It was Friday night and Stiles was drowning his sorrows in whiskey at the Nemeton Bar. His friend Scott had bailed on their movie night to go on a date with Allison. Stiles was nursing his third - or was it fourth? - drink when he noticed the handsome bartender.
"Heyyy big guy," Stiles slurred at the bartender. "Buy you a drink?" Derek chuckled. "I'm working kid, but nice try. Cut you off after that one?" Stiles pouted. "No fair, you're too hot to stop serving me." Derek smiled in spite of himself. "Flattery will get you nowhere. What's your name?"
Stiles grinned. "I'm Stiles. And you're the gorgeous Derek right?" Derek rolled his eyes. "That's me. You gonna drink that last one or just ogle me all night?" Stiles blushed. "Both?" Derek laughed and refilled Stiles' glass. Maybe this drunk kid wasn't so bad after all...
Stiles happily sipped his refilled drink, feeling bold from Derek's laughter. "You know, if I buy you a drink after your shift, that wouldn't technically be working." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Derek pretended to consider it as he wiped down the bar. "I suppose that's true. Alright kid, you've got a date. But only if you sobered up enough to walk out of here on your own two feet."
Overjoyed, Stiles slammed back the rest of his drink. "Done and done! I'll be sober as a judge." He leaned heavily on the bar, smiling dopey at Derek. Two more drinks and some flirty conversation had left Stiles even more thoroughly intoxicated.
Closing time came quickly as Derek attended his final customers. He walked over to where Stiles sat, now drooping precariously on his stool. "Ready to stagger home, lightweight?" Derek teased gently.
Stiles jolted upright. "I'm perfectly fine, thanks. Just resting my drunk eyes." He stood on wobbly legs and grabbed Derek's arm to steady himself. "See? Fit as a fiddle. Now, about that drink..." He gazed hopefully at Derek, blinking slow.
Derek sighed. There was no way this drunk could make it home by himself. "How about I drive you to get some coffee instead? My shift is over and I don't need you passing out in the gutter." Stiles beamed. "It's a date!"
Stiles cheered as Derek drove them to the nearby 24-hour diner. Despite his drunken state, Stiles' natural motor mouth was in full effect as he chattered away in the passenger seat. Derek found himself actually enjoying listening to the younger man's rambling stories and jokes.
They soon arrived and stumbled into the diner, Stiles leaning heavily on Derek's shoulder as the alcohol continued fading from his system. Derek guided them to a booth and barked out their coffee order to the tired-looking waitress.
As they waited for their mugs to arrive, Stiles gazed across the table at Derek with softened, whiskey-brown eyes. "Y'know Sourwolf, I don't really do this kind of thing. Flirt with bartenders I mean. But there was just something about your grumpy face that drew me in."
Derek arched an eyebrow. "Sourwolf?" Stiles giggled. "It suits you! But really, I'm glad we could do this. Even if it does end up just being coffee." His expression turned hopeful.
Just then their order arrived with a fresh pot of coffee. Derek poured them each a cup and took a slow sip, considering. When he spoke, his voice was low and soft. "It doesn't have to end with coffee, if you don't want it to."
Stiles' smile lit up the whole diner.
Stiles could hardly contain his joy at Derek's words. He beamed across the table as they sipped their hot coffee. A comfortable silence fell between them as the evening crowd filed into the diner.
When their mugs were drained, Derek leaned forward intently. "Tell me more about yourself, Stiles. What do you like to do for fun when you're not drunkenly flirting with bartenders?" Stiles laughed. "Well, I'm in my last year of school so I keep pretty busy with classes. But in my free time I enjoy reading, video games, hanging with friends."
Derek nodded encouragingly. "Oh yeah? What's your major?" Stiles scrunched his nose. "Criminology, hoping to be a detective someday. What about you, when you're not attracting clumsy drunks at the bar?"
Derek chuckled. "Not much, really. Work, keep to myself. I like surfing the internet, catching up on tv shows. Nothing too exciting." Stiles gazed at him thoughtfully. "I think you sell yourself short. There's more layers to the sour old bartender than meets the eye, I can tell."
Warmth bloomed in Derek's chest at Stiles' intuitiveness. Maybe this unexpected connection had potential after all. He glanced at his watch and was surprised to see how late it had gotten. But the hours had flown by in Stiles' company.
"Would you like me to drive you home?" Derek offered gently. Stiles nodded. "I'd like that." As they drove under the starry sky, their hands found each other resting on the seat, and the future looked bright.
Too soon they arrived at Stiles' small apartment. He turned to Derek reluctantly as they paused outside the door. "I had a really great time tonight. Even if it did start with me making a fool of myself at the bar."
Derek smiled softly. "It was nice to meet someone with your kind of spirit. You certainly know how to liven up a boring bartender's night." Stiles beamed at the praise. "Does this mean I can take you out for real sometime? When I'm not three sheets to the wind?"
"I'd like that," Derek replied, meaning it. He took Stiles' hand in his, heart stirring at the handsome flush spreading across pale cheeks. Leaning in slowly, gauging Stiles' reaction, Derek pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss.
Stiles sighed contentedly against Derek's mouth, arms coming up to wrap around a broad back. They fit together like long-lost pieces clicking into place. Reluctantly they parted, staring into each other's eyes, hope and promise shining between them under the moonlight.
"Soon," Derek promised. Stiles squeezed his hands tightly. "Goodnight, Sourwolf. Sweet dreams." With a wink and brilliant grin, he slipped into his apartment, leaving Derek smiling softly on the doorstep.
For the first time in a long while, Derek felt a bloom of joy in his chest at the thought of tomorrow, and what it might bring.
