#hoechlindylan

Stiles stands in the stillness of his tiny apartment and closes his eyes, takes in the quiet, a quiet he hasn’t heard and felt in a long time, when his phone dings.

Stiles opens his eyes, sees it’s text from Scott asking if he made it by the time he said he would. Stiles answered he made it, and then shuts his phone down, and proceeds to lay down on all the blankets he brought with him - his bed won’t be there for a few more days, at least - and sleep.

It’s night when he wakes up, and the street lights are shining into his apartment where he lay in the almost bare living room. Stiles turns on his phone, and this time his heart skips a beat - and Stiles doesn’t quite know why - when he sees the text he’d been expecting from Derek:

Have you made it? Do you want to meet up? 

It was sent an hour ago. Stiles replies back, saying he did and he would, but since it’s night time, they could meet tomorrow?

But Derek replies back a few minutes later that he wouldn’t might meeting up that night. It’s only 7PM, and so Stiles agrees and they agree to meet at a coffee shop a few blocks from where Stiles lives - Derek has been living in D.C. for a few months now, and ever since Stiles told Derek where he would be living, Derek made a point to get to know the area around it. Stiles found that oddly sweet, but he would never tell Derek that. 

Stiles’ heart is beating wildly as he leaves, locking his door behind him. He hasn’t seen Derek in over a year now. They’ve talked over the year, actually they’d talked quite a lot in the past few months, especially, but Stiles hadn’t been face to face with Derek in well over a year. 

Stiles feels and equal measure of excitement and nerves. He feels almost jumpy as he heads down the stairs in his apartment building, and then out into the warm summer night D.C. air. 

He texts Derek that he’s on his way, and Derek texts back that he’s already there, waiting outside. 

Stiles gulps and licks his lips, and walks faster, pocketing his phone.

Stiles is away from the only home he’s known for 18 years. But he feels oddly free. He misses Scott, his dad, everyone like crazy, but he also feels less...heavy. Less like he was drowning. Stiles still looked around him surreptitiously, not able to shake off the habit from almost two and a half years of danger and destruction happening to and around him, but the air is quiet, people barely spare him a glance. 

It feels wonderful.

Stiles is able to breathe. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this relaxed. 

When he rounds the corner to the coffee shop, he freezes, his inhale sharp when he sees Derek standing outside, and then it feels like his heart trips over itself when Derek hears him and turns towards him, and they lock eyes. 

Derek looks good. He looks as relaxed as Stiles felt. Derek was still in the tight jeans that Stiles remembered him wearing all the time (and damn, they always made Stiles stare a little longer than he should have) but his shirt looked soft and comfortable, and it was a light purple color that made Derek look absolutely...amazing. 

And he wasn’t wearing his signature leather jacket. He wasn’t standing with his arms over his chest. They were at his sides, just hanging, relaxed. He also wasn’t scowling. He was grinning. At Stiles.

And Stiles found himself grinning back. He let out a shocked laugh, and then he was walking fast toward Derek, who started walking toward him too. 

Stiles sped up the last ten or so feet, and then Stiles was practically jumping into Derek’s awaiting arms, and Derek gave a small “oof” as if Stiles, fragile human that he was, was able to knock the breath out of Derek. 

“Sorry,” Stiles murmured. 

But he felt Derek shake his head and wrap Stiles up firmly in his arms, and Stiles breathed out softly, tightening his arms around Derek’s shoulders and resting his cheek against Derek’s.

“I missed you,” Stiles whispered, surprised he let that slip out. But he did nothing to take the words back. 

“I missed you, too,” Derek said, and Stiles shivered. He and Derek had mostly texted over the past year, and the last time they had talked on the phone had been months ago. Stiles had missed his soft, beautiful voice. It was like honey to Stiles’ ears.

Two and a half years. That’s how long Stiles had basically lived in hell. 

But now....now, Stiles was getting out of it. With Derek, who actually picked Stiles up enough that Stiles was then on his tippy toes, somehow bringing Stiles closer in his arms, and Stiles huffed out a laugh. 

“Derek-”

“Shh, just enjoy it,” Derek murmured. 

“Can’t imagine the Derek I knew saying that,” Stiles whispered. Even at the end, before Derek left, when he was in such a good place, he hadn’t quite been like this. So happy. So relaxed. So ready to hug someone. And hug them closely, for that matter. 

