say, don't go
ship: stiles/derek
prompt: memories
characters: lydia, jackson, scott, isaac, boyd, erica, allison, kira, malia, danny
cw: n/a
tags: light angst, fluff, stiles leaves the pack, christmas
word count: 2.5k
ao3
♞♚♞♚
Stiles stares out the window of the train. He fidgets with the receipt for his ticket in his hands. Crumpling, uncrumpling, ripping tiny pieces, and eventually, shoving it into his backpack's side pocket. He swallows, but there's a lump in his throat, and he doesn't know if he can breathe anymore.
He stands up under the guise of stretching his legs, and then sits down again. Squirms. He should've taken his ADHD and anti-anxiety meds, but he was so nervous about today that it slipped his mind completely.
"Excuse me," a voice comes from beside him. Stiles looks at the young girl in the seat next to him. She eyes his bouncing knee. "Do you mind not doing that? You're making me nervous."
"Sorry," he mumbles. He tries his best to stop, but it starts up again. He gives her an apologetic look and then looks back out the window.
It's mostly trees, and he wishes that it was more distracting.
They slow down to the next stop, and the girl beside him takes someone else's seat.
Stiles inhales sharply. Just outside his window, a perfect Christmas tree. He can't help himself. He's transported back, back to before he left Beacon Hills.
♞♚♞♚
"What do you think you're doing?" Lydia asks, laughing. She wraps her fingers around his wrist and tries to pull him in another direction. "C'mon, I have a gut-feeling the perfect Christmas tree is this way."
"No," Stiles says, shaking his head. He comes to a stop. "It's right there. Look at it. It's perfect."
"Perfect?" Lydia echoes. She stares at the tree before Stiles. "Actually... it just might be. Okay, I'll tell Jackson we want this one."
"Okay." Stiles lets her go and circles the tree to ensure that it really is perfect. He beams when Lydia shows up with Jackson. "This is the one."
Jackson inspects it before nodding. "Yep. It is. Stiles, bring the car around front?"
"Sure."
He makes his way through the tree farm and jingles Jackson's keys in his hand. It's going to be brilliant. Derek will never see it coming.
About a half hour later, they arrive at the Hale House. It's a little cold, a little empty. But it's big, beautiful, and ready to be loved again.
"Alright, I'll ask Scott to help me with the tree," Jackson says, giving Stiles a clap on the shoulder. "You go make sure everything else is in place."
"Bless," Stiles mutters as he jogs into the house. He's instantly hit with the aromas of food. Really, really good food. "God, it smells good."
"Doesn't it?" Scott asks, appearing in the living room archway. "Does Jackson need help with the tree?"
"Yeah."
"On it." Scott pauses before slipping out the front door. "This is really something that you're doing for him."
"It's nothing," Stiles says, unsure how to handle the sweet moment.
"It's something," Scott reassures him before leaving.
Stiles makes his way down the hallway to the kitchen. He grins. Erica and Boyd are blaring Christmas songs and laughing with each other.
Boyd catches sight of Stiles and nods silently, and Erica spins around. She's beaming. "Stilinski, reporting for duty."
He laughs. "How's it going, Reyes?"
"Great. The turkey is in the oven. The mashed potatoes are mashed. The beans are dressed. The--"
Boyd puts his arms around Erica's waist and she stops short to kiss his cheek.
"Everything is going to plan," Boyd says, grinning. "Kira and Allison will take over with the cookies soon."
Stiles grins back. "Speaking of... where are they?"
"Family room," Erica and Boyd answer in unison.
"Perfect." Stiles blows them kisses and they go back to work. He swings around into the family room where Danny is bent before the new electric fireplace. "Danny, my boy, how's it going?"
"Great," Danny answers, flicking a button. The electric fireplace roars to life.
"Amazing." He glances around. Kira, Allison, and Malia are giggling in the corner. "What's going on?"
Kira spins around first, her face red. "Nothing. Nothing. We were just..."
