I cheated, sorry. This is half for the nonnie above, half to fill a ko-fi commission from a sweet soul I am unable to track down. Rowan, this is for you! Also…I’m obsessed with sphinx cats and would soooo have one already if I weren’t living on campus haha.
I’m also realizing I do NOT know how to finish things. So, sorry for the abrupt ending.
“Stiles,” Derek attempts to level Stiles with a warning glare, but is unsuccessful as he is too preoccupied with the creature in his hands. “No.”
“Stiles, yes,” Stiles says more to himself, a grin spreading across his face that makes him look half mad.
He lifts the cat up to be level with Derek’s face. He looks absolutely crazed, and Derek is about 90 percent sure Stiles chose this cat based on the fact that Derek would say no. And how could Derek not say no. The cat was…hairless. It looked like someone forgot to hang it out after a wash. There was no way Derek was taking it home.
Said cat reached her paw out to lightly pat at Derek’s filling out beard, staring him straight in the eye as if she were daring Derek to take her home. Another glance at Stiles showed he had a similar expression on his face, and Derek sighed. Goddamn it.
“Yay!” Stiles cheers, Derek not having to say a word. He just hands over his card and signs the paperwork, Stiles alternating between cooing at the cat and riffling through the collars next to the front desk.
Which is how Derek finds himself the proud owner of a sphynx cat in a diamond collar. Or something like that.
**
“We have to give her a name,” Stiles calls across the loft from his spot on Derek’s couch where he’s been hanging off the edge, upside-down, playing with one of those string cat toys since they got back from the pound. The cat in question is across the room, slowly getting accustomed to her new home.
“What’s this ‘we’?” Derek says as he finishes drying the last of the dishes and puts the plate away in the cabinet. He wanders over to the couch, leaning against the armrest and watching as the cat starts up the stairs. God, he hopes she’s potty trained.
Stiles sit upright, taking a moment to adjust to the sudden movement. “Derek, she…” He blinks a few times and Derek wonders for a moment if he’s going to throw up. “She’s your cat, dude. You should be the one to name her.”
“You chose her,” Derek rebuts, already knowing he’s going to lose this argument and should just go along with whatever Stiles wants.
That’s how they got here, isn’t it? Stiles was headed back to college in three weeks and claimed Derek would be too lonely without his presence. Not that that had mattered last year, when they had started dating and Stiles had gone off for his first year at university. Yet, somehow, this year was different. And Derek needed someone around when Stiles wasn’t there, hence the cat.
“Fine,” Stiles says, staring him down. “If you want me to name her, I will.”
Derek doesn’t like the look in his eyes and is about to cave when Stiles starts calling out, “Susan! Susan!”
“Stiles, I swear to god,” Derek groans, rubbing his eyes.
“Jessica!”
“I get it.”
“Barbara!”
Stiles does get a chance to come up with another ridiculous name as the next second, he’s being tackled into the couch, Derek zeroing on his most ticklish spots. Still, he tries to gasp out a few more suggestions before Derek effectively shuts him up with his mouth.
**
Derek is lying on the couch the next day, a rerun of The X Files playing on low volume on the TV, already half asleep when the cat hops up on his stomach and starts kneading him.
“That’s…weird,” Derek says more to himself than to the cat. He doesn’t move her, though. It’s kind of…nice, if he’s being honest.
She stretches out on his chest, her claws dangerously close to his throat though they don’t come in contact with his skin at all. Eventually she settles just under his chin, rubbing herself against his beard and her purrs vibrating against his throat.
“I guess you’re staying, huh,” Derek mumbles, receiving a twirp in return which forces a smile to his face. “I guess I can’t keep calling you ‘Cat’, then.”
He runs his hands over the smooth, wrinkly skin, not as appalled as he imagined he’d be.
“You don’t really look a Susan though, huh?”
The purring is definitely doing things to Derek’s brain as he has to fight to keep his eyes open. He’ll think of something later. Maybe.
**
“I knew you guys would get along,” a voice says from somewhere above Derek’s head.
Derek just moans and turns to snuggle deeper into the couch which in turn upsets the cat he’d forgotten about. She makes a chastising meow before jumping off of him and finding a sunspot closer to the window.
