A.N. I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters!
"Two choices, Stiles… Tick. Tock." Derek couldn't hear anything Stiles said over his own screaming and begging. "You, or Derek." The hooded figure began to tap his fingers on the panel near the buttons. He screamed, his throat raw and his voice cracking, pleading Stiles to choose him, to let him take it again.
"Derek I can't! You don't deserve-"
"STILES!" Even Parrish looked scared when he roared, bearing his teeth and fighting back a shift. He stared down Stiles, his eyes burning red, and tried with every part of him to make Stiles understand that he needed it to be him. He needed to take the pain, to protect Stiles. More than ever before, he needed Stiles to understand how much more it would tear him down to watch Stiles suffer than to take the torture himself.
"Der…" Stiles was crying, tears rolling off his face like waterfalls as he shook and trembled where he was tied. "Der, I can't… You don't deserve-... I can take…" But Derek forced his eyes to bore into Stiles'.
"I- can handle-" He stopped, hating how weak his voice made him sound and the way it made Stiles hesitate. "Just… not you." The figure laughed, bouncing his finger between the two buttons. Red for Derek, white for Stiles.
"Tick. Tock. Time to choose. So cute, protecting each other… All torn up over this. As if he won't heal." The figure gestured to Derek. "So, Stiles, your choice?" Stiles let his lower lip tremble and he looked into Derek's eyes, obviously in pain and concerned. But Derek just looked back at him, trying to look strong.
"Please…" he whispered, hoping Stiles could see it. He should have been begging Stiles to choose anyone else-but he couldn't. It hurt like hell and he wanted to die, but he wasn't going to watch Stiles suffer.
"Derek." One word and just like before the figure gleefully punched the button down. Red for Derek, white for Stiles. Red for Derek… He screamed before he even felt the pain, not realizing he'd even opened his mouth until suddenly it, and every other joint in his body, seized and locked. He tried to thrash but was held by the chains. His stomach churned and twisted as the pain coursed through his body, turning his body inside out again and again.
Finally, he could breathe. As the pain dwindled, stinging in his fingertips, he took in a breath as far his lungs would allow and lulled his head back again the cement. His whole body shook and spasmed no matter how hard he tried to hold still.
"Ooo! That one was a doozie, wasn't it Derek? I guess I bumped the intensity switch. Silly me." To his side, Parrish cursed at the figure but he sounded far away and weird, like he was underwater, so he couldn't understand anything he said. Stiles screamed, yelling at the figure to stop and at Derek to just hold on.
"Who will it be this time, Stiles? Tick tock." Stiles looked to him but Derek didn't have the voice to tell him what to do this time. He tried, willing his eyes to convey the message, but Stiles just shook his head over and over again, mouthing to him: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
"Who, Stiles. I don't have all day." I'm sorry, Der.
"Me." The figure laughed with joy and smiled to Stiles but it made Derek sick.
"Well isn't this a surprise? Very well." And when that gloved hand slammed down on the button, it wasn't red. It was white. Stiles' entire body seized and thrashed but Derek couldn't take his eyes off of it. Watching Stiles in so much pain, unable to breathe or escape…
Derek woke up drenched in sweat and screaming. Beside him, Stiles sat up and hugged him tight but it was all Derek could do to cling to him and try to breathe, let alone apologize or explain. Parrish stood slowly, dragging his IV stand behind him, and moved to the other side of his bed, offering him a little paper cup of water and placing a cool wet washcloth against his forehead. Nurses rushed in, including Melissa, and tried to push them away from him but Derek shook and held them both so tightly that the nurses began to hesitate. Melissa urged them out and silenced Derek's heart monitor. Once the door was closed, Melissa laid a hand on Stiles' leg.
"You guys okay?" Out of the corner of his eye, Derek saw Parrish nod and then felt a larger, calloused hand rub gently between his shoulder blades. Stiles nodded, too, and pulled Derek to rest his head on his chest. Finally, Derek nodded. He kept his eyes closed but heard Melissa let out a breath.
"Do what you can to get some rest, okay boys?" None of them said anything but she excused herself anyways, dimming the lights again and closing the door behind her.
"Der…?" But Derek shook his head and just hugged Stiles. They made room and pulled Parrish onto the bed to hug Derek's other side but neither closed their eyes, just trying to calm him. Only once his heartrate slowed to a normal, even rhythm did he feel Stiles fall asleep against his side. On the other, Parrish pressed his forehead against Derek's temple and fell asleep as well. Derek felt so raw and protected, surrounded by warmth and security, that despite the lingering fear he felt himself fading out of consciousness. And, before he could start to overthink or panic again, he was asleep as well.
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