Thank you everyone for the reviews, follows, and favorites. Hopefully you like this chapter just as much. I'm not sure how many parts there will be. Enjoy!


"Derek," Stiles mumbled, still half-asleep as he woke up. His brow furrowed as he found that the man he had fallen asleep next to was gone. He had a slight crick in his neck from the awkward position he'd been in all night. The television and game console were turned off, the controller that was in his hand was gone, and he was laying down. He knew he did not get up and do any of that. A faint, though confused, smile tugged on his face when he realized the space next to him on the bed was still warm, and the window to his bedroom was open. Derek had not left all that long ago.

When his alarm went off a few moments later, Stiles got up and took a shower as a faint pink glow started to form on the eastern horizon from the beginnings of the sunrise. It was odd with the sun rising later in the day. It made Stiles just want to go back and sleep for a couple more hours. He would only find himself grounded if he missed classes (without good reason) again. By the time he got downstairs to grab some breakfast, his dad was already awake, nursing a cup of coffee. "Hey, Dad," Stiles said through a yawn before making his own coffee just how he liked it.

The sheriff grunted out a response, though Stiles took no offense. Neither of them were morning people. "Is this a new thing?" he asked his son after a few minutes of silence that allowed Stiles to get his breakfast and sit at the table across from him.

"Is what a new thing?" Stiles mumbled around a mouthful of blueberry muffin. What? It was delicious, and he was starving. It was better than breakfast at school (which would probably be paper-like biscuits and tasteless gravy); though, eating there would allow him to sleep in more. Maybe it would be a fair trade. Maybe.

"Finding Derek Hale asleep in your room. This is the third time this month."

Stiles shrugged a little as he fidgeted in his seat, though it was not out of nervousness. Stiles was just always moving. "It's not like it's planned. 'Sides, it doesn't mean anything. You never questioned Scott staying over here."

But Scott never looked at Stiles the way that he saw Derek did. It did mean something, though, obviously, his soon was completely blind to it. "Stiles, you're going to be late," the sheriff said after silence fell between them again and he glanced at the clock.

Stiles' eyes widened a bit as he hopped up. "Where's Scott? The jeep's still in the shop!"

Stiles frantically gathered his things, asking his dad for a ride as they started out the door, only to stop when they found Derek outside, standing next to his own car. He jerked his head toward it, going around to the driver's side, as Stiles said, "Never mind. See ya at the game, Dad!"

The teen grinned and rushed over to Derek's car, getting in with a sigh. "Where's Scott?" he questioned, only needing to see Derek raise an eyebrow to know the answer to that. "Oh. Allison."

He should have known. It would not have been the first time Scott forgot him for Allison. Stiles wanted to hate her, but he couldn't. "Are you coming to the game tonight?" questioned the teen as he absently bounced his knee, settling low into the seat, like usual.

"No," Derek replied without taking his eyes off the road.

"Why not? You should. I'm playing!" Stiles was so excited about that fact (though it was because none of the other reserves could take their ill teammate's place), and a part of him had hoped that Derek was too.

Derek, however, seemed less than thrilled. He did not want to see Stiles get hurt, but was not going to admit that was why he came across indifferent about the entire thing. "C'mon, don't be such a Sourwolf. The entire pack's going out for pizza afterward. You should come."

The alpha glanced over at Stiles, who gave the man an awkward, lopsided grin. "I mean, it's cool if you really don't want to," he said, biting back the sigh that wanted to escape him.


"You're hurt," Derek growled as he took Stiles' face in hand, turning the teen's chin so that he could better see the bruising on the pale boy's cheekbone.

"Ah, yeah. Well, some of the guys thought it would be funny to trip me up in the locker room. At least I didn't hit my head?" Stiles said as he laughed a little, though it almost seemed nervous. Derek was close, not that it was something new, but the guy was almost pressed up against him completely, which was something new. There was always distance between them. "Jackson and Scott were around the corner so they couldn't really do anything."

Derek did not seem any less upset that he was looking at Stiles, who had a huge bruise on the side of his face, on his knee, and on his right arm. "Who was it?"

Stiles shook his head with a shrug. "Didn't pay that much attention." Okay, so that was a lie; but, he did not need Derek going all alpha on a couple teenagers because a member of his pack got hurt. Stiles did not really stop to think the fact that if it was Scott, Derek would not have cared so much. Then again, if it had been Scott, he wouldn't be bruised like Stiles was. "Maybe we should go find the others. I think they're letting Erica order, which means veggie pizzas all around."

The elder of the two sighed and let go of Stiles, who stepped back from Derek with a slight smile. Neither one said anything as they went across the large and loud pizza parlor to find their group. Stiles missed and Derek ignored the looks that the others gave them.

