0.3

Stiles woke up to the sound of the buzzing of his phone. Groaning, he stretched his hand blindly, hoping his hand would be the one to grab something that resembled the shape of a phone. His fingers made contact with the phone and with his eyelids only opening minutely for little light to enter, he read the name of the caller and saw Scott's name etched onto it. Grumbling, he slid he finger to answer the incessant ringing and placed the said phone next to his ear.

"What?"

"Dude, you at home?"

"i'm on a bed, if that's what you're asking,"

"Oh, thank goodness. Isaac and I couldn't find you at the party,"

"Well, now you know where I am. Hungover and sleepy. Ta-ta," sassed Stiles before hanging up the line. He knew Scott would not feel offended if he had done such an abrupt action towards his best friend. Besides, he never liked his sleep to be interrupted and that was that. He placed the phone back on his nightstand and continued his slumber.

~RETURN~

Derek was preparing his breakfast and had to face another day of working in the library. The bacon was sizzling and he could not contain the craving that was permeating his senses, particularly his stomach, that was aching to be fed with some great food to kickstart the day, providing the necessary energy Derek so desperately needs. He had to rearrange the furnitures that Stiles had drunkenly bumped onto here and there before preparing the aforementioned breakfast.

The phone rang and Derek picked it up, answering the line.

"Guess who!?"

"Laura. What do you want?" asked Derek in a monotone voice.

"Is that the way you should speak to your sister, Derek-bear?" asked Laura childishly.

"Don't call me that!" exclaimed Derek.

"Alright, alright. Sheesh. Someone's having his time of the month,"

"Laura," grumbled Derek.

"Anyways, I'm coming over this weekend. So, I expect some food in the fridge when I'm visiting,"

"Why the hell are you visiting?"

"Because it's February, duh?" retorted Laura, "It's my monthly visit. Don't act like you don't remember my routine. You just don't want to admit that my presence brings a smile to your face,"

Derek chuckled at the jabber. It was true, Laura was mostly the one to bring a smile to the man's face. Her personality somehow resembled Stiles in a way, but Derek dismissed that thought in his mind. They discussed Laura's time being in New York for the time being and Derek hung up the call after exchanging their goodbyes, giving Derek his space to eat his breakfast. Just as Derek was about to take his first bite of his omelette, he heard groaning from the kitchen doorway. Glancing up, he saw Stiles rubbing his eyes lazily and mumbling words that were of gibberish manners.

"Morning," said Derek.

"Goddammit, Sourwolf. You're screaming in my ears," said Stiles angrily.

"Sorry, I got drunk last night," replied Derek sardonically, which received a glare from Stiles.

"That was not funny," said Stiles, "Please tell me I didn't do anything crazy like burn the house down, or kidnap someone's cat or rambled about my boring prepubescent lifestyle or anything between those lines?" he rambled, "Or my real name?" he continued with eyes widened in realization.

Real name? Stiles isn't his real name? "No, you didn't. Except for the part where you had a great revelation that you have a room, and made every single dumb comment about the furnitures blocking your way," said Derek with a chuckle. Stiles groaned in embarrassment before taking a seat and grabbing a bacon from Derek's plate, eliciting a growl from the man, prompting him to back his hand away.

"Alright, fine. I'll get my own. Stop being such a sourwolf now, will ya?"

"It's Derek. Not Sourwolf,"

"Not my fault introductions are hard for you," retorted Stiles. He went to the fridge and grabbed the wrapped bacon and some eggs from it, repeating his choices yesterday. The did not talk for the rest of Stiles' breakfast preparation and Derek was already reading a newspaper. Stiles busied himself and proceeded to distract Derek with his incessant chattering that only brought snippy remarks and grumbling from the older man, to which was not given any attention to Stiles at all. Derek wondered if the world suddenly hated him and decided to land him with a male version of Laura. As if it was not enough to have one Laura, the world decided to end him up with a male version. Possibly with the contingency that both would get along. Not in a million years, Derek thought.

Derek continued his aloof expression as he listened to Stiles' incessant rambling and Derek thought how much energy does this guy have in both a hangover and normal life. It was as if exhaustion did not make a single dent to his energy and could not help but say it was both annoying and shamefully cute. Placing the newspaper down, he left the kitchen with the young man all to his food and showered, not caring whether the man was going to talk to himself. He would not be surprised if he did talk to himself anyway.

Dressing up in casual clothing, the brooding man left the building, but not without receiving a goodbye uttered by Stiles, to which Derek ignored. He had plenty of time to spare and he was heading to the library with his Camaro, a beauty that he could not help but feel proud to be an owner of. The smoothness and slickness of the car itself was something many car owners would envy and kill to own for, which could not be anymore true with the level of crime in the states of United States, like Detroit and New York for example. Crimes were – a surprise factor to the eastern countries – a necessity to get a life, desperate or not.

