Derek crouched to bring himself eye level with Rico. “Would you happen to know where your father is?”

Rico stared up at him with big eyes and an even bigger grin. “He told me to tell you he’d be up on the roof today.”

Derek’s brow shot up. “Your dad told you to tell me that?”

“He said he knew you would try to find him, and would ask me. So, he’s told me where he was going to be every day for like…a week,” Rico informed him with a cheeky smile.

Derek sighed, of course Stephan had. “And you’re sure he’s up there?”

“Yep! He said he was going to be up there doing some reading, unless it rained. Do you like reading? Because I sure don’t, it’s boring. I don’t know how my dad does it,” Rico said with a small frown.

“Can’t say it was my favorite thing growing up, but I think I’m starting to understand why it’s so important. I would have never learned everything about being here if it wasn’t for reading,” Derek informed him.

Rico sighed. “That’s what my dad says all the time too. I just wish there were more fun ways to learn stuff, instead of having to sit around reading a book all the time.”

“Maybe we could look into other options, but in the meantime, I need to go talk to your dad,” Derek said, standing up straight.

“Okay, maybe you can make him feel better, I think he’s been in a bad mood,” Rico said.

“How long has that been going on?” Derek asked, hoping it sounded innocent.

Rico thought about it. “I dunno, only a few days.”

Derek could guess when this “bad mood” of Stephan’s had started. He wasn’t going to tell Rico his suspicions though, and he sent him off with a farewell. The boy gave a final look backward, grinning at him before disappearing around a corner. Derek wasn’t sure what he was going to do in the future, but he knew if he really did go back to the sept, he would miss the boy. There was enough of Stephan’s looks and inner steadiness for him to see the adult he might become. He hoped that one day, Rico would be able to harness his restlessness and find a way to channel it into something productive.

When he mounted the top of the stairs, he spotted where Stephan had camped out. He had dragged up a small umbrella and cushion for him to use and was sitting under the afternoon sun. He didn’t move at the sound of the door, but Derek assumed with how loud it had been, Stephan had heard it. Derek approached him carefully, taking in the sight of him unmoving and comfortable.

There was something charming about the sight of Stephan at ease and engrossed in whatever it was he was reading. His long legs were stretched out, with the hand holding the book nestled in his lap. The sun shone off his hair, and as Derek got closer, he could see Stephan’s eyes sweeping hungrily over the pages of the book. His fingers moved more gracefully than their thickness would imply, shifting a page of the book over to move to the next section.

Derek thought about it for a moment before realizing he couldn’t remember a time he’d seen Stephan just simply sitting doing something. Before coming up on the roof, he’d always seen the man actively busy with something. Whether it was fidgeting with a fickle piece of equipment like the air filters, generators, or whatever else kept the place moving, or occupying his time with Rico, he’d only ever seen Stephan active. With the werewolf obviously at ease, the sense of inner calm and confidence that seemed to radiate out of him even in the heat of battle, was more obvious. It brought a smile to Derek’s lips as he watched him, wondering how long it would be before he was caught staring.

“I didn’t think you would get bored that quickly bud,” Stephan commented softly, his lips barely moving.

“He’s currently stalking the halls, looking for mischief to get up to,” Derek explained.

Stephan looked up, surprise flashing across his features. “Sorry, thought you were Rico…which you already figured out.”

Derek found what he felt was a relatively safe smokestack to sit on, facing Stephan. “He told me where I could find you, so I came and found you.”

Stephan hesitated, then slowly closed his book. “To be honest, I didn’t know if you would even try to come find me.”

Derek smiled shyly. “I would have to come find you eventually, right? Not like we don’t have a few important things to talk about.”

“Just going to go straight to the point, huh?” Stephan asked.

“I could always take my time, slowly work my way into the discussion, phrasing it carefully and politely to make sure no offense is taken. It would take the better part of an hour, and you would probably end up wondering what it was we were talking about in the first place,” Derek said with a slow smile.

“Point taken. Should I go first?” Stephan asked as he set the book aside carefully.

“If you think you should,” Derek said uncertainly.

Stephan nodded. “I’m sorry.”

Derek blinked in surprise. “For what?”

Stephan looked equally as surprised. “For kissing you like that. I shouldn’t have done it without warning. You already have Sean pushing himself on you as it is, you didn’t need me further complicating things.”

Derek smiled at that, feeling a wash of relief. “You didn’t…I wasn’t uncomfortable when you kissed me. What you saw was surprise, not discomfort. Of all the things I was expecting you to do, kissing me wasn’t one of them.”

Stephan ducked his head, smiling now. “I guess I’ll take surprised over pissed off.”

“Why did you do it?” Derek asked in a rush, trying to get the question out before he chickened out.

