Baking My Way Into Your Heart – Unexpected Part I

One Friday, Derek was making his way to the coffee shop like normal. But when he looked through the window, who he saw wasn't his now regular barista. He frowned.

"Isaac, where's Stiles?" he said, walking through the door.

The blonde yawned. "And good morning to you, too." Derek merely huffed, glaring at the boy. "Look, I don't know, okay? He called me about two hours ago asking if I could come in for him. Something about his dad being in the hospital," he explained. "Now, you want the same thing, right?"

"His dad's in the hospital? What happened?"

Isaac just shook his head. "I don't really know the details- hey wait! Where are you going?"

Derek didn't respond. He hurried back out the door, pulling out his phone to try calling his friend. When he didn't get an answer, he began to run towards Stiles' apartment. 'Did something happen to his dad? Is he sick or hurt or…' Derek didn't want to think about that last one. 'If something bad happened, Stiles is gonna need support.'

Derek chose to forego the elevator, bounding up the stairs three steps at a time. Once he was at the right door, he began to knock. "Stiles? Is everything okay? Stiles?"

The door opened to reveal a sleepy Scott. "Dude… Mr. Hale… it's way too early for this shit. Go away," he growled, preparing to shut the door again.

Derek would have taken offense to the attitude but one, it was still pretty early, and two, Stiles had mentioned that Scott was not the happiest of campers without a full night's rest. He shot a hand out, stopping the door. "Scott, where's Stiles?"

The boy growled again in frustration, pushing harder against the door. "Come on, man. Your boyfriend's not here."

Derek frowned. "He's not my- Ow! Damn it, Scott!" He snatched back his hand, shaking it. The boy had bit him. He bit him! He stared incredulously at the now closed door, briefly wondering if he needed to get checked for rabies. "Where did he go?" He called through the door.

"Home."

Derek paused. 'Was it so serious that Stiles had to go home for it?' The thought made him upset. "Damn it, Scott!" Derek growled again. "What kind of friend are you? Letting him go home by himself when something bad happened to his dad? His dad's all he has left!"

The door swung open. "Oh my freakin' God, dude. Just go bone him already. Seriously."

Derek scowled, eyes narrowing dangerously. "You need to calm down."

"So do you." He said through gritted teeth. For the next few moments, they stared each other down. Eventually, Scott exhaled deeply in exasperation. He rolled his eyes. "He's taking the 8 o'clock train to Beacon Hills. You can sex him up there." And with that, Scott slammed the door shut.

Derek decided he really didn't like sleepy Scott. "Wait. Beacon Hills?" He didn't get a response this time, so Derek took a step back, leaning against the wall facing the closed door. 'Stiles never mentioned he was from Beacon Hills… then again, neither did I…' He frowned. 'I haven't been back there since Laura brought me to the house…' He felt the dull ache in his heart return as the pain of loss resurfaced once again. He pushed the feeling aside. 'If Stiles' dad is hurt, he might be feeling the same. He needs someone with him.' Derek wanted to be that someone.

It was decided. He ran home, quickly threw a bag together, and drove his Camaro to the train station, purchasing a train ticket on his phone along the way. He was picking up his ticket at the service desk when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Derek?"

He spun around. Stiles was looking at him with surprise. He got his ticket from the worker before making his way over to the boy. "Hey. I heard about your dad."

Stiles sighed. "I swear, that man will be the death of me." He chuckled, much to Derek's puzzlement. "He rolled his ankle from apparently trying to do some fancy fly-fishery. He's the Sheriff of a town and he gets injured by going fishing?" He laughed again. "Only a Stilinski."

"Oh."

"I figured it was as good a reason as any to check up on him," Stiles continued. "Make sure he's keeping off it and eating right. He's pretty stubborn when it comes to his own health. He'd go into work with a broken leg, assuring people it's just a flesh wound." He laughed.

Derek forced a small smile of amusement, but really he had to visibly restrain himself from smacking his hand against his forehead. 'Why do I always think the worst?' The weight of the situation was beginning to settle on him. 'I packed a bag and came running to be by his side all for a rolled ankle? No wonder Isaac and Scott didn't seem to be making a big deal of it. They got to hear it from Stiles himself so if there wasn't any alarm in his voice, there was probably nothing for them to be alarmed about either.' Derek mentally groaned. 'I'm an idiot. I should also apologize to Scott for calling him a bad friend…' He glanced at the red bite mark on his wrist. 'Then again, maybe not…'

"I was gonna call you," Stiles said, snapping Derek out of his thoughts. "Give you a heads up about Isaac. I know how particular you are about your coffee." He smirked. "But my phone died. I forgot to put it back on the charger last night. Didn't realize it until I was already out the door." He held up his phone and gave it a little shake. "I was actually looking for an outlet I could steal some power from when I saw you." Stiles glanced at the ticket in Derek's hand then back up. "You going somewhere?"

