Chapter Text
“You are going tonight, right?” Kira asked, excitedly as she hopped up on the big wooden desk. Derek frowned at her until she slid off his desk, smiling sheepishly.
“I imagine if I didn’t, you would somehow exact revenge on me. Your sweet demeanor doesn’t have me fooled. You’re as vicious as Erica and my sisters.”
She smiled brightly at him like he just gave her the greatest compliment. He suppressed a smile and tried to go back to his morning paperwork. Squinting at the computer screen had already given him a headache. Kira found Derek’s glasses on a nearby shelf and handed them to him. He gave her a small smile in thanks.
Derek never thought that when he hired the shy Columbia freshman last year as part time help at his bookstore, that she would end up being one of his best friends. He knew people wondered what a thirty-three year old man could possibly have in common with an eighteen year old girl.
It was simple. Derek and Kira were literary soul mates especially when it came to the fantasy genre. They both loved The Urban Mage series which was about a young man named Max that while trying to save his kidnapped sister, finds out that he is a powerful mage. The first book, The Invocation, was made into a movie and was opening that night.
“I just hope they follow the book.” Derek grumbled as he imputed an invoice for a shipment of books.
Kira nodded in agreement as she started to unpack a box of new arrivals that Derek had already entered into the system. “I can’t wait to see how Stiles Stiliniski interprets Max’s character. It’ll also be nice watch all that hotness for two hours.”
Derek glanced up and looked at her in confusion. “Who?”
Kira rolled her eyes good naturedly. “You know, Stiliniski? The actor that’s playing Max? The hot guy with the moles?”
Derek remember briefly seeing an attractive, lanky guy on the trailer for the movie and being aggravated that they casted someone so young to play Max when he’s supposed to be in his mid-twenties.
“You mean the twelve year old?” he huffed as he picked up another invoice.
Kira stilled for a moment before she started to laugh. “Stiles is closer in age to you than he is to me. I think he’s twenty-six, twenty-seven…something like that.” She grew silent for a moment before stating slyly, “Now you won’t have to feel like a pedophile when you lust after him. He’s just your type.” She gave him a wink.
“Damn it, Kira, I told you to stay away from Erica. You sound just like her now. What happened to the shy, sweet girl I hired?” he growled, menacingly.
Kira laughed in his face. Derek’s shoulders dropped in defeat. What happened to the days when he was intimidating? Between Laura, Cora, Erica and Kira, the women in his life would practically coo over him when he tried and that made him feel as menacing as a Pomeranian.
At least Boyd and Isaac were still slightly terrified of him because they knew if they hurt Erica or Cora, he’d rip their throats out.
Of course, Erica and Cora would just do it themselves. They didn’t need him. Derek let his forehead fall onto his desk, momentarily blocking out Kira’s cheerful chattering until one sentence caught his attention.
“Oh, by the way, your sisters and Erica are going tonight.”
“What.”
“Wow, was that a question or a statement?” Kira gave Derek an unimpressed face, the one she reserved for when he started to become broody.
“Why are they coming? The three of them will talk through the movie. Last time we all went to the movies, Laura spilled her entire coke in my lap, Erica somehow got popcorn in my hair and Cora was cackling so loud she nearly got us all kicked out.” Derek glared at Kira, but she simply smiled.
“Derek, you are becoming a hermit, and they were all complaining the other night that-“
“Wait. Are you hanging out with those three outside of work now?” Derek asked, horrified that his only normal friend was being lured to the dark side. The triad of evil, the menacing trio, the unholy trinity, the . . .
“Those three are amazing, strong, caring and funny women that I’m totally girl-crushing on. Those three, despite your grumpy personality, adore you. Now, you will be the grateful brother and friend to have them in your life and enjoy every insane moment with them at the movies tonight.” Kira commanded, swatting him on the arm with a paperback.
Derek sighed in defeat. “They haven’t even read the books. Why do they even want to go?”
“Don’t whine; it’s unbecoming of a gentleman.” Kira stated, haughtily. Her expression then became devilish. “Erica and Cora are just going to see Stilinski and Laura wants to see Lydia Martin who’s playing Max’s sister. Now, we have a lot of work to do before the movie tonight, so let’s get to it.” Kira had quickly loaded up a cart of books and proceeded to wheel out of the room with them.
“Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” he yelled at Kira’s retreating back, but only got a snort in response.
