Author's Notes: I tried to get the explanation out first before I forget, but we'll get more Sterek-y soon, promise!
Scott and Kira manage to squeeze into the back of the car with Stiles, neither of them feeling brazen enough to sit up front with Argent and risk their show of allegiance to Stiles, who was both exasperated and proud.
"So when are you going to tell us about this mysterious artifact you two got into trouble with?" Scott asks the moment Chris closes the driver's side door. Stiles is pretty sure he hears the man groan before turning the key in the ignition. "I'll explain everything when we get there."
That was far from satisfactory, and it's a miracle Kira remained sane during the drive with Stiles jiggling his knee and Scott bouncing in his seat. She kept silent the whole way though, only once speaking to say "I should have sat in the front," which earned a laugh from Chris.
The moment the car fully stops, the three climb out from the back and begin to head up the driveway towards the Argent's household. It looks relatively normal; no strange symbols painted on the door, no broken windows, no fire… which was always a good sign when dealing with Derek.
Chris approaches the small gathering with a knowing smile. "Don't worry. From what we've seen happen in this town already, it could have been a lot worse. I've already informed Deaton and he's looking into finding a counter spell."
Chris holds the door open as they step inside, Scott leading the way. With his heightened senses (and having visited the house numerous times in the past probably didn't hurt), it surprises no one that he seems to know exactly which way to go, occasionally tilting his head to hear better or squinting his eyes in confusion to whatever it was he heard.
When they reach the top of the stairs, Stiles is finally able to hear the muffled noises that had put Scott on edge and can't keep the alarm from showing on his face when he identifies the sound as laughter. "Oh my god," he breathes when the last barrier between them is pushed open.
Allison has a smile on her face, traces of recent mirth still etched on her skin, while Derek… Derek doesn't look like Derek at all, but at the same time it's totally Derek, only different because Derek is years younger and smiling and what the hell is happening?
Scott and Kira didn't appear to be handling it much better; Scott's mouth had fallen open at some point and didn't seem to be closing any time soon, while Kira's eyes were so wide it was on the brink of being comical if Stiles didn't think he was sporting a nearly identical expression himself.
"Hi guys," Allison greets from where she's perched on the edge of her bed, pod Derek (because there's no way that smiling creature is the real Derek) offering a wave from his position next to her. "Hello," Derek adds tentatively, causing Stiles to stumble a bit at the lack of anger or growling in his tone. Scott is stammering what Stiles assumes is supposed to be a greeting in return when Chris nudges his way into the room and interrupts.
"Derek, I'd like you to meet Scott, Kira, and Stiles. They're your…" he pauses to look at them in uncertainty, clearly unsure where they fell in terms of comradery.
"Pack," Scott inputs feebly, leaning against the door frame for support. "How is this possible?"
Allison takes the lead, standing up with a small object in her hand. She lifts it in front of herself to display an ancient looking pendant. "Remember how I was telling you about the weird voices Lydia kept hearing down by the lake? Well when I told my dad, he said he'd investigate for us… He just didn't want us going ourselves," she adds accusingly, to which her father offers an unabashed smile. "Anyway, he asked Derek to go with him and they found it dangling on a branch."
"Right, and Derek's initial response was to grab it?" Stiles asks rhetorically, earning a pointed stare from Derek. Stiles flushes. "I just mean, c'mon - If it sounds like a trap, looks like a trap, chances are… it's probably a trap."
Chris chuckles. "Actually it was my fault. I was the one about to grab it when he pushed my hand away. It just so happened he brushed against it, which apparently was enough to do the trick… He was on the ground in seconds, and I thought he'd been hurt until he just stopped moving. Then when I bent down to look, he was… " He trails off, gesturing at Derek's youthful appearance instead of finishing.
"Maybe that explains why he isn't completely de-aged?" They all look at Kira, who had up until this point been observing quietly. "I mean. You said he barely touched it, right? I bet if he'd grabbed it completely he'd be way younger than this. Assuming he'd still be in existence at all…"
They were all silent for a moment.
"Who'd want to curse a necklace to have that sort of effect?" Allison inquires softly, her eyebrows knitted in confusion.
"Clearly it was meant for someone else," Chris intones. "It looked like it was placed there deliberately. If Lydia hadn't been spooked enough to mention it, we'd never have known to look there for something supernatural."
Derek was staring at the carpet, his fingers digging into the denim of his jeans while they digested the theory. "I shouldn't be here. What if it can't be reversed or I go back to my time and remember all this?" Derek finally looks up, and Stiles is caught off guard by the look of vulnerability on his face.
It felt wrong to be able to see this side of Derek. There was a reason he kept this part of himself hidden, and it felt almost like cheating to see it without his permission.
He clears his throat distractedly, unintentionally gaining the attention of Derek as well as everyone else in the room. Note to self, stop doing that in a hushed room full of people.
"Uh... I mean, chances are you aren't really from the past. You're still you, Derek, you just don't remember the you that you are… were. Will be?" Stiles makes a face, Scott bumping his arm lightly with a lopsided grin.
The smile speaks volumes, and makes Stiles' stomach turn in an unpleasant knot. He knows what Scott is saying without words - See? You're still you, you can still be with us and nothing has to change (except apparently Derek, but at least he's not glaring or calling us idiots).
He knows it was supposed to make him feel better, but instead it has the opposite effect. It just reminds Stiles of all the reasons he was avoiding them to begin with. Like why Isaac wasn't here with Allison, or why Lydia had been more paranoid since… since… he gives Scott a forced smile, ignoring the familiar feel of Derek's eyes on him.
"You know what I mean," Stiles finishes lamely, rubbing his neck as if it would make the sick prickling feeling go away.
Derek just nods, and Stiles can only look at Derek, knowing that the others are watching him with worry, or attempted understanding, or who the hell knows really but Stiles doesn't want to find out.
"So how old are you anyway?" He asks randomly, picking at a loose thread on his sleeve.
"Fifteen," Derek responds, only looking slightly unsure of his answer.
"Good enough for me," Stiles smiles. "So in case no one has said this yet… welcome to the future!"