'Shit.' Derek was drawing a blank. It's not like he could say 'I came running to be your rock in your time of need.' No, that wouldn't do at all. He looked to the train ticket in his hand, hoping it would give him an answer. It didn't.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Stiles' lips. "Hey, didn't you mention your sister wanted you to visit?"

"Yes," Derek said, perhaps a little too loudly. He reigned himself in. "Yes, exactly. I am going to visit my sister."

Stiles smiled. He held up Derek's wrist, turning his head to read the ticket in his hand. "Beacon Hills."

"Yeah. Hey, you never told me you're from Beacon Hills."

He shrugged. "You never asked."

"Never stopped you before."

Stiles laughed. "Well, Mr. Hale, it seems we are heading in the same direction. Shall we go find a place to wait for our train?"

Derek just nodded as Stiles led the way. "So wait, did you know that I was from Beacon Hills?"

"Not at first," Stiles admitted.

He looked at him, cocking an eyebrow.

Stiles continued. "Remember when you absolutely refused to tell me your first name? Well… what can I say?" he shrugged. "I'm a curious guy. I did a little detective work myself."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "Why does this sound like the beginnings of something incredibly creepy or incredibly illegal… possibly both?"

The boy laughed. "Nonsense. I'm pretty sure my methods were legit. Most of them anyway. Besides," he grinned. "It was Danny who did the actual hacking."

Derek shook his head. "So what? You looked up my file in the school's system?"

"Is that weird? I mean, you can't really blame me. You were just so interesting." At the confused look Derek was giving him, Stile elaborated. "Most people would say 'thank you for the coffee,' possibly chat for a bit. But you, Mr. Grumpy-pants, were just so… different. So… mean." He laughed again.

Derek frowned. Is that really how Stiles saw him?

"But," Stiles continued, "I'm glad I got to get to know the real you."

"The real me…" Derek echoed, flatly.

"Yes, the real you. The one who secretly enjoys every silly drawing I put in your coffee every morning. And the one, in turn, who draws little lemon caricatures in the margins of cookbooks," he snickered.

Damn. Derek glowered. He almost forgot about that one. Add it to the list of embarrassing things he's done since meeting Stiles. It was getting too long for his liking.

"Come on," Stiles said, taking Derek's wrist and pulling him to a table. "I can charge my phone here while we wait."

Derek sat opposite Stiles when a thought hit him. "Did… did you already know about my parents? I mean, before…"

Stiles paused, looking Derek squarely in the eye before sitting all the way down. "No. I had no idea," he said, firmly. "I mean, my dad was a deputy at the time so of course I heard of it, but I didn't know the details and I definitely didn't know it happened to you."

Derek was solemn.

Stiles reached across the table, hand patting Derek's in a comforting way, smiling softly in sympathy.

Derek just shook his head, wanting to clear it of the sorrowful memories. "So you hacked the school computer. You know, with that kind of behavior, you're going to have a hard time finding a job working alongside the police."

Stiles smirked, sitting back in his seat, hands fiddling with his phone. "Yeah and that's why I've already assigned you as my partner. It works out cause you already know about my criminal past and I already know that under your sour exterior, you're really just a softie."

Derek just rolled his eyes.

Eventually, the two were able to board the train for the long ride to Beacon Hills. It would be a six-hour ride, an hour and a half of it devoted to the three stops along the way. On the train, they killed time by playing cards, never having finished that game of "Go Fish" they had started on Derek's bed the night Stiles stayed over. Stiles won, but Derek was convinced that the boy had cheated. He was also convinced that Stiles needed to learn new games so they wouldn't be stuck playing a child's game.

"Come on," Stiles said, stretching out of his seat before tugging on Derek's wrist when the train had made its second stop. "We're gonna be here for an hour. Let's go find something to eat."

"I don't know," Derek said skeptically. "What if we don't make it back?"

"We'll make it back. Come on."

