Note: This is the eight part of the “Home Is Where the Spark Is” series. To understand better what’s going on, we recommend reading the previous entries. Enjoy!

Fandoms: Teen Wolf, Sterek

Characters/relationships: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale, Alan Deaton

Rating/category: R (explicit), supernatural, post-Teen Wolf, canon and non-canon elements, slash, M/M, Sterek, hurt/comfort, dub-con, dark, angst, aged up characters, Spark Stiles, Magic Stiles, Emissary Stiles, Emissary in training Stiles, detective Stiles, matured Stiles, Alpha Derek, switch Derek, switch Stiles, drama, epic romance, love, magic, smut, soulmates, Mate bond, Emissary bond, werewolves, knotting, top Derek, bottom Stiles, heat cycle, sex in beta form

Summary: The mates visit San Francisco to make Stiles move back to Beacon Hills permanently. Then Derek goes into heat and it puts their relationship to the test.

Disclaimer: This is a product of our imagination and was written only for entertainment and fun. We don’t profit from this fanfiction and we mean no harm or disrespect against any real person, culture or custom that might appear in the story. All original pictures and fictional characters used in the story belong to their respective owners and credit goes to them.

Just Jim edit

Home Is Where the Spark Is
By Just Jim & Useless-girl

8: Heat and Fire – Part 1

Moving is always like a closure and the beginning of a new chapter in one’s life. Letting the old go to make room for the new. Stiles had felt like this before. First when he had moved away to the police academy’s dorm to learn and train. Back then it felt like fleeing Beacon Hills and all the horrors he had to fight himself through in order to keep his friends and the innocent safe. But it was more ways damaging than rewarding for him.

Next time he felt it was when he had started a new life in this small apartment when he came to the San Francisco Police Department as a rookie. And work he did hard to climb up to his rank of detective. It pulled him further away from his hometown and the people in it – except for his father with whom he had stayed in regular contact. The years spent here were also a good way for Stiles to take a breather, work on himself and the aftermaths of the trauma that was the Nogitsune. It was here too when he had first taken a deeper interest in the Spark in him. Where he began learning the basics of magic to understand himself better. To... well, better himself in hopes of being able to protect others (and himself) easier in the future. To stop being the human burden he so often felt like in the past.

These walls contained quite a few memories of long sleepless nights finding Stiles curled over a book, doing research on his laptop or trying to make connections in his cases. Even some drunken ones which were the rare occasions when he had let himself either relax or feel sorry for himself.

Now, at the verge of another new chapter of his life, the apartment looked empty and insignificant with most of his stuff already boxed up and labeled for the moving. Only a few necessities and pieces of furniture (like some book shelves, a comfortable old leather couch and his mattress) were left. Looking over the boxes, even he was surprised how little he actually had compared to what he initially thought.

Wiping his hands in his jeans, he took a swig from a bottle of water and plopped down on the mattress to watch Derek taping up a box labeled ‘bedroom’. There was that tension in the line of his broad back which hasn’t stopped ever since they’d agreed to do the rut together. Which was coming up. Even Stiles could feel it through their bond that they didn’t have much time. And the tension kept growing. He hated that, because it made him and his magic bitchy and uneasy.

“See? I’ve told ya I’m no hoarder...” he tried to break the frankly uncomfortable silence between them. Not even the Spotify list playing in the background could help on that.

The training with Deaton had went well enough for them to be released, sort of. Stiles was going to come back weekly to learn as much as he could but the urgency of the chaotic magic had passed so Derek hadn't been needed for training any longer, not daily at least. Christmas had been a welcome break for them both, being with Beth and Noah, focused on doing Christmas things since it was the youngest Hale's first and Derek certainly hadn't celebrated it in a long time. It had also taken away from the tension between them but as soon as Christmas had been over, it had been back. And it didn't diminish around New Year's either. Which was also to blame on the rut coming. Last year it had set in around 3 January so them packing up today, on the 1st, was cutting it very close.

