Through the years

25.

"Please St-"

"No!" Stiles snapped and Derek had rarely seen the brunette this angry. "I was just humiliated, Derek."

"I know, I'm sorry-"

"You should've told me!" the brunette cut off as he turned around to face Derek, both of them standing just outside the house. 

The wolf had been able to reach the house at the same time as Stiles did by car. Luckily, he was a fast runner. However, Stiles didn't look that ready to talk calmly about what had happened.

"Why didn't you just tell me that you didn't want those bastards you call friends to know about us."

"It's not like that, I swear!" Derek desperately said. "It's not because I'm dating you. I just...I didn't want them to know I like guys too..." he admitted and looked down at his feet.

"You should've told me." Stiles repeated, still feeling the tightness in his chest. "You made me look ridiculous. They laughed at me, Derek. You know I've been bullied my entire school years." he reminded and the wolf felt even more guilty at those words. "And you know what? Even though I felt like I was in high school again, I can't help but feel guilty." Stiles admitted and Derek looked up at the brunette in confusion. 

Stiles hadn't done anything wrong, why would he feel the need to feel guilty? 

"You didn't want anyone to know about you. You didn't and I outed you. I fucking outed you, Derek. You should've told me." Stiles told him with tears of regret rolling down his cheeks. And Derek felt his own heart tighten at the realisation of why Stiles felt guilty. "What if they start making fun of you because of me? I don't want you to spend your high school years the way I did. If I'd known, nothing would've happened for fuck's sake Dere-"

The wolf pulled Stiles to his chest, hugging him tightly as he let him cry. 

"You don't have to feel guilty, Stiles." Derek said quietly as he tried to comfort the crying brunette. "They would've found out one way or another. You just helped me do it." he reassured, kissing his hair. "Oh and by the way, they wouldn't dare bully me, so stop worrying." he added and Stiles pulled away to look at him.

"And how can you be so sure?"

"Cause they know I'm stronger than them." Derek replied as he lifted his arm and flexed his muscles for Stiles to see, trying to get a smile out of the brunette which was half working. "I can beat the shit out of them any day and they know it." the wolf reassured as he wiped Stiles' cheeks. "So, you don't need to worry your pretty little head for me."

"I'll always worry my very pretty little head for you." Stiles half joked and earned a soft kiss on his lips after saying that. 

"Well then, thank you for caring." Derek said with a soft smile. "But keep in mind that I'll always be just fine."

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"Yo, Derek!" Mike said with a wide grin as he usually would when he saw Derek in the corridors a few days later. 

Derek turned on his heels at the sight of Grant, Marcus and Mike all waiting for the wolf at his locker and walked away quickly.

"Derek!" Mike called a few times and finally caught up to the wolf with Grant and Marcus by his side, all of them looking confused about Derek's behaviour. "What's wrong, dude? We haven't seen you in days and you just avoided us."

"I'd rather not talk about it." Derek brushed off, 'to you' being implied which didn't go unnoticed as the wolf made to turn around but was stopped again.