"Stiles, this is literally against every single rule!"
Stiles squeezes Derek's hand, laughs brightly as he tugs him through the undergrowth, "Yeah, but how long are you planning on working here anyway?"
Derek snorts, hopes Stiles doesn't notice his palms getting sweatier than Scott's face looks when he pulls off his Mickey Mouse head. He's always beaming after, too, like spending all day waving at little kids and watching them scream in delight is fun for him. Considering he's ridiculously head over heels in love with Allison, who plays Minnie Mouse, Derek suspects maybe Scott does enjoy his days in the park. He, however, is just about at the end of his tether. He was only supposed to be covering Eric. Laura promised, a week tops, whilst they found a replacement, and here he is, six months later, and being dragged through the neatly trimmed hedges of the main park by Peter Pan.
He has become the cliché. He's fallen in love at Disney. He's watched Scott tweak Allison's Minnie skirt, and Allison tug on Scott's Mickey ears, and not wanted to stick his head in acid. He allows Lydia to apply eyeliner around his eyes without complaint. Yesterday, when Erica announced she was done with Aurora at the end of the month because she was pregnant, Derek felt stupidly emotional, and happy.
And, it's all Stiles' fault.
Stiles has made him go soft. He'd bounded up to Derek on Derek's first day on the job, brushed Derek's hair out of his eyes and up into Eric's "quaffed 'do" and declared him perfect. He'd then proceeded to ignore Derek's attempts to ignore him, following him around, peppering him with questions as to how he knew the boss, who his real favorite Disney character is, how Derek thought Mickey and Minnie ever managed to have sex, did Derek like fireworks, on and on until Derek missed his voice when he wasn't there. He finds all sorts of excuses to wind around Stiles during the parades, to watch him interact with all the kids, leaping to swing round trees, and let little girls hug his legs. The way he smiles, too, it makes Derek's heart stutter.
Now, he's breaking rules, too. Sneaking into the park when he knows he shouldn't be, going places that are out of bounds. What next? Is he going to start singing?! God, Laura would love that.
"How much further?"
"Not far," Stiles promises, thumb brushing over Derek's palm, and he glances over his shoulder to grin at Derek. Derek's thankful he's naturally fairly graceful, or he would have definitely gone ass over elbows in distraction over that smile.
God, he's completely lost it. He used to make furniture. He's got an apartment in New York collecting dust, and mail piled up he isn't reading, and doesn't care to so long as Stiles never stops holding his hand, or banging on Derek's door three hours before their shift to go for walks, or get milkshakes.
"You're a menace," Derek mutters, and Stiles sniggers.
"My job is to keep you young and free spirited."
"Me specifically?"
"Yep, after you came aboard Laura wrote it into the contract and made me sign it."
Derek shakes his head ruefully, "You're not that invested in my emotional well being for me to believe that."
Stiles stops short, and Derek almost trips into him.
"Yes I am," Stiles insists, frowning at him in the dark. "Of course I am."
"Oh," Derek looks down at their still entwined hands, feels his cheeks flood with heat, and his stomach burn with nerves. "I didn't know if this was-"
"Yeah, I figured," Stiles rolls his eyes, starts tugging him along again. "This is what makes life divine," he simpers after a moment, and Derek socks him on the shoulder.
Stiles stumbles, laughing and pulls Derek close, "Come on, we're gonna be late."
"Late?" Derek asks, a little dazed with Stiles' mouth suddenly within grazing distance, his eyes half lidded as he looks across at Derek.
"Yeah," Stiles gives him a wicked grin, the type that lights his whole face up, and Derek wants to throw him over his shoulder and cart him off somewhere to keep.
"We've been off for an hour," he murmurs, slipping his free hand out just to brush against Stiles' hip. "We don't have anywhere to be."