The signs were small, like the way he was overheating easily, especially at night, pushing away the pillows and blankets and sometimes even Stiles just to feel like he could breathe. He'd end up lounging in front of the fridge with the door open to cool down. He had gotten quieter, which was saying something for the werewolf who wasn't talkative to begin with but Stiles read the grunts and eyebrows expertly and didn't seem to mind. What the human did mind was the growing tension and Derek had no idea how to break it because he was so busy on mentally preparing for what they were going to do very soon. It was why he had suggested the packing up, it was a welcome distraction and it saved Stiles on yet another month of rent to a place which wasn't in use anymore. So welcomed that he was so focused on packing that he hadn't spoken a word at all.

Blinking surprised at the unnoticed silence being broken by Stiles, he glanced around them as if he was noticing the boxes for the first time. Derek had to admit, there were fewer of them than he had thought there would be.

"I thought there would be more figurines." He was well aware that the way he phrased it showed how much of a geek he could be, to refer to them not as dolls or toys. Though he could distinctly remember holding an anime figurine about an hour ago, which had been nearly nude with big breasts and an unnatural ass and a tiny waist and he had thought about if this wasn't secret jerk off material.

His voice was rough, scratchy from not talking as much as well as the start of a light fever. It would go up in a couple days, that's how he'd know it was going to start. He pretty much knew it was officially already his rut but it was mild and he didn't want to alarm Stiles. They had time.

A framed Star Wars poster was in the corner, he had put it there because he had liked it and wanted it within reach so it could be one of the first things to hang once the loft was ready. Which he hadn't even said so he was sure Stiles had no clue why it had been singled out. "I guess you didn't make this home as much as you thought." Okay... even he winched at that when it slipped out. "Sorry... that was uncalled for."

Stiles' powers haven't grown with such a leap like a couple of weeks back when Derek was learning to take more of his magic. At least that wasn't an issue right now. He could hear Deaton's warning to pay attention to the balance between them and Stiles tried to do that even when Derek began closing up and pulling away, the mild symptoms of his heat not going unnoticed by the observant emissary. He was nervous too, of course. He'd be lying if he denied that, but he pushed that feeling down as much as possible. Even if it manifested in his magic sparking up time after time from the smallest triggers.

Like Derek's blurted out sentence. It caused a spark to run up on his bare forearm with a crackle, like an electric discharge, before disappearing. He quickly curled his hands into fists on the mattress, ignoring the light burning of his rune on his forearm. That constant small burning has been there for a while now, obviously because of the tension between the mates. Stiles knew that Derek was still so not okay with doing this whole rut thing together, but there was no other way now. It was too close. It has probably already started. Derek's snap was just another proof of that in Stiles' dimly glowing amber eyes.

For the longest time the younger man stayed quiet, lips pressed into a thin line as he tried to rein in his magic and emotions at the same time. He didn't want to make this even harder for Derek, but keeping all that tension in was... killing him.

"It never felt like a real home. Just... a place to sleep and clean up at when I wasn't at work," he shrugged, glimpsing around one more time. In the end, Derek was right. It never was his real home. "For a long while I didn't even know what my home was anymore," he added quietly, avoiding looking at Derek so he just stared at the hardwood floor.

The silence stretched on even though he had apologized for the snap and the human radiated hurt even though he attempted to hide it. It made Derek duck his head as he finished taping the box and put it with the rest. He was actually looking forward to lugging them all down to the van, it was a good work out for him and a way to get rid of some of the tension in his body. Probably wise to add some extra work out once they were back in Beacon Hills to tire himself out enough to not be such a hassle to Stiles.

"I haven't made a home for myself since New York." Well, if that even counted because Laura had done the whole 'making it theirs with paint and items', his room hadn't even had posters since he hadn't seen the point of it. But there had been some of his drawings making it on the walls, some pictures and there had been the start of a new comic pile... It had been a start which had been ripped away from him so he had never bothered again. Until now. It was a huge deal for him to be willing to work on the loft, make it better, make it a home for them. Taking the Star Wars framed poster in his hands, he reached for the bubble wrap. "I want to this time, though."

Probably? Once they found a way to get the soul back (what even was left of it), it wasn't clear what he'd want. So he wanted to make sure to say the things he should be saying so Stiles would know what he wanted when he was sane.

