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Sometimes Derek has to wonder how he winds up in situations like this. When he does it always seems to lead back to one person: Stiles Stilinski, one his best friends but also an utter pain in his ass. Derek’s lost count of the amount of times Stiles has come running up to him or called him and told him he need his help or for him to cover for him. He wouldn’t be surprised if one day Stiles rang him and said he needed help burying a dead body. The thing is, Derek probably would help him. With a lot of grumbling and complaining sure, but he’d still help.
Right now though, Derek is about 10 seconds away from finding a shovel and hitting Stiles over to head with it just to wipe that smug grin off of his face. He should be the one looking smug, not Stiles. Yet here they are. All because Stiles had finally asked out Lydia Martin. Derek is happy for him, really. And if that were really the reason Stiles was looking so smug Derek would be fine with it, but it’s not.
You see, Derek had stupidly agreed to a bet with Stiles. One that he was sure he would win. He’d bet Stiles that he could ask out Theo Raeken before Stiles ever got up the nerve to ask out Lydia. Back then he’d been sure that Stiles wouldn’t do it. He was always stumbling over his words when it came to her. He has to wonder how Lydia would feel about being asked out because of a bet, but then a moment later she appears with Liam and Mason in tow, the three of them sporting flower crowns and wide grins.
“So you’re joining us Derek?” Liam asks, looking a little too happy.
Derek scowls. “Unfortunately.”
“Oh don’t be so grumpy,” Lydia says, placing a tray with flower crowns down on the table. “These are gorgeous. Mason and Liam have put a lot of work into them and they deserve to be worn.”
“Yeah but not under duress,” Derek mutters.
Lydia rolls her eyes. “You’re the one that made the bet, Derek. It’s your own fault. If you’d been paying attention, you would have known Stiles asked me out weeks ago.”
Derek’s mouth falls open in shock which is quickly replaced with a glare he directs at Stiles. “You cheated.”
“I was hoping it would be enough to get you to man up,” Stiles says. “Then I realized you only said it because you were sure I wouldn’t do it. So I had to take alternate measures. You still lost Der, so come on. Pick out your crown.”
“I think the yellow one is pretty,” Theo says, walking up next to Derek and peering into the box.
With anyone else Derek’s immediate reaction would be no. He hates yellow. But with Theo…
“Yeah. Yeah sure. The yellow is good.”
He glares at Stiles when he snickers from behind Theo. Theo just beams at him and picks up the flower crown out of the box. Derek expects him to hand it to him but instead he takes the seat next to him at the table and leans in, placing the flower crown on his head. It doesn’t quite fit his head and keeps slipping down to his forehead.
“I probably look ridiculous,” Derek mumbles, keeping his eyes on his hands.
Theo’s hands are still on either side of his head, keeping the flower crown from falling into his eyes. “I think you look cute,” Theo tells him.
Derek’s eyes snap up to meet his. “Really?”
Theo grins. “Yeah. I mean, you’re always cute. But this flower crown really works for you.”
“It’s only staying up because you’re keeping it there,” Derek points out.
“Yeah,” Theo says. “It’s perfect, isn’t it? It’s like… us. We’re always there to hold each other up when we need it. Alone the pieces might not work, but together they just fit. Which is why…”
Derek frowns when Theo moves one hand to his backpack and unzips it. When he turns back around he gives Derek a shy smile. “It’s not a flower crown. But it’s yours if you want it.”
Derek looks from Theo’s eyes down to the giant pink heart he’s holding in front of his chest. His eyes move back to Theo’s and he knows he’s not just talking about the pink heart in his hands. He looks nervous.
Derek kisses him. He doesn’t think, he just leans forward and closes the remaining distance between them, planting his lips firmly against Theo’s. Derek stars to panic when Theo doesn’t react and goes to pull away. Then Theo’s moving forward, a hand moving to grab the back of his head and pull him back in.
Derek doesn’t care that their friends are still there or that flower crown has slipped down over his eyes or that the heart Theo is holding falls to the floor. All he can focus on is Theo and the way he’s kissing him, slow and deep and like he’s something that matters. When they pulls back he can only see out of one eye thanks to the flower crown but it’s enough to see that Theo is grinning.
It turns into a soft smile when his hand moves up and pushes the flower crown back up onto his head. It’s one of Derek’s favorite smiles and he always wants to see it directed at him. As Theo leans in to kiss him again he has a moment to think that maybe flower crowns aren’t so bad after all, not when they get him an amazing boyfriend like Theo Raeken.