Stiles just drove. He didn't know where he was going or what he was doing. His mind was blanking and racing all at once. He wanted to scream and cry but he felt useless. What would that do? No matter how loud he screamed or how hard he cried, it wouldn't leave the jeep. His problems surrounded him and he couldn't evade them.
His dad lied about his mother. She was murdered. That gave him no right to tell Stiles everything was fine. Stiles lived his life after her death thinking it was cancer. He had spent hours having nightmare as a six year old believing she had passed miserably and in pain. He had awoke on multiple occasions in cold sweats, Dad shaking him awake brutally. He had to let it all out.
By the age of eleven, the nightmares were gone and he was able to spend the night at Scott's.
Big mistake. He saw her in the kitchen, like he always did after running from the bus. Only, she was so broken, so fraile. She wasn't the women he remembered.
Melissa had him wrapped up in her arms, while the shaking rocked over his body. She had to call his father at two o'clock in the morning.
He pulled over, tears beginning to block his view of the road until he had no more tears to give. He couldn't take this. Why did his dad lie? What was he still not telling Stiles?
He thought he could trust his father, of all people. The one who had been with him from before day one. The one who helped him through the death of his mother. The one who pushed lacrosse on him because loved going to his son's games.
Stiles screamed. He didn't understand anything! Nothing was making any sense. So his father lied about the way his mother died, then why lie about who did it?! Why keep that from Stiles!
Stiles wanted to see Derek. He felt a hollowness in his chest that wasn't there before. He wanted to apologize to Derek, say he was sorry for everything he said and that it wasn't meant for his ears.
He didn't know why he felt guilt eating at him, but he did. It was a parasite that was getting bigger and worse the longer time progressed. He felt sick. Why couldn't he remember playing with Derek? Why was everything they talking about starting to bring back nostalgic feelings he didn't know existed?
He was going crazy. The longer he thought about everything, the more he wanted to pull out his hair. Everything was fucked up!
He needed a distraction, a huge distraction. He pulled out his phone with trembling hands and sent a text to DW.
RR- hey
He pressed the phone to his lips to stop his quivering hands. He didn't expect a reply to be nearly two seconds later.
DW- What's up?
Stiles felt his throat close. He was so nervous. He was going to do this. No going back. It was now or never.
RR- i want to meet you
He sent it. His whole body was jittery and moving, unable to sit still. Oh God, what had he done!? What if they aren't who they say they are? Stiles couldn't take another crush of reality.
DW- Okay
He felt the blood drain from his face. He stared at the screen. Okay. Okay! He said yes! Stiles completely forgot about his problems and focused on DW. He would be meeting him!
RR- u live in CA right?
DW- Yeah
RR- Okay, do you know of a town called Beacon Hills?
He was doing this. Actually doing this.
DW- Yes, do you want to meet there?
He was going to meet DW. This is the person he had been talking to for countless hours, played way too many games and slowly became best friends with. Stiles felt like he already knew the stranger, he just needed a name to put with a face.
Stiles texted him the address of a coffee shop near where he was currently. They weren't supposed to meet up for another hour, but he rushed over there as if his life depended on it.
His hands were shaking and he knew he was probably breaking a few laws at the speed he was going but he didn't care. DW always had a way of making him forget about his problems, even now. He felt so happy. He didn't even know when the last time was that he remembered being this excited. Maybe getting to be first line on the team or meeting Scott….
He felt like a five year old back at the candy shop getting to pick out his favorite type of sweets. Though, granted, DW was not food and Stiles wasn't five.
He walked out of his jeep and into the coffee shop feeling bubbly. He couldn't keep his hands from moving. Shit, he forgot to take his pills…
Oh well. He ordered a tall frappuccino - decaf because he did not need anymore caffeine in him - and sat in a booth near the back where he could see the window. It was a cozy place, Stiles had stopped by here a few times. Once with Scott and Allison and another time before his exams.
They had a great atmosphere and not too many people stopped by here. Today, it was particularly crowded but still not packed.
Stiles couldn't sit still. His knees were bobbing and his hands sweating. He had about an hour until DW showed up.
Stiles really didn't plan this well. He should have brought a book, computer, something to pass the time. But nope. He had his phone, which was better than nothing.
He stared at it blankly, waiting for DW to cancel, for some sign that this wasn't going to happen but he didn't get that.
He tried breathing exercises, maybe they'd help.
Wrong. If anything it made him want to freak out even more.