"And if the loft doesn't work, we can find something else." It was his way of apologizing for his behavior even though he knew it wasn't his fault the heat was getting to him, he had warned Stiles it wasn't going to be pretty.

Stiles finally looked up when Derek talked again, watching him wrapping the framed poster up. It was one of his favorites and apparently the (not so secret) geek in Derek appreciated it too. His words made the younger man sigh a bit relieved. Because it was their new beginning. They were preparing to create their home. That thought eased something in the human and he stood from the mattress to walk over to his man.

The second his fingers touched the bare forearm, he immediately felt the difference in Derek's temperature. As a werewolf, he usually ran much hotter than his scrawnier human self. He even often called him 'his furnace' because of that. Now Stiles could feel the subtle but still noticeable difference.

"The loft will be perfect for us," he whispered, sliding his hand lower on that forearm so that his thumb could swipe across the rougher skin of the matching rune. It immediately made his magic buzz a bit with a pleasant feeling. "I'm sure of it," Stiles said dividing his attention between that feeling and what he was saying. "We also deserve a proper home together. A safe place for us. I promise to ward it to keep it that way," he murmured, the dimly glowing, much softer eyes finally finding the wolf's.

It was Stiles' attempt to maybe ease the tension between them a bit. Hoping as hell that it'd work, because sometimes he could've screamed or crawled up on the wall from it, because it... hurt. And for once he was unsure about how to address the problem with Derek.

Derek half-expected his skin to sizzle when the hesitant finger touched his heated arm, a slick layer of sweat coating him as if they were in summer. It was why he wasn't wearing more than the usual jeans and boots along with a T-shirt. No leather jacket, no long sleeves, anything to keep the heat at bay even though it was ridiculous because it was coming from the inside out. Once he was deep in rut, he wouldn't even be able to deal with clothes then, skin too sensitive. The thumb moved to the rune and it reacted, not with a glow this time but this tingling feeling running along his whole body.

"And we'll install fire alarms and sprinklers." Obviously, his worry wasn't as much with supernatural invasion, even though that was not a farfetched idea to ward it with how often the loft had been invaded in the past. Derek had been kidnapped right out of his own place way too easily so it could do with some upgrades. Honestly though, right now the safety of their new home wasn't on his mind, the safety of his mate was.

"You should first make all the potions and balms at home, and get the heat kit together." They would have the time to unload the van probably but not much of anything else. The stress and tension between them wasn't easing the strain of the rut, if anything, it was only coaching it to appear sooner and quicker. But Derek had no idea how to undo the tension, this entire situation wasn't how it should be. It was dangerous and he had only agreed because... well, it had seemed the best for Stiles – he hadn't had panic attacks at least.

His breathing hitched and his eyes flared red for a moment when the thumb caressed over the pulse of his wrist, making his own heart thump just a little louder at the attention of a sensitive spot on the werewolf's body.

"Yes, fire alarms and sprinkles and wards against fire too," Stiles nodded then paused, slightly tilting his head to the side to let his quickly moving eyes drink in the small signals of Derek's body and to study the feelings he's been monitoring mostly through their mate bond. The hot to the touch skin, the sweating, the hitches in Derek's breaths when he brushed against his wrist. The dilated pupils and flickering red irises and the slightly irregular pulse under his finger.

"Everything's ready at home, don't worry. It is close, isn't it?" he asked, not moving an inch but not letting Derek's wrist go either. "It's okay. Everything's gonna be fine," he lightly squeezed it in a reassuring manner. And he said it perhaps to reassure both of them. Stiles knew that Derek needed him more now than to wallow in his own hurt feelings. He had to let that go in order to help his mate through this upcoming difficult week. "I'm as ready as I can be," he whispered at the end, looking honestly into the green eyes. He saw the worry in them and knew that Derek would hear his heart skipping a beat or two, but Stiles focused on staying as calm as he could.

