Hello, Stalers! This one shot was requested by my love Desertcoyote_. It is based on The Fault In Our Stars except no one has cancer or dies. Derek is Hazel, Stiles is Augustus, and Allison is Isaac. I hope you guys like it.
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"No." Derek says, and he doesn't even have to roll over in his bed to see his sister glaring at him. He doesn't want to go to go to a grief support group, he just wants to lay in his bed until it stops hurting.
"Derek, it will help you." Laura says, and Derek snorts into his pillow. "Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted you to be like this." Laura says, quietly and Derek sits up to glare at her. Derek sits up too fast and he pulls the oxygen tubes out of his nose, and in only seconds he has to fix them before he begins to feel weak. He thought that they had a mutual understanding to not bring up the fire or the death of their parents. Derek thought that was an understanding that they had, but apparently Laura is going to be a big sister and play that card.
Derek sighs in defeat before turning around to look at his sister. "Fine. One time." Derek says, and his sister gives him a self-satisfied smirk before walking out of his room to let him get dressed. Derek drags himself out of bed and to the shower. He hasn't showered in a couple of days, and he thinks that leaving the house would dictate that he shower.
He throws on a clean enough shirt before he slips on boxer and jeans, and then heads downstairs. Laura is drinking coffee while she waits for him, and when she sees that he is dressed and ready to go, she smiles at him. Derek tries to give her one back, but it comes out as a grimace. "Let's go, little bro." Laura says, and she grabs her keys.
****
"I changed my mind." Derek says, as Laura pulls into the church parking lot and she sighs before shifting the car into park. Derek pulls his oxygen tank into his lap nervously. The fire had damaged both of his lungs, and he would need an oxygen tank probably for the rest of his life.
"Please, Derek. One meeting is all I ask." Laura begs, and Derek doesn't think he could say no to her anymore. Derek bites his lip while looking out of the window. There doesn't appear to be many people here, but Derek still isn't sure he can go along with it.
"Okay." Derek says, weakly and Laura kisses him on the cheek before he exits her car. He walks toward the main building, and he recognizes a girl from his class named Allison. Everyone knew that Allison's mother had committed suicide a short time before the fire that killed Derek's parents and little sisters.
Derek sees her again when he gets into the church, and he takes the seat next to her in the circle of chairs before he nervously wheels his oxygen tank around his feet. Allison gives him a small smile, and mutters a hello that Derek quietly replies to. It isn't until the meeting is about to start that Derek sees him.
The boy comes bounding into the room, seriously Derek thinks, it's a grief support group, and he takes the other seat beside Allison. Derek recognizes him from school, he's friends with the captain of the lacrosse team that Derek played on before everything happened. "Hello, Ally." He says, and she smiles at him. Derek is curious about why this boy is smiling so much, but he knows the truth. His sister does the same thing. She smiles bright, but her eyes return to sadness when she thinks that Derek isn't looking at her.
"I see a lot of old faces, and one new one." The leader of the support group, Darren, says. Derek quickly learned that he had lost his best friend in a car crash when he was still in high school, and Derek really doesn't know what it is like to lose a friend. "Would you like to introduce yourself?" Darren asks, and it takes Derek a second to for him to realize that Darren is talking to him. Derek really doesn't want to talk, but Laura is nagging him in his subconscious so he sits up in his seat trying to ignore the fact that everyone is staring at him.
"I'm Derek." Derek says, quietly and the whole room chorus back a 'Hello, Derek.' It so cliché that Derek wants to laugh, but he doesn't. He doesn't want to tell his story in front of strangers, but at the same time he does. He isn't worried that Allison or that guy are going to say anything, this is an anonymous group, but he just cannot speak. "My parents and two of my sisters died in a fire." Derek finally says, quietly and just like that everyone knows who he is.
The town he lives in is small, and it was all over the news. He can feel people shift closer to him as if they want to know the real truth behind the fire. The newspaper said it was a hit gone wrong, but Derek and his family know the truth that wasn't published. Derek was spared being harassed by the newspapers because he is still a minor at seventeen. No one says anything until the boy speaks thoroughly distracting them.