Friendly chatter filled the group, though Derek stayed quiet (like usual). Stiles kept glancing over at him, trying to figure something out, though he was not even sure what it was he was trying to figure out. Something was off, though. That much, he knew for sure. Something felt familiar in the way Derek had held his face, though he knew that Derek had never done that before. Right? Right. He was sure he would remember big and brooding Sourwolf doing something like that before. He did not mind it, being a very touchy-feely person; but, still. It was Derek and Derek did not do those kinds of things. It was too close to emotions and words, something that Stiles could easily tell the man was no good at. Of course, it did not take a genius to see that.

"Stiles, what did you run into this time?" he heard someone say, voice mixed with a sigh and a slight laugh, a phantom touch to his face. His brow furrowed a little, trying to place the voice. It was not his dad's, or his mother's. It was someone else's, someone important. He just did not know who.

He should have been used to random little memories such as that one, or the one the night before of someone talking to a Derek (certainly not the one sitting next to him); but, they still always caught Stiles by surprise. He was never sure if they were actually memories, or something from a dream. He wished he knew the difference, but with years of his life just gone from his memory, it was hard to tell.

Stiles was on auto-pilot for the rest of the night, though everyone just assumed it was because he had missed a dose of his Adderall, but to be honest, he was really just lost in thought about everything. The night had not gone as planned at all, and he seemed to just make a bigger fool out of himself. Senior year was obviously not going to be the turn around for him that he had hoped. Ah well. At least he had his friends. Stiles blinked and looked up when he felt an elbow pressing into his side and he looked over at Derek, who arched a brow in response. Stiles then glanced to everyone else, who were staring at him. "Uh... hi?" he said with a soft laugh, not sure how long he had let himself get lost in thought.

"You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?" asked Lydia with a soft huff.

"Uhm, no?" The teen laughed sheepishly and winced when Lydia kicked him under the table, earning her a glare from Derek, though she ignored it. "Sorry. S'up?"

"Homecoming's next week, dude," Scott said, looking worriedly at his best friend. "We're all goin' together. You in?"

Homecoming. Right. Biggest night of the year for the seniors. Everyone would have a date. Except him; and Derek, but Derek wasn't a student, so he didn't count. Even his dad was going with a date. Okay, so he was a chaperone and he was going with Melissa, but still. "Uh, y'know, I think I've got plans that evening involving some studying I've not done." Stiles shrugged a little. It was no big deal.

Honestly, he was not all that bummed out. It was a stupid dance. What bummed him out more was the fact that it was a reminder that he was the loser on the outside of everything. Even with his friends, he never really fit in. Stiles really wanted to go get some sleep, which he announced as he got up, forgetting that Derek was his ride there until he got outside. "Fuck," he sighed as he ran a hand through his lengthening hair.

"Stiles," he heard behind him, making him spin around to see Derek standing there, both hands in his leather jacket. "Get in the car."

Derek didn't ask questions as he drove, and Stiles was grateful for the faint music playing on the radio being the only sound in the car beyond the typical car noises. "I hate December," Stiles mumbled after a couple of moments.

"I know," Derek replied. He reached over and took Stiles' hand in his own, squeezing gently.

The teen sighed softly, squeezing Derek's hand in response, not even really thinking on the fact that Derek Hale was holding his hand. "Just want to sleep, preferably not waking up."

Derek tensed a little in the driver's seat, his grip on Stiles' hand strengthening a little. "Say something like that again, and I'll rip your throat out."

"Try again, Sourwolf. Your threats don't scare me," Stiles said with a faint smile as he looked over at Derek. "You won't hurt me."

"I could."

The teen smiled slightly again, looking forward as he settled into his seat, hand still clasping on to Derek's. He knew the truth behind the alpha's words. Derek could hurt him, and with very minimal effort; but, the fact of the matter remained that Derek wouldn't hurt him. There was a big difference between the two, and they both knew it. "Why aren't you going to the dance, Stiles, really?" Derek asked as he parked the car outside the Stilinski home.

Stiles sighed inaudibly and got out of the car, but did not answer. It did not surprise him when Derek followed him inside. Still, he did not answer. He did not want to talk about it. "Does it matter? It's just a stupid dance."

"You want to be there, though."

Derek leaned against Stiles' bedroom door frame as the brown-eyed boy turned to face him. The alpha had to stop himself from getting upset again, seeing the bruising on Stiles' face. "I'm going to shower. Are you sticking around or not?" When Derek shrugged, Stiles mimicked the action and gathered the things he would need for the shower. He shut the door after him as Derek sat down on his bed.

Maybe he should have been a little more unnerved with Derek sticking around his room like it was a normal thing, but really, it did not bother Stiles in the slightest. To be honest, he had grown used to Derek's presence over the years. He always felt a lot safer when the alpha was around, and it was not just because of that status. Derek made Stiles feel safe.

