Baking My Way Into Your Heart

by theSilence

AU No wolves. College fic. Derek is an uptight college student, all work and no play. His carefully scheduled life is thrown kilter when his regular barista is replaced with someone new. Sterek. Fluffiness. Slow-burn.

19. Overdue

Baking My Way Into Your Heart – Overdue

Nothing made time go faster than falling back into a routine. Or at least, that's what Derek hoped when he woke up that rainy Tuesday morning. He worked out - careful not to strain his shoulder - he took a shower, and he even made his way to the coffee shop to drink his regular cup of Joe.

It was weird then, to walk in and see Clara, his original barista.

"Hello, sir," the girl greeted with a smile. "Large coffee, with two pumps of hazelnut syrup and one shot low-fat milk. Right?"

Derek smiled softly, nodding in her accuracy. She had been making that same cup for him ever since he first walked into this place. He wasn't surprised that she still remembered it even after a few months of being away.

It felt strange seeing her back behind the counter. It was almost as if she never left. Like maybe the past few months never happened. Like maybe Stiles never happened. It felt like just another day at the coffee shop, just another step in his routine. Hell, even the pain in his shoulder was numbed to a slight stiffness. It felt like he could have just slept on it wrong. It felt like maybe he had been asleep this whole time.

It was unsettling.

Derek paid for the coffee and took a seat in his regular spot. Without even a small sip of his coffee beforehand, Derek took out his phone and opened up his contacts list. Despite how silly it was, he needed reassurance. He knew that his time with Stiles had happened. Simple evidence of it was the entry in his phone: The Awesome Cool Guy Stiles :D, complete with a picture of a smile Derek had all but memorized. But before he even realized what he was doing, he pressed the call button, needing to hear his voice.

"Mooooorning, Derek!"

He breathed a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face. "Good morning, Stiles."

He heard the boy chuckle. "I bet you miss my tasty treats, huh? That's why you're calling? You're probably at the coffee shop now, wishing you had some yummy goodies to go with that coffee."

Derek snickered. "No, you idiot. I'm calling cause I miss you."

"Oh," Stiles paused. "Well, of course. There's that too."

Derek smiled. And so he fell back into his routine. He was at his favorite little coffee shop, drinking his favorite blend, and talking to his favorite person. In the grand scheme of things, it was still a relatively new routine, but Derek found he liked this one the best.

/\/\/\

His week without Stiles was made easier with Stiles. Although Derek would much rather have the boy with him in physical form, he settled with getting to talk to him every morning during coffee, every afternoon while running whatever errand, and every night just before bed. And in the spaces in between, Stiles would sometimes send Derek a random picture of what he was doing or things he saw. It made any anxiety he felt from their separation much easier to deal with, just hearing his voice, and seeing him live and well.

Hell, even receiving a picture of Stiles with Laura was a comforting sight.

Derek jerked upright from where he had been sitting on his couch. 'Laura?' Okay. Maybe it wasn't all that comforting.

He opened up a new text message.

What are you doing with my sister?

He opened up another message.

What are you doing with my Stiles?

He hit 'send' before he proofread that one.

He placed his phone on the seat next to him, staring at it, urging it to reply. 'What are they doing? I mean, considering how Laura has no shame in embarrassing me, what if she's showing him more disturbing pictures? What if she's telling him more disturbing stories? No, no, no, no,' he groaned, burying his face in his hands while tugging slightly at his hair. 'This is not good. Don't they know they're not allowed to meet without me there to defend myself or run damage control?'

His phone chirped. Derek scrambled to pick it up. It was The Awesome Cool Guy Stiles :D.

hey! i calld her n said i was back in town n so she INSISTED on takin me to lunch. yay free food!

Derek typed out a reply. So wait. You're not with her now?

nope. she just left to go bck to wrk.

That's a relief.

His phone chirped again, signaling a message from ANSWER THE PHONE DEREK OR I'LL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP It's Laura.

Your Stiles? Freudian slip, little bro? Cause I know for damn sure after my lunch with him that you STILL HAVE NOT CLAIMED HIM FOR YOUR OWN. P.S. Thanks for not calling me when you were in the hospital, asshole. Cause you know, your own sister doesn't need to know this kind of crap.

Derek winced. Yeah. See? This is why he needed to be there to do damage control.

I meant to call you. But I'm fine. I didn't want you to worry.

His phone chirped again. It was Stiles.

now, now. she tld me a delightful lil tale abt a girl who likd to play dress-up w/ her lil bro. she also prmisd pics ;)

Derek wanted to crawl into a heating vent and never come out. His sister was a cruel, cruel woman. He was going to reply with as much when he got another message from Laura.

Well, I'm glad you're both okay. But I'm still not glad that you're still sitting on your ass while Stiles is single and charming up the cute little waiter boy into giving us a friends and family discount.

Derek growled. Like an audible, pure animalistic, frustrated and jealous growl.

He did not! You're lying! He's mine! Why would you let something like that happen?

He had typed his response out and hit 'Send' before realizing he hadn't switched recipients. That last one had gone to the wrong person.

'Wait… no…' Derek shifted in his seat. He looked at his outgoing messages to confirm what he already knew. 'Shit…' The phone chirped in his hand. Derek felt a wave of dread. It was Stiles.

im… confused? let wut happn?

Derek racked his brain, trying to think of a plausible excuse. Somehow, he didn't think 'My sister said you were getting friendly with some guy and I got jealous' would cut it.

Sorry. That was for my sister. She told me Tom threw something of mine out.

Satisfied, Derek was just about to hit send when decided to add more.

By the way… how was your lunch? I mean, besides the whole 'Let's Embarrass Derek' thing you had going on. Was the waiter nice?

He hoped it wasn't as suspicious to Stiles as it was to him. He pressed his palms together, holding them up to his lips as he waited for Stiles' reply. He didn't have to wait long.

i see. and no. the waitress was mean. i brderline believ she spat in my water. but i tld ur sis to tip her anyway. she coulda just had a bad day prolly. customr srvice is hard wrk.

Derek breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing back into the couch.

How considerate of you. You're a good guy, Stiles. Too good to be hanging around my wicked sister. Try not to let it happen again.

He opened up a new message, making sure it was going to the right recipient.

You're a terrible person.

All he got back from both of them was a matching: LOL.

Derek tossed his phone aside. Texting was more trouble that it was worth.

And it was still just Tuesday.

/\/\/\

At around 10 that night, Derek found himself at the train station, just waiting in his car. He was pretty sure that Scott had been joking about picking him up, but Derek just wanted to be sure that if he wasn't joking, he had a ride home.

'In retrospect, I probably should've just called him,' Derek thought. He was just about to do that when a familiar brunette came into sight. 'Yeah. See? There's Allison. Smart move, Hale.'

Derek was just about to start up his car and leave when another familiar person came into sight. Isaac looked drenched despite his large umbrella. 'Did he… walk here? Does Isaac have a car?'

Just as Isaac was making his way to the door, Scott and Allison stepped out, he with his arm slung over her shoulders, she with an arm around his waist. The two were smiling and laughing as they walked out into the rain. Derek glanced over to see Isaac spin around, turning his back to his friends as the pair walked over into the parking lot, holding his umbrella low, probably to obscure him from view.

'What is going on…?' Derek had to wonder. He pulled his keys out of the ignition and hopped out of the car, opening up his own umbrella.

"Hey! Mr. Hale!" Scott smiled, waving at the older boy.

"Hey, Derek. What are you doing here?" Allison asked.

"Well, Scott did say to pick him up."

The boy flushed, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "Oh. I didn't think you'd actually do it. But!" he perked up. "It's good that you did come cause I have something for you. From Stiles."

'Something from Stiles?' Derek lips curved upward, pleased and excited.

Scott dug through his pack and pulled out a Tupperware container. "He said there's one for every day so don't go scarfing them down all at once."

'Yeah right. That's not happening,' Derek scoffed, but eagerly took the offered box. "I will thank him when I call him tonight."

"Anyway, thanks for coming man. I appreciate it, even though it seems like it was for nothing."

Derek shrugged. "It wasn't for nothing," he smirked, holding up his treats. "In fact, I think it was kinda worth it."

Both Scott and Allison laughed. She shoved the older boy playfully on the shoulder. "Just get married already. You guys are sickeningly sweet. Bye Derek."

"See ya, Mr. Hale!" The two hurried off to Allison's car as Derek waved goodbye.

Before going back to his car, Derek made his way over to the boy in the shadows, hiding under his umbrella.

"You can come out now, Isaac. They're gone."

Isaac stopped pretending to be interested in the brickwork of the station and turned to look at Derek. "So you saw me."

"Mm-hmm," Derek nodded. "Why are you hiding?"

"I wasn't hiding. I was just… I wanted to make sure he got home all right. I was gonna take a taxi with him in case Allison didn't show up."

Derek was pretty sure he didn't see Isaac come in a taxi. "Did you walk here?"

Isaac didn't respond. He just pretended to be interested in the brickwork once more.

Derek sighed. "Come on, then. Try not to drip on my seats."

They rode on in silence, despite Derek's curiosity wanting to get the best of him. He wanted to ask Isaac what he had already begun to suspect. 'Does Isaac like Scott?' But he wasn't going to push his friend into confessing anything he wasn't ready to. So instead, Derek took Isaac back to his place, threw on a pot of coffee and – reluctantly – shared his treats, trying to distract the boy with idle conversation. He even let Isaac into his toy room, letting him help construct his Lego Death Star.

Isaac snickered. "I can't believe he was telling the truth. I never would have guessed."

"Shut up," Derek scowled. "Hand me that piece over there."

Isaac obliged. "It's just surprising. Stiles likes to exaggerate things so when he said you had a toy room, I thought maybe he just meant you had like an action figure on a bookshelf, not an actual toy room."

Derek huffed. "See if I ever share my muffins with you again," he grumbled under his breath.

Isaac just chuckled and handed Derek another piece. They continued constructing the model, making small talk to pass the time.

"So what classes are you taking next semester?" Isaac asked.

"Ethics, Legal Studies, you know. Just the last few classes more focused on my major."

"You're graduating, right?"

"Once I fill out all that paperwork, yeah. I don't know if I wanna bother with the ceremony though."

"What? You have to. That's like the best part of finishing school. All the important people in your life gathered to cheer you on."

Derek shrugged. "We'll see. I'm more concerned with finding an academy to enroll in."

Isaac sighed. "And in just a few years, I'll be stuck in the same boat. You know, I think Scott's getting a little interested in criminal justice, too."

"Doesn't he already have a major? I thought he was gonna be a vet or something."

"No, that's just his part-time job. He actually doesn't have a major yet."

Derek inwardly groaned. Although he understood that people changed majors constantly, he also thought it was a waste of time and money to take classes that weren't core to their goal. "Wait, that concert thing is for his work, right? How's that coming along?"

"Carols for Kittens?"

Derek nodded, attaching the section he'd been working on to the larger main component.

"Yeah, I think we're coming along pretty well. Scott doesn't think so. He's all about 'practice, practice, practice.' He called me last night to make sure I get some practice in. Hell, I think part of the reason he went with Stiles was to make sure he actually picked up a guitar," he chuckled in amusement. "But I think I'd be freaking out too if I were him. Dr. Deaton is like in love with Scott so I guess he just doesn't wanna let him down."

