Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He has been home a few times, so his room wasn’t that strange. It just felt like the room of an alternate version of him. The room had been lived in by someone of another life...someone who wouldn’t recognize his current self. Given all he remembers and all he’s been through, he’s not sure if that’s good or just sad. 

“Knock-knock.” 

Stiles turned and saw his dad at the door. “Morning.” 

“How’d ya sleep?” The Sheriff asked as he leaned against the open door frame.

“The flight from Hawaii to here isn’t as long as some of the trips I’ve done. So it’s not exactly jet lag but…” Stiles tried to think of how to explain the tiredness he felt that must be obvious on his features. 

“You’ve always had the tendency to overthink. Add that to the fact your mind races at a million miles per minute, and then sprinkle in what I can only guess you’ve been overthinking lately...forget I asked.” His father told him gently.  

Stiles offered him a small smile. Even if most of Beacon Hills residents weren’t doing much for his mental health, and he was dreading the main tasks he’s come here for, there was no denying he missed being around his dad. “What’s on the agenda today? You gotta head into the station?”

“Not until late morning. Why don’t you shower up and I’ll get started on breakfast? We can talk and draw up a proper battle plan together before I have to go.” 

“Alright. Meet you downstairs in a bit.” Stiles said before he grabbed some clothes from his duffel bag. 

He wasn’t one to take forever in the shower every time. Not that he had Steve or Junior’s three-minute power shower habits from the Navy either. As he cleaned himself up, his mind began to race and wander with everything and nothing at the same time. There was a lot to tackle on this trip and even more waiting for him in Hawaii. In the shower, he had the solitude to think, but a lot of those thoughts brought on very strong emotions that he both couldn’t and didn’t want to go through on his own. 

It was both the water getting cold and the simultaneous realization that he’s gotten used to having people to confide in and help on a day-to-day that shocked him back into the present. Shutting off the water, he got out and dried, before getting changed and going through the rest of his morning routine. 

Fetching his phone from where he left it charging in his room, he checked if he had any messages. A small smile formed on his lips when he saw that he did. From the whole team and then some. 

He’ll reply to them after his dad leaves for work. 

Making his way down and into the kitchen, he takes a big whiff and his smile grows. “You do realize you can only use me coming home to have a ‘free for all’ breakfast on just the first day, right?” 

“I’ve been working out and keeping a healthy diet, believe it or not. I’m allowed to have bacon more often than before.” His dad retorted. 

“Heh. Right. I’ll be double-checking with Parrish to see if that’s true or bull.” 

“Who do you think drags me out to the gym with him?” 

That made Stiles raise an eyebrow, “You go to the gym...with Parrish?” 

“Why the shock? Don’t think I can keep up with him?” His dad demanded, matching his tone. 

Stiles shrugged a bit, “There’s a bit of a disconnect.”

“Hey. I gotta be fit to keep in charge of the Sheriff’s station. More so because of the supernatural elements. I can’t have Parrish going out there alone when things happen. You’re not the only Stilinski who can keep up with the supernatural.”

It was meant to be light bantering. Well, the Stilinski sort that’s riddled with sarcasm and wit. And it was. Stiles however caught on to a statement that he couldn’t let go of. Two actually, but the one that mattered to him most was, “Has there been a lot of supernatural stuff for you guys to deal with? You never said…”

Catching his mistake, his father sighed as he finished up with what he had on the stove. Moving it all to the table, he gestured for Stiles to sit. “This is Beacon Hills, kid. It’s been home to the supernatural long before you were born or I was Sheriff...we’ve had instances. But nothing to worry you about, kay?”

“You know you could have always asked me to come back...to help. I would have helped you!” 

His father reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and smiling at him with a soft smile. “You were healing, And working. Saving our country from things I’m not even allowed to ask about. And we were fine. We are fine. We’re a team, Parrish and I, and the other deputies. They’re better equipped.” 

Stiles sighed. Part of him felt foolish for being so blinded by his anger that it didn’t register. Or maybe it did. Of course, it did! He knew he was leaving a supernatural riddled town behind! Though he asked from time to time in the beginning, his dad never told him about anything he should worry about, so he focused on what he had going on. As he pushed himself forward, he had a lot more going on that stole his focus. 

Still…

“Hey.” His father said gently to bring him out of his thoughts. “You're a badass, and it’s genetic. Got it? I can handle myself. I made sure I wouldn’t be a liability to the town or Parrish. That you wouldn’t be getting any sort of emergency calls. Even apart, we look out for each other in whatever way we can. You needed to leave so you could heal. And you’ve done a lot of that.” 

“Only most recently. Before that….I think I was still just going place to place filled with anger.” Stiles admitted. 

“You found yourself quite the team, I gotta say. How are they?” His dad asked as he adjusted his coffee to his liking before taking a sip. 

Stiles grabbed his fork and knife and began to cut his breakfast into bite-sized pieces. “Good. Still have plenty of questions I’ll have to figure out how to answer, but good.” 

“We can work on that later. I like them for you and I know how much you hate keeping things secret.”

“Sometimes I wish that they would have stumbled into something supernatural during the whole thing. But then I’m also glad they didn’t. They have complicated lives as it is, I can’t...I don’t want to be the reason they become even more complicated. And Oahu isn’t like Beacon Hills. Sure, there’s supernatural stuff apparently but it’s not the same.” 

“Exactly.” His father agreed with him. “Whatever the supernatural life was like, it happened before, while, and after you joined Five-Oh. You’re needed on that island kid, but for the job you worked so damn hard to get. The one that got you a badge. Remember that.” 

Stiles smiled sheepishly at hearing his dad’s pride in that. He was always glad he could make his dad proud. His smile fell, however, “I didn’t go looking for supernatural trouble, but it found me anyway. Going forward…”

“Going forward, you just gotta help Nahele. Do you know what his powers are yet?” His dad asked. 

“No.” Stiles shook his head. “He’s still kind of in shock and in denial.”

“Well then, from what we learned there is a local pack. Whether they have more things going on or if there’s usually low supernatural activity in Hawaii, excluding the mess Braeden brought to your doorstep, your part in that is your choice. And your choice is to keep Five-Oh from knowing about the supernatural and helping Nahele, right?”

“It is, I just have a horrible track record for not getting involved,” Stiles told him as he picked up his own mug and took a sip from it. 

“I’d argue you have a track record of being forced into being involved to solve other people’s messes.” His father deadpanned. With a sigh, Noah pushed his plate aside for a moment and told Stiles, “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. I know you, kid. But when you get back...focus on the cases Five-Oh’s got. Focus on the lives of your new friends. Nahele is going to need you for answers, that’s a given, but that doesn’t mean it has to play out as it did here.”

“Chances are doubled now for the team to find out sooner rather than later…” 

“And you’re far better prepared to help them if and when that time comes. I remember when I first found out, kid. I remember the worry and other emotions because we weren’t on the same page. And after, I felt even more emotions, but I understood what you were trying to do. But the biggest thing I felt was fear. Not of what was now real, but that you were dealing with it, trying to shield me, and still try to keep on as if things were normal. Had I not been so worried I would have been more impressed.”

Stiles scoffed at the last part. He wasn’t very impressive back then. 

His dad caught that and he doubled down, “Stiles, you were human! Among a bunch of supernatural creatures! Who all basically survived because of you!” 

“Not everyone…” 

“In recent years,” His dad began after his features softened at the reminders of those who didn’t make it. “I’m sure you’ve learned the sad truth that not everyone can be saved. Even if-”

“Even if everything goes according to plan and you do everything right.” Stiles finished it for him. Sighing deeply and running his hand through his hair as some of his ADHD ticks kicked in, and he needed to do something with his hand. He was aware of that. It didn’t make accepting the fact easier. 

“You were a kid, back then. With no training. No real resources. Yet you were pulling miracles out of thin air to keep you, your friends, and the rest of the town alive.”

“I still don’t want Five-Oh to know about the supernatural if I can help it,” Stiles mumbled. 

“Then do your best. But don’t beat yourself up if things happen outside of your control. Okay?” 

Stiles gave his dad a half-smile, “I’ll try.” 

“How’s Cali?” Tani asked. 

“Probably a lot more interesting if I weren’t coming to my hometown, and a lot more fun if I didn’t come to try and make peace with my past,” Stiles answered honestly.

“You’re an adult, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Junior told him, Tani having put him on speaker. 

“Do I hear a ‘ but’ in there?” 

“But ...and this might just be from personal experience, it’s easier moving forward when you make peace with your past.” 

“If the whole solving crimes thing doesn’t work, you can probably get solid work for fortune cookie companies.” Stiles deadpanned. Tani giggled as Junior called him a ‘jackass’. He sighed as he slumped into the couch and flipped mindlessly through the channels, he also having the pair on speaker. “I know though, Joons. I know I gotta deal with this.” 

“Sooner you do, sooner you’re back here.” Tani reminded him. 

“Hanging off of helicopters and jumping out of fifth-story windows. The dream.” 

“Do you have a plan of attack?” Junior asked him. The cases he worked with Stiles, he got to know him as an agent. Knowing what needed to get done, having that mental list to check off, helped him a lot. 

“I wish I had any plan, defensive or offensive. I got nothing to work with if I’m honest.” 

“That’s not very you. What’s wrong?” Tani asked him.

“I don’t know…” He began. After a pause and a sigh, he took it back. “Actually, I do. I just have to deal with more insecurities than I’d like to admit.” 

“You have as many pride falls as needed, but give us time to get there so we can catch you. Do you want us to come? Pretty sure McGarrett will allow it.” Tani said. 

Stiles chuckled a bit, “I’m pretty sure he’s waiting for the smallest excuse. But I don’t want to be the reason Hawaii’s left unprotected. Especially when it’s just me having to deal with basic human emotions and interactions.” 

“Not your best forte, you sure you don’t want us there?” Junior teased. 

“Haha.” Stiles deadpanned. 

“Seriously though, if you need some support-” Junior added, more seriously. 

“Thanks. I know. I just gotta ask.” As tempting as it was, not just for himself but maybe for Steve and Danny too, he didn’t want any of Five-Oh in Beacon Hills. The place was riddled with supernatural creatures and weirdness. Five-Oh may be made up of humans, but they had their own questionable luck that Stiles didn’t want to risk. “I promise to keep you posted, but I’m a big boy. I can handle this. Anyway ...how are things there?”

“Not busy, right?” Stiles asked after Danny picked up. 

“Just working on some reports, but I could use a break,” Danny replied. Stiles heard some shuffling as he was switched to speaker as he assumes Danny went from his office to Steve’s. “Steve’s in the room.” 

“Hey, Steve.”

“Stiles! Everything okay?” 

“Yeah! Yeah. I just wanted to check in. See how you guys are. I talked with Tani and Junior earlier. Got to the brink of a discussion…” 

“In regards to?” Danny asked. 

“What exactly my plans are to tackle the past. I’m not...I never honestly thought I’d be doing this. I...have no battle plan. I guess I’m calling...for advice?” He wanted to say it like a statement, but he was out of his comfort zone and it came out more like a question. 

“Alright well...first thing’s first, Stiles. What is it you want?” Danny asked him gently. When the pause lingered, the blond elaborated, “You want to make peace with your past. Means something in the past happened that made you feel so strongly that you left with no intention of looking back except for your dad.” 

“Parrish too. He’s sheriff’s department family though.” Stiles added. 

“Okay, but Danno’s off to a good start, right?” 

“Yeah…” Stiles mumbled. 

“Is there a moment that really sealed the deal for you in some way before you left?” Steve asked. 

Stiles immediately thought back to his train ride with Raf McCall of all people. How he looked at his phone with the determination to explain why he felt like he had to leave but had no way of summarizing everything he wanted to say. And feeling that even if he could, no one would care. 

“My dad used to have...a rival, I guess you’d call him. To make amends for being a dick to us for a lot of years he got me the internship at the FBI. When I headed to Quantico with him, that train ride I kept looking at my phone….I kept waiting to get calls or messages from the people who I thought were my friends. But I didn’t. I felt so guilty leaving. I tried to think of a reason that would justify all that I was feeling. I couldn’t. And even if I could, I felt...so small. Like no one cared. And considering how long it took for them to finally reach out to me...it felt like I was right.” 

There was a long silence. Even if he couldn’t see their faces, he’s gotten to know both of them pretty well. Stiles is pretty sure they’re trying to fathom it. 

“Do you want to know why they didn’t reach out until they did?” Steve finally broke the silence and asked. 

“No,” Stiles answered evenly. In his attempt to keep everyone in the pack safe, he knew what was basically going on with everyone back then. Trauma wasn’t a trait any of them were lacking, and it was part of his own guilt, thinking he was being childish and needy for wanting someone to check in on him and not just the other way around. And he told the couple as much. Well, part of it, “I could understand where their minds were. Where their emotions were. I...I know .” 

“Alright. So maybe an apology?” Danny questioned. 

Stiles immediately scoffed, “I’m not the guy people apologize to.” 

“I think you have your answer there, kid,” Danny told him. 

“You think I want an apology?” Stiles asked, raising his eyebrow. 

“I think you might need one. Stiles, we know you. We know what you’re like. Sarcasm and snark give way to a caring guy who has a habit of carrying the weight of burden. You did a lot for your friends. Probably more than what was expected of you.” Danny began. 

Steve continued, “You do things because you believe it’s the right thing to do. The moral thing to do. We don’t always get thanked because this is what we signed up for. What you eventually signed up for.” 

“But back then you were just a kid. If you did then what you do now…” Danny said. 

“I’m still not the guy you apologize to. Not from these guys…” Stiles weakly mumbled. 

“Maybe not before. Things have changed, for you as well as for them. Whether they’ve changed for the better is up for debate until you see them. But you have gotten stronger. Not just physically but emotionally and mentally too.” Danny told him. 

“I’ve been told emotions aren’t my forte,” Stiles said. 

“Well, that’s what a team and friends are for. To round out where any of us lack. You know if you want, we can be there on the next flight out.” Steve offered. 

“I do,” Stiles assured him. He meant it too. If it wasn’t for Five-Oh, he wouldn’t be this at peace with himself. He would still be so damn angry. No way in hell would he even be at a place where he would contemplate making peace with Beacon Hills. His family grew. It wasn’t just his dad and Parrish anymore. Stiles felt himself smile as he told Steve and Danny, “I know I can count on you guys. I do. But this is something I gotta at least try to do on my own first.” 

“We believe in you, kid,” Steve told him. 

“And we’re here if you need us.” Danny reminded him. 

“So, since I had to hold down the fort here and Noah went with Argent instead of me, I need a rundown.” 

“Are you jealous ?” Stiles paused what he was doing to look at Parrish with a raised eyebrow. 

The deputy came over since he had the day off. He came with lunch from Stiles’ old favorite fast food place, making sure to get extra curly fries. 

“No! Do I feel a little left out? Maybe...” 

Stiles chuckled at that, to which Parrish picked up a fry and tossed it at his head. In retaliation, Stiles threw a straw at him, but it barely grazed his nose. They shared a laugh before settling at their places at the table and sorted out their food. 

“What do you need to know that you don’t already? Didn’t dad fill you in when he got back?” Stiles questioned. 

“Of course he did. But you were the one who lived it. And you got a habit of trying to protect others so who knows, maybe there’s stuff you didn’t tell Noah that you might want to tell me.”  Parrish guessed before taking a bite out of his burger. 

“No offense, but you got this boy scout thing about you, Jordan. If I went out of my way not to worry my dad with something, do you really think I’d tell you only for him to sniff it out and then ‘dad glare’ it out of you?”

“I would never!” He exclaimed, indignantly. When Stiles only stared at him stoically, he sighed, “Alright fine. I’m not the best at keeping secrets. Especially when it comes to your dad.”

“Well, being Sheriff of this cursed town isn’t a trophy position,” Stiles stated. 

“Still. When he mentioned you were taken by the Yakuza…there wasn’t much he said about that.” 

Stiles grinned at him. “Looks like you didn’t keep your position just because you’re pretty.” 

“It helped, but no. I actually know how to deduce things.” Parrish replied with a matching grin. “So?” 

“So?” Stiles echoed with a shrug as he took a bite of his own burger. When Parrish just gave him a deadpan stare, it was his turn to sigh. “The Yakuza is like the other law enforcement branches we’ve seen and dealt with here. People know about the supernatural. And apparently, some have even used the supernatural to obtain and keep their power.” 

“And there’s a specific power now in Hawaii that they want but you’re keeping from them?” Parrish stated more than asked. 

“His name is Nahele. And I’ll keep him from them for as long as I can, in any and every way I can and need to.” Stiles stated strongly. 

“I’m not doubting that,” Parrish told him, raising his hands a bit in a defensive manner. “But this is the Yakuza, Stiles.”

“I know, okay? I know it can get dicey if I’m not careful. And it doesn’t help that Five-Oh doesn’t fully understand what went down.” 

“From all we’ve heard and from what Noah’s seen, they seem like great people,” Parrish commented. 

“They are.” Stiles was quick to agree. 

“But you’re keeping stuff from them?” Parrish asked carefully. 

“Not regular stuff. Supernatural stuff.” Stiles corrected. “All of Five-Oh have been amazing! I’m honestly amazed how much they’ve helped me in so little time. I...I carried the anger I took with me from here since the day I left.” 

“It’s a damn good thing you could compartmentalize it properly. I’ve seen men who use anger as their fuel. And they don’t tend to last very long.” Parrish told him. 

Stiles shrugged, “I had to do that when I was in high school. After some training by people who knew what they were doing and had been doing it for a while...you learn a few tricks.” 

“If you could tell them...would you?” Parrish asked after a slight pause. 

Stiles took his time to take a few more bites and eat some more fries. Took a very long and loud slurp of his soda, before he answered. “I wish I could. Working with Five-Oh made me realize how a team should be. Made me realize how friends who constantly get into very dire situations should behave. I...I went from trusting my dad, you, and my instincts...to trusting all of them. They try with me. They listen. They apologize when they’ve done me wrong!” Stiles said that last sentence very passionately. He felt tears make his eyes sting, so he blinked them away. 

Clearing his throat, Stiles finished off, “They made Hawaii feel like home in a way Beacon hasn’t since...since my mom died. And I hate hiding something so big from them. But things are so different in Hawaii, Jordan. Keeping the supernatural a secret might be possible!” 

 “It might also not be the last time you get into supernatural trouble.” 

“Well...I’m not going to be alone. Derek’s moving to Hawaii to be with me. He’s a born werewolf. And great back up.” 

“Wait, so that part’s true? Is it also true that your boss beat Noah to the shovel talk?” 

Stiles groaned at the reminder and buried his face in his hands. 

“Oh my god! Really? You gotta tell me everything!” 

“It’s not that amusing!” Stiles exclaimed. 

