Part of smileyfacebabe's birthday present! Happy birthday, boo!
Disclaimer: Eventually I'm going to get bored with putting these in, stop, and then get arrested or something. I don't own teen wolf. Sigh.
Derek nibbles on his lip thoughtfully, brow furrowing as he contemplates the best way to stop Stiles from getting himself slaughtered by an alpha.
Lock him in the loft? No, he would just call Scott to let him out. Scott would, too. Idiots.
Tie him up, take his phone, and stuff him in a cupboard?
He's favouring the idea, to be honest.
Stiles' white knight complex has been a worry for a while. Derek first noticed it when they were at the pool, and the Kanima was stalking them like they were mice and he was a fox. He knows it will keep cropping up, because Stiles has a stubborn streak a mile wide, and despite being a fragile, bony, normal human, he throws himself in harm's way like no one else.
So he talks to Isaac and Erica.
"Keep Stiles out of the way today." He says to them, and Isaac's brow furrows.
"But he's Stiles."
"Well, he gets be protected for once. The idiot is always jumping in the path of an injury meant for someone who will heal it in seconds."
"What do we do?" Erica asks. She looks completely, utterly serious, and he is glad she understands how dire this is, this awful habit that Stiles has. She likes Stiles, always has, even when she was knocking him out with parts ripped from his own car.
It is important, detrimental, even, to keep Stiles safe, because Stiles is who keeps them human. Sometimes they forget they aren't really wolves, but humans stuffed in with an animal, and all they really do is cohabit, but Stiles never forgets, he treats them all like regular people, as far as he is able, and drags them shopping or to movies, or in one memorable case to a pack sleepover.
"Run." They both look at him in shock, like they were expecting something completely different, but at this point, what else is there?
"Run away?" Isaac pushes for clarification.
"Yep. You keep Stiles safe, even if you have to run and leave us behind. Stiles is an idiot. If you tell him to run he will stand in front of you and play human shield. Do not let him do that. If you have to run away, just bring him the fuck with you. Throw him over your shoulder if you need to." He slumps tiredly, rubbing his eyes and yawning. They both raise a hand, and he huffs a laugh. "Try to avoid knocking him out first. He should maybe cut back on concussions." They drop their hands.
"So, no matter what, we run? If we don't win, Isaac and I take Stiles, and we just...go?" Erica says.
Derek nods.
Her face hardens and he is suddenly glad he gave her this task, because she loves Stiles most of all. He treated her like a human being when she didn't even feel like one, and now he does the same when she isn't.
Isaac however, is not so sure.
"We just leave everyone behind? That doesn't seem smart."
Derek narrows his eyes.
"You will do it, though. Because think, Isaac. If we're all focusing on protecting Stiles, one of the alphas will slip through, and they could kill him." Isaac pales, but Derek ploughs on regardless, because he has to make him understand. "They would rip his throat out like it's butter, and he will bleed out on this floor, and we will fall apart, because without Stiles to remind us how, we will not be human. Because ultimately, that is what we are. We are not wolves. We just share parts of them."
Isaac looks like he gets it now, so Derek takes a step back, from where he had been looming in the younger boy's face, and gestures to the pair of them.
"Pack some bags. Clothes, food, money, basic supplies. At least a weeks worth." Isaac clatters up the iron stairwell to do so, but Erica tags behind, delayed by Derek's hand at her elbow. "Go to Stiles' house, take stuff for him, too. He'll be angry when he finds out, but not as angry as he'll be if he has no clean underwear." She nods, and her hard expression softens for a moment. She plants a hand on his chest and stands on her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek affectionately.
"He'd be glad, if he knew you were willing to do this for him." She whispers. He nods, suddenly unable to speak past the lump in his throat. She crowds into his space, and rubs her face over his neck and cheeks, scenting him, and he takes comfort in the familiar act, clutching her close and shutting his eyes. After a minute she lets go, and disappears upstairs. Isaac returns, and sets a rucksack on the floor, then folds his lanky frame into Derek's arms, as much as he can. Derek smooths his hands over Isaac's back and sighs, because he knows how hard Isaac finds having to face the idea of leaving the only real family he has ever had.
"You'll be fine, pup." He whispers. "I have faith in you." He feels Isaac relax, because that's really all he needs, the idea that someone believes in him. "Put the rucksack in the camaro." And then he hands Isaac the keys, because he won't need them if anything goes wrong tonight.
Erica returns, and they go to pack up the car with everything they could need. Just to be safe, Derek hands Erica his debit card, and tells her the pin.
She nods, her face pinched with stress, and they go back inside to wait for the others to arrive.
When it is all over, they didn't have to run, and Derek is grateful, so grateful, and he gathers them both into his arms and squeezes, tears barely held back, and then Stiles has slapped the keys to the camaro against Derek's chest, wriggled his annoying, lean frame into his arms as well, and Derek can't let go for a long time, even when Stiles mutters a petulant, insincere 'I hate you' into his collarbone.
And the nice thing is, he doesn't need to let go.
And Stiles doesn't either.