A Question Of Roomates

Ch. 4

It was oddly quiet on the other side of the door. Though we had been roommates a short time I knew his schedule pretty well and right about now he'd be working with the music turned up to the max. I ran sweaty palms down the side of my jeans as I talked myself up. Then I knocked on the door. Stiles opened it without a shirt on, grey sweats and naked feet poking out of the bottom of his pants "Derek? What are you doing here?"

And all in one breath I was sputtering out "Funny story. But uh, you see... I'm your roommate again. For good"

He blinked and registered it all before opening his mouth again "I don't think that's a good idea" I'd be lying if I said I was expecting that. Because in all honesty I though he'd welcome me with open arms then offer to help with my bags "You left for a reason"

"I made a mistake and now I'm back for a reason"

"Because you feel bad. I don't want you to force yourself back here because you feel bad-in fact that would actually make me feel ten times worse knowing you're here out of pity" he sighed getting ready to close the door "-you don't think I know what people say behind my back? I can't help the way I am, I mean I could take those pills that make me walk around like a zombie, but I don't want too. That's why I've been through seven different roommates, but you were the only one I thought would actually stay... Stupid me"

"I'm not going anywhere again"

"Where have I heard that before?"

"Stiles please ju-"

"Derek-look, just go back to where you ran off too. No hard feelings, I'll be fine alone I promise" with a forced smile he closed the door before I could get another word in leaving me alone and dumbfounded in the oddly quiet hallway.

What Stiles didn't know was that I had already switched back to his room. But the last thing I wanted to do was barge in right behind him, after he clearly needed some time alone. So I waited.

It was borderline stalker-ish of me but I waited outside the building for him to leave. I knew he had a class coming up, that would have to be my chance. So when I seen him hurry from the building I went right in and moved everything back to where it was before. I was hauling the last box when Scott caught sight of me. He was coming from a class not to far from the building. He branched off from his group of friends to investigate.

"Hale?"

"Scott. Um... Hi"

"I thought you weren't in this building anymore"?"

I switched the box to my hip for more support "Funny story. I'm back rooming with Stiles"

He scrunched up his brow "He didn't tell me you were back. Does he know?"

"Not yet, no, but I thought it would be a nice surprise"

He eyed me up and down and a smile stretched across his face "Right. Good luck" He grinned before running to catch up with his friends.

Unpacking wasn't as bad as I thought, I was actually happy just to be back. I was settled back, in under an hour and found myself wondering around the apartment seeing as though I had no classes for the day. Stiles' room door just happened to be a jar and inevitably I took a look inside. It was messy but not unbearable. There wasn't a place you could look that didn't have something art related whether it was brushes, drawings or posters. He had a knack for flannels from what I could see, at least a dozen of them lined his closet. There were pictures of him and Scott or him and a police officer tacked against the wall but the only framed picture was of a woman. She had the same honey brown eyes which led me to assume it was his mother.

He came back two hours later when I was sitting on the sofa watching tv, with a late night bowl full of cereal on my lap. He stopped in his tracks to just stare at me for a moment. He wasn't surprised which was weird, just taken aback. Then he was shaking his head almost like he was restarting his brain "This is breaking and entering"

"Is it though?"

"Yes it is, and I'd hate to have to call the RA in here"

"Not like they could do much about it, I mean this is my dorm. And-" I began to pull the key ring from my pocket "I have this key"

I handed him the papers sitting on the desk, and as he dropped his art equipment aimlessly onto the floor he read over the paper with curious eyes "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I made a-"

"Mistake. Yeah I heard you the first time" he huffed out a sigh then walked over to his room, dragging his back pack with him "Well if we keep to ourselves things should go smoothly. I'll try to keep it down"

That had been the way I lived with Jackson, and honestly those cold few days felt worse than the two weeks I spent with Stiles "What if I said that's not what I want?"

"It's what I want" he said before he shut the door, disappearing into his room.