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Even though he was expecting the answer, it still hurts. He guesses that somewhere, deep down, he was still holding on to hope. But it hadn’t even been Lydia’s zero-hesitation no that had really been painful. It was what she’d said next.
“You’re just not desirable at all. If you can’t get anybody else in this school, what makes you think you can get me?” she’d said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “And I have a boyfriend, anyway.”
Then she’d walked away, leaving Stiles staring after her, feeling like he’d been stepped on. But little did she know: adversity just made him more determined. He was going to prove her wrong.
Even if he did it by cheating a little.
And he was going to start at the top.
*
Well, maybe not the very top.
Stiles was pretty sure Danny was actually the most popular guy in school. But he was always surrounded by his friends, and he probably wouldn’t treat Stiles much differently than Lydia had, in all honesty.
So his next-best bet is Derek Hale, a jock with a reputation for being both kind-hearted and very good looking. He seems like the ideal candidate. And he knows for a fact that Derek likes to eat outside on nice, sunny days, which presents a perfect opportunity.
He scarfs his own lunch, ignoring Scott’s worried looks, and then goes searching.
Sure enough, he finds Derek sitting alone at one of the picnic benches behind the school. He’s reading a book as he distractedly eats his sandwich, and Stiles grins. Derek might have a reputation of being cool, but he’s clearly a nerd.
He pauses for a moment, trying to think about what he wants to say, then decides to just wing it.
“Hey, Derek,” he says brightly, sitting down across from him.
Derek looks up long enough to give him a deeply unimpressed look, then goes right back to his book. And well, Stiles supposes that’s fair.
When he hadn’t made the cut at tryouts last year, he’d insulted the entire lacrosse team.
Including Derek.
More than once.
It wasn’t exactly his proudest moment.
But his presence alone must be enough to pique Derek’s interest, because a moment later he says, “What do you want, Stilinski?”
“Call me Stiles, please,” he says hurriedly. “Look, is there anything you need help with, school-wise?”
Derek sighs, closes his book. “I’m not doing great in math right now. Why?”
“So we could trade favors, maybe?” Stiles says, hoping for the best. “I could help you with calculus, and you could help me with, uh.”
Derek raises his truly impressive eyebrows. “Help you with what?”
“Proving Lydia Martin wrong,” Stiles mumbles.
“I don’t understand,” Derek says warily, taking a sip of his soda.
So, while Derek eats the rest of his lunch, Stiles explains the whole situation. To his credit, Derek doesn’t laugh once, but he does look amused at the end.
“So you want to prove her wrong about your inability to be in a relationship…by pretending to be in a relationship? With me?”
“It doesn’t have to be for long, if you’re worried about your reputation,” Stiles says reassuringly. “Just like two weeks. I’ll help you with your homework for the rest of the year, though. If you want.”
For a second Derek almost looks sad, but he just says, “Aren’t you getting a C in calculus?”
Those eyebrows again. Stiles never realized how much they conveyed. They’re strangely compelling.
“That’s because I’m always forgetting my homework. And I may have missed a few quizzes. But it’s not because I don’t know what I’m doing!” And it’s true. Stiles is smart, but he can fully admit that he’s a terrible student.
“All right,” Derek says, though he doesn’t really look convinced. “What will this fake dating entail?”
“Um, whatever you want,” Stiles says. While he’d be down for some hot make out sessions in Derek’s sweet, sweet Camaro, he’s not going to push his luck. “It just has to look real,” he adds. He hopes Derek is a good actor.
“Whatever I want, huh?” Derek asks, with a smirk that sends a flush of heat through Stiles. “Well, we might as well start now.”
Stiles nods eagerly. “We’re already doing well: boyfriends totally hang out together during lunch.”
“I suppose they do.” Derek eyes him for a moment, smirking a little. “You know, I’m going to tell everyone that you asked me out. And that you were super awkward and embarrassing, but I decided to give you a chance anyway,” he says magnanimously.
“I’m fine with that,” Stiles says, grinning. If nothing else, it sounds pretty accurate.
*
Stiles is actually fine with everything Derek does, but most of it takes him by surprise.
Derek holds his hand when they’re done with lunch, and they walk to class together like that. No big deal. What really gets him is when Derek says goodbye. He runs his fingers through the short hairs at the back of Stiles’ neck, then says, “See you later,” in a low, private voice.
