Baking My Way Into Your Heart – Reprieve

Derek fluttered one eye open, squinting against the bright morning light shining through the window. He exhaled deeply, burying his face into his pillow as he stretched his hand out across his bed, trying to find the warm body he had fallen asleep next to. When he felt nothing but a handful of his bed sheets, his heart leapt into his throat.

Derek jerked up into a seated position, eyes sweeping across the empty room. 'What? No! Where's Stiles? It wasn't a dream was it?'

He felt his heart begin to race. What if it was? "Stiles? Stiles?!"

Derek was ready to leap off his bed when he heard footsteps quickly approaching. Stiles swung into the room, almost tripping over himself in his haste. "What is it? What's wrong?"

A wave of relief came over Derek in seeing Stiles in his room, wearing the clothes he had handed him last night. It wasn't just a dream. It was real. It had happened. Derek didn't even want to know what a morning would be like after something like that had only been a fantasy.

As if sensing his distress, Stiles walked over to the side of the bed, arms out. Derek gratefully slid over, legs slipping over the edge, and wrapped his arms around the boy he loved.

"Hey, you okay?" Stiles asked softly. "I can feel your heart racing."

"Yeah, I just... I... I was afraid last night was just a dream..." he confessed, voice low as he nuzzled Stiles' abdomen.

Stiles ran a comforting hand through Derek's hair. "'Fraid not, Mister," he said softly. "You're stuck with me. And no take backs either."

Derek smiled, perfectly fine with that. He nosed Stiles' belly button through his shirt, making the boy chuckle. He sighed. "It's just… it's happened before. I dreamt about kissing you… and when I woke up, it wasn't real. But everything about it just felt so real. And I was afraid that it was the same thing all over again… I was afraid that maybe… maybe you hadn't kissed me and that I hadn't gone after you… and that you and I…"

"Hey, hey," Stiles soothed, taking Derek's head between his hands to make him look into his eyes. "I'm here, okay?" He reached for one of Derek's hands, pressing it against his cheek, nuzzling into the calloused palm. "I'm here."

Derek took the opportunity to pull Stiles down, to kiss him firmly on the lips, taking in the fact that, yes, Stiles is here. That this is real. And that Stiles wasn't going anywhere.

Except that he was.

Derek frowned when Stiles pulled away and tried to slip out of his hold. This only made Derek latch on to the boy's waist once more, holding it tightly, wanting to bury his face in the warm skin.

Stiles snickered. "Who knew my Sourwolf was so cuddly?" Derek only grunted in reply. "Seriously though, I thought you wanted breakfast. There's a carton of eggs waiting to get cracked."

He perked at the thought of food. But no. "I do want breakfast. But I do remember also saying that this part of our morning was reserved for kissing."

"Ohhh," Stiles inhaled, eyes turning to the ceiling. "Yes. Right. That. Well, you were sleeping not too long ago, so I thought I might get an early start on the breakfast bit. But…" Stiles smirked mischievously, climbing on the bed to straddle Derek's lap. "Since you're awake now, we should get things back on track. I know how much you like to keep on schedule..."

A smile spread across Derek's face as he was eased back on to the bed. "My boyfriend is so considerate."

"I try," he smirked, shrugging before leaning down to kiss Derek on the lips. "I'm gonna have to kiss you over and over until you can see the difference between the real me and the dream me."

Derek snorted. "You sure? The dream you was pretty talented. You're gonna have to do a lot of kissing to show me just how much better the real you is."

Stiles bit his lip, considering his task. "It'll be tough, but I think I can manage." He bent down and pressed his lips against Derek's, making the older boy sigh in content.

Derek was in bliss. He loved the feel of Stiles pressed against him, of his lips against his. He loved the feel of his skin under his fingertips and the sounds of tiny moans emitting from him. It was giving Derek a heady feeling.

Derek couldn't help but arch up into the boy, wanting to press against him in every way possible. The moans were getting louder, but he wasn't entirely sure if it was still coming from Stiles of it he was making those sounds himself.

"Okay, okay," Stiles smirked, taking a second to catch his breath before sitting back up. "As much as I would love to keep you in bed all day, there are eggs sitting out on the counter that are just waiting to be scrambled."

Stiles climbed off Derek, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Derek groaned, missing his warmth immediately. He wrapped his arms around Stiles, tossing the retreating boy back onto the bed, making him laugh. Straddling his waist and pinning his wrists down, Derek bent down to kiss Stiles once more. "The eggs can wait."

Just then, a loud grumble came from the younger boy's belly. Stiles chuckled. "It doesn't seem like my stomach can."

Derek sighed. If his boy was hungry, it would be cruel of him to deny him sustenance.

Another loud grumbled filled the room, making Stiles laugh once more. "It seems like yours can't wait either."

Defeated by natural bodily function, and with much reluctance and one last kiss, Derek rolled off of Stiles and let him up.

"Don't look so glum," Stiles teased, hugging Derek from behind. "We have the whole day."

Derek smiled, sighing in content once more. He was looking forward to the rest of his day – for the rest of his life, for all he was concerned – with Stiles.

The younger boy slipped by and made his way back into the kitchen as Derek headed into the bathroom. He came back out to see Stiles chopping up some mushrooms.

"I hope you like omelets."

"I do," he smiled, taking a seat at the counter, watching Stiles.

"Good. So, my lovely boyfriend-squirrel, get cracking on those eggs," the boy smirked.

Derek rolled his eyes but tugged the carton and bowl over to himself. "How many?"

"I'm good with two, and however many you want for yourself."

Derek nodded and got to work, cracking them open and scrambling them with a fork. Once he was done, and assured that Stiles could handle the rest, he slipped out the front door to grab his morning paper and sat down with it at the kitchen table.

"Anything interesting?" He heard Stiles ask from where he was facing the stove.

Derek shrugged noncommittally. "Not in particular."

"You know," Stiles said, quietly. "I read somewhere that it's supposed to be really hard for friends to become more than just friends..." he mumbled, back turned to Derek as he pushed around the omelet with a spatula.

Derek cocked an eyebrow at this. Setting down his paper, he walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist, kissing the boy's neck before resting his chin on his shoulder. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Well..." Stiles said slowly, leaning back against Derek. "It's supposedly awkward. Like... as friends, there were boundaries and rules. But then as a couple, you're crossing over lines that you only thought of crossing before. Like, you don't know if you should hold hands or if it would be appropriate to hug or if they'd be comfortable with a kiss. So... it gets awkward... You think we'll be like that?"

Derek let out a breath through his nose, thinking about it. "Well... do you think this is awkward?" He asked, turning the boy around to face him before slipping his hand into Stiles', intertwining their fingers.

Stiles smiled softly. "No."

The older boy smirked. "Then... do you think this is awkward?" He asked, pulling Stiles by their joined hands, wrapping the boy's arms around his waist as he wrapped his own around Stiles'.

Stiles shook his head, smile growing brighter. "No..."

Derek slipped one hand out and lifted it up to caress Stiles' cheek. "Then..." he breathed softly, pressing his forehead against Stiles', rubbing his nose against the other boy's, "Do you think this," he kissed Stiles gently on the lips, "is awkward?"

Stiles was grinning now, leaning forward to press his lips back against Derek's. "No. Freakin'. Way."

Derek chuckled. "Then there you have it. We won't be one of those awkward couples. Besides," he grinned. "If it means I get to hold you and kiss you as much as I want, I'll cross any boundaries." He pressed a quick kiss to Stiles' lips before taking a step back. "Except your father's. Cause your father scares me."

Stiles laughed and turned his attention back to the pan. "My dad is harmless."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to worry about getting shot."

"My dad knows how important you are to me. He wouldn't shoot you... unless you hurt me first."

