0.5

"The amount of curly fries astounds me," said Derek in a monotone voice. They stopped over at a fast food restaurant, much to the elation of Stiles, he ordered curly fries that were enough to cover to trays, and Derek simply went with a burger and a small pack of curly fries. Stiles was clearly enjoying the taste of the fries and he did not seem to bother the sarcasm.

"Don't judge," he said with a curly fry held pointedly towards him, "This creation is what makes the world a better place. I would marry it, but then again, I like someone with a heart," he continued before stuffing his mouth with curly fries once more, "It's a Stilinski thing,"

Scoffing in disbelief, Derek continued eating his meal. He looked surreptitiously at the young man – with happiness manifest in his eyes – gorging down the curly fries. Dipping them in the sauces, and then placing them in his mouth. For some weird reason, it makes Derek smile at the childishness.

He did not realize that he had been staring at the young man intently until Stiles snapped him out of it, "Hey, Derek. You okay?"

He shook his head, ridding himself of his woolgathering and saw a drip of ketchup on the side of his mouth. With his senses still not in awareness mode 100%, he took a napkin and wiped the side of Stiles' face. Stiles' eyes widened at the gesture and muttered a shy thanks at the man and continued eating. They ate in awkward silence, and Stiles, who usually had topics in his mind was rendered speechless and his mind was still shrouded over the fact that Derek, who was as sour and moody as any kid would be when its disapproved of things, gave a small, kind gesture at him. Clearly, his heart was racing when he did something like that.

Glancing up, he saw Derek still eating his fries, patently unaware of the mayonnaise that was on the side of his mouth. Without thinking or judging his action, he used his thumb and neared it towards the man's cheek, which prompted a confused look from the man as he saw Stiles' rubbing it off gently and slowly. He then dabbed the mayonnaise on the napkin, and muttered, "You got a little mayonnaise right there just now,"

With a swallow, Derek replied, "Thanks,"

~RETURN~

The ride home was not all that bad. Stiles filled the atmosphere with conversations that were of random topics and Derek was slightly relieved of the icebreaker from all the awkwardness that happened in the fast food diner. He was not listening to everything that Stiles muttered but clearly realized how much energy he has, even when it is usually time for bed. Surely his dad must have a heart time keeping him in control, he thought.

Derek parked the vehicle at side of the road, where he usually parks and Stiles alighted the vehicle. They both walked inside the building and with the usage of the elevator, they soon arrived at the fifth floor, where they home is located. Derek unlocked the door and turned on the lights and clearly was surprised of the intruder that was in the house.

"Der-bear!" exclaimed the brunette woman. He hugged Derek and as usual, with his mood that was the source of all killjoys, he patted her on the back.

"Laura," he said gruffly, "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting, duh. You're lucky Cora isn't here to visit you," she replied. With a grunt in response, the older woman turned to Stiles, "Who's this?"

"Stiles. Stiles Stilinski," he replied.

"The sheriff's son?" she instantly asked.

"Yeah. Wait, what?" he said with a perplexed look.

"You don't happen to know a place called Beacon Hills, do you?" asked Laura.

"That's where I come from," he replied.

"Well, what a coincidence. We're from Beacon Hills too. Not a lot going to New York, that's for sure,"

"How is it I've never seen you before?"

"Clearly you don't know about the fire," said Laura.

"Laura," said Derek with tension laced in his voice.

"What fire?" pressed Stiles, intrigued by the start of the story. Laura looked at Derek, clearly uncomfortable with the topic initiated by Laura.

"I guess," she said before pursing her lips in consideration, "Der-Bear will tell you that," said Laura finally.

"Der-Bear? More like Sourwolf," retorted Stiles with a scoff. Laura laughed at the nickname and Derek glared at Stiles at the nickname.

"That's actually really good, Stiles. Way better than Der-Bear right, Sourwolf?" she asked teasingly, "Clearly that nickname should only be called by Stiles. He created it, and has license towards it," she said before yawning, "I'm just gonna hit the sack. Guest room not taken?"

"Uhh," said Derek, "Stiles' made it his new room," he continued with his hand scratching the back of his neck.

