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Chapter Text

Time passed to afternoon within the town of Beacon Hills, the late March weather genial and pleasant for the first time in weeks. Blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds drifting lazily, periodic beams of warm light painting the land below; wildlife singing and enjoying the day as the town was a bustle of its usual activity. 

Parks full of laughing children and watchful guardians, streets filled with passing vehicles, pedestrians traversing the sidewalks, chatting merrily with friends or family, visiting shops or restaurants or perhaps simply enjoying the pleasant day. 

Students could be seen exiting schools; boarding buses with their friends or leaving the premises in their cars if they were lucky, others running and catching up with their friends before walking home. The conversations generally upbeat and excited as the end of the year could be felt on the horizon for them all, ready to enjoy the coming Summer to its fullest. 

Across the town, many businesses were preparing to close, the people ready to call it a day and head home to their friends and loved ones. 

All in all, it was a perfectly normal and uneventful day in Beacon Hills. 

But to the west of the town, deep in the woods, a different story altogether was playing out. 

Silence suddenly settled through the rolling expanse of trees, hills and grooves that made up the forest preserve of Beacon Hills. The normally cacophonous sounds of the countless creatures that called the forest home quieted at once, like someone had placed a massive blanket over the large expanse of woods. 

The attention of every single animal and insect in the forest turned as one towards a clearing housing a single large stump. 

The air around the stump crackled with a sudden and powerful charge of energy as a section of seemingly empty space began to ripple like a large sheet billowing in a gentle breeze. Moments later the ripple began to split down the middle and through the opening walked a group of highly unusual figures, even for a place like Beacon Hills. 

The first figure to walk through was a tall and extremely handsome man. He wore only a loin cloth that hung to his upper thighs, belted around his waist and a silver torque around his neck. He had thick luxurious brown hair that fell in waves around his shoulders and a dark well-trimmed beard covered his jaw. Over his tanned and well-toned arms and chest, various tattoos of Celtic knots and symbols were proudly displayed. But the most outlandish feature by far on this man, were the pair of antlers growing out of his head, signifying him as the god Cernunnos. 

A large bird could be seen drifting lazily through the air next to the antlered god. It was a little larger than a typical eagle, except its feathers were a mixture of deep burgundy and crimson, gilded in a shining gold. From the edges of its wings and tail feathers, golden flames could be seen flickering endlessly. 

To the other side of Cernunnos, a large and magnificent horse strolled along; its pure white body glowed with the potent radiance of a star, and from its head protruded a single iridescent white horn. Its mane and tail shone with an iridescent brilliance as well, each flick and flutter of the hairs blinking with light like endless stars in the night sky. 

Behind this trio stepped a very tall and muscular man. He wore only a ragged loincloth that reached his knees and sported thick bushy black hair that settled around his shoulders and large black beard. His body appeared to be perfectly chiseled from stone, free of any blemishes or scars, save for a thick line across the upper right side of his well-muscled stomach; a permanent reminder of the deed that earned the ire of Zues when Prometheus attempted to aid the mortals so long ago. 

Soon after the muscular titan, two more individuals followed before the ripple in the air closed behind them. The first was a hulking wolf. It stood over seven feet tall at its shoulders and was no less than ten feet long from snout to tail; its fur was pitch black, had glowing crimson orbs for eyes and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth that looked like they could easily cut through anything. Such was the power and lethality bestowed to Fenrir. 

Beside the massive wolf walked another tall man. This one, garbed in sleek and silky attire of black, emerald and gold, like he’d just come from a royal affair, donning a helmet with two curved horns sprouting from the front and reaching to the back. He had long luxurious black hair, keen piercing eyes, and a smirk to end all smirks. In his hand he held a tall and gleaming golden spear; the weapon radiating a power more potent and visceral than the air surrounding the gathered immortals combined. 

Loki had apparently been busy. 

As they all approached the large stump, the bird settled gracefully to the ground; Cernunnos placed a hand on the neck of the magnificent horse, steadying the creature that had begun to shift nervously the closer they walked. 

A deep voice, clipped and sharp like two stones grating against each other soon filled the deadly quiet air, “This land reeks of blood and death. I quite like it.” Fenrir’s jaws flexed menacingly as it spoke, its monstrous paws sinking into the earth as it stalked closer. 

“Yes,” responded Cernunnos, his voice velvety smooth with a lilting melodious tone, “once home to many that worshiped and prayed to us, this land was the site of countless sacrifices. However, shifting times and ages have seen our followers dwindle like dust in the wind. Recently though, blood has once again soaked this fertile land and fed the roots with sacrifice.” 

“True enough,” Came a deep rumbling bass from Prometheus, “Though we can all sense that. I’m still curious as to why this Nemeton. Wouldn’t a fully grown and matured Nemeton, or at least one not cut down , serve our purposes better?” He asked, looking almost bored as he glanced between his companions. 

“You would be right of course, cousin,” replied Loki, his voice a silky-smooth baritone, filled with an unmistakable air of superiority and arrogance, “Though I imagine, if you were to look a bit deeper, you’d see exactly why this Nemeton, despite its… impediment.” 

“Ah, so that explains the foreboding presence.” answered the titan in understanding. 

“Indeed,” Fenrir’s jaws flexed, its gravely grating voice filled the air as it stepped closer and sniffed at the stump, “a Nemeton is a site of power, nurtured and fostered through sacrifice and belief. It is neither good nor evil. This Nemeton however, has a disposition for carnage and chaos. It’s been used for good many times over of course, but I can taste it,” the wolf said as he lifted his head, jaws open to taste the air as he inhaled, teeth flashing as he closed his mouth, a deep rumble in his chest as he seemed to relish the taste, “Its bloodlust nearly matches my own.” 

“That it does.” said Loki as he stopped a few feet from the stump, “And despite not possessing its former glory, we can all sense the power currently residing in its girthy, yet… wanting size.” He smirked at the sigh and eye roll from Prometheus. 

“We must hurry,” Came the lilting voice of Cernunnos, “the Equinox will soon be upon us.” 

“What of the spirit?” asked the titan, looking from Cernunnos to Loki. 

“That is of no consequence to us dear cousin,” replied the trickster, as he placed a hand on a large muscular shoulder, turning a mischievous gaze to Prometheus, “suffice it to say, the spirit will provide us with the fuel for the spark so to speak. It’s precisely because of this spirit that this Nemeton is perfect for our needs. Once we’ve finished and set things in motion, it will undoubtedly make its way to freedom.” 

“And you trust this spirit?” asked Prometheus, showing he very much so did not. 

A snorting chuckle and another smirk from the trickster as Loki replied, “Of course not. I don’t trust anyone. But,” he held up a finger to halt the questioning gaze of the titan, “What I do trust are motives and desires. Those can't be faked. And our dearly departed friend down there possesses a desire for untold chaos and destruction, and a thirst for power that rivals my own. Meaning?” Loki asked the rest of his companions, turning to each of them. 

“They will make an excellent ally in the coming battles.” answered a gravelly voice from Fenrir. 

“Precisely.” answered Loki with a nod and a dip of the spear towards the wolf, “Regardless of whether they stay or leave, it matters not to us. But a powerful weapon and tool is always desirable.” 

“Enough chatter, we must begin.” said Cernunnos, looking at his companions. 

“What’s the matter cousin, small talk isn’t doing it for you?” Loki asked with a sigh and slight grin. 

“As enjoyable as this conversation has been, cousin, I’d get more enjoyment out of your mouth if it were busy with something other than idle chit-chat.” Cernunnos replied with a steady stare. 

A sly grin and appraising gaze covered Loki’s face in response, “Promises, promises.” He said seductively. 

Prometheus rolled his eyes and stepped back to look between his companions, “Not that this isn’t fun, but I believe time is not on our side right now cousins. So, shall we?” Came his deep voice colored with slight irritation. 

“Oh, very well,” Loki said, smirk disappearing with an eye roll as he motioned towards the stump, “Ready for a little bloodletting cousin?” the trickster asked before he snapped his fingers and a large wooden basin appeared at the titan’s feet. The large bowl was nearly three-feet wide and almost two-feet deep. 

Prometheus said nothing, simply kneeled in front of the basin and held his arms out over the large bowl. Quick as a flash, the spear was sliced down the length of both the muscular forearms. Soon, glowing golden Ichor could be seen spilling from the wounds and filling the basin. 

As the golden Ichor filled the bowl, the wolf stepped forward and hovered a front leg over the object as well. Not so much as a flinch or whine could be heard from Fenrir as the spear slashed a long line down his leg, its red blood spilling down to mix with the golden fluid quickly filling the basin. 

With the basin soon approaching full, Loki passed a glowing hand over the wounds he had caused, sealing them up. With the wounds healed and basin filled with divine blood, Cernunnos then walked the majestic horse up onto the stump, easing it into laying down. He stepped back off the stump then turned a tight gaze to the wolf, jaw clenching, “Be quick about it.” 

“Worry not cousin, I will make it quick and painless.” Fenrir’s gravelly voice answered as he stepped up to the stump. Cernunnos gave a jerking nod, then knelt on the ground and began to softly pet the magnificent bird, taking note of its gorgeous feathers and how they appeared weary and tattered, a sure sign of its life coming to an end. 

A couple tears began to streak down his face, but as they fell to the ground, he lifted a hand and stopped them in mid-air. They circled each other as he motioned towards the bowl, depositing the tears in with the divine blood. He lowered his head and closed his eyes as he slowly exhaled, his body jerking tensely as he heard a loud but quick snap of bone. 

True to his word, Fenrir had ended the creature's life in an instant, and the antlered god opened his eyes to see the silvery chrome colored blood of the unicorn spilling from its fatal wound to cover the Nemeton. Next, the large basin began to hover until it stopped above the dead unicorn. A hole appeared in the bottom of the bowl, letting the mixture of divine blood and tears pour over the creature until it was completely soaked. 

Next, the bird began to fly into the air then landed on top of the blood-soaked unicorn. Golden flames began to ripple over its body as it lifted its wings to the sides. At the same time, the golden spear was sent hurtling into the sky. Seconds later, large dark gray clouds could be seen swirling above them 

Fenrir bowed his head before snapping it up and unleashing an earth-shattering howl. Far and wide across the world, varying levels of the howl could be heard. One thing was for certain though, every single supernatural creature, regardless of origin, heard and reacted in some way to the divine howl of one of their ancestors, some more strongly than others. 

As the howl stretched on, lightning began flashing through the sky, arcing faster and faster before a huge bolt shot towards the spear hovering in the sky. As the bolt reached for the weapon, it hurtled towards the ground. The moment before it landed, the bird’s whole body ignited in golden flames. 

A tail of lightning trailed after the spear as it pierced through the phoenix and unicorn, sinking through to the bottom of the large sacred stump. As the bolt of lightning slammed into the Nemeton, the golden flames billowed up and around the bolt before being sucked down into the wood. When the flames fully absorbed into the Nemeton, nothing remained of the phoenix, unicorn or any of the blood that had been pooling on top of the stump. 

With the disappearance of the last dregs of flame and blood within the sacred tree, a large rippling wave of magic and power could be felt surging across the land for hundreds of miles in every direction. As the wave progressed, the sky began to lighten once more. 

Thump-thump.  

All through Beacon Hills and spreading far beyond, what felt like the heartbeat of the earth surged through every corner of the continent. 

Thump-thump.  

It was slow and steady, but undeniably powerful, like an unstoppable force surging forward with each beat. 

Thump-thump.  

The beats felt like vibrations through the earth and were unmistakable but received mostly curious gazes at first from mundane people. Supernaturals however, 

Thump-thump.  

Wide gazes of confusion were shared between supernaturals all throughout North America. Each massive and compelling beat through the land causing their bodies to tremble, but it wasn’t in fear. For a moment, their own heartbeats seemed to sync with what felt like the pulse of the planet. 

Thump-thump.  

Power, unlike anything they had felt before, surged through their bodies with each relentless thump, putting their senses in overdrive; their muscles rippling with waves of power. Throughout North America, countless supernaturals could be witnessed shifting against their will or displaying unbelievable feats of physical prowess or unexplainable phenomenon. 

Thump-thump.  

Supernaturals and mundanes alike now felt the pulse deep in their core. And for those so inclined, each pulse brought an echoing whisper; words of power dancing at the edges of their consciousness as the very core of their being began to vibrate with a long-forgotten essence. Wisps of arcane power began to seep through the cracks of their once sleeping and sealed cores before the shells shattered, flooding their systems with raw, unbridled power before engulfing them in an aura of magic. 

Thump-thump.  

Those less inclined for the arcane, felt the pulse and vibration deep in their mind and physical frame. Those already supernatural felt a mold and shift in their normal abilities or forms; their strength and abilities multiplying and evolving. The mundane felt their bodies and minds flooded with hyperawareness; their senses increasing several-fold and sharpening to a surgical point, while their bodies felt like they had been injected with countless shots of adrenaline. 

Thump-thump.  

Some of the supernatural and mundanes seemed to possess an inclination for both however, though much smaller in number. These individuals could be seen practically glowing and emanating waves power, the force of their change destroying their surroundings. Some of their bodies shifting and morphing into creatures of legend, while their senses and minds flooded with knowledge and power. Others still had a variation of a shift and meta change, but also gained arcane gifts, auras of every conceivable color enveloping them as their cores awakened. 

***  

The world over, the same events were happening; waves of magic and thrums of power, centered on locations of great power from the old world and moving to cover every inch of the globe, set off by deities from various pantheons. This event caused supernaturals to display their forms and abilities and begin to evolve, while many of the mundane humans started to change for the first time. 

Over the course of a handful of minutes, the world, as everyone knew it, was completely and utterly changed. 

This day came to be known as The Awakening . 

***  

The years that followed The Awakening were far from peaceful. The emergence and subsequent flood of supernaturals throughout the planet brought society to its knees in mere days. 

People lived in constant fear for many months after the waves of power swept the globe. Either from becoming a monster or freak, or being hunted and killed because you were one. However, soon after the first year passed and some semblance of societies and governments around the world were holding on through sheer force of will and determination, they would come to a grudging and terrifying conclusion: roughly seventy percent of the world’s population now possessed some type of ability or power, and it was clear that number was only increasing with time. 

Few throughout the planet understood what had come from The Awakening: the waves of power that swept the world and ignited the sparks of the supernatural in people, being coined thus after the second year since the ordeal, and society began to begrudgingly adjust and accept the changes. Though it was more to do with the fact that they realized they had no choice. Even fewer still understood what had caused the changes within humanity. 

But only a handful of the many billions that still covered the world knew why . 

The countless riots and mobs that formed and took place those first two years, coupled with the new dangerous and explosive potential people now possessed saw the world’s population of over 8 billion reduced to 5 billion. 

At this point, leaders of the world came to a numbing conclusion: Learn to accept and live with these changes, or humanity would drive itself to extinction in a handful of years at most. 

With the reduction in population, now less than 10% of the world were simple mundane humans, not possessing any type of supernatural trait or ability. 

New laws and regulations were put into effect at the start of the third year after The Awakening. 

It became mandatory for people to register their powers and abilities; started as a means to start collecting information on exactly what people were now capable of, as well as tracking the more dangerous supernaturals. 

Along with regulations and restrictions being put into place, safe zones were developed and constructed for the dwindling mundane population. Over the next couple of years though, these safe zones deteriorated, becoming the new slums through most of the world as society grew to accept their new way of life and how useful powers and abilities were. 

Over time, the powerless mundanes went from being viewed with envy and desire by the newly changed, thinking their powers and abilities a curse, to admiration as they continued to live their life despite the new changes. That admiration turned to pity as more of the world grew accustomed to the new supernatural way of life. 

Knowing that even without powers or abilities, mundanes could still aid in many other ways, there were positions and jobs made available for them within society. However, both within and out of the safe zones, certain mentalities and beliefs began to grow and circulate. 

Within these safe zones a purist mindset backed by radical and charismatic individuals began to form. They would come to call themselves The Tersus. 

Their goal? To find the cause of this cancerous change in society and cut it out at the roots. Thus, cleansing the world of the filth and abominations that now walked freely. 

Outside of these zones, an equally vicious mindset in those more inclined towards prejudice began to develop towards mundanes in general, believing themselves better than those who had no powers or abilities. They felt these people were absolutely worthless and should simply be eradicated. They came to call mundanes The Nil. 

Gone was a class-based society, and in its place now stood a power-based one; your standing being determined almost entirely by what you could or could not do. Of course, wealth still played a crucial role in how comfortable your life could be. Except now you could find yourself being fast-tracked from living in a studio apartment, surviving off toast and ramen noodles one day to living in a penthouse suite and dining at a five-star gourmet restaurant the next if your powers and abilities were deemed useful enough by society. 

Governments developed and established supernatural branches within every governing and law enforcing body; the growing and evolving capabilities of criminals requiring an equal capability in those sworn to protect the innocent and less capable. 

Likewise, through the entire educational system and the accompanying occupations and fields of study linked, supernatural reforms and programs were implemented. 

By the end of the fifth year after The Awakening, society as a whole, every governing and ruling body around the globe and the core structure of how people lived and survived in the world had completely changed and started to settle. 

***  

Shifter 

Meta 

Arcane 

Duplus 

Ternus 

These are the terms that can determine one’s position within this new society. 

Shifter : Individuals with the ability to take on traits and abilities of animals to varying degrees. Full shift into the perfect likeness of the animal is rare but can be learned. The more similar their shift looks to the animal they take on, the more powerful these individuals are. Shifts regarding magical or mythological creatures are extremely rare and are only seen in a Duplus or Ternus. While in human form, they maintain heightened senses, physical abilities, and healing, though less so than a Meta. 

Meta : Individuals possessing hyper-amplified physical abilities, senses, and high-speed regeneration. Metas almost always have the greatest physical strength, speed, endurance, and agility among supernaturals. They wield a range of abilities to varying degrees from things such as Telepathy, Telekinesis and Teleportation to abilities like Gravity Manipulation, Molecular Hardening, Pyrokinesis and Weather Manipulation among many others. Each Meta only ever has one ability. 

Arcane : Individuals able to tap into and wield their aura and essence however they desire or need, with varying levels of success. Their level of power and capabilities depends on a combination of several factors, including their imagination and creativity, strength of their aura, knowledge of the world around them and a comprehension of the many root languages of society. Knowledge of these ancient root languages is kept in exceedingly rare and very valuable grimoires. Starting out, Arcanes are seen as the weakest Supernaturals, but they have the greatest potential once they’re educated. Many of the reigning positions within the new society are filled by Arcanes. Even without a proper education, Arcanes can tap into their aura and use it in numerous ways to affect the world around them. The stronger an Arcane’s aura, the stronger and more capable they are physically. In very rare cases they can almost equal a Meta physically. 

Duplus : Roughly less than 20% of the population will be known as a Duplus - An individual blessed to be classified as a combination of two of the three categories that make up the world’s supernaturals. Meta/Shifter, Shifter/Arcane or Arcane/Meta. Though Dupli possess incredible potential, their growth and control over their powers and abilities will be much slower as they have more to learn. Likewise, it’s not always guaranteed that a Dupli’s powers and abilities will be extreme, flashy, or explosive. Just as individuals residing in only one category, there are Dupli that won’t possess any real talent with one of their powers or abilities and many end up leaning heavily towards just one of their categories in hopes of getting stronger faster. 

Ternus : Less than 5% of the population will be known as a Ternus - An individual blessed to be classified under all three categories. Terni possess limitless potential, though like with all the others, strength, knowledge, and growth with their abilities depend on their talent, ability, and willingness to learn. However, considering their limitless capabilities and potential, any Terni discovered are immediately placed within the best programs their country has to offer to cultivate their power and abilities. Dupli are sometimes given this same offer if their powers and abilities are seen as highly desirable. Because of the advanced training and education given to these individuals, they hold many of the most prominent positions within society, but most are placed within the upper echelons of military and law enforcement branches. 

***  

Despite the world utterly changing with the reveal and flood of the supernatural, the regulations and restrictions put into place early on with the grudging acceptance that things could never be as they once were, the world at large actually managed to regain a semblance of its previous stability. By and large, most people didn’t want their lives to change too drastically, even with the incorporation of powers and abilities into the mix. 

This acceptance of their new reality along with a desire to at least try and regain their previous stability saw a relatively steady yet significant shift in things such as: Entertainment, Sports, Education, Travel and Technology. 

It was understood by the majority that resistance to their new reality would only lead to complications and greater conflicts in the future. So instead, most of society worked to make this their new normal. As such, soon into the sixth year after The Awakening, Packs, Covens, Courts and so on were common knowledge and the new leading forces of the world instead of wealthy and corrupt families. 

The dynamics, interactions, and knowledge of the supernatural and mythical were not only common but mandatory studies and subjects throughout education; special classes and extracurriculars given to people based on their new nature to help them grow and flourish as a supernatural being in this new society. 

The next biggest change to society came with massive advancements in technology. With the inclusion of powers and abilities, it was expected that how people fought, especially on a larger scale, would drastically change. It was this simple thought that led to examinations and experiments on how current technology and weapons would affect supernaturals. 

Realizing that regular weapons could still work but were less than ideal determined the need for alterations and advancements in weapons and artillery. It would soon be discovered that aura could mix very well with technology and advance it by leagues. Soon, not just weapons, but everyday technology began to hurdle into the next generation. 

Arc-tech became the new normal for technological standards and began to steadily make its way into everyday life. As a result, the standard of living as a whole for every country across the globe increased significantly. But the largest and most revolutionary change happened in the transportation industry with the introduction of the Aura Generator. 

These devices completely changed how transportation worked, eliminating the need for any fuels in vehicles, being powered instead by aura. Because of these advancements within technology and thus society as a whole, Arcanes are treated with great respect, highly sought after, and why they hold such sway in the minds of the people. 

***  

 
At the end of the third year after The Awakening, a subtle yet significant change started to occur around the world. The resurgence of myths and deities had already begun to spread through the world before this monumental shift, however after The Awakening, stories and tales of gods and goddesses and their related pantheons began to spread as if it were the most natural thing in the world. 

Arcanes in particular, seemed to be the focal point of the myths spreading like wildfire. And with their level of standing in society as well as the supernatural being a common part of life now, few felt the need to push these myths aside as simple bedtime stories like so many had before. 

As months progressed into years, churches throughout the world that had previously been dedicated to Christianity and its many branches could now be seen renovated and dedicated to one or more of the various pantheons throughout mythology. Alters within homes to place offerings to a deity of that family’s choice were now commonplace and almost expected. 

The same went for Packs, Courts, Covens, and any other bonded kinship. These groups tended to have one or more deities that they would pray to and give offerings. The change felt completely natural to most of the world, which left many questioning why. They were given answers, though most suspected they were only half-truths if even that. 

Some said it was simply the will of the gods. Others claimed this was the world simply setting itself right after being dormant for so long. Others still said that Jesus got tired of being head honcho and was stepping down. As time progressed, the number of answers seemed to grow with the questions. Finally, most people decided to settle on at least one irrefutable fact: Regardless of why or how this had happened, it just felt right to most. 

With at least that one detail agreed upon by the masses, most decided to simply ignore the why for now, as there seemed to be no end to the ‘answers’, and little more than a year later, they had grown to such fantastic proportions even the clinically insane felt them hard to believe. 

Everywhere you looked, signs of the old world could be seen poking through little by little as time progressed. Several Pagan holidays now had their place on the calendar and were respected and observed by most of the population. 

There were of course, still those that refused to accept this new way of life, or rather, the reversion to previous beliefs. The Tersus refused to let Christianity die out and proceeded to declare it as the One True Religion; all others were lies and filth perpetuated by the devil, and his work was indeed elaborate, his words indeed enticing from his silver tongue, his methods indeed thorough and convincing. 

The general mood of people regarding the Tersus and their One True Religion was that they were a little addled in the brain and to leave them be. However, there would come a drastic shift in the dawning of the fourth year since The Awakening. 

People would wake one day in early January to find a horrifying site in Northeastern Kansas. A small church had been repurposed for followers of Persephone. There had been a gathering of 57 people the previous night at the church. While they had been inside the building, a trap had been laid, imprisoning them inside the building before they were heavily injured with specialized ammunition and then burned alive. 

The next morning, people searching for their loved ones that hadn’t returned home from the previous night arrived, only to be met with a horrifying sight. The church was a smoking pile of burnt wreckage riddled with countless bullet holes. People began to panic soon after arriving and tried to approach, only to discover their path blocked by a thick ring of Mountain Ash around the building. 

It wasn’t long until a sizable group had gathered outside and were waiting for the arrival of detectives from the local police department, when someone noticed a message. On one of the darkened doors, barely hanging on by a single hinge, written in what many of them could instantly discern as blood was: 

Hosea 13:9, 4, 16 

Isaiah 13:9-16 

This Is The First 

Many of the people gathered had no working knowledge of the holy bible and its contents, so it wasn’t until the message was recorded and taken back to the station, that someone with knowledge on Christianity was able to tell them. 

It was a warning, and a deplorable one at that. 

What’s more, as news of this depraved and heinous act of violence spread through the world, a collective shiver ran down the spines of supernaturals. Mountain Ash was a known staple item of Hunters against the supernatural in the past. But as the supernatural became common, signs of Hunters hadn’t been glimpsed in years. 

But it wasn’t just the ring of Mountain Ash that gave people pause, it was the message in combination. Hunters were never known for dramatic flair or leaving obvious signs or messages. But it didn’t take long for people to put 2 and 2 together: 

The Hunters had now joined The Tersus. 

This became obvious as more reports came in of similar detestable crimes taking place throughout the country in the following days. People were understandably in shock, not that crimes were still taking place, the world was still far from perfect of course, but that the Tersus, people once viewed to be nothing more than religious fanatic nuisances, were now working together with the cold-hearted and ruthless Hunters. 

More shocking than that though, was that they appeared to be attempting to wage what could only be described as a pointless one-sided war. But most shocking of all, was that the Tersus were somehow managing to etch out a small foothold in some of the southern states and continued to evade capture. 

Attacks over the course of the fourth year grew in frequency and depravity until finally some of the most powerful Dupli and Terni were organized to retaliate with full force in the hopes of striking at the heart of the Tersus and ending this terror. 

The strike, however, revealed several things to the world. But certainly not an end to the Tersus. 

Those tuned in to the news that day sat in stunned silence as they saw and finally understood how the Tersus had managed to survive for so long and orchestrate their terrorism. Dozens upon dozens of supernaturals stood alongside mundanes at what society believed to be their base of operations in Texas. The mundanes looked far from helpless; every one of them decked out and armed to the teeth in advanced Arc-tech weaponry and gear. And the supernaturals had laid the foundation for a near flawless counterattack, setting countless traps for the enemy and barriers for their allies. 

The masses watched in shock and terror as their hope for an end to the Tersus was obliterated along with many of the supernaturals that had tried to lay siege to the headquarters. 

The main question on the minds of so many was: Why? 

Why would so many supernaturals turn against their own kind and help those that openly displayed hostility and violence for people like them? 

It would be many months before an answer was finally given. 

The Tersus were nothing if not driven and charismatic. And they used these traits along with the doubt and self-loathing of some supernaturals to twist their inner turmoil into a weapon for themselves; feeding their desire for recognition and belonging with radical claims that by helping to purge the world of abominations like them, they will wash their own souls clean once more, thereby becoming Tersus. 

They preyed on the insecurities and doubts of supernaturals that believed they should never have become one in the first place or felt their abilities or powers to be useless; manipulating their emotions and weakened self-esteem, twisting their thoughts and beliefs with radical and charismatic religious propaganda along with assurances that this would cleanse them, this would free them, and they would be accepted and loved as they should have always been. 

“Trust in the One True Religion. Only through Him shall ye be saved. Only through His grace will thine soul know peace. Only through His word will thine eyes see the truth. Only through sacrifice will ye know everlasting life by His side. The One True Religion shall set ye free.” 

The reactions of those that discovered and finally understood what the Tersus were saying and doing to convince supernaturals to turn traitor, ranged from fear and shock, to disbelief and disgust, to lastly, fury and absolute hatred. 

It was sworn by many upon this discovery that they would do absolutely whatever it took to put an end to the Tersus. 

***  

The scent of Fall was in the air, the heat from the scorching Summer a couple of weeks behind them now, being soothed away by a gentle sea breeze, the blessed balm washing over the residents of Charleston South Carolina. A collective sigh could almost be heard and felt as the long-awaited reprieve of Fall was upon them. 

Near the edges of the city, nestled away from prying eyes and almost completely covered by trees sat a terrific ornate wrought iron gate; a driveway, too long to reasonably be allowed, snaking endlessly along after; framed by a mixture of shrubs and trees with small black wrought iron lamp posts interspersed along the way, guiding visitors along. 

At the end of this exhausting path sat a jaw-dropping European style mansion. It was an ornate, yet elegant two-story house fit with all the bells and whistles, complete with two whole garages, a large inground pool, several rooms with an equal number of bathrooms, and a number of extra rooms that felt like they existed solely for the purpose of taking up extra space in most cases. 

Up the entirely too large steps walked a tall and handsome figure, thick black hair hanging in slight waves at his shoulders; sporting dark casual attire with a black bomber jacket and boots. 

The man carried a large brown paper bag with him, but the strangest aspect of this man wasn’t anything he was wearing or carrying, but the pitch-black cat padding up the steps alongside him, stopping to sit as the man came to a halt and pressed the button for the doorbell. 

Moments later, the large wooden door swung silently open, revealing a handsome older man garbed in a pristine butler’s outfit. 

“Jeeves!” Said the man on the porch in a happy greeting, flashing a grin and giving a small wave. 

The butler simply sighed and nodded, clearly this wasn’t the first time these two had met, “Good sir,” He said with the nod, “Pleasure as always.” 

“Right back atchya.” the man said with a finger gun at the butler. 

A small smile touched the butler's lips as he stepped aside, motioning for the man to enter, “The young Miss and others are already set up out back.” 

“Then I suppose I shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer.” The handsome man said, stepping through the entrance, the cat following suit. 

“Indeed.” The butler replied as he closed the door then began to lead the man through the massive house, eventually exiting a set of all-glass doors leading to a large patio surrounding a luxurious inground pool. Beyond the pool were a set of large stairs leading down to the perfectly manicured backyard with landscaping fit for the most luxurious multi-million-dollar houses. 

Nestled in a corner of the yard stood a large square Mahagony gazebo, set over a family-sized rectangular outdoor table and plush weatherproof chairs; rows of string lights dipping in arches along the beams above, lit the group of four unfairly attractive individuals that were chatting merrily while they occasionally nibbled at the fantastic and divine smelling spread covering almost every inch of the table before them, as the handsome man and butler approached. 

“Young miss,” The butler said with a nod of his head to a gorgeous strawberry-blonde, “Your final guest has arrived.” 

“Thank you, Charles,” The beautiful woman said, getting up and approaching the pair. She looked, for all the world, a runway model, garbed in what could only be top of the line designer clothes. 

However, woe be to anyone that believed this woman weak or dainty. The air of power and confidence flowing from this goddess of a woman was nothing less than terrifying and awe-inspiring. 

Stopping in front of the two, she turned a smile to the butler, “That’ll be all for now.” 

“Of course, madam.” Charles, the butler said and gave a small bow of his head before turning and walking away. 

“Later Jeeves!” The handsome man with the brown bag called over his shoulder, smirking as he noticed the smallest falter in the butler’s steps. 

“Good sir.” Charles responded, barely turning his head as he continued walking, and the handsome man smirked wider at what he knew would be a small smile touching the butler’s lips. Looking back to the strawberry-blonde, he saw an arched brow angled at him before a pair of beautiful bright green eyes rolled in their sockets as she smiled and embraced the man in a tight hug. 

“It’s about time.” She said in reprimand to the man as she stepped back a moment later, but her attention was soon drawn to a small meow from near their feet, “Hey Mika.” she said happily, leaning over to scoop up the black cat as he had pawed at her for attention. Soon loud purrs could be heard from the cat as it soaked up every ounce of love and attention the woman was willing to give it. 

“The man of the hour at last.” Came a male voice from an extremely attractive dirty blonde, with looks almost any male model would sell their soul for. He approached the new arrival with a smile and open arms, holding a glass filled with some type of bright red drink. They shared a tight hug before the attractive blonde gave him a pat on the back and stepped back, sticking him with mock annoyed stare. 

“Dude, I know it’s fashionable to be a little late, but this was ridiculous. Any longer and I would have had to drag Peter away before he started devouring everything.” 

Smiling, the new arrival scrunched his face up in confusion and shrugged a shoulder saying, “You guys could have started without me.” 

The dirty blonde stuck him with a deadpan stare, “That’s what I said, but Lydia demanded we wait for you.” Then rolled his eyes. 

“Of course we were going to wait, Jackson,” Came an annoyed tone from the woman, looking at the dirty blonde like this should have been obvious, “It’s bad etiquette to start before everyone arrives.” 

“Well,” The newcomer said, drawing out the word as he looked around, “I’m sure you could have found a wild rabbit or two if you really had to.” 

“Charming as always, Stiles.” Came a deep smirking voice from behind Jackson. 

Stiles turned a smirk to the man as he placed a hand on one of Jackson’s shoulders and stepped around him before he and Stiles shared a quick but tight hug. 

“Snappy.” Stiles said as they stepped apart, giving the man an appreciative onceover and taking in his appearance. He wore a dark navy suit jacket, black satin button up shirt with the top two buttons left undone, denim trousers and black dress boots. 

“I was told this was supposed to be somewhat formal.” Peter said in response, his eyes rolling slightly, but a small smile stayed on his lips. 

“Don’t let him fool you,” Said Jackson as he draped an arm over Peter’s shoulders, “He was pretty eager to show off the new wardrobe.” Sliding a grin to Peter who just huffed and rolled his eyes but continued to smile. 

“Yeah, I gotta say Pete, the Henley’s were getting a bit much.” Came a fourth lighter voice from a brown-haired, hazel eyed man. Wearing casual form-fitting attire that showed off every inch of his well-muscled torso. 

He walked up and smiled at Stiles before they too shared a hug. 

“Hey, I’ll have you know, Parrish, I make those Henley’s look good.” Peter said with a pointed look at the brown-haired man, before snaking an arm around Jackson’s back. 

“Nobody’s denying that.” Said Jackson with a smirk to Peter who just grinned back before he chuckled and rolled his eyes. 

“Well then,” Peter started, looking at everyone with a half incredulous stare, “What was the problem?” 

“How to put this nicely...” Lydia said as she stared off, still scratching and loving on Mika whose purrs could be heard by all. 

“They made you look like a creepy stalker.” Stiles said with almost no hesitation and a small grin at Peter’s shocked expression, then added with a wave at the older man, “Hence the nickname, Creepy Pete.” 

“Yeah, pretty much.” Lydia added, nodding from Stiles to Peter who moved his shocked gaze from person to person. 

“You’re welcome.” Stiles added a second later, giving a flourished and dramatic bow to Peter, who after some more seconds, finally closed his eyes and gave a groaning sigh as he lowered his head. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Jackson said with a grin and chuckle as he looked at Peter’s dejected face and gave his chest a rub. 

“Yeah, seriously Pete,” Jordan said with a chuckle as he walked past the older man and gave his shoulder a pat, “We’re just saying that wasn’t really your best look.” Then stopped by Lydia, placing an arm around her shoulders and started giving Mika some extra love, which the cat happily ate up. 

“Yeah, Peter. I’d certainly say dapper definitely suits you better.” Stiles said, pointing at the older man with both his fingers and smirking at the exaggerated eyeroll from Peter. 

“Really man.” Stiles added a moment later, “Right now I’d say you’re giving off something more akin to a...” He stopped and thought about it for a second, then said, “Older, sexier, Christian Grey kinda vibe.” 

“Really?” Peter quickly asked as his brows jumped up his forehead. 

“I’ll say.” Came a sly grin from Jackson as he looked Peter over and gave him a wink as Peter grinned at him sideways and arched a brow. A second later, Jackson jumped and grinned as he tried to extricate himself from Peter’s hand that was attempting to tickle him. But before he could completely get away, Peter grabbed ahold of Jackson’s shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. 

The three others looked at the pair with smiles and grins. Lydia leaned her head onto Jordan’s chest, a few seconds later finally saying, “Alright, I think we’ve all waited long enough, dinner awaits.” 

The two broke apart and grinned at each other, Jackson passed a quick glance around the others, his eyes somewhat hesitant and searching. But instead of the anger, fear, disgust, or hatred he’d always worried about seeing when he had finally come to accept the part of himself he’d kept hidden away for so long, he saw only happiness, acceptance, and love in the eyes of his closest friends. 

As Lydia and Jordan moved back towards the table, Mika had apparently decided he’d gotten enough love from her and hopped down, then sauntered towards the table. 

Stiles walked up to Peter and Jackson, the latter glancing at him before quickly moving his eyes back down to Peter and began fidgeting with the man’s shirt. He stilled instantly when Stiles placed a hand on his and Peter’s shoulders. Jackson looked up a moment later to see a genuinely happy smile on Stiles’s face. 

“Honestly man,” Stiles said, giving Jackson’s shoulder a squeeze, “I’m really happy for you guys.” Stiles moved his hand to rub at the top of Jackson’s back a few times, then gave it a pat. 

“Come on, let’s get some grub.” He said and motioned with his head towards the table. 

Jackson cleared his throat once, gave a small smile and nodded as he and Peter turned to walk back over to the table, taking their previous spots. Stiles grinned as he noticed Mika quickly making himself at home in Jackson’s lap as soon as the attractive man sat down. He looked down at the cat in surprise, not knowing what to do and turned an unsure gaze to Stiles, who just shrugged and nodded to the cat. 

Stiles placed his paper bag on the table and watched with a grin as Jackson placed a tentative hand on the cat and began to pet it. A smile lifted Jackson’s lips as he was rewarded with some very loud purrs as Mika arched into his hand. 

Stiles watched as Peter seemed to mull something over in his head before he slowly started to reach a hand towards Mika. The black cat stopped arching into Jackson’s hands and simply stuck the older man with a level gaze but made no move to warn him or get away. Peter had stopped for a second, then took the lack of a growl as approval to continue. A small look of wonder crossed Peter’s face, a small smile lifting his lips as he pet Mika. 

“See Pete, told you it was just a matter of time. He just needed to warm up to you some more.” Stiles said, sharing a grin with Peter when he looked up at him. 

After a few more happy yet slightly tense moments, Peter decided he’d pressed his luck enough with the cat that had only ever hissed and growled warningly at him until now, then withdrew his hand. Mika kept his eyes on the man for a few more seconds before settling deeper in Jackson’s lap and purring loudly. 

Stiles then wandered over to the bar and started inspecting the various drinks Lydia had prepared for them; ten glass pitchers sat on the counter, each filled with a different colored liquid that gave off soft glows. 

The others began to finally dish up their plates with the immaculate and salivating options of both homestyle comfort food and exotic displays of mysterious and entrancing foreign delicacies. 

Stiles inspected the various empty glasses available and finally picked a tall cylindrical one. He held it up by the bottom, then gave it a twist like he was trying to spin a basketball and held his palm out flat beneath the cup as it spun in the air. A faint shimmering black aura could be seen moving from Stiles’ palm until it enveloped the glass. 

Once the glass had been fully covered, he cut off the aura and the cup fell back into his hand. He absently rolled the glass between his fingers as he checked over the different flavors. Finally, he shot over his shoulder, “Hey Lyds, any recommendations? You’ve got too many for me to pick.” 

“You’d probably like the green one best.” she answered immediately, already having expected him to not be able to make up his mind as she placed various types of sushi onto her plate, picking a mixture of sashimi, uramaki, and California rolls. 

“Green it is.” He said with a nod then picked up the pitcher with the green liquid. He gave it a swirl then began to pour it into his glass. As the liquid hit the bottom of the cup and began filling, his aura started swirling into the liquid and turning it from an emerald green into a vibrant glowing neon green. 

“Oooh.” he said as his brows flicked up at the sight. Once his cup was full, he placed the pitcher back on the counter, barely noticing that it started to refill itself immediately. 

He took a tentative sip of the drink as he walked back to his spot, his eyes shot open as wide as they could go before they scrunched tight, and he faltered in his steps. His name was called a couple times, but he waved them off. 

When he finally got his bearings again, he took a deep breath and blinked his eyes several times, “Fuck!” He said a little more loudly than he’d intended, his body giving a shiver, then he chuckled and grinned at Lydia who grinned right back. 

“Shit Lyds, warn a guy next time.” 

“Told ya you’d like it.” Came a sly reply. 

“Like it hell, I fuckin’ love it.” He said more to himself as he took another drink and gave a small shiver as he sat down in his spot. 

Both Jackson and Peter had been in the middle of piling their plates, Peter favoring some homestyle comforts like loaded mashed potatoes and fried chicken, while Jackson favored some Kung Pao chicken and chicken fried rice, but they were both now giving Stiles’ drink some rather inquisitive looks before glancing over to the pitcher with green liquid then back to Stiles. 

Stiles just grinned at them and gave them a wink before enjoying another drink. Not only did mixing aura with these special drinks give them a particular flavor that the drinker would especially enjoy, but it also helped the alcohol to affect the drinker more strongly than it normally would. However, the color of these drinks meant something more than just different flavors, rather, they caused the drinker to feel some type of emotional or physical response to the drink. 

In his case, pleasure. 

Nothing strong enough to be completely distracting or humiliating, or actually orgasm (though if Stiles were being honest, he wouldn’t mind that at all), but rather, gave a general feeling of pleasure through the body and mind. Typically, the stronger the person’s aura, the more powerful the effects, though usually it wouldn’t be more than the individual could handle. 

While Stiles had been in the process of heaping his plate with a disrespectful amount of macaroni and cheese, Lydia decided she couldn’t wait any longer and asked, “So Stiles, gonna finally tell us what’s in the bag?” Then took a sip from a vibrant sapphire blue drink. She thought for a second, then before Stiles could say anything she added, “That wouldn’t by any chance be the reason we’ve delayed until now, would it?” 

Jackson and Peter who had both clearly been too curious about Stiles’ drink to hold off any longer, both stopped and turned back to look at the bag Stiles had brought with him as they had started for the bar, but then thought better of it and decided to get their drinks first. They already had new cups coated in their aura: Peter’s an icy blue color, while Jackson’s was pale pearly blue. As the emerald green liquid filled their cups it mixed with their aura and soon they both had drinks of a similar vibrant green to Stiles’. However, to their visible disappointment, their drinks paled in comparison to the bright neon green in his glass. 

“Interested in my package, now are we?” Stiles said almost nonchalantly as he grinned around another drink and looked away. Jordan nearly choked on a bright yellow drink he’d been sipping on. Stiles looked back at Lydia to see her leveling a flat gaze at him with a small smirk. 

“Oh sorry, I was actually talking to Jordan.” Stiles said to Lydia and motioned to Jordan, then powered on like the unstoppable force he was, “How about it handsome? Feel like a little horizontal mambo?” He said, even adding a little shimmy in his seat. 

At this, Jordan started coughing again after just regaining his breath. Even now, years later, the poor guy still hadn’t completely gotten used to Stiles’ type of humor and bluntness. But this time, Jackson was joining the ex-deputy in a coughing fit while Peter just laughed. 

Lydia, rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, “I blame myself.” 

“Love ya Lyds.” Stiles said with a grin and a wink. She sighed before opening her eyes and looking back at the imp that was her best friend. 

She closed her eyes again and shook her head with a grin, “Love you too Stiles.” 

Stiles glanced down at Mika as he came padding over to sit near his feet and begin grooming himself, “Done being an attention whore?” He smirked as the cat stopped its licking to give Stiles a very intentional stare, returning to his oh so important grooming some seconds later. 

He looked back up to see Jackson eyeing his drink, having apparently found the effects of his own a little lackluster compared to Stiles’ reaction. A mischievous grin twisted Stiles’ lips as he lifted and shook his drink at Jackson in offering. 

“Stiles don’t you dare!” Lydia nearly shouted with wide eyes as she saw the travesty that was about to occur as Jackson had almost eagerly reached for the bright green drink. 

“Oh, come on Lyds, what’s the harm?” Stiles grinned in response and wiggled his brows. 

“Oh don’t even. You know damn well what that drink will do to him...or any of us for that matter actually.” She stopped and seemed to realize something as she stared at his drink for a second, then rolled her eyes at Stiles’ knowing look aimed at her. 

She shook her head, “No, we’re here to celebrate.” 

“And what better way to celebrate?” A sly grin covered his lips as he looked from her to a chuckling Peter. 

“Oh my gods, Stiles!” Lydia said quickly, trying to sound and look angry, but he could see the smallest hint of a grin and blush in her cheeks, “We are not starting a fucking orgy!” 

Stiles finally lost it and fell back into his chair, roaring with laughter, the others soon joining in. Once he caught his breath, Stiles waved his hand in surrender, “Alright, alright. Sorry buddy.” He smiled at Jackson who just smiled and shook his head taking another sip of his green drink. Lydia simply gave a light massage at her temple then shared a smile with Jordan as he gave her shoulder a squeeze. 

Peter leaned over at that point with a hand on Jackson’s shoulder, whispering something into his ear. The others politely kept their own ears to themselves, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out the gist of what the older man had said, given Jackson jolting completely still in his seat, his eyes growing wide as he struggled to repress a grin, which of course just made it worse. He turned to look at the older man, his grin finally spreading before he brought their lips together. 

Lydia smiled at the duo fondly, glad to see Jackson looking and feeling so happy after what he’d had to go through for so long. And Peter as well for that matter. The shift in the man she had once feared and hated so much was nothing short of miraculous. 

Long before he and Jackson had gotten together, Lydia had honestly believed Peter to be irredeemable. His entire persona had left her feeling like she’d constantly need a shower after dealing with him. The way he spoke, the way he moved, the near constant sneer or condescending smile or tone, everything about the man just felt wrong to her. 

However, a choice meeting with the man nearly five years ago, had started him down a path of redemption she had previously believed to be out of his reach. 

And now? The older man was Peter Hale in name only. 

Once a man obsessed with strength and power, willing to go to any length to obtain even a shred of either, he was now a man of honor and integrity. He respected and fought like hell for his friends and allies and would struggle till his very last breath to defend his loved ones. 

She shared a look with Stiles that told her he thought the same, then said, “Seriously though, Stiles,” As Peter and Jackson pulled apart, “What’s in the bag?” She asked and pointed to the brown paper bag Stiles had placed on the table. 

“Well,” Stiles drew out the word as he slowly spun the bag and glanced at his friends, “Considering the momentous occasion we’re celebrating, I felt we could use something really special to kick it off.” And with that, he finally opened the bag and everyone’s brows furrowed as they saw a soft golden light begin to spill out of the top. 

Stiles reached in the bag and heard a collective intake of breath from his friends while they stared with wide eyes as he pulled out a bottle filled with a brilliant golden glowing liquid; soft golden light spreading from the bottle and illuminating a small area around the container. 

“Is that...?” Came Peter’s soft voice with an unmistakable tone of reverence. 

“No way.” Said Jackson and Jordan at almost the same time. 

“Nectar?!” Came Lydia’s quiet gasp at last. 

“The real deal baby!” Said Stiles grinning ear-to-ear as he slowly twirled the bottle on the table, “Or rather, as close as we can get to it.” He added with a dismissive wave. 

“The point is my friends, comrades, brothers and sister in arms,” He said, closing his eyes and nodding with each term as he held the bottle of legendary liquid up, the others grinning and shaking their heads, “This... will easily be the best thing you ever drink. Though your drinks are no slouch Lyds. Honestly, if you had told me you were planning to make those, I’d have held off on this.” 

“Though I appreciate it Stiles, if I had discovered you withheld Nectar from us, I don’t think I could have forgiven you. How the hell did you even get your hands on that stuff anyways?” Lydia asked incredulously, the others nodding along. 

He grinned at her for a second then tilted his head and said, “Trade secret my dear.” Looking too amused for his own good at the scowl now sitting on Lydia’s face. Though she had apparently decided getting to drink the Nectar, a drink once associated with the gods of myth that had now made a comeback, ranked more highly on her list than deciphering Stiles’ secrets, as she just rolled her eyes and shook her head, then stood from her chair. 

Lydia quickly picked five empty martini glasses from the bar and passed them to the others who were circling around Stiles as he stood and uncorked the bottle. 

“Do we...?” Jackson started to ask, the question trailing off as he looked at the others and pointed to his glass. 

“Nah, don’t need to with this.” Stiles answered, catching on quickly, “Nectar is already designed to taste like the most delicious drink you’ve either ever had or ever will taste. Adding your aura would just be redundant. And don’t worry, even though you’re literally about to taste the best drink in the world, you don’t have to worry about not being able to enjoy any other drinks after this.” 

“Oh shit. I didn’t even think about that. Are you sure?” Asked Jordan, looking a little apprehensive at the golden liquid now. 

“Yeah.” Stiles answered as he poured himself some of the Nectar first, “It’s designed so you only feel the real effect of it while you’re drinking it. Later, you can look back fondly on the moment, but you won’t have to worry about the taste always overshadowing every other drink you ever have.” 

“Well, that’s good to know. Cause that would have fuckin’ sucked.” Said Jackson. 

“No doubt,” Nodded Stiles, “Especially given how fuckin’ hard it was to get my hands on this shit. I don’t relish the idea of having to do it again any time soon, so definitely, enjoy.” Stiles said with a smirk and tilt of his head at Jackson. 

“What did you have to do to get the Nectar Stiles?” Lydia asked, her previous cheer over the drink being covered with worry. 

“Don’t worry Lydia.” He replied with a warm smile, then held up a hand in surrender, “I promise, it wasn’t anything bad. Really, I was just cashing in a favor to get the Nectar. It was getting the favor that was the hard part, but it wasn’t illegal or anything like that, just a massive ... pain in my ass. And not the good kind, trust me, I wouldn’t be complaining about that, like at all . Especially with how long it’s...” 

But he didn’t get to finish his phrase as a chuckling Lydia put her hand over his mouth to stop him, “Okay, we get it. You know, with how much you’ve changed, I’m surprised you’ve managed to keep your word vomit. T-M-I Stiles.” 

He grinned and bumped into her lightly as she removed her hand, “Oh you love my word vomit.” 

A smile lifted her face as she bumped him back before wrapping him in a one-armed hug, “I do. But seriously, t-m-i. We really don’t need to know how long it’s been since you’ve done the deed.” 

“It’s been so long Lyds.” Stiles said, now actually pouting at Lydia. Jordan had his face in his hand shaking his head and snickering, while Jackson and Peter were doing their best not to laugh, while Lydia just gave him a deadpan stare, before putting her hand on the side of his face and turning it away. 

“Don’t pout at me. And like I said, t-m-i. ” She said, slapping his arm three times, enunciating the letters. 

“But Lyds,” 

“ Drink Stiles.” She interrupted him, holding up her glass. 

“But couldn’t you just message one of your hot guy friends? Any one, I’m not that picky.” He said, a little desperately. 

“Drink!” She said more loudly this time, looking a little irate, but took a breath to calm herself after seeing the pathetic state her best friend was in. 

“And after,” she practically sighed, “We can talk about getting you a hookup.” She gave a heavy sigh as Stiles beamed his thanks at her, then started filling everyone’s glass with the glowing golden liquid. 

With their glasses full, they gave them a gentle clink before finally taking a drink. 

The consensus on the Nectar was... fucking phenomenal. 

They each tried and failed to give an appropriate description for the taste, and unable to find one, tended to settle on a series of colorful expletives with looks of wonderment and dreamy eyes. It was also nice to know that the Nectar was able to get them all pleasantly buzzed after just two drinks. Stiles figured they could get completely wasted on the stuff after only a handful of cups if they wanted to, but he’d only been able to get the one bottle, so he’d settle for what he could get. 

Plus, lately he’d lost the desire to try and distract himself with the bottom of a bottle, finding the intoxication only making the ache in his chest all the more prominent when he resurfaced. 

The dull ache had been present as far back as he bothered to remember, it wasn’t hard to pinpoint though if he stopped trying to lie to himself. And no amount of bottles of amplified liquor, dangerous life-threatening jobs, or cock had ever managed to distract him enough to let him fully move on. 

Feeling a bit tipsier than expected, both from the amazing meal he’d just finished along with the Nectar, Stiles found himself settling down on a particularly soft and fluffy bit of grass some yards away from the gazebo. He took a deep breath, savoring the crisp night air with a hint of salt, then exhaled as he stared absently at the starry night sky, enjoying the tickle of the grass on his arms, having discarded his jacket when they started eating. 

Archaic and runic tattoos could be seen scrawled all over his arms. Black lines and arches poking out of the neck of his tee-shirt denoting the presence of even more tattoos. The glyphs gave of a slight hum of power if one could look closely enough,  

He soon felt a small weight on his chest and tilted his head down to see Mika staring at him before he curled up on Stiles’ chest and began purring. A small smile touched Stiles’ lips as he relaxed his head back and began to lightly pet the cat. 

As he continued staring at the blinking stars, he found his thoughts wandering exactly where he didn’t want them to go. He took another deep breath then let it out with a frustrated sigh, bordering on a grumble. He winced slightly, furrowing his brows and tilting his head to glare at the black cat that had just given him some unwanted acupuncture, but the cat simply stared back at him with one eye before shutting it and settling back in. 

Stiles just tilted his head back with a slight shake. A few moments later, he heard two sets of steps approaching, then saw Lydia and Jackson appear before settling down on the grass, flanking him. 

It was Lydia that broke the silence after they’d been lying there for almost a solid minute. 

“You know, I don’t think he’d mind a call from you. I think he’d even be, dare I say, happy to hear from you.” A snort from his other side drew Stiles’ eyes to Jackson who just smirked up at the sky. 

“Now there’s a sight I would have paid money to see. A happy Derek.” Jackson said, making Stiles and Lydia both chuckle. 

“Believe it or not, our beloved Sourwolf actually loves to laugh. And you’d never guess it, but the man is an avid prankster once you get to know him. And the laugh,” Stiles’ throat had started to thicken, a warning of tears he thought he’d been done with for years now. He felt a warm hand in each of his as both Jackson and Lydia gave them comforting squeezes. 

Stiles gave a chuckle as he cleared his throat, “He has a rom-com guilty pleasure.” 

“No.” said Jackson immediately, turning a giddy grin to Stiles. 

“Oh yeah, and he’d rather die than let anyone know. You should have seen his face when I caught him watching Pretty Woman. I thought he might actually make good on all those promises to rip my throat out with his teeth.” Stiles said with a fond grin. 

“Something tells me, you wouldn’t have minded him trying.” Jackson laughed in response and Stiles just grinned wider. 

“But instead , somehow the night ended with us watching a marathon of rom-coms and laughing our asses off. Oh, and the man can nearly quote word for word, 10 Things I Hate About You, Legally Blonde and Miss Congeniality.” 

“What?!” Both Lydia and Jackson said and laughed at the same time as they propped themselves up and looked at him incredulously. He just grinned and nodded at them. 

“Seriously. He kept threatening to do it when I wouldn’t shut up during movies and ruining the endings for him. And then finally, I had to sit through him completely quoting Legally Blonde.” He sat up then, scooting back to look at the two, “And he didn’t just half-ass quote it either,” he said with a massive grin at their looks of shock and amusement, “Oh no, he went all the way. We’re talking full tone, accents, mannerisms, the whole shebang. And he actually did a damn good job on the courtroom scene, and I ended up applauding him.” 

“Oh my gods.” Jackson said, the others arching a brow at his look of half hilarity, half horror, “I would give anything to see Derek do the bend and snap.” he seemed to realize his mistake a second too late as he stared like a deer in headlights at the wicked grin spreading across Stiles’ face. 

Stiles brought a hand up to stroke his trimmed beard, “Oh? So you know this move?” he asked with his best Shifu impersonation from Kung Fu Panda. 

Jackson finally gave a defeated sigh and plopped his face in his hands, “Dammit.” 

Stiles leaned back on his hands and laughed, “It’s alright buddy, Lydia already told me that you liked rom coms.” 

“Lydia?!” Jackson practically whined at her for the betrayal, which she just laughed at. 

“Thanks guys.” Stiles said after a moment of silence, looking between Jackson and Lydia who gave him warm smiles. He tried his best to stay positive and upbeat most of the time, but occasionally they could feel him slip back into the hole he’d dug himself into after he had to make the incredibly difficult choice to leave Beacon Hills over six years ago. 

The hole grew deeper and deeper as he constantly ached for Derek and the feelings of the budding romance that had nearly blossomed between them in the two years after his graduation, before he left. 

He could still remember that moment, crystal clear in his head, every word, breath and glance of those gorgeous hazel eyes. The older man had immediately embraced him when Stiles had shown up to his loft, looking more distraught than Derek had seen him in ages. He had begged Stiles to tell him what had happened, but he couldn’t bring himself to destroy Derek’s hopes and dreams like that. 

Instead, Stiles had placed a hand on Derek’s cheek and brought his face within inches of Derek’s, being far more intimate than he’d dared to up to that moment, though he’d wished for a while by that point that the older man would have mustered the courage and take that next step. 

Staring into Derek’s wide and cautiously hopeful eyes, Stiles had asked him to come with him, to leave Beacon Hills behind. Those hazel eyes widened even further as the eyebrows of doom made themselves known with Derek’s heavy and clear confusion. Stiles knew he would be asking a lot and told Derek so with his signature sarcasm and nervous chuckle. 

He had wanted more than anything to tell Derek why he had to leave, but he couldn’t. And because of that, when he saw the struggle and desperation in Derek’s eyes; the desire to shout, to scream ‘yes, I want to go with you’, warring with his love and duty to the Pack, he knew what he had to do. 

It was his Pack. The pack he’d fought so hard for, bled for, and nearly died for, many times over. Stiles had watched Derek fight for and pour all of his blood, sweat and tears into making that pack. It hadn’t been perfect of course, and they had run into more than one issue over the years, but it was his. Even if he’d had to sacrifice his Alpha spark for it. 

Knowing all that. What he had fought so hard to regain after losing everything, how could Stiles possibly ask him to make that kind of choice? 

Instead, he pushed down the tears and sob that wanted to escape, filled his eyes and smile with the kindness and fondness he truly felt for the Sourwolf and brought their foreheads together. He held Derek’s gaze as wide hazel eyes darted between amber, seeing the fondness Stiles had been unable to give words to. 

“It’s okay big guy.” Stiles said softly, “I understand. I shouldn’t have asked you to make that choice. It’s okay.” His voice trailed off and nearly cracked as he struggled against the ache forming in his heart. 

“St-stiles. Wh-…" Derek had started, blinking quickly as he brought his hands up to rest on Stiles’ arms, but was cut off as he saw those soft lips he’d dreamed of for so long now, pressed into a line before being curled in as Derek smelled a wave of anguish wash over Stiles so hard that it nearly caused Dereks’ knees to buckle from the force. 

Derek watched in horror as Stiles swallowed down his anguish, covering it with determination as he closed his eyes. He could feel his own heart begin to ache and he swallowed hard, “Stiles... Stiles, n...” But a small shake of Stiles' head stopped him, and when amber eyes looked up at him once more, a single tear was running down one cheek. 

“It’s okay Der.” Stiles said, his voice failing him and breaking off at the end as he mustered a smile. 

But it wasn’t okay. None of this was okay. And Derek felt like the floor was dropping out beneath his feet as he tried and failed to say something, anything to get this wonderful man in front of him that he’d grown to care so much for, more than anyone else he’d known, to understand that he didn’t want to stay. But against his wishes, he stood completely still, frozen to the spot like a living statue, mind shocked blank as Stiles had leaned in and placed a kiss to his lips. 

The kiss hadn’t lasted long, just a few seconds before Stiles had pulled back. When those amber eyes looked back up at him, a new tear was running down Stiles’ other cheek as he gave him a sad smile, “Goodbye Der.” 

Stiles finally stepped back and around a frozen Derek. Taking his hand away from the man had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done. As he walked away, every fiber of his being wanted nothing more than to run back and continue what he foolishly let himself have, if even for a few seconds. 

As he walked away from Derek, marching steadily towards the door of the loft, he finally let his tears flow freely, but still didn’t let a single sound escape his lips. Not until he had raced down the steps and out to his dad’s cruiser, slamming the door shut, did he finally lose full control. 

His dad looked panicked at the state of his son, but Stiles just yelled and begged for him to drive. After a few more pleas, John finally agreed and started to pull away from the building, soon making their way onto the main road. 

Within ten minutes, they were driving out of Beacon Hills, already having put the house up for sale, fully furnished, so they would only need to bring the essentials. 

What Stiles didn’t know, even to this day, was the gut-wrenching gasp Derek had made when he was finally able to breathe again after Stiles had left. His name escaping Derek’s lips in a sob as he ran from his loft, trying to catch up to the man. He had shouted as loud as he could, begging for Stiles to wait. 

Never had he wished so much for Stiles to have supernatural hearing, to hear Derek begging for him to wait, racing down the steps as fast as he could, trying to catch up to the sound of the cruiser pulling away. He knew he wouldn’t make it in time if he just kept running down the flights normally, so finally Derek leapt over the railing, and shifted as he fell. 

Unfortunately, in his panicked state, he was too distracted to properly focus on his landing. And after falling four flights of stairs, he landed with too much weight on one ankle and screamed in pain as he felt it snap. Derek was sure he’d also broken one of his wrists after that as he tried to catch himself when his legs gave way. But honestly, the pain of the broken bones was barely a flutter to him. 

His real pain lay in his gut that was churning violently, threatening to spill over, his lungs constantly trying to fill with air, but never feeling quite full, his heart beating a tattoo against his ribs as it ached for the man moving further and further away by the second. All because he couldn’t speak and tell him the truth. 

Once again, he fucked himself over. Let his self-doubts win out. Had told himself over and over that Stiles couldn’t have possibly cared for him like that, even though the signs had been so fucking obvious. But he hadn’t dared let himself hope. And now, because he had been too fucking stupid to take the signs and flirting for what they had actually been, he had lost it. Lost him. 

He gasped both in pain and realization, still laying on the ground, waiting for his ankle and wrist to heal properly, which would still be for some minutes. He wiggled around, feeling with his good hand until he located the object. But soon, his hopes were dashed as he fished out his phone and saw that it had been broken as he landed on his side, the screen not lighting up no matter what he tried. 

After several failed attempts, he finally threw the useless device in a roar of anger, his voice turning bestial as he half shifted. The broken phone shattering into thousands of pieces as it landed against the wall. 

He lay there on the ground, broken physically and emotionally. His mind a mess of agonizing memories he tried to constantly keep buried, reliving his absolute worst moments, as only they could compare to the pain wracking his body now as he felt the bond that had formed between himself and Stiles stretch thinner and thinner, until he could no longer feel him. 

With the final sputtering out of the bond, the weight of what he had just lost doubled, then tripled in his chest. Derek’s eyes flashed a brilliant icy blue as he shifted, slamming a fist into the ground and forming a small crevasse as he let loose a terrible and agonizing roar, heard for miles in every direction. 

Miles away and driving further still, Stiles thought for a moment that he heard the roar of an Alpha, but shook it off, thinking it was just another factor of his panic attack that his dad was continuously trying to help him through as they drove away from his home, and heart, that he left behind with a certain brooding Sourwolf. 

“Stiles! Hey.” 

“Stiles honey? Are you alright?” 

Stiles was pulled out of his stupor with a light shake of his shoulder, “Huh?” He asked, eyes wide as he looked between Jackson and Lydia’s concerned faces, then just behind them to Peter and Jordan, both also worried. 

He blinked for some seconds, then felt a tickle on his cheeks, bringing a hand away he saw the leftover tears he’d wiped from his cheeks. Stiles cleared his throat a few times, wiping vigorously to rid himself of the things, pissed at himself for letting it get so far after so long. 

“Sorry, guys.” He said thickly but was stopped from saying anything else as he was embraced by both Jackson and Lydia. 

“You idiot. What the fuck do you have to apologize for?” Came Jackson’s voice, sounding suspiciously on the verge of tears himself. 

“Yeah, silly.” agreed Lydia, though she was having less success in the controlling her tears department. 

Stiles gave a nervous chuckle, and scratched at his cheek as he looked at the ground, then said with a shaky voice, “Guess I really am hopeless huh? Over six fucking years and I’m still... Stuck on a stupid schoolboy crush, and... Gods I’m pathetic.” he said, looking skyward as he tried to keep from crying any more useless tears. 

“Stop it!” He blinked wide at Lydia as she kneeled next to him and gripped his shoulders so tight, he thought he might actually bruise, tears flowing freely down a fierce and determined face. 

“Not you, Stiles. Don’t you dare do that to yourself. Do you hear me? You are one of the best people I have ever known, and I will not have you think of yourself as anything less than amazing because of a single mistake you made in the past, do you hear me? You did what you thought was right, because you care for him, and no one can tell you differently. 

“We are who and what we are because of you. We are stronger and more capable, because of you. We are a family, a Clan , because of you. You brought us together, saved all of our lives at least once, and gave each of us a chance at something truly spectacular that we never would have had otherwise. And you want to actually try and call yourself pathetic ?! Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?!” She ended her moving speech with a chuckle of incredulity that had everyone, including Stiles, chuckling along with her. 

“Yeah man, what she said. And you should know by now to never disagree with Lydia.” added Jackson, grinning as he watched Stiles start to grin and wipe the remaining tears from his eyes. 

“Yes, yes, I know. The goddess is always correct.” Stiles said, sharing a warm smile with Lydia before she stood and pulled him to his feet, then gave him another hug. 

“And besides,” She added when they pulled apart, “We’re bound to go back to Beacon Hills eventually. You yourself said so. I’m sure you’ll get your chance to make up to him at some point.” 

Before Stiles could respond to that though, they all collectively turned to the house, seeing the butler approaching with a familiar woman at his side. As they approached, a small smile lifted her lips, “As usual Lydia, you’re not wrong.” she said, looking between each of them until her gaze finally settled on Stiles who looked none too thrilled to see her. 

“I’m afraid the time has come at last, Stiles.” she said, looking genuinely sad. 

He took a slow breath, closing his eyes with a sigh and slight bow of his head, “Fuck.” 

Chapter Text

“How bad has it gotten?” Stiles asked, his eyes still closed as he readied himself for the news he had been dreading to hear for years. 

“Over the past three days, seven people have gone missing. Four were taken from their homes which contained mostly third-tier wards and should have protected them, which means whatever took them had to at least be near second-tier or higher. 

“Two more were taken during midday while they were running near the preserve. There was a dead body left behind, a Meta. His memories were scanned but were a jumbled mess. The specific ones relating to the incident were foggy and incoherent, only really showing two humanoid figures but were unable to discern any distinguishing features. 

“The last one was taken earlier today during a visit to the store. The woman was last seen leaving with a man that aside from being described by those that saw him as ‘incredibly attractive’, gave off no other signs that he was anything more than a Shifter, like she had been.” 

