Work Text:
Teen Wolf || Stetopher || Teen Wolf || The Real Deal || Teen Wolf || Stetopher || Teen Wolf
Title: The Real Deal – Fake It Till You Make It
TW Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Jeff Davis and MTV. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: m/m/m, polyamory, soulmate AU, No Hale Fire AU, Neckz ‘n Throats AU, Pack Alpha Peter, Model Stiles, Void Kitsune Stiles, Spark Stiles, hurt/comfort, fluff, QPR, f/f/f, m/f
Main Pairing: Chris/Peter/Stiles
Side Pairings: Boyd/Erica&Isaac, Allison/Malia/Kira
Teen Wolf Characters: Mieczysław 'Stiles' Stilinski, Chris Argent, Peter Hale, Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd, Isaac Lahey, Allison Argent, Malia Tate, Kira Yukimura
Summary: Kira has been gravitating more and more to her soulmates' pack, ever since she met Allison and Malia. Finally, she knows what it's supposed to be like between soulmates. And she just knows that the way Stiles' soulmate Theo treats him is wrong. She knows it. But what can she do against fate...?
The Real Deal
Fake It Till You Make It
Kira Yukimura was twice-blessed. She was one of the lucky, rare ones with two soulmates. It had been a real fated fairy tale meet cute too! For her twenty first birthday, her parents had gotten her a rare, valuable katana – one that used to be in her mother’s possession but had gotten lost over the centuries. To track the katana down, Noshiko had hired the arms dealer Chris Argent. When Kira walked into Argent Arms in Beacon Hills on her twenty-first birthday, even before she saw the katana, she saw her soulmark, seated between the shoulder-blades of a dark-haired girl.
Allison had worn a top low-cut in the back, her dark hair in a braid, liking to show off the soulmark for the soulmate she already had, to tease. Standing at the counter to talk to her father while waiting for Malia to get there and pick her up for lunch had put Allison right into Kira’s line of sight. The red fox and the blue coyote, placed to chase each other in a circle, with a silver arrow between them and the letters of the four directions around them. Kira had always thought it was meant to be a compass of mischief. She was a kitsune, a trickster spirit. A coyote was a different kind of trickster spirit. Only after meeting Allison did Kira realize the true meeting of their mark – Kira, the fox, Malia, the coyote, and Allison, the bow-and-arrow wielding huntress.
“Kira,” Allison giggled softly. “You know I’m ticklish.”
Kira smiled delighted as she nosed along Allison’s spine, chasing the coyote on her soulmate’s skin. Meeting them had been like being hit by a freight train, and now that they were hers, Kira couldn’t imagine life without them. They made her feel cherished, loved, valued, like she was never alone.
“Why are you two still in bed,” Malia groaned when she entered the bedroom. “You said ‘five more minutes’ when I got up to shower. It’s been fifteen.”
Kira flashed her eyes orange and hissed in a fox-like manner at her mate for trying to make her leave their comfortable nest and their still sleep-soft mate. Allison laughed softly at that and rolled over. When faced with all of Allison, Malia’s resistance crumbled too. With a heavy sigh, Malia crawled back into bed on Allison’s other side and buried her face in Allison’s curls.
“Dad is making pancakes,” Malia muttered. “If I miss pancakes because of you, you owe me.”
“If you miss pancakes because of me,” Allison drawled, running her fingers through Malia’s hair. “Then you get to pour maple syrup all over me. Would that make up for it?”
“It’d be fun, but I’d still be hungry after,” Malia complained mildly, her eyes hungry though.
Kira giggled and curled against Allison. She loved the way her mates made her feel. When people talked about soulmates completing each other, Kira had always thought it somehow meant that she, as a person, wasn’t whole. Now that she had her soulmates, she understood. It wasn’t that she wasn’t whole, she was a whole picture on her own, but she was a piece in a puzzle and she became more with her soulmates, who slotted so perfectly together like that. She felt cherished and like she belonged and that was what soulmates were supposed to be like, she thought.
“Why did you stop smelling happy,” Malia growled softly, reaching out for her. “There’s a naked Allison in bed with us, there is no reason to smell sad.”
“Everything okay, baby?” Allison asked, immediately worried as she turned toward Kira.
“Yeah, no, I just…” Kira shook her head and bit her lips. “Thinking about my friend again.”
“Stiles?” Malia asked, tilting her head. “You said his soulmate is a were, right?”
“Coyote, like you,” Kira nodded, smiling at her coyote.
“Weres are much more intense about soulmates than humans, because we really feel the bond through our inner animal,” Malia explained, sitting up cross-legged. “I know you said you think his soulmate is shady, but if he’s Stiles’ soulmate, they’re meant to be. Maybe it’s just a front, for public. My dad plays up the uncaring asshole in front of others too, but when he’s with Chris, he is… disgustingly sweet and soft. Some things are just for our soulmates.”
“Yeah,” Allison whispered softly, running gentle fingers through Kira’s hair.
Kira ducked her head and finally got out of bed to get dressed. Together, the triad headed into the kitchen of the Hale House, where Malia’s father was at the stove cooking pancakes, as promised. Boyd, Erica and Isaac sat snuggled up to each other on the bench at the breakfast table. They were an interesting triad to Kira, because Isaac was aroace, but the three were still soulmates. It was rare to see soulmates who didn’t seek romance with each other, but it wasn’t unheard of. Boyd and Erica liked to quip that Isaac balanced them out and that Erica had enough horny for two.
