Love Is Not The Absence Of Logic:
"Oh, I could so get used to this." I breathed out happily with a content grin on my lips as I stood near the entrance to the kitchen with my arms crossed over my chest. The smell of freshly made pancakes had woke up from a peaceful sleep and I leisurely made my way out of the bedroom dressed only in Derek's t-shirt from the night before.
"I could get used to waking up with you here. Especially looking like that." Derek countered casually without looking away from the stove where he was cooking the pancakes and I blushed slightly as I tucked a strand of my messy brunette hair behind my ear, extremely aware that I hadn't picked up a hairbrush or a stitch of makeup. Somehow that made the compliment that much more touching.
I silently wandered across the room until I was standing behind him and I pressed an open mouth kiss to the centre of the triskele tattoo on his bare back. I smiled against his skin as he reached around to wrap an arm around me awkwardly and I laughed slightly as I took a step to the side so that his arm dropped down beside him. I stood up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek as I ran my hand over his muscular back and he grinned at me faintly as I leaned my cheek against his shoulder.
"Good morning." I greeted him softly as I watched him expertly flip one of the pancakes and I hummed with an impressed expression because I couldn't do that without them falling apart.
"Morning." He returned the sentiment as he turned his head to place a loving kiss on my lips and I knew in that moment that he truly loved me. When someone loves you, they don't have to say it because you could tell by the way they treated you and Derek treated me like I was the thing that fastened him to the Earth.
"You're making me pancakes."
"I am."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
"And I'd appreciate some coffee."
"Very veiled order understood. I'll get right on it." I quipped in amusement as I teasingly bit the underside of his jaw and then strolled over to the counter where the coffee maker was brewing fresh coffee. I reached up to grab two coffee mugs from the cabinet and I got started making our coffee exactly how we both liked it.
A small smile spread across my lips when I realised that I was actually making my boyfriend coffee in the morning after not having sex the night before. I was actually in a relationship. An honest to God relationship. I even knew exactly how Derek took his coffee. I chuckled to myself as I picked up our coffee mugs and brought them over to the other counter where he was finishing the last of the pancakes. I silently set his coffee down next to the stove and he sent me a thankful smile as I leaned my back against the edge of the counter, sipping on my own coffee at a leisurely pace.
"Aw, look at them all domesticated." I heard Stiles coo mockingly from behind me as I frowned in confusion and I spun around in surprise because I hadn't heard the alarm system alert us that someone had entered the loft. The human stood in the entrance to the kitchen with his hands on his hips, a goofy smile on his lips as he took in the scene and his amber eyes sparkling mischievously. Scott stood behind him with a sheepish smile on his lips as he shook his head at his friend's statement and I glowered at the two of them in annoyance as I internally thanked God that my bare legs were hidden behind the counter.
"What are you two doing here? And how did you get in? The alarm didn't go off." I mused out loud as I cocked my head to the side curiously and they looked at each other guiltily as I narrowed my eyes at them in suspicion. "What the hell did you do?"
"It turns out an alarm isn't a match for a baseball bat."
"You broke my alarm system?" Derek asked in threatening voice as he brought the plate of pancakes over to the counter and I glanced at him as he set the plate down with a thump. Stiles visibly gulped nervously under his intense glare and took a step back as he forcibly pushed Scott in front of him for protection.
"Um, no?" he asked more than stated as he cringed with a grimace and I supressed a giggle as I placed a calming hand on Derek's bare shoulder. He looked over at me with an eyebrow raised but I just shook my head at him with a small smile and turned my attention towards the plate of pancakes.
"What are you doing here?" I asked them with a sigh as I pulled open the cutlery drawer and collected two forks from inside, closing it with my hip as I handed one of the forks to my boyfriend.
"We need some relationship advice." Scott admitted in embarrassment as he walked over to stand on the opposite of the counter and both of my eyebrows shot up in amusement as I froze with a forkful of pancake halfway to my mouth.
"Aw, did you two finally take the next step in your relationship?"
"What? No!"
"It's okay. No judgement."
