Merry Christmas, somethingaboutwerewolves!
Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy this little piece of Sterek :)
Under Your Umbrella
It was raining. Hard, unrelenting sheets of rain had begun falling just moments ago and I was utterly unprepared. In my panic to look professional as possible for my first day of classes I had forgotten to check the weather and now my efforts would be a sopping wet waste of time. I used my briefcase to keep my head dry but that wasn’t going to do squat for my suit jacket.
Suddenly there was a body beside me and an umbrella over my head. I looked over in astonishment to find a pair of golden eyes set against beautiful, pale skin and crinkled in amusement staring back at me.
“Thanks.” I said, slightly bemused and extremely grateful.
The smile he sent my way was a little cheeky and sent tendrils of warmth shooting from my stomach. “You looked like you really didn’t want to be wet.”
I nodded awkwardly. That was an understatement. “Yeah. First day on the job.”
He nodded understandingly. “Cool. Good luck.”
“Thanks.” I wanted to kick myself. I needed some new friends after moving here from New York, but carrying conversation wasn’t my strong suit. His enchanting eyes and adorably upturned nose only added fuel to my socially-awkward fire.
“I’m Stiles.” He continued. Thank god he at least seemed to have some social skills, but what is that name? My eyebrows raised in confusion before I could control them. “It’s a nickname.”
“Ah.” I said, as though that cleared up why anyone would choose a nickname like that. “Derek.” I said next, realizing I should return the favor. My capacity to handle my increasing nerves was wearing thin, but the bus pulled up then and he gestured that I should get on ahead of him. I paid the fare and sat down at an empty set of seats, simultaneously hoping that Stiles would sit beside me and walk right past. Instead he just stopped in front of me and plopped the umbrella by my feet, and I looked up at him in confusion.
“You should borrow it today. I don’t need it as much as you do.” He gestured at my suit with one hand and his cardigan with the other. “I’m assuming you’ll be on the bus again, so just return it some time.”
“Are you sure? It’s raining pretty hard.”
He shrugged his ridiculously broad shoulders nonchalantly. “Eh. No worries.”
“Well, thanks then.” I mustered as winning a smile as I could, and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Hey, no problem. I gotta get back there and say hi to my bud Scott, though, but I’ll see you later. Good luck with your first day.”
By the time I realized I should thank him, he was too far down the aisle to hear me and I turned forward again so he wouldn’t catch me trying to stare. He was 100% my type and I was officially smitten.
I didn’t run into him for several days and in my struggle to adjust to my workload almost forgot I had even met him until I was just about to get on the bus the next week and saw his gangly figure running haphazardly far down the street. I knew the bus driver wasn’t going to take pity on him so I took matters into my own hands, sprung the lock on my briefcase and let the contents fall to the ground just as I was about the board.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” I feigned as I knelt to collect my things. “I’ll be just a moment.”
Stiles was close enough now that he could slow to a walk as I gathered the last of the papers and closed my briefcase. We walked to some empty seats and this time he sat beside me, looking comically suspicious.
“Did you…?” He began, pointing vaguely at the bus door.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said innocently while shrugging.
“You totally did!” A grin crept up his face. “Dude I owe you. I’m one of the security programmers at Stanford and I was up so late working on new updates.”
“You work at Stanford?”
“Yeah! I’m the head security programmer there.”
“Well as one of the professors, I certainly appreciate all the work.”
His eyes widened. “That’s where you work? I totally had you pegged as a lawyer.”
That made me full-on laugh. The idea of me being a lawyer was ridiculous, but I could see how he got the idea.
“No, definitely not. I’m in the Spanish department.”
“Awesome! I tried learning in college but the only languages that stick seem to be for computers.” He fidgeted with his phone for a couple seconds, biting his lip far too appealingly before releasing a rapid stream of speech. “Now that I know we’re at the same place, why don’t we get coffee some time as a sort of mutual celebration of saving each other’s asses? I know the best coffee shops. Unless you don’t like coffee. There’s always tea.”
