It’s almost midnight. The club is even more crowded than it has been since people are getting up from their tables and moving onto the dance floor. Stiles has just gone to the bathroom, and he’s trying to make it back to his blind date before the clock strikes twelve. The fact that he’s spending New Year’s Eve on a blind date that isn’t actually going all that well is something he’s trying to ignore at the moment. There’s a part of him that’s hoping maybe a traditional midnight kiss will help improve the date, but he’s not all that optimistic.
Michael is a car salesman who has spent most of the meal trying to convince Stiles to buy a new car or talking about himself. They have nothing in common at all beyond the fact they both like men. Stiles has to have faith that there’s something he’s missing about the guy because the idea that Lydia would set him with someone just because they both like dick is disheartening. Spending New Year’s Eve at a crowded club isn’t fun, either. Stiles is twenty-six, and he prefers smaller gatherings to this social nightmare. Michael had insisted, though, and it hadn’t been worth arguing with his date to suggest other options.
Scanning the crowd, he tries finding Michael. The only thing Lydia did get right is the physical appeal. Michael’s a little taller than him, has dark hair, and his build is muscular without being a body builder. If Stiles were into hook-ups these days instead of actually trying to find a partner, Michael’s the type he’d definitely consider of a one night stand. There won’t be sex tonight, though, because Stiles can’t even really stand the guy, and the thought of getting naked with him doesn’t excite him. He’s willing to do the kiss thing to see if maybe there are sparks he doesn’t expect, but he’s mostly just going through the motions until he can end the date.
It’s a terrible way to start off the New Year, but he chooses to believe that it’s not going to signify a year filled with more bad first dates and being alone every night. The loneliness is something he’s got used to, but he keeps expecting that he’ll eventually meet someone who can appreciate his sense of humor and intensity without deciding he’s too overwhelming, too clingy, too sarcastic, too whatever reason they always come up with whenever he does actually get more than one date. The whole constant rejection thing is making him more defensive on the dates, unfortunately. In fact, he’s been tempted to quit the whole search for someone to love him because it gets old after so many disappointments, and it’s not like he isn’t happy or fulfilled just because he’s single.
The whole dating thing has generally made him a little more insecure, but it’s also helped him accept that he doesn’t need another person to make him happy, and it’s made him reevaluate his priorities with life, love, sex, and the future. Hell, he can’t even remember the last time he had sex, in fact. After having a woman he’d dated briefly a few years ago tell him his dick is amazing but it isn’t worth putting up with his personality to have it, he just started to avoid having sex until he knows a relationship is serious because he doesn’t want to invest emotionally in someone who turns out to just be using him for sex. It just so happens that there hasn’t been a serious relationship since.
The countdown is starting when Stiles spots a dark-haired guy standing alone by the table where he had let Michael when going to the bathroom. He can’t see his face, but the guy is wearing a black coat just like Michael, so it must be him. Thank God. There’s been a part of him that was worried maybe Michael took his bathroom break as an opportunity to leave without awkward goodbyes. As it is, the date might be bad, but at least he hasn’t been dumped.
Stiles can get this kiss done then call the date a bust. Stiles pushes through the crowd, reaching up to grip Michael’s hair as he spins in front of him, leaning up to kiss him just as the count hits one. Michael tenses before he’s suddenly kissing Stiles back, his hand gripping Stiles’ hair and his other hand moving down to grip his ass. Rather forward, especially considering the bad date, but maybe Stiles is the only one who thought the date was going poorly. He’s been known to self-sabotage sometimes, after all, and he’s willing to take the blame because this kiss isn’t what he expects at all.
The kiss is amazing. The best first kiss he’s ever had, and the best anytime kiss he’s had in a very long time. Stiles tightens his grip on Michael’s hair, licking at his lips, taking advantage when he parts them by deepening the kiss. Stiles swears his toes curl when Michael licks into his mouth and strokes his tongue, and he does whimper slightly as he moves even closer. This kiss is like the ultimate goal for first kisses because there’s a gentleness mixed with passion mixed with temptation. It’s enough to make Stiles change his mind about giving this blind date a chance to become something more because each swipe of a tongue against his makes him want more kisses, maybe every day for the rest of his life, which then means a transition to clingy Stiles and not working out. Damn.
Michael pulls back from the kiss, rubbing his stubble covered jaw against Stiles’ cheek, kissing his face as—wait. Michael doesn’t have stubble. He’s clean shaven and has a round face. Stiles stops making whiny little panting sounds because the kiss really is that amazing, and he pushes on the muscular chest he’s been stroking and touching while they kissed. A stranger blinks down at him, beautiful eyes that are green or blue or who even can tell because they’re like no color Stiles has ever seen before.
“You aren’t Michael,” he says slowly, just staring at this gorgeous guy who could easily be a model, maybe he is?, and definitely isn’t his date. Stiles just attacked this stranger’s mouth like some desperate pathetic needy creature. This is pretty embarrassing, and he feels a flush spread over his face as he stares stupidly at this gorgeous man who is looking at him curiously.
The guy’s eyebrows move up and down for several silent moments, and Stiles is wondering if he’s supposed to somehow speak eyebrow or something. Finally, the guy speaks. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, well, I already knew that,” Stiles points out, dragging his fingers through his hair. “I thought you were my date.”
“Oh really?” The guy arches his brow then, lips twitching slightly. “You don’t appear to be inebriated, and I don’t see any dates rushing up to yell at you for kissing me instead of them.”
“I’m not drunk, and I think maybe he left. Michael’s a blind date, I just met him tonight, and he’s about your height and has black hair and the coat was similar from the back.” Stiles is trying not to start flailing as he explains why he made the mistake. “And you kissed me back, so I assumed…wait, you kissed me back.”
