Last period before lunch and someone had hijacked the tannoy system and the shitty highlights of Stiles' life laid bare for the whole high school to ridicule. Whoever it was had used a voice simulator to cover their tracks and Stiles had still had to sit through the last twenty minutes of Harris' class with everyone's eyes darting to him every few seconds. He half expected Harris to give him a detention for distracting the class. He didn't make it out of the room before the first few comments started about his mum and dad, his ADHD and his criminal record. None of it was new to people who knew him well. Scott had looked as horrified as Stiles had felt as those detailed echoed back to him, and there was only one other person who Stiles had bared his disastrous past to.

He pushed past them ignoring Scott's calls from behind. He could feel his hands shaking and he balled them into fists until he was through the crowds bearing down on him. He spotted Derek down the corridor at his locker and a new burst of anger urged him forwards. He pulled Derek round with a sharp tug of his arm and hit him so hard Derek fell back with a bang against the lockers.

He couldn't find the words to express the nausea in his gut and the anger in his clenched fists. Derek watched him warily, clever as he was there was nothing he could say to defend himself right now. He

Derek, with a bloody nose and split lip both dripping down his face stood speechless and dumbfounded as they were given a wide birth by the gathered onlookers. Stiles knew his face was red and running with tears but his thoughts were running too fast for him to care.

"Stiles," Derek's voice was small and in a shock of his own but all Stiles heard was weakness. Did he feel sorry now he could see how his little joke had gone.

"You were the only one who knew any of that Derek. You got to show the whole school what a fucked up loser I am, I hope you're fucking pleased with yourself you fucking asshole! " Scott had rounded on Stiles and was trying to calm him with quiet words. Talking wasn't helping though and did more to the reverse as Stiles swore and launched himself forwards again. Derek braced himself for another hit but several student had caught Stiles by his jacket and pulled him back.

"Mr Stilinski. Principal's office now!" The whole student cohort flinched as Miss Martin's voice cut over the shouts and jeers of the crowd. Stiles yanked himself from the grip of those who had grabbed and were holding him back and shoved his way through the crowd.

A hand on Derek's shoulder turned him.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Boyd said carefully. Derek only turned his eyes on him when Stiles had disappeared out of sight. "Then explain?"

"It wasn't me. How could he think I would tell the whole school any of that?"

"Wait til he's calmed down and ask him,"

"Yeah," Derek sighed as Boyd nudged him in the direction of the bathrooms. Going to the nurse for some ice would mean passing the principal's office and Stiles, it could wait.

Stiles hadn't gone to the principal's office. He'd headed straight for his jeep, straight home and straight to his room. Set his phone to silent, dropped it haphazardly along with his keys on the bedside table and curled up on his bed around a pillow in a fit of hasty breath as his building panic attack hit him in full force. He curled in on himself further and rode it out.

A gentle knock on his bedroom door woke him from his daze. The sun was streaming through his window much lower so he must have slept for some time. He was still hugging his pillow and the world hadn't obliged his wishing it would swallow him up whole. Now he had to face the music instead.

"I really don't want to talk about it Dad!" The door creaked open and Derek stepped inside slowly

"It's me," Stiles bolted up glaring Derek down. He couldn't help but take in the now marring bruise around Derek's nose.

"Get out," he snapped.

"Stiles please, I didn't do that. Don't-,"

"No one else knew any of that stuff about me Derek. It's you or the ghost of Christmas freaking past," he waved a hand out sharply towards Derek.

"Actually, I do know who it was," He said calmly

"What?"

"Cora,"

"What? Your sister? Why would she? I've never even spoken to her,"

"I got home this afternoon and the first thing she asked me was if I was over you yet,"

"I don't… it still doesn't make sense," Derek sighed and pulled out his phone. He dialled, checked it was ringing out and then set it to loudspeaker and held it out.

"Hey Derek? It everything sorted out now with Stiles?" A decidedly not Cora voice asked as soon as they picked up.

"No, but Laura I was hoping you could get Cora on the phone though. Mum said she had to apologise,"

"Give me thirty seconds. Oh and tell Stiles hi for me! "

Derek looked up at Stiles apologetically and shrugged.

"Hi Laura," He called out, loud enough for the phone to pick up his voice.

" Oh I'm on loudspeaker! You could have said. Stiles I really hope you're okay. Derek wasn't the only one who wanted to kill the little terror when we found out what she'd done," they heard a heavy banging on a door and Laura shout to her sister. They even heard Cora's reply.

"I'm not apologising. Derek should know better. I'm doing him a favour after Paige, Kate, Braeden and Jennifer. He's not into guys and he's certainly not into a moron like Stilinski," Stiles felt a weight settle into his bones as he just stared at Derek's phone.

