Fic: Never Sign a Valentine with Your Own Name // Stiles/Derek // PG-13
Title: Never Sign a Valentine with Your Own Name
Word Count: 2600-ish
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Stiles/Derek, Scott/Kira, Allison/Isaac, Lydia/Aiden
Summary:"Stiles, I'm in trouble!"
Stiles swung around in his desk chair, alarmed, as Scott burst through the door to Stiles' bedroom and threw his backpack on the floor.
"What's up? What do I need to research?" Stiles asked, reaching for his laptop.
"What do I get Kira for Valentine's Day?"
Stiles blinked and dropped his hands down his sides. "That's your big crisis?"
"Stiles, I'm in trouble!"
Stiles swung around in his desk chair, alarmed, as Scott burst through the door to Stiles' bedroom and threw his backpack on the floor.
"What's up? What do I need to research?" Stiles asked, reaching for his laptop.
"What do I get Kira for Valentine's Day?"
Stiles blinked and dropped his hands down his sides. "That's your big crisis?"
"Crisis?"
"You came in here acting like the Alpha pack was back or something."
"Sorry, man. I just really want to do this right! What do I get her?"
"And you came to me?" Stiles asked incredulously. "You do know I've only ever had one girlfriend and that was in seventh grade, right? She dumped me because I paid too much attention to you."
Scott grinned. "Oh, yeah. How is Claire now?"
Stiles shrugged. "I dunno, her parents wisely transferred her out of the district with the most homicides per capita for a student body in the greater Northern California area."
Scott nodded. "Figured out a way to put that on a college application yet as an accomplishment?"
"Working on it."
"Cool. Kira?"
"Right."
"What do I get her?"
"What does she like?" Stiles asked, leaning back in his chair. Scott thought for a second.
"Not electrocuting things?"
"So a pair of shoes that can ground her?" Stiles offered sarcastically. Scott rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. She likes Marvel, right?"
"Huh?" Scott asked.
"The comics? She was wearing those Marvel leggings the night of the blackout party, remember? You know, before everything went to shit?"
Scott's eyes opened wide as realization dawned on him. "Oh yeah!"
"There's all kinds of neat one-of-a-kind Marvel-based jewellery on this website someone in the next town over runs," Stiles explained as he turned to his laptop and pulled the site up. He navigated to a tab and pointed out something for Scott. "There's a pair of earrings here that look like mini Thor hammers. Hand crafted and stuff."
Scott looked over Stiles' shoulder and then thumped him on the back with excitement. "Those are great! You totally just saved my ass, dude."
"Tell me something I don't know," Stiles replied with a laugh. He scribbled something down on a sticky and shoved it at Scott. "Here's the vendor's number. Give them a call and you can probably pick them up this week."
"Seriously, man, you're the best!" Scott called over his shoulder as he grabbed his bag and ran back down the stairs.
"Yeah, I know," Stiles replied normally, knowing his best friend would hear him.
***
"Stilinski," Aiden greeted Stiles in the locker room after lacrosse later that week.
Stiles nodded, although he was wary. "Aiden."
"Need some help." Stiles raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "Valentine's day is coming."
Both of Stiles' eyebrows shot up. "Uh huh," he said slowly.
"I need to know what I should get Lydia."
Stiles' eyebrows really weren't sure where else to go, short of his eyes falling out of his head. "You want me to tell you what to buy Lydia for Valentine's Day? Are you out of your mind?"
"Probably," Aiden grumbled. "This isn't my idea of a good time, either, but you know her about as well as anyone else."
Stiles rolled his eyes and nodded. "Sure."
"No, I'm serious. She respects your opinion. You get her or something. You know, how I don't."
"Cause you're a murdering werewolf?" Slipped out before Stiles could think better of himself.
To Aiden's credit he only looked like he wanted to rip Stiles' head off after that comment. But he didn't actually act on it so in Stiles' opinion it was probably a tiny step towards progress.
Sort of.
