Catch You When You Fall

Chris and Derek got together during the Nogitsune and Jordan joined their relationship while they were hunted by assassins. In the aftermath of that, Chris and Derek left Beacon Hills together to hunt down Kate for good – leaving Beacon Hills and their chosen forth in Jordan’s care.

But when things with the Dread Doctors and the disappearing bodies becomes too much, Jordan calls his mates back.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Teen Wolf || Starderrish || Catch You When You Fall || Starderrish || Teen Wolf

Title: Catch You When You Fall – The Alphas of Stiles Stilinski

Tags: m/m/m/m, polyamory, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, Pack Alpha Derek, Spark Stiles, Pack Mom Stiles, post-Nogitsune, season 5A, hurt/comfort, fluff, f/f, m/f

Main Pairing: Chris/Derek/Jordan/Stiles

Side Pairings: Malia/Kira, Sheriff/Peter, Boyd/Erica

Teen Wolf Characters: Mieczysław 'Stiles' Stilinski, Jordan Parrish, Chris Argent, Derek Hale, Noah Stilinski, Peter Hale, Malia Tate, Kira Yukimura, Liam Dunbar, Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd

Summary: Chris and Derek got together during the Nogitsune and Jordan joined their relationship while they were hunted by assassins. In the aftermath of that, Chris and Derek left Beacon Hills together to hunt down Kate for good – leaving Beacon Hills and their chosen forth in Jordan’s care. But when things with the Dread Doctors and the disappearing bodies becomes too much, Jordan calls his mates back.

Catch You When You Fall

The Alphas of Stiles Stilinski

Neither Chris nor Derek would be able to tell how exactly they had happened. The Nogitsune was terrorizing Beacon Hills and both of them were focused on helping Stiles, saving Stiles, protecting Stiles. Somehow, the overall circumstances kept throwing Chris and Derek together in that shared mission. Both were wary of each other, of the way the other looked at Stiles.

“This means nothing,” Derek whispered, turning his head to look at Chris.

The other alpha gave a soft snort, one hand on his belly, the other behind his head. Derek couldn’t help but drag his eyes over the span of the man’s torso. He hadn’t thought he’d be into that. An older man. A fellow alpha. Another Argent. He ground his teeth together at the reminder of Kate.

“Sure, kid,” Chris smirked knowingly at Derek before sitting up. “I know you have your eyes on a certain omega, Derek. You should set your eyes somewhere else.”

Derek looked unimpressed by that and put his shirt on. “So should you.”

Chris paused for a moment at that and then glared at Derek. “I’m aware. I don’t plan on making a move on him. He’s… younger than my daughter. But I’ll still protect him.”

“Yeah,” Derek turned away. “Me too.”

There was a heavy silence settling between them as they came to an understanding. Not just an agreement, to work together to protect and save Stiles, but also an understanding of each other. Chris could see the guilt and self-loathing radiating off of Derek. The fear of being like Kate, doing what had been done to him when he had been preyed on by her. Chris had the same fear, to be like his sister. Both knew they shouldn’t – couldn’t – act on their feelings for Stiles.

Instead, they kept falling into bed together. Or onto the desk. Or against the wall. It wasn’t gentle and tender, it was rough and animalistic. Maybe because they were both alphas, battling for dominance, maybe because they both wanted someone else, maybe because this was their outlet for all the stress and pressure of trying to save Stiles. Maybe a mixture of it all. There was a certain solace to be found between them and they both sought it out more and more over the months.

/break\

It wasn’t supposed to mean anything, but over the short months of battling the Nogitsune, it had come to mean a lot. More than either Chris or Derek were ready for, maybe. And it came to a halt even more sudden than its start.

They’d done it, they’d saved Stiles. The cost of it was higher than either of them would have anticipated.

When the former Alpha twins sought to join Scott’s pack, it was Derek who took them under his wing. Scott kept them on the fringe of the pack the entire time, but they had formed genuine bonds with Derek. When Aiden died fighting the Oni alongside Derek and Ethan, it was the first pack-bond Derek felt break since Laura’s death and it wrecked him in an unexpected way. Triggered him, reminded him of the way his pack-bonds to his family had snapped one by one, leaving him empty and hollow with only Laura and the faint pack-bond to a barely there Peter.

The price Chris paid was immeasurably higher. He lost his daughter, his only family left. He tried to compartmentalize, to soldier on, the way he always did. The way he had been taught and trained to do. And then Isaac had broken down in the apartment, cried and grieved and suddenly Chris’ carefully crafted walls crumbled around him.

“I can’t stay,” Chris’ voice was rough from a lack of sleep and from crying.

“I know,” Derek whispered back a small, sad smile on his lips.

And he did. Of course he knew. He hadn’t stayed either, had fled with Laura after their family had died in this nightmare of a town. So he understood it, from Chris’ perspective. But he also understood it in another way. Because nobody ever stayed. Not for Derek.

Laura had left him behind in New York to investigate on her own and maybe if she had taken him, maybe if it had been the both of them, she would still be alive, wouldn’t have left him for good by dying at the claws of their feral uncle.

Jackson had left, only a few months after he turned into an actual werewolf. Derek couldn’t fault him, he had failed his first Beta. If he had been less afraid and paid more attention, maybe Jackson wouldn’t have turned into the kanima, or maybe they could have at least helped him sooner.

Boyd and Erica had left. Left his pack when he was still an Alpha, ran away when everything had become too much, after they had escaped from the Argent basement, according to Stiles.

Isaac had left his pack to instead join Scott. Now, he was leaving for good too, together with Chris.

Cora had left, after Derek lost his Alpha spark, not seeing a reason to stay in Beacon Hills. The two had gone to Mexico together, to bond and grief and heal and for Derek to meet Cora’s foster pack. But it wasn’t home, not to Derek. He was pulled back to Beacon Hills. She refused to return to the town that had taken everything from them.

Ethan left after his twin died. Scott had never actually accepted them into the pack and now his brother had died trying to prove himself to Scott. Derek understood and Derek told Ethan about the pack that had taken in Jackson after he’d left.

And now Chris was leaving too, because he’d lost his daughter, had no reason left to stay.

“I hope…” Chris reached out and cupped Derek’s neck with one hand. “I hope you’ll be happy with Stiles, one day. He trusts you. He needs you. You deserve him.”

Derek’s lips twisted, the smile on his lips turning less genuine. Stiles was everything he could want and everything he couldn’t have. Fierce omega who took nothing from anyone, especially not from arrogant alphas, beautiful, big, brown doe-eyes, moles and snark. He shared all the traits that Derek had first fallen in love with in Paige, and he fell for them all over again in the sarcastic brat.

But Derek knew he didn’t deserve Stiles. Stiles was too young. He may be seventeen by now, but he was still a minor and Derek refused to be like Kate. Stiles was also good. He was an asshole and a right bastard when he wanted to be, but at his core, he was fundamentally good. Even when Derek was all growls and threats – trying to keep the pretty, fragile human who reminded him so painfully of his first love – Stiles still kept saving Derek’s life over and over again.

“Hey,” Chris’ voice was firmer and so were his hands as he now cupped Derek’s face with both hands. “You deserve to be happy, Derek.”

Hard to believe, when Derek had a lifetime of proof that he didn’t. Everything he loved crumbled to dust. His family, his first love, his attempt at a pack. Now whatever he had been building with Chris was dying all the same. Derek wasn’t going to add Stiles onto that list. Stiles had suffered enough already – too much – and Derek wasn’t going to be the cause of more suffering for the omega.

Lips pressed against his, a harsh imitation of a kiss, more despair than anything. “I’m sorry. Please… take care of Stiles for the both of us.”

That, Derek could do. He gave a weak nod and leaned his forehead against Chris’ for a moment.

“Take care of Isaac,” Derek requested.

He may not have been a good Alpha, he may have failed Boyd, Erica and Isaac, but Isaac was the last one of his former Betas around and he wanted the kid taken care of. Safe. Derek knew he’d been too raw, too traumatized, too desperate when he had tried to be an Alpha. He’d do better now, if he had another chance, he knew that. He was more grounded, had learned from his failures.

He thought he’d been doing better, this time, with Aiden and Ethan. Now Aiden was dead and Ethan had left and all Derek could do was hope that Isaac too would be happier somewhere else. Away.

/break\

Chris hadn’t meant to come back.

Well, Chris hadn’t meant to do a lot of things. He hadn’t meant to fall in love with a bratty, stubborn teenage omega. He hadn’t meant to fall in bed – in love – with a werewolf. He hadn’t meant to adopt a broken werewolf pup in need of a family. And probably a hundred other things he’d done in the past year that he hadn’t meant to do.

Chris and Isaac had gone to France, to one of the Argent vacation homes, and they were healing together. Until he got a text from Scott, telling him that his sister was still alive. He was torn about taking Isaac back to that town – especially with Kate being there and alive. She’d go after Chris’ adopted werewolf son just to hurt Chris, he knew that. So he left Isaac in France, hopeful to return as soon as possible.