"So what is it, exactly?"

"Just some charity thing. Apparently the vet does some side work as an animal rescuer so he's trying to raise money to help save abused pets, especially now when some pets get left in the cold during winter and since people are just so giving this time of year. Me, Scott, and Stiles are pretty much just providing some music for atmosphere."

The thought of seeing Stiles on stage with a guitar was… cute. And the fact that he was doing it to help poor, defenseless animals was just icing on the cake. Derek was actually looking forward to it. He pulled out his phone and checked his schedule. Once Stiles was back, it looked like the boys had a whole week of practice before the show. "It's still on Saturday, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Is there a specific dress code or anything?"

Isaac hummed. "I don't think so…"

"Good."

"You're coming?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Isaac chuckled before his expression softened. "You know, I gotta admit. I'm a little envious of you two."

"Hm?"

"You two found each other. And despite the fact that you haven't told him yet, I don't doubt that you will tell him. And then after that… you'll have each other."

Derek smiled at the thought. 'But for Isaac… if he is in love with Scott, telling him might not be so good, especially since Scott is with Allison.' He couldn't help but feel for the boy. 'If Stiles had a girlfriend, would I be able to sit back and watch them together?' He wasn't sure that he could. And for that, Derek sympathized with his friend. He placed a hand on Isaac's shoulder, hoping the gesture would say more than anything his mouth could come up with.

Isaac just smiled in thanks. "I'm not though… you know…"

Derek cocked an eyebrow, letting his hand fall back down to his side.

"In love with him…"

The other eyebrow shot up as Derek gave Isaac a look of pure skepticism.

The blonde ducked his head and twiddled a piece in his hands. "I mean… He's Scott. And he's got Allison. And… they're happy together. And I'm happy for them. So… I don't. Because… I can't."

Derek looked back at the toy in his hands. He was never good with this kind of stuff. "Isaac… I'm not gonna try to pretend I know how you feel cause I don't. I won't tell you to get over Scott cause quite frankly, if it were me, I wouldn't want someone telling me to get over Stiles cause it's not that easy and it's not like I want to really let him go. So… the best I can tell you… is just… keep doing what you're doing. You're a good guy, a good friend. I know that, he knows that. And I know that it sucks, but if he's happy… who are you to break that?"

He would like to tell Isaac that Scott would eventually leave Allison and fall for him. He wanted to give Isaac some kind of assurance, but what kind of friend would he be if he were to give him that false kind of hope? Quite frankly, he didn't know much about Scott and Allison's relationship. For all he knew, they were probably talking marriage. He didn't want to tell Isaac to hold on to a hope that he couldn't possibly know was or wasn't there.

Derek sighed. "I hope you find happiness, Isaac. Cause like I said, you're a good guy. You deserve it. And if it's with Scott, great, and if it's not, then that's okay too. The point is, you'll find it. And you won't even be looking for it. It'll just hit you… you might find it annoying at first, what with the way it keeps talking while you're trying to study, but…" he smiled to himself, "it'll find you. And everything else… will just fall into place."

Derek took the last piece from Isaac's hands and attached it to the model, both staring at what they had built.

From the corner of his eye, Derek saw Isaac nod slightly. "Thanks Derek. You're a good guy, too." After a second, the boy snickered. "A good guy with a toy room."

Derek rolled his eyes, before shoving Isaac away.

/\/\/\

Later, Derek tossed Isaac some clean clothes, a blanket and a pillow, offering the boy the couch for the night. He had thought of taking him home, but Isaac made no complaints as he changed and crashed on the couch. He was out like a light before Derek could even close the door to his room.

After changing into his own set of pajamas, Derek climbed into bed, curled up on his side and dialed the number he had been wanting to call all evening.

"Derek Jebidiah Hale! Do you know what time it is, young man?"

Derek snorted. "That's not my middle name."

"I'm improvising."

He smiled the way he always did when he talked to Stiles. "I went to pick up Scott. And then found out that I didn't need to."

Stiles laughed. "You should've just called him and asked."

"Well… it's a good thing I showed up anyway because he gave me a very pleasant surprise."

"Ew, Derek, come on. I don't wanna know what you and Scott do together when I'm not around."

Derek gaped. "Do you even understand what you're suggesting? You really think that me and Scott think about each other that way? Touch each other? So intimately? My hands on him, his on m-"

"Okay! I get it! It was a joke! Gosh…"

Derek snickered, counting that as a win for himself.

"So you got the goods, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And did you save one per day like I said?"

"No."

"I knew it!"

"But to be fair, I did share with Isaac."

"Isaac?"

"Yeah. He… he seemed like he was having a bit of a rough night. So we hung out. See? I'm a nice guy. I share things."

"That's very kind of you. I'm gonna have to reward you when I get home."

Derek smirked. "I like the sound of that," he replied, voice low.

He heard Stiles gasp. "Mr. Hale, I was referring to a batch of freshly baked cookies!" he said in mock-scandal.

Derek grinned. "Well that's not what I had in mind. Not at all." He could hear the boy sputter over the phone. He counted that as another win. Derek was enjoying this, very much. "Stiles…" he breathed, voice husky, wanting to tease the boy.

Stiles was quiet for a moment. Then, voice equally low, he breathed. "Dere-"

"Stiles! Now is the time for sleeping! Not phone sex!"

Derek was startled to hear the sheriff's voice in the background.

"Dad! I'm not even! What are you-"

"Then why is your hand down your pants?!"

"Dad, oh my God! What's wrong with you?!" He heard the boy groan before switching back to a normal decibel. "Derek? I swear, the man is crazy. My hands are nowhere near-"

"Stiles! Lotion is for moisturizing! Not for-"

"You're eating nothing but soy burgers for the rest of the week old man!" Stiles snarled over the line. "Derek? I'm sorry. There's a cranky father that needs to be put down. I'll call you in the morning."

Derek, although disappointed, just smiled in amusement. "Yeah, okay. Oh, and Stiles?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss you."

He could practically hear the smile over the phone. "I miss you, too, Derek."

Derek just smiled in return.

"Stiles! Tissues are for runny noses! Not for-"

"I'm hanging up now, Dad! Relax!"

Derek just chuckled, hearing Stiles grumbling over the phone.

"I'm not, by the way. Just so you know. My dad is psychotic."

Derek was quiet for a moment. Then, "That's a shame."

"Wait, what?"

Derek smirked. "Good night, Stiles."

He hung up the phone, stuck it on the charger before smiling smugly at the ceiling. He thought the whole call was a success. And while he missed his friend dearly, he was sure he'd survive the week if the rest of their calls went just as smooth.

/\/\/\

On Wednesday, Derek was just in his apartment one afternoon, lying in bed, curled up with Stiles' 'Stud Muffin' t-shirt, just thinking about what had happened on Sunday. At first he had been very concerned about having almost lost Stiles without having been able to tell him how he feels about him. And yes, it was a rather traumatic experience that could have gone terribly, terribly wrong. But Derek's mind began to wander, his thoughts going from concern, to relief, to something else completely.

'He was naked.'

Derek shifted on his bed, hugging the shirt close to him.

'If I had pretended that there weren't any towels, he would have been completely bare on my lap. On my lap when I was nearly naked myself.' The thought gave Derek a heady feeling.

Of course, in the moment, all Derek could think about was keeping Stiles safe and alive. The only time he wasn't thinking about it was during Stiles' moment of modesty, in which Derek chanced a peek at the naked boy. 'Too bad that failed…' he sighed in defeat. 'But… what did he say? I feel like he said something important while I was helping him out of his clothes. Something I should remember…' Again, the only thing he had been really focused on at the time was getting Stiles out of his soaked clothing, rather than the fact that he was actually undressing the object of his affections. There wasn't any time to think about anything sexual. But now that he was bored at home, it seemed that was all Derek could think about.

'This is wrong. Stiles was freezing. His skin was so pale and his lips turned purple. But… there was just so much skin. And his legs were wrapped around me… God… is that what it'd be like if we were having sex? Long limbs wrapped around me, him in my lap, me gripping him…'

Derek rolled over onto his stomach, buried his face in his pillow and let out a long groan. He could feel himself reacting.

'Noooo… he was dying. I can't think about him sexually while he was dying. I can't think about how soft his skin was despite how cold it was. Or about how I just want to nip at every mole on his body. Or how I could've really warmed him up by thrusting-'

Derek jumped off his bed. Although he had taken one earlier after his workout, he figured now was a good time for a cold shower.

And later, when Stiles thought it'd be funny to send Derek a picture of a little howling wolf he drew in the steam of his bathroom mirror, all Derek could seem to focus on was the boy in the cloudy reflection… the half-naked boy in the why-couldn't-this-be-focused-better?!-cloudy reflection. Needless to say, Derek had to take another shower before the day was up.

/\/\/\

On Thursday, Derek was determined not to let his mind wander to Stiles' pale skin and firm chest, lest he really wanted to hike up his water bill.

It was late into the afternoon when Derek got a call from ANSWER THE PHONE DEREK OR I'LL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP It's Laura. He briefly wondered if perhaps he should change the contact name before brushing the idea off and answering the call.

"What?"

"Is that any way to greet your sister?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Hi. What?"

He heard her snort over the line. "Even though you're an awful brother, I am still an amazing sister who just thought she'd let you know that I've got myself a little date."

"Laura, your life is your life, but I highly disapprove of you cheating on your fiancé."

She scoffed. "I'm not cheating on Tom, smart ass. I have a date with your little baker friend. He's gonna teach me how to make pumpkin pie. I just wanted to know if you knew what kind of stuff he likes. I wanted to get him a present for this and for the apple pie from before."

Derek frowned. "No. That's not allowed."

"I can't buy a present for your boyfriend?"

Derek straightened up, feeling himself getting defensive. "No, Laura. The pie. You can't make it with him."

"Um, actually, I think I can. I just picked up a good-sized pumpkin for it."

"Well, then bake something else. Because if you two are baking pie, then that means he's making whipped cream. And you can't have whipped cream. Whipped cream is our thing."

"Are you serious right now?"

"Laura, don't make pie with Stiles!" He was being petulant, he knew, but he didn't care. He had Stiles-deprivation and the fact that his sister not only got to spend time with him but also got to bake with him just made him unreasonable, childish, and ridiculously possessive.

"You should hear yourself, really. It's like you have separation anxiety."

'Maybe that's cause I do,' Derek internally quipped. And really, he did. He actually found himself at the train station a few times in the past few days, wanting to buy a ticket, but ultimately thinking it would be too much. And he really didn't want to meet the Sheriff's barrel end of his shotgun by showing up. That didn't sound like fun at all.

"Make cookies," Derek said, peevishly. "Or a tart or something. Just not pie. Nothing that requires whipped cream."

He heard her groan. "You are absurd and borderline pathetic, lil' bro. But because I am an amazing sister, I'll insist on no pies. Okay, brat?"

Despite her harsh words and annoyed tone, Derek breathed a sigh of relief. "You are amazing."

