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John Stilinski looks down at the heap he calls his son and lets out a tired but fond sigh as he takes in the scene before him. Stiles’ lower half is on his bed while his upper half on the floor. Papers of every color scattered around the floor, along with markers and a model floor plan made in paper mache if the smell of glue lingering in the room is anything to go by.
“Stiles, wake up,” he tries, not all that surprised when he doesn’t get response. “It’s time for school.”
All he gets is a smack of lips and inaudible mumbling for his troubles as Stiles snuggles into his floor without actually falling over. His son is a gift. “I will throw water on you again, don’t think I won’t.”
“Five more minutes’ dad,” Stiles groans out.
“Why just five? How about another half an hour and I write you a tardy note,” John answers sarcastically.
Stiles smirks, his eyes still shut. “Best. Dad. Ever.”
John waits for a moment narrowing his eyes when his son doesn’t move, nodding to himself he reaches for the tall water glass he’d set on Stiles’ computer table when he first came in, smiling as the ice cube click in the glass. “Can’t say I didn’t warn you kid.”
*
“HOLY MOTHER OF- DAD! NOT COOL!”
Derek Hale sighs as the shouts from the house next to his reach him, waking him up like clockwork.
“Get up, kid,” His sister’s voice comes through the door and even with the door shut he can just see Laura’s amused smile. “Your alarm clock is shouting.”
Derek rolls over groaning into his pillow. “I hate everything,” he mumbles.
“Hate everything dressed and ready for school,” Laura shouts back even though she shouldn’t have been able to hear him as she walks away from his door.
“Freak,” he grumbles sitting up in his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Next door he can still hear Stiles’ voice carry as he accuses his father of child abuse.
“It’s just a little water, for fuck sake. Which wouldn’t happen if you woke up on your own, drama queen.” Derek starts like he does every day that the Stilinskis’ wake him up, it’s a habit that he’s gotten into and can’t seem to break out of. He ignores what it could mean that he talks out loud like Stiles Stilinski can hear him, because it means nothing, absolutely nothing.
It certainly doesn’t mean that maybe a small part of him might miss his once best friend. He ignores the amused scoff his mind gives him in return, especially since it sounds like the ones his sister likes to give him and instead reaches across the bed to grab his cellphone from the bedside table, where the little blue light tells me he has a message. Opening to his texts, he lets out a tired sigh.
Paige: We need to talk.
Great, that’s just what he needs in his life, more drama.
Going over to his closet he looks for a somewhat clean shirt, ignoring the voice in his head that says it isn’t more drama because Stiles isn’t in his life in the first place and also ignores the uncomfortable feeling that thought gives him. More uncomfortable than his girlfriend texting him the four words no guy ever wants to hear from their significant other.
Whatever, it’s nothing.
*
Stiles Stilinski walks into Beacon Hill High School with minutes to spare -proving his father’s waking tactics unnecessary- carrying the scale model he’d been slaving away created for the school’s upcoming winter formal. Making his way over to the dance committee’s table, he nods at the head of the dance committee, Lydia Martin, as he places the model down before fist bumping his best friend, ignoring the way Lydia rolls her eyes as he and Scott mimic an exploding sound as they pull back their hands.
“Dude!” Scott exclaims, a happy wide smile on his face as he looks over the model and all the tiny details, Stiles obsessed over. “You recreated the gym and made it into a winter wonderland with tiny people!”
Stiles puffs his chest proudly. “Yep, and look,” he says pointing as a tiny figurine with a wonky jaw next to another figurine with long black hair.
“That’s me and Allison!” Scott shouts with a laugh. “Awesome.”
“Popping your Adderall like tic-tacs again, Stilinski?” Lydia asks with a perfectly tweezed eyebrow raised and a mocking smile.
Stiles shrugs unbothered, ever since he got over his crush on the red-head, her ridicule of him just rolled off his back. “Whatever works.”
“You made all of us,” Scott continues, picking up a little blonde figure with a little crown. “Is this Erica Reyes?”
“Yeah,” Stiles answers throwing his own mocking smile over at Lydia as she scowls at the figure in Scott’s hand and then at him. “I went for realism and we all know she’s going to win queen this year after her transformation.”
Scott, who up till now had been oblivious to the tension between Stiles and Lydia now looks up from the model, his eyes wide as he gets the jab Stiles is throwing Lydia’s way, seeing as she’s after the crown herself.
