When Stiles was eight, he had panic attacks. He would sleep walk, block by block going further until he finally reached the woods. His dad didn't notice because he'd always walk back home before morning, although was curious about some of the cuts his son had on his feet. But Stiles covered it up, his dad had enough to worry about with mom's recent death and panic attacks he couldn't hide.

When Stiles was eight, Derek found him half way into the preserve and took him home, it was the first time Stiles had seen his dad cry. At the funeral he stayed strong, so Stiles did the same. Through panic attacks they acted as each other's anchors, and then finally, finally as the Sheriff took his young son into his arms, they cried. Derek coughed and excused himself.

Stiles kept sleep walking, Derek kept finding him.

"Call me John," the Sheriff had eventually said after two weeks, "and take my number down so you don't have to come all the way here every night."

"It's okay." Derek said looking at the wide eyed eight year old. He took the number down anyways.

When Derek was thirteen he found some brat in the woods, asleep on a rock. His heart broke a little bit more every day he watched the child walk further away from his problems subconsciously.

Derek was thirteen when Stiles had finally reached his house in the middle of the preserve, and he knew that he wanted to protect this kid forever. That night he took Stiles inside, ignoring the confusion and questions by his mother who had woken up amidst the noise, tucked him in bed and slid in next to him after calling the Sheriff.

The next morning the Sheriff came over for breakfast and explained to Derek's family what had been happening. Derek quietly put more food on Stiles' plate (and cut it up) every time he finished one pancake until Stiles had at least seven and contently put his fork down. Laura knew, Cora was just wondering why her brother wasn't that nice to her.

After plates were cleared and put aside in the sink, the two families stood by the door and politely attempted to say goodbye, talking briefly about the situation (namely Stiles being allowed to stay as often as needed) when Derek, whose eyes never left Stiles, finally spoke.

"I want to marry him." He said clearly with more determination than any other child his age would normally mutter. The thing that put the adults on edge was how serious Derek had sounded. "Of course well date until we're at least twenty five. John I hope you'll agree. Mother, father."

"I wanna marry Derek too." Stiles had stated high pitched but just as serious. "Daddy, you'll let me right? We're only like, uhm, I'm eight and Derek's eleven, so that's uh..."

"Three years." Derek finished with a small smile he saved for the younger. Of course their parents were shocked by this but John knew his son, and he always got what he wanted.

"As long as Derek's parents are okay with it." John said as he bent down to his son's height and placed his hand through his son's hair.

"Of course, it's so lovely to be in-laws already. Saves us the hassle of it later." Derek's mother said, smiling down at her son before lacing hands with her husband.

"You can't stop true love." Was all Derek's father said lightly.

Derek went home with Stiles and the Sheriff that day and stayed over the night. That was the night the nightmares stopped. John realizes later that month, that was also the week Stiles' panic attacked stopped as well.

When Stiles was twelve Derek kissed him for the first time. It has been four years and while Stiles got chattier, Derek said quiet but surprisingly open. Stiles was actually surprised that Derek still liked him after four years. Scott told him opposites attract; Stiles snorted.

When Derek first kissed Stiles he was fifteen and in high school. His friends teased him about likening younger boys; Derek punched them when they made fun of Stiles' ADD. He has been suspended for the day; nevertheless Laura (luckily the one who they called first) had commended him on defending his boyfriend.

She was the one who asked if they had kissed yet, and being nineteen she has her fair share of relationships, none lasting as long as her brother's because, through them she saw what love looked like and could never really find it. Derek shrugged at her and she smiled, giving Derek forty dollars and told him to take Stiles on a date. That resulted in her going to Stiles' middle school and signing him out (the Hales and Misses McCall were on his security card). Laura dropped the two off at the park three blocks away from town and told them to have fun.

Derek sighed but took his boyfriend's hand and walked through the park explaining what happened. By far this wasn't their first date; Derek had often taken Stiles out for ice cream or whatever Stiles was in the mood for when he saved up money.

The first time Derek kissed Stiles was also the first time he'd seen a horror movie since his mom had died. He wasn't afraid or anything, he'd picked the movie after all, knowing well enough that Derek would take him anywhere he wanted (he did feel bad because the most Stiles could do was handmade gifts he made at school, but Derek still loved them all the same) and, well, they didn't expect the panic attack.

