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“Are you going to invite me in or are you going to make me stand out here all night?”
Stiles had been staring at him for a good ten minutes. He blinked his eyes a few times before stepping aside to let him in. Derek’s body heat seemed to waft over him in passing. Stiles could feel his chest tighten. That was something that didn’t happen too often. It usually only happened when he would see Lydia. He would just chock it up to nerves.
Stiles pressed the door closed and snapped the lock into the slot. He knocked his head gently against the door.
Of course. This is just your luck Stiles. You order an escort and not only is it a guy, it’s fucking DEREK HALE. What are the odds?! No really, what are the odds? 1 in 1 million? That sounds about right. Maybe I should play the lottery since I’m on such a roll these days.
“You’re going to give yourself a headache if you keep doing that.”
Derek’s voice was melodic to his ears. He stopped banging his head and pressed his forehead to the cold door. Turning on the balls of his feet he found Derek leaning on the table adjacent to him. Derek’s mouth was pulled into a crooked smile. He was biting his bottom lip. Stiles was hoping he was feeling as uncomfortable and nervous as he was. Maybe he wasn’t expecting a guy either and they could laugh about how funny this misunderstanding was.
“I can’t believe that it’s really you.”
Of course Derek spoke first. He had to. Every time Stiles opened his mouth his throat would run dry and nothing would come out. His hands were sweaty, he tried to wipe them on the back on his jeans so that Derek wouldn’t notice but Stiles could see Derek’s eyes following his movements. He was watching him like a specimen in a cage, his every movement logged and documented to his memory for future recount.
“Nervous?”
Derek shot him a smile before looking back down at his shoes. He started fiddling with his thumbs hoping that Stiles would say something, anything really.
“W-Why would you say that?”
A sigh pushed past his lips. Finally it was no longer a one sided conversation.
“Ah! He speaks.”
Stiles rolled his eyes, cocking his head.
“Oh ha ha very funny. Your sarcasm wasn’t funny when we were kids and it isn’t funny now.”
Derek’s chest heaved with a chuckle.
“But you love sarcasm!”
Stiles smiled weakly. He couldn’t help but think about the last time that Derek was in his house. Stiles was eleven and Derek was fifteen. Derek was still getting over the fire that took his parents and most of his extended family and Stiles was reeling from the death of his mother. They were inseparable. Scott was jealous of how much time Stiles would spend with each other.
“Is your room still where it was last time I was here?”
The question took him by surprise.
“Huh? Oh yeah.”
Derek pushed himself off of the wall and made his way over to the stairs. Stiles pressed his body against the door, dropping his head.
“Are you coming? Or do you want me to just wait in your room for you?”
He pulled his feet across the floor and lunged up the stairs to his room. He found Derek by the door, looking at his book case. Taking in the sight of all the things that he’d read, the mementos from growing up, there were even a couple of photos of him with Scott and some other friends from school.
“Looks like you did okay without me around.”
His words came out with a smile. Derek couldn’t help it. Stiles wasn’t that little kid that Derek needed to lay next to on cold nights when his dad was too tired and heartbroken to speak. He wasn’t that kid that he left behind when Laura packed up the car and moved them across the country to New York. Stiles was a different person now. But how different?
“I see you waste no time making yourself comfortable.”
“Oh well you know me. I’m not one to need an invitation to pry.”
Stiles spun his desk chair around and took a seat, watching Derek brushing his fingers over the ghost memories, things that he wasn’t there to experience. Derek stepped away from the bookcase and plopped down onto the edge of the bed.
He knocked his shoes against metal box spring. It was the only sound filling the room. Stiles just kept staring at Derek. Watching him pull off his jacket and set it on the chair by the bed, watching him fidget and scratch at his stubble.
“So are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”
Derek threw his head back, extending his arms behind him to rest on.
“Well, I guess that depends on which elephant you’re talking about.”
He shifted his head slightly to look at Stiles. Stiles wasn’t looking at him, he had this look on his face like when you just look away from staring at someone. Derek couldn’t help but smile. He pressed his tongue against the back of his teeth.