Derek let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, bringing his arms back around Stiles, kissing him on the neck once more. "Well, that's good then. Cause I have no plans on doing that whatsoever."

Stiles smiled. "Good."

Derek inhaled deeply, glancing into the pan. "Mmm," he grunted. "Smells good. Don't burn it." He smirked, nipping at tender skin before sitting back down with his paper.

Stiles tossed Derek a half-annoyed, half-amused glare before sliding the cooked omelet onto a plate, and setting it in front of the other boy. "Here you go, your majesty," he scoffed. "Anything else with that?"

Derek's lips curved into a smile. "No, nothing for the moment. But I like this 'your majesty' thing going on. Keep doing that."

Stiles just laughed before pouring the rest of the mixture into the pan.

They ate breakfast together, chatting like normal. It just felt so easy to Derek, Stiles' doubts unfounded. Perhaps it was because they hadn't been friends for too long. Or perhaps it was because Derek had wanted to be more than just a friend to Stiles early on that there was little awkwardness in the transition. Whatever the reason, Derek felt that this was just right. That he was meant to be with Stiles just as much as Stiles was meant to be with him.

It was later into the morning, just after finishing breakfast, that Stiles got a text from Lydia.

"Tell her, whatever it is, you're too busy and you don't care what she does, you're not leaving my apartment," Derek grumbled, currently nuzzled against Stiles' stomach, using the boy as a pillow as they lounged on the couch.

Stiles snickered, running his hand through Derek's hair, massaging his scalp. "It's nothing. She's just letting me know that grades are in. She's bragging about her 4.0." He paused his ministrations. "Hey, you mind if I check mine on your laptop?"

Derek groaned, not wanting to get up from his comfortable position, nor wanting Stiles to stop what he was doing with his hands.

"Come on, grumpy," Stiles cooed. "You've still got dishes to do, too."

"Dishes can wait. Grades can wait. But your hands... Keep going with the hands..."

Stiles chuckled before tweaking Derek's nose. "Come on, come on. Up, up, up, mister."

Derek swatted the hand away before sighing in defeat. He sat up, letting Stiles make his way over to Derek's desk. Disgruntled from having to give up his comfortable pillow, he trudged into the kitchen to tackle the dishes they had left behind.

He had gotten the sponge nice and soapy when Stiles caught his attention from across the room.

"Hey, Derek, what's this? 'Day one... Stiles and I baked cookies. Day two, I met Stiles at the coffee shop?'"

Derek visibly paled. 'Shit.' Throwing the sponge into the sink and wiping his pants haphazardly on his pants, he ran over to his desk and made to shut the laptop, but Stiles swiftly picked it up and held it out of the way, spinning in the desk chair to keep it out of reach.

"'Day three, Stiles and I went grocery shopping. Day four, Stiles purchased a Lego set?'" He shifted his eyes over to Derek, a curious expression on his face. "What is this?"

Derek held a hand up, as if to calm Stiles and keep him from running away - which, quite frankly, he wouldn't blame him if he did. "It's not what you think..."

"Are you taking notes on me?"

Derek bit his lip. "Okay... it might be a little bit of what you think - but it's not exactly what you might assume."

Stiles slowly placed the laptop back on the desk and skimmed over it again. Then he looked back up at Derek, cocking his head to the side. "Okay. So then... what is it?"

"I just… they're notes… on your behavior." Derek frowned to himself. That didn't sound right either. And going by the look on Stiles' face, he didn't think so either.

"My behavior," he repeated, brows furrowed together. He silently schooled his expression into one Derek couldn't decipher.

'Is he mad? Freaked out? I should have deleted that thing. Hell, I never should have written it.' Stiles was still looking at him, curiously, waiting for an answer. Derek exhaled deeply though his nose. "I… was trying to figure out… if you liked me…" he turned his gaze down to his hands, still covered in a bit of soap.

"By studying me and taking notes like Jane Goodall?"

"I know it sounds crazy, and I'd understand why you'd want to leave me, but Stiles, I-"

"Hey, whoa, whoa," Stiles stood up, taking Derek's face in his hands to make him look in his eyes. Stiles was smiling, amused. "I'm not going anywhere," he assured. He chuckled. "Derek, I paid Danny with a chocolate lava cake to hack into the school's system just so I could find out your first name. I think we're both a little crazy."

Derek felt the tension ease just a bit. "So… you're not upset?"

Stiles let out a breath, dropping his hands to tug at Derek's shirt. "I mean, I guess I'm a little surprised. It's borderline creepy, but I know you. And I trust you… even if your methods are a little… insane." He circled Derek's waist, pulling him in close, chuckling softly.

Derek sighed, resting his forehead against Stiles'. "It's not like I was studying you the whole time like a test subject. It was just after Lydia's party… after I got the idea that maybe you could… like me. I was hoping the notes could show me what I'd been wanting to see."

Stiles seemed to consider this. "Did they?"

Derek frowned, dejectedly. "Not really, no. They showed me how much I didn't know about you and how much I wanted to know more."

Stiles smirked. "Well then, just ask." He pecked Derek on the lips before pulling back. "But only after you finish those dishes."

Derek rolled his eyes, although his lips quirked in amusement. "All right, all right."

Stiles fell back into the desk chair as Derek ambled his way back into the kitchen. "Hey Derek?" he called.

"Yeah?"

"Just to get this out of the way, and I like to think I know the answer to this already, but you can never be too careful-"

"Stiles."

"You're not like a deranged serial killer, are you?"

Derek snorted. "I'm hardly deranged."

Stiles audibly exhaled. "That's good." He was quiet for a second more. Then, "Hey Derek?"

"No, Stiles. I'm not a serial killer."

"Cute. But that's not what I was gonna ask."

"What is it then?"

Stiles paused. "Is it too late to get you to dye your hair red like Stelios?"

Derek gaped, looking incredulously at Stiles from over his shoulder. "There's no way. I come as is," he grunted, picking his sponge back up. "And no take backs, either," he added as an afterthought.

Stiles laughed. "Damn. Well if I knew that, I would've held out a little longer. Imagine… Such shiny… beautiful… strawberry blonde locks…" he lulled, wistfully, hand in the air as if caressing imaginary tresses.

Derek growled. Throwing the sponge back into the sink once more, he tackled Stiles to the floor, and proceeded to kiss him until all thoughts of redheads were long forgotten.

/\/\/\

"So… Do you like cabbage?"

Derek glared at the overly amused smirk coming from the boy sitting across from him.

The two were sitting cross-legged on the couch, facing one another. Once Stiles texted Lydia back, gloating about his own perfect GPA, and Derek finally finished putting his sponge to good use, they had decided it was time to get to know each other even more.

"Like I said," Derek gritted out. "I like them as much as any other person does. I'm not in love with them."

Stiles snickered, recalling the memory. "You looked like a kid who got caught stealing cookies."

"I panicked."

"Why? Cause you didn't mean for me to find out that you were stalking me?"

"I wasn't stalking you. I was there for legit reasons!"

"Yes. To buy cabbage."

Derek harrumphed. "This was a stupid idea."

"Just admit it, Derek. You wanted to hang out with me that morning. Ain't no shame in that," he quirked.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Fine. I went to the farmer's market that day to hang out with you. Happy?"

"I knew it!" Stiles cheered. Derek was halfway through another eye roll when Stiles leaned forward for another quick kiss. "You're adorable," he cooed.

Derek was both appalled and charmed to be called such. He shrugged it off. "Were you jealous of Isaac that time we all had lunch together?"

Stiles frowned, as if determining just how he should answer that. "…No."

Derek cocked an eyebrow, fixing a look of skepticism on his face.

"Maybe," he amended. "Just a little."

This time, it was Derek who smirked.

