Moodboards for Sterek AUs: 26/?
For @averysterekspring
Theme: Domestic
When Stiles moved back to Beacon Hills after graduating college, Derek very grudgingly allowed him to move into his place so that he wouldnāt be stuck at home or worried about rent while figuring out what he wanted to do with his life.
I mean, yes, it was Derekās idea and he offered it to Stiles and then had to actively convince him that it wouldnāt be a burden to have him living there, but thatās besides the point.
Stiles was the worst roommate. He always left his shoes laying around for Derek to trip over. He stayed up way too late studying, which kept Derek up because he had werewolf hearing and Stiles loved to tap tap tap his fingers. He made coffee every morning which had way too powerful of a scent for his werewolf nose to handle.
Yes, Derek also left his shoes laying around. And he actually slept better after Stiles moved in because he no longer had to deal with the suffocating silence that had haunted him for years. And he usually drank even more of the pot than Stiles did. But, thatās neither here nor there.
And then one day they kissed. It was both sudden and also felt like it had been years in the making.
And then they werenāt just roommates, they were boyfriends too.
Living with Stiles was so... domestic. Derek hated it. Stiles started doing Derekās laundry which was so annoying because he used a scented detergent and would roll his eyes when Derek said he should get unscented, because apparently scented was better and Derek just āhad to get used to it.ā And every night he left the biggest mess in the kitchen and Derek usually ended up having to clean up. And he drooled in his sleep, right onto Derekās chest. So inconsiderate. He also always made them watch stupid shows on Netflix and whenever Derek was in a bad mood he wouldnāt leave him alone no matter how much Derek asked him too.
Yes, Derek did actually get used to the scented detergent. In fact, it was the only one he was willing to use now, because it was the same one Stiles had used for as long as Derek knew him, and Derek liked being able to carry a reminder of Stiles in his scent no matter where he went. And Stiles using the kitchen meant Derek had actual home-cooked meals, a few times a week at that, for the first time in years (and in all honesty, Derek had to convince Stiles to let him clean most nights, and even then, he usually ended up helping). And really, he loved Stiles drooling on him, because having Stiles so close gave him the best sleep of his life. And he loved their Netflix nights because Stiles always had running commentary for each show, and Derek honestly found that more entertaining than anything on the tv. Derek didnāt even really mind that Stiles wouldnāt leave him alone when he was in a bad mood because he knew Stiles was just stopping Derek from the destructive self isolation he usually relied on. But.... but....
Okay, so maybe Derek didnāt hate domestic living. Maybe there wasnāt anything at all that he hated about having Stiles in his life, except for one little thing.
He knew he didnāt deserve it.
Because Derek had once had a nice, domestic life. He had family movie nights, home cooked meals, hugs goodbye, shoes and toys strewn about, the smell of coffee and eggs and burnt toast in the morning. He had had all of that. His family had had all of that. And now they didnāt, because of Derek. It was all because Derek was stupid and selfish that his cousins never got to go out and fall in love and his little sister would never get to feel her motherās embrace again and his parents no longer woke up in the morning and smiled at each other because the had everything they had ever wanted. They didnāt wake up at all.
Derekās family had had the domestic life and he stole it from them. So how could he ever think he deserved that?
He mentioned it one night to Stiles, under the covers in the darkness of their room where it felt like secrets didnāt count, he whispered how he wasnāt sure if he should stay with Stiles. How he knew he didnāt deserve this life.
Stiles hadnāt sounded surprised or upset. He had just comforted Derek. He told him that after everything Derek had been through, he couldnāt think of anyone who deserved it more. He told him that he hoped one day he would embrace this life they had created together because he knew it made Derek happy, and it made Stiles happy too. And more than that, seeing Derek happy made Stiles happy.
Thatās what had given Derek pause. Derek didnāt really think he would ever feel like he deserved the life they had together, or any form of happiness really. Maybe one day heād try therapy and begin to let go of the guilt but it just seemed unlikely. But knowing that Derek made Stiles happy? Truly realizing that Stiles felt about Derek the same way he felt about him? That made him think that maybe he shouldnāt resist this domestic life he had. Maybe he should hold on and never let go.
Because even if he couldnāt convince himself that he deserved good things, nobody could convince him that Stiles didnāt. Stiles had given Derek happiness and a home, and whether or not Derek deserved that, he would do his best to give just as much back to Stiles.
