Chapter Text
Derek was restless. Derek was restless and bored. He loved the city, he really did. He loved the anonymity of it, loved how big it was, how loud. But, sometimes, it seemed too crowded, too big, like he couldn't escape. Sometimes, he wished for the forest of home. The space to run, to stretch out, to work off all this restless energy.
Derek's phone started ringing, pulling him from his musing. Looking at the caller ID, Derek couldn't help but groan.
"Hi Mom."
"Derek, sweetie, how are you? How is school going?"
"Everythings going great Mom," Derek lied. It wasn't that he was in danger of failing any of his classes, but some of them were really kicking his ass and others were just a pain. If Derek had to name one reason he liked being in the city, away from home, he would have to say it was the fact that he could now lie without getting caught. His family couldn't hear heart beats over the phone.
"You say that every time I ask," his mom said with a fond sigh.
"How are you doing?" she asked.
And that was why he dreaded phone calls from his mother. He heard every one of her not so subtly unasked questions. She wanted to know how he was handling his wolf in the city, as if he hadn't been here for close to six years now. She wanted to know if he wanted to come home for a visit, if he had found anyone yet. Then, when he told her he was fine, that he would be home for winter break like always, and that, no, he wasn't seeing anyone because he was focusing on school, really didn't have the time, and no one really interested him, she would launch straight into a lecture about how he shouldn't let the past drag him down and it was time to move on and really she wanted grandkids in the foreseeable future and blah blah blah... Really, this happened every time she called.
Derek was just resigning himself to answer her when someone ran right into him. This normally wouldn't be a big deal. It was the city. You got bumped into a little no matter where you walked, though usually the park was safer. Usually you would just mumble an apology and move on. Plus, being a werewolf had it advantages, he hardly felt when people bumped him. This time though, he was sent stumbling back a bit, making him drop his phone, while the stranger was all but thrown on his ass sending papers, pens, and a book flying.
"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" the stranger said, arms flying all over the place, as he started picking things up while still talking.
"I wasn't looking at where I was going, got this big test in like an hour, and I think better when I'm not sitting still so I thought I would go for a walk while studying and..."
Derek was only half paying attention to what the stranger was saying. Mostly, he was distracted by the way the stranger smelled. Like old leather bound books, the air right before a good storm rolled in, the lightning dancing across the sky. He smelled like the forest Derek would run through as a kid. But, overall, he smelled wild, untamable, like a force of nature you learned to work with rather than against.
"Um, dude, you ok?" The stranger asked suddenly a lot closer, concern heavy in his voice. Just as Derek was about to answer, the kid started talking again.
"Shit. Shit. Shit. I must have screwed something up." He mumbled pulling back his sleeve to look at what seemed to be an intricate bracelet over a lot of tattoos.
"We have discussed this, you are not supposed to stun innocent weres. You are only supposed to repeal ones that are actively trying to hurt me. Also, you are not definitely not supposed to hurt me by throwing me when protecting me. Shit, how do I fix this. Ok. Ok. Deep breath Stiles, just find the problem and work the reverse out from there. Ok, here's one and, fuck, does that mean I screwed up more than one part? Oh well, this one isn't important right now. Now, where else..."
What? What! What? Derek was so lost.
"What the hell?" he said and great, this right here was why Derek didn't do people. The wrong thing always slipped out of his mouth.
"Oh, you're not frozen. Awesome!" the kid beamed. He beamed!What was going on? Before Derek could ask though, the kid was talking again and, seriously, did he ever stop?
"Here's your phone. Sorry about all that!" and, how had Derek forgotten his mother? He totally forgot all about the phone call. ‘Shit, she was not going to be happy,’ he thought, taking the phone back. When Derek Opened his mouth to thank the kid and tell him everything was cool, Derek was once again cut off. This time, by the kid’s phone going off. Taking one look at his phone, the kid cursed, apologized once more, and took off, leaving Derek standing there, mouth open, phone in hand, looking like a fool. What the hell!?
____________________________________________________________________________
It had been a week and two days since Derek saw the kid. His family had since taken it upon themselves to tease him mercilessly about the kid. Derek didn't really care about what they said, but he would like to find the kid again. Just to get some questioned answered. Certainly not to ask him out for drinks, no matter what Laura said. Laura was a traitor who had roped his entire family into believing he was pining for a kid who had literally just run into him once. And they went along with it because Cora, just as much a treacherous traitor as Laura, had told them all about what the kid smelled like. So Derek was intrigued, he was curious, he was not, however, infatuated. ‘Mom is going to just be impossible now,’ Derek thought with a groan, reaching for the door to his favorite coffee shop when, suddenly, it was thrown open and someone walked right into him, spilling their coffee all over him.
"Shit!" He cursed, jumping back, and quickly pulling off his shirt. Hey coffee was hot, especially this coffee house's coffee.
"Oh my God I am so..." the kid started and... Wait, what?
Derek looked up and, sure enough, there he was, the allusive kid. Who had, once again, run right into him. What even was Derek's life anymore. He had been stalking... uh... casually looking around for the kid all week and, now, he just walked right into him, spilling his coffee. And...and... Wait, the kid wasn't talking. He was just kinda standing there starring at him. Well, gapping might be more accurate.
