Chapter 2: Found myself caring.

Derek wakes up with a start, the first sunrays peering through the window on his left, hands reaching out immediately to his abdomen to check his wounds. It's just a little sore and as he undoes the bandages, all he sees are little scars remaining. It will heal completely in a couple days at most, but for now, he's out of the woods. For now. And his uncle is probably looking for him still. Derek barely made it out of the hospital last night, he just got lucky his uncle was distracted justifying his unjustifiable actions. His uncle killed Laura, his own niece, all for what? For power. For revenge. And he hasn't had enough, he wants to kill Derek too. So yeah, Derek had better things to do than to listen to his insane uncle explain why he had to kill the last members of his family.

Derek slumps back down on the bed, his chest heavy with sorrow as he thinks about his sister. He misses her so much and never even has time to mourn her death. This is why he chooses that exact moment, early in the morning when everyone is still sleeping, to let himself actually feel something. Regret. Guilt. Grief. Laura accompanying him the first time he changed on a full moon. Laura playing with him when the other kids his age wouldn't. Laura baking him cookies after he got home from school. Laura rocking him to sleep the first night after the fire. After what happened that day, it was just Laura and him and now he's alone, the only family member he's got left wanting him dead.

Wiping the tears away from his face, Derek gets up and stretches a little, not forcing too much because of his sore muscles. He's still exhausted and can't really bring himself to leave and do anything; he doesn't have the will or the courage to face his uncle. He's just so tired of his miserable life; he just wants peace for once.

The room smells strongly of Danny, the particular scent he's learned to recognize overwhelming him. Turning around, he looks longingly at the bed, his body screaming to get under the covers and just sleep some more. But mostly he looks at Danny, the boy's limbs spread out over Derek's side of the bed, breathing slow and steady.

Derek caves and marches up to the bed, lifting the covers back over Danny before getting under them himself. It feels nice, sleeping on an actual mattress, not the sorry excuse for a bed he has back in his house. Derek can't help himself, he rolls Danny on his right side and gathers him in his arms, hugging him close, Danny's back pressed against him. Danny lets out a soft moan and actually leans into Derek, stirring out a strong sense of satisfaction that surprises him. It feels nice, Derek has to admit, tangling their legs together and nuzzling Danny's nape, inhaling deeply his scent—he might be addicted to the smell. It should be weird, they barely know each other, Danny's just a kid, which is why Derek should never have sexually assaulted him the way he did yesterday. In retrospect, Derek realizes just how inappropriate he was, even if he was driven by his instincts, he should have controlled himself better. He's not a pup like Scott, he was born a werewolf, has had the urges forever, has learned to keep them at bay. But to be fair, he has rarely had to control sexual urges, he's not used to them—especially as of late. God, he could actually be arrested for that—statutory rape, even thinking the words in his head makes him shiver—if not for the murders he didn't commit. Still, somehow, holding Danny like this, sharing a bed together, listening to Danny's steady heartbeat, his slow and calm breathing, it feels right. He could get used to this, Derek thinks before going back to sleep. Peace.

It's six a.m. already and Danny still hasn't showed up for their morning jog. Jackson's starting to get antsy, he doesn't like waiting for people. Scratch that, he hates it and Danny damn well knows this fact about him and it's just weird because Danny's a very punctual person in general.

Tired of waiting, Jackson starts without him and runs down their usual jogging track around the neighborhood, passing by the numerous suburban houses at a steady pace. Until the passes by Danny's house and stops, curiosity getting the best of him as his feet move towards the front door. Danny's parents go to work early in the morning and his sister is in college far away from home so it's just Danny, alone in the house.

Jackson smirks at the thought and climbs the couple of stairs up to the front porch, his smile fading away when he notices the blood stains on the white wood. Panic seizing him, he tries the front door but it's locked so he runs around the house out back in the garden, where Danny's bedroom window is facing and starts climbing up the wall.

He enters the room through the window, like he's done so many times before and what he sees paralyzes him on the spot. There's another man in Danny's bed and they'respooning. A lump forms in Jackson's throat, his heart beating fast and his face flushed with anger. Looking closer, he recognizes the other man and his face turns cold: Derek Hale. What's he doing here? How does he even know Danny? Is that why Danny was being so off yesterday? Was he hiding Derek from him?

Overwhelmed with jealousy, Jackson goes to Danny's side of the bed, kneeling in front of him, looking at his best friend's peaceful face. He dumped Lydia for Danny and right after that he finds him with a psycho in his bed. He shouldn't have waited so long to make a move, he should've been braver. He's always admired Danny for being out and proud at such a young age; he wishes he had the same strength.