“If you are going for realism, Stilinski,” Lydia starts icily as she stands from the table gathering her books. “Then you shouldn’t have your little figurine next to Danny Mahealani, seeing as he was seen just last night cozying up to Ethan over at the Jungle. So your chances of scoring a date with him to the dance just went up in smoke.”
Stiles glares at Lydia as she walks away before turning back to his friend. “Please tell me she was just being bitchy and lying?” he asks, already knowing the answer as Scott gives him a sad sympathetic face. “Shit.”
*
“I want to break up.”
Derek blinks, opens his mouth and shuts it again when nothing comes out and blinks again. Paige who is looking at him with a frown as they stand in front of his locker, lets out a loud annoyed sigh.
“See! This is why I want to break up,” she exclaims loudly and Derek doesn’t have an outwardly reaction, but winces on the inside as her voice carries and more than one person eyeballs them with the greedy expression of teenagers knowing juicy drama is happening in front of them. “You never react to anything, Derek, you never express yourself, it’s like having a relationship with a wall, even now as I’m dumping you, you give me nothing.”
Derek breathes in to calm the annoyance and yeah even the hurt he’s feeling. He doesn’t love Paige, he realizes that even as he stands there being humiliated, but he cares about her and had hoped that she saw pass his defenses and saw that he did feel, maybe a little too deeply. But no, it seemed that like the rest of the student body, she was him as cold and emotionless.
“I’d hoped I’d be the one,” she continues teary-eyed. “The one you would open up and let in, it’s why I went out with you, I wanted to find the real you, but I guess this is it, there’s nothing more to you.”
Derek clenches his jaw, refusing to react and give her or the people around them, now blatantly listening in, the satisfaction.
“Are you really not going to say anything, Derek?” Paige asks again, the tears gone replaced by annoyance once more.
“You left a sweater at my place last time you were over,” he starts calmly. “Come by whenever you want to pick it up.”
Paige stares at him for a moment and he takes the time to turn back to his locker and pull out his history book, he feels the glare she is giving the side of his face before she huffs and walks away. Behind him people titter amused at what they just witnessed.
That’s that then.
*
“See,” Scott whispers as a fuming brunette passes them by his locker. “Someone has it worse than you.”
Stiles turns to his friend to keep from looking over at Derek Hale, his neighbor and ex best friend. “Really.”
Scott shrugs. “Well yeah, I mean getting dumped by your girlfriend is worse than finding out your chances of going to the dance with Danny are gone, I mean how big where your chances away? You weren’t dating the guy.”
Stiles stares at his friend for a moment before letting out a sarcastic chuckle. “Ever thought of going into motivational speaking, Scotty, you’d be awesome at it.”
“Thanks!” Scott answers brightly and Stiles shakes his head.
“That was really rough to watch though,” Scott continues as he stares over at Derek who is still pulling out books from his locker, his back to the world. “Not that he seems to care much, if Allison dumped me, I’d die.”
Stiles can’t help the roll of his eyes at his friend’s dramatics.
“But look at him, cool as always.”
Stiles scoffs. “Trust me, the last thing Derek Hale is right now, is cool, or ever really, he’s a big nerd.”
“How would you know?” Scott asks. “You haven’t talked to him since middle school.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t still know him,” Stiles answers as he too watches Derek, frowning at the way he can see how tight the guy’s shoulders are under his black Henley.
“There’s a thought.”
Stiles looks back a Scott, confused, obviously having missed something as he’d looked over at Derek, it seemed that even years later, he can still get lost in the activity and he blushes as that enters his mind. There had been a time, back when the grumpy boy with the pretty green eyes and jet black hair had monopolized so many of Stiles thoughts. “What thought?”
“You and Hale.” Scott answers with a smirk and Stiles startles, wondering if his usually clueless friend could see his thoughts plainly on his face. “If you don’t get another date to the dance you could always ask Derek, at least he’s single.”
Stiles frowns as Scott walks away laughing, amused by his own joke.
But as he quickly goes through his head, thinking of all the possibilities now that Danny isn’t an option, X’s across every name he can think of, the joke, not funny to begin with gets even less humorous and damn, if it doesn’t start to sound like a hell of an idea.
*
“That was really embarrassing at school today.”
Derek looks up at the voice, surprised to say the least, seeing as that voice hasn’t been directed at him in almost four years, despite close proximity to it and that the last time he heard it directed at him it was louder, angrier and squeakier as the owner of the voice threw the friendship bracelet Derek made for him when he was five.
“What are you doing here, Stiles?”
“Looking for you,” Stiles answers easily and points to the empty space next to him on the ground. “May I?”
