So, this WIP has been in my queue...since January? It was an idea I've been wanting to draw for a while, but you know...turning feelings and lyrics into a visual is hard. Anyway, I got the art muse and the time gods to align, so here's some new Sterek art, finally!
This is more on the spicier side, so you can see the full art piece, When You Touch Me, I Turn Red, on AO3.
Drawn for @yearoftheotpevent's September prompt "flood" and @tw-anchor-down's Full Moon Round prompt "just wait for it." Heavily influenced by Dua Lipa and Angèle's song, "Fever." This song has such a cool feel, but also all the energy and lyrics scream Sterek, fire and feels.
This is also little something for @nerdherderette for being such a kind and amazing friend. She's definitely the person who got me hooked on Teen Wolf and Sterek, but if it wasn't for her friendship, her generous words and overall support, I would not be on the creative and mental health journey I'm on right now. She's definitely someone who has made me a better person (and artist and writer!).
Thanks for all the late night squeeing and encouragement, but also, thank you for all your fic recs and for your beautiful writing! You're such a wonderful asset to fandom, and I'm always rooting for you. You deserve All the Nice Things! 💖💖💖
Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale, Original Characters
Tags: POV Stiles, Getting Together, Jamaica, Gratuitous Nyammin' & Jammin', Patois/Patwah, Explicit Sexual Content, Hickeys, Song Lyrics
Summary: The one where Stiles and Derek go on an errand for Deaton and have some time to kill in Jamaica. They thoroughly enjoy themselves eating, swimming, relaxing, and exploring the island…and then each other.
Soundtrack
Super Blue Moon prompts: Joy, Grain, Red Haze & Summer
(Mead Moons prompts: Aphrodisiacs, Claiming, Herbs, Hot & Revelry)
TW Anchor Down (Full Moon Round) prompts: Word - Unstoppable, Phrase - “Grab the bull by its horns," Song - "Feel Good Inc.," Trope - Roommates, Picture - Cove @tw-anchor-down
Usually when Stiles got a message from Deaton about some errand or another it ended up with him and Derek searching for an artifact buried in Back of Everywhere, North Dakota during the dead of winter or rifling through a dusty pile of old papers in a dank, foreboding basement in Romania while being stalked by a cāpcāun or something.
But not this time. For once it appeared they were being sent somewhere warm and sunny in service of the supernatural. They were headed to the Caribbean to fetch half a dozen varieties of rare and apparently invaluable live plants for the druid that needed to be transported carefully under specific conditions once the specimens were ready.
What’s more, because they were on their way back from visiting Cora in Ecuador instead of trekking all the way back to Beacon Hills and then turning around to fly south again at most a week later they were just going straight to Jamaica and would have some time to kill.
Beverly, an Obeahwoman whose network of multidisciplinary magic practitioners they’d gotten to know during their frequent trips to the Bay Area, lit up with excitement during their video call when she heard they’d be going to the country of her birth. She not only had recommendations for them, but tips and resources as well.
“Look, the big all-inclusive hotels and the curated activities are fun, not gonna lie, but there’s a lot more to the island than what you can find in those expensive, insular spaces if you’re interested in a bit of adventure or some actual peace and quiet,” she told them, dark eyes sparkling.
He and Derek had looked at each other and grinned. On one hand, there was something to be said for lounging around and having a parade of colorful cocktails pass by — he was a year past the drinking age of 18, of course he checked — but on the other, an adventure that didn’t involve something trying to kill them for once or some secluded relaxation would be nice. Plus, he was sure there were lots of other places a bit off the beaten path where he could chill on the beach with a beverage.
And so here they were careening on some winding mountain highway in a van driven by a sprightly 30-something guy sporting sponge twists in a fade named Desmond, or Dezzy, who was apparently a cousin of Bev’s.
“More like ‘Dizzy’,” he whispered to Derek when the way too calm driver, who was currently humming along to “Getaway” by Earth, Wind and Fire, overtook a car on a longer stretch and cheerfully honked the horn, swerving back into the left lane before they could be smashed or knocked off the mountain by an oncoming semi truck. The tires hugged the edge of the road around the next curve and they all leaned to the side.
They’d flown into Montego Bay a couple days before, leaving in the wee hours and arriving in the late morning. They shared a room with two beds as usual while on a job at the guest house Bev hooked them up with. It was in Runaway Bay about a 20 minute walk to beach, which they visited as soon as they’d settled in and got their bearings. If Stiles had his way he’d be wearing one of his two pairs of swim trunks the entire trip.
The owner, Tish, sent them off with a tote bag of sandwiches made from slices of a sweet and spiced brown bread and some salty, tangy, cheddar-based cheese that apparently came from a can. There were also a couple bottles each of grapefruit Ting and D&G kola champagne. They took their bounty and beach supplies down to the white sands and ate in the shade of an almond tree, the gentle, bright blue waves beckoning them.
Derek didn’t need sunscreen like Stiles did, but he said he found the low level burn before his body healed annoying, so they both applied the SPF 50 lotion afterward, helping with each other’s backs when done with rest of themselves. Stiles tried to distract himself from the expanse of skin and muscle underneath his roaming palms, blushing when he found himself absentmindedly tracing the triskelion between the werewolf’s shoulder blades. He then had to fight to keep from making any noises when it was his turn, deft fingers spreading the goopy substance over him.
As soon as those warm, massaging hands were removed from his hyper aware body — his, uh, starting to react body — Stiles took off running toward the clear water in an attempt to both hide and dampen the state he was in. Derek was soon chasing after him and he felt a thrill of excitement as he crashed through the warm liquid before being tackled. He came up sputtering and shaking his head, retaliating as soon as he wiped his stinging eyes by kicking water at the smug wolf and getting into an all out splash battle until he tired out.
They floated and swam, goofed around trying to knock each other over, and just hung out semi-crouched in the sea for a while before returning to land, spreading out towels to sit or lie on and air dry in the hot sun. Stiles looked over to see Derek resting prone with his head on his forearms, eyes closed and smiling. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the Alpha so at ease and watched him fondly before turning to gaze out at the ships dotting the horizon, fingers trailing through the sand.
We’ll run away together. We’ll spend some time forever. We’ll never feel bad anymore, flashed through his mind, a relic of summers past.
Heh, if only. Him and Derek? Maybe in another lifetime. Sighing, he pushed the thought away and stretched out on his back, gazing up at the clouds dotting the late afternoon sky.
Stiles was liable to fall asleep right there, but didn’t want to wake up a lobster once the sunscreen stopped being effective, so before he nodded off he poked Derek in the shoulder and suggested either moving back into the shade or heading back to their accommodations. Their hours in the water had worked up an appetite because before the wolf could answer his stomach growled and they both burst out laughing.