Stiles could feel his group give a resigned sigh as they listened to the woman give her report. Their old guidance counselor had also at one point been the Emissary for the Alpha Pack, led by Deucalion. However, now she was the permanent Emissary for this Clan. Stiles found Marin to be very similar to Alan, but was a bit rougher around the edges, which didn’t bother him at all. She had a kind of no-nonsense attitude that he connected well with. And though he really liked Deaton, the man’s air of ‘mysterious ways’, often left Stiles with a feeling of a theoretical eye twitch. 

Even still, Stiles had always respected the hell out of Alan Deaton, and was eternally grateful he had sent his sister their way when he formed his Clan. A good Emissary was invaluable, and she had more than proven her worth over the years. 

“Any relations or connections between the victims?” Lydia asked after they absorbed what Marin told them. 

“None that we can tell, or that are obvious at least. None of the victims were related or affiliated with each other. Four of them were Shifters, all belonging to different Packs, two were Metas, again, belonging to two different guilds, and one Arcane. Though he wasn’t affiliated with anyone as far as we could tell. So far, they’ve each only ranked within the fifth-tier, minus one of the Metas, she was within third-tier. Because of this, were it not for the Arcane, we could firmly assume that they're not targeting any specific powers or abilities, but Arcanes always make things iffy.” 

Stiles took a deep breath and turned his head skyward, rubbing a hand over his face. 

“We sure it’s not the Tersus? Retaliating for what happened recently? Not that they ever really need a reason.” Asked Jordan. 

Marin shook her head, “The closest sightings of any Tersus near the Western seaboard, were in Utah. Though we can’t completely discount any involvement from a distance, it’s doubtful considering there’s only been one known death so far and no signs of any technological interference or tampering. If we know anything about the Tersus, it’s their well-practiced ‘Take no prisoners’ philosophy.” 

“Ain’t that the fuckin’ truth.” Said Jackson with an annoyed sigh. 

“What’s the state of the Nemeton?” Asked Stiles, finally looking back to Marin. 

“Fully restored this Spring.” 

“Like, you mean its power? Or...” Started Jackson, his confusion being shared by Peter. 

“That, and it’s fully regrown.” At that answer from Marin there was a thick spike of shock from Jackson and Peter. 

“And what of the McCall Pack?” Said Stiles with a sigh. He felt the others all tense around him and send nervous glances his way as Marin eyed him before giving her answer. 

“They’re doing as well as could be expected, all things considered. The Pack has grown in number, which was to be expected of course, after The Awakening. For the most part, things seem to have been fairly stable before the disappearances. And now Scott has his pack working with other groups within and around Beacon Hills to try and locate the missing persons.” 

“What other groups are involved?” Asked Peter. 

“In total there are five. The McCall Pack, the O’Brien Coven, the Black Hand Guild, the Argent Court, and the Hale Pack.” Stiles could feel a collective wince from everyone as they felt the surge of pain that shot through him when Marin mentioned the Hale Pack. 

He knew even she felt it, as she was also a member of his clan, though she hid her emotions better than most, apparently that was a shared trait between herself and the vet. 

Stiles felt himself getting nervous, something that hadn’t been an issue for him in years, some of his old and annoying habits starting to resurface, which just made him feel irrationally agitated. 

“How, um...” He cleared his throat roughly, eyes darting around as he scratched at his cheek, even though it didn’t actually itch, “How uh, how... how’s Derek?” He finally managed to ask, and hated that he couldn’t even bring himself to look at his Emissary. He felt like that annoying spastic teen he thought he’d finally left behind. 

He’d worked so hard, trained like a madman to get to where he was. Nowadays, he was in complete control of his body, maintaining an ironlike grip on his muscles, nerves, mind and emotions. Most of the time, he didn’t say, think or do anything he didn’t actually want to. But you’d never guess that with how he was acting now, and he hated himself for it. 

One, just one simple mention of the gorgeous brooding Sourwolf, and his control started slipping through his fingers like sands through the fucking hourglass. 

Seven fucking years, and he still affects me like this?! This can’t be normal. Stiles thought in agitation and gave his head a light shake. He felt a warm hand grip his own and another squeeze his shoulder. 

He didn’t need to look to know they belonged to Lydia and Jackson. 

“He’s good.” Marin said, drawing Stiles’ eyes, “My brother tells me he’s become a highly respected Alpha all through the Western states. His Pack isn’t quite as large as Scott’s, however, they are just as strong, if not more so. And it’s only hearsay, but some stories are claiming that Derek has been blessed.” 

Stiles couldn’t help the wave of warmth flooding through him at the news of how Derek had finally shown himself to be the kind of Alpha he’d believed him capable of, ever since he’d come to realize the real reason for his unhealthy level of fascination with the Sourwolf. 

The physical attraction had been more than obvious, and he had come to accept his sexuality easy enough, despite a couple hiccups early on. But a number of factors had led him to develop a sort of hyper focus on Derek. 

And that coupled with his unfortunate penchant of taking anything suspicious to be criminal related; this habit only being elevated exponentially with his introduction to the supernatural world, and his abysmal self-esteem and confidence issues stemming from countless people telling him how weird and annoying he was, or giving him the ‘look’ telling him he was yet again oversharing and should shut-up, and you get a lovely cocktail of chaos with a splash of excessive hormones, mixed in denial spurred on by murder brows stuck in Defcon 1, seasoned with excessive pining on the rim and garnished with an abject sense of unrequited love. 

It was only after things had finally started to settle down in Beacon Hills, giving him a chance to focus on something else other than the newest monster carving a path through town that he had some time to do some thorough introspection, and started to give voice to a few thoughts and ideas that had only ever passed through without much clarity before. 

His dad had been insufferable for days after Stiles had mistakenly voiced a question about his attraction to Derek. The man had then proceeded to tell him that he had thought they were an actual couple for a while by that point, what with how often he had talked about Derek and had been a little miffed that Stiles had never brought the guy around for dinner yet. 

This of course led to a much more serious chat where Stiles voiced his concerns to his dad, telling him that he didn’t think Derek could ever be interested in him that way. How could he possibly? Stiles was awkward, uncoordinated, spastic, couldn’t focus worth a damn, said whatever was on his mind, and made a habit of being a general nuisance to everyone around him. Not to mention Derek was unfairly hot while he was-well, not. 

This bout of self-loathing was followed by his dad, being the wonderful, loving and caring man he was and telling Stiles to shut up. Then proceeded to tell him that if Derek couldn’t see him for the incredibly intelligent, capable, caring and loyal man he was, then he was better off without the brooding Sourwolf. 

Spurred on by his dad’s love and faith in him, reassuring him that no matter what happened, he would always be there to talk and help however he could, Stiles finally decided to focus on actually trying to get to know Derek Hale. 

And thus started their two-year dance. 

He had gotten to know Derek. Really know him. At first, Derek did not appear too thrilled at the sudden uptick of ‘Stiles’ in his life, constantly giving him the eyebrows of doom, and part of Stiles had always wondered if he practiced that look just for him, as he never seemed to give that look to anyone else and it seemed immaculate. 

But there seemed to be a certain point a couple months later where things took a subtle yet significant turn. First, their messages to each other went from a few times every couple of days or so, to nearly daily until finally they were messaging each other at all hours, day and night. 

Then came physical contact. Nothing excessive or intimate, just simple things like a hand on the shoulder, or bumping into each other jokingly, Derek ruffling his hair to annoy Stiles and even a light massage on his neck whenever Stiles mentioned it was sore. 

What Stiles felt to be the first truly significant change though, was the first time he caught Derek grinning and smirking at one of his jokes. Something the Sourwolf had always sworn he hated or gave an annoyed scoff at in the past. He still remembered being unable to breathe, the wind literally being knocked out of his lungs the first time he had caught Derek give a genuine smile and laugh. 

Stiles had been so utterly transfixed by that breathtaking smile, his stomach flipping at the wonderful sound that he had come to believe to be damn near mythical considering he never heard anything even remotely related to humor (except for dry sarcasm) from the man, that he actually forgot how to breathe for several seconds. 

Shortly after his twentieth birthday, things got even better. The supernatural activity within Beacon Hills had calmed down considerably by that point, allowing everyone a chance to simply enjoy life for a time. And best of all, his time spent with Derek grew immensely, to the point he was frequently staying over at the loft. 

They had movie nights and game nights; frequently grabbed coffee or had lunch together and even grabbed dinner together every few days or so. 

The duo went from simple touches like a squeeze on the shoulder and joking bump, to practically cuddling while they watched a show or movie. The two discovered they both liked much of the same music too, and Stiles had one day found that Derek had made an entire playlist of songs that were Stiles’ favorites, naming it: Derpy Danger Magnet, though he never mentioned finding it to Derek. He had felt a warm squeeze of his heart when he found that. It was something so simple, yet something about it felt incredibly intimate. 

The best part was, he had actually already done the same himself, making a playlist of Derek’s favorites, and titled it The Cuddlewolf Vibes. 

Near his twenty-first birthday, their relationship took another shift. It was both obvious and subtle, but neither were willing to actually give voice to what was so obvious. The two started to wake up in full-on cuddle mode after movie nights together. Instead of saying anything though, after working through the shock the first time, they came to a sort of unspoken agreement that they didn’t want it to stop. 

Their cuddles and physical contact became much more frequent and intimate at this point. But the biggest change of all came on Stiles’ twenty-first birthday party. Scott had brought along some wolfsbane laced alcohol with him so the Weres could get a little drunk and have fun like they used to. 

Unfortunately, later that night Scott had gotten more drunk than he had meant to, and an argument broke out between him and Derek. Stiles never learned exactly what Scott had said to Derek to cause such a reaction, and he never cared to learn, he just remembered the look of immense hurt and shock on Derek’s face. And the next thing he knew, Stiles was practically shouting himself hoarse, cussing Scott out from head to toe. 

That night had been their most intimate to date, though still platonic. They found themselves sitting on Derek’s bed, after returning to the loft, leaning up against the headboard. This time though, Stiles found himself holding Derek as the man curled into him, the opposite being the usual with them before that night. 

Derek thanked him in a voice almost too quiet to hear. Then, as if those two simple words had opened the floodgates, Derek started telling him about many of his darkest secrets, worries and insecurities. He had been telling Stiles some of these things little by little as they grew closer, but never in a rush like this, like he was afraid he would suffocate if he kept them in any longer. 

And so vulnerable, sitting there curled into Stiles’ side, being held and comforted like he was a teenager again and Stiles was both a shield and lifeline for him. 

The raw ache and emotion in Derek’s voice as he bared his heart to Stiles had his arm clenching so tightly around Derek’s shoulders, he was surprised the man wasn’t protesting. Even though he was only human, his grip was tight enough, Stiles figured the wolf had to feel something. His eyes filled and then flooded over with tears, his breath hitching in his throat as he listened to Derek stumble through the memory of the fire and the night terrors that followed. How even now, so many years later, he could still hear the screams of his friends and family as they were burned alive. 

The constant aching grief sitting in the back of his mind, berating him, and stoking the coals to keep his severe self-loathing and depression alive and well even now. The overwhelming grief of being responsible for the deaths of his old girlfriend Paige, followed so quickly by almost his entire family, driving him to constantly contemplate suicide several times over the years. 

Stiles held Derek tight as he heard and felt the man beginning to drift off. Stiles then moved them down to lay on the bed, and then simply looked the gorgeous man over, the normal creases in his face from his near constant surly expressions and mood smoothing out as he sunk deeper into unconsciousness. It was amazing how the lack of murder brows and frown lines made the man look several years younger. 

Derek fell asleep, pressed into Stiles’ chest with an arm behind his back, his soft almost inaudible snores filling the air around them. Stiles propped himself up on one arm to get a better look at his sleeping crush, and he felt his eyes sting as he revisited the baggage the man had unloaded just minutes ago but held them back as he carefully surveyed Derek’s features. 

Without realizing it, Stiles had brought a hand up and lightly combed his fingers through Derek’s hair. It was something he wanted to do and thought about countless times, wishing he could be as sure and confident as Derek so he could act on these desires without worry. 

Stiles always believed the man plenty confident, sometimes even a little too much so. And before he realized, Stiles had unknowingly started to view Derek as an idol of sorts. 

Strength, power, confidence, capability. He had unconsciously begun to associate Derek with these things and found himself constantly comparing himself to the older man, wishing that he could be more like him. 

But now? He knew the man was full of regret, self-doubt and confusion. But instead of thinking less of the man after revealing so many dark truths, he felt an immense surge of pride for Derek. To know just how horribly life liked to fuck him over and heap loads of bullshit on him, and yet here he was, fighting back and growing stronger and all the more capable because of it. 

Stiles couldn’t express how much he wished things could have turned out differently for the brooding Werewolf. To have been given the chance to grow up with his family instead of emotional, mental, and physical trauma and abuse. Gotten the chance to live happily; smile and laugh easily. Derek’s laugh was a true gift to the world, something Stiles would give almost anything to constantly hear from him, and had already made it his mission to do just that. 

Stiles felt another surge of emotion, making him swallow hard as his hand moved down, tracing a finger over the legendary brows of doom that frequently had their own dialog, and often said much more than Dereks’ actual words typically did. 

“You deserve so much better, Derek.” 

The words were almost inaudible they were so quiet, Stiles more mouthing the words than actually saying them, as he lightly traced a finger down the side of Derek’s face, over those sharp cheekbones, then down to his jawline, the stubble from his beard rough but pleasant against his finger. 

He curled his fingers in and lightly slid his knuckles across the bottom of Derek’s jawline. His hand rested at Derek’s chin, his thumb sliding up to barely trace the edge of Derek’s bottom lip. Derek’s arm tightened around his back, drawing Stiles in closer. His thumb froze, resting in the middle of the man’s bottom lip, his face now hovering inches above Derek’s. Stiles’ eyes completely focused on those lips he had desperately wanted to kiss for so long now. 

He felt his heart beating heavily in his chest as he brought his lips ever closer to Derek’s. When he was close enough to feel a light breath from Derek against his own lips, he stopped. His eyes closed as he clenched his jaw tight. He took a deep breath and lifted his head, placing a light kiss on Derek’s forehead, inhaling the man’s favorite shampoo, which gave off a mixture of a woodsy-spring scent. 

He knew he was probably pressing his luck, but he honestly didn’t care in that moment. Part of him even kind of hoped that Derek would wake up and force them to have the conversation they both had been avoiding for some time now. But instead of Derek waking up, Stiles just felt a contented rumble in the man’s chest as he snuggled even closer to Stiles if that were possible. 

The softest smile lifted his lips that were still pressed against Derek’s forehead, and Stiles closed his eyes, content for now. He settled himself to half lay on Derek’s chest, fluffing a pillow so his head propped perfectly to nuzzle in the crook of Derek’s neck while he brought his free hand to thread into Derek’s hair and rest there, slowly sliding his thumb back and forth over the man’s temple. 

“I’m so sorry Derek.” The words just barely above soundless, like before, as Stiles looked at the side of Derek’s face and wished he could both say and do so much more. Instead, he took a steadying breath, then exhaled slowly before placing a kiss in the crook of Derek’s neck then finally closing his eyes and drifting off. 

The memories had flitted quickly enough, though Stiles had still been standing there for some seconds after Mira’s comment, everyone waiting for his response. He cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed, “Um, good. That-that’s good to hear.” 

He cleared his throat once more and took a steadying breath, regaining his normal control and composure the others had come familiar with seeing in him as he looked Marin in the eyes again, “So what theories do you have?” 

She gave him a small understanding smile before answering, “Nothing concrete yet, just some guesses.” 

“So what’s your best guess then?” Stiles pressed. She thought for a moment before finally taking a small breath and answering. 

“As far as we can tell, there aren’t really any signs or clues to tell us that it’s the same type of supernatural committing these kidnappings. And so far, there have been no clues left behind at any of the scenes, except for the one dead Meta. However, with him, there was one odd discovery. He was completely drained of blood, but no puncture marks to denote the involvement of typical Vampires. There was however, a small incision discovered over the victim’s jugular.” 

“So we can’t completely rule out Vampiric involvement, or the possible need of blood for some type of ritual.” Said Peter a moment later 

“Possibly even both. After all, we still don’t know if these kidnap victims will be discovered dead or alive.” Added Lydia. 

“So, I guess I’m gonna have to be that guy.” Started Jackson, looking between everyone with confused eyes before settling on Marin, “Why us for this?” He asked, pointing to himself and looking between the others. 

“Look, it’s not like I don’t care, and I certainly wouldn’t mind helping out, but it seems like there could be a number of other groups plenty capable of dealing with a kidnapping case. Aren’t we normally called in when the body count could potentially reach five to six digits or more? Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t calling in five Terni for a case of seven missing persons be more than a little overkill? So, what am I missing?” Jackson asked, looking mostly to Lydia and Stiles. 

“You have the root of the matter,” Marin responded seconds later, “This will most certainly become more than a simple missing persons case. There are movements within and around the Nemeton, preparations if you will. And we were warned some years ago as to a potential cataclysmic threat bound within Beacon Hills. Certain signs point to these kidnappings merely being the spark to a series of events leading to a catastrophe the likes of which the world hasn’t seen in thousands of years.” She answered in a matter-of-fact tone, as if she didn’t just talk about an Armageddon level event like it was some random passing news. 

Jackson stood there with wide eyes and mouth hanging open as he finished absorbing what the Emissary just told him. He snapped his mouth shut, blinked several times before swallowing hard, “....Oh.” He finally said, then took another deep breath and slowly exhaled before adding, “Well, alright then.” 

“Sorry man,” Stiles said, turning to him and Jackson’s brows fell a bit, “I haven’t really had a good chance to let you know about it yet. And honestly, I didn’t see a good reason to make you worry about something that still might not have happened for a decade or longer. I wanted you to have a chance to settle in. Heal up and recuperate and maybe even enjoy life a little, especially after what you had to go through before I started to dump potentially world-ending problems in your lap.” Stiles gave him an apologetic smile, then gave Jackson’s shoulder a squeeze. 

Jackson bobbed his head in agreement as he listened, “Well, thanks for that, I guess.” He said and gave Stiles’ arm a squeeze, then dropped his hand back to his side as he looked to his friends and allies, “So, what’s this big doomsday threat?” 

Stiles withdrew his hand, “I’ll let you know on the way tomorrow. I would really rather not ruin this night with that depressing topic.” 

“Yeah, no kidding.” Jordan said with a very uncharacteristic look, mixed between annoyed and depressed. Jackson’s brows shot down quickly in surprise, deciding whatever this big bad was, he apparently really didn’t want to know right now while things were still relatively happy and light. 

“Alright.” Jackson said, the word coming out tight, displaying his internal rising stress level, as he slowly turned away from Jordan. He soon felt warm and comforting hands on his shoulders, Peter quickly taking place at his side and rubbing his back gently. 

“Don’t worry love, we aren’t The Preventors for nothing you know.” Peter gave Jackson a reassuring smile, which he returned soon after, letting himself relax into Peter’s arms as he brought a hand up to grasp the one on his shoulder. 

“Anything else we should know?” Asked Stiles, turning back to Marin. 

“The Argent Court should prove to be quite willing to help in any capacity they can.” She answered and Stiles smirked. 

“Not surprising, Vampires already had a pretty nasty reputation before The Awakening. So, it makes sense they’d want this dealt with as quickly as possible given what we know. Does anybody know we’re coming?” He asked. 

She shook her head, “Only my brother, no one else. I knew it would work in our favor for him to be aware.” Stiles nodded, then took a deep breath and gave a heavy sigh, his cheeks puffing out with the force. 

“We can sort out most of the remaining details on our way tomorrow. I’ll leave our residence matter to you, Marin. You know our preferences. Just buy up the building if you run into any problems.” He said, receiving a simple nod from her. 

“I’ll have the jet prepped and ready for departure by ten tomorrow morning. That should give you plenty of time to get ready. I’m leaving tonight. I’ll send you a holo tomorrow with any new details after I talk with my brother.” Marin said before finally bidding them all goodbye and taking her leave. 

There was a tense quiet moment after the Emissary left; Stiles turning to glance at the set of eyes he felt on his back, sharing a look with Mika who sat perfectly still, those bright emerald eyes holding a weight and force entirely ‘other’. The gaze spoke volumes. 

Stiles gave a blink and small nod, before finally turning and taking a deep breath, “Alright guys, we all know the drill. Let’s call it a night for now. Get an early start tomorrow and start prepping.” 

“How long do you think we’ll be in Beacon Hills for?” Jordan asked and Stiles glanced at him, answering a moment later. 

“No way to know for sure. For now, we’ll approach it as an extended mission. I’m hopeful we’ll be able to neutralize the threat in a timely manner, however, my gut tells me we’re in for the long haul.” That received a couple groans and sighs, but no objections, the others knew better than to second guess his gut feelings, that very thing having proven to be invaluable to their safety and success time and time again. 

“I’ll start some of the preparations tonight, use our port room to bring your essentials from your places so we can at least have that out of the way.” Lydia said. 

“Sounds good.” Stiles said with a sigh, suddenly feeling very tired as they turned to head up to the house, a couple maids making their way down to the gazebo to start cleaning up, Mika trotting up to walk beside Stiles. 

“You guys are free to take any of the guest rooms, as usual. Let us or Charles know if you need anything.” Lydia said as she motioned up the spiral staircase leading up from the foyer to the second floor where most of the rooms sat. 

“Let your P.A.G.A’s know what you want to bring over. Once I receive the all clear, I’ll start the ports.” Lydia added as she and Jordan started for a door off to the side of the foyer that opened to a set of stairs leading to the lower floor. That floor held many special rooms including the port room: a room set up with a teleportation circle that linked to other circles within a specific system. These circles were specific to inorganic items only, so people and supernaturals couldn’t use them. 

Teleportation circles for living creatures were also plenty possible, but they’re heavily monitored and regulated. Any discovered use of unsanctioned teleportation circles would face severe punishment and excruciating fines. 

Their group had free use of them, as well as such a circle they were free to use between their residences, but there was no need for that over such a simple matter, especially when they had their P.A.G.A’s (Personal Aura Generated Assistants): A type of magical assistant comprised of a piece of highly advanced Arc-tech, usually in the shape of a sphere, imbued with an individual’s aura and designed to assist to its fullest capability. 

Typically, they were used to maintain a house for those that did not want to utilize maids or butlers, or simply didn’t have a large enough residence to need that kind of personal touch. They possessed a core that was constantly linked to the Arcweb, which made them highly capable research assistants, as well as sending and receiving purchases, along with many other matters. 

The breadth of a P.A.G.A’s capabilities were ultimately determined by the strength of the owner’s aura, as well as their knowledge and capability with essence, as the assistant’s abilities directly correlated with such. Whatever the owner wanted their P.A.G.A. to be able to do, they would have to imbue those skills and abilities into the device upon set-up with their own aura and essence. 

As Stiles ascended the stairs to pick his favorite guest room, he lifted his right arm to display a thin black band about five inches wide, nestled at his wrist. At first glance, it would appear to be nothing more than a tattoo of a black band, but this was actually the latest cell phone model in Smart Arc’s Personal Electronics department. 

Smart Arc was the leading brand name in research, development and production of Arc-tech devices designed specifically for convenience and everyday use. And this device, the S.A. Auric Band Alpha, was their latest success in telecommunications. It possessed a top-tier Dimension Compressing spell, allowing for an Aura Generator to be placed within and power it and still maintain its razor-thin depth. This way, even those who couldn’t access their aura, or possess strong enough auras could still use these devices. 

When first placed on an individual’s wrist, the nanites within the device would initiate a biometric scan, adjusting the physical makeup of the object to seamlessly integrate with the user’s skin so they never actually needed to remove the device, though they still could if they wished. 

Stiles flipped his wrist around to display the underside and pressed his index finger to the band for a second, then removed it. Attached to the pad of his finger was a thin black disk, roughly the size and thickness of a dime. Stiles brought his finger up to his temple and pressed down, leaving the disk behind as he let his hand drop back to his side. 

The band around his wrist lit up in soft blue light as he removed his finger from the disk now firmly nestled against his temple. Various bits of information could be seen displayed on the device such as the date, time, weather and so on, with strings of rolling messages across the bottom pertaining to current events around the world. 

“Call Jarvis.” He said calmly as he reached the top step and turned to the right, heading down a hallway with a handful of doors scattered between both sides and he aimed for the last one on the right. 

The call connected almost instantly, a pleasant male British voice answering, “Good evening sir, how did the dinner go?” 

“It was good.” He answered as he neared the door and turned back to wave good night to Peter and Jackson entering their favored room and doing the same as him, contacting their P.A.G.A. to make preparations. Peter returned the wave before following Jackson into the room and closing the door. 

Yes, he realized how ridiculous it was for him to call his assistant Jarvis, but honestly, who could blame him? Basically, what equates to magical A.I. is created and he’s given access to it? Being a dweeb at heart and loving all things sci-fi and comic book related, how the fuck could he possibly resist naming his assistant after one of his favorite superheroes' own personal beloved British sounding assistant? 

“Unfortunately, things took a bit of an unexpected and sudden turn at the end though.” He added a moment later as he entered the room. 

“How may I be of assistance?” Jarvis asked as Stiles started getting ready to shower. 

“I need you to gather all of my essentials as well as any and all tomes in the library pertaining to ancient rituals. Place the items in the circle to be ported to Lydia’s residence and let me know when you’ve finished.” 

“Understood sir, am I to take it this will be an extended stay?” 

“We’ll actually be taking up a temporary residence back in my old hometown, Beacon Hills. But yes, we’re not sure how long our stay will be. Speaking of which, I want you to order a clone for yourself and have it fast-tracked to Lydia’s residence, we’ll need it by morning. Considering I have no clue how long we’ll be in Beacon Hills; I have a feeling your presence will be helpful to us.” He said as he finished undressing. 

“Of course. Should I make it the latest model sir?” 

“Yes, all the bells and whistles. Once you’ve finished getting everything in place, notify Lydia so she can initiate the port.” 

“Of course sir, it will be done shortly.” 

“Thanks Jarvis. Let me know if you run into any problems.” 

“I will at once sir.” 

“Later Jarvis.” 

“Goodnight, sir.” 

With that dealt with, the call was disconnected, and Stiles placed the small disk back on the bottom of the band. 

His shower was long and wonderful, thoroughly enjoying the spa-like experience that even Lydia’s guest bathrooms gave. He felt he could happily spend hours luxuriating in all the wonderful and almost countless options, but eventually he turned the water off and exited the shower. 

As he toweled himself dry, he caught a glimpse of himself in a full-length mirror, situated on the wall adjacent to the door. Having recently relived some of his memories from his last days in Beacon Hills earlier this night, he was now mentally comparing his two selves. 

That of the awkward, uncoordinated, spastic, and physically weak human boy of 18 years, to the current him: a 28-year-old Ternus, possessing powers and abilities dwarfing most of the population’s. Battle-hardened from the lethal nature of his job, forcing him to face countless opponents ready and willing to take his life if he let his guard down for even an instant. 

He stood there now with a body that most men would give their souls for; most of his torso and arms covered in runic and archaic tattoos, each with a magical purpose. Stiles was inquisitive and curious, sure, but it could never be said that he wasn’t cautious either. So, once he discovered that runes could be inscribed like tattoos and thus provide extra layers of protection or utility, he didn’t hesitate to start piling them on. 

The new look was completed with long black hair, not quite reaching his shoulders, hanging in loose waves about halfway down his neck, and a close-trimmed beard. It wasn’t as prominent or noticeable like a certain gorgeous Sourwolf’s five o’clock shadow, but it was decent. 

He had to admit to himself, he definitely liked how he looked now: strong, capable, confident... dangerous. 

But he couldn’t help wondering if others felt or would feel the same. Or rather, one person in particular. A very special and amazing person. A person he hadn’t seen in nearly seven years. A person he cared more for than almost anyone else. A person he’d forced to stay behind while he left Beacon Hills over six years ago, not wanting to take away his chance at finally being part of a Pack again. 

But part of him would constantly whisper in the back of his mind any time he let himself think about this, that maybe, it hadn’t been so much about not wanting to force him to choose, but rather not knowing if he could have handled hearing Derek pick the Pack over him. 

So instead of waiting for an answer, Stiles got cold feet and rushed to answer for him. And honestly, there were few things in life that he regretted more than that moment. Every day since he’d left Beacon Hills, he had wished that he could have waited just a bit longer. 

That maybe. Just maybe , Derek would have picked him. 

And though he had physically ached to return to Beacon Hills over the years, just so he could see and talk to Derek once more, there were more than a few things keeping him busy. Jobs and duties he was magically bound to complete. And yeah, like Lydia had suggested, he certainly could have called Derek, gods knew he wanted few things more than to just hear that man speak again. 

However, a small and rather petty sounding little voice in his head would speak up any time he would consider trying to call his beloved Sourwolf. It would say, ‘Well, Derek has yet to call you, so why should you call him? Clearly, he must be very happy with his Pack, having finally gotten what he’d been working so hard for, for so long. So, guess he’s probably moved on now. After all, you never did get any actual confirmation that the man really wanted you as anything more than a friend, now did you?’ 

Yeah, he hated that voice, but he also couldn’t completely deny that it had some valid points. After all, Derek really hadn’t said anything to him as they’d been getting closer to tell him that he actually wanted to be with him. Wanted anything more than what they already had. 

On the flip side though, the very same fucking thing could be said about himself. Gods knew he’d wanted to, but he’d always been way too fucking nervous to actually voice his desires to Derek, always chickening out whenever he thought he’d finally built up enough courage to tell Derek how he felt. 

He also tried in vain to keep himself from getting his hopes up, finding a little bubble of anticipation and excitement popping up in his chest at the idea of seeing Derek again, regardless of how much or how often he told himself it was pointless. After all, Marin had said that Derek was doing well. For all he knew, that also meant that they’d get back in to Beacon Hills and find Derek happily married, or mated, or whatever it was he ultimately decided on with the man of his dreams, who wasn’t a dense, annoying, spastic fuckwad, that had been too terrified to hear his answer when he’d asked him to leave, and so forced the answer himself. 

Stiles narrowed his eyes at himself in the mirror and finally turned to leave the bathroom, pointedly choosing to not focus on the gaping ache in his chest that felt like a fucking black hole when he thought about Derek romantically involved with someone else, and not giving a fuck about Stiles. 

It honestly wasn’t even the thought of Derek being with someone else that hurt, it was imagining Derek being perfectly happy and content without Stiles in his life at all. 

Stop bitching moron. You only have yourself to blame for this, because you couldn’t let him fucking answer. So shut the fuck up and go to sleep.  

He chided himself in agitation and shook his head as he slid into the luxurious bed, fit with silk sheets and wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs. 

As he let himself relax into unconsciousness, his mind was filled with images and thoughts of hazel eyes, murder brows and a woodsy-spring scent engulfing him as he relived the few moments he held Derek tight. 

Yes, he knew he was hopeless. 

*** 

The next morning was a bustle of activity as the group got ready to leave. Packing everything up had been easy enough, as they each had rings, bracelets or necklaces with specialized Dimension Compression magic placed on them. It was one of Peter’s Arcane specialties and something he enjoyed practicing. Once he had become proficient enough at it, he had crafted several especially useful objects for each member of the Clan. 

With all of their belongings and essentials needed for their next mission stored away within their items, the remainder of their morning before departure was spent ensuring everything at both Lydia and Jordan’s, and Peter and Jackson’s houses would still be in working order for when they finally returned. 

Peter and Jackson’s house was even more extravagant than Lydia and Jordan’s, something that surprised absolutely no one that knew them. So, like Lydia and Jordan, they of course had to make sure their maids and butlers were informed of their upcoming and prolonged absence. 

All things considered, most ordeals they dealt with before departure were rather minor and settled quickly. The group both as a whole and individually were nothing if not efficient, so most of the more important matters needed little more than a quick call or message to sort out. 

Stiles also had a house to himself, though it was much more reasonably sized. One of the perks of his excessive amount of aura and knowledge and control of essence, meant his home was looked after entirely by Jarvis, who had a number of clones to use and aid in his work. 

Stiles knew perfectly well how envious his Clan members were of Jarvis and his capabilities compared to their own P.A.G.A.’s, which honestly were nothing to scoff at, and Lydia had tried and failed to subtly hint at a certain birthday gift she would love to have. But he just smiled and shook his head which earned him a rare pout from Lydia, something she would normally never do. But that just showed how amazing Jarvis was in their eyes, and how outclassed his Clan members were by his aura. 

Lydia beat him with her knowledge of course, and she was second strongest in the Clan, but even she couldn’t match up to his monstrous aura, so the capabilities of Jarvis were leagues above even her Prada. Yes, Stiles still cringed at the fact that Lydia had actually named their P.A.G.A. after her beloved Papillion that she left with her mother before finally moving out. 

So, because Stiles had what essentially amounted to his own personal magical supercomputer A.I. constantly running, looking after and protecting his house and assets, he was all set and ready to go, little more than an hour after waking and getting dressed. 

Lydia grew so ecstatic she almost screamed in glee when the clone he’d had Jarvis order showed up in their mail port room, thinking Stiles had finally caved. However, she deflated so pathetically when he’d told her it was just a clone for Jarvis for their temporary residence, that he actually did cave then. 

Stiles agreed to give Prada an upgrade when they were finished up in Beacon Hills. And upon hearing this, Jackson gave him some truly legendary puppy dog eyes, which made him groan and give a massive eyeroll before agreeing to upgrade their Royce too. 

He gave an internal eyeroll thinking about how hard it had been for them to come up with a name for their assistant. Neither willing to just pick a regular name, and constantly voiding the other’s ideas until they finally started listing off their favorite cars. It had been a tie between Ferrari and Rolls Royce, with Jackson only conceding defeat after Peter made some very steamy promises in what he thought was a low enough voice that only Jackson could hear. But Stiles gave him a look that told him that he still definitely heard. 

The older man just gave him a grin that made him think he had done it on purpose too. And Stiles was torn between hating and loving the guy, as he now had some new ideas and positions he definitely wanted to try, but no one to try them with. 

With everything settled and ready to go, and Jarvis’ new clone safely stored in Stiles’ ring, they were soon clambering into the large black SUV sent to take them to their private jet, designated solely for use by the Preventers, readying for takeoff at the nearest airport. 

Twenty minutes later, the group found themselves climbing the small set of steps into the private jet and settling themselves into their favorite spots, Mika promptly making himself at home in Jakson’s lap. Jackson grinned and chuckled at a mumbled “Traitor” from Lydia as she gave a half-pout at the purring black cat in Jackson’s lap. 

Half an hour later they were soaring into the air and starting the five-hour flight that would have them landing in Burbank, before taking a quick fifteen-minute drive to Beacon Hills. 

An hour into the flight, they received the holo-call from Marin. Stiles accepted the call and patched it through to a small table set up in the middle of the plane. As soon as it connected, a life-sized perfectly detailed holo-projection of Marin Morell appeared standing on the side of the table opposite the group gathered to listen in, her hands placed on the table as she leaned in and greeted them. 

The conversation lasted about an hour; clarifying some details about the missing supernaturals and their abilities and touching on information that had only been briefly discussed or missed. A detailed holographic map of Beacon Hills filled the table as she mapped out the locations where each person was last seen and abducted, which did nothing to help with finding a connection. 

She also showed them the historic building they were now the new owners of in the downtown portion of Beacon Hills. Apparently, the previous owner didn’t much like the idea of requesting for the inhabitants in the penthouse to relocate. However, Marin had simply bought the entire building when it became clear he didn’t want to cooperate and gave the previous residents a very enticing offer for new homes that they were plenty happy to accept. 

The last bit of information was highlighted locations of the five major groups she’d mentioned the previous night, both where they gathered for meetings and training, as well as where their members resided within and around Beacon Hills. 

A map providing all the information she’d discussed so far was sent to each of their Auric Bands, and they knew that as this case developed the map would be updated, either to show more missing persons and their last known location, or the more unfortunate event of the bodies of the previously missing being discovered. 

Once they were a little more than an hour out from their destination, Stiles sent a message to his dad, letting them know they’d be arriving within the hour. 

The Sherriff hadn’t been as crazily blessed by The Awakening as Stiles had, however, what he did get from it was nothing to scoff at either. Noah had become an Arcane. And once Stiles knew of the incredible potential and abilities of Arcane that were trained properly, he threw himself at the task of training up his dad with a vigor and ferocity that nearly scared the older man. Stiles swore that he would do absolutely everything in his power to ensure his dad would be more than capable of keeping himself safe. 

What they had discovered during his dad’s growth and training, was that Noah had an exceptional talent for barriers. Nowadays his dad’s shields were impenetrable to most attacks at second-tier or lower. 

His traps were damn near legendary in their strength and complexity, making it almost impossible for even first-tier supernaturals to escape them. And the strength of his aura had reached almost first-tier as well now, which put his physical capabilities on par with most Metas. 

Over the years, he had become a highly respected member of a large and very powerful Coven that overlooked most of California and was greatly feared by many criminals. 

Not even a minute after Stiles had sent him the message, did he receive an answer from his dad, telling him he couldn’t wait to see him and catch up. He gave a soft smile at the message before his attention was grabbed by Jackson clearing his throat. 

Stiles gave him a questioning look before he remembered he’d promised to let Jackson in on what they were potentially in store for if things went South at some point. Roughly twenty minutes later, Jackson had a look mixed between dumbfounded and horrified stuck firmly on his face. He knew the man wanted desperately to deny what Stiles had just told him about, but the solemn expressions on everyone’s faces, and a general sense of acceptance and determination radiating through their Clan bond told him this was far from a joke. 

His heart began racing as his breath came faster; the remembered feeling of burning metal around his neck made him feel like he was choking. Searing white-hot spikes of pain scattered across his back from remembered lashes, his nerves jolting from remembered currents of electricity passed through him from chains. Remembered boils and blisters from acid being dumped on them. The suffocating sense of being forced to fight to the death or risk countless rounds of excruciating torture slammed into him. 

Jackson gripped the arms of his chair tight, causing them to groan and creak in protest, his breath coming faster as his heart slammed against his chest. 

“Jackson! Jackson, look at me!” He snapped his head up, eyes glowing a bright flaming white, his teeth lengthening to vicious glistening fangs, while his nails started shifting into lethal pearly-white claws. He was trying, but couldn’t manage to get his breathing and panic under control. 

He felt a firm hand on one of his shoulders while another one sat steady on his cheek. He felt a huge surge of determination and calm from the person in front of him, but he still couldn’t quite pull himself from the horrific terrors that had haunted his nightmares for so long. However, little by little as the waves of calm, determination and peace flowed from the bonds around him, he finally managed to surface. 

As Jackson’s head began to clear, he noticed multiple hands on his arms and shoulders, finding everyone surrounding him and sending him waves of calm and assurance. He swallowed hard, feeling embarrassed at his lack of control and turned his head down as he pulled back on his shift, his teeth, nails and eyes returning to normal. 

“Sorry guys.” He said, sounding defeated. Jackson felt a warm hand underneath his chin, tilting his head up to look at a determined Peter staring back at him. 

“Don’t.” The older man said to him, “You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. You understand?” 

“Seriously, honey.” Said Lydia, Jackson turning to see her standing on his other side with a warm smile on her face as she gave his shoulder a squeeze, “You went through something incredibly... horrific. We would never expect you to just shrug that off. All you need to know is we’re here for you, and we’re going to do everything we can to keep the worst from happening.” 

“What she said.” And Jackson turned to see Stiles kneeling in front of him, giving his knee a squeeze and a half grin on his face, but Jackson could see an incredible and barely contained fury sitting behind those amber eyes, “Do you really think I would have went through the trouble of breaking you out of that place and reducing it to dust, only to let you suffer at the hands of some ancient fucked up psycho?” 

Jackson gave a nervous chuckle as he swallowed hard and cleared his throat, “Yeah. Guess what you were talking about, just... hit a little too close to home.” 

“I know, man.” Stiles said, his eyes shifting more to sorrow, “It’s why I held off on telling you for so long. I didn’t want to risk you reliving those memories any time soon.” Jackson nodded a couple times, bringing a shaky hand up to settle on one of Stiles’ shoulders. 

“I know I’ve... said it before, but-” 

“It’s alright,” Stiles said, interrupting Jackson, “I know. You don’t need to say anything. I know we weren’t exactly close in high school. You pretty much hated my guts, and the feeling was mutual.” He said, and they both laughed and grinned, “But I mean it when I say, you’re one of my best friends Jackson. And so long as I am able, I will do absolutely everything in my power to make sure you never have to go through anything like that again.” 

A warm smile lifted Jackson’s face while a small smirk lifted the corner of Stiles’ mouth, “Unless you know, you try to hit on Derek. I might have to... put you in timeout.” Jackson’s face froze for a second in surprise before a smirk started spreading. 

He took a deep breath and gave Stiles a playful look, “I don’t know man, he is pretty fine.” He said and drew out the last word a bit. 

Stiles arched a brow and smirked wider, “You already have a Hale, pretty boy.” 

Jackson grinned even wider, then looked around innocently as he hummed, “Yeah, but, if one is good, tw-” Peter stopped him speaking, placing a hand over his mouth. 

“Jackson, dear.” He started, and Stiles was slightly mystified to see the older man actually looked a bit flustered, “As much as I do love to experiment with different ideas, that is my nephew you’re speaking of.” 

They could hear muffled laughter coming from Jackson as Peter just sighed and grinned, shaking his head while the others joined in the laughter before returning to their nearby seats. Peter moving him and Jackson to lounge on one of the loveseats. 

The rest of their flight went by without much chatting, just getting in the right mindset for what was coming up. 

Soon after landing in Burbank, they were crowding into another large SUV and watching the city pass by as they were taken closer and closer to Beacon Hills. 

Not much was said, but no words needed to be spoken to understand that though they each had a different feeling about returning to this place, they also each shared one very prominent emotion about being back within the city limits of Beacon Hills: Displeasure. 

Some very ugly memories tried to surface as both new and familiar buildings passed by outside, and Stiles shoved them back down with force, his mouth twisting like he tasted something bad. He felt the others glance quickly at him before attending to their own less than pleasant memories in this town. 

Somehow, for better or worse, each of them had left this town on less than pleasant terms, some worse than others. And now, here they were, years later. Returning to the town that had been a home for each of them at one point, brought them together one way or another, given them friends and family. And when they’d least expected it, had taken from them, viciously, ruthlessly, and kicked them while they were down. 

It was safe to say that the group willingly returning to this town was a true testament to both their loyalty to Stiles and their job which had directly earned them their title as The Preventers. A title they each had come to cherish, as it came from doing exactly as the title suggests and preventing the deaths of countless people the world over as well as catastrophic destruction more times than they cared to count. 

To countless people in the world, The Preventers were practically legends. Stories and rumors constantly circulating about their near mythic level achievements, many of course exaggerating them to the point that some had come to think of them as minor deities through their exploits. 

Regardless, for the many billions of good and decent people in the world, The Preventers were a group that gave them comfort, solace, and hope in uncertain times. 

For others however, the criminals and filth of the world, The Preventers were the stuff of horrific nightmares. Monstrous, terror inducing and haunting enough in their legendary infamy amongst the underworld that the mere mention of their name was enough to turn many away from a life of crime and stop others altogether from trying. 

The bodies of criminals and scum that lay in their wake was truly staggering in number. 

There was another role The Preventers played in the world, as the criminals they were sent to stop would never see the inside of a cell, having already been determined to be beyond redemption. Thus, The Preventers would play the role of Judge, Jury and Executioner whenever dispatched into the field, either on a solo mission, teams or the Clan as a whole. 

However, despite their fame, only a handful were aware of their identities, this information being a very carefully guarded secret, placed behind countless layers of both magical and technological protection; barriers and glamours. On top of that, they also each had special runic tattoos provided by Stiles that helped to both hide their true appearance and presence. 

Though the idea of fame was more than a little enticing, they all agreed that the danger of people discovering their identities wasn’t worth it. Plus, they also agreed that the constant bombardment and interruptions would be beyond frustrating, so they all settled for doing their best to maintain a relatively normal everyday life outside of their job. 

The SUV finally pulled up to a ten-story historic building, near the heart of downtown, and parked in one of the spots normally reserved for the owner, which worked out anyways. Stiles took note of three additional vehicles already parked in adjacent spots and had a feeling he knew what to expect when they arrived in the penthouse minutes later. 

As soon as they entered through the doors to the penthouse, Stiles had a large smile on his face as he walked forward and hugged his dad tight. He stepped back and grinned at the man, giving him a once over, “Lookin’ good old man. No one would ever guess you’re an escapee of a retirement home.” 

“Watch it brat,” Noah said with a grin and arched brow, “I’m not as feeble as I once was.” And he really wasn’t, the man was honestly looking great, and appeared over ten years younger than he’d been before The Awakening. He looked vibrant and full of life and energy. And at the moment he had on a very sleek looking navy-blue suit. 

Stiles just grinned and held his hands up in surrender before turning to smile at Alan Deaton. “I know you’re not big on hugs, but you’ll have to make an exception this time, bring it in.” He said to the vet and got a rare genuine smile from the man before he gave Stiles a swift but tight hug. 

“Honestly, I don’t think I can thank you enough for all you did to help us out, and especially for sending Marin our way. She has been so incredibly helpful. So again, thank you.” Stiles said sincerely to the mysterious vet, who now, like his dad, looked several years younger and Stiles could sense the man giving off the strength and presence of a powerful Duplus like Marin. 

“Of course, Stiles. I was happy to help however I could. Though, if you really want to thank me, then please, help us deal with this threat before it becomes too late.” Alan said sincerely. 

“Believe me Doc, that’s the plan. Though unfortunately that’s a lot easier said than done. First, we have to try and figure out which rituals to look out for, the emphasis of the coming rituals, which will help to determine what we may or may not be able to do to prevent them, and finally, what the fuck they’re thinking by trying to attempt something like this.” Stiles said, getting a smirk out of Alan. 

“But honestly, before all that, it’d help a lot to figure out what exactly they’re using in their hunts for victims. If we can at least narrow that down, we can start to determine how strong and capable the group is that's behind this ludicrous fucking ritual they’re wanting to attempt.” Stiles added with a flat stare as he glanced out one of the tall windows that overlooked the city. 

“Actually,” Alan said a moment later, drawing Stiles’ attention, “I believe I can be of some help with that.” He said and fished a bottle out of the large leather bag he’d brought with him. The bottle was the size of a typical soda can and had a thick cork in the top. Inside the bottle, sat a mysterious looking object. 

It was a sharply curved and wicked looking black talon which had branching forks of golden lightning cascading over the gleaming surface. 

“I found this early this morning, while I was doing another search through the area where the Meta was found dead. I’m still not completely su...” the vet’s voice trailed off as he took in the varying reactions of Stiles and his clan at seeing the object in the glass container. 

Stiles blew a heavy breath, inflating his cheeks, looking at the talon with an exhausted and defeated expression. 

“Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Said Jordan as he took in the talon’s appearance, his words symbolizing how Stiles felt, perfectly. 

“Is it too early to get drunk?” asked Jackson, staring at the talon with a look mixed between unimpressed, annoyed and exhausted. 

Lydia took a deep breath, gave a long sigh with a simple, “Nope.” Looking just as annoyed and tired as she stared at the talon. Peter said nothing, his face matching the others but with an added wince before he gave his own neck a massage. 

“Um,” Alan started, clearing his throat a little awkwardly as he looked between the members of what could easily be one of the most powerful Clans in the world, but were all staring at the claw as if they wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave. 

Was it really that bad? 

Before he could ask any questions though, now kind of feeling like he wanted to drop the jar he was holding down the deepest pit, Stiles spoke up, “Doc, have you ever heard of the Impundulu?” 

“Various stories and tales, yes. None that I would put too much clout in though, as the last recorded sighting of one was a couple millennia ago, I believe. So, I’ve certainly never encountered one myself. From what you’re saying though, I take it this is a talon from one?” Alan asked, looking a bit more concerned, but still not quite grasping why this group seemed so reluctant to deal with this creature. 

“More or less.” Answered Lydia as she stepped forward and sighed again as she glanced back at the talon, “Though you’ll need to be updating the last recorded sighting to earlier this year. We were dispatched to neutralize a Coven turned bad in South Africa, which ended up turning into a much more complicated ordeal as several other groups got involved. But anyways, the coven we were sent to first deal with was attempting to unleash a plague. Jordan and I dealt with the group easily enough, until we reached their leader. When we reached her, she had just finished summoning two massive bird-like familiars.” 

“The Impundulu’s animal form.” Alan supplied and Lydia nodded, “And they were more difficult to handle than you expected?” He asked and she smirked. 

“Not at all. At least for us.” Said Jordan as he stepped up and stood by Lydia, “They were easy enough to deal with. The problem is...” 

“They won’t stay dead!” Finished an agitated Stiles as he waved a hand at the offending jar with wide eyes, “They’re fucking cockroaches.” 

“They’re immortal?” Alan asked at that, now looking thoroughly concerned. 

“No,” Answered Stiles with a sigh, having calmed down from his agitation and just going back to looking annoyed at the talon, “They can die. They’re only slightly less annoying to deal with than a Lich though. A Lich will continue to come back no matter how many times you kill it until you find their phylactery. An Impundulu, however...” 

“Can only sustain death a handful of times at the most, until their tether finally shatters, and they’re forced to return to their plane.” Added Peter, “The number of times they can sustain death and come back seems to vary a bit, but we’ve discovered that it takes no less than three deaths. However, you can bypass all that hassle if you manage to find and destroy their tether. But just like with Liches, they don’t just leave the things lying around for anyone to find.” 

“And if that were the only annoying part, it would already be bad enough, but it’s what happens after their first death that makes them such a bitch to deal with.” Said Jackson, pointedly looking everywhere but at the offending talon. 

“I’m assuming some of those stories you read told you what happens to Impundulu when their master dies?” Stiles asked Alan, the older man nodding. 

“They become Ishologu. Creatures of pure chaos and destruction, spreading plagues and death wherever they go.” Stiles gave a couple small nods at the vet’s answer. 

“But those stories were only telling part of the truth. While it’s true that when an Impundulu’s master dies, they evolve into an Ishologu, we learned that there is another way for them to evolve.” Said Stiles as Alan and his dad hung on every word, the tension in the area building by the second as they could practically feel the second shoe, hovering ready to drop. 

Lydia smoothly picked up his explanation, “When a practitioner initiates a contract with an Impundulu, in exchange for their services, they are guaranteed a certain number of souls as payment. They don’t really care how they get the souls, just that they do. But if they’re, let’s say, killed before they can collect on these souls, they become very vengeful and then turn on their own masters. While in their ethereal form, they return to the one who summoned them and reap their soul as payment, killing their own master and forcing their evolution to Ishologu.” 

“The worst part is,” Added Peter and the others turned to him, “A normal Ishologu, tends to be driven purely on destructive and chaotic instinct, the result of a kind of psychological recoil due to the mental link with their master being ripped from them in their last moments and feeling that linked part die off. However, when they themselves kill off their master in that fit of rage and vengeance after being killed the first time, before they're able to collect all the souls they were promised, they are reformed as an Ishologu. The very same terrible and chaotic creature, but completely free to do as they wish, bound to no one and nothing.” 

“That ,” Stiles said after Peter had finished talking, drawing everyone’s eyes as he pointed to the jar, “Is an Ishologu talon.” 

“Which,” Said Lydia, looking hesitant, “Doesn’t make sense.” 

“How’s that?” Asked Alan, his eyes darting back to Stiles as he answered. 

“Because it’s too peaceful. Aside from the kidnappings, would you say things around here have been pretty peaceful and quiet?” Stiles asked. 

“Yes, honestly. More so than we’ve seen in quite some time.” 

“And yet, that is an Ishologu talon. Meaning that there was or is at least one walking around here, completely free to do as it pleases. And yet, it’s peaceful.” Stiles said, motioning around him. 

“And that’s what has us so worried.” Lydia added a second later, “Because if it were the normal case, this place would be anything but peaceful with a crazed Ishologu on the loose. It would look more like a warzone. However, that would almost be preferable, as we would have no problems tracking down that kind of creature and neutralizing them.” 

“But a free and independent Ishologu wandering around means things will undoubtedly be far worse.” Said Peter, looking grim. 

“Look, alright, we get it. This is bad.” Noah said after a moment of tense silence, “But, how about for now, we just step back and take a breather. Maybe get you guys settled in, then see where we can go from there, alright?” He suggested and got a small smile and nod from Stiles. 

“You’re right. It won’t do us any good to worry about this until we have more info. We’ll get the place set up then see what we can do to start tracking down the Ishologu or any other potential Impundulu in the area. By the way,” Stiles said and turned back to his dad, “are you gonna need a place to stay dad?” 

“No actually, I’ve already got a place in mind.” Noah answered. 

“You sure? I’m sure we can set up one of the floors for you.” Noah gave Stiles a smile and brought a hand up to squeeze one of his son’s shoulders. 

“I appreciate it Stiles, but really, it’s alright. I’ve already got my eye on a good place.” 

“Alright.” Stiles said and smiled back before wrapping his dad in a tight hug before they parted a moment later, “You gonna be stickin’ around while we get set up? Or no.” He asked. 

“Although I feel that would certainly be…” He stopped and glanced at a particular duo and couldn’t help the internal question mark that popped up as he watched Jackson give a small smile and lean in to Peter when he draped an arm around the younger man’s shoulders, “Enlightening,” He finally added, looking back to Stiles, and realized he must be showing his internal confusion if the smirk on his son’s face was any indication, “I really should get the ball rolling.” 

“Alright old man, better hop to it then, don’t want that arthritis acting up on you now do you?” 

“Boy.” Noah responded with a warning tone and arched brow, grinning himself at the wicked smirk on Stiles’ face, “You better watch it before this old man puts you in time-out.” He said and mussed up Stiles’ hair, laughing as his son bat away his hand. 

Noah turned a happy smile to a small meow from an approaching black cat, seeing Mika apparently done with his exploration of the penthouse for the time being at least; the man squatting down and reaching out a hand to pet the feline, “Hey there Mika, long time no see.” The cat gave a simple meow back and arched into Noah’s hand as he started purring, “Been keeping Stiles out of trouble?” 

He received another short meow as answer and smirked, “Yeah, that’s gotta be tough, trust me, I know .” The cat seemed to give what sounded suspiciously like an annoyed and affirming meow at Noah’s comment. 

Stiles sighed and rolled his eyes at the snickers behind him before leveling a flat gaze at the offending feline that almost looked smug. 

After a few more seconds, Noah finally stood back up, “Alright, I better get going.” He said, then wrapped Stiles in a one-armed hug. 

“You coming back by for dinner later?” Stiles asked, looking sideways at his dad. Noah snorted and gave him a sideways glance. 

“Of course. What kind of question is that?” He said before finally pulling away and taking some steps towards the door, then stopped and turned back to Stiles, “That is, so long as you don’t try to force feed me any of that damn rabbit food anymore.” Sticking his son with a deadpan gaze and arched brow. 

Stiles feigned a look of innocence and held his hands up in surrender, “Hey now, daddio. Supernatural lifespan isn’t a reason to neglect healthy dieting practices.” His face staying perfectly innocent as he nodded along to his own comment. 

Noah’s eye nearly twitched in response, “Stiles, I swear. If I see any damn veggie shit, I’ll put you in a barrier so strong, even you will have trouble breaking out of it.” 

Stiles just grinned wider making his dad smile and shake his head with a sigh before he turned and started leaving again. Another thought came to Stiles and another devilish smirk lifted his lips, “Hey dad.” He called, making Noah stop and turn to face him. 

“Hm?” He hummed in question, his smile shifting to suspicion as he took in his son’s grin. 

“Think you might invite Melissa to dinner tonight? I’m sure she’d enjoy an invite from you.” Stiles said, grinning at his dad still. 

Noah just kept a level gaze on Stiles for some seconds before a small grin lifted his own lips, instantly wiping Stiles’ smirk away and replacing it with a nervous gaze, “Sure son.” Noah said calmly, “Just as soon as you invite Derek.” 

Stiles had the perfect ‘Deer in the headlights’ look when his dad stopped speaking, his head snapping around instantly to glare at a one of his friends that had just snorted loudly and caught Jackson covering his mouth. 

The pretty boy cleared his throat and waved off Stiles’ glare with a muttered, “Don’t mind me, just had something in my throat.” As he tried to hide his smirk, and Stiles huffed and rolled his eyes at the additional snickers and chuckles from his friends before sticking his smirking dad with a sardonic glare. 

The traitorous man just smirked wider before giving a quick and smug, “Mmhmm.” Then turned around and continued heading towards the doors. He stopped when he opened one, and shot over his shoulder, “Let me know how that chat with Derek goes.” Then grinned smugly and nodded to Stiles as he turned and backed out the door, closing it behind him. 

“If I may,” Alan started and Stiles glanced at him, “I think it would be prudent to talk with Derek sooner rather than later. And not just him, but all the leaders and their Emissaries.” 

“I know.” Answered Stiles, not unkindly as he fidgeted in spot, “We had already planned on having some kind of meeting with the other groups to get a more in-depth feel for how things have progressed so far. But it’ll have to wait till tomorrow, after we’ve got our operation set up here.” 

Alan nodded, “Certainly, I’ll let Derek know that we’ll need to set up a summit between the groups.” He said, then thought for a second before continuing on, apparently oblivious to the confused turn of Stiles’ face, “Also, I’m assuming you wish for me to hold off on informing Derek of your particular involvement?” 

Stiles stood there blinking in confusion as he still mulled over this new bit of information, “Yeah, sure.” He said absently, then took a breath and scrunched up his face as he said, “Wait, hold on. What about McCall?” 

“He’ll certainly be informed of course, as soon as I send out the message to the other Emissaries to let their Head’s know of the summit.” Alan answered plainly, but Stiles was still very confused. 

“But,” He started and looked between the vet and Marin, asking her a silent question. She answered a second later. 

“I felt it wasn’t necessary for you to know. But more than that, I felt you honestly wouldn’t care to know. My apologies if I assumed incorrectly.” She said with a small bow of her head. Stiles waved the gesture off. 

“No, Marin, you’re fine. So then,” He said and turned back to Alan, “You’re not the Emissary for the McCall Pack? What changed?” 

“No,” Alan answered calmly, “For the past four years now, I’ve resumed my past duties as the Emissary for the Hale Pack, assisting and guiding Derek to the best of my ability to help him realize his full potential as a True Alpha. After certain events and encounters shortly following your departure and a few years after, I came to realize that Scott needed a different kind of assistance than my own. I pointed him in the direction of a suitable candidate and things seem to have worked out fairly well for them.” 

“Well alright then. Guess we’ll be in for quite the reunion. Let me know when you get confirmation from the other groups that they’ll be attending, where we’ll have this summit and when. You’re of course invited to dinner later tonight, but something tells me you’ll be a bit busy.” Stiles said and received a small smile from the vet. 

“I appreciate the offer. Perhaps next time, but yes, trying to corral these groups into attending a summit on such short notice will be a bit of an ordeal. But I’ll make sure they understand the importance of it. Rest assured Stiles, they’ll be there.” Alan gave Stiles a smile and nod before they shook hands, and the vet was taking his leave after giving Marin a quick hug. 

Marin left shortly after to continue setting up her own floor, having chosen a floor near the bottom of the building and working to remodel and set it up to her liking. 

Soon after, the set-up of their temporary home and headquarters was underway; Jarvis’s clone being set up before anything else began. Once he was up and running, getting the penthouse altered and arranged how they liked was a cakewalk. 

If you could afford it, Arc-tech was able to let you take rearranging to a whole new level; M.A.B. (Miniature Aura Bots), could be integrated into the structure of any kind of building, letting you completely alter the layout and design of the place if your aura was strong enough, or hiring someone who could if your aura wasn’t up to snuff, or didn’t have access to aura. 

Stiles supplied the necessary aura for all the changes, while the others contributed in various other ways. Peter supplied the runes for Dimension Compression, allowing them to use flat surfaces to store whatever they needed, eliminating a need for any closets, cupboards or cabinets and freeing up tremendous amounts of space as a result. 

Lydia amplified their connection to the Arcweb and essentially turned the entire building into a hub, integrated into the entire city. 

Jackson worked opposite to Peter, discovering one of his specialties as an Arcane to be Dimension Expansion. He could turn a simple closet into a large enough space to fit a two-bedroom house if he wanted. 

The large four-bedroom three bath, three-thousand square foot penthouse, had soon been turned into a massive seven-bedroom seven bath, eight-thousand square foot monstrosity. 

Stiles sat and watched in abstract horror as Jackson worked. 

Why? Why, for the love of all the gods in creation would they possibly need eight-thousand square feet of space, he wanted to ask. But he had long since come to accept that his Clanmates loved the extravagant and started to hear Sharpay and Ryan singing ‘I Want It All’ as he followed Jackson’s progress and not for the first time, he was grateful beyond words that none of his group were telepathic. 

He decided to simply let them have their fun and moved to work on integrating wards and protection into the building alongside Jordan. 

Jordan favored traps and detection, while Stiles supplied camouflage and shields. By the time they were done, the building would easily be one of the safest on the planet, and anybody that might be able to break into it, would soon find themselves wishing they hadn’t. 

With the skeleton work done, the group set to fixing up and fleshing out their respective rooms. However, upon reentering the penthouse, Stiles decided to veto the seventh bed and bath, instead converting the extra space into a large open area. When the others asked, he told them it would be for sparring practice. 

He reinforced the large area that spanned almost eight boxing rings, supplying a huge amount of aura, strengthening wards and shields. A regular space, no matter how structurally sound would never hold up to a spar between any of them and would be leveled in no time flat. But with these reinforcements and the extra aura, they could have a decent match or two without worrying about any significant damage. 

Soon enough, they had the place completely set up and even furnished thanks to Lydia bringing along some of their beds and extra furniture, already having replacements of everything being delivered to their house so they wouldn’t need to bring anything back. 

It was approaching dinner time when they finally finished setting the place up to their liking. Lydia was cooing over Jarvis, fantasizing about the day when Prada would be just as amazing, and even though he was just a magical A.I. Stiles could swear Jarvis was eating up the praise. 

Stiles took a tally of what they would like to have for dinner, then placed a large order to a nearby old-time diner named Betty’s they each had visited at least once when they used to live here and found the burgers beyond amazing. Even Lydia was a diehard fan of the diner but tended to hide that guilty pleasure from most. Once it was discovered Betty’s was still up and running, the vote was unanimous. 

An hour later, the sky was painted a myriad of colors as dusk approached and the table was being set for their meal. A knock at the door signaled the return of Noah. Stiles answered the door, letting his dad who had brought with him a bottle of amplified liquor, as almost all liquor was now, considering it took a great deal more to get a supernatural drunk than a mundane. 

He held up the amplified Whiskey for Stiles to see, then froze as he took in the changes to the place. His eyebrows instantly met, wide eyes glancing around as he mouthed ‘What the...?’ and stepped in, then looked down at his Auric Band, checking the time. 

“Shit, you guys work fast.” Noah finally said after a few silent seconds and got a chuckle out of Stiles and a couple others, “What was that, like six hours?” he asked, checking his band again. 

“Yeah, we’ve pretty much got it down to a science now.” Stiles answered as they strode towards the dining area in the expansive open floor plan. 

“You guys planning on having a lot of visitors or something?” Noah asked as he stopped behind an empty chair and placed his jacket over the back, then set the bottle in the middle of the table. 

“You would think that.” Stiles answered but said nothing else just shared a flat look with his dad who started to chuckle. His face lighting up as he recognized the food set out. 

“Betty’s?! Yes.” Noah exclaimed happily and clenched his fist as if in victory, and Stiles couldn’t help but laugh happily at the joy on his dad’s face. 

The relaxed and happy atmosphere was soon filled with laughter and stories around the table as evening approached night. 

At one point, Noah pointed out the spread of runic tattoos running up Stiles arms, his black tank top displaying a large number of new additions since his dad had last seen him. Stiles was recounting the uses of the new additions and offering to give his dad some if he wanted, like he always did when they got to meet, this time though, the man looked like he might take him up on the offer. As Noah had been about to answer, however, Stiles’ band lit up with a message and he glanced down to read it. 

A spike of surprise from Stiles shot through the Clan bond, causing everyone to stop and turn to him. 

“We need to go.” Stiles said quickly, standing from his chair, “One of the groups is currently under attack.” 

No one argued with or questioned Stiles, except his dad. The others grabbing only their jackets and shoes while Noah turned to his son, “Who’s under attack? Should I go with you? Is anybody else on their way?” 

“It’s okay dad, we’ve got this, alright?” Stiles said, placing his hands on his dad’s shoulders and giving him a reassuring smile. He knew his dad understood perfectly well how strong Stiles’ Clan was, but he still couldn’t help but worry about his son. And Stiles wouldn’t trade that for anything. 

“Yes, another group is on their way to help. But if it’s Ishologu or even Impundulu, they’re going to be way out of their league. They’ll need our help.” Stiles answered calmly, then stepped back from his dad and summoned his shoes from his room, the black boots gliding to him through the air. 

“Who’s being attacked?” His dad asked again as Stiles put the boots on, realizing he hadn’t answered that question yet. He grew both concerned and suspicious when Stiles stayed quiet for some seconds, before standing back up again and looking at him steadily then finally answering. 

“The McCall Pack.” 

At hearing this, to the credit of their experience and training, his group showed no outward sign, and continued getting ready, only a sharp spike of anger, frustration and annoyance ringing through the Clan bond. 

His dad, however, was much more transparent. His body froze, face turning down as he swallowed hard and took a deep breath to calm himself. “Well,” He finally said, “Let’s just hope you guys can help and keep them safe. Let me know how it goes.” 

Stiles gave a stiff nod, but said nothing else, then turned to follow the others as they stepped out the doors that led to the balcony wrapping around the entire penthouse, Mika padding up to set next to Stiles. Once they were grouped up, they turned to give a last nod to Noah who nodded back. 

Lydia then lifted her hands and instantly the group began to easily lift into the air. Once they were several feet above the top of the penthouse, she turned them in the direction of the McCall Pack. The next second, they were soaring through the air, racing towards Stiles’ old best friend. 

Though many supernaturals nowadays had the ability to use telekinesis to help themselves and others fly, few actually did it for several reasons. The first was the amount of energy it took. Flying just yourself for up to a mile would exhaust any supernatural below third-tier to the point of being bedridden for at least a day. 

Once they were firmly in third-tier, they could go a handful of miles before needing rest but adding anyone else to the mix cut their distance significantly. 

At second-tier, a supernatural with telekinesis could take themselves and a few others for several miles and at a good pace, reaching up to fifty mph. Any faster, farther, or more people, and you would be reaching their limits. 

First-tier telekinetic users could bring several people with them, travel for dozens of miles and reach upwards of one-hundred mph before tiring out. 

Of course, there were several other factors that could strengthen or weaken their abilities, but this was the general rule of thumb for base telekinesis. Which is why Stiles knew Lydia was purposefully holding back even though they were currently flying at around sixty and feeling a constant stream of annoyance from her. 

But regardless of past events, they had a job to do. So Stiles just calmly said, “Lydia.” And got a huff in return. 

“Fine.” She said tightly, and the next second their speed doubled, racing them to the location. About a minute later, the old warehouse the McCall Pack used as their meeting place was quickly approaching. The warehouse in question was located in the industrial district, surrounded by many other larger buildings and factories. 