“Stiles. A SEAL gave a werewolf a shovel talk! How is that not amusing?!”  

“How’s it feel to be back in Beacon Hills?” 

Stiles paused before letting out a deep sigh. 

“Wow. And this is before meeting anyone other than your dad and Parrish?” 

He smiled at that. Feeling a sense of joy that with him, in private and out of danger, Derek was just that... Derek. His smile dropped for a second before he said, “You didn’t call it home.” 

There was a slight pause before Derek answered, “It stopped being home, right?” 

 “Yeah. I guess I never talked about Beacon enough with anyone else. Not really. Whether they assumed I thought of it as home or not...never came up.”

“How are you holding up?” 

Stiles could clearly hear the genuine concern in Derek’s voice and it just reminded him of how much he misses him. He had Derek. On his side, as his friend...as his boyfriend. Someone who knew some of the worst he’s had to go through. Someone who knew what he lost. Someone he could be completely honest with who wasn’t also burdened with the weight that his father and Parrish had. 

“I…”

“Never thought you’d go back there?” 

“Not like this. Did...did you ever find peace?” 

 “I did the best I could with what I had.” 

“Very diplomatic way of saying no.” 

Derek sighed, “ It’s not easy finding peace with all the shit that happened to my family. There are days when I can’t think about my uncle without feeling a rage over what happened to Laura. But then a few days later I wonder if the bastard's eating enough. I remember that I wasn’t the only one who lost his family...that he tried more than I did to save them and was hurt horribly. I don’t defend his actions but I also know that he only embraced the villainous traits tossed and placed on him by others. Peace feels like something that the victims deserve...but after all I’ve done, I’m not the victim. I’m not the hero. And I try not to be the villain.” 

“Do you think what I’m doing is pointless?”

“No,” Derek answered without hesitation. “I have no idea what you’ll find at the end of this, Stiles. But I have a strong feeling it’s something you need to do. Your focus will always be torn until you see this through.”

“Hmm.” Stiles knew Derek was right. 

“During all of this, you’re not alone. You got your dad and Parrish right now. I should be wrapping things up soon. And even if they’re far away and can’t know the complete story, your team from Hawaii’s by your side. And they’re waiting for you.” 

“...” There was so much on his mind. Most of it was the conflicting emotions swirling in his heart that he’s repressed for almost a decade. He wasn’t sure what to ask Derek. Talking about specific things that happened in the past with him seems irrelevant. Whatever things he and Derek faced back then, more or less got worked out there. The only thing that hadn’t was the unspoken sexual tension, which would be thoroughly worked through as they went forward in their relationship. “Do you think you’ll be able to accept Hawaii as home?”

“With time. It’ll be a humid hell. You seeing me naked will probably have less to do with us having sex and more with me being bothered by the heat.” 

Stiles chuckled, “So long as I get to see you naked. I’ll order a better A/C unit and make sure Junior installs it while I wrap things up here.”

“You’re much more accommodating these days. I remember asking favors from you was like pulling teeth.” Derek teased. 

“You reeked of death and asked me to saw off your arm!” Stiles exclaimed, recalling one of Derek’s earliest favors. 

“Hn. So...what’s the plan? ” Derek asked after a moment. 

Stiles is sure he got lucky with Derek in the respect that...he’s patient with his silence. He’s become quieter in recent years. The calmer and surer he’s become as an agent, the less he rambles. He still has nervous tics, or rather ADHD-incapable-of-staying-still tendencies, but overall he is quieter now. This might unnerve others...but not Derek. 

When he finally had an answer, it was the simplest. “I’m going to call Scott. Meet up.” 

“Play it by ear?” 

“Yeah.” He swallowed and took a breath while he nodded. “I have no other real plan. Danny and Steve think I should work for an apology. Well, not exactly work for but...they think that’s what I need. They don’t have all the details though.”

“I don’t think they’re wrong.” 

Though it sounded like it should be surprising, he found himself smiling a bit that Derek saw things like Danny and Steve did. 

“I haven’t seen any of them since I left. I’m nowhere near the same Stiles. Same goes for all of them. Better or worse, they’re no longer the people I knew. I gotta...I gotta see what I’m dealing with.”  Derek wasn’t an agent, so he didn’t want to use terms that would make it sound like he was on another mission. 

“If you want to wait for me, I can be there soon. Be there with you while you do it.” 

“Thanks. I mean it. But...I think I gotta try on my own first. With all the history Scott and I have, I think I owe him that at least. I’ll wait for you to tackle the rest, but I’ll go and deal with Scott on my own first.”

“Alright, but do me a favor.” 

“Pretty sure we know how to get wolves bane without dealing with hunters, so please let it not be hacking off a limb.” Stiles deadpanned. 

“Haha. You’re hilarious.” Derek deadpanned back. 

“What’s the favor?” Stiles asked with a small grin. 

“Before you do anything, tell your dad or Parrish. I know you can handle yourself better now, but…” 

“I have the habit of tempting fate?” 

“And you’re back in Beacon Hills.” Derek reminded him. Which was a very fair warning. 

Chapter Text

After he got his internship and decided he was going to stick with it, no matter how hard it was, he began to change. Said change came with accepting that if he wanted a future, he couldn’t keep looking back to the past too often. Once he was settled in Quantico, he changed his number. 

He ordered his father not to give his number out to anyone. And he asked the same of Parrish. Stiles has learned from his father that to protect his wishes, they have him saved under a 1-800 number of a utility service in case the pack ever got too curious. Stiles had scoffed at the very notion, but he’s been told that it happened at least once. 

So if he wanted to meet up with any of the pack...it was on him to reach out. It felt like the power was in his hands, but it still made a lot of those feelings from before that he left behind rise closer to the surface, and they made him feel slightly sick. 

“I can do this.” He told himself as he stared at his cellphone sitting on the coffee table. His father was at work, currently drowning in paperwork, and dealing with a lot of tourist season craziness. Towed car complaints, drunken behavior, etc. He had all day to himself to make any sort of meeting. 

He didn’t think he could handle meeting the whole pack at the same time. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if the whole pack gave enough of a damn to meet with him. But he had to meet with Scott. That much was a given. His father had written Scott’s number down and now that sheet of paper was staring up at him as if it were something hazardous. He felt as if he were in need of a hazmat suit in dealing with it. 

“I’ve dealt with actual radioactive crises before! This shouldn’t be so hard!” He exclaimed. He slumped into the couch and let his headrest on the back of the couch. Sadly, the answer to how to proceed wasn’t written on the ceiling. No matter how long he stared, it wasn’t going to appear. On there, in his coffee, or on TV. 

Stiles picked up his phone, unlocked it, and went to the keypad. 

But rather than punching in Scott’s numbers, he was dialing someone else. 

“Hey, Stiles. You okay?” Steve asked when he picked up after the third ring. 

“Why is that your first question?” Stiles asked, stalling from getting to the point of his call. 

“We’ve established we’re a lot alike. When I came home...dealing with the past wasn’t easy. There was technical stuff I knew I could tackle. But there was a lot of stuff to unpack that I dreaded having to deal with. So...are you okay? ” 

“I mean...I’m alive. Not bleeding.” 

“Technically, you’re okay. Which is good . But if you really want me to tell you, I will...you’re not okay. Emotionally.”

It was hard to hear. Especially from someone like Steve, but it helped to know that Steve didn’t mean it maliciously. He sighed deeply, running his free hand through his hair, and felt his eyes begin to burn. His facade was cracking. Even alone, he felt the shame washing over him as he thought of it as weakness. 

“I don’t want to be... not okay.” 

“Not because you don’t think you deserve to be okay, but because you think not being okay is a burden to your loved ones, ” Steve told him. 

He felt himself scoffing out a laugh, “Either you really were very much like me, or you’re one hell of a mind reader.” 

“You don’t have to do this. You can come back.” 

“...you’re not a liar, Steve. Don’t say stuff that’s not true.” 

“You can come back. Always. Whenever.” Steve said firmly. Then he added, “ You don’t have to do this now.”

“But I do have to do it. Even if not now, someday! I don’t get why I’m running in circles about this when I know what I have to do.” 

“Because in order to protect your sanity and not break down, you had to push emotions very deep down. Unpacking strong feelings and allowing them free after so long of them being restrained isn’t easy.” Steve told him. After a pause, he asked, “What are you going to do?” 

“...I’m going to call Scott. Tell him I’m in town. Ask to meet.” 

“That sounds like a good start.” 

“Derek’s asked me to inform my dad and Jordan before I do. He’s worried my luck might catch up with me.” Stiles told the older man, just to help ease the heaviness of the conversation. And Steve didn’t disappoint him. 

“Hey, we were having a great heart to heart. Now you’re going to make me admit that your supposed boyfriend’s talking logically with points I agree with? ” 

Stiles chuckled at him and told Steve, “He’s not my supposed boyfriend. He is my boyfriend.” 

“Does that mean he’s still coming to Hawaii?” 

“He’s nearly done storing things in New York and finishing up whatever other business he’s got there,” Stiles answered him. 

“Hmm.” 

“You don’t have to like him, Steve. You just gotta trust I know what I’m doing….on that front anyway,” Stiles took a moment of silence as a lot of thoughts coursed through his mind. He has been keeping a lot from his team. It’d been a nightmare when Braeden showed up in his life and created that chaos, and that rift between the team and him that never fully closed. Even now, Stiles couldn’t fully explain to Steve why the events from his childhood were so traumatizing that he was having such a hard time confronting the past. Hell, confronting the guy who at one point had been his best friend! “I’m making it hard for you to trust me, aren’t I?” 

“No! No, you’re…” Steve wanted to deny it, but this had been his chance to maybe pry. “ I don’t think you’re doing it on purpose. But I feel like there’s more to all of this that you’re not telling us.”

“Your instincts do you credit,” Stiles admitted.  

“But you still can’t tell us? Or even just me?” 

“It’s not that I don’t want to. There are...a lot of secrets. But they aren’t mine to share. I just...I got caught in the middle and had to experience it all. But they’re still not my secrets to share.”

If anyone would get that, it would be Steve. All the time he’s served in the Navy. All of the ops he’s done. Secrets he’s had to learn and live with...live through, but not be able to share. Steve would understand his internal struggles the most. 

“The moment you can, if it’ll make your life any easier…” 

“You’ll be the first to know. Swear.” Stiles promised. 

“Good. As for your call...you can do it. I’ve seen you go head to head with some of the most dangerous scumbags ever. I’ve seen you lunge into dangerous scenarios without fear. I’ve seen you take full and big bites out of Kamekona’s most insane new menu ideas. You, Stiles Stilinski, are a badass that can do it all!” 

That brought a genuine laugh out of him. Smiling, he said, “I’ll call you later. Tell Danny I said hi. Take care.” 

“You too, kid.” 

“Hello?”

“....It’s me.” 

“S-Stiles? !” Scott exclaimed. 

“Yeah. I’m...I’m back in town. And...I was wondering if you wanted to meet up. Talk.” It felt horribly wrong to be this curt with Scott. What he told Derek reigns true though. He knew Scott...once upon a time. So much has happened since the last time they saw each other. Stiles has changed a lot, and even if the memory of his ex-best friend was frozen in time, the actual Scott probably has changed as much as him. Or maybe not. It didn’t change the cold, hard truth that...they were strangers now. 

“Of course! Where are you? At your house? I’ll head over right away!” 

“No!” He cried out. Catching himself and counting mentally to five, he explained himself. “Look. This isn’t easy. And I don’t know what I’m even going to say to you when we’re face to face. But I know it’s something that’s gotta be done. But I can’t do it at my dad’s.”

“Right. Um, well...do you want to come over to my place?”

“Will Melissa mind?” 

“No. Not at all. Besides, she’s moved in with Argent. I took over paying the mortgage...with some of her help. But uh...still the same place.” Scott told him. 

“Oh. Right.” He should know that. Shaking his head, he reminded himself it wasn’t his job to be kept up to date about them anymore. He still feels like it would have been a jab he might have heard Peter make. Though he supposes their odd friendship kept Peter from disrespecting his wishes to keep Beacon Hills' problems and gossip in Beacon. “Look, Scott...this will be weird, awkward, and hard enough between the two of us. Can we please keep it that way?” 

Steve’s voice rang in his mind, reminding him he didn’t have to do it all on his own. If he could at least speak with Scott, that could be considered enough of a victory for the moment. Hashing it out with the True Alpha of Beacon Hills and then he could go back home and let his biggest worry be the team being wary of his new boyfriend. 

“S-sure. Sure, dude. I...when will you be over?”

Stiles looked at his watch. Deciding on a time would make it more concrete. Set. And he dreaded that. 

God, he dreaded meeting with Scott so much. But! Once it was over...he could head back to Hawaii. He could get this done today, spend the rest of the day with his dad and maybe Jordan too. He’ll call Derek and ask him to head towards Hawaii when he’s done in New York and he’ll be there too. 

That was his dream. No, his goal! He just had to get it done first. 

“I’ll be there in half an hour.” 

It was only because he promised Derek and told Steve about it, that he called his father. He hated lying to Steve, and he didn’t want to have lies and empty promises happen so early in his relationship with Derek. 

“Hey, I’m going to the McCall house.” 

“Really? You okay going on your own? I have a case but I can maybe transfer it to Parrish.” His dad told him. 

“No, it’s okay You don’t have to do that. Solve your case. Bet you’ll solve it before I finish my meeting with Scott. I asked him to be a one on one thing. But I promised Derek I’d tell you and Jordan before I went. I also told Steve I’d do what Derek asked. So…” 

“Good. Okay, good. I’ll be checking in. And I guess this thing with you and Derek is still set, huh? Steve accept it yet? ”

“Heh. Not really. I think he’s still hoping I’ll show back up to Hawaii alone.” 

“Well, I guess I know Derek a bit more than him. And all that makes him sketchy to others, makes him...not that bad a candidate for your significant other...” Noah said.

“High praise. Let’s wait a while before Derek hears it, kay?”

“No argument from me. I rather keep him on his toes thinking he’ll be pistol-whipped at any wrong move!”

“Dad!” 

“What? I get to be protective of you however I want. Especially when it comes to Derek, since physically, now Steve and Danny seem to have taken over my role.”

“What? Are you...jealous?” Stiles asked, incredulously. 

“I don’t mean to be. I witness how strongly they care for you. And more love for you is always a win. But I also saw that Steve will be able to be there for you in ways I maybe can’t.” 

“Dad...you’re my dad. My number one. The reason I didn’t completely go over the edge. I love you and no one can ever replace you.” 

“It’s good to hear that, kid. I feel it and I know it. But it’s damn good to hear.”  

“I should have visited more,” Stiles said. 

“Stiles… ” 

“I should have. And I should have...tried more.”

“Stiles. You did what you could. That’s the most I could ask of you. It...it wasn’t easy seeing you full of anger. Much less not being able to help you through it. I can only imagine what you’re feeling now, kiddo. But you survived so much...and did even more. You got to a place where you learned to be a team member. With people you like...Of course, I wish you could have found peace sooner, but you’re resilient. And you found it anyway.”

Peace…

 Had he found peace? 

Hawaii was peaceful. Even with all that he’s gone through with Five-Oh. If that’s the case then...what’s he looking for here? 

“Stiles? You still there, kiddo?” 

“Hm? Yeah! Yeah, just...got lost in thought for a moment.” 

“About?” His father coaxed. 

“What the hell am I looking to get out of my conversation with Scott?” 

He didn’t have an answer, nor did his father. The McCall house wasn’t too far but both Stilinski men knew that Stiles delaying this wasn’t going to help him. They said their farewells for now, with promises of having some comfort food for dinner, before Stiles began to make his way to Scott’s. 

Once there, he stayed in his car for a long while. Pulling up some pictures on his phone of him and his dad with the Ohana helped give him some courage. With a deep sigh, he got out of his vehicle and walked up to the door. 

Before his hand could land on the door to knock, it was yanked open, and...there he was. Scott McCall.  

“I...I wasn’t sure you were going to get out of the car.” Scott admitted with a nervous chuckle. 

Stiles didn’t chuckle. He kept his face neutral and did his best to stand firm and tall, with straightened shoulders. “For a moment, I wasn’t sure either. May I come in?” 

“Yes! Of course, come in!” Scott stepped sideways, opening the door even wider, to let Stiles in. 

Taking a breath, Stiles walked in and Scott closed the door behind him. They stood awkwardly there before Scott cleared his throat, “Do you want anything to drink?” 

He was very tempted. 

A drink would make him feel calmer. Probably make it easier for him to talk about things. He nearly accepted until he saw an old childhood photo. It wasn’t of him and Scott, and it wasn’t even younger Scott who was still his friend then that affected his decision. 

Of all people, it was seeing the photo of Raf McCall that steeled his resolve. When his journey first really began, McCall told him that his drinking needed to stop. Or at least be under better control. 

Falling back into drink now, because of this, was taking steps backward. Not forward where he wanted. 

Shaking his head, he said, “No. I...I’m good.” 

Even if it wasn’t an alcoholic drink, Stiles didn’t need distractions. He wanted to tackle the business head-on. As he tried to think of what he could say or how to start this off, there’s a knock on the door. 

Stiles froze. He looked at Scott who looked incredibly guilty. Before either of them could speak, Stiles heard a voice coming through. 

“Scott! What happened? Did he come?” 

Lydia. 

He looked demandingly at Scott, who couldn’t meet his gaze. “They were...they were there when you called.” 

Stiles’s eyes widened for a second before he glared more to demand more. 

When Scott surrendered, he explained, “Malia heard your voice. What you said. She told Lydia and...they both knew.”

Panic began to rise in him. Lydia continued to know, but soon enough Stiles heard Malia’s voice. Before he knew what he was doing, he ran into the bathroom and locked the door. He ignored Scott calling his name. 

Inside, he rested his back against the door. Acting as something to barricade the door a bit, while also having something to keep him up. 

Instincts fought inside of him. The voices outside were like whispers. Whether they finally learn how to properly whisper or if their voices were just being toned down because he was spiraling...Stiles had no idea. 

In a blink, he went from resting against the door to jumping out the window and bolting down the street. About a block away he hijacked a car, and then found himself driving at top speed before he decided on where to go. 

His place wasn’t an option. 

That would be the first place they might look. The sheriff’s station followed. There wasn’t anywhere else he felt comfortable enough going right now. Derek’s loft may be an option, but it would just make him sad. To be in a place Derek owned without him. 

Not to mention since, after their talk, Stiles can’t help but feel like Beacon wasn’t home and hasn’t been home, for either of them. The loft wouldn’t supply any sort of comfort. 

Knocking hard on the door he waited impatiently for the owner to answer. 

“If you’re here to return my nephew, I’m afraid I’m not giving out refunds.” 

Stiles half glared at Peter and pushed past him to get inside. “Trust me. I’d much rather be with Derek at the moment.” 