The panic attack was dealt with very quickly without even having to leave the theater mid-movie. When Stiles' breath started becoming shorter, Derek looked at him, took his hand and whispered whatever sweet nothings a fifteen year old could come up with.

The first time Derek kissed Stiles was the first time Stiles realized he loved Derek. The movie ended and so Derek took them out for Stiles' favorite fast food and then the ice cream parlor they always went to.

The parlor has a thousand different flavored. They were on flavor four hundred and sixty two. Stiles had ordered them some chocolate monstrosity and dug in without warning, Derek looked at him fondly.

"You have a little..." Derek said wiping at his own nose to mimic Stiles predicament.

"Woops," Stiles said swiping the wrong side of his nose. "Did I get it?"

"No-just let me, uh," Derek said biting his lips. Sighing he leaned in closer to his boyfriend and kissed the ice cream off his nose before leaning back. They were both bright shades of pink, but Stiles was obviously worse off.

"Thanks." Stiles said, batting his amber eyes and that's when Derek snapped. Leaning forward be placed a loving kiss on the younger boys lips, trying not to make it wet or sloppy, but Stiles was trying too hard and ended up biting Derek's lips not in a sexy way.

"I—sorry!" The younger boy yelped before attempting to dig back into his ice cream. Derek smiled and grabbed his face and held it in place.

"Just, relax." Derek said with feather light words, and again they kissed, lips connecting in an innocent favor, moving slowly but relaxed, loving, like they were relearning everything they already knew about each other.

The first time Derek realized he loved Stiles was when he was sixteen, and kids his age were already discussing things like having sex. No, he never had thought about Stiles like that before, still imagining the young boy who sleep walked all the way to his house. But he still wanted to be with Stiles all the time—intimately? He wasn't too sure.

"Laura, is it normal to not have sex with someone if you've been in a relationship for five years?" Derek had asked on a whim, his sister had had plenty of sex since she started getting intimate with boys (and girls but he didn't know that yet). Laura had choked on her lemonade because that was one thing she never expected Derek to ask.

"If it's you and Stiles, yes. You started dating when you were kids. Honestly mom, dad and John all thought it wouldn't last this long." She said slowly, carefully watching Derek's every movement. "Or maybe you'd realize that you didn't love him more than a brother."

Derek crinkled his nose. "Why?"

"Probably because you two didn't do anything more than hold hands until last year?" Laura questioned with a tilt of her head. "But regardless. You've always loved Stiles for his personality, not his body." She shrugged.

Derek took what his sister said and avoided Stiles for a few days after. Not on purpose of course, but to reevaluate his feelings for his boyfriend. Boyd always said that he and Erica connected so well because of how well they fit together. But Derek didn't care about that, not with Stiles.

He liked Stiles because he was fragile like Derek was. He liked Stiles because he was funny. He liked Stiles because he was smart. He liked Stiles because he was corny. He liked Stiles because he was really good at arts and crafts projects.

The first time Stiles thought Derek didn't like him anymore he was thirteen. Derek had managed to avoid Stiles for three days and Stiles didn't know what he did wrong. Maybe—maybe realized that Stiles was wrong about his Han Solo being better than Luke Skywalker theory, or maybe Derek realized that Stiles was just too young for him. Maybe he realized that he only wanted Stiles as a friend and he pitied the young boy that kept getting lost.

Stiles shoved through the house that day, it was the first time he was rude to Laura, because the two were so similar in personality. He ran up the stairs and tore the door open.

When Derek was sixteen, it was the second time in his life that he'd seen Stiles cry.

"You don't like me anymore, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll fix it! I promise." Stiles half screamed through his sobbing. Derek sat shocked on his bed. He liked that Stiles was overdramatic at the right moment.

"Stiles, slow down." Derek spoke as he stepped closer to the younger sobbing boy, pulling him inside and shutting the door to prying ears.

"I'm sorry, Derek, please don't break up with me." Stiles sobbed, grabbing Derek's t-shirt and getting a line of snot across it as he shook his head. "I-I."

"I'm not." Derek sighed watching the mess of a younger boy and placed him on his bed. Sitting on the floor he looked up at murky amber eyes that normally had his heart fluttering for a better reason.

