Archive of Our Own ^beta

Stiles went through the woodlands, tightening the strings of his hoodie when the chill came to greet him. The trees danced and the autumn leaves feathered down to join the ones already on the ground. 

Stiles had only wanted to go and check on his favourite sourwolf - aka hot as hell Derek Hale - when he ended up tripping over something and landing on his face in the dirt. 

“Ow! Son of a bitch!” The eighteen year old huffed, wiping the dirt from his cheek and clothes. His toe hurt and he was glad that no one was around to see his clumsy self fall like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time. 

He looked down at the ground and saw the culprit that tripped him and… it wasn’t a rock. It wasn’t a twig or branch. No. it was the corner of a steel box. 

Stiles knelt down, removing some of the soil and seeing the box more clearly before beginning to dig the thing out from its grave. 

When he finally got enough off to see the lid, Stiles just stared. There on the top was a triskele. The same symbol inked in Derek’s back. 

Stiles followed the symbol with the tip of his finger, secretly wishing it was Derek’s back muscles instead of the dirty steel. 

He dug the box out the rest of the way. It was locked. Defeated, Stiles sighed and lifted it up. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that heavy. And he put it in his jeep before driving home. 

Slamming his bedroom door shut with his foot, Stiles placed the box on the floor. 

He got his dad’s screwdriver and used it to snap the lock open. It didn’t take a lot of effort as the lock was old and damaged by the elements. 

Stiles hesitated before opening it up. He had seen Evil Dead. You were not supposed to open shit up if you don’t know what’s inside. It could be a demon or a curse or a swarm of flesh eating moths that wanted to overrule the human race. 

Okay, maybe not moths. 

Stiles opened it up and inside were… letters. Envelopes that were aging brown in the edges. As he looked closer, he could see photographs, pictures and little trinkets. 

On the underside of the lid were writing. 

It said, ‘The Hale Family 2004’. 

A year before the fire. 

That was when it clicked into Stiles’ head. 

This wasn’t just a box. It was a time capsule made by the Hales… back when everything was good. And Derek had never opened it. 

Blinking away tears, Stiles took out the photos first. There were six of them. 

In the first picture was a couple. Both with dark hair. The woman was beautiful, glowing red eyes with a blinding smile. The man looked like an older version of Derek, Stiles noted, with greying hair, beard and sharp cheekbones.

Stiles flipped the photo over and saw writing on the back. It said ‘Talia and David Hale. 2000.’ 

“Derek’s parents.” Stiles breathed out before going to the next picture. 

It was of an exhausted sweaty Talia in a bed with two newborn babies on her chest. She looked younger than she was in the previous photo and she was crying tears of joy as she looked at her cubs. 

Again, Stiles flipped the picture around when he read the writing, he let the tears flow. 

‘Welcome to the world, Derek and Laura Hale. 1989’ 

Derek was a twin. 

Oh my fucking god. 

Stiles looked at the babies closer and saw that one had on a blue hat and the other pink. He stared at Derek. He was chubby! Hair falling from the hat and his little hands were curled into little fists as he cried his hello into the world. 

The next photo was of two little girls. One slightly older than the other. Both had dark hair and freckles. The younger had her hair curly and long while the older had it cut at the bottom of her ears. 

On the back it said, ‘Emma and Rebecca Hale. 2003.’ 

The fourth photo was of two other girls with David. The girls were climbing on their father, happy and wolfed out. David looked as scary as Derek in the photo, his claws and fangs out but Stiles could see the playfulness and joy radiating from the picture that it made him smile. 

On the back was written, ‘Laura and Elizabeth defeating Daddy. 1999.’ 

The next photograph made Stiles’ heart skip a beat. 

There in the picture was Derek Hale. But not any Derek Hale. Teenage Derek Hale. Smiling Teenage Derek Hale. 

Stiles’ hands shook a little as he took in the smile. Buck teeth?! Since when did Derek have Buck teeth?! OMFG! 

His face was free from stress. Free from anger and pain. It was a beautiful thing to see. Well, Derek was beautiful anyways but to see him so carefree and happy made Stiles say hello again to his tears. 

It took him a second before realising that Derek was holding a baby in the picture. And damn. Here came the baby fever. Fuck. 

Before Stiles could imagine having Derek’s babies, he turned the photo around to see the writing on the other side. It said, ‘Derek holding baby brother, Joshua. 2002.’ 

Trembling, Stiles looked at the last picture and cried more. 

It was a family picture in front of a not-burnt-down Hale house. The sun was shining and everyone was smiling. 

