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Derek only finds out that Stiles is dating someone else is because of Instagram.
To be completely honest, he didn't know what the hell Instagram even was until Erica explained it to him.
He had been sitting on the couch, watching a rerun of some stupid MTV teen dramedy, when he heard Allison and Lydia chirping around the loft. They had their phones out, talking about the latest gossip and most recent hookups, no doubt, when Erica jumped down from the stairs, phone also in hand, screeching "Selfie Sunday!"
The three girls instantly went into some sort of pose/look cute mode, looking intensely into the small lens of the camera of the phone. The phone snapped the picture and the three girls quickly looked at the photo, checking to make sure it was up to par. Apparently satisfied, the girls resumed talking and laughing. Erica walked over to the couch, plopping down right next to him, she showed the picture to Derek with an arched eyebrow.
"We look cute, huh?" She asked, red lips stretched in a confident smirk
"I guess." He had replied flatly, more interested in what was happening on screen to really care about what she was saying.
She rolled her eyes, smirk falling, "You guess right," She scoffed, "This is so going on instagram."
"What's that?" He asked as the show went to commercial, he stood up to get a soda from the fridge.
Behind him Erica gasped, "You don't know what Instagram is?" She looked scandalized as he turned around to looked at her.
"No, I don't." He growled, annoyed, "Is it like Myspace or something?"
"You poor soul," She whispered, hand over her heart.
He rolled his eyes at her dramatics as she hopped off the couch, joining him in the kitchen. She walked over to him, showing him the screen of her phone that was filled with pictures of her, including the one she just took with Lydia and Allison, and some other pictures of people he didn't know.
"It's an app, you take pictures of whatever you want, upload and share." She said as she swiped down through other people's photos.
Derek looked on as she scrolled down, sipping from his coke until he saw something that caught his eye. He quickly grabbed the phone from her hands, earning a high-pitched, 'What the fuck', but he easily kept it out of her reach. He scrolled back up to the photo he saw and he felt his jaw tighten. It was a picture of Stiles and some guy. He glared at the offending photo until Erica snatched the phone back out of his hands, earning an irritated growl from Derek. She simply smiled at him, looking down at the photo that piqued Derek's interest.
"Who's that?" He asked nodding towards the phone, his voice sounding ruffer than he intended it to sound.
Erica smirked, "That's Stiles."
Derek scoffed, walking away from her. He didn't care, at least that's what he told himself, plus the show was finally off commercial. He sat back down on the couch, Erica quickly following.
"Oh! You mean the other guy." She said feigning innocence, "That's Stiles' boyfriend."
Derek couldn't help the pang of jealousy that went through him. She leaned in close to him and showed him more.
Derek knew he was an attractive guy, but this guy looked like a fucking adonis.
The guy, Gale_Hemsworth, his profile says, has chocolatey brown hair tousled to perfection. His dimples only add to the mountain of cute he seems determined to climb. And the smile, right out of a goddamn Crest commercial.
The guy is really good looking, and seriously, fuck him.
It's just a picture of Gale and Stiles, but it makes his stomach twist uncomfortably. The picture is of the two of them, smiling big and bright at the phone, taken spur of the moment and the flash is a little too bright, but they look happy regardless. Stiles' cheeks are flushed and his hair is a mess, and Gale just looks so pleased being there next to Stiles. There are other people in the background, but Stiles and this Gale guy are definitely the stars of the picture. Especially with 46 Likes and comments like “So cute” and “Aww! QTs!”
As Erica shows him more pictures of the two of them together, he realizes that what they have has the possibility of becoming serious, and when he sees a picture of Stiles and Gale, shirtless and smiling into the lens while laying on a bed that he doesn’t recognize, he manages to almost burst a vein.
His claws extended involuntarily, piercing the coke can and spilling the sticky substance everywhere.
"You're cleaning that up." She said walking away and pointing to the soda currently soaking into the furniture.
Derek could feel his eyes flash red, the wolf inside growing more and more agitated, but he just clenched his jaw, saying nothing.
From upstairs he could hear Erica cackle and yell, "I guess he's over you, huh?"
Three Weeks Earlier:
“You don’t know what you want, Stiles, you’re still a kid.” Derek crosses his arms across his chest, making sure to keep his face devoid of any emotion.
In front of him Stiles shifts his weight from foot to foot, his anxiousness permeating the air, as a result, Derek can feel his own wolf growing impatient and antsy, “I’ll be 18 in a few months, and I know that I want you”
'I want you, too,' Derek thinks
Derek scoffs, putting on a blasé facade, “I understand that we had sex Stiles, and it was good sex, but that’s all it was, Stiles, sex.”
There, straight and to the point. Derek turns around, not waiting to hear a response, not wanting to see the look he knows is on Stiles’ face.
He walks into the kitchen to do something, anything to keep him from running back into the living room and telling Stiles that there could be something between them, that he wants something with Stiles. But he’s already 25 years old, with no real plans other than babysitting his group of misfit toys, and Stiles still has his whole life to live. Derek won’t take that away from him.