"I don't think you're going to get an apology right now bro,"

"Yeah, you're probably right. It was enough of a confession anyway, I'll see you later okay,"

"See ya. Bye Stiles!"

"Bye," Derek disconnected and slid the phone back into his pocket.

"I'm really sorry Stiles. I don't know how to fix it, but I had to convince you I hadn't done this to you,"

"The whole school knows my ever dirty secret," He wiped at a stray tear building in his eye and fell back onto the bed heavily and stared up at the ceiling.

"They don't know where you keep your porn," Stiles half heartedly glared up at him, "They'll forget in a couple of days," Derek said stepping forwards to sit on the edge of the bed beside Stiles' legs and dropped a hand to rest on his side. "At the very least they all know you can fight back at least,"

"You're not helping," Stiles whined, covering his face and pressing the palms of his hands hard against his eyes. He felt the weight of Derek's hand lessen on his side and the mattress bounced slightly and he shifted position. A moment later Derek was pulling at his wrists and moving his hands from his face and pulling Stiles onto his side. Derek was now lying facing Stiles, for his size Stiles was surprised Derek was managing to balance on the edge of the bed and shifted back a bit to give him some room. There was still only inches between them but it was nothing unusual.

"It's not the first time we've established I'm not very helpful when you're stressed and upset. The best I can do it be here," He released Stiles' wrists but neither pulled away

"How did you know it was Cora anyway?" Stiles asked gently running his fingertips across Derek's own as he spoke.

"It's just the way she said it. I guess you're over him now right?" He mimicked her, "She was taking some sick pleasure from what'd happened to you," Stiles ducked his head further to the pillow avoiding looking Derek in the eye.

"So she must have overheard us talking whenever I come over huh?"

"Yeah," He felt Derek pause and tense for a moment, "Your dad knows what happened,"

"Aw crap,"

"I thought you might be at the station so I went there first. He'd already been phoned by the school but I explained. That's also how I got in here," Derek held up a key, "You dad told me where you kept the spare,"

"My dad's a traitor," Stiles scoffed taking the key and reaching over Derek to drop it on the table behind him. He flipped his phone over to see half a dozen missed calls and texts from Scott and a scatter from other people. He dropped it back on the table and sank back down into the bed.

"Your dad could see that I was pretty desperate," Derek muttered.

"Dad trusts you more than me anyway,"

"He's raising a delinquent son,"

"Shut up," Derek chuckled at Stiles' scowl.

"About what Cora said…" Derek started hesitantly.

"Oh right yeah. I mean I can see her point you know. She's your sister, she knows you pretty well and you know I'd understand and-," He was cut off by Derek's hand over his mouth.

"Breathe Stiles. What are you worried about?" The hand was removed and Stiles just stared at him. The red and purple of the bruise forming around his nose and lip, his attention and gaze that never wavered, his patience just waiting for Stiles to gather his thoughts. Stiles' thoughts jarred when he realised, yeah, Derek was actually waiting for him to respond. He took a shaking breath which did nothing to quell his nerves.

"Are you, over me?" Derek's face dropped and Stiles could feel the pit of his stomach drop. He pushed himself back across the bed away from Derek until his back his the wall. "

"Are you serious? None of what happened today was really your fault. Anyone would have reacted like you did. You thought I'd broken your trust,"

"I did kind of punch you in the face," Stiles reached out running his thumb gentle over Derek's split lip.

"No kind of about it. Who taught you to hit?"

"Laura, when me and Scott went to that summer camp she was working at,"

"She'll be proud of you when this bruises over by tomorrow morning,"

"I know some good make up tips to cover it,"

"Who taught you that?"

"Laura,"

"Anything my sister hasn't taught you?"

Stiles leant forwards, pulling Derek in by his shirt and kissing him gently whilst trying to avoid the cut.

"Maybe one or two things,"

"Really, this is what it took for you to reciprocate my feelings for you?"

"I punched you for something that wasn't your fault and you haven't had some big revelation that I'm not as nice as you seem to think I am,"

"Next time maybe trust that the guy who's crazy about you wouldn't purposefully try and hurt you,"

"Derek I'm sorry, I-,"

"Jumped to conclusions?" Derek shrugged, "It hurt, but I knew it wasn't true,"

"I feel really bad,"

"Provided you explain to Scott and Lydia before they get their hits in, just maybe you're stuck with me a little while longer,"

"Fuck I hope so," Stiles wrapped his arms tight around Derek's waist and ducked his head to his chest.