Aiden took a deep breath and visibly calmed himself before speaking. "I just want to do something for her that she'd like, okay? And Lydia doesn't seem like the kind of girl who'd be wowed by roses, you know?"
Stiles sat down heavily on the bench in front of his locker and thought over his options. He could lead Aiden astray and tell him to get Lydia something completely outrageous that would send her into a rage but Aiden wasn't stupid. Plus that would probably get him hurt in the long run. And, after all, Lydia's choice in men was her own, even if Stiles didn't agree.
"Andrew Wiles," Stiles finally said.
"What?" Aiden said, confused.
"He's a mathematician who proved this famous theorem. He's going to be at the university in the city in a couple months for a talk and I know Lydia wants to go, even if she never says so."
Aiden stared blankly at Stiles.
"You should buy her a ticket," Stiles continued, slowly.
"Do I have to go?"
Stiles shook his head. "She'd probably be pissed if you tried. Buy her the ticket, say you'll drive her there and take her for dinner afterwards. Don't ask her if she wants to go, just give it to her."
Aiden looked at Stiles suspiciously. "You're not dicking me around, are you?"
"As much fun as that would be I wouldn't do that to Lydia," Stiles replied. "Trust me."
Aiden nodded and looked rather begrudging but then he smacked Stiles in the shoulder and muttered a, "thanks" before disappearing from the locker room.
Stiles would never admit that he had a bruise for a week after that.
***
A couple days after the locker room encounter Stiles spied Isaac making his way across the cafeteria towards him, a determined look on his face. Stiles sighed and put his sandwich down.
"Stiles-"
"Pack a picnic lunch and book some time at the archery range. Tell her you want to know why she loves it so much and ask her to show you how to shoot."
Isaac stopped short and looked confused. "What?"
"Valentine's Day, right?"
"Actually, I was looking for Scott but I was worried about that, too."
Stiles groaned to himself and buried his face in his hands. "I haven't seen Scott,"
"Cool. Thanks," Isaac said and left the cafeteria.
"I don't understand," Stiles muttered to himself.
***
That night Stiles' bedroom window slid open as he was finishing up his homework. He looked over and watched Derek let himself in easily.
"Not you, too," Stiles muttered to himself, hoping Derek wouldn't hear but no such luck.
"Sorry?" Derek asked, eyebrow raised as he shut the window behind himself.
"Let me guess. You're trying to woo someone for Valentine's Day and you need some ideas because you can't think of any on your own so you came to the dateless wonder," Stiles threw at him.
Derek looked shifty eyed for a second, then shook his head. "Why would you think that?"
"Because everyone else has done that this week? Not a single one of you can think up an original thought on your own. What you all gained in super strength and hearing you lost in romance," Stiles complained, although he realized it was more for his own benefit.
How did he have such great ideas for everyone else but when it came to his own love life he was shot down all the time or no one showed any interest at all?
"What would you do for Valentine's day, then?" Derek asked as he sat on the edge of Stiles' bed.
Stiles shrugged. "I don't know. It would depend on the person. I guess."
"What would you want to have someone do for you?" Derek asked, as if he was genuinely interested.
Stiles frowned but thought for a second. What would he like?
"I think," he started slowly, testing the words out. "And this might sound shitty, but for someone to make me a priority, you know? I just want someone who wants to spend the day with me and only me. No werewolf shit, no supernatural crap coming up, no crises. One-on-one Stiles time. And if that person thought I was hot that would be cool, too." Stiles gave a half smile. "But, you know. I guess I'll just have to wait for it to happen."
Stiles looked down at his hands while Derek stared at him and the silence grew uncomfortable for Stiles so he cleared his throat. "And as great as this pity party is, it's kind of a bummer. Did you need something?"
Derek's eyes snapped up to meet Stiles' and it seemed like he was surprised. "What?"
"Why did you come here?" Stiles asked slowly.
"Right. Um, just wanted to follow up with the… thing."
Stiles raised an eyebrow. "This whole town is a thing, be more specific."
