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Dating is the process of spending time with someone in a social or romantic context to determine your compatibility, explore potential intimacy, or build a committed partnership. It is a broad term that covers everything from casual first meetups to serious, exclusive relationships.
“I understand if you're not up for it, but I really hope you are.”
Finn follows Meredith with his gaze as she walks out of the bar. Finn's mind is still filled with the words she had spoken to him. He is left alone, his mind occupied with thoughts of his rival. She wanted to date him. No, both of them. Simultaneously.
Finn watched his opponent, his mind racing as he weighed the options. “You bowing out?” He attempted to keep his hope in check, but it seemed to be a vain endeavour, especially when Derek started to glance up, his piercing blue eyes meeting his own. They sought a weak spot in Finn's demeanour.
“No. You?” Finn smiled at his newfound rival, and the tension in the air was palpable. He was aware that Shepherd would never give up without a fight, so he merely attempted a smug smile. Hopefully it would be the perfect mirror of the cocky neurosurgeon’s familiar expression Even if it wasn't a fair fight, he was up to the challenge. “I don't think so.”
However, something didn't sit well with him. He had a burning desire to find out how to compete and why she liked Derek as well as him. Why she wanted to consider her options instead of choosing either of them immediately. He never thought he had a chance with her in the first place, and now he had to compete against this handsome, attractive neurosurgeon whose longing gaze would make even a straight guy question his sexuality. There was a lot of sad-eyed longing in those annoyingly pretty blue eyes as they stood there, unable to move, just eyeing each other, neither wanting to be the first to back down. Neither of them wanted to be the first to bow out of this competition. Finn could compete; he wanted to show Shepherd that he was a worthy match. After all, he had brought her roommate lunch when she was sad, for God's sake! He wasn't a cheater; he was charming, and clearly as attractive as his opponent.
Had you asked him afterwards, he wouldn’t have been able to tell you how they ended up in his practice. He wouldn’t have been able to explain why Derek had followed him over the threshold, or how they had ended up standing so close to each other, only a few inches apart. Those piercing blue eyes were still drinking him in, and Finn was so agitated, so annoyed with this goddamn perfect guy. He hated those gorgeous eyes and the longing gaze that he thought was reserved solely for Meredith, but which was now being directed at him, following his every move. And oh, how he hated his hair! His hand slid into it, grabbing some lose strands as he pulled him closer, their lips almost touching. It was so shiny, so soft, and that pissed him off even more. He could feel Derek's breath on his face, and he just couldn't bear it anymore. His self-control was falling apart as he gave in.
He was thinking of what he had told Meredith before — that he wasn't that sensitive — as he pushed Derek against the wall, claiming his mouth and kissing the smug expression from his face.
Derek let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding when his back collided with the wall behind him. The tension that had built from the bar to the practice was now unleashed as his lips crashed with McVet’s as the interns had called him. He was annoyingly handsome, soft, and tasted of cinnamon. God, how Derek hated cinnamon, especially since it meant being associated with Finn!
But in that moment, he realised he didn't mind it, kissing Finn. He didn't mind Finn's hands in his hair, or his body flush against his. He didn’t mind it at all. Shockingly, he realised he enjoyed it as well. He enjoyed it a lot.
He pushed back a little, trying to reclaim control of the kiss and demonstrate his own abilities. How hard could it be to impress McVet? After all, he wanted to show him that he had as much right to compete for Meredith as his soft, incredibly appealing opponent. Besides, he was one of the best surgeons.
The kiss lasted, a constant battle in which they both tried to prove a point. With palpable impatience and an urgency that stole his breath, Finn pressed himself against Derek. Their bodies melded flush against each other, needily. He could feel Finn's nails scratching his scalp and tugging at his hair. With his other hand, he clung to Derek's hip. So close to the other man, he couldn't help but notice that Finn was aroused by their kiss.
Derek was no less desperate; he held onto his foe and moved his hands over Finns body, desperately trying to hold onto something. The hot desire burning through his veins made him moan. Shocked at himself, he tried to regain his composure. He tried hard to shake off the sensation of being consumed by the other man, and to get his brain to work again so that he could think and retrace the steps that had led him to leave the bar — not to break up with Addison, but to start a relationship with his dog's vet. The idea of dating Meredith instead of his rival was still unfathomable. It felt as though it was happening to someone else, far away from his own body.
He abruptly interrupted the kiss, trying to catch his breath, but he was unable to move away from Finn, who was holding him in place against the wall with surprising strength. However, he stepped away a little, being his ever-nice self, and gave Derek a bit of time to recover and take in the form of his supposed foe. Finn’s lips were swollen and red, his hair was a mess, and his pupils were dilated.
His breath was ragged, and his whole demeanour screamed desire. This should have scared Derek, but he liked to play with fire, and he enjoyed the fact that this dishevelled version of the vet was his doing. Even for him, it was bold kissing a guy, especially one that Meredith, his love, was supposed to date, not him. But he had to admit that Finn was dangerously handsome. Dangerously handsome, and in this particular moment, he was all his and no one else's. A smile tugged at Dereks lips; the thrill of doing something he never expected to do — something so sweetly forbidden — still ran through his veins, electrifying him. He winked cockily at Finn, who was also staring at him. "Liking the view?" Finn rolled his eyes, grabbed Derek's hair at the nape of his neck and pulled him back against him.
Propping himself up on his elbow and resting his head in his hand, Derek took in the naked body lying next to him on the sweaty sheets, breathing heavily. He couldn’t even begin to describe what had just happened. His head was still spinning; he was lost in this bloody vet's spell. Everything about this situation was infuriating. How could he have walked into that bar as a straight guy and walked out so incredibly confused? He wanted to wipe the smug look off Finn's face. Punch him. No! Kiss him! Relive everything from the past few hours and go for round three, four and five. Instead, he didn't choose either of those options. He just stared at the other man, seething with anger. How could Finn do this to him? Etching himself into Derek's mind and onto his skin? He needed to take extra steps to forget him! Firstly, he needed to get rid of the smell that clung to him. Finn had made him smell like a bloody Christmas tree! It was all cinnamon and pine, sweeping you in and getting a grip of you until it was too late to escape. He let himself fall back onto his back, releasing a loud sigh. McVet should know how pissed off he was.
How could he ever go back to normal after this? To Meredith?
The smell that Meredith had reeked of after the prom now clung to him, making him dizzy.
He couldn't quite understand what had happened, or how, but he could still feel Derek's lips on his, his body on top of his, his hands wandering all over him. All his limbs tingled with the aftermath of being drunk on McDreamy, and he could bear no more. He wanted to curse himself and Meredith for entering the competition. How could he ever go back to dating her knowing how consumed he was by Derek? How could he ever?