Work Text:
Stepping off the train, Derek took a deep breath. The crowds poured around him while he attempted to get his bearings. A sign over a doorway showed the street Derek needed. He forced his feet to move, heading out of the darkness and into the bright sunlight of his new life.
Stiles hurried down the street. He couldn’t believe he’d overslept. His anxiety over his new job had kept him up too late, and he’d forgotten to charge his phone. Thankfully, his next-door neighbor had a loud-as-hell alarm that sent Stiles off his bed daily. He had ten minutes to get to his new job three blocks away before he was officially late.
“Sorry. Excuse me. Pardon me,” he shouted as he pushed through the crowds pouring out of the train station. He sometimes missed the slower pace of Beacon Hills, but moving to New York for college had been the right choice. He needed to put as much space between himself and the horrors of his high school years.
Now he’d moved to the city and had a job with a private sector cyber security company. He couldn’t wait to get started, but he needed to avoid getting fired before that could happen. He glanced at his new watch, a college graduation gift from his father, and ran smack into something solid and fell backward, landing on his ass.
“Shit,” a voice said before someone grabbed him by the arms and yanked him to his feet. “Are you alright?”
Stiles shook his head and then nodded before looking up and freezing. “Derek?”
Derek’s eyes widened. “Stiles? What are you doing in New York?”
Stiles ran a hand over his face, catching sight of his watch. “Risking getting fired before I even get started,” he shouted. “I’ve gotta run.”
“Stiles!” Derek called after him, a part of him not wanting to let go of this small part of his past, even if he was starting over.
“What?” Stiles called, not looking behind him. Derek wondered where he was headed.
“My number hasn’t changed!” he shouted, smirking when Stiles stumbled before righting himself and waving a hand over his head. Derek doubted Stiles would call, but at least now he knew someone might. His phone had been silent in the years since he’d left Beacon Hills behind after the fire that had killed his family.
He’d spent a few years in the middle of nowhere in Colorado before continuing East. Only recently did he know he needed to find something to do with his days, or the madness that had begun setting in would take complete control. He’d spent months searching for a job that wouldn’t drive him completely crazy and found one in New York.
Now, he stood in the middle of the sidewalk staring at the space Stiles had occupied only moments earlier and wondered if fate had somehow led him there. Shaking his head, he checked the GPS on his phone and started heading toward his new job.
Stiles stood in the elevator, bouncing on his toes. He should’ve taken the stairs, but he’d been winded from the shock of seeing Derek and his race to work. The doors slid open to reveal Trend Point’s home offices. A young woman with red hair stood at the front desk with a welcoming smile. She reminded Stiles of Lydia, his high school crush that a wild animal had killed, and he felt a twinge in his chest.
“You must be Stiles,” she said, holding out a hand for Stiles to shake. “We have one more new employee starting today, so if you’ll have a seat until he gets here.”
Stiles nodded and moved to sit on the seat closest to the desk. He pulled his phone out and stared down at it. Derek had said he hadn’t changed his number, but Stiles wondered if he’d meant it. It had been many years since Derek had left Beacon Hills, and no one had heard from him since. He should’ve listened to his father and called Derek when Scott had died on the lacrosse field, an asthma attack taking him out before the paramedics could get there.
Stiles shook his head, blinking back tears. He’d lost so many people growing up. His mom. The Hales. Derek. Scott. Lydia. He’d nearly lost his dad, but thankfully Melissa, Scott’s mom, had stepped in to pull him back from the edge. Hell, the woman pulled Stiles off a literal ledge at one point. She’d been the one who’d encouraged him to leave Beacon Hills, and he’d only done it knowing his father would be in good hands.
Now Derek was in New York. His memories went over the years, and Derek and his family played in so many of them that he felt tears spring to his eyes. He rubbed at them and hoped that the receptionist didn’t notice. Great first impression, crying in the lobby. He pulled up Derek’s contact info, thumb wavering over the screen. He took a deep breath. Just because he was starting a new life didn’t mean he needed to discard everything from the old one.
“Mine didn’t change either, ” he typed. He pushed send just as the elevator doors opened.
Two things happened at once. A phone went off, and the receptionist called out. “Derek? Excellent. Now that you’re here, we can start this orientation.”
Stiles looked up, mouth hanging open as he studied Derek, who looked as stunned as he did. A smile spread across Derek’s face, and Stiles couldn’t miss the dampness in his eyes. “Hey, Stiles,” he said.
Stiles stood up and moved to stand next to him. “Derek.”
“You two know each other? Excellent! My name is Lisa Idaho, and I’m the front office coordinator,” she said. “Now, let's get moving.”
She moved down the hallway, and Stiles started after her, stopping when Derek touched his arm. “You okay?” Stiles asked.
“Just making sure you’re really here,” he said. He would never tell Stiles that he’d imagined his childhood best friend and first crush too many times over the years.
“Dude, I’m here. You’re here. I think New York is going to be the new life I needed,” he said.
“New life for us both,” Derek said. They looked up when Lisa called their names, smiling fondly and shaking her head.
“We should go before we both have to get new new jobs,” Stiles teased, grabbing Derek’s sleeve and pulling him along. Derek knew if they weren’t at work, he’d be taking his hand, and he hoped Stiles would want to get dinner that night.