au after stiles graduates high school. he leaves town and rarely hears from derek except on his birthday. his number changes occasionally but stiles still knows it's from derek. all the wolf says is "happy birthday" and stiles is just grateful someone remembered. sometimes scott doesn't even remember these days. stiles wishes he was a kid again, where his mother would throw him a birthday party and make him feel special. he just wants to feel special again. so these little texts from derek, however infrequent they are, mean everything to him.
the year of stiles' 21st birthday, he doesn't get a text from derek. he figures derek has finally forgotten about him, or didn't care enough anymore. it had to end sometime, stiles figures. it was good while it lasted.
a week goes by of stiles trying not to feel let down and depressed, trying to push all thoughts of derek and his high school friends from his mind. his heart jumps, though, when he's driving down the road and his phone buzzes in his pocket. it's probably just his dad. who elseâ
"help," the text says. stiles knows who it is immediately. it's one of the numbers he has saved for derek in his phone; he didn't know it was still active. "derek??" stiles texts back. then his phone rings immediately, and he stops everything he's doing, swerves onto the side of the road, tires screeching, as he fumbles and hurries to pick it up.
the voice on the other end is familiar, and pained, and stiles' heart is in his throat. but it's derek. he's okay, he's alive, for now, and stiles knows right then that he'll do anything in his power to bring him home safely. if only to get another birthday text from him next year. if that's all it is, if that's all it can be, it's enough. it's derek.
