Stiles is fucking tired but that doesn't mean he's not thinking straight. He knows it's not okay to leave Derek. Something in the back of his mind is screaming at him not to leave Derek behind. After all they had just gone through to get him back? Hell no!

"I'm not leaving him. I'm not okay with this." Even though Lydia said she would be there Stiles wanted to stay; he needed to. Scott has to manhandle him out of the room and Stiles doesn't stop fighting him until they're in the jeep a block away with Scott driving. He takes Stiles home before walking home and against every fiber in his being Stiles goes upstairs to find some sleep. He doesn't find sleep, but after hours of tossing and turning Malia finds him. She comes through the window and Stiles doesn't know what to feel. Confused? Upset? Relieved? He realizes he barely even considered excited as an option. They fool around a little but for Stiles the mood is killed when Malia leaves some choice marks on his back too low to be friendly. Then she spoons him and Stiles feels rather offended being little spoon. He tries to ignore that he knows being in a relationship is so not supposed to feel like this. When he tells Scott in the morning he seems even more confused than Stiles.

"But this is good right? Like you guys are together."

"No, I don't think so."

"Is there someone else?"

"You know there's not." Stiles tells him. He doesn't mean that he doesn't have interest in anyone else and scot knows it.

"I know there is. Even with what's happened–"

"Nothing's changed." Stiles says firmly. He doesn't want to think about his sad crush on Derek. Not today and not ever. Derek will never want him.

Stiles feeling about not leaving Derek turn out not to be unfounded. He knows it the moment all the phones in history are going off trying to get Scott on the line and his suspicions are confirmed when they get to the animal clinic. Derek, it turns out is not only younger on the outside but on the inside as well. Stiles doesn't like the idea of Derek not knowing him. The concept weighs heavily in his chest. There's even more emotion twisting inside of him when he realizes that Derek is heading to a home that no longer stands and to a family that no longer breaths. He hates that when they find him they have to tell him that his whole family is dead.

Stiles bursts into the police station with Scott and sees his dad a little pale staring between them and Derek. Part of him is still feeling stressed out and ready for trouble. The other part really wants to laugh at the look on his dads face. There are some half-assed explanations and they talk to Derek.

"Why should I trust you? Where's my family?"

Stiles looks away. If they have to tell Derek the truth he sure as hell won't be the one to do it. Scott lies and quite frankly Stiles is relieved. He doesn't want to see little Derek go through that pain. He see's it enough in older Derek, sees the way the ghost of his family haunt him. He can't wait to get older Derek back though. Little Derek is starting to wear him down. Scott tells Stiles to take Derek back to his place and wait. Stiles does not like this plan but he does as he's told anyway. He's still wary of little Derek. He reminds Stiles far too much of Scott two years ago. That Scott was prone to doing incredibly stupid things. Stiles misses Sourwolf.

"We're going to wait here for Scott. We're going to sit quietly. We're not going to call or talk to anyone." Stiles lists as they walk into Scott's house.

"Do I talk to you?" Derek asks.

"No." Stiles knows he'd probably say something stupid and disaster inducing.

"Good."

"Fine."

"Who's gonna talk to him?" Derek asks and Stiles notices Scott's dad and only has minor freak out with a side of flailing.

"Aahhahh- Are you getting taller?" Stiles says and presses his lips together. He is offended right now. The universe has offended him. After all the shit they go through they get no pause because of the stuff with Derek. Stiles is actually really worried about what will happen if they can't get him back to normal and now there is one meddling parent with no knowledge of the supernatural sticking his nose in this crap and Stiles is offended.

But really there's nothing he can do.

"What are you guys doing here?" Scott's dad asks.

"Waiting for Scott." Derek tells him.

"So am I." He gestures down at the bag. "Supposed to have dinner. I brought extra are you guys hungry?"

"Yeah."

"No! No we're not hungry."

"I'm starving."

"Neither of us are hungry, thanks though."

All he wants to do is put Derek in a box where he can do no harm until they figure out how to get the real Derek back. He winces a little. Okay maybe this is the really Derek like ten years ago but he's not Stiles' Derek.

Stiles tries to pretend he didn't just think that.

Scott's dad basically tells Stiles to fuck off and Derek can eat if he wants to, but of course it's very polite and parent-like.

"What's your name?" Scott's Dad asks Derek.

"Miguel!" Stiles say loudly. "This is my cousin Miguel. From Mexico… so…" He puts his arm around Derek shoulders. Stiles looks at Derek with a smirk expecting Derek best scowl at the use of the name Miguel again. Except this isn't his Derek so actually he's getting a confused puppy stare and he backs away from the boy as if burned. He ignores Derek's questioning brows and tries no to think about how something in the vicinity of his heart feel like it's dying.

