Through the years

Epilogue.

It was a beautiful day.

The sun was shining bright up in the sky, casting a warm orange glow on Stiles' face as he sat on the grass silently. 

He had never thought he'd be there someday. He'd never thought he'd have this perfect life. Stiles had always been the outcast kind of boy in school, since a very young age, and he had always been categorised as a weird one. 

He was a bit socially awkward and hyperactive and had a few issues with paying attention to things for a long period of time. And that paired with his geeky side meant that he wasn't liked by many. 

His mother used to say that they were just jealous of him and that someday, Stiles would come to realise just how great he was. He hadn't believed her at the time but he had been too young to understand just how true her words would come to be. Because today, Stiles was a proud man. He was proud of who he was, of his pack, of his friends and family. He was surrounded by so many great people who loved him just the way he was and who weren't asking him to change.

Stiles had someone to love now and that person loved him just as much if not more in return and he couldn't ask for more. The brunette knew his mother, although not by his side anymore, could still see everything that was happening in his life and he hoped she was feeling as proud as he felt. He wanted to make her proud because she had always believed in him and she deserved to be rewarded for her trust in her son. 

Stiles looked down at his hands and allowed his fingers to brush over the delicate petals of the flower bouquet he was holding. It was soft under his fingertips, the colours were bright and breathing with life. It was a beautiful flower composition that Stiles had chosen himself for the occasion. 

Lifting his head up, the brunette closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, feeling his lungs expand as they were filled with fresh oxygen before releasing it slowly. Stiles had never felt so relaxed before. He felt calm and collected, peaceful even. 

It was a beautiful day.

And even though he was all on his own today, he didn't feel alone. He didn't feel the loneliness he used to feel in the past whenever he was left alone. Now, he had grown to be an independent man who knew his self worth. He could stand tall and proud in front of those who attempted to bring him down, because it would never work again. 

Stiles wasn't the same boy he used to be. And people in town were starting to realise that.  They didn't look at him as if he was an awkward kid anymore, now they greeted him like the accomplished man he had become. 

Noah couldn't be any prouder. 

"You waited a long time, didn't you?" Stiles spoke. His voice was soft as it broke the comfortable, peaceful, silence surrounding him. "It wasn't my intention." he apologised with a gentle smile. 

Contrary to what he had expected, his heart felt incredibly light. He had thought it to be more stressful and painful but it wasn't. It was just like he remembered. And so he felt more at ease as he allowed himself to speak freely. 

"I hope you don't hold it against me." he chuckled quietly. "It has been hard for me. I'm not saying it wasn't for you but....I couldn't do it for a long time. I couldn't bring myself to just...be myself again. It was painful, everything was hurting. I didn't know how to deal with that pain for a while, I tried to conceal it, I tried to push it back far inside my own mind. I tried to stop thinking about it, I tried to busy myself so that I'd forget. But it's not that easy." 

And it hadn't been easy at all. However, Stiles wasn't alone anymore or at least he didn't believe so and consequently, everything had fallen into place naturally. His state of mind settled into a peaceful state which allowed him to relax and enjoy his life like he had never done before.