"I didn't agree to that." Derek protested with a mouthful of pancake and he swallowed the food as he pointed in between the two boys. "Scott can do so much better than…that."
"Hey!" Stiles exclaimed in an offended tone as he put a hand over his heart and Scott grinned smugly as he straightened his shoulders back. "What's that meant to mean? Any guy would be very lucky to have a boyfriend like me."
"Okay, sweetie, calm down." I soothed him placating as I rolled my eyes at him and popped another forkful of pancake into my mouth. "I wouldn't sound so uppity if I were you. I mean, you just said you were here for relationship advice."
"I know, it's just really insulting, I mean…" he trailed off with an annoyed wave of his arms and I nodded condescendingly as I ate another bit of my breakfast.
"Get on with it! What do you want?" Derek asked in irritation as he rolled his light green eyes at the human and I chuckled in amusement at his frustration as I took a sip of my coffee.
"Okay, well, see, Kira and I, we haven't spent any time alone since the night we got kidnapped by Kate. And when I asked her to hangout, she made up some excuse to bail." Scott told us as he sat down on the stool on the other side of the breakfast bar, his shoulders slumped in defeat and a frown on his face.
"Do you mean alone, or alone alone?" I asked him curiously with a smirk on my lips as I raised an eyebrow and a blush spread up my brother's neck as he ducked his head in embarrassment.
"Um, we haven't, um, we haven't actually…you know."
"Oh? Oh!"
"Yeah."
"That's awkward. Sorry." I apologised with a grimace as I pushed my empty plate away from me and he avoided my eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, um, maybe she's feeling anxious about that. I mean, I'm sure she knows that you hooked up with Allison. It's got to be weird for her, I guessing."
"Right. So, what should I do? Ignore it? Talk to her?" he asked nervously as he wrung his hands together and I offered him a sympathy smile as I opened my mouth to respond but someone beat me to it.
"Buy her something shiny." Stiles stated matter-of-factly with a shrug of his shoulder as he reached over to grab a pancake but Derek grabbed his wrist tightly with a threatening glare.
"You know zero about relationships." My boyfriend snapped as he pushed the human's arm away from the pancakes and I supressed a smile as I leaned my head on his shoulder.
"I'll have you know that you two are not the only ones in a relationship."
"Please. Don't compare your little high school romance to our actual committed adult relationship." I told him sternly as I lifted my head with a frown on my lips and Derek nodded in agreement as I tilted my head to the side. "You are not even playing the same game, let alone in the same league."
"Oh? And what exactly makes your relationship better than mine and Malia's?" Stiles asked us in a mocking tone as he leaned his crossed arms on the counter and I shared an amused look with Derek as we both straightened up.
"Well, for starters, we actually have things in common. We have the same taste in movies, TV shows, books. We both love history and science, literature. We train together nearly every day, whether it's running or sparring, gun training. And we actually like spending time together. Even if it's just doing mundane tasks, like grocery shopping. Even a day of errands and chores can be fun if you're with the right person. Derek and I spent the other day cleaning out his storage unit, and it was one of the best days I've had in a while." I answered him nonchalantly as I shrugged my shoulders and picked up my nearly empty coffee cup to finish what was left.
"When we fight, which is very rarely, it never lasts more than a few hours. A productive fight is about understanding the other person, finding common ground, compromising, and respecting each other throughout the process. If you end a fight feeling like you've won, you're doing it wrong." Derek lectured pointedly as he leaned both of his hands on the counter with a blank expression and I nodded in agreement as I ran a hand through my hair.
"We're totally compatible sexually. I mean, wow!"
"We make non-immediate plans. Without completely freaking out, which is actually surprising given how much of a commitaphobe Sophie was, we can calmly and rationally discuss things months in advance. Like those concert tickets we brought last night."
"Florence and The Machine. I'm so excited!" I exclaimed happily with a grin as I clapped my hands together excitedly and Derek shook his head at me but supressed a smile as his lips twitched upwards. "But other than those huge reasons why, what about the little things? Like the fact that we're in love. And can actually admit it to each other."
