Defying the Death Date Chapter 2: Lies, a teen wolf fanfic

Teen Wolf || Steter || Teen Wolf || Defying the Death Date || Teen Wolf || Steter || Teen Wolf

Title: Defying the Death Date – Mischief Mondays Series

Tags: m/m, alternate season 2, soulmate AU, Pack Feels, Spark Stiles, Pack Alpha Derek, temporary character death, grief, hurt/comfort, fluff, m/f

Main Pairing: Peter/Stiles

Side Pairings: Scott/Allison, Boyd/Erica, Jackson/Lydia

Teen Wolf Characters: Mieczysław 'Stiles' Stilinski, Peter Hale, Derek Hale, Jackson Whittemore, Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd, Isaac Lahey, Lydia Martin, Scott McCall, Allison Argent, Danny Mahealani, Sheriff Noah Stilinski

Summary: Everyone bears their soulmate's birth-date on their body and when their soulmate dies, their death-date joins it. Stiles realized that Peter was his soulmate when the date burned itself into his skin while Derek ripped out Peter's throat. He may have lost his soulmate, but he somehow gained family, a pack. He helps Derek build a new pack, all while haunted by Peter's phantom.

Defying the Death Date

Brought You Back to Me

Part 2: Lies

It was early in the morning the next day that someone knocked on the door. Stiles opened, mostly on autopilot. Mostly because he hadn't slept anyway and was still awake, while his dad really needed some sleep after last night's revelations.

"I bring your favorite ice-cream and the Star Wars movies," Scott smiled brightly, lifting everything up. "I thought we could watch these together? You always complain that I haven't seen them yet."

Stiles blinked sluggishly, staring from the DVD box to Scott. "What?"

Scott shrugged, the look on his face less bright and more helpless now. "I… Look, I don't know what to do here. I wanna be here for you, but I don't know what to do to comfort someone who lost their soulmate. So I thought comfort food and distraction? I just… I was feeling bad about not being there for you, yesterday, but it was kind of… a shock. That he's your soulmate. I talked to Allison about it yesterday, how I don't know how to comfort you about his death after everything he'd done and she said that maybe it's not about mourning the Alpha who's been terrorizing us, but mourning the man you never got to meet? And I want to be there for you, because you're my brother, okay?"

Well, that left Stiles entirely disarmed. With a heavy sigh did he wrap his arms around Scott and hug him tightly. Scott dropped the DVDs so he could wrap his arms around Stiles and pull him closer. Without meaning to, Stiles started sobbing. Again. How were there still tears left in him? He should be all cried out at this point.

"Let's watch Star Wars," Stiles sniffed and rubbed his eyes.

They made it into the living room before Scott paused with wide eyes, sniffing. "Why does it smell so much like Derek in here…?"

Right. Stiles sighed and rubbed his face. He put the ice-cream on the table and turned to face his best friend. This could not possibly go worse than the reveal that Peter was his soulmate, right?

"So Derek's living here now," Stiles winced at the incredulous look on Scott's face. "He's family. And I'm… the only family he has left. We told dad about everything yesterday – Peter being my soulmate, werewolves, hunters, everything – and then dad kind of… asked where Derek is staying in town and when Derek said 'the house', my dad gave him the most disapproving dad-stare possible and went 'You're staying here, kid. We have a guest room'. Also, you should have seen Derek's face when dad called him 'kid'."

Stiles snickered at the memory. Scott looked constipated. Letting himself fall onto the couch, Stiles grabbed the ice-cream and opened it to stick his fingers in. No energy to go and get a spoon.

"Look," Stiles heaved a sigh. "You need an Alpha. Otherwise you're gonna go feral the way Peter did – you know, no longer in control, more beast than man, attacking and killing indiscriminately. Now there is an Alpha in town whose pack you could join. Derek's done nothing but help us. Sure, he's emotionally constipated and struggles with using his words, but literally all he has done so far was in some way or shape work with us. He even tried to protect Allison from you, when it was your first full moon, and he didn't have to do that!"

Scott looked contemplative but also still not too enthusiastic. And that was fair. If not for this whole soulmate mess, Stiles honestly didn't know how much he'd be advocating for Derek either.

"He's the only one who gets what I'm feeling right now," Stiles whispered softly. "He killed his uncle, but a part of him still had loved the man he used to be. This is… it's complicated and messy and I hate these feelings, but Derek's the closest to getting it."

With a heavy sigh did Scott collapse onto the couch next to him. "Let's watch your alien movie."

"I hate when you call them that," Stiles wrinkled his nose, before relaxing a little into the couch and leaning more into his best friend. "Thanks for being here."

