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Title:<\/strong> Stiles: Private Investigator <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stiles left Brewski\u2019s Coffee sipping his tea, his mind already on what he had to do for the day.<\/p>\n \u201cHey,\u201d With a skip to the side he barely missed wearing the drink, as a man in a grey suit hurried up the sidewalk. \u201cCareful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cApologies,\u201d The man stopped and looked at Stiles in his dark skinny jeans, t-shirt, and converse shoes. \u201cI\u2019m Peter.\u201d He held out a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cStiles,\u201d Bemused he shook Peter\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm,\u201d Peter held his hand caressing the back of it with his thumb. \u201cI have a meeting in twenty minutes or I\u2019d invite you for coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Stiles drew the word out, he wasn\u2019t a stranger to being hit on, but this had to be one of the oddest and intriguing encounters he\u2019d had to date.<\/p>\n \u201cHere,\u201d Peter released his hand and pulled a card out of his wallet, handing it over to Stiles.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks?\u201d Stiles took the card cautiously, seeing Peter Hale, attorney at law, and his phone number. \u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n Juggling his drink Stiles fished out his wallet and handed Peter his card. Just because the interaction was odd, didn\u2019t mean that Stiles wasn\u2019t interested. Peter filled out his suit very nicely.<\/p>\n Peter smiled as he took the card, \u201cMischief Investigations: Stiles Stilinski, Detective\u201d Looking up at Stiles, he smiled wider, \u201cI\u2019ll call you for that coffee Detective, keep your social calendar open.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy social calendar has been collecting dust for some time now,\u201d Stiles says with a laugh, he\u2019s never been one to play hard to get when he sees something he likes. \u201cDon\u2019t you have a meeting?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShit,\u201d Peter looks at his watch and glances at the line in the coffee shop. \u201cYes, I do, but I\u2019m serious Stiles, I will be calling you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI look forward to it.\u201d He tilted his cup in a salute and headed down the sidewalk towards his office.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u201cYes Miss Standish, I\u2019ll look into how to appease brownies right away,\u201d Stiles paused his office phone nestled between his shoulder and ear, before clarifying, \u201cWe are talking about the fairy type of brownie and not the little girls with the cookies right?\u201d He swallowed a laugh at the response, \u201cOf course you know how to deal with annoying little girls, I was just checking.\u201d<\/p>\n He grabbed the coffee pot, pouring the last of the dregs into his mug before adding sugar until it was palatable.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm-hmm,\u201d He agreed with his client, \u201cNo the usual payment should be fine, your tater tot casserole is a culinary masterpiece and would be very much appreciated after the week I had.\u201d He laughed again. \u201cI\u2019ll get right on your brownie problem, I should have something in forty-eight hours,\u201d He nodded again, even though she couldn\u2019t see him, before adding, \u201cOf course, I\u2019ll see you then.\u201d<\/p>\n He dropped the phone from his shoulder into his hand before hanging up and taking a swallow of coffee before grimacing and adding another three spoonfuls of sugar to it.<\/p>\n Stiles added Miss Standish to his appointment book, making a note to do a research dive into brownies before he headed out to her place. Walking around to his desk, he flopped into his chair, tossed his feet up onto his desk, and leaned his head back to think.<\/p>\n Today had started out with his alarm startling him awake from yet another strange dream, then he had met Peter Hale as he\u2019d come out of the coffee shop. That had been a very nice perk to his morning, it had almost completely washed away the discomfort that had been lingering from the dream.<\/p>\n Peter Hale: lawyer, and asshole, to hear the rumors around town anyway. Brother to Talia Hale, who was a well-respected member of the city council, mother and wife.<\/p>\n \u201cPractically perfect in every way,\u201d Stiles muttered, remembering what his mother used to say about Talia Hale. His mother hadn\u2019t hated Talia, she\u2019d just thought that she was a bit over the top and that anything that shiny on the surface was sure to have something hidden underneath.<\/p>\n His mother was why he\u2019d become a private investigator, most people thought that it was because of his father, but if that was true, he\u2019d be on the force. No, his mother taught him to question everything and that what was on the surface was often only on the surface.<\/p>\n He\u2019d spent his whole life looking behind curtains and in cabinets, there was no way he\u2019d be happy with the constraints of traditional law enforcement, unfortunately, that had led to some friction between him and his father.<\/p>\n They loved each other, that would never be in doubt. Noah Stilinski just couldn\u2019t understand his son the way that Claudia had.<\/p>\n Stiles rolled his head on the back of his chair and looked out of his office window, turning his mind forcefully from thoughts of his father and back to the Hales, specifically Peter Hale and his glorious ass.<\/p>\n He startled upright when his office phone rang, \u201cFuck, shit,\u201d He said as he managed to spill most of the coffee still in his cup down the front of his shirt.