Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf.
Read on, oh faithful ones...
Author's note: this is a sequel to the story 'Sparks and Shadows'. You will need to read that story to understand this one.
...
Stiles buzzed Lydia's apartment, not even surprised when Isaac answered the call.
"Is that really you?" Isaac asked excitedly.
"Yeah, it's us. Let us in," he replied, though he couldn't stop the grin at his pack mate's excitement. Absolute puppy.
Derek adjusted his grip on the large box and gave Stiles a nod of thanks when he held the door open for him.
"What do you think they've done with the postcards?" Stiles asked curiously, pressing the button for the elevator and keeping the door open for Derek again before he pressed the button for the penthouse suite.
"Well, we've sent one from every single stop we've made for the past two years, so they're either holding the building up, or being used to black out the windows of every apartment in the block," Derek replied, resting the heavy box on the elevator's rail.
"Funny, Der-bear," Stiles said, rolling his eyes. "I don't think Lydia would've hung them up like Dad did," he mused.
"Lydia might surprise you."
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time," Stiles admitted with a brief nod.
...
"They're here!" Isaac called, disconnecting the intercom.
"We know, Isaac. We're right here. We heard them!" Jackson snapped at him.
"Jackson," Lydia said, her voice holding a tone of warning, and Jackson's smirk slipped away.
"What? He's been bouncing off the walls all morning, it's frustrating."
Isaac frowned slightly, then moved to Lydia and Jackson, kissing them in turn. Jackson relaxed at his kiss, and Lydia's sharp gaze softened.
"Of course I've been unsettled; you've both been tense all morning," Isaac murmured, rubbing his cheek against Jackson's briefly and wrapping his scarf around Lydia's neck loosely.
Jackson looked as contrite as he'd ever done before, and Lydia bit her lip, all too aware of her own nerves and emotion.
"I haven't seen Stiles and Derek in two years, so I'm allowed to be nervous. What if... What if they don't want me as pack anymore?" she admitted, finally voicing the concern that had plagued her for weeks, ever since Derek and Stiles had said they were heading to New Jersey.
"Then they're as stupid as Stiles is ugly," Jackson said promptly.
"Don't say that! He's not... Oh," Lydia said, laughing when she realised what her boyfriend meant. "Okay, it's a useless fear, but that's to be said of most fears, and I'm still afraid of it happening."
"Hey, hey, it won't happen," Jackson promised, pulling Lydia close to kiss her firmly. Isaac crowded up behind Lydia, their combined scents, warmth, and strength keeping her grounded. "And if for some reason it does happen, then you've still got us."
"Not going anywhere," Isaac confirmed, nuzzling against her neck.
There was a knock at the door, along with two scents that were both foreign and familiar all at once. They all felt the pull of pack, of their former Alpha and his anchor-mate-anchor, and Lydia trembled slightly at the reassurance she felt from her boyfriends as well.
"We'll be fine," Jackson said, a whispered promise into her hair, pressing one more kiss to her lips. "I'll get the door. Is, you stay with Lydia."
Isaac nodded, gathering Lydia in his arms the moment Jackson stepped away. They both watched as Jackson opened the door, Lydia subtly breathing in their combined scents from Isaac's scarf to help steady her nerves.
"So, Derek says you think I'm hot?" Stiles said in lieu of greeting, smirking at Jackson.
"That's not what I said, and you know it," Derek muttered, walking in and giving Jackson a nod of greeting.
Lydia blinked at the large box he was carrying, covered in brightly-coloured paper that was so Stiles it made her ache for a moment, but then Derek had set it down and continued over to her and Isaac without stopping. She didn't get a chance to say anything - a greeting or question or otherwise - because before she could, Derek had pulled both her and Isaac into a warm, firm hug.
All at once, Lydia felt like she was breaking and being remade at the same time. Her pack was here, finally together again, and she hadn't known it was something she'd missed. A long stuttering breath left her and when Derek pulled away a moment later, he was smiling at her.
"You'll always be pack, Lydia."
Lydia smiled back at him. "I know."
"Good, now let me get up in the cuddling action 'cause as fun as it is to hug a lizard, it really isn't," Stiles called, laughing from where he and Jackson were hugging firmly.
Lydia knew all of Jackson's expressions, and while he might have been hugging Stiles willingly now, she was positive that it certainly hadn't started that way. She laughed a bit herself and held her arms open. Stiles was hugging her before she had even blinked.