“Morning,” Isaac greeted them, stretching a little.
Chris, who sat at a chair at the table and was reading the newspaper, looked up at them and smiled. Kira knew that Chris and Peter were soulmates too. Peter was Malia’s father, Chris was Allison’s father, both men having only met through their daughters, which seemed like such a fascinating twist of fate, because usually, people with soulmarks didn’t seek out other partners. Yet both of them had, had even sired children. And Kira was very grateful for that.
“Are you living here?” Peter asked curiously, looking at Kira, just to earn a stern glare from his husband and a mild growl from Malia. “What? I’m not objecting to your soulmate living here, dear. As the Alpha, and the one doing most grocery runs, I would just like to know when someone else moves into our den. That seems like a reasonable request.”
Kira flushed brightly and ducked her head before sitting down next to Erica. Had she really been here so often and that long that the Alpha thought she was living here…? When was the last time she’d not stayed the night here? She could… honestly not remember. Allison sat down next to her and rested a gentle hand on her thigh, shooting her a worried look.
“I guess I don’t like going home these days,” Kira admitted softly. “I mean! I like all of you and I love getting to wake up with my soulmates, of course. But home hasn’t been… Ever since Stiles’ mate moved in with us, it’s not feeling like home all that much anymore and I’m rather here.”
“Mh. The coyote you don’t trust,” Peter noted, earning a surprised look from Kira.
“I don’t like when you’re upset,” Malia muttered, looking a little sheepish. “So I told dad and asked for his advise how to help you. He wasn’t very helpful.”
Peter huffed offended and shot his daughter a look. “You have good instincts, Kira. I can’t say anything about this coyote, since I never met him, or his matebond to your friend, but some people are just… an acquired taste. People outside this house may say the same about me.”
“They have said so about you. Repeatedly,” Chris said dryly. “Including your own family.”
“Oh, I eat the last slice of mother’s pie once and everyone comes and complains to my husband.”
Peter huffed offended and turned back to his pancakes, making Kira smile a little. Peter Hale had never been meant to be an Alpha, he used to be the Left Hand of his sister, until there was a feral Alpha loose in town – which had resulted in Boyd, Erica and Isaac being turned. Peter had taken it out, but that had led to him becoming an Alpha. He’d taken on the bitten Betas and built a stable and beautiful pack. Kira loved this pack, she felt at home in this pack. Which should be a problem, considering she was part of a different pack, right…?
“Tell us more about him,” Chris prompted kindly. “The friend you’re worried about.”
“Stiles is amazing,” Kira’s eyes were wide. “I was really shy as a teenager, but Stiles, Lydia and Scott were the first friends I made. Stiles and I just… kind of clicked. He loves Star Wars too, he loves research, we spent hours over books together. And he’s a fox, like me. Well, not like me. I’m a born kitsune, for Stiles it’s… it’s kind of a remnant of having been possessed by a Nogitsune.”
“He survived a possession?” Chris raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“It… It was rough,” Kira nodded slowly, mood dampened and reaching out to take Allison’s hand. “But he managed to hold onto his humanity through the matebond. Even before finding his soulmate, he says that the bond saved his life.”
“Then that soulmate of his can’t be all bad,” Peter offered with a soft smile.
Kira offered a half shrug. “He’s just… He’s kind of sleazy? Manipulative. And it feels like he’s taking advantage of Stiles. I know that soulmates share everything and I know that Stiles, he always takes care of everyone, you know. We all live in his mansion, because he insisted. He is always there for everyone, spending his money to help everyone out.”
“And you think that his soulmate is taking advantage of that?” Erica asked slowly.
Kira remained quiet for a long moment. “I know how it sounds. Especially with how much Stiles wants to take care of others. There is just something… I can’t put my finger on it, but something feels off. The first time Stiles spent a lot of money on him, buying him a new car, there was such a look on Theo’s face… he was pleased. But not happy, eager, loving that his soulmate was taking care of him – the way I felt when Malia first fixed my car – it was… calculating. Like he’d gotten the payoff he had anticipated. And it rubbed me the wrong way?”
The Hale Pack didn’t comment on that, to their credit. Kira knew how it sounded. But Stiles was like a brother to her, she wanted to protect him, wanted him to be happy. She tensed a little.
“I don’t think Theo makes him happy,” Kira whispered when she realized. “That is the big thing that’s off. Stiles is working so hard to please Theo but I don’t think he is getting the same out of it. I don’t think Theo puts the same… care and dedication to this that Stiles is. Not monetarily, but just… being there for him. He uses Stiles’ trauma to his advantage, but he doesn’t comfort Stiles about it the way Stiles deserves. And it feels… wrong.”
“It sounds wrong,” Boyd offered after a moment. “If Erica or Isaac had been through something like that, I’d do everything in my power to be there for them and help them through it.”
He had an arm around each of his soulmates, a hand squeezing Isaac’s neck, the other playing with Erica’s curls. Erica smiled at that and leaned in to kiss Boyd softly. Kira nodded and bit her lip. She felt the same way. If it were Malia or Allison, she would want to be there for them and she would also encourage them to be with the people who loved them.
“What do you mean he uses it to his advantage?” Chris wanted to know.
“Stiles blames himself for it and instead of… easing that blame, and encouraging him to lean onto us – his pack and family – Theo is… playing on those insecurities and he’s using it to isolate Stiles, to make him rely more on Theo than anyone else,” Kira explained.
There were frowns on the packs’ faces and Kira ducked her head a little. She knew this was a tricky topic, especially with shifters, who did value their mates so very much.