"I know. So? Gift ideas? Maybe I should get him a new scarf. He keeps wearing the same one."

Derek perked up. "You mean the dark grey one with the stringy fringe?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

Derek didn't hear her question, too pleased to hear that Stiles was still going around in his scarf.

"Oh hell, it's yours isn't it?" He could actually feel her roll her eyes over the phone. "I take it back. You're both pathetic."

Derek was too pleased to care.

"Ugh," she scoffed. "You know what, you're useless. I'll find a gift myself."

"You're amazing, Laura," Derek grinned. "Remember. No pies."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she grumbled. "And since I'm giving in to your crazy whims," she added, "that means I'm allowed to tell him about your 'King of the Wild Things' phase, kay? Love you! Bye!"

Derek instantly deflated, eyes going wide. "LESS AMAZING!" he yelled, but she already disconnected. He mentally cursed the lack of amazement when it came to his sister, hoping beyond hope that she'd forget by the time she and Stiles met up. He knew he had no such luck.

But later, when Derek received a photo message from Stiles, he found he couldn't deny her amazingness anymore, pleased that her memory held strong. It was a picture of Stiles in a white knit cap with pointy ears, holding up a cupcake designed to look like one of the wild things, his eyes closed as he pretended to kiss the treat. He had captioned it with the words, 'I'll eat you up, I love you so!'

And while he knew those were a reference to a line in the book, Derek chose to believe the words were for him. Derek was a wild thing, and Stiles was unquestionably his king. He smiled. Laura just might be the most amazing sister he could have, but to him, Stiles was the most incredible person in the world.

/\/\/\

When Derek woke up Friday morning, he was ecstatic. He actually woke up, realized it was Friday, and then jumped off his bed in pure happiness.

He had gone four days without Stiles. Technically, it was just four days without having physically seen or touched or even smelt him, but to Derek, that made all the difference. Seeing him through pictures or hearing his voice over the phone just wasn't enough. He was more than ready to have Stiles back by his side.

'You know, these few days apart is like how it would've been if he had gone on the trip without me…' But then Derek thought about what might've happened if he hadn't gone on the trip and he didn't like where that stream of thought went because it ended with the very possible death of the boy he was longing to see. He refocused himself, finding a giddiness begin to bubble from within.

He proceeded with his morning workout, doing extra of everything because of the surge of energy he felt. He even took extra care in the shower, wanting to be squeaky clean and perfect and pristine when Stiles arrived. And once he was done with his shower, dressed and ready to go, he realized he still had to wait another fifteen hours until that train came in.

With a groan, he collapsed on his couch, anxious and frustrated, wishing that time would skip ahead just this once. He sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. 'What do I do until then?'

Time was practically at a stand still for Derek, choosing not to accelerate at a faster pace like he hoped. He groaned, throwing his arm over his face. Fifteen hours seemed like a century away.

/\/\/\

Derek might've been a little eager to arrive at the train station that night. Stiles wouldn't arrive until about ten, he knew. But that didn't really stop him from leaving his apartment almost two hours early.

'But what if I get a flat tire on the way?' Derek thought. 'Or what if something major happened that cause bumper-to-bumper traffic? The rain eased up over the past two days, but what if it comes full blast tonight? That could cause some delays what with slow drivers and possible hydroplaning.'

But nothing of the sort had happened and that just left Derek with about an hour and a half to kill before Stiles' train arrived. He had taken to staring at his newest picture on his phone, reading the caption over and over again. "I'll eat you up, I love you so," he repeated, feeling his heart swell. He had stared at it so much that he convinced himself that the cupcake in his hands was actually a mild interpretation of himself, what with the bushy eyebrows Stiles had drawn. And nothing would convince him otherwise. 'So in reality, Stiles actually wants to kiss me and not that silly little cupcake,' he mused. He stared at the picture again and couldn't help but smile once more.

So in his head was he that it startled him when the phone started to ring, signaling a call from Careful – He Bites. Derek gathered his wits and answered it.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Mr. Hale!" came Scott's cheery voice. "How's it going?"

"Not bad," he replied nonchalantly.

"You at home? It's still a little over an hour before you gotta leave."

"Um, yeah," he lied. "Just… killing time before he arrives." At least the second half wasn't false.

"Right on. So, I wanted to say that-um, it's been brought to my attention that maybe you won't bring Stiles home right away. And I get it, you guys wanna hang and all, but I really actually need you to take him home, like right, right away."

"What?" Derek frowned. He didn't like where this was going. "Why?"

"Well, the benefit is fast approaching and me and Stiles and Isaac haven't had a chance to practice all together for almost two weeks now and I really, really can't mess this up! This is for my job Mr. Hale! I need Stiles home immediately so we can get as much practice in before the show."

Derek's frown deepened. He checked the schedule on his phone before replying and cocked an eyebrow. 'The benefit is next week. Why does he need all this time for practice?'

"Mr. Hale?" He heard Scott's tiny voice.

He brought his phone back up to his ear. "Scott, you guys'll have plenty of time to practice. An hour or two won't kill you."

"But it might! Please, Mr. Hale. Every second will help! Mr. Deaton's super chill, but I doubt he'll appreciate us ruining the night due to lack of rehearsal. I need Stiles home. And then after the benefit, I have no problem sharing him with you, fifty-fifty."

'Whoa, whoa, whoa. Fifty-fifty?' Derek scoffed. He didn't like that one bit. "Ninety-ten."

"What? That's so not fair!"

"Eighty-twenty."

"Sixty-forty, and that's only cause I know he'd want the extra ten percent with you."

Derek bit his lip. "Seventy-thirty?"

"Sixty-forty! This isn't negotiable any further, Mr. Hale!"

Derek huffed, rolling his eyes. "Fine," he growled out. However, Derek was totally counting the hours Stiles was asleep as part of Scott's time. The messy-haired boy just didn't need to know that.

"Okay, good. So do we have a deal? Please just bring him home straight away and give us all the practice time we need until show time, okay?"

Derek huffed. He didn't exactly like it. But he knew that this meant a lot to Scott. "Fine," he said again.

"Thanks, Mr. Hale! See ya later! Please don't kill me!" And with that, Scott hung up.

Derek scoffed. 'As if that's even an option.' Although it would ultimately mean he had Stiles all to himself – none of this sixty-forty nonsense – Stiles would be devastated if anything happened to Scott. And although he wouldn't admit out loud, Derek might be a little upset about it too. Scott had slowly – very slowly – been growing on him.

The benefit was obviously important not just to Scott, but to Stiles and Isaac as well. The three together must've worked hard to do well for their show. And while Derek did want to spend as much time with Stiles as he could, he was willing to step aside for a bit, to allow them the time they needed to fulfill the job required of them. The whole sixty-forty thing was nonsense, but Derek understood Scott's need to delegate, to try to get things his way. Sixty-forty was supposed to be Derek's reward for doing as he was told, for giving Scott the time he needed to get his band into shape.

Derek shook his head. 'I'm not a dog. I don't need a reward for doing what he says.' He scoffed. 'Besides… it's eighty-twenty and that's that.'

Eventually, Derek hopped out of his car, feeling anxious, needing to stretch his legs as he waited for the train to arrive. He had taken to pacing up and down the platform, earning many odd looks from the few stragglers also waiting for the train's arrival.

'Okay so maybe I agreed to take him home straight away. But that doesn't mean I have to drive fast. In fact, that'd be reckless. I'm no god. I don't want to tamper with fate. Slow and steady is a surefire safe bet,' he smirked to himself. 'Besides, Scott is freaking out over nothing. A week is plenty of time to prepare. Well... maybe not if Stiles works early. And then Isaac has work in the morning, too. And then of course, Scott has work. And then factoring in mealtimes, they really only have the evenings together. Maybe that's why Scott's freaking out?'

Derek's train of thought was interrupted when he heard the sounds of an actual train approach. His heart jumped, ready to beat out of his chest as a huge grin immediately spread across his face. 'He's here!' The surge of energy he felt in his excitement made him want to run in circles. But he restrained himself, reminding himself that no. He is not a dog.

Derek watched the train approach, trying to catch a glimpse of the boy he had been longing to see through the windows. It had been moving too fast to really see anything, so Derek stood back, waiting for Stiles to get off the train. He saw a handful of passengers climb out and tried to see if any of them were familiar to no avail.

"Derek!"

His heart soared, hearing his voice. Derek's head snapped in the direction from where his name was called and saw him. Stiles was there, waving at him, grinning at him, running towards him. Derek couldn't help it. He grinned too before hurrying to meet him in the middle.

Once they were just a few feet apart, Stiles dropped his bag and jumped into Derek's outstretched arms. They swung around, the force of their embrace so strong. Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles, burying his face in the crook of the boy's neck, feeling both relieved and overjoyed to have him back. Derek was grinning like an idiot, nuzzling Stiles, breathing in his scent. His heart was pounding in his chest and he honestly felt like he couldn't hold him tight enough. In this boy's arms was where he belonged.

"I missed you," Derek sighed, suddenly feeling like he had run a marathon.

"I missed you too."

The voice in his ear was a comfort to his every being. Stiles was back. And Derek never wanted him to go ever again.

Stiles pulled back to look his friend in the eye, his grin matching Derek's. "You're so scruffy," he snickered, running the backs of his fingers along Derek's jaw, scrunching his nose.

Derek couldn't admit that despite all the extra care he took in the shower, this was because his excitement this morning made his hands too unsteady to shave without fear of nicking himself. Instead, he just swatted the boy's hands away before tugging Stiles' hat over his eyes. It was the same white wolf cap he had worn in the picture. "You're still wearing that hat." He glanced down and smirked. "And my scarf."

Stiles fixed his hat. "What? Your sister bought it for me as a thank you gift. I thought it was cute. Besides," he smirked. "I need the proper gear if I'm gonna tame the King of the Wild Things." He ran his hands over Derek's scruff again, snickering to himself.

Derek took those wrists in his hands again, pulling them until they were behind his back, until Stiles' arms were back around him. He ducked his head, and leaned in, whispering softly, "You already have."

When Derek looked back up, Stiles was blushing, a soft smile on his lips. Lips that looked soft, warm, and inviting. Lips that Derek wanted to claim for himself.

But he didn't. Because despite everything – the hugs, the hand holding, the teasing, and the blatant flirting – Stiles still never directly admitted any romantic feelings towards Derek, and that was enough to make Derek still a bit insecure.

Also, kissing Stiles right now at the train station would inevitably mean he wouldn't want to take Stiles home as per Scott's request. He'd more likely toss the boy into his car and drive to a place where no one could find them, where no one could disturb them ever again. Some place with no frozen lakes and all the lemons he could ever want. All he needed as Stiles, and Derek would be fine anywhere.

But Stiles had his friends. And Stiles cared for his friends. So Derek knew hiding him away wasn't really an option. Instead, Derek just sighed again, taking a step back and guiding Stiles' wrists back down to his sides before releasing them. "Come on, then. Let's get you home."

Derek walked over to where Stiles dropped his stuff and picked it up before leading the way to his car.

Stiles skipped over to him, looping their arms with a smile. "So how were things? What'd you do? I mean, other than start on your 'mountain man' look?"