Derek grumbled under his breath about bossy women in his life and surreptitiously got on Google to look up Stiles Stilinski.
“Now let’s see what the big deal about this guy is.” He muttered as he clicked on the first result.
Stiles was twenty-seven originally from Beacon Hills, California which caused Derek’s eyebrows to raise in surprise since he was born there, but his family moved to New York when he was five, just before Cora was born.
“Huh, small world.” He huffed and kept reading.
He attended Berkley where he studied to be a forensic psychologist but stepped into acting by chance when his best friend and budding film maker, Scott McCall, asked him to appear in his first film, True Alpha. According to Stilinski, even though the indie film wasn’t as successful as they had hoped, he became hooked to acting.
It wasn’t until the sleeper hit, Nogitsune, which was directed by McCall and written by Stilinski, where Stilinski played the lead of a young man that was possessed by a fox spirit, that Hollywood took notice. He was offered many roles by major film studios, but he turned them down.
Stilinski took a break after Nogitsune to finish his degree, but Hollywood did not forget about him, especially with the movie and Stilinski himself achieving cult status in such a short time. His fans didn’t forget him either; his fan base grew rapidly, especially on tumblr where fans would call themselves Stylets.
It was only when B. Lawson’s Urban Mage series was slotted to made into film, that Stilinski showed interest in working with a major studio. He earned the role as Max and will be appearing in the first film, The Invocation, which will be his first appearance in a major film.
Derek now knew why all the women in his life wanted to see Stilinski was because of Nogitsune. That was all they talked about when it first came out. Laura and Cora were constantly harassing him to watch it. He’s surprised they haven’t tied him down yet and made him watch it to be honest.
He clicked on images and after a few photos Derek could see that he was rather attractive, especially those bambi eyes and Derek was a sucker when it came to eyes. He went to another image where he swallowed roughly.
It was a photo of Stilinski during an interview. He had an open mouth smile like he was just about to laugh, his eyes practically glowed. His face held a flirtatious appeal to it and Derek wondered how it would be if that expression was directed toward him. . .
“Whatcha doin’?”
Derek jumped and slammed his laptop shut.
“Jesus Christ Kira, where’d you come from?” he growled at his employee, adjusting his glasses and fiddling with some loose invoices in the vain attempt to look like he was not just ogling Stiles Stilinski on the internet.
“I’ve been standing here for a few minutes now. I’m quite impressed, I never can sneak up on you, but I can see why you’d be distracted.” Kira winked as she loaded up the now empty cart with more books. “He’s all over social media…you should follow him, he’s hilarious.”
Derek cleared his throat and refused to meet Kira’s eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Kira sighed. “Fine, be that way. Just don’t make fun of the rest of us when we fangirl over him tonight. If you do, trust me, I’ll be telling them about your boner over Stilinski.” Kira flounced out of the room with the cart.
Derek sat back in his seat, speechless for a moment until what Kira had said hit him.
He stormed out of the backroom and onto the sales floor. “I definitely did not have a boner!” he snapped out at Kira.
Too bad she was helping a customer when he proclaimed his lack of erection to the entire store.
Kira’s face turned red, from embarrassment or suppressed laughter, Derek didn’t know. Derek’s own face became hot as he tried to stutter out an apology to one of his regular customers, sixty year old Mrs. Dentley, but he couldn’t seem to force any words out.
Mrs. Dentley’s eyes twinkled in merriment as she patted his cheek. “Such a shame. You’re much too young to be having that problem.” She teased as she thanked Kira for her help and headed for the checkout.
Derek stared after her and then turned back to Kira who was indeed having a hard time reigning in her laughter.
He pointed his finger at her and scowled. “I hate you so much right now.”
Kira’s laughter burst out of her, causing her to gasp for breath. “You’re face…!”
“You’re dead to me.” He marched back to the backroom to hide for the rest of the day.
As a strange sort of apology, a few hours later, Kira hacked into all of Derek’s social media and he now followed Stiles Stilinski in every platform.
Derek snorted and leveled her with a glare when she came back from lunch, but as always she could see past it and gave him a small, sincere smile.
He huffed but gave her a small smile back.
When she saw that she was clearly forgiven, her smile turned wicked.
“Erica and your sisters saw all the activity on your social media. They can’t wait to talk to the newest Stylet.”
Derek groaned.
Goddamnit.