Chapter Text
Derek calls him seconds after he’s out of lab, Stiles picking up with a bounce in his step.
“Hey, I was just thinking about how much I wanna blow you.” He winks at James who catches the words he says into the phone, the second year student laughing and highfiving Stiles as he walks by.
“Stiles, this is your father.”
Stiles stops in the middle of the hallway, knocking over Angelina Bell and making sure his caller ID is correct. Yup, that’s definitely Derek’s name on his screen.
“Well, shit.” He says into the speaker, holding a door open for Harold and listening to a loud burst of raucous laughter. “Hold on, is this on speaker phone!?”
He hears his dad sigh exasperatedly. “Yes, son. The deputies at the station wanted to congratulate you on graduating from med school.”
“Well, they’re a week early Pops.”
“It’s the thought that counts, Stiles!”
“Aww, thanks for that Deputy Parrish. How’s Danny doing?”
“He’s having a good time in Hawaii, thanks for asking man.”
The phone gets passed around the office, Stiles accepting well wishes from the various people around the office. He’s settled in Central Park with a hot dog from a nearby cart when he finally gets transferred back to his dad.
“Hey, kiddo. How about we just completely forget how you answered the phone and never speak of it again?”
“Wow, that is a plan that I can definitely get down with. Speaking of, how’d you call from Derek’s phone?”
“Nicked it while he went on a lunch break. We put it up to a vote and there was a one to one chance you’d pick up if it was from him.”
“One to one point three seven eight, Sheriff!”
“Damnit Isaac! I rue the day Lydia helped you out with that probability assignment.”
“Aw, I miss you too Stiles.”
“Anyway.” There’s humor in the Sheriff’s voice, Stiles wondering if he’d be able to talk to his dad and snap a pic of the girl flying a kite in front of him at the same time. “Just wanted to confirm directions to the hotel with you. What was that thing about that bridge?”
“Oh, we scratched that plan a few days ago. My buddy Jimbo owes me a favor so he’ll be picking you guys up from the airport. You won’t miss him, I made a sign.”
“On a scale of one to Scott graduating from nursing school, how much glitter are we talking here?”
“Derek and Isaac getting their badges from the police academy.”
“Stiles, please tell me you’re kidding. There was glitter around the office for months after. I can’t go into the bathroom without having war flashbacks.”
“What’s done is done and cannot be undone, dad.”
“I raised a menace.”
“Damn straight.”
“So, anything you wanna tell me about a certain deputy in the department?”
“Yeah, Isaac’s been making eyes at Maria so you might wanna keep an eye on that.”
“I think we both know that’s not what I meant, son.”
“Yeah, I suppose we do. Hey, I gotta run. I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Three days if we’re being technical about it.”
“Three days. I love you.”
“Yeah, alright. I love you too. I’m proud as hell of you too, you menace.”
“Hey, dad? You wouldn’t mind telling Isaac to pass that earlier message along to Derek, would you?”
“...I’m hanging up now.”
Stiles assumes Derek gets the message, based on the text he gets composed entirely of question marks and exclamation points a few hours later.
---
“Dude! I know!” Stiles helps him in, looking around and trying to find his keys as Scott raids his fridge.
“Don’t eat too much Scotty, we’re meeting Cora at this new Korean barbeque place she’s been wanting to eat at.”
Scott nods, pouring himself a glass of water that he drinks quickly before they’re both out of the apartment and onto a warm New York City street.
“How’s it feel to be done with it all, man?”
“Dude, I’ve still got like, six years left. But after that it’ll probably be pretty dope.” They’re waiting on the line for the next bus to come by chatting easily. Scott’s staying with Stiles and Cora tonight, booking his flight a day earlier than everyone else in a happy accident. Stiles is grateful for it, Scott helping to ease out the nerves he’d been feeling earlier.
“Oh! By the way, your dad gave Isaac his ticket for Cora’s graduation. He said that him and Mom and Peter wanted to have a day to themselves while we’re here.
They get on the bus as it comes, Stiles swiping his metrocard twice for the two of them. “I’d ask why Peter didn’t get one in the first place, but fuck that guy. Oh yo, hey Boris. This is my brother, Scott. How was the Kanye concert?”
The bus driver nods at Scott, fist bumping with Stiles. “It was fly as hell, little man. Jay-Z came out and they did watch the throne together.”
Scott whistles low. “Dude, that’s like my dream.”
“Yeah? Well, I’m livin’ it brother. Get your skinny asses to the back, you’re holding up the line.”
Stiles bids Boris a farewell, settling down into a cold seat.
“Dude, you know the bus driver?!”
“I know a few of them Scott, I’ve been taking them more often.”
“I was gonna ask, isn’t the subway faster?”
“Technically yes. Technically, I’m also banned from them for the next three weeks or so, so….you know how it goes.”
“Wha-”
“Well okay, you know how Deaton was looking for an eye of newt? I saw a live one on the subway tracks! But it kinda looked like a rat and when I went down to try and get it, an MTA worker thought I was trying to commit suicide which was kinda valid, now that I think about it. But yeah, three weeks.”
Scott shakes his head, patting Stiles gently on the head. “Only you, buddy. Only you.”
---
“Hey, I gotta talk to you about something Scotty.”
“Yeah? Anything man, what’s up?”
