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“How much do you lift?” Stiles asked without lifting his gaze. He was hunched over the kitchen island of his and Derek’s apartment, scrolling through TikTok while occasionally reaching for a bag of chips Derek had brought home from shopping.
“What do you mean?” Derek asked, slightly irritated. He was busy installing a new game on his PlayStation, and Stiles was surprised Derek had even answered so quickly. Usually, once Derek’s console was turned on, Stiles barely existed in the same realm.
“In the gym,” Stiles clarified briefly. Derek had probably understood him just fine and was only confused about why Stiles would ask such a question. Stiles had only stepped foot in a gym about five times in his life, all thanks to Derek’s persuasion, and each visit had been torture. Stiles still couldn’t comprehend why that place was practically his boyfriend’s second home.
“Since when do you care about that?” Derek asked, surprised, turning towards Stiles. Stiles glanced over the top of his phone at Derek for a second, met his boyfriend’s gaze, shrugged, and went back to his screen, where the hundredth video of a TikTok trend he’d recently discovered was playing.
“Just curious,” Stiles muttered, switching back to his homepage.
“Would you even understand the numbers if I told you?” Derek pressed, and Stiles rolled his eyes.
“Forget I asked,” Stiles replied with feigned dramatics. “You’re just embarrassed it’s not that much,” he teased, knowing full well he was only trying to rile Derek up. With a sigh, Derek shook his head and got up from the couch, while Stiles pretended to be disinterested. Derek rounded the kitchen island until he was almost at Stiles’ side.
“I was just kidding,” Stiles quickly defended when he realized what Derek was planning. Slowly, Derek kept closing the distance.
“I swear!” Stiles laughed, setting his phone aside and stepping back defensively. He raised his hands to ward Derek off.
“Please, Derek,” Stiles pleaded dramatically but still laughing, backing away until Derek suddenly picked up speed and started chasing him around the kitchen island. Stiles bolted down the narrow hallway of their apartment, but he knew he was doomed. Every room was a dead end with nowhere to hide. Desperate, he darted into their bedroom, Derek hot on his heels.
“No!” Stiles shouted, scrambling to the far side of their bed. He was trapped, with only the mattress separating him from Derek, who stood grinning triumphantly.
“I’m begging you, Derek!” Stiles tried dramatically. But as soon as Derek took a single step toward him, Stiles erupted into laughter. Before he could process it, Derek leaped onto the bed, ruining its neatly made state, and grabbed him around the waist, tossing him down onto the mattress and starting a relentless tickle attack.
“Please!” Stiles sputtered as Derek’s fingers dug into his ribs. But Derek knew his limits well and stopped after a while—both of them gasping for air. Stiles, half-expecting Derek to restart the attack, laughed uncontrollably as he rolled onto his stomach. Once Stiles got into a fit of hearty laughter, it took a while for him to stop. He had almost calmed down when Derek suddenly grabbed his legs, dragging him across the bed closer to him. Stiles resumed laughing and reached out blindly to fend off Derek.
When Derek placed his hands at Stiles’ waist—where he was most ticklish—Stiles immediately squirmed in his grip. Though Derek’s hands hadn’t moved, the very idea that Derek could tickle him again had Stiles giggling nervously.
“Please, Derek,” Stiles begged, still chuckling.
“I’m not doing anything,” Derek replied, mock-offended. He shifted his hands just slightly higher, making Stiles cry out. Desperately, Stiles grabbed at Derek’s hands, but Derek’s grip was too strong for him to push away.
They stayed frozen like this until Stiles’ laughter gradually subsided. Derek let his hands wander up to Stiles’ back, causing only a brief squeak of protest. Realizing the touch was soothing rather than mischievous, Stiles sighed contentedly when Derek started massaging his back.
“That’s nice,” Stiles remarked as Derek kneaded his shoulders, albeit not as firmly as he would’ve liked. But Stiles wouldn’t complain. He leaned into Derek’s hands, savoring the sensation, the moment filled with quiet intimacy. He let out a soft sigh as Derek’s hands slid to his shoulders, his thumbs pressing into Stiles’ shoulder blades. Stiles crossed his arms in front of him and rested his head on them.
Since Derek was still standing next to the bed, the angle he was massaging from was a bit awkward, making the massage itself rather half-hearted, but Stiles enjoyed it all the same.
Whenever Derek touched him, Stiles wanted to hold his breath, afraid the moment would pass too quickly. It was almost like when a cat climbs into your lap, and you try to move as little as possible so it doesn’t run away. His skin tingled pleasantly wherever Derek touched him.
Then, out of nowhere, Stiles let out a sharp yelp when Derek swatted him playfully on his butt. It was so unexpected and hard that Stiles gasped for air.
“I knew it!” Stiles shouted, turning to glare at his boyfriend. “I fucking knew you’d ruin it,” he accused, laughing as Derek grabbed his hips and pulled him closer, playfully grinding his body against him.
“Hey!” Stiles protested, still laughing, as Derek repeated the motion, humping his backside.
