Derek groaned as Stiles and Danny helped him into the house, one under each of his arms as he struggled to simply breath through the pain in his chest. The fight had been long and hard, but, thanks to some quick thinking on Stiles' part, they had won. Danny carefully lowered him to the couch as Stiles ran to grab a rag and a bowl of water to clean Derek's wounds.
Danny wasn't supposed to have known about the werewolves or the Argents or any of it, but had been dragged, unintentionally, into the middle of the mess by Jackson and had taken it all in stride, not seeming surprised that one of his lovers was part wolf. Stiles' dad, on the other hand, had not handled it nearly as well, but had come to their aid after Stiles had explained the situation. Without the help of the Argents and the police, they might not have won against his Uncle. The Sheriff was spending a couple of days in the hospital due to a rather nasty concussion and broken arm. Derek winced as Danny tried to remove his shirt, the gashes along his chest healing too slowly and burning mercilessly.
After his Uncle had been put down like a rabid dog, the Argent clan's semi-psychotic Kate had patiently waited for the police to leave before turning to viciously attack Derek. Her deadly blades had torn his chest up as he fought to keep himself between her and the two teens behind him, knowing it was his duty to protect the only two humans on this side of the fight. As soon as Scott had seen the attack, he had ran to grab the attention of Allison's dad to get his sister under control.
"Protecting the dumb animals now? What is next, adopting one to keep as a guard dog?"
Derek leveled a glare at the woman being restrained by Allison and her father.
"Even before you all decide to burn my family to a crisp, we weren't a danger to the general public. We kept to ourselves, we hunted on our land and the only people we harmed were the ones wandering on to our property. But I swear to God, if you touch me again, I will rip out your throat like a rabid dog."
Allison's father had turned a look on him at the statement but let it slide, knowing his sister was no longer in her right mind. "She won't bother you again and neither will we, as long as you all keep to the agreement. The first time one of you hunts a human, we will come back and kill all of you... that includes your little groupies," the man glanced at Danny and Stiles at the last part before dragging his raging sister to the SUV and handcuffing her into the vehicle.
Derek growled loudly at the threat to his lovers before collapsing against the ground, his strength leaving him now that the danger had passed. Stiles had rushed to his side, Danny not far behind as they had lifted him to his feet, the two lacrosse players struggling under his weight before Stiles had turned to Scott with a concerned look.
"Hey, man... can you get your boss and meet at my place? Take Jackson with you, until we are sure that Kate bitch is no danger, alright?"
Scott had nodded before he and Jackson had taken off at a dead run for the animal clinic. Once they were gone, the two teens carefully maneuvered the badly injured wolf into the Jeep and taken off for Stiles' house, Danny making sure Derek stayed conscious as Stiles broke a few speed laws during the trip and skidded into the driveway before helping the other teen move Derek into the house.
Derek tried to help by moving to remove the shirt before he simply shook his head at Danny.
"Not gonna happen, get the scissors."
Stiles came back in with the rag, face still etched with concern before he set down the rag and bowl and snatched up a pair of scissors from the desk.
"I think Miguel just likes being shirtless in front of us, what do you think, Stilinski?" Danny tried to joke to ease the tension in the room.
Stiles gave a half-manic laugh before kneeling beside Derek and carefully cutting the ruined shirt away from the marred chest. Derek looked up at the sound of rushing feet by the door before Scott, Jackson and the doctor came into the house.
"Where are you guys?" Scott yelled from the door.
"He's ruining my living room carpet by bleeding all over it, get your asses in here, for Christ sake," Stiles shot back as Derek offered the vet a tired and pained wave.
The older man offered a 'tsk' and a shake of his head before kneeling next to the wolf and examining the damage.
"Why can't you boys ever stay out of trouble. I'll stitch up the wider wounds to keep them from scarring as badly. I have a salve that will help draw the poison from the hunter's blade out of the others to let your natural abilities finish the job."
The vet turned to the bag he had brought with him, digging out a bottle and some cotton swabs, tending to each of the wounds with care. Derek growled and twisted away from the burn unconsciously, Danny reaching out bravely to grip his hand and help keep him still as Stiles repeated the action with his other hand, both realizing just how easy it would be for Derek to break their hands but taking the risk to try and calm the wolf. Derek snapped his teeth together, minding his strength as he hissed in pain while his wounds were cleaned, eyes flashing that crystal blue from the burning sensation the salve caused.
Scott and Jackson watched from the entryway, worrying at the wounds as the vet grabbed a needle and thread before Scott's eyes flicked to the two human boys keeping the wolf contained, brow pinching in confusion. The confusion grew as Stiles leaned down to Derek's ear, whispering softly as the doctor began stitching at the largest wound.
"Hold in there, big guy, we got you. We won't let you go, just focus on us. Just imagine we are upstairs, you aren't wounded and Danny has that box out, you know, the one with the collars?"
Derek growled again before looking at the teen.
"First off, those kinds of images? Not exactly keeping the wolf at bay. Second of all, you just outed all of us to your best friend. Werewolf hearing, remember?"
Stiles turned 'Oh Shit' eyes up to where Jackson and Scott stood, both frozen, though Jackson didn't look confused so much as slightly embarrassed, already having assumed his best friend had been in a relationship. Scott's face was a mixture of confusion and horror as he realized just why he could always smell Derek all over the two humans and that it wasn't just from the combat training he had been going through with the teens. Derek watched as Stiles quickly recovered himself and offering his best friend an arched brow.
"If you have a problem with it, feel free to leave. Otherwise, shut your trap while the vet finishes patching Derek up."
Derek was faintly impressed at the amount of control Stiles took over the situation as Scott simply closed his mouth and shrugged, though he still looked confused. A glance at Danny showed the other teen simply offering Jackson a grin before squeezing Derek's hand. The vet finished tying off the thread and covered the stitched up gash with some gauze before packing his case and pushing to his feet, holding out a small pack of pills.
"They are sedatives, I suggest taking one and then laying down for a few hours. By the time you wake up, everything should be healed. No showering until then. Come by tomorrow afternoon and I will take the stitches out for you. Aside from that, rest. No funny business."
The vet turned a knowing look to the two teens holding Derek's hands before offering a wave and heading for the front door. Once the animal doctor had left, Danny and Stiles moved under Derek's arms to help lift him to his feet, moving for Stiles' bedroom at a slow pace while the wolf winced at each twist in his body. Scott and Jackson offered a wave and a quick 'Get some rest' before taking off for Allison's house, letting the trio get settled upstairs.
Derek lay back against the soft pillows at the head of the bed after downing the sedatives the vet had given him before watching the other two shed their excess clothing and climb in next to him, both taking care to move him as little as possible while staying as close as they could to his warmth. Stiles broke the silence, as usual, his voice soft in the darkness.
"So... since you killed the Alpha, does that mean that you are an Alpha now?"
"Hn, not sure. Now shhh, before I get the urge to shove these sedatives off on you so we can all get some peace and quiet."
Stiles looked shocked at the teasing note in Derek's voice.
"Did you just make a joke, Hale? Cause that is celebration worthy."
Stiles settled down as Danny reached over to lightly whack the back of the other teen's head and offering a semi-serious glare. Derek relaxed under the dual careful touches skimming along the uninjured skin along his chest, eventually fading off into the embrace of sleep as the teens kept watch over him.