Stiles quickly replaces her, climbing over the back of the couch to lay on top of Derek and run his nose along Derek’s jaw. Derek pulls him in close and lets out his own form of purring, still half asleep.
“Did you choose a name for her yet?” Stiles asks, lifting his head just enough to catch Derek’s eye.
“Mmmm.”
Stiles grins, something between lovestruck and exasperation crossing his face. “I’m going to keep giving you suggestions until you do,” he warns.
Derek nips at his shoulder in retaliation. “Fine.”
Stiles waits for all of five seconds, a record for him, before he starts poking Derek in the chest. “Well, come on then.”
He can see the moment a name crosses Derek’s mind as his face goes soft and a light blush covers his cheeks, his eyes drifting down. Stiles smiles fondly at him.
“What is it?” he asks, curling himself up in the space under Derek’s chin once more. “I know you’ve found it.”
It takes Derek a few moments, but finally he breathes out, “Talia.”
Stiles grins against his throat before pressing a kiss there. “It’s perfect,” he whispers back, afraid to break the moment.
Buy me a ko-fi
Tag: ficlet
An au story where Scott doesn’t get bitten and the Hale fire never happened but the Hale’s are still werewolves.
Somehow Stiles befriends them all and he figures out that they are werewolves like three days into their friendship. There is a lot of smelling and touching and weird wording and don’t even get him started on the rabbits and deers they cook after a full moon, okay.
But he doesn’t tell them; instead he makes bad pun after bad pun waiting for them to figure out that he knows but they never do.
Until he is invited to the Hale’s for dinner where everyone gathered in the living room and seems serious as hell. Stiles puts on his best poker face.
They sit him down and share some glances between them before Talia seriously proclaims “We are werewolves.”
Stiles keeps his poker face until they fidget and shuffle around, anticipating his reaction before he says in the most deadpan voice he can muster “Yes. I am ‘a were’.”
Dead silence settles over the room for a few seconds before Stiles starts cackling so hard he actually falls of his chair.
Okay but Peter’s stifling laughter to the side the entire time right? It’s an unspoken in joke between them and has been for years.
Yes, actually. He has known that Stiles knows after the second dog related pun he made and Peter has been laughing ever since. He also slightly lost faith in his family because how can they be this dense but he hasn’t had fun like this in years.
Peter probably taped the whole big reveal thing so he can laugh about his family’s faces in years. After this he and Stiles try to out-pun another.
Sterek AU: Stiles Stilinski is the youngest CEO in the world heading his own company at 20 after creating the best and most realistic werewolf RPG game ever made. When he hears that Alpha Derek Hale was let go by the Argents, he’s ready to snatch him & make him an offer to join his team.
Human AU where English teacher Derek’s overbearing sisters make him a Tinder profile and he matches with Deputy Stiles Stilinski.
The first date is definitely as awkward as expected.
The second goes a lot better because Stiles tells Derek about his partner (he’s in the K9 unit) and Derek talks to Stiles about his favorite book (To Kill a Mockingbird which was also Stiles’ mom’s favorite)
On the third date they have to leave dinner early to go to Derek’s apartment, they don’t even make it to the bed for round one.
The 7th date is a double date with Stiles’ best friend. When he asks how they met they tell him it was at Starbucks because neither wants to admit they found each other on Tinder. (Years later they admit it because it’s a funny story and Scott get’s mad because he talked about their coffee shop meet-cute in his best man’s speech at the wedding).
Date 22 wasn’t really a date so much as Stiles meeting the Hale family for the first time. After dinner they decided that Cora and Stiles’ friend Lydia can never meet or else they might take over the world.
The 29th date starts with Derek scared for his life because Stiles’ dad had his gun on the table the entire meal and ends with John and Derek making plans to go fishing.
Number 86-101 happen on an epic road trip from Beacon Hills to New York City while Derek is on summer break. He made Stiles take a vacation because by then he’d been on the force for 5 years and only used 3 total vacation days and by then they’d been dating for 2 years, it was about time they took a trip.
