l - teen wolf imagines

Derek- You've Still Got Us

11. "You keep persisting that you need my help with something, but when I finally give in and follow you we coincidentally find ourselves under some mistletoe."

You leaned over Derek's balcony, your arms balanced on the cement railing that overlooked downtown Beacon Hills. There was a cup of spiked eggnog sitting on the wall next to your elbow, but you didn't really have the stomach for it at the moment. Hell, you didn't even have the stomach for a party, not with Scott and his friends inside, trying to pretend like nothing was missing.

Every Christmas since your cousin Allison died had just seemed like another meaningless day, each one more depressing than the last. You had been close, practically sisters, since her family had taken you in after yours had been killed by a group of wendigos they had been hunting when you were ten. She had only been five at the time, but you had clung to the opportunity to have someone close to you. Allison became your best friend, and when she died, it felt like you were losing your family all over again.
You didn't hold anything against Scott and the others for trying to move on, for trying to forget. You knew they would always remember her, but it was times like this that they just needed to enjoy themselves. You didn't have that luxury, and every holiday without her was like a knife in your back, letting you know that you would never be able to watch her open presents again, or talk about what she would wear to a party.
Maybe that was why you were camped outside, braving the stinging cold in an effort to deal with your pain in private. You didn't need the concerned eyes of a bunch of supernatural creatures on you, not now. They seemed to understand that you needed to be alone, or at least most of them did.
There was one stubborn werewolf that didn't seem to be able to take no for an answer, and no matter how much you wanted to be alone, he didn't seem to care about that. The door creaked behind you, letting you know someone had stepped outside with you, but you didn't turn around. It was only when you heard his voice that you cared enough to look over your shoulder.
"It's cold out here."
You sighed. "What do you want, Derek?"
"To offer you a jacket," he told you, walking over to stand next to you.
He began to pull off his leather jacket, the one with the long sleeves that trailed slightly past his arms. You knew it was warm and you ached to bury your freezing arms in it, but you weren't going to admit you needed his help. He had already done too much.
"That's yours," you stated.
"Oh really?" he asked sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."
You rolled your eyes. "You need it."
"No, you need it," he told you. "Can you stop being a stubborn ass for five minutes?"
You sighed and took the jacket from his hands. "Fine. Happy?"
He watched with his arms crossed over his chest as you slid yours into the sleeves. Then he reached forward to zip it up, and only when that was done did he finally say "Yes."
You turned back to the lights of the city. "You didn't need to come out here after me. Sometimes people just need to be alone."
"You want to be alone," he stated. "You don't need to be alone."
"How would you know?" you asked, and instantly regretted it.
"Because I've been alone," he told you, shooting you a look. "And distancing yourself? It doesn't really make you feel any better."
You huffed. "I swear I hate you sometimes. Why are we even friends?"
"Because I take care of you," he said. "And you take care of me. It's been that way for years."
"Yeah," you agreed softly, trailing yours fingers across the concrete railing.
"I know you miss her," he said suddenly. "But she wouldn't want you to be sitting out here, sulking in the cold when there's a crowd of people in there waiting to warm you up."
"Figuratively or literally?" you asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Both," he told you. "They're family to you. And it took me a long time to realize this, but they're family to me too."
"Why can't you just leave me out here?" you asked softly. "Why can't I just wallow in my misery in peace?"
"I need your help with something," he told you.
"What?" you asked, narrowing your eyes.
"I need your help," he repeated with a shrug. "That's why I can't let you wallow in your misery. So just come inside with me for a minute."
"You're just trying to distract me," you said with a frown.
He shrugged. "Maybe. Or something could be wrong. You'll just have to follow me to find out."
You shot him a look, but when he walked over and held the door open for you, you still went inside.
"Hold on for a second," he told you, once you had crossed the threshold.
You threw your hands up in exasperation, but he quickly came inside and shut the door. You sighed. "Derek, what the hell are you-"
You paused as he simply pointed above you, to where a sprig of mistletoe was hanging. You blinked, and the only thing you could think to say was "Couldn't that kill you?"
"Only if I eat it," he told you.
You laughed at the image of Derek scarfing down leaves, and he rolled his eyes. "Not like I actually would."
"So why is it here?"
"Why do you think it's here?" he asked.
You blinked, looking from the mistletoe to Derek, and then you smiled. "Oh my god. You're trying to be romantic, aren't you?"
"And failing," he said softly.
"No," you told him, sliding your arms around his neck. "You're not. I might be a mess, but I know a good guy when I see one. And you Derek...you're a good guy. That fact that you'd try to do this for me..."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"It kinda makes me wanna kiss you," you finished.
"Well, that was the plan," he informed you.
You smiled softly and lifted yourself up on your toes. Derek leaned forward and smiled back,
brushing his lips against yours before finally kissing you. The scruff on his face scratched your skin slightly, but you simply smiled against his lips and pulled him closer.
When you pulled back for a breath of air, Derek slid his arms around you and tugged you against him, only to press his forehead against yours.
"I know you feel like you've lost everything," he told you softly. "But you've still got me. You've still got us."
Derek picked his head up slightly and nodded to Scott and the others, who were
sprawled out in the center of the loft, and staring at you with smiles on their faces. You glanced over at them and then looked back to Derek, staring into his bright green eyes.
"I know," you whispered, pulling his lips back onto yours.
In that moment, perhaps for the first time in years, you finally felt a little bit of that
holiday happiness creeping under your skin. Maybe you had been missing out these past few years, but regardless of what you lost, you knew you had to keep living. You had to keep going, because your life wasn't just going to stop because of your grief. You had to battle it back and keep fighting, and with Derek and the others, you knew there was a chance that you could.