Chapter Text
Derek and Trevor were two geeky loners with an obsession with film and television who were inseparable since their first year of high school.
Though the two had quite the opposite personality, they still cared deeply for each other, as much as Derek would deny it.
Derek Johnson had always been a cold anti-social, with little care for others, most of his peers found him gloomy and repulsive to be around. He never really cared though, he hated everyone in his small damn Canadian town and wanted to get out and be something greater than himself.
He found comfort in film, while most kids his age were out playing sports and socializing, Derek would make stupid and humorous (well was humorous as a childs humor could be) low quality films.
But still he felt like he was missing something, as much as he would try to deny he needed anyone, he soon realized what he was missing his freshman year.
Trevor Mcgregor had always been an optimistic boy, always trying to look at the bright side in things.
Unfortunately his good nature meant others often took advantage of him, he wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the box after all.
His parents tried his best to put him through all sorts of sports, wanting their son to be a macho man, but all they ended up getting from him was a small boy with a love for computers and filming. He’d never gotten support from it but he didn’t care.
Still he was without a doubt quite lonely, he’d never had a best friend or someone to rely on, until one fateful day where he met Derek Johnson.
Neither of them really recall how they became friends, but it didn’t matter because once they became friends, they’d finally figured out what they had been missing, a best friend.
Derek would always bring Trevor into unnecessary shenanigans, causing them both to get in trouble a bit more than once.
Derek had a rebellious spirit and Trevor followed him in whatever he did, whether it was having fake ids to get some booze (which always backfired), or stealing the answer sheets for their math tests, as long as it was the both of them neither would complain.
It also didn’t help that they had little to no parental supervision, their teenage years were filled with shenanigans and typical teenage quirks, and lots of stupid short films.
Trevor was infatuated with his best friend, he admired and loved him with all his will. He was the only guy who understood him, he knew Derek hated everything and everyone but him. Something about that thought made Trevor unbelievably happy and..nervous? But he never tried to think too hard about his friendship with the shorter man, he was just happy to have him around whenever.
Their friendship was all fine and dandy until he was 16 when all of a sudden, Trevor went through a major existential crisis about his sexuality.
And his crisis was started by none other than his best friend one summer day.
“Dude, is that a mustache I see?” Derek asked Trevor as he walked towards him, they were both out in Derek’s front yard, he’d gone for vacation for a few weeks in the summer and suddenly Trevor had tried to grow a mustache out of all things!
Trevor stood up, he’d been waiting for Derek to come back like a sad puppy “Hey Derek!! And why yes I did! Do you like it? Do I look more manly?” Trevor said with a silly smile, he was obviously proud he had been able to grow facial hair.
“Uh look man I'm gonna be honest you look like a homeless kid” Derek said flatly, suddenly Trevor’s smile turned into a frown
“Oh…dammit I don’t even look like a man! I really thought this would work " Trevor said frustrated, Derek started laughing
"Why did you even grow one out dude? You look way better without it, mustaches are for 50 year old beer heads like my step dad, not innocent 16 year olds "
“Dude I am not innocent!” Derek started at him with an amused smile
“Sure Mr I’m too scared one sip of beer is gonna get me black out drunk and in jail”
“Oh c'mon that was forever ago! I’m older now, I just wish I looked older, I mean Jesus, some of the teachers STILL mistake me as a freshman !” Trevor sighed, he was always embarrassed about how much of a kid he looked like, even in his later teen years, it's always been an insecurity of his, and Derek was well aware of it.
“Ok yeah but think about it, a fucking mustache isn’t gonna make you look older, just sillier” Derek spat out
“So I should try a new type of facial hair? Hmm oh I know a goatee!” Trevor said optimistically
Derek tried to imagine Trevor with one and immediately started laughing “HELL no! Oh my god Trevor just let it go, you don’t need facial hair to look older, who cares? Why are you trying this all of a sudden anyway? I thought you were all about self acceptance and shit”
Trevor looked away sat down on Derek’s porch wistfully “I know but… a few weeks ago while you were gone I was at the store and this group of girls started laughing at me and I heard them saying that I looked like a freakishly ugly tall 10 year old and stuff I don’t even remember but it just really…hurt, ynow?”
Despite Derek’s usual sarcasm and carelessness with serious topics, he could tell his best friend was trying to be sincere with him, so he sat down next to him and tried to give him advice in his own way, like Trevor would on his dark days.
“Dude listen to me, cares what some stupid fucking shit heads think of you Trevor, and what they said said was wrong and dumb as hell anyway, they're just jealous they can’t be with the most handsomest man in the world” he elbowed Trevor “but seriously don’t listen to them, they don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about, you’re the sweetest coolest guy I know, the only guy who’s actually worth talking in this crappy town…”
The teen hesitated for a moment, looking away from Trevor
“And I don’t like saying this shit because it’s corny but I’m saying it to you because you deserve to hear it, but you don’t have to change or whatever because you’re amazing the way you are, don’t change for some dumbasses you don't even know, they don’t deserve to have that effect on you.”
He timidly turned his head towards Trevor, blushing madly for the way he just acted, it wasn’t like him at all, and he didn’t want to be made fun of.
But instead of Trevor laughing at him, he saw Trevor with a sincere loving smile and tears in his eyes, he hugged Derek as tight as he could, leaving the man annoyed but he let the hug happen, as much as he hated being touched and vulnerable, he guessed it was okay this time.
To be frank, this was the most anyone had shown care for Trevor. No one had ever said something so caring to him, and he didn’t expect it at all from his persemistic best friend, but when he heard Derek saying all those sweet things his heart started racing madly.
He felt something in him awaken, a feeling for the shorter man he had never exactly felt as strong as of this moment. He didn’t know what it was, hell he had never been in love before, but whatever it was it made him have butterflies in his stomach and smile a bit too much.
“Okay okay I get it dude” Derek said patting his shoulder
“Oh right” Trevor broke the hug “Thank you so much Derek, you’re the best friend ever!”
“Glad I could help buddy, now please take that stupid mustache off your face, it’s making me sick”
Trevor laughed “you’re right I don’t know what I was thinking”
Derek smiled at him “Well let’s go inside, I’ll help you shave it off. I’m just glad to be back to see you again idiot” Derek said standing up
“Man I missed you” They both made their way inside, and as Derek helped the dorky teen get rid of the mustache, Trevor couldn’t help but wonder what he did to deserve such an amazing friend, he’d always had strong feelings for his friend, but never in this way, something changed his brain chemistry in that porch.
But for now he didn’t wanna think about it, he just wanted to continue spending time with the only person worth talking to in this town, his best friend.
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“Ynow I could totally pull of facial hair way better than you” Derek said, looking at his friends cleanly shaved face
“Nuh uh”
“Uh huh I totally could, ynow what I’ll try that soon, maybe this time we can get away with buying booze, I’d totally pass as an 30 year old alcoholic with a beard”
“Whatever, all I know is I’m never trying out a mustache again”
“Touché”
After a few weeks they tried it and for the first time successfully illegally bought booze, but to this day Trevor always denies it’s because of Derek’s beard, though he couldn’t lie, Derek looked way too good with one. In the end, that summer day marked the first of Trevor’s feelings, and one he’d never forget, because from that day on, he would never be able to think of the shorter man without feeling his heart race.
It was a curse that Trevor would never recover from.