It gives Stiles pleasant tingles all over, and he stands there in the middle of the hall for a minute, dazed, before he remembers that he has to get to his own class.
*
He’s at his locker at the end of the day, grabbing the books he needs, when Derek walks up.
“Hey, babe,” he says, and pulls Stiles into a light, quick kiss.
Stiles wants to say no pet names, but he can see Lydia a few lockers down, talking to Jackson, so he can’t make a scene.
“Hey,” he says instead, and he can’t help sneaking a glance at Derek’s lips. They had felt good against his own, even if it had only been for a second or two.
Derek smiles and says, a little bit loud, “Are we still on for studying tonight?”
Stiles’ eyes widen, because he knows exactly what Derek is doing. Though he’s very certain that he and Derek will actually be doing homework, ‘studying together’ is a school-wide euphemism for having sex. Or, at the very least, a session of heavy petting.
Derek is killing two birds with one stone, here. He’s planning for Stiles’ tutoring while also explaining why Stiles’ jeep will be parked at his house.
It’s perfect.
And not just because Stiles is thrilled people will think he’s getting laid.
“Of course,” he says, nodding. “I’m looking forward to it,” he adds, leaning in close. He desperately hopes he looks at least a little bit sexy.
Derek ducks his head, looking embarrassed but pleased. “Awesome,” he says. “I gotta go, but I’ll see you later,” he says, then slips a little square of paper into the front pocket of Stiles’ shirt.
Stiles watches him walk away, and it takes his distracted brain a minute to realize that Derek is going to lacrosse practice. He’s a little tempted to follow, just to see Derek get all sweaty and aggressive on the field, but decides it’s probably for the best if he doesn’t.
He’s gotta make sure his dad has dinner, anyway.
He hears the sound of high heels approaching him, and moments later Lydia says, “You guys sure are moving fast.” She manages to sound snide and curious at the same time, and Stiles is duly impressed.
“Only as fast as he wants to,” Stiles says, like he knows what he’s talking about. He’s actually kind of glad he and Derek aren’t really having sex, because he’d be way out of his depth.
Lydia purses her lips, levels him with an intense look. “Why would you ask me out, if you were already dating Derek Hale?”
“I wasn’t,” Stiles says. “After you turned me down, I took it as a sign that I should go for what I really wanted. And I knew he’d appreciate me,” he adds, leaning casually back against his locker.
To his surprise, Lydia doesn’t refute it. She just nods, flicks her hair over her shoulder, and walks back over to Jackson.
Stiles tries not to feel smug.
*
It’s not until he’s back at his house, about to raid the fridge, that he remembers the note in his pocket. He fishes it out, and unfolds it to find Derek’s incredibly neat hand writing.
Hey Stiles. If you want to have dinner with me, come over at 6. If not, come by around 7:30. Here’s my address, it’s the really big house at the end of the block.
Stiles reads the street name and nods, because he’s fairly familiar with the area. He’s ridden around with his dad on enough patrols to know most of Beacon Hills though, so it’s no surprise.
His stomach rumbles, and he glances at the clock. If he wants to get to Derek’s house in time to eat, he’ll have to leave in ten minutes. He wavers for a moment, trying to decide if he should. But Derek wouldn’t have invited him if he didn’t want Stiles to come, right?
His stomach growls again, and that makes up his mind. Besides, he might as well make the most of this fake dating thing.
He throws together a quick salad for his dad, and leaves it in the fridge with a note that says EAT THIS in big block letters. Then he grabs his keys and heads for Derek’s house.
*
Derek wasn’t kidding when he said a big house, Stiles thinks as he stares up at it, feeling a little intimidated. What if Derek’s family is rich and snobby? He looks down at his plaid shirt and jeans. God, what if he’s underdressed?
He’s a little tempted to turn around and pretend this never happened, but he refuses to let his anxiety get the best of him. He knocks on the door, and it’s only seconds later that Derek opens it, grinning.
“Hey,” he says. “Glad you could make it.”
Stiles is surprised at how pleased Derek seems, but he just nods and smiles back.
Derek leads him into the kitchen, saying, “It’s just me, my mom, and my younger sister home right now, so mom said we could take our plates up to my room to eat.”