Lydia lowered them down on a nearby roof, the group staring down at the warehouse; large windows on the side gave a good view of the battle currently taking place, though they honestly didn’t need the visual. All of them could feel the presence of the supernaturals and creatures within, their strength level and a general feel for what kind of supernaturals they were. Which is why the five of them had such looks of confusion as they stared down at the warehouse while Mika hopped up on the ledge and stared fixedly at the building in question. 

“Twelve?” Said Lydia, hardly believing what she was sensing, “Twelve Impundulu?” 

“Is there a whole fucking coven summoning these things? There has to be. That’s the only thing that makes sense.” Said Jackson right after, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to forget what he was seeing. 

“This,” Started Peter, drawing the word out, “Is a lot worse than we expected.” 

“We’ll worry about how bad it actually is after we get rid of this group. Lydia, make an opening and hold back the group, block any stray attacks. Peter, pull and absorb their lightning. Jordan and Jackson, mow them down.” Stiles gave the orders and a second later the group began to move. 

Jackson and Jordan jumped off the ledge, shifting into their hulking forms to land silently on the ground and raced to opposing sides of the building, getting ready to flank the Impundulu. Lydia lifted herself and Peter high into the air. She lifted an arm, holding her hand out flat to the warehouse and a change rippled over her body, a golden-crimson aura began to wave and swirl over her body, her long strawberry-blond hair began to slowly lift and hover around her as flickers of golden flames wisped from the strands. 

Stiles shifted his eyes from Lydia and smirked, thinking she never looked more like a goddess than when she tapped into her shift. 

“You know what to do Mika.” The cat stared calmly up at him for a second before blinking once and turning away, leaping nimbly from the ledge and landing stories below completely fine. He saw the small black form quickly darting towards the main entrance and slipping in. 

Stiles looked back up to Lydia, watching her aura give a small flare as she twisted her hand around to face the palm skyward. She lightly curled her fingers in then began to lift her hand. 

A deep rumbling could be heard through the warehouse as it started to shake, creak and groan. The protests of the large building echoing off the nearby factories and buildings, creating a horrible and piercing cacophonous sound. The wretched noise making Stiles wince as he dug in one ear. 

“And here, we, go.” Stiles said as he stepped lightly off the ledge, landing five stories below with barely any force, stepping forward immediately as if he was taking a simple stroll through the park, hands placed in his pockets, heading towards the main entrance Mika had darted through seconds ago.

Chapter Text

The warehouse began to rumble and shake. Several people stumbling slightly before catching themselves. Dust and debris falling and swirling through the air as the two groups that had been fighting a moment ago stopped and began to look around in confusion.  

The reprieve was gratefully welcomed by the McCall Pack and their allies, having been on the losing end of a one-sided massacre at the hands of a dozen mysterious individuals. The figures suddenly appearing without any warning minutes ago and began to attack them. Killing two instantly and severely injuring several others in seconds.  

The McCall Pack had been meeting with some members of the other groups they’d been working with when the attack started. But most of the McCall members were still mostly unscathed or sporting only a few deep bruises.  

None of them had any idea what or who these people were. Only that they looked perfectly human at first glance. The only detail to give away their true natures being their unearthly beauty. Each one of them looking like the sheer epitome of beauty and perfection.  

It wasn’t until the aggressors started moving with mind-numbing speed and blasting holes through the hearts of two of their allies with lightning, that they realized not only were they far from normal, but they were also their enemies.  

The members of the other groups had instantly called for help. However, at the rate they were being beaten, no one there actually expected to be alive by the time help arrived.  

There had been twenty-five of them gathered in the warehouse when the dozen intruders started their attack. With nine of their number being put out of commission in mere moments, including the two lying dead, they only barely had more members than their aggressors now.  

They knew what that meant for them, if they couldn’t stand up to these guys when they more than doubled their numbers, how the fuck were they supposed to survive when they only had a few more now?  

Dread had begun to settle in their guts as they used every ounce of their strength and powers to fight for their lives, hoping and praying to all the gods above and below that some kind of miracle came for them.  

Moments later, something came for them. Though none of them knew if it was good or bad yet, just that the shaking earth seemed to also be putting their attackers on edge as they looked around, equally confused.  

Almost at once, nearly everyone in the warehouse – friend and foe – suddenly winced. Some even grabbing their ears as the building was filled with a deafening boom. Many covered their heads and averted their eyes, shielding them from debris filling the air. When they risked opening their eyes to look around, those that did soon found themselves staring in shock and wonder, their eyes widening as far as they could go, brows scrunching in disbelief as the massive roof to the warehouse began steadily lifting into the air.  

The ground began to shake softly once more; a soft breeze blew through the now open building, the breath of air seemed to mute all sound for a moment. Countless unintelligible whispers swirling and echoing around the people inside the only noise to be heard. As sound seemed to return a moment later, the air was soon filled with a nightmarishly horrific and haunting howl.  

The sound made all those that heard it feel like they were chilled to the bone, before shivers ran down their spine a second later as it felt like the tips of claws were placed directly over their hearts and teeth over their throats.  

The ground shook with the force of the howl as it started at an abyssal decibel, rising in volume and force until it was almost unbearable.  

The pack watched in confusion as the dozen intruders seemed to be affected even more than they were, all of them clutching their hearts and gasping for breath with wide terrified eyes. Many sets of eyes shot skyward once more as the roof was set ablaze in gold and crimson flames, turning to ash a moment later before the ash itself was swept away by an unseen force, revealing two figures floating high in the sky.  

Over the next few seconds, multiple things happened at once. First, a deafening and thunderous roar joined the chilling howl before two hulking beasts burst through opposing sides of the warehouse and flanked their attackers.  

The first, a mysterious wolf-like creature with white flames flickering over most of its body, with crimson flames dancing over its ears and the end of its tail, while slitted blood red eyes bored hungrily into its victims ahead.  

The second was a ferocious and hulking white tiger. Vicious gleaming white eyes stared the intruders down as pearly-blue flames flowed over its massive paws, down its back and over its tail; gleaming pearly-white claws dug into the ground as the beast readied to pounce.  

Next, the pack and their allies began shouting in alarm as they all felt themselves being pushed back away from the intruders and large beasts by an invisible force while one of the figures began to descend from the sky.  

As the figure lowered, some of the intruders started to regain their bearings and tried to attack the tiger and wolf. But as soon as they shot lightning from their hands, the golden bolts were intercepted by blindingly bright icy-blue bolts of lightning, hurled by the figure that had started to lower. The first attack being stopped and absorbed by the second, much stronger one.  

The fight that ensued was another one-sided massacre. But overwhelmingly in favor of the newcomers.  

Despite fighting ferociously and to their fullest, the Impundulu’s strongest ability was rendered completely useless, as each time they would fire off lightning, the figure floating in the air above, covered in countless arcs of icy-blue lightning would just neutralize and absorb it. Thus, they had to face two legendary beasts using only their physical strength and speed.  

The wolf and tiger tore through the Impundulu like mythical blenders, ripping, tearing and eviscerating the creatures with chilling ease.  

Even though it was two against twelve, the wolf seemed to be able to shift into a flame form, easily darting away and dodging attacks before fully forming again behind another victim and sinking its fangs into their necks.  

And despite its size, the tiger possessed incredible agility and speed. The two beasts also displayed several uses for the flames that flowed over their bodies; using the flames to attack, defend and even supplying them with extra maneuverability; forming makeshift platforms of flames to rebound off of, amongst other uses.  

The gathered members of the McCall Pack and their allies, once shouting in alarm for their safety when these mysterious strangers first arrived and trying uselessly to fight against the invisible walls around them, now stood in dumbfounded shock as they tried to process what they had just witnessed.  

The final Impundulu screamed in agony as a set of claws tore at its side, pearly-blue flames igniting from the wound. The scream being cut off as the hulking white tiger roared just before its gleaming fangs sunk into the throat. The tiger gave one more surging bite and many winced as they heard the neck snap. The beast yanked its head back, tearing the throat out and spitting the mouthful out a moment later.  

All in all, the spectacular and horrifying fight was over in about a minute. And now the pack and members of the other groups stood silently, waves of mixed emotions flowing over the people as they tried to decide if these newcomers were actually their allies.  

Gods help them if they weren’t.  

The people still standing looked around them in surprise as they felt the walls that had been keeping them in place fall away. They looked up to see the man that had been holding off the lightning start to lower to the ground, followed seconds later by a woman whose frame was covered in a flickering flame-like aura of gold and crimson. Her hair flowed lazily around her as if weightless, gold and crimson flames flickering from the strands as well as most of her body, tiny wisps fluttering beneath her aura.  

A collective chill rand down the spines of the people as they took in the incredible presence of this woman, who many – if for even a second – truly felt to be a deity.  

The regal power radiating from her as she slowly turned and gazed at them while she descended – her irises filled with the same flickering gold and red flames – had nearly all of them struck dumb in awe and terror.  

Not a single person there believed for even a second that they could survive if she wished them dead. Which many of them felt that she might, if her piercing cold stare had anything to say about it.  

The belief that this woman was an actual goddess only strengthened in the minds of some as the air in the building grew heavier by the second with the weight of her gaze, her flinty eyes merciless with its force as she swept over them. Her eyes narrowed a fraction as she seemed to locate what she’d been looking for, or rather, who.  

That small change in her eyes turned her already cold gaze glacial, making many of them involuntarily take a step back and physically swallow in fear and nervousness.  

“Scott McCall.” She said, her voice holding an otherworldly beauty and sing-song tone to it.  

Her words sending echoing whispers to surround everyone present, causing the group to immediately stop and stand transfixed. Many tried to fight this reaction, jerking their heads in an attempt to locate the alpha. The man in question being found a moment later staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed in sheer disbelief at the prospected goddess.  

The question on so many minds – that being whether this mysterious woman was an actual deity or not – was finally answered a moment later. Though not by the alpha she had called to. Instead, two other voices spoke up, sounding both happy and utterly shocked as they called her name.  

Lydia finally settled down on the ground, Peter standing just behind her and to her left. The wolf taking place immediately to her right and the white tiger to Peter’s left, close enough to actually be touching the man who had placed a hand on the tiger’s neck and was rubbing and scratching.  

A deep rumbling purr could be heard coming from the large beast as it looked very pleased, and a few were staring in confusion as they tried to associate this image of the beast with the one of it viciously ripping a throat out just moments ago.  

At the sound of her name, Lydia finally let her aura subside and reverted her partial shift back to fully human. The moment her presence receded from the room, many people stumbled, and several gasps could be heard from those that had found it hard to breathe under the pressure of her presence.  

She paid them no mind, instead focusing on the people that had shouted her name, a small smile lifting her face.  

“Kira, Malia. It’s great to see you.” She said, holding her arms wide as a near ecstatic Kira ran to give her a hug, Malia following along closely with Mason and Corey not too far behind. She took note of an older Liam in the group, as well as Danny, Ethan and Aiden. Liam didn’t seem to stray too far from Scott’s side, while the three others eventually decided to follow the rest, heading up to meet Lydia.  

“Oh my gods Lydia, it’s so great to see you.” Kira said as she hugged her old friend tight, then stepped back to look her over again.  

“You look amazing girl, how’ve you been? What brought you back? When did you get back? Are you staying long?”  

Lydia couldn’t help but smile at the rapid-fire questions from Kira, Malia placing a hand on the smaller woman’s shoulder and chuckling as she said, “Jeez Kir, let the woman speak.” Then turned a happy gaze to Lydia, “Seriously though, it is really great to see you. How have you been? And really, what the hell was that? That was awesome.” Malia said, rapid firing her own series of questions, and motioning with her hand to reference Lydia’s entrance.  

Lydia was about to answer when another voice spoke up, and instantly wiped the smile off her face.  

“Lydia? Is that... really you?” Scott asked as he stepped forward, Liam trailing a few feet behind. Instantly the air around them was filled with deep warning rumbles from the tiger and mysterious wolf causing Scott to stop in his tracks and many people, including the old familiar faces to freeze.  

Several questioning gazes turned to Lydia, but jolted slightly to see her eyes were now glowing golden with a crimson ring around the edge of her iris. The hard and frigid glint was back in her eyes as she slowly turned to level the full weight of her gaze on the Alpha.  

The man’s eyes grew wider as he swallowed, looking genuinely nervous but also genuinely clueless.  

“Really Scott?” She asked, getting more confusion out of the man, “I must say, I’m impressed you haven’t tried to run for the hills yet.”  

“What?” Scott asked in genuine disbelief, looking from her to the two large beasts then glancing to the man standing next to the tiger. It seemed to take a second to register, but soon Scott was giving Peter a bewildered look, “Peter?!” He said, nearly shouting the name in shock and glancing from him to Lydia and back.  

“Hello Scott.” And the Alpha did a doubletake at the frigid tone of the older man and had to think hard to remember the last time Peter Hale had such a freezing glare in his eye. The man had always been aloof, sarcastic and generally uncaring of anyone's safety but his own. But there had only been a small handful of times he’d looked at anybody with that cold of a gaze.  

This just further confused Scott, as he legitimately couldn’t come up with a reason why two people from his past would look at him with nothing short of loathing.  

“Wow.” Came a cold flat tone from Lydia with the realization that Scott wasn’t pretending, “You really forgot. And here I thought I couldn’t possibly think any lower of you.” She said.  

She fully turned to face the man, taking a step towards him, the Alpha stepping back nervously in turn. This act of submission caused bewildered looks to pass between most of the group, Liam looked particularly confused and angry.  

“Here, I’ll give you a hint, maybe it’ll jog that pathetic memory of yours.” She said, a finger on her chin as she glanced around in innocent curiosity before pointing a well-manicured finger at him, “Think hard. Seven years ago. What was the last thing that happened, before I left? It should be pretty easy to recall now, don’t you think?”  

Those gathered nearby watched as the realization dawned on him, his gaze shifting to understanding before sliding blank a second later, his mouth setting in a line as he glanced quickly from Lydia to Peter, both piercing him with hard smirks.  

“There you go. Memory working a little better now?” Lydia asked.  

“Scott?” Malia asked, her gaze half questioning, half accusatory as she could tell from Scott’s reaction, Lydia wasn’t making this up, and clearly it was bad.  

“Scott?” Liam echoed a second later, his gaze and tone not as accusing as Malia’s, mostly just curious and hesitant like most everyone present.  

“It-it’s nothing. I... I need, I need to go.” Scott stuttered as he nervously looked between everyone in front of him and tried to turn and leave.  

“Oh, make no mistake Scott, you aren’t going anywhere. Not yet at least.” This response from Lydia caused Scott’s eyes to flash red as his claws and fangs made an appearance. He apparently didn’t like the threat in Lydia’s voice and had reacted on instinct. This however, was definitely the wrong move to make on his part.  

A vicious and terrifying snarl and roar erupted simultaneously from the wolf by Lydia’s side and the tiger respectively as they both stood and readied to pounce. Their eyes glared brightly at the alpha, promising a horrific death like what everyone had witnessed moments ago if he made a single wrong move.  

Peter also reacted, his eyes narrowing dangerously as they shone a gleaming metallic blue. Sapphire blue claws sprung from his fingers as sparks of blinding icy-blue lightning arced up his arms and he took a step forward to stand next to Lydia.  

Every single person went rigid at the reaction, thinking things had just gone from bad to much, much worse. Lydia, however, just continued to stare completely unimpressed at Scott. She lifted a single hand and caused her three companions to settle back down.  

As she let her hand drop back to her side, she cocked her head to the side, tilting it back slightly as she smirked and gave a breathy chuckle and said, “Oh? How amusing. Little pup thinks he wants to play.”  

Keeping her glowing eyes trained on Scott, her face shifting like she’d just witnessed something both humorous and adorable as she slowly tilted her head to the other side, her smirk widened. And in that moment, those that could see her face felt a deathly cold chill run down their spines, some even trembling.  

She took a slow and deliberate step forward, her eyes glowing brighter, her gaze never wavering from the alpha’s as her face darkened, losing all traces of humor as she leveled a lethal gaze at him then asked, “Think you can?”  

The man’s eyes were wide with terror, the glowing red ring shifting frantically between Lydia and the others as he tried to back away and stumbled for a second before catching himself. Many wanted to help him but were frozen in fear as they watched the strawberry-blonde woman walking steadily towards the alpha, her gaze as frigid and merciless as the depths of space.  

Scott stuttered and whimpered something that sounded suspiciously like an apology and Lydia scoffed a laugh, then gazed at the man like she couldn’t understand what she was seeing.  

“That’s cute Scott. That you would actually think a simple apology could make up for what you did. And what’s more, that you would think apologizing to me would change a damn thing.” She said as her slow but deliberate pace caught up to the stumbling alpha.  

Scott tried to say something else, but faster than any of them could see, Lydia’s hand was clutched around the man’s jaw stopping him from speaking, her nails digging into his skin, drawing a few small beads of blood, “But don’t worry Scott.” She said, and her lips twisted in a snarl with his name, “Because as much as I would love to bury you a thousand leagues below the surface...” She stopped and brought her face closer to Scott’s until the only thing he could see were her glowing eyes piercing him with an unfathomable rage.  

“It’s not my debt to collect.” She spoke clearly and concisely, practically biting off the last word.  

Lydia watched Scott’s face shift from scared to horrified, the color draining from his features as he looked more frantic than ever, trying and failing to speak several times. His chest rose and fell quickly as his heart beat maddeningly against his chest.  

“It-it wasn’t...”  

“Save it!” Lydia cut Scott off when he finally managed to speak, then released her hold on his jaw with some force, making him stumble back further.  

Scott flailed as he looked around him in terror, his breathing erratic as he tried to find exactly who he knew Lydia was talking about. However, his eyes soon found something so utterly unexpected, he stopped and was soon gazing in great confusion at a small black cat sitting feet from him after turning away from Lydia.  

His mind was absolutely reeling from everything that had happened so far. But what was sticking out to him most right now, was that a seemingly normal black cat was sitting in a building full of supernatural predators but looked perfectly at ease, its tail curled around its paws, tapping lazily at the ground.  

A second later however, Scott learned why as its bright emerald eyes shifted to a burning iridescent white. It then coiled its muscles before leaping and Scott watched in complete disbelief as the small animal was engulfed in iridescent white flames as it soared through the air at him.  

When the animal made contact with him, he felt himself being slammed into the ground, an incredibly heavy force pressing down on his chest. When Scott managed to blink his eyes steady, they shot open wide. His heart soon beating erratically as he stared into the monstrous face of a hulking sabertoothed tiger.  

The beast gave a deafening roar in his face that left him and many others in the building with ringing ears as the sound echoed far around them.  

Gleaming fangs, the color of its eyes, flashed barely a foot away from his face, while claws the same color on its huge paw sat dangerously close to his skin, keeping him pinned to the ground. Scott could barely make out archaic designs, colored a faint glowing silver set in its abyssal black fur.  

Never had he seen a creature like this before, but all he could think of at that moment was trying to get free no matter what. Odds be damned.  

Scott had started to shift, deciding to try and fight his way out, even if that meant he ended up dying. He had to try at least.  

But as he was about to slash at the leg pressing into his chest, a voice spoke up. It was eerily calm and composed despite the tense situation. But it wasn’t its lack of urgency that made him freeze, or the words the voice spoke. It was because, despite it being seven years since he heard it, Scott recognized the voice immediately.  

“I wouldn’t do that Scott. Mika’s fangs and claws are anything but ordinary.”  

Many gazes turned to the newcomer, seeing a handsome man in a black tank top, jeans and boots. A series of runic tattoos running up his arms and poking out the top of the tank top, over his chest. He had a thick head of wavy black hair hanging halfway down his neck, framing a pair of amused amber eyes and a truly devilish smirk.  

The man looked perfectly at ease in this tense situation; not a care in the world. First seen leaning sideways against the entrance with his arms folded over his chest, watching the goings on like they were nothing more than an amusing show to him.  

As he pushed himself away from the doorway and began his journey forward, a similar yet altogether different chill settled in the guts and spines of nearly every person present, except his Clan of course.  

Whereas Lydia had radiated a regal and unyielding presence upon her entrance. Causing many to believe her to be some kind of deity from the incredible power flowing from her and filling the area, only one word came to their minds regarding this man...  

Death.  

Unlike with Lydia, whose power and presence had nearly brought them to their knees, they felt nothing, absolutely nothing with this man. And that terrified them to their cores.  

He could be standing right behind them- had been standing right behind them... and they hadn’t known.  

This man had been mere feet away from the closest person, and they hadn't felt so much as a flicker of his presence. He could be standing directly behind them, knife readied near their throats, and they wouldn’t know until he’d decided to take their life.  

These were the thoughts and images filling the minds of nearly everyone present as they watched him with incredible unease.  

Those that caught his gaze felt like he literally had his hand over their hearts and could rip it out at any second if he wanted to.  

He carried himself with the strength and confidence of an apex predator in his stride. And the power behind his gaze meant that even though they couldn’t feel his presence, they felt this man was no less dangerous than the strawberry-blonde. Maybe even more so.  

As the group had come to think of Lydia as a goddess before knowing her identity, many were now doing the same with Stiles.  

Though they came to think of him as something very different. Equating him to a devil.  

The people nearest Stiles gave him a wide berth, not even realizing they were moving until they already had, their heads shaking as they tried to rid themselves of their instincts frantically screaming at them: ‘Stay the fuck away from the him!’.  

It was maddening. They felt nothing, not even the slightest blip of presence from him, which should have been impossible. Sure, it was possible to suppress your presence, but even the most accomplished users of that skill could only suppress so much, there would always be at least a sliver of presence leaking out, which would usually be a small enough trace that most would miss it.  

But still, complete erasure of one’s presence should be impossible.  

However, here strode a man that to all their eyes and supernatural senses appeared as nothing more than a simple mundane human with a complete lack of presence. Yet their baser instincts were yelling at them, screaming in a frenzied panic to run as fast and far as they could. That whatever hid within him was the undeniable ruler of the food chain.  

Nothing and no one rising above.  

On one hand, most of them wanted to flee, but at the same time they were arguing with themselves saying they should have no reason to. But a cynical voice attached to their instincts told them it didn’t matter how far or fast they ran. If this man wanted them dead, they would die. End of story.  

What the fuck is he? Was the thought running through most of their heads as they watched his progress with open wariness.  

Stiles finally stopped at Mika’s side, placing a hand on the large cat’s neck as he stared down at Scott’s wide terror-filled face, a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. His face was drawn up to meet Lydia’s gaze a second later as she gave an annoyed, “It’s about time.” Her arms crossed over her chest.  

Stiles’ brows lifted as his smirk spread into a smile, “Well Lyds, you were so spectacular, and I know how much you enjoy showing off every now and then. So, I figured I should let you have your fun.”  

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lydia remarked as she turned a hand over and started to inspect her perfect nails. Stiles smirked at her and nearly snorted as he gave an eyeroll.  

“Stiles?” A small questioning voice caused Stiles to turn his head to see who called his name.   

He took in a familiar face, but changed enough with time that it took him a second to recall. When he finally did, he smiled at the guy and greeted him happily.  

“Liam. How’ve you been man? You look great by the way.” Stiles said, looking perfectly at ease, like he couldn’t sense the incredibly tense air that was settled all around him. This just served to unnerve people even more, including the guy that he had come to think of as a little brother when Scott brought him into the pack all those years ago.  

He looked like he wanted to respond, but couldn’t find the words, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he took in the familiar stranger in front of him.  

He was Stiles, but he wasn’t. He had his eyes, his smirk, and the happy way he spoke to Liam that he had come to love. When Stiles had been around all those years ago, he'd grown to trust in the guy and think of him as the older brother he’d always wanted.  

But as much as the man in front of him appeared to be Stiles, so much of him now was completely different and alien. There wasn’t a shred of the doubt Stiles had always held, though he tried to hide it behind his constant sarcasm. Strength, power and confidence practically oozed from this man, something the Stiles from the past hadn’t possessed. Not like this.  

Liam had always respected the hell out of Stiles for the role he played. Though he was human then, he was no less helpful or crucial in making their pack and keeping it running.  

Incredibly intelligent, cunning and ruthless; any weaknesses in strength and power being made up for with his wit, imagination and creativity.  

Stiles may not have been as physically capable or powerful as the rest of them, but Liam had never once thought of him as weak or useless.  

On top of the power and strength the intimidating figure in front of him now gave off with his composure, Liam couldn’t detect even the slightest tick, spasm, or fidget.  

The old Stiles was incapable of standing still for more than a few seconds; like his body was constantly overflowing with energy, his focus constantly moving and shifting to new items or topics. Yet this Stiles was in complete control, and that thought for some reason was terrifying to Liam.  

It felt like he had managed to take all that ridiculous excess energy and focus it to a surgical point. However, Liam sincerely doubted his old friend was no less aware of everything going on around him. In fact, he truly believed this devil-like Stiles was completely aware of absolutely everything happening around him at all hours now.  

The more he stared at the man he used to think of as his older brother, the harder he found it to believe this was actually Stiles. As he tried to usher his brain to think of something, anything to say, the devil just sat there waiting. Which unnerved Liam even more as the old Stiles could never sit quiet long enough for someone to think of something to say.  

His eyes darted from the terrifying creature calling himself Stiles to the also terrifying mythical looking sabertoothed tiger keeping his alpha pinned to the ground.  

Deciding this was a much safer topic to explore right now, he motioned to Scott and the beast and said, “Why?” with wide imploring eyes.  

The easygoing smile instantly faded from Stiles’ eyes as he blinked a frigid gaze down to Scott who, to his credit, had refrained from trying to free himself. And was now only looking mildly uncomfortable with the massive deadly paw on his chest.  

But that was probably due to the fact that almost all of his fear was trained on the man who was kneeling down to his left. The devil gazing at him with such apathy that had Liam not known better, he would have thought these were two complete strangers meeting for the first time.  

“Why am I not surprised Scott?” Stiles asked flatly, but before Scott could answer, another voice spoke up and drew Stiles’ attention.  

“Are you really Stiles?” It was Danny that spoke, sharing a look of bewilderment and confusion with the familiar faces as they each stepped closer to him, their looks telling him they were a hair’s breadth away from believing him to be some kind of imposter or possibly possessed again, rather than who he actually was.  

However, they didn’t get too close as they still felt a strong instinctual fear of Stiles. And it was that very feeling that was making them so uneasy and unwilling to believe this was actually their old friend. Because the only time any of them had ever feared him, was when he’d been possessed by the Nogitsune. Though some of the group hadn’t been around for that experience, they’d been told plenty of stories, and none of them wanted to deal with something like that again.  

“In the flesh.” he said with a grin and shrug of his brows.  

“Prove it.” Said Malia as she took a step closer, “Prove you’re actually Stiles.”  

He cocked his head, a single brow lifting as they locked gazes. Many tensed, thinking she might have gone too far. But seconds later, a small smile spread as he took a breath, “Jordan, Jackson. If you would.” He said, eyes not leaving Malia’s, and smirking when her brows shot down and the woman jerkily turned her head around to look at Lydia and the others.  

Many of the old familiar faces did the same, features lighting up in surprise and shock when the mysterious wolf and tiger were replaced by Jordan and Jackson respectively. Fully clothed and smirking at the expressions on their old friend’s faces.  

The first to actually move was Danny, shouting Jackson’s name and rushing to give his old best friend a hug. The next few moments were filled with smiles, greetings and even more hugs. The whole scenario felt completely out of place to many of the group still standing. Several now wearing expressions that said they either believed this to be some kind of weird dream, felt they were hallucinating, or were waiting for someone to pop out and tell them this was all one very bad joke.  

The appearance of Jackson and Jordan helped to ease some of the worry and suspicion surrounding Stiles, but didn’t erase it completely. Some felt if he really was possessed again, who was to say he wasn’t controlling the others. However, reassurances from the others, minus Peter who remained silent, eventually caused their curiosity over the ordeal with Scott to outweigh their suspicions over Stiles’ new demeanor, at least temporarily.  

Instead of answering their questions, Stiles simply turned back to look at Scott. He still looked worried, but had more determination in his eyes than terror now. A smirk lifted Stiles’ lips as he stared down at his old best friend and lightly placed a hand over Scott’s heart. The alpha’s newly determined eyes turned wary once more as he swallowed hard, and Stiles could feel him shake a bit.  

Scott tried to speak but Stiles gave a quiet, slow and drawn out, “Shhh.” with a finger placed against his lips. The next second, he tapped his fingers in succession from pinky to thumb over Scott’s heart, and the man snapped his mouth shut, blinking rapidly a few times as he tried to take a calming breath.  

“Don’t worry Scott. I’m not going to kill you.” Stiles said quietly.  

Stiles held a smile. And to those that didn’t know him well enough, they almost thought it was genuine. But with that same smile, he tapped his fingers from pinky to thumb again, and gave a single dry chuckle at the confused look on Scott’s face, his smile shifting slightly to adopt a sinister glint.  

“No, I’m definitely not going to kill you. After all, I love Melissa. She was like my second mom growing up. I couldn’t possibly put her through that kind of pain. Lucky for you – unlike you – I’m not willing to turn my back on those I love and care for.” As Stiles spoke, he felt every pair of eyes and ears focus on them, harder than ever, people afraid to even breathe loudly.  

Tap  

“You know, you can’t begin to guess how many times I imagined this scenario playing out. How many different conversations, emotions and possibilities. I could never settle on a single one because I couldn’t decide what I would feel most strongly when I did finally see you again. Wanna know what it is?” Stiles asked, and after Scott stayed quiet for several seconds he answered.  

Tap  

“Apathy.” Stiles said as he leaned in closer, “Do you know the definition of apathy, Scott? Of course you don’t, so I’ll tell you. A lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern. That’s what I feel strongest for you. Wanna know what follows next?” the devil asked with a shrug of his brows.  

Tap  

“Vengeance.” Stiles smirked, a dark glint flashing in his eyes as Scott’s brows met, “I know right? Seems a bit... ironic? But I promise you, it’s possible. Here, I’ll give you an example.”  

Stiles’ face shifted, dropping all hints of humor, his amber eyes boring into Scott’s face. His lids fell halfway as he let Scott glimpse the ocean of wrath hiding in his gaze, “I can feel a complete lack of interest and concern for you and your well-being as I utterly destroy your entire reality. Make you sit and watch as I rip everything away from you. Make you watch as I raze everything you’ve worked so hard for to the ground, completely powerless to stop me. Turn every person you’ve ever known and cared for against you, as I show them what kind of person you really are.”  

The expression on Stiles’ face told Scott that his old best friend meant every word he’d spoken so far. The barely suppressed rage and loathing that filled his tone had everyone glancing with wide confused eyes from the devil-like person named Stiles to the True Alpha that before today, many had thought to be a very brave, courageous and selfless individual.  

But if what this man was saying was true, then they were very mistaken indeed. But how could that be? Scott was far from perfect sure, but none of them had felt he was putting on an act. Surely, if this man was telling the truth about the True Alpha, wouldn’t they have seen something-anything to give it away? A sign, or trait...  

Many watching were trying to rack their brains for some clue to make sense of what was going on, but were yanked from their thoughts when a clenched and muffled moan of pain could be heard from Scott.  

Stiles had begun pressing his fingers in around Scott’s heart. Eyes turned up to see nothing but pure apathy on the devil’s face as Stiles pressed his fingers in with slow relentless progress.  

Eventually the pain became too much, and Scott screamed, the sound turning to a howl as he partially shifted.  

Without thinking he swiped a clawed hand at Stiles, but the man grabbed Scott’s wrist long before it could reach him and slammed it into the ground. Some winced as they heard some of the smaller bones breaking from the impact. Scott’s other hand appeared to be stopped and held in mid-swipe by some unseen force, as his arm looked to be twitching, like he was trying to draw it back or push forward.  

“Painful?” Asked Stiles plainly. His features not so much as budging as his fingers pressed another half-inch into Scott’s chest around his heart.  

“Yeah, I can imagine. You see Scott, I’m pretty familiar with this kind of pain. Maybe now, you can begin to imagine what it was like when the guy who was supposed to be my best friend, my brother, turned his back on me,” Stiles pressed his fingers further into the flesh and muscle, feeling them tear under his relentless pressure. Blood pooling around his hand before trailing down the Alpha’s side and up towards his neck, the man not even able to shout as the pain took his breath, “Right when I needed him, the most.”  

Stiles eyes blinked up, a second later he calmly said, “Peter, stop.” Only then did people notice the man that had been standing next to Lydia, now stood behind Stiles. A clawed hand poised like a spear, stopped in mid-strike, inches away from the heart of a woman that hadn’t even been in the building until a second ago.  

In her left hand she wielded a gleaming long sword, the blade frozen in mid-swing, while her right held a pistol, the weapon currently being aimed at the open roof, her arm being pushed upward by Peter’s hand on her wrist. A spark of lightning arced over his sapphire blue claws as his metallic blue eyes stared intently into shining icy-blue eyes glaring back furiously.  

A pair of lethal fangs were shown in a snarl as the woman hissed warningly at Peter, who stayed completely still, his claws never wavering an inch. A tense second passed before recognition filled the woman’s eyes and she began to blink them in surprise.  

“P-Peter?!” She said, her voice full of incredulity, yet she didn’t relax her posture.  

So, in answer, Peter simply said, “Allison.” His body still poised, ready to rip her heart out at the first sign of trouble.  

“Allison!” Came a shout from a man that blurred through the entrance the woman had entered from seconds ago. However, he was soon standing completely still, eyes wide and glowing the same color as Allison’s, two pistols aimed at Peter’s head. The only reason he hadn’t fired yet, was due to the pearly-white claws sitting just over his throat.  

Jackson spoke in a deadly voice, right beside the man’s head, eyes glowing bright white, “Lower your fucking weapons, or I rip your throat out right now.”  

The man, to his credit, managed to stay mostly calm but looked like he was seriously considering if he could manage to shoot Peter before Jackson ripped his throat out. Stiles gave a longsuffering sigh and the slightest shake of his head, before he looked up away from Scott and shifted to glance sideways at the standoff.  

“Guys, it’s fine. Let them go. Now.” Peter and Jackson obeyed at once, releasing their holds and stepping back from the pair that now held looks of recognition and shock plastered on their faces. They both lowered their weapons as they took careful steps forward.  

“Stiles?” Allison asked quietly, looking and sounding like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. And before the man could respond, she saw Scott lying on the ground, in pain, with Stile’s fingers buried a couple inches into the alpha’s chest.  

“What?!” She started in panic and looked like she was about to try and rush Stiles again but was stopped by a quick spark of lightning up Peter’s arm. She glanced warily at the man’s arm, then up to his eyes still glowing a metallic blue, before shifting her now narrowed gaze to Stiles.  

“What the hell do you think you’re doing Stiles?” She asked angrily, her grip tightening around her weapons.  

Unperturbed, Stiles gave Allison a small smile, “Nice to see you too Allison.” He then tilted his head to the side and greeted the man with another small smile and a nod, “Chris.”  

“Stiles.” He replied, though he looked far from comfortable with the situation, and Stiles couldn’t blame him at all. A host of dead bodies nearby, some old faces returning with unexplainable strength and powers, and someone who used to be completely human, now kneeling with his fingers buried in the chest of his old best friend. None of it made sense to them.  

He figured they had gotten a call for help about a group attacking the McCall Pack, then rushed there as quickly as possible to lend aid. And considering what all had happened after Stiles’ clan dealt with the Impundulu, no one had been able to let them know that everything was fine now. So naturally, when they had smelled Scott’s blood upon their arrival, they had taken it to mean the attackers were still alive and well and about to finish off the alpha.  

Stiles ignored Allison’s previous question and turned back to look at Scott, one eyebrow raised as he gave a small shake of his head, “Really Scotty boy? Not even Allison? Man, I really thought you would have told at least someone .” Stiles said and scoffed a laugh.  

“I really didn’t think you’d be able to cope with the guilt. You know? After you betrayed me in one of the worst ways imaginable? But hey,” Stiles said with a shrug of his shoulders, “I guess I underestimated how heartless you’d become.”  

“Stiles, Stiles please. Wha...” Allison said, sounding panicked.  

“Should I tell them?” Stiles asked Scott, who looked to be in too much pain, and had lost a good deal of blood now and couldn’t seem to be able to talk. Only able to take short painful breaths.  

Stiles made a show of thinking about it, before he shook his head, “Nah. After all, why deny you such a crucial character-building moment?” He said and patted the side of Scott’s face a couple times, “And who knows,” He added with another shrug, “Maybe you’ll grow your spine back too. Gods know, you lost that thing long before I left.”  

His chilling apathetic eyes had returned, his voice regaining that same tone from before, sounding bored but teetering on the edge before an abyssal rage, “No Scott, I won’t kill you, like I said.” The words were quiet, but heard clearly by all, Stiles gripped Scott’s jaw and tilted his head to keep the wolf’s gaze on himself, “But I’ll make you wish I had.”  

He had been about to add something when his eyes were drawn to the entrance he’d used earlier, stopping to take in the newcomers rushing through the open door. He took in four familiar faces and Stiles’ heart gave a little ache.  

First, a blonde bombshell. She had always been strong, fierce and capable. But now, she was all that and more. More than just strutting because she could and to put up a front, Erica now clearly possessed the strength and experience to back up her younger confidence.  

She looked absolutely lethal, a sure strode to her steps that hadn’t been there before. There was no question that she was in full control and command of her wolf spirit.  

Next to her strode the towering sentinel that was Boyd. The man had gone from a stout, powerful and unmoving guardian to giving off vibes of an unstoppable juggernaut. And again, like Erica, Stiles could tell that Boyd had complete command over his wolf spirit.  

In fact, with a quick scan, Stiles could tell all four of them had reached that level. And that put them in a league of their own compared to most Shifters, including most of the people in this building.  

When The Awakening occurred, those who already possessed some type of supernatural shift, or would one day come to be known as a Shifter, felt a new kind of presence deep in their cores. Once society learned enough about their new supernatural lives, this new presence was discovered to be the spirit of the beast form they could take.  

To grow in strength and power as a Shifter, one needed to be able to commune with this spirit; to talk to them and grow closer with their other side. However, this wasn’t always easy to do, and sometimes a Shifter had to resort to other means to gain recognition and cooperation from their beast spirit.  

Communion, Contract or Submission. These were the three methods one could utilize to grow stronger as a Shifter; gaining more control over their beast spirit.  

The easiest and often best way was through simple communion, as it works fastest; talking with and relating to the spirit, understanding its wants and desires and working to align them with your own. The more in common you have with your beast spirit, the better your connection would be, allowing for more complete shifts into the beast form and gaining greater strength and power as a result.  

However, sometimes, no matter how hard one tried, they just wouldn’t be able to come to a proper understanding through simple communication.  

In these instances, usually a contract is formed and agreed upon by the Shifter and their beast spirit. Sometimes the contracts are simple short-term ones to determine the strength and resolve of the Shifter, and once they’ve proven themselves, the spirit will acknowledge them and lend their strength and power.  

Other times, the contracts are long-term, sometimes even being indefinite, requiring the Shifter to constantly supply the spirit with something, or continuously demonstrate their resolve or whatever quality the spirit desires most.  

In the instance of neither of the other cases working out, the last-ditch effort of a Shifter to work with their spirit is through battle and eventual submission of the spirit to the challenger. However, this very rarely works out, and more often than not, completely backfires on the person. They’re required to fight the spirit in their personal realm, where they have unrestricted use of their power and abilities.  

Usually, it’s a slaughter and the supernatural is sent packing. In these instances, they barely manage to retain any of their Shifter strength and powers.  

They can of course keep trying, and sometimes once they’ve grown as a supernatural, they can become strong enough to finally subdue their spirit, but those are rare cases. Sometimes, they will also end up growing and changing enough that the spirit will end up relenting and forming a contract with them or straight up communing with them if they like how the Shifter has developed.  

Only in exceedingly rare cases will a spirit flat out refuse to ever work with them no matter what.  

In the rare cases of a Shifter being able to actually subdue their spirit forcibly, it ends up working out just as well as a proper commune, as it is a fairly common trait amongst spirits to admire strength and power. If a spirit is proven wrong in believing that their Shifter is weak, instead of hating or resenting them, they grow to admire and respect them.  

Stiles had only sensed a handful of Shifters in the building that were at that level. And yet, the four newcomers were firmly at that level. A small smile lifted Stiles’ lips as he took in Isaac and Derek’s appearances. He couldn’t really explain why, but he felt a swell of pride at seeing this group and how strong they all had become.  

They had come rushing in at first, the scent of Scott’s blood likely causing them to reach the same conclusion Allison and her father had when they’d first arrived. However, the four of them had stopped dead in their tracks, eyes wide and mouths forming silent questions as they took in Stiles’ figure, their gazes naturally turning confused and concerned like the others when they saw his fingers in Scott’s chest.  

Stiles’ gaze locked with Derek’s, as he looked back up into his eyes from the hand in the alpha’s chest. It was a long tense moment as many people stood wondering exactly how this was going to end, and if Stiles was actually going to let Scott live. 

He couldn’t quite make out the rush of emotions passing over Derek’s face as he tried to come to terms that Stiles was indeed back in Beacon Hills. Hurt, surprise, anger, depression and a myriad of others that cut Stiles to the core to see on that face. But he didn’t look away, knowing full well he deserved those looks aimed at him.  

A small part of his brain registered that even though it had been seven years since he’d left, not much had really changed physically for this group. There were no steadfast rules for what caused some to age more slowly than others, well, aside from certain Shifter spirits stopping the aging process altogether.  

For the most part though, lifespans had been increased several-fold, with even the weakest ones now expected to live for a couple hundred years at least. Seeing as The Awakening had only happened just over six years ago now, there was no way of knowing for sure though, but along with technological advancements, so increased the capabilities and potential of medicine and science.  

With the proper tests and experiments, it was determined that supernaturals’ lifespans tended to lengthen in correlation to their strength level, or more commonly known as the tiers and their sub-categories, with some exceptions of course.  

As far as the tests could determine, so long as nothing tragic befell a first tier supernatural, they would live nearly indefinitely alongside the Shifts that stopped aging altogether or Meta abilities that made it impossible for them to age.  

When trying to determine how strong a supernatural was, it had quickly become a rude practice to just outright ask someone what they or their powers were, or where they ranked. But a simple and subtle tell had started to develop as the years progressed. Typically, it was safe to assume a supernatural was ranked in the upper tiers if they appeared to hardly age at all.  

Of course, this was far from a perfect tell, as Shifts like Vampires or the like stopped aging entirely after they assumed the physical appearance they were most comfortable with. And most supernaturals near the top of the tiers could willingly choose what age they wanted to appear. But unlike Vampires, those supernaturals could at any point change their apparent age. Once a vampire chose the age they were comfortable with, they were stuck with that for the rest of their existence.  

From what Stiles could tell, Derek and his group looked like they might have aged two years max since he’d last seen them seven years ago. And considering he didn’t sense the presence of a Duplus from any of them, this just cemented his theory that the four of them possessed near perfect transformations, which was nothing to scoff at. That meant they each were firmly placed in the beginning of second-tier at least, and only a few others in the building, aside from his Clan of course, came anywhere close to that.  

His inspection of Derek was only broken when Isaac stepped forward, his eyes instantly blinked to the tall man with golden curly locks. He stopped and held Stiles’ gaze firmly. There was no hate or anger in his face, only confusion tinged with sadness and a hint of longing, “Stiles?”  

That single word, filled with so much emotion, tugged at Stiles’ heart with such force he had to swallow to keep himself centered. Honestly, in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to run up and give Isaac a hug. After all, it was Isaac. Adorable, loveable, playful, huggable, caring Isaac.  

Stiles couldn’t remember the number of times he had equated the handsome man to a loveable puppy. And though he had filled out very nicely in the years since he’d left, Stiles found he couldn’t quite keep himself from comparing the man to a puppy still, just a slightly more grown one.  

It also didn’t help that Isaac had been his crush first before Derek. But given Isaac’s history and the touch-starved state the boy had been in after Derek had first turned him, Stiles could never bring himself to pursue anything with him. There was also of course that pesky little detail that Stiles had never been able to determine which way the gorgeous guy swung.  

So, instead of risking the friendship they’d developed and potentially scaring or freaking the guy out, he’d refrained – albeit with incredible difficulty – from pursuing anything but platonic friendship with him.  

He did, however, let himself enjoy some comfy cuddles with the guy in the past, usually while they watched some movies or shows, Isaac was a seriously good cuddler.  

And if the cuddles happened to get a bit more intimate than he’d intended, Isaac had never said anything or complained, which Stiles was grateful for, as he was worried that if they did talk about it, Isaac would find out how much he liked him and that could potentially ruin everything.  

Stiles took a deep breath before quickly yanking his fingers out of Scott’s chest, several people around him winced at the sound and Scott gave as loud of a scream as he could in his exhausted state as his chest lifted from the ground a bit before flopping back down.  

Stiles dropped his eyes from Isaac, down to his hand as he used Scott’s shirt to clean his fingers of the wolf’s blood. Once he had wiped most of the blood off, people could then see the thin film of blood remaining on his fingers start to peel off Stiles’ hand and collect into a small sphere of blood hovering over his hand.  

Once his hand was free of Scott’s blood, Stiles let the small sphere splash down onto the alpha’s chest as he stood up and approached Isaac.  

He stopped a few feet from the man, looking him over again before a smile lifted his lips, “Hey pup.” Stiles watched Isaac’s jaw clench as his eyes traveled almost frantically over him, like he was trying to determine if this was actually real, if he was actually there or not.  

Then, when he seemed to either decide Stiles was real, or he didn’t care, the man practically launched himself at Stiles and wrapped him in a tight hug.  

Stiles’ smile widened as he hugged Isaac back and his eyes traveled to Derek and the others. Erica was full on crying, but keeping as quiet as she could. Boyd’s eyes looked a little bright, and he had a rare smile. Or at least, rare from what Stiles could remember. And Derek looked... to be in pain  

Not really what he was hoping for, but at least he didn’t look like he hated Stiles’ guts right now.  

Stiles had grown very close to this group in the time he’d gotten closer to Derek after his graduation. They had gone from the annoying and overly aggressive troublemakers that Derek had turned in his desperation to have a pack again, to some of his best friends over the course of the two years.  

He had lost count of the game and movie nights he’d had with them, both with Scott and the others and separately and together.  

Drive-In movies, bowling, arcades, theaters; heated matches of Uno, Monopoly, Life and Go-Fish – dramatic enough to be made into their own Netflix special – filled their nights and weeks as time went on.  

He had still been close with Scott’s particular group of course, but Isaac, Erica and Boyd had always maintained a closer relationship with Derek for obvious reasons. So naturally, the closer he got to Derek, the closer Stiles got to the three of them as well.  

“I missed you too buddy.” Stiles said quietly as he rubbed a hand into Isaacs back before he finally pulled back. He still looked worried that Stiles might disappear, which probably explained the grips on his shoulders as Isaac looked him over again.  

“Uh,” He said and squeezed Stiles’ shoulder’s one more time as he shook his head, “Sorry, I..” Isaac said as his hands moved down Stiles’ arms a bit before he jerked them back. He cleared his throat then, looking a little abashed, “Sorry.” He said again.  

Stiles just cocked his head to the side as he stuck him with a deadpan stare, lifting his brows slightly, “Don’t apologize for hugging me, Isaac. You know I love your hugs. That hasn’t changed.”  

This brought out an even wider smile from Isaac as he wrapped Stiles in another hug, causing Stiles to chuckle and smile wider himself. He really had missed his pup.  

The second hug only lasted a few seconds before they parted. Isaac left a hand on one of Stiles’ shoulders as he gave him a happy smile, which faltered just a bit as he took a deep breath, considered what to say first, then opted for, “I’d like to ask how you’ve been and play some catch up, but...” He said and shifted his head around to look at Scott who looked to be doing better now that Stiles didn’t have his fingers digging into his chest but was still stuck under the mysterious looking sabertooth creature.  

Isaac took a deep breath, but instead of saying anything, he scrunched his lips as his brows met, his eyes cutting to Stiles as he pointed at Scott in silent question.  

“Huh? Oh yeah.” Stiles said as he glanced to Scott then back to Isaac, “That was just a personal matter I dealt with.” He said and waved dismissively towards Scott, “He’ll live.” He added at Isaac’s slightly disturbed expression to Stiles’ utter apathy towards the situation.  

“Um,” Isaac said, weighing whether he should try to press this or not. To say the new Stiles unnerved him a bit would be an understatement, but he truly believed Stiles would never hurt or get angry at him, so he decided to ask, “I feel like there’s a lot more to this.”  

“Oh there is.” Stiles responded immediately, “But it’s up to him to come clean on the matter. I’m not carrying his ass or picking up after him any more. He started this mess, he can sure as fuck clean it up.”  

“Right.” Answered Isaac, desperately wishing to know what could make Stiles so cold towards Scott when they used to practically be brothers, but deciding to play it safe for now.  

“Plus, he’s not the reason we’re here. It just so happened to work out that I got to deal with this shit on the first night. I’ll certainly take the easy win when I can get it.” Stiles added.  

“So, why are you guys here then?” Malia asked, Stiles turned to see her glancing from him to Lydia and the others.  

“You guys got the message about the summit tomorrow, right?” Stiles asked, getting nods from various heads.  

“I asked Deaton to get everyone gathered so we could explain what’s been going on here, and hopefully prevent the worst-case scenario.” Stiles supplied. This answer got some intense reactions out of a lot of people, many heads snapping towards his direction, even those that had been too afraid to actually meet his gaze until that moment.  

“Wait, you know what’s been going on? Why people have been going missing?” Allison asked, taking a step towards him. She still had a fairly intense look of suspicion and apprehension leveled at him, but Stiles could respect her willingness to set aside her personal feelings to focus on what was actually important.  

“More or less.” Lydia answered, drawing many gazes and Allison turned to face her, “Unfortunately we can’t go into specifics yet as not everyone is here. We’ll have to wait till tomorrow. But suffice it to say, these guys were just the beginning.” She said and pointed a thumb behind her to the twelve dead Impundulu.  

This bit of news was clearly the last thing they were all hoping to hear, several faces showing pure dread and depression. Jackson spoke up at that, “And that’s why we’re here, to help.” He said and wandered to stand right next to Peter, who placed a hand on the back of his neck, rubbing his thumb back and forth. This kind of gesture was so common between them, Stiles doubted that either of them even realized what they’d just done.  

Stiles really wished that Jackson would leave his comment at that, as it would have left him in a very good light in the minds of many here that had never met him before. But instead, seeing as he was now surrounded by a number of strangers, Jackson did what Jackson does best and made a general ass of himself and added, “Good thing too. You guys wouldn’t have lasted more than a day without us.”  

Stiles just sighed and shook his head, bringing a hand up to massage his temple. He felt the hand that had been on his shoulder, which he’d honestly forgotten about until now, move up to give his neck a light massage. Stiles tensed for a second, causing the hand to freeze then retract quickly, Isaac muttering a quiet apology.  

Stiles just passed a sideways sardonic glance at Isaac before shaking his head, then grabbed his wrist and placed his hand back on the back of his neck.  

Isaac froze for a moment, before a happy smile lifted his face and he started gently massaging Stiles’ neck. Stiles simply had a happy contented look on his face. And just like with Jackson in his tiger form before, many people were having a hard time connecting this happy contented image of Stiles with the devil from before, and the terrifying feelings he’d been giving off.  

It was like night and day, and so many people were now at their wit’s end, wanting the night to end more than anything so they could see if this was all just a bad dream.  

“Blunt and tactless though he may be,” Lydia said, drawing attention to her as she passed an annoyed brow to Jackson who just shrugged in response, eliciting a heavy eyeroll from Lydia, “He’s not wrong. Nothing against you guys personally, that’s just how it is. Impundulu are second-tier summons.” She said and again, pointed to the bodies behind her with her thumb.  

This bit of info received many gasps of shock and wide eyes as they snapped their heads around to the bodies of the dead attackers.  

“Impundulu?” Asked a clearly confused Danny, many others looking around to see if anybody else might know what she had been talking about.  

“Vampiric lightning bird shifter summons.” Answered Stiles with a kind of dreamy look in his eyes as he tilted his head to give Isaac better access to a sore spot, then hummed contentedly when he found the spot, “Though that’s a bit of a mouthful, so you can just think of them as Vampire lightning birds. You’ve got a rogue coven summoning them for some really bad shit.”  

Lydia both wanted to laugh and facepalm. Jackson was barely managing to contain his laughter, while Peter sighed, and Jordan did facepalm. Meanwhile many severely confused faces slowly turned to look at Stiles.  

Essentially, he’d given them some very grave news, telling them that there was a group of people nearby capable of summoning creatures that could destroy entire cities on their own if given enough time, and likely were working to enact a plan even worse than that with the use of said creatures. But had mentioned it as nonchalantly as if he were commenting on the passing weather.  

It left many wondering if he was just exaggerating right now, or if he was really that capable, that a matter like this was just another everyday occurrence for him. And honestly, they didn’t know which was worse.  

“Okay, you know what? You mentioned that we were gonna be talking about this at the summit tomorrow, and honestly that sounds like a great idea.” Allison said, looking like she really couldn’t take much more right now.  

“But first, can you please...” She said, looking at Stiles with a look that kind of resembled a mixture of annoyed, worried, stressed and partly manic as she motioned to Mika still keeping Scott firmly pinned. He had to admit it was quite the mixture.  

He blinked a sigh at her which got a gratifying eye twitch before he slid his eyes over to the large cat, “Mika.” He said calmly, still enjoying a nice neck massage which Isaac seemed all too happy to continue. And shit, Stiles was plenty happy to let him. He sure as fuck wouldn’t pass up a nice massage from his favorite pup.  

Mika flicked an ear in response, his large tail swishing quickly from side to side before he turned to give Stiles some questionable side-eye, to which Stiles arched a brow earning him an actual huff that had a bit of low growl to it. He just rolled his eye at the cat, before the large beast pressed off from Scott, earning a heavy and painful grunt from the wolf.  

The large black sabertooth silently padded over to Stiles and he felt Isaac instantly go rigid behind him. He grinned as he turned and took in an absolutely petrified look on the man’s face, “Hey,” Stiles said, placing a hand on Isaac’s shoulder and drawing his wide gaze, “It’s okay. Mika won’t hurt you. I promise.”  

Isaac looked like he wanted to believe Stiles but was having trouble viewing the massive abyssal black sabertooth with glowing silver markings and iridescent white eyes, teeth and claws as anything except menacing.  

The large beast stopped at Stiles’ side and sat, though it was so large that its head was almost level with Stiles’ jaw. He stared intently at Isaac, which just made the man even more nervous, and Stiles had to struggle hard not to laugh.  

The beast could really be a dick at times, and he knew damn well how terrifying and menacing he appeared in this form to those not familiar with it.  

“You can pet him if you want.” Stiles said and actually did laugh at the beyond terrified expression on Isaac’s face.  

“What?” He said, and partly sounded like he really hoped he had misheard Stiles.  

“I promise, pup.” Stiles said with a laugh, “He won’t hurt you. And don’t let his appearance fool you, he’s a big softie and a massive attention whore. And he really likes it when you scratch him right here.” He said and started lightly scratching his fingers in a spot right behind one of the beast’s large ears. Instantly, an obscenely loud purr could be heard from the sabertooth as it leaned into the scratch.  

“See?” Stiles said to Isaac with a smile, watching the man’s fear and apprehension begin to meld away, replaced with curiosity and fascination. Stiles reached back and grabbed Isaac’s wrist, slowly bringing his hand around to put it next to his own on Mika’s neck.  

He froze for a moment, his fingers inches away from the neck before he slowly and gently pressed his hand into the silky abyssal black fur over the large neck.  

Isaac’s face lit up in wonder at the incredibly silky-smooth texture of the sabertooth’s fur. He began to scratch the spot alongside Stiles, a large smile covering his face and he even chuckled a bit as he practically felt the rumble of Mika’s purrs flowing through his own body.  

Once he was comfortable enough, Stiles patted him on the back and said with a smile, “Alright, I’ll leave you to it. Don’t stop scratching him for a while though, he won’t like that. He'll pin you to the ground and lay on you. And trust me, over 800 pounds of sheer muscle right on your stomach and chest? Not fun. Not fun at all. Just keep at it.”  

Isaac froze and turned wide eyes to Stiles as he walked away, “Wha-Stiles?” He noticed then that the purrs had stopped and quickly looked back to see Mika starting intently at him. Isaac’s eyes shot wide, “Sorry, sir.” He said and soon doubled his scratching efforts, happy purrs filling the air once more.  

Maybe he’s not so different after all. Isaac thought, glancing quickly at Stiles’ back as the man walked over to Derek and the others. He grinned to himself as he decided to be brave and while he kept scratching the spot Stiles had shown him, brought his other hand up to scratch lightly under the beast's chin and was rewarded with an even louder purr as the large feline leaned his head forward and tilted back a bit to give Isaac better access.  

As Stiles walked over to the others, there was a general bustle of activity as the wounded were attended to and the two dead members gathered up. Apparently, one belonged to the Guild, and the other to the Coven. People from those groups had been alerted to the attack and had tried to assist, but their bases were much farther away. They had only made it halfway to the warehouse when they were alerted the issue had been resolved.  

However, the leaders of the respective groups would still be arriving to gather their dead members, and Stiles figured they would be having a short discussion as well when they got here, but he didn’t much feel like talking to too many others.  

So, he sent a quick glance back to Lydia who felt his gaze and looked up from her conversation with many of the old faces, minus Liam, Allison and Chris who were talking with an agitated Scott, he cut his eyes to the dead members then looked back to her. She nodded a moment later letting him know she understood his message and would be the mediator with the leaders when they got here.  

She was better at it anyways.  

A moment later, attention was drawn to Scott who shouted at Allison and Liam before storming out of the warehouse, several others following. A few stayed back to take the dead members out of the building to wait for the leaders to come and pick the bodies up.  

Stiles felt movement near him and turned around to see Erica and Boyd approaching and stopping a few feet away. Erica looked like she was doing her best to keep from crying again and was looking at Stiles with a trembling smile, Boyd just giving him a happy smile with a nod.  

“Hey guys.” Stiles said with a warm smile. Erica stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder before yanking him in for a tight hug. He could feel her shaky breaths as she held him tight, and he returned the hug.  

“I missed you, Batman.” She said quietly next to his head, her voice tight as she tried to keep herself from crying, but he still felt a couple drops on his shoulder.  

His gut clenched as his heart ached harder than ever. A lump forming in his throat as he blinked quickly to keep any tears from falling and almost failed.  

“I missed you too, Catwoman.” He replied, his voice almost as tight and thick as he spoke around the lump in his throat. Stiles rubbed his hand against her back a few times as he felt Erica taking deep breaths to try and calm herself but kept an ironlike grip on him.  

Eventually they parted and shared some bright smiles, Erica wiping under her eyes to catch any tears that managed to fall, both chuckling.  

“Sorry.” she said shakily, taking a deep breath and clearing her throat.  

“Don’t be.” Stiles chuckled out, “I’m right there with ya.” he said and cleared his throat too, taking a deep breath to steady himself again.  

A few seconds later, he said “How’ve you guys been?” Looking from Erica to Boyd.  

“Pretty good.” Answered Boyd, apparently a man of few words still, but he had a nice smile on his face and seemed genuinely happy to see Stiles again.  

“Not as good as you though it seems.” Erica said, giving Stiles a very thorough once-over, a sly smile covering her face, and Stiles grinned.  

“Like, shit Batman, you’ve got the bad-boy look to a fuckin’ ‘T’. I might have to call you up for some late-night show-and-tell.” she said, giving Stiles a saucy wink. Stiles full-on laughed, harder than he had in a long time, bringing a hand up to wipe some tears away as he settled himself back down.  

“ Gods , I’ve missed you.” Stiles said, and shared a wide grin with Erica.  

“So, I’ve gotta ask,” He said a moment later, looking from Erica to Boyd and back, “Have you two finally gotten together? Cause last I remember, the tension was damn-near palpable, and I was about ready to throw you two at each other. I don’t think I could handle it again.”  

They both looked at him with looks of surprise for a couple seconds before Boyd of all people, started laughing, followed soon by Erica. Stiles looked from one to the other with confusion before Erica spoke up, “You could say that.” and showed Stiles a gorgeous and elegant diamond ring on her finger.  

Stiles stared at the ring for a few seconds before, “Shit! I missed it?!” He exclaimed, receiving confused looks from both Erica and Boyd who’d certainly not expected this reaction.  

“What do you mean? How did you...” She started to ask, heavy confusion on her face, but Stiles cut her off quickly.  

“I didn’t. I just-I thought for sure if you two ever got together, you’d most likely end up getting married. And I was really hoping that whenever we finally did come back, that it would be before you two got married. Buuut I missed it.” He said and looked genuinely depressed.  

“Oh.” Erica said, before smiling, “No, Stiles, you haven’t missed anything. Well, except for the announcement last week, when we actually got engaged.”  

“Really?” He asked, a look of relief clear on his face as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, “Oh thank goodness. Okay, where will it be, and when’s the ceremony?” he asked, looking from one to the other, his hands out. However, he looked a little worried now at the slightly embarrassed looks on their faces.  

“We, uh,” Erica started, not able to keep her eyes on Stiles anymore and looking towards the ground.  

“We, haven’t really been able to pick yet.” Added Boyd, “A lot of the places around here are pretty expensive, and the more affordable ones are booked for the next year at least.”  

Stiles got a curious look in his eyes and the others eyed him suspiciously. They remembered that look.  

“So,” he started, eyes wandering before glancing between them, “hypothetically speaking, if you found a place you loved and it was within your range, how quickly would you guys want to have the ceremony?”  

“Well, technically, we found a place nearby that we both loved and was pretty affordable too.” Said Erica, looking crestfallen, “We had called them to try and book them for next month, but someone beat us to the punch that very day we called, so, we’re still looking.”  

“That quickly huh? I thought couples typically waited a bit longer before they had the ceremony.” Stiles said, looking a bit surprised.  

“Well, technically, we didn’t even realize we were doing it until Derek mentioned it to us. But apparently, we’ve already been discussing the kind of wedding we wanted. You know, the theme, colors, caterers, everything, just in passing, or if we were sitting alone; we’d just bring up the topic as like: ‘What do you think of this kind of wedding theme?’, or ‘What kind of location for a venue would be ideal?’ and so on.” Erica said with a little embarrassed laugh.  

“Seriously?” Stiles asked with an almost giddy smile between the two and they nodded, “So then, you guys have pretty much already planned out the whole thing then?”  

“Yep, for about a year now.” Answered Boyd with a grin  

“That’s awesome.” Stiles said with a laugh, the others joining in with him.  

“But it only just became official when he finally, properly proposed last week. So, even though we know what we want to do, we can’t really do anything until we can find a place we can afford. Which, isn’t the easiest considering where we live and all that.” Said Erica, her smile fading a bit as she sighed. But her brows lowered as she took in Stiles’ growing grin.  

“Well alright then. Here’s my gift for you guys.” Stiles said and stepped forward to place a hand on Erica and Boyd’s shoulders each, “Pick a time and place. Could be here, or another state, or even another country if you wish. This is my gift for you guys, I’ll take care of the whole thing.”  

Erica and Boyd stared at him in complete stunned silence for several seconds. “Sti...” Erica started, her eyes quickly filling with more tears that soon started falling as she shook her head.  

“Stiles, man, n-no, that... that’s too much.” Boyd said, his face still full of disbelief, but Stiles just shook his head and laughed a little.  

“Seriously, it’s fine. Money isn’t a problem for me now, not anymore. You guys are some of my best friends. The least I can do is help you guys have the best wedding possible. You can also think of it as an apology, for not telling you all why I had to leave so suddenly seven years ago. I want to do this for you two, so please, let me.”  

After a few more seconds, Erica couldn’t hold back anymore and launched herself at Stiles, gripping him in an even tighter embrace and muttering thank you over and over. Stiles’ face almost hurt from smiling so widely as he hugged her back. He then turned to Boyd and motioned for him to join in, “Come on buddy.”  

Boyd gave a full smile and shake of his head before finally stepping forward and joining in the hug. They parted after some seconds and Stiles couldn’t help grinning at the happy and loving smile shared between Erica and Boyd.  

“So now,” Stiles said, the two turning to look at him, “All you have to do is talk to Lydia.”  

They both gave him confused looks, which he just smirked at, “That woman would give me a lashing from all the nine hells if I didn’t include her on this. I'm sure she’ll immediately take the role of wedding planner, which most likely means you guys will end up with the most extravagant venue, wherever you pick. So, if that’s not what you would prefer, then make sure to let her know. She’ll probably, mm- definitely will whine about it, but I’m sure she’ll be able to make any location you pick, look to be fit for royalty. So, rest assured, you will be in capable hands.”  

The two smiled widely at him then gave Stiles one more hug each before hurrying off to Lydia, Erica practically pulling Boyd along, though he honestly was no less excited, if the extra little bounce to his feet was anything to go by.  

Stiles felt a gaze on his back and turned to meet Derek’s eyes. His expression unreadable and posture tense. Stiles felt a nervousness creeping into his body that he hadn’t felt in many years now. His heart wanted to race, his breathing to come shallow and fast and his body ached to fidget and spaz, but Stiles refused, keeping an iron-tight grip on his body’s reactions so as not to appear like the dorky, spastic, awkward boy Derek used to know.  

Stiles walked forward and stopped several feet away from Derek. When he did, they first held each other’s gaze for some seconds, neither saying a word. Stiles didn’t know if Derek just refused to talk or was having as much trouble as he was.  

There was so much Stiles wanted to say to the man. He had thought about this moment for years, what he would say, how he would say it and what he hoped Derek would say in return. And yet, here he was, the actual moment happening right now, and... nothing. He had so many things rushing through his head, that he couldn’t actually decide what he wanted to say.  

They both finally dropped their gazes, and Stiles couldn’t keep himself from fidgeting at least a little as he furiously tried to rack his brain for something to say to stop looking like a damn moron.  

When he had finally decided to just start with the basics and say ‘hi’, his head was soon snapping up as he heard Derek say something, but only caught, “...good.” As the man had barely spoken above a whisper.  

“Huh?” Stiles asked and immediately wanted to smack himself.  

Oh yeah, smooth Stiles, real fuckin’ smooth.  

“I was, uh...” Derek started, his head still turned down a bit as he scratched at his jaw, “I, uh, good. You, good. You-Look...You. Look. Good.” Derek finally said, his face tinting ever so slightly red, and currently looking like he was dealing with some internal pain.  

Stiles was trying his absolute best not to laugh as he watched and listened to Derek try and illustrate a sentence and eventually devolve into caveman speech. He managed to swallow down his laughter and simply smiled at Derek as he scratched the back of his neck and said, “Thanks. You too. I mean, you, always look good-great actually. You look, great.” Stiles finally snapped his mouth shut, scrunching his lips tight as it was now his turn to look like he was dealing with internal pain while Derek tried not to laugh.  

Oh. My. Gods. Someone please just fucking shoot me. Help me, hellmouth. Oh where art thou hellmouth?  

