Sterek Ficlets

Bump in the Night

"D-Daddy?" a frightened whisper sounded right by his ear.

Stiles automatically opened his arms. "What is it, peanut?" he asked, his tone soothing despite having been asleep moments earlier.

"I heard a bump on the door, Daddy," she whispered as she curled against her daddy.

Stiles sat up instantly alert but slowly so as not to startle his daughter. "You heard a knock on the front door?"

She nodded and sniffled, clearly frightened. "Uh huh."

Stiles tucked her under the covers and kissed her forehead but she gripped his shirt tightly with both fists, refusing to let go. "Abigail, daddy needs to go see who knocked," he soothed as he kissed her forehead.

"Will you come right back, Daddy?" she asked with wide eyes, her lip jutting out and quivering.

"Always, sweetheart," he promised before she relinquished her grasp and curled into a ball under his covers. Her little hands were buried in the inky black fur of her stuffed wolf. She saw it at the fair and refused to leave without it. When Stiles laid eyes on it, he couldn't say no especially when he realized that it had blueish green eyes. He blinked himself back into the present and tucked both the wolf and his daughter in.

"I love you, Daddy," Abigail whispered softly from beneath the quilt.

"I love you more, peanut," he whispered back, placing another kiss on her head and smoothing down her raven curls.

"I lo'e y'u mo't," she mumbled.

Her breathing soon evened out and Stiles waited until he had stepped out of his bedroom and into the hallway before making fists. His magic, fueled by his spark, was crackling defensively in response to someone scaring his daughter. Granted, he knew not who or what it was but he had taken his daughter's safety seriously ever since the day he found out he was pregnant with her.

Suddenly, there was another knock as Stiles drew closer to the door and he paused, a purple spark darting between his fingers. He could smell wolf but who...

"Stiles?" the voice said.

Stiles would know that voice anywhere. He threw open the door, taking in the sight of the man before him. Only then did he notice the sweat sheen on said man's forehead, the blood pooling in several places and the pale skin of his face. Add to that the fact that he was drenched head to toe as a result of the pouring rain and he truly looked fucked up yet...still gorgeous as hell.

"Derek?" Stiles whispered with an even tone despite the myriad of emotions going through him. Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder boomed but Stiles only had eyes for the wolf.

Derek seemed torn but ultimately made a decision. "I'm sorry to show up like this—" He gestured to his entire state of being. "—but I had nowhere else to go." He debated stopping there but continued. "I had no one else to turn to," he confided in Stiles with slight hesitancy though also with complete sincerity.

Stiles's magic wasn't able to sense any hostility or any ill intent and so he let the spark dissipate and stepped aside. "Come in," he gestured.

Derek's relieved expression made Stiles's heart skip a beat.

Stiles grabbed some towels and pajamas from the hall closet and took them to the bathroom. "So, if you take a shower I'll be able to assess your wounds. Go ahead and change after. Just leaving your shirt off so that I can check out those wounds. Okay?"

Derek nodded and glanced at Stiles. "Thank you," he mumbled before stepping into the bathroom.

Stiles gave a small smile. "You're welcome, Der," he whispered softly. 'I'll always be here for you.' He wanted to say but instead he said, "I'll be making something to snack on while we talk." Then he turned away.

Derek nodded and started to close the bathroom door.

"Just—" Stiles started, then paused before surging forward. "Do not go near my daughter," he ordered. "It's not that I don't trust you but she's my world. She trusts me to protect her and she doesn't know you. Okay?"

Derek swallowed and gave another nod of assent before disappearing into the bathroom and closing the door.

Stiles headed down the hallway, peeking into his room to check on his little angel who was thankfully sound asleep. Once he was sure his daughter would stay asleep, he breathed out a sigh of relief. Tonight wasn't the night to try and figure out how to explain all that was and is Derek Hale. Yeah. Thank goodness his daughter was asleep. Goddess knew she was just like her daddy and would have a million questions.

He smiled and shook his head as he went further down the hallway to the guest room so that he could prepare a place for Derek to sleep. Then Stiles headed to the couch and plopped down, allowing his mind to wander.

"Fuck," he breathed out in exasperation at this new development. He had so many questions but now perhaps all the things he had previously questioned about Derek Hale would become all the things he would have answered by Derek Hale.

With that hope in mind, Stiles leaned back against his couch, as he listened to the sound of the shower running, the rain pouring, the thunder booming and three hearts beating. Now he would try to decide just how he to begin a conversation between Derek and himself for the first time in over a decade.