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“You haven’t even touched your food. What’s going on?” Deucalion asked Stiles and Stiles scoffed.
Leave it to the blind wolf to be observant.
Stiles put his fork down with a sigh and looked at Deuc.
“What are we doing?” he asked and Deucalion frowned at him.
“We’re having dinner,” he stated and pointedly tipped his head down towards their food.
“Don’t be like that now,” Stiles chided. “You know what I mean.”
“I actually don’t,” Deuc gave back and Stiles pressed his lips together for a moment.
He hadn’t wanted to ask, didn’t want to know what the real reason was Deucalion was spending time with him, but that was exactly the problem. He wanted this to be something and if Deuc was just here because of Stiles’ ties to Scott’s pack, it would be a problem.
“What are you doing with me?” Stiles asked and Deucalion put his cutlery down as well.
“I’m taking you out for dinner,” Deuc answered and now Stiles got angry.
“Don’t play with me now, you know what I want to know.”
“Do I?” Deucalion asked him, mouth pressed into a hard line and Stiles wanted to smooth it out again.
Deucalion had been through so much already and Stiles loved the way he was open and relaxed with him, face all smoothed out with no wrinkles in sight, but he needed to know his reasons.
“Maybe you should ask me directly,” Deuc told him and Stiles flinched under his voice. He sounded hurt.
“Are you using me to get to Scott?” Stiles asked after a deep breath and braced for the answer.
“And why would I come to you for that?” Deucalion questioned, which hurt more than Stiles would like to admit.
He knew he wasn’t a valuable pack member, but he was still Scott’s best friend and he knew things about the pack.
“I know I’m not supernatural, but I do have my merits,” he hissed out. “I’m still valuable.”
“I know that, dear boy. Which is exactly why I’m asking you. Do you really think if I wanted to get to Scott I would come to you?”
“And why wouldn’t you? I’m his best friend.”
“So, think, Stiles. Would I come to you, if I wanted to hurt Scott?”
“No,” Stiles whispered after a minute.
“Why not?” Deucalion asked and there was that small smile again, the one Stiles loved so much.
“Because I’m his best friend, and I would never betray him like that.”
“Exactly. If I had wanted an in to his pack I would have gone to anyone else.”
“What are you doing with me then? If I’m not good for getting to Scott, what am I good for then?” Stiles wanted to know.
He dreaded the answer, still, but knowing that Deuc wasn’t here because of Scott had already taken a weight off him.
“You’re good for conversation, for challenging me, for providing company, for making me feel like I have a pack again. You’re good for falling in love with,” Deucalion told him, and even though Stiles knew he was blind he could feel his gaze on him.
“And have you?” Stiles whispered but Deuc didn’t answer him.
“Why are you here, Stiles? To keep an eye on a potential enemy? To inform Scott about my every plan?” he asked him instead and he sounded hurt, just like Stiles had been hurt just thinking about the fact that Deuc might just be using him.
“I’m here because I want to be,” Stiles gave back, meeting Deuc’s unseeing gaze. “I’m here because I enjoy being with you.”
“So you’re here for the same reasons that I am,” Deuc stated and rested his hand on the table, palm up, just offering it to Stiles, leaving it to him to take it or not.
Stiles didn’t even have to think for a second before he reached out and tangled their fingers together.
“It seems like it,” he said with a small smile and felt warmth spread through him when Deucalion smiled at him.
He did look best when he was open and soft like that after all.