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Stiles and David weren’t always friends (not to mention best friends). Sure, they knew about each other; they were the same age and mostly in the same classes, but the friendship happened on the end of their junior year. And it instantly became epic. Since Scott was all about Allison, Stiles started to spend more and more time with David, often at the Hale house, where’s been something happening almost all the time. By the end of their senior year they were inseparable. And they had big plans for their last summer before college.
It was one night after bowling with their friends, when they barged into Hale’s kitchen laughing and hungry, trying to not wake up the household. They didn’t expected David’s big brother standing there, smirking at them with his eyebrows doing something complicated, what probably meant he’s internally laughing at them.
“Der! When did you get home?!” David was excited every time Derek showed his face home, he’s been studying in New York for three years now, and David misses him something fierce. He saw his big brother like a demigod or something, it was actually quite funny from where Stiles was standing.
“Who’s that?” Derek asked, and David laughed.
“Stiles. You don’t remember him?“
Derek gave Stiles lingering look and his left eyebrow climbed a little higher in assessing look. "Seems different.”
Stiles shrugged. “Probably the hair, man. Sorry to confuse you.” Derek smirked again.
“Probably.” And then Laura was barging in with wide grin on her face, yelling about Big D being home, which made Derek cringe and David moan, because that meant Laura is going to call him Mini D again, every time she’ll see the two of them together. David hates that nickname. Which Stiles gets.
The thing was, in a few days, their big summer plans started to include Derek as well, because David was just too happy, about him being home, to not make him tag along with them, whenever they went out.
And Derek never actually protested that much. Partially because he couldn’t take his eyes from his baby brother’s best friend, which should probably feel wrong, but Stiles’s been an adult, now, and he looked like it, too. Yeah, he was still goofy and ridiculous, but his shoulders were broader, and his face was all sharp jaw and pretty eyelashes, full lips and big doe eyes. And Jesus Christ, Derek had more than a fair share of dreams about that face, now. But Stiles is also smart and funny, and it’s so easy to spend hours just talking to him. So, in less than two weeks Derek has it so bad, it freaks the crap out of him, when he thinks about it too much. But he also knows, Stiles doesn’t see him the same way. Actually, Stiles is affectionate with only one person, and that’s David. And he feels like the shittiest shit that ever shit for even think about taking him from his little brother, because David is amazing person and he deserves someone amazing as well. So he walks it out, and if he spends more time than usual under cold shower, no one has to know.
Then the recital happens and almost everyone goes there. Whole Hale family, and Stiles with his dad, so does Scott with his mom and Allison. And it’s really nice, some of the students are pretty gifted. It’s after the end, when Derek excuses himself and goes to the bathroom, that we walks is on David kissing a young cellist - who was exceptionally good during her performance. But that doesn’t change the fact that David is kissing a girl, who definitely isn’t Stiles, and Derek doesn’t know what to think, or what to do.
It goes like that for more than a week, filled with grumbling, confused Stiles, dreamy David, and Derek trying to avoid both of them. Which is kind of a problem, when David lives with him, and Stiles tries to spend all the free time with him now, when David constantly disappears nobody knows where (as if).
Finally Derek can’t stand it anymore and corners his little brother. Inside he’s so damn angry about David throwing something so precious away, but he also knows, David doesn’t seem to realize Stiles has feelings for him, so maybe that’s all they need to figure out. And so he tells him. As calmly as he can, he tells David about how Stiles feels about him, and how long it’s been going on, how he shouldn’t break Stiles’ heart because of some summer fling. And David listens to all of it with broken expression on his face, because he didn’t know. How he could miss that? Is Stiles angry with him? And what should he do now, when he doesn’t feel the same? He isn’t like Stiles or Derek, he can’t see himself with a guy. But Stiles is his best friend and he loves him and he doesn’t want to loose him.
The next time Stiles spends diner time at Hale’s, the atmosphere is different, awkward and stiff, and Stiles is confused, because David is giving him these sad-puppy looks, and Derek’s avoiding his gaze like he could catch something from him, while sitting across the table. And it just gets worse during the next two days. Stiles kind of feels like Alice in the Wonderland, because suddenly nothing whatsoever make sense.
The following Tuesday Stiles’s sitting at the dinning table, eating pineapple pie, when David slumps on the chair next to him, already in his sad puppy mode.
“Okay, what’s happening? Just tell me,” Stiles sighs without even glancing at his friend.
“I’m sorry, Stiles.”
Okay, now he’s looking at him, because what? “For what?"
"I swear I had no idea, I would've said something. And I know I’m making things weird, and that’s probably why you've never said anything, but it’s just hard to wrap my mind around, that’s all."
"Uhh, okay?” Stiles says uncertain and confused. “Good for you, buddy. Mind telling me what are you talking about?”
David blushes, and, oh my god, David blushes, that’s kind of hilarious. Stiles bits down a smile. “Did you jerk off to my porn stash again?"
"No!” David’s eyes go wide and his face has now very similar color to a boiled lobster. It’s freakin’ adorable, that’s what it is. Sometimes David tops even Scott’s level of puppy like adorableness, and it brings Stiles unholy glee to make David this flustered. Because he’s evil, obviously. “No, for fuck’s sake, I meant that… you know… feelings."
"Feelings?” And Stiles is lost again. Or, more like, still lost.
“Yeah. Those one you have… For me…” David helpfully confuses Stiles even further. And then it hits him.
“Wait,” he says with his hands turned palms first to his friend. “Hold it right there. You think I have feelings for you?”
