It was truly not Stiles' day.

It was all going to shit from the moment he woke up and spilt his serial down himself, so he should have guest this was a possibility but he never thought it would have come out like this.

Going down to the station at two in the morning with his dad and Scott he should have known that the evil lurking in Beacon Hills wouldn't care about waking up the rest of the town at this ungodly hour, but he didn't.

Which was why when he first re-entered the lobby to find it empty, he let his hackles rise, looking around for the sight of danger, the danger he confirmed after seeing the dead deputy sprawled bloody behind the front desk. He took note of the missing handgun and relented to the fact that he could feel someone behind him.

He turned finding said missing handgun pointed at his forehead.

Oh fuck

When the car pulled up Stiles' thought his heart was going to stop, but he just walked through the corridor well aware of the loaded weapon in the hands of the maniac behind him.

"Open it" Matt waved the gun between Scott and the door.

"Please" Scott begged which only seemed to anger Matt more.

"Open the door" he snapped.

Scott cautiously reached for the door handle but relaxed when the sight on the other side of the door wasn't his mother, but one scowling sourwolf.

"Oh thank God" Scott sighed but stepped back as Derek started to lean forward, eyes widening as Jackson stepped out of the shadow in the doorway.

Stiles though, Stiles was 100% paying attention to the man paralysed on the floor in front of him. He wanted to run to him, to make sure he was okay, but was still hyper aware of the current situation and thought it best not to bring attention to himself.

When Matt squatted down to talk to the Alpha Stiles automatically stepped closer to Scott to peer around the mad mans shoulders so he could see the sourwolf laid out on the floor.

"This is the one controlling him, this kid?" Derek looked up at Stiles pointedly.

Matt smiled "Well Derek not everyone's lucky enough to be a big bad werewolf."

Stiles and Scott exchanged a look of horror and Matt stood before turning to them.

"Oh yeah, that's- that's right! I've been learning a few things lately; werewolves, hunters, kanimas, its like a frekin' Halloween party every full moon! Except you Stiles," he turned his attention to the named boy "what do you turn into?"

Stiles felt like laughing, because truly they had no idea but he just played along like he had so far on this journey "Abominable snowman. But it's more of a winter time thing, ya'know, seasonal"

Matt squinted at someone behind Stiles and suddenly Stiles felt a small sting at the back of his neck and before he knew what he was doing he was falling.
"Bi~it~tch" Stiles felt the mass of muscle beneath him and heard the small "Ommf" said mass of muscle let out at the impact of having the gangly teenager's dead weight on him so unexpectedly.

Stiles was slightly aware of Scott moving toward Jackson, stopping short but he was slightly pre occupied with the fact that he was laying on top of Derek.

And Derek's hand was very near Stiles' groin.

Stiles couldn't help his mind but if his body was paralysed from the neck down surely he couldn't get a boner, right? Apparently it didn't matter if his body was able to or not because he could see Derek's nose twitch and his pupils dilate slightly in response to the arousal rolling of off the human on top of him before he was shouting orders at Matt.

"Get him of off me" he growled through gritted teeth not looking at Stiles.

Matt just smiled a sadistic smile "Oh, I don't know Derek, I think you two make a pretty good pair" he laughed in Derek's face. Derek glanced down at the boy on his chest, Stiles already looking back at Derek who looked at him as if to say don't you dare. Stiles promptly shut his mouth again.

Matt carried on as though he hadn't see the exchange "It must kind of suck though, have all that power taken away from you, just a little cut to the back of the neck. I bet your not used to feeling this helpless"

"Still got some teeth," Derek said raising his chin "get down here a little closer huh, see how helpless I am"

"Yeah bitch" Stiles said in a high pitched strangled out voice, which Derek just looked at him trying to get across how much he wanted him to shut up and how obvious he was making their awkward situation.

When another car pulled up, Matt led Scott out to go find his mother, telling Jackson to drag Stiles and Derek into another room on his way out. When the door swung closed after Jackson left, Derek let out a breath he'd seemingly been holding since he'd entered the police station.

