Suffer Well (Sterek)

Worth it

The familiar sound of Stiles' jeep engine caused Derek to jump to his feet, "I should go."

"What? Why?" Allison said jumping up as well.

"Stiles and Isaac are back," Scott said glancing towards the door.

"Derek," Allison said his name in a tone that said he was running away and he needed to stop.

"I'm not ready to...I can't...He'll just..." Derek couldn't come up with an excuse quick enough.

"Hey," Scott set his hand on Derek's shoulder to calm him.

Derek felt himself lean into the touch. His wolf considered Scott his pack member and the contact was calming to him, just like Allison's had been.

"You can do this. More importantly, you want to do this," Allison spoke encouragingly.

Derek swallowed hard. She was right.

The slam of Stiles' jeep door caused Derek to tense.

"Uh, Stiles, hang tight out here for a second," He heard Isaac say. Isaac must have caught his scent.

The honey haired boy stepped inside not quite closing the door all the way, "Uh, what's he doing here?" Isaac asked looking at Scott before glancing at Derek.

"It's okay," Scott nodded assuringly. His hand was still clasped over Derek's shoulder. He'd noticed the way the alpha had relaxed under him.

Isaac gave a nod outside signaling for Stiles to come in.

"What was that about?" Stiles asked stepping inside behind Isaac. He immediately froze when his eyes landed on Derek.

Scott noticed Derek's heart rate jump, so he gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

The silence in the room became deafening, the air palpable with tension.

"You and Derek need to talk," Allison spoke up then putting her own hand on Derek's back gently.

He leaned back into it. Did he really consider Allison a pack member too? He couldn't worry about that right now, because the guy he loved was standing in front of him.

"Why?" Stiles' scent went from cautious to worried, "Did something happen? Is everyone okay?" Stiles couldn't think of another reason Derek would be here looking so dreadful, unless he came with bad news.

"Everyone is fine, except you two," Allison gave Derek a nudge forward.

Stiles scent immediately went back to cautious with a hint of relieved.

"We'll give you guys a minute," Scott nodded towards the stairs which he, Allison and Isaac hurried up.

"Derek, I don't want to do this again," Stiles' tone was tired and pleading.

"I'm gonna ask you this, and if you say no, I'll never bother you again, but I want you to be honest," Derek said unable to move closer though he desperately wanted to.

"Ask me what?" Stiles frowned. Derek already knew Stiles loved him.

"Am I worth it?" Derek's voice was weak and timid.

"Worth what?" Stiles' frown deepened.

"The pain, the trouble, the energy," Derek rattled quietly.

"The only pain is when I'm away from you. You're not any trouble, at all. And the only energy I exert around you is keeping up with your werewolf qualities," Stiles answered honestly. He wasn't sure what Derek was getting at and wished he'd get to the point.

"I'm broken, Stiles. You can't possibly want that," Derek finally managed a step forward.

"You don't think I'm broken?" Stiles scoffed, "I have nightmares about my mother forgetting who I was, about being alone in the room when she finally died. I'm on medication just to help me focus. I cling to those around me too tight, because I'm afraid I'm gonna lose them. I know broken, Derek. I can handle broken. What I can't handle is you showing up after two weeks. How am I supposed to get over you?" Stiles felt the familiar sting behind his eyes as tears threatened to surface.

"You're not," Derek answered, "I can't let you get over me," Derek took another step towards the human.

Stiles remained unmoving, a frown embedded into his features.

"Stiles, I don't know how to be what you need, but I want to try. I can't be without you. If you truly think I'm worth it, I beg you to give me a chance," One more step and Derek was now less than a foot from Stiles.

"Of course you're worth it, Derek. The real question is, am I?"

Instead of responding Derek leaned in, pressing his lips firmly to Stiles'.

Stiles scent spiked with happiness and Derek's wolf preened. He needed this.

The sound of applause caused them to part. At the top of the stairs sat Scott, Allison and Isaac with large grin's on their faces.

Derek dropped his eyes in embarrassment, "I actually have something I'd like to say to you as well," He glanced back up at the trio.

"To us?" Scott asked.

Derek nodded.

The three of them made their way down the stairs, to where Derek was standing with Stiles.

"I umm, I realized something over these past few weeks," Derek shifted uneasily.

Stiles, noticing, slid his arm around Derek's waist, which eased some of the alpha's nerves.

"You don't have to say yes, and I completely understand if you don't want to, but..." Derek trailed off. Shit, he was not good at this.

"Yes," Allison smiled, reaching up and placing a hand on the side of his arm.

"We'd be honored to be considered your pack." Isaac nodded in agreement.

"Oh," Scott said nodding slowly, "Yeah, definitely man."

Derek felt relief wash over him. Laura would be ecstatic.

-

The next few months were trying for Derek. His siblings insisted on meeting Derek's new pack, so they had them over for dinner. It went well considering, however Derek had been easily overwhelmed. Stiles had noticed and taken Derek outside to give him some peace and quiet.

Dating Stiles had been easier than Derek had thought it would be. Stiles continued his two-a.m. text rants and Derek continued to text him when he was home safe. They fought over simple things, like who's car they were taking or who's turn it was to pick a movie, but those were easily resolved. It was the larger fights that they struggled with, like Theo trying to get back with Stiles. Or Derek keeping his worries quiet for fear of running Stiles off. Slowly but surely, they worked through things. Allison had been a major help in getting Derek to communicate better. Stiles assumed it was because she was so much like Laura.

It was currently dinner night with his siblings and the pack, yes Laura made it a regular thing because 'we're family Derek', and he was sitting silently as he watched the group interact. Isaac was arguing with Dominic and Stiles about the latest star wars movie. Allison was comparing jewelry with Amora, and Damon and Scott were discussing next weeks championship game for some sport Derek didn't care about, and Laura was teaching Allison about Werewolf politics. These dinners had stressed him out the first few times, but now it felt like home. His family would never be complete like it had been before the fire, but it was close enough and he liked to think that his mother would be proud of his pack. The misfit werewolf whose life Derek had saved. The orphaned beta he had taken in. The hunter that helped him get the revenge on Kate, and the human he fell in love with. They were a strange group, but they made Derek happy, and that was something he hadn't been in a long time.

*AN*
The end!
Thank you all for reading and voting and commenting! I appreciate it so much!!
I just started another Sterek story called 'To all the boys I've loved before'. It's an AU based of the netflix movie. You don't have to have seen the movie to understand the story. Hope you'll check it out.
Love you all!!!😚😚