If you be my star, I'll be your sky
A/N: I promised myself I wouldn't do this. But then tumblr told me so. Omg a user was talking about the shirt and Cora and I was done and I had to write.
Summary; Sometimes people leave, and sometimes they come home. So, Stiles' waits.
"He didn't really say goodbye." Stiles said as he tapped lightly on his desk in English class. Scott gave him a small smile and a pat on the shoulder.
"I did what you asked when I saw him though." Scott said as he left his hand on his best friend's shoulder because that's all he could do right now. "Maybe, maybe he didn't want to say goodbye, because it's not really goodbye."
"Yeah, I'm kind of tired of people leaving us." Stiles said, looking up at Scott with slightly misted eyes, a tip for Scott to know that it was the darkness and this was one of Stiles' weaknesses. People leaving, his mother, Jackson, Erica, Boyd, and now Derek and Cora.
"Yeah, but they're not really gone. Any of them, they're still with us. Sometimes it's harder to realize that though." Scott said, taking his best friends hand in his own and giving it a squeeze before turning to pay attention as their new English teacher came into the room. "And like I said, maybe he'll come back. He just needs space; Beacon Hills hasn't really been his place of comfort in a really long time."
Scott was right, Stiles knew that. His parents and family died here, Laura died here, Erica died here, and Derek was forced to kill Boyd here. Stiles understood Derek's need to leave, and maybe rather than just being completely sad about Derek being gone, he was slightly jealous because he wanted to get away too. But he couldn't leave his dad, Scott, the pack, and everyone else.
"And anyways, you'll always have me." He heard Scott whisper and he visibly relaxed and remembered that even with all the bad things that happened to him in Beacon Hills, this was his home where his family was. And you don't run from family.
Derek wasn't really sure where they were going to stop, but he knew that like Laura had taken him from Beacon Hill the first time he lost his family, he needed to take Cora away from Beacon Hills after losing some of theirs. Cora needed time to get over Boyd's death and not be in a place where it reminded her of it, not yet. He needed time to stay away from the place where again he messed up, again he was the cause of people dying.
"Hey, you okay?" Cora asked, placing her hand on Derek's shoulder with a small smile. He felt bad that right now all they could do was stay in this tiny motel in the middle of nowhere California, miles away from nowhere California, Beacon Hills. He was planning on taking them back to New York, maybe he'd be able to pick up his life from there again, or maybe they should go somewhere completely different, to start over entirely.
"I'm fine. Just tired." Derek said and Cora nodded. It'd been a long few days of traveling, and they needed their rest. Sighing, Derek went to dig through his duffle for pajamas, but his eyes caught on a familiar orange and blue shirt. Pulling it out, he stared at it for a second and fought the urge to smell it. Then he noticed a small piece of paper sticking out the collar of the folded shit and he took it out, still holding the shirt in his hands.
I'll see you soon, try not to get hurt. Remember to watch out for your sister. Good luck, Miguel.
Love, Stiles.
P.S. Don't be such a sourwolf.
Derek's breath stopped for a moment. The idiot, he would do such a stupid thing. He would because Stiles was like that, he liked to be annoying and Derek almost hated himself for not finding this annoying, but still he allowed himself a ghost of a smile, thinking of the only person who could make him see the good and bad things about himself without even trying.
"What the hell is that?" Cora said looking at the shirt and then attempting to look over Derek's shoulder to the note, but instead he shoved it carefully into his pocket and gave Cora a flat look.
"It's nothing important. At least not to you." Derek said, giving her a shrug and then patting her hair, "I thought you were going to sleep."
"I am, but the whole room smells like Stiles' now. Is that his shirt? What did he do? Sweat in it for weeks and not wash it?" Cora said with her nose crinkled, and Derek shrugged again.
"It's Stiles, who knows."