Talia and David in the middle. Talia holding a baby - the same baby from the previous pic. 

Beside David were two girls that Stiles had deduced to be Emma and Rebecca. And beside Talia were three others. Elizabeth, Laura and Derek. 

The Hales were beautiful. And Stiles held nothing but sadness for what happened to them. Not just for their deaths but for what they left behind. Derek. 

The Alpha Stiles knew now was the complete opposite from the Derek in these pictures. The Alpha Stiles knew was mean, hard, emotionless and intimidating. The Derek in the pictures was kind, bright, accepting and friendly. It made Stiles wonder if the Derek in the pictures were still hidden beneath the tough shell of rage and sadness today’s Derek had. 

Going back inside the box were drawings. One filled with scribbles and labelled ‘Joshua’. One was of two stick figures. One small in a dress with long black hair, the other tall and short spiky hair. It was labelled ‘Emma and Derek by Emma’.  

The last drawings were painted prints of hands. Each of different shapes and sizes, painted with different colours. Each hand was labelled with a member of the family. When Stiles spotted Derek’s, he lifted his own hand and placed it over his and was not surprised to know that even when Derek was 15, his hands were still bigger than Stiles’ eighteen year old ones. 

He went into the box again and took out five separate envelopes. Each had writing on the front. 

‘Talia Hale’

‘Rebecca Hale’ 

‘Elizabeth Hale’ 

‘Laura Hale’ 

‘Derek Hale’ 

He opened the one that said Talia Hale first. Inside, a letter that wrote - 

‘Hello. I’m Talia Hale, Alpha and leader of the Hale pack. 

I have a wonderful husband and Mate - David. We have been together for twenty years now. We were highschool sweethearts and we got married and mated at 17. Even to this day he makes my wolf jump with joy. 

We have six beautiful children. 

Derek and Laura are our eldest. They’re 15. Twins yet so different from one another. Laura is extraverted, full of energy and talkative. She loves to have all eyes watching her and she hates studying. Derek on the other hand is quiet, introverted and keeps to himself. But he is very protective and loyal. I wish he would talk more but he is such a sweet boy. He loves studying and learning and is getting so good at his piano lessons. I hope in the future that Laura figures out what she wants and that Derek finally opens up to others. 

Our second eldest, Elizabeth, 13, is so intelligent. Always reading and her teachers give her work from upper grades. All A’s and B’s. I hope in the future that she does something amazing with that big brain of hers. It would be a waste not to. 

Rebecca is our third. She’s 12. She struggles. We think she has Dyslexia and other problems. She struggles with school and making friends but she is amazing on the violin. She played for an orchestra last year and I have never been so proud of her. I hope in the future for Rebecca to get more confident in reading and writing and to excel in the violin. 

Emma. My baby girl. 8 years old and my little troublemaker. She is Derek’s shadow, always following him. She also likes to get into trouble. Always getting dirty, never letting me brush her hair, using her claws on the furniture, pulling pranks. She makes us laugh and her personality can light up the room. My hope for the future for Emma is that she LETS ME BRUSH HER HAIR FOR ONCE!

And our youngest, Joshua. He is 2 and all he does is giggle. Adorable and will only nap on either me or Derek. My hope for him is to grow up to be like Derek. Strong, loyal and happy. 

I love my family and pack with all the moon and I hope for nothing but love and happiness for the years to come. 

Love, 

Talia Hale.’ 

The only thing Stiles got from that was PIANO LESSONS?! Derek played the piano?! 

And the fact that he had such a big family. Derek, Laura and Peter were the only ones to survive the fire and Stiles could help but shudder. Talia, David, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Emma, Joshua. They all lost their lives and Derek lost a mother, a father, three sisters and a baby brother. Stiles’ heart ached for the sourwolf he grew to love. 

With no self control he opened Derek’s letter. 

This was what was inside - 

‘Hi. My name is Derek. I’m 15. My twin sister is Laura.

T o be honest, I have no idea what to put in this letter. Elizabeth said to write about what my life is like right now and see how much things had changed in the future and mom said to write down some goals for my future self… so here we go, I guess… 

My mom, Laura, Peter and I go hunting for dinner early in the morning everyday. Mom said I am getting better at killing the animal with a single bite! My biggest catch was an adult male deer! I just wanna make her proud. I hope I do make her proud. 

Joshua has started talking. His first word was my name! Laura got so jealous. 

Emma likes to ride on my shoulders a lot and her two front teeth came out last week. 