The library was a building any New Yorker cannot ignore, no matter if one is a street walker with no future, or a graduate who just wanted the degree for the heck of it. Derek had worked there for almost 4 years since his move from Beacon Hills and he lad loved every second of his job there, to the surprise of many. Any worker that were in their twenties or thirties treasure little value of the free knowledge that was in the said building and Derek could not help but feel sorry for the state the world has plummeted to. When he first applied the job, the person who hired him – to everyone's stereotypical surprise, an elderly librarian – was skeptical in hiring him, thinking that he was just doing it as some scheme, prank or dare that someone had coerced him too, too which, that skepticism has now been abated and rid off, much to Derek's gratefulness. He loved the job and the pay was more than enough. From arranging the books on every column to reading the books that he was tasked to place in their respective shelf were moments Derek felt like the library and his room in his apartment were the only space he could call home.

The library had very little staff, which was a not shit, Sherlock to anybody reading this. Besides Derek were an elderly man who was a septuagenarian, a young man name Boyd who was in his mid twenties using his job as a way to pay his monthly apartment rents, and Kira, a young girl who was in college using the job as a medium to perform her college works and perform her tasks at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone, they say.

Derek parked the Camaro into the parking lot, greeting the security guard with a fake polite smile to him. He did not like smiling, despite being told about his habit of doing so, and every time he does so, it was only for the purpose of making sure that he was not considered a rude person or as many New Yorkers or youngsters call it, douchebags or prick. The security guard gave a wave and Derek entered the elevator, pressing the button which will lead him to the home-y and cozy space that he would spend 10 hours in, much to the content of Derek.

He punched the time card and started his shift. The staff were scattered, so it was difficult to say hello to them whenever their shift started, so formalities were skipped. Derek would walk around making sure that no offenders would tarnish the books or amenities with their food – which was prohibited – or mindless doodles and then ensured that the returned books were placed in their respective shelves. Today, it had many books returned, much to the surprise of Derek since the library was such an undervalued place anyway. Regardless, he did his job anyway.

Derek was always the last to leave the library, probably because the old librarian that had hired him thought that his demeanour would be enough to handle any troublemakers that would try to destroy public property. Derek did not mind that, since it only gave him the excuse to let him leave whenever he so desire and clean up the place before giving the okay to himself to lock the place up. He, beside his boss, were the only ones that owned the keys to the library, a privilege he could not help but gloat at.

He sat at his usual spot, which was at the information counter and read books of no specificity with his glasses propped onto his ears. Kira and Boyd only had 5 hour shifts, so Derek was all alone reading his books.

It was already 4 in the afternoon when both Kira and Boyd arrived and began their respective shift. From Derek's observation of the two of them, they used their free time quite differently. Kira would arrange and organize any unwanted and returned books before doing her schoolwork with some reference books next to her. If there were any tasks that required her assistance, she did it without complaint, like an obedient dog, though it did not seem like that since the amount of respect shared between the workers were equal and amiable, characteristically enough. Boyd, on the other hand would do the same thing as Kira does, however during free time, he would lounge around at any random space with a book in his hand. You would find him either sitting crossed legs, legs stretched out or his boy laid on the floor.

He loved the library, that was pretty much true. He enjoyed the few hours of peace that he could find throughout the day rather than being cooped up in a city filled with noises that he would like to dub as 'the city that is too late to save from noise pollution'.

~RETURN~

Stiles cleared his head for most part. He laid in bed thinking of what he had needed to do to pass his time. When someone like Stiles has ADHD, it would be nearly impossible for someone to contain his or her inhibition to stay quiet. It was like a mental patient trying to be released of his confinements in a straitjacket, and would be relentless in trying to be free of its' reins. Derek had left and it was slightly hampering that the older man left without telling him where he was heading. Not that he cared about his whereabouts, it was just his feeling that he would at least give him an extension of a tour that Scott had given him. As much as he enjoyed being in the department stores and buildings that were recognized, he was going to know the common places that the government had graciously provided since he was going to be staying here during the course of his studying. He would ask the landlord, but knowing his personality that is as fickle as any greedy sleaze, he reconsidered his options.

He tossed and turned on his bed, hoping that the small actions of his would alleviate his boredom, except that it did not. So, in return, he grabbed his phone and dialled the first person he could think of. Scott.

