Mischief Mondays Chapter 24: Steter - Stiles Stilinski's Five Year Bu, a teen wolf fanfic

Teen Wolf || Steter || Stiles Stilinski's Five Year Business and Romance Plan || Steter || Teen Wolf

Title: Stiles Stilinski's Five Year Business and Romance Plan – Mischief Mondays Series

Tags: m/m, No Hale Fire AU, coffee shop AU, True Mates, fluff

Main Pairing: Peter/Stiles

Teen Wolf Characters: Mieczysław 'Stiles' Stilinski, Malia Tate, Derek Hale, Talia Hale, Cora Hale

Original Hale Characters: Dalia Hale (Peter and Talia's mother), Damon Hale (Talia's husband), Aaron Hale (Peter and Talia's brother), Fiona Hale (Aaron's wife), Sloan Hale (Aaron/Fiona's daughter)

Summary: When Stiles was sixteen years old, he knew two things: He was going to open a coffee shop after high school and he was going to be married to Peter Hale in five years. (Don't worry, he has a plan.)

Stiles Stilinski's Five Year Business and Romance Plan

Mischief Mondays Series

Stiles still vividly remembered the first time he saw Peter Hale. He'd been sixteen years old, at a school sports event during the late autumn of Stiles' sophomore year at high school.

Stiles and his best friend Scott were trying to maybe be more popular that year. They'd been sort of outcasts all their lives, but this year was going to be different, or so he had decided. So when he first got assigned to tutor Malia Hale, of the Hales, in math, he leapt at the chance. The Hales were what constituted royalty in Beacon Hills. The founding family, who lived in a huge, fancy mansion at the outskirts of town. Talia Hale, Malia's aunt, was the current mayor and they had their fingers in pretty much everything. There was nobody cooler or more popular than the Hales.

Broody and mysterious Derek Hale, about to graduate high school this year, was the star of the basketball team and had won them so many games and trophies. Cora Hale was best friends with Lydia Martin and they were like the queens of the school already even though high school had literally only just started for them. Sloan Hale was a year above Stiles and already running for student body president, because she was so ambitious. And then there was Malia Hale, who was literally in his class and the perfect opportunity to get in with the cool crowd.

Stiles hadn't anticipated to actually befriend her though, he'd hoped to just get a foot in the door, so to speak. To be endured by her. But somehow, this cool girl grew attached to him. She was wicked awesome, she never minced her words, she was clever and uncaring about the things that didn't matter to her in a manner that Stiles was a little envious of, while also being deeply protective and passionate about the things and people who did matter to her, a trait that Stiles shared with her. By the fifth time she came to the Stilinski home for tutoring, the two were practically joined at the hip.

Still, it was only months later that Stiles first saw her dad. Because the Hales never took anyone home with them, so all hanging out happened either outside or at Stiles'. Werewolves were very territorial and they usually didn't let non-pack into the pack house, so Stiles didn't take offense to it. There was a school event in late autumn and Stiles had gone with his dad, Melissa and Scott when catching sight of the too gorgeous Hale clan and among them the most gorgeous man on this entire planet. With a charming smile and the bluest eyes possible, a well-trimmed, short beard that accentuated his jawline, dark hair and a thick, inspiring neck. He was wearing a clearly expensive and well-cut suit, smiling at Malia and scent-marking her.

Later, when sitting with Malia, Stiles watched the gorgeous man laughing and carrying a young kid on his shoulders. That broad neck really was great for holding onto, apparently.

"That's, uh, who is that?" Stiles cleared his throat, trying to be inconspicuous. "Like, where does he fall on your, uhm, family tree? Cousin? Uncle?"

"That's my dad," Malia glared. "I know he's not that much older than Laura, but cousin? Come on."

"Your dad, huh," Stiles returned his attention to the most gorgeous man on the planet. "Okay."

"Okay?" Malia scrunched up her face. "What does okay mean, Stiles?"

"I'm gonna be your stepdad," Stiles spoke with utter conviction. "I'm gonna marry that man."