Rebecca is still having trouble reading and writing. Mom is going to have her tested for Dyslexia. Rebecca is upset about this. She thinks it means she’s stupid but she’s not! She’s a whizz on the violin and won a medal for it last year. 

But I have to admit that Elizabeth is the smartest of us all. She’s only 13 and is doing college level math and reading 1,000 page books like they were short stories. So, I was not surprised when this whole time capsule thing was Elizabeth’s idea. Don’t tell her I said that, it will go right to her head. 

Anyway, Dad said that this full moon, Laura and I get to lead the pack for the nightly run. I am so excited! But I’m kinda nervous about screwing up. Let’s hope it goes smoothly. I don’t want to let anyone down due to my mistakes. 

I guess this is where I set my goals for my future self… 

Okay. 

• Get better at Piano. Mom said I was already good but I want to be better. 

• Score the winning basket at a basketball game. We have a game next week. Fingers crossed! 

• Go to college. 

• Get a degree. 

• Get a job. 

• Find a mate and have pups. 

The last one is important. I watch how my mom and dad are and it makes me want that. I want someone to love and be loved back. I want a mate. And I want pups. Lots of them. I want to raise my kids like my family raised me. Big and strong and loyal. 

That’s it. That’s all I have to say. 

See you soon! 

Derek. 2004 

Ps - Dear Future me, If you have found your mate, then give them the bracelet inside this envelope. :) bye.’ 

Stiles flushed. Did Derek still want that? A mate and puppies? 

Stiles then looked back in the envelope to see something at the bottom. He lifted it out and examined it. It was a black leather bracelet with the Hale triskele carved into it. It was beautiful. And Stiles knew it would mean as some sort of promise ring thing to the wolf.

He wished he could wear it. 

Shaking his head from his impossible thoughts, Stiles picked up Laura’s letter. 

‘ Hello! My name is Laura. I am 15 and the prettier twin (And older by four and half minutes). Derek and I are going to host the full moon run soon and I am buzzing! Derek’s nervous, poor thing. He’s always been the quiet one, not liking all the attention on him. I hope he sees how amazing he is by the time this letter is reintroduced to the world. He needs to know that he is going to be a great Alpha. 

Elizabeth, the smart ass, came up with this idea and Mom forced us to go along with it. Elizabeth said she’s going to be a surgeon when she’s older. I can see it. I hope by whatever year this letter is back that that is happening for her. 

I’ve been trying to help Rebecca with her reading and writing. No luck so far. With words she is trapped but whenever she plays that violin of hers, she flies. The music always sends Derek to sleep. It's his kryptonite. 

Emma, that little rebel, is getting better at pranks. She swapped Peter’s bar of soap with butter the other day. That was brilliant. 

Joshua is as useful as a potato but he’s cute so I’ll allow it. 

My goal for the future is to go to college and become either a model or a lawyer. Haven’t decided yet. 

Peace. 

Laura’

Stiles smiled at the letter. He would like to think that if he had met Laura that they would’ve gotten along. He liked her wit and whole demeanour. And Talia was right about the opposite twin thing. They were so different, even their handwriting were complete opposites. 

And he also agreed with Laura when she said that she hoped Derek could see how amazing he was one day. He hoped that too. 

The next letter was Elizabeth’s. 

‘To whom it may concern. This letter was written by Elizabeth Hale on July 20th 2004 at 13:05 pm. 

I came up with the idea of the time capsule to store away the memories of today so we can see them again in the future. I am 13 years at the time of this letter and 5’4. Mom said I have grown a lot but I want to be at least as tall as Derek when I’m older. Why? Well, intimidation of a tall girl will back off the creeps. Obviously. 

Anyways, I have been reading Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and it has made me want to learn French. So my goal for the future is to be completely fluent in the language. And I want to be a surgeon. Dr Elizabeth Hale. It has a ring to it, don't you think? 

That is all I have to say. 

Bye bye! 

Sincerely, 

Elizabeth Hale.’ 

Reading from the dead was an experience Stiles didn’t think would affect him this much. He was almost a sobbing mess. 

So much potential. So much innocence. All cruelly taken away. 

The final letter was short and kinda hard to read but Stiles made it out as - 

‘ Hi. I’m Rebecca. 

I don’t lik writng but Elizabeth said I hd to. 

I’m 12 and play the villion violon violin.

Mom said I’m dyclec- dyslecsic and the other kids at scool make fun of me. Derek has my back and growls at thm. It’s funy. I love my big bruther. 

My goal for the futer is to get beter at righting and reeding . 