"But you have to understand," Stiles said, quickly. "It took me ages to get you to where we were. You know how many death glares and awkward silences I had to put up with just to get you to reply to anything I said? And then in comes Isaac who can strike up a conversation with you all willy-nilly and next thing you know, you guys are new BFFs and running away to buy drinks together and yeah I was jealous because maybe it just meant you liked him more than you liked me and-"

This time it was Derek who leaned in to kiss Stiles briefly on the lips. "At the time, I was, at best, tolerating your friends. I really just wanted to spend the day with you alone."

"Oh."

Derek sat back, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Ohhh! So you liked me even back then?" Stiles perked.

Derek opened his mouth, looking for an answer.

"You did!" Stiles cut in, doing a little dance in his seat.

"I didn't- I just-" Derek sputtered.

"Don't lie, Mr. Hale," Stiles chastised.

"I hated your company less than I hated everyone else's. How's that?"

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he grumbled. "You liked me."

Derek let out a heavy sigh, leaning back against the armrest of the couch.

"Okay… next question. Where are my shirts?"

Derek's eyebrows went up, not ready for that particular question. He weighed his response. "…In my room," he admitted.

"In your room." Stiles cocked an eyebrow. "Sounds mighty suspicious."

Derek scowled. "What are you talking about? They're just in a drawer. I just forgot to give 'em back is all."

"Oh. So then you won't mind if I take them home with me later."

Derek pursed his lips together, but eventually uttered out, "No." Under Stiles' scrutinizing gaze, he felt himself falter. "Okay, maybe. I like them."

"You like my shirts?"

Derek paused a moment, frowning, unsure if he wanted to elaborate. Eventually, he gave in. "They… smell like you."

This time, Stiles' eyebrows went up. "They smell…" he trailed before doubling over in laughter.

Derek scowled once more. "You know what? Fine! Just take them!"

Stiles held a hand up, shaking his head as he continued to laugh. "No, no. I'm not- It's not that," he breathed out. Stiles got onto his knees and shuffled closer to Derek, taking his head between his hands and kissing him firmly once more. "Derek, I swear. You're perfect for me."

Although he was in no way going to deny that, Derek had to cock an eyebrow in question.

"Your shirt. The one that I kept. It smells like you, too."

At this admittance, Derek had to grin, chuckling through his nose, understanding that Stiles and he were in the same boat. He wrapped his arms around Stiles' waist and pulled him into his lap. He really was perfect for him. They both cared for one another and were both surprisingly crazy for one another. He buried his face in the crook of Stiles' neck, taking in the scent he found there, mixed with his own faint smell from the shirt Stiles wore. To Derek, it was a perfect blend. He hummed in content. "Can we stay like this… just like this…?"

"With me in your lap and you nosing my neck? Which totally doesn't tickle by the way," he squirmed.

The older boy responded by nosing that very neck some more. "Yes. Just like this."

"We could. But I do have work in the morning. Which reminds me… I need to pick up some stuff for the shop."

Derek frowned, nearly let out a whine in discontent. He didn't mean to remind Stiles of being anywhere but with him.

"Actually," Stiles began to pull away. "What time is it?"

"No time," Derek groaned. "It isn't any time. If anything, it's Derek time," he tried, pulling Stiles back to him.

Stiles merely chuckled and squirmed to get away again. "Seriously, Derek. My boss was understanding enough to give me the week off. And now that I'm back, I've got some duties I need to fulfill if I want to keep this job while I'm still in school."

"You don't need that job," Derek scoffed. "I'll take care of you."

Stiles snorted. "I happen to like my job. It's how I met you, isn't it?"

"True," Derek sighed. He had to agree there. The place had sentimental value. Plus, Stiles was particularly good at his job. "Okay then. I'll buy the coffee shop so you'll only have to work when I want coffee." That sounded like a good idea to Derek.

The boy laughed. "You know, your uncle said the same thing… I mean, not exactly, but along the same lines. He wanted to buy the coffee shop so he could give me more vacation time. Said he wanted to take us to Fiji or something."

"Tahiti," Derek smirked. "He's a good uncle. He spoils me."

"Derek, buying a business just so your nephew's at-the-time friend can go on vacation with the family isn't just spoiling you. It's downright insane."

"Well... too bad. Cause now you're stuck with me, which means you're stuck with my family too. Actually... I should call them..."

"Hm? What for?"

"Oh, you know. Tell them about my grades... and how I finally snatched you up."

Stiles laughed. "Technically speaking, I was the one who made the first move so I'm the one who snatched you up."

Derek scoffed. "You ran out the door a stuttering mess. If I hadn't gone after you, we'd never be here now."

"Yeah, but if I hadn't kissed you in the first place, you wouldn't have-"

Derek stalled the argument by putting Stiles' lips to better use. He brought a hand to the boy's face, caressing it before pulling him in closer to kiss him deeper. When they were sufficiently out of breath, Derek finally let up, sighing against Stiles' neck.

"Nuh... no," Stiles panted. "That... that won't work. I made the first move," he continued. "Ev… even in the greater scheme of things, it was my awesome coffee-making skills that first caught your attention."

Derek rolled his eyes. There was no winning this. And he knew from experience with his sister to pick and choose his battles. "Fine. You snatched me."

"Woo! And I must say," Stiles smirked smugly, "You are one mighty fine catch, Mr. Hale. My dad would be proud."

Derek shook his head with a chuckle. Looking up into the smug face and feeling his body pressed against his, Derek couldn't help but think that his own catch was mighty fine all its own.

"Okay, come on," Stiles said, finally, wriggling off of Derek and sitting back on the couch. "Go check your grades and call your family. I will call the shop and ask about the inventory."

Derek frowned, but ultimately agreed. He walked over to his desk and logged in to the school's site, clicking on the link to view his grades. Despite his confidence in having done the best he possibly could do in all of his classes, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. What if he had bombed those finals? It would certainly hinder his progress. But then Derek realized his mind was stalling so he scrolled down.

"All right… moment of truth…" he murmured to himself, finally glancing over his results. He breathed a sigh of relief. He had maintained his A's and had even managed to bring his B in Mythology up to an A-.

"Good news?" Stiles asked from across the room, watching him with inquisitive eyes, his phone up to his ear.

Derek nodded with a smile.

Stiles gave him a thumbs up before his attention went back to his phone.

Derek made his way into his bedroom where his own phone was charging on the nightstand. He hopped onto his bed, leaning against the headboard, scrolling through his contacts to call his sister.

"Hey bro, what's up?" came Laura's voice at the other end after a few rings.

"Hang on. Let me conference Peter." Without waiting for a response, he tapped through his phone again and found his uncles's number. After it rang a few times, Peter finally answered as well.

"Ugh, what time is it?"

Derek frowned. "It's ten here. Which means it's one in the afternoon in New York."

"Then call back in four hours," Peter groaned.

He half-expected his uncle to just hang up, but he could still hear his muffled breathing. Derek just rolled his eyes. "I've got Laura on the other line. Hang on," he tapped his phone to connect the lines, "okay. Laura?"

"Yeah?"

"Okay good. Peter's half-asleep. Probably has a hangover."

Peter merely mumbled something unintelligible into the line.

"I see," Laura said, solemnly. Then, "Good morning, Peter! How are you on this fine, bright, sunny day?"

Derek snickered, even as he had to pull the phone away from his ear.

"You kids are evil…"

"Yeah, but we love you," Laura replied fondly. "So what's up? What's going on?"

"I'm just calling to let you know my grades are in. A's across the board."

"Well done, baby bro! I'm proud of you."

"Excellent. We'll definitely celebrate next time I'm in town," Peter replied, sounding a little more awake.

Although it might be silly to others, Derek was grateful for the words of encouragement from his family. For years, there was a time that he felt he only disappointed them, so their pride and support was a huge relief. He held his phone a little tighter. "Thanks guys. And..."

