The shower was turned on even though he hadn't stepped in it yet, giving Stiles a big fat wink. "So Alpha McGrump can't hear anything about what you're planning."

"You're cleverer than what you led others to think. We both noticed that, for your information," Stiles grinned, not fazed by the tattoo-marked naked body in front of him. Before he was mated to Derek, he probably would've been affected by it, but now he only saw Derek in that way. It was a mate thing which only got confirmed to the druid while facing the naked Tyr. Those scars though...

"As far as I know, wolves only scar with difficulty. Anything to add about yours? I mean... I'm not the statue of subtlety and I'm legendary for my inappropriate curiosity. So just tell me to fuck off if you don't want to talk about them..." he chuckled shortly, loading the worn clothes into the washing machine too and set the program to start it.

This werewolf had more mysteries around him than at first glance and Stiles was eager to get to the bottom of what made up Tyr Ragnarsson. That name in itself rang some distant bells. He remembered of a famous Viking conqueror with the name of Ragnar. Was it possible that Tyr was the descendant of that intriguing historical character?

There was only a shrug when Tyr was told he was cleverer than he made others think. He couldn't help it if they were not willing to look past the initial meeting and take everything at face's value. Basically he only used society's stupid idea that attractive people were as dumb as they looked and weren't interested in having their opinions altered. He only used that to his advantage. "Dumb people get things done easier." He was less like a threat that way and it wasn't like he was fully pretending, he was being himself, just downplayed a few things.

Stepping under the warm shower, he moaned obscenely, closing his eyes as the water rushed over him, fuck! That felt so good. There was no asking, he scented the bottles he found there to check which one he liked best before the wolf poured it into his hands to wash away the grime and smell of old sweat and dirt.

"There are ways to scar a werewolf. I was fucking unlucky to be part of those ways. Scars of a warrior, right?" His hand lathered up the soap and washed it off before the sniffing continued to find a shampoo he liked. Whoever was washing their hair with strawberry should be shot, that was nasty stuff, fucking nasty. Tyr made a face and settled for the one smelling of honey, his hair deserved some nice treatment, his scalp was itching for a cleaning.

"True that about playing dumb," Stiles agreed while the omega got under the shower and tried the smell of shampoos and shower gels. "Be careful with the strawberry and glittery ones. Those are for our daughter," he 'warned' him half-hearted, some laughter in his voice. Though he didn't doubt Tyr would look fabulous with some glitter in his hair and on his skin.

"So... even if your reply didn't give much to go on, I assume you had some rough fights. From your previous words, hunters too. Those are nasty people, although there are some very few who can be trusted as allies. We have a couple of those here in Beacon Hills. We've been through a lot together," he provided as an explanation. "You should know that this town is fucked up for many reasons. One which might have drawn you in too. How much do you know about Nemetons?" Stiles decided to reveal one of the main causes why it was risky to settle in this town when you were a supernatural creature – or a plain human, for that matter, getting in the crossfire.

Their daughter, so that explained the toys and such. His eyes widened, because it was so cute of them to adopt a little girl like they were a normal couple and not the power couple of Beacon Hills. That thought made him grin. The town didn't seem that big so it wasn't that hard to be a power couple, right? Tyr grinned even wider when Stiles remained talking to him while showering though he wasn't sure if it was to keep an eye on him instead of letting him shower in peace or the Spark figured this was a perfect moment to drill the omega about things while his guard was down. Either way, he didn't care all that much and he happily went along with it.

"Magical trees used by druids to perform their rituals. I come from the land of the druids, there's one in Norway." Another shrug. He wasn't that scared off by it. It wasn't like he was fucking magical or anything so it wasn't exactly something which influenced him, probably. But it wasn't as if he remembered much about what it did so he shouldn't be dismissing it like that either. "Guess that's why you're such a badass Spark, right? Druids dig magical trees." Druids and magic attracted supers, so that was why there were hunters around too, that was the way it all balanced shit out. "Supes dig the magic, hunters dig the supes. It's this fucked up circle of life."

