Derek didn't like flying. He didn't like being trapped with too many people, he didn't like the processed air, he didn't like the noise. He didn't like flying.
For this flight, however, he dreaded the most that he would be stuck with Stiles for hours. He loved them, he did, but he did fear that he would murder them within the first hour of their flight. There wasn't much room, Stiles was fidgety, and they could not sit still for five fucking minutes. And they talked. A lot. Derek expected them to talk nonstop until they landed in San Francisco.
Stiles was asleep not five minutes after takeoff. Twisted like a pretzel and with their head on Derek's shoulder, and he just knew that Stiles would start to drool on him in a minute here, but fast asleep. They were quiet and not moving. Derek had not expected that. But he took it.
What he had not thought about was the fact that Finstock was sitting on his other side.
"Out like a light?" Coach asked and leaned over to confirm that yes, Stiles was asleep. "Can't blame them, been some long days lately."
Finstock moved back to sit properly in his chair again to which Derek breathed easier, he didn't like having people this close. Stiles drooling on his shoulder did not count.
"What about you?" Finstock asked.
"What about me?"
"As I said, it's been a few long days." Finstock fixed him with a look. "How are you holding up? Not going to quit on me because you can't handle the stress, are you?"
Derek was the new guy and Finstock didn't have the time to get to know him, he got that.
"I don't mind the stress," Derek answered honestly. In a way this job was more stressful than his last one but he did not have to deal with customers face to face which was a big plus. The most he got was a hateful tweet or an email but even those were few and far in between.
"But I'm looking forward to the week off," Derek added even if he still wasn't sure how he felt about going back to Beacon Hills.
"Yeah, Bilinski canceled your flight back, I noticed." Coach nodded. "Any plans for the week yet?"
Derek told him that they wanted to visit Stiles' dad but otherwise, they would just see.
Then Derek made the mistake and asked what Finstock had planned for that week. He was curious. As far as he knew the man did not have a life. Derek wasn't even sure if he ever left the office or if he just lived there. So it did not come as a surprise when Finstock told him that he did intend to come into the office that week.
It led to the plans Finstock had for the game, it was his baby after all. At work, Finstock locked himself into his office and sometimes Derek only saw the man when he brought him his lunch but he managed to stay in the loop and he knew exactly what his team was working on. They all had several meetings with him over the day but they were on point, no time wasted with nonsense, and Finstock was willing to listen to what his employees had to say. Derek always left his office with clear instructions. Derek was less involved in the game itself, his domain was more the social media part and to clear things with freelancers, lawyers, and a million other people they needed to get this project rolling. However, Finstock always had an open ear whenever Derek was unsure about something and he did take care of the things Derek could not decide on his own.
Finstock was a good boss and Derek liked him but not even an hour into their flight, he wanted to murder him.
Finstock loved the game and it was fascinating to listen to him but Derek was not a gamer. He did not get the references, he did not understand when Finstock spoke about which game mechanic from a game from the nineties had inspired what he wanted for his game now. Finstock reminded him of Stiles, they too could talk about games or whatever was on their mind for hours but contrary to Stiles Finstock did not care about his audience. He just expected that Derek knew what he was talking about and kept going. And he became obscurer by the minute. Derek recognized a few movie lines but some of his analogies were just odd.
Derek tried to tune him out but he kept talking even when Derek feigned sleep.
He did not murder his boss on the flight but it was a close call. Aside from the talking, Finstock had some odd habits Derek did not want to see or think about ever again.
It took a while to get their luggage and to get to their hotel but in the early evening, Derek and Stiles parted with Finstock to settle into their respective rooms.
With a sigh, Derek set down on the bed and after a second he dropped to his back.
"Why is flying so exhausting?" Stiles sat down next to him but let themself fall back into a lying position as well.
"You slept most of the flight," Derek reminded them. "I had to listen to Finstock for hours."
"Sorry, I should have warned you." They did not sound sorry at all.
They were starving but didn't feel like going out so room service it was. It was covered by Finstock anyway so why not.
They would have to get up early in the morning to set everything up before the convention opened at noon but they were too wired to go to sleep just yet. So they sat in bed with the TV running on low volume, both with their phone in hand. They needed to tell Laura and John that they had arrived safely. Stiles wrote the same in the group they had with Isaac, Boyd, and Erica which Derek saw because Isaac had added him to that group as well a few days ago. It made exchanging work-related stuff easier, Isaac had said which was true but not the real reason he'd added him. Derek hadn't called him out on it.
Seconds later Erica asked how the flight had been to which Derek answered that he'd not murdered Finstock but he left the rest for Stiles.
