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“I can tell you’re lying,” Stiles said.
Derek’s heart beat faster at being caught out, and he had to remind himself that Stiles couldn’t actually hear that. “No, you can’t.”
“Hey, asshole, just because I can’t hear heartbeats doesn’t mean I can’t tell when you’re lying.” Stiles jabbed a finger at him. “It does bother you when I spend time with Bryce. Why does that bother you?”
Because he’s interested in you and I hate smelling that every time he’s within spitting distance, Derek thought, but there wasn’t a way in the world he was admitting that. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared. “It’s none of your business.”
Stiles rolled his eyes. “It is my business when you keep trying to scare off my lab partner! Dude, we have to work together. It’s for a project that’s worth like ninety percent of my final grade!”
“There’s no one project is worth that much,” Derek said.
“Yeah, well, if I fuck it up I’ll fail, so maybe you could quit with the angry looming act when we’re trying to get work done? I know you don’t like new people in your space so I’m trying to keep him out of your way, but apparently that isn’t enough. You used to be okay with it when I had people over for studying!”
Yeah, Derek had been fine with it when it was Katie, Josh, Marco, and Tanya–all very nice people who didn’t show the slightest interest in Stiles whatsoever. Or, well, there was interest–it was Stiles, how could there not be?–but none of them had been as obnoxious or obvious about it as fucking Bryce.
“He just rubs me the wrong way,” Derek said, which wasn’t a lie. “He’s overbearing.”
Stiles snorted. “Says the werewolf who sits at the kitchen table and literally glowers at us the entire time we’re trying to study.”
Derek flinched. “I do not.”
“Oh my God, dude, you totally do.” Stiles groaned. “Look, if you’re not going to tell me what the deal is, fine, but please, I am begging you, will you just chill the fuck out when he’s around? It’s making him jumpy and we can’t get anything done.”
Derek had known it would be like this when he offered to share his apartment with Stiles while Stiles was going to college. He’d known there would be a parade of interested people who would be falling all over themselves to spend time with Stiles. He’d known that. And yet, the first few years hadn’t been as bad as he’d anticipated, so he’d allowed himself to get complacent.
And now there was fucking Bryce.
“Derek?” Stiles prodded him. “Are you going to chill while we’re trying to do our work?”
“I…” Derek cleared his throat. “I’ll try.”
He would do damn near anything Stiles asked of him, just because it was Stiles.
Stiles actually sagged in relief. “Oh, thank God. I spend enough time finding ways to shut down all his shitty flirting. Thank you for giving me one less thing to have to deal with.”
Derek blinked. “I…no problem. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Stiles grabbed his backpack and headed back toward his room. “Good! Now I’ve got to get this paper finished. Hopefully I’ll be done in an hour.”
“Good luck,” Derek said.
“Thanks, man!” Stiles called back, and then the bedroom door closed.
So. Stiles wasn’t interested in Bryce at all, then. That was good to know.
With absolutely no one around to see, Derek grinned to himself, and then went to go start dinner.
He’d find a way to tell Stiles how he felt eventually, but at least now he knew he didn’t have to contend with fucking Bryce in the meantime.