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Chapter Text 章节文本

“Are you sure you got everything?”
“你确定你把所有东西都拿好了吗？”

“Yes, Dad.” Stiles exhales deeply. “Come on, it’s only for a few weeks.”
“是的，爸爸。”斯泰尔斯深深地呼了口气。“得了吧，就几个星期而已。”

“A month, Stiles. A whole month.”
“一个月，斯泰尔斯。整整一个月。”

Stiles grins and shrugs. “Still. A few weeks.”
"斯泰尔斯咧嘴一笑，耸耸肩。“不过。还有几个星期呢。”

His dad ignores him. “You have your pillow, right?”
"他爸爸没理他。“你有你的枕头，对吧？”

“Yes,” Stiles snorts, amused. “Lydia has it so I can give a proper hug to my pops.”
““是的，”斯泰尔斯哼了一声，觉得好笑。“莉迪亚拿着呢，这样我就能给我老爸一个合适的拥抱了。”

They stare at each other as the airport crowd disperses around them. Stiles can’t stop smiling at how worried his dad looks. It’s the first time he’s traveling overseas.
当机场的人群在他们周围散开时，他们互相凝视着。斯泰尔斯无法停止对着他爸爸担忧的神情微笑。这是他第一次出国旅行。

“Come here,” his dad huffs as he pulls Stiles into a tight hug. “You call me if anything happens, okay?”
“过来，”他爸爸哼了一声，将斯泰尔斯紧紧地拥入怀中。“如果有任何事情发生，你就给我打电话，好吗？”

“Of course.”

“And call me when you land.”

Stiles laughs. “You’ll be sleeping, Dad.”

“I don’t care. I want to know you landed safely.”

“I’ll text you when we land in London and call you when we finally get to Rome. I promise.”

“I’m gonna miss you, kiddo.”

“Me too.”

They’re still hugging when the last call for Stiles’ flight is announced through the speakers.

“Dad, I really have to go now.”

His dad nods as they break apart. “Don’t get into trouble,” his father orders.

“Dad,” Stiles groans. “I’m twenty-two years old. I’ve been living on my own for the past four years. I can take care of myself.”

“You still get into trouble. A lot of trouble.” His dad gives him a look. “Just make sure you’re always with Scott.”

“Hey!” Stiles exclaims, affronted.

“Come on, get on that plane.” He practically shoves Stiles’ bag at him.

“Why do you always trust Scott more than me?”

“Do you want to miss that plane?”

“Shit,” Stiles curses when he looks at the clock again.

“Have a nice trip, son.” His dad gives him a short fond smile before giving him another quick hug.

“We will,” Stiles says, voice dripping with excitement as he backs away.

“Don’t forget to call!” his dad yells when Stiles is only a few feet away from him.

“I will!”

Stiles’ cheeks hurt from smiling as he runs towards the gate, his friends already waiting for him there. They have been planning this trip for months and the day is finally here.

“Stiles!” Scott shouts as he sees him.

“I’m coming!”

***

Stiles groans as he shifts impatiently on his seat, “How much time?”

“Three hours,” Lydia announces from where she’s seated next to him.

“Seriously?!” Stiles gapes at her. “I can’t stay here for twenty minutes more, let alone three hours!”

Lydia drops her book. “Stiles, you haven’t been quiet since we left.”

“It’s not like any of us expected him to be still for ten hours straight.” Scott says and Stiles turns around on to see him grinning.

“And we still have to catch another flight,” Kira reminds them.

Stiles throws his head back. “I’m going to die.”

“Do you want me to knock you out?” Jackson offers.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Scott muses.

“What?! You would allow him to hit me?”

“No! I meant it wouldn’t be bad for you to sleep. We all did.”

Stiles shakes his head. “I can’t. I’m too hyped up to sleep.”

“I’m going to knock him out,” Jackson warns.

“Just watch another movie and you’ll be fine,” Danny says from the seat in front of Stiles.

“I’ve watched all of the good movies already!” Stiles peaks from his seat to look at Danny and Jackson’s screens. “What are you two watching?”

“Princess Diaries,” Danny replies. Jackson groans next to him at the same time that Stiles bursts out laughing; the lady next to their seats eyes him with irritation.

Stiles tries to stop laughing, tears threatening to fall down his face. “Why would you watch that?”

“I like that movie,” Kira says from the back.

Scott pokes Stiles’ head. “Maybe Jackson is hoping to be a Prince too.”

If possible, Stiles laughs even more at that. Next to him, Lydia makes an exasperated sound. “Stiles.” Uh oh. He knows that tone. “If you don’t stay still until this airplane lands, I’ll switch places with Jackson.”

Jackson promptly turns to look at her. “Why are you punishing me?!”

“You wouldn’t,” Stiles says at the same time, horrified.

“Try me.”

Stiles swallows hard and sinks into his seat. He takes his headphones out and starts picking another movie. Behind him, he can hear Scott and Kira giggling. Traitors. Stiles thinks about turning around and saying something, but one glance back at Lydia changes his mind.

***

They land in London at 7 A.M. and Stiles is so sleepy that he can barely walk through the airport. Lydia looks like she’s waiting for him to mutter the word “ sleep ” just to be able to murder him. She must have it all planned by now.

Their next flight is in two hours so they have time to properly stretch their legs out, and leave messages at home. It’s the first thing Stiles does once he’s able to connect to a local carrier.

07:37 AM Stiles: Landed in London. All good. I think Lydia might kill me before I get back.

And then because he doesn’t know if his father will believe him, he sends another one.

07:38 AM Stiles: I’m joking. Scott’s got my back. I think.

The flight to Rome is mostly quiet. Mostly . Stiles and Jackson are forced by Lydia to sit together after Stiles is spotted yawning five times in a row.

“Why do I have to be punished?” Jackson whines.

“If we crash and Jackson steals my life jacket, I’m holding you responsible!”

“I don’t mind sitting with Jackson, and Kira can sit next to Stiles.”

“The window seat is mine, asshole.”

“Stilinski, stop fidgeting! I’m kicking you out of this plane.”

Everything abruptly stops once Lydia threatens to have Jackson sent to stay in Stiles and Scott’s room. They both remain so still that not even the adrenaline of almost arriving to Rome is enough to keep Stiles awake. He sleeps during the rest of the flight and throws a fit when none of his friends wake him up for breakfast.

***

“Ciao, potresti aiutarci a trovare questo hotel?” Stiles frowns as he reads from the dictionary his dad got him.

The brunette girl turns around and whoa — she’s gorgeous . She smiles shyly as she sees Stiles and Scott, gaze dropping to the paper Scott is holding.

“Actually, that’s the same Hotel I’m heading to.”

Scott gapes at her. “You speak English!”

“Thank god!” Stiles sighs in relief. “If we have to depend on Lydia to speak for us, we’ll be spending the entirety of our vacations going to random Italian runway shows.”

Danny snorts. “You’re lucky she’s not here to hear that.”

Scott ignores them. “Do you think you could help us?”

“There’s a bus stop over there,” the girl points to the exit further on the right. “We need to get the bus 102 and after that, it’s a five minute walk.”

“Walk?” Stiles groans. “I can’t walk. No walking.”

“We could share a cab?” Kira suggests.

“That’s perfect! You could tag along with us— I mean,” Scott falters a bit, “If you want to, of course.”

The girl’s smile widens. “I don’t mind.”

Stiles has to take over the situation or when Lydia comes back with Jackson, they will still be clueless about where to go. “Great! That’s settled then.”

“What’s settled?” Lydia asks from behind, giving Stiles a minor heart attack.

“We were trying to figure out how to get to the hotel and—” Scott pauses. “I’m sorry, we didn’t ask your name.”

“Allison,” the brunette replies.

“I’m Scott and these are my friends: Stiles, Kira, Danny, Lydia, and Jackson.”

On the ride to the hotel, they learn that Allison is actually American, but she’s been living in France for the last five years. She’s travelling alone, which Stiles can’t help but notice pleases his best friend. But the person who immediately clicks with her is Lydia. By the time they’re checking in, Lydia has already invited Allison to have lunch with them.

***

“Wait, if you’ve been here five times already, why not visit other places?” Stiles asks.

Allison shrugs. “I was still just a teenager and too dependent on my parents. My aunt was going to marry an Italian and live here. It was supposed to be a big thing and it lasted for quite some time... But it was called off in the end.”

“I’m sorry. That was probably hard on your family,” Scott says with his puppy eyes.

“I guess. I don’t remember much,” she adds. “I was young, but I always loved to come here. I want to revisit a lot of places.”

“You could be our guide,” Lydia proposes. “Kira and I could use another girl in the group to balance things out.”

“It’s not like we aren’t already satisfying all your wishes,” Jackson mutters.

Lydia kicks him under the table, but doesn’t drop her smile. It’s mildly terrifying.

“You don’t have to!” Scott hurries to say. “If you want to be alone—”

“I think it could be fun,” Allison cuts in. “I don’t mind the company.” And the way she and Scott smile at each other is a lot more predictable than any modern version of a Romeo and Juliet story.

Stiles grabs another slice of pizza as the group starts planning their first stops.

Allison points out more places they absolutely cannot miss and that’s how they end up changing part of their plans to visit a city called Betonia. Apparently there’s a wedding coming up, but not just any wedding, a royal wedding. Stiles didn’t even know Italy had a royal family, to Lydia’s indignance. Kira and Jackson knew, but that’s because they read Lydia’s magazine.

“Here.” Lydia drops the magazine on the table and reads:

“Principessa Laura Hale attends her last official party before her marriage to Conte Jordan Parrish. Present at the party were most of her family and royals of the neighbouring countries. As always, the lively Principessa made sure to chat with most of the attendees, while wearing a simple, yet gorgeous new dress by the Finnish brand, Ril’s.”

“She’s beautiful,” Kira says, and they all agree.

“When is the wedding?” Danny asks.

“Two weeks after we leave,” Lydia replies.

Scott turns to Allison. “When do you have to leave?”

“Actually,” she bites her lip nervously, “my last stop is Betonia. I’ll be staying there for a while, catching up with friends.”

Stiles notices her discomfort, but doesn’t comment on it.

“We could make it our last stop then. If everyone agrees,” Scott suggests.

“If we move from here to Betonia,” Lydia starts, “we could rent a car and visit the places around it. It’s a center point to most of our stops.”

“I guess that explains why the royal family lives there. We could save a lot of money in transportation and hotels,” Danny adds.

It’s an unanimous decision that also leaves them all feeling even more excited for what is about to come.

After lunch, Allison shows them how fit she is as a guide.

They manage to see and visit more places than they had planned, all thanks to her. Their first day starts off with a bike tour through Ancient Rome where they are able to discover some of Rome’s secret passages, and visit the Vatican Museum in the afternoon. The next day is reserved for Pompeii and, apart from Allison, who had been there already, they are all fascinated by the fearsomeness of Mount Vesuvius.

Every night Stiles has to transfer his photos to his laptop, making sure to email some of them to his father and keep him updated on their visits. And if it wasn’t for Allison, they would have ended up eating pizza every night.

The week flies by and soon enough, they’re getting ready to say goodbye to Rome and catch a train to Betonia.

“I can’t believe we arrived only a week ago,” Stiles says as they watch Rome disappear through the window.

“Soon enough it will be over,” Scott mutters.

Stiles turns around to look at him, “We still have three weeks ahead of us, why are you so gloomy?”

Scott sighs and doesn’t avert his eyes from the window. “I wish we had more time. That’s all.”

Ah. Stiles looks at Allison sitting a few seats ahead of them with Lydia and Kira. “Come on, buddy. Don’t be such a downer. Enjoy the time we all have together and figure out the rest later.”

Scott glances back at him. “There’s nothing to figure out.”

“Not yet.”

“You think I should go for it?”

“Scotty, it’s summer and we’re far away from home! Let things happen and don’t worry too much about it.” Stiles winks at his best friend.

It’s almost night when they arrive in Betonia. The station is filled with little touristy stores selling merchandise for the big royal wedding. When their cab drives by the Palace on the way to their hostel, all the lights turn on like pure magic. Two guards are standing on either side of huge, green gates that are covered with foliage, through which they catch a glimpse of a beautiful, illuminated fountain, much like the one they saw a few minutes ago while they were getting into the cab.

“It’s huge!” Scott exclaims.

“Do you think we could visit the Palace while we’re here?” Lydia asks.

Allison is checking something on her cellphone. “I doubt it. With the wedding and all.”

Kira hums, “They must be really busy. Can you imagine what a royal wedding must be like?”

“It’s just like any other wedding,” Jackson says.

“Well, this wedding is going to take two hours and then the royal family will drive through the city in a carriage with the newly married couple right behind them,” Danny says as he reads a small flyer he’d grabbed at the station.

Stiles leans over him to read more. “Wow, two hours?”

“And that’s just the ceremony at the wedding. There’s also a royal parade scheduled for the day we leave the city.”

“They would have to pay me to marry a royal if I had to spend two hours inside a church with thousands of people staring at me,” Stiles says.

Jackson laughs out loud. “You won’t have to worry about that.”

Stiles pouts. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Any luck with the van?” Scott asks Allison, who’s still checking her phone, ignoring his squabbling friends.

“We might have to get two cars,” she replies. “I couldn’t find any available vans for the next three weeks.”

The cab driver takes that chance to butt in. “I can renti you the jeep di mio figlio— mio son. He is not qui per— the il prossimo mese,” he says in very poorly spoken English.

“Really?” Allison leans forward to talk to him. “How much would the three full weeks cost us?”

The car issue is not entirely solved, but once they arrive at the hostel, Allison exchanges numbers with the cab driver and promises to let him know their decision the next day.

With Allison on board, their sleeping arrangements also change. Kira and Allison stay together, Lydia and Jackson keep sharing a room, and Danny is now sharing a room with Stiles and Scott. They finish the snacks they had bought for the train trip and head to each of their rooms.

Stiles picks the bed by the window, the one giving him a perfect view of the Royal Palace, illuminated in the distance. He’s not fascinated by it, far from it, but he has to admit there’s some beauty in it.

Chapter Text

“Prince Derek?”

Derek flinches, turning away from the window. “Isaac, you have to stop sneaking up on me like that.”

“Were you trying to sneak out of the Palace again?” Isaac asks.

“I’m not sneaking out. I’m avoiding my sister.”

Isaac snickers as he opens Derek’s closet to arrange some of his clean clothes. “It’s the same thing, sir.”

Derek sits on the parapet of the window. “This wedding is exhausting.”

“And yet, you are not the one about to marry.”

“Do not let my mother hear you say that,” Derek sighs and lets his gaze fall beyond the Palace gates. “I just want some time away from here. Some time for myself.”

Isaac hums, but remains busy with the clothes.

“You could cover for me,” Derek pleads nonchalantly.

Isaac immediately stops what he’s doing, “I can’t do that, sir. Your sisters will—”

“Please, Isaac.”

“Prince Derek, your mother—”

“I’m not asking for you to lie , just— avoid them.”

Isaac shakes his head, “I can’t do that.”

“I won’t be away for long. I promise.”

Derek watches Isaac nervously debate whether he should help Derek or not.

“The last time—”

“It won’t happen like last time. I won’t go to the town center or anywhere near the Palace.” Derek steps away from the window and approaches Isaac. “Before being my valet, you’re my friend, too, Isaac. I would never want to get you into trouble.”

Isaac snorts at that. “If anyone asks, I don’t know your whereabouts.”

Derek smiles widely, “Thank you.”

“You’re giving me two extra days off after the wedding.”

“Of course!”

“And you will let me dance with Princess Cora at the wedding.”

Derek lifts an eyebrow. “Don’t push it.”

“It was worth the try,” Isaac shrugs. “Now go on, and avoid the East entrance where most guards are rehearsing the march for the wedding.”

“Thank you,” Derek tells him honestly. He sprints to the window and is already with a leg on the other side when Isaac stops him.

“Please text me if anything happens,” Isaac begs.

“I will.” He’s climbing out of his room before Isaac has time to change his mind or make another request.

***

It’s a hot summer day. Too hot , Derek thinks to himself, but he can’t take off his cap and risk being recognized, even though he’s just strolling around the outskirts of Betonia.

There’s a small coffee shop ahead with almost no one inside, so Derek takes the chance to go buy a bottle of water. The cold from the air conditioner is a gift sent from the gods, but Derek can’t afford to appreciate it for long as he sees two old men inside reading the newspaper. He asks for his bottle of water without taking his cap and sunglasses off, avoiding the flirty looks the girl at the counter is giving him.

He’s about to pay when the TV announces, probably for the fifth time that week, the preparations for Laura and Jordan’s wedding. Derek pays for his water promptly and leaves the coffee shop in a hurry.

It takes him a while to slow down his pace once he gets outside, the hot and dry air burning his skin. There’s barely anyone strolling around the city today and no one is likely to recognize him in this area, but there’s nothing like being too cautious.

He sits down on a bench under some trees, appreciating the quiet luxury of not having a group of bodyguards around him, when he hears someone curse loudly in English. Derek turns around to see a young man kicking the tires of an old Jeep and moving his arms around wildly. It’s surprising to see anyone move like that in this heat.

The guy, who must be around Isaac’s age, takes out his cellphone and starts typing, probably calling for help. Derek snorts when he takes another glance at the Jeep. There’s no way that old thing will stand this weather. Anyway, it’s none of his business and Derek should start thinking about going back to the Palace before Isaac starts panicking and sends the whole guard after him. Derek takes another sip of his fresh water and stands up.

“Hey! Hey, you!”

He turns around slowly to see the Jeep guy walking towards him, spikes of brown hair sticking to his forehead.

“Do you speak English? Please, tell me you speak English, because I can’t think of anything Italian right now unless it’s Grazie and that’s not going to help my case.”

The guy talks a mile a minute and if Derek hadn’t been studying and fluently speaking English before he was even out of the crib, he wouldn’t have understood a damn thing.

“Yes,” Derek replies.

“Oh thank God. Please let me use your phone. I can’t connect to a local carrier and I have to contact my friends.” The guy looks around them, “I also have no idea where I am.”

Derek takes his cellphone out and then, for a split second, remembers that it’s his personal cell phone. He stops abruptly and glances over at the Jeep down the road. “What’s the problem? Maybe I can help.” Well, shit.

The guy stares at him with wide eyes and purposely checks him out. “S-sure! Do you know anything about cars?”

“A little,” Derek lies. Why the hell is he lying? He should just run away from this situation. But there’s a hopeful shine in the guy’s eyes, like Derek is his salvation and no one has ever looked at him like that. So he stays, against all better judgment.

It’s incredibly hot and Derek has absolutely no clue what he’s doing. There’s tubes everywhere and his hands are black stained with what he guesses must be oil. It doesn’t help that the brown-haired guy doesn’t stop fidgeting around him.

“Would you just stay still?” Derek snaps.

“Sorry! Sorry, I’m probably distracting you.”

“Probably,” Derek deadpans.

“Can you fix it?”

Derek sighs, “I don’t think it can be fixed.”

“W-what?!” The guy gapes at him, “Dude, don’t even joke about that. My friends and I are depending on this Jeep!”

It’s too hot for this.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Derek says as he takes out his cap and brushes off the sweat on his forehead. “Your Jeep must have overheated. It’s—” Derek panics as he realizes his face is completely uncovered. But the guy is just staring at him, brown eyes fixed on his, waiting for him to go on. There’s nothing but exasperation in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” Derek says again, because what more can he say?

Brown eyed guy sighs heavily, “It’s not your fault, man. Thanks for trying to help, I appreciate it.” He reaches his hand out for a handshake. Both of their hands are smudged with oil, but Derek shakes it anyway. “I’m Stiles.” The guy— Stiles — smiles.

“Derek,” he replies and immediately flinches back when he realizes he just gave away his real name to a complete stranger.

Stiles seems to be completely unaware of Derek’s unrest, though. His gaze drops back to the Jeep. “I don’t know what to do. My friends are going to be so upset.” His voice carries some sadness too, like all his plans went down the drain.

“We can call for help,” Derek prompts. Because he can help Stiles, whatever it is that’s bugging him. That’s the problem, right? He can help, but there’s something about being completely unrecognizable to this guy that makes him want to help the young man as he would were he not a Prince. As a Prince, he could have a new car delivered in the next ten minutes, but that’s not what he wants. He wants to do this the normal way.

“Nah, man. I’ve taken a lot of your time already.” Stiles closes the Jeep and tries to clean his hands on his jeans. It looks so unappealing and at the same time, it’s not. “I’ll just get my stuff and pay a huge amount of money for a cab to take me back to the hotel.”

“You’re American, right?”

Stiles laughs. “What gave me away?”

“The t-shirt.” Derek smirks. It’s a hideous black t-shirt with the Colosseum and the words I was in Rome , that must have cost a ridiculous amount of money.

“Fair enough,” Stiles says, still smiling. “Are you from here?”

“No,” Derek replies. Technically, it’s not a lie, since they’re not in Betonia anymore.

“Let me buy you a fresh drink or an ice cream for the trouble.”

And this is the sort of ordinary things that a Prince cannot say no to.

***

“You guys have the best ice cream ever,” Stiles moans as he delightfully eats his ice cream with four different flavours and all the toppings he could think of. They’re inside a small ice cream shop, not far from where they left the Jeep. And Derek made sure they would sit far in the corner and away from prying eyes. Just because Stiles doesn’t recognize him, doesn’t mean others won’t.

“You have the best movies,” Derek counters.

“That, my friend, is true.” Stiles smirks, his spoon pointing at Derek. “You said you’re not from here, so where are you from?”

Derek shrugs and tries to avoid Stiles’ gaze. “I travel a lot.”

“I wish I could do that. This is my first time travelling overseas.”

Derek refrains from saying that when he travels, it’s always for politics or work, never for fun. He smiles shyly at Stiles. “Are you enjoying it so far?”

“Yes! Apart from the Jeep, it’s been great. We met this girl from France at the airport and she’s now travelling and rooming with us. Crazy, huh?”

Derek wouldn’t know, but if the situation is anything like this one, yes, it is crazy and also kind of great. “That sounds awesome,” he replies with a smile. “So, is the Jeep yours?”

Stiles snorts. “No, no, no . My baby Roscoe is blue and very well taken care of.”

“Roscoe,” Derek repeats in disbelief.

“That piece of crap outside was supposed to be our ride for the next few weeks,” Stiles goes on. “My friends and I split up today to look for potential cars. We’re a group of seven so that doesn’t leave us with many options. Either we find a van, which was our original plan that didn’t work out, or we rent two cars. Clearly, not that Jeep.”

“Clearly.”

Stiles shrugs. “I hope they had better luck than me. I guess the guy trying to rent us the Jeep was either screwing with us or didn’t know how bad the Jeep was.”

“You should return it then.”

Stiles nods. “That was the plan, but I got lost on the way back and there’s something wrong with my phone. It’s not connecting to a local carrier, no matter how many times I turn it off.” Stiles bangs his head on his hands. “This was supposed to be the best vacation ever and now I’m lost and unreachable. Fucking great.”

“Hey.” Derek places his hand on Stiles’, “don’t worry. I can help you get back to your friends.”

Stiles glances down at the hand still touching his. Derek flinches back; he didn’t even realize what he was doing.

“I’ll call a friend,” Derek says as he promptly stands up and walks away, averting his gaze from Stiles.

“Derek, wait!”

Derek turns around and is greeted with a blinding smile from Stiles.

“Thank you,” Stiles says, amber eyes shining as much as his smile.

It’s such a contagious sight that Derek can’t help but smile back.

Only outside does Derek notice the four missed calls he has from Isaac.

“Isaac?”

“Finally!” Isaac shouts. “Your sisters know you’re not here and they have threatened me with telling your mother. They will hold me responsible if anything happens to you. Der— Prince Derek, please tell me where you are so I can—”

“I need you to send a car to pick me up,” Derek interrupts.

“No, you are not— Wait, what?”

“A car, Isaac. To pick me up.”

“Sure, of course. Tell me where you’re at and—”

“I’ll text you the address,” Derek replies. “Isaac, I need you to be discrete.”

Isaac groans. “Sir, with all due respect, I’ve been nothing but discrete—”

“I meant the car, Isaac. No flags. No securities— Actually, you should pick me up.”

“What?!”

“I want you to come pick me up, Isaac.”

“Prince Derek, I can’t just ditch my duties to—”

“Isaac, please .” Derek knows that’s enough to make Isaac oblige. He is never able to refuse a personal request from him. “You and no one else. It’s important.”

There’s a brief silence on the other side. “Is there something I should know? Did something happen?”

“No, I’m fine.” It’s best to only tell Isaac about Stiles once he arrives. “I just don’t want to bring much attention. Just in case, you know?”

“Text me the address,” Isaac prompts.

Derek smiles. “Thank you, Isaac.”

While they wait for Isaac to arrive, Derek listens to Stiles talk about his hometown, his friends, his father, and his college. It’s endearing, to say the least. Derek has seen so much of the world and has met so many people, but never someone that talked about such simple things with as much eagerness as Stiles. His eyes shine when he talks about his father, even though he’s complaining about how protective he’s been about this vacation. His hands are always moving as he talks about his friends, fingers drumming on the table as he talks about a place called Beacon Hills.

“Scott is crushing on Allison, which means disaster . I’m calling it right now.” Stiles runs a hand through his hair. It’s such a mundane gesture, like everything about Stiles. There’s no finesse or holding back while he’s talking. No worries about photographers or making a good appearance in front of society. “And you know what the worst part is? I’m going to be dragged into it, because he’s like my brother and we— Oh my god , I’m so sorry! You’re probably dying of boredom by now.”

Derek snorts. “I’ve been through worse.” He doesn’t dare to say that he likes it. That he likes to listen to Stiles talk about boring things, his things .

Stiles pretends to be offended. “Well, it’s not like you’re talking about your life either. Let’s hear it then, Mr. Interesting.”

Derek quirks an eyebrow at him. “What makes you think my life is so interesting?”

“Look at you!” Stiles says just as Isaac bursts through the doors of the ice cream shop.

Derek has only a second to panic before Isaac looks in their direction. He gets up as fast as he can, ignoring the confused look coming from Stiles.

“Isaac.”

“Prin—” Isaac’s voice is muffled by Derek’s hand covering his mouth.

“Derek, is everything okay?” Stiles asks from behind him, looking suspiciously at Isaac. Meanwhile, Isaac stares at Stiles with bulging eyes.

“Yes,” Derek replies. “This is my friend. We’re just going to go outside for a bit. Wait here, Stiles.”

Derek drags Isaac outside, taking his hand away from his valet’s mouth as soon as the door closes behind him.

“What the hell?!” Isaac blurts out.

“I need you to treat me like a normal person.”

Isaac stares at him for a long time. “What.”

“He doesn’t know I’m the Prince!” Derek hisses.

“Who?”

“Stiles.”

“What the hell is a Stiles?”

Derek sighs. “The guy inside the shop. His name is Stiles. He asked for my help with his Jeep, but I couldn’t—”

Isaac chuckles. “Help with a Jeep. You. ”

Derek narrows his eyes at him. “Yes. I promised to help him get back to his friends. Now can you please treat me like a normal person and take us to his hostel? Then, we can go back to the Palace.”

“How come no one inside that shop knows you’re the Prince? That horrendous cap you’re wearing is not enough of a disguise. That guy is clearly playing with you.”

It’s not like Derek hasn’t thought about it, but that was before Stiles started describing everything in his life. Everyone that has ever tried to get to Derek would always plaster him with lies and fake interest. “Stiles is not like that,” he says out loud.

Isaac snorts. “Fine. We’ll do as you wish, Your Highness.”

“Thank you. And don’t call me that.”

“What should I call you then?”

“Derek. Just Derek.”

Isaac muses for a moment. “That’s weird.”

“Isaac, just please—”

They get interrupted as Stiles leaves the shop and stares at them both. “Sorry. I didn’t want to cause you any trouble. I asked the waitress and she can call a cab for me. I’ll be fine.”

“Oh, that’s great then!” Isaac says. Derek turns to look at him with murdering eyes. “I mean—” Isaac stutters, “No— that’s bad. Very bad. Cabs are very expensive.”

“Very expensive,” Derek agrees, even though he has no freaking idea.

“Are you sure?” Stiles asks.

“Of course!” Isaac exclaims. “We will escort you back to your hotel.”

The words seem to make Stiles visibly relax. Derek leans into Stiles’ space as Isaac walks away to the car. “Don’t mind him. He’s British,” Derek whispers.

Stiles just stares at him for a moment— Derek hadn’t even realized how close they were standing next to each other until Stiles turned his head to look at him. Derek has the perfect view to Stiles’ pale skin covered in moles, cheeks blushing slightly, just before Stiles breaks into laughter.

***

“Apparently, my friend Lydia found a pass we will be able to use everywhere we want since we’re considered a group. It will be a lot cheaper than renting two cars for three weeks.”

“That’s great news, right?” Derek turns around in his seat to look at Stiles.

“Yes! She’s a genius!” Stiles’ face beams. “Now, we just need to get the Jeep money back and we’re settled.”

“We’re here,” Isaac announces.

“I owe you one, man,” Stiles says from the back, patting Isaac’s shoulder.

Derek promptly takes off his seatbelt. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

“Derek, your mother awaits you,” Isaac grits through his teeth.

Stiles laughs and Derek has a moment to feel ashamed. He has never felt so ashamed in his life. “Isaac, if I ever go to England, I hope everyone talks like you do.”

“What?!” Isaac turns around to look at him. When Derek glances at Stiles, he grins and winks at him when his eyes lock with Derek’s.

“Come on up, both of you. Meet my friends and have a drink. It’s on me!”

As tempting as it sounds, Derek knows he shouldn’t push his luck. They’re not far from the center of Betonia and Derek knows the Palace is nearby. There’s no way he can pull off not being recognized in a place like this.

“Perhaps another day,” Derek tells Stiles before Isaac can speak for him.

Stiles looks a bit bummed, but then— “How about tomorrow? The girls will be out shopping and you could show us around… Maybe?”

Derek clenches his fists and tightens his jaw. It’s taking everything in him to refuse when there’s so much hope in Stiles’ voice. Isaac narrows his eyes at him, because he knows Derek is thinking about it. It’s a bad idea. A very bad idea.

“Give me your number,” Isaac orders Stiles. Both Derek and Stiles are taken aback from it. “We’ll text you if we can meet up.”

That’s enough to make Stiles’ face brighten. “Sure!”

“No promises,” Isaac adds, but Stiles ignores him. Derek wants to ignore it too. For once, he actually had fun with someone that doesn’t give a crap about his title.

As soon as Stiles leaves the car, Isaac drives away. Derek barely has a second to wave at Stiles.

“This is a bad idea. I’m going to get mauled by the Queen and your sisters will ship my body to Antarctica. In separate boxes.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Am I? Really?” Isaac makes an exasperated sound. “Do you know what the first thing Deaton told me when he hired me?” Derek rolls his eyes, because this is the millionth time he’s heard this story. “He told me to keep an eye on you, to keep you safe. But I can’t do that if you’re always sneaking out of the Palace!”

“Isaac…”

“I know you have a lot on your plate right now. I know being King wasn’t in the plans. Your father dying, the engagement with Kate—” Derek winces at the mention of her name. “You never told me that story and I’m not asking you to. But, Prince Derek, it’s also your responsibility to ensure that nothing bad happens to you. Not just for your family, but also for your country!”

Derek sighs. “Nothing happened.”

“Yet. Nothing happened yet .”

“Nothing can happen anyway,” Derek mutters. If Isaac hears him, he doesn’t comment.

Chapter Text

“Your mother is going to have brunch with the Spanish Ambassador and his family. Your sisters will be busy with the wedding preparations. Dresses, makeup, hair...” Isaac starts listing. “It will take them the whole day,” Isaac says as he watches Derek read the newspaper.

Everyone was gone when Derek came down for breakfast, so it’s no surprise that his family appears to be busy today. Surprising would be if they weren’t so engrossed in preparations with the wedding fast approaching.

“Lord Parrish called,” Isaac starts again, “asking if you would like to go for a ride together with Lord Boyd. I told him you were feeling unwell.” Derek looks up at that. “He wishes you to be better as soon as possible.”

“I’m not sick,” Derek tells him, confused.

Isaac smiles. “I know that, sir.”

“Then why did you tell him that?”

It’s like the question is all Isaac wanted from Derek, going by the way his smirk widens.

“You have a secret meeting scheduled for today.”

“You just said—”

“I texted Stiles.” Isaac shrugs, like it’s no big deal. “He’ll be waiting for us with his friends near the big fountain.”

The big fountain used to be the place where Derek and his sisters would try to sneak away from their bodyguards when they were just kids. The place where their father caught Laura smoking for the first time with her college friends. The place where Derek kissed his first real girlfriend, Paige, and also where they both parted ways.

“Yesterday you said this was a bad idea.”

“It still is.” Isaac nods in agreement. “But I figured you should have the right to have some fun before the coronation. After that…”

After that everything will change. Neither of them need to voice that.

“And if Stiles’ friends prove to be as ignorant about the Royal Family as he is, then we have nothing to worry about,” Isaac adds. “If anyone recognizes you, that’s it.”

Derek nods. “Are you coming too?”

“Of course I am. I’m not going to let you wander around the city with strangers. Your family would kill me .”

Derek rolls his eyes but smiles fondly at Isaac. “Thank you.”

Isaac avoids his gaze. “You should change clothes.”

Derek looks down at himself; he’s wearing a very expensive blue shirt and grey pants. “Too fancy?”

“Definitely too fancy.” Isaac is already digging through his closet. “These jeans were ridiculously expensive but I doubt they will notice the difference. And this Henley your sister got for you last year looks common enough.”

Derek snorts. “Don’t let her hear you say that.”

“I’ll be downstairs waiting for you to get ready and text Stiles that we’ll be there soon. Don’t forget the cap!” He stops abruptly as he’s about to leave the room. “Erm, should I keep calling you… Derek?”

“Isaac, you’re like a brother to me. You should call me Derek all the time. Titles are meaningless to me, you know that.”

Isaac smiles at that. “I’ll be downstairs.”

***

“Derek!” Stiles shouts as soon as he sees them walking towards the fountain. They’re still a bit far away, but Stiles doesn’t stop waving until Derek waves back. Even from afar, Derek can already see Stiles’ usual smile flashing back at him.

“That’s creepy,” Isaac comments.

Derek quirks an eyebrow at him.

“Are you sure he doesn’t know who you are? How can he recognize you with that cap and those glasses?”

“Maybe he recognized you ,” Derek says.

“Highly unlikely. It was not my name he shouted.” Isaac smirks.

Derek scowls. “Stop trying to make this bigger than—”

“Derek!” Stiles shows up in front of him, skin flushed from—

“Did you run to us?” Derek asks in disbelief and Isaac laughs next to him.

The hot sun above them doesn’t stop Derek from taking off his sunglasses and give Stiles a shy smile. Stiles beams at him, or it could just be the sun reflecting in his eyes. Derek is not going to dwell on it.

Someone walks towards the three of them, a dark-brown haired guy with a huge smile plastered on his face. “Scott, this is the guy that saved me yesterday,” Stiles breathes out.

“Nice to meet you, Derek,” Scott greets, ready to give him a handshake. “And thanks for yesterday. You saved us a lot of trouble by finding this guy.”

Derek reaches for Scott’s hand. “I wouldn’t call it saving. We didn’t manage to fix the Jeep.”

“According to Stiles, that piece of metal had no salvation possible,” a tall guy with broad shoulders says.

“Derek, this is Danny,” Stiles introduces, then points to the blond man next to Danny. “And this is Jackson, but I wouldn’t talk to him unless strictly necessary.”

The blond guy— Jackson rolls his eyes. “Smooth, Stilinski. Very smooth.”

“This is Isaac,” Derek says. “He’s an old friend and helped Stiles yesterday too.”

“Well, I’m glad someone recognizes it,” Isaac mutters.

“Aw, Isaac! You’re still my favorite British guy.” Stiles snickers.

Scott gapes at him. “You're British? That’s so awesome, dude!”

“I think I know you from somewhere.” Jackson narrows his eyes at Derek.

“No, you don’t,” Isaac and Derek say at the same time.

“How could you possibly know him?” Stiles asks.

“Well, I don’t know, Stiles. Maybe because I have eyes .”

Scott rolls his eyes, like it’s a common thing to see his friends bickering.

“No, dumbass. Derek is too nice to be in your circle. There’s no way you could know him.”

“To be fair,” Danny starts, “we’re all in his circle.”

“But I’m an asshole, Derek isn’t,” Stiles points out.

“Oh, he’s an—” Isaac starts but stops abruptly.

Derek huffs out a laugh. “I’m an asshole too.” Well, there’s a word he never thought to say out loud in front of strangers.

“And what can assholes do in this city?” Scott asks with a grin.

***

They take an hop on and off bus to see the biggest attractions of Betonia. Everyone decides to get seats at the top of the bus, rejoicing in the breeze of the hot Summer day. Stiles sits beside Derek, knees inevitably bumping once in a while, as the rest of the group spreads around them. Derek feels strangely out of place, because he’s never been in one of these buses before. It’s unsettling but also kind of cool to be able to see the whole town from above, watching people going on with their lives without stopping to look at him and wave endlessly.

The rest of the group seems too excited, which helps him relax after a while. Stiles keeps taking pictures of every building he finds interesting, nudging him to look at how amazing they are. Meanwhile, Isaac indulges all of them as a guide, often asking Derek for help about the history of Betonia.

Derek goes on and on about the history of this and that building. Often telling them stories that don’t come on the tourists guides; legends he’s been listening to since he was a kid. The whole group seems interested to hear him talk about things that are often kept away from the books, but it’s Stiles who surprises him the most. His camera is long forgotten on his lap and he doesn’t stop looking at Derek as he guides them through Betonia’s history. It makes Derek preen and indulge everyone in even more interesting stories and facts about the city.

“For someone who’s not from here, you sure know a lot about this town,” Jackson points out after Derek’s lesson about the Romans in Betonia. His tone is cold, despite the smirk on his face. It makes Derek uncomfortable to feel so disliked by someone.

“Derek’s family lives here, but not all year.” Isaac glares.

Sitting next to Isaac is Scott, nodding at Isaac. “Oh, that makes sense!” But then Scott turns around to look at Derek and asks, “So where do you live?”

Derek panics. There’s no other way to describe it. His heart starts beating faster and his hands become sweaty, while everyone else stares back at him waiting for an answer.

“I— I live…” Derek glances behind Scott’s shoulder to see Isaac pointing at the sky with his eyes wide open. “North!” Derek practically shouts. “I live in the north.”

“Like Milan?” Danny asks curiously.

“Yes,” Derek prompts, but then he looks at Isaac, who keeps shaking his head violently. “No,” he says again, making the others frown. “I mean, it’s close to Milan?”

Jackson laughs. “You don’t know? I thought you knew everything, especially where you live .”

“Shut up, Jackson.” Derek hears Stiles hiss next to him. He can’t even look at him right now.

“Outskirts of Milan. Not really a popular touristic area,” Isaac shrugs as he speaks. So casually that Derek can’t help but feel jealous of how at ease he looks. “Usually people prefer to live in Milan, but Derek’s family prefers to stay away from the tourists. There’s just too many, you know?”

“Is that why you still come to Betonia?” Stiles asks him. “Because you like the city?”

Derek nods, not really able to say anything else. As if on queue, the bus turns a corner and right in front of them is the Palace in all its glory.

“It’s even more amazing during the day,” Stiles comments in awe as he takes a photo. Two photos. Three . “I can see it from our hostel room, but being up close is so much better.”

Something in Derek’s stomach twists painfully.

***

They find a place with karts which leaves everyone excited. Even Derek had no idea that a place like this existed in Betonia. Then again, it’s not like it fits in his circle of social encounters nowadays. The last time he rode one of these, it was on his 21st birthday and he got invited by Ferrari to open Formula 1. The first round was his and his alone. The experience was wild and it was the first time after his father’s death that he felt so free.

Now, Derek races against people he just met in a much smaller track, but the experience is nothing alike. Stiles keeps trying to hit him. At first, Derek thinks he just has no control over his kart, but soon he realizes that, from the way Stiles is smirking, he is doing it on purpose!

He races past him, but Stiles is fast to catch up, hitting him again from the back. He waves when Derek turns around to scowl at him. Derek speeds up and when Jackson passes by him, he sends Derek against the limits of the track.

Stiles crashes against Derek, this time not on purpose, and starts cursing, “Son of a—”

Derek doesn’t even have time to reply, before Stiles starts his kart again and runs past him; biting his bottom lip in concentration.

“Need help?” Danny asks as he stops behind Derek.

“Thanks, I’m good. Jackson just—”

“Ah. Jackson being Jackson.”

Derek snorts. “I guess.”

They try to catch up with the others, even though the circuit is relatively small and eventually Isaac and Scott get to them first. Stiles never catches up with Jackson to get his revenge.

“Sorry man. The track is just too small,” Jackson tells Derek afterwards. It’s far from being an apology when said person says it so smugly, but Derek doesn’t even care. To see Stiles so outraged that Jackson made Derek crash, is more than anything a stranger ever did for him.

***

Somehow they end up visiting the Hale Hill Gardens, which has been opened to the public for at least ten years now, surrounded by a mansion where Derek and his sisters used to spend their weekends when they were kids. Isaac wasn’t with them when they still called this place a second home, but he knows about this place and is very aware of why Derek feels like he wants to dig a hole and jump in it right there and then.

After visiting the beautiful gardens that Derek remembers too well, they enter the big house together with a guide and another group of tourists. The entrance is filled with old paintings of the Hale family that his mother must have donated.

“Wow, this little guy looks like Derek!” Scott says. “A much younger Derek, but still.”

Jackson rolls his eyes. “McCall, shut up. You can’t just look like a Prince.” He shoves past Derek as he walks to stand next to the painting, smirking and posing. “A Prince is born with class and nobility. Derek has neither of those. And this Prince has probably been dead for centuries.”

“You’re not just a douchebag, you’re an ignorant douchebag.” Isaac snorts. “ That Prince is very much alive.”

Stiles must sense the waves of tension radiating from Derek, because when he approaches him, his concern is almost palpable. “Are you okay? Don’t listen to Jackson. He spends 85% of his time being an asshole.”

“What about the rest of the time?”

“Being a much bigger asshole.” Stiles smirks. It manages to get a small laugh out of Derek and when he glances up at Stiles again, his eyes are soft and warm. He feels unworthy of such affection, as he walks further into the house he shared with his family for so many years.

The hall entrance leads to a grand staircase and several other rooms. The first room is a relatively small office that Derek hasn’t seen in years, but it still looks the same.

“This was the King’s office,” the guide from the other group starts. “It wasn’t meant to receive anyone officially. His Royal Highness loved to read and write in his spare time. Most of his books are currently in the Palace, so the books you see here are mostly just copies.” He walks towards the big windows and stands by an old wooden desk. “This desk is two centuries old, especially made for King Samuel, the Queen’s great grandfather.”

“So it’s been passed down through generations,” a woman says.

The guide nods. “That’s correct. Shall we visit the dining room?”

As everyone disperses to the next room, Derek stays behind inside the office, staring back at his father’s desk. What would his father say if he saw what he was doing with his life right now?

***

It’s already night when Derek and Isaac say goodbye to everyone and head back to the Palace, way past dinner time. Derek forgot about the time and so did Isaac. Both of them startle when Cora decides to ambush them in the middle of the grand staircase.

“You better have a good explanation for this, Derek.”

Derek rolls his eyes. “Since when is it your business what I do with my life?”

“Mother is going to be furious if she finds out about this.”

Beside him, Isaac shakes with the murderous waves coming en masse from Cora.

“But you’re not going to tell her,” Derek says, though it comes out more like a plea.

“No,” Cora replies, “but wait until Laura finds out.”

Derek sighs. “Cora, Laura has a wedding to freak out about. Leave her out of this.”

“And you have a coronation to worry about, dumbass!”

Isaac starts walking upstairs. “I should probably go—”

“No, you stay! I’m not done with you.”

Isaac swallows hard.

“Leave him out of this.” Derek steps forward. “He was just accompanying me. By my request.”

Cora snorts. “The coronation is only four months away, Derek. I checked with Deaton and he told me you’ve been avoiding any kind of meeting and preparation for it.”

“I know my responsibilities, Cora,” Derek grits through his teeth.

“Well, clearly you don’t.”

She stares at him, challenging him with her intense gaze.

“Have you stopped to think about what I want?” Derek doesn’t even wait for her reply and starts walking away, but as he walks past her, Cora grabs his arm.

“What do you mean? Derek, if you don’t want this—”

Derek huffs out a laugh. “Cora, take a look around you. Our lives are not about what we want. They never were.”

He pulls his arm out of her grasp and storms upstairs to his room, leaving Cora and Isaac in stunned silence behind him.

Back in his room, Derek closes the door with more force than he intended to. He’s panting, trying to get some air back in his lungs. He’s not ready for this, he never will be.

The window of his room was left open and there’s a welcoming breeze that manages to calm him down. He walks to the window slowly, looking at the extensive gardens of the Palace and the illuminated city of Betonia.

Stiles told him he can see the Palace from his hotel room. Not for the first time, Derek wishes he was on that side, looking at the Palace and not imprisoned inside of it.

***

“Please, tell me you’re joking,” Derek pleads.

It’s only 8 AM and he’s pretty sure he only managed to completely fall asleep two hours ago; random thoughts clogging his mind last night. The fight with Cora was two nights ago and he still hasn’t been able to forget it.

“I’m afraid not,” Isaac replies as he digs through Derek’s closet. “Princess Laura made sure to make everyone in the Palace know about the rehearsal. Repeatedly,” he adds with a groan.

Derek falls back on the bed. “Why do we have wedding rehearsals? Don’t people know what’s supposed to happen by now?”

Isaac scoffs. “Not when you have a whole army and hundreds of guests to coordinate. Plus the whole city— the whole world , with their eyes on it.”

“I have to go.” It’s not even a question, Derek knows he has to go. There’s no possible escape.

“Yes,” Isaac agrees, as he inspects a pair of grey pants.

Derek watches him pick his clothes in a frenzy. “You look like you’re about to catch a train.”

Isaac stops abruptly. “I thought about switching my day off for today, since you’ll be out all day. I made plans…”

“That won’t be a problem. Just leave the clothes over there. I can take care of the rest myself.”

As Derek slides out of bed, Isaac is still looking at him with that puppy look on his face.

“What?” Derek asks.

“I made plans with Stiles and Scott. Erica will be going with me, since Co— Princess Cora won’t be needing her either. We will be meeting the rest of Stiles’ friends too.”

Ah, so that’s what this is about.

“It’s okay, Isaac. You’re allowed to have some fun too.”

“You don’t mind?” Isaac asks.

Derek shrugs, hopefully not giving away that he does mind, but there’s nothing he can do about it. “Why would I?”

Isaac frowns. “I thought—”

“You thought wrong. Just go, Isaac.” Derek turns around to his desk, pretends to be looking for a paper inside his drawers.

“Do you want me to tell them something? About you not coming with us…”

“Just tell them I’m busy and stop nagging me about it,” Derek spits out.

The room falls silent for a moment until Derek hears the door opening. “Are you sure you don’t need anything else, Your Highness ?” Isaac glares, his last words spelled out with such coldness that Derek’s entire body shivers.

“No. You may leave.”

The unfeeling tone of Derek’s words is all it takes for Isaac to storm out of the room.

***

“This is going to take a while,” Boyd whispers.

Derek sighs. “This will be nothing compared to the real wedding.”

Jordan looks pointedly at the two of them. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll be the one to take the fall.”

“I sure hope so. I don’t want to be in the same room as Laura if anything goes wrong,” Derek says.

“You are the worst Best Man ever, Derek.”

Boyd huffs out a laugh.

“The ring bearer goes to stand in front of the Best Man,” Morrell announces and waits for Benjamin, one of Derek’s little cousins, to stand in front of him. Derek smiles at him and the kid grins back.

“On the left side we’ll have the Bride’s guests,” Morrell continues, “and on the right side, the Groom’s guests. Your Highness The Queen will stay further on the right while The Lord and Lady Parrish will stay further to the left.” She pauses to make sure everyone is listening.

Derek finds it surprising that everyone is indeed listening, apart from the kids, which is to be expected. If he’s bored out of his mind, he can’t imagine how they expect the children to stay quiet. Meredith, their nanny, tries her best to keep them quiet but it’s useless.

