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Static. A brief second of a radio host’s voice. More static.
Stiles groaned in frustrating and switched to another station, throwing his arms up in celebration when a song came in almost clearly, his hands banging the roof of the car. “Finally!”
“It’s not even a good song,” Derek complained next to him after grunting in disapproval, his hands still clenched lightly around the steering wheel.
The road ahead of them was empty and dark, no buildings or sign of human life anywhere near them. The last sign of life they passed was a few miles back and before the sun went down and night arrived.
Neither of them were all that sure how long they had been driving or even where they were going. They had just gotten into Derek’s car, bags in the back, and driven off. No destination in mind, just the need to get away from Beacon Hills and everyone and be just the two of them for a while.
“Well, that’s too bad,” Stiles said, reaching over to turn the volume up louder. “This is all you get, ‘cause you didn’t approve of what I had to offer.” Although, now that it was louder and the connection was getting worse, maybe silence wouldn’t be so bad.
”All you had to offer,” Derek started, casting Stiles a glance, “was Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga.”
“Those were only the first two songs!” Stiles protested, throwing his arms up again but this time not slamming his hands to the roof. “You turned it off halfway through Paparazzi! And besides, both of them are amazing and I know you like to listen to them too, don’t even deny it. I’ve caught you working out to Nicki Minaj, remember?”
Derek huffed at the memory and rolled his eyes, before focusing back on the road. “That’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“I’m not driving, for one.”
Stiles grunted and leaned heavily back on his seat, his feet tugged safely under his thighs and his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing one of Derek’s hoodies, and it was slightly too big on him. Derek liked that.
“Fine, whatever,” Stiles said, sticking his bottom lip out a little in a small pout. “Then you gotta deal with this shitty song with this shitty connection.”
“Or we could just turn it off.”
“And have to sit in silence? Babe, I’d fall asleep in a second.”
Babe. That wasn’t an endearment that was used often, at least not unless it was used sarcastically or when Stiles whispered in his ear and asked for sex. Or like now, where Stiles was trying to get Derek to agree with him.
“Or we could talk,” Derek threw back, raising his brows. “That’s always an option.”
Stiles opened his mouth to reply back, but he was interrupted before getting a single word out by the song becoming firm static, and he let out a sigh of frustration instead of words. “Well, now we gotta.”
“You make it sound like it’s such a hardship,” Derek said in a lowered voice, shifting in his seat and rolling his shoulders. “Do I need to remind you that this trip was your idea?”
Stiles shrugged and looked down at his hands, his fingers fidgeting with the sleeves of the hoodie. “I just wanted you to myself for a bit,” he said and leaned his head back against the headrest, tilting it to look at Derek. “The others are great, sure, but sometimes I just want it to be the two of us. Away from everyone else.”
A small smile tugged at Derek’s lips and he didn’t even try to hide it, nor did he try to hide the pink color tinting the tips of his ears. Not that Stiles would be able to see the slight color in the dark car they were in anyway, but after nearly a year of being together, he didn’t feel the need to hide things like that anymore. Not around Stiles.
“Then you should be fine with talking,” he said, shooting his boyfriend a glance. “Or driving in silence. That could be nice too. You don’t have to stay awake, y’know.”
“No, but I want to.” Stiles reached out and placed a hand on Derek’s leg. Not far up his thigh, not on his knee, just a simple touch. “I barely got to spend any time with you at Erica’s birthday party the other night.” He blinked, remembering something. “You still owe me a dance, by the way.”
Derek paused, hesitated, and didn’t say anything for a couple of moments. “You know what,” he finally said, and Stiles blinked in confusion when Derek turned the wheel and slowed down the car, pulling over to the side of the road. “Let’s have that dance right now.”
“What?” Stiles laughed - surprised, maybe a little delighted, but mostly confused - and watched as Derek put the car in park and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Right now? In the middle of nowhere? Derek, we don’t even have any music!”
Looking at him, Derek shrugged and opened the door on his side. “We’ll just pretend,” he said and got out.
Stiles was left gaping at the seat where Derek had been in not two seconds ago, shocked and surprised. “You’re serious,” he murmured, although, despite the werewolf hearing, he wasn’t expecting Derek to actually hear him. “Oh my God, you’re actually serious.”
Shaking his head, he got out of the car and joined Derek on the field next to the empty road, the grass damp under his bare feet. Derek who was standing there, a smile on his lips and a hand reached out for him.
Stiles laughed at the sight, but the smile on his lips was soft when he put his own hand in Derek’s held out one and the smile grew when he was pulled closer. “You’re such a dork.”
“I know,” Derek said and when Stiles was close enough, he placed his other hand on his hip, while Stiles put his on Derek’s shoulder, their other hands locked together in a secure hold.
They locked eyes, Derek moving them in a slow sway around in the same, small spot, and Stiles couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him after only a minute of the slow dancing, the laugh bubbling out of him in near embarrassment. Not because what they were doing was particularly embarrassing - no one was watching them, it was just the two of them - but because Derek was watching him so intently, Stiles couldn’t help but blush at the attention.
“This is so weird,” he commented in a low murmur, and then laughed again when Derek spun them around, his grip on Derek’s shoulder and hand tightening just a little.
Derek’s smile had been soft and small, fond, but hearing Stiles’ laugh and seeing him blush, the smile grew wider in the matter of seconds.
Because Stiles was beautiful. Even when the only light source was the nearly full moon and the stars above them, the car too far away to cast a light on them. Even with such a tiny amount of light, Derek could see Stiles’ beauty as clear as day.
He loved the way Stiles looked with the moon’s light casting over him.
And the way his heartbeat thumped in his chest, nervous and excited and happy all at once. Derek hadn’t stopped listening to it since they stepped out of the car, couldn’t seem to get himself to stop.
He found his feet moving along to the rhythm of Stiles’ heartbeat. Slow and calm and familiar.
The only other thing that filled the silence was the crickets in the far background, an owl hooting somewhere in the distance, and Stiles’ soft hum in an attempt of creating music.
They moved, danced, like that - slow, swaying, eyes locked - for several minutes, before Derek moved his hand from Stiles’ hip to the small of his back and pulled him closer. And Stiles didn’t hesitate to lean his head forward and rest it on Derek’s shoulder, his hand sliding down to his bicep.
“This is nice,” Stiles commented shortly after, a soft smile on his lips as they continued to sway slowly.
Derek hummed in agreement, his cheek resting against the top of Stiles’ head and his ears trained on Stiles’ now calmer heartbeat.
It was only when Stiles yawned and nearly fell asleep in Derek’s arms, that Derek guided him back to the car, got him in, and kissed his forehead, and then got back on the road.
And Stiles’ calm heartbeat filled the silence until the sun rose and Stiles woke up to try the radio again.