“Sometimes,” Chris spoke carefully. “A shifter’s attachment to their mate can be… overwhelming. What comes off as isolating to you might just be Theo’s attachment to his mate and need to always be close to Stiles. I know Peter barely let me out of sight after we first met.”
Peter gave an offended huff at that. Kira just smiled tight-lipped and nodded. She didn’t know how to put into words that there was a difference, to how it felt. But maybe they were right. Maybe she just didn’t understand it. Looking at Allison and Malia, she couldn’t imagine soulmates not being everything for someone. Surely Theo would cherish and value Stiles above all else too, right? She was just not seeing it, because some soulmates were more private about these things. Right?
/break\
Kira was napping on top of Malia when there was hesitant knocking on the door. More knocking, when nobody opened the door. She cracked an eye open and shot Isaac a look on the other couch. He looked at her incredulously and motioned at his college work in front of him. She just smiled sweetly at him until he huffed and got up, throwing his hands up in the air.
“Who are you?” Isaac asked as soon as he opened the door.
“Stiles. I think you have my Kira. Since you refuse to return her, I’m here for visitation.”
Kira’s eyes widened and she sat up so abruptly, it had Malia grunt as she got a knee in the stomach. Kira smiled apologetically at her mate before running up to the door, where she received a deadpan glare from Isaac that clearly conveyed ‘So why did I have to get up to begin with’. Stiles grinned when he saw her and opened his arms wide for her to hug him.
“What are you doing here, Stiles?” Kira asked with a gasp.
“Well. We theoretically live together but I haven’t seen you in six days, so I figured I’d check if you’re still alive,” Stiles chuckled as Kira pulled him into the house. “I see you live. Good.”
Kira flushed a little. Had it really been that long since she’d last been at the pack mansion…? By the time the two of them entered the living room, the entire Hale Pack had gathered in it, clearly drawn out of their respective rooms or wherever they had been by their curiosity.
“Uhm,” Kira motioned around a little. “You know Malia and Allison. These are Boyd, Erica, Isaac, Chris and Peter. Everyone, this is Stiles.”
“So you’re the people who keep stealing Kira,” Stiles cocked an eyebrow and grinned a little.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize it’s been that long since I’ve been at the mansion,” Kira sighed.
“So you are Kira’s rich and supposedly famous best friend,” Erica pushed past Kira. “Hi. What exactly do you do? Because Kira always just blushes and ducks her head. Not helpful.”
Stiles looked at her with sparkling eyes. “I’m the star model of Neckz ‘n Throats.”
Erica narrowed her eyes for a moment before they widened. “Oh yeah, I’ve totally seen your face on the cover before when I walked past that. The moles are a tell-tale.”
“Signature,” Stiles grinned and motioned at his face.
“So you’re a porn star?” Isaac asked before pausing. “Not judging, just curious.”
“Soft porn,” Stiles tilted his head and shrugged. “Werewolf porn is kinda Victorian. Just that instead of a flash of ankle, there’s gotta be a flash of neck. Scandalous.”
He grinned cheekily and Peter huffed amused. “Would you like to stay for dinner, Stiles? It’ll be ready in half an hour. We certainly have enough to feed you too.”
Stiles blinked and looked a little thrown for a moment. “I… I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“You’re not intruding. My husband offered,” Chris corrected. “And he is a damn good cook.”
“Flattery will get you anything, dear,” Peter smiled dark-eyed at Chris, kissing him.
“Well then, I guess I’m taking you up on the offer,” Stiles smiled thinly.
/break\
Stiles had only come to the Hale House because he hadn’t seen Kira in days. At first, he’d thought it was due to his own work schedule, but when he asked Lydia when she’d last seen Kira, the banshee had also drawn a blank. Scott had shrugged and said she was probably spending time with her soulmates. Of course he would. Ever since him and Lydia had found out they were soulmates, they’d been inseparable. Stiles shouldn’t sound bitter about that. He had his soulmate too.
“Dinner was absolutely delicious, Alpha Hale,” Stiles smiled as he helped clear the table.
“Peter,” Peter corrected him. “And thank you. There is dessert too, courtesy of Boyd.”
Stiles hadn’t even meant to stay for dinner, but when an Alpha werewolf invited one into their den for dinner, it’d be rude to say no. And though Stiles was plenty rude, that wasn’t his brand of rude. Food had always been one of his love languages, so to him it felt incredibly insulting to decline someone’s offer of food. When he saw the delicious-looking brownies, he couldn’t say no either.
“You know, I’ve been wondering whether or not Kira has moved in here too,” Peter quipped casually while he started plating dessert. “So it’s not just a feeling that she’s here all the time.”
“I mean, I can’t fault her for wanting to live with her soulmates,” Stiles chuckled amused. “I just would have liked a note about her moving out first, you know what I mean?”
“Absolutely,” Peter agreed. “As I told her, I would like to be informed when someone moves in.”
Stiles and Peter shared a laugh and went to the living room, where Kira was looking very guilty and flustered, clearly having heard them both. Stiles sat down next to her and nudged her gently to show that he wasn’t mad or anything. He was sad, yes. He missed her. She’d kind of become his best friend. Scott was so preoccupied with being Alpha, with Lydia, with school as he was training to become a vet. But Kira somehow always was there. After the possession, Stiles found himself seeking her out even more. He was happy for her for having found her soulmates, of course he was. And with both Allison and Malia being part of the Hale Pack, it made sense Kira was the one to spend more time with them than the other way around. Stiles was just… lonely.
