This is the end! Thank you all~
37 Void
Stiles didn't cry sending off Scott and Cora for college. He did kiss them both on the cheek and tell them to text frequently so he wouldn't miss them.
Scott whispered, "Dude, are you crying?"
"No, but my eyes are glistening with my love for you, Scott." Stiles fluttered his eyelashes.
Cora said, "We'll be fine, Stiles."
"It's me I'm worried about," Stiles insisted. "You've seen Derek and Peter in a room together for more than five minutes before. I can't handle that alone."
She rolled her eyes, but Stiles thought it was in an amused way.
They made their goodbyes to Malia, Derek, and Peter with many promises to call and visit. Stiles guessed Scott had already said goodbye to his mom. Then Cora and Scott climbed into the car Peter was 'lending' Scott to move in. Scott would drop her off at the airport, and Peter would get out of actually being helpful. Stiles wondered how long it had taken for Melissa to agree.
Derek and Malia both headed inside the house. They were installing a physical secret door to the basement and disguising it as shelves of laundry detergent and towels. Derek had kidnapped Stiles' laptop to watch YouTube tutorials for two days straight before announcing his plans and taking Peter's (not secret but Stiles hadn't known about it) truck to buy supplies.
Stiles pulled Peter to the back porch where they could pretend to be alone. They could have walked into the woods, but there wasn't furniture there. Stiles sat in a patio chair, holding Peter's hand and enjoying the sunlight.
"Would you rather you had never come here?" Peter asked, clearly trying to spoil a perfectly good morning.
"That's not fair," Stiles said.
"So that's a yes?"
Stiles grunted. He wasn't sure how to answer. If he never came here, he would be with his friends and his dad. Technically, he'd be in Washington DC, but in the same universe as them with ways to visit and talk. Of course he still wanted that.
But he'd never have met Peter and his pack. This was a new family. Their place in his heart wasn't as strong, but they still had a place. He liked them, and he liked being here. He wanted that too.
He just wanted to have both at once, and he couldn't.
"Someday," Stiles said, "I'm going to have been here longer than I was there. Maybe then it won't be so hard."
"Maybe it'll be a different hard," Peter said, "Maybe I'll finally come first."
"Sorry," Stiles said.
Peter waved his hand like he was shooing Stiles apology away. "I'm not a fool, Stiles. I know what home means to you."
"Then why ask?"
"I was curious what you'd say."
"That's mean. You owe me ice cream now."
"If you keep making me feed you, you really will be Fat Stiles."
Stiles punched his arm, light enough that he knew it wouldn't hurt.
"Terrible. I told you not to strike with a closed fist." Peter shook his head.
He took Stiles' hand in his and pressed their palms together. He ran his other hand along Stiles' arm, training his gaze on its progress.
"The void is keeping you up at night," Peter mused as his fingers reached Stiles' neck.
"It will pass," Stiles assured him.
Peter's fingers slipped behind Stiles' ear to stroke his hair. "How can you be sure?"
"I won't give in, so it won't have any other choice."
His fingers trailed back down Stiles' neck to his chest. "Has it been this bad before?"
"No."
"Then how do you know you won't give in?"
Stiles grabbed Peter's hand as it reached his waist. "It's supposed to scare me, but I'm not afraid. It will pass."
"When? What if you go to college, and it's still there, but I'm not?"
"I'll figure it out then," Stiles said.
"That is a terrible plan."
Stiles pressed forward to kiss Peter, shoving him down so he leaned across the arm of his patio chair.
"I don't care," Stiles said, looming over Peter. "Plans go south."
"I like plans. What plan has wronged you?"
"My entire life plan, Peter." Rolling his eyes, Stiles pulled back.
"Ah, I suppose I wasn't part of it."
"Don't worry. I've amended every plan to 'wing it.'"
"I'm definitely worried. You are aware that everyone believes you're acting rashly in regards to me, correct?"
"You're aware that you talk like you're trying too hard, correct?"
"If your plan is 'wing it,' does that mean you are, indeed, acting rashly?"
"Is that a problem?" Stiles asked.
"My plan was to resist your wiles and remain a professional alpha in all respects, so I think we can safely say I'm winging it too," Peter said wryly.
"Does it count as wiles if I'm not trying to seduce you? Because I wasn't."
Peter shrugged. "I did always wonder if you knew the sound of water doesn't hide what you do in the shower."
Stiles coughed. "I mean, it hid more than nothing would have, right?"
"It's the thought that counts." Peter smirked.
Stiles leaned forward. "Is that why, if we showered at the same time, you always took longer than I did?"
Peter grabbed a handful of Stiles' shirt and pulled him forward into a kiss.