"Ahh, I see. Here I thought you were on a date," said Laura coolly.

"What?" said Stiles and Derek in unison.

"Wait, you guys not dating?" she asked innocently. Both men shook their heads in denial. "Oops. Well, that was awkward," she said with her arms now mindlessly touching each other in embarrassment, "So where do I sleep? Definitely not the couch,"

"You could just take my bed," said Derek, "I'll take the couch,"

"Or you could just share with me," offered Stiles. He was becoming slightly weirded out by the two pairs of eyes looking at him in disbelief, "I mean, the bed's big enough to fit two people, right?" he asked. Derek nodded, albeit reluctantly so.

"Well, Derek. Seeing that your bed in the converted guest room is single," she said pointedly ro Stiles, "and I don't want to share nor cuddle with you, no offense, you can just share with Stiles, Der-Bear. The sofa can't even fit your tall body," agreed Laura. With that, she left and went into Stiles' room with her bag that was placed onto the sofa. She locked the door, leaving the two men in the living room to themselves.

Locking the door behind him, Stiles began, "So..."

With a gruff tone, Derek walked to his room with Stiles following behind him. Stiles went over to his room, with his hand knocking onto his locked door. Laura opened the door with his eyes peeking through the minute amount of space, "Yes?"

"Ummm, I need to get my clothes for the night,"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot that this is your new room," said Laura before opening the door widely. He entered in the room, grabbing his shirt and shorts as quickly as possible. "So, you just came in here?"

"Bout three days ago," he replied. Laura gave a hum of acknowledgement.

"So, what do you think of my brother?" she asked. Stiles was now standing in front of her, clearly taken aback by the question.

"Umm, he's kind quiet," he described.

Laura chuckled at the rejoinder, "Don't be surprised though, he has been like that since he was sixteen. The year the fire happened," she said.

"What happened?" he asked.

"As I told you, Derek will tell you but overall. Trust me, I'm tempted to share it with you but what I can tell you is that he's not always this moody and bipolar before the fire," she explained, "Just give him time. He doesn't like to open about his feelings, and painfully so," she reasoned. After a long pause, Laura asked, "You sure you guys aren't dating or something?"

Stiles flustered at the question and immediately reiterated his words, "No. I'm not gay. Maybe,"

"Maybe? What's that supposed to mean?" she asked with her eyebrows raised.

"I mean. I've never been in a relationship," he admitted sheepishly

"Ahh, very self observant of you," she said before standing up and closing up to him, "I like you, Stiles. Take care of my brother while I'm not around, all right?" asked Laura. Stiles nodded with confusion and stupor, clearly bemused of the sudden question. They stood in silence before Laura said in a cheery tone, "Well, goodnight Stiles. You should go. Wouldn't want Derek waiting on you. He likes his door locked whenever he's in there. Would suck to sleep on the couch, trust me," she said. Stiles nodded and walked out of the room hurriedly, changing his clothes in the bathroom and dumping his used shirt in the laundry basket. He looked at the filled to the brim basket and made a mental note to send them to the laundromat the next day. With his clothes now changed, he walked to Derek's room and opened the door with a deep breath and turned the knob slowly. He assumed that Derek was asleep by now, so with tenderness in his movements he opened the door and saw the man lying on the bed, with his back facing Stiles.

Well, this is awkward. Their relationship has been all kinds of awkward and Stiles closed the door gently. He stood there and rubbed his arm, uncomfortable of the silence in the room. He looked inside the room and saw the photos that decorated his wardrobe. It was simple, but slightly bare. He took the pillow from the bed and placed them on the floor. He was about to lay down and let himself sleep. He felt the floor made contact with his back and it was quite unsettling of the feeling of sleeping on the floor. This isn't going to end well sleeping here. He did not hear anything from Derek regarding his decision to sleep on the floor. He took the silence as a yes, and with might that he collected in his mind did he allow the darkness to overcome his senses.