“Da—amn,” Stiles gasped around a mouthful of brownie. “Oh, that is so, so good.”
“Thank you,” Erica chimed with a bright smile.
Stiles frowned confused, pointing at the boy next to her. “I thought he made it?”
“I did,” Boyd smiled, a fond expression on his face.
“Erica and Boyd are mates and Erica is just super proud of him at all times,” Isaac snorted. “Basically, she thanked you for praising her mate. How I got stuck with two disgustingly sappy soulmates like that, I have no idea.”
“The universe was balancing things out,” Erica shrugged, a cheeky grin on her lips. “It redistributed. I got all the horny you didn’t get and Boyd got all the sappy you didn’t get.”
Stiles blinked blankly at them and Isaac had mercy on him. “I’m aroace. They’re my soulmates, but I’m neither romantically nor sexually involved with them, hence the…”
He waved a hand to indicate what Erica had just said. When it caught up with Stiles, he burst into laughter. Okay, that was funny. Huh. He’d never met platonic soulmates before. Especially not in a triad, with two of them having entered a matebond. Stiles frowned curiously.
“How does that… No, that’s rude to ask,” Stiles wrinkled his nose. “But like, do you ever feel… left out? Probably also rude to ask. I just… Before I got my own Kira, we were kind of a set of three. Me and my other two best friends, who are soulmates. And I was always kinda… the third wheel to their relationship. They went on dates and I was the awkward third wheel left behind.”
Isaac tilted his head and gave a little shrug, not looking offended. “Sure, they have their date nights that I don’t tag along with and do… other things I have no desire to be a part of. But Boyd and I are part of our university’s lacrosse team together, we do that together, train for it together. That’s our thing. Erica and I go party and dance together, which is something Boyd doesn’t like. They may be in a romantic relationship, but they still make time for me just as much.”
“Maybe it’s different because we’re soulmates?” Erica suggested thoughtfully. “Sure, Isaac isn’t involved in the sexy times, but he’s still as much my soulmate as Boyd. He’s as much my priority as Boyd. I always have time for my soulmates.”
Stiles furrowed his brows. Right. Because a soulmate would always make time for their soulmate…
I don’t have time for this now, Stiles. Why do you always require so much attention?
I’m going out with Scott today, you have to figure out what to do on your own.
I already ate. We can just heat this up tomorrow. It’s not a big deal, Stiles.
“Nah,” Malia looked at Erica. “Just because I found Allison didn’t mean I stopped spending time with you. I think his friends just suck.”
“Malia,” Chris heaved a very deep sigh. “We talked about this. That was rude.”
“And I think it hurt your soulmate’s feelings too,” Peter added with a look at Kira.
Both Malia and Stiles turned to look at Kira at that. The kitsune sat a little hunched over and guilty.
“You’re literally here because I haven’t been by in over a week,” Kira pointed out softly. “Because I’ve been ditching you to spend time with my soulmates. I’m being a bad friend too.”
Stiles’ eyes softened, while Malia nuzzled Kira’s neck. “It’s okay, Ki. I know that’s not it.”
“What do you mean?” Kira looked up at him in confusion.
“I mean, of course do you like to spend time with your mates, duh,” Stiles laughed in a stilted manner. “But I know the main reason you’ve been avoiding the mansion – which you have been referring to as ‘the mansion’ and not ‘home’, if I might note – is Theo. You don’t like him. Don’t look so surprised, that’s really not that hard to figure out.”
“I just…” Kira bit her lips with a shrug. “I think you deserve to be treated better.”
“Eh,” Stiles shrugged at that. “I’m a manipulative asshole, figures my soulmate’s one too.”
“But not toward you,” Kira blurted out firmly, causing not just Stiles to freeze. “Erica and Isaac are both evil pranksters, but they don’t hurt each other with it, they enable each other and work together – and Boyd’s the quieter voice of reason to ground them. But Theo is an asshole to you. He manipulates you. And that can’t… That doesn’t feel right, Stiles.”
Stiles ground his teeth together and looked away from her. “I don’t know what to tell you, Kira. Fate decided it’s what I deserve, I don’t think it’s up to you to disagree.”
He wasn’t stupid. He knew that Theo used him, used his fame to launch and further his own career, used Stiles’ money and connections. But a the end of the day, wasn’t that what soulmates were? Doing everything for each other? Stiles did that. Stiles was a good soulmate. Things were just uneven by nature, because Stiles was the world-famous celebrity, the millionaire. Of course would he be giving more than Theo. That was normal, wasn’t it?
“I should get going,” Stiles muttered and got up, though he paused for a moment. “You know that if you want to officially move out, you can. You don’t owe us to stay somewhere that’s not home to you. Say the word and I’ll call a moving company for you.”
“Your kindness is appreciated, but as the Alpha whose pack she would be joining, I’d insist on paying for the move,” Peter said with a polite smile. “As a first act of providing for my Beta.”
“Of course,” Stiles tilted his head as he looked at the handsome wolf. “I didn’t mean any insult or anything, I just, you know… have the money, so I like to spend it on my friends.”
“We have the money too,” Peter assured him, the smile turning more amused. “We may not live in a mansion with a pool, but the Hale Pack is… very, very well-off.”
Stiles raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Again, didn’t mean any offense or to imply you can’t take care of your pack, Alpha Hale. Guess it really is time I get going.”