The months in France had already helped though. Both of them. They were more grounded, more at ease. They still mourned Allison, it was an ache that Chris knew would never pass. But he held his head high again, he could breathe.

“Derek,” Chris whispered, voice rough.

The wolf looked… vulnerable. Chris stepped up to him and pulled the other alpha into a tight embrace, burying his face in Derek’s neck. Scott’s text had only been about Kate. Everything regarding Derek, he had to learn from Stiles, during the quick debriefing he’d had with Scott and Stiles – a rambled mess mostly led by Stiles and the surge of fondness that warmed Chris’ chest at hearing the boy talk again and seeing him move around animated showed that leaving had changed nothing about his feelings for the young omega. Looking at Derek, he realized his feelings for the wolf hadn’t changed either.

As he held Derek, he wanted to apologize for what Kate had done. But he knew Derek wouldn’t want to hear it. Not from him. So instead, Chris just held Derek, close and tight and for a long time.

“I missed you,” Derek admitted, voice strained. “How’s… How’s Isaac?”

“Good,” Chris gave a short nod. “Well. He doesn’t speak much French and he hasn’t really settled into the local pack yet, but I still think it’s helping. How is…”

“Bad,” Derek heaved a sigh. “Have you seen him yet?”

“Briefly,” Chris confirmed. “He was… energetic again.”

Derek huffed, his forehead leaning against Chris’ shoulder still. “He acts alright again. Loud, obnoxious, flailing around. But he’s not alright. I’ve been… passing by his house a couple times during patrol. He still has nightmares, wakes up screaming. Peter says that he’s not eating enough.”

Chris brought a little distance between them at that. “Peter says.”

Mirth danced in Derek’s hazel eyes at that, the corner of his mouth twitching. “You’ve been gone for months, Chris. You missed some… interesting developments. My uncle is dating the sheriff.”

“How in the world did that happen,” Chris grunted surprised. “That seems like a moral mismatch.”

“Their morals align in the one point that really matters. Stiles,” Derek gave a half-shrug. “Peter was the one who figured out how to get the demon out of Stiles’ head. It… matters, to the sheriff, a lot. And Peter has been helping the sheriff with the pup too.”

“…What pup? I really wasn’t gone that long,” Chris huffed tired and rubbed his face.

The two of them sat down on the couch in the loft, looking at each other. “The girl, the coyote Stiles and Scott had found in the woods last year. I haven’t really met her yet either. But apparently, Stiles and her had bonded in Eichen House, where her father kind of… dumped her.”

Chris made a face that clearly reflected his thoughts on the matter, if the amused huff from Derek was any indication. “Exactly what the sheriff thought too, it seems. She’s been… Come to think of it, she’s been doing the same as Isaac with you. Breaking in to spend the night and at one point, she just stopped leaving. Anyway, Stiles asked for Peter’s help – since he was the only born were around at the time, to help teach her control.”

“So Peter’s been bonding with Stiles, the sheriff and the sheriff’s new charge…” Chris’ eyes narrowed. “Any ulterior motifs we can expect?”

The look on Derek’s face was much softer than expected, near nostalgic. “I think… I think the only ulterior motif Peter has is a craving for pack. After I gave up my Alpha spark… I’m fine being aligned with Scott’s pack, but Peter and Scott have never seen eye to eye and it doesn’t help that Peter isn’t making any effort to get to know Scott’s pack. He has a soft spot for Stiles and that’s it. The Stilinskis currently fill that… hole, where his pack and family is supposed to be. I think his feelings for the sheriff are genuine.”

Chris found that hard to believe. Even in high school, Peter always had another trick up his sleeve. Things were never straightforward with the wolf. Never had been, never would be.

“Peter is an… unconventional omega,” Derek continued when he saw Chris’ disbelief. “Much like Stiles. It’s why he took such a liking to Stiles. He sees his own… viciously protective nature reflected in Stiles. They are alike in that. Humans tend to underestimate omegas. Werewolves know better than to do that. While alphas fight with brute force, omegas are usually more cunning and when it comes to protecting their pups and pack, they are merciless. It’s what makes them efficient Left Hands. Peter can see that potential in Stiles, same as me. But… differently too…”

Chris’ eyes widened in surprise when what Derek said slotted into place. Where Derek saw an ideal mate – beautiful, smart, brave, willing to protect the pack and any potential pups – in the young omega, Peter, a like-minded omega, saw Stiles as… a pup, to protect. Chris rubbed his face at that realization and nodded slowly. And then he snorted out a laugh that startled Derek.

“Just realized that I seem to have more in common with the sheriff than I thought,” Chris offered a wry smile at the curious tilt of Derek’s head. “In love with a vicious and cunning omega, accidentally adopting a teen were, falling for a Hale.”

Derek’s eyes widened at that last one and Chris couldn’t fight the softness in his gaze. It was something he’d only realized back in France. How much he missed Derek. How much what they had had outgrown the needy despair that had first drawn them together. He reached out and gently cupped Derek’s face.

“I missed you, wolf,” Chris admitted, voice low.

Derek hummed and leaned in. “I… missed you too.”

They kissed, slow and soft, before sprawling out on the couch, Derek atop of Chris. For a while, they laid in comfortable silence, before Chris could sense a restlessness in Derek.

“Your sister… did something to me,” Derek admitted into the quiet of the loft. “I’m losing control of my wolf. I can’t… Sometimes, I can’t summon my claws when I want to.”

Chris’ brows furrowed and his arms around Derek tightened. “We’ll figure it out, together.”

Derek hummed and relaxed against him. “Where are you staying?”

“I thought a motel,” Chris sighed. “I did sell the apartment.”

“Stay here.”

Chris knew his heart jumped at the offer and he knew Derek could hear it too. They’d… not necessarily hidden what they had before, but it had been strictly between them, in the bedroom. Living here, with Derek, was more. Not to mention the implications of the wolf being willing to share his den with Chris. Pulling Derek closer, Chris kissed him again.

“Yeah,” Chris whispered against Derek’s lips. “Okay. I can do that.”

/break\

Falling for Jordan Parrish was much like falling for each other. Unexpected and unplanned.

The pretty omega had sneaked up on Derek and Chris. Both their first instinct was to protect. Jordan was kind and soft in his gentleness, they’d heard him talk to victims, connecting with them and making them open up to him. He was sweet and sweetness needed to be protected.

Jordan Parrish was not in need of an alpha to protect him. No, the ex-military now deputy knew very much how to fight, both with a weapon and without it. He didn’t hesitate to do so either.

When there were assassins trying to murder everyone they knew, somehow Jordan got involved in pack business. At first both alphas were overcome with guilt and worry, thinking another innocent human omega was dragged into their world. Just like Stiles. Turned out Jordan wasn’t so human, though they still didn’t know exactly what he was, only that he was fire resistant.

After Jordan pulled a metal pole out of Chris’ chest and saved his life, Chris was pretty much gone on the omega. There was such a fierce determination and so much care – even though he barely even knew Chris. He hadn’t just saved Chris’ life, he had seemed like he genuinely cared.

“I still can’t believe you drove a fucking metal pole through me, bastard.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Peter sighed as he sat down on the chair in Chris’ hospital room. “You’ll live. I aimed not to damage any vital organs, or any organs my nephew cared about dearly.”

“Peter,” Noah sighed, tired and exasperated. “I apologize on his behalf. He’s been sleeping on the couch ever since, if that helps.”

The thought of Peter Hale, prissy and probably usually fussing about thread-counts, sleeping on the old, worn-out couch in the Stilinski home actually did help Chris. Derek sighed though.

“I just don’t… Why,” Derek looked at his uncle.

Peter’s face set and he turned away, looking out of the window instead of his nephew. Chris had a pretty good idea why, but considering he was in the damn hospital because of Peter, he was definitely not doing Peter’s emotional labor here.

“She survived,” Peter’s voice was dark. “I thought I killed her, I thought I avenged our family – avenged you too, for what she’d done to you. Instead, she’s alive and… turned. Because of me. I failed as the Left Hand, I failed as an Alpha, I couldn’t fail again. It was my responsibility to kill her and I… failed. Again. I took Chris out of commission so he wouldn’t interfere and so he would be an apt distraction for you to fuss over, instead of getting in my way. I thought I had her, I was using her, luring her here, I… Well.”

“Failed,” Chris supplied dryly, earning a glare from Peter.

Peter narrowed his eyes at Chris but he didn’t argue. Because Chris was right. The idiot wolf had tried to bait Kate and take her out on his own, instead of relying on anybody else.

“We have to figure out what’s going on, where Kate went,” Noah pointed out, exhausted.

Clearly, Peter’s plan had failed. Trying to manipulate Kate and double-cross her. It was time they worked together now. Well, Chris didn’t entirely know how much help he was going to be, he had nearly bled out in the sewers. If not for a certain deputy who had spoken so passionately to him, motivated him not to give up, to keep fighting. Chris’ hand found Derek’s to squeeze.

“We stopped the deadpool, that’s… that’s a start,” Derek offered softly.

