Fic: we’re still alive
Stiles walked into Derek and Laura’s bedroom at Central HQ, carrying his heavy bag of tools with him. He stopped at the sight in front of him. Then he scowled as he saw Derek’s broken automail arm on the floor and picked it up while muttering, “Stupid idiot always breaking himself.”
“Sorry,” Laura said weakly from a bed. She was lying on her left side, facing the wall and unable to see him or Derek.
Peter had told Stiles everything before he walked into the room. Laura and Derek had run into a man called Scar. He’d been running around killing State Alchemists and nearly succeeded in killing Derek and Laura. Laura’s body had been decimated; her back right leg and whole right side had been destroyed by Scar. Derek had sustained damage to his arm, thankfully the automail one, and was now moping in a corner sitting on a wooden chair.
“It’s not your fault, Laura,” Stiles said. “You didn’t break his arm.”
Derek was about to speak up, when Laura let out a loud growl. Stiles jumped, fumbling with the arm. Derek hunched over and stared at the floor.
“I’m missing something here,” Stiles said slowly.
“Just fix my arm please so I can fix Laura,” Derek said softly.
Stiles snapped his mouth shut. “I can do that,” he smiled widely. He moved over to Derek and frowned. “You can’t be on this chair, bro. I need more room. Hop over to your bed, well, not literally hop because your leg is fine, but-” Stiles cut himself off as Derek seemed to hunch further into himself with every word. “Bed please.”
Derek nodded and shuffled over to the other bed. He stared at Laura. Stiles rolled his eyes at the Hales and placed his tools on Derek’s bed and spread them out. He put Derek’s arm in his lap and let out a deep breath.
“Your ritual is stupid,” Derek muttered.
“Your face is stupid,” Laura snapped.
“Derek has a pretty face, as his boyfriend I can say that. Anyway, my ritual, as you call it, works so shut your pretty mouth,” Stiles said calmly.
Whenever the Hale siblings fought, Stiles made sure to not only stay calm, but also stay out of it. They would talk about it when they were ready. So, Stiles hummed as he went through the process of reattaching Derek’s arm.
“I wasn’t aware you were Derek’s boyfriend, Stiles,” Laura said carelessly, breaking the strange silence that settled over them.
“Didn’t he tell you?” asked Stiles. His hand tightened, then relaxed on Derek’s automail arm.
“He said you kissed.”
“Oh,” Stiles blinked down at the Derek and bit his lip. “I mean. I just assumed…”
Laura snorted. “You know what they say about assumptions.”
“Laura,” Derek hissed. “Just because you’re mad at me, doesn’t mean you get to take it out on Stiles.”
Laura was silent for a long time before finally saying, “Sorry, Stiles.”
Stiles shrugged, even though she couldn’t see him. “Bad days happen.” He cleared his throat while attaching the arm back to Derek’s body and asked, “Why was this one so bad?”
Derek rolled and cracked his neck nervously, before replying, “Laura wouldn’t leave when I was fighting with Scar.”
“And Derek,” Laura said roughly, “was going to let Scar kill him.”
Stiles took in a sharp breath, before letting it out slowly. “Really? How interesting?” he said through clenched teeth. He tugged on Derek’s arm, making the other man wince. Feeling bad, Stiles smoothed his hand down Derek’s shoulder. “And I thought we were boyfriends,” he said awkwardly.
“We are,” Derek insisted.
“You were gonna let yourself get killed!”
“I-”
“Just shut up Derek. It’s a good thing you’re pretty, because you are so dumb.” Stiles finished up his work and shoved Derek off the bed. “There. You’re done. Now fix Laura, so I can beat you both around the head.”
Derek scrambled up off the floor and went to Laura’s side. They spoke quietly, with Stiles watching covertly as he packed up his tools. Derek nodded and began to remove the bandages covering Laura’s side. Stiles tried not to gasp as he saw the damage. Even now, six years later, it was still strange seeing Laura’s empty vessel. Stiles sat quietly on the other bed as Derek began to work. He watched in wonder as the metal of Laura’s armor reappeared and melded back together.
Once it was finished, Stiles said, “That was awesome.”
“Thanks.” Derek blushed and moved away from his sister, who jumped off the bed and began walking around the room gingerly.
She moved to the door, nudging it open and said, “I’m going to talk to Uncle Peter. All of Lydia and Stiles’ lies are for nothing now, since everyone saw me. Derek, you and I can talk later, but you should talk to Stiles now.” She left, the door banging behind her.
“So,” Stiles began.
Derek cringed and went back to the chair in the corner. “I want to fix Laura before worrying about any relationships I might have.”