So he focused instead on the people inside the shop. There were maybe… twenty five to thirty people here, which was a lot for nine o'clock in the morning on a Saturday. He couldn't help but laugh at a mother giving her little girl a small hot chocolate, only to have the girl spill it all over her white shirt.
The mother looked at Stiles, who in return, looked out the window trying not to look too guilty.
That wasn't even a thought in his mind when his eyes landed on Derek. He watched the Alpha's body move out of his car, standing up straight to close the door. He didn't appear happy, rather sad looking instead.
He winced at the pang in his chest. Was Derek mad at him? He didn't want Derek to take them to heart, he shouldn't have!
Stiles didn't want Derek to come in here. Please, Derek… Don't. I can't face you right now…
Stiles watched with wide eyes as Derek pulled open the coffee shop door, stepping into the air conditioning. Stiles wanted to close his eyes, look away, do something. But he couldn't. His eyes wouldn't leave Derek. Derek looked around the shop, scanning all the people inside. Stiles swallowed dryly as the Alpha's eyes landed directly on him. Derek didn't move and neither did Stiles.
They both just stared, afraid if one of them made the slightest gesture, everything would come shattering down. So they kept eye contact. Derek's body was still tense, hard and rigid, but his eyes… They were as gentle as Stiles had ever seen. They made him want to cry again - he could see the light hitting them at the right angle making them appear to be sparkling, though Stiles knew that it was just a trick of the light. But he didn't want it to be. He wanted Derek to cry for him, acknowledge him in some way that was more than just friends.
But he knew that wasn't going to happen. He might wish for it, but reality was a completely different story.
Derek didn't say anything as he ripped his gaze from Stiles and sat at a small round table for two. Stiles felt his heart drop. Why did he think Derek would sit with him? He kept his eyes locked on his phone, refusing to look up. He wanted to apologize, Derek probably hated him now. He said things he didn't mean and he needed to tell Derek something! His feet wouldn't move. His body wouldn't move. He couldn't even focus on anything but Derek's presence.
Stay focused. Remember why you're here - to meet DW.
Why was Derek here? He didn't order anything, just sat down. Stiles at least had the courtesy to order a drink.
He wasn't going to look at Derek. Nope, not going to do it. He focused on the window. The weather's nice out, pretty day…
Stiles couldn't pretend everything was alright. He wanted to talk to Derek. It felt like years since he last heard the Alpha talk but he knew that wasn't true.
He knew that after this breakfast, lunch thingy, he would have to face reality - which was going to be a bitch.
He looked at his phone again. He still had twenty minutes. Before Derek came in, he was relaxed and calm, but now, he was just tense and uneasy. It wasn't Derek but yet it was. It was the unspoken, unresolved tension that hung in the air. Stiles felt like Derek was mad. That couldn't be true.
So he waited. He didn't look at Derek, well tried not to. He snuck a few glances, only to find the man sitting there, phone up on the table. He was staring down at it like a hawk. His focus was so intense Stiles thought it was going to explode at any minute.
Stiles checked the time. He still had fifteen minutes.
Against his better judgment, he stood up. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, phone and wallet hanging heavily in his back pockets. He let out a silent breath. It would be okay. Just talking as friends.
Friends.
Friends.
Stiles walked over to where Derek was sitting and sat down across from him. Derek immediately looked up, eyes ripping away from the phone.
"Heyo, so I just wanted to put out there that I didn't mean to say that I don't trust you because that's not true. It was true for mainly my dad and yours because, no offense or anything but he's weird and creepy but he kinda reminds me of you. Not that you're weird and creepy! I think Peter inherited that one but you're just quiet, unlike me so I'm just going to stop talking now." Stiles took his first breath before remembering something.
"I'm so sorry that I'm still wearing your shirt, I forgot mine… Also forgot my English folder… I was in a bit of a rush and yeah. At least I'm wearing a shirt." Stiles didn't smile or anything because he wasn't trying to be funny, he just didn't know what to say. However, Derek laughed.
Stiles felt the vibrations of Derek's soft laugh. He felt himself melting into it. His eyes widened as he watched Derek slowly cease laughing.
A few minutes went by before Derek replied. The silence wasn't uncomforting, it was nice. "I know." Derek's face looked brighter than when he walked in. Stiles made a noise in the back of his throat.
"I like seeing you in my shirt." Derek kept looking at Stiles who sat there like a fish opening and closing his mouth. Did Derek just… Compliment him? About his own shirt? So wasn't he just complimenting his own taste in clothes?