When his lips were free, Stiles asked, "You always seemed pleased when I refused to let you outsmart me. Is that what you really wanted to do in those moments?"
"Mm-hm," Peter murmured, pulling him in for another kiss.
He pulled back again, and Stiles said, "Maybe you shouldn't stop doing that. You don't want me to forget how great it is when I go off to college next semester. Who knows how hot my classmates will be?" Stiles grinned as he teased.
Peter was unperturbed. "It won't matter. You have a taste for older men now, so it's the professors I'm worried about."
Stiles laughed. "I'll be sure to only have ugly teachers, for your sake."
"I'm wealthy and don't have to work, so I'm sure I can visit you frequently enough to keep you loyal," Peter said.
"Please do."
"I may need a larger pack to be sure they're safe while I'm away."
"Did you just use our relationship as an excuse to bite someone?" Stiles asked, squinting at Peter.
"Multiple someones," Peter corrected.
"Oh, that's better then."
"I would let them choose, and you could have just said no."
Derek had let Erica and Boyd choose, and they still wound up dead.
"Would you listen?" Stiles asked.
"I believe we're in what they call the honeymoon phase, so I'll do whatever my sweet boyfriend asks."
"Was that a hint to ask for something?" Stiles didn't think he needed anything. After a moment, he thought of, "Can I have my old Jeep back?"
"If it still runs," Peter said.
"You mean you have it?"
"Of course I do."
"I thought Other Me sold his stuff."
"He asked me to sell everything for him, so I put what seemed important in a storage unit and sold the rest with the house."
"Oh." Stiles had not expected that.
"If it's any less astounding, I had Derek select what to keep," Peter said.
"Sorry."
Peter shrugged. "I can show you and give you a key. The Jeep is parked in a garage, and I can get you access to that too. I do suggest you ask him for permission to access his bank accounts, but you won't be out of money either way." After a moment, Peter added, "If you'd like, I can also show you where his father's grave is."
Stiles nodded mutely.
"We don't have to do any of that now," Peter said, "but there is something I wanted to talk to you about."
Stiles shrugged. "Shoot."
Peter stroked Stiles cheek. "They think they see something in you that they didn't before, but you know they're wrong."
"I already told Lydia I accept that I'm not the same now."
"You're pretending it's because the void is calling you, but they void chose you because of who you already were." Peter brought his hand back past Stiles' jaw to massage his neck. Stiles wasn't sure if it was meant to be comforting, or if Peter couldn't resist touching him.
"You know it's okay to settle in a little before you start trying to convince me I'm better off here," Stiles said.
"Is that what I'm doing?"
Stiles rolled his eyes.
"The void can't tempt you if you don't want to go," Peter noted.
"I just thought we were having fun instead of deep conversations," Stiles said.
"Is this deep?" Peter asked. He leaned forward to press his nose to Stiles' neck and take a deep breath. "I swear I can smell it boiling just beneath your skin."
"Are you a real person? Does anyone talk like that?"
Stiles shuddered as Peter ran his tongue along his throat as if to see if he could taste it too.
"Depends on the person. You, for example, deflect." Peter pulled back, smirking. "Just because your friends didn't see it, doesn't mean it wasn't there."
"Am I to believe you saw this vague and mysterious 'it' that had better not be a fucking clown?" Stiles asked.
"Now who's trying too hard?" Peter asked, smirking. "And, yes. So did you. It's why you wouldn't accept the bite."
"Because I was afraid I'd go too far," Stiles said. "Does that mean I'm evil now? Did your nefarious plot to corrupt me succeed? Is this why I keep wanting to give Malia poisoned apples?"
Peter rolled his eyes. "You're not evil. You're practical to the point of ruthlessness."
"I'm the one trying to convince you we need peace with the Argents."
"You're also the one who used Merc's death against Jacob to force an alliance. You told me Lydia wouldn't do the same against Lair, which means you suggested it. You abandoned your homeworld and the people in it and only told them after the fact. Should I go on?"
"So what you're saying is I am your perfect boyfriend."
"Obviously."
"And maybe a little more the person I feared I was than the one I thought I was."
"The thing about fear is that it's not so bad once you become the one to inspire it."
"How would your therapist feel about you saying that?" Stiles prodded.
"I don't pay him to feel," Peter said.
"But you do pay him to provide a professional opinion."
Peter narrowed his eyes. "Why? Are you considering couple's counseling so soon?"
"I just really want this to work between us. I mean you're incredibly hot."
Peter actually chuckled at that. He studied Stiles a moment before letting out a sigh and saying, "I started this; I should be prepared to participate. My therapist advises I lead rather than intimidate, but he admits to having no answer for how to deal with being literally hunted like an animal."