"What is it?" his sister asked.

"There's… there's something else…" Derek bit his lip, not really sure he wanted to tell them about Stiles just yet. He could just imagine their reactions and none of them were good - at least not for his dignity.

Stiles took that moment to pop his head in. "Derek?" He grimaced when he realized the older boy was on the phone. "Oh, sorry," he whispered.

"No, it's fine," Derek shook his head, waving him in. Derek put his phone on speaker as Stiles climbed on the bed to crawl in between Derek's legs.

"What's going on? Who's that? Who's with you?" Laura asked.

Stiles rested his chin on Derek's lower abdomen. "Hey Laura," he answered.

"Is that Stiles?" It was Peter who asked.

"Of course it's Stiles. Who else would it be? Derek has no other friends."

"That's not true," Derek scowled, as the boy leaning against him chuckled.

"Yes it's Stiles," the younger boy grinned. "And yes, you're right. I'm his only friend."

Derek responded by pinching the boy's nose.

"So did you tell them?" Stiles asked, smacking the hand away.

"Tell them what? What are you telling us?"

Derek opened his mouth to answer his sister, but Stiles took his hand and pulled the phone closer to him.

"We're getting married!" he exclaimed.

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

Stiles burst into laughter at the collective Hales' incredulous tones. He rolled over in his amusement, holding his stomach.

"It's about friggin' time, Derek," came Laura.

"Seriously," Peter agreed, sounding wide-awake.

"We're not getting married," Derek amended, pushing Stiles off the bed where he landed with a loud thump. "We're officially dating… although I may have to reconsider that decision considering his behavior."

Stiles' head popped up from the side of the bed with a comical pout on his face. Despite it, it looked as if the boy was still fighting off the urge to snicker.

Derek just rolled his eyes at him but couldn't help the small smile tugging on his lips.

Laura scoffed on her end of the line. "As if. You are beyond smitten with that boy. He's not going anywhere."

At this, Derek could see Stiles perk up from the corner of his eye before the boy clambered back up onto the bed. "Smitten..." he chuckled to himself. He sat cross-legged, facing Derek, picking up the older boy's free hand and playing with it.

"So how'd you do it, Stiles?" Peter asked. "Because I know Derek couldn't have possibly made the first move."

"Hey," Derek frowned. "Just for that, don't tell him. They don't need to know anyway."

"It was actually quite romantic," Stiles swooned.

"Now you have to tell," Laura demanded.

"No," Derek scowled. "I just called to let you know about my grades and about me and Stiles and that's all you get to know. Say 'bye', Stiles."

"Hey that's not fair!" Laura whined.

"You can't just not tell us," Peter added.

"I'll tell you guys all about it later," Stiles whispered, leaning towards to phone and cupping his free hand around his mouth, even though Derek could hear every syllable. Stiles just smiled and sat back up. "Bye guys. It was nice talking to you!"

"I want details, Stiles!" Laura squeezed in.

"And conference me i-"

Derek hung up the phone, cutting off his uncle mid-sentence.

Stiles just looked at him, amused. "You know, they won't stop bugging either of us until they hear the story."

Derek shrugged. "I know. But," he smiled slyly, entwining their fingers before pulling Stiles to him, making the younger boy sit on his lap. "I have you here. All to myself. We're on my bed. And I can think of a few things we could be doing instead of talking to my family on the phone." He tossed his phone off to the side before placing his hands on Stiles' hips, thumbs sliding under the hem of his shirt to rub small circles against warm skin.

Stiles grinned. He placed his hands over Derek's chest before leaning down for a lazy kiss. "This is nice," he murmured. "I like being able to kiss you."

"Mmm," Derek hummed. "I'm not entirely opposed to it either."

"That's good," Stiles chuckled. "I like my sexual partners willing. Pliant. Wanton."

"Stiles."

"What?"

"Shut up."

/\/\/\

Morning soon turned to afternoon with both boys content with just lazing about, stealing kisses, caresses and glances. So it was with more than just a little discontent that Derek watched Stiles slip out of his borrowed clothing and back into the clothes he originally wore.

Stiles patted down his pockets. "I have my phone, my keys, my wallet… That's everything." He glanced up at the surly boy on the bed. "Don't look at me like that."

"I'm not looking at you like anything," Derek snarked, petulant. He didn't want Stiles to go. But it's not like he wanted to force him to stay, either.

"I told you, I'll be back. I just need to pick up a few things, drop them off at the shop and that's it. You swear I'm going off to war or something. Relax Pouty-face," Stiles smirked, walking over.

"I'm not-"

Stiles shut him up with a brief kiss. "Besides," he shrugged. "I never said you couldn't come with." The boy quirked an eyebrow in suggestion before heading out of Derek's bedroom.

Derek didn't need to be told twice. He leapt off his bed and scrambled to get ready, ignoring the laugh he heard from the other room.

/\/\/\

It was drizzling out so Derek decided to take his car to run Stiles' errands. They got the necessary ingredients from the market and dropped them off at the coffee shop, where Stiles took an extra few minutes to whip something up for both he and Derek before they took off. Derek drove to Stiles' apartment. They were going to drop off Scott's guitar, but Derek hoped he might be able to convince Stiles to grab a few things – or everything if he were willing – to take back to Derek's apartment so that he could stay the night… or indefinitely. Whichever.

"I'm just saying, four is a lot. I can understand having two, where one is a back up, but four?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "It's not like they're all the same. They're four different jackets."

"Leather jackets. And come on. They all look pretty similar."

"I'm not having this conversation with a guy who probably has a different flannel for every day of the month."

Stiles scoffed. "Twenty-six days, tops."

As Stiles opened the door to his apartment, Derek spotted Scott and Allison on the couch. They looked a little tense, but they both smiled and greeted the pair.

"Hey guys," Allison waved.

"Hey buddy, welcome home!" Scott grinned. "How's it going Mr. Hale?"

Derek just nodded in greeting to the both of them.

"Hey," Stiles smiled. "We came to bring this back," he said, holding up the guitar case.

"Ah, that's right. I heard Derek got a solo performance. Lucky," she smirked, slyly.

"He's very lucky," Stiles smiled back at Derek, placing a hand on his arm.

Derek just smiled softly in return.

"Hey, what's that?" Scott pointed at the pair. "What's going on?"

Both looked back at the messy-haired boy, confused.

"What are you talking about?" Stiles asked.

"Something happened, huh?" he said, looking between the both of them as a smile slowly stretched across his face. "You're looking at each other all googily-eyed and secret smiles and junk. And either my eyes are playing tricks on me or I'm actually seeing a bruise on Stiles' neck. And since I don't think he tripped and fell in that particular spot, I'm betting that's a hickey." Stiles slapped a hand over the telltale mark, belatedly. "Did something happen?" Scott continued. "Did you two finally get together?"

"What? No," Allison gaped, looking from the grinning Scott to the two still standing by the door. "Did you?"

"Well…" Stiles started.

"Yes!" Scott clapped before collapsing back on to the couch, only to bounce back up again. "Yes!"

Allison sighed. "Damn it, Derek. You couldn't wait another few weeks?"

Derek blinked. "Um, what?"

"Are we missing something?"

"Call Lydia," Scott cheered. "Call Jackson. Call everyone. Tell them all the good news! Tell them that I won!"

"Excuse me? Won what?" Stiles frowned.

Allison couldn't help but chuckle at her boyfriend's excitement. "We all made bets on when you two would get together. Lydia had Christmas, I had New Year's and Scott was convinced it would be after the show."

"No one can resist a rock star," Scott shrugged proudly.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Unbelievable."

"Jackson was convinced you two wouldn't even make a move." Allison laughed.