He can hear Stiles take a deep, shaky breath. His heart hammering in his chest as he makes his retreat. Even from the second story of the loft the sound of the Jeep starting up is unmistakable. Then all he hears is silence, it’s deafening.
“Well, that was harsh.” He spins around catching sight of blonde hair, he didn’t even know Erica was home.
He brushes past her without responding, the sour tang of regret strong on his tongue. He stomps his way upstairs falling straight into bed. He just feels like sleeping for a week or two.
Or five.
Present time:
It’s movie night, and apparently the pack has decided to congregate at his place for the night, everyone, Stiles included.
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little nervous to see the human after what happened the other day.
Everyone’s packed into his tiny living room, all nine of them scattered onto the floor and couches, watching some lame b-grade horror film.
They all sit there in comfortable silence, watching some movie, which Derek must admit is pretty awful, seriously killer bears?
The movie is almost over and Lydia scoffs loudly at the horrible acting that the girl is giving, she should of died like five minutes ago, but shes still going strong. Lydia rolls her eyes and turns towards Stiles, smiling at him knowingly.
On screen the girl finally, finally, dies and the credits begin to roll.
Lydia sees her opportunity and takes it, “So Stiles, how’s Gale?”
Derek can hear his heart skip a beat, and he doesn’t miss the flush of color that rises to Stiles’ cheeks.
Irritation and curiosity spark inside of Derek, he doesn’t want to hear about the guy Stiles has dedicated his time to, but he also wants to hear everything about this guy and what's so special about him. By then the small loft is quiet, and everyone is more focused on what Stiles and Lydia's conversation than anything else.
“He’s fine, Lyds” Stiles replies tersely.
“He sure is” Erica whispers.
Scott lets out a pained groan and next to him, Allison giggles like a school girl. Erica sends a lascivious wink accompanied by an air kiss.
Lydia smirks at their childish antics, but the determined look in her eye says that she’s not done with Stiles just yet.
“Oh, come on. I want to know more than just ‘he’s fine’. Give me the juicy deets”
Stiles’ mouth opens and closes like a goldfish, and it takes a few seconds before he answers, “What are you even talking about? There are no juicy deets”
Erica scoffs, “You know what shes talking about, Stiles. Have you guys had hot, kinky sex yet, or what?”
At that Stiles sputters and turns beet red, “Erica!”
Lydia quickly cuts in, “We’re a family, Stiles. There’s no need to be secretive.”
Stiles looks like he’s being surrounded by hungry lions closing in on their prey, and that analogy isn’t so far fetched, because Erica and Lydia can be seriously scary. Especially when they’re hunting for gossip.
He’s about to speak when a shrill ring cuts through the air. Stiles quickly slips his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone.
A small smile appears on his lips.
“Speak of the devil,” Isaac says out loud to no one imparticular.
Stiles quickly excuses himself and steps outside, even though it doesn’t really provide privacy, the facade of privacy is still there, Derek guesses.
Derek can hear Stiles whispering on the phone, but he can’t tell what is being said on the other side.
Scott gets up from the couch and goes to put another movie in for them to watch, hopefully nothing too terrible.
As they all sit there waiting for the movie to start up, Derek can still hear Stiles outside, he’s not trying to eavesdrop, but he can’t help it. He hears the words “later” and “maybe tonight” and “I can’t wait”.
Derek likes to think that he’s an optimist, but he’s come to realize that he might be a pessimist, and when he hears those words come out of Stiles mouth, the worst comes to his mind. What if this guy is having sex with Stiles? Kissing him, leaving love-marks all over his body, pinning him against the bed, making Stiles come undone. Derek can feel his wolf growing agitated and he starts to get frustrated himself, because Stiles isn’t his, so he shouldn’t be getting so worked up about someone else's relationship.
Stiles comes back in a few minutes later. By then the movie Scott had put in is already through the beginning credits. He quickly whispers that he has something to do with his dad. Derek’s eyes fly to the clock and notices that its already past one in the morning, but if anyone hears Stiles' lie, no one says anything about it. Everyone sends him a quiet goodbye and then he’s gone, and the movie plays on.
Not even a minute passes before Erica says, “Stiles is so getting laid tonight”
After that, Derek can't even think about watching whatever stupid movie is on screen, his mind is going a mile a minute.
One week later:
“And you dumped him?” Jackson asks incredulously.
Stiles rolls his eyes, flipping Jackson off in the process. Lydia flicks him on the ear as well, sending Stiles a small, apologetic smile.
Derek does feel a little bad for Stiles, but at the same time he’s fucking ecstatic because Stiles and Gale are no longer together, which means Stiles is available again, which means Derek has a chance. When Derek heard the news he thought he was dreaming, except Stiles wasn’t naked, and Jackson was there, so yeah.
