Chapter Text
Derek shaded his eyes against the harsh sunlight, shifting to the right and further into the shade. He sighed and leaned back against the rough bark of an oak tree, taking another bite of apple. It made a poor lunch, but it was all he’d been able to find. The loaded apple trees right on the outskirts of town had been too tempting.
The other workmen were a distance away from him, eating their own lunches out of bags and boxes. Most of them had probably been packed in a nice home.
Derek could barely remember what that was like.
He caught a few furtive glances thrown his way. Derek wasn’t advertising what he was, but they hadn’t failed to notice that he’d been able to cart around boxes and wooden beams that weighed far more than a human should be able to carry. The foreman hadn’t asked questions and Derek hadn’t volunteered the information. As far as he was concerned, he was being paid well for a job that was relatively easy. A few more days, maybe a week or two, and he’d have enough to stock himself up to comfortably move on.
Derek took his last bite of apple and tossed the core to the side, brushing his hands off on his faded jeans. His shirt was grimy and he felt uncomfortably sweaty, but he still had a long afternoon before he could head back to the deserted barn he’d been sleeping in. The cold river that ran below it should provide a refreshing bath after work.
After four more hours of lugging supplies around for who knew what kind of construction project, Derek headed into the dusty town square. His pockets jangled with the coins the foreman had thrust at him for his days worth of work and the small bag thrown over his shoulder weighed lightly against him. His only plan was a cool drink at the local tavern, but his sensitive ears picked up on some chatter, snatches of words that peaked his interest.
He sidled in the direction of the conversation to the large notice board outside the post office that was advertising jobs, services for sale and other things of that nature.
There was a man and a woman looking at the board, talking in hushed whispers, that Derek’s ears had no problem deciphering.
“He’s out there all alone. It makes some kind of sense,” the woman muttered. “It’s been a few months since the accident.”
“Well, I’ve never seen anything so ludicrous in my life,” the man responded, snorting with laughter. They moved on and Derek walked up to the board, eyes scanning the various pieces of paper quickly.
It took only seconds when Derek spotted what had to be the subject of the couple’s conversation.
Shunted off to the side of the board was a small, crinkled piece of paper tacked up.
ALPHA WANTED, it said in large handwritten letters across the top.
Derek’s eyebrows climbed nearly into his hairline, but despite himself, he kept reading.
27 year old Omega seeks Alpha to run farm. Must be capable of physical labor. Compensation in room and board. Enquire at Aurora Acres farm, three miles west of town limits.
Derek reread the ad over and over, brows furrowed. Surprising himself, he pulled the notice off the board and pocketed it, turning to the west and heading towards the town boundary.
About forty-five minutes later, he came to a rusty gate with the name Aurora Acres curved over it in wrought iron. He could barely see the house, the lane as least a quarter mile long, flanked on either sides by fields loaded with wildflowers.
He still wasn’t sure what compulsion had hit him to come here and find out what that ad was about. The only way an Omega was putting itself out there to any Alpha meant it was probably already mated. Most Omegas were never able to get another Alpha after mating once.
Still, he felt a curiosity and an interest that he hadn’t in a long time. He pushed open the gate, the hinges squeaking loudly in protest, making sure to latch it behind himself. The gravel crunched under his boots and he was barely halfway up the driveway when the scent of the Omega filled his nostrils. It was pleasant and earthy, with a faint hint of sweetness that he couldn’t place. The closer he got to the house, the more he wondered what on earth he was going to say.
The drive opened up to a large yard, a barn and several other buildings clustered around the main house. Several cats were wending their way around the porch, but took one look at him and hissed before sprinting away.
“Hello?” he called out tentatively. He could hear three heartbeats inside the house, and he was fairly sure they’d heard him.
There was shuffling in the house and then silence before the Omega came to the door and pushed it open, shielding his eyes from the sun. “Uh, hi.” The Omega walked out of the house and closed the screen door behind him. “Can I help you?”
Derek’s eyes widened in shock. The Omega was a male with pale skin, messy brown hair and wide eyes. And he was also noticeably swollen with pregnancy. From behind his legs peeked a young boy who looked around three or four years old.
“Um,” Derek cleared his throat. “I… noticed your ad.” He pulled the paper out of his pocket and brandished it at the young Omega.