“Yeah, well...some time away helps,” Derek murmured, and Stiles felt his heart beating faster when he felt Derek brush his lips lightly against Stiles’ neck. 

“Good thing I’m getting some time away, then,” Stiles murmured. And then after a long moment, “with you,” Stiles said. 

He felt Derek inhale sharply, and then the arms around him tighten. But it didn’t feel restrictive. It felt amazingly comforting. Stiles felt warm, safe. Relaxed. And maybe even a little bit happy.

“I’m glad you’re getting time away, too. With me.”

Stiles smiled, buried his smile against Derek’s shoulder, and then decided to hold on to Derek just a little longer. 

I can’t believe you are dumping me and stealing my mugs all on the same day??? What kind of person are you??? 

Except

now I kind of want a Sterek AU where Derek has a killer mug collection and he and Stiles are locked in an ongoing war where Stiles tries to steal them - like Jake and Holt in B99. 

By year three, they get together. Stiles finally manages to steal one mug - Derek is very good at guarding them - and instead of tackling Stiles to the floor like a normal werewolf Derek goes and kisses him to try and get it back, the dork. Unfortunately for Derek, Stiles is a very good kisser and he never sees his mug again (at least, not until Stiles is taunting him with it via snap chat). 

Stiles uses all sorts of tactics (although every time he plans to use Derek’s post sex sleepy haze to his advantage he fails because Derek just wants to be cuddled after sex  and what kind of monster would refuse to cuddle such a beautiful, sexy nerd after sex???? Especially when Derek does this thing where he kind of purrs and sniffles into his pillow before working up the courage to ask for contact. Like, Stiles just can’t ignore that. He’s only head over heels, you know.)

As the years go by, it’s a game they still play and when they have kids the kids help. Little Mia and Jay help daddy, dressing up in Star Wars outfits and yelling MAY THE MUG BE WITH YOU to each other before an attack (Stiles has never been so proud, even if this does always give the game away). Lily and Jack are firmly Team Papa though - they aren’t any better at defending the mugs than Mia and Jay are at stealing them (mostly because Jack always caves in and gives a mug to Stiles anyway because he can’t handle the pressure. Stiles and Derek always have to gives him lots of reassuring hugs and kisses after each game). 

By the time the kids are leaving for college, Stiles has half the mug collection for himself and even though he and Derek still like to play, mostly they give each other a mug on special occasions. For Valentine’s day, Derek gets his Hufflepuff mug back, and for Stiles’ birthday, he gets to have the pleasure of drinking from Derek’s special History Nerd mug for the rest of the year before giving it back.

The collection only gets bigger as the years to by too as Stiles buys Derek a new mug every other month and if Derek can find where Stiles has hidden it before 24 hours are up he gets to keep it in his collection. If not, better luck next time, Hale! HAHAHAHA!

To be honest, they have just as many mugs as Derek has books and Stiles has weird, magical things lying around. But that’s okay, that’s them. They don’t mind the constant ribbing from the pack and their family because each mug is another moment, another memory. Each mug is them and they wouldn’t trade even one, not for the world. 

“Well, maybe for the world.”

“Stiles, please don’t ruin the nice moment for once?” 

“Yes, Mr Hale.”

Ugh Andi how dare you ask me things multiple times...

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: Her sweetness BECAUSE I LOVE HERworst quality: ????? Kira is so sweet????ship them with: No onebrotp them with: Derek mostly, but also Lydia kinda?needs to stay away from: .... Scott.....misc. thoughts: KIRA MY SWEET BABY!!! I love her, she’s so underappreciated and deserved so much better ^^ She’s the ultimate cinnamon roll!

I did Derek here, so Stiles it is ^^

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: His wit and his loyalty and his love for Derek Haleworst quality: His low self-esteem and the way he just keeps doubting himself!!! My child aaahship them with: Derek obviouslybrotp them with: Erica, Allison, Lydia needs to stay away from: All the villains + Mr. McCallmisc. thoughts: Stiles is so incredibly loyal and selfish and would give anything for the people he loves - maybe a bit too much, sometimes - and he can’t see his own worth and that’s why people (Derek Hale) love him so much and need to love him so much because he deserves it

well.. i guess i'll have to block you then and you won't be able to reblog any of my incredible derek posts *flicks hair*

*scoff* that's the kind of person i am, dude, isaac, dude, DEAL WITH IT

WHO DARES CALL DEREK A SLYTHERIN (nothing against the house, Stiles belongs there, but MATE, NOT DEREK)