A/N: In honour of Sterek, I give you the pool scene chapter with a twist. Good luck, and please don't cry like I did a bit.
Stiles grumbled as he was practically sent to the waiting room of Armor Tire and Service Center, his argument of being overcharged shut down with the threat of his jeeps repair costing more. He wiped the sticky substance from his hand onto his jeans once he closed the door, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
He should call the bloody Health and Safety and get the guys work shut down out of spite, but then he wouldn't have anywhere to fix his jeep. Stiles spared an appraising look to the mechanics body but shook it off quickly, looking around the room boredly with duck lips and a tapping foot.
The tapping stopped when he saw a photo of the mechanical.
"Beacon Hills Cyclones Lacrosse?" He almost laughed at the uniform, bright red and tacky really as he pulled out his phone to text Scott the photo of the terrible outfit. Suddenly though, his hand began to cramp up.
"Ow...Ow ow ow, okay, shit-" He dropped the phone as his hand became numb and it spread through his arm. Stiles turned to the hydraulic lift on the other side of the window, going to yell for medical attention at the sudden paralysis. Then he saw it, felt it.
The cold, scaly feelings around his heart as he watched the Lizard-like creature crawling down the side of his jeep, still high in the air on the lift.
"Hey! Behind you! Mechanic dude, look behind you! WATCH OUT!" The mechanic doesn't hear him as all as the lizard creature scratched him on the back of the neck, the mechanic falling limp to the garage floor. Stiles tried to move, but suddenly his whole body refused as it went soggy like a watery potato chip. Stiles growled in frustration, trying to move, trying to help the overcharging asshole mechanic because he was an ass, but it wasn't deserving of death.
Stiles stilled when he saw his jeep slowly descend. Right above the mechanic.
"No...No, no, no, no, shit!" Stiles managed to move his hand just the slightest bit to dial 911, wishing they were magicians that could poof there instantly, save them because they couldn't save themselves for once.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"Armor Tire and Service Center! I-I'm paralysed and so's the mechanic and oh god the jeep..." Stiles wished his eyelids worked enough to close them completely as the mechanic cried to help, the jeep slowly coming down and crushing him under its weight.
Stiles can only watch as blood leaked from the mechanics body, the 911 operator trying to gain his attention, get him to talk, but his tongue is heavy like lead and useless.
Stiles feels like the cold, scaly feeling has wrapped around his lungs and crushed them when the lizard like creature crawls to the glass door and hisses at him, venomous and threatening.
Stiles wishes this was a bad dream.
He wishes the lizard creature didn't feel so familiar.
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"What happened, Stiles?" John rubbed his sons shoulders, who had a shock blanket and sat with a blank expression.
"I walked in and found him under the jeep, dad. That's all."
"Are you sure you didn't see anyone do it? Are you afraid they will retaliate if you tell me?"
"I didn't see anything, dad!" Stiles said exasperatedly, and knew instantly his reaction only rose more red flags to his father.
"...they're impounding the jeep as evidence. So you might want to get a ride home, I'll be working late." John sighed, patting Stiles back as he stood.
"Make sure they wash the mechanic off it before they give it back!" Stiles called as his father walked away, the morbid joke only making him cold inside.
His ride ends up being Scott and Allison, Stiles sitting in silence till they got to his house. Scott walked him to the door, considerate enough not to ask questions about the incident. He breaks himself.
"The creature, Scott...It wasn't like me. It's eyes were reptilian-like...It was so familiar though. Like someone you know wearing a Halloween mask, y'know?"
"Honestly? I don't. I think you should just get some rest, Stiles."
"Yeah...I need rest." Stiles finds that his sleep is restless.
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The next day at Derek's lair, Stiles watched as Isaac ran and attacked Derek who fends him off easily, throwing him aside. Isaac continued to attack repeatedly on Derek's order as Boyd sat on the stairs watching with Stiles. Stiles chuckled when Erica tried to jump Derek and was dispatched easily.
"You're too predictable! Be unpredictable." Derek barked, chest barely heaving but Stiles didn't mind watching the man shirtless nonetheless. Usually Derek trained with Stiles completely dress, but today must have been hot? Who knew, he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Stiles gaped when Erica jumped Derek, legs around his waist and kissed him with the passion of a dog with a bone. Sloppy but dedicated. Derek threw her off with growl, scowling.
"Never do that again. I have someone else in mind." For her? For him? Stiles could only wonder as Erica pouted and Boyd watched with a stoic expression.
"Derek, I'm not healing properly..." Isaac winced, complaining about his injury. Derek came up to him and Stiles bit back a wince when he snapped Isaac's arm.
"What does this have to do with learning how to fight?" Erica whined.