Peter heaved a sigh and got up to approach him, resting a hand on Stiles’ upper arm for a moment. “I didn’t take offense. You should just… consider that you don’t have to foot every bill.”
Stiles hummed amused. He didn’t remember the last time that had been the case. He was the one with the millions on the bank-account, of course did he pay for dinner or cars or anything. The pack saw him out and Kira hugged him very tightly, apologizing again.
/break\
“He’s beautiful,” Peter whispered softly, completely mesmerized.
Chris heaved a sigh, knowing even without looking what his husband was looking at. Who his husband was looking at. After actually meeting Stiles, both found themselves curious to check out the model’s work. That had been three hours ago. While undeniably beautiful, Chris had had his fill at one point. At least for the night, anyway. Peter, however, couldn’t tear his eyes away from the long span of Stiles’ pale neck. Walking over to Peter, Chris sat down next to him.
“I think it’s bad if we start lusting after the friend of our daughters’ soulmate,” Chris pointed out lowly. “Especially since he’s a celebrity, and has found his own soulmate.”
They’d dabbled in threeways before, picking up a pretty boy at a bar. But they never messed with people who already found their soulmate. Always only the cute, young ones who were still searching and didn’t want to stay virgins until they found their soulmates.
“I don’t know, maybe a different were moving in on his soulmate will kick this Theo into gear,” Peter quipped. “How do you have a soulmate this pretty and powerful and don’t worship the ground he walks on and make him feel as cherished as he deserves?”
Chris wrapped his arms around Peter, knowing his wolf wasn’t serious. Would never make a move on someone else’s soulmate. Though Chris also knew that Peter was serious on his critique. When Kira had first voiced her worries to them, they’d thought she was exaggerating something, or missing something – Chris’ own soulmate was a manipulative asshole, as Chris himself had told Peter many times in the past – but he was soft and loving with Chris. And then they got to meet Stiles, a couple days later. There was something tense about the boy, sharpened. His reactions to the things they said and talked about made Chris feel inclined to agree with Kira, even without having met Theo himself. Which was just strange. There was no such thing as neglect between soulmates – it went against the entire concept of being soulmates. Complimenting each other, making each other happy, being a whole together. That didn’t work with one person mistreating the other.
“We could invite the boy over again,” Chris suggested softly. “Get to know him better. Get more of a feel for what’s going on with him. Maybe we are all off-base on this.”
“I sure hope so,” Peter huffed and clicked to the next image. “Look at that boy.”
Stiles was turned to the side, looking at the camera with hooded eyes. He was shirtless – which was the most undressed they got in these magazines – cupping his ribs, deliberately covering them. Chris had to assume that was where his soulmark sat, then. There was something suggestive and forbidden about that, but it also left the fantasy open that the mark hidden from sight was one’s own mark, the come hither in Stiles’ eyes making the viewer hopeful.
“He’s really good,” Chris muttered, his throat dry. “His eyes are so expressive, you really…”
“You’re really drawn in,” Peter confirmed, nodding. “He’s talented.”
/break\
Stiles was tired and exhausted and frustrated. He’d been on a long, draining shoot in Kyoto for the past week and when he got home, there was no food in the fridge and nobody home. When Theo finally got home, he acted like it wasn’t a big deal that Stiles had been gone for a week. It wasn’t, he really was just too clingy, wasn’t he. But what did piss him off was when Theo started acting like Stiles hadn’t worked his ass off, like Stiles had just been on a vacation – he shouldn’t act so exhausted, he should be up to going out with Theo and the others. All Stiles wanted was to curl together in bed and maybe get held by his soulmate. When the rest of the pack headed out, he declined, too tired to socialize or drink, just wanting a lazy night in.
The mansion was too big and too quiet when everyone else was out though. He kept tossing and turning until he gave up and climbed out of his bed in frustration. He haphazardly got dressed and went to Roscoe to drive to the Hale House before he could talk himself out of it. Surely Kira would be happy to see him, even if he accidentally woke any of the Hales and annoyed them.
It had been a couple weeks since Stiles had first been at the Hale House, to see Kira. Only days later, Kira officially moved out. For that, the entire Hale Pack came to the mansion to help her pack up and it was all very warm and playful – even with the yelling and arguing. Like a family. And ever since, he’d gotten to know them all better. Kira spent more time with Stiles – outside the mansion. Her soulmates often tagged along, Boyd, Erica and Isaac did too. Stiles had been over at the Hale House for dinner a couple of times too. So it’d be okay to drop by, right?
“I know it’s late, I’m so-,” Stiles started when the door opened after he knocked on it.
“Batman!” Erica yelped, interrupting him and hugging him. “Guys! It’s Stiles!”
Stiles blinked as he got pulled into the house, finding the pack already gathered in the living room, apparently in the middle of a movie night. Peter had paused the movie and they all turned toward the doorway to watch Stiles be dragged into the room.
“Why are you here?” Peter asked with a confused frown.
Stiles winced at that and ruffled his hair, just to have Chris cut in with a grunt. “He means in the states. Erica said you’re only getting back tomorrow afternoon.”
They knew that. Why did they know that? Sure, Stiles had casually given Erica the dates and times for his departure and arrival. When she’d asked him to go out and he had to cancel because he’d already have been in Kyoto that day, so she’d asked him when he was leaving and getting back. He just kind of hadn’t expected her to remember them. Or to tell the rest of the pack.
“Does that mean we don’t have to finish the stupid banner?” Isaac asked with a relieved groan.
“Stupid banner?” Stiles blinked confused.
