One last warning - this chapter contains ADULT CONTENT, and by Adult I don't mean the violence of previous chapters. I mean sex. Sex stuff happens. You have been warned. But it's pretty evident when it happens, so if you dislike it, you can skip down to the bottom and hit page up once and you should be past it.

Chapter 15

Really the only great thing about being in the hospital for three days watching over Melissa for Derek was that his doctor in L.A. was able to contact the doctor taking care of Melissa, and the hospital set up a time between patients to remove Derek's cast. Following that, Stiles took him on a walk around the halls so he could get used to putting weight on his foot again, and they talked about pointless things. Well mostly it was Stiles talking about a television show he had fallen behind on due to the tour and ranting about all the character relationships and things and how Derek needed to watch it, but by the end of the day, Derek was pretty sure the show couldn't add anything to the details Stiles had given him.

It was nice to distract themselves with the thought of a TV drama. It made the thought of Melissa less painful. Even only a day after they'd first been able to see her, she looked much better. The care given to her greatly improved the state of the burns, and a physical therapist came in to see her regularly the entire day.

"Thank you all for the support," she said after her second bandage change of the day. Most of the crew had left after seeing her the first time, but a handful still stayed. "But you should all go back to work. Or go home. Whatever you were meant to be doing after the tour. I'll be fine, and I'll meet you all back in L.A. soon."

"She means you, Dad," Stiles piped up and Scott elbowed him in the side for it, grinning but looking embarrassed on his behalf.

It was a good point though. John Stilinski hadn't left the hospital, barely even the room, since his arrival the day before. The internet was torn up about the news. There had been no official statement from the Stiles Stilinski tour about who exactly was injured in the fire. The police said they didn't want Kate trying to hurt them at the hospital, and they didn't want her leaving town either. By keeping her in the dark about who she'd put in critical condition, they hoped she'd stay in the area. So John Stilinski rushing away from his scheduled events to live at the hospital had plenty of people scared.

Reporters kept trying to come into the area but as far as anyone in the group could tell, they were now effectively being blocked by three levels of security. They weren't allowed inside. If they got someone in undercover, there was a guard watching the elevator. If they made it up to the right floor, every nurse was on alert for suspicious activity and cameras and even phones. Only one person had so far even gotten that close.

But they couldn't hide forever, and Melissa was right. Stiles couldn't technically claim a family emergency since Melissa wasn't legally his mother and so the record company would want him back in the studio. Right now they were being considerate because everyone knew how close the Stilinskis and the McCalls were, and the police had put in a good word about keeping Stiles there as part of a plan, but eventually he had to leave. Same for his father.

Given her new status as Scott's soul mate, Kira could call out of work if she wanted to. Under Common Law, she and Scott were half married already, even if nothing was on paper. But after Melissa urged them all to go home, she took Scott into the hall and Derek caught bits of their conversation. Kira was planning to return home so she could keep her parents updated and help out in their clinic. They'd already let her go for the entirety of the trip for Stiles' well being and hey she needed to update them about that too, actually. So within the hour, she'd given Scott a nervous kiss on the cheek and left.

Derek had no assignments. His mother was his boss so she wouldn't be dragging him away anytime soon and didn't need to be updated on his condition. So he was free to stay as long as he required. Peter had left town as soon as he finished up last minute details with the rest of the tour group. Scott had personally signed the final paperwork, since he was the assistant manager after all. Laura wanted to stay, but Peter and Talia were both sending her frequent texts, so an hour after Kira's departure, she had to excuse herself to call home. And from there, she was ordered back to the company base.

"I don't want to leave you on your own though," Laura said after telling Derek the news.

"I'm a big boy, Laura. I can handle myself," Derek assured and motioned down to his leg. "See? I'm not even handicapped now."

"Shut up, Derek. I'm serious. What if Kate comes back? I could help,"

"I'm serious too. The cops are on site. Stiles was in danger, but he's also probably the safest person to be around right now. If Kate's goal was to get revenge on us, Hale Securities is going to be in danger, not the hospital. And if she's determined to finish what she started with Stiles, then I'm going to stay and be part of his protection detail." He put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Trust me, Laura. I'll be alright."

"Besides," Stiles said, walking up next to the siblings, "Derek's leaving too."

"What?" both Hales asked simultaneously and with matching raised eyebrows of disbelief.

