A/N: BIG shout out to my beta, dragonryder94 for getting this back to me in a week! I have the other two chapters finished already. I'll post them soon. :)

Erica huffed in annoyance and plopped down on a barstool, catching the bar back's attention. "Tequila, double."

"Sounds like you've had quite a day."

She didn't jump at the voice from her left, simply tossed her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder and shot a smoldering glance at the stranger. "You've got no idea."

The man smiled broadly, eyes cast downward before raising a finger at the bartender. "Make that 2 doubles." He laid a crisp bill on the bar, sliding it over when the man set two glasses down in front of Erica.

"Why thank you..." She trailed off, waiting for a name as he fixed gorgeous blue-green eyes on her.

"Derek. Derek Hale."

She accepted the hand he offered, shaking it firmly. "Erica. I'd tell you my last name, but then I'd have to kill you." She grinned slyly, making Derek laugh.

"That's alright. When a man buys a pretty woman a drink at a bar in the middle of nowhere, I think she's entitled to know who she's dealing with. I have an older sister who made sure I knew how not to be a creep." He said this with a grin, looking down at the bar top when Erica raised a brow and picked up her glass.

"Fair enough. Are we shooting these like real men or are we going to be pussies about it?"

After their third round of double shots, Erica put her hand on Derek's thigh while he told her stories that made her laugh. Twenty minutes later, his hands were fisted in her hair as she sucked his cock down her throat with a moan. They stumbled across the street to the motel he was staying at, exchanging moans between broken kisses. Erica's short red nails dug into Derek's thighs as she rode him, gasping out when his hips bucked to meet hers.

Later, wrapped up in the threadbare sheet, Erica asked Derek what he was doing in the south if he was so obviously a Cali boy. Derek shrugged, running his fingertips through the hair that spattered his lower torso, staring at the ceiling while Erica propped her chin on a curled up pillow.

"I quit my job, at my dad's law firm last month." He said, finally. They weren't close enough for her to touch his pretty face like she wanted, so Erica ran a finger over the wrist of his free hand, saying nothing. Derek continued. "When I graduated law school, I thought there was nothing more I wanted than to be an attorney. But after a couple years, I just felt out of place. I've been traveling, trying to figure out what I want."

Erica made a noise in her throat. "Well, if I may be so bold as to offer a suggestion?" Derek nodded. "I work for a touring band, ever heard of Chasms & Crevices? Anyway, I had to fire Greenburg, that retard dropped Jackson's Les Paul AGAIN this morning, and now I'm short an able body for physical labor. You look like you could lift a couple hundred pounds easy, so you'd have no problem with the work." She poked at his rippling shoulder muscle. He chuckled.

"Really? I think I could do that, yeah."

"The pay is shit, but the crew is amazing. The band treats us really good too, the other bands on tour are assholes, but our guys are really down to earth and everything. I think it'd be the perfect interlude for you, get out of that stuffy office environment and live a little before you settle back into a real life again." She grinned widely, sticking her tongue out when Derek made a face at her. "I mean, if you think you can handle it."

Erica most definitely did not yelp in surprise when Derek launched himself at her and tickled her until she screamed in delight.

"So this is our band of misfits. We're six days into a 45-day tour." Erica showed Derek the camp, nodding her head at Isaac when she saw him. "Hey, Lahey, I recruited a new pack mule."

Isaac walked over, rolling his eyes at Erica's grin. "Hi, I'm Isaac, I'm the tour manager."

Derek took the proffered hand. "Derek Hale. Uh, I hope this isn't weird."

Isaac shook his head, the headset he wore slipping down to his neck. "No, don't worry, after the third tour with Jackson, I learned that some crew members might not have what it takes. I think you should be okay though, if Erica recruited you." He grunted when Erica punched him in the chest, rubbing at the spot for a moment before wrangling her into a headlock. "Don't undermine my authority in front of the noobs, damn it!"

"Whatever." She pushed him off, still smiling wickedly when he pushed his hand into her face. Erica laughed, turning to Derek apologetically. "Isaac is my adoptive brother, and he thinks he's my boss on the road."

"I am! Damn it, Reyes." Isaac sighed. Turning to Derek, he spoke again. "Come by my bus later, we'll do your paperwork before the show." He left after glaring at Erica once more.

