On Friday morning the sun saw Derek driving Stiles to a nearby town to find furniture for his room. The drive there was spent in companionable silence. Derek, thankfully, didn't try to pry or ask unwanted questions. Stiles would explain it to him one day, but not while it was still so fresh.
They pulled up outside an Ashley home store. It was as big as Stiles was expecting, but he supposed growing up in a small town had something to do with that. Everything was big outside of Beacon Hills.
Together they walked into the store and were immediately met at the door by a salesman. "How can I help you gentlemen today?" The kind woman asked with a smile on her face. She turned to Derek, "You were here just this weekend, yes?"
Derek smiled politely back at her, "Yes, we're here to pick out a few more things. We'd like to take a look around first and then we'll come find you when we're ready." Stiles wanted to laugh, for some reason he had never pictured Derek as cordial.
"Of course," She said kindly, "If you have any questions, please let me know." She wandered away after that and left them to their own devices.
Derek looked at Stiles then and the younger man chuckled awkwardly, "Do you think they have a clearance section?"
Derek's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "I would think so, but why would you want to look there?"
"I'm kind of on a budget," Stiles chuckled again and Derek's expression became amused, if not a little fond.
"Everything you're getting today is coming from me Stiles," He said and Stiles felt his heart jump into his throat. He hadn't felt butterflies since his initial crush on Lydia, so he didn't know why he was feeling them now.
"I can't ask you to do that," Stiles tried to insist but Derek shook his head.
"I handled everyone else's, it wouldn't be fair to not take care of you too," Derek said in a warm tone, "You take care of this pack, you're a part of us, let me take care of you."
It warmed Stiles to his very bones, it was like Derek knew exactly what he needed to hear.
Stiles sighed, "Okay, okay, but we're still on a budget."
Derek smiled again, "If you say so."
They roamed the store, looking at this and that. Derek didn't even say anything as Stiles checked every price tag. Stiles appreciated that. It wasn't until they turned the corner into one of the back rooms that something really caught Stiles' eyes.
It was a beautiful wrought iron bed surrounded by a black night stand, chest of drawers and a desk. Stiles never thought himself the type to like this kind of stuff, but now that he was standing in front of it, he truly loved it. Derek must have seen the look on his face.
"Don't even check the price tag," He said softly from beside him, "It suits you."
Stiles had the good decency to blush, though he rubbed his checks to make it look intentional.
"It would really match the floors," Stiles tried to brush it off but he was sure that Derek wasn't convinced.
"I'll find Shelby," Derek said and walked away towards the front of the store. Stiles wondered if he remembered her name from the weekend or if he saw her name tag. He was learning more and more about Derek by the minute.
Shelby was led over, holding a pen and paper to write down all the details of the sale. She smiled gracefully as she wrote them up and then led them to the front of the store for payment. Derek handed her a card easily, with no hesitation and Stiles felt that warm feeling again.
"Thank you so much for shopping with us again! We'll have the set delivered on, did you say you wanted it Sunday?" She asked and Derek nodded, "Wonderful! On Sunday, it'll be delivered around two in the afternoon."
"Thank you," Stiles said and followed Derek back to the car.
Derek looked at his watch and then the sky, "We have almost the entire day left before they get out of school, how does lunch sound?"
Stiles wouldn't admit that he looked at Derek a second too long, "Sure, but I'm paying."
Derek snorted, "I can live with that."
They drove over to a little cafe on main street, Derek expertly parallel parking on the street. It was bustling seeing as it was only around lunch time but they managed to get seated almost immediately. The menu had the classic american cuisine, burgers and fries, and the like.
When a friendly waitress came to take their order, Stiles got the chicken salad and broccoli salad. Derek ordered a burger with fries. She walked away with the promise that she'd be right back with their drinks.
"So, straight A's," Derek said, striking up a conversation, "What do you plan on doing in University?"
Stiles just blinked at him for a moment before shaking it off, "I don't really know. I've considered a lot of things."
After the waitress dropped off their drinks, Stiles continued, "I've thought about nursing or becoming a teacher for the University. Even a writer for the Beacon Gazette."
"You would be good at any of those, especially a writer." Derek said, "You are so good at research, you'd only bring benefit to the paper."
Stiles blushed again, "I thought about that, yea."
"Have you ever thought bigger than Beacon Hills?" Derek asked and there it was, getting to the root of it all.
Stiles shook his head, "I can't imagine leaving."
"You wouldn't necessarily have to leave," Derek reigned it in, "As a writer, there's a lot of remote and freelance work in the field."
Stiles hadn't thought about that, "Yea, I guess you're right. Whatever I do, I just want to be able to support my family."
The expression on Derek's face was unreadable before he smiled, "Whatever you do, will be enough."
There was that warmth again, as if Stiles were lying out in the sun, but before he could respond their meals were placed in front of them. They dug in and Stiles was glad for what he ordered. It was delicious. He wondered if he could remake it at home. Did the kids even like chicken salad?
He hummed to himself around a bite of the broccoli salad and Derek chuckled. "That good?" He asked and Stiles could only nod.
Stiles liked the sound of Derek's laugh, low and gruff. He would give every last dime to hear him really laugh, that deep belly laugh at something funny that caught you off guard. He hadn't really learned Derek's particular sense of humor, but hopefully that would come in time.
When they were finished, Derek didn't object as Stiles paid and they enjoyed another quiet drive all the way back to Beacon Hills. It would still be a few hours before the kids were finished with their classes, so they decided to stop in town and just window shop for a while. They walked around the town talking about the house, the kids and anything else that came to mind.
They came across an antique store on one of the back streets. Stiles motioned towards the store and Derek nodded. Upon entering the store a bell jingled and a voice called from somewhere hidden in the shelves, "Welcome in!"