"The faeries?" Derek ventured.
Stiles was suspicious but turned back to his laptop and rambled for a good ten minutes about his research and the type of faerie that was causing minor disturbances around the preserve.
"So, basically, we can tell them the land is claimed and they'll get out or we could give them an offering that would make them indebted to us and they'd act as a primary alarm system for other things that go bump in the night," Stiles concluded, twirling his pen around in his fingers. He looked up from his notes and caught Derek staring at him intently.
"What?"
Derek blinked. "Nothing. Good work. Make sure to bring it up to Scott at the next pack meeting and we can discuss what to do."
Stiles eyed Derek as he pushed off the edge of his bed quickly and turned to the window.
"What would you do?" Stiles asked suddenly.
Derek stopped and turned back. "What?"
"What would you want someone to do for you on Valentine's Day?"
Derek shrugged and sat back down. "I'm not really good at this thing. Don't know if you noticed," Derek said dryly and Stiles laughed because Derek let him. "Maybe dinner and a movie? Or take out and Netflix? I'm pretty simple."
Derek looked down at his hands, and seemed uncomfortable with his ideas.
"Simple is underrated," Stiles said and Derek raised his head. "This town doesn't do simple very often so it's a relief."
Derek laughed. "Yeah."
"Sure, being whisked off to a balloon ride or a parachute jump followed by a candlelit dinner with champagne is awesome, I'm sure, but is it normal? No! Give me a burger and piece of pie from the diner on 12th any day."
"Ever had their peanut butter milkshakes?" Derek asked, almost tentatively.
"Had them? I used to live on them!" Stiles exclaimed and Derek seemed relieved. "They're second only to the root beer floats."
Derek groaned. "Oh, man. I forgot about those."
"We should go sometime," Stiles suggested casually. "After a meeting or something."
Derek stood up suddenly and nodded. "Sure. Later!"
He was out the window before Stiles could say goodbye in return. He turned around in his desk chair, dejectedly.
"Just another day in the life of Stiles," he muttered to himself.
***
Valentine's Day in a high school when you're single is a crapshoot. Sure, Lydia and Scott both sent him bags of Hershey Kisses, delivered by Coach who was wearing a set of wings, looked like he wanted to murder everyone and was trying to stay a healthy distance from Greenberg who was carrying a plastic set of bow and arrows.
But everyone else was getting the Kisses and more from their significant others. Scott went overboard and put balloons in Kira's locker and rolled to school with a giant stuffed bear on the back of his motorbike on top of the Thor earrings.
Stiles figured Aiden wouldn't be giving Lydia her gift until that night but when they passed each other in the hallway Aiden gave Stiles a thumbs up and a nod.
When he left for the day he saw Isaac and Allison making out by her car so he figured his suggestion for them went over well, too.
"I should set up a website and make people pay me," he grumbled to himself as he drove out of the parking lot, intent on heading home and not leaving all weekend so he could wallow in his pitiful single misery.
He was halfway there when he phone rang. He checked around him as he drove, looking for his dad or any of the deputies before answering. "Scott, what's up buddy?"
"Stiles!" Scott exclaimed. "Need your help!"
Stiles immediately pulled over on the side of the road. "What's wrong?"
"I need you to get over to Derek's, right away!"
"Why, what happened?" Stiles asked, turning on his blinker and pulling a quick u-turn, tires squealing.
"Just get there!" Scott said and hung up. Stiles swore and threw his phone in the passenger seat as he pressed harder on the gas.
He made it to Derek's in record time and ran up the stairs to the loft, panting when he got to the top. He rolled the door open as hard as he could and it bounced when it his the end of the track with a loud clatter.
"Scott?" Stiles yelled as he ran inside.
Derek was standing in the middle of the loft, staring back at him with wide eyes.
"Where is he?" Stiles gasped.
Derek rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath. "I told him not to freak you out!"
"What?"
"I told Scott to call you to get you over here. But I told him to not make it sound like anything was wrong!" Derek explained.