“Erica insisted we make a proper banner to pick you up from the airport,” Boyd explained.
“Why would you have picked me up from the airport?” Stiles asked, even more confused.
“Because you said nobody was going to pick you up since everyone would be at work,” Erica replied, looking at him like he was being silly, before smacking his arm. “You should have texted me that you were back earlier, we would have come to pick you up.”
“I’m sorry,” Stiles frowned at her. “I didn’t mean to make you fell like you had to pick me up, I just told you because I was kinda annoyed. It’s okay, I often take a driver, for things.”
“Just how jet-legged are you?” Erica huffed as she nudged him toward the couch. “You didn’t make me feel like I had to pick you up. You were gone for a whole week! I wanted early access to you IRL again. Picking you up would have been fully selfish.”
Stiles let himself be pushed down onto the couch, between Erica and Peter. Mostly because he was confused, tired and yeah maybe also a little jet-legged. Yawning, he stretched wide and let himself sink into the incredibly comfortable couch. The Hale House had this lowered into the floor round couch thing, that was like a nest. Stiles liked to tease the wolves about it, but it was honestly really, really comfortable. Erica tucked her feet under Stiles’ thighs when she sat down again.
“So—o?” Erica asked, staring at him.
“...So?” Stiles repeated confused, brain still a little sluggish from the flight.
“How was it?!” Erica asked, throwing her hands in the air.
“We were texting while I was gone,” Stiles pointed out.
“Some,” Erica shrugged. “Not all. The guy you were paired with for that kimono shoot was so hot, I wanna know what his skin tasted like. For example.”
That startled a laugh out of him, but then he became acutely aware of the rest of the pack in the room. “It’s okay, I don’t wanna bore any of you guys.”
“I don’t mind,” Boyd shrugged. “I don’t know anything about modeling.”
“It’s fine, I mean, all I do is smile into the camera, it’s not really work,” Stiles dismissed.
“I don’t believe that,” Chris argued in a serious voice. “We checked out your work and what you do is more than just smile into the camera, you play with it. It’s acting, but without the benefit of moving and speaking, and yet you still sell a story with it. It’s complex. It’s hard work.”
Stiles swallowed hard at that. Nobody had ever spoken about his work like that. Most people laughed it off and joked that Stiles was making easy money. Or they went with the judgment about his profession, trying to shame him for selling his body. He stretched again, his back cracking this time, finally. Even first class didn’t make flying for hours comfortable for the boy who couldn’t sit still. He gave a soft sigh when a hand rested in his neck and the aches melted away.
“Better?” Peter asked, not removing his hand.
Stiles cracked an eye open and looked at the black veins crawling up the man’s arm. “Yeah. Thanks. I can never sleep on a plane, I keep turning and squirming and end up stiff and achy.”
“Sounds to me like you should be in bed, having your mate give you a massage and drawing your pain,” Peter noted lightly, giving Stiles’ neck another squeeze.
“The pack went out for drinks,” Stiles hummed, eyes closing as he felt sluggish from the drain.
“...Without you?” Allison asked baffled.
Stiles gave a half-shrug. “They already had plans and they didn’t know I’d get back today.”
“Why are you back today?” Kira asked. “I’ve seen you stay longer because there needed to be reshoots but I’ve never seen you return home early.”
“Someone took offense to the void kitsune,” Stiles drawled with an annoyed deadpan. “It happens. Either people are really into it in a monsterfucker way, drawn in by the dark and edgy or whatever, or they fear it because they don’t understand it.”
“I’m sorry, Stiles,” Kira stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
She made a soft chirping noise and Stiles chirped back, rubbing his cheek against hers and relaxing some more. They started asking questions about the shoot and about Kyoto in general and he gladly answered them, until things drifted off. Or he drifted off. One of those. He just knew he was warm and comfortable and not feeling lonely or quiet.
/break\
“Put your wallet away, darling. You’re not paying for dinner.”
Peter offered the most charming smile as he said that, his eyes on Stiles’ long-fingered hand (he had such pretty, elegant hands, Peter would love to feel those fingers on him). Stiles looked up at him doe-eyed, his wallet half-open. They were out at the best and most expensive sushi restaurants in Los Angeles, celebrating the end of finals for the college students among the pack.
Stiles had accompanied them after Erica used the puppy-dog eyes on him, insisting. It was hard to convince Stiles to tag along to ‘pack’ activities – yes, they were activities the pack did together but that didn’t necessarily make them actual pack activities, they just liked to spend time together, so Stiles was more than welcome to join them. It helped when the invitation came from a Beta.
“I’m not going to pay for dinner, Peter,” Stiles assured him softly. “Learned my lesson about trying to pay for stuff for your pack while you’re around.”
Yes, Peter and Stiles had had quite a few battles for the bill in recent weeks. While Stiles seemed to have learned one lesson, clearly Peter still had to teach the boy some more. He frowned at Stiles.
“You’re not paying for your own dinner either,” Peter pointed out. “Dinner is on me.”
“I don’t need you to pay for me,” Stiles sighed and rolled his eyes. “I can pay myself.”
“Being invited to something isn’t about whether you can pay or not,” Kira pointed out. “When you invite the McCall Pack out, they would also all be more than capable to pay for dinner themselves. I have been able to pay for my own dinner. But I let you pay, because I know food’s one of your biggest love languages, after sharing knowledge.”
