This is my first fic. Yay! Took me a while to get the courage to start writing and to actually publish it. I would love any comments and reviews. :)

Stiles sat in his Jeep trying to will himself to move for the last five minutes. He was exhausted. His knuckles were sheet white from gripping the steering wheel so tight. He slowly breathes in and out to get his heart rate down.

Being held captive in a pool for two hours, holding up a paralyzed werewolf(that was basically pure muscle), would take a toll on any human.

Seeing that monster, the Kanima, again... It made Stiles remember the night at the mechanic's. The way the guy yelled for help and Stiles was right in the next room. The sound of his rib cage cracking under the weight of the machinery. It took all of Stiles' strength not to freak out when he saw the Kanima in the pool room. He's been shaking since he first laid eyes on it tonight.

After another five minutes and Stiles is ready to go inside. He gets to his room, is undressed, and in a hot shower in record time. He wants to take the longest shower known to man. Stiles' body is screaming from the impromptu work out they had in the pool. Muscles he didn't even know he had ached. He stayed in the shower until the water ran cold. He made his way to his bedroom and got dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. He gets in bed and slowly starts falling asleep before he feels tingly all over; like someone's watching him. He turns the light on next to him and rolls over to face the window when he sees a pair of red eyes through the glass.

Stiles jumped so hard he flailed off the bed getting tangled in his sheets. "Jesus Christ! Derek! You've attempted, and probably succeeded, to knock a few years off my life yet again." Stiles said after he managed to right himself, muttering about his gangly limbs underneath his breath. He padded over to the window and threw it open so the Alpha could get in. " To what do I owe this great pleasure?" He sat on his bed and waited for Derek to speak.

Derek rolled his eyes and said, "You forgot your phone in the pool." and drops the device on Stiles' desk. Oh. Stiles thought. He suddenly remembers how he gave up the life of his phone to go save Derek from drowning. And Scott didn't even let him speak. Way to be an ass hat Scott.

"What?"

"What?" Stiles says. Oh crap did I say that out loud? Yup, by that 'I-have-no-idea-how-you-even-get-dressed-by-yourself-look' on Derek's face, I'm pretty sure I did. Stiles decides to play it cool.

"Anyways", Stiles drawls out, "you could've saved yourself a trip because I'm pretty sure it's totally out of commission." Derek just scoffs; as if that's an acceptable reply. He watches as the werewolf shuffles around in his room. If Stiles didn't feel like not getting his throat ripped out he'd tell Derek how nervous he looks...

Who was he kidding. Stiles has no sense of self-preservation so he says slowly, "You know, Sourwolf", Derek turns around and growls at Stiles' nickname, "you look kind of nervous." Derek stills at that. "It looks as if you have something on your mind that you want to talk about. You know that thing that people do where they speak words to another person. Converse, as people say." Derek continues to just stare at Stiles with that classic scowl of his. And Stiles, ever the patient one, just continues to talk until Derek is ready to say whatever he came to say.

"You know shooting the breeze, chit chatting,"

"OK."

"gossiping, discussing," Stiles unknowingly keeps rattling away. "Stiles." Derek says through a clenched jaw.

"exchanging pleasantries, shmoo-" "Stiles!" Derek finally yells and Stiles shouts his mouth with an audible click. He hadn't even known he was calling his name so he gives Derek an apologetic look. Oops.

Derek takes a step towards Stiles and flinches. He sees Derek stop after he does so with a look that seems almost guilty but it flashes so quickly Stiles wasn't able to fully read it. Derek just keeps opening and closing his mouth as if trying to start and finally he does.

"This isn't...easy for me to say. Tonight in the pool room..you." Derek closes his eyes and shakes his head. As if trying to find the right words to say.

Stiles just sits at the edge of his bed looking up at Derek. Seeing the tense of his shoulders and the bags under his eyes. Stiles could see he was tired too. Just as much as he was. Probably more. These past few months was a much more hotter hell for him than it was for Stiles. Honestly, he doesn't know whether he should for sorry for Derek or cuff him on the back of the head for his stupid mistakes. Really, though. Giving the bite to four, unstable, high school kids wasn't the best of ideas. But Stiles understands. Derek was the Alpha now. And he needed a pack if he wanted to keep his humanity. He didn't want to go rogue. Stiles knows that he wouldn't be able to handle becoming another Peter. Stiles may not understand Derek. But he knows he is no monster.

When Stiles hears a cough, he snaps out of his daze and realizes he's been staring at Derek's face for a few minutes now. He shoots Derek a small smile to encourage this little pow wow to be over.

"I just," Derek begins again, "I know you don't really have any reason to keep me alive. And you held me up for a really long time in the pool." Derek stops again. Stiles looks at him like he has three heads.

"Did you really think I'd let you drown!?" Stiles accuses and Derek looks sheepish. " You really did, didn't you?" Stiles was shocked and angry and insulted but mostly shocked. He at Derek again and it looks as if he's trying to make himself two sizes smaller. "I don't know about you but I don't actually enjoy other people dying in front of me! And I'll have you know that-"

"Thank you."

What. "What?" Stiles asks, so confused.

"I wanted to say thanks for keeping me alive." Derek says smirking at Stiles' dumbstruck face.

"W-what?" Stiles stutters. "I'm sorry can you repeat that again because I think I may be going deaf. Is the Alpha of Beacon Hills, Derek Hale, really thanking a lowly human for his services?" Stiles grins. He would never thought he would ever hear those words coming from the guy's mouth.

Derek has his face in his trademark scowl. "Stiles." he growls. And Stiles raises his hands to show his surrender. "Ok, Derek, fine. You're welcome." He beams up at him, but Derek just sighs and turns around heading back out the window. "Just so you know," Stiles begins as he starts to head back into bed and Derek stops walking, "I would never leave you to die." Derek is still facing the window but Stiles can see his back go rigid. "And why's that?" Derek asks.

Stiles has already started burrowing himself into his covers but stops to say, " Well who would take care of the puppies?"

Derek huffs out a laugh and Stiles couldn't help but smile even larger as he sees Derek relax again. The Alpha starts to leave again and is closing the window behind him before he stops and says, " Goodnight Stiles." And then pushes the window down until only a crack is left.

Stiles turns off the light next to his bed and sighs contently. Right before he drifts off to sleep, Stiles realizes that this was the first genuine smile he's had all day. And he was surprisingly okay with who it was there for.

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