A Nice Sentiment
Author: brightredhoodie
Title: A Nice Sentiment
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Derek/Stiles
Character/s: Derek, Erica, Stiles, Jackson, Lydia
Summary: The one where Derek is an awkward, anti-social astronomy major, his best friend Erica works in the library part time and Jackson is by far the worst roommate ever. And then there’s this boy - Stiles - who won’t leave Derek alone.
Warnings: None
Word Count: 992
Prompt: #6 Family
Author's Notes:
This is the first in a new college au series called Written In The Stars.
I hope you like it!
On the first day of the first semester, when they’d all been gathered together in the common room or whatever they’d called it, the RA had said that “everyone on this floor is like a family.” Derek had thought it was a nice sentiment at the time.
But a month has passed since then and he now knows that statement for what it really is: a lie. A cold, vicious, cruel lie.
This? This is not a family. This is a bunch of dirty, sex-crazed and thoroughly unstable people all rounded up and kept in the same much too small space. And sharing not nearly enough bathrooms.
His roommate, Jackson, is by far the worst. They’ve been here a month, 30 days, and so far, Derek has spent 8 of those nights sleeping out on the old, dirty, practically falling apart couches in the common room. Jackson kicks him out basically any time a girl shows up. Derek’s seen this one redheaded girl a few times, but every time he’s seen her she’s seemed disinterested. Like sex with Jackson either isn’t any good or isn’t worth her time or... who knows, really. Either way, Derek has experienced girls like her before. In high school, he knew of girls like her. Girls that were cooler than everyone else, girls that placed themselves above it all.
College is supposed to be so much different than high school, especially at a big school like Berkeley, but it’s really not. People are the same as they were only now everyone is going around pretending they’re so much more mature than they were before because there’s no one around telling them what to do, what not to do, or to go to bed when it gets late.
The only person he’s met here that he actually likes is Erica. She lives off campus, alone, and she works part time in the library. She seems to be one of the few people who is actually here to learn - she wants to be a librarian - and obviously, she likes books as much as he does. She likes sci-fi just as much as he does, too. Her favorite author is Terry Pratchett, and she’s loaned Derek one of Terry Pratchett’s books called, “Night Watch” and he’s enjoying it so far. He loaned her his copy of Douglas Adam’s “Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” because somehow she hasn’t read it yet.
He’s been reading “Night Watch” every time Jackson kicks him out. Tonight is one of those nights, so he gets as comfy as he can on the useless, damaged couch and flips to the page he was last on.
About ten minutes later a tall, gangly kid walks in and nods at him. Derek raises his eyes from his book for a few seconds, nods, and goes back to reading.
“Your roommate kick you out too?” the kid says. Derek really wishes he wouldn’t. That’s just an opening for small talk and he really hates small talk. Most people aren’t exactly interested in comics, sci-fi or the stars and he’s not interested in partying, drinking or reality television, so he never has anything useful to say to them and they never have anything to say that he’s particularly interested in hearing.
It’s silent for a few seconds before the kid says, “I’m Stiles, I live in room 110.” He walks over and holds his hand out in greeting. Derek just grunts and lifts his book up in a gesture he hopes means “that’s nice, I’m busy here.”
“Pratchett, huh?” Stiles says and Derek wonders how this boy can seemingly carry on an entire conversation all by himself. He has trouble carrying on a conversation at all.
“I’ve never read any of his books. What’s that one about?” Stiles says. Derek can’t help but roll his eyes. Why is this kid pretending like he’s interested? Can’t he entertain himself without bothering other people?
But this kid keeps standing there, looking at the book and at Derek so Derek finally says, “It’s about time travel.”
“Huh,” Stiles says, sounding vaguely interested. “I could never really get into those books myself. I’m not that into sci-fi.” Stiles reaches into his back pocket and takes out a very badly damaged paperback copy of “Club Dead” by Charlaine Harris. “I’m more into werewolves, vampires, witches, that sort of thing.” Stiles flops gracelessly on to the couch next to Derek’s and Derek can’t help but think, finally, some quiet.
Stiles starts reading and Derek surprises himself when he says, “I don’t get the whole werewolf thing.”
Stiles looks up, book suddenly forgotten and says, “I love them. I think they’re fascinating.”
“It can never happen. What’s the fun in something that can never happen? Stuff like this?” Derek says, nodding to his own book. “It could actually happen. There’s so much out there we have yet to explore, so much we don’t know. It’s probable there are other races, other species out there. There’s no way werewolves really exist.”
Stiles huffs but his eyes are bright and it’s clear he’s excited. “It’s not about whether they exist or not, it’s about what if they did? It’s fantasy. It doesn’t have to be real or probable to be enjoyable.”
“I still don’t get it,” Derek says.
“Well that,” Stiles says proudly, “is your loss.”
After that, they both go back to reading silently. Well, Derek reads silently. Stiles makes a lot of noise. He seems to be the kind of person who is incapable of really being quiet, even doing a quiet activity like reading.
Usually, Derek would find this extremely annoying but... he can’t seem to stop peeking over at Stiles and watching him as he reads. Stiles just gets so involved in the story, even if, going by the state of the book, he’s read it before. It’s ridiculous. Derek thinks it’s ridiculous.
And yet... he can’t stop stealing looks over at Stiles.
