Shatter My Reality

You're not alone anymore

Stiles and Derek waited downstairs while Spencer packed his bag to take to Derek's. The house was silent. Noah was at the station for a few more hours.

"I'm sorry," Derek said when the silence felt like it was going to strangle them.

Stiles looked at Derek, waiting for further explanation. What did he have to apologize for?

"I thought having him stay would be a good thing."

The confusion melted from Stiles' face. "It is," he said bluntly.

"I should have talked to you about it first."

"It's your house. You don't have to talk to me about who you invite to stay," Stiles scoffed, waving a dismissive hand.

"You were upset."

Stiles rolled his shoulders and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "If you want to know how I feel about something, you could just ask instead of monitoring my chemo signals," he snapped.

"You know I can't help it. You were standing two feet from me."

Stiles sighed. "I was just caught off guard."

Even if Derek hadn't known that the scent on Stiles had been jealousy, he heard the lie in Stiles' heartbeat.

"You're usually better at lying."

Stiles scrubbed a hand down his face. "What do you want me to say? You already know what I was feeling."

"You have no reason to be jealous."

Stiles narrowed his eyes at Derek. "He's literally me. If he had killed me and taken my place, you would never have known."

Derek crossed his arms over his chest. "You're wrong."

"Am I?" Stiles challenged.

"I would have known immediately."

"Why cause of my mole placement?" Stiles scoffed again. He dug the toe of his shoe into the carpet, avoiding Derek's stern look.

"Because I know you, Stiles. And more than that, you know me."

Stiles lifted his gaze to Derek's. The look he was giving him made his stomach roll. It was a soft expression but earnest.

"You know me better than anyone in that loft. Don't think I don't notice how you change the subject when Kate is brought up or the subtle touches when Boyd or Erica are mentioned. Don't think I don't know that you're the reason I'm alive. You're the reason all of us are alive."

"Not all of us." Stiles dropped his eyes to the carpet again.

Derek stepped forward and lifted Stiles' chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes.

"If it weren't for you, we'd have lost so many more."

Stiles swallowed. He was sure Derek heard the way his heart pounded in his chest.

"He may look like you, and sound like you, and even act like you, but he's not." Derek released Stiles' chin.

Stiles wanted to hug Derek for saying that. Instead, he gave a small nod.

"Sorry it took so long, Dad had apparently taken it upon himself to hang all my clothes in the closet. I didn't want to get too comfortable, but..." Spencer waved a hand as he lugged a large suitcase down the stairs.

Stiles, for the first time, looked at Spencer and saw him as family and not a threat. Maybe he just needed to hear that he wasn't being replaced.

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