Erica showed Derek the stage equipment and the crew lockers and everything he'd be doing later to set up for the show.

"There isn't as much, since it's our second night here. The stage is already up, so it's just the instruments and the amps, making sure the guys have what they need. It'll be a pretty easy first day."

Next, she introduced him to the band. Chasms & Crevices was a five-piece rock band Derek had never heard of, and frankly they surprised him. They looked like regular dudes, no crazy hair or tattoos- well, not a crazy amount of tattoos. The drummer, Danny, looked at Derek appreciatively when he walked in the room, only to have the lead guitarist, the pretty-boy Jackson laugh and throw a water bottle at Danny's head.

"He's probably straight, Dan."

Jackson didn't look like he was the pain in the ass everyone had been making him out to be. Boyd, the bassist, stood up and shook Derek's hand, and the other guitarist with the long shaggy hair introduced himself as Scott. The one who surprised Derek the most was the lanky, spastic vocalist, Stiles. He had walked straight into Derek's back after Erica dragged them in, clearly not paying attention and throwing his hands out to catch him.

"Shit, sorry man."

Derek looked over to see warm brown eyes looking straight at him, a curious look on Stiles' face. "No problem." Derek said after a moment, eyes lingering on Stiles before he scanned the room, taking in as much as he could. "You guys don't really look like any rock band I've ever seen before."

The guys all laughed, clearly used to that reaction. "Why, because Jackson and Danny look like they just walked off a runway? And Boyd is pretty much the linebacker of the group." Stiles snorted as he dropped onto the couch between Danny and Scott.

Derek felt heat creep up his neck. "That's not what I-"

"Relax, we understand. We know." Scott said as he plucked at a random electric guitar. Then he straightened, eyes lighting up. "Have you met Allison yet? She's great."

Derek could only laugh when the entire room groaned.

He did meet Allison, the band's manager, and Lydia, their terrifyingly beautiful agent. The girls brought Derek onto their bus, asking him a few questions to get to know him.

"We're a very tight crew." Allison smiled at him, a warm, dimpled smile as she handed him a bottle of water. "We've been doing this for almost five years now, so we're a family. God knows we see each other more often than any of our actual family members."

"Five years?" Derek couldn't believe he'd never heard of the band before. "Do you mind if you fill me in? I'm afraid my schooling has kept me from being properly socialized."

Allison choked out a small laugh. "Alright. Well, we all went to high school together in Beacon Hills, California-"

"Beacon Hills?" Derek said disbelievingly. Lydia actually looked up from her tablet to stare at him.

"You know about Beacon Hills?" The redhead's hair spilled over her shoulder when she cocked her head at him. Derek nodded.

"I grew up there; my family is from there. I haven't been back since I left for college."

"You said your name is Derek Hale? Related to Jeffrey and Anna Marie Hale?"

"They're my parents."

"Lydia Martin, my mom Cynthia is your mom's best friend." She grinned widely, taking off her Bluetooth to pay more attention.

"Oh my God, little Lydia! Yeah! I haven't seen you in years."

"I wasn't in high school yet when you left for Columbia." Lydia stood, meeting Derek for a hug. Allison watched in amazement.

"So you're also from Beacon Hills. Cool!"

Derek laughed. "Keep telling me about the band."

"Okay, um. Pretty much all of us are from home. Danny, Jackson, Scott, Stiles, and Boyd have been playing for years; they were all on the lacrosse team and would hangout after practice playing music. Lydia and Jackson have been practically married since sophomore year. Erica used to date Stiles, and her brother Isaac took me to prom. Scott still won't let him forget it." She blushed slightly. "Don't tell anyone, because it looks bad that I'm their manager, but Scott and I have been dating for almost four years."

"Congrats." Derek said, unsure of what else to say.

"Yeah, well, there's a lot of in-office dating. Isaac and Danny are together, as are Boyd and Erica-" Derek choked on the sip of water he had taken, "-granted they still fuck other people. I'm assuming that's how she met you, since you're now eighteen shades redder than you were before." Lydia was a perceptive little bitch.

"Uh, yeah." Derek admitted sheepishly. Lydia smirked.