On the 102 date Stiles propose in Central Park. Derek pretended he hated how cliche it is was but Stiles knows he not so secretly loves big romantic gestures.
After that Stiles mostly stops counting the dates, except for the big ones, like their wedding, their fifth anniversary, the day their daughter was born, the day their son was born, their tenth anniversary, and well, you get the picture
Stiles constantly flirting with Derek in that over the top kind of way where it’s not really serious. Derek is aware that Stiles does it to be obnoxious but most of it centers around Derek’s physique and sick abs and his stellar face.
The worst part is he’s heard most of it from strangers who weren’t being at all facetious. Derek sort of hopes that’s the point.
Stiles has winked at Derek at least fifty times the entire time they’ve known each other. It’s excessive.
Derek waffles back and forth between irritated and amused. He’s not sure if he should be genuinely insulted by the remarks. And then Stiles is there when a stranger actually hits on him.
Stiles watches in amusement at first but then the guy says something about how Derek should smile and Derek hates when people say that to him for the very obvious reasons. Derek’s not even sure Stiles knows.
But either way, before Derek can respond Stiles snorts beside him. “One time Derek smiled and his whole face cracked.”
Which is hard to follow up.
“I heard once when he was a kid Derek smiled and his face stuck like that. Medical professionals have cautioned against it.”
“Every time Derek smiles a unicorn is born, it’s a responsibility no one should take lightly.”
Eventually, the guy leaves, without saying another word as Stiles presses just a bit closer until he’s chased the guy off with awkward one liners.
When Stiles turns back around to face him, Derek is smiling.
“Don’t you make a liar out of me,” Stiles says, pointing a finger at him. Derek knocks his hand away.
“A unicorn?” Derek asks. Stiles grins at him.
“I believe it. It’s like a cryptid. You gotta coax it out of hiding. But when you do it’s pretty amazing.”
“Stiles,” Derek sighs. Derek isn’t sure what he’s going to say, but when Stiles winks at him, again, Derek kisses him instead.
Swimming with Cthulhu
Written for the FLASH EVENT: SOLAR ECLIPSE at @sterekwritingroom – and I do mean flash – written quickly, unbeta’d and probably more cheese than you need on a pizza…
Thank you @artemis69 for the prompt! xo
On the sandy shore of a lake, Derek and Stiles set down their towels, a cooler, and lastly themselves. There’s no one else there, seeing as it’s private property, but also because everyone’s left the area to drive north to get a better view of the solar eclipse. What Stiles wants to see, however, has nothing to do with the sun, but what’s supposed to appear in the lake during the eclipse.
“I still think you’re asking for trouble,” Derek says, huffing a bit as he peels off his shirt and gets comfortable on his towel. “Listening to advice from old, musty books seems like a great way to die horribly.”
“When did you turn into such a pessimist?” Stiles keeps his t-shirt on, not wanting to add to the freckles he already has on his back and chest. “And when has a book ever been wrong?”
Derek’s response is to raise a single eyebrow. “Do you want the comprehensive list, or just a recap of the highlights?” Poking a finger into Stiles’ abdomen, he says, “There’s a reason no one else wanted to come. They know how this is going to end.”
It’s Stiles’ turn to make a less-than-impressed face, and he goes with an expression of clear disdain. “It’s going to end fabulously, after we’ve spent an afternoon frolicking with a mythical water creature that only appears during a summer solar eclipse.”
“If Cthulhu pops out of that lake, I swear to God, Stiles, I will end you,” Derek says. “You won’t have to worry about anything, ever again.”
“I’m not sure whether to be terrified or comforted,” Stiles answers honestly. “Come on,” he says, standing up and finally shedding his shirt. “I’m already hot, let’s go swim.”
He doesn’t catch the way Derek eyes him appreciatively as he reaches down to set his phone on his towel, but it’s probably for the best. Mythical creatures are still easier for Stiles to believe in at this point than the thought of Derek Hale being even remotely attracted to him.
It’s a good thing Derek’s a patient man. Mostly.
Following Stiles into the cool water, Derek can’t help but let out a contented sigh. The sun’s bright, the weather’s beautiful, and he’s reminded he has super-human strength and he chuckles.
