Not much action in this one. Um.. well, just read it, okay!
Chapter 9: Touch of Hope
"Come on, Der.. don't do this, please."
He wants to open his eyes but they feel too damn heavy. That voice sounded quite far away but he knew he had to focus on it. Something told him it would guide him in the right way.
"Please," the voice sounded like it broke a little. "Please, Der. Wake up."
Come on, he needs to wake up now. He can't bear to hear that voice in despair. He tried one last time and his senses started to come back to him slowly. The first thing he could feel was a familiar smell of lemongrass and coffee. It soothed his nerves. He focused his hearing and picked up several heartbeats. One of them sounded the closest and it was faster than regular heartbeats.
Then he felt someone sitting close to him. One hand was on his arm and the other was engulfed in his palm. The hands felt familiar and the one in his palm fit perfectly. It was smaller than his, with less callouses and softer. He tried to move his own hand, just barely so the person holding it would know he was coming to his senses.
He knew he succeeded when he heard that same voice gasp loudly.
"Derek!"
HOURS EARLIER
Stiles could see Derek passing out from the corner of his eye. He quickly moved and held the older man before he collapsed right on the floor. He was quite heavy for Stiles to hold up on his own. So many muscles, duh. Jackson quickly moved closer to Stiles and helped him move the Alpha to the couch.
Derek's blue Henley had turned almost black and had a big hole in the middle from the metal pipe. It was drenched in blood that was drying up on the fabric. Jackson and Stiles got Derek settled on the couch. Stiles was almost shaking as he watched the older man lying motionless.
"Is he okay?" His voice shook, eyes never wavering from the thick eyebrows and stubble.
"His heartbeat's strong." Jackson reported after observing his Alpha for a minute. "He lost a lot of blood, but he's already started to heal. I'll call Deaton to come check him for internal injuries." Stiles just nodded his head, still not moving his gaze away from Derek.
Don't you dare die on me, Sourwolf.
Stiles felt another presence behind him and heard low sniffling. He knew without turning away that it was Cora. Stiles started to feel incredibly guilty for crowding up Derek's space all by himself when his own sister was right there! He quickly stood up and turned towards Cora. She had tears in her eyes as she stared at her brother. A faded bruise was on her neck from where Ennis was holding her.
"You can hear his heartbeat too, right?" Stiles asked softly. He waited for the youngest Hale to nod. "Then you know he's okay. He's gonna be fine."
"I just can't lose him again." Her voice broke as she whimpered out. She collapsed on the armchair right by the couch. Her head bent low and her body shook with quiet sobs. Stiles quickly moved to his knees in front of her and took her hands in his.
"Hey hey, it's okay. You're not gonna lose him, alright? Hey." She looked up at him to see his eyes glowing with resolve. "Your brother is the strongest person I know, physically and mentally. He's been through so much and he still hasn't given up. He still has faith in his pack, in his family. We need to have faith in him too, right?" Cora nodded her head. Her sobs had died down now but her eyes still shone with tears.
Stiles moved closer and wrapped the girl in a hug, resting his chin on her right shoulder. The angle was a little awkward since Cora was sitting on the armchair and Stiles was bending down in front of her, but it didn't matter. He had to comfort the girl who was scared for her brother's life.
"He'll be okay."
Stiles didn't know who he was comforting at this point. All he knew was that he needed Derek to wake up.
I need to see those beautiful hazel-blue eyes, even if they're glaring a hole at me.
Deaton showed up ten minutes after that. He found Cora sitting quietly in the armchair, staring at nothing in particular. Stiles was sitting on the small carpet on the floor by the couch. He had one hand lying by Derek's side and was resting his chin on it. He moved out of the way and stood behind the couch as soon as Deaton showed up. Deaton didn't say anything, just got to work. He cut away Derek's torn and bloodied t-shirt first. Stiles had to fight with himself not to start crying at the sight of Derek's torso. The Alpha looked battered, for the lack of a better word. There was a large hole surrounded by multiple cuts and scratches all over his chest. The scratches were halfway healed but the wound from the metal pipe had barely started healing.
Deaton checked the Alpha over. He had just finished taking Derek's temperature when engines sounded outside. Soon Scott, Allison, Erica, Boyd, Lydia and Isaac showed up. Stiles looked at Jackson questioningly. Jackson just nodded his head briefly.
"I called them." Stiles didn't say anything, just gave a brief nod back.
Surprisingly, Peter showed up as well. Everyone except Deaton and the unconscious Alpha frowned as soon as the oldest Hale walked in. He didn't even spare them a glance. Peter just rushed over to Cora and stood on her side. He put a hand on her shoulder which she didn't shrug off. Her focus was solely on her brother.
"It was delayed, but his healing did kick in." Deaton said as he started putting away his stuff. "He lost way too much blood, not to mention the injuries he received from an Alpha. The only reason he's even breathing right now is because he is an Alpha himself."
