The Longest Day
He'd never experienced being hit by a bus or a train but at that exact moment he was pretty sure that was how he felt. His shoulder was on fire and his head throbbed. It was more than that though, he felt sick, his top lip felt bigger than it should on one side, his nose felt huge and the rest of him ached.
"Stiles?"
He groaned when he heard Derek's voice. Had he had too much to drink and done something stupid? It was bad if it was a hangover.
"Stiles?"
"Don't shout." His own mutter was hoarse and he winced at how much it hurt to just talk. What on Earth had he been drinking?
"Sorry." Derek's voice dropped to a whisper and he Stiles felt a hand gently cup his cheek. "Can you open your eyes?"
"No." His head hurt so much he was pretty sure his head would explode if he opened them.
"I'm going to get the doctor."
The doctor? He hardly needed a doctor for a hangover. With a silent curse he forced his eyes open and froze.
He was not at home, and definitely not at Derek's house. For one thing, there was a sign on the wall informing him of St Mary's Hospital's visiting hours. Second, there was a doctor following Derek into the room, and third, he was on a drip.
What the hell?
"He's really confused." Derek commented to the doctor, who shrugged.
"He has a head injury and he's woken somewhere unfamiliar, it's a common issue." The doctor moved to check on him, manhandling him in order to shine that stupid light in his eyes and take his temperature. "How much do you remember Stiles?"
"Uhm…"
The men by his car.
"They were bigger than me?" He replied weakly, the memory of being curled up on the floor in a foetal position as he was kicked flashing in his mind. "I got mugged didn't I?"
"It appears so. The police have been sniffing around." The doctor was so uninterested as he stepped away from the bed. "You had scans last night. Despite the concussion so I'm going to discharge you from the hospital but I want you to come back next week to make sure there isn't any clotting. It's going to make you a bit light headed and dazed until at least tomorrow."
"Right."
As the bored doctor left the room Stiles looked at Derek, who was dressed to impress. Very nice shirt, perfect trousers and although it was a little messed up his hair looked good too.
"Have you called my brother?"
"Yes." Derek sat on the edge of the bed. "He was here for a few hours after he finished work but I sent him home to sleep."
"Right."
"The police are going to want to talk to you this week. I asked them to give you a few days to recover some of your memory."
"Right."
His head was throbbing so much it was difficult to really concentrate on anything. Derek did look very good though.
"I guess I ruined our date." He muttered weakly, disappointed. After all of that build up too, he'd been looking forward to it.
"It was hardly your fault." Derek countered, taking his hand. "It's okay. We can do it another day."
That was good. Stiles smiled weakly, feeling sick as he tried to sit up but Derek nudged him back so that he lying down again. They stayed silent, Derek watching the door and Stiles trying to work out what the damage was.
"What did the doctors say?"
"Concussion, fractured skull, you have stitches in the back of your head, split lip, broken nose and you had a dislocated shoulder. They think you've got bruised ribs too." Derek listed his injuries calmly, making Stiles pull a face. "It's lunch time, you were unconscious for a few hours and you've been concussed for a few hours. You've not really made much sense."
"Oh."
"Here you go Derek. If you sign these papers we can let him leave with you but you have to bring him back the second something goes wrong. I'm not even supposed to be doing this." The doctor didn't even look at Stiles as the nurse with him started to disconnect the drip. "These are morphine capsules; very strong painkillers. He can up to 20mg twice a day but don't let him take any more than that."
Stiles wanted to argue, wanted to be the one that was in charge of the situation but he could barely keep his mind focused on anything for more than a few seconds.
At least Derek was there and he did look very good.
"Right, Stiles?"
"Hmm?"
"He'll be unresponsive with the morphine in his system. It'll take a couple of days for him to get used to it." The doctor explained at Derek's expression. "The capsules are weaker than the injection we gave him too. It will wear off. The appointment for the scan next week is written on the appointment card in the bag."
"Thanks Deaton." Derek grinned and Stiles tilted his head, oblivious to the nurse pulling the cannula from his hand. "I'll see you around."