Noah snorted and turned toward his own Hale. “I’m still not sure what to do with it. She’s clearly not mentally capable to be charged for anything, even if we could charge her without sounding like we lost our minds ourselves. A banshee overheard the scattered thoughts of a werewolf stuck in a coma and decided to turn those into a murder plot that she executed after she heard another banshee screamed for the death of her best friend… What…”

Chris shook his head. It was bizarre. He had nearly feared his father was behind it all and somehow, he still thought that made more sense than all of this. But Meredith Walker had revealed herself as the Benefactor in front of Parrish, Stiles and Lydia – when Parrish had saved Stiles’ life. It was like the deputy was actively trying to seduce Chris and Derek, really.

“Uhm. I… didn’t want to be a bother.”

All four of them looked up to see Jordan Parrish enter the hospital room. The omega flushed a little when he saw how close Chris and Derek were sitting. He was holding flowers, looking a bit awkward as he gazed at his boss for a brief moment.

“I just wanted to check in, see how you’re doing,” Jordan offered, holding out the flowers. “Uhm, didn’t know what to bring. Flowers are classic?”

Chris smiled at the flustered omega and accepted the flowers. “Thank you. They’re lovely.”

“Yes. Christopher so enjoys lovely flowers,” Peter teased dryly.

The blush on Jordan’s cheeks became more prominent. Chris winced a little as he tried to sit up, just to have Derek growl at him in warning. The wolf got up and brought the flowers over to the sink to put them into a vase before returning to Chris’ side.

“You’re on a roll, Parrish,” the sheriff commented. “You saved my son and Lydia, now Chris.”

“Saved is so dramatic,” Peter sighed. “Again, I didn’t pierce any organs. He’s going to be fine.”

“I’m… not sure what to say to that,” Jordan admitted, looking between Peter and Chris and the sheriff. “So you’re the one whose plan Meredith executed and the one who did that to Mister Argent… It feels like you should be arrested.”

“For what, thought crimes?” Peter drawled unimpressed.

Derek gave another growl, raised his eyebrows and pointed at Chris. “Not a thought.”

“I’m not pressing charges,” Chris sighed dismissively. “It’s… It was dumb. But I understand where he was coming from. He was trying to keep us away from Kate to take care of it herself.”

Before anyone else could say something did Noah’s phone ring. “Stiles? What… What do you mean Scott and Kira are in Mexico? Why are they in—Lydia had a vision?”

Chris sighed heavily and tried to get up. He was surprised when two hands stopped him, one on each shoulder. Derek on one of his sides and Jordan on the other. Jordan’s eyes widened when he looked at Chris’ lover and saw what he had accidentally instinctively done.

“Sorry. I just… think you should stay here. You’re human, you don’t have superhealing.”

“Parrish is right,” Derek agreed with a frown. “You’ll stay here. We’ll take care of it.”

“You’re not exactly in fighting shape either, Derek,” Chris argued displeased.

Derek was at this point essentially human himself. Chris had taught him how to fight hand-to-hand and how to use a gun so he would be able to defend himself. Chris didn’t like the idea of Derek going out there alone, without Chris to back him up. For a brief moment, his eyes went to Peter. Ah. The wolf who had already lost his entire pack before hadn’t just done this to get the kill himself. He’d done it to keep Chris and Derek both back, out of harm’s way. Well, out of potentially deadly harm’s way, in Chris’ case anyway. The man sure had a strange way of showing he cared about someone. Then again, as the Left Hand, violence and murder were his way of showing his love. Wanting to kill Kate so neither Chris or Derek had to was his way of showing.

“Keep an eye on him for me,” Chris requested, looking at Peter.

Peter looked surprised at him, his eyes briefly darting to Derek, before he nodded. They were the last ones left, after all. The last Hales in Beacon Hills. Well, not anymore, he supposed. Because the pup Peter had somewhat adopted turned out to be his biological daughter.

“Don’t worry,” Jordan smiled disarmingly. “We’ll bring him back in one piece.”

“...I’ll keep an eye on the whole lot,” Noah offered with a heavy sigh.

/break\

Jordan woke up feeling warm and sated. He shuddered a little when stubble rubbed against his shoulder and all of a sudden, he was wide awake and the events of the last… he didn’t even know how long, he was fairly sure they all forgot to sleep for at least one whole night, maybe two… caught up with him. It might have even been a whole week, even though it felt like a week.

Things had started to turn when he accompanied Stiles and Lydia to Eichen House to see Meredith and the younger omega was so bold and cheeky. I’m gonna keep you. Jordan flushed when he remembered the words and the boy’s bright smile. Stiles was clever and fun and passionate, but that whole day had pushed Jordan into a full-on crush, culminating in Jordan saving Stiles’ life.

Things had gone somewhat downhill from thereon. He’d pulled a metal pole out of Chris Argent and had somewhat bonded with the alpha, maybe feeling a little more drawn to the older man than he had been willing to admit. Yes, the competent, strong alpha (who looked so hot wielding a gun) had appealed to Jordan before, but there was a protectiveness that Jordan felt down in the sewers saving Chris’ life. Only when he went to visit Chris in the hospital did he realize that Chris and Derek were a thing. He kind of deflated a little at the realization.

Derek Hale was another one of the people who knocked Jordan off his socks. He’d been working with Derek in the past weeks, since Derek worked as a consultant for the sheriff station – and by now, Jordan also finally knew what Derek consulted on, and that he was a werewolf.

So there was Stiles, who was absolutely off-limits considering he was a minor, a high schooler and his boss’ son, and then there were two handsome alphas, who seemed to be off-limits because they were dating each other so there was no chance for Jordan there either.

“Good morning,” Chris’ voice was rough from sleep as he smiled at Jordan.

Jordan cleared his throat, a little flustered. “Good morning. I’m… unsure how to proceed here.”

“Breakfast,” Derek offered behind Jordan, his stubble rubbing along Jordan’s shoulder again. “Usually, we proceed with breakfast after waking up. Maybe a shower.”

So maybe Chris and Derek weren’t as unobtainable as Jordan would have thought. He had gone to Mexico with Derek – and the rest of the pack, he supposed. Derek had died. Actually died. And though Jordan hadn’t known the wolf long, his heart had frozen in that moment. Until Derek just… came back. Stiles called it a metamorphosis afterward; apparently they had gone through something similar with a kamina (whatever that was. Sometimes, Jordan felt too awkward to ask, because there was so much he didn’t know and he didn’t want to be seen as the one who didn’t know).

Derek had turned into a wolf. A full, furred, four-legged, beautiful wolf. And then they fought the were jaguar and her bone-warriors (sometimes, Jordan wondered how this had become his life). In the aftermath of it, Jordan ended up driving back to Beacon Hills with the Hales. He got distracted a couple times by Derek’s nakedness. Nobody had spare pants for the wolf so he ended up with just Stiles’ flannel tied around his waist – the only piece of clothing left to spare.

They talked. Bonded? Somehow, he had ended up driving Derek back to the hospital and he went to Chris’ room with Derek – because Derek had told him there was no way Chris was going to stay in the hospital any longer. Jordan had driven them back to the loft and had ended up… in their bed.

“I’m not sure what this means,” Jordan admitted as the three of them got dressed. “I mean…”

“It means whatever you want it to mean, pretty boy,” Chris commented amused.

“That’s not helpful,” Jordan frowned, but he also blushed at the compliment.

“But it’s true,” Derek looked at him with a surprisingly open expression. “Chris and I never set out to have a relationship. We kind of… fell into it. And part of why it worked was because we didn’t put pressure on it. We let it grow into… what it’s meant to be. So, this? It can be whatever you want it to mean, Jordan. It can just be a one-night-stand of pent-up tension to work through what’s been going on in the past… weeks. Stress relief. Nothing else. Or it can be more.”

Jordan was taken aback by that. It could be more? They would want more? But they didn’t even know him really. Why would they… He frowned at them doubtfully, just to be pulled in by Chris, a strong arm around his waist and then a kiss being pressed against his temple.

“Don’t overthink it, pretty boy,” Chris murmured softly. “You grew on me. I enjoy helping you try to figure out what exactly you are, and we will, by the way.”

“Mh,” Derek nodded, smiling a little. “I like working with you. You’re… very different.”

“Different how?” Jordan frowned at them.

“If you hadn’t noticed, both Derek and I aren’t the most… emotionally open people,” Chris muttered. “You… You carry your heart on your sleeve. It’s refreshing. You’re also… fundamentally kind. Which isn’t something either of us are used to. We got jagged edges from years of…”

Chris trailed off there and though Jordan didn’t know the details, he did know the vague corners. He nodded slowly in understanding, eyes softening as he nuzzled a little into the alpha. He could wait to see where this could go. He kind of wanted to see where this could go.

/break\

Derek’s stomach knotted as he looked at Jordan. Falling for Jordan had been easy and somehow, being with Jordan was even easier. The omega had so easily slotted into place with Chris and Derek and he balanced them out so well. He was soft where they were jaded, he communicated when Chris and Derek fell into stoic silence, he submitted when Derek and Chris fought for dominance.

