Stiles was sore, having spent the entirety of Saturday packing up his things into boxes. He was thankful for the pack who came to help him with boxes from Derek. There were some things that he packed himself, like the pile of dirty magazines under his mattress. While others, like his clothing, he left to Lydia to sort to her liking.
Now he sat comfortable in the living room of the Hale house. All of the kids were off somewhere in the house, either working on school work or busying themselves with individual hobbies. It was more comfortable than Stiles had been in his entire life. Or at least since his mother passed.
He truly believed that she was watching out for him, that she would be proud of the young man he had become, despite all odds.
Stiles was thankful that his father had the decency to stay out of the house while he got his affairs in order. It took two car loads, Stiles' Jeep and Derek's Camaro, to haul his belongings. He left a note to his father that he was keeping a key for emergencies but was leaving his debit card, so that the sheriff knew that his hard earned money wasn't being wasted.
The plan was to take the afternoon off on Monday to go to the bank to set up his own bank account and to find a job. At least something part-time for Stiles to do while he attended University, to pay his way. Derek had tried to insist that Stiles just focus on his school work, but Stiles wasn't hearing it.
It was around 2:30 on Sunday when a knock came at the door. Stiles and Derek made it to the door at the same time, and opened it to find that it was Stiles' bedroom set. Derek signed the slip that was handed to him and Stiles showed the delivery men upstairs. They unloaded it all in record time, just leaving the bed for them to put together.
That was how they spent the rest of the afternoon, and it was only when they dropped the mattress into place that Stiles flopped on the bed. "My god this is so comfy," Stiles all but moaned into the pillow top. Derek ruffled his hair before packing up his tools.
"You know what I forgot though?" Stiles groaned as he got up, "Sheets, a comforter, pillows. Do you think it's too late to go to the store?"
"They should still be open if you would like to go," Derek said and so they did. Stiles picked out nice black sheets, a white comforter and soft pillows. He even chose a nice throw pillow to decorate the bed on the odd occasion that he made the bed.
When they got back to the house, Derek offered, "Would you like help making the bed? Two makes it easier."
Stiles smiled, "That would be nice, thank you."
After they were finished, Derek made his way downstairs while Stiles peeked into the kids rooms. He found Isaac finishing up his essay for class and Erica and Boyd were napping. He knew Scott was working at Deaton's and would be home later.
He joined Derek in the living room, "Thank you for all your help this weekend. I appreciate it."
Derek nodded, "Anytime."
They sat there for a while just watching the movie on the television. Until the pups started wandering down. It started with Isaac who sat between them on the couch. He immediately crowded into Stiles' personal space, but reached over with his legs so that they met Derek's. Erica and Boyd followed shortly after, sitting on the love seat.
It felt right, having them all around.
It wasn't until the movie credits scrolled that Stiles started thinking about what they were going to have for dinner. "What do you all feel like having for dinner?" He asked for input.
"Tacos?" Erica asked, looking at Stiles.
"That sounds good to me, any objections?" Stiles asked and when none came he nudged Isaac so that he could stand. "How does a board game after dinner sound?"
To that Erica whooped, "Can I pick it?"
"That's fine with me," Stiles called as he walked into the kitchen.
It didn't take long for Stiles to whip together their dinner and even less time for everyone to eat their fill. When everything was cleaned up, Erica brought over Cards Against Humanity and everyone sat down to play, even Derek.
Stiles saw it as a golden opportunity, this was how he was going to see what Derek's sense of humor was. They all played rock, paper, scissors to see who would go first. Isaac ended up facing off with Derek, but Derek took the win. "You go first Stiles," He said and Stiles grinned.
"Alright," Stiles grabbed up a black card, "This is the prime of my life. I'm young, hot, and full of _."
Erica started snickering as she slapped a card face down on the table. Everyone else slowly joined her as they added their own cards to the pile.
Stiles shuffled the cards before flipping them over. He read over all of them. "This one!" He laughed, "I'm young, hot, and full of crippling debt."
Isaac smiled and grabbed up the black card. "Thank you!"
It was Derek's turn next, "_. Betcha can't have just one."
Stiles looked at his cards very carefully, wondering how inappropriate he was allowed to be. There was one card in particular that he wanted to play: dead parents. He didn't know if Derek would find it funny or offensive. In Stiles opinion, you had to laugh about it otherwise it would kill you.
He put the card down, the worst that could happen was that Derek would pick another card. The older man shuffled the cards and looked them over. Stiles could tell when he saw his card, because he huffed out a laugh and his ears went red.
"Not that one," He said pointedly, though unsure of who played the card. "This one, The Homosexual Agenda, Betcha can't have just one." Stiles laughed as Boyd took the card.
Around and around it went, the evening slowly drifting into cackling laughter the longer they played the game. Something that wouldn't have seemed funny at the beginning of the game was suddenly the funniest thing in the world. Still though, nothing ever really got Derek going. Stiles however, was laughing through tears at Isaac's black card.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and _." Isaac had read.
Stiles was losing his shit as he placed down his card, "I swear to God, if you don't pick my card Isaac."
Isaac did his due diligence and shuffled the cards before looking through them. He blushed to the tips of his ears, flipping a card to show Stiles: Having Sex with a Centaur. Stiles nearly spit as he laughed and shook his head.
The younger boy's eyes widened as he looked at the rest of the cards, much to Erica's amusement. They must have all been dirty. "Uh, this one," Isaac said, flipping the card face up: Actual Dragon Dildos.
Derek smirked as he took the black card, leaving everyone in hysterics. Stiles looked at Derek from across the table, "What's your Hogwarts house?"
"Ravenclaw," Derek said, "You?"
