I would kind of like a story where pre-fire Derek Hale was known by almost everyone in town as a really nice boy, straight A student, a good kid. Everyone loved Derek, who used to clean gutters and mow lawns for harried single moms and rickety old people, who once saved a dog from drowning—it was even in the little community paper, the one that’s like 75% ads for local businesses and 25% stiltedly-written human interest stories—and played the baby Jesus in the live-action nativity one year, and smiled the whole time. (At one year old he was a little big for the role, but he was so sweet and happy no one cared, and it was meant to be, since Derek’s a Christmas baby himself.) Derek Hale: the darling of Beacon Hills.
And since most of Beacon Hills doesn’t know all the shit that went down right before he left or since he came back, they just remember Derek Hale as the poor kid who was orphaned and then moved away and then came back when his sister was brutally killed. So there is general outrage when it’s learned that he’s been arrested for his sister’s murder based on the word of the sheriff’s son, who is well known to be a troublemaker and a smartypants. The poor sheriff, so much on his shoulders, he does his best, but the boy does run wild, and he’s gotten away with it for so long—there’s only so much a mother’s death can excuse, God rest her soul.
So then, instead of the usual problem we see where Stiles and Derek start hanging out and they have to worry about Sheriff finding out because of Derek disapproval reasons, in this situation the problem is Stiles. What follows is a lot of frowning and tut-tutting over Talia Hale’s boy falling into the clutches of that bad influence Stiles Stilinski, who even got him arrested one time. That Stiles sure has some nerve, being friends with Derek, after what he did to him. And Derek, well, he’s obviously got the heart of a saint, to forgive him like that. But it’s worrisome, it really is, because Derek might have a few years on Stiles, but it’s common knowledge that Stiles has led the McCall boy astray more than once (the son of an FBI agent, even!), so who knows what he can talk poor, vulnerable Derek into doing.
A dog at his feet; a stray that kept following him home until Derek finally caved and took her in. Stiles named her Princess Leia and to Derek’s never-ending frustration, taught her so she only answers to her full name. Having to yell “Princess Leia” in the park makes Derek want to punch Stiles most days but it’s kind of worth it to see the way Stiles drops to the ground every time in a fit of laughter.
Opening his phone to take black-mail photos of Stiles drooling but stopping short, getting a fond look on his face when he sees Stiles through the camera lens, because that’s his husband talking in his sleep about evil panda empires and Derek can’t help but feel anything but warm and soft. Leaning down, he plants a kiss on Stiles’ shoulder.
The neighbours getting an early start to their day. Derek can hear them argue about cat food as they walk to their car through the open window of their bedroom, grinning to himself because he knew the neighbours were cat people. Stiles owes him ten bucks and an hour of silence this morning while he finishes his book. He could finish it now, but there’d be no fun in that. Especially because challenging Stiles to be silent usually leads to Stiles kissing him softly and looking smug because “technically I didn’t make a sound Derek”.
Stiles rolling over in his sleep and wrapping a possessive arm around Derek’s legs and mumbling happily, making Derek’s stomach flutter even though it’s been nearly ten years since they met. Five since Stiles told him he loved him. Three since Derek asked him to move in. One since they said “I do”.
– Derek’s the kind of person whose house every kid wants to go to because he buys king sized candy bars (it’s mostly just because he loves seeing their eyes widen and how wide they smile as they politely thank him)
– when he carves pumpkins he always does really intricate designs whereas Stiles goes with classic scary faces and attempts making a wolfed out Derek (he fails but Derek compliments him anyway and gets a kiss on the cheek for his efforts)
– at pack Halloween movie marathons he insists on watching the old, campy monster movies he and Laura used to make fun of when they were teenagers (and he holds Stiles’ hand through the scarier, more gory movies because Stiles always, always falls for the jump scares)
– he always puts up with Stiles wearing his red hoodie and calling him the Big Bad Wolf all day, mostly because Halloween sex is always amazing and kinky (Stiles still wears his red hoodie and just his red hoodie) (one year Derek spanked him until his ass was as red as the hoodie)
– Derek’s favorite part of Halloween is curling up on the couch with some apple cider or a cup of tea by the fire to read a book, Stiles curled up beside him with his head on his chest, sometimes reading aloud to Stiles (Stiles always falls asleep on him, snoring softly, and Derek smiles because this, this is home)
The pack all hangin’ one day, like they do, and someone bought one of those ‘friendship bracelet’ kits for ages 8+.