<\/p>\n Setting the now empty cup down on the desk, he held his cold damp shirt away from his chest, pulling it off and over his head as he reached for the still ringing phone. \u201cMischief Investigations, Stiles Stilinski speaking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHello Stiles,\u201d Peter\u2019s voice purred in his ear through the phone line, \u201cMiss me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Stiles said, fighting to keep the smile on his face from his voice, \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou,\u201d Peter sounded baffled for a moment, \u201cYou\u2019re having me on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou aren\u2019t forgotten very often are you Peter Hale, are you?\u201d Stiles laughed at him, \u201cI haven\u2019t had time to miss you, I\u2019ve been working,\u201d He looked down at the shirt in his hand. \u201cAnd spilling coffee on myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you alright,\u201d Peter actually sounded concerned for him, it was kind of sweet.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine, the coffee was cold,\u201d Stiles laughed again, \u201cWhich might have been worse, it was cold and sticky, not very pleasant, luckily I live above the office.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose I should let you go so you can get out of those clothes then,\u201d Peter said and Stiles could hear the dirty smirk in his voice.<\/p>\n \u201cNot really,\u201d Stiles replied, \u201cI already took the shirt off and the phone is cordless, it can travel up the stairs just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat is quite the image I have now sweetheart,\u201d Peter said, \u201cThat\u2019s a cruel thing to do to a man all the way across town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you wouldn\u2019t be seeing anything anyway,\u201d Stiles said with a laugh, \u201cNot without a first date at least.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlaying hard to get sweetheart?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNah,\u201d Stiles said, \u201cThat\u2019s not my game, I\u2019m just a classy kind of girl.\u201d He walked to his front door and flipped his \u2018Gone to Lunch\u2019 sign over, locked the door, and pulled the blinds.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Peter said suddenly.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm?\u201d Stiles double-checked that the office coffee machine was off and headed through the door that led up the back hall and then another doorway that led to the stairs that would eventually take him to his apartment. \u201cHeading up to my apartment to change and get something to eat, why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou really live above your office?\u201d Peter sounded slightly aghast at the thought.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I do,\u201d Stiles said, unlocking and opening the door to his apartment, shutting it behind him with his foot. \u201cI\u2019m not going to rent someplace else when I own the building here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou own…\u201d Peter stopped, \u201cof course you own the building.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I do,\u201d Stiles said with a grin, he dropped his shirt in the laundry basket and grabbed another out of his closet, quickly pulling it on he placed the phone on speaker and set it on the handset in the kitchen while he started preparing his lunch.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to be full of surprises aren\u2019t you sweetheart?\u201d Peter said, almost as if he were talking to himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI do try,\u201d Stiles said with a laugh as he pulled the ingredients for a salad out of his fridge. \u201cLife would be boring if it got predictable wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou could be right?\u201d Peter said, there was some sort of noise in the background and he let out a loud sigh. \u201cI have to go, my next appointment has arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShame, it was nice talking to you Peter,\u201d Stiles said, trying not to drop the bottle of balsamic dressing that he had balanced on the container of chopped romaine. \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll call you next time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou could do that,\u201d Peter said, the talking in the background was getting louder, \u201cOr I could pick you up tomorrow for dinner at around 6?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm,\u201d Stiles thought for a minute, \u201cI could probably do that, so long as you don\u2019t want anything too fancy. My suits are all at the cleaners.\u201d<\/p>\n Peter laughed, \u201cI think we can do casual just fine,\u201d there was a question in the background, \u201cI\u2019ve got to go. I look forward to tomorrow night Stiles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSame here,\u201d Stiles said, setting his lunch ingredients on the counter and staring at the phone, feeling a smile stretching his face wide for a moment before he reached over to hit the button to hang up. \u201cFuck.\u201d<\/p>\n He giggled and then slapped his hands over his mouth, \u201cNever do that again Stiles,\u201d He muttered into his hands, still feeling a little giddy.<\/p>\n He knew what he looked like and he\u2019d had quite a bit of interest once he\u2019d left the swamp that was high school for the wide and diverse population of college, but sometimes, even in his late twenties he still got a thrill when someone as hot as Peter Hale showed the kind of interest like he was.