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They were gone. All of them.
Peter had left Beacon Hills shortly after Gerard’s death and the Betas – after Derek had made sure they were safe again – left, too.
Derek was standing in the shell of his empty house, all alone, just like he’d been when he first came into the town.
Scott… Scott had never been a part of his pack and even though the boy had apologized, Derek couldn’t bear to be around him right now.
He sighed, sitting down on the bare ground and burying his face in his hands. He was the worst alpha he’d ever heard of. He didn’t know what to do now.
Suddenly there was the unmistakeable sound of tires from outside and Derek groaned.
Stiles. Just what he needed now.
After they’d rescued the boy from the Argent’s, alongside his (former) pack, he’d sent him home to his worried father, but as always, Stiles didn’t listen.
“Get up, Sour Wolf,” sounded the far too cheery voice of the teenager from the entrance. “I come bearing gifts.”
Derek groaned again but got up, turning around – and stopped in his tracks.
Stiles was clad entirely in red – pants, shirt, jacket…
“What the hell are you wearing?” Derek asked, confused, and Stiles grinned.
“Red, of course,” he answered. “To lure you out of your hiding place.”
Derek barely contained the grin forming on his face and forced out a growl instead. “Go away, Stiles,” he said but the teenager shook his head.
“No, Grumpy. I’m here to pick you up. So get your ass in my jeep.”
Derek looked at him and, as always, left Stiles squirming. “Look, it’s a surprise,” he tried to explain. “Just… trust me, okay?”
And that threw Derek off a bit. Deaton had said he was supposed to trust people if he wanted to become a better alpha, right? Now that his pack had left him, maybe he should actually start working on it.
“Fine,” he growled and got his jacket. “But it’s not because you're wearing this ridiculous amount of red!”
Stiles laughed. “Admit it, you love me in red,” he answered cheekily, twirled around once and left the house.
Derek stared after him. Well. Stiles did look good in red…
With a shake of his head he followed him outside and into the jeep, letting Stiles chatter the whole way, just listening. Somehow, he felt… content.
They stopped in front of an apartment building and Derek blinked as he looked around after leaving the jeep.
“What are we doing here?” he asked and Stiles grabbed his arm.
“No questions, just… Bend down,” he ordered and, as confused as he was, Derek did.
He reared back when a cloth settled over his eyes and stared at the tie in Stiles’ hands.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he growled and Stiles rolled his eyes.
“Covering your eyes, genius,” he answered. “I told you, it’s a surprise. Don’t worry, you won’t end up maimed or dead, I promise.”
Derek swallowed. Again, this was were he had to trust Stiles. “Fine,” he breathed out and bent down again, letting Stiles put the tie around his head. He shivered when fingers carded through his hair, tugging it lightly.
“Too tight?” Stiles asked and Derek shook his head.
“Good,” came the immediate reply and Stiles took his arm again. “Follow me.”
They entered the building and rode the elevator to the fifth floor, that much was obvious.
There was some rustling, keys clicking and then Derek’s senses were filled with –
“Surprise!”
He ripped the tie off his head, staring at the people standing before him, filling a narrow hallway.
Erica and Isaac were right before him, hugging him close before handing him over to Boyd who clapped his back and Jackson who smirked, shrugging as if to say “What can you do?”
Scott, Lydia and Dr. Deaton were standing a bit farther back, smiling at him.
Stiles pushed Derek further into the apartment, into the big living room, before handing him the set of keys.
“Welcome home,” he said warmly and Derek frowned.
“What…?” he managed to get out, still confused about the whole thing.
The pack and everyone else sat down on various pillows that had been put down on the floor, the room was still bare of furniture except for a TV and a DVD player.
“It’s your new home,” Stiles elaborated. “You can’t stay in your burned down house any longer, not before you rebuild it. So you’re gonna stay here.”
“But…” Derek looked around. He wasn’t just confused, he felt actually helpless. “What are you all doing here?”
His betas shared a small smile. “Stiles came after us,” Erica explained, blushing.
Isaac nodded. “He beat some sense into us. We can’t leave you, Derek. We’re pack. We’re family. Just because you’re not perfect doesn’t mean we can run away.”
Boyd grinned. “We’ll work it all out together.”
Jackson – who was sitting beside Lydia, holding her hand – spoke up. “It didn’t really work out the first time, but… I’d like to try the whole pack thing this time.”
Scott nodded at that. “Me too,” he said quietly. “If… you still want me in your pack, that is.”
Derek swallowed, looking at this band of kids who somehow had become his second family. “Sounds like a plan,” he managed to get out and Dr. Deaton cleared his throat.
“I had a very interesting visit by your uncle earlier tonight,” he explained and Derek frowned. “He gave me the keys to this apartment, said it was in my name so the hunters can't find it as easily and also handed me the details to your trust fund. So you don’t have to worry about rent – he took care of it.”
Derek felt shocked. Peter had done this?
“He really seems nicer now,” Stiles whispered from his side, his fingers splayed over Derek’s arm, holding him upright.
Derek could only nod before sitting down on one of the pillows himself. Stiles immediately followed him down and if he sat a bit closer than was strictly necessary… Well.
It was a very family thing to do after all.