"We can't find this ugly doll's clothes," Malia answers, showing him a hideous doll.
"Uh..."
"It was Cora's," Allison explains. "She left explicit instructions that it was to make an appearance at the party."
"But it's naked," Kira adds, before she starts laughing nervously.
"Cora would hide all the clothes," Stiles says, shaking his head. "Maybe check with Laura where she might have put them before she left for New York?"
"On it!" Malia says, setting the doll back down.
"The decorations look amazing," Stiles murmurs, as he really allows himself to take in the room.
"Honestly, Derek had a lot of really great stuff in the shed," Allison tells him. "And anything we didn't find, Scott went out and bought."
"Nice." Stiles swings his thumb over his shoulder. "I think Erica and Boyd are cleaning up the kitchen for the cookies."
"Ooh, yay!" Kira says, grabbing Allison's hand. They rush past him.
Malia says, "Laura has an idea. Apparently, Cora has a secret back to her closet. I'll go check."
Stiles nods.
"Where do you want the tree?" Jackson's deep voice comes suddenly.
"And please answer fast, it's heavy!" Scott chimes in.
Stiles laughs. "That corner, please."
"I'll go get the decorations," Danny calls out.
Stiles helps Jackson and Scott set up the tree. Jackson and Scott chat about nothing of importance, so Stiles zones out and makes sure that every branch is placed perfectly.
Danny and Scott decorate the tree, and Stiles would be worried, but they know how important this is. They hang everything with extra care, and ask Stiles for direction multiple times.
♞♚♞♚
An hour later, everything is in place.
"Where's Isaac and Derek?" Stiles mutters, looking at the time on his phone.
"Coming up the drive right now," Jackson announces from the window.
"Places, people!" Lydia calls out. She turns to Stiles and says, "You ready for your big surprise?"
"Not in the slightest," Stiles mutters.
He moves towards the front door, and takes a deep breath. He had given the pack strict instructions to leave the front foyer the same. It's all part of the surprise.
It feels like forever until the front door swings open. Derek steps in, Isaac following close behind. Derek frowns.
"Stilinski, what are you up to?"
Stiles laughs. "Nothing. We just borrowed your kitchen to make cookies. That's all."
"Oh." Derek shrugs off his jacket and hangs it up. "Fine, but can you ask permission next time? You forget how potent the cookie scent is when Allison and Kira bake. They use so much sugar. It's sickenly sweet."
That's what I'm counting on, Stiles thinks. He grins. "Sure. Want to join us for a game in the family room?"
Derek glances at Isaac, who shrugs innocently. "...sure."
Stiles can't wait.
It's his best present ever.
He trails behind Derek and Isaac and despite expecting it, startles when everyone shouts "Surprise!"
"What--" Derek stammers. "What is this?"
"Merry Christmas," Stiles whispers beside him.
Everyone comes out from their hiding spots, settling into various places in the family room, and Derek turns to Stiles. "You did this?"
"Yeah. Couldn't have you celebrating Christmas all by yourself, now, could we?" Stiles asks, grinning.
"Oh my god," Derek mutters, looking over Stiles' shoulder. "Did Cora tell you about that doll?"
"Huh?" Stiles glances back and then says, "Yeah. Why?"
"It used to give me nightmares," Derek mutters. Stiles laughs, surprising himself. Derek takes a deep breath and says, "You know Cora and Laura are just in New York. It's not like they're... gone."
"I know." Stiles leans into Derek as Danny passes him. "We just wanted to do something for you. Make sure you knew that we'll always be a pack."
"I don't know what to say, Stiles. The place looks great." Derek glances around. "Thank you."
"Any time, bud."
Derek's face falls, and Stiles isn't sure what he did wrong. He takes a breath before adding, "Erica and Boyd made dinner."
"Amazing," Derek says, but it sounds different. Like he's not excited at all.
