More story for you lovely lovely people. Have fun.
This pattern continued in this way for the next couple of weeks. The weather warmed slightly but it was still chilly, which made Stiles' job less than pleasant, but he couldn't help looking forward to his lunches with Derek.
He still wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he was way past caring by this point. If the hot personal trainer, which was what Derek did for a living hence the working out, wanted his company every Saturday, then who was he to complain? Basically, he just loved the fact that it was happening and he was trying to just leave it at that. That whole saying about gift horses and looking them in the mouths sprung to mind.
His subconscious however couldn't help kind of fantasising over the new aspect of his life, and it was safe to say that Lydia Martin, the super-hot cheerleader at his university, had been replaced in his night time happy dreams, by someone decidedly more masculine. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't suddenly having a homosexual awakening, no that had happened when he was about 15 and realised he spent as much time checking out the football player's muscles as he did the cheerleader's legs. But his little obsession with Lydia had overpowered thoughts of all others up until Derek, and now his subconscious was replacing soft and curvy with hard and smooth, and he couldn't say he really cared. After all, it wasn't like Lydia would ever be a viable option for him.
Not that Derek was either.
But at least Derek acknowledged his existence, and fed him, and put up with him. So yeah, he had secured himself top dog position in the Stiles Stilinski sexual fantasy table. Somehow Stiles didn't think that this was information he was going to be sharing all that soon. He liked his limbs attached.
But other than the pining, he really enjoyed their time together. They mainly watched sports together, but they talked in the breaks, and he found out that Derek was a pretty decent guy. Much more than a pretty face anyway.
He was 24, 4 years older than Stiles, and was a personal trainer. And judging by his apartment, a very expensive and successful one. He had one sister, Laura, who bugged the hell out of him just because, as his sister, she had the right to, but he obviously loved her anyway. He grew up in a small unknown town further north and his parents still live there so he visits sometimes, mainly for holidays and birthdays, but his job keeps him busy so he doesn't visit as much as he might have liked to. It is obvious family means an awful lot to him.
In return Stiles tells him about his dad, his mom's death (which he skims over, she died when he was 11 but the wounds are still fresh, always will be he suspects), his university and his double major in forensic science and mythology. He tells Derek about the deal he made with his dad that he would get a car for his 21st if he could prove himself responsible enough for one. Hence the job that led them to this unusual friendship. He really wanted the car.
Neither discusses romance. It just doesn't come up.
And after each Saturday, Stiles can see Derek loosen up more and more, as he begins to feel more comfortable around Stiles, and that realisation does funny, glowy things to Stiles' inside, but that's all internal and invisible, and on the outside he is cool and calm and basically and awesome buddy. Because Derek is intimidating at first but actually really cool, and he deserves to have friends as amazing as Stiles. Stiles had a feeling he didn't have many for some reason.
So friends it is. He can live with that. Or at least he can resign himself to that because he has done the pining thing and he has no desire to go back to that after it took him so long to escape it. Not when he doesn't even know if Derek is gay, straight, or bisexual, or hell even if he is in a relationship already. And he feels awkward asking, so he decides to let it go and stare from a distance, blushing whenever he is caught, and unable to discern the look on Derek's face when he does.
But it all changes at Christmas. Because Christmas is a wonderful, magical time of year.
Well actually it's the 23rd of December because Christmas was on a Monday that year. But whatever, it's around Christmas.
Like every Saturday now Stiles works through his allocated lunch break and cleans the whole of one side of the building and half of Derek's side before he reaches the man in question's window. Then he cleans his windows before waiting for Derek to let him in. It normally doesn't take long because Derek, for some unknown reason, likes to watch as he washes his windows so he's there, waiting, when Stiles finishes.
And like every week, he then climbs through the window into the now familiar living room and plonks himself down on what he has now designated as his side of the couch and switching on the TV, while Derek brings through whatever dish he has decided to make that week. It turns out that he is actually a very accomplished cook, and as a man that loves primarily through his stomach, Stiles can't help but add that to the 'why Derek is the perfect man for me' list he has been subconsciously concocting in his mind. It is scarily long, but then again most of it is just his brain waxing lyrical about his muscles and his super intense eyes, so that may cut down the list's credibility a little bit.
