Note: This is the 15th part of the “Home Is Where the Spark Is” series. To understand better what’s going on, we recommend reading the previous entries. Also, this one is shorter than usual and could’ve been posted in the one-shot series that runs parallel to our main series, but it is an integral and important part of our storyline, so it deserved an own entry in our main storyline. Enjoy!

Fandoms: Teen Wolf, Sterek

Characters/relationships: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale

Rating/category: supernatural, post-Teen Wolf, canon and non-canon elements, slash, M/M, Sterek, aged up characters, Spark Stiles, Magic Stiles, Emissary Stiles, Emissary in training Stiles, detective Stiles, matured Stiles, Alpha Derek, epic romance, love, magic, soulmates, Mate bond, Emissary bond, werewolves, humor, romantic gesture, surprise, proposal, emotions, healing

Summary: Derek finally takes the next step in his relationship with Stiles.

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 or edits and fictional characters used in the story belong to their respective owners and credit goes to them.

Roncheg fanart

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

  15: The Proposal

All day Derek had been busy but it could be loft-related. It was hard to say and he made sure not to be around Stiles for too long until it was getting near sundown. Derek was still achingly absent and while Stiles was lounging on the couch reading, his cellphone pinged with a text message.

‘Can you come to the loft? Jorge refuses to leave until we make some important decisions.’

It wasn't that weird of a message, because Derek wasn't the only one who could stay working late, all the men were enthused to help the two lovers move in as quickly as possible. But when Stiles arrived at the loft, the door was locked. Derek's car was still there though. And on the floor was one single rose.

Another text message pinged on Stiles’ phone.

‘Go to the back, follow the path you see.’

When Stiles reached the back of the large building, a long row of petals was creating a path, an endless path of rose petals that was actually sneaking into the woods further away, into the well-known preserve.

When Stiles went into the woods with a light curious frown, the crickets just started their song of the night, chirping the silence away as the night creatures started to roam. Somewhere in the familiar woods, there was a bigger creature waiting, almost not daring to breathe because he was that nervous. It was why Derek hadn't wanted to be around Stiles that day. He would be able to tell, he knew the wolf too well.

Once further into the dark woods, the rose petals tampered off, disappearing completely but that was okay, because as the human looked around, he was able to see lights in the distance. Many lights, a row of them guiding the way. Maybe it was disorienting for Stiles to be in the preserve from the other side, or maybe he knew where he was being led to because Derek wasn't the only one who had grown up here in Beacon Hills.

The lights were slowly leading him to a seemingly random spot but it wasn't random at all. Nothing Derek did was random.

By the time Stiles had followed the lantern path to the destination intended, it was dark, a lone owl greeting the human when he reached all the candles Derek had set up in the familiar pattern that had started this all: the pattern of the wolfsbane flowers. It was important to the Hale, and only important events called for the significant swirls.

Derek was waiting in the middle of it all, wearing the familiar old leather jacket with the too long sleeves and the broken cuffs, his old sneakers and black shirt with dark jeans. The clothes he had worn when he had met Stiles for the first time. And that's where Stiles had been led to. To the very spot where they had met, to the brief interaction which has started their journey together.

"What are you doing? This is private property," Derek said with a smile, the first words he had ever spoken to Stiles.

"Oh... err... Sorry, man, we didn't know..." Stiles echoed the reply to that, even if he was alone there now, no Scott in sight. Thank fuck, though, because he might have laughed on the expression or the tears on Stiles' face. The emissary even repeated the head rub he had done before his reply, but his embarrassment was different from the one he had felt on that fateful day. When he had seen Derek like this. Looking somewhat younger, but making his heart skip the same way like now. The only 'tiny' difference was that Stiles now was in love with this man from head to toe.

His heart has been beating like crazy, skipping beats from the moment he had seen that single red rose by the building and started following the rose petals. He was called smart for a reason so he pretty much figured out back then what this and Derek's previous all-day-long nervousness was, which he had faintly felt despite the physical distance between them.