Shortly after returning they saw Tish in the side yard picking what looked like bumpy green pinecones from one of the fruit trees. She handed them one to try, a curious fruit with many names. Sweetsop, sugar apple, custard apple, and more. Derek broke it open and the creamy segments of flesh covering black seeds inside were indeed sweet and reminiscent of custard.
Seeing that they liked it she gave them a couple more and they thanked her, finishing the first one and part of another back in their room.
It was almost dinner time, so they both used the wait to make some phone calls, Stiles to his father and then to Scott in San Diego and Derek to Isaac and Malia to check-in on the pack. If he recalled correctly international calls were around $0.30 cents a minute with his phone plan so he kept each conversation to around 15 minutes knowing he’d probably talk to at least his dad another couple of times. Derek, laconic as usual, had been done with his in a fraction of the time and was reading a novel in Spanish that he picked up in Ecuador by the time he finished.
That evening’s meal was savory brown stew chicken with rice & gungo peas cooked with coconut milk, thyme, and some flavors he enjoyed, but couldn’t quite place. They ended up chatting with Jacob, the cook, when they sat in the courtyard outside the kitchen afterward and he was happy to talk about the food that he and the other staff members prepared. Stiles found that he could mostly understand Patois, or Patwah, at least if he was paying attention and it wasn’t too fast.
“Dere x-amount ah spice an ‘erb dem, but eff yuh haffi pick tree dat gi yuh dat tayse ah Jamaica? Den mi seh tyme, pimento — wah yuh call allspice — an scotch bonnet peppa a most important. Eff yuh waan mek it four, den skallion fah chuu,” Jacob said, holding up what seemed a cross between a spring and red onion.
That night they turned in early tired out from the long hours of travel and activity and he fell asleep replaying the happiest day he’d had in a long time.
The second morning started with a hearty breakfast of escovitch fish — whole red snapper fried until the skin was crispy and then topped with a vinegary mix of sliced onion, carrot, bell pepper, that ever present fruity and fiery scotch bonnet pepper, and spices — with boiled green banana and circular pieces of a cassava flatbread called bammy. Then it was off to see the sights in Discovery Bay and Ocho Rios. (“Yeah, I’m sending you to some busy tourist destinations tomorrow but they’re popular for a reason,” Bev told them yesterday.)
They explored the Green Grotto Caves first, entertained by the guide explaining its history and about the animals that lived there. The underground lake was really cool and swimming was allowed up above so of course they took a dip in the brilliant aquamarine water. Next came a scenic drive through Fern Gully and then they arrived at Dunn’s River Falls.
Derek had no problem climbing up the tiers of limestone barefoot, saving Stiles from injury on multiple occasions despite him wearing the silly water shoes. Indignity and near-braining aside, it was fun and the view beautiful. Every so often they would stop to wade or sit in one of the pools, the cold water from the mountains feeling good after the exertion on the sweltering day. After reaching the top and walking down the hill they hung out on the beach where the river emptied into the warm Atlantic.
We ready for the road!
Now it was their third day on the island and they were on the way to Portland Parish. After a couple hours the van stopped by one of the ubiquitous stands by the road with grills made from halved oil barrels. They climbed out to stretch their legs and he watched as Derek closed his eyes and inhaled the intriguing scents carried by the smoke.
“Time fi nyam pon jerk, mi yutes,” Dezzy said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
He ordered for the three of them and Derek insisted on paying. A platter of jerk chicken and pork and one with long, fried cornmeal dumplings and thick slices of dense bread were soon placed on their table along with 3 chilled green coconuts with straws poking out from the chopped open tops. Each of them were lost in their own little worlds as the combinations of flavors exploding on their tongues, the doubly hot, spiced meats cut with the lightly sweet carbs and washed down with the refreshing coconut water. Dezzy recommended saving the drained fruit for scooping out later.
Then they were back on the road again, the two of them dropped off at another guest house around an hour later, this one right off a beach near Fairy Hill. It belonged to another acquaintance of Bev’s, a friend of a friend or a friend of a cousin or something. Dezzy was staying with relatives nearby and told them to give him a call when they wanted a ride somewhere. They checked in at the reception area and were shown to a cozy, standalone single room dwelling.
Once again they went swimming right away and then ended up joining an impromptu volleyball match and tossing a frisbee around with a group of local and American youths that were staying there with their folks ahead of attending a big family reunion. Afterward they went for a walk to check out the neighborhood, stopping in at an outdoor bar and restaurant called Spinnaz.
“Siddung likkle bit, nuh,” called a server mixing up a fruit filled concoction while they were standing back reading the menu board. She gestured at a couple empty seats and they sat down at the bar to finish deciding what to try.
Bottles of Red Stripe beer in hand a few minutes later, they leaned back and watched the other patrons socialize and dance, enjoying the light breeze. A fast tempoed number backed by a drum machine and horns came on and got most of the guests on their feet, hips swinging left, right, backward and forward increasingly fast with the lyrics.
Cent, five cent, ten cent, dollar.
When it came time for the “big money wine” the crowd went wild shaking and gyrating.
Stiles was itching to move, but he felt too self-conscious/sober to join in, so he just worked his shoulders in his seat, swaying and tapping his fingers on the counter behind him and his feet on the footrest of the high-backed swivel stool.
Several tracks later a distinctive cackling marked the beginning of “Feel Good, Inc.” as Derek ordered another round of drinks, this time house made ginger beer with glasses of amber Appleton Estate rum on the side. He was nodding along with the beat when a platter of garlic butter shrimp and lobster with more of those fried cornmeal dumplings, festival, arrived for them to share.
Afterward they ambled around some more, passing by various shops and vendors. Stiles bought a green shirt shirt that said “Who cyaan ‘ear, muss feel” in white letters with a stylized donkey on it and Derek got a gorgeous mahogany leather wallet engraved on the front with an anchor in the center and ferns and hibiscus flowers around the edges. Lastly, on the way back they stopped where a man was selling cut and peeled pieces of sugar cane on the side of the road.
“Of course you would buy a cup of straight sugar,” Derek teased as they continued on.
“Hey, it’s bi sugar because I’m eating it,” he replied, taking the stick he’d been chewing on out of his mouth. “And anyway, this is unrefined from a plant. Plants are healthy, I don’t make the rules.”
Derek snorted and shook his head, but grabbed one of the sticks himself.
Huh, maybe the werewolf wasn’t as immune to the sun as he thought. He looked a little red.
