Chapter Text
When Deaton gives them another vague answer, Stiles finally snaps. He is done with the druid's cryptic and unhelpful advice. It's time to learn a new skill, and if it means going through every magic book he can find, so be it.
How exactly is he going to get them? No idea.
He decided to start by asking Derek to give him access to his library. If not magic books, maybe he could find something similar to the bestiary. He hopped into his jeep and drove the short distance, just in case Derek would let him bring some of the books home. When he opened the door, Stiles was greeted by a half-naked Derek, who clearly wasn't happy to see him.
"What do you want, Stiles?" he said with a raspy voice. It seemed like Derek had been taking a nap.
"Sorry, I probably should have called. Can I come in?"
Derek didn't move at first. It's not that he disliked the teen, but he was tired, and Stiles never got to the point quickly.
"What do you want, Stiles?" said Derek again, trying to get the teenager out as soon as possible.
Stiles was an amazing liar. It was as easy as breathing for him. But he knew that werewolves could sense when someone was lying, so he just told the truth.
"I'm sick of Deaton's cryptic advice. Like, he royally pissed me off today. So I was thinking—why not try being something like a druid myself? I know I don't have magic, but honestly, Deaton almost never does anything magical for us anyway. It's mostly potions and knowledge. If I study, I can do that too. So instead of just relying on the internet all the time, where the information doesn't have to be true, I want to do it properly and read some books. Would you have anything I could borrow? Something similar to the bestiary or an actual magic book?"
Derek just stared at him for a minute. Did Stiles just insult his emissary to his face? And he wants Derek to let him borrow his books?
His stream of thoughts was interrupted by footsteps. Shit. Peter was coming down, and Derek could see a mischievous grin on his face. "I can help you with that."
His uncle must have heard the conversation and got interested in Stiles's idea. "Peter, don't."
Peter just shrugged as he walked down the stairs.
"I don't like the druid either. It would be very entertaining to watch him slowly get fewer and fewer visits, maybe even lose his place as emissary, if the darling studies hard enough."
Stiles cursed under his breath, head down. However, since Derek didn't seem like he would cooperate, Stiles put on a wide smile and looked at the creeper wolf.
"Peter, buddy! Have I recently told you how handsome you are? We should definitely catch up over some coffee while you tell me more about this help you're offering!"
Well, this was the worst-case scenario, Derek thought. Two madmen scheming together how to overthrow his druid. But once these two set their minds on something, it's impossible to convince them it's not a good idea.
"I'm going to make myself some coffee. I hope when I come back you two will be gone. Understood?" Peter pretended to be very saddened by this, clutching his chest.
"How could you say that, my dear nephew? Do you not like my company?" Derek looked at him, silently promising murder.
"I didn't even invite you to my home. You just walk in whenever you like. Where did you even get the keys?" Peter's heartbroken expression changed to a sweet, angelic face in a second.
"I just want to be able to come to your rescue in case something happens, nephew. Is it really so bad to check up on you once in a while?"Derek just rolled his eyes, knowing this conversation was as pointless as asking Stiles to shut up, and walked away.
Stiles and Peter were now alone in the room, and it made the teenager uncomfortable enough to open his mouth again. "Soooo, about this magic, druid, whatever stuff. You have some books I could borrow then?" Peter grinned. "I have a few. Are you here by car?" Stiles nodded, key to his jeep in his hand.
"Perfect. I took a walk here since it was nice outside."
They got into Stiles's jeep, and Peter gave Stiles directions to his apartment.
Stiles couldn't help but ask as they drove,
"So, do you like... have some of the Hale library? Or is it your personal collection?"
"Bit of both. Let's just say, I took all of the books I found interesting and then collected a few more of my own." Huh, okay. Stiles wasn't sure if that was the answer he wanted, but he would see for himself soon, so he didn't press any further. They parked in the lot of one of the more luxurious buildings in the city—because of course they did. Stiles was cursing in his mind about how unfair it was that the creeper wolf, who tried to kill them before, was the richest person in the city and lived like one, while people who actually needed the money, like him and his dad, were counting every penny.
They walked into the elevator, and Peter pressed the basement floor. Stiles raised an eyebrow in question; he thought they would be going up.
"Why are we going to the basement?"
"Oh darling, you greatly underestimate how vast my collection is."
When Peter opened the door to the basement unit, Stiles's jaw dropped to the floor.
It wasn't some tiny room for storing bikes or off-season clothes. It was huge. Huge and full to the brim with books and items that looked like they belonged in a museum.
"Peter, be truthful with me—how much of this stuff is Derek's?" Peter shrugged. "A bit more than half? I don't keep track."
"Peter, that is more than just a few books! Did Derek actually let you take all of this stuff?" Peter walked inside, looking for what he came for.
"Derek is welcome to come here anytime if he needs any of it."