Derek scoffed. "You're just jealous I can actually grow a beard." Stiles laughed, the sound music to Derek's deprived ears. "And things were pretty quiet. Didn't really do much." 'Except wait in anticipation for the next time you called…' he added to himself.

"Well, I had a fun time back home. I mean, except for the whole 'doing chores' bit. You'd think that falling through ice would give me a free pass from the whole thing, but nope! Not for one evil sheriff who absolutely refuses to dust."

Derek pictured Stiles in a French maid's outfit, swinging around a feather duster before deciding that was probably inappropriate.

"But your sister was a delight," Stiles added. "She told me lots of stories."

Derek mentally groaned. He wondered now if it would have been better if he joined Stiles back in Beacon Hills, just to make sure his sister didn't ruin his life. But considering Stiles was still hugging his arm, smiling amusedly to himself, seemed like a good sign. 'At least Laura didn't say anything to scare him away.'

They got into the Camaro, Derek tossing Stiles' bag into the back before taking his seat. Stiles hopped into the passenger seat before turning eagerly to Derek.

"Hey, so I was thinking, it's still pretty early, so maybe we can pick up a movie and-"

Derek frowned. That sounded nice. Taking Stiles back to his place so they could snuggle on the couch in the dark, sharing popcorn. But he shook his head. "Sorry. I told Scott I'd bring you straight home."

"Whaaaat? Lame."

Derek chuckled. "He's convinced you guys need all the practice you can get for the benefit."

Stiles scoffed. "Please. The guy called me every day to make sure I practiced, which I did. So now, I'm gonna hang out with you who I haven't seen all week so now time is Derek time."

Derek inwardly groaned. That sounded really nice. But he held firm. "No, Stiles. Look, I know this is important to Scott. And I know Scott's important to you. So if he wants you home to practice, I'm taking you home to practice."

Stiles slumped in his seat, pouting. "I guess you're right. Stupid Scott and his stupid job," he grumbled half-heartedly, not really meaning it. "But!" He sat up again, smile returning to his face. "After the whole benefit thing is over then it's me and you, okay?"

"Definitely," Derek smiled. As if he'd let it be any other way.

"Hey, how about instead of taking me straight, straight home, we make one teeny-tiny stop?"

"Stiles-"

"Just to your place! I baked you more treats before leaving since you were complaining about how you and Isaac scarfed them down once Scott handed them over even after I told you to only eat one a day."

Derek scoffed. "I didn't complain."

"Sure, sure," Stiles snickered. "And I would have brought some of those pumpkin-pecan cupcakes I made with your sister, but she said I shouldn't spoil you so much." He chuckled in seeing Derek's scowl. "But what I do have, we can just drop them off at your place before you walk me home."

"Oh, so now I'm walking you home."

"Yeah! Come on. I haven't seen you since Sunday and I'll be stuck in my living room with the guys through the foreseeable future so let's hang out just a bit before that. Please?"

The idea was certainly a tempting one, especially if Stiles was right. He, Scott and Isaac would be spending the next week practicing until their fingers fell off, so any time he'd have with the boy was limited. Though it certainly wouldn't please Scott, Derek nodded. "Okay, fine."

"Yay!" Stiles cheered, clapping his hands together in victory.

Derek did as he was told and drove them to his place. Once there, Stiles grabbed his bag from the back and followed the older boy in.

Stiles began to laugh when they went inside. "Yay! My hoarder is back!"

Derek scowled again at his friend. "What are you talking about? It's not that messy." Stiles was being unfair. His clothes were at least either in his room or next to the washer; his old newspapers were on a pile on his dining table, waiting to be recycled; and while he still had a couple of cartons of Chinese take-out and a single solitary pizza box that probably should've seen the inside of a dumpster by now, Derek hardly thought it was that bad. "This is the proper level of mess someone my age would have when living alone. You are the one with the problem."

Stiles just laughed some more before wrapping his arms around Derek's middle, hugging him from behind. "I'm glad I'm back."

Derek smiled, placing a hand on top of Stiles' arm. "Me too."

Stiles unlatched himself and dropped his bag onto the couch, an idea coming to mind. "Hey! You know what would be great?"

'If you confessed your undying love for me right here and now…' Derek thought longingly to himself.

"Hot cocoa!"

Derek inwardly sulked, the fates ignoring his request once more. "Hot cocoa?"

"Yeah! For our walk. It's cold outside." Stiles didn't even wait for a response. He just jumped into the kitchen and searched for the things he needed.

Derek, on the other hand, self-consciously began to gather all his empty food cartons to at least put them in one pile to discard later. Once that was done, he took a seat at the counter and watched Stiles at work, musing over the idea of how natural this felt. He'd love to come home to Stiles, to relax and unwind with him after a long day at work. They would snuggle together on the couch and idly talk about a case they were working on while sharing a cup of hot cocoa. Then he or Stiles would catch something they hadn't spotted before and the case would be solved and then congratulatory kissing would be involved. Derek smiled at the idea.

"Helloooo? Derek?"

Derek snapped out of his thoughts of his future life with Stiles to see the boy waving a hand in front of his eyes. He swatted at it and looked to him. "What?"

Stiles smirked. "I said, 'Do you have any chocolate?' You can't have hot chocolate without the chocolate."

"Uh, yeah. In there," he pointed in the designated cupboard.

"Ah," Stiles noted, opening the door. "Next to the bowls. How ever did I miss that?"

Derek rolled his eyes. His system worked for him. That's all that mattered. At least until Stiles moved in with him. Then he could put the chocolate wherever he pleased. 'Actually, we could get chocolate syrup and leave that in the bedroom... That'd be nice… and messy… and tongues…' His thoughts began to fragment, to make less sense, as the image of licking chocolate off of Stiles flooded his brain.

"Derek!"

Again, the older boy was snapped out of his wayward thoughts as he looked to his friend in the kitchen. "What?"

"My God, man. What are you thinking about? You're so distracted."

"Nothing. Just- chocolate."

"Just chocolate?" Stiles repeated.

'And licking in off your skin, yes.' Derek simply nodded. "Just chocolate."

Stiles chuckled as he chopped up some chocolate pieces before adding them into the saucepan he was working with. "I was saying you could take out your treats from my bag. I mean, if you want them, that is. I'm not entirely sure you do, what with the way you keep zoning out on me."

Derek was already on his feet and making his way over to where Stiles set his stuff down, making the boy laugh once more. He unzipped the bag and lit up when he saw the box of goodies sitting on top.

"And while you're over there, fold that blanket. It's not that hard to fold a blanket after using it, Derek," he chastised.

"Well then tell that to Isaac cause he's the one that used it," he retorted, inwardly charmed at how Stiles already sounded like his nagging spouse.

"Isaac used it?"

"Yeah," Derek replied, picking up the blanket to fold it haphazardly. "He slept over a few days ago."

"Oh. I didn't know that. He asked to?"

Derek tossed the blanket aside and popped open his box to swipe a cookie. "No. It was late and when I gave him a pillow and this blanket, he didn't seem to mind. I didn't mind. Isaac's a good guy."

Stiles merely nodded.

Just then, Derek's phone began to ring. He glanced at the caller ID. "It's Scott."

"Don't answer it!" Stiles hissed.

"I can't not answer it," Derek huffed. Scott was probably just checking in. He hit the 'Talk' button. "Yeah?"

"Where are you guys? You should have been here by now."

"Oh um…" He glanced into the kitchen to see Stiles gesturing with his hands. "We had some… car trouble." Stiles smiled, giving Derek a thumbs up. "Yeah. But it's taken care of and we're on our way now."

"Why do I get the feeling you're lying?"

Derek frowned and opened his mouth to retort, but Scott continued on.

"Just bring him home soon, okay? Sixty-forty Mr. Hale."

Derek scoffed. "Yeah, yeah. We're on our way," he said again before hanging up. He took his box of goodies and walked over to the kitchen to set them down on the counter before looking to Stiles. "You just about ready? I think your keeper might come pounding down my door if you're away much longer."

Stiles snickered. "My keeper… Do you have a Thermos? Or something?"

"Umm…" Derek stepped into the kitchen and rifled through the cabinets, wondering if that was one of the things his sister purchased for him during her little shopping spree. "I only have one," he shrugged, pulling it down from the shelf.

"That's fine," Stiles said, taking the container and quickly rinsing it out. "We can just share." He skillfully poured the hot chocolate into the insulated cup, screwing on the top once it was full. He held out the saucepan to Derek. "Here, try it."

Derek cocked an eyebrow. "Out of the pan?"

The boy smirked. "Why not?"

Derek just shook his head. He took the pan from his friend and sipped the warm liquid. The drink was rich in chocolaty goodness, creamy from the milk, with just a hint of something else. He turned suspicious eyes to Stiles. "Wait. How the hell did you make this from stuff you found in my cupboards? It doesn't seem possible."

Stiles chuckled, taking the pan from Derek to sip some for himself. "There's lots you can make if you just took some time to whip it together. For this, all you need is chocolate, milk, a little bit of salt, and just a sprinkle of cinnamon. Easy!" he grinned. He downed the rest of the drink and placed the pan in the sink before picking up his bag and hiking it over his shoulder. "Ready?"

Derek nodded, following Stiles out the door.

They walked slowly to Stiles' apartment, taking turns to sip at the warm drink, especially delicious in the winter chill.

"Practice, practice, practice," Stiles sighed. "I'll admit that when Scott left, I didn't practice as much as he probably wanted me to, but I did pick up the guitar."

"What'll you guys be playing?"

"Just some Christmas songs. And a few oldies for the oldies," he chuckled.

"Will you be singing?"

"Oh, God no. That's for Scott. He's the singer. And Isaac does back up. I just get to stand there and look pretty."

'That'll be easy enough for you,' Derek thought. But then he wondered about the people going to the charity event. What if they thought so too? They might find Stiles attractive and Derek certainly didn't want anyone to ogle the goods. He frowned. "I think you guys should do the KISS thing and go with full face make-up. And crazy costumes. Be unrecognizable."

Stiles laughed. "Well now there's a thought. Maybe Scott'll go for it. I mean, he still has his Batman costume and I still have my Impulse costume. And the other year, Isaac was the Green Lantern, so I bet he could dig that up again. That'd be pretty funny."

Derek thought about the skin-tight speedsuit Stiles had donned at the costume party. 'No, no, no. Damn it, Derek, if he wears that thing again, that'll give people more reason to look! Don't make things worse!' He cleared his throat. "Actually, no. That's not such a good idea. This is a serious event. So superhero costumes probably won't fit in well."

"Well, I hardly think 'Carols for Kittens' is serious, but I do see your point. Maybe we'll try something more classy. A nicely fitted suit with a skinny tie? We'll be a dapper little lounge act, all dressed the same like the Beatles."

This wasn't good either. Although he had never seen Stiles in such an outfit, he could imagine the outcome. Stiles was probably suave and charming in a nice suit. So no. Stiles needed to look horrible and unapproachable for the event. "Maybe you're right. Just... wear your regular stuff." That seemed like the best option. 'Baggy jeans and a hoodie? Much better than a speedsuit or a tailored suit. Definitely.'

