My Head is an Animal - Side B [McHaleinski]

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

------------------------------------------------------------

Before:

Side A, Ch2

His son looks dead on his feet. That's the first thing John notices after coming through the door.

------------------------------------------------------------

The world swims back into fuzzy, pain-lined focus; which is the worst thing Stiles can think of. It feels like he'd just gotten to sleep, after tossing and turning in mind-numbing pain for who knows how long. The only aware part of his brain makes a desperate wish to go back to sleep, before the his body remembers the bone-deep cold. Before the icy pain makes it hard to move again. His body doesn't listen. With every passing second Stiles gets dragged further into consciousness. "Nooo..." he groans. Whimpers, really.

"Shhh."

"Mmn? Whazzi'?" Stiles is... warm. He's warm and cozy and... not hurting. In fact it's a little hard to feel anything other than warmth and like he's encased in molasses. Like his skull is full of fluff and not brain matter.

Wait.

"D'r'k?"

"Shut up, Stiles." Yeah, that's Derek. Derek's in his room. Being extremely grumpy. Again. It takes all his strength to even crack open his eyes. And when he does, Derek is a dark, blurry shape kneeling beside his bed. The world is tipped sideways and unfocused, but Stiles can barely make out the hand resting on his arm. His fingers barely twitch when he tries to move them. And he can't... exactly feel his arm. It's not the alarming dead weight like the kanima venom, though. Just... tingly and warm and odd. Like his arm has fallen asleep without the threat of pins and needles.

"W'cha doin'?" he slurs. He really wants to sleep.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep, Stiles."

And that, he wants to obey that. He definitely wants to obey that. Sleep sounds wonderful. If Derek wants to sit there and be creepy all night, well... he can go ahead and do that. Stiles nuzzles into his pillow, breathing a sigh. He's just relaxing back into a comfortable doze when Derek's voice washes over him.

"...Thanks. For coming back for me. For not thinking I'm a monster."

His eyes flutter, but don't quite manage to open. "Y're not a... not a m'nst'r..."

He's asleep before he finishes the sentence.

-----------------------------------------

It's his phone blaring Bark at the Moon by his ear that wakes him up next. He jumps before his brain even comes online, and regrets it. His entire body throbs, a lightning strike of pain that shoots all the way down to his toes before he collapses back with a pathetic whine. "Ffffuck," he hisses. Stiles wants nothing more than to shut his phone up and just go back to sleep, where he was warm and comfortable and not in pain.