“The rest of the family will stay in the front rows and friends on the remaining ones. The Guard will be forming a line on each side of the church.” She points at both sides. Derek wonders momentarily how many guards they will be able to fit inside this massive church.

“Now that everyone knows where to be, let’s rehearse the recessional once more.” Morrell smiles, but it’s not a friendly smile. It’s threatening, meaning that she will not be pleased if anyone wasn’t listening.

“I had school plays that demanded less rehearsing than this,” Derek’s cousin’s new boyfriend mutters, making Boyd snort. Poor guy probably didn’t get the memo from Malia.

“He must be new,” Boyd tells Derek.

Derek nods, and he’s about to leave the aisle when Julia locks her arm around his. “Isn’t this beautiful? I wish I could marry in this same church, but I bet Laura wouldn’t like it.”

“I don’t think she would,” Derek agrees.

“I haven’t seen you for weeks, Derek.” She leans on him, trying to keep their chat private.

“I’ve been busy. I’m sorry, I should have called.”

Julia smiles at him. “It’s okay. I understand.”

They’re not dating, so there’s no obligation between them. Not yet, at least. Derek has been avoiding an official engagement with Julia for years. Two years after Kate, to be precise. If it were up to his mother, Derek would be married to Julia by now. They have a sort of agreement… He stays committed to his royal affairs as long as he can choose the right moment. The right person , he once made the mistake of saying, only to hear a long speech from his mother about how the Baccaris were kind and prestigious. Julia might be the perfect suitor for him, according to his mother, but Derek doesn’t want perfect. He wants something more.

***

After the wedding rehearsal at the church, Marin wants everyone to try their outfits for the wedding. Laura insists that Derek must see her wedding dress and he can’t really refuse such a request from his sister.

As they’re inside the car, on their way back to the Palace, Derek checks his phone and sees a message from Isaac. He can’t help but gasp in surprise once he sees the picture attached to it.

“Something wrong?” Cora asks from next to him.

“No,” he replies.

We’re visiting Bologna today.

That’s all the message says, but the picture says a lot more. It’s a selfie of the whole group standing in front of the Towers of Asinelli and Garisenda. Isaac has to be the one taking the picture. Scott and Stiles are next to him, arms on top of each other’s shoulders. Danny is behind Isaac and next to him is Jackson with a look like someone forced him to take the picture. Derek doesn’t recognize any of the girls apart from Erica, but he can almost pinpoint who is who from the descriptions that Stiles gave him.

He stares at the picture with a bit of fondness and also jealousy. There’s no point in denying that he would have loved to be there with them, even though he bluntly lied to Isaac about it this morning.

“What’s gotten you so gloomy all of a sudden?” Laura asks from the seat in front of him, making Cora and his mother stare at him as well.

“Nothing,” Derek tells them.

“Is it Julia?” Cora tries. “I saw you two talking.”

“Is she mad for not being the maid of honor?” Laura panics. Cora pretends to be offended as the current maid of honor.

“What? Why would she even be mad about that?” Derek asks.

Cora snorts and his mother sighs. “Because she won’t be able to walk beside you down the aisle. And as a bridesmaid, she will have to go with your Uncle Peter.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Derek scoffs. “We’re sitting together at the reception. That should be enough for her.” It’s the wrong thing to say in front of his mother, but it’s out of his mouth before he knows it. “I’m sorry. That was rude.”

“Yes, it was. You should be grateful her family is not opposed to her coming to the wedding even though you two are not officially engaged.”

For the sake of avoiding yet another fight, Derek nods and looks out the window.

He blocks out the streets of Betonia in front of his eyes and tries to recall the smiles in the picture Isaac sent him. For a brief moment, he can allow himself to pretend to be there with them, making fun of Stiles’ ridiculous shirt while he compliments Derek’s horrendous baseball hat. Derek would have walked with them through the red-brick buildings of the Palace of Comunale, showing them the Fountain of Neptune...

“We’re here,” Laura says. “I can’t wait for you to see the dress, Derek. You’re the only one who hasn’t seen it yet!”

Derek smiles at her, but it’s an empty one.

***

Derek is reading on his bed when Isaac knocks on his door and enters.

“Tough day?” Isaac asks.

“You have no idea,” Derek sighs. “You must be tired from the trip.”

Isaac nods and then throws a cell phone to Derek’s bed.

Derek raises an eyebrow in question.

“Stiles kept bugging me about your number. Then he tried to convince me to call you, but I knew you wouldn’t be able to talk, so we took the picture.”

“And the cell phone?” Derek asks as he picks it up.

“It’s yours. Completely anonymous,” Isaac says. “I told Stiles I would give you his number and you would call him if you could. But since your personal cell phone number should remain private, I got you a new one.”

Derek stares at it stupidly.

“You’re paying me back, though,” Isaac adds.

“I’m sorry about how I acted this morning.” Derek glances up at Isaac. “I was— I wish I had been there with everyone, but I couldn’t. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, Isaac. It’s not fine.” Derek shakes his head. “I’m sorry for being an idiot.”

Isaac smirks. “I’m used to it.”

There’s no harm to it and Derek can’t help but huff out a laugh. “Don’t push it.”

It’s like the words only hit Isaac just then and he quickly straightens up.

“Thank you for the phone.” Derek smiles softly at him.

“I added Stiles’ and Scott’s numbers. They’re the only numbers I have.”

Derek checks his contacts list to see the only two numbers there, staring back at him.

“Stiles is expecting your call,” Isaac blurts out. “But you had a rough day so you don’t have to—”

“I’ll call him.”

Isaac nods and takes that as his cue to leave. Derek waits until he hears the door closing.

His heart skips a beat as he clicks on Stiles’ name. He’s not sure why it makes him so nervous to be able to talk to Stiles. It’s not forbidden, but it’s definitely something he wants to keep to himself. And as it starts ringing, Derek is pretty sure he gets even more nervous and his hands get sweaty.

“Hello?”

“Stiles?”

“Derek!” Stiles greets him with a joy that Derek has already gotten used to and he’s not sure what that means. He can barely hear him though, there’s too much noise in the background.

“Is this a bad time?” Derek asks, unsure.

“No, no, wait. I’ll just head outside.” Derek waits patiently as he tries to identify the noises in the background, like a party— “Derek? Can you hear me now?”

“Yeah, I can hear you.”

“Sorry, we all went out for dinner tonight and there’s a band— How are you though? Isaac said you had some family stuff to take care of. Everything alright?”

Derek’s lips quirk into a smile. “Everything is fine. How was Bologna?”

They talk for almost an hour. Stiles makes sure to tell Derek how their trip was. With vivid details. It’s endearing to listen to him describe all the places that Derek has visited countless times.

“But we missed a lot without our amazing guide!”

Derek laughs. “Who, me?”

“Yes, you!” Stiles says like it’s obvious. “Come on, tag along with us tomorrow and show us all the cool places we will most likely miss.”

Derek should say no. He should, and yet he doesn’t.

“Scott and Allison are going on a date tomorrow.” Stiles makes a sound at that, pretending to be disgusted. “So Lydia is dragging Jackson for some alone time as well. It’s just me, Danny, and Kira. You gotta meet Kira, Derek. She’s awesome!”

When they hang up, Derek doesn’t feel much better than before. He knows there’s only so much luck he can have and a clock is ticking somewhere. A few more weeks and these strangers that stumbled upon his life will go away. He probably won’t see them anymore.

It’s the thought of not seeing Stiles anymore that makes him want to break the rules.

Chapter Text

“Oh my god, are you seriously going to take us to an Ice Cream Factory?” Kira practically jumps with joy as they arrive to the place.

“It’s not a big deal,” Derek replies. It really isn’t.

“Dude, don’t sell yourself short.” Stiles nudges him. “We would have never come here if it wasn’t for your awesome tourist guidance.”

Isaac huffs out a laugh, the bastard. He knows Derek spent hours last night browsing the internet looking for fun places to visit. His grandmother inaugurated the Ice Cream Factory years ago, but this will be the first time Derek is able to visit it.

“Can you imagine Scott’s face once he finds out where we’ve been?” Danny snorts.

Stiles laughs, hand grabbing Derek’s arm for support. “Oh man, he’s going to be so pissed.”

“We can come another day,” Derek hurries to say.

“What? No way!”

“If he wants to come, we can visit it a second time,” Kira suggests, eyes glittering with hope.

“This is why you’re my favorite,” Stiles notes.

Kira grins at him. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Even before getting inside, they’re bombarded with the intense smells of strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and all sorts of flavors impossible to identify. Derek keeps his hat and sunglasses on, ignoring the confused gaze the security casts his way.

The factory is huge and, everywhere they look, there are tanks with different flavors and colors. Their guide only speaks Italian, so Isaac and Derek keep repeating everything he says to the others. They talk about how Betonia is famous for its ice cream and how the Queen inaugurated the factory a century ago; where the ingredients come from and how they export to a lot of countries. And how they will soon start producing yogurt as well.

“Do you think my brain would freeze if I fell in one of those tanks?” Stiles asks.

Derek looks at him, trying to figure out if he’s joking or not. He’s… not?

“I don’t think it would cause more damage than now,” Isaac comments.

Stiles narrows his eyes at him.

“Will we be able to taste the ice cream? This is torture,” Kira whines.

They all laugh in agreement.

“The guide mentioned there’s a buffet at the exit where the visitors can taste each one of the flavors,” Derek tells her.

“Seriously? Each flavor?” Stiles looks at him wide eyed.

Derek shrugs. “Apparently.”

“That’s a lot. There’s no way we can taste all the flavors.”

There isn’t, but Stiles tries anyway. Derek has to offer his bowl to share once Stiles realizes that he can’t add a spoon of each flavor and decisions have to be made. Very hard decisions. Stiles pouts miserably at how hard it is to choose the flavors he wants to taste, leaving no other choice for Derek but to share. He doesn’t mind though.

Outside, they gather around the garden next to the factory and dig into their bowls. Next to him, Stiles moans as he eats his ice cream. Derek smirks to himself, remembering the first day he met Stiles.

“What?” Stiles turns his gaze to him, eyes dropping to Derek’s bowl. “Save me a bit of the pistachio one, please.”

Derek takes a bit of the pistachio ice cream from his spoon and gives it to Stiles. He’s not expecting Stiles to just smile at him and open his mouth, waiting for Derek to feed him. A drop of melted ice cream falls on top of Derek’s jeans, as he stares at Stiles’ perfectly shaped lips, pink and wet from eating so much ice cream. Slowly, Derek takes the spoon to Stiles’ mouth and almost flinches back with the moan that escapes him.

“That is so good,” Stiles comments with his eyes closed.

Derek blushes hard, and, next to him, Danny smirks.

“Here,” Stiles says, “try this one.” Derek barely has time to reply before a spoon of lemon ice cream melts into his mouth.

“It’s really good,” he replies with a smile.

“Right?” Stiles grins. Derek notices him staring down at his lips. “You got something—” Stiles gestures to the corner of his mouth.

Derek darts his tongue out to the side.

“No, not there—” Stiles laughs, but it’s almost like a pained sound. “Let me—”

He stays very still as Stiles’ fingers brush the corner of his lips, cleaning the ice cream away, but letting his touch linger way longer than necessary.

“Can I try the lemon one?” Kira asks suddenly, making them both snap out of their daze.

Stiles coughs. “Sure.”

Kira digs her spoon into Stiles’ bowl and Derek can’t help but blush as he realizes that Stiles was not just willing to share his ice cream with him, but also his own spoon. He grins to himself despite how silly it is.

***

On the outskirts of Betonia, there’s a beautiful Wolf Sanctuary that Derek often donates to. He doesn’t tell them where they’re going, even when Stiles keeps pressing him on.

“Come on, Derek. Where are we going?”

“We’re almost there,” Derek assures him.

“Stiles, you’re worse than my five year old cousin,” Danny says.

“He’s worse than any kid I’ve met,” Isaac adds.

“Laugh all you want. I bet you’re all dying of curiosity to know why we’ve been walking for the last thirty minutes,” Stiles grunts.

“Oh my god.” Kira stops suddenly.

“We’re here.” Derek announces.

They all stare at the huge gate with a wooden sign at the top that reads Betonia Wolf Sanctuary with wolf paws on either side of the words.

For a moment, Derek is worried that this might have been a bad idea, but then Stiles grabs his hand and drags him to the entrance. “Oh my god. This is the best thing ever!”

Derek’s chest swells with pride and he can’t help but squeeze Stiles’ hand tightly as they pass through the gate, everyone else tagging along just behind them.

***

Inside the sanctuary, Derek spots Braeden. She waves at him and he waves back.

“A friend?” Stiles asks.

Derek nods, “She works here.”

“Ah, so that’s how you know this place.”

“He donates every year too,” Isaac says from the back.

Stiles stares at Derek and then groans. “Dude, you can’t be that perfect.”

Derek flushes suddenly but straightens up fast. “I’m not perfect.” He feels suddenly guilty about the list of lies he has accumulated by now.

“Believe me, he’s not,” Isaac says.

“Well, name one of his flaws then.”

Isaac starts listing. “He’s a morning person, which totally qualifies as a flaw. He ignores his cell phone most of the time—”

Derek knocks Isaac on the back of his head to stop him from talking nonsense. “I’m going to say hi to Braeden. I’ll be right back.”

He makes sure that none of them are following him as he walks to where Braeden is taking care of Shadow.

“Prince Derek, it’s nice to see you,” she greets him.

“How are things around here?” Derek asks her, hand reaching to pet Shadow’s fur.

“One of our females passed away the other week and Shadow here is feeling a bit depressed.” Braeden continues to pet the huge black wolf. “We have to keep a close watch on him to see if he keeps eating.”

Derek nods. “I brought some friends with me. Do you think we could show them the place around?”

Braeden smiles as she stands up. “That will be no problem at all. We can all watch Shadow get reunited with the rest of the pack.”

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Derek winces at the title. “Can you not— Can you not call me by my title? Just Derek.”

She looks at him with wide eyes. “But— That’s...”

“Please, Braeden,” he pleads. “We’ve known each other for a long time. There’s no need for such formalities. And—” Derek stops to look at the rest of the group, his eyes landing on Stiles. “I don’t want them to feel uncomfortable.”

Braeden’s eyes drift to his friends. “I don’t understand why your friends would feel uncomfortable with who you are, Sir. But I’ll do as you request.”

“Just Derek,” he says again.

Braeden nods. “Just Derek.”

“Thank you.” he smiles. Derek turns around and waves at the group, telling them to come closer. Surprisingly, Stiles is the last one to start moving. He doesn’t look eager for this visit and an unsettled feeling rushes through Derek, wondering what he did wrong.

Kira is the first one to get to him, her eyes fixed on Shadow. “He’s so big!”

“His name is Shadow,” Braeden tells her.

“Hi, big guy,” Danny greets him.

Stiles is the last one to gather around them and Derek quirks an eyebrow at him.

“Are you okay?” Derek whispers, not wanting to disturb the others while they’re all fascinated by Shadow and carefully listening to Braeden’s instructions.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Stiles replies, but Derek can sense the lie. “It’s just too hot, I guess.”

Derek nods but doesn’t dwell on it. Stiles clearly doesn’t want to talk about it and Derek still hopes he will feel better once he meets the rest of the pack.

***

Shadow walks next to Braeden, who has him safely restrained, with everyone else following her. They’re heading to the place where the rest of the pack is. Kira, Danny, and Isaac walk beside Braeden as they ask her questions about the sanctuary and the wolves. Kira is the most curious about everything, but Braeden indulges her and doesn’t seem to mind.

Derek follows them together with Stiles. They walk side by side in silence. It’s a discomforting feeling for Derek to suddenly be with a quiet Stiles, but he figures maybe it’s not one of his days.

“Was the female wolf that died like a mate to Shadow?” Kira asks.

“Shadow doesn’t have a mate, not yet,” Braeden tells her. “Losing a member of the pack is like losing a limb. Shadow and Starlight grew up together in this sanctuary. They were very close.”

Kira looks fondly at Shadow.

“You can pet him,” Braeden says.

“Are you sure?” But she’s already moving her hand and carefully touching his fur.

Derek smiles at that.

“Do you come here often?” Stiles asks him suddenly.

“When I have the chance, yes.”

Stiles hums. “Are you and Braeden close? You seem close.”

The question is so out of the blue that Derek can’t help but frown at him. “We’re not close. She’s been working here ever since I can remember, and has taught me a few things about the wolves.” He waits for another question to pop up, but it doesn’t come so he continues. “I like being with them. The pack. They’re wild, fierce, and loyal creatures. They’re not free, but they know the people here are trying to protect them. I can relate to that.”

Derek can feel Stiles’ eyes on him, but he keeps walking forward, trying not to give away much more than he already has.

“Do you think they’re happy?” Stiles asks suddenly.

Derek looks at him and smiles. “Yes. They’re loved and safe.”

“Are you? Happy?”

The question startles him. But before he can reply, Kira is waving at them to come closer and watch Shadow be reunited with his pack.

From the corner of his eye, Derek watches Stiles intensively; from his bright brown eyes looking at the wolves far ahead, to the constellation of moles on his cheek. There’s a hint of a smile on his lips, a glimpse of the warm feeling anyone has when watching the wolves run together.

Derek’s not unhappy, just like these wolves are not unhappy. But just like some of these wolves, he has never tasted real freedom, the wildness of the world outside the Palace. It feels like a dangerous path to walk through, but there’s a feral glint in Stiles’ eyes that keeps pulling him in. No matter how dangerous it may be for him to follow it.

***

“I don’t think I’ve ever lived a day like this,” Stiles says. They’re on a boat tour through the Ligurian Sea. The ocean breeze feels amazing under the hot sun and Derek thought it would be a great way to finish their day. Also a great opportunity to show the splendorous coast to his new friends.

Stiles looks content and peaceful. They’re on the upper floor at the front of the boat, while the others decided to stay downstairs. Stiles has his eyes closed and Derek can see him inhaling the strong scent of the ocean, letting the wind wash over his face. His long eyelashes contrast with his pale skin covered with dark moles and his lips are curled into a smile like he’s dreaming of something just for himself. There are two moles under his jaw line leading to another along his neck. Derek feels his face go hot even under the welcoming ocean breeze. For the first time ever, he feels his insides twist and burn with the desire to reach out and touch . It’s a mesmerizing sight, but Stiles is— he’s a man, for crying out loud. An attractive man, but— Derek blushes hard with the thoughts that cross his mind and forces himself to promptly look away to the other side, his heart still pounding rapidly in his chest.

They stay silent for a while, as everyone else aroudn them keeps chatting and taking pictures. Derek finds himself looking at the coast of Betonia with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. The coronation is only four months away and he’s not ready for the heavyweight he will have to carry for the rest of his life.

“Derek?”

Derek turns his gaze back to Stiles, who frowns at him. “You seemed to be very far away.”

“Sorry, I was just… thinking.”

Stiles hums. “Stop thinking about it, then. You looked all sour and that just doesn’t go well with the rest of the view.”

Derek snorts. “You looked happy.”

The grin on Stiles’ face makes Derek forget about everything he was thinking. “Hell yeah! I’m having an amazing time with my friends and it’s all thanks to you.” Derek shakes off the praise. “Come on, Derek. Indulge me and tell me more about this city. Is this what you usually do? Ice cream, taking care of wolves, and going on boat tours? Because I might consider moving here permanently.”

His heart skips a beat at the last words. “Oh,” Derek tries to tease, “would that be so bad?”

“My dad would think so. It’s just the two of us.” Stiles turns around, hip resting on the balcony. “How about you? Where’s your family?”

Derek thinks about lying. And that’s the worst part of this. He doesn’t want to lie, not to Stiles. But with each truth, he feels more and more exposed. “They live in Betonia too. We’re a big family.”

“That’s awesome! I’ve always wondered how it was to have a big family,” Stiles muses. “Scott doesn’t have a big family either. His father left when he was just a kid, so it’s just him and his mother. I guess that’s why we got pretty close.” His lips curl into a smile, “We became like brothers.”

“Your brother is now kissing a beautiful girl.” Derek points downstairs.

Stiles hurries to look over the edge of the railing and grins. “That’s my boy!”

Derek snorts. “Is that Allison?”

“Yup, that’s her! Should we say something? We shouldn’t, right?”

Scott and Allison are holding hands as they kiss, lost in each other with no care about what’s around them. “No, we shouldn’t,” Derek decides.

Stiles’ eyes drift away from the young couple back to Derek. One second, his eyes are fixed on Derek’s face, the next, he’s staring at his lips. Derek feels his throat tighten, mouth suddenly too dry and instinctively he licks his own lips. They stare at each other for a beat too long, but then Stiles’ smile vanishes completely from his face and he turns away.

“I feel bad for him,” he confesses.

“Who?” Derek manages to ask, heart rabbiting in his chest.

“Scott.” Stiles sighs. “He’s been falling in love with Allison since the first time he laid eyes on her. What will happen once we have to go back?”

Something inside Derek breaks. He swallows thickly before saying, “Maybe he decided to live in the here and now to create good memories.”

Those amber eyes are back on him, this time searching for something.

“We should take a picture,” Stiles blurts.

Derek frowns. “Why?”

“I told my dad last night that we managed to get a hot private tour guide.” Stiles grins widely, making Derek blush again. “Oh, hey, look! We can see the Palace from here, it’s the perfect setting!”

Derek looks over his shoulder, but Stiles is already moving to be next to him, arm thrown around his back. “Stiles, I—”

“I promise it’s just for my dad.” Stiles moves his phone in front of them and tries to adjust the angle. “Come on, take off your sunglasses and that horrible hat.”

“It’s not horrible,” Derek mumbles but does as he’s told, getting a laugh from Stiles.

The screen shows their faces close to each other, so close. Stiles is smiling widely and— “Derek,” Stiles whines, “you have to smile!” Derek does, he does smile as he stares at Stiles’ face and lets himself drown in that carefree happiness.

Stiles straightens up and fumbles with his phone once he’s happy with the picture. “It looks awesome! My dad is going to—” He stops suddenly while zooming their picture and then lifts his gaze up to Derek’s eyes. “Wow…”

“What?” Derek asks, a bit too alarmed. Stiles’ ears are pink at the tips and he looks awkward all of a sudden. The worst comes to Derek’s mind. “Stiles, I—”

“I just realized I never really looked at your eyes without the—” He gestures awkwardly.

“Oh.”

Stiles drops his gaze back to the picture. “It’s a good picture.”

Derek peeks and— yeah, it’s a good— very good picture. “Can you… send it to me?”

“Of course.” Stiles bites his bottom lip and tries to keep his grin at bay, but he doesn’t look back at Derek, just nods and sends the picture.

Derek’s phone vibrates in his pocket. With a good memory.

***

“Holy shit!” Stiles screeches and runs away from them to stand in front of a big orange poster.

Derek follows him. “What is it?”

“Only the greatest line up ever!” Stiles says, not even glancing at Derek. “Oh my god! It’s in Florence! This weekend!” He grabs Derek’s forearm, shaking him, but still looking dreamily at the big poster. “How come we didn’t know about this?”

Derek snorts. “We?”

“Quit dreaming, Stiles. You can’t get tickets for a festival like that in such short notice,” Danny comments behind them.

“No!” Stiles whines. “I have to tell Scott. Where is Scott?”

“He left while you were still on the boat,” Isaac tells him. “Romantic dinner and all that.”

Stiles groans. “Florence is only an hour away. We could totally go, if—”

“If we had tickets,” Kira cries as she too checks the apparently marvelous poster.

Derek has no idea how these things work. Sure, he knows some of the names written in big bold letters; Arctic Monkeys, Bastille, Of Monsters And Men, Ben Howard, Black Keys, Mumford & Sons… “I can get tickets,” he blurts out.

Everyone turns sharply to look at him apart from Isaac who groans and facepalms.

“Derek, this is not a joke,” Stiles warns him.

“I’m not— I can get tickets. From a friend,” he adds.

Everyone remains silent until Stiles explodes with joy and jumps forward to Derek, ready to hug him but then he must think better of himself and just grabs Derek’s forearms with his long fingers—

“I could marry you right now.”

Derek swallows thickly.

“He can’t, he’s promised,” Isaac butts in.

Stiles’ happiness quickly fades and his fingers promptly drop from Derek’s skin.

“I’m not! Shut up, Isaac,” Derek scolds and then just to Stiles— “I’m not,” he promises.

“I was joking!” Stiles stares at the floor, blushing hard.

Derek laughs nervously. “I know.”

“We should go before they find a priest around here,” Danny croons and starts walking.

“Danny!” Stiles shouts in horror.

Derek tries and fails to hide his discomfort, ignoring the confused look from Isaac as he follows Danny and Kira down the street.

They start walking back to their hotel, Stiles remaining at his side, only a few inches away from touching. They look at each other from time to time but don’t say anything. The smile is back on Stiles’ face, much more reserved and sincere, not the uncontrollable joy he showed a few minutes ago. His gaze goes back to Derek and in a whisper he says, “I was joking, but now we know who will not be invited to the wedding.”

It’s meant as a joke and it does make Derek laugh, despite the confused looks the others throw at them when they see the two of them laughing in confidence. But he would be lying if he didn’t admit that his heart skipped a beat at the words.

***

“What was I thinking?” Derek shouts as he enters his room with Isaac following right behind him. He sits at the foot of his bed, banging his head in his hands. “Why didn’t you stop me from doing something so stupid?”

“In my defense, I tried. Several times. From the very start. A week ago.” Isaac punctuates each sentence with tons of sarcasm.

Derek narrows his eyes at him and Isaac shrugs, looking smug at himself.

“Finstock will get the tickets, if that’s what’s worrying you.” Derek lets out a pained laugh at Isaac’s words.

“That’s the least of my problems.”

Isaac frowns. “Are we going to list them now?”

Derek stands up and starts pacing around the room. “I don’t know what the hell I should wear to something like this!”

“We’re listing them,” Isaac sighs and grabs the notebook from Derek’s desk.

“What if I get recognized in the middle of thousands of people?”

“Clothes. Getting recognized,” Isaac spells as he writes it down.

“How do I even go to Florence without my family knowing about it?”

Isaac hums. “Family trust issues.”

Derek ignores him and goes on, “I also don’t know half of those bands. I’m going to make a fool of myself in front of—”

“Music culture. Check.”

“And what if I suddenly kiss Stiles?”

“Kiss Sti— What?! ”

Derek stares at Isaac in horror.

“Derek, what—”

“I can’t go,” Derek whispers, mortified.

“Hey, just—” Isaac walks towards him. “Come on, sit down. You need to sit.”

There’s a buzz inside his mind telling him not to listen to Isaac and just call Stiles to cancel everything, to apologize and tell him they can’t see— He shuts his eyes. “What am I going to do, Isaac?”

“First,” Isaac starts, voice calm, “don’t worry about the clothes. I’ll take care of it. We’ll ask Erica for help on the music department. And also the family department.” He pinches his nose before moving on. “About Stiles… How do you know it’s not just—” He waves around awkwardly. “Maybe you’re just confused.”

“I want to kiss him,” Derek tells him incredulously.

“Okay. So, we’re sure this is… a thing?”

Derek nods and then groans, running a hand through his hair. “He’s…”

“Infuriating,” Isaac hints.

“Yes, but—”

“Obnoxious.”

“Maybe a little, but—”

“Also loud.”

Derek rolls his eyes.

“Makes bad jokes and terrible puns.”

“I thought you were supposed to help me.”

Isaac has the audacity to look affronted. “I am!”

The room is silent for a while. Derek clenches his jaw and stares at a random spot on the floor. Isaac finally clears his throat and asks, “So, with a guy… have you ever?”

“No.” he shakes his head.

“Not even…”

“No, Isaac.”

Isaac considers him for a moment. “Because I’ve been hit on a lot of times. And if you ever—” He gulps at the very unamused look Derek throws at him. “Out of line?” He asks sheepishly.

“Way out of line,” Derek emphasizes. But curiosity takes over him. “Have you ever…?”

“Once, back in London. It wasn’t a big deal.” he shrugs. “I would do Scott, but I’m with someone, so...”

Derek stares at him, shocked. “What?!”

“What what ?”

Derek thinks it’s best to not even ask and sighs. “I should just tell him the truth and—”

“Derek, mom needs to—” Cora enters the room unexpectedly and stops in her tracks as soon as she sees them both sitting on the bed. Then she looks at Derek’s troubled face and rushes forward. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing happened, Cora.”

“Derek is just—”

Cora raises an eyebrow at Isaac.

Isaac coughs into his hand. “I mean, Prince Derek.”

Cora crosses her arms and stares them down. “Spit it out.”

But none of them do. At least Derek knows Isaac is loyal to him, despite the frightening expression on Cora’s face.

“Fine,” she relents and turns to leave. “See if I care, anyway.”

The door closes and Isaac is about to talk when Derek signals for him to shush and wait. One, two, three—

Derek can’t help but smile as the door opens again.

“Mom needs you for a meeting with Deaton,” Cora mumbles before closing the door again.

Isaac stands up. “I should probably go and check if Erica is free.”

Derek nods. “Thank you for the help, Isaac. I mean it. You’ve been a great friend.”

The notebook with Isaac’s notes is dropped next to him. Derek grabs it, glancing at the word ‘ kiss ’. His chest feels hollow.

“When the time comes, you’ll know what to do,” Isaac says as he lingers by the door.

***

“I look ridiculous,” Derek mutters.

Isaac rolls his eyes. “You look fine. Right, Erica?”

“Your Highness looks hot .” Erica smirks.

Derek flushes hard at the same time Isaac shouts at Erica for being so inappropriate.

He’s wearing a black leather jacket with a light brown Henley underneath and a pair of worn very tight grey jeans. His hair is shorter and sticking out from all places thanks to Erica’s hands. They didn’t let him shave and a four days-old stubble is not something he’s used to. Has it really been just three days since he was last with Stiles?

“It’s fine,” Derek says, a bit unsure of himself. “Thank you for the help, Erica.”

In the mirror, Derek can see her giving him a soft smile before turning to Isaac and sticking her tongue out. He huffs out a laugh at the face Isaac makes.

“We should get going,” Isaac announces, slightly irritated. “Is everything settled?” he asks Erica.

She straightens up Derek’s jacket one last time. “Princess Laura is out to spend the night with Lord Parrish and his family. The Queen and Princess Cora followed my advice and are busy planning a bachelorette party.”

“You mean our advice,” Isaac reminds her.

Erica scoffs. “It would have fallen off the rail if it weren’t for my amazing persuasion skills.”

Derek’s cellphone vibrates with a text from Stiles telling him they bought the train tickets and are waiting for him and Isaac at the station.

“We have to go,” Derek says.

“Wait!” Erica goes for her bag and takes a small box out, opening it to reveal a pair of glasses with a thick black frame. “Since the festival is during the night, Your Highness has no reason to use the sunglasses. These are more fitting for the occasion,” she finishes with a smile.

Derek accepts the glasses and his chest swells with deep gratitude. He can’t help but smile at her. “Erica, thank you.”

“Have fun, Your Highness!”

Her smile is wide and so honest, like she’s genuinely happy to see him about to go out and have some fun. And Derek intends to do just that. Tonight, he will try to not think about crowns and royal duties; tonight he will just go with the flow of the music, just like Erica taught him.

“Wait, I have something else.”

This time, Erica simply reaches for one of her pockets and— Derek freezes as he looks at the small object in Erica’s hands.

“You never know when things get out of hand and it’s best to be prepared.”

“Erica!” Isaac hisses in shock as he sees the condom in her hands. Derek turns his gaze sharply back to him, making Isaac stutter, “I swear I didn’t tell her anything!”

“What? Tell me what?” Erica asks, confused and extremely curious.

“We need to go.” Derek walks past her. “We need to go now .”

***

They arrive at the station at exactly 4:30PM, right on time to meet with Stiles and Scott who are waiting for them at platform two. Apparently everyone else already travelled to Florence yesterday, taking their time to do some sightseeing and shopping.

Derek can’t help but feel guilty about it. “Why didn’t you say something? Isaac and I would’ve gotten there later and you two could have gone with the others.”

Stiles snorts. “And just take you up on the offer of free tickets without even waiting for you two?”

“Rude.” Scott nods.

“Yes, it would have been extremely rude,” Stiles points out, high fiving his best friend. “Besides, we got to spend some bro time yesterday.”

Derek rolls his eyes but smiles anyway. “Fine.”

“Admit it, you would feel lonely without our company.”

This time, it’s Isaac who huffs out a laugh, but Stiles doesn’t stop smiling and neither does Derek.

Inside the carriage, Derek sits by the window and Stiles sits in front of him, followed by Scott. Before sitting down, Isaac looks at the bunch of them and asks, “Stiles, would you mind trading with me? I get sick if I’m not by the window and Derek too.”

The request takes Derek by surprise, he can’t help but frown at Isaac and he’s about to argue when Stiles says, “Sure,” and stands up promptly to switch places with Isaac. As soon as they’re settled, Isaac winks not so discretely at Derek, making him blush.

He’s aware of Stiles’ knee bouncing against his during the entire trip to Florence. It’s one hour and a half of stories about Stiles and Scott in Beacon Hills, how they always wanted to form a band and how they once skipped school for a Fall Out Boy concert, which had them both grounded for a whole month afterwards.

The whole time, Derek lets himself enjoy the vivid way they tell their stories; the sound of Stiles’ laughter and the way his fingers drum against the table when Scott is talking about their favorite songs.

When they’re minutes away from Florence, Stiles leans against Derek to look out the window. They’re so close that Derek is able to smell the fresh scent of Stiles’ shampoo and the peppermint gum he was chewing earlier. He doesn’t take his eyes off the window though. Afraid that if he does, he might not be able to resist the intensity of those whiskey eyes, that skin flecked with moles like the starry sky, and the shade of pink from those bitten lips.

Derek lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, once the train comes to a full stop. But his moment of relief is shortened as soon as Stiles grabs his hand and pulls him up to stand, smiling openly at him.

“We’re here!”

***

“We’re going to miss the opening,” Stiles says for the third time, fidgeting constantly.

Scott sighs, but he’s also clearly nervous. “They said they would be here. I don’t understand what’s taking them so long.”

“Maybe they got lost?” Derek offers, but both Stiles and Scott have disregarded that possibility. Not with Lydia , they both said.

“You two should go while Scott and I wait here. We’ll meet you inside,” Isaac prompts.

Stiles gapes at him. “What? No, we can’t—”

“Isaac is right,” Scott cuts in. “It will be easier to find a good spot if you two are already inside.”

“You can leave their tickets with us and we will text you once we’re ready to go in.”

Derek shakes his head. “A place like this is very crowded, there’s a chance we might not find each other inside later.”

“How about this?” Scott steps forward. “If everyone gets lost, our meeting point is the station. We all need to catch the train back to Betonia, right?”

Derek nods but it’s Stiles who steps in this time. “What if something happened to them?”

“Nothing happened, Stiles. You know our friends,” Scott smiles reassuringly. “They’re late, but you and Derek don’t have to stay here and miss the festival. He got the tickets, so you go inside with him.”

Stiles turns to look at Derek as if the answer is right there. Derek doubts it and he also doesn’t want to cause any trouble with Stiles’ friends. “We can—”

“We’re going,” Stiles cuts in, before turning back to Scott. “Text me when they finally show up.”

Derek gives them the rest of the tickets and follows Stiles back to the entrance. As they’re entering, Derek turns around to see Isaac and Scott both smiling widely. He only has a second to look confused before Stiles is calling out his name, saying they should stick together and going for his hand.

When Derek glances over his shoulder, Isaac and Scott are both giving him a thumbs up.

***

Whatever was keeping Stiles’ friends from showing up on time, is soon dismissed as Derek and Stiles are almost at the barrier with the stage right in front of them. Stiles gets a text from Scott saying everyone else arrived safely and they will try to meet with Stiles and Derek later. The timing is too perfect and Derek is still trying to figure out what the deal was with Isaac and Scott. Somehow, it doesn’t make him believe for a second that they will be meeting with them anytime soon.

But as the lights go out and the crowd cheers, Derek stops thinking too much. He turns his gaze to Stiles and watches the dim blue lights reflect on his face. The music is already playing when Dan Smith enters the stage and Stiles starts singing along with the rest of the crowd. Derek can feel the beat under him, goosebumps all over his skin as everyone around them starts jumping at the chorus and singing at the top of their lungs.

“Let me see you jump, Florence!” Dan shouts and the crowd goes crazy. It’s like entering a completely different world from his own, where everyone forgets about everything and the music just takes over their lives.

Stiles looks at him when the music slows down, smile as blinding as the lights flying above them.

Won’t you teach me how to love and learn,

There’ll be nothing for me love and yearn,

Think of me and burn and let me hold your hand.

He reaches for Derek’s hand and squeezes, making his heart miss a beat.

I don’t want to face the world in tears,

Please think again,

I’m on my knees,

Sing that song to me,

No reason to repent.

Derek squeezes back and the next second, everyone around them is jumping wildly.

***

They’re still by themselves, even after three bands have played. Stiles and Scott keep texting back and forth, but Stiles makes sure to keep Derek updated, showing him some of the texts or reading them out loud. With every push against the barrier, Derek fears he will be recognized by one of the security members, but nothing happens. Everything is going smoothly, that is, until Nanna Bryndis takes over the microphone to greet the cheering crowd of Florence.

“We just got news that a member of the Royal Family is right here with us,” she announces and the crowd instantly screams. Stiles gapes at him and mouths Oh my God . Derek feels his whole body crumble and his palms sweat, like the ground is shattering and about to swallow him down.

“We don’t know who it is...” Nanna teases and her bandmates laugh. The music starts playing and all Derek can think of is an escape route. “This next song is dedicated to you, Your Highness.” She bows with her guitar and everyone starts clapping. “It’s called King and Lionheart .”

Derek registers Stiles shouting that he loves the song and then everyone starts singing loudly. Someone pushes him forward and he almost stumbles, but Stiles holds him back in time. Derek watches him glare at the girl, who ignores them both and continues singing. Stiles grunts something and then turns to ask if Derek is okay.

His crown lit up the way as we moved slowly,

Past the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind.

His throat feels dry as soon as their eyes lock. Stiles’ pale skin is now illuminated with various shades of red, and Derek realizes how he has already memorized the bright color of his eyes and the pink tone of his mouth. The song keeps playing, the crowd keeps singing, jumping and clapping. Everything around them is moving at a pace four times faster than the two of them.

And as the world comes to an end,

I’ll be here to hold your hand,

‘Cause you’re my King and I’m your lionheart.

Stiles’ eyes flicker down to Derek’s mouth. One moment Derek is leaning down, the next one he’s being pushed again by the same girl. Stiles shouts at her, angrily, and catches the attention of those around them.

“Stiles, let’s go,” he whispers in Stiles’ ear, pulling him away.

They settle again a few meters to their right as the song ends and the band waves goodbye.

“That was so disrespectful! She was doing it on purpose.” Stiles groans.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Derek puts a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “Don’t let her ruin the rest of the festival. There’re still a lot of bands you want to see, right?”

Stiles nods, easily breaking into a smile.

The next band jumps onto the stage and it’s as good as the others. Three bands later and the festival is wrapping up to the sound of the Arctic Monkeys. This whole night, it’s been the closest Derek’s felt to freedom, the closest he’s felt with someone.

(Do I wanna know?)

If this feeling flows both ways?

(Sad to see you go)

Was sort of hoping that you’d stay.

(Baby we both know)

That the nights were mainly made for

saying things that you can’t say tomorrow day.

***

Stiles sighs. “I knew this would happen.”

They’re at the station waiting for the rest of the group, who are apparently not coming.

“Scott says the girls want to go to some bar and find a bathroom. Danny is hungry and wants a burger. Jackson is being Jackson,” he groans. “I’m sorry. Scott told me it’s okay if we get on this next train. Apparently Isaac thinks it’s the best too.”

Derek frowns. “Stiles, I’m fine with waiting for your friends.”

Stiles shakes his head. “I think they’re right. The next train is in two hours. I’m tired.” He yawns to emphasise the point. “I could use the sleep. And I’ll know when Scott and Danny arrive to the hotel room.”

The train back to Betonia is practically empty. There’s a young guy ten seats ahead of them with his headphones on, but other than that, their carriage is empty. This still didn’t stop Stiles from sitting right next to Derek, making him unexpectedly happy.

“Did you like coming to the festival?” Stiles asks as he plays with a thread on his hoodie.

“Very much,” Derek replies.

That makes Stiles huff out a laugh. “You didn’t seem—” he bites his bottom lip.

“What?”

Stiles shrugs, “I didn’t see you sing or jump. I was afraid you didn’t have a good time.”

“I did. One of the best.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

Derek smiles. “No, Stiles.”

They start talking about the festival and the bands they most enjoyed. Derek confesses he didn’t know most of them or had barely heard their songs. Stiles promises to give him a playlist of the whole festival so that Derek can know the songs that were played. A sinking feeling invades his heart at the realization that this will be yet another memory, even though it’s a good one.

After a while, they both fall into a comfortable silence, staring out the window. Derek barely registers the time passing and only snaps out of his thoughts when he feels Stiles’ head fall on his shoulder.

The trees outside are a dark blur, just like the memories of tonight will be one day. There’s no right moment. There will never be one. His heart beats rapidly against his chest as Stiles stirs next to him but doesn’t wake up.

Derek stares at Stiles, sleeping with an open mouth, comfortable and trusting against Derek’s side. He adjusts his arm to make Stiles more comfortable, resting it on the chair above Stiles’ shoulders. His fingers brush slightly against the dark-brown hair, like he can’t resist the temptation to touch. It’s softer than he imagined. And the fact that Derek had imagined how Stiles’ hair would feel against his fingers is enough for him to know how far gone he is.

And I’ll be yours to keep,

A wind in the shadow, a whale song in the deep.

A wind in the shadow, a whale song...

A few seats ahead of them, in the silence of the carriage, the guy starts singing one of the songs that was playing back at the festival. Derek can easily hear the beat of the song with how loud the guy’s headphones are.

Watch me fall apart, watch me fall apart.

He is so gone on Stiles.

***

“You didn’t need to walk me all the way back to the hostel,” Stiles says as they reach the gate leading to the entrance of the hostel.

“Go out with me,” Derek blurts.

Stiles stares at him with wide eyes. “What?”

“Sorry.” Derek runs a hand through his hair. “I just— I would like to. If you want. Tomorrow. We could go out.”

“Like a date?”

Derek clenches his fists. “Yes.”

“Just the two of us.”

It’s not a question, but it still makes Derek nod nervously.

Stiles grins. “I would love that.”

Derek lets out a deep breath in relief and starts slowly backing away without taking his eyes off Stiles. “I’ll text you.”

Stiles’ eyebrows furrow in confusion but he keeps smiling nonetheless. “I’ll be waiting.”

“Don’t tell the others.”

“Our secret?”

Derek nods, smiling. “Our secret.”

Chapter Text

This is the stupidest thing Derek has ever done. And that’s topping the time he helped a seventeen year old Cora sneak out of the Palace only for her to get caught drinking at a bar with some friends and getting arrested later on that night.

In retrospect, maybe he should have told Isaac where he was going. It’s not fair to lie to him about going to visit Boyd, but Cora was right there . Though, telling Isaac would also compromise him and while Derek would just be reprimanded, Isaac would most likely lose his job.

He will send a text to Isaac once he meets with Stiles. Or maybe he should wait until Isaac texts back. Should he call Boyd? Boyd wouldn’t like to be part of a scheme, especially not one that could get Derek in trouble.

The answers to his doubts seem completely irrelevant as he spots Stiles near the big fountain. He’s alone, like they arranged, and Derek can barely hide the excitement and anxiety of spending a whole day together alone with Stiles.

“Hi,” Stiles greets him with a smile. He’s wearing a pair of red jeans and a blue grey shirt that makes his eyes stand out.

Derek smiles back, probably hasn’t stopped smiling since he scheduled their date. But after their last meeting, who could blame him?

“Hi,” he replies back.

Stiles’ whole face beams. “Sooo...where to?”

There wasn’t much time to set up a plan, or no time at all. So Derek does the only thing he can think of and decides to share a bit more about himself with Stiles, than he had planned to when they first met. Then again, nothing involving Stiles was planned. Far from it.

When his father died, Deaton and his mother planned Derek’s entire future from there on. He was only eighteen, but he knew when and where he would have to be at twenty one. And while everyone was tracing his future, Derek was writing down the places he would like to go to. Most people write down countries and cities they wish to visit, but it’s not like he wouldn't see those anyway. Where Derek couldn’t go, was where he wanted to go. With each invite from his short circle of friends that he was forced to decline, either to a random coffee shop or to the cinema, Derek would write down its name and plan to visit in the future.

After years of writing down all of those names, Derek has a whole notebook of places to visit. And today he will share some of them with Stiles.

They go to a coffee shop inside of a mill. It’s located in one of the hills and near a waterfall. There are benches and white puffs placed outside, but inside the mill, with its white grey bricks, it’s where you can find more privacy. Inside, the higher you go, the more privacy you will have. Derek made sure to reserve the last floor where there’s only space for one table.

“This is amazing!” Stiles exclaims as they sit down. There are little windows all around them, giving them an amazing view of all sides of Betonia.

“I honestly never expected it to be this nice,” Derek admits.

Stiles gapes at him. “You’ve never been here?”

“No, I thought it would be a good idea to see new things today.” With you , he doesn’t say.

Neither him nor Stiles are subtle enough at hiding their smiles behind the menus.

The waitress doesn’t recognize Derek, since he’s wearing the glasses that Erica got him. Just one more day , Derek thinks to himself. He barely slept while trying to figure out how to tell Stiles the truth. He has thought of all the possible scenarios, the good and the bad ones, but none will excuse the fact that he has been lying to him since they met. Soon, Stiles will leave and he deserves to know the truth before that happens. Derek owes him that much.

Both of them order the special Italian Breakfast, which includes a cappuccino and a cornetto, Stiles’ with chocolate and Derek’s with jam, along with a bunch of sweets and specialities from all over Italy.

Stiles lifts an eyebrow. “Are we going to be able to eat all of this?”

“I’ve seen you eat. This is nothing.”

Stiles laughs. “Fair point.” He grabs his phone and takes a picture of their table.

“Are you going to send that to your father?”

“Nope,” he punctuates the last syllable, “this one is just for me. I’m planning on taking a lot more today.”

Derek smiles at that. “Yeah?”

“Saving memories,” Stiles says, eyes locked on Derek’s.

“I hope they’re good ones.” Derek takes a sip of his cappuccino in an attempt to hide the way his heart is racing.

“Can’t complain,” Stiles grins. “What are the plans for today?”

“That’s a surprise.”

A disappointed sound comes out of Stiles. “Fine. I like surprises, but…”

Derek quirks an eyebrow. “But?”

“I want to know more about you,” Stiles practically whines. The frustrated tone in his voice is so honest that instead of making Derek nervous, it makes him fall even harder. No one makes a point of asking anything about him, it’s always something from him; money, favors, a word with his mother, his name on some big project.

“What do you want to know?” Derek asks.

Stiles puts his elbows on the table and contemplates his questions. “How do you know so many different things? What do you do? Isaac is British, but how do you speak English so well and without an accent? Dogs or Cats? Probably dogs, if I had to guess. Favorite color? Favorite movie? And most importantly, Marvel or DC?”

Of all the questions he was anticipating, those were definitely not it. Derek cracks up a laugh. Stiles is the unexpected he wasn’t even looking for. A serendipity, even if just temporary.

“Should I reply one by one or to all of them at once?”

“We have all day.” Stiles grins.

Derek smiles helplessly at him. “That we do.”

***

“Architecture? That’s amazing! Never saw you as an architect,” Stiles says.

They walk side by side as they leave the mill. “I’m not,” Derek shrugs. “I’ve always had a passion for architecture, the structure and complexity of a building. Not necessarily monuments or mansions. Simple buildings, homes that affect people’s lives.”

“But you never practiced.”

Derek shakes his head. “No. I have some sketches, but...” He’s never shown them to anyone, not even to Laura, who had always been the most supportive during his college years.

“Dreams are a funny thing, huh?”