"That's okay, like I said, lots of in-office dating. Hell, I've seen so many things on tour with these guys, nothing fazes me anymore. I swear, if I can live through walking in on Stiles and Isaac tag-teaming Danny, I can handle anything."

Derek's brows rose. Allison cleared her throat. "Anyway. When they were seventeen, Jackson got the guys in a studio and they recorded an EP. They got picked up by a label that same year, putting out the first studio album right after graduation. We started touring right away, and we haven't stopped. I know it's unconventional, hiring all your high school friends as your manager and crew, but it has been working for us. The guys just wrapped up their third album, which will hit stores a month after this tour ends. So, long story short, we're always on the road."

"Wow, that's impressive." Derek really was impressed.

Once Derek had been briefed on the band, Isaac came to get him for paperwork. He filled out necessary forms before Isaac brought him onto one of the crew busses, showing him his bunk and an empty cabinet for Derek to keep his things. They grabbed food from the catering table backstage, and then Boyd came over to show him the guitars.

"Ever play one of these?"

Derek nodded. "Mostly acoustic- I played when I was younger."

Boyd shook his head with a laugh. "So you at least understand the basics. That's good, most of the guys don't, and that's when Jackson becomes a diva. Just make sure none of his Gibsons or Scott's yellow Ibanez get damaged in any way. My Fenders can take some roughness, so I'm not picky. Keep Scott and Jackson's guitars in drop C tuning, except Jackson's gold Les Paul- that's standard tuning. I tune my own, because bass isn't difficult and I only play the one usually. Jackson generally swaps once or twice, and Scott will only change guitars if he pops a string. Are you keeping up?"

Derek nodded again. "Yeah. Do you guys change your own strings?"

"Do you know how?" When Derek said he did, Boyd looked up towards the sky. "I don't know who sent you to us, but I thank them for the gift. You're the first guy in a long time that's going to be able to keep up and understand us. We should keep you in charge of the guitar cabinets, exclusively."

Later, the opening bands showed up for sound check. Derek waited in the wings as the three other acts- Satellite Visions, Gallows, and Valley of the Gone- ran through their set lists, nodding along with the music, getting a feel for the style. It was a little heavier than he normally listened to, and he figured that's why he'd never heard of any of them before.

Stiles laid a hand on Derek's shoulder as he reached down into the guitar cabinet, plucking Scott's Ibanez up and slinging the strap over his head. "Have you ever been to a rock show before?" He asked Derek, mouth hung open as he pulled a pick from his pocket, strumming a few chords on the unplugged electric. Derek shook his head with a scrunch of his nose, watching Stiles' fingers play across the fret board, choking the neck. Stiles had his tongue caught between his teeth, and Derek stared at it. "You're definitely in for a show tonight." Stiles told him as he grabbed a cable and plugged it in.

With a wiggle of his brows and a small growl, Stiles left Derek in the wings and jogged on stage at the end of the last band's set, pressing his back up against the other guitarist and engaging in a dual guitar solo, the higher tuning of his borrowed guitar wailing in harmony with the base guitar. Stiles pushed himself off the other guitarist and jumped up on the corner of the drum platform, flipping backwards toward the stage. Derek felt his heart lurch, moving toward Stiles momentarily before Stiles landed on his feet with a howl.

"He's incredible, isn't he?" Erica said as she came up beside him. Derek agreed before doing a double take, then gripped her elbow and led her away from the wings, back to backstage.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?!" He whispered harshly. She laughed.

"Boyd and I love each other, but we don't conform to the monogamy expected in traditional relationships. Relax, he doesn't care."

Derek let out a strangled cry. "He already knows?!"

"Of course, I texted him after I asked you to come work for us. We don't have secrets. That's why it works for us." She patted Derek's cheek gently. "Relax, Derek. This crew doesn't judge."

"So I've heard." Derek mumbled, glancing back toward the stage, where Stiles walked off with the other band, handing Scott his guitar with a high-five.

"Derek, are you...are you bisexual?" Erica asked suddenly, causing Derek's gaze to whip back to her.

"What? No, I just- No. I don't think so. Why?"