Back in their room he set the rest on the table for later and then flopped onto his bed, turning on the satellite tv and flipping through channels as Derek sat up on his and found where he left off in his book. They went out again in time to watch the sun start its descent over the ocean.
A couple colorful boots were now pulled up a ways down the beach and they walked over when a person standing next to one of them called out and appeared to wave at them. There were three men who looked to be in their early 40s, two with close-cropped hair — a short, stocky guy named Joseph and a taller, leaner man called Leslie — and another tall guy, slender with fine, tied back shoulder length braids who introduced himself as Malcolm and asked if he and Derek were interested in buying dinner. They were.
The fishermen had an ancient boombox going and Leslie was tending a makeshift grill as Malcolm scaled a variety of freshly caught fish and handed them to Joseph to clean. Closer up Stiles could see the boats were held in the shallows with anchors that were hunks of metal which looked like wheels with extended spokes. He shuddered at the thought of accidentally running into one of those.
In no time at all the prepared fish were on a piece of wire fencing over the small wood fire, a pot of mysterious contents bubbling on top of stones off to one side as well. Leslie explained that this type of grilled fish was called “bun finga” because digging into it shortly after it was done as people were wont to do would indeed burn your fingers and they laughed.
Unlike most dishes which were generously seasoned this had only the salt of the sea and the smoke and char from the fire along with the oil of the skin itself for flavor, but that alone was enough to make it taste amazing and he experienced the accuracy of the name himself. Stiles soon noticed that the men were eating something else from the pot for their own meal and inquired about it.
“Mannish Waata soup,” replied Leslie.
“Yuh waan try?” asked Joseph with raised eyebrows. A sucking, kissing sound came from the right.
“Mi tink him cyaan handle,” Malcolm said with a mischievous grin.
Stiles huffed and grinned back, not one to back down from a challenge.
“Yeah, I’ll try it.”
Joseph filled up a cup and then offered one to Derek as well with plastic spoons.
“How much do we owe you for these?” the curious werewolf asked, sniffing the contents.
“Nuttin,” answered Malcolm.
“Dis wan pon wi,” added Leslie watching Stiles with anticipatory amusement.
Cautiously, he blew on a spoonful and then tasted it, his eyes widening. He took a few more bites, trying to discern what type of meat was in it. Definitely not fish or chicken or pork, but he didn’t think it was beef either. The flavors were strong and there were some odd chewy bits, but it was pretty good, the spice making him break out in a sweat. There were chunks of various root vegetables, dumplings, and what turned out to be slices of green banana with the skin on as well.
Near the bottom he bit into a piece of hot pepper and started coughing, flapping a hand uselessly and trying to wash it down with the rest of the warm broth. Joseph handed him a cold bottle of water from a cooler and he all but ripped it open, gulping down over half the contents in seconds.
“Thanks” he croaked as Derek and the fishermen laughed.
He wasn’t the only one feeling the burn though because after finishing his portion the werewolf stripped off his shirt and dashed into the water to cool down. Stiles was content to stay on the beach with another bottle of water, enjoying listening to the men razzing each other as they started gathering up their things and also the music coming from the crackling radio. As Derek stood up and started walking out of the waves a woman’s voice sang “Laaawwwd, ‘av is mercy!” and Stiles had to agree because goddamn.
Realizing his eyes were lingering on the Alpha’s swoon worthy form he quickly looked away and started getting their leftovers and towels together. They said goodbye to Leslie, Joseph, and Malcolm and walked back toward the guest house looking around at the red haze now making the whole sky seem to glow. Stiles suggested a detour around the property before returning to their little studio to check out some of the other buildings. They passed by a shaded lounge area with hammocks that he made a mental note to revisit another time.
Over a dozen people were in the dining room when they peeked inside, background music flowing from the speakers on stands on either side.
I’m trying to change the rules, you deserve something good in your life. We’ve waited for far too long, so come get your blessing tonight, baby.
They strolled through a tropical garden with a little bridge over a koi pond and then circled back around toward the rooms and apartments.
Still feeling peckish they set upon their leftovers after a short blast in the microwave and washed it down with glass bottles of pineapple soda from the mini fridge. He watched Derek demolish his portion making little growly noises that managed to be adorable while also seriously turning him on.
Stiles tried to put the kibosh on that train of thought and turned his attention back to his own food, pulling apart the savory morsels and licking his fingers clean. When he glanced up again Derek was staring at him, his eyes glowing red. Stiles swallowed and the wolf’s gaze dropped to his throat and then up again when he deliberately brought his fingers back to his mouth, maintaining eye contact. The moment stretched and grew taut.
Feeling brave he tipped his head up and bared his throat in invitation and Derek sprang up from the other bed and stalked over. A hand burrowed into his hair as the werewolf leaned down to claim his mouth, the kiss flavored salty and sweet. It took a long time to get here, but now that the dam had broken the desire thrumming between them felt unstoppable.
When they broke apart, Stiles knew exactly what he wanted and just needed a few moments to work up the courage. It was time to grab the bull by its horns, or rather the wolf by the hips.
With his fingers gripping the waistbands of Derek’s trunks he looked up for permission. At the sharp nod of his head Stiles tugged them down and was met with the Alpha’s swiftly rising and hardening cock.
He’d seen Derek naked before, but this was the first time seeing him with an erection and it was both tantalizing and intimidating. A chuckle snapped him out of his mesmerized state and he grasped the thick shaft after spitting in his palm. Stiles kissed the head, licking over the slit, and then drew him into his mouth. He worked his hand at the base while he bobbed and sucked, lips straining around the hard member as Derek caressed his head and alternated between murmured words of filth and praise.
He did his best to swallow when the Alpha came, spurting copious amounts of cum onto his tongue and then pulling out to mark his face and throat as well. It was hotter than it had any right to be, even better than he’d imagined, and he felt proud to have brought the not-so-unattainable-after-all wolf off. Derek grasped Stiles by the chin and swiped his thumb across a messy cheek, sliding the coated digit past friction plumped lips for him to suck.
“So perfect for me,” he growled. Stiles went to touch himself, but the now sharp-fanged werewolf caught his hand. “Let me.”
At Derek’s urging, Stiles crawled backwards further up the bed and then turned over onto his stomach, all but vibrating with want. His shorts were pulled off and he felt those strong, warm hands on him again, this time palming his ass and then spreading him open for the Alpha’s viewing pleasure.
Blushing, he looked over his shoulder to see Derek breathing heavily and staring red eyed like he couldn’t wait to devour him.
“Please…anything,” he whispered. The next thing he knew a tongue was licking over and pressing against his hole and he gripped the comforter below him, crying out . Soon he was rubbing himself on the bed and then pushing back wantonly, eliciting a pleased rumble from the wolf.