Thankfully it was very loud all around and Peter Hale and the kid were all the way across the yard, busy with whatever the man was showing the child (and urgh, he was good with little kids and looked all cute with the kid on his shoulders, why did that make Stiles swoon even worse), so he wasn't actively listening in on what random teenagers in a whole other corner of the school yard were talking. Derek by the basketball court tripped and fell flat on his face though, just to get up and glare absolutely viciously at Stiles and yep, Malia's cousin had definitely heard him.

"You're weird, Stiles," Malia commented. "I like that about you."

Well, that wasn't a 'NO', so Stiles was going to book that as her blessing. Time to plan the way to the wedding, then. Five years from now, he was gonna put a ring on that. Because Stiles was right now sixteen years old and that wasn't going to work out. Five years from now, though.

/break\

Stiles came up with a five year plan to marry Peter Hale. Step one of the plan was to absolutely avoid Peter until Stiles turned eighteen, so Peter would never ever look at him as just a kid.

Plus, he also needed to be a fully functioning adult by then. Not just a total mess. So he needed a job, needed to have his life together. He knew from Malia that Peter really loved coffee, especially the fancy kind, so Stiles decided that he was going to open a coffee shop that would be so perfect, Peter was going to fall in love with it when he first stepped in. The way to a man's heart was through his stomach, so Stiles would make the perfect coffee and all of Peter's favorites there.

Beyond the career plans, he also needed to get close to the rest of the Hale Pack. By the time he would first meet Peter to make the man fall in love with him, he wanted the rest of Peter's family to already be Team Stiles. The most important one, Stiles already had on his side. Malia. And through Malia, Stiles got closer to Malia's cousins. First Cora, which worked out great because suddenly, Stiles and Scott were also friends with Lydia and Jackson. And that was awesome.

What was less awesome was the way Scott ended up a werewolf when a feral Alpha rampaged through the preserve one night, halfway through their sophomore year. That put the whole plan on pause for a bit, as Stiles helped his best friend adjust to this new reality. Ironically, even though he made the conscious decision to pause his plan in favor of focusing on his friend, that fully played into his plans. Because the Hale Pack took Scott in and somehow, Stiles impressed Alpha Talia Hale with the way he'd been supporting Scott and teaching the other boy about wolves.

He'd been so distracted with Scott, he only learned weeks after the fact that Peter had left Beacon Hills. Because Peter had killed the Alpha that had turned Scott and thus had taken on the Alpha spark. Two Alphas in one pack caused tension. According to Malia, her aunt and dad agreed that it'd be for the best if Peter left, learned control, established his own pack and returned only after. And Stiles hated it, deeply hated the strange, empty feeling in his chest, knowing that Peter was somewhere out there all alone. It was stupid, he knew that, because he didn't even know Peter. But he couldn't change the way he felt and it was a borderline physical ache. He needed a distraction.

/break\

So when Stiles had wanted a distraction from the heartache? He didn't mean a killer lizard terrorizing Beacon Hills. Barely a few weeks after Scott got turned and after Peter left, there was a lizard monster paralyzing and killing people. Talia Hale very firmly and sternly told the teens to not get involved and to let the adults handle it. Naturally, they didn't listen.

Stiles, Scott, Malia, Cora, Lydia, Jackson and the new girl in class, Allison who had somehow become Scott's girlfriend, investigated on their own. And got themselves in danger. In the end, they realized that the feral Alpha who'd bitten Scott had apparently also gotten Jackson – and the bite hadn't fully taken, it had turned him into something called a kanima. Now afraid that the pack might straight up murder Jackson, they tried to solve it on their own.

A year ago, Stiles would have scoffed at anyone suggesting he'd care about Jackson. However, a year ago he had also been hopelessly pining for Lydia and hated Jackson. At this point, he was fully over Lydia (because he had lost his heart and possibly mind to Peter Hale) and both Lydia and Jackson had become his friends. So he was somewhat invested in Jackson not dying.

During a rave, the teens captured Jackson. Because Stiles used mountain ash and he used something Deaton, Scott's boss and Talia's Emissary, had referred to as a 'Spark' to summon mountain ash. He had fully created something that hadn't been there with magic. They captured Jackson, trying to protect him, but Cora had prattled to her big brother Derek who had run to their mom.

