Note: Massive thanks to my amazing beta reader, MidnightMoonWarrior. No, seriously, she's great! You should really go check her out.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf or any of the characters.
He couldn't believe this was happening, he was actually going to fix someone's damaged car for free. The idea was insane considering this is what he did for a living, even if he was the cause of said damage. Normally, he'd bribe the owner to get the problem fixed somewhere far away from him, but according to Erica, the jeep belonged to one Stiles Stilinski. Considering the last name was not all that common, it meant that the smashing he had done had been dealt to the one and only son of the sheriff; meaning that if he tried to bribe the poor owner of the car, he's probably end up having charges pressed against him. In the end, free labor was one of the few things he had to offer, and one of the few things he could offer legally, so fixing the car for free it was.
Walking up the Stilinski's driveway, Derek barely concealed the small smirk that appeared on his face in response to see the jeep he had thoroughly and completely trashed. Despite the fact that it was the jeep he'd have to spend days, perhaps even weeks, working on so the kid didn't tell his father about the incident, he was still proud of his destructive nature. If only it had been the right car...Derek rapped on the doorway of the house, only having to wait a few moments for a lanky teenager to answer the door. Probably Stiles, he noted.
"Hey, Sc-" The greeting dropped off as the boy flailed slightly at the realization that his friend had not been on the other side of the door. Thankfully for his already throbbing temples, the flailing only went on for a moment before the defensive rambling took over. "Who the hell are you? My dad didn't say anyone was coming, he's not here if you're look for him. You could leave a note or you could come in and wait if you..."
"I'm Derek Hale." Derek cut off the chatter box with his best smile, hoping that his irritation was not being heard. The kid needed to like him so he could get the repairs done as fast as possible, get back to his life, and avoid being arrested. Perhaps not in that exact order, but it all needed to be done and for that, the kid needed to like him; he avoided gritting his teeth and waited for a response.
Realization dawned on Stiles' face and the kid took a step back, to put some distance between them. Not reassured by the action, Derek recalled what Erica had told him; she had left the kid a note that should have told him what he needed to know, the kid should at least recognize the name.
"Derek?" Stiles repeated the name slowly, as if he was testing the sound of it out on his tongue. Then, it seemed, the kid's brain kicked in. "You're the guy that wrecked my jeep!" The shorter of the two pointed an accusing finger at him and Derek resisted rolling his eyes. He just wanted to get started and get his repair nightmare over with. Fingers reached into a pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, leading to Stiles nearly waving the infamous note in the other's face. "You better be freaking glad I didn't show my dad this. He's been going insane over the jeep. Do you know how much it's going to cost to get the thing fixed?! Probably more than it's worth!"
The boy paused for a breath and Derek took the chance to speak before the babbling took back over. "I'm here to fix your car, if you want." Stiles stilled for a moment, seeming to consider the idea, weighing his options; Derek decided to add in the last part of the offer. "That is, if I don't become known to your dad as the cause of the damage."
"I knew there was a catch." Stiles huffed, his bottom lip being worried slightly between his two rows of teeth. "You'd be doing this for free right? And by free, I mean no payment. Which, of course, that's what I obviously meant. That's exactly what free means, although I could mean for three, but that wouldn't make any sense in the context of this conve-"
"Completely free." Breaking off the rant was easy, but Derek knew something needed to happen or he wouldn't be able to stop himself from asking the boy if he ever stopped babbling about useless things. Seeing that Stiles needed more convincing, Derek faked another half baked pleasant attitude and added "And I promise I will fix all the damage I caused."
"Fine, yeah, okay." Stiles finally relented, holding out his hand for Derek to shake so that the deal would be official. Or, at least offical enough so that Stiles would not get the officials involved. Derek firmly shook the hand a few times, before dropping his hand back to his side. "But you need to work on it fast, I need my car. Without it I have to be driven by my dad or worse, ride the bus!"
"I'll start work on it tomorrow" Derek assured him, trying to sound charming and not annoyed. It seemed to work, as Stiles nodded slightly before closing the door in Derek's face; at least he didn't slam it, the man sighed. Making his way back down the driveway, Derek eyed the jeep and started to mentally assess how much it would cost to fix the damn thing. Then there was the time to take into account, oh, and how he was going to explain to Sheriff Stilinski why he was fixing his son's jeep for free.
Note to self, he inscribed in his mind with bitter regret in mind, pick a better designated driver next time. Preferably, one who wouldn't let him cause massive property damage.