Stiles furrowed his brows and looked from his wallet to Peter, like he was trying to figure out why Peter would want to pay for him. While Peter managed to suppress the sigh, Chris didn’t. His husband next to him reached for his whiskey to take a drink, eyes on Stiles.
“I’m not pack though,” Stiles argued. “And I’m fine paying for myself. I always pay.”
“Stiles, put the damn wallet away before I take it,” Chris sighed. “If you’re not letting Peter pay because you think this is a wolf or pack-thing, then I’m paying for your food.”
Stiles started sputtering, looking between Chris and Peter. Smiling pleased, Peter pulled his husband into a kiss. Ever since Stiles had first come to their home, they had gotten to know the boy better and had learned that he was clearly not used to people doing something nice for him, much less paying for him. Yes, Stiles was filthy-rich, but Peter still thought the bill shouldn’t always fall to him. There was no reason a well-earning member of the pack couldn’t pay for a trip to the bar. Especially since he wasn’t the Alpha of the pack.
“Okay, okay,” Stiles heaved a sigh and put his wallet away again.
Peter preened at the sweet scent of victory. Because Stiles smelt positively delicious in that moment. All soft, sweet and happy, even though he also seemed a bit confused and frustrated.
/break\
Chris was making crepes. He had made a bit of a mess so he took off his shirt to wash out the dough stain right away. Which was when he heard a yelp and then a squeak. Looking up, he smiled amused at the flustered kitsune in the doorway, covering her eyes.
“...Kira, it’s okay. I’m just shirtless. I’m sure you’ve seen shirtless men before.”
Kira still flushed even as she removed her hand. “Sorry. Reflex. Wow.”
“Wow?” Chris repeated, even more amused, raising his eyebrows.
“I mean, I’m a lesbian, but I can see the appeal,” Kira motioned at Chris’ chest-area. “Lucky Peter.”
Chris laughed and shook his head at the girl, before he turned his back on her to focus on the stain. Suddenly, there was another yelp. Really? Was his back as flustering for her as his chest.
“Kira! Are you alright?” Malia’s voice was a growl when she came barreling into the room. “Your heart-rate is through the roof, what happened?”
That had Chris frown too and he turned to look at the girl. Kira looked absolutely shocked. Not flustered and embarrassed, but like she’d seen a ghost or something. Peter and Isaac came to join them, clearly also drawn in by Kira’s heart-rate. Boyd and Erica were out on a brunch date and Allison had run off early to run some errands.
“Is… That’s your… soulmark?” Kira asked in a soft, stunned voice.
Chris grinned a little and craned his neck, even though he couldn’t see it without a mirror. “Yeah.”
He could see his husband’s hand wandering down to his own hip-bone, cupping his own soulmark through his clothes. It was circular, a tree with its branches atop and its roots twisted into Celtic knots. On one side of the tree’s bark sat a silver wolf, just like the Valet family amulet, representing Chris, on the other side was the red-eyed black wolf, representing Peter’s full-shift.
“That’s Stiles’ mark,” Kira said wide-eyed.
“What,” Isaac asked, confused and surprised.
But Kira was already scrambling away, leaving the rest of her pack in confusion. Chris searched for his mate’s face, looking at Peter in confusion, but the Alpha looked as confused. Finally, Kira returned, with her laptop in hand, scrolling through an internet search.
“Here!” Kira yelped triumphantly, turning her laptop toward them.
It wasn’t a candid, it was clearly a paparazzi picture, but it clearly captured a shirtless Stiles, without Stiles covering up his soulmark. And Kira was right. That was Peter and Chris’ mark. Both Peter and Chris stared wide-eyed at it, neither knowing what to say to that.
“...Wait, does that mean dad and Chris are Stiles and Theo’s soulmates?” Malia asked confused.
“No,” Peter hummed and shook his head. “There has never been a documentation of four soulmates. Triads are common, two people are the norm. There are no four people sets of soulmates.”
“What does that mean?” Isaac asked curiously.
Chris wondered about that too. What was the implication of this…?
/break\
The mood at the Hale House was weird when Stiles entered. Everyone kept staring at him. There was something strange in Peter’s eyes when Stiles found the Alpha Pair in the living room. Stiles couldn’t name that expression and it unsettled him a little. Out of the corner of his eyes, Stiles saw the rest of the Hale Pack clear out of the living room. Leaving Stiles alone with Chris and Peter.
“...Am I in trouble?” Stiles asked with a frown. “Because I kinda feel like I was just called into the principal’s office and all my classmates scrambled to not get in the way.”
“You’re not in trouble, sweetheart,” Peter reassured him.
Just to make sure, Stiles shot Chris a look, who just huffed. “You’re not in trouble, baby.”
And okay, that was new. Peter was very casual with his use of petnames and though flustering at first, Stiles had gotten used to them by now. But Chris hadn’t. And especially not something like baby. Stiles frowned, even as he tried to fight the blush and the warmth in his belly.
“What do you know about fake soulmarks?” Peter asked, all business all of a sudden.
Crossing his arms, Stiles sat down in front of them on the sofa, facing them with a slightly annoyed edge to his expression. “It can be done. With varying difficulty depending on who you want to deceive. A human with no magic means? Easy, literally a tattoo and some well-coordinated ‘coincidences’ – research into what they like, where they like to go – and bahm.”
Peter pursed his lips and leaned back. “Someone with more involvement with the supernatural?”
