"So we're both looking for Stiles. Mind if I ask what you plan to do with him if you find him?" Derek asks.

"Depends on which Stiles I find." Chris deadpans.

"Stiles!" Derek runs up, gasping and breathless. He leans on his knees hauling in air, as Stiles stands confused. "You need to prove-that you are still in-control." Derek pants out.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Stiles shouts back.

"Argent. He's planning on killing you if IT ever takes over. He's got to see you're still in complete control." Derek stands up looking into Stiles' amber eyes, trying to drive home the importance of it. That Derek needs Stiles to stay in control because he can't loose Stiles.

"He's wha-? Is he insane? Kill me?" Stiles grabs his head and spins in confused horror.

"You need to stay you Stiles. If he sees you in control he'll leave you alone."

"I'm me now. But that doesn't mean I'll always stay that way! When I get stressed it can come out!" Stiles is pacing and Derek just stands thinking.

"Then you need to get stressed to prove it to him." Derek states flatly.

"I need to weaken my control to prove to him I'm in control?! Are you crazy? He'll kill me even if I slip an inch!"

"Okay, yea bad idea. What about falsely stressing you out? Something that would make him think you're stressed but you're actually not." Stiles stops pacing to stare at Derek and his genius idea.

"Perfect! But how do we do that? What am I not afraid of but others are?" Stiles asks.

"Me." Derek says.

"What?"

"Me. Or well my wolf. You know, you've named it Sourwolf." Derek steps towards Stiles.

"Do you think that'll work?" Stiles faces Derek.

"If I growl and bare my teeth, flick out my claws and keep my attention on you like I'm going to kill you because I think the nogitsune has taken over but you remain you he'll know you're in control, not an evil spirit."

"Okay, but what if he believes your fake attack and just goes to kill me?" Stiles' heartbeat quickens and Derek smells the fear radiating off of Stiles.

"Then I'll stop him. But this is the only way we can prove to him you're still you."

"Okay. But-when is he coming?" Stiles voice cracked.

"He was gathering his things when I bolted. So not far behind." Derek turns around, searching for any sign of Chris. The dark campus of the school hiding nearly everything from Stiles but was clear as day for Derek. A few minutes later Derek heard the tires roll over dirt in the parking lot and Derek growled low and slow at Chris's approach. Stiles reaches out for Derek and his long fingers barely brush over Derek's jacket but Derek felt Stiles' touch for reassurance. Derek retracted his claws and ran his hand down the lower half of Stiles' leg that was closest to his crouched body.

"Stiles!" Chris calls out from behind the bleachers far enough off that even Stiles knew he couldn't see them just yet.

"Be convincing." Stiles breathes out.

"You too." A second later Derek turns on Stiles, his eyes glowing blue and bright, fangs dripping and long, claws splayed out and Derek actually looks angry.

Stiles backs up, momentarily not believing Derek is just doing this for show. His heart quickens, sweat beads up and his eyes dart between Derek's blue eyes and the shadow of Argent behind the bleachers. Derek growls loud enough to let any living creature within a mile to be keenly aware he's there and to run for their lives.

Derek stays in control, he's wolfed out but it's only for show. He keeps telling his wolf who hates displaying itself in anger at Stiles, Derek has to remind his wolf its actually all in an attempt to save Stiles from Chris. Chris the one who wants Stiles dead. Chris the one who doesn't believe his Stiles is in control. Derek and his wolf want to turn on Chris, to take out the real threat. But they know only a start to a world of trouble would begin if they did that. So Derek keeps his wolf trained on Stiles, both hoping Stiles' increased heartbeat is from Argent and not high enough to cause him to loose control.

"Go ahead Derek, kill it. Kill Stiles because that's not the Stiles we know anymore. Never will be. Kill it!" Chris barks as he comes into the light of the lacrosse field lights.

"I—I'm still me! I swear it's me!" Stiles squeaks out, his fear of Derek dissipating as Derek stays stone still in front of him.

"Not for long! Not when a mature wolf has trained it's fangs on you! You're freaking out. I can tell. I'll wait for the break and I'll kill the nogitsune! I don't care if it's you it's in. I'd kill Allison if she had the nogitsune in her!" Chris yells from the other side of the field.

