Stiles stood with his hands in his pockets and enjoyed the last warmth of the sun. The air was crisp and cold in the late autumn and he couldn't wait until he was back inside, his hands wrapped around a warm cup of tea. His gaze wandered over the edge of the forest as he waited for Derek to return. The werewolf had learned to control his full shift and now engulfed himself in rediscovering the world with his hightened senses.

Yesterday, they had been strolling through the woods and Derek's head had been spinning from one side to the other as he received all the different impressions which Stiles never even notice with his dull human senses. He had been tugging on Stiles' hand, eager to investigate where a certain sound or smell was coming from. The only way to hold the man back was by promising him to come back the next day and let him run free for as long as he wanted.

Derek had been very enthusiastic about experiencing the things he had learned before in theory and Stiles loved seing the world through the werewolf's eyes. Every breakfast dish became a culinary experience, every trip to the store an adventure. He questioned things Stiles had never given a second thought. More than once had he struggled to explain a certain social concept to the werewolf and had thrown his hands in the air at last, giving him the unsatisfying answer „Because it just is!" But there were other times that he never wanted to forget, like the way Derek's eyes lit up the first time he tried a strawberry milkshake. Stiles' insides had turned all warm and fuzzy as he watched Derek happily slurping his drink. His soft smile had turned in to a full belly laugh as Derek had experienced his very first brain freeze only a minute later and had glared down at the milkshake with a mixture of pain and confusion, as if he wondered how such a great beverage could betray him in this way.

He heard rustling in the underwood and suddenly the big black wolf jumped back out of the bushes. He rushed towards Stiles and nearly threw the human to the ground as he eagerly bounced at him. The wolf's fur was covered in dirt and leaves and he left muddy paw prints all over Stiles' clothes.

„Alright, alright. Stop it, you big goof!", he chuckled and pushed the wolf off.

He walked over to his old blue jeep, opened the trunk and pulled out a worn out blanket. When he turned back around, Derek had turned back into his human form. His chest heaved with each breath and an excited, yet tired smile was on his lips. Sweat was glistening on his dirty skin and goosbumps rose as it cooled in the slight breeze. Stiles walked over and pulled the blanket around his naked form.

„How can you spend so much time out there, while I'm here, freezing my balls off?"

„The fur helps", Derek stated and then pulled a protesting Stiles into his arms and wrapped the blanket around both of them. „I'll help you get warm."

„No, you're getting me all dirty!"

„You gonna shower with me later anyway."

„Oh, shut up and get dressed", he grunted as he wiggled out of the Derek's embrace, pulled his clothes out of the trunk and pushed them against the werewolf's chest. „I wanna be home for dinner, dad's making mac and cheese for tonight."

Instead of putting on his clothes, Derek stood motionless and watched Stiles with slight worry.

„But we still gonna shower together, right?"

Stiles eyebrows shot up and he nearly bit his tongue bloody from keeping himself from laughing. He took a deep breath to regain his cool and then nodded his head.

„I never said we won't." He pressed a quick kiss to Derek's lips and then gave him a wink as he walked around the car and got into the driver seat. „Now put your pants on and get into the car. The sooner we're home, the sooner we can take that shower."

Derek nearly fell over his own feet in his haste.

Later that night, Stiles threw a blanket over his father's sleeping form and turned off the TV. He hadn't admitted it to himself when he was still living in New York, but he had actually missed his old home. There were a few tensed talks he had with his dad, but they had quickly settled back into a familiar rhythm of living together, even with Derek as an additional member to their small family. The sheriff had been surprised at first as he had noticed that Stiles and Derek wouldn't accept to be seperated, but he soon treated the werewolf like his own son.

The two had moved in with his dad right after they had been released from the hospital. The first few weeks had been a lot of hiding from the press, but after they had given an exclusive interview on Peter's radio show, the hype around them had ceased and they could finally leave the house without microphones being propped into their faces.

Now that they could finally continue living normal lives, Stiles couldn't stop thinking about the future. His dad had offered him a position as a deputy at his department. Not a thrilling job in a small town like Beacon Hills, but Stiles was contend with facing nothing more strenuous than bag-snatchers or domestic violence, and so he had told him that he would think about it.

Scott and Allsion had returned back to New York, but the city didn't attract him the same way it used to. Part of the reason was Derek, who had told him that he felt much more at ease in the small town, than trapped between the tall buildings of the city. Now, he was musing about looking for a small place to live around Beacon Hills. Preferably close to the preverse, because he knew how much Derek enjoyed spending time in the forest.

He walked into the kitchen to snatched two beers out of the fridge and then walked out onto the porch. Derek was sitting on the steps, looking up into the night sky. Tonight was a new moon and not a cloud was in sight, making it the perfect night for watching the stars, which was why Derek had prefered to sit outside with a blanket instead of watching a game with Stiles and his dad.

Stiles sat down next to him and offered him a bottle.

„Thanks", Derek said and took a sip, before he looked up at the sky again.

Stiles followed his gaze and pointed out a constellation.

„That's the great bear over there."

„Actually, that is pegasus. The great bear is over there." He took Stiles wrist and guided his finger to point at the right direction.

„Oh", Stiles said sheepishly and rubbed his arms. „To be honest, it all looks the same to me. I just wanted to impress you."

„You already do that enough. Sometimes it's my turn to try to impress you."

„Well then, impress me."

He bumped his knee playfully against Derek's and leaned his head on his shoulder as he listened to Derek's hushed voice explaining the easiest way to orient oneself at the night sky.

Because the great thing about Derek was that Stiles did not only relish in watching Derek experiencing something new, but he also learned a lot from the werewolf. The man was smart and funny and Stiles couldn't imagine another day without him at his side. With a dopey grin, he discarded the stars and watched Derek instead. Even in the barely lit backyard, he could make out the werewolf's features, every detail of him was impressed into his mind and ready to appear whenever Stiles closed his eyes.

„You wanna move out?", he blurted out without thinking.

Derek paused in his recital of the brightest stars and turned to frown at Stiles.

„Where will we live?"

„I don't know", Stiles shrugged. „Just, not with my dad. Just you and me. And I was thinking about taking the job at the station."

„I was thinking about getting a job, too."

„Really?" Stiles sat up in surprise and licked his lips. „What kind of job?"

„I don't know", Derek admitted. „But it's just something I'd like to do. Something normal, you know?"

„Yeah", Stiles nodded and leaned back against Derek's side. „We'll find something for you."

Derek lay his arm around Stiles and they both sat in silence, gazing up at the stars. He could hear crickets chirping and a car driving in the distance, but his ears were tuned to the steady sound of Stiles heartbeat. He didn't know how his new life would turn out to be, but he wasn't really afraid of the future. Stiles was his anchor in this world full of chaos and no matter what would happen next, it could never take him down, as long as Stiles was by his side.