Here is chapter Nine, where Derek has a heart to heart with Laura, who continues to be his voice of reason, and DTRs with Stiles.

I'm sorry I'm so slow..it's just that well school is hard and I've never had to do so much reading in my life...who's smart idea was to be an english major? oh wait it was mine...blahhh. Anyways I think there should only be four or five more chapters...if I get around to writing them...I have about another twenty pages written of this story, but i wasn't particularly a fan of them. I just felt like the went around in circles and didn't help extend the plot forward. I'll see what i can manage and I'll still be around just not a much.

Now I hate to complain, but I only got two reviews on the last chapter...and I asked if something was wrong with the chapter you'd tell me right? Well this time I'm going to ask what was right about this chapter...see ha I trapped you ;D please leave reviews they make people happy and happy people update more.

Kai


No Name Face

Chapter Nine

It had now been three band practices later and Scott had been right, Jackson had given him a hard time, but quickly shut up when Derek pick up the free guitar and played a song by ear, which everyone found to be impressive. Derek hadn't thought much of it. It was just how he had always done it. That's what made it easy to step into; all of this was just like how it had been before the fire.

It had also been a week since Derek's and Stiles's situation in the library where they had shared their first kiss and Derek had thought Stiles might bring it up. And joke about it like it hadn't meant anything, but Stiles remained silent on the subject, which made Derek all the more confused.

Derek frowned as he leaned against the Stiles garage door, watching as Stiles yanked open drawer after drawer. Finally, Stiles spun around on his heel in his as he failed his arms around, desperately for the amp chord that they had he had swore was in the first drawer he opened to only find out it wasn't. He had spent a good fifteen minutes searching so Derek could plug in to the blue electric guitar that the group had given Derek permission to use. Derek's eyes followed Stiles carefully as he hunted for the missing cord.

"I thought it was right here! But it looks like Scott moved it and I don't know where he put it. I know he wanted you to take it for a test drive to see how you liked it though," Stiles paused as his shoulders slumped in defeat as he gave up on the futile search. "He's just trying to figure out if you should play lead or if he should."

Derek nodded his head: "You do know that it's a guitar and not a car right?" Derek then added curtly as he pulled himself out of his lean on the garage door.

Stiles frowned and bit his lip as he absently rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "I guess that's true. It just frustrates me that Scott moves things around without telling me."

"Look, it's not a big deal, I know how to make due. So, any requests?" Derek said quickly and Stiles looked over at him with wide eyes as he slowly shook his head.

A small grin spread across Derek's face as he unplugged the other guitar from its amp and stole the cord shoving it into the amp that had been designated as his. He strummed the strings checking for out of tune notes, surprisingly, all the notes sounded prefect to his ears as his fingers began flying across the frets.

"Times when I just can't, bring myself to say it loud. 'Fraid that what I'll say comes out somehow awry… And it feels like fear, like I'll disappear. Gets so hard to steer. Yet I go on." Derek watched Stiles Adams apple bob up and down as if he swallowing.

"You lift my spirit, take me higher, make me fly, Touch the moon up in the sky, when you are mine."Derek couldn't help but grin as Stiles gape at him as he played and at that moment Derek felt the most alive he had felt in ages, "You lift me higher, take my spirit, make it fly, where all new wonders will appear."

Stiles slowly glided closer to him, their eyes locked on one another as Derek continued to play. "Like the other day. I thought you won't be coming back. I came to realize my lackluster dreams."

Finally Derek and Stiles stood next to each other. Stiles's breathing was heavy as he leaned up and softly pressed his lips to Derek. The song Derek had been playing died away into silence, as Derek took his free hand that wasn't crushing the neck of the guitar in a vice grip and grabbing the back of Stiles's neck, his fingers brushing against the short hairs and deepening the kiss between them.

Stiles's tongue quickly darted in between Derek's lips as it slid seductively across his teeth, which caused Derek to moan and pull back. Stiles gave Derek a sultry smile as they looked at each other.

"Make me fly." Derek whispered in Stiles's ear making the younger boy shiver.

