und-erstand:

My other rec lists.

What’s this? Two rec lists in two days? I’ve seen a couple of these floating around and I wanted to contribute/challenge myself to go through some of my bookmarks and find some really good fics that have less than 2,000 kudos. I know most people usually do under 1,000 but there were some really good ones that had less than 2,000 and even that number to me seemed like a travesty. The ones that I’ve rec’d before (either in one of my favorites or as a themed rec list) will have ** next to them. The others will be ones that I haven’t gotten around to rec’ing yet. I have many more that fit this criteria but I decided to cap this one at 40 fics. Stay tuned for another!

**Winter’s Edge
by Cutewolfboys (Inkforwords)

  Kudos: 1739  

When Stiles’ great Uncle Ben passes away, he inherits a cabin and 100
acres of land. What he didn’t expect to get out of the deal was a
mysterious wolf with five little cubs roaming around his property. He
has a feeling they are definitely more than they seem to be.  

 **(I Hate to Be) The One to Ruin the Night by wishingonalightningbolt Kudos: 1639

High school senior Derek Hale only has one goal for the rest of
his time left at BHHS: avoid Stiles Stilinski. He’s wreaked enough
havoc as it is, having spent all summer breaking Derek’s heart.
Everything would be better for both of them if they just never saw each
other again.

-0-

Derek doesn’t plan on ever getting mixed up
with Scott McCall and his little gang of idiot friends.  In fact, if he
knew to avoid it, he would, but he guesses he just isn’t smart enough.
Unfortunate, considering the consequences.

Cat Farming in the Cascades
by eeyore9990  Kudos: 900

Derek has no idea why, but Stiles has this really horrible, absolutely unconscious habit of fondling himself.  All the time.  In public, in private, it doesn’t matter.  

Really,
this is probably at least partially Derek’s fault.  Because he didn’t
somehow stop Stiles’ behavior back when he’d had the chance, and the kid
apparently never learned not to touch himself in public. So now he’s
doing it enough that random people are taking videos of him fondling his
junk in his university classes.  Oh god.

spice up your life! by callunavulgari Kudos: 912

“I said,” the girl drawls, setting her elbow down in a saucer
of ketchup and grimacing. “That this whole soulmate thing is fucking
stupid. You’re supposed to find someone based off of the music they’re
listening to? How would you even know what was really stuck in your head
and what was in theirs? It’s complete shit.”

Derek, who
has had everything from Dancing Queen to the Barney theme song stuck in
his head all night, winces, and says abruptly, “I think my soulmate is
in middle school.”

How to Pretend You’re Not a Virgin and Other Sordid Tales by KuriKuri Kudos: 1451

Stiles likes the anonymity, the security his pseudonym
provides. Likes that there are entire forums dedicated to speculating
about his identity: his gender, his sexuality, his age.

Of course, there’s one thing they all seem to agree on: he’s some sort of sex god.

Which is really, really awkward, because he’s a twenty-three year old virgin.

(Or: in which Stiles is a bestselling erotica novelist and Lydia makes him attend a convention to promote his upcoming book.)

**Hard Times For Dreamers
by wldnst 

Kudos: 853  

Derek Hale’s just been hired to perform an extraction. He probably isn’t qualified for this.

**On of my absolute favorites**

**Sad Etsy Boyfriend by Paperclip Kudos: 1450

Stiles forces Derek to be a model for all of his handmade Etsy wares.

**It’s like he’s all that
by MemeKon Kudos: 1697

Stiles is different. Stiles is not nice under any definition of
the word, he’s such an asshole. Sure, he’s a good guy deep down, he
punched Jackson square in the jaw when he mocked the McCall kid for an
asthma attack that one time, and Derek knows he helped Erica Reyes get
that video of her seizure taken down, but he’s so—

“Fuck off,
Derek.” Stiles tells him without sparing him a glance when Derek sits
next to him on chemistry. “I’m not up to play She’s All That with you,
dude.”