The first time Stiles told Derek he loved him, he was crying.

"I love you."

The first time Derek realized that he loved Stiles; Stiles thought they were breaking up.

"Stiles."

The first time Stiles thought his heart was going to break; Derek didn't say I love you back.

"Listen to me."

The first time Derek said I love you, he was so sure of himself.

"I love you too. It just took me a little longer to realize it."

The first time Stiles kissed Derek, he got tears and a little bit of snot on Derek's face.

The kiss was messy, but Stiles dove for him and placed their lips together, forgetting about anything but the passion and love they felt for each other.

The first time Derek's mom caught them kissing was when he opened the door an hour later to tell them it was dinner time. Stiles still remembers that being his most embarrassing moment with Talia, even though she's seen him naked (he was drunk).

The first time Stiles wanted to have sex with Derek, he was fourteen. After learning about it in health class, he kept staring at Derek during lunch hour (they were finally in school together and Derek was leaving after the year was over, Stiles was depressed at this thought). Derek was a popular boy, regardless of his anti-social personality. Derek was very, very good looking filling into his body probably from working out and lacrosse.

By this time the two had a set schedule. As always they spent all their time together, with the exception of occasional days or weekends because they didn't want codependency issues if Derek was going away to college. When Derek worked out, Stiles would be over doing his homework. Shirtless Derek doing pull-ups was probably the first time Stiles felt something funny in his pants, watching beads of sweat run down his boyfriend's back (that was tattooed upon his seventeenth birthday in November, thank you Laura).

The first time Stiles asked Derek to have sex with him; he almost choked and fell on his ass mid-pull up.

"Derek."

"Hmm?"

"Let's have sex."

Derek dropped to his feet as gracefully as he could, wiped his face with his t-shirt and coughed.

"Excuse me?"

"Have sex with me." Stiles said as he stood up on his own two feet extending to be as tall as he could (Derek was six feet by then but Stiles was still only five three).

"Stiles, you're fourteen. You've barely gone through puberty yet." Derek tried to argue, coughing again remembering the age gap again.

"So? I'm going through puberty, now is the time to explore my sexuality." Stiles said, waving his hands around crazily. "How am I supposed to do that without having sex?"

"You already know that you're gay because you're with me." Derek said with a shit eating grin, "what more proof could you possibly need. End of conversation."

The first time Stiles didn't talk to Derek for a week was after Derek refused to have sex with him.

"You're being ridiculous. I know you looked up the age of consent after I mentioned it, and I'm not in it yet, but after I am it's a literally felony. You don't want your dad to book me. Right John?" Derek said (Stiles literally told his dad and Scott everything so when Derek came over for Friday dinner the Sheriff knew all about the cold shoulder Derek was getting).

"I'm not getting between this." John said as he cleared his plate, put his dish in the sink, and then he left the two in the kitchen-dining room.

"Stiles." Derek was exasperated, the onetime Stiles shut up was the one time Derek didn't want him to. "It's not like we can't make out or anything."

Stiles followed his dad's example and then went up to his room, Derek trailing behind him.

The first time Derek told Stiles he was going to New York, Stiles wasn't talking to Derek.

"Please just talk to me. I'm sorry okay, but fourteen is too young to have sex. I didn't lose my virginity yet, I haven't lost it at all." Derek said exasperated as he pulled a chair next to his boyfriend's.

Stiles chose to surf the net.

"I'm going to New York." Derek finally shouted, well, spoke loudly.

"What?" Stiles gaped shocked at his boyfriend's sudden announcement.

"Oh my god, it speaks." Derek said a little cruelly before shoving his hands in his face. "I'm graduating early. Next month. I've only been going to school right now for the sake of attendance. I got in early admission to NYU. I'm majoring in engineering and then taking over Peter's garage."

"Peter's the uncle that went crazy and is in the mental house right?" Stiles asked Derek numbly.

"Out of all that, that's what you got. Yes, he is."

"What do you expect from me Derek? The guy I've been dating for six years is leaving me. Why didn't you fucking tell me before? Why didn't you say anything?" Stiles yelled, frustration causing his voice to crack.

"I didn't know how to tell you, and then you stopped talking to me, what do you expect from me Stiles? I'm not perfect." Derek yelled right back, "You fucking know that remember?"