Stiles chuckled again. "Thanks for your input, my lovely little wardrobe consultant," he cooed before taking Derek's hand in his.

Derek rolled his eyes, but sighed in content in feeling Stiles' hand pressed against his own. He intertwined their fingers and drank some more hot chocolate. He hoped that with the drink in his mouth, it might keep him from unintentionally suggesting any other option that would make Stiles look flattering to anyone else. He had been a second away from suggesting they wear nothing at all, but realized quickly that would be a disaster. 'Not like they'd actually do it...' Derek mentally scoffed. But Stiles was a free spirit. You never knew what he'd do. And because of that, Derek held Stiles' hand a little tighter.

Much too soon, they arrived. Derek sighed as Stiles made his way to the apartment door and walked in.

"Ah! Finally!" Scott said, charging at the door to capture Stiles in a hug. "Welcome home, buddy!"

Derek respected their friendship enough to not shove Scott away.

"Hey Stiles. Welcome back," Isaac smiled, making his way over to pull him into a hug as well.

Derek stifled the urge to growl and pull Stiles away by the scruff of the neck. Stiles was allowed to hug people. Really. He was.

"Thank you for bringing him home," Scott said, nodding at Derek. "I mean, you took long enough, but it could've been worse."

"Much worse," Derek admitted, though picking up on Scott's tone. "But wait, are you implying I can't stay?"

Isaac snickered. "He's convinced that it's bad luck to have an outsider listen in during practice."

"Aw, but-"

"No buts, Stiles," Scott silenced his friend. "Deaton is counting on us. He trusts us to make his fundraiser a good event so I don't want to disappoint him."

Stiles scoffed. "Why can't you put this much effort into your schoolwork, huh?" He snagged Scott in a headlock and gave him a noogie.

"Ow! Stiles!"

"All right, all right," Isaac rolled his eyes, pulling his two band mates apart. "Enough. Stiles, say good night to Derek." He pulled Scott away towards the living room where their instruments were set up.

Derek smirked, watching Isaac go, pleased that the blonde had given him and Stiles a few more seconds of alone time. 'I knew there was a reason why I liked him best.' He looked to Stiles who had been watching him carefully. "Looks like this is good night."

Stiles nodded solemnly, handing Derek's Thermos back to him. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Only if your keeper lets you out," Derek teased.

Stiles chuckled before moving forward and wrapping his arms around Derek. Derek instantly mirrored the move, pulling Stiles in an embrace. He relaxed into his arms, feeling content, happy that Stiles was back, safe and sound. And even though he wouldn't get to see Stiles as much as he wanted in the foreseeable future, he was pleased just knowing he was nearby.

"Good night, Stiles."

"Night, Derek. Don't eat all your treats at once."

"I make no guarantees."

Stiles chuckled again before pulling away. "Tomorrow. It'll be fun."

Derek rolled his eyes. 'Tomorrow will not be fun. Not if Scott keeps you locked up.' He just sighed. "We'll see." Derek started walking backwards down the hall. "Practice hard. Then maybe Scott'll let you out early."

"Pffft. I'm practically a professional already," he snorted.

"I can't wait to be the judge of that."

"Then prepare to be awed cause who's got two thumbs and the most talented hands in the world? This guy," he smirked, pointing said thumbs at himself.

Derek just laughed. He paused, smiling at Stiles from where he was at the door. Derek sighed in content. "I'm really glad you're back, Stiles."

Stiles brightened. "Me too."

And with that, Derek finally turned around and headed for the elevator. When the doors closed behind him, his phone chirped, signaling a text from The Awesome Cool Guy Stiles :D. Derek chuckled. 'What could he possibly need to say when I've only been gone two seconds?' He opened the message, his smile growing across his lips.

miss u alrdy :3

Derek typed out a quick reply.

I miss you, too.

He smiled contently, pressing his phone against his lips before slipping it back into his pocket. He really hoped Stiles practiced hard. But he wouldn't fear getting another bite from a grumpy Scott should the urge to truly kidnap Stiles overcome him.

/\/\/\

It was good that Derek didn't make any promises to keep from eating his treats. He had finished off his cookies that night, downing it with his left over milk. Then, Saturday morning he opened the box again and by Saturday afternoon, all twelve mini lemon bars were gone. Admittedly, those probably weren't the healthiest meal choices he made, but when they were that delicious, Derek found he couldn't much care.

He had spent the day hoping that Stiles would call, saying that Scott was giving them an hour break or something. He had hoped that maybe Stiles wanted to grab a quick lunch together or even a coffee before needing to get back. Hell, he was even hoping that maybe Stiles would revolt against the tyrannical Scott and escape his dastardly clutches to find comfort and protection in the arms of the heroic and cherished Derek, but that didn't happen either. The heavy rain of the evening was beginning to mirror his melancholy mood.

'I thought I was gonna see him today,' Derek pouted. Or it would be a pout if Derek actually admitted to himself that he did, in fact, pout. 'He made it seem like he'd get some free time, but I guess Scott is more demanding than I thought.'

Derek decided that it was only fair that after the week was done and Carols for Kittens was over, he'd get to keep Stiles to himself for a few days. Or a week. A month, probably. Or forever. Whichever.

But, as it was, he had pretty much given up any hope in seeing the boy now that it was already almost ten at night. 'So much for fun...'

But then, his phone began to ring. Derek jumped up off his couch where he had been moping - that is if he admitted to himself that he does, in fact, mope - all day, and grabbed his phone. He frowned seeing it was just The Bossy Redheaded Girl.

"Hello?" He answered glumly.

"Ok, good. So you're not dead."

Derek frowned at his phone. "Excuse me?"

"Where the hell are you? You're supposed to be here."

"Lydia. This is Derek. I think maybe you called the wrong person."

"No, idiot. I'm calling you. You, who is about to be a dead man if you don't get your ass over here within the next half hour."

Derek furrowed his brows in confusion. "What are you talking about? Get where?"

"Um, hello? The benefit? Carols for Kittens? Any of this ringing a bell? You told Stiles you'd be here."

Derek blinked. "Wait, what? That thing's next week."

"No, it's actually right now. And you should see the look on Stiles' face. He keeps looking around like you're gonna magically show up."

"No," Derek said, firmly, in disbelief. "Stiles put it in my phone himself. He set a reminder. I even checked it other day. The fundraiser isn't until next week."

"Derek, as an honorary member of your family, I'm allowed to say what I'm about to say. Shut up. Get out of your stupid apartment and get your ass over here before I come kill you myself for breaking his heart!"

The phone beeped, signaling the end of the connection. Derek stared at his phone. 'No... but... next week...' He tapped through his menu and sure enough, the event was scheduled for next week. 'But if she's right, and he's looking for me...'

"Shit."

He couldn't chance it. Derek sprung into action. He hoped the fundraiser wasn't a formal event because there was no time to change. He was glad, though, that he had steady enough hands to shave that morning. Derek grabbed his jacket, slipped into his sneakers without even bothering with the laces and ran out the door, fumbling with his keys as he tried to hurriedly lock the door behind him. He raced to the parking garage, leapt into his car and tore down the streets to where the event was being held.

'What happened? It's supposed to be next Saturday, not this Saturday. Then why did Lydia say it was tonight? Is she messing with me? What if she's not? Am I too late? What time did it start? What time is it supposed to end?' All of these questions were getting Derek nowhere, only serving to make him more hard-pressed. Derek pushed down on the gas, breaking speed limits galore. He didn't have time to care about '45 MPH' signs. He probably should have, considering the red and blue lights glaring at him in his rear-view mirror.

"Shit. You've got to be kidding me. Why now?" he groaned. He wondered if it would be worth it to start a high-speed chase. But if he had any hope of becoming a detective, that mark would certainly put a blemish on his record. Derek pulled over, hissing in defeat, wishing this would be over soon.

The problem with police officers when they pull over a person for speeding is that they decide to take their sweet, sweet time getting out of their car before handling business. This officer was no exception. Derek growled in frustration as he waited for the officer to come up to his window.

"Sir, do you know how fast you were going?" The woman asked, leaning down to look Derek in the eye. She was certainly not amused by the situation, nor the fact that she was now standing in the rain.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just, there's a be-"

"Sir, I'm gonna need to see your license and registration."

Derek huffed, but did as he was told. The more he complied, the faster this would be over with. Or so he hoped.

"Look," he tried, glancing at the officer's nametag. "Officer Morrell, if you wouldn't mind, there's a benefit I really need to be at-"

"Is getting to this benefit worth risking the lives of passing pedestrians or other citizens driving within the designated speed limit?"

Derek's immediate response would have been 'yes' as it meant getting to Stiles, but thought that would get him in more trouble than he was already in.

"Exactly," she said with a cock of her head.

Derek sighed and stared at the ceiling of his car as the officer began to write him up. "Please tell me these kittens are staying up all night..." he mumbled to himself.

"What was that?"

"I just- the benefit. Carols for Kittens. I was just hoping it wasn't ending any time soon."

"You mean that fundraiser for Dr. Deaton?"

Derek sat up. "You know of it?"

"Yeah. Dr. Deaton is a good friend of mine. Acts as an advisor in some of our cases. He's a good man. This fundraiser is gonna help a lot of animals in need."

"So you'll let me go?" he hoped.

She laughed. "Not a chance, pretty boy." She ripped the page out of her book and handed it to Derek, along with his license and registration. "Be sure to make a nice donation." She straightened up. "Oh, and by the way, Mister…" she glanced at her book before flipping it back closed, "…Hale. Your little event? Ends in about ten minutes. But you better drive safely the rest of the way there."

Derek nodded before starting up his car. As much as he wanted to disregard her warning and just jam it the rest of the way, Derek stayed on the brink of the speed limit, not wanting to chance another situation. He was already incredibly late and wasn't going to do anything else that would make it worse.

'Stiles'll probably be disappointed,' Derek thought, remembering the excitement in his eyes when he told Derek about it. 'And that's probably what he meant about seeing me. He meant he'd see me at the event.' Derek growled. "Damn it!"

As Derek was pulling into the parking lot, he saw many guests making their way out. He inwardly groaned. 'Shit... it's already over...' He jumped out of the car and rushed inside, disregarding the rain falling on him. The food was already being cleared away as decorations were being taken down. Derek scanned the room, looking towards the stage, hoping to see Stiles.

"Mr. Hale?"

Derek spun around. "Scott! Where's Stiles?"

"Dude, why are you so late? It started at five."

"Scott, come on. Where is he?"

"He's pretty bummed you didn't show."

"I didn't know, okay? I didn't know it was tonight. I thought it was next week."

"Next week? Technically, it was next week, but then it got pushed. But if you thought it was next week, then why did you think I wanted Stiles home right away to practice? I may have wanted to get in as much practice as we could, but I'm not a slave-driver, Mr. Hale."

Derek exhaled. This was getting him nowhere. "Scott, please. Where's Stiles?"

Finally, he relented. He pointed over to the bar. Derek spotted Stiles there with Isaac and Jackson, pouring himself a drink. Derek made his way over after thanking Scott for his help.

