Work Text:
“Where’s your faith in me, dude?” Stiles scoffed. Scott just gave him a look through the computer screen.
“It’s not about faith. You just aren’t known for making good furniture decisions. You had that raggedy bean bag chair for ages. I remember getting little fuzz balls shooting out of it when you sat on it.”
“Don’t judge me for my elementary school choices. I have evolved. Besides, we’ve been in this apartment for two months with the bare minimum of furniture and everything else on boxes.”
“Well, at least get them to assemble it for you. I don’t want to come home next week to a destroyed apartment.” Scott rolled his eyes, grinning.
“I got this, bro. Enjoy your visit with Kira and you’ll come home to a lovely furnished apartment that you’ll be thanking me for.” Stiles waved him out, as they closed out of skype.
“Seriously, how hard can this be?” Stiles murmured to himself.
Stiles stared at the pile of boxes on the rolling cart, then back at his Jeep. He flipped off a driver honking at him wanting his spot, as he mentally decided how to fit everything in to get it home. He struggled for about thirty minutes before the short blonde girl from the store came out to take pity on him and moved everything around. It was probably a good thing he only decided to do a few things at a time, and not all the furniture at once.
“I bet you’re killer at tetris.” He laughed, squeezing into the driver’s seat, with a thin box tucked under his arm from the backseat.
Once all the boxes were pulled from the Jeep and into the apartment, Stiles turned on a movie for background noise, and began to unbox them.
“What the hell is this?” Stiles stared unhappily at the pictures on the instructions. There weren’t any directions other than little arrows. “Okay, I am in college. I am good at figuring things out. There’s no way I’m not getting these stupid things together.” Stiles nodded at his own pep talk and got to work.
Within thirty minutes, he swallowed a bit of his pride and called his dad.
“I’m too busy at work, son. Why don’t you wait until Scott gets back?” Stiles huffed and hung up. He struggled with the hardware for the TV center but it seemed like none of the holes would line up. He tried to force them in but ended up stripping skin off his hand. He got a beer out of the fridge, and tried to make sense of the instructions. He ended up taking a sip when he did look at them between hammering the pieces to fit. It didn’t take long for the bottle to be empty. He sighed.
“Why is it so important to get it done without Scott?” Lydia replied, once she had chastised him for calling her when he knew it was her dedicated library study time.
“Because I’m an adult, I don’t want him to say I told you so.”
“Yet, he did.” She laughed.
“Lyds.. come on, what do I do?”
“Well, if you can’t, and you don’t want him to, just hire someone else to do it.” Stiles smiled at her advice, not even disappointed he didn’t come up with that idea himself.
“You are a lady and heroine, my dear.”
“Don’t forget it. Good luck.” They got off the phone, and Stiles dug through a box of craft supplies in his closet he had for his study board. He pulled out some bright green cardstock and a sharpie. He scribbled out his message and went to the downstairs hallway to pin it to the apartment message board.
“Furniture Assembly. Please, please, please help me assemble three counter stools and a TV center. Actually, don’t help me, just do it. Will pay. Too many tears have been shed. I am the bigger person and admit defeat. ASAP. - Stiles, apt B4”
Stiles goes back to his apartment and plays some Fallout 4 until he hears a knock on his door. He opens the door to his gorgeous downstairs neighbor with the Camaro. He usually sees him coming home as Stiles is going to his afternoon classes. He’s never spoken to him, so he doesn’t know much about him.
“Hey, I saw your sign on the board. Need some help?” He smiled. Stiles felt his heart beat faster. He definitely wanted to see that smile more. He had always looked so imitating when Stiles had seen him, and it made Stiles want more to see a softer side of him.
“I definitely, definitely do.” Stiles moved back to let him see the mess of furniture parts all over the living room.
“Wow.” He laughed, and held his hand out. “I’m Derek, from A2.” Stiles shook his hand, and had to mentally stamp down his urge to lick his way up the muscles tightening in Derek’s arm. He was so much more fit close up than the glances he’s seen of him getting out of his car.
“Stiles, obviously from my note. I’m glad you came, dude. I am pretty much dying here with this. My roommate will be back in a few days and I don’t want him to know I failed at this.”
“Got it. I’m pretty good at building things, my dad and I did a lot of remodeling on our family house when I was younger.
“Awesome! Where should we start?” Stiles moved to let Derek in and shut the door behind them.
Derek spent the first few minutes, cataloging the pieces with the instructions to make sure they had everything before going down to his apartment to get some tools since Stiles only had a few basic things. He came back up with a toolbag and they got to work. They talked about their families, and Scott. Derek lived by himself, and was enjoying it since he was used to having a crowded house with all his siblings. Derek redrilled the holes on the sides of the TV center and got it together. Stiles helped as much as he could by holding things still and bringing Derek a beer.