"What?" Stiles repeated.
"Scott didn't want you here, I did," Derek tried again.
"Uh."
Derek gestured to the table behind him with a quick wave of his hand where there was a stack of dvds and a few bags of take out and milkshakes-
"…from the diner on 12th," Stiles breathed as he finished his own thoughts aloud.
"I knew it was stupid," Derek muttered, turning his back on Stiles and walking to the table. He started to gather everything up but Stiles crossed the room and stilled Derek's hands with his own.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Derek shook his head. "I shouldn't have, I mean. This was stupid."
"I don't think so," Stiles replied. Derek looked at him, hopeful look in his eyes, and Stiles felt his heart thumb hard in his chest.
"Really?"
"Really," Stiles with an emphatic nod. He bit his lip and stepped in close to Derek, so close he could hear Derek's breathing catch.
Stiles moved his hand up Derek's arm to his bicep and leaned up, just enough to tilt his chin, and pressed his lips chastely against Derek's.
Derek seemed to freeze against him and Stiles felt like he'd made the wrong move for a split second, but then Derek laid his hand on Stiles' shoulder, almost awkwardly, and kissed back.
***
"How did you know what movies to get?" Stiles asked a couple hours later as he and Derek were slumped against each other on his couch, watching one of the dvds.
"Scott."
"Huh, okay," Stiles said as he sipped his peanut butter milkshake and "mmm'd" again.
"Lydia suggested something when I asked her, too," Derek said with an amused smile as he held his own root beer milkshake.
"Yeah?"
"I guess a band you like is playing a couple towns over in a month. I would have gotten tickets but I wanted to wait and see," Derek explained. Stiles looked up at Derek.
"If this would go okay?" Derek nodded. Stiles shimmied his way up the couch and to the same eye level as Derek and leaned his head in close to Derek's. "How's it going so far?"
Derek closed the distance between them and kissed Stiles slowly. "I think I should probably buy those tickets," Derek murmured against Stiles' lips.
"Okay," Stiles whispered back and grinned against Derek's mouth.
Word Count: 2600-ish
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Stiles/Derek, Scott/Kira, Allison/Isaac, Lydia/Aiden
Summary:"Stiles, I'm in trouble!"
Stiles swung around in his desk chair, alarmed, as Scott burst through the door to Stiles' bedroom and threw his backpack on the floor.
"What's up? What do I need to research?" Stiles asked, reaching for his laptop.
"What do I get Kira for Valentine's Day?"
Stiles blinked and dropped his hands down his sides. "That's your big crisis?"
"Stiles, I'm in trouble!"
Stiles swung around in his desk chair, alarmed, as Scott burst through the door to Stiles' bedroom and threw his backpack on the floor.
"What's up? What do I need to research?" Stiles asked, reaching for his laptop.
"What do I get Kira for Valentine's Day?"
Stiles blinked and dropped his hands down his sides. "That's your big crisis?"
"Crisis?"
"You came in here acting like the Alpha pack was back or something."
"Sorry, man. I just really want to do this right! What do I get her?"
"And you came to me?" Stiles asked incredulously. "You do know I've only ever had one girlfriend and that was in seventh grade, right? She dumped me because I paid too much attention to you."
Scott grinned. "Oh, yeah. How is Claire now?"
Stiles shrugged. "I dunno, her parents wisely transferred her out of the district with the most homicides per capita for a student body in the greater Northern California area."
Scott nodded. "Figured out a way to put that on a college application yet as an accomplishment?"
"Working on it."
"Cool. Kira?"
"Right."
"What do I get her?"
"What does she like?" Stiles asked, leaning back in his chair. Scott thought for a second.
"Not electrocuting things?"
"So a pair of shoes that can ground her?" Stiles offered sarcastically. Scott rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. She likes Marvel, right?"
"Huh?" Scott asked.
"The comics? She was wearing those Marvel leggings the night of the blackout party, remember? You know, before everything went to shit?"