"I am shocked," Stiles gaped, placing a hand over his chest. "You guys were placing bets on my love life? That is-"

"I'll treat you to dinner with my winnings," Scott offered, cutting in.

"-amazing. You guys must really care about me. And Derek," he applauded.

"I fail to see how them placing bets equals caring," Derek drawled.

"Shh!" Stiles snipped. "Free dinner," he hissed. "We'll make him take us to some fancy place."

"I can hear you," Scott called.

"Good." Stiles topped it off by blowing a raspberry at his long time friend.

"Well," Scott said, standing up and brushing off his pants. He moseyed on over to where Derek was. "I think it's just about time that you and I have this conversation."

Derek cocked an eyebrow as Scott squeezed himself in between him and Stiles, before placing a hand on the older boy's shoulder.

"Mr. Hale, I'm pretty sure you're a good guy and all and I'm glad that Stiles is glad and that it's you that's making him glad. But!" He said, pointing a finger in Derek's face. "If you ever hurt my best friend, I'm gonna have to hurt you. Like, with ridiculous, massive amounts of pain." He stretched his arms out as if to demonstrate how much pain Derek would be in for.

Derek just rolled his eyes, looking crossly at the boy. "As if I would," he started, but then realized what he said. "I mean, as if you could! As if… you…"

But by then, all three faces were sporting grins. Derek shook his head before ducking it down in embarrassment.

"It's okay, Scott. He won't hurt me. He's smitten," Stiles said smugly.

"Good." Scott smiled, patting Derek on the shoulder.

"Like, he didn't want me to get dressed earlier kind of smitten."

The hand was quickly dropped back down to his side. Scott frowned. "Dude, TMI."

"That's not-" Derek started.

"Dude, no," Scott turned back towards Derek and shook his head. "Whatever you guys did, keep that to yourselves."

Derek just groaned as Allison giggled from her place on the couch. "I'm so calling Lydia."

Apparently the redhead had surmised that conveniently placed mistletoe was going to be Derek's undoing, whilst Allison had thought it would be a nicely timed New Year's kiss. Jackson was still in disbelief and demanded proof to which Stiles quickly quipped that Jackson was just a voyeur and if really wanted to, he could pay for a front seat to his and Derek's inevitable love-making. At this, Derek was quick to snatch the phone away from his impish boyfriend, growl into the phone that Jackson didn't have to believe it to be true, and hand the phone back to Allison who at this point was rolling on the couch, laughing while Scott had his hands over his eyes, murmuring something about 'mental images.' Derek glared at Stiles, who only smiled coyly in response.

"What?" he shrugged. "He wanted proof. What better proof than you and me rolling around nak-"

"Stiles!" Scott lunged at his best friend, clamping a hand over his mouth and wrestling him to the ground. "No one wants to hear about your sick fantasies-"

"Sexy fantasies," Stiles amended, managing to slip away from Scott's hand for a second. "Have you seen Der-"

Derek just buried his face in his hands, wondering what he really got himself into.

Eventually the two wore each other down while Derek and Allison ignored them in favor of some light conversation. Her final project for Art History – Derek's Spartan costume – had apparently been the boost she needed to get her grade to the A she had been striving for. He congratulated her and gifted her with a shortened version of what happened the night before.

And although Derek really just wanted to take Stiles and lock him up in his apartment for the foreseeable future, the four of them eventually sat down on the couch to watch some program on TV. With Derek comfortable against the armrest and with Stiles leaning against him, he figured sharing him with his friends wasn't so bad.

Later, as Stiles was grabbing a change of clothes for work in the morning, Scott took a second to pull Derek to the side, leaving his place beside Allison on the couch.

"Hey, Mr. Hale, I wanna be serious with you for a sec."

Derek just nodded curtly.

"I really am happy that you two finally stepped up and got together already and that because of your guys' perfect timing, I basically get free lunch for a week." Derek rolled his eyes at this, but Scott carried on. "Stiles is my best friend and I want nothing but good things for him. So, really dude, if you hurt him-"

"I have no intention of hurting him, Scott. I really... care about him."

Scott just grinned, breathing a sigh of relief before smacking Derek heartily on the shoulder. "Good. Oh, and remember our deal. Sixty-forty, Mr. Hale."

This time it was Derek's turn to sigh. "Look, I get it. You wanna make sure nothing changes between you and Stiles now that I'm officially in the picture. But Stiles is spontaneous and wild and free. It's part of what I love about him. So I'm not gonna limit my time with him because of sixty-forty." Scott opened his mouth to interrupt, but Derek plowed through. "But know this. I have nothing but complete respect for the friendship you two have and there's no way I'd want to come between it or devalue it in any way. I'm not trying to take him away from you, Scott. Just like I hope you won't do anything to keep him away from me. I just… I care about him. And I wanna be with him. For as long as he'll have me. And if that means more than sixty, I'm gonna take it because every moment with him is precious to me."

Scott looked pensive for a moment, mulling over the older boy's words. Finally, he nodded slowly before letting out a grin. "You really are smitten, aren't you Mr. Hale?"

Derek just snorted, but smiled softly in agreement. He eyed Scott for a second. "You know… you don't have to keep calling me that."

Though it didn't seem possible, Scott's grin grew. "You're a pretty cool dude… Derek. And I promise I won't cut into your precious time with him as long as you don't cut into mine."

Derek nodded. "Deal."

"Hey, ready to go?" Stiles asked, walking up to the pair with his backpack slung over his shoulder, Sourwolf's head poking out.

Derek just nodded and took Stiles' hand in his. "Ready."

"See ya later, guys," Stiles waved to Scott and Allison as he led the way to the door.

"Have fun, you two," Allison smirked as she waved back.

"Try not to defile my friend too much," Scott snickered.

Derek glared at the messy-haired boy. "Not that it's really any of your business, I plan to. Many times. In several different positions."

Scott blanched as Stiles cackled with laughter. "Dude, Derek…"

"And actually, you know what? I take it back. You can keep calling me Mr. Hale. I like the sound of it better."

"Ah-wha-?" He sputtered, mouth agape. Derek just smirked at Scott and watched as his face went from shock to amused understanding and relief. "Keep your defiling to yourself, Mr. Hale." Scott scoffed in return.

Derek just nodded and closed the door behind him.

Stiles punched Derek lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, don't be mean to my Scotty," he said firmly, but with no malice.

"Relax," Derek smiled, bringing their joined hands up to his lips to kiss the back of Stiles' hand as they entered the elevator. "Scott and I have an understanding. We have an agreement, you know," he said matter-of-factly.

"Do you, now?"

"Mm-hmm. He was worried I was gonna steal you away."

"Ah," Stiles said, throwing his head back. "I can see why that would be a concern. I'm awesome."

Derek snorted, but didn't contest it. "But I assured him I wouldn't even if I have thought about it."

"Sharing is caring, Derek."

He conceded. "You're right. Although I refuse to share our first night together with some voyeur with a front row ticket."

"Okay. Fair enough," Stiles nodded in agreement just as the elevator doors opened, reaching the ground floor. Stiles looked over his shoulder at him, face open and full of innocence. "So… second night, then?"

Derek responded by chasing his imp in disguise out the door.

/\/\/\

On Thursday afternoon, Stiles came over after work to spend time with Derek, much to the latter's content. But he wasn't so content when he found out the boy had plans for later in the evening.

"Sorry," Stiles pouted, walking over to straddle Derek's lap where the older boy had been sitting on the couch. "I already made these plans a few days ago. I didn't know you would want to hang out tonight."

Derek sighed. "It's okay. But," he said, running his hands up and down Stiles' thighs, "for future reference, just know that I want to hang out with you every night."

Stiles laughed. "Ah, you sure about that? I have been known to get pretty annoying. You may live to regret those words."

