Title: I Ran So Far
Fandom:  Teen Wolf
Pairing:  Derek/Stiles
Categories: First time
Length: Long (33,794 words)
Warnings: Underage because Stiles is still a teenager.

Author on LJ:  N/A
Author Website:  AO3

Summary: “But, you don’t run,” Derek pointed out, confused.

“People can get new hobbies,” Stiles snapped. “Geez, if I’d known it was going to be this big of a deal, I’d have called you first. Want me to give you my workout schedule? That way you can coordinate your nose accordingly?”

In which Stiles' summer starts off so badly he starts running, gets pelted by paint balls, and decides he is, in fact, going crazy if he willingly wants to hang out with Derek Hale.

Review:   
A delicious slow-build fic set in the summer after season two. Stile's friendship with Scott is shifting to accommodate Isaac, he still has nightmares about Gerard beating him up, and his relationship with his dad is strained. He takes up running through the preserve to help him work through his emotions, and ends up with far more than a new running partner in Derek.

The author has a wonderfully light touch when it comes to emotion. The story doesn't shy away from the anger, frustration, jealousy and resentment Stiles is feeling, but neither does it linger in them to the point of melodrama. The result is some of the more realistic characterization I've seen in Teen Wolf fic. Stiles and Derek ( Scott and Isaac too, for that matter) all come across as nuanced characters, flaws intact. Stiles, in particular, is really struggling with the events of season two. I enjoyed the way the author developed running as an outlet for him to work through his emotions. The romance is also realistic, capturing that sense of giddy nervousness I remember from my own first relationship. Derek's protective streak made me happy, and I loved the chemistry between them.

I Ran (So Far)