Tyr rubbed the shampoo into the long locks before washing it out, trying to find conditioner but apparently that wasn't used here? Short hairs didn't need it as much but his mane sure did.

As if reading in Tyr's mind (perhaps he was in the sense of catching what he might need), Stiles silently moved around and handed a bottle of hair-conditioner (not strawberry scented for a change) to the man then stepped back to the sink to re-organize some bottles just to do something with his hands.

AWESOME, there was conditioner and he didn't even have to ask for it. Maybe Stiles knew how important hair care was. Maybe he had some curls hiding in there and would end up with a frizzy afro. "Fuck yeah! Thanks dude!" The conditioner was eagerly received and used to lather up the mane and let it soak in for a moment while Stiles talked. He liked talking, and so did Tyr so that was welcome.

"That's a pretty wise insight on how supes and hunters are. I've never thought about it this way, but I guess you're right." It was definitely about balance now that Stiles gave it another thought. If one faction gets too strong, the other makes sure to balance it out. Well... unless the overpowered faction didn't get too weak and small in numbers, that is. In that case only the dominant faction would rule over the given territory. Stiles wondered for a moment how many times that might have happened in Beacon Hills during history. When just wolves or just hunters might have roamed the land.

"Yes, I know about the Nemeton in Norway from books I've read. I don't know though how strong that one is. Ours is rumored to be one of the strongest in North-America now that it is active again. So no wonder we have to deal with so many supes flocking in time after time. Not all of those are as easygoing like you. We had a lot of fights in the past and cannot expect anything better for the future either. Derek and I... we kinda work now as protectors of Beacon Hills and the tree. I don't know if I'm a badass Spark or not, but I'm definitely connected to that tree and the land already," Stiles shrugged. "But I should let you enjoy your shower, right?" he realized he was stalling, although he had managed to gather some important information. He also had to talk to Derek while their guest was preoccupied in the shower.

"I'll leave you some clean clothes of mine, but take your time. We'll see you downstairs," he said, making a quick retreat, his head still full of questions and thoughts, but he had food to order too.

"I'll be downstairs later. It’s been so long since I could jack off in a hot shower." The omega called out while the human was already making a retreat to let him have a shower in peace. As peaceful as Tyr was with his showers. He burst out in a song while waiting for the conditioner to be ready to rinse out and then there was some other bodily function to take care off. It was a healthy thing to do without it leaving scents behind if he cleaned it well.

Derek hadn't been happy with Stiles staying to talk with the young wolf, especially when a shower started and it drowned out all the talking, making him concentrate too hard and he couldn't after this morning. He had thrown a dirty glare to the ceiling while he ordered food, going with Chinese since that would get them way more food than a few pizzas. Enough for Beth to have for dinner along with the Sheriff, as well as feed a starving werewolf, a Stiles and Derek who was slightly addicted to egg rolls. After putting the considerable order in at the only Chinese open this early in the afternoon, he had searched for Stiles' laptop bag.

The alpha had set it up so Stiles only needed to sit down behind it to start his searches. It wasn't that the Hale didn't know how to, but he knew Stiles had this system in his head, this intricate thought process to link everything and he didn't want to influence it. That done, he set the table, got some coffee going because he really needed a few cups, and rolled his eyes when there was loud singing coming from upstairs. The omega had a nice voice at least but he was incredibly loud and present, even when he wasn't physically present at all.

By the time Stiles bounced downstairs, there was steaming coffee in mugs, the laptop all booted up and Derek settled in a chair, browsing his phone. He had sent a message to Chris about the beta and that Derek had it covered, because the hunter knew too much too soon.

From the hurrying downstairs and the excitement brought by having a possible new pack member on whom he'd have to do some background check, Stiles' cheeks were flushed as he entered the kitchen.