Derek feinted deep contemplation, bringing one hand up to stroke his jaw. "You may be right... I take it back."

Stiles gasped and looked affronted. "Derek, as my boyfriend, you're supposed to say junk like 'No, babe, I could never get tired of you.'" He mimicked Derek's tone, as well as his constant scowl.

Derek scoffed. "Well, as your friend, I am still obligated to tell you the truth. And really?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow. "'Babe?'"

Stiles smiled and shrugged. "We'll work on the pet names some other time, my friend." He bent down and gave Derek a little peck on the lips. "I should go if I don't want to be late." He hopped off Derek's lap and grabbed his shoes to slip them on. "I'll call you later, okay?"

Derek walked Stiles to the door, leaning heavily on its frame and nodded with a sigh. Stiles gave Derek one last kiss, a long and full one that just about took his breath away before walking down the hall with a wave.

Begrudgingly, Derek watched him go and closed the door only once he was out of sight. He frowned.

'Who does he have plans with?' he wondered with a bit of jealousy. Derek slumped back onto the couch and tried to distract himself with some TV, whilst pointedly not counting the minutes until Stiles called.

It was after an approximate 278 minutes that Derek was distracted not by his TV or his phone, but by a knock on the door. He frowned, not expecting anyone, but got up and opened it. He was surprised to see Stiles standing there.

He tilted his head in confusion. "Not that I'm complaining, but I thought you had plans?"

Stiles grinned. "I do. I'm taking my sexy boyfriend out on a date," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Derek snorted, but found himself uncharacteristically giddy. "This was your plan?"

"Mm-hmm," Stiles nodded. "And don't try to fake me out with the blank looks. I know you're excited. If you had a tail right now, my Sexy Wolfman, it'd be wagging."

"Is that another pet name you're trying out?"

"Go change, would ya?" Stiles pointed to Derek's bedroom, giving him a withering look.

Derek just smirked as he made his way over to get ready. Once he was in his room, he began to wonder just where Stiles might be planning on taking him. Did he need to dress fancy? Was this just a casual outing? Unsure, Derek chanced a peek outside his door back at Stiles who was standing in the living room, straightening his shirt. The boy was dressed casually with his trademark hoodie. It made Derek cross off the idea of a fancy restaurant with a romantic setting, but he filed the idea away for a later date.

Derek got dressed in his usual attire, glanced at himself in the mirror and tried to make due with his hair. He hadn't expected Stiles, but he found that he wished he had so that he could have had more time to get ready. He didn't want to keep the boy waiting, and had to settle with its messy state. He grabbed his phone, keys, and wallet and headed back to where Stiles was waiting.

Stiles smiled. "You ready?"

Derek nodded. "Where're we going?"

"Ah-ah," the boy stopped him, wagging his finger. "It's a surprise. And this is my date, soooo…" he walked over to Derek, wrapped his arms around his waist and slipped his hands into the back pockets of his jeans, making Derek swallow hard. Stiles just smirked cheekily, pecking Derek on the lips before pulling the older boy's wallet out from one pocket, while giving the empty one a little squeeze. Derek had to bite back a groan. Once his hands were free, Stiles rummaged through the wallet and pulled out Derek's ID. "Just in case," he shrugged before tossing the rest of it onto the counter and slipping the ID into Derek's breast pocket. "Let's go."

"Stiles, are you sure-"

"Yes, yes," he said with a wave. "Tonight, I'm going to take care of you. I like to buy my honey bunny pretty things," he snickered.

"I think we might need to rethink this whole pet name thing."

Stiles just answered him with another brief kiss before pulling him out the door.

When they slipped out of the building, Derek was surprised to see Scott's car out front. Stiles really did have a plan. It made Derek a little anxious not knowing where they were headed, especially in a car that looked like it probably had seen better days - years even. But he trusted Stiles, and found himself looking forward to wherever it was they were going.

After about fifteen minutes of driving, and not feeling like an eager puppy after every turn, Stiles finally parked the car. Derek looked out the window and blinked.

"Ice skating?"

Stiles grinned. "You know how, right?"

Derek blanked. "Um."

"Oh my God, this is going to be even better than I expected," he clapped before hopping out the door and scurrying to the other side to open Derek's. "After you, milady."

Derek scowled. "That's not even an option, Stiles."

The boy just chuckled and locked the door behind them, taking Derek's hand in his before leading him over to the rink.

"This is man-made, right?" Derek thought to ask. He didn't want even the slightest chance of Stiles falling through to ever happen ever again.

Stiles smiled. "You have nothing to worry about. There's no lake under here. Just paved concrete."

Though it was a relief to hear that, it didn't stop Derek from pulling Stiles in close and wrapping his arm around his waist as they made their way to the admissions and skate rental. As they walked up, Derek recognized the boy behind the counter as Erica's boyfriend.

"Hey Boyd," Stiles greeted.

Derek cocked an eyebrow. When did those two become friends?

"Hey Stiles," Boyd smiled, clapping Stiles' hand as if they had their own secret handshake. Did they have their own secret handshake? Why didn't Stiles have a secret handshake with Derek? Boyd glanced in his direction. "You're… Derek, right?"

Derek just nodded, prominently not frowning at the boy.

After getting their shoe sizes, Boyd retrieved the skates and handed them over. "And hey," he called out to Stiles. "Erica loved the shortbread. And she says if you get lucky tonight, she's expecting you to make her some almond biscotti."

"Deal," Stiles grinned before winking at Derek who merely shook his head in dismay.

"You and Boyd are friends?" Derek asked as they took a seat on a bench to lace up their skates.

"Eh, not friends per se. I may have mentioned wanting to take you out on a date to Erica during a conversation and she may have mentioned that Boyd worked at the rink. So… I may have worked out some free admission plus skate rentals for a batch of shortbread," he grinned, shrugging. "Anything for my sweetums," he leaned in, kissing Derek on the cheek.

Despite the cold in the air, Derek was warmed by the brief touch, although he admittedly might be slightly jealous in not having been able to eat any of the baked goods.

"Don't fret, schnookie. I saved you a few," Stiles teased, pinching Derek on the same cheek before standing up.

'He knows me too well,' Derek mused. "Stiles… About these names…"

"Forget it. I won't stop. Ever," Stiles grinned, pulling Derek up to his feet and leading him to the ice.

It was a little weird walking in the skates and Derek felt himself wobble just a bit here and there, but the hand in his was a great source of stability. Stiles stepped out on the ice first with ease, as if he'd done this a hundred times before.

"Just take it easy," Stiles assured. "Take small steps. But instead of picking your feet up, just push yourself on your toe and slide over," he finished by showing Derek just what he meant before coming back to his side.

Derek did as he was instructed, holding Stiles' hands as he led them further out towards the middle where there were less people circling. It wasn't so bad.

"See? You're a natural," Stiles smiled, easing his hands out of Derek's, to try to let the boy stand on his own. He skated backwards and encouraged Derek to follow with a gentle nod.

As Derek grew more and more comfortable on the ice, Stiles returned to his side, linking their fingers together and merging into the crowd circling the rink. They orbited the rink several times, going at an easy pace. Derek was quite enjoying himself. He liked the feeling of Stiles' hand in his. He liked trying new things with Stiles to help him through it. It made him want to try everything with Stiles by his side.

Derek pulled Stiles to him and kissed him gently on the lips, savoring the taste of him, and loving the way his heart skipped a beat at the contact. He sighed contently.

"I take it you're enjoying yourself," Stiles grinned smugly.

"I am," he smiled in return.

Unfortunately, it was at that moment that someone crashed into them, sending all three bodies crashing down onto the ice.

"Oh shit! Sorry! Don't mind me," the intruder said, ducking his head as he stood up and bent down to help Stiles up.

