Photo Albums - Sterek (Teen Wolf)
Title: Photo Albums
Pairing: Stiles/Derek Hale (Teen Wolf)
Chapter: 1/1
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Prompt: Lost Childhood
Summary: Sometimes, when he doesn't think anyone's around, Derek looks through old photo albums, and sometimes he cries...and this time, Stiles hears him.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters!
Author's Note: This is an entry from my Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card.
Every so often, Stiles catches Derek looking at photoalbums. He notices that the edges are charred and burnt, and that they must have been in the fire, but rather than say anything, he always walks out again, then walks back in louder, clumsily, so that Derek has a chance to hide what it is Stiles knows he doesn’t want other people to see before Stiles comes in. This time, though, it’s different. As Stiles approaches the Hale mansion, intent on taking his boyfriend for a burger or some pad thai, he hears sniffling. Worried, he rushes into the house, and finds Derek on the floor, hunched over a photo album, crying.
Instantly, Stiles is beside him. He works his way next to the man and presses his body up against Derek’s, snuggling him, nuzzling him, knowing without looking at the book what is wrong. Derek was so young when he lost his family, only a child, and when he lost his family, his childhood innocence went right with them. They’ve talked about it, but not much, and Stiles knows that if there’s ever a time to talk about it, it’s right now. He’s seen the album, and Derek knows that he’s seen it, so there’s no use leaving now, and tripping his way into the mansion to give Derek time to hide it.
“I miss them,” Derek says, closing the album and turning to look at Stiles. His eyes are still red, and unlike every other time, he’s not even trying to pretend that he’s okay. He’s not okay, but for the first time ever, he’s okay with Stiles knowing that. “I really, really miss them.”
“I know you do.” Stiles pulls him into a hug, nuzzling his whole face into Derek’s neck, trying to make him feel loved, to make him feel needed and wanted, because he doesn’t know what else to do. Derek had to grow up so fast, to be there for his sister, even though she was the top dog, and Stiles knows that can’t have been easy, but he doesn’t know how hard it really was.
“Sometimes I wish I’d been in the house,” he whispers. “I wish that I had skipped school that day, that I had been in there with everyone else, and that I had died with them, because sometimes it’s harder to be alive than it is to be dead.” He whimpers with the last words, and Stiles gently kisses his jaw, the words cutting into him, hurting him. He doesn’t want Derek to be dead, he doesn’t know what he would do if Derek were dead.
“I’m glad you survived,” he whispers finally. He doesn’t know what else to say, he’s not sure that there is anything else to say. He knows that being there is something, and the fact that Derek is clinging to him like he needs to be rescued tells Stiles that being there is helping him, that it’s doing something, that it’s doing enough, so he says the only thing that he has left to say “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Derek kisses Stiles softly, knowing that no matter what, no matter how fast he had to grow up, he really doesn’t want to be dead, because if he were, he would never have gotten to know Stiles.
Pairing: Stiles/Derek Hale (Teen Wolf)
Chapter: 1/1
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Prompt: Lost Childhood
Summary: Sometimes, when he doesn't think anyone's around, Derek looks through old photo albums, and sometimes he cries...and this time, Stiles hears him.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters!
Author's Note: This is an entry from my Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card.
Every so often, Stiles catches Derek looking at photoalbums. He notices that the edges are charred and burnt, and that they must have been in the fire, but rather than say anything, he always walks out again, then walks back in louder, clumsily, so that Derek has a chance to hide what it is Stiles knows he doesn’t want other people to see before Stiles comes in. This time, though, it’s different. As Stiles approaches the Hale mansion, intent on taking his boyfriend for a burger or some pad thai, he hears sniffling. Worried, he rushes into the house, and finds Derek on the floor, hunched over a photo album, crying.
Instantly, Stiles is beside him. He works his way next to the man and presses his body up against Derek’s, snuggling him, nuzzling him, knowing without looking at the book what is wrong. Derek was so young when he lost his family, only a child, and when he lost his family, his childhood innocence went right with them. They’ve talked about it, but not much, and Stiles knows that if there’s ever a time to talk about it, it’s right now. He’s seen the album, and Derek knows that he’s seen it, so there’s no use leaving now, and tripping his way into the mansion to give Derek time to hide it.
“I miss them,” Derek says, closing the album and turning to look at Stiles. His eyes are still red, and unlike every other time, he’s not even trying to pretend that he’s okay. He’s not okay, but for the first time ever, he’s okay with Stiles knowing that. “I really, really miss them.”
“I know you do.” Stiles pulls him into a hug, nuzzling his whole face into Derek’s neck, trying to make him feel loved, to make him feel needed and wanted, because he doesn’t know what else to do. Derek had to grow up so fast, to be there for his sister, even though she was the top dog, and Stiles knows that can’t have been easy, but he doesn’t know how hard it really was.
“Sometimes I wish I’d been in the house,” he whispers. “I wish that I had skipped school that day, that I had been in there with everyone else, and that I had died with them, because sometimes it’s harder to be alive than it is to be dead.” He whimpers with the last words, and Stiles gently kisses his jaw, the words cutting into him, hurting him. He doesn’t want Derek to be dead, he doesn’t know what he would do if Derek were dead.
“I’m glad you survived,” he whispers finally. He doesn’t know what else to say, he’s not sure that there is anything else to say. He knows that being there is something, and the fact that Derek is clinging to him like he needs to be rescued tells Stiles that being there is helping him, that it’s doing something, that it’s doing enough, so he says the only thing that he has left to say “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Derek kisses Stiles softly, knowing that no matter what, no matter how fast he had to grow up, he really doesn’t want to be dead, because if he were, he would never have gotten to know Stiles.