"What do you think about this shirt?" Derek held up a black v-neck t-shirt.

Stiles looked from the shirt in Derek's hand to the one Derek had picked out before. "How is this one different from the other one you picked out?"

Derek slightly furrowed his brows. "They're two different colors."

Stiles stored at both shirts. "Really? Because they both look the same to me, black and brooding."

All Derek did was stare blankly at Stiles.

It was times like this that Stiles wondered how Derek still wanted to be with Dave. It's not that Stiles didn't love his brother; it was just that Dave was a bit insensitive, and all Derek seemed to be was sensitive.

Stiles rolled his eyes at Derek. "Dude you need to put some color in your wardrobe! I know you're allergic to anything bright, but try shades of green, grey…try purple! Dave likes colors."

Stiles had been helping Derek get Dave's attention little by little. He had a one-on-one meeting with Dave, which was why Stiles was now helping Derek buy a new shirt. Like Dave would notice…but whatever made Derek happy.

"You're right, Dave did seem to like the green shirt I wore the day of the club."

That was another thing Derek wouldn't let go of. The apparent mind blowing make out session Derek had with "Dave" was enough to get Derek through the darkest hours. It only made Stiles cringe inside until he told Derek, that he didn't want or need to know that about his brother.

So Stiles diverted to childish acts when the subject was brought up. "Eww, I already told you, I don't need details."

Derek scowled and rolled his eyes, "why do I even hang out with you?"

Stiles knew Derek hadn't meant for it to sound so cutting but that didn't stop him from waspishly responding with "Because you want to get my brother out of his shirts."

Derek turned back to the shirts, grabbed a soft grey shirt, a dark green shirt then hesitated on a purple shirt before turning around. Derek held up the two previous shirts, raising an eyebrow in question. Stiles nodded. Derek huffed and walked towards the cash register. Stiles never understood the whole 'changing your image' for someone you like, but then again he was perpetually single. Maybe he should change his image? Stiles decided to skim over shirts.

Derek didn't understand why he didn't like Stiles talking about Derek sleeping with Dave. Maybe it was because he didn't like how Stiles made it sound cheap or maybe it was because a part of him felt guilty. Derek didn't know exactly what he felt guilty for, but sometimes even while he and Stiles were having a good time he'd feel this dread at the pit of his stomach. It was always in those moments he'd sober up, bring up Dave, and still feel guilty afterwards. Like now for example, he and Stiles had met up for dinner (where he forgot to ask about Dave). They came to this store first, because 'Dave loves shopping here', and had bought two shirts because Stiles had suggested the colors. Why was he trying to date Dave so badly? Since when did he put so much effort into dating someone? Because you like hanging out with Stiles a little voice in his head supplied. Derek scoffed at the ridiculousness of that thought; Stiles has a boyfriend. That thought made his mood fall lower.

Derek felt a slap on his arm. "Dude chill, if I knew making you buy colored shirts was going to make you so angry I would have let you buy the dark and morose color shirts!" Stiles was flapping his arms around, and all Derek could see was how nice Stiles' mouth looked. "Pay the man Derek, you're making him nervous. He even applied his employee discount." Derek looked at the guy took out his card and paid.

Once outside, Stiles burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh man, can I take you everywhere? I'd save so much money with the Hale Doom Discount." Stiles burst into a new wave of laughter. As his laughter faded their eyes met, and Stiles smiled at him. It was too large to be a normal smile, but it reached his eyes, and it made Derek's breath catch. A weight of lead dropped to the pit of his stomach.

Derek wanted to get away both physically and emotionally.

"Do you think if I asked Dave out, he'd say yes?"

Stiles smile dropped, only to reappear oddly forced compared to the one from a moment ago.

"Yeah, he'd say yes." Stiles had been talking Derek up to Dave anyway, in case Derek asked. It was a bit pitiful that as Stiles' feelings for Derek grew, the harder Stiles' tried to get Dave to like Derek.

An awkward silence fell between the two. Both males couldn't seem to make eye contact at all, and Stiles' face kept twitching. Both wanted to say something, but unwilling to be the first to speak.

"Soo…" Stiles rubbed the back of his neck once "I guess I should go…?"