“Oh. Right. Of course.” The Omega stepped forward and took the paper, glancing it over and then looked back up at him. “So you’re an Alpha, then?”
“I am,” Derek said. He flashed his eyes red once, quickly. “My name is Derek.”
The Omega’s golden eyes flashed in response. “I’m Stiles.” He reached behind him to place a hand on the young boys head. “And this is Elijah.” Stiles paused for several moments, awkwardly standing there in front of Derek. “Would you like to come in to talk about the ad?”
“Alright,” Derek said, smiling slightly at Elijah, who squeaked and hid further behind Stiles. Derek winced internally, before following the two of them into the house.
Stiles ushered Elijah to the living room and towards the couch. He helped Elijah sit down before awkwardly sinking down next to him, glancing over at Derek. “So. What kind of work can you do?”
“I’m used to most kinds of manual labor,” Derek said, standing with one hand shoved into his pocket, the other holding the strap of his bag. “Over the past few years, I’ve done a variety of different jobs, including working as a farmhand. I know my way around the territory.”
“Oh, okay. That’s great.” Stiles seemed to perk up at that news. “What I need is pretty basic upkeep with the animals and the farm. I mean, I’ve been doing the best that I can, but pretty soon I wont be able to do a lot of anything.”
“Understandable,” Derek said, nodding. “I am curious though… why did you advertise for an Alpha specifically? Why not just anyone?” That was the part of the ad that had caught most of Derek’s attention.
Stiles hesitated. “Well, I was hoping by having an Alpha instead of just anyone, um, that you could provide protection that only an Alpha can offer. But, I mean, you wont have any official mate obligations to me, of course.”
“Smart,” Derek noted. Alphas had an instinctual urge to protect Omegas, even if they weren’t mated to them. “So, at this point, just see how it goes?”
“Well, I can show you around the farm and where you’ll be staying and maybe we can do a trial run for a few days to see how it goes?”
“Okay.” Part of Derek was marveling at himself. For the past four years he had never stayed in one place more than two weeks. And here he was, looking at a place to potentially settle. If it lasted that long.
“Okay,” Stiles echoed. “I’ll show you to your room first.” Elijah hopped off the couch as if on cue and grabbed Stiles’ hand to try to help him up. Stiles laughed and struggled.
Derek made an aborted move to help Stiles up, but stopped himself, shoving his hands back in his pockets.
Stiles managed to get up after several moments. “Okay. I think I’m stable now,” he joked and held Elijah’s hand. “It’s outside,” he said, motioning with the other towards the door.
Derek hurried in front of Stiles and held the door open for him. When Stiles passed him, Derek caught the sweet scent, which he recognized now as a faint, milky scent.
“Uh, thanks.” Stiles smiled and continued down the steps, with Elijah hopping down each one. “For now, you’ll be staying in the separate quarters in the barn.” Stiles walked, more specifically waddled, towards the barn. Elijah let go of Stiles’ hand and wandered ahead of them. “So, why did you answer the ad? I mean, I haven’t met an Alpha that would even consider taking up the offer.”
“I don’t know,” Derek answered honestly. “I was curious. It was almost like… I felt drawn here. I know it sounds strange.” As they crossed the yard, Derek could see large, fenced in pastures stretching far beyond the house, a few cows milling about.
Stiles nodded. “So you’ve been drifting around looking for work a long time? It sounds like you go where the work is.”
"Pretty much. It's not always easy for weres to find work. And I don't have a pack keeping me in one place."
Stiles rubbed his belly as they walked, eyes glancing from Derek to Elijah and smiled to himself. When they reached the barn he stopped and pulled it open then stepped in. “Your quarters will be right through here,” Stiles said. “You’ll have your privacy and the bathroom is in the house, but we have an outhouse on the property so you can use that if you want.”
The room was simple, but still nicer than most of the places Derek had found himself sleeping the past few years. He let his bag slide off his shoulder, putting it next to the sleeping pallet in one corner of the room.
Stiles stood there quietly, then said, "We do have a couple of horses in the barn."
“I’ve had worse company,” Derek said lightly. He turned to face Stiles, who was watching him carefully. “If you don’t mind, tomorrow morning I’ll need to run into town to let my boss know I’m quitting.”
