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It starts on a Tuesday morning.
Derek is showering, humming like he usually does as he washes his hair. He may do a little head bang when he gets to the hook and ends up with soap in his eyes.
He’s in a good mood; Cora spent the night at her girlfriend’s house so he has the apartment to himself, he doesn’t have to work today and it’s a nice, bright day in New York.
Somehow humming an Imagine Dragons song turns into rapping a Nicki Minajverse.
(He blames Cora for the fact that he knows all of the words. She’s constantly blasting Top 40 shit.)
To his dying day Derek will deny that he jumps when the voice joins in with him, accidentally knocking over a shampoo bottle and stubbing his toe against the edge of the tile with the surprise. The voice sniggers when he lets out a stream of curse words, but it’s soon followed by a shout of “you okay, man?”
“Fine,” Derek hollers, feeling his face heat with embarrassment.
He finishes his shower quickly and silently, hurrying through his routine and contemplates the idea of moving.
That is until Cora comes home with a curious expression holding a post it note that she says was attached to the door.
It reads:
Dude (or dudette) from 402,
Awesome rapping skills, hope you’re not injured too bad
Scott, from 401
It’s signed with a smiley face and a kiss, which makes the tips of his ears redden as Cora delightfully points out, tugging on them and laughing at his face, annoying in the way only sisters are.
She smirks at him knowingly when he comes home the next day with a bag of post it notes and pens.
Whatever. It’s none of her business.
–
A few weeks later Derek is brushing his teeth when he hears someone singing.
He recognises it as the neighbour who interrupted him last time and jumps into the shower almost gleefully, not bothering to undress or actually turn the shower on. Instead he stands with his ear nearly pressed up against the wall, straining his ears to figure out what the man is singing.
Derek works out pretty quickly that it’s the Spanish version of a popular Shakira song and quickly thanks to the Gods that he’s chosen profession is a language interpreter/translator.
He takes a moment to appreciate Scott’s voice for a moment, the words coming out smooth and seductive. They roll off the tongue, and it sends a little tingle down his spine when Scott sings a particularly provocative line.
Derek joins in near the end, when Scott is singing the chorus and he somewhat has the words down. Scott stutters for a second, but continues, their voices blending together beautifully.
They finish the song together, and Scott claps at the end while Derek laughs bashfully.
Dude, says the note Derek finds attached to the door fifteen minutes later.
¿Hablas a español?
-Scott
Si, I’m very versatile, Derek writes back and it isn’t until the next morning he realises the innuendo.
He’s silently panicking when he checks the door for a note, isn’t sure if the noise he makes is one of relief or dread.
Good to know ;)
Derek’s chokes on air.
–
After that, it becomes something of a game. A competition to catch each other out, sing the most obscure song.
Derek starts out with a Blink 182 song (because who listens to Blink 182 anymore) and ends up being out sung, and the note on his door is a mixture of mocking him and excited ramblings. Scott follows that with a song from High School Musical. (Please. Derek has three younger siblings and a nephew. He could probably recite the whole scripts of all three movies at this point.)
It gets to the point where Derek looks online and ends up on Youtube, listening to truly awful songs. After two hours he finds it. The perfect song that’ll pain him to sing, but Scott will love it.
Two days later he stands in the shower, swallows his pride and starts singing the opening bars to Fergalicious.
Scott’s laugh echoes in his ears, making him grin, before he eagerly joins in.
It’s the most fun he’s had in years, dancing in the shower, singing with a stranger – although, maybe Scott doesn’t count as a stranger anymore. He’s still grinning the next day when Cora comes home, and he fully expects her to make a joke.
Instead she smiles softly at him, gives him a look like she knows something he doesn’t and gives him a tight hug as she passes him.
–
It ends on a Sunday evening.
Derek is re-watching his favourite series on Netflix, bowl of cereal in one hand and mouth full when someone knocks on the door.
He pads across the room with a suspicious glare, opens the door to find… the loud kid he’s seen coming in and out of the building sometimes. He’s got his back to the door, having what seems to be a whispered argument with another boy who’s tugging at his shirt almost nervously.
“Can I help you?”
The kid turns around, jaw dropping a little as he checks him out. It makes him a little uncomfortable, so he crosses his arms and glares, repeats his question.
“Yes, actually.” The kid stands straight, and he’s taller than Derek thought. Derek can see the determination in his eyes, even though his body language shows his nervousness. Still, he’s confused as to why the kid is at his door. “What are your intentions with my boy Scotty?”
Derek stares. “Excuse me?”
“Stiles,” the boy behind him whines, eyes flickering between him and the floor. “Sorry if we’ve disturbed you, Derek. We’ll be going now.”
“No Scott,” Stiles hisses. “You’ve been sticking notes though each other’s doors for two months. What if he’s a creepy old man? What if he wants to lock you in the basement and be his sex slave?!”
“My name’s Derek Hale,” Derek interrupts, looking straight at Scott. “I’m 25, I live here with my sister, Cora, and I’m a language interpreter.”
Scott smiles bashfully, cheeks going a little pink. “Uh, I’m Scott. I’m in my second to last year of veterinary school, I live with Stiles, my best friend.”
Behind him, Stiles gives a two fingered salute, but is still looking at him with distrust.
“I was actually just watching Breaking Bad, if you wanted to join me?” Derek offers, looking at them both. Really, he doesn’t want Stiles in his apartment, but this is his chance to spend actual time with Scott, in the same room and not through a wall, so he’ll take what he can get.
Stiles opens his mouth, looking like he’s about to say hell no, but is interrupted by Scott, who responds with an enthusiastic “yes.”
So all three of them end up in his apartment, sitting on his leather couches watching Breaking Bad until Cora gets home from college. She gives them a look but thankfully doesn’t say anything.
That is, until they leave a few hours later and she, very loudly, demands to know exactly who they are. He contemplates lying to her, because Derek knows as soon as he reveals that it was Scott, it’ll be a while before she leaves him alone, but… he’s kind of excited to tell her.
The night went better than he expected. When they actually got talking, after they both revealed it wasn’t their first time watching the show, he and Scott actually have a lot in common.
So he tells Cora, and she listens intently.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” she says afterwards, leaning forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to bed, don’t stay up all night thinking of Scott’s eyelashes, creeper.”
“Brat.” Derek shoves her lightly but accepts the hug she gives him.
(He doesn’t stay up all night thinking of Scott’s eyelashes, but maybe he dreams of his smile.)
–
Ten months later, Derek is in the shower, singing a Black Keys song.
It’s not long before Scott joining in, harmonising with him.
“Get in here,” Derek yells, grinning.
Scott appears not ten seconds later, naked and eagerly stepping into the shower.
“Just like old times,” Scott says, the same goofy grin on his face.
“Not exactly,” Derek counters, wrapping his arms around Scott’s waist to bring them flush together. “This is a little better.”