laography | you could be my ever after

[ Something could be said to that, but he's too entranced by the brightness of the blade that she draws from Stiles' belt. His skin crawls and he bristles further, feels the press of fangs behind his lips and practically lets it come at the first strike of fresh blood to his senses. It's overwhelming, in the sea of sulfur and smoke that's already assaulting him, and he can't even deny that it's because it belongs to Stiles.

But he can say, at least, that he believes her when she says that Stiles' focus isn't even on himself. ]

Whatever happens to me will be worth it. [ Not even said offhandedly, but simply matter of factly, Derek finally moves forward-- lunges in towards the demon that brought his world to ruin and the boy who might've been fixing things. ]

[ Now there's a game to be had. Her mouth breaks into a wild grin and as Derek lunges, she throws the bloodied hand out and focuses, enough to use her telekinesis to slam Derek into a tree.

Pursing her lips, she moves forward, ignoring the kid screaming in her ears, arm still held out, still bleeding everywhere as she crosses the clearing. With her free hand, as she gets close, she grabs Derek's chin between two fingers. ]

We used to have so much fun together, don't you remember? And now you're trying to kill me. It's amazing how time flies. [ She smacks her lips together, like it's thoughtful. ] Poor, stupid, Derek Hale. For someone who acts like he doesn't have a heart--[ And a squeeze of her hand holding him, bloodied fingers curling and sending a fresh wave of blood dripping into the grass. ]-you're so easy to fool with it.

[ Though he's not surprised, he mentally berates himself for simply lunging in-- not that he had another option, given the fact that he'd been stationary up until that point and she probably would've thrown him into something the moment he moved either way-- and rolls his eyes up, teeth bared in a slight grimace. It hurts, but it's low on the list of worse things he's been put through.

Funny, considering who's doing it to him.

He looks down at her as she comes forward, testing the strength of her telekinesis. He's dealt with demon-grade telekinesis before, but he has an idea of what he should do. The words come to mind quickly, falling into place as Kate takes Stiles' long fingers and uses them to grasp his face.

All brain and no brawn is not an accurate descriptor of Derek Hale. ]

I remember. And I remember how much fun you had ripping that heart out. [ He snarls as he speaks, but there's a clarity that follows as he fights, brings a hand up enough to grab hold of Stiles' wrist. ] Regna terrae, cantate Deo, psallite Domino--

[ It's a hair trigger reaction, the words that make her blood literally run cold--her brain connects the hand on her wrist, and as she tries to tear away, force it off, it's a quick and horrifying realization that she's trapped.

(Or, in a better realization, she's about to be forced out.)

But Kate's not giving this up without a fight, not until she can stab the knife in and twist it deep, and as her head jerks back from the force of the exorcism, she shrieks. ]

Laura, Laura, she doesn't even remember her name anymore, I've burned her so many times she's gonna be just like me, her and your mother and your father and the kids, all of them, screaming and burning and it's all because of you!

[ The moment that he feels the hold on him weaken, Derek doesn't hesitate to tighten his own and force her back. It's a little more violently than he'd like, but there's no time for gentleness when Stiles' blood is all he can smell this close up, and Kate continues to twist his voice and his words and his hands. He follows his forward momentum to take them both down, pinning his possessed body underneath him and taking his chin firmly in his hand.

Even if Kate takes the dirk, drives it in him like she drives her words deeper and deeper, he refuses to let go. No matter what she tries to do, he's going to get her out of Stiles.

And he's going to make her look him in the eye as he does, even as he takes in every word that she says. ]

Qui fertis super caelum caeli ad Orientem, Ecce dabit voci Suae vocem virtutis, tribuite virtutem Deo--

[ The world goes sideways and she shrieks, can already feel the licks of the hellfire at her feet, calling back home, and Kate fights it the best she can, head jerking as she's trapped, pinned in place by the sheer weight of Derek and the fact that this damn useless meatsuit is too weak to do anything useful--]

They hate you, they scream about it every time I'm there, how it's all your fault, because I didn't kill them, it was you, you killed them all--[ She gasps sharply, meets his gaze, eyes flickering from dark black to amber and back again, staring him right back in the eyes. ]

Him too, you should hear him screaming, he's so scared he's gonna die, because you killed him!

Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.