"He knows you're a werewolf?"
"He wouldn't be much help if I had to lie to him about that," Peter said. "It would provide too good an excuse for other lies."
"Does he know about me?" Stiles asked.
Peter said, "He advised me not to covet you solely for the unavailability inherent in belonging to another universe."
"Damn."
Peter shrugged. "He said other reasons may be fine."
"May be?"
"Depending on the reason. Dating you wouldn't work out if I liked you for being weak and impressionable."
"Did he never advise you to talk to me directly?" Stiles asked.
"You're a guest in my house and several years my junior. I am the alpha, and you're only recently pack. That's what they call a power imbalance. I still haven't figured out if we spar because I told you to or because you secretly admit I'm right."
Stiles frowned. "Heather was right. You've abducted me to do your dirty work."
"What?"
"Ha! I win." Stiles grinned.
"You mean she suspected me of using my position to manipulate you," Peter said, clearly annoyed at being a step behind.
"Yeah, but she didn't know about werewolves."
Peter nodded. "She wasn't fully wrong, though you refused to be molded."
Stiles patted Peter's cheek. "We all have to fail sometimes."
Peter smiled. "I've never been so pleased to fail."
"That is the most romantic thing you've ever said to me. To be fair, that bar was so low it sat on the ground."
"I live to please." Peter smirked.
"To please me," Stiles corrected.
The smirk widened into a smile. "I live to please you." Peter glanced back toward the house. "What do you think my odds of getting Malia or Derek to bring us drinks are?"
Stiles laughed. "I guess that depends on if we want them thrown at us."
Sighing, Peter stood. "What do you want?"
"Whatever's cold," Stiles said.
"It's your fridge too. You know exactly what's in it, so don't be coy."
"I feel so called out right now," Stiles said, feigning indignant shock. "Bring me orange soda."
Peter rolled his eyes. He was gone for a moment and returned with two Sunkists and a smile. Stiles was still caught off guard by Peter's smiles. He looked like a different person, open and happy.
"Are you staring because I'm pretty or because you spaced out?" Peter asked.
"Pretty," Stiles answered without hesitation. He opened his soda and took a drink. He'd been spaced out too, but spaced out thinking about Peter.
Stiles set his drink aside on the patio table and hopped onto Peter's lap. "I thought of something else I want from you."
"What's that?" Peter put his arms around Stiles and smirked up at him.
Stiles kissed him and tangled his fingers in Peter's hair. He could get used to kissing Peter. He loved the bite of Peter's teeth against his lips and the feel of Peter's hands running over his body, under his shirt.
"I can hear you!" Derek shouted from inside the house. He beat on the wall between them that was far too little to block a werewolf's hearing.
"Which means you know I'm enjoying myself and would like to be left alone," Stiles called back while Peter smirked. Stiles remembered he used to find that smirk infuriating, but damn was it sexy. Stiles leaned in to whisper, "Have they been listening the whole time?"
"I'm not so careless," Peter assured him.
Peter lifted Stiles from his lap. They were the same height, but Peter's strength meant he could lift Stiles as easily as he would a child.
"Hey!" Stiles squawked.
Peter set him back down where he'd been sitting and knelt in front of Stiles with his hands on the insides of his thighs.
"We could always give them something to listen to," Peter suggested coyly.
Stiles forgot how words worked. He knew they were shared via the mouth, but there was some sort of order or structure required. There were other things to do with mouths.
Peter cocked his head. "They went downstairs."
The basement was still well insulated, if not supernaturally soundproofed. Stiles would figure out how to fix it eventually. Not right now.
Peter turned his smirk on Stiles. "Now, was I teasing them or you?" He ran one hand along the seam of Stiles' jeans.
They were outside, but in the middle of nowhere with their privacy all but assured. They hadn't had sex yet. Stiles didn't even sleep cuddled in Peter's bed, though Peter visited his when the void kept him up.
Stiles tried to imagine a better first time, one more befitting their relationship. He couldn't. Stiles didn't want candles and rose petals floating on a bubble bath. He wanted something messy and fun. He wanted to do things because he felt like it instead of because he felt like he should. He wanted Peter to do more than pet his leg.
"Blow me, Peter," he said.
Peter's smirk widened into a grin. He tugged Stiles forward by his shirt for a rough kiss. Then he pushed Stiles back and did as he was told.
Eventually, they made it back inside to Peter's bed. The void still pulled at Stiles, but he held it at bay with Peter's arms around him like a shield. Laying with Peter was enough. It may not be all he wanted, but it was enough.