Stiles was still buzzing with excitement. He couldn't help it. It wasn't every day that a person was hired on at Google. Just the elation of it all…Needless to say, he was now humming annoyingly. Hopefully, not too annoyingly. He didn't want to annoy his elusive roommate. The last minute packing and general rushing around the room on the last day of the internship program was probably the longest they've been in each other's company.
His roommate—Stiles was 83% sure his name was Henry—zipped up his suitcase. He gave Stiles a final glance. "Yeah, uh, congrats on the Google job."
"Thanks, man. Sorry we never really hung out before."
"Eh, it happens," Henry shrugged. "I'm used to being ignored."
Stiles felt an immediate rush of guilt. "Oh, dude, it wasn't personal. Sorry that—"
"That we didn't talk? It's cool. We ran in different circles. Besides, things have gone up since high school."
"Right? High school was a stressful time for everyone."
"Yeah, I had one teacher who absolutely hated me."
"That sucks. I had the same problem with a chemistry teacher. The only upside was that he didn't want to fail me and have me retake his class."
"You're funny," Henry chuckled.
"Who knows?" Stiles grinned. "Maybe in high school we would have hung out."
Henry cocked his head to the side. "Sure. Well, I'm heading out. See you, Stiles."
"Bye, Henry," Stiles said, frowning. Stiles? Henry lugged out his suitcase and threw on a eerily familiar, old backpack. Stiles gaped. Beacon Hills Lacrosse? He squinted at the faded name. Greenburg? Holy shit.
The door slammed shut behind Greenburg of all people. Greenburg spoke? Greenburg was good with computers? Greenburg was ginger? He was so lost.
A knock on the closed door instantly caught Stiles' attention. Did Greenburg forget something? Would it be more awkward because Stiles didn't remember him? They were the same grade and on lacrosse. Stiles literally had no excuse for not recognizing him. He skidded towards the door.
"I had no—Derek?"
Derek raised an eyebrow, but his mouth twitched. Stiles grinned. And to think he used to be terrified of the broody werewolf.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm helping you take your stuff out to the car." His tone implied he thought Stiles was missing key IQ points.
"I was taking the bus."
"Was."
"Was?"
"Obviously."
"Obviously?"
Derek rolled his eyes. Stiles beamed. He missed this.
"Who's all here?"
"Scott, Isaac, Lydia, Malia."
"So everyone?"
"The pack wanted to fetch you."
"And you were the only willing to help me move suitcases?"
Derek's silence was more telling than anything. Stiles easily read his slight embarrassment.
"Aww, you missed me," Stiles cooed.
Derek's eyebrows went impossibly lower.
"Come on, let's hug this out. Get it out of your emotionally constipated system."
"You're ridiculous."
"I'm not dropping my arms until we hug."
"Should I tell Scott to rent a hotel room?"
"Don't be such a sourwolf," Stiles taunted. He stretched his arms invitingly. "Come on, big guy."
"I'm not a puppy."
"Do you want me to use baby talk?"
"I will rip your throat out—"
"With your teeth, yeah. You're very scary, I promise. I would shiver in my boots if I wasn't barefoot. Do you want me to threaten to trap you with mountain ash and force you to socialize with other humans?"
"You wouldn't."
"Listen to my heart. I would not only do it, but I'd also eat popcorn and send a whole squad of cheerleaders your direction."
Derek's growl made Stiles feel accomplished. "And this is why you're 'Sourwolf' in my phone."
"And this is why you're 'Irritating Human' in mine."
"An upgrade from 'Human #1'? I'm touched. Did you have to rearrange your other 2.5 human friends?"
"How can you have 2.5 friends?"
"The same way you have 2.5 children."
"That's a statistical average."
"Look at you using Google and refusing to acknowledge your social ineptness. You only have me to thank for making you slightly less serial killer-y."
Derek's scowl was a pathetic attempt at disproving Stiles' statement.
"Dude, stop acting like you hate people. Hug me, dick."
Derek rolled his eyes and took a small step towards Stiles. Amusement in Derek's eyes belayed his scowl. He stiffly wrapped his arms around Stiles. Stiles snorted and hugged tight, knowing that Derek would relax in 3…2…there we go. Stiles missed the broody guy.
Derek was the first to let go—surprise, surprise—but had a small smile on his face that Stiles was sure he didn't know was there. "Ready to leave, yet?"
"Almost done packing. I just got distracted by my roommate. You'll never guess who he was: Greenburg. As in coach's imaginary friend, who's not so imaginary."
"You should be a detective."
"Shut it, Clifford. I didn't see him most of the internship. He was with his girlfriend a lot. Fucking hell, Greenburg has a girlfriend. He's dating. And I'm single. Damn, Greenburg has more game than me. I feel like I'm in the twilight zone."
