Devil of Wolves (Sterek)

Chapter 19 (A Glimpse of Us)

This chapter is short and sweet as promised. Thank you for sticking with me through this all, even over my long breaks because life is busy and relentless. (I also just binge-watched Haikyu!! and AOT so forgive me while I pick up the pieces of my psyche too). 

I've enjoyed every word of encouragement from you guys along this journey, my gratitude is endless. This has certainly been fun, and that brings me to say that the next chapter is going to be the last one :)

For you <3

~~~~~~~

Derek's learned a lot of things over the past year. For one, his tolerance for human stupidity was at an all-time low, especially in an office environment where half of them act like frail helpless sheep, and the second is that Stiles Stilinski will forever remain an absolute anomaly to him.

Derek is an observer, a silent watcher, someone who purposely sought out alone time away from the bustle and rowdiness of everyday life.

But that doesn't mean he didn't notice things and there was a lot that fell under that umbrella. One in particular, learned entirely against his will, was that Isaac couldn't say the alphabet backwards.

He discovers the latter through a series of trial and error with a horrendous contests between his closest coworkers in the late night hours when their floor was empty. What he means to say is that Erica challenged Isaac to a bet that he couldn't spell the alphabet backward, giggling as they passed around a tall bottle of wolfbane liquor that would surely send any human into a coma.

What surprises all of them is that Isaac is a man of many talents, suppressing the talent of drowning himself in bowls of ramen, collecting the largest bookshelf of manga known to man, and showing up to work fashionably late. Unfortunately for Isaac, he also develops a speech impediment when held under pressure.

Derek knows this will forever dwell as an unfortunate waste of time and a good bottle of whiskey, but given the circumstances, Isaac loses. And thus Erica reigns the title of being the only one to say the alphabet backwards.

What a spectacular talent, indeed.

Luckily there's Boyd whose own talent is on a whole other level of greatness, mainly his ability to calm Erica down when she gets too heated and tries to jump on the table in a fit of excited fury. Derek is proud to announce that he and Danny kept level heads and stayed out of the trio's way, watching absently as the chaos unfolded in the private meeting room and only a few chairs left there broken.

But then, of course, Danny eventually gets dragged into their shenanigans and proves that he can not only say the alphabet backward but he can in another language. Case in point, he's a genius. Not a new fact in the slightest.

However, that brings Derek to his next discovery. Stiles, who - unlike his idiot pack - fits and clings to their wayward life like a glove. He's different, he's irresistible. He's the calm before the storm, spontaneous and unconstrained under the cage he's been locked into. Stiles is a little monster. A spark. Born with fire and determination hidden behind the shadow of a human, but his hunger stands out.

He's not a monster in the way Derek is. Not at all. But they're similar.

He reeks of a familiar hunger and seeks the sun, seeks peace, and Derek yearns to tenderly place them into his hands to satisfy his appetite.

Although he's not entirely a robot void of emotions like Boyd pretends to be, whose only current setting is acting emotionally barren and stoic, Derek can at least act like he's not shit-faced in love with his assistant.

To him, Stiles is the earth that he dares to walk upon, though Derek is pretty confident that he's the one being stepped on at this point. His heart more specifically.