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"Are you going to tell me what happened? What are you doing here?" Danny says before grabbing a piece of pizza from the coffee table.
Jackson comes from the kitchen with two beers and gives one to Danny before sitting on the other side of the sofa.
"Maybe I just wanted to spend some time with my best friend, don't you think?"
"Yeah, sure... that is why you called me at the last minute... And what's that thing you're wearing?" Danny asks, pointing at Jackson's T-shirt which is clearly too baggy for him.
"It's Stiles's." Jackson admits, before taking a sip from the bottle.
Danny just rolls his eyes in response. He knows it's better not to say anything.
"It's the first time we won't be sleeping together in years, okay? And we just argued... so yeah, I might look homeless but it's got his scent and it helps to settle my wolf... which believe me, it's something that I need right now," Jackson says matter-of-factly.
Danny snorts. All this wolf stuff will never stop being amusing to him. "Try as you might, you could never look homeless... But that t-shirt... man, it's just not your style." Danny smirks.
"Anyway, less fashion talk. Are you going to spill what the hell happened?" Danny says, grabbing his beer to take a sip.
"Yeah, fine..." The truth is that Jackson needed to tell somebody and even if Danny might not understand it as well as Scott could have, he knows he can trust him to be honest with him.
"I had some free time today, so I went to Stiles's work to take him out to lunch." Jackson leaves his beer on the coffee table. "So, I get there and I see this guy in Stiles's office, they're looking at the computer and his hand is on his shoulder... touching him... smiling at him like he wants to eat him up..."
"Oh god..." Danny smiles.
"If you had seen him... Six foot two, smoking hot... this guy is gorgeous, Danny. Stiles hired him like two months ago."
"So what? He can't hire gorgeous people? That's ridiculous," Danny says.
"Maybe it is, but I'd feel better if this Brian wasn't gay, y'know? I'm telling you, he likes Stiles. He fucking wants him and they work together every day... and just thinking about it... it drives me crazy." Jackson grabs a piece of pizza and takes a bite.
"I can't believe you're feeling threatened by this guy. Even if that's true, even if he likes Stiles, you have nothing to worry about. Come on, we're talking about Stiles here, not me!" Danny grins. He can't help it, this whole thing doesn't make a lot of sense to him, even if this is a Jackson and Stiles thing and he knows how they are.
"I don't know how to explain it. The rational part of my brain tells me I know I can trust him but the other part just wants this guy fucking gone."
"You mean your wolf?" Danny says, frowning.
"Yeah." Jackson pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, man... that's fucked up." Danny is not an expert in werewolf stuff but he's been in the middle of enough wolf related drama to know that this shit cannot be dealt with in a completely rational way. Most of the time you just have to accept that that is the way it works and that there's nothing you can do about it. And he knows Jackson perfectly well by now. He knows how insecure and jealous he can be. The last thing he needed was his wolf added to the mix but he decided to become one anyway, and that is kind of fucked up.
"And Stiles defended him, of course... said he's a friend, great at work, blah, blah, blah... he's a fucking saint apparently and he won't get rid of him."
"You told him to fire him?" Danny raises his eyebrows.
"Not exactly... okay, kind of..." Jackson waves his right hand. "Not one of my finest moments, I guess." Jackson takes another bite and finishes the piece of pizza.
That explains it. Danny understands now what Jackson is doing in his pajamas in his living room.
"You know, I have to side with Stiles in this. You've got to get over your absurd jealousy and forget about it."
"If you had seen the way this guy looked at him, you wouldn't be saying that." Jackson takes a sip of beer before grabbing more pizza.
"I won't say it's all your imagination but if Stiles says this Brian is cool, you need to consider the fact that most probably, this is your possessive wolf talking and you're just exaggerating."
Jackson snorts and smiles wryly. "My husband has this little problem, y'know?" He waves his left hand. "He can't see the way other men look at him. You would think that by now he would see what everybody else sees, but he just doesn't... he never has..." Jackson shakes his head. "And I'll never understand it."
"So, yeah," Jackson continues, "probably he can't see anything wrong with this Brian but it doesn't mean it's not there... so, obviously, you can't expect me to feel better about it."