Stiles sighed as a week passed without Derek constantly in his space or mentioned around his space. Sometimes it almost seemed as everyone forgot about him. Sometimes he felt suffocated around his own friends, and now that everything was different, they always sat together. Scott's pack, his pack, Scott, Lydia, Isaac, Allison, and himself, and it wasn't as big as it used to be, but it was something. It was family, it was home. He had to keep reminding himself that, he had family; he had people who cared for him and people he cared about. Ethan and Aiden were still around and no, they weren't honorary pack but neither was Danny but that didn't stop them from sitting with the pack and being their friend. Well, with the former two he used friend lightly, but Danny was always important.
But Danny reminded him of Jackson, and that made Stiles remember that people left him. Scott was getting better and better at picking up Stiles' moods because right as he started thinking about that when he glanced at Danny and Ethan, he placed a hand on Stiles' shoulder and offered him a wide smile and he remembered. People left, but there were still people there it didn't make the struggle to cling to the happiness he used to have even with his own darkness around, but now it was getting harder because he wasn't used to this much pain. Before he was used to the lingering effects of his mother, the doubts with his father but he had years too school that and now he was starting all over again.
At least he had Scott. And Allison.
"I was thinking about sending something to Derek and Cora when they settle down somewhere more permanent. Even if it's just for a while." Lydia said out of nowhere staring directly at Stiles even though her comment was made to everyone, it was more like she meant it just for him. Stiles accepted the fact that he was not going to get Lydia to be more than a friend, and he was okay with it as long as she was happy. Slowly she was taking Scott's place as best friend whereas Scott was in his solid place of Brotherhood. Though, the entire pack had gotten closer in the week that Derek was gone, and even before he decided to leave.
"I think that's a great idea." Scott said, also looking at Stiles, as well as everyone else because they knew; even though everyone was missing them, Stiles felt it the most. At the same time he hated it, he loved knowing that they cared enough to notice his feelings and prioritize it in a way that wasn't singling him out.
"We can send a care package. It'll make them remember that even though they're gone for now, they're still pack to us." Allison said, reaching over from across him and taking Stiles' limp hand that rested next to his tray and giving it a small squeeze.
"We'll all put something in it and then Stiles would you send it out?" Isaac suggested taking a bite of whatever he got for lunch and the others nodded, but Stiles tilted his head.
"Why me?" He asked, following Isaac in suit and taking a bite of his own food.
Lydia shrugged and took a bite of her apple, "I feel like he'd text you even if he didn't text everyone else."
"And why's that?" Stiles asked genuinely curious to Lydia's accusation and decided he wasn't really hungry anymore. "Because Scott's the alpha." He whispered the last part with a side glance at Danny who was just confused by the conversation but chalked it off to their normal unusualness that he'd been suffering through since freshman year.
"Because," Lydia said, her eyes gleaming the way they did when she was either plotting something or when her plans went exactly the way she wanted them to. "You're the only one who really gets him in ways that no one else does or bothers to. He listens to you even if he doesn't want to."
Stiles shut his mouth at that and pulled out his phone.
Outgoing text to Sourwolf [12:19pm]; Text me your address when you finally get a proper one.
Incoming message from Sourwolf [12:30pm]; 272 Overseas Hwy Summerland Key, Florida.
Stiles smiled at that, he really couldn't imagine Derek in the orange state and showed the group his phone. "Guess he's already found a place."
The next day Lydia shoved a package towards him and walked away, Stiles rolled his eyes and put it in the passenger side of his jeep. Before he drove off home he looked at it for a moment, thinking about all the times Derek sat there, sighed and drove home.
It had been two weeks since he and Cora lived in Summerland Key, but it was a nice change. Derek was working a job as a mechanic, something he became good at after all the times his Camaro got smashed, even though he had a Toyota now. It was hard, getting rid of the Camaro but with the bigger pack he needed something better for all of them because Erica, Boyd and Isaac couldn't all fit in his car. Even though that didn't matter now.
