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tamingthemuseTitle: anything/everything
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Prompt: 414 – capsize
Warnings: MAJOR SPOILERS for 4x01 The Dark Moon. Mentions of Stiles/Malia. Slight Derek/Stiles.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~1650
Summary: When Stiles is forced to make a choice between Derek and Malia, the decision is surprisingly easy.
Disclaimer: It's all lies and I own nothing.
-- = --
The thing about Malia is... Stiles wouldn't exactly say they're dating because, well, they haven't actually gone out on a date. And he wouldn't say she's his girlfriend because, okay, yeah, they've made out more than a few times, but they haven't talked about labels, much less being in a relationship or being exclusive. Not that being exclusive is an issue because there's not really anybody else that's interested in him. There's somebody Stiles is interested in, but, well, that's complicated. And highly unlikely to ever happen. And not just because the guy he's been crushing on for months is probably straighter than a ruler but also because he's older and just as messed up as Stiles and, oh, yeah, missing.
So Stiles lets Malia kiss him because it's nice and makes him feel normal. Well, relatively normal. Because his life will never be normal ever again. She's a were-coyote and he's not even sure what he is anymore, hasn't touched mountain ash in he can't remember how long because he's afraid of what might happen if he gets too close. (Can he still manipulate it like Deaton? Is he still a spark? Did being possessed by the nogitsune do anything else to him besides fuck up his mind? Did the nogitsune leave anything behind?)
Normal isn't an option, but there are some things about Malia that he can't overlook, he's starting to realize. Like her complete inability to empathize with other people. He's not sure if it's because she lived as a coyote for so long or if her mind's stuck at the developmental level of an eight year old. Not that he thinks there's much of difference. Except for the fact that, as she's pointed out on more than one occasion, she'd prey on any weak, defenseless animal she'd come across in the woods had her hunting season been sporadic. She'd been so willing to leave Lydia – a pack member and a friend – behind in Mexico, and he can't let that go.
She's a bit different when it comes to him, connects better for whatever reason, but Stiles thinks it's probably that he's just more able to adjust to her... eccentricities. That, of all the people in their pack, he's the only one who can deal with her the way she is. He trained Scott and Derek... Derek's not exactly here to help out.
So, while Malia is his friend who is a girl, one that he sometimes kisses and that's borderline pack, she isn't someone that he'd do anything for.
And that's Kate's mistake.
-- = --
The thing about Derek is that despite everything they've been through – or, more likely, because of it – Stiles will never not do whatever he can to save him. Especially now when he's vulnerable and scared in a way Stiles has never seen.
Derek is sixteen again – Deaton's working on the how, Stiles doesn't really want to guess as to the why considering Kate had something to do with it – and, while he's adjusting, Stiles has never known anyone so broken. Even the Derek Stiles first met was better at coping than this. Of course, that Derek had six years to get used to the reality that his entire family save two members had been murdered by a woman he'd thought he was in love with. But this Derek rarely speaks, barely eats, only leaves the guest room at Stiles' house when he needs to use the bathroom. Stiles and his dad are the only two people Derek will let in. Sometimes Scott, but only if he's with Stiles.
Sometimes, in the middle of the night when the house is dark and the neighborhood is silent, Derek will knock on Stiles' bedroom door and he doesn't even have to ask anymore. (Not after that first time, with the awkward, aborted gestures and stuttering.) Stiles just opens the door wider to let him in, closes the door behind them, lets Derek take the nearer side of the bed before settling on the side closest to the windows himself. It's not as weird as he'd imagined; this Derek he isn't attracted to – Stiles just wants to protect him.
It's the downfall of Kate's plan.
-- = --
Malia's not at school. Scott's the first to notice because they've got Algebra together second period. He texts the pack and they gather around a table outside at lunch to figure out who talked to her last. They don't send out a search party just quite yet because they've all missed enough school at this point that any more absences could lead to repeating the semester. (At least that's the case for Stiles. He couldn't exactly tell the school his delinquency was caused by nogitsune possession.)
They talk it over at lunch and agree to head over to her dad's after school, but when they meet in the parking lot, Scott hold his phone out to Stiles.
