I'm back! Sorry this took so long! Family emergencies forced me to postpone my posts on OTP 30 day challenge. I hope I can continue my normal schedule now!
Prompt: On a date
Stiles hadn't been expecting a fancy date. After all, he was a 16 (going on 17) year old boy, and he was dating a werewolf with an attitude problem. Even if he wasn't smart, he'd know better than to expect a five star restaurant followed by a night at the opera.
Though he would be lying to himself if he said that he wasn't a little disappointed when Derek parked the Camero in front of a rundown diner.
The white button down shirt he had spent so long trying to iron now made him feel like he was over dressed.
"Where is this place?" He asked before he could stop himself. Great, what a way to start the date…
Derek shut the door to the car, "It's still in Beacon Hills, just on the outskirts. It's not exactly a place the high schoolers normally go to hang out." He added, giving Stiles a smirk.
Stiles did not need to be reminded of how much younger he was than the Alpha, thank you very much. He was having enough of a problem keeping the relationship secret from his dad. And he knew that wasn't going to last for much longer. He just prayed he was close to 18 when the bubble finally burst…
"You coming Stiles?" Derek's voice brought Stiles out of his thoughts, and the teen realized that the werewolf was holding the diner door open for him. He blushed, walking inside quickly in attempt to hide his red face from Derek.
The inside of the diner wasn't overly fancy. The tile floors were a faded yellow (or a dirtied white, Stiles couldn't honestly tell) and the red leather of each booth looked like they had seen plenty of use over the years (decades?). There was even a row of stools set up at the counter, where an old trucker was enjoying a burger and a cup of coffee.
How stereotypical.
"Hey Derek, long time, no see!" A waitress came over to where Stiles and Derek were waiting. She looked to be in her late forties, maybe early fifties, by Stiles's guess. Her hair was dyed black (probably to hide any gray hairs) and her face was heavily made up. Too old for Derek, Stiles reassured himself.
Derek gave the waitress a smile, "Good to see you're still working here, Jody. Is there still room for us?"
As he looked around the near empty diner, Stiles thought that Derek had to be joking. But since when did Derek joke?
Jody gave the couple a grin, red lips stretched over her teeth, "I'm sure I can squeeze you in. Booth or table?"
"Is the corner booth still open?" Derek gave a quick glance to Stiles. Stiles gave a small smile, not quite sure what he should be doing, or how he should be acting.
Apparently Jody was able to interpret Derek's cryptic gesture, "It sure is! Come on boys!"
With that, Jody grabbed a couple of menus from the welcome booth and made her way through the diner, Derek and Stiles keeping in step behind her.
Stiles was so focused on the odd bun Jody wore in her hair that he nearly missed the feel of Derek's fingers against his own scrapped knuckles. He blinked, looking at the Alpha werewolf. The older man wasn't looking at Stiles, but he kept bumping his hand against Stiles own…oh.
The teen stifled a chuckle at the werewolf's botched attempt at being subtle, taking Derek's hand in his own as they walked to the corner booth of the diner.
It was a pretty big booth, now that Stiles saw it. Certainly too big for just the two of them. Derek probably wanted plenty of space or something or other…
Stiles let go of Derek's hand as he sat in the booth, expecting Derek to sit on the other side of the booth. That being said, he was surprised when the werewolf slid to sit directly next to him, taking his hand again and holding it under the table.
Jody gave them a sly grin as she set the menus on the table, "You want your usual Derek, or should I come back in a bit?"
Derek chuckled slightly, "Give us a minute, Jody. Stiles hasn't been here before. But I would love a Coke." He looked at Stiles, "What would you like to drink?"
"Oh, um, Coke sounds great. Yeah, let's go with that." Stiles nodded vigorously. Sheesh, way to sound like a little kid on an outing with a babysitter.
The waitress nodded, "I'll be back with your Cokes and to take your order."
After Jody had left, Stiles looked at Derek, "So…Jody?"
Derek shrugged, "She's been working as a waitress here for as long as I can remember."
"So you've been coming here a long time?"
"My parents used to take me here when I was little."