“Ah. Met up with the pack, huh? By your reaction, I’m assuming it went as well as one could only imagine with that lot.” Peter drawled as he closed the door. Heading over to his minbar, he asked, “Whiskey?”

“I rejected a drink from Scott. I think I should reject one from you too.” 

“You’ve drunk with me before.” Peter reminded him as he served himself from his own Wolf Brew. 

“Circumstances are different,” Stiles replied. 

“How? You were wallowing then, you’re wallowing now.” 

“I’m not wallowing!” Stiles indignantly exclaimed. 

Peter rolled his eyes, “Right.” 

“Jesus, you’re a pain to deal with,” Stiles growled out. 

“Yet here you are. And despite what you say, you’re also desperately in need of a drink.” He sat across from Stiles who made himself at home in Peter’s living room. Took his time savoring his drink before asking, “So, you decided to have a chat with Scott sober, but then it got too much, and you bailed huh?”   

Stiles groaned. “Can we not talk about that? Please?” 

“Pin on it for now. So...how’s paradise? It’s not been set aflame since you’ve left it unguarded?” 

“Hawaii’s fine. It was only so chaotic because someone brought chaos.” Stiles answered him. Bitterness recalling those events in any form, still strongly present. 

“Hmm. So you left that kid unguarded? That’s bold. The Yakuza seemed very invested in getting their hands on him.” Peter commented. 

“Who said he was left unguarded? And even if it’s been a while, you remember how annoying I was to villainous plots, right? That was before I knew how to properly assemble a sniper rifle. I have more lethal knowledge, plus Five-Oh.” 

“Hmm...quite the threat you’ve become indeed. Who would have thought.” Peter paused to sip his drink. Then he smirked at Stiles as he told him, “Oh, that’s right. Me. That's why I offered you the bite.” 

“Am I supposed to feel flattered?” Stiles asked with an unimpressed expression and raised an eyebrow. 

“A little. You’ve become aware of how high my taste and standards are. Despite how you dressed, I always held you in high regard.” 

“I remember that very differently.” 

“To this day, I will swear you never looked in a mirror before you were twenty. I had a reputation to keep. And you….well, now you look more than dashing!” Peter snarked. As Stiles tried to work out that insult and compliment, Peter followed up with, “Has he accepted what he is?”

“No.”

“Hmm. You’ve got another Scott McCall on your hands. How tedious.” 

“Nahele’s not like Scott,” Stiles told Peter firmly. 

“Isn’t he? How much easier would your life have been, your father’s life had been, if Scott had accepted what he became sooner? How better would your lives be if he hadn’t tried to ignore the insane, serious change he went through and put all of your lives at stake just to pretend he was a normal boy to be able to get the girl he confused lust for love for? And that’s not even touching on who said girl and her family even were!” 

“Nahele knows about the supernatural. He knows who to avoid. He knows how to not make my life harder….” 

“But now you and he, and a whole bunch of others know he’s not just human like he thought he was. Knowing is dangerous. And whether he or you or anyone else likes it, knowing will somehow trigger powers down the line. And it could be at the worst time! You weren’t the one to be in denial, Stiles. How can you not see that history is repeating itself?” 

“Because Hawaii is different!” Stiles yelled. 

“It’s where you started over. It’s where you found your new home. Your new pack. And you don’t want anything messy coming in and ruining it. Or nearly ruining it.” Peter downed the rest of his drink and told Stiles. “Messy’s already there, Stiles.” 

Peter stood and went to refill his drink. 

“Say it,” Stiles told him. 

He took his time preparing his drink. Letting the silence loom between them for dramatic effect. Once his drink was ready, he slowly returned to his seat and leaned back. He crossed his legs and stared off with Stiles, taking a sip of his drink as he did so. 

“How long do you think you can keep your team from learning that’s really out there?” 

“Steve was in a mood earlier...process of elimination points to you.”

Stiles looked at the clock and realized Steve might have expected Stiles to check-in by now. “I guess.”

“Everything okay?” Tani asked. 

“Earlier I called Steve because I was delaying calling someone I was going to meet today.”

“Oh. How’d it go?”

“I ended up bolting through the bathroom window. I stole a car. And now I’m kind of too embarrassed to call Steve to tell him about it.” Stiles answered. 

“Wow. That’s...a lot to unpack. What exactly happened?” 

“I was cowardly, Tani. I...I don’t think I can do it. No matter how much hype and reassurance I get, I just...I can’t! This time, my instincts took over. But it either was a form of a panic attack or one will be set off soon!”  

“Stiles! Breathe! Okay, breathe…” After hearing Stiles breathe for a while, she added, “Come back. No one but yourself is forcing you to do this. You can try again later...but for now, come back and recharge.” 

Stiles closed his eyes. He felt a hot, itchy tear run down his cheek as the feeling of failure washed over him. 

“I’ll talk with my dad later tonight. I’ll be back to Oahu sooner than expected.” 

“We’ll be very happy to have you back. And it’s not...it’s not a failure.” 

“Just a cold case because I got cold feet, huh?” He pulled the phone away so he could sniff and wipe his nose without Tani hearing. He missed part of what she told him, but he could guess what she said. “I’ll call you later with flight details. Or I’ll ask Steve to tell you if I can’t. If only to make life saner for you guys, I’ll tell him first.”

He could hear the grin on her face when she told him, “ Understood. Take care.”

“I was beginning to worry.” 

“I lost track of time…” Stiles sighed as he answered Derek’s call. 

“Well, I can imagine you’ve had plenty to discuss with Scott. Yet…” 

“Yeah, that didn’t happen.” He sighed again and deeper. 

“And I was lying earlier. I wasn’t beginning to worry. I was worried all along. What happened?” Derek asked

“I asked Scott to meet solo one on one. Maybe it’s my fault. I should have remembered that numbers mean different things to werewolves. Remind me what the number Pack means again?” 

“Asshole,” Derek told him lovingly. There was a pause before he asked sincerely, “Are you alright?” 

“I couldn’t do it.”

“You left?” 

“Through the bathroom window. Stole a car too.”

“Did they follow you?” 

“No. They might have tried. It was all so blurry. I ended up at Peter’s.” 

“What?” 

“I know. But compared to everyone else, he was better company.”

“Hope you didn’t tell him that. It’ll go right to his ego.”

Stiles scoffed, “It’s Peter. No matter how much easier it is to talk to him, it doesn’t take away how much of a douche he is.” 

“Still the guy you call when facing the Yakuza though.” 

“Are you always going to bring that up?” 

“Not always. Only when I feel petty.”

They were both quiet and it should have been awkward. Maybe not for Derek, but for Stiles at least. It’s what he expected. As everything from the day began to replay in his mind, he realized he was expecting Beacon Hills to bring out the Stiles that had left here. The broken, weak, and completely out of his depth teenager!  

“I wanna go back to Hawaii….”

There was a pause before Derek said, “I can book a flight that’ll have us there the same day if you want me there too.” 

“You’d do that for me?” Stiles asked, even though he already knew Derek was moving to the island just for him. 

“Of course.” 

Stiles smiled for a moment before it fell. “I...god, I want to so badly but I can’t. I’m keeping so much from the team. If I don’t fix this thing with Scott, or at least give it a damn real try then...I’ll go back to Hawaii with nothing to show for the lies!” 

“Your team may not like knowing there are things you haven’t told them, but I don’t think they hold it completely against you. And you can figure out how to tell them what happened without the supernatural element.” 

“Maybe. But Derek...the supernatural will be part of our lives. And even if I can keep it from them for a time, it won’t be forever. My team will eventually figure out what’s really out there! Nahele isn't human. Part of the Yakuza’s not human and I’ve made them enemies.”

“And to top it all off, you’re bringing a city werewolf boyfriend along into the mix.” 

 “I gotta deal with the pack. I have to feel like I’ve done something to validate this trip.”  

“Your dad is more than enough reason for a visit,” Derek told him. 

“You’re just trying to suck up,” Stiles told him lamely. 

“You got like three dads now. And only one of them somewhat likes me.” 

“You took a bullet for Danny. He likes you.”

“McGarrett doesn’t.” 

“Well, you’ve got that hot murderer vibe still going for you.” 

“You still think I’m hot?” 

“Did you not hear the murderer part?” 

“You knew how to deal with me before. Now you can kick my ass. I think you’ll be fine.” 

“...I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” 

“Can you come here? I know it’s asking a lot but...I need you.”

“I’ll book the next flight.” 

“Hey. You guys busy?” Stiles asked after Steve answered. He knew they should be done with the day. So long as they didn’t have a case, they should be home. 

“No. We’re waiting for food to arrive while watching a game. What’s up?” Steve asked. 

Stiles could hear the anxiousness in his voice and knew that the other had been waiting on news in regards to what happened with his meeting with Scott. “I just wanted to fill you in about how my day went.” 

“Oh? How’d it go? You’re on speaker and just Danny in the room.”

“Eddie too.” Danny added before he said, “ How are you, kid?”  

“Uh…” He took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves so he could be honest. “Not at my best. I...I wanna head back to Hawaii.” 

The room was quiet. If it wasn’t for Eddie giving a bark in the background, Stiles would have thought the line got disconnected. 

“You know you can.” Steve finally spoke up and told him gently. 

“I know. I just...that feeling of an unfinished case feels horrible in the pit of my stomach.”

“We can always go and fly to you. Be there for backup.” Danny offered. 

That filled him with so much panic and dread, he fumbled with his words. “No! No, it...i-it’s fine! I...Derek’s coming here!” Which maybe wasn’t the best thing to tell Steve. 

“Derek? Are you sure you don’t want us to head up there?” Steve asked. 

“I’m sure. After the splendors of Hawaii, Beacon Hills will be a terrible disappointment.” Stiles tried to steer the conversation away from them worrying too much about him. He missed them, he wasn’t denying that. He wishes he could tell them everything so they could understand, but no. It wasn’t time yet! 

Steve began to say something but Danny cut him off. “Let us know when Derek gets there? Tell him we say hi and can’t wait to see you both in Hawaii.” 

Stiles frowned a bit, not expecting that. He didn’t have anything else to say so he nodded before he remembered it wasn’t a video call. “Yeah. I’ll do that. I think I see my dad’s cruiser pulling up. I’ll check in later, yeah?”

“We’ll be here,” Danny said and after a curt goodbye from Steve, the phone call ended. 

“They’re up to something,” Stiles said aloud. 

“Who?” Noah asked as he hung up his keys and belt by the door. 

“Steve and Danny. I was just on the phone with them…” Stiles replied. Feeling guilty all of a sudden as he realized he had to tell his dad his trip was ending sooner than he expected. 

“They’re worried, I get it,” Noah stated. 

“Before you found out werewolves were a real thing...what did you think was really wrong with me?” 

Noah gave him a look before he clarified, “Nothing. Nothing was wrong with you... but I feared the normal stuff. Drugs, mostly. Well, drinking too. Since after losing your mom...I supplied a lot of temptation.” 

“Did learning the truth feel better than thinking that?” Stiles couldn’t help but ask. 

“In some ways. In the way that...we were on the same page again. We knew what we were dealing with, and we could deal with it together.”

“And in other ways?” Stiles followed up. 

Noah sighed, “It’s freaking werewolves, Stiles. Part of me wishes some of our problems could have stayed the boring, mundane, human kind. But...this is our hand we’ve been dealt. Maybe I’m biased, but I think we’ve been playing the game pretty well. For a couple of humans.” 

Stiles smiled slightly at that. 

He’s survived Beacon Hills once. His father has survived it ever since. “I think I’m going to give Scott one more try before I head back to Hawaii.”

“You sure?” 

“I survived because I adapted as needed. Scott might not meet me alone again, since he might not be able to control his pack. So...I adapt. Derek will be here in a few hours. We can meet in numbers if one on one won’t do.” 

“I can be there for you too, ya know,” Noah told him. 

“You've always been there for me. But this is something that….” Stiles sought the right words. 

“That doesn’t need to feel like the parents are going to solve it?”

“I know it’s not a kiddy issue. But...basically.”

“Despite the danger of feeling like a broken record, you know I’m here if you need me.”

“I know. But how about we cook something together? Like real old time’s sake.”

“Did you take anything out of the freezer before you left?” Noah asked with a small smirk, already knowing the answer.

Stiles paused for a moment before he rephrased, “How about we go out to eat together….for old time’s sake?”

“Come on. Burgers and curly fries it is.” Noah said, reaching for his keys. 

“You think I’m being ridiculous, don’t you?” Steve asked. 

“I’m the last one who can be judgemental about the parental worry you have right now, Steve,” Danny answered him. 

Steve sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “It’s not the same though, is it? Stiles isn’t my son. And he’s got a father right there with him. Who knows what’s actually going on.” 

Danny could hear the hurt in Steve’s words. It wasn’t fair, but he was well aware that Stiles wasn’t keeping things from them to be spiteful or vindictive. He was aware of information that wasn’t his to share. Which only made the situation more complicated. 

There was an enemy, or whatever best fits the term, that Stiles was struggling against and they couldn’t help. Not because they weren’t willing...but it wasn’t their fight. And Stiles was keeping it from being their fight. 

“He’ll be mad about this,” Steve said as he motioned to his phone, which displayed their booked tickets on the screen. 

“Yeah, well, I recall you not wanting me to go up to Montana either, but I went anyway. In the end, you were damn grateful for my presence, weren’t you?” Danny inquired. 

Steve smiled a small smile as he pulled Danny close and kissed him. “More than I could say. You kept me grounded. Reminded me of the life I had made after the Navy. Of the present and future I shouldn't throw away because of things in the past I couldn't change.” 

“So now together, we’ll be there to help Stiles remember the life he’s built in Hawaii. Of what he can enjoy once he deals with whatever he has to deal with…”

“And with us being actually there, maybe it’ll be easier to tell us what’s really going on,” Steve added. 

“That too. Now come on. We’ll text Tani and Junior from the airport so they can pick up the car and drive it back.” Danny told him. They finished packing their bags and headed off. Danny knew Stiles might be upset with them for the sudden drop in, but he also knew Steve’s limits. If he didn’t help Steve find a way to help Stiles, he’d do something McGarrett-y, and if you add that to Stiles’s Stilinski factor….that might be something mankind isn’t ready for.

Chapter Text

“Derek’s flight got delayed. Maybe I might take you to resolve my problem with the pack after all.” Stiles told his dad after reading Derek’s text.  

“Don’t sound so disappointed. I’m sure Derek will be there as you deal with plenty of Hawaiian problems once you get back to Oahu.” Noah told him in turn. 

“You sure you wanna get in the middle of this?” Stiles asked. Before his dad could reply, Stiles sighed, “What am I saying? You’re the one who's been showing his face to the pack while I haven’t. Maybe it’s fitting that it’s you after all.”

Noah ruffled Stiles’s hair fondly, “I’m your dad. Pretty sure this falls under my fatherly duties. So...when are we meeting the pack?”

Stiles texted Scott and got a reply not too long after. “In an hour.” 

Noah called Parrish just to give him a heads up that he might need him to cover his later shift for him. 

Twenty minutes later, however, Stiles gets a text from Scott telling him the meeting might need to be postponed. 

“Why?” His father asked. 

Stiles waited for a reply to that very question. When he got a reply, he showed it to his dad while quoting it aloud, “Something came up.”

Noah read the look on Stiles’s face and told him, “Maybe it’s a sign. Why don’t you go pack? Make sure you bring everything you want back to Hawaii with you. You’re bridging the gap. Having some mementos from here that you like might be just the touch your apartment needs.” 

Frowning rather than feeling relief, he asked, “Stilinski luck?”

“There’s nothing we’ve noticed…”

“I can’t leave knowing something might be going on,” Stiles said. 

“Yes. Yes, you can, and you will. Jordan and I can take care of ourselves and this town. You...Hawaii needs you. Nahele needs you. Five-Oh needs you.” Noah told him as he rested his hand on Stiles’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. 

“So I just... go?”  It was what he wanted. He could even say he gave it another go but it didn’t work out and it wasn’t his fault it didn’t. Why did he not feel better about that? 

“Not without one last dinner. Derek will be here...eventually. So why don’t we have him over, Jordan too. We’ll talk...I don’t know, protocols we can set up. For what you’ll do or how to handle supernatural stuff in Hawaii. Prep speeches to tell the team when it’s time. Don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind that it’s crossed your mind. You’re not alone in this, kid. If they find out...you don’t have to worry about being caught without a plan about that.” Noah reassured him. 

Stiles was glad his dad was optimistically saying if and not when. He was also glad at the reminder that if...or when shit hit the fan, he’ll be better equipped to handle the fall out now than when he was a teenager.  

Taking a deep breath, he nodded as he tried to accept it. “I guess...I’ll go pack. You gonna head into work after all, I guess?” 

“Think so. I’ll tell Jordan our plans and we’ll go from there, okay?” 

“Okay.” 

“We keep meeting like this and my dear nephew might begin to feel jealous.” 

“He’s on his way here,” Stiles deadpanned.

“To my place? To what do I owe this honor?” 

“To Beacon Hills. The closest flight he could take had a layover. But a storm’s kept him grounded but...look, I’m heading back to Hawaii.” 

“So why are you here?”

“To pick you up. We’re heading to the school, or more accurately, the Hale Vault.” Stiles informed him. 

At that, Peter frowned but asked, “Why?”

“I’m not going to ask Malia to do it, and I need your claws to get in,” Stiles replied with a casual shrug. 

“What do you want from the vault?” Peter questioned. 

“I want to see what’s in there. I’ve talked with Derek about it slightly. I would have waited for him but...I got nothing else to do. I feel...restless. I need something to do, and inventory of the Hale Vault seems overdue. Maybe there’ll be something useful that’ll help me with Nahele.” 

“You’re taking a lot of liberties with Hale property when it hasn’t even been a month anniversary with you and my nephew,” Peter drawled. 

“I am. Because when it comes to making good use of things, of coming through when needed, you know better than to doubt me.” Stiles told him honestly. 

Which Peter heard clearly. He clicked his tongue before he sighed, “Assuming your Jeep’s still on the island, what are we taking?” 

“I got an Uber here. So whatever car you’ve got.” Stiles told him. 

“Am I not worth stealing a car for?” 

“Not during a normal day. Should you be in Hawaii while we’re in a situation that calls for it, given all the rich tourists, I’ll steal you the fanciest car we can spot.” Stiles deadpanned. 

“Splendid! Let’s get going.” 

“How was the flight?” Parrish asked when he met Derek at arrivals. 

“After the layover and delay, it felt eternal. Thanks for driving my car over.” Derek thanked him as he stretched. Even if he had a first-class seat, being cooped up in a small space with a lot of humans who had a whirlwind of emotions...he more than felt stir crazy. 