"You've exchanged keys to each other's places. In fact, Sophie has half of her wardrobe here. My bedroom floor is covered in shoes." Derek grumbled in mock annoyance as he shot me a look but I just huffed and rolled my eyes because we had already had this conversation. "There are strawberry Pop-Tarts in my kitchen and I don't even like them. Same with that stupid vanilla soy coconut water in the fridge."
"Then why is one missing?" I asked him in a deadpanned voice as I quirked an eyebrow at him and his face immediately became closed off as he crossed his arms over his chest without a word. I rolled my eyes at him but let him live in denial as I turned my attention back to our guests and offered them a tight smile. "So, as you can see, we're a solid couple."
"Really? You have no problems? No issues? No secrets that have come to light?" Stiles asked sarcastically as he crossed his arms over his chest as a dubious expression, obviously not believing what we were saying.
"Nope. Well, no major problems or issues. And we tell each other everything." I told him honestly as I picked up my empty coffee mug and I wandered over to the coffee pot to pour myself another cup. Derek clicked his tongue to get my attention and I turned around with my eyebrow raised in amusement as he silently held his own cup out towards me.
"So, you guys tell each other everything? Absolutely everything?"
"That's what I said."
I took his cup with a smile before turning back to refill the mug with bitter coffee and I bit my lower lip as I reached up to open the overhead cabinet. I stood up on my toes as I searched the cabinet before my hand landed on a plastic bag and I grinned to myself as I pulled out a bag of chocolate chips.
I put the top of the bag in between my teeth before picking up both of the coffee mugs and then wandered back over to the counter where the others were waiting. Derek gave me a look when he saw the packet of chocolate in between my teeth but I ignored him as he accepted the mug from me. I took the packet out of my mouth as I set my own cup down on the counter, raising my eyebrows at disbelieving expressions on Scott and Stiles' faces.
"I don't believe you. There's no way you don't have secrets. You two are the most secretive people I know." Scott said calmly with a small smile, like he was trying not to offend us and I opened the packet of chocolate chips as I raised both of my eyebrows.
"Try us." I countered with a smirk, silently daring them to test me and Derek chuckled in amusement as he leaned his crossed arms on the counter. Scott and Stiles shared a disbelieving look with matching smirks spreading across their lips and I almost laughed out because of how naïve they were if they thought they could trip up Derek and I.
"Okay, we'll start off easily. Sophie, would Derek rather go on a hike or ride a bike?" Stiles asked me in a dramatic tone of voice as he narrowed his eyes at me and I took a sip of my coffee as I tried not to smile.
"Hike."
"Visit Europe or Mexico?"
"Oh, we're never going back to Mexico!"
"Okay, what about go skiing or snowboarding?"
"Snowboarding."
"Go to a comedy club or dance club?"
"This is Derek we're talking about."
"Camp in an RV or stay in a tent?"
"Stay in a tent. Although, we've already had this discussion and I refuse to sleep on the cold hard ground. Or go to the bathroom in the forest. That's not going to happen. Ever. But we compromised," I told them brightly and then turned my attention to my boyfriend with a smile as he leaned down to kiss my forehead, "And we can go camping somewhere they have bathroom facilities, and I'm bringing a blow up mattress. And marshmallows. And chocolate. And Graham crackers."
"Smores, I get it, we're making smores." Derek said with a small smile as he wrapped an arm around my waist and I leaned into his bare chest with a content smile as I popped a few chocolate chips into my mouth.
"Was any of that right?" Scott asked curiously with a half-smile on his lips and his dark brown eyes shining with the challenge in front of him. Derek nodded his head in silent affirmation as he tightened his hold on me and I leaned into his embrace as I chewed on some more chocolate. "Alright, Derek, would Sophie rather… Swim in a pool or the ocean? Salt water and waves crashing on the beach or temperature controlled, lovely water all year round."
"Pool. She's deathly afraid of jellyfish. Which is ridiculous since she'd heal instantly."