Scott's dad starts speaking Spanish and Stiles is think about hpw quickly he could dig his grave when Derek freaking answers in Spanish. What the hell?

"Fantastic." Scott's dad says. "Eggroll?"

"Hell yeah." Derek says and follows him into the kitchen. Stiles tries not to gape at him. That cheeky little shit. Stiles tries not to smile because that whole situation was very Derek eisque which shouldn't be surprising since this is a version of Derek–– Stiles head hurts now and he too, would like a fucking eggroll. Dinner is stressful for Stiles but everyone makes it through. He gets Derek into Scott's f=room so he can call the Alpha himself. They tell him about Kate and he starts panicking again.

"If you actually think is coming for him–" he stops as he notices a room quite devoid of any variation of Derek. His blood seems to run cold as he spot the blonde haired hunter that has ruined so much. She smiles at him as she drops from the window ledge.

"You might be right." Stiles bites of the Scott who he is still on the phone with.

People always tell Stiles that he needs to do better than a baseball bat as weapon. Stiles has always agreed with them until today. A bat seems perfect for the anger inside of him right now. Kate! Her parting smile is burrowing into his mind and he has never wanted someone dead more in his entire life. He wants to kill her, but he's not stupid and he knows it's probably not even within his set of skill to accomplish that but he doesn't care. Thinking about it is giving him some sort of sick comfort that's keeping him from having a panic attack.

So when he arrives clearly things go to hell. He only take about half a second to be surprised and scared about the big warrior dudes dressed in skull and growling in a way that lets him know they aren't exactly human. He looks around and knows he hasn't walked in on a fight because all of his friends are wearing their defeat on their faces. Kira and Scott are on the ground looking at each other sadly. Malia is clutching her leg and her hands are covered in blood. Stiles is only human and Lydia looks like she wants to scream. Stiles crouches down by Scott feeling helpless. He's not ready to die but he wonders if there's anything anyone can do this time.

He hears the footsteps running without any werewolf senses needed. He sees small Derek's form and he smiles. This is my Derek. He thinks. The one that always comes to save them. The one that loves them even if he'd never say it. The one that accepted Scott as his alpha and he's come now because he can feel it.

An alpha, a beta, and a Kitsune are no match for these things. But then there's Derek Hale. He's still the strongest werewolf that Stiles has ever known. He moves around the two of them with fluidity and power. Stiles can't look away. He's still no match for them and he takes quite a few blows but Derek's not a quitter. He will always fight until his last breath and Stiles is paralyzed with fear that that might actually happen. He doesn't want Derek to die.

As he watches in a horrified transfix he notices that little Derek is trying to become older Derek again. He doesn't know why and he doesn't care. Derek's coming back. As the two warriors are called back they leave only Derek. The real Derek partly shifted into his beta form and soon just the man they are all familiar with.

"Derek?" Scott asks cautiously as he stands up.

Derek turns to look at them. His lips are parted as he draws in shaky breaths and Stiles feels like there's something different about him. There is. Derek flashes his eyes and they are a brilliant gold. Stiles gasps softly thinking that Derek looks more beautiful than he's ever seen him look before. That's actually quite impressive considering all the emotions he's been harboring for this werewolf over the years. Stiles finally breaks, and seriously its rather sad that of all the things they've been though it's annoying teenage Derek that breaks Stiles. He wants this Derek. His Sourwolf. He loves him and he knows that now. Is he going to flat out kiss the man? No. He's putting these feeling down with the others in just a moment. But a hug isn't out of the question. Right?

"Sourwolf!" He cries and it sounds rather like a battle cry as he launches himself at Derek and throws his arms around the werewolf's neck. "My god I missed you. You are a very annoying little teenager! Way worse than Scott and me ever were!" The last thing he expects now is for Derek to laugh fondly at Stiles and slide his arms around his waist to return the hug. Stiles flails a lot and makes a disappointed sound as he detaches himself from Derek.

"Gah! That's still not Derek." He narrows his eyes at new Derek.

"Shut up Stiles." Derek says and Stiles wants to believe him but there's still a smile in his eyes.

"Or what you'll rip my throat out?" Stiles asks hopefully.

"With my teeth." Derek says nodding. He's smirking and Stiles still finds it strange that he's so happy, playful even. But it's not bad and Stiles accepts his response clapping Derek on the back.

"Good to have you back."