"Ha, Uh… Thanks. They're a little big on me. Okay, a lot big but they're nice. They, uh… smell like you." Stiles looked back out the window, facing heating up. This was embarrassing. Derek didn't reply and another silence filled the gap. Why was he nervous?
It must just be the fact that DW could be walking in at any minute. Any second, he could meet the man he felt like he knew better than himself. They had talked about so much, he wanted to see him. See what this mystery man looked like, talked like, smelt like. You can tell a lot about a man from his smell. Like Derek, right now he smells like peppermint, vanilla, and the forest. Vanilla? He knew the peppermint was from his mom and sister but the vanilla? Why was that scent so familiar? The forest smell was probably from him talking a walk. He said how much he loved the woods, how they were an escape of sorts.
Stiles could understand that.
"So what are you doing here?" Stiles asked, steering the conversation away from the weirdness that it was. Weird isn't right, but something was there.
"I'm meeting up with a friend of mine." Derek shifted slightly in his seat. Was the Alpha nervous?
"Are you nervous?" Stiles asked, laughter lacing his voice.
Stiles watched as Derek's eyes broke away from his, suddenly finding the coffee machine so very interesting.
"You are! Oh wow, must be someone pretty important if you're nervous! I bet it's a beautiful girl that you met over summer and it was true lov-"
Derek's head immediately shot back at Stiles. "No." His voice was firm and unwavering.
"Okay, Sourwolf… Calm down there. Gotcha. Stay away from the topic of the female gender." Derek rolled his eyes. "Well, someone's feeling sassy." Derek scoffed. Ha, Stiles had his way of pulling at the Alpha's strings.
This all felt so normal and natural. It was scary.
"I'm going to run to the restroom and allow you to meet the mysterious stranger. I'll see you at school Monday." Stiles didn't allow Derek to reply as he stood up and walked to the back of the small shop.
It didn't bother him that Derek was meeting someone else. It didn't bother him that Derek had other friends. This wasn't jealousy.
Stiles looked at the clock. Had thirty minutes really gone by? DW should be out there…
RR- are you here yet?
Stiles heart was beating like crazy. It was scary how fast it was going, he could feel the heavy thump thump thump against his chest.
DW- Yeah I got a table
Okay he was outside the confinements of this bathroom. He was here. Stiles walked over to the sink. He looked decent. He turned his head a few times, fixing his bed head. He didn't have a brush or anything but he still looked pretty good for what had happened this morning. He turned on the faucet and ran his finger under the cold water.
He was going to throw up. His legs were shaking and he was so fucking nervous. He took a few deep breaths, splashing water on his warm cheeks. He could do this.
RR- k what r u wearing?
Was it wrong to ask someone that? Nah… Maybe a little creepy, but still fine. Stiles walked out of the bathroom, looking around at the people in the shop. He didn't see anyone that he thought was worthy enough to be DW.
They had to be… Perfect. He wouldn't accept anything else. He looked for people who were on their phone. There was the mother that Stiles had laughed at earlier, no way was it her.
There was an older man, maybe in his sixties, but he had glasses on, looking at the phone like it was a brick. There was no way it was him, the gamer. Nope.
Stiles kept scanning the coffee shop, about half of the people were on their phone. Derek was, probably chatting with Kate or his sister. Stiles prayed it was his sister and not Kate...
Stiles felt the phone in his hands vibrate. This was it. If it said either, sports bra and work out pants or golf shirt and khaki pants, Stiles was going to flip. He didn't want to apologize to a mother nor a grandfather.
Stiles looked at his phone. He couldn't stand the anticipation. He was so scared. Now or never.
DW- Gray Henley, dark jeans, bit of bed head - sorry.
Stiles froze.
He just described himself. There was no way he was wearing the exact same thing Stiles was. That was impossible…
Unless…
Stiles mind raced. No, that's even more implausible.
RR- Derek?
Stiles hit send before he could stop himself. The second he sent it, he watched as the Alpha's phone lit up. Stiles heart dropped into his stomach.
Everything fit. Every little thing fit. The times when DW said he was trouble with things matched the problems Derek was having with Kate. And when he said he had a lot on his plate or when he said there was someone important to him, he was talking about Kate. When he talked about his wolf feeling wrong... There was no way Derek was thinking about Stiles. No way.
Derek head shot up, looking around the shop. His eyes landed on Stiles who was in return, standing tall with his phone in his hand. Stiles watched as Derek's eyes looked down to the teen's phone, then back up to him. His eyes went wide as he stood up kicking the chair behind him away.
