I think there needs to be something said for the way that the Sterek fandom not only loves Derek more than canon (because really we just want him to he happy) but it’s also the part of fandom that really understands him.
The show constantly tried to present Derek as a badass, highly masculine, and detached. Part of this is mostly due to the show following Scott’s narrative (an unreliable narrative at that). What the show didn’t focus on was Derek’s sensitivity. The actually Canon of the show demonstrated that Derek was rough around the edges but soft at his core.
Derek fell in love at the drop of a hat, was protective , and selfless. Much of his early arguments between him and Scott stemmed from the fact that he was trying to keep Scott safe. Don’t fall in love with this girl. He just couldn’t voice what they did to him.
Fandom constructed a far better version of Derek who got to show the attributes that canon decided could be overlooked. Thanks to the Sterek shippers for showing who Derek was all along.
