Seth had every right to be angry at Derek, but found that he couldn’t. He didn’t know what the other had been going through, and maybe trying to help had been a bad idea but it wasn’t something he could change now and even if he could, he doubted that he’d want to. After convincing everyone he was fine, Seth shakily made his way up to the roof, keeping a distance from Derek. “H-Hey.” He stated softly, crossing his arms as if he was trying to hold himself together. “It… It’s not your fault. What happened. It’s not your fault.” He wasn’t really sure if he was trying to convince Derek or himself more, though.
Derek tensed, unable to look at Seth for the moment. “I…I broke my promise.” he said, his voice betraying him and breaking even as he tried to keep it even. “I swore I would never hurt you. And I could have killed you. I should have known it was you even with the drugs they’d given me.” His legs lifted so he could wrap his arms around him. “I’m so sorry, Seth. I never wanted to force this on you.” He felt like he was breaking inside, that once forgotten thoughhtabout being cursed coming right back with a force so strong it made his chest feel heavy and it was hard to breathe. “I don’t blame you if you hate me. I can’t blame you for it. But…” But I still love you even if I’m a monster. he finished in his mind, hiding his face to try and wipe away the tears.




