Long chapter guys :] enjoy

Stiles woke up the morning after Striker Eureka and Titan Omega killed Tsume and he didn't move from his bed for what seemed like an eternity. The gears between his ears turned and clanked together, making things all the more difficult for him to swallow as he carefully sifted through the pieces of his life that had been laid out in front of him.

Jaeger: A German word that translated to hunter.

A hunter; one who searches or seeks something, one who dances in the art or practice of perusing any living organism.

The ranger swallowed dryly and hummed, tired eyes falling closed in the early morning air. He listened to the steady inhale of his own breath and turned to stare at the picture frame on the night stand next to the bed. A Jaeger was more than just a robot, it was a mechanism designed to hunt something far beyond what the human species had ever expected to manifest in their world. But as Raleigh said years ago, the Kaiju and their handlers didn't expect them to rise to the occasion.

They didn't expect knights to be inside their suits of armor.

"Jaeger pilot..." the words slipped across his lips and his tongue darted out to chase them, feeling along the chapped flesh as he rolled over and reached to grab his phone. He narrowed his eyes and strained to see the four missed text messages on the screen, two from Danny, one from Allison, one from Derek.

His mouth pulled into an awkward half-smile as he read across Danny's enthusiastic novel-like text message. He was graduating in a month and a half and when Stiles took in the words 'I wish you could be there' he felt his chest ache and flutter. He typed back a response, mumbling the words to himself as he flopped on to his back again and held the phone above his nose. If there was anything he could do, it would be to get on a plane and be there for Danny, but he knew that his friend understood his inability to do so.

Allison Argent August 31, 2031, 5:30 AM

Hey, I know it's early but Derek said he wanted to train with you this morning so I'm gonna do my workout early :) don't let him be too hard on you!

Stiles groaned and set his phone down on his chest so he could fix his eyes back on the rusted ceiling. That was the other major thought worming its way through his mind in the sleepy hours of the warm summer morning. The man who would stand next to him during battle. The veteran ranger who would know every crevice of Stiles' mind from the inside out. He tongued lazily at the inside of his cheek as he thought back to when Derek brushed his feet against Stiles' legs and heat radiated into the soft cheek bones on the boys face.

"Okay... I can just," he closed his eyes and tried to focus on the memories from yesterday. Idly toying on the edges of each one, the pain of losing Jackson crawled into his stomach and Stiles shifted uncomfortably but continued to breathe, gripping gently at each fleeting memory. Derek was interesting. He was right-handed, he had played Soccer when he was in high school and he had joined the Jaeger program when he was... eighteen. His mother used to sing him to sleep. There was something about fire... A fire in the woods.

It was strange to know such intimate details about someone he had met only a day prior, but that was the beauty of drift. It allowed two people to become one in a matter of minutes, the only drawback was how haunted it left the pilots in the days, weeks, even years after.

He huffed a sigh and drummed his fingers on the back of his phone, cringing when he thought back to the embarrassing reaction he seemed to have when it came to moving in to an apartment with his co-pilot. In the long-run it made sense. Perfect sense. They needed their own space but they also needed to be in the same place as one another in case of an emergency, whether it was personal or professional.

Stiles would have to be in constant and direct contact with Derek Hale.

He slapped his hand across the front of his face and whined to himself, writhing around in the sheets on his bed. "There is no way, no way in hell-"

"Do you always talk to yourself?"

Stiles gasped when the silky voice broke through the room and he sat up far too quickly. His legs fell over onto the floor and he wrapped the comforter protectively around himself as he tried to catch his breath, eyes narrowed dangerously at the man pulling the door of his room shut.

Derek folded his arms over his chest as his brows rose and he chuckled softly at the sight of Stiles burrowing into the over-sized blanket, "I didn't mean to scare you. Your door was unlocked and you hadn't answered my text so I figured you were still asleep."

Stiles' eyes didn't move from their locked position on Hale's face and as he finally settled his breathing he wiggled his head out of the small opening of the cocoon he had created, "So you decide to just walk in?" The beta barked a laugh and tightened the comforter around his shoulders, "You could have knocked, like a normal person. Or, you know, called, calling works too," Stiles arched a brow and tried to conceal his shirtless body along with the shameful blush that crawled across his cheeks and over his nose.

The alpha tilted his head to the side and stayed quiet, offering nothing but a coy smile to the frustrated pilot on the bed.

Stiles rolled his eyes, "Well, I'm up so... Can I get ready or are you going to drag me out of here in my boxers?"

The way Derek looked at him made Stiles squirm uncomfortably and he immediately regretted saying anything pertaining to what he was, or more importantly, wasn't wearing. He blinked away and snorted a laugh, "You're totally just gonna stand there aren't ya, big guy?"

His co-pilot's brow cocked playfully and Derek tilted his head to the side as he still refused to grace Stiles with an answer.

Stiles' stomach twisted and he bit down on his bottom lip before unraveling himself from the blanket and standing to walk towards his dresser. There was something about being physically exposed to Derek that made him want to run and hide in his bathroom, but instead he straightened his back and took in a deep breath as he rummaged through the drawers. The nervous fleeting chills that spiked from his lower abdomen to the space behind his tongue made Stiles grit his teeth together and become all the more conscious of his lanky arms and legs as he shifted to pull a long sleeved shirt over his head.

Emerald eyes found their way from the curve of Stiles' neck to the small dip of his lower back and everywhere in-between. He concentrated on the stretch of his rib cage as he lifted his arms above his head and Stiles didn't notice when Derek sucked in a quiet breath as he bounced himself clumsily into crimson pants. It was uncommon for the alpha to be as intrigued as he was and when Stiles looked over his shoulder with his lips lazily parted, Derek finally succumbed and lowered his eyes to the floor.

"Hey," Stiles' voice was brisk and Derek blinked up before he pursed his lips into a thin line, "So, shouldn't we get breakfast before we go or...?"

Derek nodded gently and Stiles flicked his eyes from the man's toes to where his hair was spiked on end.

Stiles walked into the bathroom and Derek didn't notice the audible exhale of relief to be out of sight, just as Stiles didn't notice the faint sigh between Derek's lips as he slumped against the frame of the front door.

"I literally just ate and now you want to go spar?"

"Yes," Derek's voice was monotone and he stared straight ahead as they walked down the hallway towards the double doors of the gym. A few people passed by and some took a second look at Derek as he stepped around them, mumbling little rumors at secrets that neither of the pilot's were too curious about.

