When I'm Gone

by MissYuki1990

Stiles is leaving. For GOOD if he has any say in it. He gave everything to them and received nothing in return, so who can blame him for wanting to leave and find his place in the world. Apparently? Everyone and their uncle. WARNINGS IN THE CHAPTER, RATED M FOR A REASON

9. Take Me As I Am

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The song featuring in this chapter is 'Take Me As I am' sung by David Cook. I claim no rights to this song.

This chapter will have Explicit - Mature themes (SMUT-BEWARE!).

I hope you'll enjoy it!

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Like an adventurous seafarer am I,
Who hath some long and dangerous voyage been,
and, called to tell of his discovery,
how far he sailed, what countries he had seen;

Proceeding from the port whence he put forth,
shown by his compass how his course he steered,
when East, when West, when South, and when by North,
as how to Pole to every place was reared.

What capes he doubled, of what Continent,
the gulfs and straits that strangely he had past,
where most becalmed, where with foul weather spent,
and on what rocks in peril to be cast:

Thus in my love, Time calls me to relate
my tedious travels and oft-varying fate.

- Drayton, Sonnet I

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"Stiles, tell your pet to stop staring at me like I'm his next meal." The coyote snickered and Stiles smirked in amusement.

He tapped the right armrest of Derek's chair in which he was sitting and the coyote, after he practically grinned at Jackson, hopped over to Stiles, took a seat beside his legs and placed his head in Stiles' lap. Stiles placed his right hand on the coyote's head, and the animal whined in pleasure, making everyone raise an eyebrow at him.

"His name is Dagda," Stiles said, and said coyote licked his hand, "and he's not my pet. He's my familiar."

"Familiar?" Derek asked.

Dagda raised his head and tilted it to the side, and Derek raised an eyebrow at him. Stiles snickered and Derek looked at the back of his head.

"What is it?" he asked and Stiles flicked Dagda's nose, making the coyote place his head back in Stiles' lap.

"Nothing," Stiles said carelessly, but all of them could hear the suppressed happiness in his voice.

"You can already talk to him?" Deaton asked and the teen looked at him from under his messy fringe.

"We've been together for nine months now," Stiles said and Dagda whined, pushing against Stiles' hand.

Stiles started petting him immediately, and Dagda settled his head in his lap again.

"We stumbled upon one another while I was passing through Panama on my way to Salem. I ran into a Wicca coven, and spent a few days with them because I had no idea why this coyote was following me around like a lost pup. By then I've managed to 'get acquainted' with some of my powers. He scented it on me. We spent a week alone in the wild. He traveled with me, which basically meant going on foot or climbing cargo trains because no one wanted a coyote in their car." Stiles snickered while Dagda huffed as if offended.

"Is that why it took you a year to come back?" John asked and the air suddenly filled with tension.

Everyone was looking at Stiles, but the only eyes Stiles could actually feel were Derek's. He was behind him, leaning against the wall, keeping an eye on everything but mostly on the teen; as if he was trying to make sure Stiles was really there. Not one of them could believe that he was really with them.

They were all afraid that somehow they were dreaming and that he was visiting their dream like Derek told them he visited his.

"Mostly, yeah." Stiles shrugged and settled back in his seat comfortably. "Like I said, I couldn't hitchhike with him. Several times we waited together for a cargo train and simply rode on it until we felt like getting off. I had a general direction in mind." He chuckled and Dagda huffed. "Several times we almost got caught crossing the borders. I'm lucky my face never showed up on the Most Wanted list in any of the states we visited since we sneaked in over the borders. I couldn't afford losing him."

Dagda whined and nuzzled his big head against Stiles' thigh.

"You said he's your familiar. What does that mean?" Isaac asked and leaned forward, blue eyes flicking between the animal and his partner. Stiles noticed the moment they took seats that the younger teen wanted to pat Dagda. He was looking at the coyote with big eyes filled with wonder.

Stiles tapped Dagda's snout with two fingers and he looked up at the human, shooting him an actual glare, only to have Stiles raise an eyebrow at him causing the coyote to roll his eyes. He got up and walked over to Isaac, and teen's eyes widened when the coyote stopped in front of him. A moment later Dagda rumbled, climbed his front legs on Isaac's knees and licked his nose, making the teen actually giggle.

Stiles smiled and relaxed into the armchair. "He and I are bonded. It's not uncommon among witches, Wicca and druids to have Familiars. The fact is that they are hard to find. I was lucky."

"So which one are you?" Lydia asked and leaned forward in interest, setting her chin on the back of her hand.

"I never thought about what I am," Stiles muttered thoughtfully. "I don't use standard magic like the witches, although I know some spells. I'm not a Wicca, that's for sure, and as for being a druid?" he shrugged. "That depends on how you look at it."

"You're a Guardian." Stiles' eyes met Deaton's, and Stiles smiled at him.

"You could say that, yes. Although I still have a ways to go."

"How come you came back, then?" Derek asked and Stiles chuckled as he bowed his head a bit.

"Because you can't be a Guardian if you have nothing to guard," he spoke in a warm voice and Dagda whined, hopped off of Isaac's knees and strutted over to Stiles. He raised his front legs in Stiles' lap and laid his head over them, and Stiles chuckled again, petting Dagda's head lovingly.

"I know the theory. I know what I need to do in which situation. I know how to take care of myself. All I need to do is continue practicing my powers. But like I said; you can't be a Guardian if you have nothing to guard."

"So, where have you been?" Scott asked and Stiles grinned.

"And start with how you managed to get away from your grandparents. You're calling them by the way." Stiles snickered at John.

"It was easy." He shrugged. "After I came to them, I unpacked and started thinking. I knew I couldn't stay there. There are packs in South Carolina, and another pretty big one in North Carolina, but I was looking for older packs. I figured that the best way for me to stay as safe as possible without bringing anyone else in danger was to keep moving, so I packed only what was absolutely necessary, sold everything of value and hitched a ride for Colorado. From there I walked to Arizona and wandered onto the territory of a Native American pack."

"I stayed with them for three weeks. They taught me a lot of things in such a short time. I was constantly studying. From there I made my way towards Salem. I was hoping I would run into the were-bear pack, but I didn't manage to find them. I stumbled upon that Wicca Coven and met Dagda. Salem was a waste of time. I found the Witches, but they couldn't teach me anything. They work with outer forces and I had a pretty good understanding of them by then. They knew a few things about being a Spark, but they couldn't teach me anything."

Dagda looked up and whined and Stiles raised an eyebrow at him.

"Go and catch yourself something to eat, you lazy lump. Just because we're home now, doesn't mean I'll serve you," Stiles grumbled and Dagda snapped his teeth at him, making Stiles flick his nose again. "Do you want to lose your fur?" Dagda growled, got up and walked out of the house with his head bowed and low growls rumbling in his chest.

"Is it alright to treat your familiar like that?" Melissa asked and Stiles snorted.

"Please. With how many times he bit me for whatever reason he's lucky I didn't glue his snout shut. But..." a small smile tugged on his lips and he shrugged, "he's a good friend. I would have given up on everything months ago if it weren't for him. He kept me going."

"I remember reading about Familiars in the diary you sent me for Christmas," Lydia said. "You wrote that familiars often represent your spirit animal."

"Good thing you reminded me of that. I have a few things to add in that diary," Stiles muttered and Lydia raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes; more often than not the familiar is the animal impersonation of the person the familiar is bonded to. I'm afraid that that's not the case when it comes to Dagda and me. We disagree on too many things for him to be my exact copy."

"But what does that mean?" John asked.

"Dagda is the impersonation of your other half." Everyone looked at Peter, and Stiles snickered.

"What gave it away?" he asked with a mischievous smirk.

"You named him Dagda." Stiles looked at Deaton who was looking at the teen with a small mysterious smile, while everyone but Peter listened with apt attention, trying to see what Peter and Deaton saw. "While there are Irish legends about the deity called Dagda, the name itself has a few meanings, one of which is 'Leader of Men'." Stiles chuckled and a shiver ran down his spine when he heard Derek shift behind him.

"Right at once," he praised and Deaton smiled at him knowingly while Peter snorted. "And, by the way, it was not my idea for him to lead you around on a merry goose chase through the forest. It was just his way of giving me time to gather enough courage to come to you."

"It was you!" Erica cried out triumphantly and Stiles snickered.

"With Scott and me as well?" Isaac looked at Scott, and Stiles nodded.

"I didn't know how to approach you, so I thought I'd check out how you all are without showing myself. To be perfectly honest I wouldn't have come to you today if Dagda didn't decide to act. I couldn't help myself so I came into the house to see what you did with it. He stopped me from leaving before you came in."

"You wouldn't have been able to pass beside us," Jackson said and Stiles shook his head with a quiet, almost subdued laugh.

"Trust me, Jacks. If I didn't want you to see me, you wouldn't have." Jackson frowned at Stiles' words. "I learned a lot. You'll see with time, no doubt."

"You also changed a lot." Stiles looked at John when he heard his father's heavy tone. He took a deep breath as he tilted his head to the side with a small, thoughtful smile.

"I guess I did; change, that is." He looked at his dad and smiled almost peacefully.

"I can hardly connect the man in front of me with the hyperactive, spastic teen I knew a year ago." John chuckled although his eyes were full of melancholy and fond memories.

"Well, apparently, my ADHD? It was my Spark. All this extra energy had to manifest somehow. I don't know if anyone noticed, but I stopped using Adderall quite a long time ago." Stiles shifted in the armchair a bit, crossing long lean legs before resting his hands on them.

