potus } { of dancing around and unexpected responses

[werewolfqueen]

Hayley: [and when the blessed blessed relief of ac comes back on, Hayley sends a text to Klaus to let him know that everything was back in order. It's been long enough now that her head is back on straight and she's swinging back around to the fact that her and Derek was a heat-induced delusion and still a very terrible idea, regardless of her feelings. She's going to take a cool shower, she's going to forget that kiss ever happened, and she's going to go on with her life.] I let Klaus know everything's fixed. I'm going to go take a shower.

Derek: [it was a bad idea. a horrible idea. Hayley was Klaus' ex, and the mother of his child. He was just letting the heat get to him. But still... it's something he had been thinking about for awhile] Alright. I'm going to start closing the windows.

Hayley: [she nods] I'll close any I find on the way. [yep, definitely time to cool off, though she does take one last lingering look at those sweaty shoulders]

Derek: [and oh, look, his eyes are in her direction, and definitely not aimed at her eyes. But he'll quickly turn to go, heading for the main room]

Hayley: [nope. bad idea terrible idea. time to keep walking and take the coldest shower. Which she will and hopefully she will have a clearer head when she emerges. Or Klaus will be home. Either sounds like a great boner-killer.]

Derek: [he'll at least have a shirt on. And he's working on cleaning up the living room]

Hayley: [and she'll wander out, towel drying her hair] Everything good?

Derek: Yeah. I figured I'd take advantage of Hope not being back yet to clean up the main room.

Hayley: Sounds like a good plan. Have anything in mind for dinner?

Derek: I was debating between a slab of beef, or some chicken breasts.

Hayley: Either of those sounds great.

Derek: I'll put them both on the grill then. Not like leftovers are a bad thing here.

Hayley: Sounds good. I'll see what I can scrounge up for sides.

Derek: See if Klaus will stop at the kosher deli on the way back and get German potato salad.

Hayley: [nods and goes to grab her phone to text him] I'll see if we have some beer too.

Derek: Yes, please. [and he's going to go onto the balcony and get the grill going]

Hayley: [and she'll drum up some beers and pop one open for herself, as well as set the table. then her phone dings and she checks it] Klaus says he's going to be a bit for the potato salad. Want me to run out and get it?

Derek: If you want. Up to you.

Hayley: How long's left on the meat?

Derek: I'm just about to flip it, so at least ten minutes.

Hayley: I'll go get the sides. Table's set and everything so I'll be right back.

Derek: Alright. [and he'll just turn up the music on his phone and enjoy his beer while chilling]

Hayley: [and off she goes to the deli where she'll pick up the potato salad and some other assorted sides, before making her way back and entering the apartment with a sigh] Smells good in here.

Derek: It had better, or I'm going to have to refund those online cooking classes.

Hayley: [she laughs] I'm sure it'll taste just as good too.

Derek: If not, I'm sure Klaus will let me know.

Hayley: Yes, he will. [she starts placing the assorted sides on the table] We good to eat?

Derek: I guess we can start without them.

Hayley: They said they'd be a while - I took that to mean they were probably going to miss it.

Derek: I'll save him a plate just in case.

Hayley: [nods, and she'll move over to start fixing herself a plate]

Derek: [as will he, trying his best to give her room]

Hayley: [and once they settle at the table and she pushes around her food a bit before glancing up to him] Maybe we should just ... clear the air? Instead of dancing around it and being super awkward when Klaus gets back?

Derek: Yeah, probably.

Hayley: This is probably a bad idea, right? I mean ... it's messy. Probably not in the good way.

Derek: Yeah, it is. And like you mentioned before, we have Hope to think about. And Klaus.

Hayley: So it happened, we were both under the influence of a heatwave. But we can be adults about it. No need to make it weird. Right? [she kind of sounds like she's trying to convince herself a little, not just him]

Derek: [and he's going to look at his plate and shrug] Yeah, of course.

Hayley: [she looks at him, and frowns] Am I reading this wrong?