"Wow, we really should do that again." Stiles panted and Derek nodded his head up and down in agreement.

"Yeah… Most defiantly." Derek mumbled as he tried to catch his breath.

"Right now?" Stiles inquired, but before Derek could respond Scott walked in twirling the missing cord for the guitar.

Both Derek and Stiles jerked away from each other. Stiles stumbled backwards and tripped over the amp and he fell backward on to his butt. He groaned then frowned as he saw the twirling guitar cord. He scrambled quickly back to his feet and marched over to Scott and snatched the cord from him.

"Why didn't you tell me you had this?" Stiles asked as he waved it in front of Scott, who just shrugged.

"I didn't think about it, sorry." Scott paused then tilted his head in confusion. "Stiles, are you okay? Your face is all red and you seemed out of breath. Were you just out running?"

Derek raised an eyebrow as Stiles began to gawk, in an undecipherable vernacular that made Derek snicker.

"Never mind, sorry I asked." Scott said as he shook his head, turning away from Stiles and walking over to the amp that Derek had just been using. "I heard your playing, and youyeahyeahh sounded awesome." Scott then added.

Derek nodded his head, "Thanks."

"I'm curious, what made you stop? I mean you were really jamming out, so what distracted you?"

Derek opened his mouth to answer, but Stiles spoke up first.

"I came in and startled him." Stiles said and to Derek it sounded like a lie, but when Scott nodded in acceptance Derek just let the lie slide by.

"You should defiantly teach us that song Derek because it sounded awesome."

"Yeah, I agree that song is awesome." Derek said as he turned to Stiles, whose cheeks flushed an even brighter shade of red.

Laura sat across from him at the round kitchen table in the burnt crème color kitchen, a large bowl of macaroni and cheese, now spread out across each of their plates.

"So you kissed him and then he covered it up?" Laura asked in a skeptical voice that made Derek purse his lips as he used his fork to stab one of the elbow macaronis.

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm not sure I really wanted to make it public anyways." Derek mumbled and Laura rolled her eyes.

"You weren't in public you were in Stiles's garage… with Scott. That's far from announcing it to the world." She huffed and Derek frowned.

"I just followed Stiles's lead. He didn't seem to want to mention it to Scott so we didn't. It's not a big deal because it was just one kiss." Derek huffed, feeling suddenly annoyed.

"It was one kiss that made you want to have another. That's where it starts Derek, and then before you know it your Stiles's dirty little secret." Laura said as she waved her fork at Derek, before using it skewer a small helping of elbow shaped noodles on her plate.

"Well, then I guess he and I would be even because I still haven't mention the fact that I'm a rock star, who has been forced into hiding by really complicated extenuating circumstances." Derek muttered sarcastically and Laura sighed.

"Okay, you do have a point, but maybe eventually you'll be able to tell him. Actually, if I'm being totally honest I'm surprised that he doesn't already know because I was sure he was a huge fan of yours or maybe I have him mistaken for someone else?" Laura frowned as she stroked her chin in contemplation.

"I doubt I'll get the chance. I don't see him as anything long term. I just don't have that option when I'm in hiding." Derek sighed as he pushed a small mountain of macaroni around the rim of his plate.

"You never know. Don't give up just yet. Maybe the police will find them and you'll be able to go back to your normal life." Laura said and Derek shot her a fierce glare as he slammed his fork down on the table.

"I can't go back to my normal life. Not now. Not ever. Because my family is dead! And even if I could have it all back I wouldn't want it back without them." He growled and Laura's eyes narrowed, not looking the least bit intimidated by Derek's outburst.

Carefully Laura set down her fork beside her plate and glared right back at Derek, "Well maybe they would have wanted you to! Did you ever think that? Everyone in this whole god damn family wants you to go back to doing what you love to do. So, get the hell over yourself and stop with the pity party. Bad shit happens, get over it." Laura snapped as she stood up and stormed off towards her room.

Derek sighed as he buried his face in his hands. Laura did have a point, and Laura was no stranger to bad things either and she too had lost a parent.