"Well, well, well," Jackson smirked. "Look who decided to show up."

"Lay off, Jackson," Isaac groaned. "Hey Derek."

"Hey," he nodded. "Stiles-"

"Stiles isn't talking to you, Tardy-for-the-Party," Jackson interrupted. "So you can just get back in your car and try again another day."

"Shut up, Jackson," Isaac frowned, punching his friend in the shoulder.

"Ow! Hey, screw you, Lahey."

Isaac just rolled his eyes before pulling Jackson away by the collar of his blazer. He managed to give Derek one solemn look before walking away.

Derek mentally thanked the blonde, before focusing all his efforts on the boy behind the bar. "Stiles-"

"Well, hello sir. What can I get for you?" he said dryly, an obvious nod to the first time he was upset with Derek.

"Stiles, I didn't know it was tonight," he explained.

The boy snorted in derision.

"I didn't."

"Look, Derek, I get it. Parties aren't your thing. But if you really didn't wanna come, you didn't have to. You didn't have say that you would just to shut me up."

"What are you talking about? Of course I wanted to come! Stiles, I sped the whole way here! I have the speeding ticket to prove it!"

Stiles still looked unconvinced. "Then why are you showing up just now? And don't tell me you didn't know when it was I put it in your phone myself. I set up a reminder and everything."

"Oh, you sure did," Derek defended, pulling out his phone. He held up the schedule to Stiles. "You set it for next week, not tonight. I wouldn't have even known it was tonight if Lydia didn't call me."

Stiles shook his head. "No. It was supposed to be next week, but they moved it up two weeks ago so that it wouldn't conflict with some other benefit the doc's deep-wallet guests were invited to."

"Okay. When did you tell me that? Hm?"

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "I told you." Again, he didn't seem very convinced.

"You didn't."

Stiles glanced at the phone then back at Derek before biting his lip.

"You didn't," Derek said again. "I would have been here, early in fact, if I knew."

Stiles looked at the phone again then back at Derek and back to the phone once more. "I…" he frowned. "I'm sorry. I thought I mentioned it…"

Derek slipped his phone back into his pocket. He sighed. "I would have been here," he repeated softly. "I wouldn't have missed you playing. I was actually looking forward to it."

Stiles dipped his head before peeking back up with a grimace. "I'm sorry."

Derek crossed his arms over his chest. "Sorry's not gonna cut it."

Stiles pouted, raising his head to look Derek square in the eye. "I'll bake for you. If I know you like I think I do, you probably ate all those lemon bars already, right?"

Derek frowned, refusing to admit he had devoured each and every one. He shook his head. "You know what? No. Baking a lemony treat just isn't gonna cut it this time, either."

Stiles gasped. "Whaaat?"

"I was looking forward to this, Stiles. I wanted to see you on stage, enjoying yourself, playing as if you were a rock star-"

"They were just Christmas songs-"

"That's beside the point. I know how much time you put into it and I really wanted to hear you play. But because you declined to inform me of any changes, I missed the entire thing. So now, you're gonna have to play for me."

Stiles frowned. "What, by myself?"

"Yes. You're gonna come back to my place, bake me some lemon snacks, and perform a one-man show as your punishment."

Stiles snorted. "Me playing by myself? Sounds like you're the one getting the punishment…"

"I thought you said you were practically a professional already."

"I may have embellished just a bit," he winced.

"Well, that doesn't matter. I wanted to see you play so now you're going to play. Got it?"

Stiles sighed. "Fine." He walked around the bar and wrapped his arms around Derek, burying his face in a broad shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said, voice muffled in Derek's jacket.

Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles, resting his cheek atop the boy's head. "Stiles, I would never purposely skip spending time with you. I thought you were practicing all day. I was waiting for you to call, all day, hoping that maybe Scott let you take a break. I really wanted to be here."

Stiles looked up. "Did you really get a speeding ticket?"

"At least 300 dollars for going 72 in a 45. I'm lucky I didn't get arrested."

Stiles cringed. "I'll help pay for that."

"Don't worry about it," Derek smiled. "Come on. Grab your guitar and let's go."

"Technically, it's Scott's."

Derek rolled his eyes before taking Stiles' hand in his and leading him over to the stage.

"Oh wait, my drink!" Stiles flailed, reaching for his cup.

"You do one show and you're boozing it up already?"

Stiles snorted. "It's a Coke, smart guy."

Derek took the cup from Stiles' free hand and had a sip, amused to see he was telling the truth and not falling by way of many a former rock star. By the stage, Isaac, Scott and Jackson were finishing loading up Scott's car with the last of their equipment. Lydia was there as well, hands on her hips, watching as Derek and Stiles came over.

"You're lucky you showed, Derek. I was going to stick some ricin in your morning coffee if you didn't get here."

Derek wasn't all too familiar with ricin, but it sounded dangerous if the look she was giving him was anything to go by. He glossed over the assumed threat and nodded at her. "Thanks for calling."

She smirked. "We Hales have to stick together."

"So what happened to you?" Isaac asked.

"It was my fault," Stiles shrank. "I forgot to tell him they pushed up the date."

"Nice one, Stilinski. And after we had to listen to you whine all night," Jackson rolled his eyes.

Derek cocked an eyebrow and looked at Stiles who merely flushed and looked away.

"Oh, and look. Derek. About the whole Tardy-for-the-Party thing…" Jackson said, lowering his voice. "I didn't mean-"

"It's fine," Derek assured. The relationship between Jackson and Stiles was a confusing one, but it was clear to Derek that there was a mutual care there. Jackson was almost as defensive over Stiles as Lydia was, albeit in his own special way. And despite himself, the thought of it made Derek's hold on Stiles' hand grow tighter. "Anyway," Derek said, looking to the rest of the group. "I'm kidnapping him."

"What?" Scott pouted. "We were gonna have a celebratory late dinner. Allison and Danny were gonna try to join us."

"Nope. Not for him. He's in trouble," Derek affirmed. From the corner of his eye, he could see the boy slump in shame. "Let's go."

"I'm gonna need this," Stiles grinned sheepishly before picking up the guitar case. "He's making me play for him."

"Who's the one in trouble?" Jackson snarked.

"That's what I said," Stiles snickered.

"Let's go, Stiles. Say 'bye' to your friends."

"Bye friends!" Stiles waved, picking up the guitar case and following Derek outside. "Ooh, the rain picked up," he frowned, pulling his hood over his head. "And you were speeding through this?"

"It wasn't this bad ten minutes ago," Derek frowned, pulling his jacket tightly around himself. He led the way to his car, opening the door for Stiles so he could put the guitar in the back before taking his seat. Derek walked around to the driver's side and started up the car. "Did you eat already?"

"Yeah. Scott made us eat before we left so we could keep our energy up. By celebratory dinner, he pretty much just means a huge plate of fries and a slice of apple pie."

"You mean that's not an acceptable meal? All I ate for breakfast and lunch were those lemon bars."

"Derek! No," Stiles chastised. "You gotta start eating healthy. Don't make me cut you off."

Derek frowned at the idea. He certainly didn't want that.

He drove to the grocery store where Stiles picked up the ingredients he needed to treat Derek, plus some fresh fruit for Derek to snack on later on instead of whatever unhealthy concoction he planned to cook in his microwave.

"You're in luck. I've been practicing making this particular treat for some time now. I think it's good enough now to try it on you."

"What is it?" Derek asked, cocking an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Ah, ah," Stiles smirked, wagging his finger. "You'll just have to wait and see."

So it was with apt anticipation that Derek watched Stiles in the kitchen once they returned to his apartment.

"Just keep whisking it until I tell you to stop," he directed while stirring a mixture in a saucepan on the stove. "Since you don't have a mixer, you're just gonna have to use your brute strength," he chuckled.

And it was turning into a bit of a workout. Stiles had him whisking until the mixture was turning white and fluffy. "Jesus, is this what people did in the old days? Who needs to lift weights when they can just whisk?" He noted, feeling his muscles begin to strain from the effort.

"Here, let me see," Stiles said, giving Derek reprieve. "Well done," he smirked. "I'm so happy. My squirrel comes with a whisk setting."

Derek just rolled his eyes as Stiles took the bowl and folded the mixture into the pan he was using. It wasn't until Stiles was pouring the blend into two ramekins that he realized what Stiles was probably making. "Soufflé?"

The boy smiled, eyes trained on his work in front of him. "Soufflés can be a little tricky to make..." he said, wiping the rims of the ramekins before walking them to the oven. "The eggs have to be a certain consistency, a certain temperature. And when you're pulling them out of the oven, you have to be careful or it might collapse." He closed the oven door before turning to face Derek. "I wanted to try to make them for you. To maybe make it as good as the one you had after your first home run." He chuckled. "Scott is actually getting pretty sick of them. He's been my guinea pig this whole time."

Derek stared at Stiles. 'He remembered that? And since then, he's been practicing?' It stunned Derek. Baffled him. Made him wonder what he did to deserve such a wonderful person in his life. Made him want to do whatever it was again to make sure he could keep him.

Stiles was moving around the kitchen again, moving things into the sink and rinsing them off. Derek was having a hard time finding his voice and instead just moved in next to Stiles to help him, hoping that through his silence, Stiles would understand how much it meant to him that he would do this and for that reason.

And after about twenty minutes, once the dishes were washed and were set out to dry, Derek had the best lemon soufflé of his life.

"So? What's the verdict?" Stiles said, bracing himself for Derek's reaction. "I think it could use just a tad bit more salt. Like a grain, really."

"It's really good."

"Really? Cause I think maybe it could use a bit more lemon. I mean, you can never really tell just how zesty a lemon is gonna taste just by looking at it. Maybe I could've added just one more squeeze-"

"Stiles," Derek urged, placing his hand over his friend's, giving it a reaffirming squeeze. "It's perfect. I love it." 'Just like how I love you...' he wanted to say.

"Okay, good," Stiles smiled. "Sometimes I get nervous about how you're gonna like things. Cause I think you end up liking a lot of what I make for you so what if I make something you don't like, you know? You've built me up to be this baking god and I just don't wanna disappoint. At this point, it would be a huge blow to my ego if ever I let you down."

Derek glanced down at his empty ramekin before stealing a forkful from Stiles'. "I doubt you could do that. You're a great baker, Stiles. I've loved everything you ever made for me." 'Almost as much as I love you... just say it. Just say it.' Despite the encouraging chant in his brain, the words seemed to stick in his throat.

Stiles scoffed. "I mean, I'm not so modest to say I'm not that great. I know I can bake and bake well. But sometimes other people think something is too sweet or too salty, just a smidge too much vanilla or not enough chocolate. But with you... you seem to really, genuinely like everything I make."

"Because I do." Derek chuckled. "It was always a thought of mine that you made things specific to my taste buds. Maybe that's innately true."

Stiles laughed. "Maybe. And stop eating my soufflé! You shouldn't have eaten yours so fast."

Derek frowned. "Well maybe you should have made more than just two."

The two stared each other down for a few seconds before Stiles sighed and rolled his eyes. He pushed the ramekin over to Derek in defeat. "Have at it," he said airily with a wave of his fork.

Derek smirked in triumph and finished off the dessert.