They switch to a women's basketball game, and it's a testament to how hot Derek really is and how far gone Stiles is by that point, because Stiles finds himself more focussed on the man beside him, sucking spaghetti into his mouth in a way that should be completely disgusting but actually makes Stiles cross his knees to disguise his… problem, than the basketball game full of Amazonian beauties in criminally short shorts. God, he is so screwed, and not even in the fun way.
When exactly did he become life's bitch?
But then Derek is asking about his Christmas plans, and telling him about his family's plans, and whining about seeing Laura again but with this kind of adorable little smile that tells Stiles that he is actually really excited to see Laura as she has been in China for a year and is finally coming back to the US. He loves this side of Derek, the funny, chatty side that Stiles had to coax out very slowly over the first few weeks. But apparently once it is out it is staying out, not that Stiles is complaining because a chatty Derek is a friendly Derek, and that is never a bad thing, and as an added bonus this friendly side of Derek also turned out to be incredibly tactile around Stiles.
But maybe friendly wasn't the correct word.
Stiles had taken to washing the dishes whenever he went round. He felt a little bad that Derek fed him every week and this was his way of paying him back, even though Derek had insisted he left it alone the first few weeks. He should have known that no one can defeat a Stilinski in battle when they put their minds to something.
So yeah, he washes up after they eat together. It's all very domestic.
But it is as he climbs out of the window again that he notices it. Something brushing his head.
He climbs down fully before he turns, partly to check what touched him, and partly to say goodbye to Derek. As expected Derek was standing very close to the window, Stiles had learnt he had no concept of personal space whatsoever, but he unexpectedly looked a little, dare he say it… nervous.
And that makes no sense because this is the same routine as every Saturday. They say goodbye, Derek closes his window and sits back down on the couch half watching the game, but still a little focussed on Stiles, Stiles moves over to the controls and toggles himself up to the next floor, waving until he can't see Derek or his barely there smile anymore, and then he starts wishing for the next Saturday to get a move on, his little teenage girl heart pounding in his chest. It is monotonous and maybe a little unhealthy, but it is routine so it doesn't make sense for Derek to be nervous.
But oh. That makes a lot more sense.
Stiles noticed something hanging from the window frame he had just climbed through, something that hadn't been there before, the same something that had brushed his head as he climbed out of the room. Something small and green and undeniably plant like.
Namely, a single sprig of mistletoe.
And it takes a minute for Stiles to puzzle the pieces together but he does eventually manage, and when he has made all the necessary connections he realises three things:
One, Derek must have hung the mistletoe while he was washing up, two that that was the reason Derek was looking so completely nervous. And three, and most importantly, he obviously wanted to kiss Stiles. And wait, what? He wanted to kiss Stiles? Yeah, that's right, Derek Hale wanted to kiss Stiles Stilinski, and oh, his life just got 50 times better.
Derek noticed Stiles staring at the plant suspended between them and tentatively reached out towards Stiles, probably giving Stiles time to move away if he wanted, but hell if Stiles was going to do that. Instead he smiled in encouragement and let Derek cup his cheek with his hand, before responding to Derek's subtle hint and leaning forward, eyes closing in anticipation.
Lips met lips.
Briefly. Very briefly. Too briefly. Not even long enough for Stiles to properly respond or see fireworks, or melt, or any of that clichéd nonsense he had imagined in his first kiss with Derek.
And then Derek was gone, the window was shut, and the smug bastard was grinning smugly from the other side.
Stiles growled, which judging from Derek's laugh he heard, but he didn't care, there was no way that that was acceptable as a first kiss. He tapped on the window and raised an eyebrow silently asking the question 'what the hell was that?' Derek chuckled and cracked the window slightly.
'I was seeing if you would be open to my idea for your present. If you're good you'll get the rest next week.' There was a pause, and then, 'Merry Christmas Stiles.'
And with that he closed the window, winked, turned on the spot, and strutted away into his bedroom, hips swinging subtly in the most god damn frustrating way.
And god, Stiles was a complete goner. He couldn't wait until next Saturday.
They are in loooooove. And yes, I am a complete child on the inside. But we all know that there is going to be hiccups in the road to come. I'm sorry in advance for that. I hope you are all enjoying the story, you've all been lovely with your feedback. More maybe later tonight, or tomorrow at the latest.