"Oh? I don't know what I know anymore." Stiles almost screeched. "You lied to me. How long? How long have you been planning on leaving me?"

"Stiles you're acting like a fucking child. I'm not leaving you, I'm going to college. I applied early admissions; you were bowling with Scott that day. I found out in December so I finished up my course in January. My last day of school is next week." Derek spoke attempting to keep calm.

The night Derek told Stiles he was going to New York was not their first fight, but it was the first one Derek didn't apologize to Stiles.

"Get the fuck out." Stiles said, unusually still as he looked Derek in the eye. "Get out of my room. Get out of my house."

"Stiles, you're being unreasonable." Derek said, trying to keep sane.

"No. I'm not. Because I'm a fucking child." Stiles said icily, eyes narrowing to slits.

"Stiles." Derek tried again, stepping closer to his boyfriend.

"I think we should take a break. Go to college." Stiles said, taking a step back.

"You're breaking up with me, because I'm going to college?" Derek asked, slow, unusually quiet like he was when he was younger.

"No. I'm telling you we need a break because you did all this behind my fucking back and kept me in the dark. When were you planning on telling me? When you were boarding the fucking plane?"

"No, Stiles. I didn't know when I was going to tell you, but I'm not even leaving until next month." Derek said. "Anyways, the point of us spending less time together this year was so you could fucking learn to live without me in your life all the time. Codependency issues, remember your idea."

"Just get the fuck out Derek. I don't want to talk to you right now. I don't want to look at you. We're not breaking up, we're just taking a pause."

"There are no such things as break's Stiles. Couples who take breaks, break up shortly after." Derek said.

"Fine! Just get the fuck out." Stiles said.

The first (and only) time Derek walked out of Stiles' life, Stiles regretted everything he said and did.

The first time Stiles saw Derek after they broke up, was at Derek's last lacrosse game.

The first time Stiles' spent months without Derek, Derek was in college taking his first semester at NYU.

The spring when Derek was seventeen, Derek had sex for the first time and it wasn't with Stiles.

The summer when Stiles was fifteen, Stiles had sex for the first time and it wasn't with Derek.

The summer when Stiles was fifteen, he saw Derek again for the first time since Derek left for college.

The summer when Derek was seventeen, Stiles saw that Derek brought home another boy as his boyfriend.

The first time Derek saw Stiles after he came back from college for the summer, he noticed that Stiles had gotten to be around his height and stood tall yet awkward. He was lanky but still beautiful, his breath hitched.

The first time Stiles and Derek spoke to each other after they broke up; Derek was ordering coffee for him and his boyfriend.

"Can I take your order?" Stiles chimed, he'd gotten a job at the best coffee shop in town (incidentally run by the Hales and also named One Hale of a Cuppa). "Oh."

"Hi." Derek said, as he looked at the Amber eyes that still set his heart ablaze with love.

"Two sugars and low fat milk?" Stiles said lightly remembering the way Derek ordered his coffee, because only months ago Derek was standing with him ordering them both coffee (well, Stiles would get tea because he was already too hyper and it messed with his Adderall.

"Uh, no, actually. No sugar, half and half." Derek said with a tight smile.

"And a caramel latte." The guy behind him said as he nudged him with a large smile plastered on his face.

The first time Stiles couldn't breathe around Derek, was because he felt his heartbreak for the second time because of Derek.

Derek smiled and nudged the other back playfully, before turning his attention back to the younger boy.

"I guess college changes your taste in coffee?" Stiles asked, trying to keep the conversation light even though he felt his throat constrict.

"Too many sleepless nights." Derek said.

"God with this guy? He like never sleeps. He was a wreck when he first moved in with me. He needed to get laid and relax." The guy said with a smile. Stiles felt himself tense, of course if someone like Stiles could have sex with another person then surely Derek did too. Rebound sex, or, not.

"I, oh." Stiles said as he fumbled with the lid of Derek's drink and caused it to spill all over the counter and himself. "Sorry! I'll just. I'll make another one just."

"Stiles." Derek said, the name leaving a weird taste in his mouth because of how lightly it came out. "Relax." Stiles eyes snapped on Derek, remembering their first kiss and the exact same comment and he felt bile rise.