Stiles whined when Derek pulled away a minute later, but then he was being flipped onto his back, the complementary bottle of cocoa butter lotion tossed down beside him. Crawling onto the bed and taking hold of his cock, Derek mouthed at the tip before sinking down on him, tonguing the underside of his shaft on the upstroke. In between his own babbling moans Stiles heard a cap being flicked open and then cool, viscous liquid was being squeezed onto his thigh.
Derek ran his hand through the fragrant dollop and then a slippery finger began teasing his entrance. Slowly, it pressed in and starting pumping to target his prostate, joined by a second one once he relaxed at the intrusion. He’d done it himself occasionally, but it was definitely better when it was someone else, holy fuck. The twin pleasures of hand and mouth reduced him to a mewling mess and he orgasmed faster than he would’ve liked gasping Derek’s name.
The wolf had no complaints though it seemed, cleaning his sensitive cock and then nuzzling into his belly and trailing kisses down his inner thighs. Stiles made grabby hands at him, but Derek evaded them, skipping away with a laugh. He returned a couple minutes later with warm, damp cloths and gently wiped over his face and between his legs before climbing beside him and pulling him close.
Of course Stiles couldn’t stay quiet for long.
“Sooo…that just happened.”
The expression on Derek’s face said “No shit, Sherlock,” his eyebrows raised and scrunched together. Stiles fidgeted and looked back at him again.
“And, um, it’s a thing we do now?” he asked hopefully.
“Mmm…yes,” Derek replied, reaching down to pinch his ass with a smirk. He did not squeak, dammit!
“Cool.” Looking away and taking a long, slow breath he attempted to quell his internal flailing. Act normal! “So, just for funsies or—“
“No.”
Stiles found himself being thoroughly kissed and then manhandled until he was facing away from the Alpha, but wrapped firmly in his embrace. He’d been little spoon’d!
Before he could lodge a formal complaint with Boyfriend Services (omg, were they boyfriends?!) a hand covered his opening mouth.
“Go to sleep,” Derek ordered. Stiles stubbornly dropped his jaw and caught his pinky finger, sucking it and rubbing back against the other man’s crotch. A low rumbling vibrated against his back and the arms around him tightened. Warm breath tickled his ear lobe before it was nipped. “The sooner we sleep, the sooner I’ll wake up and fuck you,” Derek promised huskily.
Stiles made a frankly ridiculous high-pitched sound. He would be more embarrassed, but apparently Derek liked his weird noises if the way the werewolf was now doing a convincing lamprey impression on his neck was any sign, so that was okay. He closed his eyes and focused on the thrilling sensation, sighing when Derek released his tender skin.
Decided to give myself a challenge by a. signing up for the Stiles Shipping Central Ficlet Exchange to b. use 2 weeks to write something that's 2k or less. What an interesting ride that was, since writing something so quickly is not my normal jam, but I did it!
This ficlet is for @just-another-busy-fangirl-writes for June's theme of "cooking" and her prompt was : Providing for a mate is important to wolves. Derek, however, hasn't had many opportunities to provide food for Stiles, since he's not the most savvy in the kitchen.
Also inspired by @tw-anchor-down's Full Moon Round prompts "flicker" and "skyrocket."
Title: Made From Scratch (<- on AO3)
Ship: Sterek (Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale)
Rating: Teen
WC: 2k
Tags: Established Relationship, Alpha Derek Hale, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Culture, Family Feels, Exhaustion, Self-Doubt, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Romantic Gestures, Cooking, Dinner, Comfort Food, Recipes, Innuendo, Banter, Teasing, Pie, IT Technician Stiles Stilinski, Interior Designer Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski Deserves Nice Things, Derek Hale is a Nice Thing, Werewolf Mates, Mates, Awesome Cora Hale, Sibling Love, POV Derek Hale, Emotional Anchors
Summary:
Derek missed Stiles. He hadn’t realized how much…until now. Something had to change. But where did he even start?
[Or: That one time Derek makes dinner for Stiles, thanks to inspiration from a family recipe and some nudging from Cora.]
So, when found out I had @just-another-busy-fangirl-writes as a giftee and I saw her prompts, I screamed since they were all so damn good! I actually had to roll dice since I couldn't make up my mind…that was how awesome the prompts were (I may just dip back into the other prompts later...it's tempting but we shall see!).
First time writing from Derek's PoV, but gosh, he's such a Fluffywolf and a dummy. At least he figures his stuff out in the end and has Cora to back him up. I didn't even realize cooking would bring out emotional anchoring, so yep. That's threaded in there, I guess.
Anyway, I hope you appreciate some Hale family feels and cultural and foodie references too. Enjoy!
Of course, it only makes sense to share the excitement via a shiny, new TW Anchor Down Discord server!
This will be the place to get first dibs on the latest TWAD news and connect with other creators or fans who plan on either participating in the challenge or getting updates on all challenge works. The server also has various chat channels, ship threads, as well as creator spaces for anyone who wants creative support, access to resources and more.
Please note the server is 18+. The prompt challenge, however, is open to anyone who wants submit a creation, as stated in the Guidelines and FAQ.
Get psyched, and hope you’re ready for what’s in store for the summer!
Until the Full Moon Round is a go! Turn up the volume and jam out to some of the latest prompt card songs from the TWAD Spotify playlist.
Who’s pumped to get creating and posting?! Erica and Isaac are definitely ready!
For @tw-anchor-down's Full Moon Round.
Pairing: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale
Rating: Teen and Up
Words: 5620
Summary: Eli has trouble with his shift, which wouldn't be so embarassing if he wasn't the only one in the family who hasn't found his anchor yet. Then his father gets kidnapped. He's a Stilinski-Hale, though. Was he really expecting to have an easy life?
"I still think you should come with us."
His dad lingered in the doorway like a bad habit he couldn't shake. His eyes were achingly hopeful - something Eli considered one of his dad's greatest weaknesses: seeing more potential in someone than truly existed.
"I made my choice, Dad," Eli stated with perhaps more edge to his voice than intended. It wasn't the effect of the full moon, just the exasperation of this short exchange between them slowly developing into a monthly routine by now. "Just go, have fun. I'll be fine."
His dad nodded with that tight-lipped smile and head duck combo that let Eli know just how reluctant his father's compliance was. It didn't matter much in the end because he was soon disappearing into the woods with two of Eli's siblings on his literal tail and one riding atop his back, while Eli was left sighing wistfully after their retreating forms and enduring the mockery of his own human-looking fingers.
