Sterek Library (a03 Edition)

Cozies and Tea

By: Sourwolf and Stilinski (Kitsune_Moonstar) on a03

Derek is terribly domestic when it comes down to it. Both of his sisters tease him about it mercilessly, and Derek had given up on trying to hide it. He baked. He knitted for fun. When stressed, Derek spent his time cleaning. And even his main series of books that he was famous for were cozy mysteries featuring a man who owned a knitting store. He also wrote a series of young adult novels under a pen name, but Derek doesn't even mention those any more. Not after his sisters' first reaction to a werewolf writing a series of teen novels.

That was one of the reasons he liked writing at the Copper Kettle. The little café was cozy and comfortable with free wifi and staff that wouldn't bother him even if Derek spent hours writing there. It was away from his sisters, and Derek liked to hole up there. The staff knew him, and quite honestly he got some of his best work done in the café. What he wasn't expecting was a distraction in the form of the newest staff member.

Stiles had been distracting from the moment that Derek walked in the café. The unfamiliar face was just the start of it. It was an interesting face too, maybe not the most attractive but incredibly vibrant and full of personality. Pale skin speckled with moles, large whisky colored eyes, and dark hair that seemed perpetually ruffled. He was always in motion as well. Stiles seemed to speak with his whole body, hands dancing through the air to express his point. And he never seemed to shut up. It was fascinating to watch.

Unfortunately, spending his days watching Stiles did not get manuscripts written. It was more interesting at the moment though. Derek hated to admit it, but he was stuck. He'd finished his original young adult trilogy last year, and it had been a great success. He actually had really enjoyed writing it, and he had a contract to write another young adult series. The problem was he was completely out of ideas at the moment. Derek couldn't seem to get anything he tried to pan out. Hence some of the reason for his Stiles watching.

All that changed when Stiles started bring books with him to read on Sundays. Sundays were always slow at the Copper Kettle. Often, Derek would be the only one in the shop for hours. So it probably wasn't all that surprising that Stiles brought along something to do. But he did have to bring in his book? Well, Stiles wouldn't know that it was Derek's book; he'd published the teen novels under the name Deirdre O'Conner. O'Conner was his father's family name; he'd changed it to Hale when he'd married into the pack.

Stiles must have caught him looking because he grinned and shrugged. "I know they're for teenagers, but I love them all the same. The characters are great even if I hate the fact that no one got a happy ending at the end of the series."

"You've read them before?" The question slipped out before Derek could think.

"This is the third time around. I love Deirdre's writing even if she tortures her characters too much. The only thing I really have to complain about is she rarely focuses on the humans who exist in her supernatural world that aren't evil. I'd love to see a human on the good guys' side for once."

Derek blinked. Now that was an idea he could work with. In fact, the story of how someone became a human in a werewolf pack could definitely appeal to a teen audience. He could even do a reverse Little Red Riding Hood sort of thing with the bad guys trying to "save" Little Red from the wolves. And thankfully, a customer had just entered the café, so Stiles wasn't going to think that Derek was being rude when he ended their conversation just to start typing.

It didn't take long for Derek to have little character profiles written up. And if Sasha, his main character, had more than a few things in common with Stiles, it couldn't be helped. Derek often used people he knew as the basis for characters. He had just started working on a series outline (Derek liked to be methodical about his writing) when Stiles threw him yet another curveball. Because this time the book that Stiles brought in to read was another one of Derek's. And it was one published under his actual name.