Stiles had huffed into the loft, throwing his bag into the floor next to Boyd. When asked what was wrong, Stiles had simply shrugged and told everyone he was single. That’s it, done and done. Althought he seems blase about the whole ordeal, Derek couldn't miss the semi-swollen bags under Stiles' eyes.
From what Derek knows, this Gale guy was the first person Stiles was ever serious with, so he’s not surprised that Stiles was emotional over the break up.
“It’s whatever” Stiles mumbles.
"He seemed kinda boring, anyway." Isaac comments, running his hands through Stiles' messy locks. They're all scattered on the floor, in something reminiscent to a puppy pile.
“He was kinda boring.” Stiles agrees, letting his eyes slip closed, leaning farther into Isaac’s comforting touches.
“Why did you guys breakup?” Erica asks, her head is cradled on Stiles’ stomach.
Derek can’t help but smile, the sight or Isaac and Erica, his pack, comforting Stiles pleases him. Boyd sits at their feet, just laying there staring at the ceiling, but Derek can tell he’s enjoying himself, especially since he’s laying so close to Erica. Derek is pretty sure that they’ll be a couple soon, if Boyd can manage to gather up the courage to just as Erica out; and Derek knows she’d say yes, if the long, lust filled stares mean anything.
The aura in the loft is light and peaceful.
“I didn’t put out” Stiles sighs.
The mood in the room changes immediately, going from comfortable to stuffy and heated in a matter of seconds. Erica’s head shoots out of Stiles lap and Stiles, slowly opens his eyes, chewing on his bottom lip.
Before Erica can get a word in, Scott interrupts, “Are you serious? I’ll kill that asshole.”
Stiles shakes his head, “He’s not even worth it.
Although Stiles tries to defuse all the tense feelings in the room, the smell of animosity is strong in the air. Erica looks deadly pissed, and Derek’s sure that the others feel pissed as well, except maybe Jackson, but Jackson is a dick, so it doesn’t count.
Nothing is said after that. Derek wants to absolutely kill Gale for hurting Stiles, but at the same time, he’s also eternally grateful that the guy was such a dumbass and was foolish enough to let Stiles get away.
Everyone stays where they are, scattered around on the floor, with not a care in the world. They talk about different things, careful not to mention anything love related, but mostly they talk about life in general and what everyone’s planning to do after they graduate in the spring.
During one of Jackson's many rants about why Berkeley is a much better school compared to UCLA, Derek finds himself staring at Stiles, his mate, andsuddenly Stiles' eyes fly open and he looks right at Derek, he's about to look away, but Stiles smiles at him and he feels like his insides are melting, this is what love must feel like, Derek realizes, and it feels good.
It’s 10:47 at night when Stiles hears his window slide open, a gust a cool wind flowing into his room.
He’s a bit confused and a little excited when he realizes that it’s Derek Hale climbing through his window. He hops inside the tiny room and closes the window behind him, not saying a word, as per usual. He looks a bit nervous, but this is Derek we’re talking about, so Stiles assumes it’s just a tick of the light.
Stiles sits criss-cross on his bed, trying to finish up some english homework, but as Derek sits down on the edge of the bed, Stiles gently closes his notebook, setting it on his nightstand.
“Hey” Stiles says with a friendly smile.
“Hey” Derek replies quietly.
They both sit there for what feels like forever, before Stiles decides to break the silence.
"Is everything alright?" Derek's gaze slides over Stiles, and he realizes that he’s only wearing his boxers and a thin v-neck. Stiles can feel the blood rush up to his cheeks, feeling self-conscious, and he tries to subtly cross his arms over his chest.
Derek opens his mouth to speak, but quickly closes it again. Stiles doesn't ever think he's seen Derek like this, he seems anxious, maybe worried. Stiles grows worried himself, scared that something wicked this way comes.
“Is some wrong? Do I need to be worried?” Stiles bounces on the bed, moving towards the alpha in question.
“Derek, are you ok?” Stiles puts his hands on Derek’s knees, trying to see if anything is actually wrong.
Derek is up and in Stiles space before he realizes what is going on, he doesn’t get a chance to speak before he feels a pair of warm, chapped lips on his. Stiles doesn’t know what to do, so he does nothing, but at Stiles non-reaction Derek quickly pulls away, looking alarmed.
Stiles doesn’t like that look on Derek’s face he realizes, so he leans in and kisses Derek, wrapping his arm around the alpha’s shoulder. The kiss quickly turns into something more, becoming more passionate, Stiles bites at Derek's bottom lip, licking over the spot, and Derek lets out a small gasp.
They both pull away after about a minute, breathing harder than before. Derek's face is flushed pink tinting his cheeks and Stiles wonders if his face looks similar right now. Derek is smiling at him. Stiles finds his self mesmerized, he’s never seen Derek smiles like this, this smile is big and real, and it's a good look on him. Stiles finds himself smiling back.
Derek answers the question before leaning in for another kiss.
"I'm better now."