"All wards are up," His tata announced cheerily once the front door's lock slid into place, and he emerged from the kitchen with two highly mounted bowls of popcorn. "So. What are we watching?"
Eli shrugged dejectedly, grabbing one consolation bowl for himself. "What about that new superhero movie with the dude who can manipulate time?"
"Now you're talking my lingo," His tata finger-gunned him as they made their way towards the living room.
"Don't say 'lingo'," Eli grimaced, then pointed to the bowls, "Only two?"
"Your sister's already called dibs on the scoop."
Sure enough, Tally was sprawled out on the couch - looking like a Greek depiction of hedonism - with a tube of ice cream mixed in with jelly beans at the ready. Apparently, four years was enough time to get accustomed to a life with siblings.
"Hey, make space, peasant," Eli ordered as he grabbed hold of his sister's ankles and tossed them off the couch.
"Na-ah, dogs aren't allowed on the couch," Tally grinned, placing her feet back up.
"A dog joke? That's very original."
"You're not my boss," Tally smiled devilishly as she popped a gummy bear into her mouth, "And you never will be because you're not the next alpha in line. Deedee will inherit the power."
"Seriously?" Eli grunted (mostly to no one) and turned to his father with open arms and a face that screamed 'Do something!'.
"You gotta fight your own battles, kiddo," Was his tata's helpful reply from the comfort of his ensured seating. The family's armchair was always reserved for him and Dad, and courageous be the person who breaks that rule.
Eli huffed indignantly, standing directly in front of his sister and blocking her view. "I'll throw popcorn in your hair."
"I'll catch it in my mouth." Tally retaliated, trying to scoot lower to better see the TV.
It was basically a challenge at that point, so Eli couldn't be blamed for throwing a handful at her and then seizing the opportunity to settle onto the couch when she flailed to catch the popcorn bouncing off her face.
"That was cheating," Tally accused petulently, "Tata, Eli cheated!"
"Tallytab, just share the couch with your brother."
Tally glared at Eli with such ferocity even a werewolf would envy, and so Eli very maturely stuck his tongue out at her while their tata searched the new movie up on MetvX.
"You know," Their tata started in that fake-nonchalant tone that set alarms off in Eli's head, "It sure would be better to run in the wild than hang out with your old man and your little sister."
Eli didn't answer at first, partially because it was true, but mostly because they both knew the exact reason why Eli wasn't joining the others on their run. This was the same old topic, and he was getting kind of tired of all the pestering.
"I don't want to ruin their night."
"You wouldn't," His tata reassured, like always.
"But I did," Eli countered, stubbornly refusing to make eye contact with his father, "Twice. First, my powers didn't even manifest and they had to jog beside me and escort me the whole time so I wouldn't twist my ankle. The second time my powers did manifest, and what would you know? I lost control! And almost ate someone's cat. Raw."
"Yucky," Tally grimaced while the movie's intro began to play.
"I am better off here within the wards," Eli mumbled with finality, and thankfully, after a few seconds, his tata conceded and turned his gaze back to the TV.
And Eli definitely didn't spend the entire movie thinking about how cool it would be to run under the moonlight.
***
His parents always insisted that Eli was a late bloomer. In all honesty, Eli wasn't sure if he wanted to believe that because 1) if it turned out he wasn't actually a werewolf (with a spark for a father that was more than likely), it would be pointless to fool himself and 2) if he was indeed a werewolf but without an anchor to stabilize him, maybe it was better for his abilities not to manifest at all. It was embarrassing enough that his three younger, non-human siblings were already masters of their powers, while he - as the oldest child - was falling behind.
His "brooding" ("He inherited this from you, Der! It's your fault!") was interrupted by an all-too-familiar voice cutting through the general ruckus of a high school's lunch period.
"Oops, better watch out next time, guard dog."
Dominic's words were seeping with derision, drawing the entire student body's attention - and thus Eli's and Hikari's eyes, too - to the group of jocks parting the sea of teenagers as they made their way across the cafeteria. Although Eli was part of the same team, he was considered a "last resort" most of the time and so couldn't sit with the star players (they said so), not that he had any desire to abase himself like that. That clique was dedicated solely to competing with and bringing down anyone who posed a supposed threat to them, and that was why Dominic deliberately rammed into Mars's shoulder while passing him, almost sending the younger boy's tray clattering to the floor. It seemed that two months had brought no change on that front.
Eli and Hikari nodded to each other before quickly gathering their trays and joining Mars and his friend Rain on the other side of the room.
"Good reflexes," Hikari complimented as they settled opposite the two sophomores.
"Still not good enough to make team captain," Mars mumbled, his fingers absent-mindedly drumming atop the table.
"Don't worry, the others will eventually realize what a dick he is, and then they'll pick you as their new captain, for sure. You'll be unstoppable." Eli comforted with more hope than actual conviction.
"Not as long as he has his following," Mars shook his head, his nails turning pointy for a second before returning to their normal shape.
"How do you do it?" Hikari asked, eying the group of jocks with disdain, "I would have sliced him open with my katana by now. I might still do it. What's stopping me?"
"The law?" Eli asked, to which Hikari rolled her eyes like their statutory rules were a particular inconvenience of hers.
"I can't lose control," Mars answered the original question, "That would diminish any chance I have against that douchbag. And you know how much trouble I could get into."
Unfortunately, they all knew. Their school was extremely unsympathetic towards supernatural creatures - a result of humans trying to adapt to cohabitation with the supernatural in the past decade with more adverse success than not - meaning that the smallest slip-up could get you behind bars or sentenced to excessive community work, and that was the favourable scenario. A family of werewolves already had to leave town because of the backlash they faced from the community, and Mars clearly didn't want to bring their family to the same fate.
"But you've only been a werewolf for what? Four months?" Hikari continued, digging into her mashed potatoes with gusto, "Your control is impressive."
"He's just good at everything," Rain interjected in half-amusement half-irritation, "Lacrosse, self-control, maths. And here I am, still unable to figure out my powers."
"Yeah," Mars grinned back at his friend, "Otherwise you could tell me if I'mma ever win against that fuckin' scrub."
Rain looked ceiling-wards like this wasn't the first time this conversation happened, and Eli could seriously understand their struggle. Obviously, he didn't know the next thing about psychic powers, but he had first-hand experience with the frustration that came with not having a handle on your superhuman nature.
"How did Derek teach you control so quickly, anyway?" Hikari inquired, and Eli once again remembered why Mars refused to mingle with his friend group at school.
"He told me to find an anchor," Mars stated simply, then pointed to the wireless earbud in his right ear, "Back in my town, me and my friends would go to the basketball court after school hours. Some of them were art students from around the block so they would bring music and like, get buck wild with the moves, man. It was crazy! And the music reminds me of that time."