When Derek turns to look at him, Stiles’ eyes are focused nowhere in particular, distant and a bit sad. Their hands are only a few inches apart and the proximity makes his skin buzz with the vehement desire to touch. Derek hesitates at first, but then he’s reaching for Stiles’ hand and just holds him there.

“I would like to show them to you,” he tells him.

Stiles’ beautiful brown eyes speak a thousands words. He tangles their fingers together and holds him tight as they walk down the hill over a road with pebbles, and further away from Betonia. “Favorite color?”

“Green.”

“Interesting.”

Derek snorts. “What? Are you going to judge me for my favorite color?”

“No, I’m profiling you. Gathering all the data...” Stiles smirks.

“Oh, right. IT guy,” Derek teases. “What’s my profile, then?”

“Hot architect without qualifications to be a reliable mechanic.” Derek barks out a laugh, but Stiles goes on. “Loyal, even to people like Isaac.” They both chuckle. “Family guy. I’m guessing, middle child, or younger.”

“Middle,” Derek cuts in.

Stiles hums. “Speaks English fluently and enjoys Nature.”

“Is that because I like green?”

“No, that’s because of all of the places you’ve taken me and my friends to during these last two weeks. Also because we’ve been walking away from the city for almost twenty minutes now.” Stiles winks at him. “You’re more tense and guarded when we’re not outside. You enjoy the freedom of uncrowded places, but you don’t seem to mind the company, which I think means you don’t want to be completely alone either. And if you were one of those wolves at the Sanctuary, you wouldn’t be completely happy.”

Derek gapes at him. “How did you…?”

He feels Stiles squeeze his hand and shrug. “I was just paying attention.”

The words come out as if they don’t matter, like Stiles didn’t just shatter Derek’s entire world with his simple words. As if it’s a normal thing for a stranger to do, to notice, to care . Apart from his family and close friends, servants are paid to notice whether Derek needs something or not, to attend to his every need. And outside of that small circle, Derek is just an important pawn for the future of his country. His wishes, his feelings... They’re irrelevant for the crown he will have to carry in the future.

Has Stiles been paying attention to him all this time? Would things be different if Stiles knew the truth? Would he still care for Derek and just Derek?

The villa comes into view before Derek can dwell on more questions. It’s not the time , he reminds himself. Today is only about Stiles.

“Is that…?” Stiles asks, excitement pouring out of him as he looks at Derek with wide eyes.

Derek smiles. “Have you ever ridden a horse?”

***

Stiles holds the reins like his life depends on it. “I’m going to fall.”

“No, you won’t,” Derek chuckles as he pets the horse. “I’ll ride with you.”

It’s almost comical to see how Stiles’ expression goes from relieved to full-on panicked as Derek mounts the horse and sits behind him.

Mason, the stable boy, snickers as he adjusts the saddle. He doesn’t know English, which allows Derek to avoid explaining to Stiles why the boy acts so formally around him.

“Can he carry us both?!” Stiles asks as he fidgets on the horse, not knowing whether he should look at Derek or straight ahead.

Derek laughs and grabs the reins, hands resting on top of Stiles’. “Don’t worry. Trust me, I’ve got you.”

The farmhouse links to a forest with a lake located in the middle of it, and that’s where Derek will take them. Boyd and Parrish have invited him to come here several times before, but Derek had always been out of the country or too busy accompanying his mother to important meetings. Cora and Laura came here with them a few times and made sure to tell Derek all about it. After the lake visit, Stiles and him will ride south and return to Betonia for lunch.

Stiles seems to have relaxed a lot more since they entered the forest. Derek doesn’t ride fast, even though he always does when he’s on his own, but he doesn’t want to risk scaring Stiles on his very first horse ride. They ride in silence, simply enjoying their surroundings and each other’s company. Derek’s hands remain on top of Stiles’ while securing the reins; arms bracing his body as they stay just a few inches apart. After a while, it’s Stiles who closes the distance between them and leans back onto Derek’s chest. The scent of Stiles so close to him makes his heart thump hard against his chest, and Derek wonders for a moment if Stiles can feel the way it beats out of control.

“You’re too quiet,” Derek comments.

He feels Stiles stiffen slightly. “I just don’t want to distract you.”

“You won’t,” he laughs. “I’ve been riding horses since I was little.”

“Whoa, really? Do you have one?”

Derek feels himself tense, tempted to lie. “Yes,” he replies cautiously. “His name is Triskelion; he’s black, but has a grey mark on his right leg similar to a star.”

Stiles turns his head slightly to the side and tries to look at Derek from the corner of his eye. It’s endearing to see that he’s still scared of moving more than just his head. “I want to see him.”

“I might have some pictures,” Derek says.

“I mean— I would really like to see him.”

“Maybe one day.” Derek lets his hand go from one of the reins and circles his arm around Stiles’ waist, ignoring the way he jolts at the touch. “Hold on tight,” he warns before increasing the pace considerably. Stiles grips his arm tightly and doesn’t comment on Derek’s clear avoidance of the subject.

It would be so simple. He would just have to ride to the Palace, no stops, no explanations. They would both enter the Palace for everyone to see. And Derek would court Stiles with all the wonders of a Royal life. Stiles would love it, because who wouldn’t? That was all Kate ever wanted from him; a title for life, power to control and to bend Derek to all her wishes, luxury and money for everyone to envy. His grip on the reins tightens— Stiles is different, Derek knows that by now. But how much would it take for the enchantment to break?

The beautiful lake comes into view and Derek feels Stiles exhale sharply.

“This is…”

Derek smiles, “Breathtaking.” He shushes the horse to a halt as they reach the clearing, right in front of the lake. The trees are high enough to shelter it, but not too dense to stop the sun from reflecting on the water. There’s a huge tree over it, almost sinking into the lake, and Derek can picture Cora trying to sit on it right in the middle. The bright contrast between the green and the blue is magnificent. Despite the hot Summer weather, the sky has a couple of clouds today that reflect beautifully onto the water.

“Did you know about this?” Stiles asks, now turning completely to look properly at Derek.

Derek nods, “I knew about it, but I’ve never been here. My friends and sisters came here a couple of times.”

Stiles’ lips curl into a soft smile. “Tell me more about your sisters.”

He huffs out a laugh. “They’re annoying most of the time, but that’s to be expected.” Stiles snorts. “I seem to always be part of their schemes even without noticing,” Derek goes on. “But we’re also there for each other. We have to.”

“United siblings,” Stiles grins. “Bet your parents couldn’t keep up.”

“That’s true,” Derek laughs, remembering the many times the three of them got grounded. Way too many times.

“I always wanted siblings, but my mother got sick when I was really young.” Stiles shrugs casually and Derek can’t help but lean closer to him. “But my father always said I was double trouble.”

“That bad?”

“You have no idea,” Stiles says smugly.

Derek snorts. “I guess my mother could say the same about all three of us.”

“Parents will always say that,” Stiles starts, “but then they will compliment and talk wonders about their kids behind their backs. I know my father can’t shut up about me back at the police station.”

“I doubt my mother does that often.” He can’t help but let his face fall down a bit, even if he’s still smiling.

Stiles seems to pick up on it, a bit of concern showing on his face. “Why do you say that?”

Derek pulls the reins and starts riding at a slower pace around the lake, startling Stiles, even though he doesn’t cast his eyes away from him. “Sometimes I don’t know what she wants from me,” he whispers.

“I’m sure she just wants what’s best for you, Derek.”

Derek shrugs, “Perhaps. But I wish I could make her proud of me as well, and sometimes, I don’t know how to do that.”

Stiles frowns but doesn’t ask; he tightens his grip on Derek’s hand and the way it anchors him is enough for Derek, even if just for today.

“Are you hungry?” Derek asks suddenly.

“I was born hungry,” Stiles groans, making both of them laugh.

“Hold on then.”

Stiles does.

***

Going to the market is probably not the best idea. All Derek wants is to show Stiles one of the most unique things about the city. The Market of Betonia has everything you can imagine and everything you didn't know could possibly exist. From all kinds of food, to bizarre antiques, rare books and collectors favorites from all over the world, the avenue is filled with little stands and picturesque stores, all sorts of signs, and different smells of food with every step you take. Problem is, it's also extremely crowded.

Derek tries his best to stay undercover, especially from the vendors. The tourists are easy to dodge, since they’re stunned by everything they see, just like Stiles, who drags Derek from stand to stand, amazed and intrigued by all the wonders.

"Star Wars Rare Collectors Cards,” Stiles says in awe. “Oh my God! Derek, this is like heaven and hell at the same time!"

They eat along the way, which was Derek's original idea for this day. He wants Stiles to try as many things as possible from Betonia, to give him good memories. It's a bit selfish, but he can't scratch the feeling that soon Stiles will be returning home. All Derek wishes is for him to not forget Betonia; and to selfishly not forget him either.

"Come here, big guy," Stiles calls him.

Derek arches an eyebrow as he approaches the stand filled with hats of all sizes, shapes, and colors.

"It's time to throw that hideous thing away." Stiles turns around, grinning and holding a grey beret.

"No," Derek tells him promptly as he stares at the thing in Stiles' hands.

Of course, that only makes Stiles laugh out loud. "How about this one?" It's a blue cap, not much different from the one he's currently wearing.

"How is that one different from this one?"

"It's from the Mets," Stiles replies. "My favorite team. It's a recuerdo from your amigo here."

Derek snorts. "First of all, that's Spanish not Italian." Stiles winces an apology. "Second, I won't need a hat to remember you."

"What then? I want to give you something."

Truth is, Derek doesn't think he will forget Stiles that easily. Not after the way he crashed into Derek’s life, repairing more of him than destroying. But, even he can admit the wish of wanting to capture the memories and hold them close once the time comes.

From the corner of his eye, Derek sees it. Just a few stands further there's a red photobooth with a black curtain. Derek takes the hat out of Stiles' grip, putting it back where it was and holds his hand. "Come with me."

***

“On the count of three,” Stiles announces, smiling and leaning closer to Derek.

Derek’s eyes are drawn from the screen to Stiles’ constellations of moles dotting the side of his cheek. And then there’s a faint click, making him jerk fast in his seat and tear his gaze away quickly. Stiles laughs next to him with his whole body, throwing an arm around him. Contagious and carefree, Derek smiles as well.

“Say ‘Cheese’!” Stiles chants before the next click. Derek rolls his eyes playfully and smiles.

Another click, and Stiles leans even closer, making a face at the camera, tongue darting out of his open mouth. Derek’s heart thuds at the proximity, his palms prickle with overwhelming nerves. And panic. Derek feels too much in such a confined space.

“Come on, Derek. Pull a face!” Stiles nudges him.

Derek huffs but smiles anyway, holding out two fingers in front of him to form the peace sign.

Click .

“Are you for real? A peace sign, really?” On the screen, Derek can see Stiles staring and smirking at him, making him blush.

Click.

And then Stiles is not even looking at the camera anymore. Derek glances to the side and sees him grinning at him, biting his bottom lip.

Click.

Stiles’ dark eyelashes blink back at him, earnest eyes drawn to his lips.

Click.

They stop smiling at each other, because when Derek starts leaning forward, it stops being a joke. Stiles’ knee is pressed against his and every core of Derek’s body feels trapped by the intensity of his amber eyes and the flaming desire to touch— kiss his bitten lips.

“I think this is the last one,” Stiles whispers softly.

Derek nods but can’t find the words to reply. The air between them squeezes, like they’re magnets drawn to each other. Their foreheads are only a few inches apart and Derek can feel Stiles' ragged breath brushing his face.

Click.

“Hai finito?” Someone outside yells, making Derek snap his gaze away to the black curtain. When he looks back at Stiles, his attention is on their freshly printed photos, the tips of his ears slightly red.

“Let’s go,” Stiles tells him promptly. “Before someone thinks we’re just taking advantage of it.” He winks and it’s such a Stiles thing to say; to brush off their awkwardness with a bit of flirting. Derek nods, his heart still pounding hard against his chest; he puts his glasses on and grabs his hat, willingly following Stiles out of the booth.

Outside, Stiles squints at the woman with her three kids. Both of them try their best to pretend they're sorry. Derek feels the opposite of sorry. As they walk away, they see her lining up her kids and straightening their shirts. Stiles mumbles something about how a photo booth is not the place to take a photo pass. But the mild irritation appears to be long gone as he suddenly stops in his tracks while he looks at their photos.

“Stiles?” Derek moves to his side, curiosity sparking as he glances over at the photos held in Stiles’ hands.

They're… compelling, to say the least. They both look like two lovesick teenagers and Derek doesn’t even remember the last time he was smiling like that.

“You get to pick four,” Stiles says, voice raw and lower than usual. He doesn’t take his eyes away from the photos and, well, Derek shares the sentiment; he can feel his own face flush, color rising high in his cheeks, and he knows it’s not because of the hot sun above them.

“I—” Derek tries. “Maybe these ones? I don’t know. You pick. They’re…”

“Perfect,” Stiles mutters and Derek can feel he’s smiling with each syllable.

His hands are almost shaking when he accepts the photos from Stiles; their fingers brush against each other, the lingering touch making his insides burn.

Derek stares at the photos in his hand. There’s one with them looking at each other and so close . He didn’t even realize they were that close. He surely didn’t realize how Stiles was looking at him. But he can’t pick a favorite. The one at the bottom is a bit blurry with Stiles laughing and Derek's amused face still pretending to be annoyed.

On every single one of them, Stiles' look makes his heart clench. Next to him, Stiles keeps staring at the photos, a hint of a smile on his lips. He probably doesn't even realize it. And this could be it, Derek thinks. This could be his moment, theirs . And it's the fear of more that makes him break the unknown spell he's still trying to figure out.

"Do you want some ice cream?" Derek asks, already walking away from Stiles and hoping that he follows him. He does.

***

They’re sitting on the grass inside Betonia’s Botanic Gardens with a large Pizza al Prosciutto between them as they watch an independent movie on the big screen. It’s IndieBetonia Independent Film Festival, one Derek managed to accidently find while he was browsing the internet and planning their date, figuring it would be a great way to end the night. Derek switches to the glasses Erica gave him once it gets dark, trying to ignore the “hot geeky look” comment Stiles throws his way. There’s not many people inside, because it’s a weekday and not many tourists will be looking for something like this. It feels cozy and very close to a picnic, but at night.

“You know, this is the greatest date I’ve ever been on,” Stiles says between bites of pizza.

“Is that so?” Derek can’t help but smile.

Stiles scoffs, snatching a napkin. “Don’t flatter yourself too much. I wouldn’t expect any less from someone like you.”

Derek quirks an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know...” Stiles waves a hand at him. “Your looks and charm, plus the perfect route for a date. How can anyone not like it?”

“I—” For a moment, Derek thought Stiles was going to talk about the expectations of someone with his title, but— he frowns, confused. “Stiles, I never did this with anyone else.”

Stiles stares at him wide-eyed, the cheese from his slice melting in his hands. “Oh,” he says before ducking his head and grinning helplessly. “That’s… good.”

“Yeah,” Derek adds, smiling as well.

They don’t pay much attention to the movie playing on the screen in front of them. Instead, they find themselves content to just talk with each other, casually ignoring the way their bodies drift closer and closer once they finish their pizza. The ice cream they get later is almost forgotten because both of them end up just playing with their spoons as they keep sharing stories.

***

When the movie ends, Stiles leans back to lie on the grass and Derek fails not to look at the way his shirt lifts to reveal a patch of skin.

“Wow, that’s a beautiful sight,” Stiles wonders as he settles, hands behind his head to support it.

Derek looks up at the starry sky, “I guess you can’t see that from many places.”

Stiles nods. “Last time I saw a sky like that was with Scott at the preserve back home, right before we went off to college. Damn, it was a cold night, but we got really drunk in return.” He grins fiercely.

“Are you moving back there once you finish college?” Derek asks.

“Maybe.” Stiles sighs. “I don’t know. My dad tells me to do what’s best for me and I know he means it, but I don’t want to leave him by himself as the years pass, especially after he retires. Flights are not exactly cheap either.”

“Our life is never just ours to decide,” Derek comments.

Stiles huffs out a laugh. “So true.”

“Come on,” Derek stands up. “The gardens are closing and I think it’s going to rain.”

“Rain?!” Stiles asks incredulous as he sits. “The sky is clean.”

“Look over there.” Derek points north, where the sky is greyish and filled with clouds.

“Damn.”

Derek snorts and helps him stand. “I’ll walk you back to the hostel.”

For a brief second, Stiles looks disappointed, but then he groans as he brushes his hands off against his jeans, complaining about the rain ruining their date. Derek wants to tell him their date is far from being ruined and how he wishes it would never end. But he doesn’t.

They leave the gardens and walk through the mostly empty streets of Betonia, considering it’s a weekday and almost midnight. Stiles keeps talking about Beacon Hills, tells Derek how different it is from Betonia. Then he talks about Berkeley and San Francisco. Derek learns that Scott decided to study at Stanford, so he could keep helping his mom. He always imagined that Stiles and Scott would be forever glued to each other.

“We’re still attached at the hip, according to everyone,” Stiles goes on. “We skype all the time and meet up a lot. I travel back to Beacon Hills every chance I get because of my dad, but we also try to meet up half away and check out new places.”

“But all those years together in school, must have been hard to break apart.”

Stiles nods. “At first, yeah. But then we realized that wouldn’t change our friendship unless we wanted it to.”

“That’s true,” Derek smiles fondly.

“We still manage to drive our parents up the wall.” Stiles grins.

They’re walking past the Palace and Derek can’t help the uneasy feeling that settles in his stomach. Everyone is probably already in their rooms, getting ready to sleep. Hopefully, the text he sent to Isaac earlier was enough to put his mind at rest. He still feels a bit guilty for not warning him sooner.

“I wonder how it is inside. Apparently they’re not allowing visitors at the moment,” Stiles comments, looking straight at the Palace. “I have never been inside a Palace before. If we were younger, Scott and I would probably have tried to sneak in.”

Derek turns around to stare at him. “What?! You would— But—”

The lack of words only make Stiles laugh. “I’ve grown up knowing how to break the rules. My dad is a sheriff, remember? It was like it was meant to be,” he says smugly.

“So you would…?”

“Get inside?” Stiles grins. “Hell yeah! But it’s obviously heavily guarded. I mean— it’s the freaking Palace!”

It’s a bad idea. And Derek knows it’s a bad idea. His hands start sweating even before muttering a word. His body is shivering just from the mere thought of it, but—

“I know a way in,” he finally says.

Stiles turns his gaze back at him, wide eyed, “Wh— Seriously?! Are you—  Derek, we could get caught and then they would arrest us. My dad would be furious if he had a call from the embassy saying his son tried to kill the Queen or something!” Derek can’t help but laugh at that, amused. “And Scott would panic, I bet he would try to reason with the Queen or— Oh my god, we should totally do it. Let’s do it!”

“Are you sure it’s not a bad idea?” Derek teases.

“It’s a terrible idea, which is why we’re doing it.” Stiles grins in a way that makes Derek’s heart beat hard against his chest.

***

They head silently to the east entrance, where the patrol passes by less frequently, since it’s closer to their quarters and the stables. Derek has been climbing that big tree next to the fence since he was a kid, together with his sisters. Stiles, however, is far less graceful. He lets out a loud groan when he falls ass first flat on the ground. But once inside the gardens, it’s easy to reach the kitchen’s backdoor.

Stiles is a nervous spastic bug next to him, so Derek goes in first, just in case someone’s inside. As expected, the kitchen is empty and in complete darkness. The kitchen servants are the first ones to leave back to their quarters, since they’re the first ones to wake up.

“Oh my god,” Stiles whispers. “We’re in the Palace's kitchen!”

Derek scoffs. “Do you want a muffin?”

Stiles looks at him like he’s crazy. He must be.

Upstairs everything seems to be quiet, so Derek waves at Stiles to follow him. Once he opens the door connecting the grand hall and the kitchen, most of the lights are out, but Derek still looks for any signs of their servants. Especially Harris, who has the awful habit of wandering around late at night.

“How do you even know where to go?” Stiles hisses behind him.

Derek shushes him and takes a step forward towards the grand hall. The grand staircase is poorly illuminated at this hour, but Stiles still holds his breath at the stunning display.

“Wow,” he manages.

His entire life, Derek never found it really appealing, but the way Stiles’ eyes shine in wonder, makes him question his surroundings all over again. Derek carefully studies Stiles as he moves forward, trying to look everywhere at the same time. The series of paintings of his ancestors seem to fascinate him in particular.

“There’re so many,” Stiles comments about one in particular. Derek tenses when he sees the painting in question. “Are they like all brothers and sisters?”

“No,” Derek replies sternly.

Stiles frowns at him, “What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing. Just—” Derek sighs deeply. “That’s the King,” he starts. “The Queen is next to him and their three children stand by their sides.” He remembers that day all too well, even though he was just ten years old. “The others are uncles, cousins…”

Stiles hums, looking again at the painting. “How did the King die?”

“He was visiting some facilities in Africa; schools, hospital centers... Some of them were only reachable by helicopter. There was a desert storm and the helicopter crashed. It took them five days to find it, but by then it was already too late.” Over the years, it stopped being weird to talk about his father’s death, but still not less painful. Derek stares at his father’s face, looking down at the two of them. He wonders if he would feel any different about the throne if his father was still alive. If Kate hadn’t happened, maybe his mother wouldn’t feel responsible to dictate his life. If his father hadn’t died, Derek would have more time for himself and maybe he would dream of living up to his family’s expectations.

“Derek?”

He snaps out of his daze to look at Stiles. “Sorry. I was just thinking.”

“We’ll be pushing our luck if we stay any longer.”

Derek nods. “We should go.”

They head back downstairs and when they open the kitchen’s back door to the gardens, rain is pouring down from the sky.

“No way,” Stiles says in disbelief. “It’s really raining. We’ll be soaking wet!”

“Wait here.” Derek turns back inside to search around the kitchen. He knows there’s always an umbrella somewhere… “Found it!”

“We’re stealing an umbrella. From the Palace.” Stiles stares at it like it’s going to eat him alive.

Derek rolls his eyes. “It’s just an umbrella, Stiles. Not the Queen’s jewels.”

“From the Palace!” Stiles repeats in a low voice.

“I’ll return it later.”

Stiles frowns. “How the hell— You know what? I don’t think I want to know.”

Derek snorts. “I think that’s for the best. Come on.”

They share the umbrella until they reach the fence.

“Now what?” Stiles asks turning his attention to Derek.

Derek looks up at the fence. “I guess we don’t have much choice but to get wet.”

“Another time, I would have jumped at the opportunity of that pun.”

Before Derek even has a chance to reply, Stiles is already trying to climb the fence and cursing at how slippery it is. Derek passes him the umbrella once he reaches the other side, amused by the way Stiles awkwardly fumbles with it in an attempt to open it up again quickly.

“It’s just rain, Stiles.” Derek teases him as he jumps down next to him, taking cover under the umbrella.

“I don’t have your metabolism. I’m fragile, okay?”

Derek can’t help but laugh. With Stiles’ ongoing ranting, plus the heavy sound of the rain, he almost misses the two Palace guards approaching. Derek has only one second to panic and turn the umbrella completely to the side, covering their faces promptly from whoever is on the inside of the Palace.

Stiles lets out an indignant squeak as the rain suddenly starts falling directly on them. Derek’s heart runs wild, scared of being discovered and facing everyone; terrified of seeing Stiles taken away from his life for good.

“What the hell, Derek?!” Stiles’ hands grip the umbrella tightly, hopelessly trying to take cover, but Derek stubbornly holds it exactly where he wants it, trying to cage them both from his own reality. Instinctively and almost protectively, Derek leans closer to Stiles, never taking his eyes away from him, mouth suddenly too dry. He wants to keep this, to keep them ; he wants to be forever like this. He wants—  he wants so much more .

“Derek, what are you—”

Stiles’ cries die as their lips touch. The rain keeps falling down on them, but the world could end in that very moment and Derek wouldn’t budge. Everything around them dims and becomes insignificant. The kiss is nowhere nearly as desperate as the feral beat of his heart against his chest . It’s soft, and yet he can feel it in every cell of his body, from the hand carefully tracing Stiles’ arm to the tip of his toes. The rain feels cold against his skin, but Stiles’ lips are warm against his, slightly parted in surprise, pliant and testing every fiber of what’s left of him to not just take over.

When Derek leans back, gasping for air, Stiles’ eyes are closed, dark eyelashes blinking with the rain, small and big droplets falling down his dotted face, ragged breath mixing with his own. Once he opens his eyes, Derek’s defences are lost again; he licks his lips on instinct, chasing the memory of the shape and taste of Stiles’ lips like his life depends on it.

But Stiles beats him to it. Firm hands and long fingers cup his face, bringing their mouths back together. This time, it feels much more like a race. Their mouths fit together with breathless noises as their hands clutch each other’s clothes, begging for closeness—   closer . It’s almost a bruising kiss, but neither of them dare to object or to stop. No, he can’t stop. Derek wasn’t expecting for Stiles’ lips to feel so soft, to feel so wet and to taste so sweetly, like the ice cream they shared only a few hours ago.

His focalpoint is Stiles and nothing else. His bones ache with want and desire that he can’t seem to satiate just by pulling Stiles against him. Closer , but it’s not enough. They tilt their heads just so, like they’ve kissed a thousand times before. Like they can be forever like this, as if there’s no reality to come back to. Only them.

The hungry and desperate motion of their mouths together seems to die once Stiles tries to open Derek’s mouth with his tongue, slow and testing, like he’s afraid Derek will storm away. He would never— Never in his life has he thought about how kissing a man could be as passionate and arousing as this. Never in his life has he thought about kissing a man at all. His hand curls fiercely around Stiles’ hip as his entire body burns and craves for more, letting the umbrella fall on the wet ground. The kiss may be slower but it still makes Derek’s head spin. His emotions seem to amplify. He doesn’t care. He just wants this. He just wants Stiles.

Derek pours his feelings into their kiss, just like the rain falling on them. They both moan at the first touch of their tongues, exploring and demanding at the same time.

“Derek,” Stiles moans, a shuttering sound that dies in his mouth rather fast. Derek can feel Stiles’ hand on his back, fingers digging in his soaked wet shirt and holding him firmly against his body.

When they finally break apart, Derek can barely find the air to fill his lungs. Their foreheads stay pressed against each other as they both try to recover.

“I’ve been— “ Stiles breathes and then swallows. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”

“I’ve been wanting it the whole week,” Derek confesses.

Stiles laughs, happy and breathless, brushing their noses together. Derek smiles with him, just as dazzled.

“Your hair is a mess,” Stiles blurts out.

“Yours too.”

“We’re completely drenched.”

“I don’t mind.”

Stiles beams. “Me neither.”

Chapter Text

Derek hasn’t been able to think about anything else except the kiss from last night. Kisses . There had been lots and lots of kisses. Derek was barely able to sleep, his mind constantly drifting to the way Stiles’ body fit so right in his arms. After dropping him off at the hostel, Derek spent the night in his bed skimming his lips, trying to remember those sweet kisses, the taste of Stiles’ mouth and the beautiful shape of his drunk smile afterwards.

The panic was inevitable as he questioned if it had been just the spur of the moment, but it would pass with the memory of Stiles’ lips against his. That touch had been real— his heart wouldn’t stop pounding with so much happiness that he thought he was about to explode.

Inevitably, Derek also can’t stop thinking about how Stiles will be leaving in just a few days. He dreams about the future and can’t help himself for considering said future with Stiles. Everything would be so much easier with Stiles by his side. His silly jokes, his contagious smile, his cunning way of understanding Derek… Maybe he could tell him the truth. Or maybe he should tell his mother about Stiles first.

He showers trying to practice a speech to his mother, hoping the words will come out more easily once he actually speaks to her. Just as he finishes, his phone rings and Stiles’ name shows up on the screen, making his heart skip a beat.

“Hi,” he greets him with a big smile, even though Stiles can’t see him.

“Hi,” Stiles replies, his voice soft and happy. “Did you sleep well?”

Derek snorts. “Honestly?”

They both laugh helplessly.

“Me too,” Stiles admits. He can imagine him biting his lip at the same time. “I wish we could meet today.”

“I know,” Derek sighs. “I want to be with you too.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really .”

“But we can meet tomorrow, right?”

Derek smiles at Stiles’ hopeful tone. “I will do everything I can for that to happen.”

“Good. Because…” Stiles pauses and Derek mentally fills in the unsaid words because I’m leaving soon . “I really want to be with you, Derek.”

Something aches inside Derek. He swallows before replying, “I’ll find a way.”

Silence settles for a few seconds and Derek stares at his reflection in the mirror, wondering how much easier this would all be if his future wasn’t traced for him. How ironic is it that some people are incapable of loving someone else due to the uncertainty of their future and here he is, wishing he had the privilege of living in the unknown.

“What will you be doing today?” Derek asks.

“Plan is to visit as many museums as possible, and the Grand Gallery.”

“You don’t sound too excited.”

Stiles scoffs. “Everyone is, but I… I just wish you could come with us too.”

“Me too.”

“Derek?” Isaac’s voice comes from his room, jolting him away from his thoughts.

“Stiles, I have to go.”

“Oh. Okay.” Derek tries to ignore how disappointed Stiles’ voice sounds. “You have to meet with your family, right?”

“Right.” Derek sighs. “I’m sorry. I’ll call you later?”

“Okay.”

“Have fun with the others.”

“Thank you. I’ll tell them you said hi.”

Derek smiles. “Thanks.”

There’s a knock on the bathroom’s door and Isaac calls out again.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yes, later. Bye, Derek.”

“Goodbye, Stiles.”

Derek doesn’t want to hang up just yet, but Isaac knocks again and again, leaving him with no choice but to promptly end the call. He opens the door, annoyed. “Yes?”

Isaac startles. “I was just coming to remind you of your meeting with the Queen and Deaton.”

“I didn’t forget about it.” Derek huffs out an exasperated sound as he walks back to his room, just in his underwear. “Contrary to popular belief, I know my responsibilities.”

“I— I never said that you didn’t,” Isaac stutters for a bit. “Did something happen?”

Derek picks up the white shirt Isaac already settled for him. “No.”

“Huh,” Isaac hums, but doesn’t push.

The silence stretches and Derek needs at least three tries with the buttons of his shirt before he gives up and sits on the bed, letting out a deep sigh. “I don’t know what to do.”

“What happened?” Isaac asks again, carefully this time.

“Stiles and I kissed last night. I mean— I kissed him .”

“Did he kiss back?”

“Yes. Many times… There was a lot of—”

Isaac stops him. “I don’t want to know the details.”

Derek huffs out a pained laugh. “He’s leaving soon, Isaac.”

“I know... Have you talked about it?”

“No. I guess we’re both trying to avoid talking about it.”

“You know they’re all leaving anyway.”

“I know,” Derek sighs. “But I keep thinking about… What if...” He groans, frustrated.

Isaac motions for him to stand up and when Derek does, he starts buttoning his shirt. “Don’t talk with him then,” Isaac offers. “Let things flow naturally.”

“And then what?”

“Then he goes home and you return to your life.”

Derek tenses, clenching his fists, but doesn’t comment. How can he?

Isaac notices, he finishes buttoning his shirt and steps back. “You really like him.”

It’s not a question but Derek nods anyway, grabbing his pants. Isaac helps him get dressed, neither of them muttering another word. And by the time he’s done, Harris knocks on the door, informing Derek that the Queen is waiting for him in her office. Isaac gives him an encouraging smile before he leaves the room.

***

“The Spanish ambassador will arrange a meeting with the King,” Deaton explains, setting a bunch of papers on the table. “We agreed it would be best to wait for the wedding.”

Derek nods. “Laura would love to visit Spain again.”

“She won’t be going this time,” his mother says. “You are, Derek.”

“Me? You don’t need my presence for this to go through.”

“Your presence is needed as future King of this country,” she insists.

“We thought it would be less formal if you invited Julia to accompany you,” Deaton cuts in.

Derek stares at them both in disbelief, “Is this why you asked me to attend this meeting?”

“Of course not,” his mother replies. “Derek, you will be leading this country and following this treaty. Don’t you think you should be present for the negotiations?”

Derek clenches his jaw. “ Yes .”

She smiles at him. “Deaton, could you leave us for a moment?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

When Deaton leaves, his mother stands up to sit next to him, placing a hand over his own. “I know I’ve been busy with Laura’s wedding and this treaty, but your coronation is only a few months away. You know you can talk to me about it, right?”

Derek nods, but there are too many feelings eating him on the inside and he can’t seem to find the words to express them.

“I always thought your father would be here for this moment. Or hoped...” Derek can hear the hint of sadness in her voice. She squeezes his hand and smiles fondly. “But he always believed in you. Your spirit is strong and your heart is good. You have everything to be a great King.”

Derek tries to swallow the lump in his throat; he swallows hard. “Mom…”

Before he can find the words or the courage to say what he truly feels, Deaton knocks on the door to remind them about the time.

“We should go, Your Majesty.”

The lunch meeting is uneventful, as expected. Flattering greetings, new acquaintances, too many smiles and not enough drinks. The treaty is barely even discussed during lunch, as per the Queen’s request. Like always, Derek is impressed by how much they respect his mother. She doesn’t put him on the spot, but tries to have Derek engage in every little conversation possible. It’s not hard for him to smile and pretend to be transfixed on what the other person is saying; he plays all his charm tricks on both men and women, making them smile and share their stories in return. But by the time lunch is over, Derek feels numb and tired on the inside.

The discussion about the treaty lasts the entire afternoon, with too many breaks from both parties to discuss the terms privately. Derek has barely any time to check and reply to Stiles’ texts. His mother eyes him skeptically every time she sees him with his cellphone in his hand, so Derek reluctantly sets it aside.

At the end of the meeting, the Ambassador's wife congratulates the Queen and Derek for Laura’s impending marriage with such praise and sincerity that his mother has no other choice but to invite them to come to the Palace for dinner.

It’s not as formal as lunch, especially with Laura and Cora present, but it’s still too demanding after such a long day. The main topic is the wedding, which Derek is grateful for. Laura talks enthusiastically about it and even Cora shows some excitement about her dress. Only, when the dessert comes, the topic gets awfully awkward.

“So, Prince Derek,” the Ambassador’s wife— Carmen — cuts in. “How about you, your Highness? When can we expect your wedding?”

Derek freezes, while his sisters seem to choke on their pudding.

“Did I say something wrong?” Carmen asks, looking around the table.

“On the contrary,” his mother replies promptly, “that has been discussed several times. My son has requests for possible suitors almost every month.” She leans closer to Carmen and pretends to whisper, “But Lady Julia Baccari and my son have been getting along too well in the past two years.”

“Mother!” Derek hisses.

“I think what my mother means to say is that Derek still hasn’t found someone suitable for his heart,” Laura quickly intervenes.

Cora scoffs. “Or someone willing to put up with his grumpy mood on a daily basis.”

Derek narrows his eyes at her, while everyone laughs silently.

“Ah, young love!” Carmen sighs happily. “Princess Laura, your words carry the happiness of being in love. I’m happy for you and your fiancé.”

Laura smiles. “Thank you.”

Once the topic changes, Derek takes the chance of whispering to Laura how thankful he is for her intervention. She squeezes his hand in return and smiles. Laura always saw right through him when a suitor came to meet Derek. And he has a feeling that she never really liked Julia, not even now; when he decided to give up to their mother’s insistence and accept Julia’s more frequent visits as a possible match for the future. At least now he doesn’t have to meet different people every month or be pushed into everyone’s daughter’s arms during every party he has to attend.

Derek stares at the tiny photos of him with Stiles inside the photo booth, as he sits on the windowsill of his bedroom after dinner, letting the night summer breeze caress his face. Things will need to change as soon as he talks to his mother about Stiles. It’s not like he’s going to ask Stiles to marry him, but he can’t keep dragging Julia and her family around while his heart is falling for someone else. He also can’t tell Stiles the truth and expect them to be kept a secret. Surely his mother will understand. Surely…

He reaches for his phone and texts Stiles.

11:36 PM Derek: Miss you. See you tomorrow?

The reply is almost instant.

11:37 PM Stiles: miss you 2. see you tomorrow! can’t wait :)

Derek smiles at the text, but it feels too bittersweet. Ten more days. That’s all the time they have together. And every hour feels like only a second; time is running too fast for everything he wants to say and do. He will tell Stiles the truth before he flies back to America and afterwards he will settle everything with his mother.

***

“It will be okay,” Isaac says.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Derek mutters.

“It sure won’t get better if you keep pacing around in circles.”

Derek sits down on his bed and sighs. “What am I supposed to do when I meet him? Should I just kiss him or wait until he does? What if he doesn’t?”

Isaac scoffs. “I’m pretty sure he will.” But the words do nothing to calm Derek down. “Look, he kissed you back, right? And you talked with him afterwards. Was it good or bad? Did he seem like he didn’t want to meet you today?”

“No, he said…” He pauses.

“What?” Isaac looks at him expectantly.

Derek cracks a small smile. “He said that he missed me.”

“Prince Derek Samuel Hale of Betonia blushing because his crush longs for him.”

“Stop making fun of me.”

Isaac bows. “I wouldn’t dare, your Highness.”

Derek rolls his eyes.

“It would give an amazing headline though,” Isaac points out, snickering as he turns to leave.

He knows Isaac is only teasing him, but the thought is enough to make Derek panic.

That panic doesn’t go away as he sneaks out of the Palace to meet Stiles. If only, it increases as soon as he sees him. Hands sweating and heart beating faster, Derek watches Stiles pacing around the big fountain, hand typing something on his cellphone, the other restless by his side.

For a second, Derek thinks it would be best to just turn around and leave. But his legs don’t move and his heart doesn’t slow down. People rush past him, as if he’s no one. And he likes that fantasy where he’s invisible to others and can choose who sees him. A misstep and that fantasy will be long gone.

The second Stiles’ eyes lock with his, Derek realizes he won’t be able to go back to what his life was before this person came into his life. In the end, Derek doesn’t know if he was the one who allowed Stiles to see him or if Stiles simply saw through him.

Stiles smiles brightly when he reaches him. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Derek swallows.

They stare at each other for a beat too long, Stiles biting his bottom lip and Derek itching to take a step closer. But he doesn’t and a second later, Stiles’ smile falls short.

“Should we go grab a coffee?” Stiles asks him, averting his eyes away from Derek and to the crowd around them.

Derek’s heart sinks. “Yeah. Coffee would be good.”

Stiles nods and starts walking, not really in front of Derek, but not exactly next to him either. Derek replays his chat with Isaac inside his mind, trying to find the courage to at least hold Stiles’ hand. But if Stiles didn’t even kiss him, why would he want to hold hands? Maybe he didn’t miss him that much or maybe he doesn’t like to be kissed in public…. Or maybe this thing between them is just inside Derek’s mind. The kiss— kisses were good and— Geez , could it be that he read it all wrong? But why would Stiles invite him for a date— This is a date, right ?

“Here,” Stiles says as they arrive to a coffee shop, not as crowded as the square.

Derek waits for Stiles to enter first, holding the door for him as he steps inside. He doesn’t miss the short smile that Stiles throws his way. Small victories...

As expected, Stiles is still not used to the variety of italian coffee and takes a bit longer to place his order. The barista suggests the Marocchino con Cioccolato Bianco, leaning forward and winking. “I’ll make it extra dolce for you.”

And that’s it for Derek. He’s had enough of watching this girl shamelessly flirt with Stiles.

“We’ll take two Americanos.” Derek narrows his eyes at the barista, daring her to make another suggestion . She takes a quick glance at Stiles and then back to Derek. Her gaze stays on him for a beat too long, and Derek has to remind himself that he’s wearing his sunglasses and there’s no way she can recognize him. She can’t, it can’t happen— And then she nods, registering their order.

When she turns around, Derek lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and when he looks to the side, Stiles is staring back at him with an open mouth.

Fuck.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean— I should have let you pick your order, but she was m—”

His words get muffled by Stiles’ lips against his. The kiss starts with just a hard press of their lips together, but quickly becomes softer and sweeter. Stiles brings his hand up to cup Derek’s jaw, making his heart skip a beat at the intimacy of it. A cough startles both of them and when they break apart, the barista is looking at them, awkwardly holding their coffees.

“Two Americanos,” she prompts.

Derek pays for their order, not leaving room for Stiles to protest when he tries to pay for his own coffee.

“Thanks.” Stiles smiles, reaching for Derek’s hand and tangling their fingers, leading them out of the shop.

From there on, it’s like they’re finally in sync together. Stiles doesn’t let go of Derek’s hand, even when a kid tries to run through them. Every time they stop to wait to cross the street, one of them will steal a kiss from the other, short and quick, but enough to taste the coffee on their lips.

Only after they’re done with their coffees, Derek realizes that they have no destination, no plans. The same nervous thoughts come back in full as he realizes that Stiles might be expecting something .

“I— I didn’t plan anything for today,” he says sheepishly.

Stiles shrugs. “That’s okay. I’m fine with this.” And then he pauses to look at Derek. “This is okay, right?”

Derek glances at their joined hands and then back at Stiles’ whiskey eyes. Derek nods. “Yeah.” It’s perfect , he doesn’t dare to say.

The smile Stiles gives him is wide and honest, but it’s the quick peck on the lips he gives him that makes Derek’s knees go weak.

“I actually need to buy something for my dad,” Stiles says when he leans back. “Maybe you could help me?”

Derek smiles. “Of course.”

***

As they enter the first souvenir shop, Derek knows he’s in trouble. His hat and sunglasses might hide him from others, but surely, among so many royal souvenirs, Stiles is doomed to stumble on something with Derek’s face. And if there’s one thing Derek learned these days is that Stiles is not stupid. The other thing he knows for sure, is that this is the worst possible way of Stiles learning the truth.

“This royal wedding is everywhere,” Stiles mutters. Derek frowns, because Stiles walks right past the royal souvenirs and looks almost annoyed by it.

“You don’t like weddings?”

Stiles shrugs. “I don’t have a problem with weddings, except those who are obviously being used as propaganda. It’s not real and yet it’s being sold to us like the greatest love story in this country. It’s shallow.”

“How do you know they don’t like each other?” Derek can’t help the defensive tone, after all this is his sister’s wedding.

The look Stiles gives him is almost mocking, “You don’t really believe that, right? These people don’t marry for love. They marry for politics.”

Well, he can’t really argue with that, but— “But Princess Laura and Lord Jordan really like each other.”

Stiles scoffs as he grabs a mug that reads I’m Italian and I cannot keep calm . “How would you know?”

“Just— I’ve seen them together.”

“Oh?” Stiles turns to look at him.

Derek drops his gaze to the floor. “Even royals can fall in love.”

“Aww, aren’t you a romantic?” Derek wonders if Stiles is mocking him, but that fear flies out the window when he looks up and Stiles is holding a mug that says Kiss me, I’m italian and wiggles his eyebrows at him. God, he’s such a dork. Derek falls a bit more in love, but tries to hide his smile by rolling his eyes.

“I should buy this for you,” he says.

Derek snorts. “You can kiss me every time you want.”

“Every time?” Stiles steps closer.

“Every time.” Derek seals it with a kiss.

***

Stiles buys a mug and a shirt for his father, a hoodie for himself and then he makes Derek leave the shop and wait outside. Once he steps out of the shop, he gives a bag to Derek.

“Your present.”

Derek frowns. “I live here, Stiles.”

“I saw it and I had to buy it.” Then almost as a whisper he says, “So you can remember me when I’m not around.”

With a sad smile, Derek opens the bag to see—

“Don’t open it now!” Stiles practically shrieks and takes the bag out of his grip. “Later. Open it later. Alone.”

He’s blushing hard and despite his curiosity, Derek doesn’t try to open it. He figures he would prefer the same thing, if he was giving something to Stiles. Which…

“I should get you something too.”

Stiles grins at him. “I got that covered.” He opens his own bag and takes out a small disposable camera covered with the italian flag colors. “I figured this would be the best way to take some more memories back with me.”

They stay silent for a while. Stiles holding the camera with his long fingers, while Derek searches for the right words to say but can only look at the boy in front of him.

Finally, without knowing what to say, Derek steps forward, takes the camera out of Stiles’ hands and holds it away from them, ready to shoot. He cups Stiles’ jaw with his other hand, thumb caressing his cheek, and whispers against his lips, “Let’s make some memories then.”

***

The rest of the day is spent walking around town and getting lost in alleys as a lame excuse to get closer and kiss more fervently. Derek’s hat gets lost along the way.

After lunch, they discover an empty greenhouse with hundreds of flowers of all colors and shapes. Derek takes off his sunglasses as Stiles drags him further to the center, and refuses to think about how his mother would love to visit this place. Not when Stiles turns to take a picture of Derek, pointing out how it will be impossible for a photo to convey the beauty of the flowers surrounding them, especially the colors in Derek’s eyes.

They share an ice cream at sunset, near the bay. There’s something special about watching the sky change its colors as people leave the beach and the seagulls start searching for food in the sand. It’s even better to experience this next to someone like Stiles.

Derek puts his sunglasses aside and turns his gaze from the sea to Stiles. The orange and pink sky reflects in Stiles’ eyes, making them even more beautiful and bright. Derek’s skin tingles as he leans forward and captures Stiles’ lips. Each new kiss they share feels different than the ones before. There’s less urgency, but the intensity is still there, as if each touch is a chance of memorizing each other’s mouths and taste. And neither of them wants to miss that chance.

His mind goes fuzzy as Stiles’ hands pull him closer by the waist, fingertips pressing the skin under his shirt. And when he pulls back to breathe, Derek’s instinct is to drag his mouth to Stiles’ neck, who doesn’t seem to mind as he leans his head to the side to give him more access. Derek can feel Stiles’ ragged breaths as he drags his teeth over his earlobe, trying so hard not to bite.

“Derek.” Stiles groans, hand coming up around Derek’s neck, encouraging him to keep going.

He sucks a mark on Stiles’ collarbone, selfishly wishing it could stay there forever. Stiles hisses when it gets to be too much, but doesn’t pull him away. Derek drops an open mouthed kiss, wet and gentle, before leaning back to admire his work in the afternoon light.

Stiles’ eyes aren’t as shiny as before, now dark and lusting. He surges forward to capture Derek’s lips for another kiss. More desperate and fierce. They don’t stop kissing until the sun sets completely and Stiles’ stomach lets out a loud growl, startling them both. Their next kiss is filled with laughter and smiles.

***

“Derek, you are such a cheesy romantic.”

Derek blushes hard. “I just thought you would like it.”

“What’s there not to like?” Stiles asks, blushing just as hard.

They’re sitting at a table for two at the back of an expensive Italian restaurant. Derek’s been here with his sisters before and he’s well aware of the risk of coming here again, unannounced and with no guard. But the day with Stiles has been perfect so far and he doesn’t want to deprive Stiles of this just because of who he is.

Derek asked Stiles to wait outside, as he knocked on the back door of the restaurant and asked to speak with the owner. To own a favor to the Prince is far more valuable than money, because money is not something a prestiged restaurant needs. A promise of a future royal visit to the restaurant is priceless and the best publicity they could ask for.

The owner was obviously thrilled and promised the maximum discretion. Only one waiter was assigned to them, of the most absolute trust as assured by the owner. A small table was arranged just for the two of them, a red candle being the only source of light between them. Stiles filled him with questions at first, but settled once Derek told him he knew the owner. “I thought we would have more privacy like this,” Derek said. Which led them to this very moment.

The waiter brings the wine and pours a bit in Derek’s glass for him to taste it. As Derek nods his approval, the waiter serves them both and leaves the bottle on the table before leaving.

Stiles waits for him to leave, before asking, “Isn’t this a bit too much?”

Derek frowns and bows his head, voice small and unsure, “We can leave if you want to.”

“No.” Stiles stares at him with wide eyes. “No, I just—” he bites his bottom lip. Derek already knows this is a sign of Stiles’ being nervous. He reaches for Stiles’ hand on top of the table, encouraging him to speak. “Sorry,” Stiles begins. “I’m not used to all this… fancy stuff.”

For a moment Derek is left speechless. He didn’t even consider if Stiles would be comfortable with this, thinking he was just bringing him to the best restaurant he knows and that would make him happy.

“You’re probably thinking how lame I am.” Stiles lets out a sad laugh and Derek hates the sound of it.