Scott wrapped an arm around Stiles. "Always. We're brothers, okay? Anything you need."

/break\

The next day at school, Stiles got cornered by Jackson, who demanded to become a werewolf. Because of course he did. Stiles rolled his eyes annoyed, while Scott growled in warning.

"My soulmate is in the hospital because a werewolf attacked her," Jackson growled back. "I'm getting an upgrade. I'm never feeling that helpless and useless again."

The annoyance melted off Stiles and was replaced by a twist of guilt. Scott rested a hand on his shoulder and Allison stepped up on Stiles' other side to take his hand, much to Stiles' surprise. Then again, she had apparently helped Scott find an angle to work with on the whole grieving Peter not the Alpha thing. He shot her a grateful look.

"You know what, fine," Stiles shrugged. "Come to my house after school, talk to Derek. He has to decide if he wants you in his pack."

Jackson looked genuinely surprised by that but nodded anyway. He walked over to Danny, who smiled and patted his best friend on the back. Mh. Stiles tilted his head. They should probably bring Danny into the fold too. For all of this school year, Stiles, Scott and Allison had been sitting with Lydia, Jackson and Danny. Allison and Jackson were in the know, Lydia was going to be in the know because they'd have to explain what happened to her once she was released from the hospital. That would leave Danny as the only human with no idea what was going on and that was kind of how Lydia had ended up mauled at the lacrosse field.

Stiles bit his lips as he tried not to think about Peter, about kneeling next to Lydia and having the Alpha approach him. The way Peter had curled his fingers under Stiles' chin and slowly, near gently, guided Stiles up. Could have hauled him, could have hurt him. Hadn't done either.

"Stiles? You okay?" Scott asked softly.

Stiles jerked out of the memory and shook his head. "Uh. Yeah. Totally. I gotta… I gotta go."

"Don't you have a free period?" Allison frowned concerned at him.

"Ye—ep," Stiles heaved the biggest sigh. "Dad insists I go see the guidance counselor about the whole 'dead soulmate' thing. Since she's 'not just a teacher with too much time at their hands' but a licensed professional, he thinks it may help."

Because losing Claudia had nearly broken Noah. Because Noah knew how much a broken soulmate bond could mess a person up. Because Noah was afraid to lose Stiles.

To his surprise, Stiles got hugged by both Allison and Scott, before he headed to the guidance counselor's office. Then again, those two were soulmates. They had found each other. To them, Stiles' loss was more an abstract concept of 'What if I lost you?', which must be a terrifying thought to them both, so he understood the clinginess a little.

Still, he was relieved to get away from them. Which was a horrible thing to think, wasn't it? But all their love, their fairy tale romance, it made him feel angry and spiteful and betrayed by fate. This was what he would have deserved too. Suddenly, a new, cute kid comes to school and smiles at him and he wouldn't be able to look away, ready to fall in love in that moment that their eyes first meet. But that wasn't what fate wanted for him, was it?

Angry with himself, with fate, with Peter, Stiles let himself fall into the chair in front of the guidance counsellor's office to wait for his appointment. Sure, he'd have to heavily censor this and leave out basically everything that made this tragic and traumatic, boil it down to him having lost his soulmate before ever meeting, but maybe it'd help. Maybe.

"Well, you seem to be a in mood, sweetheart."

Stiles startled at the voice, having thought he was alone. When he looked around, there was only one other person though so… Wait. Was the guy talking to Stiles? Looking around the empty waiting area one more time, Stiles returned to the dark-haired boy next to him. The bluest eyes possible were looking back at him with amusement. They were so pretty, for a moment, they took Stiles' breath away. Somehow, they felt eerily familiar, even though he definitely did not recognize that face (and he would. He had a memory database for pretty boys).

"I'm sorry, are you actually talking to me?" Stiles asked, pointing at him.

The hot guy had the audacity to chuckle. "Don't see anyone else around, darling."

Oh, another petname. That was so creepy and yet Stiles could not help the way his cheeks flushed at the attention. No pretty boy had ever called him by a petname before, okay?

"Yeah, I think that most people who have to go to the guidance counselor tend to be in… not a great mood," Stiles rolled his eyes and turned away from the pretty boy.

The other hummed, like he was amused by Stiles. "And sarcasm helps with that?"

"Sarcasm helps with everything," Stiles turned to give the other a deadpan glare.

God, these ice-blue eyes were gorgeous and the long lashes framing them. Stiles could just count the other boy's lashes and would be content with that, honestly. One corner of the boy's mouth raised, like he could tell what Stiles was thinking, which, again, creepy.