Derek turns to Scott and nods in greeting. The way he does it makes it look more like a bow of respect than a nod. "Alpha." Scott hugs him too, in a more manly way than Stiles did. Derek's smiling again as the rest of the pack greets him and Stiles is not staring. Kira is helping Malia away so she can heal. Lydia, Scott, Stiles and Derek stand there for a moment.

"You're eyes are gold again." Stiles says to Derek.

"Really?" He sounds like he had hoped but he hadn't really believed it was true. Stiles nods and so do Scott and Lydia.

"Why?" Lydia asks.

"I'm not sure."

"Well maybe it's because you came back for us." Scott says. "You totally saved our asses and you were still teenage Derek you didn't know who we were."

"Maybe." He looks down for moment before shaking his head and smiling lopsidedly. "I feel different." They are all smiling back at him.

"Change is good."

Derek is nice.

This is not something anyone is used to.

The week after the incident at the hale vault with the Berserkers (as stiles is told they are called) marked a changed in the man they knew as Derek Hale. The pack had started training together at Derek's insistence and he was working with everyone one on one. Kira learned how to be more direct with her electric attacks, learned to narrow it so that it looked like lightning instead of just exploding. Derek may have been covered in burn marks by the end of their sessions but they healed and he never complained. Him and Scott would spar often and he helped Malia with her shift as well. Stiles was present for those sessions.

"When we found you, you were entirely a coyote. The full shift that's what you're working towards." Derek explained to her. "You are more in tune with your coyote form than you are with your human form and you won't be able to attain a full shift until you recognize both halves as different sides of you." Malia looked like she had just been told she had to bath in trash if she ever wanted to be a coyote again.

"So wait," Stiles cuts in. "If the full shift is about control, does that mean you and Scott can do it too?"

"Yes. I've been trying to find a way to teach Scott but it's a work in progress. He accepts both halves but he lacks the concentration. The time to work on the shift is hard to find when you're the alpha." Derek sounds like he knows.

"Can you do it?" Stiles asks. Derek nods. "Can I see?" It's just them and Malia in the gym of the Hale loft. The place is seriously huge, Stiles hadn't even known there was a gym.

"Fine." Derek says taking a step backward and pulling off his shirt. He steps out of his shoes and strips until he's just in his underwear and then starts to shift. His face shifts like it does when he goes into his beta form but his skin also starts to ripple mystique style as it turns darker and sprouts fur. Stiles expects to hear cracking of bones as they shift but its actually a very fluid change. Pretty soon there is a wolf in Derek's place. He has bright yellow eyes and his fur is a rich black that makes him look strong and regal. Derek sits and looks at Malia expectantly. She tries but only gets as far as her beta form. That's still quite a bit of progress. She slumps against the wall disappointed and Derek nudges her with his nose. She paws at his face in a 'go away' gesture and Derek grunts at her huffing in her face. He jumps on her and pretty soon the two of them are tumbling around play fighting. They only stop when they hear the shutter of Stiles' camera phone. Derek is in his back with Malia on top of him and he has to set his head against the ground to look at stiles upside down. He cocks his head to the side curiously and it's so cute he has to click a few more pictures. Derek barks loudly and launches at Stiles. Derek knocks him out of his chair and the air gets knocked out of him. His back hurts from the landing and Derek would be smiling if he weren't a dog.

"Oh you think I deserve this?" Stiles asks Derek who barks an affirmative. "I can't help that you are an awfully cute wolf. The pack has to see!" He cries valiantly as he grabs for his phone where it fell. Derek jumps for the phone but stiles grabs it and holds it tight to his chest as he quickly send the photos to the whole pack.

"Haha!" He cries holding up his phone in triumph and Derek jumps on his stomach making him groan. "Hey down, down! I'm only human." He pushes Derek off. Derek lets Stiles sit up and then lays down with his head on Stiles' knee. Malia is watching them closely. She lets out a sigh like she just accepted something she didn't like.

"I have to go. My dad's waiting for me. We're having dinner with Peter so we can get all that shit out of the way."

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah yeah." She waves him off and stands to leave. He's about to offer to walk her out but Derek puts his front legs on top of Stiles and Stiles is affectively pinned in place. The wolf is seriously heavy. He settles for an encouraging wave and Malia leaves.

"Can I at least sit on the couch?" Stiles asks Derek and he receives a condescending look and then a huff as the wolf gets off of him. It's really not that different from talking to Derek in his human form. Stiles stretches out on the couch and Derek jumps up beside him to burrow into his side.

