Author's Note: I do not own Teen Wolf or its characters. This is set in an alternate universe. This is a sequel to Cozies and Tea.
Cookies and Cocoa
There are days when Stiles is still in disbelief over the current state of his life. When he'd headed off to New York for school, Stiles hadn't really expected all that much to change except that he'd get to study things he was interested in for a change. Instead, he now had a great part time job, an awesome boyfriend, and a young adult series based on him. To be completely fair, he wouldn't have the second two without the first. He'll always think fondly of his job at the Copper Kettle due to meeting Derek there.
If he hadn't met Derek, he wouldn't be curled up on the author's couch right now, studying for finals while his boyfriend was baking cookies for him to snack on. Stiles chewed on the end of his pen as he reread the passage for a fourth time. It wasn't making any more sense now that it had before. Stiles sighed. A plate of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies was placed in front of him.
"Ready for a break?" Derek asked.
"I think so." Stiles stretched, wincing when he heard his spin pop. "Everything is beginning to blur together, and this still doesn't make any sense. Of course, there is always the chance that it doesn't make sense in the first place, but I'm still going to get tested on it."
"I'm making cocoa," Derek offered. "Do you want whipped cream or marshmallows?"
Stiles bit his lip. "Whipped cream."
It wasn't long at all before Derek was curled up around him on the couch with his own mug of cocoa. Given the sleet outside, Stiles didn't mind the werewolf's warmer than average body temperature at all. Now that had been a fun surprise. Stiles' lips quirked up in a grin.
"What's that grin for?"
"Just remembering when you let the secret out. That didn't exactly go as you had planned."
Derek snorted. "How was I supposed to know that you were already in on werewolves? It's not exactly like there's an easy way to check that."
That just made Stiles laugh. Derek had been more than a little nervous about revealing he was a werewolf to Stiles and had gone all out when arranging their dinner that evening. Stiles had taken one look at the setup and assumed that Derek was breaking up with him. After an extremely awkward meal, he'd asked Derek to just get it over with. Of course when Derek had revealed that he was a werewolf rather than actually breaking up with Stiles, he'd collapsed into hysterical laughter from relief. Derek had gotten the entirely wrong impression from that.
The evening hadn't quite been a complete disaster, but it had been close. But once they had gotten that sorted out, the couple had settled into a comfortable routine which included Stiles teaming up with Cora and Laura to tease Derek, Derek feeding and fussing of Stiles when he was overwhelmed with school work, and the two of them holing up in Derek's loft much of the time. Both Laura and Cora teased them that they were turning into an old married couple, but Stiles knew that Derek was happy. They both were.
Derek nuzzled lightly at his neck, and Stiles melted further into his embrace. He could hear the rain drumming on the roof. Well, it was probably still rain. It might be sleet at this point. When Stiles had arrived to start studying, it had been drizzling, but the weather forecast had predicted dropping temperatures and heavy rain. Stiles was pretty sure he wasn't going back to the dorms tonight.
Not that he minded that in the last. He was going to be much more comfortable waiting out the late April storm here in Derek's loft than in the NYU dorms. And he didn't have to deal being stuck with his roommate either.
"Do you want to think about dinner yet?"
Stiles shook his head. "No. Naptime."
Derek chuckled and shifted slightly on the couch, so Stiles wasn't completely on top of him. "Fine, but don't blame me if we end up eating around eleven again."
He did doze off a little. It had been a long stressful week filled with being due and presentations he had to give, and finals were next week as well. But once they were over, Stiles would be scot free for two weeks, and he was looking forward to it. He and Derek had plans to head up to Maine and spend half the time at Arcadia National Park and the rest at a couple of little bed and breakfasts. They already had plans for the summer, a cross-country road to trip back to Beacon Hills so Derek can finally meet his dad. Of course, Dad and Derek had chatted over Skype a number of times, but that wasn't quite the same.
When Stiles woke, he was wrapped in a soft afghan and he could hear the sounds of Derek in the kitchen once again. The TV was on, playing a marathon of Iron Chef America. Stiles carefully extracted himself from his little cocoon on the couch and wandered on into the kitchen. Derek was bent over the stove, stirring something.
"Is that dinner? What is it?"
His boyfriend turned to smile at him. "Mac and cheese. It should be ready in another twenty minutes."
Stiles nodded. "Okay, I'm going to see if I can get through the review for my English 370 class then."
By the time the mac and cheese came out of the oven, Stiles had powered through the rest of his review questions and was starting in on the review sheet for his Mythology exam. However, the smell of dinner as it came out of the oven was more than enough to pull him away from his studying. And make his stomach rumble. The smell was mouthwatering, and Stiles was more than happy to accept the bowl that Derek pressed into his hands along with a glass of milk.
The two of them watched Iron Chef while they ate, curled up together on the couch. Stiles couldn't see anything out of the windows, just the occasional drop of rain splattering against the pane. But it's warm and cozy inside, and Stiles really couldn't ask for more. He was happy and content, and there was someone who loved him as much as he loved them. His job at the Copper Kettle might not pay very well or be the end all be all job of his life, but it had brought him to Derek, and Stiles will always be grateful for that.