Erica clucked her tongue at him. "No reason." She practically sang it before flitting away when Danny yelled out something about extra drum heads.

Derek didn't have a chance to watch C&C during their sound check. He got recruited by one of the other bands' roadies, a tall guy named Alcide, to help move a lighting rig on the other side of the amphitheater out to the trucks. He met some of the other techies who wouldn't stop calling him a noob, reminding him of his younger brother Declan and his video games. The other techies invited him to eat with them, saying that usually the stage crews hung out together when the bands had appearances in the cities they stopped at. Derek got pointers and a few warnings on what it meant to be a roadie, specifically his new position as a guitar tech.

By the time he got called back to his own crew, the fans were spilling into the venue; eager to see the acts perform.

Derek ended up helping Alcide and the other techies between sets, changing the backdrops as each band performed and tossing bottles of vitaminwater to anyone who motioned for one, since Isaac had lovingly dropped an entire flat of XXX at his feet when the first band ran out on stage.

"You're on hydration duty tonight. Make sure none of the guys pass out."

Boyd came over and stood next to him in the wings, watching the second act as they jumped around onstage.

"You've got it pretty easy right now. I think Erica feels guilty for not giving you a heads-up about us." Boyd said as he moved slightly to the beat of the drums, not wincing when the drummer hit the hi-hats rather aggressively for a short eternity. Derek just kept nodding his head to the music, shrugging his shoulders wordlessly. Boyd let out a bark of laughter. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. When it picks up next week, she'll work you like a dog. Good to know there aren't any hard feelings though. It'll make our working relationship easier."

"Hey man," Derek finally said, his eyes briefly drifting over to where Stiles stood down the hall, talking to one of the other bands' members and Lydia, Stiles' face opening up in a quick wide laugh that wrinkled his forehead, "I'm not the one who should have hard feelings. My parents raised me to be a gentleman. If you wanted to take a swing at me, you'd get no resistance from me. I'm not used to this line of thinking, this way of life, but I appreciate you all being understanding."

Boyd followed Derek's line of vision, hiding a smile when Stiles' loud voice reached their ears. "We're always willing to convert a stiff conservative." He snickered at his own joke when Derek looked at him curiously. Boyd squatted to pull a bottle from the case at Derek's side. "We're up in 45, Gallows is almost done. I'm going to grab the guys to warm up." His hand came down on Derek's shoulder in a supportive gesture before he walked away.

Forty minutes later, he hauled Valley of the Gone's backdrop up from the bridge, climbing down once he'd secured the massive Chasms & Crevices artwork- it took up the entire length of the back of the stage. Erica directed him to help pull Danny's drum platform onstage, locking the wheels into place and sliding down pins that slotted into holes on the stage. He stood up, shuffling off stage once he was done, and saw the band walking toward him. The audience seemed to feel how close to the start of the main act they were, because all of a sudden the noise was deafening. Derek met Stiles' eyes with wide eyes, shivering at the loud screaming behind him.

Stiles stopped in front of him, putting in his earpiece with a raised brow at Derek. "Crazy, right? I'll never get used to that feeling."

"It's all for you guys." Derek's arm made a sweeping gesture toward where Scott, Boyd, and Jackson stood pulling on their gear, guitar straps and cables everywhere. Danny was spinning a pair of carbon fiber-covered drumsticks in his hands, brows furrowed in anticipation to get on his throne.

Stiles snorted, grabbing Derek's attention again. He was jumping in place, shaking his arms as if shaking off his nerves. "That's why it's crazy. Are you going to stick around for the show?" He looked almost hopeful. Derek's face constricted briefly, like the question was silly.

"Of course. Where else would I be?"

Stiles shrugged, looking down to hide his growing smile. "Some of the roadies hang out in the lot while we perform. You get sick of hearing the same songs after a while."

Derek handed him a bottle of vitaminwater and spoke while Stiles sucked half of it down, "Lucky for me, then. It's only my first night." He pressed his lips together tightly, containing his grin. Was he flirting? Is this really a thing? When Stiles pressed the bottle back into his hand and licked his lips, Derek watched the movement, catching himself a moment too late. He cleared his throat, ignoring the tension in the air as Stiles smirked. "Besides, I'm the guitar tech now. Who will establish world peace again if Jackson pops a string onstage? I've gotta be here ready to hand him a new guitar so he doesn't go into a murderous rage."