The line went through six rings and straight to voice mail. Groaning in disappointment, he texted him instead, asking where could he go instead of being tormented by the silence that was within his room. He soon got a quick reply from the man, who cleared the refusal of his call being answered, saying that he was in the middle of class. He further suggested that he should visit the library that was place a few streets away. Stiles' eyebrows twitched at the suggestion. It was as if he was pouring salt to his current wound by adding more silence to his mire. Texting him in thanks, he got up and dressed and left the apartment in search of the library.

~RETURN~

Scott felt uneasy in the room.

Don't get him wrong though, he loved every second of his lesson but it was slightly difficult when someone who has blue eyes and curly hair and a height that was enough to rival 2 meters would be placed in the same room. How could he concentrate when a certain crush is placed in the same room with you.

It was not love at first sight though. It was more like quirkiness at first sight. The first time they met, Scott only knew him on a friendly basis, which was no surprise since Scott was always friendly, to the point Stiles had believed that even the worst criminals, he would be friendly at. It was the little things that baffled him. From questions regarding assignments that Deaton had furnished his students to the way he bookmarks his book, it was no wonder Scott was beginning to stare at him during his lessons, to which it had resulted him becoming awkward and clumsy at certain times. It did not matter, though. The tall man certainly laughed at his awkwardness. At least that got his attention.

It was even more befuddling when almost wherever he goes in the campus, he was there. Call him presumptuous, but it was as if the man had something for him, but he shook it off, knowing that in no way would someone want to be with a person whose awkward level was off the charts. Besides, Isaac was always flirting with almost all the ladies in the campus, which cleared his suspicion of his sexuality. He was relieved to have Stiles around, someone to distract him from all the ogling and googly eyes.

The party last night was even harder to ignore when Isaac kept following him like a lost puppy, none of which Scott complained. He did not mind it at all, but it did not abate the wave of suspicion of his sexuality since the flirting card that he kept playing was always his in hand whenever a girl would pass by and created small talk. Scott, friendly as he can be, however, turned down many of the advances that the women had tried to insinuate, which was a shocker too, he was aware of the moves the women were making on him and Isaac, only that Isaac was more open to them than he is.

He stayed at the campus with his roommate, Danny, a gay man who Scott believed to be a soul that even the devil cannot touch. He was too nice to even get mad at. Throughout his course here in New York, not once did the man ever come in to the room angry. He was always level-headed and many people loved his presence, ignoring his sexuality, something Scott wish to have when he comes out – if he had the courage to do so, that is.

Danny was reading his book when Scott entered the room and Danny gave a hum in greeting, obviously too entranced by the contents of the book. Scott settled his bag onto his bed, emptying its contents and placing it on the table. He unceremoniously placed the empty bag on the floor, not caring of its well-being. He laid on his bed and began to stare at the ceiling.

The room was small but enough to accommodate two souls inside, if not three. The walls were decorated with posters, all with random contents from movies to bands that Scott had no idea who they were. He was always out of the loop anyway. Danny, too had no idea who they belong, citing that it must have belonged to the previous owners, who graciously manage to leave the room without anything disgusting left behind. Their beds were placed on the adjacent to each other and they were placed by the walls, something that Scott loved since he could stare at the wall on one side all day and stare at the room and Danny on the other. They both were proffered with tables but were rarely used, unless an assignment that they had been neglected had become of utmost importance to complete. The room only had one window and it was placed at Danny's side of the room, something Scott wish he would dominate, but Danny came in earlier than he did. Seeing that first come, first serve was a rule many people value and the fact that Danny and Scott were too nice to begin with, it was more of a win-win situation.

Danny was different from Scott, he was more reserved and quiet, but friendly regardless. He speaks little about his family background, which Scott never pried into. One of the things that irk Scott most was his level-headedness when facing a situation, a trait that Scott really love in men. Unfortunately, for Scott he was the antipode of that. He would freak out if his assignments were not completed. Danny was smart too, leading a double life as an anonymous hacker. Scott never asked anything ill from Danny, because so far in his life, nothing pressured him to the extent of breaking into the campus' security systems. He would mostly see a student knocking and coming into their room and would request and pay for Danny's services. It was the typical kind of requests. Facebook account to computer cameras's were the usuals that many people ask of him, which resulted into two things. One, Danny's pay and two, their clients eventual break-up with their partners, something Scott cannot help but laugh at sometimes.

"Hey, Danny," asked Scott while his eyes were still transfixed towards the ceiling.

"Hmm?" hummed Danny.

"Have you ever been in a relationship?" continued Scott absent-mindedly.

"Once, but the guy ended up with someone in MIT. Lydia, was her name or something. Water under the bridge, though," he elaborated.

"Was it hard? For you to come out?" he asked.