-yeah.

(School crushes are so complicated.)

Don’t You Wanna Be My Sky? 
by
WhoNatural 

Kudos: 1160

 Stiles got ratted out by the Realm Guard for sneaking off with
Scott a total of seven times before his dad buckled, promising
sabbatical once Stiles reached Faehood, and enough Earth culture in the
meantime to have him talking like a born-and-bred Californian teenager.

He just didn’t have the tan.

(Or, in which Stiles
is a Frost Fae sent to the Earth Realm on the Fae version of Rumspringa
and immediately falls head-first into a Coffee Shop AU)

about the mirror and its pieces by
Siria 

Kudos: 483

This wasn’t how Stiles had expected to spend his Spring Break.

Of Witches and Werewolves
by alexenglish  Kudos: 1107

“I need you to have sex with Derek Hale like yesterday,” Lydia
says, slamming her bag down on the table with more force than strictly
necessary, mouth a tight line of displeasure. Stiles chokes on his boxed
apple juice, sputtering, limbs flailing.

“Say it louder,” Stiles hisses, leaning forward so they can talk in low tones. “I don’t think they heard you in the back.”

Noteworthy Observations by LadyDrace  Kudos: 1661

In which Derek receives complimentary notes in his locker from a secret
admirer, and though it turns out they weren’t actually for him, things
turn out pretty well in the end.

Penguin Justice
by rosepetals42  Kudos: 512

“UNHAND THAT PENGUIN!”

The shout is loud enough that Derek freezes, although he does not
actually “unhand” Ernie because Ernie had stepped on something sharp
last night and his foot needed to be bandaged. And then he might need to
be given a small dose of a sedative so that he can actually get some
rest.

Away from the curious eyes of the nice people visiting the Beacon Hills Wildlife Sanctuary.

Particularly away from whoever is yelling at the top of their lungs around wild animals.

Or, an AU in which Derek is a zookeeper trying to keep his penguins
healthy and Stiles is a protester trying to keep them happy… There is a
bit of miscommunication.

**Yeah, rite
by maliwanhellfire  Kudos: 1886

 Stiles thought he’d dodged the conversation for another year, then his dad brought it up over breakfast.

Stiles is seventeen and a few months into his
final year of school. It’s the perfect time to complete his fertility
rite, problem is the only alphas interested are all creepy, and related
to people he goes to school with.

Enter Derek Hale, grumpy bastard and lead alpha of the Hale pack. He’s the solution to all of Stiles’ problems.

Sorta.

**Generations by Isa_Iadel

  Kudos: 1315

Stiles Stilinski hasn’t been Sheriff for very long and dealing with the
aftermath of the attack against the Hales ends up being far more
complicated than he ever could have imagined.

This Ship Will Carry Our Bodies Safe to Shore
by AlleyMoott 

Kudos: 560

Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay.

When those words appeared
scrawled against the soft inside of his wrist, Derek’s first thought was
that his mate and him would be involved in some kind of accident and
they’d died in front of him. The thought used to scare him when he was a
kid, the thought of being responsible for someone’s last minutes, of
holding someone’s hand, brushing soft strands of hair out of their eyes
and assuring them everything would be just fine made his heart race and
forced his wolf into the surface.

Night Owls Early Birds 
by
Lissadiane 

Kudos: 835   
  

Confession: Stiles is afraid of having magic.

The Spark had been cool. It had been small, manageable. He could do some funky stuff with Mountain Ash, all with the power of belief.

And
now here he is, his Spark blown wide open, apparently coming down with a
fatal case of magical overload, and all that stands between him and
bleeding out is a grumpy owl that looks suspiciously like a feathered
version of Derek Hale.

(In which Stiles learns he’s a witch, but
instead of a wand and a trip to Diagon Alley, he gets blood magic, a
grumpy and reluctant owl as his companion, and an accidental blood bond
with Derek Hale.)

