we could drown this love drought.

"I'm the dork?" Derek huffed out a laugh with a smile on his lips."Remind me how many t-shirts you have that have some superhero or cartoon character on it." He began gathering his tools as the sun would be going down and losing light.

He wiped his brow on the end of his t shirt sleeve as he nodded."Or if you have no other plans, you could follow me home? Throw some steaks on the grill and I've got cold beers." Derek could almost feel himself blushing as the words left his mouth but he wasn't really quite ready to see Stiles go and do whatever Stiles did when he wasn't around Derek.

@ slumflower

@ dead upon arrival

The sound of the laugh filtering through Derek's lip made his own grin stretch and sparked something warm in his gut even though Stiles leveled a glare at the man besides him and held his own hand over his heart as if he had just been severely offended or wounded.

"Excuse me, don't be mad just 'cause you aren't as tuned into pop culture as I am and can't even tell the difference between Marvel or DC. I will never give up my nerdy t-shirts," which ironically had been one of the very first things that Stiles and Scott had bonded over as kids, that and defending each other when rude ass kids like Jackson would try and take their toys or shove them around in the sandbox when the adults weren't looking. True, a lot of those shirts had kind of fallen apart through the various supernatural escapades in high school and through Stiles' most recent bout of growth spurt, but some of them had really held through and actually fit him across the shoulders now. Which isn't to say that he also hadn't bought new nerdy shirts because he definitely had, it's just he also had now accumulated some sinful outfits for club hopping, some nice dressy clothes for work, etc which he didn't really need to pull out when he was just bumming around this summer.

"Besides, I'm totally cute in those shirts and my top five superhero list is beautiful," Stiles sniffed out, giving a long suffering sigh although no part of him was displeased. Stiles squinted because - was that a blush or was he imagining things? He knew werewolves could blush because he'd caught Scott with his hand literally in the cookie jar at his own house, but he'd just never seen Derek blush - not for any non-life threatening reasons anyways. Stiles turned, helping Derek sort out the materials and tools and nodded. "No plans, so I'm game for that," Stiles responded, pushing his shoulder against Derek's for a beat as they finished up and headed outside.

Derek shrugged at Stiles' comment and he was sure Stiles could go on a long tangent about the difference between Marvel and DC, probably categorically, like Derek could care more about that but really all Derek cared about was that Captain America looked good in spandex.

He snorted out a laugh as Stiles shoulder nudged into his."Yeah, those shirts really bring out the boyish charm you've got going. Shows off those nerd smarts." He flashed a smile as he walked out with Stiles next to him, dumping everything in his arms into the bed of his truck.

Derek dug his keys from his pocket as the preserve came to live with the nocturnal sounds of cicadas and owls. He got into his truck and cranked the engine, Stiles doing much the same as his lights flashed in Derek's rear view mirror and for a second, Derek wondered if this was such a good idea but why wasn't it? He and Stiles were friendly as much as they ever were and Derek didn't need a buffer to have Stiles around but the weird knotting in his stomach said something else.

He began making his way out of the preserve, Stiles' Jeep not far behind, as he navigated through Beacon Hills until he got out of the downtown area and bordered on the edge of town. Derek pulled his truck into a quaint little house, a small two story house with a two car garage that he parked the truck next to his black sleek Camaro. He shut the engine off and climbed out, a sudden burst of nervousness settling in.

@ slumflower

@ dead upon arrival

Stiles had kind of stopped in his tracks when Derek smiled at him, spluttering and shaking his head because he felt like this was all sensory overload and it was only breathing techniques that helped him keep his heart rate under control as they both made their ways to their cars and then got in.

"Hey, baby," Stiles murmured, patting his steering wheel as he turned the key to start the engine - it was like a good luck ritual so his car didn't hate him and wanted to start without any trouble. The oldies station on the radio turned on as the car did, filtering through in the background with him humming along as he followed Derek's pickup truck, parking in front of the small, two-story house that came into view as Derek pulled into his own driveway. Stiles wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts and since night had fallen, he reached over to the backseat of his Jeep to pick up a hoodie that he had left there. He wriggled into the black hoodie and felt his phone vibrate with a text from Scott about gaming tomorrow (to which he quickly responded 'y!') and then put it on silent as he stepped out of his car and strolled out, taking in Derek's new house - well, new to Stiles anyways. It was quaint and looked fitting from the outside, but he was really eager to see the inside and see Derek comfortable in a space for once.