Derek shrugs without a care, while inside he shifts restlessly.
“How do did you know I’d be here?” Derek asks once Stiles settles next to him, anything to keep him from cataloging things like the fact that Stiles still smells of lemons years later, or taking in the spike hair now that he’s close, so different to the buzz cut he use to have back when they were little and they were friend, back when they use to mean everything to each other.
Stiles looks up at the tree they are leaning against and at the old treehouse, that his father and Derek’s helped them build back when they were eight, he smiles as he sees they faded hand prints of the men above Derek’s and his smaller ones. “This is where you always went when you were upset and wanted to be alone, hiding the woods behind our houses like some lone wolf, far enough away to keep you happy but close enough your mom wouldn’t freak.”
“I was never alone,” Derek points out. “How could I when you were always following me.”
Stiles laughs and it’s with his whole body, just like before.
Derek swallows hard.
“Guess things haven’t changed so much, after all.”
“Why are you here, Stiles?” Derek asks bluntly annoyed that he’d forgotten that Stiles’ smile was like sunshine and what a sucker punch they could be.
“I wanted to see if you were okay,” Stiles answers back. “Today with Paige…”
“I’m fine,” Derek says quickly. “Didn’t you hear? I don’t feel anything.”
“That’s bullshit,” Stiles says back sternly. “If anyone knows that, it’s me.”
“Really?” Derek asks for a sneer. “I seem to recall the last time we spoke, you accused me of basically the same thing, something about me being a robot.”
Stiles opens his mouth, before he closes it again and takes a deep breath. “I deserve that.”
Derek snorts cynically.
“But I was 13 and my best friend was completely shutting me out and I was hurt.”
Derek nods. “And I was 13 and my both my parents had just died and I was trying to deal, sorry if I didn’t do it to your satisfaction.”
Stiles exhales and Derek waits to see how he will blast him for the retelling of history and Derek inwardly feels shame, because while true, he knows he’s leaving out his own part in the ending of their friendship.
“This was a mistake,” Stiles says softly and Derek tries not to flinch. “I shouldn’t have come, sorry.”
Derek watches as Stiles stands and fear grips him, fear like he hasn’t felt since he was 13 and was told by a tearstained Laura that there’d been an accident on the road and he knows now, just like he knew that night, that if he lets Stiles walk away, nothing will be the same.
“Wait,” he says getting up after Stiles. “You came to say something and not just check up on me, we haven’t talked in four years, Stiles, so spit it out.”
Stiles sighs but at least he isn’t leaving and Derek can’t ignore the way his heart beats faster at that. “Danny is taking Ethan to the winter formal.”
“Okay?” Derek says looking confused, that was the last thing he expected Stiles to say.
“I had hoped he would take me instead.”
“Okay,” Derek says again, this time less confused and more annoyed. “And?”
“And Paige broke up with you,” Stiles says cuttingly, looking annoyed himself. “And she says you feel nothing, but she obviously doesn’t know shit about you, cause while on the outside you might be all James Dean, I know that on inside, she embarrassed you and that you are going to keep being embarrassed as this spreads through school and people whisper and point behind your back and I am going to be embarrassed because everyone knows that I have been after Danny and he didn’t even bother to give me a chance. So I was thinking since people are going to be talking about both of us, we control what they say about us by going together to the dance.”
Derek stares at Stiles, mouth open. “Nice to know that you’re still crazy.”
Stiles shakes his head. “Not crazy, I just know how teenagers work, while you have been perfecting your loner mystic, I have actually socialized with our peers, so, you in?”
Derek watches Stiles for a moment longer, before shaking his head. “I must be crazy too.”
“Not crazy,” Stiles repeats, smiling brightly. “Just following my genius like when we were kids.”
“Your genius once resulted in a broken arm for me,” Derek reminds Stiles.
“I still say that if you had believed hard enough that you were Superman, you would have flown when you jumped off my roof,” Stiles says with a grin, teasing and if Derek smiles on the inside, no one needs to know. Though if the way Stiles’ smile widens is anything to go by, he might.
Maybe this won’t be so bad.
*
It’s worse.
“Stop scowling, you’re scaring the sales associates,” Stiles comments as he looks through the suits sections of Macy’s.
“They should be scared; I’m going to kill you on their selling floor.” Derek answers. “They are going to be witnesses at my murder trial.”
“You need a suit for the dance, Derek, be reasonable,” Stiles continues calmly.
Derek raises all the bags he is already holding. “And all of these, Stiles?”