“What’s wrong?” Jordan asked with a concerned frown.

He climbed into Derek’s lap near naturally. They’d only been together for a few, precious weeks but it felt so much longer. Derek shouldn’t be surprised by how good it felt, how easy it was. It was like with Chris, somehow, he suddenly had someone all of his own. Well, not entirely of his own, since he shared Chris and Jordan with each other.

“We’re going to leave,” Chris admitted from the doorway before entering.

Jordan’s eyes wandered from Derek to Chris and back. Derek sat tense, holding his breath. Neither of the three really had expected things to develop so deeply, after they’d fallen into bed together. He was afraid to destroy it, to upset their omega. There was a small smile on Jordan’s lips, understanding in his bright eyes as he just nodded.

“I… assumed,” Jordan admitted after a moment. “The two of you are going after her, right?”

“Yeah,” Chris sat down with them, so close that Derek could feel his warmth. “We were waiting for my injury to heal more. And to give Derek a chance to settle with his change. But now we’re going to hunt her down and we won’t stop until we get her.”

“I get it,” Jordan paused. “I mean, I don’t… But after all you told me about her, what she’s done to the both of you – to everyone in the pack – I understand that you want to end this.”

“We’ll come back,” Derek murmured against Jordan’s throat. “But we need to do this.”

“Okay,” Jordan’s fingers curled into Derek’s hair, his other hand reaching out for Chris. “Come back to me in one piece, yeah?”

There was a pause as Chris looked at Derek, silently checking and only speaking after Derek gave a reluctant nod. “Can we ask a favor of you, pretty boy?”

“You want me to keep an eye on Stiles?” Jordan guessed amused.

They’d been honest. They couldn’t keep their interest in Stiles a secret from their lover, not after things got more serious between them. Surprisingly enough, Jordan had blushed and awkwardly admitted to having a crush on Stiles of his own. Perhaps Derek shouldn’t have been so surprised. There was something about Stiles, the boy was all-consuming.

“We’ll be back for the both of you,” Derek promised, pressing a kiss to Jordan’s cheek.

“Mh. Stiles is turning eighteen in a few weeks,” Jordan pointed out.

Derek started squirming uncomfortably. Yes, somehow enough time had passed that the doe-eyed sixteen year old loudmouth was about to be of legal age. And though being with Chris and with Jordan helped Derek think that maybe he might deserve to be happy, he was still doubtful about deserving Stiles. The way he had treated the omega in the beginning – threatened him, because Derek was afraid of the way the omega made him feel, was reminded of Paige, of love and happiness that was taken away from him in the most cruel way – how could he possibly ever ask for anything more than Stiles’ friendship? That alone was more than he would have thought he’d get. Yet somehow, they had built trust and friendship between them.

“Let’s eliminate Kate first and see what happens after,” Chris suggested gently.

/break\

Stiles had a type. A very problematic, very frustrating type. He liked older guys – which, apparently, ranged between twenties and forties – who were protective, strong, badass, drop-dead gorgeous, way out of his league… and who were, apparently, all into each other.

It had started out with Derek – well, no, okay, it had probably started out with his crush on Han Solo and Bruce Wayne, but they were fictional so that didn’t count – so, in the real world, it started out with Derek Hale. Grumpy, broody, stupidly attractive (have you seen those abs? Because Stiles has seen them. Repeatedly. Glistening with sweat while Derek did pull-ups and push-ups and other things that got parts of Stiles up that should not go up while in company) Derek Hale.

Now, that was only sexual attraction at first. Bi panic of ‘Other, non-Lydia people are attractive? Is that allowed?’, because so far he’d thought his type were strawberry blonde beta girls his age. Not tall, dark and handsome alpha men in their twenties.

But it was fine. It was just sexual attraction. Totally fine. Until it wasn’t. Until Derek became more cooperative, started to show that he cared about Stiles, became even snarky at times. Until Derek and Stiles became friends, who mutually saved each other’s lives repeatedly. Until Derek started gathering absolute disaster puppies and dragged Stiles along with it. Until there were feelings.

Things got worse from thereon out!

Because his instant sexual attraction type were definitely gruff, growly alphas who thought it was okay to push omegas around and pin them against walls to threaten them. Yep. Instant boner.

So Stiles kind of developed an even more inappropriate crush on Chris Argent, when the man threatened him in the hospital. And somehow, it took kind of the same course as the crush on Derek. Because they started working together, Stiles started to be able to rely on Chris, not just for his own protection but also for information and protection of the pack.

And then Chris and Derek started… Well, Stiles didn’t want to call it dating. He couldn’t exactly imagine them dressing up and going out to a candlelight dinner. But they were fucking and something more, that much he knew. Even when the two still tried to hide it.

But it was fine! Quite frankly, Stiles was way too distracted by the fact that he was possibly dying slash definitely possessed at the time. So no time to mourn that neither of the hot alphas he had the hots for were taken now, or to fantasize about the levels of hotness of them together. Too busy trying to survive.

(Trying to survive only made his feelings for both of them worse though, because they both kept helping and being there for him and trying to protect him.)

Stiles may no longer be possessed, but he was still dealing with… Well, with everything. The trauma, the physical repercussions of being spit into a new body made by a demon. No time for yearning and pining either.

(Especially since he knew that any pipe-dream of getting Chris was gone forever, having died together with Chris’ daughter, who would still be alive if not for him.)

It didn’t matter anymore anyway. Chris and Derek had left Beacon Hills together. And again no time to pine or yearn, because between the Dread Doctors, Theo, Donovan and the way this pack was spiraling out of control, he really had no time to think about two alphas he couldn’t have who had each other and had left town. There were so many more pressing matters to focus on.

“Why do you smell like blood and pain, pup?”

Stiles startled out of his spinning, maybe kind of pining thoughts at the voice. He bit his lips as he looked at Peter. Peter, who had definitely moved in with them when he was broke (even though Peter pretended not to live there for a while. Heh, like father like daughter, Stiles guessed, because Malia had moved in without officially moving in too for a while).

“I’m fine, Creeperwolf, keep your nose to yourself,” Stiles grumbled.

His hand twitched to go to his shoulder. He resisted the urge. No need to give himself away. Peter narrowed his eyes at him. With a low warning growl did Peter sit down next to him.

“Is this about Theo?” Peter wanted to know, having Stiles tense next to him. “You know that if he does anything to you, if he hurts you, you tell me and I’ll rip his throat out. Your father’s ‘no violence against the innocent’ rule does not apply to people who hurt you.”

Stiles snorted softly. “You make yourself sound like you’re dad’s leashed attack dog, knowing exactly when the leash comes off.”

Peter offered him a wicked, near mean smirk at that. “The leash comes off with the safeword.”

“Gross!” Stiles yelped wide-eyed. “Absolutely not! Stop talking forever, Stepwolf!”

The smug smirk lasted a little longer before the other omega turned more soft. Which would never stop being weird to Stiles, considering the feral Alpha beast he had first met. But now they were… pack. Family. And with his family, Peter allowed himself to be soft, to lean more into his nurturing omega side. It was also weird, because Stiles had gone so many years now without another omega in his life, much less one who cared about him in a paternal way. Stiles leaned against Peter without even thinking about it.

“I just don’t understand why he won’t trust me,” Stiles whispered softly.

Peter made a soft noise and wrapped one arm around Stiles. He may be on the fringe of the McCall Pack, but that was still close enough to watch the shit-show that was their pack unfold lately. Stiles had ranted long and wide to Peter about how he didn’t trust Theo – but his dad stood sternly and talked about evidence and proof. And he wasn’t wrong. Stiles’ gut-instincts were good, were usually right, but were not enough to be judge and jury.

Still, Stiles had expected a certain level of caution from his pack, after he expressed his concerns. Instead, Scott put Theo on research duty with Malia, shared plans with Theo, let Theo read the book about the Dread Doctors. Trusted Theo.

And there was that implication there, where Scott chose to trust Theo after Stiles expressed his distrust, that meant Scott didn’t trust Stiles’ instincts. Something was changing with Scott and it made worry twist Stiles’ stomach into knots. Not only did he chose to ignore Stiles’ instincts completely, he also expressed that he no longer knew if he could trust Kira – Kira! Sunshine personified! There was not a single malicious bone in that girl’s body – and he was on this weird moral high ground trip. No killing, not ever. From the boy who’d wanted to kill Peter himself so he could get rid of his own wolf. From the boy who had slow-poisoned Gerard. From the boy who had stood aside as Deucalion tore out Blake’s throat. But sure, self-defense isn’t acceptable.

Stiles’ eyes flickered up to Peter. Peter would understand. If Stiles told him what had happened with Donovan, Peter would probably just say ‘good’. But Scott’s morals were getting in Stiles’ head, twisting his own perception of what had happened. He felt guilt. He felt shame. And he was also still not entirely sure if it had really happened. The body was gone, after all. And not just the body – all signs of the struggle had been gone too.

“You okay, pup?” Peter asked, face pressed into Stiles’ hair.

Loaded question. “Are you okay?”

Peter tilted his head at that. “What do you mean?”

