The Wolf That Whispered Into Stiles' Heart
Stiles hasn't spoken since the night his mother died.
The first year had been the worse. The sheriff had felt like he'd lost not only his wife but also his son. The home that had been filled with his son's blabbering voice and his wife's laughs: with joy and happiness; had become silent and empty. And he had never felt so alone in his entire life.
The nights were the only times of the day he would hear his son voice when Stiles would scream himself awake from the nightmares.
Nightmares that the Sheriff had tried time and time again to get him to share with him.
When that didn't work, over the first few months, after Claudia had been gone, John had tried to get Stiles to talk by taking him to specialists, but that didn't work either, since they all said the same thing: "In order to help, we need the patient to cooperate, to do something, to talk." And he had wanted to yell at them that that was the damn problem in the first place, but instead he'd take his son back home and have a one way conversation with him.
Eventually he stopped trying, choosing to believe, to hope, that Stiles would start talking on his own, when he would've been ready.
Six years had gone by, without the sheriff hearing his son's voice.
The nightmares had stopped after the first year, and while he had been glad for his son's sake he also had been rueful for the fact that now he wasn't able to hear any sound coming from his son's mouth.
Derek Hale had lived in New York since the day almost all of his family had been burnt alive by his ex-psychotic- girlfriend.
His older sister Laura, remained, and in the meantime become Deputy Sheriff's Officer with the Beacon County Sheriff's Department, and demolished and build back up their family home.
When he had left, she hadn't tried to stop him, knowing that he needed his time to heal and that eventually, he'd come back home.
The time had come, and now Derek was back in Beacon Hills.
Stiles likes to spend the afternoons after school at the Hale property.
He's done it since Laura first talked to him.
There was something about her, about the way she never looked at him with pity or annoyance when he wouldn't talk back.
The first time they had spent time together was just a couple of months after his mother's death, and after the Hale Fire had taken place; Stiles had been sitting on the bench in front of his father office, waiting for him to finish up on some case when Laura sat beside him and moaned about some other deputy that was being a pain in the ass. She had just sat there and talked.
Stiles had been surprised. Even if he had been only ten he knew about the fire that killed almost her entire family, and he would've never expected her to be so open. And then, just before his father came out, Laura had looked at him in the eyes, and gave him a gentle smile. Her eyes sparkling with empathy and understanding so much so that he could have started crying all over again, but then she had squeezed his hand and got up, leaving him in the safe company of his dad.
After that, Laura was pretty much all that he had that resembled a friend. At school not many kids were interested in invest time trying to forge a friendship with a mute kid, not when they could easily befriend all the other normal kids.
Stiles didn't mind, he wouldn't want to spend any time with anyone that wasn't his father or Laura, anyway, so… It really didn't matter.
Like usual, Stiles is walking through Laura's property, thinking of how many people had tried to get him to talk over the years. He thinks that maybe it's for the fact that his father is the sheriff and that maybe those people imagined that if they would do this for him, his dad would give them some kind of reward… He snorts.
And then his face falls, because after all that wouldn't be so far from being possible.
"What are you doing here?"
Stiles is startled from his thoughts by the rough demand.
"This is private property." The dark haired man continues and Stiles looks at him eyes wide like a deer caught from flashlights. "Well?" he asks again when Stiles doesn't move,
"The cat got your tongue?"
At that Stiles visibly flinches taking a step back. He really shouldn't have, it's not like he isn't used to the expression used by the occasional bully that just loves to torment him every once in a while, but there was something about this man that unsettles him to his very core.
"Derek!" comes Laura's voice, and Stiles takes the opportunity of the man's momentary distraction to flee the scene and run home.
Laura swats her brother on the arm "What the hell Derek! Don't you know who that is?" when he just gave her a questioning look she pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs "That's the sheriff's son, Stiles? His mother died six years ago, he hasn't talked since."
His sister looks at him in a way that in somehow conveys all the emotions that they both had felt after the fire. She is trying to get him to understand.
But she doesn't have to, because as soon as the wind moves up and he catches the scent of the boy, his heartbeat still in their ears, Derek's breath catches in his throat and it's all he can do to not run after him and hold him close.
His Adam apple bobs as the realization of what it means clasps him.
"What?" Laura asks catching the movement and picking up in the increase of her brother's heartbeat.
Derek shakes his head jerkily "Nothing." He turns but he's stopped by his sister clutching his wrist.
"Derek, what?" she asks again tightening her hold on him.
He pries his wrist free and repeats "Nothing." When she looks like she is going to insist he adds "Just. Leave it, please."
Laura briefly considers to use her alpha status to get him to talk, but shakes the thought away. Her brother had actually used please, soshe decided she would give him some space, and lets go.
The next day Stiles doesn't come to the Hale property.
Laura is restless and sends dirty looks to Derek every time he catches her gaze. Derek ignores her, and continues to pretend like he's concentrating enough to be reading the book he has on his lap, pushing down his own disappointment.
After a while Laura leaves announcing that she is going to the Stilisnki's to fix this.
And Derek gives in, in the only way he knows how.
Stiles is sure that if he doesn't find something to do right now, he's going to climb the walls in boredom.
He just really wants to go to Laura's and walk in the woods for a while, like he does every day, listening to the leaves crunching under his feet, the fluttering of the wings of a bird passing nearby, and seeing the occasional deer munching twigs fallen on the ground. All of that settles him in a way that he doesn't know how to explain, but that he had come to need. But after yesterday… He feels like the peacefulness that he'd always felt in just being in tune with the woods around him had shattered, and in its place every time Stiles thought about the woods, his heart would start to thump like crazy and his palms would start to sweat, and all because of that guy. Derek, Laura's brother.