Stiles rolled his eyes and turned the corner quickly as Derek pushed the doors open and walked towards the mat, discarding of his shirt in a swift movement. He tossed it to the side without a second thought and Stiles grumbled to himself as he followed suit, completely unaware of the other pair of eyes lingering over his body.

"Well, my, my," Erica's voice coo'd from behind him and cold hands snaked around Stiles' torso to pull his back against her chest, "Aren't you nice to look at? Why hide all this, hmmm?"

Her nails teased at his sides and Stiles squirmed, a blush creeping over his face, "You... are extremely friendly, Miss Reyes but-" he gripped her wrists and tugged them from their place against his abdomen, "you are truly barking up the wrong tree, and I thought you and-"

Erica's laugh interrupted him and he turned to face her as she shook her head back and forth, "Oh, shut up. I'm kidding. Everyone know's my main man is over there doing shoulder press. And besides, every girl needs a gay best friend."

Stiles' head lolled and he groaned as he stared at the ceiling, "What is it with you heterosexuals and constantly thinking we're like those puppies you women carry around in their purses!" He chuckled through the last few words and Erica pushed his shoulder, "It's your uncanny ability to know what makes us females look sexy, even if you literally want none of this," she gestured down to the toned, curvy body she had worked very hard to obtain and Stiles laughed again before he nodded towards Derek who was stretching on the mat. Erica got the picture and winked at him before she turned to walk back over to Boyd, a curly pony tail bobbing between her shoulders as she went.

"Are you going to be able to focus?" Derek cracked his wrist and paced back and forth on the mat, earning a very confused look from Stiles, "Why wouldn't I be able to focus?"

Green eyes turned to Erica who was bouncing on her heels next to Boyd which made Stiles instantly fall into a fit of laughter. "Oh, you think she's going to distract me? Erica?"

Derek tilted his head to the side and Stiles closed his eyes, a frustrated sigh leaking from between his teeth, "No, Derek, she is not going to distract me. She isn't going to distract me what-so-ever." Amber eyes pierced into the alpha like spears and Derek hummed under his breath as he circled Stiles slowly, feet making soft pads against the mat as he went.

"Why don't you get contacts?" he mumbled under his breath as he plucked the black rimmed glasses off of Stiles nose and walked over to set them on his shirt. Stiles didn't notice he had been holding his breath until his chest started to burn and he exhaled shakily. This wasn't a good idea, none of it. Not the drift, nor the working out, not the letting Derek watch him get dressed or the idea of living with him. Nothing having to do with Stiles being within a substantial proximity to Derek Hale was a good idea.

"I, uh, I don't like the thought of putting-" his words were knocked out of him when Derek's foot hit his chest and sent him stumbling onto the floor.

The beta knew exactly what his co-pilot was going to say if he asked what the hell that was for. It was Derek's way of telling him to always be ready. To always be on his toes and as much as Stiles wanted to scowl and hiss at him, he stood back up instead.

It went round and round. Derek coaching Stiles on how to strike with the right amount of force, Stiles laughing softly at how slow he made Derek seem.

"Watch," Derek's words were quiet as he nodded to Stiles who was trying to catch his breath. The alpha took a step forward and snatched Stiles by the wrist, twisting him roughly until his back was flesh against Derek's chest with his wrists pinned helplessly below his collarbones. Stiles squirmed and growled, "Watching," he snapped heatedly when Derek tightened his grip.

"What would you do to get out of this?" Derek's words were pointed and firm as he tilted his head to get some sort of look at Stiles' face.

There was more than one thing Stiles could and would do to get out of Derek's grasp if it weren't for his complete lack of self-confidence and the overwhelming sense of intimidation he felt whenever he was around the man. "I would, uh," his cheeks warmed and a string of curses fell across his lips when he started to laugh, "I mean, really? Are you really asking me this?"

The moment he felt Derek's fingers loosen around his wrists, Stiles slammed his elbows into the strong abdomen behind him. It sent the breath flying out of Derek and Stiles turned quickly when the rangers knees hit the mat.

"That's what I would do."

Derek looked up from under his lashes as he gripped into the flesh of his abdomen and gulped down breaths of air, "You'd distract me and then cheap shot me? Real fucking funny, Stiles."

The beta's brows rose and he walked over to grab his shirt, looking over his shoulder as Derek continued to shoot daggers at him from his place on the floor, "Well, for one, I didn't know I could distract you. Two, a Kaiju doesn't know what a cheap shot is."

The words made Derek tilt his head to the side and nod a couple times as a small whine was pushed from his lungs when he tried to stand. It took a moment for Stiles to register that he might have actually damaged his partner, "Are you..." Stiles walked forward and placed his hand on Derek's arm but the prideful pilot shrugged it away.

"You just knocked the wind out of me," he mumbled, green eyes flashing over to meet with Stiles' worried stare, "And you're right, a Kaiju doesn't know. Bring thinking like that into the drift and we'll be unstoppable."

As rushed as his words were they still made something inside Stiles keen and purr. Unstoppable. When it came to a Kaiju Stiles had never thought that anything was unstoppable, but Derek's words made him believe they could be true.

"I'm sorry- I didn't mean to," Stiles stammered when Derek finally stood up straight and cleared his throat but his co-pilot jutted his head back and glanced around, a smirk playing across his mouth, "Don't apologize, kid. I haven't met a lot of people who could surprise me, you should be proud of yourself."

As smug as Stiles wanted to be, he simply nodded and slid his shirt back on before he played absently with the rim of his glasses, "Hey, you know, I'm not a kid," Stiles' voice was broken and his fingers curled into fists when he heard the lack of confidence in his own voice. "I mean, you're what? twenty-eight? I'm twenty-four in December, you aren't that much older than me," the beta looked to Derek who nodded and stepped off the mat, skating around his comment by asking whether he wanted a break or not before they met Mako for simulation.

Stiles wanted to press the subject further but his mouth wiggled slightly, "Mako? Raleigh isn't running simulation with us today?" It was strange to think that he wouldn't be there for their second time to drift together but Derek shook his head, "He has something important he had to do, apparently Newt and Lydia made a break through of some sort. Mako offered to stay behind and look after you."

"Us-" Stiles bit, "She stayed back to look after us."

Derek's eyes lolled to the ceiling and he sighed as he brushed passed Stiles to walk towards the exit of the gym, "Sure."

