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Kira arrived at Derek's loft a little later than usual, but she had brought coffee and donuts with her in a small attempt to make up for her tardiness.
School was out for the summer and Kira had taken to spending her days with Derek. They would train or study mythology until they got tired and Kira had to go home for dinner. Some days some of the other pack members would join them. Peter would stand around and make snarky comments, Stiles might offer them whatever research he had been up all night doing (he still had a hard time sleeping through the night), or Lydia might drop by just to have a quiet place to rest and isolate the voices in her head.
When Kira opened the door, she almost walked straight into Scott. He murmured an apology and stepped to the right to let her into the apartment.
"Thanks," Kira offered a small smile. Scott returned it in kind, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
After Allison's death, Kira decided to give Scott a little time and space to mourn. A little turned into a lot and the two of them never got back together. It was a little awkward at first, but they remained good friends and pack mates. With more and more supernatural creatures streaming into Beacon Hills, they quickly set aside any discomfort and learned to work together.
Scott started to turn on his heel like he was about to leave, but instead he looked Kira in the eye and said, "Be careful with him."
"What do you mean?"
"Look, I don't know what you and Derek have going on. That's your business. But - "
"Scott, what are you talking about? Nothing's going on with me and Derek. He's helping me train is all. We're pack. I thought pack was supposed to spend time together or whatever."
Scott had a glint in his eye like he knew something she didn't, but she didn't have much time to question it. "Okay, well regardless you should be extra careful today. He seemed upset about something and Derek can get a little… violent when he's upset."
Kira nodded, "Thanks for the heads up." She grabbed his hand and gave it a little squeeze that said all the comforting things that she didn't think she should say out loud.
"See you later, Kira." And with that, Scott was gone. Kira closed the sliding door behind him and walked to the kitchen area where she set down the box of donuts and coffee, both of which were probably lukewarm.
Kira looked around the loft and couldn't find Derek anywhere. "Derek?" she called out. Her voice echoed throughout the concrete room with no response. She walked around and peaked around all of the corners on the ground floor. When she still didn't find him, she made her way to the spiral staircase that led to Derek's study.
When she reached the top, Kira called out for him again. "Derek?"
This time she got a response, "Go away, Kira! You shouldn't be around me right now."
"You're being silly. I'm coming in." Kira walked in to the study. Derek's head was turned away from her. "Derek, what's wrong?"
First she saw his hands. They were placed carefully on his lap, claws jutting out. She took his chin in her hand and lifted it up so it faced her. His wolf eyes shone an electric blue. His fangs poked out from his upper lip, too.
"I can't control it." He said quietly. When she tried to step closer, he stepped back. "Which is why you should go. I'm a danger to you."
Kira raised her eyebrows in response. "I'm pretty sure I can take you." With her left hand, she reached out to the lamp on the desk. In her right hand, she produced an orb of crackling electricity that was as blue as Derek's eyes. She tries again to reach out to him but he sidesteps her. They continued on like that for a while - their spar seeming almost like a dance. The wolf and the fox were almost evenly matched. Kira would swipe at Derek and he would dodge her electric grasp with a supernatural speed.
Eventually, however, Derek realized that Kira’s goal was not to attack him but to corner him. He found himself wedged between two intersecting walls of his study, Kira moving closer and closer. He looked for a way out, but he couldn’t find a path that wouldn’t involve hurting the younger girl. He stood still and closed his eyes in the hopes that he could will his claws and fangs away. He stayed like that for what felt like forever, but was probably only a few seconds.
With his eyes closed, Derek heard everything that was happening. He heard as Kira gently stepped closer, her feet making small creaking noises on his wooden floor. The electric crackling that had radiated from Kira’s hands faded away. He heard as Kira took a breath before he felt her hand on his face. His remained perfectly still, but his eyes opened wide at her touch. He was met with a sympathetic gaze. Kira brushed the pad of her thumb across Derek’s cheek and whispered, “Let me help you.” Her eyes flitted back and forth between his lips and his eyes before she confidently leaned in and kissed him.
Derek didn’t kiss back for a number of reasons. For fear of grazing her lips with his fangs. For fear of hurting her - emotionally or physically. For fear of what Scott would think. For fear of what Derek would think of himself. But when he felt his fangs and claws start to retreat back into his body all of his fears fell away. He wrapped his arms around the small of her back, closed his eyes, and began to return the kiss.
When they finally broke apart, Kira was blushing and Derek grinned down at her.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his cheeks a bit flushed, as well.
“What for?” she asked as she intertwined their fingers.
“Well, I was worried that I had lost my anchor, but I think I just needed your help in accepting that I’ve found a new one.”