Archive of Our Own ^beta

Stiles had been excited for Christmas to come since December started and the day is finally here.

When he wakes, the first thing he does, skipping getting dressed and brushing his teeth, is run downstairs.

His presents are under the tree but he forgoes those in order to open the front door, the sound which had woken him up.

“Merry Christmas!” They all scream at him and if it weren’t Christmas he’d usually be mad about the screaming when he just woke up. Instead he invites them all in, hugging and greeting each of them.

“Presents!” Someone, that he’s pretty sure is Isaac, screams from the living room.

“Presents!” He agrees, running to the living room himself.

He really want’s to see everyone’s faces when they open their presents from him, he’s sure they’re all going to love them.

Everyone each gets one of their gifts then they open it, gush over it and then thank the giver. It goes like that until all the presents are gone and they’re all on their last boxes.

They all unwrap their present, smiling and thanking each other as they appreciate their gifts.

Stiles, though, he's confused. In the bottom of his box lay a sheet of paper.

He gingerly picks it up, reading the words.

Your next clue will lay waiting in a blue treasured prize,

He's a bit confused, why a riddle? Who's it from? There's no marking on the package or the card.

“Guys? Who's this one from?” He asks the room at large.

He gets a chorus of ‘not me’s from the room and Lydia asking him what it says.

He reads the riddle out loud to them getting confused glances all around.

“Blue treasured prize,” He repeats, mind spinning to come up with the answer.

He's always loved riddles and for someone, he doesn't know who, to go through all this trouble on Christmas day, for him, it makes him smile.

The only thing blue in or around his house of notable relevance is his Jeep. He leaves the living room, small audience of his pack following him, and heads outside after putting on a jacket.

Inside the Jeep, on the driver's seat, lays a note, identical to the first one except for the words.

You've bled, sweat, and cried in this place,

It's become a haven because it's a safe space.

His mind is turning, wheels spinning and he can’t think of anything. His house is the safest place but they were just inside. The note probably would have said something else, too  if it were his house.

Lydia takes the note out of his hands, no time for courtesy he guesses. She reads it aloud and when she’s finished Scott pipes up.

“The clinic, it’s the place we always go after a battle and we all have a spare set of clothes there, so really it is like a haven.”

“Genius, Scotty,” Stiles says as he gets in his Jeep. The pack piling into there respective cars and following him.

When they get to the vets the door is locked.

“Back door,” Scott says, taking them around back and letting them in, Deaton usually never locks the backdoor for their purpose, it’s really is like a haven for them.

Lying on the table is the note that reads :

Training, fighting, and fire have occurred in this spot

Not long to go because you’re getting hot.

“Training, fighting and fire?” He asks the room. The only place they’d ever trained at, other than his house, is the Hale house but that was forever ago.

“Hale house,” He says, running out the back door and back to his Jeep.

When they pull up at the Hale house it’s noon and the house that he expected to be there was gone. In it wake is nothing but cement to mark the once dilapidated ground that the Hale home once stood.

On the cement slab though, is a note taped to the concrete.

I lay in waiting

For my Savior to come

in the place where

Good and bad memories are plentiful and some.

“Where the hell could this be? There are good and bad memories all over Beacon Hills for all of us,” Stiles tells the group.

“I have no clue,” Lydia admits, grudgingly.

“Nothing,”

Nada,”

“Zilch,”

“I Don’t know,”

And a shake of the head from the rest. It’s useless. They all have no clue where it is and none of them sent the gift then who did?

The only pack member missing from the charade is Derek and he’s in New York visiting old friends for the holidays. His dad left for work and had already given him his gift, the pack all seem to be genuinely confused about the notes too, so who could have sent it?

If he finds out who sent it then it’ll be easier to find out where the ‘lay in waiting’ as they so put it.

Good and Bad memories… When he thinks of good memories he thinks of his mom and dad. He thinks of when Scott had gotten a handle on his powers and they spent a lot of time figuring out what he could do. He thinks of the summer with Derek spent looking for Erica and Boyd, how he and Derek had gotten so much closer. He thinks of hanging out with Lydia in the loft, pouring over the bestiary. Of Movie nights, all huddled around the TV that he’d made Derek buy for the loft.

When he thinks about bad times… Well bad times make him want to cry so he won’t go down that road, especially not on Christmas.

But most of all the things he can think of are at the loft so maybe it is the loft.

“The loft,” He tells everyone, who give him weird, dubious, glances but follow as he gets in his car.

When they arrive at the loft there’s another note on the door.

You have reach the destination at it’s center

You alone must come up and enter

The pack say their goodbyes to him, leaving with smirks on their faces, weirding Stiles out at their secretive behavior. They wouldn’t have left him if they didn’t know who was in the loft but really? No hint at all? Traitors.

He takes the elevator to Derek’s floor, the only one habitable for the time being, Derek plans on renting them out when he gets back.

Stuck to the sliding metal door is another note.

Enter

The note says simply, like the person couldn’t figure out anything clever to go with it like the rest of the notes.

When Stiles walks into the loft, there really isn’t much changed from the last time he was hear before Derek went on his trip two days ago.

What definitely wasn’t there two days ago though, were the candy canes leading from the door up the stairs. He picks up the candy canes as he follows the path, sticking one in his mouth as he goes.

When he reaches the top of the stairs the candy canes turn into Kisses chocolate and he gathers those up as well until he runs into Derek’s bedroom door.

When he opens the door Derek is lying on the bed. Had Stiles been the one on the bed he’d have chosen a ridiculous position but Derek just lays on the bed like he’s sleeping, long limbs spread out and comfortable.

He’s wearing a Santa costume is what catches Stiles’s attention the most, toned body filling out the suit perfectly, making the most gorgeous, sexy, Santa Stiles has ever seen.

“What are you doing here, you’re supposed to be in New York,” Stiles asks, walking into the room, a huge smile on his face because Derek did all this for him. He has the best boyfriend in the world.

“Yeah, I lied. How did you like the riddles? I was a little scared that you wouldn’t get them,” Derek says, eyes shining with happiness.

“I almost didn’t but the pack helped out, it was fun to have to hunt for my present,” Stiles answers, walking over to the bed, dumping the candy down at the end of it.

“Well?” Derek asks expectantly.

Stiles cocks his head to the side in confusion.

“Aren't you going to claim your present?” Derek asks, cheeky smirk breaking his face.

“I am, I would love to get you out of that Santa suit.” Stiles says, climbing onto the bed.

“Right after we eat the candy first,” Derek says shooting down to the end of the bed where the candy lay.

Stiles is right on his tail though, both racing to get to the candy like five year olds.