InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Do the funky chicken!"

Court couldn’t quite believe that it had taken so long for her to visit Derek and Steve’s new place, but she guessed they had wanted it all to be finished first. Less chance of anything falling on her head that way. She had to admit, she was sad that they weren’t living down the hall from her anymore, and though she understood their desire to have a place of their own, it felt strange without them at the facility.

Unfortunately, it had taken Derek an embarrassingly long time to actually get to the point where he could invite anyone over—a point that he felt really bad about now that they were pulling up to the building. Normally, he would have parked in the garage, but he wanted Courtney to get the full experience. Holding back a sigh that came from the dull ache of loss still clinging to his bones, he instead put on a smile and sent it her direction as he turned the car off. "Are you sure you didn't have plans after school? I know you've been riding home with Robin and other-Steve for a while now."

"Positive! I don’t have practice today." Courtney answered with a smile. She could tell he was still hurting and knew he was putting on a brave face whilst making the effort to show her this new home, so she was going to be as supportive and happy as possible in return. "Steve and Robin were going job hunting, I think. They come as a pair so I suggested they try the cinema, or seasonal work at the bigger stores." Unbuckling her safety belt, she stared out of the window at the vast building, before opening the door. "It’s really cool looking, sort of reminds me of Blue Valley tires. Only taller."

"We tried make it nice, but not so much that it draws the wrong kind of attention. I'm thinking about asking Miles and some of the artistic types to come out and put some art on the sides of the building. By commission, of course." His smile came a little easier, and he walked her right to the front door where he paused just for a second. She was already keyed in to the security, but he thought it might be too much, too soon for her. So he let them inside and indicated the nice cubby just down the hall where it was obvious their shoes would go. "If your friends need references, they can list me. They're good people. I figure we'll start at the top and work our way down."

"Makes sense, you don’t want people breaking into the place." Steve was a high profile citizen, it wasn’t surprising he wanted to keep his residence as low key as possible. "That would be great! I’m sure Miles would love to tag these walls." Courtney’s thoughts strayed to Cameron and his mural then, and she stared up at the blank brickwork under the pretence of not looking at his security code while she gathered herself. Missing home and her people there wasn’t productive or healthy. Instead she toed off her sneakers and left them in the little alcove. "I forgot my slippers, but I won’t next time." Smiling up at him, she linked her arm through his, "You’re good people too, thank you, I’ll pass your name along to them. Sounds good! Do you have an elevator, or is this where I get my workout climbing a zillion stairs?"

"We have both, so it really just depends on if you feel like skipping leg day." He almost said something about keeping a pair of slippers there, but bit it back. If she wanted to move in with them, he had to make sure it was because it's what she wanted. The door at the end of the hall opened with a small wave of his hand to reveal the elevator in question, all sleek and metal like the ones in the Facility. He motioned her inside, and they rode smoothly to the top floor at a sedate pace that said they'd put their foot down when Tony suggested they put in something turbo instead.

Although late in the day, there was plenty of overcast gray light coming through the windows; not quite the display it could be by night, all glittering city lights, but the view was still relatively nice. The open plan meant it was easy to see where everything was, but he still pointed things out, like the kitchen and dining area—its table small now, but expandable—and the wall of floor to ceiling bookshelves along one wall. "It's, uh, a bit much, probably."

"Yes, let’s skip leg day, elevator please." She giggled, following him into the familiar-ish metal box. She almost expected to hear FRIDAY telling them what floor they were on when their ascent stopped. But was immediately distracted from that thought by the huge penthouse before them.

"Oh my gosh! Derek, this place is crazy!" Courtney exclaimed as she stepped into the cavernous space. She wasn’t sure where to look first, so was grateful for his guidance as they made their way through the open plan loft. The kitchen looked super fancy and she could picture Derek cooking up a storm in there. But the main attraction was the view and she skipped across to the windows to stare out at the city. "Wow, this is incredible."

Spinning back around she took in the whole space, chuckling in response to the hesitant admission, "Maybe for the whole housework thing, yes. Do you have one of those ladders on rails for the bookshelves?"

