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It’s cold. Dark and cold. And so quiet. Apart from the ringing in Stiles's ears, the world is silent around him. He’s got no idea of where he is, or how he got here in the first place. He sits up and pats the ground around him. His hands grab onto fallen leaves and pieces of wood. Branches, they most be branches. He’s somewhere in the preserve. In the middle of the night. But why? Why did he come here? And why can’t he remember? Stiles shakes his head and opens his mouth to shout for Scott. Only no sounds seem to come from him. The only thing he hears is the ringing in his ears.
Stiles his head is heavy. It cost so much energy to stay upright. Stiles closes his eyes and lays back down again. He rests his arm over his face and lets his mind drift. He was at school today, even made it to lacrosse practice. He remembers the coach yelling at him. And then he got a text from Derek. But what did he do after that?
Soft cold flakes fall onto Stiles face and hands. They chill Stiles even further. He needs to get up, needs to find help. But he can’t find the strength. His mind is blank. Why is he here? What happened that he feels so tired now? At least the ringing is slowly going down. Other sounds of the forest start to surround him. He can hear an owl in the distance. Something moves close by. Someone calls his name. Stiles lifts his hand up. It’s all he can do. His body won’t move. He’s stuck here on the forest floor.
“Stiles, fuck Stiles, please don’t be dead. Your dad is going to kill me if you are. Stiles, wake the fuck up!”
Someone pushes against Stiles side. He should say something, tell them he’s okay. Just tired and cold.
Another person stops next to Stiles and lays his large hand against his cheek. “He’s freezing,” Derek says. Stiles smiles inside his head when Derek puts his strong arm around him and pulls him close to his body. “We need to get hem inside, out of the snow.”
“His car is at the usual spot. We need to get him to the hospital,” a woman says. Lydia. The love of Stiles life until Derek showed up. She’s got nothing on Derek. Won’t ever be able to hold Stiles as Derek can. Like he does now.
“You’re going to be okay, you hear me, Stiles. Just hold on a little longer,” Derek whispers in Stiles's ear. Stiles wants to say something back but his body stopped listening to his mind. He can’t even open his eyes. “Don’t you dare die on me because some mindless hunters left their bombs outside my house.”
Stiles has no idea what Derek is talking about. He just feels warm against his chest. It will be okay, Stiles wants to say. He won’t leave Derek. Never. He loves him. That’s why he was here. To tell Derek he loves him. That he doesn’t care that Derek thinks that Stiles is too young, that he will get hurt. He just wants to be with Derek.
He remembers driving to the preserve, remembers parking his jeep and walking the so familiar path to Derek’s small house between the trees. And then the world had exploded around him and the world had gone dark. Stiles lets his head rest on Derek’s shoulder and lets sleep take him back to the dark.
When Stiles opens his eyes again the world around him is bright. A strong hand rest in his and he can hear his father talking to someone. A hand strokes over his hair and Stiles smiles. Derek is still here, right beside him, taking his pain.
“I came to tell you that I won’t get hurt just because I love you,” Stiles says. “Good job I did in proving that,” he jokes.
Derek shakes his head. “You wouldn’t have gotten hurt if I hadn’t sent you that text.”
“Maybe, but I probably would still have been the first person walking that path. Seeing I practical live at your house these days.”
Stiles looks at Derek. His eyes shine bright blue for a moment before a smile forms on his face. “Maybe you should move in for real then.”