Oh yeah. He was definitely flirting.

Stiles held back a laugh, biting his lip before Danny clapped a hand on his back and they moved toward the stage. Stiles shot one last glance at Derek when Isaac thrust a dark red corded microphone at him before turning toward the stage.

All of the lights over the crowd and on the stage went off, the crowd screaming louder in the darkness, and the guys walked on. Danny was hitting the snare a split second later, and before Derek could so much as breathe in, a loud scream sounded throughout the amphitheater and cymbals crashed. The lights shot on, illuminating the stage in a flood of bright light as the guitars joined in. Derek inched closer, seeing Stiles up on the front speaker, hands cradled around the mic, still emitting the scream. The audience roared again when he threw his head back at the end of it, cutting off with a growl. Danny's arms came up, spinning his sticks before he brought them down again, his knees bouncing over the double pedals on his bass drum.

Derek could feel every drum kick in his chest; the force of Danny's drumming was palpable from his position in the wings. Suddenly, Scott, Boyd, Stiles, and Jackson jumped in synchronization as the intro melted into the first song. Jackson moved toward the crowd with a short solo before Stiles opened up and started singing.

Derek was...mesmerized by it. Stiles had a quality to his voice, a light lilt when he sang that washed over Derek soothingly. When Stiles ripped out a scream after the chorus, screaming out a verse, Derek couldn't help but shiver at the dirty grittiness of it. Stiles had no problem slipping between the soft clean vocals and the rasping rumbling screams. He moved around onstage like he was born for it, doing backflips off the drum platform and climbing up to sing into Danny's mic, running around while Jackson shredded through solos and Boyd sang back up. Stiles was constantly in motion, pressing his back against Scott during a particularly long, high pitched shriek into his mic.

The dynamic was incredible. The fans were insane, throwing their hands up and screaming the lyrics to every song. The band had a unique style- some songs were heavy and melodic, while the next was lighter and faster. Derek honestly didn't know how he would classify them musically.

Halfway through the set, the guys stopped playing, letting Stiles sing with no accompaniment for a moment. He sang a line, and then held the mic out toward the audience with a hand at his ear, waving them up to sing it louder. He brought the mic back, sang the last word, and the drums crashed loudly. It was a show worth seeing. Chasms & Crevices were performers- very talented performers.

After the last song, Stiles thanked the crowd, dishing out a slew of compliments. "You guys are fucking incredible, you know that? WE WOULDN'T BE HERE IF IT WEREN'T FOR ALL YOU WONDERFUL FUCKING PEOPLE!" Derek could see the girls in the front being held back by security, and Stiles jumped down off the stage to kiss their hands. His mic was still onstage, but he grabbed it as the security team pushed him back up, rolling to a stand with a whistle. "We love you Raleigh, you've been an amazing crowd!"

Derek handed Danny a bottle of water and helped Jackson out of his guitar when they exited the stage first. Boyd clapped him on the back again and grabbed his own water, smiling when Derek looked over. Scott had his guitar slung around his back, his hands already on Allison's ass since she pounced on him the second she could. Stiles was drenched in sweat and plopped down on top of the lockbox next to Derek. Derek grabbed three bottles of water, handing one to Jackson once the guitar was safely in its case. He opened the second one for Stiles and held it out expectantly.

"Thanks." He downed the whole bottle, and when he finished, Derek gave him the last bottle with a smile.

"That was incredible." He said when Stiles eyed him, still holding out the last bottle. "You've got a great set of pipes. Let's keep them happy, shall we? Drink it."

Stiles rolled his eyes, but took the bottle with a small smile. Erica laughed as she came up, jumping up on Boyd's back to kiss his neck. "Look at that, someone who can actually get Stilinski to roll over."

Stiles threw the empty bottle he still had at her head, his cheeks reddening at her words. "Shut up, Rey."

"That was the most pathetic comeback, ever, Stiles." Lydia piped up. Derek turned, seeing her curled into Jackson's side, and Isaac had his hand firmly planted in Danny's back pocket. Cute.

