Baking My Way Into Your Heart - Hung Up

Laura Hale was disgruntled. And that meant Derek had to listen to his sister's grumbling into the wee morning hours. He had tried in vain to hang up the phone, but Laura was the one person he couldn't do that to. She and their uncle were all he had and despite almost falling asleep on her, he had forced himself awake for his sister's sake.

Laura was the co-chair of the Hale Group, a family business she ran with their Uncle Peter, and there was just thing after thing that she was stressing over and a list of other things that Derek didn't really understand why he had to listen to considering how terrible he was at this company stuff. But he let her rant, being a good supportive brother and knowing that Laura just really needed to vent before she exploded on some poor assistant or secretary just trying to do their job.

She also nagged him about coming back to Beacon Hills to meet her fiancé. But by this time, Derek was already snoring.

So it was without much surprise that Derek found himself waking up at 7 in the morning, his cell still clutched in his hand, though the call had long since ended. Derek's head snapped back at his phone, staring at the clock.

'Shit!'

Derek leapt out of bed, running to his closet for a clean set of clothes. He slipped on his sneakers, not bothering to tie them, grabbed his satchel and ran out the door hoping he would make it to class on time.

He did. Just barely.

Unfortunately, he found it might've been better to just skip this class. He was groggy and he was pretty sure he looked like a damn mess. His notes would likely need translating later on and worst of all, he didn't get his caffeine fix. His stop to the coffee shop was the thing that set his day off right. He considered whether or not to stop by between classes so he could at least continue the day on a better note.

'Plus, I miss Stil…es' baking! I miss his baking!' Derek shook his head, convincing himself that his thoughts were lagging due to caffeine withdrawal. That's no good. It was decided then. He was going to the coffee shop after class to get some Stiles… Erm. Some of Stiles' baking.

When Derek entered the shop, he was actually quite surprised to see how busy it was. There were students everywhere, occupying nearly every seat in the house. He was used the quiet mornings, not the hustle and bustle he was seeing now.

"Ah! Mr. Hale!" Derek's eyes raked over the crowd, finding Stiles in an instant. The boy was smiling eagerly at him waving him over to the counter. "I missed you this morning, Darren," he smirked.

Derek fought the urge to blush. "I-um. I woke up late." What he wanted to say was 'I missed you, too.'

"I'll make your coffee. Isaac here can ring you up," he nodded to the other boy behind the counter, currently helping another customer.

"I'm gonna have to take it to go, Stiles. I got class in about fifteen minutes."

He saw the boy's head bob up and down in acknowledgement, his back turned to him as he worked the machine. Derek recognized the other barista behind the register as Isaac Lahey. They had had a class together the previous semester. He waited for the curly blond to finish up.

"Hey just the coffee, then?" Isaac nodded a greeting.

"Um," Derek glanced over to the display case. It was void of tasty treats.

"Oh yeah," Isaac frowned following Derek's line of sight. "Sorry, man. We usually run out of stuff by this time."

"It's fine," Derek said, ignoring the disappointment in his voice.

Isaac gave him an understanding half-smile before ringing up the coffee.

Stiles finally turned around, handing the paper cup to Derek. He kept the lid off, looking down at it. "Eh? What do you think? I'm getting good, aren't I?"

Derek looked at it. He frowned. "What is that thing?"

Stiles gaped. "What- what is that thing?"

Isaac peered into the cup. "Dude, that's a Pikachu. You don't know what Pikachu is?"

Derek just shrugged before taking a swig, thus decimating the creature's head.

Stiles gaped again. "My masterpiece…" He cried dramatically, hands outstretched.

Derek just rolled his eyes, taking another swig.

"Hey Stiles. Who's your friend?"

Derek glanced at the redheaded girl who had slipped behind the counter as if she owned the place, wrapping an arm around Stiles' waist. He felt the frown forming on his face.

"Ah," Stiles smiled, draping an arm over the girl's shoulders. "This is my friend, Mr. Hale. He likes to keep me company in the mornings."

Derek scoffed. "I come for the coffee."

"Details," Stiles said with a wave. "Mr. Hale, this is Lydia."

"Nice to meet you," the petite girl smiled, holding out her hand. Derek shook it cordially, eyeing the girl carefully. She turned back to Stiles. "Is Jackson's order ready? He's getting pissy. You know him."

Stiles chuckled. "Yeah I got." He looked to Derek. "Just hang on a sec, okay?"

Derek nodded as he watched the pair meander through the shop to a table full of people. Then he watched as another person wrapped his arm around Stiles' waist, this time a boy with messy dark hair. Derek practically growled.