"And because of Stiles." Jackson muttered under his breath but every werewolf in the room clearly heard him since Stiles could hear him just fine. Everyone stared at Stiles who just shook his head a little.
"Not now." He did not want to dwell on what happened earlier. Not until Derek wakes up. Yes, it was a huge deal. Apparently, he's magic or something which is.. are you kidding! But he can't focus on anything other than Derek. He needs to see the older man wake up.
"Mystery.. nice." Peter said slowly with a little smirk. Scott and Lydia scowled hard at the former Alpha. They were probably the ones who hated the oldest Hale the most. Scott still blamed Peter for biting him and Lydia couldn't let go of the torture she went through when Peter used her to resurrect himself. Jackson had a frown on his face as he detected distress on the older man. He really was worried about his nephew. He was just trying to deflect his emotions by using humor.
"We need to give him time to heal on his own. I suggest you move him somewhere more comfortable since we don't know how long it will take." Deaton stood up with a little pouch in his hand. "This is a tea made from some Chinese herbs. It has medicinal properties. Give it to him once a day for a week after he wakes up. It should help with the internal injuries."
Deaton was just holding the pouch out, not really directed at anyone. He wasn't surprised when Stiles was the one who took the pouch from him.
"Thanks Doc."
"I think we need to have some words about something that happened here today." Deaton didn't move his gaze away from Stiles who froze at the words. But he recovered quickly.
"Not until he wakes up." His voice held no room for argument. Deaton just bowed his head once.
"I understand. Whenever you're ready."
Scott walked Deaton out while Jackson and Boyd picked Derek from the couch to shift him to his bedroom upstairs. Stiles immediately sat on Derek's side, his gaze never leaving the older man. The rest of the pack decided to leave them alone. They all went downstairs except for Cora who sat on the other side of her brother. She and Stiles sat together in silence, both worried about the man lying unconscious in front of them.
"Jackson!" The beta in question looked up from where he was making coffee to see Scott and the rest of the pack approaching him. "What were you saying earlier? About Stiles?" All of them had a questioning look on their faces as they stared at Jackson to answer. He just sighed and stirred the sugar in his coffee.
"I have no idea what happened. I don't think even Stiles knows what happened."
"What happened after you and Stiles got here?" Lydia asked while folding her hands over her chest.
"The woman, Kali, she had this metal pipe lodged into Derek's stomach. I don't know how long she was holding him like that. He lost a lot of blood. It was like a horror movie." Erica visibly winced. Everyone else also had a sour look on their faces. Boyd and Isaac glanced over by a wooden beam that had a big hole in the middle. There was a pool of dried blood under the beam.
"I think Derek didn't fight back much because of Cora. This other Alpha Ennis, he was holding her up by the neck. After Stiles and I got here, Stiles was pretty mad at seeing Derek like that. He tried to get closer to Kali who refused to let Derek go. Ennis tried to stop Stiles but then he was.. I have no fucking idea what happened but he was on the other side of the room as soon as he touched Stiles."
Everyone kept staring at Jackson with disbelief in their eyes. Scott had his mouth hanging open. Jackson stepped closer and pushed Scott's chin to close his mouth hence he catch a fly. That snapped the other beta out of his revere. He shook his head as to clear his thoughts.
"You mean.. how did he- did he fly or something? What the hell did Stiles do?!"
"Like I said, I have no idea."
"Is he trying to figure it out?" Allison asked from beside Scott. Jackson shook his head.
"I don't think he's gonna focus on anything else until Derek wakes up. It's better to not ask him about it now. We should wait until Derek's okay." Scott slowly nodded his head after a few moments.
"You're right. He's too worried about Derek right now to even think about anything else. I had no idea they had become friends or something already." Jackson resisted the urge to scoff at that. You have no idea. "Once Derek gets better, I'm sure Stiles will be the first one to find out what happened. He hates mysteries."
No one argued with that.
Stiles startled awake from a nightmare. Only it wasn't a nightmare, it was a memory. Well, sort of. He was dreaming about Derek and Miss toe-claw putting that pipe through him. In his dream, the pipe didn't go through his torso; it went into Derek's heart. That's when Stiles woke up from the dream. He looked at Derek's unconscious form and saw his chest rising and falling. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Cora was fast asleep on the other side of the bed. After a while, Scott and Isaac came into the room. Scott had a steaming cup in his hand. Stiles could smell the heavenly aroma of coffee whiffing into the room.
"Hey, I heard you wake. Thought this might help." Scott handed him the cup. Isaac went to Cora and gently shook her awake. Cora snapped her eyes open and looked at all of them confusedly for a few seconds before realization dawned on her face.
