The Perk | Wednesday Morning

[robinonadderall]

Stiles was back at the Perk with his laptop and notebook, trying to make more of a dent into his little kanima problem. He was becoming quite close with the barista. She at least knew him well enough to provide a handful of plastic coffee stirrers to help appease his oral fixation. It was either that or he'd chew the edge of the lid on his cup to hell and back and render it undrinkable.

There was a nice little collection of already chewed up stirrers piling up on a napkin beside him and he had one in his mouth as he used every Google trick he knew to research what the eff a kanima was. He might have to go out and open a book soon, the horror.

[Expecting a few but the post is open to everyone, of course]

Comments

[bitten_notshy]

After getting his coffee, Jack hesitated a bit -- it was always awkward to talk to people who had last seen you transforming -- but went over to Stiles.

"So Derek has a new housemate," he announced, then realized that was neither really Stiles' problem nor how most people started conversations. "And hello, I'm sorry I tried to eat you last time I saw you."

Because that was so much better.

[robinonadderall]

"Don't worry about it, every werewolf I've ever met has tried to eat me at one point or another. Happened just last week in fact," Stiles said with a wave of his hand. "Derek's got a roommate? Is this person a masochist? Have they committed some evil in the past and want to punish themselves to make amends?"

[bitten_notshy]

"That was my first question too," Jack said wryly. "But apparently someone actually spent money to buy that house. They have keys, Derek doesn't, but for some reason they aren't forcing him to move out."

He sipped his coffee before adding, "Yet."

[robinonadderall]

"Ah, right, Derek doesn't really take the legal route when it comes to house hunting," Stiles said with a nod. "He's staying with you if he gets thrown out because I was stuck housing him the last time he needed a place to sleep."

So what if it was a different Derek, Stiles refused to do that again.

[bitten_notshy]

"And because you're in the dorms, and they probably frown on students importing strange men," Jack pointed out, but with a sigh. "All right. I can keep him and Kaidan from killing each other, if it comes to that."

Jack knew Ronan would be fine with Derek moving in. But possibly Ronan would be a bit too fine with it.

"I still can't believe someone wants to own that house."

[robinonadderall]

"Maybe dilapidated pieces of crap are the hip thing in the housing market right now," Stiles said with a shrug. "Or maybe he's trying to fix it up. If any house needs fixing up, it's that one."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack nodded thoughtfully. "Probably it'd be worth something if it was in decent shape," he admitted.

[dollpocalypse]

"Whatcha doing?"

Jesus, Topher. You didn't just stand behind someone and start talking like that. Unless you were Derek. And even Derek would ordinarily skip the talking part.

[robinonadderall]

"Jesus!" Make him almost choke on his stirrer, why don't you? "You can't just sneak up on people like that! Not unless you have claws and pointy teeth and a severe staring problem!"

[dollpocalypse]

"...and that would make it better?"

From where Topher was standing, that would only increase the creepiness, but okay.

[robinonadderall]

"No, but it'd be what I'm used to," Stiles said. "And it'd be okay if I jumped at something scary which...you're definitely not."

[dollpocalypse]

"Heeey." No, Stiles had a point. "I am so. Sometimes. Maybe."

...

"Never mind."

[robinonadderall]

"You're about as scary as I am," Stiles said. "Which is to say not at all."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher pondered that. "Okay, well, as long as we're tied," he decided. "Anyway. Whatcha doing?"

[newroutines]

Mike was still on the phone with the guy whose number Kitty had given him last night as he entered the Perk. "–– definitely think you can get power turned on before the end of the week? Fantastic, thank you so much. 'Kay I'll talk to you later. Thank you."

He ended the call with a sigh, then went to order himself some coffee, making the barista somewhat flustered in the process even though he was just being nice. She even accidentally dropped something, which was why Mike chose to leave her be after he got his coffee.

And so, checking the next order of business from the list on his phone, he wound up asking Stiles, "Hey, kid, you happen to know of any furniture stores on the island?"

[robinonadderall]

Stiles had been deeply immersed in research (actually he had gotten caught in TVTropes) and hadn't looked up when Mike came in. And yet miraculously Stiles somehow knew it was him Mike was talking to.

"Not a kid and, yes, I realize that I answered to kid, it's force of habit, and to answer your question--" Stiles looked up and forgot what exactly the question was when he got a look at Mike. "Oh my god."

Hooooooot. So hot.

[newroutines]

Now, it would've been wrong to say Mike wasn't used to that kind of reaction, because he was. It was just that he generally tended to be a lot less clothed (and in front of a bunch of women) when it happened. So he hadn't really been expecting it right now.

He looked mostly a little amused by it. "That's... not really an answer."

[robinonadderall]

"You asked a question?" Stiles. Stiles. "Oh, furniture! Right, I remember now. There was a person was on fire right behind you, it was distracting, don't bother looking they're gone now."

"To answer your question, no. I have no idea. They give us our furniture at the dorms."

[newroutines]

That was some pretty impressive babbling, right there. Mike made no comment, though.

"Oh, okay," he said. "Guess I'll have to ask around some more, then. Is there like a town hall or something where I could get, like, a map or a business directory? Or am I just doomed to wander the streets until I find what I'm looking for?"

It was a small island but still.

[robinonadderall]

"Yeah, town hall's right down the street," Stiles said. "It's really hard to get lost here. I mean, I've managed it but that's not surprising. I should say that the average person would find it hard to get lost here."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack had aged into greater subtlety than Stiles had, and Mike wasn't really his type anyhow: If he was going to stare at a man, it was usually someone slighter and darker.

But that didn't mean he didn't appreciate eye candy, even if it wasn't a brand he wanted to take home from the store.

"Hello there," he said, pleasantly enough, when he went past Mike's table to get a second coffee. "Are you new here?"

[newroutines]

"Is it that obvious?"

Give him some time, he'd learn to spot a newbie too. And not entirely just because the community was so small.

He nodded. "Yeah, just got in yesterday." He held out his hand. "Name's Mike."

[bitten_notshy]

"There's this sheen you have the first few weeks," Jack explained, taking the offered hand. "I promise, it fades eventually. I'm Jack."

[newroutines]

Mike nodded. "Nice to meet you, Jack." His handshake was brief, but firm. "I guess it'll help with the new guy sheen once I stop having to ask people for help with the most basic things, too."

Like electricity. Sigh, house.

[bitten_notshy]

"Bathroom's to the left and behind the kitchen, the Devil's Nest is the bar with fewer students in it, and nothing's wrong with your eyes if you spot a teal deer or a flamingo in the park," Jack told him smoothly. "Was any of that what you needed to know?"