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With or Without You
Sterek Fanfic
Derek thinks that the mating rituals are overly romanticized bullshit, but claiming a mate and defending them from challengers is something werewolves do, and his pack can't afford to appear weak after the fire. Especially not when Deucalion and his friends are in town for the rituals. Enter Stiles Stilinski, who offers to let Derek claim him so he won't be overrun at the ceremonies. Nothing goes as expected.
Words:62556 complete
Derek thinks that the mating rituals are overly romanticized bullshit, but claiming a mate and defending them from challengers is something werewolves do, and his pack can't afford to appear weak after the fire. Especially not when Deucalion and his friends are in town for the rituals. Enter Stiles Stilinski, who offers to let Derek claim him so he won't be overrun at the ceremonies. Nothing goes as expected.
Words:62556 complete
188 pages, ebook
First published January 21, 2014
1 person is currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 17, 2015
The UST wasn't UST-y enough for me--that's a super clever way of saying I wasn't feeling much of the Sterek love/lust--but other than that I really enjoyed this fic. Great plot and I loved what KouriArashi did with the characters.
However, I especially enjoyed the author's idea of Laura's perfect man: JGL!!!!!!!
Okay, actually Laura's perfect man is Arthur from Inception:
But fuck it, it's still JGL!!
Sterek plus Joseph Gordon-Levitt? I can die happy now.
P.S. Actually, one thing confused me regarding the plot.
July 10, 2015
There are a lot of plot/thematic similarities to Divided We Stand, and I found this basically just as enjoyable, with the added bonus that the writing is quite a bit smoother. It's often very funny, and not nearly as melancholy. There is a lot of fun action involving a big cast, including Laura, Cora, Peter, the Alpha Pack and other Teen Wolf favorites. Stiles again plays detective and generally brings people together and makes things happen. As in Divided, Derek is not at all domineering--with not an iota of alpha-hole behavior. Only downside is that he awfully obtuse, with his willful misinterpretations inducing a serious case of foot-in-mouth syndrome.
Bottom line: if you liked Divided We Stand, you will like this.
Bottom line: if you liked Divided We Stand, you will like this.
June 27, 2015
Stiles and Derek pretend to be in a relationship at the mating rituals! There's a slight unresolved sexual tension and only two kisses.
It was really good and interesting. There could be more love, though.
I especially liked this relationship tag: Peter Hale/his own ego.
It was really good and interesting. There could be more love, though.
I especially liked this relationship tag: Peter Hale/his own ego.
January 27, 2015
Light easy read, not as stupid as I was worried it was going to be - that is a compliment from me as back handed as it seems. It kept me reading into the night until I finished it. Also, one of the better Laura depictions I have come across - I usually find Laura annoying, I think there might be a reason why Davis starts the show with her death. (Ouch, I know.)
Derek and Stiles are just pretending to be boyfriends (something they love to do in fan fiction I am finding), but of course both are scared to confront their feelings or each other to admit their might be more behind their act. Set against a werewolf mating games conference which was brought to life wonderfully and toss in a werewolf murder mystery, the plot is thick and entertaining.
Peter and his ego steal the show in many scenes, but Stiles' mind and Derek's quiet brawn keep your eyes focused center stage.
Why I read it ...
Best relationship tag: "Peter Hale/ his ego" - I am reading it just for that.
Derek and Stiles are just pretending to be boyfriends (something they love to do in fan fiction I am finding), but of course both are scared to confront their feelings or each other to admit their might be more behind their act. Set against a werewolf mating games conference which was brought to life wonderfully and toss in a werewolf murder mystery, the plot is thick and entertaining.
Peter and his ego steal the show in many scenes, but Stiles' mind and Derek's quiet brawn keep your eyes focused center stage.
Why I read it ...
Best relationship tag: "Peter Hale/ his ego" - I am reading it just for that.
June 10, 2018
**Re-Read**
2015 was a loooong time ago and I'm not going to change my rating but my enjoyment of this story this time was more of a 3★ read.
I did not like Derek. I didn't dig Stiles being 16 and yeah, this time I totally missed the romance.
