Stiles had never felt an ache like this in his bones; with one arm, he was holding Derek Hale above water and the other, he had been treading for...it had to be two hours now. He was supposed to talk with Lydia, maybe finally get her to start falling for him the same why he had been falling for her for years.
But instead, he was treading water in the Beacon Hills High School pool with that...thing pacing the edges pool and wishing he could just stop to make the leg cramps go away and give his sore arms the chance to have a break; he knew that he couldn't drop Derek again while he was still paralyzed though. 'Pretty sure werewolves can't heal from drowning.'
The water was sliding into his mouth now and he knew that inhaling it was very bad for both of them for a multitude of reasons including drowning and pneumonia. "I can't stay up any longer," he announced while choking on the chlorine, "I need something to hold onto."
He turned, trying to desperately find a handle as his body started to give up on treading and letting out a quick sigh of relief when he saw the handles on the diving board. So Stiles tightened his grip on Derek's waist and started to swim with his left arm; his head kept going under, the chlorine stung his eyes and his clothes kept weighing him down.
'Wish I could kick these cleats off right now.'
He reached the handlebar and reached up to grab it, but his hand slipped and he just couldn't do it anymore. Not when his head felt like it was going to explode, his chest burned and his entire body ached terribly. 'Too tired...'
He let go and let the darkness take him.
...
"Hey, Stiles," Noah's voice pulled him away from his computer and towards his father's somber tone, "we found Matt's body in the river. He drowned."
"He did?" Stiles' eyes nearly popped out of his head, trying not to recall what had happened a few nights before in the swimming pool and just how dark the pool had been, "do you think it's murder or-"
"Suicide is what we're thinking right now."
"He'd kill himself with his greatest fear?"
"It's not the strongest theory, but it's more likely then murder," Noah explained and Stiles wished for a brief moment that he could just tell him everything and that someone must have killed Matt to get control of the kanima, but he pushed it back. 'He doesn't know for his safety'.
"Anyway, everyone in Matt's grade is required to check in with the guidance counselor. School's orders."
Stiles groaned as his father walked away, dreading the fact that he was gonna be pulled in that office, before looking back at his research.
Voluntary Apnea; holding your breath as you're submerged underwater. As you continue to drown, it becomes involuntary, resulting in inhaling only right before you black out