The teen sighed inaudibly, oblivious to the fact that Derek was setting his coat aside and sitting down on his own bed, though he did not mind it at all. He really did not want to be there alone, and he knew his dad would be going into work again. It was the time of year in which his dad spent as much time working as possible. Stiles did not blame him. He was throwing himself into school work and research for the pack. He did not want free time to think and remember.

When he went back into his bedroom, Derek was sitting on his bed, looking at a photo of him and his mother that had been setting on his bookshelf. "D'you remember her?" Stiles questioned as he sat down next to Derek.

"Yeah," Derek said with an inaudible sigh, nodding a little. "She died not long before the fire."

Stiles' brow furrowed a little as he tried to piece the two items together on the timeline he had in his head. For some reason, he had them being years apart, but from what Derek was saying, that was nog right. Stiles wished he could just remember everything easier. "She was a lot like you," Derek said with a soft laugh. "Talked just as much. She was... a great lady. 'Ve nothing but fond memories of her."

"So, did we know each other before then? Or... I dunno... Don't really remember my childhood," Stiles admitted with a shrug, taking the photo when Derek handed it to him so that he could set it aside. "I don't really remember you from before, just the stories of what happened."

"We met," Derek offered simply with a shrug, leaning back against Stiles' pillows there on the bed, earning himself an eye roll from the eighteen-year-old. He should not have expected more of an answer than that from Derek. He was not a man of many words, after all. He was one of the more quiet people. It was almost unnerving, but Stiles was used to it.

The two of them lay on Stiles' bed, talking about nothing really, until they both fell asleep. They were in much the same position they had been in the night before, only that time, they were actually laying down. When Stiles woke up the next morning, though, Derek was still there. The man was asleep next to him while he was absently clinging to the front of the alpha's shirt. He'd be more embarrassed by the small drool spot on Derek's shoulder if it was the first time something like that had happened. Stiles had a history of falling asleep on people, however. He was surprised that he had slept through the night, though. That was something that was a rare occasion. Maybe it was because Derek was there.

Stiles' brow furrowed a little at that thought as he lifted his head to look at Derek, who continued sleeping. The teen's brow furrowed even more as he found himself easily able to picture a little boy with dark hair curling up on the floor next to him. Maybe it was because he was half-asleep still; but, Stiles was fairly sure the memory (if that was what it was) was of Derek as a child. He had no idea what Derek had looked like as a child, though. At least, Stiles didn't think that he did.

"Where are you going?" Derek mumbled, his eyes opening once Stiles reached the door, making the teen turn to look at him.

"Making coffee," was all Stiles said in response, making it to the bottom of the stairs before he said, "C'mon, Sourwolf. There's plenty to share."

He knew that Derek could hear him, and that his father was still at work, so he knew there'd be no awkward questions. Stiles yawned as he went around the kitchen, making some coffee while making sure there were clean coffee cups. His sleep pants were slipping a bit low on his waist, though he did not realize until his eyes widened as Derek was lifting them back into place, tightening the drawstring on them. Stiles' breath caught in his chest for a moment and his heart rate picked up, which he knew Derek knew. Stiles was honestly not sure of what to make of the entire situation, but he laughed softly as Derek said, "S'too early for you to be flashing the world, Stiles."

"Uhm, yeah, thanks."

His heart was still pounding, even after Derek moved away. To be honest, he was not sure if the whole thing really happened or if it was just his imagination running off with him. When he looked over at Derek, who sat at the kitchen table, the man did not act as though anything had happened. Maybe he was just losing his mind. He had felt Derek's fingers brush against his hips, though. Maybe he needed to teach the wolf about personal space.

But he did not want to.

Stiles laughed softly and ran a hand through his hair before shaking his head and starting to make some breakfast just as the sheriff walked in. The man's brow lifted when he spotted Derek sitting at the table while Stiles was busy with the milk and eggs. "Uh... hello," he said, earning a wave from Stiles, who was busy trying to focus, though his own focus was more on Derek.

Sheriff Stilinski had no problems with Derek, at all. The young man was one who had saved his son more than once, and he could easily remember the kid that his wife had babysat so many times all those years ago. However, he could also tell there was something between Derek and his son, even if nothing had come of it yet, something could come of it, and that was a danger. Derek would be no different than any other guy Stiles might bring home, then. Only, there would still be the whole Derek saving Stiles' life thing. The sheriff decided he did not want to ask any questions and went up to rest. After having worked a double shift at work, he needed it.

"Stiles, I'm going to go," Derek said as he stood up, making the teen turn to face him. "Stuff to do. Pack meeting tonight. Erica'll kill me if I don't have the heat fixed."

"Oh, right. Yeah. I'll see you there," Stiles replied with a nod. He did not even turn around again before Derek was gone, missing the heavy sigh from Stiles. "Guess I'll go bug Scott or something."