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The room was crowded, bodies swarming every corner with black lights and streamers making the scene hazy. Derek had felt uncomfortable with the thought of coming to the party when the pack suggested it, his natural shyness leading him to want to say no. It was only when Stiles turned his big, brown eyes his way, plush lip falling into a pout that he found himself without an argument. Of course he would go, if only to see the giddiness rush onto Stiles’ face at the news.
Now, after each pack member had abandoned him to dance or socialize, he wished that he had been strong enough to ignore the flutter in his stomach every time he thought of Stiles. Controlling the emotion would mean he could avoid situations like this, and it would be well worth the effort. He backed slowly toward the wall, hoping to find a quiet corner somewhere in this unfamiliar house without being noticed. As he spotted a doorway a few feet away, he felt a swoop of victory, only to feel an arm grabbing for him.
He turned, finding himself face to face with a girl around the pack’s age, low cut dress leaving nothing to the imagination. In another time, as a Derek who had never been touched by Kate Argent, who found himself able to be attracted to women without the memory of soft touches and smirks that were in no way consensual, he might have flirted with her. As he was now, seeing her before him, looking so much like the women from his past that had tortured and manipulated him, he felt the beginnings of a panic attack coming on.
“I’ve never seen you before,” her voice dipped low into a purr, the tone causing Derek to shiver with anxiety. She mistook his reaction and, emboldened, moved closer. “I always make a habit of knowing everyone at these parties, especially because it makes for such interesting conversation. Who did you come with? Maybe I can tell you something you don’t know,” her reddened lips pulled into a smirk, the confident glint in her showcasing her belief that Derek would end up leaving the party with her tonight. He suddenly felt sick, the scent of her perfume attacking his senses.
Undeterred from the lack of a response, she pushed herself directly against him, her mouth finding its way to his ear and her hair entirely covering his face. He felt trapped, and for all that he had werewolf strength, he was frozen in fear with the memory of Kate Argent wrapped in this girl’s actions.
A familiar scent wafted towards him, and before he could register the relief at having pack near him, Stiles appeared, not so subtly pushing himself between Derek and the girl so that Derek could have space. Stiles pasted a fake smile on to his face, and began talking a mile a minute at the girl about something Derek couldn’t hear; the panic had caused a buzzing in his ears that blocked out all sound and he could feel his knees slowly giving out.
It wasn’t until he felt a gentle hand on his arm that he jolted to attention, staring up wide eyed when he saw Stiles standing above him, looking worried. The girl was nowhere to be seen, and Derek exhaled a shuddering breath, glad that he was free from her advances.
“Hey dude, you okay?” Stiles asked, slowly helping Derek to his feet. Trying to find the words, Derek looked around them and noticed that they were slowly making their way to the exit.
“Yeah, I- she just reminded me of Kate,” he broke off, unable to shake the physical memory of the press of her body against his. He was thankful for Stiles’ acceptance of his explanation, knowing that he had deduced long ago the truth about what had happened before the fire. It should embarrass him that Stiles was seeing him at his most vulnerable, with him unable to hide the truth about how he panics at sexual advances, but he felt nothing but comfort and worry coming from Stiles. He leaned closer, the clean scent coming from Stiles’ body clearing the burn of the girl’s perfume.
“I can drive you home, if you want,” Stiles spoke lowly, turning to look at Derek as they finally exited the party. He nodded slowly, angling his body toward Stiles’ jeep. He had ridden here with the betas, unwilling to risk the safety of his Camaro at such a large party. Before he got into the passenger’s side, Stiles stopped him.
“Is there anything else you need, man? Do you want to stay with me tonight?” His face flushed, the possible meaning for his words coming to him. “I-I mean, do you want some company until you feel more grounded? Having people I trust around after panic attacks helps me feel better.”
“Could I stay with you?” Derek replied, a faint blush coloring his cheeks, but not stopping his conviction. Stiles was right; even with his feelings aside, Stiles was pack and had saved him from the situation, and the comfort he provided was necessary for Derek right now.
“Of course,” Stiles answered, smiling softly at him before venturing around to the other side of the Jeep. Derek breathed before entering the Jeep, watching Stiles expertly maneuver over the streets of Beacon Hills on the way back to his apartment. Slowly, hoping that he wasn’t mistaking the energy between them, Derek took hold of Stiles’ hand, fingers interlocking. A jolt ran through Stiles’ body in surprise, but as he turned to briefly look at Derek, he saw the most beautiful smile grow. He supposed the party wasn’t all bad if it meant that for now he could keep Stiles.