'I found evidence of rope on her body, arms, legs and torso. There are wounds on her hands and feet, like large pins were forced through, broken bones, entry and exit marks. There's bruising on the back of her skull, she was hit with something blunt. She was alive when she was set alight, but I suspect unconscious,' the state pathologist Melissa McCall said.

'Jesus Christ,' John said.

Derek's insides churned, when they found the burned corpse in the woods last night they expected nothing like this.

The heat had twisted the body, looking like her ankles had been bound and the fire had somehow managed to fuse them together. Something poked at the edges of Derek's memory but he couldn't pull the thought forward. He flipped open his notebook and made a mark on the page hoping that a review of the evidence when there was more would help him gather his thoughts better.

'She was unconscious?' Derek asked. Melissa looked at the bodies with a sad expression, she was a tough woman in her early forties, attractive with a strong air about her. Derek liked her a lot, she had been good with him when he first arrived in Beacon Hills.

'When the fire started yes,' she said 'It may have woken her.'

Derek felt a shudder claw at his spine. His wolf prowled, angered that this had happened, remembering his own fathers fate. Derek closed his eyes, counted to ten. When he opened them Melissa was bent over the body, John hovering as close as he was allowed. 'You know if I had five minutes alone with that bastard!' Melissa muttered.

'I understand,' Derek said touching her elbow. Melissa nodded, squeezing her eyes shut for a minute.

'I'll have my report later I haven't exactly finished with this yet,' Melissa admitted. It looked like she had barely started.

'That's okay,' Derek said. He understood, post mortems couldn't be easy at the best of times but this had to be horrific. Derek's boots were quiet on the sterile floor of the exam room as he stepped away leaving Melissa to her work.

'Melissa, sweetheart, we'll be in touch,' John said following Derek out of the room. 'Nice woman Melissa,' John said as they got into the car.

Derek checked his watch. Stiles would be in English now. He wondered if it was sad for a twenty five year old man to know his boyfriends school schedule.

'I like her,' Derek tried to drag his mind back to the case, away from the boy who consumed his thoughts, who had his wolf itching to take, keep, protect.

'Her son and Stiles used to be best friends,' John said as they drove back to the crime scene.

'Scott?' Derek asked shooting John a knowing look.

'Stiles does prattle on,' John said softly.

'I think I know his family history better than he does,' Derek admitted. John laughed.

'Stiles is a good boy, he likes you,' John said flexing his fingers on the steering wheel.

'I love him,' Derek admitted softly to his hands. Derek hated that he didn't feel guilt when he talked about this with John.

'He knows you love him, he's mature, even though he can be an absolute idiot, I love him too,' John said steering his cruiser onto the dirt track. 'After Claudia, if it wasn't for Stiles,' John shrugged. 'He grew up fast, too fast but that doesn't leave a kid, it kind of changes them. Stiles was an adult long before either his mother or I wanted him to be.'

Forensics were still combing the area, and this was the third time they'd visited, but they still had no leads other than a partial boot print, no DNA, nothing. It was frustrating for them, and the families, because Melissa's first priority had been dental recoded and identification, which they'd confirmed yesterday afternoon.

An incoming text caught Derek's attention.

Lots of gossip flying around school about that poor girl. Also Harris is a jerk.

Derek chuckled but didn't reply. He knew Stiles didn't expect one. Someone brushed past him and Derek sighed as he moved out of the search range beyond the cordons. The forest was quiet here, and he remembered his childhood running through these woods with his sisters. He'd had a lot of firsts out here as a teen, sneaking around. He hoped the girl wasn't manipulated into coming here with the promise of an amazing first time, peeking at the stars through the canopy of trees. It's a line his brother had used a few times. He tried it once or twice himself, but Paige had told him where to go with a big grin. In the end they had come here, but it was her idea, looking for privacy more than anything else.

'Derek,' John called, 'they've found a shoe.'

John held up a clear bag where a black heeled shoe lay innocently. It looked well kept, tidy even. These shoes hadn't touched the earth under Derek's feet.

Derek walked back to the scene and looked around. John stopped beside him. A few leaves rustled, a wind was picking up. Derek glanced at the trees then up at the darkening sky. He felt useless, there was very little evidence here, and very little he could do until his autopsy had been finished.

'Boys will be getting out of school,' John said rolling his shoulders 'don't you have a date?'

Derek smiled at John. The man was turning out to be a good mentor and a better friend. 'Are you trying to get rid of me?'

'Yes. Go woo my son!' John teased. Derek smiled at him.

'We better head back then,' Derek said. John nodded and they made it back to the car just as it started to rain.