"Dude, are you okay?"

He snapped his eyes from the sight over to Isaac behind the register. "Uh, yeah. I…" he looked at the cup in his hands. "It's hot."

"Here," Isaac said, holding open a coffee sleeve so Derek could slip it on the cup.

"Thanks," he nodded, grateful that this guy didn't seem to question him. He turned his attention back to the table. Stiles had stepped closer to the messy-haired kid and had placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"That's Scott."

Derek turned back around, seeing that Isaac had followed his line of sight again. "What?"

"Scott McCall. Him and Stiles are inseparable. Have been for a long time now."

Derek frowned at this, feeling a thump in his chest. He looked back at them, eyes narrowing on the hand on Stiles' hip.

Suddenly, a loud spitting noise came from the table as a boy with short blonde hair abruptly stood.

"Ew, Jackson!" came Lydia's disgusted squeal and she moved away from the boy.

"Dammit Stiles! You're dead!"

Stiles was laughing, but he managed to ask, "What are you talking about, man?"

"You! You put salt in my coffee instead of sugar!" He made a grab for the boy across the table, but Stiles ran away. "Get back here, Stilinski!"

"That's what you get for switching out my shampoo with glue!" the boy yelled over his shoulder, running back to where Derek was. He ducked behind the older man, using him as a shield.

Derek thought he lost all brain function in feeling Stiles' hands slipping around him, one resting on his shoulder, the other just on his hip as he hid from the angry blonde. The boy- Jackson, he presumed- stormed up, huffing his annoyance. "Stiles, this isn't over!" He blinked, finally realizing that his friend was hiding behind an actual person. "Who's this?"

From the corner of his eye, Derek could see Stiles' head pop up from behind his shoulder. "This is Diego and he's gonna Go, Diego, Go in to town on your face if you get any closer!"

Derek was confused. 'The hell is a Go, Diego, Go?' He was just about to ask when Isaac suddenly burst into laughter.

"Stiles, you're stupid," he cracked between laughs. "Get back to work."

Jackson stepped forward, pointing threateningly at Stiles over Derek's shoulder. "You better watch your back, Stilinski."

"Aw Jackson, I know deep down inside you really love me," he grinned. He grabbed the blonde's finger and kissed the tip.

Jackson snatched his hand back with an annoyed look on his face, wiping his finger on his shirt, but otherwise didn't deny the statement. "Whatever, Stilinski." He looked crossly at the boy behind Derek and walked back to the table of his friends.

Derek seemed to be frozen to the spot, trying to digest everything. He heard Stiles chuckle right by his ear before he felt the hand on his shoulder slide across his back as Stiles moved to face him again. He felt his insides getting warm, but he figured it was probably just the coffee finally settling in his stomach.

"Oh! That's right!" Stiles spasmed, jumping behind the counter and disappearing into the back.

Derek looked over to Isaac who was still wearing an amused smirk. "Is it normally like this?"

The lanky boy nodded lazily. "Every. Day."

Derek shook his head just as Stiles popped back out with a small paper bag in his hands. "Here you go!" He smiled, holding out the bag to Derek. He furrowed his brows, looking at the bag as if something was supposed to happen. Stiles just shook it, urging Derek to take it from him. "I made some mini cheesecakes this morning. I saved you a box. I was gonna give it to you when I see you later, but since you're here…" He shrugged, shaking the bag again.

Derek wanted to snatch the bag right out of the boy's hand and just inhale down the tasty treats. Instead, he just looked at the bag with shifty eyes. He feinted indifference. "What kind are they?" he asked with a shrug.

"Half of them are plain, topped with raspberries. The other half are lemon," he smirked, "topped with blueberries."

Derek clenched his jaw to refrain from reacting. Stiles definitely knew Derek's tastes. But, keen on keeping up appearances, Derek forced a groan as he rolled his eyes. "Fine. If you insist." He reached out to take the bag.

Unfortunately, Stiles dropped his outstretched arms back down to his sides, a frown on his face. "Well if you don't want 'em, I'm sure I can just put them ba-"

Derek growled, snatching the bag from the boy. "Yes, of course I want them." He huffed, but was secretly excited to have the treats in his hand.

Stiles just chuckled again. "You should get going before you're late. And don't worry about paying for those. I can just charge you for it tomorrow morning. I'll see you later, yeah?" Derek nodded, taking another sip of his coffee. "Bye, Mr. Hale," he waved, smiling cheerfully.

Derek looked at Isaac, who apparently had watched that entire transaction with apt amusement. He looked like he was holding back a grin. Derek just broke eye contact, affixing his gaze to the exit.