"Before the bite," Eli finished the other's thoughts.
"Yeah," Mars nodded dolefully, "Derek said that I could use music as my anchor. Ya know, to remind me that I'm still in control of my body and shit. Just like when I'm dancing."
"What are you listening to?" Eli asked, expecting some heavy metal to channel all that anger.
However, when Mars offered the unused earbud to him, Eli realised he shouldn't have been surprised to hear Dua Lipa's Levitating blasting at full volume from the device.
"These songs are so old school," Eli remarked as he gave the earbud back.
"Yeah, and they are still slammin'," Mars replied confidently before explaining: "Gets me into a good mood. Better than the techno shit that's so hyped right now."
"I guess," Eli shrugged.
"You'll get the hang of it," Mars said, voice much lighter, "Like Derek says: it takes persistence and belief."
"You mean stubbornness and spite," Eli corrected, prompting Mars to laugh and the conversation to drift to different topics.
In the following three days, Eli tried to rely on his own tunes to call his wolf forward without any noticeable progress. His powers seemed unwilling to show themselves after that one catastrophic full moon, and all he got from his music therapy was back pain (from trying to lift the family car) and a twisted ankle (from jumping out of his second-floor room). For a whole week, the only thing he could think about was how fast his siblings would heal from these injuries, although, finally having an excuse to warm the bench at lacrosse games was a welcomed repercussion.
***
"Bye, have fun!" Despite the cheery goodbye, his tata hadn't come back into the house yet, which could only mean one thing: Eli's parents were shamelessly making out on the front porch, which, first off, ew, and second, the movie now couldn't be started lest they risked getting grounded for a week.
This will take a while, Eli thought as he got comfortable on the couch.
"Why don't you go?" Tally asked nosily as she was prone to do when she was overcome by boredom.
"To be a burden? No thanks."
"But you have powers!"
"Do you see them anywhere? 'cause I don't."
"Three full moons ago you did that parkour from roof to roof, that was cool. And! And you slept in the lion's cage at the zoo."
"It's interesting how you remember all that but you couldn't recall this afternoon where my pop tarts disappeared to." Eli groused, hoping his parents weren't using tongue or this would be a long interrogation for Eli.
"Would it help if I punched you?" Tally suggested, making Eli wonder if his family was a bad influence on her, "Pain's s'possed to help."
"You punching me with your noodles arms? Yeah, totally gonna work."
It was Eli's fault, really, letting his guard down, because the next second, Tally reached over the couch and punched him square in the arm with all the force of a fierce primary schooler.
"Ow, what the-"
"I guess it doesn't," Tally pouted, before settling back into her corner, "Or you're just a loser."
"Thanks," Eli said while rubbing his arm, "But I'm not the adopted one."
"No, I am. Which means our parents at least wanted me."
Eli shot his sister a death glare, unsure how so much evil could fit into such a small body. "They wanted me too! I'm the oldest, which means they anticipated me the most."
"Weren't you a surprise?"
"Okay, let's just start the movie already," Eli grumbled, deciding that getting his ass whipped by his tata was still a better choice than his present torment.
"I just don't know why you're scared."
"I'm not," Eli denied rather weakly.
"You are. You're scared to go on runs."
"Finding an anchor is hard, alright?!"
"But it isn't," Tally argued, clutching her unicorn plushie tighter, "When I get mad, I just think of a nice place and the anger goes away."
"A nice place?"
"Like that," Tally pointed towards the kitchen, and Eli immediately knew she was talking about one of her drawings they had on the fridge. The one with the cove on it.
"That calms you down?"
"Yeah," Tally affirmed, "When Rony exploded my dinosaur plushie with that fireball, I was really angry at him. But then I remembered what the kid in that cartoon said about anger, and how it's normal, but sometimes you can't do anything to change what's happened so you have to focus on something else. So I did what he did and imagined a place where I was happy. Like that beach where my parents took me once. I liked it, we collected a bunch of seashells."
"The ones in your room?"
"Aham," Tally said, looking at her plushie instead, "Mom said that life is like the ocean, and we are just tiny seashells in it. And that waves come and go, like bad feelings. So when I feel something bad, I just remember the waves and I know if I don't fight it, it will pass. And I'll be happy again."
Eli didn't know what to say, he was mostly just stunned into silence. Thankfully, that was the moment their tata came back to the room, hair a tousled mess and lips slightly bloody, a pink flush colouring his cheeks that Eli wished was from embarrassment.
"I'll be, um... down... in a sec," Their tata excused himself as he ran upstairs, no doubt into the bathroom, and Eli made sure to put this memory later onto the list of 'Reasons why my future therapist will side-glance me'.
It was a small solace to know that Tally shared his misery.
***
The elevator jostled as it came to an abrupt stop, stuck between two levels, and soon descending into darkness before the backup lights flickered on.
"They shut down the power," Audie noted, pressing the emergency bell in vain.
"Really? I wouldn't have figured it out on my own," Eli sassed, carding through his hair in frustration, "Just so you know, I'm blaming you for this."
Audie glared him down in response, having already mastered her look of alpha reproval at the age of 16, and Eli was once again dreading the day she would take over the family territory. Eli was nevertheless right: his sister had been the one to insist he drove them to the hospital as soon as Melissa's call came in. Apparently, vampires had been secretly feeding on half-leg-in-the-grave patients until Melissa noticed the bite marks belonging to a person who had previously shown signs of improvement, and Eli's parents shortly arrived at the premises to confirm her theory. The vampires, for obvious reasons, weren't thrilled about the deputies now monitoring the halls, and long story short, the whole nest showed up, Eli's parents were kicking ass, but the bloodsuckers were hauling people out of the wards with inhuman speed and wiping the witnesses' memories, and so here Audie and Eli were. As reinforcement.
As if.
"Would you have let them fight alone?" Audie berated, her voice almost as threatening as the yellow glow of her eyes.
"Our parents can handle it, that's what they do."
"So you think this isn't your responsibility?"
"Since when is a vampire attack our responsibility?" Eli snarled, unable to unravel his sister's point, "The adults should handle it, with the cops! And they had it under control."
"Yeah, as much as a fucking wildfire," Audie hissed, her breaths coming quicker with every new scream her ears were able to pick up on, "Our parents are out there and who knows what is happening to them! Innocent people are getting used as some kind of all-you-can-eat buffet, we are stuck in this goddam elevator, and you say you don't care?!"