"You should get some rest as well. In a proper bed. We're all here for Derek. I promise I'll come get you as soon as anything changes." Isaac said in a soft but firm voice. Cora kept staring at him quietly. She nodded her head after a while and stood up. She kissed Derek on the forehead and brushed his hair with her fingers before leaving the room with Isaac following behind.
Stiles took a few sips of his coffee before realizing something.
"Shit! Shit! What time is it? My dad must be freaking out. I didn't call him or anything! He doesn't know where I am." He quickly pulled his phone to dial his father's number. Scott held his hand to stop.
"Hey hey, breath. Relax. I already called him and told him you're staying over at my place. Mom's got a night shift but I let her know too, just in case your dad decides to ask her or something."
Stiles sighed in relief and nodded before putting his phone away.
"Thanks, buddy."
"No problem."
They stayed in comfortable silence for a while. Stiles kept sipping his coffee. Scott sat on the leather armchair by the window.
"I didn't know you and Derek had become.. friends?" Scott said uncertainly. Stiles offered him a little smile.
"I guess you could say that."
"How'd that happen?" Scott asked, genuinely curious.
"I have no idea." Stiles stared at his hand, the image of them glowing golden sparks flashed in his mind for a second. "All I know is that Derek doesn't deserve this. He's already been through way too much."
"Yeah, no shit. I can't even imagine being in his place, man." Scott looked at the Alpha lying on the bed, guilt coursed through him as he remembered when he forced Derek to bite Gerard. "I wonder where he gets the strength to keep going."
"That's just who he is." Stiles's voice was soft but clearly audible just the same. "He doesn't know when to give up."
Stiles woke up with a gasp. He almost screamed himself awake from another nightmare he just had. He saw Kali again, with her claws digging into Derek's throat as she held him above ground. Stiles just watched helplessly as she grinned maliciously and a loud crack sounded. Derek's lifeless body fell on the ground.
Stiles looked at the unconscious Alpha lying on the bed and moved closer to him. One of his hands was already on the Alpha's arm. He held Derek's hand with his other one and gripped tightly. The warmth from his hand soothed his nerves a little.
Warm. Alive. He's okay, he's alive..
Stiles looked at the older man's face. It still looked a little pale but he definitely looked better than before. It was taking too long. He needs to see those impossible hazel-blue eyes. Images from his nightmare flashed in front of his eyes and he felt his panic spiking up.
"Come on, Der.. don't do this please." His voice was barely above a whisper. He had no idea if the Alpha could hear him or not. All he knew was that he needed him to wake up. The mere thought of anything happening to him made his insides clench in agony. "Please." This time, his voice did break a little.
"Please, Der. Wake up." Stiles leaned forward and rested his forehead against Derek's arm. He was on the verge of crying but he forced himself to keep the tears at bay. He couldn't be weak right now. Derek will be fine, he'll be fine..
He kept repeating that mantra over and over in his head. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he almost missed the slight twitch in the hand he was holding. But he did feel it again. As soon as he felt the hand move, he stood up straight with a gasp.
"Derek! Derek, oh my god!" The other man groaned a little and tried to sit up. Stiles immediately moved to help him and adjusted the pillows behind him. Derek looked at him properly, the hazy look in his eyes clearing up as he stared at the glinting whiskey-brown eyes. Stiles grinned ear to ear before rushing forward and throwing his arms around the Alpha.
"Ow.." Derek groaned a little but still held Stiles in his arms. His hands rested on Stiles's back as he buried his nose in the spastic teen's neck.
"Sorry sorry, I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" Stiles exclaimed and immediately leaned back but Derek refused to let him go completely. Stiles barely noticed as he was busy looking over the now conscious Alpha. "You okay? You need anything? Oh! Deaton left this herbal tea that he said you should take after waking up. Wait, but he didn't say how long after you woke up. Should I call him and ask? What if there are side effects if the timing-"
"Stiles!" Derek said a little loudly but he was smiling. His eyes held something warm as he stared at the teen in his arms. Stiles was sitting right beside Derek, his knee brushing the older man's thigh. His arms held onto Derek's shoulder while the other man had one hand on his waist and the other on his lower back.
"Yeah?" Stiles breathed deeply as he finally stared into those hazel-blue eyes he missed so much.
"Shut up." There was nothing but fondness in Derek's voice as his smile widened. Stiles relaxed a little but neither of them moved back from each other. Instead Stiles shuffled closer and gripped the white t-shirt tighter in his hand. Jackson helped him put Derek in a fresh t-shirt earlier.
"You scared me there Sourwolf, you know?" Stiles's voice shook a little, tears sprung to his eyes once again. But he was pretty sure they won't be all sad tears this time.
"Sorry about that." Derek pulled him even closer, their chests almost touching. Stiles moved his hands to wrap them around Derek's neck. It was like they were being pulled towards each other by an invisible force. None of them bothered to think about their positions. All they could think about was being as close to each other as possible. They needed the assurance that it was okay, they were okay.