-/-

Stiles was sitting at the coffee table with Isaac when Derek arrived to collect him.

They kissed inside the door, Derek pinning Stiles to the wall, then walked to Derek's car with an appropriate few feet between them. Stiles slid inside and let his fingers caress over the leather of the seats. 'I enjoyed driving the other night.'

'I bet you did,' Derek said as he clipped his seat belt into place. Stiles flicked through the radio before he settled on low easy listening music. Derek was glaring and Stiles made a point to send his boyfriend a wide grin. 'You distress me.'

'You love the distress, it keeps you young,' Stiles said as he settled back into the seat. It was still raining outside and Stiles watched as it splashed onto the sidewalk. They were silent as they left Beacon Hills and pulled onto the highway.

'So I wanted to talk to you,' Stiles fiddled with the strings on his hoodie.

Derek made a noise and Stiles shifted slightly in his seat.

'About sex,' Stiles swallowed and glanced at Derek.

'Stiles, you have my undivided attention,' Derek said.

'Well I hope not because you're driving and you need to pay attention to the road; that's important when driving to expect the unexpected and did you know that a third of all road deaths-'

The car swerved and pulled in at the side of the road. Derek didn't kill the engine, it hummed lightly as he turned in his seat to look at Stiles. He leaned across the car and cupped Stiles's cheek in his hand the kiss was gentle and chaste, their lips brushed for a few moments before Derek pulled away.

'You have my undivided attention,' Derek said again.

'What if we're not compatible?' Stiles blurted.

'I think we are, we have chemistry and we have fun on dates,' Derek said but he was smiling.

'I mean sexually,' Stiles huffed.

'I know what you mean,' Derek said. 'It's not all mapped out for us, I mean we need to figure out what each other likes, that's the fun of a new relationship.'

'What if you don't like what I like?' Stiles licked his lips. Derek's eyes raked over his face, and then he was kissing Stiles again, only this time there was tongue and teeth. Stiles gripped as Derek's shoulders as Derek kissed him breathless.

When they pulled apart Derek's lips were red and his cheeks flushed. 'Stiles you can't research everything before it happens.'

'Well I can but-' Stiles sucked the inside of his cheek. 'Do you watch porn?'

'That's a personal question,' Derek said but he was smiling.

'It's just that- do you?' Stiles swallowed again.

Derek smiled, slow and feral. 'You're going to ask me what I like next, if I have favourites. Then you're going to look them up, watch and take notes on them, and you're going to base our first time together on the porn I like.'

'Well...' Stiles folded his arms. 'Dating detectives suck.'

'I will suck. Soon, when you're ready but until then I'm not sharing porn with you. Someday, when we have a normal healthy sex life we'll go looking for porn together, but not before then. Porn is designed to get you off visually, and it's fun but that's not how we start off,' Derek adjusted himself back into his seat.

'So how do I know what you like?' Stiles asked as Derek pulled back onto the road.

'We talk dumbass, we try things. What I may not have liked with exes I could love with you,' Derek said.

'I want to kiss you again,' Stiles said.

Derek smiled at him, then turned his eyes back to the road. 'I always want to kiss you.'

-/-

As they walked into the movie theatre in the neighbouring town of Grant they looked more like brothers, punching and bickering at each other. Derek paid though, and rolled his eyes at the amount of sugar treats Stiles ordered. 'I'm not drinking that crap,' Derek muttered as he watched syrup being poured over ice.

'It tastes amazing,' Stiles rubbed his hands together. Derek pocketed some of the candy and lifted the tub of popcorn.

'If you don't hurry up we'll miss the start of the movie,' Derek complained. Stiles turned to him with a grin and offered a cheeky salute. Derek rolled his eyes and turned towards the screens.

The theatre was quiet and practically empty, and they took a seat at the back. Stiles immediately curled into Derek's heat and Derek couldn't resist putting his arm around Stiles, resting the popcorn between them.

'Three weeks,' Stiles whispered into Derek's ear.

John wasn't being obtuse when he told them to be subtle about their relationship, he didn't want Derek's career affected, or his son to have awkward problems at school. He'd agreed that when Stiles turned eighteen John would turn a blind eye to closed bedroom doors and sleepovers so long as no grades suffered.

So far Stiles was doing better than ever at school, and John was delighted about that, he said it often enough. Derek, it seemed, was a good influence as far as John was concerned. He speculated to Derek that it was because Stiles saw how fast hard work had pushed Derek up the career ladder and wanted to achieve that himself.

Not right now though, right now Stiles seemed to be intent on increasing the case of blue balls Derek had been suffering from since he met Stiles nine months ago at the Stilinski dinner table. New to the force and under the protective wing of John Stilinski, Derek had been grateful for the invite home, had been delighted at the chance to meet John's family.

