Sterek Library (a03 Edition)

A Match Unmade In Beacon Hills

By: KouriArashi

Derek took a deep breath as he entered the library, enjoying the familiar smell of old books and the warmth as he came in from the chill. It was unseasonably cold for late winter, and he was hoping spring would come on soon. But he always found himself taking that deep breath when he got inside. The library was his favorite place in Beacon Hills, a safe place where he could have peace and quiet.

He supposed it was interesting, in a psychological sort of way, that the quiet of the library felt so different from the quiet of his house. His house was often quiet, because Kate would leave for days at a time. He hated it when his house was quiet, because it was a cold sort of quiet, a quiet where there should have been noise. The noise of pets and children, things he had always wanted but could never have. The quiet of the library was a warm sort of quiet, the quiet of communal learning and respect for knowledge.

There was really no reason for him to go to the library to study. His house was huge – three bedrooms, two and a half baths, far larger than it needed to be for just him and Kate – and there was plenty of room for him to study even when Kate was there. He had stopped going for a while, but then picked it up again when the tournament season was over and Kate was home more. She often made fun of his studies, his three years pursuing his graduate thesis, and harped on him to 'get a real job'.

Derek didn't see why she cared. They had plenty of money. His parents had both been rich before they even met each other, and had only gotten richer from there. They supported him without question. In fact, when Derek had started talking about dropping out of school – at the time he had still been in college – so he could earn money to give Kate the lifestyle she wanted – they had forbidden him from doing so unless it was what he really wanted. They bought the house Kate demanded, a modern-style eyesore that felt more like an artpiece than a home. They paid the utilities and the credit card bill. She frequently teased him for living off his parents' money, but that sure as hell didn't stop her from spending it.

Kate earned money on her own, from her tournaments, but insisted that she be able to keep it separate. For a while, Derek had argued with her about why her money was her money, but his money was their money, but after a while she had worn him down and he had stopped fighting. Money wasn't important to him, and it just wasn't worth it.

She was his soulmate, and he would take care of her.

He sank into the chair at one of the study carrels and pulled a book out of his backpack. 'The History of the Soulmate Ceremony' was the title. He had read it cover to cover so many times that he practically had it memorized.

It was a fascinating subject, honestly, detailing how the mechanics of the soulmate magic had been explored as early as the seventeen hundreds. How it had been used to settle wars in Europe and spread from there across all the continents. How science had at first been baffled but then started finding chemical evidence for the bond. How the laws had been introduced to regulate the system and put everybody on the same page.

Nothing new had really been discovered in the past two decades, and Kate frequently mentioned that she didn't know what Derek thought he was going to contribute. "If you have to study, couldn't you at least study something useful?" she asked.

Sociology was pointless and more importantly wouldn't pay the bills, Kate said, but Derek had gotten his degree in it anyway and made an excuse about it being too late to change his major.

"Excuse me, do you know where I can find . . ." Derek heard someone say, and he glanced over at the help desk. He had noticed a couple months back that there was a new guy at the help desk, and, well. He was cute. Derek had caught him looking over a few times, like he was thinking about saying something, but then decided against it. He wondered if maybe the cute librarian hadn't met his soulmate yet.