Picture this. Stiles goes in charging. Bat swinging. Whatever big bad was in the way is now broken and bloody. Thing is, so is Stiles. He reaches Derek. Bleeding. Obviously tortured. The rest of the pack is there by the time Stiles has him standing. But that was the problem. Adrenaline just doesn't keep you upright. It Also dulls pain. So when he grunts, it's Derek's hands that hold him up despite him being hurt just as badly. The two of them look at each other and they both know that it was going to be a much longer conversation.
UGH, itās always these two motherfuckers holding each other up isnāt itš©ā¤ļø
"Heeey, Sourwolf." Stiles smiles weakly. He stumbles forward a little and Derek tightens his grip on his waist. "Youāre always there for me. So big and strong andā¦manly."
Itās the blood loss talking, probably. Derek has heard about that. He needs to tell themā¦they need to take Stilesā¦take him toā¦Where should they take him again?
He doesnāt know the word right now. Somewhere he doesnāt bleed so much.
"You need to stop bleeding so much," he manages, vision darkening at the corners.
Heās not on the ground anymore. Heās standing up. Stiles was holding him a moment ago. Are those his legs? They look weird. Knees are supposed to bend out, notā¦in?
"Derek," Stiles says sluggishly, "I donāt, uhāfeel any pain."
Is that good or bad?
"I donāt want to give you any," he says. He canāt really tell if it makes sense or not. He thinks he can give paināor take it maybe? But one thing feels very clear to him. "I donāt want you to feel pain, Stiles."
Stiles smiles and his eyelids flutter. "Thatās so nice of you. Always knew you were nice."
Suddenly Stiles becomes heavier and his eyes are shut now. Derek canāt hold him up anymore, his stupid legs are bent and useless. He lets Stiles fall on top of him.
Heās still breathing. Where are the others? He needs to tell themā¦
Someone comes rushing through the trees.
"Stiles!"
Itās Scott. Derek knows Scottās voice, and heās happy that heās here, even though he canāt see him. Everything is dark now.
"You have to take him toā¦his bloodāā
"Derek, stay with me," Scott says.
"Please, heās gonna run out."
"Weāve got him, Derek. Stiles is in an ambulance."
He canāt feel his legs anymore, and not Stilesā weight against him either.
"Derek, heās gonna be fine. You need to stay with me, man. Why are you not healing?"
Stiles is going to be fine. And heās not in pain. Derek isnāt either.
All is well, he thinks as Scottās voice grows distant and the forest floor rises and falls with him, like heās on a ship far out on the ocean somewhere. Itās good out here. He wants to stay here.
He cries out at a sudden sickening pain in his arm and shoulder, like someone is trying to rip it off. It doesnāt stop, and the agony burns through him and makes him shift. He can see again.
"Iām sorry, man," Scott says. "I had to trigger it." He draws his claws out of Derekās arm where they had been plunging and twisting.
Derek breathes harshly through the pain. After a while he can feel his joints and bones slowly shifting into place.
"Can you walk?"
He looks down at his knees. They still donāt look normal, but he could probably manage.
"Stiles," he says, voice rough.
"Stiles is in the hospital. Theyāre taking care of him. Letās get you home."
"No," Derek says. "Hospital first."
It takes hours before they let him in to see Stiles. Scott had made him change his clothes, which was probably a good idea, seeing as they were drenched in his and Stilesā blood and whatever goo from the creature Stiles had beaten to death.
Stiles is lying down in his hospital bed, propped up by a large pillow. He looks pale and weak, but he gives Derek a big dopey grin when he enters.
"Hey there, wolfman."
"Are you in pain?" Derek asks.
"Nope," Stiles grins, popping the p.
Derek sits down on the chair next to Stiles and takes his hand into his anyway.
"Thanks for holding me up," he says quietly.
Stiles gives a light squeeze, and his hand feels cold and limp in Derekās.
"Thatās what we do, big guy. You and me." Stiles closes his eyes for a moment and opens them againāsoft and brown and beautiful.
"We hold each other up."