"Oh, hello my strong Wolf," Mako's words were quiet when she looked to Derek and she held a hand out to Stiles, grasping his knuckles gently, "And you, I don't quite know what you are yet. I'm sure you'll show me." She smiled and Stiles couldn't help but feel more at ease around the woman since she had accepted that he and Derek were going to be a team.

He didn't understand why she named the people around her after things occurring in nature, but something about it made him feel warm. It made him feel like he was a part of something more intimate than he had ever thought he would be. Stiles had never imagined the Jaeger program to be so tight knit and he had never imagined himself to be so willing to ground himself in that intimacy.

"You ready?" she didn't wait for their answer and punched the numbers on the flat panel before ushering them through the door. Stiles was nervous. His heart was pitter-pattering in his chest and his hands trembled as Mako clamped the metal bindings down over his wrists. "Don't chase," she hushed at him, "Just enjoy Derek's mind like it's a playground."

Stiles didn't know if his face could physically get anymore red than it did after she said that and he swallowed a sudden itch that had made itself prominent in his throat. The last drift wasn't easy, it might have been the hardest and most intense thing Stiles had ever gone through. He couldn't say he was looking forward to being back inside Derek's head, but when he looked over to the dark haired veteran to his right, he was reminded that he wasn't the only one with reservations.

Derek looked visibly shaken and as much as that threw Stiles for a loop, it also brought him back down from the verge of panic he had been dancing on.

"Alright," Mako's voice came across the loud speaker and the lights dimmed, "Neural bridge reaching for response in 3... 2... 1."

The robotic voice manifested in Stiles' ear again. It was gritty and it reminded Stiles of what biting into a lemon would sound like if it had a voice.

Left Hemisphere initiated

He heard Derek in the background again, telling him to relax, and the pain was just the same as it had been before. A burn. A pressure. And then nothing at all. Stiles reminded himself to breathe evenly this time and to his relief and surprise his mind accepted the memories more fluidly, recognizing some and taking its time to dissect the rest.

Right Hemisphere initiated

That voice again, it sounded in his ear and tugged at him slightly when he started to dive into Derek's mind. Jackson's wedding. He was a handsome man, with eyes like Stiles had never seen before and a face that could cause car accidents. He had his arms around Lydia, swayed her back and forth like she was made of glass. Stiles felt a hand on his but when he looked down nothing was there, just the absent sound of Allison's voice as the flood of memories continued to crash into his mind like a typhoon.

It was a different sensation to have some form of control and as Stiles swam towards Derek he caught glimpses and pieces of his co-pilot that he had never thought he would ever be able to reach. The birthday cake his mom made him when he was eight. How delighted Derek had been to learn how to ride a bike with his little sister. How much he loved the smell of Oregon, of wet leaves and mossy bark.

It was beautiful. He was beautiful.

And then, just like that, Stiles' lungs filled with smoke.

"Stiles, stop-"

Derek's voice. It sounded distant again, far away, and Stiles hated that he couldn't get to him. The ash choked him and the smoke stung his eyes as he stumbled through the memory. Broken picture frames left glass littering the floor of the hallway in a house Stiles had never seen before, and he listened as a woman screamed three names again and again.

"Laura, Derek!" She was frantic and Stiles was shaking until something small pressed itself into his leg.

"Der der, where's mama?" She was tiny with dark hair and wide eyes that she pawed at with the back of her hand, coughing and choking out tiny whimpers. Stiles opened his mouth to say something but no words came out and her scream sent chills down the back of his legs when a door down the hall burst open and flames came rushing out.

"Cora! Derek, Laura, where are you?"

A hand landed on his shoulder and the hold was tight enough to bruise. The girl was scooped up and a dark haired woman tugged fiercely at his arm, "Derek, c'mon! Laura's outside, we need to go! We need to go now-"

Stiles tried to suck in air, tried to stumble along and fight his way out of the memory. His head twisted when he heard Derek's voice and let out a shaky sigh when the memory faded and there was nothing but white light behind his eyes. It wasn't a harsh stab like before, he didn't snap out of something or launch himself away from the emotion that the memory held. It was just a push, like breaking the surface after being held under a wave and taking a long painful gasp of fresh air.

Mako's voice was loud over the speaker, "Neural handshake at ninety-percent. Derek, control yourself!"

The alpha let Stiles infiltrate him, watching the memories of his graduation, of his father, of his first lover fill his vision. It was intriguing, mesmerizing and he could have stayed there for a very long time.

Derek's eyes shifted and they squeezed shut when Stiles' memories continued to dance around him. His mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was eight and Derek could feel the confusion seeping into his bones as Claudia's voice gently whispered in his ear. She had rocked him against her chest that night, told him the doctors would do their best to fix her and if they couldn't that she would try her best to fix herself.

Stiles was so small and in such a strange place that as he wondered whether death was a monster or a reality, he didn't catch the tremble in his mothers voice. Derek did though, he heard it and it made him feel completely lost. Observing a memory and living through them were two completely different concepts and Derek was currently walking on the fence between them.

Stiles breathed, even and steady against the glass front of his helmet. He could feel Derek, right on the outskirts of his thoughts like a ghost running its fingers through his hair. His presence was warm and Stiles stretched as far as he could to try and reel him in but when he finally did reach his co-pilot, the sound of his mothers voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

It was so foreign and his runaway heart skipped when tears burnt at the corner of Stiles' eyes. The memory was stronger, more palpable than any of the others and as he clawed his way further, he lost sight of the situation at hand and stammered over pleading, hopeful words.

"Mom? M-mom, mom I'm right here," he was desperate and the familiar pang of desire to live in a world where his mother was alive shot deep into his stomach.

Derek blinked when he heard Stiles' voice and choked on a gasp when he felt the beta push forward. "No, no, Stiles! Don't!"

"Get back here or I'm cutting you both!" Mako's voice sternly vibrated through their helmets but Stiles ignored her threat and when he finally found the memory, his fingertips ripped through the seams and he fell through.

It wasn't his mother who caught him.

It wasn't his old bedroom before his eyes.

It was darkness and strong arms wrapped around his waist.

"Get him up, get him up now!"

He identified the voice after a moment and Mako's dainty hands tugged at his torso. Stiles didn't know what floor he was on, or how he had fallen, but the echo of his mothers voice continued to beckon him back into drift. His eyes were open but he couldn't see and his back slumped against something smooth. The back of his head hit the wall when someone pulled his helmet off and Stiles whimpered as calloused hands latched around the sides of his face.