“Uh, thanks.” Derek said shyly, a small smile on his face. Soon, the two of them returned to their previous awkward silence, but it was even worse now, if that were possible.  

Finally, Stiles gave himself an internal smack and was about to say something when his and Derek’s attention was drawn to Lydia, screeching giddily, clearly having just been given the news about Erica and Boyd.  

Stiles had a happy smile as he watched Erica and Lydia sharing a tight hug. A second later, his attention was drawn back to Derek as he said, “That was nice of you.”  

He gave Derek a soft smile, “It’s nothing, honestly. it’s the least I can do for them. And they honestly deserve it.”  

“They do. Yeah.” Derek replied with a soft smile of his own, but wasn’t able to keep his eyes on Stiles. A second later though, he was frowning in confusion at the man when Stiles held a nearly horrified look in his eyes and started apologizing.  

“Oh my gods, Derek, I’m so sorry.” Stiles said, looking almost grief-stricken.  

“What? St-Stiles, what’s wrong?” Derek asked, taking a step forward and looking genuinely worried, but having no idea what had upset Stiles so suddenly.  

“You’re their Alpha... right?” Stiles asked, which just confused Derek even more, but he still gave Stiles a nod.  

“Yeah, but-”  

“You,” started Stiles, interrupting Derek before he swallowed hard and looking like he hated himself right now, said, “probably were going to do something like that for them. Weren’t you.” he said, rather than asked, already knowing that was something Derek would definitely do for members of his pack. Because that’s just the kind of guy he was.  

Once he’d thought about it, Stiles figured Derek was probably planning something amazing for them and was just waiting to surprise them. And here comes Stiles out of the blue after seven fucking years, swooping in to give them the very gift their Alpha was about to and taking that pleasure from him. He knew it meant a great deal to Derek to be able to do things like that for his pack. And he’d just taken that from the man.  

Stiles fucking hated himself right now.  

However, Derek didn’t look like he hated Stiles at all right now. In fact, he looked even more worried, taking several steps closer to Stiles as he shook his head and said, “No, no, Stiles, it’s okay. Really. I mean, yes,” he said as an afterthought and absent wave of his hand, “I was planning on doing something like that for them. But really, it’s fine.” Derek hurried the last part, seeing that Stiles looked like he wanted to punch himself.  

“Honestly, Stiles.” Derek added as he stepped even closer and was only a couple feet away now. He started to reach for the man, but then clenched his fist and drew it back to his side, “Really, all this means is that I can give them the Honeymoon of their dreams now. So, in a way, this works out great.”  

Derek gave Stiles another smile, but the man looked to be having trouble returning it to the alpha. Eventually though, he did manage to give the gorgeous wolf a smile, albeit one that showed he was still internally punching himself for not thinking things through before he gave his gift to Erica and Boyd.  

They settled into an uncomfortable silence again for some moments, though it wasn’t quite as bad this time. But eventually Stiles gave himself another internal slap before he asked, “So, True Alpha now. That’s awesome. I’m really happy for you, Derek.” Stiles said with a smile, doing his best to keep his eyes on wolf, but finding it rather difficult.  

“Thanks.” Derek said with another shy smile, also finding it hard to keep his eyes on Stiles, “It was more than a bit of a shock, that’s for sure. Deaton was floored, I’d never seen the man so surprised. I thought it was some kind of fluke or something, maybe something was wrong with me....” he said, his voice trailing off as he tried to illustrate his confusion on the incredible matter of his sudden elevation to True Alpha status.  

“Why?” Stiles couldn’t help asking, his look turning concerned.  

“Well, because,” Derek started to answer, looking more nervous now, “After what we had learned about them because of Scott... I don’t know, I guess-” He stopped suddenly when he looked back and saw the dark stare on Stiles’ face, and felt a shiver run down his spine.  

“Why, because Scott’s so fuckin’ perfect? Tell me that wasn’t your thought process, Derek. That you thought you didn’t deserve to be one?” Stiles asked, his face and voice tinged with anger and Derek just looked uncomfortable. Stiles sighed, lowered his head and massaged his temple.  

“I’m sorry.” he said and looked back up at Derek, “But honestly, do you want to know what my reaction was when I’d heard you had become a True Alpha?” Stiles asked and Derek looked him over quickly.  

Before the man could say anything though, Stiles answered, “Incredible joy, and pride. I’d never been so happy for you before, to find out you had achieved something so amazing, Derek. There wasn’t a question in my mind that you deserved it. Nobody that knows you, should have been surprised. I certainly wasn’t. Still not.” Stiles kept a steady gaze on Derek who was trying and failing to meet Stiles’ gaze.  

Finally, Stiles took a deep breath and gave another sigh, sounding defeated as he shook his head, “You’ve always been amazing Derek. Maybe not to everyone, but to me? Yes. You’re one of the most courageous and honorable people I’ve ever known. I can see it in you, even if you can’t see it yourself.” Derek had blinked wide eyes up at Stiles as he spoke, his gaze telling Stiles that he wasn’t letting himself believe what he was hearing was true and felt a painful ache in his chest at the sight.  

So, instead of letting Derek respond, Stiles turned and started to leave. Derek called for him and Stiles stopped, but didn’t turn back around, “It’s been a very long day for us, Der, and I need some rest. If you would like to talk some more in the future, you and your pack will always be welcome at our place. Just ask Deaton and he can tell you how to find us.”  

Derek tried to call after Stiles, but he ignored the wolf and kept walking forward. He could feel his control slipping, an undercurrent of rage rising quickly, and he knew he needed to get back to their penthouse soon or Beacon Hills would be facing a lot more destruction than a simple warehouse roof.  

Stiles stalked past Mika enjoying some serious scratches from Isaac, but the large cat immediately perked up as it sensed how tense Stiles was. In a quick burst of iridescent white flames that freaked Isaac more than a little, the large sabertooth was soon bounding after Stiles in its domestic cat form. Isaac tried to call for Stiles’ attention as well but didn’t get any response.  

Stiles gave an urgent tug on the Clan bonds, letting the others know something was up and headed for the group that had gathered outside to see off the deceased with their leaders. Once outside, the others caught a glimpse of Stiles, shooting concerned and questioning gazes his way, but he gave a simple and final, “We’re going.”  

He completely ignored the other leaders as they tried to get his attention, much to their obvious annoyance, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He had a much more pressing matter to deal with.  

The others could feel that Stiles was barely hanging on by a thread right now, so they quickly bade goodbye to the rest and gave out some quick apologies.  

He heard a couple concerned shouts of his name, but continued to ignore them, instead snapping his fingers and forming a teleportation circle back to their penthouse; a large glowing black circle with archaic markings and runic symbols appearing some meters ahead of them.  

The others shared a severe look, realizing it must have been worse than they realized. Their group technically had free use of port circles for themselves, whenever and wherever they needed so long as they didn’t misuse it.  

However, as a general rule, they typically refrained from advertising their freedom with such a heavily restricted mode of transportation to avoid too much attention and notice. But apparently, whatever was bugging Stiles was severe enough that he didn’t care at the moment.  

The group stepped into the large circle, bidding one last goodbye to the familiar faces gathered outside the building, then in a quick flash, they were gone and back in the penthouse.  

A quick flash in the living room of the penthouse alerted Marin and Noah to their sudden arrival. They took the group in with concern, and were about to ask why they had arrived in such a manner, but were stopped when the others tried to ask Stiles some questions, but were cut off by a single raised hand from him as he sped quickly for the sparring area he’d set up earlier.  

Stiles crossed into the area, a white border illuminating a second later before a transparent barrier began to rise and connect with the ceiling.  

The others hurried over and stopped several feet away, still trying to get his attention and find out what had upset him so much, but they each took a nervous step back when a thick and violent black aura swirled around his body before exploding outward viciously, slamming into every surface contained within barrier and causing countless cracks to appear, not just on the barrier but the ground and ceiling too.  

They each jumped in surprise, not having seen Stiles this unbalanced in a while. He put a hand up to the inside of the barrier and they watched a thick flood of aura flowing into the translucent surface a second later, repairing all the cracks in seconds.  

Noah stepped up and placed a hand on the other side of the barrier, right over Stiles’ hand, “Son?” he asked calmly, his gaze soft and concerned while his tone was filled with love and care, wanting to do anything he could to help.  

Stiles turned to barely look at him, his gaze full of rage, while his body practically trembled, “Strengthen the barrier, dad.”  

Noah nodded as Stiles turned his head, looking back down at the floor, but kept his hand on the barrier, right behind his dad’s. He felt like it helped him to maintain a grip, albeit small and slipping.  

He could feel Noah tapping into his aura to help fortify the barrier and keep Stiles’ dangerous aura from hurting anyone. He knew if he looked up, he’d see the amazing molten gold that would be shining through his dad’s eyes as a brilliant and warm light, full of love, care and protection would flow gently over the barrier.  

The admiration and love he held for his dad was second to none. He was the most important person in the world to Stiles. And when Noah had become an Arcane, that admiration only grew. He studied, practiced and laughed with his dad day and night as they worked to make him into the best Arcane he could possibly be.  

The first time he felt and saw his dad’s aura, Stiles actually cried. Not because he was sad, or overjoyed, which he’d definitely been happy of course, but because of what Noah’s aura actually felt like.  

Part of the purpose of an aura, or one of its traits, is the physical representation and manifestation of essence, though they can still be used separately. Essence is the main driving force behind almost all work an Arcane does; powering spells, rituals, wards and so on, while aura is often more of an enhancing energy, or a way to quickly and physically affect the world around them instead of altering it in some way as essence would let them do.  

The color and feeling an aura gives off are derived from the nature and traits of their essence, which comes from their spirit, or core. Meaning, the feelings flowing from a person’s aura can essentially tell you who they are as a person, at the very core of their being. And despite countless efforts over the years, no method has been discovered that can mask or shield this effect.  

The incredible care, love, protection, warmth and comfort flowing from his dad’s aura, had literally caused Stiles’ legs to give out, and he wept.  

Wept because his dad had been stuck raising such a difficult and stressful child. Wept because after he’d lost the love of his life, his dad had to put his own happiness on hold to take care of his son. Wept because despite the challenges of raising a child with issues like his as a single father and Sherriff of a city, and no doubt been caused countless headaches because of Stiles, he’d continued to stand at his side and love and care for him any way he could. But most of all, he wept because the feelings of Noah’s aura were almost polar opposite to his own.  

Just as people can grow and change, so too will the feelings derived from someone’s aura over the years. Also, it won’t just be one simple set of emotions flowing, but layers rather. As no one person could be described with a handful of emotions; the more and better you get to know a person, the deeper you delve into who they are. But an aura acts as a window into the soul, showing their basest feelings and descriptions. Completely unfiltered.  

The primary layer of feelings will give you a glimpse at their core, while the underlying mixtures will tell you about their common nature and traits.  

Whereas Noah was good, kind, loving, comforting and protective, Stiles was everything but.  

He was rage. He was pain and suffering. He was consumed by betrayal. And he thirsted for chaos, destruction, power and death.  

Stiles begged and pleaded to any and all gods that might deign to lend an ear, wondering how the fuck he could possibly deserve such a father. But most of all, why his dad had to be stuck with such a fuck up of a son.  

He had always known his dad was a great man and he was a screw up of a son, always causing the man problems and headaches. Always known the man deserved a better son. But to have it thrown in his face like that, literally shown how utterly opposite they were made him feel completely worthless and like someone was ripping his guts out.  

Even now, years later though his aura had changed quite drastically since forming his Clan, his dad still shone like the sun, warm and protecting, while he was like the deepest and darkest parts of the ocean. Heavy, oppressive, crushing and monstrous.  

“Son.” Noah said as he finished fortifying the barrier as best he could, “Stiles, please . Talk to me. What happened?”  

“He,” Stiles started, his voice low with the smallest shake in it as the final grip on the storm of emotions raging in him was falling off, “didn’t believe me.”  

The swirl of black aura soon sputtered out, strings and tendrils of aura falling to the floor or against the barrier before fading to nothing. An eerie calm settled in the area behind the barrier, the group outside watching with apprehension as a thin wave of black aura slowly began to creep up his body, thin strings of aura lifting from the waves and swirling off into nothing once more.  

Stiles lifted his palm from the barrier, but kept his fingertips in place, eyes still staring at the ground as he said in a low voice, “As if I could.” He finally removed his hand, letting it drop to his side as he took a step back, and numbly walked backwards toward the center of the enclosed area.  

“As if I would.” He kept walking, only stopping when he reached the center, his eyes still trained on the ground.  

“As if,” The floor began to shake lightly, and they could feel the trembles racing through the building to its foundation several floors below.  

“I,” The air felt heavy, the pressure increasing by the second as they felt like they were plunged deeper and deeper into the ocean.  

“Could ever, ” Cracks appeared through the barrier and along the ceiling and floor as the weight of Stiles’ presence filled the room. The weight doubling, tripling then quadrupling as Stiles fully relented control. Lydia could be seen tapping into her shift and shielding the group with her own presence, as she was the only one strong enough to stand his without too much difficulty. Though any prolonged stand-off would ultimately result in Stiles’ victory, so they really hoped he could work through this issue sooner rather than later.  

“ Lie to him. ” He said with a snarl, finally looking up and displaying a set of pitch-black eyes flecked with countless blinking stars in their depths, like the personification of night sky itself staring back at them.  

He disappeared in a blink, an instant later a thunderous boom rang out as he slammed a fist into the barrier, causing the entire building to shake like it was experiencing a quake, “As if I would lie to him!” He shouted before sending another shaking boom through the building, dozens of cracks appearing over the barrier, but Noah’s specialty with barriers lived up to the hype, and almost as soon as the cracks appeared, they started healing.  

Noah turned an incredulous look to the others, “All this because Derek didn’t believe him over something?!”  

“Of course not.” Lydia answered before wincing from a spike of pressure, but otherwise was fine, though the same couldn’t be said of the foundations of the building which had to continually repair itself.  

“It’s more like a culmination of things.” She added at the desperate look from Noah, “He was already feeling pretty down when we got the news we were going to be coming back here. Then, the first thing we have to do when we get here is save Scott of all people. Then, right after that, he sees Derek for the first time in seven years, and Derek doesn’t believe him when he tells him something. And you know better than any of us how Stiles felt when he had to leave Derek behind. So, yeah, he’s a bit unstable at the moment.” She winced again from another spike, giving a wide-eyed huff a second later.  

“Well, I suppose that,” Noah winced heavily as a large spiderweb of cracks appeared from Stiles’ last hit, but the barrier still held, “Makes a little more sense, but still. This seems a bit excessive if you ask me.” he said, sending a very worried glance to his son.  

“Remember,” Marin spoke up and to her credit, managed to look almost completely calm, but couldn’t stop the occasional squint when Stiles would crack the barrier, “Stiles’ powers aren’t as well balanced as they should be and often are for Dupli and Terni. He has to work to maintain a balance between them himself. Because of that, he’s worked extremely hard to perfect control over his body, mind and emotions. When something comes along and upsets that balance, he works to vent it and regain control.”  

This bit of news actually made Noah look even more worried, “Does this happen often?!” He asked looking questioningly from Marin to the others.  

“No,” Answered Jordan, placing a hand on Lydia’s shoulder when she gave a particularly sharp wince, “Well, not for a while now at least. It’s been a few years since he’s had to have a good vent like this. Normally he just spars with each of us for a bit until he calms down.”  

“Kicks our asses you mean.” added Jackson with a flat look to Jordan, getting a smirk out of the others.  

“Yeah, but it keeps us on our toes, and I certainly don’t mind the training and practice.” Said Peter, receiving a doubtful look from Jackson.  

“Really, babe? I think you would complain the most. I mean, he really beats your ass.” said Jackson, looking like he was wondering if Peter had a screw loose. Jordan and Lydia were chuckling and even Marin had a small smile as she listened to them.  

Peter looked to be dealing with some unseen pain as he relived his recent spar with Stiles, “I like to think of it as... character building.”  

Jackson looked at him for a few seconds like he couldn’t believe what he just heard, “It’s callous building if anything.” He said, and Jordan laughed even louder while Lydia was scrunching her lips to keep from doing the same. She looked to be having an easier time keeping them protected, which meant Stiles was finally winding down.  

“I mean, he rams your head into the ground so many times. The first time I saw you guys sparring, I thought he was actually trying to kill you.” Jackson said, looking like he was trying to get Peter to realize he was being bullied.  

“Oh, he hasn’t tried that in ages.” Peter said, trying to wave off the concern, which completely backfired as Jackson now had a horrified expression, apparently not having been privy to this bit of information.  

“He tried to kill you?!” Jackson asked, almost frantic.  

“You’re forgetting, Jackson,” Lydia said, seeing that she needed to interrupt before things took a wrong turn and details were sent askew.  

“Peter wasn’t exactly the nicest guy in the past.” She said, then turned to Peter for a moment and added, “Nothing against you now, Peter, you’ve become a wonderful man, and we’re very grateful to have you.” he only got the chance to nod his thanks before she turned back to Jackson, “But in the past, he was a complete dick.”  

Peter deflated a bit at this, but otherwise didn’t comment, knowing it was true, “Don’t forget, he made me think I was going crazy for a bit and used me to revive himself, amongst many other and much more dubious things.” Lydia added.  

“Right.” Said Jackson, apparently having forgotten about all those pesky little details.  

“I believe it was his treatment of Derek in particular, that pretty much sealed his fate with Stiles. So, when we encountered him about a year after leaving here, Stiles gave him two options: Submit and agree to a condition to come aboard... or die.” Jackson watched carefully as Lydia explained some things he hadn’t been able to bring himself to ask Peter about yet.  

Peter held his gaze for a few seconds before looking to the floor, and Jackson felt his heart squeeze a bit, he kept his eyes on Peter as he asked, “What was the condition?”  

“Apologize to Derek,” She said after a second, “And mean it. To be the family Derek needs and deserves out of him. He also had to swear fealty to Stiles.” She added the last bit as a kind of afterthought, and Jackson turned an arched brow to her in response.  

“Fealty? Swear fealty?” Jackson asked, not quite believing he heard her right. Peter looked back up at him.  

“You see, love? I am literally incapable of going against Stiles’ wishes. Not that I would, honestly. Everything I have now, everything I am , is because of that day and as you put it, him ramming my face into the ground...” Peter got a kind of pained faraway look in his eye before he cleared his throat and added, “Over, and over.”  

“Oh, he beat you so bad.” Said Lydia, also looking a bit pained, “There was so , much blood.” she added with a wince.  

“At one point, we actually thought you were dead.” said Jordan, chewing on his lips as he looked to be intently reminiscing that moment.  

“But the point is,” Peter said after taking a deep breath, “I truly deserved what happened. I was driven by a lust for power; a singular mindset, with the drive and determination to do whatever was necessary to obtain that power, no matter the cost.  

“I used and manipulated people, even family, to get what I wanted. Even before the fire, though admittedly, not quite as bad. My crimes were many, varied and even depraved at times. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that many believed me – including myself – to be irredeemable. In fact, I’m almost certain that the only reason Stiles didn’t kill me, was because he didn’t want to hurt my nephew by taking yet another family member from him. So, it appears I also owe Derek my life.”  

“Make sure to tell him that.”  

The group all quickly turned to see Stiles stepping out of the sparring area, looking haggard and ready to fall over, “And you’re completely right. I would have killed you that day, if I didn’t care for Derek as much as I do. Just as I could never hurt Melissa by killing Scott, I’d rather die than hurt Derek like that.”  

Peter tried to smile but couldn’t quite make it stick and found his eyes wandering to the floor yet again, only to bring them back up a moment later when Stiles stepped forward tiredly and placed a hand on his shoulder.  

“Yes, Pete. You were, quite frankly, a monster before. And I won’t pretend otherwise, none of us will. However, neither will I deny everything you have done to get to where you are now. You’re a trusted and valued member of this Clan. You have worked to become a better person and make up for your mistakes. You have earned my trust, and I’m happy to have you watching my back.” Stiles said.  

A small happy smile lifted Peter’s lips as Stiles gave him rare praise. It wasn’t uncommon for Stiles to praise any of them, but it was rare for him to do it in so many words, as he was typically the kind to show his praise, rather than tell. Jackson had a bright smile, happy beyond words to hear how hard Peter had worked to change himself for the better and become the man he was falling for.  

“Now don’t fuck it up.” Stiles added, pointing at him and grinning, causing the others to grin, chuckle or laugh.  

“And on that sappy fucking note, I’m gonna go drink until I pass out.” Stiles said and turned, walking to the table and grabbing the bottle of whiskey which was now only a little more than half full. Apparently, Noah had been nursing it while they were away.  

“Stiles.” His dad called, making him stop and turn as Noah walked up to him, the others now talking quietly to themselves, knowing this to be the typical routine for him any time he’d had to vent. His nerves and emotions would be severely frayed and worked up after the venting, which the alcohol would help to ease as he finally fell to sleep.  

“Look son, I...” Noah started, then took another breath before continuing, “I’m sorry, that things happened how they did. Both with before and now.” He said, and Stiles knew he was referring to when they had to leave Beacon Hills.  

“You have no idea, how much I wish things could have gone differently. Nothing, and I mean nothing , is more important to me than your health and happiness. It made me really happy, to see you getting closer to Derek and how happy he made you, and...” But before he could continue, a wide-eyed Stiles was interrupting him and waving the bottle and pointing at it.  

“Oh gods no, dad, please. I promise, this isn’t what it looks like. I’m not trying to drown my sorrows in a bottle or something like that.” He said, sounding a bit frantic, and Noah was more than a little curious to see that many of Stiles’ old quirks: certain ticks and fidgeting had returned, the man hardly being able to stand still.  

“Um, basically, short answer, venting,” Stiles said, as he scratched his head then started messing with the hem of the tank top as he motioned with his other hand to the sparring area, “Helps to balance out my control again, but in the process kind of frays my emotions and nerves. So, at the moment I kind of feel like a livewire, and this,” He said and lifted the bottle, “Works to help sooth that all out so I can get to sleep faster and heal up properly.”  

“Huh.” Was all Noah said in reply, his brows scrunched as he stared at the bottle.  

“Also,” Stiles said, and Noah looked up from the bottle, “Because my emotions are so zapped right now, if you get sappy on me, I will bawl like a fucking baby. Fair warning.”  

Noah started laughing at that, “Alright, alright.” He said between chuckles, holding a hand up in surrender, “Just, so long as I don’t have to worry about you picking up some of my old bad habits, I’m good.” And was pleased to get a happy nod from Stiles in return.  

Noah then reached and pulled Stiles into a hug, “I love you son.” He said and rubbed at Stiles’ back for a second but then stopped, his brows meeting in confusion when he heard a choked and muffled cry. He pulled back quickly, his face turning incredulous when he saw tears welling in Stiles’ face as he was visibly trying to keep himself from crying.  

“Seriously?! Just from that?” He asked, and Stiles nodded his head a few times.  

“I told you. Love you too, dad.” Stiles said shakily as he turned away and tried his best to keep the tears back, but ultimately failed and sniffled as he wiped at his eyes.  

A groan had Noah turning to see a pained expression on Jackson’s face as he lolled his head back, “Dammit.” He said and drew out the word before stomping towards the kitchen.  

“What are you doing?” Asked Lydia. And Noah looked away as his attention was drawn to Mika, pawing for Noah to pick him up, which he complied with of course, then started wandering to the kitchen himself.  

Marin bade everyone a goodnight, which they all returned, glancing quickly at the bedroom door Stiles shut before Jackson finally said, “What do you think?” As he reached the freezer, “I’m going to see if it’s possible to drown myself in Rocky Road, while I wait for Mr. Sunshine to pass out.”  

Noah figured he must have looked as curious and confused as he felt, and Lydia looked like she was about to give him an explanation, but soon everyone was passing quick glances to a number of unusual and glowing creatures appearing around them.  

First, a hulking white tiger with pearly blue flames rippling down its spine. Followed soon after by a black wolf with metallic blue eyes, sapphire blue fangs and claws and an occasional arc of icy-blue lightning would jump over its body.  

Next came another wolflike creature, most of its body covered in white flames, with crimson flames over its ears and the tip of its tail, and possessed slitted bloodred eyes. And finally, an incredible bird, larger than an eagle appeared, covered in deep crimson feathers gilded in a shimmering gold. Gold and red flames flickering from its tailfeathers and wings as it lazily kept itself airborne.  

The next second after these incredible creatures appeared, each of them glowed brightly for a moment before their bodies seemed to shrink and revert to their adolescent forms. The four incredible beasts, now in their much smaller forms paid Noah and the others no mind, instead collectively making their way towards the living room, Mika hopping out of Noah’s arms a second later to scamper after the beasts.   

 This wasn’t the first time Noah had witnessed the manifestation of a Shifter’s beast spirit, even for Stiles’ Clan members, but this was the first time he’d seen so many appear at once. Though, considering how amazing each of their beasts were, he doubted he’d ever be able to take in their appearances without feeling at least a little dazed.  

When he turned his gaze back to Lydia, giving his head a little shake, she gave him a knowing smile in return and said with a motion to the spirits, “They don’t like to stick around during moments like this.”  

When Noah just gave her a confused and questioning tilt of his head, she added, “It’s our bond. Part of it is emotional. And when those emotions get a bit,” She stopped and John saw her clench her jaw and swallow hard before she continued, “ Strong , or chaotic, it can kind of spill over and affect the others.”  

“Shit, I’m sorry.” Noah said, looking highly apologetic that his simple hug with his son was apparently causing them all some emotional turbulence.  

“It’s fine, we’ll survive.” she said, waving off his concern. A second later she got a gleam in her eyes as she turned to Jackson who had pulled out a large tub of actual Rocky Road ice cream and was scooping out huge chunks into a large bowl for himself, a spoon already placed in his mouth.  

“You know Jackson, I think watching The Notebook could help.” she said and grinned. Jackson immediately froze, then slowly looked up to meet her gaze, pulling the spoon out a moment later and swallowing his bite.  

“Sure Lydia,” He finally answered, a grin slowly spreading on his face and causing hers to drop, “And after that, we can watch Marley & Me.”  

Lydia’s face turned instantly stunned before shifting to outrage, “You wouldn’t.”  

“Try me.” he said and pointed his spoon at her like a sword, then looked down and glanced between his bowl and the large bucket like he was trying to determine if he could get away with just taking the bucket.  

Peter decided for him, grabbing the large bowl and placing it in his hands, “I promise dear, the bowl will be enough.”  

Jackson didn’t seem too happy about being denied the bucket, but just placed the spoon back in his mouth then grabbed Peter’s hand with his free one before tugging him to their room, grumbling around the spoon the whole way.  

“Goodnight,” Peter called over his shoulder with a grin, “It was nice seeing you again Noah.”  

“You too, Peter. Goodnight.” He called back before the bedroom door was shut. He had a look on his face that said he was still trying to figure out how that paring had happened, but then just shrugged as they appeared truly happy and that was all that mattered to him.  

“Well, I suppose I better get going. It is pretty late now after all.” Noah said a moment later.  

“Thanks, by the way, for helping out and looking after Stiles.” He said, then added, “Both of you. Honestly, I don’t think I can ever thank you two enough.”  

Neither said anything in response, both just stepping forward with a smile, and gave him a tight hug. When he pulled back, he was blinking rather rapidly and clearing his throat, “Well, I suppose I should get going before I start to break down like my sappy son. I’d never hear the end of it.” He said and grinned.  

They shared in his grin, Lydia leaning back against Jordan who wrapped her in a light hug, and she placed her hands on his arms, “Goodnight Noah. This goes without saying, but you’re always welcome anytime.” Lydia said.  

Noah nodded at her, then gave a nod to Jordan, “Goodnight Noah.” He said with a smile. And with that, the ex-sheriff left.  

The two stood in the kitchen, enjoying each other’s presence before Lydia turned to look at the bucket of ice cream, “You know, I think some Rocky Road does actually sound good.”  

Jordan leaned down and gave her a sideways smirk, “Think we should take the whole bucket?”  

A slow grin spread across her face before she nodded.  

They soon were hurrying off to their room with the large bucket of Rocky Road in tow, feeling giddy at the horrified and betrayed look Jackson would have if he came out to get seconds and found the bucket missing.  

Though they knew Peter would likely be keeping Jackson very preoccupied.  

Back in their room, they settled on the bed, the large bucket of ice cream set between them as Lydia grabbed the remote for their tv and pulled up The Notebook from their recordings. Jordan sighed and shook his head, but just smiled at Lydia when she turned a challenging brow to him.  

“I love you.” Was all he said, bringing a warm smile to her own lips.  

“I love you too.” She said before they shared a kiss, settling down a moment later and snuggling in for the movie.  

Chapter Text

The morning came, light filtering in on a rousing Stiles stretching himself awake, blanket and sheets long since discarded during the night, revealing him in only a pair of boxer briefs. He lumbered out of bed, stretching some more and cracking several bones. He soon found his favorite pair of pajama pants; Star Wars themed with little heads of Baby Yoda placed all over.  

He decided to forgo any shirt, focusing instead on attending to his caffeine addiction. He grabbed the empty whiskey bottle and left his room. Stiles squinted at the bright light streaming into the place and took note of the others already up and about, though not beating him by too large a margin considering the coffee was just now being distributed while Jordan and Peter were busying themselves, getting breakfast ready.  

Stiles tossed the bottle in the bin before gladly accepting the steaming mug offered by Lydia, “Bless you.” Stiles said with a look like the mug was a true godsend and Lydia just shook her head and grinned before taking a drink from her own mug.  

“How are you feeling?” She asked as they wandered over to the large mahogany table, joining Jackson who looked up from a holo screen ejecting from the table, displaying the morning news.  

“Morning.” He said, and Stiles nodded back before taking a seat next to him, Lydia sitting across from them, the screen disappearing back into the table with a double tap on the surface.  

“Definitely feeling a lot better. Sorry about that, by the way. I honestly have no idea why that freaked me out so much. I just, hope you didn’t have to struggle too much.” he said, looking into his coffee as he cupped it with both hands, concern etched into his face.  

“Hey man, look,” Jackson said, placing a hand on his shoulder, Stiles turning to meet his gaze, “We’re fine. See? You should have some more faith in us, we may not all have your monstrous aura and presence, but we’re no slouches you know.”  

Stiles looked concerned at this, “No, that... that’s not... I-I know, I just...” He turned and stared back into his coffee, taking a deep breath and said, “I just, hate for you guys to have to endure my pressure under any circumstances. Even more so over something so fucking pathetic. It’s one of the reasons I’ve worked so hard at control. Put on a brave face all you want,” He looked up and met Lydia’s steady eyes, “But I know , how difficult it is. And I’m sorry.”  

He felt the others all tense, but no one disputed this as it was true. He had no actual way of holding in his presence like the others could, so he used runic tattoos to do it for him and they came with the added benefit of hiding his presence entirely unless he lost complete control or wanted others to feel his presence.  

When he did fully let go, any supernaturals ranked at second tier would be in danger of blacking out in seconds. Third and fourth tier supernaturals would face some type of strain on their minds, bodies and energy as well as blacking out. This strain would cause their powers and abilities to behave strangely and erratically for the next day or so. And those at fifth tier would face all the previous but would find themselves lying unconscious for a couple days or so.  

These effects weren’t unique to Stiles though, as anybody with a stronger presence could cause adverse effects in those weaker than them if they flexed and displayed their presence. They could also change how strongly their presence was felt, simply displaying the depth without adding the pressure. And that’s where Stiles differed, as he couldn’t dictate how his presence was displayed, instead the full depth and pressure being displayed at all times.  

So, Stiles relied on the tattoos to help him do what he couldn’t do himself. The downside to using them was that if he became too unbalanced or overly emotional, the tattoos would essentially short-circuit temporarily, displaying his presence for all to feel.  

Even though first tier supernaturals had a much easier time dealing with presence at their levels, Stiles’ was still particularly prickly to deal with compared to many others, and even amongst first tiers, he had an unusual amount of aura from his Arcane side, making him more than a bit of an enigma.  

All in all, Stiles was very grateful for and relied on Lydia’s strength and power to help keep him in line, so he didn’t accidentally harm others if he slipped up. He knew his unchecked presence was dangerous and that she was crucial to preventing the worst-case scenario.  

Lydia held his gaze for a moment, emerald eyes steady and serious. She leaned across the table and grabbed one of Stiles’ hands. A few seconds later she said, “Stiles... Shut up and drink your coffee.”  

He blinked at her a few times and Jackson snickered, “Look, believe it or not, we understand perfectly well how dangerous your pressure is if unchecked. Alright? We’re not putting on a brave face, or pretending that it’s anything other than what it is. You know, I know, we all know the danger it presents, but we accept it.”  

“Yeah, bud.” Jackson added and placed his arm to rest across Stiles’ shoulders, “We’ve grown with it, just as we’ve grown as a Clan. And we’ve long since come to accept it as just another of your many, many quirks.” Jackson grinned at the glare from Stiles, before he shook his head with an eye roll, then poked Jackson in the side making the man jump in his seat.  

Lydia grinned at them and pulled her hand back, sitting back in her chair, “Now stop moping, it’s too early, and you’re going to sour the delicious breakfast our lovely chefs have prepared for us this morning.”  

Stiles perked up at this, as his stomach had been quietly growling while the place had filled with decadent smells of bacon, honey glazed ham, hashbrowns, omelets, and French toast. Once the food was ready, they each helped with setting the table before finally digging in.  

Halfway through breakfast, the orb for Jarvis’ clone hovered over and stopped by Stiles, “Good morning, sir. I wanted to inform you your replacement suppression ring is finally ready. Would you like to receive it now, or wait until breakfast is finished?”  

“Good morning, Jarvis. And I’ll go ahead and take it now, thanks.” Stiles replied, and held out an open hand, the others looking up to see a small port circle appear above his palm before an odd looking blue and silver ring appeared and dropped lightly into his palm.  

“The Forger asked me to apologize for the delay. They said it took longer than expected to find the materials necessary to ensure proper durability for you, but hopes you’ll be satisfied with the comfort and strength of the ring, and to let them know if there’s anything you would like changed about it.” Jarvis informed him as Stiles placed the ring on his finger and started checking it out.  

“And all the normal features are included right? What about the new requests I made?” he asked as he tested the ring’s durability with a few very precise but very powerful spells and was pleased to see it hold up.  

“All normal and additional features are in place, per your request. The ring should also tie in with your runes to provide an extra layer of containment for your presence.”  

“Awesome. Seems to be working perfectly. You can send the rest of the payment now and include an extra twenty percent for a job well done. Tell her it’s perfect and send her my thanks.” Stiles said as he admired the ring.  

“Of course, sir.”  

“How are you doing this morning, Jarvis?” Lydia asked with a smile to the orb. The object bobbed a bit before responding merrily.  

“Splendid madam. And how’s your morning going?”  

“It’s going great, thanks.” She said with a smile, “I just want you to know, you’re a really great help around here, and we really appreciate all you do.”  

“Why thank you madam, you’re very kind. Please let me know if you need anything.” Jarvis replied, its glow shining a bit more brightly than normal before he hovered off.  

“What?” She asked when she turned back and saw Stiles staring at her, amused and shaking his head, “There’s nothing wrong with letting Jarvis know that he’s appreciated.”  

“Oh, of course not.” Stiles replied teasingly and Lydia just rolled her eyes at him as she smeared jam on her toast.  

“Honestly, I don’t know why you bother with suppression accessories at all, considering your runes work just as well.” She said in reference to the ring he’d just gotten.  

“Simple,” He answered as he worked at his French toast, “Why use runes, which still rely on my power to make them work, when an object can work just as well, and give me more freedom.”  

Lydia hummed and nodded in acknowledgement, “Well, let me know how it works out for you, we’ve been needing to get some repairs for our accessories for a while. I held off when you mentioned finding a gem. If she’s as good as you hoped, then we’ll definitely go through her for future needs.”  

“Will do,” He said, as he looked down at the ring on his middle finger, spinning it around with his thumb, “Though, I think I can already attest to the quality and durability. I’ve already tested out some small but powerful spells on it. Think she really is a gem; a Forger and an Enchanter. Rare to find people that can excel at both, but it looks like she’s the real deal.”  

Stiles took a bite of his French toast, Jackson speaking up right after and sounded speculative as he asked, “Is that really the design you picked?”  

Stiles stopped chewing and slowly turned to look at Jackson, then started slowly chewing again, his eyes saying, ‘Really’?  

His ring was a mixture of blue and silver with a Damascus steel design, and he personally thought it was really cool, which is of course, why he picked it. And how dare pretty boy Jackson critique his awesome ring.  

Suppression accessories and devices were objects used by supernaturals to help suppress their enhanced senses. After The Awakening, one of the problems to be addressed – though admittedly at a later date than the much more pressing concerns – was the new privacy issue. With most people now able to see, hear, smell and generally sense things better, it was no longer just technology that people feared being used to spy on them.  

To help with this, a fairly simple fix was developed. Suppression accessories were quickly developed and manufactured en masse. The first generation were distributed free of charge to most people throughout the world. In the U.S. it quickly became a mandate and requirement to constantly wear a suppression accessory or device when in public and for most jobs.  

Nowadays, it was considered extremely rude to not use any type of suppression, notwithstanding certain situations of course.  

These objects helped to reduce the reach of a supernaturals enhanced senses, essentially rendering them only slightly better than a mundane’s.  

This change was one of the most influential in helping society make large strides towards reclaiming a semblance of normalcy. Which is why being seen without one of the common objects would make you an instant pariah.  

Later generations of the accessories could do much more than just suppress your senses, but were considered luxuries and very pricy, so most just stuck with the regular objects.  

As people in general grew more accustomed with the new way of life and more comfortable with their new senses, constantly wearing a suppression accessory became proper etiquette and common courtesy in public and at certain venues. However, a lax in the requirement could be seen growing in popularity with more relaxed venues, and some jobs had started taking polls on the popularity of the objects in the workplace and tossing out the requirement altogether if enough voted to do so.  

Stiles tended to be rather hard on the objects and had destroyed a number of them so far. So, he had finally decided to get a custom accessory made, one that would be much more durable. And he figured he might as well get all the bells and whistles while he was at it if he was going to pay the ridiculous price that came with custom work.  

During his search for a place that could make what he was looking for, Marin had mentioned a friend of hers had recently encountered a Forger that also proclaimed to have exceptional skill with enchantments. Developing decent skill in either of these trades individually was already proving difficult, to have good skill with both was practically unheard of so far, so naturally Stiles, like so many others, was very suspicious. Which explained why she hadn't made much of a name for herself yet.  

This ring was his first commission for Eris, and so far, he had to admit he couldn’t find any faults with the enchantments. And though he wasn’t a craftsman, he’d used and worn countless enchanted objects throughout his career so far, and the quality of the ring appeared superb in his eyes. He was most definitely impressed and decided in that moment he’d help Eris gain as much popularity and work as he could.  

Jackson just returned his stare before shaking his head and sighing, “Dude, if I didn’t know for a fact ,” He said, even speaking with his hands for extra emphasis, “That you are one of the biggest bottoms on the planet, I would seriously question if you were gay.”  

Stiles looked rather offended at this accusation, though not the dick part. Never the dick part.  

“Excuse you,” He said after swallowing his bite, “What does my ring have to do with my love of dick? And what the fuck makes you think I’m the ‘biggest bottom on the planet’?” He asked, adding air quotes over Jackson’s comment.  

“Because I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear anything other than some type of flannel, or something that makes you look like you walked right out of a bad old-gen police drama. And as for how I know you give a new definition to power bottom?” Jackson said and leaned forward.  

Stiles did his best to feign innocence and currently was looking everywhere but at Jackson, but made the mistake of glancing back at the man and couldn’t look away, doing his best not to laugh at the frustrated set in the man’s face, “Pick one of the many nights in the past when you got drunk for something other than venting. Why, Stiles?”  

At the questioning glance from Stiles, Jackson motioned to himself and said, “Why is it, when you get drunk, you decide that you just have to explain everything to me? In excruciating detail, by the way. Honestly man, it’s not the conversations that are the problem, you know I don’t mind the conversations. It’s how detailed you like to get. Like for instance, when you decided to give me an actual play-by-play of your first double penetration experience.”  

“Guys! I’m fucking eating sausage!” Jordan shouted almost frantically, wide-eyed and brandishing a half-eaten sausage link speared on his fork.  

Everyone else froze at varying levels of wide-eyed and barely contained laughter. Stiles was the first to break, snorting and soon after the table erupted into laughter.  

In a fit of tear inducing laughter, Stiles apologized to Jackson for oversharing and promised to cut down on the details, to which Jackson was immensely grateful. The two then teamed up and made an extra show of really enjoying the sausage, just to embarrass Jordan. At a glare from Lydia moments later though, they stopped their shenanigans.  

They knew Jordan had no problems with different sexualities and had even done a good deal of experimenting himself, but ultimately decided he preferred women. His deal was that he found it hard to be vocal or casual with intimate details and conversations. A fact that the others respected and only occasionally picked at for a bit of fun.  

With breakfast finished, they set to clearing the table and cleaning up. With that finished, Stiles was refilling his mug when he felt a tingle pass through his body. He froze, as did the others. They knew this tingle was visitors passing through the ward, which meant they had to have been given passage by Marin.  

“Who the fuck visits at this hour?” Asked a clearly confused Jackson, and honestly the others all agreed as it was barely past eight, though they had some speculations. They could of course pull up images on their visitors through Jarvis, but they didn’t feel the need, considering Marin wouldn’t give passage to anyone the group felt was unwelcome.  

Stiles debated going and grabbing a shirt, but when the elevator rose high enough, he picked up a number of familiar heartbeats, one in particular that he would recognize anywhere, having laid his head against that chest enough to memorize it. A small grin lifted his lips before he took another drink and leaned up against the counter of the bar. The kitchen was a little offset from the entrance to the penthouse, so he’d see their visitors as soon as they came through the door.  

In total, he sensed nine presences, which was quite the number for such an early visit and felt a shared intrigue from the others pass through the bond. They gathered nearby and waited to welcome the group.  

When the doors opened, and their visitors stepped through, a pair of hazel eyes searched through Stiles’ group and soon settled on him. However, they immediately shot wide as Derek started choking and Malia patted his back roughly to help him breathe again.  

Derek wasn’t the only one to take notice of his appearance; Erica of course not hesitating to say, “Fuck, Batman! Do you live at the gym or something?”  

Stiles just laughed and lifted his mug in greeting, “Good morning to you too Catwoman.” But his eyes had wandered to another set of wide eyes, which also held a tint of hunger.  

Isaac had licked his lips before biting lightly on the lower one. His eyes traveled up and he met Stiles’ gaze. Isaac’s eyes went even wider before he dropped his gaze down, but curiosity got the better of him and he looked back up a couple seconds later to meet Stiles knowing smirk, but his eyes were kind. Isaac smiled shyly back but found it hard to keep his gaze and set to checking out the penthouse, his eyes widening a second later for an entirely different reason now.  

Derek, Isaac, Cora, Erica, Boyd, Malia, Kira, Aiden and Ethan slowly began to filter into the bright penthouse. Common looks of surprise, shock and downright awe were stuck on their faces before they seemed to remember they had come to visit for a reason.  

“So, how are you all doing this fine morning? And to what do we owe this pleasure?” Stiles asked before taking another sip. His eyes naturally went back to Derek and one of his brows arched as it looked like Derek was trying not to laugh, his eyes aimed at what could only be Stiles’ Baby Yoda Star Wars pajama pants.  

“Got a problem with my pants big guy?” Stiles asked with a smirk as Derek shot a look up to him and appeared slightly embarrassed as he cleared his throat.  

“Uh, no.” He said and repressed a chuckle, but a grin was poking through, “It’s just, with how much you’ve changed, it’s nice to see that some things... didn’t.”  

Stiles’ brows met at that, then his gaze cut to Jackson who snorted before saying, “If you mean his truly awful fashion sense, yes, it’s alive and well. We actually just had a discussion about that earlier.”  

Stiles’ gaze flattened before he narrowed his eyes at the gorgeous Sourwolf who looked to be holding back even more chuckles, “Are you badmouthing Baby Yoda?”  

Derek held a hand up in surrender and actually started laughing now, “No, I just, it’s nice to see that... I just...”  

A sigh from Cora at his side drew Stiles’ attention as she patted Derek’s shoulder, “What my bumbling oaf of a lovable brother is trying to say, is that it’s nice to see that you’re still a dork. A very hot dork now, admittedly, but still the dork we remember and love.”  

“Thanks, I think.” Stiles laughed in response.  

“So, Stiles’ questionable fashion sense out of the way,” Lydia started, and Stiles threw a hand up in defeat, clearly not understanding what was so wrong with his sartorial choices, he thought they were cool dammit, “care to tell us the reason for the early visit? We don’t necessarily mind, especially if something happened.”  

There were a mixture of emotions displayed on their faces: embarrassment, annoyance, frustration and even a little sadness after Lydia asked why they came to visit, but no one spoke at first.  

Finally, Cora decided to take the first step, “It was my brother.” Derek turned a betrayed look her way and she just glared defiantly back, “Well it’s true. You kept us all up nearly all night, fretting over what could possibly have made Stiles act that way towards Scott. Especially after we tried to confront Scott, which got us absolutely fucking nowhere.”  

She turned from Derek to address Stiles and the others again, “Seeing as we were basically all up at the ass crack of dawn, we decided to come and visit before the summit. Though it was a struggle to get him to wait this long before coming over.”  

Derek was doing his best not to let his embarrassment show, while many of the others shot flat glares at his back, clearly not happy with getting so little sleep. Stiles looked contemplative, but apparently Jackson had been thinking along the same lines as him and asked before he could, “Did you guys have a sleepover at the loft or something? I didn’t think it had that much space.”  

“We actually rebuilt the house.” Isaac answered, stepping forward and placing an arm on Derek’s shoulder, then gave him an amused look, “It took a bit of convincing, but eventually he caved.” He turned to look back at the others and continued, “We completely cleared out the area, then worked to rebuild the house back to its former glory.”  

“Though it is a bit larger than it was before.” Added Cora, but she looked genuinely happy, sharing a warm smile with Derek.  

“That’s awesome.” Stiles said with a smile, “I’d love to come by and see it.”  

“Sure! I’d love to have you.” Derek replied with probably more enthusiasm than he’d meant to. And only after he’d finished speaking, did it dawn on him how he’d phrased his reply.  

He seemed to be frozen in a mixture of horror and embarrassment before managing to choke out a hoarse, “Visit.” Everyone present giving him looks of varying smug and amused, including Stiles who refused to drop his gaze as he took another slow drink of his coffee.  

Finally, Malia came to Derek’s rescue and clamped a hand to his shoulder, saying, “We also just missed you guys, and seeing as we had to cut our reunion short last night, we were hoping to catch up some today, though we know that still doesn’t excuse the unholy hour of the visit.”  

Lydia grinned, “Would anyone like some coffee?” she asked a moment later, motioning to the kitchen.  

“Fuck yes, please.” Kira practically moaned, then stopped, looking a bit embarrassed at her tone and added a sheepish, “Sorry.”  

A few chuckled at her response and Lydia just waved off the apology and made her way to the espresso machine and Kira, along with a few others stopped and stared with wide eyes at the horrendously complex looking machine, which only Lydia, Peter and Jackson knew how to operate properly without breaking anything.  

Lydia had banned Stiles from even walking within a few feet of the machine after his first disastrous attempt at using it and nearly breaking the thing. And considering it cost more than most people’s cars, he couldn’t really blame her.  

“Is that, an actual...” Started Erica, looking like she couldn’t believe her eyes, and Malia, Kira and Isaac shared in her awe at the machine that most others just thought looked either impressive or overly complicated.  

“Eversys Enigma Traditional Superautomatic Espresso Machine? Yes it is, thank you for asking.” Lydia answered with her signature smugness as she gathered up some more coffee mugs, and Stiles still couldn’t tell if he was more impressed with how she could rattle off the name so seamlessly, or actually operate the machine flawlessly.  

That affirmation was all it took before Lydia soon found herself playing barista to their guests, with Jackson helping out, the two of them whipping up the requests in no time. Even the more complicated ones of Erica and Kira. The two of them looked practically giddy as they were handed their concoctions.  

“So, you guys confronted Scott?” Jordan asked once everyone had their coffee or espresso. Or monstrosities that Stiles dared not try and repeat, as he felt he’d have better luck actually operating the machine which looked like it required a college degree to understand. And were sitting around the table which was resized to fit everyone comfortably.  

They received nods from the others before Aiden said, “We tracked him down soon after you guys left and tried asking what had happened, and why Stiles was so pissed at him. We weren’t yelling at him or throwing accusations, but he immediately started getting defensive, claiming that nothing happened and that clearly something was wrong with you.” he said, looking to Stiles who looked unsurprised.  

Ethan picked up from there, “He kept saying, ‘That wasn’t Stiles’, and constantly disregarding our questions. He looked and sounded convinced that you were possessed again, or something similar. And when we disputed that and asked him for proof of his claims, he kept mentioning how similar you were acting to when you dealt with the Nogitsune.”  

“He also kept mentioning, Peter.” Added Malia, and many eyes glanced to the man in question. To his credit, Peter kept calm and simply sighed, though their bond told them just how nervous he was at the moment.  

Stiles looked more than a little annoyed at hearing this and said, “He literally told me himself at one point that he thought Peter could be redeemed.”  

“Yeah, well apparently that isn’t the case anymore. Not that I really blame him though.” Malia said, eyeing Peter with apprehension that was shared with several of the others.  

Stiles felt a surge of rage from Jackson through the bond and held a hand up to the man, halting him before he could do or say anything, but kept his eyes on Malia.  

Many others turned to him at the movement, “We get why you guys would be cautious. But if you don’t want to outright trust Peter right now, trust that I wouldn’t keep someone by my side that I didn’t trust. And leave it at that for now, alright?” He said and passed his gaze over the others, receiving nods from nearly everyone.  

Eventually his eyes landed on Derek, his eyes blinking from Stiles to Peter then back, looking like he was trying to figure out exactly how Peter had won Stiles’ trust. He was about to try and smooth out some of Derek’s worry when surprisingly enough, Peter spoke up, sounding relatively calm, but their bond told them he was anything but.  

Stiles looked over and saw a movement of Jackson’s arm, figuring he had grabbed Peter’s hand under the table, “Derek,” He started, and to his credit, managed to look up and hold the alpha’s gaze, but it seemed to take several attempts for him to actually speak again, finally swallowing hard before he said, “If you would, I would very much appreciate, if we could talk later.”  

Derek looked torn, like he wanted to believe what Stiles had said so far about his uncle, but years of dealing with a manipulative and conniving Peter had taught him to never believe the man, no matter what. Derek finally returned his gaze to Stiles and though Stiles wanted to let Peter make up to Derek without butting in, he couldn’t ignore the pleading in those hazel eyes.  

He gave a single nod and Derek took a steadying breath before dragging his eyes back to his uncle. The alpha held his uncle’s gaze for several seconds before finally giving a nod, then dropped his gaze back to his coffee as he took a steadying breath, only to snap up to look at Peter with incredible disbelief when the man gave a completely genuine, “Thank you.”  

The others all looked to Peter with near equal disbelief to Derek’s but decided against saying anything out of respect for Stiles. Clearly this change in Peter was almost if not more drastic than Stiles’ change to them.  

It was Isaac that spoke up first, “Okay, um,” He started, giving a shake of his head, then looked to Stiles, “seeing as it’s pretty obvious Scott won’t be telling us anytime soon what happened, and we tried, like really tried to get him to tell us. Derek almost knocked him out at one point, but it was Allison that eventually did it. So, we’re wondering if you guys might tell us?”  

“Damn, wish I could have seen that.” Said Jackson with a smirk and a chuckle, getting a grin out of several others, and Stiles felt he had to agree.  

“Allison knocked Scott out?” Lydia asked, looking very confused.  

“Well, yeah.” Answered Aiden, many turning to him, “Vampire speed and strength is already ridiculous to begin with, but she’s even faster and stronger than normal vampires. So she definitely had no problem getting close enough and being able to do the job. We’re still not quite sure what type she is though. They’re all pretty tight lipped about that info.”  

“No, that’s,” Lydia responded, waving a hand dismissively, “that’s not what I meant. What I meant was, what exactly did Scott do that would make Allison knock him out. She still seemed to be pretty firmly on Scott’s side from what we saw.”  

“He got aggressive. When we kept asking him to tell us, he just got more and more angry.” Ethan answered.  

“He attacked Liam. Or, tried to rather. That’s when she stepped in and knocked him out immediately.” Kira answered, and she looked about as pissed as Stiles felt, his eyes almost shifting as he snapped a head around to her.  

“What?” Stiles asked in a dangerous tone, several sets of nervous eyes glanced his way at the danger they now sensed.  

Kira looked more nervous as she shifted in her seat a bit, “He, uh, when...” But she was stopped as Malia grabbed her hand then looked pointedly at Stiles.  

He blinked, startled at his own reaction and cleared his throat, “Sorry.”  

“Liam seemed pretty upset about the whole ordeal in general. He was practically begging Scott to explain what all you had meant when you were... well, you know.” Erica said, motioning to her heart with a clawed hand.  

“It’s probably when Liam called him a coward that made Scott snap.” Boyd added and a few people nodded in turn.  

“Is Liam alright?” Asked Stiles and he got a nod from Malia.  

“He’s understandably shaken and more than a little distressed, but he’s much better now.” She answered.  

“He’s back at the house with Danny.” Said Isaac, “We asked if he would like to come along, but he said he wasn’t quite feeling up to it yet.”  

“So,” Derek said after a few seconds of silence, drawing the word out, “Do you think you might be willing to tell us, what happened?” Looking to Lydia and the others before settling on Stiles.  

Stiles leaned back in his chair took another drink of his coffee before looking over Derek. When the man squirmed a bit under his gaze he finally said, “What do I get out of it?”  

Derek looked confused at that, and Stiles arched a brow, “You heard me last night. I said I wanted Scott to come clean. That I was done cleaning up after him and fixing his fuckups. And yet, here you are, asking me to do exactly what I said I wouldn’t do. So, what do I get out of it?” Then rested his chin on his fist as he waited.  

After several seconds of awkward silence, Stiles gave a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes, then leaned forward, set his mug down and clasped his hands together on the table, “Fine, I’ll tell you,” He held up a finger to halt the eager looks on several faces, but kept his eyes on Derek, “ if , you manage to beat me.”  

At this Jordan snorted, while Jackson facepalmed. Lydia sighed and shook her head while Peter looked like he was doing his best not to grin. Many confused and concerned gazes flitted between Lydia and the others to Stiles.  

Stiles ignored the responses of his clanmates and the looks from the others, keeping his gaze on Derek as he held up two fingers, “You have to pin me twice,” Then held up five fingers, “Before I could land five near lethal hits. Meaning I’ll stop at the last second.”  

Derek looked like he was trying to determine if Stiles was fucking with him, “I would like to say that you sound overconfident, but...” He drew the last word out and stiles just grinned.  

“I knew I liked you for more than your gorgeous face.” Stiles said, his grin turning wicked as he looked Derek over, and the alpha couldn’t help grinning back.  

“So, I pin you twice and you tell us?” He asked and Stiles nodded, “And if I can’t?”  

Stiles sat back in his chair again, taking a deep breath and feigning contemplation as he gave an audible hum, like he hadn’t already known exactly what he wanted. Finally, he smiled back at Derek and said, “You have to take me on a date.”  

“He accepts.” Isaac said almost before Stiles had even finished speaking. Stiles lifted his brows at Isaac with a grin, while Derek snapped his head around looking at the man with betrayal.  

“Isa...” He started to complain but was stopped at a pair of raised brows from Isaac too. Derek flopped his hands in defeat, then sighed at the smug look on Stiles’ face after.  

“Well, alright then.” Stiles said and got up from his chair, saying over his shoulder “Come on big guy.” As he made for the sparing area.  

“Oh, this is gonna be great, I’ll get some snacks.” Jackson said looking very amused as he got up and made for the kitchen.  

“It’s not even nine.” Said a confused Lydia, “And we just ate.” 

“So?” He shot over his shoulder, “A show like that,” He said and nodded to the sparing area, “Needs proper snacks to enjoy.”  

“Fine,” She sighed, then added after a moment’s contemplation, “I’ll take some Kettle Corn.”  

“Of course.” Jackson replied and started rifling through the pantry.  

Jordan, Peter and Lydia started moving their chairs over to the sparring area, setting them a few meters outside of the barrier line.  

Jackson was busying himself with getting the snacks ready and shouted out, “’Ey, someone come help with bringing the snacks and drinks ov... Oh, nevermind. Thanks Jarvis.” Stopping when the glowing black orb hovered quickly over and materialized several floating trays to carry the snacks and drinks over when they were ready.  

“Of course, sir. Happy to help.” Jarvis replied with a simple pulse.  

“Don’t you two dare start until we’re ready.” Jackson shouted out and pointed to Stiles, who just waved dismissively.  

“Yeah, yeah. Hurry it up pretty boy.” Stiles replied and just grinned at a confused Derek.  

The others all looked a bit confused too as they brought their chairs over to join Lydia, Peter and Jordan.  

“I want to ask, but I’m also a little afraid to.” Said Derek with furrowed brows as he glanced from Jackson getting snacks ready then back to the devilishly smirking Stiles.  

“Oh, don’t worry. They’re just a bit excited that they’re not in your position... for once.” The eyebrows of doom made an appearance at this from Stiles, Derek looking very concerned from Lydia and the others, then back to an amused Stiles.  

“You still haven’t figured it out yet, have you big guy?” Stiles asked, and Derek gave a nervous swallow as his apprehension started to build.  

“I think, I’m beginning to.” He said, as he scanned Stiles one more time, his eyes much more scrutinous than before.  

“Don’t worry Der. I promise, I won’t hurt you.” There wasn’t an ounce of condescension in Stiles’ tone. He wasn’t being goofy or boastful. His tone was completely serious, his gaze soft and steady. This more than anything clarified what his instincts had been screaming at him ever since he’d laid eyes on Stiles the previous night.  

Stiles was strong now. Incredibly strong.  

“Though, I do suggest, Derek. If you want any real chance of winning this, that you come at me with everything you have.” Stiles said, and again, was unusually serious, but still gave Derek a small grin.  

Derek would have loved to call that another bluff, but something in him said that Stiles was just being a good sport and trying to level the playing field. And he honestly didn’t know if he was more terrified or turned on.  

Well, technically he’d been turned on the moment he laid eyes on Stiles when they got here and was doing his best to not practically drool each time he looked at the man. But this? The strength he was exuding with his confidence. The thought that the man standing in front of him was telling him the truth and was about to back up every word with proof, was practically driving the alpha crazy.  

Instead of scoffing at the claim from Stiles, Derek gave a nod. He still felt a good deal of caution and figured that was probably the smart decision, but he was starting to feel a little excited. He wanted to see what Stiles was capable of now.  

Derek kept his face calm for now, glancing back over at their little crowd of eager-looking onlookers. Apparently excited to see Derek get his ass beat, he figured with a derisive glance to a grinning Isaac. And that thought prompted a very special image of a deliciously muscled and tattooed Stiles slamming him against a wall, much like how he’d done to the man so many times when he was younger.  

Derek did his best to ignore the thrill that ran through his body when he considered that Stiles might actually be able to manhandle him now. A part of him briefly considered not actually trying to fight and just letting Stiles push him around, but soon batted that idea away as Stiles would probably get pissed at him, thinking that Derek was afraid of hurting him, when really, he just wanted....  

Yeah, let’s not go there right now. Focus Derek, dammit!  

He internally smacked himself a couple times and shook his head, trying to calm himself back down after letting himself get worked up. If he wanted to have any chance at actually winning this, which he did want so he could finally know why Stiles had left all those years ago, then he needed to start thinking with his brain and not his dick.  

Of course, Derek also wanted to take Stiles on a date, more so than Stiles probably realized. Honestly, he’d stopped hiding how he felt about Stiles after the boy had walked away. All the good that did him now though.  

But to his packmates, it was abundantly clear what had made him far more depressed during the months that followed Stiles’ departure than they’d seen him in years. They didn’t bug him about it, but he could see the concerned glances and smell the worry and fear for his wellbeing.  

Eventually, he’d finally confessed to Isaac and Cora first, exactly how hard he’d fallen for Stiles in those two years they’d gotten to know each other. He had worked up to telling the others in his current pack as well but hadn’t told anyone else. Only they knew how much Derek truly loved Stiles.  

Yes, he could be honest with himself now, which was great, but that really didn’t help him much with figuring out what he wanted most right now, because both options would help him with getting closer to Stiles again.  

But then, there was that annoying fucking voice back in his head again, telling him that he was being too eager. That he still didn’t know for sure if Stiles hated him or not for not answering his question before he left. And that if Stiles didn’t hate him, that he should, because he’d let him walk away, and not tried harder to bring him back.  

Stiles should hate him, he knew that. And it didn’t matter what anyone told him, or how many times they said it, he would keep saying it over and over. Because the truth was, Derek had loathed himself every day since then for being such a fucking coward and not just telling Stiles how he felt any number of the countless opportunities he’d been given.  

When the alpha started to think back on their time together and watched the times Stiles looked at him with such hope, eagerness and want, thinking Derek would finally ask him out or tell him how much he liked him, it felt like someone jabbed a white-hot poker into his brain when he watched himself chicken out pathetically each time.  

The first time he relived those horrible memories, Derek had gotten impossibly drunk, downing multiple bottles of wolfsbane laced whiskey. He’d lost himself in depression, rage and pain. It was only later the next day that he had registered it had been the first anniversary of the day Stiles left Beacon Hills, and in his rage filled state the night before, the alpha had completely demolished the rest of the burned down mansion, leaving only wreckage and debris behind.  

Regardless of how filled with regret and anger he was over how they’d parted, the moment Derek had laid eyes on him last night, he’d sworn he wouldn’t stop. Despite the current dangers lurking in Beacon Hills, despite his lack of courage in the past and inability to be honest with himself and others, and despite his fear of Stiles’ potential hatred towards him, Derek was going to be honest with the man.  

Unfortunately, there was also one more rather significant detail that could potentially fuck up any chances with the gorgeous man, and honestly he had some reservations on exactly how he’d feel about it. They’d had the conversation a few times, though they were mostly hypothetical, and they were usually drunk, but Derek still remembered them and thought on it more than he admitted. But now? Since Stiles had come back, the alpha had been thinking about it almost constantly.  

But what if Stiles wasn’t up for something like that? Or had never considered it before? What if he thought it was weird or looked at him differently?  

Derek took a deep breath and pushed those worries aside for now, deciding to focus on one thing at a time.  

“You alright, big guy?” Stiles asked, looking him over and Derek turned and gave him a smile.  

“Yeah. Just, thinking about... some things.” Derek turned back to the others as Jackson finally made his way over with the snacks with the help of their P.A.G.A the alpha heard him call Jarvis. Derek smirked, knowing without a doubt that Stiles had to be the one that came up with that name.  

Little by little, he was seeing that Stiles hadn’t actually changed all that much. Physically, yes, absolutely. He also was much stronger now, though Derek had never truly thought of him as weak, even when he’d been a dick in the past and called him that, that was what he’d just been saying to keep himself from saying what he actually wanted to.  

But in truth, the awkward, spastic dork he’d fallen in love with was still there. Alive and well. He felt a swell in his chest and grinned over at Stiles as a small black cat meowed up at Isaac who looked surprised but happy before the cat hopped up and curled up on his lap.  

“What?” Asked Stiles as the snacks and drinks were passed around.  

Derek shook his head with a grin then said, “It’s just... It’s like Cora said. It’s nice to see that some things haven’t changed.”  

Stiles looked a bit embarrassed at this and rolled his eyes a bit, but Derek just saw the almost ear-to-ear grin that spread at this comment. He turned a sly grin to Derek, then pointed to his stomach, “So, you’re saying you don’t like the changes?”  

Derek’s gaze turned flat-out seductive, and Stiles felt his skin might actually burn from the intensity of it as Derek said, “I didn’t say that now did I?”  

A devilish grin covered Stiles’ face, highlighting his impish features and he had to work hard to refrain from licking his lips or purring a very inappropriate comment back, trying to keep in mind that they had an audience. He seriously considered teleporting them or everyone else somewhere else and climbing Derek like a fucking tree. But snapped himself out of it as that would just be ridiculous and far too much so early on.  

“Oh, here we go.” Said Malia, sounding exasperated as she tossed some cashews and peanuts in her mouth, and many eyes turned to her, including Stiles and Derek before she added, “Look, I don’t think any of us are under the illusion that you two don’t still have massive hard-ons for each other. So do try to keep the soft porn to a minimum. After all, there’s a fine line between fighting and fucking.”  

Some very confused and slightly disturbed gazes turned towards Malia as Kira placed a hand on her shoulder, looking a little embarrassed but also like she was trying not to laugh, “Babe, I don’t think most people consider body slams and the like to be a normal part of sex.”  

“No?” Malia asked, turning a questioning brow to Kira who just nodded. Malia just shrugged and looked back to Derek and Stiles, “That’s just not living.” She said before tossing a couple more cashews in her mouth, completely unperturbed with the looks she was getting.  

“I hear that.” Erica said, but kept her gaze firmly focused on Derek and Stiles, so she missed the eyes snapping to her from Malia, or the throat clear and sigh from Boyd.  

Stiles just shook his head with a grin, laughing harder when he caught Derek trying to keep himself from laughing, and felt his heart squeeze at the adorable expression. He snapped his fingers a second later and the barrier began to rise and connect to the ceiling, several sets of eyes watching the barrier with interest and surprise.  

When it was fully in place, Stiles snapped his fingers again, but when nothing appeared to happen, Derek looked around stopping a second later when he realized he could see several mouths moving but didn’t hear anything.  

“Did you just...” He started to ask and motioned to the barrier.  

“I soundproofed it so we can’t hear them, but they can hear us.” Stiles supplied and Derek looked a little confused.  

“Why let them hear us?”  

“Simple. Because if I don’t, I know for a fact that I’ll be bugged till my dying day to reiterate everything we might talk about in here. Even if it’s completely boring. Because I live with some nosey fuckin’ bitches.” Stiles said and glanced sideways to see two very smug expressions on Jackson and Lydia’s faces. He grinned and rolled his eyes before looking back at Derek.  

“Well, seems like the peanut gallery is finally settled, you ready big guy?” He asked, giving a small grin as he started to roll his shoulders and crack his neck. And he definitely didn’t miss the way Derek’s gaze trailed slowly down with a grin.  

Oh, he was going to have fun with this.  

Stiles started to slowly walk in a wide arch, Derek matching his pace, doing some stretching and popping of his own, his eyes burning a bright red a moment later. They walked a slow circle for seconds, matching grins on their faces as they both appraised the other.  

“So tell me,” Derek started, “Why did you leave last night?”  

“Like I said, it was a long day and I needed to leave.” Stiles answered levelly.  

“I’m calling bullshit.” Derek said, brow arched and Stiles looked amused.  

