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***
It’s just an average day like any other day in November, except it’s not. Stiles knows that today its Derek Hale’s birthday. He doesn’t care really. They’re not friends or anything, he just knows because he read his father’s files. The information is just stuck inside his brain and there’s nothing he can do about it. He’s a bit like his mother when it comes to dates and numbers in general. He can’t forget, simple as that. Though, this information he wishes he could erase it.
Why does he even care? No, he doesn’t. He should just let this go and yes, this is exactly what he’s going to do. Let it go. Ok, he and Derek are not exactly enemies either, but they’re more like partners in crime. Maybe not the best label, because he’s now thinking about Batman and Robin, which no, he and Derek are not like that at all. Acquaintances sounds too cold and distant, but he’s going with that. It feels comfortable enough for him to forget about Derek’s birthday.
He brushes it off from his mind during the first morning classes, until he’s in the cafeteria with Scott and Isaac decides to sit with them. He just can’t help himself, not when he’s curious like hell to just know. He has to know.
“Hey, so any big plans for tonight?”
Isaac looks at him confused, his eyebrows frowning like he’s seriously questioning if Stiles is even talking to him.
“What plans?” Isaac finally asks when Stiles’ eyes go wide for him to please answer the question.
“You know… plans? Tonight? Today?!”
Isaac looks at Scott, who retrieves him the same confused look. Of course they have no idea what Stiles is talking about. He should know better. For starters, Derek would never say anything about his birthday. And of course, did he really think that Isaac would know about it? He didn’t even question that about Scott, because of course not. His eyes go wide at the two clueless werewolves and soon enough he’s packing everything.
“Where are you going?” Scott asks alarmed.
“Gotta run, cover for me.” And he flees from the cafeteria without giving a chance for Scott to reply.
Once he’s inside the jeep, Stiles realizes he has no idea where to go. His first thought was to go and meet Derek, but what would he do? Just find him and say “Hey, happy birthday… dude.” This is so not happening. It’s too awkward and that’s not how birthdays work.
“Think, Stiles. Think!”
He’s a master at planning things, he can do this. He knows how birthdays are supposed to be. Party, cake and presents. Ok, he can’t throw a party for Derek right now, for obvious reasons. First, there’s the time thing and second, also probably the most important fact, Derek is not exactly the most popular person in town. He could invite his travesty friends, but they would get killed by Derek’s eyes. Most certainly. So no party and no deaths. That leaves him with the cake and a present.
“Stiles, what the fuck is wrong with you? Why do you even bother?”
He should just go home and play some video games. Something to make him forget about Derek’s stupid birthday before his dad comes home and─
Oh. He just had an idea. Oh my god, yes this is a good idea. Stiles knows the right present for Derek. This is going to be awesome. Best idea-
One second he’s all excited and ready to drive home, and the next one he freezes. This is not a good idea. They’re not friends, he cleared this point already. Isn’t this… a bit too much? Only friends, and ok, only best friends would do something like this. Crap, why can’t Derek just be like a normal person and be somewhere today just having fun?!
But Stiles knows he isn’t and he won’t. Which is sad, all amounts of sad. He can’t just let this go, no. So he starts the engine and leaves the school parking lot. He’s going to get that present and a cake, and probably be killed afterwards.
***
After almost two hours, he’s finally ready and on his way to find Derek Hale. He has its present and the famous little chocolate cake by Mrs. Pattmore. That bakery has the best chocolate cake he has ever tasted. He hopes Derek likes chocolate; though if he doesn’t Stiles can totally it by himself. That can be his last wish before Derek kills him.
And of course everything is going according to Stiles’ plan, until he reaches the train station and Derek is not even there. He curses, he curses so much. How does he dare?! Derek Hale left his notreallyhishome to go somewhere else on his birthday. Why was Stiles even worried? Of course, Derek would have something to do! Just look at him and his perfect everything. How can he not have plans for-
Actually, Stiles may know where Derek is. It’s just a feeling, but he doesn’t really believe Derek is out there celebrating. It’s not something you can picture the sourwolf doing. He drives by instinct towards the forest. A box with a chocolate cake and an envelope next to him on the passenger’s sit.
***
He’s here now, so there’s no turning back. When he’s thinking that maybe the trip to the Hale house was in vain, he sees the Camaro parked a bit further away. So Derek is here... somewhere. He stops and lets out a sigh before leaving the jeep.
When he does, Stiles looks around but there’s no sign of Derek besides his car. Stiles walks around his jeep to the passenger side. He opens the box with the cake and prays that the two candles he’s about to light won’t bring scary creatures from the woods. He places both candles so you can read “24” and thinks that next year it would be funny to buy exactly twenty five candles because─ why is he even thinking about next year?!