John was one of the kindest men Derek had ever met, and Stiles chasing him, and the relationship it led to had made Derek feel like a real shit. When he caught Derek and Stiles chatting on the porch just a few months ago the first thing Derek felt was relief, followed by fear of what would happen. Nothing had actually happened between them other than some heavy make out sessions and one incident of Stiles coming in his jeans after a few minutes of riding Derek's thigh.

The memory of Stiles's scent, the noises he made had Derek's jeans tightening. Stiles's close proximity didn't help at all.

'Stiles,' Derek warned lowly.

'Derek,' Stiles countered pressing his lips against Derek's neck.

'You said it yourself. Three weeks,' Derek muttered tightening his arm around Stiles's shoulders as Stiles explored the inseam of Derek's jeans. 'Tell me about the rumours at school.'

Stiles huffed and balled his exploring fingers into a fist. 'It was all over the school that the girl was from Ashport. She was a cheerleader but she had an emo girlfriend. Apparently the favourite theory is that the cheerleader's ex-boyfriend was pissed and killed them both.'

'Kids and their rumours,' Derek muttered but he liked the theory and made a mental note to chat to John when he dropped Stiles home. Perhaps they could find out if it was some sort of twisted love triangle.

'Well that's one,' Stiles said. 'There's also the theory that she spontaneously combusted, she was a vampire who forgot to take special meds for sunlight,' he let his words trail off as he glanced at Derek to gauge his reaction.

Derek snorted and wrapped his arm tighter around Stiles as the previews ended and the movie started. Five minutes in Stiles's fingers found the inseam of Derek's jeans again and Derek groaned, preparing for a long evening.

-/-

Derek squeezed Stiles's arm one last time before pulling away and getting into the car. Stiles hung on the door preventing Derek from closing it with a cheeky smirk on his face. Derek raised an eyebrow but Stiles just shrugged at him. 'Text me!' He begged with teasing eyes.

'Don't you mean sext you?' Derek raised an eyebrow. Stiles let his jaw drop and Derek laughed pulling the door closed and starting the engine. Stiles turned away so he wouldn't be caught waving at his boyfriend like a looser.

'You're really into him aren't you?' John said when Stiles closed the front door.

'I thought we had this conversation,' Stiles said. John nodded his head.

'We did but I didn't think you were giving up your dreams for him,' John said. There was a pile of papers in front of him and Stiles realised it was his collage applications. He looked at the top one, Berkeley, and smiled.

'I always intended to go to Beacon Hills. They have some top courses and they run classes online from Berkeley and other great universities too,' Stiles shrugged. 'You're here, and Isaacs here, and now Derek's here. I don't want to leave town and leave my family.'

John sighed. 'I want what's best for you son,' he said with a frown on his face.

'I want that too, and I think I'd like to move out, but I'm not leaving town, I've made my decision.' Stiles said. 'We can't afford me to go running wild across half the country, not with Isaac wanting to go to college too.'

'So if you don't want to live here, and you want to save costs, where do you intend to live?' John asked raising an eyebrow.

'I ah, have a few ideas,' Stiles bit his lip and looked at his shoes. 'I'm going to finish high school and get a job, I could work in a bookshop or coffee shop part time, pay my way,' Stiles shrugged.

'Does Derek know about these plans?' John asked and Stiles noted the teasing tone of his voice.

'I may have mentioned something to him the other day,' Stiles shuffled his feet, 'look dad I should probably get some homework or something done.'

'Uh huh,' John said fully smiling now, 'you do that son.'

'Yeah,' Stiles backed out of the room and fled upstairs. He wasn't lying, he did have homework to finish. As he sat as his desk and listened to the sounds of Green Day coming from Isaac's room he decided his dad had a point, he really needed to talk to Derek about his future. Their future, shared together. Perhaps staying here would be better financially, but the idea of living with Derek sent chills down his back.

Stiles pushed thoughts of the future out of his head. He had Physics and History homework to look forward to and he really wanted to get a head start on an assignment due on Monday and update his revision notes. Stiles worked best when there was more than one subject in front of him, and with highlighter in one hand, and laptop running on his desk Stiles set himself to work.

Derek did text him, later, before bed, asking Stiles how the rest of his night had been. Stiles was just out of the shower and scrubbing the towel over his head when he heard the beep of the cell phone.

How was your night?

Derek's texts, like him, were blunt and to the point.

I'm empty without you baby

Stiles giggled as he sent his reply, biting his lip and waiting for a response.

Idiot

He couldn't help but smile at the message as he popped the light off and rested his head on the pillow.