Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Yes, officer. I’m sincerely sorry about this. I promise it won’t happen again.” Derek could barely hear his uncle Peter profusely apologize from the back of the police car. He didn’t even need to see his uncle to picture the exact way he positioned his body. Making sure the cop perceived him as trustworthy. Derek found it revolting.

He never intended nor expected his situation to get so bad. Being a transgender werewolf wasn’t unheard of, but it certainly was unspoken of. And it made him feel alienated from the rest of his family, especially his cousins. Peter’s children. The ones who had dared him to sneak into a supposedly abandoned building. 

Derek knew it wasn’t abandoned. And his cousins knew that he knew. But they didn’t care and Derek never got caught, and he couldn’t risk losing the little respect he had earned himself throughout the year. Not when the New Year mating parties his cousins hosted were about to begin. But the wooden floor gave away and made him fall several stories, hitting his head against the concrete. 

By the time the police showed up, his external wounds had already healed up but something didn’t feel right. Some of his heightened senses, like smell and vision, were practically nonexistent but his hearing had increased in a very painful way. The crackling of the police radio prevented him from fully understanding the conversation occurring outside of the car.

Suddenly, the car door flew open and the older police officer grabbed him by his elbow and pulled him outside. Derek could feel the handcuffs digging into his skin and it would have been so easy to just break them instead of waiting for the cop to set him free but he saw his uncle’s red eyes from a couple of feet behind and decided to stay quiet during the whole process and lecture.

His cousins were already in the backseat when he got to the car so he sat next to his uncle who stared at the road ahead with quiet rage, red flashes reflecting on the inside of the windshield. The silence didn’t last long.

“What the hell were you thinking, Derek? And you, bastards,” Peter boomed. Derek’s ears rang and he swore he could feel the windows vibrate. “Don’t even think you’re not getting punished because you haven’t been caught! You’re staying with Jennifer tonight.” The sound of quiet whimpers started coming from behind him but a dreadful snarl made them stop. “Silence! You have lost the right to complain. You’re staying with her tonight and you’ll help her with everything she needs.” 

“And you, Derek. I can’t even begin to express how disappointed I am in your behavior.” Peter reduced his volume but the acid and disgust in which he threw each word made them hurt more even if his ears were relieved. “I promised my dear sister Thalia. Please Lord, may she rest in peace,” all five of them reached to their golden necklaces and gave a small kiss to the warm metal cross that hung daily from their necks. “I promised her that I’d take care of you. And I have. Haven’t I?” His uncle said, turning his head and raising his voice directly at him. “Answer when I speak to you, cub!”

“Yes, sir.” Derek’s voice cracked but there was no sign of the usual laughs and snarky comments his cousins had made countless times in the past.

“I’ve given you everything that I could! I lost my family, too! I carried every single body outside of that house, and I raised you!” Tears filled Derek’s eyes in the same way that pain filled his uncle’s voice. 

“You three, get out,” he flatly said right before stopping the car. They indeed were in front of Jennifer’s house, another pack’s emissary who had helped them for many years and whose methods went from undesirable to abominable. “I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon.”

They silently drove until they reached their flat. Derek could feel the indecisiveness in his uncle’s pulse, meaning he was about to make a big decision.

“This is it, Derek.” Peter threw the house keys to the entryway table, banging against the metal plate and denting it. Derek slowly closed the door behind him and slowly walked to his uncle who grabbed a big notebook that served as a werewolf phone book. “Pack your things. Essentials only. I’m taking you to a friend’s house tomorrow morning.”

***

Derek waited in the car as his uncle finished his morning calls, the December morning cold air biting at his hands and ears, punishing him for leaving them unprotected against the weather. 

Peter got in the car and peeked at his nephew’s face before starting the low-sounding engine and getting to the familiar main road. Derek had lived here for most of his life, he knew most of the streets by name, bus routes, hidden spots, etcetera.

He found enough bravery to speak once they left the city. When the skyscrapers turned into deep forests and the asphalt turned into uneven ground.

“I’m sorry.” Those were the only things that could come out of his mouth even though a thousand questions swarmed his mind.

“I know you are, Derek. That’s why I’m taking you where they can help you.” His blue eyes looked at him full of pity, and maybe regret. His tone indicated there was no way back.

Being in the car for so many hours made Derek forget about his destiny, or at least his body did which allowed him to sleep until the bumps on the road made him hit his head against the window, reigniting the pain of the sore spot from last night. 

“Derek,” Peter took advantage of his nephew finally being awake. “I desperately need you to understand that I’m only doing this because I care about you.” Derek slightly turned his head away from the window and stared at his uncle’s white knuckles that tightly gripped the wheel. 

“Mm,” he tried to speak but only a sad whimper came out.

“You’re smart, Derek. You know we can’t solve this situation on our own. They’re gonna help you in this place. They got a program, and people in your situation, or at least similar situations.” The low hum of the high-end black car was almost enough to drown out Peter’s words and Derek simply sighed in response. He knew his uncle was right. “We’re here. Stay in the car.”

Derek immediately whipped his head up front, not even registering the thud of the driver’s seat door closing. He confusedly stared at his uncle shaking someone’s hand.

“Mr. Hale?” Derek heard the black man’s deep voice over the mild wind that had arisen over the morning hours. 

“Nice to meet you. You must be Vernon Boyd, right? Your boss told me you’d receive us this morning.” There it was his tone shift again. Derek tried to get out of the car but the door was locked. Both men instantly turned their heads around to look at him, red and golden eyes monitoring him. He tried opening the door again to no avail. He felt trapped. There wasn’t enough air in the car. His heart started pounding as the paranoia fogged his vision. 

His uncle opened the door from the outside and the cold winter air made him snap out of it.

“You can come out now, Derek.” He carefully stepped outside the vehicle and was greeted by someone seemingly close to his age but quite taller than him.

“Hello, Derek. My name is Vernon Boyd. I’m a counselor here and I’ll be your guide for today.” His voice was calm, and so was his heart, but some wolves can learn how to control their pulse in the presence of other wolves to give off a false sense of confidence. “This institution came into existence to help young wolves who got lost along their journeys,” he paused, looking back before leading them inside the seemingly standard building, its only notable thing was its remote location. “But we’ve opened up to other supernatural beings throughout the years. Many studies showed that having a diverse environment helped many of our residents feel more seen and accepted even if their conditions weren’t the same as everyone else’s.”

Derek could feel his uncle’s eyes on the back of his head but he was too focused on looking around to pay attention to anything else. Derek had taken a few classes on architecture and, even though he couldn’t point out what it was exactly, something seemed completely off about the hotel-like entrance, and following Boyd through all the similarly empty narrow corridors as he explained the history of the building felt like trying to orient yourself inside a liminal space when he suddenly came to a halt in front of a closed door.

“So, there’s not much more to it. My room is right at the end of that corridor.” He pointed right past Derek’s head with one hand as he grabbed the doorknob with the other. “Please, call me before you do anything stupid,” he said with a half-smile.  “And here’s yours.” Vernon opened the screechy wooden door and led the way inside. Derek couldn’t even pay attention to anything else apart from the boy lying down on a bed, a sour expression on his face. 

“You told me I wouldn’t have a new roommate in a while, Boyd. Who is this?” His voice was higher than he expected but that didn’t make the venom in his tone sting any less. 

Derek unconsciously raised an eyebrow as he stared at the boy. Grown-out bleached hair, several piercings and three small tattoos, a crescent moon in the middle of his forehead, a sun in his throat, and something written under his left eye, adorned his head. He wore a faded dark shirt that looked oversized but maybe it was just worn out and wide jeans. He was also wearing shoes. On the bed. Nasty . His eyes returned to the boy’s face who was glaring directly at him, mirroring his raised eyebrow.