“Uh, cool,” Stiles says. “Where’s everybody else?” he asks curiously, because he knows Derek has a big family.
“My dad and my uncle are on a business trip. And my older sister and brother are both in college,” Derek explains.
A moment later, he’s introducing Stiles to his mother, and he can only wave awkwardly when she smiles at him.
“I’m Talia. It’s nice to meet you, Stiles,” she says, and he can almost hear the I’ve heard so much about you behind that sentence. He hopes she’s heard good things. And he wonders if she knows that he’s (fake) dating her son.
“Mom, the food?” Derek says, sounding a little nervous.
“Oh. Yes, of course,” Talia says, filling two plates for them. She sends Derek a long look. “You boys have fun studying,” she says.
“Sure, mom,” Derek says hastily, already halfway out the door. “So much fun.”
Stiles would be insulted, but he knows Derek is just embarrassed.
He follows Derek up the stairs, and yeah, he might sneak a couple of looks at Derek’s ass on the way up. It is a truly beautiful ass, but Stiles can’t quite give it the attention it deserves, because he keeps getting distracted by how good the food on his plate looks.
He’s really hungry.
He does notice that Derek’s bedroom is at the end of the hall, away from all the others. So it’s very private…
Then he feels pathetic, because he’s here to help Derek with his homework, not to do something a little more exciting. Despite what a lot people at school may think.
Derek’s not actually into him, he’s just pretending for the sake of his grade.
Stiles knows he needs to stop all the wishful thinking.
Derek’s room is really nice, he discovers. And for a teenage boy, he keeps it rather neat. Stiles admires the posters on the wall for a moment, before he’s waved to the armchair to eat his food.
“We’ll study after this,” Derek says, pulling his desk chair closer so he can sit next to Stiles.
“All right,” Stiles says agreeably, because Derek probably heard his stomach rumbling. He takes a bite, and it’s just as good as he thought it would be. “Have you started the homework yet?” he asks between forkfuls.
“I tried to, but I got frustrated. So I just did my English essay instead,” Derek says with a scowl.
Stiles nods. “Okay. I haven’t started either, so we can work on it together.” Then he goes right back to eating.
Derek notices his plate is empty a few moments later, and he laughs. “You can go back for seconds, if you want.”
Stiles is very tempted, but he resists. He doesn’t want Derek thinking he doesn’t have food at home, or something.
They study for a couple of hours, and they make good progress on their Calculus homework. Derek still gets stuck from time to time, but he seems to be getting better. There’s less tension between his eyebrows, anyway.
Stiles is just about to suggest that they take a break when Derek says, “I’m sorry if that was too much today. At school.”
“No, it was great,” Stiles says, glancing up from his textbook. “It seemed really believable.”
“Yeah,” Derek says, looking down. “Just trying to make it as realistic as I could,” he mumbles.
“I mean, if I did have a boyfriend, that’s how I’d want him to be with me,” Stiles says playfully. “I think you’d be a great boyfriend.”
“Thanks,” Derek says quietly, then asks another question about the homework.
*
Stiles studies at Derek’s house again the next day, but after that Derek’s busy with other stuff, and Stiles finds that he’s actually missing him. Sure, they’re not really dating, but he thinks it’d be pretty nice if they were.
He wasn’t lying when he said he thought Derek would be a great boyfriend—he’d seen Derek with Paige, before she’d moved away. He’d seen them holding hands and kissing sweetly in the hallways, and though he’d pretended to be disgusted to Scott, he’d actually been kind of…jealous.
So he’d set his sights on Lydia Martin, instead.
It was hopeless, Scott had told him. She’d never agree to go out with him.
And Stiles had known she was unobtainable—he’d just wanted to distract himself from his hopeless crush on Derek by focusing on her, instead. He had doubted he’d ever even show up on her radar.
*
“Hey,” Stiles says to Derek on Friday. “Do you want to come over tonight and study? We can order pizza.”
Derek hesitates for a second, but then he smiles and agrees. “Maybe we could watch a movie, too?” he asks, almost shy.
“My dad won’t be home, we can do whatever we want,” Stiles says, grinning. He doesn’t care if people think they’re gonna be humping like rabbits, he’s just really excited to hang out with Derek again.
