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The first thing Stiles notices when he and Derek start dating (well, rather, when they starts having sex and Stiles starts spending the night at Derek’s loft, because they just went on dates for a couple of weeks before that starts happening, and it really was sweet and wonderful, much as Stiles loves sex with Derek) is that Derek really likes cereal.
Like, really loves it.
The first times Stiles wakes up at Derek’s apartment (the first time he wakes up after having spent the night with Derek minus any else; the pack and parts of the pack have stayed there together before), he comes down to Derek making omelettes and bacon. The second time, he wakes up before Derek and goes down to scour the kitchen himself. He finds and makes coffee easily, then goes to see if there’s any pancake mix or something around.
Except – instead, he opens the cupboard above the sink to find – he counts eleven boxes of cereal.
Which – okay, Stiles wouldn’t find it so odd, except that upon closer inspection, all eleven boxes are open. And Derek is fairly health conscious; he eats a lot of red meat but counteracts (or compliments) it with tonnes of vegetables and fruits. So Stiles fully expects to find granola and flax cereals and wheat cereals – which he does. He also finds boxes of sugary cereals, the kinds mostly kids eat, which is completely unexpected to Stiles.
Derek comes in as Stiles is sorting through the cereal – he finds Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which Stiles ate every day for breakfast for nine months when he was ten, no matter what else his dad offered him – and he looks just a little bit embarrassed when he sees what Stiles is doing.
“So I see you like cereal,” is how Stiles greets him, and Derek grunts, getting down a mug and pouring coffee for himself.
“The Kashi I totally expected, but I most definitely did not see you as a fan of Trix.”
Derek shrugs, leaning against the counter and looking at Stiles, who has pulled out most of the cereal and arranged it on the counter.
“’M not picky when it comes to my cereal.”
“I can tell,” Stiles picks up a box, “I was going to make something for breakfast, but now I just kind of want Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”
“Mmm,” Derek hums, reaches up to get two bowls down, “Hand me the Fruit Loops?”
Stiles laughs, pulls out another box.
“I never thought I’d hear you say the words ‘Fruit Loops’, I gotta say.”
“I’m full of surprises,” Derek replies as he gets out the milk.
“Indeed you are. Hmm. Saturday morning, cereal. Now we just need cartoons and we’ll have recreated my childhood.”
“You know I have cable,” Derek tells him, and Stiles’ eyes light up. Derek continues with, “There’re Pop Tarts in the next cupboard over if you want one of those, too.”
Which. Stiles’ jaw drops at that, and he’s blurting out, “Holy shit I think I’m in love with you.” Which. Maybe isn’t the right thing to say to someone you’ve only been dating for a couple of weeks. Regardless of how Stiles actually feels, and regardless of the fact that he’s known Derek for years and is pretty sure he was in love with him for a while before they started dating, he thinks it’s best to wait at least a couple of months before breaking out the L-word, joking or not.
Derek, though, takes it all in stride, just smiles at him and pours his cereal and milk and looks amusedly at Stiles’ wide eyes. He picks up his bowl and leans over to give Stiles a kiss.
“But when you are ready to say it for real, just know that I’m completely in love with you.”
He leaves the kitchen, leaving Stiles gaping after him, a couple of moments later yelling in from the living room, “Tom and Jerry is on. That okay?”
Stiles moves slowly to get his own cereal around, unable to respond because –
Holy shit he definitely is in love with Derek.