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“You okay?”
Stiles and Derek were alone in the loft. Peter had left once Scott and Derek had gotten back to do...whatever it was he did when not around. Probably planning how best to traumatize all of Beacon Hills for a second time. And Scott was checking up on Isaac; who was still bundled up in a mass of blankets like some kind of werewolf burrito. Poor guy still felt cold after his ice bath.
“No. Not really.”
Stiles hadn’t wanted to leave Derek alone. Not after everything that went down: Erica dead, Boyd all but rabid, and the mystery girl turning out to be Derek’s younger sister Cora. A sister who somehow hadn’t died in the fire. And that Derek had no idea survived. Derek was probably beating himself up over it all. Stiles would if he were in Derek’s position.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. Not really.”
There was a beat of silence as Stiles accepted Derek’s usual emotional constipation. “All right then.”
“I don’t know what to say.” The words seemed to burst out of Derek’s mouth without his permission. “Just when I was starting to accept the things that have happened, are happening in my life...It’s too much. I don’t want to think about it right now. If I do I think I might go crazy.”
If Stiles was staring, open mouthed, it was only because he had never heard Derek talk so much about himself before.
“What, Stiles.”
“Like Peter crazy or...”
Derek’s glare managed to convey the shut up perfectly.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” Stiles really was. What a completely fucked up situation to be in, Christ.
There was a gentle weight on Stiles’s shoulder from Derek’s hand. When he looked Derek in the face, he saw an equally gentle expression there. It was...weird. But he didn’t pull away from the touch.
“What about you,” Derek asked.
“What about me?”
“Are you okay?”
Stiles felt that flutter in his stomach. The one that happened whenever anyone showed concern, tried to dig past the front he put up and really find out how he was doing. It didn’t happen often anymore, years of deflection causing friends and his dad to just not bother with it anymore. Now Stiles wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad feeling to have.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” When in doubt, stick to the old standby. Sarcasm.
“The missing girl, you know her.”
Nodding, Stiles thought back to the night of Heather’s party. Maybe if he hadn’t been so overwhelmed with the idea of losing his virginity he could’ve done something.
“We used to take bubble baths together.”
Which Derek probably didn’t care or need to hear about. But, whatever.
“I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault.” Though with the timing of it all, Stiles was sure some werewolf was involved. Which was something he didn’t actually want to think about.
“I’m sure your dad will find your girlfriend, Stiles. Try not to worry.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. Dude, why would you think that?”
Derek looked confused, head tilted to the side not unlike a dog, and it was just a tiny bit adorable. “Scott said -”
“Of fucking course. Scott has the biggest mouth, I swear to God.”
“And the whole condom thing at school -”
“You heard about that?!”
Stiles was beginning to wish the Alpha Pack would show up now just to spare him from this humiliating conversation.
“I think everyone heard about it, Stiles.”
Oh, good God. “Listen. For the record, nothing happened. And I’m not so sure the condom would’ve even fit so, like, it wouldn’t have regardless.”
Derek was nodding, like he understood. “Right. Sure. Makes sense. I heard it was an extra -”
“I mean, who wants to wear one that’s too small? That would just su-”
The sound of Derek choking cut Stiles off mid rant. “Dude. Derek, are you okay?”
The older man shook his head as he caught his breath. “Did you say ‘too small’?”
“Um. Yes.”
Instead of Derek responding, which was what any normal person would’ve done, he just sat there. And stared. At Stiles. For a really long time.
“What?”
“I was listening to your heart.”
“Because that’s not creepy enough,” Stiles said as he leaned back in his seat.
“I was listening to see if you were lying to me.”
He wasn’t sure why Derek would think he was lying about a stupid condom but, “so was I?”
“Nope.”
“Satisfied, then?”
Derek shook his head. “Nope. I still don’t believe you.”
“What? Derek, I’m not lying.”
The smile on Derek’s face should have been worrisome. Instead, it just sent a shiver down Stiles’s spine. “Okay big guy. Let’s see it.”