He had already lost all of his hair.
He heard Derek knocking on the door downstairs. He heard his father politely telling Derk to stop coming here.
Two months.
it's been two long months.
They still don't know if it would work. He felt weak and small. He went downstairs after his dad shooed away Derek. These days, Scott would visit, and so would Lydia, Allison, Kira (usually with Scott), Isaac, the twins, Danny, Jackson came once, Boyd, Erica, and all of his friends. He loved when Isaac came, because he'd play board games and watch movies, Boyd would make his dad food, so he and his father could spend more time together what with Stiles' father working more to pay for the treatment, Scott would play video games, the girls would make him hats and blankets and they'd be good to talk to and help comfort him about Derek.
As they all came and went, none of them mentioned the ring on his finger.
They didn't need to
Month three is when Derek seemed to get desperate.
He'd hunt down his friends and interrogate them. Stiles never asked how Derek looked or if he seemed healthy for fear of the answer. One day, Stiles heard Scott and his dad talking downstairs.
"Derek isn't doing too good." Scott said to the sheriff. "I didn't want to bring this up, but Derek looks almost just as bad as Stiles does. He looks like he's not eating, when i run into him at the store, he's just getting crackers and water and sometimes frozen dinners."
Stiles thought to Derek being disgusted at the thought of the frozen mashed potatoes when he and Stiles went grocery shopping, saying they weren't real food, and he'd never stoop so low as to eat that. He'd proceed to buy ingredients and cook them a large meal and eat the leftovers for days.
The sheriff sighed "I know. Every time he comes over he gets more and more desperate. I think he's starting to figure out when Stiles leaves the house every other week for his check ups with Deaton. I'm worried they'll see each other. But at the same time, they're miserable without each other."
Stiles tightened his blanket around himself and adjusted his hat. He rubbed a hand over his sunken cheeks and decided to go downstairs and face the pitied looks.
Month four is when it happened. Derek found him. He had gotten in the car with his dad and crawled in the back seat and his dad called his name, the only alert he got to cover himself with the blanket.
"Stiles! Stiles, please talk to me! Please! One talk! I just need to know what i did wrong, please!"He called out, helplessly banging on the window. Stiles just reached out and pulled the blanket more over himself. The pounding stopped and that's when Stiles realized.
He had the ring on.
Derek saw him with the ring on. He peek out the blanket to only see Derek's confused face.
Derek looked like he hadn't slept well in ages and like he hadn't eaten a proper meal since Stiles left. Maybe he hadn't.
Stiles felt worse.
Derek ended up finding out during the fifth month.
Stiles' dirty little secret was discovered. He didn't want Derek to know - god - he couldn't let him know. But he found out.
It was an accident, because Stiles figured that since it was afternoon and Derek had already come over today, that he wouldn't be back. He had Lydia coming over soon to watch some movies together, so when the doorbell rang, it would be Lydia - Lydia was the only one that ever rang the doorbell.
Stiles got up and shuffled to the door, feeling particularly sick that day after throwing up a couple times already. He pulled open the door softly and was face to face with Derek. He didn't say anything for a couple minutes, but what was there to say?
Derek started to muttered "Did you shave your head and get a bad cold? What happened to you?" He asked softly. He reached out and held Stiles' hand. Stiles let him, I mean, why stop him?
"I...I think you'd better come in and sit down." He tugged Derek inside softly. He shut the door and curled up on the couch. Derek sat down, looking at him wearily, concern heavy in his expression. Stiles felt a little more whole with Derek there, more like himself. He wished he had never left Derek. They needed each other just like Scott said.
"I have…" He winced, because no, he can't start there. He should start from the beginning. Deep breath. Go. "I broke up with you, because when I went to the doctor's that morning, I found out I...have cancer. In my stomach. I waited too long to go to the doctor, so there's a fifty percent chance that the chemo won't work because the cancer was already very developed." He nibbled his lip, refusing to look at Derek.
"I didn't want you to be arund me if i didn't make it. I felt like you wouldn't move on. And I thought breaking it off then and keeping it secret would...make you move on, y'know? I could maybe even get you back if I got better." He explained softly.
Derek was quiet and he scooted closer and pulled Stiles onto his lap. Stiles felt like a breath was put back in his lungs at Derek's warm and soft touch.
"That's stupid." He muttered, sounding pained. "I need you, Stilinski." he muttered, like it was obvious. Stiles smiled as big as he could. "I need you, too, you big lug." He cuddled closer and covered them both with the blanket.
"Derek, i still may not make it-"
"No. Don't talk about it right now. We can talk about it tomorrow." He said softly. He played with the ring on Stiles' finger. "Is this a yes?"
"Absolutely."