EPILOGUE.
Derek has never felt more impatient in life when he the train makes its way to Beacon Hills. It has been almost too long since he has returned home, and many of the times, he has wished to return home for the purpose of coming back; to reconcile with his past that his parents are gone, and he has moved on his grief, but every fruitless attempt to return has made him wonder when will he ever return to the simple life of Beacon Hills.
To him, living the simple life always leave the best results. Simple story, simple deaths, and simple consequences. There's no beating around the bush when it comes to the simple life, and Derek this time, have come to terms that he's only back for a simple reason.
Stiles.
Since the little - and unexpected bet - that has been pulled off by the Krasikevas, Derek packed his bags and spared no time for checking whether he has enough clothes, unmentionables or even his toothbrush being packed into his backpack. He didn't even bother turning the electricity off of his appliances when he leaves, citing that he has enough money to pay off the bills, just to see one man and one man only. He fumbles with his hands nervously and for all time's sake, he has never bothered to grab Stiles' phone number during their encounter.
Never in his life has he expected the ease of getting a train ticket, especially at at time where in near April, the train station has little to no customers, but things will definitely change when summer vacation begins. The only people heading for California are the ones who decide to let life take hold of their destinies and Derek agrees as he was one of those wayward souls that has decided to let go of his insecurities and make sure no one is there to stop him from doing so.
He stayed in his seat with his legs switching positions alternatingly. He feels his mind on the verge of a mental breakdown because for all the mistakes he has done, he has never imagined a moment where he can make amends for it. And the more he thinks about the amends, the more he realizes that he's not only amending his relationship, but also reconciling with the past that he has shun away from.
The train stops finally at Beacon Hills with Derek almost immediately picking the bag of his up and waiting by the door. The moment it stops is the moment he alights and walks away to the center of the train station. Time is earlier in California, and he heads to the entrance of the train station, where he holds his hand up for a cab. He gets one, and wastes no time telling the driver to drive to Beacon Hills.
~RETURN~
Stiles unpacks the last of his clothes, and sets them into the wardrobe. His dad stands by the door with arms folded and an amused smile used on his face. Stiles notices the look of his father, and narrows his eyes confusedly with a smile on his face. "What?" he finally asks.
"Nothing," shrugs his father, "Just happy you're back,"
"I knew you'd miss me," he comments before placing the bag in the closet.
His father chuckles at his rejoinder, before admitting, "I guess I can let that one slide," Stiles rolls his eyes with a smile, before giving his dad a hug. "You sure you want to be here?" he asks seriously.
"I do," he replies, "I don't know about you, but New York is overwhelming,"
"So they say," his father remarks.
"I like being here. It's where mom is, and the simple life is what I crave for, you know?" His father nods understandably. He does get it. 100% of him comprehends the feeling of being close to home, and seeing and hearing Stiles using his mother as an excuse isn't something to disregard because the attachment between the two is strong and he can't deny that everything Stiles does is all for the family and less of himself.
"Come on, let's get some burgers," says his father.
"You're just using my return as an excuse to get food that I basically ban, huh?"
His father laughs, "Obviously,"
~RETURN~
The ride to Beacon Hills was filled with Derek impatiently asking the driver to drive faster, to which the driver almost felt unnerved by his inability to stay calm for at least 5 minutes. The urge to see Stiles is something he can't escape and just letting him taking his time will only make him feel more fidgety than before.
The yellow cab finally reaches the small county, and without sparing a second glance, the man gives him a hundred dollar, to which the driver almost whoops in delight for scoring such money for his day. He walks around the unfamiliar territory, where he almost wonders where the hell could he be. Beacon Hills is his home, yes, but it has been almost too long since he has seen the small community.
He walks carefully around the county, trying to get an idea of his whereabouts. He's sure that the place remains and retains some constructions that remind him of his old home. He passes by the house with his bag in hand, and wanders aimlessly around the community. He would have asked the people around here, but he's adamant that he does things himself before asking for help under dire circumstances.
He sees a police department car passing by, and his mind instantly clicks to where Stiles could possibly be or at least a connection that Stiles can go to and find. He has said that his father is the sheriff of Beacon Hills, and Derek concludes that it's the best clue he's got. He follows the police cruiser, and hopes that it will lead either to the town or just the sheriff's office or somewhere that Derek's mind is unable to wrack his mind properly.
He reaches an area where buildings and edifices stand strong. He walks to it and gives a sigh of relief when he sees civilizations. Not that the neighborhood is civilization enough but he's just a tad nervous that the entire place is bereft of people. Searching for Stiles can take up the whole day and he wonders how the hell will he be able to find him if he goes on with the solo search party.
He takes his phone out of his pocket and dials Laura's number. He crosses his fingers, hoping that the older sister will at least hear him calling.
"Hello?" replies Laura after a few rings.
"Laura," says Derek, "Where are you?"
~RETURN~
Stiles watches his dad enjoying the burger that he'd ordered and scoffs at him for being such a pig over meat. It's a no wonder that he's father is debarred from consuming such food. He takes his curly fry into his mouth and chews it slowly while watching the outside of the car window. It's almost a tradition that the two will eat in the car, not giving mind that the two will stink the jeep with the scent of fried assortments. The scent will disappear yeah, but at least the moment the two eats in there won't. Not for a long time, no.