Stiles sighs and lays down on his bed.
He's doing a mental checklist about the possible things he could do to make the time pass instead, when the doorbell rings. He sits up and waits for whoever it is to go away. His heartbeat starting to pound against his ribcage.
"Stiles, it's me, Laura."
Stiles sighs relieved and goes downstairs.
He opens the door and is greeted with a bag of curly fries shoved in his face "Peace offering?" she asks and he would tell her that she hasn't done anything wrong or maybe he would've made up an excuse for his absence, because after all, Derek is her brother, and implying that he had been scared of him, wouldn't probably be a nice thing to do. But Stiles hasn't spoken since he was ten, so he just takes the bag and opens the door wider to let her in.
Laura goes to the living room and stands there for a while, giving him her back. She looks jittery almost like she is nervous and Stiles frowns, because he had never seen her like that. She had always been the portrait of self-confidence in his eyes.
"Stiles," she says turning to him "I'm so, so sorry for yesterday." Laura sits on the couch, Stiles does the same sitting on the other end. "Derek didn't mean to scare you, he didn't know who you were.." she turns to look at him still with the apologetic look all over her face "Derek can be intimidating sometimes.." she frowned and then huffed out a laugh when Stiles raised his eyebrows, "Okay, he's like that pretty much all the time, but he's good, I swear." She says smiling gently.
She inches a little closer to Stiles and takes his hands in hers, "You can come whenever you want, I actually missed you, you know?" Stiles smiles making Laura grin back, "And don't worry about Derek, he spends all the time in his room reading anyway.. You'd hardly see him." She reassures him giving him a squeeze, Stiles squeezes back and Laura beams "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"
Stiles smiles and nods. And internally lets out a breath of relief. He doesn't know what would have happened if he was forced another day away from the Hale property. He truly has no idea, where the urge to go there comes from, but it had always been there. He remembers his dad telling him –once he discovered where he'd been going in the afternoons after school –that even when he had been very small –barely being able to walk small –Stiles had always been drown to the woods. And his parents always had to keep an extra eye on him whenever they were passing by the preserve.
He's drawn out from his reverie by Laura standing up and dropping a kiss on his forehead.
It's an easy thing to do, she always does it. She doesn't know how to explain it, but since she had seen the broken looking kid at the Sheriff station, she had felt inexplicably drawn to him. Sure, she had known what he had gone through with her mom dying and she knew that it could probably be explained with that, on their mutual grieve over a lost family; but it always felt more than that. She sighs as she ruffles his hair wishing one more time that her mom would be still alive to ask her what this feeling was. She would have known.
Stiles walks her to the door, "I'll see you tomorrow, kid" she says again and Stiles reassures her with a smile, I wouldn't be able to stay away that much long anyway, he thinks and suddenly Laura smirks and walks away, Stiles gaping after her, actually not sure if he had actually said it or if Laura has somehow read his mind.
After that he doesn't feel to go to hole up in his room again, so he take his jacket and decides to take a walk around his house, just to be outdoors. He's almost tempted to go to Laura's just like that. After all she did say that she'd missed him… He shakes his head. It was getting dark, and his dad would have a stroke if he didn't see Stiles at home when he'd come back from his shift. Stiles always made a point in being at home and cook something healthy when his dad would be home for dinner. He wishes that somehow it makes up, even if just a little, for not being able to be a normal kid.
Stiles has been staring at his feet occasionally disappearing under the thick sheet of leaves on the ground the whole time he's been thinking, so it's more than justifiable that when he looks up and sees a couple of eyes staring at him, he stumbles back and fall on his ass.
He stares at the black wolf just on the edge of the clearing. The wolf's blue eyes staring two holes in Stiles head.
Stiles blinks, not sure if he's dreaming or what. That's… That's a freakin' wolf!
A part of his brain reminds him that it's impossible because there are no wolves, in this part of California. It's impossible. But then again, he is staring at one.
That could probably say something about Stiles' self-preservation instinct. Because he was more surprised than afraid. Which he should be. Because that's a wolf, and wolves are predators. And wow, how many time can he say wolf? Well not say, think.
He has a wolf in front of him and all he can do is stare and think wolf. And blue eyes. Wow, okay, those blue eyes are mesmerizing though. So, maybe, he can't be blamed. For staring.
Are wolves even supposed to have those kind of eyes? He almost swears that they actually glow.
Finally and very slowly, he lifts himself up until he's fully on his feet, and gingerly pats the leaves and dirt sticking to his pants and jacket off, always maintaining eye contact with the wolf. It doesn't look like it going to attack Stiles. It just staring at him, and Stiles is even more confused. So, of course, because he's the absolute worst when it comes to sensible, not dangerous decisions, he takes a tentative step towards it.
The wolf immediately reels back, like Stiles had stepped out of some invisible barrier, and Stiles freezes. The wolf looks back at him, Stiles not even daring to breathe, and then it's gone.
Stiles heartbeat echoes in his ears and he runs and runs.
Stiles is picking on the steamed vegetables he prepared for himself and his dad, completely distracted by a very specific set of blue, glowing eyes.
"You're the one who prepared this stuff," Stiles looks at his dad who's pointing his fork at him, "You're the one to blame if you can't eat it, I was all for big greasy burgers."
Stiles rolls his eyes and tries to muster his most stern look narrowing his eyes at his dad.
John huffs and mutters an "Okay, okay, I'll eat my vegetables" stuffing his mouth and showing his empty plate to his son. Stiles grins proudly and John shakes his head, standing up to do the dishes.