<\/p>\n Stiles had managed a cool bemusement that morning, mostly because he figured that Peter\u2019s interest was transitory and it was gratifying to know it wasn\u2019t. It was a boost to the ego, not that Stiles\u2019 was unhealthy in the least, but he liked to feed it regularly.<\/p>\n He found himself reaching for his cellphone and hitting the speed dial button.<\/p>\n The husky voice on the other end was brisk, \u201cWhat do you want Stilinksi?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlways so charming Reyes, a regular lady of the manor,\u201d Stiles said, bobbling the phone for a moment before giving in and setting it on the counter to turn his Bluetooth on.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I wanted to be a lady in a manor, I would be,\u201d She snarked, \u201cBoyd would get me one, but they\u2019d probably make me wear long skirts and drink tea and shit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe horror,\u201d Stiles said with a laugh, as he dumped some of the romaine into a bowl with some mozzarella pearls, then he set about slicing some cherry tomatoes in half.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what did you call for?\u201d He heard the sounds of the shop behind her shut off, so figured that she\u2019d gone into the office of the auto shop\u2019s garage to hear better. \u201cYou don\u2019t normally call during working hours unless you need work on that travesty you call a vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeave the jeep alone,\u201d Stiles said automatically, he\u2019d long ago stopped using it for more than the occasional drive. He\u2019d had Erica and Boyd overhaul the engine completely a couple years back and it ran like a dream, but he was loath for something to happen to one of the last tangible connections he had to his mother. \u201cI don\u2019t need any vehicular assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen you need Boyd\u2019s help and you want me to sweet-talk him?\u201d Erica said and Stiles could almost picture her in her shop coveralls with her blond hair piled up on top of her head, covered in her headscarf for the day, leaning against the desk. Because Erica never sat when she could lean.<\/p>\n \u201cNaw, I can just do it myself or sweet talk Jordan,\u201d Stiles laughed, his father thought that he had Stiles locked out of the department\u2019s computers and would be shocked to discover all the workarounds that he had, ones that very rarely included using the deputies that worked for the department.<\/p>\n It was part of their conflict, Stiles supposed, Noah often thought that Stiles used the people he called friends in an expedient manner, rather than the reality where he protected them as much as possible from the fallout.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Stiles,\u201d There was real relief in Erica\u2019s voice this time.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on Catwoman?\u201d Stiles was getting a knot in his stomach now and he pushed the half-made salad away.<\/p>\n \u201cYour father had someone come in and do an audit of the department,\u201d She began, breaking off when Stiles let out a string of curses, \u201cYeah, I know, but anyway, the report came in yesterday. The deputies are all clear, none of the information that it’s clear that you\u2019ve used can be traced back to any of them, not even peripherally. Despite how people joke about your solve rate, most know you don\u2019t risk your friends.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve made damn sure that any information I\u2019ve received won\u2019t put them at risk on the job,\u201d Stiles paused as he thought about how to put it. \u201cAnd I definitely wouldn\u2019t risk their jobs either, no matter what my father thinks. I wish I knew why he thought so badly about me.\u201d<\/p>\n Stiles sighed and ran a hand over his face, all the giddy happiness he\u2019d felt earlier falling away from him. \u201cFuck Erica, I\u2019ve never done anything that should make him question me this much. So what I became a P.I. instead of a deputy or something else, so what if I go hunt down imaginary brownies for Miss Standish or check to see if Mr. Danvers is cheating this week?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrownies, really?\u201d Erica asked, \u201cShe was the most awesome English teacher, but she\u2019s gotten strange since she bought that place next to the preserve ten years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot the point Erica,\u201d Stiles snapped and then sighed, \u201cSorry, you don\u2019t deserve that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but it\u2019s understandable.\u201d He heard some rustling in the background then the sound of Erica sitting in, what had to be the creakiest office chair in existence. \u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on with the sheriff, but we can probably lay a lot of it down to him who we can\u2019t talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n Stiles leaned over and thumped his head onto a blank spot on his countertop, \u201cCome on, I know you guys don\u2019t like Scott, but we haven\u2019t spoken in months. He\u2019s been off with his new girl, how can he be behind this latest bout of activity with my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStiles,\u201d his name came on a frustrated sigh, \u201cI\u2019m not going to argue Scott with you, but the fact that his name was the first one you came up with, out of all the possibilities, should say something.\u201d She was quick to hurry on before he could interject, he could tell, \u201cYour dad thinks Scott hung the fucking moon for some damn reason, so Scott doesn\u2019t have to say much of anything, he just needs to be worried about you.