"Bye, Mr. Hale," came the teasing voice of the taller barista. "Come again!"

Derek looked back to scowl at the boy. That wiped the mischievous smile off his face. Derek snorted. 'I still got it.' He smirked, leaving the shop feeling pretty good about himself.

As Derek munched peacefully on his little cakes during class, he thought back on what he saw in the coffee shop. 'First that girl put her arm around him. Then, some guy put his arm around him. And then, he kissed the finger of that other guy. I wonder what's his relationship with them. Lahey said that Stiles and that McCall guy were close… but how close?' Derek tried to pay attention in class, he really did. But his mind kept replaying the images of Stiles with his friends. Were they just friends? Was any one of them more than just a friend to Stiles? And most importantly, why did Stiles save him only three of each tiny cake?

Derek frowned at the empty box. He wasn't going to find any answers there.

Later, Derek was still wondering about a few things as he waited for Stiles to get out of class. Seeing the younger boy hop down the steps of the science building, Derek made his way over.

"Hey, Mr. Hale," Stiles smiled. "You're looking a little sour. Did you finish those cakes already?" He teased.

Derek just ignored the question, his mind focused elsewhere. "So… this morning… those were your friends?"

Stiles was unaffected by the blatant disregard for his question. "Mm-hm. We're a motley bunch, but we get along."

"That redhead-"

"Ah-ah," Stiles said, waving his finger. "She's a strawberry blonde."

Derek pursed his lips. "You…you two seem… close."

Stiles shrugged. "Yeah, well we've known each other for a long time. Actually, I knew her and she pretty much didn't know I existed for the better part of our school life," he laughed. "Man, I had the biggest crush on her-"

Derek cocked an eyebrow. "Had?"

"Yeah. Like from the third grade, on," he said, stretching his arms out as if to demonstrate the length of time he spent crushing on the girl. "But once she actually started noticing me, I crossed into the 'friendship zone', which is like doom for any guy trying to make a move on a girl. But I'm okay with it now. Plus, she's totally in love with Jackson."

"…With Jackson…" Derek repeated slowly.

"Mm-hm."

"That's the guy whose coffee you messed with."

At this, Stiles laughed again. "Oh man, that was great, wasn't it? He totally had it coming."

"So you guys are… friends?"

Stiles nodded. "In high school, he was a complete dirt bag. Like, I mean, total asshole. Used to pick on me and Scott all the time," the corners of Derek's lips turned downward at the mention of the other boy. "But now we're okay. I mean it helped that Lydia and I became friends. But every once in a while we still prank each other. Like the other day, he decided to take a couple of my shirts and cut little holes in them right over where my nipples are and so I decided to cut out the crotch to some of his boxers. Ya know. Tit for tat." He smiled proudly.

"Real mature," Derek commented, pushing aside the mental image of Stiles' nipples.

"I regret nothing."

Derek stifled a little smirk. "So, um-" he cleared his throat, "what about this… Scott?" He glanced over to Stiles from the corner of his eye.

"Hm? What about him?"

"You guys… close?"

"Yeah, the guy's like my brother." At this, Derek felt the tension in his shoulders lessen. "We've been best friends since we were kids. He's a bit of a space-case, but I love the guy. What can you do?"

Derek just nodded. "So… none of them…"

"None of them what?"

"I mean, you and them…"

"Hm? Oh. Oh! No, no, no!" Stiles laughed, shaking his head with vigor. "I am a free bird. And this bird," he jutted his thumb at himself. "This bird, you cannot change."

Derek scoffed, recognizing the Lynyrd Skynyrd song.

"What about you? Got yourself a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Wife?"

"No."

"…Husband?"

Derek just gave him a look. "I'm single, okay?"

He chuckled. "Well, you never know these days. I know when I first met Danny, I didn't think he swung that way. I just thought he smelled nice."

Derek snapped his head to look at Stiles. "Danny? Who's Danny?"

"Uh, I don't know if you saw him, but he was in the shop sitting next to Jackson."

Derek tried to remember, but he hadn't really been focusing on the other people at the table, now had he?

"Danny's a cool guy. Real athletic. And he's got these dimples- Ugh! That guy."

"You… like him?"

"Who doesn't like Danny?" Stiles smiled as if this was an acceptable answer. Which it wasn't. Not by Derek's standards. "Oh! By the way, what's your number?"

Derek blinked at the sudden change in topic. "What?"

"Here," the kid said, hand out to Derek, "let me see your phone."

"Um," Derek reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. Before he could even get it firmly in his palm, Stiles snatched it.