“Relationships?” Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow. “Dude, I better be the only one you’re kissing or else we’re gonna have some problems.”
“Yes, of course,” Derek said quickly. “I just meant…”
“I know what you meant. But, Derek, if we’re going to date or whatever, you can’t just go and get yourself killed on purpose.”
“But on accident is okay?”
Stiles scowled at Derek. “Fuck you. I know your job is dangerous, but you don’t need to letting random evil people try to kill you, okay?”
“I just thought it’d be better,” Derek muttered as he kicked at the floor.
“Better for whom? Not for me. Certainly not for Laura. Who else is going to fix her?”
Derek said nothing, just stared stubbornly at the floor. Stiles sighed and walked over to him. He placed a hand on Derek’s shoulder, shaking him lightly.
“Idiot. Okay, I know that you’re emotionally stunted, so I’ll talk us through it this time. Next time, though, you gotta participate. We kissed because we like each other and because we like each other, we should date. Which, seems strange because dating is the getting to know you part of a relationship and we grew up together, but we don’t know everything about each other.”
“That’s not true,” Derek interrupted. “I know that when you were five you had a massive crush on Uncle Peter.”
“Which we agreed to never speak of again, so be quiet.”
“At least you picked the right Hale in the end.”
“I should have picked Laura, oh my god.”
Derek snorted and pulled Stiles onto his lap. “She would have eaten you up in a week.”
“Anyway,” Stiles stressed, trying to get the conversation back on track. “We’re going to date, and talk, and kiss, and other stuff that I’ll probably end up asking Lydia advice for.”
Derek frowned as he thought about that. “I’m going to have to ask Uncle Peter and I’m sure that will be as equally embarrassing for me as asking Lydia will be for you.”
“You try not to die,” Stiles continued, ignoring Derek, “and I’ll try not to kill you when you ruin my hard work.”
“Fair enough.” Derek put a hand on the back of Stiles’ neck and tugged him closer for a kiss.
“You can tell my dad though,” Stiles said when they pulled away.
“Uh, I’ve changed my mind.”
“Nope.” Stiles grinned as he got of Derek’s lap, grabbed his bag, then went to the door and opened it. “You’re stuck with me.” He stuck his tongue out when Derek groaned dramatically. He slammed the door behind him, laughing wildly.
Derek grinned as he listened to Stiles’ laughter fade. He stood and stretched before making his way to the door as well. Before leaving the room he whispered, “Not everything turned out badly, Mother.”
“Sorry,” Laura said weakly from a bed. She was lying on her left side, facing the wall and unable to see him or Derek.
Peter had told Stiles everything before he walked into the room. Laura and Derek had run into a man called Scar. He’d been running around killing State Alchemists and nearly succeeded in killing Derek and Laura. Laura’s body had been decimated; her back right leg and whole right side had been destroyed by Scar. Derek had sustained damage to his arm, thankfully the automail one, and was now moping in a corner sitting on a wooden chair.
“It’s not your fault, Laura,” Stiles said. “You didn’t break his arm.”
Derek was about to speak up, when Laura let out a loud growl. Stiles jumped, fumbling with the arm. Derek hunched over and stared at the floor.
“I’m missing something here,” Stiles said slowly.
“Just fix my arm please so I can fix Laura,” Derek said softly.
Stiles snapped his mouth shut. “I can do that,” he smiled widely. He moved over to Derek and frowned. “You can’t be on this chair, bro. I need more room. Hop over to your bed, well, not literally hop because your leg is fine, but-” Stiles cut himself off as Derek seemed to hunch further into himself with every word. “Bed please.”
Derek nodded and shuffled over to the other bed. He stared at Laura. Stiles rolled his eyes at the Hales and placed his tools on Derek’s bed and spread them out. He put Derek’s arm in his lap and let out a deep breath.
“Your ritual is stupid,” Derek muttered.
“Your face is stupid,” Laura snapped.
“Derek has a pretty face, as his boyfriend I can say that. Anyway, my ritual, as you call it, works so shut your pretty mouth,” Stiles said calmly.
Whenever the Hale siblings fought, Stiles made sure to not only stay calm, but also stay out of it. They would talk about it when they were ready. So, Stiles hummed as he went through the process of reattaching Derek’s arm.
“I wasn’t aware you were Derek’s boyfriend, Stiles,” Laura said carelessly, breaking the strange silence that settled over them.
“Didn’t he tell you?” asked Stiles. His hand tightened, then relaxed on Derek’s automail arm.
“He said you kissed.”
“Oh,” Stiles blinked down at the Derek and bit his lip. “I mean. I just assumed…”
Laura snorted. “You know what they say about assumptions.”