[ As Kate screams and fights, Derek only tightens his grip-- Stiles will bruise, but he'll live-- and his resolve. It's hard to swallow down what she's saying, but he has no choice but to do it now. (There's truth to every demon's lie, always somewhere underneath everything they say, and he knows it. Knows that it's his fault, knows he killed them, knows that everything that happened was because of him.) ]

Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te. Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare.

[ But he will never believe that his family is in Hell. Someday, he will be, but never them. ]

[ It's getting harder and harder to scream now, as the heat's crawling up, licking at her soul and forcing her, out, out, out, but like Hell Kate's going out without a fight, and she hisses--]

You should hhhear him, how much he hates you, because you're killing him, just like you killed them, because you're a monster, you fucking monster, and there'll never--never be anything you can do to change that! You're the one who belongs in Hell, and when you come--hhhh--when you come I'm going to bring you down to the circle you deserve, and I'm gonna teach--teach the little girl from the house, the little annoying--kid just how to kill you so she can ask you why you let her die--

[ As she struggles to continue screaming, to continue cursing him-- ] Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt-- [ Derek shifts the grip he has on Stiles' face from his chin. His grip remains firm, and he stares Kate down all the way to the end, but he almost cradles his face in his hand as he keeps going, voice hard with resolve. ]

Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos. Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris, te rogamus, audi nos. [ And yet at the same time, all he can picture is Laura's face with oil in her eyes, teeth bared in madness and breathing smoke from her very core. He tells himself that his sister's moved on, gone with the rest of his family and far from Hell, but all that does is supply him with a similar image. ]

Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae te rogamus, audi nos. [ Where the first thing he's shown in hell is a mirror, smooth and perfect so that he can see every single detail of the image. ] Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. Deus Israhel ipse truderit virtutem et fortitudinem plebi Suae.

[ And all that smiles back is those dark, empty eyes. ] I'll see you there soon. [ The red bleeds out of his eyes, return to colorless humanity. ] Benedictus Deus. Gloria Patri.

[ Being exorcised, Stiles might be able to remark later, is probably the most painful thing he's ever experienced. He can feel it when his head drops back, can literally feel the demon speeding out of his mouth, all smoke and his subconscious comes back like being thrown against asphalt, in a flash of bright, agonizing pain. First his arm, then his head, a furious pounding that must be whatever Kate left behind--the oil disappears out of his eyes and he manages to meet Derek's eyes, bright, amber, and human. ]

Derek--[ He manages to wheeze, staring at him, and chokes out ]--Holy shit, I think I'm dead. [ And then passes out cold. ]

[ The moment that the black smoke leaves Stiles' body, Derek releases his wrist and quickly moves to fully hold his face. It's to reassure himself that Stiles is still alive, that he's okay, but also to keep him from cracking his head back onto the forest floor. Worry is quickly overtaken by relief, and his thumbs sweep over his cheeks as he wheezes.

If it weren't for the fact that the entire scenario was a fucking mess, he might have laughed at Stiles and what he manages to get out before he's unconscious. But it's drained him even in its brevity, and he can feel every second of it wearing on his soul.

But he still takes on the weight of Stiles, lifting him effortlessly into his arms and holding him close. He'll send him home soon, but for now Heaven's walls are the safest place for them to be. ]

[ Stiles could also not tell you how long he was passed out. The last thing he remembered was Kate, and the first thing his mind decided to remind him of was her, again--there's an indescribable pain as a nightmare grips him around the throat and makes him wake up gasping for air, and--

...and not possessed by some creepy demon. Staring blearily at the walls in front of him, Stiles tries to process everything that's going on. His head is pounding, and his arm hurts, but a quick glance down reveals it's bandaged up and not bleeding all over the place; and there's a Derek attached to it.

...Oh. Well. That's new.

Squinting, he looks around. This isn't home, so it must be the Heaven kingdom; it's maybe only the second time he's been here, and if he wasn't so damn exhausted, he'd be thrilled. For now there was something more to worry about, and as he flexes the fingers on his hurt arm experimentally, Stiles turns his attention back to the "guard dog" who just saved his life.]

...Shouldn't you be with Cas? [ His voice comes out raspier than he expected. ]

[ Despite the weariness he can feel in his bones, Derek is awake the moment that Stiles is gasping for air. But he doesn't move, and doesn't open his eyes. He knows they're safe, feels the heavenly host all around him and, for once, does not feel like he's being constantly judged for his actions. For being there. Instead, he feels only a warmth that promises protection, at least for their current guest.