“It’s a special case, Stilinski. Stop bitching and get up. You’re gonna be late for your meeting with counselor Clara.” 

“Please don’t tell me it’s another werewolf,” he retorted as he got up and grabbed a small notebook. “I can’t deal with the smell of wet dog,” Stilinski walked right past them and headed out of the room.

“You don’t smell that much better, asshole.” Derek didn’t mean to say it out loud, and he definitely didn’t expect his voice to sound so intimidating, since it seemed enough for Boyd to put a hand on Derek’s chest. Slowly but surely pushing him a few feet behind. He switched his eyes to Peter who amusedly watched the interaction.

Stilinski let out a small laugh before turning around and ignoring Derek, directing his eyes only to Boyd.

“How do you even know everyone’s timetables?” 

“It’s my job. Now, leave.” Boyd closed the door after the other boy turned around the corner and they couldn’t directly see him. “Sorry about that. He’ll come around, he always does.”

“How long has he been here?” It was an honest question. They seemed like they had known each other for a long time.

“It’s hard to say. He runs away and comes back all the time.” He quickly answered. “Now, that’s your closet and this is your bed. I know it may look small but I slept in one just like that and I’m bigger than you. No offense.”

“Non-taken.” Derek looked around the room, finally taking it in. The bed did look small, and the wall on his side was bare. The other side of the room looked very different. Trinkets and books spilled on every surface, and many movie posters hung above the other boy’s bed.

“Well, it’s time to say goodbye, you’ll be able to call each other at any time. There’s a phone at the reception. Free of charge.” He directed that part to Peter. 

“Here’s your bag, pup.” Peter put Derek’s old summer camp bag next to his assigned bed and tentatively reached for a hug. Derek burrowed his head into his uncle’s neck, desperately trying to cling to the scent of his home, his family, and his pack. The moment didn’t last long before his uncle pulled away and walked out of the room.

“I’m gonna leave you to it. I’ll be at the front desk in case you need anything.” Vernon strongly clapped his shoulder, intensely looking right into Derek’s eyes before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Derek stood there, finally alone and not knowing what to do. He tried to make up what Vernon’s look meant. Reassurance? Hope? Pity? Whatever the other wolf tried to tell him was lost in the distance between them.

He sighed and started to unpack the few things he had managed to bring. God knows he wasn’t in the right state of mind to pack his bag.

He opened the zip and found enough clothes for a week. His uncle told him he would send him more clothes if he had to spend more time than expected. They all fit snugly in the small closet. A few books that he put on display. He had already read them but he brought them anyway. Some family photos that he left inside the carrier. And his testosterone kit. He put it in the closet and closed the single door but then decided to hide it a little between the folds of his clothes, away from prying eyes.

Wolves would instantly know, he had no problem with that, but there were other kinds of people living here and he learned from a young age the value of keeping yourself at a safe distance from everything that may try to hurt you.

Derek looked around the room once all of his stuff was sorted out. He walked to the closed window and opened it, letting the chilling air in. He was greeted by the evergreen trees that held most of the life that surrounded the house. A second later he noticed the metal bars that separated him from the trees. It was pretty enough so that it didn’t look like a jail cell but still sturdy. He sighed as he sat on his new bed, testing the rigidness of the mattress and the texture of the sheets. Surprisingly, they weren’t half as bad as Derek had initially thought. He leaned back, letting his feet dangle off the edge.

The lack of sleep from last night quickly caught up to him. He stared at the other side of the room when he noticed the calendar that hung on the wall. Is that from 1996?

***

A loud thud suddenly woke him up. He tried to search for the source of the sound when he noticed his roommate’s figure standing by the window, pale moon rays reflecting on his face and making his piercings shine.

The boy glared at him after noticing the sudden movement.

“Look, I know wolves run hot but since we’re sharing this room I’m not letting you keep this window open the whole day. It’s January, for fuck’s sake.” 

“Didn’t mean to,” Derek simply replied. 

“You really needed that beauty sleep, huh?” He went to his closet and grabbed a dark flannel. He walked up to Derek’s bed as he put it on. “You even got rid of the dark circles you brought in this morning.” His tone was flat but there was some sort of hidden joke underneath.

He stood there, probably waiting for Derek to say something but he simply stared back until he turned around and sat down on his bed. 

“My name is Stiles, by the way. Maybe you already knew that. Although I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself this morning.”

“It didn’t help that you told me I smelled like a wet dog.”

“I simply stated that werewolves smell like wet dogs, not you particularly. And I was joking. And you literally said I stank, too!” Stiles’ hands exaggeratedly moved in the air as he spoke.

“I wasn’t joking,” Derek flatly stated.

“Not my fault your heightened werewolf senses make you notice every single scent in a room,” he paused. “Anyways, introduce yourself.”

“I’m Derek.”

“That’s it?” Stiles’ tone indicated he was already running low on patience which Derek found terribly amusing.

“Derek Hale,” he replied, continuing his strike.

“Is that supposed to mean anything? Are you part of a werewolf dynasty or something?”

“Sort of.” He couldn’t help but show a small smile, concluding his façade.

“Well, I’m not a wolf so: a, I’m not impressed, and b, you gotta give me something to work with, man,” Stiles grunted and closed his eyes as he roughly rubbed his hands through his face. “Okay, let’s do this. Ask me any question you want about me and then I’ll ask you something. We only got one question each so don’t waste it.”

“Why do you have a 1996 calendar on your wall?” 

“Very observant, Derek Hale.”

Chapter Text

The first few days flew by for Derek. There wasn’t much he was requested to do apart from filling in some paperwork in the mornings, so he stayed most of the time in his room, or Boyd’s corridor ever since he found out it was a common hanging area for every young werewolf in the house. He met there two blonde werewolves, a woman named Erica and a guy named Isaac. The fact that both of them had been recently bitten didn’t go unnoticed by Derek.

Some afternoons, they were allowed to go outside for a few hours. It was a rare occurrence only made possible when at least three counselors were free at the time and it allowed them to explore the natural environment that surrounded the building. Derek considered himself an introvert but his wolf was very different and being able to play with other wolves, feeling the wind on his fur and the dirt under his paws wasn’t something he was gonna pass on.  

He didn’t see Stiles much. He had a job, which meant that he was out of the house for most of the day and only returned right before dinner, so their interactions were few and far apart.

***

Derek absently stared at his blurry reflection in the mirror above the sink as he applied the testosterone gel onto his abdomen, an essential part of his morning routine after showering, when Stiles suddenly barged into the bathroom. Derek flinched, grabbing the towel that was securely tied around his waist. 

“Stiles, what the fuck!” Derek screamed. His other hand almost went to cover his chest before he remembered his scars were no longer visible thanks to his werewolf healing.

“Sorry, dude, I can’t wait forever,” he simply stated as he softly pressed his hand onto Derek’s back, hurriedly squeezing through the narrow space behind him, already undressing. Derek knew he had taken too much time in the shared bathroom so he couldn’t even retort.

“You better knock next time,” he growled, which granted him a laugh from his roommate. 

“Oh, I’ve seen plenty of naked werewolves around here. Trust me, yours isn’t any more interesting than the rest.” Derek stared down at the sink as he tried his hardest to not look at the other boy’s already naked body, not even through the foggy mirror. He didn’t look up until he heard the shower curtain close. “I didn’t take you for a skincare type of wolf, though. But thinking about it now, it makes total sense.” Stiles kept talking to what felt like himself and Derek didn’t know if he was supposed to answer and interrupt the ongoing shower monologue. He opted for staying quiet and getting everything inside his vanity case before Stiles’ prying eyes could get a good look at them.