At that Derek looked straight at Stiles "You had other plans?"

Stiles grimaced. "No?" Stiles had actually cleared his whole day for Derek hoping to hang out with him for as long as possible. "I mean, I guess, I told Scott that we'd have dinner, but that's practically every night so he can just order take out without me."

Derek looked, more like frowned, down at his bag. "I was thinking of trying out the new Mexican restaurant that just opened. I guess I can take it to go. I'm sure there are papers I have to grade or work on."

"Nope. No. Non. You are not eating alone on a Saturday night while doing school work. Not under this" Stiles theatrically pointed at himself with his thumbs "Stilinski's watch, Mr. Grumpy."

They both began walking towards the restaurant. "You said Mexican restaurant right? Hope it's authentic, cause I miss me some McCall cooking." At Derek's obvious confusion, Stiles explained that Scott's mom made the best posole ever. "Well maybe I'm being biased, because she's the only person's who's ever made if for me, like homemade, but Scott can't cook to save his life and Ms. McCall only makes it for special occasions. I'm choosing to believe it's because she's so busy at work, and not because she doesn't want me over at her house every weekend. But man you need to try it, made next time she makes it, I'll bring you some."

Awkward moment gone and forgotten, Derek stays silent through Stile's speech enjoying his company.

The posole ends up being very good, but not quite measuring up to the wonderful McCall posole.

OoOoOoOo

Derek was replying to a text when Laura fell into the couch seat next to him.

"Who are you texting so often these days? I swear you texts more than me now!" Laura's way of bonding was to angrily yell at Derek, then take his phone.

She leaned against Derek as she began scrolling through his phone. "What's a Stiles?"

"No one!" Derek snatched his phone back, and scooted away from her. "Good to see you sis, how are you doing? I'm a little stuck on a part of my Grad thesis, thanks for asking."

Laura laughed and rolled herself into a sitting position. "Aww Der-bear, you don't have to be shy about your boyfriend. I promise I won't make him cry, much, when you bring him around. Now don't change the subject on me, because I will steal your pone and read through all those texts."

Derek rolled his eyes. "He's not my boyfriend."

Laura just huffed, "Does this mean you like him, do you want to date him?"

"He has a boyfriend."

Laura rolled her eyes, "So do you want to date him? A friend you want something with?"

"He's a friend."

"Is it really that hard to say you like someone? Are you sure he has a boyfriend? Because I have to be honest, I wouldn't want my boyfriend texting a guy as often as he texts you."

It was Derek's turn to roll his eyes at his sister. Derek's heart starts picking up speed. "They clear up a whole weekend in a month to have sex. He doesn't even bother picking up his phone. I'm sure his boyfriend doesn't care how often you talk with someone, when you're that secure about a relationship."

Laura gives him a weird look. "I don't know little bro, sex is sex. If Stiles is talking to you more than he is talking with him, that's still being emotionally unfaithful. Maybe you should talk to him. Plus has he ever said "Derek I have a boyfriend?' or "my boyfriend, blah blah blah?""

Derek felt hope flare up in him. Stiles had never explicitly said he had a boyfriend. Sure he would talk about Scott, but he would talk a lot about how hot Lydia and Danny were and these totally cool chicks, Erica and Kira, in his classes, just as often. He could ask Stiles to dinner, or a date and see what Stiles says. Maybe he had it wrong, maybe Stiles is just friends with Scott, and he read the signs wrong. As soon as that hope appeared, it was stomped down. "I don't want to date Stiles. He's helping me get with Dave."
"Derek since when do you need help finding someone?"

Derek blankly stared at Laura.

"Ok true, you aren't very socially inept, but instead of using your lack of social skills on Stiles, why are you not using them on Dave? I know you're bad at this but it hasn't crippled you from dating in the past."

Derek had dated others in the past that's true, there was Paige, Eric, David, Jennifer, and Brandon; all the relationships were short lived, but happened nonetheless. Sure it had been hard to date after Kate, but he'd had years of visiting a professional to understand that Kate had a psychotic break.

Why was he getting pointers from Stiles? Why did he need them? Why had Derek not sought out Dave on his own? Maybe he should ask Stiles on a date and see what happened?