When the box is opened, Stiles spots the bright blue beads that remind him of Derek’s eyes. When another bag is popped open and Stiles sees the moon pendant he calls dibs loudly and snatches it off the floor.
Derek is probably on the other side of the house reading and pretending like having them all over doesn’t thrill him. After they’re finished there’s pizza and a movie and video games and a wrestling match and mostly everyone forgets about the bracelets until the end of the night.
They’re all shuffling out the door when Stiles goes over to where Derek has resumed reading and tugs the book out of his hand rudely. Derek reprimands him but Stiles is holding out his bracelet, dangling between two fingers.
“I made you a friendship bracelet,” Stiles tells him. He’s pretty proud of it.
Derek just stares at it, taken aback, even as he reaches out and takes it from Stiles. Stiles just laughs at him, “you don’t have to wear it, or anything,” Stiles assures him, and then without another word he sort of flounces off after the others.
Stiles doesn’t actually expect Derek to do more than wait until Stiles is gone before tossing them bracelet. But, then a few days later when Derek reaches for something and his sleeve slides down Stiles sees the bracelet secure around his wrist.
Stiles beams for days. Thinks he might have to reconsider the friendship part of the bracelet.
Meanwhile, Derek is probably unsure whether this was a friendly friendship bracelet or if this was a gift from a potential suitor. Was Stiles wooing him?
Derek did not know what to do. Cora was only mildly sympathetic.
“What do you want it to mean? She asks.
“I don’t know.”
Do you want him to be wooing you?”
“I don’t know.”
“What if I told you it mean’t nothing?” Cora asks. Derek’s head snaps up to look at her and he asks,
“Why did he tell you something?”
And Cora laughs in his face and says, “No. But now we know how thirsty you are for Stilinski, you’re an embarrassment to the Hale name,” Cora informs him.
She’s probably not wrong about both of it.
Long story short: Stiles and Derek lowkey trying to woo each other while having no idea they are being lowkey wooed.
haven’t told y’all about the sterek fic i want, Derek goes off and does his thing and then Stiles goes off and does his FBI thing or whatever.
Both of them end up on the same blogging platform/gaming site etc. etc. and they end up somehow connecting and talking to one another casually and then more personally.
Derek going by a pseudonym cos hunters and Stiles going by his real name.. They don’t talk about personal stuff much and when they do they both edit and tweak their experiences.
Derek tells Stiles that he doesn’t have much family left but he doesn’t mention how at first and when he does he says it was a car wreck instead of a fire. Stiles talks about playing lacrosse in high school but doesn’t ever say where.
Of course they each remind the other of the other and its probably what makes them form a bond in the first place. Yeah, there are some strange coincidences but they chalk it up to that.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that they both value their privacy enough that they communicate via text or online only. But they get pretty close, close enough that when Stiles is MIA for awhile and finally is around enough to tell Derek that his computer is on the fritz and he can’t get online much Derek actually buys him a new one, sends it to the P.O box that Stiles has.
Of course they both end up falling for the other while thinking it’s not possible to because they don’t really know each other. Then Derek ends up in the area, maybe Virginia or something and asks Stiles if maybe he would be willing to meet.
And Stiles is totally down but terrified and then they end up meeting somewhere. At first, when they see each other they’re kind of guarded like, did he know, is this a game, is this a trap. But, both of them have this expression on their faces that lets the other know, neither of them had any idea who they were talking to.
Stiles’ hands are shaking when he throws his arms over Derek and hugs him tight, because holy fuck.
Derek has been going by his middle name, and he’s practiced how to pronounce Stiles’. Stiles is flushed and grinning and can’t help but keep touching Derek kind of casually and without noticing. Derek doesn’t mind, because he can’t believe how fucking lucky he is.
head canon that nobody has Derek’s cell phone number except Stiles.
Stiles does not know this until maybe six months or so after he’s gone, Scott tries to call him. Scott says he probably has a new number.
Stiles knows for certain that Derek has a new number, because Derek texted him from it a few months ago to tell him it had changed.
He probably doesn’t know what to do with that information except keep it secret. After that, he starts texting Derek. He feels a little like he should use this if he can. It would be like parking the camaro somewhere and not driving her.
He texts something stupid and casual that he knows Scott wouldn’t appreciate but he knows Derek would. He’s probably had those thoughts millions of times and Stiles lets them go.
Stiles is a little surprised that Derek responds in kind. Stiles smiles, satisfied, at Derek’s expected reaction.
shealwaysreads 