“Call whatever you want Sourwolf, like it or not, I had to go.” Said Stiles with a grin.  

“So, you come back after seven years, tell me you think I’m amazing, honorable and courageous.” Said Derek.  

“All true.” Agreed Stiles.  

“Then why? Why’d you leave?” Stiles faltered for the smallest of moments. He felt Derek had been talking about the first time, rather than last night and he let himself get absorbed into those old feelings. And that was exactly what Derek had planned.  

In the span of what couldn’t have been more than half a second he partially shifted; his face turning more wolflike, fangs and claws sprouting, but there was more this time. A frigid grey aura rippled up his body and just over his head appeared a massive wolf head with a vicious snarl and blood red eyes. The head only appeared for a blink then was gone.  

Stiles only had enough time to register the aura and what that meant for Derek, before the alpha had appeared in front of him in a flash and was slamming him to the ground, pinning him with a smirk, his face hovering only a handful of inches above Stiles’ shocked face.  

“Dick.” Stiles said with a chuckle and narrowed his eyes, but soon shifted to a wicked grin.  

Outside of the barrier, Jackson and the others looked absolutely stunned, “He actually managed to pin him. Stiles didn’t let him, that was legitimate. Holy fuck.” Jackson said and Lydia nodded.  

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Asked Aiden, looking a bit offended, “Look, we don’t doubt that Stiles is strong, even though we can’t sense his presence, but Derek’s got a patron.”  

“That’s not it dude,” Answered Jackson, “We’re not doubting Derek’s strength, we know he’s strong.”  

“It’s just,” Added Lydia, then took a breath and sighed, “You’ll see. We honestly would like to see Derek win, but I...” She drew out the ‘I’ then scrunched up her lips as she thought about it and sighed again, “I don’t see him being able to pull that off easily again.”  

“So, how long?” Stiles asked, not making a move to get up, happy to stay exactly where he was.  

Derek grinned back and said, “Been about a year now.”  

“Impressive, he’s not an easy one to please. Though, I’m not surprised.” Stiles responded and got a shy smile from Derek. Stiles brought a hand up to his face and traced a light finger over one of the dimples, smirking at the light shiver that ran through Derek at the touch. Then brought his hand down and lightly placed it over Derek’s chest, pushing him up as they stood up.  

“My turn big guy.” And something about his tone, gaze and smirk brought a smirk to Derek’s lips as well, but soon a low growl could be heard. It wasn’t threatening, instead sounding a little excited and challenging.  

Stiles gaze practically turned filthy as he hummed and looked Derek over, “Promises, promises.” He purred as he slowly stepped back, his eyes never leaving Derek’s bright red gaze.  

“Jackson, what are you doing?” Lydia asked, seeing Jackson quickly swiping through a holoscreen projecting from Jarvis’s orb.  

“We need music for this.”  

“What?!” Lydia asked incredulously.  

Jackson stopped and turned to give her a pointed stare, “The good shit’s about to start. We need music.” he said, pointing to Derek and Stiles.  

Lydia frowned as she looked over the songs he was searching through, then gave him a flat stare, “This isn’t a porno Jackson. And besides, I thought Stiles wasn’t your type anyways.”  

“Not for a boyfriend, but he’s still hot as fuck, and so is Derek.” Jackson replied, looking like this should be obvious.  

Isaac chimed in then, “And besides, two hot guys trying to pin each other, one of them already half naked? That’s literally one step away from a porno.” He said before grabbing a handful of popcorn and eating it, looking at Lydia as if challenging her to dispute his point.  

Lydia just rolled her eyes and sighed, but knew she couldn’t argue that point, so she just grabbed the orb from Jackson, “I’ll pick. We’re certainly not using porno music. This, however, should be almost perfect for the situation.”  

She put in the song choice and some seconds later, the intro music began to fill the area. Many people looked confused, wondering why Lydia would have picked this song of all things. But a few gave her knowing smirks, including Stiles, who also gave her a thumbs-up and she nodded with a grin.  

Soon, Express by Christina Aguilera from the Burlesque soundtrack started to pick up pace. The confused looks soon turned knowing as Stiles and Derek started their slow circle again. They could practically feel the tension increasing by the second as Stiles’ gaze turned predatory.  

“You’re right Derek. I think you’re amazing. Incredible even. And having Fenrir as your patron now just proves what I’ve been saying. Wanna know what else I think?” But before Derek could so much as blink, let alone answer, Stiles had disappeared.  

The next instant, everyone including Derek was frozen in place, pure shock on their faces. Except for Lydia, Jackson, Peter and Jordan, who looked like this was exactly what they’d expected.  

In the space of a blink, Stiles had appeared directly behind Derek, had a hand over the alpha’s throat while his other hand was poised like a spear at his back directly behind his heart. Stiles’ lips brushed against Derek’s ear as he said, “I think I’d like to have more than just your eyes on me, and in.” He whispered, his teeth barely nipping at Derek’s ear.  

The alpha trembled at the feeling and had to forcibly keep himself from moaning. The next second though, when he turned and tried to swipe at Stiles, or grab him or anything, he was gone. A second later he felt a grip at his neck from behind before Derek was slammed face first into the barrier and felt Stiles’ hand on his back behind his heart again.  

“I see why you liked this so much, Der. I think I might miss it.” Came Stiles’ voice next to his ear again and Derek was doing everything he could to ignore the growing tension in his pants, or the absolute thrill that ran through him at knowing Stiles indeed was able to manhandle him like it was nothing now.  

When Derek pushed himself off the barrier and spun around, Stiles was already several yards away, giving him that same gaze that made it very difficult to keep in mind or care that they had an audience. Against his will, his shift was progressing. But he had to remind himself that Stiles wasn’t so breakable anymore and would likely have no problem dealing with a little more increased danger.  

“Come on big guy, show me what you’ve got.” Said Stiles with a seductive grin.  

Derek growled louder and crouched, everyone including Stiles hearing the thrill in the sound rather than anger. Soon, Derek was shooting across the area in a flash, however Stiles wasn’t moving. Instead, the moment Derek swung out, Stiles brought a hand up and casually batted the attack away.  

With the block, Stiles added a minor shockwave, sending it through Derek bringing him to an almost instant halt. Stiles crouched and spun, swinging a leg out and sweeping Derek off his feet. Faster than many could follow, Stiles stood back up and placed a hand on Derek’s chest over his heart and slammed him into the ground.  

“If I didn’t know any better, Der, I’d say you like this.” Stiles said with another seductive trail of his gaze.  

“That makes two of us.” Derek replied with a smirk, making Stiles grin wider then disappearing as soon as Derek tried to attack again.  

His speed was absolutely insane, and Derek had no clue how to properly counter it. He knew he’d only really succeeded the first time because he was able to distract Stiles well enough. Well, that and Stiles didn’t know for sure if he had a patron, so he was able to surprise him even more.  

Now though? He had no idea what to actually do, or rather, if he could actually do it and if Stiles would be upset with him. Somehow though, he doubted the man would be.  

Determined to not resort to underhanded tactics quite yet, he decided to use Fenrir once more to give him a boost. He could use it in short bursts, but wasn’t quite up to using it for any prolonged period of time yet, which is why he’d only used it once so far. His max was only about thirty seconds, but for those thirty seconds, he could firmly fight with a mid first tier ranked supernatural.  

Derek crouched and growled once more, pushing his shift further as his muscles began to bulge under his clothes and thick black fur sprouted over his body. Wicked black claws and vicious fangs grew and lengthened. He grew nearly half a foot, and his red eyes blazed brighter than ever.  

Derek stood there, shifted to a full humanoid wolf. It was similar to how Peter had first appeared when he had been an alpha and transformed, but it was not nearly as hulkish. Derek’s form was more streamlined and toned. And he looked far more lethal and dangerous than any alpha they had seen in their past, even Deucalion, once Fenrir’s aura was added.  

Fierce red eyes gleamed at him as Derek crouched, the frigid grey aura of Fenrir swirling up his body as a chilling howl filled the area, the strength of the aura bursting a second later as Derek coiled his muscles and readied to launch himself at Stiles.  

A part of him was still worried that he was going too far, but one look at the devilish grin on Stiles’s face told him that even this wouldn’t be enough to challenge the imp. A shudder ran through his body, and it was hard to tell if it was more fear or arousal.... maybe both?  

A second later, he stopped as he saw a thin film of black aura growing up Stiles’ body as the man closed his eyes and slowly rolled his head back from one side to the other. When the aura fully enveloped him, Stiles opened his eyes. Abyssal black irises like night itself, flecked with tiny blinking stars stared back at him.  

Derek only had one thought when he stared into those eyes, Gorgeous.  

But he knew he couldn’t waste any more time, having already spent a few seconds with Fenrir’s aura, he now had roughly twenty-seven seconds left before he’d have to wait at least a couple hours to access it again.  

Derek knew what Stiles accessing his aura meant for him, but he didn’t let himself feel upset or depressed that he likely wasn’t going to win. Instead, he reveled in seeing more of the strength and power Stiles could wield now.  

Though, a part of his brain did register the fact that he still couldn’t feel Stiles’ presence, even though he was literally using his aura now, and decided to file that question away for later, hoping that Stiles felt like sharing that bit of info.  

“Let’s kick it a notch.” Stiles said before crouching himself and both of them launching at each other with blinding speed a second later.  

The first clash caused a burst of force that made several cracks appear in the barrier, but they started healing up a couple seconds later. Stiles’ group followed every movement with rapt attention, mindlessly snacking away as they dared not even blink.  

Meanwhile, Derek’s group was looking at the incredible exchange between Derek and Stiles with wide awestruck expressions. They couldn’t see everything, but they at least managed to follow most of the exchange, several mouths hanging wide open as they tried to fully comprehend that this was in fact, Stiles Stilinski.  

Most of the movements of the duo were little more than blurs to all but Stiles’ Clan as well as a couple of Derek’s pack. However, they could make out just enough to tell that nearly every punch, swipe, kick and bite of Derek’s was dodged or blocked by Stiles, but only by mere inches. This made most of the onlookers think that Stiles was meeting an even match in Derek right now.  

However, the more evolved eyes were watching the exchange with grins and smirks. They knew what Stiles was actually doing as they watched the grinning imp twist and dodge a swipe from Derek with barely an inch of space between the claws and Stiles’ chest.  

What they were watching looked less like a fight, and more like a dance between devil and wolf. The blocks, the dodges, twists, turns and ducks, each held a fluidity and grace one would normally never see in an actual fight. Almost appearing choreographed. Especially when they saw a constant grin on Stiles’ face as he spun, stepped and twisted through the lethal dance.  

The victor of this stupefying exchange, was ultimately decided when Stiles dodged a swipe by placing a hand on Derek’s shoulder and vaulting himself up and over the alpha, twisting himself in midair and slamming his feet into Derek’s back, sending the wolf flying forward. Stiles flipped backward through the air, crouched on a small platform of air he’d solidified, then shot like a bullet at Derek, slamming into him and pinning him against the barrier yet again.  

Several of the others winced at this impact as a large web of cracks appeared over the barrier from the force. Stiles had promised not to hurt Derek, and he knew that with him enhanced with Fenrir he could be more forceful and not worry.  

His estimation at this was proven right when Derek started chuckling as Fenrir’s presence receded and Derek began to fully revert to his human form, and Stiles followed suit, cutting off his aura, the black film disappearing. However, Stiles still held a twinge of guilt at pushing Derek so far even though he felt Derek was perfectly fine with what he’d done.  

Stiles stepped up behind Derek, releasing the pressure of his grip but leaving his hand on the back of Derek’s neck. His body was almost pressed up completely against Derek’s as he brought his lips close to Derek’s ear again, resting his free hand on the man’s waist, and tucked his thumb under the hem of his shirt.  

“That makes four.” He said quietly and felt Derek chuckle breathlessly, and tremble a bit, but didn’t move away.  

“Are you alright, Derek?” Stiles asked, his lips tickling Derek’s ear, his thumb brushing lightly against the man’s neck. Stiles pulled ever so lightly against his waist, Derek didn’t resist, letting himself be pulled against Stiles’ chest.  

Derek felt like he could completely melt into Stile’s touch and wanted nothing more than to kiss him right then. Stiles had promised not to hurt him, so he knew the man only increased his strength to an appropriate level when Derek had called upon Fenrir, and had overpowered him yet again, but only as much as he needed.  

That meant Stiles had exceptional control and assessment skills. He understood that Stiles knew full well that he’d only used the strength necessary to win that exchange without hurting him, and yet, he was still asking if he was okay and making sure he hadn’t overdone it.  

Derek wanted to kiss him, and so that’s what he did.  

Instead of answering, Derek grinned then turned around and kissed Stiles. Stiles froze at first, but soon let himself fall completely into the embrace, sliding a hand around to pull at the back of Derek’s neck, keeping their kiss locked, his other hand sliding up Derek’s shirt as he felt his back thump against the barrier.  

A part of Stiles’ brain registered that he should be paying attention to what was going on, but he honestly didn’t give a fuck about anything other than Derek’s lips on his and the man’s hands exploring his chest and abs.  

The kiss broke with a gasp from Stiles before he tilted his head, feeling Derek’s stubble as he dragged his lips and tongue down his neck. As Stiles felt light nips of Derek’s teeth travel back up his neck, he finally heard a husky whisper against his ear, his lips tickling the sensitive flesh as Derek said, “I win.”  

Stiles froze, eyes opening wide as he processed what he had just heard. His eyes slowly traveling up to take in the absolute shit-eating grin on Derek’s face. Stiles’ eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath, but then stopped as he had no real rebuke for Derek’s tactics. Sure, it may have been a little underhanded, but he had never set any real rules for the exchange except for the win requirements.  

So, by all intents and purposes, Derek had managed to win. Stiles found though, that he couldn’t be mad at all, because if the hands still settled on his waist and thumbs sliding over his skin had anything to say about it, Derek hadn’t resorted to the kiss simply to win. He had wanted to.  

Stiles slumped back against the barrier with a sigh, but he soon grinned up at Derek, “So, you won.” Then placed his hands on Derek’s forearms, sliding his thumbs back and forth.  

“I did.” Derek said, his eyes trailing down to the lips he’d dreamt about kissing for years and had finally had his chance to do so. And now that he had, he wanted almost nothing else. He took another breath and looked back up into Stiles’ eyes that were studying him, waiting for the question he expected.  

Instead, Derek asked, “Italian right?”  

At this question, Stiles stopped and looked questioningly at him, “What?”  

“That was always your favorite. I assume that’s still the case?” Derek answered, but Stiles still looked confused.  

“But, you won.”  

“I did. I won, by kissing you, to distract you. We both know you could have easily won from the beginning if you really wanted to, but you gave me a chance. I’ll consider the kiss my prize.” Derek lifted a hand from Stiles’ waist and set his fingers lightly against his neck, letting his thumb slide lightly under Stiles’ bottom lip.  

Stiles took a shuddering breath, his heart rate picking up as he stared hungrily at Derek, “Because I finally,” Derek said as he leaned in, mouth hovering over Stiles’ as he added, “Did what I should have done, seven years ago.” Derek brought their lips together, deepening the kiss, pulling on Stiles’ waist and he was only too happy to go along.  

Stiles wrapped a hand back around Derek’s neck and slid his other hand back under his shirt again, pulling on his waist to bring them closer together.  

However, before things could get too spicy, they heard a tap on the barrier. They stopped, though Stiles definitely didn’t want to. And if the low groan in Derek’s throat was anything to go by, neither did he. The two pulled apart and looked over, then froze again, both trying not to laugh.  

Jackson was looking none too happy and holding up Jarvis who was projecting a screen that read: That Was Bullshit, and was looking directly at Stiles, then flipped him off a few seconds later. Derek and Stiles started laughing, then glanced at the others and took in their varying reactions.  

Erica was grinning slyly at the two and had somehow managed to get her hands on some paper and wrote out: 10/10 do it again, while Boyd just smiled at her and shook his head.  

Lydia, Jordan, Cora and Peter just looked happy for them.  

Malia, Kira and Aiden seemed to be animatedly discussing some play-by-plays of the actual sparring part of their match.  

And Isaac seemed to be fanning a very happy looking Ethan and laughing with him but kept passing hungry stares over Derek and Stiles.  

“So, yes. Italian.” Stiles said, turning to Derek who was already smiling at him, “Tonight. Your treat, for making me wait seven years.” Derek grinned wider, brows lifting at this, but he didn’t complain.  

Stiles grabbed the neck of Derek’s shirt and pulled him in, smirking as he looked him over, “And just so you know, I expect to be wooed, Mr. Hale.”  

An incredibly kind smile filled Derek’s face as he said, “Of course, Mr. Stilinski. Seven o'clock?”  

“It’s a date.” Stiles replied, and felt like his cheeks were going to go numb from how much he’d been smiling, the grin simply growing wider as Derek closed in and kissed him again. When the kiss ended, Derek didn’t pull away, instead moving his head to speak quietly into his ear.  

“Do you mind, if we have a chat in private for a bit? There’s something we need to talk about.” Derek sounded nervous, but not scared or overly worried or anything like that, so Stiles didn’t feel all that apprehensive at this, mostly just curious.  

“Yeah, sure.” He said when Derek pulled back, “Should I get dressed?”  

Derek just grinned and looked him over again, “You know I certainly don’t mind the view.” he said, and looked like he was removing the last of Stiles’ clothing with his eyes.  

“Of course,” Stiles said with mock innocence, “But seeing as I don’t get to see your view right now, I think it’s only fair.” He said with a grin and wink, then added as he turned to leave, “I’ll get dressed real quick, then we can talk outside.”  

Stiles snapped his fingers and the barrier finally receded back into the floor. As soon as it gave way, Stiles started for his room, ignoring the many lewd comments, but still grinning to himself. He didn’t get any kind of negative feeling from Derek when he asked to talk in private, so he wasn’t worried as he quickly entered his room and started looking for proper clothes.  

No, he wasn’t worried, but he was damn sure curious, trying to rack his brain for what the man might want some privacy to talk about. Maybe to clarify that this was a real date? Meaning this wasn’t just a one-off? Which could mean they were now a couple?  

Wait, would that be considered rushing? Probably yes, in normal cases. But considering they’d started this shit almost nine years ago and had been sort of unofficially dating for close to a year before he left, Stiles felt he could let rushing things slide a bit.  

If he was being completely honest with himself, he wanted nothing more than to run back out and declare Derek his boyfriend right this fucking second. However, did Derek feel the same? Did he want to rush, or would he rather take things slow?  

If the kisses were anything to go by, he certainly was interested in Stiles, and he felt safe in assuming that this date was only one of many to come. So then, what did he want to talk about that needed privacy? They’d literally just made out in front of everyone, so clarifying where they stood shouldn’t need privacy.  

So then, what could it be about? Maybe it didn’t concern them at all? Maybe it was about Scott, or the Impundulu, or maybe even Deaton?  

Stiles shook his head to clear it, as he felt he was racking his brain over nothing. The important part was that Derek didn’t seem embarrassed or worried for the conversation coming up, so he shouldn’t either. Too bad his brain hardly ever liked to listen to reason, no matter how hard he tried.  

So, Stiles settled for getting dressed as quickly as possible, picking out a simple form fitting blue t-shirt and black jeans, then headed back out. When he exited his room, he was instantly met with Derek and Isaac, both looking a little nervous. Stiles just looked from one to the other, then settled back on Derek, “Does Isaac, uh,” He stopped then turned to address Isaac, “are you, I mean, do you need to be in this conversation too?”  

Isaac cleared his throat, and nodded, but didn’t speak. And Stiles’ curiosity was reaching sky-high limits now.  

“Alright,” Stiles said, trying not to sound suspicious or demand an answer to sate his curiosity, “Let’s go.” he said and nodded towards the doors leading to the wrap around balcony.  

As they walked through the doors leading to the balcony Lydia walked up asking what they were doing and Stiles said they were going to have a private chat. He immediately recognized the look in Lydia’s eye, that of sensing good gossip.  

Stiles leveled a flat gaze at her as he turned around and grabbed the handles of the doors and started to close them, “And no, you can’t listen in.” He grinned at the offended glare she gave him and knew he was going to have to fend off both her attempts at both eavesdropping and barrage of questions later.  

Stiles honestly had never pegged her as such an eavesdropper when he was younger but supposed he should have. How else was she always in the know about everything happening around her?  

He sighed at the determined glint in her eye, then threw his head back and laughed when she flipped him off. Stiles then grinned back at her a few seconds later and placed his hand on one of the doors. A moment later a thin black film covered the three sets of doors leading from the penthouse to the balcony.  

They now would be free to discuss whatever they needed to without being eavesdropped on or someone barging out to interrupt them. Or at least, that’s what Stiles thought at first.  

He turned to talk to Derek and Isaac, but stopped when he heard a thump at one of the windows. Stiles’ face turned sardonic as he looked back to see not only Lydia, but many others pressed up against the windows to try and get a look at what was going on.  

He didn’t say anything, simply placed a hand on the windows and smirked at Lydia’s nearly furious face and was pretty sure he could read her lips shouting, ‘Don’t you fucking dare Stiles!’ Before all the windows looking out turned heavily opaque.  

Another thought passed through his mind before Stiles brought his wrist up and he spoke into his A-Band, “Jarvis.”  

“Yes, sir?”  

“I don’t care what Lydia or the others promise, or how much she tries to compliment or woo you, you are forbidden from letting any of them use you to eavesdrop on my conversation with Derek and Isaac, until I say otherwise. Understood?”  

“Of course, sir. I will inform Mrs. Parrish that I will have to cut off the feed she just requested.”  

“Thanks Jarvis.” Stiles said with an eye roll and a chuckle, knowing Lydia would be on a new level of pissed off when they were done with whatever they needed to talk about.  

“My pleasure, sir.”  

Stiles gave a relieved sigh, thinking he’d finally gotten them their moment to have a private conversation, then turned around and saw both Isaac and Derek looking highly amused.  

“Like I said, I live with some nosey fuckin’ b-” Stiles started to say, then stopped as he looked around, “Where’s nosey bitch number two?” He asked mostly to himself, remembering that he hadn’t seen Jackson with the group pressed against the windows, and he knew damn well that Jackson would be just as ravenous for good gossip as Lydia.  

Stiles looked around slowly, carefully sensing out the bond so as not to give Jackson a chance to hide it better. He sent a subtle search with his essence as well and in a matter of seconds, managed to locate the fucker hiding on the roof.  

He shook his head and grinned as he looked up towards the roof and held up his fingers, ready to snap, “You’ll have to try better next time Jackson.” Stiles said then snapped his fingers.  

Derek and Isaac looked up towards the roof with shock as they heard Jackson yelp, “Shit!” Before a quick flash symbolized him being ported. The two turned questioning gazes to Stiles, who just shrugged.  

“He’s back in the penthouse.” He said then walked back up to the other two.  

“Alright, now that we officially have a bit of privacy, what did you guys want to talk about?” Stiles asked and kept an iron tight grip on his nerves and emotions, helping him to appear as casual as possible. In the past, he definitely would have failed at this, but now, with all his practice and training, he was usually exceptional at it.  

At first, neither of them said anything, both looking more nervous now, but eventually Isaac took a small step forward, “This, is probably going to seem a bit awkward at first. So, can you please just go along with it for now? I promise it’ll make sense soon enough.” Isaac asked, and Stiles’ grip on his emotions almost slipped, his curiosity almost growing too great.  

“Okay?” He said, and drew out the word, but he still didn’t feel any kind of worry yet.  

Isaac took a deep breath then let it out slowly, rubbing a hand over his face, “Unfortunately, there’s really no easy way to have this conversation without it being at least a little awkward. Though, it would have been much less so, had someone not been so eager.” He said, then passed a small glare to Derek.  

“Hey, I’m not the one that immediately agreed. That was you.” Derek rebuked, pointing to himself first, then to Isaac.  

Stiles watched the exchange with a small smirk. He was getting an idea what they wanted to talk about. Honestly, he’d gotten the feel of it from the moment they arrived that morning and watched their subtle yet telling interactions, but didn’t want to jump to conclusions quite yet.  

And hell, this honestly wouldn’t be the first time Stiles had misread this kind of situation, so he held off on making too many assumptions for now.  

Stiles just leaned back and kept a small smile as he waited for Isaac to continue. The man looked acceptably abashed and cleared his throat with a small apology, then continued, “Can I, ask you some questions?”  

Stiles nodded at the question, and Isaac took another breath, “You, of course, like Derek. We’ve all known that for a while. But, what about me?” Isaac’s voice had shrunk but Stiles still heard it and his brows met as he looked questioningly at Isaac.  

“What do you mean? Of course I like you, Isaac. I thought that was obvious.” He answered and Isaac shook his head.  

“No, I mean... Like Derek. Have you, ever liked me, like you like Derek?” Stiles was stunned for a moment before moving his eyes from Isaac who honestly looked a little terrified of Stiles’ answer, to Derek who looked a mixture of worried but hopeful.  

A small smile lifted his lips as he stepped forward. Some of his assumptions about what they wanted to talk about being proven more and more accurate as the seconds ticked by.  

Knowing this, any worries he had started to fall away as he stopped a few feet from Isaac and held his gaze for a few seconds before he finally spoke, “I don’t know why you’re so worried Isaac. Shouldn’t you already know? After all, I wasn’t the one with the awesome werewolfy senses to let me know whether or not, the guy I was cuddling with all those times was into me or not.” Stiles said with a grin and Isaac looked more than a little embarrassed and Derek nearly snorted but stopped at the glare Stiles shot his way.  

“If you’re wondering why I never said anything to you Isaac, or why I never tried to ask you out? The answers pretty simple.” He held up one finger, “First, I honestly had no idea what your sexuality was. Honestly, you never really gave me any real indication which way you swung. And yeah, we cuddled a lot, but you were pretty cuddly with a lot of people, and it never seemed to be more than platonic.”  

Stiles held up another finger, “Second, and most importantly...” Stiles stopped and took a deep breath as he looked the man over, his eyes turning sad as he remembered the day he had learned of the environment Isaac had grown up in and how it had fucked him up so severely.  

“You looked like you were starving for genuine kindness and affection, Isaac. And I didn’t... I couldn’t bring myself to take advantage of your desire to be close to someone. And that’s exactly what it felt like to me, any time I thought about trying to ask you out. I wanted you to be happy and surrounded by people that loved and cared for you and you were able to be yourself around. And I honestly felt that if I showed you- told you rather, how much I liked you, that it would fuck it up. Things might get awkward and uncomfortable, especially if you didn’t feel the same. I was terrified you might look at me differently, like maybe I had tried to use your wish for comfort for my own selfish desires.”  

Isaac was barely even breathing as Stiles spoke, his bright blue eyes staring back at him as if seeing him in a completely new light, and he couldn’t describe how amazing Stiles looked to him.  

“Isaac, I could never bring myself to willingly hurt you or make you uncomfortable. Never question that. Without the extra senses to give me assurances or help me figure things out faster, I had no way of knowing how you might react, or how things would go. I did what I thought would be best. I can’t really apologize for that, but I am sorry still.” A small grin lifted the corner of his lips, “But I think right now, the better question is, why didn’t you say anything to me ?”  

Isaac grinned at him first before his face fell as he looked to the ground, “I thought you were amazing. Always have. Even when I first met you and was being a total douche. I thought, you were really cute. Funny, adorable and a complete klutz.” He said and grinned and Stiles joined, rolling his eyes as he tried to forget how he could so easily trip on air at times in his past.  

“You’re so smart, and creative. You were human, but you were no less helpful and useful in everything we did as a pack. You have always been incredible to me, Stiles. So, even though I knew you found me attractive, I thought that’s all it was. And after all, it doesn’t tell us the depth of your attraction, just that you at least think the person is physically desirable. I thought... how could I ask this amazing guy to possibly view me... as anything more than someone they apparently found handsome and liked to cuddle with? Especially, when you were also attracted to Derek, though, not as much in the beginning.” His voice was starting to sound broken, Isaac’s eyes trained on the floor, he didn’t dare bring his eyes up for fear of what he might see, irrational though that fear was.  

“I kept waiting for it though, and eventually it did happen. You chose Derek... as I had been expecting. I was never, and still am not upset. Because, how could I be? Because, why would you ever choose me over Derek? You just made the obvious choice to me. At least... that’s, what I thought... until...” Isaac’s voice finally failed him, and he rubbed roughly at his eyes.  

Stiles snapped wide bright eyes to Derek, “What the fuck are you waiting on? An invitation ? Hug him!” He said and pointed to Isaac. Derek only hesitated for a second with wide eyes, before he wrapped Isaac in a tight hug. They clung to each other tightly, much more tightly than they would if they were simply close friends or packmates. Stiles felt a swell in his chest and smiled warmly at the pair.  

If either of them had to be with someone while he’d been gone, he was glad that they had chosen each other.  

When the hug finally ended, they looked more than a little embarrassed and gave Stiles shy smiles.  

“How long?” Stiles simply asked, motioning between the two, making his question obvious.  

“A couple years now.” Derek answered. Stiles’ brows lifted a bit and he smiled wider.  

“That’s awesome. Congratulations.” He said and the two of them looked a bit surprised at his comment which just made him grin and shake his head with a sigh, “Let me guess, you tw-wait no, first... Let me make sure that I’m actually reading this right. Am I assuming correctly, that you two are asking me – or rather, were going to, considering we never got around to the asking part – to join you guys, more or less? To be a triad specifically?”  

It was quiet for a few moments before Derek finally spoke, “Well... yes, basically.” And those few words looked to be extremely difficult, but very relieving to say for him.  

Stiles grinned at him, then looked between them and said, “Next question: Why?”  

Isaac grinned at him then and said, “Well, obviously because we both really like you. But the longer answer is, shortly after we got together, we were drinking one night. It was... the anniversary night.” He said, and his look saddened.  

Stiles looked confused, “Anniversary night?”  

“The anniversary of when you left.” Derek answered, his tone sad and voice tight, but kept his eyes on Isaac, and Stiles felt a clench in his gut and worked to smooth it out. All he could do now was work to make up for that moment.  

“We were drinking and I was just kind of joking but I asked him if he wanted to make a bet. He said, ‘About what?’, and I said, ‘What do you want to bet that Stiles comes back in less than three years?’. And then Derek said, ‘If he does come back, it probably won’t be for at least four more years.’ Speaking of,” Isaac said and turned a grin to Derek, “You owe me a steak dinner.”  

“You said three years.” Replied Derek, narrowing his eyes at Isaac who just shook his head.  

“I said less than three years. It’s been two.” Isaac countered and looked smugly at Derek who just sighed in defeat.  

“So, I owe two expensive ass dinners now. Great.” He said in mock complaint, but his look said he was anything but angry or upset.  

“Damn right. Only the finest for us.” Stiles said and gave Derek a sly grin, Isaac doing the same. Derek tried to roll his eyes, but he couldn’t quite manage, instead just looking incredibly happy.  

“So,” Stiles said, turning back to Isaac, “It was just the bet?”  

“No,” Answered Isaac, getting back on track, “It was the conversation after that. I kind of brought it up, as a sort of joke, but ended up being completely serious. I asked him, what would happen, if you came back, and he and I were still together.”  

“I,” Derek chimed in there, dragging out the word before he continued, “didn’t really have an answer at first. I honestly didn’t know. Or, well, I couldn’t decide what I felt. Or how I...” He stopped and looked like he was in heavy concentration and Stiles couldn’t help but chuckle.  

“It’s okay big guy, use your words.” Stiles said and smirked when Derek gave him the eyebrows of doom.  

“I’m trying.” Derek answered and both Isaac and Stiles started laughing.  

“He really has gotten a lot better. It’s something that I’ve worked at tirelessly with him.” Isaac said and grinned up lovingly at Derek who sighed but looked back at Isaac with what Stiles could only describe as pure adoration.  

Stiles wanted nothing more than to shout at them to just kiss already, but he also needed some more answers, so he decided to get through the info part faster so he could enjoy some man-on-man (-on man?) action.  

“So,” Stiles said and the two looked to him, he looked to Derek and said, “you were saying that, you basically weren’t sure at first how you would feel about it? Or, maybe you’d never considered something like that? Or, had you just never seen or heard of something like a triad or polyamorous relationship? Honestly, I will admit I’m a bit surprised. You always sort of struck me as a bit more, old fashioned.”  

“No actually. I had plenty of examples of those kinds of relationships growing up. In the Were community things such as monogamy or simple couples were practically unheard of. You’d see frequent examples of triads, with alphas especially, but not just them. Sometimes even some betas. It was a lot more common than you might think, because you could have a mate, a soulmate – though those are exceedingly rare – and a partner or two if you wanted. Of course, mates and soulmates stay around permanently unless something horrible happens, but partners might come and go. Though, that’s not really important. But you get what I mean right?”  

Stiles nodded, letting him know he was following along, and Derek continued a second later, “For me though. I guess, I just never gave it much thought. Like I said, I had plenty of examples to show me that those kinds of relationships work just as well as simple couples, but I don’t know, I just never really thought about it for myself. I suppose if I’d ever encountered a situation where I actually liked two people at the same time, I probably would have thought about it more, but that never happened for me. So, I honestly never gave it much thought. And yeah, of course I thought about mates and soulmates and what they could mean if I happened to come across someone like that while I may be with someone else, and though that specific situation never arrived-”  

Stiles was smiling at Derek and stepped forward before placing a finger on the man’s mouth, stopping him from speaking and grinned at him, “You’re rambling Derek, that’s my shtick. But I get it, I really do. However, regardless of how you may or may not have thought about it before, what about now? How do you feel about it now , now that the very real possibility exists? Is it something you actually want? With Isaac and I?”  

A couple seconds later, Derek grinned against his finger and nodded at Stiles, “Use your words big guy.” Stiles said with a devilish grin, his eyes growing wide a second later, and he bit his lower lip as Derek opened his mouth and clamped his lips over Stiles’ finger.  

Derek’s tongue licked up and over his finger as he lightly bit down, then spoke around it saying, “Yeah.”  

We still have an audience-we still have an audience-we still have a fucking audience! Stiles was practically shouting to himself, because in that moment it took everything in him to stay in control. Who knew all those months of training to control his body, mind and emotions would come in handy for something like this? Though honestly, he was wondering if that was such a good thing right now.  

He took a deep breath and rolled his lips in before saying, “I need my finger back.” And almost failed to suppress a shudder as he felt Derek suck on his finger before doing some very interesting things with his tongue.  

“Uh-uh, ‘s mine.” Derek said around his finger and licked it again.  

Stiles’ grin spread farther as he stepped forward and hovered his mouth over Derek’s, the alpha’s hazel eyes growing dark with lust as Stiles said, “Yeah, it is.” Then slid a hand up the man’s shirt, flipping his hand around and laying it mostly flat against Derek’s abs. He slid his hand down and as soon as the tips of his fingers crossed below the waistband of Derek’s jeans, the alpha shuddered, his jaw moving just enough for Stiles to pull his finger free.  

“Thanks.” Stiles said with a smirk and shrugged an eyebrow before stepping back. Derek stared after him with wide eyes and an open mouth.  

“Oh shit.” Isaac said and started laughing, though he also looked very flustered and sounded a bit out of breath.  

“That’s for using a kiss to win.” Stiles said smugly, “You’re not the only one that gets to have a little fun now are you?” He asked, pointing to Derek with the same finger he’d just been sucking on, placed it in his own mouth with a grin, wrapped his lips around it and made a show of slowly pulling his finger out.  

He was rewarded with seeing Derek’s eyes flicker red a few times as the man cleared his throat. Stiles turned his grin to Isaac when he heard him give a soft, “Fuck.”  

“And you,” Stiles held up a hand as Isaac had been about to answer, “Before, you answer the obvious question, I’ve got a different one for you.” Isaac stopped and waited but was noticeably shifting in place.  

Stiles took a breath and looked him over, then tilted his head a bit before saying, “Just what did you mean by, ‘The obvious choice’? Or by, ‘Why would I ever choose you over Derek’? I’ll tell you right now, Isaac. If I had known that you liked me back then, had I also been aware of how I actually felt towards Derek, I wouldn’t have done anything at all. Not unless I knew then that you two were okay with something like this. Because I can’t pick. It’s either both, or neither. So, I want to know right now Isaac, what makes you think you’re so inferior to Derek?”  

Isaac’s eyes wandered nervously as he tried to search for an answer. They froze and widened a second later when Stiles had moved, grabbed his shoulders and had him pinned against the wall on a section with no windows. His breath came heavy as he stared into the night sky that filled Stiles’ eyes before he leaned forward and dragged his lips up Isaac’s neck, resting them right next to his ear as he quietly whispered, “You really think, all those times you could smell my arousal while we laid together and you held me, meant that I only found you a little attractive, and that’s all?”  

Isaac gasped as he felt Stiles lick up his ear before nibbling it, shuddering as Stiles brought his hands down and slipped them up his shirt, wrapping his hands over Isaac’s waist and sliding his thumbs across the skin.  

“You really think,” Stiles said before kissing along the bottom of Isaac’s jaw, moving one hand up Isaac’s chest and sliding a thumb over his nipple while the other slid back, Stiles’ fingers slipping just under the waistline of Isaac’s jeans and underwear, reaching his fingers halfway down his ass cheek. Isaac gasped harder and he arched into Stiles’ touch, wrapping a hand around the back of Stiles’ neck while the other explored his abs and chest beneath his shirt.  

“That I could possibly pick between you, now that I know how you both feel?” He said along Isaac’s jaw line, brushing his lips across Isaac’s, tasting his shuddering breath as Stiles gripped his ass tighter and drew him in, the skin of their stomachs brushing, their shirts lifted slightly as they both explored the other’s chest and back with their hands.  

“Now tell me, Isaac,” Stiles said against Isaac’s lips, opening his eyes once more, night sky irises gazing into golden, “What you want.”  

Isaac’s hand gripped tighter against Stiles’s neck as he said, “Kiss me.” And instantly afterward felt Stiles press his lips against his own. Their breath mingling as Isaac’s tongue searched out and wrestled with Stiles’, his fingers raking down Stiles’ back as he pulled himself closer into the man.  

Isaac’s breaths were feverish, his heart beating rapidly. Hands, mouth and tongue hungry to explore and taste more of Stiles, starving for the man he’d desired right alongside Derek, since he first laid eyes on him so many years ago.  

A low growl off to the side had the two of them breaking the kiss, breathing heavily. Stiles pressed his forehead against Isaac’s and grinned as he brought a hand up and placed it under Isaac’s chin, sliding his thumb over the man’s lips. Stiles blinked slowly as he rolled his head slightly to gaze over at Derek, still keeping his forehead pressed against Isaac’s.  

A seductive stary night gaze met with blazing red eyes as Derek watched them hungrily, his breath almost as heavy as their own had been and he looked to be barely restraining himself.  

“Oh really, big guy?” Stiles asked as he brushed his thumb over Isaac’s lips again, feeling the man’s tongue lick at his finger before Stiles lightly pressed in and Isaac sucked it in with a soft but no less filthy moan.  

Isaac grabbed at his waist and pulled Stiles closer, his tongue licking and swirling around Stiles’ thumb. Stiles gave a breathy chuckle, constantly keeping his gaze on Derek whose restraint appeared to be hair thin at this point. Stiles brought a hand up and curled a single finger once in beckoning. That was all Derek needed.  

A second later, he was behind Stiles, hands running down his sides as Derek hungrily kissed up Stiles’ neck. One hand snaked around and pressed against Stiles’ lower abdomen. A few of Derek’s fingers slid beneath his underwear to rest just above his fully erect cock. Derek pressed Stiles flat against his own body, rubbing his own rock-hard dick against Stiles’ ass.  

Stiles gave a breathy, “Fuck.” Before Derek used his other hand to tilt Stiles’ head around and pressed their mouths together, their kiss barely breaking for Derek to lick his way back in Stiles’ mouth. Derek’s hand slid farther beneath Stiles’ underwear, his fingers beginning to brush the base of Stiles’ dick. A low moan escaped Stiles’ mouth as he pressed himself harder into Derek’s body, rocking his hips back to feel Derek’s bulge press harder into him.  

Stiles gave a breathy mix between a moan and hum when his hips moved back forward, and he felt Derek’s fingertips begin to brush against his dick. Isaac pulled off his thumb and started lightly biting at Stiles’ neck, moving one hand up underneath his shirt to pinch at his nipple while his other pushed to grab and squeeze his ass beneath Stiles’ underwear.  

Stiles was starting to think he should have listened to Derek earlier and not bothered to change. Then again, he was about 99.99999% sure that if he hadn’t, they’d already be fucking right now. Though, would that really be a bad thing?  

Stiles reached one hand around to grab and push against Derek’s ass, bringing them closer together, while his other hand grabbed at the back of Isaac’s neck. He broke the kiss with Derek and pressed his mouth into Isaac’s.  

Stiles moaned into Isaac’s mouth as he felt Isaac squeeze his ass again and felt Derek’s fingers lightly brush against his cock. Stiles quickly moved his hand off of Derek’s ass before grabbing the alpha’s wrist and shoving his hand farther down to fully grab his dick and stop being a bastard and teasing.  

Stiles pulled from Isaac’s mouth as Derek squeezed his cock and rolled his hips into Stiles’ ass, then bit a little harder at the base of Stiles’ neck. His breath hitched in his throat as he tried to gasp, his breath coming a second later as he shot his hand down from Isaac’s neck to rub against his bulge and squeeze, eliciting a whine from Isaac before he gave a breathy, “Fuck, Stiles.” Then moved his hand from Stiles’ nipple to push the man’s hand beneath his pants to grab Isaac’s cock.  

Isaac whined another, “Fuck.” Which turned into a gasp as Stiles squeezed and massaged his dick as best he could beneath his jeans considering the angle.  

They were certainly enjoying themselves, but that didn’t mean things weren’t a little awkward and uncomfortable at times. But honestly, none of them cared right now. All they each cared about was enjoying themselves for as long as they could.  

They knew their time was coming to an end, and they would have to rejoin the others soon. So, they’d come to a sort of unspoken agreement to keep their clothes on, otherwise this wouldn’t just stay as some steamy foreplay.  

Isaac bit at the base of Stiles’ neck on the opposite side of Derek, then licked up the flesh to Stiles’ ear, nibbling at the lobe. Derek gave a low growl as Stiles squeezed at his bulge behind him, “Fuck yes.” Stiles breathed before Derek took his free hand and shoved Stile’s hand behind his pants to grab his cock and shifted to give Stiles easier access.  

Derek slid his free hand down to join Isaac’s hand squeezing Stiles’ ass, both of them working down to massage their fingers around and tease at his hole. For the first time, Stiles was the one to whine, “Fuck.”  

Isaac placed his free hand at Stiles’ throat, squeezing lightly as he pressed his mouth to the man’s and gave a growl too as he pressed himself harder against him. Stiles just moaned back, pressing his ass harder into their hands, urging their fingers to go deeper, which wasn’t the easiest, considering they were dry, so Stiles decided to fix that, having them pull their hands out one at a time, Stiles then sucking on their fingers before urging them back to his ass.  

Stiles was moaning an almost constant stream of expletives soon, wishing more than anything right then that they could be in his room and get to the really good shit.  

He was beyond tempted to just port them there right now and knew he could get away with it too and keep the others out of his room and soundproof it. Honestly, why the fuck hadn’t he thought of that yet? He realized in surprise and was about to say something when Derek growled again but the sound kind of faded before he was breathing hard.  

Stiles glanced back to see that the red glow in his eyes had faded away, only showing hazel now and he was grinning, “Okay, okay.” He said between breaths and pulled back a bit, but kept his hands where they were, one still massaging Stiles’ dick and the other massaging slow circles into Stiles’ hole.  

“As, wonderful as this is,” Derek said, still working on catching his breath and getting himself back under control, “Unfortunately, we really do need to get back. I’m sure the others are wondering what the fuck is going on.”  

“Oh?” Stiles grinned back and gave Derek’s dick a good squeeze, “You sure you want to go?”  

“Fuck.” Derek breathed and his eyes almost shifted again, “Of course I don’t want to.” He said and grinned back at the smirking imp, the smirk quickly fading to ecstasy as Derek massaged his dick and hole again.  

“Would you look at that?” Isaac said with a smirk, “It looks like we finally found the button that shuts him up.” He said and massaged his finger deeper, making Stiles groan then smirk.  

He gripped Isaac’s dick a little tighter, getting a shudder and small moan from the man before pulling Isaac closer, “Sorry to disappoint pup, but I’m only quiet right now out of consideration for the neighbors.”  

“Oh really?” Isaac smirked, leaned closer and spoke into Stiles’ mouth, “I think I wanna hear you now.” They kissed again and Stiles smirked when they pulled apart.  

“Oh, trust me babe, you’ll get to hear plenty.” He said then stopped when Isaac’s eyes widened a bit.  

“Babe?” He asked with a growing smirk and Stiles grinned before arching a brow.  

“Kinda slipped out. Do you not want me to call you that?” He asked and Isaac hurried to answer.  

“No, no, it’s fine. I like it-love it, actually.”  

“Well alright then.” Stiles answered. Isaac almost whined and pouted when Stiles removed his hand, but soon was distracted again when Stiles grabbed his neck and pulled him in for another kiss.  

“What’s mine?” Derek asked when they stopped kissing, and Stiles grinned wickedly.  

“Der-bear.” He answered almost immediately, and he could practically feel Derek’s horror.  

“What?! N...” He started to say, but lost his voice in a gasp when Stiles squeezed his dick.  

“This, isn’t fair.” Derek said between breaths, “How am I supposed to properly get angry at that atrocious nickname, when you’re grabbing my dick?”  

“It’s not atrocious, it’s adorable. And you’re not supposed to get angry, you’re just supposed to accept it. You’re Der-bear.” Stiles answered, tilting his head back and turning to smirk at him.  

Derek gave a halfhearted glare at him before removing his hands, Isaac doing the same, then Derek stepped away a bit to remove Stiles’ hand. Stiles will never admit how incredibly childish his pout looked and sounded immediately after. But he felt a bit better when Isaac turned him around and pressed Stiles against his own body, wrapping his arms around and trailing his fingers over Stiles’ chest and abs beneath his shirt.  

“I am not Der-bear, Stiles.” Derek said, looking a little annoyed, but Stiles could still see him fighting off a grin.  

Stiles leaned back into Isaac with a grin and tilted his head to the side, keeping his eyes on Derek. Isaac didn’t hesitate and began to kiss Stiles’ neck. Stiles just nodded at Derek and watched his frustration grow a bit.  

“What the hell? You give Isaac a perfectly normal ‘babe’, but I’m ‘ Der-bear ’?” Derek said, motioning first to Isaac then himself in illustration, and his face showing just how horrendous he found the nickname.  

Isaac laughed along with Stiles at the look on Derek’s face. Isaac then wrapped his arms around Stiles’ chest and rested his chin on his shoulder, grinning over at Derek. Stiles gripped Isaac’s arms crossed over his chest and said, “Well, I can’t really call you both babe, now can I? At least, not when we’re in the same area.”  

Derek’s eye almost twitched at this, and Isaac snickered, absolutely loving how easy it was for Stiles to get him worked up like this, “Then pick something else!” Derek replied, looking exasperated and waving his hands like it should be obvious, “I’m not a bear Stiles.”  

“Depends on the type of bear.” Stiles responded and Isaac felt a light rumble of laughter and nibbled at Stiles’ ear. Derek rolled his eyes so hard, Isaac honestly thought they might get stuck before the man rubbed a hand over his face but couldn’t hide the grin growing.  

“Just, pick something else.” Derek almost sounded pleading, and Isaac thought he might seriously think Stiles would call him Der-bear. Which, once he thought about it more, Isaac was actually pretty sure was something Stiles would definitely do, just to get a rise out of Derek.  

“Like, I don’t know,” Started Derek, looking around for an acceptable nickname for Stiles to use for him, “Hun?”  

“Oh?” Stiles responded, and Isaac grinned into his neck before kissing it, already hearing the mischief most likely rattling through the imp’s brain. When Stiles started speaking again, Isaac’s eyes almost snapped wide, and he saw Derek sort of freeze too.  

“Why, Mr. Derek Hale.” Stiles started, and was pulling off a damn good Southern Belle accent, but it didn’t sound cheesy or overdone. His tone was light with just enough emphasis on the accent that it actually sounded seductive. And Isaac couldn’t decide if he was more impressed or turned on right now.  

Stiles tilted his head down and rested his chin on one of Isaac’s arms then said with that same accent, “Are you presuming me to be some kind of helpless damsel who needs his big, strong, manly hunk to come and save him?”  

Derek grinned seductively and stepped forward, then lifted Stiles’ chin as he said, “As if I would ever. You’re more like a Kissin’ Kate Barlow.” At that, Isaac grinned while Stiles jolted, looking up at Derek with surprise.  

“You’ve seen Holes?” Stiles asked with a couple blinks.  

“Of course.” Derek answered with a chuckle, “I don’t know why you’d be surprised after you learned I like rom-coms.”  

“I guess that makes sense, I just didn...” Stiles was cut off as Derek kissed him and Stiles moved one hand to grab onto Derek’s shirt, holding him in place after the kiss ended.  

The next second, Stiles stilled before he gave a heavy sigh and flopped his head back against Isaac’s chest.  

“What?” Isaac and Derek said together, sounding a bit worried.  

“Lydia. She’s,” Stiles started, sounding a little annoyed but mostly resigned, “being a bit paranoid right now. Though, I can’t completely blame her. But honestly, she’s about to bust through the seal if we don’t get back in soon.”  

“Why would she be worried? Aren’t you guys some kind of bonded group? Can’t she feel that you’re fine?” Asked Derek, looking confused.  

“Yes, we are. And yes, well, normally. I kind of... blocked it.” Stiles said with a grin and Derek sighed, while Isaac snorted.  

“Why’d you block it?” Isaac asked, his head still propped on Stiles’ shoulder.  

“To annoy her. This way she only has speculations to go on, and nothing concrete. So she should be thoroughly pissed off by the time we walk back in.” Stiles answered smugly.  

“Why are you trying to piss her off?” Asked Derek with a chuckle, looking even more confused.  

“Because. Did you not hear the part where I called her and Jackson, ‘nosey fuckin’ bitches’? You saw what I had to do to get just this little bit of private time. Plus, I love her to death, she’s like my sister. And I don’t consider it a proper day unless I’ve pissed her off enough to try and cause me bodily harm at least once. So, we’re getting an early start today.” Stiles said with another grin and Derek and Isaac just sighed, Isaac thumping his forehead on Stiles’ shoulder.  

“Well,” Isaac said a few seconds later, lifting his head back up, “I suppose we should head back in then.”  

“Oh yeah, I haven’t properly asked you.” Stiles said and turned to Isaac, who just arched a questioning brow.  

“Really?”  

“’Ey, it’s best to never assume, and to always ask and clarify when you can. So, Isaac Lahey, do you take-no, I’m kidding.” Stiles said and chuckled at the extremely bewildered expression on Isaac’s face, then continued, “Would you, like to be in a triad relationship with Derek and I?”  

Isaac just smirked at him then said, “Yes, fuck yes.” And Stiles grinned then kissed him.  

“And now your turn.” Isaac said when the kiss ended some seconds later.  

“I technically already did.”  

“Ah-ah.” Isaac rebuked, “Never assume, always ask and clarify.” He said, quoting Stiles who just smirked and rolled his eyes, “So, Stiles. Would you like to be in a triad relationship with Derek and I?” Isaac asked and Stiles grinned at him.  

He then gave a single nod and said, “Yes.” A grin appearing a second later as Stiles motioned between them, “If you two kiss.” Stiles had barely finished speaking when Isaac grabbed Derek and pulled him into a kiss.  

When the kiss ended, they turned to see Stiles staring at them hungrily, biting his lower lip before he grinned, “Damn.” He said and took a deep breath, “That’s,” The word was drawn out as Stiles tried to think of how to properly describe what it had felt like to watch the two men he’d always had the hots for, make out in front of him, and failed utterly. Honestly, it had felt like his brain short-circuited for a second, and when it booted back up, all he’d wanted to do was join in.  

Stiles finally settled on, “Fuck.” Grinning as he looked down and rubbed the back of his neck.  

“Yeah,” Isaac added, drawing Stiles’ grin up to him to see him grinning right back, “That’s how I felt watching you two as well.”  

“Same,” Said Derek smirking, “Though I think it was a bit harder for me, considering you two seemed almost determined to drive me as crazy as possible.”  

Isaac cut him a sly look, and smirking said, “Now would we do-”  

“Yes.” Derek cut him off, “Yes, you would. Both of you.” Then sent a glare to Stiles who just laughed.  

“Alright.” Stiles gave a sigh, “I’ve pushed it as far as I can with Lydia. Good news is,” He added, looking Isaac over slyly who arched a brow at him, “I have a perfect way to short-circuit her rant.”  

Stiles walked forward and grabbed the neck of Isaac’s shirt then pulled him along as he backed up, then turned them so their sides were facing the doors. Stiles moved his hand from Isaac’s shirt and grabbed the back of Isaac’s neck, pulling him into a kiss. As he did, Stiles snapped his fingers, shifting all the windows back to normal and releasing the seals on the doors.  

Almost instantly, the doors they were standing in front of burst open, revealing a rather irate looking Lydia, “It’s about ti-"  

Chapter Text

The room was dead silent for several seconds while Stiles and Isaac kissed, before a very excited Erica almost shouted with glee, “ Fuck yes! Pay up bitches.” and they saw her holding her hand out while a dejected looking Ethan, Malia, Kira and Cora handed over some bills. 

“What were you guys betting on?” asked Jackson as he rounded the corner, taking a swig from an old-fashioned Root Beer bottle. His eyes grew wide as he took in Stiles and Isaac kissing, and he started choking. 

“Wha... what the fuck ?” Jackson asked in shock after he finally managed to regain his breath as Peter patted his back, looking from the kissing duo to a grinning Derek. 

“We were betting on how long it would take Isaac and Derek to ask Stiles to join them.” Ethan supplied, still not looking happy at having lost the bet, “Can’t believe they actually went through with it the next day.” 

“Join them?” Jackson asked, still not quite grasping what was going on. 

“As a triad.” Peter answered, “Remember? We talked about it when I asked if that was something you’d potentially be interested in.” 

“Oh yeah.” Jackson replied, realization dawning, “So then, they’re all in a relationship now? The three of them?” 

“Looks like it.” answered Peter, “We know how much Stiles cares for Derek. Because of that, I sincerely doubt he’d be willing to kiss another guy in front of him without a very good reason.” 

“Yeah.” Jackson answered before sighing, “And I suppose that means he’s going to want me to make his room and bathroom bigger.” Jackson stopped, his face slowly morphing into realization and betrayal while Peter shot him a concerned look. 

“That bitch .” Jackson breathed, “He ported me away.” he said, pointing to Stiles and looking to Peter with wide eyes. 

“Yes. We saw?” Peter answered with a questioning tone, looking confused, a few of the others around sharing in the confusion. 

“Don’t you get it?” asked Jackson, looking a little crazed, “The three of them go out there to have a private little chit-chat and Stiles makes absolutely sure that they aren’t bothered. And because of how much Stiles loves to overshare, we know he’s been horny as shit for a while now. So, do you really think the three of them are going to go out there, have a talk about getting together , and then just come back in? Just like that?!” he finished, looking damn near manic. 

Looks of realization dawned on several faces. Peter looked to be trying to hold in his laughter at the look of sheer betrayal on Jackson’s face, while Erica looked truly distraught as she exclaimed, “ Fuck! Oh gods , I bet it was so hot! ” 

And seeing as none of them were being all that quiet, the kiss between Isaac and Stiles was soon broken by a laughing Stiles. Isaac and Derek joining in the laughter soon after, when most everyone took Stiles’ response to be confirmation of what Jackson had assumed, Jackson and Erica and even a few others stuck the trio with looks of pure betrayal. 

“Oh, get ahold of yourselves.” Stiles said with a chuckle, waving off the glares he was receiving, “We didn’t actually do anything,” he said a second later, causing some to drop their accusatory glares and simply looked confused, until he added, “much.” a second later and smirked as their gazes instantly switched to severe glares promising bodily harm. 

But before anyone else could say anything, all eyes turned to Lydia who looked to finally be snapping out of the daze Stiles’ little stunt had put her in, and gave an icy, “Stiles Stilinski.” 

Well damn , Stiles thought as his smirk was instantly wiped away and he was drawn up short, feeling like he was a child about to be scolded. 

“Well shit,” Isaac said with a chuckle next to him, “she really use-” he started to say, but his mouth quickly snapped shut, eyes widening when Lydia snapped her glare to him. Isaac started to stiffly turn around, trying to get away, but was stopped again by the terrifying woman. 

“And where the hell do you think you’re going?” she asked, and Isaac slowly and jerkily turned his wide gaze to meet Lydia’s piercing one. 

The intimidating woman motioned a couple times with her finger for the tall man to come closer, then told Derek to do the same thing. They both sent nervous questioning glances to Stiles who just sighed and shrugged his shoulders. 

They took cautious steps towards Lydia, and once they were close enough, faster than either could see, she gripped the front of their shirts and yanked them down so their faces were barely a foot away from hers. 

Lydia’s eyes shifted, turning a flaming gold with a crimson ring around the iris. She let her presence pulse for a second, completely filling the room and stunning everyone but Stiles and his Clan, making them freeze in place. 

Once the woman knew she had their complete and undivided attention, she said in a soft but dangerous tone, “If either of you hurt him,” and glanced from Isaac to Derek and back as she continued, “I’ll make sure you get to experience space . Up close and personal.” 

Isaac and Derek’s brows instantly scrunched as they gazed at her with a mixture of severe confusion and fear. 

“You mean like,” Isaac started, and Lydia leveled the full weight of her gaze on him. He stopped for a second before swallowing and with a strained tone filled with a heavy mixture of questioning and disbelief, he added, “ outer space?” 

In response, Lydia just arched a brow and stuck him with a flat gaze. It was Derek’s turn to speak then, sounding just as confused and terrified as he asked, “You can actually do that?” 

Lydia simply shifted her eyes to Derek, giving him the same flat stare as she arched her second brow. Derek gave a nervous swallow in response, then shifted his fearful gaze to Jackson when he gave a chuckle. 

“Oh yeah.” Jackson said, then smirked before he added, “Though, even for Lydia it wouldn’t be all that easy. However, if she gave it her all, you bet your ass she could do it.” 

Hearing this, the two looked from the smirking Jackson and took in the slightly amused expressions of Peter, Jordan and Stiles, letting the duo know she wasn’t just serious, but also perfectly capable of backing up the threat. 

The color had drained slightly from their faces, the two looking thoroughly terrified as they nodded a few quick times in unison. 

“Alright Lyds.” Stiles sighed with a small grin, “I think you’ve more than made your point.” 

The small strawberry blonde cut her glowing eyes sideways and held his grinning gaze for a few seconds. When his grin grew slightly wider, she rolled her eyes with a huff then let Derek and Isaac go, pointing warningly at the grinning imp. 

“Don’t think I won’t get you back for that.” she said with an arched brow making Stiles’ grin spread even wider in response. 

It couldn’t be helped, the man’s grin was infectious, and she found a small grin starting to spread as she rolled her eyes again then stepped up to Stiles. Lydia took a breath then held the man’s gaze for some seconds before she finally asked him, “Is this what you really want?” 

His smirk shifted into a genuine smile, saying, “It is.” 

Lydia held his gaze for a few more seconds before a smile lifted her features as well and she embraced Stiles, giving him a tight hug. 

As they hugged, with as quiet a voice as she could manage, allowing only Derek and Isaac who were closest to them to hear, she said, “I’m so happy for you, Stiles.” 

His smile widened when she stepped back from the hug, but soon gave a heavy wince, multiple eyes widening with his wince as an incredibly loud smack could be heard after Lydia wacked him in the back of his head. 

“Fuck! Damn Lyds. I think you rattled my brain.” Stiles exclaimed, then grumbled at the woman while he rubbed the back of his head. To which she rolled her eyes before turning and walking away. 

The shock displayed on nearly every face present wasn’t an exaggeration, as they had all felt Lydia’s presence just moments ago, and therefore knew exactly how strong she was. 

Though they had all felt her presence last night as well, with everything that had been going on, it was easy to forget exactly how potent her presence was. 

And even though they’d all watched Stiles’s fight with Derek and could clearly see he had great strength and skill, from the simple pulse of Lydia’s presence just now, they could instantly tell her strength was leagues above Derek’s. 

Yet, though they could all tell she hadn’t held back in her swat at the back of Stiles’ head, the man simply stood there, grumbling in annoyance. 

It was kind of ironic in a way, that this tiny little nonchalant action held more weight in validation of Stiles’ power than an action-packed spar with an Alpha blessed with a Patron. 

None of the visitors held any illusions as to how they might have fared had they been the recipient of the “Love Tap” Lydia had given Stiles, knowing that most of them would have likely been knocked out cold in the best-case scenario. 

Little by little, their visitors snapped themselves out of their shock as they came to terms with the fact that Stiles was a true monster. More than a few of them worked to shake off the chills they’d gotten from the small yet incredibly telling display. 

It was beyond unnerving to most of them to think that one of the strongest supernaturals present appeared as nothing more than a mundane to their senses. 

Many of them were trying their best to not make their shock and unease obvious, Derek and Isaac included. They believed they were mostly successful, but that belief was soon dispelled as Stiles let out a heavy and slightly annoyed sigh. 

He turned and started walking back out towards the balcony as he said, “I’ll leave you all to it. Come on you two.” letting a bit more of his frustration seep into his voice than he’d intended, and grabbing onto Derek and Isaac’s shoulders to pull them along. And more than a few people turned their gazes down in embarrassment. 

However, as he’d been turning away, Stiles caught sight of Peter looking a little uncomfortable. It took a few seconds to register the sight and what it meant. 

When it did, Stiles froze, gaze growing wide as he let out a quiet and slightly pained, “Shit.” then closed his eyes. 

Derek and Isaac both turned confused gazes to Stiles, but before either of them could say anything, Stiles turned, and looking genuinely apologetic said, “I’m sorry, Pete. I swear, it wasn’t intentional.” 

“No, it’s alright, Stiles.” Peter answered, shaking his head, but Stiles wasn’t going to relent so easily. 

“No, it isn’t.” Stiles rebuffed with a shake of his own head, “This is important.” he added, and before either of them could say anything else, Stiles noticed a confused shift in Derek’s face, the man apparently not quite following Stiles’ quick shift in mood. 

Stiles took a deep breath and with another sigh and glance at Derek he said, “The chat. I,” Stiles drew out the word and looked slightly pained, “wasn’t really thinking. Peter asked that you two chat later. And then I...” he said, his voice trailing off as he let the implication hang in the air. 

Derek was looking at the ground uncomfortably now. He honestly didn’t know how to proceed. It was literally only because Stiles had been vouching for Peter that Derek had even said yes to chatting with Peter in the first place. 

There was no question. Clearly, he would much rather go on a date with Stiles than have a “Heart-to-heart" with his uncle. But this obviously was important to Stiles. Only that could explain why Stiles looked to be on the verge of contemplating moving their date to another day. 

He had faith in Stiles and trusted the guy’s judgement. So, obviously, Peter must have done something truly drastic to have won Stiles’ faith. And Derek honestly couldn’t deny the changes in the man. 

It was clear as day. From the moment they’d arrived here this morning, Peter had been perfectly polite and respectful. Even pleasant, he daresay. 

He couldn’t deny that there was a small part of him that hoped the man had truly changed and this wasn’t simply one hell of an elaborate charade. Then again, considering how incredibly powerful Stiles was now, he highly doubted his conniving and silver-tongued uncle would have a single chance in the nine hells at legitimately duping Stiles. 

The thought of having any kind of serious chat with Peter though had instantly churned his stomach in the beginning. And it honestly wasn’t too much better now, despite everything. However, he absolutely refused to hold off on his date with Stiles any longer than was absolutely necessary. 

So, steeling himself for what might come, he took a quick breath and interjected just as it looked like Stiles was about to suggest moving their date, “It’s fine.” he said, not lifting his gaze from the ground, and felt multiple sets of eyes fall on him. 

Instead of meeting any of the gazes though, Derek walked forward towards the sparring area, stopping halfway when no-one had moved, then half turned his gaze to Peter as he said, “Well?” 

Not waiting for a response, Derek continued into the sparring area, this time hearing movement behind him. 

“Derek, are you sure?” he heard Stiles ask behind him. 

He half turned and glanced sideways at Stiles, taking in his forlorn gaze, “Honestly?” he responded with a question, thought about it for a moment longer then with a shake of his head he said, “No. I believe you, Stiles. I really do and I trust in your judgement. I just...” he stopped, his eyes looking lost as he tried to sort out his currently muddled thoughts and emotions. 

On the one hand, he was happy to see that Peter seemed to have truly changed for the better. But at the same time, a long dormant part of his mind was waking up, feeling him with a bitter ache. 

Why? Why now? After all this time. He felt he had finally managed to put all of his pains and struggles behind him. Finally managed to start feeling truly happy with most aspects of his life. Where was this seemingly honorable and respectful Peter when he was younger? 

Where was the uncle that he could have relied on and trusted in? The uncle he could have confided in without every last one of his secrets being used against him? Where was the Peter that could have given him the advice he would have needed to avoid that bitch? The man he could have laughed and joked around with instead of constantly feeling like he was being manipulated? 

Stiles understood the silence from Derek and stepped back with a nod. He honestly hated how things were developing at the moment, and he knew that no matter when or how this conversation happened, it was bound to be tense and awkward. 

Stiles wanted to smack himself for not thinking properly before and causing such an awkward development, but he’d been so beyond elated at finally being able to go on a legitimate date with Derek that he was hard pressed not to immediately take him away on a date in that instant. Let alone think about any pre-standing chats planned. 

And though Stiles knew that the chat could easily be rescheduled for another time, this wasn’t some basic little chit-chat between friends or colleagues. The more times it got put off, the less likely it was to happen. And seeing as this talk was the cornerstone of the entire reason he’d accepted Peter into the Clan, he couldn’t let it be put off so easily. 

More than that though, Derek deserved to have this talk with Peter, and finally hear what his uncle would tell him. 

Yes, he knew it was a little cruel in some ways, to essentially force Derek to have this talk with Peter. But Stiles knew Derek well enough to know that as angry and hurt Derek felt right now over the coming chat, he would come to be grateful. 

Shortly after Stiles stepped away, Peter walked forward into the area, passing the border. And Derek’s smoldering rage suddenly erupted, his eyes blazing red and claws instantly sprouting when he heard Peter speak up behind him. 

“I’m sorry, Derek. I understand if you’ve changed your mind and don’t want to talk now.” Peter said, sounding completely genuine. His tone somber, lacking any of the arrogance or condescension that had practically become a staple trait for the man for so long. 

The moment Peter had crossed into the area, he had triggered the barrier to start rising. It was plain as day to everyone present that Derek was on the verge of snapping. If this was what his nephew needed to help him, then he would gladly give it. 