\u201d<\/p>\n Fuck, she had a point. Stiles didn\u2019t know when his friendship with Scott had hit the rails, he thought probably right after it started, but his mom had been around to limit their interactions and encourage Stiles to play with other kids. Around the time she got sick, Noah had taken to relying heavily on Melissa McCall and Stiles had ended up with Scott by default, making them best friends and it was okay for a while.<\/p>\n Then it wasn\u2019t and Stiles hadn\u2019t known how to break away without hurting his dad, or worse yet, disappointing him even more. Now, look at them.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, fuck Erica,\u201d Stiles groaned into his hands, \u201cI\u2019m going to have to do something about this aren\u2019t I.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to do anything if you don\u2019t want to Stiles,\u201d Erica said, the sound of snapping gum came through the phone, \u201cBut your father\u2019s crackdown at the station and his action towards you and those that you are friendly with is probably only going to get worse from here on out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hate this,\u201d Stiles lifted his head and let it fall a couple times.<\/p>\n \u201cBoyd loves his job, despite all this Stiles,\u201d Erica said. \u201cBut he\u2019d quit in a hot minute if he had to choose between it and your friendship, you should know that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think I did,\u201d Stiles said, \u201cI just, this feels so out of control.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve done a lot of good for this town and the people in it Stiles, maybe your father has blinded himself because he\u2019s so busy looking for imaginary wrongs that he can\u2019t see it, but if he tries to go more public than he has with this campaign, he might be surprised.\u201d Erica\u2019s voice held an undercurrent of steel.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my dad and Scott, Erica,\u201d Stiles and then sighed, \u201cbut you’re right, this is going beyond my dad and I, it’s beginning to affect the rest of you in ways that are going to have consequences I won\u2019t be able to live with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe want you happy Stiles and this tug of war that your dad and Scott play with you is exhausting even as spectators,\u201d Erica said quietly for once, \u201cMost of them don\u2019t say anything, because we all know how you feel about it, but you know I don\u2019t give a fuck, so I\u2019m saying something now. You have a solid steel spine when it comes to everyone else, but those two, you need to get one for them and stop letting them walk all over you. Your dad is a grown-ass man Stiles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe took losing mom bad Erica,\u201d Stiles started to say.<\/p>\n \u201cBatman,\u201d Erica let out a harsh bark of laughter that held no humor, \u201cYour mother had been gone for almost twenty years, she\u2019s been gone longer than they were ever together, don\u2019t you think that your dad should probably learn to walk without that crutch by now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe misses her, I miss her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course you do,\u201d Erica agreed, \u201cThat\u2019s fine, but you don\u2019t have it running your life in any way but this, you give your father so much leeway and excuse so much of his behavior towards you using that excuse. Don\u2019t you think you should let that go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou might be right,\u201d Stiles said.<\/p>\n \u201cBesides, he\u2019s been dating Melissa McCall for what, over a year now, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat, no, they aren\u2019t dating, he\u2019s not dating anyone,\u201d Stiles stuttered and laughed, \u201cI would know if he was dating someone, especially Melissa.\u201d<\/p>\n Erica was quiet on the other end of the line, \u201cWould you Stiles? Because it\u2019s been pretty clear that they\u2019ve been dating for the last year to most of the town, you can ask around if you don\u2019t want to believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Stiles felt his throat start to close up, \u201cNo, I believe you, just\u2026 Why wouldn\u2019t he tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe the distance is greater than you thought?\u201d Erica suggested.<\/p>\n Stiles saw spots begin to appear in his vision and heard his breaths coming in little puffing gasps.<\/p>\n \u201cFuck,\u201d Erica\u2019s voice sounded so far away, \u201cStiles, Stiles listen to me. I need you to sit down if you aren\u2019t already.\u201d<\/p>\n That sounded like a good idea, so Stiles slid to the floor, his vision starting to grey at the edges. His chest felt tight and all the air seemed to be gone from his lungs. He was having a panic attack, he was aware of this somewhere in the back of his mind, but it didn\u2019t help him at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cStiles, I need you to breathe with me,\u201d Erica\u2019s voice was loud but calm and even-toned. \u201cIn one, two, three, four, out five, six, seven, eight, and again.\u201d<\/p>\n They did this a few times before Erica started to ask him a series of questions about what he saw, heard, smelled and he slowly regained control of himself. He felt rung out, sitting on his kitchen floor, legs splayed, head leaned back against his cabinets.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, this made for an interesting afternoon,\u201d Stiles quipped.