In the end, Talia hadn't killed Jackson. The pack had researched and found a way to reverse the kanima curse and turn Jackson into a proper werewolf, so all worked out well. Still, their worries had been justified because usually, the Left Hand would have taken out such a threat. Only that the Left Hand was now an Alpha himself and was all the way in New York, building his own pack.

"I'm very sorry for going against your direct orders, Alpha Hale."

Stiles wiggled his nose and sunk lower in his chair. He wasn't really sorry and technically she had no authority over him, since he was human and not a part of the Hale Pack, but she was his future sister-in-law so he should try to play nice. Also, it made him immensely nervous that he had been singled out and summoned into Talia's office. Maybe she was going through them one by one…?

"That's not why you're here, Stiles," Talia looked mostly amused.

"Oka—ay," Stiles slowly sat up. "Uhm, why am I here, Alpha Hale?"

"You used magic," Talia's eyes were intense as she stared at him. "We're here to talk about that. I'd like for you to take on training under my Emissary. Alan will teach you about your magic."

For just a moment, Stiles perked up, just to slump down again. Learning about his magic sounded cool, but he absolutely did not trust Deaton. The guy's secrets had secrets. And if he had been more direct about Stiles having magic and using that, maybe things would have gone smoother too, but no, the man had to be cryptic and endanger them. He was not going to rely on that guy for training.

"Yeah, uh, thank you for the offer, but I… don't think that's for me."

Talia furrowed her brows, like that wasn't the answer she had expected. Urgh. It'd be a great opportunity to become more important to the Hales. But he was absolutely not putting himself under that man's thumb. After another moment, Talia sighed and nodded.

"I do hope you'll change your mind, because I have… great plans for you, but I understand. You're still young, you probably have other things you want to focus on right now. I hear you're on the lacrosse team too. Maybe you'll reconsider when you start thinking more about your future."

Stiles made a face. Yeah, right. She really thought he had half a mind for these childish things like girlfriends or boyfriends and school sports? He was working hard at school so he'd be able to take college classes early, learn everything he needed to about owning a business, figure out the funding he'd need. Whenever he wasn't busy keeping his friends alive, he was already working hard on building his future and growing up. He had no time for childish distractions.

Still, he offered the Alpha a last smile before heading out of her office to get home.

/break\

Stiles was somewhat surprised when he opened his door the next day to Dalia Hale. The Hale matriarch had laugh lines of a long life lived well, her black hair streaked silver and when she smiled at Stiles, she did so with the same blue eyes as Peter. He was undeniably his mother's son.

"Not gonna lie, I expected Alpha Hale to come knocking and ask again. Didn't expect her to send her mom though," Stiles blinked and stepped aside. "Can I, uh, offer you something to drink?"

"I wouldn't say no to a tea," Dalia smiled kindly at him. "And Talia doesn't know I'm here."

Raising one eyebrow, Stiles led the way to the kitchen and started making the tea. He'd been using loose leaf tea lately, learning how to prepare not just various versions of coffee but also good teas. Dalia watched him with sharp, curious eyes, sitting at the kitchen table in silence.

"You didn't ask my daughter what her plans for you were."

Stiles put the tea down in front of her and sat down opposite her. "Uhm, I assume that she wants someone to be able to follow into Deaton's footsteps one day."

"My son," Dalia instantly had Stiles' undivided attention. "As you may have heard from my grandchildren, has left Beacon Hills to establish his own pack. My daughter… schemes more than others may be aware. She knows her brother well. Peter may build a pack, but he will do the bare minimum. He will gather three betas, to qualify for a proper pack, he will teach them all they need to know and he will find his way back home as soon as possible."

"Right," Stiles nodded, unsure. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Peter will gather betas, but he will not bother with something he may not deem necessary. He will not go looking for an Emissary on his own," Dalia's smile turned nearly teasing. "Not every pack has an Emissary and especially since Peter expects to return home and to cohabit with Talia's pack, a pack that does have an Emissary who could represent the territory, he wouldn't be looking."

"Still not entirely following," Stiles admitted, his face screwing up a little.

"Talia wants you to train to become Peter's Emissary, for when he returns home."