“What’re you laughing about?” Stiles says, turning and looking at Derek, suspicion clear in his eyes.
Derek takes a step closer to Stiles. “Why don’t you come here and find out?”
“Did you get into the special wolfsbane again?” Stiles asks, but he moves to stand in front of Derek in the waist-high water.
“You wouldn’t have to ask if I had.” Grinning now, Derek grabs Stiles by the hips, picks him up, and tosses him as far as he can towards the center of the lake.
Stiles comes up sputtering and coughing, but when he no longer sounds like a drowning victim, he lets out a happy whoop and says, “That was freaking awesome! Do it again!”
And that’s how Stiles and Derek spend the afternoon of the eclipse. No mythical water creature appears, but Stiles gets his own personal water-park ride in the form of a happy, hunky werewolf, and well… Smiles, laughter and being in each other’s company is preferable to most anything.
This is so much fun! Love it!
STEREK WEEK ‘14 || Sunday: Anything
2k of not!fic that I am regiving to candypinkcocks
A Sterek Assassin AU, but not like a Mr. and Mrs. Smith one or like where they know each other before.
Like they only know each other as a mark and they keep ALMOST killing each other.
And then both of them recognize each other at the same time at a Farmer’s Market.
And Stiles is with Scott and Scott is like “dude, that dude’s totes looking at you.” And Erica’s with Derek and is like “hot nerd alert” (none of their friends know that Stiles and Derek are assassins btw) and so Scott and Erica are both like “go talk to him and then bone” and they have to because their friends are pushing.
But Stiles thinks Derek doesn’t know who he is and Derek thinks stiles doesn’t know who he is and neither of them are going to try to kill the other in front of their friend because Derek thinks Scott’s kind of cool and Stiles really likes Erica’s bluntness and so they all agree to get drinks later.
So Stiles tells Lydia since she’s his handler or whatever and Derek tells Boyd who’s his. Lydia says to just have a good night and that everything he learns about him can be used to get him at a later date. And Boyd tells Derek to keep Erica safe (because that’s all Boyd really cares about and he knows Derek will just do his thing).
And no one thinks the other knows about the other so they’re all like ‘just relax, it’ll be easy.’
And they go out for drinks and It’s really fun and Stiles’ fingers keep itching to grab at his knife in his waistband because the more he hears about Derek, the more he likes him and DAMN HE’S FINE
And then Derek’s trying to figure out whether his hands are itching to break Stiles’ neck or to hold him against the wall and fuck him.
Then nothing happens and they all go home.
So Scott and Erica are obviously like “we’re all going out AGAIN.”
And they see a movie. It’s the latest spy movie (which Scott and Erica love) and Derek and Stiles are both laughing at the inaccuracies.
At the end of the movie they all go stand outside and their friends keep giving the *look* to Stiles and Derek and they’re both like “what?”
And so Scott and Erica are like GAH NOT AGAIN because Derek and Stiles both want to leave.
But then Scott says “Let’s get drinks.”
And Derek says “it’s a Wednesday. Don’t you work tomorrow?”
Scott’s like “Oh. I do.” and Erica’s like “me too.”
“But Stiles doesn’t.”
“Neither does Derek.”
Of course, neither Stiles or Derek drove and Scott and Erica run away from them and drive off before they can get in the cars with them (because their friends are actual children)
So Derek and Stiles both call other friends who have all been warned not to pick them up by Scott and Erica.
So finally, Stiles calls Lydia and Derek calls Boyd and they both are like OH NO YOU’RE GETTING INTEL.
And of course they both live like 15 miles away and could totally run it, but they don’t want the other one to notice how fast they are so they’re like “well, one drink I guess.”
And then it becomes more than one drink and they learn more about each other and hey, they actually could like each other if they didn’t have to kill each other.
And it gets to the point where both of them have had so much to drink that they know they can’t run home and there’s this hotel right across the street and at least Derek can kill Stiles in a nice place, right?