“No problem. I was out driving on patrol anyway, on the Sheriff’s orders.” 

Derek frowned at that, and asked, “Everything okay?” 

“Well...Scott bailed on meeting with Stiles. He doesn’t want to worry Stiles, we’re not sure if it’s even a big deal or not, but he wants my eyes and ears open for anything that might be happening around Beacon. Business as usual.” Parrish explained. 

“I see,” Derek said. Now feeling a sinking feeling grow. Peter and Stiles doing inventory of the Hale Vault felt like tempting fate far too much. “Can I drop you off anywhere before heading to the school?”

“That’s where Stiles and Peter went? The vault?” Parrish questioned.

“Mm. He wants to see if there’s anything there that might be useful...when we’re in...Hawaii.” Derek trailed off as he picked up the voices of two very familiar beings. 

“You know those guys?” Parrish asked after he followed Derek’s gaze. 

Feeling pairs of eyes on them, the two men looked back, different expressions on both. The blond seemed surprised. The brunette seemed annoyed. 

“Sort of. I took a bullet for the blond. And was given quite the shovel talk by the other guy.” 

At first, he was confused. Then it sank in, and he looked from Derek to the pair, back to Derek. “Those are Danny and Steve?” 

“Yep.”

“Does Stiles know they were coming?” Parrish asked. 

“Nope.” 

“They’re coming this way. Want me to tag along?”

“Would you?” Derek wasn’t sure at all how to deal with this. But having Danny and Steve in Beacon Hills spelled disaster in a lot of ways if they weren’t careful. Derek would have to handle them until they got to the Stilinski house and Stiles or Noah could take the reins. 

“Derek. We thought you’d be here by now.” Danny said in greeting. 

“Bad weather can be a bitch when traveling,” Derek replied. He wanted to get as much information so he could relay it to Stiles, so he asked, “What are you two doing here?” 

“Stiles needed...support.” Steve settled on. 

“He has that here. And from afar. I’m sure your calls helped enough.” Derek said. 

“Maybe. But we’re pretty bad at sitting still when a team member needs help.” Danny said, feeling the awkwardness thicken the air already. 

Before he could say anything else, Steve stared directly at the other man Derek had been talking to and demanded, “Who are you?” 

The man didn’t look anything like Derek, and after reading his files didn’t think he was a family member. He may not be thrilled about Derek and Stiles' relationship, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t protective of Stiles. This man was rather handsome and so Steve’s protectiveness was kicking in at full throttle. 

“Deputy Jordan Parrish. I work with Stiles’s dad.” 

“Oh! You’re Jordan?” Danny asked, trying to smooth over Steve’s protective accusation so things wouldn’t become even more awkward than they already were. “Stiles mentioned you a lot. You’re like an older brother to him.” 

“I do my best to keep the Sheriff on Stiles’s healthy diet as a son would,” Parrish answered sheepishly, feeling more than awkward. And he wasn’t the boyfriend here. He looked over at Derek with slight panic, and maybe not so subtly for help.

“I like driving my own car, so I asked Parrish to drive it here before I dropped him off,” Derek explained the unasked question. As much as he dreaded a yes, he asked them, “Can I offer you guys a lift?” 

“That’s fine, we’ll just take a tax-” Steve began, but Danny elbowed his side. 

“Thank you. We’d appreciate it.” 

“I thought you’d be off with Stiles,” Noah commented when he saw Derek leaning on Parrish’s desk. 

“I would be. But he’s not answering and I needed to drop them off.” Derek answered. 

“Them?” Noah asked with confusion. He knew that Parrish was going to be picking Derek up, but he didn’t know anyone else. When Derek nudged his head towards Noah’s office, the Sheriff’s eyes widened when he saw who was in there. “What are they doing here?” 

“They were worried about Stiles,” Derek replied. 

“They are also not too keen on Derek. More so the Steve guy.” Parrish commented. There was an awkward pause before he added, “He tried to drive Derek’s car. And I...I’ve been in some pretty awkward situations, boss. But...that drive was hell.” 

“Tried? So he didn’t?” Noah asked Derek, with an impressed raised eyebrow. 

“It’s my car,” Derek stated. 

“Stiles has made it clear that when Steve McGarrett wants to drive...he drives.” 

“Well, Steve McGarrett is far from home.” 

“He won’t be for too long. The goal is to get Stiles back to Hawaii. The plan also involved you going back with him, right?”

“You think I should have handed over the keys to my car?”  

“No,” Noah admitted as he crossed his arms. “I’m very impressed you didn’t. And though he might not like it, or even admit it, I think it was one of those power moves that helped strengthen your position in his mind as Stiles’s boyfriend.” 

“Or convinced him more that he’s controlling.” Parrish chimed in. 

“There’s that too.” Noah agreed. 

“This...is not the point!” Derek exclaimed. They caught a bit of attention from everyone, but after a pause, they all went back to work. Or pretended to as they tried to eavesdrop as best as possible. “The point is...they’re here. Parrish thinks you suspect something might be going on. Stiles is with Peter of all people. This is all stirring up to be quite the storm if we’re not careful. I’m going to go find Stiles. Figure out how to keep them placated until we all go back to Hawaii!” 

They watched Derek storm off. Parrish then asked his boss, “Need me to do anything?”

“Mind restocking the fridge? We might as well offer them a nice Stilinski family meal while they’re here.”

“Sure thing, boss. Anything else?” 

“Get a bottle of decent whiskey. Maybe two.” Noah told him with an affirmative pat on the back before heading to his office. 

“Gentlemen...didn’t think I’d be seeing you so soon,” Noah said in greeting. 

Danny and Steve stood to greet and shake Noah’s hand. 

“We’re sorry for the random drop-in,” Danny apologized. 

“We were just worried about Stiles. His calls made it seem like he was having a hard time.” Steve tried to explain. Now that he was here, he didn’t feel as sure as he had done when he booked the flight. All of the parental protective feelings were churning with insecurity as he stood in the office of Stiles's actual father! 

Noah gave them a small, but warm and genuine smile as he invited them to retake their seats. After he took his usual seat behind his desk, he began, “Ever since losing his mother...Stiles used sarcasm as one of his strongest defenses. As he got older and did the work asked of him, his shields grew. My boy is very strong. He’s clever. But the hurt that pushed him to become that strong stemmed from here. It’s not easy...and he tried his best.” 

“Did something happen?” Steve asked with concern. “I mean, we’ve talked with Stiles but...we know he wouldn’t want us to worry too much. Is he okay?”

“He is. He just feels disappointed because it doesn’t seem like he completed the mission he came here to complete.” Noah answered. Elaborating more when he saw them share another concerned look, he said, “He wanted to meet with one person on his own. Have a needed one-on-one. But when he made the original call, others overheard. Unable to keep themselves from showing up, they did and he felt….”

“Ganged up on,” Danny suggested.

“Outnumbered.” At the same time, Steve replied as well. 

“Yeah. He wanted to try again….this time with me going with him, but his old friends seemed to have canceled. Stiles was actually going to head back to Hawaii sooner rather than expected.” 

Steve was preparing to ask something when the door swung open and Parrish rushed inside. He gave Steve and Danny an uncertain expression before he looked at his boss. “A call came in. About the school.”

Noah’s eyes widened. Stiles. Derek should be on the way too! 

Standing, he reached for his jacket and hat to rush them on. To the pair, he said, “I’m very sorry about this. I’ll have one of the deputies take you back to the house. You can make yourselves at home. I’ll find Stiles after this and go and find you.” 

He and Parrish were gone before either of them could say anything. 

“It feels so damn weird,” Steve said. 

“Being at a station and not having power?” Danny asked. 

“Yeah. I hate it.” 

“Me too,” Danny admitted. 

“The look in his eye...there was too much panic there, Danny,” Steve commented. 

“Something going on at a school is potentially panic-inducing.” Danny tried to be calm and logical about it. He knew where Steve was going with this. As much as he hadn’t wanted to see it either, he did. He recognized parental panic when he saw it. 

“Stiles is at that school,” Steve stated. 

“Yeah. I think he is too.” Danny said as he watched a deputy come towards the office. “We’re hijacking a cruiser, aren’t we?”

“Most likely. After we find out the address of that school.” 

“For once I wish we could go somewhere without breaking the law.” 

“Are you not in?” Steve asked with a raised eyebrow at his Danno. 

“You know I am, but I can still wish on things that can’t be real, can’t I?” Danny sarcastically asked. 

“I’ll make it up to you. I’ll do that thing you like.” Steve compromised. 

“You’ll do that, plus the dishes, laundry, and PTA meetings for the next three months.” Danny bargained. 

“Fine. Just...follow my lead.” 

“Don’t I always?” 

“Yes, but usually with a lot of unhelpful commentary.” 

“I still do a marvelous job.” Danny quipped. 

“One of the many reasons I love you.” 

“How high on that list is my hair?” Danny couldn’t help but be curious.

“Nearly tied with your ass,” Steve replied with a smirk before the deputy came in and explained he was the one who was going to drive them to the Stilinski house. 

“Where the hell is there even a bog near here?” Stiles hissed as he blasted another vine from the monster. 

“They’re here for a power boost from the Nemeton. I think they’re more than willing to let their determination get them through the discomfort,” Lydia stated as she and Malia shut the doors to the vault. 

“That was...impressive,” Scott told Stiles awkwardly. 

“I know.” It wasn’t cocky. Or maybe it was. He didn’t feel it, however. While he and Peter were taking stock of everything the vault still had, the pack seemed to have brought whatever canceled their meet-up to the school. Before leaving the house, because he knew he’d be with Peter at his old high school, Stiles had the foresight to bring the gun his dad kept in the gun safe.

Hearing Malia in trouble, Peter rushed to her aid. Stiles followed close behind to see Scott, Lydia, and Malia being attacked by some sort of creature.  

Stiles didn’t want to waste bullets since after one shot he didn’t seem to make too much damage. Luckily, he saw an ax behind a glass case. And boy, if this wasn’t an emergency to use it, he didn’t know what was. 

Gun holstered, he wielded the ax more than well. The monster’s speed wasn’t heightened by any supernatural ability, so Stiles was able to read and predict a lot of its movements. Unluckily, however, the vines weren’t much like limbs at all. Cutting them off, did little to stop the monster. 

The pack managed to head back towards the vault with Stiles slowing down the monster mostly on his own. Scott and Peter teamed up to punch it at once, throwing it far away enough to give them a chance to close the vault. Only one of the tentacle vines struggling to get through until Stiles shot it. 

It’s been a while since he’s been up against anything supernatural, but his abilities are anything but dull. 

“What does this thing want?” Stiles asked. 

“Power,” Malia replied. 

“And they want to seep it from the Nemeton?” Stiles guessed. 

“Seems likely,” Lydia answered. 

“It’s been a while, but doesn’t the Nemeton hide itself until it wants to be found?” Stiles asked. 

“Yes, but, and this is just an estimated guess...celestial calendar thing is going on?” Peter said, with his own guess. 

Scott sighed but nodded. “Deaton’s been noticing it a lot in some of the animals we’ve been getting in lately. And according to him, there is something special about this full moon. So not only is the Nemeton still acting like a supernatural beacon, it’s being sensed more easily...while tempting those with the promise of power.”

“Can something use this month to get a mega supernatural boost?” Stiles asked. Mentally he was screaming at himself not to get involved. But he couldn’t help it. Not when he knew something was going on and his dad was in danger. 

“Yes. We’re just not sure of the requirements it’s going to use to get them.” Lydia said ominously. 

Stiles didn’t need to be reminded of the sacrifices that were made that nearly cost him his dad. 

Before he could say anything to that Peter, Scott, and Malia doubled over in pain as they covered their ears. 

“What’s going on?” Stiles demanded. 

“It sounds...like Argent’s...sonic whistle things…” Scott panted through the pain. 

Stiles strained his ears, and though he couldn’t hear the super high sounds as the wolves could, he did hear the sirens of a police cruiser. If anyone called in trouble at the school, he knew his dad would answer the call. 

“Open the doors,” Stiles told Peter.

“What? There’s a monster on the other side?” Lydia reminded him. 

“And my dad’s probably out there. Open the door, Peter.” Stiles ordered. 

Peter did as Stiles asked. Luck was relative to who you asked. The monster not being on the other side as the vault opened was good...until Stiles thought of where it actually was. Chances were that it was being a threat to his dad, which had him gripping the ax tightly before running up to the school. 

It wasn’t long before he ran into Derek! 

Kneeling in front of his boyfriend, Stiles set the ax down so he could cup Derek’s face and inspect him. “Hey! Hey, are you okay?” 

It took a moment for Derek to actually nod. “Argen’s whistle finally stopped. But I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.”

“I guess he was seeing if it worked against the bog witch’s creature,” Stiles said. 

“Bog witch?” Derek questioned. 

“Trust me, you don’t want to know.” 

“No, that’s not it. There’s a bog witch too?” Derek asked. 

“What do you mean too? What else is out there?” Stiles demanded. 

“Werewolf. Single one, it seems. But feral.” Derek answered as he stood his full height. When he did, Stiles saw the claw marks on Derek’s shirt. As well as blood stains the healed wounds left behind. 

“Fuck. My dad’s out here, isn’t he?” 

“Yes, but he’s with Parrish.” Derek tried to add some good news. 

“Well, that’s something. Let’s get to them before anything else bad happens.” Stiles said as he picked up the ax. 

Derek didn’t move for a moment. The look on his face wasn’t something Stiles was very keen on. It read as bad news. 

“What?”

“...well, I don’t know how bad it is. But it’s not good,” Derek said in a very vague way. 

“Not the time for you to mimic Deaton’s crypticness, Der.”

Derek sighed but nodded in agreement. That was never helpful, especially in moments like these. Still, he hated telling Stiles in a moment like this. 

“Well?” Stiles coaxed.   

“McGarrett and Williams are in Beacon.”

“What?” 

“I ran into them at the airport. Drove them to the station. The last thing I knew, they were in your dad’s office.” Derek explained. 

Panic washed over him as he looked out of the window. He knew Steve and Danny. If they were here...then his gut instincts were willing to place a huge bet that they weren’t in his dad’s office waiting. 

“They’re here,” Stiles repeated. 

“Most likely.” Derek agreed with him. Knowing that Stiles didn’t just mean here in California. 

“This is not how they were supposed to find out.” Stiles closed his eyes as he tried not to let the panic in him take over. 

Before Derek could say anything, a roar was heard not too far away, followed by gunshots. 

They ran past the science labs, so Stiles popped in for a moment to grab what he needed to make a Molotov Cocktail. 

He and Derek arrived in time to see the rogue wolf charge at Danny and Steve. The brunette having been hurt and Danny aiming his gun at the beast. 

Derek shifted as he charged and tackled the beast away some distance. Stiles yelled at him to move, which Derek did, and Stiles threw the cocktail and watched the beast ignite. 

Another shot was heard, and Argent appeared from the tree line. He nodded to Stiles that he had the beast so he could tend to his friends. 

Stiles and Derek rushed to Steve, Danny already kneeling by his side. It looked like he’d been clawed. Not too deep, but they still needed to get Steve to the hospital. Derek picked up Steve like it was nothing, and Stiles saw the black lines from Derek’s arms, as his boyfriend took as much pain from Steve as he could. 

As they made it to the cruiser, Danny told him, “A very serious talk needs to be had.” 

“Let’s get Steve stitched up first. Then...I’ll tell you guys everything.” Stiles promised. 

“Hey…”

“How’s Steve?” Stiles said in greeting. Melissa took on the role of a pseudo mother for him after his mother passed, so his departure put quite the strain on their relationship as well. She hadn’t been bound by any legal responsibilities to him, and she had her own son to worry about. It still hurt to have been ignored by someone he thought he was very close with though. It barely crossed his mind if his dad's relationship with her had suffered. 

“He’s fine. The claws weren’t too deep. They’re still there with no immediate changes, so no worries about turning either.” She answered him honestly. Guessing what fears Stiles may have. 

Stiles sighed in relief at hearing that. “Can we see him?” 

“They’re moving him to his own room. Though he’s already asking to be discharged.” Melissa told him. 

“Sounds like him,” Stiles said before he nodded to her, and turning towards Danny and Derek. 

“Stiles!” When he looked back at her, she gave him a sad and helpless look. Not sure what to say. 

“My team needs me,” Stiles said as he took Derek’s hand. Derek led the way to Steve’s room, even if he didn’t know the actual room number, Stiles could assume he was following either Steve’s scent or his voice. 

Steve was discharged after being given some medicine for the pain as well as something to prevent infection, and instructions to take it easy. The ride back to the Stilinski house was somewhat tense, but that was mostly as Stiles thought of where to even begin. 

When they got there, he was overjoyed to see his dad there too. A few scrapes and bruises, but alive. 

“How’d it go? Is it taken care of?” Stiles asked, in regard to the rogue wolf and the witch. 

“Argent got the wolf. And Lydia instructed Scott and Malia in some chemistry that dealt with that vine thing.” Noah answered. 

“Another Molotov?”

“No, they used liquid nitrogen.” Parrish chimed in, carrying a couple of boxes of pizza. He shared a look with Stiles before he nodded to Steve and Danny sitting at the table, “They okay?”

“Cat’s out of the bag. So...help me recount the horrors of this place?” Stiles said though it was phrased like a question. 

“I brought whiskey,” Parrish said. “It’s still in the cruiser.” 

“I’ll get it.” Derek offered. 

“So...you’re dating a werewolf?” Steve asked Stiles. Then he looked at Noah, “You’re letting him date a werewolf?”  

“You ever tried to stop Stiles from doing something once he sets his mind to it?” Noah challenged. 

Steve thought some of the times Stiles out McGarrett-ed him. His mind still raced from the new information he and Danny now had and tried to put it into context. “Was Braeden a werewolf?” 

Stiles scoffed, “No. She...I honestly don’t know if she was really a marshall or if she used it as her ruse. She’s a bit of a bounty hunter. She...gets paid well by doing jobs from high paying customers.” 

“...like Yakuza?” Danny questioned. 

Stiles sighed but nodded. “Look. Beacon Hills is a weird town. Literally, it’s a beacon for the supernatural. During my teenage years, we stumbled into realizing it was more fact than fiction. Very traumatic stuff that…” 

He hadn’t gotten his apology. He didn’t get to talk anything out with the pack. The old wound was reopened, and for what? 

“I was born a werewolf. To a family who had been calling this town home for generations...as its protector. It’s not so black and white as you’d think.” Derek said as he came back. Placing the bottles in the center of the table. 

Noah and Parrish had gone to the kitchen to get plates, glasses, and napkins. As they settled and served each other, those from Beacon Hills shared silent conversations about how to continue. 

“The fire then...the arson committed by Kate Argent?” Danny asked. 