“Those are the answer to your desperate cry for help,” Stiles answers as he gives Derek a quick once over before letting his gaze land on his left shoulder. “I know you are going for your ‘rebel without a cause’ look, but there is only so much black and leather one can own, Derek, after a while it stops being hot.”
Derek doesn’t say anything, instead he just watches Stiles for a moment and starts to smirk.
Stiles tries to stay still and not react to Derek’s scrutiny. But just like when they were kids, Derek’s hazel-green eyes lock on him and Stiles swears the guy is learning every single one of Stiles’ secrets. “What?” he asks defensively, unable to help himself.
Derek grins as he shortens the distances between them until he is standing but inches away from Stiles, he’s only about two inches taller than him, but Stiles finds himself looking up now that they are so close. “You still look to your left when you lie,” Derek answers, stilling smirking. “You think I’m hot.”
Stiles flushes. “I do not.”
Derek chuckles, he’s teasing but it’s gentle. “It wasn’t a question, Stiles.”
Stiles tries to stand his ground, but Derek is close, smiling at him like he used to and it’s suddenly as easy between them as before and Stiles remember what or better yet who it was that made him realize he liked boys in first place. Back when he was 12 and even more awkward than he is now and he was best friends with the most beautiful boy. It’s be a lie to say Derek isn’t more beautiful now. “Fine,” he answers, trying for calm and uninterested. “You’re hot.”
Derek answers with a huge grin even as the tips of his ears have turned light pink.
“Don’t gloat Derek,” Stiles grumbles but a smile twitches at his own lips. “I have eyes.”
“And you’ve been using them,” Derek tease. “So just how long have you been hot for my bod?”
“I’m not!” Stiles argues as Derek laughs.
“Is this the real reason you asked me to the dance?” Derek continues enjoying the way Stiles stammers. “You planning to kiss me at the end of the night?”
“You wish you jerk,” Stiles mumbles, feeling his cheeks burn.
Derek stops grinning and his expression softens. “Stiles- “
“Stiles!”
Stiles looks over Derek’s shoulder and sees Scott with Lydia, Erica and his girlfriend Allison a few feet away from them, all looking at the two of them with curiosity. Looking back at Derek he realizes that over the course of their teasing they have gotten even closer and are all but pressed against each other.
Stiles takes a step back and is sure it’s just his imagination that Derek lets out a sigh.
“Hey buddy!” he answers brightly. “Shopping?”
“It’s a mall, Stiles, what else would we be doing.” Lydia answers all the while staring at Derek, who has now turned to face the group, he doesn’t acknowledge her or any of them but Erica who he nods at.
“Hale,” the pretty blonde returns in greeting.
“Shopping with the competition, Lydia?” Stiles ask before any of them can ask what they obviously want to ask.
“Don’t make it sound like a battle to the death, Stiles,” Lydia huff as she pushes a lock of red hair back. “It’s just a crown and I’m giving Erica some of my valuable beauty advise.”
“Doesn’t seem like she needs help in that department, Lydia,” Stiles answers giving Erica a goofy wink, smiling when she lets out a laugh.
“Flattered, Stilinski,” she answers amused.
“You should be, Reyes,” Stiles says with a flirty grin. “You are lacking a very important body part I’m into these days, but you are crazy hot, especially in that leather jacket.”
“You were just berating me for wearing leather, Stiles,” Derek interjects with a huff.
“I didn’t say it doesn’t look good on you,” Stiles exclaims. “I just say that can’t be your whole closet and I already told you I think you’re hot so no need to get so huffy, you’re still the prettiest here.”
“Especially since he does have that every important body part you’re into, right, Stilinski?” Erica asks laughingly.
Stiles stares at her for a moment, blushing, sneaking a look at Derek he sees he’s not the only one. “Way to use my works against me, Reyes.”
Erica shrugs unapologetically.
“So, you guys are shopping,” Allison interjects when there’s a lull in the conversation.
“Stiles wants to be sure I don’t embarrass him as his date to the dance,” Derek answers cutting to the chase and Stiles can feel the way his friends turn to stare at him, but he’s busy turning to Derek who gives him a challenging look.
“You wouldn’t embarrass me,” Stiles answers. “You don’t have to wear a suit if you don’t really want to, you can wear whatever.”
Derek looks doubtful. “Really?”
“As long as it’s not Laura’s orange sweater,” Stiles answers remembering Laura Hale knitting stage, he had gotten a sweater of his own in puke green.
Derek grins widely. “Please, that thing met its untimely demise a while back.”