Bye. 

Rebecca.’ 

Stiles’ heart softened and he wiped the tears off his face using the back of his hand. 

There was one last thing in the box and Stiles carefully reached in to receive it, cradling it like gold. 

It was a hard drive. 

Stiles quickly got to his desk, opening his laptop and attaching the hard drive receiver to it. He put the drive in and a file opened up in his documents. It was labelled as ‘The Hale Time Capsule 2004’ and Stiles clicked on it to see around ten videos inside. 

At first, Stiles wanted to watch them but as his mouse hovered over the first video, he paused. He had already overstepped boundaries. He shouldn’t dig any deeper - especially without Derek’s consent. 

He reached for his phone and sent Derek a text. 

‘Come to my house. I have something you might wanna see. ASAP. - Stiles’ 

As he waited for a reply, Stiles fidgeted and looked back at the photo of young Derek and baby Joshua. And all that kept replaying in his mind were the questions of ‘Could Derek ever be that happy again?’ and ‘Is the old Derek still in there somewhere?’ 

His phone buzzed and Stiles looked at the notification. 

‘Be there in five. Open the window. - D’ 

He was about to text back that the front door was better but he secretly liked the fact that Derek snuck into his window and did as Derek said, opening the window just a little for the sourwolf. 

A few minutes later, Derek came jumping through the window, feet landing without a sound as he looked at Stiles. 

“What is it, St-” The Alpha was beginning to say but then stiffened, sniffing the air before his eyes landed on the open box on the teen’s floor. 

The wolf went closer to it, careful and slow as if in shock. His knees gave out and he landed in front of the letters. When he finished reading Elizabeth’s letter, he looked up at Stiles with tears filling his eyes. 

“H-How?” 

“I tripped over it when I was on my way to see you.” Stiles said, “I didn’t know what it was at first so I took it home. I swear I didn’t know-” 

Derek silenced him when he raised his palm up to stop him. The Alpha blinked away tears as he looked through the contents of the box. The letters, the photos, the drawings and handprint painting. 

He was silent. 

Almost painfully so. 

And it made Stiles uneasy. 

The teen could see Derek trying to keep the tears in, his eyelids reddening and his jaw tight. 

When Derek finished reading his own letter, he scoffed and shook his head. He then saw the leather bracelet that 15 year old him wanted to give his mate and put it in his pocket. 

“I was so stupid.” The wolf muttered, “Stupid and naive.” 

“We all were at 15.” Stiles informed gently. 

“My stupidity got my family killed, Stiles.” 

The human shook his head, leaning forward to place a hand on the Alpha’s shoulder, “What Kate did was not your fault, Derek.” 

“BUT IT WAS MY FAULT!” He exploded, up on his feet, his letter scrunched up in his clawed hand, his teeth showing, “I THOUGHT I WAS IN LOVE! SHE USED ME! SHE USED ME TO KILL THEM! ELIZABETH WAS GOING TO BE A DOCTOR! A-AND R-REBECCA WAS AN AMAZING VIOLINIST.” Derek panted, his volume going from yelling to almost a whisper, “Emma was- she didn’t let anything stop her. S-She wasn’t afraid of anything. A-And Joshua-” Tears threatened to spill but he choked down and turned away from Stiles. 

Stiles watched the Alpha’s shoulders shook as his back faced him. 

He stood up and went to Derek, putting a hand on his arm and the other folding over Derek’s clenched fist. 

“I know, Der. I know.” The teen whispered, tugging the arm so that the Alpha could turn to face him. Derek’s eyes were swimming with water but none yet were set free and his lips were clamped shut by his teeth. 

Stiles reached to cup the Alpha’s cheek, feeling the stubble with his thumb. Derek melted into the touch, tilting his head and closing his eyes. Stiles’ own tears never stopped, feely crying as he watched Derek’s tough shell break under his touch. 

Derek’s eyes landed on the laptop on Stiles’ desk and Stiles guided the Alpha down onto the chair so he could show him what else he had found. 

Stiles just stared as Derek shakily reached for the mouse and clicked on the first video. 

The video started with someone trying to set up the camera up perfectly before twisting around to show Talia Hale. She smiled at the camera and waved, ‘Hello. I’m Alpha Talia Hale and it’s July 19th 2004 and my beautiful daughter Elizabeth had the amazing idea of doing a time capsule. So I wanted to include some videos for us to look back on. This video is our little introduction and so here we go.’ Her beautiful smile was flawless, bright and Stiles couldn’t help but look at Derek. The Alpha was staring longingly at the screen, chest pushing in and out as he tried to gain control of his breathing. 