"Hi, I'm Stiles. (Hello, Stiles.). I was in a car crash that killed my mother, and also forced me to get my leg amputated from the knee down." Stiles says, and he pulls up his jeans to reveal a prosthetic limb. Derek is shocked because he never knew that Stiles had that, and they had been going to school together for a while now. Derek almost feels like talking to him, but Allison begins to tell a story about her mother and Derek figures it's for the best.
****
Derek is pacing around the parking lot waiting for Laura to pick him up when he feels someone standing next to him. Derek looks up to see the boy from earlier, and Derek frowns at him before trying to make room in between them. He can see Allison making out heavily with a boy against his car, Derek is preety sure his name is Scott, and they keep whispering into each other's mouths. Derek isn't sure what they are saying until he catches Allison mutter out "Forever" only to have the boy say it back.
"So what's your name?" The boy asks, and Derek frowns deeper.
"Derek Hale." Derek says, and the boy laughs. It is a loud, clear sound that begrudgingly warms Derek's heart.
"No, like your full name. Like, I'm Hezekiah John Stilinski but my friends call me Stiles." He says, and Derek raises an eyebrow.
"Hi, Hezekiah." Derek says, sarcastically and Hezekiah laughs loudly. Derek sighs before he turns around to face him. "Derek Samuel Hale." Derek says, and Stiles grins at him.
"Hello, Derek Samuel." Stiles says, and Derek gives him a small smile.
"What's with the forever?" Derek asks when curiosity gets the best of him while he points at Allison and her boyfriend. Stiles grins at him before he replies.
"It's like they'll be together forever". Stiles says, and Derek watches them a second before he can feel Stiles staring at him. Derek nervously adjusts the tubes in his nose before snapping at Stiles.
"Why are you staring at me?." Derek snaps, and Stiles grins at him.
"Because you're beautiful." Stiles says, and Derek feel his mouth open in disbelief, and blush fly on his cheeks as Laura pulls up. "You want to come over and watch a movie?" Stiles says, just as casual as if he was asking what time it was.
"Sure. What about Saturday?" Derek says, and Stiles laughs.
"I meant right now." Stiles says, and Derek stares at him in shock before finally nodding his head in agreement. Laura rolls down her window to smile at Derek and Stiles.
"Hey, Laura. This is Hezekiah. I was hoping if I could go to his house?" Derek says, and he plays with the oxygen tubes in his nose. Laura grins at them both before nodding her head at them.
"You're the sheriff's son, right?" She says, and Stiles nods his head. Derek remembers the Sheriff from the after the fire, and he had been a stoic and kind man. "Have fun, Derek." Laura smirks, and Derek begins to nervously fiddle with his oxygen tank.
****
"How the hell do you have your license?!" Derek screeches, and he holds on the edge of his seat. Stiles laughs loudly while he steps on the accelerator.
" I actually failed my driving test four times." Stiles says, and Derek understands that he was talking about a grief perk. Stiles pulls his blue Jeep haphazardly into his the driveway of his house, and he and Derek hop out.
"I believe that." Derek mumbles, and Stiles just laughs. Derek walks behind him into the nice house, and he sees that the Sheriff is standing at the kitchen sink.
"Hey, Dad. Bye, Dad." Stiles says, and the Sheriff looks up at him and when he sees Derek his eyes widened in surprise.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who is this?" The Sheriff says, friendly and Derek has a feeling that he knows who he is.
"Dad, this is Derek Samuel. Derek Samuel, this is my Dad, John. We're going to my room, bye." Stiles says, and he gently drags Derek by his arm.
"Leave the door open!" John calls, and Derek notices Stiles' cheeks turn pink. They walk up some stairs, and Stiles offers to carry Derek's oxygen but he declines. The short walk up the stairs has already made Derek winded, and when they reach Stiles' room he has to sit down.
Derek all but falls onto the chair by Stiles' desk. "You okay there, Derek Samuel?" Stiles says, and Derek really wishes his wasn't panting so he could snap at him.