"It's cool. I'm just glad you're okay now." Stiles murmured. His eyes fluttered shut as he leaned his forehead against Derek's. The Alpha had his eyes closed as well. He felt himself drown in the boy's scent. His wolf was happy to be near the human.
Derek tilted his head up, their noses brushed against each other. He kept moving until he felt soft lips touch his own. Stiles softly gasped against his lips, his warm breath brushing over the Alpha's mouth. Derek didn't move as he waited for Stiles to make the next decision. He didn't have to wait long as he felt the soft petal-like lips move against his. They were even softer than they looked. Their lips moved in sync in a slow, leisure kiss. It was like they were savoring the moment, soaking in each other's taste.
Derek tilted his head to get a better angle, his teeth nipping softly at Stiles's lower lip. The teen was breathing loudly, his chest moving heavily against Derek's. The Alpha deepened the kiss, opening Stiles's mouth with his lips. Stiles anticipated the moment their tongues would touch and he would really taste the werewolf in his arms. Derek froze as soon as he heard the door knob being turned and moved back. Stiles looked confused for a split second. His hooded eyes and shiny lips was almost too much for Derek as he resisted pulling the teen into his lap and finishing what they started.
The sound of the bedroom door opening caused Stiles's eyes to widen. He sprung away from the Alpha and tried to jump away from the bed. But a hand held his tightly, not allowing him to move much further. Stiles lets out a little huff and sat beside the Alpha, his cheeks flaming hot. Derek held onto his hand and looked towards the intruder who turned out to be one of his betas.
"Oh thank God!" Jackson exclaimed. He looked at them for a second, his eyebrows calculating. Before he could say anything, more footsteps sounded. Isaac and Cora rushed inside the room.
Cora had a huge grin on her face as she watched her brother awake and sitting upright. She quickly rushed forward and threw herself at her brother. Derek hugged her back and wrapped his right hand around Cora's back, his left was still gripping Stiles's hand. Their joined hands were kind of tucked under Derek's sheets so the others in the room couldn't see it. They just saw Stiles sitting on the other side of the Alpha as Cora hugged her brother tightly. Everyone was just happy to see the Alpha regaining consciousness.
Isaac scrunched his nose a little and muttered under his breath, "Are those flowers?" No one really noticed, except for Jackson. The beta focused his senses and detected the lilac smell once again. He was sure now that he wasn't the only one who could smell it. But he needed to figure out what it meant.
The other betas and Peter showed up as well. Derek didn't say anything after seeing Peter; his expression didn't give away his feelings at seeing the older Hale. Peter didn't make any inappropriate comments either. He left pretty soon after making sure Derek was okay.
It was almost four in the morning by the time pleasantries were over.
"It's a school night, guys. You should probably get some rest." Derek tried to usher everyone out of the room. Stiles was still sitting right beside him. The betas all agreed and started to tumble out of the room. Cora was one of the last to leave. She kissed Derek on the forehead and smiled.
"Glad that you didn't die on me."
"Me too, sis." Derek smiled back and squeezed her hand. Cora left the room with only Jackson and Stiles remaining. Jackson knew the Alpha was itching to throw him out. He was still pretty shocked that no one else in the pack seemed to pick up on the tension between their Alpha and the spastic human (human part is still up for debate).
"You need anything, Derek? Extra blankets or pillows?"
"No, I'm good. Thanks." There was a hint of impatience in the Alpha's voice. Jackson smirked inwardly.
"Hey, Stiles. You can take the couch downstairs. We're all bunking on the floor. You can squeeze in with us as well. If you want, you know.. whatever's comfortable."
"He's fine." It was Derek who answered. Stiles looked to be a little out of loop. He was looking at them back and forth.
"You want me to give you a ride in the morning? We did come in my car-"
"Jackson!" Derek said through gritted teeth. "I'm feeling a bit tired. I want to sleep. Would you mind discussing all these in the morning?" Jackson didn't have to listen to Derek's heartbeat to know that the Alpha was lying. He still nodded his head with the most innocent expression he could muster.
"Of course! So sorry. That was so inconsiderate of me. I'll let you get some rest. Let me know if you need anything, alright? I'm a light sleeper."
"Will do, thank you." Derek's patience was running real thin. Finally, Jackson left the room and closed the door behind him. The beta laughed quietly to himself as he walked downstairs.
Stiles and Derek sat in silence for some long seconds. Soon, Stiles started to fidget with his hands.
"Um, I should- should probably go and get some sleep. You should rest as well." He quickly got to his feet but couldn't move away from the bed. A large warm hand was gripping his smaller one firmly.
"And where do you think you're going?"
I did NOT plan on including a kiss in this chapter. It just happened. Hope you guys liked it!