Stiles couldn't believe it. He knew that Peter was aware Derek probably didn't even know what's down here, so he wouldn't know to look. Stiles went into the room, looking around, reading book titles when one of them caught his eye. It read The Bestiary, Book II. Oh no... Derek definitely did not know about this book. Or at least didn't have a copy of it. Another title read Herbalism: Werewolf Healing. Another one: Feral Werewolves and How to Calm Them. Stiles took all three books and went to Peter.
"What the hell, Peter? Do you seriously think that if Derek knew these books were here, he wouldn't come for them?"
"If he was at least half as smart as you, he would have."
What? Was he complimenting him? "What is that supposed to mean?" Peter turned around, looking Stiles in the eyes.
"It means that my nephew didn't even think to browse the internet, because if he did, he would have found bits and pieces of the information that's in these books, and then he would think to come here and look. However, it seems you are the only one in this town who has a functioning brain, darling. I am surprised my nephew didn't die before he met you."
Now Stiles wasn't sure if Peter was complimenting him or just insulting everyone except him.
"Are you not afraid that I will tell Derek about what I found here?"
Peter chuckled.
"You would ruin not only my entertainment but also your chance to learn magic if you do that. So, no. I don't think you will tell him."
Unbelievable!
"I am not a horrible person like you, Peter! I would not compromise the lives of others just because I want to learn something new!"
"Oh darling, trust me, you have no idea what kind of person you are. Not yet. And if it bothers you so much, you're welcome to read all the titles of the books here. You would find out that you picked up the only three books that Derek would actually be interested in." Peter looked behind Stiles—finally, he found what he was looking for.
"And I will show you now that it wasn't a coincidence that you found them." Stiles looked at the book title, and his eyes went wide with surprise.
***
"What did you just say?! I am not slicing my wrist creeper wolf!" Peter rolled his eyes, walking closer to the teenager that was backing away from him.
"I don't want you to slice your wrist darling, I just need a drop of your blood." Finally, Stiles couldn't back up any further, his back pressed against a wall and Peter now dangerously close. Then Stiles felt a twingle of pain on his forearm. "Did you just scratch me?" Peter held a paper napkin to the scratch, letting it soak with blood before it closed.
"See, it already stopped bleeding you drama queen."
"Well sorry for being cautios. One never knows with you."
Peter scoffed. You try to kill a few people in a maddened state after you wake up from a coma and suddenly everyone is against you, thinking that you want to take over the world. He was a bit hurt that darling was still suspicious of him though.
They rode the elevator to the highest floor and Peter opened the door to his apartment. There were no taxidermied animals, no weapons on the walls, no bizarre art. Just a very nice, spacious apartment with a terrace and walk-in closet. You could tell everything inside was expensive, yeah, the leather couch, the massive dark wood shelves, but all normal. Stiles sat in one of the dining chairs and turned to Peter.
"So, what else do we need to make this potion?" Peter flipped through the book.
"Seems like only some herbs. I think I have all of them." He started going through one cabinet near the kitchen, that clearly didn't have cooking ingredients or spices in it. Stiles could smell mountain ash and wolfs bane. For a moment, he wondered why Peter stores herbs that could harm him, but it actually made sense to have them close. There were for sure other uses for them. Like antidotes or counter spells of some sort. While Stiles was deep in his thoughts, Peter finished the potion.
"It's ready darling, come take a look. According to the instructions, once I add your blood, it should change color and depending on the color we will know if you're magic or supernatural creature or just human." Stiles nodded. Simple enough.
Peter dropped the bloodied tissue in the liquid, and they waited. It took a while, but in the end, the final color was purple. Stiles looked at Peter who was holding the book looking through the possible results. Peter frowned. That couldn't be good.
"What is it?"
"It's... not clear. It should be green for a witch, blue for a werewolf and red for a druid." Did they mix the potion wrong? But Peter was certain he did it right.
"Did we do something wrong?" Stiles asked. Peter was thinking. This might actually make more sense.
"No, I think we did it right. It actually explains why you would need a seal."
"Okay Peter, you will have to start actually saying all of your thoughts instead of just giving me bits and pieces because I have no clue what you're talking about. What seal?" Peter waked to Stiles and pressed his hand on Stiles's neck. "That birth mark you have right mere? That's not a birth mark, it's a seal. Somebody sealed something, some part of you. I am guessing you don't remember ever not having this mark, correct?" Stiles nodded.
"Then it either happened when you were born or very young. And I think the potion turned out purple, because you're part werewolf and part druid."
Stiles had to sit down. How could he be half druid and half werewolf? And who put the seal on him? Did his dad know? Did he do it? Why would someone do something like that? Stiles felt a panic attack kicking in. Breathe, he had to breathe.
Peter was watching his darling spiral only for a second before he was by his side, holding his shoulders. "Darling look at me." Stiles was getting worse, he didn't even notice Peter was holding him. Peter moved his hands from the shoulders to his face, forcing Stiles to look at him. "Fuck the breathing, concentrate on me. Look at my eyes. Look at how calm I am. Everything is fine, I know what to do."
