This ficlet was inspired by mgnemesi's amazing drawing (see it here). And while it originally finished halfway through, girleverafter convinced me to continue it. So here it is. Another version will be posted to my AO3 account if you would like to post reviews there.
"Don't worry, I've got you..."
Derek's breaths are becoming shallower and shallower but there's nothing he can do. He just has to lay there and watch as the strongest man he knows bleeds out.
Stiles curls his arms protectively around Derek's head as if he could shield him from the pain, "You're gonna be ok Sourwolf. I got you and soon Scott's gonna come charging in here, late as always, and save the day. And then we're gonna get you patched up ok? So just hold on a little bit longer, kay?"
The only sign that Derek even heard what he said is the short grunt of pain that Derek lets out and he burrows his head against his throat.
Short gasping breathes puff against his throat. He can feel every shuddering breath that Derek takes and it feels like someone's stabbing him in the gut.
A tear rolls down his cheek and Stiles nuzzles his face in to Derek's hair, all the while making shushing noises at the whimpering wolf.
"-tiles"
Stiles places a light kiss on Derek's forehead and runs his fingers lightly through the other man's hair, "Shhh, don't speak. Just keep breathing ok. We're both gonna be fine, you hear me? So there's no need to speak."
There's a small struggle from Derek before the other man sighs and relaxes in Stiles' arms. This would have been really nice if it weren't for the fact that Derek was dying in his arms.
A few minutes later Derek mumbles something.
"What did I say about speaking?" Stiles grumbles down at the other man.
Derek coughs
Stiles' looks down. There's blood on Derek's lips and on Stiles' throat.
His eyes widen, "Nononono - You're gonna be fine! You can't leave me like this! Derek, heal yourself! Do you hear me?! Derek!"
But Derek's not breathing...
Stiles' heart is beating wildly "nonononono, this can't be happening. You're not dead. COME ON DEREK! Wake up!"
Stiles pulls out of Derek's grasp and lays the other man flat on the ground.
Tilting Derek's head back and checking his airway, Stiles starts chest compressions. All the while shouting at Derek, "Come on, come on, come on. You can't leave me like this! I'm the vulnerable human! The one who's always in the way! I'm the breakable one, Not you! Come on, Derek! Breathe! Breathe god-damn-it!"
Tears start blurring is vision but he doesn't stop doing the chest compressions. He knows that if he does stop then there's no chance of Derek living through this.
It's just like when they were trapped in the pool - he just has to hold out until Scott or someone in the pack gets here, then they'll be able to help Derek.
"Stiles?!"
Stiles' motions falter before abruptly starting back up again, "OVER HERE!" he shouts.
There's a thunder of footsteps - Thank God... the pack is here.
"Stiles, where's Der-"
Scott stops mid-sentence when his eyes land on them. The pack, not far behind continue forward and their eyes land on the bloodied pair on the ground.
Stiles can't see his friends' faces but he knows what he must look like; covered in Derek's blood, tears running down his face and desperately doing chest compressions on what is probably a dead man.
"Fuck," Scott curses and runs forward to immediately place his hand on Derek's neck. Isaac's not far behind.
The twins, Lydia and Danny hang back - but Stiles doesn't pay them any mind. All of his attention is on Derek and the viscous black veins flowing up Scott and Isaac's arms.
Stiles still doesn't stop doing the chest compressions.
Two minutes later and there still isn't any change. Stiles is beginning to tire but he's not going to stop. Just a little bit longer. He just has to hold out a little bit longer and then Derek will open his eyes and start grumbling like the Sourwolf he is and-
Scott pulls his hand away. The black veins are still sluggishly crawling up his arm "Stiles... I think... He's de-"
"Don't you dare say that," Stiles snarled at Scott, "Don't you dare. He sacrificed himself for me. He saved me from Peter, so don't you dare say shit like that Scott Andrew Mccall. Now put your fucking hands back on him and heal him or so help me - I will kill you myself."
Scott and Isaac's eyes widened at his words but they both put their hands back on Derek and the amount of black veins crawling up their arms increased.
All throughout that interruption, Stiles had not stopped doing chest compressions. A mantra was flowing through his head - just a little bit longer and he'll start breathing, just a little bit longer and he'll wake up.
But thirty seconds later the black veins stopped crawling up Scott and Isaac's arms.
"Did I say you could stop?! Stiles snapped.
"Stiles we didn't stop. It just-"
"I do not want to hear it Scott Mccall! I just want you to heal him! I just-"
It was like the dam that had been holding back his emotions cracked and before he could stop it he was gasping for breath as he sobbed.
Scott pulled him into his arms.
Derek really was dead... He didn't want to believe it. He refused to believe it. People like Derek didn't just die!
"Don't touch me!" Stiles shouted and pulled out of Scott's embrace, "He's not dead! He can't! He wouldn't just leave me here..."
He refused to tear his eyes away from Derek and look up to see the sad pitying eyes of his friends.
He was hollow.
Empty.
Gone.
Ignoring the eyes of his friends, Stiles crawled back over to Derek and curled over his body.
"Please..." he whispered as he ran his fingers through Derek's blood-matted hair. "Please, one more miracle... for me. Please don't be dead - Please..."
But there was no response.
Stiles crumpled over Derek's body as violent sobs racked his frame.
Then there was a hand on his arm.
"I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME!" Stiles roared.
But his friends were nowhere near him.
They were all staring wide-eyed at Stiles and the hand on his arm.
But if his friends weren't the one's to touch his arm then...
Stiles' head whipped back around.
Derek's eyes were open - in pain - but open. "You're crushing me, Stiles."
Derek was alive. Derek was breathing. Derek was alive!
Stiles didn't know how it happened, but one second he was staring down, gob-smacked, at Derek and the next he was kissing the man.
When he pulled away, Derek was looking like... Well, as if someone had just kissed him senseless.
Stiles grinned down at the Sourwolf and ran his fingers through Derek's hair, "Don't you ever do that again, you hear me? No more near-death experiences for you, mister."
There were chuckles from behind him.
Stiles glanced around.
Danny smirked at him and gave a pointed look between Stiles and Derek. "So you and cousin Miguel, huh?"
Stiles rolled his eyes but Derek actually let out a small chuckle and it was the most beautiful sound Stiles had ever heard simply because Derek was alive to laugh.