"You're new here, huh?" Stiles asked, motioning at the other. "I've never seen you around."

"And you… would have noticed me otherwise, mh?"

The grin turned straight-up smug and Stiles kind of wanted to punch the guy. "Well, it's not like Beacon Hills is a huge town. New people stand out."

The smug grin stayed on, but before Stiles could get more into this argument – or ask for the other boy's name – did the guidance counselor's door open and Stiles was called in.

/break\

Derek looked uncomfortable, standing in the living room with his arms crossed, with Stiles, Scott, Allison and Jackson seated on the couch in front of him. Stiles wondered what kind of environment it'd take to make Derek look comfortable. What was the natural habitat of a Sourwolf…?

"You want me to turn Jackson?" Derek asked, looking at Stiles. "You hate the guy."

"Hate is a strong – yeah, okay, I do," Stiles shrugged. "But he's a part of this now anyway. We were all trapped in the school together that night. Him and me got threatened by Argent together, he drove me to the house so I could help you…" Stiles' breath hitched, unable to say the words, so he just shook his head. "And his soulmate's in the hospital because of this mess," because of Stiles' soulmate. "So really, he is already as in this as it gets. Might as well commit to the bit."

Derek frowned, which was impressive because Stiles had thought he was frowning before, but now this was a proper frown. "I'm an Alpha now. I need a pack. At least three betas."

"Unless humans count, you would be short," Stiles nodded, looking at Scott and Allison. "Also, Allison is part of the pack too."

"You can't just decide that, Stiles," Derek growled a little at that.

"Sorry, the bit where I said 'we were all trapped in the school together', that wasn't just about Jackson," Stiles raised his eyebrows at him. "Allison is also as involved in this as it gets. Her soulmate is a freaking werewolf. Plus, she's a badass. You want the badass archer in your pack, Derek. And Lydia – she got bitten by an Alpha so chances are she may turn, which means she would join your pack too. So, with Scott, Jackson and Lydia, you'd have three werewolfly betas."

The look on Derek's face was long-suffering and annoyed, but at least he didn't argue with Stiles on this. After all, he really did need betas. And Stiles had already very firmly established that Derek was not allowed to pull the same shit as Peter. No turning unwilling people. So if Jackson came and asked for it, was willing to accept the consequences? Why not?

/break\

Sometimes, the family resemblance between Noah and Stiles was very strong. Like right now, when both of them sat slumped over on kitchen chairs, with matching looks of exasperated frustration on their faces. Derek did his best not to squirm at the twin glares.

"When I told you to build a pack, I didn't mean 'turn another teenager and bring him home like a stray puppy'," Stiles sighed and rubbed his face, looking over at Isaac.

Isaac Lahey, who did indeed squirm. Scott and Jackson behind them did their best to pretend they weren't there. The bite had taken with Jackson and, as an act of pack-bonding, Derek had taken Scott and Jackson out into the preserve.

Apparently, the trio had run into a new Argent, who was cutting a man in half. Well, before that, the wolves had chased said man – rogue omega werewolf – through the cemetery, where Isaac had seen them all. After witnessing the cutting-in-half of the omega, the Hale Pack had gone to Isaac's house. Because he was Jackson's neighbor and Jackson had recognized him and knew where the kid lived. The wolves became witnesses to Isaac's abuse at his father's hands, which Jackson had then admitted to having heard before since the man wasn't quiet. That had sparked Scott's righteous anger and given Derek a maybe horrible no good idea.

Because a werewolf would be able to defend himself against an abusive human and hey, in for a penny in for a pound, since Isaac had seen them all wolved out and they had to explain it anyway.

So here they were, Stiles' glorious pack, with another newly turned werewolf, who needed to get the hell out of his abusive home. With a very heavy sigh of resignation did Stiles get up.

"Scotty, help me get the couch ready for our guest," Stiles requested tired. "Jackson. Help too."

The two betas were quick to follow, but when Derek and Isaac attempted to follow them too, it was Noah's turn to sigh. "Not you two. We are going to file a proper report, right now. I will not be charged with kidnapping a minor."

A small grin tugged on Stiles' lips. It seemed adopting stray werewolves was a Stilinski trait too.

/break\

So Lydia was probably not a werewolf. She still had a lot of justified questions. And, after giving Derek a very, very long lecture (that included repeated beratings about Isaac), Stiles managed to convince the Alpha that telling Lydia and Danny was the best course of action.

"But they're not also moving in here, right?" Noah whispered skeptically.