Stephan’s smile turned to a bemused look. “Because I wanted to?”

“I was…kind of hoping for something a bit more specific than that,” Derek admitted cautiously.

Stephan rolled his neck, as if bracing for a blow. “I guess it’s because…well, I wanted to. You were standing there, looking so miserable and confused. I guess that sounds really bad now that I’ve said it out loud like that, like I just did it because you were sad or something.”

“I think I understand?” Derek said, though he could hear the confusion he was feeling in his voice.

Stephan shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just…you were unhappy, and I’ve never seen you that unhappy before. I like seeing you better when you’re happy, or at least content. I didn’t really know how to make you feel better, so I just went with my first instinct. Which…kinda led to me just kissing you.”

“So, you did it to try to make me feel better?” Derek asked.

The other werewolf shrugged. “Something like that.”

“It takes you to want to make someone happy to do that, huh?” Derek asked, trying to make light of the situation to ease some of the tension.

Stephan eyed him, not taking the bait. “It’s not the first time.”

“That you’ve wanted to kiss me?” Derek asked in surprise.

Stephan shrugged again, looking more uncomfortable. “I’ve wanted to do it a few times before.”

Derek shifted, aware they were heading to the heart of the matter. “Like when?”

Stephan blew out a sharp breath. “We’re gonna really do this then? The whole open honesty thing?”

“I think we’re already there, might as well right?” Derek asked.

Stephan nodded, accepting it. “Alright. I remember thinking that you looked adorable the first time I saw you, confused, lost, and tired. The first time I saw you talking to Rico like it came naturally to you, I wanted to kiss you right there. Whenever you’re reading something on that old as hell tablet of mine, you get this little line in your forehead that makes me want to kiss you. Sometimes you laugh in this way that makes me want to do it too.”

Derek’s mouth hung open a moment before he snapped it closed so he didn’t look like a gaping fool. He knew that moments before he’d told Stephan they might as well be honest, but he hadn’t expected his friend to be quite that honest. It was, by far, the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to him and Derek wasn’t sure how to respond. He felt the heat rise to his cheeks as he realized that Stephan genuinely meant each statement, and he wondered if Stephan wanted to kiss him right then as well.

“I…don’t know what to say,” Derek finally admitted into the silence between them.

Stephan shook his head. “You don’t have to say anything, but I figured I should tell you the truth since I already kind of gave it away by just kissing you. I didn’t mean it to be creepy, and I shouldn’t have just done it without your permission. I swear I’m not some pervert.”

Derek rubbed a hand through his hair. “You’ve had all these nice thoughts about me, and all of them have been purely innocent huh?”

Stephan looked away, lips thinning. “Maybe not totally innocent, but I swear I never meant to do anything about it. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Derek had never noticed before, at least not consciously, how much Stephan’s eyes caught the shifting light of the environment around him. They were catching the afternoon sun, and the golden flecks in his hazel eyes were brilliant against the darker hue of the rest. Derek had never seen Stephan look uncomfortable, let alone embarrassed, and he found he felt guilty that he was the reason Stephan looked unhappy at that moment. He found he wished he could take the deepening frown in Stephan’s brow and smooth it out, taking the tension from his mouth and watching the corners of his lips curl upward once more.

“What if, I wanted it to?” Derek asked.

Stephan’s brow shot up, soothing out the deepening lines that had been there moments before. “What?”

Derek gestured helplessly with his hands. “I didn’t say it was a bad kiss, just that it was a surprise. I didn’t really get a chance to figure out if I liked it before you stopped and took off.”

Stephan looked uncertain. “Are you saying that you want…me to do it again?”

Since they’d agreed to be open and honest, Derek nodded. “I like you, and the kiss didn’t make me feel bad or anything. But I was too surprised to figure out if I wanted more than that from you. I think…it wouldn’t be a bad thing for us to try again, with me aware that it’s going to happen this time.”

The other man still didn’t look convinced. “You want to know if there’s something there besides just friendship?”

“I know that’s probably not the best way to go about it, but it would be the quickest, right?” Derek asked, knowing he probably sounded like he was clutching at straws.

“And if we do it, and there’s nothing there for you?” Stephan asked.

“Then I hope we can still be friends, because you’ve become important to me and it would break my heart to lose you for anything,” Derek admitted boldly.

Stephan stepped closer, bridging the difference between them as he spoke softly. “And if there is something there?”

As much as the thought of losing Stephan over this worried Derek, the idea that there might be a spark between them was even more terrifying. Just as Derek had told Trent, the two of them sharing something opened up a whole new set of problems. He was beginning to suspect perhaps he was just looking for problems. That or maybe, just maybe, he was looking for a solid reason to stay.

