#churkey recommends

Since someone asked... It’s a rec list of my fav podfics!!!

Six years after being thrown into the fray of the supernatural world, Stiles is starting to feel estranged from the pack. Derek notices and offers a solution. Stiles doesn't want to admit that it helps. Everyone is going to fist fight Stiles because Stiles needs werewolf therapy

I was thinking the other day that there's a darth of BAMF!Derek fics. In general, there aren't a lot of fics where Derek is competent and awesome but this list isn't quite that. Criteria for the list is more action-oriented where Derek kicks ass and saves the day. He doesn't have to save Stiles necessarily, just the day. Or kick ass.

Space Politics by saltyavocado

Description: Evil robots, basically. Sometimes Stiles regrets signing that nondisclosure agreement.

Guns and Bow Ties by LunaRaven09040

Description: The Hale Family Crime Syndicate is one of the most well known and dangerous in the world. Stiles has been obsessed with them since he was a kid, but after his mom died and he moved away, he forgot about them.

Now he is a detective, working out of Portland on run of the mill cases. When he gets a lead on the Hale Family, he is determined to chase it down.

Derek Hale is the enforcer and heir of the Hale Family, an ancient old werewolf pack with ties to every part of society there is. He is in charge of making problems disappear and ensuring they don't come back. But as an Alpha and heir to the family, he needs a mate. One that is loyal to his pack and everything they stand for.

Stiles can never be that, but he also never expected their world to be so complicated. Especially when it's wrapped up in his feelings and his past. Even the goddamn bow ties are involved.

The Alpha and the Emissary by mikkimouse

Description: The loft was flooded, the water shimmering in the moonlight streaking through the huge windows. The twins held Derek on his knees, with his arms extended and claws out. Kali had Boyd, and she was dragging him toward Derek, and—

Stiles aimed at the twin closest to him and threw the Molotov cocktail as hard as he could.

Neither Here Nor There by isthatbloodonhisshirt

Description: “Oh!” He turned to Stiles. “Is he your new bodyguard?”

Derek saw Stiles stiffen at that, wondering why, but before Stiles could open his mouth to insist that, why yes, Derek was his bodyguard like the brat he was, Derek spoke first.

“I’m Mieczyslaw Stilinski’s bodyguard.”

The confused look that crossed Scott’s face now was kind of annoying. Scott looked at Stiles, then back at Derek, and then at Stiles again.

“I see…?”

Penny and Dime by Lissadiane

Description: After the loss of his last surviving family member and his alpha, Derek Hale goes on a quest for vengeance, systematically destroying every Argent hunter who had anything to do with her death, or the death of the rest of his family 15 years ago. The Hunters want him dead, the sheriff's department wants him brought to justice, Beacon Hills' resident superhero vigilante the True Alpha wants him stopped, and only Stiles Stilinski, Private Investigator, is interested in the reasons behind Derek's murderous rampage.

My Alpha by syriala

Description: “What did Scott want?” his dad suddenly asked him, small frown on his face and Stiles looked up from his phone.

“That was Derek.”

“You called him alpha,” his dad said, seemingly taken aback by that. Rightfully so, since Derek wasn't an alpha anymore, hadn't been for almost a year now.

Derek Hale: Werewolf Cop by the_deep_magic

Description: Stiles is yanked up to his feet so fast that his world spins and his shoulder aches and he’s a second from screaming police brutality! when he gets a good look at the cop’s face.

Holy shit. Stiles was just tackled to the ground by a fucking underwear model with a badge.

By Any Other Name (I Will Always Feel the Same) by isthatbloodonhisshirt

Description: Stiles very slowly reached up with both hands and covered his neck as best he could before whispering, “Are you Vampires?”

“What? No.” Derek couldn’t help the small laugh of disbelief that slid up his throat, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. It didn’t matter that he was thousands of years old, or that he was bigger and stronger than Stiles was. Somehow, he was pretty sure once this conversation was over, Stiles was going to be able to crush him like a bug, and he hated that feeling.

“Didn’t you say he was smart?” Boyd asked.

“Hey,” Stiles insisted, turning to him with a glare but not removing his hands from his neck. “Vampires is a perfectly logical guess in this case. And he said I was right on the Supernatural front. Vampires are Supernatural.”

“He said you weren’t wrong,” Boyd corrected. “Not that you were right.”

“Well, the opposite of wrong is right, so...” Stiles gave him a look, but turned back to Derek relatively quickly, as if realizing he was delaying his own answers.

“We’re not Vampires,” Derek said, then let out a small sigh before admitting, “we’re immortal.”

Or: The Old Guard AU nobody asked for (except me).

Of Wolves and Doughnuts by Hatteress

Description: When Derek was fifteen, circumstance and a goddamn doughnut had seen fit to Bond him to Stiles Stilinski.