"We should wrap this up quickly and hit the road to get back to Beacon Hills as soon as possible," he suggested, but still didn't move away from the werewolf. "Are we... are we good?" he asked unsure and unable not to blurt that question out. Fearing the answer was a stupid thing to feel, he knew. He'd do this for Derek even if they weren't good. He had promised to help as much as he can. He wasn't going to dance back, no matter what.

Lie.

It was clearly a lie with how the heart skipped, it was a valiant attempt to reassure them both but it mostly did the other way around. It made sense that Stiles wasn't ready, there was no way Derek was either and this wasn't even his first rut. Still, he knew that there was something the human needed to be ready, because that 'as can be' hinted towards it. But yeah, it was close, probably tomorrow by the feel of it, there was slightly more time if they found a way to get rid of this strange tension which had been between since the whole discussion about the rut had started.

Sure, he wanted to push the boxes into the van, to sit in the passenger's seat while the younger man belted along with terrible songs, to let the crisp winter air caress his face with the window a little bit open as he waited for the dog joke to be thrown his way. He wanted all of that right now. However he knew there was a better way to deal with this than to rush home and force the heat to come on early because of the stress. So... maybe because he had half a soul and was dealing with considerably less social hang ups, he decided to address it.

"No, we're not good. We can't start it like this so tell me what you need so you can be as ready as you could be. So it's not a lie. At this rate, with our unbalance, I'm going to jump you on the highway while you're driving." Or Stiles' magic was going to strangle him in his sleep with its displeasure which had been humming around them the past days.

Stiles' throat closed off as he narrowly missed choking on a breath from Derek's words. He was right again, though. They were not good and it was probably really not a good idea to go into it like this. Derek's decision to state that bluntly surprised him, though. He didn't expect that after the weeks of skirting around the problem, but the emissary felt kinda grateful that it wasn't him who brought up the topic again. It usually ended with Derek shutting the topic down as fast as he could or simply ignored it. Now... now it seemed he was finally starting to address the problem.

The breath he's been holding released in a soft sigh then came some lip biting and nervous finger tapping against Derek's wrist. Stiles took a moment to think it through what could help him. The slight guilty look from the white lie slowly disappeared just to be replaced by the nervousness that's been thrumming in him for days now.

"You're right..." he murmured hoarsely then cleared his throat, cheeks coloring a bit while he looked to the side for a few moments. Then it seemed he fought off that slight embarrassment and glimpsed up into the alpha's eyes. Searching, slightly uncertain but not from what he was about to say but because Stiles didn't know how Derek would react. He'd refused the idea more than once already, no matter how hard Stiles tried to reason with him. "And you know what would help... God, you really gonna make me say it out loud, huh? Fine... Have sex with me in beta form and let the magic settle back into balance," he said bravely and seriously, brows slightly knitting together. Derek had to feel it too that the balance was slightly off between them too. They had to fix that before the rut not to complicate things further. They both knew that.

Had it been about Derek's own health, he'd most likely not mention it at all if he could, he'd suffer instead of stumbling over words and end up making it worse. This wasn't about his own health though, this was about his mate's health just as much. It was easy to pull back into his own head and misery and forget he wasn't alone anymore but that was the thing, wasn't it? He wasn't alone anymore, he had a family to think about and as scary as that was, running away, even only mentally, wasn't going to fix it. It was a childish way of thinking, as if hiding under the blanket would mean the danger wasn't there because it couldn't be seen. Stiles' relief that he brought it up made him realize that it was a good thing he had pulled the proverbial blanket off.

It was a good thing, Derek reminded himself at the request that followed. Everything in him balked at the idea of Stiles seeing him like that while they were having sex, it wasn't that he was ashamed of what he was. He was proud to be a werewolf and didn't want to always hide the beta shift. But the ones he had been with had never been interested in seeing him like that, had made it feel like it wasn't attractive. Stiles had never even touched him intimately while he was in that form. His claws had come out, his red eyes had shown, but never the full beta shift.