"Around the time you used mountain ash for the first time." Everyone looked at Derek when he spoke up and Stiles nodded.

"Yeah. At first I started forgetting to take it and then – then I guess I didn't need it anymore. It started to turn into what it's supposed to be. I'm afraid that things would have been ugly had I stayed here." Stiles shivered and everyone frowned in worry. "There's a nice piece of dry land somewhere in Mexico where Dagda and I slept on my birthday. My powers went completely out of control. It attracted several omegas, a bunch of Fairies and an old Shaman to me. I dare say that Dagda saved my life because I was barely useful for the next few days. He protected me while the Shaman helped me get a hold of myself. After that I traveled with him to Venezuela and after that through the Amazon forest. Now that was an adventure."

He huffed and shook his head as memories flashed through those expressive eyes.

"I had to carry Dagda almost all the time because the poor thing could hardly walk through those rain forests. Once we reached Peru things got easier. We completely bypassed the Amazon forest on our way back, though. I have no desire to visit it ever again." He shivered and twitched making everyone chuckle at him.

"You've seen a lot of things," Melissa commented with a loving smile.

"You have no idea." Stiles drawled, voice dripping with sarcastic amusement. "I've met so many different people, learned so many different things, and there's so much more." His smile dimmed a bit and his eyes darkened. "But – But even though I've seen it all and – and even though I would love to see more…" he raised his head and looked at everyone before he tilted his head slightly to the side and looked at Derek, "I can't go on like that anymore. I've found my place."

"We're glad you did," Scott said and Stiles smiled at him. In the next moment Isaac yawned and rubbed his eyes, trying to chase the sleep away, and Stiles chuckled and slowly stood up.

"I think we should all go to sleep now. I have no doubt that all of you had a busy day and I haven't slept for almost a week. I need to find…"

"If you even think of saying that you need to find a place to stay, I'll rip your throat out." Stiles raised an eyebrow at Derek. "With my teeth."

Stiles grinned. "Thought you'd forgotten," he drawled and Derek smirked.

"There's more than enough room here," the alpha spoke warmly. "You're pack. Everyone lives here."

Stiles' eyes were glowing with something no one could describe as he stared at Derek. "Sure." His voice sounded strangely tight. "Dagda will probably stay outside. He loves to sleep in the forest."

Derek nodded. "I have a feeling he'll let himself in if he'll want to." Stiles' lips twitched into a smile as everyone slowly stood up with Stiles rotating his shoulders slowly, before cranking his neck.

"I'll see you in the morning?" John asked as he walked over to hug Stiles.

"I have a feeling I could sleep for a week, but yeah," Stiles gifted his dad with a loving smile, "I'll see you in the morning." John clapped Stiles' back before he moved back and kissed his forehead. "Good night, son."

One by one they came to hug Stiles before they left to their rooms.

"We need to catch up, dude," Scott whispered as he pulled Stiles into a tight hug.

"We'll have all the time in the world." Peter winked at Stiles as he followed after John. Soon enough, Stiles and Derek were the only ones in the room.

Stiles took a deep breath and turned around to face the alpha. Derek was studying him quietly with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes focused on Stiles' face as if he was trying to cut it into his memory. Stiles cleared his throat and shifted his weight, feeling slightly apprehensive under the alpha's careful scrutiny.

"You've changed," Derek murmured and Stiles stopped moving in favor of looking at Derek.

"You changed as well," he spoke softly and Derek snorted with a small smile on his face. He took a few steps towards Stiles and lowered his arms.

"Not as much as you," he answered in what was barely above a whisper.

Stiles bowed his head a little; trying to avoid looking in Derek's scorching eyes. He shivered when Derek cupped his cheeks gently and pushed his head up. Stiles' breath hitched in his throat and warmth spread down his body when Derek's warm breath fanned over his flushed cheeks.

"I still can't believe you're really here. It feels like a dream. It feels like – like if I go to bed I will wake up and find you gone."

"I'm here, Derek," Stiles whispered and leaned closer. "I'm here."

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This is no escape.
This is no surrender, my dear.

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Derek swallowed difficultly, leaned his forehead against Stiles' and breathed in his scent. Now that Stiles was less than a breath away from him, it was almost overwhelming.

His warmth.

His scent.

His quiet strength.

A shiver shook Derek's body when Stiles covered his hands with his, before he took Derek's right hand in his left and led it to his chest, pressing it right over his heart.

"Can you feel it?" he whispered and Derek nodded.

He could hear it; the steady beating of Stiles' heart. So unlike what Derek remembered, and yet so painfully familiar; so close to his own heart.

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This is my parade;
my happy ever after,
only if you're here.

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Stiles swallowed difficultly and squeezed Derek's hands tightly.

"I'm here, Derek. I'm back. I swear on it. I'm back. And I'm not leaving."

Derek squeezed his eyes tightly shut and Stiles' bottom lip quivered. Derek's mouth opened and closed several times, no words passing lightly chapped lips as he tried to formulate his thoughts into coherent sentences.

A hardly audible whine escaped Derek's throat when Stiles flattened his body with the alpha's, his warmth enveloping Derek, and the werewolf let go of a choked up breath.

"To leave poor me thou hast the strength of laws," Derek choked out, unable to come up with anything else, and having no other way to express the heavy doubts - the demons still haunting him, "since why to love I can allege no cause."

Stiles' breath hitched somewhere in his throat. His heart was beating painfully in his chest, and the hold he had on Derek's hands wasn't strong enough for him not to notice the way the alpha was shivering.

"You're an – You're an idiot, Derek Hale." Derek's eyes snapped open and he tensed up for a second before he saw the silly smile on Stiles' face. "You're an idiot if you thought for a second that you don't have the right of anyone loving you; of me loving you."

"I'm just-"

"Remember what you told me?" Stiles interjected and Derek frowned, "That despite everything I am, despite all the flaws I have to you I will always be Stiles." Derek nodded. "You are Derek Hale, and you'll always be Derek Hale to me. You'll always be my Sourwolf; you'll always be this – this self-depreciating, weary, strict, disciplined, cynical, smart, protective, possessive, obsessive, secretly-a-geek werewolf I fell in love with."

Derek let go of a weak, quiet laugh and Stiles smiled when Derek pulled him into a hug.

"You'll always be my alpha," Stiles whispered in Derek's ear as he wrapped his arms around Derek's wide shoulders, and shivered when Derek buried his face in Stiles' neck.

"Always."

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When I'm lost and broken
take me as I am,
right here where I stand.
Open up your arms and let me in.

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John covered his lips with a finger, making Peter raise an eyebrow at him. The sheriff smirked and pointed at the couch. Peter peaked inside the living room only to suppress a snicker. Wrapped up in each other's arms, with Dagda sleeping under their legs, were Derek and Stiles. The teen was practically sleeping on Derek and the alpha's arms were wrapped securely around Stiles, making sure he doesn't fall.

The two men walked out of the living room and, as quietly as they cloud, closed the door.

"I'd say everything went alright," Peter muttered as they moved back for their rooms. They were surprised when they found the rest of the pack on top of the stairs, looking at them nervously.

When they saw the smiles on their faces, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. Things were finally looking up.

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"Good morning." Peter looked up from his newspaper at his nephew and alpha. Although he was still half asleep, Peter dared say that Derek looked better than he did for the past year.

"Morning, Derek. Stiles still sleeping?"

"Like a log," Derek muttered and poured himself a cup of coffee. Peter snickered and folded the papers. He put them on the table and smiled up at Derek in amusement when the alpha took a seat at the table.

"He did say he hadn't slept for a week." Derek snorted and Peter smirked. "You look good, Derek." The alpha raised an eyebrow at Peter's words only to shrug a moment later.

"He's back," he offered as an explanation and Peter chuckled.

"I can already feel the change in the air."

They heard shuffling in the hallway and a few moments later Scott, Isaac, Erica and Lydia walked into the kitchen with huge smiles on their faces.

"Morning!" Erica called out happily and made her way over to the fridge while the others offered sleepy but happy 'good morning's. They moved around the kitchen quickly, gathering breakfast and coffee before they took seats around the table.

"I still can't believe he's back," Scott said and Isaac grinned at him.

"I thought I dreamt it last night." Scott smiled at his boyfriend while Lydia scoffed.

"Everyone thought that. I do believe it will take a while for me to actually get used to the fact that he's with us again."

"You know what's strange?" Erica asked openly drawing the attention to herself. "I actually feel as though he never left." The others exchanged glances and Derek nodded.

"In a way, I feel so too." Everyone smiled at Derek and went back to their breakfasts. "John still in bed?" Derek asked and Peter nodded.

"This is his first free weekend in months. Can you blame him? He did get up to check up on the both of you and went right back to bed. Although I have no doubt he'll wake up in an hour or so."

"Morning." Melissa came in and started going around the table, kissing everyone's cheeks. She ruffled Isaac's hair and the teen grinned around a bite of his sandwich. "Everyone sleep alright?" she made herself a cup of coffee and Derek stood up so she could take a seat. She smiled at him and Derek made his way out of the kitchen.

"We slept great. Best sleep I had in months."

Derek smiled at Isaac's answer as he slowly opened the door of the living room and got in. He closed the door and silence immediately settled over him. He walked over to the couch and raised an eyebrow when he saw that Dagda had taken Derek's place beside Stiles.

The teen threw his right arm around the coyote and nuzzled his face in the soft fur of Dagda's neck. Dagda was half sleeping on Stiles, with his lower body lying over Stiles' waist, and half on the couch. It looked as though he was protecting Stiles, and Derek couldn't help but smirk. He took another step towards the couch only to stop when Dagda opened his eyes and looked up at Derek. A growl rumbled in his chest and Stiles grumbled in his sleep.