"Stiles, come settle an argument!" Jackson calls out.
"What makes you think I'm siding with you?" Stiles calls back. He pauses and says, "I'll be back."
"Sure," Derek says, as Kira comes bouncing up and wraps her arms around him.
Stiles walks over to settle an argument, and can't help but feel that saying goodbye to Derek is going to be harder than he expected.
♞♚♞♚
Now, it's a year later, and Stiles is on the train back to Beacon Hills. The train starts moving, snapping him out of the memory. He swallows. Telling Derek that night that he had been given a job offer in Vancouver had been hard.
Derek hadn't yelled. Hadn't even blamed him for leaving. He'd simply said, "That's why you did this. It's a goodbye party."
Stiles squirms, just thinking of it now.
And three hours later, he's getting off the train. He'd texted the almost defunct pack chat that he'd be getting home now. Scott assured him someone would be here to pick him up.
He just didn't expect it to be Derek.
"What--" Stiles starts and falters. He almost trips. "Derek?"
"Hey, Stilinski." It's said so flatly.
"Hi. I wasn't..."
"Expecting me?" Derek finishes for him when he trails off. "Yeah, well. Everyone else just conveniently happen to be busy."
"Can..."
"Let's go," Derek interrupts. He turns around and stalks off towards the parking lot. Stiles scrambles to follow him.
It's not until they're in the safety of Derek's Corvette that he manages to catch his breath. Seeing Derek after all this time... it's so hard.
He keeps getting flashes of memories. Of how he'd been so excited for the job opportunity. How everyone encouraged him to go, follow his dreams, and that Derek would be fine. If Derek had only said, "Don't go." Stiles would've happily stayed in Beacon Hills.
But Derek hadn't said anything. In fact, Derek had ignored every text, every midnight call, every olive branch.
"Can we talk?" Stiles asks, as they pull out of the parking lot.
"How are you?"
"No. Like... talk. Talk about how you haven't said a damn word to me since last year and--"
"And how you said we'd always be a pack and then ran away?" Derek interrupts. "Sure, we can talk about that."
"Derek, please." Stiles hates pleading, but he misses his best friend. He's about to tell him as much when Derek snorts. Anger flares up in Stiles. "Why are you acting like me leaving was the end of the pack?"
"Because it was." Derek glances at Stiles and hesitates before pulling his gaze back to the road. "Did you not get the memo?"
"Clearly not! What are you talking about!" Stiles shouts, hating that he's raising his voice to Derek.
Derek sighs and then explains. "After you left, the pack sort of disbanded. Everyone just got busy with their own thing. Lydia and Jackson travelled. Danny sort of faded out completely. Erica and Boyd do their own thing. Scott and Allison are focused on their vet clinic. Kira and Malia moved out of town. Isaac... who the fuck knows where he is or what he's doing these days. Last I heard he got a job at an autobody shop."
Stiles blinks. "What... what are you talking about?"
"You were the glue," Derek mutters. "And when you left, it all fell apart. Didn't you notice that the pack group chat hasn't been used in over six months before you decided to waltz back in?"
"I--" Stiles starts, but Derek's on a roll.
"Didn't you think about us?" he asks. Then quieter, "Didn't you think about me?"
"Of course, I did!" Stiles argues. "That's why I threw that huge Christmas party at your place! So, you'd know you'd never be alone."
Derek snorts. "Look at how well that turned out."
"Derek, I'm sorry, but..." Stiles frowns and rubs his face. "I didn't know. I had no idea. If I could go back in time, I would! I wouldn't go to Vancouver. I would stay right here."
"Would you?"
He's had a lot of time to think about this and nods. "Yeah. Yeah. I would. And you wanna know why?"
"Why?" Derek snaps.
"I miss you."
Derek's eyes are glued to the road, and Stiles wonders what he's thinking. There used to be a time when he'd just know. When they were in sync.