Stiles gasps.
“Yeah,” Derek laughs. “It went up against the washing machine, heavy duty speed, it didn’t stand a chance.”
“And Laura didn’t bury you in the backyard,” Stiles says in awe.
“I’m a man of many talents,” Derek says smugly.
Stiles rolls his eyes but grins anyway. “Brag, brag, brag.”
“Holy crap, you’re flirting with Derek Hale,” Scott blurts out, having been quiet since his initial greeting watching the back and forth.
Erica snorts, while Allison just shakes her head smiling softly at her boyfriend and Lydia just looks bored.
Stiles doesn’t answer because it’s awkward enough and because yeah, he is flirting with Derek Hale.
He looks at Derek who is blushing again, but smiling at him, so maybe he’s flirting back.
*
They all decide to get lunch together at the food court and it’s still awkward but also amusing as he and Stiles get stared at by his friends. Especially when their orders comes to the table and Stiles takes the onions from his burger and puts them in Derek’s burger while Derek passes him his pickle. When they notice everyone watching them, Stiles casually explains that Derek likes extra onions but doesn’t like pickles and is too scared to ask for the change.
Derek’s scoffs and says, “I’m not afraid, I just don’t want special sauce of spit.”
“Not everyone does that, Derek.”
“Laura, Stiles, Laura,” he reminds Stiles and gets an eye roll in return.
“Yeah well your sister is a special kind of waitress, Derek, I’m telling her she’s scared you for life, by the way.”
“Oh sure make her happy,” Derek grumbles.
“I’ll make you happy later, don’t pout.” Stiles answers primly, a small smirk appearing on his face when Derek chokes on his burger at the innuendo.
Erica, who he’s always been cool with raises an eyebrow at him, but he’s no response for what’s happening, only that he kind of likes it.
*
It’s easy to fall back into it with Stiles.
One morning Stiles is waiting for him outside to give him a ride to school and Derek doesn’t question how he knows that Laura needs Camaro for the day.
Laura and he are rushing out the door and if they hurry she might not be late to work when they see Stiles leaning against his old blue jeep. Laura stares at him for a moment before welcoming Stiles back into the land of Hale as she walks over to give him a quick hug. She whispers in his ear and whatever she says has him gulping and nodding furiously.
When Derek raises an eyebrow in question, Stiles just mutters ‘shovel talk’ and Derek blushes but Stiles just shrugs calmly and unbothered by the implication of his sister’s threat, while Derek heart beats a little faster at the thought that Stiles is fine with people assuming that they might be more than friends this time around.
*
Stiles leans against Derek's locker after school, waiting for him as Derek swaps books he'll need for the ones he won't. His attention divided between Derek and his classmates who seemed to not get over seeing Derek and him together.
"It's like we're animals at the Zoo," Stiles mutters glaring at Matt Daehler as he walks by them slowly, his hand twitching at camera he carries around his neck. Dude was crazy creepy and not just because of his obvious obsessive crush on Allison.
"You said that once people knew we are going to the dance together they would talk about that. Are you annoyed your plan is working?" Derek questions, his head still in his locker.
"I'm annoyed they act like us hanging out is so strange," Stiles answers.
"We'll we haven't in four years," Derek points out.
"And before that we were best friends!", Stiles exclaims, realizing that he's being louder than he would like when Derek looks up at him, blinking slowly at his outburst.
"Sorry," he mumbles, embarrassed. "But is it so weird us being around each other now?"
"No," Derek says softly, reaching out he places his hand on Stiles' shoulder and runs it down slowly. Stiles shivers and blushes as Derek smiles gently at him, he smiles back when Derek reaches his hand and tugs him closer to him. "It's actually been really nice."
Stiles' smile widens.
"So nice,” Derek says hesitantly. “Maybe it shouldn't end after the dance?”
Stiles now closer takes holds of Derek’s loose flannel and gives it a small pull, letting out a breath when Derek comes willingly. “Derek- “
“Hey,” says a voice to the right of him and Stiles watches as Derek who was seconds ago curving into him, straights up and takes a step back, it leaves Stiles feeling cold.
After a moment of quiet Stiles gives the girl next to him a strained smile. “Hey, Paige.”
*
He’s not a coward, Stiles repeats it again as he walks through the back woods behind his house, making his way to the old treehouse. He also isn’t brooding. When the ex-girlfriend of your ex best friend now friend again and guy you are quickly realizing you have always had a crush on wants to talk to said guy, you politely exit the conversation. Even if what you really want to do is latch on to said guy and shout that she lost her chance and that now that you have the guy back in your life you aren’t letting go. That’s what crazy people do and he isn’t crazy.