"D'gda, shut up," Stiles mumbled through a sleep-laden limb and Derek snorted in amusement. The coyote licked Stiles' forehead and the teen whined. He let go of his Familiar and Dagda jumped on the ground while Stiles rubbed his face with the back of his hand.

"Idiot," he muttered.

Derek raised an eyebrow when Dagda shot him a warning glance. The coyote walked over to the door, jumped up to open them and pushed them closed once he was out of the room. Derek hummed and looked back at Stiles. He shivered when he saw the look on Stiles' face.

His eyes were still warm from sleep; his expression was both calm and filled with wonder, and Derek felt warmth spread down his body.

"Hey…" Stiles murmured sleepily and Derek smiled at him. He walked over to the couch when Stiles pushed himself up and patted the seat beside him. Derek took a seat and raised an eyebrow when Stiles lied back down with his head on Derek's right thigh. Derek chuckled and brushed his fingers through Stiles' hair.

"Did you sleep well?" Derek asked.

"I could sleep for a week." Stiles shifted around before he could look up at Derek. "But I did sleep well. Best sleep I had in a year." Derek smiled and settled more comfortably. Stiles' closeness did things to him, but he pushed it all away. They had time.

They had all the time in the world.

"Everyone awake?" Stiles asked.

"Jackson, Boyd and your dad are still asleep. Everyone else is already in the kitchen. They'll come in when they're done with breakfast." Stiles groaned and Derek raised an eyebrow at him when he buried his face in Derek's side.

"Don't get me wrong, I love them all to death. But I so need to rest a bit." Derek chuckled and rubbed Stiles' head with his fingers.

"They'll understand. We have time. You can rest as much as you want." Stiles sighed and peaked up at Derek. His fingers were in Stiles' hair and the teen could feel himself falling asleep again.

"I missed you," Stiles whispered making Derek frown. "I missed them. I missed you. It was hard. It was hard staying away." He snorted and closed his eyes. "I had to go as far south as possible to stop myself from coming back. I buried myself in studying. I did whatever it took to tire myself so much that I'd simply fall asleep as soon as I'd see a flat surface. But every moment - every second I had you on my mind."

"I kept wondering if you were all safe, I kept worrying about my dad; I couldn't – I couldn't stop thinking about all of you." He opened his eyes and looked up at Derek. "I couldn't stop thinking about you. I worried constantly about you. All those questions. Were you alright? Did you manage to open up to them? Were you sleeping alright? Were you alone? Did they try to talk to you? Did they manage to make you talk? Did they manage to make you relax a bit? Were you still waiting for me?"

"Stiles…"

"I couldn't – I couldn't bear the thought of you being alone, Derek. I know how easy it is to feel alone even when you're surrounded by people who care about you. I know how easy it is to close yourself inside of your own mind. I couldn't – Those five days before I left, I – We got a taste of how things would be if only we stood by each other; if only we opened up to each other. In those five short days, we saw what it means to be pack; to be family. I constantly worried if you remained together." Stiles shook his head, burrowing further into Derek.

"I – I contacted Deaton first because – because I just had to know. When he told me you were working on becoming a real pack – when he told me how hard all of you worked on opening up to each other – I was so happy. I just had to contact you too. I had to see for myself that you were alright. But – But when I saw you – you looked so sad. I could see how much you've changed already, but you still seemed so sad."

"Because you weren't there," Derek murmured as he brushed his fingers through Stiles' hair. "After you left, we decided that we would continue working on trying to be a real pack. We decided to renovate the house. It helped us get closer; but it also kept us from thinking about you too much."

He chuckled and shook his head, and Stiles frowned a bit when he saw sadness in Derek's eyes.

"But no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't stop thinking about you. Everything reminded us of you. Wherever we looked, whatever we did, we couldn't stop thinking about you. We couldn't stop wondering where you were; what were you doing, were you alright, did something happen to you – did you miss us as much as we missed you? We were constantly waiting for you to call in; for you to tell us you were alright. We were constantly getting closer, but there was always this – this gaping, empty place among us."

Stiles pushed himself up, his back turned on Derek. The alpha looked towards the door and raised an eyebrow when he saw that they were ajar. He took a deep breath and looked at the back of Stiles' head again.

"We tried – we really tried to grow both individually and as a Pack, but we felt empty. We were constantly hoping you'd come back. We knew that without you we'd never be complete. I knew – I knew that we'd – I'd never be complete without you."

Stiles bowed his head slightly and Derek raised a hand hesitatingly. It hovered over Stiles' right shoulder for a moment. He took a deep breath and placed it on Stiles' shoulder. In the next moment Stiles turned around quickly, threw himself in Derek's arms and hugged Derek tightly, burying his face in Derek's neck. He was shivering against him, and Derek closed his eyes as he buried his nose in Stiles' hair and took a deep breath. Stiles' scent overwhelmed him and his warmth enveloped him.

"I'm so sorry," Stiles whispered and Derek tensed up. "I'm so sorry for putting you all through that. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm so sorry. So sorry."

"Hush." Derek whispered. "It's alright. We knew you would come back. We knew you'd come home. It's alright."

"I had to leave, Derek. I had to. I couldn't stay the way I was. I'm so sorry. I had to-…"

"You came back. You're home now. That's all that matters. It's okay now."

Derek could smell Stiles' tears. He could smell the pain and sorrow rolling off of him in waves. He raised his head and looked over to the door. The whole pack was there. Their expressions were warm and loving, and happiness was shining in their eyes. As one they moved towards the couch. Scott took a seat behind Derek, throwing his right arm over Derek's shoulders, so it rested around Stiles as well. Isaac squeezed himself in Scott's lap, resting his head on Stiles' arms.

Erica took a seat behind Stiles and wrapped her arms around him, Derek and Isaac. Lydia kneeled on the floor in front of Derek and wrapped her arms around Stiles' waist. Jackson took a seat beside her, leaning back against Scott's and Isaac's legs. Boyd took a seat beside Erica and threw his left arm over the backrest, crossing it with Scott's. Deaton took a seat beside him with Mellissa in his lap, and John and Peter took seats on the floor, John leaning against Boyd's legs and Peter sitting back to chest between John's legs.

Stiles felt them all. He felt their warmth. He could feel their emotions fluctuating in the air. If he concentrated hard enough he could almost hear their hearts beating as one. And for the first time in a year he felt whole. He finally felt complete.

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"You named him after me." Stiles looked up from petting Dagda. They were in the kitchen and Stiles gave Dagda something to eat. The others went to work while John and Peter went shopping for groceries.

Stiles smirked and patted Dagda's head before he stood up and pushed his hands in the back pockets of his tight jeans.

"What gave it away?" Derek chuckled and shook his head. He pushed himself away from the doorframe he's been leaning on and walked over to stand in front of Stiles. The teen was smirking up at Derek, looking at him from under messy bangs.

"His name; it means 'leader of men'." Stiles nodded.

"And Derek means ruler of people. Dagda reminded me of you. And he is my Familiar, and the physical incarnation of my other half." A small smile tugged on Stiles' lips and Derek snorted.

"They say opposites attract." Stiles shrugged and Derek raised an eyebrow when Stiles raised his right hand and fixed the collar of Derek's shirt.

His hand lingered over Derek's heart and the Alpha looked at Stiles' lips. The teen was biting into his bottom lip, his eyes filled with something Derek couldn't quite read.

"I can hardly believe I'm home." He smiled when Derek placed his hands on Stiles' hips and pulled him closer. He rested his forehead on Stiles' and nuzzled his nose against his. Stiles could feel Derek's heart beat under the hand trapped between their bodies. He took a deep breath breathing in Derek's sharp, musky scent.

"You smell different." Stiles whispered.

"You too."

Stiles nuzzled his cheek against Derek's. "And yet you're still you." Derek chuckled and nodded.

He hands traveled a bit higher, pushing Stiles' shirt up. He laid his palms flat against the soft skin of Stiles' back and the teen shivered against him, moving as close as possible. He wrapped his arms around Derek's shoulders and let go of a long breath. Derek smiled when he felt Stiles' fingers drawing strange patters on the back of his neck, playing with the short hairs at the line of his hair.

Neither one wanted to move.

It felt perfect; just standing like that, wrapped in each other's arms. After a year of loneliness, it felt so good, just holding the other close. They didn't even notice Dagda leaving the room or the door closing. Derek moved back a little and Stiles looked up at him.

The sun was breaking through the curtains on the window, casting light on Stiles. It played in his hair and made his eyes seem like fire. There was something in them Derek never saw before; a hidden power that was part of Stiles' very being, a whisper of strength belied by his looks. It felt like a powerful current hidden beneath a calm surface of a lake; the eye of the storm.

It made something in him shift. His wolf was restless. He wanted to see. He wanted to see all of Stiles. He wanted to see the depth of that power. He wanted to see Stiles in his element.

"You think too much, Sourwolf," Stiles teased with a small smirk; one Derek returned after he scratched the soft skin on the small of Stiles' back with his nails.

"You're the one who over-thinks things." Stiles chuckled and nodded.

"I guess so." He leaned closed and nuzzled his nose against Derek's, his lips brushing against the corner of Derek's.

The alpha growled and Stiles laughed quietly. His breath caught in his throat when Derek kissed him and pulled him as close as he could get. A moment later he moaned as the kiss grew deeper and he dug his nails in Derek's shoulders.