Derek sighed, but followed the younger boy off the train. They sat down at a little taqueria. Derek had a simple burrito and Stiles decided that ordering seven different types of tacos was normal.

"Do you exercise?" he wondered aloud.

Stile paused, his fish taco halfway up to his mouth. "No. Why?"

Derek glanced at the two remaining tacos left on the boy's plate. He didn't look like he was slowing down at all. Derek shook his head. "No reason."

Stiles just shrugged and proceeded to devour his meal in record time.

"Oh come on," Stiles said, incredulously as they strolled back to the station. "You're saying you wouldn't want to be The Hulk?"

"No thank you," Derek frowned.

"Bruce Banner is like super smart and- 'Hulk Smash!' How can you turn down 'Hulk Smash'?"

"Bruce Banner is in constant fear of changing. He has to hide from the world cause he's afraid he's going to 'Hulk Smash' it to pieces."

Stiles laughed. "How is it you're completely dense to all of the other references I make, but Hulk you get?"

Derek scoffed. "I'm not dense."

"Yeah, okay." Stiles shook his head.

Derek just rolled his eyes. "What time is it?"

"I don't know. I thought you knew. Aren't you Mr. On-Time, Schedule-Pants?"

"Again with the pants. Grumpy-pants, Schedule-Pants. What's with the pants?" He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. "What time did we get off the train?"

"Umm…"

"Stiles," Derek's eyes widened. "Stiles! What if we missed our train?"

"I thought you of all people would be keeping track!" He paused, giggling. "Ha. Track."

Derek didn't have time to glare at him for the stupid pun; not when a train whistle let itself be heard. And with that, the two made a mad dash towards the station, trying not to knock over the people in their way.

"What dock were we on?" Derek called to the other boy.

"Seven. Definitely seven."

"Where's seven?"

Stiles looked around. "Who designed this place? This is an unnecessarily confusing layout for a train station!"

Eventually, they made it to their platform just in time. Stiles crashed into his seat opposite Derek, laughing while trying to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry," he panted between chuckles. "I really thought you knew."

Derek scoffed. "Well from now on, I know not to trust you to keep schedule." He flopped down in his seat next to the window, crossing his arms over his chest. He scowled at the boy in front of him.

"Aw, don't look at me like that," Stiles smirked. He got up to sit next to the older boy. "We made it on time. Just two more hours and we're back at Beacon Hills." He readjusted himself, leaning against Derek, resting his head on his shoulder. "It'll be good to be back home."

Derek relaxed into his seat, letting out a little sigh. "Home…" The thought was both soothing and unsettling.

After a while, with their stomachs full and their energy from the run drained, they fell asleep, waiting for what lay ahead in Beacon Hills for the two of them.

/\/\/\

Derek probably should have planned this out better. Somewhere along the line, he should have thought beyond the train ride. Most importantly, he should have called his sister.

Once they had pulled into the station and were off the train with their bags in tow, Stiles was immediately stopped by a deputy. The boy had laughed, commenting on how the officer should have had something better to do than pick up the Sheriff's son. Then, Stiles asked Derek if he needed a ride. To which Derek immediately thought 'to where?' Frowning, Derek declined, opting to take a taxi, hoping that he'd figure something out before it arrived.

"You sure?" Stiles asked, a little concerned.

"Yeah," Derek shrugged. "I think my sister might freak out if I came home in a cop car. Plus, it's what I planned to do anyway," he lied.

Stiles just looked skeptical, despite the joke. "Call me later then, okay?"

Derek just nodded, watching as Stiles hopped into the car. Once it drove out of sight, Derek pulled out his phone to call for a taxi, asking the driver to take him out to the Hale house. In no time, Derek was soon closing in on the house he once called home. The closer they got, the more anxious Derek felt. The last time he was there, the house had been charred, wrecked. And while he knew that Laura had decided last year to rebuild the place to move back in, he still couldn't get the image of the broken home out of his head. But when the taxi pulled up, he let out a sigh of relief. The exterior of the house looked good as new. But he was greeted with something he hadn't been expecting. After paying the driver. Derek climbed out of the car, staring curiously at the living room set placed oddly outside.

"-And can we get these put away, please. I don't want any mold on my furniture. And don't scratch anything! These are restored family pieces. They've already been through hell. I rented these containers for a reason people."

Derek glanced at the woman barking orders as she made her way out the front door and down the porch. She was pointing at the living room set, directing a few men, pointing them in the direction of the storage containers. Derek felt any remaining anxiety slip away. Seeing his sister was always a source of comfort.