He felt a wave of guilt crash into him as he recalled Laura's father, Peter, his uncle, had been killed by a mugger when he had been on an unexpected business trip to Los Angles.

Derek picked up Laura's discarded plate and stacked it on top of his own as he got up from the table and paced over to the kitchen sink, where He gently placed the plates in the sink and turned on the faucet, watching the warming water overflow and cascade of them.

Maybe he had been a martyr about his family, and maybe he had been walking around like he had a chip on his shoulder ever since it had happened, those many months ago. Maybe it was time he let them go. Maybe it was time to let the accident stop defining his life and more importantly himself?

He had taken a step, when he had joined Scott's band, but was that enough to move past what he had done?

Trudged over to Laura bedroom door he knocked on it, he waited a few moments, and then proceeded to open and stare into the dark depths of Laura's room.

The inside of Laura's room was dark, with the shades drawn down blocking out the outside light. The floor was cluttered with text books, much like Derek's was, but Derek didn't recognize them by their titles or as being on Laura's class schedule.

"I've been taking some college classes in my down time." Laura muttered from her bed where she was sitting clutching one of the many pillows that resided on her bed. In fact Derek was sure he wouldn't have noticed she was there if she hadn't spoken up.

"Really? Wow that's impressive." Derek mumbled as he wandered over to her bed and slouched down upon it. "I'm sorry." He then added and Laura gave him a small smile.

"It's not that impressive. I taking a lot of music classes, and to be perfectly honest I think you would make a lot better professor then that blow-hard of a teacher I currently have. Even his online lectures sound pretentious." She chuckled and Derek cracked a smile, knowing full well he was forgiven.

"I don't know that much about music theory, all I mostly know is now how to play." Derek said with a shrug and Laura playfully reached out and shoved his shoulder.

"You don't give yourself enough credit. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have been as successful as you were if you didn't know a thing about music." Laura said kindly and Derek nodded his head.

"I do know a few things. Maybe if I have to continue to stay in hiding then I should go to college and study music." Derek said then watched Laura's eyes brighten with excitement.

"You totally should that would be amazing, and that way you could stay with Stiles." She said shaking him slightly and Derek rolled his eyes, even though he couldn't fight the large smile spread across his face.

"Of course that would mean that Stiles would want to be with me as well, and that would take actual confirmation that we were actually together, which we aren't because we've only shared two kisses and acted like one of them didn't even happen." Derek said and Laura scowled and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It could if you wanted it too. Plus you've been pining for this guy since you got here and so it's been a while."

"I've only been here a couple months." Derek mumbled as a light blushed crawled across his cheeks.

Had he really fallen for Stiles that quickly? It kind of scared him as he realized just how fast he had fallen.

"That's okay. You're a pop star you're meant to fall fast and hard." Laura teased and Derek rolled his eyes again.

"I have to remember that. The only problem with that plan is that I'm not technically a pop star anymore. I'm just a nobody. The one thing I had been so desperate to shake since before I could even remember." Derek sighed as he fell back onto Laura's bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"I know your name. You're not a nobody to me." She said gently as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.


The loud tapping on Derek's bedroom window startled him and he jumped. His eyes grow wide as he saw Stiles waving through the window, a big grin spread across his face. Derek quickly hustled over to the window and opened it wide enough for Stiles to slip through.

"What are you doing here?" Derek asked slowly, while he carefully looked over Stiles as if he wasn't sure the boy standing in front of him was actually real.

"I snuck out because I had to come and see you. I know we like just saw each other, but I started to..." Stiles's words were harshly cut off as Derek slammed his lips into Stiles, who gasped in surprise at the sudden and forceful lip lock.

Derek pulled back finally allowing Stiles to draw in a much needed breath.

"Yeah, I missed that too." Stiles panted as he continued to try and catch his breath.

"Are you ashamed of me?" Derek asked abruptly and Stiles tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Why would you think something like that?" Stiles stammered sounding completely perplexed at Derek's question.

"You didn't tell Scott about us." Derek mumbled as he looked down at the floor, his cheeks slowly being painted with a light pink blush.

