Author's Notes: If Derek and Stiles get together on the show, it's not gonna be shmoopy and star-crossed like Scott/Allison. I think it'd really be much the same as it is now. They make each other stronger just by being there. There'd just be a few (more) 'aw' moments to indicate the relationship.

Summary: Scott knows how much he loves Allison, but when he sees the way Stiles and Derek are together, how they play off each other perfectly, all the stronger for it, he can't help but be a little struck. Sterek. Hurt!Stiles.

Trust

Derek knew something was off. Stiles was holding himself too straight, one hand curled strangely over his stomach. His eyes were trained on Scott, carefully not looking Derek in the eye as he relayed the information he'd turned up.

"You can't just start biting and clawing at it. Its blood is poison. You bite it, you die. If you-" Stiles blinks and licks his lips and the hair on the back of Derek's neck stands up. "Don't just hack at it either, the blood will still mess you up. Take it out like a zombie." Stiles' smile is weak. He's listing slightly and Scott's moving toward his friend.

"Stiles?"

"Head shot's your bes' bet." Stiles is sinking to the ground now and Scott's already there, catching him, frantic. "Or, ya know, long distance stuff. Sorry." He tells Scott, smiling up at his friend, blood on his teeth. Stiles pulls his hand away from the black material covering his abdomen and of course it's blood. "Got tagged back in the warehouse. You gotta catch this thing 'fore it gets back to town. Dang'rous."

Scott's shaking his head, grasping at Stiles and shouldering up behind him, trying to keep him mostly upright and press on the wound, blood welling and running down over his hands.

"We'll- we'll get him later." Scott's trying to stay in control, but his voice is shaking. This is why he'd fallen into step with Derek's pack, deferred to him most often. His heart was in the right place, but he didn't have the mindset of an alpha. When Allison was in danger, when Stiles was hurting, he couldn't see past that. "We've gotta get you taken care of first. You- god, Stiles…I've got you. I've got you." Scott whips his head to the side to look at Derek. "Help me here!"

Derek's already taken several steps toward them, but then Stiles looks at him, catches the alpha's wide eyes and shakes his head once, decisively. Derek clenches his fists, grits his teeth, and starts taking steps back. Scott flips.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"…I'm going to stop that thing. Stay with Stiles."

Scott's enraged, snarling at Derek, snapping before he feels Stiles clench a blood-slicked hand over his arm. Scott turns and sees Stiles isn't looking at him, but at Derek. And all at once, Scott can read his best friend better than he's been able to in far too long. 'I'm alright. You know what to do. You've got this. Go.'

Even as the alpha takes off into the tree line, Scott knows. Derek can go, he can fight even with Stiles wounded because he knows Stiles, trusts him to be strong, to be okay. There's love and devotion between the two, but there's respect too. They trust each other to come back to them at the end of the day, at the end of the war. They can lick their wounds then, when their pack's safe.

When the battle's done, even if they're a little worse for wear, they'll still be standing.