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Saturday was Stiles and Erica’s day to gossip and by gossip, they meant they’d have coffee at their favorite cafe by the sheriff’s station and commiserate about their coworkers and classes.
It was their way of catching up, having no classes together this semester and barely having time to sleep between school and work let alone hang out with friends during weekdays.
So every Saturday morning around ten they’d meet at the cafe, greet the owner Laura, order their drinks―a vanilla latte for Erica and a caramel macchiato for Stiles―and claim a table where they’d spend the next few hours talking before parting, Stiles ordering a few coffees and some muffins or donuts to bring to the station.
This morning Stiles had deviated from his usual routine, unable to resist ordering one of the delectable chocolate donuts in the display case on the counter. Erica had teased him about cheating on the diet he’d adopted along with the Sheriff after the doctor diagnosed his dad with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Stiles had shushed her and threatened to stick her with the check next weekend if she didn’t swear herself to silence. Erica had mimed zipping her lips and tossing the key over her shoulder, smirking as she picked an empty table for them.
They’d immediately launched into a heated discussion about their upcoming finals, bemoaning the essays they had yet to finish. Erica suggested they drop out and become strippers. Stiles wholeheartedly agreed.
They were joking about their potential stripper stage names―Erica deciding on Goldie and Stiles torn between Little Red and Bambi―when Stiles found himself suddenly distracted. An unfamiliar, absolutely gorgeous man had walked passed their table, the black apron tied around his waist identifying him as an employee.
Though not usually one to ogle, Stiles couldn’t help himself when the man leaned over to wipe down another table, his ass on blatant display. The tight black he was wearing perfectly hugged the tight globes of his ass, accentuating his impressive posterior and nearly making Stiles drool.
“Stiles!” Erica barked, startling Stiles out of his rubbernecking reverie. He turned to her, eyebrows raised in question, trying to look as innocent as he possibly could after being caught gawking at someone’s ass. “Geez, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Stiles flushed and took a sip of his macchiato, hoping Erica wouldn’t press the issue.
“Anyway,” she continued, shaking her head, “I definitely vote for Bambi.”
* * * * *
“Looks like you’ve got yourself an admirer, Der,” Laura teased as Derek returned to the cafe’s kitchen, immediately slipping on a pair of oven mitts and pulling a tray of muffins out of the oven. He sent her an unamused glare as he closed the oven door.
“Relax,” she laughed, flapping a hand around to wave off his concern. “It’s just Stiles.”
“Wait, what? Stiles?” Derek asked incredulously, raising his brows in surprise, setting the tray of muffins down on the counter. He was used to people shamelessly ogling him as he worked and it bothered him every time, one of the many reasons he preferred working in the kitchen, but Stiles? Stiles was completely different.
Ever since Stiles and his friend had started frequenting the cafe back in February, Derek had been infatuated with him, nevermind the fact that he’d never actually talked to him. Stiles had captivated Derek with his carefree laughter and the way he never failed to make a sarcastic comment, his broad smile always brightening Derek’s day.
Yeah, he was pretty far gone on Stiles.
So the very notion that he had attracted Stiles’ attention, especially since he had thought him straight at first, sent a pleasant shiver down his spine.
“Yeah, Stiles,” Laura confirmed. A smirk stretched over her lips as she added, “He couldn’t stop staring at your ass.”
Derek could feel himself blush as he pulled the muffins from the tin to arrange them on a display tray. He knew all those squats would pay off eventually.
“He got one of your donuts, too,” Laura mentioned all too casually as she grabbed the tray of muffins and slipped out of the kitchen to put them out on the front counter.
“Really?” Derek whispered to no one in particular as he peeked out of the kitchen to catch a glimpse of Stiles, seeing that he did indeed have one of Derek’s chocolate donuts on a napkin on the table in front of him. Half-eaten, Derek noted, feeling himself smile like a fool, irrationally flattered that Stiles seemed to enjoy the donut he’d made as he turned back to the oven to check on the batch of peanut butter cookies still baking.
“Aww! Look at that smile! Someone’s in love!” Laura sang as she walked back into the kitchen, playfully elbowing Derek’s side. Derek swatted her away and tried to school his features into something more neutral than besotted affection as Laura inquired, “So are you finally gonna ask him out?”
“Of course not,” Derek scoffed, “I can’t even work up the nerve to say hi to him let alone talk to him long enough to ask him out.”
“Well, you better work up the nerve. And quick because I gotta go and by the looks of it, he’s about to, too,” Laura remarked as she shrugged her coat on, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
“What?!” Derek definitely did not squeak.
“Mom just texted me, she needs my help with something so… You’re on your own, bro,” Laura explained before bolting out the back door before Derek could stop her, calling, “Good luck!”
“Laura!” Derek growled as the door slammed shut behind her. Groaning angrily, Derek checked the cookies again and left the kitchen to tend the front counter, dreading every minute he’d have to spend interacting with other people.
Indeed Stiles and his friend were getting up from their table, throwing out their trash and hugging each other goodbye. Stiles’ friend left the cafe with a wave over her shoulder, blonde curls bouncing as she walked to her car, as Stiles walked up to the counter, looking down at a piece of paper with some scribbles on it.
“Hey, Laura,” Stiles greeted without looking up, busy stuffing the slip of paper back into his wallet. Derek couldn’t help but smile wryly. When Stiles looked up his eyes widened exponentially, making him resemble a deer in the headlights, and he croaked out a surprised, “Oh!”
“Hey,” Derek answered, unable to help himself from beaming widely. Stiles returned the grin with a soft smile of his own as he scratched the back of his neck, obviously embarrassed.
“Could I get a dozen cinnamon apple muffins, please?” Stiles asked, still looking unusually shy. Derek dutifully punched in his order, rattling off the total that Stiles handed him after a moment, before filling a brown paper bag with the requested muffins and placing it on the counter for Stiles.
Before he could think twice, Derek took a leap of faith and blurted out, “Can I buy you a drink?”
Eyebrows raising as his mouth formed a perfect ‘O’, Stiles looked down at the unfinished to-go cup of coffee in his hand. Derek felt his stomach sink, feeling like an absolute idiot. He dropped his eyes to the counter, wincing when he saw Stiles move in his peripheral vision.
“Sure,” Stiles said, drawing Derek’s attention. He was standing by a trash can, to-go cup dangling between his thumb and index finger before he dropped it into the trash, smiling broadly at Derek. He sauntered back over the counter, leaning his elbows on it and resting his chin in his hand, smiling up at Derek as he repeated, “Sure.”
Derek grinned back at him breathlessly. “What’ll you have?”