"Oh…" Well, that was one way to bring up painful memories. Stiles was on a roll today…
Derek wasn't done, "When Laura first got her driver's license, she used to take me and Cora here after school. We'd sit in this corner booth and eat to our heart's content." He chuckled, "On Fridays after school, we'd get Jalapeño Bacon Cheeseburgers and Chocolate Malts until we couldn't eat anymore. Then we'd order one of their specialty pies to take back home to the pack."
There was a small smile on Derek's face, something that Stiles wasn't used to. It wasn't the smile he wore when he was trying to be polite to strangers; that one usually stretched on Derek's face a little too awkwardly. This one…Derek was recalling fond memories of his family. And, he realized, Derek was sharing those memories with Stiles.
"I'm glad you brought me here." Stiles nodded, "I wasn't sure why you brought me here at first. But I guess it makes sense, I mean, you're not a very fancy guy…who am I kidding, I'm not either…"
Derek was smirking, and Stiles realized he was babbling again, "Sorry…" He mumbled, "I ruined the moment, haven't I?"
The werewolf chuckled, "With you, I've come to expect you to talk like this. But while I did bring you here because of some fond memories, the food here is awesome too."
Stiles raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" he looked down at the menu, "What do you sugguest?"
"Anything with bacon on it." Derek nodded, "They actually cook the bacon so it's nice and crispy. Not like the garbage at Burger King or wherever it is you kids eat."
"Careful Grandpa, you're dating one of these "kids."" Stiles grinned, "But I'll have whatever you're having."
Derek quirked an eyebrow, "You sure you can handle the jalapeños?"
"You saying I can't, old man?" Stiles grinned.
Before Derek could respond, Jody returned with two tall glasses of Coke, "Here you boys are!" She smiled, setting the sodas on the table before laying two straws next to them, "You ready to order, Derek?"
Derek chuckled, "The Usual, for both of us."
Jody chuckled, "I figured as much." She didn't even so much as write down the order. "I'll go put your order in Derek."
"Hold up Jody." Derek leaned over the table.
The waitress smiled as Derek whispered something in her ear. "Sure thing, Derek! I'll be right back."
Derek nodded, sitting back with Stiles in the booth before taking a sip of his Coke.
Stiles raised an eyebrow, "So what did you tell her?" He asked, "It better not be embarrassing…"
"You'll see." Derek chuckled, "Stop worrying so much, Stiles. Relax."
It wasn't often that Derek "Sourwolf" Hale told others to relax. Stiles smiled softly, "I guess I'm just wound up from everything that's been going on lately. I mean, even without the supernatural chaos, then there was me getting hit by a car…"
Derek nodded, "We both deserve the time off."
Stiles couldn't help but smile. Ever since Stiles's accident, Derek had been trying to show more affection. It still wasn't much, usually just standing close to Stiles when they were in public or casually trying to touch or hold his hand. But it was a start, and it was meant a lot to Stiles.
Besides, he wasn't much for public make out sessions anyways.
He wasn't a moonlit walk, dozen roses and passionate kisses at sunset kind of guy. He didn't need expensive gifts or fancy vacations (though he wouldn't say no to a trip to Disneyland someday). With the crazy life he had, Stiles just needed someone who would understand that Stiles was a little crazy.
And who better to understand the crazy things in Stiles's life than Mr. Alpha Crazy himself?
Stiles and Derek were enjoying a relaxed conversation when Jody returned with a tray of food, "Here you go boys!" She smiled, setting the two burgers on the table.
Derek wasn't kidding. The burger looked amazing. He could even see the strips of bacon sticking out from underneath the burger's top bun. There were two thick beef patties, as well as an outrageous amount of melted cheddar cheese. Sure, there was lettuce and tomatoes on the burger as well, but Stiles couldn't help but notice the numerous pieces of jalapeño peeking out from under the bun. This was going to be spicy…
Awesome.
"And here's your special order, Derek." Jody added, setting a third plate on the table. Stiles eyes widened as he saw the plate.
"Curly fries!" Stiles face almost split in two with the width of his grin. Derek chuckled softly at his reaction.
Sure, Stiles didn't need roses or moonlit walks. But having someone with whom he can split his curly fries…now that was love.