Peter hadn't seen Derek in years, he doubted that they still had anything in common. When they had been younger, yes. When Peter had been in his early twenties and Derek in his late teens they had stuck together most of the time. They both had never been big with the friends thing. Peter didn't trust easily and to him, most people were just means to an end and Derek just liked to be alone most of the time. They had been each other's exception.
Until Kate, until the fire.
Peter doubted that they could go back to that but he would take whatever Derek was willing to give.
The first minutes of their coffee date were as awkward as expected but when Derek started to talk about the man he'd married, Peter saw the love in his eyes and heard the fondness in his voice. A long time ago Peter had talked the same way about Olivia and it stung, he couldn't deny that, but Derek didn't dwell on the sappy part of his story. Apparently, Stiles was witty and sarcastic and he could be an ass.
"You'll like him," Derek said with a knowing look over the rim of his cup.
"Looking forward to meeting him," Peter said honestly. This Stiles did sound like somebody he could tolerate. What struck him more, though, was the fact that Derek had just offered to introduce them. A part of Peter had feared that Derek only wanted to see him to tell him in person to stay the fuck out of his life but here he was, reaching out to him.
"So, what have you been up to?" Derek changed the topic.
Peter had done a lot of things over the years but quite a few he wasn't proud of and most of what he was proud of he couldn't talk about because they were morally ambiguous at least or just downright illegal. However, he could talk about his trip to France and that one bistro he had to get back to eventually. His impressions on Singapore, things like that.
"You got around a lot. I only made it to the other side of the country," Derek commented but not unkindly.
"You married and settled down," Peter reminded him. "I was kind of on the run."
Because the fire had taken his chance to marry and settle down. Back then Peter had blamed Derek for that. It had been better for both of them that he'd left.
Silence fell over the table and Peter just knew that Derek was about to apologize again so he hurried to say something first.
"And you became a professor." Peter raised his cup in a toast. "Not bad, nephew, not bad."
At that Derek ducked his head, he still hadn't learned to take a praise. For a second he looked like a teenager again.
"I know what I was like when I went to college. I would rather shoot myself than deal with a whole class of assholes like that on a daily base." Peter tried to lighten the mood and it worked.
"You have no idea." Derek went with it easily. "Just this morning I got an email from a drunk student, asking for an extension for an assignment. It's due by midnight today."
"Did you grant it?" Peter asked.
"Of course not." Derek snorted into his coffee. "For an emergency like an accident or something with the family yes but not when he's stupid enough to get drunk with a deadline coming up. It's early in the semester if I cut them too much slack now they won't take me seriously ever again."
"Don't show weakness," Peter agreed. He'd never worked with students but he had dealt with his fair share of thugs and wannabe gangsters.
"I don't even want to know." Derek shook his head.
They talked for over an hour and it did feel just like then. When Peter left the coffee shop it was with the invitation to dinner at Derek's place on Saturday.
Only when Peter got back to the hotel he realized that his dinner with Derek was clashing with his kind of date he had with Stranger.
Something came up, I won't be able to be at the club on Saturday, he wrote.
The check-mark didn't turn blue immediately but the other man was probably busy with whatever he was doing on a Sunday afternoon. The way he refused to give out personal information screamed that he most likely had a family. Stranger hadn't worn a ring but Peter would bet money that he was cheating on his spouse. He might even have a wife and kids waiting for him at home. He would not be the first guy who lived out his gay side in secret.
Not that Peter cared. Stranger was an adult, he was the only one responsible for his behavior. If anyone had to deal with the consequences it was him.
However, Peter had been looking forward to seeing him again, but waiting until next week didn't sit right with him. So after a second, he sent out another message.
Are you free anytime over the week?
Stranger did answer a few minutes later.
Was about to tell you the same, something came up on my end as well. Give me a moment, I have to check if I can squeeze you in over the week
Stranger had added a winking emoji at the end. In case Peter missed the pun, he guessed. He rolled his eyes at his phone.
Wednesday? Stranger asked.
They texted back and forth for a moment and in the end, they agreed to skip the club and meet directly in Peter's hotel room on Wednesday.
Peter would have loved to buy him dinner first but he knew that Stranger would not agree to that, it would carry them too far into dating territory, but it didn't sit right with Peter to have him over for just a quick rolling in the sheets. He had his standards.
So on Wednesday Peter had a little surprise ready for his guest.
"What is that?" Stranger asked when he spotted the plate and the glasses.
"It's called a cheese charcuterie," Peter explained. He put his hand on the small of Stranger's back to get him to move farther into the room. Once Peter could get past him, he went ahead and reached for the bottle. "Wine?"
"I thought I made it clear where we stand." Stranger took a step back, his expression caught between anger and disappointment.