“Well if you’re asking me when I moved back, it was about four years ago after I graduated high school. I just didn’t want to stay in New York anymore. Something about that place didn’t feel like home, so I enrolled at BHU and moved back here.”
Derek bent over and tugged at the laces of his boots, wiggling out of them and setting them perfectly on the floor. Stiles could see him stretch his toes in his striped blue and grey socks against the carpet on the floor.
“You know Uncle Peter is actually fixing up the old house. I think he said some of the renovations are almost done. He said I can actually move back in when they’re done since he’s never around and someone needs to keep an eye on the place. He’s off somewhere overseas. Taking in the sights of some place he’s only read about in books. I guess that’s one way to react to almost dying.”
Derek picked up the picture of Stiles on the night stand. It was a framed picture of him and his parents. It was before his mother had gotten sick. Derek actually remembered this photo. Stiles used to sleep most nights with the frame tight in his arms. He put the frame back down, letting his fingers drag on the ornate design.
“That’s not…that’s not what I was asking about.”
“Oh. Then you mean the whole hooker thing.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry, I mean escort.”
Derek reclined his body until he was lying horizontal on the checkered bedspread. His shirt tugged out of his jeans exposing the trail on hair that led into his underwear, the elastic band peaking over the top of his jeans. Stiles couldn’t help but stare. Lucky for him Derek didn’t notice.
“Well that, believe it or not, is actually a more complicated story than I would like to delve into tonight. Let’s just say it’s easy and the money’s good.”
He tugged one of the pillows from the head of the mattress and clutched it in his arms. Pressing his nose into the fabric he could smell Stiles. It was better than he remembered a mix of fabric softener and his own special brand that he could never place.
“So I guess the real question is, why did you order up an escort in the first place?”
Derek rolled over onto his side propping his head up on his elbow. Stiles scratched at the back of his head. He opened his mouth and licked his lips. Derek could almost taste his anxiety.
“Relax. It’s just a question Stiles.”
He was starting to blush.
“Well…I needed to uh…”
Stiles was tip-toeing around the question. Maybe if he gave Derek a half assed answer he might buy it. It wasn’t likely but it was worth a shot.
“Does it have anything to do with the fact that you’re a virgin?” Derek blurted out resting back onto his back.
Stiles sat with his jaw agape. How could he have possibly know that Stiles Stilinski was a virgin at large? Was it written on his face or something?
“How—“
“I’ve met enough virgins to know one when I’m alone in a room with one. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
The room was silent. It was so quiet Stiles was sure that Derek had dozed off. His breathing slow and rhythmic, he could have easily have fallen asleep. Stiles couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up out of his chair and pulled off his shirt. He’d called that agency for an escort to take his virginity and he was going to get what he paid for. Maybe it was good luck that he’d gotten Derek Hale. He knew him and having sex with somebody that he’d known for a really long time was better than some stranger any day. Or course he still had to wrap his head around the idea of actually doing the deed and with a man no less. But somehow that fact of it being Derek made the idea a little less threatening.
Derek popped up in one motion and looked over at Stiles standing determined in the middle of the room with his shirt in his hand. Derek couldn’t help but laugh.
“What are you doing?”
Stiles threw the shirt onto the floor. He’d pick it up later.
“What I paid for. We’re going to have sex.”
Derek laughed again, only louder this time as he shook his head back and forth.
“I’m not going to have sex with you Stiles.”
He was puzzled.
“Why not?! Am I not good enough for the great Derek Hale or something? Is my money not good enough for you?”
Derek tossed the pillow onto the bed and stood up. He took a few steps towards Stiles. It must have made him uncomfortable or intimidated because Stiles shirted backwards until his bare back was pressed against the wall and Derek was inches in front of him. He could smell his cologne. It was light and made him smell rustic, as if he’d been working in a sawmill and the natural smell of pine just mixed into his body chemistry. It was intoxicating.