Derek smirks a little, obviously knowing what Stiles is up to. “I can’t wait,” he says quietly, leaning in just a little.
“Awesome,” Stiles says, and at this rate, the whole school is going to think he’s a fantastic lover, or something. “Meet me in the parking lot after school, you can follow me to my house.”
Derek nods, pulls Stiles into a hug. Then he softly kisses Stiles’ neck, before he steps away and heads off to class. Stiles stares after him, feeling warm all over.
*
Derek parks the Camaro behind his jeep in the driveway, and Stiles grins at him as he climbs out.
“I’m not doing any studying tonight,” Derek declares as he follows Stiles to the front door. “My brain needs a break.”
Stiles nods in commiseration. “That Economics test today was rough, huh?”
“Yeah. I think Coach wrote it when he was angry and disappointed,” Derek grumbles.
Stiles laughs. “Dude, Coach is always angry and disappointed.”
“I suppose that’s true,” he sighs. “I think you said something about pizza?” he adds hopefully.
“Yep,” Stiles says cheerfully. “We definitely deserve some pizza.”
They watch Jurassic Park as they eat it, both of them relaxed back on the couch. Though it’s one of his favorite movies, Stiles finds his eyes drifting to Derek more often than not.
He’s so used to being tactile with Derek all day at school, so used to being close to him, that he sort of longs to take Derek’s hand, maybe lean against his side. And not just because it’s habit. His crush on Derek—the crush he tried so hard to forget about—is in full resurgence. And they’ve been “dating” for barely a week.
Which means Stiles is in real trouble.
Despite that, he finds that he can’t keep his mouth shut as the end credits roll. “I really appreciate you doing this,” he says. “I mean, I know it’s because you wanted help with math, but still. Just give me some warning before you want to, um, break up.”
Derek raises his eyebrows, mouth just starting to turn down. “Are you ready for it to be over already?” he asks. “Did you finally catch Lydia’s attention?”
“It wasn’t—that wasn’t the point. I just wanted to prove to her that someone could want to date me. Yes, I realize that I essentially bribed you,” he says when he catches Derek’s look. “It was short notice, okay? It’s not like you would have been interested anyway,” he adds defensively.
There’s a long pause, and Stiles regrets saying anything at all.
“Do you know why I agreed to be your fake boyfriend?” Derek asks suddenly.
“Yeah, for homework help,” Stiles says, because they just went over this.
“That’s not the real reason,” Derek says. “Though I do appreciate the tutoring.”
“Okay. Why then?” he asks curiously.
“I figured it was my best chance,” Derek says. “For me to try everything I’d want to do if I was really dating you.”
“What?” Stiles says sharply, feeling like there’s some kind of awful punchline coming. Because there’s no way Derek is saying what Stiles thinks he is.
“The hand holding, the kissing in the hallway, sitting together at lunch—all things I would do if I were your real boyfriend.” Derek says, shrugging. “I figured that was all I would have, since you weren’t actually interested in dating me.”
There’s a brief silence, then Stiles blurts, “I haven’t thought about Lydia for days.”
Derek just looks at him, clearly unimpressed.
“Look, when I went after her, it was just to trade one hopeless crush for another,” he sighs. “I was trying to move on.”
“Who was the first hopeless crush?” Derek asks cautiously, like he doesn’t really want to know.
Stiles gulps. This is what it all comes down to. “It was this really cool guy. He’s smart and good-looking and a star of the lacrosse team,” he says. “And his name’s Derek Hale,” he finishes lamely.
“You…you had a crush on me?” Derek asks slowly, like he somehow misheard.
“Still do,” Stiles admits. “And this fake dating thing was reminding me of that, more and more.”
Derek turns toward him then, looking strangely shy. “Do you maybe want to turn this fake dating into real dating?”
Stiles grins. “That sounds great. Especially if that means we put on another movie, and make out on the couch instead of watching it.”
Derek laughs, and Stiles swears he feels his heart flutter as he leans in close.
“We could start now,” Derek whispers, and then his lips are on Stiles’, soft and sweet.
It’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to him. And by the time Derek pulls away, he’s already longing to do it again.
“We should go on a date tomorrow,” Derek says, sounding breathless.
“We totally should,” Stiles agrees eagerly, then pulls Derek into another kiss.
He definitely likes having a real boyfriend better than a fake one.