"Hey," he said to Derek as he walked closer until they were almost shoulder to shoulder again, waiting for Derek to open the front door. Stiles squinted a little at Derek's face, trying to parse out what it was that made Derek look uneasy or maybe even, nervous? He was totally getting fluent in Derek-Hale-Eyebrows talk. Even though the breeze made him shiver, he still felt warm in his stomach with the affection that he couldn't help but feel for Derek. Stiles had been serious when he'd said that he had missed Derek, and he was glad that Derek, y'know - laughed and smiled regularly, because he couldn't remember any days like that, and he wanted Derek to be happy. "Ready to show me your bat cave?" Stiles asked, wiggling his eyebrows with a grin.

Derek cocked his head to the side with his eyebrows knitted together."Bat cave? Don't you mean wolf den?" He couldn't believe Stiles would miss an opportunity to use a wolf joke. He gestured for Stiles to follow him as he unlocked his front door and stepped inside.

The living room mostly consisted of a black leather couch and dark wooden accented coffee table and matching end tables. It was minimalistic much like the rest of the house but Cora had gifted him a TV when he moved in. There wasn't much of any personal effects lying around and the only few signs of it looked lived in was the few empty beer bottles on the coffee table that Derek had forgotten to take to the kitchen the night before and a throw blanket rumpled on the couch. But it was home to Derek and everything smelled clean and like himself and after tonight, there would be traces of Stiles' scent on everything that he would touch and it seemed like a big deal.

"I'm gonna go get cleaned up. Feel free to grab a drink or watch TV. Just don't break anything." Derek gestured towards the stairs."I'll be quick." He said before he headed upstairs and into his bedroom.

@ slumflower

@ dead upon arrival

Stiles groaned, throwing his head back and kicking himself mentally. "How did I pass up 'wolf den'?" he grumbled again, shaking his head, even though he knew exactly why he had been really distracted at the sight of Derek and kind of just blurted the first thing that had come to mind.

Stiles nodded, eyes quickly going over everything in the house and taking in the lived in space that he saw. The minimalist but dark and comfortable atmosphere really suited Derek, especially with how meticulously neat it seemed - especially for Stiles' chaotic way of living half of the time. "Sure thing," he called out to Derek, throwing himself on the couch just to test the comfort and liking what he found. After having the couch pass his comfy test, he got up and called out to where Derek had headed upstairs, "You still want to grill some steaks or cook something burgers inside or order take-out?" Stiles asked, his voice raised even though he knew Derek would've probably heard him if he had whispered. Steaks still sounded good but it was also dark out by now and even if Derek was a werewolf, Stiles figured he was exhausted from a full day of re-arranging a house full of memories and also handling a bunch of strenuous materials. “I can cook too,” Stiles offered, now in the kitchen and picking up a beer from the fridge. As he opened it and took a swig, he looked around the kitchen, admiring the design and such and poking around the fridge to see what ingredients there were.

Derek quickly changed clothes, a fresh t shirt and loose fitting sweat pants before he washed his face and hands and he might have also lightly spritzed himself with cologne. He came back down the stairs and into the kitchen, he gave Stiles a look with a roll of his eyes as he pulled open the fridge to grab himself a beer."I didn't invite you over to cook but if you want take out we can order something? Chinese sound good?" He asked as he couldn't help but linger on the fact how Stiles cooking for him felt a bit more domestic than it should have, having Stiles cook in his kitchen like he belonged there. He popped the cap off as he took a sip."Just remember the time I offered to grill you steaks, you'll regret missing out on that."

@ slumflower

@ dead upon arrival

Stiles gave Derek his best pout, leaning against the counter towards him with his face resting in his hands and his elbows propping him up. "I'm disappointed in you if you think you're gonna get away with not delivering on those steaks after having offered so nicely," Stiles said, shaking his head and tutting a little. He put his arms back down, sipping on the beer again before nodding. "Chinese sounds good, I'd really go to town with some lo mein," Stiles confirmed, giving his stomach an affectionate rub as he thought about how good some takeout sounded. He looked to Derek and asked, "You call an order in and we can see what's on TV?" He wasn't getting any awkward or "oh my god Stiles, please leave" vibes rolling off of Derek and he genuinely felt comfortable around Derek and in his home, so he figured dinner and the time it'd take them to run through a movie would be pretty good. If he was maybe thinking about them both being on the couch, leaning against each other and Derek being warm to the touch, could anyone really blame him when Derek was Derek all the time?

"I like that you're under the impression that I'll invite you back over." Derek gave Stiles a pointed look with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Stiles wasn't terrible company and he could go as far as saying that Stiles was good to have around, he treated Derek differently than the pack did which Derek found a bit comforting and Stiles didn't have to know that he had never invited the pack over to grill out and talk shit.

Derek nodded as he sat his beer down and rifled through a stack of take out menus and coupons."Yeah, go ahead and find something to watch and I'll order us some food." He found the local Chinese menu and picked up the phone and placed an order, probably a bit too much but what they didn't eat could be left overs.