Stiles looked at the wolf, at the piercing blue eyes. Peter let them shine so it would be easier for him to focus on them. "You don't have to think, you don't have to do anything, because I am here. I will tell you what to do, so empty your clever mind for once." Stiles didn't know why he felt like the wolf meant it, but he did, and it made it so much easier to be calm. He didn't have to think. Peter would do that for him.
Stiles could breathe now. Still looking into Peter's eyes, he asked. "What do I do? Where do we start?" Peter let out a breath of relief. His darling was fine.
"We will start by me explaining a few things. Then, we will figure out what kind of seal it is. Everything else comes after." Stiles nodded. His mind was calmer, but he was still thinking about his dad, and it made his chest tight. "What if my dad knew the whole time?" Peter shook his head.
"I don't think he knows darling. He would have to be more than just a good liar. It would make more sense if only your mother knew."
"But doesn't that mean she would have to be a werewolf and a druid?"
Peter nodded. "If she didn't cheat then yes." Stiles got angry at that comment, his mother would never cheat on dad. Would she? Peter could see his darling was thinking about something unnecessary again. "I don't think she cheated Stiles. I think she wanted to live a human life. Without all of the supernatural drama. Being a hybrid puts a target on your back. Your family would be in constant danger." Stiles had to laugh at that. "I am in constant danger even as a human, thanks to all my friends being supernatural."
"That's why I offered to help when you came to Derek."
Right, Peter knew he was special.
"Why didn't you bring me here sooner if you knew about the seal?" Peter let out a sigh.
"Because you didn't want to be supernatural Stiles. You wanted to stay human. And even though humans don't have any special abilities, being human is what almost every creature desires to be. You are not forced to hide, you are not restricted by the full moon, and you don't have to worry about hurting someone just because of some animal instincts. Being a human means freedom."
Stiles understood that. It was one of the main reasons why he rejected the bite when Peter offered it in the past. They moved to the couch and Peter brought Stiles lemon balm tea. "It helps to calm down your body and mind." He offered. Stiles took the mug, tasting the tea. It was suprisinglly delicious, so he made a mental note to get it for himself later.
"So, what now? You said you need to explain something." Peter nodded.
"It's about the magic in you. If we are right and you are a hybrid, we must be careful. When the seal breaks, I don't know how your body will react to the change. You might turn into a werewolf on the spot or hear the nature around you. There is also the fact that hybrids are very desired since they can usually break some of the supernatural laws. Example would be, since you're part druid, you could be able to go through mountain ash barriers, even though you're part werewolf. So, I need to know darling, do you want to break the seal? You can still learn to be a druid without breaking the seal. That was your original plan anyway." Stiles was quiet. One one hand, if they break the seal, he will be stronger. On the other, he will have to constantly hide from the world. It was a lot to take in.
"I think... I will have to take some time to think about it. Can we look into the seals in the meantime? Or what I can learn without breaking the seal? I would like to see my options." Peter just nodded and went for some of the books they brought with them from the basement. He understood that this was not an easy decision for Stiles. His darling was in no way a saint, he broke at least a dozen laws every day and was ready to fight for his friends, no hesitation. Having more power and being able to understand his friends better would be extremely helpful and he would without a doubt fit in perfectly.
But giving up being human? Being restricted every full moon? Possibly not telling his father and having to keep this huge secret? Stiles had to be sure that's what he wanted.
And so, they spent the whole rest of the day looking into the seals and organizing books based on if Stiles can use them as a human or not. The two piles ended up being surprisingly equal.
As human, he could learn about all the creatures and their weaknesses, he could mix potions to boost healing and some other things. As magic, well, it was obvious he could do more actual damage. They also managed to find the exact seal Stiles had on his neck in one of the books. The unsealing method was quite simple.
"I think your mother wanted it to be easy for you to unseal in case you decided to dive into the supernatural one day. Only you can unseal it, out of free will, and all you have to do is say this word while touching it. The intent to unseal has to be there of course." Stiles looked at the word. Lenorturdan. Yeah, there is no way he would accidentally say that in his sleep or something.
Stiles decided it was enough for the day and prepared to leave, however before he opened the door, he had to know something. "I know you said you don't like Deaton and that's why you want to help me, but why are you so nice Peter?" The wolf looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I thought it was quite obvious. And I believe I am always nice to you darling." Stiles shook his head.
Well, wasn't that irritating. "You think I can't smell how nervous you get every time you see me darling? You think I can't hear your heartbeat getting quicker when I get close?" Stiles swallowed.
"Of course I know that. So what, I find you attractive. That doesn't have to mean anything, and I don't see how that's relevant."
Peter almost blurted it out in his irritation, but he stopped himself. "Oh you will see darling. If you decide to break the seal you will know right away. Now go home and think about it."