A Denny's On the Mainland | Thursday Evening

[robinonadderall]

It'd been awhile since he and Derek had been on a Denny's trip. Especially one that had no trauma attached to it. Sure, it had the risk of being slightly awkward if anybody misconstrued this as a date but it was a risk Stiles was willing to take. He was even willing to pay for his own meal just to further prove that this wasn't a date.

"Oh god there's a peanut butter cup pancake breakfast."

[For Derek! And I want that breakfast]

Comments

[robinonadderall]

"Yep. Good." This was less awkward when they had more traumatic things to talk about. "Okay, I'm going to the bathroom, you order for me."

Maybe he'd think of something else to say by the time he got back.

[justlurkinghere]

They were the worst ever. It was true. Just look at them being awkward.

"Sure." And maybe Derek will have a conversation planned that doesn't involve: 'So, therapy is evil and makes me think about my terrible life' or 'Hey, we're totally not dating, right?'

[robinonadderall]

They were totally dating. They were just in denial. Hence the awkward.

Stiles did manage to think of a conversation topic by the time he got back. "I got a job. Not in the bathroom. In Fandom."

[justlurkinghere]

"...that's better than a job in the bathroom," Derek admitted slowly.

[robinonadderall]

"No kidding. The only job I think you can get in the bathroom would be as a hooker," he said. "I don't think anybody would recruit me for that."

[justlurkinghere]

Derek was just going to stare for a moment. "Yeah. Don't do that."

[robinonadderall]

"It's not going to be a problem," he assured him. "But it's the trooper station. My new job, I mean."

You know. Like you suggested, Derek.

[justlurkinghere]

"Really?" Look at him being all happy about that.

[robinonadderall]

"Yeah," Stiles said. "It was a good idea."

[justlurkinghere]

And that would be Derek smiling. Maybe.

"When?" So that Derek could stalk from afar.

[robinonadderall]

"I can start whenever so I guess I'll be there whenever I have time," he said. "I'm mostly going to be pushing coffee at people I think."

[justlurkinghere]

"Probably safer that way." Because there was so much police related danger in Fandom.

[robinonadderall]

"A lot safer than my dad's office, it's true," Stiles said. "Almost died in there before."

[justlurkinghere]

"Is this the honesty thing again?" Just to clarify things.

[robinonadderall]

"Uh, the honesty thing never stopped," Stiles said. "Unless you want it to, I mean."

[justlurkinghere]

"No. No, it's fine." Totally fine. No fights here!

[robinonadderall]

"Oh. Well good," he said. "It's not a big deal; there was this psycho controlling a murder lizard and he tried to kill us all in the precinct. And then the Argents attacked at the same time and it was this huge fighty thing that I was paralyzed for."

[justlurkinghere]

Not a big deal!

Derek cleared his throat, grabbing for his cup of coffee. Because that was just what he needed right now.

[robinonadderall]

"You okay?" Please don't freak out on him, Derek.

[justlurkinghere]

"I think your life might be more messed up than mine." Just as an fyi.

[robinonadderall]

"Well your life and my life are kind of one and the same since I figured out this werewolf stuff so I don't think it's a competition," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. "It's more like we have shared trauma. I mean, the other you was there that night."

[justlurkinghere]

"Didn't really need to know that," Derek replied dryly. "It was a joke."

See him joking? See?

[robinonadderall]

"Smiling helps when you're making a joke," Stiles said. "Just for the record."

[justlurkinghere]

Derek gave his fake flirting grin. Didn't that help?

[robinonadderall]

Well at least it made Stiles laugh. "Yeah, like that."