Chapter Text
Stiles was rapidly beginning to regret his life choices. It was cold, there was far more snow than Stiles had anticipated, and the sun was starting to set. This had seemed like such a good idea yesterday, but now that he was in it… It did not.
It had started with a lack of festive decorations in the Loft. Derek had been resistant to the pack's insistence he needed to decorate, but eventually, the older beta had relented. The McCall-Hale Pack had descended on the Loft with all the energy and cheer of the holiday season, and they had spent a fantastic evening making and hanging decorations. Peter had dug out a dusty bin of decorations from storage, which had been enthusiastically sorted through by the younger pack members. Isaac and Scott had made a run to the store for lights, and when they came back, everyone pitched in to hang them throughout the Loft.
Derek had allowed himself to be pulled into the festivities, and Stiles was so happy seeing the Beta sink into the warm atmosphere. So when everyone left, Stiles had given the Loft a critical once over and realized the only thing missing was a tree. So Stiles decided he was going to find the perfect one! And a real one to add that authentic Christmas pine smell. How hard could it be?
And that question was how Stiles had found himself up in the mountains with no cell service, and his jeep stuck in the snow.
He should have been better prepared for snow. It was December, after all, and he was in the mountains! While snow may have been rare in Beacon Hills, Stiles knew better. He was so used to being prepared for Werewolf emergencies that he forgot to prepare for human emergencies. Well, not entirely. The jeep had the police scanner, of course, a first aid kit, a blanket, flares, some sonic emitters, and snacks for hungry werewolves or humans, but apparently nothing that would help him get unstuck.
Currently, Stiles was torn between walking to find service and staying put. Technically, staying put was if you were lost and Stiles knew where he was. He just needed help with the jeep. He had already tried climbing the jeep to see if he could get better service with no luck, and none of the nearby trees were easily climbable. The problem with staying put was that almost no one knew Stiles had gone to look for a tree. He had told his dad but hadn't specified where. Rookie mistake, it seemed.
Finally deciding to compromise between the two options, Stiles kept the jeep in sight and walked as far as he dared in four different directions. As one by one, this was unsuccessful, Stiles began to feel a little defeated. Heading back to the jeep, Stiles considered finding some more branches and trying again to get enough traction to get the jeep unstuck, but any attempt at planning was stalled when Stiles saw who was leaning against the jeep, as casually as if he had been there this whole time.
"Derek?" Stiles was confused. "What are you doing here?"
The older man gave Stiles a look before rolling his eyes.
"Rescuing you, apparently," Derek strolled around to the back of the jeep. He casually lifted, pulling slowly to free the wheels from the snow they were stuck in. "Why didn't you just ask me to come with you? Or any of the other half dozen or so werewolves, you know, if you didn't want me to come," Derek huffed slightly as he lowered the jeep.
Setting it down, Derek turned back to Stiles.
"I didn't- I mean, I wanted it to be a surprise," Stiles said, feeling a little lame. "And I don't always need a werewolf escort. I've gotten by in life just fine without one so far."
"Just because you haven't always had something doesn't mean it should never be used," Derek pointed out gently. "But I'm sorry, I didn't mean it as a criticism."
"Why are you apologizing?" Stiles demanded, "You literally just rescued me! I would have been out here all night! Let's go home!" Stiles pulled open the driver's door and climbed in. "You coming?"
Derek was grinning now.
"Sure, let's go home. And Stiles?" Derek asked as he swung into the passenger seat.
"Yeah?" Stiles started the jeep, faint Christmas music filling the air as the radio came to life.
"It's a beautiful tree. Thank you."
"Anytime," Stiles smiled brightly. "Merry Christmas, Der."
"Merry Christmas, Stiles."
Stiles decided as he pointed the jeep back towards town, having succeeded in his task, with moonlight on the snow and Derek beside him, that maybe he didn't need to regret his life choices. This had been a great idea.