"Derek?"

Laura was staring disbelievingly at the man standing in the driveway. Derek just waved. Deciding he must be real, she smiled, jogging up to her brother and pulling him into a hug. "Hey, brat. What are you doing here?" She held him at arm's length, face in full seriousness. "Did something happen? Whose ass do I have to kick?"

Derek smiled. "Relax. Nothing happened. I'm here to visit."

She looked at him skeptically. "No way. You never want to come here just to visit. I've been asking you to come visit for months now."

Derek rolled his eyes. "I'm here now aren't I?"

She still wasn't convinced. "All right. Spill. What are you doing here? Really."

He sighed. "I came here with a friend."

Laura laughed. "Wait, wait, wait. You? Have a friend?"

Derek scowled. "I hate you."

She just laughed again, pulling him into another short hug. "Okay, so wait. You came up here with a friend? All right. Who is she?" She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She?"

"Yes, she. The harlot that has you so twisted around her fingers that she can convince you to skip classes, Derek, to escort her to Beacon Hills when your own sister can't even get you to come here for a weekend."

Derek frowned. "Okay, relax, will you? My friend's dad got hurt, so I came here in support. But as it turns out, the injury was nothing. And he is not a harlot."

Laura arched an eyebrow in interest. "He. That's new."

Derek scoffed. "I've had male friends before."

"Not ones that made you willingly suffer through six-hour train rides for a minor injury," she smirked. Suddenly, she frowned again. "I don't like him," she declared, simply. She spun around and headed back into the house.

Derek gaped, trailing after her. "You haven't even met him."

"First of all, anyone who wants to be friends with you can't be right in the head," she mocked, talking to him from over her shoulder. Derek just shook his head in dismay. "And second, I don't like anyone who has more control over my baby brother than I do."

"Cause that's healthy." Derek paused, looking around. "What's going on?" He asked, taking note of the torn up floors and empty rooms.

"Ah, yes," Laura sighed. "This, Derek. This is why people call before visiting," she chastised. "I swear, you couldn't have picked the worst possible weekend to come up. Tom's on business and won't be back until tomorrow night and I'll be stuck in the office tomorrow until it's time to pick him up, and all the while I'm having crews come up here to redo the floors and install new bathroom fixtures." She shook her head. "We're staying at a hotel tomorrow night. Seriously, Derek, you should have called." She scoffed before throwing her hands up in the air and walking away. "Oh what am I saying? It's not like you planned on visiting. You came running when that trollop of a boyfriend of yours beckoned you."

Derek glared at the back of his sister's head. "He's not my boyfriend. And he's not a trollop. Seriously? Stop reading those trashy romance novels."

Laura spun around, jabbing a finger in her brother's chest. "They're not trashy. I'll have you know, you could learn a thing or two from Roberto and Olivia."

Derek blinked. "I'm not even gonna comment on that."

Laura smiled, wrapping her arms around her brother once more. "Welcome home. I'm glad you came even if it was because of some floozy."

"Laura-"

She just grinned, undeterred by his glare. "Take your stuff upstairs. I gotta go survey these guys with the furniture. I did not spend all that money getting that stuff fixed only to have them duff it all up. Go take a look around. You haven't been here since I started renovations. It's actually turning out quite nice." She smiled softly, fixing the collar of his jacket. "Oh and later, you're buying dinner cause that's what happens when you spring a visit on your unsuspecting sister who is only a call away." She flashed him a toothy grin. "Love you," she stood on her tiptoes to give her brother a kiss on the cheek before disappearing into another room.

Derek watched her go, a small smile playing on his lips. Although she can be mean and slightly terrifying, especially when loaded with a killer left hook, Derek loved his sister. And while he couldn't exactly understand why she wanted to live in a house held such bad memories, part of him was happy to be back.

Derek trekked up the stairs, making his way to what used to be his bedroom. Sparing a brief glance at the door that used to lead to his parents' bedroom, he pushed through, only to find himself in a gutted bathroom. Derek blinked, taking a step backward. He walked over to where the bathroom used to be only to find himself in the new master bedroom that Laura shared with her fiancé. And out of sheer curiosity, he walked over to where his parents' room used to be, opened the door and found himself looking into a linen closet.

"Laura!" he called.

The older Hale came bounding up the steps. "Yeah? What's up?"