And they get into their room and Derek immediately throws Stiles against the door and Stiles responds by putting his hands around Derek’s neck like he’s going to choke him and Derek breaks the hold and Stiles surprisingly throws Derek on the bed and Derek grabs him when he attacks and flips Stiles over and he’s about to punch him the face and Stiles catches his fist, and flips them.
And he slips because they’re drunk and of course fighting turns them both on. And Derek’s like “you play dirty”
And in Stiles’ mind he’s like “oh right, he thinks were playing. I guess we can just play a little tonight…”
And Derek thinks Stiles is just kinky and likes it rough.
And then they have super hot secret hate sex.
*
Boyd knows where Derek ended up that night, and the next morning Derek wakes up to a text from Boyd that says KILL HIM OR LEAVE NOW.
And Derek thinks it’s rude to kill someone after he fucks them, so he leaves and calls Boyd and Boyd’s says, “I just talked to Isaac, and he said the Banshee’s contractor has been contracted to kill you”
Derek says, “So?”
“It’s Stile.”
And Derek’s v. confused and angered and wants to kill something (probs Stiles) and immediately goes back to the room and is about to bang on the door when Stiles opens it.
And there’s a look of relief on Stiles’ face and he says, “I thought you left.”
And Derek’s asks “Why? Thought you wouldn’t get another chance to kill me?”
And then there’s a v awkward silence and then Stiles says quietly, “You’re supposed to kill me too, aren’t you?”
And then they break angry eye contact to glance at the other’s mouth (because it’s not fic if that doesn’t happen) and then there’s like two seconds of eye contact again.
And then ROUND 2 of hate sex.
*
After they’re both done, they look at each other (Stiles sitting on the bed as Derek pulls on his clothes) and Derek looks at him and says, “The next time I see you, I’m going to kill you.”
“Same. Unless you’re with Erica. Or family.”
“Or you’re with Scott. Or family.”
“We can’t do that to them.”
“No.”
And then Derek leaves and doesn’t see Stiles again for a couple of weeks when they both end up in Moscow for a thing.
But SURPRISE Stiles said that he and Scott needed a brocation and Derek offered to pamper Erica with a foreign excursion (since neither of them are going anywhere without their besties from now on pretty much in order to make sure they don’t die).
And there’s a point there when he’s about to kill Stiles, and then Scott appears. And Scott starts talking to Stiles and Derek steps away from his gun as Stiles looks at where Derek was hiding and winks before walking off with Scott.
And then there’s a moment where they’re alone in a room and the have a full on fight.
“No guns or knives. That will cheapen what we have,” Stiles says as Derek rolls his eyes and they drop their weapons at the door.
They fight for a while and it looks like Derek’s about to kill Stiles when they hear Erica’s voice calling for Derek.
“Do you really want to kill me when Erica’s right outside the door?”
And Derek lets him go and tells Erica that his swollen lip is from some dude who didn’t like the fact he was hitting on his girlfriend or something.
And OF COURSE Scott and Erica find each other and they all have to hang out because HELLO IT’S MOSCOW and they’re sitting at a table and Erica says:
“Stiles, what do you think it would cost for a night with Derek?”
Without hesitation, “Eighty million.”
And Derek and him share a look and Derek KNOWS that’s how much his bounty is.
And then Stiles looks at him and goes “How much would a night be for me?”
“Eighty million,” because they’re worth the same.
And Erica’s says, “Damn, you guys must be phenomenal.”
“You have no idea.”
And they finally exchange numbers because Erica forces them to, and Stiles puts his name as 80mil and Derek does the same just so they’re both reminded of what they are to each other.
And for the next few months they keep trying to kill each other and every time they almost do, someone shows up and Derek and Stiles end up fucking. And the fucking has started to have FEELINGS because they actually know each other now
And then one night after partying with their friends, they’re laying in bed in a hotel room and Derek’s looking at bullet wound that he knows he gave to Stiles and Stiles’ fingers are tracing over a scar his knife gave Derek, and they both know that when they try to kill each other they’re REALLY trying because these aren’t sloppy wounds and they’re so close to killing them and would if they each weren’t so good at evading it.
And Stiles makes eye contact with Derek and asks, “How can you do it? How can you legit try to kill me and then act like I’m the most important thing in the world to you?”