Slowly his eyes slid over to the mattress still there, realizing if they were going to do this, if they wanted to restore the balance, they had to do it now. "I can't..." Derek stopped his words right there, because he could. It was that he didn't know how to even go from this to having sex like that. His body though, only the mention of sex seemed to be eager for it, a shiver ran along his spine at the promise of some release from all this incredible tension. An unpleasant tension formed in his stomach though, unease at not being used to this request. Nobody ever wanted this. Green eyes searched the brown ones deeply, for a hint of a lie but not even the heart displayed one. There were no lies here.

Still uncomfortable, Derek took a step back to roll his shoulders, letting his head crack sideways to work out the muscles as he felt the shift starting to take over. It was seamless these days, rolling over him like a soundless wave. One moment there had been a humanoid face, and the next there was what most would call the face of a monster. Derek didn't think it was, the soul made the monsters, not the visage. Still, he kept his eyes downcast, so Stiles could still change his mind.

During the years Stiles has seen Derek in his beta form many times. After getting through the first initial shock of werewolves and other creatures living among them and realizing that Derek was one of the good guys, he never once saw him (or his shifter friends) as monsters when they were like this. Right now as he watched the easy shift of Derek's features, he felt nothing but fascination. Like always when he could witness him transforming either to this or his full wolf form. (Which, by the way, he wanted to see more of because Derek was so gorgeous and cuddly like that...)

He could sense the uncertainty and uncomfortable feelings from his mate and the need to make that stop, to make him feel better washed over Stiles and he stepped to the other man. His eyes were drinking in the changed details, the long wolf-like fangs and ears and facial hair. A slender hand slowly reached up to touch the side of a warm cheek, the other sliding around Derek's waist to keep him right where he wanted him to be.

There was almost the instinct to step back from the touch to his face, as if this was more vulnerable when Derek wasn't stronger or weaker like this. Maybe Stiles sensed he would because at the same time as the hand on his cheek, an arm slipped around his waist as a reminder that he didn't need to shy back from his mate. Strength-wise it was about as effective as a sheet of paper, it helped ground him though, reminded him this wasn't Kate or Jennifer, this was Stiles.

"Hey... Look at me, Derek..." he asked softly, longing to meet the beloved red alpha eyes of his mate. It meant both fire and safety for Stiles and he loved to let himself get lost in them whenever Derek let him. "You're beautiful…" he whispered, leaning a bit closer. He carefully ran his fingers along the fangs and bottom lip then let them head upwards to trace along an ear. Stiles smiled, curious yet soft amber eyes watching his mate. Then the fingers were traveling down to the alpha's nape, getting lost in the slightly longer hair there, rubbing and lightly scratching the way he knew the other liked it.

Nearly unnoticeable, his whole body moved closer until their chests touched. His heartbeat was a bit faster, but not from fear. It was the building anticipation and desire unfurling in his stomach, slowly awakening the usual butterflies, making his groin stir with interest.

Stiles didn't say a single word, because he wanted to give time for both of them to get used to this. Especially Derek. He loved their firsts and being desired in beta shift was definitely a first for Derek, but Stiles couldn't help it. He had told the truth. Derek was beautiful and fascinating for him without his stunning human looks too.

His curiosity drove him to lean even closer, slowly pecking the bottom lip between the two protruding fangs. Then he did the same on the top lip too, just to get back to the bottom with his tongue this time. His moves were tentative, yet they carried a hint of playfulness and curiosity in them. He wanted to see (and feel) Derek's reactions to his exploring so he took small pauses to look into the red irises. There was no doubt that the human was enjoying this. A tightening hold around the broader body and a brave tongue licking between the parted lips in search for Derek's tongue were further proof of that. The fangs made it tricky to kiss in this form, but Stiles was 100% sure that they would find a solution, because he wanted to kiss his mate like this too.

The wolf grunted when he was asked to look at the human, ducking his head only a little more as the fingers explored. They were sure and with intent, tracing ridges and fangs carefully, along a sensitive ear. Touches had never been kind when he was like this, nobody had ever said he was beautiful in beta shift because they had all lusted after his humanoid appearance. Tense at all the soft touches, his feverish body shivered when his nape was caressed in a reminder that it was okay. It was just them here and nobody else. Exhaling through his nose, he peered under his lashes at his mate to gauge his reaction. The bodily reaction was felt but that also could be the rut pulling at the other, it could be entirely involuntary.