Now everything fell into place and Stiles knew this was real, because the scar of the claim mark on the back of his neck against which his fingers had just brushed was just as real as the man opposite him. The man who had went out of his way to organize this, make it a grand romantic gesture to express his love for him... The man, who had lit so many candles to do so despite the fact that he was so very afraid of fire. All this... all this was for Stiles... No one ever did anything like this for him... So no wonder he was crying there in silence, wiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his favorite red hoodie. Not what he had worn on that day, but just as much a signature look for him.

And once again, Derek Hale had managed to make him speechless.

Derek laughed at the words, remembering them. Stiles had been so very young back then, sixteen with a baby face and a buzz cut. But that nervous energy hadn't changed, not in all these many years. But they both had matured, they both had evolved in a way.

Stiles’ reaction to everything was as Derek had expected it to be, and he was pleased that all his hard work was appreciated and made an impact on the human. It was supposed to be emotional and romantic, a grand gesture as Stiles had deserved, not something rushed and half-assed because Derek had been badgered into proposing. Candles had been the worst idea he ever had because there was no way to light them without fire and he had tried the ones on battery but their light just wasn't the same. It had taken a lot of freak outs and near panic attacks to light the damn things with a gas lighter with a long nozzle.

Digging out a black box from the large pocket of the leather jacket, Derek, as tradition called for, sank to one knee after he approached his mate. Back then he had thrown Scott's inhaler to him and had left, and now he was offering a ring instead.

"You've been pushing me for this all the time so it shouldn't be a surprise to you, but I need you to know that I want this. Just because we're married according to werewolf ways, it doesn't mean I don't want to marry you in the human way as well. I want you to know that I'm in this for life, and beyond life. I'm in this forever." Derek opened the box to reveal a black ring which he pulled out as he tossed the box to the side.

"Love for me had always led me to pain and death. Love for me meant losing everything, being in love meant being in pain. Until you. And I know we have been through so much these past six months since we’ve started our relationship but I'm glad I've had you at my side. You're the mate to my soul, my whole soul. You're the magic I need in my life."

Holding up the black ring, he blew on it to make it shimmer to gold. It was a gimmick ring but when he had come across it, he knew it was perfect for Stiles. It was called Ash and Ember, and it would go from black to gold when heat was used on it. Heat like the hot breath of a werewolf.

"You're my best friend, my emissary, my mate. Will you be my husband too?"

Stiles had no idea how many dumplings someone suddenly stuffed down his throat, because he just couldn't swallow or breathe for god knows how long. His lungs definitely started to burn by the time he reminded himself he should really breathe in case he didn't want to black out before he could give Derek the answer he so very much deserved!

"This is just... perfect!" he choked out, rapidly blinking away his tears while staring at the most fitting ring Derek could ever have gotten for him. "It's you and I. Us. In one ring..." he rasped in amazement as he dropped onto his knees opposite Derek to be on the same level with him. Because they were equals and he knew his mate would get the symbolism of it, even if now words didn't seem to come easy to his legendarily blabbermouth of a pair.

"All this... Derek!" he sniffed, placing his slightly shaking hand on the one holding the ring out for him, glowing amber eyes flashing up to meet their familiar pair. "I'm blown away..." he smiled and then his shocked brain seemed to remember that Derek was still waiting on his answer. "Of course... of course I'll be your husband too... Fucking finally!" And here he laughed now, more tears slipping down on his face as he held out his hand for Derek. These moments, which were just theirs, were burning into his mind forever.

Stiles took his sweet time answering but of course Derek wasn't worried for even a second because he knew he'd say yes. Instead he watched his mate with amusement as he stuttered and blabbed and forgot to answer a very important question. It was coming, eventually, now that Stiles was on his knees as well, both of them kneeling within the circle of candles on the forest ground. Even that was fitting for them.

