Other people's heartache

Chapter 3: Tuning in

Derek's idea of a warm welcome:

'You're here again? Do you spend any time at home?'

Instead of being offended by that less than enthusiastic greeting, Stiles headed straight for the fridge. Not counting a jar of rancid mayonnaise and a wilted leaf of lettuce, it was empty. No wait; there was something in the back. The something moved. Stiles slammed the fridge shut and shuddered.

'When was the last time you looked in there?'

Derek gave him an uncommunicative stare. Stiles started to open and close kitchen cabinets. There was nothing edible. Unless you were a goat. Goats ate everything. Fact.

'That's it. You and me are going grocery shopping,' Stiles announced. Derek sighed. If Stiles had a nickel for every time Derek sighed when he suggested something then he would be an incredibly frustrated rich man by now.

'Can't you do it alone?' Derek asked. There was a note of petulance in his voice that was completely unlike him. It unsettled Stiles.

'Sure,' he responded with forced cheer. 'But I'm not going to. You're coming along. Resistance is futile.'

It was like taking a moody teenager somewhere. It took Derek about an hour to put on a pair of shoes. Shoes! An hour! And he bitched in a monotone the whole time. Stiles tried to remain patient, but he was getting pretty annoyed.

Was this an act? It had to be an act, right? No one was really this unengaged, this lethargic. Since they'd started to hang out, Stiles had not seen Derek show the slightest degree of interest whatsoever. He simply didn't seem to care. About anything. Stiles found this profoundly disturbing.

They made their way to the store without incident. Stiles threw stuff into a basket. Derek shuffled along. Stiles did his best to involve him in the act of buying food, but Derek was not cooperating.

'Tell me if I'm forgetting something,' Stiles urged. Derek nodded listlessly. At the checkout counter, Stiles piled everything on the conveyor belt and had an epiphany. Maybe a little danger would snap Derek out of his vegetative state. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of trouble available standing in the checkout line at the supermarket.

On second thought... There was a huge guy at the front of the line. He was holding everyone up by talking to the checkout girl. Stiles listened. Their conversation was more harassment than seduction. It was almost too perfect. Stiles waited until the guy opened his mouth and some more grossness came out. The checkout girl cringed.

'Spoken like a true dick,' Stiles said loudly. The guy turned around and honed in on him. His knuckles didn't scrape the floor, but it was close.

'Stiles, what are you doing? Don't piss off guys twice your size,' Derek hissed. He seemed less sluggish already. It was working.

'Why not? You're here,' Stiles replied, smiling.

'Do you have a problem with me?' the guy grunted. He was smiling too. He hadn't noticed Derek yet.

'We all have a problem with you. Stop bothering her and pay for your groceries,' Stiles advised. The guy took a step towards him. Derek tensed. Now the guy noticed Derek. For the first time in a long time, it felt to Stiles like Derek was really there. He was in the moment. Aware. Alert. He was finally operating on the same frequency as everyone else.

Once the Neanderthal suddenly decided that paying sounded like a good idea after all, though, the signal immediately wavered. The line started to move and soon it was their turn.

'Thanks,' the checkout girl said. Derek wasn't about to respond, so Stiles did.

'You're welcome.'

'Do you want my number?' she offered. It was directed at Stiles. Surprised, he glanced at Derek. Derek's eyes were glazing over again. Time to throw another spanner in the works, Stiles decided. Anything to wake Derek up.

'We're together,' Stiles explained, gesturing at Derek. The girl coloured and then offered them a tentative smile. Derek blinked, frowned and gaped all at the same time. When they were outside the store, he confronted Stiles. There was no shoving, mostly because there were both carrying groceries. Otherwise, there probably would have been shoving.

'What was that all about?'

Stiles shrugged.

'I didn't want her to think that I only stood up for her because I wanted to get in her pants,' he explained. Stiles watched as Derek processed that. It was so nice to have the old Derek back. If only for a while.

'You could have just said that,' Derek pointed out.

'And miss out on the hilarious face you made? I think not!'