"M'fine." Derek says, weakly and Stiles watches him a moment.
"You sure?" Stiles says, and Derek glares at him the best he can.
"Fine." Derek repeats, and Stiles shrugs him off before walking over to his television.
"So tell me, Derek Samuel, what do you do in your free time besides glare?" Stiles says, and Derek bites his lips before answering. All he does now is go to school and read.
"I read." Derek says, lamely and to his surprise Stiles smiles at him before taking a seat on his bed.
"Oh, yeah? What's your favorite book?" Stiles asks, and Derek wrinkles his forehead in thought.
"It's called "A Day Waiting'" Derek says, and Stiles smiles at him. "I'll let you burrow it sometime." Derek says, awkwardly and Stiles grins at him before sitting up to grab something off of his bookshelf.
"Only if you read the amazing adventures of Luke Skywalker. It's way better than the movie." Stiles says, and Derek snorts.
"I haven't seen the movie, Hezekiah." Derek says, and Stiles gasps.
"Then that is the movie section for today." Stiles says, and Derek sighs.
"Fine." Derek says, and Stiles shoves it into the DVD player before throwing himself back on his bed.
****
Derek finds that Hezekiah has crawled underneath his skin in the worst way possible. It starts with him always looking for Derek at school, normally Derek hides out in the library to avoid everyone, and Stiles always finds him. At first, it almost annoyed him the way that Stiles seeks him out just to ask how he is or to carry his oxygen tank up the stairs when the ramp was filled with students.
"Hezekiah." Derek says, when Stiles tries to sink up behind him to carry his backpack for him. Stiles doesn't look the least bit ashamed that Derek caught him either.
"Hey, Derek Samuel. How are you this fine day?" Stiles says, grinning and Derek just sighs in defeat before taking off his back to hand to him.
"Fine." Derek says, and Stiles grins at them as they walk pass Allison and Scott whispering "Forever" into each other's mouths, and no one is going to call PDA on a girl with a dead mother.
"I've been thinking, Derek Samuel." Stiles says, and Derek raises an eyebrow at him before walking out of the building towards Laura's car.
"What?" Derek says, and Stiles grins at him.
"I'm thinking that 'Fine' could be our 'Forever.'" Stiles says, and Derek looks at him in surprise before blush spreads over his cheeks.
"Fine." Derek says, and he climbs into Laura's car. As Laura drives off, he tries to not smile at the way Stiles grins all the way to his Jeep.
****
Derek is asleep when he feels like he cannot catch his breath, and his chest hurts so bad. He sits up long enough to know that something is wrong, and he screams as loud as he can for Laura. Derek can hear the sound of her waking up, and running toward his room. When she makes it into his room, he can see her mouthing his name but he cannot seem to focus enough to hear her. He shuts his eyes just for second while he feels Laura's tears on his face.
When Derek comes to, he is in a hospital bed and Laura is hovering over him. "Hey, buddy." She whispers, and Derek snorts.
"What happened?" Derek says, and his voice is scratchy. Derek blinks a few times before his sisters face comes into a better view.
"Your lungs had too much fluid buildup in them." Laura says, and her voice warbles as she tries not to cry. Derek tries to reach out for her, but he gets distracted at sharp pain in his side. He pulls up his shirt to see a tube sticking out of his side. "I didn't even know that that could happen to you, Der. I am so sorry." Laura cries, and Derek looks at her in shock.
"It's not your fault." Derek says, and Laura shakes her head. Derek moves to the far edge of the bed, and Laura takes the hint before sliding in on the side without the tube. They lay in comfortable silence until Laura speaks again.
"That Stilinski kid dropped by. He's got it bad for you." Laura says, and Derek finds himself grinning to himself.
"He's just being nice." Derek argues weakly, and Laura snorts.
"Yeah, and I'm a nun." She says, and Derek grins as he falls back asleep.
****
Derek finds that he likes spending most of his time with John and Stiles after his accident since Laura pulls him out of school until he can heal better. He is laying on his bed reading his book when his phone beeps.