Did Derek have friends everywhere?
Stiles let Derek help him to his feet, giggling to himself when he saw that his feet seemed so far away and Derek gave him a funny look.
"You look very good." He stated seriously, smiling at him goofily and Derek laughed.
"You're so high." He snorted, wrapping an arm around his middle. "I'm taking you home and I'm going to look after you until you're back to normal."
"But I'm not capable of looking after myself, even when I'm back to normal." Stiles argued, hand clutching at Derek's as the wave of nausea that hit him as he tried to walk. "You should stay with me forever."
"I'll remind you of that when you're back to normal."
Standing may not have been a good idea. He felt like he was very high up and the room was swaying like he was on a boat.
"Okay. Derek?"
"What?"
"I'm going to throw up."
"Oh my god." Stiles shifted, thumping the pillow under his head, confusion hitting him when it hurt his hand.
"Ouch." Derek grumbled and Stiles opened his eyes warily, peering at him. "You seem to be feeling a bit better."
"Uhm?"
"You've been asleep for three hours. I've been an obedient pillow." Derek grinned down at him as he uncurled. "You're more deserving of the name kitty than you realise you know."
"Shut up."
"Ah, you're back to normal." Derek teased him, carefully helping him sit up properly.
"Yeah. Things are blurry though and I hurt." Stiles rubbed his eyes and shakily stood, following Derek to the kitchen. "I need coffee."
"Go sit back down. I'll do it." Derek pointed to the sofa and he returned to his previous seat with little protest. "Do you still feel sick?"
Stiles swallowed. Oh no, that hadn't been his imagination. He really had thrown up on Derek! That was probably the most embarrassing thing he'd ever done.
"Here." Derek sat back down, handing him a steaming mug of coffee and Stiles took it gratefully, avoiding meeting Derek's gaze. "You still look quite pale."
"Shut up."
"No."
"Seriously Derek. Let me drink the coffee and then you can be as irritating as you want to." Stiles snapped and Derek's grin grew. "And stop grinning!"
"You really are a grouch when you wake up."
"Get lost."
"Are you like this even if you get morning sex?"
"Derek I'm warning you." Stiles growled but the other man was just enjoying it too much to stop.
"Don't worry I'll find out soon enough." Derek leant forward to kiss his head. "I bet a little bit of rough in the morning and you lose all of this hostility."
"I hate you." Stiles knew he was bright red and he gave him a pathetic shove. The pain in his shoulder and his ribs had him instantly regretting it. "Why are you still here?"
"I'm your babysitter." Deep down, he was thankful that Derek cared enough to stay and watch over him, but he still didn't like that he owed him even more. "And before you start worrying, I called Isaac and told him to explain to Erica."
"Oh god the wedding. I have to call cater-"
"You're not doing anything of the sort." When Derek's voice lost the playful edge Stiles actually felt intimidated, it reminded him of when Olive was angry. "You will rest. Erica and Olive can handle the seating charts today and they're going to meet with your table decorator tomorrow."
"I need to be there!"
"You need to get better because you're useless right now. You can't even walk straight." Derek hissed and Stiles snapped his mouth in shock at the venom in the words. "Oh no. Stiles don't cry!"
He wasn't really sure why he was crying, he wanted to blame the pain and the drugs he could still feel making him feel funny but really, it was probably because Derek had never talked to him like that. In fact, Derek sounded a lot like Jackson did.
"I want to go to bed." Stiles mumbled as he wiped his eyes quickly and Derek sighed.
"I'll carry you."
The next time he woke he was alone and he no longer felt dizzy. It meant he could shuffle to the kitchen, still wrapped in his quilt, to investigate the interesting smells wafting through his flat.
"Evening sleepy head." Derek greeted, carefully flipping the bacon in the frying pan. "Hungry?"
"Yeah." Stiles shuffled closer, sniffing. "Sorry about before."
"Don't worry about it Stiles." Derek glanced at him, that grin creeping back on his face. "I quite enjoy fighting with you."
"You would."