Stiles gave a somewhat tired half-shrug. “Your pack-bond with Scott is… laughable at best. The pack that grounded you were Derek, Cora and Malia – now Derek and Cora are gone.”

“They’re not physically here,” Peter corrected carefully. “Yes, the bonds would be stronger if they were here. But Derek is going to come back. Maybe, one day, Cora will too. I know she yearns for our territory and wants to be closer to us, especially since we learned about Malia. She wants to get to know her cousin. But I’m fine. I have you, Malia and Noah.”

Two of those were human though. And while Stiles knew humans could be part of the pack, it was still different. More so for a wolf like Peter. Maybe it’d matter less if Peter had strong bonds to the Alpha and the rest of the pack – especially the weres.. but then again, aside from Scott and Malia, Liam was the only other were in the pack – but if the brunt-force of pack-bonds rested on humans?

“I’ll be fine, stop worrying about me, pup,” Peter paused. “Yes, things would be better, more stable, if I had an Alpha I could trust and rely on. But I think that can be said about you too, at this point.”

Stiles flinched unwillingly at that. He hated that Peter wasn’t wrong. Scott was becoming someone Stiles didn’t recognize. When all of this had started, when Stiles, Scott, Allison, Lydia and Jackson had been banded together against a feral Peter, Scott had been someone to hold them together. Who inspired loyalty and trust. Now, Scott seemed to be clinging onto a moral compass with so much desperation, it felt like all other aspects of being pack were being neglected.

Ever since Allison had died, ever since he had lost his anchor, Scott had been… adrift.

And that was Stiles’ fault, so Stiles felt even less like he had any right to say something. Not to mention, his own moral compass was maybe a bit too skewered into the opposite direction.

Derek and Chris were missing. That was the problem. Scott had looked at both men for guidance. Chris was the father figure Scott had craved, he’d tried to prove himself to Allison’s dad to win his favor and had, at one point, started to just try to prove himself to Chris even without Allison in the equation. He wanted that paternal approval that he never got from his own father due to the man’s severe absence. And Derek, after he had come back from Mexico, had taken on a real mentor-role for Scott, the way Scott had wanted and hoped for from the start.

If Chris were here, he’d be suspicious of Theo too. If Derek were here, he’d remind Scott that an Alpha should trust and rely on his pack, that protecting their pack was an Alpha’s job. Stiles didn’t feel protected, trusted or even valued right now.

If Chris and Derek were here, things would be better.

/break\

Chris was shaking slightly as he took a staggering step back. A strong hand grabbed his upper arm, steadying him. He turned, near dazed, to look at his maze and met gentle hazel eyes. Chris caved and leaned into his wolf, letting Derek wrap himself around him.

“Are you okay?” Derek asked softly.

“She was my sister,” Chris muttered, voice empty. “I know she did… horrible things. She made herself a monster, long before she became a were. But I still remember my little sister. I still remember the girl for whom I learned to French braid, the girl I picked up from school and with whom I watched Disney princess movies behind our father’s back. I…”

“You mourn,” Derek nuzzled into Chris’ neck, gentle and loving. “I understand that. Grief is complex. I want you to know that I’m here, yeah? You’re not alone.”

“That’s all super touching and I’m so glad you saved our lives and all and I have like compassion for how fucked up it is that he just killed his sister, but can we like move this? To some place where there isn’t a dead body laying around?” Erica spoke up dryly. “Let’s head to our place.”

“Let’s get rid of the dead body first, babe,” Boyd suggested, shooting his mate a look.

Chris took a shaky breath and nodded. He was a trained hunter, he knew what had to happen. They had to hide the evidence, had to hide the supernatural from being discovered. He turned to look at the two young wolves. Chris and Derek had been following Kate for weeks now and it had ultimately led them to where Boyd and Erica had settled. In her twisted mind, everything was the Hales’ fault, she wanted her revenge by erasing the former Hale Pack for good.

“You can stay at our place for the night,” Erica’s eyes flickered over them both doubtfully. “Or however long you’ll need to… you know.”

“Your place?” Derek asked softly, looking at his former Betas.

“Yeah. It’s not much, we don’t exactly earn that much, but it’s enough,” Erica shrugged with a grin.

It had been two years now since they’d left and they had matured. Chris still remembered the two frightened kids he had gotten out of that basement that fateful night. They seemed settled, like they had fully come into their wolves and into themselves. Chris watched them while the four of them disposed of the body and then headed back to Erica and Boyd’s apartment.

“You wanna take a shower?” Boyd suggested in a careful voice, directing Chris to the bathroom.

His hands were covered in his sister’s blood. A shower sounded like a good idea. Derek pulled him into a brief kiss, his eyes searching Chris’ face to see if he was alright. He wasn’t.

“I’ll call Jordan and tell him what happened, okay?” Derek asked.

Chris nodded, grateful that he wouldn’t have to try and put up a brave and fine front not to worry their omega. Derek would have it covered. Erica yelled something about ordering them pizza. Food sounded like a good idea, they hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The bathroom door closed and Chris went through the motions of showering, his thoughts drifting to Kate. When Chris rejoined the other three in the small living room, Erica was sprawled out over Boyd’s lap so she could lay closer to Derek, who was apparently still on the phone. Both teens were smiling.

“-damn, good for Daddy Stilinski,” Erica whistled. “Derek’s uncle is hot as hell.”

“Can you never say these words again, please,” Derek requested pained.

“Yeah, uhm, seconding that. Don’t say ‘Daddy Stilinski’ ever again,” Stiles agreed on the phone.

“Oh. Hey, Mister A,” Erica waved at him when she spotted Chris. “We’re just catching up with Stiles and what’s going on in Beacon Hills.”

“I wanted to check in with Stiles, after I called Jordan,” Derek admitted, searching Chris’ face.

Chris smiled faintly. “Hello, Stiles. How are you doing?”

“Oh, you know me. Right as rain. Finer than fine. Things are going so well here.”

“I don’t even need to be in the same room as you to hear your heartbeat to know that’s bull,” Boyd called the other boy’s bluff. “What’s going on? You’re distracting with romance.”

“Not much. The usual. People trying to kill us. The pack changing, new members and all. Really just same as ever in Beacon Hills,” Stiles heaved a sigh, sounding tired.

“Yeah, I do not miss that,” Erica snorted, though then she paused and there was something nostalgic in her eyes. “I do miss you though. And Isaac. And my parents.”

“Isaac isn’t in Beacon Hills. He’s in France right now,” Chris admitted uncomfortably.

He didn’t know what to do about that. He’d taken Isaac there, thinking they could have a fresh start there. But getting back, getting to hold Derek again, falling for Jordan, the fact that Stiles was eighteen by now, would be close to graduation too once Chris and Derek would return to Beacon Hills. Chris didn’t know if he would be able to leave again.

“Okay, I feel like we have so much more catching up to do,” Erica declared stunned.

“Bring us up to speed on what’s been happening since we left,” Boyd requested.

/break\

Kira sat curled together on the couch of the Stilinski home, hugging a pillow to her chest. Her girlfriend was right next to her, gently scent-marking her, trying to soothe her. After Scott had told Stiles that he didn’t trust Kira anymore and that Kira’s aura was acting on its own – well, Stiles’ impulse kind of was to not ignore that. They knew how powerful kitsune were. Stiles was intimately familiar with how powerful and dangerous a kitsune could be. He’d been shocked that Scott hadn’t told Kira. She had a right to know when something with her wasn’t right. They needed to help her.

“Your powers have been… acting on their own?” Peter asked with sharp eyes.

He was somewhat pacing the living room, while Kira and Malia sat on one couch and Stiles and his dad sat on the other couch. Noah looked mostly done, really exhausted that yet another thing was going wrong. Stiles was right there with his dad. He leaned against Noah’s shoulder, eyes closing.

“I… I don’t mean to,” Kira nodded, looking unsure. “But Eichen House was the worst yet… I don’t… I feel like I’m losing control and I don’t know what to do.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Malia whispered, nuzzling her mate’s neck.

The omega keened softly at that and relaxed into her alpha. Stiles watched them with half-lid eyes, overcome with a sense of longing. Not for them, but for what they had. Malia and Kira trusted each other, loved each other, found comfort in each other. Stiles wanted that too, craved it near desperately since the Nogitsune, really. He wanted someone he could lean on, someone he could feel safe with too. Lately, he wasn’t feeling safe. Not even at home, because he was haunted by memories of the Nogitsune when he was alone in his room.

“I might have a contact,” Peter started thoughtfully. “A kitsune, who used to be friends with my mother. I remember her from my childhood but hadn’t seen her in many years even before the fire. It’s a long shot but I can reach out to her. We could go and see her. She is… a millennia or so older than your mother, she might know how to manage this.”

“You would… do that?” Kira asked hopefully.

“Of course, dear,” Peter cupped the back of her neck. “You’re family.”

Stiles grinned pleased and nuzzled more into his father’s side, seeking out his warmth. Even as the pack seemed to be crumbling around them, even with Beacon Hills once more thrown into disaster, at least Stiles had his family to rely on. Though there was an ache for those who left.

