Work Text:
Wheels and the Legman
*
"We what?" Stiles looked up at Derek's stunned expression, hands tightening on his armrests.
"We won cutest couple." The dark-haired boy repeated, face looking a little constipated.
"Huh. I mean...at least we won some superlatives. Some people don't even get that much," Stiles said slowly, try to diffuse the situation before it could begin to light up.
"You also won 'Talks the most says the least' and I won 'talks the least says the most.'" Now he looked really constipated.
"Well that's really unfair," Stiles rambled. "I think I should have won 'Most likely to be president' or 'Most likely to be a billionaire' because honestly, all the stuff I say is very full of information and depth."
Derek was looking off, eyebrows crinkled. "Why did they vote us cutest couple?"
Stiles was quiet for a second. "Well, we arekind of cute."
"What about this is cute, Stiles?" Derek pointed to his face. Stiles was pretty glad it was the end of the school day, otherwise they would have a lot of their peers staring.
"Nothing in particular. It's just..."
"Just what?"
Stiles placed his hands on his lap and played with them. "You always push me in the hallways, and I give you rides to class sometimes, and you help me get stuff off of high shelves, and you give me rides even though your car isn't equipped for wheelchairs." Stiles spared a short glance up. "We're pretty adorable."
"But...I just..." Derek looked distressed. "I'm your friend, right? Your best friend. That's what best friends do."
"Of course it is. People are insane for assuming." Stiles twiddled with his fingerless leather gloves that reduced the friction between his hands and his wheels. Secretly, he was beyond pleased that the school thought they were dating, but he knew that Derek wasn't into him that way. They were just friends and it would stay that way, but it didn't mean Stiles couldn't have a little fun with his hot best friend though... "But, you know..."
"No." Derek said immediately. "I hate that smile, no."
"But Derek!" Stiles whined, long and drawn-out. "The Halloween Bash is coming up! Do you know how many people would absolutely shit their pants if we went together? Come on, it would be so much fun!"
Derek glared. "What part of socializing with barbarians and drinking spiked punch with fake eyeballs in it and watching girls parade around in their slutty costumed screams fun to you?"
"The part where we'd be totally taking over together! Dominating the dance floor! Crashing the candy bar! Partying with purpose!"
Derek glared sullenly at the ground. "I appreciate your alliteration, but I'm frustrated with you."
Stiles quickly circled his chair around, letting the wheels squeal as he came to an abrupt stop on the opposite side of his friend. "Is that a yes?
Derek turned his glare to Stiles and violently jabbed a finger at him. "You're coming up with the couples costumes."
"Yahoo!" Stiles cheered. He did a celebratory wheelie down the hall, just for good measure.
**
"I need your help," Stiles said at lunch the next day. He had the curse of not having lunch this year with Derek, so he sat with the rest of their unfortunate Lunch B friends. None of them looked too interested in what he had to say. "I need help," he repeated louder.
"We heard you the first time, we're just waiting for you to keep going," Lydia said, not even looking up from her fruit cup.
"I need a good couple's costume for Derek and I," he said. And oh, that was the right thing to say because then they were all looking at him, interested beyond compare.
"Any particular reason why?" Lydia asked carefully, nudging Scott from across the table. Jackson, who was sitting next to her, looked unamused.
"We're going to the Halloween Bash, but Derek told me to pick our costumes. I need it to be adorable."
Lydia immediately looked serious. "I can do adorable."
***
"Artie Abrams and Brittany Pierce."
"Glee? Really? Do you want the gay jokes to just come flying in?" Scott shot it down.
"Also, as entertaining as it would be, I can't see Derek in a cheerleader's uniform." Stiles chimed in.
"Professor X and Jean Grey?"
"I don't want to be bald, Lydia. Also, that pairing was kind of gross and pedophile-ish."
"Toph and Sokka?"
"Toph is blind, not unable to walk! Also, why do I have to be a disabled character?"
"It just makes it so much better." Lydia said flippantly.
Stiles rubbed his face tiredly. "What am I going to do?"
"God, this is painful," Jackson groaned. "Just go as Wheels and Legman. Make your own costumes and deck them out however."
