Title: Against the Edge of the Sky
Tags: Sterek, Sciles BROTP, bamf!Stiles, magic!stiles
Setting: It's a few years after S3, slightly AU in the sense that no-one has left (or died). All characters still present and accounted for. Isaac, Alison, the twins, yes. Some AU when it comes to Malia - not a were-coyote - I totally veered off show, sorry not sorry! Character dynamics have slightly altered – why wouldn't it change after a few years? – As you'll see. May slightly reflect canon in future chapters, this you'll have to wait and see. Enjoy!
A/N: Very nervous about this as it's my first epic sterek. Also, I apologise for all mistakes, I'm very rusty, I haven't churned out a fic this big in EVER. Beware of the switches in POV. It usually happens every few paragraphs with this '-x-' .
-x-
It isn't like he and Stiles are estranged, Derek is Scott's second after all. They're in contact with each other practically every day. Isaac and Allison treat his house like it's their second home and Kira's around almost as often Scott is. He sees Lydia and Aiden every time a pack meeting lands on a day that they're in town and Ethan and Danny probably just as often.
No.
He and Stiles just didn't drift in the same orbit these days. Derek could probably count with two hands the number of times he's seen the younger man in the past four years. And half of those times Stiles hadn't even seen him back.
And no, he hadn't really noticed the absence.
For one thing, Scott the Alpha aka Best Friend kept the pack pretty well informed on whatever was going on with their pack researcher – whose research never got left undone no matter where he was or what he was doing. And for another, it didn't really feel like he was a five hour drive away. The constant conference calls, five minute glimpses, and how-you-doin-sourwolfs thrown his way pacified Derek's instincts every damn time.
But now, as he's racing through the woods, legs pumping as hard as they possibly can without him actually shifting into full beta-form, Scott's panicked voice echoes in his head over and over again.
And Derek starts to mentally backtrack.
Sifts through all the times he's seen Stiles.
Tries to spot the kid's tells by vague, fondly-tinged memories.
Because Stiles had been hiding something. And it wasn't an I'm-stealing-your-food type of something - no - this was something big. Something he clearly hadn't wanted the pack – yes, not even Scott, to know. And Derek may not have the red eyes of the position, but as far as pack dynamics go and the way he and Scott had progressed together, he's definitely running a good second. So how could he not have seen it?!
How did Stiles – the kid he knew with the frantic, hyper energy, deliverer of many a pain-in-the-ass remarks, carrier of the falsest, smart-assed bravado he'd ever seen – get whatever he'd been hiding all this time, past Derek?!
"Dude, you gotta get here now. I don't know what to do! He came out of nowhere, I didn't even see him. Like, literally the air dude, I don't even – Jesus Christ, he's not breathing! Derek, what do I do! I don't–"
"—Scott, stay where you are, I'm coming to you. Don't panic, I'm coming."
He'd ended the call and had started running as soon as he heard the horror in Scott's voice.
Something had happened. Something to do with Stiles that had reduced Scott to a frantic, crazy mess.
Derek doesn't know how a simple case of pixies had turned into this special brand of nasty, but he decides to tackle this situation with a shoot now ask questions later approach. The way he usually did a lot of things, but who's judging right?
He knows he's getting close when the barrage of scents hits him in full force.
Witches.
What the hell?
Twelve or more, judging from the way the hairs on his arms are buzzing. The stench is disgusting, but he knows there's no immediate danger because if they were still alive the place wouldn't stink half as bad.
He senses Allison up in the trees and Kira traveling through the thick branches above him to his right. Their scents are like familiar touches to his shoulder. He tracks Isaac coming in on his left and Ethan and Aiden running perimeter.
It only takes a second for Derek to put together the fact that he'd just missed a damn good fight. The bark of the trees around him are lightly toasted. Not enough to be burnt black, but definitely a little crispy. There's a fizzing in the air that he can't figure out, and just as he's about to shoot Isaac a questioning glance as the younger pup sidles up beside him, Derek clears the forest, bursts out of the wall of trees and into a small clearing.
The moon detaches itself from the clouds (not that Derek needs its light) and everything turns into slow motion as all sound seems to get muted in Derek's ears. He makes out the line of Scott's back hunched over a prone figure. The young alpha is desperately performing compressions, but Derek can't see through Scott's back, and he never really takes anything to heart until he has a chance to see the evidence. The back of his mind takes a second to question where this deep feeling of dread is suddenly stemming from, but he quickly dismisses it for another time. He makes out the outstretched, jean-clad legs, feet wearing some hastily pulled on sneakers with their laces still untied. Lydia is kneeling on the other side of the prone form. She's got a good hard grip on his wrist, waiting and watching for Scott's signal to give him another breath.
Derek watches Isaac rush over and drop a hard hand onto Scott's shoulder.