He watches the people walking by the entire place with their satisfied looks as they hold their take outs in their hands. He could relate that feeling, that's for sure. He doesn't have to feel pressured about having to feel embarrassed whenever he buys food from the fast food outlets, because, hey, everyone loves those kinds of food.
He crumples the paper bag before alighting the vehicle. He goes out to take the trash out when he sees a familiar face in the streets of Beacon Hills. "Laura?" he mutters to himself. "Laura!" he repeats, unable to believe his eyes when he sees the familiar face. She turns and her eyes widen when she sees the young man jogging up to her.
"Stiles," she says, her voice sounding surprised, "What are you doing here?" she's about to enter her car, but she seems extremely relaxed at the sight of Stiles.
"I decided to leave New York," he states simply.
"Wait, you're not here with Derek?" she asks confusedly.
"Derek?" he asks back, "No, I came back alone. Why, what's going on?"
Laura blinks at him with a perplexed look, "Because he's here, Stiles. He just called me to pick him up like just a few blocks away,"
~RETURN~
Stiles and Laura drive all the way to Derek's location, but not without him telling his dad of his unexpected task. His father nods back at him, although Stiles couldn't help but feel contrite at the sudden appearance of Derek. He promises his dad that he'll make it up for it, to which his dad gave a cheeky response that he will have a barbecue for him. Stiles reluctantly agrees with his dad, but he's probably going to take a really long while to let that slide.
Laura drives with focus, and Stiles wonders why would Derek go all the way here to Beacon Hills. "I mean, he just got engaged with Paige," he says.
"Paige Krasikeva?" asks Paige, "Thought they broke up,"
"They were, but then she came back about some engagement that your parents and hers signed back a few years ago,"
"Ah, that thing. Didn't think she'll actually go through it," she says with a hard expression.
"You knew?" he asks.
"Oh yeah, everyone in our family except Derek knew about it. We didn't need to think about telling him coz boy, that time, Derek was really different. Head over heels for Paige, I tell you. But then again, seeing him moving on to you, is also something I'm not surprised,"
Stiles doesn't reply anymore, notably because he's not really into asking about Derek's shift of personality. They've broken up, what else is there for him to say? He can't just simply plan to rub the engagement in his face now, would he? They finally reached the place Derek has asked Laura to pick him up and he watches as Derek picks up his bag and walks to the vehicle. He stops when he sees Stiles in the car, with an impassive expression.
"I think you should go and talk to him. Get his bag, I'll hold it for him," says Laura. Stiles unbuckles his seatbelt before leaving the vehicle. Laura watches the two relaying the order that she has asked him to do, and she sees Derek giving his bag to him, to which Stiles brings it to the car. She gives a wave at Stiles before driving off somewhere the two have no idea where.
~RETURN~
The two sit in the diner, with them ordering a milkshake each and stare at each other in silence. Stiles is trying to read him, gaging him of intention for returning here for considering he has history here. Derek stares at him too, but not as strong as Stiles' gaze. He seems uncomfortable of both the stare and the silence, and wonders who will be the first to speak.
With the slow music only playing in the background, Derek finally decides to break the ice, "I left Paige," Stiles' gaze doesn't change, and he breathes in when he hears the words coming out of Derek's lips, "I confessed. That I was in love with you and her parents made a bet,"
"A bet?" asks Stiles, "I'm not following,"
"Paige's parents made a bet on whether or not I have feelings for Paige, and sure enough Paige's mother won," The two stay silent at the unexpected gamble, and Stiles couldn't help but laugh at the fact that they would actually pull of such bet. Derek shakes his head with a smile, his eyes looking at the window with amusement in his eyes. At least things are becoming relaxed now.
"Come on," says Stiles, "You can walk me home," the two stand up, not really caring if both have finished their libations. They walk home, and both really appreciate the silence of Beacon Hills, "This is so much better than New York," he muses.
"Yeah," he says whilst locking his finger with Stiles as they kept walking, "It really is,"
~RETURN~
"So, who's this?" asks Stiles' dad. Stiles looks at Derek. He too wonders what should he call Derek considering the small reunion that everything has happened.
"Derek," he replies simply, "My boyfriend, I guess,"
"You guess?" asks Derek and Stiles' dad in unison. Stiles chuckles at the two, his cheeks growing a slight tinge of pink when they question his conclusion.
"Hey, I don't know, alright? We just got back together," retorts Stiles with a laugh, "He's my boyfriend," he corrects, "Who's actually from here; who's also from New York; who also got out of some crazy engagement; who is grumpy as a Sourwolf,,"
"I'll take him upstairs," offers Derek politely to the sheriff. Stiles continues to ramble off hyperactively and incessantly, and his dad seems to agree that Stiles should keep his mouth zipped.
"You do that, son," he replies. Derek ushers the younger man upstairs, "And here I thought, I'd be happy about him being back," he says whilst running his thumb and index finger on the bridge of his nose.
A/N: I'd like to thank you for the continuous support every reader has given me, and I know what you're all thinking, what kind of ending is this? I know, I know; it's not the best ending but come on, it's a romance and humor (more to humor) genre, and different from the usual cliché where I thought a kiss to the lips would be a fitting ending. So... Sorry not sorry, I guess?
Now, I know people are wondering, what about Scott and Isaac? I did say I have reservations for them, so I will begin writing a story for them which will probably take time to write. I will focus on The Meadow and Repayment - this one too will probably end first.
I will give an author's note when I got the story done or at least the first chapter done.