@ slumflower

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Stiles did his best to look unimpressed with Derek because you can't take steaks back, Derek but smirked when Derek nodded in agreement over Stiles choosing something to watch. "As you wish," Stiles grinned and picked up his beer, bounding into the living room to throw himself onto the couch and find the remote which was just, predictably, on the table in front of the couch. He got up briefly to kick his shoes off by the door and then sat back down having turned the TV on in the process. He flipped through the channels, humming at how many of them Derek had, which seemed a little funny to him. That being said, in college he only really used Hulu and Netflix so he wasn't complaining at all. Stiles found a channel that seemed to be playing The Matrix and he did a fist pump at the fact that it seemed to only be five minutes in and the second movie would be playing by then so even if they were done hanging out by the end of the movie, Stiles could go home and still catch the rest. "The Matrix is on," Stiles said making sure not to yell but still a little loud anyways as Derek finished making the order.

A few minutes later, Derek joined Stiles on the couch, almost shoulder to shoulder. He kicked his feet up on the coffee table, his beer in hand."Predictable." He teased Stiles at his choice of movie."But Keanu Reeves? Not a bad choice."

Things got quiet between them as they watched the movie except for Stiles' commentary every now and then but it wasn't an awkward silence or anything, it was comfortable like Stiles presence was belonged there. A knock sounded at the door."Probably food." Derek said as he stood up and answered and came back a moment later, dropping take out bags onto the coffee table as he picked up the empty bottles."Another?" He asked Stiles.

@ slumflower

@ dead upon arrival

He grinned at Derek, glad that this was another of the growing list of things that he and Derek seemed to like. He scoffed at a couple parts and then recited Morpheus' red pill or blue pill speech because he definitely knew it by heart. It was a comfortable space, and Derek's presence against his shoulder was like having a the heater gently by his side. His stomach grumbled just after Derek stood up and Stiles patted it, only tearing his eyes away when he saw Derek coming towards him with more take out bags than he expected. "Oh fuck," Stiles groaned smelling the hot Chinese food that wafted towards him as his hands immediately reached for the bags and started to pull things out. "Nah, I'm not a lightweight but I've gotta drive eventually. I'll have water, though," Stiles smiled up at him, breaking the chopsticks in two to start in on the food. "Thanks dude!" Stiles yelled out, watching Derek walk away with the empty bottles, settling back into the couch just to watch the start of another fight scene.

Derek came back, setting a bottle of water on the coffee table in front of Stiles and setting a beer down for himself as he dug into the takeout bag and grabbed a carton of beef and broccoli, separating the chopsticks and settled back onto the couch next to Stiles as he dug into the steamy food that made his stomach growl, he must have been hungrier than he thought as they ate and watched the movie.

The idea in itself made Derek laugh because if anyone would have told him that he would be sitting on his couch eating take out and watching a movie with Stiles Stilinski and actually enjoying it, the weird comforting feel he got from Stiles, he would have probably punched them the face for even associating himself with Stiles

After consuming half of the carton, he licked the sauce from his thumb as he sat it down and took a long sip of his beer before he started on the chicken fried rice and wontons."Do you have any plans tomorrow?" He asked as he adverted his gaze from Neo on the screen to focusing on Stiles.

@ slumflower

@ dead upon arrival

Stiles scarfed down the Lo mein quickly, then slowed down to start on a carton of orange chicken and rice, eating the second dish much slower than the first. Stiles sipped on the water in between bites and snickered when another one of his favorite parts popped up. Stiles heard Derek speak and leaned over with his chopsticks, stealing a wonton piece from the other man and popping it in his mouth as he thought it over. "Just a lunch Xbox date with Scott, why?" Stiles asked, furrowing his eyebrows suspiciously at Derek. He wiped his bottom lip with a napkin and offered the carton of orange chicken to Derek. "I'll probably be free after we break in a new game Scott got, which should take about 5 hours knowing us."

Derek sat the wonton carton down as he exchanged it for the orange chicken, trapping a piece between his chopsticks and nonchalantly shrugged."I've gotta go to San Francisco tomorrow to order flooring and I was gonna ask if you wanted to tag along." He popped the piece of chicken into his mouth. He wouldn't normally go that far for flooring but Beacon Hills just didn't carry a big selection nor ordered in special orders and by the time he got the second floor nearly complete, the flooring would be in and ready to lay."Might also stop by this art gallery that Cora swears had some of the best art she's seen and she's all worldly or whatever now so."