Audie's words came out as a near growl by the end, and Eli recognized the telltale indications of an impending panic attack. His sister's shift usually came along with the fear, and that was one of the reasons she had been home-schooled last year - more out of embarrassment than the possibility of hurting someone. Eli felt horrible, both because he had somewhat contributed to their messy situation and also because he was lost for what to do. Their parents knew how to deal with the panic attacks, but now Eli felt ashamed that as an older brother he never learnt how to help his sister. Audie might be the next alpha in line, but Eli was her big brother, and it was his job to look after her.
Audie growled again with fangs elongating and claws sinking into her palms painfully, and Eli contemplated getting closer to her before barely discernable words were audible around her heavy breathing.
"Alpha... beta... omega..."
It was like a chant she kept repeating despite the interruption of screams from outside. Audie clutched her triskele necklace - a smaller version of the family talisman - while attempting to regulate her breathing and not relenting until her face was devoid of wolfy features. Suddenly, all sounds ceased past the doors, and the normal lighting returned as the elevator jerked back into motion.
"We're moving."
Audie opened her eyes, tucked her necklace back into her shirt and steadied her stance against whatever was awaiting them downstairs.
"Get ready to fight," Audie commanded, her voice leaving no space for disobedience, "We are Hales. This is our legacy. We protect people."
The words appeared to calm her down, and Eli had no wish to fight her claims. He took a deep breath instead.
"I'll protect you," Audie promised out of nowhere, just as the doors opened to a crowd of disoriented and terrified people.
Alongside his sister, Eli felt unexpectedly secure.
***
"You can do this," Their father repeated but Eli wasn't even sure the message was getting across to his little brother. Rony had curled up on the floor a few minutes ago, face hidden behind his knees while he rocked rapidly back and forth, and didn't show any indication of abandoning his chosen corner in the family basement.
"Ican'tIcan'tIcan'tIcan'tIcan't..." Were the words on a loop that Rony whispered with his hands stubbornly covering his ears. Audie was kneeling in front of him, struggling not to touch Rony after that one time the boy screamed at the contact, but their sister was evidently getting more riled up by the minute.
"Yes, you can!" Audie pressed, despite the futile incentive, "Rony, you have to focus. You have to find Tata."
"You're the only one who can do this," Their dad affirmed in a softer tone, not that it mattered. He was just as, if not more, wrung out than the rest of their family, so his encouragement registered more as a desperate plea rather than a confident boost.
It all went to hell when their tata was running away from the nest of vampires. He had concealed his scent and heartbeat to hinder the nest's manhunt, but his plan had backfired when their dad failed to locate him as well. Now their tata was taken and their other father was clearly blaming himself for losing sight of his mate, and Eli's little brother who was only 13 and barely having started working on his magic was the only one with the means to salvage the situation. The problem was that location spells weren't an easy trick for beginners, especially those under immense stress of possibly losing a parent.
"I can't do this, he's gonna die," Rony muttered under his breath, further upsetting every else in the room.
Eli could feel the waves of worry wafting off Mars when he leaned closer.
"He has no confidence," Mars noted to Eli, "Like when he does math. He has to feel like he knows what he's doing to make it work."
Meanwhile, their dad was rumbling lightly and taking loud breaths in the hope that Rony would follow his example.
"You've done this once, Rony," Their dad said after a minute of useless attempts, "I saw it. You did it with Tata."
"But he was here then, and now he isn't..."
Eli felt so powerless - a state that was becoming aggravatingly regular. The only thing he could think about was the responsibility he had as the oldest sibling, how he had to do something. This was about their family, for crying out loud!
"Hey, Rony," Eli sank to the ground much to everyone's surprise, and truly, he shared the sentiment. He would have also liked to know what he was going to do next. "List me all the Star Wars movies in chronological order."
"What?" Audie whisper-shouted but Eli just pushed her face away.
“The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, The Clone Wars, Revenge of the Sith, A Star Wars Story from 2018 and then the one from 2016, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker, and A New Order from 2026.”
“Awesome,” Eli said a bit stupefied, biting his lip as he racked his brain for another one of those rants Rony was prone to, “Oh! Who's the most commonly appearing character in the Marvel comics?”
“Wolverine.”
“What was the first PG-13 movie?”
“Red Dawn.”
“Where did they film the Lord of the Rings?”
“New Zealand.”
“How many movies are in the Fast and Furious series?”
“21.”
Throughout the impromptu quiz, Rony’s heart rate began to gradually settle, and Eli could see Audie's curious eyebrow raise from the side.
“What?” Eli cracked, turning to his sister with an irate look, “I pay attention.”
“Except in school,” Audie replied, but their bickering was short-lived when they noticed Rony's grateful eyes blinking up at them.
“How…?”
Their father was rubbing his thumb against the back of Rony's neck - a soothing gesture and subtle pain leech wrapped in one - and he gave Eli a silent nod as the ghost of a smile tentatively returned to his face.
“If you can remember all of these things,” Eli turned to Rony with a proud smile, “Then you can also remember a location spell.”
Rony stared ahead with unfocused eyes as if contemplating the truth of those words, before rising to shaky legs and addressing the room with a hesitant but determined gaze.
“We’ll need the keys from the jeep.”
***
"You know, for an ambush, it feels kinda like a trap."
"Duck!"
Eli dropped to his knees at Hikari's shrill warning, a dismembered hand quickly joining him on the ground as a vampire hissed above.
"My point still stands," Eli commented, taking a few seconds to assess his surroundings.
He saw Malia's water gun discarded on the side as she was reduced to fighting with her claws, and there was a blast of magic knocking his father somewhere into the far-end walls.
"We need a new plan," Eli grunted as he kicked a looming vampire in the groin and sprung to his feet.
"Do your thing. I'll cover you."
With Hikari's assurance, Eli tried to get a good look at the building's outlay past the nest of vampires swarming the place. There were around ten of them, but the biggest issue had to be his father's adamancy about not killing a single one, only scathing them with holy water and the first rays of sunlight. They timed their attack to the early morning for that exact purpose, not that any light could penetrate the old establishment. In its heyday, it must have been some mythical forest-themed dark ride, which was ironically on-point for their town, but half of it had collapsed into itself and now there was debris littering the base floor where Eli's pack was fending off bloodsuckers left and right. Since the supernatural became a daily addition to the local government's life, the town had to allocate large portions of its funds to defence and covering up tracks, so wastelands like these became the perfect hideouts. Eli now wished they had torn this place down decades ago.
"Let's go up!" Eli shouted, dodging to the side and aiming for a hill of rubble.
"Why did I agree to this?" Hikari muttered under her breath but kept cutting limbs off the occasional vampire as they both climbed their way up towards the roof. Eli even witnessed one grow a new arm out of the severed-off flesh and scrunched up his nose in distaste.