“Well, you know that pool you guys have going on about when Derek and I are finally gonna kiss?”
Scott gapes. “Uh...dude...whaaat, no what’re you…not even man-”
“Bro, it’s fine. I just thought you should know that...uh well, someone’s gonna win that pot. Pretty soon. Like as in, probably tomorrow. Right after I graduate.”
The twinkle in Scott’s eye suddenly shines three times brighter. “Dude. Seriously?”
Stiles tries and fails to keep the smile of his face, soon turning into a full fledged grin. “Dude. Yeah.”
“Yeah?”
“YEAH, DUDE! YEAH!”
“DUDE!”
Cora bursts into the den to Stiles and Scott hugging each other so tight Stiles’ face is turning blue due to lack of oxygen. “I don’t know what just happened, but knock it the fuck off. If I wanted to walk around and hear frat bros everywhere I went, I’d have joined a sorority.”
“Stiles and Derek!” Scott beams at her, completely ignoring Stiles’ hands clawing at his own around his neck.
“Yeah, I’m glad they got their shit together, hooray my brother will finally be getting laid on a regular basis. But seriously, keep it down. And for god’s sake, let go of Stiles. He can’t graduate if he’s dead because you squeezed him too hard, Scott.”
Scott immediately lets go of Stiles, apologizing profusely. “Dude, I’m so sorry. I just love you a lot and needed to remind you.”
“It’s cool, man. It’s cool.” Stiles wheezes, hands on his knees.
“Dude! I can’t believe it! It’s been years.” Scott unzips his suitcase and goes to the left side immediately, taking out a large manilla envelope.
“Okay, let’s see.” He wiggles out a stack of papers stapled together, turning them quickly.
“What the - Mrs. Henderson bet on us?! Spring of 2015, what a random guess.”
“Dude, she saw you guys food shopping together that time after the light faes and assumed. Half of Beacon Hills is on this list, the pot’s gotta be around a thousand bucks by now.”
“Hey, Scott?”
“Yeah?”
“Why didn’t anyone think to...I don’t know, tell me or Derek about this?”
Scott blinks. “Bro, we thought you knew!”
“How on earth -”
“Like, we thought you were taking it slow? Like maybe you had another five year plan worked out.”
“Dude, I would’ve told you about it!”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t because that was Lydia’s bet. She would’ve had bragging rights forever. Oh, here we go! On your graduation day, from Columbia medical school, right after the ceremony….and our winner is…do a drum roll bro, c’mon….and our winner is Stiles Stilinski!”
Stiles lets Scott process what he just said before letting out a loud laugh when his best friend glares at him.
“Stiles! What the hell!”
“Isaac wrote it down on the list. I promised him a cut of the profit.”
“...I feel so betrayed right now.”
“Dude, is Mr. Gunther from the deli on that list too? Wow, way too many people are invested in my yet to exist relationship. I’m not sure if I like it.”
“I trusted Isaac.”
“Bro, you totally still do. I also promised that Derek would trade three shifts of his choice no questions asked, so it wasn’t just money alone.”
Scott is still frowning and staring at the list in his hands as Stiles makes his way to the kitchen, whistling and grabbing the both of them beers.
“Oh by the way, you know that other pool you have going on about the first time someone’s gonna walk in on us doing the dirty? Can I put a bet in or-”
“Just take the goddamn money Stilinski! Just take it!”
Later when they’re playing mario kart well into the night and Cora’s asleep on the couch next to Stiles, Scott pauses the game to give Stiles a hug.
“Bro...what?”
“Nothing, man. I’m just really happy for you.” Stiles blushes, ready to thank Scott before he speaks again. “Also, I just restarted the game while you weren’t looking and you just fell off rainbow road.”
Stiles turns to the screen in horror just in time to see Scott finish the race right behind Toad, groaning as his best friend laughs in delight. “Motherfucker.”
---
“Catch me, asshole.” Stiles whispers, before dropping everything he’s holding and running to him.
He knocks the champagne out of someone’s hand and thinks he might’ve lost a shoe along the way, but he’s running as fast as his legs can take him and Derek’s doing the same, his sharp laughter ringing in Stiles’ ear as the older man jumps over a dog getting to him.
Their lips meet before the rest of them do, and Stiles wastes no time running a hand into the dark tufts of Derek’s hair. They’re both smiling into the kiss and if Derek chuckles into Stiles’ mouth well, Stiles isn’t going to tell anyone.
Derek’s arm is steady around his waist when they come up for air, foreheads stuck together and grins threatening to stretch their faces.
“Your face is so dumb I wanna kiss it all over.” Stiles whispers softly, bumping his nose with Derek’s.
“You should do that. You should definitely do that, but probably after we give that man another glass of champagne and get that lady I knocked over her dog back. Think you can wait that long?”
Stiles shrugs. “Hey, pretty sure we’ve been waiting a few years for each other now. What’s another half hour?”
Stiles wishes he could go back in time and write his dissertation on the sound of Derek’s responding laugh alone.
(HONY ends up taking a picture of their kiss and it hits 40,000 likes within the first twenty minutes it’s on Facebook. Derek sets it as his default picture on every single social media site he has. Stiles grins goofily for three days straight after he finds a wallet sized version of it stuffed between his credit card and driver’s license when he’s going to pay for a cup of coffee a few days later.)