Derek Samuel. It reads, and Derek smiles to himself before replying.
Hezekiah John. He replies, and he waits. His phone beeps not a minute later.
What are you doing? Stiles asks.
Reading. Derek replies, and he sets his phone down for a few seconds before it beeps again.
I am currently reading the book you recommended. I have a bad feeling about the bored housewife. Stiles says, and Derek grins because he thought the same thing the first time he read the book.
Keep reading. Derek replies.
Fine. Stiles replies, and Derek smiles.
Fine. Derek says, and he doesn't even get to set his phone down before it beeps again.
OMG, stop flirting with me! Stiles says, and Derek bites his lip as he grins.
Fine. Derek says again.
No, don't. I like when you flirt with me. I want you to flirt with me forever. Stiles replies, and Derek sits up.
"Laura!" Derek calls, and he starts coughing as he sat up too quickly. Laura storms up the stairs to where Derek is crouching on his bed with his oxygen tubes pulling at the tank that is a little too far away. Laura drags the tank closer to him before crawling on the bed too.
"What?" Laura says, worried. Derek throws his phone at her before burying his head into his pillow one briefly before his oxygen tubes gets snagged on his blanket. Derek sits up as Laura roars with laughter at his phone. "Looks like my baby brother has a boyfriend." Laura says, and Derek blushes. He yanks his phone back from her before debating what to say back. Derek settles for a simple "Fine".
It seems appropriate.
****
Derek is fast asleep when his phone rings. He turns off his CPAP machine that breathes for him at night, and sticks in his oxygen tubes before he answers. "Hello?" Derek says, he knows it can only be Stiles or Laura that call him. Maybe Allison, but she usually just texts him.
"Derek Samuel?" Stiles says, and he is crying hard. Derek is instantly awake.
"Stiles? Where are you?" Derek asks, and he grabs his oxygen before rushing as face as he can to grab his sisters keys.
"By the park in that parking lot across from the tennis courts." Stiles says, and Derek rushes as fast as he can.
****
Derek finds Stiles sitting in his Jeep, and he gently opens the passenger door to slide in. "Stiles?" Derek says, gently and Stiles cries harder.
"You used to call me Hezekiah." Stiles sobs, and Derek pulls his oxygen tank into his lap so that he can scoot closer towards him.
"Hezekiah." Derek says, gently and Stiles reaches blindly for him. Derek rests his head against Stiles' shoulder while the other boy tries to catch his breath.
"My mom died today four years ago." Stiles says, softly and Derek understands the loss of losing one's parent. "I was sitting in the passenger seat, and I had a bad day. She kept trying to make me laugh that she didn't see the car coming. The other driver was drunk." Stiles says, and Derek wipes the tears off of his face.
"My ex-girlfriend burned my family alive because I broke up with her." Derek says, and Stiles looks at him.
"Psycho bitch." Stiles says, and Derek looks at him in shock before he laughs. Derek laughs until he cries, and Stiles holds him. Derek cries for the loss of his family, childhood, and the trust that Hezekiah is slowly gaining. "I love you." Stiles says, and Derek's eyes widened.
"Why?" Derek whispers, and Stiles smiles at him softly before kissing him gently. It isn't really romantic. Stiles mostly kisses the top of Derek's top lip before he reaches up to touch Derek's face, and he accidently gets his hands caught Derek's oxygen tubes before he puts his hands on Derek's side with a grin. Derek just laughs through his tears because it is so Stiles.
"I fell in love you for the same reason you watch the rain. Because it's beautiful, and you know that it's going to bring something amazing." Stiles says, and Derek snorts.
"Fine." Derek says, and Stiles laughs so hard he doesn't even remember being sad anymore.
"Fine." Stiles replies, and Derek buries his head back into Stiles' neck.
"I love you, Hezekiah." Derek whispers, and Stiles grins at him.
"I want to spend all of my time with you, Derek Samuel. What do you think?" Stiles says, and Derek leans up to kiss him before answering.
"Fine."
"Fine."