"Stiles..." Derek's voice was soft but it shook as he gripped the boy's cheeks, "Stiles, c'mon, you have to focus or you could seriously hurt yourself."

"She was right there," Stiles' words were hushed and when he heard the breath catch in Derek's throat he finally started blinking. Derek was holding him up, hands placed on his face like Stiles was going to break if he let him go. The alpha's face was blurry as Stiles blinked again and again but soon enough he was starring at a very wide-eyed Derek Hale who had him pressed securely against the pillar in the middle of the room.

"I'm so sorry. I should have- I didn't mean to bring you there, I should have had more control, I-"

"You're always much nicer after we drift, you know," Stiles interrupted and smiled softly as his eyes flicked from Derek's mouth back to the glassy green of his eyes, "We get along a lot better when you're not brooding."

The beta's voice was still weak and shook with adrenaline but Derek's mouth fell agape and he rolled his eyes, removing his hands in a swift drop that made Stiles buckle slightly but the veterans hands were back to steadying him and gripped his waist, propping him back up, "I'm sorry," Derek mumbled again as Stiles winced and raised his arms to push back against the pillar, "I really am."

As witty and sarcastic as Stiles could be it was hard to contain the emotions trampling over him. He glanced from the floor to Derek and then over his shoulder to Mako who observed the situation calmly, arms dangling by her side, "Stiles," her voice was cautious and she stepped forward to run her fingertips down his arm, "I know how you feel right now," she paused and he watched her carefully, the lump in his throat becoming more and more prominent with each inch she took, "and if you need time, if you need anything all you have to do," her words made him weak, made him focus on what had just happened. If he just kept repeating that he was fine maybe he would be, "All you have to do is ask. We understand if-"

The edge in her voice made him crumble and he succumbed to the over-whelming feeling inside him.

Stiles was done. He was spent, and Derek couldn't catch him when he sank to the ground with his head in his hands.

He didn't hear Mako when she said she was calling Raleigh. He didn't hear Derek tell her not to. All he could hear was his mothers voice and how close he had been to seeing her face. His shoulders rose and fell and he pulled his knees up to his chest, blocked out whoever was around him, whatever was around him and cried. Stiles didn't try to stop the tears, he didn't fight the sobs that came choked out of his mouth and he didn't resist when he felt Derek tug at his calves.

The back of his legs hit the ground but he still hid his face and turned away when the alpha tugged at his arms.

"C'mon," Derek's voice was water-logged and Stiles peeked through his fingers but made no attempt to move them. Derek reached for his wrists and Stiles finally dropped his hands, swatting at his co-pilot, "Don't tell me to come on, you don't fucking understand!"

"If anyone-" Derek was yelling and he stopped himself, eyes falling closed as he inhaled sharply before quietly continuing, "If anyone understands, it's me."

Stiles' face was red and covered in tears, eyes puffy with long lashes sticking together. He tried to keep his lips from trembling but everything was still raw and everything still felt real. He rested his hands on his temple and sucked in a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut again as another sob rocked through his chest, "Derek, she was right there, she-"

He didn't resist when Derek pulled roughly on his shoulders and lifted him to his knees and he didn't push him away when he wrapped his arms around him and forced him into a strange hug. Stiles clawed at his back as he cried and leaned into him when Derek rested his head on the beta's shoulder.

Stiles rambled about how he had almost forgotten what she sounded like and Derek murmured that he looked like her.

It was like that for a while, Stiles clinging to Derek and crying into his shirt and Derek not letting go of him even though his legs were falling asleep. Stiles wanted to shove him away out of principal, to get up and walk away because realistically he had only known the man for forty-eight hours, but it was comforting to feel the steady rise and fall of his chest and to know that his co-pilot truly was the only one that had any idea how he felt right now.

Stiles was pawing at his eyes with the back of his hands and Derek was drawing circles idly on his lower back when he realized what had just ensued and he squirmed, "I, uh, I'm really... That was-"

Derek let him go and stood up, offering a hand to Stiles who tried his best not to make eye-contact, "That was really not necessary. I feel like a complete-"

"Don't," Derek interrupted, blinking at Stiles and tilting his head to catch the pair of amber eyes that continuously tried to dodge him, "be sorry for something that was my fault."

"I'm not sorry for that, I'm sorry for..." Stiles waved his hand between them in elaborate circles, "whatever that was."

His co-pilot continued to blink and Stiles looked up to watch him rub the back of his head, "I know it's weird," he muttered, "but it's hard to watch someone break down when you've felt what they're going through."

Stiles didn't want it to be awkward, but as they continued to not look at each other in the blank white room, he couldn't help but fell the urge to run out the door and hide.

"It'll get easier," Derek peeked at him and nodded when Stiles inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth.

Derek didn't lie. It did get easier.

After that simulation they stayed close to one another through out the days, training together, eating together, picking up on each other's general habits. It had been hard for Stiles to convince himself to strap back in and tip toe into drift again, but the third time went smoothly, with hardly any hiccups and a successful mission. The days crawled on and soon Stiles found confidence and security when he walked into the simulation room with Derek.

He had learned so much about the alpha, about Jackson, Lydia, Allison, Scott, everyone. He found out that Raleigh had held Derek just as Derek had held Stiles after Jackson died. He had stumbled into memories of his first time drinking, his loud-mouthed younger sister Cora, and his obsession with music. Stiles relished in the fact that Derek appreciated art and read books like they were love-notes. There was so much about him that he wanted to know, beyond the complexities of memories that could hinder them in drift, he just wanted to know him.

Derek let Stiles poke at him and sneered when the young ranger made sarcastic jokes about his emotional eating habits or his infatuation with leather jackets. He jabbed back with huffed growls over the beta's inability to relax and called him a rabbit whenever they sat down to eat.

It was unnerving to be as close to Derek as Stiles was and he had to constantly remind himself that they had only met close to a month ago.

The first time Lydia sat down at their table during dinner, everyone went wide-eyed and quiet. She flipped her hair and glanced at Erica as the blonde bit loudly into an apple. Allison held Scott's hand and Isaac simply watched Lydia like she was a stick of dynamite set next to an open flame. Derek scooted closer to Stiles until their legs were touching under the table and Stiles stared at Lydia while his co-pilot kept his eyes pointed at the table.