Was he asking me on a date? Was he even queer? I figured I would just accept the offer and try to puzzle it out from there.
“Coffee sounds great.”
The pink that took over his cheeks made my own heat up and I looked away quickly into my pocket for my phone to hide it.
“Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll get in touch once my week settles down?”
His long fingers hypnotized me as they typed the information in and I almost didn’t notice when he handed it back to me.
“Great. I’ll text you.” Of course, the idea of texting Stiles for coffee, even though it had been his idea and it probably wasn’t a date- because why would it be a date if we didn’t even know each other?- was absolutely terrifying. I didn’t initiate. I didn’t know how to initiate, which was probably why I hadn’t had a single legitimate conversation with any of my co-workers yet because I walked around looking like grumpy cat. Our bus got to my stop soon after and I remembered to return his umbrella before waving and promising I would eventually find the time to text him.
My second week only proceeded to get more hectic than the first as I ended up covering for a colleague out with the start-of-year flu. Needless to say, I got the vaccine ASAP. Once the week was finally ending I was so drained the idea of coffee with Stiles was both unspeakable and enticing, but as that Thursday rolled along I realized I wasn’t going to stay awake through the problem sets I had to grade without a little pick-me-up, so I braved the text.
Derek: Hey Stiles, this is Derek. Sorry for the short notice, but would coffee this afternoon work?
I sent it and then proceeded to tear my hair out over how formal I’d sounded. No smile, no exclamation, nothing. I sounded like I was arranging a business meeting. Two graded problem sets later I got a response.
Stiles: Hey there! Sure thing. Meet me at 4 on the corner of Everglade and Stone.
I headed out at quarter-to and found myself at a little hole-in-the-wall coffee shop called ‘Wired.’ It looked dim and cramped inside, but Stiles clearly had faith in the place so I held judgement until he arrived a few minutes later. Walking into the coffee shop proved it just as small as it looked.
Stiles ordered a cappuccino and paid for himself before I realized I should have offered to pay for us both. It wasn’t a date, but it wouldn’t have hurt my case to send some positive signals. We sat down at one of the last tables available and I took a small sip of my piping hot red eye.
“So why the urgency for coffee anyway?” Stiles asked after I’d taken a few sips.
“A co-worker is out sick this week so I had to pick up his classes, but I have a huge stack of 101 problem sets to grade for tomorrow and most of the stack is left.”
Stiles cringed sympathetically. “Tedious. I hope this gets you through. Anyway, you’re totally new to town, right?”
“Uh yeah.” I replied, a bit confused by the change in subject. “Finished moving in a week before the semester started.”
“Well how about you come to dinner tomorrow night with me some of my friends? If you’re free, that is.”
“Oh, that’s nice of you. You’re sure they won’t mind?”
“Nah. Our little group is welcoming. Scott’s ex just moved away for a job, so we could use some new blood anyway.”
“Alright, then, sure. Just let me know when and where. Thanks.” I smiled warmly as I could but couldn’t help feeling like I’d just been friend-zoned. I thought his behavior had screamed interested, but maybe Stiles really was straight.
We chatted for a while longer until I’d finished my coffee and then I regrettably had to get back to my grading. Everything about Stiles was great. He seemed to notice whenever I was having trouble keeping the conversation going and picked up the slack eagerly with random new stories about his friends or bizarre Stanford traditions I definitely needed to know about. His hands moved hypnotizingly as he spewed his random facts and they dwarfed his mug every time he picked it up for another sip. I was officially smitten on a man with whom I was pretty sure I didn’t have a chance.
Dinner was the next day at a Chinese restaurant. Stiles was waiting outside looking too good for words in slim dark jeans and a button up with rolled sleeves that revealed arms of tattoos I hadn’t seen before. From a distance it looked like a chaotic mess of images that somehow blended together quite beautifully. He caught me staring and chuckled.
“A lot of professors don’t take me seriously when they see them so I cover them at work.”