He knew Stiles was safe.

That's what mattered.

"Wanna tell me what happened?" Derek asked quietly

"We figured out it was Matt, we just needed the evidence to prove it to dad so we could get this shit sorted out and get that wacko in jail… Oh shit my dad! Derek, he's handcuffed to the wall, what if he gets hurt he can't defend himself!"

"Hey, it'll be okay, he'll be fine I promise" Derek mutters trying to calm the flustered boy.

"So," he continued filling the silence, which was ironic seen as though that was usually Stiles' job "what else happened?"

"We got told we make a pretty good pair" Even though Derek couldn't see the boy, he knew there was a smirk on his face, one if he could he would be kissing away right now.

"Stiles, shut up, you know Scott could here you right now"

"Some how I don't think he'll be paying much attention to us right now" Stiles sighed "Can you move yet?"

"A little" Derek put his hand on Stiles' and entwined their fingers.

Stiles turned to look at Derek and felt himself give into the instincts he'd been trying to subside.

"Derek, I'm going to get through this quicker than you okay, I'm going to need you to trust me can you do that?" he pleaded "For me?"

"Stiles, you're human, I'm a werewolf I can heal you can't don't do anything reckless I don't want you getting hurt." He turned to look at the boy beside him "Besides what makes you thing you can process through the venom quicker than me?" He sounded genuinely confused at this point.

Stiles bit his lip nervously looking Derek dead in the eye before letting go. Derek's eyes blew wide as he watched Stiles' turn a bright electric green, but he didn't let go of his hand - he just held it tighter.

"You said you were human…" Derek drifted off as Stiles shook his head and closed his eyes.

"No, everyone always assumed, but think back Der; have I ever actually said 'I'm human'?" Derek thought back choosing to ignore the tick in Stiles' heart at the last two words. Thinking back on it now, Derek realised that no, the kid had never once said he was human, everyone just assumed because of his scent.

"Then why do you smell human? And what are you?" Derek asked, hearing a gunshot, watching Stiles sit up head whipping around to the sound of the gunshot eyes blazing emerald.

"I'll explain later," he bent down pressing a chased kiss to his lips before picking him up to take him to a safer place. When it came to Stiles and his feelings toward Derek, he was just as protective over the werewolf as Derek was of him. Even if no one knew about them, they still got jealous over anyone who so much as looked at the other.

The last thing Derek saw was Stiles shutting the door and his aluminous green eyes staring at him as though it might be the last time he would ever see him.

That's when the screaming started. The shredding noises. The hissing. More screams.

Then silence.

Only 2 minuets after Stiles had left the room, the Sheriff opened the door rubbing his red wrists and crouching down to help Derek up. Derek starred blankly at the blood splatter the sheriff wore as though it didn't affect him, which for most humans they would be braking down in horror. When Derek walked out into the corridor, there was the perfect example, Mrs McCall sat rocking back and forth silent sobs as though she didn't know what to do. The Sheriff walked slowly toward her wrapping his arms around her shaking frame and whispering in her ear and her cries slowed until she was just sniffling into the Sheriff's shoulder. He looked up at Derek momentarily and mouthed 'go find my son' to which Derek nodded already searching out for the familiar heart beat and scent.

"And Derek, bring him home safe… Please" the Sheriff stopped him placing a gentle hand on his ankle as Derek brushed passed the couple huddled on the floor.

Derek nodded again before heading out into the reception where he saw Scott in a subconscious heap on the floor, bones and flesh visible but healing, covered in blood - some his own, some not. Beside him a set of bloody footprints partnered along side a red smudge, like something had been dragged across the floor, which Derek followed outside and around the back of the police station where they perused into the woods. As soon as the prints hit the dirt they were lost in foliage of the forest floor, leaving Derek to use his other senses to pick up the trial.