Not a coward. Not brooding. Not crazy. Check.
Alone and miserable? Also check.
Stiles sits down against the tree, in the same spot he found Derek over a week and lets out a bitter chuckle.
A week.
A week of spending time with Derek, his house, Derek’s house. Both Laura and his dad giving them a look at the sudden rebirth of their friendship before quickly accepting the change in the status quo, as if to say they always knew that they’d get over their four year spat. Given how they fell back into their easy friendship, he guesses they are right, but he wonders if they also knew that it would only take a week for him fall for Derek too.
“Idiot,” he says as he looks at the sky, pink and orange as the sun starts to set. “You are a fucking idiot, Stilinski.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Stiles startles jumping up the ground. “Derek! What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” Derek answers honestly walking up to him. “I stopped by your house, your dad said you came in with a look on your face like someone ran over your dog and came this way.”
Stiles blushes beet red at that.
“He gave me ‘the talk’ and then wished me luck.”
Stiles groans painfully. “Can you die from humiliation? Cause that might be happening right now.”
“Well it’s about to get worse,” Derek continues. “Because we need to talk.”
Stiles shakes his head. “No need, I already know what you are going to say and it’s fine, we’re good, no hard feelings.”
Derek raises an eyebrow.
“Paige talked to you,” Stiles explains, and tries to smile but is sure it comes out as a grimace. “She realized she wants you back and you’re canceling our date to the dance.”
“Stiles- “
“Like I said,” Stiles interrupts. “It’s totally cool, it’s been fun hanging out with you and our plan worked out even better because you got your girl back, so that’s that.”
Derek scowls at him. “You gonna let me talk at any point or are you going to keep motor-mouthing?”
“Derek- “
“Nope,” Derek cuts in, takes a step and then another, forcing Stiles to back up, caging him when Stiles’ back hits the tree. “My turn, you’re right Paige did want to talk to me about getting back together.”
“That’s great- “
“Not done, Stiles,” Derek lifts a finger and presses it against Stiles mouth. “I turned her down, because I realized back when she was breaking up with me that day in the hallway that while I care about her, I don’t love her, I was embarrassed that day not heart-broken.”
“Oh.”
“You know what else I realized in that hallway?” Derek continues, his tone which had been aggressive second ago softening. “I realized as you walked away and left me alone with Paige, that I don’t like you walking away from me and me not being sure if it’s the last time we’re going to speak.”
“Derek- “
“Four years ago- “
“Derek,” Stiles pleads.
“Four years ago,” Derek starts again. “When my folks had the accident, I was miserable and the only time I wasn’t was when you were around and I didn’t feel I deserved that, so I got mean and you stuck by me, so I got meaner and distant until I pushed you always.”
Stiles shakes his head.
Derek gives him a soft look. “I pushed and pushed and finally you walked away and as you did I regretted it and I’ve been regretting it ever since.”
“Derek,” he says softly.
“You wake me up every morning with your dramatics,” Derek laughs quietly, trailing off when Stiles raises a hand to his cheek, leaning into the touch he lets out a breath. “It’s the best part of my day, waking up to you shouting after your dad has poured water on you.”
Stiles laughs and it comes off wet as he feels overwhelmed. “You just like picturing me soaked.”
Derek laughs with him. “It’s not a bad visual, I’ll be honest.”
Stiles grins.
“I want you in my life, Stiles,” Derek says, the laughter gone. “And I know what way I want you, but I’ll take whatever I can get and if that’s just friends, I can learn to deal it.”
“And if I want more?” Stiles asks, still hesitant.
Derek looks at him for a moment and Stiles sees it coming but he still gasps into it, when Derek kisses him. Lips pressed against his, he melts into the embrace. Wrapping his arms around Derek’s neck as Derek’s arms circle his waist, pulling him flush against. Warmth starting at his mouth as it parts to let Derek in, and it spreads all the way to his toes.
He knows he’s grinning like the idiot he is when Derek pulls back but he doesn’t care.
“Does this mean we are still on for the dance?” he blurts out and watches Derek breaks out in a wide grin before he starts laughing.
“What? We have to give the masses something to talk about,” he says even as Derek tries to shut him up with another kiss.
*
They do give the masses something to talk about, but as they dance the night away with their arms wrapped around each other, they’re too busy to notice.
They got that something though, what can you do.
Fin.