In which Derek is more cunning than anyone gives him credit for, Stiles doesn't understand why the new Alphas in town are all up in his business and everyone gets a violent crash-course in what it means to be Pack, whether they're in it or not.

Lone Wolves by halcyon1993

Description: Stiles is lonely. The only person who really talks to him is his best friend, and even Scott seems eager to ditch him whenever someone better comes along. Following a stupid decision made late one night, his small world opens up as he discovers things he never before thought possible, and he meets a mysterious man who could be the answer to all of his problems.

***

With Peter and Kate dead, Derek and Stiles are finally given the chance to figure out who they are to each other. Theirs isn't the only relationship that continues to change for the better, but as Derek settles into his new role as the Hale Pack alpha and Stiles seeks to grow stronger, a new player comes to town with their sights set on revenge.

Safe Place to Land by Green

Description: The Hales have been tracking a group of hunters who've targeted small packs with the help of a magic user. When they finally attack the hunter compound, they aren't expecting to find Stiles, a Spark who's practically a slave, and his young werewolf son. Derek isn't expecting the Spark to be his mate, either.

Sing Sweet Sparks by RayShippouUchiha

Description: Derek's been choking on the smoke and ash of his family's murder for years now. It consumes every part of him, influences all that he is. He knows that he'll never be free of it, that nothing will ever grant him the peace he so desperately craves.

All he wants is to feel safe, to be loved and to love in return, but he knows that's impossible.

Until, that is, he meets Stiles.

Through ups and downs, past blood and pain, Stiles slowly gives Derek exactly what he's always desperately wanted and never believed he could have.

Comfort. Care. A new Pack. And a dark, desperate kind of all consuming love.

And once Derek has all of that within his grasp?

Well he'll burn the world to ash to keep it.

Ad Astra Per Tentaculum by morganoconner

Description: Space contains a multitude of different species, and Derek has seen and helped a lot of them in his time taking down branches of the slave-trade organization. But this is the first time he's seen an Aloshrivnik. It’s not the tentacles that draw him in; it’s the goddamn eyes that stare at him without backing down.

“Stiles,” it says to him. “My name is Stiles.”

By Any Other Name by entanglednow

Everyone agrees that Derek Deserves Nice Things, yes?

And that Stiles is a Nice Thing?

Good.

This list is for when you want a Stiles who quietly provides comfort and support to Derek. Gives him time and space for some healing.

A lot of the hurt/comfort fics with Stiles comforting Derek tend to be more of the ‘Stiles pushes his way into Derek’s life and bullies him into being better’ variety. And that can be good. Those are not on this list.

I love going through other people's rec lists but... if you read a bunch you'll end up bumping into the same fics over and over again. Because they're great fics. But I like looking at recs when I want something that has a high likelihood of being good but that I haven't read, so seeing the same fics rec'd over and over again is sub-optimal for that goal.

(I think I've seen Daybreak and I've Been Everywhere With You rec'd elsewhere but they don't pop with a great deal of frequency.)

Hale and Hearty series by khasael

It starts out innocently enough, with a drive to celebrate surviving yet another lethal creature who took up residence in Beacon Hills. Somehow, it ends up including marriage licenses and a giant hotel room, despite both Derek and Stiles being single. But what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Doesn't it?

I love this series. It's so soft and romantic.

Said Sleeping Beauty To The Big Bad Wolf by Whispering_Sumire

The guy zeroes in on him with such intense focus that Derek kind of wants to run away, or maybe drown in those eyes, or maybe wrap the guy up in cotton and protect him from everything forever. Instead, wracked with indecision and overstimulation, his brain just shuts off. He doesn't know if he's thankful or mad at it for that, because that just leaves him looking into warm honeyed whiskey eyes which are as wide and inviting and beautiful as the day is young.

Cinnamon-spice attraction, tangy lemon curiosity, all wind-swept and coated with wild berries. The smell of him is overwhelming. Considering who he's engaged to, though? The influx of interest on his part is a little worrying and not something Derek wants to trust at all.

Laura is wrinkling her nose, at this point. Derek doesn't necessarily blame her.

His Mom, however, just gives the guy a sharp look before schooling her expression, standing from her chair at Peter's bedside and saying: "Are you Peter's fiancée?"

[Or: The one where Peter is the Beast and Stiles is Sleeping Beauty and Derek is the Big Bad Wolf, only, the Beast is the one sleeping, and all the Big Bad Wolf wants to do is save Sleeping Beauty.]

Fair warning: This fic has a big TW for Intimate Partner Violence.

However... Derek is so... soft and sweet in this fic that it kills me. You don't even know. I also just love Whispering_Sumire's prose, it's so lush. This is also an a/b/o fic (which I really tend not to like). Same with the BDSM stuff.