Danny sighs. He can see Jackson's point and he can see Stiles's too. Still, it's been a long time since Jackson has reacted this way. He can't say what it is exactly but there's something different this time and he can't quite put his finger on it.
"Look, man, I think you need to talk this through with him. Remember when he met Kane? He dealt with it and I bet it wasn't easy..."
"Kane?" Jackson snorts. "Really?" Jackson smiles, raising his eyebrows. "He was harmless... for god's sake, Danny."
"Well, Stiles didn't know that and clearly, he was into you and never tried to hide it. I think Stiles had reasons not to trust him."
"Stiles knew I would never cheat on him..."
"Really? Why? Because of the whole wolf thing? That's bullshit and you know it. You weren't married yet. He had every reason to be insecure about it but he trusted you and Kane... which I'm sure, was no picnic since you were living in different places." Danny says, hoping to talk some sense into his friend.
"Not because of my wolf." Jackson shakes his head. "Because I may be a lot of things but I'm not a liar or a cheater and he knows that."
"Well, maybe he knows that now but he couldn't be so sure back then. I've trusted so many guys who have cheated on me... you think you know someone and then... surprise, he's fucking someone else in your bed while you are at work."
"So you're saying that Stiles had reasons to believe that I could be fucking Kane behind his back, seriously?"
"I'm not saying that. I'm saying that he had reasons to be afraid that maybe Kane could seduce you or something at one those parties... or in your room when you were studying. You have to admit that you two spent a lot of time together and he knew that."
"Yes, we did. But Stiles has always known how I feel about him... It was stupid of him to think that--"
"And you don't know how he feels about you?" Danny interrupts him. "He married you, for god's sake. What other proof do you need?"
Danny looks at him expectantly but Jackson doesn't reply.
"These insecurities that you have, I'll never understand them." Danny shakes his head. "So what if this guy is charming and hot, so are you, don't you think? You're not my type..." Danny smirks.
"Or so you keep saying..." Jackson smiles.
"But you are hot and you know that... you've always known that. So what if this guy is taller and younger than you... you're a freaking werewolf, how many people can say that?"
"Even if he likes it, he's not with me because I'm a werewolf and that's not it, okay? The thing is that he's never..." Jackson sighs. "You know, that he's never been with anybody else." Jackson closes his eyes for a second. "And I've always wondered... what if one day somebody else comes along and he's curious and tempted... and you know... these things happen to many couples."
Danny can imagine how hard it must have been to admit that for Jackson and he's not sure what to say at first. After all, it's not that far-fetched... it does happen to people.
"I can understand that." Danny nods, waving his arms. "I won't say it's impossible because everybody can be tempted... even you, although I know that you'll deny it..." Danny grins. "But one thing is to be tempted and a very different one is to act on it... and he loves you and I know he'd never do anything that could hurt you. He's just not like that and you're fucking lucky."
Jackson grabs the beer and takes a sip before leaving it on the table again.
"I know he loves me. I know that. That's not the problem." Jackson knows that everything Danny just said is the truth. He knows it's an irrational feeling and still, it's like he can't make it go away.
"Good. Then if you know that, go home and make up with him so that I know that true love lasts forever in this universe... Although I appreciate the free pizza and the beer." Danny smirks.
Jackson snorts. "Yeah, I only called you because you're so easy to bribe." Jackson says, smiling. "I'll get out of your hair tomorrow. I promise." He hopes Stiles will be less annoyed by then and it will be easy to apologize.
"Maybe Stiles could introduce me to this Brian?" Danny chuckles.
"Yeah, because he is your type, isn't he?" Jackson rolls his eyes.
"According to everything you said, he seems like it... besides, don't you see that I'd be doing you a favour?"
"A favour? How's that exactly?" Jackson smiles.
"Isn't it obvious? If he was interested in me, then you'd have nothing to worry about anymore, don't you think?"
"Yeah, so now you'd be doing it for me and my marriage..." Jackson says with irony.
"That's what friends are for, right?" Danny smiles, waving his arms.
"Sure..." Jackson nods. "I'll see what I can do..." Jackson says, grabbing another piece of pizza.
To be continued...