There was no other way to put this. "I'm… lost."

Laura just laughed. "Come on," she waved him over. "I had to redo the whole second floor, so I figured why not change up the floor plan a bit? Here," she said, holding open a door for him. "This is your room."

Derek stepped in, taking a look around. It wasn't his actual room from seven years ago, but it was his. He could tell that his sister had put thought into what he would like when designing and picking furniture for the space.

"You like it?"

Derek turned slowly to look at his sister still standing at the door. He nodded.

She smirked. "You like it enough to visit more often?"

He scoffed, but nodded again.

Laura smiled. "Good."

As she closed the door behind her, Derek dropped off his stuff at the foot of the bed. There was no point in unpacking anything in he was just going to end up at a hotel the next night. Looking around, he was actually relieved that Laura had changed things up. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd be able to handle staying in a house that was made to be exactly how it was before his parents died. At least with all the changes, it was like a fresh start with a hint of familiarity. Half of the room he was in was part of his old bedroom, so while the bedroom itself was different, looking out the window was a familiar sight. Derek made his way over, peeking through the curtains. While the house may have changed, nature had stayed the same. His view over the backyard was as it had been years ago. The trees still surrounded the territory, as the hills were littered with them. Derek used to walk through the trees often. Being in the woods was always relaxing to him, no matter how stressed he was that day.

Derek turned away from the window, deciding to kill time by exploring the rest of the house.

/\/\/\

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I asked you to buy dinner."

"You didn't specify."

"Derek, I wanted you to take me out to a fancy restaurant so I can wear a pretty dress and show off to the ladies in town that my good-looking brother is back so they can swoon and make fools of themselves over you."

"Well… the pizza guy knows I'm back. I'm pretty sure he swooned. Although, it could have just been gas."

"I hate you."

Derek just snorted at that before taking a bite from the slice in his hands. He had taken his sister's car to bring back dinner just as she had asked. It wasn't his fault that she had been expecting something fancier than pizza.

"Anyway, the water's being turned off tomorrow at noon. And the floor guys are going to tear up the rest of the wood and will start installing the new floors after that. It's going to be noisy. I don't know if you want to stay."

Derek didn't exactly like the sound of that. No plumbing. No peace and quiet.

"You could always come to work with me," Laura tried.

Derek didn't like the sound of that either. "I'll be fine. I'm sure I can keep myself busy until you're off work. I brought some of my school books to make up for anything that I missed."

"All right, all right."

Derek ate the last bit of his pizza and washed it down with some soda. He looked around the kitchen they were eating in, standing over the breakfast bar. Even with the new appliances, the new paint, and the new cabinets, the room still held the same feel. He couldn't help but remember all the meals his mom had prepared for them in this very room. He look to his sister. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," she said around a mouthful of food.

"Why did you want to come back here? I mean, why not just sell the property and get a new house somewhere else?"

Laura took her time, finishing the bite of food in her mouth and studying her brother. "Because," she said, finally. "This is home." Derek frowned, opening his mouth to retort, but Laura cut him off. "I get it. This is the place where Mom and Dad died and that sucks. But this is also the place where Mom and Dad lived. This kitchen is where Mom used to make us breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That den is where Dad used to watch football every Sunday; go Niners. So yeah, a really really bad thing happened here, but lots of other happy things happened here too. I wanted to rebuild this place to make it the home that it once was."

Derek let the words sink in. It made sense. And while it wasn't a decision he personally would have made, it's part of the reason why he admired Laura so much. She didn't run from the bad stuff. It was the bad stuff that made her stronger. He smiled at his sister, pulling another slice from the box.

"What?" she asked.

He smirked. "You've got sauce on your chin," he lied.

She dabbed at it with her napkin, only causing actual sauce to get on it this time. Derek just laughed.

"Damn it, Derek!" she growled in frustration, tossing the rest of slice in the box before scurrying away to the sole functioning bathroom in the house.

He just laughed again. Yeah, it was good to be back. If nothing else, he had missed spending time with his older sister.

Her words stuck with him through the rest of the evening up until he was about ready to go to bed. He had just finished brushing his teeth and was ready to slip under the covers when he glanced outside his window again. The moon was bathing the trees in its light, a familiar sight. He decided he needed to be in those woods again at least once before leaving to go back to school. He glanced at his phone, charging on the nightstand. It was late, but maybe not too late. He pulled it off the charger, dialing in the number he had already committed to memory. It only took two rings.

