Work Text:
1.
Stiles Stilinksi, permanent inhabitant of the bottom of the food chain, was 14 and just beginning high school. Two weeks in he developed a massive crush on hot basketball player Derek Hale.
The only time they have ever been to a party together, people were playing truth or dare. People dared Derek to flirt with Stiles. Stiles got so hot and bothered that he ran away when Derek flashed his perfect teeth at him.
2.
After discovering that Derek Hale was an asshole, Stiles managed to spiral into another hyperfixation, this time with (the equally unattainable) Lydia Martin. She was super smart, kinda mean, and took no one’s shit. They had a few classes together, once even had to work as a pair on a project. This made Stiles confident that he could ask her out to prom when senior year came.
His face fell and his heart broke again when Lydia’s response to his question was a very indifferent “And who are you again?”
3.
In his third year of college, far away from sleepy Beacon Hills, Stiles was working in a NY restaurant, slowly climbing the ladder. He’s already got promoted from the dishes to chopping vegetables and preparing special spice blends.
He made new friends who were adamant about him having to dip his toes in the dating pool in the Big Apple, which, apparently, was supposed to be so much more tailored to his taste. Or he was more palatable to New Yorkers than to people from BH, CA. Details… So, obviously, they set him up on blind dates.
And that’s how he ended up sitting across from Derek Hale in a steak house. He was fidgety, sweaty and felt cornered as soon as Hale came close to his table, his expressive eyebrows shooting up on his forehead at the speed of a rocket. But then he just shrugged and sat down, saying “I remember you.”
Dread filled Stiles and he was hyperventilating so much that some potatoes accidentally went to wrong way and he needed to run to the bathroom because he was throwing up. This felt like a new kind of walk of shame, trying to straighten his clothes and hide the big water stain on the bottom of his shirt he accidentally got wet when furiously trying to rinse his mouth and wash his face.
Derek didn’t say anything when he came back, just continued eating and chatting. It was a surprisingly pleasant date after that.
4.
It was two years and countless dates (all more successful and less humiliating) later that after a concert, Derek turned to him on the couch in their living room and gave him a little box. Stiles opened it and saw a ring. Harsh lines and worn-looking, handmade, sturdy. Like Derek.
He started crying and snot was running down his face when he kissed Derek to mumble yesyesyesyesyes against his lips.
5.
Derek refused to take it easy. They were well around 60 but Derek still had to do everything. Something around the house needed to be fixed? Derek did it. A neighbor was moving in and needed help with the furniture? Derek helped. A new charity was looking for people to do something super athletic to raise money? Derek volunteered.
Stiles was proud of him but also worried. They weren’t getting any younger. So when Derek pulled his hamstring after some charity mountain climbing thing, Stiles put his feet down and told him to just. stay. put. For a week, just rest. It escalated into a huge argument about nothing and everything. Stiles’ face was red from anger and Derek could have choked him in a drop of water.
Stiles grabbed his bedding and set up on the couch for the night so the idiot could sleep on the big bed. Around 3am Derek limped to the couch and woke him up with kisses to his face. Stiles made love to Derek so Derek didn’t need to move at all and could rest.
+1.
Stiles was sitting on the uncomfortable fold-out chair and even with the little cushion his granddaughter brought for him, it was hurting his back. He was looking straight ahead, but he didn’t see. He didn’t see the big black coffin being lowered down into the ground, the men around it being as gentle and careful as possible. He only stood up when his daughter helped him to stand over the darkness that took the best part of his life from him. He let the worn photograph from their very first date slowly float into the abyss and felt his heart stop for a second. Part of him has left his body, and all he could do was stare unblinking and hold on tight to all the memories he made through his long and loving life with Derek Hale.