"Congratulations," her voice was strong and she blinked at Stiles and then at Derek who still refused to look up. Stiles' eyes narrowed and as much as he wanted to spit venom at her for her lack of sympathy towards his partner, he knew that it was only because he had felt the alpha's emotions first-hand. The woman looking at him had feelings of her own and Stiles knew that the last year had been nothing but hell and heart break for her. "I heard they're going to send Lionheart out for the next breach," she tried to smile but it was broken and something about it made Stiles' chest twist, "I just wanted to tell you both that I'll be there for you."

Derek's eyes lifted slightly and he bumped his foot against Stiles' shin.

Boyd cleared his throat and snaked an arm around Erica, stealing a bite of her apple. It took a moment to respond but Derek nodded slowly and looked up, "Thank you, Lydia," his voice was surprisingly even and Stiles let his gaze wander between them.

It seemed like it was the last piece of ice that needed to melt between the two. The damage would never completely be repaired but at least now the old friends had a starting point and Stiles was more than relieved to see that finally become established. He had felt Derek's guilt, felt the animosity between the two every time they were in a room together and more importantly he had seen first-hand how close they had been before the death of her husband. Stiles wanted nothing more than for Derek to have that relationship with Lydia.

It had been a month since the pair had first drifted and every time the man bumped his feet against Stiles under the table it reminded him of how irrationally tethered they now were to each other. Raleigh hadn't been joking when he warned Stiles about the bond and now that he felt it he understood exactly why Erica and Boyd were hardly apart.

Erica whined and pulled the apple away from Boyd as her eyebrows furrowed, "So, you guys met the Titan Omega twins, right?" Her voice was stifled with a laugh and her eyes were wide and bright as she glanced around the table. Isaac rolled his eyes and mumbled something to Lydia who laughed and swatted his hand playfully in response. Derek's lips spread into a toothy smile and Stiles couldn't help but stare at him for a moment before he turned to look at Erica, "Yes, yes we have. They are- uh... They're-"

"Awesome," Scott interrupted with a mouth full of food, "They literally give zero shits about anything."

Derek laughed and covered his face with his hands, "They're a hand full, that's for damn sure."

"They're like a wrecking ball," Stiles piped through a small chuckle.

When Stiles did meet them he was completely taken by surprise. They were young, maybe twenty-one, and they were identical twins. He remembered leaning over to Derek and asking how Raleigh found them. It was one of the rare times that Derek had genuinely laughed and Stiles hated him for how disgustingly beautiful it sounded.

They were German MMA fighters before they were recruited into the Jaeger program and when Stiles watched them stumble into the hangar, he knew immediately that they were a hurricane of trouble. Raleigh had introduced them to Stiles and the young beta team saluted Derek when they saw him. He playfully saluted them back and stifled a laugh when they started yelling at each other in German.

Raleigh had bumped his shoulder against Stiles and told him that they refused to speak English and not to be alarmed if they thundered at one another in their native language.

"Ethan and Aidan," Boyd raised a brow and pulled Erica closer to him, "I've gotta say, I'm glad we're not that rowdy." Erica flashed a grin and shrugged her shoulders, "We are, just not where people can see, usually."

"Usually," Isaac echoed, shaking his head back and forth.

It felt good to relax with his friends, to look around and finally feel like he was a part of something whole. Him and Derek hadn't completely opened up to each other, that was for sure, but they had continued to push forward even through the heinous memories and unpleasant surprises that drift threw at them. They still kept going. Allison had continued to train Stiles daily and the beta felt himself getting stronger each and every time he woke up. Scott worked on the Jaegers everyday and had been trying to find a way to make the weapons system more efficient and cut the load time of the plasma canon and heat wave in half. Due to the lack of critical cases Striker hadn't been out to breach since their run in with Tsume. The Kaiju surfacing seemed to mainly be category three and Titan Omega along with the some of the other teams from distant bases had been able to take care of things.

"Go to the library with me," Derek's voice was low as he looked over to Stiles who blinked back at him from behind the lenses of his glasses.

"We have a library here?" Stiles' eyebrows furrowed and he cocked his head to the side when Derek nodded, "Yeah. I was thinking about starting a new-"

"Oh!" Allison's voice piped and she bit down on her bottom lip through a small smile, "I actually, kind of... wanted to steal you," the words slowly left her mouth and she squinted her eyes like she expected Derek to shut her down completely. The man pursed his lips instead as his eyes shifted around, "For what?"

"Shopping," Allison's voice was sharp and she grinned when Derek's eyes fell shut while a sigh drifted over his lips.

Stiles bit down on his bottom lip to keep from laughing and waved a hand to Allison, "You want to take Derek Hale shopping with you?" Disbelief swam through his words and Derek kicked his leg under the table.

"We used to go shopping all the time together, come on, I need my best friend's expert opinion," she pushed out her bottom lip and Derek rolled his eyes before growling out a 'fine' as he shook his head back and forth. Stiles looked at him with raised brows and he scoffed as he started to say something but Erica promptly interrupted, "You guys should go, I'll take Stiles."

Stiles jerked his head back and tilted it to the side, "Oh, will you?"

"Yeah, I will," she arched a brow and Stiles reached across the table to tap on the top of her hand, "do I get to dance around and suddenly sport a lisp, pretty lady?" His voice was smooth and Derek smirked as he watched Erica bounce up and down in her seat, "No. But you both do need to go get something to wear for your debut which will be coming up here in a couple weeks, don't you think?"

Stiles' eyes narrowed and he sat up straight on the metal bench. Debut. He felt a sudden wave of dread wash over him and turned to Derek who heaved a deep sigh, "What- uh... What debut? Don't we just go out into the ocean and beat the shit out of Kaiju's, I mean-"

"It's not that simple," Derek had his elbows propped on the table with his hands clasped together and he rested his cheek on them as he looked to Stiles, "Jaeger pilots are more than just pilots. There's a lot of public relations involved. There's going to be a lot of conferences, interviews-"

"Oh, social situations. You should do just fine," sarcasm coated each word and Derek's lips pulled back into a mock snarl before Scott interjected, "He's actually, like, a really good speaker."

"Yeah, he's charming," Erica purred, "He's a totally different person on stage. If you look into the crowd you'll see a bunch of love-struck boys and girls chomping at the bit to get a hand on him."

Stiles licked across his bottom lip and chuckled when Derek gritted his teeth and stared at the ceiling. It was obvious he wanted nothing to do with the conversation and was thoroughly done with being the center of attention.

"His milkshake brings all the boys to the yard," Scott took a sip of his water and choked as he dodged Derek's arm when the man lunged forward to try and grab him. Stiles hadn't laughed that hard in a long time and he laughed even harder when Derek stood up, red in the face and grumbled that Allison should meet him in the car.

