Derek knew the plan, it was simple. Infiltrate the hideout of the snakes, which was simply a house in the local rich suburban neighbourhood and kill them with the help of Scott. Derek had given Scott on pointers in how to fight these things, it was very much like fighting Jackson kanima, however these creatures were a bit smarter and more hesitant.
Derek waited for Scott at his house, checking through the messages that he had sent Stiles. He hadn't heard back from Stiles since that night, his messages left on read. Derek was worried that he might have scared off Stiles, or Stiles had come to regret what they did. He had checked his house multiple times and Stiles hadn't been there at all.
Scott arrived and Derek let him.
"Nice place." Scott whistled and Derek rolled his eyes. Derek had moved apartments, somewhere more comfortable than his previous apartment.
"Okay so I spoke to Deaton, the plans all ready to go, Stiles was kinda weird though." Scott said as he plopped himself down on Derek's couch.
"Stiles?" Derek was now interested. Why was Stiles with Deaton?
"Yeah he's staying with Deaton, cause of what happened at his house."
"What happened at his house?" Derek asked, now feeling frustrated that he was being left out of such important details.
"Wait didn't they tell you? One of the snakes jumped Stiles like a week ago, but he managed to get out and get to Deaton before anything could happen. That's why you had to go get his dad."
"I was told to get his Dad because Stiles was worried, not because they broke into his house!" Derek nearly yelled, why the fuck had no one told him that Stiles had most likely nearly been killed by those snakes?
"Woah chill dude, its fine now, after we deal with those snakes everyone will be safe again." Scott gave him a perplexing look, which Derek ignored. He now felt restless. He wanted these fuckers gone, gone before they could hurt anyone he cared about.
Scott took out his phone and seemed to be texting someone and Derek checked the time. There was still an hour before they would start the plan and Derek now had nothing to do. He tried texting Stiles again, but after fifteen minutes it had still be left on delivered.
Scott sighed and stood up shaking out his body.
"Wanna warm up?" He asked Derek, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"Ill try not to kill you." Derek smirked and Scott snorted back.
The two then spared with each other for the remaining thirty minutes. Sending and deflecting punches, dodging and weaving through flying kicks and swiping claws. Scott's alarm went off and the two stopped, breathing heavy but feeling good.
Scott sent a text to Deaton for the all good, the two nodded at each other in understanding and promptly left the apartment. The fight was fairly easy, which Derek was first confused about. The snakes didn't seem to be bothered fighting back too much. But Derek still got it pretty bad by the time the two snakes were done for. Derek had managed to kill the male snake, but not before what seemed like a laugh had escaped its scaly mouth before Derek ripped its throat open. Scott in typical fashion had not killed the female snake yet but had tied her securely.
"Deaton said he can deal with her; you really didn't have to kill him you know?"
Scott sighed as he looked at the now seemingly human that lay dead and bleeding from the neck.
"The son of a bitch deserved it." Derek growled.
Scott looked on with a disapproved look. The female snake now realising that she probably wasn't going to be killed thrashed furiously around in her restraints. Derek sighed and walked over to her, limply slightly, but he wasn't weak enough to send a kick hard enough to the snakes head to knock her out.
Scott flinched slightly, but other than that he didn't seem too against the amount of abuse that Derek was showing tonight. Deaton arrived finally; a glass vile already prepared in his hands.
"Don't tell me they're both dead?" He rushed. He had specifically told them that one had to be alive so he could extract the poison.
Scott jammed his thumb in the direction of the female, "she is still, just passed out."
Deaton sighed in relief and bended down next to the female. He slowly pried open her mouth and stuck vial through one of the fangs. Slowly small drops of a clear liquid began to fill the vial. Once the poison had been collected, Deaton whisked away in his car, barely sharing another word with them.
"Sometimes I would really like to know what's going in that mans head." Scott sighed, once again pulling out his phone.
Derek nodded as he too felt the same. Deaton had been in his life for a long time, and most of the time he had no idea what the man was really thinking.