“When we’re in the field, I only see you as 80 million. But when we’re with the others or when we’re here, you’re…”
“I’m what? Worthless?”
“Priceless.”
THEN THE SLOW BONE
Nothing changes though in the field. They legit try to kill each other during the day and then love each other at night.
And there’s more scars and fights and love making and then someone new comes on the scene and shoots Stiles and he’s in ICU and it doesn’t look like he’s going to make it.
And Derek tells himself it’s nbd and that that’s just what happens.
But weeks go by, and Derek starts to realize that things don’t “just happen.” Someone tried to kill Stiles—HIS Stiles
Derek’s the only one who gets to do that. Fuck that noise
And he finds out the name of the shooter (cough kate cough) and she’s worth 90mil. And he goes and he kills her.
And he gets the 90 and then terminates his contract on Stiles.
And he goes to the hospital when Scott calls him to tell Derek that Stiles is out of ICU.
And he sees Lydia and Boyd talking to each other in the hallway and Lydia says, “I heard you terminated your contract”
Derek looks at Boyd and he nods
Lydia says, “It’s up to Stiles if he wants to break his. He’s awake, by the way.”
And Derek goes in and shuts the door. And Stiles looks up at him.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
Derek sits on the side of the bed and stiles Starts fiddling with the cuff of Derek’s Henley.
“So I heard you found someone worth more than me.”
“No one’s worth more than you.”
“i’m sorry but no.” Sterek
“I’m sorry, but no.”
Stiles raised an eyebrow at the man who hasn’t even bothered to look up from his book. And, while his dark hair and perfectly sculpted scruff makes him hot as fuck, the guy is, “Pretty presumptuous slash arrogant, aren’t we? Because I’m assuming you’re being an ass because you’re the kind of beautiful that has people’s shoes sloshing with wetness, but I came over here to ask if you’re using that other chair. Now I can see you saved it for your ego, because it’s clearly too inflated to fit there with you.”
Slowly, the man raises his head, eyes wide, jaw slack but not gaping, a bright red flush burning up from under the collar of his shirt, over his jaw to sharp cheeks. When his mouth finally does open, nothing comes out.
“Right.” Stiles says, holding on tight to his bitter evaluation of Handsome Asshole Stranger because if he doesn’t he’ll find that blush adorable and the guy might become Beautiful Blushing Bae, and Stiles will be in danger of becoming a statistic in the numbers of people who have thrown themselves at the guy.
So, instead, he clenches his jaw, straightens from where he’d bent down to grab at the empty chair, and walks away. Focusing on saying, “Yo, Scott, no bueno. Let’s just drink and walk,” and not turning around to get one last look at Handsome Asshole Stranger.
Four days later, after Scott’s left and Stiles is doing Sunday brunch alone, fortifying himself for his return to work after taking the previous week to go around the city with Scott like the filthy tourist he never allowed himself to be, a shadow falls over his table and he moves his coffee mug over to be refilled.
“If you’re offering that to me, you should know it’s empty.”
Brow furrowing, Stiles looks up to find Handsome Asshole Stranger standing at his table. He snorts and pulls his mug closer. “No way. I could probably pay rent for five years with the cash equivalent of all the free shit you’ve gotten over the years.”
“I’m still not sure if I should be flattered or punching you in the face,” the guy says with a smirk.
“Oh look. Those equal out to you leaving me alone.”
Handsome Asshole Stranger smirks… harder, Stiles guesses is the only way to explain it, and takes the empty seat across the table. “Let me buy you coffee.”
“That’s not clever. I clearly already have coffee.”
“Have you paid for it?”
Stiles purses his lips. “Touché. Alright, I’ll allow it. But I’m not buying one for you.”
Handsome Still-Kind-Of-But-Less Asshole Stranger’s smirk curls into a smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll buy my own. I’m Derek,” the guy, Derek, says, and holds out his hand.
Stiles takes a moment to consider the possibilities, decides the worst is that he makes a fool of himself in front of someone he’s already written off, and at best he gets a free coffee. With a sigh, he takes the offered hand and says, “Stiles. Don’t ask.”