With a shrug, Stiles said, "Melissa's kicking me out. I have studio time to fill, and I'm taking Derek with me. It's just gonna be the two of us and- well unless that Parrish guy is still here. Then he'll come to. I mean he's like Derek's shadow. Sometimes I don't even notice him until he talks. It's weird. Awesome, but weird. Anyway, unless Derek brings him along, it's just gonna be me and Derek, in a car not associated with the company, so really the only way Kate would even know where to find me would be if she's staking out the parking garage here, which is crawling with security right now, or the studio, and no one knows I'm even coming in yet so she has no reason to be doing that."

"See?" Derek said, turning back to his sister. "Safe."

Laura didn't look impressed with her brother, but the sigh she let out told Derek he'd won this round.

Getting out the hospital was the easy part. The drive to the recording studio was the killer. Traffic was all around awful, proving that they probably should have left an hour earlier. Stiles' scheduled studio time wasn't for two hours, so they had time, but it didn't make the drive any less tense.

At first, Stiles tried to fill the silence with chatter. Today's topic was about his father, and how the man should really just propose to Melissa already because damn he'd been tip toeing around her for almost a decade. The McCalls and the Stilinskis were already like family anyway – proven by how the hospital didn't kick any of them out over night and by how John had been able to leave his work so suddenly to see her. Seriously.

"You think your dad is worried about replacing your mom?" Derek asked.

"I guess so. They really loved each other, you know? And she was the best, too. She was so supportive and always smiling. She wasn't a musician but she loved the art form, and she was an editor – like for books, you know? – so she could do all of her work long distance. She travelled for dad's shows a lot. I think he really loved her even more because of that. She never held it against him. In fact she told me all the time that she loved traveling with the band," Stiles said, tapping on the window and staring out at the busy road.

"I can see how that'd be hard to replace. And he met Melissa… five years before your mother passed, correct? So he had half a decade of keeping his distance from her, and she had the same amount of time getting to know and like your mother. It's a hard barrier to cross," Derek said.

"But he really likes her," Stiles whined. "He loves Melissa."

"How did you feel when I was dating Jennifer? Besides the jealousy." Derek glanced over at Stiles. "You kissed me, yeah, but after that you didn't try to get me away from her. You didn't try to invade that boundary. It's respect. You respected the feelings we both thought I had for her."

Stiles snorted. "I think you highly overestimate the respect I had."

"Oh yeah?" Derek asked with a smile.

"Oh yeah. You ended that kiss pretty fiercely, but let me tell ya. It did not end the sexual frustration." Stiles stretched his arms up above his head as best he could and moaned when his back popped.

"Sexual frustration?" Derek's tone was calm and conversational but his hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel at the moan.

"Dude. So much. I couldn't be around you for more than like… an hour without wanting to grab you and press my body as close as possible to yours," Stiles said. He spoke like the topic was easy and weightless, but Derek's body grew warmer with each word. The thought of pulling Stiles so close that their bodies were flush against each other and kissing him with the same fevered, jealous passion as their first kiss-

He needed to get out of this car.

Eyes glancing over Derek, Stiles smirked like he knew a secret joke and then set his gaze back out on the cars. Without looking, his hand drifted over the center console and onto Derek's upper thigh. Derek hoped it stayed there and didn't try anything funny because he was driving, and while traffic was bad, he didn't want to add an accident to the mix.

"Do you ever think about the next step in our relationship?" Stiles asked, as though his hand wasn't dangerously dipping into Derek's inner thigh.

"Quite often, actually," Derek admitted and reached down to grab Stiles' wrist. He shifted Stiles' hand back to the top of his leg and held it there, their fingers intertwining.

"And?" Stiles prompted, turning to stare intently at Derek, his eyes full of curiosity and a need to know.

"And based on where your hand was trying to go, I think my worries were unfounded."

Stiles laughed loudly in the small car and tightened his grip on Derek's hand. "Well based on that response," he said, mimicking Derek's wording, "I guess mine were too."

They held hands for the rest of the drive, and Stiles stopped trying to charge the air between them. In fact he sort of tried to ease the tension, changing the topic back to his father, but it didn't really help. Both of their minds were there now. Derek's could hear it under Stiles' words, could feel it in his own chest and gut and groin.

