┏━━━━⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆━━━━┓

LEAN ON ME

THE PRESCOTT FAMILY OWNED A SMALL CABIN JUST AN HOUR OUTSIDE OF BEACON COUNTY.

Emerson remembered her first time being taken there, only a few weeks after she'd been shuffled into Hannah's care and was still vaguely distrusting of the blonde woman. It was always like that whenever she moved from one guardian to the next, but it felt different this time around.

What happened in Rochester left a stain on the young girl's soul; she'd gotten too close, too comfortable, and lives were lost because of her. That was certainly something she would carry for the rest of her life, and was certainly why she'd made Hannah's life a living hell when she first showed up.

Emerson thought that if she pushed hard enough, perhaps Hannah would send her away. Maybe she'd send her to live on her own, or in some state sanctioned foster home where no one knew what she was. She hoped for that at first, because at least Hannah would be fine— at least she'd be safe from the curse that was being Emerson Avery's guardian.

But Hannah Prescott couldn't be fooled so easily, brushing off all the off-putting remarks and slamming of doors that the blonde girl could muster up. No, she let Emerson blow off all the steam she wanted before she hauled the pair of them up to the cabin.

Something changed between the pair that weekend, and although it wasn't an overnight fix, Emerson's comments and reservations about the woman eventually dwindled down into nothing. No one really knew about the rocky start to their relationship because they'd always seemed so close. Like they were really family.

"You're family now. This cabin is yours just as much as it is mine."

Every time Emerson needed a getaway, she just said the word and Hannah would have them packed up as soon as her request for time off got approved. It was the perfect place to hide— a place where time didn't exist until you wanted it to.

That was exactly why Emerson hauled herself and Derek into her car the next day, when everybody cleared out and what remained of Vernon Boyd was taken care of. She knew the look on his face all too well, because having someone close to you die because of who you were? Yeah, that was something Emerson had some expertise in.

She hadn't been in months, long before she revealed her true identity by finding Isaac in the utility closet, but it still looked the same. It had a weathered wooden exterior, stained a deep chestnut from years of sun and rain, which made it blend seamlessly with the surrounding forest.

The blonde guided them from the car and into the cabin, Derek remaining as wordless as he'd been since the night before. Granted, he was always a man of few words, but this time it felt different. This time he looked different, like this loss piled onto all the others was his tipping point. It was a miracle he even got in the damn car to begin with.

Shuffling their way inside, it was just as she remembered it. The few remaining members of the Prescott family would filter in every once in a while, a great uncle and a second cousin, but it was mostly just Hannah over the years until Emerson came along.

It was a cozy space, with a quaint little kitchen with an adjacent living room. There was one bedroom and a bathroom, though the couch was the pullout that Emerson had gotten well acquainted with throughout the years. The minute she crossed the threshold, however, was the minute she saw something on the fireplace mantle.

Dropping the two bags she'd packed on their behalf, she instantly migrated over to it. It was a picture frame, one she figured Hannah had brought up earlier in the year when Emerson had been gone for the weekend due to a quarter-finals  away game. It was of the two blondes, a selfie that the Prescott woman had taken, both smiling with their kitchen in the background.

Emerson could remember that day, the one where she and Hannah swore they could outdo the contestants on the Great British Bake Off. Due to the sheer disaster in the background of the image, however, they were sorely mistaken.

She instantly put it down, curbing the melancholic feeling that usually rose whenever she thought of the woman, because this wasn't why she brought them here. No, this was meant to be about Derek. 

Turning back to him, she caught the way he was staring at her instantly. It was a mixture of sympathy, and that pesky understanding that he cared to show so freely these days, but this wasn't about her anymore. The blonde marched back over to where he was still lingering by the doorway, and picked up one of the bags.

She thrusted it in the man's direction, pointing to a door on the far side of the cabin. "Go change, and then meet me out back."

Derek frowned. "What's wrong with the clothes I have on now?"

"You smell like a wet dog," she responded flatly. "Take that as you will."

Thankfully, he only rolled his eyes before trudging off in the direction of the bathroom. Only once he was gone did Emerson let out a large breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

She hoped this wouldn't backfire on her as she started for the kitchen, digging into a nearby drawer that housed three specific items she needed. Making her way outside, she was greeted with the brisk fall air around her, breathing in the smells of nature all around her for the very first time.

Taking in a large breath, Emerson couldn't get over the fact that she'd missed this, the ability to smell, nearly her entire life. It often made her question whether sacrificing her sense of smell was worth it in order to conceal herself, because really, the bad man always seemed to find her regardless of that factor.

Maybe it would've meant running a little bit more, but she would've gladly done so if it meant she could smell autumn. Shit, she could taste the air if she really inhaled hard enough.

"What the hell are we doing?"

Derek listened to her, emerging from the cabin in some sweatpants she hastily made him grab and a t-shirt that she personally picked out. His voice broke her from her thoughts, his feet crunching against the fallen leaves as he approached.

"We're going to unleash some steam, the Prescott way," she smiled, digging into her back pocket to unveil the three crucial supplies she retrieved while he was changing. "We're gonna throw these at the tree!"

He levelled a glare her way, evidently unimpressed. "Throwing stars? That's your big plan?"

Emerson huffed, opting to ignore him in favour of lining herself up with a tree a couple metres away. Closing one eye, she threw the star in its direction, the blades embedding itself into the centre.