This was the reaction he'd hoped to feel for himself, had he not gotten such terrible news their first night there. But Derek was far more than simply glad to see Courtney's, and followed behind her at a slightly more sedate pace. "They're tucked into the walls on either side. And I listened when Stark insisted on getting a few robot vacuums and mops, along with installing the latest in air filtration, so the dusting is at a minimum. I don't mind the upkeep, really. Are you hungry? I could make something before we head downstairs."

"That's so cool, you nerd." She teased, nudging her arm against his side. Stark's advice made sense, especially in a space this big and she nodded. "I am a bit, if you have cheese and bread I won't say no to a grilled cheese to keep me going. But we don't need to interrupt the tour." She was wandering the room, checking out the decor, a little smile on her face at all the little touches which made the place a home. A tiny pang of almost homesickness struck her, but again she squashed it down. "Is your bedroom at the end there? And the bathroom is…?"

As he walked back toward the kitchen, he tossed his head toward a door in the wall, next to the partitioned bedroom area in one corner. "Through there." Derek's smile went enigmatic, knowing full well what lay beyond the door. "Feel free to look around while I make a couple of grilled cheeses. Won't take long, really."

The space beyond held not only two walk in closets and an enormous bathroom (with a tub big enough for two), but also a modest gym space. Yes, it was a bit much, but Derek had really wanted all of the conveniences of the Facility in their new home. He knew it probably came across as ostentatious, even though he really wasn't about that life. He just wanted the people in his life to be comfortable.

Courtney smiled heading in the direction Derek indicated, though she didn’t go into the bedroom, some places were off limits. "Okay, thanks, Der." She wasn’t quite sure what to expect when she pushed open the door, other than a fancy tub or super sized shower. One of her guesses was correct, but she hadn’t pictured there being walk-in closets and a gym hidden back there too.

Following her nose back to the kitchen when the sandwiches were done, she hopped onto one of the stools at the counter and watched Derek as he served up their snacks. "I’m really happy you’ve got a proper home here." Especially after what had happened to his house after it came through. "Do you mind not having a yard or garden?"

He slid the plate with a classic grilled cheese her way—white wheat and American cheese with a hint of herb mustard—with his own on his side of the island. If he'd had more time, he might have done a lot more, like a soup or homemade chips, but he was eager to continue showing Court around. Derek let out a little hum of assent around his own bite, and lifted a shoulder. "Not really? The roof has a solar set up, but there's space up there for a garden if we can settle down enough to get something planted. My plan so far is just come back to the Facility when I need to change. It's not really all that far. What would you want in a garden anyway? I don't think I've ever asked if you have any kind of green thumb."

"Mmm," Court hummed around her mouthful. Derek was ridiculously good at cooking and this was the best grilled cheese she’d tasted, since Pat’s. She thought the two would likely get along well if they ever met. "I just wondered, seeing as your house was in the woods." Taking another bite of her sandwich she nodded, understanding the time constraints. Both Derek and Steve were in management roles, and Derek’s hours could be unsociable. "I grew up with a backyard, somewhere I could practice my backflips with a fairly soft landing. They weren’t always big spaces, but even a few meters of grass was enough." She smiled, their biggest garden was the one in Blue Valley. "I did plant a tree in a hole Buddy dug, but that’s the greenest my thumb has ever been."

The more they talked, the more the idea of a rooftop garden really appealed to him. And it kept him from thinking about the debacle with the Hale House, which twisted in his chest like a barb he couldn't quite dislodge. "Well, at the very least, you could probably help me pick out plants that were practical and looked nice. And you can invite your friends over to help, too, if they wanted. Or just to hang out. Either way. Both." Derek polished off his own sandwich relatively quickly, but didn't try to hurry Courtney in the slightest, just leaned against the counter and set his hands back to either side of him and smiled softly at her. Sure, he still missed his sister, but Court had practically become like another one in their time together. He knew if she was ever taken back through the portal, it would devastate him just as much. But he wasn't thinking about that right now, not when she was sitting right in front of him. "We'll do a brief run around the next floor down, but there isn't much to it. I'd meant for it to be a sort of blank canvas for Cora, but, well…"

"I'd really like that! When it's a bit warmer I'll have to go up and look at the space. Maybe a few potted plants? Or vegetables? I'm not sure how good either of them are with plants, but we'll definitely come over and hang out." Court smiled, finishing up the last of her sandwich in a few more bites, though a little slower than Derek had. She knew how much Cora's disappearance had affected him, probably a million times worse than her own trip back through the portal had. Hopping down from the stool, she stacked their two plates and set them by the sink. Then linked her arm through his again as they stepped out of the kitchen area and headed toward the elevator. There were so many levels to the building and she was incredibly curious what had been done with the rest of the space. "Cora would have loved it, I'm sure."