He wouldn’t trigger a single transformation or ability while in here, except for what might be necessary to keep from dying if Derek really tried to go that far. Short of that, he would let Derek do whatever he needed to get his frustrations and built-up anger out. It was the least he could do for his nephew after everything he’d done to and put him through when they were younger. 

So, it was in his base form free of any enhancements that he met Derek’s furious gaze as the alpha lunged at him, gripping his throat and slamming Peter into the barrier, “You’re SORRY?!” Derek shouted, his voice turning partially bestial with a small roar as tears began to spill from his rage-filled gaze. 

“THAT’S WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY TO ME?!?!” Derek roared in Peter’s face before landing a massive punch in the man’s gut, making Peter heave, before Derek slammed him back against the barrier and landed three quick and heavy blows to the side of Peter’s face. 

“After EVERYTHING! You’re sorry ?!” the alpha brought a knee up into Peter’s gut with enough force to lift the man a few inches off the ground. Then taking a step back and using as much strength as he could, Derek lifted and hurled Peter across the area, his uncle slamming heavily into another wall of the barrier. 

Before he could fall to the ground, Derek had flashed in front of Peter and with a snarl he landed two heavy blows to Peter’s gut followed by an even heavier one to his face, sending the man careening and stumbling sideways. 

“How dare you. How many times Peter?! ” Derek said, grabbing the man and slamming him into the barrier again, gripping his throat and glaring into his uncle’s heavily bruised and bleeding face as he gasped lightly for breath, but still did nothing to stop Derek. 

“How many times did I trust you? How many times did I come to you for help? Only to have you stab me in the back. Use me. Manipulate me. And lie to me, again and again! Why now?! Why not before?!” he was still shouting at Peter, but little by little his anguish began to take over. 

His hits lost much of their weight and his body began to feel sluggish, “Where was this Peter when I was being manipulated by that FUCKING BITCH !” Derek managed to muster up enough energy to nearly scream the last words with enough force that he felt his throat nearly shredding before landing a devastating punch to Peter’s face, sending the man tumbling and sprawling on the ground. 

But Derek ended up stumbling to the ground himself. It felt like his anger was scrambling frantically, doing its best to make itself known before the weight of his anguish smothered it out. A stream of tears had been almost constantly flowing as his bright red eyes bored into Peter’s face with fury. 

He was almost frantically heaving as he forced his increasingly sluggish body to scramble forward, stopping on his knees next to Peter’s prone form as Derek grasped the front of the man’s shirt and lifted him up. 

With his face twisted in incredible sorrow and fury Derek screamed at the man, “Why Peter?! Why?! Where the fuck was this man when I needed him?! Fight back goddammit!” he said, giving the man a shake before punching him again, making Peter slump back to the ground with a heavy thud. 

Derek propped himself up, though he was still kneeling next to Peter, taking heavy breaths. The next second, he glared over at Peter with narrowed incredulous eyes as he heard the man say, “I’m sorry, Derek.” The words barely managing to leave his bloodied lips as more than a whisper and he saw a tear falling down the side of the man’s face. 

“ Dam-mit .” Derek said through clenched teeth, grabbed the man’s shirt, pulled him up and spat out a clenched, “ Fuck you!” Then began landing consecutive punches to the man’s face until finally, Peter’s shirt ripped where Derek was grabbing it and he flopped back to the ground again. 

The final punch also sent Derek sprawling on all fours again and he leaned over, letting his back fall to the ground, lying a few feet away from Peter and gasping for breath. 

He felt completely drained, not just of his strength, but his anger as well. A part of him wanted to keep whaling on his uncle, but since the man apparently refused to fight back or even properly defend himself, it almost felt like his actions drained several times more energy. 

And considering his rage and sorrow felt like they were warring for dominance, this whole ordeal just felt like one huge fruitless waste of energy. 

Then again, as Derek laid there next to his bloodied and bruised uncle, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, he almost felt a bit lighter than he had in a while. 

Derek wouldn’t go as far as saying he felt like a “Changed man” or like he had somehow “Transformed” or whatever. But letting so many of his buried frustrations out? Getting the chance to really show and tell Peter how much he’d been hurt by the man’s callous actions in the past? It honestly felt a little freeing. 

However, just as he was starting to breathe a little easier, he felt one of his eyes almost start to twitch in frustration. He could sense and hear Peter’s breathing already starting to settle to normal. And considering Derek hadn’t sensed the man use any of his abilities, that meant this was the result of his basic healing taking effect. 

Neither Derek nor any of his group knew exactly what Stiles and his group were. Not their true level of strength, nor their classification. They at least knew Lydia had to be placed around first tier with the level of presence she’d displayed earlier. But that was where their understanding ended. 

Without being around Dupli and Terni frequently, it would be difficult for most supernaturals to learn how to discern the differences in presence between those types and regular supernaturals classified in only one category. 

Seeing how rare Terni were in the world, very few would be able to distinguish their standing through pure presence alone. 

They also didn’t know exactly what kind of group Stiles and the others were a part of. 

Bonded kinships for supernaturals were incredibly commonplace in the world now. Packs, Covens, Courts, and Guilds were the common examples of kinships, and each one related to a specific category of supernaturals, like Shifters, Metas or Arcanes. 

But they can sometimes deal with more niche groups, for instance, Courts being kinships specifically for Vampiric creatures or the like. However, there were some other types that existed as well. 

Clans were one of those, and exclusive to Dupli and Terni. Knowing that Stiles and the others were an actual Clan would instantly alert them all that their group were all at least classified as a Duplus. 

But alas, this detail hadn’t been revealed to them just yet. 

However, little by little, through each of these small but significant tells, Derek and his group were starting to realize they had apparently visited a den of true monsters. 

“Seriously?” Derek asked between a couple heavy breaths, though they were coming easier to him now, his tone being colored with annoyance as he stared at the ceiling. 

“Sorry.” Peter replied, his voice perfectly even, showing he had basically been completely healed by this point. 

“Did I even actually hurt you?” Derek nearly grumbled, tossing a single hand up in annoyance. 

“Well, you did cause some internal bruising . If that helps.” Answered Peter, to which Derek gazed flatly at the ceiling before rolling his eyes and thumping the back of his head against the floor. 

It was quiet for several more moments before Peter finally spoke up again, “Do you still want to talk? Or would you rather wait? Or would you... rather not, anymore?” 

“I’m not holding off my date with Stiles, Peter. That's the entire reason we’re doing this right now. So... talk.” Derek answered, and a moment later his eyes glanced around the area as he saw the barrier become heavily opaque and he realized he couldn’t hear anything happening outside of the barrier anymore. 

“Alright. Show’s over folks.” Stiles said, removing his hand from the barrier after making it opaque and soundproofing it both ways. Then added with an annoyed tone and an off-hand wave, “You can all go back to shaking in your boots now.” as he turned and continued back out to the balcony. 

He summoned an apple and bottle of Gatorade to him from the kitchen as he exited and felt Isaac hurry along to catch up to him, closing the door behind him once they were alone on the balcony. 

Stiles stood looking out over the city as he took a bite from the apple. He felt Isaac approach but didn’t turn around, even when the man called his name. 

“Stiles, I... I’m sorry.” Isaac said as he reached for Stiles, but pulled his hand back, “It’s just-” 

“I know.” Stiles interjected and turned around, leaning back against the parapet, setting his drink down on it as he looked Isaac over. 

“You know,” Stiles said a moment later, drawing his eyes up to lock with Isaac’s, “I usually consider it a perk. After all, in our field, having even the smallest advantage can make a huge difference. So, constantly having people underestimate me because I appear as a mundane is a huge boon. However, I guess I got used to the people closest to me understanding that they don’t need to fear me.” 

The two stood silently for a moment, Isaac’s eyes wandering over Stiles’ form as he took another bite of the apple and Stiles’ gaze wandered to the ground. 

“I guess,” Stiles finally said while his eyes were still staring at the ground just ahead of his feet, and Isaac looked back up to Stiles’ face, “I’ve kind of grown numb to it.” 

After another small breath, Stiles added, “The fear. The apprehension. I don’t usually have too many people around me that I care about most of the time. And those that I do care for, they’ve all come to be familiar enough with my,” he stopped and motioned at himself before he finished, “ situation , that they know they don’t need to fear me.” 

Stiles took a frustrated bite out of the apple, leaving only a couple small bites left, then took a deep breath before giving a heavy sigh. 

“Can I,” Isaac started, looking Stiles over once more as the man locked gazes with him, then added, “ask, why we can’t sense your presence?” 

Stiles stared at him for a few seconds before taking the last couple bites of his apple. When Isaac looked like he was about to apologize, Stiles shook his head and spoke around the bites, “No, you’re fine, Isaac.” 

Stiles tossed the core of the apple into the air, which immediately was engulfed in black flames the moment it left his hand and was turned to ash in seconds. Isaac stared at the spot where the apple had been completely incinerated with furrowed brows and blinked quickly several times as Stiles then grabbed his drink and took a few swigs. 

He set the bottle back down, took a breath and then looked Isaac in the eye, “The reason you can’t feel my presence is both simple and complicated. The most basic answer is this.” Stiles said as he reached a hand up and tugged down on the collar of his shirt, revealing a rather intricate tattoo placed over his right pectoral. 

Isaac wasn’t an Arcane, so he had no real understanding of the many root languages of the world. If he had to guess, the tattoo looked to be made of some type of language though. But with his nonexistent knowledge on the subject, it could have been an alien language for all he knew. 

However, he did at least understand one thing from this, that being that Stiles’ tattoos apparently weren’t just for show. 

“So,” Isaac started with heavy confusion as he looked up into Stiles’ face, the man giving him a small smirk. 

“That’s right pup.” Stiles answered, “They aren’t just for show. Each of my tattoos have a purpose. And to make a long-winded explanation short, this one hides my presence. But that’s actually a by-product of its real purpose. Before I say anymore though, I need to know what all you know of Dupli and Terni. More specifically, what you might know of their powers and abilities.” 

Isaac looked incredibly confused by this question and slowly shook his head a couple times before he said, “I... I’m not, sure I know what you mean.” 

Stiles took a breath as his eyes wandered for a second before he added, “I mean, have you heard about how, typically , most Dupli and Terni’s powers and abilities tend to kind of complement each other, or balance each other out?” 

Isaac hummed in answer as he seemed to think about it for a moment before he finally answered, “Honestly, I’m not really sure. I think I might have heard something about that. But, considering how rare those types are, any concrete information is pretty scarce. I mean, after all, I think I can count on one hand the number of Dupli I’ve personally encountered, Deaton included. And I think I can safely say that none of us have encountered a single Ternus so far. Well,” he added and stopped to think about it, not noticing the small smirk that came to Stiles’ lips as the man thought over it some more, then said, “I suppose there’s always a chance we have encountered some through the years and they simply kept their presences pretty well in check. But as to your question, I’m honestly not too sure.” 

“Well,” Stiles said with a small grin and nod to Isaac, “you can safely add those bits to your confirmed knowledge on Dupli and Terni. Typically, their powers and abilities from the different categories will almost always complement or balance each other out in some way. That’s usually the case for those groups of supernaturals. However, it’s not the case for me.” 

Stiles simply stood there, quietly waiting for what he’d just said to fully set in. He watched, his smirk growing a little wider as the seconds passed and Isaac’s eyes grew larger and larger with understanding. 

“Stiles.” Isaac said, his eyes seemingly frozen wide, stunned. 

“Yes?” Stiles responded with a smirk. 

“Are you a Duplus?” he asked, his eyes still frozen wide, though there seemed to be a small twinge in them that said he expected the answer he’d get. 

“Nope.” Stiles answered, letting his lips pop the ‘p’, his smirk growing a bit along with Isaac’s eyes. 

The man took a couple deep breaths before he finally said, “You’re... a Ternus.” 

It wasn’t a question, but Stiles still gave a single nod of his head and said, “That I am, pup.” 

Isaac took a long and deep breath, and let it out with a stunned and drawn out, “Okay.” as he gave a single slow nod of his head. His eyes were still far away for a moment, fully letting this new and incredibly overwhelming knowledge settle. 

Isaac continued to make slow nods with his head as he processed, and finally after about a solid minute, his eyes focused back on Stiles who held a small amused smirk. The wolf blinked his eyes up and down Stiles’ frame before settling back on his amber eyes. 

He took another deep breath and still sounding stunned he finally said, “I am both, incredibly intimidated,” his eyes grew less stunned but far more intense as he added, “and extremely turned on right now.” his blue eyes roaming a bit more slowly over Stiles now. 

Stiles gave a few chuckles as his grin spread wider before a seductive smirk colored his features and he said, “Really now.” 

“Definitely.” Isaac added with a breathy chuckle, but before his hormones could get the better of him, the rest of what Stiles had been telling him resurfaced and cleared away the fog of arousal and Isaac blinked, his brows furrowing as he asked, “So, you’re saying your abilities aren’t balanced?” 

“No.” Stiles answered, his eyes aimed at the ground as he answered before he blinked his amber eyes back up to meet Isaac’s gaze, and the man couldn’t stop his brows twitching down as Stiles’ gaze was displaying a number of emotions he honestly didn’t think he’d ever see again on his face after meeting him again. 

The Stiles he saw now was a man full of confidence, capability and terrifying power. Yet, after saying that one word, his amber gaze was shrouded with doubt, confusion, worry and depression as his eyes wandered back down. 

Isaac found himself acting on instinct, his arm moving before he even thought about it and placing his hand on Stiles’ cheek. He had stilled along with Stiles when he initiated the contact, his eyes widening slightly, unsure if a gesture like this was okay with Stiles. 

Isaac believed wholeheartedly that Stiles would never get angry with him, and displaying comfort like this was common for him with Derek. But despite Derek also being his Alpha and a notch stronger than him even without using Fenrir’s aura, there wasn’t a near fathomless chasm of power separating them, like with Stiles. 

When he thought about exactly how weak he was in comparison to Stiles now, a gesture like this could reasonably be called arrogant, condescending or even patronizing despite that not being his intention in the slightest. After all, how could he possibly provide any kind of assurance to someone of his caliber who practically existed in an entirely different realm now? 

Uncertainty was clouding Isaac’s mind and he was about to withdraw his hand, his fingers twitching, but he was kept from pulling his hand back as Stiles smoothly brought a hand up and placed it over Isaac’s resting against his cheek. Stiles’ fingers slowly curled in around Isaac’s hand as he held it in place. 

His head was bowed slightly, his eyes still looking towards the ground and Isaac heard the man give a quiet, “Thank you.” before lifting his head, letting his eyes wander over Isaac’s face which still looked a little nervous but also hopeful. 

Stiles then reached his free hand up, placing it on the back of Isaac’s neck and pulled him into a kiss. And when the kiss ended, neither could stop the grin that lifted their lips and Stiles’ eyes held a mixture of fondness and warmth as he pulled Isaac’s hand from his cheek, but kept their hands clasped between them as he brushed his thumb over Isaac’s fingers. 

“I have no real control over my presence.” Stiles said, picking up his explanation from where he’d left off, “I can either constantly work to keep it hidden, or display it in full. There’s no middle ground for me. I could never do anything like what Lydia did earlier. However, trying to keep it sealed away while fighting and using my abilities proved disastrous when I tried that in the beginning. But thankfully, it wasn’t too long after that when I discovered I could do this.” 

Stiles then lifted his free arm and showed off the various tattoos, “It took some trial and error, but eventually I managed to create a container of sorts that could seal away my presence without adversely affecting my powers. It’s still not perfect however, even after I’ve improved it a few times over the years, and it’s rather delicate. And it still doesn’t allow me any proper control over my presence. It’s still all or nothing if I choose to display it. And if I ever become too imbalanced it short-circuits in a way. 

“You might think at first that sealing away a person’s presence should be fairly simple, like I did at first. And technically you’d be right. However, it becomes a thousand times more difficult and intricate if your goal is only to seal away presence without also locking away the individual’s powers or abilities as they’re innately connected. Something I learned the hard way when I was first experimenting with the seal and nearly lost an arm during a fight when I tried to use one of my abilities and found it locked away.” he explained, grinning at Isaac’s look of concern. 

The wolf’s gaze turned contemplating when he thought over what Stiles had told him so far, then took a quick breath and asked, “So, was that it then? Last night. Was that why you had to leave so suddenly?” 

Stiles gave a sad grin and soft chuckle as he said, “Yeah. I wasn’t lying when I told Derek that we’d had a long day by that point. And with what I’d had to deal with leading up to us coming here, and then everything that happened shortly after arriving here, I had become more than a little unstable. If I hadn’t left when I did, the best-case scenario would have been that I only severely injured many of you by accident.” 

Isaac’s brows had furrowed further as he listened to Stiles and he could see the wolf wanted to ask something else, but looked uncertain if he should. A small smirk lifted Stiles’ lips as he pulled Isaac into another short kiss then glancing up into the man’s blue eyes, with that same small smirk, Stiles said, “You can ask me whatever you want babe. If I can answer it, I will. I’ll never get upset at you for asking questions, Isaac.” 

“Whatever I want, huh?” came Isaac’s question a couple seconds later with a suggestive tone and sly grin which Stiles mirrored almost instantly. 

“Absolutely.” Stiles answered, letting his gaze turn seductive, making Isaac’s grin spread wider. Blue eyes wandered over Stiles’ frame as the man bit lightly at his bottom lip. However, the look in Isaac’s eyes shifted the next second as he took a deep breath and Stiles could practically see the man pushing aside the more interesting and fun questions he had, clearly deciding that it was either more important or pressing to learn more about Stile’s abilities and situation. 

And though Stiles would definitely prefer to discuss the much more fun topics, he knew that if he was to let these two men get close to him, he would need to let them in on his darker and more complicated secrets. It would probably be smarter for him to keep his cards close to his chest, but Stiles had neither the patience nor desire to keep so many secrets from Isaac and Derek. And honestly, one of the many benefits that came with his position and power allowed him the luxury of having very few people that could order him around or pose legitimate threats to his life and safety. 

However, despite his rather prominent position, Stiles very rarely actually used his influence for his personal life. Most of it went into making sure that his dad had little to no worries regarding his life and safety. Even though it wasn’t all that necessary considering Noah had managed to etch out a rather comfortable position and life for himself with his Coven. 

However, despite the safety and security his Coven could provide him, Stiles had made more than a few very dangerous enemies over the years, especially amongst the Tersus. And he would never be comfortable leaving too much up to chance with his dad. 

Aside from Noah, the only other times he ever used his influence was with his Clan, helping to provide them with the most useful and convenient benefits they possessed, like having free use of port circles. So, if Stiles wanted to let Isaac and Derek in on his many secrets, not only was it entirely his choice in the first place, but any objections the Sect might normally have to one of their members spilling the beans would be voided entirely upon his request. 

The Arcanum Sect was one of the most influential forces throughout the world, yet they were only known to a relatively small number of people, usually the members themselves as well as most of the higher-ups within the U.S. government and military, and of course some of the more knowledgeable and prominent figures from other countries, especially if the Sect ever assisted them. 

For the most part though, unless they possessed some incredible talents with research and technology, most common folk throughout the world had absolutely no knowledge about the Sect, or had even heard the name mentioned. 

The Sect could most closely be described as a more independent version of the C.I.A. They possessed many of their own goals and ambitions but also frequently lent aid to other forces in need. 

They were originally formed with one goal in mind: Eliminate the Tersus. However, they had grown significantly in power and influence in a short time due to the substantial hatred and disgust for the Tersus that seemed to grow by the day. And as they grew in size, their focus broadened to encompass more than the fanatic terrorists. 

In just over four years the organization grew to be a true global powerhouse. However, their numbers still paled in comparison to many of the much larger organizations. But if anything, this just proved the strength and quality of the Sect’s members. 

Stiles was preparing himself to reveal some rather tricky details to Isaac as he saw the man take another breath and was about to ask his next question when their attention was drawn to the doors they had walked through recently as they were roughly pushed open, followed by Jackson who wore a dark expression. 

The guy didn’t spare either of them a glance as he marched over, turned around and leaned himself up against the parapet a couple feet away from Stiles. The two looked over at Jackson with slightly raised brows, but Jackson continued staring back at the doors he’d just came through and folded his arms over his chest. 

Stiles was almost certain he knew what Jackson wanted and his theory was proven correct when a few seconds later he saw Jackson’s eyes quickly blink over to him before resting on Isaac for the barest second then back to Stiles before blinking away again. 

It seemed some habits were destined to stick around with some people no matter how much times passed. And though Stiles found it more than a little annoying that Jackson still found it difficult to open up around others, he would never try and force the guy to change this habit as it was an ingrained safety measure. 

And it wasn’t like the guy never opened up to anyone. It just took a substantial amount of time for him to grow comfortable enough to do so. 

Stiles had literally saved the guy’s life and rescued him from a fate far worse than death when he’d broken him out of a makeshift prison in London used by one of the many trafficking rings that cropped up over the years. They dealt with capturing and enslaving weaker supernaturals and forcing them to fight to the death, be used as sex slaves, prostitutes and drug mules among many other horrific deeds. 

And if they didn’t cooperate, or even if they did but didn’t perform to satisfaction, they would then be forced to endure countless rounds of torture. Thankfully, Jackson had only been stuck there for a handful of months, but the others knew it had to have felt like a lifetime to the guy. 

Stiles and the other three had been trying to track down the head of this particular ring as they knew the man held a significant connection to the Tersus. This was also one of their first big jobs with the Sect, having only been with them for a little under a year by that point. 

None of the four were strangers to pain, death and suffering with the kind of pasts they possessed. Plus, they had been well informed of what to expect when they finally closed in on the man. However, despite the warnings, the pictures and their bloody pasts, none of them were completely ready to confront the reality surrounding scum like that. 

Not even Peter and Jordan were unaffected when they closed in on the large, abandoned factory turned prison for the trafficking ring. They tried their best to ignore the captives as they rushed through the place, knowing the sooner they captured the man they were hunting, the sooner they could help the people suffering. 

But when they split up to try and cover more ground, it was only a few minutes later when the other three realized something was horribly wrong with Stiles. Each of them were dealing with tumultuous and chaotic storms of horror, disgust and rage. Lydia had even had to work extra hard to not vomit several times by that point and had already lost the battle to keep her tears back. 

However, each of them had stopped dead in their tracks as the wind was nearly knocked out of them, their minds instantly zooming in on the bond to try and make sense of the devastating rage and grief that felt like it was nearly ripping Stiles apart from the inside. 

Though there were no words to describe the disgust and revulsion Stiles had been feeling at seeing the people chained up in the various rooms; their bodies beaten, bloodied and broken. Some eyes vacant and lifeless, others delirious. Screams of pain and suffering from some, while others begged for death. Frail emaciated forms of starved, broken and bloodied people filling the rooms around every corner, packed together like lambs for the slaughter. And Stiles was also more than certain that he’d seen more than one dead supernatural, simply left to rot in the rooms with the others. It all came to a head when he encountered one room in particular. 

Stiles felt his mental state had been balancing precariously on a knife point as he had rushed through the place, doing his best to focus on the mission, knowing that all the people currently suffering would be freed if they succeeded. But it was the voice of a particular beast, egging him on to go on a rampage that was making it even harder than normal. 

As Stiles passed yet another tiny room filled with nearly a dozen supernaturals, each of them either chained to the wall, cuffed or bound in some other way, each also sporting the suppression collars these kinds of groups always used with their ‘Products’. The collars worked to both keep a supernatural’s powers suppressed while also acting as a shock collar, sending millions of volts of electricity through their bodies whenever the leader or his goons felt like it. His momentum came to a screeching halt as Stiles stared straight ahead for some seconds, trying to process the image his eyes had just caught. 

Stiles’ head slowly turned back to the room he’d just passed before his body also turned and he walked back to stand in front of the cell door. His eyes slowly widened as Stiles took in the all too familiar form from his past. 

The dirty blonde hair, handsome features, bright blue eyes. Except, right now they were staring blankly ahead, completely devoid of life while his hands were chained to the wall above him. The guy’s eyes were so vacant that despite almost looking directly at Stiles, Jackson didn’t react at all. 

There were countless bloody wounds all over his body. His skin deathly pale, sunken and shallow. His once bright blue eyes were dull and murky and his bones could almost be perfectly seen pressing against his bruised and bloody skin. Jackson was so battered that Stiles was absently surprised that he’d recognized him so fast. 

However, despite it having been some years since he’d last seen Jackson, he had spent many a year staring at that handsome face in jealousy, that even in this weakened and bloody state, there was just enough that was recognizable. 

Stiles had never been a fan of Jackson. He could even say that he had grown to hate the guy over the years and he’d be lying if he hadn’t dreamt of the guy getting into a little accident or two. But those desires had only extended to the guy being stuck with a cast or two. 

What could he say? Stiles wasn’t a bad guy, per se. He never wished any type of twisted pain or suffering on most around him. And even the desire for Jackson to get a little injured was mostly so the guy would leave him alone. And hell, he had even worked with Scott to try and help Jackson, to try and keep him from being used as a weapon while he’d been the Kanima and murdering more people. 

But never, no matter how upset he may have gotten, never had Stiles wished anything even remotely close to this on anyone. Not even Jackson. 

Stiles had been working at holding back his rage and vomit as he’d sped past the rooms, trying to let his mind be absorbed by the task at hand to keep from losing it. But the moment he saw Jackson, the sickening reality of his surroundings was ratcheted up to a new level. 

While Stiles had been more than a little upset at the horrific state of the people around him, he had been able to kind of separate himself from it as they were all strangers to him. He of course still wanted to help them, but the lack of personal connection was the only thing that was helping him to mostly stay sane, but most importantly, to keep the voice at bay. 

However, seeing someone he knew in this place and suffering this horrendous fate shattered the thin barrier to pieces. 

The rage and disgust that had been simmering just below the surface erupted to biblical proportions, the raging monstrous voice growing more savage right along with it, slamming against the growing cracks in his mind and clawing its way to freedom. 

Stiles’ face warping with a vicious snarl a moment later, his amber eyes shifting to a metallic grey. As they did, his pupils stretched and morphed into a reptilian slit while branching forks of white lightning spread over his irises. 

With the last shred of his consciousness, before he finally succumbed to the vicious voice, Stiles slammed his hand into the cell door in front of him, the palm of his hand bending the bar in as a large black circle appeared rotating in front of the bars of this cell, along with every other one in the large factory that he could sense. 

The voice roared at him in outrage at his interference, but Stiles didn’t care. These people had already suffered enough. 

The next second, every single person that had been trapped in a cell in the large factory was teleported out of the building and away a safe distance in the secluded clearing they had set up before their infiltration started. 

They had planned on doing this after capturing the leader of this ring, but that was no longer an option now as Stiles was no longer in the driver’s seat. And the one who currently held the reigns wasn’t one for subtlety, patience or coercion. 

There was only one fact sticking out in his mind. There was scum that needed killing. And this was something he was more than happy to assist with. 

The vicious snarl twisting Stiles’ face shifted and spread into an even more vicious and wicked grin, his head leaning forward as his grey eyes began to glow. The ground beneath his feet and all through the large factory began to shake slightly. Not enough to cause worry at first, but that changed quickly as the seconds passed by. 

“Yes.” he said softly with a much deeper voice than normal as he slowly leaned his head back and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath then letting it out in a slow sigh, the rumbling through the ground growing stronger as he did. 

A grin touched his lips, and a low and soft chuckle began to bubble up from his chest. The chuckling grew louder and faster and as it did, his feet began to lift from the ground, the tremors from the earth growing strong enough to cause the whole factory to start shaking. 

Debris began to fall around him as the walls and ceiling began to crumble and collapse, his chuckling turning into laughter. His glowing grey eyes trained on the billowing and darkening thunderheads swirling above as he rose through the crumbling ceiling and began lifting high above the large factory. 

His laughter grew louder and more boisterous before he finally clenched his fists, arched back and loosed a cataclysmic roar, the likes of which had never been heard before in this realm. It was truly monstrous, terrifying, and unmistakably powerful, causing several parts of the factory to collapse into billowing heaps of debris. 

The destruction from the roar grew more chaotic as the seconds passed, the sound of the bellow plummeting to an abyssal depth which almost seemed to muffle the sound of the roar, but the force and tremors from the sound grew exponentially stronger. 

Bolts of lightning sparked above faster and faster, followed by rolling booms of thunder and swirling thunderheads growing more tumultuous. The abyssal roar from Stiles finally cut off, replaced by more boisterous laughter. 

“Yes! Finally! ” came the deep voice from Stiles, his eyes wide and filled with a manic glee as another wicked grin lifted his lips when he glanced down to his hands clenching into fists in front of him. 

His face smoothed out, eyes closing as he let his hands drift lazily to his sides and leaned his head back. He took a deep breath the softly sighed as the wind ruffled his hair and clothes. 

“You don’t know how to use your powers, Stiles.” he said in the same deep voice before opening his eyes again, the metallic grey shinning brighter than ever, and leaned his head back forward as he trained his eyes on the quickly crumbling factory. 

He could see dozens of injured people trying to escape the collapsing factory and could sense still dozens more trapped inside. Most were people working for the leader of this particular ring, but he knew there were still some innocent people left inside. Stiles had only been able to target the cells created through the factory. He was still pretty new to his powers by this point and lacked more meticulous control which would have allowed him to sense out and target all the victims within the factory. 

Stiles had wanted to do everything he could to make sure the victims had all been rescued before laying waste to the entire place. However, the one currently in control possessed no such compunctions. 

“You hide when you should stand tall.” the deep voice said again, his glowing eyes still trained on the factory and the people scrambling frantically for freedom. 

One of Stiles’ arms began to lift in front of him, rising slowly. 

Several bolts of lightning flashed through the nearly black thunderheads and at the same time multiple massive rotations could be witnessed forming within the abyssal clouds. 

“You flee when you should turn and fight. And you show restraint when you should cut down your enemies without hesitation. Crushing them and displaying what it means to possess strength absolute .” the flashes of lightning through the clouds was an almost constant strobe by this point, and the vortexes were spinning faster and faster, showing they were seconds away from fully forming. 

Stiles’ arm had now been fully raised towards the sky; palm opened and facing the clouds. 

“Allow me to show you, Stiles,” his face was turning dark and vicious again and the branching bolts of lightning through his irises glowed a bright white, “ exactly, what I mean.” 

With that, he brought his arm down almost lazily, aiming his open palm at the crumbling factory and the dozens of people struggling in terror and desperation to flee to safety. His lips lifted in a merciless smirk as the bolts above flashed at a blinding speed through the clouds, the flashes so fast by this point that they nearly emitted a constant glow. Finally, several dozen smaller bolts combined into multiple groups through the clouds and those groups began to arc towards the ground, forming massive bolts of pure destruction. 

At the same time, the dozen or so massive vortexes sped up in their rotations and surged towards the ground, forming large tornadoes that began to viciously rip apart everything in their immediate vicinity. 

A near constant series of explosions could be seen and heard as the massive bolts of lightning destroyed and obliterated everything in their path, ravaging the ground and factory countless times over by the second. 

At the same time, walls and constructs of concrete and metal were ripped apart like paper by the huge tornadoes, leveling everything in their paths before shooting the debris out like shrapnel to join the explosions wrought by the lightning. 

As the factory as well as the land within a half-mile radius of Stiles was laid to waste by the destructive storm, the explosions grew in potency and size, the flames soon being absorbed by some of the twisters, adding fire to their paths of destruction. 

Within a couple short minutes, the land that had been the target of this destructive attack now resembled a hellscape. Massive craters interspersed with warped, charred and jagged debris. Raging fires scattered over the land and some of the debris, along with the occasional bloody and broken corpse. 

More often though, only the eviscerated, bloody and ravaged pieces of the victims remained. 

Out of the hundred-some-odd people that had still remained in the factory when the attack had been launched – roughly a quarter of which were the victims of the crime ring – none remained alive. 

“Stiles! What the fuck are you doing?!” came Lydia’s furious voice as the woman flew up to meet him. However, when Stiles’ body slowly turned, his eyes lifting to lock onto hers, Lydia froze in her advancement, her eyes slowly growing wide. 

Lydia’s body began to visibly tremble as she first took in the suffocating presence surrounding Stiles, then the piercing grey reptilian gaze, the branching bolts of lightning over the irises glowing a blinding white. 

Explosions, raging fires and plumes of smoke, along with the terrifyingly destructive attack lit up the air behind Stiles, creating a chaotic and apocalyptic backdrop. But it was made all the more chilling when a dark smirk began to lift the man’s lips as he stared down at Lydia. 

“I’m sorry,” he said with a much deeper voice than Lydia was familiar with, letting her know instantly that she wasn’t speaking with her best friend. Not that the deduction was necessary as he continued and said, “Stiles isn’t here right now. Care to leave a message?” 

Lydia could barely do more than breathe as she stared in horror at the man who was supposed to be her best friend, yet was now a completely different person. Chills ran down her spine, goose bumps following immediately after, running all over her skin as she felt her stomach plummeting to the depths; dread and terror filling her heart while she gazed back at the sinister expression filling Stiles’ face. 

That, and the suffocating presence filling the air around him. So heavy and oppressive that it felt like Lydia had been plunged to the darkest depths of the ocean, matched with the palpable and overwhelming bloodlust seeping from the man’s body, so thick she felt she could practically taste iron in the air caused Lydia to stare at the man with absolute terror. 

In that moment, she knew for a fact she stood no chance. She already knew from the moment she’d gained her new powers that Stiles soared above her on the ladder. He’d never filled her in on the details of why exactly he was so strong though. 

But despite already knowing that Stiles was stronger than her, she also had felt that if she truly gave it her all in a fight against him, if she used her wits along with her powers that she could probably fight him to a draw. And if she had time to prepare, might even have a chance at winning if she played her cards right. 

However, she knew now that she’d been an absolute fool. Because she could tell that the one in control of Stiles’ body right now, wasn’t some interloper that had somehow managed to possess her best friend. This, in fact, was the true secret behind Stiles’ monstrous power and presence. 

The entity currently in control and speaking through Stiles was the spirit of the beast residing within Stiles’ Shifter side. Because though the presence was much heavier and more intense, it was still the same presence that she always felt from Stiles, especially when he tapped into his shift and partially transformed. 

This also cleared up several questions she’d had about Stiles since tracking him down a year after he left Beacon Hills. The largest one being why she never saw him do more than partially shift. She had always believed that he must have a damn-near perfect transformation considering his power and the danger of his potent presence. 

Lydia knew now that couldn’t be further from the truth, as only Shifters who were at complete odds with their beast spirit would be in danger of being taken over like this in moments of extreme duress. 

She was also getting a better idea of what Stiles’ shift was. 

Up until that moment, Stiles hadn’t been forthcoming with that information and he also hadn’t given any clear reason as to why. And when Lydia, of course, tried pressing him for more information, he had refused to budge. But then in one of the most solemn expressions she’d ever seen on the guy’s face, he had asked her to please never dig into it and just leave it alone. And as an unsettling flutter of worry burrowed in her gut, she begrudgingly agreed to not dig further into the matter of his shift. 

However, this new display of power coupled with what she had witnessed of his shift in the past gave Lydia a handful of ideas as to what Stiles’ shift was. 

And no matter which was correct, one thing was certain: If this spirit was against them in any way, they were fucked. 

The moment those grey reptilian eyes locked onto her, Lydia had tried to tell her body to move, internally screaming at herself to run. But in the space of a blink the man had disappeared from where he’d been floating several feet higher than her and a few meters away, reappearing instantly in front of her and slightly off to the side with a hand resting on one of her shoulders as he looked past her. 

Her body had completely frozen with fear, tears welling in her eyes as she couldn’t hold back the rush of memories. In this moment, she felt just as helpless as she had when she’d been at the mercy of Stiles while he was possessed by the Nogitsune. 

However, it was even worse now. Because despite having actual power herself and being ranked amongst the strongest supernaturals in the world, Lydia knew without a doubt that the spirit currently controlling Stiles was several times stronger than her and at the moment, held her life in his hands. 

“Worry not, my dear.” the deep voice said with a grin as Stiles’ head was leaned in, stopping once his head was even with hers to the side, “I will return your precious little Stiles to you. But only after I’ve had my fun.” 

The next second, Lydia was blinking furiously as she frantically looked around her, trying to spot Stiles, but he was nowhere to be seen and nor could she sense his monstrous presence anywhere close to them. 

It was no use trying to track the man down, none of them were able to match Stiles’ normal speed and their bond was telling them that Stiles was currently blocking them, making it impossible to try and locate him. 

Lydia knew that all they could do was try and wait for him to return, hoping that for whatever reason, the spirit would make good on his promise and return Stiles to them. 

And she along with Jordan and Peter, soon discovered, once they returned to the people Stiles had ported out of the factory, what it was that had caused such a chaotic outburst from the man. 

Each of their three faces wore similar masks of horror and outrage once they finally located Jackson and took in his deteriorated and broken state with his emotionless and vacant expression. 

Each of them were experiencing similar emotional turbulence to what Stiles had felt when he first saw Jackson, but unfortunately, they had no target they could take their outrage on now, seeing as Stiles had already killed the man. 

Lydia wasted no time in informing the others of what had happened when she went to confront Stiles and see why he had demolished the factory so suddenly and nearly caught them up in the attack too had they not vacated when they did. 

Both Peter and Jordan wore matching looks of disbelief and confusion by the time Lydia finished. They wanted to try and track Stiles down to see exactly what the fuck was going on with him, but they knew it would be pointless. If Stiles didn’t want to be found, they wouldn’t find him. 

It wasn’t that they didn’t believe Lydia, it was just very difficult for them to readily accept that someone as strong as Stiles could be taken over so easily without any warning to them. But more than verifying that Lydia was indeed correct, they needed to know what Stiles was up to, because it had been made painfully clear that he didn’t give a single fuck about casualties right now. 

Seeing as his attack had not only wiped out the guy they’d been hunting and his goons, but nearly thirty innocent people along with them, they could only venture guesses as to what exactly Stiles could be up to. And given the incredible power at his disposal along with his new cold and ruthless disposition, they were beyond terrified of what he might be doing. 

However, little more than an hour later, while the group was awaiting orders on how to proceed, Stiles returned. 

Immediately following the appearance of a single figure floating in the sky, gasps and cries of pain, alarm and terror were heard from the people they’d rescued. An ocean of suffocating and fathomless presence bore down on all those gathered, causing a couple dozen of the rescued victims to either immediately pass out or start convulsing violently. 

Lydia had tapped into her shift almost immediately, her flaming aura rippling all around her as she covered the area in her own presence, doing her best to try and combat the oppressive force and give them some breathing room. However, in the few seconds they were exposed to the pressure, even their group had suffered some backlash and some small droplets of blood could be seen sliding from their noses along with some popped blood vessels in their eyes. 

Lydia had almost immediately dropped to one knee as she poured her all into trying to shield them, but it literally felt like the weight of the world was bearing down on her shoulders and she couldn’t stop the short scream of pain that escaped her lips before she clenched her jaw tight. She thought she could hear the others yelling her name, but she ignored them. 

Her flaming eyes glared up in rage at the smirk the man held as she pushed her shift further. Gold and crimson flames almost covered her entire body, even causing most of her hair to flicker and shift between solid hair and tongues of flames while floating around her. And with a monumental effort and tighter clench of her jaw, Lydia forced herself to stand back up and ignored the tickle of a second drop of blood streaking down from her other nostril. 

As Lydia called upon her Meta and Arcane sides to bolster her Shift, she could feel Jordan and Peter doing the same. Though their auras couldn’t match up to hers, they knew they could at least help strengthen her shield and take some of the pressure off of her. 

With their added auras, the trio felt they could at least breathe a little easier, but soon they each were clenching their jaws tight again as Stiles descended, one hand tucked in a pocket while his other hand was holding onto a strangely shaped object. As the man lowered towards the ground, his smirk seemed to grow wider and his grey reptilian eyes more amused. 

“Adorable.” came the deep bass from Stiles before he stopped and hovered a few meters above the ground. 

“Let. Him. Go! ” Lydia said through clenched teeth while her flaming eyes bored into the man who just grinned and chuckled in response. 

“An admirable effort. Yet, utterly futile. If I wished to kill you... then you would all be dead.” the voice responded, looking highly amused, like he was watching toddlers trying to act tough. 

“Let Stiles go now, you fucking bastard!” Jordan said, his face twisting with a vicious snarl while his voice turned slightly bestial at the end and he, like Lydia began to push his shift further. 

“Release him now! ” added Peter, doing the same as the other two, glaring at the man with his metallic blue eyes blazing bright and arcs of lightning surging over his body. 

Their three pairs of eyes each gained a new level of fury as the man did little more than give a soft and deep chuckle at their display. He then leaned his head back slightly and gazed at the trio with nothing short of boredom as he said, “Yip and whine all you want. At the end of the day, you are all still just helpless children. Infantile and obstinate. Whining about the unfairness of life while also refusing to accept facts. I have already told you that I would release him after I’ve had my fun, but I’m not quite done yet. However, you three seem to have deluded yourselves into believing that you can actually demand my obedience. How utterly insolent.” 

The amusement was completely erased from Stiles’ face as he tossed the strange object he’d been holding to the ground. It was a bag and when it landed on the ground a few feet in front of  Lydia, their eyes each widened as they saw several severed heads roll out. Some looked to have been cleanly separated from their bodies, while others still had bits of their spines sticking out of their necks, showing that Stiles had literally ripped their heads off. 

It took a few moments, but eventually they were able to identify whom some of the heads belonged to. They each gave a nervous swallow when they realized that a few of them had been powerful first tier ranked criminals, heading up other trafficking rings like the one they’d just dealt with. And a few others had been some of the more prominent figureheads for the Tersus, placed as the leaders for some of the more well-guarded bases throughout the world. 

This meant, that in the hour he’d been gone, the spirit had taken Stiles’ body all over the world, assaulted a few heavily guarded Tersus bases and taken out their leaders single-handedly, and along the way, taken out a few other crime ring leaders. 

Stiles was strong, easily stronger than each of them. But even he wasn’t strong enough to do something like that on his own without fear of severe injury or death. Which meant that as strong as Stiles was when in control, he was only actually tapping into a tiny fraction of this spirit’s actual power. 

Right now, while the spirit was in control, he had unfettered access to his own power and potential, and he had just made it perfectly clear... 

They were fucked. 

However, instead of backing down like the spirit had fully expected them too, his eyes narrowed the smallest fraction as he watched the trio’s resolve harden and strengthen in their eyes. 

However, he wasn’t done quite yet. 

“I’m curious. Just what makes you think you can demand anything of me, little girl?” he asked, and while he’d been speaking, the spirit had seemed to practically teleport, instantly appearing behind the trio. 

They each jolted rigid. They hadn’t even blinked. Their eyes had been completely trained on Stiles’ body. Yet, they had seen nothing. 

Between one word and another, the man had appeared behind them. The humor still gone from his face, his grey reptilian gaze cold and unforgiving as he stared them down, hovering a couple meters above the ground. 

He could see each of their bodies shaking slightly and could hear their heartbeats stutter a bit. He watched their shoulders as the trio took deep breaths and the spirit watched as their auras flexed and then grew in potency. 

Finally, he watched as they each turned their heads then bodies to face him, and the spirit didn’t stop the small smirk that lifted his lips as he took in the impressive level of determination and resolve now displayed on their faces. 

“You are stronger than us. Yes.” Jordan said and golden threads could be seen wrapping around his and Peter’s limbs before being linked to Lydia’s back. 

“You are far older and more capable than us. Yes.” Peter said and his icy blue aura began to travel over the golden threads connecting him to Lydia, before then spreading to also cover Jordan. Soon after, his aura receded from the other two then himself, replaced by a thin silvery sheen of light covering their frames. 

It was almost like an aura, except it sat directly over their bodies, moving with them like an extra layer of skin. 

“You surpass us in every way. Yes. However,” Lydia said then started to lift herself from the ground, inch by inch, “I don’t fucking care.” she said, and the spirit couldn’t stop his smirk from growing slightly as he took in their gazes, complete with bloodshot eyes and small trickles of blood from their noses, as he still hadn’t let up on his presence. They made quite the sight and he couldn’t help the small flicker of admiration he felt for their determination and resolve. 

“For so many years we’ve faced down impossible odds. Fought against creatures that wanted to tear us limb from limb. Beat us down and battered us nearly every waking moment of our lives. I grew up in Beacon Hills for fuck’s sake! Do you honestly think you’re the first monster I’ve faced that could kill me with little effort? Don’t flatter yourself.” Lydia snarled at the spirit, blood mixing with her saliva as she spat the words out, the blood from her nose having now streaked down into her mouth. 

Lydia damn-near looked possessed and demented with her furious gaze, bloodshot eyes and blood almost constantly streaming from her nose to mix in with her spit. And the others weren’t much better off. 

Her aura grew thicker and more potent, becoming less transparent, almost making it seem like she was covered in actual gold and crimson flames, roaring around her like a bonfire. 

“We’ve faced impossible odds before. And you sure as fuck won’t be the last.” Jordan said as he and Peter were lifted into the air to hover alongside Lydia, their own auras surging like Lydia’s and growing stronger with their determination. 

It was clear to the spirit that the trio were literally putting their lives on the line to fight him, not holding back a single ounce of power. He also could tell that they weren’t deluding themselves with what they were facing. They had meant everything they said and held no illusions about their ability compared to his. 

“How dare you try and control him. I don’t care who or what the fuck you are, you will not, have him! I don’t care what I have to do. He’s been through that once before, and I will not let it happen again. I refuse! ” Lydia yelled, more blood mixing with her spit as tears now streaked down her cheeks and her aura exploded even further with her rage. 

Within her flaming aura, thick glowing golden ribbons started forming and swirling around Lydia’s body, loosely hugging her frame. And just above her head within the flames of aura, an image was forming with the strands, creating the head of a large bird with golden feathers and large ruby red eyes, fixing the spirit controlling Stiles with an intense gleam. 

The same thing was also happening with Jordan and Peter, ribbons of thicker aura forming wolf heads just above their own inside their thick auras. A white wolf with slitted blood red eyes, glaring viciously out from Jordan’s aura, and a black wolf with a metallic blue gaze snarling with rage from Peter’s. 

Stiles’ face had turned more and more amused as he listened to the trio. He could appreciate their determination and drive to go so far for their comrade. Such conviction and resolve was rare to see, and they had succeeded in earning a sliver of respect from the spirit. But that didn’t change the fact that their actions were ultimately pointless. 

All he’d been trying to do so far was to get them to back down. To realize exactly how foolish it would be to fight him, so it would be easier for him to keep his promise to Stiles. However, the spirit hadn’t taken into account how strongly the others would react to him taking over, and how far they would push themselves to try and free Stiles from his control. 

I must say, Stiles. You’ve chosen the members of your Clan well. The spirit said internally to Stiles, but didn’t receive any response. Instead, he felt a small swell of pride within Stiles towards his Clanmates, but it was still mostly overshadowed by his worry for their safety. 

From this short interaction, the spirit felt each of them push their power to new heights, their outrage towards him and determination to see Stiles free of his control, spurring them to strive for any extra power that might help them. 

Stiles’ eyes were closed as a tired sigh escaped his lips, “Very well.” the deep voice said from Stiles, before opening his eyes and passing his gaze over the three, then added, “I will admit, for mortals, you each are rather impressive. You show promise and potential. Lucky for you three, I’ve promised Stiles not to kill you. I said nothing, however, about injuries.” 

At that, Stiles’ arms were lifted slightly from his sides, hands opened wide. Above them, clouds darkened over a few seconds, then two bolts of lightning formed and shot down to his hands. When the bolts reached his hands, they closed, and Stiles was then seen wielding two swords made of pure lightning, the blades of the swords being lowered to rest by his sides. 

“If you three refuse to back down and want to fight so badly, then who am I to deny you?” the spirit asked and watched the trio gather their courage, preparing for their assault. 

A small smirk had begun to lift a corner of Stiles’ lips, but was soon wiped away as his eyes narrowed and focused on the sudden appearance of a particular black cat that was walking towards him through the air. 

“And what the fuck do you want?” the spirit asked the cat, who sat down on the air and stuck him with an intense iridescent white gaze, its head tilting slightly to the side, eliciting a smirk and eye roll from the spirit before scoffing slightly. 

The cat’s head tilted to the other side then leaned back slightly, and Stiles’ eyes instantly narrowed, all humor fading from his face as his features darkened and with a warning tone, the spirit said, “Do not speak to me like I’m a child, Masheba. You would do well to remember exactly who and what I am.” 

The anger on Stiles’ face wasn’t long lived however, soon replaced by heavy curiosity, “Oh? Do tell.” the spirit said after Mika tilted his head once more and his tail gave a small flick. 

The trio were glancing with heavy confusion between Mika and the spirit as the two conversed, but were only able to hear the spirit’s side of the conversation. 

But if they were following along properly, it seemed that Mika was making some kind of proposition for the spirit, and it was apparently rather enticing as the lightning swords were released shortly after their conversation started in full. 

However, despite it appearing the spirit had no interest in fighting them now, the trio kept their guards up, knowing they’d need every protection possible to try and survive any surprise attacks. 

They of course, still wanted to free Stiles of the control of his beast spirit, but knowing that Mika was rather special and would occasionally help Stiles, they figured it was best to let the cat do his thing for now. 

None of the trio knew exactly what Mika was, where he came from, or how Stiles had met the feline. They just knew that since Lydia and Jordan had caught up to Stiles around a year after he’d left Beacon Hills, Mika had already been by Stiles’ side. 

At first, they thought that maybe the cat was the manifestation of his beast spirit, but that was soon proven to not be the case. They had plenty of questions about the mysterious animal, but Stiles astutely refused to answer any of them, stating that it was best no one else knew. 

Of course, that kind of answer never received pleasant responses from most people. But after they’d been shown a portion of what the cat could actually do, but most importantly what he could help Stiles do, it became clear that the guy wasn’t just telling them that because he didn’t want to explain. 

It left a bad taste in their mouths, but eventually, Lydia and Jordan agreed to not delve too deep into the mystery of Mika. 

When Peter was brought in, he too had many questions about the strange feline, but just like with Lydia and Jordan, he was told to not dig. The difference with him though, was that he had no choice but to listen to what Stiles told him after swearing fealty. 

Eventually the conversation between the spirit and Mika came to an end with the spirit appearing more than pleased with the outcome. So much so in fact, that he had released his control before bothering to lower Stiles’ body back to the ground, and the trio watched with morbid fascination and severe confusion as Stiles flailed to try and regain control but still fell flat on his face, all while colorfully cussing out the spirit. 

Of course, after such a tense and terrifying interaction with Stiles’ beast spirit, he could no longer keep quiet about his situation. 

So, the man set to explaining how he had never gotten along with the beast since day one. They could never talk long without Stiles losing his shit because of the unreasonable requests the spirit would make, which also meant that any contracts with the beast were out of the question; the spirit always demanding some kind of mindless slaughter or destruction to display his power. 

The spirit did tell Stiles he didn’t have to kill innocent people, not that the beast really cared either way, but as ruthless as Stiles could be on his worst day, he still wasn’t the type to just end hundreds of lives without a second thought simply to please a bloodthirsty beast. 

That, of course, left Stiles with only one option to try and gain control of the spirit and progress his Shifter powers: Combat. But as they all just saw, his beast spirit was indescribably powerful. The couple times he’d tried to fight him in the past, Stiles had been left a bloody and broken mess, practically knocking at death’s door. 

What’s more – and Stiles still hadn’t divulged this bit of information to the others until a couple years later – it was entirely because of this spirit that his powers were so unbalanced. The guy refused to withdraw or hide his presence, and would let his pressure affect and impose on Stiles’ other sides. 

Because of this, Stiles had to constantly combat the spirit’s pressure and force a balance within himself with his own aura. Due to the endless strain and use of his aura, it was constantly growing at an exponential rate, and was the reason why he possessed so much more aura compared to other first tier Terni. 

These explanations, of course, came after they had let the Sect know of the status of their mission, which wasn’t exactly the outcome they’d been aiming for. However, the beast’s rampage through multiple other Tersus bases as well as trafficking rings and subsequent assassination of several dangerous criminals meant they still received high praise. 

Assistance was called in to help the victims. Setting them up for rehabilitation, finding their loved ones and returning the victims to them and so on. However, when Jackson’s turn came along, Lydia demanded they bring Jackson with them. 

She wanted to make sure he received the best help. And of course, because of their history she didn’t feel right with just handing him off to some strangers, even though she knew they would do their absolute best to help the man. 

And considering Jackson could have easily been a casualty of his own attack had Stiles not acted when he did, Stiles put up no argument. 

The goal had originally been to simply make sure Jackson got the help he needed and to stay by his side through his recovery. Several months after his rehabilitation had started though, Jackson made a request of Stiles. 

The guy first clarified that he remembered it was in fact Stiles that had saved his life. He thought he’d been hallucinating when the man appeared, as their captors frequently injected them with all manner of substances, resulting in an almost constant parade of illusions and terrors. 

But eventually, as the weeks and months passed and Jackson was making steady progress in recovering from his captivity, one thing stood out to him. Stiles had personally saved him. 

Stiles tried denying it at first, saying that his whole group had been there to help them all, and that he in fact had very nearly killed him when he lost control. But Jackson simply shook his head and said it didn’t matter. 

Yes, they may have come as a group, but it was still him personally that got Jackson out of the cell. 

And so what if he’d almost died because Stiles lost control? For a few months by that point, Jackson had been practically begging for death. Anything was better than the literal torture he’d been put through daily. 

Finally, when Stiles had stopped deflecting, Jackson had surprised him by grabbing Stiles’ shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug. After freezing at first from the very personal and thereby very unusual behavior from Jackson, Stiles relaxed and returned the hug. 

His throat started to thicken, tears threatening to spill over as Jackson repeated a quiet and shaky, “Thank you.” while they hugged. 

After the sudden, but not entirely uncomfortable moment passed, eventually Jackson made his request, asking if he could join Stiles’s group. Though, he hadn’t realized at the time that Stiles was actually the leader of their group, which came as less of a shock than he thought it might. 

But that was likely due to the fact that he felt like he now owed his life to Stiles for getting him out of that cell. 

At first, Stiles wasn’t too sure about bringing Jackson aboard. After all, they didn’t have the best history. However, after asking the others and seeing that none of them were against the idea and also still feeling guilty about almost killing the guy because he had lost control before, Stiles agreed. 

Just over three years and a myriad of missions later and Stiles now firmly counted Jackson as one of his best friends. Which was the only reason Stiles gave a small sigh at Jackson’s silent request to talk alone with him and had turned an apologetic gaze to Isaac, preparing to ask him to give him a moment with Jackson. 

But before he could say anything, Jackson said, “Wait.” but still wasn’t looking at either of them, his posture showing how uncomfortable he was with the idea of having any kind of personal chat with Stiles while someone else other than one of their Clanmates was around. 

Both Isaac and Stiles turned back to Jackson, waiting for the guy to say something else, but he was still clearly struggling to try and articulate his words. Eventually, Isaac started to speak, realizing it would probably be much easier for Jackson to say what he needed to Stiles, if he wasn’t around, “It’s fine. I can g-” 

“Lahey! It’s fine!” Jackson said a bit louder than he meant to, cutting Isaac off, but then sent a quick and quiet, “Sorry.” to Stiles the next second, glancing his way for a moment before looking back at the ground. 

Jackson took a deep breath and combed his hands through his hair, interlocking his fingers behind his head and then sighed as he closed his eyes and said, “I just...” 

Stiles took his own deep breath then looked over to Jackson as he said, “You know that Peter wouldn’t have let himself die in there, right?” 

“Yes, I know.” Jackson responded, keeping his eyes closed and sounding a little annoyed. 

“If Derek had really tried to kill him, Peter would have t-” 

“Yes, I know, Stiles, okay!?” Jackson almost shouted, cutting Stiles off, motioning with his hands and glancing angrily at him. 

“I get it, alright!?” Jackson added, pushing himself away from the parapet and turning to face Stiles, then added, “Derek has absolutely every right to be so pissed at Peter. Moreso than anyone. And he had every right to take his anger out on Peter. AND I realize that Peter was more than capable of defending himself if Derek really tried to kill him. I get it, okay? But-” 

Jackson seemed to deflate a bit, losing much of the anger and energy he’d just displayed with his small rant as he gave a heavy sigh and turned to lean back up against the parapet, then motioned towards the doors with one hand as he said, “Look, just because I understand that what happened in there wasn’t undeserved for what happened in the past, doesn’t mean that I have to like it , Stiles.” 

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Stiles said solemnly, which didn’t actually make Jackson feel better. In fact, he now felt worse, because the last person that needed to apologize to Jackson was Stiles. He owed Stiles absolutely everything. His life had improved in every way since joining Stiles’ Clan, and he would never let himself forget it. 

“No, Stiles, I just...” Jackson started, then stopped, sighing with frustration as he combed his hands through his hair again. 

“Look. Can you just, let me be pissed for a little bit? Please?” Jackson asked with a sigh, but didn’t look over at the other two, keeping his eyes locked on the ground ahead of him and giving another tired sigh. 

After a quiet moment, Jackson’s eyes were drawn to Isaac when he hesitantly asked, “Can I, ask you something?” 

Jackson kept a level gaze on Isaac, which was his way of silently telling the man to ask his question. Except Isaac was far from familiar with Jackson’s quirks, so he simply continued waiting for the go-ahead and Jackson had to stop himself from snapping at Isaac to ask his question. 

He had to remind himself again that Isaac and Derek weren’t just Isaac and Derek anymore. Snapping at them wasn’t something he’d easily let himself do out of respect for Stiles. 

So, swallowing the retort he’d almost aimed at Isaac, Jackson clenched his jaw and took a calming breath before evenly saying, “Ask your question, Lahey.” 

It was still a moment before Isaac actually said anything, his expression almost turning pained which made Jackson’s brows first lower before he arched one. He eventually closed his eyes with yet another sigh, though this one was a mixture of tired and annoyed when Isaac finally managed to ask, “You and... Peter ?” 

After another calming breath, Jackson stuck Isaac with a flat gaze and said with some sass, “Yes. Me and Peter. ” 

“Peter and I .” Stiles added almost immediately, almost absentmindedly correcting Jackson’s grammar, then had to roll in his lips and bite on them to keep from grinning too widely at the extremely annoyed glare from Jackson before he gave a massive eyeroll. 

“You know... I was-” Jackson said, starting a couple statements then cutting himself off with another annoyed eyeroll. Then kept his gaze turned from Stiles as he took a deep breath and gave a huff. 

“I just...” started Isaac, still looking really confused before he took a breath and shook his head, “Sorry, I’m... that... that was probably rude. I’m sorry.” 

“You’re fine, Lahey.” answered Jackson, sounding tired but not angry. His eyes now trained back on the doors. 

“I get it, alright? Trust me when I say, someone like Peter wouldn’t have typically been my first choice. Especially before I was comfortable with...” Jackson stopped and took a breath then said with the exhale, “With being gay.” 

And though he sounded far from comfortable with that fact, that was simply due to the fact that he usually wasn’t one to get personal with people he didn’t trust implicitly. He obviously was comfortable with that fact to some degree, as he didn’t hide that he and Peter were together. 

For some people though, Jackson being one of them, speaking the facts and details aloud was much more difficult than showing them. Not to mention that Jackson hadn’t started admitting and accepting those facts until after he moved to London. But even then, it was only ever in his head. He’d hardly acted on them, and usually only with a nameless guy here and there from some random bars or pubs. 

In an ironic and cruel twist, Jackson had finally started to let himself be more comfortable with that part of his life right before the Awakening happened and the entire world went to hell in days. 

For a couple years after then, his life had simply been about survival followed by just trying to find a new place for himself in the world. 

And then came his captivity. A time that he truly wished he could completely forget about and did his best to always keep buried in the deepest recesses of his mind. 

The time after his rescue was far from easy though, and more than once Jackson had woken himself up screaming his throat raw. Fear, apprehension and terror were constant fixtures in his life. And the trauma from his captivity and the torture and depravity he was exposed to during that time made him feel incredibly fragile for much of the time following his rescue. 

Jackson had been worried that he might never be the same after that, and who could blame him? Each time he thought he was making progress, some minor little detail about his surroundings might stick out to him, or an absent remark from one of the healers would be twisted in his head, or someone might move too fast and so on, and the few walls he had started to erect would come crumbling down and the memories would come crashing in. 

Finally though, some true progress was made with his recovery thanks to both Stiles and Peter. First, Stiles had used his Meta ability which was incredibly complex to describe, but had allowed him to remove all of Jackson’s nightmares that were born of his memories of captivity, and place them into a separate space. 

Stiles’ Meta ability is called Dreamscape, and it essentially gave him complete control over dreams and nightmares. But that’s a very basic description of his abilities on the surface. 

Because dreams and nightmares are created and influenced entirely from one’s experiences and the memories they develop, he can access a person’s memories to influence and even create dreams or nightmares of his own design through them. 

But that’s just the beginning. As his ability allows Stiles to interact with and even create dreams, by default he has access to the Astral Realm. 

It is a near endless existence. A creation of countless planes of reality layered together, and separated only by thin veils and teeming with countless myriad existences and powers as old as time itself. It is an incredibly dangerous place to traverse if you aren’t experienced or strong enough to survive. 

While dreaming, a person’s consciousness naturally starts to drift closer and closer to the thin veils and can even sometimes pass through them, which explains many odd and oftentimes paranormal experiences people can have through their dreams. 

When Stiles taps into his Meta ability, it allows him to access the Astral Realm with his physical body. As his power grew, he was able to create his own personal plane of sorts. A thin plane layered directly next to his own physical plane. 

Within this plane, he can give dreams and nightmares tangible form and physically manipulate them how he sees fit. He hadn’t practiced much with that new part of his ability as his first few experiments showed him that if he didn’t take certain precautions, his own creations could easily harm him. 

But seeing how severely Jackson’s night terrors were debilitating him, Stiles came up with a theory he wanted to test. And during Jackson’s next episode, Stiles activated his ability while around the guy and manifested his terrors within his Dreamscape Plane. 

Once manifested, Stiles then manipulated the space, creating a padded cell and locked the terrors inside. Once locked away, Stiles then etched several runes into the door making the prison permanent and tying it to Jackson’s memories that instigated these terrors. 

Essentially, Stiles made sure that the only terrors those memories could create, were the ones that were imprisoned within his Dreamscape Plane. Stiles had already learned from previous experiments that destroying the manifestations of someone’s dreams or nightmares wouldn’t actually get rid of them. Permanently, at least. They’d be rid of them for that one night, but they’d just come back the next night, like an npc mob. 

Instead, Stiles was basically tricking Jackson’s brain into thinking the guy had worked through those memories and resolved his trauma. The memories were still there, of course, but from that point on, if his dreams would start to venture in that direction, he would instead wake up rather than suffer any more nightmares. 

This didn’t mean that Jackson was free of any and all nightmares of course, just those that he had already been suffering from. But after seeing his success the first time, Stiles – with Jackson’s permission – proceeded to do the same with any new terrors that might pop up for the guy after that. 

Doing this helped Jackson immensely in his recovery, as he was able to sleep peacefully more and more often, and nowadays he hardly had a single bad dream; all of the manifestations of his terrors locked safely away within Stiles’ Dreamscape. 

After that, Peter had sat with Jackson many nights and little by little, shared some of his own traumatic experiences. Not to make Jackson think his own were any less of course, but to show him that he wasn’t alone. 

Of course, what Jackson had gone through was much more vile and heinous in many ways than Peter’s experience, but trauma was trauma. And with Peter sharing his experiences and memories of the fire, little by little, Jackson began to share his own memories. And over time a connection was formed between them. 

It had started as kindred spirits at first, their chats lasting longer and longer. But that’s all it had been in the beginning. That is, until Jackson had unexpectedly suffered a horrible night terror, brought on by a different memory that Stiles hadn’t been able to get to yet. 

Locking the terrors away within the Dreamscape never got rid of the memories, unfortunately. They simply made it possible for Jackson to sleep peacefully, most nights. He could still be affected during the day if he relived the memories, but most of the time he was able to brush them aside once he focused on how things had changed so much for him after Stiles rescued him, and how much better he was. 

But as he got better, and more of the terrors were locked away and memories worked through, some of the memories he had already buried away would surface. As Stiles was still somewhat new to the more advanced abilities of Dreamscape at the time, he was far from proficient with it and would still miss some hidden or latent memories that could cause future problems. 

Which led to the unexpected night terror, resulting in Jackson almost lethally wounding Peter when the man had tried to wake him up. His face soon warping with dread when Jackson registered that his hand was buried in Peter’s chest. 

It didn’t take long for his shouts to wake the others, and thankfully between Lydia and Stiles’ efforts, they were able to mend the wound enough for Marin to arrive and heal Peter up properly. He may have been a Ternus, and thereby possess much greater healing capabilities than regular supernaturals, but with Jackson’s power-up after joining the Clan, this wasn’t just some meager wound he could easily shrug off. 

But this moment still wasn’t the true tipping point for their close kinship to develop into their current romance. It did, however, make Jackson realize that Peter wasn’t just another member of the Clan to him, as it had truly terrified him to think of Peter dying, and the worry had felt much more intimate to him than if he were simply worrying about Peter because he was his Clanmate. 

And though they had grown much closer after that moment, it would still be another year before Jackson would entertain any romantic thoughts about Peter. At least on a more substantial scale than the occasional thought about how attractive the older Hale was and how kind he had been to Jackson. 

The two of them had been dispatched to South America to deal with a rogue guild found to be smuggling some of the new and very valuable minerals for the Tersus. 

The Awakening had done more than just awaken power within the people of the world. Even the land and animals had begun to change and alter from the immense waves of power that had flooded the world. However, these changes weren’t as rampant and obvious at first. 

It took a few years, but eventually incredible and mystical developments could be witnessed within the land and animals. 

New ores, minerals and vegetation are still being discovered and examined even to the current day. However, one of the first new ores to be discovered about three years back, still remained one of the most valuable. 

An ore that was soon coined Brillium, was discovered during a routine dig in the largest iron mine in Brazil. Employees noticed that some of the ore seemed to be slightly discolored during the dig; their confusion and worry growing while the changes seemed to be progressing as the days passed. 

Their confusion and worry were soon replaced by exultation however, when it was revealed that much of the iron was being mutated into a new and incredibly valuable ore. This new ore held a similar sheen to Platinum, but also possessed a very slight luminescence which was much more prominent in the dark. 

Soon, studies showed that Brillium was over five times stronger than Tungsten while simultaneously twice as light as Lithium. The previous strongest and lightest metals in the world, respectively. 

And with these discoveries, Brillium instantly became the most sought-after ore in the world. And naturally, the Tersus wanted a piece too, as such an incredible metal could prove to be very beneficial in their efforts. 

While the rest of the Clan was busy with other jobs and missions, Peter and Jackson were then chosen to deal with the Guild hired by the Tersus to smuggle out as much Brillium as they could. 

The mission had been going fairly smoothly, and the duo soon tracked the location of the warehouse temporarily storing the smuggled Brillium. 

The ease of their mission would come to a halt though, when the pair snuck into the warehouse under the cover of night. They had expected something like an ambush to happen given how smoothly things had been going up to that point. 