"Hey! I've been waiting for your call!" came the cheerful voice.

Derek felt his heart swell just hearing Stiles over the phone. "Yeah, sorry. I hope I didn't disturb you or anything."

"Nah, it's fine."

"How's your dad?"

"He's good. He's enjoying playing up his injury so that he can get others to do things for him. Otherwise, he's perfectly fine." He chuckled. "How are you?"

Derek sighed, taking a seat on the bed, leaning against the headboard. "It's not too bad being back. It's a little strange being back at the house, but my sister changed it up so much on the inside that it's almost like a different place."

"That's good."

"Actually, I was… I was thinking about you said… that night. About how I should remember the good things…" Suddenly, Derek felt nervous. "Well one of the good things I remembered was just being out in the woods. I spent a lot of time out there growing up and it got me thinking since I don't have anything to do tomorrow that maybe I could go hiking," he paused, trying to build courage for the next part. "And then I thought… maybe… maybe you'd like to come with me?" Derek held his breath.

"You know what?" Stiles replied, slowly. "That's actually perfect."

Derek released the breath he had been holding, allowing himself a smile of relief.

Stiles continued. "The guys at the station decided to surprise my dad with tickets to a baseball game. I tried explaining to him that they were just using him for his temporary handicap parking placard, but he wasn't buying it." He chuckled. "But yeah. They're kidnapping him all afternoon, so I would love to go hiking with you. I'm allllll yours."

Derek blushed at the choice of words. If only.

"But," Stiles cut in, making Derek briefly worry he was going to change his mind, but that wasn't the case. "My dad said there's been some mountain lion activity in the woods. You sure you wanna risk it?"

"What are the odds of us running into a mountain lion?" Derek could almost hear the numbers crunching in Stiles' brain. "We'll be fine," he assured.

The two went over the details before hanging up for the night. Derek was excited to share this with Stiles. He was looking forward to tomorrow, wondering just what the day would bring.

/\/\/\

When Stiles pulled up the next day, Derek looked skeptically at the blue Jeep. It definitely looked like it had some age on it and it made Derek wonder if it could handle the terrain. Stiles just mocked offense, assuring him that his baby could withstand anything.

"If she can handle the shenanigans of a teenage Scott and Stiles, then I'm sure she can handle a trip through the woods."

Derek could only hope he was right.

"So, was your sister surprised when you showed up?" Stiles asked, adjusting the strap of his backpack while trailing Derek through the trees.

"Yeah," Derek replied, brows furrowing together. "How'd you know?"

Stiles chuckled. "Well, I'm gonna take an educated guess here and say that not everything was planned yesterday."

Derek paused, looking over his shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, Scott called yesterday and he was totally freaking out. He was asking me if I thought he was a bad friend for not coming with me to check on my dad even though he knew it was just a rolled ankle. Apparently, someone had stopped by that morning saying so…"

Derek flushed, turning back around quickly and continuing his walk. "I-I didn't say that."

"So it was you! Scott wouldn't say but I had an idea," Stiles laughed.

Derek inwardly groaned, picking up his pace as if he could outrun the situation. It wasn't until he felt Stiles' arm slide around his own that he slowed down. He looked to the boy at his side who smiled softly in return.

"Fine, okay. I didn't come out here to visit my sister. Not initially, anyway. I just… I wanted to make sure you were all right. I didn't know it was just a rolled ankle."

Stiles just nodded as if he had known this all along. "I appreciate it nonetheless. And you should think about apologizing to Scott for making him feel bad."

Derek scoffed. "No way. He bit me."

Stiles dropped his arm to his side, staring at Derek incredulously, yet with slight amusement. "What?"

"You're right about him needing all his sleep. He's terrible without it."

"Yes!" Stiles cheered, arms above his head. "I'm not the only one who's seen it! Everyone thinks I'm lying, but he really is a demon! He does a complete one-eighty. My happy peppy friend turns into this grumpy monster. He's almost as grumpy as you."

Derek scowled, unamused.

"See? That's the same face he gives me when I wake him up early."

The two made idle chitchat throughout the hike. They took a break around noon to eat some sandwiches Stiles had prepared for them. They relaxed in the shade, sitting on top of a fallen tree, enjoying the nature surrounding them. Everything was going smoothly. But that didn't last for long.

