talk like an open book; sign me up.

So, asking Derek out didn't instantly change things. There weren't any sudden makeout sessions behind the bleachers, holding hands, going awkwardly to dances, or any of that normal teenage... stuff. In fact, life for Stiles has gone on pretty much the same way it has since he came to Darrow - uneventfully. Yeah, he shares an apartment with Derek, but that's not new, and the only thing new there is that he can comment on how good Derek's butt looking without it being like... a thing.

Well, it's still a thing. But not the same kind of thing. Like, he doesn't have to worry about being given a weird look. ...okay, he still has to worry about that.

But it's been a rough year for both of them, so they'd talked and decided that yeah, slow was okay. Around the holidays, it's more than a little obvious to them both that the absence of their families is going to take a grueling toll on them, so adding one more odd relationship o the mix doesn't seem like the best idea. They're both okay with it.

And Stiles isn't even a little twitchy about this Date Thing that's looming over his head, that has to be good, because he asked out Derek. Derek, who probably went to super nice restaurants with super hot girls and is now going to be going... with him. Most likely to Darrow's equivalent of Olive Garden. ...okay, so he did a bit better than that.

Unless you count this really awkward thing he did once with this girl, Heather, that he'd known since he was literally in diapers, this is Stiles' first real date. And dates are hard enough to get ready for, you know? Preparing for a date when you both live in the same space is kind of crazy. He can't nervously shout to his roommate about what to wear, or ask if his hair looks okay, and hell, he can't even pick his date up at the door.

Well. He kind of can.

Derek's door is shut, and now that Stiles thinks about it, he'll probably take longer than Stiles to get ready. So there's a good chance that Derek is totally unprepared... but Stiles is antsy as hell, so he decides to take that chance. He knocks on Derek's door in the only nice clothes he has - a blue collared shirt, khakis, and dress shoes that he bought for interviews - and takes a breath, rocking back on his heels.