Proposal, Or Something Like That
Thanks for the anonymous reminder, whoever you are ko-fi nonnie. I totally got swept up in my work and life and getting back into the swing of writing (and hopefully finishing my fic) that I kind of forgot about my wonderful ko-fi donators. You guys really helped me out sooooo much and I’m forever grateful.
This goes out to @ladydrace for your 900-word donation that I extended to
1292, considering I took so long to get to this. It may not be as fluffy as you expected (I tried, I did, but I’m a angst writer haha), but I hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much, again, dear.The first time Stiles says it, Derek nearly chokes on a spoonful of ice cream. Which would be a shitty way to die, especially all they’d had to face in the last few years. Especially as the big bad of the week had slowly evolved into the big bad of the month, and the last few months had been completely quiet.
Derek should’ve known to be prepared at any moment. Except, how could anyone be prepared for this?
“God, why aren’t we married yet?” Stiles groans out after taking a giant bite of his ice cream. A little of it spills down Stiles’ arm and he chases it with his tongue, and Derek nearly chokes on his.
He realizes he’s staring at Stiles, his spoon still stuck in his mouth. He quickly rectifies the situation, removing said spoon and giving Stiles one of his best eye rolls.
“Seriously,” Stiles continues, pretty much shoveling the ice cream into his mouth at this point. “If I knew you could cook like this, I would’ve proposed ages ago.”
“It’s not cooking, Stiles,” Derek says. Because that is the easiest thing to focus on. Instead of the way Stiles is moaning around each spoonful, a little dribbling out of his mouth which should not be doing things to Derek.
“You know what I mean.”
He finally looks up, his bowl licked completely clean. And Derek can see the moment his senses come back to him as he blushes and gently places the bowl on the counter in front of him like he hadn’t just had his face shoved in there. He glances mournfully at the hand crank ice cream machine Derek had just purchased.
Derek sighs, pushing away from the counter to pick up Stiles’ bowl and refill it with the remainder of the ice cream. Apparently it was a worthwhile purchase.
“Seriously, marry me?”
****
The second time it happens, Derek is no more prepared for the words, or the images they bring to mind. Images he could never allow himself to dream of because it’s too painful to know it will never happen.
Derek had just been settling into bed with a book he was keen to finish tonight when his phone went off, a ringtone he’d never heard before but had no doubt Stiles had somehow hacked his phone just to add a ridiculous tone for himself. And a quick glance to the screen only proves his point.
With a sigh, Derek leans over and picks up the phone, half tempted to just send him to voicemail. Instead, he answers.
“What do you want, Stiles?” he says in a voice he hopes sounds firm and put out.
“Heeeeeeeeeeeey, Derek,” Stiles singsongs from the other end of the line, like he is just as surprised Derek answered the phone.
Derek sighs again, already pulling back the bedding and grabbing his jeans. “Where are you?”
“Thas not how yersposed to answer the phooooone,” Stiles slurs out, ending with a giggle like he were sharing a joke with himself.
Derek can hear a pounding bassline over the other end of the line and is already running through all the possible bars Stiles could’ve snuck into. He had two more years. Why couldn’t he just be reasonable and just wait.
“I’m coming to pick you up,” Derek says, already halfway down his spiral staircase. “Tell me where you are.”
“Oooooh. My hero.”
**
It’s easy to pick Stiles out over the crowd as he is currently on top of the bar, attempting to dance against one of the pillars. Two of the bartenders are attempting to get him down while another stands back and laughs like this is a regular occurrence, which all Derek knows, it could be.
Before Derek can even cross the room and somehow get Stiles down from his makeshift strip show, Stiles notices him.
“Derek!!!” He shouts, taking one step off the bar and before anyone can do anything, he lands flat on his face.
Somehow, Derek manages to get Stiles into the passenger seat of his car and before he rounds the car to his own seat, he takes Stiles’ hand in his and drains a bit of the pain that Stiles might not feel at the moment, but will most definitely feel in the morning. He’s almost done when Stiles’ other hand lifts and brushes across Derek’s cheek, making him freeze on the spot.
