[Sterek] Cupboard Love (boyxboy) (complete)

Chapter 38

"Where do you live?" Derek asks once they've left the Airport area.

"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting you've never been to my place," Stiles says, and gives him a quick run down on the directions. It's only about a half hour away, though the traffic is a little crazy once they're back in Berkeley proper with shoppers and other students coming home from break. "This is me," Stiles says, gesturing to an open parking space. It's pretty close to the front of his building, and Derek pulls into it neatly, cutting the engine.

Derek starts pulling all the food and supplies Stiles' dad had loaded them down with back to the end of the truck so they're easier to grab. "I'll carry the first load," he offers, "so you can get the elevator and the doors."

That doesn't sound entirely fair, but who is Stiles to look a gift horse in the mouth? He swings his duffle bag and backpack over one shoulder and digs his keys out of his jacket pocket. "I'm going along with this, but I want you to know it's only because you look like you do a lot of heavy lifting and I mostly do a lot of typing," Stiles says, and Derek ducks his head on a smile.

He doesn't regret it, either, because Derek takes a seriously large load of groceries, balancing a series of boxes on top of a flat pack of soda. It is absolutely necessary for Stiles to hold the doors open for him, hit the elevator buttons, and unlock his apartment door as quickly as possible so Derek can actually set things down.

"Man, are you sure you want to take another load? You can just watch the truck while I take the next bit," Stiles says on the way back down.

"It's really not a big deal," Derek brushes him off. "We can probably get all this up in one, maybe two more trips. Then you can give me the grand tour."

"Sure." Stiles grabs a heap of packages from the back and tries desperately to remember if he left out anything mortifying or incriminating, but pretty much all of his porn is on his computer which he definitely shut off and the rest is probably just nerd stuff - a collection of sonic screwdrivers in the living room and his Xena DVDs.

None of the food needs to be refrigerated, so they leave it all by the door and Stiles shows Derek around. It's a small, one-bedroom apartment: bathroom, bedroom, laundry closet, and a combined living room/kitchen space that doesn't have much in the way of counters but wins points for having a direct line of sight from the sink to the tv.

"You've got a good place," Derek says, hands in his back pockets.

"Yeah, I lucked out, but having furniture helps." Grinning, Stiles waits for the inevitable embarrassment, but Derek just straightens up a bit and smiles back.

"I'm working on it," he says, gaze steady. "I've got a couple of chairs done, and now that I'm back I can start on a bed frame."

It takes a second for that to filter in. "Hold on, are you saying you've been sleeping on a mattress on the floor for four years?"

Now Derek looks a little abashed. "It wasn't really a priority," he says defensively.

"Had to get your library finished first, right?"

Derek nods. "I have a lot of books, and I fall asleep in there a lot anyway." He shifts slightly, and changes the topic. "So how much time do you have this semester?"

"Oh man," Stiles groans, falling back onto the couch, "I am going to be swamped. Sometimes I really question this combined BS/Masters thing, they really put you through the wringer." Derek's face falls, so Stiles hurries to add, "But don't worry! I'll totally still have time to cook for you!"

"I was thinking more about breaks," Derek says instead as if he wouldn't just live on protein shakes and some kind of energy bar without Stiles. "You've got to relax sometime, go out maybe..?"

Not sure what he's trying to get at, Stiles just aims for reassuring. "I guess, mostly I play video games or cook, since it clears my head. I mean, I've got friends in my classes, I just don't really have time to party with them. They're more of a don't-stop-till-you-drop red bull and LAN parties kind of - hmm," he pauses, trying to translate it into something someone who owns a twelve year old computer would understand. "Energy drinks and competitive gaming, that kind of thing? I'm more of a scheduled-dungeon-raid kind of guy. I can block out some time for a raid online every once in awhile and not have a red bull hangover the next day."

"I meant-" Derek looks almost nervous, which is weird. "You should maybe get outside some time. You could come by the park station, take a hike with me?"

Either Derek thinks Stiles needs more exercise after his typing comment earlier or he actually might kind of want to be friends. "Sure, yeah, I could do that. Just text me, whenever," he says, waving his hand lazily, "though do busses go out there? They must, right?"

"I'll pick you up," Derek says, suddenly decisive. "Tomorrow?"

"Uh, sure?"

"Great." The smile that spreads across Derek's face is beautiful; broad and earnest, pleased on some kind of visceral level. He takes a deep breath and heads back to the door, so Stiles pulls himself off the couch to follow. "I'll see you tomorrow," Derek reiterates, but his voice is soft and again Stiles realizes he's standing way too close to him but can't really be bothered to pull back.

"Tomorrow," Stiles says and winds up standing stupidly staring at his own door for a good minute after Derek leaves.

Did he ask you out yet? is the message Lydia sends him when she finally lands.

No, we're just friends! Going on a hike tomorrow, though.

...sometimes I wonder how you survive without me.

Water, internet, roof over my head. I'm good. Go to bed.