His eyes flicked over Stiles. Looking at his lips that were slightly parted, his bare chest that wasn’t buff but toned enough to show definition over his skin. He looked him in the eyes as if to peer into what the boy was thinking at that very moment.
“I’m not going to have sex with you because you’re not ready.”
Stiles wiped his tongue over his parched lips.
“W-What do you mean?”
He could feel his heart racing. Someone being this close, only inches away from his face was making blood circulate all over his body as if in overdrive.
“I meet a lot of people in my line of work Stiles. People that are real takers. People that you can tell just from the look of them what they want and you my friend are not one of them.”
Derek placed a hand on either side of Stiles’ head, leaning in slightly closer.
“Can you honestly say that you want to have sex with me right now?”
His breath danced over his lips, the heat radiating from his body, rolling over him in waves. The truth is, Stiles probably wasn’t ready to have sex but there was some part of him that really wanted to kiss Derek right now. Wanted to feel his lips pressed against his in wanting.
“Tell me that I’m wrong and maybe I’ll consider it.”
Derek moved his breathing in Stiles. He could practically taste his sexual frustration. He knew deep down that his body wanted to feel his pressed against it, to feel what it’s like to make contact with another person, but Derek knew that he would regret it. Regret the fact that his first time wasn’t as special as he wanted it to be. He knew Stiles. Stiles was one to do something like this. If anything he probably got the idea from that idiot friend of his, Scott. Stiles was a romantic he deserved for his first time to be special, not cheap and tawdry like sex with an escort.
Derek didn’t wait for Stiles to answer him. His silence was clear enough for him to read.
“I don’t give refunds.”
Derek pushed himself off on the wall and tugged on his boots and jacket. He pulled out his phone to check the time.
“Your time is up kid. I have to meet another client at two anyway.”
Derek punched a few buttons.
“You would actually like this guy. He’s a real charmer, reminds me a lot of you actually.”
He walked over to the desk and took one of the pens from the holder. Stiles watched his every move as he walked over to take his hand. Derek scribbled something, his phone number Stiles had to assume since it was ten digits from the feel. Derek gave him a smile and tucked the pen behind his ear.
“What about the money?”
Stiles found himself asking before his mind could even catch up.
“Think of it as a loan. You give me a call and I’ll consider giving it back.”
He walked over to the door and turned the knob. Stiles didn’t want him to go, but knew that he was going to leave anyway.
“Hey Derek,”
He stopped in place. Eyebrows raised in inquiry.
“Did you ever think about Beacon Hills when you were gone?”
Derek smiled into his hand, scratching at his nose.
“Beacon Hills or do you mean you Stiles?”
“I didn’t know the two were mutually exclusive.”
He chuckled a low hum, straightening his jacket.
“Give me a call and maybe next time I’ll give you an answer.”
With that response he was gone, closing the door behind him. Stiles slid down against the wall hitting the floor with a light thud. He could hear Derek start his car and drive away, his heart still beating slightly faster than usual.
Fucking Derek. He sure left me with a serious case of blue balls.
--
Derek usually met Peter at this time every week. Usually on the same day but it was subject to change from time to time. He arrived at his house and the two of them did what they usually did, took a shower together, fucked and cuddled in his bed for a while. Sometimes Derek would even sleep over but not often.
They lay there for a while, Derek’s head in Peter’s lap. Peter’s stroking his hair and reading some magazine article from psychology today. Derek let out soft cooing noises. Peter was the only one of his clients that he actually liked. Well liked on a personal level. The other ones were a good fuck but Peter, he was different. Derek could actually talk to him.
So of course when Peter roused him after he’d nodded off and him how his day had been, Derek didn’t hesitate to tell him everything.
He told him about how he’d gone to his appointment like he usually did on most nights and ran into an old friend of his. He told him about how the boy was different but all the same at the same time. Derek told him about all of the things that were still the same in his room and what little changes there were. He even told him about the fact that he was a virgin. Derek gushed on and on about how they were really good friends before he moved away to new york and how that goofy kid was the one that helped in the most when his parents died, other than Laura of course.