All The Movements Of The Stars by skoosiepants 
Kudos: 1119

Stiles says, “Derek,” and his voice is hoarse, like he’s still
unsure how to use his vocal chords even after all this time.  They have
no idea how long Stiles was stuck as an otter, let alone trapped in that
cage.  According to Dr. Martin, Stiles doesn’t even know.

Derek doesn’t say anything.

After a few minutes, Stiles sighs and gets up. There’s a rustle of
clothing, and Derek grits his teeth against the image of Stiles wearing
his things, and Derek doesn’t relax until he hears the door open and
close.

**True North by AdamantSteve 

Kudos: 823

Derek senses that Stiles is his bonded as soon as he sees him in the
woods. He doesn’t want to be bonded with anyone because that’s a
terrible idea, so he avoids him. However, the bond won’t be so easily
dissuaded…

i wait for you like a lonely house by bleep0bleep 

Kudos: 1657

Derek isn’t sure why he buys the house.
He doesn’t need the space,
that much is certain. While it’s not as big as the one Derek grew up in,
something about the cheerful yellow paint and the wide staircase (with
banisters wide enough for children to slide down) draws him in.

Hot and Bothered (but mostly just bothered)
by kitsunequeen

  Kudos: 1225

 "You’re the newbie in the station, and damn you’re hot, bUT DID YOU JUST ARREST MY SIBLING?“ au

——

“You could’ve let me know,” Derek says. “That’s kind of what we do around here.”

“Not like I have your phone number,” Stiles points out, raising an eyebrow in a way that’s most definitely a challenge.

Oh, great. The new guy wants to prove how cool he is by mouthing off to someone’s who’s been around longer. Fun.

“Well, Deputy, you have a radio, don’t you? And if you were interested in calling, every other guy here does have my number.”

“Well, aren’t you just Mr. Popular!”

and it’s so, it’s so
by Marishna

  Kudos: 564

Derek’s had a crush on Stiles for years but has always been too chickenshit to do anything about it.

Threadless
by echo_inside

  Kudos: 351

A curse allows Stiles to see the threads of love between everyone in the world.. unfortunately his own wrist is threadless.
.
..
.
“I
hope you’ve truly learned your lesson young one. Love is a gift and
trying to help people find it is a rewarding pursuit. The sight will
leave you now, but remember the lesson.”

Lunch and Pinatas
by literaryoblivion 

Kudos: 696

After Derek becomes a deputy, he notices Stiles coming around a lot and
hanging out with Deputy Parrish. And yeah, he’s kind of jealous because
he thought he and Stiles might have had… something.

Jerk of Art
by briggs

  Kudos: 424

The worst thing, ever, is being uninspired. There is literally nothing
worse than putting a pencil to paper and having nothing come out. So, of
course, when Stiles’ visual arts professor instructs the class to
sketch someone as detailed as they possibly can, and Stiles pulls up a
blank on people to draw, he wants to punch himself in the face.

**it’s going down, i’m yelling timber
by
callunavulgari  Kudos: 1570

I just walked into a room at this party and someone yelled “dibs,“
Derek types, painstakingly tapping the message out with one hand
because the other is occupied with keeping his beer tucked closely to
his chest. The noise in the place is about as bad as the press of bodies
and it’s already driving him a little insane. He has never regretted
having enhanced senses more than this moment. It’s louder than most
nightclubs in here.

Omg, Laura types back. Was it Stiles?

**But the Mess Prevails by calrissian18  Kudos: 294

Nothing is exactly as he left it.  Everything’s a mite off-center and not quite his.

**You’re a Fine Noise
by collie   Kudos: 428

The five times Stiles Stilinski was jailed by the lawman, Derek Hale, (and the one time he was freed).

Love Was the Ghost Whose Shape Kept Shifting
by LadyLade 

Kudos: 509

“How did we end up as those bitter, jaded teenagers we both
hate?” Jackson wonders one day when they’ve run out of insults and are,
instead, sitting on the bleachers during lunch.