Scott's eyes opened wide as realization dawned on him. "Oh yeah!"
"There's all kinds of neat one-of-a-kind Marvel-based jewellery on this website someone in the next town over runs," Stiles explained as he turned to his laptop and pulled the site up. He navigated to a tab and pointed out something for Scott. "There's a pair of earrings here that look like mini Thor hammers. Hand crafted and stuff."
Scott looked over Stiles' shoulder and then thumped him on the back with excitement. "Those are great! You totally just saved my ass, dude."
"Tell me something I don't know," Stiles replied with a laugh. He scribbled something down on a sticky and shoved it at Scott. "Here's the vendor's number. Give them a call and you can probably pick them up this week."
"Seriously, man, you're the best!" Scott called over his shoulder as he grabbed his bag and ran back down the stairs.
"Yeah, I know," Stiles replied normally, knowing his best friend would hear him.
***
"Stilinski," Aiden greeted Stiles in the locker room after lacrosse later that week.
Stiles nodded, although he was wary. "Aiden."
"Need some help." Stiles raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "Valentine's day is coming."
Both of Stiles' eyebrows shot up. "Uh huh," he said slowly.
"I need to know what I should get Lydia."
Stiles' eyebrows really weren't sure where else to go, short of his eyes falling out of his head. "You want me to tell you what to buy Lydia for Valentine's Day? Are you out of your mind?"
"Probably," Aiden grumbled. "This isn't my idea of a good time, either, but you know her about as well as anyone else."
Stiles rolled his eyes and nodded. "Sure."
"No, I'm serious. She respects your opinion. You get her or something. You know, how I don't."
"Cause you're a murdering werewolf?" Slipped out before Stiles could think better of himself.
To Aiden's credit he only looked like he wanted to rip Stiles' head off after that comment. But he didn't actually act on it so in Stiles' opinion it was probably a tiny step towards progress.
Sort of.
Aiden took a deep breath and visibly calmed himself before speaking. "I just want to do something for her that she'd like, okay? And Lydia doesn't seem like the kind of girl who'd be wowed by roses, you know?"
Stiles sat down heavily on the bench in front of his locker and thought over his options. He could lead Aiden astray and tell him to get Lydia something completely outrageous that would send her into a rage but Aiden wasn't stupid. Plus that would probably get him hurt in the long run. And, after all, Lydia's choice in men was her own, even if Stiles didn't agree.
"Andrew Wiles," Stiles finally said.
"What?" Aiden said, confused.
"He's a mathematician who proved this famous theorem. He's going to be at the university in the city in a couple months for a talk and I know Lydia wants to go, even if she never says so."
Aiden stared blankly at Stiles.
"You should buy her a ticket," Stiles continued, slowly.
"Do I have to go?"
Stiles shook his head. "She'd probably be pissed if you tried. Buy her the ticket, say you'll drive her there and take her for dinner afterwards. Don't ask her if she wants to go, just give it to her."
Aiden looked at Stiles suspiciously. "You're not dicking me around, are you?"
"As much fun as that would be I wouldn't do that to Lydia," Stiles replied. "Trust me."
Aiden nodded and looked rather begrudging but then he smacked Stiles in the shoulder and muttered a, "thanks" before disappearing from the locker room.
Stiles would never admit that he had a bruise for a week after that.
***
A couple days after the locker room encounter Stiles spied Isaac making his way across the cafeteria towards him, a determined look on his face. Stiles sighed and put his sandwich down.
"Stiles-"
"Pack a picnic lunch and book some time at the archery range. Tell her you want to know why she loves it so much and ask her to show you how to shoot."
Isaac stopped short and looked confused. "What?"
"Valentine's Day, right?"
"Actually, I was looking for Scott but I was worried about that, too."
Stiles groaned to himself and buried his face in his hands. "I haven't seen Scott,"
"Cool. Thanks," Isaac said and left the cafeteria.
"I don't understand," Stiles muttered to himself.