"I'm going to head to Deaton's place as he'll probably lift the security, you coming?" Scott asked, placing his phone back into his pocket, he began walking in the direction that Deaton had taken off, waiting for Derek to accept his invitation.
Derek sighed; he really did need to talk to Stiles. He quickly caught up with Scott and soon the two were running. It didn't take long for Scott and Derek to arrive at Deatons place. Scott took out his phone and rang Deaton. The phone rang straight to voicemail. Scott looked at his phone with a confused expression and rang again, this time Deaton picked up.
"Scott what is it?" He asked, he sounded rushed and stressed.
"Im outside the property, Deaton is everything okay."
There was a pause, Dereks heart raced as he listened in the house, he could hear Deatons thundering heartbeat, and one extremely faint heartbeat. That's when it hit him. That heartbeat was Stiles.
Derek nearly changed. But before he could do anything, Deaton rushed outside and broke the security measures, allowing Derek and Scott to enter the property. Derek bolted into the house and rushed to where he could smell Stiles. Stiles was lying on the couch with his shirt off and a defibrillator laying on the couch.
Derek looked on with a wide-eyed expression. He turned to Scott and Deaton, he would have killed both right there, anything to protect Stiles.
"What's wrong with him?" Derek growled, his eyes glowing and his body shaking.
Scott seemed extremely shocked by this reaction from Derek, but his emotions seemed to be more worried about Stiles and he took a step forward, placing his hand on Stiles wrist.
Derek snapped at Scott like a rabid dog, Scott took his arm away with his sharp reflexes, a moment too late and he may have lost his hand.
"Derek he was poisoned when that snake came to his house, its been eating away at him for a week, but I've given him an antidote now, he should be able to make a full recovery." Deaton kept his hands in plain sight, he had never seen Derek look so out of control before, and he didn't know what to do about it.
Derek seemed to calm ever so slightly knowing that Stiles wasn't in any immediate danger, but when Derek softly touched his wrist instantly pain flared through his body. Derek flinched back, he felt as if he had just been severely electrocuted, that's how bad the pain that Stiles was experiencing.
"Deaton why didn't you tell us?" Scott asked, his face caked with worry.
"It wasn't my decision to do so, Stiles didn't want me to tell you both, probably as to not add more stress to you two."
Scott looked away and sat on the floor next to Stiles. This time he looked at Derek and asked for permission. "Can I at least help take some of his pain away." Derek contemplated; he knew that Scott would do no harm to Stiles, so he nodded his head. He had to fight back his wolf when Scott's hand slowly clasped Stiles wrist. His wolf didn't want anyone within ten metres of Stiles right now, let alone touching him.
Derek took Stiles other wrist and began to do the same as Scott. The two had to stop and take breaks multiple times, the pain that Stiles was experiencing was one of the worst pains that the two of them had to help relieve.
Stiles had not moved a muscle throughout the whole night. Eventually Scott took a break and had a short nap whilst Derek continued on. He would stay awake for a week if he had too, he refused to leave Stiles side. Eventually Deaton walked back into the room, feeling that Derek had calmed down enough for Deaton to do a check up on Stiles.
"May I?" Deaton asked, gesturing towards Stiles. Once again Derek's wolf protested immensely, but Deaton was the best professional help they were going to get at this moment. Derek nodded and took his hand out of Stiles hand as to allow more space for Deaton to work.
Deaton finally finished, he seemed to be pleased with what he had learnt.
"His heart is stable now, he seems to just be sleeping for the time being, we will take him to the hospital in the morning, I'll contact Melissa."
"Thank you, Alan." Derek nodded, for really, he was thankful. Even if Alan had not told them anything about Stiles, he was probably the one who had managed to keep Stiles alive until they could get the antidote.
Derek continued to sit by Stiles side until the morning. Scott seemed more refreshed and calmer than the night before as he came out into the living room, on the phone to his mother.