"Scott," Danny called, "Are you having a sexual epiphany?"

"No," he said, this time his eyes trained onto Danny, who was still reading, "Maybe," he paused before sighing defeatedly, "I don't know. Never really had a thing for women, to be honest," he said.

"Well, I'm always available if that's what you're wondering,"

"I'll hold on to that, Mahealani," he said before the two burst out in laughter. Sure, Danny was attractive and that was a plus side to his endearing qualities. He was nice, benevolent and all the things God probably was desperate to create a vessel that had lacked the desired qualities of his previous creation and that was how Danny was conceived, he guessed.

Scott gave a sigh before letting the siesta spell overtake him, trying to quell his thoughts of Isaac.

~RETURN~

Stiles walked down the streets of New York alone. Now that he had a proper perspective in check, he was now understanding the beauty of New York, something he had missed out on the two times Scott had brought him out on. The people were bustling, there is in no way a place in New York that is void of any human souls. They did not call it the city that never sleeps for nothing, Stiles guessed. It was not hard to find his way around New York, since technology has become a medium of essentiality to every living being in there anyway. Google was a godsend to Stiles, without it, he would be lost in his time alone.

He would have arrived at the library sooner, had it not been his fascination and excitement to explore Central Park first. Any American who had never travelled around New York for the first time would be an idiot to miss out on one of the most iconic landmark that has been hailed by all travellers. It was expansive, and if Stiles had known any better, he would have been almost lost, if the signs there were not placed for the wandering souls.

Having his desire and curiosity of Central Park satiated, he headed to the library that Scott had mentioned, and it was already half past five, which Stiles began to worry as he would have believed that the library would be closed during peak hours. However, his assumptions turned out wrong when he came across the building still available for the public to enter whenever they so desire. Stiles smiled and he climbed up the steps before entering the building. It was grand sure, but Beacon Hills never really offered anything grand in life anyway.

He entered the building and saw how scarce and nearly bare of people there was in the entire building. It was a relief too, the space was copious and he had the freedom to choose anywhere to go to have a good read and he was going to stick that way. Out of all places, the library was the only place where he could keep his lips sealed and shut. Hyperactive, yea but Stiles did not need the use of his mouth and vocal chords to vent out his energy anyway.

Browsing around cursorily, he saw the amount of books that were held in there. Every book that one could possibly need and have were placed there, and Stiles mentally praised for their need of being updated in their lexicons. However, with that advantage comes with a disadvantage as he realized that he needed to be a registered member to allow himself to have access to the books should he bring them out of their quarters.

As he walked to the mahogany table that was located in the middle of the library in a circle, mahogany wood fashion, he saw a man in black and face buried deep in his reading. As he neared the said table, he was not pleased to see Derek Hale to be sitting there. Well, he was. It gave Stiles all the more reason to have friendly conversations with him.

"Psst. Psst. Sourwolf," teased Stiles playfully in with a whispered tone. The man look up from his book and groaned and flared his nose when he saw the mole splattered kid, "Didn't know you work here. Aren't you a little too cold to be a librarian?" he asked.

"What do you want?" asked Derek tersely.

"Got a member application form?" he asked.

Grunting in annoyance, he stood up and picked up a piece of paper and placed it on the table. He also took out a pen that was placed roughly, but not loudly on the table, clearly expressing his distaste of the boy's presence. Ignoring the advance, he picked the pen up and Derek returned to his seat.

"Psst, Derek. Can I just write Stiles as my real name?"

"Why not your real name?" he asked vexedly.

"I would, but it'd be a really tongue twist for anyone to read."

"Go ahead. And stop bothering me," he said.

"Some librarian you are. I can feel the hospitality radiating from your words," he retorted sarcastically, "Sourwolf,"

"Stiles," Derek said in a warning tone. Putting his hand up in surrender, he wrote down the information that were asterisked on the paper, filing up the necessary informations before signing the form and returning it to the brooding librarian. The man took the paper and gave a laconic explanation that his card will be done in a week, to which Stiles nodded at excitedly.

"Sourwolf. What time does your shift end?"

"Why?"

"A tour around the city would be nice. Since you've been aging here for a while,"

"Excuse me?" he hissed harshly.

"Yeah, aging. You know living and basically living life as a Sourwolf. I call it aging," he explained. Derek stared at the man coldly and sat down without saying anything, "Someone's sulking, alright. I'll just wait for you to be done then if you're not telling me," he replied casually and insensitively. He walked around for a book and sat down in front of the information counter where Derek was sitting at, smiling contently that his presence incensed the man in scruff who was growling lowly.

A/N: Just a filler for this chapter. The next chapter will be more about Scott and Isaac.