When they finally parked at the studio, they jumped out of the car so fast that someone outside of it might think it was on fire. Derek let Stiles get ten steps ahead before he followed, and Stiles didn't look back to ensure he was following. The knowledge that they both wanted to further the relationship was heavy under their skin, but Stiles had to work.

They were greeted in the lobby by a professional but cheerful woman named Heather who undressed Stiles with her eyes only. Stiles didn't seem to notice, but Derek did and when the woman's eyes landed on him she laughed softly and immediately stopped. In fact she barely looked at Stiles directly at all after that.

"Ah, Mr. Stilinski. Cutting it close as always," the studio director greeted in a lazy drawl. "Do try to remember that not everyone's schedule revolves around yours. You're not that famous."

"Always a pleasure, Mr. Harris," Stiles greeted back with saccharine in his voice.

"I'm sure," Harris replied and motioned for Stiles and Derek to follow him into a control room. "Keep in mind that if your shadow breaks anything, I will be holding your record company accountable."

"Don't worry. He's my guard dog. He only attacks when he senses threats," Stiles said, patting Derek on the chest before pulling his hand back and rubbing it on his own arm. To Harris is probably looked like Stiles disliked touching Derek. To Derek it was the same reason he rubbed his chest then, to remove the tingle that the contact had caused.

Their hormones may be back to normal now that their numbers were gone, but that soul bond wasn't letting up in this case.

"Right." Harris frowned and kept a wary eye on Derek as he motioned for Stiles to go into the booth.

The control room was tense to begin with but it only got worse once Stiles left. Harris was snippy with Stiles, but with Derek he was just nerves, like he worried Derek might actually attack him. Stiles was visible through the glass on the other side of the control board and as soon as his headset was on, Harris hit the mic button.

"Alright, Mr. Stilinski. This is your studio time. Which of your alternative teen bop wonders will we be focusing on today?" he asked.

"Lonely No More. Second chorus," Stiles said, hand rising up to hold his headset.

"As you command." Did Harris even have a tone beyond exasperated?

Buttons were pressed. A computer was consulted. Then the drum beat started. Upbeat, almost like a samba. Stiles bobbed his head and stared ahead at his microphone intently, listening for the timing. There was a quiet set of backup singers, turned down so they were place markers more than music, and then a heavy drum beat and Stiles took a deep breath.

"I don't wanna be lonely no more! I don't wanna have to pay for this! I don't want to know the lover at my door is just another heartache on my list. I don't wanna be angry no more! You know I could never stand for this. So when you tell me that you love me, know for sure. I don't wanna be lonely anymore."

Derek remembered the morning before the concert, when Stiles said he wanted Derek to hear the song he was working on. As Stiles swayed slightly and listened to the earlier recorded tune of backup singers, Derek thought on the words and wondered when Stiles had written them. Boyd and Stiles had been working on something since before Derek broke up with Jennifer. Could this be from way back then, when Stiles claimed he was struggling with his emotional and sexual tension over Derek?

Stiles glanced over at Derek through the glass. "What if I was good to you? What if you were good to me?" He closed his eyes and looked serene. "What if I could hold you till I feel you move inside of me?" Derek's chest pounded heavily and his crotch felt that line more than anything. "What if it was paradise? What if we were symphonies?" The deep rumble of an orchestra came with that line and reminded Derek to school his features while he watched Stiles be moved by his own music. "What if I gave all my life to find some way to stand beside you?"

Stiles' eyes opened once more as he easily transitioned back into another chorus, and he seemed unaffected by the words and the rhythm and the insinuation it all left in Derek's mind. "I want you to hear it." That's what Stiles had said. And he'd chosen this part of the song to work on first. He'd chosen the bridge and chorus on purpose.

When Harris paused the music, Stiles and Derek locked eyes. Harris was speaking, and Stiles was answering him, but Derek couldn't move past the smug look in Stiles' eyes. The car ride and now this – Stiles was way past making suggestions. He was screaming his intentions.

Harris had Stiles redo parts of the song, including three different octaves of the same line that they would later layer to play at the same time, for just shy of an hour, then he called for a break so Stiles could rest his throat.

"I'll be stepping out to grab fake Mexican food. I'd offer to grab something for you as well, but, well, you have a dog for that, don't you?" Harris said when Stiles met them in the hallway.

He was trying to act cool about it, but he still leaned away from Derek in order to pass him, and he kept a wary eye on Derek as long as he could. It was amusing and, as far as Derek could tell, he deserved to feel a little spooked.