“Done.” Derek dusted off his hands, putting his tools away. Stiles moved the stools to the kitchen counter, and smiled at the TV they had already put on the center.
“It looks great!” He pulled out his wallet. “How much do I owe you?”
“Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t doing anything today anyway. Thanks for the beer, and if you need anymore help, let me know.”
After Derek left, Stiles took a picture of the new furniture and texted it to Scott with a BOOYAH.
The next day, Stiles goes and buys the rest of what they needed. He loads the boxes for a coffee table and two nightstands into his jeep, and didn’t even need the associate’s help to get them in. When he gets home, he goes to knock on Derek’s door. He answers in a pair of sweatpants and no shirt.
“Hey Stiles.” Derek smiles.
“Hey, so I have a few more things to put together, if you’re free.” Stiles gets out, trying not to stare at Derek’s abs.
“Yeah, I was just working out but I’m good now. Let me toss on a shirt and I’ll meet you in your apartment in a few minutes.”
They spent the afternoon putting together the furniture, and arguing over the new Captain America coming out. (Stiles can forgive that Derek is Team Ironman, he’s cute even when he’s wrong.)
Once Derek leaves, Stiles feels sad about it, but he could never get the courage to just ask Derek out. He’s so gorgeous, and has a sense of humor that fits so nicely with Stiles’. But while they are friendly, he hasn’t gotten any feeling that Derek might be into him from just the two afternoons of them hanging out. He needs more time to feel it out but he doesn’t have any more excuses to bring him over.
Stiles finds himself in Ikea once again. He searches forever but they really don’t need anything else. He goes to the clearance and finds a rolling kitchen island that won’t kill his wallet. It will barely fit in their kitchen but he can get Derek to put it together, ask him out, and then pawn it off on his dad.
When he gets Derek up to his apartment this time, Derek cocks his eyebrow.
“Did you really buy this because you need it? I don’t think you could even fit in your kitchen with this in there.”
“Well..” Stiles grimaced. “I thought it would fit but didn’t measure, so..” He took a breath, and sighed. “Sorry, I am seriously not this weird of a guy.” Stiles bit his lip and decided to just go for it. “Actually, I like you. I don’t want to just be friends. I just couldn’t figure out how to just ask you out without an excuse.”
“Oh, well, that’s good then. I wanted to ask you out when I saw you move in but I didn’t know if you and Scott were boyfriends or friends.”
“Definitely just friends.” Stiles replied. Derek took Stiles’ hand and rubbed his thumb against the band-aid covering his skinned hand.
“Since that’s out there, let’s not build any more unnecessary furniture.” Derek laughed, and Stiles smiled at him, happily.
“Since we’re both into each other, could I kiss you?” Stiles leaned into Derek, moving his hand to intertwine their fingers. In answer, Derek settled his hands on Stiles’ hips and covered the distance to kiss him. Stiles wrapped his other arm around Derek’s neck. Derek backed them up into the living room, and plopped on the couch, Stiles straddling his lap. Stiles groaned as he grinded against Derek’s lap, and Derek mouthed against Stiles’ neck.
“You are so hot.” Stiles mumbled against Derek’s mouth. Derek chuckled and nipped at his bottom lip. Stiles pulls back to catch his breath, and Derek took the opportunity to change positions and lean Stiles down, with his back on the coffee table.
“You’re not so bad yourself.” Derek nudges his nose against Stiles’ cheek and kisses down his jawline. Stiles spread his legs to accommodate Derek’s weight between them, and wrapped them around his hips. Derek held himself up with a hand above Stiles’ shoulder, and dragged the other down his stomach. He looked at Stiles, warmly, before snapping the button on his jeans. Stiles arched up into his touch.
Just before Derek’s hand reaches it’s target, there’s a loud snap, and a moment of panic before the coffee table slams down on the floor, taking the two of them with it.
Stiles groaned, and rubbed his bruised ass as Derek laughed into his shoulder before rolling off.
“Fucking Ikea.” Stiles can’t help but chuckle at the broken mess.
They clean up, and take a trip to get a replacement. After they reassembled it, Derek goes to leave.
“You know, this isn’t how I pictured our first date going.” Stiles said, leaning against the door.
“Well, let’s call this the getting to know each other, and let’s go see a movie this weekend. We have plenty of time to one up this date.” Derek kissed Stiles, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. “No more Ikea, though.” Stiles laughs.
“Deal.”
When Scott gets back home, he dropped his backpack by the door, and clapped Stiles on the back.
“Good job, dude. It looks awesome in here.” Stiles grinned. Scott dropped his keys on the coffee table. “Hey, I saw a table just like this one in pieces at the garbage bin.” Stiles shrugged.
“Huh, weird.”