He woke up and expected the discomfiture running through his muscles as he woke up. He moved his arm and the first thing his senses picked up was the soft fabric of sheets that was beneath him. He moved his hand and drifted it to get his senses adapted to the feeling. He then had realized that he was on Derek's bed and his mind went questioning of his sudden appearance onto the bed. Last he checked, he was sure that he was sleeping on the floor. He looked over to his left and saw Derek's body turned away from him. Did he carry me here?

He looked at the body of Derek and saw that he was wearing sweatpants and a grey shirt that fit his body really well. What really caught Stiles' eyes was the small part of the tattoo that was displayed on his back just below the nape of his neck. For strangers, most would not just touch people without permission or when one has gone into the point of a relationship, whether intimate or not, but in Stiles' mind, being the impulsive one that he is, his fingertips touched the tattoo hesitantly, hoping that his fingers would only brush the inked skin.

What he did not expect was the growl like grumble that elicited from the motionless body. Stiles retracted his fingers that touched the skin between the defined shoulder blades. Stiles looked up to the ceiling, forgoing his mission to discover the complete tattoo. Derek shifted his body and continued his slumber. Stiles looked over to his right and saw the time and it was barely eight in the morning. He had almost a week and a half before classes start and the copious amount of time that he had in hand only brought more boredom in his time. He got off from his bed and went to the bathroom to relieve himself. Once finished, he went over to the kitchen and saw Laura sitting down, munching on crackers and taking occasional sips of coffee. She smiled at Stiles in greeting. Stiles, who was still in a sleep trance, gave a hum in response and sat down on the chair next to her, and took a bite of the cracker.

"Slept well?" asked Laura, who grabbed a fresh cup of coffee and placed it on the table for Stiles. Stiles muttered a soft thanks before dipping the said cracker in his coffee and taking a bite out of it.

"I guess, I don't remember being on the bed, though," said Stiles, his attention fixated to the cracker in his hands.

"What do you mean?" she asked with eyebrows raised.

"I slept on the floor," said Stiles sheepishly. Great, now I feel like someone who's asking pity.

"Why?" asked Laura.

Stiles paused for a moment, collectively trying to think of ways to prevaricate the question but ended up answering, "Coz your brother is the most sour and moody person in the world and I'm slightly terrified of him?" Laura laughed at the response and Stiles' cheeks were getting red from the answer.

"Ahhh, that's excusable," she sighed after laughing, "So you have no idea how you got there on bed?" Stiles shook his head in response, "I guess that just means one thing,"

"What?"

"My brother has a crush on you," she replied simply.

Huh?

~RETURN~

Derek felt two tender fingers touching his back, specifically his tattoo. Out of instinct, the man gave a growl in response, and he could no longer feel the touch, much to Derek's surprising chagrin.

He returned to sleep, replaying the events that happened the night before.

Derek entered his room, clearly sulking of the fact that Stiles and Laura had concurred that Laura will take Stiles' bed instead of his. He did not want to share his bed with Stiles, since he was still a stranger. For all he knew, he could be a serial killer and Derek can admit that it was an illogical yet hypothetical excuse to feel suspicious that the two, let alone Stiles, suggest and agreed that this was a plausible idea. Removing his shirt and pants, he grabbed his sweatpants and grey shirt from the dresser and wore them. He laid on the bed and immediately went over to the side where his face and body was facing the wall.

He stared at the wall in front of him, clearly troubled by the conversation regarding the fire that happened many years ago. He was confident in saying that his family had passed away, but the events that supervened that night gave Derek little confidence to talk about it; think about it even.

He heard the door being opened and could have ordered the young man to lock it like he always have done it, but refrained himself from doing so. He did not hear the mattress being impacted of any significant weight and began to wonder whether he was hallucinating or not. He was pretty sure he heard the door being opened and closed. Not wanting to move, he laid still on the bed, feigning ignorance at the young man's well-being. He could hear the pillow being picked up and landed softly on the floor, and his face scrunching in exasperation but did nothing still.

Was he that repulsive to begin with, he asked himself, insofar as to let Stiles keep distance from him as if he were a leper? He hated to admit it, but he liked Stiles around – and will never admit that openly to anyone about that – even though he was annoying and all, but also because he was an embodiment of what he was before the fire and a redolent to Laura's childlike personality.

He was something he was before and something he was afraid to be again.