Derek groaned into the kiss and his hands traveled to Stiles' hips, their growing needs rubbing against one another, sending wave after wave of pleasure up their bodies. Stiles hissed and arched closer to Derek when his back hit the wall and Derek latched his lips on Stiles' neck.

"Damn it." Derek cursed and buried his face in Stiles' neck. Stiles took a deep breath and nuzzled his cheek against Derek's soft, ruffled hair. "Right now I hate my job." Stiles chuckled.

"We have time. We have all the time in the world." Derek raised his head and rested his forehead on Stiles' as he breathed deeply, trying to calm down.

"John and Peter are back," Derek whispered and Stiles nodded.

"Dagda's with them."

"What will you do today?" Stiles shrugged.

"Might go out with dad. I have to catch up with everyone." Derek nodded and took a deep, relaxing breath.

"Hang out with your dad and Peter. I work the afternoon shift and the double shift tomorrow. Erica and Boyd have the first shift next week. Isaac and Scott have the afternoon shift. Lydia and Jackson are mostly free over the week. Mellissa works the night shift next week and Deaton works his usual shifts at the clinic." Stiles nodded.

"What about you?"

"I'll talk with John about the next week's shift. This is the first time I managed to talk him into taking a weekend off."

"I'll spend the day with him and talk with him about it." Derek chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't be too hard on him. We've all been working ourselves stiff just to try and ignore the fact that we've all been missing you." Stiles swallowed and squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

"I'm never leaving again; never again."

Derek nodded and pecked Stiles' lips. He moved back and they parted. Before Derek could turn around, Stiles grabbed his forearm and kissed him again. He smiled mischievously at Derek when they parted and winked.

"I just can't get enough."

Derek smiled and shook his head. "We have time," he whispered and Stiles smiled widely.

"Yeah."

"Stiles? Derek? You decent?" Derek rolled his eyes and Stiles snickered.

"Get in, step-daddy!" Peter and John walked into the kitchen with Peter wearing his trademark amused smirk on his face while John looked a bit constipated. Stiles snickered and pulled his dad into a hug.

"I have to get ready for work," Derek said and raised an eyebrow at Dagda when the coyote huffed before he settled on the floor, just below the kitchen window, absorbing the warmth of the sun.

"Are you sure you can take the double shift tomorrow? I can work the afternoon shift," John spoke, looking really uncomfortable, and Derek actually rolled his eyes, sighing in exasperation.

"Dad, Derek can take it. I want to spend a day or two with you." Stiles spoke up before Derek could and John smiled at his son.

"You two should hang out a bit. I'm quite eager to read that book Deaton got a hold of last week," Peter said and Stiles raised an eyebrow at him.

"Read it today. I need your undivided attention tomorrow. I need to hang out with both of my dads." Peter and John exchanged a glance, warmth shining in their eyes, and Derek smiled at Stiles when the teen winked at him.

"Come on, dad. I hope Casey's didn't close. I hadn't had my portion of Curly Fries in a year!" while Stiles dragged John out of the kitchen, Peter and Derek exchanged an amused glance. Dagda raised his head and huffed in annoyance. The werewolves looked at him when he stood up and shook his whole body.

"You'll keep an eye on them?" Dagda looked at Derek as if to say 'What do you think I've been doing for the past year?'

Derek snorted and rolled his eyes, while Dagda left the kitchen.

"It's good to have him back," Peter commented. "Last night was the first night John didn't have nightmares."

Derek nodded. "I have a feeling a lot of us slept better."

Peter smirked and looked out the window when he heard the sound of his and John's car driving off the front lawn. "You're right, my nephew. You're definitely right."

cut

"Dad, just order whatever you want. You think I don't know you hadn't been watching what you eat while I was gone?" John blushed and looked down at the Menu while Stiles grinned at him. "I'm about to eat my weight in Curly Fries. You can enjoy a Burger if you want." John chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, at least something didn't change about you."

Stiles snorted. "Please. I burn fat as soon as I see it. You have no idea just how hungry I get after I Use. It's like I'm eating for two."

"You always seemed to be eating for two. Honestly, I got worried before you left because I noticed you eating less than usual. I'm only sorry I didn't act on my suspicions sooner rather than later." Stiles sighed and smiled lovingly at his dad.

The waitress came to take their order, and John rolled his eyes fondly when Stiles indeed ordered two extra large portions of curly fries. Once she was gone to get their order, Stiles looked at John and the older man shivered under the knowing expression on his son's face.

"Dad, even if you acted on your suspicions the moment I started acting differently - the moment I started hiding things from you - I would have left. I would have left sooner or later. There was no other way for me to learn all the things I've learned. Sure, maybe things would have been easier. Maybe I would have returned sooner or maybe I would have been gone for longer. The fact is that I needed to do this. I needed to prove to myself that I could be more than I was."

"Did you find what you were looking for?" John asked and Stiles sighed. Their order arrived and they nodded at the young woman. Stiles tilted his head to the side and hummed.

"I found power," he spoke carefully. "I found knowledge. I found strength. I found confidence." He looked up and his eyes met John's. "While I was away I found my own strength; I found my own power. But my purpose? It's here. It's with you. It's with the pack. It's with Derek."

John gulped and nodded.

"I fought a lot of different things, dad. I fought and I won. I came out on top. I became someone who can take care of himself; someone who won't be a burden in a fight, someone who can protect people."

"You were never a b-"

"I was, dad. In a way I was." John frowned. "But not anymore. I am my own man. Raja, the Shaman who I traveled with told me something."

Stiles took a deep breath and looked out the window.

"Only a man who doesn't fear Death - a man who can look Death in the eye and stand tall - a man who faces his fears and admits them can never be a burden. Once you face your fears, once you know how to turn them into your strength, you become a warrior. You cannot protect someone if you run from your fears. You can't protect someone if you cannot protect yourself. You can't be a protector if you can't stand side by side with a warrior as his equal. Your weakness then becomes your strength, and your strength becomes the cover for their weakness. A community - a pack - is only as strong as its weakest link."

Stiles looked in his dad's eyes and John shivered when he saw shadows in his son's eyes.

"I was the weakest link. I had powers I didn't know how to use. My powers would have become my weakness at the worst possible moment. I learned how to use them. I learned how to turn my weakness into my strength. I can stand alone, but I will reach my full potential only when I become a firm member of my pack."

"You are already a part of this pack, son." John whispered and Stiles smiled.

"I know, dad." He smiled and his eyes cleared of shadows. "I know." He shifted in his seat and popped a few Fries into his mouth. "Now." He chewed and swallowed, and John rolled his eyes when Stiles grinned. "You need to tell me everything. I want to know what I've missed."

cut

Erica raised an eyebrow at Peter when he shushed her and stopped everyone from entering the living room. He closed the door carefully and showed them to follow him into the kitchen. Everyone was there but Derek, since the Alpha had to stay at the station due to a robbery that occurred in town earlier that evening.

"What is it?" she asked as they entered the kitchen.

"John and Stiles are asleep in there. Don't bother them right now," Peter said and the others let go of sighs of relief.

"They passed beside the workshop today," Boyd said. "A few customers commented Stiles' return. They said they could hardly recognize him."

"He did change," Isaac commented and Scott smiled at him.

"Both inside and out."

"He does seem calmer. And more confident." Lydia commented.

"He is powerful," Deaton murmured and everyone looked at him. "It can't be seen right now, but I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of his anger. I can feel his power circulating under his skin. It's like a wild current under the calm surface of a huge lake just waiting to burst. Honestly, I am surprised he manages to keep it under control."

"Don't get me wrong, but I just can't wait to see him in action," Erica said and hopped in her place.

"It will be fun," Jackson added.

"I wouldn't say fun," Peter muttered, although his eyes were full of excited amusement.

"If he's half as powerful as I think he is, it will be quite interesting to see him in action." Lydia said and Peter smirked at her.

"My thoughts exactly, my dear. My thoughts exactly."

cut

"Damn it, son! Slow down a bit!" John called out.

He held on tightly to Peter's mane as they followed Stiles through the forest with Dagda hot on the teen's trail. Peter grunted as he jumped over a huge tree trunk. He caught sight of the sun breaking off of Stiles' red hoody before the teen disappeared further in the darkness of the forest. They heard the teen laugh happily and Dagda howled in tandem.

"Can't you run faster, Pete!" the werewolf growled in answer and John rolled his eyes. They came to a sharp stop when Stiles jumped out in front of them with a huge grin on his face.

"Damn it, kid, you'd give Derek a run for his money, and he's the fastest among the wolves," John said and Peter took the bag out of John's hands gently and ran off to change and get dressed. Stiles chuckled and shrugged.

"I had to learn how to run and run fast. Raja taught me how to direct some of my Spark into my legs to make me run faster. It comes useful when I need to lure someone into a trap or run away."

"Well, you sure run fast," Peter said when he joined them. "Now, why exactly have we come all the way here? I thought you were going for a run along our borders, but why stop here? We're in the-"

"Middle of our territory," Stiles finished for Peter as he looked around. He took a deep breath and tilted his head back. "Deaton and Lydia did a very good job with the wards. I wanted to see exactly what they did and add a few of my own."

The two older men exchanged a glance when Stiles walked into the middle of the small clearing they were in and flopped on the ground with his legs crossed.

"Why did you bring us with you?" John asked and Stiles shrugged. Dagda who was huffing for air circled Stiles a few times before he lied on the ground in front of the teen and Stiles brushed his right hand through the coyote's thick fur.

"Thought I'd do this quickly and then we could hang out a bit. Derek's working all day and the others need to rest. They have to work this week and I'll hang out with them depending on when they're free. Besides, I thought my step-daddy would like to get a glimpse of what I can do." Stiles smirked at Peter and the werewolf raised an eyebrow at him.