"Easy, you'll break his ribs."
Isaac's voice seems to snap his brain back into normal speed and Derek strides forward the rest of the way and lays eyes on Stiles for the first time in at least three months. He takes in the tousled brown hair, pale skin and too blue lips.
"How long has he been out?" He asks as he drops to his knees beside Scott, gently nudges the frantic alpha aside and takes over compressions.
"T-two minutes…or so. I-Derek, he-it was like…"
Derek shifts his eyes to Scott's face and takes in the stunned, speechless look on his face. "What? Spit it out. What the hell happened?"
Isaac shakes his head from where he stands behind Scott and as Derek turns his head he sees that Lydia has the same stunned expression.
"30, go!" His voice snaps the strawberry-blonde into motion and she drops Stiles' wrist, grabs his face in her hands and gives him two long, strong breaths.
Stiles' chest rises and falls but doesn't continue to do so on its own. Derek growls in frustration and resumes compressions.
"What the hell is he even doing here, shouldn't he be in class or something?!"
12, 13, 14, 15…
Scott seems to have regained some of his control as he waves an arm out around him in frustration.
"Dude, that's what I'm saying! He's not even supposed to be here! He literally appeared out of the air, Derek. We were all in trouble and then he was just—"
"— Go!" Derek snaps at Lydia. She immediately obeys and blows another two big breaths into Stiles' mouth.
Derek watches as Stiles' chest expands. Stares at it so hard he thinks he could set the kid (yes, kid) on fire with just his will, and when his chest deflates with the second exhale and doesn't rise again Derek lets out a frustrated snarl and resumes compressions.
"What do you mean the 'air'?!" He looks around him at the others. At Allison and Kira approaching them at a jog. At Isaac and Lydia's still stunned expressions. "Do you know what he's talking about? What Stiles did?"
Lydia's wide eyes meet his and her head bobs in a single nod. "There was nothing there and then he was. We all saw it."
"That's not everything," Scott mumbles as Derek reaches his thirtieth compression. He's about to snap at Lydia, but she's already cupping Stiles' pale face and giving him another two breaths.
They all inhale with Stiles' second simulated breath and Derek feels the air around them freeze as they all wait.
It seems like forever, but the CPR finally seems to jump start Stiles' heart because the younger man's throat works a little, before he inhales a stuttered, choking breath.
Derek feels everyone around him exhale collectively as Stiles sucks in another desperate breath. His arms lift a little and then fall limp again.
Scott drops a heavy hand onto his friend's shoulder, hey, you're okay. We're here, you're okay, as Stiles' eyes flutter open into dazed slits. Derek frowns at the way his hair is sticking up funny in some places, like he just stuck his finger into an electric socket. He doesn't expect the force of Stiles' hazel gaze as it gets directed at him. Doesn't expect the muted, hazy expression that greets him. Stiles' pupils are blown wide and he looks completely out of it.
"Stiles?" Derek blurts out.
The younger man is breathing through his nose in short shallow bursts like he just finished a marathon. Out of the corner of his eye Derek sees Scott squeeze his friend's shoulder, but Derek doesn't break Stiles' stare. He's about to ask where it hurts when Stiles blinks once, twice. His eyelids drop halfway like he's fighting to stay awake, but he seems to lose the battle on his third blink when his eyes close and stay that way.
For a second Derek feels something like fear clutch his heart. His body lunges forward of its own volition before his ears even start to register the faint heartbeat that had been absent a minute ago.
"He's out," Lydia murmurs, expression dazed.
"Guys, can we figure this out later?" Aiden asks just as he walks out of the tree line with Ethan trailing him silently. "Those witches have friends and Stiles just made them angry."
"He's right, we need to go," Kira murmurs. She moves forward to place a hand on Scott's shoulder who is still on his knees with his hand on Stiles like he's afraid to let go. There's a look in his eyes that's half frantic and half terrified and Derek feels his brow scrunch with sympathy.
Wordlessly, he wraps strong fingers around Scott's wrist and squeezes lightly in reassurance. "I got him."
Scott meets his gaze and there's a trust in his expression that Derek thought would never be directed at him. The alpha releases the death grip he's got on his best friend's t-shirt and rises to his feet.
Derek doesn't acknowledge the over-cautious way he eases Stiles into his arms. He brushes away Lydia's murmured careful, and hoists Stiles up to his chest without the least bit of struggle. Did he not eat anything these days?
Ethan and Aiden are flanking the group in case more trouble comes along, and Kira and Allison walk with their weapons drawn.
It seems like just another mission successfully accomplished, but the thought is quickly scratched out by presence of the body passed out cold in his arms.
-x-
A/N - Would loveee to know what you guys thought about the switches in POV, I hope it wasn't too confusing!