"Um..." Derek started, because he was always one for words….yeah...no.
"Oh shit! You’re the dude from the park" he groaned out, embarrassment starting to weave its way through his scent.
"And...I just spilled my coffee all over you... I cannot even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I swear I'm not usually this much of a mess. Oh shit, did I ruin your shirt, fuck, I..."
"Well, at least you didn't send me flying this time," Derek said, for once, cutting the kid off. And the kid just laughed.
"Well, that is true," he chuckled.
"Name’s Stiles. Do you need a new shirt? ‘Cause, I can totally lend you one of mine. I mean, it might be a little tight, but this way you can have a shirt to wear until I can buy you one to replace the one I totally destroyed," Stiles offered and, wow, Derek had just been standing there holding his shirt in his hand. No wonder Stiles was gapping, he must have thought Derek was a total idiot.
"No, no, it's cool." Derek rushed out, cutting off Stiles because, of course, the kid was still babbling, while Derek put his shirt back on. It was still a bit wet, but, since it was a black shirt, you couldn't see any stains. When he looked back up, Stiles was giving him a look.
"No, really, it’s cool. I have two eyes. If I was paying attention, I would have seen you coming so, really it's just as much my fault." Derek assured him.
"Well, at least let me buy you a drink Mr..." Stiles said trailing off at Derek’s name. Because he hadn't giving it…. Because he was a socially awkward idiot.
"Derek," he blurted out.
"Mr. Derek?" Stiles questioned with a smirk, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. And, wow, was it possible to die of embarrassment? Because Derek was well on his way if it was.
"No...my name’s Derek, my, uh, last name’s Hale but, really, just call me Derek," Derek stumbled out.
"Well, Derek, what do you say? Let me buy you a drink?" Stiles asked.
"That's fine. Do you want my number or..."
Or what Derek? God, he really sucked at this talking thing. This was why he buried himself in his work and only gave one word answers when he absolutely had to talk. He was just a public embarrassment when he tried to converse.
"Nah, it's cool. I thought I would just materialize at your place and we could go from there," Stiles snarked at him, amusement clear in his voice as well as his smell. Derek had to admit, he kinda liked that better, and if thats how he wanted to play, then that’s how they would play.
"Ok, then. See you tonight," Derek replied, turning to leave.
"Wha...Wait!" Stiles stammered out, panicking. And, finally, Derek had gotten Stiles as flustered as he had been.
"I can't really just show up! I have no idea where you live! I mean, yeah, I'm good! But I’m not that good! And, really, do you really..." Stiles cut himself off and Derek couldn't hold in his laughter anymore.
"You, you ass!" Stiles let out with a chuckle.
"Here, let me make it up to you," Derek said, holding out his hand.
"How?" Stiles asked warily, looking at his hand. Derek couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Give me your phone. I'll put in my number." Derek said with an eyebrow raise of his own.
"Oh...oh! Right, cool," Stiles said with a smile, handing over his phone. Derek dialed his phone number in and Stiles immediately sent him a text once he got it back so Derek had his number.
"See you tonight!" Stiles said with a wave as he turned to leave.
"Yeah," Derek replied and almost face palmed. He had been doing so good.
_____________________________________________________________________________
"So, how did you know I was a were?" Derek asked. They were in a secluded corner booth and had been talking for hours now. Derek couldn't remember the last time he had willingly sat down and listened to someone for hours. He had learned that Stiles, like himself, was from California, and was here for school. Stiles was an undeclared sophomore still trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. His dad was all he had left and it had killed Stiles to leave him behind. Especially because his dad apparently had a heart problem and Stiles knew that he wasn't following his diet. Derek had told him about how he was going for his masters, partly just to postpone getting a full time job. He told him that he had a huge, nosy family that cared way too much about his personal life, but Derek would die for without question. Now Derek wanted to know just how much Stiles knew.
"Oh, I'm a witch." Stiles stated with a grin.
"...Well I’m an apprentice. It's part of the reason I moved out here. The person I was studying under back home, uh, couldn't help anymore. Our magic is too different. So, he called in some favors and found me someone to apprentice under. Unfortunately, she was all the way out here with an established coven and everything so she couldn't leave. Though, I don't mind too much. The city is great in its own way," Stiles finished with a lopsided smile that almost seemed strained, like he was nervous.
"Makes sense," Derek said with a nod.
"Though, most witches can't tell I am a werewolf just by running into me," Derek elaborated.
"Oh. Well, I could for two reasons. One was the bracelet I had, you saw it, right? Well, I had made it to help protect me should I ever run into a rogue. It only works on weres, though, it really wasn't supposed to do that," Stiles explained with a chuckle.
"Second, my best friend got turned into a wolf when we, uh, went looking in the woods for half of a dead person," Stiles admitted sheepishly.
"Why the hell did you guys go out looking for a body?" Derek asked, knowing he was going to regret it.
Stiles shrugged then said, "We were bored... Well I was bored and I needed someone to come with me."
"I feel like only you would go looking for a body because you were bored..." Derek sighed.
"Yeah, probably..." Stiles admitted with an easy grin.