What they hadn’t expected though, was to encounter a squad of seven Dupli waiting for them along with nearly a dozen other supernaturals. They were Terni, yes. And the two of them possessed incredibly potent and useful abilities, however, at the time, Jackson hadn’t fully come into his elevation to a Ternus after joining Stiles’ Clan and given the blessing. 

He was skilled enough with his Meta ability, had excelled through his Arcane training and had even made some good progress with Kohaku, his Divine Tiger spirit, allowing him to halfway transform into the beast. 

All in all, Jackson’s progress was exceptional, which was why he was given the okay by Stiles to start going on duo missions. But despite the progress he had made, still asking only two Terni to take on seven Dupli who at a scan could be ranked at second tier or higher, as well as almost a dozen other supernaturals, would be more than a challenge for them. 

They had tried to quickly back out of the warehouse, not being stupid enough to tempt fate like that, and figured they could try again after they made better preparations. But of course, their escape was cut off, Jackson yelling in pain as a glowing silver chain pierced through his back and exited through his gut. 

Peter had shouted his name and had moved to try and help Jackson, but soon had to leap out of the way as a second chain shot for him. 

The next moment, Peter pulled out all the stops, finding himself beset on all sides. First, he activated his Meta ability: Hyperkinesis. Which essentially allowed his body to react at inexplicable speed without any actual conscious thought, almost making it seem like he had a type of foresight. 

A thin silvery sheen covered his body as he called on his shift to partially transform; sapphire blue claws sprouting from his fingers, teeth lengthening and sharpening and ears tapering to a point. 

His icy blue aura rippled over his body, soon followed by continuous arcs of bright blue lightning circling over his body. With all of his abilities active, Peter then wasted no time in taking down enemies as he tried to make his way back to Jackson, the man mercilessly ripping the enemies to shreds if they dared get in his way. 

As Peter had started his fight, Jackson found himself further trapped as multiple other silver chains shot up from the ground and wrapped around his arms and legs then pulled him back to the ground. 

His vision was a bit blurry at first and Jackson blinked his eyes several times, doing his best to ignore the pain in his gut as he tried to figure out who or what had attacked him with the chains. 

Eventually, his eyes trained on a woman dressed all in black with short silver hair styled in a pixie cut, smirking down at him with bright silver eyes. 

“For a big bad Ternus, you’re pretty fuckin’ pathetic, you know that? Can’t believe that actually worked on the first try.” she said, and though Jackson wanted to retort, he could barely take in a breath without wincing. 

The woman stopped just above his head and squatted down, saying, “Such a pity too. To lose such a pretty boy like you.” and Jackson tried to pull his head away as she ran a finger across his cheek, eliciting another smirk from the woman. 

She took a breath and sighed then, saying, “But, orders are orders. It’s nothing personal.” then lifted a hand, aiming her open palm at his head and Jackson could see a bright silvery chain begin to emerge from her palm. Aiming for his head. 

Time felt like it began to slow as Jackson’s consciousness turned inward and gave a panicked shout for Kohaku to help him. 

“Why should I?” came a deep voice, circling around him as Jackson soon found himself standing on a massive mountain, surrounded by clouds and mist in every direction. 

“After all,” the deep voice continued, some of the mist parting to reveal a ledge in front of Jackson where Kohaku, the Divine Tiger, sat perched and staring down at him with a very obvious look of disappointment, “what good would it do?” 

Jackson’s face darkened with confusion and anger and he tried to rebuke the tiger’s disapproval of him, but was cut off with a swish of the beast’s flaming tail, “Don’t you dare try and make excuses with me, boy .” Kohaku said, his voice growing deeper and more vicious with anger as he stood up on his massive paws, covered in rippling pearly blue flames. 

“The Thunder Wolf sensed the attack in time to dodge, and he’s progressed only slightly further than you. Taking everything into account, you should have been able to easily avoid that attack. Yet, you continue to hesitate, rather than simply trusting in your own body and powers. Enough, is enough , Jackson.” the beast snarled at him, baring his lethal pearly-white fangs. 

“You are classified as a second tier Ternus amongst your kind. You were blessed by the Masheba and given a chance at something most of your kind can only dream of.” Kohaku said and began to stalk down towards Jackson, his large paws stepping on air and carrying him closer to the terrified man, who now felt dwarfed compared to the massive beast, as Kohaku was over twice the size of a normal tiger. 

“You were chosen as host for Kohaku, the Divine Tiger, because I believed I saw great potential in you. Tell me, boy. Are you really going to make light of my judgement?” Kohaku asked with a low and dangerous growl, stalking further and following a terrified Jackson who had fallen down and scrambled back. Only to find himself backed up against a wall with nowhere to run. 

He tried to apologize, but was cut off again by Kohaku, who’s voice shifted to a furious roar as he said, “I don’t want your apologies , boy!” and glared down at Jackson in rage. 

“I want you to tell me why I should bother to help you even more than I already have. Because as far as I can tell, it would be better for me if you died by this point. At least then I wouldn’t have a host that’s too afraid to fight.” Kohaku said, then stood there, waiting on Jackson’s response, watching as the man’s face slowly shifted from trembling fear to a steady resolve. 

“No.” Jackson said and Kohaku stood there quietly for several seconds. 

Finally, the tiger responded with a curious, “No?” and tilted his massive head slightly. 

“No. You weren’t wrong.” Jackson said, his eyes gaining a hard glint, “You want to see potential? Help me get free,” he said, pushing himself back to his feet and walking forward, and with his lips nearly twisting in a snarl he added, “and I’ll show you, potential.” 

Kohaku was quiet for several seconds again, peering intensely at the man. But unlike before, he stared steadily back, clenching his hands into fists. 

“Very well.” the beast said quietly as he began to slowly circle around Jackson. 

“I will help you get free. And I will even take it a step further and provide a bridge between your Meta ability and your Arcane powers, allowing you to capitalize on your strengths. However, that is where my assistance will end. It will be up to you to actually defeat these foes. This will be the start of an Indeterminate Contract. If you wish to continue receiving my aid and power, from this moment forward, I will not abide hesitation from you, Jackson. 

“I’m not saying throw your life away like a fool. You are stronger and more capable than you give yourself credit for. I would never choose a weak host, boy.” Kohaku said as he circled back around to Jackson’s front then stuck him with an intense glowing white gaze. 

“Prove. Me. Right . And crush these ants for daring to touch you and your mate.” Kohaku said and did his best to hide the fluster he felt at the tiger claiming that Peter was his mate, but neither did he deny what the beast just claimed. But that was mostly because he felt discussing something like that would sidetrack him. 

Or at least that’s the excuse he was running with, and astutely ignoring the glint of humor in the beast’s eyes. 

“Deal.” Jackson said after taking a breath and calming his nerves, then lowered himself to one knee and bowed his head. 

Kohaku sat down in front of Jackson before he lifted one of his massive paws and lightly placed it on the top of Jackson’s head and he had to take another steadying breath as he felt the rush of power flowing into him, making every cell in his body feel alive and practically bursting with energy. 

Kohaku’s realm began to fade away as Jackson’s consciousness returned to his body and the silvery chain slowly shooting towards his head from the woman’s palm. 

A monstrous burst of aura and presence from Jackson shattered the chains currently pinning him to the ground and sent the woman flying back. With a roar of pain and rage, Jackson gripped the chain sticking out of his gut and ripped it out. 

He pushed himself up and spun to his feet, whipping the chain freshly removed from his gut around with him and enveloped it in his aura. He caused the chain to stiffen into a rod, and with a burst of extra force and snarl, hurled the object at the woman with incredible speed. 

The woman had no time to react and found herself pinned like a kabob through the gut to the wall behind her with her own chain. Before it had hit her though, she had sent another piercing chain at Jackson. 

But to her further shock and terror, the man barely dodged the attack, but also managed to pluck the chain out of the air. And the next second, just like with the last chain, he coated the chain in his aura, stiffening the object and launched it at the woman. 

She didn’t even have time to blink in surprise before the second chain pierced through her head, killing her and sticking her to the wall like a life-sized voodoo doll. 

Without even stopping for a breath, Jackson spun back around to face Peter and the rest of their foes. The man had multiple injuries, but was still far from beaten. However, that could change very quickly. 

So, not even bothering to question the brutality of the methods he was contemplating, Jackson tapped into his Arcane powers once again, conjuring dozens of thin, razor-sharp wires and used them to gather up the remaining bits of chains still scattered around him from the woman’s ability. 

He used the wires to both hold up the chains as well as separating all of the links apart, stopping once he had enough links to match one to each remaining enemy as well as a handful of extras. 

At this point, he finally tapped into his Meta ability: Mental Chronometry. This ability allowed his mind to operate at incredible speed. He could absorb and process information at a 1:100 ratio. Meaning, when he tapped into his ability, he would experience one-hundred seconds for every one second that passed in real time. 

But more than just absorbing and processing information, thanks to the assistance of Kohaku, he could now access and utilize his Arcane powers while his mind worked at numbing speeds. This let him create and cast several spells essentially simultaneously. 

During the single second that passed in real time, dozens of magic circles could be seen flashing over each of the links floating in the air in front of Jackson, before the same number of circles flashed over his own hands. 

If one looked closely enough during this second, they would also have seen the man’s eyes moving around at an unsettling speed, glancing all over the place at all the enemies converging on Peter. 

The next second, several cries of pain could be heard as nearly every one of their enemies had been pierced with one of the links, a pearly-blue circle flashing over their skin as soon as they were struck with the object. 

At the same time the people had been struck by the links, the remaining links were shot and stuck into the ceiling of the warehouse, pearly-blue circles flashing once they were set. Jackson lifted his hands in front of him, clenched his fists tight, then tugged down. 

Screams of pain and alarm were elicited from those that had been stuck with the links as they were forcibly hauled into the air. The links were magically stuck in their bodies and enchanted to not come loose no matter what they might try. At least, short of removing the limb they might be attached to. 

But none of them were given the time they might have needed to consider doing something like that to get free. Because as they were being hauled into the air, Jackson had already acted, activating the second set of spells stored both in the links and Jackson’s hands when he opened them. 

The razor-sharp wires he’d already conjured, as well as dozens more shot from his fingers and latched onto the people hanging in the air. They first connected with the circles that appeared, before the excess wire was wound all over their bodies. 

Once they had been wrapped up enough, Jackson closed his hands back to fists before he yanked on the wires again, moving his fists to either side of his body like he was about to try and give himself a hug. 

The wires wrapped around the people instantly stiffened and sliced into their bodies like a hot knife through butter while also wringing them out like rags. 

Horrifying cries of death and agony rang through the warehouse, but Jackson still didn’t stop yet, his mind still focused on only one detail: Make sure Peter survives. 

They were only left with four of the Dupli now. And now finished with his sadistic puppet show, Jackson conjured more wires and shot them behind him as he launched himself towards the foes giving Peter the most trouble. 

The wires had shot towards and latched around the chain rods keeping the woman pinned to the wall. Jackson tugged on the rods, pulling them closer as he lept into the air, bounding off of platforms of pearly-blue flames. 

Once he climbed high enough, he activated Mental Chronometry again as he fell. One of the rods could be seen splitting into over a dozen links and glowing with pearly-blue circles. Thin wires connected to the links as they were whipped around by Jackson as he spun in the air and then launched them at the ground around two of the Dupli. 

“Now Peter!” Jackson yelled as he fell and brought the final rod whipping around him, whistling through the air. 

Peter understood immediately and shot a bolt of his icy-blue lightning at the links around the two Dupli. The lightning instantly shot to the other links, creating a ring of lightning, and less than a second later, the wires Jackson had been using to manipulate the links which he had released and had fallen down around the links, suddenly shot out and stiffened. 

The two Dupli that had been standing in the middle of this ring had instantly become a pair of living pincushions, finding themselves skewered through on all sides by over a dozen wires turned needles. 

The wires also acted as leads for the lightning. And the two enemies were fried by the icy blue lightning, ensuring that if they hadn’t been killed by being turned into pincushions, they definitely were now. 

The two remaining Dupli now faced off against Jackson and Peter, but it could no longer be called any kind of proper fight. Peter was obviously mere moments away from defeating his opponent, but that still wasn’t good enough for Jackson. He wanted to make absolute sure that Peter would be fine. 

So, activating Mental Chronometry once more, a second later the remaining chain rod he was swinging around with more wires was first split into two halves, before one of the halves was further split into two, and one of the smallest sections was split into four individual links. 

First, the largest remaining section was swung at Jackson’s foe, glowing with a thick layer of Jackson’s aura and a few pearly-blue circles, while he swung the four individual links around to bury themselves into the guy’s back. 

Jackson tugged on the wires attached to the links to pull the guy towards himself, sending the smaller rod at his first opponent to join the larger rod, then conjured more wire. 

He lassoed a few layers of wire around the guy’s neck as he was pulled closer to Jackson. At the same time, the largest rod he had sent at the first foe, glowed and soared into the air. A circle pulsed on Jackson’s hand and he was warped to the rod high in the air, hand gripping the object while his other pulled on the wire wrapped around the other guy’s neck, severing the head instantly and causing it to drop to the ground. 

Jackson spun as he fell, whipping the rod around and hurling it at the man below. He hadn’t noticed that the first rod had flown up into the air, focused mostly on avoiding the second rod flying at him at incredible speed. 

He had looked up when he saw Jackson disappear then felt movement above, but it was too late by that point and was instantly pierced through from his neck down to his hip by the chain rod. 

And for extra measure, just to make sure the deed was done, as Jackson landed next to the guy he brought a clawed hand through the man’s neck, almost completely severing the head, leaving it hanging by only a small bit of muscle, bone and flesh. 

Jackson stood there for several seconds, eyes slightly wide, chest rising and falling as he thought back on everything he had just done. But as he thought more and more on his actions, only one major thought stood out to him, that being that Peter was still alive. 

And the more that statement passed through his mind, the calmer he became. It was clear from the beginning that this ambush had been set to try and kill them. His actions might have been rather brutal, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret a single thing he’d done, as it meant that he and more importantly, Peter, were still alive. 

Peter walked up to Jackson, concern etched on his face, but there was also a healthy level of awe mixed with something a bit more intimate as he asked, “Jackson. Are you alright?” 

Jackson simply stood there for some seconds, his breaths coming slower as his eyes wandered over Peter before he finally gripped the front of the man’s shirt, pulled him in and kissed the guy. 

The kiss didn’t last too long and Peter had frozen in surprise, apparently not having expected this from Jackson. But when they pulled apart and Jackson’s face started to fall in worry and embarrassment due to Peter not saying anything, starting to think that maybe he’d completely misread Peter’s actions, the man had placed his hand on the back of Jackson’s neck and pulled him in for another kiss. 

That was the moment when the attraction was affirmed. And though they had many more moments like this going forward sharing a kiss or two or sometimes cuddling, with Jackson still having some leftover demons to work through from his captivity, it would still be almost another year before the two would begin to occasionally date and another six months after that for Jackson to move in with Peter. 

But it wasn’t until earlier this year that Jackson had finally grown comfortable enough both with his sexuality and relationship with Peter along with his place within the Clan that he started to be openly affectionate with Peter while around the others. 

“I just...” Jackson started to say to Stiles and Isaac before he cut himself off with another heavy breath. His eyes were drawn to Stiles then who sounded curious. 

“I have wondered for a while now, what the tipping point was for you two. We could sense something growing between you and Peter for a bit, but we still weren’t sure exactly when it changed and became much clearer.” Stiles said and Jackson gave a small grin. 

His gaze turned questioning and flicked his eyes to Isaac before settling them back on Stiles, giving the silent question. Stiles gave a couple small nods and said, “It’s fine. I’m gonna tell them.” 

Jackson gave a single nod, ignoring the questioning gaze and brows furrowing more and more on Isaac’s confused face as he glanced between them, and said, “It was when we were dispatched to deal with the smugglers in Brazil.” 

“Smugglers in Brazil ?!” Isaac asked in even greater confusion and surprise, head quickly snapping from Stiles to Jackson and back, several times, taking in their amused gazes. However, he sensed and saw nothing to tell him that they were joking right now. 

“Just, what the fuck do you guys do ?” Isaac asked and the others had to work to not laugh at the guy’s expression. 

Isaac then added a little more hesitantly, his eyes trailing down as he said, “I guess you did mention being sent here to help with some matters. Guess I wasn’t really focusing on that.” 

“You could kind of think of us as,” started Stiles, Isaac looking back up at him as Stiles drew out the last word, thinking about the easiest way to explain their job and added, “a kind of strike squad of sorts.” 

This wasn’t really helping Isaac’s confusion and surprise though. In fact, with each subsequent reveal that Stiles gave after the last bit, he felt his mind stalling even further, his face stuck in openmouthed shock. 

“We work for an organization called the Arcanum Sect. An organization created for and dedicated to the eradication of the Tersus, first and foremost. Though they aren’t well known, they are one of the most powerful and influential organizations throughout the world. And we are the Clan known as The Preventors, and have been working for the Sect for just under five years now.” Stiles said, and watched in slight amusement as Isaac simply stared back at him, utterly dumbstruck. 

Stiles’ amusement was wiped away a moment later when Isaac started to look a little woozy and stumbled a bit. He immediately reached out and grabbed onto Isaac to help steady him, “Woah there, Isaac. Deep breaths. Come on now.” he said, helping slowly lower Isaac to sit on the ground. 

“Sorry, that was... a lot, to take in.” Isaac said, sounding a bit shaky and gave a small chuckle which both Stiles and Jackson echoed as Jackson came to kneel next to him too. 

“Yeah,” Stiles answered with a grin, “I figured it would be best to treat it like a Band-Aid. Just, rip it off in one go.” 

Isaac huffed a laugh and grinned at that, then nodded his head as he said, “Yeah. Probably for the best.” 

The wolf situated himself, crossing his legs and sitting forward, taking a breath then sighing as he said, “So, you’re The Preventors.” looking past the two, staring at the parapet, his brows lifting with the statement. He clearly was going to take some time to adjust to this incredible fact. 

His eyes squinted as he added more quietly, “You’re a Clan.” and with that statement, he blinked his eyes into focus, then looked between the two with confusion, adding, “But wait. Wouldn’t that m-” 

Isaac’s gaze landed and stuck on Jackson who gave him a small grin after a few seconds and said, “Also a Ternus. Like Stiles,” half motioning to the guy, “if he hasn’t already told you.” 

Isaac absorbed that info in silence for a few seconds before he gave a quiet, “Lydia?” then shifted his gaze from Jackson to Stiles and back a few times, gaze stopping on Stiles when he nodded his head a couple times. 

“Well shit. No wonder you said she cou-” Isaac started with a breathless chuckle when he looked back to Jackson, but stopped as his mind started to fully process everything they had talked about so far. 

He swallowed hard as he glanced between them and finally asked, “All, of you?” 

When Stiles gave a single nod a moment later, his eyes grew more incredulous, his breaths coming faster as his gaze almost frantically shifted between the two and he nearly shouted, “But how?! ”  

He was about to start rapid firing questions, trying to figure out what the hell was going on with Stiles and his group, but was stopped when Stiles leaned in, placing his hand on the back of Isaac’s neck and kissed him. 

At first, Isaac had frozen and Stiles could feel the man still breathing too fast, but after a couple seconds, he felt Isaac start to relax and deepen the kiss. When they pulled apart, Isaac brought a hand up to rest over Stiles’ wrist and looked him over. 

“Yes,” Stiles started, “I realize it’s hard to take in and accept and doesn’t make sense right now. Remember when I told you there are things I won’t be able to explain to you?” he asked and Isaac nodded. 

Stiles echoed the motion and said, “This is one of them. For now, at least. I hope you can understand.” 

“Yeah, of course.” Isaac answered, and was completely sincere. A few chuckles bubbled up from his chest and Stiles gave him a curious look. 

“I guess, it makes since now why Peter didn’t bother defending himself.” Isaac said and both Stiles and Jackson cracked grins at this. 

As they talked and the minutes soon turned into a couple hours, the look of profoundly overwhelmed on Isaac’s face was wiped away, and even a glint of curiosity and excitement could be seen in his eyes as he started to say, “So-” 

Whatever it was that Isaac was going to say was cut off though as the doors were pushed open again, and each of them turned to see Derek walking out. A flood of emotions were passing over his face, but all of them were almost instantly wiped away when he took in Isaac sitting on the ground and Stiles looked to be comforting him. 

“Isaac?!” Derek asked in panic and started to rush over. 

“It’s fine.” Stiles quickly said, catching Derek’s eye, then said, “He just got a bit overwhelmed while we were talking. 

With Stiles’ reassurance, Derek’s worry was soon swept aside and he even adopted a small smirk as he kneeled down next to Isaac, saying, “Well, if it has anything to do with some of what Peter told me, I can completely understand.” his eyes flicking between Isaac and Stiles, settling on the amber eyed imp grinning back at him. 

“The Preventors, huh?” Derek asked with a smirk and Stiles’ grin spread wider. 

“Yeah.” he answered and Derek took a deep breath, shaking his head and sighed. 

“I’m not gonna lie. I’m still processing it all. And I honestly don’t know how long it will take for me to not feel shocked. I mean... the things that we have heard about you guys. And you’re all Terni?” Derek asked with a look of bewilderment and Stiles chuckled and grinned as he nodded confirmation. 

“However, I don’t think I need to tell you not to believe everything you hear about us. Trust me, we’ve heard what people say about The Preventors. Some of it’s true, yeah. But more than a few things are massive exaggerations. And yes, each of us are a Ternus, and I’m sure that’s more than a little difficult to accept. And I’m also sure Peter already said something about it, but the reason as to why-” 

“It’s alright, Stiles.” Derek said, cutting him off with a little grin, “I understand. Yeah, Peter mentioned something about it and said that you’d have to keep it secret. I get it, really. With the job you guys have, you’re bound to have more than a few secrets you have to keep. It’s alright.” 

Stiles’ eyes grew warm as he smiled at Derek. He leaned forward and gripped the front of Derek’s shirt, looking him over with that same smile. He had wanted to say something at first; tell Derek how amazing he was for being so understanding, how happy he was that the guy wasn’t freaking out about everything and acting terrified of Stiles and his Clan. That and so much more. 

Instead though, Stiles just pulled slightly on Derek’s shirt, bringing the man in for a kiss. 

“Thank you, Stiles.” Derek said when they pulled apart, then stood to his feet, offering a hand to help Isaac stand up as well. 

“Peter told me.” Derek said once they were all back on their feet, Stiles once again leaning against the parapet. 

Derek stepped forward towards Stiles, keeping his gaze locked on amber eyes, “He told me, what you swore him to... for him to join your Clan. I’m still not...” his gaze finally dropped, eyes clouding with a small haze of uncertainty. 

His head turned to take in the hand Isaac just placed on his shoulder and Derek brought his own hand up to rest on Isaac’s, eyes turning back down, then flicking up to rest on Stiles’ as he said, “Not sure... how I feel about everything Peter told me. But I can say that I’m grateful you didn’t kill him.” 

No one said anything for some seconds, then Derek took a deep breath and said, “I’m not, sure I... if he...” Derek tried to speak, but it was obvious his emotions were acting up and making it difficult for him to speak. 

The alpha took another deep steadying breath, making sure to keep eye contact with Stiles and said, “All I can really say right now is... this change with Peter-” 

Derek’s voice had failed, the man looking down for a second as he cleared his throat, swallowed hard and then looked back up at Stiles, saying, “It would be nice... if...” 

“I know.” Stiles said, stepping forward and keeping his eyes locked with Dereks, then resting a hand on one of Derek’s hips and sliding his thumb back and forth. 

“So,” Isaac started, drawing out the word as he looked between Stiles and Derek, both glancing to him and he continued, “Care to let me know what the deal with Peter is?” 

Before either Stiles or Derek could answer, the three turned as Jackson started speaking, “Stiles made Peter swear to apologize to Derek as his condition to be brought into the Clan. And to mean it. The choices were either that, or death.” 

The three stared at Jackson as he averted his gaze and said, “The changes in him. He... I-” 

“I’m sorry.” Derek said, cutting Jackson off and the guy closed his eyes, scrunching his face up and sighed. 

“No, Derek. You don’t...” he stopped, took a breath and looked up at Derek, his gaze steady now, “You’re the last person that needs to apologize to me about this. I-I get it. Really-” 

“He talked about you. In there.” Derek said, cutting Jackson off again, confusion and apprehension coloring the blonde’s face. 

“He didn’t tell me a lot. But it was clear to me, with how he spoke about you... apparently I need to thank you as well.” Derek said with a small grin and chuckle, eliciting an arched brow from Jackson. 

“Whatever you did, or said to him. Whatever it was, I... You mean the world to him, Jackson. And you have played probably one of the largest roles in helping to change Peter into the kind of man he is now. The kind of man I...” Derek had to clear his throat again. 

He breathed deep and said, “I’ve hated Peter for many years now. Most of my life, honestly. Once I realized that he was always trying to use or manipulate me. I thought the world of him when I was younger. I looked up to him, more than most of the others around me. And it always felt like he was more like my big brother growing up. Rather than just my uncle.” 

Derek’s voice was growing softer and more emotional, soft clears of his throat more frequent as he continued speaking, until finally, his words were closer to a whisper, “What I would give...” Derek clenched his jaws tight, swallowed, then said, “For the Peter I knew back then... to be like the Peter in there...” 

They could practically feel Derek’s emotions growing stronger as he fought to keep himself together. Rage, frustration, sorrow and even some happiness flashing over his face as he worked to keep himself from breaking down again. 

The man’s mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to say what he wanted to, but couldn’t figure out what that actually was. He almost chuckled a few times before his mouth and jaw clenched in anger until Derek gave a shake of his head, bowing it and taking a sharp inhale before letting the breath out with a small shudder. 

“I’m so tired of hating Peter. So, fucking tired.” Derek said quietly, sounding almost exhausted while his head was still bowed. 

“So, whatever you’ve done, Jackson.” Derek said, just as quietly, keeping his head bowed, “Even if you’re completely unaware. Please ...” the word was barely above a whisper, voice finally cracking with the ache he felt as he almost coughed a cry, clenching his jaw immediately to stop the trembling. 

Derek felt two hands settle on him. The first on his shoulder, belonging to Isaac who gave his shoulder a sturdy squeeze, and the second slid into his hand, Stiles lacing their fingers together and giving his hand a squeeze. 

Taking another steadying breath, Derek tried again, “Please. Don’t stop.” he said and finally lifted his head, displaying two tear streaks over his cheeks. 

Jackson looked almost frightened, eyes wide and bright, showing he was on the verge of tears himself as his eyes glanced around and he clenched his jaw. 

But then, to everyone’s surprise, Derek started to chuckle softly and shake his head, then said, “Of course. If you’re unaware, what the fuck are you supposed to do?” 

At hearing this, the others’ expressions began to crack. Grins lifting as chuckles started bubbling up their chests. 

A moment later, once the mood was noticeably lighter, Derek looked to Jackson with a small grin and said, “But, you know what I mean. Right?” 

“Yeah, man. I know.” Jackson said with his own grin, “I don’t plan...” he said, then stopped, letting his gaze drop for a moment. 

When he blinked his eyes back up to meet with Derek’s, his blue eyes held an incredible warmth that grew to fill his smile as he said, “I plan on keeping him around for a while.” 

The two shared a happy smile, but soon both Derek and Stiles were glancing down at their A-Bands as they lit up. 

“That old, abandoned warehouse, huh?” Stiles said in response to the message from Marin informing him of the time and location of the summit for the day. 

“Not surprising.” answered Derek, looking up from his own notification from Deaton, “That’s always been neutral territory and a popular place to hold summits between packs in the past. So, it makes sense.” 

“Welp,” Stiles said with a grin, drawing everyone’s gaze, “we’ve got a few hours. How about some second breakfast?” 

“Fucking dweeb.” Jackson said with a snort and eyeroll as he turned and started walking towards the doors. 

“Hey! You recognized that reference. So, I don’t want to hear shit from you, jackass.” Stiles said as he marched up behind Jackson, a grinning and laughing Derek and Isaac bringing up the rear. 

“I neither confirm, nor deny.” responded Jackson, sending a far too smug smirk to Stiles as he opened the doors and walked inside, laughing at the narrowed glare from Stiles. 

Chapter Text

“Der, it’s okay.” Stiles said, trying to keep from grinning too widely at the surly-looking man as he leaned up against his car; the two of them standing in the parking lot of the overly packed restaurant, many others doing the same as them and now waiting near their cars.  

This was their third stop for the night, having similar experiences at each place they’d stopped at so far. Derek had tried to take Stiles to some of the nicest Italian restaurants he could find, even taking them near the edge of Beacon Hills for one.  

The normal wait times for these places would usually have them waiting no more than forty-five minutes at the most on their busiest nights. However, tonight seemed to be the exception for two of the three stops they’d made so far, their wait times reaching over ninety minutes for the shorter wait.  

And the second restaurant was temporarily closed due to a severe accident earlier in the day with some faulty equipment in the kitchen.  

So now the two of them stood next to his car, with Derek looking both sad and less than pleased with how the night had gone so far. Especially after the hectic disaster the summit had devolved to earlier.  

The alpha had been looking forward to taking Stiles on a nice date for more than just his original reason after that chaotic ordeal.  

More than a few had been surprised to see Scott actually show up to the summit, fully expecting the alpha to try and avoid Stiles as much as possible after their last encounter. And tensions weren’t helped much considering Stiles had completely ignored some of the other leaders when they first appeared at the warehouse to pick up their dead, leaving them with a bad first impression of the man.  

Add to that, the loyalty many of the other leaders held towards Scott, and the fact that none of them – except Allison – had been in the warehouse when Stiles gave a few small hints as to why he and Scott were now at odds, and the resulting scuffle might have been rather sudden but not completely unexpected.  

It wasn’t Stiles that had acted though. Instead, it was a fuming Jordan that sent Scott barreling through a cement pillar and crashing into a wall with a monstrous kick to the man’s gut.  

With a quick glance at Stiles’ Clan, it was more than clear that each of the others were just as furious at Scott’s statement. Even Lydia looked like she was seconds away from acting, and Jackson had actually made several quick strides towards Scott. But Jordan was slightly faster and got to the alpha before any of the others could.  

In this world, many new terms had popped up, as was the norm with society when any type of change comes along. Slang, much like technology, was ever changing. Developing terms – both good and bad – to describe both life and its many facets and the people that covered the earth.  

One of these terms which managed to stick around since its introduction after most of society had begun to acclimate to the new changes, was Nil. It’s a horrible, vicious and degrading term that no decent person would use nowadays.  

Nil was first used to only describe mundane humans, and it didn’t possess the same venom and demeaning bigotry behind it with its initial introduction. It still wasn’t good by any means, but when people started using it, most would simply roll their eyes at its use, then shake their heads as they walked away.  

As time progressed though, and people acclimated to the changes, the emotion and meaning behind the term grew more venomous and hateful. Instead of simply describing someone that had no powers or abilities, it became a term that implied the recipient was viewed as ‘Nothing’.  

A Nil was nothing. They were useless... worthless. Their entire existence was a pointless waste of atoms and air. A Nil would serve society better by dying. At least then their bodies could be used as fertilizer and finally be of some actual use to people.  

Nils were scum; pointless existences that could only survive in this world by leeching off the hard work of others. They should be eradicated.  

How dare Nils continue to exist and take up space and resources, when they can hardly even survive in this new age. Think of how much further society could progress if we weren’t wasting time and resources on such meaningless things.  

These thoughts and ideals are what the term Nil had grown to encompass over the years. What’s more, it had progressed to being used on most of the weaker supernaturals as well. Any ranked at fourth tier and lower were viewed by the true bigots as no better than a mundane. So, clearly, they too were also Nil.  

Most people nowadays, dared not use the term due to how it had developed. Occasionally someone might slip up and use it without thinking and would soon find themselves being heatedly reprimanded. Only true bigots and prejudiced fuckwads would casually use the term without a second thought in this day.  

During the summit, Stiles had made an off-hand comment to Scott, which of course the man took offense to, regardless of whether Stiles meant it to be offensive or not. And with the swell of emotion, Scott mouthed off to Stiles, ending with a retort, essentially equating him to a Nil with his lack of presence.  

After everyone had frozen wide-eyed for a heartbeat, sounds of outrage and disgust could be heard from many, almost immediately morphing to worry, fear and surprise when Jordan acted.  

Stiles had simply stood there calmly, eyes only partially widened as Scott was sent flying. His mind had gone blank as he worked to keep himself under control.  

Lydia had acted after Jordan, activating her telekinesis and locking down all those that looked like they were about to attempt to defend Scott. Instead of going ballistic, however, like many had expected him to from the term, Stiles simply turned and walked out of the warehouse, his Clan and Derek along with a few members of his Pack that had come along, following soon after.  

The summit had been mostly finished by that point anyways, so the necessary information regarding the Impundulu and Ishologu had been shared, as well as information and theories over what to expect in the coming days.  

There was no real need for Stiles and the others to stick around by that point. But Stiles’ lack of outburst over the term, more specifically, how calm and collected the man appeared, was putting many of the others on edge. Especially when they saw Stiles’ Clan members constantly glancing his way, worry written clearly on their faces.  

Most of the rest of the day felt like a blur, as Stiles and the others decided to visit and check out the newly rebuilt Hale house, which was home to not just the Hales, but many of their current Pack members as well.  

Stiles’ mood noticeably improved as the hours passed and he seemed genuinely happy to be visiting the place and spending time with them, despite Liam and Danny not being present for their return, as Liam still wasn’t quite ready to face Stiles yet. But they could all sense that something still wasn’t quite right with Stiles.  

Instead of prying though, they simply settled for keeping things light and fun and as afternoon approached, Erica brought up the idea of playing some card games, like old times; the idea being received with grins all around.  

The games began and soon the house was filled with the sounds of heated competition, laughter and taunts. Eventually though, the time for Derek and Stiles’ date was quickly approaching, and Stiles set up a pair of permanent port circles in the Hale house with Derek’s approval. One set up for inorganic items, and the other for organic, allowing instant travel between the Hale house and his Clan’s penthouse.  

With the circles set up, Stiles flashed to the penthouse, returning thirty minutes later wearing a plain white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows, navy slacks and black boots, and carried a black leather jacket in one hand. And more than one pair of eyes looked at him with approval and interest.  

Isaac felt his mouth practically go dry the moment he laid eyes on the man who he had never seen get dressed up like this before. He wanted to instantly haul Stiles up to his and Derek’s room and rip the guy’s clothes off. This desire only being strengthened when Derek came down the stairs a couple minutes later, dressed much like Stiles, but in all black.  

Dressed up as they were, the two looked like absolute snaccs. Isaac would normally try and keep himself under better control. Something that was hard enough to do any time just Derek dressed up like this for him, but he typically faired pretty well and his packmates would only get the occasional whiff of arousal from him.  

Tossing Stiles into the mix however, meant he was fighting a losing battle and just settled on ignoring the knowing grins aimed his way once Derek and Stiles were both in view. And it was made clear in no time that both Derek and Stiles were more than happy with the view when each took in the other.  

Waves of arousal could be picked up practically flooding off of Derek as he looked Stiles over. Yet, just like with his presence, none of Stiles’ emotions could be picked up. And Isaac wondered if Stiles’ tattoo that sealed away his presence also worked on his emotions. Stiles hadn’t mentioned that also being a byproduct of the seal. But then again, Isaac had specifically asked about presence and nothing else.  

He decided to file that question away with the many others he still wished to ask Stiles and instead, let himself appreciate the delectable eye candy filling his vision.  

“Like what you see, huh?” asked a grinning Stiles.  

“Absolutely.” answered a seductively grinning Isaac, making Stiles’ grin spread wider.  

Isaac stepped up, hooked a couple fingers over the topmost button that Stiles had done on his shirt and pulled, bringing Stiles in for a kiss. When it ended, Isaac gave Stiles another grin and said, “Tomorrow’s my turn.”  

“Oh?” Stiles asked slyly as he rested a hand on Isaac’s waist, then asked, “And what did you have in mind?”  

“It’s a secret.” answered Isaac, looking far too smug for his own good and Stiles cocked an eyebrow then leaned himself in closer to the man.  

With a quiet low voice and intense seductive gaze, Stiles said, “I could make you tell me, you know.”  

The grin never left Isaac’s face, his eyes practically dancing with mischief as he said, “Yeah, but,” and Isaac leaned in closer to Stiles, leaving almost no space between their mouths, their lips brushing together as he said, “where’s the fun in that?”  

The tone of the question was less denying and more daring, making Stiles’ eyes close for a moment as he felt a thrill run through his body. His hand gripped a bit more tightly over Isaac’s waist, pulling the wolf towards him, leaving almost no space left between their bodies.  

His head tilted to brush his lips more against Isaac’s, voice dipping lower as Stiles said, “I don’t know babe. I think I can come up with a few ideas that would have you begging me for more.” And it was all Isaac could do to keep from practically whining or groaning; alerting all the others lounging in the sitting room on the other side of the wall, just past the foyer.  

That being said, the two still ended up freezing with slightly wide eyes and guilty grins when a nearby throat was cleared; the two soon turning to take in Lydia’s smirk and arched brow as the woman leaned up against the frame of the walkway that led into the kitchen, her arms crossed as she shook her head a couple times.  

“Right.” said a grinning Stiles, stepping back a bit from Isaac as he cleared his throat, though he didn’t look too guilty which just made Lydia roll her eyes as her smirk widened.  

“I’m looking forward to it.” Stiles said, turning another seductive gaze to Isaac before he placed another quick kiss on the man’s lips, then finally stepped back and walked over to a grinning Derek. Stiles’ own grin growing slightly wider as he caught the last few signs of the red glow fading from the alpha’s eyes.  

“You two have fun.” Isaac said, stepping up to Derek who brought a hand up and rested it under Isaac’s chin, sliding his thumb over Isaac’s jaw.  

“What are you gonna be up to?” Derek asked and Isaac shrugged his shoulder.  

“Don’t know quite yet.” he said, then smirked and rested a hand on the side of Derek’s neck and said, “But I do expect some details when you two get back.” then pulled the alpha into a kiss.  

“Now off with you two.” Isaac said, then nudged the duo towards the door as he grabbed Derek’s own black leather jacket and handed it to the alpha. Derek shook his head with a grin and exited first. As Stiles turned and started towards the door, he was soon turning a wide-eyed and devilish smirk back at Isaac after the man gave a quick swat to his ass.  

Isaac returned Stiles’ smirk with a wicked one of his own, adding a wink which made Stiles grin before finally turning to follow Derek to his...  

“Holy fuck.” Stiles said when he caught sight of Derek’s car, no longer seeing his staple Camaro sitting in the driveway. And his steps came to a halt as he took in the gorgeous and suspiciously familiar car.  

“Did you really...?” Stiles asked, sounding slightly stunned as he took in what looked to be an almost perfect replica of the 1967 Pontiac GTO Custom Hardtop; Derek’s favorite car from one of his favorite action movies in the past: ‘XXX’, staring Vin Diesel.  

Of course, Stiles highly doubted the thing would be equipped with all the fun little gadgets that it used in the movie, like the rocket launcher for instance. He also knew that Derek didn’t care to race. Or at least, he didn’t in the past, so Stiles also felt it likely that the car wouldn’t be equipped with NOS.  

Not that Stiles would mind at all if Derek liked to race now and didn’t try and push away the little thrill of arousal he felt at imagining Derek street racing. That wave being replaced by an even stronger surge of arousal as he pictured Derek greased up and working on an engine.  

Fuck, he would make one sexy-ass grease monkey.   

The thought ran through Stiles’ mind as he gave a thorough and seductive once-over of the alpha whose grin was growing wider as he took in the heat from Stiles’ gaze.  

“And what’s going through that mind of yours?” Derek asked, stepping up to Stiles who flicked his eyes up and down Derek’s frame.  

“You haven’t by any chance picked up some new hobbies, have you?” Stiles asked and Derek’s grin grew wider before he leaned in and placed a kiss to Stiles’ lips.  

When he pulled back, Derek grinned again then said, “Guess you’ll just have to find out. Won’t you?” then smirked at Stiles look of disapproval, complete with narrowed eyes and open mouth.  

Derek stepped back and opened the passenger door for Stiles and waited, but the guy was far from satisfied with the answer he was given, saying, “Oh, come on Der, you can’t tease me about that.”  

To which Derek just grinned back and shrugged his shoulders before leaving the door open and walking around to the driver’s side and getting in the car. Closing the door behind him, Derek then leaned over the console and looked up at Stiles with a grin, asking, “You coming?”  

“At least let me know if you work on cars now or something.” Stiles said, stepping up and placing a hand on the door as he glanced over the sleek interior of the car, taking in its pristine condition which was nothing new for Derek. As the man always kept his vehicles in excellent condition. But it made Stiles slightly hesitant to get in and maybe scratch something by accident.  

Derek gave a sigh then looked at Stiles with a sardonic gaze, “If you’re asking if I worked on this car, the answer is no. But yes, I do have a few projects I’ve been working on for a while now.”  

Derek’s tone and gaze had slightly shifted, looking and sounding a little defensive as he finished talking, which was the last thing Stiles expected, and he was soon sliding into the passenger seat as Derek pulled back to sit properly in his own seat.  

Stiles closed his door behind himself and shifted to take in Derek’s frame, his own brows furrowing as he asked, “Der. You don’t honestly think I’d judge you for something like that, do you?”  

“I just...” answered Derek, whose gaze was fixed on the dash in front of himself as he fiddled with the keys, “You have such an amazing job, Stiles. Your Clan, you’ve... the things you guys have done. If even half of the stories are true... The amount of people that you have helped. I... I just-”  

Derek was stopped, eyes blinking wide as he felt a strong grip on his shirt and was pulled to turn and look into Stiles’ starry night gaze, “Don’t you dare think for even a second that I think any less of you because of this, Derek. Whether it’s your hobby, or your career, such a thing could never cause me to think any less of you. And I know you know me well enough to know that, Der. I will not have you thinking any less of yourself simply because you think my job is so superior to yours. And besides...”  

Stiles leaned forward as he moved his hand from Derek’s shirt to rest on the side of Derek’s neck and pulled the man in to a kiss. When the kiss ended, Stiles’ eyes had reverted to amber and they traveled over Derek’s face with a grin as he said, “I never mentioned it before. But I might have a thing for sexy grease monkeys.”  

“Really?” asked Derek, the guy’s mouth lifting in a crooked grin.  

His gaze heating with the same seduction Stiles’ eyes now held as he answered, “Absolutely.” and didn’t stop himself pulling his bottom lip in slightly and nipping lightly at it as his eyes swept over the alpha, imagining what the man might look like with no shirt and tattered jeans, covered with a few grease stains.  

The grin that lifted Derek’s lips then just made the image in Stiles’ mind even better, making his dick twitch even harder and he was more than happy with the hungry kiss that Derek placed on his lips after that. Eventually though, the kiss ended with the two grinning at each other before Derek said, “Alright, alright. We should get going.”  

He placed the keys in the ignition and started the car up. Though this car was a replica of a much older vehicle, there were certain aspects that would inevitably be different now due to the overhaul the entire industry experienced once aura was mixed with technology, and became the sole source of power for most technology, including vehicles.  

For the most part, engines still worked much the same, but could be massively condensed. And they still required many types of lubricants, fluids and fuel. The difference was that aura could now entirely replace many of those, or be used in conjunction with them, requiring much less of the original fluid or lubricant.  

So, when Derek started the car up, Stiles couldn’t stop himself from grinning along with Derek at the deep growl and purr the car gave as it came to life. Stiles buckled himself in and was soon grinning widely and laughing as Derek shifted the transmission and was practically peeling them out of the driveway, shooting down the road the next second towards their destination.  

“I’m curious,” said Lydia, she and Isaac watched from the porch as Derek finally started the car up and soon had the duo racing down the street, but didn’t feel a single shred of worry for either of them, knowing Stiles would easily be able to protect the two, “what made you and Derek so sure Stiles would agree?”  

Lydia turned to look at Isaac who soon enough blinked to lock gazes with her before he gave a soft chuckle and wry grin, saying, “What makes you think we were so sure?”  

She arched a brow at that, “So... What if he would have said no then?”  

“We had a few ideas for how we might proceed. However, I can’t say that we didn’t at least have a little hope. After all, I’m sure you remember Stiles mentioning in the past that he wouldn’t mind testing out what a polyamorous relationship was like.” Isaac said, and Lydia gave a hum of confirmation as she nodded her head a couple times.  

“And though that’s a bit different compared to a triad, we felt he likely wouldn’t be opposed to something like that given he was already open to polyamory. However, it’s been many years since then, and we had no guarantee that Stiles still felt the same. That being said, when I noticed that Stiles never once got upset when he caught both my minor gestures towards Derek, and looks towards himself, we became hopeful that he would at least hear us out.” Isaac said and Lydia gave a contemplative hum.  

“So then, you were hoping that if he wasn’t up for the triad, he’d at least be up for a polyamorous relationship then.” she said, then asked, “And if he wasn’t up for either?”  

“Like I said,” Isaac answered with another wry grin, “we had some ideas. Though, none of them were all that pleasant. So, I’m just going to say that I’m glad it worked out. We took a chance.” he said and shrugged his shoulders, “We had to. Neither of us ever shied away from admitting how much we both liked Stiles. And that never changed, no matter how much time passed.”  

“I’m still surprised though. And I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever get over it.” Isaac said a moment later and gave a soft chuckle at Lydia’s questioning gaze and tilt of her head.  

“Stiles told me outright, that it either had to be both of us, or neither. Because he couldn’t pick.” he said, and Lydia gave a soft chuckle and grin. But that grin soon shifted to confusion.  

But before Lydia could ask anything, Isaac said, “It was a shock. Still is, and I don’t know if it ever won’t be. To know that Stiles sees me like that. Sees me as... equally, desirable as Derek. I guess I... I jus-OW!”  

“Oh, my gods, I’m so sorry, Issac!” Lydia said with some panic after she had just thumped Isaac in the middle of his forehead. The man was rubbing at the spot with heavily squinted eyes and was slowly lowering himself to sit on the porch.  

“I’m so-so-so sorry, Isaac. Here, let me help you. I’ll fix it.” Lydia said, helping settle Isaac down, then moving a hand enveloped in soft glowing golden light to rest on his head. She wasn’t a specialist at healing like Marin was, but she held decent enough knowledge and skill to handle most minor to moderate injuries, so she’d be sufficient for this.  

“The fuck did you do, Lydia?” asked Isaac in a pained voice, leaning his head to rest back against the railing while he was healed.  

“I’m sorry.” Lydia said again, looking and sounding genuine, squinting her eyes as she healed up the small injury. Though inside she was sighing with massive relief when she realized her thump didn’t cause any major problems. She was honestly terrified to know how fucking pissed Stiles would be with her if she actually injured Isaac.  

“I thumped you. And I thought I held back enough, but, clearly that wasn’t the case. I’m used to doing that to Stiles, and obviously I don’t have to hold back with him. I’m sorry, Isaac. Really. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I just...” she took a deep breath then sighed, settling herself down to sit next to the man once she finished healing him.  

“You’re a great guy, Isaac. Really. You have no idea how often Stiles talked about you while we were away. The only one he talked about more was Derek. And that’s only because of how things developed between them before he had to leave. You may not see yourself as equal to Derek, but Stiles clearly does. And I know for a fact that he wouldn’t be happy hearing you talk about yourself like that.” she said, and Isaac’s brows continued to furrow as he listened to Lydia talk.  

“He talked about me?” he asked, then arched a brow as Lydia almost snorted in response while she smirked at him and nodded her head.  

“Oh yeah. And it was only because of how head-over-heels Stiles was with Derek before he had to leave, that I never looked too deeply into what he was saying. But after how things have developed so far, looking back on it now, it was incredibly obvious how much he cared about you as well. I just never thought on it too much, even after Stiles said what he did about polyamory, considering he never really seemed to act on it. So, I just took his constant ramblings about you to be some sort of method to help distract himself from Derek.  

“Take it from someone that had to listen to him constantly talk about how adorable you are, how much he loved cuddling with you and snuggling up during movies, etcetera-etcetera,” she said with an absent wave, “the guy is just as enamored with you as he is with Derek.”  

Isaac couldn’t seem to stop the small smile that was lifting his lips as he listened to Lydia talk. Nor could he ignore the flutter of warmth in his chest, thinking about how Stiles had never stopped thinking of him, even years after he’d left.  

“By the way,” Lydia started, and Isaac looked up to meet her gaze then lifted a brow at the concerned look on her face, “you aren’t going to mention the little thump to Stiles, are you?” she asked, and Isaac’s gaze turned sardonic.  

“By little thump, do you mean the thump that felt like it nearly gave me a concussion ?” he asked pointedly, and Lydia’s face fell then scrunched in apology.  

“I’m sorry , Isaac. Really.” Lydia said and Isaac couldn’t hold his annoyance, feeling it pitter away as Lydia showed genuine remorse.  

“Fine.” Isaac said with a sigh, thumping his head lightly back against the railing, then added, “But you owe me now.”  

“Alright.” Lydia said, taking a slow deep breath and with a resigned sigh asked, “What would you like?”  

“Tell me why Stiles had to leave Beacon Hills.” Isaac said without hesitation, and was none too happy to see Lydia close her eyes and give another heavy sigh.  

“I can’t tell you that, Isaac. I’m sorry. It’s not my place. Stiles would be beyond furious with me if I told you. Plus, I can promise that Stiles will at least tell you and Derek soon enough. Please understand.” Lydia said and though Isaac didn’t look too happy, he didn’t seem all that surprised by Lydia’s answer.  

However, he wasn’t quite done yet. He felt that she at least owed him a small bit of info on this considering he was pretty sure she actually had nearly given him a concussion. So, he pressed, “Come on, Lydia. You don’t have to tell me everything. Can’t you at least give me a little hint?”  

Lydia gave another heavy sigh, closing her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. After a silent moment, Lydia took another slow breath, then opened her eyes, looking up to hold Isaac’s gaze for several seconds.  

Finally, with a steady gaze and serious tone, she said, “I will tell you this little bit, Isaac. But absolutely no more. The rest will be for Stiles to say.”  

With a subdued gaze, Isaac only hesitated for a moment before he nodded his understanding. A moment later, Lydia finally said, “It had to do with his dad.”  

**  

“No, It’s not, Stiles.” Derek said, still not lifting his gaze to meet Stiles’ when the man tried to cheer him up.  

Stiles stepped up, placing himself directly in front of Derek, close enough to almost press into the alpha’s body, nestling himself between Derek’s legs, then rested a finger under Derek’s chin and lifted lightly to bring the man’s gaze up to meet his own.  

“I know how important this was to you, Derek. I truly appreciate the gesture and intention. And I have no doubt that it would have been amazing. But I hope you know that I was just kidding when I said I expected to be wooed. Der, do you have any idea how long I’ve already been wooed by you?” Stiles asked, and started grinning as he watched Derek’s gaze shift from depressed to slightly curious.  

“Long enough that my dad thought we were an actual couple, long before we started to actually get close.” Stiles said, and felt his grin spread wider as Derek’s gaze was colored with amusement.  

“Seriously?” Derek asked with a laugh, bringing his hands up to rest on Stiles’ sides, slowly sliding his thumbs back and forth.  

“Seriously.” Stiles answered with a flat gaze, then said, “I didn’t hear the end of it from that man for a while after I had absently wondered aloud the first time about my attraction towards you.”  

Stiles’ gaze grew even more sardonic while Derek’s grew more amused when he said, “The man nearly laughed himself breathless before finally telling me that he thought we’d been dating for a while by that point – considering how much I talked about you – and was actually a little upset that I hadn’t brought you around for dinner yet.”  

At this point, Derek was almost laughing uncontrollably, and had buried his face in Stiles’ chest. Derek eventually got his laughter under control, but still kept his face rested against Stiles’ chest, giving a contented hum when Stiles combed his fingers through Derek’s hair.  

“And though I wasn’t exactly thrilled with his reaction, I soon came to realize that he honestly had more than ample reasons to believe that.” Stiles said, then stopped combing his fingers through Derek’s hair as he felt the man still.  

“Hold on,” Derek said as he lifted his head and stuck Stiles with a questioning gaze as he continued, “so, you’re saying the Sherrif thought I was actually dating you while you were still a minor?! ” Derek asked incredulously, and also looked a little angry which didn’t surprise Stiles as he knew how being viewed as someone that might try and take advantage of a minor like that would fuck with Derek.  

“Der, look at me.” Stiles said, eyes and tone serious as he lightly gripped at Derek’s jaw with his thumb and forefinger, “You are absolutely nothing like that scum. And the fact that my dad, who was the Sherrif of the town at the time, legitimately thought you might have been dating me for a bit while I was still seventeen, and did and said nothing to you, should prove that almost better than anything else.  

“Tell me, Der. Knowing my dad as well as you do, do you really think he would have stood by and kept out if he really believed you were anything like that filth?”  

The two were quiet for some seconds and Stiles slowly ran his thumb over Derek’s jaw as he watched the man’s gaze grow softer with the passing seconds, “My dad came to trust and respect you, Derek. And what’s more,” Stiles said, his lips lifting in a grin, “I’m sure the man trusted that I would vet a potential love interest far more thoroughly than he ever could.”  

Pressed as close as they were, Stiles didn’t miss the little jolt Derek gave at Stiles’ choice of words. His eyes grew a bit wider for a second and he blinked a few times before he gave his head a small shake.  

“What?” asked Stiles, who was working to keep from grinning too widely at the flustered state Derek was in. The alpha tried to speak, but Stiles started sliding his knuckles under Derek’s jaw and moved to brush his lips lightly over Derek’s.  

Stiles’ voice came low and soft as he asked, “You think that was a slip of the tongue? Or an absentminded statement?”  

Derek gave a rumbling hum of pleasure as Stiles moved his hand to rest on the side of Derek’s neck, curling his fingers in to grip firmly but not uncomfortably at the back of Derek’s neck and placed a soft kiss on Derek’s lips.  

Stiles still kept his lips brushing Derek’s once the kiss ended, and said, “It’s like I said, Der. You’ve had me wooed for quite some time now.”  

Their lips fully parted as Stiles then rested his forehead against Derek’s and brought his second hand up to rest on the other side of Derek’s neck, then said, “From the moment you showed me a genuine smile and laugh. The countless times you demonstrated the depths of your bravery and courage; your drive and conviction to re-build your pack despite the endless obstacles and overwhelming odds. How deeply you cared for those closest to you and the lengths to which you would go to see them safe and protected. From the first morning I woke up in your arms and thought to myself how it felt so right, to the moments where you literally knocked the breath out of me with nothing more than your smile and laugh. You have had me. And you always will.”  

Derek had completely stilled; his breath hardly even being registered as Stiles spoke. And when Stiles moved his head back to look into those gorgeous hazel eyes, he took in the man’s wide awestruck expression and gave the alpha a warm smile as he said, “I love you... Derek.”  

The two simply stared at each other for several silent seconds. Stiles’ warm smile filled with the love he’d held for the man for years, meeting Derek’s expression of openmouthed awe. Eventually, though, the alpha began to move. His chest rising and falling faster as the seconds passed, his eyes blinking and traveling over Stiles’ face.  

Derek’s mouth began to twitch, slowly lifting into a bright smile as his exhales shifted and morphed, giving a couple disbelieving laughs before Derek quickly brought a hand up and pulled Stiles into a deep kiss.  

“Me too. I... I mean,” Derek quickly said when the kiss ended, but was soon scrunching his face up and shaking his head, trying to clear the muddled thoughts to properly say what he wanted, which just made Stiles laugh.  

Because he honestly wouldn’t have Derek any other way.  

“I love you too. I...” Derek stopped and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and steadying himself. He opened them, fixing his hazel gaze on Stiles’ grinning face, taking the pure adoration in the man’s amber eyes as Derek said, “I love you... Stiles. So much.”  

Derek was looking over Stiles, almost like he was trying to determine if what he was seeing was real or not. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that this had to be one of the happiest moments of his life. To have confirmation from Stiles of exactly how much he cared for Derek. And to have actually told Stiles himself how much he also cared for the man.  

At the same time though, he was more than a little terrified to think that this might be a dream. It wouldn’t be the first time. To experience something truly blissful; imagine himself finally being able to manage to tell Stiles how he felt and not be pushed away or told he was too late.  

Though Derek’s bliss was plain enough to see on his face, something of his worry and fear must have shown through because he saw Stiles’ gaze start to turn worried. Before he could ask Derek what was wrong though, Derek brought a hand up and rested it on Stiles’ cheek.  

“I’m...” Derek started to say before his voice cut off and the alpha had to swallow, his gaze roaming over Stiles’ face once more before taking another breath and trying again, “Is... is this real?” Derek asked, and his expression showed just how serious he was with this question. A part of him was truly convinced at the moment that this might really be just another dream.  

Stiles’ expression of worry started to shift to understanding, a small, knowing and sad smile lifting his lips.  

“Stiles. I have dreamt of moments like this, so many times. What if, I...” Derek started to ask, and his voice cut off again, but his expression told Stiles enough. That and the tightening of Derek’s hand around Stiles’ waist, eliminating any space that might have been between them and keeping Stiles pressed up against the alpha’s body.  

Of course, Stiles didn’t fight against the pull, always more than happy to have a reason to be so close to Derek.  

“This is real, Der.” Stiles said with a soft grin, bringing one of his hands to rest against the back of Derek’s hand settled on Stiles’ cheek, then leaned his cheek harder into Derek’s palm.  

“I’m here. And I’m with you.” Stiles said and brushed his thumb over Derek’s hand.  

“If this is a dream.” Derek said a moment later, a grin lifting his lips and he half chuckled as he said, “I’m gonna fucking kill whoever wakes me up.”  

The two started to softly laugh together and Stiles asked shortly after, “What if it’s Isaac?”  

Derek’s eyes lifted as he thought about it then said, “No steaks for a year.”  

At Stiles’ lifted brows and amused and questioning gaze, Derek said, “The amount of steak that man eats is honestly, ridiculous. I’ve considered more than once, trying to start up our own little farm because of him.”  

Stiles laughed even harder at that, which seemed to get Derek to notice exactly how close the two were. He was more than happy to have Stiles so close, of course. However, considering they were still in the parking lot of the restaurant, and there were more than a few people waiting outside, Derek couldn’t exactly call their position ‘appropriate’.  

Which caused a bit of confusion to stir within the alpha, seeing as none of the people who had very clear views of them had tried to say anything.  

The next second, Derek voiced his internal confusion, saying, “I’m honestly surprised no one has tried to say anything to us. I mean, I know we’re not exactly fucking , but still.” Derek said, then almost wished he hadn’t.  

Almost.  

Because Stiles’ gaze instantly turned seductive and mischievous as he said, “Now there’s an idea.” and Derek’s eyes grew wide as Stiles moved his free hand to start rubbing against Derek’s rock-hard bulge.  

He gave no reprimand though, as it wouldn’t be obvious to any of the people still outside what was happening yet. More than that though, Derek would never brush away or move from Stiles’ touch and would always be more than happy to be touched by the man whenever and however he wanted.  

That being said, when it looked like Stiles might actually undo Derek’s zipper, the alpha’s eyes widened almost as far as they could go, and with a low, pained and almost pleading voice, he said, “Stiles.” though he still didn’t make any move to try and stop the man or remove his hand that was still rubbing over his bulge.  

Stiles gave Derek an impish grin, then gave a squeeze of Derek’s bulge, making the man close his eyes as he took a deep breath and worked to control his expression, hiding the obvious pleasure from any that might be looking their way.  

Derek leaned in and kissed Stiles, which helped muffle the small moan Derek gave when Stiles squeezed his bulge even harder.  

He kept his mouth near Stiles’ when the kiss ended, and with an obvious grin in his voice said, “Are you going to at least block us from view?”  

Hearing this, Stiles looked questioningly into Derek’s gaze, giving a smirk as he asked, “Do you want to actually do that? Is that something you like?”  

“Public isn’t exactly my first choice. I’m not against it, especially if that’s something you like. I’d just like it if we were blocked from plain sight.” Derek said, and Stiles looked at the man as if he was one of the most adorable things he’d ever seen.  

“Der.” Stiles said, then looked the man over, “I definitely don’t want you to force yourself into anything you’re not completely comfortable with, just to make me happy. And for the record, it’s pretty much the same for me on public stuff. I’ve just been having a little fun so far, and you seemed okay with me continuing, so-”  

“No, I am!” Derek rushed to say when Stiles started to move his hand away from Derek’s bulge, but then kept his hand there at Derek’s response while also giving the alpha a grin.  

“Really, Stiles. I’ve been more than okay with everything you’ve done so far.” he said, then with a grin and sly tone of his own added, “If that hasn’t been made clear.” while giving a small thrust into Stiles’ hand.  

“Which leads back to my earlier confusion.” Derek said a second later, shifting his eyes up to glance around and noticed that all of the people that were outside seemed to be doing their best to not glance their way.  

His eyes were drawn back to Stiles when he felt the man chuckle, “There are some benefits to being host to a beast whose mere presence tends to terrify most. Short of giving you a blowjob right here and now, I doubt anyone would attempt to say anything.” Stiles said, and Derek’s brows lifted as his eyes traveled over Stiles.  

“Oh. Right.” the man said then gave his head a little shake, eyes turning confused.  

“It’s like I was telling Isaac earlier today. The more you’re around me and the more you understand my personal intentions and desires, the easier it is to deal with the asshole taking residence.” Stiles said, gaze turning sardonic as he pointed at his own chest.  

“But more on that some other time.” Stiles said as he watched Derek’s gaze turn contemplative, thinking over what Stiles had just said before Stiles lifted his chin and placed a kiss on Derek’s lips.  

“Let’s go get some grub. I think I hear Betty’s calling my name.” Stiles said and the two shared a smile before Stiles stepped back and the duo found themselves back in the car.  

Derek was glancing over Stiles after they settled in the car, leaning over the console once Stiles sent him a questioning glance, giving the man another kiss. When he pulled back from the kiss, Derek’s eyes roamed over Stiles’ face before his lips lifted in a grin and he said, “I love you.”  

A wide grin lifted Stiles’ lips before he gave Derek another quick kiss, then said, “And I love you. Though my stomach might start to protest soon if we don’t get some food.”  

Derek gave a laugh before settling himself back in his seat and finally starting the car up. Soon enough, the two were racing down the streets once more.  

Before long, Derek was pulling up to the familiar diner and cutting the engine. Before either could get out of the car though, Stiles was turning a questioning gaze towards Derek when the man made a sound of surprise.  

“What?” Stiles asked, then followed Derek’s gaze, his brows soon lifting as he gave a hum of admiration at the sleek motorcycle parked nearby.  

Stiles couldn’t be even remotely considered any kind of mechanic, or even slightly car savvy, if there was such a thing. He knew the absolute basics about most vehicles, like most people. His knowledge extending to how to turn the car on and off, how to check the aura generator and some of the fluids, change a tire, and how to schedule maintenance.  

That was to say, that aside from the name Kawasaki printed on the tank of the mostly chrome plated and emerald painted bike, he knew next to nothing about the impressive looking thing. Just that, considering its pristine condition, the owner clearly took very good care of the vehicle.  

“Isaac’s here.” Derek answered shortly, and Stiles looked around in confusion, before he cocked a brow, blinking from the bike to Derek who turned to look at him a second later, then grinned and chuckled at Stiles’ expression.  

“Isaac drives a motorcycle?” Stiles asked and Derek gave him a grin and nod.  

“He has a few others. But that one’s probably his favorite.” Derek said, motioning to the Kawasaki.  

“Awesome.” Stiles said with a grin, taking in the bike with some new appreciation, “Do you ever ride with him?” Stiles asked and Derek grinned.  

“I ride with him every now and then, but I don’t really care for it. I prefer the comfort of a car or truck. It’s fun, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t really care for it, personally. However,” Derek said, then took a breath and gave a tired sigh as he said, “Isaac really likes it when I go with him. So, I suck it up and go with him when he asks, cause I know he enjoys it so much. Which makes me happy to see him like that. However, he doesn’t ask me too often, cause he knows I don’t really care for it.”  

Seeing Stiles’ grin growing a bit wider as he looked at the bike, Derek’s grin grew as well and he asked, “I take it you’re a fan of bikes now? When did that happen?”  

Stiles’ grin quickly grew wider as he said, “I’ve always been a bit of a fan, but stayed away from them for the most part because I knew my dad would worry too much. However, I’ve had my fair share of test runs – let’s call it – in recent years.”  

Derek arched a brow in concern and curiosity at hearing this and Stiles laughed, “What can I say? Sometimes options for escape or pursuit are limited, and you’ve got to make use of what’s available. Using teleportation, warping or flight isn’t always a possibility for me for one reason or another.”  

Derek’s expression was making it hard for Stiles to keep a straight face as the guy looked a mixture of curious, amazed and stupefied. And keeping that expression, Derek said, “You know. When you talk about your job like that, it really hits home how different our lives are now.”  

Stiles grinned and shook his head, then said, “I’m still far from a specialist or whatever, though. I don’t have a particular bike I like best or anything like that. I just know that I’ve enjoyed driving them the handful of times I’ve needed to in the past.”  

“Well then,” Derek said with a grin and leaned in towards Stiles, “Isaac should be ecstatic.” and Stiles grinned back before closing the short distance and giving Derek a quick kiss.  

The two then finally got out of the car, closed the doors, then began to walk up towards the diner. Soon though, the two were stopping when one of the doors to the diner opened and out walked Isaac, stopping a few feet later, frozen in heavy confusion, glancing between Derek and Stiles with his hand hovering over his A-Band.  

“What are you guys doing here?” Isaac asked with furrowed brows, still glancing between the two, and his confusion wasn’t helped any by their expressions; Derek looking pained while Stiles grinned and chuckled.  

“You could say we’ve been on something of an adventure tonight.” Stiles said, then proceeded to give a quick explanation of the night’s events since leaving the house. And when he was done, Isaac looked to be doing his best not to laugh before sticking Derek with an apologetic smile, then walked up to the alpha.  

“I’m sorry, Derek. I know how much this meant to you.” Isaac said, and rested his forehead against Derek’s, then brought a hand up and rubbed it over Derek’s arm.  

Derek took a breath and gave a sigh, blinking to meet Isaac’s gaze then shifting to Stiles when the guy stepped up. Soon though, his eyes were growing wide and Derek was squirming out of Stiles’ reach as best he could when the imp shot a hand out and started poking Derek in the side.  

“I told you. None. Of. That.” Stiles said, punctuating his final words each with a poke at Derek’s side, then grabbed onto Derek’s shirt and pulled him into a kiss, before sticking the alpha with a pointed smirk when the kiss ended.  

“I’m not upset or disappointed, Derek. How could I be, when I got to spend so much time with you? You will have plenty of chances to dote on me to your heart’s content moving forward, Der. You could take me to McDonald’s or whatever,” Stiles said with an eyeroll, “and I’d still be happy, so long as I got to spend time with you or Isaac.”  

Stiles couldn’t stop himself from laughing a bit at the outrageous brows of doom Derek was giving him because of his McDonald’s comment.  