He keeps his head nestled against his own arm, fingers of his other hand curled loosely over Stiles' arm. Melissa had assured him that Stiles would be fine when he woke up, but he'd refused to leave his bedside regardless. Castiel had, at least, been understanding and accepting-- which, not exactly new-- and Scott had actually required talking out of the room. When he made friends, he made them for life.

His shoulders and back rise as he takes in a deep breath, shifting his head just a little to get a kink out of his neck but otherwise not moving. ]

Scott is with him.

Oh--Christ, you're awake. [ He definitely jumped when Derek actually spoke--a good sign that he's, well. Stiles again. Settling back against the pillows, he turns his attention away again, looking around. Everything in him aches, and there's an exhaustion that's settled over him that's so intense that he's pretty sure if he gets up, he's going to fall over, but he's alive. He survived a demon possession, and a nasty one, too.

The first question out of his mouth isn't what you might expect. ] -Are you okay? [ Because he watched. He heard. He heard every fucking word. ]

You talked. [ Not actually the reason why he woke up, but he's not going to tell Stiles that he's so in tune with him and has been since he was brought to Heaven. Grumbling faintly, just a noise, he shifts where his hand is settled to touch skin gently. No healer like a number of the angels, he can still take some of the soreness from Stiles' body to make his consciousness a little more comfortable. Not much else he can do for the after effects of demonic possession, but it's still something he can do.

Especially given who it was that had found Stiles.

His eyes actually open at the question, and he flicks them up to look at Stiles. ]

I'm fine.

[ His brow furrows. Stiles is nothing but not stubborn. ]

Are you?

[ He stares right back at him, amber eyes matched with clear green and hazel. Now that Derek's trying to take his pain away, his head's clearing up just a little, and it's at least letting him focus. Absentmindedly, he turns his hand palm up, half to try and sneak a peek at the huge cut on his arm and half a subconscious gesture. ]

I wasn't the one that was possessed by a demon.

[ Derek stares back unfalteringly, though he can feel the subtle shift of Stiles' arm as he turns his hand over. For a moment he doesn't react to it, as oil fills his veins and he can feel an ache overtaking his already still-sore body. But after a moment, his hand shifts so that it's overlapping part of Stiles', warmth of his palm pressed to his. ]

You look better than you did this morning.

[ He's not fine. He's not okay. There's a burn in his chest and the quiet reminder that he was once possessed in a different way by the same demon. ]

Considering I'm not murdering people, yeah, I'll take that as a plus. [ He's obviously not happy with taking the distraction tactics for an answer, and where their hands are overlapping, he matches their hands, fingers to fingers, even as he's dropping his head back and looking up at the ceiling instead of at Derek. ]

...I heard everything, I saw everything.

[ Looking down at their hands when Stiles looks to the ceiling, he brushes his thumb along the shape of Stiles', trying to think of a way to distract from that admission. He doesn't want to talk about this, doesn't want to talk about the demon or what it said. Doesn't want Stiles to remember a moment of it. ]

Of all the demons that could have found you. [ A humorless chuff leaves him, bitter and hollow. ]

I'm sorry.

[ He blurts that out quick as anything, finally returning to look at him again. Sorry he let himself get possessed (Dean was going to kill him later), sorry it was her, sorry for what she did. Kate had been her name, and she was the one who killed Derek's family in cold blood. She made him fall in love with her, she'd told Stiles so gleefully, while she was doing god only knew what to him, making him watch while she tormented Derek, and then, she killed every single "monster" in their family. The Hales were a ruined name, everyone knew that, but as soon as he saw the form Kate chose to take in his head--when she stole his own body-he knew. ]

For the record, everything she said was a balls out lie. Like, seriously, cross my heart, grab my wrist and threaten me until you can hear my heartbeat, she's a filthy, awful. Well. Demon.

[ Movements stopping, Derek keeps his eyes on their hands for a long time before he finally lifts them to look back up at Stiles. Because there's always two sides to him-- one that thinks everything Kate could ever say to him is true, and one that thinks everything is a lie. But there's always truth to a demon's lie. Always.

It was how she'd managed to weasel her way in, in the first place. With a pretty face and bright, blue eyes that burned cold, and a mission under her skin that he'd never know if the host had gone along with or had been fighting every step of the way.

After a long moment, he shifts to sit up in his seat, never moving his hand from Stiles'. ]

I can already hear your heartbeat. [ It's not entirely dismissing what Stiles says, but he focuses on that first. ] Demons don't stop a heartbeat, exactly, but the strain they put on a vessel is enough to make it... quiet. Muted.