"Never took you for a cuddler Sourwolf." Stiles says. Derek swipes at his stomach with his tail. "Is it a wolf thing or a Derek thing?" he asks. Derek's snout was resting on his shoulder and he nips at Stiles' ear in a way that clearly says 'shut up Stiles.' So Stiles does and he lets Derek use him as a wolf pillow. Eventually he falls asleep.

He wakes up to his shoulder being shaken. He open his eyes and finds Derek just a little to close to his face for comfort. He's human again and fully dressed. When he sees that Stiles is awake he leans back away from him.

"You are a deep sleeper."

"I knew that. When time is it?"

"Almost nine." He slept for like two hours. "I wanted to talk to you though." Derek says.

"Okay." Stiles says sitting up. Derek now has his full attention.

"I just wanted to talk to you about training. I think it would be good for you to learn some combat techniques and I'm willing to teach you."

"Aren't you busy training the pack?" Stiles asks surprised.

"They all fare just fine without me, besides you're pack too and you need to learn to fight."

Turns out that was the end of the conversation. Stiles starts training with Derek the very next day. He's horrible, still too clumsy and even though he has been working out rigorously, he's still too weak. Derek is surprisingly patient with him showing him the forms over and over again. In a few weeks Stiles mentally dubs himself a badass as he spars with Kira (Queen Badass.) She's swinging a wooded katana at stiles and he fighting back with a staff. It takes all of his self-control not to squeal with glee as he disarms Kira and puts her own katana to her throat. He seeks out Derek and spots him across the gym with Scott. He smiles at Stiles and gives him a small nod.

Somehow Stiles and Malia 'break up.' Stiles still doesn't think they were ever together but he's relieved. They were never meant to be. He tries not to think about the fact that he spends copious amounts of time with Derek now. If he liked Derek before, it's a thousand times worse now that he's not always grumpy and he can hold a conversation. They talk all the time and it turns out they have so much in common. They argue about comics all the time (Is the Hulk better that Captain America, Justice League versus Avengers, Wolverine could totally exist!) Derek is definitely a Marvel over DC kind of guy, while Stiles' heart lies with Batman. They Marathon movies in the loft all the time now and Friday nights have sort of become pack night where they all gather at the loft and play video games or watch TV. Derek made the loft much homier the week after his change. There is now one giant couch and a few plush chairs so the whole pack can fit there comfortably. He bought a flat screen TV and the fridge is always stocked now.

They're all at the loft when Scott gets the message.

"Isaac is back!" Kira and Malia don't know Isaac well but Derek and Stiles know. Stiles has missed that giant puppy of a beta and he's smiling when he looks over at Derek. Derek isn't smiling. He actually looks very pale and very sick. Stiles squeezes his forearm.

"What's wrong?"

"My beta…" He looks so pained. "He's the last one and I missed him but I think he hates me."

"Why would he hate you?"

"I threw him out when the Alphas were coming for me and Cora. We still worked together obviously but I don't know if he can forgive me for that." Stiles gets in now.

"You're scared." Derek nods.

"Is it okay if I invite him over?" Scott asks Derek. He nods and gets up to go to the kitchen where he is undoubtedly pacing.

Isaac arrives with Chis in tow and there is hugging on Scott and Stiles' part and friendly but unfamiliar waves and greetings between Malia and Kira. Lydia, having heard that they were back in town, shows up right behind them. Derek stands in the doorway of the kitchen. He's staring something of a hole in Isaac.

"Derek." Chris nods to him and Derek returns the gesture jerkily barely flitting his eyes over to Chris before looking at Isaac again.

"You hungry Chris?" Stiles says loudly into the moment of silence. He throws an arm around the hunter and guides him toward the pizza laid out in the front room. The pack follows and Stiles flashes a grin at Derek. Derek reaches out to get Isaacs arm. Even Stiles hears the small "Can I talk with you?" Derek says to Isaac. They go upstairs for privacy. Ten minutes later there's a crash from upstairs and they can hear Isaac yelling. Scott and Stiles excuse themselves to go and check on the others.

"If worse comes to worse you go to Derek and I'll go for Isaac." Scott says. There's still yelling and Stiles can tell now what they're saying.

"You didn't care about us! Boyd and Erica are dead and I don't even think you care! We were only ever made to boost you're power!"

"Don't you ever say that to me! Ever! I choose you all for a reason you know. I was always told that the bite was a gift and I did my best at finding people who deserved it. I thought all of you deserved it." His voice is raw and Isaac is gaping at him. "I am so sorry that I couldn't protect them. I pushed you away because I knew you had Scott. I knew he was going to be the alpha someday and I just wanted one of you to survive. I know what I did was unacceptable. But don't ever think I didn't love you all like you were my own blood. I loved you and you were my family. I hate some of the things I did, but I was only trying to keep you safe."