Cora decided to go to back to school for a while, finish high school and see where to go from there. It was what they needed, a normal life again. So, Derek didn't really expect the package from Beacon Hills when he got home that day. The return address was Stiles', and he wasn't sure if he wanted to really open it. He already spent enough time smelling the shirt to remind him of home and pack, Derek didn't need another thing to make him regret leaving even though it was currently the best thing for Cora.
Walking into the apartment he wasn't surprised to see Cora scribbling something into her notebook at the coffee table rather than in her own room. Derek grunted a hello and walked into his room and opened the package, the first thing he saw was a note about all the other stuff.
Derek,
We wanted to send you some stuff to remind you of home and that we're your pack even if you're gone or not the alpha. We miss you. I think Stiles' has it the hardest but it might have to do with the darkness because he misses everyone that's gone like crazy. But he's not panicking anymore other than the first time with Lydia.
Everyone wanted you to remember that we will always care about you and Laura, and you said it when I first got bit, we're brothers. As much as I tried to deny it for as long as I could, resisting being a part of your pack, I think we finally realized how important pack was the past few months with everything that went on. But I realized that you always had my back. Always. Even after I betrayed you with Gerard.
Even though I know you have trouble trusting people, in the end you did trust me and Stiles. Or tried too, and that trust slowly extended. Even though I'm the alpha now, and you gave your power up for Cora, I think the real alpha will always be you. You're in many ways my role model and I now understand that in some ways you're kind of like the older brother I never had and not like Stiles, who may as well be my brother by flesh.
I'm rambling now. I think I've been spending too much time with Stiles and it's finally reaching me now. We miss you. Please keep in touch.
Scott.
P.S. Lydia might make us send you more packages in the future, sorry. You know she's kind of pushy and it also makes Stiles' feel better.
Derek opened the package carefully. There were more small letters ranging in a few words to a few sentences. They sent him a variety of things as well as stuff for Cora that he left in the box. Then he finally reached the bottom and noticed a small brown cloth wrapping something and he pulled it out. Opening the strings that tied the top carefully he saw that it was a small vile of something covered in a piece of paper. He opened the paper first before really looking at the small vile.
But you can skyrocket away from me
And never come back from another galaxy
Far from here with more room to fly
Just leave me your Stardust to remember you by.
Maybe it'll do you some good, because who knows what wanders around in Florida. Maybe an abominable snowman?
S
Derek tore his eyes away from the paper and put it with the last note he got from Stiles in his wallet. He tucked the other stuff and letters either into one of the drawers on his nightstand or on top of his nightstand. He looked at the vile and smiled, noticing that it was in the shape of a star and attached to a leather band which could pass as necklace. Scoffing, and realizing it was mistletoe, he let go of his pride and allowed himself to put it on and hide it under his shirt. Derek then walked out and dropped the box gently in front of Cora.
"From the pack." Derek said with a small hint of lingering affection, Cora looked up at him and gave him a small smile and a pat on the leg because she was sitting.
"Thanks. Should we send them something back?" Cora asked and Derek pursed his lips and nodded.
"Maybe that'd be a good idea."
Weeks turned into months, fall turned to winter then spring. School was almost over and Stiles and the rest of the pack where happy that at least for the rest of this year they did not have to worry about the actual supernatural beacon that was Beacon Hills. They kept sending packages back and forth between Cora, Derek and the Pack. Mostly he sent stuff to Derek with the exception of seeing things that reminded him of Cora, and the same with Derek.
Stiles was mostly glad Derek sent the packages to him, because the first one he got held in Derek's leather jacket with a small note that read;
You're an idiot,
You try not to get hurt. Winter's coming soon in Beacon Hills and Florida doesn't get cold. I don't really need this anymore. Hold on to it for me.
Not a sourwolf.
Derek.
Stiles may have slept in the jacket for two days, because Scott whined at the fact that Stiles smelt like Derek and it made him sad. Then the next day he came into school wearing a t-shirt, plaid shirt and then instead of his hoodie, Derek's jacket. No one said a word.