Derek had wandered off, wanting to take a leak. He was on his way back to where he had left Stiles when he spotted the boy standing on top of a hill, waving at him. Derek raised a hand, waving back. But then he saw the boy cup his hands around his mouth. He couldn't understand what he was saying.

"What?" He yelled back.

"-ek! –un!"

Derek frowned, trying to figure out what he was saying. 'Run?' The thought sent a chill down his spine as he remembered the mountain lion spotting Stiles had talked about the night before. He looked around, expecting to see the feline charging at him.

"-ek! A b-r!"

Derek tried deciphering this one. 'A bear?' That was just as bad as a mountain lion. He looked around again but didn't see a bear either. He wasn't exactly sure he wanted to face either so he hurried back to the trail that would lead him to Stiles. And that's when he saw it. Not a lion. Not a bear. A boar.

Derek blinked. Then he laughed. 'A boar? Stiles is afraid of a boar?'

The boar snorted at the laughing human, kicking one of its legs.

Derek still had a smile on his face, but his laughing abruptly stopped, eyes darting to the bovine. 'Are boars dangerous?' He paused to think.

It snorted again, shaking its head, beady eyes staring directly at its target: Derek.

The smile slowly slipped from Derek's face as his eyes glanced at the massive tusks that suddenly looked much sharper than they had a few seconds ago. 'Maybe I should-'

With a loud squeal, the boar charged at Derek, rearing its ugly head.

"Shit!" Derek spun around and ran away from the creature. He never knew how fast a boar could run. He had always thought he was pretty fast, but compared to the beast behind him, Derek felt like his legs were made out of putty. So he did the only thing he could think of. He leapt up the nearest tree, climbing it so he was out of reach.

The boar stopped at the trunk of the tree, looking up at the man above. It was snarling, scratching its tusks against the bark.

Despite the fact that boars couldn't climb trees, this didn't stop Derek from climbing a little higher to get further away from the angry animal. He clung to the tree, wishing he had something else. Maybe something that could scare the animal away.

He didn't know how long he was stuck in that tree. All he knew was that while the boar was still circling the trunk, there was no way in hell he was coming down. And after what felt like hours, when it was probably only minutes, Derek tried climbing down. He was sent scrambling right back up again when he heard another squeal as the boar came charging back. Let's just say that Derek was very glad he had relieved himself before the whole ordeal. He stayed in the tree until the boar had left again. And he stayed still even after it had left. And just when he felt like he was going to live in this tree forever, Stiles came strolling by, looking up at him from the forest floor.

"Just hangin' out, eh?" he teased.

"Oh ha ha," Derek gave him a withering look.

"You can come down now, Tarzan. He's gone. He was just clearing the way so he and his family could get by."

Derek felt his muscles relax as he released his death-grip on the tree. He started making his way back down.

Stiles was racked with a fit of giggles. "Oh man, I wish I could have video taped the whole thing! The way you bolted through the trees! And then how you scaled the tree! And then how you scaled the tree again when the boar came back! It was awesome!" Stiles pumped his fists in the air in his excitement. "I'm telling everyone when we get back."

"You're gonna tell everyone that I got chased into a tree by a boar," Derek replied, flatly.

"Hey now, boars are dangerous with the tusks and the hooves," Stiles supplied, gesturing with his hands. "That thing might not have been able to rip your throat out, but he could definitely shank you."

Derek just closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Let's just head back. I think I've had enough of the woods to last me quite a while."

Stiles laughed and saluted the older man. "Aye, aye, captain."

Derek led the way back, wondering to himself what he must have done in a past life to have to endure such embarrassment in front of the boy he wanted nothing more than to impress. He felt like he was doomed to make a fool of himself in front of Stiles no matter what the situation. But once Derek started paying attention to Stiles' recount of the attack, all he could hear was the admiration in the boy's voice.

"I mean, seriously, Derek, all that working out really paid off. You were in that tree in a heartbeat! I probably would've gotten maimed if the tables had been turned."

Derek didn't begin to preen. Really, he didn't.

"And you were so fast, too! I mean, I didn't even know boars could run that fast, but you were pretty fast too!"

He didn't walk a little taller, head a little higher.

"And then you were able to climb the tree again? My arms would've been dead! My legs would've been jelly! Like, it was amazing!"

Derek didn't puff out his chest at all. But he did accept the fact, with immense gratuity, that not only did he not make a fool of himself, he actually did impress Stiles with his feats. This time, Derek did swell with pride.

"Ow, shit!"