As soon as Harris disappeared around the corner of the hall, Derek said, "He's kind of a dick."

Then Stiles was on him, pressing a kiss to his lips and standing very, very close. "Oh my God, if we're going to talk about dicks, let's not talk about Harris's," he said when he pulled his lips away. He pressed close to Derek and slid one hand down Derek's back. "Look, we've got half an hour before he comes back to find me again. I say we commandeer a practice room or a bathroom or, hell, you rental car. What do you say?"

Derek didn't say anything. He kissed Stiles roughly and then pushed him back, taking his hand in his. Usually he would think this was a terrible idea, but after listening to the song fifteen times, he was about ready to come apart. They found a small lounge with no windows anywhere, and Stiles locked the door behind them and then put a chair under the handle just to be sure.

When he turned around, Derek was there, cupping his face and kissing him. The lounge had a loveseat and a recliner, but no full couch. Stiles pushed Derek down onto the recliner and straddled him, lips barely landing on Derek's before moving to kiss down to Derek's neck. Derek's hands didn't know where to go but one ended up gripping Stiles' hip a little too hard and the other slid up the back of Stiles' neck and into the singer's hair as Derek moaned softly.

Stiles wasted no time in taking control. His mouth was working a hickie into Derek's collarbone as his fingers undid the buttons on Derek's shirt, and really Derek had always fantasized that he'd be in charge of this situation, but reality had other plans and they were, perhaps, even hotter than anything Derek had imagined.

"Stiles," he moaned out when the sensation on his neck sent a burst of pleasurable shivers through his body.

Stiles snapped back, hands stilling just as they finished the last button. He held Derek's shirt loosely in his fingers and looked uneasily down at the older man, and really, why did he look uneasy? There was no way he couldn't feel Derek's penis trying to poke through his jeans , because he was sitting almost directly on it.

"This-," Stiles began and then hesitated, his fingers worrying the fabric of Derek's shirt. "I mean, I want this. I really, really want this, but just- I know you're like turned on right now and you're probably wishing I would just shut up and continue, but before I do I gotta know. You want this, right? Our hormones are all messed up and this isn't just the aurasphere making you want this, right? Cause I can wait. Really, I can wait."

"Stiles." Derek grunted and sat up. He wrapped an arm around Stiles' waist and pulled their bodies securely together, and with his other hand he guided Stiles in for a kiss. "Stop thinking." He kissed Stiles' jaw and down his neck. "I want this." And he tugged on the collar of Stiles' shirt to suck on the skin where neck met shoulder.

"Oh my God." Stiles's hands gripped Derek's shoulders and he pulled on them as though Derek could get any closer. Derek only released Stiles' neck when he knew a good hickie would be there and was proud when he saw the dark mark discoloring the otherwise pale skin. Suddenly his skin tingled all over when he realized they'd both have the marks on their necks next time they saw Harris, or anyone for that matter. The tingling was hot and pleasurable.

Then Stiles' hands were on his exposed chest, putting just enough distance between their bodies to do so, and he made a noise of approval, coaxing a laugh from Derek. After all their time together, it was almost like Stiles doubted what he'd find under Derek's clothes. It was impossible not to know what Stiles was hiding. There were plenty of photos floating around of him shirtless at beaches, and Derek had watched him peel sweaty, tight shirts off during concerts.

"Damn. You're almost too hot to be real," Stiles said, voice almost a whine. "It's just not fair."

"Says the guy on People Magazine's Hot 100 list," Derek retorted and slid his hands down Stiles' back and came to rest on the other's ass. "Twenty five minutes."

"Shit." Stiles dropped his hand down so fast to Derek's crotch that the moan he let out was almost more surprised than pleased. The angle was awkward and his jeans were in the way, but Stiles didn't seem to care. He made a loose fist and rolled his hips, successfully grinding both their crotches against his hand.

A sharp intake of air came out instead of a moan, but on the next roll, Derek couldn't help but let out a deep sound of need. He rolled his hips up as Stiles rolled down, and the sound he got from Stiles' throat was almost as good as the feeling he got from Stiles' hand.

"Shit," Stiles said again as Derek continued to match him. "Shit, I don't have a change of – uhn – of boxers."

"Not the time," Derek growled and kissed him hard.