"I'm not a very good cook. All I can do is bacon sandwiches and scrambled eggs. Everything else tends to come out tasting like bacon or looking like scrambled eggs." Derek gestured to the almost charred bacon. "And even then the bacon comes charred."
"Everyone has their flaws Derek. I take it this one is one you haven't accepted."
"You're a little snot sometimes." Derek complained, placing the fork down when Stiles dropped the quilt and moved closer, standing in his personal space as he started to help.
"You like it. I'd be boring if I didn't mock you." Stiles looked up at him with a grin and tapped his cheek mockingly.
"Like I just said; you're a little snot."
Stiles stood on his toes and wrapped him non-achy arm around Derek's neck, tugging him into a slow kiss. He liked how Derek was there for him all night at the hospital, that he was sticking around to look after him when he needed him, and he liked that Derek encouraged him to be himself and stand up for himself. He also liked the way Derek kissed as the man slid an arm around his middle and cradled him in his arms. It was perfect. Maybe not the circumstances, but the kiss was absolutely perfect.
"Will you stay?"
"Yeah but I'm sleeping on the sofa." Derek replied softly, the look on his face full of awe as he stared down at Stiles.
"You don't have to."
"Yes I do." Derek placed a hand on Stiles's shoulder and he hissed in pain. "I'm a restless sleeper and I'll just hurt you."
"I'm not going to stop arguing with you just because you're being nice."
"I'm counting on that." Derek laughed and nudged him aside. "Let me finish cooking."
The bacon was black by the time it was in their sandwiched and the scrambled egg was almost solid. Stiles tried to suppress his laughs as they both struggled to eat. They were watching some quiz show on the telly that he'd never seen before and Derek's expression at the show was worth eating the dodgy food.
"I think we need a back up plan." Derek finally spoke and reached for his phone. "What do you fancy?"
"You're ordering take away?"
"Sort of." Derek started dialling a number. "Do you like venison?"
"No idea. It's a little out of my price range."
"Right." Derek pressed a button and lifted the phone to his ear. "Hey. Any chance of you sending some dinner here? Venison steak? On a bed of spinach cooked in beef stock with sautéed potatoes."
Stiles nibbled on flakes of black bacon as he watched Derek talk. It took about ten minutes before he hung up.
"He's sending it straight over." Derek smirked at Stiles, clearly smug.
"Only you would be smug that you can't cook and have to rely on other people."
"Oh shut your mouth kitty or I won't share when it gets here."
"Did I hit a nerve there?"
"I'm warning you." Derek glared at him and Stiles laughed, flicking some of the solidified egg at him. "Stop that."
"Thanks."
"What?"
"For all of this. Jackson would have left me on the pavement."
"Jackson is a prick." Derek sneered, shaking his head at Stiles. "I don't get why you even bothered with him. There was no way I was going to leave you on the pavement with the blood you'd lost."
"Wait. You found me?"
"Yeah. Whoever attacked you dumped you in a bush and ran off. I found you when I came to pick you up." It was typical that in his neighbourhood no one bothered to help him. He might like owning his own flat there but it wasn't safe and Marcus had been right about him getting into trouble. "It isn't a very safe place."
"Marcus keeps saying that too. I think I'm going to save up for a new home." Stiles admitted, rather reluctant to admit he was shaken by the experience. "I should be able to in a few months."
"With the amount Olive is paying you should be able to after the wedding."
"It'll only be a couple of hundred." Stiles muttered, pulling a face.
"Are you joking?" Derek sounded confused. "She's paying thousands."
"Oh." Stiles stared down at his plate. "No wonder Jackson has such a nice house."
"He's a prick. That money should be yours with the work you're doing." Derek was angry. It was the first time Stiles had seen him genuinely angry. To be fair he was pretty pissed off himself.
"I'll deal with it Derek."
"I could-"
"No. I'll deal with it." Stiles stated grimly, shaking his head. He'd just about had enough of Jackson. "I know exactly how to get back at him."
"Stiles."
"What?"
"Let me deal with him." There something in the way that Derek said it that made Stiles nod.