Chapter Text
Derek finally opened his eyes when he heard a terrible crashing sound below. He had kept them closed and tried to go back to sleep as everyone else in the Hale house woke up and went downstairs for breakfast. Except that apparently, everyone in the Hale house had a strange aversion to being quiet and Derek winced at every footstep on the stairs and the shuffling of feet, chairs, and people down below. Werewolves are supposed to be stealthy he thought to himself and rolled over because he knew that his family was a great many things, but stealthy was not one of them.
His family was loud and rambunctious and energetic and Derek loved them for that. For all the begrudging moping he did up in his room, even he couldn't help but crack a smile when Laura dragged him outside to play frisbee or hide and seek with the kids. He loved meals when the whole family was in town, when they all sat around the dining room table and laughed and chatted (and occasionally tossed food around). Even if Derek sat quietly beside Laura and tried not to participate in the Hale family shenanigans, he loved it nonetheless.
But he also loved sneaking off to the coffee shop and reading until Stiles got there. He loved going to the Stilinski house and reading while Stiles did his homework, or going to the park and listening Stiles talk about everything and nothing at all. He loved kissing Stiles when they were alone because he loved the way Stiles silently talked with his eyes and his hands and his lips. Stiles was his peace and quiet. As strange as it seemed, Stiles was his break from the chaos.
When the crashing sound continued below, Derek decided that he needed his peace and quiet. He rolled out of bed, traded his sweatpants for a pair of jeans, and snuck out the window. He followed his familiar path to the coffee shop, ducked inside without anybody noticing, and went to the counter to order from Allison, who was waiting with a smile.
"You're late." A voice said from behind him.
Derek turned around to see Stiles seated at their usual table with a half-empty mug of hot chocolate in front of him and a full mug where Derek should be sitting. There were muffin crumbs on the table too, but no muffin in sight. Stiles must have been there for a while.
"But... school... you have... school?" Derek asked, confused. He looked at Allison for an answer, but she just shook her head with a smile.
"If you had listened yesterday when I was talking to you, you would have known that we had off today. Exam exemptions." Stiles said with an annoyed look in his eyes. Derek held up a hand to silence him as he turned to Allison and ordered two hot chocolates and a chocolate chip muffin in hopes of appeasing the now grumpy Stiles.
"Good luck with that. He's been pouting over there all morning." She whispered.
"Pouting?! I have not been pouting. I have been sitting here masculine-ly not caring about anyone." Stiles grumbled. He crossed his arm and slouched down in his chair, waiting for Derek.
"When did you tell me that? You know I listen, Stiles." Derek said when he sat down.
"Yesterday! When we were... hanging out..." Stiles whispered. Derek looked up at Stiles, disgruntled and annoyed. Their entire afternoon had consisted of eating popcorn and trying to get through a full episode of Supernatural without hooking up on the couch at Stiles' house. Needless to say, Derek was pretty sure he had seen Hunted about seven times now and still had no idea what happened at the end.
"Stiles. You can't tell me things while... you're... doing other things... to me." Derek said in a low voice, his eyes darkened by his memories of yesterday. But he was not going to reach across the table, grab Stiles' shirt collar, and yank him in for a kiss. That would be awkward for Allison, to say the least.
"Is that how this works now? Your listening is conditional?" Stiles asked. Maybe he wasn't upset anymore once he remembered when exactly it was that he had told Derek he didn't have school... and it may have been a less than opportune time. Maybe now he was just trying to bug Derek a little. After all, it was a Monday.
"Just drink your hot chocolate."
Stiles' silent treatment lasted for all of two sips of hot chocolate before he had not only forgiven Derek but started in on a summary of all the Supernatural episodes he had missed yesterday. Stiles had seen every episode five times at least and could quote a few from memory, so he didn't mind that Derek didn't actually watch them when he came over. He would much rather be doing other things when he was alone with Derek. The coffee shop was where Stiles could tell Derek about his favorite books and movies and television shows, and occasionally Derek would do the same. Derek's knowledge of pop culture sometimes shocked Stiles, because who knew someone who read classic books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Hamlet could quote a plethora of John Hughes movies without batting an eye. Stiles loved seeing those parts of Derek, through sips of hot chocolate and pages of his favorite books.
"So basically, there are these chosen ones, and you don't know why they're chosen yet, but they're chosen..." Stiles explained.
"So what you're saying is that they're chosen?" Derek asked. Stiles looked at him flatly before reaching across and punching him in the arm. Derek smiled his brilliant smile and laughed.
"This is where you've been getting off to these days..." A voice said behind Derek. He recognized it immediately and didn't even have to read the intimidated expression in Stiles' wide brown eyes to know that Laura was standing right behind him.
But Stiles' expression was equal parts intimidated, shocked, and confused because the girl behind Derek looked just like Derek. She had the eyes that couldn't be classified as a single color, the dark hair that Stiles just wanted to run his fingers through (not in a creepy way, but it just looked so soft he couldn't help himself), and the strikingly beautiful facial features. She was also tall and wearing a leather jacket so if the physical resemblance wasn't enough, Stiles could definitely tell she was related to Derek.
"And you're laughing and stuff too... I didn't know you were capable of not being all grrrr arrrrrgh around people." Laura said, holding up her hands as if they were claws and making the most ridiculous facial expression to imitate Derek. He just closed his eyes and tried to will her away. Stiles didn't seem to even notice Derek's expression and started to laugh.
"Ah, I guess he's not so bad... well, anymore. He used to be all grumbly and broody but I'm pretty sure I broke him out of that with the hot chocolate and Batman comics. I'm Stiles, by the way." Stiles said with a proud smile as he stood up to shake her hand. He liked the mystery girl. Even if Derek didn't seem to be too crazy about her.
"Stiles? I'm Laura. Derek's sister." She said with a smile and shook Stiles' hand. "The better of the Hale siblings. I'm glad you got Derek to socialize. I was just talking about him wolfing out and..."
Derek stood up and whipped around to face Laura. He moved so fast Stiles almost fell backwards and the hot chocolate almost spilled everywhere.
"Woah, baby bro, watch out you're going to-" Laura laughed, but the second Derek's eyes flashed their brilliant blue she knew she had misspoken.
"Laura. Outside. Now."