Derek glared at the hands reaching for what was his and promptly shoved them away to help Stiles up himself.

"Danny?" Stiles said, quirking an eyebrow.

"No! No Danny here!" The boy said, who was now scrambling to get off the ice. Derek followed him with his eyes as the boy – who was now undoubtedly Danny Mahealani – ducked out of sight. After a few seconds, his head popped back into sight, but was startled in realizing he was still being watched and disappeared once more.

"That was… strange." Stiles commentated.

Still watching the spot, another head popped out. This time it was a curly-headed blonde.

"Is that Isaac?" Derek asked.

A third head popped out before ducking back, this time a messy-haired brunette.

"Scott?" Stiles said incredulously. "They followed us!"

Stiles took Derek's hand and led him over to where the trio was hiding.

"Shhh! Why did you have to look, Scott? Stiles could recognize you in a crowd!"

"I wanted to see if they were still looking. And it's not my fault you crashed into them, Danny."

"They just stopped in the middle! Who does that?"

"Um, guys?"

"What is it, Isaac?"

"They found us."

All three boys grinned sheepishly at the pair. Derek made sure to give them his most intimidating glare. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Um, skating?" Danny tried.

"Scott, I told you where I was going so that you would know, not so you could follow," Stiles growled. Derek made a mental note of what it sounded like, wanting to see if he could make that same sound come out of him again. But then he remembered that now was neither the time nor the place for such thoughts and he resumed his stare down of the intruders.

"It wasn't my idea, it was Danny's!" he defended.

"Way to throw me under the bus, McCall," the Hawaiian boy frowned, punching Scott on the arm.

"Hey!"

"What about you," Derek nodded at Isaac. "What are you doing here?"

Isaac shrugged. "I actually really did want to come here to ice skate. Then Scott mentioned that Stiles was taking you here and then Danny thought it would be better to watch you two than Christmas movie re-runs."

Danny snorted. "I was right though," he murmured under his breath. "They're ridiculously adorable."

Stiles responded by pushing Danny roughly on the shoulder. "Our date night is not for your viewing pleasure. Luckily, I have more planned and was just about to leave with Derek anyway."

Okay, seriously. Derek shouldn't find a disgruntled Stiles as hot as he does, but he was strangely turned on by his boyfriend's behavior. He didn't realize he was smiling until he caught Isaac's curious gaze. Derek reeled it in, going back to his neutral expression.

"Come on, Derek. Time to go."

Even if he wanted to stay, he doubted he could with the way Stiles manhandled him back to where their shoes were. He had to continually remind himself that now was not the time to get excited… in his pants.

Derek unlaced his skates and slipped back into his shoes, following Stiles to the counter to return them. After thanking Boyd and bidding him a farewell – as well as a promise to keep Erica updated on that biscotti – Stiles led Derek back to the car, opening the door for him before making his way to the driver's seat.

"Sorry about them. They're nosy and have no li-"

Derek grabbed Stiles' head between his hands and pulled him in for a heated kiss. Stiles gasped in surprise, giving Derek access to his tongue as he stroked it with his own. He felt rather than heard Stiles moan against him, making Derek plunge in further until his lungs were screaming for air. With one last peck, he sat back in his seat, clicked his seatbelt shut and looked to his dazed boyfriend. "Where to now?" he smirked as if nothing had happened.

"You… I…" Stiles swallowed, a movement that had Derek wanting to lick across the boy's Adam's apple. "Food..." he finally breathed. It took Stiles a few more seconds to collect himself before he grinned at Derek. "You, sir, are saucy."

Derek just snorted as Stiles started the car.

Stiles drove them to a quaint little restaurant, swearing that they had the best apple pie. Derek doubted it, considering he thought Stiles' own version was pretty delightful all its own, but allowed the boy his disillusions. They were led to a booth and handed menus to skim through.

"You also need to try their lemon chicken. Cause I know about your lemon fetish. I even came here yesterday to try it to make sure it would be up to par."

Derek shook his head. "It's not a fetish."

"It's cute that you think so, Boo-Boo Bear."

Even Derek had to laugh at that one. It was ridiculous. When he looked up, it was up into eyes shining with mirth. Stiles seemed to enjoy the effect he had on Derek almost as much as Derek himself enjoyed it.

Their waitress returned and took their orders. Derek went with Stiles' suggestion, glad that he did once the chicken reached his lips. He knew he loved the zesty citrus flavor, but a fetish? The only way he thought he could develop a fetish for it was if he were licking lemon-flavored body paint off of Stiles' chest. But with this in mind, it seemed like a real possibility.

The two were loving each other's company, tasting each other's food while maintaining light conversation. They were off in their own little world, until one voice managed to pierce through their little bubble.

"I don't care if I have to pass them. I have to pee."

Derek could see the look of aggravation cross over Stiles' face. The boy huffed before darting his eyes at something over Derek's shoulder. Or in this case, someone.

"Jackson." He growled.

"'Sup losers," the blonde nodded before sweeping past them over towards the restrooms.

Stiles sat upright in his seat, trying to locate something behind Derek. Once he found what he was looking for, he frowned once more before getting to his feet. Not wanting to miss this, Derek followed closely behind.

Stiles led him to a table where Isaac was currently seated with Lydia, although there were suspiciously four other plates scattered around. "Scott, get out from under the table, you jerk. I know you're there."

Unable to stop his hand from wanting to touch, Derek slipped his hand onto the small of Stiles' back. It might seem like he was trying to support his boyfriend in the move, but really, it was to satiate his need for contact when Stiles displayed such aggressive behavior. He didn't exactly understand why such behavior excited him in this way, but he wasn't exactly going to complain about it either.

Meanwhile, as Derek was trying to control his wayward thoughts, Scott slipped back up onto the seat, as did Danny and even Allison.

"This was Scott's fault," Danny quickly supplied.

This time Scott punched Danny in the arm. "Shut up, Danny!"

Lydia placed an elbow on the table as she leaned against her hand, looking bored. "Allison called Scott and asked if he wanted to go out to dinner. Danny mentioned coming here and Scott blurted out that you two were coming here."

"Damn it, Scott. I'm never telling you where I'm going ever again," Stiles hissed.

"It just came out! I'm sorry!"

"So," Lydia continued, looking a bit miffed at being interrupted. "I decided to tag along to see the show. Didn't realize it was for G audiences." She rolled her eyes.

Danny snorted. "At least the ice rink was a PG," he muttered.

"I'm sorry," Allison smiled apologetically. "I really did just want food."

"Me too," Isaac said, raising his hand, nodding.

Stiles glared at his friends. "This isn't a show, guys."

"You're telling me," Lydia grumbled, picking at her nails.

"We're leaving. And none of you are following," he ordered, pointing at them before taking Derek's hand in his and heading towards the door. "Oh," he said, turning around to face them once more. "And you're paying for our meal." And with that, Stiles walked back to the table, tossed a tip down while informing the waitress of the plan, before taking Derek's hand back in his and leading him out the door.

Again, they got into the car as Stiles grumbled about an unwanted audience and so-called 'friends.' Derek had to restrain himself from wanting to defile Scott's back seat – or the passenger seat, for that matter – and instead chuckled at Stiles' intensity. He took the boy's hand in his, stroking his thumb across the back of it. The small motion seemed enough to calm his irritated boyfriend.

Stiles took them to a frozen yogurt place. He still looked a little miffed as he took the keys out of the ignition. "I know it's cold out, but I planned on sharing a slice of pie with you back at the restaurant before I realized they followed us."

Derek smiled softly, trying to catch Stiles' eye. "It's fine. It doesn't get too bad here. That's the good thing about living in this part of California. Besides," Derek assured. "If I do get cold, you can keep me warm."