But the truth is out there now, so he might as well keep talking. "I miss you, you idiot. I miss how you'd show up at my bedroom window at the strangest hours, and sometimes, you had updates on situations, and sometimes... you just wanted some company. I miss how you always, always control the music in the car even though that is totally a passenger's responsibility."
Derek's lips twitch. Slightly. But it's enough for him to keep going.
"I miss the way you kept me on my toes. I never knew if you'd finally admit how you felt about me, or if I was making all the signs up in my head. I miss the way I would silently beg you to kiss me, and you'd be too busy laughing to notice. I miss the way you hug and smell and I miss the way you loved me."
Stiles lets out a deep breath.
Derek doesn't look at him, but simply pulls up in front of Stiles' dad's house.
"I never meant to hurt you, Derek." He swallows hard. "I just... I was going mad with confusion. I took the job because I thought maybe I'd take some space and sort out my thoughts. But I'm not over it. I don't think I'm ever going to be over you."
"Would you shut up?" Derek asks, but his voice is soft and there's no anger in it. "I'm processing."
Stiles nods, because he knows Derek needs time to sort out his thoughts. After all, it's a lot of information to receive at once.
But he starts to fidget. And his knee starts bouncing. And he can't contain himself much longer.
"I... I didn't know that you felt the same way," Derek finally says.
Stiles' lips part but he closes them. It's Derek's turn now.
"I'm an idiot. I'm sorry."
"You know, if you had told me to stay, I would've." Stiles rubs his hands together. "I loved you."
"Loved?"
"Love," Stiles corrects. "I loved you then, and I love you now."
"And tomorrow?" Derek asks, softly.
"And tomorrow, I'll love you."
Derek's lips twitch into a smile and that's all Stiles ever needed to see. He doesn't hesitate this time. Doesn't worry that he's making a huge mistake. Because he knows. Deep down, he knows that it was always meant to be him and Derek.
They're kissing and it's glorious and beautiful and hot and sexy and all the treasures at once.
"I love you too," Derek murmurs. "Quit your job. Move back. Come home."
"Boy, do I have good news for you," Stiles whispers, laughing. Derek tilts his head. "I quit my job two weeks ago."
Derek grins.
It's not everything they have to work through, Stiles knows, but for now, it's enough.
"We have a pack to get back together!" Stiles announces.
"Tomorrow," Derek says, before pulling him into another kiss.
♞♚♞♚
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wip wednesday
thanks to @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @rmd-writes, @birdclowns, @lemonlyman-dotcom, @mikibwrites, @bonheur-cafe, @alrightbuckaroo, @theghostofashton and @welcometololaland for the tags!
agent reyes (it's coming back y'all, i'm crying real tears of joy)
“TK?” Carlos looks at him in concern, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, my ankle is still a little sore, that’s all.”
“Let me see,” Carlos is leaning down and picking up TK’s ankle, depositing it into his lap. He slowly peels the sock away, wincing at how much it’s swollen. He gently prods at it, the ankle purple and swollen. “TK, oh my god. Have you not iced your damn ankle?”
“No?” He has the decency to look sheepish, “I got kinda preoccupied with everything else. Mateo and I were ironing out some of the kinks on this incredibly half-baked plan we have for the sarcophagus, and we fell asleep before I could come downstairs and grab any.”
He looks up, about to ask for ice, when Grace presses a bag of frozen peas into his hands. “Ice packs are still freezing from last night, this is the best we got.”
Judd drags a chair over and collapses in between them, “We have intel that the O’Connell family is planning on attacking when we shift the sarcophagus, in an effort to stop the shift of it.”
Carlos moves the bag of peas to the center of the swelling, continuing conversation. “I can get a file pulled on the O’Connells, maybe have a team move in on them before they can get to us to the sarcophagus.”