"We do," Stiles says, swallowing nonetheless as Derek's thumb finds skin and rubs slow circles across it. He's never touched before, he's never allowed himself the chance. There have been moments, long evenings filled with alcohol and hazy conversations in too small apartments. But, he's never allowed himself to admit he's this attached. To imagine what could be if he took the chance, if he let himself have this.
"Just a little further," Stiles sucks his bottom lip into his mouth, wiggles his eyebrows, "I promise it'll be worth it."
"I don't know why I let you talk me into these things," Derek grouches as Stiles darts away again, dragging Derek with him.
"You should have said no to being associated with me six months ago."
"I tried."
"Not hard enough."
"I didn't want to," he replies honestly, and Stiles' hand tightens round his.
They push through the vines of an old willow, come out onto a small hill leading down to the lake, and Derek spots their destination.
Huddled together, right on line of the shore, are Scott, Allison, Erica, Lydia and Isaac. Erica's still wearing her Aurora costume- having decided she was going to get as much use out of it as possible, and nobody arguing, Allison and Scott are wrapped up in one another, and Lydia and Isaac are sipping from a beer bottle. Stiles whistles to announce their arrival, and everyone turns to wave.
"Thought you were going to take longer." Lydia smirks at Derek over Stiles' shoulder. "He's not normally as willing to do as I say."
"That's because you're normally prodding me, and telling me to smile more," Derek retorts, tugging on a strand of her hair as he sits down beside her.
"I'm the Princess," she says loftily. "I'm in charge."
"Yes you are," Stiles agrees easily, settling in next to Derek and grabbing her beer. He takes a pull, and Derek misses whatever Lydia says in return, staring at the long line of Stiles' neck. He might just be allowed to get his tongue on that later.
"Don't finish it," Isaac elbows Stiles, and he chokes a little. "We've only got a couple."
"We shouldn't have any," Allison giggles.
"The one time we do this, and I can't even drink," Erica complains, but she rests a hand on her stomach and looks down at it, face glowing without any make up at all.
"Hey, hey, shush, it's starting," Scott cries excitedly, twisting to squeezes Derek's shoulder.
Derek widens his eyes in mock elation, and Scott glares. "I don't know why he likes you."
"Makes two of us," he says gruffly.
Scott's silent for a second, considering him, and then he beams again. "I do really," then he points his own beer in Derek's face. "Don't go gallivanting off with any other Princes or Princesses, though."
Derek blinks in surprise, "I- I won't," he says finally.
"I know," Scott cuts a glance to where Stiles is waving Boyd over. "He won't either."
"Ok," Derek says slowly. "Good?"
"Shut up with your metaphors," Stiles interrupts, swinging an arm over Derek's knees and looking up at the sky expectantly. "It's gonna start-"
He's interrupted by music, cheers from the crowds of people around them, unaware that three Disney princesses, four princes and Peter Pan are drinking beers and watching the firework display with them.
"Huh," he says after a moment, "I wasn't expecting this to be the surprise."
"That's why it's a surprise," Stiles retorts. "Don't worry," he winks at Derek, "I have more up my sleeve."
"I imagine they're all just as pretty," Derek says bravely, eyes flicking to Stiles' mouth, just for a second.
"Some of them," Stiles shrugs, gives him a piercing look. "Depends if you're gonna be around to see them, if you're up for the adventure, even if it's rocky sometimes. Even if it pisses you off sometimes. Even if it rains and your costume's soaked and you still gotta keep waving. "He arches an eyebrow at Derek. "You wanna try? Cos, I hear New York gets very pretty in the fall, might be tempting."
"M'not lookin' for a better view," Derek says in a ragged voice. "This one's good, really good."
"Well," Stiles nods, clears his throat and looks away, even as his cheeks are pink and his mouth's twitching. "Alright then."
Derek grins, takes the beer bottle Allison waves at him, lets Stiles jiggle his foot excitedly against his own and presses back.
"I'm gonna miss this place," Erica sighs from where she and Boyd are leant up against the willow tree.
