It takes another two weeks before Stiles resurfaces again.
It happened at the dinner table. It was one of those good nights where John was home. John was helping him eat. Derek was nodding off at the other side of the table with half his plate already eaten. Peter of all people was standing leaning against the door jamb sipping a mug of something.
What was going on? He looked at his dad who was twirling his fork in the plate of pasta and then carefully putting that loaded fork into his hand.
"Uh. What's going on here?" Stiles asked with a quirked brow.
Everything changed suddenly. Derek jolted awake and stared at him. Why were Derek and Peter in their shifted states? What the hell?
John's fingers slipped and the fork fell to clatter against his plate and fell to the table. "Stiles? Son?"
Stiles brows lifted nearly into his hair line. "Gosh I hope so. What the hell happened?"
John suddenly had tears swimming in his eyes and he was pulling Stiles into his arms and holding him so tight. "Oh Son! I love you I'm so happy your back."
"Uh Did I go somewhere?" Stiles asked feeling a little scared of the answer.
"No where son. You're right here I knew you were right here. I knew it. I've got you." John said as he held him and then pulled back to look into his eyes. He was smiling and running his hand through Stiles hair.
"Uh okay. Derek? Peter? Can anyone give me any answers here? Cause , you know weird thing, I'm drawing a blank." Stiles couldn't remember anything. He remembered graduating. Then nothing. Just a big nothing.
Peter had a little smile that Stiles had never seen before on the man. "Good to have you back."
Derek had this weird unreadable look too. "It's okay Stiles. Don't worry about that right now. All you need to know is that the pack took care of you and you're better now. Just focus on the here and now."
Stiles screwed up his face and flailed a bit at that. "But the here and now is hella confusing dude."
Derek nodded "You got injured."
Stiles brain tried to figure it out. "You mean like a head injury? Oh jeeze really? Please tell me it was something manly and heroic and not just me tripping on something and hitting my head."
There were tears rolling down Johns cheek and Stiles was going to start freaking out about that really quick if it didn't stop. His dad did not cry in front of people. "You were very brave. But don't worry about that right now Son. I'm just so happy you're awake."
Stiles felt a dread filling his stomach. He looked over to Peter. "how long?"
Peter's face stayed very neutral. "Few months."
Stiles felt like those words punched him straight in the gut. He looked back to his dad and finally got it. He'd been , whatever he was, for so long. He reached out and gripped his Dad's shoulders. "Hey. Hey Dad it's okay. I'm here. I'm sorry. Whatever stupid thing I did. I'm sorry. I'm here okay."
His dad pulled him into his arms holding him tight again. "You didn't do anything Stiles. No don't say that. It wasn't your fault. Shhh shhh."
Stiles looked between Peter and Derek as he held onto his Dad. "Why... why are you two shifted? Are we in danger?"
Both seamlessly shifted back to their human forms and Stiles blinked. Derek shook his head. "No. You're safe."
It hit him suddenly. The memory of Derek holding him and begging him to stay with him. Pleading with him that he would protect him and that he was safe.
Stiles thrashed out of his father's arms and flailed out of his chair. "What the fuck?" His heart was racing. He looked back to Derek.
"Calm down Stiles. It's okay." Derek slowly stood up with his hands out showing he wasn't a threat.
Suddenly he saw Derek, but it wasn't tonight's Derek, it was someone... it was like he was seeing Derek through a fugue. He was shifted then too. He was helping him. He was helping him eat. Helping him tuck in for bed. He was reading comics with him. He was dressing him. He was shifting into his full shift and walking around with him and playing with him.
Stiles blinked back to the now and he was up against the wall hyperventilating. He looked from Derek to Peter. Memories flooded in again. Like before, through a fugue. Peter clawing things for him. Lifting a couch. Peter serving him juice and milk and cocoa. Peter watching tv with him and talking to him. The memories couldn't understand what Peter was saying but Stiles could see a weird threat-less smile on Peter's face.
He heard his father calling him and blinked back to himself again. He saw his father reaching out for him. "Please calm down Son. You're safe. No ones going to hurt you."
Stiles jerked against the wall as if recoiling from a blow as he let out a sudden grunt as the memories flooded in of his father. His father being so careful. So gentle as he helped him get dressed in the mornings and helped him down the stairs and even went on walks with him. He saw his father making him dinner and breakfasts and curly fries. Of his father talking to him and looking so sad. So broken.
He couldn't fucking breath. He stumbled outside into the cold air. It was snowing. Oh fuck. He took in great gasps of cold air and stood in his socks on the porch that was covered in a fine powder of snow.
"Stiles!" too many voices called out his name from in the house.
He just needed a minute to breath. He looked up at the night sky and the snow falling around him and then he heard something behind him. It was the screen door.
Suddenly below him Derek was trotting past him in his full shift and then turning around and sitting in front of him. His red eyes glowing in the dark of night.
Bright strong memories flash across his mind. Holding Derek in his Full shift. Petting him. Burying his face in this fur and laying in bed with him feeling safe. Lounging on the floor of the living room with him and even laying on the couch with him.
Stiles could only come to one conclusion. "Something really bad happened to me... didn't it..." He asked the fully shifted alpha in front of him.
Moments hung heavy in the air before Derek finally nodded his head.
Stiles leaned against the porch pillar and just focused on his breathing.
"Son. It's cold out. Please come back inside." John's voice was filled with worry.
Stiles turned back to his father and nodded coming back in side. He felt Derek's presence behind him.
When he was finally sitting back down in front of his plate he took a bite and took a drink of the water bedside his plate and then turned to Peter. "Was it a spell? Is it over?"
Peter actually looked ... different. There was something in his eyes. "Not a spell. And no it's not over."
Derek suddenly snarled at Peter and snapped his massive jaws at his uncle.
"I'm not going to lie to him Derek." Peter said perfectly calm from the wall were he was standing against it.
Suddenly a horrible thought rushed over him and he felt the world go tilty and he felt sick . "I... I got it dont I... what mom had..." Stiles started to shake.
"NO SON. NO YOU DO NOT I PROMISE!" John yelled it and made Stiles look into his eyes. "I swear to you! I swear it!"
Stiles was still shaking but he was nodding and felt relief fill him as he held onto his dad. "Okay. Okay Dad."
Stiles still felt off balance. Then there was a warmth against his side. It was Derek. Derek was pressed to his side in his full shift. And what was even more mind blowing than that... it made it okay. The world righted itself slowly. It slowly felt like even if he didn't know everything that had happened. It was okay. It was okay. It was going to be okay. He let his hand slip into Derek's fur. Derek butted his nose against Stiles chest and then leaned into him more.
Stiles was so lost. This was so insane. He had no idea what was going on... but maybe it was going to be okay...