Occasionally Domestic series by Little Spoon (JaydenNara)

The day of graduation, Stiles left Beacon Hills behind when he hopped into Derek's car and never looked back. He's living in New York with Derek and attending Columbia University on a partial scholarship. Only, no one seems to realize that Derek and Stiles are very much together, and sickeningly happily so, because that had never been on anyone's radar.

(or -- Stiles and Derek, occasionally domestic.)

I adore this series. I frequently re-read certain parts (as well as the entire part). It takes a lot of what I love about the Sterek dynamic, polishes it and makes it shine.

Daybreak by TheObsidianQuill

"There..." Stiles swallowed and looked down at the bottle in his grasp as he slowly swirled the amber liquid inside. "There's really nothing left. For me. Everyone is... gone, and it feels like I haven't thought of tomorrow in years." His words rang in the air like a gunshot, he took another heavy drink. "I would trade every last breath I take to just have another shot—not even a guarantee, just a chance to make things right and bring back even one of them."

The pack was gone. He had nothing left. He had no one. With nothing to lose, Stiles puts everything on the line to go back in time to try to prevent the future from becoming his past. Broken, guarded, and haunted by his past, only one overgrown-pup of a wolf seems able to get past his defenses. Changing the future? Easy. Finding a place for himself in the Hale Pack? Impossible.

I'll admit that I have a fondness for Time Travel AU's. There's a very different take on the Hale pack. Stiles is kind of OOC but in a way that makes sense, given his trauma. Derek is so sweet in this fic that it kind of makes me want to die.

I've Been Everywhere With You by Leslie_Knope

“Dude, you should totally come with me.”

“What? Like on the road trip?"

“No, come with me. To Austin. Get out of Beacon Hills.”

Derek paused. “What?” he asked again.

*Sighs dreamily*

First of all, it's Derek's POV (which I always love). Second of all, its the type of slow-build, we're healing and falling in love thing that just gets you.

AU Fluff 'Verse: this was not the plan

Derek fails at hugs.

So good! There's another fic by im_not_a_lizard with a similar premise (and I love that one too) but this one is less cracky and just... dreamy. A+

might just be my everything by starlard

Arranged marriages were a completely bazonkers idea in general, hence their nonexistence in 21st century America, but millenia-ancient magic didn’t care about modern courtship rituals like dating, and this was a time-honored method of getting what he wanted.

What Stiles wanted, all he wanted, was to protect his dad. And his pack. And Scott, who despite having abandoned Stiles in high school to join the Hale Pack, was still the best bro he could ever have, so that made for two packs.

The point is, if marrying a distant acquaintance can possibly stabilize the entire county and protect basically everyone he cares about, Stiles is gonna do it. And he’s not going to freak out about it.

Much.

So he talked to Hideyo, Satomi’s emissary and his mentor.

Hideyo talked to Satomi.

Satomi called Laura.

Laura got Deaton, and the five of them met at a taco truck, of all places. It was in neutral territory. And the tacos de carnitas were legendary.

It's an arranged marriage fic where everyone's into the idea from the beginning and there's a lot of deliciously healthy communication. It's fluffy and awesome.

Sing Sweet Sparks series by RayShippouUchiha

Derek's been choking on the smoke and ash of his family's murder for years now. It consumes every part of him, influences all that he is. He knows that he'll never be free of it, that nothing will ever grant him the peace he so desperately craves.

All he wants is to feel safe, to be loved and to love in return, but he knows that's impossible.

Until, that is, he meets Stiles.

Through ups and downs, past blood and pain, Stiles slowly gives Derek exactly what he's always desperately wanted and never believed he could have.

Comfort. Care. A new Pack. And a dark, desperate kind of all consuming love.

And once Derek has all of that within his grasp?

Well he'll burn the world to ash to keep it.

Looking at my other recs, they're mostly fluff. This... is not fluff. It's not angsty exactly... more like dark fluff? Can that be a thing? If it is, this is a great example.

It has creeper and kind of dark Derek. Everyone's kind of dark. Something that's rare for me, I find the smut actually kind of hot. It's all from Derek's POV, which is always a plus. They have a lot of sex in front of Lydia.

I guess I like the fic because Derek's kind of dark and broken but he loves Stiles and is supportive and good about it.

(Do mind the warnings in the tags, though.)

Whatever Works by KouriArashi

The problem with having your soulmate's first words to you tattooed on your arm is knowing your whole life that you're fated to be with a jerk. It's enough to make Stiles want to date other people... which is how he winds up dating his soulmate's nephew.

I do like Soul Mark AU's and this is one of my favourites. Fair warning: this is also a Steter fic. It's a poly fic with Sterek has the main romantic couple and Steter for the smut.

The writer says the inspiration partly comes from "my ongoing campaign for polyamory as a solution to love triangles everywhere" and this is Good.