When he's done, his son is still picking on his food seemingly lost in his head. Something deep inside of him clenches as he almost goes to him to tell him that whatever it was troubling him, Stiles could always talk to him about it. Instead he drops a kiss on his son's head and says, "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll figure it out." Stiles looks up at him, "If you need help, just write me a letter, I promise I'll do the best I can to help." The smile that his son gives him, feels like is both breaking something inside him and putting it back together. John hugs him a little awkwardly given their positions, him standing up and Stiles still sitting at the dining table, with one arm circling Stiles shoulders and his mouth tickling his son's ear "I love you, kiddo" Stiles nods, and John knows that, that's his son's way to tell him that he loves him too.
The next day Stiles, is unsurprisingly bored out of his mind during his history class, and so, is staring outside the window at the clouds and daydreaming of flying up there to have a nap on one of them; they are particularly fluffy looking today, and just thinking about it makes his eyes droop. Never mind the scientific fact that you couldn't actually sleep on them. Stiles want-
Slowly he straightens himself up and fixes his eyes on the black spot just on the edge of the clearing. His heart starts to slam in his chest, the back spot moving closer just a little bit, and just enough for Stiles to recognize it. Something warm spreads within him and he's suddenly caught by the urge to go out there, towards it.
He had spent the whole night thinking about his encounter with the blue eyed wolf, tossing in his bed over and over again, and now it was here. Again.
Luck must be by his side, because just when he is about to stand up and claim that he needs to go to the toilet, the bell rings and everyone starts to shuffle out the room, while the teacher yells last minute reminders about the paper due to Monday.
Stiles runs outside. And then his heart sinks, because he can't see the wolf anywhere. Just when he's about to turn and go back inside, he catches a movement just behind the treeline, and then a flash of blue. He walks the remaining distance cautiously, not because he's afraid himself, but to be careful not to spook the animal. He stops a couple of feet away, relieved that this time the wolf chose to partially hide itself behind a tree instead of running away.
Gathering up his courage, Stiles takes another step closer, and so on until he's practically almost hovering over the wolf.
The black wolf doesn't move just continues to stare intensely at Stiles, almost looking curious to see what Stiles is going to do.
Stiles licks his lips and feels his heartbeat speed up even more as he tentatively brings a hand down towards the top of the wolf's head. Then catches himself. From below. You're supposed to approach an animal from below, so that they don't feel threatened, or so his brain reminds him pulling out bits of information he read or heard through the years. So he crouches, until he's level with the wolf. His breath catches, because these are really blue glowing eyes. And then his hand almost works on its own accord as it tangles in the black fur.
The first thing that Stiles' register with no little amount of surprise is that it's soft. And then Stiles sags towards it. All of a sudden feeling more… just more. And he almost cries as all kind of emotions seems to tumble on top of him.
It's a while when he realizes that the wolf's whining too, his muzzle buried in the crook of Stiles neck, nosing him there, while Stiles clutches at its neck, hugging him close. It feels like being reunited with a friend.. No more.. Someone important after a long time apart. Like he had finally found a long time lost piece of a puzzle that he hadn't realized he was trying to solve.
And part of Stiles thinks that it's ridiculous, because this is a wolf – and oh my god, he's actually hugging a wolf –but that's just the way he feels, and it feel glorious.
He breaths in, burring his face in the wolf's fur, and it's tickly and it smells of forest floor, and winter and home. And Stiles breaks down, completely feeling raw and exposed like never before, never like this. But it feels good, somehow knowing that it's okay now, that he's not alone anymore. The wolf is trying to get him to release his grip by turning his muzzle towards the inside of Stiles' neck, prying itself free from the boy's grasp, and then licks Stiles tears away. Stiles lets him, scrunching up his nose more at the ticklish feeling than for being grossed out –that in the of his mind thinks he should be – but for some reason, isn't one bit.
After a while the wolf leans back and Stiles watches it looking back at him almost looking satisfied and proud of his handiwork. Stiles huffs out a laugh at the thought and scratches behind its ear. "You're a weird wolf, you know that?"
Stiles isn't sure if he had imagined it, but he's almost sure that he just saw the wolf's eyes widen for half a second, and only then he realizes that he had actually spoken.
Stiles had spoken after six years. To a wolf.
But that wasn't what Stiles was kind of weirded out from. No, he said "Weird wolf" trying it out again, just to hear the sound of his voice. And it's not his voice.
Well, not like he remembers it being anyway. He thinks that it makes sense, since the last time he spoke he was ten years old, and his voice still had the girl like sound to it; now he's sixteen and he sounds a little rough, his throat actually scratches a little, his vocal cords not being used to actually be used.
He turns to the wolf again and frowns "My voice sounds weird" he says, and then laughs, feeling giddy and hopeful. "I'm talking," he says to the wolf "I'm actually speaking… words." The wolf head-butts him, probably for the dorkiness of what he just said, and Stiles laughs again falling back on the forest floor.
The wolf lies down too, resting its muzzle on Stiles chest and closing its eyes. Stiles watches the puffs of air coming from its snout, distractedly caressing the top of its head, and thinking this is nice.
And that's probably why he falls asleep for then wake up a little disoriented, and feeling cold at his feet. He tries to get up, propping himself on his elbows. The wolf lifts its muzzle from him too, and Stiles shivers as the barrier from the cold air is lifted with it. If the enhanced cold air wasn't clue enough, the darkening of the sky sure was, and Stiles sighed as he brushed himself off. "I have to go home," he says, still feeling funny at hearing his own voice. The wolf is on its feet too and is looking up at him. Stiles shrugs and starts walking towards his house, the wolf quietly padding beside him.
