I'll Take Care of You (Sterek, BoyxBoy)

The Hesitation

Contrary to popular belief, Stiles wasn't easy to get.

Sure he liked Derek enough to have a couple of drinks with him and talk to him at the Christmas party but not enough to sleep with him. Don't get Stiles wrong, Derek Hale was one of the most beautiful men that has ever come up to Stiles and offered to take him home. He topped every person who ever offered to take him home and have his way with him but he just wasn't ready.

He wasn't ready to start something that he knows that might just be some one night stand; he wanted stability, for someone to take care of him and for him to show his weaknesses to. He wanted someone who would take him apart and put him back together again, both physically and emotionally.

He wanted the slow burn of a relationship; the one where they build trust and make mistakes. He wanted the ups and downs of a relationship, not just some random hook-up with some man he met at a work-related party.

He just wasn't that type of person. Although his mind was telling him to go ahead and grab the opportunity before it slipped, he didn't. Instead, he kissed Derek's cheek and told him, "I have to go. It was nice meeting you."

He was pretty sure that Derek was stunned by it as well.

"And you didn't think to tell me this then? It's been three fucking days, Stilinski! You let Derek freaking Hale go?" Lydia screeched as she paced back and forth on the floor of Stiles' mini home office.

Stiles' eyes followed her but he kept an eye on his work. He was on a roll and he needed to get his thoughts on paper before it dissipated, so he was currently telling Lydia his once in a lifetime opportunity with Derek Hale while trying to finish his book.

"Well, I wasn't really up to hooking up with some random guy at a party, Lydia." Stiles said as he furiously typed on his keyboard while trying to get Lydia to calm the hell down.

She scoffed and said, "Derek Hale isn't just some random guy, Stiles. He is one of the most youngest and most successful lawyers in this country. He's also one of the most eligible bachelors in the world. Did you know that he turned down a princess a few years ago? You know why? Because she wasn't his type."

Stiles' fingers stopped abruptly as he looked up, clearly not impressed with every word that Lydia was saying, "And I care about this, why?" He asked.

"Because I found out from Jackson that some dude just turned down Derek Hale at the Christmas party a few days ago. Ring any bells?" She said with a sarcastic tone and then proceeded to sit down and furiously type on her iPhone.

He rolled his eyes and said, "I'm sure he's very depressed. Look, I'm not looking at some random hook up... you know me, Lydia. I like the slow burn of it all."

She groaned as she threw her head back and added, "But he could be good for you, you know. He's a nice guy base on the things I've heard from his co-workers. He's very dedicated to his job and very family-oriented."

He brushed off the thoughts of Derek Hale from his mind and continued to write his book, ignoring Lydia's constant praises about the man.

**

After Lydia left his apartment, Stiles took his laptop and settled it on his coffee table in the living room. His dog, Ace, was on the couch with his ears perked up at his owner's sudden appearance.

"Hey, puppy..." Stiles greeted the pup and proceeded to sit next to the dog as he absentmindedly scratched the top of it's head while staring at his laptop.

His mind suddenly floated towards the idea of Derek Hale. Stiles couldn't help but remember those green eyes with blue and golden specks on them. He could still feel the lingering touches that Derek gave him during their short time together.

He wanted to hear his voice again and see that man's smiling face no matter what he thinks of the guy.

Because maybe, Stiles has already been hooked.

**

The following days went with ease. Stiles passed a couple of chapters to Lydia and she loved them. He wasn't really expecting seeing Derek Hale again.

He was just about to leave Lydia's office when Derek came out of the elevator with Jackson. His eyes widened in surprise the man came walking towards him with a soft smile on his face, "Hi, Stiles."

"Hey, dude. Lydia's in?" Jackson asked, to which Stiles replied with a simple nod and a smile.

"Uh... Mr. Hale... H-Hi. What're you doing here?" Stiles sputtered over his words like a school girl with a crush. The man's beautiful eyes were on him and he couldn't help but squirm from where he was standing.

"Jackson and I were at a meeting two blocks from here and I thought I could see the future Mrs. Whittemore's publishing company. How about you?" Derek responded with a cool voice that just made Stiles' heart beat faster than normal.

"Oh, I just dropped off the first ten chapters for Lydia. She likes to read them so that she'd make some notes about it before the editing begins. I do it with every ten chapters so that she won't be slumped with work." Stiles explained as Derek nodded in agreement.

"So, would you like to grab some coffee? I think those two will be a while before they come out of that office. Jackson's going nuts in the office because he hasn't seen Lydia in days." Derek offered with a soft laugh about Jackson's predicament.

Stiles chuckled and slightly contemplated on a chance to talk to Derek again, he breathed in and said, "Yea, sure. There's a great coffee shop just across the building and I think you're going to love their cinnamon rolls."

**

When their coffees came; a tall Americano with milk and sugar and cinnamon roll drizzled with cream cheese glaze for Derek, and a caramel macchiato and two Irish fruit scones for Stiles, they went talking about their work and hobbies just like at the party.

"Oh, my... this is really good. From now on, I'm going to go to you when I want delicious food. You seem to know your way around it." Derek said the moment he took a bite off of the cinnamon roll. Stiles preened at the sight of the man complimenting his taste.

"Well, whenever I'm not writing, I would drive around and just eat. I'm really thankful that I have dog to keep me up and running to burn off all the calories I'm putting in." Stiles said with a fond smile on his face as he thought about his dog, Ginger.

"You have a dog? What kind?" the man took a sip of his coffee.

"A German shepherd. My Dad got him for me two years ago; he was only four months old then. Dad said that the couple who owned him then got into a terrible accident; they had no one to take care of the pup so my Dad suggested that I could try and foster him... and a couple of months later, he's mine. His name is Ginger. Like from the movie Soul Surfer, get it?" Stiles said as he bit into his scone and moaned at the flavors exploding in his mouth.

**

When they finished with their coffee, Derek walked Stiles to his Jeep. The latter grabbed Derek's arm with a remorseful look in his eyes as he said,

"Listen, I know that I was kind of a jerk at the party... you know, I just shot you down. But believe me, I wanted to, so freaking bad but I'm not that type of person. I can't just put myself out there and have sex with every guy who offers to take me home... I didn't come out of a bad relationship, it's just that I'm afraid. I get too attached to a person and--"

Derek interrupted him with a chaste kiss on the lips. He stared into those green eyes, mouth agape and his heart pounding fast against his chest.

"I understand, Stiles. I'm willing to take this, whatever this is, as slow or as fast as you want. We go at your pace, okay?" The man said and Stiles nodded shakily as he wrapped his arms around Derek's neck and pulled him close.

"Thank you, Derek."

**