Peter nodded and added in little words like ‘oh he sounds interesting’ and ‘he seems like an intelligent young man, a real lady killer’. Derek pulled his lips down to his and gave him a gentle kiss, a thanks to him for listening to him drone on and on about his life. Peter told him that he didn’t mind, it was better than talking about how he’d done nothing all day but take photos of his backyard.
Sometimes it was a bit odd that this man had the same name as his uncle. Hell he even looked a lot like him but he was nothing like his uncle Peter. For instance, this guy was actually around to listen to his problems and give him advice whereas Uncle Peter was always MIA.
Derek was pulling on his jeans when he said it. Those words that haunted him his entire drive back to his and Isaac’s apartment.
“Sometimes fate pulls people back into our lives for a reason”
Derek wasn’t quite sure what Peter meant by that statement. Peter was always giving his some kind of cryptic, fortune cookie advice. Why try and figure out what it’s supposed to mean this time.
--
Of all people in the world, Stiles never thought that he would ever see Derek Hale again and yet, there he was sitting at a table with a coffee in hand.
It took Stiles a few attempts to actually give Derek a call. The first time he put in the number and stared at it all night pretending to do homework to take his mind off of the situation. The second he actually pushed send before quickly hitting end. He did that several times, so it might have actually taken seventeen attempts for Stiles to actually make contact with Derek. Stiles was staring at the number at lunch while everyone else was eating and talking about their graduation plans. Scott snatched the phone from his hands and sent Derek a text message to meet him for coffee. When Stiles asked him why he did that, Scott simply answered, he was getting tired of him torturing himself with this inner monologue on whether or not to hang out with one of his best friends from seven years ago. Derek replied back in less than a minute:
TOMORROW 3PM I’M BUYING
Stiles had butterflies in his stomach walking into the place. He wasn’t sure why exactly. It wasn’t like it was a date or anything. It was just two friends catching up over coffee. There was nothing romantic or sexy about coffee.
That’s where he was wrong. Walking in, he could see Derek taking sips from his cup almost in slow motion. The way his lips pursed slightly to meet the edge of the cup from him to take a sip, his throat moving to allow the liquid to slid down his esophagus. It was enough to almost make him spin around on the balls of his feet and head right back out the door. But it was too late. Derek had spotted him and was waving him over.
The disadvantage of meeting in a small coffee shop.
It actually wasn’t as awkward as Stiles thought it was going to be. They sat in the small establishment for hours catching up. Talking about all of the things they’d done while they’d been apart, about all of the fun things the other had missed out on by not being around. It was just like old times.
Stiles was surprised at how easy it was to slip back into the groove of talking to Derek about anything. They started talking almost every day. Derek would tell him all about his encounters with his clients and he’d help Stiles study for his finals. Derek even came to his graduation. He sat next to the sheriff and watched Stiles cross the stage and take his advanced diploma, shaking hands with the principal. Derek could see the proud look on the sheriff’s face as he stood up and applauded, he couldn’t help but join in too. It was impressive for anyone to come out of high school with that much college credit and still finish at the top of their class.
After the ceremony he got to meet and talk to some of Stiles friends. He got to meet the infamous Lydia Martin that he always gushed about and her long standing boyfriend Jackson. He remembers looking at them and seeing the textbook version of a power couple and strong intelligent woman and an equally talented handsome man. They were clearly going places. He got to see Scott again, who seemed to still be a bit sore at him for, well, almost everything. Scott didn’t like Derek very much, never really did. He met his gorgeous girlfriend Allison, who’d graduated halfway through the year and was already taking classes at BHU.
Derek offered his congratulations to them all as they scattered about to talk to other friends and family who came to see them in their finest moment. The sheriff grabbed Derek by the shoulder, giving him a gentle shake, thanking him for coming to share in their celebration. Stiles looked at Derek with big eyes and tight lips, as if trying to warn him about something. But he shocked them both by simply asking him to join them for dinner. How was Derek supposed to say no to that?