[ He shifts his hold on their hands, bringing them up and resting his forehead against their knuckles as he actually takes Stiles', fingers lacing together. ]

Lucky for me, I'm kinda hard to...[ Oh, he wasn't expecting that. The gesture is so heartfelt, so--raw, almost, something he'd never seen from Derek before, that he has to stop, voice petering off. ] ...kill.

[ The look in his eyes when he does finally meet his gaze is heartbreaking. There's a part of him that wants to sweep across and throw his arm around his neck and hold him there, try to make him forget about everything that just happened. Stiles isn't so keen on the idea of being used as someone's meatsuit, period, but being used as someone's meatsuit specifically designed to hurt someone close to him, that was just unacceptable.

It brings back a couple of things she said, because his brain is a traitor, and some of them were true. The part where he'd been screaming at Kate to kill him, to kill Stiles, definitely true. The part about the dirty thoughts--and ew, how violating that was--also definitely true. But the rest of it was so disgustingly full of lies, it made him want to shudder, trying his best to forget everything--to make Derek forget everything.

She's gone, now, and with mostly minimal physical damage to them both. It's the emotional damage that might not heal.

Stiles' thumb brushes against the side of Derek's hand, and he manages a small, weary smile, trying to lighten the mood a little. ] Course you knew it wasn't me, I haven't done anything quietly in my entire life.

Sort of like a cockroach. [ With no bite to his words, Derek just tilts his head a little so that it's his temple against their hands, looking more directly at Stiles as he regards him. He's tired, more emotionally than physically, and there's a fire burning under his skin again. A painful reminder that he was the one that brought a demon into his home, into the lives of his pack, and he was the reason they had been snuffed out when they'd done nothing wrong. They'd simply lived on the outreaches of Heaven's kingdom, worked with angel and man and so-called monster with no prejudice in their blood.

Laura would have liked Stiles, he thinks. Peter's little girl, too, probably. His little cousin Jacob would have thought he was a riot, while his parents would have probably questioned his general behavior but found him funny. It would've been easy for him to keep up with pack, keep them all guessing even while he ran with them.

But Kate ensured that it would never happen, and he can only guess at how his pack would react to the boy that Derek has been trying to figure out ever since they met.

And Kate almost took him, too. The thought makes him sick, and his fingers tighten a little around Stiles' as he tries to push it away. Push away the thought of Stiles screaming for Kate to kill him, to stop and just kill him. Not that she would ever have listened, not in the way that he'd want her to have. ]

You were too quiet, and you smelled awful. [ His nose crinkles, though otherwise his expression remains fairly even and calm. ]

I always smell awful. [ It's hard to watch. He's not a mind reader, he doesn't have Derek's senses, can't smell his emotions, but right now he doesn't need to. Stiles is observant, always has been--he can feel the way his hand twitches around his own, see the crinkle of his nose, the expression in his light eyes. It's like nothing he's ever seen before, especially out of Derek of all people, and when his hand tightens, Stiles returns the favor. It's not much, but it's something, a tether. Something to keep him here instead of adrift in the memories that must have had to do with her. ]

It's kind of my job as a sweaty teenage boy. [ It's so much more than the stupid banter. It's the way he won't drop his gaze from Derek's, the way his hand threads through his like a lifeline. Yeah, he's in a shitload of pain--demon possession isn't exactly a walk in the park--but this is so much more important. ]

You smelled like sulfur and blood. [ Derek doesn't want to talk about this. ] And smoke.

[ But he does anyways. He looks at Stiles as he speaks, low and quiet and private, and he lets the words come out of his mouth. It's hard to do, but he does it anyways because there's just something about Stiles that's different, always has been. He's not sure what it is, isn't sure he'll ever figure it out, but it's Stiles regardless.

Something about the light in his amber brown eyes, he thinks.

He anchors himself in his touch and his voice and his eyes, in the way that the warmth of his scent returns from the toxic thing that Kate had made it. ]


	Once upon a time This place was beautiful And mine But now It's just a bottom line Barely comes to mind But ever after was mine

I HATE THIS AND EVERYTHING IT STANDS FOR.

I DO TOO but at the same time i love it hurts so gooood

WHEEZES AND IS NOT SORRY

HEHEH

DRAGS HANDS DOWN FACE

casually beats derek over the head with his guilt

I'm so not sorry for this.

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