Stiles grinned, "Slytherin."
Derek fondly rolled his eyes, "I could have guessed that."
"I am a Gryffindor," Erica interjected and Stiles looked to Boyd.
"Hufflepuff," He said and finally they all turned to Isaac.
"I've never actually seen the movies, so I don't know." He said sheepishly. Stiles and Erica gasped, having the idea at the exact same time.
"We need to have a movie marathon next weekend!" They shouted together and when Stiles looked at Derek, he was smiling.
"I'll get the movies this week," He said and Stiles was thankful that he was putting up with their antics. "It's late, we should all get to bed, you have school in the morning."
Erica groaned, she really was a night owl. Nevertheless she packed up the game and put it where it went in the hall closet. They all made their way upstairs. Isaac went into his own room and Stiles wondered if he would join him sometime in the night.
He wished Derek a good night before going into his own room. He watched out the windows at the rain, it was coming down pretty heavy and it would be nice to fall asleep to. Before he laid down, he set his alarm for the morning and then he fell asleep.
The next morning, Stiles rushed around the school, turning in his work for all his classes. He let his afternoon teachers know that he would be out and collected his work for that night. It was going to be a busy day.
Around Noon, he made his way to the bank, officially opening his own account. After he was finished he walked down the street to the Beacon Gazette. He had researched it that weekend and they were hiring an intern for the summer.
Stiles was hopeful as he stepped inside and was greeted by the receptionist.
"How can I help you?" She asked with a smile that Stiles returned.
"I'm here to speak with the editor about an internship?" He asked more than stated.
"Your name please?"
"Stiles Stilinski," He gave.
Her face lit up in recognition, "Of course, if you'd like to have a seat, I'll call up and let him know that you're here."
He sat there for what felt like forever but could only have been fifteen minutes. A man in a pair of slacks and a button up came off of the elevator, walking over. "You the Stilinski kid?" He asked and Stiles stomach sank.
He forcefully smiled and reached out to shake the man's hand, "Yes sir, I'm Stiles Stilinksi."
The man smiled, "You're the sheriff's kid! I would have thought you'd follow in your father's footsteps!"
"I enjoy writing," Stiles said shortly, hoping that they could get to the part where he could get the position by his own merit.
"I'm sorry, I didn't even introduce myself, I'm Arnold Valdez the editor-in-chief of the paper," Arnold said motioning for Stiles to follow, "Let me give you a walk around and then we'll sit down."
They walked through the doors to the right of the front desk and into a room filled with large machines. "This is the printing room, you won't be down here much, just to relay messages." Arnold explained, "We print 10,000 copies of the paper every week to put out on Sundays."
They made their way back out to the elevator and when it dinged on the second floor they got off. "This is the press room, we have twelve writers, four floor assistants and two other interns." He said as he walked Stiles through the room of cubicles and into an office at the back.
Stiles glanced around the office, noting the awards and golfing pictures on the walls. He sat in one of the chairs as Arnold sat in the desk chair. "Your father and I go way back, senior year 1983. How's he doing these days?"
"He's doing well, he works a lot so we don't see each other very often." Stiles said honestly, feeling like it was only a half truth.
"It's good that he has you there to take care of him, he always was a hard worker," Arnold said, crossing his arms, "So, tell me about yourself Stiles and why you think you would be a good fit for the position?"
Finally, Stiles thought, "I enjoy writing very much and am well versed in research. I know the position will be to support the team, but I feel that my knowledge can assist those who need it."
"That's great, do you have anything that will get in the way of being here when scheduled?" Arnold asked, writing a quick note.
"No sir, I have nothing going on this summer but I will be starting courses at BHU in the fall." Stiles said, watching the man take more notes.
"The position is for the summer, but if you show promise, it could mean a permanent opportunity," Arnold said, "What will you be pursuing at the University?"
"An English and Journalism degree," Stiles said.
"That's a big undertaking, do you want to be a Journalist one day?" Arnold said with a smile.
"One day, yes. I feel that in this position, I would be able to observe what it takes to be successful." Stiles said, hoping that he was saying the right things.
Arnold laughed, "I like that about you Stiles, you're an optimist. We need that around here. As you can imagine, in a small town like Beacon Hills, good stories are hard to come by."
"You can only write so many stories about the Lacrosse team, huh?" Stiles joked and the editor laughed again.
"Exactly! Some fresh insight would be welcome." Arnold said leaning his elbows against his knees, "I'll tell you what Stiles, I think that you'd be a good fit here. When would you be available to start?"
"The week after graduation," Stiles smiled.
"Perfect!" Arnold grinned, "The schedule will be Monday through Friday, eight to twelve."
"That would be wonderful, thank you so much Mr. Valdez," He shook Arnold's hand again.
"Of course! Keep us updated on your graduation and we'll get you started!" They both stood and Stiles went out the way he came. He waved goodbye to the receptionist and once out of sight on the street, did a little happy dance.
Stiles didn't know what he had done to deserve so many blessings all at once, but he was ecstatic. He drove home listening to Viva La Vida, singing along and jamming out. When he pulled up, Derek was sitting on the porch swing reading.
He stuck his head out the window as he threw the Jeep in park. "You won't believe it!" He shouted, hopping out of the car and rushing up the porch stairs.
"You got the job," Derek looked at him bemused.
"I got the fucking job!" Stiles yelled with a grin, "Granted I think that I got it because I'm the sheriffs son, but I still got it!"
"Congratulations Stiles, I knew you could do it," Derek said as Stiles sat beside him.
"I feel like I can do anything right now," Stiles sighed, pushing them off to gently swing back and forth.
"That's because you can," Derek encouraged and Stiles smiled softly at him. Things were finally looking up.