“Stiles.” Derek tightens his grip on Stiles’ hand, waiting for him to look into his eyes. “I would never think that about you. I’m sorry I didn’t ask. I wanted to bring you to the best restaurant I know in Italy. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. Just wanted to share it with you.”

Stiles blushes. “Thank you. I— I didn’t mean that I don’t like it. I love it. I would—” he bites his lip again. “I love all the places you take me to. It’s just— No one ever took me to such a place like this. Expensive wine, exclusive service, our own table under the starry sky…”

With a smile, Derek takes a quick sip of his wine and says, “I’m glad.”

“You’re glad?”

Derek nods, still smiling. “Do you see the night sky?” He waits for Stiles to look up and then back at him again. “The stars above us will stay there for years, no matter where you and I are, no matter how cloudy it is. You deserve to be treated like this, Stiles. And I’m glad to be the first person to do it. Even if the memory fades like the stars above us, it will still be there for a long time.”

Stiles watches him intently and Derek flushes as he realizes what he just said.

“I just meant—”

“I know what you meant,” Stiles cuts in. His eyes reflect the light of the candle between them and Derek is so distracted by that beautiful amber glow, that he doesn’t even realize Stiles is moving around the table, until his lips are brushing against his in an impossible soft kiss that tastes like expensive wine but so much more. “Thank you,” Stiles breathes against his mouth, pressing their foreheads together.

***

Derek gets back to the Palace very late at night, unable to stop smiling as he walks into his room, as quietly as possible, to not wake up anyone. His smile falls once he finds a short note from Cora by his desk.

Gift shopping tomorrow for Laura’s wedding.

Meet me after breakfast.

Derek grunts in frustration. He told Stiles he would be meeting with him at the hotel. Pulling out his cellphone, Derek sends him a text to cancel their plans.

02:03 AM Stiles: :(

02:03 AM Stiles: i understand. maybe we can meet at night?

Stiles’ eagerness to be with him makes Derek smile.

02:04 AM Derek: I hope so. I promise I’ll try.

02:04 AM Stiles: i know you will :)

02:05 AM Derek: I’ll miss you

02:05 AM Stiles: me too

And Derek, despite the happy turmoil inside him, can’t help but feel guilty. He looks at the bag with the present Stiles bought him and peeks inside. It’s wrapped but the inside feels soft… Derek starts to open it, thinking it’s probably a t-shirt. What he finds is definitely not a t-shirt. His face flushes at first and then he bursts out laughing, quickly remembering that he has to keep quiet.

02:08 AM Derek: Just saw your present…

02:09 AM Stiles: :D what do you think?

Derek stares at the David grey boxers in his hand, still trying not to laugh.

02:10 AM Stiles: you have to wear them or i’ll be sad

He almost lets the boxers fall as he reads Stiles’ text, face heating up. After looking around his room, Derek figures he has no other place besides the locked drawer in his desk to hide the boxers. Isaac would never shut up about it and god knows what the rest of the servants would think. He folds them carefully, before placing them inside the drawer, pushing them as far to the back as possible.

After locking the drawer, Derek drops on his bed and sends a reply to Stiles.

02:15 AM Derek: That would be false advertising.

He sends it before he can doubt himself and take it back. But the waiting kills him. He was never good with this stuff…

The reply comes almost instantly.

02:16 AM Stiles: i think i’ll take the risk

***

“This is perfect,” Cora says.

Derek groans, “You said the same thing at the last shop. And the shop before that.”

His sister narrows her eyes at him. “It has to be perfect , Derek.”

“I know.” He lets out a frustrated sigh. “But you know she will love anything we give her, right? This expensive stuff won’t make much of a difference among so many other presents.”

“What do you suggest then?” Cora turns to him, infuriated.

Derek shrugs. “Something only the two of us could give her, I guess.”

Cora frowns, but starts looking around, thinking. “I don’t think we can find that here.”

Derek shakes his head and smiles fondly at her. “I don’t think so either.”

“Then what?” Cora asks frustrated. “You know her better than I do…”

Her voice is small and sad as she says it. Derek places both his hands on her shoulders, “That’s not true.” Cora scoffs. “The three of us have been through a lot of stuff together. I’m sure we’ll think of something.”

Another sigh comes out of Cora, but seconds later her eyes widen and she smiles at Derek. “The tree!” She exclaims with delight. “That’s where she told us about her crush on Jordan, before anyone else. And we wrote their initials on the tree. She was mad at us for days!”

Derek laughs at the memory. “She wasn’t mad. She was just embarrassed and scared of Jordan finding out. We can go there and take a picture or something.”

“So we need a frame. A big one!” Cora turns around and excitedly starts looking for a frame. Derek goes to follow her, before a familiar voice makes him turn around and go pale.

“Lydia, are you really going to spend this much money on souvenirs?”

“Don’t be silly, Stiles. If I buy anything at a shop like this, it’s for myself.”

Derek stares at Stiles entering the shop with the red head girl he mentioned before. It’s possible that he stops breathing all at once. He’s stunned, frozen in place and without knowing what to do.

“Everything alright, your Highness?” One of their bodyguards asks him. When Derek doesn’t reply, he glances at the couple and says, “I can get rid of them if you wish.”

Without even thinking about it, Derek turns around quickly, back facing Stiles, as he nods to the bodyguard’s suggestion. He walks further into the empty shop, searching for Cora, as the bodyguard goes to talk with the shop owner.

A second later, a loud shout makes Derek wince.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Stiles, come on, it’s okay. Let’s just leave.”

“No, Lydia. You wanted to come to this shop. We’re staying.”

“Sir, you can come by later and I guarantee you we will give you a great discount.”

“What if we can’t? Is this because we’re Americans?”

“Stiles, please. Let’s just go.”

“No, Lydia. This is ridiculous, they can’t treat us like this.”

Derek watches two of his bodyguards step forward and he almost turns around to stop them, but if he does—

“Whoa, are you going to arrest me now?”

“Sir, they’re part of the royal security guard and they’re just making sure you’re not a threat to their Royal Highness. If you can come by later—”

Derek hears Stiles laugh, but it’s a bitter and mad sound. “A threat?”

The girl— Lydia scoffs. “Stiles, let’s go. We don’t want to shop here anyway.”

“Yeah, we’re leaving.” Stiles says, voice tempered with anger. The door of the shop opens, but before it closes, Derek hears Stiles shout, “Hope you have a good time, your Highness .”  

And then there’s silence, except for Derek’s heart pounding hard against his ears.

“They’re gone, your Highness.” The bodyguard tells him.

“What was all that commotion about?” Cora shows up suddenly in front of him and then she frowns. “Are you okay, Derek? You look like you’re about to faint.”

Derek nods, even though his head is still spinning. “Did you find a frame?”

“Yeah, I was coming to get you.” She leads him further inside. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.”

***

Derek is not fine for the rest of the day. At all. When he and Cora return to the Palace, he asks Isaac to not be disturbed and goes straight to the gym.

He spends the rest of the afternoon there until late at night, to the point of exhaustion. Back in his room, he notices a tray of food that Isaac must have brought while he was in the shower. Derek stares at the food like it will make him sick and that’s how he notices the pending notifications on the phone Isaac gave him, with a missing call and several texts. All from Stiles.

17:29 PM Stiles: back at the hotel. think we can meet later?

18:15 PM Stiles: i tried calling. call me back when you’re free!

19:41 PM Stiles: we’re going to have dinner in the city. maybe we can meet there?

20:54 PM Stiles: i thought i just saw you, but i guess not :(

22:02 PM Stiles: we’re going back to the hotel…

22:05 PM Stiles: i just realized i’ve been texting you all night which makes me look clingy and annoying. i’m sorry. i understand if we can’t meet tonight.

22:05 PM Stiles: but we can meet tomorrow, right?

22:06 PM Stiles: i mean, if you want to of course

Shit. Derek mutters to himself, already dialing Stiles’ number.

“Hey,” Stiles says.

“Stiles, I’m so sorry. I lost track of time and I didn’t have my phone—”

“Derek, it’s okay.”

Derek groans frustrated as he sits on his bed. “You’re not clingy. And you’re not annoying.”

Stiles scoffs. “I wish I hadn’t sent all that. I knew you would call eventually.”

“I should have called earlier.”

“You were busy. And you’re calling now,” Stiles’ voice goes soft at the words.

“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”

“Is that a promise?”

Derek relaxes and smiles at the flirting tone. “Yes. It’s a promise.”

***

Which is why, at midnight, Derek is still wide awake trying to figure out what to prepare for tomorrow’s date. He leaves his room and goes to the kitchen. Since he barely ate his dinner, his stomach has been growling for a while and it’s making it impossible for him to think.

He’s searching for something in the fridge, when suddenly someone turns on the lights.

“Your Highness?”

Derek turns around to see Erica, still fully dressed, as if she just arrived to the Palace.

“Do you want me to call someone to prepare you something?” She asks as she steps inside.

“There’s no need. I just came down to grab something quick.” As if on cue, his stomach growls, the sound practically echoing in the empty kitchen.

Erica smirks. “You know, I can make some really delicious pancakes in just a few minutes.”

Derek smiles, “Only if you join me then.”

That seems to settle it. Erica moves past him to get what she needs and starts to cook as Derek sits by the table in the center of the kitchen. The silence is comfortable between them and Derek watches her work, the smell of pancakes making his mouth water.

The first batch of pancakes are devoured in a matter of minutes. Erica doesn’t sit down at first, still working on getting more pancakes ready. As soon as those are done, Derek tells her to sit down with him and eat.

“Can I ask you something?” Derek asks after a while.

Erica looks at him expectantly, urging him to go on.

“Hypothetically,” Derek starts, “if I wanted to take someone on a date… Nothing too fancy, something simple and fun. Where could I go?”

Erica puts down her fork and raises an eyebrow at him. “Hypothetically?”

“Hypothetically,” Derek nods.

She hums. “Amusement parks are fun. And simple.”

Derek considers this for a moment, frowning at his pancakes. “Isn’t that a bit too childish? I remember going to one when I was a kid.”

“Of course not,” she grins. “You can share cotton candy and show off to your date by winning ridiculous prizes at shooting stuff. We love it when a guy gets all flustered as he tries to win something for us.” She takes another bite. “Take them to the haunted house, they’ll get scared and cling to you. Teacups, carousels rides and the love tunnel are disgustingly romantic. Oh and of course, there’s the ferris wheel. You can’t go wrong with the ferris wheel.”

Derek nods as he tries to gather all this information. They finish their pancakes and Derek thanks her for the food and the quick chat.

Just as he’s about to leave, Erica says with a smirk, “Your Highness? Hypothetically, the night always ends with kissing.”

Derek does not blush. He doesn’t.

***

“Where are you taking me?” Stiles asks, his eyes blindfolded.

“It’s a surprise.” Derek guides him with a hand around his waist.

“I can hear music. And it smells… like candy?”

Derek grins as he comes up behind him and takes off the blindfold. He watches Stiles squint his eyes at the bright lights around them.

“An amusement park!”

“Do you like it?” Derek can’t help but ask, a bit too nervous and unsure about it.

Stiles quickly turns around, smiles and kisses him. “This is totally in my league.”

It’s easy to get inside the park without being recognized. Derek asked Isaac to get him the tickets in the morning and now all they have to do is show them at the entrance. With his hat and fake glasses, no one seems to spare Derek a second glance. No one except Stiles, who still calls him a weirdo for always wearing his hat as he gives him a quick peck on the lips.

Once inside, Derek buys some cotton candy to share with Stiles. He barely even remembers the taste of it, but a few bites and he’s had enough. Not that Stiles seems to mind.

Derek sees one of the stands where you can win something if you’re able to shoot the ball into a tiny little hole. He has years of practice of shooting stuff with his dad, so how hard can it be?

He misses the first shot. Stiles chuckles as he keeps devouring the cotton candy. “You do know you’re not supposed to win these things, right?”

“I can do it,” Derek grunts. So he missed the first shot, bad luck that’s all. He tries and fails again. And again. He’s out of bullets already. “Again, please.”

The guy from the stand looks way too smug as he takes his money.

He shoots again and misses it by just an inch. When he tries the second time, the ball hits the hole but doesn’t enter.

“Fuck.” He has only one more bullet.

“Derek, it’s just a stu—”

“I can do it, Stiles!”

Stiles rolls his eyes.

Derek takes a deep breath, stares at the hole for a while and shoots.

***

He failed.

In the end, he paid for two more tries before Stiles dragged him out of there, cotton candy long gone. “Come on, grumpy. You can’t win them all.”

Derek wanted to point out how he didn’t win anything, but he decided not to comment on that. He has his pride. Erica mentioned a bunch of stuff they could do, so he can still turn this into a big date.

Next on the list is the haunted house.

“This sounds fun!” Stiles says as loud screams come from inside. Fun?!

They only allow a few people to enter the house at the same time and when it’s finally their turn, they end up being the ones going first.

It’s way too dark inside, so they stay close together, holding hands as they move forward. When they approach a tiny corridor, Stiles steps in front of him and Derek follows right behind. Then something touches his leg and he jumps.

“What was that?!” Derek can’t help but shout.

“Just keep following me,” Stiles says, although it would be more reassuring if Derek could see him better. Why must it be so dark? There are screams ahead of them and Derek is dreading what’s next.

Suddenly the floor starts moving and he struggles to balance himself. He feels a hand grabbing his leg and when he looks down, it’s like watching a bunch of corpses trying to eat him alive. Except that the corpses aren’t dead. They’re very much undead!

He starts shouting and kicking them, but in front of him Stiles just laughs and jumps to try and get away from them. He’s out of the corridor before Derek, a pleased expression on his face as he turns around to look at Derek.

“This is so cool!” He says and Derek can only nod, even though he’s still panting and probably left his heart back there with the undead corpses.

They don’t even have time to catch a break because as soon as they turn to the right, some wild creature jumps at them. Derek does the only thing he can. He shouts and holds Stiles’ hand, or squeezes. Same thing.

Stiles laughs and guides them to another room. There’s blood everywhere and when they try to open one of the doors, it’s stuck. The other door is stuck as well.

“Try the next one,” Stiles tells him.

Derek does.

A woman with a fucking axe stuck in her head and brains falling off from the right comes at him. Derek steps back so hard that he falls with his ass flat on the ground.

“Dude!” He hears Stiles say in awe, just before he helps him get up. It’s good that he helps him because Derek is not sure he can move his knees right now.

He struggles to get out of that house, panting and praying that it will be over soon. There’s blood, corpses and people jumping at them on every corner. “ Prince Derek dies from a heart attack at Haunted House ” is the headline on the news that crosses his mind. He momentarily wonders if his sisters would laugh or cry about it.

“That was so awesome!” Stiles cheers once they finally get outside. “You were so scared.”

Derek honestly doesn’t even have it in him to deny it.

Stiles steps into his space, cups his jaw and kisses him gently. It soothes him a little bit, even though his heart starts beating faster for a completely different reason. When they break apart, Stiles is smiling at him.

“I’ll protect you.”

Derek huffs out a laugh. He can’t help but be annoyed at himself. “Thank you.”

Stiles’ whole face beams. “I thought you were going to break my hand in there.”

He almost feels guilty about it, if Stiles wasn’t looking so smug about it.

Derek 0, Amusement Park 2.

The teacups are in his line of sight, so he figures nothing can go wrong in there. What could possibly go wrong?

***

Derek groans as he tries to clean the vomit out of his shoes. Who the hell lets their kid run on those things right after dinner?

“Do you need help?” Stiles asks and Derek can see he’s trying really hard not to laugh. Or not hard enough.

“No,” he mutters.

“Come on, it’s not so bad.”

Derek narrows his eyes at him. “You’re not the one with vomit on his shoes.”

“It happens,” Stiles shrugs.

“Couldn’t have happened some other time?” Derek asks more to himself, almost like a whisper. But Stiles seems to catch it anyway. He kneels down next to him and waits for Derek to look at him.

“What’s wrong?”

Derek sighs. “I just wanted the night to be perfect.”

Stiles smiles at him. “I don’t need that. All I want is to spend time with you. That’s perfect enough for me.”

The words make Derek’s heart skip a beat with happiness, but also enough determination to make the night still count.

“It’s still not over,” Derek says.

And Stiles’ face brightens. “Damn right it’s not!”

***

Stiles is buying them both some drinks, while Derek waits and looks around to check the other diversions. Part of him doesn’t want to risk it again, but who comes to an amusement park to just sit and watch? No, he can’t do that to Stiles. He has a plan, for christ’s sake.

He takes out the list from his back pocket. They ate cotton candy, Derek failed miserably at winning something for Stiles, the haunted house was not supposed to go like that and he’s still trying to forget the teacups disaster. That leaves—

“What do you have there?” Stiles asks, peeking above his shoulder to look at—

“Nothing!” Derek turns around, crushing the paper behind his back.

Stiles frowns. “Was that a list?”

“No,” Derek lies. But then Stiles gives him a look and— “Yeah.” He blushes and ducks his head slightly, showing him the list all squashed. He starts unfolding it as he rambles. “I just wanted the night to be perfect so I made a list.” Well, it’s all ruined now. “I’m sorry.”

Derek drops his gaze to the floor, the feeling of Stiles’ gaze on him is too much. Gosh, he must look like a fool right now. Who plans their date with a list and fails so miserably?

“You made a list.” Stiles repeats.

The tone of disbelief makes Derek wince and get ready for the worst.

“That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Derek looks up to see Stiles smiling at him with wide eyes.

“I’m holding our drinks,” Stiles points out. “I want to kiss you so hard right now, but I’m holding our drinks!”

“I—”

“Please kiss me.”

And Derek does.

***

They’re riding the ferris wheel after Stiles convinced him that no one leaves the amusement park without going on it. Derek just wasn’t prepared for it to be so damn fucking high.

“Don’t look down.” Stiles reaches for his hand and cups his jaw. “Just look at me.” And yeah, Derek can do that. Stiles kisses him sweetly, his lips tasting like candy and strawberry. They reach the top and Derek doesn’t even notice it, not when the lights shine so brightly in Stiles’ eyes and his mouth looks so pumped and red from all the kissing.

“I want to take you on a date,” Stiles breathes against his lips.

“We’re on a date right now.”

Stiles shakes his head. “ I want to take you on a date.”

“Oh.” It almost comes out as a moan as Stiles starts mouthing his neck.

“Tomorrow?” He whispers against his ear, right before biting on his earlobe.

“Yeah.” Derek nods, hand grasping Stiles’ shirt, pulling him closer. The movement causes their carriage to sway slightly, making him panic.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here,” Stiles hurries to say.

But Derek makes the mistake of looking down and immediately regrets it.

“Derek,” Stiles whispers. “Hey Derek, look at me.”

Derek does. Stiles kisses his left cheek, then the right, before leaning forward until their foreheads are touching. “It’s just you and me,” he tells Derek.

They’re at the top of the world, far from everyone. Yeah , Derek thinks, this is right where I want to be. Just you and me.

Chapter Text

Stiles couldn’t stop smiling the next morning. And he can’t wait to see Derek again today. His heart is pounding with such happiness that he misses the amused looks coming from his friends as they all eat breakfast.

“That date must have gone really well,” Danny comments with a smirk.

Scott chuckles. “He was singing in the shower.”

“Oh god.” Jackson groans.

Stiles grins. “It was really good.”

“Did you kiss?” Kira asks all excited.

“I don’t kiss and tell.”

Lydia snorts next to him. “Come on. Just spill it out. We all know you’re dying to tell us.”

Stiles finishes his croissant in record time and then leans forward before whispering, “He made a list.”

“A list? What kind of list?” Scott frowns.

“He planned the whole date!” He flails with his arms, completely forgetting to keep his voice down. The world must know this. “From beginning to end! He was so nervous and cute about it.”

Allison coos. “Is he coming with us today?”

“Yes.” Stiles beams.

“That’s good. Then I can judge him for myself,” Lydia says.

“Not too much!” Stiles turns to her, narrowing his eyes.

“What? Afraid I’ll steal your Prince charming?” She winks.

“I’m right here ,” Jackson mutters.

They all laugh. All except Jackson, of course.

“I like Derek. He seems to be really nice,” Kira says as she spreads some strawberry jam on her toast.

“And he puts up with Stiles,” Danny points out.

Jackson nods. “A true miracle.”

“Hey!” Stiles snaps at them. “He likes being with me.”

“I’m happy for you, bro.” Scott smiles at him softly. “But—”

“Don’t,” Stiles cuts in. “Don’t say it.”

Lydia sighs and the rest of the group ducks their heads, apart from Jackson who just rolls his eyes like Stiles is being an idiot. And, well, maybe he is. He knows that sooner or later this thing with Derek will end. But is it so wrong to wish it didn’t have to die so quickly? Stiles has thought about it. All the possibilities of having a real relationship with Derek have crossed his mind. And right now he just needs the courage to share them with Derek.

***

“Is he coming or not?” Jackson flips at Stiles.

“Shut up,” Stiles mutters. “He said he was coming.”

Scott comes to stand next to him, a hand on his shoulder, “He’s still not answering his phone?”

With a sigh, Stiles shakes his head.

“What if we get going and he can meet us there later?” Allison suggests.

“Would that be okay with you, Stiles?”

Stiles looks at Scott and then at his phone, still with no reply to his texts or calls. He sighs again, more frustrated this time. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Derek was supposed to meet them at the hostel after breakfast so they could all go to the beach together. He even mentioned he would bring Isaac with him. But it was almost forty minutes later than the scheduled time and still no sign of either of them.

Stiles tried not to feel too disappointed as they all left the hostel to catch the bus to the beach.

***

“Sulking all day will do you no good,” Lydia tells him, without even opening her eyes.

They’d arrived at the beach half an hour ago and Stiles is still clutching his phone like it will magically tell him where Derek is. Everyone ran to the water while he stayed behind with Lydia and Allison, both of them sunbathing.

“Maybe he’s on his way already,” Allison offers, eyes also closed.

Which could be true. Stiles sent Derek a text telling him where they were going. And as soon as they got here, he texted him a very detailed description of where their spot is. But why would Derek be on his way without replying to him first? That doesn’t make sense.

Stiles is starting to think the worst. He knows Derek is not abandoning him. Not after last night. “Maybe he overslept,” he says lamely. More to himself than to the girls.

He’s looking at everyone having fun in the water when his phone starts vibrating and ringing loudly in his hands. It’s a miracle that it doesn’t fall flat on the sand with how high he jumps on his towel. Even Lydia and Allison startle and sit down to look at him.

“It’s him,” Stiles whispers at them.

“Don’t just stand there and look at us, answer it!” Lydia tells him impatiently.

Stiles nods. “Hey, where are you?”

“Stiles?”

He pales at the sound of it, because the person calling him is not Derek.

“Isaac?! Is everything alright?”

“Yes, sorry I couldn’t call earlier. Derek can’t meet you today.”

Stiles frowns. “What happened?”

“It’s a family thing. He asked me if I could call you to warn you about it, but I could only do it now.”

“Why couldn’t he call me about it? I texted him all morning.”

Isaac stutters, “Well— He’s busy and— Uh— He can’t have his cellphone with him right now.”

“But—” Stiles glances at Lydia who stares at him with a judging look. Even Allison is giving him an odd face. “Why are you using his cellphone?”

“He asked me to warn you—”

“Isaac, how did he have the time to ask you that and not text me about it?” Is he being irrational here? Stiles would have texted Derek, if it was him who couldn’t meet him. Who wouldn’t?

“I slept at his place,” Isaac blurts after a second. “And then there was an emergency.”

“Is everything alright with his family?”

“Yes, everyone is fine, but— Stiles, he really wanted to be there today. As soon as things got complicated, he asked me to warn you. He didn’t have his cellphone with him so I went to get it, saw your calls and didn’t think as I called you back from his cellphone.”

Stiles nods, even though Isaac can’t see him. Just a misunderstanding then. It happens, he tells himself. “So you don’t know when he will be done?”

“No,” Isaac replies. “But I don’t think he will be be able to meet you today.”

“All day?” Stiles hates how his voice sounds so small even to his own ears.

“He will call you later. I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah... Thanks, Isaac.” He pauses, letting his frustration sink in. “And you? Are you coming to meet us? You can still join us if you want.”

“Me?” Isaac sounds almost surprised. “I— I can’t.”

“I thought Derek had invited you.”

“He did,” he quickly says. “But turns out I’m working, so I can’t.”

“You’re working,” Stiles repeats. “Didn’t you say you were at Derek’s place?”

“Quick break. You know— I’m allowed. To have breaks. During the day.”

Stiles’ frown deepens. “Oookay. Tough luck then.”

“I have to go now.”

“Sure. Thanks for calling.”

“Okay.”

Stiles scowls at his phone when Isaac hangs up. He can’t decide if he likes Isaac or not. The guy is just weird.

“So he’s not coming,” Lydia says, not really a question.

“Nope. Family stuff.”

“Will you see him tonight?” Allison asks.

Stiles shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

Allison stares at him with pity in her eyes, while Lydia just sighs and lies down again on her towel.

The sun is suddenly too hot and the air around him too thin. Stiles bites his lip as he considers texting Derek again, just to let him know he got Isaac’s message. But then he feels pathetic and small, because it’s not like they’re dating or anything. It’s just a summer fling and they both know it, right? He can’t let himself fall for a guy he will probably never see again…

“I’m going for a swim,” Stiles mumbles as he stands up and throws his cellphone into his bag, sprinting to the water and waving as Scott shouts his name.

***

“I’m so sorry.”

Stiles huffs as he keeps pacing around his room. He’s been on the phone with Derek for almost an hour now. “Derek, you’ve said that ten times by now. It happens. It’s okay.”

“It’s really not,” Derek groans. “Let me make it up to you. I’ll pick you up tomorrow and—”

“Oh no, you won’t.”

“No?”

Stiles preens a little at how Derek’s voice breaks a little. Just a little... Let it be known that he’s not a good person. “I told you I would take you on a date. And you said yes.”

Derek laughs and damn it’s such a good sound. “I remember.”

“Good.” Stiles smiles. “Be here at 7AM sharp.”

“So early?”

“Gotta make up for today.”

“I’m sorry, Stiles. I wish I could have—”

“And you said it again . Dude, I’m close to making a deal here to punish you for every time you apologize.”

“That depends on the deal.”

Stiles grins, happiness washing away all the stress and tension of today. “I like where this is going already.”

Derek snorts and Stiles knows he’s most likely rolling his eyes. Gosh, he can’t help but feel like a fool for knowing so much about Derek and nothing at all at the same time.

***

“I don’t want to screw this up,” Stiles mutters to himself. After the call with Derek ended, he went to grab a quick sandwich from the bar and came up to Lydia’s room as everyone else moved to his room to play some cards.

And now here he is, staring at the white ceiling as Lydia continues flipping through the magazine on her lap. “That doesn’t sound like a summer fling to me. We’ll already have Scott with a broken heart when we get back.”

Stiles sighs. “I know. Shit.”

Lydia finally glances at him. “Is he worth getting your heart broken over, in the end?”

“Yeah,” Stiles replies in a heartbeat. Derek is everything he didn’t know he could find in a place so far away from home. He’s smart, funny, gentle, romantic, caring... unattainable too. In a week, Stiles and his friends will be flying back to Beacon Hills, Derek will stay here in Italy, and Stiles will be miserable trying to forget him and everything they lived together. Even knowing that, Stiles doesn’t want to screw this up. He’s determined to have the best summer he can with Derek.

***

“Where are we going?” Derek asks him.

Stiles grins. “Look who doesn’t like to be kept in the dark either.”

Derek huffs out a laugh. “I don’t remember waking you up at 6AM and taking us to… the middle of nowhere. Literally.”

“I have a map and a GPS.” Stiles waves his phone at him. “I know where we’re going.”

The skeptical look Derek gives him is far from being reassuring, considering they‘re really in the middle of a forest with nothing around them but trees and more trees. But Stiles has a plan. It’s their fourth real date, but it’s the first time Stiles is taking Derek out, so he can’t screw this up. Derek’s dates have been perfect; Stiles can’t help but bite his lip in worry that this one will be a disaster and Derek won’t want to see him again.

They finally reach the spot Stiles saw on the internet. A small beautiful clearing with trees that reach the sky.

“This is it,” Stiles says as he drops his backpack on the ground. He takes out Danny’s expensive camera and a pair of binoculars, passing them to Derek.

“Uh, what I am suppose to do with these?”

Stiles closes his backpack, stands up and smiles. “You’ll see.” He starts walking, checking over his shoulder to see if Derek is following. As they walk slowly through the forest, Stiles keeps looking up at each tree for a sign of life.

“There.” He points up to a bright orange dot among the trees.

Derek just glances up, searching for whatever Stiles is pointing out to him.

“Use the binoculars, dummy.” Stiles moves to his right and helps him point the binoculars in the right direction.

Derek looks through them, eyes squinting at the sides. It takes him a few seconds, and Stiles can’t help but preen on the inside the moment when he notices Derek’s eyes go wide and his jaw drops a little.

“What’s that?”

“That’s a Hoopoe.”

“He’s beautiful,” Derek says, amazed.

Stiles nods, because it’s true. The Hoopoe is an unmistakable orange bird with a notable crest on it’s head with black and white marks covering his wings. “You can only see him here in Italy during the summer.”

Derek smiles and then looks at Stiles. “You brought us birdwatching.”

He keeps smiling so Stiles takes it as a good sign. “You don’t like crowded places and you seem more relaxed when we’re outside... So I thought—”

Stiles doesn’t get to finish his sentence, because Derek tugs him forward into a kiss, punching the air out of him. He gasps and opens his mouth, allowing Derek to deepen the kiss, hands vigorously cupping Stiles’ face. When they break apart, Stiles is still in a daze, tongue flicking over his wet and swollen lips, trying to chase Derek’s taste.

“Thank you,” Derek murmurs, voice low.

Stiles smiles widely and slides his hands up Derek’s chest, slotting their mouths together again for a much slower and gentler kiss. Derek brings his arms around Stiles’ waist, pulling him closer.

They stay like that, kissing in the middle of the forest, as the birds around them sing “Hoo-poo” repeatedly. Derek is smiling as he kisses him and Stiles can’t help but smile back. The happiness he feels in that moment is something that no distance will be able to take away. Even when he’s back in Beacon Hills, Stiles will still remember the shape of Derek’s lips, his bright smile and gorgeous hazel eyes. The fresh scent of nature will always bring him back to this moment, when Derek’s strong arms caged him like he too was afraid to let Stiles go.

***

“I’m starving,” Stiles groans. “Never let me go another day with just some packed sandwiches and snacks. I need so much food right now.”

Derek laughs next to him. “What about pizza?”

Stiles swoons. “You know the way to my heart.” Derek blushes as he tries to hide a shy smile. “What about getting some pizza for everyone at the hostel? We could all eat together. Unless you don’t feel like up to it,” Stiles hurries to say. They’ve been together all day, so it’s natural if Derek wants to go back home earlier.

“I would love to.” Derek smiles at him.

“Great! I’ll text them to ask what pizza they want when we get to the restaurant.”

“Sounds good.”

They keep walking side by side, the sun gone but the sky is still litt. Stiles’ hand brushes against Derek’s and it’s almost instinctive now to hold it. He doesn’t even have the time to freak out about it, before Derek is squeezing his hand and guiding him to another street where the smell of italian food makes his stomach grumble and his mouth water.

But before they enter the restaurant, a thought crosses Stiles’ mind.

“We can eat here if you want,” he says.

Derek stops short next to him and frowns. “I thought you wanted to eat with your friends?”

“Yeah, but—” Stiles doesn’t want to pressure Derek spending time with his friends when he’s probably just looking for— well, surely not love. Sex, maybe. Although he hasn’t made a single move for that yet. Come to think about it, Derek is always too—

“Stiles?”

Stiles snaps out of his thoughts and shakes his head. “I just don’t want you to feel obligated to do that.”

If it’s even possible, Derek’s frown only deepens. His glasses only make him look more adorable. “Why would I feel obligated to spend time with you and your friends?”

“Because of yesterday.” Stiles sighs. “Or because you think that’s what I want. I don’t know!”

“So, it’s not what you want?” Derek asks, confused.

Stiles groans. “It is, but I want you to want it too, dude.”

And suddenly Derek’s hand is cupping Stiles’ jawline, fingertips brushing his cheek. “You want to know what I want?”

Despite the hot summer night, Derek’s touch and intense gaze make Stiles’ whole body shiver. He nods shakily, because in that moment all the words seem to have died in his mouth.

“No one ever asks me what I want. Not really. I’m not used to voicing what I truly want. But—” Derek steps even closer, both hands now cupping Stiles’ face. He seems determined to look straight into Stiles’ eyes. And despite wanting to advert his eyes, Stiles remains still, heart pounding wildly against his chest. “I don’t want to say goodbye, Stiles. That’s what I don’t want. And I will take every second you want to spend with me.”

Stiles’ eyes widen in surprise. He wasn’t— He doesn’t know what to say and he feels like— Like he could burst from happiness and frustration at the same time.

In front of him, Derek ducks his head and he’s— he’s blushing so hard and ready to flee, but Stiles can’t— He can’t talk, so he does the only thing he can think of.

With trembling hands, he pulls Derek by his shirt and slots their mouths together, trying to pour everything he’s feeling in just this one kiss. His heart keeps going a million beats per minute, as Derek gathers him into his arms and Stiles just fucking melts. There’s a flash of light from behind Derek, like a photo or a thunder. But Stiles doesn’t care. The sky could fall right now, all Stiles cares about right now is the feeling of Derek’s hands running up his back, their chests pressed together as they kiss and the little noises coming out from both of them; words that are shared between their lips only for the two of them to hear.

I want the same , it’s what Stiles keeps saying.

***

Each of them is carrying two large pizzas, so they can’t really hold hands, but Stiles keeps bumping Derek’s shoulder every chance he gets. Derek huffs out a laugh every time and they both smile at each other. Stiles knows they probably look ridiculous — they have to, but Stiles doesn’t care.

Back at the hostel, Derek tries to steal a quick kiss in the tiny elevator, but it’s not an easy task with four large pizza boxes and his thick black glasses in the way. The angle is all wrong and soon enough they get to Stiles’ floor.

Stiles doesn’t bother to take out his key and just knocks on the door with the boxes he’s holding.

“We bring food,” Stiles grins when Kira opens the door.

She grins back and beams when she sees Derek behind him. “Hi!”

“Hey,” Derek replies with a smile too.

Inside are only Danny and Kira. “Where are the others?” Stiles asks.

Danny closes his laptop and quickly stands up to help them. “Hey Derek! Well, they were giving out flyers outside when we arrived, promoting a romantic evening with a boat trip and dinner included. Lydia wanted to go and Scott— well, you know Scott.”

“Sick puppy in love.” Stiles nods and sits down on the floor.

“So it’s just us,” Danny adds.

“We can play some Cards Against Humanity while we eat.” Kira waves the deck in her hand.

“Sounds awesome! Do you know how to play?” Stiles turns to Derek.

“Not really. Sorry.”

“It’s easy,” Danny says. “I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it quickly.”

“And it’s so much fun,” Kira says as she starts handing out the cards.

Stiles grabs a slice of pizza. “Kira learned how to play during this trip and now she doesn’t want to play anything else.”

Derek quirks an eyebrow as he skims his cards. “Well, it looks fun…” His eyes widen in shock at the card in his hand. “Is this…?”

The trio watches him closely. Danny is snickering, Kira looks delighted and Stiles is trying hard not to choke on his pizza.

“Like I said, it’s so much fun!” Kira beams.

***

“Oh my god.” There are tears in Stiles’ eyes.

Kira and Danny keep laughing as Derek blushes even harder.

On the table the cards read:

I drink to forget ___________________.

Kira picked: Another goddamn vampire movie.

Danny picked: Harry Potter erotica.

Stiles picked: Kanye West.

And Derek… Penis envy.

“I don’t have anything else that could fit…” Derek mumbles.

“I’m sure it fits just fine,” Danny says before he bursts out laughing again.

“Oh god, stop! Please stop,” Stiles begs as he laughs. Derek is staring at the cards and his perfect cheekbones are so red. He looks so cute that Stiles just wants to kiss him. “I’m sure it’s perfect.”

Derek’s eyes snap back at him, mortified. “Stiles!”

The room is silent for a few seconds and then they all crack up and dissolve into laughter, Derek included. After that it’s easy. Derek falls into the game and everyone tries their best to come up with the funniest and most awful answers. There’s an awkward moment when both Derek and Kira don’t know what “Gloryholes” are and neither Stiles nor Danny can stop laughing at their faces as they try to explain.

It’s past midnight and no sign of the rest of his friends, but Stiles doesn’t remember having as much fun as tonight. He walks Derek outside and spends several minutes kissing him, both of them smiling every time they break apart, just to resume kissing again and again, slow and content. A gentle press of lips, dragging the moment as much as possible, like they have all the time in the world.

Stiles leans forward one last time before saying goodnight to Derek.

Chapter Text

09:47 AM Derek: Don’t think I can meet you today. I’m sorry, family again.

09:53 AM Stiles: :(

09:53 AM Stiles: that was me pouting

09:54 AM Stiles: sure you’re not just wanting to sleep in?

09:54 AM Derek: Not a chance. I would go out if I could… It’s complicated

09:55 AM Stiles: hm ok... good

09:55 AM Stiles: because i do enjoy sleeping, if that was a thing you wanted to do

09:56 AM Stiles: i mean to sleep!!!

09:56 AM Stiles: oh god forget i said anything

09:56 AM Stiles: or not? if that could be a thing…

09:57 AM Stiles: if you want to

Derek blushes.

“Derek, are you even listening?” Peter asks him.

“Yes!” He looks up instantly.

“Should we take a break, Your Highness?” Deaton questions as he hands him another stack of papers.

“No, no breaks. I want to be done with this today.”

Peter muses, “Why are you in such a hurry, dear nephew? These papers are not going anywhere for the next week.”

“I don’t want to be interrupted for the rest of the week,” Derek explains.

His uncle narrows his eyes. “As you wish. Does your mother know this?”

Derek scowls at him. “No and I would like to keep it that way, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I was your age once too.” Peter smiles. “Young love… I’m sure Lady Julia will appreciate your desire to spend more time together. After all, you will be very busy with the coronation once your sister is finally married.”

Derek nods slowly, almost cautiously, and gets back to look at the papers on his desk. He’s learned that not replying to Peter is the best way to let the subject die. Most of the time.

“Why not take her to Isola Verde? I’m sure she would be delighted.”

Derek tries hard to pretend he doesn’t care, because that’s actually an amazing idea. Except not with the person his uncle is thinking Derek would like to go with. “I’m not sure that island is ready for visitors in such short notice,” he replies as if he doesn’t care.

“Princess Cora likes to go there in the summer.” It’s Deaton who cuts in this time. “I’m sure it’s clean and ready to receive you and Lady Julia, if you wish.”

“For tomorrow?”

Peter laughs. “Aren’t you an eager lover!”

Derek can’t help but blush hard, reminding himself of Stiles’ words.

“I can make a few calls and arrange a visit for tomorrow,” Deaton says.

“Thank you, Deaton. I’ll inform Isaac about the details. Just give him whatever he might need so he doesn’t bother you with it anymore.”

Deaton shakes his head. “It’s no trouble, Your Highness.”

“I insist.”

“Alan, my friend.” Peter steps forward. “What my dear nephew is politely trying to say, is that he doesn’t want you meddling with his romantic getaway, so he wants his loyal servant to take care of it for him. Charming, right?”

Deaton looks like the last thing he wants is to enjoy Peter in conversation, much less about Derek’s personal life, so he doesn’t give his uncle the satisfaction of a reply. Which Derek is very thankful for, as they soon get back to work.

Late at night, and almost forgetting to have a proper meal the entire day, Derek is still in his office but almost done with all the paperwork of this week. He’s just reviewing a new project for one of their state properties when a knock on the door startles him.

“Come in.”

The door opens to reveal Isaac holding a tray. “I’ve got you a little late night snack. Erica told me you love her pancakes. She was very sure about that.”

Derek smiles, “Thank you, Isaac. I’m almost done.”

The tray is set next to him; tea and pancakes smelling delicious.

“I thought you would like to know that everything is taken care of for tomorrow,” Isaac says.

Right. The island. He was so immersed in his work that he’d forgotten about it. Mostly because every time he thinks about it, part of him doesn’t think it’s a really good idea.

“Do you think it’s safe?”

Isaac frowns at him. “The island?”

“No, me and Stiles going there.”

If only just, Isaac’s frown deepens. “I thought you were going with Lady Julia. Are you bringing Stiles too? That’s not good.”

“What?” Derek shakes his head. “Of course I’m not bringing Julia.”

“That’s what Deaton told me.”

“No, I’m definitely not bringing Julia. That’s what he thinks I’m doing.” Derek stands up and starts pacing. “This is a bad idea.”

“Please allow me to tell you, I told you so.”

Derek narrows his eyes. “Just shut up.” He sits down again, this time to eat his pancakes before they get cold. Isaac, meanwhile, serves him a cup of tea.

“I just— I want to be somewhere with him without worrying about who’s around us,” Derek blurts. “I’m tired of hiding. Tired of hiding him.”

When Isaac doesn’t say anything, Derek looks up.

“What?” Isaac asks and Derek lifts up an eyebrow. “Oh. Sorry, I thought this was one of those rare moments when you express your feelings. I didn’t want to interrupt with a risk of letting them get all trapped inside. It’s really not healthy.”

Derek rolls his eyes. “With my luck, Peter and Deaton are already planning on calling the paparazzis to that island to sell a romantic getaway to the world. And then what?”

“And then… Yeah, I don’t really have an answer for that.”

“I sometimes forget how helpful you are,” Derek mumbles.

Isaac smiles, “I try.”

After a few more bites, Derek sighs, sliding the tray away and taking a sip of his still hot tea. “I just don’t know where we can be together alone. And I… I want to tell him the truth before he leaves. He deserves that.”

“Then your family’s island is not a good place if he doesn’t forgive you and decides to leave,” Isaac hums.

Derek stares at him in disbelief and stands up again. “Thanks, Isaac. That was probably the last thing I would want to hear right now.”

“I’m sorry.” Isaac sighs. “But there’s always that possibility. The other possibility is that he will be over the moon and, well, being Stiles he will probably beg you to meet the Queen.”

At that moment, Derek realizes that he doesn’t know Stiles well enough to even guess what his reaction might be. “I have to tell him.” That’s all he says as he flops on the pale blue and gold couch nearby.

Silence stretches for a few minutes, apart from when Isaac picks up the tray as he gets ready to leave the office. “Lord Boyd could help you,” he says. “Doesn’t he have that lake house in the north?”

Derek’s eyes widen in excitement. “I’m going to call him.”

“Well, a thank you would be nice,” Isaac mumbles.

He’s already dialing Boyd’s number when he remembers. “Oh, Isaac?”

Isaac, who’s already by the door, turns around and waits.

“Let all the preparations stay as they are, so that neither Peter nor Deaton know about this.”

“Very well.” Isaac nods and opens the door to leave.

“But please warn Lady Julia that I won’t be able to meet her tomorrow.”

“Of course.”

“And thank you Isaac,” Derek says and Isaac throws him a shy smile.

“Derek?” Boyd picks up finally. “Is everything alright? It’s past midnight.”

He flinches. Crap, he didn’t realize it was so late. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you up? I can call you tomorrow.” Although, he would prefer not to.

“No, I wasn’t sleeping. What do I owe the pleasure of this phone call after spending the last few weeks trying to reach you?”

Well, shit. “I’m sorry. Again.” he shifts awkwardly. “I’ve been busy.” Which is not a lie, technically. But now Derek realizes how he didn’t prepare this and he has no idea how to explain his request, so he decides to just go for it. “And I met someone.”

Boyd is silent for a while. “Just so we’re clear, we’re talking about someone you like.”

“Yes.”

“Not someone who was arranged to you?”

“No,” he can’t help but huff out with a laugh, because Stiles is probably the last person that Deaton and his mother would arrange for him.

“Well, about damn time.”

Derek smiles, but soon enough he remembers the reason for calling and he’s back at feeling anxious. “I need a favor from you.”

“Sure, if I can help.”

“I need you to lend me your lake house, please. Just for two days, one night.”

“Whoa, how serious are you going for this? Be careful Derek, not everyone can be trusted—”

“It’s not like that.” His mind goes straight to Kate. “It’s complicated, but not like that. I just want a place where we can be by ourselves, without worrying about what’s around us.”

Boyd hums. “I’m guessing this is still a secret then.”

“Yes. Only Isaac and Erica know.”

“Erica? Who’s Erica?”

“It doesn’t matter. Boyd, you can’t tell anyone.”

“Of course not,” Boyd prompts without hesitation. “But I want to be the next one to meet the person who bewitched my best friend.”

Derek winces, not sure of what to say. “I hope you do.”

“How complicated are we talking about here?” Boyd asks.

“Very.”

Derek hears Boyd’ sigh on the other side. “I’ll send someone to bring you the keys in the morning. And if it’s that complicated, stay there as long as you need.”

“I might take you up on that offer.”

“Just be safe and keep my name out of it. I don’t need your family sentencing me to exile if they find out I’m hiding the future King.”

Derek snorts. “Thank you, Boyd.”

***

“Where are we going?” Stiles asks. For the third time.

Derek smiles, not able to hide his amusement. “We’re almost there. And I told you it’s a surprise.”

“You told me to pack some clothes, Derek. That’s not just a surprise . This is something big.” Stiles looks out of the window for a brief second. “And what the hell is with this car?”

“It’s not really mine. It’s my sister’s.” Derek shrugs. He didn’t have a chance to ask her if he could bring the Camaro. Laura was so busy and anxious with the wedding details that Erica was the one who told him to just take it.

“She definitely knows how to live. Can I drive it? Please?”

Derek gives Stiles a look, “I don’t think that would be a wise choice, considering how we met.”

“Hey, that accident with the Jeep was not my fault! That thing was already doomed before I even touched it. Rest his poor soul.”

“You have a weird relationship with cars,” Derek points out.

Stiles grins. “Why? Are you jealous?”

He leans over the console to reach for Derek, struggling with the seatbelt but still being able to give Derek a quick peck on the cheek.

“I don’t think that’s enough to make me feel less jealous.”

Stiles laughs, loud and happy. It quickly became Derek’s favorite sound. “I’ll think about something when we get to this surprise.”

“We’re almost there,” Derek says with fondness as he turns again to the right and drives through a road with trees on one side and the other, further and further away from the city.

After driving for another ten minutes, the dense trees suddenly reveal a beautiful lake that immediately capture Stiles’ eyes. He stares at it in awe, mouth open as he leans forward to look out of the window. Derek takes another right turn and then a white two-story house comes into view. Stiles looks at him and then back at the house, like it will vanish at any time if he doesn’t keep his gaze on it.

Once they stop, Stiles’ only words are, “Holy shit.”

***

Derek can’t stop smiling, even though he’s left alone carrying everything inside the house. Stiles got out of the car and went to explore the area. Sometimes he shouts out his discoveries, which only make Derek shake his head as if he could shake off the butterflies inside him; this happiness of finally being able to be with Stiles and not worry about anything else.

After getting all their stuff inside, Derek goes to find Stiles by the dock on the lake.

“You’re dying to dive in, aren’t you?” He teases.

Stiles turns to him with a smile so bright that momentarily makes Derek stop and just look .

“I just can’t believe you brought us here,” Stiles tells him.

“It’s owned by a good friend. We used to come here a lot with his family when we were kids.”

“So all of this is for ourselves?”

“Yes.”

“We’re all alone?”

Derek tries to hide the blush but probably fails badly. “Yes.”

“Is the lake safe?”

“Yes.”

“Cool.” And just like that, Stiles takes off his shirt, throwing it at Derek’s general direction. When he bends to take off his shorts too, Derek pretends to be busy with folding Stiles’ shirt. The next second, he hears a splash, and immediately after a bunch of curses.

“Shit. Cold, cold, cold.”

Derek laughs as he steps closer to the edge of the dock. “You’re ridiculous.”

It doesn’t take long for Stiles to settle in the water, and when he looks back at Derek, he has a malicious smile on his face. “I’ll show you ridiculous.”

A large wave of water hits Derek before he even has a chance to reply. Stiles keeps splashing him until Derek is forced to step back, further away from him. He stares at his very wet clothes as Stiles laughs his ass off.

“Come on, Derek! Aren’t you going to fight back?”