<\/p>\n \u201cTime with you is always full of excitement,\u201d Erica agreed, \u201cLook, Boyd is off tonight and so are a few of the others. We\u2019re going to bring take out and come by, we need a strategy session or you are going to fold like a cheap tent and you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah Yeah,\u201d Stiles muttered, \u201cBring Chinese, extra egg rolls, and crab rangoon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I\u2019m not a heathen,\u201d Erica said and hung up.<\/p>\n \u201cFuck my life,\u201d Stiles said tiredly, managing to stagger to his feet, looking at the salad ingredients he shook his head in disgust, his appetite long since gone, and began to pack it all back up. \u201cFuck, I forgot to tell her about Peter.\u201d<\/p>\n Shoving the last of his abandoned lunch back into the fridge, Stiles took his work handset back downstairs and put it up, before setting his door sign from lunch to closed. After that attack, there was just no way he was going to be able to deal with clients today.<\/p>\n He closed up the office for the day, grabbing his laptop and his notebooks, along with his open files off his desk, before heading back up the stairs, locking the doors behind him as he headed up this time.<\/p>\n He\u2019d get some research in on some of his cases, like Miss Standish\u2019s brownies. He\u2019d also lay out a plan of attack for his dad and Scott, he needed to have some sort of plan written out or Erica was right, he\u2019d fold the first time they figuratively wobbled a lip at him.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Stiles went down and unlocked the side entrance to his building once Erica texted that they were on the way, that way they wouldn\u2019t have to go in through his office entrance and all the varied hallways to get up to his apartment.<\/p>\n \u201cBatman,\u201d Erica caroled out at the sight of him waiting for them, \u201cCome help haul in some of this food, I\u2019m too delicate a lady to be doing all this work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can see that,\u201d Stiles said, looking at his long time friend, her blond curls were falling wild over her shoulders and she was wearing a halter topped bright red sundress with white polka dots, the style was fantastically Erica all the way. \u201cYou look fantastic Catwoman, though why you\u2019re dressed up for my apartment is beyond me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh no, I\u2019m dressed up for Boyd, he\u2019s getting a reward later,\u201d She shot a smile at Boyd where he stood next to their car, food bags in hand, the long-suffering expression on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s going to need one it looks like,\u201d Stiles said with a laugh, \u201cHere let me help with some of that man.\u201d He grabbed a few bags and hustled the two of them up the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t lock up, a few others said they were going to come by,\u201d Boyd said quietly as they came in the door.<\/p>\n \u201cOthers?\u201d Stiles asked, \u201cI\u2019m glad to see you and really glad the two of you came to help plan, but I\u2019m not sure how much I\u2019m actually going to be able to pull off. Erica has a good point that it’s my dad and Scott, I\u2019ve never been much good standing against them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know Jordan was going to try and stop by, he was going to bring Lydia with him if that was alright,\u201d Erica said from her spot at the table as she set out plates from his cupboards. \u201cJackson was definitely coming by and Danny said to tell you he might be running a little late, but he would be here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDerek and Cora wanted to come by, but I said I\u2019d ask first, since you don\u2019t know them as well as we do, but they have the basics of what’s going on. Derek is an excellent EMT and Cora has been one of our best Deputies since she joined, you were friendly with both when they were in school, Derek was a year behind us, Cora a few more if you remember.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, more Hales,\u201d Stiles gave a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, \u201cI keep running into them everywhere lately.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Erica was suddenly at his side, \u201cWhat Hales have you been running into?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s actually why I called you earlier today,\u201d Stiles said with a wave of his hand, \u201cI ran into Peter Hale this morning at the coffee shop, almost literally. We exchanged cards and he called me, we\u2019re going out tomorrow, I was calling to see what you might know about him around town.\u201d He gave her a smirk, \u201cSince you always seem to know about as much as I do about the people in this town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh boy,\u201d Erica said with a huffy laugh, \u201cPeter Hale, wow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Stiles looked at her, \u201cWait, there isn\u2019t anything wrong with him is there?\u201d He started to panic a little when she didn\u2019t say anything immediately. \u201cI need to cancel my date, don\u2019t I? He\u2019s going to turn out to be a creepy serial killer like Theo isn\u2019t he, fuck and he has such a great ass too,\u201d Stiles whined and sat down laying his head on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cHe does indeed have a great ass,\u201d Boyd agreed, eating a forkful of lo mein.<\/p>\n \u201cNot helping,\u201d Erica hissed at Boyd, \u201cHe\u2019s not a serial killer.\u201d She finally said, sitting down next to Stiles.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d He mumbled into the table.<\/p>\n \u201cYes I\u2019m sure,\u201d Erica huffed annoyed, she reached over and yanked at his hair. \u201cHe\u2019s Derek\u2019s uncle, I think we\u2019d figure out if he were a serial killer at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, maybe not a serial killer then,\u201d Stiles conceded, \u201cbut something made you make the face.