"Whoa, what was that?" Jackson asked, staring at Stiles' show of speed.
"Derek and I have been practising with my spark wherever we could. Sometimes on the side of the road."
"We did that once and only once because you fell into the ditch," Derek replied pointedly.
"Not the point. Besides, there was that time in Casper, Wyoming. We were on the side of the road then."
"We were fighting ghouls, not practicing."
"Do you want drinks? Or something to eat?" Lydia asked suddenly, realising that she hadn't had a chance to offer either since their arrival.
"Water, please," Derek said.
"What food do you have?" Stiles asked, following Lydia through to the kitchen. "Wow. Derek, look at this! It's a smorgasbord."
"Really? Wow, that's impressive. Did you get catering delivered?" Derek asked, looking over his shoulder to the other three.
"Jackson made it," Isaac called, grinning at his boyfriend when he blushed faintly at the praise.
"Had to do something to occupy myself in London, didn't I?" Jackson muttered.
"Jackson's very talented with food. He refuses to do anything with that talent, apart from feed me and Isaac," Lydia said with fond exasperation.
"It's different for pack," Derek said briefly.
"That's what I said!" Jackson called, giving Isaac and Lydia an 'I told you so!' look.
Isaac just grinned and wrapped a scarf around Jackson's neck. Jackson's fierce expression softened as he breathed in the scents mingled into the material.
"Bis is 'masin, Jacksn," Stiles said through a large mouthful of food, his cheeks swollen with the amount he'd stuffed into his mouth.
"Did you just eat the entire platter of hors d'oeuvres?" Isaac asked, eyes wide.
"A third of it, maybe," Derek replied, sipping at his water and offering Stiles a glass.
Stiles grinned at him with a full mouth and held up both of his hands, currently holding two more hors d'oeuvres.
"I'll hold it then, if you'd like?" Derek offered with a smile.
Stiles nodded, swallowing enough of the food without choking so he could kiss Derek's cheek in thanks. Derek brushed off the crumbs that remained, though he looked after Stiles fondly.
"So, what's in the box?" Jackson asked, finally overcome with his curiosity.
Stiles chewed his way through the rest of his mouthful and swallowed quickly. "You said it wrong."
"Huh? What're you going on about, Stilinski?"
"What's in the box? What's in the box?" Isaac asked, his voice taking on a hysterical note.
"There you go! Up top," Stiles said with a laugh, high-fiving Isaac.
"What the fuck?" Jackson asked, looking between Stiles and Isaac in utter confusion.
"It's a movie; Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. We'll watch it when Lydia's gone for class," Isaac offered.
Jackson nodded in understanding; they both knew how much Lydia hated any movies with horror, death, and gore in them, saying that she'd already dealt with enough of that in her own life.
"Are you going to open the present now? C'mon, we've been lugging this thing around since Arizona," Stiles groaned.
"Phoenix or Tucson?" Isaac asked, thinking of the postcards.
"Flagstaff, actually."
"There was another pack there, wasn't there?" Lydia asked, trying to remember over a hundred postcards ago.
"Yeah. They were really nice."
Derek scoffed. "Rhys never stopped hitting on you the whole time we were there. Even when I was in the room."
Stiles snorted, not seeming at all phased at Derek's sudden blue eyes and clenched hands. "I'm pretty sure the rejection I gave him is still stinging. We can go back and I can do it again, if you'd like?"
Derek looked as though he was seriously considering the offer, and Lydia shook her head briefly.
"How did you reject him?" Isaac asked curiously.
"I slapped him. Through a wall," Stiles added with a slight cough. "He was getting hands-y and I didn't appreciate it in the slightest."
"Next time, slap him through two walls," Lydia muttered.
"There won't be a next time," Stiles replied, Derek nodding firmly and taking his hand.
Lydia watched as they both seemed to relax at the touch, like Isaac did with her and Jackson's scent on his collection of scarves.
"That's it, I'm opening this present with or without you," Jackson muttered, sitting in front of the box.
Isaac hurried to sit by Jackson, resting his hand on his knee to still and calm him until Lydia arrived. Jackson rolled his eyes, but laced his fingers with Isaac's and waited until Lydia was beside them. They tore into the paper together, Isaac and Jackson competing to tear it apart faster.
"I think it's unwrapped now, boys," Lydia pointed out, sighing when she saw the thousands of pieces of shredded paper around them.