"Seriously... you're the best mate!" he exclaimed with the usual restless energy buzzing under his skin as he saw his laptop and a mug of steaming coffee right next to it. He knew Derek made it the way his mate loved it. Lots of sugar and a splash of milk. Stiles walked over to the table and wrapped his arms around the sitting Derek from behind, hands slightly caressing the broad chest while he nuzzled the warm neck, kissing into it. Of course, it was his own not that subtle way of scenting his mate and refreshing the alpha's scent on him to please Derek. Because Stiles instinctively knew that having Tyr's scent all over him was probably displeasing for his mate – who was also an alpha with possessive tendencies, which he hid quite well, but Stiles knew about them nonetheless.

"He's going to enjoy the shower for a while then jerk off in it, so we have some time, I think. I left him some of my clothes to wear while I wash and dry his own," Stiles continued as he let Derek go and sat down next to him, logging into his laptop before practically inhaling his coffee in two huge gulps despite the fact that it was nearly on the hot side. "He might downplay it, but I saw some ugly scars on him and it's clear that he's been through a lot. He might need some time to open up more about it. But I could get a pretty good read on him, I think. He doesn't seem to have a hidden agenda, just wants to belong to a pack. He's also funny and said some things that makes it even more obvious that he's cleverer than he shows. Also, I think he doesn't care much about his past. He's the living in the moment kind of guy, as far as I can tell," he said in a fast pace, catching Derek up. "What do you think about him?" he asked as he started his usual research routine with first the omega's full name.

Derek wasn't happy with Stiles spending time with a naked omega, but it was a ridiculous notion born out of these prime instincts which made no sense at all because he trusted his mate. There was no way Stiles would ever be tempted to cheat on Derek, he'd end their relationship first. Stiles wasn't a cheater and had eyes only for him. He knew all that and yet when the human scented him not so subtly, he was instantly more at ease. Sometimes being werewolf had its disadvantages, no matter how much control there was over what he was. That was also partly due to his previous partner. Their toxic relationship had left its scars and cheating was a very sensitive topic.

There was an arched eyebrow when Stiles had to inform him about Tyr jerking off in their shower before shrugging. Some needs had to be met and the streets weren’t that safe a place to take care of such needs. It was whatever, it gave them time. "He's been wolf for too long, you live in the now, take it day to day. I don't know what to think of him yet, he's got a lot to learn. Malia's personality took a while to shine through because of her feral behavior and awkwardness." They had no idea how long the other wolf had been in his wolf form, and from what age. All that information would be able to tell them what they were dealing with.

"I don't want to reach out to Norwegian packs yet. I'm hoping you can find out some details because his family might have been on the run from something. Sleeping dogs and all." He didn't want to rattle anything and put Tyr in harm's way by asking around. "It would explain the scars. You know all the things I've been through and there's no mark on me. To leave permanent marks on a werewolf..." He hadn't even known it was a possibility. And he really didn't want to find out firsthand how those scars were created.

"Yeah... it must have been really bad if he has these scars. He was elusive about his answers, but I put that down to opening up slowly. I understand that we have to know as much about him as possible if we might consider him as a candidate to our pack, but I also lean towards giving him some privacy, not to be too intrusive as if during an interrogation," Stiles murmured while his long fingers were flying fast over the keyboard. "Those years spent with the wolf pack also make it understandable why he is the taking it one day at a time type. Okay... so I searched his name..." Stiles paused as his whiskey-colored eyes quickly ran through the lines of the articles he had found.

"As I suspected, there is no direct mention of his full name, but there are articles about that famous Viking king and conqueror, Ragnar Lodbrok. I had heard and read about him in history class and Deaton's books too while studying Norse mythology. Of course there were legends about some of Ragnar's descendants becoming berserkers and werewolves. That appeared in those books too, I can remember. So we might assume that Tyr is the descendant of that bloodline... Hm... interesting..." Stiles paused, opening a few more windows and altering the keywords in his search.

