Shut Up, Stiles (Sterek)

Involuntary Swimming

     So this is what Peter felt like when he died. Interesting. Was there this much water involved for him? It's so peaceful, the pain and crushing despair that I'm so used to, peeling from my body. A voice, strikingly familiar, floats towards me through the darkness. Maybe it's my mom, or Laura, finally coming to welcome me home. But it's not a loving pull, it's an insistent jerk downwards. Shit, I'm going to hell aren't I. It's getting closer, and louder, familiar and increasingly more annoying. Ah, must be Stiles, so not far off from the hell assumption.

     My head breaks the surface of the pool, gasping for air. I can't move my body from the neck down, but I can still feel the arm Stiles has wrapped around his neck. He's spluttering and breathing erratically, looking around wildly for help, while the Kanima circles us. I'm surprised he's still keeping both of us afloat.  

     "Tell me you got him," I groan, hoping to god Stiles didn't drop me to call for help in vain. Scott was off somewhere with Allison, and judging from Stile's answering huff, he wasn't as responsive as he should've been. All we can do now is wait.

     So there we float, in the middle of the high school pool, watching and waiting for the Kanima to jump at us or wait for us to tire and drown. It doesn't seem to be too keen on heading in for a swim for some reason. Erica is paralyzed somewhere to the side, and a flare of protectiveness for my pack member remains ignited in me. It hasn't been long, but her, Isaac, and Boyd are quickly becoming family.

     Stiles keeps us above water, somehow summoning the strength to keep treading and flapping his gangly arms while Scott hopefully gets here. The water drags at us from below, beckoning. I feel heavy and useless, relying on Stiles to keep us alive. It's a situation I thought impossible.

     "I could totally let you go again, give myself some rest," He grumbles, and I roll my eyes. It's the only thing I can do anyway, not like I can move my arm to give him a slap upside the head.

     "If you let me go again, I'll kill you," I struggle not to inhale chlorine-filled water. "As soon as I get un-paralyzed." Stiles, being the cheeky little shit he is, scoffs in disbelief, in between gasping strain.

     We remain in the middle of the pool until even I can feel him get tired. His grip on me never loosens, but his kicking feet start to slow.

     "I can't stay up any longer, I need something to hang on to." Floating me up on my back, he swim/drags me to one of the edges. I can't see what he has in mind to hold, seeing as there's a lizard monster just waiting for him to get close, but it's not like I can do anything about it. As we near the edge, I feel Stiles reach up, then slip, crashing us back down. My head submerges briefly yet again, when a roar sounds above us.

     A hairy hand belonging to Scott reaches down and throws us out of the water to the hard tiles behind him, as he faces down the Kanima across the pool. He roars another challenge at it, and it retaliates, charging him and hitting him full force with its tail. Scott crashes back into a mirror, and when he struggles to get up, a shiny glint appears in his hand.

       Staring the lizard down, Scott raises the shard of mirror up to it, letting it see it's horrifying reflection. Something like shock registers on its face, and it recoils. It lets out a piercing shriek and turns, vaulting off the wall and crashing through the ceiling. Scott turns to Stiles and I, where we sit trying to catch our breath. Devoid of Stile's warmth, I start to shiver slightly.

     Scott and Stiles head out to the car, and I go to where Erica is starting to move again. I get her up and let her lean on my shoulder for a bit, and meet up with the best friends in the parking lot. They're studying at a computer on the trunk of a car, trying to procure more knowledge about the creature that ruined everyone's nights.

     "It's called the Kanima." I interrupt, answering Scott's question of, "how are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?"

     Stiles straightens and looks at me, exasperated. "You knew the whole time." He looks frustrated, and I can still smell fear and exhaustion rolling off of him.

     "No, only when it was confused by its own reflection," I explain, though that does little to placate him. I look at Scott, who has a realization written on his face.

     "It doesn't know what it is," He murmurs in wonder, confused, but he's got the wheels turning.

     "Or who." I add.

     "Well what else do you know." Stiles makes sure I can feel his distrust of me. I look back and forth between them, wondering how much I should share.

     "Just stories, rumors." I don't know everything, but what I've heard is enough to concern me.

     Scott is still looking for more information. "So it's like us?"

     "A shapeshifter, yes," I nod in confirmation, "But it's, it's not right. It's like a, a," I search for the right word, but Stiles beats me to it.

     "It's an abomination." We lock eyes and I nod slightly.

     Scott proposes that we join up with the Argents, but I won't hear it. I tell him I want to kill it, and that's what I'm gonna do.

     After locating Isaac and Boyd with Erica by my side, we all return to the Way Station, weary and ready to pass out. After everyone has gone to their respective houses, and Isaac's breathing nearby has evened and slowed, I'm still awake.

     Stiles saved me. From drowning. His skinny little ass kept us both afloat, and clung to me to keep me alive. We were both terrified in those painful minutes, or what felt like hours, even though I hid it much better than he did. The ghost of his arms around me lingers, for reasons I can't explain, and they remain there as sleep slowly takes me.