Beginners guide to love a nutjob

Chapter 2: One sheep, two sheep, baby squirrel

The next time they had class, Stiles was already there when Derek arrived, sporting his usual coffee. Derek looked at it warily, "Please tell me you're not gonna drink that liquid heart attack again..." Stiles chuckled, "Nope, I was out of Red Bull. But thanks for your concern, man. Appreciate it." Derek shook his head and sat down, wondering whether he should be annoyed or amused. Harris spared him from the decision, immediately starting to ramble about how highly he doubted they'd get the beautiful complexity of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee. Human incarnation of period cramps...

Sometime into the lecture, Stiles decided it was time for a drum solo with his pencils. Derek frowned, "Is it physically possible for you to act normal?" Stiles grinned, "Normalcy is highly overrated, I mean, I tried to be normal once...worst five seconds of my life..." "I can imagine", Derek dead-panned, annoyed it is. ..............................................................................................................................

Fast forward to three days later, another class and Stiles was running late. Derek found himself a bit disappointed (what the hell, Hale!?), but about five minutes before Harris usually decided to show up, Stiles plopped down in his seat, yawning shamelessly. "Why choose a morning class if you're always so tired?", Derek asked. "I overslept, I literally got here in record time." "Do you even sleep?"

"You know, I wish I could, but every time I try my stupid ADHD kicks in and then it's basically one sheep, two sheep, cow, turtle, duck, old McDonald had a farm, heeeeey macarena!" Derek stared at him wide-eyed, "It can't be healthy being up all night." Stiles scoffed, "Said the werewolf." Derek instantly froze, "What did you just say?" Stiles looked up, blinking nonchalantly, "Don't look at me like that, I've known for ages." Derek was honestly lost for words, "Wha- How? You've known me for like a week. "

Stiles shrugged, "My mom used to be the emissary to a local pack, I learned to read the signs pretty early on." Derek was gaping, "And you're okay with it?" Stiles looked actually bored, "Why wouldn't I be? You're about as harmless as a baby squirrel compared to some werewolves I've seen as a kid." "You're crazy...", Derek gasped out. "It doesn't hurt to be a little bit crazy, that's all part of my charm. If you don't like it, then get off my unicorn!" "You really are one of a kind, Stiles Stilinski." The boy smiled, "I try."

After class they strolled across campus, "So your mom was an emissary?" Stiles nodded almost sadly, "Yeah, she used to be." Derek frowned, "What happened?" Stiles gulped, "She passed away eight years ago, frontotemporal dementia." Derek felt like a kicked puppy, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked..." Stiles gave him a dismissive wave, "It's fine, you didn't know." He perked up, "Wanna go get some lunch?"

And that's how Derek found himself at a local sandwich bar with the most bizarre person he'd ever met. "Why'd you choose English lit?", Stiles asked around a mouthful of breakfast sandwich. Derek shrugged, "My grandpa used to read me classics. I got into reading and later on I started writing some stuff myself. It just kind of fit. You?"

Stiles smiled, "My best friend had reading problems growing up, and I seemed to be pretty good at it so I tutored him. After my mom died, books became my happy place, so yeah." They ate the rest of their meal in silence, reminiscing to times long gone. Once they were done they walked back to campus, talking about anything that came to mind. By the time they stood in front of the main building they were a heated discussion on Harry Potter.

"You can insult me all you want, but insult my Hogwarts house and it gets personal." Derek shook his head, "But seriously, why does being a Slytherin mean you have to threaten everyone you don't like on sight?" Stiles sighed, "You're such a Hufflepuff." Derek smirked, "Damn right I am." Stiles rolled his eyes, "Wait 'till Scotty hears about this." "Wait 'till I hear about what now?", his friend asked from where he was coming up from behind them. "He insulted my Hogwarts house!" "Oh the horror", Scott said, feigning shock.

The look of betrayal on Stiles' face was worth a million dollars, "Asshole." Scott grinned and offered Derek his hand, "Scott McCall, nice to meet you." Derek nodded, "Derek Hale." Stiles looked at his phone absentmindedly, "Yeah, okay, now you two are acquainted, I gotta run! I promised to meet up with Danny in the library like five minutes ago so... Bye!" Derek and Scott watched him go, then looked at each other awkwardly.

"He's something else isn't he?", Derek said sheepishly. Scott laughed, "Dude, you've got no idea! Do you know how he got me and my girlfriend together?" Derek threw him a questioning look, prompting Scott to continue. "We were friends and both in love but too shy to admit it. So one day we were talking and having a moment, when Stiles randomly pops up with a boombox, playing 'Kiss The Girl'. We laughed so hard that we cried and I asked her out after that. "

Derek couldn't help but smile, "Sure as hell sounds like something he'd do." Scott gave him a lopsided smile, "He's a good friend to have, man." Derek nodded, "I can tell." Scott gave him a evaluating look, "He really likes you, you know? At first I didn't understand why, because... big scary guy. But now I kind of get it." "Thanks?", Derek said, question apparent in his tone. Scott grinned, "It's a compliment, bro, don't worry." Then he simply waved and walked off, leaving Derek, once again, confused.

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Hello my beautiful rays of sunshine! 

I hope you and your families are all staying healthy and inside. And, of course, that you're enjoying the story so far. 

"If you think I'm lying, drop the bomb. If you think I'm crazy, drop the bomb. But don't drop the bomb just because you're following orders!" - The Outbreak (1995)

Love you guys! 

XXX-HY_13