“Laura,” Derek hissed. “Just because you’re mad at me, doesn’t mean you get to take it out on Stiles.”
Laura was silent for a long time before finally saying, “Sorry, Stiles.”
Stiles shrugged, even though she couldn’t see him. “Bad days happen.” He cleared his throat while attaching the arm back to Derek’s body and asked, “Why was this one so bad?”
Derek rolled and cracked his neck nervously, before replying, “Laura wouldn’t leave when I was fighting with Scar.”
“And Derek,” Laura said roughly, “was going to let Scar kill him.”
Stiles took in a sharp breath, before letting it out slowly. “Really? How interesting?” he said through clenched teeth. He tugged on Derek’s arm, making the other man wince. Feeling bad, Stiles smoothed his hand down Derek’s shoulder. “And I thought we were boyfriends,” he said awkwardly.
“We are,” Derek insisted.
“You were gonna let yourself get killed!”
“I-”
“Just shut up Derek. It’s a good thing you’re pretty, because you are so dumb.” Stiles finished up his work and shoved Derek off the bed. “There. You’re done. Now fix Laura, so I can beat you both around the head.”
Derek scrambled up off the floor and went to Laura’s side. They spoke quietly, with Stiles watching covertly as he packed up his tools. Derek nodded and began to remove the bandages covering Laura’s side. Stiles tried not to gasp as he saw the damage. Even now, six years later, it was still strange seeing Laura’s empty vessel. Stiles sat quietly on the other bed as Derek began to work. He watched in wonder as the metal of Laura’s armor reappeared and melded back together.
Once it was finished, Stiles said, “That was awesome.”
“Thanks.” Derek blushed and moved away from his sister, who jumped off the bed and began walking around the room gingerly.
She moved to the door, nudging it open and said, “I’m going to talk to Uncle Peter. All of Lydia and Stiles’ lies are for nothing now, since everyone saw me. Derek, you and I can talk later, but you should talk to Stiles now.” She left, the door banging behind her.
“So,” Stiles began.
Derek cringed and went back to the chair in the corner. “I want to fix Laura before worrying about any relationships I might have.”
“Relationships?” Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow. “Dude, I better be the only one you’re kissing or else we’re gonna have some problems.”
“Yes, of course,” Derek said quickly. “I just meant…”
“I know what you meant. But, Derek, if we’re going to date or whatever, you can’t just go and get yourself killed on purpose.”
“But on accident is okay?”
Stiles scowled at Derek. “Fuck you. I know your job is dangerous, but you don’t need to letting random evil people try to kill you, okay?”
“I just thought it’d be better,” Derek muttered as he kicked at the floor.
“Better for whom? Not for me. Certainly not for Laura. Who else is going to fix her?”
Derek said nothing, just stared stubbornly at the floor. Stiles sighed and walked over to him. He placed a hand on Derek’s shoulder, shaking him lightly.
“Idiot. Okay, I know that you’re emotionally stunted, so I’ll talk us through it this time. Next time, though, you gotta participate. We kissed because we like each other and because we like each other, we should date. Which, seems strange because dating is the getting to know you part of a relationship and we grew up together, but we don’t know everything about each other.”
“That’s not true,” Derek interrupted. “I know that when you were five you had a massive crush on Uncle Peter.”
“Which we agreed to never speak of again, so be quiet.”
“At least you picked the right Hale in the end.”
“I should have picked Laura, oh my god.”
Derek snorted and pulled Stiles onto his lap. “She would have eaten you up in a week.”
“Anyway,” Stiles stressed, trying to get the conversation back on track. “We’re going to date, and talk, and kiss, and other stuff that I’ll probably end up asking Lydia advice for.”
Derek frowned as he thought about that. “I’m going to have to ask Uncle Peter and I’m sure that will be as equally embarrassing for me as asking Lydia will be for you.”
“You try not to die,” Stiles continued, ignoring Derek, “and I’ll try not to kill you when you ruin my hard work.”
“Fair enough.” Derek put a hand on the back of Stiles’ neck and tugged him closer for a kiss.
“You can tell my dad though,” Stiles said when they pulled away.
“Uh, I’ve changed my mind.”
“Nope.” Stiles grinned as he got of Derek’s lap, grabbed his bag, then went to the door and opened it. “You’re stuck with me.” He stuck his tongue out when Derek groaned dramatically. He slammed the door behind him, laughing wildly.
Derek grinned as he listened to Stiles’ laughter fade. He stood and stretched before making his way to the door as well. Before leaving the room he whispered, “Not everything turned out badly, Mother.”