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just,\u201d Erica seemed to be searching for the right words, which was completely unlike her.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s an ass,\u201d Boyd replied, \u201cWhich is appropriate since you seem to like his ass.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Erica says, then shakes her head, \u201cwell, yes, Peter is definitely an ass and you do like that kind of thing, but he tends to play the field a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re saying you think this is going to be a one night kind of thing then?\u201d Stiles said, finally sitting all the way up and starting to fill his plate with food.<\/p>\n \u201cPossibly,\u201d Erica said, \u201cI\u2019ve never heard of him giving someone his card and then calling them, usually he expects to be called.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe did come across a bit overconfident,\u201d Stiles agreed, taking a bite of his egg roll.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean he\u2019s an arrogant twat,\u201d Jackson said from the doorway, where he\u2019d obviously been eavesdropping. \u201cDon\u2019t eat all the moo shu chicken you heathen.\u201d He hurried to the table and shoved at Stiles.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m eating the curry you ass,\u201d Stiles said with a toothy grin, \u201cBoyd has the moo shu and the lo mein.\u201d<\/p>\n Boyd offered Jackson a sunny smile from across the table.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are all annoying twats,\u201d Jackson said with what could only be described as a pout on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cFor fuck\u2019s sake,\u201d Cora said coming through the door, \u201cyou spent one fucking semester in London, stop trying to sound like you assimilated or something, it’s annoying as fuck. Give me some orange chicken or die.\u201d<\/p>\n Derek came in the door at a more sedate pace than his sister, a curly-haired Isaac following close behind.<\/p>\n \u201cLook who I found loitering in the parking lot,\u201d Isaac smiled over Derek\u2019s shoulder, \u201cYou\u2019d think a deputy would know better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not a deputy,\u201d this time the door revealed, what Stiles hoped would be the last of his friends, \u201cHe\u2019s an EMT.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLydia,\u201d Jackson greeted her coolly from across the room.<\/p>\n \u201cJackson,\u201d Lydia sniffed.<\/p>\n Eventually, they were all there seated around his dining room table. Boyd and Erica, the only people he\u2019d actually invited for dinner and the rest of them.<\/p>\n Jackson and Danny were sitting next to each other, practically in each other\u2019s laps. Jackson was still denying they were in a relationship, but Stiles didn\u2019t know how much longer that was going to fly.<\/p>\n Lydia and Jordan were next to them so that Jackson and Lydia could snipe cool little digs at each other that amounted to hugs and kisses among other friends.<\/p>\n Cora and Isaac were inhaling the Chinese food like someone had told them it was their last meal, Derek sat placidly next to them eating his own meal and slapping at their hands when they tried to pick off his plate.<\/p>\n Stiles didn\u2019t even know what half of them were doing here.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, why are you all here?\u201d He didn\u2019t see the need to beat around the bush, especially if Isaac was going to eat all the curry and Derek was eating the last crab rangoon.<\/p>\n \u201cErica called us and told us a little about what has been going on,\u201d Danny said, \u201cEach of us knew a little bit of it, but we weren\u2019t aware of how widespread this was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew that things were a little strained between you and your dad,\u201d Lydia agreed.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody knew how bad it was, you stopped coming by the station a few years back and your dad just stopped talking about you unless someone asked him directly,\u201d Jordan added.<\/p>\n \u201cThings aren\u2019t bad,\u201d Stiles started to say, only to be interrupted by Isaac tsking at him.<\/p>\n \u201cStiles,\u201d Isaac looked at him all curly-haired, dewy-eyed intensity, \u201cIt\u2019s bad enough that you\u2019re planning a strategy session so you can stand up to Scott.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not like that,\u201d Stiles protested a little helplessly, \u201cI mean it kind of is, but not really.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell us what it is like then,\u201d Jordan said with a look around the table that had everyone else sitting back and keeping their mouths shut if the silence around Stiles was any indication.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, Scott was my friend back when we were kids, when my mom got sick it made sense that Melissa would help shuffle me to and from the hospital. After she died, I kind of shut down for a while, when I came back up for air, Scott was there. He was in my house and Melissa was helping my dad with childcare and it was a whole system I couldn\u2019t mess with.