He reached down and moved Stiles' hand, but they both continue to grind without the added friction. Then Derek undid his own pants and Stiles' flailing fingers managed to undo his jeans a short time later. While Stiles paused to shift his body and work his jeans down his hips, Derek tugged the singer's shirt up. They got caught up when the shirt couldn't go any further while Stiles was still working on the pants and then Stiles' arms could figure out if they were going up or down and really it shouldn't be that hard to take clothes off, but they managed it.

Eventually, they got Stiles shirtless and both of their pants pulled open and hanging off their hips, and then both their underwear out of the way, and Derek was just wrapping a hand around Stiles when his phone started ringing in his pocket.

"Damn it," he growled and carefully removed the device. He didn't even look at who was trying to get in contact with him, just set it on the floor carefully so he wouldn't accidentally hit the call button.

Stiles was thrusting against his hand before Derek had fully sat up, but once he was upright, they were kissing again. Stiles' hand was around him and stroking him, tight and fast, and they both panted heavily around the kisses until there was more panting than kissing going on.

"Oh God," Stiles moaned, eyes tightly shut. "Oh yeah."

And then Derek's eyes were closed too, because they were doing a weird mix of humping and hand jobs and it was hot and so, so damn good. The pleasure pounded through his bloodstream, making his toes curl in his shoes and his free hand grab desperately to any part of Stiles it could find.

"Open," Stiles panted. "Open your eyes."

Stiles' gorgeous golden brown eyes were locked on his, his pupils wide with pleasure, and then Derek was cumming. Stiles covered his mouth as it opened to let out a loud moan and leaned their foreheads together as he continued to rut into Derek's hand, and then Derek had to cover Stiles' mouth, both because Stiles was loud and because he was cursing.

As the last of their climaxes died away, they held a staring contest, both their mouths still covered, and they breathed heavily through their noses.

Derek's phone went off again and they groaned simultaneously, their hands dropping.

"No. Hell no," Stiles said, breathless. "Whoever it is can shove it. We're busy with afterglow."

Chuckling, Derek shook his head. "It's not a call," he said. "It's a text." He leaned over the arm of the chair and retrieved his phone while Stiles complained but pulled himself up and out of the chair. The singer vanished into a tiny bathroom in the corner while Derek read the multiple messages he'd ignored.

When Stiles reappeared with some damp paper towels and some dry ones to help clean them up, Derek's face was serious. "What's up?" Stiles asked, settling back in across Derek's lap and wiping at the other's stomach.

"It's my mother. She set up a couple alerts when she got home, like Google alert but for more than just Google," Derek explained. "It was to monitor any mention of Kate on social network and news. Apparently some of your fans are playing detective. Someone just tweeted a picture of her car."

"You mean the vehicle she used to get away from the scene of the arson," Stiles corrected.

"You don't think she'd use her own car?"

"You do?" Stiles asked as he switched to wiping himself clean.

Derek moved to take over, and smiled at the way Stiles' stomach twitched under the attention. "Yes. Because she's cocky. She thinks she's too good to be caught. And so far she's been right. But now we have a new weapon."

"What's that?" Stiles asked, and his voice was a bit quieter than before. When Derek looked up at him, he saw the stirrings of lust re-clouding Stiles' eyes. He pulled his hand away from his boyfriend's pelvis – mmm the word sounded nice in his thoughts. Boyfriend. – and gave a teasingly disapproving look. Stiles did not look ashamed.

"Your fans are on her case now," Derek said. His phone went off again and he scanned the message. "More than just her car. Now there's a photo of her. She can't hide anymore."

"Our spies are efficient," Stiles remarked with awe. "I'm so proud."

With a chuckle and one last wipe of a dry towel, Derek motioned for Stiles to get up, and then they both started to become presentable. Part of Derek was still surprised at what they'd done, but the thrill of it hummed in his veins and kept him from feeling embarrassed about it.

"What now?" Stiles asked as Derek tossed him his shirt.

"Now we finish your session. Then we take on Kate. It's her turn to be surprised." He smirked and the responding devilish glint in Stiles' eye made him worry at the same time that it made him feel strangely lucky.

Preview Chapter 16:

To take down Kate, it's going to take more than just Derek, more than just the police. To draw her into a trap, they're going to need someone she trusts, but also someone who is on their side. But even with the extra family help, does Kate still have the upper hand? And away from the conflict, Stilinski Sr. has something serious he needs to discuss with his son.