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Derek was pretty sure torture would be less painful than what he was going through at this moment. He stared down at his freshly coffee-stained, white button-down. Saturated napkins bundled in one hand, the chastising tone of his mother's voice in the other, and the buzz of a text message from Erica informed him that the Director was looking for him."Mom, mom," Derek cut his mother off from her frustrated objection to him deleting the Tinder account his sister had made for him. "I just arrived at the office.""Okay, well at least consider reactivating your profile. Please?" his mother asked.Derek took in a slow breath as another text came through asking where he was. "I told you, I'm not looking to date right now," he said, ignoring the text. He could only handle one overbearing woman at a time."It's been three years honey, surely you're eager to get back out there."Derek placed his phone on his dash so he could undo the buttons of his shirt. "I know you're worried about me being lonely, but I'm fine, Mom," he assured her for the third time since she'd called."You're an alpha, honey, and you have no pack. I just don't think it's healthy," Talia tutted.Derek rolled his eyes. His alpha status had been nothing more than an accident. Now he got weekly lectures from his mother on the importance of pack dynamics."You don't even have any friends. You've completely shut down ever since—"Derek cut her off, his patience waning. "I really need to go. Can we postpone this until the next family dinner?"Talia scoffed through the phone. "You're so dramatic. Have a good day. I'll see you later. Love you. Think about what I said.""Yeah yeah. Love you, bye." Derek hung up the phone. He stretched into the backseat to grab the spare shirt he kept hung up when his hand swung through air."Shit," he swore. He forgot his spare shirt had been taken in the last batch of dry cleaning. He slammed his head back into his seat.As if taunting him, his phone pinged with another text from Erica. "Seriously, where are you?"Derek looked at the time. Eight fifteen. He was late. With a defeated sigh, he re-buttoned his stained shirt and grabbed his briefcase from the passenger seat.He'd find out what the Director wanted and then fetch his dry cleaning, and if he had time, he'd stop for another coffee seeing as how he was wearing half of his current one.He barely got a foot in the door when Erica was by his side. "The Director has been asking where you were. He was antsy when he came in this morning. He closed himself in his office for like thirty minutes and then was asking about you again and— what happened?" she pointed to his stained shirt."Rough morning," he answered, his eyes falling to the closed door of the Director's office."Well, the director really wants to talk to you.""Just me? Why?" Dread tangled in his gut."Didn't say." She followed him to his office. "But I'm supposed to send you in when you arrive." She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and leaned against the door frame.Derek placed his briefcase on his desk and took in a deep breath through his nose. He closed his eyes and let it out slowly through his mouth. He'd just wrapped up a case last night, he hadn't even finished the paperwork for it. Surely Ken wasn't already putting him on another one."You good?" Erica asked."Fine. I'll see him in a moment.""Good luck," Erica gave him a sympathetic smile before spinning on her heel and leaving him alone.Derek's feet grew heavier and heavier with each step toward the Director's office. If what Erica said was true and he had been antsy, that was not a good sign. Ken Yukimura was the epitome of calm and collected, for him to be antsy had to mean something bad. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen him ruffled in all the years he'd worked under him.He paused at the door, listening for any phone conversations, but it was silent. He knocked gently."Come in," Director Yukimura's voice called.Derek pushed the door open to see The Director sitting at his desk. His usually neatly styled black hair was tousled. His suit jacket draped over the back of his chair. His tie hung loose around his neck and he was leaning forward with his hands clasped on his desk."Derek." Ken gestured to one of the padded plastic chairs across from him. "Please, have a seat."He did as asked, closing the door behind him. His stomach rolled with anticipation as Ken took in a breath, his hands re-clasping in front of him."You've been a valuable part of this office for... many years."Derek swallowed. Fear of being fired flitted through his mind, followed quickly by the fear of being transferred. He hadn't done anything to warrant being fired, but being transferred? That was common in the FBI."You and I have an agreement and while it has served us well for several years, there comes a point when..." Ken paused.Derek's chest tightened. Their agreement was pivotal to Derek's job."I can only do so much to help you. You and I are privy to things a lot of people aren't. But keeping that secret is difficult, as you well know."A cold chill ran down Derek's back. Had he slipped up? Had Ken realized the extent of the secret? Had someone else discovered the secret?"I know how important what you do is. And I have been more than willing to put my neck on the line for you. But I've run out of favors it seems.""With all due respect, sir, if you could get to the point." Derek's hands gripped the arms of the plastic chair, waiting for whatever bad news was coming his way.Ken huffed a laugh, bowing his head. "There has been evidence, or at least something promising of, brought to light. Against the Argents."Derek's back straightened. The cold feeling spread through him like icy veins. "Evidence," he repeated."I have spoken previously with my superiors about your eagerness to see them brought down for obvious reasons."They weren't going to let him take the case. Anger and frustration bubbled in Derek's gut."However, they are insisting that the case is handled by the agent who brought the evidence to light.""They're giving the case to someone else simply because they found evidence? Since when does it work like that?" Derek snapped."Since the agent has more than proven himself.""What about the evidence I found?"Ken sighed. "Unfortunately without multiple accounts of what happened or solid, physical proof, you know it wasn't enough to stand.""What did this other agent find?" Derek demanded."I can't disclose that to you. You know that."Derek's nostrils flared, and his knuckles turned white against the chair."Unless..." Ken slid a file folder across his desk. "You agree to work with the agent."All anger melted from Derek, leaving him cold and empty. "What?"Ken tapped the folder. "The case can be yours, but only if you accept a partner."His heart slammed against his chest like a bird's wings on a cage. "I don't do partners," He growled staring at the file.Ken sighed. "I know. I did everything I could, but they're not budging on this one. He's been an Agent for about five years. He's proven himself many times over. He's closed more successful cases in the past two years than half the bureau has in four. You either take the case and the partner, or neither."Derek's first instinct was to turn it down. It wasn't worth it. He wouldn't work with another partner. He couldn't. But the Argent's were dangerous. A hunter family he knew to be smuggling guns, poisons, and even some werewolves to other hunter families."You don't have to decide right away. But I will need an answer by tonight."Derek's eyes traced the name etched in the Director's familiar scrawl. Was he willing to give up taking down the Argents? Or could he handle having a partner again?
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Sitting outside the small bistro where he'd agreed to meet Laura, Derek pulled on the fresh shirt he'd retrieved from the dry cleaners. To say he was dreading lunch would be an understatement, but he hoped that an in-person conversation would convince her that he didn't need an online dating profile.With a deep sigh, he pushed open the door of his car and headed toward the entrance.Laura was already seated at a table on the back patio. She greeted Derek with a tight hug and a scowl. "You look stressed."Laura had always been able to read him like a book, he didn't know why he thought he could hide it from her today."Very astute of you," Derek quipped taking his seat across from her."Mom said you were frazzled this morning."Derek pretended to be interested in the menu despite knowing it by heart. "I was running late this morning.""She said you hacked into your dating profile I made you and deleted it." Laura's tone was accusing."Yep," Derek responded curtly, his eyes skimming the soups.The menu was snatched from his eyeline. "Stop acting like you order anything besides the Italian sub and caesar salad," Laura snapped.Derek sighed and leaned back."I used a good picture."He rolled his eyes. "Why can't you and mom just back off? I don't need a dating profile.""You need something." She threw her hands up. "You've been in a depressive state for too long. Even Cora is worried about you."Derek frowned. Cora was the least invasive of his family so it was telling that she was starting to voice concerns."Look, you've been an alpha for almost two years. You haven't had a date in three. You don't even have any friends.""I'm too busy for friends and dating.""What did you do last night?" Laura pressed.He glared at his sister. He didn't want to answer that."Did you rewatch another episode of black mirror and eat ramen noodles before medicating yourself to sleep?"He continued to glare.Thankfully he was saved by the approach of their waiter. The save didn't last long because after they ordered Laura's eyes were narrowed at him again."You can't go through life alone, Derek. We aren't built that way."He rolled his eyes again. "Can you not give me the 'wolves run in packs for a reason' lecture? I've heard it enough times from Mom."Laura shook her head, reaching for her iced tea. "She's right.""And when I'm ready for a pack, I'll get one."Laura scoffed, "If I actually believed that, I'd back off, but you and I both know you have no intentions of building a pack. You won't even allow yourself friends.""Friends are dangerous," Derek growled.Laura gave him a sympathetic smile. "Not all of them.""Well, I'm not willing to risk finding which ones aren't," He snapped.The waiter set their food in front of them allowing Derek to focus on it instead of his sister's pity-filled eyes. He hated that look.He stabbed at his salad when the TV's words filtered through the open cafe door, catching his and Laura's attention."Seventeen-year-old Michael Laurence has been reported missing after he failed to show up at home on Saturday evening. He left the house at six thirty and was due back by eleven. His foster family grew worried when he didn't return by midnight. They attempted to contact him, but—"The rest was drowned out by the closing of the door and raucous laughter from a nearby table.Derek's hands clenched. Likely the Argent's doing. Director Yukimura's voice rang in his ears. 'You either take the case and the partner or neither.' Seeing the young man on the TV made it tempting to risk a new partner."Not another one," Laura sighed, pulling out her phone."Another one?" Derek asked, yanking him from his thoughts.Laura typed fervently on her phone. "Yeah, that's the third one this month. He's part of the Porter pack.""The Porter pack? They're being targeted?" Derek leaned forward. He remembered the alpha of said pack from when he was younger. Lana, if memory served. Though it had been years since he'd seen her, she and his mother were still close.Laura nodded."Why didn't mom tell me?" They'd spoken dozens of times, surely it would have come up.Her eyes met his. "She knows you can't do anything about it. She also knows how it bothers you and doesn't want you to worry."Anger surged through Derek. She was right, he couldn't do anything about it. But if he took the Argent case, he could. He could save the wolves that were being targeted."Anyway, about the profile. I'm only trying to help. You had two people reach out, did you even see that?"Derek heard Laura's words, but his eyes were on the young man's face still on the TV."I don't want to date anyone right now because I have enough going on with the new partner I'm gonna be working with," Derek said, his eyes falling back to his sister.Her eyes went wide. "Wait, what?""I was frazzled this morning because I'm gonna be working with a new partner. I'd rather focus my attention on that and not try to navigate two new relationships at once."Laura beamed. "Derek, that's huge! I can't believe you didn't tell us." She clapped her hands together."I haven't even met them yet." Derek sighed, turning back to his lunch."That's so great, Derek."Derek's jaw set. Great is not the word he would use but, as long as Laura was happy, he'd let her think what she wanted."I promise I'll leave the dating profile alone then." She held up her hands. "But I want details. And if I find out you're lying, I'm gonna make a profile on every dating app I can find."Derek knew well enough to know she would follow through on that threat. He glared at her. "As soon as I know anything about this new partner, I'll let you know," he grumbled.New partner. The words tasted sour on his tongue.
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Derek ignored Erica's questioning looks as he stalked through the office at nearly seven-thirty that evening. He paused outside the Director's office and took in a deep breath. The familiar aftershave that Ken always wore mingled with a sweet spicy smell that he didn't recognize. He guessed it belonged to his soon-to-be new partner. That thought alone had his stomach rolling.He raised his hand to knock and noticed the way it trembled. He shook out his shoulders and rapped his knuckles on the wood gently as if he hoped the Director wouldn't hear."Come in," Ken called from the other side."Derek," he greeted when Derek stepped inside. He gestured to one of the chairs across from him. In the other was a younger man. He wore a pressed suit and an easy smile. His brown hair was also tousled but unlike the Director's it looked intentional. He scanned Derek slowly with whiskey-brown eyes as if reading him."Derek, this is Agent Stilinski. He's from the Richmond office. He's officially being transferred here.""Stiles. Nice to meet you." The agent held out a hand.Derek took it but said nothing. This was the guy that found evidence against the Argents? He wasn't sure why, but he'd expected someone older. Hardened. This kid looked barely old enough to be an agent.Derek opened his mouth to greet him but what came out was, "You're the one who found the evidence?" his tone almost accusing.Stiles pursed his lips in a thin line."Why don't you have a seat and we'll go over the case," Ken gestured to the chair next to Stiles once again.Derek sat, his back straight as a board."The evidence is a witness. Lori Talbot." Ken slid an open folder across his desk. And pointed to a picture. A young lady with wide blue eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair stared up at him. She was in her late teens maybe.Derek glared at the picture. "Argents don't leave witnesses.""We've got her in protective custody, but until we have credible proof and have a proper case built against them it's the word of one kid. She's also not willing to talk too much. It's clear she's scared."Derek's eyes lifted to Director Yukimura's. "The Argents don't leave witnesses," He repeated."Well then I guess she's a figment of our imagination," Stiles quipped from beside him.Derek shot him a glare.Ken ignored them both. "She was found in DC. There's a strong chance the Argents are still there.""If you work in Richmond, what were you doing in DC?" Derek asked, his tone no less accusing.Stiles narrowed his eyes. "Not that my personal business is any of yours but I was visiting a friend.""So you found a witness while off duty?" Derek was beginning to think there was more to this story."She got out and I saw her running down the road. I stopped to make sure she was okay."There was no skip of his heartbeat, but it sped up. It might not have been a lie, but there was something off."Argents don't let people escape. They're not that sloppy."Stiles simply shrugged."Rafael assigned him to the case and sent the file to me, offering you to take it alongside him," Ken said."Rafael? Why did you call him instead of your Director? Isn't Jody Mills head of the Richmond department?" Derek's tone continued it's accusatory direction."I've known Rafael my whole life. He was closer than Director Mills." Stiles answered with another shrug."You've known him your whole life? That's why you're on the case. You're a nepotism Agent," he growled. So much for working with 'one of the best'.Stiles scoffed. "I am not. I worked my ass off to get where I am. In fact, I refused Rafael's help. But when I run into a scared girl that just escaped a crime family, I'm not going to call someone who is two hundred miles away when I know someone five miles away." He gestured wildly as he spoke.Derek gave him a disbelieving look."Regardless," Ken cut in, "I think it would be best to return to DC and see if you can find where the Argents are staying. Maybe gather more evidence.""When?" Derek and Stiles asked in unison, their attention falling to Ken."The sooner the better. I can have you two on a plane tonight." Ken turned to his computer, his fingers flying over the keys. "It's a red eye, but you'll be there by one a.m."Derek ran a hand over his face. He was already tired. It had been a trying day and now it wasn't even going to end for several more hours, if at all tonight."So we leave at eleven thirty?" Stiles asked.Ken nodded, "That should give you enough time to get everything together and to the airport."Derek pushed up from the chair. Ken closed the file and held it out to him."Good luck out there."Derek took the file and walked out of the room without so much as a glance toward Stiles. He marched to his office and hoped Erica didn't feel the need to question him as she so often did.Unfortunately, he had barely gotten inside the door before she was on his heels."So who's the cutie?" She asked, sliding into a seat across from him.He sighed, sitting down and letting his head fall into his hands."My new partner," he responded.There was a beat of silence."You don't work with a partner," Erica said as if Derek needed the reminder.He lifted his eyes into a glare."I mean, why?" she huffed, waving a perfectly manicured hand through the air. "The Captain hasn't assigned you a partner in years. Why now?""High profile case that they want us both on." He didn't feel like going into detail."High profile case— is he supposed to be someone special?""Apparently, he's good at his job.""So are you."Derek shrugged. He was done with this conversation; he was just waiting for Erica to take the hint.A tap at his door made them both look over.Stiles stood in the doorway with two foam cups in hand. "Figured you could use the caffeine." he handed one of the cups from the coffee station to Derek. Then extended a hand to Erica. "Stiles Stilinski.""Erica Reyes." She smiled, taking his hand."No one likes a kiss ass," Derek said, sipping the coffee. He would need the caffeine."If you'd rather do the ass kissing, by all means." Stiles turned, gesturing to his backside.Erica stifled a laugh, earning a glare from Derek."You two have fun." She waggled her fingers before slipping out the door.Stiles took her spot across from him. "So now that pleasantries are out of the way..."Erica was right. He was cute. His bright brown eyes danced, even in the awful fluorescent lights. His full lips dipped into a perfect cupid's bow. Moles dotted his pale skin, disappearing beneath his button-down."Look, I get the impression that you're difficult to work with which is why you work alone. I can be your best friend or I can also be difficult to work with. Choice is yours."Derek fought the smirk that tugged at his lips. "I've never had any complaints from my partners."Stiles narrowed his eyes. "So why the vacancy?""I prefer to work alone.""Why?""I don't know you well enough to answer that."The pair stared at one another for a long moment before Stiles threw up a hand."Okay, fine, how long have you worked alone?" he asked, leaning back in the chair. He took a sip of his coffee."Why does it matter?""Just wondering if I need to put the training wheels back on for you."There was a teasing smirk on Stiles' lips. Derek huffed a laugh. Despite his best efforts he kind of liked this guy. He reminded him of someone he'd rather not think about, but he liked him."Three years."Stiles' brows rose. "Wait, you haven't had a partner in Three years? Shit, I really may need to put the training wheels on."Derek rolled his eyes. "I know how to do my job.""Yeah, but doing your job with a partner is a lot different."Derek glared. "Look, I'm gonna go home and pack. Why don't we meet at the airport."Stiles rolled his eyes and stood. "Fine."Derek let his eyes wander down the back of Stiles as he walked away. He would have preferred an older, unattractive, disgruntled partner. Instead, he got a young, attractive, smartass.