The first time Stiles thought that he loved Scott, he came into work just in time for Stiles to make a quick getaway before he threw up all over Derek.

The first time Derek saw Stiles look so wrecked because of him; he made it a point to avoid him that summer.

"Derek, you're back from college?" John said as Derek was walking around one day, he missed his hometown.

"I—yeah. But I get a feeling you knew that." Derek said with his eyebrows raised. John put his hands up in defense.

"Stiles actually didn't tell me anything for once. But assuming you've seen him, you two are obviously still not talking." John said with a small smile. "You know, I thought you guys would stay together forever."

The first time Derek walked away from the Sheriff without so much as a word, he went home and threw up the contents of his stomach.

The first time Isaac found out who Stiles was, he was in the library getting some reading done for his advanced Bio class he'd be taking next semester.

"You're Derek's friend." Isaac had said when he spotted Stiles stalking through the biology section.

"You're Derek's uh, boyfriend." Stiles said tightly as he attempted to get away, but rather he was rewarded with a laugh.

"I'm his roommate. He's too broody for my liking. Anyways, he's still completely hung over his ex. Really, the first time he came home after having sex he looked like he was ready to cry because he regretted it so much."

The summer when Stiles was fifteen, he ran nine miles from the middle of the town to Derek's house.

"I love you so much, I'm so sorry."

The summer when Derek was seventeen, he cried in front of Stiles for the first time, and felt so utterly stupid afterwards.

"I love you too. It was my fault."

"It's not always your fault Derek, this time was mine."

When Stiles turned eighteen, Derek and Stiles had been dating for ten years, even including the few months they were broken up.

The first time Stiles and Derek had sex, was not on Stiles' birthday. Derek was at school and had also taken summer classes so he could graduate in four years rather than five, as well as, quickly enter the maters program.

The first time Derek and Stiles had sex, Derek walked into an apartment that his mother had sent him to (he was planning on moving out of the dorms, especially since Isaac had moved in with his boyfriend of the time, which wouldn't last longer than three months). The apartment was already bought by his mother as a gift to him for his birthday even though he was not originally willing to take it until he saw it for the first time.

The first time Derek and Stiles had sex, Stiles was waiting for him in their new apartment.

Derek opened the door to Stiles standing there with a bright smile and an acceptance letter to NYU, the summer was ending in a couple of weeks and Stiles applied late, pleading fleeting circumstances (they thought he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, like his mother. But he wasn't).

Derek stalked straight to his boyfriend, grabbed him by the face and pulled him in for a rough and passionate kiss. Stiles dropped the letter on the floor of the already furnished apartment (thank you Laura) and grabbed Stiles' thighs to carry him to what he assumed to be a bedroom (later because of the sex they decided to make it their room, and lucky for Derek it was the master bedroom. Why his mom bought a three bedroom house, he'll never know).

Dropping the younger boy on the bed, he climbed over him and slowly teased his shirt off. "I've been waiting for this, for years."

"I've been waiting for you for years." Stiles says back as he pull's Derek's shirt off, Derek sucks at Stiles' neck before lightly biting on it.

"You've always had me Stiles, and you always will." Derek says, harsh and rough. Stiles didn't know how to reply to this, so he settled with a pleased sounding moan, turning sharper as Derek licked his nipple before he sucked it and kissed down to Stile's navel. Giving the younger boy a shit eating grin, he pulled off the other's pants and flashed his eyes.

"Oh my god Derek, I've been waiting forever, please don't tease me." Stiles strained as Derek wrapped a hand around his erection, before kissing right above it. Slowly he moved his hand up and down, pressing a little bit tighter as he watched Stiles twitch.

"I hate you, I hate you so much." Stiles says, "You suck" his word breaking as Derek did just that, taking Stiles' erection into his mouth he sucked on it, hollowing his checks before he took it out with a pop, pre-cum dripping down the corner of his mouth.

"What was that?" Derek asked as he smiled at Stiles, kissed him, before licking the other's shaft and taking the erection back in his mouth, sucking at is as Stiles arched and mewed at the pleasure. Eventually feeling himself winding up too much, he tapped at Derek letting him know, but rather than taking his mouth off he kept going until Stiles finally came. Derek cringed at the saltiness but took it anyways, and then he worked kisses back up to Stiles before pressing their mouths together, letting Stiles lick the little bits of cum off of his face.