“I’m–,” he decided to speak up, making Stiles peak his head around the curtain. His wet blonde tips covered his forehead and reached almost to his eyes.

“What?” Drops of water splashed away from his lips as he spoke.

“I’m going to our room, I don’t wanna bother you,” Derek tried to excuse himself. His knuckles were completely white from how strong he was gripping his towel.

“Nah, dude. Stay, we’re having a conversation. I feel like we haven’t talked all week.” Stiles kept talking but this time he was looking directly at him and it made him see his discomfort. “Is it because of your cock? Don’t worry, man– I mean, wolf. We don’t size-shame in here. Besides, I’m not gonna look, I promise!” Stiles hurriedly went back inside the shower and closed the curtain. 

Derek’s mind was racing, too many thoughts clogging every single one of his neurons. If he stayed, there was a chance that his roommate would find out before he was ready to tell him, but if he ran away as he originally planned, that would make him seem too insecure for his own pride.

He quickly dropped the towel the moment he reached his boxers, putting them on at a record time. He grabbed his trousers and finally breathed once he buttoned them close. He left his packer in his room so he didn’t have to worry about it at the time. Danger had passed.

“Hey, Derek,” Stiles screamed from inside the shower. “Are you done with your towel? I forgot mine,” he said as he switched off the faucet. 

“I just used it.”

“Duh, can I open the curtain now?” Derek tried to ready himself before murmuring a yes . He busied himself by putting on his shirt as soon as he heard the shower curtain glide open, focusing on every button as if he were performing open heart surgery. “I forgot mine is in the washer and I’d rather not have to dry myself with my dirty clothes.” Derek’s eyes betrayed him and forced him to look for a few seconds at the naked figure of his roommate. Those seconds were enough for the image of pale skin covered in tiny constellations of moles party hidden by full patches of dark hair. A metallic glint on the head of his soft and dangly member made him snap out of the small trance. He covered his own vision by offering him the towel he had requested. 

“Thank you, I promise I’ll leave it by the washers before the group session. I’ll see you there, right?” He looked completely unfazed by the exposure of his body, rubbing the used white towel over his armpits and torso. It took a minute for Derek to realize what Stiles was asking.

“Yeah,” he stammered. “How do you know?”

“What other reason would there be for you to be all dressed up? You haven’t been here enough time to receive a visit,” he said, his towel getting dangerously close to his pubic area. Derek decided to bounce off before his eyes betrayed him again.

“You’re right, see you there, then,” he said before hurriedly gathering everything and leaving the bathroom. He thanked every Saint that Stiles didn’t have super-hearing because that would have been the final nail in his coffin.

***

Boyd was waiting for him, leaning on his bedroom door frame. His eyes instantly snapped away from his phone to glance at Derek. He quickly typed something and then put the old smartphone in his back pocket. 

“Are you ready, Hale? Do you need to grab anything?” Shit. He couldn’t just close the door in his face so he could put on his packer so he made the decision to not wear it today. 

“As ready as I can be,” he answered, cautiously selecting the right words. Vernon softly smiled and led the way.

“You’ve dressed up! Most people give it up after the first session so don’t feel pressured to keep it up,” he said as he firmly brushed the back of Derek’s shirt. He explained how these group therapy meetings tended to go. Which questions would be asked and how many people would be in attendance. Derek didn’t need to tell him because Vernon already knew, but this conversation succeded in soothing his nerves.

Once they reached the entrance of the room, Boy gave him a few strong pats of encouragement on the back and left with a smile to go and talk to the other residents who were hanging around the area.

Derek took a peek at the room, the Sun’s morning rays managed to break through the trees that surrounded the building and several chairs formed a widespread circle in the middle of the well-lit room. In the corner of the room, there was a short young woman, with brown hair tied in a small ponytail at the back of her head, quickly typing on her phone.

“What’s up, Derek? Nervous?” He recognized Erica’s voice without having to look at her even if they had only had one single conversation. 

“Were you not the first time?” He honestly questioned.

“Not really,” she said as she pushed him in, sort of dragging him to sit next to her.

Half a dozen werewolves and a few more supernatural kids of different ages sat in the chairs, some looking nervous, some bored, and some angry until all the seats were filled up but two. Stiles hadn’t arrived yet.

The woman slowly walked up to one of the empty chairs and sat down, a calm smile on her mouth as she looked at every attendant with her wide brown eyes in some sort of non-verbal greeting. She directed her gaze away to the papers that sat on her lap and wrote something down before she cleared her throat. 

“Welcome, everyone, to the weekly meeting. I’m glad most of you showed up on time.” Derek didn’t expect the British accent that accompanied her sweet voice. “I see a few new faces so, for those who don’t know me, my name is Clara and, as most of you could sense, I’m human. We’re going to take turns sharing our feelings, thoughts, or even experiences about anything we believe is worth sharing. You can be as honest as you want, or as silent as you need. There’s no judgment here. Who wants to go first?” One of the youngest-looking attendants raised her hand and Clara nodded her way.

“My name is Sooyoung and I was bitten by a werewolf three months ago, right after I moved here from Korea.” She spoke clearly but there were hints of an accent that gave away that English wasn’t her first language. “After that, I lost my scholarship, my apartment, my job,” she quavered at the end of her sentence before finally breaking down. She buried her face in her hands as she sobbed. “I’m sorry,” she said after taking a few deep breaths.

Several stories followed hers and Derek felt reassured throughout the whole experience but his suspicions became true when he noticed a pattern in all the stories, all of them were recently bitten werewolves with no pack and no previous experience in the supernatural world, and that made him feel even more of a disappointment. 

Derek sat upright at the same time as Erica and a few other wolves when they heard loud thuds that came from the corridor and were nearing the entrance. Stiles stormed through the door and he wheezed, trying to get as much air in his lungs as possible.

“Really sorry, Clara,” he apologized in between breaths before closing the door. He dropped his body onto the last empty chair and glanced up at Derek before he closed his eyes and tried to slow down his breathing.

That’s when it hit him. Stiles’ scent screamed Derek. He was so caught up in the moment that it didn’t occur to Derek that his scent would be all over Stiles if he used his towel. But it was too late now, and if he had noticed, Erica and the rest most likely had as well, and he would have to face the consequences.

He tried to ignore Erica’s piercing eyes next to him as best as he could but he eventually side-eyed her and it was enough for her to lift her eyebrows, transforming her face into a shameless sneer. 

He couldn’t concentrate on anything else for the rest of the meeting and the therapist must have noticed because the moment she dismissed everyone else, she called to him right as he was about to leave.

“Derek, could you wait in here for a second? I need to speak with you privately.” She asked in a way that felt more like a demand that didn’t let Derek with any other option. He just nodded in return and leaned on the wall next to the door, trying not to stare at the people who gave him inquisitive and knowing looks as they passed by.

He aimed his gaze at Stiles, who chatted with Erica across the room. He didn’t mean to pry on their conversation but the thought that he was the reason they were laughing made him unconsciously tune his ears to the trivial music discussion they were having as they got close to his spot.

“Good luck, big guy,” remarked Stiles with a smile as he gave Derek a few pats on his chest before leaving. Erica loudly giggled by his side making her curly blonde mane bounce. Once they were gone, Derek and Clara became the last two people in the room.