"You like him."

"No."

"Yes, you do, Derek."

"No, Allison."

"It's okay that you like him, I like him, everyone likes him."

"He's annoying."

Allison's deep brown eyes rolled in their sockets as the pair walked from store to store in the central district of Hong Kong. The warm September Tuesday made the trip all the more enjoyable and Allison was pleased with the ability to wear a short floral printed sundress while Derek chose to sport a white shirt with crimson pants. The same ratty vans he wore from day to day scuffed across the sidewalk and he huffed when she pulled on his arm, groaning when he saw the pink walls of the high-end lingerie store.

"He's not annoying, Derek. You just don't like that you like him," Allison smiled as she pulled at the light fabric on a few different camisoles and Derek rolled his eyes as he stood next to her in the store.

"You still haven't told me why we're here," he pointed out, poking her stomach playfully when she held a small silk baby-doll against herself. Her lips pursed and she sighed, setting the small number back on the hangar, "It's our anniversary in a couple weeks," her eyes flicked to Derek and he smirked gently.

"You're actually going to wear something sexy?"

Allison swatted him in the chest before picking up another one and holding it against her torso, "Yes, Derek! I'm actually going to wear something sexy, now help me," her words were covered in a whine and the man shook his head before delicately maneuvering around her to glance at the wall. A few items hung on display, two-piece sets along side racy lace leotards and constricting corsets.

She looked horrified that he would have even gone so far as to think that she'd be caught in something like that. "Here," the man reached up and to her delight snatched something from the top right side of the wall that she had been eyeing. A pale blue baby-doll styled piece with soft cream lace accenting the bust and hem. She smiled when she looked at it and pushed his arm, "See! I knew you would be able to find something, this is perfect. If I would have gone with Erica she would have put me in that-" she pointed up to a one piece leather leotard.

Derek couldn't help but laugh.

When they left the store they talked about Scott, about how much Allison wanted to settle down and start a family. Derek simply nodded along as she rambled about how she knew her father needed her and how important Scott's work was when it came to the program, but that more than anything she just wanted to get away from it all. The alpha reminded her that they were only twenty-five and that they had plenty of time.

Allison looked up at him and he blinked back at her, offering the softest smile he could muster. Both of them knew that they might not have plenty of time, but neither of them had the heart to admit it.

As they turned a corner and crossed a street the pair leisurely walked through the sleek black doors of Armani. A woman in a tight black dress walked forward from her place behind an ornate black desk, "Hale, it's been too long," her words were respectful and she bowed. Derek bowed back and nodded, "It has," he agreed promptly. "Looking for a suit I presume?" She asked, an all-too-thin eyebrow arching dangerously high on her forehead. He nodded and Allison brushed her hand across his arm to let him know she was going to look at jewelry while he was walked to the back of the store where shirts, jackets and pants of all styles hung neatly on polished steel bars.

"Rumor has it you're going to get your wings back," she spoke clearly and her voice was deep and sultry. Derek watched her carefully as he lazily looked through an array of different jackets, "My wings?"

"Yes, your wings. Some people believe pilots are guardian angels," she paused and Derek swallowed dryly with his eyes pointed at the ground. He couldn't keep the hurt from flashing across his face, as brief as it was, and he cleared his throat before continuing to flick through one jacket after another.

The woman approached him moments later, holding a suit in her hands with a shirt, tie and slacks, "Come, try this, I think you'll see it suits you quite well."

"You've never steered me wrong, Lyn Xue," he smiled and took the clothes, returning to find Allison sitting on one of the leather seats.

Lyn was next to her and she grinned, pleased with herself as Derek stood in front of the tri-mirrored wall, "So?" her voice was smooth and fluid.

Allison raised her brows and her lips spread into a toothy smile, "Well look at you..."

The sleeves were a tad bit too long and needed to be tailored but the rest of the suit fit well. Black slacks with a black jacket, a cream button down shirt paired with a deep ebony tie. "It'll work," he mumbled quietly, looking to Allison who nodded in approval, "It'll work," she mocked, scoffing and throwing her hands in the air, "Look at yourself, you idiot. Guys are going to be crawling over each other to get to you."

"I don't want anyone crawling anywhere to get to me," his voice was a sigh and it made Allison roll her eyes and choke out a breathy laugh, "Seriously, Derek, you need some kind of love in your-"

"Shut up."

"Oh, come on. Just because he's your-"

Derek turned his back to her and stalked back to the dressing room before she could finish.

"He's single? Lyn Xue inquired, eyes flicking to Allison who nodded back at her. The woman smiled and folded her hands in front of her, straightening her back as she looked towards the doors of the fitting room. Allison cleared her throat, "And gay. Really gay," she blurted, smiling knowingly to the sales woman. "That's rather hard to believe," Lyn purred over her shoulder, a condescending eye roll pointed at the combat specialist who barked out a laugh.

"For you and every other woman on planet earth, lady."

"Buy this," Erica's voice was firm as she shoved a shirt into Stiles' arms. The ranger stared at the shirt and then looked to his side where Scott stood chewing absently on some kind of candy bar, "Is she always like this?"

"Indefinitely," Scott answered, holding out the half eaten candy bar to Stiles who wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

"Erica," Stiles sighed as she paced through the small store on the outskirts of the fashion district. They left only a little while after Allison and Derek had and Scott invited himself when Isaac told him he was taking Lydia out for coffee and Boyd retired to take a nap. The city was still mind-boggling to Stiles and he constantly found himself lost in the sights. His gaze bounced around to every detail, from the trees to the tall buildings and interesting people that walked the streets.

There were billboards hung on every corner and in between buildings, every shop had a multitude of signs and colorful logos placed around its entrance. Stiles literally had to dragged inside the shops due to his curiosity with everything Hong Kong had to offer.

"I seriously do not have the money to buy all this shit," amber eyes glared at Erica who had been trying on shoes. She dangled her stiletto at him, "They're Chanel," she purred, "You respect Chanel when you see Chanel, kiss my feet Stilinski-"

"You couldn't pay me. But seriously, how am I-"

"Have you even looked at your bank account since you joined up?" Erica's annoyed tone made Stiles flush and he grumbled curse after curse under his breath as he fished through his pocket for his phone. Scott eyed him carefully and chewed obnoxiously on the last bit of his candy bar, a crooked smile adorning his face when he saw Stiles' mouth drop open.