Oh. Oh. Stiles immediately perked up. He knew everything about packs, had studied up after Scott got turned. He knew what Dalia said was true, packs didn't necessarily need Emissaries. Emissaries had a representative role, when packs visited other territories for example, the Emissary would go ahead and talk to the local pack on behalf of the Alpha, since a foreign Alpha entering a territory could easily be seen as a threat or a potential attack. Emissary was a diplomatic role first and foremost, but they could also aid their packs in other ways, being magic users and all. Protective wards, healing potions, depending on the Emissary's nature even help in battle.

It made sense that Peter may not be considering an Emissary, if all he wanted was a pack to stabilize him as an Alpha and allow him to return back home. He'd leave the territory's political issues to Talia and thus to Talia's Emissary. Stiles knew from Malia that Peter just wanted to get this over with quickly so he could return home to his daughter and the rest of the family. Finding a fitting Emissary was a lot of work, to determine their skill-set and if it matched the pack, how much their personalities would fit, since an Emissary needed to represent their Alpha's opinions and values. All of that was work Peter wasn't necessarily interested in doing right now.

Stiles frowned and bit his lower lip. The Emissary was an important and respected role. As Peter's Emissary, he'd be invaluable to Peter. Could impress the Alpha, be part of his pack. But…

"There are no rules against an Alpha and their Emissary being romantically involved."

Stiles tensed at Dalia's unprompted words, eyes widening. "U—uhm. Why would you say that?"

"You may not know this, but I used to be the Hale Pack's Emissary before Alan," Dalia continued casually, sipping her tea. "I was both, Emissary and Alpha Mate. It's not wholly uncommon."

Stiles swallowed hard, his heart racing in his throat. What did she know? Why would she…?

"Dear boy," Dalia chuckled fondly, her eyes sparkling. "You declared, in public and surrounded by a pack of wolves, that you would one day marry my son. He may not have heard you, but… others did. Fiona didn't stop laughing for three days straight about just how determined you were."

Wiggling his nose, Stiles squirmed in his seat. "You're not gonna make fun of me for it, are you? I know I'm just a kid. And I don't even know him. I've gone through it all in my head before."

The look on Dalia's face softened. "You knew it the moment you looked at him, that's why you spoke with so much conviction, isn't it? You looked at him and you knew that he was the one for you. That nobody else would ever compare, that you could make each other happy?"

"I…" Stiles' voice wavered and he ducked his head. "It may sound stupid but it was like I felt it all the way in my bones? Like I could wake up every day for the rest of my life to see his smile?"

"It doesn't sound stupid at all, sweet boy," Dalia smiled and reached out to take his hand. "I'm a druid, but I have a friend, Marge. She's a Spark, like you. And she always told me that when she first looked at her husband, she knew it. The magic in her marrow was calling to him. You could say she knew it in her bones. Sparks are different from druids and other magic users. We channel nature's magic, manipulate and borrow it. But Sparks are pure, powerful magic. They are chosen by the land to protect it and they can choose a wolf to protect these lands at their side. A… soulmate, if you will. Their magic, your magic, can pick the one best suited to protect your lands with you."

Stiles' heart raced at that and somehow, it felt right. He'd been so freaked out in the past months about this, feeling like a stupid child for how attached he'd grown to a man he didn't even know. But this, somehow it sounded right. There was something inside of him calling for Peter.

"D… Does everyone know?" Stiles asked with a horrified look. "Talia? Malia? Cora? Peter?!"

"No," Dalia laughed and shook her head. "No. I'm friends with Marge, they barely know her. They don't know about this and I haven't told them. This is… yours to share, if you ever want to."

Relaxing in his seat, Stiles nodded slowly. Okay. That was a lot to digest.

"You don't trust Alan," Dalia spoke plainly. "I… never liked my daughter's pick in Emissary either. But while I was Emissary, I didn't have an apprentice, and when Alan moved to Beacon Hills, he… mh, he quickly got on my daughter's good side and when she became Alpha, it wasn't even a question to her to ask him. I was… too busy grieving my mate to fulfill this role for my daughter."

Dalia paused, the look on her face dark. "I would prefer our territory to have a different Emissary representing it. I think that if Peter had his own Emissary, they could challenge Alan."

"You…" Stiles frowned surprised when he realized why Dalia was here. "You want me to become his apprentice so I can take over the position of main Emissary of the territory from him?"

