Work Text:
They had a routine. Just like any ordinarily normal couple, they had a routine.
Stiles never thought they would reach the day when he and Derek would have a routine together. Its formation was less climactic that he thought it would be. After Stiles moved in with Derek, both of them finding a new loft to co-habitate in after coming to the conclusion that too many negative events forever tainted the old one.
It started one night when Stiles was working on his final paper of the semester, fingers quickly tapping away at the keys of his laptop. He took a few seconds every dozen minutes to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he reread what he had typed. He was sitting against the headboard of the bed, waiting for Derek to finish getting ready for sleep. He caught a glimpse of Derek standing in the doorway of the bathroom before he ultimately turned his attention from his laptop towards his boyfriend. He arched his eyebrows in silent question, curious as to why Derek was just standing there in observation.
Derek leaned against the doorframe, a soft smile settled across his lips as his eyes lingered on Stiles. There was a familiar glint in his eyes—a hint of adoration shining through.
Stiles smiled, wiggling some as he settled in the bed more. “I’m almost done,” he murmured, his eyes dashing towards the digital clock in the upper corner of his computer screen. He suppressed a groan when he saw that it was a little past eleven.
Derek was silent as he moved towards the bed, crawling on his hands and knees over the comforter. He turned onto his back, resting his head just against Stiles’ hip. He released a satisfied sigh as he closed his eyes. “Take your time—I have a late shift tomorrow.”
Stiles paused typing, his hand idly moving to rest over Derek’s chest. He slowly tapped his fingertips in a rhythm as he read over his written paragraphs. He smiled when Derek reached his hand up to gently tangle their fingers together. Time passed quicker than Stiles thought, making a small noise of indignation when he saw that it was almost one in the morning.
Derek sleepily turned his head inwards, towards Stiles’ hip as he practically nuzzled him. He couldn’t stop the smirk gracing his lips when Stiles swiftly shut his laptop, moving it to rest on his nightstand.
Stiles slid his glasses off his nose, folding them in order to rest on his laptop’s cover. “You did that on purpose,” he muttered as he turned his attention towards Derek. He gently slipped his other hand under Derek’s tank top, running his fingertips through his chest hair. “When did you become such a soft, cuddly teddy bear,” he commented to himself, turning his torso towards Derek. He bent his head down, hovering his lips over Derek’s as his eyes scanned him.
“When my boyfriend started doing his work in bed,” Derek’s chest softly rumbled in response. He opened his eyes to look at Stiles, leaning up to place a kiss on his lips.
“I’m sorry, babe,” Stiles stated through kisses.
“Don’t be,” Derek answered, reaching his hand up to tangle with the unruly locks of Stiles’ hair. “I get to cuddle you while you’re being productive—it’s a win, win.”
Stiles started doing more work in the bed, both of them becoming accustomed to the new routine they loved. Even when reading, Stiles was consciously aware of Derek moving throughout the bedroom before heading towards the bed. He waited for Derek to start climbing into bed before he would shuffle his book into one hand as he lifted his other. He allowed Derek to slip in under his arm in order to hug his torso like a pillow. He rested his hand along Derek’s back, his fingertips rhythmically caressing up and down Derek’s spine, slowly lulling him to sleep.
Unbeknownst to Derek, Stiles would wait a few minutes—until he was certain Derek was asleep—before he closed his book to deposit it on his nightstand. He always spent the next hour watching Derek, moving his hand to run through Derek hair—relishing in the way Derek would turn his head into his palm, welcoming the contact even in his sleep.
So, they had a routine. Just like any ordinarily normal couple, they had a routine. And they both loved it.