Derek knows Stiles is just teasing him, but he doesn’t care. He takes his clothes off as fast as he can and dives in right next to Stiles, who’s splurting water when Derek goes up for air.

“Weak,” Stiles scoffs, still teasing.

“I’ll show you weak.” Derek tackles him into the water, laughing as Stiles screams and tries to overpower him.

They play-fight for a while, shouting at each other as laughter is the only sound around them besides the splashes of water. Eventually they get tired, but Derek is the first one to surrender and hold Stiles’ hands to his sides, until he stops squirming.

“I won,” Stiles pants.

Derek snorts. “I let you win.”

“Details.” Stiles leans forward to kiss him. It’s just a chaste kiss, too short, like more of a reflex than anything. He doesn’t seem to notice he did it, until he freezes and looks down at Derek’s lips again.

This time, it’s Derek who closes the space between them, and lets go of Stiles’ arms, only to hold him by his waist and pull him closer. Stiles goes willingly until their chests are pressing against each other. The feeling of skin against skin makes Derek groan into the kiss; it’s such a new and exciting sensation. His hands fight to stay still and not roam around Stiles’ body, searching for more skin and ways to bring them even closer.

They keep kissing like there’s nothing around them. And in reality, that’s actually the truth. But it still feels like time has stopped and they’re content to just savor this moment, exploring with no rush or agenda. Just kissing for the sake of wanting to kiss, wanting to be in each other’s arms.

But then Derek feels Stiles tremble, and at first he thinks it’s just excitement, but when his hands trace Stiles’ back, his skin is cold.

“We should go inside,” he says against Stiles’ lips.

“Yeah.” Stiles nods, eyes closed and not making an effort to stop touching Derek. “We should.”

It takes them a while to break apart.

***

“I just told Scott you kidnapped me,” Stiles announces as he gets downstairs, showered and dressed in fresh clothes with his hair still wet. The lack of hair gel makes the entire picture even more domestic and Derek’s heart aches.

“Tempting,” he replies, not even surprised at how truthful that sounds.

“Hmm,” Stiles muses as he places a hand on Derek’s back. “What’re you doing?”

“Preparing dinner.”

Stiles snorts behind him. “In boxes?”

Derek twirls around, not letting Stiles back away as he places his hands firmly on Stiles’ waist, holding him close. “I was thinking we could eat outside, watch the sunset reflect on the lake until the stars fill the entire sky.”

“Romantic,” Stiles teases and smiles, eyes just as bright. “Kidnapping doesn’t sound so bad, you know? We shouldn’t let the negative connotation of the word decide our fate.”

If only it was that simple, Derek thinks. He reaches up a hand, fingertips tracing Stiles’ cheek, before leaning forward and gently pressing his lips against Stiles’.

Maybe Isaac is right and Stiles will slip away from him as soon as he learns the truth, but in moments like this, Derek lets himself be selfish. As selfish as he was never allowed to be. The brush of Stiles’ soft lips, the lingering touches and the warm breath… everything else blurs into nothing when he has Stiles in his arms.

Derek has never done anything as reckless as this after what happened with Kate. He has been able to sneak out with no bodyguard stalking his every move before, and Isaac has covered up for him way too many times. But this? Being all alone like this with someone is just something he’s rarely allowed to have. And it’s not like he’s allowed now. His mother would have their security here in seconds if she even dreamed about it. Paparazzi would be surrounding the area, hungry beasts waiting for the perfect photo, if there was even a rumor about him being here alone with someone like Stiles. A man .

It’s a lot to take in and he has to take a deep breath as he settles more blankets on the floor outside for him and Stiles. Derek is not sure if he’s nervous because of all this madness or because he’s finally alone with Stiles. Until now he’s been going with the flow, because Stiles makes it all so easy . He’s always believed that once you like someone, it all comes out naturally. He just never expected to feel this way with someone of the same sex. And that’s the damn problem. Now that they’re here alone… Derek is not sure of what he’s expected to do.

Stiles arrives with a sweater for Derek and a hoodie for himself, in case they get cold later. Even though it’s still hot, Derek knows that even during the summer, once the sun sets, the nights can get cold out here at the lake.

They sit down on the dock, the sky already painted in blazing tones of orange. Stiles’ eyes are bright as they stare at the sky and Derek has a hard time looking away, not really sure of what to do with his hands or what to say. Even though standing this close is not something new between them, Derek can’t stop twisting with nerves, overthinking Stiles’ expectations for tonight.

Suddenly, he remembers the food.

“Are you hungry?” Derek asks Stiles, even though he’s already dragging the basket with the food and placing it between the two of them. It’s a good distraction.

“Yes! What do you have there?” Stiles crosses his legs and turns to fully face Derek.

His white t-shirt shows how tanned Stiles got these past weeks. This close, Derek can see Stiles’ cheeks are slightly sunburned and little freckles are standing out around his nose. He hasn’t shaved, probably since he arrived to Italy; and Derek is now noticing how nicely the stubble frames his face. Even though it itches when they kiss, he has learned to love it, crave it . His hair is a mess. It’s all over the place, but it looks so soft... The whole James Dean look makes Derek’s throat tight, his mouth dry.

“Derek?”

The words startle him. “Sorry, just— got distracted.”

Stiles smirks, like he knows. “Food first?”

“Yeah.” Derek nods while blushing. “We have sandwiches, cheese, wine... And I was thinking—” He bites his lip. Erica had been the one to suggest it and didn’t let Derek object as she prepared the food. Now he’s not so sure if it’s a good idea.

“What?” Stiles leans forward to look inside the basket and his eyes widen. “That’s—”

“We can just eat them normally!” Derek rushes to say.

“Are you kidding? No way!” Stiles bats Derek’s hands away and takes out the strawberries and a bowl of melted chocolate, which Derek carefully prepared as Erica instructed him, while Stiles was in the shower. “I love chocolate, dude.”

Derek rolls his eyes at dude , even though he can’t stop smiling with relief. “There’s also apple and melon, if you want.”

“Yes, yes to all of it,” Stiles cuts in. “This is great, Derek. Thank you.” He returns the smile, eyes fond and endearing.

They both start eating a sandwich as the light in the sky slowly fades, the first stars barely peeking out. Derek listens to the rustle of the wind and the crickets and stillness of the lake around them, as Stiles tells him another childhood story of him and Scott. Derek feels his chest loosening at how peaceful it is, how right this is to him. No crowds, no bodyguards, no journalists, no responsibilities. And Stiles is just… Stiles. He speaks with his hands, sometimes forgets he’s still chewing, there’s some crumbs around him and yet— he’s beautiful. In every sense of the word, as cliché as it sounds, Derek can’t find a better way to describe him. Stiles catches him smile and Derek doesn’t fight it and lets his smile widen, getting a huge grin from Stiles as he resumes his story, even while he tries to hide his blush.

Could he be allowed to have this? Just this, Derek thinks. He doesn’t need anything else.

The moon rises over the edges of the trees around the lake, tinted in orange, like the sky above them.

“Dessert time!” Stiles announces, eyes wrinkling. “I have an idea.”

He places the fruit and the chocolate in front of them.

“We don’t know what will happen after…” I’m gone , Stiles doesn’t say the words but Derek catches it. Both of them choose to ignore the sad tone of it all. “I thought we could share some secrets about each other. To make it more… special, I guess. Each secret is rewarded with dessert. Are you in?”

Stiles looks at him with hopeful eyes, a shy smile on his lips. This could be it, Derek thinks. He could tell him everything right now. He should tell him. And he also can’t deny the desire of wanting to know more about Stiles. Everything.

“Okay. Let’s do it.” Derek says.

The rapid beat of his own heart is now louder than the rhythmical chirping and singing of the bugs around them in this warm night. Stiles beams at him. “Awesome!”

Derek breathes deeply, or tries to, and takes a big sip of his wine. There’s no way of getting ready for this. But before he can even form the right words in his mouth, Stiles goes first.

“I kissed Scott once,” Stiles blurts out. “We were just kids and we found some beers his dad left in the fridge. I remember how awful it tasted, but we just kept going anyway.” He laughs awkwardly. “We were drunk and it just happened, you know? Then his dad came home and got so mad at us. He called my dad and that didn’t make things better for Scott either. Once I went home, I felt bad because most of the times I was always the one prompting him to do silly stuff. And to make things worse, the next day I pretended that I didn’t remember the kiss.”

Derek stares at him with wide eyes. “And you never told him?”

“Nope,” Stiles says and drinks more wine. “He never mentioned it and it’s not like it would change anything. We were grounded for weeks and then his father left.” He adds with a shrug. “It was just some silly experiment between friends who had never kissed anyone before. He’s like my brother.”

“Yeah, you two seem very close.”

Stiles coos, “Aw, you don’t have to be jealous.”

“I’m not—”

“Now I want my dessert,” Stiles wiggles his eyebrows.

Derek snorts, rolling his eyes. “Melon, strawberry, or apple?”

“Strawberry,” he says and opens his mouth. Derek can’t stop looking at his lips, slightly red and wet because of the wine.

Swallowing hard, Derek grabs the biggest strawberry he sees and dips it in the melted chocolate. Conscious that his hands are shaking, Derek leans forward a bit more so that the chocolate doesn’t fall on Stiles’ clothes. He brings the strawberry to Stiles’ mouth, brushing the chocolate carefully on his lips. Stiles’ eyes are locked on his as he eats the strawberry, tongue deliberately tracing Derek’s fingers. The soft moan that escapes his mouth as he eats sends a shiver through Derek’s entire body. His finger stays on Stiles’ mouth for a second too long, maping his bottom lip.

When Derek leans back, trying to adjust himself, Stiles is smirking and his pupils are dilated black. Derek does the only thing he can think of and brings his own fingers to his mouth and licks them.

“Fucker,” Stiles curses, but he laughs openly. “Your turn.”

It’s like a switch flips and Derek is suddenly cold again. He thinks about Stiles’ secret and how they’re playing this. It feels so wrong to tell him everything, and yet it keeps coming at him how it’s the right thing to do. He can’t lie to Stiles. Not— not anymore.

“Are you cold? You’re shivering.” Stiles doesn’t wait for Derek to reply, already grabbing a blanket for him and placing it on his shoulders. The lust is not gone from his eyes, but now there’s also concern and affection. It’s overwhelming and fuck—

“You’re the first guy I’ve ever been with,” is what comes out of his mouth instead.

Stiles stops short, hands still on the blanket he put around Derek. He slowly leans back to his spot, his mouth open in surprise. “Really?”

Derek’s face heats up and he nods.

“Wow. That’s— wow.” Stiles’s glass is empty and he curses to himself, gets the bottle and pours another glass.

“Is that— is that bad?”

“NO, of course not!” Stiles runs a hand through his hair, muttering something that Derek can’t figure out. “I’m just surprised. Well, surprised is not really the word I’m looking for... But—” Stiles bites his bottom lip, clearly nervous. “Why me then? It’s not like... Look at you and look at me. I’m— you know.”

They stare at each other. And Derek doesn’t know what Stiles means, but he knows he’s not seeing this as Derek does. Not even close.

“I want my dessert,” he says instead.

Stiles looks startled at first, but then he lets out a nervous laugh. “Okay… Which one?”

“Melon.”

Contrary to what Derek did, Stiles doesn’t go for the biggest piece, he goes for the smallest. Derek frowns at first, but then he watches Stiles dip the melon in the chocolate, sinking it further and further until his fingers are covered in it too. It should be disgusting, but the smirk on Stiles’ face only makes Derek run hot as he brings the melon to Derek’s mouth.

It’s a tease and he’s hoping Derek will take it. And Derek does. After eating the melon, he licks Stiles’ fingers until they’re no longer tasting of chocolate. Stiles stares at him, up close, and as he prepares to retreat his fingers, Derek sucks them.

“ Fuck ,” Stiles lets out on a groan, almost a whisper.

Derek finally lets him go, satisfied for making Stiles lose his cool, but also aware of how much he’s blushing. “Your turn.”

“I need a little break here,” Stiles says and they both laugh. Each one of them drinking a bit more wine, without taking their eyes off of each other.

“Ok, let’s do this.” Stiles breathes out. “I once ran away from home. Bags and all that shit.”

“What happened?” Derek asks, unable to hide his concern at the sorrowful tone of Stiles’ words. From the stories Stiles tells him, his dad sounds like the most important person in the world for him.

“It was right after my mom died. I found my dad staring at photos of her, drinking alone. Everyday, I saw how he didn’t know what to do with me, without her there anymore. I felt like he would be better if I wasn’t around and I was convinced I was able to take care of myself. So I got what I could into my backpack and a duffle, and left.”

He sighs, right hand scratching his neck. The short time Derek has been with Stiles, he’s learned to read when Stiles is searching for words. So Derek waits.

“I didn’t go far, of course. I was just eight, so I ended up at Scott’s. He wasn’t home, but I knew where the spare key was. I got inside because I thought no one was home, but I was wrong.” Derek notices how Stiles hasn’t stopped playing with his own fingers, eyes not really meeting his. “Scott’s mom was there and I think she saw right through me with the baggage I was carrying by myself. We talked, well, I talked. I guess that’s what I needed, you know? To talk with someone. There were too many things happening that I didn’t understand, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew how hard my dad was trying to keep it together because of me.”

Derek nods and for a moment his mind travels to his mom. She didn’t just have three teenagers to take care of, but also a whole kingdom. He wonders if his life had been normal like Stiles’, would he have noticed the same pain in his mother? All he remembers is barely seeing her during those years, because she was always working. Every single person would tell him to focus on college, so that he could join her years later. Still, in a world where he was never left alone, Derek remembers feeling the exact same thing as Stiles. The wish to talk to someone.

He disentangles Stiles’ fingers and takes his hands in his own, giving them a quick squeeze. Stiles smiles shortly at him.

“Melissa called my dad asking if I could stay over. Lied to him saying that Scott and I had planned a sleepover. And when Scott arrived with his father, she told me to hide in his bedroom so we could surprise him.” He scoffs at the memory. “Scott was so happy to have me sleeping over that I eventually forgot why I was even there. Melissa never told anyone about it, as far as I know. Looking back at it now, I can’t imagine how my father would have felt if he knew.”

“Sometimes lying is necessary to protect others,” Derek says, numbly.

Stiles nods. “Sorry for ruining the mood. I don’t know why I decided to share that.”

“I’m glad you did.” Derek squeezes his hands again, before leaning forward to kiss both of them.

“I feel like I can talk to you about everything. Weird, right?”

“I feel the same,” Derek admits. More to himself than to Stiles. He wants to share everything with this man. Every thought, every story, every feeling.

“I—” Derek stutters. “It’s my turn.”

“I haven’t gotten my dessert yet!” Stiles protests.

“I know. Let me just—” Derek takes a deep breath. “There’s something you need to know first.”

Stiles gives him a strange look and huffs out a laugh. “Okay, go on. But I’m going to ask for my dessert back with interest.”

“Okay. That’s fair.” Derek tries to smile as he traces Stiles’ hands with his thumbs, searching for the right words. Hey, so, by the way, I’m a Prince. That should work beautifully.

“Look! A shooting star!” Stiles quickly takes his hand away from Derek’s grasp and points to the sky. “Let’s make a wish. Together.”

Derek smiles at him as he watches Stiles clench his eyes closed hard. Instead of looking at the sky and make his own wish, Derek lets himself stare at Stiles and puts his wish into this memory, so that he will never forget it.

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

The words come out just like the shooting star. Too fast and too bright, leaving a small path behind it. Unlike the star, Derek’s confession doesn’t disappear with time.

Stiles immediately opens his eyes and stares at Derek with wide eyes, eyebrows shot up.

Crap. This was not what he wanted—

“Derek...” Stiles gapes at him and it almost sounds like he’s pleading for something. And then he’s kneeling and leaning forward. “Derek,” he says again. And again. Until he falls on Derek and kisses him senseless. There’s something that Stiles whispers against his lips, but Derek misses it completely. The sound of his heartbeat is too loud in his head. He kisses Stiles’ back, but his mind is spinning in a whirlwind of emotions and he feels like he lost all control. Not just the control of the kiss, because Stiles is set on giving and giving, and just taking what he wants. Right now, Derek feels so wanted . And because of his heart, he lost control of this stupid lie that went too far and he can’t seem to take it away. Not when Stiles gives him the world and so much more.

He’s so selfish. So foolish. Still, his hands circle around Stiles, pulling him against him so he doesn’t run away. Because he will. Derek can feel it in his bones.

They kiss like they’re drowning, punching the air out of each other, only remembering to breathe when it gets too much. Derek lost control, but Stiles is no different; forcing himself into the cage of Derek’s arms, hands wrapping around him to pull Derek closer.

“Fuck,” Stiles groans when he pulls away, shifting his head to kiss his way along Derek’s jawline. It’s gentle and forceful all the same. “Am I really—” His faint dust of stubble scratches Derek’s throat as Stiles moves to lick his neck. “—your first?”

Derek’s hand clenches in Stiles’ shirt. “Yes,” he admits and his cheeks run hot at the confession.

Suddenly, Stiles’ mouth brushes Derek’s ear lobe, sucking softly and nibbling it with his teeth. Derek moans as Stiles whispers against his ear, “That’s so fucking hot. Jesus, Derek. You have no idea what you do to me.”

But Derek does. If Stiles’ hard on is anything to go by.

Stiles moves to press more kisses along Derek’s neck then the corner of his mouth, pausing before he reaches Derek’s lips. “My wish is this. Us.”

“To the stars?”

A blush creeps on Stiles’ cheeks, as he hovers over Derek’s lips. “Yeah,” Stiles says, lips curling in a soft smile.

“I wish the same,” Derek whispers, only for Stiles to hear. Like he’s afraid of voicing his desire out loud, just to see it being taken away next. “Yeah,” Derek says again, pulling Stiles in with a hand on the back of his neck so they’re kissing again.

Stiles opens his mouth for him, deepening the kiss. He tastes like strawberry and chocolate. He also tastes like smiles and happiness. Something in Derek’s chest throbs in pain. But Stiles’ touch is soothing, despite how their bodies ignite against each other with heat and passion.

The fact that they’re outside by the lake doesn’t even register on Derek, until Stiles thrusts his hips against Derek, making them both moan.

Stiles gasps as he breaks the kiss. “I’m sorry.”

The words take a while to register in Derek’s mind. “Why?”

“I didn’t ask if this— if it’s okay to... you know.” Stiles tilts his chin up and down, and Derek can’t help but look at the distracting shape and fullness of Stiles’ lips.

Derek’s face turns red. “I— I want to. I want you .”

And there’s no going back from here, is there? He planned this, there’s no point in denying it. Being here all by themselves and away from prying eyes… Every decision was made with the desire of being alone with Stiles. The desire of not thinking about anything else except Stiles. The desire of having Stiles in his arms without having to pull away. The desire of falling asleep together, sleeping and waking up together… A desire of a lifetime with Stiles, squeezed in just one perfect night.

“Me too, of course.” Stiles gives him a quick peck on the lips, pulling away just as fast. “But I want to make sure you’re okay with it. I mean— I know how you feel, but we can just stay here and kiss. I’m totally on board with the kissing.”

Derek stares at Stiles’ open smile, cheeks flushed, eyes dark with lust, lips swollen and wet. He feels Stiles’ rapid heartbeat against his chest, just like Stiles must feel his. Mesmerized by it all, Derek is also painfully aware of how Stiles’ dick is hard and pressing against his.

“I need more.”

The three little words come out almost like a plea, a confession taken away from his heart.

Stiles nods slowly, like he understands. And maybe he does, Derek thinks. Maybe Derek is not the only one needing another piece to the puzzle. A puzzle of memories that they will keep for themselves once Stiles has to leave. You start by the sky, until you move to the most complicated pieces. Maybe that’s where they are now. Or so Derek hopes. He wants all the pieces, because a puzzle with missing pieces is doomed to be forgotten. And that’s the last thing he wants.

They move at the same time to close the gap between them; a tender press of lips that holds no hesitation. It quickly escalates when Stiles tugs at Derek’s bottom lip, swiping his tongue over it. It’s gentle, wet, and slow. Their hands are everywhere, stroking each other’s bodies, becoming more desperate once they find warm skin.

Stiles raises up, panting, mouth red and open. “Let’s go inside.”

Derek’s chest tightens as he tries to regain his breath.

They get up and gather their things. It's all a blur afterwards. Hands holding as they walk back to the house; never breaking apart as they move upstairs to one of the rooms. Derek feels his own hand sweating. It’s like the world is in fast forward and yet it’s not fast enough. The sound of their steps in the dark and silent house is as loud as Derek's heart. And when they finally get to the room, Derek swears he stops breathing all at once. Because time slows down again when they move further into the darkness of the bedroom and Stiles slots their mouths together.

Neither of them bother with the light, letting the full moon illuminate her way through the big windows. When they break apart, Stiles is staring at Derek, a glint of wonder in his eyes. In this light, it's almost impossible to see that beautiful amber color that bewitches Derek every time. But even then, those eyes pull him in with much more intensity. Want , that's the word.

Stiles tightens his hold in Derek's hand at the same time as he steps forward. With no other warning, he captures Derek's lips again. It's like flipping a switch. He wants Stiles and he can feel how much Stiles wants him. The physical signs are easy to read, even if he does everything in his power to control them. But even though the kiss is deep and wet, full of intent, Stiles still manages to keep it slow and tender. His mouth takes over Derek's, but it's not a battle. It's reassuring and safe. There's no pressure and Derek feels himself go pliant against Stiles' arms.

Derek pulls Stiles closer and only then does Stiles starts leading them towards the bed. His heart skips more beats than he can count. It's like a dance, but unlike every ball that Derek has attended, he doesn't have to lead. Stiles' touches linger until Derek seeks them out and they can no longer keep their hands off of each other. Stiles is unlike any partner he’s ever had. Every move comes from Stiles, but not without him making sure that Derek is okay with it. The realization makes Derek deepen the kiss and fall onto the bed, taking Stiles with him.

When their bodies collapse against each other, Stiles smiles and Derek tries to savor it as best as he can. They keep kissing for a while, lazy and content.

Panting, Stiles pulls away slightly, eyes still closed. "You can touch me. I want you to touch me."

Derek stares at him, unable to control his ragged breath. He nods, because he can't find the words.

Stiles opens his eyes, scanning Derek's face like he's searching for something. His gaze finally locks with Derek's and with a husky voice, he asks, "Can I touch you?"

And Derek doesn't know what to do or say. Yes is what he wants to say, but the word takes forever to come out. His heart— it's impossible that Stiles is not aware of how fast it's beating when he's so close. But when the word finally does come out, Derek expects that to be it. The magic word that will trigger everything and their bodies will move like they're suppose to. Sex is just like that, two bodies moving with a purpose. It's always been like that and that's exactly what Derek got ready for when he invited Stiles here.

It's not what happens.

As soon as the word yes slips out of Derek's mouth, Stiles smiles down at him and kisses his nose.

"You're shaking," Stiles says when he pulls back again.

"I'm nervous," Derek admits.

"Me too."

They whisper like someone might hear them. Like they're not completely alone in the middle of nowhere. Derek knows why he's nervous and why he's whispering. But he doesn't understand why Stiles feels the same way.

"Why?" Derek asks, he can't help it.

"Because..." Stiles sighs. "Because I want this . You. Too much." He closes his eyes and leans forward until their foreheads are touching. His breath is hot against Derek's lips. "I'm not good at... flings. I'm sorry. I get it if you— you know. If you were looking for something... different."

A sad laugh comes out of Stiles and Derek finds himself hating the sound of it.

"No," Derek says as he gently pulls Stiles away, waiting for him to open his eyes. His heart clenches at the sight of Stiles looking at him like Derek is about to break his heart. "I wasn't looking for anything. And I'm scared because now that I met you, I don't want to let you go."

"Then don't," Stiles whispers, licking his lips and leaning forward until they’re only a breath apart. "Fall in love with me."

Derek nods, words stuck inside him. Stiles kisses him or he kisses Stiles, he doesn't know. They meet halfway, hands touching everywhere, eager to find skin. Stiles smiles against his lips when Derek pulls him closer against him.

It's nothing like falling. Or maybe it is, but Derek has never felt as grounded before. Happy and encaged at the same time, like leaving Stiles' arms is the last thing he would want to do right now. The desire to touch, the erratic heartbeat, the insatiable heat inside him... The slow kisses are long and deep, carving unsaid words full of promises. They spin and the world spins with them, it feels like going crazy. Time stops between them and the sheets are still cold, but Derek knows he will wake up in the morning and they will be warm. It’s the promise of waking up tomorrow together that makes Derek whimper against the body on top of him, pressing for more.

"Derek," Stiles whispers with intent, his hands pressing into Derek's arms. He flips them over, letting Derek pin him against the bed. "It's better this way," he tells Derek, before leaning up for another kiss.

The feeling of Stiles underneath Derek, makes his insides burn and ache with want. The kiss becomes hungry and deep in a matter of seconds, leaving him breathless, bodies rolling with despair.

A minute later, Derek is pulling up Stiles' shirt, hands clumsy and itching to touch more skin, but he doesn’t. He keeps his gaze on Stiles the entire time, holding on to that little control he still has. Stiles groans in what sounds like frustration, quickly lifting his arms to allow Derek to completely take off his shirt.

They're panting and Derek stills, staring at Stiles naked chest. He reaches out a hand to touch, fingers tracing each mole until his hand stops right above Stiles' belt. His gaze snaps back to Stiles’, who's breathing fast and looking straight at Derek, bottom lip between his teeth. Fuck, he's so perfect.

"You're beautiful," Derek whispers in awe, making Stiles duck his head, his long eyelashes fluttering against his flushed cheeks.

"Your turn." Stiles’ hands reach for Derek's shirt, but they’re just hovering, waiting for permission. When Derek nods his head, Stiles slides off his shirt, painfully slow, his fingers leaving goosebumps along Derek's skin.

When his shirt is off too, it seems like all they can do is stare at each other. With a shallow breath, Stiles reaches for his own belt and the button of his pants. Derek's breath catches in his throat, not knowing how to stop looking. He doesn't want to. Not when Stiles is taking off his pants and all Derek can see is skin and more skin. Pale skin, despite the summer. Skin dotted with a few dark moles that Derek wants to engrave in his memory.

"Did you bring anything?" Stiles croaks, voice hoarse. Derek needs a moment to understand what he means, but when he does he can't help but flush hard until he's sure his face must be burning.

"I—" Fuck, he's so fucking unbelievably stupid. He shakes his head in shame. "I might have a condom in my bag..." His voice sounds so small even to his own ears. He meant to ask for Isaac to buy him some condoms, but he kept chickening out in shame and eventually got too nervous with the rest of the arrangements and forgot. Pathetic .

"Hey, it's okay." Stiles' hand cups his cheek. He's smiling at Derek and something inside him aches. "I have a condom in my wallet, so we got that covered. As for the lube, I must have some in my bathroom stuff."

Derek lets out a breath in relief, before shame and guilt hit over him again. "I'm sorry. I should have come prepared. I should have—"

"Hey, no. I said it was okay. And it is. In fact..." Stiles bites his bottom lip, still smiling. "It's actually nice that you forgot."

Derek frowns, confused. "It is?"

"Yeah, it means you weren't just trying to steal my virtue away." Stiles winks.

Derek scrunches his eyes in embarrassment and sighs in defeat. "I'll go get them."

But as he's climbing off the bed, Stiles grabs his wrist and makes him turn around to face him.

"I really like you, Derek. And I want this. A lot. But I don't want to pressure you. That's— that's not what this is."

"I know," Derek says, not being able to hide his smile. "I want this too. I want you." His voice echoes around them. "I forgot to bring anything because I get too nervous when I think about it."

"But you think about it," Stiles says, and even though it's not a question, Derek nods. It's weird how Stiles is practically naked in bed, just in his briefs, and Derek is the one ducking his head in shame because of his own lack of experience.

Stiles kneels on the bed and pulls Derek in for a quick peck on the lips. "I can't wait to have you inside me," Stiles breathes against his mouth, making Derek gasp at the words.

When Stiles slowly pulls away, smirk on his face and legs slightly apart as he lies back on the bed, Derek takes a step back, stumbling and almost tripping on one of their shoes. Fuck, he doesn't even remember taking off his shoes. His heart is thudding hard and his mind is spinning as he leaves the room to look for Stiles' stuff in the bathroom.

He almost curses out loud when he reaches for Stiles’ bag and his hands can't stop shaking. If he was brave enough, he would laugh at himself. It's just sex, it's just sex, it's just sex. He's had sex before, especially during college. Plenty of sex. Ok, not plenty of sex. But it's automatic, it's just about getting each other off. Two bodies looking for release. Two men pleasuring each other. Two men having sex. Stiles naked and flushed body against his own. Fuck — get a grip, Derek. It's just — it's Stiles and it's not just anything . It stopped being just a long time ago and now it's everything .

Derek looks at himself in the mirror and takes a deep breath before stepping out of the bathroom. I should have watched some gay porn , it’s the first thought that comes to mind when Derek is about to walk back into the bedroom. As soon as he’s inside, he tosses the lube on the bed and digs through Stiles' pants to look for his wallet and the condom.

"Everything okay?" Stiles asks and Derek doesn't reply. Tossing the condom as well, he climbs back onto the bed, legs straddling Stiles' body, and kisses him senseless.

Stiles whimpers against him, bringing his arms up and fingers digging into Derek’s back, pulling him closer, as his hips thrust shallowly against Derek's.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Derek says between breaths. Lips constantly chasing Stiles' perfect mouth, nibbling and biting softly his jaw, leaving open mouth kisses across his neck.

"I'll show you how," Stiles moans when Derek sucks on his collarbone, tongue soothing over it.

Derek is straddling Stiles’ waist and he can feel how hard Stiles is. How hard they both are against each other. "Please."

Stiles tugs at Derek's pants, "Off."

And Derek doesn't stop kissing him. Can't . His hands reach out for the button of his pants, and Stiles quickly starts shoving them off, stopping with his hands above Derek's ass to squeeze his cheeks. Hard. Derek lets out a lewd sound, like he can't help it. When his mouth finds Stiles’, Derek can taste the smile against his lips.

As soon as Derek’s pants are gone, the kiss becomes uncoordinated, desperate, hot and slick. It's like both their bodies know how little time they have together.

They both groan when their cocks brush against each other through their briefs. Stiles doesn't even speak before reaching down for the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down with ease and throwing them somewhere. That's the moment when Derek stops kissing him and pulls away, because he has to see .

"Can I—"

"Yes," Stiles breathes out, desperation resonating in his voice.

It feels like Derek's heart is going to rip his chest open, as he reaches out for Stiles' dick, hand shyly wrapping around it. Torn between looking at it or Stiles' face.

"Fuck. Derek—" Stiles curses, bites his lip. He's shaking under Derek, trying hard to keep still as Derek adjusts to the feeling of another man's dick in his hands. It's— it's hot and hard... just like his, but— He teases the head with his thumb, smearing the precome dribbling down the side.

"I want to..." Derek thinks he says, but he’s not sure. Next thing he knows, Derek is leaning down chasing after the desire of tasting it. He never did this with a woman, never felt this burning sensation inside him. The feel of it against his mouth is so weird and yet he can’t stop himself from humming against it, the musty strong taste is not appealing, but not bad either, and he challenges himself to go deeper.

"Oh my god," Stiles gasps above him, fingers tightening in Derek’s hair. “Derek, Derek— Fuck, no, stop!”

Derek’s blood runs cold as he pushes himself up and stares at Stiles, still in a daze. Did he do something wrong? Was he—

“No,” Stiles repeats, voice still breathless. He tries to sit up, fails miserably and ends up just staring up the ceiling. “You can’t just—” Derek watches him bite his lip. Stiles finally looks up at Derek again and asks, “You never done that before, right?”

Helplessly, Derek shakes his head.

A frustrated sound comes out of Stiles as he leans forward and this time succeeds to sit down. His hands, warm and shaky, touch Derek’s face. “Never go down on any guy you don’t know without a condom. Or girl for that matter,” his voice serious and calm.

“I trust you,” Derek snaps. Derek might not be as experienced but he knows these things. He’s not a child for christ’s sake. And does Stiles really think he will be sucking dick after he leaves? A dark laugh escapes him.

“Derek...” Stiles sighs. Derek might have said that last part out loud. “I don’t want you to think I wasn’t enjoying it, but— damn, of course I was. I’m clean, but you don’t know that. And you shouldn’t really take my word for it until you know for sure.”

Derek huffs, “Okay.”

“Okay.” Stiles leans forward until his forehead is touching Derek’s, fingers caressing his stubbled jaw. “I totally killed the mood, right?”

“No, I still want…” Derek blushes and casts his gaze down. Stiles smiles at him and captures his lips in a sweet kiss, soft and almost chaste.

When his tongue sweeps inside Derek’s mouth, Stiles groans and pulls back an inch. “Fuck— I can taste myself in your mouth.”

Derek’s heart skips several beats at the words and he’s sure that even in the dim moonlight, Stiles will be able to see how red in embarrassment he must be.

“Hey, that’s not a bad thing.” Stiles catches Derek’s lips again for just a brief second. “That turns me on like... a lot.” Another kiss. “In fact, I’m so turned on right now that...” Stiles started to nuzzle Derek’s throat, wet lips brushing against his skin. “I can’t wait to feel my cock in the heat of your mouth again.”

Derek’s heart keeps beating faster, and he doesn’t know what to do with his hands except grasping the sheets to the sides, as Stiles sucks slightly on his neck.

“And I want to suck your dick too.” Stiles’ mouth is suddenly right next to Derek’s ear, his voice hoarse. Derek lets out a moan when he feels Stiles’ hand cupping him through his briefs. His cock throbs in Stiles’ hand. “I want to let you grab my head and thrust against my throat.”

Derek whimpers— there’s no other word for it. And then Stiles’ hand comes up to slide inside his briefs, his fingers finally touching him— stroking the shaft of his cock as he licks at Derek’s collarbone. It’s overwhelming and he can’t help but moan again, definitely louder this time. “Stiles,” he breathes out, delirious and lost in a haze of pleasure.

“And then—” Stiles pushes him down and kisses him, his hands sliding Derek’s briefs off, ever so slowly. “When you’re almost there, I would draw back and start licking here .” His hand starts playing with Derek’s balls, fingertips pressing behind them with deliberate pressure, making Derek’s hips jerk involuntary.

“Fuck.”

Stiles grins above him, leaning down again to lick at Derek’s nipples. His teeth graze lightly against them and Derek squirms, doing everything he can to control his breathing.

“You would pull my hair to take it back into my mouth.” Stiles’ hoarse voice leaves goosebumps as he shifts lower to Derek’s stomach. “And I would take more of your hard cock into my mouth.” He drags his mouth further down in open mouthed kisses. “And more…” Stiles’ hand keeps moving on his dick as he starts sucking the skin above Derek’s hip.

“Stiles—” Derek chokes out. His voice sounds broken even to himself.

Suddenly, he feels Stiles sliding down a condom on Derek’s dick, and with no warning, pleasure and arousal surge through Derek as Stiles starts sucking on his dick.

Derek groans out loud and clutches hard at the sheets. Everything is a blur except for the wet and hot mouth sucking him in. When he dares a glance down, Stiles is staring at him avidly, dragging his head up and down on his throbbing cock. The feeling of it sends shocks through Derek’s body and his hips can’t help but stutter into Stiles’ mouth.

When Stiles pulls off abruptly with a wet pop, Derek can’t help but whine. “Please—”

His pleads die on his mouth when Stiles’ lips meet his in a messy and wet kiss. He doesn’t taste himself on Stiles, but he moans with the thought of him sucking Derek’s dick just a second ago. The kiss lingers until they’re both out of breath.

“I want you to fuck me,” Stiles rasps between breaths, voice rough.

“I don’t know what to do,” Derek whispers.

“I’ll show you.” Stiles lies on top of him, chest to chest, his legs stretched on top of Derek’s, as he presses their mouths together in another breathless kiss. They’re both hard and neither can help the involuntary thrusts of their hips, making them both groan as they rut against each other. “Fuck.”

When Stiles sits up to straddle him, Derek sees the bottle of lube in his hand. “Give me your fingers.” Stiles grins. Derek obeys without a word, consciously aware that he’s shaking.

The cold lube is poured onto his hand, and then Stiles pours some on his own as well. Stiles tosses the bottle to the side in a hurry, before he starts slicking Derek’s cock with it. Derek watches him, how the low light sometimes catches his warm brown eyes, making them almost glow. He’s barely able to focus with the rushing blood pounding in his ears.

“Here,” Stiles slides further up Derek’s body, legs cradling him, as he guides Derek’s hand between his legs. With a shallow breath, Derek lets Stiles move his finger to pressure tightly against his hole.

He keeps it there, consciously aware that he needs to be careful until Stiles opens up for him. The head of his cock sometimes grinds against Stiles’ thigh and Derek can’t think— He casts a glance at Stiles, his long eyelashes in contrast with his skin. He looks almost lost in pleasure, his chest moves rapidly, like he’s out of breath as much as Derek.

When Derek is finally able to ease his finger inside Stiles, he swears he stops breathing when he watches Stiles bite his lip, falling on top of Derek, elbows to the sides in a fake attempt to steady himself.

“Are you okay?” He asks, his finger still barely inside but perfectly still.

Stiles nods against him. “Yeah.” His voice comes out low and hoarse. “You can—” But before more words are spoken, Stiles groans again as he slowly lets himself sink further on Derek’s finger.

Derek wants to say something, but all he manages is to let Stiles set the pace. He’s already struggling to breathe and to not come right then and there.

When he feels Stiles thrusting more surely, Derek starts working his finger inside, a second finger already teasing at the entrance.

“Derek,” Stiles tries, ragged breaths on Derek’s neck. His shaky fingers brush against Derek’s face and stay there.

Derek presses his other hand to Stiles’ hip, the need to touch more and more skin taking him over. As he keeps trying to open up Stiles, he can’t help but think that he should have at least touched himself back there while masturbating, just— to see how it feels. But the thought— fuck, the thought never occurred to him until now, feeling Stiles shaking over him, his dick hard and leaking, brushing against Derek’s. All his focus is on trying to figure out how to please Stiles, who keeps whining low and needy against Derek, his back arched as he tries to push more of Derek’s finger into him. His legs spread wide when Derek starts to work a second finger inside.

“Is this okay?”

“ Yes ,” Stiles makes a broken sound and babbles about how good it feels.

The idea of having Stiles so turned on by just his fingers makes Derek squeeze his eyes shut for a second, his other hand moving up to grab Stiles’ ass, spreading his cheeks even more.

“You’re so hot inside,” Derek murmurs, breathless. On top of him, Stiles keeps writhing, clutching Derek close. He can feel Stiles’ hard on pulsing between them, as Derek slides his two fingers in and out.

“Can you— can you add more lube?” Stiles whispers.

Derek quickly complies, despite the way Stiles whimpers when he takes out his fingers. It’s not an easy task in this position, but he does his best to pour the lube on his hand without letting it fall on the bed. Not much anyway.

Stiles winces when Derek’s fingers brush his entrance again. “Ow, cold.”

Derek curses, fuck— he forgot. “Sorry. I’m sorry.” He takes his fingers out, trying to smear the lube as much as possible until he’s confident that it’s not cold anymore. When he eases them back inside Stiles again, something happens, because the next thing he knows, Stiles is crying out and arching his body, hands grabbing onto Derek’s shoulder for support.

The fear of having hurt Stiles makes Derek take out his fingers right away.

“No,” Stiles whines. “Don’t you dare take them out now. Derek, please—”

Derek frowns but does as he’s told, more careful and slowly. This time Stiles immediately thrusts backwards, chasing after Derek’s fingers. He arches his body again and Derek can’t help but to be mesmerized by how beautiful he is.

“Right there ,” Stiles shouts in pleasure. Derek tries to finger him faster, even though he’s not sure if speed is what’s making Stiles pant and writhe against him.

“More,” Stiles begs. And Derek almost asks him “ more what? ” but Stiles arches his body, straddling him, and then Derek feels one of Stiles’ fingers trying to slide against Derek’s.

He groans in frustration when he can’t get past the first knuckle. Fuck, Derek is not sure why Stiles thinks he can take another, when he already feels so tight . He says the only thing that crosses his mind— “I’ve got you.” — and kisses him.

Stiles pants against his lips, coming up for air. “I need you to fuck me right now .”

He’s a mess, a beautiful mess, but Derek refuses to hurt him. He takes Stiles’ hand away and starts scissoring his two fingers inside Stiles, slowly sliding in and out, then faster. He adds a third between thrusts, and Stiles startles and moans. Loud . Derek thought that Stiles going down on him would be the greatest thing ever, but these sounds right here— these sensations he’s dragging out of Stiles are unlike anything he’s ever experienced. And in his mind he wants more— so much more.

The body on top of him keeps shaking and Derek himself isn’t much better. He wonders how this hot tightness will feel around his cock. The thought makes him twitch.

“I’m ready. I’m ready,” Stiles pants as he keeps riding Derek’s fingers.

Derek’s heart thumps. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Stiles licks his lower lip, biting down to hold back a moan.

The noises he’s making are so urgent and raw. Derek’s grip on his hip tightens. His first instinct is to just go for it , because Stiles is grinding against him, cock rock hard against Derek’s stomach. But then Derek remembers Stiles saying he wanted to be on his back, so he pulls off his fingers and flips them over, grabbing Stiles by the hips.

“Like this?” He can’t help but ask.

Stiles nods, fighting back a smile and spreading out his legs. “Like this is perfect.”

You’re perfect , Derek doesn’t say. He doesn’t really trust himself with words right now. Throbbing dick in his hand, he focuses on not messing up. He moves slowly, holds himself back as hard as he can. When he looks up, Stiles has his eyes squeezed shut, he’s breathing hard, his thighs are shaking next to Derek’s arms, and his hands are clutching the sheets at his sides.

“You’re so tight. And hot,” Derek breathes hard.

Stiles laughs, the sound quickly turning into a whimper as Derek finally presses all the way inside him. He closes his eyes and grips at the sheets. The room is filled with their ragged breaths, most likely the only human sound in the range of ten miles. But Derek still whispers when he asks, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Stiles mumbles. “I just— I need a second.”

Derek nods. He’s so close to coming that he starts counting the seconds, forcing himself to prolong this for as long as he can.

He’s at fifty three seconds when Stiles rasps, “You can— you can move now.”

They both groan when Derek starts moving, painfully slow. Stiles is shaking underneath him, head thrown back as Derek thrusts back and forth, willing himself to control the fire inside him with how much he wants Stiles.

The room is filled with soft whimpers, moans, and cries. Stiles keeps his eyes closed; long eyelashes in contrast with his flushed cheeks. His thighs tremble above Derek’s shoulders and in a shallow breath he wills Derek to go faster.

Derek swears and stops holding back. His hips move harder and Stiles lets out a moan of pleasure. Derek suddenly feels a desperate need to have Stiles closer, hold him tighter. He leans down and kisses Stiles, hungry and deep. It’s a wet and uncoordinated filthy mess of lips against each other as their bodies chase for release, but it’s perfect and Derek can’t help but demand more. Stiles kisses back just as furiously, gasping for air when Derek is able to hit that sweet spot.

“I’m so close,” Stiles opens his eyes and pants against his mouth.

Derek nods. He’s been close for a while now.

Stiles licks into his mouth and wraps his legs around Derek’s waist, pulling him in deeper . The sounds they both make are swallowed between kisses.

Barely clinging to his control, Derek tries to go faster. He’s a heartbeat from coming, his whole body is shaking and the only thing he can hear is Stiles’ shouting his name. A trembling hand finds his and Derek intertwines their fingers, so tight it must hurt.

Derek feels the moment Stiles comes.

A loud and blissful moan rings in Derek’s ears at the same time as strong, sweaty legs cling to him tighter. Stiles clenches around Derek as he comes apart and that’s all it takes for Derek’s orgasm to hit him hard. He tries to muffle his pleasure by mouthing at Stiles’ neck, as the intense waves of pleasure keep coming and coming.

When it’s over, Derek is completely breathless as he rests his head on Stiles’ shoulder, waiting for his heart to slow down. After a minute, he can feel Stiles nuzzling his neck and peppering him with little kisses.

Sweaty and exhausted, Derek pulls up to look at him. “Good?”

Stiles’ hair is a mess, sticking up to his forehead, but he’s smiling openly at Derek. “Amazing.” Smiles turn into lazy kisses, until they’re both aware of the mess between them.

Once in the shower, Derek can’t help but let his touch linger on Stiles’ skin. Tracing every mole he finds in his body, especially the ones he can now see better in the bathroom light. Stiles shudders against him when his fingers brush against his ass, washing away the lube as gently as he can.

Derek turns him around and lets Stiles’ body sag against his, head pushed back onto his shoulder, as the hot water keeps raining on them. Despite never having held another man against him like this, Derek can’t help but marvel at how soft Stiles’ skin feels. His fingers run over his lean muscles, washing him with care and trying to memorize all the spots that make Stiles gasp in pleasure.

When he slowly drags his fingers down, Stiles tilts his head to the side to kiss him. This time there’s no rush or despair. Derek starts jerking him off and thrusting between Stiles’ legs. Together they fall apart again, breathless moans mixing with the steamy air and hot water.

***

Back in bed, they lie awake in each other’s arms. Stiles is half on top of Derek, head on his shoulder as he traces his fingers on Derek’s stomach in little patterns that Derek can’t figure out. Derek does the same, hand softly brushing Stiles’ back, up and down.

It’s late and Isaac has probably tried to check up on them, but Derek can’t move a muscle. Doesn’t want to. Having Stiles in his arms like this feels good and natural. And if he could live in this night forever, he would.

“Derek?”

“Yeah?”

Stiles stops drawing patterns on Derek’s skin for a moment. When he goes back to it, the touch is somehow different. “Scott is in love with Allison.”

Derek frowns. “The girl you met in Rome?”

“Yeah. She’s great. They’re great.” Stiles lets out a sigh. “He’s going to get hurt. And he knows that. That’s the worst part, I guess. Knowing that you’ll get hurt in the end.”

Derek’s heart starts beating faster and his whole body tenses. It’s impossible for Stiles not to feel it.

“They’ve talked about making it work.” Stiles continues. “Do you think… If two people like each other that much, is it possible to stay together even when they’re apart?”

The traces on his stomach stop and the air is suddenly too thin.

“Maybe,” Derek says.

Stiles remains silent. The seconds tick by and Derek wants to say more, but he doesn’t know what or how. Suddenly, Stiles turns to look at him. His mouth opens and closes, brown eyes wandering on Derek’s face.

“I want to try it,” Stiles says, vulnerability in his voice. “If you want to.”

The last words are said in a whisper and Derek’s chest aches when he realizes that Stiles is scared.

“I—”

But Stiles shuts him with a kiss. A chaste and dry kiss that lingers on his lips for far too long. He rests his forehead against Derek’s when he pulls away.

“Don’t answer me now. Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

Derek nods and kisses him again. There’s nothing he wants more than a future with Stiles.

***

The birds outside sing, loud enough to wake Derek up. He opens his eyes, squinting at the bright light. He doesn't even mind that the curtains are letting the sun in, because right in front of him is Stiles, sound asleep.

Derek holds his breath for a minute, scared that the slightest thing might stir Stiles awake. But after a closer look, that seems unlikely. His cupid’s bow mouth is slightly open, dry and bitten lips just waiting to be kissed. Later , Derek thinks to himself. Right now he's happy to watch Stiles sleep, unable to hide a smile.

How did he get here? No, that's not the right question. What did he do to deserve such a gift like Stiles? It seems like they've fallen into each other's arms a long time ago. And yet it's only been two weeks; three weeks since they actually met. The thought would scare him if it wasn't for Stiles' peaceful sleeping form.

Still, Derek can't stop himself from wondering how everything would have been different, if their paths hadn't crossed. If Derek was living to his mother's expectations, he would have never left the Palace and met Stiles. He wouldn't be here, in this safe heaven, looking at probably the first person he's ever truly loved. And love tells him to stay here, away from everything and everyone. But it also tells him to talk to Stiles about who he is and go back to face his responsibilities.

