Little Red and the Sourwolf - One Shots

Smile Again

"Would you feel any remorse? Putting Stiles down?"

"Stiles yes. But not a nogitsune."

The exchange rolled around Derek's brain and tore ribbons of dread through his chest as he stared at the outside of the Stilinski household. Derek took a deep breath and got out of the Camaro. He walked through the door and was bombarded by a variety of smells. Derek tried his hardest to ignore the smell that he had begun to recognize as the nogitsune and focus on Stiles' autumn leaves and caramel scent instead.

"We're up here Derek" the Sheriff spoke from the top of the stairs.

Derek ascended the stairs slowly, taking in the pictures on the walls. Seeing old pictures of Stiles' genuine smile made his heart clench. Stiles hadn't smiled like that for a while. The door to Stiles' room was open and the Sheriff and the Argents were inside. The smell of the nogitsune, of ash, old blood and rotting bandages clogged Derek's nose. He breathed shallowly through his mouth and tried to focus on what the Sheriff was saying.

"This chess board is what Stiles used to explain to me about all of you."

Derek stared at the board in disbelief. He knew Stiles was smart, but sometimes he sort of forgot how smart he really was. Something warm and foreign swelled in his chest when he saw his name on the king.

"Is there any particular reason why my name is on the king?" He found himself asking before he could think.

The sheriff looked at him knowingly, "The king is the most important piece. The one that has to be protected at all costs."

Derek's brain short circuited. Is that how Stiles saw him? As the most important piece? He had never been anyone's most important piece. He knew the others were talking, formulating a plan. But all he could do was stare at the chess board. He couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him, he had to ask Stiles why.

".. he's at the loft"

Derek snapped to attention as the room moved. The Sheriff clapped him on the shoulder on the way out the door. He took one last look around Stiles' room, studiously avoiding the chess board before turning on his heels and walking away from the room.

Things at the loft were not going according to plan. Stiles was all void judging by how the loft smelled by the time they had arrived. Derek watched him warily as he let the sheriff put cuffs on him. He tried to catch the sheriff's eye, maybe he could hint at the fact that they weren't dealing with Stiles. When the cuffs became broken Derek moved towards Stiles, he wasn't even sure what he was going to do.

As he reached him, Stiles grabbed him, smashed his face into the table and threw him at the wall. Then several things happened at once. Argent had his gun trained on stiles, the sheriff had his gun trained on argent and Allison was crying out to put his gun down.

"Dad he's going to shoot me."

"Chris put the gun down."

"Come on Argent what are you going to do huh? Shoot me?"

The nogitsune was playing with them. Derek struggled to stand back up. He kept his eyes on Stiles. Almost imperceptibly his demeanor changed. His eyes flickered to Derek and tears started to fall down his face. He took a step closer to Argent and the air shifted. Derek's nostrils flared as autumn leaves and caramel graced his nose over the smell of the nogitsune. Stiles was fighting for control.

"Shoot me." Stiles' voice shook.

Chris hesitated before pulling the hammer back on his gun.

"Argent put the gun down!"

"Put me down Chris. Shoot me!" Stiles shouted, his hands flying wide to leave his chest open. "Shoot me!"

Derek moved without a thought to stand between the hunter and Stiles with a growl. If he hadn't been a wolf he wouldn't have heard Stiles' whispered plea.

"I don't want to hurt anyone else "

"No. There's got to be another solution." Derek growled around a mouthful of teeth.

He wasn't going to let Stiles throw his life away. He didn't care what the nogitsune had made him do, they'd figure it out. Derek had to know why the idea of him dying made his chest constrict. He had to know why he was the king. Derek would fight to keep Stiles alive. He was going to live and he was going to smile again.