1.2
"Who?" asks Stiles.
Derek's mouth hinge open and looks back and forth at Stiles and Paige. He shuts his eyes almost airtight, hoping that someone pinches him and tell him that the lady is just some misguided lady who happens to know them way back somewhere, like the library or something. He opens his eyes and sees the two people looking at them, waiting for a proper answer. He exhales deeply, and looks upwards to understand what life is pulling and pushing him through.
"Stiles, this is Paige. My ex-girlfriend," replies Derek with the 'ex' emphasized with heavy inflection.
"Didn't realize you'd gone gay, Derek," says Paige jokingly, "He looks handsome. Not bad," Stiles coughs nervously at the comment before looking at Derek.
"Kill me now," comments Derek, "What are you doing here, Paige?"
"Well, I finished my studies and I thought of getting back together, and I see you batting for the other team? Don't tell me you had forgotten abou-,"
"No," denies Derek. Paige raises an eyebrow at him, unimpressed with his denial.
"I'm sure Stiles will be happy to hear it when I-"
"Paige," grouses Derek, "Don't," he looks at Stiles hesitantly, not really wanting to ask him to leave immediately nor does he have the doughtiness to talk with Paige. He closes in on Paige and lowers his voice, "We broke up. Under your terms,"
"I did it for a reason, and that was studying," Derek rolls his eyes, his words all at a loss as he doesn't seem to be able to convince Paige of this situation. Stiles looks at the two of them, not really sure whether is there something to interrupt or say. He clears his throat, and suggested to buy some coffee and leaving the two for a moment. Derek tries to refuse but Stiles had already left before he could get a word out. Paige looks sympathetic at Stiles, not really in the mood for this either, and seeing the affection between the two only drives her to either end this or just break the two of them apart.
The two sit while waiting for Stiles and Derek tries not to look at her. It is awkward, having to meet someone whom he had broken up with returning to see that he now bats for the other team. He did love Paige, sure, but now with Stiles, he had to move on. Besides, Derek had long moved on from Paige. If only Paige could see things differently.
"Look, if I had known that you had fallen in love with Stiles like months, maybe I would have left you alone. But no, I have to find you and give you silent calls to tell you that," explains Paige. Derek looks at her in disbelief, unable to fathom that she cannot seem to see the method of pursuing him.
"Silent calls, Paige. How am I supposed to know who you are when all I have been receiving is silent calls from an unknown number?"
"Unknown number? I thought the silence is enough, or do I need a rundown on our relationship to give you the bigger picture?!" exclaims Paige. She plops back down to her seat and huffs a stray hair out of her face, "Look, I still have feelings for you, Derek. You being gay, its just a phase, right? I mean sooner or later, you'll leave Stiles and then be back with me. Simple as that,"
"We're adults, Paige. And between the two of us I didn't realize the one who's just finished her studies become the delusional one," comments Derek.
"Not when my parents already have plans for the wedding, I am not," retorts Paige reflexively.
"What?"
"My parents," he holds Derek's hand, "They agreed that the wedding is next month, and I already have the dress picked out," Derek looked back in disbelief, his ears feel numb to the message that was sent out to him. Stiles is still waiting in line and Derek really hates the situation that he has been put in. Paige has no idea the amount of days they spent together; both Stiles and Derek, and the idea of her feeling that she will come and be waltz into Derek's life once more bring anger and a slight sadness of the predicament.
"I won't leave Stiles," confirms Derek. Paige looks at Derek, slightly hurt of the declaration. "I care about him more than you know, Paige, and I will gladly step down the altar if I have to be with him,"
"Of course you'd say that. That's why our parents agreed to the idea before the fire," Derek's eyebrows went down, clearly displeased of the mention of his family. Paige leans in closer, "They agreed that we'd marry, right after I finish my studies,"
"You're lying,"
Paige takes out a piece of paper from her bag and places it on the table, "Signed. 2005. Need I say more?" Derek looks at her with suspicion before taking the paper. He skims through it, before looking at the bottom of the paper. He recognizes the signature and instantly discern it as his mother's signature. His confidence wavers when he tacitly admits the signature and looks at Paige with distaste before looking at Stiles. He's just one person behind his next order and Derek places the paper down on the table.