"You guys were amazing- I think that was the best show we've had yet! Danny, that double-pedal action you improvised during Passion? Brilliant. And Stiles, holy hell, you were on fire tonight!" Allison said after she tore herself away from Scott.

Stiles grinned. "Yeah, I had a little extra energy." He looked up at Derek, smiling.

"We should celebrate, since you guys did so great. Aaaand, I found us a new guitar tech." Erica grinned at everyone, obviously proud of herself for finding Derek. Before anyone could say anything, Isaac spoke up.

"Excellent idea, but first, we've gotta get the stage all broken down and packed up. Come on, we'll meet you guys in the bus when we finish."

Erica groaned but slid down Boyd's back, tugging Derek's shirt before jogging away. Stiles jumped down from his seat, landing directly in front of Derek.

"Guess you gotta go."

"Yeah, don't want to get fired on my first day."

Stiles laughed at him. "You better come with them; I want you to make me laugh again." He winked at Derek then slid past him, trailing after Scott and Allison. "I mean it, Derek. Or I will fire you!"

It took them just over an hour to get everything torn down and packed away into the trucks. Derek stood with Alcide and some other roadies while Isaac and the Gallows' stage manager did a final check of the venue. They came back with an all clear, and Derek walked with Isaac back to their bus.

"I'm going to change, so if you want to also, you can. We'll get you some stage crew shirts when we get to Atlanta on Thursday." Isaac told him as he pulled open the door to their bus. Derek followed him in, wandering back toward the bunks.

"That's fine; I'm going to call my sister."

Derek had heard enough from the other roadies to know just how fucking lucky he was that he managed to land a spot on the Chasms crew. The other bands had larger crews, sure, but at least Chasms & Crevices treated their crew well. Alcide had complained about the van he slept in with six other dudes. The fact that Derek was on a bus (even if it was practically just a converted greyhound bus) meant Derek would have luxuries the other roadies didn't- like an on-board shower and a cabinet for his stuff.

Derek grabbed his pack from the storage below his bunk. He pulled off his shirt while he waited for his phone to turn on. Figures, he had three missed text messages from Laura, and one from Declan. He dialed his sister's number and pulled out his deodorant.

Laura answered on the third ring. "There's my favorite little brother."

"I'll tell Dec you said that."

Laura scoffed. "How are you? I've been trying to get ahold of you all day."

"Hence, why I'm calling you back, Lulu- I didn't have my phone on while I was at work today." He recapped his deodorant and put his phone on the bed, turning on the speaker.

"Work? But I thought you were still somewhere in the Carolinas."

"I got a job; I'm doing some physical labor for a touring band. Turns out I know enough about guitars to be useful."

"Well that's good, Derek. What band is it?"

"Have you ever heard of Chasms & Crevices?" When he got a squeal in response, he cringed. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Oh my God, they're amazing! You know that's Lainey's favorite band, right? She's always going on about Jackson this and Smiles that-"

Derek chuckled. "Stiles."

"-what?"

"His name, the lead vocalist- it's Stiles, not Smiles."

Laura paused. "Are you sure? He's always smiling. I thought that's why- but Stiles- no, that doesn't make any sense."

"Yes, Lulu, I'm sure." Derek pulled on a black Henley, smoothing it down over his stomach and pulling up the sleeves a bit.

"Ohhh, really?" Laura all but purred it.

Derek swore. "Christ, Laura, don't you ever get tired of turning your brothers' lives into your own personal soap operas?"

"Nope." Her lips popped on the 'p' when she said it.

Derek turned off the speaker and put the phone back to his ear. "Anyway, I'll call you when I get back to the bunk; we're celebrating a good show tonight, and apparently my indoctrination to the crew. I just wanted to let you know I'm alive."

"Have fun little brother." Laura sang, and Derek barely had time to say goodbye before she hung up. He shoved the phone into his jeans and met Isaac by the door.

The inside of the band's bus was insane. Literally.

The two couches toward the front were wrapped in leather, the small built-in table was carved from real wood, and the kitchenette counter was slate grey granite. There were gold-trimmed sconces on the walls between the windows and recessed LED lights in the ceiling panels. Derek couldn't see toward the back were the bunks would be, but he imagined that even the sleeping arrangements were better on this bus.