“Oh, yeah, okay. I mean, if you think it’s going to work out. We’re still on a trial run, technically. I don't want you to quit a job you might need.”
“I wasn’t planning on a long term stay. The work was temporary.” Derek folded his arms and looked around interestedly some more, before his stomach growled loudly. He felt his face heating and avoided Stiles’ eyes.
Stiles’ seemed amused. “Um, we’re going to have dinner in a couple of hours. I can make extra. You can bring it out here if you don't want to eat with us.”
“That would be great,” Derek admitted. “And I think I’ll eat out here for now. I wouldn’t want to make you or Elijah uncomfortable.”
“Okay. I’ll, uh - I’ll let you get settled, then. I can show you around the property later if you want, or you can just check it out and let me know if you have any questions.” Stiles hesitated before he turned around and gathered up Elijah then headed back to the house.
Derek watched them go, then cast his eyes around his room. There was nothing in it besides the pallet on the floor, but the walls and ceiling were sturdy and it was clean. Definitely nicer than what he was usually used to. He sat down on the pallet, feeling the crunch of hay underneath him.
He pulled his bag onto his lap and opened it, feeling his usual level of sadness that his entire life fit inside such a small space. With reverent hands, he felt for the scrap of fabric that settled at the bottom of his bag. Derek withdrew it, nostrils flaring at the scent of smoke that had never faded. Fingers shaking, he opened the square of fabric and looked at the photograph inside, the edges charred, faces in the picture faded. He felt the stinging of tears as he traced his fingertip over his mother’s features.
Sniffing, he wrapped up the picture with care then slid it underneath his pillow. He didn’t know why, but he had a feeling it would be safe here.
***
Stiles put his basket of eggs on the counter, one hand rubbing his stomach absently as Elijah ran around the kitchen playing with his toys. “Hey, no running,” Stiles said, though he made no effort to stop Elijah as he got some pans out to cook breakfast. He hadn't slept well, especially knowing there was a stranger on the farm. An Alpha. It was going to take Stiles a while to get used to the idea of an Alpha that wasn't his father or his mate being so close to him. He’d had Elijah sleep with him last night, just to be safe, even though Stiles wouldn't be a match for an Alpha if Derek had turned out to be a bad guy. He had to rely on an Alpha’s instinct to protect an Omega and hope for the best.
“You’re gonna be upset when you bang your head against the counter,” Stiles said and put his hand out against the corner as Elijah banged into his leg, making his toy horse fly. Elijah ignored him in favor of making neighing sounds and continued to whinny around the kitchen.
Stiles looked up as a knock sounded at the door. It creaked open to reveal Derek, who waved tentatively.
“I made a trip into town,” Derek said. “Told the foreman I was going to be working out here now.”
“Hopefully he took the news okay,” Stiles said, waving Derek into the kitchen. “I’m making breakfast. Did you want some or have you already eaten?”
“Well, I don’t exactly have a store of food.” Derek moved into the kitchen and stood to the side, trying to stay out of the way. “And the foreman didn’t care. I don’t think he much liked having a wolf on his team anyway.”
“I’m a wolf!” Elijah piped up, abruptly changing from whinnies to howls.
Stiles snorted a laugh at Elijah. “Yeah, you are,” he told his son. Stiles glanced over at Derek as he started cracking eggs into a pan. “How do you like your eggs?”
“Scrambled is fine.” Derek moved a little further into the kitchen. “Do you mind?” he asked, pointing to one of the chairs.
“Go ahead.” Stiles put several eggs into the pan then went to get some bacon to put into another.
As soon as Derek was in a chair, Elijah walked up to him and started to climb into his lap to show him his horse. “This is my horse! My papa carved it for me.” He wiggled it in Derek’s face and made it neigh.
Derek looked momentarily spooked, but quickly relaxed, his arms going around Elijah to steady him with an ease that spoke of experience. “It’s a very nice horse,” Derek said, smiling down at the little boy.
“Thank you,” Elijah said with a big grin and got comfortable on Derek’s lap. He continued to make his horse fly around in the hair above them and then made it gallop on the table.