Stiles was curious to see until where the animal would follow him and he's more than surprised to see it come until he reaches the front steps of the porch of his house. He takes the steps, but the wolf doesn't make a move. Stiles opens the door, keeps it open for a while still watching the wolf, and when it just stares at him, closes it. Then he opens it again and watches as the wolf runs back into the woods.
Laura had just finished her shift, and was now rummaging through the kitchen cabinets for something to eat. Usually it was Derek's job to prepare something for the two of them, since he was the one staying at home, but her brother was nowhere to be seen, and Laura was trying very hard to not break something with her supernatural strength in annoyance.
Then she hears the front door open, and just when she's ready to yell at her brother to at least let her know when he was going out and not be at home when she'd be back, she hears the distinct sound of paws padding on a wooden floor. She narrows her eyes and walks to the foyer, crossing her arms over her chest glaring down at her brother's wolf form. "Where the hell have you-" she cuts herself off as she barely catches sight of the black fur disappearing on the floor above. She huffs annoyed and makes her way back in the kitchen again.
When she sees him again, he has showered and quietly serves himself a plate of the pasta carbonara that she had put together, without so much of a glance her way.
"Had a good run?" she asks eyes narrowing.
He pads to the kitchen island and sits, gives her sister a shrug and starts eating.
Laura was trying very hard to not lose her temper, when she is about to make some snarky remark though, her brother surprises her asking,
"Laura, what do you know about mates?"
She looks at him questioningly, but he just continues to eat and wait. She shrugs, "Not much, mom and dad were mates.."
"I know that," Derek grumps, "I mean, do you- did they tell you how does it work? How do you know that someone is your mate?"
"No… Mom just told me that you just sort of know.." She says frowning, "Why do you care about mates all of sudden, anyway?"
Derek visibly closes down again, and Laura regrets immediately her last question. "Nothing, just curious…"
Laura sighs. Again wishing that her mother was here to help them, "Hey, they're a couple of books in the library though, maybe there's what you want to know…" she suggests. Derek nods again and the resumes eating.
Laura tells him about her day and Derek listens with the occasional comment, he doesn't say anything on why he needed to wolf out though, and Laura doesn't ask. He'll tell her when he's ready. She hopes.
After the first day in the woods together, the wolf doesn't leave his side until it's time to go home. When Stiles gets out of home to go to school the Wolf is waiting just outside the front door if Stiles alone, if the Sheriff has a late shift, Stiles would found his new friend just behind the tree line, in the same spot he saw it for the first time.
Stiles has given up driving his jeep, to walk in the woods in the company of the wolf, everyday starting to talk some more.
Stile still hasn't spoken to anyone, not even to his dad.
"It's not like I don't want to, I've actually never wanted something so bad in my entire life. To just be able to go to my dad and greet him when he's back with a 'Hey, dad' like a normal kid and say 'I love you' back when he says it to me." He breathes out a long sigh, "I just feel so… I don't even know, anxious maybe… I'm always anxious." He says turning to the wolf, "Like maybe he has some kind of expectation and I'm afraid I won't meet it… I know it doesn't make sense, but-" Stiles groans in his hands and crouches on the forest floor. The wolf nudges his covered face with its muzzle, and Stiles slowly brings them down, "I just want to talk to him, why can't I just do that?" Stiles asks him.
And Derek wants to say that he will, when he's ready. That it's not something that he has to put pressure on, but something that has to happen by itself; but Derek's a wolf so he just licks Stiles face hoping to convey what his can't say or alternatively distract him.
Stiles huffs out a surprised laugh falling back as the wolf straddles him and continues licking him. The happiness that fills up Derek upon seeing his mate relaxed and not that worried anymore, can't be compared to anything else. It's something so pure that Derek is amazed by the fact that he is lucky enough to experience it.
When Stiles gets inside the school the wolf is always hanging around just out of the sight of those who doesn't look. Stiles, though, knows how and where to look, so he always sees his friend sitting on the ground watching him. It should probably weird him out –he sort of has a stalker wolf –but it just makes him feel safe. Like the only purpose the wolf is concerned about is to protect him.
"Don't you have a pack?" Stiles asks him –by then he had discovered that the wolf was in fact a male wolf –"I mean, wolves move in packs, right? Lone wolves don't make it on their own. I read it yesterday." He says while they're both sprawled on the fallen leaves in Stiles' secret-thinking spot in the woods.
Derek licks his face, and Stiles laughs. "Is that your way to tell me that I'm your pack?" Derek licks him again on the nose, making the boy's face scrunch up, "Ugh. Gross, dude!" he wipes his drool covered face with his sleeve and then gives the wolf a pointed look, "I'm not a wolf, you should have noticed, you know, I don't exactly have fur and I don't growl and I don't have glowing eyes…" He says leaning in to look them closer, "Are you even supposed to have those kind of eyes? I couldn't find anything about wolves and glowing eyes on the internet.." The wolf snorts. Honest to god, actually snorts. And Stiles raises an eyebrow, "What, you're above google or something?" And if Stiles wasn't trying to defend the internet's honour, he'd be very much concerned that he is actually arguing with a wolf. About google.
