Deafening Silence

Ch. 26

From that day and every day leading up to now he had been worried sick. But there was no way he was going to let himself go back on his word, he just couldn't. He owed it to himself, and to Derek to see this through.

Among the four bedroom home there was one room that had been dusty and unused probably since the day Stiles moved in. At first he kept old boxes stored away in there always promising to unpack them the next day. Then the next day turned to a year and now as he was in a rush to get everything thrown away, he was really regretting not doing it sooner.

He spent the first hour truly determined, going non-stop with no end just tossing whatever he could reach into the industrial sized garbage bag. It wasn't until he ventured farther and farther into the room that he started taking his time. He came across old photos, school projects he was so proud of he didn't have the heart to let go of. He smiled to himself when he stumbled upon a ratty old shoe box that held the tickets of every concert he and Scott had been too together. A heap of them were smudged, the words long since faded away, but Stiles didn't have it in him to let them go. He sat the cardboard box on top of his growing pile of keepsakes.

Unsurprisingly he stopped six more times, getting lost in the treasure trove of memories. He had let go more than he expected but there was still a suspiciously large pile of "keep items" that he now had to find a new home for.

Surrounded by nothing but dust bunnies and knick knacks Stiles swept the room clean, actually proud of the work he'd gotten done that day.

"Hey what happened to all the boxes in here?" Stiles dropped the broom stick in his hands, frightened by the sudden voice. He had already forgotten he had given Derek a key, that was for sure something he'd have to get used to. Clutching his chest he turned to his boyfriend with a shaky smile on his face "Sorry babe, I thought you heard the front door open"

"It's okay" he answered, assuring there was no ill will done, though his heart was still pounding against the inside of his chest. Remembering Derek's question Stiles scratched at the nape of his neck swiping up the last bag of garbage "I went through all those boxes this morning. After all, this place is a four bedroom so I figured you could use at least one of them as your own space. Like a gym, or maybe an office, or a theatre or maybe a gym, a room designated to blue prints or a home gym" Stiles joked, planning to pass Derek, but in an instant his arm was flying out against the door frame, trapping Stiles in the room.

The boys cheeks turned a rosy pink as he listened to Derek and his husky lust filled voice "Are you hinting at something baby?"

He decided to go along with it , playful banter with Derek always calmed his nerves. So he wrapped lanky arms around his mans neck, pulling him in close to whisper back just as deeply "Yeah. I want you half naked, sweaty, and just down the hall from me" he took his own self by surprise, not really expecting those words to come out of him.

"You coming on to me Stilinski?" the two had begun to lean in for what he thought would be a hot and heavy kiss, but they were pulled apart when a loud banging came from the living room.

Scotts voice echoed down the hall, annoyance dripping with every word "Hey! When you asked us to help you guys move I was under the assumption you'd be helping"

"We're coming calm down!" Stiles shouted, he turned back to Derek, shaking his head with a playful smirk "Writers. They're so touchy"

Moving in felt as though it took a matter of minutes. To his surprise Derek had not come with loads of luggage. From what he could see it was mainly clothes, pictures, knick knacks and important documents. In fact the biggest thing was a recliner Derek swore he couldn't part with. Suddenly everywhere he looked there was evidence of the fact he was no long alone. Two toothbrushes, two pairs of slippers, his limited wardrobe hanging on one side of the closet and Derek's collection of suits on the other.

In a matter of hours what had always been his was now theirs. He blinked and the transition had passed him by. Now if only his brain would process everything, calm down, and stop looking for problems he could revel in the beauty of the moment.

It only took one week for Stiles to get used to Derek being there. Sleeping there, showering there, keeping his favorite mug there. A few times he had to remind himself that the reason Derek never went home was because this was his home now.

Something Stiles found he enjoyed was cooking for two, at least on nights when Derek had time. There would be days, and in one rare case, an entire week, where Derek had come home went into his office and stayed there until he was too tired to eat. Stiles found he hated those nights, they rarely saw each other and Stiles would be gone in the morning before Derek even thought about waking up.

One night in particular, Stiles wasn't sure what came over him, but it hit him like a wave and he missed Derek not for any reason in particular. He just missed him. So when he came home that night, kissed Stiles hello then slipped into his home office/gym Stiles decided not to put up with it.

"I made you dinner" Stiles spoke to his back, as he poked his head in. He was slouched over his desk scribbling at a large stack of papers.

Derek turned to him, exhaustion in his eyes as he spoke "Thanks babe, I just don't think I have time to eat right now. I've got some work to finish" Stiles simply nodded and slipped from the room without another word. He had never really seen that side of Derek, worn out and weary.

Instead of letting his mind create a problem Stiles decided to come up with a solution. In an instant he was pulling his fancy dining tray from the cupboard. On it he put both their plates, a candle and a couple flowers he had quickly pulled from the back yard. It wasn't magazine worthy but it was good enough for what he had. And good enough for him.

He crept down the hallway careful not to spill anything. Slowly he pushed past the half closed door into Derek's office to where his boyfriend was still hard at work "Surprise" he whispered softly, gaining Derek's attention. It brought a smile to his face which Stiles took as a good sign.

Watching Stiles place the tray down delicately Derek questioned "What's this for?"

"I understand needing to get work done, I really do. But you also need to eat" Derek was almost skeptical as he stared at Stiles until the boy began to pout "For me?"

Derek managed to crack a smile and held his hands out for his plate "What masterpiece have you created tonight my love?"

Excitedly he handed over the food and launched into the contents of the meal. It just so happened to be a new recipe Stiles was trying out. And if the bits and pieces he tasted separately along the way were anything to go by, the dish was a tasty success.

So perhaps things were starting off well.