Derek: [rubs at the back of his neck. He tries to say something once, hesitates, then sighs] My feelings weren't heat induced. I just gave into them and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry.

Hayley: [that is ... not what she's expecting, and stares for a second before:] Oh.

Derek: Yeah. [getting the awkward out]

Hayley: Right. That's ... okay. [that was not what she expected to hear ever] I didn't realize.

Derek: I just... with you and your pregnancy, and now you're not stuck inside anymore... you've got your whole future ahead of you, and you don't have to choose some guy you've been stuck with for a few months with no break from. I mean... [yup, rambling]

Hayley: [snorts] Why are you trying to make yourself look like a terrible option?

Derek: I'm not even going to be around much longer. I've got maybe a year and a half and then I'm back in the military.

Hayley: So why tell me?

Derek: So you don't think it was one sided.

Hayley: [she shifts and leans back in her seat] I'm not sure if that's better or not. [because now she knows and she can't help but wonder, and that's not a place her brain needs to go if they don't think it's a good idea]

Derek: I, um... I think I'm going to go for a walk. I'll clean up when I get back.

Hayley: No, I've got it. Don't worry about it.

Derek: Alright. [and he's not going to complain, just go and slip on his sneakers and head out for a long walk around the block]

Klaus: [and she will clean up and by the time he gets home, Klaus and Hope will have returned and he'll be lounging on the couch with a beer while Hayley puts Hope to sleep]

Derek: [and he will come back in, still lost in his own head]

Klaus: [glances over at him and shakes his head] Did I miss something?

Derek: Besides dinner? [and he's going to find himself a beer]

Klaus: Yes. Besides dinner.

Derek: [and he's going to collapse into the couch next to his best friend] You can't yell at me. You'll wake the baby.

Klaus: Hayley won't look me in the eye, and you've got the look on your face that you had when Paige changed schools and you lost track of her. It's a very particular brand of kicked puppy. [he takes a sip of his beer] Why would I be yelling?

Derek: [sighs] I kissed Hayley.

Klaus: [does not seem surprised] And?

Derek: [and that will get him looking at Klaus] What do you mean 'and?'

Klaus: You two have been making eyes at each other for weeks. Did you expect me to be surprised?

Derek: The woman just had your baby. I was expecting anger and disappointment in me.

Klaus: Whatever Hayley and I had was tequila fueled and not meant to last more than an evening, not stake a claim on her romantic entanglements for the rest of eternity.

Derek: Yeah, but still... you're basically my brother. You really don't find this awkward at all?

Klaus: Not really, no.

Derek: So, you'd be... fine if Hayley and I...?

Klaus: [he shrugs and takes another sip of his beer] You're both consenting adults. By all means.

Derek: [blinks, and he just sinks into the couch further] Okay then.

Klaus: [smirks] It's not as though it's Caroline, Derek. Hayley and I don't have the same relationship.

Derek: I know, but I didn't want to, you know, insult you by dating your baby mama.

Klaus: I don't really think it's my wants you should be particularly concerned with.

Derek: Well, alright then. You working tonight?

Klaus: [shakes his head] I actually have some classwork to get done, so I was going to call it a night.

Derek: Alright. See you tomorrow then

Klaus: [nods and goes to retreat to his room to enjoy his beer. and turn up the music - not enough to wake the baby, but enough that he won't hear anything else]

Derek: [well, they had also made sure to get a place with thick walls since they were two young men with their own lives. It came in handy both ways. Anyway, Derek took his time finishing his beer, trying to think about how he wanted to approach this. Finally, he downed the rest and got up, walking to stand outside Hayley's room. He took a deep breath, then knocked]

Hayley: [glances up when she sees him. she has the door open to keep an ear on Hope in the nursery, but smiles when she sees him] Hey.

Derek: [smiles back] Hey. Um, can we talk a minute?

Hayley: [nods and pushes her laptop to the side] Yeah, sure. C'mon in.

Derek: [and he'll enter, closing the door behind him.] I, uh... I did some thinking, and after talking to Klaus, I wanted... [rubs the back of his neck, because he's nervous]

Hayley: [her brow furrows and she turns to face him, curious] You wanted?