"Vacation in Hawaii or Alaska?"
"Hawaii."
"Star Wars, or Star Trek?" Stiles asked abruptly with his eyes narrowed suspiciously like he thought we were cheating and Derek glare at him for a moment but I pinched his arm to get him to behaviour.
"Stars Wars." Derek answered tightly as he reached for my packet of chocolate chips and popped a few into his mouth as I rubbed his arm soothingly with an amused smile.
"He's right, you know." I told them cheerfully as I tossed a chocolate chip in the air and tried to catch it in my mouth but it landed on the counter instead. I grumbled in annoyance as I picked it up with a pout and tried again, ignoring the looks I was getting from the boys as I caught it in my mouth. I grinned happily as I chewed the chocolate victoriously and I quirked an eyebrow at the audience unapologetically.
"Alright, that's all superficial stuff. Let's dig a little deeper." Stiles said in a frustrated voice as he leaned forward with his hands clasped in front of him and I grinned a little because it was fun to annoy him. "How does your partner express anger?"
"Sophie throws shoes, and yells. Or if she's really pissed, she goes silent."
"Derek takes it out on a heavy bag. That's boxing, Stiles."
"I know!" the human protested indignantly with a scowl and I shrugged one shoulder with a smirk as I took a sip of my coffee. "Dream vacation destination?"
"Italy." Derek answered in a bored tone of voice as he grabbed the empty plates from the counter and wandered over to the sink.
"Thailand." I said with a smile as I looked over my shoulder at my boyfriend, thinking about the conversation we had one night while we were lying in bed and he admitted to wanting to visit the tropical country.
"Ooh, I have one." Scott said suddenly with a smug grin, like he was confident we wouldn't be able to answer correctly. "What is their favourite board game?"
"Scrabble."
"Monopoly. She likes pretending to be an evil overlord and buys up all the properties." Derek said in amusement as he rolled his eyes and I grinned happily as I ate a handful of chocolate chips before offering them to the boys. They both shook their heads as I shrugged indifferently and I noticed the annoyed expressions on their faces as they shared a look.
"Do you want kids?" Stiles asked abruptly with a victoriously expression on his face, thinking that he had won with such a personal question. I gritted my teeth angrily as I glared at him heatedly and his arrogance faded into an apologetic grimace as he cringed away from me.
"You think you've won? You think you've beat us?" I asked him sharply with my eyes narrowed towards him and I felt my boyfriend come up behind me as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "I want two, and Derek wants four. So, we compromised and agreed on three. You can't beat us, Stilinski."
"You've talked about kids?" Scott asked incredulously with a look of disbelief and I leaned back into my boyfriend's embrace as I quirked an eyebrow at my brother.
"We talk about everything. We're in love."
This was one of the reasons their relationships paled in comparison to ours. They just didn't understand that feeling of complete love and trust, that content hum in your veins when you were in the arms of the one you loved. Scott and Stiles may have been in relationships but they weren't on the same level of what I had with Derek.
I wasn't someone who believed in soulmates. I thought it was a completely ridiculous concept, but if it were real, I could believe that's how I felt about Derek. He didn't come into my life peacefully. He made me question things, changed my reality, he marked a before and after in my life. He managed to revolutionise my world the second I laid eyes on him that day in the forest.
"Now get the hell out of my loft." Derek told them pointedly with both of his eyebrows but the rest of his face was blank of emotion and I stifled a smile as I turned my face into the side of his neck. I couldn't help laughing as I heard footsteps rushing out of the loft and Derek pressed a kiss to the side of my head as he shook his head at them.
I lifted my head with a sly smile as I stepped back and he raised an eyebrow in question as I grabbed both of his hands. I started leading him out of the kitchen, walking backwards as I carefully avoided the doorway and I linked my fingers through his as I turned around to face the front, holding our joined hands over my shoulder.
"I love that you surprised me with breakfast, but you ruined my wake up call." I said teasingly as I pulled into the bedroom and he grabbed my hips from behind, startling a laugh out of me as he hurriedly pushed me forward.