"Aren't you used to being forever alone?"
"Like you're one to talk."
"It's not my fault you're single."
"I'd rather be single than date certifiable crazies."
"Just get your stuff."
"Dude, I was finished packing like five minutes ago. Not my fault you're not observant."
"You didn't know you were rooming with a person from Beacon Hills."
"Do you know what Greenburg even looks like?"
"I wasn't the one that had lacrosse with him."
"Just take my suitcase."
Derek raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not going to say it."
Now Derek just looked amused. Ass.
"Scott will totally disapprove of you not helping the poor, weak human with his heavy suitcase."
The werewolf looked decidedly unimpressed.
"I don't need you."
"Ok."
Stiles groaned. "You're a useless member of society. Like, do you even have a job? Because I do. It's called Google."
"You've been waiting to say that."
"No shit. Come on, boy. Let's go. Follow me like a good puppy. There we go."
Stiles grinned triumphantly when Derek growled under his breath and took Stiles' suitcase. He swung the door open and did not leap back in surprise when he saw his Google team in his hall.
"Get lost?" Stiles managed, his attempt at nonchalance failing according to Derek's snort.
"We thought we'd head down together," Neha said. Her gaze flickered towards Derek. Then back at Stiles. Her eyes were shining. Stiles glance at his team. The rest of them looked on with amusement and interest.
"Sounds good," Stiles said. "Derek drew the short straw and had to help me move out. Because I'm lazy."
"Nice to meet you," Billy said. "Stu hasn't actually mentioned you a lot."
Derek was using his gorgeous, model grin. Because he was an asshole. And was being charming. Like an asshole. Stiles rolled his eyes when Neha and Yo-Yo swooned. Stiles forced his eyes away from Derek's face and quickly introduced him to the rest of the team.
"Shall we go, my Nooglers?" Stiles teased.
"Noogler?" Derek asked. Stiles raised an eyebrow at him willingly speaking in a group without prompting. Derek's more impressive eyebrows frowned back at him.
"New Googlers," Lyle explained. "There's a better word somewhere…maybe."
"Yeah, intern," Neha said.
"I like Noogler," Billy said.
"I believe you're one of the few," Yo-Yo retorted.
"Yeah," Stiles said, "not every group has to have a creative name, Billy."
"But—"
"Nope, I'm not listening to this argument again," Neha protested. "So Derek, what do you do for a living?"
"Brood, stalk high schoolers, wear leather."
Derek glowered at Stiles before turning his megawatt smile on Neha. Derek's smile was so unnatural. Except it kind of wasn't. Derek's full-fledged grin lit up his face and made him look disgustingly more attractive. Of course, even with Derek more light-hearted, he barely grinned like that genuinely. Nick cleared his throat. Stiles flushed, tearing his eyes away from Derek. He hadn't seen his wolfy hide all summer and now he was Derek-level staring at him. It was Derek's fault, Stiles knew it. He was a bad influence.
"It'll be weird not seeing you guys every day," Stiles said, ignoring Nick's uncalled for amusement. Stiles totally zoned out. On Derek's face. And body. Totally normal. Stiles also hid a pout when he realized he missed Derek's job explanation. He hoped Derek said something about pest control. He could then say he was a super natural at it. Badumsha.
"I know," Neha agreed. "We could text."
"Or meet in person," Nick said. "I hear that was a fad a couple years ago."
"I don't know," Billy mused. "We don't want these trendy young people to lose their reputation."
"Stuart is a hipster," Nick said, nodding gravely.
"I am not!" Stiles protested. "I hate you all."
"Are hipsters those people who look like you, but you make fun of anyway?" Derek asked innocently—way too innocently.
"No one cares about your input, Cujo."
"We could Skype," Yo-Yo suggested.
"Nah, I'll probably creep by most of you guys," Stiles said. "Try that whole 'visiting' thing."
"I feel like you grew as a person," Neha teased. "But that'd be great, seriously. Maybe we could all try to meet someplace after a while?"
"Definitely," Yo-Yo said. Stiles smirked at Billy and Nick's proud expressions.
Derek followed Stiles' look and turned his attention to the older men. "You trained them well."
Nick and Billy laughed. Stiles made a face at Derek. Derek smirked at him before turning back to laugh with Nick and Billy. Derek was so unnerving sometimes. Who knew all it took for Derek to be social was Stiles' pain? Oh wait, that'd be Stiles. He called that after about the first month. They continued chattering excitedly as they finally exited Google.
"This feels so final," Neha murmured.