/break\

Jordan frowned deeply when he saw Stiles at the sheriff station. He strode forward until he was right in front of the other omega, startling Stiles. But Jordan was too focused on the injuries on Stiles’ face. He gently grasped Stiles’ chin to tilt his head and check.

“What happened?” Jordan’s voice was more of a growl than he was used to. “Who did this?”

“Deputy,” Noah spoke up slowly. “Relax.”

Only then did Jordan realize he’d just stalked up into his boss’ office, cornered the sheriff’s omega son against the desk and was now growling. Flushing embarrassed, Jordan took a step back. The sheriff’s mate shot him a calculating, curious and very unsettling look at it.

“I was at the vet clinic, with Theo. Watching the body,” Stiles heaved a sigh. “Something came at us, flipped the Jeep. I’m fine. Just some scraps. Roscoe is in much worse shape than me.”

“You were alone with Theo?” Jordan asked tensely. “Why?”

Stiles cocked an eyebrow and shot him a look. “Because everyone else was at the school, and Scott seriously left the guy who is most likely working with the Dread Doctors alone with the body. What if he’s actually the one taking them? We shouldn’t leave Theo alone!”

“We shouldn’t have left you alone with Theo,” Peter argued displeased, arms crossed.

Stiles rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “You were helping Kira!”

Peter pursed his lips, clearly displeased anyway. Jordan had noted the lack of Kira at the school too.

“Where is Kira…?” Jordan asked slowly. “I know something was wrong… Malia mentioned that.”

“We went to visit an old acquaintance,” Peter replied with a sigh. “She is staying there for an assessment for a couple days.”

Jordan nodded, taking the ease of everyone in the room as indicator that Kira would be safe. With that, Jordan returned his attention to Stiles. He gently traced along the injury on Stiles’ face, causing the other omega to flush a little and instinctively lean into the touch.

“What happened, Stiles?” Jordan asked in a gentle voice.

“I was guarding the body with Theo,” Stiles said with a heavy sigh. “And then something flipped my Jeep over and stole the body. I’m fine though. I was barely unconscious a couple minutes.”

Jordan made a small noise at that. He was supposed to protect Stiles, while Chris and Derek were gone. He wanted to protect Stiles. Had felt that urge since Eichen House, when Brunski had belittled and threatened Stiles. Jordan had let instinct take over as he’d stepped up in front of Stiles, defending him from the abusive orderly, all the way to actually shooting Brunski not long after to save Stiles and Lydia’s lives in that very same mental facility.

“There anything else we can do for you, deputy?” Noah asked, sounding a little tired. “Because this was less a work meeting and more a social family call, if you don’t mind…?”

Jordan’s eyes widened and he felt a little sheepish for barging into the office like that. He excused himself, but the sheriff seemed mostly amused by him – though also curious, like he was trying to figure out Jordan’s motives. Not a good look to receive from the sheriff. Jordan’s mind was focused on something else entirely though as he stumbled out of the office, out of the station. He needed fresh air as he felt panic creep up on him. He’d injured Stiles.

It was something that had been in the back of Jordan’s mind for a while, but the morgue was when it became undeniable. Jordan was losing time, but the morgue, when he had been there to guard the body? It was the most obvious that his lost time coincided with the disappearance of the bodies. And this time again. He was supposed to be at the school, with Malia, guarding Hayden, however he… didn’t remember. One moment he was there, then he woke up at home in his bed.

And here Stiles was, injured by whoever took the bodies. Injured by Jordan.

Shaking hands reached for his phone and he dialed Derek’s number before he was even thinking about it. His alphas had called him a couple days ago about having killed Kate, the fact that they would be gone a little longer, because they had another goal they were trying to achieve. They were a little secretive about it for now, but Jordan hadn’t minded. Right now, he minded.

“Hey, babe,” Derek’s voice rumbled when the call connected and it calmed Jordan just a little.

Not enough to make the panic stop though, or to drown out the guilt. “You need to come home.”

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?” Chris asked concerned.

“I think I hurt Stiles. You told me to protect him and I hurt him,” Jordan blurted off.

“What happened?” Derek asked, sounding controlled calm.

“I… I think I’m the one who’s taking the bodies. Stiles was watching one and… and he was attacked. His Jeep was flipped over with him inside and he was hurt. I think it was me,” Jordan closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, slowly sliding down. “Please. Please, I need you to come home. I need you to protect Stiles from me. To stop me. To…”

“We’ll come home, baby,” Chris’ voice was gentle. “We’ll come and we’ll help you, okay?”

“Can you stay with the sheriff and Peter until then? So they can keep an eye on you, make sure nothing happens to you? Tell Peter everything you know about what you can do and what has been happening lately, maybe he will figure out what you are,” Derek requested. “We’ll hurry.”

Jordan nodded shakily, his eyes still closed as he tried to breathe deep. Yeah, the former Left Hand of the Hale Pack and the sheriff would be able to make sure he didn’t hurt Stiles again.

/break\

It felt different than it had last time. Maybe because Derek had been prepared for it this time, maybe because he didn’t have to rip the Alpha spark out of his only living family. Maybe because he had grown in these past two years, was more settled and healed. Or maybe because he had one of his mates as well as two willing Betas at his side already.

“I really didn’t expect to do this again, with you,” Erica chuckled, but she bared her throat. “Alpha.”

Derek’s eyes flashed red as he scented her bared throat. Boyd next to her did the same, holding Erica’s hand while doing so. The couple had run away, tried to start over, but it hadn’t really worked. They never made a proper home, kept drifting from one small town to the next, never really settling into any of the local packs. Working with them to kill Kate, catching up with them about Beacon Hills – catching up with Jordan and Stiles how bad things had been since they left and realizing just how desperately Beacon Hills needed a proper pack to protect it – things just kind of fell into place. That night they’d spent at Boyd and Erica’s, after killing Kate, Boyd commented on how much calmer and at ease Derek seemed. And Derek had to admit, he agreed with his former Beta. He was more settled into who he was, he had learned a lot about how to be a real Alpha.

“I’m going to do better, this time,” Derek promised, one hand in Erica’s neck and one in Boyd’s.

“Come on,” Chris cleared his throat. “Time to go home. To your pack, Alpha.”

Steel-blue eyes were dancing with mirth at that and he pulled Derek into a brief but deep kiss. Derek smiled against Chris’ lips, filled with a sense of giddiness. Chris had talked to Isaac about this plan, asked him if he was ready to return, with a good Alpha and a pack, and Isaac had agreed. Chris was going to text him and they were going to meet up in Beacon Hills.

“It’s time to go home to our omegas,” Derek whispered, the smile on his lips growing.

He was… happy. It wasn’t exactly an emotion he was used to anymore. But ever since he had gotten together with Chris, he’d started slowly accepting that just maybe he deserved to be happy. Then came Jordan, now Boyd and Erica were willing to give him a second chance, he was an Alpha again. Perhaps he could actually have this. And just perhaps, he could even have Stiles.

For two years, he’d tried to fight his attraction to Stiles, thinking he was just like Kate. By now, he’d realized that the very fact he worried about this already made him different from Kate. And what he felt for Stiles was so much more than sexual attraction. Derek was in love with Stiles, with all the snark and bravery, with just how strong that boy was, how much he cared, his loyalty and love for those he considered his. All Derek wanted was to be deserving of that. Maybe he was

/break\

Stiles was soaking wet, angry and alone. Scott had called him to the vet clinic and Stiles came. Because Stiles always came. He felt so stupid for it. He felt stupid for a lot of things. Theo had told Scott about Donovan, told him that Stiles had killed Donovan. And Scott… Scott believed him. Thought that Stiles should have found a different way than to kill even in self-defense. Scott had flinched away from Stiles, like he was afraid of Stiles. And then Scott just… went inside. Left Stiles alone in the rain. In the end, Scott hadn’t said it, but his silence had the same weight. He hadn’t asked Stiles to come inside with him, had turned his back on Stiles, had remained quiet when Stiles asked him what he could do to fix this. There was nothing to fix. It was broken beyond repair.

Roscoe broke down in the middle of the road. It was dark and Stiles was still drenched and he didn’t know how to fix her and he was just so alone and cold and angry. He threw the wrench – the bloodied wrench that Theo had taken, had given to Scott, that Scott had returned to Stiles. He threw it at the windshield and as it cracked under the impact, Stiles only felt worse.

Everything was broken beyond repair and he didn’t know what to do.

“Hey there. You shouldn’t be alone out here.”

Stiles tensed, his eyes widening in surprise at the voice. Turning around, he stared in utter disbelief at the silver fox hunter behind him. Next to him stood Derek, his eyes darting concerned between Stiles and the Jeep. Stiles blinked, repeatedly, unable to comprehend this.

“I may not be an expert on cars, but I’m fairly sure throwing the tools at them doesn’t fix them.”

Behind Derek and Chris, there were… Boyd and Erica, getting out of Chris’ SUV. Stiles’ thumbs started pressing against the pads of his other fingers, counting. One, two, three, four, thumb against the palm as he counted it for fifth. Five fingers on each hand. Not a dream.

