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Stiles dropped onto the sofa in the Hale house, draping himself across the whole thing so his head landed on Derek’s thigh where he sat at the end.
“I can’t find a jooob,” Stiles whined, huffing when Derek shoved him forcefully down the couch so his head rested on the cushion instead of the Alpha’s leg.
“I don’t even know why you need a job,” Derek grumbled, going back to the thick volume in his lap.
“Dude, college ain’t gonna pay for itself,” Stiles retorted, snorting and getting up to go to the kitchen.
Derek ground his teeth and listened to the teen whine for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening until it was an appropriate time for him to kick Stiles out.
—
The next day found Stiles collapsing onto the couch again and Derek growled as he shoved a piece of paper into Stiles’ face.
“You start tomorrow so don’t even think about whining to me all afternoon again,” he grumbled.
Stiles snatched up the paper and jumped onto the couch on his feet. “YOU GOT ME A JOB AT THE LIBRARY WITH YOU?!” he shouted happily, punching the air. “This is going to be awesome, dude!”
“Don’t make me kill you. And don’t stand on my couch.” Derek reached up to fist Stiles’ shirt in his hand and yank him down beside him. Without looking away from his book, Derek reached over the arm and grabbed another, plopping it into the human’s lap. “Be quiet. Read.”
“Aye aye, Cap’n,” Stiles grinned. And if he leaned against Derek’s shoulder a little, and if Derek let him and maybe leaned back too, well, that was their business.
—
Derek found that while Stiles didn’t have the patience to restock the books on the shelves or pay attention to the Dewey Decimal system - Stiles liked to put books back by color or thickness or height - he was exceptionally good at the people part of the job. He chatted quietly with the few people that trickled in and stopped at the desk to check out. Stiles was also good at fixing the ancient computers that would break down or overheat or freeze constantly.
“See, this is great, huh? You love having me around,” Stiles said on the seventh day of their mutual job. “And look at you. Getting a job like a normal civilized person. It’s hot.” Stiles snickered and rounded the corner, missing the way Derek paused momentarily.
—
Derek’s gaze was fixed on Stiles’ back as he bent over the chair of a computer desk, trying to do a quick fix for a customer. It was a hot July afternoon and Stiles was wearing a white vneck that wasn’t all that loose to begin with but clung tightly to Stiles’ damp sweaty skin. It rose up a bit, giving Derek a nice view of the smooth pale skin of the teen’s back.
“Uh, ex-ca-use me!” A hand snapped in front of Derek’s face and he had to resist the urge to snap at it. The girl in front of him was no more than fifteen with perfectly manicured nails, flawlessly styled gold hair, and smooth cream skin. The epitome of rich and spoiled. “Can you stop ogling Mr. Sexy over there and help me find this book so I can go back to my life?”
Derek glared at her and held his hand out for the reference paper. She slapped it into his palm and waited for him before following his lead down the aisles of books. He pulled a thick book on Quantum Physics down and handed it to her before going back to his job of re-shelving books. He had to do something about his feelings for Stiles because his little crush had developed into something so much bigger.
“Uhm, Stiles,” Derek said as he waited for Stiles to lock the doors at closing.
“Yea, Derek,” Stiles replied, turning around and shouldering his leather laptop bag.
Derek hesitated. “Never mind,” he told the kid quickly and made for his car, cursing when Stiles wrapped a strong hand around his wrist.
“Hey, what is it? You can tell me anything,” Stiles urged, stepping close and peering up into Derek’s eyes.
Derek gritted his teeth but gave a curt nod. “Do you, uh, wanna maybe have dinner? Sometime? With, uh, me?”
Stiles’ jaw dropped slightly and he let go of Derek’s wrist. “Are you asking me on a date?”
Derek may as well take rejection with dignity so he gave another short nod. Stiles laughed, throwing his head back and letting it rock through his whole body. Derek was about to turn and run, dignity be damned, but Stiles smacked his chest and stepped even closer.
“It’s about time,” Stiles whispered right before he caught Derek’s lips in a sweet kiss.