," said Scott "our front porch has flooded 3 times, and thats just today."
"Great," said Stiles as the siren rang signalling end of day "it's still raining and guess who's jeep has broken down?"
"No" groaned Scott.
"Yep," replied Stiles "me and you buddy, we're walking home."

Stiles and Scott ran through the rain, backpacks above their heads as they ran through the streets, occasionally being splashed by cars along the way.
"C'mon!" shouted Stiles over the rain "I know a short cut." he said running through the forrest adjacent to the pathway.

A few hours later
"Stiles, where are we?" Inquired Scott worriedly.
"In a forrest" replied Stiles hopelessly.
"Dont tell me you have gotten us lost."
"Okay" replied Stiles "I wont tell you we are lost, but I think we've walked past that tree already" he said "like twice already, maybe three times."
"We're lost" said Scott hopelessly, sitting at the base of the tree.
Stiles sat next to him holding out his hand to check the weather "but on the plus side the rain has stopped."

"You are trespassing on private property." a gruff voice sounded out of the darkness, causing both the boys to nearly jump out of their skin.
"Uhm, sorry, we're just taking shelter from the rain. We'll be going soon, just as soon as we find out where we are."
"Dude dont tell him we're lost," scolded Stiles,"he could be a murder, or rapist, or murdering rapist, what sort of non murdering rapist is walking through the woods at this time of night anyway?" said Stiles growing nervous.
"Im not a murdering rapist." Said the annoyed voice from the shadows "but I do have a phone at my house of you want to call someone."
"Thats exactly what a murdering rapist would say." combated Stiles.
"Fine. You can stay here if you want, but its going to rain again, soon." Said the voice.
"C'mon Stiles," said Scott, "I cant get sick, not with the game tomorrow."
"Fine, but if something happens to me I'm haunting your ass, because this ones on you if we get murdered by the creepy guy."

Scott followed the mysterious stranger, and Stiles followed Scott, nervously looking around the whole time. The stranger stepped into his mansion of a house set in the middle of the woods "that was totally not scary, nor looked like the headquarters of a secret evil lair" Stiles thought out loud.
The stranger threw towels at them hitting Stiles in the face as soon as he stepped inside. When he finished drying himself off, Stiles was finally able to look at the stranger out of the shadows of the night. Illuminated in the light of the house Stiles caught his breathe at the sheer hotness of the stranger, "Oh my god" he said under his breath.
"What?" Said the stranger selfconsiouslly at the awed expression on Stiles face.
"Uhm" said Stiles mind still frozen, as he was hit with a faint sense of familiarity, like he had seen this guy before, which was impossible, he had never met this guy before in his life, he knew he would remember such an encounter, "I was wondering what shall I call you other than mysterious-scary-potential-murderious-rapist-stranger-I-just-met-in-the-woods-who-seems-familar?"
"Derek," he said "My names Derek"
"Imtresting" commented Stiles noting it down on the invisible list of peoples names he kept in his head.
Derek raised his eyebrow "May I ask your name? other than intruders-on-my-property-in-the-middle-of-the-night."
"I'm Scott," said Scott butting in, uncomfortable at the obvious flirting going on betwen those two "and this is Stiles. Not to be rude, but where is that phone you were talking about?"
"Right this way." said Derek leading the way as Scott followed, and Stiles stayed in the doorway, to finish towelling himself off, before he decided to do some investigation of his own, and 'no he was not peeping because he found this guy hot, but was merely interested,' he told himself "He just wanted to see if this guy had anything weird laying around, like dead bodies, per say."
Stiles walked the long hallways of this guys house, trailing his fingers along the dark wood, and noticing the faint smell of ash underlying everything, coupled with the coldness associated with disuse, it wasn't very homely. He peeked into the many bedrooms on the first floor, before quickly closing them once noticing the same coldness, dust and disuse as the other rooms. A reoccurring theme in this house.

Done with the first floor Stiles went to the second, searching for something still beyond his grasp. The more rooms he looked in, the sadder he got, all the empty rooms told tales of abandonment. Stiles looked in all the rooms till he reached the last bedroom. He concluded this guy, Derek, lived alone. His theory was further supported when he opened the room to find a double bed, with only one side that had clearly only ever been used. Walking into the room Stiles shivered, this room was also cold, but had an underlying musky scent that the other rooms lacked. Thr best Stiles could compare it to was a doggy smell. Stiles wondered if Derek owned a dog, but looking around he could see no sign of a dog. Even looking under the bed he could see no animal present. Stiles just shrugged and decided to ask Derek about the dog later. He stiffled a yawn, and wondered how such a cold room could house such a comfy bed, and such a lonely place could house such a hot guy. Tired, Stiles leaned back onto the unused side of the bed, surrounding himself in the weird smell of dog and accidently fell asleep, dreaming dreams of a handsome man who had a sad look in his eyes, and owned an invisible dog.