“Come join me, would you?” Clara asked from the same chair she sat in during the meeting. Derek felt his chest pound faster with each step he took until he sat next to her. “I know it’s hard getting accustomed to everything, that’s why I didn’t mind that you didn’t utter a word during the whole meeting,” she gently smiled at him. “But next week, I’ll need you to explain why you think you’re here. It doesn’t have to be long or explicit, but you’d be surprised at how good it feels to speak your mind from time to time. And this is a safe space.” 

“I’m not good at expressing myself,” he simply declared.

“I talked to your roommate and he’s more than happy to aid you to write down any thoughts that roam through your head.” That made Derek perked up. “Or at least he’ll help you start.”

He bid farewell after the conversation and headed out of the room, almost bumping into Stiles who stood right outside.

“Easy tiger.” Stiles smiled as he grabbed both of Derek’s shoulders to prevent him from jumping back. Derek tried to mentally excuse the bolt of electricity that ran through his body at the gentle touch, it had been a while since the last time and Stiles was undeniably attractive. He also had a piercing on– “I gotta clear out after lunch, are you up for a little writing now?” Derek didn’t trust his mouth so he simply nodded. Stiles gave him a quick squeeze before letting go of his shoulders and led them both back to the dormitory.

***

Derek stared at the almost blank page that only contained the date and the smiley face Stiles had drawn after setting everything on their dorm desk. He could hear the quick movements of Stiles’ pen coming from behind him. Time looked at the clock for what felt like the millionth time and grunted as he slammed his pen against the notebook.

“You OK there, big guy?” Derek spun his chair until he faced Stiles, who sat cross-legged on his bed.

“Clearly not,” Derek responded. His tone was a tad more hostile than he had intended which made Stiles raise an eyebrow.

“First of all, chill,” he said, pointing his pen at Derek. “And second, I’m here to help. You just have to ask.”

“I don’t even know how to start. Everything is so,” he made a small pause as he tried to find the appropriate word to describe how he felt but he desisted after a few seconds.

“Jumbled?” Derek nodded at Stiles’ response. “Dude, that’s why most of us are here.” Stiles leaned forward and playfully slapped Derek’s knee. “Listen, when I got here the first time I was a complete mess.” Derek attentively listened as Stiles detailed the many times he had spent in and out of the halfway house, going backward until he reached the beginning of everything. “Ever since I was a kid I could feel this sort of buzz,” he closed his eyes as he tried to reminisce. “Buzz is not the right word because it’s not an actual sound, not even a tangible thing. But it is there, and it begs me to reach for it. It may manifest itself right after a clock strikes midnight; sometimes even in the speech pattern of some rando on the street.” He opened his eyes and eyed Derek with a hunger he had never seen before in the boy’s gaze. “It’s everywhere, and resisting the urge to grab it is overwhelming and all-consuming.”

“Is that buzz magic?”

“You may call it magic but it’s energy emanating from other dimensions, calling to me. It’s a very regulated practice, actually, so I got in trouble several times for reaching into dimensions that were further away than I was allowed to.” He proudly smiled. “Do you remember what you asked me that first night?”

“About your weird calendar?”

“You do remember! Well, there’s something about well-preserved objects that really permeate energy from other dimensions in a way that newly created artifacts do not. So, I always like to have an older calendar or almanac even if, in this case, I’m not really able to use any of that energy.” He said as he pulled up his sleeve and touched the seemingly plastic watch that was tied to her right wrist.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stiles offered his arm for Derek to inspect. He gently grabbed Stiles’ forearm with one hand, the warmth of his hand permeating to the other boy’s colder skin, and examined the watch with his other hand. There was something off about it. Something that kept Derek from being able to focus too much on it without his vision getting blurry and his mind going fuzzy. Stiles squirmed as a chill that made his arm hairs stand up ran through his body and forced Derek to snap out of the small trance he had suddenly fallen into. Derek’s eyes took a second until they could get rid of the mistiness that had covered them.

“Fuck, sorry,” Stiles promptly apologized, grabbing Derek’s hand that was left in the air after Stiles had removed his arm. “I wasn’t expecting it to affect you so much, most werewolves aren’t that responsive to this kind of energy.”

“What the hell even happened?” Derek mumbled.

“This watch was designed to ‘get my sticky fingers away from other dimensions’ or something like that the judge said,” Stiles said air quoting the exact words the judge had pronounced almost a year ago. Derek intensely looked at Stiles trying to puzzle out what his roommate was actually feeling. The moment didn’t last too long before Stiles jumped from his bed and stood up. “Enough about me. You’re the one who has to write down their feelings.” Derek let himself be twirled on his chair until he faced the blank page again.

“I just don’t understand how I can put all of my thoughts into words,” he defeatedly said.

“I couldn’t do it at the time, Derek.” Stiles softly smiled in a way that felt reassuring instead of pitiful. “The worst part about unraveling a knot is to find the loose end.”

“That’s not true,” Derek retorted.

“Shut up! I thought it was poetic, OK?” They both laughed. “Now, write anything that’s on your mind. It doesn’t even have to be related to what brought you here.”

Derek didn’t know what part of their conversation had connected certain parts of his brain to his hand but he wrote. A lot. And it took him a while to realize that Stiles was right there, leaning on the desk with one arm when the other was resting on his shoulder, inadvertently rubbing circles on Derek’s back.

Derek gathered enough bravery and raised his head from the almost full page until his eyes met Stiles who desperately tried to make his small flinch go unnoticed to no avail. 

“Thank you for helping me, Stiles. It means a lot,” Derek suddenly spoke and he could physically see the veins in Stiles’ neck increase the speed at which they pumped his blood until Stiles took a step back.

“Sure, sure. No worries. That’s why I’m here. Not really. But since I’m already here, right? Better make myself useful,” he said as he walked backward, skittishly laughing as he grabbed his backpack. “I gotta leave now. Work, y’know? See you later, though! Bye!” He was out the door before Derek could reply.

He smiled to himself before checking the time, it was definitely too early to have lunch but he’d rather go now when there weren’t many people around.

Chapter Text

Derek returned to his room after lunch and threw himself onto his bed, basking in the mixture of their scents that was about to become familiar at that point. He was so entranced that he didn’t hear anyone nearing his door until someone knocked. He got up, attentively listening to the heartbeat that pounded outside, wondering who it could be. He opened the door and saw Isaac standing there with a nervous smile on his face. 

“Hey, Derek.” His blue eyes flicked between his face and the bed behind him, and his nose twitched as he sniffed the air a couple of times.

“You looking for Stiles? He just left.”

“Not really,” he replied even though Derek could sense a hint of disappointment in his voice. “A few wolves are gonna hang out in my room.” Derek stared. “It’s an invitation. We’re just gonna play video games.”

Derek hesitated. A part of him didn’t want any company because he wanted to enjoy Stiles’ scent a bit more but also, he didn’t know the real meaning of this invite. 

“Sure.” Derek couldn’t bring himself to say no and risk losing the little respect he had in the house.

“You don’t look too impressed,” Isaac nervously laughed. “I just didn’t want you to be alone in Boyd’s corridor today. You won’t even have to play if it’s not your thing. Trust me, Jackson and Erica will be pleased if they know they won’t have to share the controllers with more people.” He sounded eager and somewhat hopeful. Derek deeply inhaled one last time before nodding and stepping outside, prepared to follow Isaac to his room. 

Isaac gleefully led the way and it wasn’t long before Derek started hearing the combination of several different heartbeats that were drowned by the loud screaming that came from the other side of the door.

Before Isaac opened the door, a million thoughts ran wild in Derek’s head. He wondered if Isaac was genuine or if he had ulterior motives. If Isaac was truly trying to bond with him, maybe even impress him. Or if this was all a challenge, a way to limit-test him. He also pondered if he was mocking him or pitying him.