Stiles nudged her. "Not for long." She smiled at him, only freezing when she saw a very familiar strawberry-blonde by Derek's SUV. "Lydia will definitely glare but will probably not say anything to you. She'll never apologize because she's, well, Lydia."
"It's fine," Neha said. "I need to go to the bus anyway."
"Guys!" Yo-Yo ran over excitedly. "I just grew a pair of balls! I told Mom to wait while I was talking to Nick, Billy, and Lyle."
"Proud of you, dude."
"They reach my ankles."
"Okay then…See you guys next year!" Stiles said, surprising both when he wrapped them into a hug. Billy, Nick, and Lyle jumped in a second later.
"Hopefully, sooner than that," Lyle said.
"Definitely sooner," Stiles agreed.
His future co-workers all parted ways, promising to text and meet up. Stiles turned to see Derek already loaded his suitcase into the SUV and the pack was waiting eagerly. Stiles took one step towards them and was immediately in the middle of a pack pile. He yelped when Scott, Isaac, and Malia rubbed their faces on him. Stupid werewolves and their unnecessary need to scent things. Not that he'd complain again because last time Isaac blandly stated they could just pee on Stiles instead. The sarcastic prat. Of course, he was less prat-y but way more sarcastic after returning to Beacon Hills their senior year after spending six months in France. Stiles and Isaac got along surprisingly well after his return. They discovered common ground when they used their sarcastic wit against a mutual enemy, mostly other pack members.
"You didn't replace us, did you?" Malia teased.
"It was tempting, but no," Stiles said. Malia was his first serious girlfriend. Stiles would always treasure their relationship, but he much preferred their friendship. Malia and Stiles fizzled out after seven months, mostly due to different interests and Peter's sickening influence over her. She was more independent now, but after she got over her initial betrayal and shock of discovering Peter was her father, she was desperate to have a close bond with him. A bond Peter, sadly, exploited. Malia and Stiles were most definitely friends now. But the trek to this comfortable friendship took a good year to solidify.
"It's cool," Scott said. "I met them earlier. They wouldn't suspect me to kill them if they tried to steal Stiles."
Lydia scoffed. "I'll just scare them. Don't overthink things, Scott."
"Was that like the third time you ever heard that?" Stiles questioned his best friend. Scott promptly shoved him.
"Give him some credit," Isaac defended. Scott threw him a grateful look. "It was probably the fourth."
Stiles cackled and high-fived Isaac, much to Scott's dismay.
"You tainted Isaac," Scott moaned.
"Um, he's always been this awesome," Stiles said.
"Obviously," Isaac agreed.
"And modest," Lydia added.
"That was a very good point," Stiles acknowledged.
"It was, wasn't it?"
"Yes, I think we all are definitely—" Isaac started.
"Yes, you're all awesome," Derek interrupted. "Now get in the car."
"Aww, Lassie, you're so sweet and kind," Stiles gushed. "I feel terrible for all the rumors I started about you."
Scott snickered at Derek's glower and opened the passenger door. Derek glanced at Scott slowly like a predator contemplating when to bite. Scott raised an eyebrow but didn't do anything Alpha-y, so Stiles counted their 'hide the fact werewolves are real' ruse as a success. "Taking Stiles' seat?"
"What?" Scott sputtered, instantly turning back into an indignant college student. "No fair! I totally called shotgun before he even got out here."
"He did just get a job from a very competitive internship and proved that he can actually utilize his intelligence," Derek drawled. Stiles blamed his good mood for the fluttering feelings Derek's backwards-compliment left.
"But…" Scott protested.
Derek raised an eyebrow. Scott grumbled and went to the backseat.
"Have fun being smashed," Stiles said—very supportively, if he did say so himself. Scott stuck out his tongue. Rude. Stiles gave Scott a wet willy before scampering to the passenger seat.
"You're both five," Lydia informed them.
"Five and a half last June," Stiles said.
"Why did we miss you?" Derek grumbled.
Stiles' face lit up. "I knew you missed me! He has a heart, people. He has a heart!"
Derek turned up the radio to block out the car's cheers, but Stiles noticed his telltale eye crinkle and half smile. It was normal Derek ecstatic. Stiles laid back in his seat, letting the soothing sounds of his pack rush over him. He missed this.
Welp. That's the end of it. It was a blast to write and actually my first finished multi-chaptered fic since forever. I'd like to thank ModernFemMerlinSpy for being awesome. And all of my friends for being obnoxious and making me write fanfic. Also, thanks for the guest reviews! I'm sorry I couldn't reply and everyone's reviews made me so happy! I hope you enjoyed my story!
THIS STORY IS AWESOME AND EVERYONE SHOULD SOOO READ IT!
~ ModernFemMerlinSpy