"Your different now." Isaac says. It's not a question. "All that time… I just wanted to know what I had done wrong."

"Nothing. I'm so sorry." Isaac wraps his arms around Derek's torso and buries his face in Derek's chest like a child.

"I forgive you."

Scott and Stiles back out and let them have their moment. They come downstairs a few minutes later and they are both smiling.

They pack works together so beautifully. Even so the Goblin knocks them around quite a bit before they manage to capture it. Stiles had hid in a tree and them had thrown himself on top of the creature. While it was a distraction that allowed Malia and Kira to finally trap the damn thing, Stiles had gotten rather scratched up. Scott had chewed him out for the move before hugging him and than storming off angrily. Stiles pulls out his keys only to have them swiped out of his hands by Derek. He nods to the passenger seat and Stiles get in without even arguing.

Derek drives them back to his loft and sits stiles on the couch before going to find a first-aid kit that he keeps around for Stiles and Lydia. Mostly Stiles. Derek cleans the cuts on his arm and neck and bandages the bad ones. There's a bump on Stiles' forehead right at the edge of his hairline where the goblin had bashed his head into the ground. Derek's fingers ghost over it and Stiles shudders.

"That was a really stupid thing you did." Derek whispers to him.

"I got that from Scott earlier thanks"

"He just doesn't want you to get hurt. I can't say I don't share the same sentiment."

Derek's breath is hitting Stiles lips as he speaks, that's how close they are. Did Derek just say that he cares about him? Is that what just happened? Stiles is confused and a little excited and maybe that's why he kisses Derek. It's short because when Stiles' brain catches up with his body he reels back. Derek is looking at him surprised and Stiles' panics. He panics hard. He's yelling excuses and running out the door to his jeep. When he stops at a light on the way home he bangs his head against the steering wheel. What just happened? He didn't even look at Derek's reaction he had just ran. When he gets home his dad's still at work and he goes to his bed and screams into his pillow.

"Well that's just dramatic. I didn't think it was that bad." Stiles flails out of his bed and would have knocked over his lamp if Derek hadn't steadied him.

"Hey, hello, hi, Derek."

"Hi Stiles." Derek says as he tries not to laugh.

"How did you…?" Derek gesture to the window and Stiles nods. "W-why are you here?"

"You can't just kiss a guy and run away. Not very polite."

"I'm sorry! I don't know why I–" Derek shoves him against the wall and captures his lips. Stiles wraps his arms around Derek's neck without even thinking. Derek has a fist against the wall and one on Stiles hip. His body is pressed against Stiles keeping him trapped against the wall. Derek kisses the breath from Stiles' lungs before he pulls back.

"You didn't even let me kiss back." Derek says playfully. He smiling and he's out of breath.

"Fair enough." Stiles says pushing Derek down onto his bed to kiss him some more. The pair is rather focus on their impromptu make out session that they don't notice the door open until the Sheriff speaks up.

"Well that's unexpected. Except not really." John leans against the door frame looking smug as Stiles launches himself off the bed away from Derek.

"Don't you knock?" John chuckles.

"I will now. He claps his son on the back." He turns toward Derek. "Out of this room in ten minutes. Use the door like a normal person and join us for dinner tomorrow night at seven." Derek nods. His sitting on the edge of the bed and he's gone a little pink. "No sex. I mean it he's a minor. Chris Argents back in town and I got me a nice collection of wolfsbane bullets, you hear?"

"Yes sir." Derek says. Oh he is a brilliant shade of red now.

"Ten minutes." He looks at both of them and then leaves closing the door behind them.

"Well that was mortifying." Stiles says rubbing the back of his neck. He sits next to Derek and kisses him long and soft.

"I hope you weren't in this for the sex." Derek shakes his head in exasperation.

"You're an idiot." He kisses Stiles. "I love you." Stiles feels his skin tingle.

"Is this real?"

"This is real." Stiles picks up Derek's hands and counts all his fingers before intertwining their fingers. Ten fingers.

"I love you too."

"Two minutes!" The sheriffs calls from downstairs. They laugh presses again each others mouths.

"I guess I'll see you for dinner." Stiles says into Derek's ear.

"Shall I bring flowers?" Derek says and Stiles feels him smile against his neck.

"I like lilies."

Stiles wakes up to a lily on his nightstand. There's a note that simply says, "See you tonight."

Stiles can't stop smiling.