Time is funny, yeah?
-------
This was a lot of fun. It was like a mystery filled adventure and I just really had a lot of fun with it.
Although this was seriously lacking in the romance, if you read the story for what it is you won't miss it.
2015 was a loooong time ago and I'm not going to change my rating but my enjoyment of this story this time was more of a 3★ read.
I did not like Derek. I didn't dig Stiles being 16 and yeah, this time I totally missed the romance.
Time is funny, yeah?
-------
This was a lot of fun. It was like a mystery filled adventure and I just really had a lot of fun with it.
Although this was seriously lacking in the romance, if you read the story for what it is you won't miss it.
May 18, 2018
Really liked this one, it's lengthy but never felt too long.
During the every seventh year mating ritual Stiles offers to be Derek's 'beard' and they spend the rest of the story denying their attraction for each other while attending events and plot stuff happens.
It's cute, nicely paced. Stiles is flaily and feisty, a good friend, brave and smart. Derek is hot, growly, socially awkward and totally hot for Stiles ;) Laura is alpha here with Peter lurking about in what has to be my favourite portrayal of him; he's deliciously sinister with ambiguous intent, clearly enjoying himself.
The tension is light and the smut non existent - an audience tease and one measly kiss! I did want to shake the boys and lock them in a room together with by the end, but I bet they got up to all kinds of kinky off-page things as soon as the fic ended! There's enough plot to keep it interesting though the action scenes amused me more than they probably should - very movie showdown everyone come armed, but that was part of the fun.
And because there HAS to be a Sterek gif:
During the every seventh year mating ritual Stiles offers to be Derek's 'beard' and they spend the rest of the story denying their attraction for each other while attending events and plot stuff happens.
It's cute, nicely paced. Stiles is flaily and feisty, a good friend, brave and smart. Derek is hot, growly, socially awkward and totally hot for Stiles ;) Laura is alpha here with Peter lurking about in what has to be my favourite portrayal of him; he's deliciously sinister with ambiguous intent, clearly enjoying himself.
The tension is light and the smut non existent - an audience tease and one measly kiss! I did want to shake the boys and lock them in a room together with by the end, but I bet they got up to all kinds of kinky off-page things as soon as the fic ended! There's enough plot to keep it interesting though the action scenes amused me more than they probably should - very movie showdown everyone come armed, but that was part of the fun.
And because there HAS to be a Sterek gif:
November 29, 2014
I'm going with a 3.5 on this one. I liked it and it kept my attention but there wasn't enough romance for my current mood. I need some romance people! I want love and snark and humor and awkward kisses with flailing involved.
But yeah, this was good. The writing is solid. There's even a mystery. I would recommend.
April 28, 2014
This is quite a good story with a strongly built AU around werewolf mating rituals. The series of events that go on during this month-long mate selection ritual (a cooking contest, maze, auction, etc) were interesting and fun to read. I also liked the use of all the TV series characters (the Alpha pack, Erica, Boyd, Scott etc).
My only complaint was that there was modest UST and ultimately no sex except a sort of a fade to black acknowledgement at the end that Stiles/Derek were going to get together "for real". Still, the shifter world building and relationships make this worth reading.
My only complaint was that there was modest UST and ultimately no sex except a sort of a fade to black acknowledgement at the end that Stiles/Derek were going to get together "for real". Still, the shifter world building and relationships make this worth reading.
January 26, 2015
Good story, well plotted, and interesting. I liked how Stiles and Derek grew together over the course of the story, and I liked that is wasn't some silly instant love sort of thing.
September 18, 2015
Just read it for the second time, still four stars.
I like smart detective Stiles and Derek The Meek, I like the whole pretend-boyfriend relationship and all the semi-dumb conference and cruise ship activities they have to do. Thumbs up for Gordon, he was a nice addition, and of course Peter is awesome.
I like smart detective Stiles and Derek The Meek, I like the whole pretend-boyfriend relationship and all the semi-dumb conference and cruise ship activities they have to do. Thumbs up for Gordon, he was a nice addition, and of course Peter is awesome.