***
That night Stiles' bedroom window slid open as he was finishing up his homework. He looked over and watched Derek let himself in easily.
"Not you, too," Stiles muttered to himself, hoping Derek wouldn't hear but no such luck.
"Sorry?" Derek asked, eyebrow raised as he shut the window behind himself.
"Let me guess. You're trying to woo someone for Valentine's Day and you need some ideas because you can't think of any on your own so you came to the dateless wonder," Stiles threw at him.
Derek looked shifty eyed for a second, then shook his head. "Why would you think that?"
"Because everyone else has done that this week? Not a single one of you can think up an original thought on your own. What you all gained in super strength and hearing you lost in romance," Stiles complained, although he realized it was more for his own benefit.
How did he have such great ideas for everyone else but when it came to his own love life he was shot down all the time or no one showed any interest at all?
"What would you do for Valentine's day, then?" Derek asked as he sat on the edge of Stiles' bed.
Stiles shrugged. "I don't know. It would depend on the person. I guess."
"What would you want to have someone do for you?" Derek asked, as if he was genuinely interested.
Stiles frowned but thought for a second. What would he like?
"I think," he started slowly, testing the words out. "And this might sound shitty, but for someone to make me a priority, you know? I just want someone who wants to spend the day with me and only me. No werewolf shit, no supernatural crap coming up, no crises. One-on-one Stiles time. And if that person thought I was hot that would be cool, too." Stiles gave a half smile. "But, you know. I guess I'll just have to wait for it to happen."
Stiles looked down at his hands while Derek stared at him and the silence grew uncomfortable for Stiles so he cleared his throat. "And as great as this pity party is, it's kind of a bummer. Did you need something?"
Derek's eyes snapped up to meet Stiles' and it seemed like he was surprised. "What?"
"Why did you come here?" Stiles asked slowly.
"Right. Um, just wanted to follow up with the… thing."
Stiles raised an eyebrow. "This whole town is a thing, be more specific."
"The faeries?" Derek ventured.
Stiles was suspicious but turned back to his laptop and rambled for a good ten minutes about his research and the type of faerie that was causing minor disturbances around the preserve.
"So, basically, we can tell them the land is claimed and they'll get out or we could give them an offering that would make them indebted to us and they'd act as a primary alarm system for other things that go bump in the night," Stiles concluded, twirling his pen around in his fingers. He looked up from his notes and caught Derek staring at him intently.
"What?"
Derek blinked. "Nothing. Good work. Make sure to bring it up to Scott at the next pack meeting and we can discuss what to do."
Stiles eyed Derek as he pushed off the edge of his bed quickly and turned to the window.
"What would you do?" Stiles asked suddenly.
Derek stopped and turned back. "What?"
"What would you want someone to do for you on Valentine's Day?"
Derek shrugged and sat back down. "I'm not really good at this thing. Don't know if you noticed," Derek said dryly and Stiles laughed because Derek let him. "Maybe dinner and a movie? Or take out and Netflix? I'm pretty simple."
Derek looked down at his hands, and seemed uncomfortable with his ideas.
"Simple is underrated," Stiles said and Derek raised his head. "This town doesn't do simple very often so it's a relief."
Derek laughed. "Yeah."
"Sure, being whisked off to a balloon ride or a parachute jump followed by a candlelit dinner with champagne is awesome, I'm sure, but is it normal? No! Give me a burger and piece of pie from the diner on 12th any day."
"Ever had their peanut butter milkshakes?" Derek asked, almost tentatively.
"Had them? I used to live on them!" Stiles exclaimed and Derek seemed relieved. "They're second only to the root beer floats."
Derek groaned. "Oh, man. I forgot about those."
"We should go sometime," Stiles suggested casually. "After a meeting or something."
Derek stood up suddenly and nodded. "Sure. Later!"
He was out the window before Stiles could say goodbye in return. He turned around in his desk chair, dejectedly.
"Just another day in the life of Stiles," he muttered to himself.
