author's note: The final piece of this story! Though this is pretty late, I really enjoyed this entire thing; It as a challenge at times, but in the end, it was really rewarding. Thank you so very much for you faves, follows, and reviews, and if you have any requests for more Sterek, please feel free to message me~ Finally, I hope you enjoy! Happy Holidays~
Family
Christmas spent beside a grave.
Generally, it wasn't the way most people would spend their holidays. Then again, Stiles and Derek had never exactly fit into the general population and neither made much of an effort to. So, unperturbed (save for the frustration of holiday traffic), the two made their way from one cemetery to the other.
The first grave they visited belonged to Stiles' mom. There was an unspoken agreement of the order they would go in, and it so happened that the teen's relation was first. They sat in the snow, uncaring of how their pants were soon soaked through and their skin cold. They sat, thighs touching each other as they held a conversation. It was calm, peaceful, sobering.
After spending time at the first grave, the pair made their way to the next. The cemetery wasn't quite as nice, nor were the gravestones, but it was pleasant nonetheless. Pleasant, but not nearly as peaceful as the first visit.
Here, Stiles took the moment to talk animatedly to Derek's deceased family, cracking jokes and filling the air with a lightness that hadn't ever been known to be in a cemetery. And, while hardly anyone would risk doing such a thing, it seemed to fit the moment perfectly, as the last piece of a puzzle perfectly slides into place.
When they returned home, they had no words to share about the day; rather, the two sat on the couch in the coming darkness, leaning against one another and just focusing on the fact that though they had lost so much, they had somehow found one another.