Sterek: Abandoned Stiles

Chapter Five

"...Yeah. It works for me. Warning, however, I'm a pretty restless sleeper by now. Turning around, talking in my sleep, and the occasional nightmare waking me up. Just so that you're informed." Shrugging as if it were no big deal, Stiles went over to his side now, taking a seat on it. Sure enough, the mattress was soft, pleasant. Comfortable.

Derek listened to what Stiles told him before walking over to his side of the bed. He pulled back the covers and crawled in. He positioned himself with his back facing the other. He didn't want to make him uncomfortable, at least any more than he already was.

"Good night." He whispers to Stiles before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

"...Night." He answered, getting into bed himself. Somewhat thankful that Derek granted him his space, gave him room. With a sigh, Stiles curled in on himself, trying to find sleep. It came to him, yes- but not refreshing or peaceful. Nightmares, again. As always, recently. With a small gasp, he startled at some point, still in the middle of the night. He hated it—himself for being so weak. So useless, at least in Scott's eyes, he was.

A gasp woke up Derek; it confused him before he remembered that Stiles was sharing his bed with him and that he has nightmares.

He turns over for the first time that night to check in on the younger. "Stiles... Are you alright?" He whispers in a husky voice, his voice still deep after being asleep and trying not to be too loud and startle him.

"Don't... don't know. Don't know anything...." His voice hitched as he spoke, trembling clearly. "...Just... I have bad dreams, sometimes... from... from all that happened and everything." He sat up, pulled his legs to his body, arms around them. Looked small and broken. Mentally exhausted. "After one year, I should be used to this..."

Derek sat up in bed; then, he slowly slid over to Stiles. He slowly and carefully pulled the younger to his chest, wrapping his arms around him. He rubbed his mate's back gently, trying to offer some comfort.

"It can take time to get over something like that. It took me about three years to come to terms with what happened with my family." Derek whispers.

"...Yeah. The fire. It must have been awful... terrible for you. Losing everyone important to you..." Surprisingly, he didn't mind Derek's hug, found himself leaning towards him instead. "...Must even be worse... then my so-called problem..."

"Your problems are not inferior to mine. They were both horrible things, and we both learn to cope with them." He tells him. When he feels Stiles lean into him, he pulls him closer to him, holding him tightly.

Derek buries his face in his mate's hair for a moment before leaning down and whispering into his ear. "I'll always be here for you, and that will never change."

"...Probably, yeah. Kinda hard to believe now... don't.. take it personally, please," He mumbled, staying like he was, even though Derek went a bit closer. So he could feel the elder's breath on his skin. "...I'm sorry for your loss."

"I'm also sorry for what happened to you." He says. Still holding the younger close to him. "If you want me to let you go, just tell me." He tells him. Derek would like to hold him while they sleep, but if his mate doesn't want to be touched, then Derek won't. He's just happy that Stiles is allowing him to at least do this. It makes the pain lessen for a while.

"...Don't know—anything, to be honest, for right now. On the one hand, it's nice, ...somewhat, but... on the other hand... tell me more about this whole mates thing. Never heard.. or read about it before..."

"It's a lot to explain. But I'll tell you as much as I can. A mate is someone who is your perfect match. Someone that compliments you works well with you. It is the human version of a soulmate. Once the bond is accepted on both sides, you will feel the bond's happiness, comfort, and safety. We will be able to sense each other's emotions, but only the strong ones. Like if you got excited about something, I would feel that excitement. The same goes for sadness or other emotions." Derek explains. He takes a few moments to breathe before talking again.