He and John walked over and took seats a few feet in front of Stiles. The teen grinned before he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He rested his hands on his knees and his shoulders relaxed.

The two tensed up when they felt the air still. They looked at Stiles and their eyebrows met the lines of their hair. The teen looked perfectly calm. It seemed like he wasn't even breathing.

Everything was perfectly still.

They couldn't help but notice that there was no trace of the usual sounds of nature. No birds were chirping; there was no movement in the bushes and the grass.

John twitched when Peter grabbed his hand and looked up in the direction Peter nodded towards. He frowned when he saw the Pixies they allowed to live in their territory peaking from behind trees, their round, blue faces filled with wonder, and their black eyes glimmering with interest.

They gasped when a wave of warmth passed over them and they saw dozens of silvery lines around them. It looked like a spider-web spreading into the distance. Their starting point was right in front of Stiles.

Their eyes widened when the teen opened his eyes and instead of the enchanting topaz they usually were they were glowing like a fire in the middle of the night. His irises were both brown and amber and golden, and his hair and clothes shifted in a light breeze. Dagda growled as Stiles raised his hands and with a loving tenderness caressed two strings, tracing them towards the middle.

It seemed as though the strings glowed and a wave of something started to trail up every single string. John and Peter had to remember how to breathe as several more strings started to materialize in front of them, spreading in every-which direction.

Stiles' fingers moved around the center of those strings as if he was weaving a delicate canvas. They looked up and saw the Pixies flying around the strings, looking at them in complete wonder. They were careful as not to touch any of them, but John and Peter could see the interest shining in their big, black eyes.

They looked back at Stiles when the teen took a deep breath and the web of delicate strings disappeared. Almost immediately different sounds slammed into John's and Peter's ears, making the werewolf wince.

Stiles chuckled when the Pixies flew over to him. There was at least 10 of them, and they were either tugging on Stiles' hair or at his clothes. It seemed like they were sniffing him, and Dagda let go of a warning growl.

"Don't worry, Dagda. They won't harm me," Stiles said and rubbed the head of the closest Pixy with his right index finger. The little creature giggled in a high pitched voice before the whole group flew up into the air and vanished in the forest.

"That was – I don't know what it was, but it was amazing," John spoke breathlessly and Stiles chuckled.

"Sure," he said and sighed. He leaned back on his arms and blew into the bangs falling into his eyes. "Man I'm hungry!" he groaned and the two laughed brightly. "I feel like I could eat three double portions of curly fries and a cheeseburger!"

"If you can run to town it'll be my treat?" Peter offered and Stiles grinned at him.

"Knew there was a reason why I love ya!" Peter rolled his eyes while John snorted.

"You still didn't tell us what you did there." Stiles shrugged as he pushed himself up on his feet.

"Just weaved a bit of my own magic into Deaton's wards. I strengthened them up a bit and prepared a few surprises for - ah - ill-meaning trespassers." He finished with a grin. Peter and John raised eyebrows at him and Stiles' grin grew bigger.

"Something tells me I don't want to be in their skin," Peter murmured and Stiles chuckled.

"No, you don't step-daddy. You most certainly don't."

cut

"I barely made it! Raja, Pablo, Dante and Dagda were surrounded, and I couldn't find a way through the damn forest! Thankfully, Raja kept a cool head and managed to stall the Natives while I set up my traps. They didn't know what hit them!" Stiles finished with a grin. Peter shook his head with a chuckle while John swallowed over a lump in his throat.

"I didn't know there were still Cannibals in this world." John choked out and Stiles snorted.

"Later we found out that they were shifters." He popped a few fries into his mouth and swallowed. "That was one of the more dangerous adventures I had. You can understand why I avoided going through the Amazon forest when I was coming back. I learned a lot of things traveling through it, but I have no desire to go back in there. It hides a lot of wonderful things, but also a lot of dangerous things."

"Somehow I'm glad we only had to deal with werewolves, hunters and friendly pixies," Peter drawled and Stiles snickered.

"Pixies are hostile only when offended, and it's pretty difficult to offend them. They are curious little creatures that love forests and keep to themselves mostly. Fairies are the nasty ones. They can be quite mischievous and they are easy to offend, and once you do offend them they are hard to placate."

"Did you meet any other shifters or creatures?" John asked and Stiles hummed. He leaned back in his seat and tilted his head back a little.

"Well, let's see..." he muttered and looked at his left hand with a thoughtful frown. "There were a few werewolf packs, two Wicca covens, one witch coven, a few lone witches, and there was that were-jaguar pack. I had a close encounter with two kanima, a chupacabra and a rougarou. Might have been a few more, but I can't remember all of them. One lone Witch gave me that scar on my cheek." He shrugged carelessly. "Didn't survive to tell the tale."

"She came pretty close though." John muttered and Stiles chuckled.

"The rougarou got closer." Stiles straightened in his seat and looked around. When he was sure no one was looking at them, he tugged his shirt up, making John and Peter gasp. There was a bite-like scar on Stiles' right side and something that resembled claw-marks just above his hip bone.

"Dagda saved my life then. He jumped on the rougarou and bit into his neck making it let go of me. Almost lost my bits because of him!" Peter and John couldn't help but chuckle lowly at that, although both were still quite pale. "We managed to kill it together. After that I made damn sure to make our camp as safe as possible. It was the last time I just collapsed somewhere and fell asleep."

"I'd say you learned your lesson." Stiles scoffed at Peter's words.

"Trust me; that was the last lesson I learned the hard way. When Raja joined us he was surprised with the amount of wards I placed around our camp every time we'd stop for a few nights. When I told him about the rougarou he nodded and never commented on it again. I dare say my wards saved our lives several times. He had it easy. His Spark is smaller than mine, and he's not an alpha mate. He doesn't attract as much attention as I do."

"Does that mean we can expect trouble here at Beacon Hills?" John asked and Stiles shrugged.

"I would lie if I said no, but those wards I placed earlier today will warn me the moment someone enters our borders. At that moment all I have to do is pull on one of those strings and they'll be trapped in their places."

"That's some really powerful magic." Peter muttered.

"It is. It's the magic of a Guardian. It's supposed to be powerful. It's my job to make the job of the Warriors as easy as possible. I work constantly on making my magic more powerful just in case. I won't risk anything." John smiled at Stiles fondly and Peter shook his head.

"You keep proving to me that things would have gone very differently if only I bit you and not Scott." He spoke in amusement and Stiles hummed.

"Things would have gone very differently." He agreed. "But I guess we'll never know, right?" Peter and John exchanged a glance.

"Yeah." John smiled at Stiles and the teen returned it equally. "We'll never know."

cut

"So Sunday is movie night?" Derek chuckled at Stiles and the teen looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

The whole pack was in the basement of the house. The room they were in was huge. There was a big flat-screen with what was possibly the best surround system in the world, and a big pile of pillows and blankets on three connected king sized mattresses a good distance from the TV.

The teens were arguing which movie they would watch while the elders of the pack busied themselves with bringing drinks and snacks into the room. Derek and Stiles were standing in the back of the room with Derek watching over everyone with a fond look that spoke of familiarity and comfort and Stiles was finding it hard to believe he was actually seeing this.

He never thought the pack would come to this, but it was obvious they did. His heart warmed at the thought that they were a real pack; a family. Derek looked at him and raised an eyebrow when he saw Stiles' glassy eyes, and smelled tears in the air. He frowned when he saw Stiles shiver.

"What is it?" he whispered and Stiles looked at him with what was possibly the most beautiful smile Derek has ever seen.

"Nothing." Stiles' smile grew. "I'm just – I'm just happy."

"Mama-wolf! Tell Lydia we are not watching The Notebook again!" Erica whined and Stiles chuckled.

"Why don't we let Stiles pick a movie?" Melissa suggested and Stiles raised an eyebrow.

"Guys, I hadn't seen a TV in a year."

"And that's why you should pick a movie," Scott said and Stiles sighed.

He threw a small glance at Derek when the alpha laughed at him. He walked over and kneeled beside Jackson. He looked at the huge pile of movies on the ground and hummed. He raised an eyebrow and took one box.

"Hansel and Gretel; Witch-hunters? This I gotta see," Stiles muttered.

A second later Scott grabbed the DVD from Stiles' hand and the teen found himself being dragged into the middle of the fluffy pile. His eyes widened when Derek pulled him against his chest and the others settled around him. A few moments later they were settled in a large mass of bodies and entwined limbs with bowls of snacks between them.

Jackson started the movie and comfortable silence settled between them. Stiles tilted his head back a little with a confused frown when he felt Derek rest his head on Stiles' shoulder. He nuzzled his cheek against Stiles' and the teen smiled. He looked at the huge screen just as the intro started.

Within moments he relaxed against Derek. His right hand ended up in Isaac's hair. The teen nuzzled against his thigh and Stiles started to scratch his scalp lightly. Derek's big hand covered his left and he entwined their fingers together, resting their joint hands on Stiles' stomach.

No one moved when Dagda came back from his run. Peter only moved closer to John to make some place for the coyote.

They could all feel it.

They knew it without needing to comment on it.

They were finally together.

They were finally complete.

cut

"Stiles?"

Erica stopped in her tracks on her way from the flower shop she worked in when she saw Stiles leaning against the wall of the shop. He smiled at her and waved.

"What are you doing here?" she hugged him with a big smile and the human teen laughed brightly.