Derek: I mean, if you still want... I'd like to... to try. See what happens.

Hayley: ... With us?

Derek: [nods] Yeah. So if it wasn't just the heat for you...

Hayley: [it wasn't. but at the same time] I'm not sure it's any less of a bad idea. [but she does act on bad ideas sometimes]

Derek: I'm willing to take a chance.

Hayley: [gets up from her seat and makes her way closer] Why?

Derek: Because I like you, and I trust you. If things don't work, I think we're adult enough to be able to figure things out and talk it through.

Hayley: What about Klaus?

Derek: He... actually wasn't surprised when I told him what happened.

Hayley: [snorts] Of course he wasn't.

Derek: It was almost as if he was expecting it to happen. And he's fine with it.

Hayley: I guess I should learn to expect that Klaus will always have the exact opposite reaction than what I'd expect.

Derek: Yeah, he does that. You'd think I'd know better by now.

Hayley: [she nods, before glancing back up at him with a wry smile] I might not be good at this. Relationships, I mean. I've never really had a good one.

Derek: I've never really had a serious one. I thought I had, but she moved away and never wrote.

Hayley: Then I guess we'll be stumbling through this together.

Derek: I'm up for it if you are.

Hayley: [she's quiet for a minute before nodding] I think so.

Derek: [and he's going to just move closer to her, dropping to his knees as he leans in to kiss her]

Hayley: [and she sighs softly as she kisses him back, leaning in to wrap her arms around his neck]

Derek: [and he's going to inch closer so that it's not that awkward for either of them]

Hayley: [and instinct says to just slide into his lap so she'll do that, putting them both on the same level, kind of]

Derek: [yeah, that's better. And he can push her up against the side of her bed as he deepens the kiss]

Hayley: [yep, she can definitely work with this, as one of her hands slide up into his hair, pulling him in closer]

Derek: [and his hands are going to wander, sliding up her ribs and to her back]

Hayley: [she hums softly into the kiss, pushing up into his hands and doing her best to get closer]

Derek: [and he is more than happy to just spend the next hour there, making out like a teenager with her on the floor of her room]

Hayley: [yeah, this is really nice. and she's trying not to be that girl and push this any farther, but when it starts getting later, she pulls back with a smirk] You should probably decide if you're gonna stay or go.

Derek: [groans, because while he wants to stay...] I don't think I have any condoms in the house.

Hayley: [laughs] And here I thought you were a Boy Scout.

Derek: They were expired. I just never got around to buying more.

Hayley: [sighs] Then I guess you gotta go.

Derek: Sorry. [he will fix this moving forward]

Hayley: [shakes her head] Nothing to apologize for. [and she shifts to get off his lap and push up onto the bed] Guess we'll have to try again another time.

Derek: Maybe I could take you out to dinner first?

Hayley: Yeah. I'd like that. [so weird to have an actual date first though]

Derek: [and he's going to stand up, trying not to draw attention to the problem in his jeans] Good. Let me know what day is best for you, and I'll get us reservations somewhere.

Hayley: [I mean, she's probably going to have to deal with some feelings of her own when he's gone] ... Reservations. Wow. So this is a real date.

Derek: [shrugs] My mom's a senator. I have a nice allowance and I like to spoil people.

Hayley: I don't think I've ever been taken anywhere that would require a reservation on a date.

Derek: Prepare to be spoiled then.

Hayley: I'll try to enjoy it and not be weird about.

Derek: If you don't like it, you can choose the next place.

Hayley: Deal. Though maybe I should pick the next place anyway. I bet I know some gems you don't know about.

Derek: Alright. We go back and forth then.

Hayley: Good.

Derek: Well, I'm going to go take my cold shower now. Have a good night.

Hayley: You too. [and she'll close her door behind him and get ready to go to bed herself]

Derek: [yeah, he's going to need a few minutes before he can get out of the shower and go to bed himself]

Hayley: [poor Derek. At least he'll be prepared next time]

Derek: [hell yeah.]