“I was caught up in the moment,” the guy drawls. “It’s New Year’s Eve, and everyone else was kissing. I didn’t even want to be here tonight, but my sisters insisted I stop being a creepy loner for at least one night. Then someone comes up and kisses me, so I figured why not? I saw enough before there were lips on mine to know that it was a hot guy who is totally my type, too.”
“Why not,” Stiles repeats, face flushing because this work of art come to life just called him hot. He thinks. “Did some other guy come up and kiss you? I mean, the hot comment was for me and not some guy who really deserves it?”
The tips of the guy’s ears turn red and a faint flush appears high on his cheekbones as he stares at Stiles. “I said that bit aloud, huh?” He leans in when the crowd shoves against them. “You deserve it. God, you’re beautiful.”
“Me?” Stiles blinks at him. “I’m beautiful? You’re like so gorgeous it’s unreal. How can you even…are you serious?”
“No, I’m Derek,” the guy says, cringing suddenly as he runs his hand over his face. “See, this is why I don’t do social interaction. I make terrible jokes and kiss hot guys who aren’t even intending to kiss me.”
Stiles huffs a laugh. “It wasn’t a terrible joke. I’m Stiles, and I think your social skills are pretty solid. Of course, my brain might still be mush after that amazing kiss, but whatever.” He isn’t entirely sure if Derek is actually flirting with him or not, but he decides to follow Derek’s example and go for it because why not? “For the record, if I’d gotten a good look at you first, I never would have kissed you because it would be like a mere mortal approaching a God for a kiss.”
“Stiles?” Derek’s eyebrows do that talking thing again. Then he laughs, his smile wide and his eyes crinkling and, fuck, Stiles thought he was gorgeous before but now he’s like other worldly stunning. “I’d probably be Hades, or maybe Hephaestus in that scenario.”
“That sucks because there’s no way I’m attractive enough to pull of Aphrodite or Persephone,” Stiles teases, wondering if it’s really possible to fall in love with a stranger who kisses amazing and manages to be almost as geeky as Stiles but in an adorable way.
“Those aren’t really the best relationship goals to have anyway,” Derek points out. “So I guess it’s good that I’m a mortal, too, huh? We can try for goals that maybe don’t include sleeping around or only seeing each other half the year.”
“Yeah.” Stiles licks his lips as he drops his gaze to Derek’s mouth. Looking up, he smiles wryly. “You must think I’m an ass. Kissing and flirting with you when I’m on a date with someone else. I wouldn’t normally do anything like this, you know? The date was pretty awful, though, and he seems to have left while I was in the bathroom, which sort of sucks because getting dumped on New Year’s Eve and immediately meeting a gorgeous man who seems practically perfect but is way out of my league is like every single guy cliché rom-com moment rolled into one.”
“They don’t usually do single guy rom-com moments, do they? And if it involved gay or bisexual men, there would probably be tragedy or death, so maybe let’s avoid the cinematic comparisons to real life,” Derek says, reaching out to touch Stiles’ jaw. “We need to discuss this league of yours, though, because I totally disagree.”
“Maybe we can discuss it over coffee,” Stiles suggests, biting the inside of his cheek as he waits for Derek to either laugh at him for thinking this flirting is real enough for a date or to look annoyed at Stiles taking it from flirting to something more. “If you wanted to, I mean.”
“How about breakfast? I know a twenty-hour place not that far from here, and I’d like the chance to get to know you before you have time to start having self-doubts and convince yourself that kiss was a fluke or to listen to the voice in your head telling you there’s no way you ran into some guy who seems to be everything you want rolled into one pretty package with moles and sinful lips,” Derek tells him, ears so red it’s almost fascinating. “Or I could be projecting, just a little.”
“Just a little,” Stiles agrees, lips curving into a smile. “Part of that was right, minus the moles but with beautiful eyes added. But, yeah, breakfast is good. Great idea. You’re obviously really smart, Derek. And maybe we should kiss again? Just to make sure that first one wasn’t a fluke, of course.”
“Right. Of course,” Derek murmurs, leaning in and carding his fingers through Stiles’ hair. “We should totally rule out the fluke thing, just in case. You’re obviously smart, too, Stiles.”
“Yeah, I’m a real genius.” He smiles slightly before leaning up and pressing his mouth against Derek’s lips. They kiss slowly, taking their time as they move their lips, licking tentatively almost, and exploring each other with their tongues as they press even closer. Stiles move his hand down Derek’s back, squeezing a firm ass cheek while his other hand plays with the hair at the nape of his neck. Derek’s hands aren’t idle, either. One is in Stiles’ hair, tugging gently as the kiss deepens, and the other is resting against his hip, his shirt pushed up so Derek’s thumb can rub against his bare skin.
This isn’t how Stiles expected to spend his New Year’s Eve at all. Who could expect getting dumped by a blind date but somehow meeting a man that he really wants to get to know better actually happening? And he isn’t interested in getting to know him better just because Derek’s got a great smile, a pretty face, a hot bod, and amazing kisses. Those are great things, sure, but he also really likes the sarcasm he can sense lurking in some of Derek’s comments, the intelligence evident when he speaks, and the way Derek looks at him like maybe Stiles is someone worth knowing and possibly loving.
The second kiss is no less amazing than the first one, possibly even better since he actually knows who he is kissing this time. They’re past the tentative stage now, though, with the licks becoming bolder, the exploring giving way to intense passion that has his toes curling again. When Derek licks into his mouth, Stiles knows without a doubt that this isn’t a fluke. As silly as it probably sounds, he thinks maybe meeting Derek is really just fate working in mysterious ways.