Through the years

49.

"Hand me a plate." Liam asked Mason as he was the one chosen to prepare the food for the pack today. Everybody was too worried about Stiles’ state of mind to stay away from the brunette for too long. Hence, they had all been staying at the loft way more than they ever had before. 

"Here you go." 

Once everything was ready and on the table they all started eating quietly. No one was talking but it wasn't as awkward as one would've thought. It was a comfortable silence surrounding them as they all were lost into their own respective thoughts. 

Until someone couldn't take it anymore. 

"Are we really going to just ignore what happened yesterday?" Allison asked finally, breaking the comfortable silence and catching their attention. When no one seemed ready to say anything the woman sighed in frustration. "Seriously?" she insisted stubbornly.

"What is there to say?" Scott was the one to ask. He had turned his attention back to his plate and took a bite of his food. 

"Are we seriously not gonna talk about it?" she asked again. "I think we should."

"Yeah well, what you think doesn't really matter right this second." Cora snapped back as she wasn't appreciating how nosy the huntress was being. 

"Do you have to be so mean all the time?" Lydia asked, defending her best friend who was busy glaring at the wolf. 

"What she's asking about doesn't concern her." Cora stated in return to which Lydia scoffed at. 

"That's no reason for the way you just spoke-"

"Alright, calm down." Scott intervened, putting his fork down and looking at them with a sigh. "Allison, I don't mean to be rude but I agree with Cora on this. It doesn't concern us. What was said yesterday...I think we should just forget about it. Or try to, at least."

"Well, I can't do that." Allison replied in annoyance. "Derek is the alpha and he's been hiding things from us. That doesn't bother anyone else but me? How are we supposed to trust each other if everyone is keeping secrets?"

"Is the problem really that Derek hid something from the pack? Or is it because it was hidden from you, you nosy bitch." Cora snapped again, growling, and Allison was so offended that she nearly threw her knife in the wolf's direction. 

"Alright, enough!" Scott exclaimed in disbelief at what he was seeing. "What's going on with you two?" 

"I'm simply demanding answers we all deserve to have and she's just crazy." Allison spat with a furious glare still sent Cora's way who truly couldn't be bothered by it. "Where is he?" 

"Derek's upstairs with Stiles. He still hasn't woken up." Scott answered calmly and everyone remained quiet after that. 

On the other hand, up in Derek's bedroom, Stiles was laying in the bed next to the older wolf, watching over him as he slept peacefully. The brunette never imagined coming back to such an awkward situation. He had created many scenarios in his head in the past, of how he and Derek would reunite. It had been mostly ending with the alpha throwing Stiles out of the pack for taking advantage of his younger self. 

But Derek hadn't done that. 

Instead, he had gotten drunk after seeing pictures of them together and had revealed everything that had been going on in his head since the fire. Stiles felt so guilty when Derek reminded him he and Scott had dug up Laura. He hadn't known her at that time but she had. He wondered if she had taken offence. 

He hoped not. 

But he wouldn't be surprised either if she had. 

Reaching up, Stiles brushed his fingers softly into the alpha's hair, feeling the familiar softness of it against his fingertips. Derek stirred in his sleep and soon after, he opened his eyes to be met with the sight of Stiles staring back at him. Neither of them spoke at first, they just gazed at each other, content to be in each other's presence. It was only when Derek's eyes dropped to Stiles' lips that the silence was broken.