A years worth of moons. He‘s waited for this and he‘s been patient (okay, maybe not patient, but he has waited. Now it‘s here and there‘s a weird, completely unexpected sense of calm inside him. Maybe it‘s the certainty that this will happen. Maybe it‘s that the man in front of him is so beautiful he‘s kind of stuck in place, just enjoying the view.
“You know, when thinking of this day, I always thought you’d run headfirst into me before I even realized the date. Are you really going to just stand there?” Derek demands, looking incredulous.
Stiles smiles, before finally moving, stepping closer to his mate.
“No babe, but now it will happen. We don’t have to act like inexperienced teenagers and finish in 3 minutes. I can enjoy the whole process, from looking at you from far away, to my tongue in your ass, to falling asleep in your arms. Just imagine, Derek, we’ll sleep together.”
Derek’s incredulous look has softened, probably affected by Stiles’s words. It shouldn’t be such a big deal, sleeping in the same bed, touching, but … it had been one of the four things they’d chosen not to do in the courting period. They chose to speak, kiss, fight and have sex. It had seemed instrumental in their relationship, unthinkable of going without it for a year. Sharing a home, sleeping in the same bed, raise a family, lead a pack together, all seemed like it could wait.
Now though, a year later, Stiles would gladly skip sex for a while if he never had to leave Derek for long again. Although, this was better than that. Now they got all eight things, plus everything else. They could just be.
It’d been hard, courting Derek, seeing him, but still not being able to fully support him and help him lead the pack. Stiles had had to remove himself from Derek’s and Scott’s conversations just so that he wouldn’t claim his rightful place as the Alpha’s mate in the conflict.
Now though, those pups are his just as much as they are Derek’s. He’s glad that Derek and Scott will forever know that they solved this on their own, without input from him, so they would always know that it was right, - in the end, after all of the fighting, but still.
After all the fuss, and the rules and the formal way of courting, this evening is somehow, so loose. Since they’ve been successful with all of their courting vows, they only have to promise to be there for each other forever and kiss and that’s it, they’ll be forever bonded.
Stiles finally gives in to Derek’s pleading eyes and steps up to him, taking his hands, linking them together in a circle. Like the moon, it will wane and grow, rise and fall, but it will never break, they will be one from now on.
“I, Stiles Stilinski, promise to cherish you, take care of you, love you and support you, have your back in every battle and watch over you during every rest and I vow the same to any and all you claim to be pack.”
Derek’s eyes glisten and Stiles has to breathe consciously, just so he doesn’t start crying, but they manage, both holding on to each other hands tightly. They are their own circle now.
“I, Derek Hale, promise to cherish you, take care of you, love you and support you, have your back in every battle and watch over you during every rest. I promise to honor your opinions while leading the pack and I will lean on you to help me.”
Stiles squeezes Derek’s hands on the word lean, knowing how far he’s come to be able to say it and mean it.
It takes them another 30 seconds to realize there is nothing to wait for now, but when they have, there is nothing stopping them from kissing, not only meeting at the lips, but almost from head to toe, every limb, every spot pressed together like they want to melt into one being. Stiles shakes when he feels magic course through him, but he smiles as he identifies it. They are one now.
HAPPY DURIN’S DAY, @darkhawkflying :) Hope you like it as much as I like the amazing story, which inspired this fanart. Please never stop writing, you wonderful person! <3
The young man is dressed the same as he was the night Ross encountered him. This time though there is a recent addition of a dirty bandage wrapped around one hand, the smell of old blood assaulting Ross’ nostrils. The other holds a baseball bat, the old school wooden kind, and even from here Ross can see the maroon blotches that had soaked into the wood. There is a nine inch nail hammered through the end and the young man hefts it casually and holds it against his shoulder. There is a glint of teeth as he smiles, and now Ross can see they are definitely too sharp and too white to be human. He smells off too, a strange stink under the grime and blood.
‘Who the fuck are you?’ This comes from the burly man who leads this group of hunters.
The smile widens and Ross can see the insanity in it. It sends a shiver down his spine that screams arousal, even in his physically compromised state, and he takes a second to think about just how wrong that is before the young man laughs.
It makes Ross’ stomach turn.
‘I’ve come for them.’ the young man says, full of arrogant self-assurance. He lifts a hand and points at Ross. ‘That’s my wolf now.’
On day 2, we are to use our own talents to show our appreciation for fics we like. Since I didn’t learn of this celebration until this past Saturday, I didn’t have time to write or draw anything.
But I am a musical person. I love music. It inspires me. If writing were like painting, music is that extra dab of color mixed in to make the color mix more vivid.
One of my favorite fics is Chu Lai Beach by @darkhawkflying. I love this story and music plays an important part in the story. It’s a Ross Poldark/Jim Hawkins story set during Vietnam. Even if slash is not your thing, I seriously urge you to give this one a chance because it’s so well written and it has all the feels.
I created a Spotify playlist for this fic that consists of the songs used as chapter titles (so far), songs that were used in the story, and songs that inspire the mood.
If you don’t have a Spotify account, I’ve made a You Tube version of the same playlist. I’ve tried to get original recordings as much as possible, but in some instances, it was not possible. (TW for the You Tube version: some videos have images and footage from the Vietnam War, including combat footage, and some of these images are graphic.)
Liner notes after the jump.
There are two versions of “Leaving on a Jet Plane” because when I think of that song, I think of the Peter, Paul, and Mary version, but @darkhawkflying was referring to the John Denver version. So I included them both.
There are also two versions of “House of the Rising Sun”. We all are familiar with the Animals version, but as I was compiling this, I remembered there was a cover done in 1970 by Frijid Pink that is a more psychedelic version that I also like. I think it also fits the mood of the story.
And there is a Jimi Hendrix song I included called “May This Be Love” and I included it because it is, in my opinion, the hands’ down, best love song ever written and recorded in the history of ever. :) Unfortunately, there is no official version on You Tube. :( I had to pick a cover instead.
It’s unfinished, but I really, really hope that it gets finished some day. (And maybe this list might serve as a little nudge inspiration.)
And I realize that some of these songs are about heteronormative relationships, it’s also important to remember that this was the 1960s, where the closet was large and very deep. So popular music was all about the heterosexual relationships. Being gay was still considered a criminal offense in many places. Worse yet, it was still considered a mental disorder, too. But these are the obstacles that many same-sex couples had to face and live with in those days, and such is the case with the two main characters in this story. One thing that is done so well in this story is conveying the emotional agony of not only having to hide who you really are, but having to hide something as joyful as your deep love for another human being from the world. It’s often difficult for many straight people, myself included at one time, to understand this because we take so much for granted--the right to openly love your heart’s chosen, the right to marry them, and the right to build a life with them.
based on my reaction to @darkhawkflying‘s Chu Lai Beach.
accompanies this post.
while MR3 takes place during the first block of chapters (before the break between updates), this is definitely a reflection of how i felt going back in to read the newest ones.
Jim: Hey babe, T’s calling you to set! *eyes narrow* ... what the fuck? *realizes* oh sweet tap-dancing Jesus, not again. ROSS!!?? Ross, remember, don’t look down!
Ross: (to Jim) Yes, I remember! And I’m coming as fast as I bloody can! Now, could you please help me remove her!?
Ross: (to Marigold) *yells/trudging forward* For the love of everything, Mare, we are actors! We are acting! I’m not actually going to get myself blown up! Would you. Please. Let. Go.
Marigold: *drag* No ... *drag* No ... *drag* No ... *drag* Nope. Nuh-uh. *drag* No.