"He said he was around five when his parents migrated to the States, right?" he asked absentmindedly. "There's an interesting article from a local newspaper. Google translate isn't half as bad as a few years ago. It managed to translate it enough for a read. It is about a massacre in Trondheim with mysterious circumstances the human police couldn't really figure out. Like big claw-marks all around the place and on the corpses. Of course they blamed it on some feral bears or wolves. There were quite a few bodies there. So... this might have been a pack war of some sort?" he glimpsed up at Derek. "Maybe Tyr's parents were trying to flee that to keep him and each other safe in the States."

Derek wasn't that interested in the lineage of Tyr to a famous Viking king, it mattered about his connections right now and not what blood he had in his veins. Sure, Derek was proud of what his ancestors had accomplished. They had founded Beacon Hills, the Hales made this town but that didn't mean much to him as a person, it didn't create his personality, only his bank account. But to somebody like Stiles, who was now a druid and Spark, it was something to dig into. He loved that kind of stuff, especially Vikings. But at least he let that be for now and focused on what Derek was more interested in, the story of coming to the USA and the why.

"Tyr didn't give us ages, he's too caught in the now to bother with numbers." Counting, tracking the passing of time would mean the now had a yesterday and a tomorrow. Derek fortunately had never been the wolf for so long that he forgot how it all worked but after Malia, they had an idea of what kind of impact it could have on somebody to be stuck for that long. And that trauma usually made them stuck, so something had to have happened to be scared into transforming and not be able to go back.

Taking his coffee, Derek read over Stiles' shoulder. "It would explain why they left their roots behind. They were on the run from something. Try to see if there's anything about what happened to his family. Something scared him into being a wolf, like with Malia." And then they'd know how long he had been stuck with a wolf pack. Tyr wasn't going to be able to tell them any of that, no matter if they gave him time or pressured him into talking. "Whatever his parents fled from, it's better not to attract that trouble to here."

"Yeah, figuring out the timeline is tricky with so little information," Stiles agreed as he typed away on his laptop again, his mind running a mile a minute as he was trying to find connections that would lead them to the truth. "More trouble is definitely something we don't need since our plate is already more than full," Stiles nodded, glad that the sounds from the shower were still on although the singing stopped so Tyr was probably already doing the second part of his plan which involved more moaning than singing. Not that the druid could hear any moaning, even with his slightly enhanced hearing.

"Okay... here we go..." Stiles clicked on a promising link. "There's a family with the name of Ragnarsson. They are immigrants, alright, and there's even an address," Stiles slid to the edge of his chair, clearly getting excited from the new bits of information they were digging up. Even his mate's close proximity couldn't distract him right now. "There's also a local newspaper site with an article saying that the wife and their unborn baby have... died at the local hospital due to complications during childbirth?" Stiles' brows pulled together and he craned his neck to be able to look at Derek behind him. "Is that even possible for werewolves? I mean... I've read that female werewolves are especially strong when it comes to giving birth to their babies. So this... doesn't make much sense. It smells like a cover up story... Which means they were somehow probably killed, right?" he hummed, thinking it through then he turned back towards the screen. "Which also means that what they were running from had most likely found them with the intent of wiping out the remaining Ragnarssons. Which is bad news. Give me a few minutes to dig deeper to see if there's anything more about them from later..." he said and continued with his research.

In a few minutes Stiles sighed and shook his head, leaning back in his chair and absently reaching back to put a hand on Derek's leg for physical contact. "No further info on Tyr and his dad. They had gotten off the grid probably after the hospital incident."

"And looking at the date of the articles, he was around six or seven years old when something happened to him and his father to turn him into a wolf. There's no way a father would live out in the wilds with his son for so long without leaving some sort of paper trail in the USA. Something had happened in the wilderness where he found the wolf pack."