“The Argents are a family of hunters,” Derek answered curtly. 

“Aren’t you guys friends with Chris Argent?” Steve asked though he furrowed his brows in confusion. 

“A lot has happened. But yes, we’re friends now. A lot of the ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’ happened as we were forced to co-exist and the enemy kept changing every other month. We were tested against things even they thought were myths. Trying to keep sane. Trying to..stay alive.” Noah elaborated a bit. “Chris is one of the more noble hunters. While others in his family would kill a creature just for not being human, Chris believes that it’s only his job to step in when they pose a true danger.” 

“So...some werewolves can be good?” Danny asked. 

“Just like not all humans are deranged murderous psychos, neither are all supernatural creatures. Some help protect this town...and keep my dad from eating too much red meat in one month.” Stiles replied. 

“What happened in Hawaii?” Steve asked. Very well aware of everyone else in the room, but looking directly at Stiles. 

“Braeden had a job on the island. Her clients were Yakuza. But...the sort who were, or at least know, about the supernatural. It was harder than she thought to find what she was looking for. Other hunters came to the island to look for this thing as well. For the thing itself or for the big payout.

“Even if a lot of hunters are ex-military with job resumes with them being employed in less than legal ventures...it’s hard to sell. Gunrunners are...well, if they can give you a big enough name, they can be given a lesser sentence. And if they know the right people, they could also get released. I hated every minute I was forced into that situation but I had to deal with it, get them all together at once, in one place. They'd be less likely to be released...even if they knew the right people,” Stiles explained. 

“There are more hunters in law enforcement than you think,” Derek added. 

“And they’d have let these guys go once they knew what was being searched for,” Danny said. 

“...what does Nahele have to do with any of this?” Steve asked tensely. A lot of the pieces he had were fitting differently now. He had a new picture and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. 

Stiles didn’t reply immediately. He promised Nahele he’d do everything in his power to keep Steve and Five-Oh from learning the truth. He hated this feeling. Like he was breaking Nahele’s trust. 

Derek reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze before nodding to him reassuringly. 

Sighing, he answered Steve’s question. “The Yakuza, or a branch of it anyway ....rose in power when one of the Yakuza’s mistresses happened to be a supernatural being. Whether it was out of love or lust...a baby came into the picture.” He paused for a moment, letting it sink in. “When things became too dangerous, they sent the baby to Hawaii. She...she was Nahele’s family.”

“Nahele’s not human?” Steve whispered. 

“I haven’t seen any abilities. His father was human. But...he himself was the target. So I handled it.” Stiles told them. 

“He’s alone on the island,” Steve said. 

“His anxiety spiked,” Derek whispered to Stiles. 

“He’s not. He’s...he’s always been part of the local wolf pack that’s there. They’ve kept an eye on him. And we’ve talked. We’ve made contingency plans.” Stiles tried to calm him. 

“Why didn’t he, or you, tell me? We’re a team!” Steve asked, hurt clear in his voice. 

“You guys have helped me heal from a lot. I wanted to protect you guys! Nahele did too. Five-Oh already gets into some serious trouble with just human cases...the thought of you guys also knowing about the supernatural puts all of you in a danger we didn’t want to think about.” Stiles explained weakly. Saying it aloud, as valid as he was sure the excuse was, didn’t sound like enough. 

“It’s not something easy to learn,” Noah spoke up. Sparing his son a gentle smile before looking back at the pair. “Especially when we’re law enforcement. Sometimes we see things that seem implausible. We try to find reason and logic. For our sanity’s sake, but also because we need evidence and no matter how insane, a human and somewhat explainable reason behind some of the worst days in some people’s lives. Something that'll hold up in court. Sometimes we do. Sometimes...it becomes a cold case. After I learned, I...I spiraled. Reopening every case and trying to see if I messed up because I was trying to make sense of something that wasn’t human.” 

“Nahele loves you. You’ve made such an impact on his life. Made it so much better. He was trying to protect you. And like I said...as a human, they weren’t my secrets to tell.” Stiles told them. Pleaded him really, to understand. 

Danny and Steve shared a silent conversation between the two. Steve then looked at Stiles and said, “I want to know everything now. Please. Help me understand.” 

Stiles looked between his dad and Parrish, then looking at Derek, before looking at his bosses and nodded. “How far back do you want me to go?” 

Danny wasn’t sure if he was the only one awake, but he seemed to be. Stiles had given him and Steve his old room. Which the blond felt slightly guilty about, but given Steve’s state, they accepted. And the only reason Steve himself was asleep and not helping Danny make breakfast was that the medication he took for the pain made him sleepy. 

Normally Steve wouldn’t take the heavier stuff, but Danny insisted. Though the wounds being the same size and not too drastic of a change meant Steve hadn’t been turned himself was a relief, they still made Danny worry. 

Derek had shown them the place he’d been shot when he took the bullet for Danny. Both Steve and Danny had seen the blood and the wound itself with their own eyes. Yet Derek’s skin was flawless...not even the tiniest scar.  To their amazement and equal horror, he also gave them a live presentation of him growing his claws and cutting himself lightly, to see him heal seconds later. 

Danny thought back to a lot of the crazy things he’s seen while on the job, even way back in Jersey. All of the stuff he’s dismissed because he thought he was exhausted from pulling double shifts and not getting enough sleep or lost too much blood if he'd been wounded, or bumped his head too hard. Or him just being too riled after being messed with by others insisting the local urban legend wasn’t that much of a myth. 

How much of that had been real? 

When he passed the living room he saw Stiles sleeping on the air mattress but no Derek insight. Though his inner parental figure wasn’t exactly as pleased as Steve assumed about Derek being already so...set, in Stiles’s life, Danny wondered where the other went. He knew Derek had spent the night. Whether being unsure if the supernatural threat had truly been taken care of, or if Stiles’ old friends would suddenly decide to drop by and Derek wanted to be by Stiles' side regardless. 

Peering outside, he saw Derek’s Camaro, but no sight of the werewolf. 

Not sure what to do with himself, he tried to find his way around the kitchen and make them all a good old fashion Italian breakfast. 

He just finished frying up some bacon when there was a knock at the door. Maybe it was Derek? 

What if it was Stiles’s old friends? If it was the latter, Danny had some choice words for them. 

When he opened the door...it wasn’t who he was expecting. 

At all. 

“Chin?”

“Aloha. You know, finding you in the house with the Camaro parked outside...it’s familiar in a way I didn’t know I’d miss so much.” Chin told him with a soft smile. 

“You...wha-...what are you doing here?” 

“It’s more than a long story. Though not the owner, do you think they’d mind if I came in?” 

“I’m almost done with breakfast. Coffee should almost finish brewing. Pretty sure everyone else should be waking up soon enough. In the meantime...I’m beginning to suspect some of the questions I got from you might have a different answer than I’d hope. But first, come here...I’ve missed you.” Danny held open his arms and Chin easily embraced his friend and gave him a tight hug.

“Danny? Who’s this?” Stiles asked groggily when the blond entered with a strange man. 

“Chin Ho Kelly,” Noah answered as he came downstairs. He smiled and hugged Chin in greeting. 

“You guys know each other?” Danny asked as he gestured between Chin and Noah.

“Yeah, you guys know each other? And you guys know each other?” Stiles asked as he copied Danny and pointed between his dad and stranger. And then pointed between the stranger and Danny. 

“I smell bacon and coffee. Let’s get some food first.” Noah suggested. 

“What about Steve? Should we wake him?” Stiles asked. 

“I’m surprised he’s not awake yet,” Chin commented. 

“...long story will be longer. Everyone get into the kitchen. Stiles finish up what I was cooking. I’ll go get Steve.” 

There was a knock on the door. Stiles knew who it was by the knock, “That should be Derek back from his run. Dad, food. I’ll get the door.” 

“Not using windows anymore?” Noah asked, but did as asked.  

“We’re all growing up apparently!” Stiles called out before he went to the door. When he answered it he leaned in close and whiffed Derek before making a bit of a face. “Sit near the window….I think we all need to be present for this new long story. Shower can wait.”

Chapter Text

“Mmm...it’s probably highly inappropriate to ask for a morning blow in Stiles’ childhood room, isn’t it?” Steve murmured after Danny woke him up. 

It was off to still be in bed, but he wasn’t as young as he used to be. Not to mention he was riddled with worry before, but now his mind was racing with adjusting to the revelation of what was really out there. 

“No probably about it. Also, I don’t think you want to miss breakfast.” Danny told him as he helped Steve get up and dressed.  

As he changed though, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why? Something happen?”

“Chin’s here.” 

“What?” Steve demanded. Out of everything he expected Danny to say, that hadn’t been it. 

“Yeah. Apparently, we’re in for another long story. Noah and Chin know each other.” Danny added. 

“What?” Steve demanded again. 

“Let’s head downstairs and figure this all out okay?” 

Steve nodded. He wasn’t struggling too much, but he was a bit slower than normal. In one of the weird ways to think about all that’s happened to him, all the stab wounds, gunshot wounds, and every other sort of injury, his body’s good at adjusting. Still, Danny wasn’t one to take his healing idly, so Steve went at the pace that Danny set as they walked down together. 

They stopped mid stairs and Steve told Danny, “I want to have a one on one talk with Stiles. I know he basically told us everything last night but…”

“He gave us the rundown of the reality he had been facing. There’s still a lot more he hasn’t said. More so to do with how certain events affected him emotionally. I’m sure you can wrangle that. Besides, it’s my turn to talk with Derek.” Danny told Steve with a small smile. 

Steve smiled in return and leaned in to give him a kiss. 

When they finally made it to the kitchen, even though Danny had told him, he was still very surprised to see Chin here. 

“Aloha, boss,” Chin said with his usual zen tone that Steve’s missed very much. 

Steve pulled him into a hug once they were close enough. Ignoring his wounds, he held him close. He would always understand the reasons behind his teammate's decisions as best as he could...that didn’t mean he didn’t miss them like hell. 

“Easy...Noah said you got hurt.” Chin said as they pulled away. 

“Uh yeah...um...uh….” Now that he knew the truth, standing in front of Chin who to his knowledge didn’t know about the supernatural, Steve got a glimpse of how difficult it was for Stiles to actually tell him. 

The supernatural being really real? It was a hard pill to swallow. 

The unknown and the darkness become these more horrifying entities of danger that he had no idea how to truly fight. He didn’t want to burden someone else with knowledge if ignorance could help them remain safe and sane. 

“Rogue werewolf,” Chin answered. The native Hawaiian gave him a slight shrug and a reassuring smile as he said, “They’re known to appear around these parts from time to time.” 

“H-how…?” Steve asked. His mind was kind of short-circuiting, “Have you always known?”

“Yeah, all that time teasing me about the spirits of Hawaii? Were you just pulling my leg or did you really know what was out there?” Danny jumped in at the chance to ask. This somewhat feels like something they should be discussed away from the Stilinski family and Derek...yet, well, they were the ones who knew about the supernatural, weren’t they? 

“Why don’t we all get ourselves seated with a nice, big mug of coffee?” Noah interrupted. 

Steve, Danny, and Chin looked at Noah before nodding. The Stilinski family table hadn’t always been big, since even when they were full they were a small family. But they all fit.

Noah sat at one end, as the head of the household and owner of the home. Stiles sat opposite him with Derek at his right. Steve and Danny sat on one side, the blond sitting in front of Derek. While Chin sat to Derek’s right and Noah’s left and in front of Steve. 

“Special thanks to Danny for waking up and making this delicious spread,” Noah said, holding his mug up to Danny in thanks. 

“It was mostly my stress taking over. I couldn’t keep still much longer.” Danny replied as he made his coffee to his liking. 

“Look, we’re all crappy at keeping it together for too long. No point in pretending with pleasantries. How does everyone know everyone?” Stiles asked, mostly meaning his dad and Chin, as well as Danny and Steve and Chin. 

“When I first formed Five-Oh...after Danny, Chin was the first person I asked to join us.” Steve answered him. 

Stiles looked from Steve to Chin, “You’re Five-Oh?”

“Part of the original four,” Danny said with a fond smile. 

Rather than share that smile, Chin frowned. And Noah matched his frown. 

“What?” Steve and Danny asked at the same time. 

“Dad?” Stiles prompted. 

“I know Kono too,” Noah replied. 

“I’m guessing Kono’s the fourth OG Five-Oh member?” Stiles asked. 

Danny nodded, but Steve just stared at Chin and asked, “What happened to Kono?” 

She needed to leave. The job had brought something out in her. Taken something as well. And she needed to search for it. Find reason in all that she had seen. It had cost her a lot in her relationship with Adam.  She was never far from his mind. He always wondered if she was okay if she was with people she trusted. If what she was doing was leading her down the path right for her. 

“Chin?” Danny pressed, adding some parental authority into the question. It usually did the trick, and it didn’t fail him now. 

“She gained quite the reputation in her line of work. She established very good connections and tabs about certain things. She got word that a shipment was passing through California.” Chin began. 

“Not to be completely in the dark, but what does Kono do?” Stiles asked. 

“She helps girls that were taken. Girls who were promised a better life, good and legal employment, only for it to be not true.” Steve answered. 

“Human trafficking?” Derek followed up. 

Danny nodded to him. “When you work in law enforcement, sometimes there’s a case that just... sticks to you. Sometimes you become overwhelmed with how horrid the world is because there’s more of that cruelty than people seemingly trying to stop it. But Kono…”

“She’s one of the fiercest, most determined, strongest, cleverest women ever to live.” Steve praised. He turned his attention back to Chin. But it was Noah who continued the tale. 

“She was asking questions around town. Since we look at every angle when it comes to newcomers asking questions, she got on my radar pretty fast. She didn’t want to share details too soon because she was simply following a hunch. Sadly, the hunch turned out to be true...in the worst case possible.” Noah began. 

“What happened?” Stiles asked his father. 

“A family of hunters that wanted to boost their reputation was turning innocent people into wolves,” Noah replied. 

There were replies that ranged from their wording but expressed the same shock and horror. 

Noah nodded sagely before sighing deeply and continuing with the story. “Chris helped fill in the holes once we began to investigate. Things weren’t happening in Beacon Hills, but over the years I’ve made sure to keep on the friendliest terms possible with neighboring sheriffs and other local heads of law enforcement. Between some of their tales, and what Chris was able to pick up...these people were turning innocent refugees into werewolves. Having captured a feral Alpha after killing the rest of its pack. The plan was to...well, let loose a newly turned wolf who was scared and terrified and unable to control what had happened to them...”

“If they survived the bite at all,” Derek growled. 

“We went searching...and we found bodies. There weren’t too many old people but...there were too many young ones who…” Noah closed his eyes, unable to finish his sentence. 

“Kono confused this for another human trafficking ring,” Stiles stated. The situation and pieces fit together more and more. Stiles realized it before Steve and Danny did, but he saw as it was becoming clear in the other’s minds. 

It was Derek who asked, “What happened?” 

“Jordan, Chris, and I planned and plotted together. Realizing what we really had going on. Chris managed to hire a few other nearby hunters who still followed his orders to come along. It still wasn’t going to be pretty but we went on. Unknown to us that Kono and her team were planning an attack of their own. They expected the guns...but not the wolf.”

“What happened?” Steve repeated Derek’s question. 

“The wolf, for as feral as it seemed, wasn’t completely stupid. It bid its time. It had been working on its restraints. The fight broke out, and it got loud and ugly. A lot of people got hurt in the crossfire…” Noah continued to explain. 

Chin picked it up from there, “Kono...she tried to free the girls from where she thought they were being held. Unknown to her about the beast within. But she found him...or rather, he found her. She was hurt. She was...bitten.” 

“But she survived.” Noah reminded him gently. The two shared a silent conversation before they looked over at Steve and Danny. Their faces were unreadable. “We had enough knowledge on how to keep her alive until we got her to the hospital. She healed up overnight after surviving the bite. She was confused... terrified. We did our best to comfort her. To explain things…” 

“The only thing that clicked with her was the need of pack. The way she heard it, pack was family. In Hawaiian...Ohana means family. Since I was in California, she sought me out. It had been...a terrifying couple of days, but we got the basics.” Chin elaborated. “We eventually returned to Beacon Hills searching for proper answers. And well...how to handle Kono’s first full moon.” 

There was a tense silence that filled the room after that. Stiles observed Steve and Danny carefully. When Derek reached over to give his hand a squeeze, he realized that maybe his worry wasn’t as well hidden as he’d like. 

“Why don’t we take a break?” Stiles asked. Gesturing to Derek, he said, “Der’s gonna shower. I can probably go for another grocery run.” 

“Steve can go with you,” Danny spoke up. 

“What? You sure?” Steve asked him, shocked that Danny would let him out of his sight so soon. 

Danny let out a breath but nodded. “You are a menace cooped up. Might as well get some sightseeing done to justify our spontaneous trip out here. What do you say, Stiles?” 

“Uh...sure. But I’m driving.” Stiles said.

“Don’t sulk. It’s not like it’s Roscoe.” Steve said as he drove the Camaro. 

“It’s my boyfriend’s car.” Stiles pouted. 

“I get car sick if I don’t drive.” Steve pulled out his classic go-to excuse.

“Aren’t you also on medication that would make it more logical for me to be driving anyway?” Stiles demanded. 

“My last one was last night. I’ll take another one when we get back.” Steve told him with a shrug. 

Stiles frowned at that. “It’s so damn weird feeling like the shoe’s on the other foot. But you do know that you have to take your medication, right?” 

“I too have built up quite the pain tolerance. I’m fine.” Steve assured him. 

“It’s not because of the pain, is it? The pills make you loopy and you’re afraid…”

“I’m not afraid!” Steve insisted. He slowed down to a stop at a red light and let out a deep breath. “More than a lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours and I’m still processing, okay?”

“Driving is literally you being in control,” Stiles stated. 

“You gonna psycho-analyze me now?” 

“It’s either that or I get to the point of our little drive that’s got nothing to do with grocery shopping,” Stiles said. 

“Meet in the middle?” Steve offered a truce. 

Stiles wasn’t sure what that entailed, but he nodded. “So...Derek heard Danny say it was his turn to give him a talk. How much of that was actually true?”

“He heard that?” Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Werewolves have super hearing. They can hear your heart skipping a beat when you lie. Didn’t you ever question how I was so good at not technically lying?” Stiles counter questioned. 

“I had. Just...never thought... anyway! What were we talking about?” 

“Danny giving Derek a shovel talk too?”

“Oh right. Well, what can I say? I’m not the only one that’s protective of you. Danny may seem like the more rational one of the two at times, but never doubt how parentally protective he is.” 

 “You okay?” Noah asked Derek as the two finished cleaning up. Danny had insisted on being the one to do it since he cooked, but Noah told him he had it. It gave them a chance to split into teams. Chin and Danny could talk, and so he himself could talk with Derek. 