March 18, 2017
Teen Wolf - Sterek Fanfic
Summary:
Despite the fact that I generally dislike "big misunderstanding/failure to communicate" storylines, I enjoyed this story. I absolutely adore this version of Stiles, the one who spits in the eye of the villainous bad guy everyone else fears. You'd think this would indicate a complete lack of self-preservation skills but for Stiles it seems to work to his advantage. An age-old question: clueless idiot or brilliant mastermind?
Summary:
Derek thinks that the mating rituals are overly romanticized bullshit, but claiming a mate and defending them from challengers is something werewolves do, and his pack can't afford to appear weak after the fire. Especially not when Deucalion and his friends are in town for the rituals. Enter Stiles Stilinski, who offers to let Derek claim him so he won't be overrun at the ceremonies. Nothing goes as expected.Ah, yes, the Big Misunderstanding trope at its best. I think I once saw a tag on AO3 that was something like "boys being stupid." That about sums up Derek and Stiles and their complete inability to talk about their feelings.
Words:62556 complete (less)
Despite the fact that I generally dislike "big misunderstanding/failure to communicate" storylines, I enjoyed this story. I absolutely adore this version of Stiles, the one who spits in the eye of the villainous bad guy everyone else fears. You'd think this would indicate a complete lack of self-preservation skills but for Stiles it seems to work to his advantage. An age-old question: clueless idiot or brilliant mastermind?
January 12, 2015
I really really liked this story. Lots to like here. Pretend boyfriends, Cora with Isaac, living non-nosy creeper Laura, mystery time, oblivious Sterek-I-ness, good original character for Laura's mate, even Peter was the right amount of Peter-ness. Go forth and read the goodness, fellow Sterek-ophiles.
February 4, 2015
Ok so there were a load of things I really liked about this - I enjoy KouriArashi's writing, I liked her portrayal of the characters and I loved Peter in this one, the "games/tournament" style action was a really cool idea and I enjoyed reading about all the different things they had to do. There was a decent plot (although you can work out "whodunnit" pretty early on) and although this was a relatively long read for a sterek, I didn't get bored at any point and wanted to read straight through and finish it.
However, as far as sexy-times go, there is some kissing and that's about it, but actually that would have been ok for me - what left me a little disappointed was that we were promised a lot of UST (from the tags), but I wasn't really feeling it. Yes Stiles and Derek were their usual obliviou selves when it came to each other, yes you kind of knew they were starting to care about each other, but I wasn't really feeling the chemistry for the majority of the read (apart from a couple of short bits)...and I didn't feel there was enough interaction between them really, so I missed that. If there had been a bit more of these things, this would have been a higher rating as it would have rounded it out nicely for me.
However, as far as sexy-times go, there is some kissing and that's about it, but actually that would have been ok for me - what left me a little disappointed was that we were promised a lot of UST (from the tags), but I wasn't really feeling it. Yes Stiles and Derek were their usual obliviou selves when it came to each other, yes you kind of knew they were starting to care about each other, but I wasn't really feeling the chemistry for the majority of the read (apart from a couple of short bits)...and I didn't feel there was enough interaction between them really, so I missed that. If there had been a bit more of these things, this would have been a higher rating as it would have rounded it out nicely for me.
October 15, 2018
this was very enjoyable. I’m not sure what my younger self was thinking and/or smoking to not remember reading this (hey, I was younger when I read this three years ago. Sue me🙄), but hopefully I’ll remember this now.
September 23, 2015
Really cute. Some good humor, including my favorite line "...why don't you shut your dick holster..." hahahaha
February 27, 2018
It was okay. I liked Peter, the mystery, Laura, Gordon! and the actual ceremony. Stiles was cool, the sheriff dependable and the actual plot was interesting. I just need more sterek action to fuel my addiction. More sterek, less talk and more action.
February 4, 2015
Damn, can KouriArashi write! I read Divided We Stand by her and loved it, so decided to read this next. A similar plot, and yet completely different! The ceremony and mating rituals are polar opposites, as are characters like Peter and Cora. Really impressive.
