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Stiles never really thought about all Derek had been through in Beacon Hills, not until he had experienced his own share of the same prejudice and tragedy. Perhaps he was not a werewolf but he had once been taken over by an evil creature and used against his will to commit horrific acts against those he cared most about. Although they knew he was no longer the Nogitsune the others still side-eyed him occasionally, as if half expecting him to suddenly turn evil again. It was wearing him down and it made taking the FBI internship all the more inviting if only to get away from the glances and, in some cases, outright hostility.
Derek was one of the few who had never held him to blame for what had happened to him and in those first few weeks after imprisoning the Nogitsune once more, he was the one who always seemed to be there when Stiles needed someone... anyone. In the early days Stiles would awaken from a nightmare that was actually an horrific memory from when he was trapped inside his own body with the Nogitsune, and he would find Derek tapping on his window, having sat vigil outside his home. It happened night after night and, selfishly, he was starting to feel more anxious in case Derek wasn't there one night, and that only made the nightmares worse.
As hard as it was to leave his father alone in the house, Stiles finally decided to move into Derek's home just so he could feel Derek's presence as that seemed to be the only thing that kept the nightmares away. Not that he gave Derek much of a choice as he simply turned up with a backpack full of necessities and dropped it down on the bed in the spare room. Derek had given him a hard look but Stiles had long since lost all fear of that glare, even the intimidating ones that lit up his eyes to an electric blue and elongated his incisors. He knew Derek would never harm him willingly in human or wolf form. He trusted him.
Mostly they sat around watching TV or reading but sometimes they talked.
Okay. HE talked. A lot... but Derek never turned him away or told him to just 'get over it'. Instead he listened and offered the only thing he could, his friendship and support. Without realizing it at first, Derek was also sharing his own pain in return. Just snippets of thoughts or moments when he had to deal with pain or suffering either mental or physical, but he could see how each of these events had affected Derek and Stiles knew he was likely the only person to have ever truly cared enough to ask Derek if he was okay.
He wasn't. Not really.
The pair of them had been through so much with barely a short respite before the next supernatural event had them racing for their lives or trying to protect others. Not enough time to analyze the older events and put them into proper perspective and it was not as if either of them could go to a Shrink. They would both be locked up in Eichen House within ten minutes of mentioning the word werewolf.
Stiles knew it was the Nemeton drawing all these supernatural forces towards Beacon Hill so there really was only one way to avoid it all, but he was not one for running away and neither was Derek. Still, it was weird to bond over suffering, but talking it out with someone who truly understood him was helping both of them come to terms with all those traumatic events. Sometimes they even laughed at themselves, loosening the power the trauma held over both of them.
Over time they moved from separate chairs to sitting on the couch shoulder to shoulder, and he even taught Derek how it was okay to vent his frustration with a terrible movie by throwing popcorn at the TV. Derek made him clean up the mess afterwards but he noticed how much more relaxed he seemed these days. He was positive Derek had even smiled once though Scott merely raised his eyebrows and turned the conversation back to his own problems of being an Alpha and leading the Pack. Their friendship had taken a giant blow after the death of Allison at the hands of the Oni controlled by the Nogitsune. Perhaps if Scott had been possessed too then he might have understood and completely exonerated Stiles.
"Do you think Scott blames me for being too weak?"
Derek settled against his shoulder. "You're not weak."
"I'm human."
"And I'm a werewolf who was once the pack alpha. And even I was controlled by the Nogitsune for a time." He turned his head. "Until you saved us all."
Stiles turned his head too to add something, pulling back when he accidentally brushed lips with Derek instead. Derek looked just as startled but he did not move his head back, not even an inch, instead he moved the rest of his body to angle more towards Stiles and waited. Just that one brush had felt electric, better than any kiss Stiles had shared with Malia and he could not help dropping his eyes to stare at Derek's mouth, wanting to feel that again. Eventually Stiles simply could not resist leaning in again, deliberately brushing Derek's lips with his own and waiting for a reaction. He did not have to wait long as strong hands came up to cradle his face immediately, the kiss deepening.
When they eventually moved apart, Stiles felt wrecked but he noticed Derek looked just as shy and pleased. On the TV screen in front of them the movie played on but Stiles no longer cared as something far better was happening here on this couch. He leaned back, still sitting shoulder to shoulder with Derek, quietly lacing his fingers with Derek's, uncaring when the TV snapped off. Derek stood up, keeping hold of his hand and after a moment's hesitation, Stiles stood up too.
As he was slowly led across the Loft to Derek's bedroom, he could have pulled away at any time and Derek would have let him go without a word, but he wanted this, knowing it would be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. He crossed the threshold and closed the door behind them, feeling no fear or trepidation, because this was Derek, and perhaps he had always known, deep down, that he wanted this only with Derek.
Wrapped in each other's arms they both slept peacefully, without nightmares.
END