Can he make Stiles happy? Can he ask Stiles to step into his caged life? Derek wants to be with him. So much. But what's wrong with wanting to live outside that cage for a few moments and allow himself to be free? Free to be here, staring at Stiles' long and dark eyelashes touching his skin, the freckles dotting his nose because of the summer sun, the dark moles that Derek has imprinted in his mind... The way his brown hair is sticking up to all sides, making Derek's fingers itch with the desire to touch.

The last movie he saw was with Laura two months ago, just before summer arrived. He doesn't remember the title, but he recalls the happy ending. Boy loves girl, girl loves boy. At first they're oblivious to each other's feelings, it's cliché and predictable. And that's exactly what Derek wishes he could have. Just love confessions and kisses that ache at how good they make you feel.

He feels ridiculous for what he wants. Sixteen year old Derek would be either rolling his eyes or snorting in disbelief. Corny was never something he thought he could be, even when his sisters forced him to watch their favorite rom coms. No, Derek was taught to grow up fast and with his mind on the future, a future that wasn't even his. Always the people. Never him.

After what Kate did to him, that weight on his shoulders became even heavier than before his father’s death. Despite what Laura tells him, Derek doesn’t believe their mother ever forgave him for his lack of judgement regarding his ex fiancée.

Stiles came into his life unexpected and unannounced. Derek still doesn’t understand how it happened, how his heart opened up like that. But all that doesn’t matter when the subject of his affections is lying in front of him with his eyes closed, and a soft smile on his face.

"Creep," Stiles murmurs, his voice rough from sleep.

Derek can't help but laugh. He doesn't remember the last time he started his day happy like this. The world could be falling to pieces right now that Derek wouldn't care.

"Breakfast?" he asks.

Stiles groans in discontent and throws an arm around Derek's waist before moving closer until his nose is nuzzling Derek's chest. "It can wait."

"Yes." Derek doesn't know what else to say. He would stop time right this moment if he could.

Chapter Text

“Look at his face!” Stiles laughs hysterically at the weird orange fish.

“Fish don’t have faces,” Derek says, but he can’t help the grin that escapes him.

They met early in the morning for breakfast and now they’re visiting the Aquarium. Derek doesn’t even bother to look around them when he throws an arm around Stiles, keeping him close. Or when Stiles turns to him and their lips touch for a tender kiss. Or when Stiles is too fascinated with the fish and Derek can’t help but lean closer and scent him, memorizing all the different smells that are just Stiles .

“Do you think they have penguins?”

Derek snorts. “Yes, they have penguins.”

Stiles beams, “Awesome! I love penguins! After watching a documentary about them, I asked my parents for a penguin and they thought I was joking. My dad says it felt like the worst Christmas for a kid.” He laughs. “The next day, they took me to the zoo just to see the penguins. You know what they did?”

Derek shakes his head, smiling at the way Stiles’ eyes are shining under the dim blue light of the Aquarium.

“We adopted one! I was only six, so you can imagine how hard it was for them to explain why we couldn’t bring him home with us.”

“I can imagine,” Derek teases.

Stiles scrunches his nose. “We named him Joseph.”

“Joseph? Why Joseph?”

“He looked like a Joseph.” Stiles shrugs. “Like, see that fish? That one looks like a Mario to me. And that one has the look of a José.”

“We’re keeping you from naming any more fish.” Derek pulls him away from the glass and into his arms.

Stiles pretends to pout. “What else am I supposed to do at the Aquarium?”

“I can think of something else,” Derek says as he leans closer, brushing their noses together.

“The children, Derek. It’s not dark enough for them to not see,” Stiles warns, teasing him, but doesn’t back away, on the contrary.

Derek hums in agreement but kisses him anyway. It’s slow and almost chaste; his hands settle on Stiles’ back, keeping him close. A shadow creeps above them and Derek opens his eyes momentarily to see a big stingray swimming right above them. And when he breaks the kiss, Stiles opens his eyes too, just in time to see her swim away.

“Whoa,” Stiles whispers in awe.

But Derek is not looking at the stingray anymore. He’s more amazed by what’s right in front of him.

***

Never in his life did Derek think watching someone drink a strawberry smoothie with a straw would make his hands sweat, but Stiles makes it feel like pure torture.

“I was thinking… But you’re free to say no!” Stiles blurts out.

Derek frowns, only now noticing how jumpy and nervous Stiles looks. “What is it?”

Stiles bites his lip. “There’s a masquerade party tomorrow night. And I was thinking…”

“You want to go?” Derek asks, placing his hand over Stiles’.

“I understand if you don’t want to go,” Stiles hurries to say. “It will be like a farewell party. Everyone is going. And I want…” He turns his hand around and tangles their fingers. “It’s my last few days in Betonia and I would like to spend them with you. Every second of them.”

Derek smiles sadly. “I want the same.”

They stare at each other for a while, thinking words they’re not yet ready to say out loud. The crushing fear of losing these last moments is what stops Derek from spilling out the truth right then and there. Stiles brushes his thumb against Derek’s knuckles, soft circles that send shivers through his entire body; gentle and caring touches that Derek wants to memorize and keep forever, locked in this present where it’s just the two of them and no one else.

***

Later that night, Derek is inside the office going through some documents that Deaton left him to read and sign, when Laura knocks.

“Am I interrupting you from something?”

Derek sighs heavily. “From boredom, yes.”

She laughs as she enters the room. “Isaac said you would be in here. Working late?”

“You could say that.” Though Derek knows perfectly well these papers have been waiting for him since this afternoon.

“Jordan told me you cancelled your lunch for tomorrow.”

Derek tenses. “Yeah, I have some things to take care of.”

Laura hums, leaning next to the desk. “Is there something wrong?”

“Why do you think something’s wrong?”

“It’s not the first time you’ve canceled something with him in the last two weeks. He’s worried.”

“Nothing’s wrong, Laura. I’ll call Jordan and set things straight.”

“How about Boyd?” She pulls a chair to sit next to him.

“What about him?”

“Harris told me you’ve been cancelling his invitations too.”

Derek groans. “I’ve just been busy. That’s all.”

“Bullshit,” she snorts. “I’ve been busy with the wedding, but I still know what happens in this Palace. Especially gossip coming from the servants.”

“Isaac,” Derek mutters.

“Oh, please,” she rolls her eyes. “You know Isaac is like a well trained puppy. I’ve tried questioning him and he won’t budge. But Isaac can’t always have your back and the rest of the servants have eyes of their own.”

Derek sighs and sets the papers aside. “If I tell you… You’ll have to promise me to not tell anyone.”

“Of course.”

“Laura, I mean it,” Derek turns to look at her. “You can’t tell anyone. Not Cora and not Mom. Especially Mom.”

“Derek, I promise.”

Derek nods and exhales slowly. “I’ve met someone.”

“Oh my God, Derek!” She almost jumps at him, radiating happiness and grabbing both of his hands. “Who is she? When can I meet her?”

He lets out a bitter laugh. “It’s not— It’s not a she .”

“Not a she?” Laura frowns. “Then— Oh. ”

The room falls silent for far longer than Derek can handle, while Laura tries to figure out whatever she’s thinking about him. “I realize that’s not what you expected of your brother.” The words come out harsher than he intends them to.

“What? No, Derek. No!” Laura squeezes his hands, reassuringly. “I just— It’s a lot to take in all of a sudden. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

Derek nods, not really wanting to meet her eyes.

“Is he— Have I met him? How did you two meet? I want to know everything,” Laura encourages him to tell her more. Derek appreciates her curiosity. It’s far better than running away or telling him straight that he’s absolutely mad.

“You don’t know him. He’s American.”

“American? Then how did you— Oh my God— Derek! Have you been sneaking out of the Palace alone again?! We’re not twelve anymore! If something happens to you—”

“ I know ,” Derek cuts in. “Just… Sometimes it gets too much. You know that, right?”

Laura sighs. “I know. But— If Mom finds out…”

“She won’t. I—” Derek swallows hard. “I want to talk to her. I just don’t know how.”

“About him?” Laura stares at him. “Is it that serious? How long have you known him?”

“Not long. Three weeks.”

“Three weeks,” she repeats. “Has he been pressuring you? Is that it?”

“No, not at all. He doesn’t… He doesn’t know, Laura.”

“Doesn’t know what?”

“That I’m the Prince,” Derek replies.

Laura stares at him in shock. “Derek, you have to—”

“I know. Believe me, I know.” Derek groans, frustrated. “Every time I try to do it, it’s like… I look at him and the words get stuck in my mind.”

“And you want to introduce him to the Queen,” Laura deadpans.

Derek scoffs, “Not really introduce him. I just want her to know he exists. I don’t want him to be a dirty secret. He doesn’t deserve it. He’s…” When he looks at his sister, she’s smiling widely at him. “Why are you smiling?”

“I don’t remember seeing you this happy about someone else since Paige. You got it hard, baby bro.”

Derek flushes hard. “He makes me feel real. Like I can be myself, really be myself.”

“Well, now I really gotta meet him.” Laura smiles at him.

“Maybe not so soon,” Derek adds. “He’s leaving in three days.”

“But he’s coming back, right?”

“I—” Derek stands up, walking towards the window. The night sky is too dark tonight, no stars in sight. “I don’t know,” he finally says, in almost a whisper.

Laura moves behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Derek. If there’s anything I can do…”

Derek takes her hand and holds it. “Thank you. It’s nice to finally be able to tell someone other than Isaac.”

She smiles at him fondly as she leans on his shoulder. They stay like that for a while, just staring at the illuminated city of Betonia across the Palace gates.

***

“How about this one?”

“No,” Derek tells Stiles. They’re inside a shop that sells all kinds of stuff for parties. Derek doesn’t even want to know what kind of parties one might have with some of their… assets.

“This one?”

“Stiles, I’m not going to wear a Halloween costume to a party in the middle of the summer.”

Stiles pouts. “Okay, fine. You pick one.”

Derek huffs out a laugh and kisses his temple. “You’re cute when you pout.”

“Don’t try to bribe me with your kisses.” Stiles pushes him, but it’s not hard enough for Derek to leave his side.

“Is it working?”

“Maybe…”

Derek smiles and gives him a chaste kiss. “How about these two?”

“A wolf mask?”

“And a fox mask.”

Stiles checks them out from both sides, not entirely convinced. The wolf mask is probably too elegant for what Stiles was thinking, painted in dark blue with a few glints of gold and silver on the sides. The fox mask matches the wolf one almost too perfectly, with the same design of ornaments on the sides but painted in beautiful tones of orange and yellow.

Stiles turns to put the wolf mask on Derek. Derek obliges him. “I’m not sure,” Stiles says. “I can still see it’s you.”

Derek snorts. “I want you to see me.”

Stiles rolls his eyes. “That’s not how a masquerade party works.”

Derek leans closer to him, still wearing the mask, thumb brushing Stiles’ jaw. “This way I can still kiss you.” And he does so.

It’s only a mere touch of lips, but it’s enough to put them both in a daze. Derek pulls Stiles’ bottom lip gently, biting and teasing him with his tongue. He can feel Stiles’ hand bruising his hip, trying to pull him closer.

When they break apart, Stiles has his eyes half closed. “We’ll take them,” he says.

Derek can’t help the smug smile on his face.

***

They arrive to the party later than expected, because they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other the whole day. Losing track of time with Stiles was starting to feel like an inevitable pattern in his life.

Derek knows Isaac and Erica are already inside, but once Stiles and him enter the house, there’s no way of telling who is who.

“This is awesome!” Stiles shouts through the loud sound of music. His eyes stand out even more through the fox mask and Derek has the urge to drag him away from the party and keep him just for himself.

“I’m going to try and find Scott,” Stiles shouts again. “Can you get us some drinks?”

Derek nods and starts walking towards the kitchen. The party has more people than he expected and everyone seems to be stumbling over each other.

The kitchen is thankfully empty and he quickly takes off his mask to freshen up a bit and brush the sweat off of his forehead. He drinks some water before going for the fridge and taking out two cold beers. The back door to the garden opens just as he turns around.

The dark hair girl that comes in looks familiar. She’s wearing a green outfit with brown boots and a big bow on her back. Her pale skin is painted with red stripes on both cheeks.

Derek smiles politely at her, “Allison, right?”

The way she just stares at him without muttering a word, makes him frown. “I’m Derek. We never met before. I’m… Stiles’ friend?”

“I know who you are,” she finally says, but something in her voice doesn’t sound right.

“Is there something wrong?”

Shouts from outside seem to snap Allison out of it. She quickly locks the back door and moves to the other door just as fast, to stop anyone from entering the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” Derek asks her.

“What am I—” Allison lets out a pained laugh. “What are you doing here, Prince Derek?”

Derek freezes. “How do you…”

“You don’t remember me,” she says. It’s not a question and even if it was Derek wouldn’t know how to answer her. “I’m Allison Argent, Kate Argent ’s niece.”

The name Argent is enough to make him take a step back.

“Why are you here, Prince Derek? Is Princess Cora here as well?”

“No,” Derek tells her. He had forgotten how Cora and Allison were such close friends since they were kids. He hasn’t seen anyone from that family in years . Of course he didn’t recognize Allison, but he should have— He should have recognized her.

“You can’t tell Stiles,” he hurries to say.

She looks at him in shock. “He doesn’t know?!”

When Derek shakes his head, it’s like Allison’s manners completely fall out of the window.

“Do you know how much he likes you? You can’t lie to him like this!” Allison spits the words like daggers, making him wince. “He deserves to know who you really are.”

“I know, Allison. I know, okay? I’ll tell him. I promise I’ll tell him.”

“Tell him now. Or I will.”

Derek nods. “I will. But please let me be the one to tell him.”

Someone knocks on the door before opening it. As soon as Derek sees the fox mask, his blood runs cold, like his world is about to shatter.

“Oh, hey, Allison! Nice outfit.” Stiles smiles at her. “Where’s Scott?”

“The backyard,” she replies coldly.

Stiles frowns, then looks between the two of them. “I see you two finally met. But you, big guy, took off your mask. What’s the fun in that?” He moves to the kitchen counter where the wolf mask is. “Oh, cold beer! Nice!”

He settles both beers on the counter as he adjusts the mask on Derek again, giving him a chaste kiss at the end. “Done,” Stiles beams.

“I should probably go back to Scott,” Allison says. “Nice to meet you, Derek .” She leaves without waiting for either of them to reply.

“What’s gotten into her?” Stiles asks.

Derek looks at him and his heart aches. “Maybe she’s playing the character?”

Stiles laughs and pulls him into a tight embrace, arms closing around his neck. “No way. No hunters will take my wolf from me tonight.”

***

The backyard is just as crowded as the living room since it’s a hot summer night, even though the sky is dark and grey, threatening rain any time soon. Stiles drags him down to one of the reclining chairs, he finishes his drink in one go and smashes his mouth against Derek’s.

Derek’s been trying to find the time and place to talk to Stiles, but it seems impossible with a life force like Stiles so committed that they get to have the time of their lives during their last days together. After his third drink, Derek almost forgets about Allison Argent. Or any Argent whatsoever. His mind and body seem to be only focused on Stiles’ lips and where his hands are burning his skin. The buzz of the alcohol and the feeling of Stiles’ tongue against his own makes him feel hot and close to losing his mind.

No one seems to be paying attention to them, as they’re just one of the many couples by the pool, clinging to each other. But there’s only so much that both of them can take. When Stiles pulls away, forehead touching Derek’s, his eyes are dark and intense. “I need to touch you.”

They stumble their way out of the backyard, giggling as they walk to a dark corner outside the house. Derek stares at Stiles, at his swollen and red lips. I did that , he realizes. The sight makes his mouth go impossibly dry and he licks his lips on instinct. As his tongue sneaks out, Stiles doesn’t even wait before he’s smashing their mouths together again. He parts his lips and lets Derek inside, firm fingers around Derek’s neck, keeping him close.

Everything gets to be too much and too hot pretty fast. Stiles’ hand brushes against the front of Derek’s jeans, intentions clear as water. Derek bucks his hips, desperately chasing after that sweet friction. It’s all Stiles needs to tug him closer and cup his balls through the layers of clothes. His fingers tracing the outline of Derek’s cock, squeezing him.

“Stiles—” Derek pants.

They breathe against each other’s mouths. Derek can feel how hard Stiles is just from— Fuck . Derek breaks the kiss, let’s his forehead drop to Stiles’ neck, breathing that sweaty musky smell that intoxicates him. Stiles tilts his face to the side to give him more access, making Derek want to bite—

“Derek, please— I need—”

He traces the beads of sweat that fall on Stiles’ neck with his mouth, tracking the dark moles on his pale skin. Stiles holds him tight, hips bucking against him. He gasps out loud when Derek bites gently and sucks.

Stiles surges to unbutton Derek’s jeans and everything is a blur from thereafter. Once his cock springs free, Derek can’t help but capture Stiles’ mouth, moaning against it. His hands fly to Stiles’ pants. He needs to touch him. He needs—

“I need to see you,” Derek breathes out.

There’s a loud moan that escapes Stiles’ mouth once Derek is finally able to hold his hard cock. Stiles’ eyes are closed. He’s so beautiful, so—

“You’re beautiful.”

Stiles opens his eyes to look at him. They jerk each other off faster, wrists twisting and making each other moan. They’re not kissing, just breathing each other, wet lips barely apart.

“Fuck, Derek. I can’t—”

“Don’t hold,” he gasps. “Stiles, don’t hold on. Come on. I want to see you come.”

Derek tugs him closer and wraps his hand on both their cocks. The touch of their cocks together is all it takes for Stiles to start coming, his head falling against Derek’s shoulder, hands clasping everywhere they can touch. It’s perfect and beautiful to see him completely falling apart in Derek’s arms. He smears some of Stiles’ come on his cock, and after jerking off twice, he comes between them.

It takes them a long time to come down from their orgasms and even then Derek can still hear his heart thundering violently against his chest.

“You’re going to kill me,” Stiles breathes out.

Derek laughs, “ You are trying to kill me .”

Stiles backs away slightly, grinning like a total fool and trying to clean the mess they made with a tissue as he adjusts their pants. Derek can’t help but move forward and capture his lips into a much slower kiss, their tongues dipping inside each other’s mouths and leaving them even more breathless.

“We should go back,” Derek says against Stiles’ lips.

“Or...” Stiles kisses him again. “We could just leave.”

“And go where?” Derek whispers in his ear, gently biting him. He starts mouthing at Stiles’ neck, waiting for his answer.

“Everyone’s here at the party,” Stiles starts, letting out a loud gasp when Derek presses against the bruise he left earlier. “We have the hotel room all to ourselves.”

Derek leans back. “Are you sure?”

Stiles nods. “If you want to.”

“I want to.” He wants . He wants everything that Stiles will give him.

“We should hurry then,” Stiles says, squinting his eyes at the sky. After a while Derek feels it too, the first drops of rain.

Derek smiles at him, holding his hand and dragging him away from the dark corner.

Everything happens too fast as soon as they turn right. It takes Derek a while to realize what’s happening. The white flashes blind him and there are too many people calling his name over and over again. Stiles keeps holding his hand, trying to block the flashes with his other hand.

“Prince Derek, who’s the boy?”

“Does the Queen know you’re here?”

“How long have you been hiding in the closet?”

“Prince Derek, is this something you do often?”

It’s too much. And too little too late, he drags Stiles away from them, running as fast as he can and never looking back. Stiles shouts something at him, but Derek doesn’t stop or let go of him. The rain gets more intense as they run away. But he doesn’t care. He just wants to get them out of there. Away from those—

“Derek! Why are they chasing us?” Stiles stops them abruptly. “What the hell happened there?”

Derek looks behind them, trying to see if they’re finally out of sight. Fuck. Everything was—

“Derek!” Stiles yanks his arm away from Derek’s grasp, his voice angry. “Answer me! What was that? Who the hell are you?”

There’s no escaping this. Derek sighs, dragging them further into an alley, trying to get them out of the rain and out of sight.

Stiles goes almost unwillingly, dodging Derek’s touch. When they stop, Derek flexes his hands at his sides, heart thudding violently against his chest as he stares at Stiles’ confused gaze. The words about to come out of Derek’s mouth have been at the tip of his tongue for days, weeks — His jaw clenches and unclenches, deep breaths that fail to keep him calm.

“I’m Prince Heir Derek Samuel Hale of Betonia and Italy,” Derek says flatly.

Stiles stares at him with wide eyes and then he breaks into a mocking and cold laughter. “What?!”

Derek takes a step forward, tries to reach for Stiles’ hand but Stiles shoves away from him. “Don’t touch me. Don’t— Just don’t,” he takes several steps back until his back hits the wall. “Who are you? The truth, Derek. Is Derek even your—”

“I’m telling you the truth, Stiles.” Derek tries to step closer but stops once he feels like Stiles is ready to bolt. “Just— I can explain everything.”

The angry expression is back on Stiles’ face again. “You lied to me.”

“I didn’t lie to you, I just didn’t tell you—”

“You lied to me!” Stiles shouts, the veins on his neck standing out at how furious he is. The bruise Derek left there starting to— “It’s the same thing, asshole!”

“I know. Stiles, I know. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Stiles scoffs. “You’re sorry? You kissed me! Oh my god, you took me to the Palace! You made me believe— Oh my god .” He paces angrily away from the wall. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you — Everything makes so much sense now.”

Derek watches him, heart in his throat. “Stiles, I didn’t plan to— I didn’t know I was going— that we were going—”

Stiles turns to him. “You didn’t plan to?! Well, that’s wonderful, Derek.” He starts walking away from the alley.

The rain is much stronger now and luckily or not that’s what makes them the only two people in the middle of the street. Derek runs towards Stiles and pleads, “Stiles, please— You have to believe me!”

“How?” Stiles twists around promptly, shoving himself into Derek’s space as he snaps, arms flailing at his sides. “How can I believe anything you say right now? I can’t trust you!”

“It happened— It just happened! I fell in love with you!” Derek yells. “I fell in love with you knowing that there was never a chance for me to be with you.”

Stiles gapes at him. “I was content spending my days with my friends until you came along!”

“I came along?” Derek asks incredulously. “You found me! You asked for my help!”

“I didn’t know who you were!” Stiles shouts.

They hold each other’s gazes as both their angry voices resonate around them.

Derek sighs. “Well, congrats. Now you do.”

“Why did you lie to me? Why didn’t you tell me truth from the start?” Stiles asks, voice small and aching. He’s shaking, from the rain or from this — Derek doesn't know; all he knows is that he desperately wants to hug him right now.

Instead, he stays completely still; eyeing this person who turned his entire world upside down. “This doesn’t change anything. Stiles, I didn’t—”

“You lied about who you are! How can I even trust you’re not lying right now?”

“I’m not lying! Dammit, Stiles. I didn’t tell you because I like being with you without having to worry about who I am and—”

“So you liked me—”

“I still—”

“—Because I didn’t know who you are, which means you don’t like me me .”

“What?” Derek steps forward. “That doesn’t even make sense! Stiles, don’t—”

“Fuck you, Derek.” Stiles shoves him backwards, making him stumble. The physical pain Derek feels is nothing compared to the way his heart breaks. “Go find someone else to play Cinderella with, because I’m not that person.”

The intense and loud summer rain keeps falling on them in the middle of one of the most popular avenues of Betonia, now completely deserted. It’s just the two of them, soaking wet, panting and staring at each other. Derek wishes the rain could wash away the sadness in Stiles’ eyes.

He stands in the rain glued to the spot where Stiles shoved him, feeling completely helpless and with a urge to cry as he watches Stiles walk away from him.

***

A new day comes after Derek spent the night trying to picture all the possible scenarios for today. It’s worse than he thought it would be. Much worse.

Isaac finds Derek in the same clothes he was wearing yesterday, still a bit wet at the edges. He’s carrying two journals and some magazines; Derek doesn’t need to ask him why. He can guess the news from today. But nonetheless, the knowledge of it doesn’t prepare him for what he sees. He’s not shocked by the bold titles or the twisted words they throw at him. What stabs him in the heart is Stiles’ face in the photos they took of them leaving the party. Stiles looks confused, surprised, and even scared, like those cameras are pointed guns at them.

There’s another photo that doesn’t look to be from last night, with Derek and Stiles holding hands and standing too close to each other, unaware of their surroundings. Fuck, how long have they been chased by the paparazzi? And the worst part is that he can’t help but wish he could go back in time and undo all of this. Not for his sake, but for Stiles’.

“Derek…” Isaac starts, voice small and unsure. “I’m sorry, but they’re waiting for you downstairs.”

Of course they are. Derek nods slowly and stands up, not even bothering to change clothes. Isaac doesn’t tell him anything either.

The door of the office is ajar when Derek gets downstairs and he can hear the voices on the inside talking about him. About Stiles. About him and Stiles .

He breathes deeply and steps forward, chin high and ready to face the consequences. Whatever they are.

Laura is the first one to see him and Derek doesn’t know what he expected, but the sad eyes she gives him weren’t it. She’s the only one though. Cora is sitting on the small couch with one of the magazines on her lap. Deaton too has a journal in his hand and a phone on the other. Peter is on the couch and gives Derek a sympathetic look that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. His mother is facing the window and doesn’t even turn when his presence is made clear.

“Close the door, Derek,” she orders, but still doesn’t turn around to look at him. “You better have a good explanation for this mess.”

Derek sighs. “There isn’t one. I screwed up.”

“What about the boy?” Deaton cuts in. “What does he have to say about all this? And more importantly, who is he?”

“He didn’t know anything. And who he is, it’s not important.”

Cora shakes her head. “Wait, you’re telling me he didn’t know you’re the Prince?!”

“No, he didn’t,” Derek replies.

“Are you sure?” Cora insists with a mocking hostility in her voice. “How can you believe—”

“Stop it, Cora.” Laura snaps.

“He didn’t know,” Derek repeats.

“Wait.” Cora stands up, facing Laura. “You knew about this?”

At Laura’s silence, their mother finally turns away from the window. Laura looks at her and then to Derek, unsure of what to say.

“I told her yesterday,” Derek tells them. “I made her promise not to tell anyone.”

Cora scoffs. “I can’t believe you told Laura and not me, even after I caught you sneaking out and didn’t tell anyone!”

“So there were other times,” his mother says.

“Yes,” Derek admits.

“How long has this been going on?” Deaton asks.

“Three weeks. Maybe four...”

“Anyone else saw you two?”

Derek shakes his head. “Apart from his friends, I don’t think so.”

Peter sighs. “Maybe we can sustain the damage after all.”

“They won’t do anything to—”

“What do you suggest?” His mother asks Peter, ignoring Derek completely.

“The only compromising photo regarding their ‘relationship’ is this one,” Peter points to the one with Derek and Stiles holding hands. “And only one newspaper published it, which means only one photographer was following them around.”

“You think there are more pictures?”

It’s Deaton who answers the Queen next. “That’s something we need to be prepared for.”

Before the Queen reacts, Peter cuts in, “And that’s why we need to approach this photographer and make sure no more photos are published.”

Deaton nods. “We should make a statement saying it was all a misunderstanding—”

“What?” Derek interrupts at the word. “No, don’t you get it? There’s no misunderstanding. I like him! We ar—were together—”

“Derek!” His mother shouts. The room falls silent, her voice echoing in his ears. She shows him one of the newspapers on top of the table. The headline reads Scandal in Betonia: Is the future King gay? followed by Prince Derek seen with mysterious man leaving a party . His stomach curls with the words, making him sick.

“Do you see this?” She asks, pointing at the text. “I don’t care what the truth is. You’re the future King of this country and this is a scandal we’re not allowed to have right now.”

Derek scowls. “Is it because we’re both men? Is that it?”

“Of course it is!”

“Mother!” Laura gasps.

“What did you expect, Derek?!” Their mother ignores her. “What did you honestly think was going to happen here? The Heir Prince falls in love with a common boy and everyone in this kingdom will just accept it?!”

Derek clenches his fists. “No, but I expected my family to accept it.”

“Hey, that’s not fair! I didn’t even say—”

“Shut up, Cora!” Cora immediately recoils at their mother’s loud voice. “When are you going to start acting responsibly, Derek? I can’t be your mother and your Queen at the same time, especially not when your actions affect not only this family but also the rest of the country! You’re seen with someone— a man, for god’s sake — while your future betrothed is the daughter of one of the most influential families of Italy. It’s the second scandal this family is facing because of you. You’re the future King! How can your people look up to you, after such disgraceful acts?”

Derek stares at her in disbelief, his whole body shaking. Laura places a hand on his back, urging him to sit down. He does.

His mother sighs and sits down as well, “I gather you and Peter have a plan to fix this, Deaton.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Deaton looks at Derek for a second before continuing. “I suggest we make a statement and invite Lady Julia to tomorrow’s parade, take a few pictures with Prince Derek and her, send them to the press and…”

Derek doesn’t dare himself to take his eyes off the big picture of him and Stiles on the newspaper. If he does, he might explode right there. He can feel everyone’s eyes on him.

“And?” His mother urges Deaton to go on.

Deaton coughs. “I believe it’s the perfect time to announce their engagement.”

Silence falls inside the room and the only sound Derek can hear is the rapid beat of his own heart. The other thing he notices is that it’s not raining anymore.

Chapter Text

When Scott and Danny come back from breakfast, Stiles is still glued to the the same spot on the bed, eyes wide open since last night. The sun brightens the whole room and there’s no sign of the rain.

“Stiles?” Scott pats him gently, sitting next to him on the bed. “You need to get up…”

Stiles doesn’t reply, just glances at him for a second and then back to the window. The window where he can perfectly see the Palace. The window that gives him a straight view to where Derek lives .

“I can’t believe he’s an actual Prince,” Danny comments, sitting on the other bed.

“And a liar,” Scott adds.

Stiles huffs out a laugh. This is why he loves Scott.

“What are you going to do?” Scott asks him, looking like a concerned puppy.

Stiles shrugs. “I can’t do anything.”

“Sure you can,” Danny cuts in. “Your face is everywhere on the news, you can always—”

“What?!” Stiles shoves the covers away from him and sits up abruptly. “My face is everywhere?!”

“Huh.” Danny types something on his cell phone and turns the screen for Stiles to see. There’s a picture of him and Derek leaving yesterday’s party. The panic and anger from last night strikes him again. The sight of Derek makes his heart clench painfully in his chest, and his stomach feels like it was punched several times in a row.

“You’ve been trending on Twitter since the news came out. Well, not you, but Prince Derek and Mysterious Boy ,” Danny says.

“And we saw the newspaper downstairs too,” Scott adds. “Lydia went out with Jackson to buy some more and see how big the damage actually is...”

Stiles wants to throw up. His face is everywhere — “Does any of that mention my name?”

Both of them shake their heads. “As far as we know, no one knows who you are. That’s why the press is loving it so much,” Danny explains. “Derek— I mean, Prince Derek’s mentions on Twitter are filled with people asking him who you are.”

Wanting to throw up doesn’t even cover it. Stiles wants to disappear; find a rocket and be shipped to Mars. Or perhaps Neptune would be a better choice.

“Are you going to try and talk to Derek?” Scott asks.

The name alone makes Stiles want to go back to feel miserable in bed. “I don’t think I can,” he replies honestly.

“It’s our last day in town,” Danny reminds him.

“I know.”

Scott places a hand on his shoulder. “You need to go eat something.”

Stiles groans and lets his body fall on the bed again.

“Come on, Stiles. I’m not going to let you stay in our hotel room moping all day,” Scott warns him.

An unexpected knock on the door takes away the chance of Stiles replying to him. He narrows his eyes at Scott. “Did you order breakfast for me?”

Scott shakes his head, while Danny is already going for the door. “It’s Allison,” he announces and Scott jumps out of bed in a second. Of course he does.

“Hi,” Allison greets them once she gets inside the room, but Stiles doesn’t miss the way she barely meets his eyes.

“Jackson and Lydia just texted,” Danny says. “They’re back and want to know what we plan on doing today. Kira is with them too.”

All of them look straight at Stiles.

“Fine!” Stiles sighs and sits down on the bed again, exasperated.

“Wait,” Allison cuts in. It’s the first time she looks straight at him since she arrived. “I need to talk to you. And Scott.”

“Not me,” Danny states, almost as a question.

“Sorry,” Allison hurries to apologize.

Danny smiles. “I’ll head downstairs and wait with the others.”

Scott reaches out for Allison as Danny leaves the room. “Is everything okay?”

She looks at him and then at Stiles, biting her bottom lip. There’s a moment of hesitation, enough time to make Stiles leave the bed and stand up. Something doesn’t feel right about Allison, but the weirdest part is that she asked to speak with him too. Not just Scott.

“I’m so sorry about what happened Stiles,” she says finally. Scott hasn’t left her side, but Allison slowly starts drifting away from him. “I wish I could have done something.” Her voice is low and shy.

“What could you possibly have done?” Stiles shrugs, like he’ll be able to forget last night.

“You couldn’t have done anything,” Scott reassures her, but she shakes her head and moves away from him, standing by the window and not looking at either of them.

She’s staring at the Palace , Stiles notes and something inside him breaks again.

“I could have— I didn’t know it was Prince Derek.”

Stiles frowns. “Of course you didn’t. You only met him at the party.”

Allison huffs out a laugh, a small bitter sound that fills the room. “I mean, I didn’t know your Derek was Prince Derek.”

“I don’t get it,” Stiles admits after a few seconds.

Scott too seems as confused as he is. “Allison, you’re not making any sense.”

When she finally turns around to them, Stiles can see the tears swelling in her eyes. “When I saw him at the party, I knew who he was. I should have told you right away and none of this—” she breathes out. “The paparazzi, the journals… None of this would have happened.”

Silence settles for a while and it’s Scott who breaks it. “So you recognized him,” he clarifies. “Allison, that doesn’t make any of this your fault.”

But something clicks in Stiles’ mind. “You were fighting with him at the party,” Stiles recalls. It had been weird, but he completely dismissed it at the time. His only wish last night was to be with Derek and have him hang out with his closest friends, because maybe — Maybe pulling him into his world would make it impossible for him to leave Stiles’ life. Gosh, he had been so blind . How could he— “You knew him,” he realizes.

Allison nods, sheepishly.

“Can someone explain to me what’s going on?” Scott asks both of them.

“I’ve known Prince Derek since I was four,” Allison tells them. “His whole family, actually. His younger sister, Princess Cora, is still one of my best friends. I—” She ducks her head a little, eyes fixed on the floor. “She’s the reason why I’m here. I’ve been invited to their sister’s wedding. Princess Laura’s wedding.”

Stiles’ heart is beating wildly against his chest, but he remains silent with his eyes glued to the floor, trying to make sense of what Allison is telling them.

“I know I couldn’t have warned Stiles for any of this before it happened, but…” When she finally looks up, her eyes go straight to Scott. “I lied about why I’m here. I’m so sorry. I didn’t— I didn’t know any of you and I was scared— Cora wasn’t expecting me to come so soon. I came early to surprise her, but then I met you all and I— I was so unsure of what to tell any of you. I didn’t know. I just—”

“At least you didn’t lie about yourself,” Stiles manages, but he can’t help the bitterness in his voice.

Allison shakes her head. “Things are not that simple, Stiles.”

“I don’t want to know,” he replies, turning his back to her and going straight to his bag. He takes out some clothes and heads to the bathroom. “I’m going to shower.”

When he passes by Scott, his friend is still looking at the floor. He pats him on the shoulder before heading to the bathroom. Stiles shuts the door and turns the music on his phone, loud enough to give his friend and Allison the privacy they need.

Once the hot water hits his skin and the steam starts filling the whole bathroom, it’s like, for a second, he can pretend that this is all just a twisted dream.

***

Scott and Allison stay away from the rest of the group until late at night when they all meet up at the hostel for dinner. At the reception, they warn Stiles about a tall, blond young man looking for him, but no message was left. All of them know perfectly well who it was.

“Maybe he had a message from Derek,” Danny says as he grabs a piece of hot bread with butter and garlic. The smell used to make Stiles want to devour everything in front of him, but not tonight.

Lydia scoffs, annoyed. “I think we all got the message just right.”

“I liked Derek,” Kira comments, almost with a pout. And Stiles hasn’t touched his food yet.

From the other side of the table, Danny nods. “He gave us all tickets for that festival.”

“And now we know how,” Jackson mutters. Everyone senses Lydia kick him under the table.

“Doesn’t feel like a big deal now that we know the truth,” Scott says.

Lydia nods. “It’s actually disappointing. I’m certain he could have given us much more.”

“Like—” Kira gestures with her slice of pizza still in her hand. “A visit to the Palace!”

Allison snorts, but doesn’t comment. She’s been quiet during all dinner.

“Who would want to visit an old Palace anyway?” The question hangs in the air longer than necessary, even though it came from Jackson and there’s always someone ready for a comeback at him. Apparently, not this time.

Danny shrugs after a while. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“And after everything that happened we deserve a complete tour.” Everyone except Stiles nods in agreement to Lydia’s words. “With an exclusive visit to the royal chambers.”

Stiles clenches his fists on the table, “Just—”

“And the closets!” Kira adds cheerfully.

Danny smirks. “Yeah, I certainly wouldn’t mind that at all.”

Stiles knows his friends are trying to cheer him up, but right now their jokes are making him lose his mind. He tries his best to keep breathing, to stay calm and maybe even laugh with them. But laughing is something he cannot do. And breathing is becoming harder and harder.

“I liked him,” Stiles breathes out. “I still do.” All the emotions from the last twenty four hours coming up to the surface. All his friends stop eating abruptly to stare at him. “He lied, but I— I still like him. I can’t— I can’t shut if off. He wasn’t trying to impress me or us, anyone. He was just—” His eyes lock with Allison’s and it’s like she knows , like she understands exactly what he’s trying to say.

“I’m going up,” he blurts out and leaves the table without giving anyone a chance to stop him.

Once Stiles gets to his room, the first thing he does is close the curtains to the window and pack his stuff. After tomorrow, this will all start fading away. It has to.

***

A whole month of glorious moments and sacred memories ends today. Stiles barely slept and he woke up earlier than anyone else. He clutches his backpack while Lydia and Allison talk with the guy at reception and take care of checking them all out.

“Dude, you look like hell.” The tone is teasing enough for Stiles to know that Scott is just trying to cheer him up.

“Thanks,” Stiles deadpans.

“You know,” his friend starts, “Allison told me something interesting.”

Stiles turns to look at him and frowns, encouraging him to spill it out.

“The royal family will be marching through Betonia today, so we’ll have to walk to the station. The roads will be closed so there’s no point catching a taxi.”

“We have to walk?!”

“Really, Stiles? That’s what you got from that?”

Frankly, Stiles hasn’t quite wrapped his mind that Derek is a Prince, much less part of a royal family— the royal family.

Scott sighs. “I know you didn’t sleep, because you didn’t let me sleep. And— Look, Allison and I talked. You and Derek didn’t have that chance. I know you, Stiles. And I know this will be eating you alive forever. To not know… You need to go and get that chance.”

“Scott…”

Scott takes Stiles’ backpack out of his grasp. “I’ll take care of this. Just go.”

Hands now empty and reckless, Stiles stares back at his best friend.

“Go!” Scott tells him again, practically shoving him to the door. Stiles has only a second of hesitation, between looking at Scott and at the rest of his friends. He nods and sprints out of the hostel.

Once outside, he feels like nothing will be able to stop him. The streets are crowded and there’s a thundering sound coming from somewhere up front. And he runs for it because somehow he knows that’s where he’s supposed to be, like something is pulling him. He’s panting and doesn’t stop until he’s forced to come to a halt as he reaches the heavily guarded barrier.

The royal guard marches right in front of him, all dressed in tones of red, green, and gold. Some of them are on their horses, others play the tambors with precision and others hold their swords close to their chest. At the front and already far away from him, Stiles spots some children holding white flowers.

“È Principessa Laura!”

People start cheering all around Stiles, elbowing and pushing him against the barrier. That’s when he sees the open carriage. His heart beats wildly against his chest at the sight of it. But once the carriage is closer, Stiles only sees four beautiful women sitting on it. He immediately recognizes Princess Laura and assumes the elegant and powerful woman sitting next to her is Queen Talia. A rush of guilt hits him when he doesn’t recognize the other two women. One of them seems younger than the other, but if one of them is Princess Cora then who’s the other?

He shakes those thoughts away too fast. If Derek isn’t at the parade, then where is he? Stiles turns around to leave, but something catches his eye. Right behind the carriage he sees two horses riding side by side. A white and a black one. The white star on the black horse’s right leg is something that he will never forget, like it was printed in his mind. Triskele , Stiles remembers all too well.

There’s a moment between the beat of his heart and the second his eyes fall on Derek, when the whole world stops for a brief moment that feels like centuries.

“Principe Derek,” a woman behind him whispers to another woman, like it’s a secret. Stiles can feel everyone’s eyes on Derek as he stands straight on his horse, exposed to the crowd. And in that moment, with all the hushed and vile comments around him, Stiles understands.

Every word that he wishes to shout stays in his throat at the sight of the gorgeous Prince riding his horse. The man riding the horse is just that. A Prince dressed in tones of red with a green satin stripe around his chest and shoulders delicately embroidered with gold. It’s not the Derek he knows. The smile he remembers is replaced by a stern expression and the glint in his eyes seems like it was never there. He doesn’t look at the crowd, he doesn’t look at anyone. A tiny voice inside Stiles screams: Look at me, please, look at me . But Derek doesn’t. Even when he’s passing right in front of Stiles, his eyes remain distant on the horizon, like he’s not even there. And Stiles wonders if he ever knew Derek at all. Is this the real Prince Derek? Was it all fake after all?

Stiles remains frozen to that spot, wishing he could somehow stop time and reach out. He watches Derek slowly riding away even when all he can see is his back. Even when the people around him are already dispersing and the royal parade is long gone.

The last thought that crosses his mind as the parade disappears, is that it’s possible he will never meet his Derek again.

***

Everyone is waiting for him when Stiles finally arrives at the train station and walks onto an almost empty platform. Scott immediately stands up as he sees him, leaving both their bags behind and running towards Stiles.

“Did you see him?”

Stiles nods. “I did.”

“And? What did he say?” Scott urges him.

Stiles can’t help but let out a sad laugh. “Nothing. I couldn’t— There was no way of talking with him. He was with the parade.”

Scott’s excitement fades away from his face all too fast. “I’m sorry.”

The shrug comes out almost involuntary, as if he will be able to shake off his emotions and wake up to reality. “It wasn’t meant to be,” Stiles says.

“His loss,” Scott says firmly.

Stiles smiles but doesn’t comment. He leans his head to the right to take a look at the rest of their friends and that’s when he notices— “Where’s Allison?”

“She’s not coming with us.” Scott bows his head, voice filled with sadness. “We knew it would come to an end, but...”

“She’s staying for the wedding.”

Scott nods. “We said goodbye, but we’ll keep in touch. And she told me to tell you that if you want her to talk to—”

“No,” Stiles cuts in. “I— I think it’s best this way.”

“Alright then. Ready to go home?” Scott smiles and Stiles smiles back.

Neither of them are thrilled to leave behind everything that happened during their stay in Italy. But knowing they’ll be home soon, settles the storm in Stiles’ heart for a bit.

***

Beacon Hills doesn’t seem different, but it feels different. It’s only been a month, but it seems like they were gone forever. Stiles feels like he grew up outside of this town that now feels too little for him. It’s stupid and he knows it, but the streets feel foreign.

Scott’s mom comes to pick them up at the airport, because Stiles’ father is still working at the police station. Scott talks with enthusiasm about Italy, about everything they saw and did. Melissa asks them about places she always wanted to visit, asks about the cities they’ve been to and if everything is as beautiful as pictures depict. Scott indulges her, makes it sound like it’s the best place in the world and how it was the time of their lives. Well, it was. He never mentions Allison or Derek. But then again, maybe he’s saving it for another time.

They drop him off at the police station so Stiles can head home with his father instead. Scott makes him promise to meet up before they head back to their respective colleges, and soon after, Stiles stands in front of the police station with his bag and backpack on one shoulder, taking a deep breath before going inside.

“Stiles!” His dad hugs him as soon as he sets his eyes on him. And that was all Stiles needed to finally feel like he’s home again.

***

“Let me get this straight,” his dad starts. “The boy you talked about in your emails was— is , afterall, a real Prince. Did I get that right?”

Stiles nods. “Yes.”

“And you two were dating?”

“Sort of— Yes? No, I don’t think—” Stiles sighs. “No, I guess not.”

His dad frowns. “And you didn’t know he was a Prince.”

“No.”

Hands on the table, Stiles fumbles with his fingers while his dad keeps looking at him like he just told him the most bizarre story ever. It’s not far from the truth.

“And this Isaac you talked about is also a Prince.”

Stiles nods. “Yeah— What? No! I don’t think so. Isaac is just—” Stiles lets out a groan, because he doesn’t even know who Isaac really is either. “He doesn’t matter. Derek is the Prince.”

“He doesn’t look like a Prince,” his dad says as he looks at the picture of Derek and Stiles on the boat. Stiles laughs, because he can’t help it.

“I guess not.”

His dad sighs and then looks sharply at him. “This is not your fault, son. Don’t let it eat you up.”

“I know.” Stiles nods, eyes fixed on his phone, still displaying the picture of him and Derek. Once the screen goes black, he ducks his head. “I just wish…”

He doesn’t finish the sentence and his father doesn’t need him to.

“Some things are just not meant to be. And it’s when they come to an end that we realize it’s just a new beginning.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

His dad smiles. “You will.”

***

As for new beginnings, Stiles solemnly hates this one. A week later he’s out buying a new comic when he spots the OK! magazine with Prince Derek and his fiancée on the cover.

The background shows a luxurious light green room with them sitting on a small beige and luxurious sofa. Lady Julia Baccari is beautifully dressed with a white blouse, red lipstick and a gorgeous smile, with her hand placed carefully on Derek’s chest. He wears a light blue shirt, hugging her not too tightly with a fond smile on his lips. They’re not looking at each other, but the title says all that Stiles didn’t need to know.

“ We’ve never been so in love. ”

***

It’s hard to avoid the news. Before all this, Stiles wouldn’t have even glanced at magazines or given a second look at these sorts of posts on social media. But now it’s like he’s cursed, unable to look away from them. Derek’s face haunts him in his sleep, Prince Derek haunts him when he’s awake. They’re not alike, despite the obvious fact that they’re the same person.

Derek smiles at him in his dreams, kisses him senseless and holds him in his strong arms. Sometimes nothing bad happens. Other times, lights are shot against them as they kiss until Stiles feels wetness against his cheeks. He wakes up with fresh tears streaming down his face.

It’s far worse when he’s awake. Even if not for the photos he and Derek took together, there are always the memories reminding him that it wasn’t just a dream. The paparazzi photos still show up now and then, accompanied by bold letters that make him want to throw up. It’s not really about him; it’s always about Derek and what the press thinks of his ‘actions’. But the articles with the stern and stoic Prince Derek talking about his engagement are the worst part of it all.

His friends try to cheer him up and make him forget about it. Scott doesn’t even mention Allison, despite Stiles knowing that they’re still in touch. He’s happy for them, he is. But part of him, the part that dreams about Derek at night, that part can’t help but be jealous.

Eventually, it’s time to go back to his final year in college. He’s dreading it, but at the same time, Stiles is thankful to get away from Beacon Hills where everyone will more easily recognize him as the “mystery boy” that captured the Prince’s heart.

***

Stiles is back at his favorite coffee shop, reading a book he needs for this thesis, when a guy with short hair and pale skin approaches his table and tries to get his attention with a cough. Stiles looks up with a frown.

“Hi, sorry. Can I sit down?”

Stiles looks around him to note that the coffee shop is indeed packed with people and with not many free seats.

“Sure,” he says with a short smile, pulling some of his books closer to give the guy some space.

“Thanks. It’s usually not this busy.”

“I guess.”

The guy smiles at him and before Stiles can go back to his book, the guy reaches out a hand for him to take. “I’m Matt, and you?”

“Stiles.” They shake hands and Stiles hopes that’s the end of it.

“Stiles… Is that your real name?” Apparently he was wrong.

With a tight smile, he replies, “No. It’s a nickname. My name is hard to pronounce.”

“Oh! Interesting.” Matt muses. “You come here often?”

“Yes?”

Matt smiles. “Sorry. I don’t want to bug you.”

“No, it’s okay.” Stiles sighs. “I’m sorry, I—”

“Awesome!” Matt cuts in. “I’m new around here and it would be nice to make some friends.”