Because yes, the ring was them. Derek was the ashes and Stiles was the ember, Derek was the black while Stiles was the red gold. Stiles had deserved something special, something that meant the world to them and not some generic silver or gold band. Not for engagement. As the human cried and laughed and finally said yes, Derek laughed, completely and fully in love with this idiot. The band was, of course, a perfect fit because the Hale had made sure to get the measurements, so it slid onto the finger with a little pressure. His fingers were steady, while the human's hands trembled.

"Now you can finally start planning the wedding, Mr. Stilinski-Hale." They'd argue about the names later, but for now Derek pulled his mate close to kiss him, feeling the wet cheeks press against his own.

Stiles couldn't stop the giddy giggle against Derek's lips before he kissed back, placing his hands on his fiancé’s stubbly cheeks, his body sliding nearly fluidly and unconsciously towards the other. He ended up straddling Derek as he was getting lost in their deep kiss.

Still, he was the one to break it first and bite down on his own wet bottom lip while looking into the beloved eyes from close. "I love you more than anything on this world. I'm honored to be your mate and husband. And what makes you think the wedding isn't planned out to the last details yet?" Stiles grinned, pecking the soft lips again. "I also like the sound of Stilinski-Hale. You could be Hale-Stilinski if you want. Though I don't really care as long as you are just mine," he purred and turned his head to the side to admire his ringed finger. "It looks good. Like it belongs there. It feels like it too."

Maybe Derek had thought the wedding hasn't been planned out because he hadn't found any evidence of it yet – no charts or books filled with ideas. Maybe that was the scary part of this all though, it was all still locked into that dangerous brain and they had to put it all down into words and pictures. Derek had no clue, he hadn't thought beyond the proposal, and only knew the wedding was a lot to deal with. Like cake tasting and floral picking and whatever else. Nor had he thought about the names much.

Plenty of things to talk about but not now when they were kneeling on the forest floor surrounded by candles. The ring did look good on Stiles' hand, though.

"I won't be able to wear my wedding ring much, because I'd lose it each time I shift." Maybe matching tattoos would be more their thing, or buy like a ton of wedding rings for Derek so he'd never really lose it. Claiming Stiles' lips for a kiss, he smiled against them. "We can have a full wedding talk and plan the date and such when we're home."

Still straddling Derek's lap, Stiles was reluctant to move, so he didn't. His mate was just too comfy and warm and he always loved it when they were in such close proximity. It calmed the magic too and also grounded both of them.

"I was actually thinking about your wedding ring problem," Stiles beamed at Derek, finally able to look away from his color-changing ring which was now black since his wolf wasn't blowing on it and neither was Stiles' body heat too high thanks to magic. "I love this engagement ring a lot, but for our actual wedding ring... I was thinking more about a matching tattooed rune on our ring fingers. That you wouldn't lose and it would signal us being taken and belonging together. There's this rune called 'Jera,' which can mean how hard work can pay off in a big way..." he started and reached down to the forest floor to wipe a few dry leaves away so he could draw the simple yet powerful rune into the dust.

"It refers to soulmates as well and how that connection needs patience to be discovered. It's also connected to the harvest seasons and the land. I think these all fit us quite well with our long twisting journey of getting here and our soulmate bond and connection to the land. What do you think?" Stiles asked, looking away from the rune to see Derek's reactions.

Before Stiles, he hadn't gotten into runes all that much even though he knew about Seidr magic which consisted of runes. It was Stiles' way of using them that made the Hale look at them differently. He had two runes carved into his own flesh forever after all. And he had known there were going to be more added to them, because being the familiar of a powerful mage/druid like the human on his lap came with prices he didn't mind paying at all. The runes were part of Stiles so a part of him too.

His green eyes glanced to the mark, the almost arrows looked a little Argent-like, but it was about time they made things their own instead of it all being linked to the past. It was a good mark for fingers since there was only a bit of skin to work with and it was thin skin as well. Tattoos didn't disappear on werewolves in evolved form, they would still have them if their fur would be shaved off. The wolf's skin was still his own skin.

"I think it's perfect. We can do rings for the ceremony or something else symbolic."