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Four sets of clothes were packed neatly into Derek's suitcase. On top were his toiletries bag that he kept stocked for travel. He yawned. He had three hours before their flight left. Late nights in the airport were usually quick. It wouldn't take more than an hour to get through security. He had time.He peeled his shirt off. A shower before would be nice. He still felt mildly sticky from this morning's coffee incident. He undressed in front of his bathroom mirror, catching a glimpse of his reflection. His eyes were dull. The color was drained from his cheeks, making him pale. It was no wonder his mother and sisters were worried about him.He reached for his toothbrush and paused. His eyes landed on a scar that stretched with his movements. He traced the marred skin. One on his shoulder joint. One on his pectoral, and two longer ones that knit together in a tangle of regret on his torso.His fingers trembled as they carded over the one on his torso. He clenched his eyes closed and gripped at the sink, taking in a deep breath."This time won't be like the last," he whispered. He wouldn't make that mistake twice.Snatching the toothbrush from its place, he pushed away the nerves that had permeated his body since he walked into work. This time would be different. He had nothing to worry about.Except Stiles finding out. An unhelpful voice supplied in his mind. He ignored it. Everything would be fine. He avoided his reflection, finished at the sink, and slipped into a hot shower. He just needed to wash it all away.After his shower, he laid on his bed, a towel wrapped around his waist. He didn't even bother to turn on the light. In fact, the only light in his room was from the nearly full moon that peered through the window.Derek stared up at the ceiling. The tree just outside his window cast gnarled shadows across it. They resembled the scars that decorated his flesh. Or maybe he just thought they did.Squeezing his eyes closed, he tried to push them from his mind.Why? The voice asked. You didn't let them heal properly so they could be a reminder.Derek's hands clenched at the comforter. They were a reminder, but right now they were doing more than reminding him. They were taunting him. Threatening to multiply if he messed up again.The loud shrill of his phone startled him from his thoughts.Grabbing blindly for the device, he had half a mind to chuck it through his window. "What?" he grumbled into it instead."Derek," his mother's voice chirped from the other end.He had to hold back a groan. Had he taken three seconds to check the caller ID he wouldn't have bothered answering."Mom," Derek sighed in resignation. He pushed himself off his bed and ticked on the light."I spoke to Laura."He pinched the bridge of his nose. He should have been expecting this call."She told me you got a new partner.""I did. I'm actually packing for a flight so can we—""Oh you can take two minutes and catch me up. Why didn't you tell me this morning?""You were busy berating me for deleting the dating account Laura made me," He reminded her."I just want to know that you're getting out there, making friends. Wolves aren't supposed to be alone you know."Derek's jaw clenched. If he had to hear that lecture one more time he was going to scream."His name is Stiles, he's from Richmond." He hoped details of his new partner would deflect his mother's incoming rant. He was right."Oh, you haven't had a male partner in a while. How is it so far? Do you like him?"Derek sifted through his closet for a pair of jeans and a button-down. "He's…" There weren't really any good words to describe Stiles. It didn't help that Derek didn't know him at all. "Supposedly one of the best agents in the field.""How old is he?""Mom," Derek groaned."What? I'm just curious.""I'm not dating another partner. You know how that went last time," He snapped.There was a pause on the other end. "If you weren't so closed off maybe—""Don't," he growled."I'm not trying to say that what happened was your fault, but I do think that if you had been more open with—""Mom, I'm serious. Drop it." He rarely took such a tone with his mother, but this was one topic he refused to be lectured on."Well, I hope that you enjoy working with your new partner. I'm proud of you for doing so. I'll be honest, I'm surprised. I didn't think that was something you'd be open to for a while."She wasn't wrong. He still wasn't open to it, but his desire to take down the Argents was stronger than his desire to work alone."I really should be going. I have a flight to catch.""Be careful, honey. Let's plan for dinner soon. I want to meet this partner of yours.""When I get back," Derek answered dismissively. He knew if he argued, she'd keep him on the phone longer. Sometimes, it was best to just agree with her.He tossed the phone back on his bed and scrubbed a hand down his face. He hadn't even considered that Laura would tell his mother. He should have known. He was too distracted with Stiles and the Argent case.He'd just slid his jeans on when his phone rang again. He snatched it up with a tight fist. If he just squeezed a little, it would be able to crush his phone and he wouldn't be able to answer it again.He looked down at the unknown number flashing on the screen. Putting on his best professional voice, he answered."Agent Hale.""Derek, oh good, I was worried Erica gave me the wrong number." Stiles' voice announced excitedly through the phone.Why was he cursed with overbearing women in his life? What had he done to deserve this?"Why are you calling me, Stiles?" Derek grumbled, pulling on his button-down. His phone was tucked between his ear and his shoulder."Well, we have some time before our flight, I figure we won't have much time when we get there so I was thinking we should grab dinner before."Derek paused, his fingers poised on the bottom button of his shirt. "Dinner," he repeated."Yeah, you know, like food. For sustenance. We have to eat at some point."Derek cleared his throat. "Right. Of course.""I figured you don't keep that incredible physique by eating on the go all the time. So what do you like?"Derek fumbled at the compliment. His fingers lost grip on the button. The phone slipped and tumbled to the bed. He scrambled to grab it again."I uh— don't care." He heard what sounded like typing on the other end before Stiles responded."Well, there are two restaurants near the airport that are open. Brick Street Cafe and Naploi's pizzeria.""I've been to both. They're both good," Derek answered, managing to button his shirt finally."Well it's probably going to be a long night so I vote pizza. You good with that?""Sure." Derek just wanted to be off the phone."Great, I'll meet you there in thirty minutes?""Sure." Derek hung up the phone before Stiles could respond. He glanced at his full-length mirror. Incredible physique. That was a new one.He wasn't a stranger to being objectified, but normally the comments were more taunting or debasing. And they weren't so tame. He was used to more perverted terms like, delicious, or fuckable.He glanced at his reflection one more time. He struggled to see what others saw. Sure he was in decent shape, but when he looked in the mirror, he saw the sunken look in his eyes from lack of sleep. The distrust in the line of his shoulders. He saw the broken man who tried so hard look put together. He was sure it wouldn't be long before Stiles saw those things too.
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Derek sat at a booth in the back, a drink already in front of him when Stiles walked in.Stiles scanned the restaurant. His face lit into a wide grin upon seeing Derek."Hey," he said, sliding into the seat across from him."Hi," Derek grumbled back. Why was Stiles in such a chipper mood? Was he always like this?"So I was thinking... when we get there, I'll show you where I found Lori, and then we can search the area. It was in a pretty busy spot, so I don't know if she traveled far. Seems unwise to set up in the middle of town, but maybe that's how they like to do it. Hide out in plain sight, ya know?"Derek reached for his drink, wishing it was alcoholic. "Sure," he responded."You're a soda drinker?" Stiles tilted his head at the fizzy drink in his hand."Should I not be?" Derek looked down at his Dr. Pepper."No, I'm just surprised. You don't strike me as a soda drinker."Derek's jaw clenched. He didn't used to be. But he got used to having Dr. Pepper around all the time, and it became a favorite of his."Anyway, there's a hotel near the area I was in, I was gonna go ahead and book it for the night, but I figured I'd better ask first."Derek raised a brow. "Why?""Why what?" Stiles blinked at him."Why ask first?""In case you had already booked a hotel or you had a different one you wanted to stay in. With my last partner, she preferred I handle all the stuff like flights and hotel rooms, but my partner before had to have a say, even though he made me do all the booking." Stiles shrugged. He turned to order from the waiter who approached.Derek shifted in his seat. He hadn't really thought about that. He was so used to doing it himself, and most of the time, he didn't even book hotels ahead. He just did a walk-in and hoped they had a room.When the waiter left with their orders, Derek cleared his throat. "If you prefer to do the booking, I'm fine with it. No need to ask."Stiles smiled. "Great, I'll do it right now."Derek sat quietly while Stiles typed quickly on his phone."So, what made you decide to be an agent?" Stiles asked, not looking up.Derek frowned. Nobody had asked him that before. He remembered the exact day he decided that was what he wanted."When I was younger, our house was set on fire. An arsonist. There was a pair of agents who had been put on the case. One of them, Agent Morgan, did the interviews. I remember thinking he was so cool. He made me feel safe. And when he found out who did it, he came to deliver the news personally. I found out his name was Derek, and I just knew I wanted to be like him." Derek stared down at his hands in his lap. It had been years since he talked about the fire."I'm so sorry. Was everyone okay?" Stiles had paused his typing and was now focused fully on Derek."My two cousins, my dad, and my aunt got trapped inside. My uncle was badly hurt, but he survived.""That's awful. I'm glad the person was caught.""He was a chemistry teacher."Stiles tilted his head. He looked like he was about to ask another question when their waiter arrived with food, much to Derek's relief. He hadn't talked about that fire in years. He'd learned much later that it had been the work of hunters. His family and three others had been targeted.Stiles finished booking their hotel before diving into his pizza.Derek, not being too hungry, had only ordered a slice."You okay? You seem distracted." Stiles pointed to where Derek was picking at a pepperoni that had fallen off his pizza."I'm just anxious about the case," Derek shrugged. It wasn't entirely a lie. He was nervous about working the Argent case, but he was also nervous to be working alongside a partner."Well, no matter what we find, I've got your back." Stiles took a large bite of his pizza slice. Cheese dangled from his chin.Derek wanted to take comfort in his words, but the last time someone had his back, he'd nearly been killed."Anything I need to know about, by the way? Like any warnings?"Derek's eyes shot up to Stiles'. "What do you mean?""Like are you jumpy? Or sensitive to certain sounds or..." Stiles waved a hand.Derek narrowed his eyes at him. Had he slipped up? Did he suspect something already?"Like there was a guy in my Bureau that you couldn't approach him on his left side without possibly getting punched."Derek's shoulders dropped. He was thinking about this all too much. "Oh. No, nothing like that. You?""Nope." Stiles shook his head. "So you mentioned some of your family. Your mom is around, I assume?"Derek only nodded."Any siblings?"Derek narrowed his eyes once again.Stiles threw up his hands. "Dude, I'm just trying to get to know you.""Two sisters," Derek answered, his ears tuned into the gentle thud of Stiles' heart."Hmmm, let me guess," Stiles tapped his chin as he studied Derek. He fought not to squirm under his inspecting eyes. "You're the middle."Derek's brow raised. "How'd you know?""You strike me as a middle child."Derek thought he should be offended by that, but he wasn't sure why. "What about you?" he asked instead."Only child." Stiles grinned widely.Derek snorted a laugh. "Couldn't handle another one after you?"Stiles huffed a laugh, but it seemed forced."It was a joke." Derek frowned. Surely he wasn't that sensitive?"No, yeah, I know." Stiles put on his best fake smile.Derek couldn't help but feel like he'd said something wrong."My parents had plans to have more kids, but my mom got sick. She died when I was young."Derek wanted to kick himself. "I'm sorry.""It's okay.""What was it?" He pressed gently."Frontotemporal Demensia. She developed aphasia a couple of years after I was born. She died when I was eight."Derek frowned. "So it was just you and your dad?"Stiles nodded. "Yep. He's the reason I joined the FBI. He was sheriff of the town I grew up in.""FBI is a big leap from Sheriff.""He said he wanted me to get out and see the world. I've seen more than I could have ever imagined." Stiles huffed a laugh. This one was less forced, but there was a weight to it. A weight that Derek understood. It was a weight that you only got by witnessing things you would rather have not witnessed. It was a weight most agents carried.A beeping on Stiles' phone went off."And that's our cue, we should get going so we don't miss our flight."Derek raised a brow. "You set an alarm?""I have ADHD and I've missed too many flights to count because of it."Derek held back a smile. He was beginning to think he was going to like Stiles. That thought made the pizza in his stomach churn. He couldn't afford to like Stiles. It was too dangerous.
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The flight was as full as expected. There were at least a dozen empty seats. That didn't stop Stiles from plopping right next to Derek, though."Gum?" Stiles held out a pack of spearmint gum toward Derek."No thanks."Stiles shrugged, shoving two pieces into his mouth.When the flight finally took off, Stiles was already pulling his laptop out of his bag."What are you doing?" Derek asked."Research.""It's an hour flight."Stiles opened his laptop to a picture of him and an older man with the same smile but lighter hair and lighter eyes. "It's actually an hour and twenty-five minutes."Derek rolled his eyes."Did you miss the part where I have ADHD? Trust me, this is for the best."Derek turned to look out the window he had sat next to. The lights of the city below twinkled as they grew more and more distant. He tried to focus on them rather than the incessant typing next to him.It took ten minutes before he was able to block out the sound. He was deep in thought about what he would do if they found the Argents. He'd take down the oldest. Gerald? Gerard? He was the mastermind.His thoughts were ripped back to the present when a snapping sound startled him. He jerked his head to see Stiles blowing a bubble with his gum. It popped with a loud snap.Derek's jaw clenched. He'd had frustrating partners before. Erica, for one, but nothing compared to Stiles. He had Derek's fingers digging into the armrests of his seat, trying to keep his claws retracted."Man, there's really not much on this family," Stiles sighed, his fingers finally coming to a rest.Derek debated asking him to elaborate. Stiles seemed like the type to talk just for the sake of hearing his own voice. If Derek asked too many questions, he may never stop talking."This family is so careful. The most recent info I could find was that the oldest son of Gerard. Chris Argent bought a house in upstate New York about a year ago.""Could be helpful if there's an address listed. Maybe he has information in said house we could acquire," Derek said.Stiles snorted a laugh. "Without a warrant?""Not saying we present said info to the courts, maybe just find a clue that leads us to something we can." Derek shrugged. He cut his eyes toward Stiles to gauge his reaction.Stiles squinted at him. "I can't tell if you're being serious."Derek didn't respond."Oh my god, you are! Man, I had you pegged as way more of a by-the-book type."Derek narrowed his eyes. "What is with you trying to guess everything about me?"Stiles tilted his head as if regarding him."Usually, I'm right."Derek's jaw clenched once again. He used to be a by-the-book type. Until the book nearly got him killed."Well, maybe I'm not like other agents," Derek quipped, trying to keep the edge out of his tone."So I'm starting to gather," Stiles hummed, his eyes still trained on Derek.He was thankful that Stiles' phone buzzed, pulling his attention from Derek.Stiles sighed next to him before putting the phone away without responding to the paragraph he'd received."Problem?" Derek asked."My partner- ex-partner is upset with me," Stiles said.Derek once again debated pressing for more information. He decided not to. It might open up the idea that he was willing to talk about previous partners, which he wasn't."She didn't want me taking the case," Stiles continued anyway.Derek couldn't help it. He had to know. "Why did you?"There was a pause. Derek noted the pull of Stiles' brows."Seeing Lori so terrified. I've heard stories about the Argents, but... you never see proof of it. They're like... the bogeyman, ya know? Or Bigfoot. They're just stories and myth." He glanced down where his fingers were still draped over the keys of his laptop. "But Lori was real. That terror. That...fear." Stiles shook his head as if trying to erase a visual from his mind.A warmth expanded through Derek's chest. Whether Stiles got this case by knowing the right people or not, he was at least passionate about taking down the Argents. That was something Derek could appreciate."What about you?"Derek met his eyes. "What do you mean?""I was informed that you were given a choice. Work the case with me or don't work the case. You haven't had a partner in three years, so something had to motivate you to work with me."Derek turned to look out the window again. Stiles was clever. That was dangerous."I had a previous run-in with them during another case. The 'evidence' I provided wasn't enough to do anything with. It was circumstantial.""What was the evidence?"Derek met Stiles' eyes once again. "A bullet wound," he answered vaguely.Stiles' brows shot up. "Oh shit, so this is like personal. Do they know you then?"Derek shook his head. "Doubt it. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."Stiles looked thoughtful. "Do you know who it was that shot you?""No. None of the actual family as far as I know. Probably just some hired hand."Stiles bit down on the bottom of his lip. "I don't guess you'll want to go into detail?" he asked.Derek's jaw ticked. He had been forced to tell the lie he'd woven a dozen times over. He didn't feel like reciting it again, especially not to someone he didn't know. He'd spent weeks in therapy with his mother's adviser and also the therapist ordered by the bureau. His mother's adviser was the only one who knew the truth of that night."Well, regardless, I promise you I'm gonna do whatever I can to take them down." Stiles continued when Derek didn't respond.Derek's chest warmed once again. The sincerity in Stiles' tone was unmistakable. The idea should have comforted him, but it only made him nervous. He would have to learn to trust Stiles. He didn't know if he could do that.
