Title: Fine Woodworking
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Derek/Stiles (pre-slash)
Categories: Angst, emotional hurt/comfort, panic attacks, PTSD, pack, recovery
Length: Medium (2,129 words)
Warnings: Just spoilers for Season 3B

Author on LJ lolafeist
Author Websites: LolaFeist

Author's Summary: Derek has grown accustomed to listening for the eccentric rhythm of Stiles' heartbeat.

Review:
Season 3B has had some humor, more focus, a Derek who actually looked happy for a second (?!), and a growing sense of suspense around Stiles' missing time, inability to tell waking from sleeping, etc. LolaFeist focuses on the latter, with a Stiles who has deep anxiety issues and post traumatic stress in the imagined aftermath of this season.

Although Derek and Stiles are alone together, the pack is a very much part of the story. We hear how they've tried to feel their way around the gap that holds Stiles apart from them - his panic and his changing moods - and get a sense of what it's costing them.

I love that LolaFeist doesn't ignore the ways hurting can make us a pain in the ass to live with. Derek notes Stiles' manipulation and anger without being drawn in. I also loved the low key way Derek only makes himself available instead of pushing for the outcome he wants; he's got a peacefulness that's needed here. Stiles is far off balance and a long way from moving on, but the end of this story is a turning point that's both subtle and striking. From there you can see the path that could lead Stiles and everyone around him to better days. (And if that's not happy enough, LolaFeist has sketched short peek at how she imagines the future will go in a comment.)

I recced LolaFeist here in 2012 too. She has a way with angst and hurt/comfort, so if you enjoy this, you might also like the rec for Architecture and Authority, a Merlin dystopian AU.


Fine Woodworking