"You know, I wasn't mad earlier," Stiles said, voice low, eyes trained to the countertop as he twirled the fork between his fingers. "I was disappointed, yeah, but I was more upset with myself than anything else."

"With yourself? Why?"

"I guess... Sometimes I can't help but feel like... like I force you to do things you don't wanna do. Like go to parties or... take a hike or... make a spare key to your apartment. I mean, I don't mean to. I just like hanging out with you. But this felt like it was just another thing that I pressured you into. I practically forced you to come. And when you didn't show up, it was like maybe you got sick of me pushing you - burdening you - into doing these things all the time."

Derek put his fork down, placing his hand on top of Stiles so he would do the same. "Stiles. You've never forced me into anything." At his scoff, Derek turned him so they were face-to-face. "Seriously. I may not initially like something, but if I really didn't want to do something I wouldn't do it. I do these things and I go to these places because of you. And no, not because you pressured me to go, but because I like hanging out with you too." Derek looked down, rubbing the back of his neck. "Spending time with you is not a burden for me, Stiles. It's... it's a gift."

Stiles was quiet. Derek chanced a peek at the boy before him, seeing a soft smile playing on his lips.

"That was really, really cheesy," Stiles teased when Derek finally caught his eye. Derek grimaced, but before he could retort or even flee from the scene - which he entirely felt like doing - Stiles continued. "But you don't know how much of a relief it is to hear you say that."

Derek fought back a blush and looked away, clearing his throat. "Um, so... guitar."

Stiles chuckled. "Are you sure you wanna go through with this? I'm warning you now. You are very likely going to be underwhelmed without the assist of the rest of the band."

"I'm sure."

Stiles exhaled and surrendered. He got up and walked over to the guitar case, pulling it out before sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the couch. He plucked at a few strings as Derek made his way over, joining him on the carpet.

"Okay," Stiles said, fidgeting with the guitar in his lap. "Since you're not changing your mind, I guess I'll play you my favorite Christmas song... which also happens to be the one I think I'm best at so brace yourself cause it'll only get worse from here."

Derek chuckled and listened with delight. Stiles strummed out the first few notes of what Derek recognized as 'The Little Drummer Boy.' The younger boy seemed content with just playing it, but eventually he gave in, singing a little bit of the song.

"I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum..." he sang softly, making Derek smile. He wasn't as bad as he made himself to be. He wasn't sure Stiles could win one of those singing competitions on TV on pure voice alone, but he definitely wouldn't end up being one of those that get mocked for being sorely out of tune. "I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum. Rum pum pum pum. Rum pum pum pum..." He looked up from the fingerboard and grinned. "Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum. Me and my drum." He chuckled, finishing the song. "Although, this is a guitar and not a drum."

Derek lightly applauded Stiles' performance. "I think you were setting me up. Pretending that you're bad so that I'm more surprised that you're actually good."

"You, kind sir, are much too kind. But thanks."

Stiles started playing a new song, one that Derek didn't recognize.

"Outside the carolers start to sing

I can't describe the joy they bring

Cause joy is something they don't bring me."

Derek had to laugh. Apparently, the whole song was about getting arrested for assaulting a group of carolers with a baseball bat. It was ridiculous, although Derek couldn't say he never felt the same sentiment.

"You like that one?" Stiles grinned. "Scott made us learn that one for fun. He thought the party-goers might enjoy the laughs."

"And how did it work out for you?"

"Eh, it was hit and miss," Stiles shrugged, chuckling. "Some people actually looked appalled while others got the joke. But it's okay cause the doc was one of the people who laughed so Scott's not gonna get fired."

Derek chuckled. "That's good."

Stiles sat up. "Okay! Your turn!"

Derek frowned. "What? What are you talking about?"

"You. You said you knew how to play."

"I said I barely remember how to play one song I learned a long time ago."

"Come on. Please?" Stiles asked, holding out the guitar and shaking it, urging Derek to try. "I mean, if you really, really don't wanna, I understand. But you could try. I'll enjoy it no matter what. But no pressure."

The hopeful look in the boy's eyes was Derek's demise. "Fine. I'll try."

"Yay!" Stiles cheered.

Derek reached over for the guitar and settled it in his lap. He placed his fingers over the strings, trying to find the chords from muscle memory. He strummed lightly, adjusted his hand, and tried again until it sounded right. He moved his hand over again, trying to find all the proper chords in the song, surprised with himself for remembering it as much as he did despite the lack of practice. When he looked up again, Stiles had his phone out.

"No pictures!" Derek scowled.

"Not even the moving kind?" he tested.

"No."

"Aw, but I won't show it to anyone, I promise! Please, please, please? With lemon zest on top?" He smiled, hopeful.

Derek set his jaw, staring Stiles down firmly. "Not a soul."

Stiles stifled another cheer before holding his phone up again and watching his friend through the screen.

"Just warning you, it's been a very long time since I played this. And the lyrics are... questionable at best."

"Warning acknowledged," Stiles nodded.

"Here goes nothing..." he muttered under his breath. "All my... bags are packed, I'm... ready to go. I'm... sitting - no, standing - here outside your door. I hate to wake you up... to say... 'goodbye?' Yeah," Derek chuckled nervously, moving slowly from chord to chord. "Umm... something, something, something taxi cab and his horn. I'm so lonely I could die..." He grimaced, blanking on the lyrics, hearing Stiles chuckle across from him. Derek glanced up and smiled at Stiles, pausing. "And here's the part everyone knows... the only part of the song that anyone really cares about anyway," he declared, looking back at the fingerboard.

"So kiss me and... smile for me. Tell me that you'll wait for me. Hold me like you'll never let me go…. Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. Oh babe, I hate to go..." Derek looked back up, watching Stiles watch him through his phone.

"And I definitely don't remember this next part... Ummm... Every place I go... I think of you. Every song I sing, I sing for you," he smirked at the camera, amused by the truth in the lyric. "And when I come back, I'll... give you a wedding ring~? Something like that~?"

Derek looked at Stiles - not at the phone in his hand, but at the boy himself - as he sang the next part, a smile spread across his lips as he serenaded the boy he loved. "So kiss me and smile for me. Tell me that you'll wait for me. Hold me like you'll never let me go..." He glanced back down at the guitar. "Cause I'm-"

Derek froze. He couldn't utter another note... because Stiles' lips were pressed against his.

Stiles had dropped his phone and launched himself at Derek, taking the older boy's face between his hands before kissing him long and hard. Derek was stunned. He couldn't move. His eyes were wide as the rest of his body refused to function.

Suddenly, Stiles' eyes popped open as a gasp escaped his lips. He pulled back as a flurry of emotion crossed his face before he let out a chuckle of nervousness.

"Eh-heh," Stiles stammered, quickly releasing Derek and scooting backwards. "It's-a... it's funny. Cause-cause you said- in the song- to kiss you... and I-I-um, I kissed you." He forced out another laugh, grinning sheepishly and running his hand over his head. "Oh would you look at the time?" Stiles stood up, looking at his wrist at a watch that wasn't there. "It's getting late and you're probably tired. I know I'm fried. Like... an egg... or something. I should go." He pointed to the door and headed towards it. He spun around. "I should take this with me..." he said, scooping his phone back up. "And um. The guitar. I'll- I'll come back for it, yeah. Keep it safe for-for... for now." He laughed one last time. "Night um, Der-ek." And with that, Stiles hurried out the door.

'He... kissed me.' Derek thought dumbly. The guitar was still fixed in his lap, his fingers pressed again the strings in the last chord that he played. 'He kissed me!"

Derek blinked, a little surprised to realize Stiles had left. "Shit."

And with that, Derek tossed aside the guitar and ran out the door.

He ran for the elevator, not even bothering locking the door behind him, not even making sure the door even closed. At the end of the hall, the doors were already shut, the elevator traveling down to the first floor. He jammed on the button, pressing it several times in an irrational hope that it might change directions, but inevitably found it pointless and took to the stairs. Derek scrambled down the steps, running down them halfway before leaping over the rest onto each landing. He needed to get to Stiles. Breaking a leg in the process wasn't ideal, but if it meant reaching him, Derek didn't think it would be too much of a detriment. Jumping down the last set of steps - with his tibias in tact - he rounded the corner to the elevator, only to see it had already dropped off its passenger. He ran for the front entrance and burst through the door, not caring about the rain beating down on him. He looked to his right, down the block in the direction of the boy's apartment and saw the red hoodie nearing the corner.

"Stiles!"

The boy froze. He turned slowly, worried eyes staring at the sidewalk before turning up to look at the one who had called him.

Derek took a breath and began to jog over. 'He has to... he has to. He kissed me... and it can't be because of the song, it just can't be... He kissed me because he's... he just has to be...' He slowed down as he got closer, walking with purpose and intent.

"Derek, I-"

'No excuses.' Derek didn't let him utter another word. He took Stiles' head between his hands and pulled him in for a kiss of his own. He tried to pour every emotion and feeling he had into to it. He wanted it to emote everything he wished he could say with confidence, hoping Stiles would understand like he always did. Derek kissed Stiles on a darkened street corner, getting drenched in the rain, and Stiles finally kissed him back.

He felt the boy's hands tentatively touch his sides before settling on his hips. His lips gently pushed back, shy, but getting bolder with each passing second.

With a final press of lips, Derek had to stop, needing air, needing his mind to return from its haze. He breathed deeply, pressing his forehead against Stiles', hands still gently holding him in place as he caught his breath.

Derek opened his eyes, studying the slightly dazed boy before him. Stiles was unfocused, panting slightly, hands firm against Derek's hips as if they were an anchor, keeping him from falling over.

Derek breathed. "Stiles..." he said, voice barely above a whisper. "Stiles, please. I need to know... do you.. are you...?" He searched the boy's face, hoping he understood.

Stiles' eyes unclouded, finally meeting Derek's head on. With a small intake of air, he nodded.

Derek let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, closing his eyes, wrapping his arms around Stiles' neck. "Good."

Despite the winter rains and the cold air, standing there on the sidewalk, Derek never felt warmer, and only felt more so when Stiles' arms finally wrapped around his waist in return.

Derek felt himself smile. He couldn't have stopped it even if he wanted to. He was surprised that the naturally talkative boy hadn't yet uttered a single word. "Stiles..." Derek mused. "Are you speechless?"

"I... I'm... wet," He said simply.

Derek chuckled, reluctantly pulling away, taking a step back. He took Stiles' hand in his, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it before looking him in the eye. "Come on. Let's go back inside. We... we should talk."

Stiles nodded slowly. "Talk... talk is good."

Derek smiled again and led him back towards his apartment building. He called the elevator, and they rode it back up in silence.

'He kissed me,' Derek thought giddily to himself, fighting off the urge to bounce on the balls of his feet. 'And he loves me. Or at least, I think he does. I mean, if he understood what I meant and I understood what his nod meant. Okay, so everything isn't 100% clear, but we're gonna talk it out. Probably even kiss it out,' he finished, smugly, just as the elevator doors opened.

Their hands still connected, Derek led them back down the hall to his apartment where the door had lucky closed behind him. He walked in and just as Stiles stepped through, he couldn't help himself any longer.