"Oh my god." Stiles mewed before he sighed contently for a second. Flipping Derek over, he grinned devilishly, "Your turn."

Derek was twenty five when he proposed to Stiles. It wasn't anything special, which made it special.

The first time Derek went to a ring shop, he took Isaac with him and after three hours, finally Derek had picked the one he wanted to give to Stiles. Isaac thanked the lord that finally they were done.

The first time Derek attempted to propose to Derek, a lady's water just broke and they were the only ones with a car in the area. They were going to Stiles' favorite fancy restaurant that they took all their friends when they came to visit New York.

The first time Stiles found out that Derek was acting weird was the second time Derek attempted to propose to him. Derek was acting a lot nicer lately and he had been on the phone with Stiles' dad a lot more than usual (honestly the two were really close, which was good, but still weird).

Derek had taken him to the ice cream parlor they always went to and finally they were on the thousandth flavor. Derek thought it would be the perfect time, but before he could, some other guy proposed to his girlfriend and he kinda just stood shell shocked before yelling congrats rather loudly and stalking out with ice cream in one hand and boyfriend in other.

When Derek proposed to Stiles, they were in their apartment. Stiles was writing his piece for his advanced creative writing class (Stiles was a creative writing major going into teaching Kindergarten). Derek tapped Stiles' shoulder and sat him down for Chinese food and the newest episode of whatever Stiles was currently watching.

"Oh, I stopped by the other store too and bought you curly fries." Derek said as he got the box for fries for his boyfriend and handed it to him.

"Oh my god, marry me." Stiles grabbed at them and kissed his boyfriend's cheek.

"Ok." Derek said, pulling out the box from his pocket and opening it. "I'll marry you, if you marry me."

"That doesn—Oh my god, Derek!" Stiles yelled louder than necessary looking at the ring before looking at his boyfriend. "Of course I'll marry you, you fucker. I already said yes like fourteen years ago. We're already practically married actually."

"Stiles." Derek said, and smiled lightly at his fiancé. "Relax."

"Shut up you big sour wolf. Put that ring on me." Stiles said holding his hand out, and to his word Derek put the ring on Derek's finger.

"I love you."

"Shut up, I love you more."

The first time Derek and Stiles kissed as fiancés, was after Stiles' spilled pork fried rice all and sweet and sour sauce on himself attempting to climb on top of Derek to give him the lap dance of his life. Instead, Derek laughed and pulled Stiles into him, placing gentle kisses on his fiancés face.

The first time Stiles knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with Derek was when he talked to his dad before the wedding. Derek was already waiting at the alter and Stiles was going to walk in (with the star wars theme song playing as he walked down because he wasn't the fucking girl, Derek took it in the ass more than he did).

"Stiles, I can't believe you're actually getting married."

The summer when Stiles was twenty three, he stood behind the doors that kept him and his soon husband apart.

"I love him dad. I think I've loved him since I first saw him, but what eight year old understands love right?" Stiles asked as he smiled as his dad, watching through the slit as everyone sat down, and he saw Derek looking devilishly handsome.

"I think so too. I know he love you." Stiles' dad said with a bright smile, wishing that his wife could be there too. But it was okay. They were okay. Everyone was happy.

"Let's do this." Stiles said as he took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Letting his father walk ahead of him quickly, he walked in a couple of beats after, smiling stupidly because Derek had actually asked them to play the star wars theme song as he walked.

"I love you so damn much, you big idiot." Stiles whispered when he stood next to his soon to be husband.

"Ask and you shall receive, always." Derek whispered right back.

"And that kids, is how I met your father." Forty five year old Derek said to his fifteen and sixteen year old son and daughter.

"You guys have been together since you were kids?" Penny asked in awe as she looked at her brother.

"We sure have." Stiles said as he walked inside Derek's study, placing a kiss on top of both his kid's heads and then one on Derek's cheek.

"That's like thirty-five years." Luke said in shock.

"Listen kids, you'll have a lot of firsts." Stiles said as he looked lovingly at his husband.

"But you'll only have one forever." Derek finished back, looking as lovingly back.

"You guys are gross. Can we go now?" Luke asked and the two adults laughed. Kids.