Never Expect The Unexpected: MERDER AU

Chapter 34: Pick A Store

"Derek I swear to God if you drag me into one more store to watch you look at fishing poles, I'm going to lose it." Meredith grunted. They'd been in the mall for hours and the only thing Derek purchased was a hat that she'd sworn every man in Bass Pro Shops was wearing.

"Where would the princess like to go next?" Derek mocked her and it earned him an eye roll and an elbow to the stomach.

"Here." Meredith pointed to the crowded store with models on the windows and mannequins wearing lingerie.

"I'm not going in there." Derek shook his head and looked at her like it was the worse idea he'd ever heard.

"Do you have a problem looking at underwear Dr. Shepherd? I figured a man like you, a doctor at that, wouldn't be so immature." Meredith cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrows as his discomfort only became more apparent.

"I have four sisters, seeing woman's underwear doesn't scare me. It's going in a place like...that, with you."

"Me?" Meredith questioned, confused as to what he meant.

"Yes you. You make everything all...porny and- I can't go in there with you." Derek stuttered and he felt the massive building growing smaller as she gave him a dark stare.

"Oh come on." Meredith latched her arm around his and pulled him into the store.

Derek's hand grew familiar with the back of his neck as the majority of the time spent in the lingerie-filled store he was rubbing it uncomfortably. When he wasn't, his hands were buried deep in his pocket while he tried not to picture his overly annoying...whatever she was, wearing the thin fabric that she was placing in her shopping bag. He could've sworn she was intentionally holding up the skimpy pieces of clothing to tease him, but he tried to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Any hope that he had vanished when she called him over to her with the bend of one finger.

"Yes?" Derek tried not to notice the seductive smirk that splayed across her face as he gulped down the word.

"Which one?" Meredith held up a deep purple pair of panties that seemed like they were missing a majority of the fabric, along with a black g-string that he also wouldn't be able to stop thinking about while they shopped.

"Meredith," Derek pointed to the purple crotch-less pair, "that's barely going to cover anything." He held his breath as she took a step closer to him, the only thing between the two of them being the bulge in his pants that was her doing.

"That's the point." Meredith whispered and set down both pairs, settling with the items that she'd already picked out. She waited in line behind a woman a few inches taller than her with dark hair and turned to the clothing bins when she realized Derek wasn't behind her.

"What are you-" she was going to ask but stopped herself when she realized. Meredith chuckled under her breath as Derek walked over to her with the purple fabric in hand.

"What?" He played dumb as he tossed them into the bag along with the other items.

***

"I cannot believe I spent eighty dollars on undergarments." Derek groaned as they walked out of the store, her bag in his hand.

"Stop complaining."

"Stop complaining? Meredith it's unnecessary to spend that much on bras and panties. You can get that stuff from Walmart."

"Is that where you got that shirt?" Meredith teased.

"You're..." Derek muttered through closed teeth as he shook his head. He came to an abrupt stop when she suddenly stood in front of him and raised on her tiptoes to whisper into his ear.

"You're complaining now, but when I try them on for you tonight I have a feeling you'll have a different opinion on the price." Meredith glanced at the stirring in his pants and looked back up at him, patting his chest once before returning back to his side and gesturing for Derek to continue walking.

"Food. Food is...we should get food." He cleared his throat and searched around the mall for a food court.

Chinese seemed to be only food they could agree on out of the slim options. They sat in silence as Meredith scarfed down her fried rice and orange chicken, not paying him any attention. Derek on the other hand, didn't even realize he was staring at her. He couldn't help it. No matter what she was doing Derek always found a way to get lost in her, and he didn't know why. He thought he did. But now he wasn't sure if it was just the thrill of the ferry ride that made him think those thoughts. He watched as her jaw clenched with every bite she took. He saw the lump in her throat form and the line in between her eyebrows crease every-time she swallowed. Derek noticed things about her that seemed invisible to the blind eye.

"What?" Meredith questioned obliviously when she caught him staring.

He quickly turned his attention to a sign on the wall away and denied ever looking at her. As much as she didn't believe him, Meredith wasn't in the mood to play twenty questions. They hadn't eaten all day and she was starved; he was one of the unlucky few who knew how she acted when she was hungry.

Derek kept his focus on her as she struggled to open a packet of soy sauce. He knew asking if she wanted help would only lead to her calling him a list of names that he wouldn't dare call another living person. Instead, he observed and noticed the crinkle on the bridge of her nose that appeared every time she tugged at the plastic.

"What!" Meredith tossed the packet of bitter sauce onto the table and crossed her arms indignantly. Derek hadn't even realized he was smiling until it was impossible to stop.

"Do you find my inability to open a packet of soy sauce amusing?" She ridiculed and Derek shook his head.

"Is there something on my face?"

"No."

"Then what?" Meredith slammed her hands against the table and grew impatient as he stared at her with that same dough eyed gaze that hardly left his smug face.

"You're beautiful." His lips opened and words poured out before Derek even realized what he was saying. Their mutual gaze felt like an eternity of staring but neither of them seemed to grow tired of it as they sat there lost in each other's eyes.

"Help me open this." Meredith broke the silence and tried not to show that his compliment affected her. She shook her head and cursed herself because it only made her think about his confession on the ferry that she was smart enough to pretend she'd never heard.

I would've said it. I would've told you.

Meredith had been through an unbelievable amount of life changing events and she wasn't foolish enough to fall for that. Derek couldn't feel that way about her; nobody could. And he wasn't any different.

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Hello short filler chapter because I just felt like updating. Amelia's wedding is coming after a few more fillers and I'm probably going to split it into three long chapters.

Thank you for all of the comments on the last chapter I really appreciate all of you.

Also I wrote this about four times and was going to just scrap it because it didn't sound right but oh well I think it's good.