"Thought we could pick Boyd up together and hang out a bit. Jackson and Lydia went to check out the local college. Jackson wanted to make sure he could travel daily. The others are working. I thought we could spend some time together." Erica grinned and pushed her hand under Stiles' elbow.

The teen grinned as she tugged on his arm and they started to walk down the street. Stiles raised an eyebrow when he saw people looking at them with confused frowns. He even caught several of them turn away from them, whispering something he couldn't hear.

"They are all wondering if it's really you," Erica muttered to him and Stiles raised an eyebrow at her. "What? You changed! And I don't mean only mentally. Sure you're calmer and you seem more calculated, but your appearance changed as well. You're practically pure muscle! I dare say you've grown an inch or two, your skin is a bit darker and your hair is quite long now. I don't think you ever wore it this long. And your eyes-…"

"What about them?" Stiles asked in confusion and Erica hummed.

"I don't think I can describe them," she confessed. "I remember them being like topaz with the sun breaking in its cuts. Now they are like – I don't know. They are not brown or amber. It's like they're both brown and amber and golden, with dark red specks scattered in them. They are quite beautiful." Stiles raised an eyebrow at her and Erica smirked when she noticed that he was trying to hide a blush.

"Didn't know you were into poetry," Stiles murmured and Erica snickered.

"Did I make you blush?" Erica cooed and Stiles glared at her with a small pout.

"You're evil," he muttered and Erica laughed.

"Stilinski?" the two stopped when a familiar voice came from behind them.

"Danny!" Stiles grinned at the taller teen and Danny's eyebrows met the line of his hair.

"Wow, man." He wondered with wide eyes. "I wasn't sure it was really you. You – You changed." Stiles snickered as he shook hands with his former teammate.

"You're still as gorgeous as ever, Danny!" Stiles said and Danny blushed. "You with someone?"

"Yeah." Danny stuttered out and pointed towards the café Stiles and Erica just passed. "I came for a coffee with my boyfriend, and I saw you two pass us by. I wasn't sure it was really you, Stiles. What happened to you?" Stiles shrugged.

"This and that," he said carelessly. "How are you doing, Danny? I hadn't seen you in over a year."

"I'm doing great," Danny said and smiled. Stiles raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Danny's eyes traveled all over his body. His tight jeans and dark red undershirt did nothing to hide his developed body. "You gotta tell me your secret, Stilinski. What the heck are you on?" Stiles snickered.

"Loads of fast food." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Well at least your sense of humor didn't change." Stiles laughed and clapped Danny's right shoulder.

"It was good seeing you, Danny. We're on our way to pick up Boyd. I came back two days ago so I'm catching up with everyone. I'll see you around, okay?" Danny nodded and smiled at him.

"Sure. See you." Stiles waved at Danny as he and Erica turned around and continued down the street.

"See? Everyone can see you changed." Stiles hummed and bumped his shoulder against Erica's.

"You lot changed too." Erica shrugged.

"We learned to work together. We learned to respect each other's differences. We learned to complete each other; cover each other's weaknesses, show our separate strengths. But we missed something. We missed you. I think Scott used a good name for you once. He called you our 'common denominator'; our base. Our heart." Stiles bowed his head a little and Erica felt the shiver that shook his body.

Stiles' head snapped up when Erica kissed his cheek and grinned at him.

"It's good to have you back, Stiles." A small smile tugged on Stiles' lips and he kissed her cheek.

"It's good to be back, Eri. It's good to be back."

cut

Boyd could only shake his head as he watched Erica and Stiles fight over the last Fry in the basket on the table.

"HEY!" they whined together when Boyd snatched it and popped it into his mouth.

"Not fair!" Erica whined.

"I didn't even know you liked curly fires!" Stiles grumbled and Boyd smirked.

"I got used to them. We had them at least once a week." Stiles raised an eyebrow at them and the two Werewolves shrugged.

"It was a way for us to remember you. We missed you so much," Erica said and started to recount everything they did. "We had curly fries at least once a week. John, Melissa and Scott made sure we ate vegetables every day. We made sure we watched at least one superhero movie every other Sunday. Lydia and Melissa watch over the diaries you've sent them like hawks. Isaac hung the dream catcher you sent him right above his head. As you can see, I wear the jacket you sent me, just like everyone else wears the gifts you sent them."

Stiles raised an eyebrow when Boyd raised the pendant from under his shirt before he stored it under it again.

"It made us feel as though you were with us all the time. It helped us handle the fact that you were gone," Boyd said and Stiles bowed his head.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Erica and Boyd exchanged a glance. A moment later they moved over in the booth the three were seating in. They wrapped their arms around Stiles and the human teen tensed up when they buried their noses in his hair.

He knew werewolves were very tactile creatures. He also knew it was so only with the members of their packs. And that thought made tears come to his eyes.

"You're back now, Stiles," Boyd said and Stiles closed his eyes.

"To be perfectly honest, it feels like you never even left. It feels like you've been with us through it all," Erica murmured, breathing in Stiles' comforting scent. "It's good to have you back, Mama-wolf." Stiles let go of a choked up laugh, and Boyd and Erica exchanged a smile over Stiles' head.

"What's with that mama-wolf crap?" he pressed out in a tight vice and Erica nuzzled her cheek against Stiles' hair.

It hit Stiles in that moment that they were scenting him. Just like last night, when they all cuddled around him while they were watching the movie, they were scenting him; marking him as a member of their pack. In return, his own scent mingled with theirs.

"Derek is our alpha. It's like he's the father of the pack; our leader and protector. You're the alpha mate; our alpha's mate. It makes you the pack mom. You're not a werewolf, but you might as well be one. That makes Derek papa-wolf and you mama-wolf." Stiles huffed as he laughed and a single tear trailed down his cheek.

"I'll just ignore the fact that I'm still a man." Erica giggled.

"It's good to have you back, Stiles," Boyd spoke and Stiles sighed.

"It's good to be back, pups. You have no idea how good it feels to be back."

cut

"You had a good time with Erica and Boyd?"

Stiles turned from the dishwasher and smiled at Derek. A moment later his eyebrows met the line of his hair and his lips tilted into a smirk. He whistled and leaned back against the counter, giving Derek a good once over.

"Wow. Didn't know you looked so good in a uniform, Mr. Policeman," he teased and Derek chuckled.

He walked over to the kitchen table and placed his gun on it together with its holster. Stiles smiled up at him when Derek walked over to him, settled between his parted legs and placed his hands on Stiles' hips. He bowed his head and Stiles tilted his back. Their lips met in a warm, welcoming kiss, and they both sighed in content. They parted and Derek leaned his forehead against Stiles'.

"How did it go?" he asked in a small voice and Stiles hummed.

"We talked. We had a few laughs. Erica and I met Danny on our way to pick up Boyd. I didn't know I physically changed that much." Derek snorted and nuzzled his nose against Stiles'.

"You're different," he stated, "but you're still Stiles." The younger man smiled and pecked Derek's lips.

"Let me just finish the dishes. Dagda should return from his hunt soon too," Stiles spoke as he turned his back on Derek and continued where he left off while Derek moved back a bit and looked around the kitchen.

"How come you're doing the dishes?" he asked and Stiles shrugged as he closed and started the dishwasher.

"Everyone looked dead on their feet," he answered as he wiped the counters with a kitchen-towel, "and Melissa had to go to work. I didn't find it difficult." Derek leaned back against the table and crossed his arms over his broad chest, head tilted to the side as he watched Stiles finish everything.

Once he was done Stiles leaned back against the counter and smiled at Derek who answered with a small upturn of lips, eyes full of warmth taking all of Stiles in with tender scrutiny.

There were so many things they wanted to say; thoughts they wanted to share, fears they wanted to reveal, pleasures they wanted to taste.

And yet they couldn't.

It felt as though they could spend hours just gazing upon each other. It felt as though they could spend days, weeks, months just taking each other in, making sure the other was really there; that there weren't endless kilometers between them. It felt almost surreal. It felt like a dream. And yet both knew it was real.

Almost on impulse, they moved as one, meeting in a kiss that, try as they might, couldn't convey the depth of their feelings. Derek moaned when Stiles pushed himself closer to him, his fingers digging into the tender skin behind Derek's ears. Stiles' hips bucked against Derek's when the alpha grabbed his thighs and hefted him up before he seated the younger man on the kitchen counter.

He ground their hips together and Stiles moaned breathlessly. It felt better than anything ever felt, and yet it made them crave more. It made them crave for skin on skin contact; it made them crave something they denied themselves for so, so long.

Stiles tilted his head back and sighed when he felt Derek's slightly sharp fangs scrap his neck. His breath hitched in his throat as they ground against one another. He was clinging onto Derek's shoulders as if his sanity depended on it. His heart was beating loudly in his ears and he could feel the Other part of himself, the Spark responding to the werewolf dominating him as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

It felt so natural to completely surrender to the darker man; so completely and utterly right.

"D'rek!" he gasped out as his release hit him and the alpha growled, biting into Stiles' shoulder as immense pleasure washed over him in waves. He sagged against Stiles and moaned when the teen wrapped his arms around Derek's shoulders and rubbed his cheek against the alpha's sweaty hair. Derek chuckled and nuzzled his nose in the hollow of Stiles' long neck.

"Already acting like a wolf," the alpha spoke in a strained voice and Stiles snickered breathlessly.

"I figured out today why everyone's trying to touch me as much as possible. Didn't think you'd start scenting me so soon. After all, I wasn't much of a pack member before I left," Stiles spoke in a quiet, tight voice and Derek pushed back a little to look in Stiles' eyes. He rubbed his nose against Stiles' and pecked his lips before resting his forehead on Stiles'.

