What the hell am I supposed to do? Derek thinks as he watches Laura grind on a guy so clearly not Stiles. Stiles, who is perfect with his beauty marks and miles upon miles of milky white skin. So pretty. At least in Derek's eyes. According to Stiles, he's pale and doesn't like when people play connect the dots with his moles. But Derek would. He would very much like to play connect the dots. With his tongue.

Which makes this whole situation entirely unfair because Stiles is in love with Laura and she can't see what's right in front of her.

Derek remembers the day Laura brought him home. The first day Derek met the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.

Derek was home, finally done with school. He's grown taller now, standing shoulder to shoulder with his mother as they work together, making dinner when the front door slammed open.

"Mom! We're here!"

Looking up at his mom, he raised a single brow in question. "We're?"

"Laura's friend is staying for dinner. Apparently, he just moved to town and since his dad's always working late, hasn't had a proper meal."

Derek nodded as Laura appeared in the doorway, eyes lighting up when she saw him.

"Bunny!" she screeched, and Derek flinched at the horrible nickname she'd bestowed upon him when he was too young to protest.

"You know I hate it when you call me that!" but his words were soft because he's missed her since he's been gone. Standing, he wrapped her in a hug, and that's when Derek looked over his sister's shoulder and saw him, the tall boy leaning awkwardly against the doorframe.

The guy's hands were shoved in the back pockets of sinfully tight jeans, making his hips jut out, drawing Derek's eyes down the lean frame to the little peek of skin showing where his shirt rode up. Derek inhaled sharply as his heart beat erratically, face flushing with heat. He'd never had that type of reaction upon seeing another person so it's odd that his first thought was how he'd like to drop to his knees and grip the guy's hips tightly as he wrapped his lips around—

Derek was dragged from his thoughts when his mother urged him away to pull Laura into a tight embrace.

"Laura, dear. Don't be rude. You've left the poor boy just standing here."

"Oh! Mom, Derek, this is my friend Stiles."

The guy— "Stiles?" Derek muttered under his breath, wanting to see how the name would sound rolling off his tongue— sauntered over. Who saunters?!

Derek watched as Stiles looped an arm around Laura's waist and laid his head on her shoulder.

"Aw, Laur, don't be like that. You know we're soulmates…"

Soulmates? And just like that, Derek's heart broke. Laura brought home Stiles—perfect and delectable and entirely Derek's type. Fuck his life because, of course, Stiles would be in love with Laura.

In the two years since then, Derek's had to watch Stiles make heart eyes and flirt with her. He's endured listening to Stiles profess his love for Laura. It makes Derek seethe with jealousy because if the tables were turned, he'd blush and fall into a pile of goo at the mere thought of Stiles wanting him like that.

Instead, Laura laughs it all away and continues to date and flirt with others. And he doesn't understand why he never sees the hurt in Stiles's eyes. Hell, it pains him so surely Stiles is dying inside. Though, he supposes, Laura usually isn't as blatant about it.

But as it is, they're out at Jungle, Derek dancing with a tall, cute guy, pretty moles speckling his creamy skin, while Laura dances right beside him, her arms wrapped around Jordan Parrish. Stiles, sitting at a corner booth, is staring at them, a crushed expression on his face. It hurts Derek's very soul to see the crumbled look on Stiles's face, brows furrowed as his lips are pulled down in a frown when their eyes meet.

He pulls away from the guy he's dancing with and grabs Laura's arm, dragging her down the dark bathroom hallway for a little privacy as well as quiet.

"Enough is enough, Laura," he says, voice low and rough. "You've gotta sit down with him and tell him that you don't feel the same. Okay? You're hurting him."

The looks she gives him would be comical if he weren't pissed off. "What the fuck are you talking about, Derek?"

"Stiles, Laura. The guy's in love with you, and I didn't say anything before because it never seemed to bother him, seeing you with other people, but the look on his face tonight, breaks my fucking heart."

Laura scoffs and crosses her arms. "Stiles isn't— Derek, Stiles isn't in love with me."

"Oh yeah? Then why does he look like he wants the ground to swallow him whole?" Derek gestures where Stiles looms on the edge of the dance floor, face drawn in a gloomy expression. "He's had to watch you grind on Parrish, and it's killing him, Laura!"

The giggle that escapes his sister makes him want to scream, especially when she doubles over, clutching her sides.

