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Making a decision isn’t the most difficult part, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Actually living with your decisions can be so much harder. Stiles has been living with his decisions for years now. One right after the other. The decision on deck right now is a relatively easy one. Seriously, have you seen his life? Compared to teaching his best friend how to be a werewolf and deciding to invite darkness into his heart, telling someone you love them is easy as breathing. But what happens after?
That’s the real test.
Stiles’s life has kind of been leading up to this moment. Or at least he likes to think it has. Nothing like playing relationship counselor to Scott and Allison, then Isaac and Allison, then Scott and Cora, back to Scott and Allison to make him pretty much and expert on the ins and outs of werewolf relationships.
The Derek parts of...everything? Those were a little harder to work through. Too bad Lydia couldn’t find the answer to this one in that beautiful and brilliant head of hers. She tried, bless her, but the answer wasn’t exactly what Stiles had been looking for: “I’ve reviewed the data, sorted and eliminated the anomalies through simple deduction, confirmed those though use of an algorithm and I can confidently say that until you get off your ass and stop being a coward, things aren’t going to change.”
Stiles could do that. He’s done some really stupid shit, and some pretty brave shit, and some plain shitty shit. He can totally pull his balls out of his back pocket and offer Derek the opportunity to accept his heart and hopes. Or to turn him down flat. Either way, Lydia was right - nothing to do but get it done.
Which was how Stiles found himself sitting in his Jeep outside Derek’s house. Thankfully, he’d decided to rebuild in the Preserve so there were no neighbors to call the Sheriff, asking him come tell his creeper son to stop parking in front of houses and staring at doors with a wild look in his eyes while sweating and talking to himself. Or procrastinating. Totally what he’s doing now. Ok. Show time. A few deep breaths to calm his pulse and he was ready.
Stiles opened the door and stepped down, clutching the handle tight for whatever strength it might impart. He closed his eyes for minute before closing the car up and looking toward the house. Derek stood in the open doorway, leaning his shoulder on the frame with hands in the pockets of his jeans, lips quirked in a soft smile. Stiles couldn’t help but smile back. One foot in front of the other, grinning wider with each step, he walked up the steps and felt the world falling into place around him. Yeah. Totally a decision he can live with, no matter what happens now.