Stiles looks back at Derek and somehow, some-impossible-how his eyes have gotten blue-er! Stiles stares at the very angry Derek in front of him and fear washes through him like a wave. He feels light headed and flushed, he's loosing and Chris is waiting for him to do exactly that! Coming back to attention he sees Derek's eyes flicker back to their normal color, the anger fading from his wolf face just for a moment before intensifying back. Stiles knows Derek is on his side, that he's trying against all odds to save him. To help him save himself. Stiles looks up at Chris and back at the growling, crouched and hunched Derek in front of him before letting his arms come down slowly back to his sides.

Stiles looks down at Derek, barely opened eyes as he sees Derek's features calming. Stiles looks up at Chris who sees the exchange clearly. He raises his bow as Derek stands slowly in front of Stiles.

"Stillinski." Chris says low in his throat.

"I'm still here." Stiles looks at Chris with a calm that defies any outcome Argent was expecting.

"If you really think that'll fool me you've underestimated me." Argent loses an arrow that Derek catches before Stiles can be hit. Derek looks at Stiles and Stiles is starring at Chris, no hint of fear in his body. Not a hitch in his breath from being shot at, no fear sweat, no rapid heartbeat but it's still Stiles. This calm isn't the nogitsune defying everything, but Stiles being himself in every way possible to prove he's not worth killing. That he's got everything under control and won't harm anyone.

Chris lets his arm come down, surprised more in Stiles' reaction in Derek's reflexes. "If you're not afraid of him, not afraid of what he's hiding then how about you do it. Let him de-fang you." Chris snaps at Derek.

Derek looks at Stiles, his eyes bouncing all over his Stiles' face deciding if Stiles is worth being de-fanged for. Stiles looks at Derek, confusion etched into his face. He's never heard of being de-fanged or what it means. What the act denotes. Stiles' mind is reeling and then jumps in surprise when Derek falls to his knees.

"What are you doing?!" Stiles reaches for Derek. Derek just opens his mouth, letting his fangs slide out slowly and tips his head back. Stiles gapes at Derek.

"It's not that hard. They'll break with a tough tug out and up. I trust you're still you. It's okay Stiles. He won't believe you if you don't anyway. But I trust you more than my need for him to trust you." Derek stays on his knees waiting for Stiles to make a move.

"But what if I loose control later? What if this is a mistake and you need them later? Won't it make you defenseless?" Stiles whispers.

"I'll still have my claws. But having broken fangs is more frightening to other wolves than long needle-like ones. It shows they trusted a lesser being with their strength. Take them. I need you to. I love you and if I don't have my fangs I'd want you to have them." Derek opened his mouth again wide, giving Stiles as much room as possible.

Stiles' heartbeat quickened as he realized like a punch to the stomach what Derek was doing. He stepped forward and gingerly reached for the long white fangs, placing his thumbs at the gum-line. Derek closed his eyes and with a quick jerk Stiles yanked, hard. The howl that emanated from Derek was heart wrenching but Stiles stood still, holding the fangs in his fingers. The howl was different, more sounding of loss than of anger but a howl of love as it reached Stiles' ears.

When Stiles looked over to where Chris was he was gone. All that was left was an arrow stuck into the ground, the shaft broken just before the feathers and hanging limp along the rest of the length. Stiles breathed a sigh of relief and then looked back at Derek who was sitting on his feet and holding his mouth.

"I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have!" Stiles' hands hovered, unsure where to land for comfort.

"I'm fine. It's okay I'm fine!" Derek snapped through the sting in his mouth, the jagged wounds healing quickly. Once the bleeding had stopped and the excess blood was gone he raised his head to look at Stiles. Seeing the concern and worry in Stiles' eyes Derek smiled, the broken stubs of his fangs lying shorter than his regular teeth.

Stiles didn't know that Derek's fangs were a part of his normal everyday teeth but seeing the tiny bits of leftover bone in his gums Stiles knew Derek gave up more than a few inches of sharp bone for Stiles. He gave up his identity and status for Stiles. He gave up everything he's ever known, being born a wolf, for the human with a mental problem. Stiles looked down at the bone in his hands, the pieces of white small in his hands. He clutched them close and looked Derek in the eye. "I'll stay in control. I promise you."

"I know you will. I let you take them because you need them more than I do." Derek looked Stiles in the eye, his own eyes flashing blue when he smiled.