He didn’t trust Isaac. He didn’t trust anyone in that house.

The door opened before Isaac had the chance to do it himself and they were both swooped inside by an ecstatic Erica. Derek widened his eyes when he saw the five wolves that were piled on the bed and the other three that sat on the floor of the tiny room.

“That’s our boy!” One of them celebrated, strongly smacking Isaac’s back before giving him a heartfelt side hug. Derek didn’t know his name but he had seen him around Isaac from time to time. A few of them hollered before they returned their attention to the old TV that was in front of them.

“Boyd got us this console as a good behavior present,” a small Asian girl mentioned after seeing Derek’s perplexed face. Derek nodded and sat down on the floor next to her.

It was a fun afternoon and Derek allowed himself to talk and laugh as he got more comfortable. The bustling and crowded room quieted down as the hours went by and people started leaving until only a few of the more competitive wolves remained.

“So, Derek,” Jackson said without making eye contact, too determined to beat Erica in their umpteenth match. “Who would have said that the most antisocial Hale would have banged a wizard in his first three days here?” 

“What the fuck?” Derek thunderously barked in response. His wolf forced his way out, making his teeth and ears grow sharp. 

Isaac flinched and recoiled until he was in the corner of the room, trying to make himself as small as possible, while Erica punched the laugh out of Jackson. Thankfully, it was enough for Derek to regain control before an actual fight had ensued. 

“Ouch, Reyes, what is your issue?” hissed Jackson, rubbing the part of his arm that had been hit. “Everyone’s talking about it. He even showed up to therapy shamelessly smelling like him. You were the one that told me!” Derek watched as the volume of their discussion escalated and decided to ignore them in favor of Isaac, who remained in the corner.

“I’m sorry, Isaac,” he murmured as he got close to the trembling boy.

“It’s fine,” he tremulously said as he tried to breathe. “I just need a minute.” Derek stayed there next to him until he broke out of his cocoon-like posture. Like a hedgehog finally letting you see its face. “See? All good.” His smile quivered and Derek helped him get up before looking down at Jackson.

“I just lent him my towel this morning. Thanks for inviting me, Isaac, it was fun.” He hoped he wouldn’t regret that loss of control as he left the room.

***

Derek slammed his room’s door shut and didn’t even bother leaving for dinner. He paced around the small room, wrote down many different iterations of his future conversation with Stiles, and tore those pages into tiny fragments. He wondered how Stiles would react if he knew people were talking about them, if he wouldn't mind or if he would be disgusted. He thought about laying down and taking a nap until Stiles arrived but he just tossed and turned in his bed instead. 

***

Stiles left butterfly kisses over Derek’s neck and chest as he made his way down. The quick furtive glances in between the soft kisses made his eyes reflect the full moon that entered across the window. Stiles pressed his face against Derek’s crotch and closed his eyes as he deeply inhaled his scent before slowly pulling down his briefs with one hand. The other hand’s long fingers caressed the outside at the same time he searched his way across the deep dark pubes that covered most of the region. Stiles sent Derek a devilish smile before he leaned to kiss his exposed clitoris. Derek moaned in response, a deep visceral grunt carrying all his desires and expectations for what would happen.

Stiles didn’t waste any more time and shoved his entire face into it, furiously savoring each crevice where his tongue could reach. Derek didn’t want this feeling to ever stop so he encouraged him to keep going by grabbing his hair with both hands and gently pushing his head further in.

“Stiles, fuck, I’m close. Keep going!” He screamed and begged as his roommate’s mouth worked wonders. A trail of unintelligible words kept coming out of him as his moans fought the words he tried to pronounce.

The rays of the sun made him flinch as he opened his eyes. Jolts of pleasure ran wild through every nerve of his body.

“Goddamn, good morning to you, too, Hale,” he heard as Stiles uncontrollably laughed from the other side of the room. 

Derek’s head whipped to the side to discover Stiles sat on his mattress with one leg up as he tied his shoelaces. A deep sense of shame set in Derek’s chest and a powerful red covered his face. He unconsciously looked at the scene of the crime only to find the thin pale sheet slightly wet. He set his gaze to the ceiling and prayed that this was also a dream.

“Don’t sweat it, dude. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before.” Derek was too focused on his own heart to be sure if Stiles was being honest or if he was trying to lessen the blow. 

Chapter Text

Derek couldn’t stay away from the feelings of shame and awkwardness that hunted him down every second for the following days, to the point where he was purposefully avoiding Stiles. Fortunately for him, it wasn’t that difficult to accomplish since Stiles was gone for most of the day and Derek forced himself to spend most mornings following Boyd around, trying to help in whatever way was needed around the building, as an excuse to keep himself busy and outside of their room. The fact that Stiles didn’t question his new routine did nothing but toughen the uphill battle against his feelings. 

“Hale, your uncle’s on the line,” Boyd told him. “Leave those planks around there, I’ll pick them up. Thanks for helping.” 

He piled the wooden shelves he was carrying on the side of the corridor as close to the walls as possible and took the longest strides towards the phone that laid off the hook on the reception counter. He sighed before picking it up, already anticipating the words he was about to hear.

“Hey, cub, how are you?” Those were his uncle’s first words in every call they had. In the three weeks Derek had been there, his feelings towards them had subtly changed. He had grown accustomed to the term of endearment to the point where he had started seeing it as an actual term of endearment instead of the infantilizing word he had always considered it.

Clara had already given him a heads-up so he knew what this conversation would entail but that didn’t mean he was ready for it. 

“We believe you’re ready to come home again. I was thinking about picking you up this Sunday morning. Father Matthew has asked about you every Sunday so it would be best if you could make it to this Sunday’s mass. What do you think?”

“Sure, that’d be great.” Derek tried to sound as hopeful as part of him felt about finally going home again but the hint of indecisiveness in his tone was enough for his uncle to pick up on.

“I understand that you’ve made friends there, but you’ll be able to meet them once they’re outside, too.” His uncle didn’t try to mask the enforceability of his demand and Derek accepted it.

***

That afternoon, Derek grabbed his baggiest clothes and made his way to the entrance where Boyd and a few other wolves would be waiting. He had anticipated this day and it was finally here, even more now knowing that it would be his last time being able to enjoy this kind of outdoor activity with this weird little pack they had formed.

His thoughts kept him distracted enough that he didn’t notice that Stiles was standing there, right next to Erica, who had swapped her usual stylishly uncomfortable outfits for a more open-field-friendly one and had her blonde curls neatly braided. The small group of wolves loudly talked until Boyd silenced them after glancing at Derek.

“Is everyone ready to leave? Remember we got a human with us today so no funny business.”

After getting everyone’s approval, Boyd opened the front gate and let the wolves and Stiles leave the main building before closing it again and returning the key to his chest pocket.

Everyone else except for Derek and Stiles began running at top speed, circling the building, and making their way toward the vast piece of land that surrounded the halfway house.

“You can go ahead if you want,” commented Stiles as his hands grazed the headphones that hung from his neck, music already coming out of them. “It’s not the first time those eager wolves leave me behind the moment we step outside.”

“I’m fine with walking for now.” His wolf wasn’t happy with this decision. Derek felt the muscles of his legs start to spasm with excitement, his nose picking up the scent of small animals that ran around the trees and bushes, and he knew he didn’t have much time before his wolf’s call would be too loud to ignore. Derek watched as Stiles continued to walk by his side without shutting him off with music and decided it was his chance to make amends. “I’m sorry for acting weird this week. It was so embarrassing.” Derek shook his head as he tried to erase that memory. He felt a small nudge accompanied by a grunt from his side.