"This is not funny! How can you laugh about this? I thought you were friends?" he asks incredulously. Derek loves his sister with all his heart, but right now, it's like he doesn't know her.

"That's just it, Derek. We are friends. Friends. Stiles is my best friend."

"Well, your best friend is in love with you, and I don't exactly know how you haven't seen it, what with him constantly calling you his soulmate!"

"Oh my God, Derek! Stiles is gay! GAY!"

He rears back at the force of her words, feet stumbling, back thudding against the wall. "What?"

"Yeah… Gay… How did you not— I mean, he's not shy about it. Weren't you guys gushing about that one guy in that movie we went to? What the fuck is his name?" She gestures wildly at her stomach. "With the abs? I mean, the two of you kept talking about licking his abs."

Derek blushes because Stiles had practically been draped over him as they'd watched the movie. Derek had been so focused on the heat of Stiles's body that he barely recalls anything else. A dopey grin spreads across his face, and it's not until he feels a slap on his chest that he comes back to reality.

"You don't think maybe he's into Jordan, do you? I mean, he just started working for Stiles's dad, and he'd mentioned finding one of the new deputies attractive."

Another pang to Derek's heart, because, of course, it's still not him. "Maybe? I mean, I guess he has been coming in more often." Derek thinks. Stiles had been stopping by randomly, usually with dinner for the sheriff, but he's not sure since he hasn't been working for the department that long.

"Shit… Okay, fine. I'll go talk to him. I mean, I'll back off if he's interested in Jordan. No guy is worth losing my best friend."

Derek nods in agreement and smiles softly before she walks back to the dance floor and grabs Stiles, pulling him somewhere Derek can't see.

They're only gone for a few minutes before Derek sees them again. Stiles looks, well, not happy, but definitely better. Now it seems more like he has to do something he doesn't want to do, while Laura wears, well, Derek really has nothing better to describe it than as a shit-eating grin. And they're both headed right for him. Fuck.

"Oh, Bunny..."

He turns his attention to Stiles and pointedly ignores his sister. "Are you okay?"

Laura rolls her eyes. "Oh, Stiles is perfectly fine. Stiles just needs to get his head outta his ass and—"

"Laura!" Stiles pushes her lightly. "Just go, okay? I don't need your help."

It looks like Laura wants to say more, but her hands fly up in surrender as she turns and walks away.

Left alone with Stiles, Derek's suddenly nervous. His eyes wander, trying to find something to focus on, wanting to avoid looking at Stiles's face. "So… Jordan?"

"No, Derek. Not Jordan." The resignation is apparent in Stiles's voice and draws his attention.

"But Laura said—"

"You."

That catches his attention. "What?" He couldn't have possibly heard right.

"I wasn't looking at Laura. I wasn't watching Jordan. It's you, Derek. It's always been you."

"But I thought—"

Stiles cuts him off with a raised hand. "Don't get me wrong, your sister is beautiful. I mean, it's like the Hales are supernaturally gorgeous or something. Like, what the fuck is in the water over there?"

He opens his mouth, wanting clarification, a definitive answer, so he's not guessing or assuming what Stiles means, but his own nervousness works against him when all that comes out is, "Well, you know well water is extremely hard, Stiles, but I don't know what that has to do with..." A part of himself dies inside, but luckily Stiles saves him from any further embarrassment.

"That's not— Derek, that's not the point." Stiles's groan is audible over the rhythmic bass of the song blasting through the club's speakers. "I like you. Kinda hard not to with the resting bitch face but gooey marshmallow center."

Typically the RBF comment would earn a glare, but all Derek can focus on is the 'I like you' confession. He wants to duck away, the heat of Stiles's stare boring holes straight to his soul. But it's also the reason he can't look away.

Instead of words, Derek presses forward and swallows a small gasp from Stiles as their mouths meet. He'd be worried if not for Stiles gripping his shirt to hold him close and the smile he can feel against his lips as the kiss is returned.

They leave soon after, and while everything is new, they should probably take it slow, but looking back, Derek thinks maybe this has been building even though he didn't see it at the time. All the longing looks, casual touches, flirting, and innuendoes… It feels so right and natural as they stumble into bed together, clothes strewn haphazardly across the floor.

Later that night, once they're sated and sleepy and curled around each other, Stiles barks out a laugh and Derek groans, already knowing the words that are going to be spoken.

"I can't believe you thought I was in love with Laura."