“Again, depends on the level of involvement. You can’t fake it with a were, period. A were feels inherently drawn to their soulmates on a much more primal level than a human. The wolf knows, as the saying goes,” Stiles tilted his head. “You can fake it with a human, but if the human has magical means to test if it’s just a tattoo or a soulmark…”
For a long moment, Stiles paused and regarded them both. “It’s not just a tattoo.”
“Pardon?” Peter raised one confused eyebrow.
“Theo’s mark. It’s not just a tattoo,” Stiles clarified, rolling his eyes at the looks of surprise on their faces. “What? Oh, come on. I know Kira’s dislike of Theo is contagious to this entire pack. Hell, I disliked him when I first met him. Didn’t trust him one lick when he came in, saving the day, all charming stage smile and shit. And then we happen to find out that we’re soulmates? Nah, that felt way too much like it was orchestrated. Of course did I get that checked. And not with our Emissary, because I trust Deaton as far as I can throw him. I went to my ex’s Emissary and asked Marin to run all the standard tests. The mark passed them.”
There was a long stretch of silence in which both Chris and Peter just stared at him. Yes, he had seen this conversation coming a mile ago. Kira never hid her concerns, and Stiles appreciated that. But he also knew that they rubbed off on the Hale Pack. So it was always only a matter of time before the overprotective Alpha Pair would bring it up with him too.
“Does that mean it’s real?” Chris asked, without judgment but just genuine curiosity. “You said it passed them. You said it’s not a tattoo. But you haven’t really said that it’s real.”
That had Stiles tense a little, scowling at the man. “I know there’s ways to create a deep fake that will mirror a soul-bond enough to pass most basic tests, it’s made easier when both are members of the same pack because the magic can use the pack-bond as a base. There’s no definite way to proof whether it’s real or fake.”
“There is,” Chris said calmly. “By finding your real soulmates.”
“Sure,” Stiles snorted. “Guess that would be one way to confirm.”
Peter stood slowly and then pushed up his shirt to reveal his hip-bone. The v of his hips, the happy trail, the toned skin, it was all very distracting. But not as distracting as the mark on his hip.
“The silver wolf is Christopher, the Argent wolf hunter. The red-eyed wolf is me,” Peter said. “If Theo is your soulmate, how does this mark reflect the two of you?”
“We always assumed the tree signified our pack, the family we forged together,” Chris added. “But Kira, after seeing my mark the other day, said that the tree symbolizes you. Unsure how…”
“I’m a Spark,” Stiles looked up at the man to meet his eyes. “Before I was possessed. I was… My Spark was what the Nogitsune latched onto and fed on, drained it, and it’s how I managed to break the possession. The tree symbolizes my Nemeton, my power.”
Furrowing his brows, Stiles reached out to touch Peter’s soulmark. Teal-colored sparks flew from his fingers and he jolted away in surprise. The Nogitsune had snuffed out his Spark. Stiles had never quite minded, since it had saved his life and he had never really used his magic too much anyway. But since the possession, he hadn’t felt his magic at all.
“I assumed… We went with… The two canines, that the gray one is a coyote, for Theo, and the black one a black fox, like the void kitsune,” Stiles muttered, staring at them. “But they are wolves, aren’t they? The snouts always seemed… not right.”
Stiles swallowed hard and stared at it. This was real, wasn’t it? He’d been trying to ignore his attraction to them for months, thinking something was wrong with it because he had his soulmate, he shouldn’t crave another man’s touch like that. And it wasn’t even just touch. The Hale House felt more like home than the mansion did. Stiles came here when he felt lonely, when things were too quiet, or when he was angry at Theo or the pack. Chris and Peter were the first people who seemed like they wanted to take care of Stiles, but they also knew not to be too overbearing. They’d conceded their kitchen to him to let him cook for the pack in the past and on more than one occasion Peter had actually let Stiles pay for dinner too. Just like Stiles allowed Peter and Chris to pay for his meals or whatever they were doing together. It felt more… even. Balanced.
Without warning, Stiles started laughing, doubling over. “Fuck. I’m such a paranoid fuck and I did everything, I checked, and I still got scammed. I always knew I had to guard my soulmark closely, because there are very literally a million reasons for someone to fake being my soulmate. I always knew that and I was always careful. And I still failed.”
Chris cupped his cheek and made him look up, meeting warm, blue eyes. “You didn’t fail. Wanting to find your soulmate isn’t a failure on your part. C’mere, baby.”
Stiles let himself be pulled into a warm hug. He closed his eyes and gave himself to it. Chris hugs were great. Now Stiles suspected they may be that great because Stiles was literally meant to be in those arms. He turned a little when Peter laid his own arms around them and nosed Stiles’ neck.
“I thought it was a little extreme how protective I felt of you, how angry on your behalf, when you weren’t even part of our pack,” Peter admitted. “But this? This explains it.”
“...Oh, yeah. All the growling you did and the forcible care-taking. That’s like… werewolf instincts. Courting,” Stiles blinked doe-eyed at Peter. “...Does that mean I have to let you pay for more now?”
“Yes,” Peter growled playfully and nipped Stiles’ jaw. “As a fair warning, I will tear his throat out.”
Stiles tensed in their arms and searched Peter’s face. He was met with Alpha-red eyes and fangs.
“He manipulated and used my soulmate,” Peter growled. “I’ll make him regret that.”
The smallest grin spread over Stiles’ lips as he leaned up to kiss Peter. “Only if you let me watch.”
Chris laughed darkly at that and stole a kiss of his own. Stiles melted into it, thinking just how perfectly he fit right here, between them. Because they were his, really his.
~*~ The End ~*~