Sterek ~ A Second Chance (Sequel to Last Breath) [COMPLETED]

26~Stronger

"Derek" Stiles spoke the boys name, and his voice sounded hurt when he said it.

"Hi Stiles" Derek replied, so softly, he didn't remember was possible.

"You, um...you're here" Stiles pointed out, unsure of how to communicate it seemed.

"Yeah, I got a job" Derek shared with the boy.

"A stupid one" Thomas got a slap in return from Derek by saying that.

Stiles let out a silent chuckle, as he remembered back to when Derek used to do that to the young boy before. Clearly he isn't so young no more.

"Well...this is awkward, so I'm gonna walk away" Jacob announced, as he also dragged his younger siblings with him, Melissa and Noah not too far behind them.

"Wow...its um, good to see you Derek" Stiles said, and he was telling the truth, because Derek could hear the normal beating of his heart.

"You too, you look good" Derek took in how much Stiles had matured, and he looked just...wow.

"Who knew...after you getting on my back saying fitness helps, it actually does" Stiles chuckled, looking away after he said it.

"You finally decided to listen, huh" he replied, with his own smile.

"Well, it's kind of a requirement when in the FBI" Stiles pointed out to him.

"How's that going for you?" Derek was actually invested in Stiles' life.

"It's hard you know, lots of sleepless nights, but only another year and a half and I'll be a full agent" Stiles sounded really passionate about all of it.

"That's great Stiles, I'm proud of you" Derek told him, with a smile.

Stiles stood there and just took in the fact Derek was in front of him, after so long. That's until he realised how extremely creepy it must be, and let out an awkward cough. "What about you...this job you got?"

"I uh...I got a deal to be a personal trainer, and eventually start up my own business" Derek smiled, crossing his arms over his chest, it was always his defence mechanism when talking about himself, and accomplishments he's made.

"Derek that's amazing, it's always what you've wanted, you just didn't go for it, but now look at you" Stiles said proudly, he always urged Derek to go for what he truly wanted.

"I thought if I wanna be happy, I gotta do something I enjoy" Derek told him.

"I'm happy for you Derek" Stiles smiled "And what you've done with those kids has really paid off, they're amazing"

"It was my life, no matter the situation I had to do it" Derek shared.

"And I was willing to do it with you" Stiles mumbled so quietly it would have been impossible to hear, except Derek could because of his heightened senses.

"Stiles, I'm sorry...I just-" Derek rushed to say, not actually sure where he was going with this explanation.

"Hey, it's okay" he said sympathetically, as he gently took hold of Derek's hand "It wasn't our time, we weren't ready back then"

"I wanted it to, I tried to make it work" Derek said, giving Stiles' hand a gentle squeeze back.

"You were doing what was best for the both of us, I didn't see that for a while, but it happened for the best, because of it we'll be stronger" Stiles leaned closer, and gave a soft kiss to Derek's cheek, as he let it linger for a second.
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Published ~ July 1, 2020