The camera whipped around and Talia moved around the house, pointing the lens at David who was on the couch with Joshua giggling away in his lap. 

‘This is my mate David and this little puppy is our youngest Joshua. Say hi, Joshy!’ The little boy shrieked and David grinned as he puppeted Joshua’s arm into a wave. She then moved over to the kitchen where she found Emma climbing on top of the counter to reach the Oreo’s. Talia huffed as Emma giggled when getting caught. 

Rebecca was at the table, cleaning her violin. She smirked at the scene in front of her. 

‘This troublemaker is Emma. Get off the counter, Em, or no night run.’ Emma grumbled, obeying her Alpha and got down. 

“She was always in trouble.” Derek said quietly and Stiles squeezed Derek’s hand in support as the video continued. 

‘I told her to get down, mom.’ Rebecca insisted and Talia kissed her head in thanks before introducing the camera to her daughter. Rebecca smiled shyly, waving a greeting. 

Talia found Elizabeth in the library, reading while using the natural light from the window to guide her. 

‘This is Elizabeth.’ Talia’s voice was happy and cheerful, ‘What are you reading today, hun?’ 

Elizabeth showed her mom and camera the front cover of ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley. 

The two spoke about the book for a minute before Talia asked, ‘Where are the twins?’ 

‘Outside.’ Elizabeth answered, shrugging, ‘This morning, Laura said she could do more push ups then Derek. They’ve been competing ever since.’ 

Talia laughed then went outside to see young Derek and his twin sister on the ground. Derek was counting as he pushed himself up and down effortlessly. ‘60,61,62,63,64’ 

‘Stop cheating!’ Laura huffed, using a hand to whack Derek off his counting. 

Derek pushed her back, ‘I’m not! You’re just too slow!’ 

Talia used a strong voice to break up the fighting. Then spoke for the camera. 

‘And these two are my eldest, Laura and Derek.’ 

‘I’m older!’ Laura announced. 

Derek folded his arms and frowned, ‘By four minutes!’ 

‘Still older!’ 

The bickering continued until the twins tackled each other, laughing and throwing unthreatening insults. 

Talia chuckled, sighing deeply and making her way indoors. She made the camera face her and she huffed in fake exhaustion, ‘And that’s my pack. It never gets boring around here.’ 

The video ended. 

Without a word, Derek clicked on the next video. It was of a young Rebecca. The time stamp in the corner said September 1st 1996. That made Rebecca four years old. She was standing on a stage and she was playing the violin. It was scratchy and slow but Stiles could still make out the song ‘twinkle twinkle little star’.

Derek bit his lip as it trembled. 

The next video was of David and Talia introducing newborn Elizabeth to two year olds Derek and Laura. 

Toddler Laura seemed to frown at the new addition and walk off while a toddler Derek ducked down to sniff the baby before grinning widely. 

‘Laura does not seem pleased.’ David laughed from behind the camera as he caught Laura pouting in the corner of the room. 

‘But Derek seems to love her already.’ Talia said. 

‘I’m not surprised.’ 

‘Me either. He’ll be a wonderful big brother.’ 

The video ended and Stiles looked at Derek closely. 

Still no tears but he could see that the Alpha’s eyes were begging for release. Stiles reached over to squeeze the strong shoulder but Derek didn’t react. Not to the touch anyways. 

He clicked on the next video robotically. 

It was of Emma on Derek’s shoulders as they ran around the house. Emma was shrieking with delight and laughter, arms wide as she ‘flew’. Derek was also laughing and the sound made Stiles choke on a sob. He looked so happy. It crushed the teen to see. He looked at the date in the corner. April 24th 2004.

Exactly one year before the fire. 

The next video was of Derek at a basketball game. He was running around with his team, shooting baskets, flowing through the court like water. Stiles could hear David, Talia, Laura and Elizabeth all shouting out encouragements and cheering when Derek scored. 

The sixth video was obviously old with the low quality and shitty sound. It was of Talia in a bed made of blankets and pillows and what looked to be old shirts. She was panting and howling in pain. David was with her behind the camera, encouraging her and saying how proud he was. 

Before Stiles could comprehend what was happening, Talia howled again, reaching down into the blankets out of shot. She lifted up and there was a newborn baby girl. The baby cried, her umbilical cord attached and Talia cried in absolute joy as David shook with excitement. 

