Authors note: Welp.. me saying update soon.. Obviously that didn't work out for me. But here it is.. the next chapter. Thank you for your patience *hug*
"Stiles, wake up."
Nope. He didn't want to wake up. He was warm and safe, the scent of Derek letting him know he could relax.
"Stiles."
He felt a low hum, as if someone tried not to laugh.
Stiles blinked a few times, gripping the body in his arms tighter. He looked down.
Amused eyes with a hint of glare looked up at him. They were laying on the couch, with Stiles arms draped around Derek's upper-body in what seemed to be an embrace.
"Oh. Dude, we fell asleep."
"Seems like it."
"You have used me as a pillow." Stiles knew the second he said it that he probably shouldn't have, but-
Derek sat up, giving Stiles a glare.
"No worries. We slept." Stiles said, sitting up and looking around for his phone. "Where's-" His phone landed in his lap and Derek stood up from the couch.
"Thanks, man." He got up as well and rubbed his neck. "Hey. I'm meeting the others at Scott's place tomorrow night. You should come."
Derek looked at him over his shoulder, lifting a brow.
"He'll probably be there, yeah." Stiles looked him in the eyes. "He'll probably leave soon. You should come."
Derek nodded.
Stiles left.
-0-0-0-0-
"They didn't drug me as hard as they did you," Eugene said, glancing at Derek with a bowed head. "Somehow they knew you were a born werewolf and since you are a Hale, they didn't take any chances."
Clenching his jaw, Derek shifted his stance so that his shoulder brushed Stiles'. Even if it wasn't a conscious movement, Stiles didn't move away.
"How long did they-"
"Keep me locked in? I have been with the hunters for 8 months."
Lydia straightened up. "Eight months?"
"Why?" Stiles folded his arms over his chest, unknowingly mirroring Derek.
Eugene lifted his chin and straightened the lapels of his jacket. "Because they used it to taunt me. They tried to break me by telling me how long I had been locked in, separated from my kin." His eyes flashed. "They didn't succeed." The werecat looked at the born werewolf, wary but also with his own pride in what he was. "The men who hunt our kind are not to be trusted or relied upon. They have no honor." He gave Derek a significant look, but Stiles couldn't decipher it. "We did what we could."
I don't blame you, was what Stiles read out of the heavy exchange between werecat and wolf. Weird, when he thought about it. In a natural environment, they wouldn't have been friendly. Or would they? Stiles had no idea, just the thought of it made his mind spin.
Derek seemed to struggle with the idea of letting go of his guilt of not doing anything to save the man. Stiles let his shoulder brush Derek's.
Derek let out a breath, as if he'd been holding it in. "We did. I'm sorry to hear you were with them for such a long time."
Eugene nodded once. "I'm free because of your pack. And I will always be in your debt for that."
"No need for that. I'm just glad we got you out of there." Scott paused. "The both of you."
Derek uncrossed his arms and held out his hand for Eugene. "If there is anything we can do-"
The other man shook his hand with a quick smile. "Thank you. I appreciate it." A second flew by. "We all- My pack- We knew of the Hale's that lived here. They were our allies, although we never met. But we heard of Talia Hale. She was fearless, but just. As said before; I'm in your debt, and if there's anything I can help you with, I will." He released Derek's hand. "Thank you, Alpha McCall." Eugene turned to Scott. "I will let others know what you did for me."
Scott nodded and turned to Isaac. "Drive him wherever he needs to go, give him the bag I've prepared for him."
"Oh, I couldn't possibly-"
"We have some cash, some clothes and a phone for you in it." Scott smiled, even if it was a serious one. "Call us if you need us. We'll be there."
Eugene nodded his thanks and Scott followed him out.
Stiles turned his attention to Derek, who had shut down completely. He was still. Too still.
"Derek?" He nudged the man with his arm.
"No."
-0-0-0-0-
Days went by with Scott pulling the pack up from whatever hole they had ended up in from the events that had lead them to the tunnels.
Everybody seemed to go back to normal. It wasn't their first rodeo, as Malia had said one night. And it was true. It wasn't even close to the things they had been through, but Stiles noticed how Derek kept more and more to himself, just like he used to before the therapy.
Stiles didn't think the others noticed. But he did. Something wasn't right. But he couldn't figure out what it was and why Derek reacted so badly. He didn't react at all, if Stiles was honest. But in some, almost insignificant ways, Derek had retreated into his shell once again. But why? They've been through worse. Maybe it was a breaking point for Derek? Like enough was enough? What did they do to him down in the tunnels?
Stiles knew he'd been starved and dehydrated. And tortured. Derek had begrudgingly told Scott about them questioning him about his pack, his mother, their new alpha (Scott). Taunting him, electrocuting him, beating him, poisoning him as they hung him up by ropes. But this? Stiles pulled his hair, leaning back in his chair in his room. Something wasn't adding up.
-0-0-0-0-
"He's gone."
Stiles turned to Isaac, who'd just swung into his room like a ninja.
"Holy sh- What is it with you people and not knocking?" Stiles gripped the front of his shirt, trying not to fall over in his chair.
"He's gone."
"Who, Isaac?"
"Derek. I went there last night and he's not there. I've searched the entire town. He left."
-0-0-0-0-
"What do you mean, Scott?" Stiles stared at his friend as they went to get some coffee later that morning.
"I mean that he left two days ago. He said he needed to clear his head." Scott looked at him from the corner of his eye as he found his his wallet to pay the clerk. "I told him to tell you."
"Well, he didn't."
"Sorry, Stilles."
"What? Why are you sorry? I mean, we're a bit surprised that's all. He can't just up and leave. Is he coming back?" Stiles frowned and found he didn't like the thought of Derek not coming back.
"Who're 'we'?"
"Me and Isaac. He didn't know either."
Scott blew a harsh breath. "Guess he didn't tell anyone except me."
"Obviously."
Scott put a hand on Stiles shoulder. "He'll come back. He needed some space after what happened. And he said something about-" He cut himself off and Stiles knew that there was something Scott wasn't telling them.
"Space from what?"
Scott opened his mouth to answer, but then the barista called his name and he went to grab his coffee.
-0-0-0-0-
Authors note: Sorry it's a short one. But I'm working on the next chapter and this chapter needed to end here (for some reason)