The front window display was an array of beautiful stained glass lamps. There was a section of crystals near the cash register, and there were many pieces of vintage furniture scattered around. They walked down the first aisle of books, Stiles curiously perusing the titles. It was mostly cook books and a few older versions of classic novels like To Kill a Mockingbird.
Stiles pointed it out, "It's a good book."
Derek nodded, "We read it when I was in high school."
Stiles grinned, "Oh so an eternity ago!"
Derek glared at him, "I am literally four years older than you."
"Where did you go to high school by the way?" Stiles asked, continuing down the aisle.
Derek followed, "At Beacon Hills High, you were still in middle school when I was there."
Stiles was confused, "I thought you left Beacon Hills after, you know…"
Derek sighed, he should have expected questions like this eventually, "Peter and Laura found an apartment on the outskirts of town that we lived in for a while. After I got out of high school, I left to southern California for a couple years before coming back here after not being able to get Laura to pick up the phone."
"And that's when you found out that Peter had killed Laura," Stiles said sadly, "I'm so sorry about that man, I'm not sure I've ever said that to you."
"It couldn't be helped, Peter was never meant to be the alpha and it drove him mad." Derek said and Stiles wondered if he would ever be able to talk about his mothers death with such nonchalance.
Then Stiles thought of everything Derek had been through, losing his entire family sans Cora. Stiles knew first hand what that could do to a person. Whatever Derek was thinking, Stiles was glad that he didn't point any questions back at him about his own situation.
"So, what did you do in SoCal?" Stiles tried to lighten things up.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Derek said almost nervously and Stiles turned back to look at him.
"You didn't grow out your hair and become a beach bum did you?" Stiles joked and when Derek's eyes went wide, he almost choked on a laugh.
"I didn't grow out my hair, but I learned to surf. I love the water." Derek said, vulnerable.
Stiles smiled, "Hey man, whatever kept you happy and stable, that's all that matters."
Derek looked into his eyes, in the middle of a century's worth of trinkets and for a second Stiles felt like they were the only people in the world.
"It was incredible to experience," Derek finally said and Stiles cuffed him on the shoulder.
"I'm sure it was, we'll have to plan a trip this summer to take everyone to the beach," Stiles said before his eyes became mischievous, "You old water dog, you!" He took off running at the look of anger on Derek's face, laughing as he went.
Derek didn't give chase, they were in a shop of highly breakable items, instead going to wait for Stiles at the front of the store. There was only one exit after all. Eventually Stiles appeared from behind the shelves, but Derek didn't have enough time to scold him.
Stiles was holding an intricate mirror, black with gold inlay, ornate. "How beautiful would this look in the foyer?" He asked, serious.
Derek gave it a good look, making sure there weren't any damages. The mirror really was gorgeous. "I like it," He said and looked around to see if whoever greeted them was around.
A stout man walked up to them and around to the register. "That there was owned by the queen herself!" He crowed, "At some point."
Stiles gave Derek an incredulous look, but still nodded in fake awe, "How much is it? I didn't see a price tag."
The man made a curious noise, "I suppose I could part with it for $150." That was awfully steep.
"I'll give you $90 for it," Derek said before Stiles could decline. Stiles was shocked, where the hell had Derek learned to barter?
The man stared Derek down, "This isn't an auction sonny, take it or leave it."
"I'll give you $120," Derek said and leaned on the counter. If Stiles didn't know any better, he'd have said that Derek was trying to assert his dominance. And perhaps, he was. In any case, Stiles was loath to admit that it was pretty hot.
Stiles could tell that the man was sweating. "Alright, you've sold me on it." He said and reached out his grubby little hand.
Derek went to give him his card and the man smiled, "This is a cash only establishment. However, there is an ATM right behind you."
When they both turned around, sure enough there it was cozied up in the corner. Derek rolled his eyes but went to withdraw the money anyway. It was awfully convenient that the man accepted the price that was even in twenties, seeing as that was all the ATM would dispense.
The man gladly accepted the money and handed them a pink receipt where 'no refunds' was stamped at the top. It was Stiles' turn to roll his eyes.
On the way back to the car, Stiles carrying the mirror delicately, Derek asked, "Would you like to pick up some clothes and stay the night?"
Stiles carefully put the mirror in the trunk, "I wouldn't have any place to sleep."
"I'm sure Isaac wouldn't mind," Derek said and to that Stiles couldn't object.
"Touche'," He said with a smile and Derek drove him over to the house.
Stiles grabbed enough clothes for the weekend, his phone charger, his book bag and his laptop. A tooth brush, toothpaste and deodorant also made its way into the bag. When he was sure that he had everything important he rushed back out to the car, climbing in clumsily.
Derek drove them home. Stiles thought about that for a moment, their home. They would make it their home.
Once they arrived, Stiles dumped his stuff in the foyer and turned to find Derek walking in with the mirror.
"Here?" Derek asked, holding the mirror up to the wall next to the doorway to the kitchen.
Stiles smiled, Derek had read his mind, "Yea, I think that would be perfect."
"Hold it while I get a nail and hammer," He handed it to Stiles and went through the kitchen.
When he got back he used a stud finder to find a good place on the wall. He handed the stud finder to Stiles before he hammered in the nail and then hung up the mirror. They both stood back and admired his handy work.
"I was right," Stiles said and Derek nodded. Then Stiles put the stud finder to his chest and pressed the button to make it beep. "Oh, would you look at that?"
Derek laughed and rolled his eyes, "Sure, keep telling yourself that." It hadn't quite been that deep belly laugh that Stiles had been looking for, but he guessed it would come in time.