Stiles after a while gets used to the wolf's company. Actually, more than used, he comes to kind of need it. The wolf follows him everywhere, always waiting just out of sight from other people's eyes if Stiles needs to go in a busy place or accompanying him all the way if it's a quiet place. Which is why, he's surprised when the wolf stops way back than necessary when Stiles is walking towards the Beacon Hills Sheriff Department Station to give his dad his dinner. "What is it, something's wrong?" he asks even though he's sure that everything is fine, because otherwise the wolf would be growling, like that time they had run into a couple of drunk dudes that had very much the air of people that didn't just hangout between friends and prank around when they had alcohol in their system. The wolf had growled low all the way until they were at least a hundred feet away from them.
This time he is just sitting on the spot and looking at Stiles, like he's waiting for him to go and come back. Stiles frowns, "What you're like a runaway wolf, or something?" he asks amused crouching in front of him. The wolf makes a low grumbling noise from deep in his chest and whips his tail on the ground, which is his way –as Stiles started to notice –to show that he was annoyed. Stiles raises his hands in a placating gesture, "Fine, have it your way." He says and walks alone towards the station. When he looks back, the wolf has its eyes laser focused on him. Protective vibe rolling off him in waves. Stiles doesn't get it, but he shrugs it off, that's certainly not the weirdest thing this wolf has done since he first met him so…
When he returns, everything is normal and his wolf proceeds as usual, following Stiles everywhere he can.
Laura had just finished her shift and is coming out the door when he catches the sight of a familiar red hoodie. She's about to yell Stiles' name, so that she could offer him a lift, but catches herself when she sees him going towards the woods, and just before he disappears behind them she sees a flash of black fur. She narrows all her senses to that spot and then she has no doubt. That's a member of her pack. The only member of her pack. "Derek," she breathes in a mix of confusion and amazement.
And just like that she feels all the pieces slot together. All the times she had caught Stiles scent in the air in the house, even though he hadn't been in it for a while now. All of Derek's outings. She frowned. The questions about mates. Her eyes widened as realization finally hit her. Stiles is Derek mate. That's why she always felt drawn to him like he was family, even more than that. He is pack. He is her brother's mate. "Oh my god" she needs a moment and so she leans to the cruiser just beside her, "Oh my GOD."
"You okay, Hale?"
Laura jumps as she hears the Sheriff's voice. She looks at him eyes wide. Your son. Your sixteen year old son, is my brother's mate. The sheriff arches an eyebrow, and she gulps down the urge to laugh hysterically. "Yeah, I'm totally fine.. Just realized something." She says with a tight smile.
The sheriff nods smiling, like he understands and is not completely weirded out by her gaping face, and gets in the cruiser. When he drives off, Laura keeps gaping after him for a long time even after she can't see the car anymore. Derek will have a hell of a time she decides. Not only his mate was underage but his father was the sheriff. She felt the laughter bubble up in her throat and this time didn't bother to thump it down. Oh, she was going to have so much fun teasing the hell out of him.
He doesn't know how, but Laura knows. She keeps giving him those meaningful looks every chance she talks about Stiles –that by the way had increased on a whole new level –. She always talked about Stiles, but these days seemed like Stiles was the only topic she was interested in talking with him.
She's also been even more helpful in finding him stuff about werewolf mating, printing him pages and pages of information from the thesis of some folklore graduates or pulling out really ancient looking books, from her special collection. The collection of books that their mother had intended to make them read only until they were ready, whatever that meant. But Laura was pulling them out, and it had some very useful information about the topic so, Derek decided, it must be the right time.
Even though she's very obviously dropping him hints about the fact that she knows, she never approaches the subject directly, asking him about it. It looks like she's more trying to give him time to tell her himself. But Derek doesn't know what to tell her so he just accepts her help and silently thanks her by never forgetting to make her dinner when she gets home from work.
Stiles has a new friend.
He talks about him all the time. Derek has never seen him so excited, and if he's completely honest, he's a little jealous that someone else can put a smile like that on his mate that is not Derek. But happiness wins on jealousy, because Stiles is amazing –even if at times a little annoying with his insistence of Derek wearing a flower crown, whenever Stiles makes one from the wildflowers growing in their special secret spot –and he deserved to be happy. All the time. And if someone can give his mate that, even if it's not Derek. Derek is happy as long as Stiles is.
"He's amazing, I never had a friend, because of.. you know my whole-haven't-spoken-in-six-years problem, but he seems to not have a problem with that, like at all!" Stiles tells him, arms flying everywhere, while they walked towards the Hale property. Stiles wants to say hi to Laura, it had been a while since he last saw her. Well, not actually say hi, but you know, hang out.
"At first it was awkward because he was this new student and his seat was in front of mine, so he turned to me and asked if I had a pen, and I swear he had this lost puppy look that was impossible to resist, so I gave him mine even though I didn't have any spare, and I had to write with my pencil all the day, and when he noticed he was so sorry and asked me why I did it and I just shrugged and he smiled, and I swear again, he literally looked like a Labrador puppy, he's adorable. Then he started to ask me stuff, like you know, normal people do when they try to make friends, and I really just wanted to tell him, but the words wouldn't just come out so I just stared at him like stupid, ugly fish and he repeated the question and then he looked so confused, ugh." Stiles groaned in his hands as a new wave of embarrassment seems to wash over him, but quickly recovered to tell the rest of the story,
"And then Emily told him that speaking wasn't exactly my thing, since I hadn't spoken for a while, and I was already sad and resigned when Scott said 'Oh, okay' because that always meant for people to start drifting away from me, because it always seemed too complicated for them to be friends with me. But Scott smiled again and said that it was no problem and then he turned to get his notebook and my pen and then told me that I could use it to write, to communicate with him! I think I almost cried… And then, when we went to lunch, to thank me for the pen he gave me his curly fries when he saw that I liked them so much! I'm telling you, It was meant to be, even if he hadn't said or done all those things before, he would have earned his spot as my best friend forever, just for that gesture. Curly fries are the best! Scott is the best!" Derek bumps his leg and Stiles relents "Okay, maybe he's the second best? Curly fries are the first best." Derek rumbles in his chest and Stiles laughs "Oh, my, aren't you some jealous big wolf, huh?" he says crouching in front of him to scratch behind his ears. "Okay, you have the honorary first spot place with the curly fries, good enough for you?" The wolf noses Stiles face and he takes it as a yes.