“Will you marry me yet?” Stiles says, his voice oddly clear. He’s staring at Derek with absolute concentration, as if he could will Derek into saying yes.
Derek swallows, his throat having to work extra hard over the lump that seems to have suddenly formed. There’s something in his chest, attempting to crawl out, but he shuts it down. This isn’t…Stiles doesn’t mean anything by it. It’s just….Stiles being Stiles. Stiles being drunk, whatever.
Derek schools his expression before gently rearranging Stiles and placing the seatbelt around him.
“Let’s get you home,” he says before closing the door and rounding the car, too quick to notice the way Stiles’ face pinches in pain.
****
“What do I have to do to get you to say yes?”
Derek nearly brings the hammer down on his hand instead of the nail that was halfway through the fence board he was attempting to repair. He has only a moment to marvel at the fact that Stiles can sneak up on Derek without any of his senses picking up on him, before Stiles is yanking on his shoulder and spinning him around.
His eyebrows are furrowed together, his lips a thin line, and Derek can honestly say he hasn’t seen Stiles this pissed since…he can’t remember when.
“What are…” What was he even talking about? Say yes? To what?
Thankfully Derek doesn’t have to find his words as Stiles is already running over them. “I’ve asked you nicely. Twice now. But you have yet to answer. And maybe I haven’t been the but I haven’t been subtle.”
Derek blinks. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re out here fixing my dad’s fence without even being asked,” Stiles continues as if Derek hadn’t spoken. He’s waving his hands around in a way that makes Derek want to hold them down for everyone’s safety. “You made my absolute most favorite flavor of ice cream without me even asking. You drove twenty minutes out of your way to pick me up from a bar because I was too shitfaced to drive home. How the hell am I supposed to keep my emotions at bay with you doing everything in your power to test them?”
“I don’t…”
“Would you just marry me already?” Stiles says in a huff, full on glaring at Derek by now.
“Okay.”
Stiles looks about ready to go into another rant when the words finally process. He freezes. “O…okay?”
A small smile spreads across Derek’s face. Who knew he could ever actually make Stiles speechless.
“Yes, okay. I’ll marry you.” He takes advantage of Stiles’ stunned silence by pulling him in closer until they’re pressed together from thigh to chest. His smile grows as Stiles’ eyes widen and his breath catches. “But we might want to consider going on at least one date before we do.”
“You…you better not be playing around,” Stiles breathes out. He tries to make it sound teasing, but Derek can see the uncertainty in his eyes.
“I’m not if you’re not,” Derek says, leaning his down ever so slowly, giving Stiles time to pull away.
Stiles’ eyes drop to Derek’s mouth as his tongue unconsciously comes out to wet his lips. God, he’s wanted this for so long.
“It’s a date, then,” Stiles says on a breath, his eyes never leaving Derek’s lips.
Derek didn’t know what the guy across the hall was doing for a living. Sometimes, when Derek was just going out for his morning run, they ran into each other. Sometimes, he was dressed in sweatpants and a ripped tank top, smelling of smoke and sweet cocktails. Other times, he returned barefeet and in black slacks, his white dress shirt mostly unbuttoned and his shoes tied together at the laces and thrown over his shoulder. Another time, Derek ran into him when he was dressed in a white piece of fabric that was wrapped around his hips and half of his chest, it’s a toga, dude. His lips were gold and his cheeks were red from the cold and his smirk was distracting. One time, when Derek was exiled from his dorm room during exam season and was sitting in the hall, eyes closed and head hitting the wall, he returned in a black vest with his shirt sleeves rolled up past his elbows and his bow tie hanging around his neck. He held a guitar in his hand with a makeshift capo made from a pencil and his bruised fingertips were plucking at the strings as he sat down next to Derek, a smile on his lips. And they sat there at four in the morning in the dimly-lit hall and Derek still didn’t know his name or what he did but he knew the constellation of moles on his chest and how his laugh made Derek’s heart skip a beat, the way his fingers picked at his shirt, at the carpet, at the guitar when he was nervous, and how the weight of his head felt resting against Derek’s shoulder.
sterek + neighbors AU
shealwaysreads 