Derek frowned because all these new revelations didn't even begin to answer anything. They only made for more questions. The mother died in a cover up, the father disappeared in the wild, so they had been hunted down by something for sure. And most likely considered lost when the last of the Ragnarssons vanished. Which meant that if Tyr was making waves, whoever had been after his family and pack was going to be after him. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Derek knew that the guy showering upstairs was only the announcement of trouble. And they couldn't turn him away without finding him a better place to stay.

Emptying the mug, he sighed. "We're not big enough to handle more trouble. Accepting him as beta would make me stronger, sure, but I'm not mentally there yet, we've seen what a mentally unstable alpha can create." Derek knew he wouldn't be like Peter, he was different but he wasn't too proud to admit that right now, he wasn't the strong alpha Tyr was going to need. He was still going to therapy, he had bad days, was exhausted after intense sessions. And he wasn't going to endanger his family in his need to build a pack.

Locking the screen, Stiles turned around on his chair to be able to look up at Derek. He could feel how troubled his mate was about this situation. It was plain to see for him that Derek was kinda torn between sending Tyr on his way and helping him in some way. The druid reached out to take Derek's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. It was true that they were still dealing with the aftermath of Hell and weren't ready for expanding their pack, but as life had proven before, things didn't work according to their wishes. Most of the time, at least.

"You'll never be like Peter," Stiles hurried to reassure his pair about that. "I'd never let that happen anyway. You'll be a great alpha because now you have me as your mate and emissary. I'm here to help you. Don't forget that," he softly smiled up at the wolf. "But this situation will have to be solved rather sooner than later. We have a beta on our hands now. So... what do you think we should do? If I remember correctly, there's usually a waiting period before a new pack member is fully accepted into a pack. To see if they're compatible, a fitting match. Because obviously that immediate feeling I had read about that says 'yes, you belong with us' wasn't there for you. If that was the case, you'd have been more... open and would've taken a liking to Tyr nearly immediately, right? I mean... I'm asking because I only read about such things in Deaton's books. You're a born wolf who knows these things better."

"I didn't pick my betas at random. I had watched them, learned about them before I approached them. I don't know Tyr enough yet to make a decision. He doesn't give me Jackson vibes of no, and we can't send him back out on the streets." The standing up and pacing alpha didn't know what to think about Tyr, and he was sure that they weren't ready for more trouble but it wasn't like they knew where to send the beta otherwise. So he was confused about it all, and as much as he wanted to pretend like this wasn't the situation, it was. This was what happened and they had to deal with it. There was one thing about this entire thing that made it easier though.

"He wants a pack and he doesn't seem to be too picky about what pack so maybe we let him wait for a while, to get to know him." Maybe the other decided to leave since they were too boring. The Hale had peeked at the birthdate and he was around Derek's age, a few years younger, technically. Sure he had done some growing up, some maturing over the years since meeting Stiles. He wasn't that teen stuck in an adult body anymore, not fully. And birth dates didn't work the same as it did with humans but they had a global idea of how old Tyr was and he wasn't old at all. "We've got the room at the loft, he can help move." He could be an asset if they'd let him, if they wanted him to be one.

Tyr was exactly the kind of wolf Derek wanted to open up his pack for: young and lost, needing a home after all he had gone through. A weird social outcast never fitting in. It was just too soon now, they weren't ready for it. Derek was supposed to be worrying about the loft and proposing to Stiles and not a beta on the run from danger.

"Ugh," he growled since he knew what the right thing was and Stiles knew it too.

As much as both of them knew what would be the right thing to do, Stiles also understood the need for giving this some time. And to reassure his mate that he was okay with that. So he stood up and slid a hand around Derek's waist, body lightly pressing against the other man in a grounding manner.

"We'll give this some time then. See how things work out while we put a roof above his head and a chance for Tyr to prove himself that he belongs with us. If that's what he wants before the final decision," Stiles reached up with his free hand to caress Derek's cheek then kissed him softly just when the water was turned off upstairs.

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