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The hotel was nicer than a lot of the ones he'd stayed in. It had two beds made up in white bedding. A table with two chairs sat next to a large dresser with a TV."Alright, here's your room key." Stiles held out a plastic card with the name of the hotel printed across it."You have a bed preference?" Stiles asked, dragging his bag deeper into the room."No," Derek shook his head.Stiles slung his bag onto the bed closest to the window and began rummaging through it. "We gonna head out now?""That's the plan," Derek answered. He blanched when Stiles started unbuttoning his white button-down."Great, give me two seconds to change and I'll be ready to go."Derek set his own bag on the other bed and tried to ignore the shirtless Stiles. However, his eyes caught his reflection in the mirror on the wall across from him. Stiles was a wirey type of strong. His muscles moved like cables under his pale skin. The moles that decorated his face and neck extended down his chest and torso. He was breathtaking. Derek dropped his eyes when Stiles pulled a black button down up over his shoulders. He didn't need to find his partner attractive.His mother's words echoed in his head. 'Wolves aren't supposed to be alone you know.' He knew she was right. He'd been lonely for some time. He often dreamt of waking up next to someone again, but he didn't dare get close to anyone. It wasn't safe. His eyes rose to the mirror once again to see Stiles rolling up the sleeves of his black button-down. Derek swallowed. He was definitely going to have a hard time keeping his eyes off him."Ready when you are," Stiles said, hoisting his laptop case onto his shoulder.Derek stared down at where he was gripping his bag. This was a bad idea. He took in a deep breath. He was sure part of the problem was the full moon was only a few days away. That always made his emotions heighten. He would be fine after the full moon. He just needed to remind himself why he was alone until then."Derek?" Stiles' voice was directly behind him.Derek's shoulders tensed. "Let's go," he said, not turning around.Stiles tilted his head at Derek but didn't say anything, much to his relief."So I looked up a couple of coffee shops nearby and there's a twenty-four-hour one open about two miles from where I found Lori. It's a few minutes out of the way, but—""That's fine," Derek cut in. Coffee would be good. He'd have preferred a nap but this was important. Coffee would have to do."Great, I'll plug it in."Derek climbed into the driver's seat and followed the GPS on Stiles' phone. It took no time with the lack of traffic.They stood in the tiny bookshop cafe where a young college student had her nose buried in a book in one corner. The barista was nodding to a song blaring in her headphones when she looked up to see Derek and Stiles approach. She pulled out one of the earbuds, her blonde hair falling in her face, and gave a wide smile. She looked like she might be a college student herself. 'Amanda' her name tag said in a delicate scrawl."How can I help you?" She drug eyes down Derek, not bothering to be subtle.Derek tensed under her stare.Stiles stepped forward, "One Large vanilla latte and…" he turned to Derek."Large cappuccino."Stiles turned back to Amanda with a blinding smile. "Add two muffins to that. Do you like blueberry?" he asked Derek."I'm fine," Derek said."Everyone likes blueberry. We'll do two blueberry."Derek narrowed his eyes at Stiles."I get hungry on stakeouts." He shrugged at him."Oh, are you two cops?" Amanda asked, her eyes wide with excitement."FBI. Why?""Are you here about the girl?" She asked, leaning forward.Derek narrowed his eyes at her. "What girl?"Amanda glanced at the other customer before leaning over the counter further. "A couple of college students said they saw a girl yelling for help last night. She was covered in blood.""You know where I can find these students?""I didn't know them personally. I just heard them talking about it this morning when they came in. But if you want to leave your number I can ask around and give you a call." She grinned widely.Derek's jaw clenched. He pulled a card from his jacket pocket and slid it across the counter."Agent Hale," Amanda hummed with a grin. "Coffee's are on me."Derek opened his mouth to object but she was already turning away.Stiles was smirking at him."What?" he growled."Do you always get this kind of attention?" Stiles asked crossing his arms over his chest. He looked like he'd stepped out of a romance novel with his black slacks and black button-down rolled up to his elbows. The way he leaned against the coffee shop counter, a smirk on his full lips, his longer hair brushing the edges of his honey-colored eyes.Derek swallowed. He was in a world of trouble if Stiles kept looking like that."I'm just saying, our waiter at the restaurant was eyeing you pretty hard, and now Amanda." Stiles jabbed a thumb over his shoulder."Our waiter?" Derek frowned. He hadn't noticed him eyeing Derek.Stiles only snickered. "Just let me know if you aren't gonna be coming back to the room, so I don't send out a search party.""What?" Derek blanched.Stiles held up his hands. "I'm not gonna stop you. Just make sure she's legal."Derek shook his head. "No, I'm not gonna— even if she were I wouldn't— No."Stiles raised a brow. "Okay, calm down. I was just saying.""Well don't," Derek snapped.Stiles tilted his head, a curious look on his face.Derek turned away, hoping the embarrassment wasn't obvious. Did Stiles really think he'd just hook up with some girl cause she wanted his number? Did Stiles think he gave her his card to hook up with her? The idea made him nauseous."Here you go. Feel free to stop in for a refill," Amanda, smiled, sliding two coffees across the counter.Stiles stuffed a ten-dollar bill into the tip jar. "Thanks. Have a good night." He smiled.Derek grabbed his coffee and beelined for the door. It had been a long day and it wasn't even close to being over.
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Derek leaned the seat back, his eyes scanning the area for any suspicious movement. It seemed quiet. However, it was also two in the morning. They were on the edge of town, a handful of apartment buildings lined the right side of the road and the road in front of them. To their left was a large warehouse. The tall metal walls held no windows and the one door that could be seen was closed. It looked empty but that didn't mean it was."Amanda is cute, but this coffee is awful." Stiles sneered at his drink."Mine tastes fine," Derek said, taking a sip of the coffee. It wasn't the best one he'd ever had, but it was decent enough."Of course she made yours good," Stiles scoffed, putting his drink in the holder between them."You're sure this is the right spot?" Derek asked."I found Lori a street over. This is the only building that is supposedly unoccupied in the area."Something about Stiles' scent was sour. He smelled nervous whenever he talked about Lori. Something was off about his story, but Derek couldn't figure out what.A silence fell over the pair as they watched the area, waiting for movement or anything that hinted at the warehouse being occupied. It only lasted ten minutes before the crinkling of a paper bag filled it.Derek glared at Stiles, who was digging into the pastry bag from the coffee shop."Muffin?" Stiles asked, holding out the baked good.Before Derek even had a chance to decline, Stiles dropped it, sending it rolling across the floorboard."Shit," Stiles swore, diving after it. "I'll eat this one."Derek sighed. Someone had given this guy a gun. It terrified Derek if he was being honest."You want the other one?" Stiles asked blowing on the muffin as if that would help."I'm fine," Derek grumbled."You're about as much fun as I expected," Stiles commented, still cleaning off his fallen muffin.Derek's jaw clenched. He had always enjoyed stakeouts with a partner. Some of his fondest memories were on stakeouts."Being partnerless was your choice?""Yes. Why?" Derek asked, frowning at Stiles."I just wasn't sure if maybe your department preferred to not work with you." Stiles shrugged, shoving a bite of muffin into his mouth.Derek rolled his eyes. "What do you do on stakeouts?""Well, for one, conversation couldn't hurt. In case you hadn't noticed I'm a bit of a talker.""I noticed," Derek grumbled.Stiles either didn't hear him or ignored him. "My last partner and I would listen to a fake 'true crime' podcast and try and solve the mystery before it was revealed."Derek raised a brow. "A fake true crime podcast?""Yeah, it was presented like a true crime podcast but it was made up. Each episode was kind of its own mystery story. They'd sprinkle evidence throughout and suspects. It was fun. What do you do on stakeouts?""I pay attention.""You're gonna tell me you don't do anything while you wait?"Derek's jaw clenched. He missed the silence."What about when you did have a partner? Did you do anything fun with them?"Derek cut his eyes toward Stiles. "We would point out passerby's and imagine what their lives were like." Maybe if he gave Stiles something, he'd shut up.Stiles' head tilted. "Give me an example."Derek sighed, glancing around the area for someone who was out at two in the morning. He nodded to a younger man who had stepped out of his apartment with a leashed Yorkie. He wore pajama pants and a hoodie."Okay, for instance. What do you think his name is?"Stiles followed Derek's eyeline. "Hmm, he looks like a Patrick.""Do you think the dog is his or a girlfriend's?"Stiles pondered for a moment. "Based on the college hoodie that looks fairly new and the fact that these apartments are likely way out of his budget. I bet it's his mom's."Derek raised a curious brow at Stiles."He's probably visiting his mom during a weekend. Or watching the dog while she's out of town," Stiles continued."I bet his mom's name is Sharon," Derek added. It had been a long time since he'd played this game. It was one he always made his partners play with him. It was something he and his dad used to do when he was young."What about the dog?" Stiles asked, a smile on his face.It was a cute dog. Typical black and brown color. No bows or any clothing. The leash was a simple yellow color. "I'm thinking Petunia," Derek said."I was thinking Kiwi.""Oh, you think they're a name your animals after food type?"Stiles shrugged. "I bet Patrick's favorite food when he was little was kiwi and so mom got a dog when he went to college and named it Kiwi."Derek huffed a laugh. "That makes sense. What about him makes you think he liked kiwis?""There are kiwis on his pajama pants." Stiles shrugged.Derek squinted. It was hard to tell in the dim glow of the streetlights but sure enough, the little designs on the blue pajama pants were slices of kiwi.Patrick, as he'd been named, tugged gently on Kiwi's leash and headed back inside."So you do know how to have fun," Stiles said, shoving another bite of muffin into his mouth.Derek rolled his eyes but said nothing."Did you play that game with your last partner?"Derek tensed. "Eventually," he answered. "She thought it was stupid at first.""She, huh?" Stiles hummed.Derek narrowed his eyes at Stiles. "What are you fishing for?""Just anything about you would be nice." Stiles shrugged.Derek frowned. If he told Stiles the story he told everyone at the Bureau then maybe he'd let it go. But did he really want to tell him?"Her name was Braeden." The name tasted sour on his tongue. It'd been so long since he'd said her name."Braeden," Stiles hummed thoughtfully. "Wait, Braeden Marshall? The FBI agent who went missing like… three years ago…" He sunk back in his seat as the realization sat in.Derek didn't respond."Shit, dude, I'm sorry. I didn't realize."Derek focused his eyes on the warehouse. He braced for more questioning. What happened? Do you miss her? Do you feel guilty? Etcetera. He was used to them. He could feel the curiosity. He could also smell the regret on Stiles though.He was relieved when a silence settled over the car once more. He welcomed it. It was only broken by the occasional stifled yawn from Stiles."You flew into New York this morning, didn't you?" Derek asked, glancing at the clock. They'd only been there an hour.Stiles nodded."And you likely didn't sleep much if you found Lori last night.""I dozed for about two hours before my flight this morning," Stiles answered."Why don't you get a couple of hours in. I'll keep watch," Derek offered.Stiles looked like he was about to object but instead, he yawned again. "If you're sure." He rubbed at his eyes, clearly struggling to keep them open."I'll wake you if anything happens."Stiles leaned his chair back into a lying position and within minutes his breathing evened out.Derek focused on the steady thrum of the heartbeat next to him. There was an ache in his chest. He'd missed having someone around. He hated being alone, truth be told. But he knew it was for the best. His mother's emissary had stressed how unhealthy it was for a wolf to be alone, much less an alpha. He dismissed it, claiming that he wasn't at risk for depression. But now with Stiles asleep next to him, his heartbeat was a comforting sound. It was the first time in a long time he didn't feel restless. It was like something inside him was content even for a moment. It was a terrifying feeling.
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Three hours into the stakeout and Derek was getting impatient. There was no movement. He couldn't even hear anything cause if he listened closely, all the surrounding noises pierced his ears. Dogs barking, old men snoring, t.v.'s left on, the cars on the nearby highway. The city was too busy.Stiles remained asleep next to him. His head was craned to the left, exposing the long line of his neck. Moles dotted his pale skin, disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt. Derek tried not to imagine pressing his lips to them.He pulled his eyes away. When had he gotten so desperate? Deaton's words once again rang in his head. "You'll yearn for companionship eventually. There's no need to suffer."Is that what this was? Was he yearning? How pathetic was he that he was yearning for the first attractive person he crossed paths with?A loud slam had Derek reaching for the gun on his hip. Stiles sat bolt upright his own hand on his hip.They both deflated as they saw an older man throwing a bag away in one of the apartment dumpsters nearby.Derek let out a heavy sigh, releasing the handle of his gun.Stiles raised his chair back up and rubbed at his eyes. "What the fuck," he muttered. He glanced at the clock on the dash. "Still nothing?"Derek scrubbed a hand down his face. "No.""What do you say we go check it out?"Derek blinked at him. "What?""I'm awake now and I'm cramping. Let's just go take a look." Stiles pushed open the car door."No, Stiles, wait—" But the door was already closed.Derek's heart hammered against his ribs but he scrambled to climb out of the car after him. "Stiles, this is a bad idea," he spoke frantically, despite his attempts to stay calm."Why? If we get close, we can hear if anyone is inside."Derek's hands shook. Flashes of him knocking on a door were followed by the feel of rope burn around his wrists."Maybe we should wait a little longer," Derek hissed, following behind Stiles, who was already halfway across the street.Stiles paused when he reached the other side. "Are you scared?" he asked. There was no taunting to his tone, but a genuine curiosity."Of course not," Derek snapped.Stiles tilted his head, eyeing Derek carefully."Let's just make this quick, in case someone sees us." Derek waved Stiles forward. He pushed down the nerves, but his hand didn't leave his gun.The pair of them tip-toed across the parking lot to the single closed door. Stiles leaned his ear against it, listening, while Derek's eyes scanned the lot for any movement.Derek heard a click and his hand gripped his gun tighter. He turned to see the handle give under Stiles' hand.Derek grabbed his wrist to stop him.Stiles gave a wink and pushed the door open just enough to peek through.Derek tugged on his wrist, panic welling in his chest. His lungs were being crushed. His vision was growing dizzy. He took in a deep, slow breath. He was fine. It was just a peek. He was fine.Stiles swung the door open, throwing his hands up, forcing Derek's grip to release. "It's empty," he sighed, stepping inside.Derek's body deflated with relief.The light from the street lamp poured through the open door, illuminating the empty warehouse. "You're sure this is the right spot?" Derek asked. His hand was still on his gun, but his heart rate was evening out."It's the closest building that isn't an apartment. And they couldn't get an apartment without a lease. People rent these building by the hour practically. It had to be here." Stiles' footsteps echoed through the empty interior."They likely moved on then.""Damn it," Stiles swore."Well, there's nothing left. No reason to stick around."Stiles sighed, running a hand down his face. "Yeah."Derek wanted to comfort Stiles, but he didn't know what to say. The Argents weren't sloppy. Them leaving a witness was bad enough. They would be careful. Catching them wouldn't be easy, if possible. None of those things would be comforting to hear. Instead, Derek followed Stiles back to the car.-"Sorry we wasted time coming here," Stiles said as Derek parked in front of the hotel."Part of the job." Derek shrugged.Without another word, Stiles climbed out and headed inside. Derek took a moment to collect himself. He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He should have handled that better. He couldn't be afraid of every uncleared building. It was part of his job to go into dangerous places. But this wasn't just any dangerous place. It was a dangerous place where the Argents were. He had never feared his job before. He didn't really have to. But the Argents... he was afraid of them. They knew how to hurt him. They knew how to hurt his family. He rubbed his shoulder joint instinctively.He would have to get a better handle on his emotions. Stiles was observant, that was obvious by their game earlier. If he noticed Derek's panic attacks any time they had to enter a building the Argents might be in, it would take one phone call to get him off the case. He'd spent six months convincing everyone in the Bureau that he was okay enough to do his job. He would not get put back on light duty, and he refused to see their crappy court order therapist again.