"You've always been pack" Derek spoke with such certainty it sent a shiver down Stiles' spine. "We were just too stupid to see it. You always were and always will be pack." Stiles smiled and kissed Derek lightly.

"I need a shower," Stiles whispered and Derek let go of a huffing laugh.

"Me too." He helped Stiles off the counter, but before the teen could move away, Derek grabbed his hand and pulled him into a kiss. Once the parted he took a deep breath and Stiles raised an eyebrow at the werewolf when he heard a small, hardly audible whine come from Derek.

"You already smell more like pack," Derek pressed out through his teeth as though that single face meant the world to him. "You already smell more like me." His voice grew thicker, hoarser as he spoke those words and Stiles smiled brightly before pecking Derek's lips. The alpha rolled his eyes and smacked Stiles' ass with his right hand.

"Come on. Both of us need a shower and I work the morning shift tomorrow." They made their way up the stairs and Stiles stopped half way up.

"I just remembered," he said when Derek looked at him with confusion written over his handsome features. "I still don't have a room. The night I came back I slept with you in the living room, and then I slept with my dad in the living room, and last night we all fell asleep in the TV room." Derek hummed and tilted his head to the side.

"There are a few free rooms. I can show you to one," he offered only to have Stiles raise an eyebrow at him and climb another step. He stopped right in front of Derek and tilted his head to the side a bit.

"Or I could just share your room." Stiles saw the corner of Derek's mouth twitch and barely suppressed a chuckle.

"Your dad will kill me," Derek tried to reason, although it was quite obvious there was no real effort behind it.

"I'm of age," Stiles answered quietly, flattening his body with Derek's again.

"You just came back," reminded the alpha, and the teen's lips tilted up a bit as he raised his right hand and placed the tips of his fingers on Derek's lips, gaze darting to them before returning to Derek's dilated eyes.

"And we both know that it feels as though I've never left."

cut

We could take tonight
and make it last forever;
if you dare.

cut

Derek looked deep in Stiles' eyes. He was right. Even though Stiles was gone for a year, even though his absence felt like an open wound, now that he was there, now that his scent was slowly engraving itself into every nook, crook and cranny of their home, it felt like he was always there. It felt like he never even left. Now that he was with them – with Derek, it felt as though a piece of him was there all the time.

For a moment Derek felt as though the pendant that hung over his heart warmed up and pressed against his skin, pulsating together with his heart.

"Derek?" the Werewolf woke up from him musings and looked deep in those enchanting orbs which reminded him so much of fire and warmth. He reached up with his left hand and took Stiles' right hand in his before he kissed those callused, dexterous fingers.

He let go of Stiles' hand to cup one pale cheek, gently caressing the thin scar which served as a reminder that Stiles indeed was gone for a year while Stiles' hand settled on Derek's chest, right over the strongly beating heart.

'I wonder how many more he has,' Derek thought to himself, feeling the rough thin scar under his finger.

"Derek, I'm here," Stiles whispered and turned his head to the side to lay a kiss in the middle of Derek's palm. "I'm here. And I'm not leaving."

Stiles wanted to say more. He wanted to say so much more, but the words were stuck somewhere in the back of his throat.

He couldn't speak if he tried. No one ever wrote the words that would express what he felt, for no words were enough. Every moment spent away from Derek was torture. Every minute was pain. If he could put everything he felt into words it would be both the saddest and the happiest ode in the world. What he definitely knew was that he was with Derek now.

He knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the alpha; his alpha. He knew that nothing could ever drag him away from there. He knew they were different. He knew there would be fights, and tears, and screaming and so many conflicts. But he also knew there would be joy.

He knew there would be peace and happiness beyond anything he ever dreamed about.

"I'm here."

cut

With these words unspoken,
take me as I am
right here where I stand.
Open up your arms and let me in.

cut

Derek took a deep breath and kissed Stiles tenderly.

He could almost hear it. He could almost hear everything the teen wanted to tell him. Those words didn't need to be said. Those words were there between them, spoken with their hearts.

I missed you.

I love you.

I need you.

I'll never leave you.

I'll be there.

I'm not leaving.

I want you.

I want to be with you.

I see you.

"Come."

The smile that appeared on Stiles' face was officially more beautiful than anything Derek has ever seen. The warmth that filled Derek's eyes was greater than anything Stiles has ever felt. When the alpha took Stiles' hand in his it felt like something surged between them; like a pact made by their bodies; by their souls and hearts.

They walked into Derek's room and Stiles closed the door behind them. He looked up and his eyebrows met the line of his hair. "I was wondering where you put it," he muttered and Derek looked at one of the shelves.

There, with nothing beside it to obscure the look of it, was the box Stiles sent a little under a year ago.

"You didn't open it?" Stiles walked over to the shelf and took the box off of it. He walked over to the queen sized bed and took a seat.

"No. Deaton said that those marks on the locket were Sealing Sigils. We decided against opening it." Stiles nodded and Derek's eyebrows met the line of his hair when Stiles raised his hand to his mouth. He bit into his thumb, drawing blood, and then marked the biggest sigil on the locket with it.

The alpha frowned in confusion when Stiles took a big book out of the box. It looked old; very old. The covers of the book were made out of animal skin, and there were faded letters and sigils all over it.

"What is it?" Derek asked as he walked over and took a seat beside Stiles before he looked down at the book. Stiles started flipping the pages and Derek frowned when he caught sight of vivid illustrations of what he supposed were monsters.

"This book is possibly one of the last copies of the first and the best bestiary in the world. It's not a bestiary, but a Grimoire," Stiles explained as he stopped on one of the pages for a moment, tracing the faded words with the tips of his fingers before moving on. "To make it simple, it's a book about magic and summoning Demons. The first part, Mafteah Shelomoh or Key of Solomon contains ways to summon and constrain spirits of the dead and demons in order to control them."

Derek's eyebrows met the line of his hair and he looked at Stiles in slight worry and confusion, but Stiles either didn't notice it or he ignored it in favor of quickly reading another small paragraph in the book.

"Second part talks about how to dress," he murmured with a small frown before turning the page again, "what implements to use, and what animals to sacrifice to the spirits. What's really special about this book is the fact that it contains the second edition; Lemegeton, better known as The Lesser Key of Solomon." Stiles glanced at Derek, lips tilting up in a small smirk when he saw the alpha's confused expression. "I won't bore you with its contents, but every self respecting Guardian knows the value of this book. I know a few hunters who'd kill to get this in their grubby hands."

Derek hummed and nodded as Stiles closed the book only to raise an eyebrow when Stiles scratched the small bite wound on his thumb to make it bleed again. His breath hitched in his throat shortly when Stiles quickly drew a sigil of some sort on the cover of the book with his blood and murmured something under his breath. A moment later the blood soaked into the cover and Stiles patted the book.

"There! Done!" he grinned at Derek, "So. Shower?"

For a moment Derek just stared at him. Then he chuckled, shook his head and stood up. He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a pair of cotton pants and a towel while Stiles placed the book in the chest and brought it over to the shelf.

"You can go first," Derek spoke up and Stiles turned to look at Derek, tilted his head to the side and smiled fondly at the alpha. He walked over, took the offered things and leaned up to kiss the werewolf.

"Why don't you join me?" Stiles whispered and a shiver shook Derek's body, before he laughed dryly and pecked Stiles' nose.

"Go. I'll be right in." Stiles smiled and walked over to the bathroom attached to Derek's bedroom. Once the door closed behind the teen Derek took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

A part of him wanted to take things slow. Another part was telling him he was possibly the biggest idiot in the world.

'Laura would laugh her ass off,' he thought and shook his head with a small, fond smile on his lips. He looked at the door of the bathroom and sighed.

Stiles came back. Everything would be alright now. They would continue to grow. They would continue to get to know each other.

They would face whatever came next together.

'So why am I hesitating?' he started to slowly move towards the door. The shower was already running and when he pushed the door open, he was engulfed in a steadily thickening fog of hot, condensed water. Derek's hands were on the buttons of his shirt before his mind registered what he was doing.

His eyes were focused on the figure behind the blurred glass of the shower. Derek took off his clothes and threw them in the hamper. He pushed his shoes to the side beside Stiles' tennis shoes.

He raised his hand and took a deep breath as he slowly pushed the glass door to the side. The younger man had his back turned on Derek, and the alpha almost lost his footing.

He watched as water cascaded down Stiles' well defined body, and had to take a deep breath as he reached the small of Stiles' back. He focused instead on the thin, parallel lines he didn't remember seeing on Stiles' right shoulder before, and on the Quadraspiral tattoo in between Stiles' shoulder blades. He frowned when he spotted another pattern in the tattoo, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw that it was the Triskele, cleverly engraved into the Quadraspiral.

Stiles shivered when he felt Derek's fingers trace the outer edges of his tattoo. He tilted his head to the side and turned a bit. Derek swallowed over a lump when he saw the shadows in Stiles' eyes.

They were so full of something mysterious and yet so painfully familiar.

"You like it?" Stiles murmured quietly and Derek nodded.

His fingers moved to the right and he traced the five parallel lines on Stiles' shoulder.

"Who did this?" he asked, feeling protectiveness burst in his heart, the wolf howling in the back of his head for vendetta against the one who dared harm their mate.

Stiles hummed and moved back a bit. Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles almost on instinct, immediately feeling the warmth of the younger man's body envelop his. He buried his face in Stiles' neck and closed his eyes, allowing himself to simply be.