***
Valentine's Day in a high school when you're single is a crapshoot. Sure, Lydia and Scott both sent him bags of Hershey Kisses, delivered by Coach who was wearing a set of wings, looked like he wanted to murder everyone and was trying to stay a healthy distance from Greenberg who was carrying a plastic set of bow and arrows.
But everyone else was getting the Kisses and more from their significant others. Scott went overboard and put balloons in Kira's locker and rolled to school with a giant stuffed bear on the back of his motorbike on top of the Thor earrings.
Stiles figured Aiden wouldn't be giving Lydia her gift until that night but when they passed each other in the hallway Aiden gave Stiles a thumbs up and a nod.
When he left for the day he saw Isaac and Allison making out by her car so he figured his suggestion for them went over well, too.
"I should set up a website and make people pay me," he grumbled to himself as he drove out of the parking lot, intent on heading home and not leaving all weekend so he could wallow in his pitiful single misery.
He was halfway there when he phone rang. He checked around him as he drove, looking for his dad or any of the deputies before answering. "Scott, what's up buddy?"
"Stiles!" Scott exclaimed. "Need your help!"
Stiles immediately pulled over on the side of the road. "What's wrong?"
"I need you to get over to Derek's, right away!"
"Why, what happened?" Stiles asked, turning on his blinker and pulling a quick u-turn, tires squealing.
"Just get there!" Scott said and hung up. Stiles swore and threw his phone in the passenger seat as he pressed harder on the gas.
He made it to Derek's in record time and ran up the stairs to the loft, panting when he got to the top. He rolled the door open as hard as he could and it bounced when it his the end of the track with a loud clatter.
"Scott?" Stiles yelled as he ran inside.
Derek was standing in the middle of the loft, staring back at him with wide eyes.
"Where is he?" Stiles gasped.
Derek rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath. "I told him not to freak you out!"
"What?"
"I told Scott to call you to get you over here. But I told him to not make it sound like anything was wrong!" Derek explained.
"What?" Stiles repeated.
"Scott didn't want you here, I did," Derek tried again.
"Uh."
Derek gestured to the table behind him with a quick wave of his hand where there was a stack of dvds and a few bags of take out and milkshakes-
"…from the diner on 12th," Stiles breathed as he finished his own thoughts aloud.
"I knew it was stupid," Derek muttered, turning his back on Stiles and walking to the table. He started to gather everything up but Stiles crossed the room and stilled Derek's hands with his own.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Derek shook his head. "I shouldn't have, I mean. This was stupid."
"I don't think so," Stiles replied. Derek looked at him, hopeful look in his eyes, and Stiles felt his heart thumb hard in his chest.
"Really?"
"Really," Stiles with an emphatic nod. He bit his lip and stepped in close to Derek, so close he could hear Derek's breathing catch.
Stiles moved his hand up Derek's arm to his bicep and leaned up, just enough to tilt his chin, and pressed his lips chastely against Derek's.
Derek seemed to freeze against him and Stiles felt like he'd made the wrong move for a split second, but then Derek laid his hand on Stiles' shoulder, almost awkwardly, and kissed back.
***
"How did you know what movies to get?" Stiles asked a couple hours later as he and Derek were slumped against each other on his couch, watching one of the dvds.
"Scott."
"Huh, okay," Stiles said as he sipped his peanut butter milkshake and "mmm'd" again.
"Lydia suggested something when I asked her, too," Derek said with an amused smile as he held his own root beer milkshake.
"Yeah?"
"I guess a band you like is playing a couple towns over in a month. I would have gotten tickets but I wanted to wait and see," Derek explained. Stiles looked up at Derek.
"If this would go okay?" Derek nodded. Stiles shimmied his way up the couch and to the same eye level as Derek and leaned his head in close to Derek's. "How's it going so far?"
Derek closed the distance between them and kissed Stiles slowly. "I think I should probably buy those tickets," Derek murmured against Stiles' lips.
"Okay," Stiles whispered back and grinned against Derek's mouth.