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When Stiles first gets his acceptance letter to NYU, the first person to pop into his head is Derek. He remembers the few stories Derek shared about his time in New York with Laura. It was rare for Derek to talk about his past, or at all really, so Stiles sat quietly and memorized every story. He loved listening to Derek talk about Laura and their New York friends. He also loved knowing that he was probably one of the only people to hear the stories.
Thinking about Derek is still rough for Stiles. Derek left a year ago with only a “see you around -D” note, taped to Stiles’ bedroom window. No forwarding address, no phone number. Typical, Derek. When Stiles read the note, he so badly wanted to be angry, but if he was going to be honest, he’d known it was coming. He doesn’t blame Derek, could never blame Derek. Beacon Hills hadn’t been kind to him. Or his family. Or his friends. Sure, Derek is a Sourwolf with some major anger management issues, but he’s also loyal and fiercely protective of those in his corner. And Stiles would always be in Derek’s corner.
So, yea. Stiles gets why he left, but it still hurts.
~
Deciding on NYU is a tough call, because Stiles got into a few great schools. There’s a part of him that wants to stay in California. Near his dad. Near his pack. But, there is a bigger part of him that wants to leave and see what else the world, or at least country, has in store for him. If he’s going to be completely honest, he wants to remember what life was like before he got into the werewolf business.
His pack isn’t thrilled to hear that he’s moving 3,000 miles away. They give him their most impressive puppy dog eyes and it’s almost enough to make Stiles change his mind. Almost. His dad, on the other hand, is excited for Stiles to go to New York. John wants his son to have a normal college experience. He wants Stiles to get out there and meet people. People who don’t know all about the things that go bump in the night. Stiles loves his dad.
~
Now that he’s in New York, Stiles’ thoughts once again jump back to Mr. Tall, Dark and Broody. Every small, quiet cafe or bookshop has Stiles wondering if Derek’s ever been there. He wants to know how Derek managed to live here for so long without getting sensory overload. It’s loud and smelly. Stiles is having a hard time with it and his senses are nowhere near as strong as a wolf’s. He knows he needs to focus on the task at hand: Higher Education, but still, Derek’s on his mind.
~
Soon enough, Stiles finds himself a little routine and it feels good. He finds the best coffee he’s ever had and it’s right next to a great little bakery. The subway system is easy to learn and way cheaper than having to fix his jeep every other month. There’s always something open, no matter what time it is, something Beacon Hills definitely can’t offer. His classes are all pretty interesting and only one of his professors are obnoxious assholes. He’s met some cool people and even hooked up with a couple of them. All in all, it’s not bad living alone in the city, Stiles thinks.
Only there is something missing. Something Stiles would never say out loud, because he knows it sounds weird and corny. Even by Stiles’ Standards. He’s just missing that feeling of home. It’s something he can’t really explain. He didn’t realize it was missing, until he went home for winter break and breathed in the California air. New York is great, but it’s just not home.
~
Stiles’ first year of school comes and goes in a flash. He passed all of his courses with flying colors and he’s proud of himself. Instead of heading back home for the summer, he decides to find a part time job and work. The pack isn’t happy about it at all, but they schedule several video calls with him throughout summer to make sure he doesn’t miss too much.
The Sheriff comes and visits Stiles for a week. Missing his dad was the hardest part about being away from Beacon Hills. Stiles wanted to show his dad how well he was doing in his new home and that he doesn’t have to worry about him so much.
When Stiles’ dad goes back home, Stiles throws himself into his work. Living in the city wasn’t cheap and he wants to make sure he isn’t being a financial burden to his dad. So, Stiles wakes up, grabs a coffee and pastry, the heads to the used bookstore that hired him. He gets paid to sit for hours reading the description of all types of old books and posting them online. It’s a great gig, something Stiles actually really enjoys and his co-workers seems to like him, too. Being a working man isn’t half bad.
~
It’s the middle of summer and it’s the hottest it’s been yet. Stiles hates that it gets this hot, but nobody has air conditioning. It should be illegal to not have A/C, when it gets this hot and humid. Sitting by the front door of the bookstore with a small fan blowing on his back, is the only way he manages to survive his job. His new seating does have its perks, though. He can easily see what’s going on outside and Stiles loves to people watch. Businessmen in their expensive suits rushing around people, nannies trying to reel in their hyper kids, tourists taking pictures of anything and everything.
Stiles is fascinated by the people he sees. He starts to figure out who the locals are and where they’re going. There’s a little old lady who stops at the bakery every Monday and Wednesday, a middle aged man that gets his shoes shined every Friday and then there’s the guy who grabs coffee at the bakery’s coffee kiosk every other day. That guy is Stiles’ favorite person to see, because he reminds him of Derek. Stiles imagines that wherever Derek is, he’s just like the Coffee Guy, living his life.
~
It’s raining when Stiles finishes his last summer shift. He’d forgotten his umbrella, even though he knew it was going to rain. Oh, well. It wasn’t like he was going to melt or anything. Grabbing his bag, he takes off in the rain. The sidewalks are crowded with people trying to escape the wet weather. Luckily for Stiles, his apartment is only a few blocks away from the bookstore. Unluckily for Stiles, the crowd of people was making it hard for him to walk any faster than snail speed. Stiles sees an awning and decides to pause his walk home.
Taking shelter from the rain, Stiles wipes the water that’s running down his face and wrings out his shirt. It looked like the rain wasn’t going to let up, but Stiles was ready to change out of his soaked clothes. Looking around for his best exit strategy, he decides that his best move is to just take the L and walk home. But, when he steps out from under the awning, the water doesn’t get him. Confused, Stiles looks up to see a red umbrella covering him. Stiles whips his body around to see who the owner of the umbrella is and it’s Coffee Guy.
Only, it’s not Coffee Guy. Not really.
It’s Derek. Derek Hale. Derek, who he hasn’t seen in over two years. Derek, who left and never turned back. Derek, who Stiles thought about all the time. Derek, who looked exactly the same, yet somehow totally different. Derek, who is just standing there, staring right back at Stiles. Derek, who appears out of thin air and brings with him that feeling of home.