"I'm not teaching you how to fight. I'm teaching you how to survive. The hunters are planning something and we have to be aware of the new creature too. So, I'm teaching you everything I know as quickly as possible." Derek cracked his neck, looking up at Stiles when he felt his gaze.
Stiles gave Derek a slight disapproving look at hurting Isaac like that, but understood what he was trying to do. He had to tough them up for the war.
"Take five. Derek." Stiles came down the stairs, beckoning Derek out of respective hearing range. "I know what you're trying to do, I get it, but take it easy on Isaac. He's been through a lot and if you're not careful, you might break the fragile safe mind space that we've created."
"I'm trying to strength them, not hurt them."
"I understand. Just, be careful." Stiles rose his hand and hesitated for a second before patting Derek's bare chest. "I gotta go. I'll be back later." He exited the loft, staring down at his hand.
Yep, never washing that hand till he died.
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"I'm sorry, Scott, and I know we're trying and we'll get through this, and I know we will because I love you - oh my god, you two are so sappy it hurts my physical being. Please, just get off your butt and talk to Allison. Allison's banned from you until she completed her homework, but you aren't banned from her." Stiles shuddered to get all the gooey snappiness out of him.
"Ugh, I know, but rules and all that." Scott sighed. "Change of subject, Doctor Deaton told me about a hunters book of creatures. Like an encyclopaedia for the supernatural."
"...Like, a bestiary." Stiles grinned, suddenly excited.
"Ew, no dude, that's gross. I don't want to think about humans and animals like that." Scott scrunched up his face in disgust.
"Oh god, not bestiality, bestiary. A dictionary for beasts."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh."
"How're we gonna find it though?"
"You ask a hunter." Stiles smirked and took off to make a plan to get the Bestiary.
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"I'm totally gonna get detention from Coach for leaving." Stiles groaned as he walked by Allison, Gerard's keys falling into his palm.
"Make it quick." Allison quipped in a whisper, watching the game like nothing was going on and Stiles ran off.
On the way to Gerard's office though, Stiles can't help but stop when he sees the schools strawberry blonde beauty sitting in her car alone, crying.
"Lydia, what's wrong?" He asked in concern, mission forgotten for the moment.
"Stiles! Nothing, nothing, I'm fine." Lydia wiped away her tears in flourish.
"...You look very beautiful when you cry." He said, and it probably wasn't the best way to put it, but it's so Stiles-like that Lydia smiles softly and even chuckles a bit. "Oh, crap, I'll be back, Lydia, I just have to- I'll be back." He really shouldn't have forgotten his own mission.
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Stiles groaned when he found nothing in the old geezers office, jumping in surprise when he saw Erica.
"Come to the swimming pool, Stiles. It's important." Is all she says, with the smallest seductive smirk as she runs away. Stiles can't help but follow. No bestiary after all, he may as well follow his beta if it's important.
He doesn't expect to find Derek waiting for him though.
"What do you know about the creature, Stiles?" Oh, so he's trying to threatening now, is he? Bitch, I've slapped you, don't test me. He lies and says nothing. The basketball popped and defaulted under Derek's hands and Stiles is already regretting lying.
"Okay, okay. It was like a giant lizard, alright? Big and scaly and green. Would cut the back of its victims neck to paralyse them. I only touched the goop and I was down in only a few minutes. It cut the mechanics neck back at the garage and then let my jeep descend on him. I could only watch, and I mean, he was an ass, but he didn't deserve to die. Oh, he has a tail too. We good?" The icy cold snake came around his heart and squeezed, causing physical breathlessness as Derek shouted at Erica.
A shatter of glass brought him back to reality, turning and growling protectively at whatever had harmed Erica. It was the creature. Just his luck.
"Run!" Derek told Stiles, turning his back on the creature to push him away from the immediate danger zone.
"Derek!" He caught the grown man when he fell forward into his arms, nape slit just like the mechanic. "Shit, shit, crap, I hate the universe right now..." Stiles wrapped Derek's arm over his shoulders, helping him limp away as he got heavier and heavier. Dead weight minus the death.
"Call someone!" Derek demanded. He rummaged into his pockets for his phone, hand slipping on it in his fumble and dropping it by the pool edge.
He looked at the creature and dove for the device as he loosed his hold on Derek.
"Stiles, no!" Only, he slipped from his grip and splashed into the pool water, sinking steadily.
"Shoot!" He looked between his phone and Derek before hardening his resolve and dove in after him. If this were a romance film, he would have breathed life into him and all that bullshit, but right now, he just needed to get the Sourwolf above water.
Stiles picked up Derek and hauled him up above the surface, holding a now paralysed Derek up afloat like a damn buoyant. The creature simply stalks the edges of the pool. Uncertain and scared.
Weakness.