"You got us a box?" Jackson asked, eyebrow raised at Stiles and Derek, looking totally unimpressed.
"Open it, idiot," Stiles replied, rolling his eyes.
Isaac snickered at Jackson's expression and undid the two latches on the front of the box, Lydia lifting the lid.
"I stand corrected: you got us a box of crap," Jackson deadpanned, his unimpressed eyebrow raised again.
"Ooh! No, they did not," Lydia said with barely concealed glee as she lifted out a long leather strap with numerous symbols etched into it, another strap of leather weaving around it with a few charms hanging off it.
"They got you an ugly bracelet?"
"I'm going to slap you through the wall next, Jackson," Stiles threatened.
"Do that, and I won't let you have any more food," he sneered.
"How will you stop me when I've bitch-slapped you out the window?"
"Boys, stop flirting. Jackson, stop being a dick and tie this on for me; Isaac's busy," Lydia said, holding out the leather strap.
Jackson looked over to see their boyfriend scenting the fuck out of three separate scarves, the material obscuring his face completely. He sighed, knowing all too well that he'd be expected to do the same sooner rather than later.
"I wouldn't flirt with Jackson; he's not my type," Stiles said, wrapping an arm around Derek's waist and kissing him.
"I'm everybody's type," Jackson replied petulantly, tying the bracelet on Lydia's wrist with firm knots.
"Of course you are," Stiles simpered. "Now, Lyds, is it okay? I mean, I know leather's a bit risky, but it's the best medium to work with, and the sigils are really difficult to put on metal links, so - "
Stiles was cut off by Lydia hugging him and Derek, surprisingly firm for someone so small.
"I love it. I don't recognise a few of the sigils though. This one's for protection, obviously, but I can't tell what this one is," she said, peering at the symbol.
"Old Norse symbol for strength, with the symbols for home and love overlapping it. It's as close to 'pack' as I could get," Stiles admitted. "It was Derek's idea to combine them," he added, smiling at him.
"Thank you. And don't think I didn't see your triskelion," Lydia said with a quick grin.
"Stiles put it on there. I wasn't... I wasn't sure you'd want it," Derek admitted, cheeks and the tip of his ears red.
"Of course I would. You're pack," Lydia said firmly.
"What's this thing meant to be?" Jackson asked, holding up a mess of string and paper.
"Dildo and butt plug bunting."
"What?" Jackson asked, face formed in an expression between offended and amused as he saw that Stiles wasn't joking. Instead of the usual triangles for string bunting, each of the paper decorations was shaped as dildos and butt plugs.
"Novelty gift; it was Derek's idea!" Stiles lied, not even trying to mask his heartbeat.
Isaac snorted. "Yeah, right, Stilinski."
Derek shook his head and pulled a thin and fragile string of silver metal out of the box. "We got you this."
"A necklace?" Jackson deadpanned, looking from the tiny looped necklace to Derek and Stiles. "You shouldn't have."
"Shift and look at it, asshole," Stiles said, rolling his eyes.
Jackson glared at him, but shifted in the next moment and looked at the thin necklace still hanging from Derek's grip. He couldn't see it very clearly, white wisps swirling around the length of silver, but Jackson realised they were similar to the sigils and symbols on Lydia's bracelet.
"I thought you said metal was hard to work with?"
"It is, you dick. Now accept the gift and put it on," Stiles said.
Jackson took the necklace from Derek and slipped it on over his head. A feeling of warmth and home filled him, and Jackson looked between Derek and Stiles, completely speechless.
"Isaac, the cuff linking your scarves together has the same sigils," Derek added with a smile.
Isaac immediately pulled the scarves away from his face to find a thick black leather cuff linking them together. He put the cuff on, a soft whine escaping at the feelings that flowed through him.
"They're not adding or affecting anything you're feeling, so don't worry about emotional manipulation or something like that. They're designed to enhance what you already feel. Trust me, sex with one of those babies on is like Nirvana," Stiles said, holding up his own arm so they could see his thin leather braid.
Derek's ears went pink, but he was smiling as he played with his own leather braid.
"And on that note, I'm changing the topic of conversation: heard McCall tried to get back into Beacon Hills last month and almost got mauled by coyotes," Jackson said, smirking.
"Coyotes was the time before; last time were the wendigos. Understandably, they're still upset about the Walcott family, and blame Scott," Lydia said.