"You really like it," Stiles stated the obvious fact with a bright smile and put his arm back around Derek, wiggling a bit closer on his lap, their noses nearly touching. "Yeah, we can buy actual rings for the ceremony and keep them safe afterwards at home once the tattoos are done," he nodded and rubbed his nose against Derek's with a cute little grin and happily shining, still slightly red eyes. It was so obvious how happy Derek had made him.

"Also..." he continued quieter and with a little flush on his cheeks "... when we do the runes on our fingers, I'd also like to get the Triskele on my shoulder." He knew how much that symbol meant to Derek. It's been the Hale pack's sign for hundreds of years. And an ultimate way for Derek to mark Stiles as his and his pack's forever.

At least he didn't need to ask if Stiles was happy with the proposal, because he was beaming so much that it was clear he loved every minute of it. Good, Derek hadn't thought a public kind of declaration would be the right move for them. This was personal, not something Derek had wanted to share with random strangers in some restaurant or street or wherever.

"Stiles, you don't have to..." Of course it moved him when it was offered, to be carrying the Hale family insignia on his body forever. The tattoo on Derek’s back was a reminder of what had happened: the loss of the pack, how it all could be over in the blink of an eye. Alpha, beta and in his case it had been omega. The lone wolf. But if Stiles would have it on his body as well, then it wouldn't be the sign of loneliness anymore. It was going to be the family insignia again.

Not just Hale anymore, though, Hale-Stilinski. It meant more to Derek than rings or runes on his finger. So much that he wasn't sure if he could...

"But I want to... if you want it too... I mean... Derek... what's wrong?" Stiles eyebrows pulled together, feeling all the emotions rushing through his mate. "Did I say something wrong? Is that too personal for you for me to ask to wear? You can tell me. It's fine if you don't want it on me. I respect that symbol and your connection to it. I understand and accept it if I'm not worthy as a human to have it on me..." he said quickly, worry starting to replace the happiness on his face. But it was true, and he was ready to back off if he somehow offended Derek with the idea.

"No, no, it's not..."

God, it wasn't even close to what Stiles was thinking and Derek reached out to touch the cheek where some faint tear tracks were still visible with the salt dried up. His thumb brushed the white traces away as he pressed their foreheads together.

"You're so worthy of it." More like the symbol maybe wasn't worthy of all that this human stood for, of everything that Stiles was and what he meant to this stupid werewolf who couldn't even say anything without upsetting others.

"It was my punishment, the tattoo, because of the fire. I had it put on me so I could never forget. It was the symbol of a lone wolf who had spent years hating himself but... I'm ready, I think, to let that go. I just... realized that." And got overly emotional over it while this was supposed to be a happy proposal. Leaning in, he kissed those sad lips.

"I'm ready for it to be a family symbol again."

Stiles' worry quickly faded away from that explanation and pride bubbled up in him instead, his previously kissed lips curling up into a smile.

"Oh my god, Derek! This is huge! It makes me so proud of you that you managed to get to this point!" This time it was Stiles who took the wolf's face between his hands and literally beamed at him. "It was also time, yes. It'll be our family symbol this time. A strong one at that, which will make you and your ancestors proud. I promise," the human said and kissed Derek with all that pride and love he felt for this man. He deserved to be able to let go of the past, that self-hatred, to be happy and a bit more whole again.

With how raw and emotional he felt, Stiles' reaction was the right one to take with him. It wasn't too careful or Derek might have cried, and not too dramatic or he would have pulled back. As often as they were bad at communicating, they had these moments where it was actually perfect. So Derek gave a shaky breath, an exhale to get the excess of emotions out.

Stiles' lips found his own, kissing him with all he had in him so of course Derek eagerly kissed him back. If his ancestors were ever going to be proud of him, it was something he wouldn't find out until he was dead and in Purgatory. For now they could only do what they could to make the Hale lineage whole again, repair what had been broken with only one fire.

This proposal felt like the start of that. And for once Derek didn't feel like it was a bad decision, this time he didn't hesitate.

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