“Was that it? Oh my fucking God, Derek Hale!” He maniacally laughed. “I told you it was no biggie!” In a way, this reaction coming from Stiles didn’t take Derek by surprise. He definitely should have seen it coming. “You’re an asshole.” And just like that, it was as if that past week hadn’t existed and Derek felt so full of joy that he just started running.

***

Derek had never asked himself what wolves looked like from the outside during their games, as they chased each other or raced themselves to catch certain animals. But now he constantly looked at his roommate who attentively looked at them as he remained seated on a huge fallen tree trunk while listening to music and trying to enjoy the few warm rays of sun that January had to offer him. Derek looked at him to make sure he was still there but also, for his approval.

He was suddenly pinned to the ground by Erica who playfully growled in his face.

“Why don’t you ask him to play with you?” Erica growled. “We all know you want to.” Derek used his strength to push her off of him. “Isaac and I will keep the others away from him, don’t worry.” She winked and ran up to one of the other wolves.

The impulsiveness of his wolf didn’t allow him to question whether it was the proper idea before he was excitedly running toward Stiles.

“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do, Derek,” he retorted after arguing for a while.

“You just have to do whatever feels nice at the time. We run and jump and crash against each other because it’s fun.”

“I don’t wanna end up with a broken arm.”

“I’ll be careful, I promise,” he said as he dragged the other boy away from the tree trunk.

Stiles embarrassedly looked around not really knowing what to do while Derek excitedly jumped in front of him.

“Come at me,” Derek said. “Full force. Release all your energy.” And that’s what Stiles did. He crashed against Derek’s chest and managed to make him lose his footing for a second, making him stumble.

“Good job!”

For the following hour, they raced each other and tried to pin each other down. Derek’s inner wolf felt happier than he had in a long time and Derek hyperfocused on not hurting Stiles but still treating him like he would any other tiny wolf who’d come to play with him.

***

Derek followed Stiles into their room, feeling a mix of exhaustion and exhilaration after one of the best days he had ever had. His inner wolf hadn’t felt this tired and content in many years.

Stiles threw his backpack on the floor and collapsed on his bed, wiping his forehead with his sleeve, and Derek closed the door and took off his damp shirt due to the need to get rid of the sticky feeling of sweat off his skin. He relocated the golden chain around his neck.

“Dude, you stink,” Stiles said with a disgusted tone. His eyes conveyed a completely different sentiment. He stared at Derek’s naked torso. He had lost some definition and melanin from being secluded at the halfway house for almost a month but he was still as buff as ever, and Stiles’ wide eyes gave him a much-needed confidence boost.

“You don’t smell that much better,” he retorted, throwing the musty t-shirt at Stiles. It wasn’t the complete truth, Stiles’ scent was a blend of sweat, grass, and something uniquely his own that was intoxicating to Derek. He gathered his towel and his T-kit. “I’m off to the shower, and you should do the same.” Derek knew his sentence came out wrong the moment he saw Stiles’ eyes light up as if a lightbulb had just turned on inside his brain.

“Wait a sec, I’m coming with you,” he said, quickly grabbing a towel and ushering Derek outside.

“You can go first if you want.” Derek’s panicked tone went completely unnoticed and they both entered the small bathroom. “We hardly fit in here.”

“Oh, come on, stop whining. I’m supposed to be the whinier one.” Stiles started undressing mid-sentence. He took off his long-sleeve shirt and revealed the dotted pale skin he had thought of since he had first seen it. “You guys are insane,” he said, looking at Derek with a grin while undoing the knot in his sweatpants. “How do you have so much energy?”

“Werewolf stuff,” Derek murmured. 

This situation was actually happening and Derek felt like he was witnessing a trainwreck in slow motion about to occur, except he was the driver, the passenger, and the train itself. Stiles dropped his pants, leaving some worn-out boxers as the last standing barrier between him and Derek’s eyes. It was now or never. Stiles hooked his fingers on the loose waistband and started pulling it down, displaying the top of the dark halo that surrounded his adorned member. “Wait!” Stiles flinched and instantly pulled his underwear up with a confused expression. “I need to tell you something and I’m sorry I haven’t done it sooner but I didn’t know how you’d react at first and then it became too awkward to say anything, and–,” Derek threw word after word at Stiles hoping any of the sentences they formed made any sense.

“What is going on, Derek?” he grabbed him by the forearms trying to stop his wild gesticulations before someone got hurt. 

“I’m a trans man!” Derek finally said. He closed his eyes and mentally braced himself for the impact. After a few seconds of silence, Derek opened his eyes only to find a very confused-looking Stiles.

“I know that, idiot. You literally applied testosterone gel in front of me. What are you fussing about?” Derek remained speechless because it was true but Stiles took the chance to softly tap his face in some sort of mockery of a slap. “Dude, talk to me.”

“You’re right,” he stuttered. Stiles’ smile grew in response.

“Come on, you big baby. Let’s get to the shower.” He finally got rid of the sweat-stained underwear and walked toward the shower displaying his perky ass, its shape enhanced by the hair that grew inside and connected with his front.

It took Derek a fraction of a second to stop fighting his own mind before he dropped the rest of his clothes, finally uncovering his whole body in front of Stiles for the first time.

He stood behind Stiles in the shower and watched as the clear water washed the dirt and grass stains from the other man’s body. He turned around to look at him and put a hand on his side, making him squeeze past him until he was the one being hit by the pleasant stream of water.

“I wash your back and you wash mine, deal?” Stiles didn’t waste time and began rubbing the lightly scented soap across Derek’s broad back before Derek uttered a word.

“So,” he started. “I heard that you’re leaving.” The comment took Derek by surprise. He was waiting for the right time to tell him, maybe later when they were both almost asleep. Or maybe tomorrow. Or maybe he was just trying to delay the moment as much as possible.

“Yeah, my uncle called today. I’m leaving this Sunday.”

“Shame, now that we were finally getting closer.” Derek was about to retaliate that they had been close for a while now, with their ups and downs, when he felt Stiles’ arms pull him closer. His chest completely pressed against Derek’s back and his hardening dick bumped into Derek’s asscheek. Stiles’ hands groped and squeezed his pectorals before one of them aimed down.

Derek muffled a moan with his own hand when the other man’s fingers reached his nether region, lightly rubbing his clitoris as he shushed him over his neck.

“You’re gonna have to be quieter if you don’t want Boyd knocking down the door before I’m able to make you cum.” This complete switch-up in Stiles’ demeanor made him want to surrender himself even more than before. He could feel Stiles’ now fully hard cock push against his ass as the water fell on his face, drowning the low whines that escaped his mouth. 

Derek let himself be manhandled by the smaller man and he found himself with his back against the wall of the shower and Stiles in front of him. Dark eyes surrounded by the detailed dark tattoos and the gleaming piercings that hungrily stared at him before switching down where his hand was hovering over Derek’s pussy. 

His eyes couldn’t help but follow his roommate’s gaze but stopped at his hardening member. The shiny metal that protruded from his reddish head demanded too much attention and it took a while for Derek to be able to move on and continue to take in the view of his whole exposed hairy member.

“Why are you staring so hard, Derek?” Stiles said derisively before planting the palm of his hand over Derek’s genitals. The moan that bubbled in his throat didn’t get the chance to come out before Stiles put his other hand over his mouth. Stiles shushed him again with a smile. 