Stiles didn't know what to say. What should he say? He had so much he wanted to yell, scream to Derek as he showed his excitement. His feet were moving. Oh God, they were moving...
Every step feeling like a mile. Derek stayed in place, not even breathing. Neither tore their eyes from the other. A few people were looking at them like they were idiots but they didn't care, at least Stiles didn't.
All he could focus on was the man before him. The person who he knew so well, his best friend.
"DW?" He was afraid to speak. The words came out in a hushed whisper, only Derek hearing.
"RR?" Stiles choked. Derek really was DW. His DW.
"What does DW stand for?" Stiles feet carried him until he was only a few feet from Derek. He was looking up slightly at the Alpha. His voice was still so quite, afraid no of this was real. Afraid this was all just a dream. If this was a dream, reality was a nightmare.
Derek's head turned to the side, eyes slipping past Stiles. He hesitated to answer. "Derek Wolf"
Stiles let out the biggest laugh. He leaned his head on Derek's shoulder as he was on the brink of tears.
"Derek Wolf?" He couldn't stop the laughter. "Really? Very original…" He felt Derek let out some sort of chuckle as his chest vibrated. He heard the small ruffling of Derek's shirt as he lean down next to him, his hair brushing against Stiles'. They were so close. He should step away, they were in public and people were probably staring.
"RR?" He asked, voice rough and hot gliding past Stiles' ear. He swallowed.
"Red Riding Hood. I just put RR because RRH would be weird." Stiles wanted Derek to laugh but he didn't.
"From the children's story?" Derek asked sounding serious, chest shifting closer to Stiles. They were almost flushed against each other now. He could hear Derek's unsteady heart and his quick, short breaths. He was so warm, Stiles wanted to just push closer to him. The vanilla smell seemed to get stronger as he rubbed his nose against Derek's shoulder. Geez, the guy had tough bones.
"Yeah…" Stiles sighed out. "It was my mom's favorite story to tell. She'd read it to me until I fell asleep, which was always at the best part." Stiles laughed at the memory. He would just get so drowsy when Red went into her grandmother's cabin.
"It's a good story." Derek whispered sending small chills down Stiles' spine. Why couldn't he think? Everything in this moment was falling together. Stiles wanted it to be a dream that way he didn't have to wake up.
"Yeah," Stiles wanted to close his eyes and sleep more. Derek was so warm…
He felt Derek's hand rubbing his arm. It was comforting, he didn't want him to ever stop. It's a soothing rhythm, almost even a familiar touch. He wished he had never woken up at all. That his dad never bothered him in the first place.
"Yeah," Derek voice gave him goosebumps. He wished Derek was closer, though he knew it was impossible. Derek's hand traveled up his arm, hovering above his skin, barely touching. He closed his eyes, focusing on Derek's irregular breathing. He was so quiet, everything about him barely making a noise.
"Yeah," Stiles repeated, leaning away from Derek. He needed to step back, they should sit down and talk.
Derek's fingers ghosted past his shoulder until they landed on his cheek. Stiles kept his eyes closed as he rolled into the gentle touch. Derek pushed back slightly, tilting his head up.
Stiles slowly fluttered his eyes open, staring at the Alpha. The Alpha whose nose barely brushed his own.
Stiles sucked in his breath. He couldn't tear his gaze away from Derek. He was so close, not that Stiles was complaining. Derek didn't push Stiles away as he closed the distance between the two.
Neither stopped each other as their lips brushed slightly over the others.
Stiles didn't take his eyes off the Alpha, who pulled back slightly to lick his lips. Stiles took that as a go ahead, pushing his lips firmly onto the other's.
It wasn't anything at first, just a chaste feeling of their lips touching. Stiles didn't know what to do, where to turn his head, how to position his mouth, but Derek did. His thumb stroked up Stiles' cheek, brushing over his eyes lashes as he took the younger's head to the side.
Derek moved his bottom lip to fit snugly in between his own. He pushed past the easy barrier of Stiles' lips into his mouth and before he even knew what was going on, they were completely making out in the coffee shop.
Stiles put his hands on the other man's chest, trying to push him away but this only seemed for Derek to push closer.
If Stiles said he wasn't enjoying this, he would be full fledged lying. It was like he was on cloud nine, sipping whatever one would sip on a cloud and enjoying himself. He loved the feeling of Derek's tongue gliding over his own, the smooth texture as it rolled over and under before retreating back into his own mouth. Derek pulled away, lips swollen and eyes wide.
So, maybe today wasn't as bad as Stiles thought.
Yayyy! (finally)
But, now what!? Hmm... ;)