“Then maybe we can talk about those less than innocent thoughts you had,” Derek said instead, with a grin.

Stephan reached out, cupping the back of Derek’s head with a smile. “You’re keeping something from me.”

It wasn’t a question, and Derek blushed. “Let me work the real answer out in my heart before I say it aloud, okay? If there’s something here, then I want to find out before I do anything else. That’s not fair to you, is it?”

Stephan’s fingers rubbed against Derek’s neck. “Only if you weren’t giving me a choice, which you are, right now.”

Derek shivered under the gentle caress. “So, I guess that means…”

“Close your eyes,” Stephan told him gently.

Derek did as he was told, breathing deeply as he tried to will his body to relax. He could feel Stephan shifting around in front of him, bringing their bodies closer. They weren’t quite touching yet, save for Stephan’s hand on his neck, but he could feel the heat coming off Stephan’s body. The air around them felt cooler in contrast to the warmth between them, and Derek could feel the desire to push closer to the other werewolf growing in him.

There was a light brush of air against his lips, his only warning of Stephan’s mouth growing closer to his own. When the kiss came, Derek was so lost in his thoughts about what he was supposed to be doing that he almost missed the moment their lips met. The warmth that seemed to have been growing between them felt as if it had somehow found a way into Derek’s gut. Stephan’s fingers gripped tighter onto him, gently pulling him closer. Derek’s hand shot out, finding Stephan’s hips and pulling him the rest of the way. Their bodies collided with gentle force, and Derek pushed closer into the strength of Stephan’s body as their lips began to move.

Their mouths opened, exploring the feel of one another’s lips and tongues against the other. Derek felt the warmth in his gut spilling over to flood the rest of his body. Stephan’s other hand slipped around to press against his lower back, enfolding Derek in his embrace. Derek sighed, mentally tracing the shape of Stephan’s body against his, the grip of his arms and hands against him.

When the kiss finally broke, Derek blinked at Stephan, trying to get his bearings. He smiled when he realized that Stephan was just taller than him, enough that Derek was forced to look slightly up in order to see his eyes as close as they were. Stephan looked almost as dazed as Derek felt, but he was smiling as well. Derek let the shared moment of content surprise drift between them before he finally pulled away so he could see Stephan more clearly.

“I suppose that solves that mystery then, doesn’t it?” Derek asked with a light chuckle.

Stephan ducked his head. “I guess it does, doesn’t it? I suppose I should probably ask if there was anything there for you or not, just to be polite.”

Derek laughed at that, not caring if that was a playful dig at him or not. Stephan could tease him all he wanted, there was no way Derek would ever take it personally. It was the same as with the first surprise kiss, Derek had never suspected any ill-will from Stephan. There was a great deal of trust and comfort he bore for Stephan, built in such a short amount of time too. There were people in Derek’s life he’d known for far longer that he would never dare to trust as much as he did Stephan.

“You, uh, did feel something, right? I’m not just imagining things, am I?” Stephan asked, sounding suddenly worried.

“Oh, yes, I did. I’m just trying to find the words to describe how it made me feel,” Derek assured him hastily.

He was too bashful to say it at the moment, but the kiss had been so much like the rest of his relationship with Stephan. It had been warm, comforting, and Derek had felt completely safe in the moment. Whereas his physical contact with Sean was fierce, electric, and pumped full of conflicting passion, his simple kiss with Stephan had done more to ease his worries and tensions than anything else had in his entire life. Compared to the shocks and jolts of kissing Sean, the kiss with Stephan had left him with a gentle, floating feeling.

“You don’t have to come up with some fancy words for it you know,” Stephan told him with a light chuckle.

Derek snorted. “I suppose I just feel obligated to do so. I’ve never had a kiss like that before.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Stephan said.

Derek gazed up at him again, feeling a contented smile settle onto his face. “Most definitely.”

Stephan’s arm curled tighter around his waist. “Maybe I should have surprise kissed you sooner then. I just never thought you would…well, I didn’t think you’d look twice at me like that, not when you had Sean distracting you.”

Derek shrugged. “I can’t stand here and pretend there weren’t enjoyable aspects to what Sean and I did before, but this, this is different. Just one kiss and I can already tell you this is better. It’s warm and safe, just like how I’ve felt with you since our friendship began.”

“Warm and safe huh?” Stephan asked, sounding happy and a little uncomfortable.

Derek cocked his head. “Something wrong?”

“No, don’t worry about it, just weird thoughts. But, uh, do you wanna stay up here with me for a bit?” Stephan asked almost shyly.

Derek smiled at that. “You just want to get away with kissing me more.”

“You’re damn right.”