"No," Dalia's smirk was wicked and her eyes sparkled with mischief. "I want you to become my apprentice, so you can become Peter's Emissary and challenge Alan for the position."

Stiles sat up straight at that, eagerness making something inside him buzz with energy. "You?"

"Me," Dalia laughed delighted. "As I said, I was the Emissary of the last Hale Pack. Plus, I think I am more qualified to teach you about your Spark than Alan would be. I do know a Spark and have gotten many journals and books from her about her nature. What do you say, young Spark?"

Stiles actually bounced in his seat and fist-bumped the air. "Sign me up, sensei!"

/break\

There was a darach terrorizing their town during Stiles' junior year and oh boy was he glad to be Dalia's apprentice. The woman was an absolute badass. She taught him all the theory he needed – meditation, spell-work, rune-drawing, history and lore – but the brute force of the practical was on him. It was exhausting and it was hard work, but he had his pack's support.

Both Scott and Jackson had joined the Hale Pack, as werewolves. Lydia had turned out to be a banshee earlier this school year and was now also an official member of the pack. They were closer than ever to Cora and Malia, Stiles had even found an in with Sloan, as her campaign manager for her reelection campaign. She was kind of a hard-ass but really smart and Stiles liked her alright. Stiles was even growing on Derek, much to the Sourwolf's dismay.

Stiles proved his worth to the pack during the hunt for the darach. He'd been vital in apprehending her, while Deaton had stood back and let far too much of the tragedy happen and it enraged Stiles. With every day, Stiles' determination to become the best damn Emissary possible grew, and by now it wasn't just about Peter anymore. He wanted to become Beacon Hills' Emissary and he knew that wasn't just his natural stubbornness, or his feelings for Peter. It was his Spark.

Beacon County was his territory first and foremost, Dalia had explained that to him in great detail. The Nemeton had picked him as the guardian of these lands, so they were his. Technically, any wolf living here did so by the Spark's grace. There was an embarrassing interaction after the darach was taken out, where Talia bowed to him and submitted to him, formally asking for her pack to be accepted on his land and holy shit. He agreed, of course, this wasn't even a question, he'd never chase them away, but oh it was an intense feeling, to be respected like that. He was only seventeen years old, but this powerful Alpha recognized his authority.

"How's the campaign going, kiddo?" Aaron asked, eyes sparkling as he ruffled Sloan's hair.

Sloan groaned and ducked away from her father. "Don't ruin my hair, dad. And it's going great. Of course it's going great, Stiles is a damn genius at this, actually. He may have more of a silver-tongue than uncle Peter. I swear he could sell salt-water in the middle of the ocean."

"It's high quality salt-water from the Mediterranean sea, good for your skin, much better than what we have in our local ocean," Stiles made a dismissive gesture while grinning broadly.

"I fear you, kid," Aaron noted with a chuckle. "And Slo is right, you're worse than my brother."

"Can not wait for those two to meet," Sloan snickered. "They could cause a lot of damage."

"Well, if he has such a silver-tongue, maybe he'll become a lawyer, like Peter," Damon commented dryly as he walked into the living room to sit down on the couch. "Peter would like that, he's always looking for talented and terrifying new lawyers."

Stiles turned doe-eyed to look at Derek's dad. "Oh, I'm not becoming a lawyer. I'm going to open up a coffee shop right after graduation. Well. As soon as I figure out the financing for it, anyway."

Damon tilted his head intrigued and Aaron chose to sit down next to his brother-in-law, both men regarding Stiles now. Sloan snorted and returned to the speech she was in the middle of writing, while her cousins Cora and Derek snorted out loud. Both of them had heard Stiles' claims of becoming Peter's husband one day and they had heard from Malia that Stiles was planning on opening a coffee shop, specifically catering to what Peter liked. Stiles' face flushed.

"It's gonna be awesome," Malia commented, not looking up from the banner she was working on with Cora. "Stiles has a whole folder. Wall papers, paints, displays, menu proposals. He has the whole shop fully planned out already. Tell them the name. I love it."

Stiles' blush darkened even more. "It's, uh, it's gonna be called the Mean Bean."

"That… is adorable," Damon chuckled. "I like that, Stiles. And I like your dedication."

"It's just something I've been thinking about a lot," Stiles shrugged and ducked his head.

