#sw23theme

He gave himself one more once over and grabbed his phone to check the time. It was almost 7 p.m., which meant that Derek would show up soon to pick him up. Stiles had never been so nervous in his life to go out on a date. Then again, he’d never been out with anyone as hot as Derek, either.

The doorbell rang and Stiles jumped, hurrying down the stairs.

“I got it, I got it!” he assured his parents as he shoved his phone into his pocket. He made sure he had his keys and his wallet too, before rushing to the door and opening it.

Stiles grinned, feeling his cheeks flush. “Uh, hi.” He was so awkward sometimes and he hated it.

“Hey,” Derek replied, his smile almost blinding. “You ready?”

“Uh, yeah—yeah.” Stiles gave a spastic wave to his parents and walked out of the door before they could come over and grill Derek for all the information that Stiles didn't even have himself yet. He closed the door behind himself, which caused Stiles to press closer to Derek, invading his space. Derek didn't seem to mind, though. “Did you want me to drive?”

Derek didn't move away, if anything, he seemed to step closer to Stiles. “Yeah, sure. Since you did pick the date location, after all.” Derek’s eyes seemed to twinkle as he gave Stiles another one of those smiles that made Stiles weak in the knees.

“Hopefully you like it…” Stiles pressed closer to Derek, forcing Derek to step back so they could move off of the porch and away from the door. Derek let Stiles walk ahead of him and followed him toward the Jeep.

“Do I get any hints at where we’re going?” Derek asked, pushing his hands into his pockets, and walking close to Stiles.

Stiles swore he could almost feel the heat of Derek’s body against his, even though they weren't touching as they walked. “Well, it’s supposed to be a surprise and if I give you hints then you might guess what it is.”

Derek chuckled and Stiles smiled, letting that sound settle him. He really wanted to hear Derek laugh more. He liked how happy Derek looked when he laughed, especially when it reached his eyes.

“Fair.” Derek’s smile was soft and he followed Stiles over to the driver's side of the Jeep. Stiles paused and glanced at Derek, brows furrowed.

“What? I can't open your door for you because you’re driving?” Derek asked, reaching for the door handle without waiting for Stiles’ response.

“I didn't say anything,” Stiles replied, trying not to smirk as Derek opened his door for him. “Thank you,” he added before climbing into the Jeep.

Derek closed the door and quickly rounded the Jeep to hop into the passenger seat. “Next time I’ll let you open my door,” he said with a teasing tone that made Stiles laugh.

“For sure,” Stiles agreed. “Can't let you make all of the romantic moves around here.”

“Definitely not,” Derek agreed and buckled up.

Stiles started up the Jeep and buckled up, taking a deep breath, and headed off toward his chosen date spot. He really hoped that Derek liked where he was taking him.

They chatted about mundane things as Stiles drove, like their favorite colors and foods, where they’d gone to high school and a little about what their childhoods were like. Nothing too deep yet, but Stiles was happy to learn as much as he could about Derek, even if they were just little things like the name of Derek’s childhood pet. Which was a tree frog named Trevor.

Stiles pulled into a parking lot, littered with other cars and people, and the fragrant scents of baked goods. He parked and killed the engine, looking over to Derek. “Well, this is it.”

Derek looked around, taking in the place. “Are we at the Fall Festival?”

Stiles blushed and ran a hand through his hair. “Uh, yeah. I thought maybe we could hit up one of the haunted houses and see what else they had going on here. My friend Lydia said they had some great caramel apples at one of the food stands.”

Derek seemed to bristle. “Haunted house?”

“Yeah, they have one here. Umm…” Stiles paused, studying Derek. He didn't seem excited about the prospect of visiting a haunted house. “It’s not like a real one, it’s just one where people jump out at you. No real ghosts.”

Derek chuckled nervously. “I might prefer the actual ghosts.” He cleared his voice. “I, uh—when I was a kid I had a bad experience at a haunted house and I haven't been in one since.”

“Oh.” Well. That was a bust, then. Stiles drummed his fingers on his door and then shrugged. “Okay, then let’s do something else. There’s plenty to do here. We can check out a few games and see what they have to eat. I’m sure we can find something.”

Derek seemed to relax and that made Stiles feel a little more at ease. The last thing he wanted Derek to do was to hate their first date.

“Yeah, that sounds a lot better,” Derek replied and gave Stiles a shy smile. “Thanks…”

“Of course. I want this to be a great night for both of us. The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable. A haunted house isn't that important to me…” Stiles let the unsaid ‘unlike you are’ hang there between them.

Derek blushed and Stiles gave him a small smile before getting out of the Jeep and rounding to the passenger side. He opened the door for Derek, trying not to grin but he couldn't help himself.

“So, I guess it’s my turn to open your door.” Derek’s chuckle echoed Stiles’ as Stiles stepped aside and Derek climbed out of the Jeep.

“Thank you. You’re such a gentleman.” Derek’s tone was light and teasing as he stepped into Stiles’ space and Stiles closed the Jeep door. It made Stiles nervous and excited at the same time.

“Come on…let’s see what trouble we can get into,” Stiles replied, nodding his head toward the festival.

“After you.” Derek motioned with his hand and Stiles took the lead as they walked through the Fall Festival.

There were games, tents and stands with food and produce for sale, live music playing, a pumpkin village that Stiles was way too excited to visit, and a few gardening workshops that Stiles dragged Derek to despite Derek’s faked reluctance.

All in all, it was a nice night. And Stiles tried to focus on winning this game so he could get Derek a prize. He held the fake gun loosely, trying to stay relaxed, and when the bell rang he squeezed the trigger. The balloon in front of him grew and grew until it couldn't anymore and another bell rang. Derek was laughing and clapping behind Stiles and Stiles pumped his fist in the air. “Which one do you want?” Stiles asked, face bright with the largest smile he’d had in a long time.

“Uhhh, let’s do the frog,” Derek replied, pointing.

“We’d like the frog, please. That one,” Stiles told the game attendant. They handed the frog over and Stiles turned to proudly present an overly large frog to Derek. If he could beat his chest without it being cheesy, he would.

Derek laughed and took the frog, its limbs flailing everywhere as he tried to hold it without looking ridiculous. “I love it. Thank you.”

Stiles was so high on winning the frog that he took a chance to step forward and captured Derek’s lips in a kiss. When Derek didn't pull away, Stiles leaned into it, one of his hands moving to cup Derek’s bearded cheek as they kissed, soft and slow, taking their time and enjoying the moment.

As they parted, Derek was smiling against Stiles’ lips as he said, “Wow. That was—”

“Yeah…” It was something Stiles hadn't expected to feel. A warmth in his chest and his heart fluttering at kissing Derek. He smoothed his thumb along Derek’s cheek, stepping back only a bit. “Did you want to get something to eat?”

What was he supposed to say after a kiss like that? Let’s go to my Jeep so you can fuck me? Stiles would totally be okay with that, but this was more important. Derek was special, not some random hookup that he’d never see again. He wanted something more with Derek, even if this was only their first date.

“Turkey leg? Or maybe we can get some pie,” Derek offered, his hand moving to take Stiles’ hand in his and threading their fingers together. “We might have to take the frog back to the Jeep, though. I don't want him to get damaged while we lug him around the festival.”

“What are you going to name him?” Stiles asked as they began to walk.

“Trevor, of course. In memory of my pet frog.” Derek chuckled and hefted Trevor onto his shoulder as they walked hand in hand through the festival.

It might not have been the date the Stiles originally planned, but it was still magical. Perfect, even. In its own way.