Steter Prompt : Stiles doesn't set Peter on fire at the end of S1, but saves him instead
...I just realized while going to post it that I messed up a bit and did the saving at the wrong part D; I hope that's okay! >.< If not, I can totally redo it T_T
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It’s a last-minute decision that Stiles makes as he hands the brewed concoction over to Jackson in the car. The glass flask slips from his fingers as it transfers hands and with it, the guts to throw it in the first place. All night he’d been adamant about - about well murder to be honest. After everything with Lydia and the entire town in chaos, it only felt logical to help Scott. That also meant helping Derek but he was still fuzzy on where Derek stood with the rest of them. Something on the drive over gnawed at Stiles, though. He couldn’t stop remembering the parking garage - the conversation he’d had with Peter.
That crazy psycho was going to give him a gift.
A ‘what if’ he’d been fawning over all semester while watching Scott try to figure things out. Sure, jealousy was there - even amidst the friendship and the desire to help but he couldn’t stop thinking about Peter’s question.
Even if he knew his answer would remain the same, the thought that someone felt that he had the potential to be something more than what he was, more than the comedic relief and a wiz with the computer, was pretty fucking nice.
Peter had called him the clever one.
Decisions. Decisions.
“Wait, Jackson - it actually might not work!” He screams this as they exit the car - pulling right up to the big showdown, but it does no use. Jackson throws the flask anyway. When Peter catches it, Stiles sucks in a shaky breath - a hopeful gasp as it remains intact.
It’s only when the arrow from Allison’s bow hits it - igniting it, that Stiles loses it all. There’s a chance that it won’t engulf him with just his arm aflame but then Jackson takes his own flask and throws it without a second thought.
Peter is wrapped in waves of fire and Scott is sending him to the ground and all Stiles can think is that Peter called him the clever one.
“Derek - if you do this, I’m dead.” Scott’s words filter in and Stiles realizes Peter’s not on fire anymore. He’s lying on the ground, burned to a crisp. Derek hangs over him, glaring down at him with a purpose. The purpose they were all there for that night, and yet - Stiles feels a tug in his chest and his feet are moving on their own. “ - what am I supposed to do?” Scott sounds desperate, but Derek’s gaze won’t stray from Peter’s face.
“You’ve already decided,” Peter gasps, his body bloody and shaking from physical trauma. Stiles’ heart is hammering so loud in his chest, he’s sure everyone there can hear it but all noise begins to drown out again - Peter’s words ringing through like he’s the only one there. “I can smell it on you!”
Derek raises his clawed hand and Stiles flings himself between them without hesitation. “Wait!” He yells, shielding himself over Peter’s body and he just knows - he knows the choice he’s made and the ramifications that will follow from it. He almost expects Derek to claw the shit out of him for mere spite of ruining his crowning moment but silence follows. A heavy one that seems to stretch out for too long.
Stiles lifts his head, his eyes catching everyone’s faces as they stare back at him with mixtures of shock and disbelief. Derek’s screams anger - flared nostrils, brows scrunched, a glaring gaze fixated no longer on Peter, but on him. Those claws remain out, his hand still lifted in the air and Stiles thinks this is it. All the good he’s sure he’s done - all the help he’s given to Scott and Derek and the rest. It’s all for nothing because Derek’s ready to kill him and make sure that Peter drags him down to hell with him.
Except, nothing happens.
Derek lowers his hand, anger slipping into heated confusion as Peter struggles to breathe beneath them. “Why -?”
“I know you want this and I know you have every right but it’s too much.” He’s not exactly sure what he’s doing but he won’t move from his spot. He keeps his arms over Peter as if that might help - though he knows it won’t. But he can’t let this happen - not while he’s in this perplexed state. He can’t tell Derek that Peter called him the clever one and it makes him feel a certain way.
“What the hell are you doing?” Argent’s yelling across the open space, hugging Allison close to him. He’ll never let her out of his sight if Scott stays the way he is, but he can’t let either of them touch Peter.
“He’s done too much,” Derek huffs, and Stiles nods, grimacing as Peter coughs.
“I know - ”
“Stiles,” Scott takes a few steps towards them. “Even if I wanted to stop Derek, it’d be me all the same. I need this or I - I can’t - ”
Peter makes some horrible gurgling noise and Stiles looks back down at him, the stench of his burned body almost a shock to the system at seeing Peter’s icy blue gaze looking back at him. “You don’t know if it’ll work. No one does. Derek and Peter - they were born as wolves. What if - ”
Derek growls and grabs Stiles by the scruff of his shirt. “What the hell does it matter? Get out of the way!” He’s about to toss Stiles and if he gets too far, it’ll be too late. He doesn’t know what he can say to change their minds. It’s a hard win knowing what all they’ve been through.
“H- he is all you have left.” Stiles stammers out. “I know he’s done bad things but he’s your family.” Derek growls again and Stiles shakes like a leaf in his grasp.
“I can always make a new one.” Electric blue eyes flash at Stiles, momentarily stunning him and he knows. He knows if Derek does this and takes that power from Peter that it might be all over for the rest of them. He opens his mouth to protest - to say anything to keep this filibuster going in hopes of winning but Derek surprises him, suddenly dropping him to his feet. “But I can wait. You want him so badly?” He pushes Stiles over, tripping him on the way down.
Stiles lands right next to Peter, catching blue eyes on him as he tries to push himself up.
“You can be his new nurse - since he killed the old one. And when he regains his strength and kills you too, then I’ll have him right back here where I want him.” The words are spoken so harshly that it brings a burning flush to Stiles’ face. He’s done something that can’t be taken back and he can’t even bring himself to look at Scott.
No one but Peter, who’s looking at him like he wants to say something.
“Okay,” Stiles shuts his eyes. “He’s my responsibility.” As much as that might not even be true, he says it anyway.
When he opens his eyes, Peter’s slowly shift to red in their shared silence and Stiles finally feels seen as a deal is made.