"I'm totally with you, Eli, but you do have a plan, right?" Hikari asked, right as they reached the building's wooden structure.
"Yeah, totally."
"Why did that sound like you don't know what you're doing?"
"Just keep them off!"
Eli continued his ascend until he was perched atop a narrow beam. He balanced against the nauseating prospect of seeing his pack fighting for their lives down below and accidentally caught sight of his father throwing fire blasts at his own family with burgundy hues colouring his eyes. His tata was still under the vampires' mind control, it seemed.
Thankfully, Eli secured his posture on the timber, the roof almost grazing his hair.
"Can you do it?" Eli wished for his friend's help, but Hikari was too busy deflecting vampires as they jumped up to the higher levels.
"You gotta do it, Eli!"
That was an absurd request, seeing how the world was spinning around Eli and he had a serious worry he might faint off the beam.
"Punch through the roof!" Hikari roused, having figured out the contingency plan Eli was going for.
"I can't! I don't know how to transform!"
His heartbeat was fast, too fast, his ears feeling like they were stuffed full of cotton. He felt useless, obsolete, like a deadweight next to Hikari's strenuous work to keep him safe. His family was counting on him, he had to bring the wolf forward, yet, he had no idea where to start.
This was Eli. This was all he ever was. A letdown.
"You did it once, Eli!" Hikari's voice broke through his self-deprecation before she kicked a vampire off the wooden frame.
"Yeah, and lost control."
"Not the full moon!" Hikari grumbled with a look over her shoulder as she reassumed a fighting stance. "It was in first grade! I got lost in the woods!"
"It's just a hunch but maybe this isn't the time to discuss your attempt to find the fairies' kingdom," Eli commented, squatting out of a vampire's swing and punching him a few feet downstairs.
"Yeah, I was dumb, not the point," Hikari hissed, hitting a vampire with the back of her katana and sending him tumbling into another beam. "You found me, Eli! You used your nose and found me! The only reason I got home was because you had your night vision!"
"I was a kid!" Eli argued, looking at his hands and remembering that one dreadful full moon. He hadn't just jumped around on houses and howled at the moon like Tally assumed, he pierced Audie with his claws. He tossed his own father into a tree. He was dangerous. "I couldn't hurt anyone!"
"Stop being afraid or we'll fuckin die!" Hikari shouted, eyes burning with the flames of irritation and fear, "Your family will die, Eli! Do you understand that?!"
Eli's gaze lowered to the ground floor where his siblings were fighting as best as they could, putting themselves in danger despite their father's order to stay behind. He noticed the sheriff shooting special bullets at the half-dead creatures, and Parrish drenching them with the last remains of his holy water beside Mason. Kira was keeping two vampires occupied, while his father was desperately working on getting through to their tata, getting tossed into a nearby wall for his efforts.
There was no telling when backup would arrive. His family could die by that point.
Eli felt a surge of something - a kind of power not unlike the pull of the Moon.
He clenched his hand into a fist and punched upwards, the roof giving way under his knuckles. It hurt, of course, but the strength cursing through his body nearly numbed out all pain and healed his bones before he could really complain about them. He repeated this action a few more times, hearing the wood crack under the pressure and then jumping from the height as the roof began to collapse. Parts of the building's structure shattered around him as he landed in the centre of a ring made by the light filtering through the hole.
Eli immediately sensed a vampire's faltering steps.
"A little light won't save you, boy," One of the vampires taunted, although he made no move to approach the cascade of sunlight.
Eli raised his head and locked eyes with his sister's shocked expression right in front of him. Then, she let her eyes flash back at him while their dad screamed at Eli to find cover.
"Just wait for it, Dad" Audie smirked, and as if on cue, Eli let out a piercing howl.
It was like a shockwave, with the others following him and making the building shake with the vibrations of their battlecry. The humans and the vampires covered their ears, except Eli's tata, who sagged back with the force of it and looked up at Eli with yet again amber eyes above slightly parted lips. He was back.
"Fuck yeah, kid! That's what I'm talking about!" His tata cheered, not wasting a second to gather their dad into the light circle just as the rest of the pack hurried under the protection of the Sun. His tata let the sunlight bounce off his skin and moved the rays around the room like bright, yellow strikes which the vampires fought to evade. It made the scene look like a cheap-quality disco club. "Let's rattle!"
Eli roared with unfamiliar confidence and with their tata on their side, the pack managed to prolong the battle at least long enough for Rain and Tally to finish the circle of mountain ash outside. Before closing the barrier, their tata formed a light shield around them so the supernatural members of their pack could escape while the vampires remained efficiently trapped inside.
As soon as they were outside the mountain ash circle, the local vampire leader appeared on the abandoned amusement park's site, quickly succeeded by Mars and the supernatural council's secretary pulling up in the jeep.
"Is my timing right?" Mars asked with an uncertain sweep of his eyes.
"Perfect, kiddo," Their tata said with a relieved sigh.
"Where are they?" The vampire leader asked, to which Eli's dad pointed to the half-collapsed building.
"They are all alive," He also emphasized which the vampire ruler acknowledged with a grateful nod.
As the leader and the mage secretary went to handle the ragtag nest, Eli pulled Hikari close to his chest and uttered litanies of gratitude to his best friend.
"You were awesome, too," She said in response, pulling away and ruffling Eli's hair in fondness.
"And now?" Eli asked, still breathless and elevated by victory, just as his dad stepped up to his side.
"Now?" His dad repeated, pulling Eli into a half-hug, "Now we go home."
***
His body cut through the current as rows of trees swam past him, leading to the denser part of the forest. The wind abated here, allowing him to hear the noises following his run and alerting him that he wasn’t alone on this special night. Between the branches, the Moon bathed the preserve in guiding light, and soon enough, he stumbled onto a wide cliffside overlooking the expanse of their dark-clad city. Above the clamour of the nightlife below, he heard six familiar heartbeats catch up to him.
Eli's eyes interlocked with his father’s red ones beside him, flashing back yellow in carefree joy. He felt his pack - his family - all around him, and like a thick blanket of fog on an autumn dawn, peace descended to surround him.
He let out an ecstatic howl, his father and siblings following suit, and even the human members' terrible imitations of a howl brought a smile to his face. His tata honked the car on top of that, and their synchronized song filled the alley before climbing high among the stars where his ancestors, undoubtedly, watched on.
The twinkling sky was disturbed by storm clouds gathering somewhere in the distance, but there was no fear in Eli's heart. As Tally had said, the waves would come and go. And Eli had his family to anchor him down.