Title: A Nice Sentiment
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Derek/Stiles
Character/s: Derek, Erica, Stiles, Jackson, Lydia
Summary: The one where Derek is an awkward, anti-social astronomy major, his best friend Erica works in the library part time and Jackson is by far the worst roommate ever. And then there’s this boy - Stiles - who won’t leave Derek alone.
Warnings: None
Word Count: 992
Prompt: #6 Family
Author's Notes:
This is the first in a new college au series called Written In The Stars.
I hope you like it!
On the first day of the first semester, when they’d all been gathered together in the common room or whatever they’d called it, the RA had said that “everyone on this floor is like a family.” Derek had thought it was a nice sentiment at the time.
But a month has passed since then and he now knows that statement for what it really is: a lie. A cold, vicious, cruel lie.
This? This is not a family. This is a bunch of dirty, sex-crazed and thoroughly unstable people all rounded up and kept in the same much too small space. And sharing not nearly enough bathrooms.
His roommate, Jackson, is by far the worst. They’ve been here a month, 30 days, and so far, Derek has spent 8 of those nights sleeping out on the old, dirty, practically falling apart couches in the common room. Jackson kicks him out basically any time a girl shows up. Derek’s seen this one redheaded girl a few times, but every time he’s seen her she’s seemed disinterested. Like sex with Jackson either isn’t any good or isn’t worth her time or... who knows, really. Either way, Derek has experienced girls like her before. In high school, he knew of girls like her. Girls that were cooler than everyone else, girls that placed themselves above it all.
College is supposed to be so much different than high school, especially at a big school like Berkeley, but it’s really not. People are the same as they were only now everyone is going around pretending they’re so much more mature than they were before because there’s no one around telling them what to do, what not to do, or to go to bed when it gets late.
The only person he’s met here that he actually likes is Erica. She lives off campus, alone, and she works part time in the library. She seems to be one of the few people who is actually here to learn - she wants to be a librarian - and obviously, she likes books as much as he does. She likes sci-fi just as much as he does, too. Her favorite author is Terry Pratchett, and she’s loaned Derek one of Terry Pratchett’s books called, “Night Watch” and he’s enjoying it so far. He loaned her his copy of Douglas Adam’s “Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” because somehow she hasn’t read it yet.
He’s been reading “Night Watch” every time Jackson kicks him out. Tonight is one of those nights, so he gets as comfy as he can on the useless, damaged couch and flips to the page he was last on.
About ten minutes later a tall, gangly kid walks in and nods at him. Derek raises his eyes from his book for a few seconds, nods, and goes back to reading.
“Your roommate kick you out too?” the kid says. Derek really wishes he wouldn’t. That’s just an opening for small talk and he really hates small talk. Most people aren’t exactly interested in comics, sci-fi or the stars and he’s not interested in partying, drinking or reality television, so he never has anything useful to say to them and they never have anything to say that he’s particularly interested in hearing.
It’s silent for a few seconds before the kid says, “I’m Stiles, I live in room 110.” He walks over and holds his hand out in greeting. Derek just grunts and lifts his book up in a gesture he hopes means “that’s nice, I’m busy here.”
“Pratchett, huh?” Stiles says and Derek wonders how this boy can seemingly carry on an entire conversation all by himself. He has trouble carrying on a conversation at all.
“I’ve never read any of his books. What’s that one about?” Stiles says. Derek can’t help but roll his eyes. Why is this kid pretending like he’s interested? Can’t he entertain himself without bothering other people?
But this kid keeps standing there, looking at the book and at Derek so Derek finally says, “It’s about time travel.”
“Huh,” Stiles says, sounding vaguely interested. “I could never really get into those books myself. I’m not that into sci-fi.” Stiles reaches into his back pocket and takes out a very badly damaged paperback copy of “Club Dead” by Charlaine Harris. “I’m more into werewolves, vampires, witches, that sort of thing.” Stiles flops gracelessly on to the couch next to Derek’s and Derek can’t help but think, finally, some quiet.
Stiles starts reading and Derek surprises himself when he says, “I don’t get the whole werewolf thing.”
Stiles looks up, book suddenly forgotten and says, “I love them. I think they’re fascinating.”
“It can never happen. What’s the fun in something that can never happen? Stuff like this?” Derek says, nodding to his own book. “It could actually happen. There’s so much out there we have yet to explore, so much we don’t know. It’s probable there are other races, other species out there. There’s no way werewolves really exist.”
Stiles huffs but his eyes are bright and it’s clear he’s excited. “It’s not about whether they exist or not, it’s about what if they did? It’s fantasy. It doesn’t have to be real or probable to be enjoyable.”
“I still don’t get it,” Derek says.
“Well that,” Stiles says proudly, “is your loss.”
After that, they both go back to reading silently. Well, Derek reads silently. Stiles makes a lot of noise. He seems to be the kind of person who is incapable of really being quiet, even doing a quiet activity like reading.
Usually, Derek would find this extremely annoying but... he can’t seem to stop peeking over at Stiles and watching him as he reads. Stiles just gets so involved in the story, even if, going by the state of the book, he’s read it before. It’s ridiculous. Derek thinks it’s ridiculous.
And yet... he can’t stop stealing looks over at Stiles.