And then there was another one. Chapter 3, here we go!
You Look At Me Like I'm All You Want (I'm Hardwired To Be With You) by MoonWolfBlues
Ongoing | Sterek | General Audiences | 7,980 words | 3/?
Read on AO3: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3
The world comes back to him slowly this time, his senses waking up and pulling on the feeling of home. When Stiles slowly lifts his lids, a pair of gray-green eyes are peering down at him. He can feel a soft smile pulling on the corners of his lips. He’s safe; he can rest a bit more. So his eyes flutter shut again.
“Stiles,” a soothing, familiar voice says. He can feel a warm pressure on his arm. “Stiles, it’s time to wake up. Deaton’s here.”
The mention of the Druid brings reality crashing back down. “Ugh.” His whole body ached. He hadn’t noticed it the first time he woke up, but now he could feel each and every muscle strain when he moved to sit up. “What time is it?” he asks the man beside him while attempting to rub the exhaustion from his eyes.
“A little past four in the afternoon.”
“The same day I arrived, right?” he asked, worried he slept the week away. It wouldn’t be the first time his drained spark kept him unconscious that long.
That earned him a chuckle from Derek. The sound wrapped around him like a warm hug, melancholy thick in the air. For a brief period of time, he had thought he was never going to hear that sound again, never feel the joy from making Derek Hale laugh. It wasn’t the same, this wasn’t his Derek, but he couldn’t help the beaming smile on his face despite the ache he felt for his lost mate.
“Yes,” Derek replied easily, “it’s still the same day. You’ve been passed out for a while, but not that long.” When Stiles met the man’s eyes, he could see a gleam of mirth. “Just long enough to drool everywhere.”
Stiles sputtered out a laugh, trying to be offended but failing miserably. “I’ll have you know, that drooling is a natural, bodily function and I’m not going to feel bad about it.” His hands were flying through the air, just barely missing Derek’s face.
Derek laughed again, grabbing one of Stiles’ hands. “You sound like my sister. Though she’s definitely worse than you when it comes to drooling.”
Stiles lights up at that tidbit of information. “Oh my god, I cannot wait to tell Cora you said that.” He laughs, “She’s going to kill you.”
Derek tilts his head to the side in confusion. “Oh no, sorry, I meant my older sister Laura.”
The laughter dies in Stiles’ throat. “Oh, yeah… Laura.”
Derek looks taken aback by the sudden change in Stiles’ emotions. He gives Stiles’ hand a reassuring squeeze. Stiles attempts a smile but he can tell by Derek’s eyebrows that he only managed a grimace.
“Look,” Derek starts, “I’m not sure what–”
“No.” Stiles interrupts, squeezing Derek’s hand again. “At least, not yet. I need to talk to your mother first.” And wow did that word feel strange coming out of his mouth. Stiles hasn’t had much experience with mothers since his own died when he was nine, and his mate’s passed before they met. Mellisa was the closest he’d gotten in a long while, but even then, it wasn’t the same.
Derek frowned but nodded. They sat in silence for a few moments before Derek tilted his head towards the door. A few seconds later, Stiles could hear shuffling on the other side before Talia walked in with Deaton and her husband.
Stiles sighed, letting Derek help him sit up before addressing them. “You might as well get Peter down here. As much as I hate to admit it, he’ll be helpful for this conversation.”
Talia did something with her eyebrows that usually meant confusion when his Derek wore them, and called for the man in question.
While they waited, an awkward silence filled the small room. There was nowhere else to sit so the others stood against the wall opposite the bed. Stiles watched Talia assess him next to her son. Which, fair… to her, Stiles was still a potential enemy, a would-be threat. But this meant that he also saw when her gaze dipped to their hands. Hands that were tangled in the sheet between them, grasping on for something neither of them could name yet. She raised an eyebrow at her son in question and he sprang away from the bed, and Stiles, like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar after his parents had told him no.
Stiles just rolled his eyes at the man. And they say Stiles is dramatic.
Peter arrived just in time to save them all from another awkward pause, clapping his hands as he entered the room. “Let’s get down to business.”
The group stared at Stiles as if waiting for him to start, but Deaton beat him to the punch. Taking a step towards the bed, he spoke with an air of calm that seemed to settle the Hales. “Stiles, is it?”
Stiles nodded at the man. He looked much younger than the Deaton that had helped his pack back when they were in high school. His shoulders were held back, tall and sturdy, and his face was free of lingering worry.
“Talia tells me that you aren’t from here. That you mentioned something about time and space? Would you like to explain what you meant by that?”
Stiles smiled and could feel the twinkle in his eye. Boy was Deaton going to regret asking him an open-ended question like that. “Well I’m pretty sure my spark altered space and time in order to send me to a different reality.”
There was a pause before everyone started speaking at once.
“What do you mean a different reality?”
“Who the hell is this kid?”
Stiles just grinned at them before Derek’s dad – woah that was so weird to say – stepped in.
“Okay, okay, everyone settle down. Stiles, why don’t you start from the beginning. Who are you?”
Stiles paused, debating on whether or not to answer. Was it safe to tell them everything? His magic didn’t feel threatened by them so they may be able to help him figure out what was going on. And the truth would probably be best – damn it, this wasn’t going to be fun.
“My name is Stiles Stillinski.” That got him a confused look.
“Like the sheriff?” Peter asked.
Stiles nodded. “Yeah, he’s my dad.”
“That’s not poss-” Derek’s dad began, but Deaton held up his hand to stop him.
“Is it safe to assume, Mr. Stillinski, that your memory of things will probably not align with what we know to be true?”
Stiles tilted his head, thinking. “Yeah, probably. I’m not sure what all will be different but seeing as the whole Hale family is up and walking around in Beacon Hills, things are going to be pretty altered.” He winced at their confused faces. He hadn’t meant to say that.
Deaton just nodded, “I assumed so. We’ll try not to interrupt too much then.”
Stiles narrowed his eyes. Deaton was being much more accommodating than he was used to. Usually, he just nodded silently and let the pack figure things out on their own. Stiles nodded his understanding, nonetheless.
Talia cut in then, “Why don’t you explain your connection to the Hale pack since it seems you know quite a bit about us.”
Stiles gulped, his throat dry all of a sudden. He isn’t sure how they’re all going to take this, though he guesses most of them already heard him say it to Talia earlier.
He began slowly. “Where I’m from, I am the emissary of the Hale pack.”
Derek’s dad steps forward, “But you’re so young. How could you possibly be qualified to be Talia’s emissary? What happened to Deaton?”
Stiles reached up and scratched his neck, looking away, “Yeah, um, I never said Talia was my alpha…”
Read the full chapter on AO3.