When they are just on the edge on the clearing where the new Hale mansion is situated, Stiles turns to the wolf and says "Okay, so I might be inside for a couple of hours, Laura has some books I'm pretty interested in reading, and even though she told me that if I wanted I could take them home, I feel like it wouldn't be right to separate them from their home, you know?" he rolled his eyes "I know they're books, but I'm weird like that, you should know that by now, the point is that I'll be gone for a while and judging by the Camaro parked right there, I think both the Hales are home, so you know you can go have a hunting spree or something.. I'm pretty sure I never saw you eat something, you probably hunt at night, huh?" The wolf just stares at him and Stiles shrugs "Okay, I'm gonna go, see ya later." he salutes the wolf petting him on the head and turning to walk towards the mansion.
Laura opens at the first knock, she always does that. It kind of weirded him out at the beginning, she either always, for some coincidental reason, passes in front of the door just when he comes, or she either knows exactly when he'd be coming. But either way, Stiles got used to it. He likes Laura weirdness or not.
She smiles and leaves the door open as she rushes back in the kitchen "I'm trying this new recipe, you came just when the timer went off."
Stiles smiles and follows her sitting by the kitchen island. When Laura turns with the hot stamp still in her hands, she freezes looking somewhere behind Stiles.
Stiles turns and he's sure the blood leaves his face as he stares at the wolf standing just in the doorway of the kitchen. He immediately rushes to stand in front of it "I swear, he's not bad, he's a good wolf, I know he spends a lot of time with me, he doesn't hurt anyone, ever. I swear, please don't scream!"
Then Laura looks at Stiles eyes wide, like he's the odd one in this whole picture and he stares back in shock. Too many thoughts are rushing in his head, and he's not sure which one to concentrate on first.
And then Laura drops the cake and she looks like she's fighting really hard not to cry. And then she's hauling him in a hug. And wow, she is strong. The wolf looks like he's feeling Stiles distress, because now he's nudging Laura's knee and… wait what?
Laura laughs as she leans back and wipes away her tears with the back of her hand, she gives Stiles a teary smile and cups his cheek, "I won't scream, I promise." Then for Stiles absolute astonishment, Laura pats the wolfs head and smiles down to it fondly, "You're really something." She says, and Stiles is not sure if she's talking to him or to the wolf.
Laura returns to the cake, still in the tray, that fortunately had fallen on the counter top and not on the floor, and turns it on a cake base. "Want a piece?" she asks then to Stiles, who's still gaping at her.
He stumbles forward when the wolf –that is very much still there, in the same room as Laura, who is not freaking out at all, but instead offering him cake –nudges the back of his knee, "So you're not freaking out, about… you know him?" Stiles asks her pointing at the big black wolf watching them curiously, just for confirmation.
Laura smiles and glances at the wolf with a knowing look, then back at Stiles and shrugs, "He's not that of a stranger, he's more like family…" she says, and Stiles is completely thrown off by that. The wolf makes a noise, almost like a huff. An annoyed huff whipping his tail in a circular motion, and Laura grins. Stiles has no idea what's going on, but then Laura gestures to the very nice looking Red Velvet cake, "You want some, or not?"
Stiles starts to walk back to the kitchen island and says, "Yes, please." And then, finally, it hits him. "Oh my god." He stops mid step and looks at Laura eyes wide, "I talked! To you! I spoke words!"
Laura's grin looks like is going to split her face in half. Then she drops all pretence and jumps excitedly, something that Stiles would have never thought of seeing her do, and comes back to hug him again, "You did! I was dying in trying to act normal, because you obviously hadn't realize what you did and I was waiting for you to realize it on your own. And you did! You're totally speaking, and it's awesome."
Stiles laughs a little hysterically and hugs her back. As always Laura always understands him.
Laura gives him half of the cake to bring back home, and now Stiles is standing on the porch just outside his front door.
The wolf watches at him curiously from below, maybe not getting why Stiles was hesitating that much, or why his heartbeat was racing.
Finally, Stiles gulped and opened the door, stepping inside.
"Hey, kiddo!" his father salutes him from the kitchen with a wooden spoon in his hands, "I'm cooking, promise it's healthy… Well, as much as pasta can be, but is not a greasy burger or something deep-fried, I just really couldn't eat all those vegetables okay?" his father rants all the way Stiles takes to walk in the kitchen and put down the cake, "Oh, Laura gave you cak-"
The sheriff is cut off when suddenly Stiles hugs-attack him. John pats his back, and Stiles tightens his hold on his middle, and just when he's about to ask him, if there's something wrong, his son looks up at him, teary eyed and smiles. "Hey, dad".
It comes a little breathless and he's pretty sure his voice broke at 'dad', it didn't come at all like he had imagined it so many times over all these years, but his dad didn't seem to notice. His father looked like he had stopped breathing and was looking at him with eyes a little too wide.
