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There was a big difference between pool water and all natural water.
Pool water is chlorinated, and has a bitter smell to it. It doesn't bother her being in a pool for a short amount of time, but the longer she remains in it, she gets this unscratchable itch along her spine.
All natural water is fresh and clean—depending on its location—and Stiles could be in it for days on end if she wanted. She did it before she was found by her parents, she could very well do it again.
That's how it felt right now. She almost didn't want to resurface. There was no need for air under here. The secure feeling of water all around her was soothing and she welcomed it with a twitch of her fingers.
Stiles finally opened her eyes, tiny bubbles moving up in her face from her nose and mouth.
Floating a few feet under the surface never felt so calm. Stiles took a moment to assess the the pool of water she was in.
To anyone else, it would look slightly murky, but she could see so clearly.
It took Stiles a few minutes to realize what happened. She remembered being kidnapped by stupid, douchy hunters. Then there were parts missing, most likely from her being severely dehydrated. After that it spotty and she doubted she was very coherent. But despite all that happened, she remembered Derek busting in to save the day once again, like some under dog superhero. Well maybe top dog. Alpha superhero.
Anyways, the mermaid tilted her head towards the surface. She was trying to figure out where she was. It was hard.
Her tail kicked out some, as if telling her to get her butt in gear.
So Stiles propelled herself up, silently breaking the surface, where the feeling of ache was thrumming all over her body now. For a split moment, she almost ducked back into the water.
“Took you long enough,” a voice huffed, but with no real heat behind it.
Stiles couldn't help but laugh and turn towards the voice.
“If you're bored, you could have left, Derek.” Part of her was teasing, but the other part was seriously wondering why he'd stick around.
“No,” he said, leaning against a tree closest to the water and crossed his arms over his chest.
She rolled her eyes and moved to the grassy edge, fingers brushing through the green blades.
“How are you feeling?”
Stiles turned her head to him, shrugging some. “Okay, I guess. There are aches all over my body, and I feel a bit muggy.”
Which usually happened after going so long without water. Not that she's went this long without it.
“But I think I'll survive,” she said, closing her eyes. Not only did it ache, it felt like she had been ripped apart halfway. So it was true. She hurt like hell, but yeah, she'll live.
Moments later she felt a ripple in the water and opened her eyes.
“What are you..?” She stopped talking so she could watch Derek slide into the water in his boxers. When did he take off his clothes? Stiles only had her eyes closed for like, a few moments.
“What does it look like?” He said, that look on his face that was a mixture of worry and anger.
“Looks like you're moments away from skinny-dipping,” Stiles comments, moving back some.
Derek makes a face as he's finally submerged up to his shoulders.
“Ugh, I just – I feel all wonky. I hate this feeling.” She rubbed her arms, shivering some.
“It's going to be okay, Stiles.”
Feeling the ripping in the water from Derek moving about almost sets her on edge, but she's able to calm herself. It's not dangerous and won't attack. She has nothing to worry about.
“You know.. I don't remember my real parents.”
Derek paused in his movement to look at her. Brows raised and eyes slightly wide at her admittance.
Stiles grimaced. That wasn't supposed to be the first things that comes out. But damn, she's never told anyone, obviously.
“All I remember is playing in a shallow wave pool on night, and looking up when I heard something approach. I was so little, but I remember being told never to let anyone see me. That I wasn't like everyone else. So night time was when I usually came up to play. Less chance of getting spotted.”
She leaned against the side of the lake, looking up every now and then at Derek, who watched her with rapt attention. Almost like he understood the importance of this. Hell, maybe he did.
“Anyways, I see this woman. She was so pretty, even if she walked to two legs. I felt a pull towards her. Like I was meant to go with her. I felt so safe in her presence. How was I supposed to ignore that? So I left with her and her husband – my dad.”
Derek moved closer to her, trying to be subtle, but Stiles raised a single brow.
“All you have to do is ask,” she teased, reclining back and lifting her tail up to brush the tip of it against the old man's arm. She could even feel the rippling shudder form the contact.
He reached out and grabbed her tail, gripping it and giving it a tug, causing Stiles to squeak.
“You're getting awfully handsy. I didn't expect you to want to touch a slimy tail.”
“It's not slimy,” Derek responded, shifting his hands some. “It's warm and smooth.”
Stiles made a face, making the tip of her tail flit back and forth.
“Well don't you know just what to say to a girl,” she mused, leering at Derek, who retaliated by splashing her in the face.
“Hey!” Stiles startled, jerking back and slipping her tail from his grip. “That's wasn't very nice. I'm still recovering.” She pouted pathetically, which caused he werewolf to roll his eyes.
She sobered up suddenly, “So the hunters--”
“Have been taken care of by your dad and Chris.”
Right, because how could she not think that her dad was involved. The hunters won't be getting off light, but since it was supernatural related, who knew how it was handled, especially if Chris was tagging along.
“He didn't kill them, “Derek said, like he read her mind or something.
“No, of course not.”
“He's worried about you. At first he thought he'd have to find a way to get you to the ocean, until I told him about this lake,” he supplied, looking away to survey the lake.
“I'm not surprised. He's always been that way. It's like having a kid prone to frequent accidents--”
Stiles paused for a moment when Derek looked at her with a raised brow.
“Okay, that's exactly what it's like. It's also having a kid that's not actually yours, and that kid being so different that they grow gills and a tail in water.”
“Stiles,” the werewolf sighed.
“It's true! It's close to being a werewolf, except you get all pointy and hairy,” she made a face, then cackled at the amused expression on Derek.
“But you're also not lured by the moon to turn 'pointy and hairy' and go run through the forest.”
Stiles scoffed lightly. “Really, Derek?”
He shrugged.
“Well from one thing, total bull. Mermaids— er.. merpeople are just as affected by the moon than werewolves. We're just in vast bodies of water as opposed to a forest.”
That was one thing she remembered, and that was extraordinarily wrong when she got curious as to what people wrote about them.
Merfolk were private creatures, avoiding anything and everything. So of course anything that was written, she wasn't surprised that 85% of it was wrong and made absolutely no sense.
“But we do like good looking guys who like to creep around and brood--”
She stopped abruptly, unaware that she was even talking, or she would have stopped herself from saying that.
“I—uh, I mean!”
Stiles just decided to close her mouth and stop talking. That amused look was still on Derek's face and it made her want to punch him. In fact, it grew and was now escalating to being smug and now she definitely wanted to punch him, but she went with a safer route and splashed water at him, making him sputter at the sudden face full of water.
Snickering loudly, Stiles submerged herself under the water and grabbed Derek's ankles and tanked him down. When she was face to face with him, she could see the wide eyed look he sported now, a few air bubbles escaping from his mouth.
It was so quiet under the surface. She could breathe so easily, as if she were breathing air, but apparently Derek didn't have that luxury.
Eye contact was made and kept up for a good minute or—how they both managed that, Stiles would never know—and when Derek moved to go back up, Stiles grabbed his arms, keeping him where he was.
He was in her domain now, she held the cards. Derek opened his mouth, but Stiles didn't give him a chance to do anything before she moved closer to him, placing her mouth over his. This seemed to surprise Derek greatly, because instead of going up like he wanted to, he pushed back against her.
Stiles grinned into the kiss, easily sharing the air with the werewolf.
Well, she could totally get behind this, but unfortunately she could only share so much air before the need for fresh air became hard to resist.
They were definitely doing that again.