“Stiles,” Derek quickly stepped up to him, cupping his neck. “Your heart-rate is… It’s okay. You’re okay. Whatever happened, we’re going to take care of it.”

“Mh,” Chris got his phone out. “I’m calling a tow-truck. We’ll take you home, okay? We were going to your house anyway. C’mere, Stiles.”

Now both alphas were touching him, gently urging him toward the car. Stiles, overwhelmed and exhausted from the events of the day and now dazed by what was happening here, allowed it. He found himself in the back of the SUV, seated between Boyd and Erica. His eyes kept daring between Chris and Derek. They were here. And somehow they had brought Boyd and Erica back. He technically knew they’d met up during the hunt for Kate, but… they were back, in Beacon Hills.

Stiles didn’t know what to do with that, he was so overwhelmed, exhausted, wet and tired. Somehow, in the safety of the car that was filled with the scents of pack and of his alphas, he dozed off, his head hitting Boyd’s shoulder as sleep claimed him for the first time in days.

/break\

Chris was gently cradling Stiles close to his chest as he carried him into the Stilinski home. When he sat down on the couch, he found himself unable to put Stiles down either. He’d missed his boy and Stiles was so unusually calm and soft when he was asleep.

“Christopher. Snap out of it,” Peter sighed exasperated. “The pup needs dry clothes. Humans get sick easily, I would prefer to avoid that. Come upstairs with me, or hand him over.”

Chris blinked dazed and then found himself a little embarrassed as he looked up at Peter and Noah. Noah had one eyebrow cocked, watching him critically. Derek stood by, hugging Jordan close, while Boyd, Erica and Malia were sitting on the other couch together.

“What’s going on here? I knew you guys were returning, but… what’s with Stiles?”

“We found him at the side of the road. His Jeep was broken down,” Erica offered.

“He didn’t seem okay. He threw a wrench at the Jeep,” Boyd added worried.

That was the last Chris caught of the conversation as him and Peter reached Stiles’ bedroom. Peter went to the closet to get dry clothes out, already having a towel in hand. He raised an eyebrow at Chris and motioned at Stiles. Flustered, Chris put Stiles down and turned around.

“Are you two knotheads actually planning on courting him this time, or will you, I don’t know, sweep another omega off his feet like you did last time you returned to town?” Peter asked, his voice deceptively light. “He may not know because he can’t smell you, but I know. I know how you and my nephew feel about the pup. But he deserves better than your constant back and forth.”

“We know,” Chris admitted, staring down at his hands. “You have to understand that we didn’t keep away from him to hurt him but to protect him.”

“Protect him from what? Being loved and cherished?” Peter asked incredulously.

Chris could feel the omega bristling at Chris’ words and he tensed because he had a pissed-off werewolf at his back now. “From us. All I could think for so long was that I wasn’t better than my sister. Derek was afraid he was going to do to Stiles the same Kate had done to him. Stiles was sixteen, Peter. I’m… so much older than him, I couldn’t…”

“So, what? Now that he’s eighteen, he has magically passed a level of maturity to be able to consent that he didn’t a few weeks ago?” Peter scoffed irritated. “You know that’s bullshit.”

“Well, we weren’t planning on courting him right on his eighteenth birthday, neither of us thought that changed anything magically, as you put it,” Chris scowled. “We wanted to give him more time, but we wanted to… slowly court him, give him the option.”

“Wanted,” Peter noted. “Past-tense.”

“Things changed,” Chris hummed softly. “Derek is an Alpha again. We’re back to reclaim the Hale territory. Derek’s tried to teach Scott, but it hasn’t taken, apparently. From what we heard from Jordan and Stiles about what’s going on here, things are bad. This place needs a proper pack. Scott’s pack was… It’s him, one other were and basically just his friends. As powerful as they may be as individuals, this isn’t a werewolf pack. It’s time wolves return to Beacon Hills. Isaac is on the next flight back to California, we’re bringing the Hale Pack back together and I’ll be damned but Stiles is going to be a part of our pack and I will not wait any longer.”

“Mh,” Peter sounded curious. “Very well, I think it’s time I talk to my nephew and leave you two alone for a moment. I’ll send Derek upstairs when we’re done.”

Chris frowned and turned around at those words, just to find a wide-awake Stiles sitting on his bed, staring wondrously and confused at Chris. That bastard wolf had baited him into confessing. He shot a glare at Peter’s retreating back. Stiles hunched in on himself a little, pulling his blanket around his shoulders. He looked wary, like he didn’t really believe it.

“Hey,” Chris’ voice was rough as he stepped up to Stiles. “Are you okay? Earlier-”

“No, I don’t wanna talk about earlier, I wanna talk about what you just said,” Stiles demanded, getting up. “Are you serious? Did you really mean it?”

“Yes,” Chris whispered gently, reaching up to up Stiles’ cheek. “I mean it. I didn’t… plan on falling for you, but I have. So has Derek. That’s… how we got together. We were both trying to protect you from the other. But we… I realized that you don’t need to be protected from Derek and by now I also realized that you don’t need to be protected from me.”

“But you chose Parrish,” Stiles argued forcefully, hands shaking a little.

“The same as we chose each other,” Chris nodded. “Falling for Derek didn’t make me want you any less. Jordan was… a surprise. I didn’t anticipate him, neither did Derek. We still want you.”

“But Parrish,” Stiles tried again, voice more unsure this time.

“Jordan likes you too,” Jordan spoke up as him and Derek entered the bedroom. “You’re… unbelievable, Stiles. It’s impossible not to fall for you. I’ve wanted you since I saved your life in Eichen House, because the thought of being too late, of you being dead…”

Stiles turned around a little, finding himself caged between the three of them. Derek’s gaze was soft as he wrapped his arms around Stiles’ waist and pulled him closer. He tilted his head, baring his throat to the omega. Stiles gasped in surprise at the act of submission from an alpha – an Alpha.

“I love you,” Derek’s voice was a rumble. “You… You’ve been the most loyal to me since I returned to Beacon Hills, the most reliable. I could always count on you. I want you in my pack, Stiles. I want you by my side. I’m sorry I left, I wish I would have been here to help you.”

“I get why you two left. Kate was a threat we couldn’t leave unattended,” Stiles whispered.

“Will you give us a chance, baby?” Chris asked hopefully, one arm around Stiles’ waist.

“I don’t… I don’t know,” Stiles frowned. “Right now I’m just overwhelmed by this. And by everything. I don’t… I have a hard time believing this is actually happening.”

“That’s okay, Stiles,” Jordan nuzzled Stiles’ neck from the side. “You don’t have to give us an answer now, just… know that we care deeply about you, okay?”

“Can we… talk about what happened before we found you, baby?” Chris requested.

Stiles tensed between them, his fingers curled into Chris and Derek’s shirts, while he leaned back against Jordan. Though Stiles may not be in the right mind-space to comprehend their confession or sort through his own feelings, his instincts were a pretty good indicator to how he was leaning.

“If you could move that conversation to the living room, because there are other members of this pack who would like to know what happened,” Peter called out from downstairs.

Stiles flushed when he realized Peter, Malia, Boyd and Erica had heard all of that. He covered his face with his hands for a moment and breathed slow and deep. The four of them went downstairs together and Stiles sat down between Chris and Jordan, nuzzling into them both.

“Kiddo, we gotta… we gotta talk,” Noah sounded serious, looked concerned. “I talked to Theo Raeken. Because Deputy Clark clocked two cards being used to get into the library at the time of the prank call. Yours and his. He… claims that he killed Donovan to protect you. And you keep claiming you lost your card and know nothing, but kiddo, I’m not dumb. You’re injured, you’ve been injured since that night. You… I kept giving you time to tell me on your own, but…”

“Wait. Why would Theo say he protected you?” Malia asked confused.

It was like a damn broke as Stiles hunched over a little. “Because he wants me as his Alpha mate. That’s his big plan, he wants the Alpha spark from Scott and to steal the pack and he wants Void Stiles as his mate, he wants you on his side for that, dad.”

“Right,” the sheriff grunted and crossed his arms. “Then what’s the truth, son?”

“...I killed Donovan,” Stiles admitted softly. “Roscoe didn’t start and he came at me from behind, he… he bit me. That’s the injury on my shoulder. I ran from him, but he chased me into the library and I climbed up the construction side and… he fell and he was impaled on a rebar. He died. I… I called it in, but then the body was gone and I didn’t know if it really happened and I…”

“Oh, kiddo,” Noah sighed shakily and stepped up to pull Stiles into a hug. “I’m sorry. I’m a cop, I know what self-defense is, Stiles. I’ve killed in my line of work before. I wouldn’t have judged or condemned you. I’m sorry you felt so unsure to tell me. I love you, kiddo.”