“McGarrett’s the one gone and yet I still feel...nervous. Plus, he’s driving my car.” Derek grumbled as he dried and put away dishes. 

Noah gave him a small chuckle, “Steve’s a good guy. But yeah...guess it’s Danny’s turn.” 

“Will you have a turn?” Derek asked with a skeptical gaze. 

“We’ll see. But unlike them, I’ve worked alongside you and got to know you before you and Stiles started anything.” Noah replied. 

“What about their friend? Kono?” Derek asked, fishing for information. 

“She was once on her way to becoming a pro surfer. But an injury ruined that. Some bad rep that Chin took on that hadn’t been true also cost her the dream of joining the academy...but,”

“But then McGarrett and Wiliams formed their task force, that it?” Derek guessed. 

“Pretty sure a lot more went into it but yeah. Chin and Kono rounded up Steve and Danny’s original team.” 

“And you’ve known this since before Stiles went to Hawaii?” Derek asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Technically yes. But if you’re asking if I knew how much Danny and Steve would mean for Stiles and his recovery, I didn’t. I knew of them, when Chin or Kono would discuss some of their old lives and what they missed. But in trying to keep them safe from the supernatural, they didn’t really use last names. Steve and Danny are pretty common names too.” Noah commented. He eyed Danny and Chin talking before he gave Derek a sympathetic look. “Why don’t you go and meet up with Parrish? The bog creature was taken care of...but the witch is still possibly out there. And the full moon is tonight.” 

Derek looked between the window and the men in the living room before looking back at the sheriff. “You sure?” 

“Just keep within cell service and answer when Stiles calls,” Noah told him. 

Giving him a grateful nod, Derek snuck out of the window. He might not have his car, but given the choices...running was the preferred option. 

“So the... pack that you ended up forming as a result of not conforming to usual ways pack forms-” Steve began to summarize. 

“Plus just circumstances being what they were. Once we found out what was really out there, we tried to keep it from getting out. Even from our friends.” Stiles added. 

“Right. And said group of friends was made up of...Scott McCall who got turned by Derek’s deranged uncle who went insane after being burned horribly by trying to save others of his pack from a fire that was arson...caused by hunters.” 

“Good memory.”

“That brought out Scott’s arrogant side.” Steve continued. 

“Puberty to the max with even more testosterone sprinkled in.” 

“Alongside Allison who was the daughter of a hunter, the same family that killed Derek’s family…” 

They went through all of that, which Stiles hated having to relive. Much more because as Steve could barely just imagine the horrors, Stiles had memories. Steve wanted to understand though, and for him and his Ohana, Stiles was willing to go down that hellish memory lane. 

He had to explain the Kanima and his bully Jackson. Lydia having once been his dream girl he obsessed over to somewhat allies and a friend, to her just being the mean girl who never noticed him again. There was also Malia and with that came having to tell Steve the part where he lost his virginity to her in an insane asylum. 

Once Steve understood everyone as best as he could from Stiles’s perspective, he was quiet for a very long moment. 

“You and Scott were best friends?” 

“It felt closer than that. After his dad left and my mom died, our families developed a sort of codependency. My dad was there to teach Scott how to shave and tie a tie alongside me. Melissa made sure we were fed and that our homework got done. We went everywhere together. Did everything together. We were brothers.” 

“Did becoming a werewolf really change him that much?” Steve asked quietly. 

“I used to think so. Blaming it all on the supernatural was easy. It was…’explainable’,” Stiles said using air quotes on the last word. 

“But it’s not?” Steve questioned. 

“You may not like Derek, but I have a feeling you’ll not like my relationship with Peter even more. Which, understandable. The guy can be a douche. But our bond works in a weird way. In an... honest way. I don’t think he always likes me, but he respects me. He once offered me the bite.”

“What?” 

“Yeah. With Scott and Lydia, he just bit them. Hoping they’d turn and be part of his pack. As his minions. But he gave me the choice...and respected it. For a while, I thought it was because I was just scrawny. But, once upon a time, Scott had been too. And he had asthma.” 

“Why were you different to him?” Steve asked. 

“I don’t know if it’s just that but...I had nothing to hide from him. He could hear if I lied. He could smell what I was feeling. I never denied my real thoughts or feelings, but I never let them stop me either. Guess he admired that. Plus...in trying to keep people safe, I was willing to outsmart the cops and staff at the school, hospital, and anywhere else.

“Peter would remind us that being turned didn’t make you a monster. It just...amplified who you were. Scott, from what I know now...has found his way. But in keeping in denial and not wanting to ruin his chances to be with his first love...he was selfish. Arrogant. Put me and others in situations he wouldn’t now. A kid with power…too much power.”

“So...that question Danno and I asked you before. What you wanted out of this visit. Now that we know everything...has your answer changed?” 

Stiles shrugged, “I dunno if I really believed I wanted an apology.” 

“I think you did. But in your own words...you weren’t the sort of person people apologized to. I think getting an apology would be healthy.” Steve told him. 

“But is it realistic?” Stiles countered. 

“Says the guy who hung from a helicopter on his first mission with us and knew the supernatural was real from the beginning.” Steve deadpanned a bit. Giving Stiles a more serious look, he said, “You can run a million ‘what if’ scenarios in your head. But you won’t know what will happen until you sit down with Scott and hash things out.” 

“I know that. Despite knowing that...I keep dreading it.” Stiles admitted. 

“You want me to tag along?” Steve offered. 

Stiles scoffed, “Right…” 

“Hey, I’m serious. If I can make Derek feel nervous and he more or less knows me already, imagine what I can do to Scott.”

“Derek’s not nervous about you! He’s nervous about the disapproval you have of him.” Stiles corrected. 

“Really? Good.” Steve stated, satisfied his talk had worked. When he felt Stiles’ glare, he raised his hands in an ‘I surrender' position, “He’s...an okay candidate to be your...whatever.”

“He’s my boyfriend, Steve. And I appreciate you looking out for me. But Derek’s a good guy.” 

“I’m always gonna look out for you. With us being involved, Derek will think better before he tries anything. Werewolf or not, he’s got Hell coming to him if he breaks your heart.”

“My heart used to be too small to break. Derek’s only got the ability to break it because of my dad, Parrish, but more so you and Five-Oh...you guys have helped me remember what it’s like to be part of something. You guys made Hawaii feel like home in a way that no place has since...since before my mom died.” Stiles admitted. Then he was quiet for a moment before he added, “It’s still too new for me to know what will happen in the future. Between Derek and I. The future past a week isn’t something I typically think about. But for now...I don’t think he’ll break my heart. But if he does...I’ll be okay. Cos I know I have my Ohana.” 

“I doubt I’ll let him know it anytime soon, but...I guess with that much praise from you and no objection from your dad... and taking a bullet for Danny, Derek’s not that bad.”

“Is Kono really alright?” Danny asked once he and Chin were alone. 

Chin did his best to reassure Danny, only assuming that learning about all of this was as rough for his friend as it had been for him. “She is. Now. It was...bumpy. But Noah was a very great help. He became a good friend.”

“The Stilinski’s are what good men are made of,” Danny commented with a small smile. 

“Stiles made a good fit in Five-Oh?” Chin couldn’t help but ask. 

“Oh without a doubt. Hell, if Noah weren’t for sure he was his dad, I would have assumed Stiles was Steve’s. They call him the Mini McGarrett.” 

“Now is that a good thing?” Chin followed up with a chuckle. 

Which Danny matched, “Not always for my blood pressure, but...he’s become part of the Ohana. And he’s struck something with Steve. He...he sees a lot of his younger self in Stiles. Plus, he’s Steve. You know how he gets about broken toys.”

Chin let out a breath but nodded. “I’m sorry Kono and I haven’t really kept in touch. This is just…”

“It wasn’t your secret to tell and Kono just wanted to keep us safe?” Danny echoed what Stiles had told them earlier. 

“I know that you understand those reasons perfectly well. I just also know what you and Steve are like when it comes to people you care about. No secret is really sacred enough if it means the slightest chance that those you love need your help.” Chin summarized.

Danny sighed deeply, “That makes us sound...horribly stubborn.” 

“Your hearts are in the right place,” Noah commented, joining them. 

“Where’s Derek?” Danny asked, trying to spot the other...man? Werewolf? God, it was still weird to think of him as a supernatural being. Danny had seen it for himself how dangerous they could be! Yet, Kono was now one of them. Before he learned that, Derek had taken a bullet for him! 

“I...felt bad for him. He slipped away.” Noah admitted as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. 

Danny didn’t feel as ticked off as he thought he would. Instead, he found himself asking, “Did he take the bullet because he knew he’d heal?” 

“What bullet?” Chin asked. 

“That craziness with Braeden we discussed earlier...well, there were a lot of arms dealers,” Danny answered. 

“Who were really hunters,” Noah clarified. 

“In the mess of it all, Derek saved me from a bullet,” Danny added before he looked back at Noah for answers. 

Noah shrugged, “There was a chance the hunters could have been using bullets laced with wolves bane or something of the sort. But Derek knew how important you were to Stiles. And even if the bullet had been poisoned, he would have done the same. We know how to deal with poisoned bullets. And again, Derek being a werewolf doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy...he’s just really bad at not appearing like the poster boy for a wanted murderer. Trust me...I’ve dealt with my trust issues with his behavior long before he and Stiles were a thing.”

Danny was quiet for a moment before he dared to ask, “So...full moons. How’s that go down?” 

“It depends on the werewolf,” Stiles answered as he unwrapped his burger. 

He and Steve stopped by a fast food place but rather than head home right away, Steve still had a few questions. Things have changed since Stiles last did errands in Beacon Hills, so it took him more than a while for them to get everything. Especially since he wasn’t sure how much longer Danny and Steve’s trip was extended for. So he made sure to stock up on everything to make them comfortable. 

They estimated a time limit before they would worry about anything going bad for being out too long, but it was rather cool. With the Camaro having decent AC, there wasn’t much worry or rush. 

Steve naturally asked about the full moons. 

“Can you be more specific?” Steve questioned. 

Stiles had an idea of what Steve was really asking. He took a bite of his burger, a few curly fries, and chewed and swallowed before taking a sip of his drink before responding. “Born werewolves, as in those born into the life most likely have families with their traditions and tactics on how to control the shift once a wolf reaches the age to do so. Some of these techniques are a lot like...mediations. They come with mantras. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed, well that along with the guide of your Alpha. Werewolves work in a hierarchy. A strong, calming, and nurturing Alpha could mean all the difference.

“Derek has control. He has an Anchor.” Stiles explained. 

“An Anchor?” Steve echoed. 

“It’s something all wolves can have. Not all of them do, but those that do have a stronger chance of remaining in control. It’s...it’s that one thing that ties you to your humanity. It could be something like an emotion. Like anger. But that one only fuels you for so long. Other people can be Anchors. Parents, siblings, friends…”

“Significant others?” Steve questioned. 

Stiles shrugged. He didn’t really want to get into it much more than that. Was he Derek’s Anchor at the present moment? He had no idea. Probably not. He didn’t think that would be a comment in their relationship, but could also see how it could be.

Sensing that, Steve continued with his questioning. “What about non-born werewolves?” 

“Well, pretty similar. They have to find their Anchor. Whatever helps them remember their humanity in a time when their primal instincts will be pulled to the surface.” Stiles answered. 

“So, Kono…”

“I’ll have to ask your friend more about her situation. But it’s not an absolute that a pack has to be of the same species. A pack is just...those around you. Those who you trust. Those who support you and help you.” 

“Like an Ohana.” There was a pause as Steve’s mind raced a million miles per minute. “She could come back home.”

Stiles looked over at his boss and tried to read what was there. There was that protectiveness, but also a sense of...something sad that Stiles hated to see. Failure? 

“That’s an option.” he was about to continue but held his tongue. He took a few more bites of his food. He and Steve ate in silence for a few minutes before he dared to say what crossed his mind anyway, “You’re something else, Steve. You give new hope and life to situations that for one reason or another seem pretty set. You look out for others always...me, and though I’m only assuming because I don’t know her or her situation, Kono...us not telling you about the supernatural wasn’t because we don’t think you’re strong enough. We just...we see how much you’ve fought. How much you’ve protected. And...it’s our turn to protect you.” 

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Steve asked, not as heated as he thought it would be. 

“If you did, you’d choose to fight with and for us. Because that’s your nature.” Stiles replied honestly. 

“And is that a bad thing?” 

“No. It’s honorable. But you got your life too, ya know. You and Danny. It’s a crazy life. Full of more adventure than any YA novel. And we just...we want you to enjoy your happiness. And not be a reason you’re worried or stressed.” 

“I…”

“Appreciate it but it’s your job to take care of us ?” Stiles asked with a small smile, remembering the conversation he had with his father about what felt like forever ago. When Steve gave him a confused nod followed by a questioning look, “One of the times my dad got hurt, and our insurance wasn’t covering everything...or enough, I was trying to help with the budgeting and all. I knew all of his passwords. I knew what the bills were. He told me something similar. So I told him it was our job to take care of each other. So now that the cat’s out of the bag...how about the same deal?”

“Hawaii’s going to be different now. It’s going to be home to... everyone. I’m going to make sure of it. But I’m going to need your help more than ever.” Steve told him. 

Stiles nodded to him but thought back to Steve’s offer from earlier. “Before I do that...I’m going to need your help here. With Scott.” 

“Of course. That’s what Danny and I came here for. And now we’re more well informed. Will it be tonight?” 

“No. We’ve tempted fate far too much. You and too many supernatural creatures on a full moon are pushing even that. Plus, you’re due for your next dose of meds. So let’s head back and get you rested. And since you insist on acting like it, I’m putting you on the dad diet.” 

“What? What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It means you’ve had too much red meat this month. For dinner, you’re having white meat and more greens than starch or carbs.” Stiles said using his authoritative son voice.  

Chapter Text

“There you two are. I was beginning to worry,” Noah commented as he went to help with the groceries. 

“I showed Steve my favorite burger place,” Stiles replied. 

“Doing intel for Kame so he can add burgers to his menu?” Chin asked as he took the bags from Steve. 

“Let’s not suggest that. Burgers are one of the things people are beginning to experiment too much with. The last thing we need is Kamekona being another said of those people.” Danny remarked as he approached the duo. Once he was close enough to Steve he pulled him down for a kiss, with Steve meeting him halfway. “Everything okay?”

“Better,” Steve told him with a genuine smile. He knew the road in front of them was very long, but he was properly on it now, which helped. It was a lot better than being completely in the dark. 

“And he’s got a full stomach. Which means he’s good to take his medication,” Stiles piped in. 

Danny frowned, “I thought you did.” 

Steve looked a bit sheepishly at Danny, “I...was going to.”

“Steven Jack McGarrett, go and tak- no actually. Go and get a glass of water, I’m getting your medication.” Danny said before heading up towards Stiles’s room. 

Steve ‘glares’ at Stiles, “Happy?” 

“No, but that’s not uncommon for me. Sarcastically content is usually as close as I get,” Stiles deadpans before cracking a smile. “It’s for your own good.”

“He’s right,” Chin added.

“Plus, you’re not going to win against him when he gets like this,” Noah chimed in. 

“So glad you spoke up, daddy-o because as I mentioned to Steve on the drive over, he’s had too much red meat this month. So I’m in charge of tonight’s dinner, and it’s going to be healthy.” Stiles told them, sending a shit-eating grin towards his dad and Steve. 

“I thought you were just teasing!” Steve exclaimed.

“I’ve been looking after myself! Why do I have to suffer because of his diet choices?” Noah exclaimed as well. 

“It’s astonishing how two heads of law enforcement can be reduced to children like this,” Danny deadpanned as he came back down with Steve’s medication. He uncapped the bottle and gave Steve the proper dosage. Chin had gone to fetch Steve a glass of water, and Steve had to take his medication in front of everyone. 

He opened his mouth, moving his tongue around so Danny could see he didn’t cheat, “Are you happy?” 

“Enough so. Plus, I’ll be helping Stiles with this healthy dinner. Grace always tags me in healthy recipes she thinks we’d enjoy. So why don’t you three sit your asses down and watch a game or something while Stiles and I work on dinner.” Danny suggested. Not just to shoo the others away from the kitchen, but to give Steve a chance to also speak with Chin and Noah. He himself could have a similar chat with Stiles and get another rundown. 

Steve shared a look with Chin, who nodded to him, so Steve nodded back as well. “Alright then.” 

Before his dad could walk away, Stiles asked, “Where’d Derek go?” 

Noah looked back to Danny before giving Stiles a small, sheepish grin, “He looked like he needed a break. I got Parrish out there on patrol, and he went to join him.”

“On their own? On the full moon?” Stiles asked quietly. Not wanting to alarm the others, while he himself felt the alarm rise in him. 

Noah placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a squeeze, “They, or at least Parrish, know to call me if they find anything. I also warned him to keep within cell service and to answer your calls. Give him a ring, okay? I’m sure he’s fine.” 

Stiles did his best to breathe and nod to his father’s words. He took out his cell and looked for Derek’s name before he pressed the call icon, and excused himself. 

Danny watched him go outside and frowned, “Is Derek okay?” 

Guilt began to set in. As much as he wanted to have a talk with Derek as well, there was a time and place for everything. Despite being part of the supernatural, Derek was one of the good guys. One of them!

More so, he was Stiles’s partner who was going to be moving with him to Hawaii. Add to that, Derek’s saved them, he’s taken a bullet for Danny. If it wasn’t safe out there, and Derek would much rather be in danger than go through another shovel talk and got hurt in the process...Danny didn’t think he could live with the guilt. 

“Yeah,” Noah replied. Though he was looking towards the window as he saw Stiles pacing. It seemed Derek wasn’t answering. But he forced a calm smile to Danny, “Derek Hale’s plenty of things. He’s also not a lot of things. Being good in front of a lot of people is something he’s not good at. But a resilient survivalist is one of the things that’s just part of his foundation.” 

“Looks like he’s picked up,” Chin commented, having stepped closer to the window out of concern and curiosity. Stiles’s shoulders went from tense to lax, so they assumed Derek had answered. 

“Then in that case, why don’t Steve and Chin catch up a bit, Danny can begin to sort out ingredients for what we might be having, and I’ll check in with a few of my deputies at the station?” Noah suggested, and everyone had no reason to argue. 

Stiles came back not too long after. Steve and Chin turned to him from the couch and Steve asked, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. He’s on a joyride with Jordan for the day. Where’s dad?” He questioned. 

“He went to check in with the station,” Steve answered. 

“Okay, I’ll go help Danny with dinner,” Stiles said and went to do just that. 

Steve frowned a bit before he sighed deeply. To which Chin asked, “What?”