This feels really awkward and Stiles can’t help to see himself as a complete idiot, as he walks to the Hale house with a cake and two candles lighten up. It’s dark already and those two tiny little dots of light are a big contrast to his surroundings.
“Happy birthday… to you…”
By impulse, he starts singing. It’s not really singing, to be honest. More like a whisper with a melody on the back, which is pathetic? But if Derek Hale is here somewhere, he will be able to hear him, right? So there’s no need to make a fool of himself even more. Well, granted, he already looks like a fool.
His steps match his low voice, careful and steady. Part of it because he doesn’t want to drop the cake, but the real reason is… he’s scared. Not scared as in a life threat situation, but his heart is beating really fast and that’s got be because of his fear of-
“What are you doing?”
A voice behind Stiles scares the shit out of him and he almost drops the cake. But he straightens himself and slowly turns to face Derek, actually pondering the same question “What the hell am I doing?” But this is way too obvious and he can’t lie. The damage is done, so once his gaze meets Derek’s, Stiles greets him with a shy smile.
“Happy… birthday?”
Derek just looks at him frowning, but when he sees the cake his face changes to something that Stiles can’t really understand. There’s so much disbelief on his face, that Stiles just knows this was a really bad idea.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. This is really awkward, but, hey, can you at least blow the candles and I’ll leave the cake to you, then we can just go back to our lives like nothing happened?”
Stiles did not just used the word blow while talking to Derek. The man is frozen in front of him and he’s not even looking at Stiles. His eyes are on the cake, on those two tiny dots of light that make his eyes even more stunning. Stiles can’t stop looking at his eyes. He noticed before, hell yes, of course he did. Derek Hale’s eyes are gorgeous, there’s no denying it. When he first met him he envied those eyes so much... But now there’s not envy in his heart, he’s just admiring how beautiful they are on Derek. He can’t help but swallow while looking at those glittering eyes, when Derek…
Derek fucking Hale just opened his mouth to blow off the candles. And very much like a robot, Stiles lets his face drop to look at the cake, like he just can’t believe Derek actually did that. He felt his breath on him, like it was burning him on the cold night.
Automatically, he extends his arms to deliver the cake to Derek.
“So… here.” And Derek actually takes it, still without saying a word. Rude, Stiles thinks, but he can feel how speechless Derek is right now. He would feel proud of that if it was another person, but it’s Derek. Leaving him speechless is not exactly something he should be praised, on the contrary, it’s scary as hell. Stiles can’t read Derek like this, not that he knows Derek well enough for that, but what can he expect now? Is Derek surprised or about to kill him? To kill him, with a cake, a chocolate cake, on his hands? He bits his bottom lip and says before running:
“Ok, I’m just going to─ you know… go.” He passes by Derek like a scared little kitten and slides into his the jeep. Stiles side glances to Derek, who’s now facing him. It’s not scary, but his heart is bumping really fast. Stiles knows he needs to get away from him as fast as he can before─
“Shit!” He swears after hitting with his head on the ceiling, because he totally forgot about the most important thing: the present.
“Shit, shit, shit.” His head hurts a lot and, again, his heart feels like it’s going to come out at any second. Stiles grabs the envelope from the passenger sit and opens his door again.
He doesn’t look at Derek, because right now the ground if far more interesting, as he slowly walks back to him. He can do this, he knows he can from the moment he decided to actually do it. So he just needs to focus and breathe. Just when he’s only a few steps away from Derek, he clears his throat before stumbling on his own words.
“Well, I forgot something. This. You know… can’t have a birthday without a present, right?” He tries to study Derek’s expression, which… gives him still nothing so... ok.
“Here.” It’s the second time today that Stiles extends his arms to Derek, but this time the man doesn’t do the same. Both of his hands are still holding the cake. It’s not a big cake, and it’s not like Derek can’t hold both things, but somehow he doesn’t. It almost feels like he’s afraid that the cake is going to drop on his feet, which is absurd.
“Do you want me to…? Or I can just leave the present and go. That’s also an option. A very good actually, if I just─”
“Are you going to let me eat it all by myself?” Derek finally asks and Stiles can’t help it when his mouth falls open. He’s feeling all kinds of things right now. First, he’s glad that Derek doesn’t seem like he’s going to kill Stiles. Second, that was actually a legit question. Third, was he really going to leave Derek alone eating his birthday cake? Guilt and sadness strike him, because that was not his intention at all. From the beginning, all he wanted was to not leave Derek alone on his birthday and he was going to run away from him.
“No… ok I haven’t thought about that? Just… I really didn’t brought anything with me.” Because usually when you bring a cake to someone’s house, they usually have knives and forks and plates. Stupid Stiles, always assuming things; this is Derek Hale for christ's sake. But Derek just lets a sigh out and starts walking to his car. Of course Stiles follows him and they almost bump into each other, when Derek stops and turns around.