"You could always be one of the fairy godmothers for a while," Stiles suggests, "Wear something capacious."
Erica flips him off as Boyd starts chuckling, holding up his hands when Erica elbows him.
"He has a point, you don't have to go."
"Nope, I wanna get really fat, and sit around and eat cake all day," her eyes gleam with excitement.
"You could play the Mad Hatter," Isaac muses, and then yelps when Erica kicks him.
"I'm going, and you're all gonna miss me, especially Derek, who would be terrified of all of you if it weren't for me."
"Not true," Stiles protests.
"Honey, you weren't the one he came complaining to about the boy with pretty eyes and a ridiculous enthusiasm for his job as a ray of sunshine. Intimidated the hell out of our little newbie."
"Aw, Derek," Scott clutches his chest, "You say the sweetest things about me."
Derek scowls at all of them. He hates his life. He hates everything. Fucking Disney making him soft, and giving him friends, and true love is bullshit and-
"Dude, look," Stiles squeezes his arm just as a swan glides past them, her ducklings following.
"Oh god," Erica sniffs, and Boyd kisses the top of her head, rubbing her arms. "Is every baby ever going to set me off for seven months?!"
"I wonder if I could take one home," Stiles ponders.
"Not if you ever wanna get laid," Isaac mutters.
"Really?" Stiles pouts, looks at Derek, "D'you-"
"I'm allergic to livestock," Derek says immediately.
"Liar."
"I want to be able to concentrate without something cheeping in the next room."
Stiles nods, "Logical." Then Derek's words seem to sink in, and he looks back at him, face flush with pleasure. "Oh."
"Yeah," Derek leans back on his hands. "No birds."
He spends the next twenty minutes watching the colors illuminate Stiles' face, his eyes lit up in wonder, face tilted towards the sky. Derek's never really thought about the type of person he'd settle down with. Until recently, he'd not thought it was really an option. He's impossible for most people to spend more than few hours with, let alone share space with. He's impatient, and stubborn, short tempered, and disdainful. Somehow, amazingly, it seems like everything that makes him up, the things he considered flaws, are exactly the right kind of things that fit with Stiles. For every argument, Stiles has a come back, for every snarky remark, Stiles has a retort. He thrives on winding Derek up. He lives to sneak up on Derek during meet and greets, laughing it off as Peter Pan up to his tricks, as Derek pretends to smile and shake his fist, narrowing his eyes at Stiles in warning when no one else is looking. He and Derek sometimes get up early, visit the park before it's busy in plain clothes, sit on the rides or rock back and forth on the big wheel, admiring the park. Stiles once paused several Disney movies (making Derek watch them all in the process) just to show Derek where the artists had included the word sex.
Stiles is constantly breaking down walls Derek didn't even know he had. Derek's stupidly, horrendously, devotedly into him.
He sits forward to knock his elbow against Stiles', and Stiles smiles endearingly back at him.
"You're the best thing I never knew I needed," he mutters grudgingly, as Isaac accidentally kicks him in the kidney when a large blue firework lights up the sky Somebody cheers. Allison's falling asleep in Lydia's lap. Stiles is looking at him like he's the brightest star in the sky.
He leans closer, strokes his thumb along Derek's jaw and then ducks his head to press his lips to Derek's. Derek sucks in a breath, snakes a hand round Stiles' back to tug him into Derek's space completely. Stiles smells like grass and his aftershave, tastes like beer and candy, his eyelashes smudge against Derek's cheek, and all of it is overwhelmingly, wonderfully perfect. Parts of him he didn't know existed are breaking open to ache, to finally have Stiles in his arms.
Stiles breaks away after a moment, bites his lip as he grins at Derek, eyes glinting mischievously, "A whole new world," he sing songs shrilly, and Derek tackles him back into the grass as the fireworks explode overhead.
Isaac doesn't even seem to mind too much that they take one of the beers with them.