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Derek shucked off his jacket. It was five-thirty in the morning and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep."You okay?" Stiles asked. He was standing by his bed, unbuttoning his shirt.Derek focused on the floor as he undid his tie. "'M fine.""You seemed… nervous," Stiles glanced up from his buttons to meet his eyes before Derek turned away."Just didn't know what might be waiting for us inside.""I wouldn't have gone in if I heard movement."Derek paused his fingers on his own shirt buttons. He looked over his shoulder to where Stiles stood shirtless. His brows were pinched and his teeth were dug into his bottom lip. A citrusy scent of concern wafted through the air.Derek only gave a curt nod before turning his attention back to the buttons of his shirt. He swallowed when he heard the buckle of Stiles' pants. Curiosity tugged at Derek's chest but he remained facing away. He hadn't undressed in front of anyone in three years."Nice tattoo," Stiles commented, causing Derek to tense."Thanks," Derek muttered, grabbing a tank top and pulling it on quickly."I was gonna get a tattoo once. Went with a friend of mine. He went first and I passed out. Needless to say, I didn't get one," Stiles huffed a laugh as he climbed into bed.Derek raised a brow. "You're squeamish? You're a cop."Stiles' expression morphed into an offensive scoff. "I don't like needles. And I was sixteen."Derek held back a smirk as he also climbed into bed."We have a Zoom meeting at eleven, but breakfast is over by nine so—""If you wake me before ten, I'll shoot you," Derek cut him off.Stiles laughed, "Oh you resort to threats when you're tired, good to know."Derek clicked off the lamp on his side table and rolled over. It would likely take him a while to wind down, especially after going into the warehouse. However, the steady thrum of Stiles' heartbeat five feet away was comforting. He could almost feel his wolf settle. He closed his eyes and let the steady thump thump lull him to sleep.-When Derek woke to his alarm, Stiles was still asleep, his face half-buried into his pillow. He didn't even stir. Though he guessed flying twice in one day, meeting a new boss and partner, and doing a stakeout gave him an excuse.Derek climbed out of bed and tapped Stiles' pillow. "Hey."Stiles shot up in bed, his hand grabbing for the gun on his nightstand before pausing. "What's wrong?" he blinked up at Derek."It's ten," Derek said with a frown. His eyes landed on where Stiles' hand gripped the handle of the gun, though it was still sheathed and no threat, it made Derek's shoulders tense."Oh, right, yeah, okay." Stiles nodded, removing his hand.Derek relaxed. "I'm going to shower.""Yep," Stiles gave a thumbs up before flopping back onto the bed.Derek always hated the water pressure in hotel rooms. This one was no exception. He stood under the water, letting it run over his head and face. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't wash away the discomfort that had settled in his bones. It hadn't left since he walked into work yesterday morning. It clung to him like a wet t-shirt, heavy and constricting.He cut off the water and buried his face in his towel. He just had to get through this case, then he could go back to being alone. The thought made his chest ache. He hated his nature. Why did he have to crave companionship? Why couldn't he have been a solitary creature instead?He ignored his reflection as he got dressed, preparing to face whatever the day brought.He heard Stiles' voice making him pause. "I dunno, it's weird I guess."There was no other voice. He must have been on the phone. He stepped out of the bathroom and rounded the corner."Yeah, I'll talk to you later," Stiles said before abruptly ending the call.Derek raised a curious brow."Old partner," Stiles said, waving his phone through the air.Derek heard the uptick of the lie in Stiles' quickened heartbeat. He decided not to pry. It wasn't his business after all, but it did leave a sour taste in his mouth. He didn't like having a partner who lies. But he would give the benefit of the doubt. They'd barely been partners for a day. Trust is earned, he knew that well.The pair spent the next hour getting dressed and packing up to head back home. Stiles set his laptop on the table and pulled the chairs next to one another."You think she'll talk?" Stiles asked as he typed in the meeting code."I can't imagine why not. She'd be helping bring down the family that kidnapped her," Derek answered.The screen lit up with two faces already on the call. Director Yukimura and Lori."Agent Hale, Agent Stilinski, Ken greeted them.""Director." Derek gave a nod."Hey, Lori, do you remember me?" Stiles asked, his tone soft and comforting.The blonde nodded."This is my partner, Derek Hale.""Hi," Lori spoke so quietly they almost couldn't hear her."Lori, as I said before, they're going to ask you a few questions, okay?" Ken asked.Lori glanced nervously around her. It looked like she was in a bedroom. There was a glass of water next to her but she was alone. "Okay," she agreed."Do you know how you ended up with the Argents?" Stiles asked, he had a notebook and pen at the ready.Lori pursed her lips. "I was out with my brother. I felt a pinch in my neck and then…" she took in a shaky breath."It's okay, take your time," Stiles smiled."I woke up in a dark room. I was tied to a chair.""Do you know where?"She shook her head."What happened next?" Stiles asked, not looking up from his notes.Lori shifted in her seat. Derek recognized that look. She was shutting down."You can leave out details if it's too hard to talk about. Just the basics is fine," Derek urged. He needed her to keep talking.Lori nodded again. "They started asking me questions.""Do you remember any of them?"Lori shifted again. "I don't wanna say.""That's okay. We just want to make sure that we know your side of the story," Derek pressed gently."I don't want to tell my side."Derek frowned. Why wouldn't she want to tell her side?"You're safe now, Lori, they can't hurt you." Ken piped in.Lori shifted again, glancing around. She felt cornered. Derek was familiar with that feeling. Wolves hated feeling cornered."They have your brother, don't they?" Stiles asked.Lori looked back at the screen, pausing her movements. Tears welled in her eyes. She nodded.Stiles and Derek exchanged looks."What's his name?" Stiles asked."Brett. He's older than me. I wanted to get him out but…" she wiped at a tear that slid down her cheek."How did you get out?" Derek asked. He noticed the way Stiles' heart sped up at the question."Uh…" Lori paused. "The room I was in, it was a container in a warehouse. There was a commotion and they left the door unlocked. I ran.""No one saw you?" Derek frowned. That sounded too easy.Lori only shook her head.Stiles' heart slowed.Something was off. The story was too clean, too…easy."The people who took you are very dangerous. We want to help but we can't do that without you," Ken urged.Lori shook her head again. "I don't want to testify. If they find out it was me… Brett is in danger. I can't…" She wiped at her cheeks where the tears were steadily falling."We want to help, Lori, but we understand that you're scared. If we can get your brother out safely, would you tell us your side?" Stiles asked.Lori's eyes lit up. "Yes, I'll tell you anything you want to know." She nodded eagerly.Stiles glanced at Derek."We'll need just a little information to find him. Can you give us anything that will help?" Derek asked.There was a moment of silence. "There was a woman, she was scary. She said her name was Kate. She did most of the questioning. She kept asking about my… adopted mother. She wanted to know where she was and who she knew. I didn't know what she wanted. I didn't tell her anything.""How long ago were you and your brother taken?" Stiles asked next."Two days, I think.""What's your mother's name?" Derek wondered if her adopted mother was actually her alpha.Lori hesitated."We just want to make sure she's safe." Derek wished he could comfort her, tell her he knew what she was."Satomi Ito," She whispered.Derek nodded to Stiles who was already writing it down."Thank you, Lori. You've been a huge help. If you think of anything else, you let Agent Bradbury know, okay?"Lori only nodded.Once Lori was disconnected Stiles caught Ken up on their findings from the night before."I assume you two will catch a flight back home today then?" he asked.Stiles nodded."Let me know when you decide your next step.""Yes, sir," Derek gave a nod before the call ended. Derek ran a hand down his face. He had hoped to get more from her. They had no plan and no leads.
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After the call with Lori, Derek, and Stiles packed their things and headed to the airport. It was much busier than the night before, but they were no less tired. If the trip were longer, Derek might try and catch a small nap.They settled into their seats. The plane was much louder than their last, and they were blocked in by a man who didn't know the meaning of personal space.They'd barely taken to the air when Stiles was digging in his laptop bag. He pulled out a bag of gummy worms. "Want some?" he asked, extending the bag to Derek."I'm good." Derek frowned. He prided himself on being a patient man. He grew up with two sisters after all. But with little sleep, no leads on a stressful case, the full moon just days away, and a partner he didn't want, even he had his limits. Right now, a baby two rows ahead wouldn't stop crying. The woman behind him was smacking her gum so loud she might as well have been in his ear. Stiles was next to him crinkling his bag of gummies, and the man beside Stiles was somehow already snoring louder than the plane engines."You okay?" Stiles asked leaning over."'M fine," Derek lied."I can see that," Stiles nodded to where Derek's hands were gripping the armrests so tight his knuckles turned white."Just a lot of noises," Derek released the armrests, flexing his hands as if he could get rid of his tension that way."Put on headphones," Stiles suggested."They're in my suitcase. I didn't think I'd need them for such a short trip.""Here," Stiles dug into his laptop bag and pulled out a case of foldable headphones. "I always bring a backup because I forget to charge my earbuds."Derek frowned down at the case. He would have said no, but the snap of a bubble from the woman with gum had him accepting them. "Thank you."Stiles smiled.Derek put the headphones on. Normally they only drowned out so much noise. His hearing was too keen. But these were obviously noise canceling and even if they didn't truly cancel all the noise for him it was a relief to at least muffle the sounds.He scrolled through his phone to find the seminar he'd been watching a few days ago. Maybe he'd be able to finish it.-Derek and Stiles walked into the bureau with bleary eyes and wrinkled clothes."That was a quick trip," Erica noted.Derek didn't say anything. He wanted to give his report to Ken and go home."You two must have had fun," Erica continued, falling in step behind the pair."I don't think Derek knows how to have fun," Stiles snorted."He used to," she quipped.This made Derek pause. He turned a glare in her direction."What? Am I wrong?"Derek only continued to glare. "Only one of us needs to give Ken the report. Why don't you see about our next course of action." He said to Stiles though his eyes never left Erica."Uh, sure, okay," Stiles agreed. He glanced between Derek and Erica as if he were trying to decide if he needed to intervene.Derek turned away. Erica had a tendency to push, but she knew when to back off usually."Was he fun before he lost his partner?" Stiles asked Erica."He told you about that?""I just assumed."Derek pushed open the cracked door to Ken's office, tapping on it with his knuckles as he did so. He didn't care to hear any more of their conversation.Ken looked up from a file on his desk. "Derek." He gestured to the chair across from him.Derek closed the door and sat down."Anything?" Ken asked."Nothing. They either got tipped off that we were on our way or more likely, they didn't stick around to find out if Lori gave out information.""I know it's suspicious to you that Lori escaped, but you can't be so accusatory," Ken said, leaning back in his seat."What do you mean?""You know what I mean."Derek straightened. "I was simply getting her side of things.""You were corroborating their stories.""I was getting another perspective of it. That's all."Ken sighed, steepling his hands. "I know you don't like working with Agent Stilinski, but I need you to extend a little trust. He's one of the best in the field."Derek rolled his eyes. "He's kissing Director McCall's boots of course he has that record."Ken scrubbed at his eyes. "Okay, well, just play nice, please. Just long enough to put this case to rest."Derek leaned forward. "How are we supposed to do that exactly? We have no leads. Our one witness refuses to speak.""Reach out to one of your supernatural contacts. Maybe they can help." Ken gestured to Derek."How am I supposed to do that and keep it from Stilinski?""If you get anything, tell him I gave you an anonymous tip."Derek pushed up from his seat. This would be so much easier if he could work on this alone. He wanted to say as much, but he knew it wouldn't do any good."Let me know if you find anything.""Let me know if Lori decides to be helpful," Derek snapped, swinging the door open. He knew that was unfair. Lori was scared for her brother. She had been taken by hunters who would see her whole pack killed. He didn't blame her for not talking. But he was irritable and he wanted Ken to know it.Derek stalked passed Stiles who was at his desk. He closed the door behind him, hoping that would keep anyone from bothering him at least for a little while. He plopped down in his chair and ran his hands through his hair. Why had he accepted this case?Images of the missing report from the day before flashed through his mind. The look on Lori's face. The anger he felt when he looked at the scars on his flesh. That was why.He snatched up his phone and dialed his sister's number. He waited impatiently as it rang through to voicemail."Hey, Laura, listen, I have a name of an alpha. Satomi Ito. I need you to see if you can reach out to her. I believe her pack is being targeted by the Argents. I'm trying to get a lead on them. If you or Mom could get Satomi to tell you anything she may know about the Argents. I need a lead. Talk to you later. Love you."Derek hung up and ran his hands through his hair again. Laura would likely lecture him on not being more involved in the wolf community to reach out himself, but he would endure it if it meant he got useful information.
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Derek wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting with his head in his hands before a tapping at his door had him bolting upright."Yeah?"Erica's head poked inside the door. "Hey, Gilbert just closed the Worthington case. We're all going out to celebrate. You should come."Derek glanced at the clock on his wall. It was almost five-thirty. Too early to claim he was going home to crash. "I've got work to do." He gestured to his closed laptop.Erica raised an unamused brow and crossed her arms. "Uh huh.""I've hit a dead end and need to figure out my next steps," Derek insisted.Erica rolled her eyes and sighed. "Whatever. One of these days I'm gonna drag you along. I don't care if you're kicking and screaming." She turned to the desk near Derek's door. "What about you, Stilinski? Wanna grab a drink with us?"Stiles bit down on his bottom lip, his eyes meeting Derek's through the doorway."You do what you want." He would prefer to work alone anyway."Great, you're coming. I don't have patience for two anti social friends," Erica said before Stiles could answer.She closed Derek's door, perhaps a bit too hard. The blinds over the little window swayed with the force. Part of him felt bad. He did decline every time they asked. He hadn't said yes since Braeden. That didn't stop Erica from dropping by uninvited though.He could use a drink. He had a mostly full bottle of whiskey at home that sounded really good. He gathered his things and decided to head home. - Files, news reports, and missing person's pictures covered Derek's kitchen table. His laptop was pushed to the side with the address to Chris Argent's newly acquired apartment pulled up. His glass of whiskey sat half drank in front of him.Surely something would help give him a place to start. The clock that hung above the kitchen door ticked rhythmically in his ear. He hated nights like this. Where the sound of silence was almost unbearable. The air around him felt suffocating.A knock on his door was like a gong in his head. His heart leapt into his throat. He glanced at the ticking clock. It was almost seven. Who would be here this late?He peered out the kitchen window to see a familiar blue jeep parked in his driveway. His shoulders deflated. He yanked open the door."What are you doing here?" Derek asked, crossing his arms over his chest."Hi to you too," Stiles said, a frown tugging at his brows. He had a laptop case slung over his shoulder.Derek said nothing, waiting on an explanation."I was too distracted with the case so I had one drink and decided to come here.""Why?""Thought we could brain storm together.""Why?" Derek had no interest in being friends if that was Stiles' motivation. For all he knew, Erica could have sent him."Because we're partners?" Stiles threw his hands up.Derek narrowed his eyes.Stiles scrubbed a hand down his face. "Look, I'm trying here, dude, the least you can do is meet me half way."Derek inhaled deeply before stepping aside and gesturing toward the table.A smile spread across Stiles' face. "Oh is that four roses?" he grabbed the bottle of whiskey Erica had left here the last time she showed up unannounced.. "My dad loves this stuff."Derek tensed. The decanter of his wolfsbane laced whiskey sat next to it. "It's not my favorite." He said, pulling a glass from his cabinet and handing it to Stiles. "Feel free.""What's your preference?" Stiles asked gesturing to the decanter."I forget the name. It's something my sister brought me back from her trip to South America. I only drink it on occasion."Stiles poured himself a glass of the four roses much to Derek's relief.He slid his computer and some of the files to the side to make room for Stiles at the table."Looks like you were working on it anyway. Why didn't you call me?"Derek shrugged. "I'm used to working alone.""What have you found?" Stiles sat at the table before sipping at his drink."Nothing we don't already know.""Maybe we know different things, let's compare notes. Stiles slid his laptop case off and set it on the table.For the next hour they compared information. Derek was careful to leave out any supernatural details. Stiles was more familiar with some of their west coast dealings than Derek was, which he claimed was thanks to his father who was a Sheriff in California. Apparently the Argents were from there and owned a bar that Stiles believed was a front. For what exactly, he wasn't sure. Derek shared his suspicions about the local missing persons being friends of or tied to Lori and her 'mother'. None of it, however, helped them figure out their next step.Derek took their glasses to the counter and poured them another drink. He could feel the tingle spreading through his body. The lightheadedness with each sudden movement."I have a friend who could probably check the security tapes of the area, see if we can spot them leaving. Won't do us much good cause we won't know where they went but…" Stiles shrugged, taking the drink from Derek's outstretched hand."My last run in with them I tried that. They're real good about taking out cameras or avoiding them."Stiles shrugged. "Maybe they missed one."Derek snorted. "Argents don't miss." He tipped his drink back and took a long sip.Stiles tilted his head. "Where were you shot?"Derek set his glass down on the table with a hard thud. He pulled at the collar of his shirt to reveal the scar on his shoulder.Stiles's brows pinched. The air soured with anger. "They aren't getting away with this. I'm not gonna let them." He lifted his own drink to his lips."You're determination is admirable. But I'm not holding my breath.""I've closed every case, that doesn't stop here."Derek studied Stiles. The hatred toward the Argents was genuine. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Why did he hate them so much? It wasn't because of Lori. Stiles was too level headed to let a victim he doesn't know affect how he feels. Unless…"Did you know Lori?"Stiles met Derek's eyes. "What?""Before you found her. Did you know her?"Stiles shook his head. "No. Why would you think that?"Derek listened. There was no skip, no uptick. He wasn't lying. "You just seem to hate the Argents an awful lot."Stiles gestured heavily to the table of missing people. "You know the rumors as well as I do. Hell, I think every cop in America knows them. They're a crime family. Why wouldn't I hate them?"Still no lie, but his scent was off. The sour smell of his anger mixed with another smell he couldn't place. Perhaps guilt or regret? Maybe he knew someone that had been hurt by the Argents. Then why not say so? Perhaps for the same reason he didn't tell about what really happened that night. It was too painful.