From in the kitchen Derek watched Scott from the dorway as he tried the phone, then cursed "What's wrong?" Inquired Derek.
"The phone lines have gone out with the storm."
Derek took the phone from Scott pressing the buttons and raising it to his ear before confirming Scott's statement. He sighed with exasperation at the thought of having these irritating boys here any longer than necessary. Resigning to the idea he offered Scott and his absent friend to stay "You can stay here till the phone comes back."
"That's okay," said Scott nervously thinking back to Stiles comments before answering "If you have a car you can just drop us off in town."
"No way," said Derek "not in this weather, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the forrest, it would be insane to even walk around, let alone drive, you're staying here, end of discussion." Scott suspicious of the strangers motivations, backed away.
"Just point me towards town and we'll walk."
"I said no." said Derek growing frustrated as Scott ran to the door just as he bolted it, putting the key in his pocket as Scott desperately tried to leave.
"Theres a room down the corridor." said Derek firmly leaving no room for discussion as he left Scott by the door, trudging up to his room.

Opening his door he stealed himself, sensing something was off as he pushed open the door, and breathed out in relief as it was just Scott's friend, Stiles, asleep in his bed. He stiffled a grin at how right, and adorable the kid looked in his bed. He sat on the bed, causing it to depress a little, and reached over shaking Stiles lightly.
"Wake up!" he said.
Stiles woke up startled, grabbing onto the nearest thing which was Derek's arm.
Stiles blearily commented "You smell like dog."
Derek narrowed his eyes.
"But a good type of dog, a good smell of dog, if thats possible. Which I didn't think so, but you have a good dog smell, musky.
"Stop talking!" Derek said "What are you doung in my bed?"
Stiles looked around confused "This is your bed? Sorry, it just smelt like the best room in the house, and strolling around the woods for hours on end takes a lot out of a still growing man. If you want I can go into another room, because, dude your house is massive."
"No, its okay" sighed Derek as Stiles yawned, his eyes already drooping with sleep. "Stay here, I'll find another room." But Stiles was already asleep. As Derek got up to leave Stiles reached out and wrapped his arms around him, in a vice tight grip, that made Derek was unable to leave without waking Stiles. Resigned, half asleep, and a bit lonely, Derek stayed. Wrapped in Stiles arms he fell asleep quickly.

The storm raged on the rest of the night outside as everyone slept on. Stiles woke up first, happily surprised to find Derek asleep in his arms with the cutest expression on his usually grouchy face. Stiles smiled at how peaceful he looked. He carefully removed Derek from his arms and snuck out unusually silently as he tried to find the bathroom, before finding the kitchen and making breakfast.

Derek woke up 15 minutes later, a new feeling of content mixed with a familiar feeling of disappointment residing deep within his stomach. Derek felt cold as the house settled in his bones. He wrapped the blanket around himself trying to keep the warmth in, before shuffling his way down to the kitchen, from which he heard a horrible sound of banging cutlery, and light swearing.
"Dude, you have like nothing in your cuboards, how do you survive with so little food? but don't fear, I managed to whip something up, I should be a celebrity chef with my Ramsey like skills." Stiles said grabbing 3 plates down and loading them with scrambled eggs and bacon, placing it down in front of blanket clad Derek, and the newly arrived Scott, who had a mojor case of bed head as he was blearily rubbing his eyes, before grabbing his plate and sitting next to Stiles.

"Thats it! I got it!" exclaimed Stiles half way through the meal almost causing Derek to choke, "I know where I have seen your grumpy face before, you're Laura's brother. She tutored me when I was little once or twice, before calling me a lost cause and giving up." Stiles said an faint old sting at the last part "She had family pictures on her phone, and I recognise you from them, but your grown up now, and way hotter, congrats, but I knew I recognised you from somewhere, so hows your sister going?"
"Shes not, anymore."
Suddenly Stiles was hit with a startling realisation as he saw flashbacks of old newspapers in his minds eye, where the headlines told the news of the Hales house catching fire, everyone burned alive inside, the only survivor a teen named Derek Hale.
"Oh, you're Derek hale." Said Stiles with morbid realisation, wondering how he could have forgot that "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise."
Derek just left the table, putting the dishes in the sink, the reason he had rebuilt the house and moved out here by himself was because he got sick of everyones fake sympathy, trying to "cheer" him up.
"Was it something I said?" Asked Stiles to Scott.
"Yeah," replied Scott unhelpfully, "it was."

"Lets leave now," said Scott, looking towards the doorway, "whilst he isn't looking."
"Dude, it's still raining," replied Stiles as way of answer, "and the phones are still out." he said picking up the phone, and dialling "We can't leave."
Scott looked grumpilly on, shovelling food into his mouth "Well we cant stay here."
"Whats wrong with here?"
"Im pretty sure Derek has dead bodies stored under his floorboards and is planning on ways he can kill us in our sleep to add to his collection."
"Dude, trust me, I got it wrong about him, Derek wouldn't hurt a fly. That grouchy sourwolf look is just hiding how much of a puppy he really is, wait and see, you'll know I'm right. Theres nothing to be scared of."