Sterek Library (a03 Edition)

But I'm Only Human

By: spaceprincessem

Summary:     

“Who did this to you?”

He watched Stiles flinch, taking a small step backwards with wide, fearful eyes. Derek felt his heart ache and he used all of his will power, the sweet lingering scents of vanilla and cinnamon, to anchor himself.

“Derek?” Stiles asked, his voice trembling slightly.

“Stiles,” Derek said hesitantly reaching out, the boy's bruised and bloodied face illuminated in the street lights, “who did this to you?”

Work Text:

But I'm only human

And I bleed when I fall down

It was bound to happen at some point, Stiles thought dully as he was shoved down the stairs. Wasn’t like he hadn’t been kidnapped before, but somehow this felt more terrifying than the last time, which was weird considering the last time it was by an Alpha werewolf hell bent on revenge. Now it was just a human. A hunter, but, still, human. Before his introduction into the supernatural he would have thought the line between what the stories convinced you were the monsters - like the big bad wolf - and the humans - often seen as the heroes - was thick, separate, uncrossable. Stiles had learned, though, and those lines had quickly become blurred.

Strange to think there had been a time when Stiles thought of someone like Derek Hale as the enemy, but now, now , something had changed. It had happened somewhere between being shoved up against the wall by the man and holding him up for over two hours in the swimming pool just weeks ago. Derek Hale wasn’t his enemy, wasn’t necessarily his friend, an ally perhaps?

But he was something . 

Something that made Stiles’ stomach flip whenever his grey-green eyes lingered on him a little too long or made his heart nearly beat out of his chest when they touched. Stiles always thought he had it figured out, that he knew himself, but whatever this feeling was it seemed more real, more genuine than anything he had felt for Lydia. And that shook Stiles to his very core. 

Another harsh shove brought him back to his reality, his ankle almost breaking as he caught himself on the end of the handrail. He hadn’t known why he was thinking of Derek while he was in very real danger.

Derek means safety his brain supplied unhelpfully.

Stiles heard the door slam and he began to turn to make some sarcastic comment to his unseen captor when his heart dropped into his stomach. Hanging from the ceiling, bound and looking terrified were Erica and Boyd.

“Oh no.” Stiles whispered as he immediately moved forward, determined to free them from their prison. “Hang on, I’ll get you out of here.”

He felt his gut twist uncomfortably, shaking hands reaching out for them. He knew the electrical current was keeping them from shifting and probably hurt like hell. Stiles knew they were Derek’s pack and he had considered them friends as well. He reached up, hissing in pain as he felt a shock of electricity snap through his fingers. Erica and Boyd whimpered and Stiles shook his hand, eyes turning down to the machine.

“I’m not going to abandon you.” Stiles muttered as his eyes raked over it, looking for the off switch. Maybe the three of them could escape together. All of Stiles' hope quickly drained away as the door at the top of the stairs opened and a stern, older voice called out to him.

“Now, Stiles, don’t you know better than to go near wild animals?”

Stiles turned, standing protectively in front of his friends, a snarl on his lips as Gerard descended the stairs, smiling pleasantly at him.