The number in his checking account could not be right. He blinked a few times, took off his glasses, rubbed his face and inhaled a sharp breath through his mouth. Every part of him was in disbelief, running through ways in which what he saw could be a hallucination or some kind of practical joke. Stiles' stomach tensed and the excitement that filled his insides spread out to his fingertips and into his toes.

"Thirty... thirty-thousand, how is that, what is-"

"You're a Jaeger pilot. What? You think they pay us minimum wage to pilot a giant mech and go to war with Godzilla? No," Erica smiled as she clicked around in the high Chanel stilettos and slung a purse over her shoulder, eyeing herself smugly in the mirror.

Scott's arm was slung around Stiles and he rocked him back and forth, "Welcome to the high-life." His friends words made Stiles want to either jump for joy or faint on the spot, but he glanced over at him and nodded quickly, "Y-yeah, yeah. I, uh, I have no idea what to do right now. I'm at a loss. What does someone do with Thirty-thou-"

"Buy shit!" Erica and Scott shouted simultaneously, causing Stiles to flinch and laugh to himself, shrugging his shoulders, "Guess you're right."

They walked down the busy streets and weaved from store to store, Erica stopping to try on a dress here or a pair of shoes there, Scott simply followed and poked fun at Stiles every time he asked about some name-brand he had never heard of. "So," Scott started as he picked up a tank top and walked to the register to pay for it, "How are things going with you and Derek?"

Stiles shifted uncomfortably and moved his eyes to some knick-knacks lining the register as he tried to find a way to answer his question. It wasn't as if he and Derek had some monumental break through, Derek was still quiet and reserved while Stiles was more pushy and stubborn. It had taken them a few tries before they finally got past the gritty parts of drift and learned to accept certain pieces of each other. It was accepting their own distant memories that seemed to pose a problem, along with the back-lash for Stiles, and for Derek the nightmares.

When his co-pilot had opened up about his trouble sleeping, Stiles didn't quite know how to deal with it. Derek had slighted him with a comment made in the middle of a conversation about his memories giving him problems and up until that point the beta had thought Derek had everything under his control.

As selfish as it was it sounded, it made Stiles feel better to know that Derek was enduring some of the aftermath too.

"Things are okay," Stiles hesitated, "We just... I don't know, he refuses to talk about certain things and I feel like it would make things so much easier if we just talked about them-"

"Talked about what? What are we talking about?" Erica interrupted, blinking through the dark lenses of a newly purchased pair of Kate Spade sunglasses.

"Stiles and Derek," Scott mumbled, thanking the man behind the counter as he took his bag. The three walked out the door and Erica turned her head to grin at Stiles, "So?"

"Things are okay," he repeated, "Like I was saying he just won't open up. He won't talk to me about anything and I feel like it would make things a lot easier if he did."

Erica nodded as they waited at a street light, "Derek's been through a lot. He never really did open up to anyone, I mean, Jackson was one of the only people I've ever seen him comfortable around and they were partners for what..." her eyes lolled up and she counted on her fingers, "Six years, seven years?"

Stiles swallowed painfully and nodded to her as he chewed nervously on his bottom lip. Derek's relationship with Jackson didn't necessarily make him jealous but it made him feel inadequate when it came to piloting with the alpha. Their relationship made him feel young, naive, inexperienced, like he was more of a bother than a comfort and Stiles fought tooth and nail to keep those emotions hidden in drift, but in the end he knew that Derek had felt them. A few weeks ago he had tried to talk to Stiles about it, pressed gently at him with firm words but Stiles dodged them like he did everything else and turned the conversation towards something like tea, or hiking, or comic books or the latest movies that had came out in theaters.

He knew that Derek saw right through him, and it frustrated Stiles to know end that the man let him get away with it so easily.

"I know..." Stiles mumbled, "I just want him to feel safe enough to talk to me about the things he's gone through. I've seen them, I've felt them, I want him to show me in his own way that these impossible memories are..."

"Just memories," Erica's words were soft and she smiled, touching his arm, "I know."

Stiles tried to smile at her and Scott bumped into his shoulder as they passed by the entrance of a very modern looking clothing store. "Oh, perfect," Erica purred against Stiles' cheek which made him turn his now fevered face away, "You'll look so good in Versace, c'mon."

Scott and Erica pushed him through the doors even though Stiles didn't know one thing about shopping in a high-end establishment like the one they had just come across. There was only one other client in the entire store and Stiles gulped down a nervous breath as a short blonde woman approached him, her sky high heels tapping loudly against the tile floor.

"How may I help?" She smiled brightly and the ranger sighed, relieved that the exotic sales-woman seemed to be friendly.

"I'm, uh... I don't really know-"

"He needs a suit. Black. Something contemporary, for evening. And... He'll probably need it tailored-" Erica tapped on his shoulder and he sank away, lip curling up into something of a snarl.

"Ah, the shoulders, yes I see. You've got a small frame, but those shoulders are to die for I must say," the woman curled her index finger and started walking to the right of the store. Erica was the first to follow and Stiles stumbled after them, a bright, flustered blush cast over his face as he went.

The woman hummed as she gingerly sifted through the lined up jackets and finally snatched one up, showing it to Erica who nodded enthusiastically. Scott watched them, yawning when Stiles tapped his foot impatiently against the floor. "What are they even doing," Scott mumbled, turning his eyes to Stiles who finally pushed forward and grabbed the jacket from the woman.

"No," he hissed. Long fingers dove into between the hangars and Stiles picked at one, another and then lifted a third jacket up, slinging it over his arm. "Shirts?" he ran his fingers through his hair and looked to the woman whose mouth was set in something a shocked 'o' as she pointed to the rack behind them. Stiles' pace was brisk ad he walked over and grabbed a deep red shirt along with a black tie. "I'll need a thirty in these," his voice was sharp as he handed her a pair of sleek black pants, "And I'll need them 'tall' so expect to tailor them about an inch."

Erica couldn't help but start to laugh and shook her head as Stiles rambled off about the clothing she had originally started picking out for him, "I should have known the inner fashionista in you would pop out at the sight of a suit!"

Amber eyes shot daggers at her as he shrugged the jacket on so the woman could make a few marks for adjustments and Erica snorted through another laugh, "Please tell me you watch that fashion show, you know the one where they all compete and like, every single guy on there, snaps, you know," she imitated, snapping her fingers and flicking her wrist.

Stiles couldn't help it, his chest rose and fell as he laughed and Scott joined right in, chuckling under his breath as he sat in one of the large chairs next to the elaborate shelf of shoes in front of them.

