Stiles finished making snacks before racing to the gate. Off in the distance he knew his wolf was waiting and he didn't pause at the wall. He didn't turn to visit his mother, that was for later. He didn't hesitate or falter. And as he trotted farther into the woods he felt more trepidation and a giddy glee well up inside him. His smile grew as two blue eyes appeared in his path and soon he collided with the large wolf laughing happily and clinging to the shaggy fur. Climbing onto the back of the huge wolf he clutched the fur and beamed even brighter as they began on their way. After a little journey through the woods they stopped and Stiles got off. Derek's smile was small, but Stiles knew he was happy and that made him happy. He offered Derek a sandwich and they sat and ate and smiled and didn't speak. The birds chirped and the squirrels rustled and the wind blew softly and Stiles was happy. The silence had just enough noise to keep him at ease and Derek's smile was just shy enough to keep him beaming and the food was enough to keep them munching until they had their fill.
"Told you i could help." Stiles said sprawling across Derek's lap and smiling up at him.
"You have always been a bright spot in a dark world." Derek said looking down at Stiles with an expression that said he would kill for him. "My sunshine." He said with a smile that said he would die for him.
"My mom used to sing me a song like that." Stiles said as his smile softened at the memory. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much i love you. So please don't take my sunshine away." Stiles sang softly. His voice cracked and tears welled behind his smile. It was the first time Derek had seen Stiles cry. Being hurt, being sad; facing fear, and pain, and loss, he had never shown anything less than a bright stupid smile. And despite the tears, he did not look sad. He just looked small. Like a tiny child. So delicately breakable, as if any touch could shatter him. Derek was a bit unsure of what to do.
Stiles had never felt like this before. Vulnerable. The villagers never got to him, he didn't care enough for their whispers to affect him. He had always been alone, after his mom died his father wasn't around much, so he made his own way. And that way was strong and independent and fearless. He had never let anyone see how hurt he was. His mom died and his father wasn't around much, so no one was there to see him cry until his eyes itched, and his throat was raw, and he shook until he fell asleep because he was just so exhausted from crying. Or he couldn't breath because his chest was so tight, and the lump in his throat refused to give, and his eyes were big, and red, and puffy, and his skin hurt.
Derek pulled Stiles up and into a hug and held him and Stiles cried on his chest. His lungs heaved, and his eyes ached, and his body shuttered with each breath, but Derek's arms were around him and his nose was in Stiles's hair and Stiles put his arms around Derek's waist and let himself feel.
It felt so good to have someone hold him like that. To have someone console him and care for him. It was so gentle and caring and loving and Stiles had not experienced it for a long time and it helped. When his tears ran dry and his breathing came back to normal he sniffled and nuzzled his head against Derek's chest.
"Im sorry." Derek said, really unsure of what to do in the situation and feeling the silence was grating. Stiles smiled into Derek's chest where he was hidden. He knew Derek was unsure of what to do, but his attempt at consoling was much appreciated. And his caring actions had helped Stiles more than Derek would ever know.
"Isn't this first date going wonderful?" Stiles laughed.
"First date?" Derek asked looking down at Stiles with confusion.
"Figure of speech?" Stiles offered sheepishly.
"6th if i remember correctly." Derek said ticking off on his fingers. Stiles was shocked. Had they been dating and he didn't remember? He really would have liked to remember something like that. "When we were little, when we wanted to make a truce, when you were attacked by wolves, when you fell off the wall-"
"Those don't count!" Stiles laughed.
"Why not?" Derek asked looking down at Stiles with a small frown of confusion.
"Because those were just encounters. This is a date." Stiles grinned.
"How manny dates before marriage?" Derek asked, his frown not going away.
"Lots!" Stiles laughed, holding his stomach and feeling joy roll through him.
"Then those count. We're at six. How many more?" Derek asked.
"We have to properly court." Stiles said giggling at Derek's frown. "You meet my father, i meet your...uncle?" Stiles looked hesitant. Derek nodded. "Then we are presented as courting to the village and we must appear at events together. We go on supervised dates together until we are deemed ready to go on unsupervised dates. After a few unsupervised dates we can begin thinking about marriage." Stiles said laying out the courting process for Derek.
"We are on our 6th unsupervised date, so i think we've skipped a few steps." Derek said. Stiles smiled and fell silent. "Would you like to meet my uncle?" Derek asked.
"Now?" Stiles looked up at Derek with wide eyes. Derek smiled for a moment before getting up and turning into a wolf. Stiles, who seemed a bit bewildered, having been caught off guard, had the sense to climb atop Derek's back. It was a short journey, one Stiles knew he had no hope of retracing before they were at what was unmistakably a wolf den. They went inside and Stiles was surprised to see a warmly decorated room with a fire and cushions for sitting. Stiles hopped off and looked around a little.
"You look surprised." Derek said following Stiles with his eyes like a hawk.
"I was expecting something less inviting." Stiles laughed.
"Something with dead animal carcasses and crude wall carvings perhaps?" A new voice said from the entrance they'd come through. Not a friendly voice, more patronizing and warning.
"Yeah. Derek's such a sour wolf. i figured it'd be dark and gloomy like him." Stiles smiled at the new arrival. The man looked older than Derek, but something about him gave Stiles the impression he was much more powerful.
"Uncle Peter, this is Stiles." Derek said moving hesitantly towards the human.
