Work Text:
*Sort of a part 2 to The Fox and The Wolf*
The smell of blood was thick in the air. Derek could hear five heartbeats inside. The alpha had already succeeded in taking out the four men guarding the building. He wanted to go in and finish off the others, but he was under strict orders to wait.
Four heartbeats.
Derek heard the fighting inside but made no move to join in, instead leaning against the old metal siding of the warehouse.
Three heartbeats.
The sound of gunfire was loud in Derek's sensitive ears, but he remained just outside the door.
Two heartbeats.
Pleading could be heard in a thick Russian accent. It made Derek smile.
Then, only one heartbeat could be heard.
Derek heard the final heartbeat grow near. He positioned himself, ready to strike.
The door pushed open and Derek grabbed the man's shirt and slammed him down. The man reacted quickly, however, pulling a blade and pressing it dangerously hard against Derek's throat.
Derek smiled before leaning down and pressing his lips to the other man's. The blade still at his throat.
"You really should be more careful," He whispered into the kiss.
"Says the one with a poisoned dipped blade to his throat," Stiles' voice purred.
Derek lifted off of Stiles, helping him up in the process.
"You get what we needed?" Derek asked, glancing around for any intruders.
"Of course," Stiles held up the USB drive as he sheathed his blade.
Derek pulled Stiles' into him by the lapels of his jacket, bringing them chest to chest.
Stiles was the one to lean in this time. His lips slotting against Derek's easily. The kiss was rough and tasted of copper and salt.
Suddenly Derek pulled away, his eyes glowing red.
Knowing what that meant, Stiles reached for his knife once again.
"So it's true," A voice spoke from the shadows.
"The Wolf and The Fox hunting together."
"Gerard," Stiles sneered. He knew that voice.
"Tell me, how did this happen?" The older man stepped closer and out of the shadows with three men on his heels holding automatic weapons.
Derek let out a low growl warning them not to come any closer. He stepped forward, putting himself between Stiles and the machine guns. He could heal.
Stiles, knowing the bullets weren't your run of the mill bullets, but wolfsbane bullets, pulled Derek back, positioning himself in front of the werewolf instead.
Derek let out another growl, but now was not the time to argue with Stiles.
"What do you want?" Stiles demanded.
"I believe you have something that belongs to me," Gerard held out a hand.
"You want the locations of every werewolf in North America?" Stiles scoffed, holding up the USB drive he'd just confiscated.
"You're the buyer," Derek spoke up then, realization in his tone.
"I am, and you've just murdered my seller, saving me a great deal of money. So as a thank you I'm offering to spare your lives, all I ask is that you hand over the drive," Gerard took another step forward.
"Not a chance," Stiles tucked the drive into his pocket, safely.
"I'm going to get that drive, so you can either hand it over, or I can pry it from your head hands," Gerard sneered.
"I'd like to see you try," Stiles smirked.
Gerard gestured at his men to open fire, but before they had the chance, Stiles had thrown his knife into one's neck and Derek had the other pinned with his teeth in his throat.
The third man reacted slow, but he managed to get a few shots off in Stiles' direction, missing the hunter by a hair. Stiles lunged at the man, knocking the gun from his hands and busting his face with the blunt end.
Blood spewed from the man's nose. Stiles swiped another blade from his side, slitting the man's throat. Blood gushed from the wound as he slid to the ground, dead.
When Stiles looked up he saw Gerard stumble back, dodging Derek's claws. He wrapped his arm around the older man's neck and held tightly. Just as he was about to land the fatal blow a sweet voice spoke up, halting him in his actions.
"I wouldn't do that if you want him to live."
Stiles' eyes widened at the sight of Kate Argent, Gerard's daughter, holding Derek. A blade dug deep into his side and a gun to his head.
"You kill him, The Wolf dies," She smirked.
"No, this can't be. He killed you," Stiles frowned at the woman. Everyone knew Kate had been taken out by Derek ages ago.
"That's what I wanted you to think, but he didn't do it quick enough. A blow to the neck only allowed me to bleed out, but not before the transformation took hold," Kate's eyes glowed a bright blue color then.
Stiles jaw set harshly at the sight.
"Let him go," Kate demanded, nodding towards the hunter in Stiles' hold.
"He'll only kill you," Stiles frowned. Why would Kate want her father saved? He believed all werewolves should be hunted down. He would make no exception for Kate.
"Not if I kill him first," She sneered, her canine's extending.
"That's what I'm planning on doing," Stiles could see the wolfsbane poisoning getting to Derek. His side oozing blood and black goo.
"I want to be the one to do it," Kate snapped, "Now release him, or Derek dies."
"Don't," Derek wheezed, his eyes shifting between their soft green and alpha red.
"If she kills you, she'll become an alpha," Stiles tried to put on a hard exterior, pretending the only thing he cared about was the power Kate would gain, but in reality, his murderous heart was worried about Derek. In the two years since they'd been hunting together, the wolf had wedged his way into Stiles' heart. He didn't want to lose him.
