Princessmud
Everyone relies on Stiles. He's the one who always shows up. The one who makes the joke when things get too heavy, who smiles when everyone else needs reassurance, who says, I'm fine, so convincingly that eventually everyone stops asking. No one notices how exhausting it is to be the person everyone depends on. No one sees how carefully Stiles puts himself back together every morning before stepping into the world and pretending nothing hurts. Stiles has become very good at pretending.
Derek sees through it. Maybe that's why he fell for him...
Derek started needing the sound of Stiles voice more than he wanted to admit. And that terrifies him. For Stiles, sleep becomes something he fears instead of something that brings rest, and there are nights when he wakes up shaken, fighting for a breath that feels impossible to find. And somehow, through all of it, there is Derek. He's the air Stiles breathes...