They were completely pressed against one another, face to face. Stiles lowered the hand that covered Derek’s mouth and rested it on his neck. They stared at each other’s lips until none of them could wait any longer and crashed their mouths. Derek had never felt hunger and thirst like this. Stiles’ lips were his only food, his saliva his water, and he had felt malnourished since birth.

Stiles’ hand worked his way inside Derek as they kissed, his thumb rubbing circles against Derek’s growth. Derek grabbed the other boy’s head with both hands and deepened the kiss, savoring every corner of Stiles’ mouth with his tongue until he pulled away.

Derek looked at him waiting for a sign to return to the previous activity but the look Stiles gave him let him know that he had other plans.

Stiles suddenly dropped to his knees and planted his face between Derek’s legs.

“Stiles, fuck,” Derek whispered. The other boy looked up with pleading eyes as he consciously licked and sucked every inch of exposed skin while three of his fingers worked their magic inside him.

Derek didn’t know for how long he stood there basking in the glory before he sensed his legs trembling with anticipation. 

He blacked out for a second as one of the biggest orgasms he’d ever had ran through his nervous system like a bat out of hell. Stiles promptly caught him before he slid down the wall and to the floor.

“I didn’t know I was that good,” Stiles joked.

Right after Derek regained his stance, they turned off the faucet and ran to their room with only tiny towels covering the most essential parts. 

Stiles entered first, and Derek heard the loud thud his body made against the mattress as he closed the door. When he turned around, he found Stiles’ naked body lying on his bed. 

“Are you gonna return the favor?” Stiles splayed his legs as he stroked his member, taunting Derek with its solidness. “Don’t worry, it’s not made out of silver,” he said as he readjusted the shiny Prince Albert that crowned the tip of his dick.

He crawled on the bed until his face was mere inches away from the glistening glans. He hadn’t used any soap on Stiles so it still smelled like sweat and outside which only made Derek’s lust grow stronger. Derek rubbed his face against the thick dark mane that covered the entire base of his dick, inhaling the other’s musk before using his tongue to lick his roommate’s testicles. Stiles squirmed and moaned as Derek’s tongue slid upwards until he reached the warm metal piercing. Derek wasn’t sure about what he could do to make Stiles feel the best since he had never dealt with anything like this before, so he opted for swallowing the entire head as one of his hands jerked the rest of his member and the other caressed Stiles’ torso.

He panted as Derek’s mouth engulfed more of his length to the point where it hit the back of his throat.

“Stop, shit, I’m close,” Stiles scream-whispered the warning with enough time for Derek to get it out of his mouth and white ropes painted his face. 

Stiles shamefully looked at Derek, waiting for his reaction only to find him darting his tongue to the edge of his mouth. 

The shared hungry looks between the pair indicated they planned on not wasting any second during the few days they had together that week.

Chapter Text

Derek stepped out of the car and looked at the house he had resented so much in the past with relief but also guilt. He grabbed his backpack filled with clothes that still smelled like his room, like him and Stiles. He waited in front of the door until his uncle grabbed the key and opened it. Peter slid a hand across Derek’s back and softly smiled at him before guiding him inside.

“Come on in, let me take your bag.” Derek followed him and looked around. The house looked virtually the same as when he had left but everything felt different now. He wondered if his uncle was really happy to have him back, or if he was just pretending.

“We’ll wash your clothes later,” Peter said as he put the backpack on a chair. “You look like you lost some weight. How was the halfway house? Did they treat you well?”

“It was better than I expected, honestly. The therapist that was there really helped me sort some stuff out, and I think I made some friends.”

“That’s great. I didn’t know if you were masking how everything truly was. You always sounded so tense over the phone. Anyways, Aiden will be here in 20 minutes,” he commented after checking the time on his expensive watch. “I bought you a few new shirts, go upstairs and choose the one you like the most. Father Matthew was ecstatic when I told him I’d be picking you up today.”

Derek felt a lump in his throat and, after thanking his uncle, he went to get ready.

***

Life went back to normal sooner than Derek expected and his cousins not being around felt like a blessing since it meant he got the loft to himself most of the time.

His phone rang but the number on the screen didn’t belong to anyone on his small contact list. His first thought was to ignore it as he usually did but the thought of the caller being Stiles made him rethink the entire situation. He sighed before touching the green circle on his screen and put the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Derek? Is that you?” Derek immediately recognized the voice coming from the speaker. “It’s Isaac! I can’t believe Jackson wasn’t messing with me. How are you?”

“Good! How are you, Isaac? How did you get my number? Are you out?”

“Jackson gave it to me. Apparently, he knows some of your cousins.” 

“Really?”

“I’m really happy I got your number, Derek. I’m throwing a party in a few days so this is perfect. I’ll send you the address. See you!” He hung up before Derek could utter another word and a message promptly flashed on his screen.

***

Derek felt a surge of anxiety as he approached the door of the house where the party was hosted. He could hear the loud music and the voices of people talking and laughing and wondered if he should turn back and go home.

He knocked on the door and waited until someone he didn’t know let him in without questioning why he was there. Entering the house felt like someone had given Derek a concussion. His head pounded, his eyes got teary, his ears rang, his tongue went numb and his heart rate was so high it made him feel like he was about to have a heart attack. 

The living room was crowded with people, some sitting on the couch, some standing around and some dancing to the music. Derek’s ears picked up Isaac’s laugh and decided to follow the sound with his eyes until he found him surrounded by other wolves. He thought about running away and pretending he was never there but Isaac waved at him from the other side of the room the moment he saw him. He made his way towards him, feeling overwhelmed by the noise and the neon lights that illuminated the otherwise dark rooms.

After sharing a quick hug, Derek noticed some visible changes in Isaac’s demeanor. He stood up straighter, occupying the space that he was owed by everyone around him. He was also more muscular and his gaze seemed sharper.

Derek felt a small rush of discomfort as the group greeted him with smiles and handshakes before they continued with their conversation. 

“By the way,” Isaac shouted in his ear. His breath smelled like alcohol and there were some herbal hints. Derek was aware of werewolves spiking drinks with small amounts of wolfsbane to feel the effects a normal human would have, but he had never seen it in real life. Most born werewolves detested this practice, but Derek realized that the majority of werewolves present that evening were most likely bitten. “Stiles is here, he finally got out!”

Derek backed away and gawked at the other wolf, trying to detect any suggestion that he was lying but he didn’t find any.

“He’s probably with Erica, let me call her.” Isaac patted every pocket in his outfit trying to find his phone but he didn’t need to actually call her because the moment he felt a hand linger on his shoulder, he knew.

“Who do we have here?” Derek spun around so fast he felt like he gave himself whiplash but there he was, dressed in dark clothes as always but with a newly buzzed head, and no hint of his characteristic blonde tips. 

There was something else about him that shocked Derek to the core, but he couldn’t put the finger on what it was before Stiles’ arms surrounded him in a tight embrace. Derek inhaled Stiles’ scent as if it were the last flower on Earth while returning the hug. He felt Stiles’ mouth move against his neck and the sound vibrations reached his ears but he couldn’t make sense of what he was saying due to the loud techno music that filled the area.

Derek pulled back from the embrace just enough so he could look at the other man’s face while still maintaining their arms around each other.

“Can’t hear you,” he mouthed. Stiles moved his hands until his fingers grazed the bottom part of Derek’s ears and closed his eyes. Stiles’ fingers lightly traveled up the pointy edge of his werewolf ear shells in a way that made Derek’s wolf squirm, which sent chills down every nerve in his body.

“Better? No need to tell me, I already know it is,” Stiles cockily said. Derek could hear his voice very clearly but the music had been muffled. 