Stiles was sure he looked uncomfortable as he mixed the eggs in the pan, continuously glancing from Derek and Elijah to the eggs. “Sorry,” he apologized. “He’s not usually so comfortable around people.” Stiles was doing his best not to walk over to Derek and snatch his son out of the Alpha’s arms.
“Because he’s so young, he could just be instinctually drawn to an Alpha that’s not being threatening.” Derek gently put Elijah down on the ground and nudged him towards his father.
“I know,” Stiles said, reaching out to run a hand over Elijah’s head when he was close enough. “He’s been… quiet, since his father -” Stiles looked down at the eggs and turned off the stove. “We’re just not used to an Alpha being around anymore.”
“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose someone close to you.”
Stiles nodded, moving to get three plates and put a pile of eggs onto each one, then filled them with bacon and a slice of toast. He placed a plate in front of Derek and then one down for himself and Elijah before helping Elijah up into his own chair. “I have milk and water,” Stiles offered as he got silverware.
“Water’s fine,” Derek said, taking a bite of his eggs. “They’re good.”
Stiles placed a glass of water in front of Derek and his own plate and a glass of milk in front of Elijah’s. He sat down in his chair and picked at his eggs, eating quietly for several moments. “So, I already fed the chickens this morning when I went to get eggs,” he said, watching Elijah eat. “But the coop needs to be cleaned out. I mean, if you’re looking for a place to start once you get a tour of the place.”
Derek nodded. "I can do that." He took a sip of water and polished off the rest of the food on his plate.
"Wow. You eat a lot. I guess I should have made more." Stiles was only half finished with his food and Elijah was steadily eating his, humming to himself. "Do you want me to make you some more?"
"No, it's okay." Derek fiddled with his fork, not meeting Stiles' eyes. "It’s just been a long time since I've been able to take my time and eat at a table. I’m not used to it."
"Okay," Stiles said slowly and ate more of his food. "You said you worked as a farmhand before. Did you milk cows? I mean I can show you how if you don't know, but it's harder for me to milk them now than it has been the past few months."
"I've milked cows and goats, taken care of horses, mucked out stables, used a plow... basic farm stuff."
"Okay, cool." Stiles smiled. "Now I don't have to figure out how on earth to get up after milking them." He chuckled and ate more of his eggs, reaching out to help Elijah with his cup when he grabbed for it. "I guess if you have any questions you can ask me but it sounds like you've got it down."
Derek looked uncomfortable as they sat at the table finishing, seeming unsure of what he should do.
It didn't take much longer for Stiles and Elijah to finish breakfast and Stiles began clearing the table. "I'll do the dishes after I show you around," he assured Derek when he took Derek's plate. When Stiles was done he helped Elijah out of his chair and cleaned his hands and face then headed outside with him to show Derek the farm.
Besides the main house and barn, there were several outbuildings that included tool storage, a chicken coop, and a root cellar located under the house. The pastures and fields stretched nearly to the horizon, no shortage of land. There was a large garden patch near the house and a copse of trees just beyond the barn. The scent of wildflowers and animals hung heavy over the air, but it was a pleasant smell; the smell of life.
Derek was smiling as Elijah enthusiastically introduced each of the animals by name, down to the barn cats that were still giving Derek a wide berth.
By the time they were finished, the sun was climbing high in the cloudless sky, promising a lovely day.
"So I guess that's it," Stiles said, glancing over at Derek.
Derek nodded. “You mentioned the chicken coop. I suppose I could get started with that, if that’s okay?”
"Yeah. Of course." Stiles chuckled. "Um, but be warned. We have one possessive rooster so you might have to growl at him if he pesters you."
“Noted,” Derek said, his lips tugging upwards in a smile. “When I’m finished, what should I do after that? Just come and find you?”
"Yeah I guess. I mean the horses and cows need to be fed, but it's not quite time to milk them yet. Really it's just a lot of upkeep. But I should have lunch ready by then."
“Sounds good. I can just check in when I’m finished, then.” Derek started to cross his arms, but paused and put his hands back in his pockets, watching Elijah bouncing off the walls with a tiny smile on his face.
"He's never been short for energy," Stiles said with a smile as he followed Derek's gaze. "Anyway... I guess we will see you in a bit." Stiles chanced a smile directed at Derek this time before going to corral Elijah back towards the house, leaving Derek to work.