I thouroughly enjoyed this. Lighter and funner than Divided We Stand, although certainly still with it's intense moments. Really no sex at all, only 1-2 kisses. Not even the amount of UST I would like, although honestly, I just enjoyed the plot and the banter and the potential that I didn't mind. Of course I would like one more chapter to get my RST (resolved sexual tension!), but we can't win 'em all.
I thouroughly enjoyed this. Lighter and funner than Divided We Stand, although certainly still with it's intense moments. Really no sex at all, only 1-2 kisses. Not even the amount of UST I would like, although honestly, I just enjoyed the plot and the banter and the potential that I didn't mind. Of course I would like one more chapter to get my RST (resolved sexual tension!), but we can't win 'em all.
February 8, 2015
This was not for me. I know this author can write I loved 'devided we stand' and since this author wrote that and used the same prompt i figgured I would enjoy this just as much. Alas not so. Derrick is just too WEAK and wimpy and boring pitiful wet noodle in this. I was good with this story for the most part untill the Sterek aspects were really back burner and I just gave in and let myself realize I did not like this one. Oh well it won't hurt my affection for KouriArashi fics.
July 23, 2017
Entertaining
March 14, 2018
Garbage
June 19, 2023
Very Good! Very Well done!
November 30, 2014
I enjoyed this take on the mating ceremony idea more than in Divided We Stand, but didn't like the Sterek as much. They're both much too oblivious and I need more Sterek in my Sterek fics!
I also really did like, however, how much Peter was in this one. I like Laura as alpha. I liked the parts that Scott, Isaac, Erica and Boyd got to play. I liked the resolution of things with Deucalion and the Alphas. So much to like, but I just couldn't help wishing for more Sterek.
Some Favorite Quotes:
"No! No, Scott, all things are not possible, and even if they were that doesn't make them probable."
and sporting just enough stubble to ratchet his looks up from 'gorgeous' to 'how can you actually exist.'
Stiles is sure it's just for show and tries to ignore the high-pitched internal screaming.
I also really did like, however, how much Peter was in this one. I like Laura as alpha. I liked the parts that Scott, Isaac, Erica and Boyd got to play. I liked the resolution of things with Deucalion and the Alphas. So much to like, but I just couldn't help wishing for more Sterek.
Some Favorite Quotes:
"No! No, Scott, all things are not possible, and even if they were that doesn't make them probable."
and sporting just enough stubble to ratchet his looks up from 'gorgeous' to 'how can you actually exist.'
Stiles is sure it's just for show and tries to ignore the high-pitched internal screaming.
July 30, 2015
This was an engaging story with another "twist" on the tried and true fandom fave mating trope.
And the author gets snaps and claps for coming up with Peter Hale/His own ego as a pairing tag. Because let's be real: Nobody could love Peter like Peter loves Peter (I would try though b/c Ian Bohen. I am here for that).
The original characters were great, the "mystery" was well written (although I totally figured out who did it long before the reveal) and Stiles was amazing.
And the author gets snaps and claps for coming up with Peter Hale/His own ego as a pairing tag. Because let's be real: Nobody could love Peter like Peter loves Peter (I would try though b/c Ian Bohen. I am here for that).
The original characters were great, the "mystery" was well written (although I totally figured out who did it long before the reveal) and Stiles was amazing.
May 22, 2014
Interesting take on a every 7 year mating festival. Long story where they don't even kiss till the last page. No sex, but lots of mating scenarios where Stiles and Derek pretend to be interested, but supposedly it's fake, but neither of them will admit they are in love with the other.
February 4, 2017
There's just something about these mating rituals things that don't sit well with me. And I'm not a fan of Stiles being "spoils" or people desperately wanting to "land" a werewolf. Idk, just not for me I guess.
January 24, 2017
Werewolfs are known and quite a few people want to be their mate. Stiles less so and Derek doesn't really want a mate. Its a slow burn romance, really slow even if they pretend to be together. The story is good and I like Derek/Stiles are mates stories so this was a fun read.
October 26, 2015
3.5 might have been higher if not having read a mating ceremony one that I ultimately loved.
July 5, 2014
3.8* stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews