Feels like falling

Chapter 8

The next morning Stiles had to force himself out of bed. He hadn't slept well as thoughts of Derek played through his head on a loop.

Dragging on whatever clothes happened to be on the floor nearest to him, ignoring any suspicious stains, Stiles set out in search of coffee and food. It was already looking like it was going to be a bad day and he refused to speak to anyone until he had at least had his morning coffee. It was his last day before the term started and he planned on doing absolutely nothing. After he had his coffee he would go and buy a stack of comics then go and brood in his dorm until the sun went down, only then would he come out for food before heading back and passing out until morning.

It sounded like the perfect day to Stiles and he wouldn't let anything ruin it for him. Entering the small café on campus, however, he soon realised that this wasn't going to be the day of moping and relaxation he had hoped for.

Sitting in Stiles favourite spot near the back of the room was Derek looking completely out of place, dressed from head to toe in black, surrounded by the hipsters who frequented the coffee shop. Stiles figured he had around three seconds to decide whether he was going to leave the café now or buy his coffee and ignore Derek for as long as possible.

If he was being honest there was really no choice to make. The smell of coffee and the different flavoured syrups drew Stiles further in to the café as his need for coffee erased any other thoughts. It was only after he had taken the first sip of his triple shot caramel late that he even remembered what had him so on edge this morning. Taking a deep breath Stiles decided it would be best if he confronted Derek now instead of running away yet again. There were only so many times he could hide from this.

With his head held high Stiles made his way to the back of the café trying not to let his nerves show. As he neared the table he noticed several sheets of paper were spread out over every available surface, even hanging over the side of the table in some places. He tried to catch a glance at what they were without drawing Derek's attention. The clearing of Derek's throat let him know he had been caught. He looked up trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible.

"Job application forms." Derek said answering Stiles' unasked question. The wolfman seemed to think using the least amount of words possible was an acceptable form of explanation. Stiles knew he shouldn't be surprised; it was Derek's lack of vocabulary that had gotten them in this situation to start with.

"You're gonna have to give me more than that Derek." Stiles said, continuing at Derek's blank expression. Rolling his eyes Stiles spoke slowly as though he was talking to a child. "Why do you have job applications?"

"I'm looking for a job." Derek replied calmly. The only change in his expression was the slight raise of his eyebrow. Stiles knew he was messing with him on purpose.

"And why do you need a job? You already have one at home." Stiles tried again, practically growling out the last few words.

"I quit. I decided I needed a job out here if I'm staying for a while." The wolf said before turning back to the form he had been filling out before Stiles arrived. The short haired boy snatched the pen from Derek's hand and tossed it over his shoulder; hoping it didn't hit anyone.

"No." Stiles said as he glared at Derek with his hands on his hips. "No, no, no, no, no! There is absolutely no way you are spending any more time out here than you need to, in fact I don't see any reason why you can't get on the next plane home and let me live the next 3 years of my life in peace." He knew he was one foot stomp away from looking like a petulant toddler but he was past caring. He wanted Derek gone and he wanted him gone now.

"The pack..." Derek began before Stiles cut him off sharply.

"The pack is fine. They can last without you for a couple of months till the holidays." He shot back with no hesitation. "You have no reason to be here Derek, just go home."

"Yes I do." Derek said stubbornly, his eyes never leaving the younger boy's face. Stiles scoffed.

"Oh? And what exactly would that be Derek because I'm having a really hard time thinking of anything other than your own selfish needs."

"You. Need to be close to you." Derek's reply was so quite that at first Stiles thought he had misheard, it was only Derek's startled expression that made him realise he had in fact heard correctly. When the realisation of what had been said set in Stiles suddenly found himself speechless. He stumbled in to the chair opposite Derek before his legs gave out. The two of them sat in silence for what felt like hours, neither of them wanting to be the first to break eye contact. After what was probably only a few minutes in reality but felt like a lifetime in Stiles head Derek broke the silence.

"I shouldn't have said that. Sorry, I'm just going to go." The older man said before darting out of the café without giving Stiles a chance to reply. Stupid werewolves and their super speed Stiles thought as he glared at the stack of job applications which Derek had left on the table in his rush to leave. That hadn't gone how he had expected.

As he left the café Stiles wasn't sure whether he felt better or worse about the whole Derek situation now. Sure he had a better idea of what Derek was thinking now but he still had more questions than answers. Unfortunately Stiles got the feeling that there would be more questions to come before he got any answers.