“Erm— sure.”

The smile that Matt gives him is unsettling. And the rest of their conversation doesn’t make Stiles feel much better either. Matt asks too many questions, more about Stiles than about college. He’s always typing on his phone, which is down right rude, but he’s surprisingly paying attention to everything that Stiles says. Still, even after parting ways outside the coffee shop, that unsettling feeling follows Stiles until he’s back in his dorm.

***

Stiles finds Matt again in the morning, just as he’s about to enter campus.

“Hey Stiles!”

“Hey. Early class?”

For a second, Matt seems almost confused at the question. “Not today.”

Stiles frowns. “It’s not even 8AM. Why would you be here if not for an early class?”

“I like to go to the library early in the morning.”

“Oh.”

“Perhaps you would like to join me for coffee?”

Stiles could definitely use the coffee. “Sure.”

The conversation is not much different from yesterday. Matt is definitely more interested in him than learning his way in campus. His only questions about it are either regarding Stiles’ major or where he likes to hang out. Realization dawns on Stiles: Matt is interested in him .

“Look, Matt, I’m sure you’re a wonderful guy, but if you’re looking for something else besides friendship, I’m really not that person.”

Matt stares at him for a second and then laughs.

The way he laughs makes Stiles feel small and pathetic.

“What the hell is so funny?” Stiles snaps.

“I can see why you would think that,” Matt smirks.

“No shit.”

Matt keeps giving him that creepy smile. “I am interested in you, Stiles. But not in that way.”

“What way would that be?”

“I’m interested in…” He steps forward and Stiles steps back. The movement makes Matt’s smile widen and he takes another step. “I’m interested in who Stiles really is. What he does. Where he goes. Who he hangs out with…”

“What?!” Stiles takes several steps back.

Matt scoffs at him. “I honestly don’t see the appeal. But it’s my job, so.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” Matt laughs at him. “No, I guess you don’t.”

That’s it. “Look, if you’re going to just creep into my life, be my guest. But my dad is a sheriff and don’t you think for a second that I won’t use that to get you the fuck away from me.”

“Stiles...” Matt mocks him. “Your life stopped being yours, the moment you entered Prince Derek Hale’s.”

Stiles’ vision blurs.

“Everyone wants to know who you are. You are the story of the moment. And I want to be the one that gets to write it.”

“You’re a paparazzi.”

Matt scoffs. “No. I’m a journalist. There’s a difference. And I can write your story. The real story. Wouldn’t you want to tell the world the real story?”

“There’s nothing—”

“Oh, come on. Did they pay you to stay quiet?”

“What.” Stiles tries to breathe.

“How much was it?”

No. No. “It’s not like that. He never—”

Matt hedges over him. “Do you want them to get away with it? Didn’t they hurt you enough?”

Stiles shakes his head. The air is too thin, he can’t think— he can’t breathe.

“Or maybe I’m wrong… And you thought it was real until he broke your heart and you realized he was just using you.”

The punch comes out unexpectedly. Stiles only realizes he did it when he sees Matt on the floor swearing at him, calling him a prick that couldn’t keep it in his pants.

Panic rushes through him when Stiles realizes what he’s done. When he realizes that Matt will write about this. And everyone will know what happened, even if all that comes of it is lie after lie.

Stiles runs. He runs away as fast as he can.

***

Lydia finds him at his usual spot, far away from the library, behind the basketball court and under a big tree. She doesn’t even greet him, just sits down next to him and waits.

They stay like that for a while, looking at nowhere in particular. Until the bile forming inside Stiles’ throat threatens to explode if he doesn’t say something.

“How could I be so fucking stupid?”

“You’re not stupid. You fell hard,” Lydia simply says.

“I didn’t plan to.”

“Who ever does?” Lydia scoffs. “We don’t look for that kind of love, it just finds us. The ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-you love.”

“I just wish I didn’t have so many good memories. It was… it was so good.”

Lydia hums next to him, “I know. It’s hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember.”

Stiles finally glances up at her, trying to control his tears. “What do I do, Lydia?”

“You move on, just like everyone else does.” She places a hand on his shoulder. “You live each day normally and every day it will hurt less.”

“Can’t wait,” he says sarcastically.

“Time helps. You don’t see it now, because today is like every song is about him.”

Stiles lets out a pained laugh. “Like a damn broken Taylor Swift album.”

“One day you’ll get tired of it. And those songs will be just memories that come and go.” She wraps her arms around him and Stiles allows himself to cry for the first since he came from Italy.

Chapter Text

The Palace has been mostly empty since early morning, with only a few servants milling around. Derek sits outside of Laura’s room, waiting for someone to tell him she’s finally ready. The rest of his family has already headed to the cathedral, along with everyone else. As future King and Laura’s only brother, Derek will be the one walking her down the aisle.

“Prince Derek?” Erica opens the door to call him in, a huge smile covering her face. “She’s ready.”

Derek’s up in a flash, almost stumbling over his feet and completely oblivious to Erica’s grin. Once he gets inside, the room is so bright that it almost blinds him. Laura stands near the windows with three maids around her, one of them still arranging her white and long wedding dress.

“So?” Laura hurries to ask.

Derek stands there for a second, dazzled by all the enchantment and the fact that he’s looking at his sister. “You’re—” He saw her dress before, he saw her with her dress before, but today everything around his sister seems to be glowing. He smiles with all his heart for the first time in  two weeks. “Absolutely gorgeous,” he finishes.

Laura smiles brightly back at him. “You’re going to make me cry.”

Everyone in the room laughs and Derek takes that chance to step forward until he reaches his sister. “It’s true. Jordan is going to fall on his knees at the altar.”

Laura lets out a shy laugh and hugs him tightly.

“I’m going to miss you.” Derek doesn’t mean to say it out loud and it comes out as a whisper, but Laura hears it clearly and backs away for a bit, looking at him with teary eyes.

“Can I have a minute alone with my brother?”

The maids start gathering their stuff quickly. “The photographers are downstairs to take some photos in the gardens,” Erica informs them.

Laura nods. “Thank you, Erica. We’ll be down in a minute.”

As soon as they’re alone, Laura guides Derek closer to the windows, watching the carriage they’ll be riding to the cathedral waiting for them in the front gate.

“Can’t believe I’m getting married,” she whispers in awe.

Derek smiles at her. “And I wouldn’t let you, if it was for a lesser man.”

“I know,” she smirks, but her face turns serious immediately after. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to be with you lately.”

Derek shrugs. “I’m fine.”

“You can try to fool everyone, Derek, but not your big sister,” she points out.

“Today is your day, Laura. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Laura nods, understanding. “Just… Do you remember Josh?”

Derek snorts. “Yes, I remember. He was an asshole to you.”

“He broke my heart into tiny little pieces and I thought I could never love again. I was convinced it would be impossible for me to even glance at someone else.”

“Clearly that didn’t happen.” Derek smiles softly at her, staring down at her beautiful white dress.

Laura mirrors his smile. “No, but I didn’t know that. And Mom was the one who helped me see that.”

“Mom?” Derek asks, surprised.

“Yes.” She looks out the window as if trying to remember the moment. “She told me that someday I would meet someone unlike any other. It didn’t matter when or how, but once I did, no one else was ever going to compare.”

Derek swallows hard. “You think Jordan is that someone?”

“I sure hope so.” She smiles so hard at him. “It just feels right, Derek. Do you know what that’s like? To feel something so right, with your heart about to explode, even though it feels totally insane to the rest of the world?”

Laura doesn’t wait for him to reply; she grabs his hand, intertwining their fingers. “I don’t want you to give up on yourself. I want you to be happy too, Derek.”

“At what cost?” Derek asks, his voice breaks, unable to disguise the bitterness inside him. “I have no other option. A man who’s not the future king has options. That man could go after him, have the life he wants and be happy. I’m not that man.”

His sister bows her head, her thumb tracing small circles on his knuckles. “It’s so unfair...” she whispers after a while, her voice gentle and careful.

Derek can’t find the strength to reply. Instead, he holds Laura’s hand and walks with her to where everyone is waiting for them.

***

As expected, the wedding is long and tedious, but one glance at Laura and something inside Derek settles. On the other hand, the ceremony allows him to think about everything that happened in the last two weeks. Every couple he sees inside the cathedral takes his mind back to Stiles. He can’t help but imagine what Stiles is doing at that moment; tries to swallow the lump in his throat when he ponders if Stiles even thinks about him at all.

Looking at his sister, happily holding Jordan’s hand and reciting her vows, Derek feels selfish and guilty for not truly enjoying the moment. He gives Laura the best smile he can manage when her eyes lock with his, but in his heart he knows it’s not enough.

When Derek glances at his mother, those emotions seem to inflate even more. Her eyes shine with joy and her smile is soft and honest, as she stares at her daughter and future son-in-law. A wave of sadness mixed with jealousy strikes Derek. He hates himself for it. And at the same time he’s grateful to not have everyone’s eyes on him today, especially his mother’s.

They haven’t properly talked since that day. The messages that Deaton brings him are from the Queen, not his mother. It wasn’t too hard to put the press’ attention back on Laura’s wedding, but social media is still too focused on him and “the mystery boy”, so much that now and then a new article still emerges. And everything is done by Deaton to cover them up with other futile royal gossip.

Derek was advised by Deaton to take some more casual pictures with Julia around Betonia. And he did. He was advised by Cora to tweet more often. And he tried. He was advised by Boyd, by Jordan, and even his uncle Peter made sure to share his thoughts with him. Family and friends all had advice on the matter, and even outside that circle everyone seemed to have something to say. Every magazine, journal, TV show, blog... They all claim to know what Derek should do, how he should act, what is best for him and for the country.

The only advice he doesn’t take is his own.

***

“Your sister is so beautiful,” Julia comments. They’re the fourth couple to move to the dance floor, followed by the parents of the newlywed couple.

Derek nods as he glances at his sister dancing with Jordan. He smiles when they share a private laugh. “She is.”

“Do you think the Queen will want us to marry in the same place?” The question throws Derek completely out of his reverie. “I mean,” Julia goes on, “what’s the proper etiquette here?”

“I—”

“But it’s the only cathedral able to fit so many people in Betonia,” Julia adds. “And you’ll be a King by then, so it doesn’t make sense for it to be anywhere else. What do you think?”

Derek stares at her as they keep dancing. Too many seconds pass until it gets awkward.

“Prince Derek?” Julia frowns at him.

“I’m sorry, I must have been—”

“Distracted.” She smiles softly at him and drops her gaze. Silence settles between them as the music keeps playing. When it reaches the end, Julia asks him, “Do you think we’ll ever be like that?”

Derek follows her gaze back to Laura and Jordan; the two of them living inside their own bubble, uncaring of the world around them, laughing privately at each other and so… madly in love .

When Derek turns his attention back to Julia, she’s still staring at the newlywed couple.

“No,” he replies, voice low and honest.

Julia doesn’t seem upset when she looks back at him. “Thought so,” she says with a small smile that confuses Derek.

“I don’t think I was made for love,” he confesses. He doesn't know why he says it.

She narrows her eyes at him. “The paparazzi would disagree." Derek’s face must show some hurt or shock, because Julia starts apologizing right away. "I'm sorry, so sorry. That was out of line."

He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter."

"I’m not mad or upset about it.”

Derek swallows hard but doesn’t reply. He didn’t betray Julia, but he wasn’t exactly fair with her either. They talked before the engagement was announced. It still doesn’t make him feel better about it.

“Your family picked me,” she goes on. “The choice was never there for us. I’ll dress in an expensive beautiful dress and walk down the aisle in front of all the world to see. And I’ll say my vows to you, but—” Her body goes tense as she stares intensely at him. “But we shouldn't get married. Not like this."

The music stops in that moment and Derek couldn't be more thankful for it because he too stops moving completely, eyes fixed on Julia as he tries to process her words.

"I mean," she starts again, "it's not that I don't want to. Or maybe it is." She falters for a moment, searching for words. When she speaks again, her eyes meet Derek with new determination. "It would be an honor to marry you, Prince Derek. I would do my best to support you always and be the Queen that people wish for me to be." She pauses and sighs. "But I know we will never love each other and I don't think either of us is ready to give up that hope just yet."

Another song starts playing and more people gather to dance around them, but Derek stays frozen to that spot, hands still on Julia's waist.

"If you still wish to marry me, we can forget this conversation ever happened," Julia whispers.

"I—"

"You don't need to answer right away. I just wanted you to know I'm not going to expect anything from you. I only wish for you— us to be happy." She smiles softly at him before starting to dance to the music.

Derek lets her lead him. His mind is running a mile a minute.

"I want you to be happy too, Julia." It's all he says, but it's enough to garner a big smile from Julia. Possibly the first genuine smile she’s ever given him.

***

"She said what?" Boyd asks incredulously.

Derek finishes his drink in one go. This is only his third of the night. He needs a lot more, even though his mother will scold him if he gets drunk out of his mind.

"Go Julia," Jordan almost whistles. "I don't know her well, but from what Laura tells me, she's always doing what her family wants."

"And the only thing they want is a crown above her head," Boyd points out.

Derek scoffs. "Julia is not like her family. And Laura never really liked her."

Boyd hums before asking, "So what are you going to do?"

"What can I do?" He shrugs as he grabs another drink from the waiter. Getting drunk is an option he's seriously considering at the moment.

"It's not an easy decision," Jordan points out.

"Of course it is," Boyd cuts in. "You cancel this whole charade of engagement and move on."

"Sure." Derek nods. "I wonder what the Queen would say about that."

Jordan takes another sip of his drink, choosing not to comment, but Derek sees right through him. Jordan knows his mother well enough to understand where he's coming from.

"I wonder what she will say when the newspapers write about how you're still pining for a guy while married to a woman," Boyd replies coldly.

Derek clenches his jaw. He knows Boyd is just trying to be his friend, but this is crossing a line.

"I'm not going to let you lecture me at my sister's wedding. Or anytime for that matter," Derek snaps.

"Calm down, gentleman." Jordan moves to stand between them, a hand on each other's shoulder. "This is a delicate subject with a lot to think about; not something to be discussed during a wedding. My wedding by the way.” He pats both their shoulders. “Boyd knows this is your decision, Derek." Then he turns to Boyd to say, "And Derek knows you're just trying to help."

They both scoff. Like always, Jordan keeps treating them like they're still kids and he's the adult. Even though he's only four years older than them.

"I don't want to marry her," Derek starts. "But I also don't want more Kates barging into my life after my family's crown. Julia is... safe."

Boyd takes the last sip of his drink. " Safe will only make you hate that crown even more." And leaves without another word. Jordan sighs heavily, like he just lost a fight, but Derek is the one left feeling defeated.

Across the room, Derek spots Allison staring back at him. At first he hesitates, but then he moves towards her. She averts her eyes and walks away from him.

Defeated and more alone than ever.

***

The problem with weddings is that everyone around you is expecting something from you. People expect you to dance, drink, socialize, and talk about the future. The problem with royal weddings is that everyone around you expects and wants something from you. Derek can't dodge half the people who approach him, and he surely can't avoid the questions about his future. As the bride’s brother. As the only son of Queen Talia. As the Heir Prince of Betonia. As future King of Betonia. As Julia's future husband. Never as Derek Hale.

He does the only thing he can think of. He hides. Years living the royal life taught him how to hide, sometimes for a whole day. So he snatches a bottle of champagne and goes to find a place to hide.

In the gardens Derek finds a small cabin, probably where the gardener keeps his supplies. It's the perfect place for him to hide and get wasted all he wants, while pointlessly continuing to google ‘Stiles’ to see if he can find any way of contacting him. Without a last name, he’s been losing hope.

The door to the cabin is open and, apparently, he's not the only one trying to hide.

"Shit. I'm sorry," Derek blurts out to the couple making out inside. "I was just—"

A panicked and familiar gasp echoes in the air as the light behind him defines the two figures.

What the hell.

"Cora?!" Derek immediately takes a step inside, while trying to avoid looking at his sister with—

The guy turns around. "Fuck.”

" Isaac?! "

Isaac looks like he's just seen a ghost. "This is not—"

"I swear to god, if you say you weren't just making out with my sister—"

"I was, but it was just kissing. I never—"

"Oh my god," Cora cries.

"We never—"

"Shut up, Isaac!" Both Hales shout.

"Derek, please." Cora hisses as she steps in front of Isaac.

Derek closes the door behind him, Isaac starts to say something but Derek stops him promptly. "How long?"

"Seven months," Cora replies.

"Seven months?! How long did you think you could keep this a secret?"

"We were just waiting for Laura's—" Isaac blanches. "I'm sorry. Princess Laura's wedding."

Derek snorts. "Now you try to follow etiquette. Where was that when you decided to touch my little sister?"

"Hey!" Cora argues, stepping angrily into his space. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions. You can't tell me what do to, Derek."

"You're right. I can't tell you what to do. But you know who can? You know who will tear you two apart as soon as this comes out? What were you two thinking?! At Laura’s wedding!"

Isaac flinches and Cora's face quickly pales. "You can't tell her," Cora begs. "Please, Derek—"

"I won't," Derek quickly says. And then more softly he adds, "I would never do that. To either of you." He locks eyes with Isaac and then turns back to Cora. "But you need to tell her. If this is serious, you need to tell her. Before anyone else finds out."

"I wasn't even suppose to be here..." Isaac whispers.

"You are lucky it was me," Derek tells them. They were, because anyone else...

"I can't," Cora whispers, voice breaking and so low that Derek can barely hear with the music coming from afar. "What she said to you... What she did… I can't, Derek."

When Cora looks at him, something inside Derek shatters. He doesn't want his little sister to experience what he did. And Isaac... Isaac doesn't deserve what might come to him, if the Queen finds out he's been dating her youngest daughter.

Derek pinches Cora's nose lightly, trying to cheer her up like he always did when they were just kids. "I'll talk to her. I don't want you to live a caged life just because your brother was too much of a coward to face our mother."

Cora stares at him for a moment and then jumps for a hug. It takes him by surprise. The two of them have always had their differences, because of how stubbornly similar they are. He doesn't remember hugging Cora much, only on rare occasions.

"You're not a coward," she says into his chest.

Derek snorts but still wraps his arms tightly around her.

"Thank you," Cora adds as she pulls back after a while.

"Don't thank me yet," Derek tells her. He turns to leave, taking one last glance at the bottle of champagne he was suppose to drown in. So much for a quiet night.

"Derek," Isaac calls him just as he's opening the door. "I'm sorry... I would have told you, but—"

"You're not the best vallet, Isaac. But you're a good friend," Derek finishes with a smile. He's about to leave when he remembers, "Oh, and Isaac?”

“Yes?”

“If you hurt her in any way, the Queen will be the least of your problems."

Cora rolls her eyes as Isaac nods sharply. "Yes, your highness."

***

“What is that supposed to mean?” His mother asks. No, she demands ; even sitting down, her pose makes Derek feel small and powerless. It took him four days to gather enough courage to ask for a meeting with the Queen and Deaton. He's not backing out now. He can't.

“You heard me. I’m breaking my engagement with Julia.”

Deaton takes a step forward. “Prince Derek, everything is settled for you both—”

“She doesn’t want to marry me either,” Derek adds.

His mother stands. “Did she tell you that? Deaton, call the Baccaris for a meeting—”

“Are you even listening to me?” Derek snaps. “I’ve always been just a tool, a means to an end! Yours, the kingdom. My wishes are never taken into consideration. But thanks to everything that happened, I was reminded that I’m also human. I’m not a tool, mother. And this is my own will. We don’t want to get married. It’s our decision, not yours. Not anyone’s.”

It takes everything in his power to not flinch or blink when his mother moves towards him, walking right past him to one of the sofas situated in the middle of the room. “Deaton, leave us.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Even though there’s one less person inside the room, Derek feels like he can barely breathe. His mother sits down and merely waves for him to do the same, without muttering a single word. Derek does as he’s told, moving to sit right in front of her, but he’s careful to not make any sound, intimidated of any misstep.

A short moment of silence settles, the tension palpable between the two of them. His mother never averts his eyes from him and Derek tries to mirror her expression; stern and frozen, unlike the turmoil he’s living on the inside. It’s not a competition to see who will break first, far from it. Derek knows he’s not suppose to talk first, so he waits for the Queen to speak.

“Have you contacted that boy?”

A sharp pain hits Derek as soon as the words reach him. It takes him by surprise, but he doesn’t look away. “No.”

His mother nods, almost satisfied. “So you do not wish to break the engagement with Julia because of that boy?”

“Stiles. His name is Stiles.”

She raises an eyebrow at him. “His name is irrelevant for this matter.”

Derek clenches his fists, trying to keep it subtle. “It’s not because of him.” Even though, deep down, he knows that if he hadn't met Stiles, he would probably not care about the engagement. It's practically been settled for years, like a contract.

“Is it because of her?”

“No, Julia is a great woman. Smart and beautiful, but I don’t love—”

“Love? You think your future is based on love?”

Derek stares at her. “You and dad… You loved each other.”

His mother smiles fondly at him, probably the first honest smile she’s given him in the last few weeks. “Yes. We loved each other very much. But we didn’t when we got married.”

Derek doesn’t comment and his mother sighs.

“I won’t force you to marry Julia.” Derek holds his breath, with relief or fear; he doesn’t know. “I could,” she adds. “But I’m not just your Queen, I’m also your mother.”

Derek lets his gaze drop, a sign of weakness, but he can't help it.

"Your future belongs to this kingdom," she reminds him. "Your decisions are not your own. The incident with that boy—"

"It's not—" Derek pales when he realizes he just interrupted his mother. She doesn't say anything, doesn't need to.

His mother waits before continuing, "The incident with that boy is not just about you. It's about this country, your sisters, and myself. As a Queen, I can't allow the future King to be the center of a scandal that jeopardizes the beliefs of half of this country's population."

"Is it that wrong for me to be seen with—"

"Don't say it. It was shameful enough to see with my own eyes the compromising images of my son with another man."

" Shameful ," Derek repeats, unable to hide how hurt he sounds.

His mother presses on, "It's the second time our Heir Prince is involved in a sexual scandal. How do you think that reflects in the royal family?"

Derek clenches his jaw. "Kate was manipulating and using me to—"

"And you think this boy wasn't?"

"No," he replies without hesitation.

If his mother is surprised with his answer, she doesn’t show it. "Marrying Julia is a way of settling down and erasing part of the damage these scandals have caused to our family. Laura is now married to a respectable and noble man, but your sister Cora will soon finish her college degree and we'll have to start looking for possible suitors." She places her hand on his knee, leaning forward. "Your image reflects on your sisters as well."

“I won't marry her,” Derek mutters. He hates how weak he sounds.

Resigned, his mother stands up, looking down at him. "Every King needs a wife. Our staff picked Julia because of her good family name, but also because you two seemed to get along." She walks away towards the windows, back facing him. "I'm your mother, of course I wish you to be happy. But the country is our top priority, don't forget that. If you don't want to marry Julia, that's your choice." She turns around to face him, wearing the mask of not his mother, but his Queen. "But you'll have to pick a suitable wife during your first year as King."

Boyd was right. Derek will never learn to love the weight of his future golden crown.

***

"Prince Derek?" Isaac opens the door slightly, peeking inside Derek's room.

Derek doesn't reply, but Isaac was never one to wait for permission either.

"You missed dinner. Again."

Derek remains on his bed and doesn't take his eyes away from the ceiling, just hums in acknowledgement.

He hears Isaac sigh and the clattering sound of something being set on his desk. "I brought you dinner. They made one of your favorites tonight," Isaac says. He waits a bit before adding, voice unsure, "I think the Queen asked for it..."

"Thank you," Derek offers but doesn't make any effort to move.

"You have to eat," Isaac insists.

"I ate a few hours ago. I'm not hungry."

The bed dips a bit. So much for boundaries. "You ate breakfast. That's not a few hours ago."

Derek doesn't reply. He's been thinking. He lost track of time, between deciding if breaking the engagement with someone he actually enjoys being around with is a better option than getting engaged with some random woman in the near future.

"Your sister is worried about you," Isaac adds. "She says she will call Princess Laura in the middle of her honeymoon to tell her, and I quote, our brother is trying to make himself disappear and I don't think it's fair that I have to deal with our mother alone ."

Derek rolls his eyes, but actually sits up to properly glare at Isaac. "How long have you been like a puppy following her?"

Isaac shrugs. "The correct answer would be nine months, but I think she only realized it after seven."

"Whoa." Derek stares at him surprised. "You spent two months pinning for my sister and you're still around."

"Maybe three months, but who's counting."

Derek snorts before standing up. He sits at his desk, glancing down at his dinner. His stomach growls as soon as he smells the divine mashed potatoes covered in meat with tomato sauce and bits of cheese on top.

Isaac stays as a silent presence in the room as Derek eats. He knows Isaac hasn't left because he still has something to say. Derek patiently tries to ignore it, actually tries to enjoy his dinner, but he can't.

"If you have something to say, just say it, Isaac."

Isaac immediately stands next to him, hovering.

"I was watching this movie—"

"I'm going to regret this."

"No, you won't," Isaac argues, but it's almost too cheerfully. "I know how to contact Stiles."

Derek drops his fork in an instant, almost choking on his food as he desperately tries to swallow it down. He starts coughing as he tries to speak, Isaac patting his back. They’d tried to reach Scott, but even he is against both of them. Isaac was sad for days after that phone call.

"How?" Derek finally lets out.

Isaac stares at him, smug and proud. Too smug. "I have an idea."

Derek narrows his eyes at him, "So you don't have his contact."

"No, but—"

A loud groan comes out of Derek, he drinks some water to alleviate his throat and to stop himself from strangling Isaac.

"We don't need his contact to send him a message. We just need to find the right way to do it," Isaac says. "In the movie, there was a war about to happen and the only way for the tribes to warn each other was through—"

"Isaac," Derek warns. "I swear that if you're actually suggesting smoke signals, I'm going to kill you."

Isaac has the audacity of staring at him like he's the crazy one. "What century do you live in?"

"What the hell are you talking about then?"

"The internet! I know you know what that is."

Derek sighs. "I've tried searching for him. Even his disconnected cellphone, to see if it would show up anywhere. It's impossible."

"Smoke signals, Derek." Isaac says exasperated.

They stare at each other for a second. Isaac looks like he finally made a point. And Derek has no idea how he looks like but it probably resembles a you're fucking insane expression. He gives up. "I'm going to bed."

"Look." Isaac shoves the screen of his phone at him.

Derek squints his eyes to read. " Gossip Talk ,” the website reads. “Is this suppose to mean anything?"

"That's your smoke signal. Heather and Danielle are the two journalists who run this blog. Heather is a long time friend," Isaac says, quickly adding, "but you can't tell Cora that."

"I still don't understand how is this suppose to help me contact Stiles."

"Thankfully, you have me," Isaac grins.

Derek tries his best to look as unimpressed as possible. It's not hard. "You gave me a gossip blog to read."

"What?" Isaac frowns. "It's not to read. Though, whatever you want to do is fine. I'm not judging. But I should tell you that most of what is written there is total bullshit."

Derek closes his eyes and counts to three. "I'm going to sleep, you should do the same."

Isaac glances at his watch and then nods. "When do you want to schedule the interview? I can call Heather tomorrow and see if they can—"

"What interview?"

"The interview you'll give Heather and Danielle,” Isaac replies, frowning at him. “The exclusive to your story with Stiles. You can send him a message, Derek. The blog is super popular in the United States and a story like this will spread like crazy!"

Derek simply stares at him.

Isaac, on the other hand, is beaming at him. "Brilliant, right?"

***

“I don’t know how you convinced me to do this.” Derek fumbles with the buttons of his shirt, fingers shaking.

“I didn’t.” Isaac bats his hands away and starts helping him with the shirt. “You’re the one who wants to contact Stiles.”

“ Privately . Not— Not like this,” Derek hisses. “My mother and Deaton are going to kill me.”

Isaac steps away to grab Derek’s jacket, “They told you to make a decision. You’re making a decision.”

“I’m pretty sure this wasn’t what they meant.” Derek lets out an exasperated sigh. “How much can we trust this Heather? How do we know she’s not going to completely rewrite everything I say?”

“She sent you a draft. You know what you’re going to say.” Isaac shrugs. “I trust her.”

Something feels off. “How well do you know this girl?”

“A bit. A lot?”

Derek lifts an eyebrow, warning him.

“Ex-girlfriend from London,” Isaac mumbles. “Don’t tell your sister. She would make both our lives a living hell.”

“What do I have to do with this?” Derek asks.

“You’re the one giving the interview. To my ex.”

Derek groans. “I knew I was going to regret this.”

***

As soon as Heather shows up on the screen, Derek has a second to think for the hundredth time how this is such a bad idea. They couldn’t meet in person on such short notice, but Isaac was able to put up a Skype chat. It should ease some of Derek’s tension, but it doesn’t.

“Prince Derek.” She smiles brightly at him. “It’s such an honor for you to give us this exclusive. I couldn’t believe when Isaac told us you’re actually a fan of our blog.”

Derek glares at Isaac, who gives him a thumbs up.

“It’s my pleasure, Miss Heather,” he says.

The smile he gives her makes her blush slightly, but she quickly recovers by picking up her notebook.

“I sent you a draft, but some new questions might come up depending on your answers. Your highness doesn’t have to reply, but I just wanted to give you the heads up.”

“That’s fine.”

Heather nods, still smiling. “Let’s start from the beginning.”

***

“It looks good,” Isaac says as he scrolls past the Gossip Talk blog. The headline is simple: ‘Prince Derek Hale, in Public and in Private’ , followed by an exclusive picture of Derek in the drawing room of the Palace, with the Italian and Betonia flag on the background. To prove the legitimately of the interview, Heather also requested him to record a short video saying hello to the readers of Gossip Talk .

For the first time in what seems like forever, Derek feels lighter and, as naive as that makes him sound, also full of hope. Heather seemed to know his limits, and with Isaac by his side, it felt easier to just let it all out.

Under the headline it reads ‘Prince Derek breaks off the engagement with Lady Julia Baccari’ , the big exclusive Isaac promised Heather. By request, Derek asked not to add any pictures of him with Julia. Enough magazines and newspapers will print those and more through the entire week. And if Stiles gets to read this— if it reaches him somehow, Derek doesn’t want him to see the pretense of his photos with Julia.

His mother and Deaton may do as they please with the rest of the media, but at least he is able to have some control over this one interview.

Derek does as he promised to Heather and tweets a link of the article to his millions of followers. Spreading the word is, after all, what he wants from all this.

“Do you think…” Derek starts, unsure. “Do you think he will see it?”

Isaac is about the reply when someone knocks at Derek’s room. He goes to see who it is, leaving Derek by the desk, eyes staring at this laptop. He doesn’t even try to listen to the conversation, before Isaac actually calls out for his name.

“Prince Derek, Allison Argent on the phone for you.”

Isaac looks as puzzled as Derek it seems, shrugging as he asks, “Are you going to answer?”

Derek hesitates, frowning and wondering what Allison might have to say to him. He hasn’t talked to her since… since that night. And during their last encounter, she didn’t seem to wish to talk to him. If he had been honest at the time; if he had told Stiles the truth about himself— “Send me the call,” Derek tells Isaac.

Isaac nods and leaves the room. Shortly after, the phone rings.

“Allison?”

“Hello, Prince Derek.”

“Hi,” Derek startles, surprised with the short but sort of warm greeting. “I admit that I wasn’t expecting your call.”

“I just read the article from Gossip Talk,” Allison says. “It was interesting to read such an honest and open interview. I guess I was wrong about you.”

Derek snorts. “I’m glad I was able to change your opinion, Allison.”

“To be frank, I don’t think I ever had an opinion about Your Highness. I was never really given the chance to.” Her voice sounds bitter, but it doesn’t feel targeted at Derek. “Cora and I always made sure to separate our friendship from our families’ history.”

“Our families’ circumstances have always been… delicate.”

Allison hums. “I suppose.”

“Nonetheless, thank you,” Derek tells her honestly. “You didn’t need to call for that, but I appreciate it.”

“I’m not just calling for that.”

Derek frowns. “Something wrong?”

“I’m moving back to California a few months after Christmas. I’ll start my masters there next year. Scott and I… We want to see where our relationship goes without the distance.”

He can’t help but feel a spike of jealousy. “That’s good. I’m happy for you. Both of you.”

“Thank you. We’ve been talking a lot and…” she pauses. “I don’t know how to tell you this without intruding.”

“I think you wouldn’t be calling if you didn't.”

Allison sighs. “I know what you tried to do with that interview. And I think he feels the same way.”

It’s like the air is sucked out of his lungs. And Derek’s heart aches all of a sudden.

“Scott told me he’s been keeping himself busy with college,” she adds.

“Maybe he is busy with college,” Derek states.

“He smiles sometimes,” Allison continues. “And he laughs when jokes are funny, but he shuts down when he thinks his friends aren’t looking. What happened with that journalist only made things worse...”

“That shouldn’t have happened. It’s my fault, if I knew at the time—”

“He doesn’t blame you,” she cuts in. “Not for that.”

“But it’s my fault. I could have prevented it… both times.”

Allison sighs. “Maybe. But you can’t change who you are.”

Derek reluctantly nods even though she can’t see him.

“I called to tell you that he won’t see the interview,” Allison tells him.

That makes his heart sink. His voice is small when he asks, “Why?”

“Scott told me that after what happened, he avoids the news like the plague and has been only focusing on his studies.”

“I see.” Derek can’t help the disappointment he feels. For a moment he’d hoped— wished and even imagined that Stiles would reach out for him on his own. “Maybe it’s better this way,” he says, even though his heart is bending and breaking into pieces.

“Don’t do that, Prince Derek.”

“Do what?”

“Thinking that it didn’t mean as much to him as it meant to you. He’s hurting too.”

Derek squeezes his eyes shut. “Allison, I don’t know what—”

“Not everyone is like my aunt Kate,” she cuts in. “You won’t know how he feels unless you give yourself that chance. I can tell you where to find him, if you promise me that you won’t hurt him again. No more lies.”

“I want to fix this,” Derek tells her honestly. “That interview was my way of telling him that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t— He won’t want to see me, even less talk to me. I’ve tried it before.” Derek sits down on a chair, hand running through his hair. ”And I don’t blame him.”

“Find a way.”

***

The fight with his mother and Deaton over the interview Derek gave is inevitable. He doesn’t regret it, even after his phone call with Allison. At least the people will know the truth. They will know that there was never love between him and Julia, just friendship and companionship. But they will also know that Prince Derek did— does love.

Deaton goes frantic with the amount of calls from newspapers and magazines they’re getting. They want to know more, of course. And they’re not happy that some low rated american blog got this exclusive interview. It only made things worse , Deaton tells him over and over again. Now they will start publishing whatever they want to, seeing this as some sort of betrayal.

The Queen, diplomatic as ever, sends Derek away, back to his room, like he’s back to being ten years old again. He’s not surprised to see his uncle lurking outside the office.

“I must say I didn’t expect you to be so bold, dear nephew.”

Derek sighs and walks away. “Not now, Peter.”

Peter follows him. Of course he does. “No, seriously. It’s a great interview. I’m trying to remember which line was my favorite part…”

“Don’t.”

“ Love has turned me into the person I’ve always wanted to be ,” Peter quotes and smirks.

Derek turns to him. “Stop.”

“ Be yourself, listen to your instincts and your heart. ”

“Peter...” Derek warns.

His uncle laughs. “You honestly can’t blame me. I can’t even imagine what’s going on in that office right now. Just answer me this… Was it worth it?”

Derek walks away, not wanting to indulge his uncle.

“Even if he reads it, it won’t change anything.” Peter calls out loud. It makes Derek stop in his tracks. “You’re part of two different worlds. It could never work.”

When Derek looks back to reply, his uncle is not there anymore.

Chapter Text

Stiles is gathering his stuff to leave the library, when Lydia storms inside just in time to catch up with him.

“You need to see this,” she prompts as soon as she reaches him and opens a folder with a bunch of papers inside. “I printed everything for you.”

Stiles sees Derek’s face on the first page and winces. “Lydia…”

“Look, just trust me. You really need to read this.”

Sitting down again, Stiles lets out a heavy sigh. “Why?”

“Because you’ve been killing yourself by pretending you’re okay when you’re not. I know you’re not. And unlike all the other interviews, I believe this one is genuine. He talks about his past, talks about you... It’s definitely about you.”

Stiles squeezes his eyes shut.

Lydia sits down next to him. “Just keep it then. Read it when you’re ready. But read it, Stiles. I think it will give you some kind of closure.”

“Right,” he snorts.

The folder with the papers goes into his backpack without a second glance and Stiles leaves the library with a heavy heart. Lydia parts ways with him once they’re outside and waves her goodbye, heading to the apartment she shares with Kira outside campus.

Stiles checks his phone as he walks to his dorm, texting Scott about their online game marathon this weekend. He’s right about to enter the dorms when someone puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Mr. Stilinski, could you come with me please.” A big guy wearing a black suit says. It’s not just the creepy vibes he throws, but also the tone this is not a request , that puts Stiles immediately on edge.

“Who are you?” Stiles asks, taking several steps back. He still has his cellphone in his hand, but who knows what this guy might do if he makes a move at it. Maybe he could run.

Apparently, the guy is not really in a mood to dignify him with an answer. He takes a step forward and when Stiles turns around to sprint, he clashes with another completely identical guy also wearing a black suit. He’s dragged by both to the other side of the road where a black car is waiting.

“Let me go, you assholes!” He squirms as much as he can and tries to kick them but it’s worthless. “Help! Someone!”

But it’s too late and once the back door of the car opens, Stiles is being shoved inside like he weighs nothing.

“You must be Stiles.” A voice says as the door closes. Stiles turns to see another dude also in a black suit. This one looks much older and is not as built as the others.

Panic rises as Stiles realizes these guys are probably kidnapping him and he has no way of getting out of here or asking for help.

“You can relax.” The older guy smirks. “I just want to talk with you.”

“It’s not like I have a choice, right?” Stiles snaps. “Who the hell are you? What do you want from me?”

“You know, I must say the photos really don’t do you justice. You’re much more… appealing in person.”

“What.”

The guy keeps smiling. “I’m not surprised you don’t know who I am. After all, you didn’t even know Derek was a Prince.”

What. His face must show something at the mention of Derek’s name, because the dude smirks even harder.

“I’m Duke Peter Hale, Derek’s uncle. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Stiles glares at him. “I can’t really same the thing.”

Another creepy laugh. “Oh, you’re a feisty one. Derek sure knows how to pick them.”

Stiles pretends to not get thrown back by the comment and ignores the feeling of being punched in the middle. “What do you want?”

“Talk. Chat... Get to know each other, since we never got the chance.”

“Not interested, thanks. Can I go now?”

“Straight to business, then.” Peter grins. “I’m here to make you a proposal.”

“Again. Not interested.” Stiles tries to open the car door, but it’s locked.

In a swift movement, Peter leans forward. He’s not smiling anymore.

“My nephew has been a bit… distracted. And we need to find a way to fix that.”

Stiles scowls. “What do I have to do with that?”

“You’re the problem, Stiles. I don’t deal well with problems.”

The threat hangs heavy in the air. Stiles looks outside of the window and notices the other two guys keeping watch. It doesn’t look like someone is in the driver’s seat, so if he plays along, maybe he can get out of this in one piece.

“What do you propose?”

Peter seems to relax, leaning back again in his seat. The eerie smile is back on his face. “It’s very simple. All you have to do is not see or talk to him anymore.”

Stiles frowns, “I wouldn’t worry about that. I haven’t seen or talked to Derek since I left Italy.”

If Peter knew this, he doesn’t show it. “Good. Let’s keep it that way, shall we?”

“So, I’m a bad influence, is that it?” He can’t help the irritated tone.

“My dear Stiles... This is also for your own good. I’m just looking out for both of you.”

Stiles scoffs. “How so? By dragging me into cars and threatening me?”

“Oh no, I wasn’t threatening you. You see, Stiles... If I was threatening you, I would tell you that it would be a shame to have your friends and family being pressured by the press because of you. I read somewhere that your father has a heart condition, I don’t think this would be good for his health. Or your friend Lydia Martin... Brilliant girl. But that intelligence could go to waste if her career got pulled back because someone decided she can’t be hired wherever she applies. There’s also your friend Scott McCall--”

“Sick bastard!” Stiles yells at him. “Fuck you.”

Fuck, Stiles wants to punch that smile off Peter’s face. “I’m a very powerful man, Stiles. And power can do great things.” Peter fakes a sigh. “It’s a real shame that things have to be like this. I have to admit that you are quite a fascinating man.”

Stiles’ blood boils. He feels powerless under Peter’s threats.

“I thought you might like to have this.” Peter waves an envelope at Stiles.

“What’s that?”

“Take it.”

Narrowing his eyes, Stiles reaches for the envelope and opens it. His heart stutters as soon as his eyes land on the photo inside. It was taken up close and Stiles remembers the day and the place like it was yesterday.

“Were you… following us?” He asks Peter in disbelief. The photo shows him and Derek kissing in front of that italian restaurant. Stiles remembers it as the night that Derek told him he didn’t want to let him go.

Peter scoffs. “Why would I follow my nephew?”

“You seem to care deeply about him,” Stiles says with sarcasm.

A loud laugh comes out of Peter. “I like you, Stiles. I really do. Imagine what would happen if that photo and more came out to the public eye. It would be terrible for you and Derek, especially for Derek. But you being exposed like that during your last year of college... And I can’t imagine how hard it would be for your family and friends.“

“Are you done?”

Peter’s lips curve in a tight smile. “My nephew will come to you. Turn him down and pretend that nothing ever happened. I’m sure your life will be much more pleasant that way.”

“He—” Stiles stammers. “He won’t come looking for me.”

“You underestimate my nephew’s stupidity.” Peter knocks on the window twice and suddenly the car door is being opened.

Stiles rushes to leave, but Peter grabs his wrist before he can do so. He squeezes hard until it starts hurting and Stiles can’t help the wince he lets out. “Don’t ever speak of this to anyone, Stiles. You don’t want to know what I can do to those that don’t follow my orders.”

Once Peter lets go of him, Stiles is being pushed out of the car and his backpack thrown at him. He should make a run for the dorm, but his feet seem to be glued to the sidewalk and he’s shaking all over.

The car is long gone and Stiles can still feel Peter’s fingers bruising his wrist. His grip is practically tearing the photo of him and Derek kissing.

***

“Hey, I’m glad you’re back. I was going to order— Stiles? What the hell happened?” Danny dashes towards him once Stiles gets inside their dorm room. “Dude, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I wish,” Stiles says as he sits down on his bed. “I fucking wish.”

“What happened?” Danny asks again, more softly this time.

Stiles exhales deeply, tries to think of what to say. Or if he should say anything at all.

“Stiles, you’re freaking me out, man. Do you want me to call someone?”

“No, just— give me a second.”

He hears Danny go to the bathroom and come back to sit down next to him.

“Here.” Danny gives him a glass of water, that Stiles takes gladly.

“Thanks.”

“Anytime. Do you need anything else?”

“No, I’m—” Stiles shakes his head. “I was at the library and Lydia showed up with some papers. Apparently Derek gave out an interview that she wants me to read. I guess I just panicked over it.”

Danny hums. “Did you read it?”

“No.”

“You should.”

Stiles blinks in surprise. “You read it?”

“Of course,” Danny scoffs. “It’s all over the internet.”

“Great.” Stiles sighs. “That’s just... great.”

“Hey.” Danny puts a hand on his knee. “It’s a good interview. Trust me, Stiles. And Lydia wouldn’t give it to you if she knew it would make you feel like this.”

“Don’t tell her about this. Don’t tell anyone.”

Danny nods. “I won’t. You don’t need to worry.”

“Thank you.” Stiles swallows the rest of his water and groans as he lies back. “I just want my life back.”

“Well, your life before didn’t include Derek.” Danny pauses. “Would you change that?”

Stiles stares at the ceiling and quietly replies, “No. No, I wouldn’t.” He lets out a heavy sigh. “Sometimes I lay in bed like this and I play those weeks over and over. And every time I think about what I would have done differently, if I knew.”

“And?”

“And I can’t bring myself to change any of those moments.” He snorts. “It’s fucked up.”

“Life is fucked up,” Danny says.

“He told me he loved me and I didn’t say it back.”

“Do you? Love him?”

“Yeah.”

***

Four days later and Stiles still hasn’t brought himself to read Derek’s interview. The folder that Lydia gave him stays on his desk, and Stiles tries his best to ignore it. He has two papers that are due next week, so it’s somewhat easy to keep his mind occupied.

He’s at the library, researching for one of those said papers, when a group of three men wearing black suits barge inside. Mrs. Norris stands up from her desk, rushing towards them. Everyone looks up from their books and laptops to follow the scene closely.

Stiles feels his whole body tremble when the librarian and the three men turn to stare directly at him. He rises quickly from his chair when one of them starts walking towards him.

“Mr. Stilinski, could you please follow me?”

“Look, you can’t just walk in here and drag me out anytime you want to!” Stiles hisses.

The man frowns. “Mr. Isaac Lahey is waiting outside for you. He thought you would prefer to meet with him in private.”

“Isaac?” It’s Stiles’ turn to look confused.

Though pissed, Stiles gathers his things and follows the man. He hears Mrs. Norris mutter something when they pass by her. Stiles is just as annoyed as she is.

The three men escort him outside campus, never touching him. It’s like he just walked into an universe where he’s a famous star and these men are here for his safety. Well, Stiles knows better. And once they approach a black car outside, Stiles sees Isaac waiting for him and all he wants to do is punch him on his pretty face.

“You look like you’re about to punch me,” Isaac says.

Stiles glares at him. “Definitely thinking about it. What are you doing here?”

“Prince Derek would like to see you.”

Several emotions hit him, all of them making his heart beat faster. “He’s… here?”

Isaac nods. “I’ll take you to him.”

“Why isn’t he here ? Why not come here himself?”

“Really, Stiles?” Isaac rolls his eyes. “Look behind you.”

And Stiles does. Several groups of students and even teachers have gathered to watch their little meeting. Stiles turns back to Isaac and scowls. “You didn’t exactly come here low profile.”

“That’s the point. This is not Betonia. There’s no such thing as low profile for a Prince that travels to another country. Now, will you come with me or not?”

Stiles mumbles, “It’s not like I have a choice.” So he walks forward anyway, but is stopped by Isaac with a hand grabbing his arm.

“Of course you have a choice. Not many of us do, but you have one.” The way he says it is so intense that Stiles can’t help but be taken aback by the words. He doesn’t have the time to think about a reply, before Isaac is opening the door for them to get inside the car.

***

They reach a hotel that Stiles has passed by a few times. It's modern, but still very luxurious. A place that Stiles would never dream of visiting. The lobby is practically empty, except for the two girls at reception. They greet Isaac with a bright smile as they head towards the elevators.

Two of the bodyguards stay in the lobby, while the one who picked up Stiles enters the elevator together with him and Isaac.

Stiles sees Isaac get a key out of his pocket to access the top floor and tries to keep his heart at bay as it starts to go up. Derek is somewhere in this hotel and Stiles is about to see him for the first time in almost two months. He can't wrap his mind around it. It’s a mix of longing, anticipation, fear, and anger. All at the same time.

"What does he want to talk to me about?" Stiles can't help but ask.

"That's not up to me to say," Isaac tells him.

Stiles huffs out a laugh. “You must think I’m an idiot for not realizing who he is.”

“I think you’re both idiots.”

And Stiles doesn’t really know what to say to that, so instead he asks, “Are you his bodyguard or something?”

The guy in the suit behind them snorts loudly and Isaac turns around to glare at him. The guy just shrugs and resumes his stern position.

“No,” Isaac tells Stiles, clearly annoyed. “I’m his valet.”

Stiles blinks at him. “You’re a what?”

“You are an idiot,” Isaac sighs. “I attend to the Prince’s personal needs, such as his wardrobe and travelling arrangements.

“Oh. Like a maid,” Stiles says.

The bodyguard behind them laughs. And Isaac glares again.

“That’s why you covered for him,” Stiles adds with a sigh. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Look, it’s not up to me to decide what the Prince should and shouldn’t do. But I was against the whole thing from the start. So, yeah, you’re both idiots.”

Stiles is about to reply, but then the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open. His heart pounds and it’s only when Isaac walks out that Stiles is able to move his legs and take a step forward.