Derek spun around to see Stiles lying face-first flat on the ground. He hurried to his side. He crouched down, helping Stiles up into a sitting position. "You okay? What happened?"

"Friggin' tree root," Stiles frowned, grabbing a handful of leaves and throwing them at the offending root, sticking up from the ground. His hands were caked in dirt, his pants torn at the knee where he had scraped it.

Derek frowned, shrugging off his backpack to grab his first-aid kit. He silently thanked his parents for having forced him into boy scouts for a year. It was never a bad idea to always be prepared. Derek pulled out some antiseptic wash and some gauze.

"What is that?" Stiles whined. Derek didn't answer, moving to clean the wound. "No, no, no, don't do that!" He winced, grabbing Derek's shoulders as the liquid came into contact with the scrape. "Owww! That stings!"

"Quit acting like a baby. We have to clean it or else it'll get infected."

He heard Stiles scoff, murmuring, "You're the baby…"

Derek just fixed him a hard stare, effectively silencing the boy, before carrying on with his work. The pants were a bit of a problem, not giving him enough room to clean the entire area. Without even asking, he ripped it even more, exposing more of Stiles' leg.

Stiles opened his mouth to say something, but another hard stare from Derek had him quickly snapping it shut. Derek tended to the wound as gently as he could, blowing on it softly as his mother had done for him whenever he got hurt. He was pretty sure the act didn't actually do anything, but it always made Derek feel better. Hopefully it worked on Stiles, too. He glanced up at him. The boy's cheeks had reddened, his mouth slightly open as his eyes were fixed on Derek's lips.

'Well that's interesting…' Derek thought.

Stiles' eyes met Derek's for a brief second before the boy quickly turned his head and looked away. The blush had deepened, reaching the tips of the boy's ears.

'Well now that's very interesting…' Derek thought.

Stiles cleared his throat, eyes still turned towards the treetops. "I hope you have some awesome and manly Band-Aids. Like Spongebob… or Batman…"

"Spongebob?"

"Or Batman."

Derek smiled, reaching into the kit. Unfortunately, his bandages were boring flesh colored ones. But Stiles forgave him. He was nice like that. He helped Stiles to his feet.

"You good?"

The boy shrugged. "I'm fine. It's just a scrape."

Derek grabbed a bottle of water from his backpack, cracked it open, took one of Stiles' hands in his own and poured the water over it, brushing the palm with his thumb, cleaning it of the dirt caked on to it. And as he did this with the other, Derek watched the boy carefully.

Stiles' cheeks were red once more, his mouth slightly open again, with his eyes fixed on Derek's thumb grazing against his hand. And again, when the boy glanced up, he quickly looked back at the trees as his cheeks reddened even more.

Derek didn't exactly know what to do with this information. All he knew was that it made him feel giddy inside. These little reactions that he was having on Stiles made his heart race in a good and wanted way. He let his thumb trace the hand much longer than necessary, but it didn't seem like Stiles was objecting.

'Yes,' Derek thought, smiling to himself. 'Very interesting indeed.'

Stiles just wiped his hands on his jacket before looking back at Derek. "So uh- we should head back now, right?"

Derek smirked, but nodded. Feeling bold, he took one of Stiles' hands in his before turning to head back.

"Uh- what?" He heard the boy stammer.

Derek allowed himself a smile. "So you don't fall again," he lied. He just used it an excuse to hold Stiles' hand.

"Oh. O-kay."

Derek chanced a glance over his shoulder. Stiles was red again, eyes trained on their joined hands. Turning his gaze back on the trail in front of him, Derek grinned. He had never seen Stiles react that way before. Then again, it wasn't like they'd been put in a situation like this before. Most of the time he spent with Stiles, they were in the safety of the coffee shop. And most of the time, it was Derek messing up. Was it possible then that during his own fits of embarrassment, Stiles had eyed him in interest?

Feeling the warm hand secure in his own, and here in the comfort and familiarity of the woods, Derek allowed himself to hope. He let himself hope that maybe, just maybe, Stiles was interested in him, too.

Notes: When planning this chapter, it was supposed to be cut in half. But then I figured it would probably be unnecessary. But then once I got from 7k words to nearly 11k words on this one chapter alone that wasn't even finished, I figured it would be okay to make it a two-part once again. I also like to imagine that Danny willingly helped Stiles find out info on Derek early on because Danny thought Mr. Hale was hot. Yep. On to part 2!