It feels like heartbreak, seeing Derek's arm wrapped possessively around Danny's waist. Jackson reaches out and strokes Danny's cheek with his hand, missing the old days when they used to have sleepovers as kids and they'd share the same bed. He startles when he feels a strong grip on his wrist, causing him to look up at Derek who is now wide awake and glaring at him, his grip on Jackson's wrist strengthening.

"Hands off him," Derek growls, sitting up as Jackson jerks his hand free.

"What are you doing here?" Jackson hisses in a low tone so as to not wake Danny up.

"What are you doing here?" Derek shoots back, now standing up and approaching him menacingly, putting his body between Danny and Jackson.

"I'm just checking on Danny, he didn't show up for our run," Jackson explains, trying to hold his ground before Derek's intimidating frame. "Why is there blood on the front porch? I swear to God if you hurt him, I'm—"

"What? What are you going to do?" Derek cuts him off, leaving Jackson at a loss for words. "I didn't hurt him, it's my blood you saw. Now leave."

"I'm not leaving him alone with you," Jackson retorts, hating the thought of Danny spending any time with Derek.

"He's been alone with me all night." The last words infuriate Jackson and his fist flies towards Derek before he realizes what he's doing.

Derek catches his fist, his fingers crushing it and making Jackson scream in pain. "You're just a selfish kid full of himself," Derek spits at him as Jackson falls to his knees. "You don't deserve him."

Derek's last words hit him the hardest, straight to where it hurts the most. Jackson's insecurities about his own worth. The thing is, it might be true, what Derek just said. Jackson knows he is a jerk more often than not and has probably been taking Danny for granted for far too long. Danny has been his best friend for…forever, has been Jackson's very first friend, actually. Sweet and strong Danny, who has always been there for him from the very beginning, who has always stuck by his side no matter what.

"What's going on?" Danny asks, now awake, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

"Just an intruder," Derek says, gesturing at Jackson.

"Jackson?" Danny looks at his cell phone and curses. "Damn, sorry man, I didn't wake up for our run, obviously."

"Danny, do you have any idea who that guy is?" Jackson asks him, standing up and pointing at Derek.

"Uh…" Danny trails off, looking perplexed. Damn it, Jackson curses internally. Danny really doesn't know, and it pisses Jackson off to know Derek's taken advantage of Danny like this. Jackson is even less likely to leave now.

"You should leave," Derek threatens Jackson again, and it's starting to get on Jackson's nerves. Who does Derek think he is, ordering him around like this?

"I told you I wasn't leaving him alone with you, what right do you have telling me what to do? This isn't your house!" Jackson exclaims and walks up to Danny, grabbing his forearm. "Come on, Danny, let's go back to my place."

It happens so fast it leaves Jackson lightheaded. Somehow he finds himself pinned to the wall, a hand around his throat, blocking his airway. Derek is glaring at him, eyes glowing and his fangs out. Shit, so Derek's a werewolf too. Is everyone in this fucking town a werewolf now?

"Stop! Derek, leave him alone," Danny shouts, coming up behind Derek, grasping his shoulder.

"You're not going anywhere with him," Derek hisses, his canines shifting back to normal and his fingers relaxing, letting Jackson breathe again. He coughs a little as he catches his breath, falling down to his knees.

"Derek, maybe it's better if you do leave," Danny tells Derek, to Jackson's greatest relief.

He knew Danny would choose him, he always does and that's why Jackson loves him. But still, there was that moment of doubt when Jackson wondered, wondered if Danny had already found someone in his life to gravitate around other than Jackson. As far as he knows, Jackson has been the only person in Danny's life and he never even thought that this could change, that Danny would find someone else. Actually, Jackson's surprised it hasn't happened sooner but now that it has, he doesn't know what to do. Derek Hale has entered Danny's life and doesn't seem ready to let go of him. Well, Jackson isn't either and will put up a fight if he has to.

tbc...

Tun tun tun! Surprised?

I'd actually intended to write Jackson/Danny for a while and it just happened that I incorporated it in this story; THAT, I hadn't planned but it worked well, in my opinion. And besides, since Danny's getting so little attention on the show AND in the fandom, I figured he could use twice the love he deserves.
I want to thank all the people who have reviewed the story so far, I'm really grateful and eager for more so keep'em coming :D

Tell me what you think!