When I spoke your name, you came to me and became a flower.

[flamyshine]

Title: When I spoke your name, you came to me and became a flower.
Pairing: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale (Pre-established relationship)
Other character: mentions of Mama Stilinski
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 2,375
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
Warning: a little bit of angst throughout the story despite the happy ending
Summary: Due to a curse, nobody gets to speak Stiles’ name until he finds true love. But he has to find someone before eighteen, and even then, only one person in the world gets to call him by his real name.
Author’s note: Inspired by the Korean poem ‘Flower’ by Chun-Su Kim. (Translation at the end of the story.) I suppose that this is a half-AU since I made Mama Stilinski a witch.


He had been born without a name. His pregnant mother had been cursed by a fellow witch who had envied her to the bone. His mother had been beautiful, kind, smart, and wonderful at her job. She had been a witch whose magic had come from the pure goodness of her heart. She had also been the final line of defense of the town. No supernatural creature had managed to exhibit violence during her time.

But with a great life came great enemies. The evil witch had waited until his mother had become vulnerable; until she had gotten pregnant with a child. Then she had cursed her so that she couldn’t call the names of her dearest people. His mother had tried to fight back. She had crawled towards her broken wand with a heavy belly. But the evil witch had cursed her once more. Nobody could ever call the names of her family. They would be left with holes in their souls, unable to fully love anyone. His mother had begged for mercy. She had held on to the witch’s robe and had pleaded with her to spare her son.

He liked to think that it was his mother’s goodness that had driven away a little bit of the evilness. The witch had agreed to lessen the punishment on the unborn child. The curse would be lifted if he managed to find true love before eighteen. Even then, his true love would be the only one to call him by his real name. But at least, he wouldn’t live his life trying to fill up his soul in vain. His mother had thanked her profusely before passing out in the living room until his father had rushed her to the hospital for an early labor.

That was why his parents had refused to have more children. While he had wished to have a sibling to play with, his mother had been fairly certain that the curse extended to all future members of her family. It was a shame that they hadn’t been able to ask the evil witch. She had been struck by lightning and had died, leaving nothing but a pointy hat behind.

He had finally gotten a name at the age of six. But nobody at school had been capable of saying it. So he had gone by ‘Stiles’, a nickname given by his best friends. Heather had insisted that a name that sounded like ‘style’ was stylish while Scott had wanted his name to end with a ‘s’ as a reminder of their friendship.

Thanks to his cheerful nature, he hadn’t been sad about being ‘He who shall not be named.’ Throughout his childhood, his mother had reassured him that he wasn’t an abomination. He hadn’t known what it meant until much later, but he had understood when she had said that there was magic in him. He had seen some of the amazing things that his mother had done. And, as her only child, he had hoped that someday he would get to use what she had given him.

The day had come earlier than he had expected. While he had been by his mother’s side at the hospital, he had seen a boy crying alone in the hall. He had looked older than him, but he had still looked like a little boy, curled up in a ball. He had walked over to the sad boy and had put a hand on his shoulder. He had hoped that his mother had been right. He had hoped that he had actually inherited some of her magic. Carefully wrapping his arms around the boy, he had wished that the boy would find true love so that he would never cry alone again.

He had forgotten all about that boy as life had gone on. When his eyes had first been blessed with the sight of Lydia Martin, he had fervently hoped that she would be his savior. He had pictured happy days with her, eating ice cream together every single day. But when he had turned sixteen, it had become clear that his feelings were never going to be reciprocated. While he would never regret having loved her, he had to admit that he had wasted eight years of his life. He had needed to find true love and time had been running out.

That was when he had run into the boy again. He had grown up and had become an adult, but the sad, little boy had still been living in his eyes. Derek Hale had been a lone werewolf who had come back to his hometown to look for his sister. Little had he known back then just how involved he would be getting in the werewolf’s life. His whole life had changed that day, and no amount of magic would’ve prepared him to get through all the events that had followed.

Perhaps it was because of those events that he had never suspected that he had been close to finding true love. He hadn’t even thought about finding out if Derek could speak his name. He had been too busy saving his life and using his magic to protect the town. But he had caught a glimpse of something special between them when Derek had come back from the bank. After all these years, his younger sister had been alive. The disbelief and held back joy had been apparent on Derek’s face.

His heart had swelled with delight at the news. He had known what it was like to wish for your loved ones to be back in your life. It hadn’t happened to him, but he had been happy to see it happen to Derek. So he had thrown his arms around him and had told him so. And, by some magic, Derek had hugged him back.

Things had become different after that. The changes had been subtle but unmistakable. They had stared at each other a little bit longer and had smiled around each other a little more often. Scott had even told him that he looked happy in a very long time.

Then Derek had died battling against the Alpha pack. He had been too shocked to process the news, let alone show a reaction. They might not have had a meaningful connection yet, but he hadn’t felt like Derek had died. He had needed to see with his own eyes that the werewolf wasn’t brooding around in his loft. So he had used his magic to give the bus a flat tire and had gotten Allison’s help to reach the loft.