Turning to Derek, she smirked up at him. "Don't tell me you're a whimp and don't want to try," she mockingly said, before gasping to herself, "or, is the mighty Derek Hale scared he's gonna miss?"

His lip curled back only slightly, and Emerson might as well have beamed when he held his hand forward.

"Just give it to me."

Point, Emerson.

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When all was said and done, when the canned food that was kept in the cupboards was well eaten by the two hungry werewolves, the sun eventually dipped beneath the horizon.

Derek was decent with the whole throwing stars shtick, but Emerson considered it a win in her eyes that he was able to take his mind off of the tragedy for just an afternoon. They'd have all day tomorrow to sit with what had happened, and if it meant leaving Derek to his own devices in the cabin, then so be it.

Though, Emerson would admit that she was having a nice time with the Hale man. Not that she'd ever admit it out loud, but still— being at the cabin with him seemed to settle her.

"You can take the bedroom," Emerson said with a yawn, leaning back against her seat as she watched Derek collect their dishes.

He brought them to the sink and scoffed. "This is your cabin. You get the bedroom." 

"Technically it's Hannah's," she corrected him, an easy loophole. "You're the one that needs rest more than me and you know it."

Just as she went to make a move toward the couch, Derek's hand caught her wrist. "Emerson," he stressed, and the blonde forced herself to swallow. "Take the bed."

"No," she responded petulantly. "I've already called dibs on the couch."

She pulled herself from his hold and all but booked it into the living room area. His footsteps were directly behind her before he suddenly whirled in front of her, standing in between her and the couch. "I'll sleep on the floor," he threatened, his eyes narrowed in a way that was trying to be convincing.

But Emerson had never been deterred by threats from Derek Hale before. "So sleep on the floor," she retired with nonchalance. "Either way, I'm sleeping here, so—"

She body checked him, rounding toward the side of the couch where the lever was located.

"How are you so difficult to handle all the time?"

"Awh, you really think so?" she cooed, lifting the lever to pull the bed portion of the couch out from beneath the cushions.

She didn't need to see him to know he'd rolled his eyes. "Yes, I do," he muttered, "but I'm sleeping out here."

"How are you so goddamn stubborn?" she growled out, flattening the pullout bed with her hand while making sure it was levelled enough.

He scoffed. "That's rich coming from you, you brat," he said, but nonetheless helped her in her pursuit of setting it up. "I meant what I said: I'll take the pullout."

Emerson actually growled, her frustration simmering. "Fine, Derek!" she conceded, throwing a pillow in his direction. She turned to gather some blankets from the nearby ottoman, throwing one at him and a larger one onto the bed. "If you snore, I'll claw your eyes out."

He blinked. "What?"

She threw her hands in the air. "Are you stupid? Genuinely, are you stupid?" she questioned, clamouring onto the pullout and dropping her head onto the pillow. "Neither of us are going to tap out, so just get in."

That seemed to kick Derek's brain back into gear, the man all but shuffling toward the pullout and plopping himself onto it. The only source of light was coming from the lamp closest to him, so the minute he caught Emerson's eyes shut was the minute he reached across to pull on the string.

They were submerged in darkness, though it was easy enough for the two alphas to see their surroundings if they needed to.

The pair were facing one another, Emerson tucked on the left side while Derek remained rather rigid on the right. Something about this felt different, at least to Emerson who was silently hoping Derek would immediately fall asleep if he saw her eyes wired shut.

Just when she thought she'd gotten away with it, and just as she was about to let out another yawn of her own, she heard something so quiet. It was so quiet, she had to strain to hear it despite the fact that it was coming from right in front of her.

"Thanks," came his voice in the form of a whisper. "After I— after last night, I really needed this, y'know?"

Emerson smiled sleepily at him, her hand haphazardly reaching for his beneath the blankets as her eyes opened. "Of course. I get it," she admitted. "After my old guardian died, all I wanted to do was run. To be someplace where I could just breathe, where I could recover."

The surprise in Derek's eye certainly couldn't be missed, no matter how minuscule it was. Bit by bit, he was uncovering things that made Emerson Emerson— and really, the more she shared, the more he realized how alike they were.

Fuck, Peter was always right, wasn't he?

"Goodnight, Em," he replied instead, and Emerson was thankful he didn't pry any further.

She could immediately tell that the tiredness from the last twenty four hours was effectively catching up to him. "Nighty night, Dere."

Just after he released a yawn of his own, Emerson's eyes barely closing, she felt lips briefly touch the top of her head. That certainly made her eyes peel open, only to be met with Derek's own shocked face. "I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"Woah, it's okay," she tried reassuring him, and she internally prayed that he couldn't hear her own jack rabbiting heartbeat over his own. Daringly, she leaned upward toward him and pressed her own lips to his forehead, so quickly, before she was spinning around to face away from him. "There, now we're even."

Emerson simply willed herself to go to sleep, not hearing any sort of response from the man. Only, had she stayed facing him, she would've seen an indistinguishable look on his face.

It would be indistinguishable to her, for sure, but to him?

Something in Derek's chest shifted.

⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆

[ wyn's note ]

extra long update because ive been gone HAHA but I'm back!! still super sick but i had to power through this one cause ajabsbwhwjwn they're so cute bro

also 100K FOR THIS FIC WHAAAAAT?! literally blown away you guys :(

all my love always !! xx