“Hold this,” giving back the cake to Stiles as he opens the Camaro’s door and leans inside. Stiles would appreciate the view a bit more if he wasn’t freaking out right now. Please don’t tell me Derek Hale has knives and forks inside his car. Because that’s so sad and Stiles can only take a minimum amount of sad for one night.
Of course that he knows he’s overreacting when Derek takes out a dagger. It’s not a knive, it’s a fucking dagger, who was probably used to kill something or… someone. Oh my god, that’s disgusting.
“That’s disgusting! You’re not going to use that to cut out this cake!” Stiles says by holding the cake away from Derek’s view. He’s presented with his famous roll of eyes.
“Stiles. Calm down, this is clean. Now, hold still.” Hold still? HOLD STILL?! He can’t help to freak out as Derek turns the dagger at him and starts slicing the cake into six pieces. He can’t hold still!
“Stiles! I’m going to cut you if you don’t hold still!”
“Dude, you clearly have no idea what you’re asking, but one thing I can tell you: I’M TRYING!”
Derek shakes his head and sighs deeply. Stiles totally ignores how close they are and how he can feel that sigh coming to his own personal space like it just belongs there. Before he can react, Derek takes away the envelope that was settled on Stiles’ armpit.
“HEY! What are you doing? Give me that back!”
“Why? Isn’t this my present?” says the little notsolittle bastard with a smirk.
Stiles looks around trying to find something where he can place the cake. On top of the Camaro it is, and it’s not like he cares right now. As soon as he does it, Stiles launches himself to Derek, trying to snitch the envelope back. Of course he can’t, he fails miserably because this is Derek and he’s a very evil werewolf making fun of him right now. He’s smirking so much at him and, ok now he’s seriously pissed.
“DEREK! Give me that!” He yells while taking a few steps back and deeply frustrated.
“No. You can’t take back my present.” Derek gives him a little smile with a frown, his eyes darting back to the envelope. “I’m going to open it.”
As he starts opening the brown envelope, every little muscle on Stiles runs to the man trying to take it back, but it’s too late. He abruptly stops when Derek finally sees what’s inside. The man in front of him is very still and instinctively, Stiles takes a large step back maintaining some more distance between them.
“I thought it would be a good─”
“Where did you get this?” His voice is not playful anymore, it’s low and sharp almost cold. Derek doesn’t even look at Stiles.
“My father. You know… the Sheriff?” He swallows his words and turns his eyes to his feet, playing with the dirt. When he takes a little pick at Derek, he realizes he didn’t even pulled all the paper out of the envelope. Like, he’s actually afraid of taking it all out. If Stiles is being honest, he thinks that Derek is actually shaking a bit, just a bit.
“Ok, this was clearly a bad idea. I’m sorry…” Stiles feels like he was violently punched and it hurts to breathe. “You can keep it, of course, but─ yeah well, I’m just going. Sorry.”
As he turns his back, Stiles doesn’t even have time to take a step, because Derek is now firmly holding his wrist. Their eyes remain fixed on each other for a few seconds, before Derek says something that Stiles can barely hear, but it’s there and the quiet night helps him to clearly understand his words.
“Thank you.”
***
They’re now sitting on the porch of the Hale house with the chocolate cake in the middle of them both. No more words were shared, just nods of understanding. Actually, the only clear sound now is coming from Stiles, who’s eating the delicious cake and moaning, little and very low moans, because he can’t hold them back... The cake is that good. But he also can’t avoid looking at Derek from time to time. Like Stiles is checking on him and every time he does, Derek is still on the same position and doing the same thing. There’s no rush though, not with this.
Derek is tracing the faces of the picture he’s holding on his knees. The way his fingers carefully touch the picture is the reason why Stiles doesn’t dare to say anything, but he’s not going to leave him either. It just stopped being awkward as soon as Derek thanked him. It still feels weird, but somehow it also feels right. Stiles realizes that all this time he wasn’t afraid of what Derek would do to him, but how he would react to the present. This is something too private and Stiles knows he’s digging up the past for Derek again, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Looking at pictures of his mom, it’s not something that Stiles does often. It makes him feel sad and empty, but sometimes that’s necessary. He needs to look at those pictures when he starts to forget the exact same form of her smile, the color of her eyes and how her hair would fall on her face. So he knows this is not a bad thing. Derek probably doesn’t have anything but this house to remember him of his family. From Stiles point of view, that’s not fair.
He thinks that maybe next year he can throw a party for Derek. Maybe next year things can be different. Though right now, after finding Derek here alone on his birthday and seeing him remembering the faces of his family for the first time in years, Stiles knows that this was the right thing to do.