There's a text from an unknown number. Hale house 4pm
He and Scott exchange a look. It's not a coincidence. And Stiles is willing to bet his Jeep that he knows who's behind it all.
His suspicion is confirmed when the whole pack arrive at the ruins of the Hale house and find Kate sitting casually at the top of the porch stairs. She appears to be alone, but Stiles knows she's got her berserkers lying in wait in the woods. (Stiles can tell by the face Scott makes when they climb out of the Jeep. That's his I-smell-something-more-foul-than-the-locker-room-after-lacrosse-practice face.)
Kate stands, eyes the both of them as she descends the steps, and Stiles wants nothing more than rip her apart and wipe that smug smirk off her face.
“Hello, boys,” she says, coming to stand a few feet in front of them. “Let's cut to the chase, shall we?”
Stiles knows what she wants before the words can even come out of her mouth. “The answer is no,” he tells her.
Kate's perfectly sculpted brows rise, her mouth hanging open. Beside him, Scott sputters. “What? She didn't even...” He's shaking his head and regarding Stiles with a confused expression when Stiles looks over at him.
“She took Malia because we took Derek. She thinks we'll trade.” Stiles turns back to Kate. “Well, guess what? We won't.”
Kate's eyebrows narrow over her unnaturally bright green eyes. She's pissed. “No?”
Stiles glances at Scott out of the corner of his eye. Alpha or not, Stiles isn't letting Scott make this decision. “No.” As long as Stiles is still breathing, there's no way he's going to let Kate get anywhere near Derek ever again. It's not an option, not after everything she's done to him.
Kate's livid, face shifting, skin turning mottled as her fangs descend. She'd thought Stiles would just roll over, do whatever it took to get Malia back, but she underestimated Derek's worth. Not just to the pack, but Stiles in particular. “Bring Derek to me or you'll never see your little coyote bitch ever again,” she growls.
Scott's hand wraps around Stiles' wrist, voice low and uncertain when he says, “Stiles... are you sure?”
“I'm sure.” He feels bad, yeah, guilty even, but he can't. Derek's been through enough. Malia's a survivor. She'll be okay. “Besides,” he says, “the Calaveras' are around.” He looks at Kate again, meets her eyes and doesn't waver. “Araya said something about unfinished business. You won't get far.”
Kate stares at Stiles for a few long moments before her gaze slides over to Scott, obviously hearing the truth in their heartbeats. She howls, short and angry, lips curled back from her teeth in a snarl, and, for a second, she looks like she might try to attack. She doesn't. Just drops to all fours and runs for the treeline.
Stiles watches her go with little relief. He hopes Araya's men catch up with her and put her down like the monster she is. He'd like to be there to see it – (would like to be the one wielding the sword) – but knows that it's out of his hands. She just needs to be stopped.
Scott steps into his line of sight. “Should I go after her?”
Stiles shakes his head. “No. Let her run.”
“What about Malia?”
“Either Kate will let her go or we'll find her. Or she'll find us. If she wants to.” Stiles isn't too worried about her. Maybe he should be, but he's not. He's more concerned about Derek. Speaking of... Well, thinking of. Stiles pulls his phone out of pocket. Pizza for dinner? he texts to Derek.
none of that pineapple crap scott likes, Derek sends back. Then, extra cheese.
Stiles smiles at his phone, slaps Scott's shoulder as he heads back towards his Jeep. “Let's go,” he says. It takes a minute for Scott to follow after him. When Scott gets in, he buckles his seatbelt, watches Scott fire off a text to Kira and Lydia to let them know what happened. “Don't forget to call Araya. I'm sure she'll want to know Kate's nearby and on the move.”
“And that she's got Malia?” Scott says, like Stiles forgot.
But Stiles didn't forget. He just had somebody else to think about. And that somebody is waiting for him at home.
-- = --
The thing about Malia is that she's his friend who is a girl, one that he sometimes kisses and that's borderline pack. But Stiles wouldn't do anything for her. But Derek-- Derek is... Stiles isn't sure yet what Derek is. Ally, friend, pack. Something more. Something more important. Somebody – one of the few – that he would do anything for.