Sunday dinner with the Stilinski’s became somewhat of a weekly occurrence over the next couple of months. Stiles and Derek had been spending a ton of time together over at the house anyway so the Sheriff only thought it was polite that he extend the offer to stay for dinner. Stiles always cooked, the only thing his dad really knew how to make was chili, which wasn’t bad really, it was actually delicious. But how many times can you eat chili for dinner without getting tired of it. They would all sit down and have that initial awkward silence of utensils scraping across plates until Derek would ask the Sheriff about the most recent case that he had or a game that had been on the previous night. Stiles would eventually get his fill of the conversation and drag Derek upstairs to his room so they could be alone. They never really did much. The two of them would just talk, sometimes read/study or play video games until Derek would eventually have to leave for a job.
Before either of them knew it summer was over and the fall semester at BHU was starting. Stiles was nervous about starting a new school but Derek would send him reassuring texts that everything was going to be alright. That it was essentially High School but this time better classes and you have to pay for everything. Something about that didn’t really set Stiles’ mind at ease but he just decided to grit and bear it. He had a few classes with Allison and Lydia, they had the same amount of credits that he did so it made sense that he’d run into them.
Sometime during the day he managed to run into Derek in the quad with some tall good looking guy. He had to assume that they were dating with the way they interacted with each other. He introduced the man as Isaac his roommate and best friend, which put Stiles nerves at ease. He wasn’t sure why it was such a relief but it was. Isaac invited all of them to a frat party that was going on later that night. Derek looked at Stiles a bit apprehensive but agreed they all should come anyway.
Whatever was up with Derek earlier, he must’ve gotten over by the time Stiles and Scott arrived with Lydia and Allison. He found him in the kitchen with Isaac doing competitive shots. Derek saw him enter the doorway and stumbled over to give him a sloppy hug. He reeked of booze, an assortment of beer and liquor that was so strong Stiles was almost certain he’d fallen into a pool full of the stuff.
Stiles walked Derek over to a free couch and plopped him down. The last thing he really wanted to do was play babysitter to a drunken Derek but would do it anyway. No one else really seemed to care and Isaac was too drunk himself to help with anything. Scott and Allison were off somewhere in the vast house and Lydia was talking with some football players about Jackson and how great he is. Stiles couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He pushed Derek onto the opposite side of the couch, which proved to be a lot harder than one would think with his dead weight limbs tossed over him like tree trunks. Stiles stood up and made his way over to the kitchen. Rummaging around looking for water to try and get Derek sobered up he was accosted by a blonde woman. She introduced herself as Erica, an upper classman and apparently a friend of Isaac and Derek’s.
Stiles actually spent a few hours talking with her. She was interested in a lot of the same things. Erica was a huge Doctor Who fan and got all of his superhero references, which for Stiles was refreshing for a change. After talking to Scott with a blank face for so long it was great to find someone that was an honest to god fan.
Derek awoke to a throbbing headache and loud music that was only drowned out by the shouting of the party’s inhabitants. His throat was dry and in desperate need of moisture, so instinctively he made his way to the kitchen. There he found Stiles talking with Erica of all people. Derek knew Erica. He knew that she was actually a great girl despite what you might hear around campus. She was actually a perfect match for someone like Stiles. Gorgeous, smart, funny and they shared more interests than the two of them.
He could feel a knot forming in his stomach. No. That was vomit. Derek turned abruptly, dashing out the front door just in time to puke the contents of his body in bushes. The acid burned in his throat. Wiping his mouth he pulled his phone from his front pocket.
(1 new message)
Stiles:
WHERE ARE YOU?
Derek wasn’t really in the mood to talk to him right now but he knew Stiles, if he didn’t respond he’d worry. It was one of his best qualities, he actually cared about people. Derek let his fingers drag over the screen.
FOUND A RIDE HOME, DON’T WORRY. ENJOY THE PARTY.