“Understandable. You’ll have to tell me what they are sometime.”
“In short, this is how I view my brain. Or how my ex views my interpretation of my brain. I have zero artistic skills but she majored in art and owns a tattoo parlor downtown so it worked out. She adds something every few months.”
Ah, a girlfriend.
“She’s coming tonight, so you’ll meet her.”
The host took us to our table where several twenty-somethings were already seated and chatting happily.
“Stiles!” A red-head greeted when she noticed us. “And Derek, I’m assuming.” I nodded. “Lydia, nice to meet you.”
I took the tiny hand she offered, shocked at the firmness of her shake.
“I’m Scott.” Said another man with a dopey grin.
“Kira.” Said the women sitting directly next to him.
“We’re just waiting on Danny and Malia now.” Lydia offered.
“Solid.” Said Stiles as he glided into the booth beside Lydia, leaving room for me to follow. “Ordered anything yet?”
“Nah. We figured we’d wait.” Kira offered.
“So how are you liking Stanford, Derek?”
“Great, so far. Just trying to settle in you know?”
“Absolutely. I started here two years ago in the chemistry department and I’m still not used to it.”
“Two years already? How’d you finish a chemistry PhD so quickly?”
“Lydia’s a verifiable genius and started college two years early and then finished in three.”
Lydia shoved him affectionately. “Stop talking like you didn’t do the same thing. So what department are you in Derek?”
“Spanish. My undergraduate was in archaeology but I went back for a PhD in Latin American mythology after doing field work in the Andes for a few years.”
“You’re fluent then?” Scott asked and I nodded. “We should get coffee sometime and talk then. My mom’s been railing on my grammar for years.” So coffee was just something they all did then.
Danny and Malia (the ex) showed up then and I learned that Danny worked with Stiles, Scott worked at the local vet clinic, and Kira was the new fencing coach.
As the evening passed, I was relieved to find that not only was it an easy group to blend into but they seemed to like me. I was also relieved to discover Kira was also relatively new and we smiled helplessly at one another when an inside joke flew over our heads and the rest of the table collapsed into fits of laughter.
I tried getting a read on how Stiles behaved with his friends compared to me, but I was so out of practice in the ways of flirting I couldn’t possibly pick up on any minute differences that may have existed. As the night wore on it seemed increasingly clear, however, that his intentions were not romantic and I did my best to stifle the disappointment and just appreciated that I had finally managed to make some friends.
Stiles was a regular on my bus from then on and while we didn’t always talk, we continued to sit beside one another. The next Thursday he invited me out for drinks with him and Danny, which seemed odd but whatever.
I met them at a little Irish pub near the heart of town. Danny was already waiting for us at a table so Stiles was quick to order himself a whiskey sour while I settled for a beer. We sat and chatted for a while and I struggled to stay afloat as I wondered how I had found myself at a bar with a straight man I was infatuated with and a gay man to whom I wasn’t the least bit attracted.
We had been nursing our second drinks for a while when Danny excused himself for the bathroom. Stiles was oddly quiet for a few moments and I sipped my beer uncomfortably until he spoke.
“So Danny’s great right?” What kind of question was that?
“Um, yeah. He’s nice.”
“He’s gay, you know?” Stiles spoke like he was revealing a precious secret.
“I had gathered as much.”
“You’re kind of his type you know.”
Oh! That’s what was happening. Dammit he was just trying to set me up with his friend this whole time. “I’m, um, flattered, but not interested.”
His face fell and if I weren’t so frustrated, I would have felt bad for dashing his plans so bluntly. Danny gratefully returned then and looked at Stiles oddly when he saw how quiet the two of us were. Stiles just shrugged and Danny moved the conversation along into safer waters.
Things with Stiles proceeded rather awkwardly after that, as though turning Danny down had changed our dynamic for some unidentifiable reason. He continued to sit with me on the bus, and invite me to dinners with the group, but he was always a little more reserved than he was before the Danny incident. I tried to overcome my feelings for him, desperately wishing I could find Danny, or any other remotely attractive person I encountered for that matter, appealing, but no such luck. My feelings had become stubbornly ingrained the moment he shared his umbrella with me and I was just going to have to deal with it.