"Not just to this," Damon corrected, his smile more fond. "You're dedicated to your friends, to your apprenticeship with my mother-in-law, and to our pack. You're a passionate young man and from everything I've seen from you over the past year, you get what you want."

Derek made a miserable noise and looked up to fix Stiles with a glare. Yeah, he was not a fan of the 'uncle Stiles' pitch yet, but Stiles was going to get him there. Stiles returned his attention to what he was working on as a distraction. There was something to being praised by the Alpha Mate that made him feel all warm and pleased. He was also mildly obsessed with the fact that both Aaron and Damon were human. Since Dalia wasn't a wolf, not all three of her children had turned out to be wolves and though his late father had offered Aaron the bite, he had declined, because his family had always loved him and never made him feel othered or ashamed of his humanity. And Talia had chosen a human as her mate too. The Hale Pack was a good pack and Stiles was proud to be a part of it, even if his endgame was to join a different Hale Pack, under a different Alpha.

/break\

Stiles frowned curiously as he walked around the corner, his Mean Bean folder clutched to his chest. Dalia had asked him to meet and to bring his folder. It wasn't unusual for her to take a look at it, but usually she came to his place for it. She was his number one supporter, he'd run practically everything by her, half the recipes on the menu were Hale family recipes of Peter's favorites – breakfast foods as well as baked goods. Stiles slowed down when he saw that Dalia wasn't alone where she stood in front of a closed building. Talia and Fiona were standing with her.

"He—ello, Hale ladies. What can I do for you?" Stiles asked nervously.

"My hubby told me about your coffee shop plans," Fiona grinned impishly. "Love that. You know I'm a real estate agent, right? And this here beaut has been on the market ever since old Marianne had to shut it down due to age. We've had plenty offers from the likes of Starbucks."

"However," Talia cut in, her ever patient smile on her lips. "Town hall agrees that we do not want these kind of chain brands to bleed our town dry. We want to support local business owners."

Stiles squinted at them and then turned to give Dalia a look. The woman looked mischievous as ever. Was this what it felt like to deal with him…? He should apologize to his dad.

"I want you to give me a run down of your plans, as the mayor," Talia continued after a moment. "I want a business pitch from you that I can propose at town hall, because when I say support local business owners, I mean financially, Stiles. You have a bit over a year until your graduation, but a lot of time and work goes into renovating and opening a business."

"I am aware," Stiles straightened up and swallowed. "Okay. Uhm. Let's go inside and talk."

/break\

"You are a big softie who adores me," Stiles chimed before hip-checking Derek.

Derek gave a long-suffering sigh and glared down at Stiles. He'd gone to business school after graduation and he had agreed to become Stiles' business partner, after hearing the actual pitch. They got a business loan from the city council and Talia personally became a silent partner too, to pay the rest they needed to open shop. Now, the entire Hale Pack was helping them renovate the place.

Stiles had picked out a beautiful wallpaper, white with countless thin, dark trees, giving an illusion of the forest. A place Stiles had felt at home in since he came into his Spark and a place that called to the wolf. All furniture was rustic wood, homey and inviting. The color he chose to pop in between the dark wood and whites was red, which fit quite well because it was both Stiles and Peter's favorite color. The whole place was designed to appeal to Peter.

"Uncle Peter is going to just fully move in here," Cora declared, sitting back in exhaustion. "I don't know how but you live in his brain, this is… fully like an extension of his room at the house."

"What a curious coincident," Stiles chimed, grin broad and feeling giddy.

/break\

Peter Hale was back in town. Peter Hale was back in town, after over two years in New York. And no, Stiles didn't hear that from any of the Hales. He heard that by having Peter as his customer. To hear Kira tell the man about Stiles' strict diet for his dad and the way Stiles terrorized the town about it was… not ideal. Definitely not the kind of first impression Stiles had meant to leave on his soulmate. Yet inexplicably, it worked out in Stiles' favor? And Peter had flirted with him. First face to face meeting and his soulmate had unpromptedly flirted with him. This was so messing with the plan. The next three years were laid out with careful seduction and proving his worth as an Emissary, slowly making Peter fall irrevocably in love with him. By the time he came running to the Hale House to meet both Hale Alphas, he was winded and completely overwhelmed. He barely managed to casually perch himself onto Talia's desk before the door opened and Peter entered. Hah, at least his many trips between the Mean Bean and the Hale House paid off on short cuts!