Derek spun around and pushed Stiles up against the door before kissing him again. Stiles gasped in surprise, giving Derek access to his mouth. Tentatively, he licked Stiles' lips, before pushing forward, stroking Stiles' tongue with his own. He swarmed into him, arms greedily snaking their way back around the slim waist, his thigh pressing in between Stiles' legs. He felt Stiles' hands latch onto his hair, tugging lightly as he brushed his tongue against Derek's. When his lungs began to burn, Derek pulled back, panting, only to return his efforts to Stiles' neck, tugging down the rain-soaked hoodie to gain access to more skin. He licked a trail from Stiles' ear down to his collarbone, only to kiss his way back up again before sucking a bruise into the pale skin.

Stiles let out a little whimper then, the sound doing crazy things to Derek's head. He returned his lips to Stiles', kissing him like he'd wanted to for so long. Derek hissed when Stiles trailed a hand out of his hair and up his shirt. His fingertips were cold against the warm skin of Derek's back.

Derek pulled away slightly, trying to catch his breath while eyeing Stiles. "You're… you're shivering…" he panted.

Stiles licked his lips and gulped. "I'm... still wet."

It then occurred to Derek that they both were. Kissing in the rain, although a romantic notion at the time, was nothing but a cold mess later on. Derek chuckled. "Then I guess we should just get you out of those clothes."

Stiles cocked an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "My, Mr. Hale. You don't waste time at all, do you?"

Derek just rolled his eyes and led Stiles into his bedroom.

"No time at all..." he heard him snicker.

Derek, although amused and very tempted to just shove the boy on the bed and have his way with him, simply shook his head before pulling some dry clothes out for himself and for Stiles. He tossed the garments to the boy before pulling his shirt over his head. He moved to undo his belt, pulling it from out of the loops in one tug.

"Hey, whoa," Stiles mumbled as Derek moved his hands to his jeans, blushing, suddenly shy. "What-um... I guess-I'll just go..." he said, pointing to the door before heading towards it.

Derek watched his retreating back and smirked. "If you want."

Stiles paused, turning slowly to face Derek again. "…That implies that if I don't want... I could stay..."

Derek gave him a cocky little grin as he undid the button of his jeans. He watched Stiles' eyes follow his hands as Derek slid his zipper down before pushing his jeans down and stepping out of them, kicking them off to the side. Stiles was slack-jawed, eyes taking in the sight before him.

"If. You. Want." Derek smirked again.

When Stiles didn't move, let alone speak, Derek moved his hands to the waistband of his boxer-briefs, preparing to slip out of those as well.

Stiles instantly flushed, stammered, and fled the room, barricading himself in Derek's bathroom.

Derek just chuckled. For all of his bravado, he and Stiles were still just nervous and tense about this new development. Derek was serious about wanting to talk. He wanted to clear the air once and for all, for both his sake and for Stiles'.

Derek changed into dry clothes, picked up his wet ones and carried them out the room over to the washer and dryer. He heard the bathroom door click open from behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, Stiles shyly made his way over to where Derek was loading a pile into the wash. 'He looks good in my clothes,' Derek mused. 'He probably looks better out of them... but that's for another time.'

"Here," he said, holding a hand out to take Stiles' clothes. "I'll wash them."

Stiles just nodded and handed the pile over. He hopped up onto the dryer and watched as Derek poured in some fabric softener. "So..." he gulped.

Derek closed the lid, started the machine, and hopped up onto the washer to sit next to him. "So..."

"So... you kissed me..."

Derek nodded slowly. "Well, you kissed me..." Derek glanced at Stiles from the corner of his eye. "Why... exactly… did you kiss me?" he asked tentatively, although he was nearly very sure of the answer. "Was it really because of the song?"

Stiles let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, it was because of the song." At this, Derek frowned, not exactly expecting that. But Stiles continued. "And it was because of the cookbooks and Sourwolf and all the 'D' names in the world... and because of homemade whipped cream and Oreos and... hikes and for fuck's sake, you saved me… from Jackson… and ice and from little girls who crawl out of TVs and because I'm Stilinator and because lemons and just... everything in between..." He drew his legs up, fidgeting with his fingers. He peeked at Derek sideways before looking back at his hands. "Why... why did you kiss me?"

Derek sighed too then, taking a moment to sort through his thoughts, to sort through everything Stiles had said. Then, finally, he turned his head, looking at the boy beside him, at the boy he had fallen in love with. "Because... you drew me a flower in my coffee when I told you not to draw a heart."

Stiles turned surprised eyes to Derek, finally meeting his gaze.

Derek smiled softly. "It was all downhill from there."

Stiles stopped fidgeting then, easing his legs back down over the dryer, daring to take Derek's hand in his as a smile grew on his lips in realization of the words. "So... you like me?" he asked, words still cautious, eyes studying the hand in his.

"Stiles," Derek breathed, using his free hand to turn the boy's head, to look him in the eye. "I'm in love with you." He leaned forward, kissing Stiles softly, not fervently like before against the door, but with just as much passion and intensity. He smiled gently, trying to show Stiles he meant it with all his heart.

It looked like Stiles was trying to hold back a grin, but he was certainly losing that battle as he cracked a smile. He tugged at the hand still in his, hugging it against his chest, and dipping his head to press his lips against it. He was bouncing now, buzzing with what Derek hoped was happiness and excitement. Finally, he looked back to Derek with a grin. "Good."

Derek snorted. He slid over so that they were thigh-to-thigh before pulling Stiles' hand into his own lap, holding it between his hands, rubbing small circles into it with his thumb. With a sigh, he turned slightly, angling himself to rest his head on Stiles' shoulder. He was in bliss.

Peter had been right. The whole day was a bit of a mess. Derek got a speeding ticket and was almost poisoned by Lydia. He almost missed his chance to hear Stiles play and was almost too stunned to chase Stiles after he had suddenly kissed him. They kissed in the rain, kissed against the front door, and kissed again on top of his washer and dryer. Nothing screamed perfection, but to Derek it was. He was finally able to say what he had longed to, and because Stiles was still here, was still holding his hand, everything became perfect. Derek smiled.

"So, um…" Stiles started, before chewing on his bottom lip. "Um… what now?"

"Now?" Derek exhaled and thought about it. "Now, we get off my washer and dryer… we'll put Scott's guitar away because he was nice enough to let you borrow it… then we'll brush our teeth – don't worry, I have a spare for you since a two-pack is ultimately cheaper than two single and I don't want to catch your cooties-"

Stiles snorted. "Says the guy who had his tongue in my mouth."

Derek just chuckled. "Then… we'll climb into my bed and I'll kiss you over and over again, but that's it cause while I do want to have you naked in my arms, I don't want to rush this and screw this up because I want to be with you not just be in bed with you." He felt Stiles rest his head on his, hand giving a reaffirming squeeze. "And then… we'll fall asleep in each other's arms… and you'll probably steal my blanket-" Stiles vibrated with laughter, "-and then when we wake up, you'll kiss me over and over… and then you'll make me breakfast," at this, Stiles scoffed, "but I'll help, of course."

"My wonderfully, helpful squirrel," Stiles cooed.

"Your wonderfully, helpful…" he gulped, still a bit nervous, but wanting it to be true, "…boyfriend."

"My… boyfriend."

Derek felt himself tense. Maybe he said the 'b' word too soon. Maybe he was rushing this. 'I mean, all we did was kiss. Maybe 'boyfriend' is too much...?'

He heard Stiles sigh. "I like the sound of that."

And just like that, Derek was reassured, relaxed. He brought Stiles' hand to his lips and kissed it. "Yeah… me too."

Eventually, Derek hopped off the washer, stepping between Stiles' legs, running his hands up his thighs before settling his hands on his waist. He pulled Stiles to the edge, pulled him in close as he leaned in and pressed his forehead against Stiles'. He sighed, content, warm, loved. "I love you, Stiles," he breathed again, unafraid of the words in his heart.

Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek, nuzzling the side of his face, before letting out a contented sigh of his own. "I love you, too, Derek."

And Derek had been wrong. The moment before was nothing compared to now. With Stiles finally saying the words he had so longed to hear, Derek knew that this moment… This was true perfection.

---

Notes: Gah. All the feels. Varying feels. Sterek feels. Scisaac feels. Bromantic Sciles and Stackson and Dersaac (lol I don't think that's right but whatev XD). So many. Oh and also platonic Lauriles (HA!) and protective Stydia. Yes. ALL of them. Feels fill me with feelings at a time I should be sleeping. Why hello, three in the morning. You've arrived early. Or perhaps it is I who am late.

Anyway, seriously Derek, you are a puppy. Just admit it. You wait by the door until your master comes home to feed you a treat. I wouldn't be surprised if you urinated on Stiles' leg just to mark your territory (but please don't. This isn't that kind of story).

Ms. Morell cameo! She's not so important to this story, but she'll be apart of Mr. Hale and the Stilinator. Wait, what?

Oddly enough, for a long chapter, I don't have much to say. I can't think of anything at the moment.

Although I will say Stiles as Max and Derek as a Wild Thing fills me with all sorts of cuddly feels. "I'll eat you up, I love you so!"

Why are they so flirty? And even when they're so flirty, they're both still so dense! It's like 'Hi! Insert sexual innuendo here, but not just in case you're just joking and don't really mean it and bahahahaha yes, I'm joking too- No really, I am!' Pfffft. Oh boys. You be so silly. At least now your innuendos might be taken seriously. 'Oh what's that Stiles? Thoust wantests to lick mine abs like a lollipop for real? Mine body is ready. Have at thee!' Because Derek will begin to start thinking in a strange amalgamation of modern slang and old English now that Stiles and he are legit. So look forward to that (please don't XD).

Um, also, if you're caught in the rain, you should change out of your wet clothing ASAP cause walking around in wet clothes in the cold is not good. Yes.

Oh and if you don't know, Stiles sings Little Drummer Boy and I Won't Be Home For Christmas. And Derek sings Leaving on a Jet Plane. They really aren't great singers. But to each other, they're the best :3

And another thing, I think it's important that Stiles and Derek, despite wanting to, take their time before having sex which is why they don't rip each other's clothes off while Derek is basically dry (wet?) humping Stiles against the door. They've been nervous this whole time and they're just admitting their feelings to one another so it's new and terrifying and exciting at the same time. Yep.

Oh and Derek. Stop texting! You're terrible at it! How do you not know who your recipient is, brotha man? Here. Listen to me. Just delete all your contacts except for The Awesome Cool Guy Stiles :D and That Fast Pizza Joint with the Gooey Cheese. Now, go sext crazy with your new boy toy, and any missents that might happen is okay because there's no way in hizzeck that you want to lose the number to this pizza place despite sending them an order that reads: Large. Sausage. Wink.

Also, for anyone interested, I switched tumblrs. It's effinlemon now, although I'm in the process of moving things around so there's nothing there as of this moment in time (so why bother mentioning it? doy DX). Yeah.

Oy, it seems I had more to say than I thought :D

P.S. I love you guys, too :3 You are equally amazing for putting up with this story XD Thank you for reading. I hope you will continue to do so.