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Stiles sat back in his chair, a strand of hair falling out of place, almost in his eye. Derek wanted to reach over and brush it away. Instead, he turned his focus to his drink. Maybe he needed to slow down. He had a tendency to get impulsive."So you're single. You don't have any roommates. You worked alone, and according to Erica you never go out. So what do you do for fun?" Stiles asked, his arms coming up to rest behind his head.Derek ignored the way his biceps bulged. He cleared his throat. "I don't have a lot of time for fun."Stiles rose a brow. "Oh come on, you've got to do something in your spare time."Derek shrugged. "I read."Stiles rolled his eyes. "You don't go out at all?"Derek only shook his head."How do you meet people? Surely you've dated. Or one night stands at least."Derek cleared his throat again before lifting his drink to his lips."Wait, seriously?" Stiles dropped his arms, leaning forward. He let out a low whistle.Derek only glared from above his glass."Erica said you used to be fun. I'm guessing that was before Braeden?"Derek's jaw clicked."I'm not trying to pry, just trying to understand you.""I haven't dated anyone since Braeden," Derek admitted in a bitter tone.Stiles' lips formed an O shape. "I didn't realize... How, uh..." his tongue swiped along his lower lip. "How long were you together?"Derek took another swig of his drink. He could feel the sting in his throat even more. He would need to lay off, let the wolfsbane work its way through his system or he'd be sick tomorrow."Just over a year." He answered swallowing the burning liquid."Oh, so it was serious then. Not just partners letting off steam." Stiles frowned.Derek didn't respond. He had thought it was serious. Now he wasn't so sure."I'm sorry to bring it up.""What about you?" Derek asked. He could pretend to care if it directed the conversation away from him."I've been on dates here and there." Stiles shrugged."Nothing serious?" He wasn't surprised. Stiles was a good-looking guy. He would easily be able to uphold a one-night stand-only policy."Not a lot of people appreciate the profession." Stiles shrugged.Derek tilted his head. He hadn't ever considered that. The only other person he dated long-term was a guy in college. He hadn't had to worry about work causing issues in his relationship."Also, they get insanely jealous of my partners. One guy, Theo, couldn't stand when I did stakeouts with my partner Matt. Despite the fact that I hated the guy. He would get so upset. After Matt was Lydia and she's stunning, but she's like a sister to me, but everyone sees how close we are and—" he waved a hand through the air before bringing his drink to his lips.Derek frowned. "That must be hard."Stiles shrugged. "Lydia always said I should find someone in the field. But I've never met someone that I really connect with, ya know?"Derek's chest twinged. He knew what it was like to feel alone. It was hard.Stiles tipped back the last of his drink. "I should probably go. We've hit a roadblock and we're both tired." He stood, teetering on his feet."Whoa, I don't think you should be driving," Derek said, standing. He caught Stiles' forearm to help steady him."I didn't realize I had so much. I guess that's what happens when you drink on an empty stomach." Stiles blinked."Why don't I order takeout. We could both use food." Derek's fingers burned around Stiles' arm. He hated to admit that he enjoyed Stiles' company."I don't want to intrude any more than I have. Erica just said that I might have to corner you to get you to cooperate so..." Stiles gestured wildly."I'm not letting you leave, so you might as well sit back down."Stiles, without another word, sat back in his chair. "You're different than I thought.""What do you mean?" Derek asked, pulling up the local Thai restaurant on his laptop."You were kind of a dick before. Maybe it's just the alcohol, but you're… nicer."Derek frowned. He hadn't thought he was being a dick. Perhaps a bit standoffish sure, but a dick?"And it made sense, 'cause the pretty ones are always mean, ya know? But you're not mean. Not really."Derek tensed. "Are you profiling me?" he growled.Stiles waved a hand. "Sorry. I don't mean to. Habit."Derek met his eyes. They danced even in the dim kitchen lighting. A bright brown that matched their drinks. Much lighter than the dark velvety color of Braeden's."Did you used to be a profiler?" Derek asked, turning his attention back to the menu on his computer."That obvious, huh?" Stiles huffed a laugh."Why aren't you anymore?"Stiles shrugged. "I'll get called in sometimes to profile someone. But I wanted to be out there, ya know? Making a difference."Derek's eyes tracked the way Stiles bit into his bottom lip."Well it sounds like you are. If what Ken said is true, you're one of the best.""Funny, he said the same thing about you." Stiles smiled at him. It made Derek's stomach flip."Maybe he was lying to both of us."Stiles' grin widened. "Maybe.""Food will be here in fifteen," Derek said closing his laptop."Thanks," Stiles said. He was looking at him like he was reading him. He hated it."Stop profiling me," he snapped."That's just it." Stiles shook his head. "I can't figure you out."Derek's brows pinched. "What do you mean?""You don't want me here. But you don't want me to leave."Derek clenched his jaw. "I don't want you driving." He nodded to the empty glass in front of Stiles."Right." Stiles nodded. But Derek could smell the doubt on him."Why don't you tell me about some of the cases you've closed while we wait for food," Derek crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. Maybe if he changed the subject, Stiles would stop trying to read him. He was glad he couldn't figure him out, but he was afraid he would if he kept trying.
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Stiles tossed his laptop case onto the hotel bed. It bounced on the springy mattress, almost careening to the floor. Great, that meant he wouldn't be getting a good night's sleep for the third night in a row.He scrubbed a hand down his face. He would see about getting an apartment tomorrow. He flipped open his suitcase to pull out his toothbrush. He wouldn't normally get ready for bed quite so early, but the alcohol and then a large plate of Thai food made him extra tired on top of his crappy sleep schedule.After brushing his teeth, setting out clothes for the next day, and plugging in his laptop, Stiles was ready to climb into bed.As he pulled back the stiff white covers, his phone rang out into the quiet of the room.The name 'Ally' flashed across it."Hey, Allison," he answered, not bothering to hide the exhaustion in his tone."Did I wake you?" She asked."No. What's up?" Stiles climbed into bed. He bobbed like a kid in a bouncy castle as he settled in. There would definitely be no decent sleep in this."Just wanted to see if there was any news."Stiles sighed, leaning back against the fluffy, formless pillow. It nearly swallowed his head. "Nothing. We've hit a dead end.""What about Lori?" Allison pressed. Stiles could hear the frustration in her tone building."They apparently have her brother, so she's not doing any talking until we can get him."Allison groaned. "I didn't know she had a brother. She was alone. I figured it was a safe bet.""She's willing to testify if we can get her brother out.""Two witnesses would be better than one. But how the hell are we supposed to get him? We don't even know if he's alive," Allison huffed."You got her out," Stiles shrugged, despite her not being able to see him."Barely. The chances of me sneaking in again are so unlikely. They'll be extra careful now with a witness on the loose.""Have you heard anything?""Gerard's pissed. He's blaming Kate for being reckless. They're trying to figure out how she got out. Thankfully they took care of any nearby cameras so there's no footage of me. But I can't risk it again so soon."Stiles drug another hand down his face. "No, I know. Getting her out was major enough. You got us to officially open a case, that's huge.""How's the new partner by the way? Lydia is pissed you left.""I know she is. But I didn't know there was someone else with a history with them. I thought Lydia and I would be able to handle this. But now I'm having to be so careful about what I say and the information I give. Derek's no rookie. He's smart and good at his job. He also has a literal scar from a run-in with someone working with your family.""I hate when you call them that.""I know, I'm sorry.""They may be blood-related, but they're not my family. You, Scott and Lydia, you're my family.""Your dad is too," Stiles reminded her gently. He knew it was a touchy subject, but Chris was trying to be better.Allison scoffed. "Yeah, sure.""Hey, he's trying.""No, he's hiding. If he were trying, we wouldn't have to be gathering information. He'd be our witness."Stiles didn't argue. It was a fight she'd had with her father a dozen times. He understood where Chris was coming from, but he also understood Allison."Anyway, I'm gonna try and get you a lead. I don't know how you're gonna tell Derek about it.""I'll figure it out. Just be careful, please. I don't need you getting hurt for this." Stiles would never forgive himself."I'd like to think they wouldn't hurt me, but if they found out I was working with the FBI to take them down, I'd be at the bottom of the ocean so fast, sharks' heads would spin."Stiles wanted to laugh at the joke, but it was too true to be funny. "Seriously, be safe. And try to talk some sense into Lydia, I've gotten no less than five messages about ditching her."Allison laughed. "She's just mad that you left her with Matt Donovan.""Yeah, she told me she got stuck with Mr. Goody two shoes. When does she get a new partner?""Next week. Some dude named Jordan Parrish.""Hopefully he's a good one." Stiles did feel guilty accepting the case knowing that he would be working with Derek instead of Lydia, but he had to be a part of this case. Allison was the only way they were going to take the Argents down."Keep me updated. Goodnight." Allison said.Stiles buried his face in the bleach-scented pillow and let out a long groan. So far things had not gone to plan. First, he was sure his new partner hated him, which was unfortunate because he was a stunning man. One Stiles would gladly take for a ride or two. But what was even worse was that Stiles actually liked the guy. Normally the pretty ones were just mean. But Derek was trying too hard to be mean. And the way Erica had talked about him, like he was sweet and kind. Course she had claimed he was that way before losing his partner. Which everyone was certain she was dead. Derek had claimed as much on his report, though no body was ever found. Stiles guessed that was thanks to the Argents.He had been suspicious when he heard Derek hadn't had a partner in three years. But working with him was easy. He wasn't a rules lawyer or control freak. Stiles tried not to profile people. But Derek intrigued him. He tried to keep Stiles at arm's length but in the rare moments when Stiles got him talking or got him to open up. He saw the kind, gentle man Erica described. He also was sure he saw a loneliness in him. It was subtle so he couldn't be sure. It was in the way his shoulders relaxed when they settled into the stakeout. Or how he insisted Stiles stay for dinner. The forced annoyance that hid a smirk when Stiles rambled. He'd wanted to ask if Derek missed having a partner, but he was sure he knew the answer he'd get from Derek. 'I prefer to work alone' he'd say even if it was a lie. Stiles only wondered if he was lying to everyone or himself.
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Derek sipped his coffee. The gentle jingle of the cafe door rung behind him."Where's your partner?" Laura asked, sliding into the seat across from him. She scanned the room as if he would be hiding in a corner of the restaurant."Hi to you too," Derek grumbled.She rolled her eyes. "Hi. Where's your partner?""I couldn't exactly bring him," Derek growled, pushing the coffee he'd ordered for her forward."Why not?" She took the coffee and sniffed at it before taking a sip."You know why.""Cora thinks he's made up."Derek huffed. He didn't want to do this. He just wanted the information Laura had promised."Are you lying to get us off your back?" Laura asked blatantly.Derek only glared at her."Derek, do you know what happens to omegas who remain omegas too long? They die. Either by hunters or…" She trailed off. He knew the stories. Death by loneliness. Derek didn't believe it. It was just a tactic to scare young wolves into falling in line and not challenge their alpha."Do you have the information?" Derek asked. He wasn't having this conversation again.Laura let out a sigh. A sign she was giving up. "Why do you want information about what the Argents are doing?""I can't discuss that with you.""Oh cut the crap. Don't play FBI Agent with me. What's this about?" She leaned forward.Derek glanced around the room for prying ears. There was one other person in the cafe. A young blonde with earbuds in, scribbling in a notebook in the corner while sipping something that looked far too sweet."I'm working a case against them."Laura's eyes widened. "What?""Some… evidence came to light… it was offered to me.""Derek, that's incredibly dangerous. Do you remember the last run in you had with them?"Derek's glare darkened and his hands clenched around his coffee. As if he would forget that.Her expression morphed into regret. "I just mean… they're dangerous, specifically to you. You shouldn't have accepted.""I'm the best suited to take them down because I know the truth about what they actually do," Derek hissed. Of all the backlash he expected from Laura, this wasn't it. He was sure she'd be glad to have them finally taken care of."Mom's gonna freak.""Mom doesn't have to know.""You want me to keep this from her?" She scoffed."I don't want her to worry.""What about me?"Derek dropped his eyes to the table. He did feel bad telling her, but he didn't have a choice. "I need your help."Laura pursed her lips."Please." He glanced back up at her. A look he'd used when they were kids. One she rarely said no to."How are you gonna do this while keeping it from your partner. Assuming he's real.""He's very, frustratingly, real," Derek growled. He didn't want to have to introduce Stiles to his family to prove he was real, but he couldn't handle them harping on him again.Laura let out a huff. "I don't like this.""Noted. Now did you find out anything?""I have a location of the most recent kidnapping. Two wolves of Satomi's pack got ambushed yesterday. One of them got away." Laura slid a folded piece of paper from her jacket pocket across the table. "Satomi's scared."He took the paper from his sister. "She should be."Laura rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks. I'll be sure to tell her that.""Don't tell her we're trying to build a case. We can't have one of the wolves accidentally telling them," Derek warned. If their case got blown before they even got anywhere, he'd lose it."At least keep me in the loop?""If you keep your ear to the ground."Laura nodded."So tell me about this new partner. You have a whole vibe when you talk about him." Laura grinned, lifting her coffee to her lips."No." Derek said, standing."What? Come on. Where are you going?" Laura threw her hands up."I'm busy. Thanks for this." He held up the paper."Derek," Laura whined behind him, but he ignored her as he left the cafe.-Director Yukimura leaned his elbows on his desk. "And you want me to call you two in and give this information as an anonymous tip?" he asked."I can't exactly tell him that my supernatural contact got me this information," Derek snapped. He assumed that would be obvious."An anonymous tip is the best you can do?""Do you have something better?"Ken sighed, and waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, alright. I'll send you two a text with the address."Derek nodded, pleased. He pushed out of his chair."Listen, Derek, I should warn you… if this case gets closed…" Ken clasped his hands tightly. He wore a sympathetic look on his face."What?" Derek frowned. The lemony scent of Ken's worry wafted through the air."There's a chance Stiles sticks around… and he'll need a full time—""No," Derek cut in sharply. He wasn't accepting a long term partner.Ken sighed and acted like he was going to say something else before shaking his head. "I'll send it now." He grabbed his phone.Derek took his leave. He didn't care if he and Stiles managed to close this case in a week and put everyone responsible behind bars. He wasn't agreeing to work with Stiles long term. This was hard enough.-Stiles yawned next to Derek on the flight. He didn't even bother pulling out his laptop. His eyes were shadowed with lack of sleep. His hair, while always in disarray was even messier than normal. His shirt was wrinkled and he hadn't even bothered with a tie."You're not sleeping." Derek pointed out as if Stiles was unaware."I don't sleep well in hotels." Stiles shrugged."We had two nights at home.""My 'home' is currently a hotel room."His brows raised. "You're staying in a hotel?""I haven't had time to find an apartment." Stiles flailed his hands around.Derek's jaw clenched. The offer to use his guest room danced on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't though. It was too risky."I could have checked this out myself if you needed time off," he said instead."And what if you run into trouble?" Stiles scoffed."I've worked alone for three years, I think I can handle myself."Stiles waved another hand dismissively. "I'll be fine."Derek let the conversation lie until they checked into their hotel for the night. The acrid smell of Stiles' anxiety spiked through his nostrils. He watched curiously as Stiles tossed his suitcase and laptop onto the bed. There was a sense of hostility."What is it about hotels?" He asked, pretending to be focused on his own bag.Stiles shrugged. "Just don't like 'em.""Nobody likes hotels. You seem to hate them."Stiles clenched and unclenched his hands. "Just tired of being in them. Are we gonna head out now or…" he looked at Derek with a look that said he wanted the subject to drop."Yeah, the address Ken gave us is only a block away."Stiles gave a curt nod and headed for the door. Derek guessed he was eager to be out of the hotel.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They spent four hours, searching for any clues that the Argents had been here. They asked local shops about the missing people. Nobody seemed to know anything. Why was it nobody ever seemed to know anything?By the time the pair arrived back at the hotel, Stiles was cranky."This was a wasted trip," he huffed, slamming his hotel keycard on his side table."We couldn't know that until we got here," Derek snapped. He should have known that they wouldn't find anything. The Argents were too smart."It seems like we're always one step behind them."Derek shrugged. "They're smart."Stiles started pacing the small path in front of his bed. His fingers drug through his hair. "Is there a connection between the people they're taking? They're in different areas. They likely don't know each other, right? But why those people? Why Lori?"Derek knew the answers to those questions. But he couldn't tell Stiles."Lori said they were asking her questions about her... mother. What do the Argents want with her? Maybe we should find her," Stiles continued."Ken has already tried to locate her. She wasn't at her last known address," Derek said.Stiles threw a hand up. "So what if they already have her? We're chasing a dead end. What does she know that they want?"Derek also knew that. She didn't know anything. She was an alpha. They wanted her dead."Maybe it's not what she knows. Maybe it's who she knows. Or maybe she's somebody. If she's gone into hiding..." Stiles trailed off.Derek held back a smile. It was endearing seeing Stiles work through the case. He was so close. It wasn't his fault he was missing half the information.Stiles tugged at the strands of his hair. "I'm too tired for this."Derek nodded. "We should get some sleep."Stiles' eyes landed on the hotel bed. His jaw clenched. The familiar smell of Stiles' anxiety filled the room again.Derek tried to ignore it as he laid down. However, between the strong scent and the occasional creak of the box spring with Stiles' tossing and turning, he couldn't."What is wrong with you?" Derek growled into the darkness."Just can't sleep."Derek climbed out of bed, rifling through his suitcase."What are you doing?" Stiles asked, sitting up."Here," Derek held out a small glass bottle to Stiles. "It's something my mother gave me. It helps when I can't sleep."Stiles took the bottle, eyeing it suspiciously."It's an herbal mixture. It's not poison." Derek rolled his eyes when Stiles sniffed at the bottle."Put two drops under your tongue. It'll help."Stiles did as instructed. "Ugh," he scrunched his face. "It tastes like grass clippings.""Eat a lot of those, do you?" Derek teased.Stiles sneered at Derek, handing the bottle back."Keep it. I'll get more.""You sure?"Derek only nodded, climbing back into bed."Thanks."Derek ignored the acrid smell in the room and the occasional squeak for the next fifteen minutes before the smell started to dissipate. Silence filled the room. The only sound, the steady thrum of Stiles' heartbeat and the even breaths that grew ever deeper as he drifted off to sleep.Derek laid in the dark room listening. The sounds were like a lullaby. Derek found he didn't need the drops as much the past week. He assumed it was thanks to Stiles' presence. He hated how right his mom and Deaton were about wolves needing companionship.Derek felt betrayed by his own wolf. He couldn't trust anyone enough to let them close. It wasn't safe. But the urge in him to let Stiles stay with him. It was purely selfish. Besides, what were the odds he'd be betrayed by another partner?Stiles let out a content sigh in his sleep. The sound settled over Derek like a comforting hug. He missed sharing a hotel with someone. Granted they usually opted for one bed. For just a brief moment, Derek let his mind wander to what it might be like to share a bed with Stiles. Did he run hot like Derek? Would he curl into his side or drape himself over top?Derek rolled over, grabbing for the unused pillow on the other side of the bed. He pulled it into his chest and closed his eyes. He didn't need to be thinking about Stiles like that. That's how he ended up sleeping with Braeden.