"Peter. Please hear me out before you decline. I know you haven't found an Emissary in New York, but Stiles here has spent two years learning with our pack and with you moving here now, he could graduate into becoming a full Emissary, for your pack. He is diligent, protective, powerful-"

Talia's quite impressive sales-pitch on Stiles was interrupted by her brother. "Vindictive, clever, influential, highly respected in the community and, dare I say, gorgeous."

Gorgeous? Gorgeous? Stiles knew all the rest of that, of course, but Peter thought he was gorgeous? He couldn't keep the pleased grin off his face, amused by how straightforward his soulmate was.

"Told you I'd see you later," Stiles teased and added daringly. "Not the setting you expected, mh?"

"Well, I had hoped I'd see you in my bed, but…" Peter said that, Peter actually said that out loud, to Stiles, while Talia was right there. "An Emissary in training, mh? I'd love to hear more."

Stiles absolutely couldn't contain himself and he went to his soulmate. His heart was racing in his chest when they shook hands. He felt emboldened by Peter's blatant flirting, so he leaned up to scent-mark his soulmate, rubbing their cheeks together. A possessive claim on his wolf.

"Well, we could always talk more in your bed, if you'd like, Alpha Hale," Stiles was so close, his lips nearly brushed Peter's skin. "But I'll leave you to your sister for now."

His heart was nearly beating out of his chest with nerves and a sense of I can't believe I just did that when he high-tailed it out of that office to have his freak-out in private. Or semi-private, because Dalia was already waiting for him in the living room, a knowing smile on her lips.

"So Operation Son-In-Law is going well, considering the devastated look on Derek's face while the wolves listened in on your conversation?" Dalia asked teasingly. "Come, let's go celebrate, dear."

/Omake: Three Years Later\

Peter sniffed curiously as he woke up to the delicious scent of breakfast. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted to a whole buffet laid out around him on the bed. Waffles, pancakes, eggs, omelet, bacon, French toast, even muffins. And right above him, hovering with a broad grin on his lips, was his beautiful mate. There was a little flour on Stiles' cheek, which was far too charming.

"Happy anniversary, love of my life," Stiles declared and kissed Peter gently.

That had Peter tense immediately. Anniversary? What was he missing? Not the anniversary of their sealed matebond. Not the anniversary of their getting together. First kiss, perhaps? No, they hadn't celebrated that ever before and this feast was even bigger than what Peter had gotten for their first wedding anniversary. So what was he missing…? Stiles laughed softly and kissed him again.

"Stop freaking out, my wolf," Stiles smiled warmly at him. "You didn't forget anything."

"Evidently," Peter motioned at all the food. "I did!"

"Today," Stiles climbed on top of Peter, sitting comfortably on Peter's waist. "Today, five years ago, I first laid eyes on you and decided 'in five years, I'm gonna put a ring on that'. And look at me, been married to you for two years, way ahead of the plan, because I'm just that good."

For a moment, Peter just stared at his mate, before he started laughing. He wrapped his arms around Stiles' neck to pull him down into a slow, deep kiss that left those pretty, plush lips red-kissed.

"My precious, little stalker," Peter whispered with a purr.

"I love that you can say that like a term of endearment and aren't freaked out by it."

A helpless shrug and Peter pulled Stiles closer. "I am your favorite Creeperwolf, so it only seems fair that I find your creepy tendencies quite charming too, mh? I am your soulmate, after all, my little Creeperspark."

"That you are," Stiles' smile softened as he laid down on Peter's chest. "That you are."

~*~ The End ~*~

Author's note: Listen. I can't explain this one, okay? "Welcome to the Mean Bean" was a perfectly normal coffee shop meet cute story. And I meant to write a sequel that took place between the office scene and the one year later flashforward. Instead, inexplicably, my brain decided to go two years back into the past, make this a True Mates soulmate AU, throw in a matchmaking and scheming Dalia... and STILL not write the actual getting together part. So. There's gonna be a third installment in this series? That actually? Covers their getting together?