Halloween was fast approaching and I did my best to embrace my favorite holiday by decorating my office. I was in the process of hanging lights around my doorframe when Stiles’s gangly limbs came bounding toward me.
“Stiles! Hey. What’re you doing here?” It was the first time he’d come to my office and he looked equal measures nervous and excited, a blush building on his cheeks.
“Hey, Derek.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “So this is super random, but Lydia has this big Halloween party every year and her guests are all expected to bring a plus one but mine literally just bailed like two minutes ago and it’s tonight and I was wondering if you’d go with me. It doesn’t have to be a date or anything. Just friends.”
I struggled to keep up with the stream of consciousness flowing out of his mouth, but my mind stuck on a single word.
“It doesn’t have to be a date?”
“Well no, of course not. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable or anything.”
Then it all clicked and I flushed in embarrassment from 20/20 hindsight.
“Oh my God, you think I’m straight.”
Stiles just stared at me as though he’d never seen me, until suddenly his face cracked into a wide grin and he began giggling hysterically.
“I’m such a moron. Oh man.” He managed to gasp out once he’d calmed down a bit before he seemed to remember something horrific and his eyes widened. “Oh no! You thought I was trying to set you up with Danny didn’t you?”
I grimaced. “A bit.”
“Shit. I knew I went about that wrong.”
I raised an eyebrow at him skeptically. “What were you trying to do?”
“To see if you were into dudes! Aw, that was so stupid.”
“We’re pretty awful at this huh?” I asked wryly.
“Horrendously so.” Suddenly Stiles started walking away back down the hall. “Hold on a sec!” He called back, apparently realizing he’d left without a word.
I stood there in wait, baffled by the abrupt change when he turned around the corner and headed towards me again.
“Derek, hey!” He said, waving as though he hadn’t just done the same a few minutes before.
“Uh, hey Stiles. What’re you doing?”
His cheeks were blotchy and pink and I couldn’t look away as he began speaking. “Well, now that I’m fully aware that you’re about as straight as I am, I would like to ask if you’d like to be my fully romantically-interested date to Lydia’s party tonight?”
I felt my skin heat up at the rush of pent up want exploding to the surface upon learning that Stiles really was interested in me. I also felt completely ridiculous as I realized that we had both been interested in each other for the larger part of two months and had stashed those feelings away because of miscommunications.
“I would love to be your date.” Grinning absurdly I nodded over at my unfinished door. “You want to help me finish decorating and then we can grab some dinner?”
His delighted smile sent my stomach cartwheeling and we spent the next few hours with strands of cobwebs, orange lights and take-out.
Seeing as Halloween was my favorite holiday, I already had a costume, which is how I ended up at Lydia’s front door dressed as Elvis Presley and hand-in-hand with Stiles.
When Lydia opened the door for us, her face split into a satisfied smirk. “About fucking time.” She said as she lead us into the drink room.
Stiles grew distracted for a moment and pulled me back as he jerked around to stare into a connecting room.
“Jack? What are you doing here?” Then Stiles’s eyes grew a little wider. “With… Danny? Lydia you didn’t?” He swung around and turned a bewildered face on her. “You two set me up.”
“Of course we did, Stilinski.” Danny said from behind us. “Your gaydar’s horrible but you wouldn’t believe when I told you he was into you, so I convinced Jack to pull out from being your date so last minute that your only option left was to ask Derek.”
“Which is why I” continued Lydia, “intentionally excluded him from the guest list.”
I chuckled at the sheer incredulity on Stiles’s face and wrapped my arm around his waist as I leaned over to whisper in his ear, “You should listen to your friends more often.”
“Yeah, yeah hound dog, don’t push your luck.” Stiles replied sarcastically, but his cheeks were bright pink as he smiled over at me just like the day we met under the umbrella.