But before Derek could say anything, Stiles nodded and said, “Yes-yes, I know. You would never dream of taking someone to a fast-food place for a date. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love and appreciate your gestures, Der. It just means that I’m not hard to please. I understand that doing things like that for people you care about makes you happy, and I want you to have that as often as you can.  

“But, please , Derek.” Stiles said then lifted his hand up to rest on Derek’s cheek, “Never think that I’ll be upset with you if you can’t provide those kinds of things or experiences at all times.”  

Isaac stepped up behind Stiles and wrapped his arms over Stiles’ chest, resting his head on the man’s shoulder and with a grin clear in his voice said, “I’ve tried to tell him not to be so hard on himself. But the guy’s as stubborn as a mule.”  

Isaac then placed a kiss on Stiles’ neck before nibbling at the guy’s earlobe, making Stiles grin then chuckle, lifting a hand up to rest on the arms rested over his chest. Both Isaac and Stiles couldn’t help but grin at the sardonic glare Derek gave them before rolling his eyes and huffing.  

The alpha tried to turn and walk away, but Stiles was way too fast, snaking a hand up to grip at Derek’s neck and pull him into a kiss. When it ended, Stiles kept a hold of the front of Derek’s shirt, and with a fond gaze into the alpha’s eyes, said, “You’re perfect exactly as you are, Derek. We’re not going to ask you to change that. If doting on us brings you joy and happiness, then of course, you’re free to do so. We just don’t want you thinking that something like that is necessary for us. Alright?”  

While Stiles had been talking, he was also having to work at not grinning or chuckling as Isaac had started to poke Derek in his cheek, which the alpha was doing his best to try and ignore and not grin, but was failing. Finally, Derek turned his head and nipped at Isaac’s finger and the wolf only barely managed to pull his finger away in time, chuckling at the arched brow and grin Derek gave him.  

Derek’s grin softened as he looked at Isaac, then blinked to Stiles and said, “I get it. I appreciate what you’ve both told me about this. And... I’ll do my best to not let it get me down, if plans don’t work out.”  

“Oh, I see.” said a grinning Isaac once Derek finished talking, then stepped around Stiles, saying, “Apparently, I just need to have Stiles tell you what I would say, so you don’t fight it.”  

“No, Isaac...” Derek started to say, giving Isaac a pleading look, trying to reassure the man, but was cut off by a kiss.  

“I’m messing with you, Derek.” Isaac said, grinning at the man when he pulled back. And neither his tone nor gaze held anything but care for the alpha.  

Derek took a slow breath, rolling his eyes as a grin lifted his lips and he shook his head a couple times, then spun Isaac around to press the man’s back against his own chest. He wrapped one arm over Isaac’s chest and the other over the man’s stomach.  

Derek then busied himself with nipping and kissing at Isaac’s neck. And if Isaac’s expression was anything to go by, the man was both surprised and very happy.  

Stiles piped up then, “He’s clearly taking full advantage of my annoying freeloader.” he said to Isaac, giving a point at his chest and Isaac’s face lit up with understanding.  

“Though it might not be all that appropriate, so long as things don’t get too risqué , no one will say shit to us while I’m around.” Stiles said, and Isaac gave a hum and nod of appreciation.  

“Good to know.” the blonde said, before immediately moving one of his hands to slide between his and Derek’s body to squeeze the man’s bulge.  

Derek grinned and gave a muffled, “Dammit.” into Isaac’s neck, then asked, “Why do you two keep grabbing my dick in public?”  

“Oh?” asked a devilishly grinning Isaac to Stiles, who grinned right back.  

“I had a bit of fun at the last place with him.” Stiles said and Isaac grinned even wider, then turned his head to glance back towards Derek.  

“I can stop if you really want me to.” Isaac said slyly, and made to move his hand away. But once more found himself grinning as Derek said nothing, but still gave his answer nonetheless by pulling Isaac tighter against himself, keeping the man’s hand in place.  

Stiles couldn’t stop the grin lifting his features as he watched the two. He honestly had never thought too much on this aspect of a triad, what it would be and feel like watching the others involved be close and intimate. And he supposed the person’s reaction to this scenario and others like it would be what could make or break a relationship like this.  

To be the newcomer; welcomed into the preexisting relationship, and then observe the intimacy of the others but not partake yourself at times. He could proceed one of two ways. Either let jealousy take over as he watched such intimacy play out without invitation to him. Or witness the intimacy and love they shared with fondness, and feel joy and happiness at being able to be a part of their little bubble of bliss.  

Fortunately for Stiles, he could only see the latter path for himself. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to join in, of course. Just that he understood the two shared their own connection, separate from him along with the new connections they were forming with him.  

Stiles wasn’t there to fix something that was broken, or make up for something that they might be lacking. Seeing the smiles and pure adoration passing between Derek and Isaac, even a blind, deaf, comatose, lobotomy patient could feel the love the two obviously shared.  

“So,” Stiles said, drawing the eyes of the two, “you know why we came here. But why were you here?” Stiles asked Isaac.  

“I was putting an order in for the others back at the house.” Isaac answered, which earned a curious brow from Stiles.  

“Yeah, I know. I could have just called. But I felt like getting out, so I told the others I would come and place the order in person. Speaking of which,” Isaac said, then lifted his arm up and tapped at his A-Band, “I forgot I was supposed to be checking with the others if they had anything else to add.”  

With that, Isaac made his call and got his confirmation that nothing had changed. He also informed Cora that the food would be getting delivered as he was going to stay and dine in with Derek and Stiles.  

That choice essentially being made for him by Stiles when the man gave Isaac a chilling grin and shook his head after Isaac said he would leave to give them some time alone. Derek also looked like he would practically cuff Isaac to himself if the man tried to skip out on what would essentially be their first official date as a triad. Unplanned though it may have been.  

“By the way,” Stiles said, when Isaac was done with his call, “nice bike.”  

“Thanks.” Isaac said with a grin, but then furrowed his brows when he saw Stiles’ grin growing wider.  

The blonde’s eyes started to grow a bit wider as he took in Stiles’ expression and asked, “Wait, do... do you ride?”  

“I don’t have any bikes of my own, no.” Stiles said, stepping closer until he was barely a foot away from Isaac, then added, “But I do enjoy driving them. I’ve never actually ridden with anyone else, however. Care to help me make up for that?” then grinned at the elation coloring Isaac’s face.  

“Fuck yeah.” Isaac said happily, then reached out and pulled Stiles in for a kiss.  

“Told you he would be happy.” said a grinning Derek when their kiss ended, and Stiles laughed as Isaac swatted at Derek’s arm, but the man couldn’t hide the wide grin he still held.  

“You’re just happy cause this means I’ll hardly ever bug you to ride with me anymore.” Isaac said, which caused Derek’s grin to falter a bit.  

“No. Isaac, I’ll still ride with you if you want. Really. I know you enjoy it, which-” Derek said, but was stopped by Isaac placing a hand over Derek’s mouth and grinning at him.  

“It’s fine, Derek. Really.” Isaac said, moving his head to stop just in front of his own hand still over Derek’s mouth and said, “I love you.” then moved his hand away and gave Derek a kiss, stopping the man before he could say anything else.  

“Not to rush this touching moment, guys,” Stiles said with a grin, drawing their attention, then said, “but I think my stomach might start to try and eat itself if I don’t get some food soon.” and at that moment, as if to emphasize his words, the two started grinning and chuckling at the audible growl Stiles’ stomach gave.  

Very shortly after that, the trio found themselves entering the diner, only to be greeted by a rather harsh sounding, “Stiles Stilinski! Boy, I oughta give you a piece of my mind!” from the woman behind the counter. The eyes of the handful of diners littered through the place, turning to take in the spectacle.  

She was an African American woman, standing at roughly 5’10”, kept her hair in a loose perm and appeared in her mid to late forties. Not that such a thing meant much anymore since the Awakening. However, considering Stiles used to frequent this diner often in the past and knew the woman to be in her late sixties when he’d last stepped foot in the place, he knew the Awakening had treated her well.  

“Hey Betty.” Stiles said with a smile, but the woman apparently wasn’t so easily appeased.  

“Don’t ‘hey Betty’ me, like you haven’t been gone for ages.” she said, propping a hand on her hip while she stuck Stiles with a pointed glare, “Haven’t seen hide nor hair of you in years, and then you just waltz back in here like nothin’ happened.” she said with a quick wave of her free hand, “Boy, I thought you were raised better!”  

During the woman’s small rant, both Isaac and Derek shared slightly stunned looks. Not necessarily due to the woman’s reaction, as they both knew that Stiles and Betty knew each other pretty well from the past, but because she didn’t seem frightened of Stiles at all.  

This observation then led the two to glance back at Stiles, their gazes scrutinizing his frame as they could no longer sense the oppressive and chilling air that normally settled wide around Stiles, and caused most to give him a wide berth even though they couldn’t feel his actual presence.  

“I’m sorry, Betty. Really.” Stiles said as he rested his arms on the counter and looked up at the woman, meeting her annoyed glare with an apologetic smile.  

“I know it wasn’t right of us to leave without saying anything to you. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?” he asked, keeping that same sad and genuine smile. His lips lifted a bit wider when after some seconds, Betty took a deep breath then gave a heavy exhale, though didn’t lighten her gaze much.  

At the beginnings of a grin from Stiles, the woman’s gaze turned harsher, and with a warning tone she said, “Don’t you be grinning at me boy! I haven’t forgiven you yet.”  

“I’m sorry.” Stiles said again, giving the woman another sad smile, but making sure he put enough emotion into his gaze and words to show that he really meant it.  

With this, Betty’s glare started to soften a little and she finally gave a sigh before rounding the corner and pulling Stiles into a tight hug.  

“How’ve you been?” she asked while they still hugged, giving him another tight squeeze, then pulled back but kept her hands on his shoulders and with a small smile looked him over and also asked, “Been taking care of yourself?”  

“I’ve been pretty good. And yeah, been doing my best.” Stiles answered with a small smile to the woman who swallowed hard in response and nodded her head a couple times.  

“That’s good. I’m happy to hear it. And your daddy? How’s he been doin’? Last I heard he was a big shot with that large Coven nearby, wasn’t he?” she asked, and Stiles’ smile grew much wider.  

He nodded and said, “Yeah. He’s been doing pretty well for himself. I couldn’t be happier for him.”  

“He back in town too?” she asked and narrowed her eyes at Stiles when he grinned and chuckled, then held a hand up.  

“Yes, he is. But he’s busy with something. He hasn’t told me what it is yet. But don’t worry, Betty. I’ll make sure he stops by to visit.” Stiles said and Betty nodded a few times.  

“Good. You better.” she said, and Stiles felt his throat starting to thicken as he watched the woman work to hold back some tears, “I’ve missed you two.” Betty said, then had to quickly blink her eyes to stop any would-be tears while clearing her throat.  

“I’m happy to hear... that things have been going well for you two.” she said with a few more nods, then took a deep breath to help center herself before giving one final nod to Stiles.  

“Well then,” Betty said, then stepped back from Stiles to walk back around the counter, asking once she was next to the register, “what can I get you guys?”  

And it was at that moment when she took in Isaac’s form, her brows lowering as she asked, “Mr. Lahey. Did you need anything else?”  

“Um...” Isaac said and looked a little lost with how to answer due to the sudden shift.  

Stiles grinned at Isaac, then turned to smile at Betty as he said, “We’ll be dinning in. However, the previous order he placed will be getting delivered.”  

“Oh. Alright.” she said with a nod and soon took their orders.  

Once the orders were taken, she repeated it back to them, then asked, “Separate or together?”  

“Together. I’ll pay.” Derek said before Stiles could respond, then fixed the guy with a pointed arched brow when he noticed that Stiles had started to reach for his wallet.  

Stiles laughed then grinned at Derek before making a kissing gesture at the man, causing Derek to grin and shake his head as he rolled his eyes.  

Betty held a knowing grin as she watched the two before printing out their receipt and handing it to Derek, letting him know the order would be ready shortly.  

With that the trio soon found an empty table; Derek and Isaac both sliding onto the same booth, facing Stiles.  

Shortly after that, Betty stopped by with their drinks. Once distributed, she was then passing curious glances over Stiles and Derek, then said, “You two seem awfully dressed up for my diner.” then stuck a rather sheepish looking Stiles with an arched eyebrow.  

And with a similar sharp tone to what she used when she first saw him enter, she asked, “Boy, you mean to tell me, first you leave without a word for years, and then when you get back, I’m not even your first choice ?”  

Stiles shot Betty a quick and pleading, “You were.” then gave a quick tilt of his head and point towards his left as he added, “Yesterday.”  

“Yesterday?” Betty replied quietly, scrunching her brows as she thought through the previous day, then with a sardonic glance sideways, said, “Wait...”  

Her eyes widened the next moment before sending Stiles an incredulous look as she asked, “That big-ass order?!”  

Stiles laughed and grinned at the woman as she brought a hand up to massage at her temples, “I should have figured. Who else would...” she stopped and sighed, then gave Stiles a pointed glare, saying, “Stiles, do you realize you about gave me a heart attack?!”  

“I was just trying to make up for lost time.” Stiles replied with another sheepish grin, lifting his shoulders slightly.  

“Yeah, well, you trying to make up for lost time , nearly gave me a stroke . A note would have been nice, boy. I legitimately thought we had something go seriously wrong with our system. Thinking we were about to be sued or something.” she said, then gave another sigh before rubbing at her temple again.  

“I’m sorry, Betty.” Stiles said with another apologetic smile, “You’re right. I should have included a note. I just, wanted to do something nice for you. To say thank you. You know? For everything... after mom.” Stiles said, referencing all the times she’d kept the diner open late in the past for him, chatting with him and helping him do his homework.  

At first, shortly after his mom died, Stiles spent most of his time at the station while his dad was working. However, after catching a thief that had attempted to steal from Betty, the woman offered his dad free meals for the foreseeable future as thanks.  

The man was very grateful for the offer, but instead asked if she wouldn’t mind watching his son from time to time. And when Noah brought Stiles by the first time, Betty had taken an immediate liking to him, agreeing to keep her doors open any time to give Stiles some extra options of where he might be able to stay while his dad worked.  

Betty’s face softened and she gave Stiles a smile before leaning in and giving him a hug. Then while they were hugging, she quietly said, “That money helped a lot more than you realize, Stiles. Thank you.”  

She then gave Stiles a bright-eyed smile when she pulled back. Stiles returned the smile, but his features fell a bit as he asked, “Is everything alright, Betty?”  

“Now don’t you be worrying about me, Stiles. You’ve already done enough to help.” she said with a grin and shake of her head, then said, “I’ll be just fine. I’ll get out of your hair now. I’ve already taken up enough time from your...”  

Betty drew the word out as she glanced between the trio, gaze turning a little confused at their grins before looking back to Stiles and saying, “Well, I was about to say date, but-”  

“No, it is.” Stiles said, cutting her off, then making a circle with his finger to encompass the three of them with his implication. A smirk lifted his lips as Betty’s brows shot up in understanding.  

He then laughed hard as Betty said, “Well aren’t you the greedy one.” bobbing her head and adding in some sass, then asked, “One looker wasn’t enough for you?”  

Stiles laughed again, along with Derek and Isaac, then giving the woman a sly smirk, Stiles said, “Oh, you know me.”  

“I do.” Betty replied, sardonically, then motioned to Derek and Isaac as she said, “Which is why I know these two fellas must be fine upstanding gentleman. They have to be.” and gave Stiles another deadpan stare before adding, “To make up for your Gremlin ass.” and giving Stiles some side-eye.  

Stiles gave Betty a scandalous look, complete with open mouth and hand over his heart, while Derek and Isaac practically roared with laughter.  

“ Betty! You wound me!” Stiles said, still looking scandalous and Betty gave a snort before rolling her eyes.  

“Uh-huh.” she said as she turned and walked away.  

Stiles grinned at the woman, saying, “Love you, Betty!” to her retreating back.  

“Love you too, Stiles.” Betty said back, turning her head and giving Stiles another grin before reaching the counter.  

Soon, their food was brought out and the three found themselves temporarily in heaven. Betty’s food may not be classified as gourmet or fine dining, but absolutely no one would ever say that her skills in the kitchen weren’t top tier.  

She specialized in most of the home style comforts and always supplied her orders in true country boy sized portions. Which meant Betty also believed in getting what you paid for.  

Meaning. If you spent sixteen dollars on a barrel-cut sugar-cured ham. That ham would be the size of the fucking plate and so on. Not any of that ‘Spend sixty-plus dollars on a meal that can’t even cover half the fucking plate, but it’s fine dining, so that’s supposed to somehow make up for the disproportionate rations’ bullshit.  

Their meal passed in smiles, laughs and teasing between the three and Stiles wanted nothing more than to be able to always have moments like this going forward.  

Eventually, the meal was nearing its end and Stiles found his eyes wandering to the guy that had walked in a handful of minutes ago and had been quietly chatting with Betty at the counter.  

His eyes had wandered a few times in their direction, as Stiles had been able to almost immediately pick up on the fact that the man was a second tier Duplus. But more than that, though she was doing her best to hide it, Stiles could tell that Betty was pissed and wanted the man to leave.  

The man looked like what most would imagine the typical overly-privileged pretty-boy jock might look like. Not to insult Jackson, but yeah, this guy was definitely up there. Looked to be in his early twenties, strong jaw, well-trimmed stubble, bright green eyes and thick dark crimson hair. And though the man appeared to be sporting dark casual attire, Stiles didn’t doubt for a second all of the man’s clothes were designer.  

The guy was definitely attractive. Now if only he could do something about the air of: ‘I’ve got my head shoved so far up my own ass, I’ll never need a colonoscopy’, that hung around the man.  

Stiles was doing his best to ignore the exchange between the guy and Betty, but soon Betty’s voice started to rise and she began to point to the doors. The guy refused to budge however, causing Betty to get even louder and Stiles was no longer the only one looking towards the duo.  

Stiles heard Betty demand that the man leave. At that point, the man had apparently gotten fed-up with Betty and gave a retort, but his voice was still too low for Stiles to hear him. However, Stiles eyes widened in rage as he could sense the man activating an aura and raise his hand, bringing it up to slap Betty across the face.  

Before the man’s hand could even make it halfway to Betty’s cheek, Stiles was beside the man, gripping the man’s wrist tightly enough that he wouldn’t be able to free his arm, but not enough to cause pain yet.  

The man turned to stick Stiles with an annoyed and partially incredulous look, meeting Stiles’ dark stare.  

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” came Stiles’ question in a low and dangerous tone.  

Before the man could reply, Betty tried to shout for Stiles to not get involved so he wouldn’t get hurt, but Stiles simply lifted his index finger to her with his free hand, stalling any more protests from her, but kept his gaze on the man.  

“Answer the question.” Stiles said to the man who scoffed at him, then arched a brow.  

“The fuck do you care? What I have to discuss with this bitch doesn’t have anything to do with the likes of a disgusting Nil like you.” the guy said with a contemptuous twist of his mouth, looking at Stiles with nothing short of revulsion as he tried to yank his wrist out of Stiles’ grasp, but couldn’t get free.  

His features were turning confused when he realized he couldn’t overpower Stiles, and he was too busy staring at Stiles’ hand still gripping his wrist, feeling the pressure on his bones steadily increasing, to see the malevolence building in Stiles’ expression.  

“So, you really think it’s okay to attack someone so much weaker than yourself, completely unprovoked?” Stiles asked, and the man scoffed at this but Stiles could also see the guy was doing his best to hide his growing panic at the fact he still couldn’t get free of Stiles’ grip.  

“What the fuck does it matter? She’s only a fourth tier, which only barely makes her better than a Nil like you. And besides, it’s not like she couldn’t heal. We gave her-” the man replied, however, whatever it was he was about to say at the end, the words were cut off as Stiles spun in the spot, whipping the man’s body around and hurling it through the wall of the diner.  

Screams and shouts of alarm and panic were heard in the diner as the man was sent crashing through the wall. But before anyone could actually act, Stiles sent Betty a dark gaze and with a chillingly calm voice said, “I’ll pay for all the repairs, Betty. Don’t worry.”  

Gasps of surprise filled the diner then as Stiles seemed to practically disappear from view, almost like he teleported. The next second after disappearing, people heard distant screams of pain and crashes as the trees of the nearby woods were heard crashing and falling.  

A vicious snarl twisted Stiles’ face as he gripped the man by one of his ankles and swung the man to crash through another tree, then whipped the man around, hurling his body at the ground, causing a small crater to form from the impact.  

Before the guy could try and gather himself or make any attempt to protect himself or fight off Stiles, a strong grip was felt on the back of his neck before he was flung high into the air.  

Stiles crouched, then shot into the air, leaving another small crater behind as he shot up towards the man like a bullet. A monstrous punch was landed in the man’s gut as Stiles reached him before he found himself being hammered nearly a dozen more times by what felt like a train crashing into his stomach.  

Bile and blood were constantly pouring from his mouth as Stiles stood on a platform of air and sent blow after blow at the man’s stomach, keeping him afloat. Once he got tired of simply punching the man, Stiles jumped from his platform, spun himself around then brought a heel down on the small of the man’s back.  

The guy gave a choked scream of agony from the blow before he was plummeting towards the ground like a meteor from several stories in the air. The impact sounded like a minor explosion and left a sizable crater, easily several times larger than any of the previous ones.  

Stiles crashed to the ground near the man, landing in a crouch, slowly lifting his head to stick that same wide-eyed and vicious glare at the man who was still alive, but only barely and looked like he’d been mauled by several bears. He was also missing several teeth now and blood was mixing with his spit, making his pleas unintelligible; gasping and gargling, scrambling as best he could with a shattered arm, leg and ribcage, to try and get away from the devil.  

“Nil this. Nil that. I’m so fucking sick of that term. Of scum like you, lording your status over others simply because you believe yourself so superior. Believing that if someone possesses less power than you, then they are somehow lesser by extent.” Stiles stalked forward, his face smoothing out, leaving only his piercing starry night gaze to glare down at the man with unfathomable fury.  

“How many people?” Stiles asked as he reached the man, then with a blur of movement, had the man gripped by the throat and hauled into the air.  

“Can you even begin to guess at how many innocent people have suffered at the hands of scum like you? Filth that have deluded themselves into believing that their power somehow gives them the right to treat those weaker than themselves like garbage or playthings?” Stiles brought the man in closer, forcing him to stare directly into Stiles’ wrathful gaze.  

“I have found myself asking more and more often: Why? Why bother? I run myself ragged across this world, fighting monsters you can scarcely imagine, all to ensure as many people as possible can sleep peacefully each night. And yet, it seems that all I’m really doing, is giving garbage like you, more chances to infest the land. More chances to spread your rot and disease. More chances for scum like you to eat away at any budding morality like a cancerous plague. The Awakening gave us magic. True power. The ability to better not only the world, but ourselves . Take humanity to unimagined heights. And yet. What happened? Death and chaos reigned supreme. And only when we faced the true possibility of extinction did the worms in charge finally get their shit together. At last . It looked like we were getting some cooperation.” Stiles’ face was barely a handful of inches away from the man’s as he spat the words out with a snarl and gnashing teeth.  

“But then,” Stiles said, his gaze starting to turn a little manic, shrugging his brows, “that was never going to be a long-term possibility, was it? Oh no. Work together?! Cooperate to build a true utopia?! No. We can’t have that, can we? If there’s no one below us, then how are we supposed to feel superior and have our egos stroked?” Stiles asked with another vicious glare before he gripped one of the man’s forearms then yanked.  

The man tried to scream in agony as Stiles ripped the guy’s arm off, but the scream was cut off as Stiles gripped his hand tighter around the guy’s throat.  

“No. Cooperation was never an option.” Stiles said, his gaze darkening again, “So, I find myself thinking... perhaps I’ve been focusing on the wrong ideal. Perhaps... instead of liberation...” a dark smile tinting his already vicious features, making him appear truly nightmarish to the man barely clinging to life.  

“ Eradication .” Stiles finished, then made a small swiping motion with his free hand, sticking his first two fingers out and swiping down. As he did, the man’s other arm was severed off by a black blade of energy that disappeared as soon as the arm was severed.  

“No dying for you just yet.” Stiles said, causing a black magic circle to appear over the palm of his free hand, before he slammed his hand into the man’s stomach. Stiles could then see the guy’s body start to heal at a faster rate, though it would still be a while before he was back to his original state.  

“No. Death is far too kind. You think you know pain?” Stiles’ eyes then seemed to stare through the man, his expression turning haunted as he said in a quiet and hollow voice, “I still hear them. Every night. Screams of agony. Countless pleas for death. I see them; mangled, ravaged and bloody corpses. Packed in with the living. I can... see their eyes, begging for it all to end. Hear... the wailing for relief. Smell , the flesh... rotting... from their bones. The horrors and depravity that scum like you have subjected so many innocent people to... will haunt me, till my dying day.”  

Stiles’ aura began to swirl around his body, thick ribbons lifting up from his skin and fading away, his gaze refocusing on the man, his starry gaze hardening with his resolve.  

“And you know what? I think it’s time someone like you understands exactly what the weak in our new world have to endure under such bigoted oppression.” Stiles said, and the two began to lift into the sky as Stiles formed another platform of air under his feet and manipulated it.  

“I will make you experience true hell. And you will know what it is to truly beg for death.” Stiles said and was soon causing his aura to envelop his target, and once the man was fully covered in Stiles’ black aura, he readied Dreamscape. Intending to lock the man away in one of the many cells which held some of Jackson’s nightmares from his captivity.  

Stiles wasn’t entirely sure if this would work, as he’d never tried to bring anybody else into his Dreamscape plane, but he figured it would be worth a shot at least. If it didn’t work, then he’d just use his ability to make the guy suffer the most hideous and depraved night terrors imaginable for the foreseeable future.  

However, before he could fully activate his Dreamscape, he was snapping his head around to glare at Lydia who was flying towards him, stopping a handful of meters away. She was breathing heavily and glancing over him and the armless man with wide eyes.  

“Stiles... What are you doing?” she asked, and Stiles simply stuck her with the same dark gaze before responding.  

“What the fuck does it look like, Lydia? I’m dealing with scum. The same scum we constantly deal with on a daily basis. Except this time, I’m making sure the lesson is learned.” Stiles said, and he watched Lydia’s posture slacken. Her eyes dimming as she slowly looked down. 

“Please. Stiles.” Lydia said quietly and Stiles narrowed his eyes at her.  

“What?” he asked, his voice sounding dangerously low.  

“Stiles. Please. Don’t.” she said, and the two simply stared at each other for several seconds. Her eyes practically swimming with sorrow while Stiles looked almost incredulous.  

“You’re going to lock him in with the nightmares. I know... I could feel it.” she said, and Stiles nodded.  

“ Yeah. And maybe then scum like this will actually learn!” Stiles said, giving the man a shake, but then narrowed his eyes even further at Lydia when she shook her head.  

“You...” Stiles started, looking almost disgusted at her reaction, “You would have me... do nothing?!”  

“You ripped his arms off, Stiles. You’ve beaten him within an inch of his life, Stiles! That isn’t nothing! Maybe he’ll learn. And maybe he won’t. But why do you think you need to take it this far?!” Lydia asked, finally showing anger which Stiles echoed.  

“Why?! You know damn well why, Lydia!!” Stiles shouted, releasing his hold on the guy who remained suspended, wrapped up in several black tendrils that Stiles conjured before turning to face Lydia fully.  

“You fucking know why! Because you saw it too! Maybe those people could have been spared had someone done something like this to the monsters earlier on! Shown them what it was like!! Made them experience the same pain and suffering they’ve inflicted on innocent people without a second THOUGHT!!!” Stiles screamed at Lydia, his chest rising and falling quickly with his rage as tears started to fall from his furious gaze. 

Silence hung between the two for several heavy seconds. Lydia stuck Stiles with a steady gaze before she started to give small nods, then with a quiet voice said, “Fine. And then what?”  

When Stiles said nothing in response, she asked again, “And then what, Stiles?” her jaw starting to slightly tremble while her eyes grew brighter and she then asked, “Where does it end?” silence growing thick between the two for several seconds before she spoke again.  

“You think I don’t hate them too? What about Jackson?! You think he doesn’t hate people like that more than any of us?! You want to start hunting them down and punishing them? Fine. I won’t stop you. I can’t. None of us can. We’ll join you, of course. Because that’s what family does. But tell me, Stiles,” Lydia said, flying to stop only a few feet from Stiles, “ where will it end?”  

She took a couple heavy breaths, her eyes growing severe, “You want to see filth like that pay, and I completely agree with you, Stiles. But why do you have to be the one to punish them? And in such a manner ? Stiles. You know what doing something like that will do to you. To knowingly cause another person to endure those nightmares? Force them to endure a literal hell. You know, as well as I,” she said, her jaw trembling and hand shaking as she pointed to Stiles, tears pooling in her eyes, “that if you do this... you will be no better than any of them.”  

Stiles’ eyes widened, staring stunned at Lydia for several seconds before he quietly said, “How... dare you.” feeling like his whole body was growing numb.  

“How dare I what, Stiles?” she asked, tears flowing freely down her face, eyes wide, looking almost terrified and jaw trembling as she asked, “Stop my best friend from becoming a monster ?”  

The final word came out with a sob as she nodded her head a couple of times and swallowed hard before her gaze hardened, Lydia’s green eyes turning resolute as she said, “It wouldn’t be the first time.”  

Stiles could barely breathe and felt his body begin to tremble as he stared back into Lydia’s bright gaze. He could barely even think clearly right now, his thoughts careening off in dozens of directions; a multitude of tones and expressions ranging from begging for forgiveness to screaming for the land to run thick with blood.  

The man was so lost in his own head, that he didn’t even register Lydia slowly flying closer to him until she was barely a foot away. When she slowly reached a hand up to place it on his shoulder, one of Stiles’ hands shot up lightning fast and gripped the wrist of the hand reaching for her.  

Lydia gave a severe wince but made no sound of protest or attempt to free herself as she felt incredible pressure on her wrist. The bones weren’t broken yet, or fractured, but she knew that could easily change.  

Stiles’ expression was shifting back and forth; warring between fury and sorrow, his jaw trembling before Lydia saw him clench it and the pressure on her wrist increased slightly. However, she still didn’t say anything about it, her eyes only wincing slightly before she took a slow deep breath.  

She knew that Stiles was on a precipice right now. If the man had truly already been lost to her, she knew she’d be dealing with a lot worse than some pain from the pressure. So, steeling herself, she endured the pain without letting it easily show and also without using any of her powers to try and lessen the pain as she was worried doing so might cause Stiles to react on instinct, thinking that she was about to attack him.  

So, keeping her body as still as possible, Lydia held her bright gaze locked with Stiles’ as she said, “Stiles. I love you. You’re my best friend. The moments that we’ve experienced since returning to this place. The laughs and smiles. I live for those moments. Don’t you? With what we deal with so often in our lives; hunting down the scum and filth of the world and witnessing the horrors and depravity they leave in their wake,” she said, her mouth twisting in disgust, then smoothing out as she swallowed and took another breath, saying, “I live for the times after that. When we can simply sit and talk... and laugh.”  

A few quiet seconds passed between them as Lydia watched Stiles’ emotions slowly settle and began to feel the pressure on her wrist lessen, little by little while the hand started to slightly shake.  

“But more than that,” Lydia said, taking another slow deep breath, “to be reminded that our efforts are not in vain. To see with our own eyes, hear with our own ears; to witness for ourselves the effects our actions have on society and our loved ones in particular. It reminds us, in those moments... when it feels like the only things that exist in the world are pain, suffering and futility, that that is merely the reality for the things we fight. That despite their best efforts, we each still have a home.” her voice broke on the last word, a small sob escaping her lips before she swallowed hard and centered herself again.  

“A place, shielded from all of that shit. Friends and family to turn to and trust in. People that would give anything to see you safe... and happy .” she said and was watching as Stiles’ eyes and head began to lower, his shaking growing stronger, breaths coming faster as the man fought a losing battle with his emotions.  

Lydia’s voice was much softer when she spoke next, the words thick as she said, “I know you want justice, Stiles. So do I. We all do. But going down this path? Spending every waking moment, consumed with hunting down and punishing scum that way? ...It will break you, Stiles.”  

She took a couple more shaky breaths, then with a voice barely above a whisper she said, “Please. Stiles.”  

The severe pressure on her wrist had completely subsided and now Stiles’ grip on her wrist felt more like he was holding on to her, like a lifeline. His head was completely bowed and Lydia watched as tears fell from his face; silent cries wracking his system.  

She felt a warmth wash through her wrist as Stiles healed whatever pain he caused. When she no longer felt even a sliver of pain, she had to pull Stiles to her, then use her telekinesis to keep him up as his legs had given out. The platform of air he’d been standing on vanishing too and the guy that Stiles had wrapped up in black tendrils fell to the ground, landing with a deep thud.  

Lydia was keeping Stiles close, giving the man a tight hug as Stiles sobbed into her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her and constantly apologizing.  

“It’s okay, Stiles. I’ve got you. It’s alright.” Lydia said, keeping her voice even and tone soothing, despite wanting to break down right along with him.  

After about a minute, when Stiles seemed to be calming down and getting himself back under control, Lydia finally started to slowly lower them back to the ground.  

It was only as they were reaching the tops of the trees that Stiles blinked his weary eyes up and realized how far his rampage had taken them into the woods, seeing Betty’s diner a handful of miles away. However, given how long he’d been away from the diner, Stiles now felt confused that it had taken so long for anyone to intervene, knowing Derek and Isaac could have easily traversed that distance in under a minute.  

Noticing Stiles’ obvious confusion, Lydia answered him when they touched the ground and stepped apart, “They were pretty clearly upset.” she said, and Stiles knew she was referring to Derek and Isaac.  

“They said you looked on the verge of going ballistic after throwing the guy through the wall. And seeing as you told Isaac what can happen with you if you lose control, he figured it would be best to ask for help. Right around then is when we got here, as we could tell something was wrong with you so we came rushing here as quickly as we could. Though, we ended up bringing the others with us too. They saw how worried we were, and seeing as Derek and Isaac were both with you, they were all more than a little worried something might have happened to them as well.” Lydia explained, the two walking to stop next to the guy struggling to crawl away with his half-regrown limbs.  

Lydia lifted the man into the air and turned him to face them. When he tried saying something, his mouth was clamped shut by an invisible force as Lydia said, “Don’t speak unless I ask you a specific question.” and gave him a dark glare.  

She held her silent stare for several seconds then asked, “Tell me where your place of residence is. The city and state will suffice. And trust me on this, you don’t want to test my patience right now. Now answer.” she said, pulling the guy closer to her and letting her eyes glow.  

The force on his mouth released and the man gave a shaky, “Las Vegas, Nevada. But-” however, before he could say anything else, Lydia snapped her fingers and a gold and crimson port circle appeared under the man. He disappeared in a flash, being ported to Las Vegas, though Lydia also made sure he would appear a few dozen meters in the air at his destination.  

With that matter taken care of, the two turned and began walking back towards the diner, Lydia picking up her explanation as they strolled through the woods, keeping a leisurely pace, “Once we arrived and were given a recount, I told the others to stay back. And, as I’m sure you’ve deduced, your guys weren’t all that pleased with that order.”  

Lydia shot him a sly grin and Stiles didn’t stop the soft grin lifting his lips as he looked at the ground, “No, I don’t think they would be.”  

“Though they were like a dream to deal with compared to your dad when he showed up shortly after that.” Lydia said and Stiles gave a heavy and resigned sigh.  

“Betty, of course, immediately gave him a call when she saw your state and he came rushing here as quickly as he could. We almost had to restrain him, but thankfully I got through to him eventually.” Lydia said and after a couple more minutes of walking and simple chatter, they were approaching Betty’s.  

“Lyds.” Stiles said, bringing the two to a halt, the woman turning to look at him, but Stiles kept his gaze fixed on the ground for several more seconds, then lifted his eyes to meet hers. His amber eyes were sad, but more resigned rather than depressed.  

“Thank you. For everything.” he said and the two shared soft smiles. Stiles reached out and pulled Lydia into a hug.  

“Love you, Lyds.” Stiles said while they hugged and felt Lydia squeeze her arms more tightly.  

“Love you too, Stiles.” she said, returning the sentiment.  

Before either could say or do anything more, they were stepping apart and turning to face Noah as the man had called Stiles’ name and was practically rushing towards them.  

Noah came to a halt, worry written clear on his face when he took in Stiles’ appearance, which was rather disheveled with large blood stains all over his clothes. And Lydia’s appearance wasn’t all that better. Her hair and skin were fine, but after hugging Stiles a couple of times, she too had some rather large blood stains on her clothes.  

Noah started to frantically ask if Stiles was alright, checking him over for any wounds, and Stiles could pick up on other worried voices nearby, quickly making their way towards them now.  

Stiles gave a sigh and said, “I’m alright, dad. Promise. It’s not my blood.”  

“I don’t know if that makes me feel all that better, Stiles.” Noah replied, still sounding a little frantic, but looked to be calming himself down.  

“I promise, dad. I’m okay.” Stiles said, and the next second, heedless of the large blood stains still covering Stiles, Noah pulled his son into a tight hug.  

They released their hug when several others, including Derek and Isaac finally made it to them, several questions being hurled his way, but Stiles ignored all of the questions.  

“Sorry, guys. We can talk later.” Stiles said to no one in particular and kept his gaze mostly aimed towards the ground several feet ahead.  

His expression wasn’t exactly sad or angry, depressed or hopeless. Instead, he just seemed incredibly exhausted, but still carried himself past everyone without faltering, moving towards the large new opening in the wall of Betty’s and stepping through.  

The others had all pulled up short, watching Stiles’ retreating back with several questions running through their minds.  

Isaac and Derek both desperately wanted to talk with Stiles, but they were very hesitant to approach him right now, as it seemed like he was almost in some kind of daze.  

When the two shot Lydia questioning glances, she sent them a small smile, “I promise, guys. He’ll be alright. He...” she stopped and took a deep breath, then closed her eyes with a heavy sigh.  

Lydia slowly inhaled then opened her eyes back up, meeting Derek and Isaac’s worried expressions, “I promise. Just let him settle, and then he’ll talk to you.”  

Once Stiles stepped back into the building, Betty was quickly hurrying over to him, heavy worry written on her face just like the others.  

“I’m sorry, Betty.” Stiles said with the same almost dazed expression. His voice quiet as he stepped around the smaller woman and walked up to her counter.  

“Stiles! Are you alright? Are you hurt?” she asked, trying to catch up to the man and pull him to a stop.  

“I’m fine.” he said quietly, still not looking at the woman, which didn’t console her worries in the slightest. Her brows furrowed as she watched him speak into his A-Band.  

Many of the others had re-entered the diner now, though most used the door despite there being a massive hole through the wall to walk through. Some others tried to get Stiles’ attention, but he utterly ignored them, instead, talking to Jarvis.  

Soon enough, his conversation with Jarvis ended after a solid black cube and small black disk roughly the size of a fifty-cent piece, appeared in his hand after a small port circle flashed. He held the cube in his hand for close to a minute, coating it with his aura the entire time; the black film swirling around the object with heavy thick ribbons.  

Once he was done, he withdrew his aura, and everyone watched him flip the cube over before setting it down on the counter. They all then watched as the cube sunk into the counter and a second after it disappeared, a ring of bright light rippled out from the spot the cube disappeared, rushing to cover every surface and object within the diner.  

As soon as the ring of light had traveled over every last inch of the place, many wide eyes were glancing to the wall as it began to repair itself. And seconds later, it looked like nothing at all had happened to the wall.  

Once the repair had finished, Betty stuck Stiles with a shocked expression and he just gave her a tired grin, then said, “I integrated the newest M.A.B core into your diner. I also filled it with enough aura to allow you to make significant changes to the building for the next decade if you wanted.” and gave Betty a small grin before handing her the disk.  

“Just press down on the small indention,” Stiles said, motioning to the side of the disk that had a small concave in it, “and start telling it what changes you would like to be made. The more specific you are, the better.”  

Betty was still staring at the disk in wonder, then looked up to Stiles, clearly about to say or ask something else, but before she could speak, Stiles said in that same tired tone, “See you around, Betty.”  

“Stiles, wait!” she said, trying to rush to him, but before everyone’s eyes, Stiles disappeared in a flash, a black port circle fading away on the ground where he’d just been standing.  

Stiles reappeared in the penthouse the next second and began walking towards his room. His eyes were still staring at nothing in particular, his motions slow and smooth as he began to shed his clothes and not bothering to toss them in the basket with the other dirty clothes.  

Though his actions seemed fluid and unhurried, his mind was far from calm. He wasn’t screaming in his head, or crying or panicked or anything like that. Not yet, at least. Instead, he was playing Lydia’s words over and over again in his head.  

Once naked, he was walking into his bathroom and stepping into the shower. His eyes were closed as he let the steaming hot water rush over his face and he finally felt his muscles truly begin to relax, slowly turning, letting the warm water breathe life back into his numb body.  

He stopped, facing the wall opposite the shower head, lifting a hand up and resting his palm against the surface. Stiles’ head drooped, eyes staring absently towards the ground as a single moment played through his mind again.  

‘How dare I what Stiles? Stop my best friend from becoming a monster ?’  

He saw the scene play out, again and again. Saw the tears filling her eyes, heard the emotion in her voice as she begged him not to do something he would forever regret.  

He had been so close. So... close.  

Stiles’ hand, which was pressed into the wall curled into a fist, clenched tight and shook as he took a deep breath. He clenched his jaw and moved his head to lightly thump against the wall as the water continued to run down his back.  

His eyes squeezed tight and he took another deep breath, trying to control his exhale to not shake so much as he brought his other hand up and shakily rested his palm against the wall.  

Eventually his other hand was squeezed into a fist as well, his trembling growing too great, and Stiles finally lowered himself to the ground, kneeling. The water now rushed mostly over his head, soaking his hair further. Thick wavy strands of hair now wreathed his face, hung low, the water droplets from his hair mixing with the tears falling down.  

‘Stop my best friend from becoming a monster ?’  

Stiles shot a hand to his mouth, muffling the sob that wrenched up his throat.  

How long he stayed like that? Stiles honestly didn’t know. Running out of hot water was a thing of the past now thanks to the advancements, so he couldn’t use that as a judge for time passing. He had eventually sat down fully and lifted his knees up, wrapping his arms around them and let the water constantly wash over him as tears fell and sobs racked his body.  

Only after he felt like he’d cried out every last tear he possibly could shed, got his breathing back under control and no longer felt a mixture of fragile and numb, Stiles finally cleaned up properly.  

Once fully showered and dried off, Stiles wrapped the towel around himself and exited the bathroom. Only to stop and stare at Derek and Isaac.  

Derek was sitting on the edge of Stiles’ bed while Isaac was leaning back in the computer chair next to the desk in his room.  

When Stiles exited, the two of them both simply stared at him with wide eyes. Stiles felt neither embarrassed nor upset and closed his eyes with a small sigh and grin. At that, both Isaac and Derek started to apologize and stand up.  

Stiles opened his eyes a fraction and leveled a half-lidded gaze at the two, quieting them instantly, then with an almost bored voice, Stiles started to walk towards his walk-in closet and said, “Stop apologizing and sit back down. And let’s go ahead and not pretend for even a second that you two weren’t inevitably going to see me naked.”  

As he said that, they both settled themselves back in their spots, their eyes growing a bit wider when Stiles smoothly removed his towel and tossed it in the bin, unlike how he’d done with his bloodstained clothes. He didn’t stop moving however, instead, opening the sliding door to his walk-in closet to start picking out some sleepwear.  

“I’m curious though,” Stiles said as he rifled through the drawers with his favorite pajamas, “what did you guys think would happen when I came out of the shower? Figured I’d come out fully clothed or something?” he asked, then slipped on his favorite pair of Iron Man pajama pants, sporting images of the helmet from the suit and the triangular arc reactor pasted all over the material. Stiles then turned to look at the two, not bothering with a shirt.  

“We, uh... we... I...” started Isaac, still looking a little ashamed, finding it hard to meet Stiles’ gaze.  

Derek picked up for him, taking a breath and looking as ashamed as Isaac, said, “I honestly don’t think we were actually thinking about that. We just... back at Betty’s. Before you left, you looked... we just wanted to make sure you were alright, Stiles. I’m sorry.”  

Stiles gave another sigh and shook his head, drawing Isaac and Derek’s eyes, “Stop apologizing, guys. I’m not upset.” he said, then walked over and flopped his back down onto his mattress, arms sprawled to his sides as he stared up at the ceiling.  

“I just found it funny that you two both seemed shocked, then started acting like you’d done something wrong.” Stiles said, then was soon sighing again as the tension began to rise.  

“Guys,” Stiles said, still looking at the ceiling and felt the two tense as they looked at him, “I won’t lie to you. I’m not okay. I haven’t been okay... for a while now.”  

He felt the two shift and stand, but they both paused when Stiles suddenly said, “I’m going to be falling asleep soon. If you’re staying, strip.” and then Stiles snapped his fingers and the two looked over towards Stiles’ closet when a large black circle appeared rotating in front of it for a second, then looked back to Stiles when he spoke again.  

“You can pick anything you want out of there. The clothes will resize to fit you.” Stiles said, and after a quiet moment, Isaac spoke up.  

“Do you... want us, to stay?” the blonde asked, and several quiet seconds passed before Stiles gave his answer.  

“Yes.” Stiles said, quietly, still staring at the ceiling. The word ending abruptly as his throat started to close, but he absolutely refused to cry any more tears tonight.  

That answer was all they needed though, and Derek and Isaac were soon stripping out of their clothes completely until they were naked. They both then sorted through Stiles’ pajama pants, both of them grinning at the ridiculous designs on all of his sleepwear which proudly waved his nerd flag.  

Eventually, Derek settled on a pair of pajama pants that had the Superman symbol printed all over them, and Isaac picked a pair covered in pictures of the X-Force members from Deadpool.  

Like Stiles, the two didn’t bother with shirts, and when the two turned back around they saw that Stiles had gotten up and passed a grin their way, looking down at their choices.  

“What?” asked Isaac with his own grin as he walked over towards Stiles, but stopped when the guy started removing the blankets and sheets.  

“I just find the choices fitting. That’s all.” said Stiles.  

And at Isaac’s questioning glance at the bed that Stiles was stripping down, Stiles grinned a little wider, tossing the comforter aside and said, “No offense to you guys, but I’m not the type that easily shares bed space.”  

“Oh, I remember.” Derek said with a grin, walking to the other side of the mattress and helping remove the fitted sheet.  

“I can’t remember the number of times I woke up with your elbow plastered to my face, or you were half laying on me like I was a pillow.” Derek said and Stiles grinned, the grin lifting a bit wider when Isaac chimed in his agreement.  

“You do make a very nice pillow.” Isaac said with a grin to Derek and the alpha rolled his eyes.  

“I still don’t understand what that has to do with this, though.” Isaac said to Stiles and pointed at the bed now free of any sheets or blankets.  

“This is one of Jackson’s specialties, not mine. So, unlike him, I have to do this slowly, and one step at a time.” Stiles said, which didn’t really clear up Isaac’s confusion any. At least, until one of Stiles’ hands was covered in his black aura before the man placed his hand on the mattress and Derek asked a question.  

“How large can you make it?” the alpha asked and then almost immediately rolled his eyes at the impish grins on both Stiles and Isaac’s faces.  

However, he was still given an answer from Stiles, who said, “I can expand it to whatever size I want, given enough time and aura. Any particular preference?”  

“Oh.” Isaac said, his brows lifting in understanding finally. And he felt a bit stupid that it had taken him so long to understand. Stiles’ mattress was only the typical queen size right now. Which wasn’t bad, of course. But with three of them using it, it would quickly start to feel very small and cramped. Especially considering Stiles was just over six foot now, like both himself and Derek.  

Isaac sent a depreciating grin to Stiles who grinned back, then looked to Derek when the man asked, “How about a bit larger than a king?”  

“Why not a California King?” Isaac asked with a grin and got an eye roll from Derek, but it was Stiles that answered.  

“Because that would honestly be a bit absurd in this room.” he said to Isaac, but still held his grin, but then added a second later, “But, I mean, if that’s what you guys want, I can do that.”  

“No.” Isaac said with a grin and shake of his head when Stiles looked to him, “I was just kidding. A little larger than a normal king will be great.”  

Stiles nodded his head with a smile, then turned to look back at the mattress, then began his work, swirling his hand through the air, leaving faint black lines to form ancient characters of a language neither of the other two could possibly understand.  

As Stiles got started with his spellwork, Isaac noticed the man’s grin fall and his eyes took on that absent gaze that had made his stomach clench so severely earlier. Isaac moved on instinct, stepping up behind Stiles and lightly resting a hand on the man’s shoulder.  

Stiles only froze for a second, then continued his work. Taking this as silent confirmation, Isaac stepped up fully behind Stiles, wrapping one arm over the man’s abs, resting that hand on Stiles’ side. His hand on Stiles’ shoulder slid down and over the guy’s chest, resting on the opposite shoulder, where Isaac also rested his chin.  

‘I’m not okay. I haven’t been okay... for a while now.’  

Isaac was playing Stiles’ words from moments earlier through his head. Though the words were soft and didn’t seem to hold much emotion in them, Isaac felt that the weight of the truth behind them was monumental.  

They didn’t know for sure if Stiles was just talking about what had happened before coming back to the penthouse. If it was in reference to his personal situation with his presence. Or because of why he had to leave Beacon Hills originally. Maybe it was none of them. Or maybe it was all of them.  

All Isaac knew, was that he hated that the words had been spoken so easily, yet held such weight for Stiles. He spoke them so easily, which meant the guy knew he was fucked up; knew he had needed help for a while if his words were true, but had still been carrying around this burden largely on his own most likely.  

Isaac wanted more than anything in that moment to help lessen Stiles’ burden as much as he could. But instead of broaching a subject he knew the man wouldn’t want to discuss right now, Isaac’s brows lowered and he said, “Question. Why does resizing a mattress require so much work from you, and yet, you were able to enchant all of your clothes to resize and fit us instantly if we wear them?”  

Isaac felt Stiles chuckle lightly and the guy brought a hand up to rest on Isaac’s arm wrapped over his chest as he said, “There’s quite a bit of difference between the makeup of a mattress compared to clothes, so there’s much more involved with the resizing. But most importantly,” Stiles stopped, then turned and tilted his head back a bit to get a better look at Isaac who shifted his head to meet Stiles’ gaze, and Stiles said, “we won’t be wearing the mattress. So, it won’t be a simple reactive enchantment.”  

“Oh,” Isaac said in response, brows lifting, “I suppose that makes-” he started to say, but Stiles had reached his free hand which had been busy with the spellwork, up to wrap behind Isaac’s head and pull him into a kiss. But only after he’d made one final snap with his fingers to start the sheets and blankets he’d removed earlier – one-by-one – resize to fit the new mattress.  

Isaac felt Stiles start to step back slowly, and though he was a bit confused, Isaac went along with it, stepping back slightly. But when he opened his eyes, they widened pretty quickly, and he gave a muffled sound of shock as he watched the mattress start to quickly grow much larger. Like it had been fed a shit ton of miracle gro.  

Yes, this may have been far from the first time he’d watched an Arcane’s magic at work, and he’d witnessed some truly fantastical feats in the years since the Awakening. But still, watching a large inanimate object grow right before your eyes wasn’t something people would see every day.  

Isaac felt Stiles’ lips lift in a grin against his own and the guy chuckled into the kiss which still hadn’t broken. In fact, Isaac deepened the kiss, pulling Stiles closer to himself and shifting his hand on Stiles’ side to rest flat against the guy’s abs.  

Stiles reacted, pulling even more tightly on Isaac’s head to deepen the kiss. Isaac was so tempted to slide his hand down further and he was more than sure Stiles would be perfectly okay with it. However, though Stiles didn’t really act like he was all that tired, Isaac felt he could almost sense the mounting exhaustion filling Stiles.  

So, when Derek stepped up to them and placed his hands on their shoulders and Stiles finally broke his kiss with Isaac to rest his head against Derek’s chest, Isaac shifted Stiles’ hands from himself to wrap around Derek.  

“I’ll get the bed made.” Isaac said in a low and quiet voice as he stepped around and began to gather up the sheets. And it must have been a true testament to the exhaustion he thought he might have been imagining sensing from Stiles, that the guy looked like he might actually be on the verge of passing out as he practically clung to Derek.  

And Derek also seemed to be taking some worried notice of Stiles’ state as he carefully maneuvered to sit in the computer chair and pull Stiles onto his lap. And though Stiles wasn’t so small anymore, Derek still had quite a bit more muscle mass and bulk on Stiles, so it really wasn’t uncomfortable. And honestly, Derek relished the feeling of having Stiles curled up in his arms like this.  

At the same time, it also felt incredibly surreal. Stiles was by far the most powerful supernatural Derek had ever encountered in the years since the Awakening. And yet, at the moment, it didn’t feel like the man he held was some monstrously powerful Ternus, capable of feats he couldn’t even fathom.  

Instead, with the slight trembling he felt occasionally trickle through Stiles’ body, and the hands clenched around the back of Derek’s neck, it felt more like the man desperately wanted and needed support.  

That thought elicited a powerful and primal urge to see Stiles protected at all costs, regardless of how ridiculous the notion actually was, given the difference in power, and Derek’s hands pressed Stiles further into his embrace.  

Stiles’ face was rested against Derek’s neck, and he could feel soft shuddering breaths ghost over his skin, making Derek close his own eyes and take deep steadying breaths as he held Stiles in an iron grip.  

Derek had no idea what could have possibly caused Stiles to act like this. To appear almost frightened and trembling, but he hated it.  

He loved Stiles; whether it was the human Stiles who had to always play into his strengths to stand on par with the supernatural, or the incredibly capable supernatural Stiles, who stood near the precipice of power. It didn’t matter which version of Stiles he saw, he loved them all.  

But what he refused to see, what he refused to allow, was Stiles believing he had to face whatever this was, that could actually cause him to fear, alone. Because he would never be alone. Not any more.  

“I’ve got you, Stiles. I love you.” Derek said, his voice soft and quiet in the room and he turned and placed a kiss on Stiles’ temple.  

Derek kept his mouth pressed lightly against Stiles’ temple, blinking his hazel eyes up to lock with Isaac’s blue eyes, which were locked on him with surprise. His body was frozen, in the process of putting the last couple pillows back on the bed.  

Soon though, he was moving again, giving Derek a grin when the alpha tilted his head to rest his cheek against Stiles’ head and gave Isaac a warm smile.  

“Come on.” Isaac said quietly, motioning towards the bed with his head before pulling the blankets down, then walking over towards the light switch and turning out the lights.  

Walking back over to the bed, he saw Derek pulling the covers up and over himself and Stiles who was still wrapped pretty tightly around the alpha, which Derek obviously didn’t mind, if the warm smile lifting his lips had anything to say about it.  

Isaac climbed into the bed and slid under the covers, nestling up to Stiles’ back and wrapping an arm over the guy, leaving his hand to settle on Derek’s hip. He then could feel Stiles shift enough to press his back more tightly into Isaac’s chest, but still kept an arm wrapped firmly around Derek while his other arm was nestled between himself and the alpha.  

Isaac snuggled more tightly against Stiles, making sure to supply an arm in conjunction with the pillow to give Stiles some better support for his head, while the hand of that arm was squished between Derek’s cheek and his pillow. And then Isaac rested his chin on the top of Stiles’ head.  

The blonde gave a contented hum when he felt one of Derek’s hands thread into his hair and begin to lightly comb through it.  

Feeling even more contented and happy than he ever thought he might, from the countless times he imagined this scenario, Isaac found himself drifting off to sleep only shortly after Stiles. And Derek wasn’t too far behind Isaac, eventually falling asleep while still combing his fingers through Isaac’s hair and shifting his gaze between Isaac and Stiles’ sleeping faces.  

***  

Mist swirled around him before parting, displaying a breathtaking expanse of rugged mountains and valleys; crystal clear lakes snaking through the valleys, their glossy surfaces reflecting the lush and vibrant foliage surrounding them.  

Nestled in the center of the largest valley, sat an elegant white painted gazebo, situated a handful of meters from the edge of a lake.  

Stiles was lowered to the ground, appearing dressed as he currently was in bed, wearing only his Iron Man pajama pants, landing near the edge of the water and began to walk towards the gazebo, his face set in a not-so-subtle frown. His eyes rolled and frown deepened when he heard two voices coming from the gazebo.  

“And you’re sure you haven’t been cheating?” asked a deep voice in a highly annoyed tone.  

A quick laugh from a soft baritone answered, before saying with very clear amusement, tinged with slight boredom, “Of course not, Lith. Why in all the realms would I cheat, when there’s no need? You’re just bad. ”  

“You weren’t this good the last time we played. That’s why!” answered Lith, the first voice, sounding rather irate now, which elicited more laughter from the second voice.  

“Perhaps, I’m just better at games than you, Lith.” said the second voice, still sounding amused, which got a barking laugh from Lith.  

“Or,” Lith said, drawing the word out before saying with an accusatory tone, “you were just fucking with me before. Weren’t you, Mikajia?”  

Before either could say anything else, Stiles arrived at the foot of the gazebo and took the sight in. His eyes glancing first to the man with lightning blonde hair and eyes, and a well-tanned muscular physique, sitting at a small table. He appeared somewhere in his late thirties, was wearing a simple white polo shirt and khakis, but left his feet bare, and held chiseled masculine features.  

And the man was currently sticking the other man in the gazebo with a narrowed gaze, which didn’t seem to phase the other guy in the slightest. Instead, he was lounging back comfortably on a bench with his head propped up by a pillow as he read an Iron Man comic book.  

The second man, had bright white hair which gave off a natural soft glow, iridescent white eyes that were currently dancing with laughter and held softer boyish features, but still appeared in his mid to late twenties. He wore a plain black t-shirt and blue jeans, and just like the first man, wore no shoes and currently had one leg propped up on the other, absently tapping his foot while he read the comic.  

And Stiles couldn’t stop another eye roll when he saw the chessboard set on the table in front of the larger man who was glancing angrily from his king which looked to be two moves away from being taken, to the smugly grinning white-haired man who lazily flipped a page of the comic, continuing his journey through the story.  

“Seriously, Lith?” asked Stiles, shooting the first man a derisive glare which was essentially ignored by the larger man as he pointed at the other guy, who would be Mikajia.  

“He’s been cheating!”  

“Nope. You just suck.” answered a completely unbothered Mikajia, his brows shooting up in interest a second later, eyes growing bright with excitement as he reached what was clearly an exciting moment.  

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” Stiles said, lifting his eyes to the ceiling of the gazebo and tossing up a defeated hand, before bowing his head and massaging his temple.  

“Hey, Stiles.” Mikajia said, still not taking his eyes off the comic, but gave an absent wave to Stiles.  

“Hey, Mika.” returned an exhausted sounding Stiles to the guy with his own small wave, before he stuck the larger man with an annoyed glare.  

“Please tell me, this isn’t the reason you brought me here.” Stiles said, his annoyance giving way to exhaustion.  

“No, of course not.” Lith answered, still not looking at Stiles, instead studying the board further, “I’ll have this bitch crying uncle soon enough.” he said.  

Lith then lifted his gaze and shot a devilish smirk to Mikajia and said, “Or Daddy, if you’d prefer.”  

“Bitch please.” replied Mikajia without skipping a beat, keeping his eyes trained on the comic while he flipped Lith off, causing the larger man to snort.  

“He’s going to beat you.” said Stiles, still sounding bored, leveling a half-lidded gaze at Lith who rolled his eyes.  

“Only if he keeps cheating.” said the man before he finally moved a piece, shifting his bishop to intercept the attack, which is exactly what Mikajia had been aiming for, but which Lith clearly didn’t see.  

“Not cheating.” replied Mikajia, sounding bored.  

“Uh-huh.” replied Lith, and finally turned to face their newcomer, and looked completely unperturbed at Stiles’ gaze.  

The man shifted in his seat, leaning his side against the back of the chair and propping his arm up on the back, before lifting a leg and propping it on his other knee. And without any preempting, told Stiles bluntly, “You should form the bond with them.”  

Stiles’ eyes flew open in rage and he spat back, “Like hell I will!” but Lith continued on, unshaken by Stiles’ reaction, having fully expected it.  

“You know it’s your best option, Stiles. And quite frankly, the only option available to you. Unless you’re finally ready to pull your head out of your ass, and stop bitching .” Lith said, and Stiles felt his rage building. He absolutely refused to have this conversation with Lith, especially right now.  

“I said, no . And I’m not talking about this anymore. I’m not going to do that to them.” Stiles said, and Lith’s golden eyes narrowed slightly.  

“Time is running out, Stiles. Tell me.” Lith said, then stood up from his chair, stalking towards Stiles, then stopping to tower over the man as Lith stood at nearly 6’8”.  

The man stopped a couple feet from Stiles and placed his hands in his pockets, gazing down at Stiles with his bright golden gaze, “Do you honestly think, as you currently are, that you’ll be able to keep them protected while you fight that beast? And let’s go ahead and give you the benefit of the doubt and say you do manage to do just that. What about after that? When it’s time to pay up your debt to the Masheba. As things are right now, you know perfectly well...” Lith leaned in and narrowed his eyes further, his voice growing deeper as he said, “They won’t last the Summer.”  

Stiles’ temper flared, his eyes growing wide, and he threw a full-strength punch at the man’s face. However, the man lazily brought up a hand, stopping Stiles’ punch and didn’t so much as budge a millimeter.  

Seeing that, as usual, he couldn’t even scratch the bastard, Stiles yanked his hand free, then with a snarl said, “Why the fuck do you care what happens to them?”  

“They’re good for you. That's plain to see.” Lith replied and Stiles gave a snarled scoff.  

“As if you’ve ever actually given a fuck what’s good for me.” Stiles said, but soon found himself squinting in pain and grabbing at the wrist of the hand gripped tight around his neck, lifting him several inches off the ground.  

Lith’s hair began to slightly ruffle as small sparks of lightning ran over his body. Scaled patterns began to form over his skin like tattoos, lethal black claws formed from his nails, his teeth sharpened to vicious points and the man’s golden eyes shifted. They now shone with a metallic grey, held a reptilian pupil with branching bolts of lightning, glowing a bright white over the iris.  

Lith pulled Stiles closer to his face, and with a deep rumbling voice, snarled out, “I’ve cared a hell of a lot more for you than you fucking realize, boy . It’s only because of your stubborn refusal that we’ve been stuck at this impasse for so long now.”  

Leveraging himself as best he could using Lith’s wrist, Stiles spit out his response with as much venom as he could, snarling through clenched teeth, “I won’t slaughter innocent people, just to please you and stroke your fucking ego!”  

Lith just snorted and twisted a lip in contempt and sneered at Stiles, “You love using that excuse, boy. But that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s time to stop wasting my time and avoiding the truth. Denial isn’t a good look on you, Stiles. You’re smarter than that.”  

“Checkmate.” came Mikajia’s voice behind the man and Lith froze wide-eyed before snapping his head around and immediately reverting all of his changes, appearing how he had when Stiles first got there.  

“I knew it! You have been cheating!” Lith exclaimed angrily as he released Stiles who fell to the ground and started coughing.  

“No.” Mikajia denied calmly, still looking at the comic and flipped the next page, “You had just moved your bishop. It was my turn now. I took your bishop, and your king has no means of escape now. Ergo, I win .” Mikajia said with a grin, cutting his eyes sideways to level a smug smirk at Lith who glared back wide-eyed, one of his eyes even twitching.  

“Again!” Lith exclaimed, pointing at the chessboard and Mikajia sighed.  

“Fine.” the guy agreed, then shot Lith a flat gaze as he said, “But after that, we’re switching back to Go. It’s way more interesting.”  

At hearing this, Lith deflated a bit, “But I suck at Go.” and Stiles couldn’t stop the sardonic brow he shot at Lith when he heard the slight pout in the man’s voice. He cut his eyes sideways to Mikajia who simply snorted in response.  

“You suck at all games, Lith. Just accept it. However, how do you expect to improve if you don’t practice?” Mikajia asked and Lith gave a heavy sigh.  

“Alright.” Lith said in resignation before he sat back down and began to reset the chessboard.  

Stiles was about to say something, when his eyes shot to Mika who sat bolt upright, eyes wide as he stared at the last page of the comic. The guy was far more animated than he’d appeared the entire time Stiles had been there.  

“What?! No, no-no-no-no-no. Stiles! I need to know what happens next! I need the next issue!” Mikajia said, sticking a deadpan Stiles with a wide-eyed and intense gaze.  

Stiles sighed and rubbed at his temple again, saying, “You’ll have to wait till tomorrow.”  

“What?!” exclaimed Mikajia and Stiles leveled an annoyed glare at the guy.  

“I’m sleeping , in case you’ve forgotten, Mika. It’s the middle of the night, and the others are all probably still asleep too. Or maybe try checking if someone is still awake, then take your human form and talk to them.” Stiles said, trying to reign in his annoyance.  

“I can’t do that. Not yet at least. If the others find out I have a human form, they’ll stop petting me. How am I to maintain the blessings without tribute?” Mikajia replied and Stiles sighed.  

“I’m sure they’ll keep petting you.”  

“Doubtful.” Mikajia said immediately after Stiles responded, then gave a couple shakes of his head, “Or did you forget the others were terrified to even be near me after I took my sabertooth form the first time around them?”  

Stiles gave another sigh and shook his head, “I don’t know man, Lydia’s pretty smitten with your domestic form. I don’t think she’d have a problem with it. And if I explained it to the others, I’m pretty sure they’d continue. But it’s your choice, of course. However, for now, I need to get more sleep. In case you didn’t see, my day didn’t exactly end on a high note.”  

Lith piped in then, shooting an arched brow to Stiles as he said, “You’re in bed, wrapped in the arms of the two men you love. Tell me, Stiles, exactly how is that not a high note for you?”  

“That’s not...” Stiles started to say, looking towards the ceiling before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath and sighing, “Look,” then turned his gaze back to Mikajia and said, “if you want, later today I’ll buy an entire fucking comic book store and you can read to your heart’s content. For now, however...”  

Stiles then lifted a hand enveloped in his black aura and swirled it through the air. The next second, he was tossing a few books towards Mikajia who easily caught them and started looking at them with curiosity and interest.  

“Huh?” the white-haired guy said in confusion when he opened it up like he usually would for comics, but saw the end of the story.  

“It’s Manga. You can think of them as Japanese comics, and they’re read in reverse compared to our books.” Stiles supplied, then grinned at the look of amazement on Mikajia’s face when he flipped the book over and started checking the contents.  

“I’m outta here now. Need to get some more proper sleep.” Stiles said, and received an absent wave from Mikajia as he settled back in and started to read, getting another grin and snort from Stiles.  

He took a few steps from the gazebo when Lith called his name and Stiles stopped and glanced back, saying, “I know, Lith.”  

With that, mist began to surround Stiles once more and his consciousness was pulled out of Lith’s realm, bringing him back to his dreams.