And once Derek is back to himself, Stiles is going to make sure he knows.
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Prompt: 414 – capsize
Warnings: MAJOR SPOILERS for 4x01 The Dark Moon. Mentions of Stiles/Malia. Slight Derek/Stiles.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~1650
Summary: When Stiles is forced to make a choice between Derek and Malia, the decision is surprisingly easy.
Disclaimer: It's all lies and I own nothing.
The thing about Malia is... Stiles wouldn't exactly say they're dating because, well, they haven't actually gone out on a date. And he wouldn't say she's his girlfriend because, okay, yeah, they've made out more than a few times, but they haven't talked about labels, much less being in a relationship or being exclusive. Not that being exclusive is an issue because there's not really anybody else that's interested in him. There's somebody Stiles is interested in, but, well, that's complicated. And highly unlikely to ever happen. And not just because the guy he's been crushing on for months is probably straighter than a ruler but also because he's older and just as messed up as Stiles and, oh, yeah, missing.
So Stiles lets Malia kiss him because it's nice and makes him feel normal. Well, relatively normal. Because his life will never be normal ever again. She's a were-coyote and he's not even sure what he is anymore, hasn't touched mountain ash in he can't remember how long because he's afraid of what might happen if he gets too close. (Can he still manipulate it like Deaton? Is he still a spark? Did being possessed by the nogitsune do anything else to him besides fuck up his mind? Did the nogitsune leave anything behind?)
Normal isn't an option, but there are some things about Malia that he can't overlook, he's starting to realize. Like her complete inability to empathize with other people. He's not sure if it's because she lived as a coyote for so long or if her mind's stuck at the developmental level of an eight year old. Not that he thinks there's much of difference. Except for the fact that, as she's pointed out on more than one occasion, she'd prey on any weak, defenseless animal she'd come across in the woods had her hunting season been sporadic. She'd been so willing to leave Lydia – a pack member and a friend – behind in Mexico, and he can't let that go.
She's a bit different when it comes to him, connects better for whatever reason, but Stiles thinks it's probably that he's just more able to adjust to her... eccentricities. That, of all the people in their pack, he's the only one who can deal with her the way she is. He trained Scott and Derek... Derek's not exactly here to help out.
So, while Malia is his friend who is a girl, one that he sometimes kisses and that's borderline pack, she isn't someone that he'd do anything for.
And that's Kate's mistake.
The thing about Derek is that despite everything they've been through – or, more likely, because of it – Stiles will never not do whatever he can to save him. Especially now when he's vulnerable and scared in a way Stiles has never seen.
Derek is sixteen again – Deaton's working on the how, Stiles doesn't really want to guess as to the why considering Kate had something to do with it – and, while he's adjusting, Stiles has never known anyone so broken. Even the Derek Stiles first met was better at coping than this. Of course, that Derek had six years to get used to the reality that his entire family save two members had been murdered by a woman he'd thought he was in love with. But this Derek rarely speaks, barely eats, only leaves the guest room at Stiles' house when he needs to use the bathroom. Stiles and his dad are the only two people Derek will let in. Sometimes Scott, but only if he's with Stiles.
Sometimes, in the middle of the night when the house is dark and the neighborhood is silent, Derek will knock on Stiles' bedroom door and he doesn't even have to ask anymore. (Not after that first time, with the awkward, aborted gestures and stuttering.) Stiles just opens the door wider to let him in, closes the door behind them, lets Derek take the nearer side of the bed before settling on the side closest to the windows himself. It's not as weird as he'd imagined; this Derek he isn't attracted to – Stiles just wants to protect him.
It's the downfall of Kate's plan.
Malia's not at school. Scott's the first to notice because they've got Algebra together second period. He texts the pack and they gather around a table outside at lunch to figure out who talked to her last. They don't send out a search party just quite yet because they've all missed enough school at this point that any more absences could lead to repeating the semester. (At least that's the case for Stiles. He couldn't exactly tell the school his delinquency was caused by nogitsune possession.)
They talk it over at lunch and agree to head over to her dad's after school, but when they meet in the parking lot, Scott hold his phone out to Stiles.