While Stiles was chatting with the others, Derek went back to talking to Laura. He already missed her. Being away from the pack, from the alpha normally wasn't a big deal but they only had each other. Derek missed his sister while the wolf part of him missed his alpha. And he just knew that Laura felt lonely in their empty apartment.
He would enjoy the week with Stiles, he knew that, but right now he missed Laura.
Turned out that Laura had plans for the weekend and the following week as well. Tomorrow a date with Kira, Saturday and Sunday online gaming with the girls, namely Kira and Erica, dinner at Boyd's and Erica's on Tuesday and she hoped to spend some time with Kira over the week.
Have to make the most of the fact that you're not here, she wrote and added a winking emoji.
"I'm at Stiles' most of the time anyway," Derek grumbled but he got it. This way she didn't have to keep in mind where he was and when he might come home unexpectedly. Laura could do what she wanted without worrying about him.
For the weekend before Derek and Stiles would come home, she'd planned a sleepover slash LAN party with the girls.
"What's a LAN party?" Derek asked.
"Are those even still a thing?" Stiles wondered but explained it to him. And then they looked sad that they weren't invited.
"It's a girls' night," Derek pointed out. "Boyd isn't invited either."
"I can be a girl."
They had a point there.
"Maybe you'll be invited next time." Derek slung an arm around their shoulders and hugged them close.
In the morning the alarm went off way too early. Derek was not a morning person. It was going to be an exciting day, the anticipation did make him more awake, but no amount of coffee was able to get him awake enough to not only deal with Stiles who was jumping around like a kid on Christmas morning but with Finstock as well who wasn't any better. Coach just added his own kind of crazy to the whole thing.
Derek had no idea how but they got everything set up and ready by noon when the first people entered the halls. Today was press and VIPs only, they would let in the plebs tomorrow.
There would be photos and interviews so Finstock wanted them to look nice.
"But don't overdress, we're gamers," he'd told them which Derek interpreted with jeans and his usual Henley but he did put on a jacket to give it an official touch. He would be mostly in the background anyway, Finstock and Stiles would be the ones at the front.
It was an interesting experience. Finstock and Stiles were constantly talking to people and after the first nervous minutes, it looked as if they were having fun. They both were talkers and they loved what they had been working on and they proudly showed it to the world.
People could play a short demo of the game to get a first impression but not many did but that was expected. It would change when they let in the people who were actually interested in playing games. At least Derek hoped so.
Derek's job was to cover Stiles and Finstock with water and coffee. He brought them a late lunch, which they were both too busy to eat, and then an early dinner because by then they were starving. He kept the area tidy and solved all the little problems that occurred over the day. In the end, he didn't know who's job was more exhausting but he was glad when they wrapped things up for the day late in the evening. They had been on their feet for over fourteen hours and even Derek's feet were burning. He didn't want to know how the humans felt.
Finstock treated them to a second dinner over which Stiles kept nodding off. Derek had to half-carry them back to their room where they dropped dead into bed.
"You know," Stiles said, muffled by the pillow they were talking into. "This was the easy day, the next two are going to be hell."
"I hope not." Derek stretched out next to them which was a mistake. He didn't want to get up ever again but he was still wearing his shoes. His feet were hanging off the edge of the bed without touching anything, he was not raised by wolves, but he would have to get up and get ready for bed eventually. The sooner he did that the sooner he could go to sleep but for long minutes he just lay there with one arm across his eyes.
Next to him, Stiles didn't move either, they didn't even turn their head to not suffocate themself in the pillow.
In the end, Derek was the reasonable adult and got up first. He dragged Stiles out of bed as well so that they at least brushed their teeth and changed into something for the night. Not five minutes later they were back in bed and sound asleep.
Stiles had been right, the next two days were worse.
The halls were full and even at their tiny insignificant booth people lined up and waited for an hour to play their demo.
Finstock had more appointments lined up than yesterday which most of the time left Stiles in charge of their booth while Derek was busy with keeping everything up and running. How Finstock had thought that this could work with just himself and Stiles, Derek had no idea. But he was glad that Stiles didn't have to deal with all of this alone.
Saturday and Sunday were beyond exhausting and Derek only got a few hours of sleep in between but he had fun. The people were nice, Derek had quite some nice little chats with the people waiting in line, and the overall good mood was contagious.
Derek didn't see much of the whole event except for the glimpses he got when he hurried from one hall to the other for an errant and on Sunday he counted down the hours until they closed the halls but he had to admit that the whole thing had been fun.