The corridor has two bodyguards on each side. They take a glance at them, but that’s about it. Each step that Stiles takes in that corridor, feels like a lifetime. It’s like he’s walking to his death sentence and one of these men is going to grab him if he attempts to run away.

It doesn’t happen though. They all remain at their post as Isaac and Stiles pass by them. Stiles looks behind him to see that the bodyguard that was with them stayed at the front of the elevator. In the silent corridor, all you can hear are their steps.

They stop at the end, in front of a beige door with a golden knob. Stiles makes himself take a deep breath and looks at Isaac, who nods at him.

He’s about to open the door, when Isaac suddenly grabs his arm and pulls him closer.

“He’s an idiot, but that idiot has gone through a lot because of you,” Isaac whispers. “I get that it hasn’t been easy for you either, but Derek came all the way here just for you. Don’t forget that when you go inside.”

Stiles stares at him with wide eyes. And finally he nods.

Isaac nods back and lets him go. He doesn’t even wait before he’s knocking on the door and opening it.

Suddenly Derek is just there . He stands up in a rush, his eyes fixed on Stiles. It’s like everything around them simply vanishes and Stiles can’t breathe. His feet move almost on instinct and he only realizes that he’s inside the room, when he hears the door close behind him. Derek is meters away from him, but the room still feels too small for just the two of them.

Stiles doesn’t know how much time passes, but neither of them move or say a word. It’s Derek who reacts first. It’s Derek who smiles at him, and fuck — Stiles fucking missed that smile. So much.

“Why the hell are you smiling?”

And just like that, Derek’s smile vanishes. Stiles didn’t even realize he’d said the words out loud until they were out there. But once they’re out, there’s nothing he can do about it.

“I thought you might not come,” Derek confesses. And just the sound of his voice makes Stiles’ heart beat faster.

He snorts, his nerves are a wreck and laughing is what he does when he’s nervous. He laughs and says stupid shit like, “Your guys out there didn’t make it look like a choice.”

“But I specifically told Isaac to ask you, if you— “

“Why didn’t you come then?”

“I thought— “ Derek sighs. “I didn’t want to bring too much attention to you. The discretion was for your own safety…”

“Discretion? Safety? Derek, I never had to worry about my safety in my life. Not until now, apparently.”

“I’m sorry.” Derek looks at the ground, shoulders hunched. He looks sad.

Stiles sighs heavily. “I get it.”

Derek nods, but still doesn’t look at him.

“I came because I wanted to,” Stiles says.

Those hazel eyes snap back to him in a second. Derek looks so vulnerable that Stiles’ insides twist painfully. It’s the same look he gave him back on that summer night, in the middle of that empty street, when not even the rain silenced Stiles’ angry words.

“I missed you,” Derek blurts out.

“Don’t —” Stiles groans. “Don’t fucking do that. You have no right to tell me that. Fuck, Derek.” Stiles paces at the door. He shouldn’t have come. This is madness. He can’t be here. Peter told him to not meet with Derek and here he is, playing with fire.

So he goes on. “I’m not someone you can play with just because you’re bored of your royal life. I’m not your happy ending or a fucking damn fantasy! I’m real, Derek. I have a life here.” He throws his arms in the air. “You can’t just say shit like that.”

When the silence drags on for longer than Stiles can take, he casts a glance at Derek and finds him smiling.

“Why the hell are you smiling now?” Stiles asks frustrated.

“I was scared that you would treat me differently, now that you know who I am.” Derek shrugs. “I guess I’m glad that you still see me as a person.”

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“I don’t get what you want from me!” Stiles shouts.

Derek winces but even then he steps closer, looking like he’s carrying his heart to Stiles. “I just want you, Stiles. Your stupid jokes, the sarcasm, your smile, your flaws, your beautiful brown eyes staring at me, the long walks where you won’t stop talking, your hands holding mine… Everything about you. I just want you.”

Stiles huffs, even though his heart skipped several beats with each one of Derek’s words. “How can you say all that when you’re engaged to someone else?”

“I’m not,” Derek prompts and Stiles blinks at him. “It was all... “ Derek tightens his jaw. “After that night with you, the press got out of hand. The engagement was a way of turning their attention away from the scandal.”

“Scandal,” Stiles croaks. Without noticing, he takes a step backwards.

“I didn’t handle it the best way.”

“Clearly.”

Derek rolls his eyes and then takes another step forward. “I’m here to make things right between us. You’re not a fantasy, Stiles. Not to me. What I feel about you is the most real thing I’ve probably ever felt in my life. I love you, Stiles.”

“You lied to me and you call it love.”

“You know the truth now. And it doesn’t change anything that we went through together. It doesn’t change how I feel.”

“Yeah, well, deep down, you still confuse me.”

Derek nods. “I get that. I do. And you have every right to feel that way. I should have told you. If not in the beginning, then later— before…” He drags out a heavy sigh. “There’s no excuse. But that’s why I’m here, Stiles. I want to prove myself to you.”

Stiles shakes his head and swallows roughly. “This isn’t— We come from different places. Literally, different places . And my life is different from yours. We can’t—”

“I don’t care about any of that. I’ll do anything to stay with you, if you still want me.”

Peter’s words echo in Stiles’ mind, while Derek takes another step closer. And another. “When I’m with you, nothing else matters,” Derek says. He’s so close now. “Nobody else matters.”

Stiles takes a step back and swears, “Fuck, Derek. What would our lives be if not just stolen moments? Me here, you there. It would never work. It won’t.”

“It will.” Derek says. The conviction in his voice is dreading. “I’m willing to resign my duty of Heir Prince.”

“What.”

Derek lets out a small laugh. “If I could escape all of this and run away with you? I would do it. I would do it right now.” He walks forward, a soft smile on his lips. “There’s no crown in this world that could keep me from— Just say the word and I’ll give everything up. For you. I’m in love with you, Stiles. You’re the love of my life.”

“We were together for only a few weeks... You think you love me but—”

“Think?” Derek says, voice suddenly low and hurt. “Don’t tell me how I feel about you.”

“It’s not— It’s not that simple, Derek!” Stiles steps back again. He needs to keep his distance before he does anything stupid. “Fuck. You can’t just give up everything—”

“Do you?” Derek cuts in. “Do you love me?”

Stiles freezes.

“Just say yes or no, Stiles.” Derek steps forward. Twice. “Do you love me?”

Silence falls for a brief moment, both of them just staring into each other’s eyes, close. So close.

“Does it matter?” Stiles finally asks, trying to not make his voice sound so small. He fails badly.

“It matters. It matters to me. Do you love me, Stiles?”

Stiles looks to his right, away from Derek’s intense stare, his eyes burning. “Yes. Yes, okay! I do.” He stutters, his heart is breaking just by admitting it. “But I can’t— We can’t—”

“Stiles.” Derek moves closer, his hand cupping Stiles’ jaw, forcing him to make eye contact. Stiles pulls away from his grasp and turns around, his back facing Derek. He can’t do this.

“Stiles, please,” Derek says again, his voice is so raw and vulnerable. Stiles has to close his eyes to not give away to the emotions he’s feeling. Derek doesn’t move towards him, though. He gives him space. Stiles hears him sigh behind him. “These past few months, I’ve learned that I can’t be without you. My whole life changed after meeting you. Nothing, absolutely nothing is the same. I’ve completely fallen for you, more than I could ever imagine. The man I am without you is nothing. What’s the point of meeting you and being with you, and then losing you forever? I’m no Prince, no King. I’m nothing. I need you to give me another chance. Please.”

Stiles feels dizzy. Derek’s words make his blood rush through his veins at the speed of light. Peter’s words come and go. The photo of them kissing. His father. His friends. He can’t think. He can’t speak.

And Derek goes on, “I spent so long searching for something real in my life. Something that made me feel . And then I found you. Or you found me…” Derek adds softly. “The warmth of your hands is real. I lose my thoughts when I look into your eyes, always so bright and full of life. The smiles you give me make my heart race. I need you, Stiles. I never believed in destiny or fate, but— after meeting you I can’t stop thinking that I lived for that moment. It’s insane, crazy, and ridiculous, I know that, but it’s real.” He lets out a heavy breath. “You tell me I can’t just drop everything, but my happiness is living by your side, Stiles.”

Stiles clenches his fists until they hurt, it feels like something is burning inside him. “You’re cruel,” he whispers.

“What?” Derek’s voice sounds like he’s breaking as much as he is. And Stiles can’t take this anymore. He turns around, grabs Derek’s perfectly ironed white shirt and pulls him into a fierce kiss. The air is sucked out of his lungs as Derek moans in surprise and pulls him even closer, his hands firmly around Stiles’ waist.

Sparks shoot down Stiles’ spine; it feels like coming back from somewhere dark and lonely, back home . And yet, it feels nothing like their previous kisses. There’s no pretense or holding back, both of them seem to pour everything they have into the kiss. Every breath, touch, and brush of lips— They hug and kiss at the same time, hands clutching against each other’s clothes, touches bruising them on the outside and on the inside. Stiles knows he’s crying; even with his eyes closed he can feel the tears falling, he can taste the salty tears brushing against their lips.

Why do his lips feel so familiar? Why do his arms welcome him with such warmth and desire? He can’t do this. He can’t do this to him, to them, to Derek.

“I can’t—” Stiles breathes when he pulls back and it’s Derek who shuts him up this time, big hands holding his face, lips trying to trap him, to keep him .

They’re both gasping for air when they break apart again. Stiles takes a few steps backwards as if being too close to Derek will burn him. It does, it does burn him.

“I can’t do this.”

“You don’t want to kiss me?” Derek’s voice is barely a whisper.

Stiles lets out a sad laugh. “I always want to kiss you. That’s the fucking problem! Even right now I’m thinking about kissing you again.”

Silence settles.

“Why then?”

“Derek…” Stiles sighs. He needs to end this now. “At the end of the day, I’m just a regular guy and you’re a Prince. No matter what we do, that will always be our life.”

“You must really hate me for falling in love with you,” Derek sounds so defeated. Guilt washes over Stiles like he’s been punched. Every cell in his body screams to take it all back and just fall again into Derek’s arms. But he can’t think of himself right now. He needs to think about those he loves. He needs to think about Derek too.

“I could never hate you. You are someone that I will never forget.”

Derek takes a step forward, stops when Stiles flinches back. “Then don’t push me away, Stiles. I just want you to be happy. For us to be happy.”

“Then let me go.”         

“You say you won’t forget me, but you ask me to forget you? Ask me for anything you want, anything but that. Please.”

Stiles stares one last time at Derek’s pained expression, cataloguing the way his eyes carry the sadness inside his heart, the swollen lips he will never touch again. They don’t need words. They don’t need a goodbye.

Stiles walks out of the room and Derek doesn’t follow him.

***

Once outside, Stiles walks past Derek’s bodyguards, trying to keep his panic attack at bay. The tears stopped coming even though he still feels like crying. No one stops him or even looks at him as he walks down the corridor to the elevators. He’s not sure if he wants to be stopped. He’s not sure of anything.

As he gets inside the elevator, Isaac abruptly stops the doors from closing. “What the hell happened?”

Stiles doesn’t meet his gaze. He clicks for the ground floor and hopes that Isaac will just let him go without pressing. He doesn’t.

“Stiles?” Isaac steps closer but not inside, “What happened? I thought— I thought you were going to work things out. I thought you liked him!” The last words hit him like he’s being accused of a crime; a crime he committed against his will.

“I do,” Stiles whispers, remembering all those sacred moments he spent with Derek; how everything felt so right.

“Then what— He’s willing to give up everything for you. His family, his country— he’s going against everyone just to be with you. You have no idea what he’s been going through.”

Stiles remembers his encounter with Peter and huffs out a pained laugh. “I know. That’s exactly why.” When he meets Isaac’s eyes, confusion and anger are written all over his face. “I can’t be that person, Isaac. I can’t ask him that. He will resent me forever. His family will resent me forever. I won’t be able to look at him knowing that he turned his back to everything for me. I can’t— I have to let him go.”

“He calls you the love of his life, for fuck’s sake! You can’t give up on him.”

“I hope one day he understands. And I hope he forgives me.”

“Will you ? Forgive yourself? Are you seriously telling me that you won’t regret this?”

“I love him.” The words hurt as much as the first time he realized it. Stiles collapses against the wall. “I love him with all my heart. But I can’t—”

“You’re a coward,” Isaac spits, as he steps back from the elevator and the doors start closing between them. The clear betrayal in Isaac’s eyes is all that’s left to say between them.

Stiles nods. “I know.”

It’s all Stiles can say before the doors close; the final words of his own fairytale.

Chapter Text

When Derek arrives at the Palace, Harris is there waiting for them at the door, a smug smile on his face as he says, “The Queen is waiting for you in her office, sir.”

But Derek waves him away, instead leaving Isaac glaring at the butler as he heads for the grand staircase, rushing towards his room.

The journey back home was made in silence, despite Isaac’s trials of engaging Derek into conversation. He wasn’t subtle in the way he spoke of Stiles or maybe he hoped that would make Derek fight back in denial. But Derek wasn’t— isn’t in denial. Stiles’ words are still engraved deep into his mind and heart. Just like his warm lips, his long fingers clutching at Derek’s clothes, his faint stubble rasping against Derek’s jaw… The way his honey eyes filled with tears at the same time he was breaking Derek’s heart.

He replays their encounter over and over again. It’s the only thing he can think of since Stiles left the room. And even after spending so much time with his thoughts, Derek still doesn’t understand. Surely, he knows better than anyone that life isn’t a fairytale like Stiles pointed out. During the summer, all Derek could think about was that telling Stiles the truth would either show him Stiles’ true colors or stop Stiles from wanting to be with him. But Stiles loves him . He loves him and clearly wants to be with him, but he can’t— And Derek doesn’t understand why. Maybe love is clouding his judgment or maybe he’s just too naive to love.

Derek sits on his bed facing the window, tired from travelling, but also tired of these walls. There’s a knock at his door, it’s probably Isaac so Derek doesn’t bother turning or telling him to come in.

A second, then two and the door opens.

“Derek.”

The voice of his mother makes Derek stand and turn around instantly. Her eyes carry a fire that Derek knows all too well. This is not going to be a pleasant conversation. She’s carrying a newspaper in her hand; panic and confusion rush through him because what now .

“You went after that boy.”

“Yes,” Derek replies to the non question.

His mother closes the door behind her. It’s funny to be allowed some privacy in moments like these, while his life is nothing but an open book to everyone. When she rises the newspaper for him to see, Derek reads the title and lets out a heavy sigh. He’s not even surprised anymore.

“Is this a joke to you?” His mother asks.

Derek turns away from her, walks to the window.

“I can’t keep covering these scandals around you and run this country at the same time.”

“Then don’t,” Derek snaps. “I never asked you to do that.” He waves his hands around him and shouts, “I never asked for any of this!”

“I’ve told you many times this kind of behaviour is unacceptable for a Prince! Your coronation is weeks away, Derek!” She shakes the newspaper at him. “Doesn’t it bother you what people are thinking of their future King when they read articles like this?”

“I don’t care.”

His mother’s eyes go wild. “Derek!”

“What? Do you want me to lie and say I’m worried about what some trashy newspaper is writing about me?” He clenches his fists, so hard it hurts. “They know nothing about me! They know nothing about nothing! Nothing!”

He’s panting in the middle of his room with his mother staring back at him with wide eyes. Derek doesn’t realize he’s crying until the first tear brushes his lips and he can taste the salty sadness breaking inside him. He tries to brush his eyes, tries to make it stop, but the tears keep falling. The first tears since this whole mess started.

“Derek…”

Derek glances up to see his mother looking at him, really looking at him . There’s worry and uncertainty in her eyes.

“He doesn’t want me,” he sobs. The words hurt to come out, but they’re nothing but the truth.

His mother reaches for him, cautiously wrapping her arms around her son. Derek goes back to the day when his father died and he lets himself cry in his mother’s arms. Not the Queen, not the ruler of a country, just his mother. And right now, he feels like a child again. He doesn’t know exactly why he’s crying anymore; if it’s because of Stiles or because of the coronation or because there’s always someone watching him. But like years ago, his mother embraces him with whispers of comfort. Maybe that’s what makes him cry even more. He missed her, he misses his mother.

***

The following days pass in a blur. Derek wakes up at 6AM and goes for a run in the gardens. He hits the gym before 7AM and goes back to his room at 8AM for a shower, with Isaac already there picking out his clothes for the day.

Breakfast is eaten in his office, because Derek hates eating alone in a room full of servants staring and waiting for him to finish. Or worse… eating in the company of his Uncle Peter. Cora usually sleeps until ten and his mother… Well, it’s not like he’s avoiding her, but there’s still too much to say between them and Derek is not looking forward to it. So he commits himself to work, more so than ever.

Deaton visits his office during the day, sometimes to deliver him some papers, others just to ask if he needs anything. But Derek knows it’s mostly Deaton keeping tabs on Derek and reporting his progress back to the Queen. Part of him hates it, the other part is still seeking for his mother’s approval.

As so many people pointed out, he’s going to be King soon and there’s still too much he doesn’t feel ready to face. When the work is done, Derek seeks out his father’s journals and reads them until dinner is announced. Sometimes he doesn’t set foot in the dining hall and goes straight to his room, knowing that Isaac will bring something for him to eat later. For others, Boyd comes to visit and it would be rude of Derek to keep his closest friend from having a proper dinner.

At night, in his room, Derek sits by the window and lets his gaze drift to the city of Betonia. Sometimes he just looks at the sky, but even when he stares for a very long time, the October sky doesn’t clear enough for him to see the stars. He wonders though, if he would be able to see them at the Lake House. And his heart breaks with the memories that flash through his mind. In nights like these, weakness takes over him and Derek can’t help but open his nightstand drawer and take out his photos with Stiles.

Some days are easier than others. Some days he wishes he could forget Stiles’ face. Some days he’s terrified that one day he might.

***

Derek is going through some Spanish documents, when Deaton knocks at his office door with more papers he needs to sign. Derek usually doesn’t even bother to glance up, especially when he’s already too focused on his work, but today… Deaton remains in front of him and waits.

“Anything else?” Derek finally asks, looking at the man.

Deaton smiles at him. It’s always creepy. He hands him another paper, this one is already signed by the Queen. “The Queen wants to throw a ball in your honor.”

Derek blinks and then looks down at the paper.

“To celebrate your coronation,” Deaton adds.

A ball is the last thing Derek wants, but he can see this is his mother’s way of trying to cheer him up or reward him for these past few weeks being scandal free. Even so, the paper is signed and invitations are probably already being sent. Deaton is just here to inform him, probably to make sure he shows up.

“Is Laura coming?” He asks instead.

“Of course, your Highness. Your sister and her husband will be delighted to come.”

At least he will be able to see his sister and Jordan. The Palace is not the same without their constant presence.

Derek hands the paper back to Deaton. “Please tell my mother that I’m grateful.”

“I will,” Deaton nods. He turns to leave but stops at the door. “May I have a word, your Highness?”

Deaton is never someone who stays for a chat, especially not with Derek. It takes him by surprise, to say the least. And it’s not like Derek is too fond of their Secretary, but his mother trusts him deeply and Derek can’t help but be curious of what he wants to say.

When Derek nods his consent, Deaton turns but he doesn’t step away from the door.

“It has come to my knowledge that your highness may have interpreted someone’s actions in the wrong way.”

Derek frowns. “What do you mean?”

“Too often we underestimate the power of what our instinct tells us. Words might have more weight to bring us down, but actions are the real answer.”

“I don’t understand.”

Deaton gives him a short smile. “I think you will.”

Even after Deaton leaves, Derek keeps staring at the door like it holds the explanation to what just happened. He replays Deaton’s words and figures he was probably talking about his mother. Or maybe he and his mother are plotting something else for this ball. He leans back on his chair and sighs, looking up at the ceiling. All he needs is some peace and quiet, but with his coronation a month way, that’s probably asking for too much.

***

The ball, just like all the other balls, is just that— a ball. It’s boring and cliché. The only people that don’t need to force a smile out of Derek are his sisters and his friends. As Boyd and Jordan catch up, Laura loops her arm through Derek’s and together they make the necessary rounds, greeting and smiling at everyone.

The Baccaris were invited of course, but apparently only Julia comes to greet Derek and Laura.

“They’ll come around,” she tells them about her parents. Derek wonders what kind of marriage they’re now setting up for her, but decides that wouldn’t be proper of him to ask.

Laura whisks him away to the gardens at the first chance they have. Derek laughs like he hasn’t laughed in awhile. It brings way too many memories from when they were just kids and their parents decided Derek was already of age to attend these balls. Cora was pissed, because she wanted to attend too; and Laura was thrilled, because now she would have more fun with her brother there.

“I’m totally kidnapping the guest of honor,” she laughs.

“I’ll remember that if someone finds us,” Derek tells her.

Laura smiles at him. “How have you been?”

Derek shrugs and sits down on a bench. “Fine.”

“Fine.” Laura snorts and sits next to him. “That’s the word I use when I fight with Jordan.”

“You and Jordan? Really?” Derek lets out a laugh.

“Hey, we fight sometimes.” But she’s still smiling, so Derek doesn’t take her seriously.

“If you and Jordan fight, then hope in love is lost for us all.”

He keeps laughing but when he glances at Laura, she’s not laughing. She stares at him with worry in her eyes.

“I’m fine, Laura.”

“I wouldn’t be fine.”

Derek sighs. “I have to be… Coronation is almost here.”

“I just wish I could do something.”

Derek takes her hand in his. “Your presence here already makes me happy.”

“Do you want me to stay until the coronation? I’m sure Jordan wouldn’t mind.” She smiles at him and squeezes his hand.

Any other time and Derek would tell her that it’s not necessary, but he can’t bring himself to do so. Having Laura and Jordan in the Palace would turn his mind away from things.

And when Derek tells her that he would love that, Laura hugs him tight.

“I’m so proud of you,” she says with her arms wrapped around him.

***

The following days get a lot better with Laura’s constant presence in the Palace. She and Jordan still have their busy schedule to attend to, but the late afternoons and evenings are the sacred time they all spend together. Boyd, Cora, and Isaac join them for some horse riding before dinner. It almost makes Derek feel like a teenager again.

Coronation is barely a month away and Derek loses more sleep to his thoughts. It’s like forcing himself to walk a path he doesn’t want to.

Deaton arranges some events for Derek and Laura to attend together. At first, Derek is thankful for having Laura with him, but as the day passes, he notices something he never did before. Laura is not just a graceful Princess, sitting next to him just for show.

Their first stop is the Public Hospital of Betonia, who’s in great need of some renovations after a fire last year. Laura is kind and humble when they visit some of the patients’ rooms, more than Derek would ever dream to be in front of so many people. But when they’re gathered in closed doors with the Hospital Board members and the Department of Health, she’s diplomatic and ruthless in her opinions.

She reminds him of their mother and Derek wonders if anyone else besides him has made this connection. Surely, the press must have made some comments. They’re always so quick to judge on Derek’s decisions, certainly they wouldn’t miss the chance of comparing him to his sister. That dreading feeling only increases through the rest of the day, the more and more he looks at his sister.

“We should take a picture together and post it online,” Laura tells him when they’re heading back to the Palace.

Derek groans. “Why? We already took so many today…”

“Derek, come on. Those were press photos. They will be published everywhere with words that are not our own.”

“Okay, fine.”

She takes out her cellphone and throws her arm around Derek. “Say cheese!”

The photo is taken, but apparently they’re still not done.

“Give me your phone,” Laura says as she types something on hers.

“Why do you want my phone?” But he’s already reaching for it.

“I’m going to send the photo to you and you are going to be the one posting it telling everyone how much fun we had today.”

“How is that not staged?”

“Hey!” Laura smacks him on the arm.

Derek laughs quietly.

“Here,” she says when she hands him back his phone. “Now post it and make it good.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely.” Derek scoffs, looking for the Twitter app and opening it, quickly glancing at the strangers he sees on his timeline. He needs to tell Deaton and Morrell to stop following people he doesn’t know. Before posting the photo, Derek goes to check the last posts they made and is surprised by the number of followers he sees.

“What happened?” Laura asks. He may have gasped out loud.

“I just— It’s nothing bad, but I don’t think I had this many followers before.”

“Let me see.” Laura leans forward and gasps in surprise as well. “Two million?! What did you do?” She looks at him with wide eyes.

“I didn’t do anything!” He says, but— “I think?”

They go through his most recent tweets, which are mostly just a bunch of crap. Press retweets, photos of his recent appearances, but that’s about it.

“This is weird,” Laura says. “Do you remember the last tweet you posted?”

Derek frowns, “I think it was that interview I gave to that blog…”

“Well, where is it? It’s not here.”

“It has to be. I tweeted the link to it.”

Laura looks at him and then back at his cellphone. She’s biting her lip. “They deleted it, Derek. Deaton and Morrell.”

“They wouldn’t— would they?”

“They did.” Laura sighs. “And believe it or not, that’s a big thing in social media. Once it’s out there, it’s out there.”

“But— wouldn’t that make me lose followers instead?”

Laura shakes her head, “The fact that you tweeted it and then it was deleted, only proves that someone is trying to cover up your story.”

“My mess.”

“Story,” Laura corrects him. “Have you checked your mentions lately?”

“No, I never do.”

“Let me see.” She takes his cellphone and starts scrolling down his mentions. There’s… a lot.

“Is that— Why are so many people talking to me?”

“Well, your definitions are set for you to only see some of them, but Cora taught me how to check mentions from unverified accounts too.”

Derek blinks at her. “Unverified… That doesn’t sounds like a good idea, Laura.”

Laura chuckles. “Relax, brother. They’re just your fans and, unsurprisingly, most of them are girls. But—” She stops scrolling and opens another window. “Oh.”

“What is it?” When Derek looks at her, she’s blushing.

She closes the window quickly and gives him back his phone.

“It’s better if you don’t check your mentions afterall.”

“What? Why?” He glances down at his phone. It’s back on his account, Derek stares at the big number of followers again. “What did you see, Laura?”

“Trust me, Derek. You don’t want to see it or know about it. Some fans are just… you know.”

Derek narrows his eyes at her. “Should I post the photo or not?”

“Yes, of course!”

He tweets the photo with the caption: “Some sisters are just… you know.”

***

“Where are we going?” Derek asks Laura for the third time.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you,” she sing songs.

November is finally here and with it comes not only the cold and the rain, but also Derek’s coronation. In three weeks he will be crowned King of Betonia and the Queen regent will step away, leaving Derek to do his best and follow his father’s footsteps. All his life, Derek has been preparing himself for this moment and yet he’s far from being ready.

The responsibility doesn’t consume him as much as the end of his freedom; the little that he has. That’s what Laura is planning on taking advantage of. Everyone knows where they are and where they’re going, but no one is allowed to follow them. To be honest, Derek doesn’t know how his sister convinced their mother and Deaton to let them go out by themselves for the evening. Obviously, Derek is the only one who doesn’t know where they’re going, which makes him feel a bit edgy.

“It can’t be good if they let us leave by ourselves.”

Laura snorts. She’s driving the Camaro further and further away from the city. “Don’t you trust me?”

“No.” Derek smirks. Laura glares at him.

“You’ll like it. I promise. Besides,” she makes a turn to the left, “consider this the real celebration before the Coronation.”

“As long as I get to pick the destination, I’m not opposed to kidnapping.”

“Ahah,” Laura fakes a laugh. They slow down as Laura drives away from the road to a path further into a forest.

“I’m starting to worry for my safety.”

Laura smiles at him when they stop. “And here we are.”

Here is apparently the middle of nowhere.

“You know what’s sad? This is actually better than all the balls we’ve attended.”

“Come on, grumpy.” Laura shoves his arm and leaves the car. Derek follows, still looking around them. There’s just trees and more trees.

Suddenly, in the middle of the bushes, he swears that he can hear someone coming. When he looks at Laura, she shrugs. There’s more sounds coming from different directions. And then he hears it, not too far from them at all— a howl.

Instinctively, he steps closer to Laura, trying to shield her, even though he has no idea where he should focus. The noises become louder, closer. But when he turns to Laura, she’s fighting out a laugh.

“Why the hell are you laughing?” He hisses at her.

More laughs surround them and then, all of a sudden, flashlights are pointed at him. He squints his eyes, trying to make sense of what’s happening but all he hears is people laughing, Laura included.

“Surprise!” Everyone shouts. Derek looks around him to see Jordan, Boyd, Cora, Isaac, and even Erica is here.

“You should have seen your face.” Laura throws her arm around him and laughs.

Derek glares at her.

“Come on, big bro, we have booze!” Cora points her flashlight to the drinks Isaac is carrying.

“And music!” Jordan is carrying a very old stereo with him.

Derek huffs out a laugh. “Drinks and music with flashlights. A party that puts all the other parties to shame. What more can the future King want?”

His friends laugh.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Boyd scoffs. “We have something far better than flashlights.”

***

A bonfire is the gift his friends and his sisters get him. Well, a small bonfire, but still. For years, Derek and his sisters dreamed of going to the bonfire that happens every year in the city. But for security reasons they were never allowed to attend.

Now Derek doesn’t need to attend it when he has his own bonfire, surrounded by people he’s proud to call friends and family. Here in the middle of nowhere, they can be as loud as they want, dance how they want, sing and drink what they want.

The last time he felt this free was with Stiles. And he definitely needs another beer to keep his mind away from that night.

He smiles as he notices how Boyd and Erica seem to be getting along so well, dancing together to Stubborn Love . But he tries to keep his eyes away from how close Cora and Isaac move against each other.

“Are you just going to stay there all night, drinking and staring back at us?” Laura asks, reaching out for his arms, forcing him to stand up. He groans to fake his discontentment, but follows her nonetheless. The rest of them smile and Jordan gives him a thumbs up.

Drink up in the air, Derek starts dancing to the lyrics keep your head up, my love . He grabs another beer in the middle of The Sun and lets his mind drift at the words now I’m gonna tell my momma that I’m a traveller, I’m gonna follow the sun . When King comes on, Derek laughs at the irony and sways to and I was a king under your control and I wanna feel like you’ve let me go ; until he’s too drunk to dance and keep his mouth shut.

Everyone runs to him when he lets himself fall on the ground. His drink falls with him and Derek frowns at the empty bottle.

“You had enough for tonight?” Boyd helps him sit down properly.

“I’m not enough,” Derek mutters.

“Oh boy,” he hears Cora say.

Laura sits beside him. “What’s wrong, Derek?”

“I couldn’t make him happy. I’m just… not enough.”

“He’s an idiot,” Isaac says.

Laura wraps her arm around him, brushing his back. “You need to let him go, Derek. Turn him into memories and let him go.”

“I can’t,” Derek shakes his head. “He sneaks up on my mind all the time. I close my eyes and all I can see is his disheveled hair, the soft pink cupid’s bow lips, the intoxicating color of his glittering eyes.”

“Gross.”

“Cora!” Laura hisses.

“He said he loves me.”

Someone snorts, but Derek doesn’t know who.

“You can’t be serious, Derek.” Laura huffs out a laugh in disbelief.

“Actually, he does.”

Everyone snaps their gazes to Isaac. Even Derek looks thrown off by the comment.

Isaac shrugs. “I don’t know why he rejected Derek, but he looked miserable by doing so.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Laura says.

“I hurt him, I lied to him…”

“Oh for God’s sake, Derek!” Cora kicks him in the knee. “You’re drunk and you’re a complete loser if you think that being miserable is going to fix anything.”

“If they’re both miserable, this whole thing is just wrong and stupid,” Erica says.

“That guy is just a coward, there’s nothing more to it,” Boyd snaps and walks away. The others remain silent, and when Boyd comes back, he’s carrying more beer. He gives another bottle to Derek at the same time as the song Shut Up and Dance starts.

“You’re going to get wasted and you’re going to dance until your feet hurt,” Boyd starts. “And those are the only stupid things I’m going to let you do tonight.”

Jordan huffs. “Are you up for it, my friend?”

Derek stares at them thinking what the hell and stands up with the help of his sister.

***

Who knows how long they were in that forest drinking and dancing until almost sunrise. Derek wakes up inside the car feeling like his head is about to explode. Isaac is driving and chatting with Erica. Cora is next to Derek, sound asleep.

Derek groans. “Where we going?”

“Back to the Palace,” Isaac replies.

Erica turns around and gives him a bottle of water. “You should drink some.”

Derek nods and winces immediately after at the movement, but takes the water willingly. He drinks most of it and leans back, staring outside the window. It’s probably already dawn.

Isaac and Jordan were apparently their designated drivers. Entering the car is the last thing Derek remembers from this crazy night. It was possibly the last time he will be able to do something like this.

He closes his eyes, but doesn’t fall back asleep. Erica and Isaac speak in a hushed tone about some bands they often listen to. It’s a nice distraction to Derek’s thoughts, and soon enough they’re passing the Palace’s gates.

Isaac opens the door for him, but Derek waves him off. Wants to wait for the next car with Laura, Boyd, and Jordan to arrive, especially when the cold weather is helping him sober up. He watches the guard change shifts, realizing it’s then 7AM, but still too dark.

Erica is waking up and helping Cora when the other car finally arrives and pulls over. Isaac opens the door for Laura, who looks like she didn’t drink much at all. Honestly, Derek didn’t pay much attention through the night.

“Now all we need is a good breakfast and then a warm bed,” she says. Behind her, Boyd and Jordan nod.

“I don’t think Princess Cora is in shape for breakfast yet.” Erica is supporting Cora, who looks like she’s ready to fall asleep again while standing up.

Isaac moves to Cora’s side. “I’ll help you take her to her room.”

“And that’s all you’ll be doing,” Derek warns.

Everyone laughs except Isaac. And as he and Erica lead Cora inside the Palace, the rest walk straight to the kitchen’s backdoor, following the smell of fresh bread being baked. If they’re lucky, Mrs. Hudson will already have a cake out of the oven.

Laura teases him all the way about going all big brother with Isaac. As they enter the kitchen, Derek looks at the umbrella that’s outside against the wall. He stops to stare at it. His heart skips a beat, maybe two. But all he feels is a void. The cold tingles his skin, but it’s the numbness in his heart that freezes him to that spot. His mind remembers that rainy summer night like it was yesterday, but his body no longer feels the heat or recalls the touch of warm lips against his own. His memories have started to blur and part of him wants it to be because of the alcohol. If his heart breaking means something, it’s probably that Derek isn’t ready to let go just yet. Despite what the others tell him, it’s not easy. And maybe if it was, it wouldn’t feel this painful either.

“Derek? Everything ok?” Laura asks. Derek didn’t even hear her come back.

“It’s nothing.”

He steps inside with her and closes the door behind him, without giving a second glance to the umbrella.

Isaac and Erica join them for breakfast shortly after. Mrs. Hudson tried to persuade them to have breakfast at the dining hall at least, but Laura told her there was no need. Honestly, Derek thinks the poor lady just wanted her kitchen back to herself.

As the servants arrive for work, they’re all surprised to see them there so early in the morning and in the kitchen. But a quick look to their clothes, and they figure out none of them even slept. Harris glances at them with distaste, but they all choose to ignore it and actually laugh about it.

Erica is the first to leave, carrying a tray for Cora for when she wakes up, since she will probably have a hangover and be crankier than her usual self.

Derek insists that Boyd gets some rest before leaving. It’s still too early and they have way too many guest rooms available for him to sleep for a bit. Besides, this way they will all be able to spend more time together later.

They leave the kitchen together with Harris accompanying them to lead Boyd to one of the guest rooms and make sure everything is in order.

Sadly, the servants are not the only people who are used to getting up this early. As soon as he sees his uncle, Derek knows that Peter will likely ruin their pleasant morning.

“Nice to see you all up so early in the morning,” Peter greets them with a smile.

“Good morning, sir.” Harris greets back, all smiles. “Should I go downstairs and make sure your breakfast is ready?”

Derek glares at the butler. “You’re suppose to show Lord Boyd his room and make sure he has everything he needs before going to sleep.”

“Sleeping.” Peter quirks an eyebrow. “Oh my. You’re all just arriving from your little getaway.”

Laura rolls her eyes. “Yes, Uncle. I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Oh no, my dear. I promise to not get in the way of your pleasant married life.”

“What’s that suppose to—”

“Derek, however,” Peter interrupts Laura, “I’m sure you have a lot to work on before the big day.”

Derek clenches his jaw. “I’m aware of my duties.”

“Are you? What a change of heart…”

“That’s enough,” Laura tells him.

But Derek has always been weak against his uncle’s incitements and takes a step forward. “What do you mean by that?”

Peter smiles at him. “I’m just proud of my dear nephew.” He takes a step as well, placing his hand on Derek’s shoulder in fake encouragement. “You can’t afford any distractions, especially not now. I’m glad you’re on the right path.” He squeezes Derek’s shoulder, just a bit too hard, and then walks away.

They watch him go down the grand staircase, the sound of his steps a little too loud. And Derek can’t see it, but he knows that his uncle is smiling along the way.

Laura huffs when he’s finally out of sight. “I need another drink after that.”

Boyd snorts, but Derek is still too caught up on his uncle’s speech to laugh at his sister’s joke. Peter is a jerk most of the time, there are no surprises there. So words like proud are not exactly part of his vocabulary, despite the clear sassiness he was pulling off.

The guest rooms are at the East wing, so Boyd follows Harris as Laura, Jordan, and Derek walk to the their own rooms in the West wing.

“Derek?”

Derek glances up at Laura, realizing just now that they came to a stop in front of Laura and Jordan’s room.

“Are you alright? You’re not dwelling on what Peter said, right?” Laura asks him.

“No, I’m— I just zoned out.”

Laura gives him a short smile and kisses him on the cheek. “I’ll see you in a few hours. Try to get some sleep. I hope you had fun tonight.”

“I did. Thank you, both of you.”

Laura’s still smiling when she turns to open the door to her room, but then her gaze falls on Jordan and she frowns. “What’s wrong?”

Derek too looks at him. Both Hales stare at Jordan’s pensive expression.

“It’s probably nothing,” Jordan tells them, shaking his head. But Derek can see that he’s still wearing that preoccupied expression.

“Well, now you have to tell us either way,” Laura says.

Jordan looks at her and then his eyes lock on Derek’s. “You were drunk, so you probably don’t remember what you said, but… You mentioned that Stiles said he loves you, but that he couldn’t be with you.”

Derek ducks his head and sighs. Even if he didn’t remember saying it, it’s still the truth.

“It doesn’t make much sense,” Jordan adds.

“Jordan, you’re poking at an open wound…” Laura scowls him.

Jordan turns to her. “I know, but what Peter just said…” When he looks at Derek, Derek knows that at least he wasn’t the only one feeling weary of Peter’s behaviour. “Stiles had a change of heart and Peter saying you had a change of heart… It might be a coincidence, but the timing is weird. Even your uncle can’t be that perceptible.”

Derek frowns. “I told our mother, maybe she told him…”

Laura scoffs. “She wouldn’t. No one in this family ever tells him anything because of how he is. He doesn’t know. He can’t. It’s just a coincidence.”

“Maybe,” Jordan says.

They all stare at each other for a minute. Neither of them look convinced.

Until Laura caves. “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

***

Derek stays by the window as the twins enter Laura and Jordan’s room. They look surprised to be called here, but even more so when their eyes fall on Derek.

“Thank you for coming,” Laura tells them with a smile. “I won’t take much of your time. It’s Aiden and Ethan, right?”

“Yes, your highness.” One of them replies. Derek doesn’t know which one.

“Good.” Laura sits down at her desk, fumbling through some papers. “I was looking into the logs of our staff and noticed there’s no entry for either of you on October 6th.”

One of the bodyguards frowns, but doesn’t say anything.

“Where were you assigned on that day?”

“We’ve been assigned to work for your uncle since we got here, your highness.”

Jordan scoffs. “That doesn’t answer the question, does it?”

“You should ask Duke Hale,” one of the twins sneers.

“But we’re asking you,” Laura counters.

“We can’t give you that information.”

“Because you work for my uncle?”

“Precisely.”

Laura smirks. “I thought you might say that, so we’re moving you from his service to ours.”

The twins seem taken aback from it, but only for a second. “Your highness, with all due respect, you don’t have the authority to do that.”

“What about your future King?” Derek steps away from the window and quirks an eyebrow at the duo. “Does he have that kind of authority?”

That seems to settle it for at least one of the twins. “We were travelling that day.”

“Ethan, don’t,” Aiden hisses at his brother.

Ethan, however a bit hesitant, goes on, “Duke Hale asked us to keep it off the records and to not tell anyone about what happened.”

“And what happened? Where did you go?” Laura stands and takes a step forward to them.

“San Francisco.” Ethan sighs.

Laura glances quickly at Derek, searching for some answers, but Derek is too busy walking forward and yanking Ethan’s shirt.

“Derek!” Laura shouts.

Jordan runs to Derek’s side, but doesn’t pull him away from the bodyguard. It’s not like the guy isn’t trained to take down Derek easily if he wants to.

“What the hell did you do in San Francisco?” Derek practically growls at him.

It’s Aiden who answers him. “We didn’t harm anyone.”

Derek turns to him, releasing his brother only slightly. “What. Did. You. Do.”

“Your uncle just wanted to talk with him,” Ethan replies.

“We just took him to Duke Hale and didn’t listen to what they talked about.”

“Derek, I think you can let him go now,” Jordan says calmly, hand on Derek’s shoulder.

With his blood boiling, Derek releases Ethan with such force that the guy stumbles backwards for a bit. His brother catches him fast enough.

“You may leave now,” Laura says. They all wait until the twins leave.

Derek paces around the room.

“We don’t know what he told Stiles, but it seems pretty obvious considering everything,” Jordan prompts.

“I doubt we can ask him exactly what he said to the poor boy. You don’t think he—” Laura stops talking all of a sudden.

Derek snaps his gaze to look at her and pales with what he reads in her eyes. “No,” he says. And then again, “No, she— she wouldn’t.”

But he’s already walking out the door, with Laura and Jordan calling out for him. He runs downstairs, his feet practically moving on his own. His heart is beating impossibly fast and he’s close to losing his mind. Derek is so out of himself that he doesn’t even knock on the door of his mother’s office.

His mother looks at him, startled, sitting by her desk with coffee in her hand. Derek tries to get his breath back, searching for words.

“What has gotten into you?” His mother stands up, her expression even more alarmed when Laura and Jordan show up behind Derek, both of them also panting. “Can someone explain to me what is going on?”

“Did you send Peter to talk with Stiles? To threaten him?”

His mother blinks at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Did you?!”

Laura steps to Derek’s side at the rise of his voice, a hand on Derek’s arm, pressing gently.

“Of course not!” Talia moves away from the desk to stand in front of them. “How can you think I would do that?”

Derek is torn for a moment, looking at his mother’s hurt expression.

“I think you can understand how Derek must feel after learning about this,” Laura says.

“I had nothing to do with it.”

“Why would he do it?” Derek asks their mother, hating how his voice breaks at the end.

His mother’s brown and fierce eyes stare back at him. “I don’t know, but I’ll have a talk with him.”

She walks back to her desk, but Derek is still raging on the inside. “Talk? You’re going to talk with him? That’s it?”

“What else do you want me to do?”

“ He threatened someone. Someone I like and want to—”

“It doesn’t change anything,” his mother cuts him off. “I condemn what Peter did, but the outcome would have been the same. You know that.”

Laura is about to say something, but Derek beats her to it. “No, I don’t.”

His mother sighs. “We had this conversation before, Derek. You and this boy are worlds apart.”

Derek clenches his fist. “No, Mother. I’m the one living in a world I don’t belong.”

Next to him, Laura gasps, her grip on him tightening.

Silence settles for only seconds, but the tension in the room makes it feel like much longer.

“Very well,” his mother nods as she sits down. “I’ll let you invite this boy to your coronation. I hope that undos whatever harm you think your uncle might have done and that after you assume your role as King, you realize for yourself what I’ve been trying to tell you all along.”

Derek is left speechless. Laura and Jordan seem to be stunned as well.

“Is that all?” Talia asks them. It’s implied that they should leave her office if there’s nothing else to be said. Which they do, without another word.

Derek walks upstairs on autopilot mode. He doesn’t even notice Jordan staying behind until Derek enters his own room to see that only Laura followed him there.

“Derek…” she says softly. “What are you going to do?”

His head hurts and he needs sleep. Everything around him seems to be spinning. “I don’t know,” he tells her and throws his body to the bed. “I really don’t know,” he says again.

She sits on the bed next to him, fingers brushing his hair. “An invitation with a royal seal is a huge deal. I’m sure that would send a better message than whatever Peter told him.”

Derek looks up at her, “What if his answer is the same?”

“You won’t know that unless you give him the chance.”

“I think the question is if he will even give me a second chance.”

Laura leans down to drop a kiss on his forehead, “If he loves you like you say he does, you need to let him decide what he wants. If he shows up to the coronation, you’ll have your answer. If he doesn’t, it will be easier to say goodbye... Perhaps it would be nice to invite his friends as well. That way you won’t put too much pressure on him.”

Derek sighs. ”I don’t know how I’m going to rule this country, if I can’t even control my own heart.”

“Derek, you have a heart of gold and that’s why you’ll make a great King for this country.”

They stay that way for a while. Laura softly combing her fingers through his hair until Derek starts to doze off and eventually falls asleep.

When Derek wakes up later in the afternoon, the first thing he does is to personally write a letter for Stiles and ask Deaton for six invitations to his coronation, signed by the Queen. He’s also informed that his uncle Peter is no longer living at the Palace.

Chapter Text

[ Gossip Talk - Issue 4th October ]

PRINCE DEREK HALE, IN PUBLIC AND IN PRIVATE

Prince Derek breaks off the engagement with Lady Julia Baccari

Today I have the pleasure of talking with Prince Derek of Betonia. Some people call him the Prince of Hearts. It’s said that the handsome Prince will make you fall deeply in love just by looking at him. But over the years many have twisted that title to far less unpleasant claims. In this exclusive interview we mystify who is the real Prince Derek.

Why Prince of Hearts?

I’ve heard many versions about it. I don’t know how it started, but I remember the first time I heard it was when I was visiting a school and a little girl named Selene gave me a drawing filled with little hearts. She wanted to write my name, but she was still learning her first letters. She heard from somewhere that I was called Prince of Hearts and decided to draw a bunch of them. Instead of drawing them in red or pink, she painted them yellow and said it was because crowns were made of gold.

Since then, I’m only able to see it as a compliment. Heart is a beautiful word and its most common shape is known universally as something good. I only hope that I can live up to it.

You recently got engaged with Lady Julia Baccari, but…

But we ended everything a few weeks ago. She’s an amazing person and we’ve known each other for years, but we were never in love. Our mistake was to realize just now that we were never going to make each other happy.

Why did you decide to get engaged then?

That was my mistake. I let myself be led by others that thought an engagement was the best way for me to look responsible. But honesty comes with responsibility as well.

So you’re saying it wasn’t your decision?

You could say that.

But why now?

This summer I met a wonderful person that turned my world upside down. And I learned that love is neither too small or too big. It transcends languages, age, and sexuality.

You were photographed with a man this summer. As you can imagine, those photos have gone viral and a lot of people believe your engagement was a way of covering up what happened.

I think it’s clear they were an extreme invasion of our privacy. But I’m not going to deny those assumptions.

It’s not the first time your privacy is invaded by the media. Years ago, you also broke your engagement with Lady Kate Argent and then she released to the press extremely private photos of the two of you.

I met her right after my father passed away. She was older and I was going through a rough time. It’s not an excuse for my behaviour, but I was too careless and blind. I thought I was in love and I still blame myself for how I let her manipulate me.

How about what happened now? Do you blame yourself?

Yes, but this time I have only myself to blame for what happened. What happened with Kate made me cautious, too cautious. Trust is a foreign word for anyone besides my family and closest friends.

I can see how it must be hard to meet new friends.

Yes, especially when everyone knows who you are.

But it was different with this person.

Imagine living in a world where everyone knows who you are, not just physically. They claim to know your favorite color, your favorite meal and even the show you’re currently watching. They also know every single detail of your childhood and they probably have photos of you that you never saw in your life before. There are blogs and forums about you, people all over the world discussing every word you say and knowing your every step.

Now imagine someone who doesn’t know anything about you. It’s a much more fair game and everything is a new discovery.