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"Oh god, Scott, are you okay?" Allison worried like a mother hen as she entered the hospital room. Scott had broken his leg when facing 'The Abomination' and had been taken straight to hospital.
"Hey, Allison." Scott smiled softly. "I'm fine, I promise. Just a bit of, uh, breakage." He shrugged. "The usual for a human." He joked, eyes turning to the other men in the room. "Mr Argent. Gerard."
"Scott." Chris's smiled politely. "May I have a moment, Allison, father?" Gerard narrowed his eyes slightly but nodded, leaving the room with Allison.
"Scott...if you want your friend to still be alive by tomorrow morning, I suggest you keep your lips zipped with anything supernatural. Okay?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure." Scott nodded out of fear. Chris terrified him.
"Good." Chris patted his cast as Scott winced. "Just what I like to hear."
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"Derek, Derek, I can't...I can't keep holding you, man -"
"You need me to survive, which is why you're not letting me go." Derek pressed, head barely above water. Silence was tense between them as Stiles made up his mind, Derek seeming to catch on last second before Stiles dropped him and trekked towards his phone.
He snatched the device before the kanima could, calling Scott.
"Scott? Scott!"
"Sorry, this is Melissa. Stiles?"
"Where's Scott?"
"Scotts in hospital, he broke his legs-" he hung up, throwing his phone aside with a huff before he dove under for Derek. He pulled up the broad man, one arm around his waist as they both gasped for air above the surface.
In one last exhausted move, he swam towards the diving platform. If Stiles was ever gonna be movie cliche, it would be right fucking now.
So, he lets it all fall away, Stiles style.
"Look, if we don't make it out of this alive, I just wanna say that I really like you Derek, like- like Adam and Steve kinda thing, you know?"
"What the hell are you saying, Stiles?" Derek panted, trying to keep above water.
"I love you, Derek! I really, really, love you-" His hand slipped and they both go under, but then suddenly both he and Derek are grabbed and lifted out of the pool.
Isaac and Boyd stand there, completely wolfed out with claws and fangs and terrifying golden eyes, and lets out two tremendous growls. Stiles watches as they jump in to fight the lizard, checking over Derek as he reels over the fact that he finally said it out loud.
A roar erupted from his chest as the lizard flung Isaac and Boyd around like rag dolls, launching at it with claws and pure rage.
"Stiles!" Stiles snapped his head towards Isaac, assessing the danger before he could even process it. A shard of glass. A weapon for something he couldn't touch.
He caught it in hand and went to fight, but then the lizard stops. He stares at his reflection with confusion and fright before fleeing. They can only watch, Stiles hand sewing up his wound and anxiety becoming pungent in the air.
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When they left the school, they found Allison in the parking lot.
"Where the hell were you?!" To be fair, it's been a tough day.
"Figuring out that the bestiary isn't a book." She plugged a USB into her computer. "It's a file." The werewolves crowded around her, curious to see the bestiary. Except Derek.
"It's a Kanima." Derek stated once they realised they couldn't read any of it.
"How...?"
"I realised when it got confused at its own reflection. It doesn't know what or who it is. It's a shapeshifter, like werewolves but...it's not right."
"An abomination." Stiles filled in for him, lips dry. He doesn't pay attention as Allison urged Derek to work with her to fight the creature, suggesting they also enlists the other Argent's aid to combat it.
He does listen when Derek speaks.
"I'm going to find it, and kill it. I don't need your help." Derek is on the very edge, and Stiles wonders if it's only about the Kanima anymore.
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Derek and Stiles walked towards their cars in silence, parked besides each other, rusty blue against sleek black. It was like the definition of their relationship.
Perfect Derek, all black. Damaged Stiles, all blue.
"So, we're not gonna talk about it?" Getting the words out, it was like cutting wood with a steak knife. Painstaking.
"About what?" Derek shifted uncomfortably. He knows what, and Stiles knows he does, just as he knows Stiles knows. It's like pulling teeth either way.
"About my confession..." He takes a deep breath, fiddling with his fingers as he awaited rejection. "That I love you."
"...Go home, Stiles." There it is. Derek's rejection as he slipped into his sleek Camaro and drives away. Stiles is left to get in his blue jeep and force it to turn on twice.
Surprisingly, Stiles doesn't cry. Instead, his eyes shine a deep anguish-ridden red, staring back at him later that night when he finally removed his brown contacts and allows himself to sob.
No tears are shed for Derek. Only painful gasps of rejection and pain before he forces himself to get back out of the house and check on Scott.
Only, he doesn't get a warm welcome. He gets a blade twisted in his gut by a 'doddering old grandfather' and a threat on his father's life.
Of course Stiles says yes when Gerard asks him for a favour.
Tears are shed later, but not for Derek. Never for love of all things.
25 BITES