Isaac pushed at his shoulder from the step behind him, urging Derek to climb the last stair and let him pass. Lydia grabbed his arm the moment his work boots sank into the plush green carpet and dragged him to the couches.

"Derek, you made it! Would you like a beer?" Lydia asked, already pushing a full solo cup into his hand. She pressed a delicate hand into his sternum and forced him onto the smaller couch, next to where Danny sat. "Tell me, how was your first day?" She floated down into the space on his other side.

"It was good, actually. Not what I expected, but I had fun." He took a sip from the cup and looked around. Allison was sitting on Scott's lap on the other couch, her stilettos slung over the arm and hooked on the back of the dining table bench. Her head was nestled on Stiles' shoulder, who's sitting between Scott and Erica, his arm wrapped around Erica's head on the back of the couch. Jackson was pouring drinks for Boyd and Isaac at the kitchenette counter, and they're all laughing loudly.

"Jackson, keep it down over there!" Erica hollered suddenly, causing Jackson to flip her off without taking his eyes off the drinks he's making.

"Yeah, what exactly are you boys talking about?" Allison quipped. Jackson handed the cups over to Isaac and Boys, who moved toward the couches. Isaac slinked down on the carpet between Danny's legs, and Danny twined a hand in his hair easily.

"I was telling Isaac about the action Stiles got earlier."

Derek couldn't help how fast his eyes shot to Stiles, who seemed to blush and groan at Jackson's words. "For fuck's sake, Jacks."

Scott snorted, and Erica sat up a little. "What? When?"

"While you guys were doing tear-down." Scott answered, and Stiles slapped at his knee.

"DUDE! Whose side are you ON?!" It came out a little higher than Stiles' normal register, and that made Danny chuckle.

"Oh, come on! It's a good story." Stiles just groaned again, his hand coming from around Erica to rub at his face.

"We knew we had some time before you guys would be done, so Scott suggested a little meet and greet with the fans. So we get to the front of the venue, and it was business as usual for a while, signing Hancocks and taking pictures." Jackson slid onto the table top, taking a sip of his drink before he continued. "All of a sudden, this girl just launches herself at Stiles, kissing him like she fucking owns him! He manages to get her off of him, and he sees the boyfriend standing there looking pissed. So in a classic Stilinski move, he grabs the boyfriend and places a big kiss on his lips!" Everyone seemed to break out in laughter at that. Derek had to admit- picturing it happening, it was pretty funny. But it didn't do anything to ease the tension Derek felt between his shoulders.

"Oh my God, Stiles!" Lydia exclaimed through her laughs, small tears spilling from her eyes.

"The best part is how shocked the guy looked after and Stiles just fucking winks at him, saying he was 'a little more Stiles' type! It was awesome."

"You guys are assholes." Stiles growled out, glaring at Jackson while everyone else continued to chuckle. "I just felt so damn awkward! Like, dude, no."

"Well, I would have done the same thing." Isaac said, earning him a proud cooing noise from Danny who squeezed Isaac's shoulder affectionately.

Stiles' expression softened, and he grinned at Isaac. Jackson rolled his eyes. "Lyd, let's go grab some food, I'm starving."

Lydia jumped up and danced over to Jackson, pulling him down from the table and the two of them disappeared out the door. Derek made small talk with Danny for a while, asking about what it was like to be on tour with his boyfriend and all of his friends. Eventually, Isaac's head on Danny's knee rolled slightly, and Danny laughed.

"I need to get this one into a bed. He'll be a dick all day tomorrow if I let him sleep like that for too long." Danny nudged Isaac awake, and then poked him until they stood and he was leading a drowsy Isaac toward the bunks. Derek sat on the couch alone for a moment, pulling his phone out when it buzzed with a text from Laura.

Wrap it up little brother! ~L

Derek snorted, and was sliding the phone back into his pocket when Stiles plopped down next to him.

"What's so funny?" There was a wide grin on Stiles' face and a fresh cup of beer in his extended hand. Derek took it with a shake of his head.

"My sister, she's being obnoxious."