The Versace sales-woman was trying to cover her own small smirks and blinked at Stiles when he took off his glasses and pawed at his eyes, "Are you a ranger?" Her words were meek as she held a small pin between her fingertips, sliding it into the fabric right below his shoulder.

"Yes," he answered, still trying to regain his composure from the fit of laughter that had just ensued, "Why do you ask?"

"You just..." she shook her head, going quiet. He turned, making her stumble and stare nervously at the ground. Stiles' eyes widened and he reached out to steady her, "It's okay, I don't bite. Why do you ask?"

She had deep hazel eyes and she looked like she was older, maybe in her early thirties. Her hair was pulled back into a tight pony tail that fell just passed the nape of her neck, "I just... I appreciate everything you do. Both of you," her eyes turned to Erica who had stopped laughing and was listening intently to the now very interesting woman.

Stiles tilted his head to the side and blinked as he searched for words, any words to say to her. It was the first time anyone had thanked him for the things he had not yet done, the first time anyone had acknowledged the sacrifice he hadn't made yet. It was the first time he felt like his title was something other than writing on a piece of paper.

"What's your name?" He didn't know why he asked her, but she answered daintily, "Daisy," she said, sticking another pin in the arm of his jacket.

"Well, thank you, Daisy."

Erica smiled at Stiles who smiled back at her and after everything was said and done he paid for the suit and Daisy told him that it would be sent to Shatterdome in the next forty-eight hours.

Before they went to leave Erica ran back inside and wrapped her arms around the woman, squeezing tight. When the ranger walked back Stiles looked over his shoulder and saw the citizen standing with her fingers curled gently against her mouth, concealing a smile that Stiles had never seen before.

They met Allison and Derek at a bar inside the Nikko Hotel. The three stumbled in, Erica holding on to Stiles' hand with Scott's arm slung around her shoulders. Stiles' head was thrown back, smiling wide with his eyes squeezed shut and as Derek turned to look at them he felt something pull at the bottom of his stomach.

"They look so happy," Allison sounded bewildered and she glanced at Derek, stealing the sight of a small smile turning at the corner of his lips.

"Yeah," it was his only response before Scott bounded towards Allison. She was sitting in a small booth and he crowded forward, mumbling stupidly about how much he missed her and how happy he was to see her. She rolled her eyes and pecked him once on the lips before smushing his face away with the palm of her hand.

Erica squeezed in next to the two specialists and Stiles glanced at Derek who scooted over to give him room to sit down.

Neither of them would show it, or dare say it, but the relief washing over each of them was breath taking. Stiles didn't want to admit that being away from him for that long had taken a toll, but it had, and as used to it as Derek was, the bond was still fresh and he too was uncomfortable for most of the day without his co-pilot at his side.

"Did you have fun?" Derek looked to Stiles, eyes trailing across the boys bony fingers as the ranger rubbed at his chin. "Yeah," Stiles answered, taking his glasses off to clean them with the end of his shirt. Derek sighed and snatched them out of his hand, taking a soft cloth off the table and rubbing circled into the lenses, "You're always doing that," the alpha muttered.

Stiles stared at him, taken back by Derek's sudden display of... he didn't even know what. Of something. His heart fluttered slightly and he stumbled over his words, "I am always doing that, yes." It was thoroughly embarrassing that Stiles couldn't think of anything to say but his attention was stolen as Erica pushed herself out of the booth, holding her phone against her ear.

"Yeah, hi babe, hi. Yes, I'm fine," her voice grew distant and her heeled black boots clicked against the ground as she paced away. Allison glanced over to the two rangers, eyes fixed on Stiles before she trailed them down to see Derek adamantly cleaning the boys glasses.

"Thank god," her voice was a whisper, "get out, Scott, get out, get out!" The woman was hurriedly whispering into her boyfriends ear who, confused as ever, frowned and stepped out of the booth only to be hauled over to the bar by his all too eager girlfriend.

Stiles had hardly noticed any of it since Derek's foot bumped against his and he squinted as Derek placed the glasses gently back on his face, the pad of his finger brushing up the bridge of Stiles' nose when he pushed them back up.

"That was completely unnecessary," Stiles voice was shaky and he inhaled sharply when Derek turned his eyes away and tapped, un-enthused, against the side of the wine glass set in front of him.

"You're completely unnecessary," the alpha snorted, lifting to glass to tip thick red liquid against his mouth.

The beta gritted his teeth, "You're a real asshole, you know that."

"Yeah," Derek looked back over to him and Stiles kicked him under the table, causing the alpha to wince slightly, "But at least I know I'm an asshole. You don't even know what you are, do you Stiles?"

It was one of those phrases that caused panic and something completely unimaginable to shoot up Stiles' spine. Something like a chill but warmer, one of those bone-crushing sensations, like the ones animals get before earthquakes or thunder storms. He blinked repeatedly as words and sentences ran into each other like cars piling up on a highway. He wanted to find anything, to find something, to ask a question or muster up a witty, sly remark. Something that would shut Derek Hale up forever. Something that would make the alpha never open his mouth and let phrases like that make Stiles rear up and over-think every single interaction they endured together.

You don't even know what you are, do you Stiles?

The words echoed again and Stiles bit down on his lip, eyes narrowing dangerously as his fingers curled into fists, "If you have something you want to fucking say-"

"Look who I found!" Erica's voice sounded through the open hotel bar and when Stiles looked up, he heard Derek groan from over his shoulder.

"Who is..." Stiles blinked through his glasses and took in the sight of a tall well-built man walking next to Erica. Dark hair was slicked back and his hands were set in the front pockets of his well-tailored, obviously designer jeans. Stiles arched a brow when he saw the brown Hugo Boss shoes the man spent way too much time picking out and smirked when the stranger rolled up the sleeves of his beige sports jacket and set his hands on the edge of their table.

"This," Derek breathed out, "is our wonderful PR Manager and our fiercely loyal Lawyer."

The unusual amount of sarcasm coating Derek's words made Stiles bristle and he stared up at him with parted lips and an un-amused smile, "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," Derek rolled his eyes.

The man smiled smugly and sighed into the air, relishing in the tension that was now suffocating the room.

"It's nice to see my nephew all spunky and ready to get back out in the ring," his voice was smooth, like honey across sand paper and Stiles jerked to stare at Derek who was taking a long drink off the wine glass in his hand.

"Nice to see you too, Peter."