Steve shook his head slightly but tried to explain himself anyway, “I haven’t really been Derek’s champion in all of this. The way he read off while Stiles was dealing with the arms dealers and Braeden, plus his records...it was very sketchy.”

“Ah,” Chin said in understanding. He looked towards the kitchen where he could hear a conversation between Stiles and Danny before turning back to Steve, “Doesn’t help that Stiles has become a pseudo-son to you, and your natural protective instincts are of McGarrett level.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Steve asked with a slight pout. 

Chin grinned, “You know how you get when it comes to people you care about.”

“Yeah, guess denial at this point is just stupid,” Steve admitted with another small sigh. “I don’t want Stiles to feel like he can’t come to me for things. That includes relationships. But for all the time we knew him on the island, he struggled so hard to let himself become part of our Ohana...any other sort of relationship didn’t really come to mind.”

“It’s okay to be wary that he’s dating a werewolf,” Chin told him as gently as he could. “This is still very new to you. Like... insanely fresh. It’ll take time to adjust.” 

“Maybe. But even before this...I guess I was worried. I confused Braeden pushing him into a corner because of the supernatural, with him having unhealthy relationships that stemmed from his time working for the FBI. It wouldn’t be uncommon. He didn’t have a very stable life and didn’t seem interested in making connections. But...he’s got needs. The added lack of communication didn’t help matters…” Steve paused before he got out the question that’s been bugging him the whole time, “What if he doesn’t feel comfortable coming to me or Danny in the future because of this?” 

“I think you’re just experiencing a lot right now. Look, you’re just at the beginning of this thing. It can get crazy.” Chin told him. There was a moment as he thought up the right words.

“I’m a McGarrett, I was born crazy,” Steve muttered. 

Chin chuckled at that, not disagreeing with Steve’s statement. “Granted, I don’t know Stiles as well as you do. But I’ve gotten to know Noah. He’s good people. He does his best to take care of all the stuff that lands on his plate and maybe has some issues in asking for help. But he’s got Jordan by his side, who is used to working with him and knows what he needs. Sometimes before Noah himself knows he’s going to need it,” Chin told him. There was a pause before he added, “I also know how people are with you, Steve. You create a safe place. Stiles will come to you when he needs help...and when he doesn’t, you got your instincts to tell you when you need to jump in to help.” 

“Thanks. I...I needed to hear that.” Steve told him. “So...tell me about you. About Kono. How...how did you ...wrap your head around all of it?” 

“I’ve had time, Steve,” Chin assured him. “When Kono came to me...well, she came to San Francisco. She didn’t want to put anyone in danger but she needed me. So she asked me to meet in a rundown motel. I was understandably worried and panicked. Especially considering how she reached out.”

“How exactly was that?” Steve asked. 

“Landline. Old but somehow still working payphone. She told me she’d book a motel in California and call from there. Using a phone from the lobby, she called me to give me the name of where she was staying.  When I first saw her...my mind raced to some pretty bad places.” 

“I can imagine,” Steve commented. His own mind having had supplied possibilities to ration out Stiles’s behavior. 

They both knew what Kono had left the island to do, so it wasn’t much of a leap for Steve to think about what Chin had thought. “She looked haggard. Panicked. Strung out. I tried to get her to calm down but she was on high alert and still processing things. She growled at me and...wolf out a bit.” When he saw Steve’s panicked look, he was quick to add, “I’m fine! I’m still...I’m still human. It was after the first full moon so she wasn’t fueled by it…” 

“Have the full moons been hard on you guys?” Steve questioned. All he knew about werewolves was from the movies. And they usually regarded humans as the priority. He mentally added a note to really learn everything he could so he could be helpful. To Stiles, to Nahele, and anyone and everyone else in his Ohana.

“They weren’t fun,” Chin admitted. “It was hard to dispel what I’d just seen with my own eyes, but it was still a lot, ya know? With the local mythology of the islands we grew up with, I guess we were more open-minded. After getting the rundown of what she’d been through, we decided to head back to Beacon Hills. See if we couldn’t find any answers. She said the local Sheriff and his deputies had been the ones to save her. And they tried to explain what happened to her but she was too overstimulated with the new sensory abilities that she bailed.”

“We were worried,” Noah stated, making his return known as he sat with them. “Being a newly bitten wolf is very terrifying. We have far too much experience in that department. So we were very happy to see her again. And to see she wasn’t alone.” 

“Noah took us in, housed us for as long as we wanted, and explained the supernatural to us. From her new abilities to what to expect during the full moon,” Chin explained. 

“People react differently to the transformation. What the bite does is...hype up some of your most inner self,” Noah did his best to explain. 

Steve frowned a bit, “What does that mean?” 

“You know how in those movies when the main character gets a make-over and rather than feeling uncomfortable in being the complete opposite of what they’re used to they just become the embodiment of how they’re dressed?” Chin asked. “That.” 

“It’s kind of worse when they’re teenagers. That cocky testosterone gets amped to eleven,” Noah deadpanned. 

“But Kono wasn’t like that?” Steve asked. 

“Her confidence rose, no doubt,” Chin said. 

“But she’s got this amazingly caring nature. She was more protective than anything. Sure of herself, but far more of a delight to deal with than some of the other bitten wolves we’ve had.” Noah said. “That bite doesn’t change you...it brings to the forefront who you really are” 

That made Steve smile with pride. Along with that pride, concern still remained, “And she’s adapted? Both of you have?”

“Thanks to Noah and Jordan. They’ve been a huge help. So much so that Kono even returned to work once she could remain in control during the full moon. As for me...I just try to be vigilant. Be there for her and around the full moon when her judgment might be a bit cloudy. If we had known there were hunters in Hawaii though...”  

“He and his team didn’t really know. We had no idea what we were really dealing with if we were honest. Stiles was trying to keep everything under control. The worlds apart. If we had better timing, we would have called you in too,” Noah told Chin. 

“We survived. Everyone. But now the cat’s out of the bag and the air is clear. Going forward...no more secrets,” Steve said firmly. 

“No more secrets.” Chin echoed, a small smile on his face. He felt a great relief. Steve knew. Danny did too. It would be easier to talk to them and not have to worry about lying to keep a dangerous secret. 

Despite Stiles deciding to cut red meat off of the menu, the ingredients that Steve and Stiles brought, plus what was already in the Silinski kitchen, provided a variety. Between Stiles and Danny’s cooking abilities, they made an amazing meal that even the most meat-and-potatoes lover would be fully satisfied by. 

Steve had a lot of questions that filled most of the dinner. He wanted to know what Chin and Kono’s life was really like since the new adaptation. Doing his best to be subtle about their return home.

If Stiles wasn’t so worried about Derek, he might have a better idea if Steve’s subtlety was actually subtle. 

With everyone at the table being some level of law enforcement, the rule of ‘no phones’ wasn’t very strict. So no one said anything when Stiles kept checking his phone or sending texts. 

Finally, dinner was over and Stiles excused himself to go shower. 

He went to his room with the intent of grabbing some clothes and a towel, but after checking his phone for the umpteenth time and it being about half an hour since Derek replied, he fell back into some old habits. Before he really took into account what he was doing, he had already climbed out of his window and was standing on the side of the house. 

Using one of his apps on his phone, he tracked Derek’s phone, or at least the last location possible. He shouldn’t be surprised Derek’s last location pinged in the middle of the preserve. 

He made it halfway before he realized he wasn’t properly armed. Not to face a witch. He couldn’t go back now, he needed to make sure Derek was alright. 

A few feet into the preserve, he heard some rustling. Grabbing a low-hanging branch, he yanked it and prepared to use it to the best of his ability. Getting ready to charge, he raised the branch to attack when Steve spoke out. 

“Whoa! It’s me!”

“Steve?” Stiles asked to confirm. 

A click of a flashlight allowed some light and Stiles could see Steve better. Approaching him, Steve passed him another flashlight, “This might be useful. I know you’ve got more experience in this, but isn’t it better to have something than nothing?” 

“...yes,” Stiles admitted, accepting the spare flashlight. “Derek picked up earlier. He said he was helping Jordan. But then he stopped replying. I acted on instinct…and I’m not leaving now. Who brought you? You can go back-” 

“Like hell I am!” Steve stopped Stiles mid-sentence. He reached behind him and passed Stiles a gun, then reached for another one for himself. “You really think I’d come all this way and go back just because you asked?” 

“A guy can hope, can’t he?” Stiles would argue, but he knew Steve. As much as he didn’t want a somewhat hurt Steve out in the woods during a full moon, his instincts told him Derek needed his help. “Did you come alone?” 

“No. Your dad read my facial expression apparently and guessed that you probably snuck out. Since he’s more experienced, he went off in the direction Parrish normally tracks. Chin’s with Danny. Since you came on foot, we saw your silhouette before disappearing into the treelines and I followed.”

Stiles didn’t like that his dad was on his own, but they were on his turf more than anyone else's. These grounds belonged more to the older Stilinski now than Stiles. He had to trust his dad would have anything and everyone on him to keep him safe. 

Still, Danny and Chin on their own? “We should go find Danny and Chin.”

“Chin said he knows these woods because this is where Kono would run and train in.  Let’s go find Derek, okay?” 

Stiles attached the light to the top of his gun, removed the safety, and began to lead the way. He was quiet for a moment, looking for signs that weren’t made by normal animals. “Thanks…I know Derek isn’t very high on your list of people you like. And now that you know some of the real dangers, knowing how stupid it is to be out on the full moon…” He didn’t know how to continue. All things he would claim as his ‘defense’ sounded insane when spoken aloud. 

“I promised I wouldn’t let him break your heart. That includes making sure he doesn’t die. Danno and I just want to help. So we’re going to find him, okay?” Steve asked as they shared as much of a meaningful look as they could given the limited light. 

“...okay.” Stiles nodded. Some of the tension he’s been carrying about Steve not liking Derek lifted. He knew this would be another thing for him to tackle, but at least it wasn’t going to be impossible. “Steve?”

“Yeah?” 

“If you’re still willing…I’d like you to be my second for when I go talk to Scott.” 

“I’d be honored.” 

Before Stiles could reply to that, they both raised their weapons in the direction of a howl. 

“Was that Derek?” Steve asked. 

“No. But we gotta hurry,” Stiles exclaimed as he began to run in that direction. 

“What’s it mean?” Steve asked, keeping up with Stiles. 

“Wolves howl to alert their pack, usually because of two reasons. One if they’re lost,” Stiles began. 

“But if this is their territory, they wouldn’t be lost. What’s reason number two?” Steve questioned. 

“They’re hurt.” 

“But it’s not Derek?”   

“No. Which means we might see Scott and his pack sooner than expected.” 

Before Steve could reply to that, there was another roar. 

“That…was Scott. Looks like he’s replying to his wolf. Come on!” Stiles didn’t really like their reunion to be like this, but it looked like they needed all hands on deck. 

When they arrived at the scene, it was to see Scott helping Liam. The younger wolf was bleeding heavily and looked in great pain. Scott was by his side, black veins running up high on Scott’s arms as he tried to take the pain away. 

“Fuck, what happened?” Stiles asked as he and Steve approached. 

“Bog Witch…she’s pissed,” Liam coughed out. 

“Easy…” Scott told him. Then looking between Stiles and Steve, he added, “Her creature was the main source of suctioning power safely. Without it, she’s doing it solo but can’t pull the power that her monster could. So she’s…yeah, she’s pissed. 

“He not healing properly?” Stiles asked. As hard as it would normally be to talk to Scott, this wasn’t a normal situation. This was a dire situation in which he could allow his inner soldier and field agent self to shift into the driver’s seat. 

“I don’t know if it’s her magic or if her blade was laced with something,” Scott replied. 

“You got any supplies?” Steve asked. 

Scott nodded, next to Liam was a backpack. Steve grabbed it and Stiles shined his flashlight on it while Steve searched through it. Spotting the medkit, he told Steve, “Grab that.” 

Pulling it out, Steve took out all he needed to clean, sew up, and wrap up the wound. While he threaded the needle he asked, “So werewolf healing?” 

“Depends on the wound. If it’s not too deep, or laced with anything, it should normally heal fast. If it’s caused by a stronger supernatural creature or if it has anything that’s poisonous to a wolf, it could hinder the healing. Considering it’s the full moon…whatever’s causing the healing to pause has to be powerful.” 

“Thanks for that…” Liam groaned. 

Stiles offered him an apologetic smile, “Sorry, kid. Hang in there. Steve will stitch you up. Scott’s here to take away the pain.”

“Where are you going?” Scott asked, knowing how Stiles just framed that. 

“After Derek. He’s still out there somewhere.” 

“I’m going with you,” Steve told him. 

“Scott’s gotta keep Liam’s pain at bay. He needs to have this patched up,” Stiles told him. 

“You’re not going out there alone!” Steve exclaimed strictly. 

“Dad’s out there. So are Chin and Danny. Derek and Parrish are too.” Stiles told him. 

“My pack is also out there…” Scott added. 

“This witch is still powerful, isn’t she? And pissed?” Steve demanded. 

“Liam needs more than just Scott. And I still remember these woods. I’ll see you soon,” Stiles said before running off towards the woods. 

Steve called after Stiles but he was gone from sight too soon. Sighing, he focused on the task at hand. “Do you need both hands to pull away the pain?” 

“No, I can do it with one. What do you need?” Scott asked. 

“Hold the flashlight while I sew up the wound,” Steve ordered. 

Scott nodded and did as asked. Steve was efficient and quick as they patched Liam up. 

“Steve?” 

“Here, Danno!” Steve replied when he heard Danny’s voice. Soon, they were joined by Danny and Chin, who quickly evaluated the sight in front of them. 

“Where’s Stiles?” Danny asked. 

“He ran off, looking for Derek. There’s a crazy, dangerous, and pissed-off witch on the loose,” Steve replied. 

“Is he okay?” Chin asked, motioning to Liam. 

“He was stabbed by the Bog Witch. Thank you,” Scott said to Steve. 

“Will he be okay?” Steve asked as he wiped his hands on his pants. Then accepted his flashlight back and placed it back on top of his gun. 

“I’d feel better if he got to Deaton,” Scott answered. 

“Who’s Deaton?” Chin asked. 

“Veterinarian, and also my Emissary. He should know how to speed up the healing of most supernatural wounds,” Scott replied. 

“Chin, can you and Danny take him?” Steve asked. 

“What? I’m not leaving your side! Steve, you’re still hurt!” Danny fiercely reminded him. 

“I can take him,” Chin assured them. “You guys gonna be okay?” 

“We will be once we find Stiles and help him find Derek,” Steve replied. 

“I can lead you guys to Stiles at least. I haven’t seen or heard Derek yet,” Scott said. 

“Then let’s get going,” Steve said. 

“Send me a text when you get to Deaton’s,” Scott told Liam. 

They watched as Liam did his best to keep a good pace while Chin held as much of his weight as possible. Once they were mostly gone, Scott turned to the other two, looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it, and began to head the same way Stiles went. “Stiles’s scent leads this way.” 

Danny and Steve held back a bit.

“You okay?” Danny asked Steve. 

“Yeah, you?” 

“I’m good too. There’s a lot we don’t know. Arguably, Chin should probably be out here more than us. But you’re stubborn and hurt, so no way am I leaving if you’re not.” 

“Stiles is still out here.” 

“I know. We have the advantage that our skill sets will be helpful here, right now. So let’s focus, keep our head in the game, find Stiles and Derek, and rendezvous with Noah and Parrish. Once we’re all safe, I’ll go off on you with a lecture about heading into the field while hurt.” 

“I’m fine, Danno.” Steve insisted. 

“I’m letting you do this, by being by your side. That doesn’t mean I’m not peeved or worried,” Danny said as he looked over to Scott who was just barely still in the line of sight. “You talk with him yet?” 

“Haven’t had the chance.”

“But you plan to?” Danny asked. Before Steve could answer, he followed up with, “With or without Stiles?”  

“Either. Though preferably without.” 

Chapter Text

“Are you in a lot of pain?” Chin asked as they made it onto the road and were on the way to Deaton’s office.  

“It sucks…but it’s not as bad as it was. And soon hopefully it’ll be healed up,” Liam replied. There was a pause before he asked, “…have you known where Stiles has been the past decade?”

“No. Noah and Parrish are more my friends than Stiles. I just recently met him, but he’s made himself part of my old Ohana. Which is as strong as any pack might hope to be.”

“With those guys back there with Scott? They good at what they do?” Liam asked as he tried to ignore the lingering pain. 

“Steve and Danny,” Chin supplied. “And they’re the best of the best. And if they’ve added Stiles to the team, then I’m not surprised. From working with Noah, I’ve seen the Stilinski honor and skill set up close.”  

“I’m pretty sure I at least know of the deputies at the sheriff’s department. I’ve never seen you before…”

“My cousin was bitten around these parts, but she’s not from here. We became friends with Noah when we needed answers,” Chin replied. 

“Did you go to Scott?” 

“He was an option Noah suggested, but no.”

“Why not?” 

“We struggled at first to fathom the new reality we found ourselves in. All of the implications were overwhelmed with fear and other strong emotions. We did our research, but ultimately, Kono still had a passion for her calling. Once she gained control, for a while she was eager to use her new abilities to help her continue to save and rescue those in need.” 

“Just for a while?” 

“Noah reassured us that pack meant family. People around you who you trusted and cared for. Me and mine were enough to anchor Kono. But I get the feeling that something inside of her yearns for home.” 

“Where is home?” 

“...Hawai’i.” 

“When I first saw him…there was a lot I wanted to say. But I went about it the wrong way. He went into fight or flight mode and that time he chose flight. Right now…I saw him in fight mode,” Scott began as he paused a few steps to let Danny and Steve catch up to him. 

“His father’s out here with a serious threat,” Steve said. 

Danny followed it up with, “So is Derek.” 

“Yeah, about that…are they…ya know?” Scott asked, making a confused expression at the implication. 

“What of it?” Steve asked, and if he was defensive it was more so for Stiles not necessarily Derek. 

Scott shrugged a bit, “Derek’s come back a few times throughout the years. Helped us a few when we were going through some crises. He never stayed long. Never mentioned Stiles so I never thought to even ask him if they’ve crossed paths.” 

Danny and Steve shared a look as they communicated with one another without speaking. 

“It’s been a complicated year,” Steve settled with. Whatever reservations he had about Derek, it wasn’t something he would talk about it so freely outside of his inner circle. Especially not to those who had let Stiles down before. 

“He’s been with you guys for that long?” Scott asked, not very good at being subtle. 

“Seems weird to think we haven’t known him forever with how well he fits in with our team,” Steve answered. Was it a pointed jab at someone who hurt Stiles? Definitely. It was also true. 

Before Scott could reply to that a gunshot was heard not too far from them followed by one howl and one roar. 

“That was Derek,” Scott informed them. 