A sharp intake of breath echoed in the packed up apartment when Stiles gently kissed him. Wrong… Danger. Teeth were going to cause the bite if he wasn't careful and they were sharp, nobody should be getting close to them. Instinct made him want to take a step back, the hand on his back simply pressed against his shirt a little harder in reminder as their bodies molded tighter together. A tongue explored around his fangs to push inside his mouth and he had no idea how to kiss like this. Derek barely even dared to breathe while Stiles was foolishly brave as usual. Maybe they were both idiots. However this was what the human needed to be able to handle the rut and how were they supposed to have sex if he didn't even dare to kiss?

Exhaling, he forced his body to relax slightly, to allow for this moment to continue while he opened his mouth wider, clawed hand reaching up to cup Stiles by the back of the neck, careful not to accidentally embed them in the skin as he had done in the past. As natural as it had felt to sink his sharp teeth into flesh to maul and change, as unnatural as it felt to use them in an action of affection and love. The kiss was clumsy and too careful, but it helped to feel more at ease with this.

Stiles could feel how tense Derek was. Both through his touches and the bonds. He kept holding him close and caressing his nape. That usually helped ground his pair when it was needed and now seemed to work too. When some of the tension finally bled out of the muscles, Stiles was glad for the progress and he softly moaned into Derek's mouth, letting their tongues slowly and carefully dance with each other for a few more long moments before he broke the kiss, pressing one more on the bottom lip and pressed his forehead against Derek's. His fingers kept playing with the dark hair.

His breathing was a bit ragged both from the kiss and feeling his own body heating up too in response to Derek's impending rut. He could feel that better now that the tension between them maybe began to dissolve from the closeness and kisses. And Stiles accepting this shape of his mate too.

"…this part of you too, my mate..." Stiles finally finished his sentence, slightly glowing amber eyes meeting the red ones from close. After that the human's hands began moving again. This time caressing Derek's chest and flat stomach, going to his sides and down to the hem of his shirt, pushing it up and up to touch the hot skin of said belly nearly in awe. His fingertips followed all the curves and dips of the flexing muscles there as he finally moved his head and found a path down from Derek's temple to his neck, kissing in it hotly. The musky wolf scent was stronger a bit in this form and it flooded Stiles' mind even more, lust slowly spreading from his middle, his bulge growing steadily by then.

He could still feel the pointy ends of the werewolf claws on his neck and his skin pebbled pleasantly from that constant reminder of how dangerous they could be, yet they were careful and harmless because of who he was for this wolf. That thought though caused Stiles to worry the salty flesh with his blunt human teeth for a few moments. Just when his slender fingers brushed down along the happy trail to the edge of the jeans Derek had on, the nice bulge beckoning him. And he did cup and lightly rubbed his palm against it.

"Too many clothes..." he breathed hotly into an elongated ear while his free hand was tugging the shirt upwards.

It was more part of Derek than the other form, this was more natural to him, felt more at ease with it even though it only showed more what he was. It didn't make him stronger in this form, it made him have more weapons with the claws and the fangs. It didn't make him quicker or more agile, it was more the side which showed when he needed to fight, when he meant serious business or when his emotions would get the best of him. Something that wouldn't happen with half a soul, unless of course, there would be a rut. It pulled at him in the same way Stiles pulled at his shirt, it made him want to throw down the human and have his way with him right this very second. Only he didn't.

This was their last time together where he had enough of his wits about him to be gentle, to have this be something he remembered instead of a mindless fuck full of lust and need, lacking the love he could give now. Stiles was always so eager to explore, do things outside of the norm, like this, coaxing Derek out of his protective shell. It wasn't fully consensual, the rut together, he would have picked a week of sleep over harming his mate sexually but this stopped the panic attacks from happening with his mate and seemed as the healthiest choice. The wrongness of it all, that uncomfortable lingering feeling causing the stress between them, it would fade. It was also his worry and discomfort at this new situation which caused his reluctance. And this moment was going to make everything easier, if he let it.

Next part

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