"A hostage. Good plan." Peter said, eyes narrowing on Stiles who felt uneasy. Wild wolves wanted to eat him, their purpose was plain. The villagers would never trust him, their intentions clear. Derek was an open book, his emotions laid bare. Peter, however, was clearly a nefarious creature.
"No, we are...courting." Derek said warily.
"Then you know of all that is going on?" Peter said taking a step towards Stiles. Derek too stepped closer, his eyes showing the anxious wolf inside.
"Yes." Stiles said hesitantly. He didn't really know the whole story, but he figured he knew enough.
"Then you will be willing to help us. You will pose as a hostage." Peter said smiling. Stiles didn't like Peter. His purpose was unclear and his every move reeked of something subtly conniving. Did he want to use Stiles, was he okay with Derek and Stiles's relationship? Was this plan something that hatched to get Stiles away from Derek? Or was it just to further his vendetta in the ongoing battle? Stiles smiled back at Peter.
"No." He said simply. His smile was a farce, he was uncomfortable.
"But you are on our side, correct?" Peter asked, his smile not faltering for an instant.
"I'd prefer not to take sides in this." Stiles said. For once, he was heeding Derek, staying out of the danger. But the smile on Peter's face said the danger he was in grew by the second.
"You wont be in any danger." Peter said. A small voice in Stiles's head said lier and red flags went up. "You just need to stay here a few days. We will eventually give you back in return for the people we deem responsible for the death of our family."
"If you have to assure me i wont be in danger, i think that means i will definitely be in danger so i'll pass. But thank you for the offer." Stiles said, his smile diminishing. Derek was looking between them with a frown.
"You will be in more danger in the village." Peter said taking another step towards Stiles.
"Uncle." Derek barked. "That's enough. He said no."
"If thats not why he's here then what purpose is his life? What value does it offer us?" Peter asked as his hand curled around Stiles's neck, sharp nails pointing at the end of long fingers digging into Stiles's neck. He could have cried out in pain had his oxygen not been blocked. Peter looked at Derek waiting for an answer.
"Stop." Derek snarled, a low noise as his eyes flashed blue and his teeth grew longer. His own clawed hand slashed Peter's arm making him let go of Stiles who fell to his knees coughing. "Run." Derek said to Stiles who bolted without a second thought. Well it started out without a second thought. This time he would obey Derek. Only this time. But then his thoughts went to the trouble Derek would be in against his uncle. Would Peter hurt him? Would Peter kill Derek? Peter's smile flashed before his eyes and he knew the answer.
Skidding to a halt he turned around. He was lost. Hopelessly lost with no sense of direction. He didn't know how to get home or how to get back to help Derek. He ran a bit then spun around trying to recognize anything. He heard horses not far off, their hooves pounding dirt, breath coming out in huffs. Stiles moved hesitantly towards the noise before an explosion knocked him to his knees. Getting up the world spun beneath him. Forcing himself toward the noise he saw chaos. Wolves clashing and fire coming from inside the den, there were horses and men unsure what to do. Stiles pushed one down, a boy not much older than he was and took the bow off his back, snatching an arrow as his quiver spilled its contents on the leafy floor. He took aim at the large brown wolf, and released the arrow. The noise got the other men's attention and they began doing the same. But they shot wildly at both wolves and Derek took an arrow to the shoulder while Peter had one protruding from his hip. Derek threw Peter into the fire before turning into a human.
"Stop helping!" He said to Stiles as the men looked mortified.
"Let me get the arrow out!" Stiles called. But Derek ripped it out, blood poured from his shoulder and he turned back to the fire just in time to see Peter leap from the flames, fur singed and lunge pointed directly at Derek. Stiles got another arrow and took aim, but when he fired Derek caught the arrow in his hand and lunged underneath Peter who was still mid-air. The huge wolf landed with a thud. The men didn't know what to do, was the wolf dead? Should they shoot? Stiles took a hesitant step forward. "Derek?" His voice was weak and he blamed it on the smoke. Peter's body turned back into a human and Derek shoved him off. He was a mess, blood and dirt everywhere, huge hole in his shoulder, but as his eyes found Stiles they flashed red and he smiled. Stiles looked at the men who were raising their bows and arrows again, unsure if they should fire on the red-eyed-wolf-man. Stiles dropped his bow and ran to Derek who hugged him. "Don't shoot!" Stiles said looking at the men. The one on the ground where he had been shoved snatched his bow back and raised an arrow at the two, matching the rest of the company.
"We need to bring him in." Stiles's dad said emerging from behind the lines he walked up to the two, grabbing Stiles by the back of his red cloak and dragging him away. "You are in so much trouble."
"Let go of him." Derek snarled grabbing Stiles's dad's arm and halting him.
"Not how i wanted you two to meet, but this is my dad." Stiles said smiling sheepishly between them. "Dad, meet Derek. My boyfriend."
"Come quietly and no one gets hurt." The sheriff said to Derek whose eyes had come back to normal.
"Let go of Stiles and i wont kill all of you." Derek countered.
"Boys, tie him up." The sheriff said trying to shrug off Derek's hand off and failing.
"Stop! Don't do that!" Stiles said squirming to get out of his dad's grasp.
"I will come with you, but only if Stiles asks me to." Derek said looking at Stiles with a calm expression.
"Well come on then ya big ol sourwolf." Stiles laughed taking Derek's hand. Sheriff Stilinski let go of Stiles finally and allowed his son to lead the brute of a man back to the village.