deaged derek, or maybe just young derek, who sees Allison and just starts freaking out because he thinks its kate or she reminds him of kate. everyone in the pack (inclusing boyd, erica, etc) doesnt know what to do, but stiles does.
“No!” Derek yells, running away from Allison’soutstretched arms. “Bad lady, bad lady!”
Erica and Boyd exchange worried looks, Kira movingtowards Allison, taking her hand.
“Hey, little man,” Stiles says, grabbing Derek beforehe can make a beeline for the open door. Despite being five, Derek issurprisingly fast. Even Scott struggles to catch him. “It’s just Allison. Youremember Allison, don’t you?”
Derek shakes his head and buries his face in Stiles’shoulder. “Kate,” he sobs. “No. I want momma. I want momma.”
Stiles doesn’t need to look up to see the pain thatcrosses Allison’s face. Derek, more than anyone, was hurt by Kate but Stilescan imagine being mistaken for your dead psycho Aunt isn’t something you brushoff easily. Not after everything Allison went through with her too.
“Hey, hey,” Stiles tries again. “No-one’s going to-” Hebites his lip, unable to do it. Even if Derek is de-aged, he doesn’t deserve tobe lied to. Not like that. Stiles knows he’d never forgive anyone who lied to him and told himhis mom was still alive. That she was still okay.
“Stiles, please,”Derek sobs, kicking his legs a little. Stiles struggles to hold him, but theway Derek’s arms wrap around his neck makes it easier not to drop him, atleast. “Want you instead. Want to take you home to momma and papa instead. Not her. Not her.”
It takes Stiles a moment to process that. Sometimes,Derek talks about Kate, what they were, but mostly Stiles has pieced togetherthe evidence himself over the years. Kate meant a lot to Derek and she killed his family.Truthfully, Stiles isn’t sure he wants to know what Kate did beyond that.
“You can’t take me home, Derek,” Stiles whispers, feeling sick. But fuck, I wish youcould have. Stiles doesn’t know what he would have done, even if he andDerek had been the same age in high school. Probably drooled all over himinstead of Lydia. Derek may have grown up into an Adonis, but at sixteen he wasstill one of the prettiest people Stiles has ever seen. Maybe things would have turned out different.
“No Kate,” Derek says again. “You. I want you.” Dereksobs again and Stiles looks at Erica, lost. She only shrugs back at him,looking just as confused as he feels.
“You’ve got me, Der,” Stiles says, walking them bothover to the sofa in the middle of the lounge, sitting down and rockingDerek a little. He hiccups and buries his face further in Stiles’ shoulder. “I’mnot going to leave you, okay?”
“Laurie, did,” Derek whispers, after a moment. “Laurie left me to comehere. No-one stays.” He wriggles some more, and Stiles doesn’t know if he’strying to get away from him or pull him closer. When Derek’s little fingersfind his hand and squeeze, however, Stiles seriously considers the possibility oflooking into time travel when this is over. He’s never wanted to take a bitch down so badly inhis life.
“Well,” Stiles says, kissing the top of Derek’s head,even though he knows he probably shouldn’t. That, even though he’s five, it’sstill Derek. It’s still weird. “Everyonestays now, okay? Everyone.”
Stiles doesn’t even know if he believes that, buthe hopes. “I’ll always stay,” he adds, and if nothing else is the truth,that is. Stiles doesn’t know what he and Derek are, but they are something. Somethinghe wants to explore, something he’ll never be able to leave. Even it neverbecomes what Stiles wants it to. Derek has become more to him than Stiles ever imagined he would.
Funny, how life turns out sometimes.
Derek sniffs, peering behind him to look at Allison. Hesqueezes Stiles’ hand tighter and Stiles squeezes back. “You promise?” he asks,turning back to him.
“Of course, buddy. When have I ever left you?”
It’slike a punch to Stiles’ gut, but before he can let his mind wander back to that night, Derek goes on. “It’s okay,” he says, patting Stiles’ face. “Don’tbe sad. I told you to go. I told you, so it’s okay. You turned back, you alwaysdo.”
Stiles smiles, because, yeah, that’s - that’s true, isn’t it.
“No Kate,” Derek says again, little eyes red raw with tears,and Stiles watches as Lydia leads a resigned Allison from the room.
“It’ll beokay, Der. It’ll be okay.”