Steve and Danny ran after Scott as he led the way, they crashed into him when he suddenly stopped. Before they could ask why he stopped, Scott shoved them away. This was a showcase of werewolf strength because they were pushed farther than someone Scott’s typical size could push men of their combined weight.  

All the words that they were preparing to yell at Scott were replaced by calling out his name when they saw vines reach out and grab Scott and pulled him toward a sinister-looking mist. 

“Scott!” Danny yelled. 

There were all sorts of noises that they heard. Growls, howls, yells, and even a few gunshots. Danny and Steve shared a small quick look before securing their gun and flashlights. 

The mist seemed more to be about the aesthetic or attempt to hinder vision. At the very least it wasn’t making it hard to breathe in it as they found themselves traveling deeper into it. 

They followed the gunfire in hopes of finding the other humans, but like in most horror scenarios they’ve seen in movies…they ended up split apart. He had no idea how but Steve could immediately tell that Danny wasn’t next to him anymore. 

He’s felt panic at not having eyes on Danny while out in the field before, but never like this. This was the first time they’d been apart in danger while knowing the supernatural was not only really real but an active threat. 

“ DANNY !” All logic and years of experience of being in enemy territory vanished and were replaced by sheer panic. 

Steve pushed forward to try to find…anything! Danny, Stiles, Noah, a freaking path! But the fog got denser before he heard another roar. 

Taking a few calm breaths he recentered himself and let his SEAL training take over his fear and panic. He followed the sounds. Anything was better than wandering around the foggy void. 

He then heard more consistent gunfire in the opposite direction but before he could run toward it, the fog finally let up a bit and allowed him to see some of what was around him. 

It took a few scans but he caught sight of someone familiar. 

Derek. 

He had plenty of reasons to not trust or like Derek. His concern about Stiles’s well-being, health, and happiness was strongly projected in his opposing Derek’s intentions. 

Yet he marched up toward Derek to try and free him. Try being the operative word. The vines that entangled Derek seemed to be alive. It freaked him out but he tried to push that to a back burner. At the very least the vines didn’t seem to actively attack him, they were simply doing their best to wrap Derek up. 

He looked already restrained in various parts, the neck now being part of that, which made his howls and roars weaker. 

Securing his gun in his holster, he first tried to pull the vines off but they weren’t budging. Reaching for a pocket knife he tried to cut them next but they were very hard to break. 

Steve pulled his gun back out and shot the vines. That seemed to do the trick, but the vines were regenerating. Counting the bullets he had in that clip left, Steve made pointed shots before quickly switching to his pocket knife to slash at the reforming vines until Derek was able to pull free.

Derek stumbled and fell to his knees, coughing as he tried to catch his breath. Steve pocketed his knife and helped him up. 

“You okay?” Steve asked as he held most of Derek’s weight for a moment. 

Derek had a small coughing fit before he was able to rebalance on his own two feet and nodded. “She’s trying to divide and conquer. She can hold her own at a one-on-one, but can’t handle a team effort. But we have to find Stiles first.”

“She’s after him specifically?” 

“...Stiles had a connection to the source of power she wants. He was chosen willingly. She’s trying to force herself into its power. I don’t like the thought of her getting a one-on-one with him in whatever she may think she needs to do.”

“Right. Can you hear or smell him?” Danny was still at the forefront of his worry, but so was Stiles. And now knowing that Stiles might have a bigger target on his back, Steve knew he had to focus. 

Derek closed his eyes to concentrate before opening his eyes and they flashed a bright, supernatural blue. “This way.”

Steve followed and there were still a lot of things he could sense himself. There were plenty of natural and non-natural noises being made in the forest. With a lot of smells that even he could sense. “What are you tracking?” 

“Stiles’s heartbeat. I’d know it anywhere,” Derek said firmly and confidently. 

They traveled deeper into the forest, and Steve saw how focused on Stiles's heartbeat Derek was that it was he who noticed the attack first. Without warning, because there wasn’t time for one, Steve pushed Derek out of the way and was hit with the brunt of a vine attack. 

He thinks he hit a tree, or at least his head did because it was getting fuzzy fast and he was losing consciousness. He’s sure he hears a roar and he thinks he hears his name. But that’s all before it all goes dark.  

Before he could regain full consciousness he was aware of some familiar things. The scent of disinfectant, the noises of the machined he’s hooked up to, and most importantly, the feel of Danny’s hand in his. He’d know it anywhere. 

When he blinked his vision into focus, worry and concern filled him as he saw the state Danny was in. 

“What happened? Stiles? Noah?” Steve tried to ask, while also trying to sit up. 

Danny placed a hand gently on Steve’s chest and got him to settle back down. “Hey, hey…relax. Everyone’s fine. Scraped up, but fine.”

Steve let out a breath before he squeezed Danny’s hand and repeated, “What happened?” 

“After we got separated, I stumbled around trying to figure out what was up or down and left and right. I followed the gunfire in hopes of running into Noah or Stiles or Jordan. Which I did. With Jordan’s help, we ran into Noah. The Witch seemed to be playing a game of Clue and getting the werewolves one by one…unluckily for her, Derek was found and freed by you. It fucked up her plan. 

“Derek now had a better idea of how she attacked and was harder to pin in their round two. More so when he was very adamant about protecting you. Seeing you unconscious after being already attacked by a werewolf previously really pissed off Stiles. There was a lot of anger we could sense in him but because of his discipline and control never really saw…until then. It was…almost terrifying.”

“Almost?” Steve coaxed. 

“It’s not like I haven’t seen it. Or felt it. It’s a sort of anger and fury a lot of us in Five-Oh have. We do our best to protect everyone. And we do get away with a lot more than those who first sign up can do. So the times we’re bested…or we can’t help…those are insanely infuriating times. More so when those we absolutely love are in harm’s way. Stiles is one of us…so it’s almost terrifying seeing that anger unleashed because being willing to unleash that sort of anger when those you love are in danger is normal for us.” 

Steve smiled and nudged Danny to come closer. When he and Danny shared a simple kiss, that’s when he felt like he could truly relax. 

Stiles came by not long after Steve woke up. He sat down next to Danny and brought them all up to speed on what happened. 

Witches, underneath their power and connection to the spiritual world, were still human. Though rusty, since being forced back into the supernatural world, Stiles has done his best to brush up on what he’s needed to know. More so with magic in general so he could help Nahele to the best of his abilities. 

Stiles explained that he taunted the witch by telling her he had a connection with the stump of power she wanted. She was panicked and desperate and it worked. Stiles used her erratic unfocus to get close to her and deliver a powerful enough blow that killed her. 

The vines that held every other supernatural creature wilted. Whatever other spell she had in the work to leech power or increase her own faded or dispelled. 

Not in a Disney sort of softness, so even breaking out of those vine cacoons was difficult and left everyone at different levels of scratched up. 

When Danny’s phone rang, he excused himself to answer it. Giving Stiles and Steve a moment alone. 

“Did you deliberately go out of your way to save Derek?” Stiles asked with a small smile. A hint of teasing in his tone, if only because if he didn’t find some humor in it he’d go a certain kind of Hatter mad. He was feeling a lot of what he did back when he was a teenager, and he had to remember to focus on the wins. Like everyone being alive and mostly alright. 

Steve scoffed and shrugged nonchalantly before wincing, forgetting the recent battle damage. Whatever he may think of Derek, Stiles was the one who mattered. Seeing Stiles feel confident in the midst and surrounded by memories of a place that held more bad than good, made him feel proud. After another, smaller shrug, he said, “I still think you can do better. By a lot.”

“This have anything to do with how people keep comparing me to you?” Stiles rebutted with a smirk and a slight eye roll. 

“Maybe. I’m not yet convinced he’s your Danno. But ...I promised you I’d do everything in my power to keep him from breaking your heart. That includes keeping him from dying.”

“My name starts with an S and his with a D. Won’t that rest the case for you?” 

“Your name starts with an M.”

“M for monstrosity. Which you only know because you have clearance. The name I choose to go by has the first same letter as yours,” Stiles said before he became more serious before he added, “Thank you. For so much. For coming all this way. For not freaking out too much while we needed to get stuff done. For helping… and for saving Derek.” 

Steve opened up his arms and Stiles eased into them, being mindful of Steve’s injuries, and hugged him.  

There was some stuff Stiles had to help his dad with, but he promised to be back with some food. 

Chin stopped by and told them about some of his new plans. He’s spoken with Kono and she was hoping to have a chat with them. Chin mentioned some stuff he wanted to take to Hawaii that has become essential to them but had some concerns about how to do so exactly without being flagged in customs. 

They texted Stiles who agreed to meet up with Chin and Danny to discuss things. He might have an idea of how to do it. 

Steve was left with the orders to rest. Soon Danny would be back with Stiles and the food that was promised. Steve managed to remain in bed for about half an hour before he found himself roaming the halls. 

He didn’t get too far before he came up to the nurse’s station and found Scott. And it didn’t take long nor his detective skills to know the nurse he was talking to was Scott’s mother. 

Being hurt wasn’t going to keep him from having that talk he wanted to have with Scott. So he approached and cleared his throat. 

“Mr. McGarrett! You should be in bed.”

“Lieutenant Commander,” Steve corrected her with as much of a polite smile as he could offer before settling his gaze on Scott. “I want a chat.” 

“I’m sure this can wait,” Melissa tried again. 

“The moment we’re cleared to fly we’re out of Beacon. Stiles might be leaving before we do,” Steve wanted them all to go back together. But he and Danny needed to see Kono with their own eyes. And he agreed with Stiles about not leaving Nahele on his own when there were potential dangers hanging overhead. 

“You’re being discharged today,” Melissa noted, picking up a clipboard and reading through her notes. 

“Yes, I am. This is nothing I haven’t dealt with before. And there are more urgent matters out there, but this has been set aside long enough.”

“What’s that mean?” Scott asked. 

“Well, first off, telling you it was a spineless and cowardly move to ambush Stiles like you did. And on his behalf, fuck you. You're a supposed Alpha of this pack. You knew you should have handled it better and ordered them to stand down and follow your orders but you couldn't even manage that.” 

“Whoah now, wait a minute!” Melissa began, defensive of her son. 

Steve didn’t begrudge that, he just didn’t care and didn’t focus on her as he continued. Despite being in a hospital gown and being human, he had plenty of experience in holding authority and being intimidating.

“It took me less than an hour without the use of any credentials to figure out Stiles began his career in the FBI because of the help of Rafael McCall, your ex-husband," He spared Melissa a look before turning to Scott, "and your father. There’s a limit to how much effort or lack thereof can be placed into things given certain limitations. Age stops being a limit quickly once you’re recognized as an adult. You eventually felt guilt for how you treated Stiles and yet never did anything. Nothing but sit around and wait and hope he’d come back and be the one to take the first step. That’s what you chose to do. I’ve led teams into and through some of the worst war zones, so I know leadership is more than physical strength. I know it’s not easy navigating metaphorical and literal minefields. But you still have to lead your team and secure their safety. 

“You’ve made your choice. The safer one for you. So now you have to live with it. You failed as a leader. And as Stiles’s leader currently, I’m here to inform you that he will not be forced to be the bigger person. He doesn’t have a responsibility to your guilt or your conscience. Whatever step forward you decide to take, think longer and harder on it, because I don’t think reconciling is beneficial to him. Not right now. So this is a reminder; Stiles isn’t alone. Take this as a warning or a threat. Whichever I need to be for Stiles, I won’t hesitate to be. No one from my team will. And that’s not even counting his father.” 

“You all set?” Danny asked as he leaned against the door frame of Stiles’s room. 

Stiles stood up straight a bit and smiled at him and gave a nod. “I think so. Steve?”

“He’s wrapping up plans with Chin,” Danny replied. 

“He take his meds?” Stiles asked. 

Danny nodded, “Made sure he had something to eat before giving him his morning dose. Sorry, we can’t be with you on the first flight back.”

“You’re sorry, Derek’s kind of relieved,” Stiles teased. 

“More than an hour in a confined space with Steve thousands of miles above the ground should be considered an Olympic sport,” Danny teased back. 

Stiles gave a snort before adding in a more serious tone, “It’s probably the best way. It’s right for you and Steve to go and check in with Kono. And having some space to tell Nahale that you guys now know, about the supernatural and him, might be best.” 

Danny made a face at that. Stiles knew that look. He saw it a lot in his own dad when he first found out. Feeling that he wasn’t someone Stiles could go to with a real emergency or something serious because he wouldn’t understand or accept it. 

“It’ll be okay when you get back, Danny. Promise. After the slight panic, relief takes over. No more hiding. No more secrets. It’ll be a lot easier,” Stiles assured him. 

“Right…” Danny cleared his throat and shifted the subject only just slightly. “The team will bombard you with questions. Have we even talked about what we’re going to tell them?” 

“No…no we have not,” Stiles admitted. “Lies with the most truth in them are usually the ones that get away with things more. You all helped me deal with arms dealers and ex-military aggressors before. We’ll tell them I tried to help my dad with a case he was working on that had military ties instead of dealing with my past.

“Which will help with added info. We can say it’s classified.  My phone calls with Tani and Junior will support it, the not wanting to deal with the past part and doing anything else instead. You guys arrived in time to sense something wasn’t right, found my trail, and got involved and Steve got hurt while saving my ass.” 

“It’s scary how quickly you can adapt to a story that convincing,” Danny told him. 

“Practice and experience.” 

“And regarding Chin and Kono?” 

“The ex-military-turned-private-sector-workers were making money from more than just smuggling weapons, but people too. It bleeds into Kono’s apparent line of work. Crossing paths on the mainland might have been improbable but not impossible. Old nostalgia kicked in and after some talks…maybe they want to come home,” Stiles supplied. 

“Hopefully,” Danny said. The world just became a whole lot scarier. Having those he trusted to be around to help protect one another would be a blessing. Plus, he missed the cousins terribly. 

“It’s…weird,” Stiles began. Thankfully Danny was patient as Stiles fumbled to figure out the next thing he wanted to say. “I’m going to have a strict eye on you two when we get back. Roles will be somewhat slightly reversed.” 

“Hey,” Danny said defensively. He wasn’t quite expecting that. “It’s our job to look after you !” 

“And I appreciate it. Whenever we’re out in the field, I know I can trust you, and any of Five-0 to have my back. But it goes both ways, right?” 

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’ve been through this. When my dad, who is also law-enforcement mind you, found out that the boy who cried werewolf… did actually see a werewolf. I’ve seen it happen to Melissa as well. The world is different now. It’s not so black and white, and you’re going to question everything. Everyone. If it helps any, though I suspect some in HPD to be aware of the supernatural being real, none of them are. No one near the Ohana’s day-to-day, or your kids' lives, is any extra dangerous.”

Danny swallowed a bit thickly. Those were some of the thoughts that had begun to sprinkle in when he couldn’t find the tiredness to sleep. “Thanks, kid.”  

“If there are cases you want me to go over with you…” Stiles said quietly. The day after his father found out, Stiles remembered the tall pile of old files his dad dug up from the cold cases. Things he dismissed because they didn’t seem humanly possible. “I don’t want you guys feeling like you’re going insane or beating yourselves up for stuff that you had to logically dismiss in the past. Moving forward…no more secrets. Working on the same page.” 

“Sounds perfect,” Danny looked around Stiles’s old room. It reminded him a lot about his childhood room back in Jersey. Different interests but in the sense that despite being gone for so long, and whatever changes needed to be made based on who they hosted, the core foundation remained Danny’s childhood room. He caught sight of an old picture somewhat turned away, but even at this angle, he knew it was of Stiles and Scott as kids. “Steve had a talk with Scott.”

“Yeah… Dad had to stop by the hospital for some paperwork and Melissa tried to give him a hard time about it.”

“How do you feel about it?” 

“...fuzzy?” 

“Fuzzy?” Danny echoed and silently prompted for more. 

“In a cozy way. Imagining Steve not being afraid of an Alpha Werewolf or a nurse who was one of the fiercest most protective momma bears ever. For me? It’s wild,” Stiles admitted with a sheepish grin. 

“I have no idea if you wanted to have that talk with Scott first…”

“No. What I wanted...I just wanted to go back home, Danny…” Stiles stilled a bit after he realized he said home and not just 'Hawaii'. After a moment and realizing he didn’t feel as guilty as he thought he would, he smiled at Danny, “Steve promised to be there with my talk with Scott. And there’s no denying that there’s a lot of shit still left unresolved here…but my life isn’t here. Dad is. Jordan too. I love them. I worry about them. But Beacon hasn’t been home. Scott…his pack…they haven’t been my friends…”

“And now you have Ohana waiting for you back in Hawaii.”

“Guess it’s become paradise after all without me even noticing.”

“The island’s had a habit of doing that…come on. If you’re all set here, let’s prep for one last dinner together here.” 

“All things considered, I’m willing to let my dad have red meat if you’re willing to let Steve have a steak too.”

Danny chuckled, “Deal. And if Derek decides to come…I promise it won’t be as suffocating as last time.” 

“He’s not sure how to feel since Steve and he worked pretty well together in a crisis.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” 

“I like to think so. The worlds are melding and I personally like that Steve and Derek can at least sit at the same table together.” 

“I grew up around a big and full table. One of the hardest things for me, when I had to move to Hawaii, was those first couple of months. When I didn’t have Grace. Stuck in a crappy apartment with a table that was more of a stool. It made me feel so lonely. But as time went by…and after a crazy, insane, neanderthal of a man forced me to be his partner…the table’s gotten bigger and fuller. Some seats become empty and the absence is always felt…but more seats can always be added.” 

“Even to new partners?”

“Of course. Though they will all be subjected to some form of a shovel talk. By a variety of members. But if they last and stick around…they’ll be part of giving the next new partner a shovel talk of their own.”

“I…I’m worried, Danny.”

“About?” Danny coaxed, giving Stiles his full attention and a concerned expression. 

“Relationships weren’t ever close to being my ‘thing’. I’d scratch the itch when it happened but never…I never really dated. Being forced back into the supernatural world by Braeden…coming back and dealing with the pack plus supernatural danger back home…it’s given me a few thoughts. And I’m worried about them.”

“What sort of thoughts?” 

“What if Derek and I only work because we’re good at being in crisis together? I know that I attract trouble and having Derek around to help me with it will keep whatever we got that works well in danger together going…but what if that’s it? What if…other than physical, that’s all we are? Danger and sex? What if Steve’s right and Derek’s not my Danno?” 

“Well…Steve and I aren’t the model for everyone. We work well together because some pieces of our lives fell correctly together at the right time. The rest of it…it was work. And choices. We chose each other every chance we got. He’s not your Danno, kid…he’s your Derek. And that’s got to be the core of it. He chooses you. You choose him.”

Stiles took a deep breath and smile at Danny, “He’s my Derek.”