"Dad?" Stiles was getting seriously worried now, "Please, don't have a heart attack over me talking, because that might just send me in another ten years of silence, and I've come to really enjoying talking-"
He cuts himself off when he sees a tear running down his dad's face and then another one, and another one. His dad is crying, and at some point Stiles might have started crying too, because his dad wipes away a tear from Stiles cheek with his thumb and then pulls him back into his arms holding him close for a while.
Derek's still outside, he hears the exchange between father and son, and feels all the emotions rolling off his mate. Happiness, relief and a hint of sadness.
Derek filled with pride leaves then, deciding to give them some time alone.
The next day Stiles gives Scott the DVD of the first episode of Star Wars wrapped as a present, while they're having lunch.
Scott smiles, his adorable puppy smile, and when he opens it, exclaims "Aw, thanks dude! What is it for?"
Stiles is about to speak for the first time at school ever, but Scott frowns and reaches to his back pack, "Here," he says pulling out his notebook and a pen, seeing that this time Stiles didn't have one beside his tray like usual. Stiles feels like crying, because, seriously, he can't believe he has found a friend like him.
But instead he beams and covers his friend's hand with his, giving it a little squeeze. Scott smiles even if a little confused, "Thank you, for being the friend that I always wanted to have."
Scott is crying. Like sob-crying and is now hugging Stiles like his life depends on it. And then he's having an Asthma attack and Stiles is on the verge of having a Panic one.
They keep telling each other to "Breathe", and when finally someone gives Scott his inhaler, and everything comes to focus again, they look at each other wide eyed, and laugh.
They laugh until their abs hurt.
Coach Finstock is standing there, his hands on his hips, with the other students and teachers that had rushed there to see what the commotion was about, "You two are the worst pair ever." He says and throws the two kids in another fit of giggles.
"When are you planning to tell him?"
"It's not that easy."
"I know it isn't! Nothing of this is 'easy', but he needs to know, for his own good, and especially if you don't want to lose him.."
"I don't think he likes me as me, he prefers the wolf, I think I scare him.."
Laura sighs and makes her way to sit beside her little brother that now more than ever seems so young, she pokes his shoulder, "You are the wolf. He likes you." Derek gives her a look and she rolls her eyes, "Okay, then try to be less scary, actually engage with the guy. You know what he likes just do something!" she stands up and looks down at him, arms crossed "Stop brooding and earn it."
Stiles had been a little restless and cranky the whole day because he hadn't seen the wolf since the day before. Not even Laura knew where he was. He had noticed Derek quietly thumbing through a book but didn't dare ask him. He was worried, the wolf barely left his side since they first saw each other, and this was more than a little strange. But then he saw something on his bed and quietly almost holding his breath, made his way towards it. His heart was beating like crazy and he couldn't believe his eyes. In front of him, on his bed completely snuggled up in a beautiful clear lining was the 1939 Detective Comics #27, Origin and first appearance of Batman.
He may have squealed. But can you blame him? That thing was valuable at least twenty-five grand in bad conditions, and the copy in front of him was flawless. His mind couldn't even make up a price. He was afraid to even touch it.
So that's why the Sheriff found his son sleeping on the floor butt in the air.
He did touch it though, the next day. Well, first he asked his father to do it and then when he horrifically watched him as he did not handle the piece of art with the amount of care that was absolutely necessary, took it in his hands reverently, "So you're not the one that got me this?"
His dad shook his head giving him an amused quirked eyebrow, but Stiles was lost in his head. Thinking it had been his father had been stretch, because no way they could afford it, so that absolutely ruled out also Scott. Who the hell then? He only blabbered about his DC comics' obsession to his father and Scott, he didn't think there was anyone else… Well, there's the wolf. But it's not like… Could he? Oh my god, what if he ripped off some poor comic book store to take the comic that he was holding in his hands, and now there were people after him? After them.
"Kid, you okay?" his dad asked, probably because he was starting to feel a little lightheaded.
"Uhm, yeah just.. Imma go. To school. Now." He said and hid the comic book under his pillow.
It's been a while since he hid the comic book tucked in his socks dresser drawer, and as far as he knows no one asked anyone about it. He may have been listening to his father radio more than he usually did to see if there was some kind of announcement for a wolf attacking a comic book store or something. But no wolves. Nada.
That's applied to Stiles too. It's been a week since he last saw the wolf. He still went to the Hale house tough, and spent the time there, he was starting to warm up to Derek too. He discovers that he doesn't find him that scary after seeing him covered by his sister's spicy tomato sauce, after a culinary experiment gone terribly wrong.
He kind of misses him though. But he hopes that wherever he is, he's safe and hopefully with a pack.
At school Stiles starts to talk to everyone. People don't exactly change attitude towards him, but they're more inclined in approaching him. He didn't and still doesn't care anyway. As long as he has Scott, he's not interested in anyone at school.
Still though there's always the bully that no matter what always finds something to pick on about. First was Stiles not talking, and now is Stiles' 'voice'.
"YO, Stiles" Greenberg yells from across the hall, exaggeratedly dragging out the 's's in his name, accompanied by his pit bulls.
Stiles ducks his head and turns, desperately looking for somewhere to hide or crowded enough to melt in, but the bell has already rang and everyone is in their classes and Scott's at home with food poisoning, from those terrible nachos that Stiles had warned him so many times not to eat. And now Stiles was alone and the school exit door were too far and bullies were making those obnoxious noises and keeping to say his name wrong. "Where are you going Ssstilesss? Ow c'mon we just wanna talk with ya!" He felt the tightening of his skull that usually preceded his panic attacks and desperately tried to thump it down. He looked around and finally, like it was godsend, spotted the toilets. He stumbles inside and locks himself in a stall. Then quickly proceeds in climbing on the toilet and try to regain a normal breathing.