The pack had cleaned out the Stilinski basement and gotten Derek a proper bed down there, so the Alpha could crash there and the guest room could go to the legally-in-the-wind teenager instead. Because Noah had officially applied to be a foster parent, after filing the police report and getting Camden Lahey arrested for child abuse. Jackson wasn't the only witness they had to this, the long hospital records aided their case too. For now, as an emergency placement, Isaac was staying with the Stilinskis. How that was going to play out, especially with the trial, wasn't a sure thing yet.

"No, dad, they're not moving in here," Stiles rolled his eyes.

The pack was gathered in the living room, Derek sitting on one couch with Scott and Isaac on each side, while Noah, Stiles and Allison stood behind them. Jackson had chosen to sit between his soulmate and his best friend as moral support. While Derek, with a lot of input from Scott and Allison, explained everything to Lydia and Danny, Stiles let his thoughts wander. There was a limit to how often he could rehash the events of the past couple months.

He kept running into the infuriating pretty boy, but never for too long. Once time at the lockers, two times in the library. And Stiles would allow himself to be so distracted by snarking at the other that he never got around to asking his name. Or someone interrupted them right before. Stiles had no classes with him and neither did Scott and Allison, apparently. Maybe he was a year above them?

While Stiles didn't really think that counseling was helping him, talking to the pretty boy somehow did help. These were the only times that his chest didn't feel as tight, outside of being with the pack. The pack helped the most, not just for their support but also because they gave Stiles something to do. A distraction, to keep his mind occupied and away from thinking about his dead soulmate. It was only moderately working because he'd periodically stop breathing when the fact that he had killed his soulmate pushed itself to the front of his mind.

"I knew it was weird that you've been spending so much time with Scott and Stiles," Danny said, glaring at Jackson, before he turned toward Stiles. "And I knew he wasn't your 'cousin Miguel'."

"Ye—ep. He's my 'nephew Derek' instead," Stiles nodded gravely.

"I thought we all agreed to not say that?" Allison asked softly.

Scott made the exact same face as Derek. Hey, he lost his soulmate, he should at the very least get to torment Derek, right? His heart clenched and his breath stuttered for a moment, because he had helped kill his soulmate, he was the reason that date was now forever seared into his skin. The wolves in the room gave him strange looks and Stiles felt like he needed to get out of here.

"I'll just… You… You got this handled. I can't be here right now."

Stiles grabbed his hoodie and his keys, but before he could leave, Derek stopped him. "Stiles."

There was so much concern in his hazel eyes and those impressive eyebrows were doing everything to convey Derek's worry for him. For a moment, Stiles leaned into the wolf, running a hand down Derek's arm to scent-mark the Alpha. The Alpha who was only an Alpha because they killed Peter.

"I really can't be here when you tell Lydia about… the other part," Stiles looked pleadingly at Derek. "Don't make me tell her. I just… I just need some fresh air, okay? I'm fine."

Derek's face softened as he let go of Stiles. Lydia's inquiring gaze bore a hole into his head, but Stiles bolted out of the house before she could ask. The last thing he wanted was to see the look on Lydia's face when she learned that Stiles' soulmate was the one who had attacked her. Maybe it was a coward move to run, but he'd earned the right to be a coward.

Stiles more or less stumbled along the street aimlessly, letting the quiet night carry him. There ere some noises, normal night time neighborhood noises. Barking dogs, too loud TVs, a car in the distance. Normal background noise for a late walk. Until an annoying bouncing noise interrupted his quiet night. Frowning, he followed the sound. What for, he didn't know. To complain to the person? To pick a fight? Because he kind of felt like fighting. He felt so very helpless, maybe punching something or getting punched would help. He paused surprised in front of a garage with a basketball hoop when he saw the blue-eyed pretty boy from school tripling a basketball.

"You," Stiles sputtered, unused to seeing the boy outside school.

"Me," the other grinned and turned toward Stiles, these intense blue eyes on Stiles. "You are just everywhere, aren't you, sweetheart? Shall I feel flattered or concerned that you're stalking me."

"I'm stalking you?" Stiles made an indignant noise. "If anything, you're stalking me!"

With his eyebrows raised high did the other throw his basketball at Stiles. "You came here."

"It's not like I came here specifically because of you," Stiles ground out, glad he caught the ball and didn't make a total fool of himself. "I don't even know your name! How would I stalk you?"

That infuriating smirk again. "Wanna try throwing? If you hit the basket, I'll tell you my name."