"Do you not care of my happiness?" says Derek before picking the paper up once more and leaving the conversation hanging. He grabs Stiles before he could even place his order. He is about to leave the place when he pulls goes back to Paige, "Don't hold your breath on getting me married because I have no idea who you are," and walks back out grabbing Stiles home, his mood crushed to bits.
~RETURN~
They return home, with Derek walking ahead of Stiles. Stiles didn't mention anything about the meeting with Paige and Derek seems irked to almost no end as he holds the paper in his hand. Stiles didn't talk with Derek. He did, at first, but with the constant silence as his reply, Stiles slowed his pace, and Derek didn't seem to be bothered about his purposeful inability to not keep up. They walk up the stairs to the apartment and Derek enters without sparing a single second for Stiles to catch up. Stiles manages to catch up, but when he finally enters the room, he can hear Derek's door slammed shut. It's 24 minutes past twelve, and Stiles figures that they won't be going out for the day. Not with whatever Paige and Derek had discussed. Stiles enters his room and wait for a moment where the air is breathable for the both of them.
Twelve-thirty turned to one. And one turned to two. Then, three. And Stiles can no longer sit still in his room doing nothing. He walks out of his bed and goes to the door, opening slowly as if he's leaving into Derek's room. He walks towards Derek's door and slowly peeks through the miniscule space of his room. Nothing is damaged, which brings relief into Stiles' cognizance. He widens the door and sees Derek laid on the bed, his hands becoming his pillow. He walks in and closes the door behind him gently, hoping that his presence doesn't alert him. Derek's eyes are fixated to the window, his body present but his mind absent and elsewhere.
Stiles lays down next to him and Derek moves his arm to drape it around Stiles' shoulder. They lay in comfortable silence, and Stiles' finger traces circles around the blanket. He soon gets bored of his small activity and then moves his arm to wrap around Derek's torso. Derek breathes in slowly like his consciousness has just returned from his train of thoughts. Stiles kisses his cheek, and Derek tilts his head to have his eyes meet Stiles' and he presses his lips with Stiles.
They kiss celibately, the idea of sex not really apposite for the day. "You okay?" asks Stiles.
Derek breathes in before shifting his body to align with Stiles, "I don't know,"
"It's gonna be fine, alright? I'm here," assures Stiles hopefully. Derek nods and places a chaste kiss onto Stiles' lip, wanting his mind to feel the same as Stiles did, "Hey, I love you, you know that, right? I'm still going to be here with you,"
"I love you too. And you promise?" hopes Derek.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,"
Derek groans audibly at the Harry Potter reference before the two chuckled. "Weirdo," says Derek before he tightens his grip on Stiles, the comfort of the two being enough than what has happened in the city. They lay on the bed for god knows how long, with their threads of thoughts running freely in the four walls of Derek's room.
~RETURN~
"So, you guys broke up because of her studies?" rehashes Stiles, trying to process meticulously the story Derek has just told him. Derek nods with his finger pressing the button of the television remote. The volume is lower than the audible tone, notably because the shows are of prosaic ones. Stiles' hand is locked with Derek's with his fingers rubbing mindlessly against Derek's. Derek doesn't seem to be bothered by it and Stiles' continues the semi-ticklish contact, "And your parents agreed that both of you get married?"
"We were teenagers," explains Derek, "We were head over heels until she wanted to leave. Then the fire happened, and then I became that Derek before you came in," Stiles nods, and didn't speak for a moment. Derek's slightly confused, wondering why Stiles never ask about the fire. Instead, he sees Stiles continuing to play with his fingers, like some baby fascinated by his father's genes and structure, "You're not gonna ask about the fire?"
Stiles' movement stopped and cants his to meet Derek's eyes, "Should I?" Derek flusters for moment, his words unable to leave his lips, "I rarely evel tell anyone about my mother, and I don't see why you should too. If you want to tell it, go ahead, but if you want me telling you about my mother, then that will probably take a while for me to retell it to," Derek's lips thin at the statement, "What I'm trying to say is that you should make it an obligation to tell people about what happened to you and your family. Just because we're in a relationship doesn't necessarily mean I'm asking for your innermost secrets,"
Derek nods, his reasoning seem all cogent. They didn't speak again, and probably don't need to, because Derek too doesn't want to seem burdened to tell the story to Stiles. It should just be of history to him and those involved.