@ slumflower

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Stiles was distracted from the ending of the movie by Derek quickly popping the chicken into his mouth using chopsticks. He leaned back and bit on his lip distractedly even though he was already nodding as he worked it over in his mind, all while snickering softly because from what he'd seen Cora was pretty worldly and had been for a while. "That sounds like a good trip, and I'm not opposed to galleries either. I know the best taco place in SF," Stiles mused as the second Matrix movie started before asking: "What time would you be heading out?" Scott wouldn't be mad at him for postponing an xbox date but it had been a while since they'd been able to hang out in person so he didn't want to see or hear the inevitable puppy face and hurt voice Scott would give even while telling him that it was fine. Feeling super stuffed after a couple more wontons, Stiles putt his hands flat on his lower stomach and gently carried the food baby he was now nursing after all that food intake (even though there seemed to still be one or two cartons left).

Derek nodded as he picked up another piece of chicken."It is gonna be a good trip and that's why it would suck to go alone so that's why you're my only hope, Obi-Wan." He shoved the chicken into his mouth and sat the empty carton next to the few that littered the coffee table."And because you know where the good tacos are."

And maybe it would be nice to hang out with Stiles outside of Beacon Hills and the preserve."I'll probably leave sometime before noon. I'll pick you up or you can leave your Jeep here." He grabbed his beer and drank down the last of it.

@ slumflower

Stiles gaped a little, surprised to hear the words that were falling out of Derek's mouth. "Who are you and are you a pod person?" Stiles asked poking the side of his cheek because it was the first time Derek had made a pop culture that was holding Stiles in a pretty good light. "Ah, there it is - you just want to know where the tacos are - I don't blame you," Stiles snorted but got up, picking the empty cartons, napkins, empty bottle and throwing them away while also depositing his empty glass into the dishwasher.

"I'm down just text me when you're on your way, yeah?" he confirmed, stretching a bit, reaching to the sky and then down to the floor. He patted the pocket of his hoodie, confirming that he had his keys before leaning over the couch and patting Derek's shoulders. "I'm gonna head out before I get too sleepy to drive, thanks for the not shitty company and the really good food," Stiles said a little cheekily with a fond smile on his face as he leaned back up and started walking to the door.

"No, I'm not a pod person."Derek swatted Stiles' hand away with a roll of his eyes."Why else would I ask you to go? You talk too much and your anxious stench stinks up everything." Derek elongated the word everything with a playful glint in his eyes."But you know food and that's all that matters."

"I'll be sure to give you a ten minute warning before I'm sitting in your driveway." Derek stood up and stretched as well before walking with Stiles to the door."You're not so shitty company either. For the record also, you can come hang out whenever if you want. You know where I live know." He hinted that he wouldn't mind Stiles coming by and watching more movies and sitting tons of take out and junk food because it had been a long time since he had done that and he was sure it had a lot to do with the fact that it was Stiles that he done it with that made it even more enjoyable.

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Stiles playfully glared at Derek from the door slightly leaning and exaggeratedly frowning, because insulting how he smelled was rude. At Derek's admission that his company wasn't so shitty, Stiles couldn't help but let out a small snort which turned into a laugh since this was pretty much one of the nicest things that Derek had said to him. "Careful," he warned Derek, "I might be taking you up on that," because he'd kind of just realized that he'd spent pretty much all day, except for this morning with his dad, with Derek and he hadn't even noticed, which meant he'd been enjoying himself. It had been nice to just hang out with Derek without something dangerous looming over their heads. "We'll see how you feel after the car ride up and the trip to SF," he said, giving the man an impish grin before walking down the walkway and waving a goodbye as he went towards his car. He knew he didn't have to yell out the window for Derek to hear him but he lowered the window and yelled a verbal quick goodbye anyways, knowing he would see him sometime tomorrow. Starting up his car, Stiles went to head home, familiar with the area enough to make his way without needing to plug it into his phone GPS.

It was pretty late, about almost midnight but he knew Scott was still awake so he gave his best bro a quick phone call that Scott picked up on the second ring. Stiles checked in with him for a minute or two, standing on his own front porch before asking Scott if he'd be okay grabbing breakfast at their favorite diner instead of their previous plans for a gaming marathon. Stiles could hear Scott pouting a little bit over the phone but he reminded Scotty how good the waffles and French toast was and Stiles didn't hear any complaints after that, although Scott did ask if something big has come up. Stiles shook his head even though Scott couldn't see him before responding, "Nah, nothing life-threatening, just Derek's going to SF tomorrow and I'm tagging along, keeping him safe, y'know," Stiles joked, rolling his eyes at Scott's humming noises, although he didn't say anything after that. They talked a bit more as Stiles went inside the house, putting his keys on the table by the door and kicking his shoes off as well by the time he was closing the phone and greeting his Dad who was staying up watching some kind of spoof crime dramedy. They talked for a while but Stiles was tired so he didn't continue the conversation for long before telling his dad the usual "I love you"s before heading up to crash on his bed, pulling his clothes off and then setting an alarm for breakfast with Scott before pulling on the covers and letting himself fall deep asleep.