Spite was a great motivator even for someone as athletically challenged as Stiles. Glaring, Stiles grabbed the ball and stomped toward the hoop. He could do this. He could totally do this. He… did not do this. The ball bounced off and the other boy caught it easily.

"Valiant attempt, sweetheart," the smug bastard chuckled, looking at Stiles all fond and amused. "Let me help you out with your stance and then you can try again?"

Stiles blushed furiously as the other boy practically pressed against him, adjusting Stiles' hold on the ball and even his hips. Hand on his hips, solid body pressed against his back. He was fighting hard to keep his composure because yes, he actually was just a teen boy too!

"You are Ghost-ing me," Stiles accused him with a nasty glare.

The pretty boy tensed significantly at that, eyes widening. "W… What?"

"You know. Ghost. The movie with Whoopi Goldberg," Stiles motioned. "Only that we are not making clay sculptures, we are playing basketball."

A bright laugh fell from the other's lips and his posture relaxed, but his grip on Stiles' hip tightened. "You're a dork. Why do I find that charming?"

Stiles' whole face lit up and the threw the stupid ball. This time, it actually went through the hoop. For a long moment, Stiles just stared in surprise. Once what he'd done sank fully in, he jumped and fist-bumped the air.

"Peter. My name's Peter."

Stiles nearly fell over at that, that one name like a gut-punch. When he whipped around and stared at the other boy, Stiles finally realized why these ice-blue eyes were so familiar. It was ridiculous, it made no sense. Stiles' breath hitched as his brain scrambled to try and remember if he had seen anyone else interact with this guy, at all. The guidance counselor's office. The library. The hallway. The parking lot. It had only ever been the two of them. He'd never run into Peter when Scott, Allison or Jackson were with him. He'd never seen someone else talk to him.

"I've lost my mind," Stiles whispered, voice breaking. "You aren't real, are you?"

"Clever boy," Peter smirked, but his eyes were unfathomably soft as he looked at Stiles. "I knew you'd figure me out the moment I told you my name, mh?"

Groaning, Stiles pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes. He was losing his mind. He was having hallucinations about his dead soulmate. Great. Just great.

"I'm not a hallucination, darling," Peter's voice softened into something so gentle and comforting. "I'm not real in a physical sense, but I am very much real."

"…Oh you are actually ghost-ing me in a literal sense," Stiles' eyes widened in mortification. "You're haunting me. Is that better or worse than hallucinations? This town is so cursed."

Peter stepped up to him and wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist to pull Stiles close against his chest. Stiles didn't know why he allowed it. He was just too shocked by it all. And Peter felt so real. Why did Peter feel so real when he was just a ghost? Closing his eyes tightly, Stiles tilted his head forward against Peter's shoulder, breathing deep. Smelling his soulmate, feeling his soulmate.

"You and me are tied together by something more powerful than death," Peter whispered. "I'm using our matebond as a tether. And I plan on pulling myself back from the afterlife. Back to you."

"You…" Stiles' eyes widened. "Are you telling me you're trying to resurrect yourself?"

"Not trying," Peter hummed and shook his head. "I'm already in the middle of it, darling. I'll need a little more time, but I will come back to you."

Stiles pressed both hands against Peter's chest, pushing himself off the wolf. "Why do you think I'd want that. You bit Scott, you mauled Lydia, you killed innocent people!"

"Collateral damage on the wild rampage of a feral beast," Peter seemed mostly amused by Stiles' attempt to keep him away. "Dying… has a way of righting things. I promise you, Stiles, when I come back, I will be a man worthy of you. I am fighting for this second chance and I will prove to you that I deserve it. I have waited for you for so many years, Stiles. You're the only thing that matters to me and I will fight for you."

Stiles' hold against Peter weakened and the wolf used the opportunity to lean in and press the most gentle kiss against Stiles' lips. He could feel those lips, how soft they were he could even taste Peter and he could feel the bond buzzing between them. Stiles' eyes fluttered shut, tears clinging to his lashes at just how desperately he wanted that to be true, even if it was either a lie to manipulate him, or just flat-out a hallucination that Stiles' own mind, broken by the broken soulmate bond, had conjured up to cope with the loss. But oh, how much he wanted it to be true.

Author's note: So this story decided to turn into a three-parter - which is less than I anticipated when I posted chapter 1 but still more than I had planned when I started writing this fic, so let's meet in the middle. But yeah, writing this chapter, I realized that the kanima kind of doesn't happen on account of Actual Pack and thus no lonely Jackson and thaaat considerably shortened the plot, which I am super not mad about xD

Next chapter, Boyd, Erica, a resurrection and a reunion!