"Alright, let's go take Stiles to the hospital, my mum can put him on some drips and stuff until he wakes up."
Derek had calmed down formidably during the night. Stiles pain had slowly started getting better, which had been one of the main reasons in helping Derek and his wolf calm down.
"You wanna put him in Deaton's car Derek?" Scott asked. There seemed to be a glint of understanding in his eyes now, and Derek wondered if it had to do with the murmured conversation that he and Alan had shared the night before.
Alan had called Scott into a room where Derek could not listen in to, all he could make out was the murmurs of their voices. He didn't feel too left out however, as he only really cared about staying with Stiles at this point in time.
Derek slowly took Stiles into his arms and carried him to the backseat of Deaton's car. The drive was slow and smooth as to not jar Stiles around too much. They eventually made it to the hospital, where Melissa already had a trolley with a bed on it waiting.
"He's going to be okay Derek." Melissa consoled, Derek nodded and placed Stiles onto the bed, two other nurses were there and began to push him into the hospital. Derek panicked, he wasn't ready for Stiles to leave him just yet, he still needed to protect him!
Melissa, seeing the panic and anger beginning to rise in Derek grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close. "Calm down Derek, they're just going to do a few tests and book him into a room, then you can see them, stay here and wait with Scott."
Scott hearing the whole ordeal stood forward and walked with Derek into the waiting room of the hospital. Scott would have to make sure that Derek didn't lose control and wolf out whilst they waited for Stiles to be allowed visitors.
Derek sat anxiously whilst he waited to be by Stiles side again. He wanted to stand up and pace, but Scott had grabbed him lightly and pulled him back down, a small amount of authority in his grip. Derek growled lightly back at Scott but accepted it and sat in his seat.
After about an hour Melissa approached them. "You can see him now." She smiled lightly at the two and ruffled her sons hair as he quickly pecked her on the cheek.
Derek made way to Stiles room, only needing to listen out for his heartbeat to find him. He slowly entered into the room, instantly feeling calm at the scent of Stiles. Derek pulled up a chair and sat by his bed, placing his hand in Stiles. There was barely any pain now that Stiles was feeling, which helped release some of the pressure on Derek's shoulders.
Scott too pulled up a chair and cleared his throat to get Derek's attention.
"Look Derek I have meaning to ask, but have you taken a moment to think about why you are being like this about Stiles?"
Derek looked at Scott, of course he was being like this, Stiles was his mate what else was he supposed to do?
Then Derek paused. Scott watched as the clogs in Dereks head began to turn. Derek had just called Stiles his mate.
His mate.
Than everything began to make sense. Derek had never seen Stiles as his mate before because he was only a child, but now that Stiles was an adult, his wolf began to recognise him as his mate. The picture began to look so much clearer than before. The indescribable attraction and pull that Derek had begun to feel towards Stiles was due to the mate bond that pulled them together to each other.
Derek now felt slightly afraid, what he was feeling for Stiles was now so much bigger than he originally thought it to be, and now he had no idea if Stiles even felt remotely the same. Derek pushed the thoughts away for a moment and clutched Stiles hand a bit firmer.
"It's okay I understand."
"Do you?" Scott asked, sighing as he looked at Stiles. "It sickens me to say that it kinda makes sense though." Scott chuckled a little, his eyes warming with the memories of the past.
Derek too looked at Stiles.
"Yeah." He said, he had no idea what he was thinking or saying at the moment now that the puzzle was starting to form together.
"You wont hurt him, will you?" Scott asked, no form of aggression in his eyes as he looked to Derek.
"I could never." Derek said shaking his head, just the thought of upsetting Stiles in any way made his chest tighten.
"Good." Scott nodded.
Seemingly content with the way everything was turning out, he stood up. "I think I can hear the Sheriff; I'll go speak to him for a bit, you better prepare yourself."
Derek nodded a thanks to Scott, he once again turned back to Stiles, he stood and placed a light kiss on his forehead.
"My mate." He whispered.