"Absolutely." Peter filled the glasses with red wine. "We're strangers with benefits. One of the benefits is room service." He held out a glass to him and after a long second Stranger did take it.
"Who else are you expecting?" Stranger asked when he had a closer look at the platter. An assortment of about fifteen different kinds of cheese, grapes and cut up pears, crackers, a basket with a variety of bread, and of course butter and other spreads.
"We don't have to eat it all." Peter made an inviting gesture and after a second Stranger sat down on the couch. Calling it a win Peter sat down next to him. Their legs weren't touching but they were close.
"Don't tell me you want to feed me grapes." Stranger gave him a skeptical look. "This is not 9 ½ weeks."
"It wasn't the intention but we can turn this into foreplay." Peter shrugged and offered him the breadbasket.
They didn't feed each other grapes but they ate and after a moment Stranger got more comfortable with the situation.
"I could get used to this kind of benefits," Stranger admitted. "You know, in addition to the other benefits." He swirled the tip of his tongue around the grape he was about to pop into his mouth.
Peter just gave him an unimpressed look.
"You might get to enjoy the other benefits for a little while longer," Peter said. "That thing that turned up for Saturday? It might lead to me staying for a while."
"Awesome." Stranger grinned at him. "But just FYI, I have a life outside of this. Usually, I have Saturday to go out, sometimes Friday as well but otherwise my week is pretty packed with other stuff."
"I can work with that." Peter put a generous piece of cheese on a cracker. He hadn't gone cheap, this was mostly imported stuff and he had to say that it was worth the money. Maybe the company did its part as well. Peter glanced over to Stranger who was happily munching his way through the different kinds of cheese.
He would love to know more about him but so far Stranger hadn't let slip much. Which just added to the mystery. Peter hadn't been this interested in somebody in quite a while and he was enjoying the thrill. Plus, the sex was awesome.
Peter waited until Stranger had cleansed his mouth with a sip of wine before he leaned over and brought their lips together.
"I'm not done with the cheese," Stranger protested but when Peter cupped the side of his head to bring him back on track, he went with it willingly. Peter deepened the kiss and was met with the open heat of Stranger's mouth.
"You can finish the cheese later," Peter mumbled into the kiss.
They kissed, hands started to wander, and a few minutes later Stranger was on his knees between Peter's spread legs, taking him down to the root.
Not only did he manage to take him deep without choking, he even had the nerve to look up at Peter with innocent eyes. Peter almost shot his load right then and there. Which would have been a shame, he wanted this to last.
Stranger played him like a fiddle, bringing him to the edge over and over again with his skilled tongue and long fingers but he didn't let him come. Peter was close to just grabbing his head and fucking his mouth until he came deep in his throat when Stranger pulled off completely. Confused Peter blinked at him but before his brain caught up with what was happening Stranger was straddling him and he ever so slowly sank down on his throbbing erection.
"Are you always this loose or did you come prepared?" Peter managed to ask but then Stranger started to move and the question lost its meaning.
It didn't take long for Peter to spill his release. Spent he sank against the back of the couch. He should lend Stranger a hand, he knew that but damn, he'd done a number on him. Stranger didn't seem to mind, though. With Peter still buried to the hilt inside him, Stranger closed his hand around his own erection and brought himself over the edge. Jets of come his Peter's chest and Stranger looked way too proud over the fact that he'd worn out Peter and had finished off with leaving his signature all over him.
They did carry this over to the bed eventually where Peter returned the favor and reduced the other man to a writhing mess until he begged to get fucked again.
They stayed in bed for a little while longer, Stranger with his head on Peter's shoulder and they were both close to drifting off to sleep but eventually, Stranger got up and went for a shower.
He did kiss Peter goodbye with the promise to contact him soon but what convinced Peter that he would be back was the fact that he raided the cheese platter on his way out.
Peter freshened up as well and then he was sitting on the couch, nibbling at the remains of their not quite dinner, wondering what he'd gotten into. He didn't have an answer to that, Stranger stayed firm with the no personal stuff but on the other hand, it felt like more than just sex.
On Saturday, Peter was at Derek's door with a bottle of wine in his hand and anxiety twisting his stomach. It was stupid, he knew that but this was kind of worse than meeting the parents.
Derek opened the door and welcomed him with a warm smile.
"Come in." He took the wine and led him deeper into the house. "Stiles has a meeting at the university but he should be here soon."
Peter followed him into the living room.
"Nice place," Peter said not just to fill the silence. He got the feeling that Derek was just as nervous as him.
"That's him?" Peter spotted the pictures on the wall. Curious he stepped closer.
"That was our wedding." Proudly Derek showed him the picture in the center. Derek looked happy and the man next to him was grinning into the camera.
Peter knew that face. He knew that grin. Those lips had been firmly wrapped around his dick just the other day.