He had never found the sight of someone suffering so soothing and relaxing. Derek had been in bed, alive and breathing on his own. He would never forget the fear in Cora’s eyes, but then she might never forget the kiss that he had given her brother. Derek had kissed him back and had sped up the healing process. It had made him feel like a Disney prince and a Disney witch all at the same time. But it hadn’t mattered. What had mattered was that Derek had come back in his life. What had mattered was that he had finally found true love.

When he had whispered in Derek’s ear to ask him to call him by his real name, Derek had said it loud and clear. The curse had been lifted, binding him to his one and only. His mother had won once more, out of pure love for her child.

It was raining, just like the day when they had buried his mother. As usual, he was armed with fresh flowers and beautiful memories of her, but nothing could stop him from sobbing into his sleeve.

“Hey, I think she’d like to see you smile.” Derek held his boyfriend’s hand with the hand that wasn’t holding up an umbrella. He wanted to share his pain and sorrow.

“I miss her, Derek. I miss her so much…”

Derek nodded and kissed his hand. He knew all too well what it was like to miss the most wonderful woman in your life. “I wish she was with us too. I wish I had met her.”

“Oh, but you can still meet her.”

Derek watched as his boyfriend knelt on the grass and laid the flowers in front of the tombstone. He was still holding up the umbrella but a few drops of water landed on the flowers. If he could punch through the boy’s distress, he would’ve done that already. But there was nothing that he could do other than give him a hug, just like his boyfriend had done years ago on that dreadful day at the hospital.

As he knelt behind the boy, Derek felt shaky hands hold on to his arm that was firmly around his waist. “Mom, this is Derek. He’s the one who says my name.”

With his boyfriend in his lap, Derek listened to him tell his mother everything that they had gone through. There were tears and laughter, along with shared smiles and kisses. The tale was an epic but Derek didn’t move an inch. His legs had died a while ago but his heart was beating with relief. The boy’s mood had become lighter just like the color of the sky.

By the time they had gotten back on their feet, it had stopped raining. Derek lost his balance a little as he folded the umbrella.

“Wahahaha…”

Had that ungrateful creature just laughed at him? He couldn’t help but raise a judging eyebrow.

“Come on, Derek. Let’s go home.” Laughter was lingering at the corners of his mouth. “I’ll take care of your poor legs. You know how great I am with my hands.”

Derek laughed at the show of jazz hands. “Yes, I do. You’re quite magical.”

The boy looked surprised. “Wow, thanks. You really think I am?”

“Yeah. Your mother would be proud of you. You’ll guard this town better than either of your folks.”

“Oh, now you’re just pushing for a magical kiss!”

“Wow, you really think I am?” Derek tried to imitate his boyfriend. A punch flew his way but he avoided it with ease. After everything that had gone down, he was still an Alpha werewolf.

“Derek, we all know you’re handsome, but that smirk doesn’t look good on you.”

Derek cocked his head. “I can tell you’re lying. So why don’t you just give me that magical kiss so we can go home?”

“We can go always home without any kisses. There’s no sign around here that says we’re required to lock lips before leaving the premises.”

Derek gave his boyfriend the Hale-patented eye roll before pulling him in for a kiss. He didn’t believe in spirits but the woman had been a witch. If she could somehow see them, he wanted her to see how much they cared for each other and how far he was willing to go to keep her son safe and happy. Happiness was still a difficult concept for him, but he was learning to enjoy it with the resilient kid by his side.

“Eh, I’m not going to let you jump me in front of my mother.” The boy pulled back.

“That’s why I suggested we go home.”

“Actually I’m the one who suggested it first. But hey, it’s great we agree on it.”

Derek smelled trouble the moment the kid started chuckling. “What is it? Spit it out. That giggle doesn’t look good on you.”

“You liar! You love my giggles. And, just for that, I’ll race you to the car! Don’t beg me to go easy on you!” He ran off, giving himself a head start.

“What do I get if I win?” Derek stretched his legs with a zen look on his face. He could outrun a clumsy human any time.

“If you win, you get to top twice! If I win, I get to top one of those times!”

Derek rubbed his chin as the kid ran faster. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to win or lose. But the boy unintentionally flaunting his ass made the decision for him. He took off with a clear goal in his mind. There was no way he was going to lose.

“Is that the best you’ve got? I’m laughing at you, Derek Hale!”

Derek threw one guilty look towards the grave before sprinting at full speed. It only took him a few seconds to catch up with the giggling mess and throw him over his shoulder. The Jeep was in sight so the race had been closer than he had expected. But it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was going to get them home and work on making his boy happy. What mattered was that they were going to treasure what they had together. And, maybe next year, just maybe, he might get to see the precious kid smile at his mother.

Author’s note: In case anyone’s interested in the poem, here’s the translation.

You were nothing more than a mere gesture
Until I spoke your name.

But when I spoke your name,
You came to me and became a flower.

Now would you call my name
As I called yours,
One fitting the color and scent of mine
So that I may go to you and become your flower.

We all wish to become something,
You to me and I to you.
We wish to become something meaningful
And unforgettable.