Derek never really had any complexes about aging, the way his muscles were just that tiny bit more strained after a long day on patrol, the greys that started popping up in his beard, he didn't really mind. But then he returns to Beacon Hills and se...
After a couple of hours of flying, Stiles slowly drifted off, head softly resting on Derek's shoulder, their fingers still brushing. The stewardess, a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair, offered him a kind smile, "Your boyfriend is really cute when he's sleeping." Derek looks down at Stiles with a tenderness in his eyes, before turning to the lady with an almost sad smile, "We're just friends." She threw him a knowing look, "Perhaps for now", and then she moved on to the next passenger.
Stiles woke up when the pilot announced they were about to land in Kraków. He smiles up at Derek, "You didn't have to let me sleep, Der-bear." Derek's stomach fluttered at the nickname, "You looked so peaceful, I didn't have the heart to wake you." Stiles reached up to thoughtfully stroke over Derek's stubble, making Derek's breath stock with the intimacy of it. "Thank you", the younger man whispered. And all Derek could do was gulp and nod.
The moment they rounded the corner of their gate, an elderly women was aggressively waving at them. Stiles beamed, walking over to her with open arms, "Babcia!" She squeezed him tight, "Moja pszczółko, tęskniłam za tobą!"(1) "Też za tobą tęskniłem! Mam ci tyle do opowiedzenia"(2), Stiles answered in fluent polish and Derek found it way more attractive than he should.
His grandmother turned to Noah, so Stiles came over to Derek, who stood by sheepishly. "Ready for Poland?", he asked excitedly. Derek smiled, bowing his head, "Lead the way." They stepped into the cool winter air minutes later, Stiles and Derek joined at the hip. "You're going to love this." Derek's heart swelled at the enthusiasm the boy said it with, "I'm sure I will."
After another two hour drive into the snowy hills of Zakopane, they stopped in front of a remote cottage. Stiles' Babcia ushered everyone inside, immediately starting a fire in the hearth. They were all sitting on the couch when she entered the living room with four mugs of hot cocoa. Derek accepted his gratefully, "Thank you so much for having me Mrs. Lisowska." "Please, call me Martyna", she said with a heavy accent and a toothy grin.
Stiles and his dad shared a look of disbelief, but seemed pleased with the situation nonetheless. After dinner Stiles took Derek aside, "Hey, I want to show you something. Go get your coat." Derek obeyed and then followed Stiles outside, into the sparkling arras of snow. The younger man took his hand, leading Derek higher up the hill. This is becoming a thing now, I should just glue our hands together, Derek thought, smiling like an idiot.
Stiles stopped at the very top of the hill, where a little wooden bench stood. He sat down, patting the spot next to him, requesting Derek to do the same. They were sitting in silence for a while, enjoying the snow-buried landscape. Derek was about to say something when Stiles shushed him. "There it is!", he said pointing at a distant point on the horizon.
Derek looked up quizzically, his jaw dropping at what unfolded before him...
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"My mom used to take me here to see the light every Christmas, it can only be seen from certain places. Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?", he asked. And Derek was marvelling at the boy's gorgeous golden eyes reflecting the green light that brightened the night sky. "Yeah...it really is." Stiles turned to Derek with a smile, but blushed when he realized that Derek was already looking at him, "Oh...Um...maybe we should get back before Babcia and dad get worried." Derek cleared his throat, embarrassed that Stiles caught him staring, "Yeah...we should."
"It's not common that Babcia instantly likes someone, you know?", Stiles said as they were strolling back to the cottage. "It isn't?", Derek asked, "She seems so nice." Stiles smiled, "She must've seen in you what I see every single day." Derek cocked his head, "And what may that be?" Stiles took his hand again, "A really great guy."
Fun fact: the last name Lisowski means 'of the fox' and I just felt like that was very fitting for Stiles and his family on mothers side. Not because of the whole nogitsune-situation (because we all know that's something we don't talk about), but because a fox is smart, swift, and flexible. Does that ring a bell? Exactly! Mieczysław Elias Stilinski.