He finally heard Stiles' snoring soundly, and Derek moved over to see the man laid across. He did not realize that he had already taken his sleep from all the thoughts that had shrouded his mind. His eyes were heavy and when he got off the bed, he picked the young man up in his arms and placed him gently on the bed. Thank goodness he was not a heavy sleeper, or things would have ended up really problematic. The young man smiled at the softness and Derek could not help but smile back at the endearment.

He laid back on the bed, but not without brushing the hair out of his Stiles' face and whispering a goodnight to him. He laid back on his side and returned the former position, closing his eyes.

He then realized he had already left the bed, and Derek laid on the bed by his back, slightly pleased by the fact that he had not need to add too much pressure to the point of muscle cramps on his right side of the body.

He sighed in both fear and content upon staring at the ceiling.

~RETURN~

Scott sent his reply text to Isaac, giving the okay that Danny and himself will be joining. As much as he wants to join Isaac, the fact that he was basically in a relationship only made his heart clench tighter and tighter by the hour, and with Danny, he would at least gain a semblance of an anchor, allowing himself to distract himself of what would be evinced in front of him when they hang out.

Scott showered and tried to shake off the body of Danny's, on how the water smoothly cascade from his soft and supple skin, from the black hair that coursed through and dripped down to his neck and then to past his shoulder blade and finally trailing down to his butt and toned, firm legs. He was glad that the door was locked behind him, or he will be having a hard time focusing on getting his sanity in check as he showered.

He dried himself with his towel and looked at himself in the mirror. His mind kept chanting to get it together and hope that he does not screw things up during their outing. He brushed his teeth thoroughly and then rinsed his mouth. He went out of the bathroom and found Danny dressed up in a fitting navy blue shirt with jeans that documented his legs fairly well. With his cheeks getting heated when he thought about the peeping incident, he rushed to get himself dressed before Danny starts asking if he was alright. He went to his dresser and donned a red striped shirt and wore his boxer briefs and finally his pants. He did not give much attention to his wavy hair and proceeded to place his towel by the chair, where he usually hangs. He grabbed his wallet and phone before telling Danny that he was ready to leave. The pair went off and soon left the dormitory, locking the door.

Weekend was void of any classes, so it only made more sense for Isaac to suggest the idea of having an outing with some of his friends. Scott and Danny passed along the corridors that will soon lead them to the outdoors, where the hustle and the bustle reigns supreme in the atmosphere. They clamoured down the staircases, an alternative that Danny prefers using since the elevators at this time of the weekend is a conduit for the large amount of students leaving for their own respective activities.

They soon arrived at the ground floor where Isaac and Allison were cozying up to each other. The sight unnerved Scott and he balled his hands into a fist and it was just pure heartbreak on how much they were being sardonic towards him, unbeknownst to them. He could not help it. It was just aggravating to see the two going on at each other.

"Scott. You okay," asked Danny with his eyebrows furrowed, concern laced in his words.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Just something in my mind," he replied quickly.

"You sure? You seem real tense," replied Danny.

"Don't worry about it," said Scott with an assuring smile. Danny nodded, albeit unconvinced of the response. Out of respect, he let it go, and saw the couple walking up to them with a wave of their hands and cheerful smiles plastered on their faces. Scott pulled himself back and wore a smile on his face. They walked off into town and were immediately met with cars honking at one another along with people walking. Some were working hurriedly and some were shouting in their phones, not giving care to the people around them. There were others who were walking leisurely and Scott cannot help but feel lonely looking at the amount of couples that passed by linking arms with each other, and have bright smiling faces on their faces, their time well spent for each other. Scott could not help but feel envy at the people who were in a blissful state and Scott never felt more alone at the sight. Sure, he had his mother and Stiles looking out for him, but he wants more than that. Someone who could give him the love that he deserved.

"Scott!" called Isaac. Scott snapped out his mind and looked at the three, who were now at a considerable distance away from him, "You coming?" he hollered. He nodded his head and walked at a brisk pace towards the three, apologizing for his behaviour. They shrugged it nonetheless, and Scott did not know whether to feel either relieved or more hurt about their indifference.