“How?”

“Well,” Stiles started, leaning into Derek, and whispering in his ear. “I just granted you an extradimensional sense of hearing, at least for an hour. And if you’re good, you’ll have them until we leave this party.” He ended his sentence with his lips caressing the soft skin between his neck and jaw before pulling away. “It allows you to tune out certain sounds so you can focus on what you’re interested in.”

“Neat trick for parties,” murmured Derek. He didn’t feel any different. It was as if he had always had this innate ability to control what he wanted to pay attention to instead of the reality of being bombarded by every sound in a huge radius. He didn’t have to think about it too hard, his ears could just pick apart every sound and choose which one to hear louder. 

“Wanna dance, Hale?” Stiles grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the makeshift dance floor. Derek turned his head to look at Isaac who was talking to a brunette girl and a very tan boy who giggled at everything he said. He opted not to disturb his friend’s weird mating call and let himself be dragged by Stiles.

Once they were there, Derek realized he didn’t have a clue on how to dance in public. He had only ever done it by himself, locked in his bathroom and not looking in the mirror. So he just stood there as Stiles moved closer to him, pressing his hands against the lower part of his back until their pelvis were completely glued to each other. Derek could hear himself gulp over the music as Stiles forced his body to move at the same rhythm as his, practically rutting against one another. 

Derek closed his eyes and tuned everyone else out, concentrating every single one of his senses on Stiles, whose lips followed the line of his neck muscles until they found Derek’s mouth. He could only thank God in Heaven and every single angel that watched over him as Stiles panted in his mouth, making it easy for Derek to slide his tongue inside the other’s mouth. One of Derek’s hands rested on the lower part of Stiles’ head and he used it to deepen the connection during their kisses, feeling the soft and prickly texture of his recently buzzed hair.

He didn’t know for how long they stood in the same spot, swaying to the music as they kissed but at some point, Stiles had purposefully slipped a leg between Derek’s, and all the rubbing had gotten Derek so horny and wait he felt like he could cum at any second.

“Stiles,” he breathed in the other man’s mouth. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the wetness that surrounded Stiles’ plumped lips. They locked eyes and shared a mischievous smile before Derek’s gaze switched downwards due to a sudden movement. Stiles readjusted his dick inside his pants so his hard-on wouldn’t be very noticeable as they walked out of the dance floor.

Derek couldn’t care less about the way people stared at them as they looked for an empty room. His ears were still only tuned to Stiles’ so he didn’t notice that one of the open rooms they checked was occupied. Derek rapidly closed the door before he could make sense of the scene but he definitely had noticed more than two pair of legs in that bed. 

Once they found an appropriate room and they both walked in, Stiles closed the door and held the doorknob with intent. Derek watched as he drew energy from the air and small dots splashed against the wooden panels, rearranging themselves in a weird structure that he didn’t recognize only to disappear a few seconds later. 

“What did you do now?”

“Lock the door.”

“We could have just, I don’t know, used its own lock,” Derek replied, pointing at the bolt.

“As if that tiny thing would have held against any drunk werewolf’s antics.” Stiles sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back on his arms. He looked at Derek and then at his lap, sending him a non-verbal but very loud signal that Derek didn’t hesitate to follow.

Derek sat on top of Stiles and sighed as he sensed his stiff member against him for the first time in months, and it felt so much better than all the times he had tried to reminisce. 

“Missed it?” Stiles’ bratty tone melted the very few walls Derek had still up.

“Missed you,” he stated in between neck kisses. Derek opened his mouth and softly bit Stiles’ neck, enjoying the taste of his skin as he rubbed his tongue against it.

“Harder.” Derek hesitated for a second before complying. “Good boy.” The words that escaped Stiles’ mouth left them both stunned, but Derek continued to grind on the other’s lap, earning a string of moans directly into his ear. 

Stiles flipped them to the side and unbuttoned enough of Derek’s jeans to get his hand inside.

“Jesus Christ, you’re soaked,” he said while patting between Derek’s folds. The quiet wet sound felt garish to Derek, but Stiles loved it as he kept intentionally making it.

Stiles propped himself up and took off his shirt, to which Derek promptly followed. They faced each other as they stood on his knees on top of the mattress, and Stiles gently grabbed Derek’s golden cross that always hung on his neck. Derek’s breath hitched as Stiles put it to his lips, giving it a soft kiss before introducing it entirely into his mouth. The golden chain that linked them marked the maximum distance at which they could be apart.

Stiles slipped Derek’s pants down and revealed his hard and glistening growth. He started fingering him without breaking eye contact before closing the distance between his mouths and passing him the cross in an open-mouthed kiss. 

Their lust didn’t let them spend any more time playing around and they got rid of the rest of their clothes. Stiles laid on his back and Derek sat on top of him, introducing his still adorned member inside him for the first time in months. They loudly moaned in pleasure and relief at the same time.

Stiles resoundingly smacked Derek’s asscheek the same way a horse rider would to speed up his horse. Derek bounced up and down, completely sent into a trance by the sound of their skins clashing against each other. He rolled his eyes and moaned, letting the drool-covered cross fall out of his mouth and dangle over Stiles’ face, which received a few droplets of spit.

Derek’s arms gave in and he fell onto Stiles’ chest. He took the chance to move his arms from the werewolf’s ass to trap Derek’s body against his before rapidly thrusting inside him. Stiles was so lost in Derek’s loud moans and far-from-understandable words that it took him a while to notice he couldn’t resist the urge anymore and pumped his load deep inside the werewolf before exhaling and finally going limp.

The only sounds left in the room were the loud pants from both of them.

It was only after what felt like an eternity that Derek was able to move to the side, fearing that he was cutting the other man’s blood flow. 

“Got any tissues?” Derek quietly questioned, feeling the stickiness leave his insides.

“Let me clean you up,” Stiles replied. He groaned as he stood up and put his mouth directly into Derek’s openness.

“Fuck!” Derek loudly swore. He stared with wide eyes and an open mouth at the man who had just bred him, the man he had dreamt about for months, the man he had masturbated to several times a week. He gaped as that man kissed and licked and made the most sinful slurping sounds.

“Maybe if you sit on my face I’ll be able to get it all, wanna try?” Derek couldn’t believe he had just said that with the most warm smile on his face.

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.”

Derek sank his knees on the mattress as Stiles slid his head under him, waiting for his own cum to drop and aiding it with his tongue. He couldn’t even prevent him before the wetness of Derek’s squirt drenched his face and everything around them.

“Bingo!” Stiles exclaimed right as Derek was about to apologize. He laughed as he dried his face as much as possible on the small part of the sheets that was still dry.

They searched around the floor to find their clothes and lazily put them on. 

“So,” Derek started. “What are you doing now that you’re out?” Stiles laughed at the sudden transition. 

“I’m still working at the same company. Apparently, I was doing well enough there so they wanted to keep me around even if they didn’t get any more benefits from having a halfway house kid working for them. And you?”

“Family business. Mostly making sure everything is smooth sailing and that none of my idiot cousins messed.”

“Nice,” he nervously laughed. “You know, I was thinking that maybe we could hang up sometime by ourselves instead of waiting for another party.”

“Yes!” Derek replied before he had finished the sentence.

“I missed you, too. I tried to look for you on social media and I even asked around for your phone number.” 

“I tried to get Boyd to give me yours, but he didn’t.”

“Bastard.” They both laughed at the situation before sharing a deep kiss that tasted like both of them.

It was more than enough for Derek to know that he wasn’t the only one who had tried to get in contact with the other and that this definitely wasn’t going to be the last time they were gonna see each other.