Derek's vision swayed into focus. His arms hurt. His head hurt. He
shifted but
his movements were strained. He couldn't move his
arms which
were held above his head. He tugged at the rope that was tied tightly around them. He blinked, taking in his surroundings. A warehouse. The warehouse that he and Braeden had been sneaking into.
"Oh, he's awake. I was just asking your partner here who I should shoot first." The man standing across from him was younger,
broad
shoulders and dark brown hair. He didn't recognize him. He was holding a gun aimed at him and Braeden.
"Derek," Braeden whimpered, tugging at her own ropes.
"So which will it be?" The man asked.
"Why are you doing this?" Braeden snapped.
Another man Derek hadn't noticed sat at a table sifting through papers. "Stop playing and just shoot one."
"Me," Derek said, his hand twisted in the tight ropes.
"I wasn't asking you." The man focused on Braeden. "I was asking the girl."
"Tell him to shoot me." Derek met Braeden's eyes.
"What?" Braeden gaped at him. Her dark brown eyes were wide and frantic. A look he rarely saw on her face.
"I just need you to trust me. Tell them to shoot me." He could handle a bullet wound.
"You have five
seconds or
I shoot you both,"
The man
snapped, his patience now gone.
"Him," Braeden said quickly, her eyes pulling from Derek.
The man's teeth bared in a sinister grin. "After I kill him, take her for questioning."
"No," Braeden said through grit teeth, pulling at her ropes.
Derek had played along long enough. He yanked, snapping the ropes with ease. Just as a bullet lodged into his chest..
"Derek," Braeden shouted as he tumbled to the ground. He rolled as another shot cascaded past him. He yanked on Braeden's ropes, freeing her just as the gun went off again. The bullet skimmed Braeden's arm, making her hiss in pain.
The pair dove behind pallets and crates, avoiding the bullets raining down on them, but one caught Derek's shoulder joint, sending hot pain through him. When the gun clicked empty, they bolted for the door.
Shouting from the other
man, and
the loading of a gun propelled them forward even faster.
They pushed out of the warehouse door into the dark parking lot to see Derek's car was still parked down the road. They ran. Derek ignored the pain in his chest and shoulder, pushing his feet forward.
Derek bolted up in bed, panting. Sweat dripped down his temple. The bright red numbers of the hotel clock read six in the morning. The steady breaths of Stiles was next to him still. His hands bunched around the fabric of his bedsheets. It had been several months since he'd had that dream.He wiped at the beads of sweat that had collected on his brow. He might as well shower. There would be no getting back to sleep after that.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Derek got out of the shower, Stiles was already awake. He sat shirtless in the swaths of white fabric, his hair was a disheveled mess that Derek had the urge to run his fingers through."Morning," Stiles grumbled."What are you doing up so early?" Derek asked, shoving his dirty clothes into his suitcase."I could ask you the same."Derek didn't respond."Those drops really knocked me out. Thanks." Stiles tossed the covers back, like he was inviting Derek to join him.Derek swallowed, fighting to keep his eyes from trailing Stiles. "Glad they helped," he said.Stiles slipped off the bed, his feet hitting the threadbare carpet below him with a gentle thud.A silence hung between them. Stiles didn't move."I umm, wanted to apologize for last night. I know I was…" he waved a hand. "Irritable."Derek raised a brow."I don't do well with hotels long term. The sterile smell and white decor reminds me of a hospital," Stiles said, his eyes dropping to his feet."What do you have against hospitals?" Derek pressed gently. He hated how curious he was about Stiles. He was sure it was just the companionship he enjoyed and not actually Stiles. Though he never cared this much about Erica's stories, or Jeremy's."So you know how my mom got sick when I was young?"Derek nodded."She spent a lot of time in the hospital. I stayed with her any chance I could. I umm… I was the only one with her the night she…" he scrubbed a hand down his face. "Anyway, hotels just kind of remind me of that." He shrugged as if he could shrug off the memories."I have a guest room. Why don't you stay with me until you find a place." The words were out of Derek's mouth before he could even consider them.Stiles' brows shot up, his lips parting. "What? Really?"Derek's fingers dug into the plastic on his suitcase handle. "I have a feeling we'll be in a lot of hotel rooms with this case. You don't need to be living in one."Stiles bit down on his bottom lip. "Thanks."Derek hoisted his bag off the bed. "If you want to catch breakfast, we should get going soon."That seemed to pull Stiles from his thoughts because he was suddenly scrambling for the bathroom. "I'll be ready in five," he called over his shoulder.Derek leaned over, gripping the covers of the bed. Why had he done that? Sharing a hotel room with Stiles was hard enough. Now he was going to be living in his house with him? Had he lost his mind? It was only temporary. And maybe it would help quell some of the loneliness. Not that he was lonely. But his wolf liked having Stiles around. Maybe it would be satiated. For a while.-Derek hadn't considered that when they arrived back home, he and Stiles wouldn't go separate ways."Are you sure about this?" Stiles asked, pulling his suitcase from the back of his jeep.No. He was absolutely not sure about this. In fact he was sure this was a terrible idea. But what could he say? No? Go back to the hotel?"Guest room is this way," Derek said instead, pushing open the front door. He led Stiles down the short hall past the laundry room and the bathroom. He stopped in front of a door across the hall from his own bedroom."Thanks, man. This is already so much better. It doesn't smell like bleach and blue is my favorite color." Stiles smiled stepping into the small room.It was simply decorated with a few pictures Laura had gifted him after complaining about the lack of wall decor. They were woodsy pictures, capturing nature in all it's ethereal wonder. The bedding was a plain navy blue, with sheets to match."You can use the bathroom down the hall." Derek gestured to one of the doors they'd passed.Stiles let out a sigh. A scent Derek hadn't smelled on Stiles filled the room. It was sweet, but not like the frosting of a glazed donut. It was like a hint of honey on a blueberry muffin.Derek pushed his bedroom door open, letting it fall shut behind him. He leaned against it and inhaled. A scent permeating his home that didn't belong to him or family was terrifying to him. The last time his house smelled like someone else, it smelled like a salty ocean laced with Jasmin. It had lingered in his house for a month after the incident. He swore he could still smell it from time to time.Laura had come over to find him throwing everything cloth he owned in a pile on his bedroom floor with tears in his eyes. Without a word she helped him strip his bedsheets and start the first of a dozen loads of laundry.This wasn't like that. It was just for a couple nights.The shrill of Stiles' phone jolted Derek from his thoughts."Hey, Lydia," he heard Stiles' voice before the click of the bedroom door closing. He felt bad that he could still hear him clear as day. Stiles didn't know that. If Derek wanted to listen closely he could even hear the person on the other end. But he would grant Stiles some privacy.However, hearing his name intrigued him."He's letting me stay in his guest room for a couple days, just until I can find something here."A beat of silence."Yeah, I lost it a little bit last night." There was regret in his tone."He's not as bad as I thought. But the no partner and lack of friends is a defense mechanism. Not because he's a horrible person." Derek frowned. He didn't like being read so easily."I'm not sending you a picture. You're just gonna have to take my word for it." Stiles hissed."Imagine a Greek god with the softest green eyes you've ever seen."Derek's face flushed. Was he still talking about him?"I'm not sending you a picture, Lydia. He's stunning, just trust me."The heat traveled down Derek's neck. Stunning. That was a new one."No, I'm not gonna sleep with him. Is this the only reason you called?" Stiles huffed.Derek ignored the twinge of disappointment at that comment. He pulled his attention from Stiles' conversation which had changed topics. He wished he didn't know that Stiles was attracted to him. That would only make it harder to keep him at arms length.Derek unpacked his bag, placing his toiletries in the bathroom when he caught his reflection in the mirror. He had never considered his eyes soft. Perhaps it was because he only ever saw his reflection as a broken version that he kept hidden behind his neatly pressed suits and hard exterior. Soft. It wasn't a word he would expect anyone to describe him with. Not in a long time.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The tug in Derek's chest was nearly unbearable as he walked in with groceries on his arms to find Stiles sprawled across his couch in nothing but sweatpants. There was a file open on the coffee table. Stiles was reading over a page in his hand, his brows furrowed in frustration. He looked up from the paper and the look morphed into a pleased smile."Hey," Stiles sat up, setting the paper on the table with the others. "Where have you been?"Derek set the bags on the kitchen table, Stiles hot on his heels. He might have kept himself busy all day intentionally. The full moon was tonight and he had stupidly invited Stiles to be in his space. Not one of his smarter decisions."Had a few things to do. We've been out of town a lot," Derek answered vaguely."I could have gone to the store." Stiles frowned, unloading one of the bags.Derek didn't respond. He wanted the excuse to be gone all day, but he couldn't tell Stiles that."I had actually thought you might be trying to avoid me."Derek's heart stuttered. Was he so obvious? "Why would I do that?" he asked, trying to keep the guilt out of his tone."Maybe you regretted letting me stay." Stiles shrugged. He glanced at Derek in uncertainty."I'm not used to having company. It's been a while. But I'd rather have company and know that you aren't gonna be a liability due to lack of sleep."Stiles snorted. "Right."Derek smelled the disappointment."What were you looking at?" Derek asked, eager to change the subject."Just reviewing the case files. Hoping to find something we missed.""We should probably take a step back. Clear our heads a bit. The more we dwell and stare at case files the more jumbled we get. I find that stepping back is a good way to refresh. We might find something we missed later."Stiles nodded. "Yeah, it's just bugging me." He scrubbed a hand down his face."Unless you're planning to cook, why don't I order a pizza and we can put a movie on?"The hopeful lilt of Stiles' tone was too obvious to ignore."I have a recorded game I've been wanting to catch up on. You like baseball?" Why was he doing this? What about Stiles made him throw away all inhibitions?Stiles' eyes lit up. "Hell yeah."Derek had planned to close himself in his room and claim to have a headache but if Stiles already thought he was avoiding him, maybe he needed to at least pretend he wasn't. Besides, if there was a game on, they didn't have to talk.Or so Derek thought. Little did he know that Stiles was a narrator. He might as well have been a sports announcer with how much he was talking."Did you see that slide? He's lucky he hit the plate. That would have set them back for sure." Stiles gestured his pizza towards the t.v.Derek didn't respond. He was too busy trying to ignore the way Stiles' muscles moved under his skin with each flail of his arm. He was a lean kind of strong. And while Derek had noticed before, he had also tried very hard not to stare. However, now, he couldn't help it. He blamed the full moon. It always made him a little more eager. He let is thoughts wander to how it would feel to run his hands along Stiles' back. To grip his hips. Stiles ran a stressed hand through his hair making Derek imagine the feeling of doing it himself. A sharp pain tugged at his jaw and he froze. The pain tugged harder.Pushing up from the couch, he scrambled down the hall to his room. He shoved through his bathroom door and gripped at the counter. His shoulder blades ached and his eyes burned. He was about to shift."Really?" he growled, glaring up at his reflection. He didn't look any different. His eyes were still their sage green color and his teeth weren't extended, but he could feel the push, the urge building inside him.Derek turned on the shower, stripping his clothes. He hadn't struggled with a shift in years. He stepped into the cold water and sucked in a sharp breath. His muscles tensed under the icy feel. He let out slow deliberate breaths.His mind continued to wander to Stiles. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at himself. What was he a teenage virgin? Sure it had been a while since he'd been with anyone and it had been a while since he'd had anyone this close. But this was ridiculous. The loneliness and full moon was making his attraction to Stiles unbearable.He switched the water to hot and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander further. He also let his hand wander. Maybe a little release would help.When he emerged from the bathroom, he felt better. Not great, but more in control at least. Part of him still wanted to wrap himself around Stiles and inhale his scent, but he could at least push the urge aside now."You okay?" Stiles asked when he sat back down on the couch."Yeah," Derek said, not offering an explanation."Did you...shower?" Stiles tilted his head.Derek couldn't help but glance at the perfect way his neck stretched. How pathetic was he? "Yeah," he answered again.Stiles waited, as if expecting Derek to elaborate. But thankfully he didn't push, instead he caught Derek up on the few innings he missed.The game was easier to focus on now, but his eyes kept drifting to where Stiles was getting less animated and more relaxed. He was leaned back now, one hand behind his head for support. Derek's eyes drug down him. He felt a slight tug, before he shoved it down. This one was less primal though. He wanted to slide in next to Stiles, bury his nose in his neck and—"What's wrong?" Stiles voice made Derek's eyes dart back to the t.v."Nothings wrong.""You're looking at me in a strange way."Derek's jaw clenched. So much for being subtle. "I'm just not used to seeing you so... relaxed."Stiles sat up. "Is that... a problem?"The strong scent of concern wafted through the air."No. I'm just... surprised.""Well, your place is nice. Way better than a hotel room." Stiles bit down on his lower lip.A fire coiled in Derek's stomach. Curse his wolf. Lectures on providing for the pack flashed through his mind. He was an alpha. It was instinct to protect and provide. He hated how good it felt to see and hear Stiles felt comfortable in his space."Thank you for this. I know you aren't a fan, but I really appreciate it."A new urge tugged at Derek's throat. He feared what sound he would make if he tried to speak so he only gave a simple nod.They watched the last bit of the game in a comfortable silence. Derek kept his eyes off Stiles, but his attention wasn't on the game. He was aware of every movement next to him. He refused to let his wolf relax, there was no telling what he might do.When the game finally ended, Stiles stood and stretched, causing his sweatpants to drop an inch.Derek nearly let out a whimper as his eyes fell to the line of hair that lead into the top."This was fun. Much needed for sure." Stiles yawned.Derek didn't know when it happened but he was on his feet and taking a step toward Stiles. He stopped when Stiles looked at him curiously. He grabbed the remote, hoping it seemed like that was his intention. "Sleep well." He said, his voice gravely from fighting a growl."Goodnight, Derek."He watched Stiles pad down the hall. He finally let out a heavy breath when he heard the click of the spare room door."Next time you decide to have someone over make sure you're not attracted to them and that it's not on the full moon." He swore to himself. Snatching up the empty pizza box. At least he knew that if he could make it through tonight he'd been fine for the remainder of Stiles' stay.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Having Stiles stay with him was both easier and harder than Derek expected. On one hand, it was like he belonged. He cleaned up after himself, he took out the trash and set off the dishwasher. He stayed out of the way, always sure to give Derek his space. However, he was also everywhere. He was at the table with coffee in the morning. He was stepping out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist at night. He was bent over in the fridge looking for sliced ham at lunch. Derek prided himself on patience, but nobody tested it like Stiles."Hey, so I'll have the keys to my new place in a couple days," Stiles said, pressing up on his toes to reach a glass from the cabinet. His hair was still damp from his shower and he wore plaid pants that hung on his hips practically begging to be yanked down."Oh?" Derek asked, forcing his eyes back to his laptop. He was glad there were no wolves that could smell his attraction to Stiles. Laura, were she here, would be teasing him mercilessly."Yeah, I put my deposit down today. I should be able to move in by the weekend."Disappointment coiled in Derek's stomach."I really appreciate you letting me stay. I think I'd have lost it if I had to stay in a hotel the past three days." Stiles smiled.Derek didn't say anything. He would be relieved to be free of the temptation that was Stiles, but he would miss the feeling of having someone else around."Anything?" Stiles leaned over Derek's shoulder to look at the laptop screen. Derek was doing a search for any missing persons in the last week. Nothing."No," Derek growled. The smell of bergamot and vetiver settled over him. Stiles' scent was intoxicating to him. Almost to the point of being frustrating when he stood so close.