“Lost love?” Stiles suggests.

“I think maybe it’s because we’re still clinging to it,” Jackson says.

Numbers 
by standinginanicedress  Kudos: 1234

“I’m magic,” Stiles raises his hands in the air and puts on a serious facial expression. “I have the sixth sense.”

“The sixth sense, huh? Is that what they’re calling bullshit these days?”

Stiles’
lips purse down hard, but he still smirks. Derek wonders if there’s any
single facial expression that Stiles can make that isn’t in some way at
least slightly amused, whether at himself or the expense of others.
“Non-believers aren’t welcome at my table, Derek.”

A Realistic Average  by lazarusthefirst  Kudos: 580

Derek scanned the leaderboard. It was written in tiny white on black
writing, but Derek could just make out Cora’s username “LittleWolf”
underneath what looked like a combination of digits and an alphabet
sneeze.
‘Who the hell is “St1l1nsk1”?’

so he’s got a few flaws by Watermelon Wolves (Phnx) 
Kudos: 116

In short, everything was terrible.

**With Great Power Come Annoying Sidekicks
by
KuriKuri 

Kudos: 1577

“I don’t want to be a superhero,” Derek protests, and he has
half a mind to leave right now, ditch Stiles and get back to his life.

“Ah,
so you’re going the Peter Parker route,” Stiles says, nodding solemnly.
“Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.”

“Who’s Peter Parker?” Derek asks, confused.

“Oh my god, you have so much to learn,” Stiles replies, gaping at Derek.

**We’ll Stay Where We’ve Gone by secondstar 
Kudos: 1110

Stiles grew up working at the Renaissance Faire. It was where
he felt like he could really be himself, where memories of his mother
still walked around with him. Finally, at age 18, he’s an adult and the
world of the Ren Faire opens up entirely new possibilities.

One being Derek Hale, Knight.

The Greatest Grief 
by 
thedevilyousay  Kudos: 335

When Derek wakes up to the familiar touch of his husband, he has one
moment of pure, unspoiled happiness before he remembers that Stiles died
almost a year ago to the day. The ghost in his bed is just that: a
ghost. Except for the one time it isn’t.

muffin bottom boy 
by kellifer_fic 

Kudos: 1275

When Derek isn’t lurking or growling or being weirdly adorable which, who knew that was a thing, he’s elsewhere and Stiles didn’t notice at first that the times he’s elsewhere align with the full moon.

**It’s So Overt, It’s Covert by Swing Set in December (swing_set13) 

Kudos: 586

Wherein Lydia knows what’s really going on, Derek is jealous and Stiles
really wishes people would let him eat breakfast in peace.

Need for Weed by alisvolatpropiis

  Kudos: 626

Derek was nervous enough about this, aside from his hang-ups about rule
breaking. He has no idea what he’s doing, and he’s already accepted the
fact that he’s going to look like an idiot to whomever he buys from. He
hadn’t counted on the dispensary’s delivery guy being utterly fucking
gorgeous, and the type to brazenly (and unprofessionally) check Derek
out as well, biting his plump, pink bottom lip.

Love is Blindness by Hepzheba

  Kudos: 373

Derek knows it’s stupid and that he, as the older man, should be the one
to make it stop – and he tells himself so countless times, but he never
manages to keep away, not for long. Stiles pulls him in with his mouth
and hands and body and he gets under Derek’s skin like no other

**When You’re Right You’re…Still Wrong
by AlreadyPainfullyGone 

Kudos: 744

Teen Wolf AU. Sheriff Stilinski marries Talia Hale, and even
though Stiles is happy for them, it does have the downside of making
Derek Hale, rapidly maturing alpha, his new step-brother, just as Stiles
is starting to worry that maybe he’s not a beta, like he always assumed
he was…

My experiment with A/B/O dynamics.