Drabbly-Dos

I'm Fine Until I'm Not

Main Pairing : Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski

"I'm fine."

Stiles lost track of how many times he'd said that.

To his friends, to his teachers, to his Dad...he always told them the same thing...I'm fine.

Even after his life became a supernatural shit-show, he continued to repeat the mantra hoping that, if nothing else, he'd be able to convince himself of the notion.

But deep down, he knew.

He wasn't fine.

He hadn't been for a very long time.

And he desperately wished that someone else would notice that.

                          ***********

After the fight with Scott, when his best friend and Alpha decided to turn his back on the word of a complete stranger, Stiles went to the one person he knew would understand...

Peter.

The older man said nothing when he opened his door to a soaking wet Stiles. He simply pulled the boy inside, locked the door, then directed him to the bathroom for a hot shower while he fetched some dry clothes.

Once Stiles was clean and dressed, he joined Peter on the couch in the living room. For a long time, neither one of them spoke. Despite being desperate to learn what had upset his boy, the wolf knew that pressing the issue wouldn't help, so he just had to wait him out.

Eventually, the younger man broke the silence.

"Thanks for the dry clothes."

"You're more than welcome, darling. Can I ask what happened that has you out on a night like this?"

"It's nothing, really, just had a fight with Scott and I- I'm fine....really Peter, I'm fine."

But Peter knew he wasn't fine, far from it, so he carefully wrapped his arms around his boy and pulled him close, tucking his head underneath his chin.

"No sweetheart, you're not."

That one sentence was enough to crack the careful facade that Stiles had put up for the last several years.

Once the tears started they wouldn't stop, and soon Stiles was sobbing into Peter's chest, releasing all the feelings of pain, fear, sorrow, and abandonment that he'd spent so long trying to keep hidden.

After awhile, when the sobs had reduced to sniffles and he felt sufficiently cried out, Stiles pulled away enough to look at his wolf and admit the one truth he'd denied, even to himself.

"I am not fine."

And Peter, wonderful, equally as broken Peter, simply smiled and pulled him close again, leaving a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"It's okay to not be okay, Stiles. You're beautiful no matter how many pieces you're in...and I promise, to help hold all of those pieces up until you can put yourself back together."

"Even if it takes forever?"

"Even then."

Stiles nodded before snuggling further into the older man's embrace, letting the steady heartbeat against his ear lull him to sleep.

He may not be fine now, but held tightly in the arms of his wolf, he believes that he will be.