Title: Worlds That Turn On Their Own
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Derek/Stiles
Categories: Future fic
Length: Epic (54,954 words)
Warnings: Angst

Author on LJ:  N/A
Author Website:  RemainNameless

Summary: When Stiles had left Beacon Hills, he'd done it with every intention of never coming back. Ten years later, he finds himself forced back to his hometown. Of course, it's not long before things are just as they had been before -- that is, falling headlong towards disaster, and this time, stopping it isn't really an option.

Review: "Worlds That Turn on Their Own" is a future fic where Stiles, now a cop in Minneapolis, returns home to take care of his father after a heart attack. Once in Beacon Hills, he needs to face the pack he abandoned so many years before, including Derek, who's the reason he left in the first place. Even after ten years away, Stiles hasn't managed to get over Derek. But life in Beacon Hills had continued moving forward in Stiles's absence, and Derek is now dating the daughter of a neighboring Alpha. When it becomes apparent that Stiles's feelings aren't as unrequited as he'd previously thought, he and Derek need to step carefully to avoid sparking a pack war.

I love pining, and this story delivers it in spades, with Stiles and Derek carrying torches for each other for over a decade of absence. This story starts on a melancholy note, and the angst builds from there, with jealousy and guilt, and beneath it all, a connection so magnetic that Derek and Stiles can't resist it, even when being together is downright dangerous. If you love UST followed by sex, followed by guilt and misunderstandings (peppered with more sex), followed by action and an eventual happy ending, this is the story for you! There is also some fantastic werewolf mythology here! I can't say too much without major spoilers, but I love the direction this fic takes some of the common TW werewolf tropes.

The backstory between Derek and Stiles is really at the heart of this story, and RemainNameless does a good job of gradually releasing it to us while keeping the plot moving forward. In addition to the strong pacing and the emotional connection between Derek and Stiles, I loved this glimpse at the pack as adults. The futures RemainNameless chose for everybody seem entirely likely, and I especially liked the characterization of Allison and Lydia. I'm also glad that she chose not to make a villain of Derek's almost-girlfriend. The OFC is genuinely likable, which makes Stiles feel even guiltier about the whole situation. For those of you who worry about infidelity, she and Derek are in the very early courtship stages and their relationship isn't at all set in stone. The real impediment to the Derek/Stiles relationship isn't the OFC herself, but rather her father, and the possibility of Derek offending a stronger pack by turning her down.

I loved this story to death the first time I read it, but then I ended up losing the link when my computer crashed and all of my tabs closed on me. Then, last week, I downloaded a podfic on a whim and realized it was the same story I'd been haphazardly trying to track down for a few months! Chemm80's podfic is strong in its own right. I did a full rec on Podfic_Love here, but let me just say that listening to it really is a treat. She makes fantastic use of filters and special effects, and I love the emotion she brought to the dialogue.

Worlds That Turn On Their Own
[Podfic] Worlds That Turn On Their Own