***"I don't get it. Did they find what they were looking for or are they being careful?" Stiles huffed, plopping down across from Derek. He noticed the way his shoulders dropped when he put distance between them. He had hoped that would ease with time, but no amount of undress or casual touches made Derek any more comfortable. It made him wonder what had happened to make him so nervous.The buzzing of his phone in his pocket startled him. He fished it out to see Allison calling. He quickly declined the call. That was the biggest challenge living with Derek. He was terrified to talk to Allison in case Derek overheard.Derek raised a brow at him."Lydia," he lied with a wave of his hand. He lifted his glass of water to his lips. Sometimes he felt like Derek was reading his mind. The way he looked at him, like he expected him to admit that he was lying. Like he was giving him the chance to come clean. But then he'd move on. Not say anything. This was one of those times. Derek eyed him for longer than was necessary before turning back to his laptop."I don't know where to go from here. We've been stagnant for weeks," Derek said, closing his laptop with a huff.Stiles carded his fingers through his hair, sending droplets of water darting through the air. "I hate how careful they are. There has to be something."Derek pushed from the table. "I'll talk to Ken tomorrow. Maybe we can..." he paused, a look of guilt sweeping over his expression. "...put some pressure on Lori."Stiles's brows furrowed. He didn't like that idea. But he guessed by Derek's look, he wasn't keen on it either."I'm going to bed," Derek said before leaving the room."Goodnight," Stiles called after him. No response. He sighed. He tried to be friends with Derek but he just wasn't having it. Every tiny bit of closeness was undone by Derek pulling away. He had hoped living with the guy would get him to open up some, but no such luck. He mostly avoided him.When he heard Derek's bedroom door close, he pulled out his phone. Allison had left a voicemail."Hey, Sti, I've got a possible lead for you to follow. Call me."Stiles' tongue swiped across his bottom lip. As quiet as he could, he slipped out the front door and down the driveway, dialing Allison's number."There you are, I've called you like three times," She huffed into the phone."I'm sorry, it's hard to talk when you're sharing twelve hundred square feet with someone who can't know I'm talking to you.""I still think you should tell him. Keeping it from him is only going to be bad when he finds out.""Allison, his last partner was murdered by your family. He has scars on his body from them. I don't think he's gonna be thrilled to find out that I'm getting my intel from one of them.""I'm not one of them," Allison snapped."I know that, but I don't think he'll see it like that.""Maybe he'll be understanding.""He accepted being partners with a complete stranger to take them down after three years of working alone. That doesn't sound like someone who might be understanding."Allison sighed but didn't argue further."So what have you got for me?""There's a shipment happening in Long Beach in two days. I don't know what it is. Could be people. Could be guns. I don't know. But it's supposed to take place at two a.m.""That's great, Ally.""What are you gonna tell Derek?"Stiles glanced toward the house, it was silent. No sign of Derek. "It's only like an hour and a half from Beacon Hills. I can say that I had my dad put out some feelers and he heard about a shipment coming in.""Okay. Just be careful.""I will. Thanks."Stiles hung up and ran his hand through his hair. He hated lying to Derek. But he really didn't think telling him about Allison was a good idea. He'd rather nobody know. It was safer that way.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Derek parked the car a block away from the docks. He cut the headlights, casting them into eerie darkness. The roads were quiet. It was just past midnight."How did your dad know about this?" Derek asked."A friend. I dunno. Figured the less I know the better." Stiles shrugged before climbing out of the car.Derek tried to ignore the sputter of Stiles' heartbeat. Why lie? Who was he trying to protect? He wanted to ask but how would he explain being able to hear Stiles' lie?Stiles knocked on Derek's window. "Coming?"Derek let out breath and climbed out of the car. "I just don't like going in blind.""Hey, I'm no happier about it. But that's the information I was given." No lie there, at least.Derek took the gun from his back, checking that it was loaded and ready to go."I don't know which dock it is, so we start at this end and work our way down?" Stiles gestured to the nearing dock. There were no boats at this one, but that didn't mean there hadn't been.The water lapped at the side of the wooden beams. The smell of salt and fish hung heavy in the air. Derek had never been one for the beach. The scents were too strong and often nauseating.Stiles on the other hand seemed to be enjoying the smell. He inhaled deeply and a small smile tugged at his lips. A cool breeze blew in off the water, raking it's fingers through Stiles' hair, like a welcoming caress.Derek dug his own fingers into the side of his leg to keep from doing the same thing. It wasn't his place."You're tense," Stiles whispered, glancing toward him."'M fine," Derek said. He focused on listening for any movement. There was little to no activity. One boat was in the process of being tied up for the night by an older man in a colorful Hawaiian shirt and khaki's.The pair quietly walked along the docks, searching for any pallets or boats that struck them as odd.About halfway down the docks there was a box with a large red A painted on the side."Do you think?" Stiles asked stopping.Derek had had the same thought. "That seems obvious."Stiles scanned the area before approaching the box. "This is theirs alright," he said, tracing a small engraving that was stamped at the top of the box.Derek neared to see the fleur de lis symbol stamped into the soft wood.Derek would have ripped the box open, but that might have elicited some questions from Stiles."Here." Stiles pulled out a knife from his pocket.Derek wedged the blade between the pieces of wood and pried open the box.The wood dropped with a thud."God damn it," Stiles swore.Inside the box was a single bullet standing up in the middle. Stiles snatched it up to inspect it. On the bottom of the bullet the fluer de lis symbol was pressed into the metal.Derek swallowed. The last time he'd seen a bullet casing like that, he'd dug it out of his own flesh."They knew we were coming," Stiles snapped."They're toying with us." Derek clenched his hands."Fuck," Stiles swore, throwing the bullet back into the box. It tinked against the wooden walls, bouncing, before falling still on it's side on the bottom.Derek was about to question Stiles' source again, but the ashy scent of anger filled his nose.Stiles kicked at the lid, stepping by. His hands were balled into fists at his side.Derek followed silently back to the car. Part of him wanted to comfort Stiles and part of him was just as irritated. How had they known they would be there? Did they know it was them? Or did they assume they were being watched because of Lori? Did they have an inside man? These were all questions he wanted to ask Stiles, but he gathered that might be unwise at the moment. With the way Stiles' heart was thudding heavily in his chest and the ashy smell had grown thick in the space between them, he guessed Stiles was stewing. - Derek exited the bathroom of their shared hotel room to find it empty. On the small table by the tv was a note written in Stiles' messy scrawl.'Went down to have a drink.'Derek stared at the note, debating if he should just go to bed or check on Stiles. He was tired and frustrated, but Derek expected the Argents to be smart and careful. It seemed Stiles didn't.He threw on a t-shirt and didn't bother changing out of his sweatpants before heading down to the lobby. What was he going to say to him? He didn't know the first thing about Stiles despite being partners for almost two weeks. He knew how to cheer up Braeden. It took a shot or two of whiskey, an hour at the shooting range and three orgasms. Not necessarily in that order.It seemed Stiles was already having a drink. No shooting range was open at this hour, and he doubted Stiles would be open to an orgasm from Derek. Not that Derek was willing. One orgasm one time turned into multiple regularly. He couldn't risk that again.Stiles' back was to Derek as he approached the bar. The bartender was cleaning a glass about ten feet away. Stiles sat alone."Drinking on the job?" Derek asked, aiming for a lighthearted tone. He slid into the seat next to Stiles.Stiles looked over, his brows raised. "What are you doing down here?""Checking to make sure you aren't drowning yourself in whiskey." Derek frowned at the two empty shot glasses in front of Stiles.Stiles bit down on his lower lip. "I'm just having a couple." He shrugged."Can I get you anything?" the bartender asked. He was an older man, gray streaked the sides of his dark hair. He wore a tired but sincere smile."I'm okay," Derek said."Another for you?" He asked Stiles."Sure."Derek's brows pinched. "You're really trying to drown yourself, aren't you?"Stiles only shrugged.Derek sighed. He wasn't good at this. "Don't let them get to you. That's what they wanted. It's why they're taunting us. They want us frustrated and questioning ourselves."Well it's working.," Stiles grabbed the shot glass the bartender set in front of him. He tossed it back, his face scrunching in response."What do you usually do when a case doesn't go well?" Derek asked.Stiles wiggled the shot glass before slamming it down."Anything else?""I drink until I don't care and then I sleep it off and start over in the morning." Stiles held up his hand to grab the bartender's attention. "You?"Derek caught his wrist. Stiles met his eyes. "I'm usually the one distracting my partner."Stiles' eyes dropped to Derek's mouth. "Oh yeah? What about when you didn't have one?"Derek swallowed. His hand was still wrapped around Stiles' wrist. The salty smell of attraction danced on the edge of Stiles' scent.Derek leaned in, lowering his voice. "I don't let cases get to me," he lied.Stiles' heart rate picked up. His tongue swiped across his bottom lip. Derek's eyes tracked the movement.He wasn't sure who moved first. But the movement was sudden and desperate as their lips crashed together. The taste of whiskey fresh on Stiles' tongue. Derek's hand wrapped around the back of his head, sliding his fingers through his hair. Something he'd been wanting to do.Stiles' hand clenched at Derek's t-shirt, keeping him close.It had been so long since Derek had kissed someone, his head spun. It took every ounce of self control not to hoist Stiles onto his lap. He wanted to lavish his skin with his mouth. He wanted to drape his scent on Stiles so it was the only thing he smelled for days. Instead, Derek pulled away.Stiles panted between them, his eyes searching Derek's face as if reading his intentions."You should get some rest." Derek stood. He needed to get as far from Stiles as possible, before he did something even more stupid.Stiles didn't move or speak, but Derek could feel his eyes on him as he left the lobby.Once Derek was inside the elevator, he knocked his head back against the reflective wall. He was pathetic. He couldn't even control himself. This is how things escalated with Braeden. It started as a simple one night stand. A distraction. Next thing he knew he was in too deep, left with nothing but his own scars to keep him warm. He couldn't go down that path again. He would simply tell Stiles that it was an old habit. A mistake.
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Derek was up before Stiles the next morning. He noted the small vial he'd given him sitting on the side table between them. He was facing away from Derek. The urge to climb in behind Stiles and pull him in close was strong. He pushed down the urge. One kiss and now he thought he had the rights to touch him whenever he wanted. How pathetic. A shower would help. He'd try and wash away the feelings. Despite it never working in the past, he'd try again.Stiles was up and dressed when Derek emerged from the bathroom. He was on the phone."Yes, sir." He glanced at Derek as he spoke. "We plan to survey the area, ask around for anyone who might have seen them. Our flight is at six."Derek started to pack his bag. Stiles seemed to be in a better mood. Or at least pretending to be.Stiles took his phone with him to the bathroom. "We'll head to the office tonight," he said as he closed the door.Derek glanced at the unmade bed Stiles had climbed out of. His hands gripped the edge of his suitcase. He would likely have to explain the kiss. What was he going to say? Was he really prepared to tell Stiles that he was attracted to him?Stiles said his goodbye's to who he assumed was Director Yukimura, before turning on the sink.Derek had a few minutes to come up with a believable reason for the kiss. He couldn't even blame the alcohol cause he hadn't had any.The faucet shut off, sending Derek's heart rate up. Maybe he could get away without explaining himself. Maybe he could just apologize. Maybe Stiles wouldn't even mention it. That was just wishful thinking.Derek swallowed the lump forming in his throat when the bathroom door opened. He busied himself with zipping up his bag. He turned only when Stiles didn't come into view. Instead, he was paused about three feet from Derek. His fingers tapped the side of his leg. His teeth were buried into his bottom lip. The familiar smell of his anxiety hit Derek's nose."I'm sorry," he blurted before Derek could say anything.Derek's brows rose. Sorry? What did he have to be sorry about? "For?"Stiles' tongue slid across his bottom lip. "Last night."Derek smoothed his expression, hoping to keep his emotions off his face."I shouldn't have…" Stiles trailed off, waving a hand through the air."We all have bad days. I shouldn't have… bothered you." He chose his words carefully."No, no, you didn't. I appreciate… I mean…" another swipe of his tongue.Derek tracked it before dropping his gaze. He cleared his throat. "I'm aware that my actions my have come across as taking advantage. That was not my intention."Stiles' head tilted. "Your actions?"Their eyes met. "The kiss," Derek clarified.Stiles' mouth formed an O. "I didn't… that wasn't what I… Oh." His face morphed into several expressions rapid fire."You didn't what?" Derek pressed. The scent coming off of Stiles was a mixture of confusion, regret and excitement. He didn't understand it."I thought that… I mean… You initiated it?"Panic shot through Derek like an emotional bullet. Had Stiles thought he initiated it?"I'll be honest, I'm not sure." That wasn't a lie. One second they were talking and the next they were tangled in each other.Stiles' shoulders visibly relaxed. "Oh. So it was a mutual decision then." He nodded.Derek's jaw clenched. He should have taken the out. He cleared his throat. "Either way, it shouldn't have happened.""Right, yeah. Of course." Stiles shook his head then nodded.Derek turned away, the faint smell of disappointment hitting his nose. "What did Ken want?" he asked, hoping Stiles would accept the subject change."We uh, forgot to check in last night. He wanted to make sure we were alright. I caught him up."He nodded. "We should get going then." He pulled his bag from the bed and stepped by Stiles. He was once again glad that Stiles couldn't smell his emotions but he for the first time wished he couldn't smell Stiles'.-They, of course came up empty handed once again. Nobody knew anything. Nobody saw anything. Derek was beginning to think people were being paid to not know or see anything.They caught their flight back home, pulling into Derek's driveway just after seven."Aww, damn it," Derek swore climbing out of the car."Who's that?" Stiles asked, his chin jutting toward the SUV parked in his driveway."Derek?" Talia pushed open the door. "I though you would be gone for a couple days?"Derek's shoulders dropped. "Yeah, sorry. I forgot to send you a message."However, his mother wasn't even listening. Her eyes were on Stiles. A smile spread across her lips. "You must be Stiles."Stiles' brows rose in surprise, glancing at Derek for any clue.Derek sighed. "Yes, this is Stiles. Stiles, this is my mother.""Oh, Mrs. Hale, it's nice to meet you," he extended a hand toward her.She ignored it, pulling him into a hug.Derek's jaw clenched. She was doing that on purpose. Scenting him."It's so good to finally meet you. Derek is frustratingly stingy on details."Stiles smiled kindly. "So I've noticed.""Well, I don't mean to be in the way. I was just finishing up checking on the house. I'm actually about to meet your sisters for dinner. You should join us."Derek's stomach sank to his feet. "We can't," he answered quickly.Stiles frowned, looking at him. He didn't meet his eyes. He hadn't since this morning."We have to get back to the office. We were just dropping off our stuff—""Oh, come now," She tutted.Stiles shrugged. "I could eat."Derek's jaw tightened. There would be no getting out of it now."Great, we're meeting at Travinia's." Talia leaned over to Derek, pressing a kiss to his cheek.Stepping by, she gave Stiles' forearm an affectionate squeeze.Derek didn't move. His hands were clenched into fists at his side. The sound of his mother's car pulling out of his driveway was loud in his ears, but not as loud as the rushing of his own blood. The last thing he wanted to do was have dinner with his mother and sisters with Stiles in tow."You okay?""Next time I insist we can't join my mother for dinner, take the hint," Derek snapped.Stiles' shoulders slumped. "She seems nice. I don't know anything about you so I thought—""Maybe that's intentional," Derek cut in, his tone sharp. He yanked his bag from the car and stalked toward the house."Well maybe I want to get to know you. If you won't offer it up, maybe your family will," Stiles snapped, following Derek, his own bag in hand.Derek dropped his bag on the kitchen floor, whipping around to face Stiles. "Why?""Because despite your attempts at being an asshole, I like you. And I'd like to know more about you." Stiles wasn't backing down."We're not friends," Derek growled."I disagree." Stiles stepped closer to him. Closing the already miminal distance between them.Derek swallowed. His eyes dropping to Stiles' mouth."You want to keep me out? Fine. But I'm an FBI agent. I don't need to get my answers from the source. I have contacts."Derek narrowed his eyes."You don't want me getting the info from your family, maybe you shouldn't be so closed off.""Maybe my life is none of your business.""Maybe I want it to be." Stiles' eyes landed on Derek's lips, his tongue swiping out again.The urge to kiss him was strong. Despite being insanely frustrating, Stiles was also endearing. He'd never had someone want to get to know him so bad. It took Braeden six months of dating before she would even meet his mother."Why?" Derek found himself asking, his tone breathless.Stiles scoffed a laugh. "You're unbelievable." He took several steps back.Derek's brows furrowed."Come on, I'm hungry."He took a deep breath as Stiles disappeared down the hall. His heart raced in his chest. Stiles was going to be the death of him.