‘Welcome to the world, Laura Hale.’ David’s voice was thick with emotion and Talia broke the umbilical cord with her claws before wiping the blood and fluid off of her daughter. Stiles smiled, this time happy tears falling as he watched Talia swoon over Laura. 

But it was quick to dissolve into a howl of pain as another contraction happened on the screen. David was there to comfort his wife as she, again, reached down. This time a baby boy came into the world. He was a lot chubbier then his sister but his cries weren’t nearly as loud. 

‘And welcome to the world, Derek Hale.’ Talia sniffed, picking up her children and nuzzling them both to her chest. 

The video clicked off when David moved forward to kiss his mate and join the cuddle. 

Another video was of a heavily pregnant Talia and her pack in the woods on the full moon. Everyone shifted and ran and played as they howled at the moon. 

Another video was of Rebecca, now older and more confident as she took the stage with an entire orchestra. She played with her eyes closed, feeling the music as she rocked side to side. She had come a long way from ‘twinkle twinkle little star’. 

The last video was something Stiles wished he had sat down for. There on the screen was of a teenage Derek in front of a piano, playing beautifully as Emma sat beside him with a thumb in her mouth. 

When all the video had been played, Stiles turned to Derek and when he saw the state of the Alpha, he twisted the wolf to face him. He made his way in between Derek’s legs, his hands on his shoulders. Derek looked up at Stiles, barely holding it together. 

“You can cry, Derek.” Stiles whispered, “It won’t back you less of an Alpha to cry.” 

“I know.” Derek’s voice was so strained that it broke the human’s heart, “It’s just- I’m scared that if I start crying then… I will never stop.” 

Stiles brought his hand up to cup his cheeks, “It’s okay. It’s okay.” His head went to rest on the wolf’s forehead, “You can fall, Der. I’ll be here to catch you.” 

The sob that came out from the Alpha was horrifying. It sounded as if he was dying. As if he was being stripped from his strength, energy and life. Stiles held him close, cradling the Alpha’s head into his chest as his own tears fell. 

As if the soul could bleed an ocean through the gorgeous hazel eyes, that was the enormity of Derek Hale’s sobbing.

The screaming sobs that were only interrupted by Derek's need to draw breath. It was a primal sound, it hurt Stiles so much hearing it. To be so close to such pain and not being able to cure the ache… it killed him. He wanted Derek’s pain to stop. He wanted Derek’s heart to not be broken anymore. He wanted Derek to be as free and happy as he was in the videos and pictures. 

He held onto him tighter and kissed the top of the Alpha’s head. 

He didn’t know how long they stayed like that for. 

All Stiles did know was that when Derek’s sobs turned into whimpering hiccups, his laptop had shut itself off and it was dark out. The Alpha’s weight was on him fully and he struggled keeping Derek upright. He gently pushed Derek’s head back to look at him. 

Eyes red and puffy, cheeks tear stained and blotchy, traces of snot. 

Stiles took his sleeve and wiped the wolf’s face so softly that Derek hardly felt it. 

Once clean - well, cleaner - Stiles took Derek’s hand and pulled him to the bed, careful of the box that was still on the floor. 

Derek all but collapsed exhausted and drained onto the bed. When his head hit the pillow, his eyes were shut and his breathing shallowed. 

Stiles picked up the stuff and placed them back in the box before moving to Derek. He took off the Alpha’s shoes and jacket before getting the blanket and throwing it over him. 

He sat on the edge of the bed and stared as Derek slept. 

Unable to help himself, he stretched to run his fingers through Derek’s hair. It was softer than he thought. 

Stiles then yawned and decided to lay down facing Derek. 

Derek’s eyes then opened and Stiles froze, contemplating getting off the bed and running for the hills. He was about to do just that before Derek reached over, wrapping his strong arms around the teens skinny waist and pulled. Derek’s head landed in the crook of Stiles’ neck and he breathed in the scent before going back to sleep with the thumping of Stiles’ heart lulling him. 

When Stiles got over his shock, he wrapped his own arms around Derek’s shoulders and kept him flushed against him. His chin rested on top of the Alpha’s head and he could smell the coconut shampoo that was embedded in Derek’s hair. It was soothing and it didn’t take long for Stiles to follow Derek into the land of dreamless sleep. 

When Stiles woke up, he was alone. 

A bit disappointed, he stretched and rubbed his eyes. He looked around the room and noticed that the box was gone and his desk chair was neatly tucked under his cleaned desk. 

At first, Stiles thought he had dreamt the entire thing but the scent of Derek still lingered on his bed sheets and…

… the leather bracelet that was tied around his wrist.