The packages didn't stop; they sent one right after the other had received the other. Stiles didn't really text Derek though, unlike the rest of the pack who sent him texts now and again. Isaac was the one who really texted both Derek and Cora the most, seeing as how they were practically his family after his father died. Stiles didn't want to do it because it'd just make him miss Derek more. So Stiles only texted Derek when it was necessary.
"Stiles?" Lydia asked, waving her hand in front of him during passing. She was leaning against the other end of his open locker saying something about something, Stiles' wasn't sure.
"I'm sorry, what?" Stiles asked blinking at her, she sighed and rolled her eyes at him, but in a light hearted manner, they were all starting to get used to Stiles' ability to go from nonstop talking from one second to being completely out of it the next.
"I asked you if you're ready for the dance." Lydia said and Stiles almost laughed, last time at a dance, Lydia got bit by Peter, who was oddly lurking in the shadows recently but no one said anything about it.
"I dunno. Maybe it's better if I just stay home, spend the night with my dad." Stiles shrugged and Lydia rolled her eyes.
"Allison and I will pick you up at your house tomorrow to go shopping." Lydia said in a tone that he knew meant that he had no choice in the matter and he offered her a smile and nodded.
When he got home that day, there was no package, which was not unusual; he sent the last one a day ago. Walking inside his dad gave him a pat on the shoulder and lead him to the couch. His father had been trying to get more time off so he could spend it with Stiles until they adjusted to the recent situation, which was slowly happening because every day, Stiles felt more and more like himself.
"Hey son, how was your day at school?" his father asked, leaning back in his chair not even bothering to turn the TV on. Stiles launched into a play by play of what he did, how everything was slightly boring without anything supernatural going on. This made his dad smile, roll his eyes and say that it's better without all the murders. They laughed for a moment and fell into a comforting silence before they decided to watch TV. Soon the evening melted into the night and his father got up to go on his night shift. But before he walked out the door he took Stiles' in his arms and kissed the top of his head. "I love you."
"Yeah, I love you too."
Derek leaned back in the Toyota. Cora sat next to him with a nod and a smile, placing a hand on his, which rested on the gear shift.
"I'm ready." She said in the same comforting way Laura used to say things whenever he was scared or unsure. It was a week after whatever dance Lydia had texted him about, that he didn't really care for until Scott texted him a picture of Stiles in his tux, which made him lonely.
"Okay." Derek said, their stuff was boxed up and placed into the backseat, and now the Toyota was useful again. They didn't really accumulate a lot of things living in Florida, but they had enough that the entire backseat was full of stuff as well as clothes unlike when they left with just two duffels. It was the pack's fault because they kept sending sentiments and there was no way he could leave those. Not this time, not like when he left Florida and every reminder of Laura. It was different then, she was gone. But now he had a home.
After calling the owner, he made sure to get his loft back and they went and unloaded everything there. After they were done, Derek did what he'd been aching to do. It was still school hours, so he drove up to the school, parking next to the familiar jeep. Getting out, he went around the school and to the field, where he knew practice was happening.
Derek stopped and stood where he always did when he would watch them from afar, but he knew that Scott and Isaac would notice in a heartbeat that he was there, and the pack had a habit of always watching practice all together, or they actually were practicing.
It was Scott that noticed first. He stood up straight from his crouching position and took off his helmet. Stiles looked at Scott with a tilt of the head from his place on the bench, where he was currently taking a swing of water. Then Scott's eyes met Derek's and Stiles followed Scott's gaze and by the time Stiles found him, the entire pack was looking at him.
Stiles' blinked once, then twice, rubbed his eyes but he was there.
Outgoing message to Stiles [3:30pm]; If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky.
Stiles checked his phone, narrowed his eyes and tossed it on the ground. Then he ran. Derek didn't run, he walked towards the figure and when they met; Stiles' tossed his arms around Derek and shoved his face in the crook of Derek's neck. Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist and lifted him ever so slightly before putting him down, not breaking the hug for a moment. Then he stepped back and looked into amber eyes and sighed. He was home.
"I missed you."
"Welcome home."