"How many times has he tried to get back in there now?" Isaac asked curiously, looking between Stiles and Derek.
As the link between the Hale pack and Scott had been completely severed, and Scott driven out of town because of it, Stiles had added his own power to the wards around Beacon Hills to ensure that Scott wouldn't be able to return. As such, he was all too aware of each and every attempt Scott foolishly made over the last two years.
"Twenty-eight times. He's tried new moons, full moons, blue moons, solar and lunar eclipses, birthdays, holidays - not only local and state, but national, and even international as well. Scott also tried on my mother's death anniversary and the anniversary of the Hale fire, which was severely in poor taste, and I hope he learnt his lesson."
"What did you do?" Isaac asked.
"Me? Nothing," Stiles said, eyes wide and innocent.
"Yeah, right, Stilinski. 'Fess up," Jackson snickered.
"Honestly, I didn't do a thing. Satomi and her pack, on the other hand, are very proud of their role as acting protectors and guardians of Beacon Hills. They sent him running with his tail between his legs," Stiles said, grinning.
"He's not going to let it go, you know that, don't you?" Lydia asked.
"Of course. It's his own fault. Maybe if he acted as though he regretted his actions, or remorseful or even seeking penance, I might consider making him pack again," Derek said.
"Please don't," Jackson said, pulling a face.
"Like I said: he has to get over himself first."
"I'm thinking that'll happen on the eve of Never," Stiles said, rolling his eyes. "Enough about him. I need more of your awesome food, Jackie-boy."
"Call me that again, and I'll asphyxiate you with an hors d'oeuvre," he threatened.
"Worth it," Stiles called as Jackson went to the kitchen.
He returned a few minutes later with two trays of food, placing them as far away from Stiles as possible.
"Asshole," Stiles said, grinning at him. "All right, I can't wait any longer. What did you do with our postcards?" he asked.
"You mean, the two-hundred and forty-two postcards you sent over the last two years, when you barely called us twenty times?" Lydia queried, getting a nod in return.
Jackson coughed, sounding more like a laugh, and Stiles turned to glare at him. Jackson just smirked and pointed towards the dining room. Stiles headed that way curiously, stopping short in the doorway a moment later. Derek followed after him and they both stared.
"Whoa."
The dining room had a feature map of the USA across the wall, and all two-hundred and forty-two postcards were stuck to the wall for every place they'd visited. A long piece of blue yarn showed their trail, pins and magnets holding up the postcards to the magnetised paint. It looked so sporadic set up that way, with postcards and string covering nearly every inch of the wall, but it was beautiful at the same time. Stiles looked from the postcards to his pack, to Derek, who looked just as awed as Stiles felt.
"It was Lydia's idea. I wanted to burn them," Jackson said, cheerfully.
"No, you didn't. Jackson suggested putting them on those peg strings on the wall instead. I suggested the ceiling," Isaac said with a grin, lacing his fingers with Jackson's.
"If you go outside of the US, we might go to the ceiling," Lydia said, resting her chin on Stiles' shoulder.
"We might one day. For now, we'll stick around here," Stiles said with a grin.
It took the other three a moment to realise that Stiles wasn't lying.
"Wait, you're staying? As in staying-staying?" Isaac.
"Where are you staying? It's not here, is it?" Jackson.
"Are you staying in New Jersey itself or going back to New York?" Lydia.
"We're staying-staying. Derek's organised a few places for us to look at tomorrow morning, so yes, we're crashing here for one night; you'll survive, you lizard. Depends on what we like, Lyds, but we'll let you know," Stiles answered each of them, grinning broadly.
"We'll send a postcard," Derek said, laughing.
"Since you're staying for the night, can we do a puppy pile?" Isaac asked, eyes wide as he looked between Stiles and Derek, and Lydia and Jackson.
"Yeah, all right," Jackson answered first, surprising everyone.
Isaac grinned and kissed him quickly, threading their fingers together. Lydia joined them a moment later, and feelings of love spread through them quickly.
"Maybe we should've given them the gifts tomorrow instead?" Stiles murmured, eyebrows raised as he looked at Derek.
"Come on, let's go train and give them some privacy," Derek said, taking Stiles' hand and leading him through the apartment to where he could smell the gym.
Their small pack was filled with love and happiness, and even though they took the long way around, neither Stiles nor Derek regretted the journey to end up there together.
...
The end.
Thanks for reading!