Stiles looked up confusedly. "Wheels and wha...?"
Scott was looking excited, though. "Jackson! That's genius! Wheels and Legman!" He turned his bright eyes to Stiles and looked at him expectantly, as if he was supposed to know what they were talking about. Stiles just shrugged and raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Dude, that's literally what the entire school calls you two. Have you really never heard it before?"
"What! No!" Stiles leaned forward. "Who started it?"
"Some nerd in my third period. He said it at the beginning of the year and it just kinda stuck."
"It's like your couple name!" Scott beamed.
Stiles twirled his fork around on his plate, contemplating. "Wouldn't our couple name be something like Diles? Or Serek? Sterek?"
Scott scrunched up his face in distaste. "Now that just sounds weird."
"You're right." Stiles smiled to himself. "Wheels and the Legman. This is gonna be good."
****
Stiles parked in the desk next to Derek's during their last period class the next day, a hidden smile on his face.
"No," Derek said.
"But—"
"That grin is back. It means you found something stupid, like Toph and Sokka."
Stiles narrowed his eyes. "Have you been talking to Lydia?" He shook his head. "Never mind. What do you think about superheroes?" He drummed his fingers impatiently on the desk.
Derek sighed a long-suffering sigh. "We've already been over this. Marvel has way better movies, but DC sure can do a comic, yet Marvel's characters seem to have more substance to them and thou—"
"Not those superheroes," Stiles started, looking at Derek hopefully.
"We're not going as a Professor X and Jean Grey." He said immediately, face stony.
Stiles threw his hands up into the air. "I nipped that idea in the bud the second Lydia suggested it!"
"Good. You wouldn't look good in a bald cap."
Stiles made himself look offended. "I'll have you know that I have the best Professor X cosplay ever. I can deck my wheelchair out to look just like his!"
"Sure."
"I can! Anyways, no, I meant our own superheroes. Imagine it: Wheels and the Legman!" Stiles spread his arms out in front of him, wiggling in his wheelchair excitedly.
Derek pinched the bridge of his nose and refused to look at Stiles. His voice was barely over a whisper. "You found out what they call us?"
"You knew!?" Stiles screeched, pointing an accusing finger at his friend.
"Stiles, I'm pretty sure the teachers call us that."
"Oh my god. We had secret superhero names and I never even knew."
Derek rolled his eyes. "Is that what you've picked?"
"Yes! You're coming to my house tomorrow and we're making our costumes. You're picking up Taco Bell!" The bell rang and Stiles sped from the room with a flick of his fingers. Derek watched amusedly as he violently bumped a fellow student into a desk and sent another one jumping out of the way (if you had gone to school with Stiles as long as most of them had, you knew you had to get out of the way or risk being run over). He threw his head over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow!"
***
"Glitter me, Derek!" Stiles held out his hand expectantly.
"Don't you think you have enough already?" Derek asked cautiously.
"Derek. This is only from the glitter glue, I need the actual glitter. It makes it super glittery!"
"That's what I'm afraid of," Derek grumbled, handing the huge glitter shaker to Stiles. They were both spread out on the floor of Stiles's room, countless newspapers splayed beneath them to protect the carpet.
"Nothing's wrong with a little sparkle, Der," Stiles said as he dumped a little too much of the gold glitter on his boot covers. "Shit!"
"Mmmhmmm," Derek hummed distractedly, working on his own shirt logo. Since he was "The Legman," he had decided to make a knockoff Superman logo with a simple "L" on it. It was a green on a black shirt (which Stiles insisted complimented his eyes), and he was currently sewing a string of dark green sequence on it so it would shimmer like Stiles's, but not shed.
Stiles, on the other hand, was going for a more cartoonist style. His red t-shirt had bold yellow iron-on lettering that proclaimed "WHEELS" and he added cartoon lightning bolts around the lettering, along with a few thunder clouds. He insisted that he needed glitter on his boot covers, and that Derek should have even more glitter on his cape, which Derek decided to compromise on with the sequence.
And that's how, five hours and six playlists later, the two boys had their costumes—cape, boots, masks, and all—completely ready for the Halloween Bash.