“Pervert!” Stiles climbed off the bed, pointing a finger accusingly at Derek, who just grinned, “You’re such a man!”, he exclaimed, playfully swatting at his boyfriend’s arm. However, Derek was quicker and took a step back, laughing as Stiles climbed off the bed.
“I just wanted to show you how much I love you,” Derek explained with a grin, grabbing Stiles’ wrists when he tried to swat at him again. With a sudden pull, he drew the younger man toward him and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Stiles was powerless against Derek’s kisses. He rolled his eyes and turned his head, letting Derek’s lips land on his instead.
“So why did you want to know how much I lift?” Derek asked again. Stiles had already forgotten that this had been the original reason for their chase. He rolled his eyes once more: Why did he have a thing for alpha males? Of course, Derek got offended when Stiles questioned how much he could lift. Thank God none of his alpha-male friends with fragile egos had been around to witness it.
“I just saw this trend on TikTok,” Stiles shrugged and walked past Derek back into the living room.
“Not one of your trends,” Derek complained, as if Stiles was personally responsible for every TikTok trend. “I still haven’t recovered from the last one you made me do,” he added, and Stiles grinned.
“You still haven’t answered my question, though,” he teased, as Derek followed him into the living room. Derek shrugged, seeming to think it over for a moment.
“I can bench press like 400 or 420 pounds,” he said, sounding less confident than Stiles was used to.
“No, you can’t,” Stiles laughed in surprise. “What the fuck are you talking about?” He had to admit Derek was right—he had no idea how much a man built like Derek could typically lift—but 400 pounds sounded a bit over the top. Stiles had once lifted 15-pound dumbbells and ended up with sore muscles for two days.
“Yes, I can,” Derek replied, furrowing his brow. He was clearly offended; Stiles could see it.
For a moment, Stiles looked Derek up and down before considering something. “So could you—purely hypothetically—lift me onto your shoulder?” he asked. Derek looked confused.
“You want to sit on my shoulders?” he asked back. “I’ve already done that. Remember that festival we went to?” he prompted, jogging Stiles’ memory.
He remembered, but back then he’d stood on a box, Derek had crouched down in front of him, and two of their friends had helped them.
“I mean onto one shoulder,” he clarified, pointing to his own shoulder. “Like from the front,” he added.
“That’s oddly specific, but I could probably do it,” Derek replied, still slightly confused.
“That’s the trend.”
“The trend is carrying someone on your shoulder?” Derek clarified. Meanwhile, Stiles grabbed his phone and searched for the trend on TikTok.
“It’s a song by Sabrina Carpenter,” Stiles explained. “She sings, ‘A man who’s jacked and kind, can’t find his ass to save my life,’ and during that part, the guy lifts his girlfriend onto his shoulder. Some girl probably started the trend to show off that she actually found someone who’s jacked and kind… or at least jacked.” Randomly, Stiles clicked on one of the videos and held it up for Derek to see. Derek took the phone from him and scrolled through a few of the clips.
“We’re doing that,” Derek declared. Stiles was completely shocked that Derek was actually agreeing to do a TikTok trend without being pressured to. Then again, this was a perfect opportunity for Derek to flaunt his muscles online, so Stiles shouldn’t really have been that surprised.
“Grab your tripod,” Derek commanded as he pulled off his hoodie, leaving him standing in just a black t-shirt. Stiles rolled his eyes but complied, setting up his tripod on the kitchen island.
“Do you want to try it out first?” Stiles asked as he opened his camera app and hit the big red button to start recording.
“No need,” Derek shook his head confidently. “You’re like a hundred pounds soaking wet,” he added, smirking.
“I’m not!” Stiles protested, feigning offense, as he held a hand dramatically to his chest.
“Well, how much do you weigh?” Derek asked. It had been a while since Stiles had weighed himself, so he shrugged.
“I don’t know, maybe 130,” he guessed.
“Well, you know I can hold you up in the shower,” Derek grinned, planting his hands on his hips.
“Shut up!” Stiles hissed, his face heating up as he lightly smacked Derek’s arm. “It’s already recording,” he reminded him.
“The other guys in the videos cheated,” Derek observed as Stiles got into position in front of him. “The girls always jumped.” He pulled his own phone out of his pocket, opened TikTok, and held it out to Stiles. Stiles understood what he wanted and typed “jacked and kind” into the search bar. Derek started scrolling through the countless videos again.
“Look,” Derek pointed to a guy in a video lifting his girlfriend onto his shoulder by both of them squatting down and her lightly jumping.
“That’s too easy,” Derek said. “If I jump and you squat, you could probably lift me onto your shoulder, too,” he explained. Stiles understood what Derek meant, but he doubted that it would actually be that easy. He was certain there was no way he could lift Derek onto his shoulder, no matter how much momentum he built up.
“We’re doing it the right way – no jumping or squatting,” Derek decided. Stiles honestly didn’t care as long as he didn’t break anything and ended up on Derek’s shoulder.