As they walked, Derek put his hand against her arm where it linked with his and smiled through the barb of pain. He hadn't pointed out the walls around the elevator when they'd arrived, but there were little sunbursts of framed photos all over it. A lot of them were from the wedding, but there were a ton of candids, too: of Dylan and Courtney, Cora, Scott, Ivy, River, Stiles, Erica, Malia, his security team, Steve’s friends and teammates. All these little moments he'd managed to cobble together in the nearly year and a half he'd been there. He'd made sure it was there so it would be the last thing he saw before leaving for the day.

They rode down, had a cursory look at what would have been his sister's space, and then went down another floor. Much like the one above it, a lot of it was a blank canvas, with one huge exception.

The center of the floor was dominated by a gymnastics training area with mats and a few pieces of equipment that could be moved in and out and secured to the floor. Derek stood back, stomach fluttering with nerves. "This is for you."

The collection of photographs made her smile, especially when she picked out a couple of very cute candids of Derek and Steve amongst them. As well as some funny selfies from the volleyball tournament. It was a potted history of memories from Derek’s time there and reminded her of the pinboard in her room at home. Also the one she’d started at the facility. It was cool how similar she and Derek were in some aspects, almost like they were actually siblings. Just ones who’d been born on different worlds.

Seeing the blank space just emphasised the vastness of each level, they were huge and she found herself wondering what had been stored there. Or even manufactured there. It could have been a factory or something once upon a time. She was still puzzling over that when they arrived at the next floor down and Court glanced up at Derek noticing his hesitancy as the doors slid open.

Then her eyes caught the special flooring and the beam, vault and bars stored at the edge of the living area. "Oh my gosh! Derek! This is amazing!" Forgetting herself momentarily she skipped out into the apartment, exploring the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom before reappearing and doing a series of hand springs across the mats to get a feel for them.

"I love this! And you! Thank you so, so, so much!" The words came out in a rush as she propelled herself toward Derek and captured him in a bear hug. "Does this mean I can move in? You and Steve want me to?"

His arms were around her without a hint of hesitation. Really, the fact that he'd been nervous at all was pretty absurd. Derek grinned as he hugged her right back, the feeling of elation at watching her in this space, free and so clearly loving it, was reaching critical mass, but he didn't care. "Yeah, that's exactly what it means, and that's exactly what we want. Sure, the venue has changed, but I meant what I said when we were talking about the original house.

"I wanted a space for you, a home—that didn't change just because the building and location did. I, uh… I talked to Tony and Pepper, too. We've worked it out, your school and the zoning issue, if you'd wanted to move in with us. And if you hadn't, that would have been totally okay, too. But this way you don't have to start somewhere new in the middle of the semester. Or at all, really. Is that all right? When do you want to move in?"

Courtney felt like she was floating as Derek hugged her back, completely overwhelmed and elated by the invitation and obvious careful thought that had gone into creating this portion of their home for her. Their home. She was already thinking it, so she must have already moved in in her head!

"Of course that’s all right! In fact it’s perfect, moving schools is a nightmare and I’d really like to stay with Robin. She’s kind of like Bambi, finding her feet in this time. I can still ride back to the facility with her, then come home with you or Steve when you finish work." All of this came out in a rush and she tipped her head back to smile at him. "This weekend? I don’t have too much stuff so it shouldn’t take long. Cosmo the Staff is going to love all of this space."

He squeezed her gently, his smile even softer as he looked right back down at her. Relief was this weird fluttery thing that nested just below his solar plexus, but he could somehow breathe easier with it there. "This weekend is perfect."