"We're gonna knock 'em off their feet!" Stiles said proudly, back in his chair and looking at their hanging costumes with a small grin on his face.
You already do, Derek thought silently as he watched his best friend. You knock me off my feet without even trying.
**
"Thanks for driving," Stiles said for the third time as Derek pulled up into the school parking lot.
Derek just smiled at his friend and turned off the ignition, then got out of the car. Stiles opened the passenger door while Derek slid Stiles's decked-put wheelchair from his backseat, unfolded it, and wheeled it to his friend. While Stiles was perfectly capable of pulling himself out of a car and into his wheelchair (he could stand, you know!), Derek always insisted on taking his hands and setting him down gently inside his chair "so I can rest easy."
Perfectly situated, Stiles looked up at Derek, who was Velcroing his cape on. "You ready?"
Derek took Stiles's hand and squeezed it, then placed it on the back of his chair. "Ready." As they approached the school, they could already hear the music pulsing. Derek noticed that Stiles was already wiggling in anticipation, his fingers drumming aimlessly on his thighs. "Don't be nervous. We're going to be the best-dressed ones there."
Stiles rolled his eyes. "Please, don't be ridiculous. Lydia always gets her mom to sew her the best costumes. Did you see last year's gumball machine?"
Derek sighed. "Here, take your mask. Let's go." They both out on their masks. Derek had at first been appalled at the fact that they absolutely shed glitter, but Stiles had taken so much time to make them that he couldn't let him down. Not Stiles. "Ready to make them shit their pants?" He quoted Stiles from a few weeks ago.
"You betcha! Let's get 'em, Legman!"
*
The party was wonderful. The second they walked inside, they were greeted with the smell of candy, a rap rendition of "Monster Mash," and Mr. Harris looking miserable in his too-big vampire teeth.
Stiles could feel Derek tensing behind him, and he reached back to squeeze his friend's forearm. Derek smiled gratefully and paused to squeeze back. They could get through his night together.
"Stiles! Derek! Well don't you two look absolutely adorable?" Lydia sauntered up to them in a flawless punk rock chic outfit. Behind her trailed Jackson, looking absolutely miserable in a too-tight leather jacket, suffocating leather pants, and a spiked choker around his neck. He looked like he wanted the choker to strangle him. "I'm glad the school's cutest couple could make it!"
"Well, we made it, and that's what counts." Derek said, trying to avoid Jackson's pleading gaze.
"It's a wonderful dance, and we spent a lot of time putting it on, so enjoy yourselves! The costume contest is in thirty minutes, hope you can stay till then!" The look in her eyes said "you'd better stay till then or I'll end you" while the look on her face stayed pleasant. She flounced away and Jackson followed her like a morose dog.
"Damn," Derek whistled under his breath. "She really has him whipped."
"Oh Derek!" Stiles said, his attention already attracted to something. "Look, it's a candy table!"
"Stiles..." Derek began, but Stiles already had his hands on his wheels and was pulling himself and Derek to the table. The candy table was actually about four tables out together. Some had candy on them, while others had eyeball punch or bowls of chips or tiny sandwich sliders. "The PTA really outdid themselves this year," Derek whistled. Stiles grabbed some skittles and scooped them into a cup.
"Want some?" He turned to Derek, mouth full of the sweets.
"I'll take one of these," Derek reached over and stole a Reece's cup. Stiles watched as Derek slowly unwrapped it and began to eat the cup slowly, licking his fingers gently where the soft milk chocolate had already melted onto his skin. Stiles stifled a groan. His best-friend-that-he-wished-was-more was insanely hot, and watching him eat food like that was almost as good as watching porn. Almost.
"Stiles! Derek!" A joyful voice said, and they turned to see Scott approaching them jauntily. "You two look fantastic! Wheels and the Legman!" He laughed goofily.
"Scott, my man!" Stiles held out his hand and they did their bro handshake. Scott was more of a brother than a friend. "You and Allison look smashing as always. Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad wolf. Grr."
Scott laughed. "Yeah, it was her idea."
"It's cute," Stiles shrugged.