Stiles cried into his dad’s chest before continuing. “I talked to Scott, the next day about Kira. He said he didn’t trust her anymore because she nearly killed someone, he said we shouldn’t do that, there is always a different choice and I couldn’t tell him and I couldn’t tell you and I didn’t know what to do. Last night, I… talked to Scott. Theo told him and Scott… I… don’t think I’m still in the pack, I asked him how to fix this but he just… turned away from me and walked away and I…”

His body shook with his sobs and Chris pulled him closer, hugging him close. “It’s okay, baby. We’ll fix this. Together. We’re going to take care of Theo and these doctors.”

“Stiles. You’re pack. You’re part of the Hale Pack,” Derek spoke firmly, eyes flashing red. “You’re part of my pack and I’ll protect you. We’ll figure this out.”

“You really should have told us, pup,” Peter heaved a sigh.

“I… I’m sorry,” Jordan sounded so desperate as he buried himself into Stiles’ side. “I’m the one who’s taking the bodies. I’m… I don’t… I’m sorry. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“It’s not your fault,” Stiles wrapped his arms around the other omega. “It’s not your fault.”

“Did you figure out what’s going on with Jordan?” Derek asked, turning to Peter.

“Yes, actually,” Peter tilted his head. “You got yourself a hell-hound, nephew. Fire-resistance, super-strength, orange-glowing eyes and… stealing dead bodies. Specifically, the dead bodies of supernatural creatures. Hell-hounds are like a natural clean-up crew. They protect our secret.”

“Okay,” Derek nodded slowly.

Before he had a chance to speak any more, he was interrupted by very insistent knocking. Everyone in the room tensed, the weres flexing their claws. The sheriff and Peter got up to open the door. There was a kid in front of it, Chris wasn’t entirely sure about his name but he recognized the boy as the one Beta Scott had turned. The boy looked frantic, disheveled.

“Stiles. Is Stiles home? I need to talk to Stiles,” the boy requested.

Stiles untangled himself from Chris and Parrish to step up to him. “What’s wrong, Liam?”

“Hayden is dying,” Liam was openly crying now as he stepped into Stiles’ arms. “Hayden is dying and Scott’s refusing to save her. Theo said that since she’s a chimera, turning her into a real wolf could save her life, I asked Scott for the bite but he refused, he’s claiming that Hayden is too weak for the bite to take but how would he know? He doesn’t know just how strong she is! And what’s the point in not even trying, if she’s dying anyway! Theo said I could… I could take the Alpha spark from Scott and do it myself, but I don’t want to kill, I’m so angry but I don’t want to kill him, I—”

“Okay, okay, slow down, pup,” Stiles wrapped his arms around him and then turned to look at Derek. “I… I have an Alpha who can help. Can you take us to Hayden?”

“What?” Liam tensed wide-eyed and looked up. “Really?”

“I’ll need you to catch me up on this,” Derek said with a frown.

“Hayden, new pup. She’s a chimera, part of her is a werewolf though,” Stiles explained quickly.

“Scott used her as bait for the Dread Doctors! And now he’s refusing to even try and save her life. I can’t lose her. She’s dying and I can’t do anything but maybe the bite can save her. Please?”

Chris could see the reluctance in Derek, but then the Alpha nodded. “Bring us to her. Are Scott and Theo there too? Because then we’re bringing backup. We’re bringing the whole pack.”

“The pack…?” Liam asked confused and looked around the room.

“Meet the Hale Pack, pup,” Stiles offered with a lopsided grin.

Boyd and Erica got up to follow their Alpha, Malia exchanged a look with her father before the two Hales also followed. Chris frowned displeased. He had his gun, wolfsbane was gonna do the trick with Theo too, but he didn’t want to leave Jordan and the sheriff alone.

“Peter. Can you stay with Stiles, Jordan and the sheriff?” Derek requested.

“Oh hell son, I’m not going to be benched,” Noah protested.

“We know that Jordan is taking the bodies, I think that someone should follow up on that. Take Peter with you as backup, but go and check on the Nemeton,” Derek looked at the sheriff.

Noah faltered at that, looking at his distraught deputy and nodding reluctantly. “How?”

“That’s why we’re taking Stiles,” Peter shot his stepson a look. “Our young Spark will be able to find his Nemeton and lead the way. Okay, nephew. But.. be careful.”

Everyone came into motion as the pack split up into two groups and left. Both Derek and Chris kissed Jordan before parting and placed gentle kisses on Stiles’ cheeks, flustering the boy.

/break\

Stiles woke up feeling unusually well-rested. The past twenty-four hours had been far too intense, he had kind of just passed out afterward when the whole pack convened in the loft. They’d thrown blankets, comforters, pillows and cushions onto the floor and done a puppy pile for comfort.

“I’m sorry,” Malia’s voice was very soft as she snuggled closer to him. “I should have paid more attention. I should have… helped you. I was just… with everything with Kira, I…”

“I know,” Stiles hugged her. “I know. It’s okay. I don’t blame you.”

“You don’t blame anyone but yourself,” Erica piped up from behind Stiles, giving him a squeeze. “We’re gonna work on that. You haven’t gotten to your healing-away-from-Beacon-Hills phase yet so we are going to bring the healing to you, Batman.”

A small smile spread over Stiles’ lips as he settled in between his two friends. There was noise coming from the kitchen and after a moment, Stiles got up to sneak into the kitchen. Jordan was sitting on the counter, with Derek standing between his legs, kissing him, while Chris was making breakfast. Stiles took the time to just stare at them for a bit before walking up to Derek. He wrapped his arms around the Alpha’s waist and buried his face in between his shoulder-blades.

“I’m glad you’re back,” Stiles whispered, eyes closed. “I love you. I don’t want you to leave again. Please stay. Please don’t leave me again.”

“Oh, baby,” Chris sighed and turned off the stove before pulling Stiles into a hug. “We’re here to stay now. And we’ll protect Beacon Hill together, all of us.”

Stiles turned a little, enough to steal a kiss from Chris. The alpha sucked in a breath, surprised but pleased. With a smile did Chris lean in to press a kiss back onto Stiles’ lips. Derek turned around so he could also kiss Stiles and when they broke apart, Jordan hopped off the counter to get a kiss of his own. Stiles felt a little dizzy by the end of it, but his heart felt full.

“How… How is Hayden doing?” Stiles asked unsure.

They’d regrouped at the loft, after Stiles, Peter, Noah and Parrish had taken care of the bodies at the Nemeton. Derek and the rest of the pack had been grim and Derek had told them that Theo had been taken care of. The unconscious Hayden had been placed at the center of the puppy pile, with Liam and Mason on either side of her. But Stiles didn’t know how it went.

“She’s healing,” Derek whispered against him. “Since she was already half wolf, she took to the bite much easier than a normal human would have. She’ll be alright.”

Stiles sagged a little in relief and nodded. “Okay. Okay, that’s… That’s great. What… What’s going to happen to Scott? Because by my count… there isn’t much of a McCall Pack left…?”

Kira had switched alliances to the Stilinski-Hale family when Scott had dropped her. She was still on the retreat with the elderly kitsune to learn to control her fox, but according to the latest texts, she was doing good and would return home once she was balanced again. Malia’s alliance laid with Stiles and Peter. Liam had very clearly switched sides last night, and Hayden was now the newest member of the Hale Pack. In a way, it felt like a second chance for Derek. A bite to save a life, the opposite of how Derek had lost his first life and Stiles had seen it on Derek’s face, that he had seen himself in Liam last night – the despair to lose his first love. And Lydia? They’d found her catatonic at the Nemeton last night and when they returned to the loft, Derek has used the Alpha-claws to get into her head and righten things. She’d been grateful and exhausted and fallen asleep in their pack-pile too. By Stiles’ count, that really only left Scott.

“He’s going to leave,” Derek replied, resting his chin on Stiles’ head as he tucked the omega against himself. “He is going to UC Davis for college. I told him he can stay until graduation, aligned to my pack the way Peter and I have been to his until now. But then he’ll leave.”

Stiles nodded against Derek’s shoulder, feeling his eyes burn with tears at the loss. Chris and Jordan pressed against Stiles from either side from behind, holding Stiles close as he mourned the death of a friendship that Stiles had thought would last for ever. A friendship he had put so much in.

But at least he wasn’t alone. And he didn’t even just mean the three men holding him right now. He meant his family – his dad, Peter, Malia – and his pack – Lydia, Kira, Boyd, Erica, Isaac, Liam, and now also Hayden. They would rebuild. They would rebuild the Hale Pack together, make it stronger than ever before. And they would protect Beacon Hills together, really protect it. They’d take care of the Dread Doctors and of whatever other threats were waiting for them out there.

“Can we go somewhere? After graduation?” Stiles asked softly. “Just for a while?”

“A vacation,” Chris’ lips curved against Stiles’ neck. “Yeah. How does France sound?”

“Really fucking far away. So perfect,” Stiles laughed wetly.

Jordan and Derek nuzzled into him from either side. They all could use a fucking break. Together.

~*~ The End ~*~

Notes:

And to nobody's surprise, I am once again saying "this ran away from me". By the 6k mark, I was... where this fic was supposed to start :D" Oh well, have last week's Wednesday Oneshot this week!

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