The Formally Creepy Mansion | Thursday Evening

[robinonadderall]

Stiles had not been having a good week, but he made a real effort to pull himself together by Thursday so he could work on giving Derek a good, drama-free birthday. He bought meat lovers pizza, how could it go wrong?

It could probably go wrong in a lot of ways, but Stiles wasn't trying to focus on that.

[For the birthday wolf! Up early 'cause I'm working the late shift, ugh]

Comments

[justlurkinghere]

"You didn't have to," Derek said once he'd inhaled two slices. It was a magical thing, watching him eat.

[robinonadderall]

It was actually pretty gross, but Stiles had no room to judge.

"It's your birthday," he said with a shrug. "I got you other stuff too. The birthday train doesn't stop at pizza."

[justlurkinghere]

Magical like a Nova special.

"You didn't try to make a cake, right?"

[robinonadderall]

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Of course I didn't. Bakeries exist, you know."

And it wasn't a whole cake. Because that wouldn't be healthy.

[justlurkinghere]

...it would be healthy it it was a carrot cake, Stiles.

"Good."

To broach the subject or enjoy being catered to... Choices. Choices.

"What did you get?"

Cake came first. Stiles' sanity second.

[robinonadderall]

Carrot cake was not healthy, Derek!

"Hold on, I'll get it," he said, getting up from the couch. "Spend time figuring out what you want to watch tonight. I promise I won't complain about what you pick...for the first hour or so."

He was determined to come up with time filling things so Derek wouldn't bring up anything Stiles didn't want to talk about. Because that would work.

[justlurkinghere]

It had carrots in it! It was healthy!

"Right," Derek replied dryly. He knew guilty hiding when he saw it, Stiles. He was the master of guilty hiding. "Kitty stopped by the bar."

[robinonadderall]

Stiles stopped in his tracks but didn't bother facing Derek. "Okay?"

[justlurkinghere]

"Cake." Because goddamn it, he was getting cake for trying to talk to Stiles about this in a mature fashion. Mature-ish fashion.

[robinonadderall]

Stiles continued on into the kitchen, shoulders hunched and moving slower than he had been before. You were just determined to ruin your own birthday, weren't you Derek?

He put a single candle in the red velvet cupcake he bought and lit it 'cause that's what you did on someone's birthday. He had gotten one for himself too but ate it about five minutes after he brought it home.

Stiles had also gotten Derek a gift but left it (sloppily wrapped and labeled) on the kitchen table for him to find later. He wasn't sure if this was the right time to give it now. It probably wasn't as much as Derek spent on the iPad for him, but Stiles had done his best.

He came back into the living room and gently placed the cupcake on the coffee table so the candle wouldn't go out. "I don't want to talk about it. Now make a wish and blow out your candle."

[justlurkinghere]

Derek sighed like the big, useless drama queen he was under all that angst and man pain, but did as instructed to blow the candle out. He didn't make a wish and you can't make him.

"She's worried," he settled on, plucking the candle it so he could peel the wrapper off the cake portion. And by 'she' Derek meant himself. So.

[robinonadderall]

"This is talking about it," Stiles said. "The thing I just said I didn't want to do."

[justlurkinghere]

"Pretty sure this is me talking and you sulking," Derek replied. And oh god, he was turning into Laura. This was horrible. He broke the cupcake in half, shoving one at Stiles.

[robinonadderall]

Stiles shook his head, gently pushing Derek's hand away. It was Derek's birthday cupcake and Stiles had already eaten one anyway. "What do you want me to say?"

[justlurkinghere]

Shut up and take your sympathy cupcake!

"They're getting worse."

[robinonadderall]

"And?" Fine, he'll take your stupid cupcake, Derek.

[justlurkinghere]

"And it's rainbows and puppies," Derek shot back sarcastically.

[robinonadderall]

The only reason Stiles didn't snap at Derek was because it was his birthday. Instead he went with sulky. "I'm still not seeing what you want from me here."

[justlurkinghere]

Perfect time to start this then!

Derek huffed, eating his half of the cupcake in one go. "You keep hiding this like no one is going to notice."

[robinonadderall]

"I don't think you guys are stupid, I know you know," Stiles said, pointedly looking away from Derek when he had white frosting on his face. Because really. "What I want is for you to ignore it. It's not your problem."

[justlurkinghere]

"That's stupid. Of course it's our problem," Derek shot back displaying all that newly aged maturity. "It's you."

[robinonadderall]

"And if this problem had a solution to it then the help would be appreciated," Stiles said. "But seeing as there isn't one, all you two are doing is making me feel guilty for worrying you."

[justlurkinghere]

"You worry us when you hide this shit!"

Just let him cradle you tenderly, Stiles.

[robinonadderall]

"What do you want me to do?" Stiles said, trying not to get angry and failing. "I can't come crying to you every time I have a nightmare for the rest of my life! I need to handle this on my own!"

[justlurkinghere]

Why can't they just have a nice evening? Oh right, Beacon Hills.

"So, what? You're just going to pretend everything is fine?"