\u201d<\/p>\n Stiles sighed and ran a hand into his hair, \u201cScott was never my best friend, no matter what he and my dad think, but he was my friend for a while. I don\u2019t know what he is now, but he is important to my dad and my dad is the sticking point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s right,\u201d Lydia said waving off the protests, \u201cScott is a problem, but he isn\u2019t the important one. The Sheriff is the issue, his perceptions of Stiles and his decisions over the years to slowly escalate this attack on Stiles\u2019 character are the big problem and need to be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe hasn\u2019t been attacking me,\u201d Stiles said defensively feeling his shoulders pull up towards his ears and forcing them to stay down. \u201cHe\u2019s just looking out for me and he worries, he just doesn\u2019t understand me like mom did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI remember you being stubborn,\u201d Cora snapped the last bite of her eggroll up, \u201cI just don\u2019t remember you being quite so stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCora,\u201d Derek said in exasperation, literally facepalming at his sister\u2019s actions. \u201cWe agreed to let them talk to Stiles since they knew the situation better than we did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo you agreed to let them talk, I agreed to come for free food.\u201d Cora grabbed another helping of the orange chicken, seeming to ignore the incredulous stares she was getting. \u201cI\u2019m just saying that nobody here doubts how much you love your dad or your loyalty to him and by extension to Scott, no one here thinks you are actually loyal to Scott at this point, at least I hope no one here is that stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe makes a good point,\u201d Erica said, \u201cNobody can doubt how much you love your dad Stiles, but the way this is going isn\u2019t fair to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t fair to anyone,\u201d Stiles sighed in agreement. \u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019m going to do, but burying my head in the sand and ignoring it the way I have been is obviously no longer an option, not when he\u2019s begun to let it affect the way he\u2019s treating you on the job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we’re here,\u201d Jordan said, answering Stiles\u2019 earlier question. \u201cWe\u2019ll help you figure out a way to at least limit the Sheriff\u2019s actions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019ll be surprised by the support you have,\u201d Isaac said with a smile.<\/p>\n \u201cHim and Scott both,\u201d Jackson agreed, \u201cScott always had this idea that he was your only friend or something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat boy has two brain cells and one is usually sleeping,\u201d Lydia said with a grimace.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that isn\u2019t true,\u201d Derek interjected, giving Lydia a face that said he was disappointed in her, \u201che can\u2019t have more than half a brain cell at this point, it\u2019s probably named Allison too.\u201d<\/p>\n Laughter bubbled up from the pit of Stiles\u2019 stomach, it started as a giggle and turned into a chuckle, the next thing he knew he was laughing so hard he couldn\u2019t catch his breath, and tears were streaming down his face.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be, well not okay, but it\u2019ll get better Batman,\u201d Erica said, her arms around him and his face buried in a cloud of her sweet-scented hair.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter the fallout,\u201d Danny was there with his hand on his shoulder, \u201cwe\u2019re with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood or bad,\u201d Jackson agreed, \u201cScott already has the ugly covered, so we don\u2019t have to worry about that on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re such a dick, Whitmore,\u201d Cora said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been told I have a very pretty dick Hale,\u201d Jackson said agreeably, hands in his pockets smirk on his face until Danny smacked him in the stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, no one, except possibly Danny, wants to know anything about Jackson\u2019s dick right now,\u201d Stiles said, squeezing his eyes shut and leaning into Erica a little more.<\/p>\n Erica\u2019s shoulders shook as she began to giggle and Stiles laughed with her, a lot less hysterically this time.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright,\u201d Stiles pulled away from Erica and pulled himself together, he was done falling apart over this, or if he wasn\u2019t done he could at least do the rest in private. \u201cI can\u2019t ask those of you who work at the station to betray your boss or your jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStiles,\u201d Jordan began.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Stiles said, standing, he was going to be absolutely firm on this point. \u201cI\u2019ll accept all the support you want to give me, but you can\u2019t jeopardize your jobs Beacon Hills and County needs competent and trusted deputies to look out for them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStiles is right,\u201d Lydia said pursing her lips and before Stiles knew it, they were all back around his kitchen table hammering out a strategy for dealing with his dad to mitigate the Sheriff’s attempts at undermining Stiles in the community.<\/p>\n Cora was looking over the list of people they had made that could be counted on to support Stiles and passed it to her brother, who got busy adding names to the list, when the others looked at her she just started back.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sheriff doesn\u2019t seem to realize that you have a steady foundation of support in the community,\u201d and then to their looks of surprise she asked, \u201cWhat, I can\u2019t hear things?