Stiles was freaking out. He didn't know what to wear, should he dress like it was a date, or like he was going to hang out with Scott? Scott was absolutely no help. Although Scott had been an encouraging best friend when Derek hadn't shown interest, the moment Stiles told Scott he had a potential date with Derek, Scott began to question Derek's motives.

Stiles threw his shirt off, black wasn't really his color. "Trust me Scott, if he wanted to talk about Dave, Derek would have been up front about it. It's not like him to lie."

Scott sat down on Stile's bed, making eye contact with Stiles, "Yeah you say that, but does he like you? Is this a real date? Did he say that?"

It hurt that Scott didn't think Derek would be able to go out with him unless there was another motive.

"So you're saying that it was ok to dream about dating Derek, but he's obviously so out of my league that I should question his motives now that he might want something? Best friend of the year award goes to you." Stiles picked a random shirt and threw it at Scott, before turning back towards his closet.

Scott winced "You know that's not what I meant. Don't twist my words."

Stiles huffed and rolled his eyes before turning to look at Scott. "Really? So what were you trying to say? Cause that's definitely what it sounded like."

"It's just…" Scott sighed and looked at the shirts Stiles had thrown all over the bed. "Stiles this isn't the first time that someone that has liked Dave has tried to take you out on a date."

Stiles felt his insides drop. "Yeah and I've always been cool about it, even after they talk about Dave the whole time, and then end the date asking if my brother is possibly home."

"Yeah, but I know that it hurts you. I was there the whole weekend after the first time it happened. You really like Derek, and if it ends like the others…I just don't want to see you get hurt anymore."

Stiles was looking through his shirts, should he wear a tight shirt with a dress shirt over it? "Just say what you want to say Scott, stop tiptoeing around it." He picked out his tightest shirt; it was a nice blue grey shade. Then proceeded to look for a shirt that went with it.

Scott looked up towards Stiles then looked anywhere else while saying, "If he dates you, how do you know you're not just a substitute for Dave? I mean he's confused you two before."

It felt like Scott had just gutted him out, because there it was, the dark thoughts of Derek's confusion from the night at the bar, which Stiles had been trying to ignore and cover with positive thoughts.

A silence rung between the two friends; a silence so thick, that only the ringing of the doorbell shattered it. Scott was the first one to seek escape saying that he'd get it and bolted from the room; he had ordered a pizza before entering Stiles' room.

Stiles mind was rushing with 'what ifs' and thoughts of being called Dave. Stiles took in a shaky breath and slowly let it out; he pushed back the beginnings of a panic attack.

OoOoOoO

Derek had arrived too early to Stiles' place, around the 10-15min too early mark. Although this wasn't the first time that the two would hang out alone, this time around Derek wanted to change their friendship. Wanted to come clean about his feelings. Make it clear to Stiles that he was into Stiles, and Dave might just have probably been an excuse to get to know him. Sure it had been about Dave, at first, but somewhere along the way…Dave stopped mattering.

Which is why when a tan slightly good-looking guy with a carefree smile opened the door, Derek felt like he had ground ripped from under him. The man looked slightly confused, looked around, before finally speaking.

"Hi, I'm Scott, and you're not the pizza man."

This was Scott. Of course. Of course Stiles would be with someone who could smile as easily as he did, why would he want to be with someone who constantly had the 'Hale look of doom' on?

Derek was took busy internally berating himself for the moment of hope he had earlier that all Derek did was glare at Scott before saying, "I'm Derek."

Scott looked at Derek for a moment before loudly sighing then turning back into the apartment. Not inviting Derek in. Derek probably deserved that, he had been talking to this man's boyfriend excessively. In his shoes, Derek would behave the same; probably worse.

Derek was jarred from his thoughts, at the sound of Stiles' angry huff of "why did you leave him outside?" just as Stiles opened the front door.

Stiles gave him a bright smile. "Hey there Mr. Grumpy. I see your charms are being worked to their best of their ability, not even 5 minutes with Scott and he already feels all that warmth." Stiles laughed at his own joke before turning to look at Scott. "I'll talk to you tomorrow man, but remember to lock up before you go, don't need to have another talk from my dad about burglars."

Derek's mood plummeted. If he could, he would turn around and head straight home, but Derek still wanted to be around Stiles. Maybe Derek really did need to use this time to learn about Dave. If he couldn't be with Stiles, Dave looked enough like Stiles to tide him through his crush on Stiles.

OoOoOoO

Dinner was awkward.

It started in the car when Derek said "So that's Scott." More statement than question, but Stiles still answered.

"Yup."

"He seems like a good person to have around."

"Yeah he's been with me for as long as I can remember. To think it all started when he shared his crayons with me. Sure there was nothing special about them, but he didn't let anyone else borrow them. And he said I could use them. It was from then on that we became inseparable. And now here we are, 13 years later and still hanging on."

Derek hmm'd, then didn't say anything the rest of the ride. Stiles thought of filling the silence, but Derek turned on the radio.

Once they were seated at the burger place Derek picked up his menu and held it in front of his face. Derek wanted to desperately ask Stiles about Scott, if they were friends or more than friends, how did someone even word that into a question?

After their order was taken, Derek took out his phone and sent Laura a text. "Help!;" She never replied. Derek didn't know how to act, so he proceeded to ignore Stiles until their food arrived.

Stiles felt stupid to say the least. He had built up this dinner to be something that so obviously wasn't a date. But it was worse because Derek had never made him feel like a chore until this very moment.

Stiles grabbed a napkin and began to tear it into little pieces before gathering the courage to say something. Without looking up from the napkin he began, "You know…you don't have to hang out with me. You know that right?" Stiles looked up to Derek giving him a blank stare. "Like if you had plans to go out, or if you thought Dave was going to be there when you came to pick me up…" Stiles looked askance; anywhere other than at Derek really.

Derek only sighed, the silence deafening.

Stiles insides turned, they turned until Stiles became angry. How dare Derek make him feel like he had put this upon Derek. Derek was the one who suggested this outing. Stiles didn't have to sit here and be made to feel like he's less than the dirt on Derek's shoes. In fact Stiles didn't know what he was still doing there! Stiles didn't have to help Derek talk to Dave. And Stiles told Derek just that.

"Then why are you? Why are you helping me?" was Derek's only response.

"I don't know. I guess I thought you were someone else. I guess I was so caught up with the crush that I have on you, I forgot that you were only my friend to try and get to Dave. I'm going to be leaving now, I would offer to pay, but since you've been such an asshole tonight you deserve to pay. I should have just listened to Scott."

"What did your boyfriend say?"

"What the actual fuck? Boyfriend? You know what? Nope! Not going to do this. You have yourself a nice fucken night. Lose my number, don't ever talk to me again." Stiles got up to leave, turned around and said, "and just for future reference, Scott is my best friend."

With that Stiles walked out, caught a bus home, then burrowed in his bed before letting himself cry. He didn't want to hear 'I told you so' from Scott so he ignored his call when it came later in the night, because as it turned out, he wasn't even a good substitute for Dave.