There's a text from an unknown number. Hale house 4pm
He and Scott exchange a look. It's not a coincidence. And Stiles is willing to bet his Jeep that he knows who's behind it all.
His suspicion is confirmed when the whole pack arrive at the ruins of the Hale house and find Kate sitting casually at the top of the porch stairs. She appears to be alone, but Stiles knows she's got her berserkers lying in wait in the woods. (Stiles can tell by the face Scott makes when they climb out of the Jeep. That's his I-smell-something-more-foul-than-the-locker-room-after-lacrosse-practice face.)
Kate stands, eyes the both of them as she descends the steps, and Stiles wants nothing more than rip her apart and wipe that smug smirk off her face.
“Hello, boys,” she says, coming to stand a few feet in front of them. “Let's cut to the chase, shall we?”
Stiles knows what she wants before the words can even come out of her mouth. “The answer is no,” he tells her.
Kate's perfectly sculpted brows rise, her mouth hanging open. Beside him, Scott sputters. “What? She didn't even...” He's shaking his head and regarding Stiles with a confused expression when Stiles looks over at him.
“She took Malia because we took Derek. She thinks we'll trade.” Stiles turns back to Kate. “Well, guess what? We won't.”
Kate's eyebrows narrow over her unnaturally bright green eyes. She's pissed. “No?”
Stiles glances at Scott out of the corner of his eye. Alpha or not, Stiles isn't letting Scott make this decision. “No.” As long as Stiles is still breathing, there's no way he's going to let Kate get anywhere near Derek ever again. It's not an option, not after everything she's done to him.
Kate's livid, face shifting, skin turning mottled as her fangs descend. She'd thought Stiles would just roll over, do whatever it took to get Malia back, but she underestimated Derek's worth. Not just to the pack, but Stiles in particular. “Bring Derek to me or you'll never see your little coyote bitch ever again,” she growls.
Scott's hand wraps around Stiles' wrist, voice low and uncertain when he says, “Stiles... are you sure?”
“I'm sure.” He feels bad, yeah, guilty even, but he can't. Derek's been through enough. Malia's a survivor. She'll be okay. “Besides,” he says, “the Calaveras' are around.” He looks at Kate again, meets her eyes and doesn't waver. “Araya said something about unfinished business. You won't get far.”
Kate stares at Stiles for a few long moments before her gaze slides over to Scott, obviously hearing the truth in their heartbeats. She howls, short and angry, lips curled back from her teeth in a snarl, and, for a second, she looks like she might try to attack. She doesn't. Just drops to all fours and runs for the treeline.
Stiles watches her go with little relief. He hopes Araya's men catch up with her and put her down like the monster she is. He'd like to be there to see it – (would like to be the one wielding the sword) – but knows that it's out of his hands. She just needs to be stopped.
Scott steps into his line of sight. “Should I go after her?”
Stiles shakes his head. “No. Let her run.”
“What about Malia?”
“Either Kate will let her go or we'll find her. Or she'll find us. If she wants to.” Stiles isn't too worried about her. Maybe he should be, but he's not. He's more concerned about Derek. Speaking of... Well, thinking of. Stiles pulls his phone out of pocket. Pizza for dinner? he texts to Derek.
none of that pineapple crap scott likes, Derek sends back. Then, extra cheese.
Stiles smiles at his phone, slaps Scott's shoulder as he heads back towards his Jeep. “Let's go,” he says. It takes a minute for Scott to follow after him. When Scott gets in, he buckles his seatbelt, watches Scott fire off a text to Kira and Lydia to let them know what happened. “Don't forget to call Araya. I'm sure she'll want to know Kate's nearby and on the move.”
“And that she's got Malia?” Scott says, like Stiles forgot.
But Stiles didn't forget. He just had somebody else to think about. And that somebody is waiting for him at home.
The thing about Malia is that she's his friend who is a girl, one that he sometimes kisses and that's borderline pack. But Stiles wouldn't do anything for her. But Derek-- Derek is... Stiles isn't sure yet what Derek is. Ally, friend, pack. Something more. Something more important. Somebody – one of the few – that he would do anything for.
And once Derek is back to himself, Stiles is going to make sure he knows.