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Derek picked at his salad. He wasn't hungry despite having hardly eaten all day. His stomach had been in knots since the night before. Now it rivaled his Nan's yarn bag that she used to swear would be turned into an afghan. The entire dinner had been spent with his mother and sisters asking Stiles a million and one questions but he knew the conversation would take a turn at some point."Derek, honey, why so quiet?" his mother asked, making him look up from the tomato he was pushing around his plate."Just tired," he lied with a half shrug. He paused, his eyes lifting to look at his mother. She had a single brow raised and an unamused look on her face.Derek was so used to lying to Stiles that he forgot his mother would hear it. They stared at one another, neither one giving in.She pursed her lips, and Derek let out a heavy sigh. "I don't want to be here, is that what you want to hear?"Talia's face softened. "I don't understand why. Stiles is lovely."Derek narrowed his eyes."Whatever you two are fighting about though, you should resolve it. Conflict between partners is never a good thing."Stiles choked on his water, coughing next to him."We aren't fighting about anything, mother," Derek growled, his eyes narrowing even more."Well there's some sort of tension between you two." She gestured between them."Don't do that.""What?" Talia shrugged."I'm not one of your clients. Neither is Stiles."Talia leaned back, putting her hands up in mock surrender."Clients?" Stiles asked, wiping his mouth. His eyes bounced between Derek and his mother."Our mother is a therapist," Laura offered."That explains why you don't like to be analyzed," Stiles said, glancing at Derek.He tensed. He could feel his mother's eyes on him. Reading him. Listening to his heart. Searching for his scent. If he wasn't careful, she'd find out about his conflicting feelings. He didn't need her to see a crack she could wiggle into."I assumed it was from the court order therapist after your last partner but…" he nodded. "This makes more sense."Derek snapped his head to face Stiles. "How'd you know about that?""Well I just assumed. It's protocol. You have to do so many hours of therapy after a traumatic case. Your partner being killed in front of you is definitely classified as traumatic."Derek's jaw clenched. At no point had he told Stiles what happened. He guessed that he had Erica to thank for that."You told him about Braeden?" Cora leaned forward, her eyes wide and curious."He was vague. I picked up the official story from a couple people in the office and my own deductions.""Your own deductions?" Cora pressed.Derek's jaw ached."Uh, yeah, his fear of having a partner. His agreeing to take the Argent case—""His what?" Talia snapped.Laura pursed her lips, and cast her eyes to her plate."Derek Samuel Hale." Talia set her fork down with a harsh clink.He winced. He should have told Stiles not to mention the case."When were you going to tell me?"He clenched his jaw. Lying would not help him right now. "I wasn't," he said, staring down at his plate.His mother drew in a sharp breath. "Why?"Derek lifted his eyes to meet hers. "You know why."Talia's chin lifted. "Revenge is a terrible reason.""This has nothing to do with revenge. This has to do with the missing people that keep showing up on the news. I know they're connected. If I can just—" Derek cut himself off. He had to be careful what he said around Stiles."Derek, they're dangerous." His mother's tone was sharp and commanding. Had he still been a beta, he would have shrunk back. Laura and Cora shifted uneasily in their seats, obviously responding to her alpha tone."I promise to keep him safe," Stiles said, pulling their attention to him.Talia's smile was tight and though she physically pulled back, Derek could smell the anger on her still."How can you promise that?" Cora scoffed. "You have no control over what they do.""I won't let them hurt him again." Stiles' tone was sincere and the scent that hung on him was determination."Again? You know quite a bit," Laura said, a curious smirk on her lips.Stiles' eyes cut to Derek. "Only bits and pieces really.""That's more than most people get."Derek pushed the tomato around his plate some more. He could feel his mother's eyes on him once again."Anything you want to share about him? He's incredibly vague in what little he does share."Derek shot Laura a warning glare. She grinned at him."If you're this closed off with your partner, I'm glad you deleted your Tinder account."Stiles coughed again. "You had a Tinder account?""No," Derek growled."I made one for him.""It was a really good picture too, want to see?" Cora pulled out her phone. Derek's fingers dug into the edges of his fork. He knew the picture she was showing him. It was an older one. He was shirtless on the beach, a wide grin on his face.Stiles let out a low whistle. "Look at you. Is that a smile I see?" he teased.Derek rolled his eyes."It was a genuine account. I didn't put anything cheesy." Laura held out her phone now."Derek Hale, twenty-seven. I'm a great conversationalist. Loyal. And when I'm not busy at work at the Bureau, I like to cook."Stiles raised a curious brow. "Great conversationalist?""Well, he was."Stiles looked at Derek. "You cook?"Derek gave a half shrug."You've never cooked for me.""That's not true. I made pasta."Stiles waved a dismissive hand. "Everyone can make pasta. I don't move out for like three days. You have to cook for me at least once.""Move out?" Cora asked.Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. Another topic he was hoping wouldn't come up."That's why the guest room bed was ruffled." Talia pursed her lips to hold back a smile."Wait, you're staying with Derek?" Cora's tone was too excited.Stiles scratched at the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah, he's letting me stay until I get an apartment."The three of them looked at Derek with wide eyes and open mouths. His jaw clenched. Keeping things from his family was not possible with Stiles around."That's very sweet of you, Derek," His mother said. A new warmth to her tone that hadn't been there a moment ago."Are you two sleeping together?" Cora asked.Derek and Stiles both froze. "No," Derek growled. Had they been in private he's sure his eyes would have flashed in warning.Stiles busied himself with his drink, the smell of guilt sweeping over the table.Derek frowned. Why did Stiles feel guilty about that question? Unless… did Stiles have other reasons for the kiss last night?"We, uh, should probably be going soon. Director Yukimura is expecting us," Stiles said, glancing at the time. Oh now he wanted to change the conversation.Derek set his fork down, nodding in agreement. "Thanks for this riveting dinner. I'll call you later." He stood.Stiles frowned up at him. "The check.""Cora's got it, don't you?" Derek asked, pointedly. She glared."It's my treat tonight. Thank you both for coming. Derek, honey…" Talia stood, taking Derek's hands in hers. Her kind tone turned dark. "Be careful." Her grip was pointed, telling him all the things she couldn't say in front of Stiles."I'll be fine, mom." He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. He turned a pointed look to Laura. "I'm sure we'll talk soon."She waved him off.Derek headed for the door."Bye loser," Cora called after him. He threw up his middle finger, following Stiles out of the restaurant.
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Stiles' bit his bottom lip, waiting for the right time to apologize. That dinner had been a disaster."I'm sorry," he blurted.Derek's hands gripped the steering wheel harder."I didn't know they didn't know about the case."Derek's jaw twitched. "I should have told you.""I'm also sorry about the living with you thing. I didn't know that they didn't know, or that it'd be a big deal."Derek glanced at him, a look on his face that Stiles was beginning to get used to. It was like he wanted to say something. It drove Stiles crazy. He wished he'd just ask. But of course he looked away again, saying nothing."I know you're pissed. Say what you want to say."Derek sighed. "I'm not pissed, I just—""You know if you weren't so closed off, tonight would have gone a lot better. It must be lonely." He knew it was a low blow, but he was dying to break through Derek's walls.His jaw ticked, cluing Stiles in that he'd hit a nerve. "Why do you care if I'm closed off?""Because I'm trying here, Derek, but you won't give even a little. What's the harm in knowing that you like to cook."Derek didn't respond."Huh?" Stiles pressed."Growing up, cooking was an act of love. We cooked big family meals. We baked at the holidays. We made someone's favorite dinner for their birthday."Stiles closed his eyes. He was such an asshole. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize.""When I cooked pasta that night… It was the first time I'd cooked for someone since…" Derek swallowed.Stiles wished he could throw himself out the car window."It was just a small meal, but I had missed doing it. But then it felt… personal.""Well, for what it's worth, I appreciate it."Derek didn't say anything.Silence pressed in around them, almost suffocating Stiles. "Can I ask you something?"Derek tensed. "What?""Why did Cora ask if we were sleeping together?"Derek's hands tightened around the wheel once again. "My sisters like to involve themselves in my dating life.""You haven't dated anyone since Braeden, I thought.""Yes, hence the Tinder account.""So she just assumes that you're sleeping with anyone you get close to?" Close was a generous word. He and Derek were about as close as Tom and Jerry.Derek only shrugged.Stiles was glad when they pulled into the bureau parking lot. He needed to get out of the enclosed space he was locked in with Derek.The office was mostly empty at this hour. Only Jeremy and Charlie were in."Hale, Stilinski," Ken poked his head out of the office."I've got this," Derek said, making his way to Ken's office.Stiles plopped down in his desk chair and scrubbed a hand down his face."Not going well I take it?" Jeremy asked, leaning back against Stiles' desk, his arms crossing over his chest."Not exactly," Stiles answered."How's working with Hale?"Stiles glanced to the Director's closed door. "It wouldn't be so bad if he weren't so…" he waved a hand."Anti-social?" Jeremy finished.Stiles nodded."After Braeden died he just… wasn't the same. It's like he's afraid to get close to anyone.""Yeah." Stiles didn't look away from the door, as if he could figure Derek out through it. Losing a partner like that would be understandably hard, but to completely pull away from everyone, it didn't make sense to him."Where to next?" Jeremy asked, pulling Stiles' thoughts."Uh, not sure. We're kind of back at square one.""That's the worst."He scrubbed another hand down his face. "It really is." He'd need to talk to Allison, see if she had any clue about what happened."Well, if you're not busy, we could grab a drink. I know that usually helps me when I've hit a wall."Stiles looked up at Jeremy, he wore an unsure smile. Was he asking Stiles out? Is that something he wanted? To date someone? Jeremy was a good looking guy. Soft brown hair, bright brown eyes. An endearing smile."I mean, only if you're not busy." Jeremy shifted his weight making Stiles realize that he hadn't responded for an awkward amount of time."He's busy," Derek snapped, startling both Stiles and Jeremy."Oh, right, some other time then maybe." Jeremy pushed off Stiles' desk."You have a new lead?" Stiles asked Derek, who was stalking towards his office."No, but we need a game plan."Stiles narrowed his eyes, following Derek into his office. They'd discussed their possible next steps on the way back home. They'd agreed they were stuck.He closed Derek's door and crossed his arms. "A game plan?"Derek's eyes landed on the closed door behind Stiles as if he now felt trapped. Good. That was Stiles' intention."We're out of leads. So maybe we need to re evaluate some things," Derek said."Tonight?" Stiles asked doubtfully.Derek paused next to his desk, finally meeting his eyes. "Were you wanting to be hit on by Jeremy all night?"Stiles shrugged. "Maybe." He held back a smirk at the subtle clench of Derek's jaw. So he was jealous."I thought you wanted to take the Argents down.""If you have any ideas, then by all means…" Stiles gestured through the air emphatically."Your mood sure has shifted from last night.""Maybe you kissed it out of me," Stiles teased, taking a step forward.Derek's eyes narrowed ever so slightly."It won't happen again."Stiles' stomach sank. "Was it that bad?" he smirked, hoping to hide the disappointment.Derek swallowed, his eyes falling to Stiles' mouth briefly. "It shouldn't have happened.""Right. You keep saying that." Stiles took another step forward, leaving two feet between them.Derek didn't move away like he expected him to. "Because it's true."Stiles nodded. "Well the more reason for me to take Jeremy up on that drink." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.There it was again, the slight clench of his jaw.Stiles knew this was a dangerous game. But he was curious about Derek. He acted like he couldn't stand to be around Stiles but then he looked at him like he wanted to kiss him.Just as Stiles was about to back off, thinking Derek wouldn't take the bait, he was being yanked into his chest.Their lips crashed together desperately. A strong hand held the back of his neck. He gripped at Derek's hips, pulling him closer. Parting his lips, he dove in for an even deeper kiss, half expecting Derek to pull back. Instead, Derek met his fervor with his own.The press of wood hit his back as he was pushed against Derek's bookshelf. A picture frame rocked in place from the force. But Derek didn't let up. His fingers tugged at Stiles' hair.Desperate to feel more of Derek, he slid a hand under the hem of his shirt, feeling the smooth skin under his fingers.The loud shrill of his phone was like a jolt between them. Derek was suddenly two feet away, jaw clenched, hands balled into fists at his sides.Stiles scrambled to get his phone out. Allison. He quickly rejected it."You should take Jeremy up on that offer," Derek said breathlessly.Stiles blinked. "What?""I'll see you at the house," Derek skirted past him, like he was afraid to touch him."Derek, wait—" but he was already gone, leaving Stiles standing mussed and breathless.
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Stiles scrubbed a hand down his face. His phone rang again in his hand. Allison again."Hello?" Stiles huffed into the phone."Stiles, oh, thank god. I was so worried.""What? Why?""I overheard Kate talking to my dad earlier. She knows you're onto them. She said something about leaving you with nothing but a bullet."Stiles snorted. "Yeah, she did that alright.""Are you okay? What happened?" Allison's tone was full of worry."No, yeah. I mean— she literally left us a bullet. Like in the shipping box. They had already left.""Shit," Allison swore.Stiles left Derek's office, closing the door behind him. He couldn't help but wonder how far that kiss would have gone had Allison not called."Well, listen. I know for a fact there's an exchange happening in DC. Kate wants dad to be there. He's always been good about cleaning up their messes." There was an unmistakable sneer to her tone. "She wants him to scope the place out and find out who's on their tail. They're expecting that their being watched. I don't want you to go, but if you think that it could give you something..."Stiles bit down on his bottom lip. "I don't know how I'm supposed to get Derek to go with me. Every lead we've followed has come up short. If this one does too...""Tell him you have someone on the inside.""I can't do that.""Stiles this is gonna blow up in your face. You need to tell him.""What's going to blow up in my face is telling him. He won't trust you and then he won't trust me. I need him to trust me." He pursed his lips together. He wanted Derek to trust him. He was so close, he was sure of it."What are you going to do?""Call my director. Put in an anonymous tip.""I can't do that. That's too risky for me. If they found out...""Well I can't tell Derek about you and you can't call my director so...""I'll figure something out. I gotta go."Stiles wanted to object but the line went dead.He swore, tossing his phone down on his desk. This was getting too complicated. If he slipped up and Derek found out about Allison, he'd be screwed.***The rumble of Stiles' jeep pulling into the driveway reached Derek's ears. He was hiding in his room like the coward he was. How was he supposed to face Stiles after kissing him again? He'd been stupid to let his jealousy get the best of him. Despite trying to convince himself he wasn't jealous, he knew that was what it was. Jeremy was a good looking guy and was obviously attracted to Stiles. Who wouldn't be? But the idea of Stiles going out with Jeremy had made Derek's stomach twist. And what was worse, was Stiles humoring the idea. Derek had reacted and now he was hiding in his room because he couldn't face him."Derek?" Stiles said his name quietly from the other side of his door. Derek pursed his lips and closed his eyes.Stiles sighed. The sound of Stiles' bedroom door shutting let Derek's shoulders fall. He was truly a coward.He climbed into bed, doing his best to ignore the urge to talk to Stiles. To apologize to him.He slept fitfully that night, his dreams riddled with things he'd rather forget.
Braeden scrambled into the drivers seat. "Oh god, oh god." She started the car, her hands shaking.
"Where's the nearest safe house?" Derek asked around a wince. His skin pulled with movement.
"Safe house? I need to get you to a hospital."
"No," Derek disagreed. "It's not safe. They'll look for us there. Just get us to a safe house."
"Derek, you've been shot, multiple times, you need—"
"Just trust me, please." Derek grunted.
Braeden clenched her teeth but took a sharp left turn. "Closest safe house is Newbury."
"Good. It's not far then." He could feel his skin knitting itself back together. They hadn't used wolfbane. That means they didn't know who he was.
Braeden looked at Derek with worry filled eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but instead she simply pressed the gas harder.
Once inside the safehouse, Braeden turned to Derek with expecting eyes. "Now what? You still need a doctor and—"
"Braeden." Derek would have to explain somehow.
"How bad is it? Let me see?" Braeden reached for him, but he pulled away.
"Braeden," he objected again as she shoved away his hand, lifting his shirt.
"Let me see—" her words fell away when she lifted his shirt to see no wound. She took a step back. "You were shot. There's blood on your shirt."
He could see the wheels turning behind her eyes, trying to rationalize.
"Let me explain," He held up his hands.
"Explain what? How you don't have a scratch on you?" Braeden backed away, shaking her head. "What the hell?" She whispered.
"Remember the strange conversation we overheard that day? About werewolves and wolfsbane?"
Braeden didn't respond. She looked at Derek with confused eyes.
"It wasn't code, like you thought."
Braeden shook her head. "No, that's..." She swallowed.
"I'm a werewolf. The Argents are hunters."
Braeden's usually stoic expression morphed into disgust. "What are you even saying?"
Derek's eyes turned a deep crimson color, his fangs and claws extended.
Braeden took another step back. Her eyes were wide as the full moon and her face paled.
"I won't hurt you." Derek could smell the fear on her. "I would never."
"How long?"
Derek frowned.
"How long have you been like this?" She snapped.
"I was born like this."
Braeden pursed her lips. "So the entire time we've been partners, been..."
Derek dropped his chin to his chest and nodded.
"I need some air."
"Braeden—" He took a step forward, reaching out.
"Just don't." She jerked away. "I need some time."
"It's not safe. The Argents—"
"If they hunt... werewolves... then they don't want me." She spat.
Derek sighed. He knew giving her space was the best option, but he feared for her safety.
"I just need..." She shook her head and grabbed Derek's keys, stalking out of the door.
Derek ran a hand down his face. He had wanted to tell her sooner, but he was scared to. This wasn't something that was easily accepted.