theproblemwithstardust

captain-snark:

Imagine though, Derek getting trapped or something, maybe there’s a cave in or hes kidnapped or the usual and what not. And he thinks he’s going to die so he records a video to say goodbye if it’s ever found. 

And there’s a short message for Scott and Cora of course. But then there’s also a message for Stiles. Derek telling Stiles that he wished he had said it sooner, because now he’s pretty sure he’s never going to get the chance to tell Stiles how he loves him. How he has for awhile now, but he never said anything because he thinks Stiles deserves better than him.

But Derek wants Stiles to know, maybe just for posterity, maybe so Stiles knows, because Derek knows he sometimes thinks so low of himself, and maybe Derek isn’t the best person all the time but he thinks the world of Stiles, and thinks Stiles should know. 

Of course, Derek gets found, and Stiles is the one to pick up his phone. He sees the message while Derek is recovering. He’s probably watched it a thousand times on repeat. He wants it played on his gravestone, tbh. 

When Derek’s up and about again, Stiles gives him the phone back. Derek doesn’t say anything just sort of looks at him and Stiles can see he’s trying to figure out if Stiles found the video. 

Stiles just slips the phone into Derek’s hand, curls his fingers around it but doesn’t let them go. He has things he prepared, practiced in front of the mirror that he wanted to say. There’s a half dozen crumpled up pieces of paper littering Stiles’ bedroom floor with words he didn’t think were good enough.

Instead though, Stiles doesn’t actually say anything, he just presses into Derek’s space and wraps his arms around him and holds on tight, buries his face in Derek’s neck and squeezes his eyes shut. 

After a brief moment of surprise, Derek returns the gesture, holds Stiles close and tight. They stay that way for a long while, and when Stiles pulls back he only avoids Derek’s gaze for a moment before he turns and looks at him, sucks in a breath and tells him, earnest, “I love you too.”