“Look!” Derek suddenly called out, pointing at a video that he had just swiped past. “They’re doing it right.” Now Stiles understood what his boyfriend meant. The video showed a young man simply lifting his girlfriend onto his shoulder by grabbing her by the hips, with no jumping or squatting beforehand. It seemed almost too easy, as if she weighed just a few pounds.
“Okay,” Stiles agreed. He hoped Derek wouldn’t be too disappointed if he couldn’t manage it. He was definitely heavier than the girl in the video.
“You need to pay attention to the lyrics, too,” Stiles said, turning around as Derek placed his hands on his waist. “After ‘kind,’ you need to lift me up,” he instructed, singing the line, “‘A boy who’s jacked and kind.’” He turned to Derek and gestured for him to lift him onto his shoulder. Derek nodded.
“Should I play the song?” Stiles asked, but proceeded to do so anyway, even though Derek impatiently waved him off.
Sabrina’s voice started to play, and Stiles turned briefly to Derek to check if he was ready. Derek gave him a nod, and they both focused on the camera.
“I’ve seen the videos,” Derek told him, “I know when to lift you.”
When the song hit the line where it was Derek's cue, Stiles placed his hands on his boyfriend's. Suddenly, he had second thoughts about whether Derek could actually lift him. He really didn’t want to land on the hard wooden floor. Almost reflexively, he wanted to bend his knees to help Derek, but he held himself back at the right moment and finally felt Derek effortlessly lift him up and smoothly place him on his right shoulder.
Stiles had to admit he was really surprised. He hadn’t even felt Derek’s muscles strain. Just like the video he had seen earlier, Derek had lifted him as if he weighed hardly anything. Reflexively, Stiles placed one hand on Derek's head to keep his balance. Then he looked at Derek’s face, and Derek met his eyes, smiling proudly up at him.
“Told you,” Derek said as he balanced Stiles on his shoulder with just one hand.
“So you’re actually jacked,” Stiles noted, gently stroking Derek’s head like a dog. “Now you need to be kind too,” he teased, and Derek made a dramatically sad face.
He manhandled Stiles in such a way that Stiles ended up in his arms bridal-style.
“I’m always kind to you,” Derek pouted, almost looking offended.
“If you were, you’d give me a proper massage tonight, without humping me from behind and spanking my ass,” Stiles said, knowing full well he had Derek wrapped around his finger. All it took was batting his pretty eyelashes and presenting his body in a certain way, and Derek turned to goo right before his eyes. He knew he was going to get that massage.
“Only if you say you believe I can lift 400 pounds in the gym,” Derek countered, grinning devilishly.
“I believe you,” Stiles rolled his eyes, though he had to admit that he actually kind of did believe it now. And as much as he hated to admit it, the whole Derek-showing-off- his-strength-thing kind of did it for him. Maybe he wouldn’t actually mind if the massage ended with Derek spanking him and humping him from behind. Maybe they could find some other ways to test what Derek’s muscles were capable of.
Derek pecked his lips and carefully set him back down on the floor.
„That turn you on?“, Derek asked cockily while Stiles moved to his phone to stop the recording.
“What?”, he tried to seem confused, “No”, he stated and put his phone on the kitchen island, then turned to look his boyfriend in the eyes. He would rather die than admit to Derek that his macho behaviour had that affect on him. He would never hear the end of it.
“I can tell”, Derek laughed and pointed a finger at Stiles, “You know I can always tell”, he added and Stiles tried to push his finger away.
“I can show you what else these muscles can do”, he suggested and Stiles fake gagged. This whole scenario had just turned into a really weird porn set up.
Derek took his chin between his thumb and index finger and pressed a kiss to Stiles' lips. A bit roughly, but Stiles liked it.
Before he knew it, Derek stepped up to him, placed his hands around his waist, and lifted him over his shoulder, in a fireman's carry. Surprised, Stiles laughed. Derek was extra careful as he carried him through the living room.
"What about your videogame?" Stiles asked when he saw that the download was complete.
"I have better things to do now," Derek laughed. Stiles took the opportunity to slap his butt a few times, which was practically right in front of his nose.
A few hours later, when they were both lying together under the covers and Derek was tiredly scrolling through Instagram, Stiles watched the video they had filmed together. It actually seemed like it hadn't been any effort for Derek to lift Stiles onto his shoulder. His arm muscles didn’t even seem to have strained.
"I like the way you look at me here," he held the phone under Derek's nose and pointed to the moment in the video where Stiles was sitting on his shoulder, grinning at the camera while Derek looked up at him proudly. Then Stiles returned his gaze.
Derek, who had his arm around Stiles, pulled him a little closer and placed a kiss on his lips.
"Love you," he said in a quiet voice and Stiles smiled.
"I know," he said, cuddling closer into his warmth.
As he uploaded the video to his account, he edited it a little longer than all the other videos he had seen. After all, he needed to show off his perfect boyfriend as much as possible. And people really needed to see that he wasn't just jacked but also incredibly kind.