"Yeah, well I came to ask you guys to dance! It's really fun once we're all on the floor."
Derek looked at Stiles. "What do you think?"
Stiles knew that Derek didn't look to thrilled, but he himself was vibrant with anticipation. "Let's go!"
They got on the floor right as "Thriller" came on, and Stiles sang the lyrics to Derek, quite off-tune, but accurate word-wise. When the dance part came up, Stiles was absolutely thrilled to see Derek joining in, a reluctant smile on his face, and Stiles sucked on Skittles and basked in the joy and excitement of the night.
After "Thriller," the mood changed. The DJ (Danny M) added more red lights to the dance floor and put on a slower song. Derek recognized it: "White Demon Love Song," by The Killers. He turned to Stiles, who was finishing off his candy, and in a burst of bravery he held out his hand. "Dance with me?" He asked.
Stiles looked up at him, swallowing. His Adam's Apple bobbed on his beautiful neck. "Alright." He took Derek's outstretched hand and Derek gently hoisted him up. Stiles let his weight fall on Derek, and though he was standing Derek was holding them both up. Derek swayed gently back and forth, feeling the bass rock through them both. He wasn't sure whether it was Stiles's fingers laced with his or the music that was making his body feel like electricity was pulsating through it, but he guessed it was a mixture of both. Being around Stiles made you feel like that. It made you feel alive.
Stiles was looking deeply into his eyes, and it was in that exact moment that Derek stopped thinking. He stopped over analyzing. He stopped caring about anything but this opportunity, this maybe once-in-a-lifetime chance in front of him. He leaned forward, closed his eyes, and kissed Stiles. It wasn't much more than a brush of his lips against Stiles's pretty ones, but the slender boy wasted no time clinging onto Derek's neck harder and shoving his lips against Derek's with great force.
Stiles tasted like candy and something even sweeter, a taste all his own. Stiles hungrily kissed him back, but the two refrained from anything too filthy in front of their entire school in their cafeteria. Derek leaned back, looking at Stiles's everything: his lips, his forehead, his pretty moles, his impish nose. He drank in the slenderness of his neck, the surprising broadness of his shoulders, muscled from wheeling his chair since birth. He was beautiful.
"I've been waiting forever to do that," Stiles admitted, and his blush only added to his charm.
Derek just kissed his cheek, afraid that if he opened his mouth he'd say something stupid, like I Love You. Stiles rested his head on Derek's chest and they let themselves rock to the music. Once he had ahold of himself, he muttered "I'm glad we came tonight." Stiles pulled away slightly.
"I don't know about you, but my pants are still dry." He flashed Derek a shit-eating grin, but Derek returned it with a predatory smile.
"I think I've had just about enough of this dance. How about we go to my house and we can remedy that?"
Immediately Derek felt Stiles's heart rate increase rapidly, and the boy became flushed. Derek didn't know about his own pupils, but Stiles's were dilated as he inhaled their mingled scents. "But what about the costume contest? Lydia would have our asses."
Derek glanced at the clock. "The costume contest doesn't start for another ten minutes. There's no way I can wait that long, Lydia or no. I say we have no regrets and just reap the benefits over the consequences."
Stiles smiled wickedly. "Well in that case, I think your clothes are made of Kryptonite, we have to get rid of them immediately," Stiles breathed.
Derek snorted, quite unattractively, he might add. "You're Wheels, not Superman." He shook his head as Stiles giggled. "Well, as it so happens, the suit does come off."
"Oh my god you are so hot right now. You best be swooping me out of here like the sexy Superman you are."
"I've always related more to Batman," Derek picked Stiles up and carried him to his wheelchair.
"Dark and broody? Definitely. Oh! Next year! I'll be the Robin to your Batman!"
Derek raised an amused eyebrow at him, wheeling him out of the school. "What makes you think we'll be in a position to do couples costumes again?"
Stiles waved a noncommittal hand in the air. "Oh please. Now that I have you I'm not letting you escape from me again. Ever. Also, we are totally cutest couple."
Derek had to agree. Now that he had this beautiful, insane boy in his grasps and in his heart, he was never going to let his Wheels go.