AN: So, hopefully, my beta will send along the rest tonight, it's all a bit stressful, but whatever :)
If she can't manage, I'll upload the unbetaed stuff tomorrow and she'll look it through once she's free!
"Stiles, is this really necessary?"
"Yes! This is part of your Christmas education. It's important, Derek."
"They're just two movies," Derek huffed.
"Just two movies?" Stiles asked, his tone indicating that Derek had to be out of his mind.
"That's the final prove that, yes, you do need to watch these. Urgently!"
"Fine," Derek growled. "But we'll watch it at my place, not at yours."
"Why?" Stiles demanded immediately. He had no problem at all with watching movies at Derek's, but still.
"Because I want a comfy couch, not your lumpy bed, and a proper TV instead of your computer. What did we refurnish my house for, after all?" Derek said. Stiles nodded his head.
"My mattress is not lumpy, thank you very much, but I see your point. Tomorrow, round nine?"
"Whatever," Derek grumbled, but Stiles was sure he smiled.
The next day at eight pm, Stiles stood in front of his wardrobe. He knew he was being silly, that this wasn't a date, that he had practically bullied Derek into having this movie night with him, but after cutting and decorating the tree together, he had a hopeful feeling in his chest he just couldn't beat down. Derek had always been so unapproachable, so deflecting. Now Stiles felt like they were actually friends, and he couldn't be blamed for dreaming of a little more now, could he.
In the end, he picked a hoodie, very soft on the inside, in a dark green that suited his eyes, but also looked very suitable for a comfy movie night with friends. Stiles groaned. He sounded like Lydia, horrifyingly so.
The clock showed eight thirty, so he quickly put some product into his hair – he still wasn't quite used to its length, but he had to agree that it made him look older – grabbed the movies and got into his jeep. He drove to Derek's house in silence, too jittery for music or the radio. Derek opened the door on the first knock, and Stiles couldn't help but notice that he was wearing a dark red shirt. It looked good on him, of course it did – but decidedly more like date than movie night. Stiles had to suppress a grin. "So...," he said, walking over to Derek's couch, "'Love Actually' or 'The Holiday', which one do you want to watch first?" Derek rolled his eyes, falling down into the cushions.
"I really couldn't care less," he huffed. Stiles rolled his eyes right back at him.
"I'll let that pass, but just because they're both completely awesome." He thought about it for a moment. "Alright, let's watch 'Love Actually' first. It's funnier, and there are lots of different story lines, so I need you to be awake for that one." Derek looked like he wanted to stick out his tongue at Stiles.
"If I fall asleep, it'll be because I can't stand the boredom anymore," he growled instead, but Stiles just laughed, put the movie into the DVD player, then jumped onto the couch next to Derek, picked up the remote and pressed 'play'.
Derek still looked very unsure of the whole thing, but wisely stayed silent while the movie started.. Stiles knew it by heart, so he spent most of the time watching Derek.. Despite what he had said before, Derek didn't seem to hate the movie at all. In fact, he looked rather interested after a while, and even chuckled from time to time. When Mark turned up at Juliet's door, confessing his love with big paper signs, Derek's hand clenched in the blanket lying next to him. Stiles looked up at his face quickly, but it was already expressionless again.
When the movie was finished, and Derek had admitted that it didn't suck – which was more than Stiles had expected – he put in 'The Holiday' and picked up the blanket from Derek's side.
"You don't mind, do you?" he asked, already draping it over himself. Derek shook his head.
"We can share it," Stiles offered, because he was polite. He almost choked when Derek nodded and pulled half the blanket over his lap. They had to sit quite close now, and although 'The Holiday' was certainly one of Stiles's favorite Christmas movies, he found it increasingly hard to concentrate on the screen. Experimentally, he leaned back into the cushions and was surprised to feel Derek's arm draped there behind his shoulders. Neither he nor Derek moved for a moment, both frozen, but then Derek's hand crept up very slowly and started playing with the soft hair in Stiles's nape. Stiles didn't dare breathe for about a minute, but when Derek didn't suddenly stop to push him off the couch, he relaxed. His eyes still fixed on the screen, he concentrated on carefully shifting even closer to the warm body beside him. When the credits rolled, neither of them moved, not wanting to break the moment. Stiles could feel his heart beating in his throat and anticipation coiling in his belly. He slowly turned his eyes from the TV to Derek's face. Derek stared back at him. The tension between them seemed palpable, like Stiles could reach out and touch it. Slowly, very slowly, he inched his face closer to Derek's. He could feel Derek's warm breath on his lips. His eyes were glued to Derek's, but they fluttered shut when he felt Derek's mouth on his, and the hand that had been caressing him gently now cradled his skull. It was a slow, chaste kiss, and Stiles wanted to remember it for as long as he lived. When they finally pulled apart, he couldn't help the wide smile that spread over his face. He was relieved to see that Derek wore an answering one.
Stiles cleared his throat. " So, not a bad movie, huh?"
Derek laughed and pulled him in for another kiss.