"I ran into a wendigo on my way to Salem," Stiles spoke quietly, eyes slipping closed as he rested his head on Derek's shoulder. "He managed to slash my shoulder, but that's as far as he went. Dagda jumped in and distracted him long enough for me to set the poor thing on fire." Derek snorted at the description only to frown when his fingers traced another set of scars on Stiles' right side. "That's from a rougarou. That one actually got close to killing me. Dagda killed him though." Derek nodded and wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist.

Stiles' closeness, his warmth, his scent, his very being was doing so many things to the werewolf. Derek knew Stiles could feel the extent of the effect he had on the alpha. One look at Stiles' front cast from over the scarred shoulder told Derek Stiles was just as affected by him.

The teen shivered when he felt Derek's warm breath fanning over his neck and shoulder. Stiles covered Derek's hands with his and entwined their fingers together humming in content when Derek's lips pressed a lingering kiss on the juncture of Stiles' neck and shoulder.

"The full moon is in sixteen days," Stiles whispered and Derek hummed.

"What made you think of that?" he murmured and shivered when Stiles sighed after Derek started scratching his sides with his blunt nails.

"Bonds between alpha mates are strongest if made during the full moon." Derek's breath hitched in his throat. Stiles tilted his head towards him and their eyes met. The teen was smirking at Derek, his eyes filled with a mischievous fire.

"If you can wait that long that is." In the next moment Stiles found himself slammed against the chilly tiles of the shower wall with Derek's lips on his, his legs wrapped around Derek's waist, and the strong, muscled body of his alpha pressed against his.

"I waited for a year," Derek growled against Stiles' lips and the teen grinned, "what's a few more days?" Stiles groaned and Derek grunted when the teen dug his nails in his shoulders.

"You're giving some mixed signals here, Hale." The alpha growled and snapped his hips forward making Stiles hiss and arch closer to the dark haired werewolf.

"Maybe you should stop teasing me then?" Derek mouthed against Stiles skin, grinding his pelvis against Stiles, hands groping the strong, muscled thighs.

"Where's the fun in that?" Stiles breathed out, hitting his head against the wall as his eyes slipped closed.

"Your sense of humor leaves much to be desired," Derek growled, snapping his hips harder and drawing a gasp from Stiles.

"You know you love me," Stiles blurted out and Derek froze in his place, his breath hitching in his throat. He raised his head and looked in Stiles' dilated eyes, before resting his forehead on Stiles

"You know I do," he spoke in a low, thick voice and Stiles smiled as cupped Derek's face within trembling hands. He pulled him into a slow kiss and felt a moan vibrate in Derek's chest.

"Love you too, Sourwolf." Quicker than Stiles thought was possible, Derek brought them both out of the shower and lowered Stiles on the ground. He took Stiles' hand in his and pulled him into the bedroom.

"Derek we're still-"

"We'll dry," Derek growled, before he pulled Stiles into a scorching kiss. The teen moaned, his hands immediately entangling themselves in Derek's hair. He yelped in the back of his throat when the back of his legs met the edge of the bed and he fell backwards, bouncing on the bed a few times before he stilled and his gaze settled on Derek's proud, naked form.

'Mine. Only mine,' Stiles thought possessively as he moved towards the middle of the bed while Derek kneeled on it and leaned over Stiles, settling between the teen's legs.

"I forgot to lock the door." Stiles muttered.

"No one will come in," Derek growled as he nibbled on Stiles' collarbone, and Stiles hummed as he arched closer to the Werewolf.

"I'm so gonna kill them if they do," Stiles bit out and Derek snorted grinding his hips down on Stiles'.

"I bet you will." Stiles cupped Derek's face in his hands and pulled him in for a kiss.

The alpha swallowed the younger man's moan and smirked against his lips before he pulled back and started littering kisses down Stiles' neck. He slipped his hands down Stiles' soft, strong thighs and up his waist, completely ignoring his growing, aching need.

Stiles' breath hitched in his throat and he arched up as those big, warm hands trailed up his sides and Derek's lips latched onto one pert nipple. Derek growled when Stiles' hold on his hair grew stronger as he tried to make Derek move faster to where he wanted him. Stiles gasped breathlessly when the Werewolf trailed lower and kissed down his right side. He reached the scars there and Stiles moaned when he traced each one with his tongue before kissing it.

By then Stiles could hardly think. He could feel the Spark - his powers coursing through his veins, responding to Derek's strength, accepting his dominance.

He arched off of the bed when Derek's breath fanned over his aching need, and the Alpha settled between Stiles' legs and snuck his arms under Stiles' thighs, placing his hands on Stiles' hips to hold him down.

"D'rek!" Stiles snapped in annoyance when the alpha started kissing the lines of his hip-bones, purposefully avoiding his member.

Derek laughed breathlessly and looked up at Stiles, taking in the teen with dilated eyes.

Stiles looked amazing. His whole body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. There was a dark blush on his cheeks and neck, his eyes were heavily lidded and dilated in passion, and he was breathing deeply, trying to bring enough air into his deprived lungs.

Stiles lost his breath and his eyes widened when Derek took his member into his mouth and sucked firmly. He tried to buck up but the Alpha had a firm hold on his hips, making it impossible for him to move.

He couldn't form a coherent sentence if his life depended on it.

It felt better than anything ever did.

If there was any doubt in Derek's heart that Stiles wasn't meant for him it was erased. Nothing tasted better than Stiles. Nothing smelled better than the Guardian. There was no sweeter music to Derek's ears but the sounds escaping the younger man's lips.

Stiles' full, kiss abused lips opened in a silent scream and he arched completely off of the bed as he came. He collapsed back on the silk sheets, breathing as if he ran a mile.

Derek let go of the member and slowly climbed over his lover. Stiles opened his eyes and looked up at the werewolf. Still shaking from the immense pleasure, he reached up and cupped Derek's face in his hands lovingly. He pulled him down and kissed him, enjoying the taste of himself on Derek's lips.

The alpha grunted when he suddenly found himself on his back with the younger man straddling him. He raised an eyebrow at Stiles and the teen smirked at him before he kissed him again.

"My turn."

"Stiles…"

"You promised, Derek." Derek's muscles twitched under the barely-there touch of Stiles' fingertips. The teen traced the strong lines of Derek's shoulders, defined chest and rock hard stomach before he ground down on his hard member. "You promised that once I came back I would have you in full."

Derek growled and grabbed Stiles thighs to try stopping him, but the teen's eyes glimmered mischievously and his full lips tilted into a smirk. Derek pushed himself up and kissed the human, groaning when Stiles wrapped his arms around his shoulders and slowly moved against him.

"You will be the death of me," Derek whispered and Stiles grinned. He kissed the Alpha and nibbled on his bottom lip.

"Just because I'm the alpha mate doesn't mean I'll let you be in charge all the time." Derek chuckled and nuzzled his nose against Stiles'.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Stiles smiled and placed his hands on Derek's chest. He pushed him back and Derek lied back down on the bed. Stiles kissed him lovingly and started to move lower. Derek closed his eyes and relaxed under Stiles' gentle exploration. His lips felt amazing against his heated skin. He let go of a wavering breath when he felt Stiles' warm breath fan over his member and he opened his eyes to look down.

He almost came then and there.

Stiles kissed the tip of his cock and, agonizingly slow, trailed his tongue down the underside. Derek had to try hard as not to force the younger man to finally take him in. When he did Derek almost lost whatever self-control he had left.

"Stiles – damn it!" Stiles hummed around the head of his cock and Derek hit his head back against the bed. He entangled his right hand in Stiles' damp, soft hair, while he gripped the silky sheets with his left.

The Guardian took him in inch by agonizing inch, and Derek saw stars when the teen swallowed him whole after what felt like an eternity. He forced himself to look down at Stiles and his heart almost jumped out of his chest. He couldn't breathe in enough air; it took everything he had as not to buck up. It took every piece of control he could muster as not to pull Stiles up and take him.

'Sixteen days. Just sixteen more days,' he thought, but it didn't sound half as convincing as he hoped it would.

He came with a choked up grunt when Stiles did something with his tongue, and relaxed on the silky sheets as pleasure washed over every inch of his body. He felt Stiles move and opened his eyes, his pupils dilating when he saw the teen wipe the corner of his mouth with his long, dexterous fingers only to lick them clean.

"Tasty," he muttered. Derek pulled him into a kiss and Stiles smiled against his lips. "Love you, Derek Hale," Stiles murmured as Derek pulled him against his side.

He felt too good to bother with pulling the covers over them. Stiles sighed as he rested his head on Derek's chest and threw his left arm around his waist. Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles' shoulders and pulled him closer.

"Love you too." He felt the human shiver before he kissed Derek's chest, right over his heart.

Stiles reached up with his hand and started to play with the pendant that rested on Derek's chest. He was barely keeping his eyes open. Derek's fingers were playing in his hair, his hard body was warming him, and he felt peaceful and sated.

Derek moved and kissed the top of Stiles' head. "You spending the day with Scott tomorrow?" he asked and Stiles hummed.

"Yeah. Thought I'd spend tomorrow with him and Isaac." Derek smiled and hugged him close again.

"Move a bit." They shifted around for a moment as Derek pulled the covers from under them.

He tugged Stiles back into his arms as he covered them both and the younger man nuzzled against him. Derek turned on his side and pulled Stiles as close as he could get. They entwined their legs together and Stiles sighed as he nuzzled his face in Derek's chest.

"Good night, Sourwolf." Derek hummed and kissed the top of Stiles' head. The human kissed his chest in return and settled against him.

"Good night, Stiles."

And ever so slowly, they fell asleep.

cut

One more chapter!

This sure was a pleasure to write!