The nightmares haven't stopped. Stiles can't always tell if he's dreaming or awake, and the line between fear and reality keeps getting harder to walk. He thought he could keep it together-keep pretending. But when the weight gets too heavy, it's not Scott he turns to. It's Derek. Quiet, steady, unexpectedly safe. He didn't plan for this-whatever this is. But maybe, for once, something real is waiting for him when he finally wakes up. --- *DISCLAIMER* Stiles is 18 and Derek is 22, this is fiction and AU so don't come in the comments about it let me have my delusions

Derek hasn't had the best track record when it comes to relationships. He is broken and he has yet to realize his worth. Sometimes we need to see ourselves from the eyes of the people we love to know we matter. It's about finding the strength to be the person/wolf you are meant to be. Set after the house fire, Peter is alive, Derek has an established pack but has not met Stiles yet. Might be triggering to some. Depression. Anxiety. Self-hate.