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen we start by shoring up that foundation,\u201d Lydia said and the others nodded. \u201cStiles goes about his day and does his best to stay out of the Sheriff\u2019s sight and avoid Scott.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf he can\u2019t?\u201d Derek asked softly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll do what I do best,\u201d Stiles smiled at them all, \u201cYou all seem to forget who I am in your need to protect me, which while your gesture of friendship is appreciated and I\u2019m not denigrating it, I\u2019ve made dealing with difficult people part of my actual job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s still your dad,\u201d Boyd said, sounding a little doubtful.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is,\u201d Stiles felt his heart clench, \u201cMy mother told me something when I was younger that I didn\u2019t understand until just a few years ago, I think it’s very applicable here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat would that be?\u201d Jackson asked quietly from his spot next to Danny and Isaac.<\/p>\n \u201cShe said that as much as I was a Stilinski, I was also a Gajos and we take our loyalties and betrayals seriously,\u201d He shrugged, \u201cI\u2019m taking this very seriously, I love my dad, I just don\u2019t think I trust him anymore, not with myself or my people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure Stiles?\u201d Danny asked leaning forward, resting his elbows on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cAs sure as I can be,\u201d Stiles tried on a reassuring smile, \u201cI don\u2019t think it will be easy, but after I hung up with Erica today I made a few phone calls of my own and I can honestly say that as much as I hate it, I can\u2019t trust my father right now. Definitely not with the safety of the department right while he\u2019s distracted with me.<\/p>\n \u201cThen we have a plan,\u201d Cora stood up and clapped her hands, \u201cgood, Derek promised me ice cream on the way home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCora Renee,\u201d Derek practically barked at her.<\/p>\n \u2018What, you did and my favorite ice cream place closes in thirty minutes.\u201d Cora crossed her arms in front of her and glared at her brother.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine Derek,\u201d Stiles laughed at the two of them, he hadn\u2019t known either of them well in school and still only knew them now through their mutual friendships, but he was finding them vastly amusing. \u201cI need to get to bed soon, I have research to do tomorrow and then I have a date tomorrow night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA date?\u201d Lydia was suddenly at his side, her interest completely snagged.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll never guess with who,\u201d Erica was there as well and Stiles managed to get them out the door with Boyd\u2019s help and a little of Jordan\u2019s<\/p>\n \u201cYou know she\u2019s going to make you pay for that distraction technique don\u2019t you?\u201d Danny asked.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course she is,\u201d Stiles winked at him, \u201cbut who do you think taught me that version?\u201d<\/p>\n Danny laughed and helped hustle the rest of them out the door when Stiles heard from down the hall Lydia\u2019s screech.<\/p>\n \u201cPeter Hale!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy is she yelling about our uncle?\u201d Derek looked at Stiles as he followed them down to the door outside, so he could lock up after they all left.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I imagine that Erica told her who my date is with tomorrow,\u201d Stiles replied nonchalantly, opening the door and ushering them out.<\/p>\n \u201cPeter Hale?\u201d Derek goggled at him.<\/p>\n \u201cOur Uncle Peter?\u201d Cora sounded a little choked to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe so unless there is another Peter Hale with an amazing ass living here in Beacon Hills?\u201d Stiles shut the door on their shocked faces, locked it, and turned to head back up the stairs to clean up his dining area.<\/p>\n He made himself a few notes for the next day and got ready for bed, life was about to get very full and interesting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Title: Stiles: Private Investigator Author:\u00a0Sibyl_Moon Fandom: Teen Wolf Characters\/Pairings: Stiles\/Peter Genre:\u00a0 AU, Humor, Mystery, Light Angst Word Count: 6.5k Notes: AU, characters aged up Stiles left Brewski\u2019s Coffee sipping his tea, his mind already on what he had to do for the day. \u201cHey,\u201d With a skip… Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,8,9],"tags":[11,16,17,25],"class_list":["post-321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ead","category-steter","category-teen-wolf","tag-au","tag-detective-stiles","tag-ead","tag-mystery"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sibylmoon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sibylmoon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sibylmoon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sibylmoon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sibylmoon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sibylmoon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sibylmoon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sibylmoon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sibylmoon.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nAuthor:\u00a0<\/strong>Sibyl_Moon
\nFandom: <\/strong>Teen Wolf
\nCharacters\/Pairings:<\/strong> Stiles\/Peter
\nGenre:\u00a0<\/strong> AU, Humor, Mystery, Light Angst
\nWord Count: <\/strong>6.5k
\nNotes:<\/strong> AU, characters aged up<\/p>\n