David blinks. Stiles mirrors it, while there is dozen thousands of thoughts flying through his head, blizzard fast. How did he manage to convince David he has feelings for him? Did he said something? Did he do something? Touched him in a bad way? Jeez, how the hell this happened? And is it a bad thing or a good thing in David’s eyes? Because Stiles definitely doesn’t have any kind of romantic feeling towards his friend. Duh, he loves him, but in totally friendly kind of way, not in ‘I want you to shove your dick up my ass’ kind of way. Which, ugh, not that David isn’t good looking, but this never even crossed Stiles’ mind. Also David is straight, isn’t he?
They sit there, both kind of panicking, not sure what they should do, because neither wants to hurt the other one. Until Derek walks in on them like that, and David looks at him all lost and flushed in absolutely obvious way, and Derek grits his teeth because it doesn’t hurt, okay? It doesn’t. So Derek mutters quiet ‘finally’ and tries to retreat, but then Stiles looks at him over his shoulder, and that is not a face of a relived man. That’s very much face of a man only a hair from a panic attack. And he can’t help himself, he growls at David, because Stiles is not okay. Why isn’t he okay? “What did you said to him?"
And David chokes out something nobody understands, and Stiles is trying to understand those pieces of words floating around, because nothing is making any sense. Derek knows what is this with David all about? And then David blurts out, "what you said I should!” and everything goes still.
Stiles glances from Derek to David and back, confused and lost in all those things no one bothers to explain to him. “You told him something?” He turns back to David. “What did he tell you?”
And then Derek is turning and walking away as fast as he can without actually running, and David gives up, and straightforward says: “I’m sorry, but I’m not in love with you.” And Stiles breaths out with relief and retorts: “Well, good, I’m not in love with you either. Now, would you mind telling me what was all that about?"
David is relieved. And surprised, but mostly relieved, because he had nightmares about this for last few nights, okay? And he sucks at talking about feelings. Paige knows, how much he sucks at it, because he still wasn’t able to ask her out properly. Or even compliment her, without simultaneously offend three generations of her family. Good she has exceptional sense of humor and big tolerance for doofusness.
But even if Stiles isn’t Paige, he is still his best friend and he gets it, when David tries to explain things. And now he understands, Derek somehow managed to convince David Stiles loves him, and trying to date Paige could brake his heart. Which, freaking unbelievable, what is he? God dammed unstable ex-wife or something? So he just pats David on the back and tells him to call Paige and ask her out for sake of all that is holy, because she might be patient with him, but she 'ain’t saint. And then he goes search for Derek, because he sooo needs to have a word with him.
He finds Derek at the gym (yes, Hales do have their own, Stiles just learned to accept and ignore it). He sits on the bench, watching his clasped hands, so Stiles can’t really see his face, but he can guess he doesn’t have a particularly happy expression. "Sooo, wanna tell what all that was about?” Stiles starts, because why not. Ha had more than his fair share of mortifying moments today, this probably can’t be any worse than the last hour of his life.
“You love my brother,” Derek sighs, without looking up.
“Duh,” Stiles’ eyebrows climb up a little. Derek frowns, Stiles can see that even from his angle, so he elaborates. “But I’m not in love with him. Where did you even got that idea from?"
Derek frowns even more and finally looks up at him. "I saw it. It’s clear in how you act around him, you are happy with him. You made him happy. He shouldn’t throw that away.”
“First of all, there isn’t anything he could 'throw away',” Stiles mimics Derek’s words. “Second of all, Dave is probably my soulmate, yeah, but he is also straight as an arrow, I thought you knew that.”
Derek snorts. “Of course I knew that, but it’s not like everyone has their sexuality sorted out when they are eighteen."
"Fair enough,” Stiles nods, and folds his arms across his chest. “Still doesn’t mean he has to fall for me, or I for him. I love him, but in very brotherly way, and you shouldn’t assume, man. And I’m not even talking about that whole telling him things that you shouldn’t, even if they were true. Not cool."
"Sorry,” Derek murmurs.
“Is that why you couldn’t look at me last few days? Did you change your mind and thought I’m not good enough for him or something?"
Derek’s eyes go all wide and sincere, laced with pure panic. "NO! I mean, no, I didn’t… That’s not it, okay? You would be perfect for him.”
Stiles is a little surprised to hear it, but shrugs it off, and sits next to Derek. “So what’s it, man? Are you mad at me? Did I do something? Because from where I’m standing, or sitting, or whatever, it seems like you are the one, who messed up."
Derek smirks, "thanks for not rubbing it in my face or anything.”
Stiles shrugs. “You deserve it.”
Derek nods with a small smile. “True.”
“Now tell me, what is it, that bothers you?” he asks, turning his head, so he could see Derek’s face. And what he sees kinds of takes his breath away, because Derek seems so earnest while roaming over his face with those strangely colored beautiful eyes. He’s flushed, and his pupils are huge, lips slightly parted, and Stiles suddenly realizes how close they are, but he still doesn’t expect it, when Derek leans forward.
He doesn’t aim for Stiles’ mouth, no, he kisses him right under his right ear, banishing all his thoughts from his brain. And he definitely doesn’t expect the whispered “maybe I was jealous” while there is dark scruff rubbing against his cheek and hot breath caressing soft skin of his neck. But hey, he’s so on board with this turn of events, he can’t even tell. He likes Derek, really, but that idiot tried to make his brother dump the girl David likes, because he thought Stiles is in love with him. That’s pretty amazing evidence Derek is goddamn special, right there.
They still need to talk, a lot, but it can wait. There is no rush, anyway. David is definitely trying to woo Paige right now, since Stiles told him to do that, and other Hales shouldn’t be at home at this time of day, so no rush at all. And Stiles knows for sure, that there is a shower they can totally make out in. Yup. This summer holidays turns up to be just as epic as Stiles planed. Even more so.