Judd is shaking his head before Carlos even finishes speaking, “No, no, no one can know that we’re working with the CIA, or that we’re getting ready to pull out of the game all together. It’s vital that we stay under the radar while pulling out of the game, or else Billy’s gonna take us out, no hesitation. We just get ready for the ambush, make sure we’re properly prepared for the attack.”
unnamed congress run
Erica drops into the booth unceremoniously, dropping her laptop and files on the laptop. “Hall isn’t running. He’s retiring to spend time with his grandchildren.”
Henry snorts into his soda, “who’d he get caught sleeping with?”
“His secretary.” Erica’s deadpan is almost unsettling.
Alex startles, “Isn’t his secretary twenty-five and male?”
“He is.”
“Hall has backed every anti-LGBTQ bill that’s come out in the last four years.”
“He has.”
“Hall has also been married to his wife for thirty years.”
Erica chuckles, “Are we just stating facts now, Claremont-Diaz? This will get old very quickly.”
Alex shakes his head, “No, sorry. I’m just processing, I guess. Is there a reason you tapped me, of all people? I have made no indication at all since moving to Texas, or even when I was in New York for that matter, that I had any intention of entering politics. I’m good at immigration law – I’m fighting the good fight, Erica. I’m on the ground, helping people at ground zero. I have no good reason to run, not really? I’m helping the people I wanted to when I wanted to enter politics fifteen years ago.”
Erica considers him, seemingly taking a moment before answering. “Immigration reform is the platform AOC is running for president on, Alex. It’s the Democratic Party’s goal and focus for the next four years, and your name and stature would bring it along. You have experience in this area, Diaz and we want you there. Just floating your name out there, three Republicans and two Dems pulled their names from the tap. Alex, you have a real shot at winning this.”
i'm super late to the game, but i'm gonna no pressure tag @detective-giggles, @chaotictarlos (enjoy the new snippet of agent reyes, bestie), and @rosedavid!
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always
Read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/55013497
by callieluna
After the events of the Nogitsune Scott decided that it was best if Stiles was out of the pack. He couldn’t trust him anymore, especially after she killed Allison.
Or did she?
It’s 16 years later and the rest of the Hale Pack go back home to Beacon Hills to figure out why the Sheriff got shot and why True Alpha didn’t protect him.
Some truths about what happened between the True Asshole, Stiles and Theo.
There will be some flashbacks to this so we get the whole story of what happened and how some relationships came to be!
Words: 2392, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English
Fandoms: Teen Wolf (TV)
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Categories: F/F, M/M, F/M
Characters: Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski, Vernon Boyd, Jackson Whittemore, Liam Dunbar, Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Malia Tate, Kira Yukimura, Chris Argent, Scylla, Satomi Ito (Teen Wolf), Eli Hale-Stilinski - Character, Laura Hale-Stilinski, Claudia Hale-Stilinski, Leila Boyd-Reyes, Miguel Argent-Lahey, Erica Argent-Lahey, Talia Hale-Martin, Daniel Hale-Martin, Peter McCall-Tate, Scott McCall-Tate, Alan Deaton, Sheriff Stilinski, Ethan Steiner
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes, Cora Hale/Lydia Martin, Allison Argent/Isaac Lahey, Liam Dunbar/Brett Talbot, Scott McCall/Malia Tate, Malia Tate/Kira Yukimura, Chris Argent/Melissa McCall, Peter Hale/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s), Ethan Steiner/Jackson Whittemore
Additional Tags: Stiles Stilinski is Pushed Out of Scott McCall's Pack, anti-scott mccall, Girl Penis, Past Rape/Non-con, Married Characters, Future Fic, future kids, Kid Fic, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Pack Alpha Derek Hale, Emissary Stiles Stilinski, Female Stiles Stilinski, Always Female Stiles Stilinski, Allison Argent Lives, Scott McCall is True Asshole, Untrustworthy Alan Deaton, Bisexual Stiles Stilinski, Bisexual Lydia Martin, Bisexual Kira Yukimura, Bisexual Malia Tate
https://archiveofourown.org/works/55013497
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