With expert fingers, Stiles maneuvered through the phone as if it were his own. He was typing away, then paused, holding the phone backwards in an outstretched hand, typed some more, then tossed the phone back to Derek. "There," he smiled. "Now you have my number." He pulled out his phone, showing Derek the new text alert. "And now I have yours, too."

Derek looked back at his phone. "What are you gonna do with it?"

Stiles snorted. "Seriously? What do you think? I'm gonna sign you up for all sorts of phone surveys and political questionnaires. It'll be great." At the glare he was getting, Stiles chuckled. "Come on. I'm gonna call you and text you, duh."

"About what?"

"About whatever. That's what friends do, you know."

To be fair, Derek never really had that many friends.

They soon arrived at Derek's classroom.

"See ya, Dudley," Stiles waved. "I'll text you."

Derek just nodded a goodbye, but frowned as he watched the boy turn the corner. 'He's gonna text me? When?' He took his usual spot in the back of the room and glanced at the phone in his hands as if it would give him the answers. He tapped it, opening up the phone book, scrolling down the short list to the newly added entry. He scoffed. It was labeled "The Awesome Cool Guy Stiles :D". He tapped it. As he suspected, Stiles did take a picture of himself whilst they were walking to class. He felt a smile creep up as he stared at the picture of the beaming boy.

"I told you he was cute."

Derek immediately sat up, burying his phone under his arm. He glared at Erica. She just smirked knowingly as she took her usual seat. Frowning, Derek cleared the screen and shoved his phone back in his pocket, getting ready for class.

About twenty minutes in to class, he felt a little buzz against his leg. Derek froze, startled by its suddenness. He pulled out his phone, looking at a new text alert from The Awesome Cool Guy Stiles :D. He opened it.

im soooo bored T_T

Derek looked up to make sure his teacher was still distracted by the lesson. 'What do I say back? Maybe I'll send him a joke. That way, he won't be bored.' Derek racked his brain for a joke. He came up miserably short. 'Okay, forget that.' He frowned. Finally settling on something, he typed back.

Shouldn't you be paying attention?

A few seconds later. i should be. and i would be if i actually cared about tintern abbey. damn you wordsworth!1!

Derek scoffed, but wondered what to say to that. 'I'll sympathize. I'll tell him I don't like Tintern Abbey either.' He frowned, remembering the poem he had read two years ago. 'No that's a lie. I actually liked it.' Derek had felt that he related to some of the themes in the poem. He actually ended up writing an essay about it in that class. He settled on something else.

It's a good poem.

Then, omg then u sit here and listen to this nonsense i dont get it.

Derek sighed, thinking about the paper he wrote. It's about the sublime.

sublime is a band from the 90s.

Derek blinked. This kid's mind was just everywhere. 'How do I even respond to that?' He couldn't think of anything. But time had been ticking. Was Stiles waiting for a response? He didn't want to keep him waiting. He thought of something.

Focus, Stiles.

Derek instantly began to worry if that was the wrong thing to say. Obviously the kid was bored and so was texting Derek to quell said boredom. Stiles was looking to Derek to keep him entertained and all he could do was send him back into boredom? What kind of friend does that? Derek furrowed his brow, wishing he could take the text back and think of something better. He was so caught up in his head that he jumped a little at the buzz in his hand.

ok ok crankypants. ill be good. ill see u after class.

Derek exhaled, feeling himself relax. He looked up, a smile on his face only to drop it once he realized that everyone was looking at him. He looked at his professor.

"Mr. Hale, if you're done playing on your phone, maybe you'd like to tell us about Norse Gods and the importance of the hammer."

Derek shoved his phone back in his pocket, trying to come up with something to say from the bit of studying he did the night before. "Um. The hammer. Right. It's a symbol. Obviously. A response to Christianity and the cross?"

This seemed to satiate the teacher. He found himself at the wrong end of a stern look. "Focus, Mr. Hale."

Derek had to snicker at the irony of it. He picked up his pen and prepared to take notes. 'This texting thing is tough. Seeing Stiles is a lot easier than texting him.' He looked around, making sure everyone was paying attention to the teacher. Derek slipped his phone out again, tapping it until the picture of Stiles was looking back at him. Derek smiled.

"Mr. Hale!"

Derek shoved his phone in his satchel, promising not to take it out in class again.

Notes: I spent a small part of my morning looking for pictures of the stuff Stiles has baked or mentioned baking and now I have a folder on my computer labeled 'stiles' food pr0n.' I considered putting it on my tumblr, but then I realized that no one would understand it but me haha.