"I didn't want him to know." Stiles sighed, "I just didn't want him to know yet. Even if it's just a brief moment I want you to be mine alone." Stiles frowned as his face became a bright red that matched the color of the sweatshirt jacket he was wearing. "Oh god! That sounds so corny and horrible. I should have just kept my mouth shut." Stiles began to ramble, but Derek pressed a finger to his lips.

"That sounded perfect." Derek whispered as he leaned in a pressed his lips to Stiles's once more. This kiss was soft and warm, and there was nothing needy about it, which was completely different from the previous kissed they had shared.

"Derek…" Stiles muttered softly against the older boy's lips, "Why me? I'm awkward, gangly, I talk too much. I mean why would you pick me out of everyone else?"

"You actually treated me like a somebody. Not to mention you were pretty hot when you threatened me." Derek teased and Stiles scowled at him

"Come on Derek, I'm being serious, why me, why would you choose to like me?" Stiles asked again, only this more forcefully and Derek bit his lip.

"Because with you I feel safe." Derek whispered, being completely serious as he stared down at Stiles.

"But you were so hesitant in the beginning and you were always pushing me away. I couldn't figure what you wanted from me. I mean in the end I knew you either wanted to do one of two things: you either kiss me or rip my throat out with your teeth." Stiles began rambling again and Derek chuckled softly.

"I have to admit most of the time when talking with you, those two things have crossed my mind simultaneously, but I'm glad that the kissing was the one I eventually decided to go with." Derek said with a wide smile and Stiles nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'm glad you picked that one too." Stiles chuckled, his nose crinkling slightly as he laughed.

"Derek!" Derek's aunt's voice broke them away from each other and panic passed through both of them as Stiles scrambled to the closet, slamming the door shut behind him as he entered.

"Derek! I was wondering if you had plans tonight." His aunt called through the door before she opened and saw Derek looking extremely guilty with his hands clasped behind his back, and she quirked an eyebrow at him, but continued speaking. "Because Laura and I are planning on going to go see a movie, but now as I say this it's perfectly apparent that you already have plans, so I'll let you return to what you're doing." She paused and then shouted. "Hello Stiles, next time, please use the front door."

Stiles slowly opened the closet door and poked his head out. "Okay." He mumbled sounding clearly embarrassed.

"You two have fun." Derek's aunt gave them a wide smile as she turned her attention back to Stiles, who flushed a bright red. "Stiles make sure he has fun. He doesn't get out enough, and I'm sure you're exactly what he needs to change that."

Stiles nodded again and Derek's aunt turned quickly and exited Derek's room and both boys groaned as they flopped down together on the folded out futon.

"That was so embarrassing." Stiles muttered as he rolled over and snuggled into Derek's side.

"It could have been worse. I mean she could have kicked you out because technically I was breaking her rules. I think she might just be happy that I'm moving on." Derek sighed as he draped his arm over Stiles shoulder.

"What happened to make you so reluctant to move on?" Stiles asked cautiously obviously unsure what to expect when it came to Derek's reaction.

Derek's body tensed and his hand fell from Stiles's shoulders to his side. "There was a fire, and I couldn't save of them." Derek murmured and Stiles shifted by propping himself up on his elbow too get a better look at Derek. "My mother, my father, and my four year sister all died in a fire that…" Derek felt the words get lodged in his throat.

"It's okay." Stiles said softly as he gently rubbed circles on Derek's chest.

"I know I didn't actually set the fire, but it's my fault that they died. I wanted to save them." Derek's eyes welled up with tears and gently Stiles reached out and brushed them away with his thumb.

"I know." Stiles said soothingly as he leaned forward and placed soft kisses down the side of Derek's neck.

After that Stiles stopped asking questions and together they went up stairs and sat on the large couch in the living room, where they started a movie that Stiles picked out and fell asleep half way through.

Derek pulled Stiles into him and Stiles latched his arms around Derek's waist in a vice like grip. Derek smiled down at him and gently stroked a hand over Stiles short hair. And before Derek knew it he fell asleep too, and for the first time in weeks he spent the night, nightmare free.


Song: Lift By: Poets of the Fall