"You can kill her next," Derek's voice was almost begging.
"Stiles knew that letting Gerard go was too much of a risk. Kate said she wanted her father dead, but what if she was lying? He needed to kill them both, but Derek's body was shielding Kate's. There was no way, Derek would survive. He only had one blade left and it was currently at Gerard's carotid artery.
"Stiles," Derek snapped, his voice weak and broken.
Stiles weighed his options. If he killed Kate, Derek would live, but Gerard would likely escape his hold. If he killed Gerard, Derek would die, and Kate would likely get away. Either way the risk was too great. Gerard had killed too many people to let him go, but Kate would be even more powerful, and she was just as bad as Gerard.
"I'm growing impatient," Kate hissed. She pulled the hammer on her gun back readying her shot.
Stiles' breathe caught in his throat. He had to be smart.
"You have five seconds, or I kill Derek."
Stiles' grip on the knife tightened. He was the best hunter alive. He knew the way hunters and werewolves worked. He knew how fast a gun could shoot. He knew how long it would take for someone to bleed out. He had to think fast.
"Five."
Stiles' heart leapt as he met Derek's eyes. The pain in them hurt him.
"Stiles, don't," Derek knew what Stiles was thinking.
"Four."
"Trust me," Stiles whispered.
"Three."
"Fine. I'll let him go, just don't hurt Derek," Stiles quickly took his blade and stabbed it into Gerard's temple before letting him go. He then immediately lunged, tackling both Kate and Derek.
The gun went off.
Stiles' knocked the gun away from Kate's hand, before gripping her in a headlock.
"He's alive, so long as the blade stays where it is."
"Neat trick," Kate growled, thrashing in Stiles' grip. She would get away if Stiles' didn't act fast.
"They don't call me The Fox for nothing," Stiles smirked, he noticed a hilt on her thigh. He reached out and pulled the blade stabbing it into her temple. The wound sizzled as the wolfsbane burned her.
"You really shouldn't play with wolfsbane, it's toxic to werewolves," Stiles laughed, "Tell me, how does it feel to know you're gonna die the same way your father did?" He whispered before yanking the blade out.
Kate fell to the side, blood gushing from her head.
Stiles looked over then to see Derek lying on his side, blood pooling around him.
"Derek," Stiles rushed to the werewolf's side.
"Stiles," Derek was clutching where the knife had been.
"Wolfsbane," Stiles spoke worriedly, gripping Derek's hand.
"Okay, hold on I can fix this," Stiles reached for the lighter he kept in his back pocket.
"This is gonna hurt like a bitch, but just hold on," Stiles moved Derek's hand and held the lighter to the wound where the knife had been.
Derek hissed in pain as the flames turned blue, burning the poison away.
"I've got you," Stiles held Derek's hand as the veins surged black.
Derek's head lolled back. Only then did Stiles notice the gunshot wound on his arm.
"Shit," Stiles swore reaching for his lighter once again, "Come on Derek, I've got you."
Derek's wounds both closed slowly, the bleeding stopping much to the hunter's relief.
"Derek, please, come on, you've got to wake up. I don't want to do this without you," Stiles spoke quietly, his hand gripping Derek's tightly.
The alpha made no move to wake up.
"Damn it, Derek, please," Stiles' felt his eyes prick. He'd only cried once, and it was when he'd lost his father almost ten years ago. He'd gotten caught in the crossfires of a fight between a hunter and a werewolf. It was what made him become The Fox.
"Derek, I need you to wake up, please. I need you. Damn it, I-I..." Stiles trailed off, a single tear sliding down his face.
Images of their first meeting in the woods two years ago ran through his head. How weary they were of each other but how attracted they were to one another. The many hunts they went on circulated his memory next. The first time he woke up next to Derek in the morning. The many nights shared in bed. The kisses they took for granted.
"I love you, Derek," Stiles whispered, his voice breaking as his hand gripped the alpha's tighter.
Derek's eyes opened then, his breath sharp and shallow.
A breath punched out of Stiles' chest in relief.
"Stiles, are you crying?" Derek had never seen the human cry before. It worried him in a way Derek had never been worried before.
"I thought I was gonna lose you," Stiles answered, his voice shaky.
"I'm not going anywhere," Derek smiled as he sat up slowly. He was pale from blood loss but at least the poison was out of his system.
Stiles helped the wolf to his feet.
"Let's get out of here before anyone else shows up," Derek said looking down at Kate's dead body.
"One last thing," Stiles walked over to where Gerard lay twitching. He yanked his blade from the man's temple finally putting him out of his misery.
"Let's go home, I need to rest," Derek stepped up next to Stiles.
The hunter nodded, slipping his arm around Derek's waist. He looked up at the wolf with a fond smile.
"What?" Derek frowned down at the fox with curious eyes.
"Just glad you're alright, this job would be boring without you," Stiles said, averting his eyes. Being vulnerable didn't come easy to him.
He briefly debated telling Derek he loved him, now that he was conscious, but decided against it.
Maybe another day.