"Oh, yeah? Why?" Stiles took a sip of his own beer, his tongue darting out to touch the rim of the cup. Derek was momentarily distracted because, ohmyfuckinggod, Stiles had his tongue pierced.

"Uh, nothing particular, just- just general obnoxiousness." Derek stammered, averting his eyes and fiddling with his own cup. Stiles didn't say anything, and when Derek chanced a look up, Stiles was watching Derek with a dark expression. Derek cleared his throat, and Stiles jolted.

"So," he started, breathing in deeply, "I hear you're from Beacon Hills. Why don't I know you?"

Derek chuckled. "I'm older than you, for one. I was in college by the time you guys all started high school."

"But my dad's the Sheriff. I know a lot of people in Beacon Hills." Stiles tilted his head, an unreadable look on his face. "I definitely would have remembered you."

Derek opened his mouth to speak, before closing it again. He took a moment before saying anything. "Well, we have a house outside of town, down a small road in the woods. My father has a law firm downtown-"

"Are you a Hale?" Realization dawned on Stiles' face, and Derek nodded. "My dad's worked some cases with your dad. Told me some stories about your family, and he once brought home a rhubarb pie your mom had given him during the holidays."

Derek laughed, because his mom made the best pies in all of California. At least, that's what everyone always told him. "Yeah, my sister-in-law has been asking for that recipe since the wedding six years ago."

Stiles' face brightened. "Tell me about your siblings."

"What do you want to know?"

Stiles shrugged, taking another gulp of his beer. An air of sadness washes over his face. "Anything. Everything. I'm an only child. My mom died giving birth when I was nine. My baby sister only lived for four hours."

Derek panicked inside, unsure of what to do with that information. "Shit, Stiles, I'm so sor-"

"Don't worry about it." Stiles made a dismissive gesture, turning to look at Derek. "Please. It's been a long time. But I love hearing about other people's families. I like to live vicariously through my friends."

Derek couldn't help but force out a laugh at the wiggle of Stiles' brows. "Alright. Well, Devin's the oldest, he's thirty-two. I don't know how he managed to snag a wife, but Rosie is amazing, she's smart and strong, and she knows how to put Devin in his place. They have a three-year old daughter, Elsie, and Rosie is pregnant with their second. Then there's Laura, she's barely a year older than me; she's twenty-eight. She turns twenty-nine a month after I turn twenty-eight. Growing up, people would mistake us for twins, and we were in the same grade because of the way our birthdays fell within the cut-off dates. We're definitely the closest, much to my chagrin sometimes. She nags; a lot."

Stiles barked out a laugh at the face Derek made. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

Derek couldn't help it when his eyes bulged slightly. "She's constantly trying to set me up with people. God forbid I mention someone being nice or attractive- she'll find out everything she can on that person. It's ridiculous. Anyway, I'm the middle child at twenty-seven. My brother Declan is twenty-two, finishing school for mechanical engineering. Then my sister Lainey turns twenty-one next month, as terrifying as that is. She's a junior at UCLA."

"Wow. That's quite a family."

Derek sighed. "You have no idea. Apparently, Lainey is a big fan of you guys."

Stiles' face lit up, and he bounced in his seat. "Really?"

"Yeah, I talked to Laura earlier and she told me Lainey's always talking about you and Jackson."

"Me and Jackson? Your sister has a crush on me?"

"I guess so." Derek really shouldn't enjoy the way Stiles spazzed out at that.

"That's so awesome."

"Must be a Hale thing." Derek murmured absentmindedly, and Stiles whipped his attention back to Derek.

"What?"

Derek's cheeks colored slightly and he cleared his throat. "Nothing, I jus-"

He was saved from stumbling over himself when Jackson and Lydia came back in with bags of Chinese takeout.

"Alright, who wants Mongolian beef?" Jackson announced loudly.

Two hours later, Derek fell into his bed on the crew bus, laughing when Erica stepped on him as she climbed into the bunk above him. He took a pillow to the face when she leaned over the side to chuck it at him. He pushed his hand into her face gently, and she bit the plump flesh of his palm with a grin.

"I'm glad you fit in here, Derek." She told him before snatching her pillow from his hands and disappearing back into her bunk.

Derek sighed contently, scratching lightly at his stomach. "Me too."