Sterek AU where Stiles and Scott are police men. Stiles always tells Scott how lucky he is to have Allison (a paramedic), because dating as a cop is hard; there are three types of people: those who run at the sight of the badge because theyāre intimidated, those who are in the services or army who understand but are never there when you need them, and those who only want to play with the handcuffs.
To prove his point, two guys across the room keep eyeing them up. Finally, one works up the courage to come over. Stiles counts down, āThree⦠two⦠one..ā and pulls back his jacket to show the badge clipped onto his belt. The man turns and runs away, making his friend burst out in laughter. āAnd that one,ā Stiles says, pointing at the man laughing. āIs thinking āI donāt mind the handcuffsā.ā
Later, when Stiles goes up to the bar to order another round of drinks for him and Scott, the other man walks up to him.
āIf youāre going to ask if we can play with the handcuffs, then the answer is no,ā Stiles says before the man can speak.
āActually, I was going to say you have a nice smile,ā the man says.
Stiles turns to look at him. āYou in the services? Army?ā
āFire brigade,ā the man answers.
āFigures,ā Stiles says.
āLet me guess: the three types of people you date?ā
Stiles looks at him, surprised. āHow did you know?ā
āWe get it too. Theyāre either services or army, unable to commit to someone who will drop anything and everything when the pager goes off, or they want the poles, the uniform, or whatās on the calendars.ā
Stiles canāt help but laugh.
āIām Derek,ā the man introduces himself, holding out his hand.
They get to talking, and slowly get to know each other. They go on a couple of dates and later move in together. Derek asks Stiles about the anchor necklace he wears, and Stiles explains that it used to be his motherās; faith, hope and charity (a cross, an anchor and a heart), and when she died, she gave it to Stiles. He lost the other two pendants a while ago and thought about replacing them, but at the same time, he likes it how it is; because no matter what life throws at you, thereās always hope.
Derek tells Stiles about how he lost his family in a fire and now he only had his sisters and his uncle, and none of them know heās gay. Stiles tells him itās okay, whenever his familyās around heāll leave the apartment, or heāll just introduce himself as his friend. He tells Derek that itās his choice, and he can tell them when heās ready.
On the day that Derek decides to tell his sisters, he gets called away to a building fire. The blaze is out of control and the police are called in help contain the situation. But when they get there, Stiles asks for a brief and the lieutenant tells him that theyāve evacuated the building, but they canāt get a reply from Captain Hale.
Stiles begins to panic, but picks up on something, the broken static of the receiver thatās linked to Derekās channel. He begins to write it down, deciphering the Morse code. M-A-S-K/B-R-O-K-E/C-A-N-T/B-R-E-A-T-H-E/L-E-G/S-T-U-C-K
Stiles grabs the receiver. āDerek, listen to me. Hold on. Iām coming to get you.ā
āYou canāt,ā the lieutenant objects. āThe buildingās not stable enough. You step in there and the whole thing will come down on you and Derek.ā
āThereās got to be a way to get to him,ā Scott insists.
āTunnels,ā Stiles says. āThereās service tunnels under every large building in the city. We can go under the building, get Derek, and get out.ā
āWith Captain Hale stuck in that building, Iām in charge and I canāt authorise my men to go on a suicide mission.ā
āThen donāt. I volunteer,ā Stiles says, walking over to one of the trucks and gathering the equipment: oxygen mask and a fire-proof suit. He runs over to the ambulance thatās waiting nearby and looks at Allison. āHow ballsy are you feeling today?ā
āYouāre going in, arenāt you?ā
āThereās a man in there. Heās pinned with a broken mask; smoke inhalation and a possible broken leg,ā Stiles explains.
āIām in,ā Allison says, joining Stiles at the truck and suiting up before grabbing an oxygen mask for Derek, some medical supplies, and a stretcher.
āIām coming with you,ā Scott says.
āYou canāt carry Derek out alone; you need two people to carry the stretcher and Allison will be treating him,ā he points out.
At that moment, he sees a young girl go racing towards the building.
Lieutenant Parrish is quick to grab her, but she tries to fight her way out of his arms. Stiles recognises her; Derekās little sister, Cora. Sheās screaming about going in to get her brother, but Parrish tries to pull her thrashing body back towards the crowd.
Stiles calls out her name, pulling the necklace from his neck and giving it to her. āIt means hope. Derek would never forgive us if you went in there. Iām going in to get your brother, I just need you to have hope.ā
She takes the necklace and nods, tears trailing down her cheeks as Parrish walks her back over to Laura.
Stiles, Scott and Allison go in through the tunnels, finding Derek unconscious under a fallen beam. Stiles and Scott hoist it off him and Allison quickly goes to work trying to treat the wound in his leg where a metal bar has impaled him. When heās stable, Scott and Stiles hoist him onto the stretcher and they get out, just in time because the building collapses.
They get him to the ambulance and Allison rushes him to hospital. Stiles goes over to Laura and Cora, telling them to follow him as he gets into his car and follows the ambulance to hospital. He waits with the sisters until Derekās out of surgery and then waits in the hallway while they sit by his bedside.
As Derek regains consciousness, he sees the anchor necklace around Coraās neck, gently reaching up to touch it and whispering Stilesā name over and over again.
It doesnāt take long for Laura to work out that thereās something between the two of them, but she stays quiet, knowing that her brother will tell her when heās ready. And he does, a few days later when heās strong enough to speak. He tells them that heās in a relationship with Stiles and they just smile and hug him.