He heard the door open and he immediately cupped his hand over his mouth and nose and holds his breath.
"Stilinski?"
Stiles lets out a breath of relief and hops down, pulling the stall door open. Coach Finstock took a good look at him and pats him on the back.
"You okay?" Stiles nods even if he's trying very hard to get his lungs to work back to normal, as surreptitiously as possible, "Greenberg is an ass-hat, someday he's gonna get what he deserves." The coaches continues in his awkward way to reassure him.
Stiles will take it over anything right now. He almost had a panic attack and he'd never been so happy to see the coach in his life.
Finstock takes him to his next class and tells him to try and stay with groups of people as much as he can. Stiles smiles tightly and nods.
Following the coaches advice, Stiles goes through the day without a hitch, if not for the still lingering effects of the almost panic attack.
When the bell of his last period rings, to say that he is relieved is a massive understatement. He gets out the halls ready to sprint to his jeep and drive home when he hears someone whining somewhere near.
He turns the corner, and the coach had been right, apparently Greenberg's day of reckoning is today. The bully is pinned to the wall by a guy in a black leather jacket " –If you so much look at him, I swear I'm gonna rip your throat out. With my teeth." The guy is saying, and Stiles watches in a mix of amusement and kind of pity –What the hell is wrong with him, Greenberg is getting what he deserves (But the threat is kind of really scary..) –as Greenberg looks like he's going to wet his pants.
And then the guy releases his hold but Greenberg just stands there, looking completely and utterly terrified. Then Stiles hears the guy –honest to god –growl and he almost trips on his feet, because he knows that growl.
Greenberg has fled the scene now, and then the guy in the leather jacket is turning.
And it's Derek.
A strange thing happens when they make eye contact, for one Derek seems to completely freeze, not a muscle twitching, and Stiles mind is presenting him with a whole series of images, of memories, of thoughts that he'd had but didn't bother to stay on for too long.
Like when he fleetingly noticed that every time the wolf was there, Derek was nowhere to be seen and vice versa since the wolf had been gone, Stiles had seen Derek more and more.
He remembers Laura calling the wolf 'family'.
He remembers the sense of fullness that he started to feel whenever he was in the Hale house, after he got over the intimidation that he felt from Derek.
And even if he didn't remember all of these things, Stiles would recognize those blue eyes everywhere.
Derek blinks and just like that his eyes turn back to his human golden green colour, "Stiles," he starts, but stops there like he doesn't know how to continue.
Stiles walks up to him in trembling legs, until they are face to face.
Derek has a constipated look on his face and looks almost broken. A big change from what he looked like with Greenberg. And Derek was like that because of Stiles. He brings a hand up and caresses Derek's stubbled cheek. Derek's closes his eyes and leans to the touch, "It's you, isn't it? You're the wolf."
But Derek doesn't need to say anything, when he opens his eyes they're glowing blue again and Stiles has all the confirmation that he needed. He beams and then leans in to wrap his arms around Derek's middle. Derek hugs him back and holds him close. Finally everything seems to fall back in the right place and the right time.
[Four months later]
Stiles is now aware of the existence of werewolves. His boyfriend is one, and so is Laura. He also is aware of the fact that he is, actually, the mate of said boyfriend.
Laura and Derek had looked utterly scared and unsure as they tried to explain it to him the first time they approached the subject, not knowing how Stiles would react. But Stiles got it. Somehow deep down he always known, first Laura had given him peace like no one ever could, and now with Derek everything just is right. He had no wish to fight it. He was happy, and grateful for it.
They decided to tell the sheriff later though, like a couple of years later. Probably when Stiles would have been legal and Derek didn't risked to get a bullet in his chest.
They are now all lounging in the Hale living room; Stiles is half sprawled with his back resting on Derek's chest as he contently nuzzles the back of his head. A wolf thing, they explained to him. But Stiles was absolutely okay with it. He loves it.
Laura and Scott are sitting on the couch in front of them as they talk about comic books.
Stiles eventually found out who was behind the magical appearance of the comic with the first apparition of Batman. And had tried to return it. But Derek wouldn't budge, telling him that his mate deserved that and more, and if it hadn't been said by Derek, Stiles would have found that particular sentence tooth-rotting and way too corny, but it had been uttered by Derek to Stiles, so Stiles had grabbed the back of his boyfriend's head and pulled him in a breathless kiss.
Stiles is now, in a heated discussion with Scott over why Batman is so much better that Superman. Stiles is winning of course, because no one could ever beat his knack in always turning a discussion in his favour, and Scott was starting to get pissy, because he really loves Superman and so yells a "Shut up, Stiles!" out of frustration more than anything. The growl that rips out from Derek is immediate, and Scott looks down, recognising his faux pas.
They were all a little careful to bring out anything that involved concepts of 'not talking' in front of Stiles, especially Derek was very protective about it. Even if sometimes Stiles suspected that whenever he was getting exhausted by his continuous word vomit, Derek would use kisses to subtly trying to shut him up. Stiles couldn't blame him, he enjoyed it actually, as long as he kissed him to shut him up Stiles was a hundred and ten percent okay with it. But he can't blame Scott either, Stiles knows he is annoying; he lived in his head for six years, even Stiles got annoyed of himself sometimes.
So he grabs his boyfriend's knee to placate him, Derek's gaze immediately softening as he directs his attention to his mate; Stiles smiles reassuringly at him, and then Derek watches in wonder how Stiles slowly turns to Scott and says, "Never".
A/N: Comments are Love *-*