His apartment was only a few blocks away so walking back was no big deal. After getting in the door he threw up a few more times before he was empty enough to pass out in Isaac’s usual position on the couch.
--
The next morning Derek woke up to the pleasant aroma of coffee. At first he thought that Isaac had finally figured out how to work the coffee maker, now that was something he had to see. Of course he found Isaac sitting on the kitchen counter drinking from a takeout coffee cup in his underwear and sunglasses.
“You went out to get coffee this early?”
“God no.”
He pushed a tray with a cup with the name ‘Derek’ scribbled in cursive on the side.
“That kid Stiles came by about twenty minutes ago and dropped it off before his class. That kid must be a champion drinker to make it to class today.”
“He doesn’t really drink.”
Derek pressed the cup to his lips, the warm fluid pouring down his throat. It was just the way he liked his coffee. Stiles must have taken note all of the times they’d gone out on coffee dates. Isaac pushed himself off of the counter, dropping to the floor with a thud.
“He left a note too.”
Isaac pulled a folded piece of paper from the waistband of his underwear.
“I didn’t read it by the way.”
“You’ll understand if I don’t take your word for it.”
Isaac shot him a smile and danced out the doorway.
Sorry I missed you. Enjoy the coffee.
-Stiles
Derek folded up the paper and slipped it into his back pocket with a sigh. Stiles was really a great friend for bringing him coffee knowing that he had class today and he was probably still nursing a massive hangover from the night before. Derek would never have the heart to tell him that the only reason he was so wasted in the first place was actually him.
Being alone with Stiles was one thing but introducing him to his friends was another entirely. Derek was nervous. So much so that he let Isaac convince him that it was a good idea to continuously pour shots down his throat. Clearly there was something that Derek wasn’t ready to come to grips with yet. If all his psych classes were worth anything, he could tell you that.
He gulped down the remnants of his coffee and chucked it into the trashcan. If he was going to make it to class and his two appointments after he was going to have to take a quick shower.
Derek looked in the mirror while the water pulsed against the tiles in the stall next to him. He wasn’t sure what he was looking at but he was certain it wasn’t him. Or at least it was a version of himself that he wasn’t familiar with. Derek wasn’t to get jealous or really all that passionate about anyone for that matter. He was a lone wolf and he liked it that way. Sure he loved his friends, maybe even more so than the next person, but he liked being alone. Which was why he’d been single his entire stent in college.
Stiles had become somewhat of a disruption to his flow of life. Or rather he’d become a disruption to the detachment he needed to perform adequately. He couldn’t act this way every time Stiles would talk to someone or kiss someone or start dating someone. Derek loved hanging out with Stiles, don’t get him wrong, but they weren’t a couple. Sometimes Derek would let himself forget that factor. Even if they were a couple, Derek isn’t one hundred percent certain that he wanted that either.
His phone vibrated loudly on the toilet lid, making him jump. It was a new text message from Stiles. He didn’t even bother reading it. Instead he simply slid his finger across the screen, switching it off.
--
Derek and Stiles had been hanging out since they kind of reconnected by chance encounter. While Stiles never outwardly said anything he kind of felt like they were dating in a sense, they would crash at each other’s places, they would go out to the movies or dinner or coffee or even stay in an just study or play video games. But maybe he was reading into things too much. Just because he felt that way didn’t mean that Derek did. Nothing he’d ever done ever came off more than just friendly, so maybe Stiles WAS over-reacting. He knew about Derek’s job. It was quite possible that he was just super busy with all of his clients.
Derek had told him about all of them one night while they were eating pizza in his room. He told him that they were interesting to say the least and that some of them were better than others. But even if Derek was busy with work and school he would at least text him back.
It’d been three weeks and there wasn’t anything but radio static. Nothing seemed to be coming in no matter how hard he tried. Stiles must’ve called his a dozen times a week but they would all go straight to voicemail. He even popped over to his place once or twice but he was never there. Isaac would always offer to take a message or for him to wait for Derek in his room if he wanted but Stiles never accepted. Derek had made his point abundantly clear.