As he followed the trial he found that Stiles' scent had changed, it was still his but there was a difference in it as though it had been tainted. The werewolf checked his phone for the time finding it to be almost 4 in the morning and the sun was stating to rise. When he looked up again he stopped startled and stared straight ahead.
Staying completely still as not to disturb the creature in front of him he watched, his eyes widened in shock at the huge mammal in front of him; golden pristine coat splattered with flecks of red, the fur pulled taunt over the lean muscles beneath as the creature stretched in the morning light, before laying down and licking it's paws. The animal looked sideways toward the side of it that Derek couldn't see making what could be perceived as a signing sound before swatting at a black lump that… whimpered? The animal seemed to be relaxed, almost as if it was waiting.

A cool morning breeze blew passed Derek, ruffling leaves at his feet and causing morning due to drip unceremoniously to the forest floor from the branches above and the beautiful creature lifted it's head to scent the air… Before it whipped it's head around looking straight toward Derek and Derek swore the animal should have whiplash it moved so fast.

Crap he thought realising that his scent must have just travelled straight to the animal in the wind. Both the creature and Derek stared at one another, neither willing to breathe to break the tension in the air but neither of them had to as the pile of… something moaned in pain drawing both pair of eyes toward it. The creature broke the eye contact to glance at it before standing and looking at Derek expectantly. It was only then that he realised that the mass beside the animal was Matt, or what was left of him. As the creature watched, Derek advanced slowly although it occurred to him at this stage the animal seemed more afraid of scaring Derek than of being weary of him.

It was then that he took into account the colour of the animals eyes, a shocking green that stood out against the golden complexion of fur.

Taking a stunned breath he whispered, barely audible, "Stiles?"

Mewing, the oversized cat stretched once more its bloodied claws popping and rust painted teeth being bared, it stood up and as it did; it changed.

One second there stood a leopard and the next stood Stiles – the only similarity between the two was the flaming green eyes. Stiles blinked, his eyes turning back to their usual honey whiskey brown before they looked downcast in shame, not to be miscalculated for submission.

"He's not dead" he muttered, eyes still firmly fixated on the ground stubbing the end of his trainer into the dirt. Derek walked with fast pace toward the boy and embraced him, with more strength than he usually allowed himself to display. Stiles couldn't figure out whether it was due to him not seeming as vulnerable and breakable anymore or that he was pleased to see him. He hoped for the latter. Derek didn't say anything for ten minutes or so, he just held him, happy that he was alive, happy that the current threat was over and happy that Stiles had finally found the trust in him to tell him what he was. The only thing he couldn't figure out was…

"Why didn't you tell any of us sooner?" he whispered quietly into the younger boys ear, still resistant to let go of him just yet. Stiles sighed and seemed to relax more in his arms at the silence finally being broken, burying his face in his boyfriends shoulder.

"Because I promised my mother," the words were muffled so he leant back just enough to see Derek's face as he spoke to him "there aren't many of us left, we're hunted mercilessly and my mother wanted me safe, it was her last order: do not tell people what you are. She said it would keep me safe and that's all she ever wanted."

Sighing Derek asked with sorrow in his eyes "Your mother was a shapeshifter too?"

Stiles nodded before setting his face grimly, sitting down again and picking at the grass by his feet. "The story we told everyone was that my mom died of cancer, but she didn't, she was hunted for her pelt, they took her forced her to change and skinned her alive. I felt it all before the bond burned out. I didn't see all of it, only her being taken. She heard them before I did, ran into the house and hid me under her bed before going out to face them. I never saw her again after that, only felt what she did through the bond. And then she was gone."

Derek sat beside him and wrapped his arms around him, his slender frame seeming even smaller and more fragile than normal after retelling the horrors of his past. Stiles laid his head on his werewolf's shoulder and thought of the future to beat away the chill of his bitter past, one that included Derek and his father and the pack. One that included no secrets, about his past, what he was or who he was with and he couldn't help but smile in rejoice about what was to come.

So, they sat and watched the sun rise and her light wash over them; forgetting all about the dirt and blood in the clothes, the police station ad the people within it and even the unconscious murderer a mere three feet behind them.

At least for a little while.