This seemed enough to brighten the boy's mood considerably before he got out of the car once more. This time, as he opened Derek's door, he pressed again the older boy, wrapping his arms around his waist and giving him a languid kiss. Derek just smiled into it.

They went inside and created their own concoctions. Derek played it healthy by choosing a raspberry base with a variety of fruit mix-ins. Stiles on the other hand decided to satiate his sweet tooth. He paid for their desserts and the two stepped outside to stroll underneath the promenade, lit by streetlamps and holiday string lights.

Stiles hopped up onto a railing, swinging his legs lazily as Derek chose to keep standing, finding a place between Stiles' long limbs.

The younger boy sighed, popping one last spoonful of yogurt into his mouth before pushing the empty bowl aside. "This wasn't how this was supposed to go," he pouted.

Derek finished off his bowl before setting it aside with Stiles'. He wrapped his arms around the boy's waist, slipping them underneath the boy's jacket to soak in his warmth. "How was this supposed to go, exactly?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"We were supposed to have fun ice skating together, hand-in-hand while listening to Christmas songs playing in the background. And then we're supposed to have a nice dinner where you order the lemon chicken and I order the fish before sharing some nice, warm apple pie for dessert. And then I was gonna take you home and kiss you good night and promise to call you, but wait three days before I do so I don't seem desperate," at this, Derek snorted, "but all of that's messed up now." Stiles frowned, tilting his head down to stare at his lap.

Derek bit his lip, thinking over what Stiles had said. "How was it messed up?"

He scoffed. "Come on," he groaned, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Scott and Danny and Lydia and all of them were following us and watching us and ruining everything. I wanted a nice romantic date with you and they ruined everything."

Again, Derek paused before continuing on. "But… we did have fun together ice skating – although I'm not entirely sure if there was Christmas music playing in the background as I was too distracted by trying not to fall." He kissed Stiles' collarbone, gently. "And we did have a nice dinner, despite not getting apple pie. But I got frozen yogurt with apple pieces and yours had a sort of graham cracker crumble on top, which – no – isn't the same as pie crust but we can overlook that small detail." He placed another kiss just under Stiles' jaw. "All in all," he said, pressing his forehead against Stiles', "I think our date was perfectly romantic. And I'm pretty sure you're gonna get that kiss when you walk me to my door, so no worries there either," he added with a smile.

Stiles sighed, draping one arm over Derek's shoulder, while slipping one hand down the collar of his shirt, rubbing the skin he found there, before kissing Derek on the forehead repeatedly. "You're perfect, you know that? The best boyfriend ever."

Derek smirked. "I don't know… you're not doing so bad yourself."

Stiles sighed, slipping his hand back out to wrap his arms loosely around Derek before burying his face in his neck. "I love you, Derek," he murmured.

Derek smiled, wondering if he'll ever get used to hearing those words coming from Stiles' lips. He turned his head slightly to kiss the skin just behind Stiles' ear. "I love you, too, Stiles."

They stayed there for a while more, before the cool winter air was getting to be too much despite the warmth they drew from one another. They picked up their empty bowls and found a garbage can to dispose of them before strolling lazily back to the car, not really in any hurry to end the night just yet.

Stiles drove Derek home, all the while Derek's hand a comfort in his own. Derek even managed to find a radio station that played non-stop holiday music, much to Stiles' delight. And when they pulled up to Derek's building, Stiles, the true gentleman, walked Derek to his door.

"I'll call you," Stiles breathed, pressing Derek against his apartment door, eyes closed as he touched his forehead to his.

"In three days?" Derek smirked.

"Mmm," the boy hummed. "Well… maybe two. If you're lucky."

Derek chuckled. "'Til then, I eagerly await your call."

Stiles grinned. Finally he opened his eyes, only to close them once more as he leaned in against Derek to kiss him firmly and tenderly on the lips. Derek melted into the touch, relishing in the feeling of Stiles pressed against him, of Stiles' lips against his. He left Derek breathless and wanting more. Derek chased those lips, stealing a handful more kisses before finally letting Stiles go.

"You sure you can't stay?" Derek suggested. He was borderline ready to beg him to.

Stiles hummed once more. "I want to. I really, really want to. But…" he bit his lip. "Tomorrow night. I promise."

Derek sighed in defeat, but accepted his answer. "Tomorrow then."

"I'll bake you something really delicious at the shop in the morning," Stiles vowed, kissing him lightly. "Night, Derek."

Derek stole one last kiss before leaning back against his door, willing himself not to rush forward and cling to his boyfriend. "Night, Stiles."

Stiles walked backwards down the hall towards the elevator. "Best. Date. Ever," he grinned, clicking his tongue and winking at the older boy.

Derek just chuckled and watched as Stiles spun around and disappeared around the corner. Finally, he pushed up off the door and let himself in. He found himself chuckling again as he picked his wallet up off the counter and replaced his ID from where Stiles had pulled it out. Stiles didn't even need to spend much to get Derek to have a good time with him. The only thing he ended up paying for was the yogurt and the tip for the waitress. Had it been Derek, he probably would have over thought everything purchased a helicopter ride over the city. Or maybe just a helicopter itself if Stiles so desired.

Derek made his way into his bathroom to freshen up just before heading to bed when his phone started to ring. It was The Awesome Cool Guy Stiles :D. Derek, although a little confused considering he just saw the boy, smiled and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Derek, my friend," Stiles said wistfully. "I just had a date with the most amazing guy. I think he just might be the one."

"Is that so?" Derek grinned, slipping his jacket off and tossing it on the bed.

"Mm-hmm," Stiles hummed. "He was a real gentleman tonight. Plus, he's got a really nice, firm ass."

Derek laughed. "Sounds like a real keeper." He paused. "Hey wait. You're not talking to me while driving, are you?"

"What? No way. That's dangerous."

"Okay, good. Just making sure."

"Besides," Stiles added. "I'm not even in a car."

Derek cocked an eyebrow at that. "What?"

"Yeah, you know, even though I had a really great date, I just wanted to spend the night at my friend's apartment. I hope my date doesn't mind."

Derek's heart raced at the implication. Was Stiles coming back to stay the night?

Derek jerked his head at the sound of knock on his front door. He hurried over to the door, swinging it open to see Stiles there with his backpack slung over his shoulder and his phone up to his ear.

"You think he'll mind?" he grinned.

"Not one bit," Derek breathed before dropping his phone to pull Stiles back into his arms to kiss him once more.

Derek had just enough rational thought left to really appreciate how much thought Stiles put into their evening together, how much he planned and considered tiny details, before Stiles took care of that too, turning his brain to mush with perfectly angled kisses and adventurous hands.

And when Stiles pulled out a bag of shortbread cookies from his backpack, Derek deemed it his duty to show Stiles just how much his effort was truly appreciated.

Notes: First of all, thank you for your patience. December is a busy month. Secondly, thank you for reading. You're all superstars XD

It's the wee minutes into the New Year at the moment, and so you'll have to forgive me if I can't really come up with anything to say. Except I had intended to count the number of times people said 'Finally' in reference to chapter 19, but then I realized that's only really funny to me. This chapter wasn't going to happen, actually. But then I figured that this chapter needed to happen. So I guess that might've been part of the problem with the whole wait cause this wasn't exactly planned. It's always good to go in with a plan, right Stiles? And Derek?

Oh yeah. I do believe that Derek might be severely turned on by an aggressive Stiles. An aggressive, lemon-flavored Stiles. HA.

And yes, Derek. Stiles does have a secret handshake with Boyd. As well as with Scott and Danny.

Happy New Year everyone. Let's hope it's a good one :D.

Oh and one more thing. For those of you who prefer the Archive Of Our Own site. I am officially on it with the same penname. So cheers to that :D