They were in the water. Stiles didn't know what he expected when he didn't run. He could have left Derek behind, but in his heart, he knew he would never. Derek was dead weight, and Stiles had already been treading water for nearly fifteen minutes.

Derek growled in his ear every few moments, and Stiles was ready to let him drop.

"You fucking moron." Derek spat.

Stiles shifted his grip on Derek, letting his head dip under the water for a moment. Derek sputtered as Stiles heaved him back up. "You know, this would be easier if you quit bitching?"

"We wouldn't be in this situation if you listened to me and ran like you were supposed to."

Stiles reached around, grabbing Derek's arm so that he could throw it over his shoulder. "Yeah, WE wouldn't be in this situation. YOU would be lizard chow."

Stiles had one hand tightly gripping Derek's jeans, and the other had a death grip on Derek's wrist. He wouldn't go down without Stiles, but in the same breath, it meant he was at the same time dragging down Stiles. Derek's eyes flashed in annoyance. "I can take care of myself."

"Okay, big bad," Derek growled at the sarcasm in Stiles's voice. "Next time, I'll leave you to die."

"Of course, you would," Derek muttered.

Stiles felt rage boil and overflow in his gut. He let out a stupidly human growl. "Fuck you."

"Don't pretend it's not true. You're not doing this for you. You need me to get out of this."

His scoff was wet and more of a cough, but Derek got the point. "The lizard doesn't want me. You're the one it wants."

"Who would want you?"

Stiles had to fight the urge to drop him. His knee-jerk reaction was anger, and he would never feel bad for that. Derek had just insinuated that no one would ever love him. In the back of his mind, Stiles had always thought no one except his mom would love him, and she was dead. "I'm a catch, alpha oh alpha. Anyone would be lucky to have me."

Derek flopped his head to the side, hitting Stiles in the jaw with his forehead. "Do you have to turn everything into a joke? Is everything really that unimportant to you?"

Stiles jerked, dislodging Derek's head. "Fuck off, sourwolf. You don't know anything about me."

Derek rolled his eyes. "You aren't special. You're a scrawny, know-it-all with an attention disorder."

"Dude, I'm like a fucking onion. I've got layers."

Derek scoffed. "A thin layer of fat to warm your bones, maybe."

Stiles didn't stop kicking, but his heart sank. He would never be good enough. They could hear the lizard pacing around the pool, and Stiles wondered for the first time if Derek would actually save him. If he was so unimportant, so useless, why would he make sure the weak human made it home. For the first time since his mom died, Stiles didn't have anything to say. He knew Derek was right. He was 147 pounds of pale skin and fragile bones. Standing next to an alpha werewolf had reminded him that a weak human was all he would ever be.

"Stiles?" After a few silent minutes, Derek asked. Stiles didn't need superior senses to hear the concern in his voice.

"What, big guy?" Stiles didn't turn his head to look at him. He didn't want Derek to see the tears in his eyes; he just hoped the chlorine drowned out the scent.

Stiles's labored breathing was loud in his own ears, but Derek's voice was booming even though a whisper. "I'm sorry."

Stiles laughed. It probably wasn't the best response, but he had to wonder if Derek Hale had ever apologized to anyone in his life. "We're good, Wolfy."

"Why do I even put up with you?"

"Because you love me." Stiles gave him a kissy face, making Derek give him a deadpan look.

They had been in the water for over an hour, closing in on two. Stiles's muscles were no longer achy; they were numb. At first, he thought that was a good thing, but it meant he couldn't tell if he was kicking. His lungs burned, and if he weren't soaked, he would be sweating. His breathing echoed off the walls, and they had not heard the lizard in nearly ten minutes, but they knew it was still out there. Stiles knew they needed help; he wouldn't be able to hold Derek up much longer.

"Okay, okay, I don't think I can do this much longer." Really it was a feat that he had for so long already.

"No, no, no, no! Don't even think about it."

"Can't you just trust me this once?"

"No!"

Stiles knew Derek was broken; there was no way around it. Nearly every person had had ever trusted had died or betrayed him. "I'm the one keeping you alive."

It was like they were back at the beginning. They had already had this conversation. "Yeah, and when the paralysis wears off, you'll need me to fight it."

"And if I call for help, I won't drown trying to keep YOUR head above water." Stiles was gasping for breath. "Is that why you think I have been holding you up for the past two hours? Because I need you?" Stiles didn't know why, but it stung to think about that.

"Yeah, you don't trust me. I don't trust you. You need me alive, and that is why you are not letting me go."

Wow. Stiles was almost stuck with the hatred Derek thought he harbored for him. Derek really thought he was that damned selfish. He would have to prove his point, prove his worth. He let Derek go. He didn't look back at Derek's sinking for as he made a mad dash to his phone.

He had nearly been taken by the lizard, and all he had to show for it was the knowledge that his best friend was a cunt. He dived back down, wrapping his arms around Derek, pulling him back up to the surface.

"Did you get him?"

Stiles didn't need to answer. Derek knew almost as good as he did that Scott McCall could be a selfish fuck. He loved him; Scott was his best friend, his brother in all but blood. He was noble and had a good heart, but he was not a big picture kind of guy.

"I need something to hold on to." Stiles used the last bit of his strength to drag Derek to the diving boards. He pushed Derek against the wall before shrugging off his jacket. He looped one arm under Derek's armpit tossing the rest of the material over the board. He then tied the arms together, keeping Derek lifted out of the water. He was gasping for breath, and he couldn't kick anymore. Stiles reached for the foothold, but his fingers slipped. He heard Derek scream his name before he slipped below the surface.

He could see Derek's haunted face as he fell to the bottom. Bubbles blurred his vision as the last of his oxygen escaped his lungs. He could almost hear Derek's voice over the static and rushing water in his ears. The last thing Stiles saw before his vision went black was Derek's kicking legs. If he had control over his body, he would have smiled.

The water was forced from his lungs. Everything hurt, and Stiles's eyes swam, but Derek was leaning over him. Stiles couldn't hear what he was saying, but he could see the tears in his eyes. He never thought Derek Hale would cry over him.

Stiles gave him a blinding smile before coughing. "Told you I had layers."

Derek laughed, and it was the most beautiful thing Stiles had ever heard. "Like an onion, maybe." Stiles could feel every breath scrape along his damaged lungs.

"I was thinking more like a lasagna."

Derek rolled his eyes but laid his head on Stiles's chest. Stiles could feel him laughing, and he wondered if Derek looked up if he would see tears. Derek rubbed his face along Stiles's chest, and Stiles lifted his weak arm letting his arm drop on Derek's broad back.

"Okay, little red."

He wasn't useless, he wasn't weak, and Stiles knew that now. He had kept Derek safely above water for two entire hours. He was a damn rockstar.