A/N: dragonryder94 beta'd this for me. Thanks girl!

A few days later, after their second night in Atlanta, Erica and Isaac rounded up the roadies and took them out for drinks. Derek ordered his regular two whiskey sours and did the obligatory Four Horsemen shot that Isaac slammed down in front of him. So, really, it was Isaac's fault that Derek got so fucked up.

He was stumbling back toward the buses while the rest of the crew stood by the gates of the lot and sang drunkenly when he tripped and lurched forward. His hands flew out to stabilize himself and caught on something hard.

"Whoa, Derek, are you okay?" A large hand gripped his forearm, and when Derek looked up, there was worry distorting Stiles' face.

"Stiles," he breathed out, straightening. "'m sorry, I wasn't looking."

"That's okay," Stiles cooed, his thumb rubbing Derek's skin lightly. "Did you guys just get back?"

Derek nodded, his free hand motioning back toward the group at the end of the lot. "Too tired to sing." He mumbled. Stiles' mouth tilted up in a smile.

"Come on; let's get you to your bunk." Stiles shifted his hand so he could wrap his arm under Derek's and led him toward the van. Derek's brain short circuited when he felt Stiles' fingers settle on his hip, and he moved to thread the fingers of the arm slung over Stiles' neck with the ones Stiles had wrapped around his wrist. Stiles didn't move them, so Derek counted it as a victory.

Getting up into the bus was a whole separate challenge though. Stiles broke their hold on each other to gently push Derek toward the stairs. "Up." Derek shot him a withering glare, but Stiles just made a swatting motion and repeated the command. "Come on, Derek. I can't throw you over my shoulder and carry you up these stairs; you're too big. So you've gotta put in a little effort here."

"You don't have to be so bossy." Derek pouted and sat down on the first step. Stiles sighed, but leaned against the open door with a smirk.

"Technically, I am your boss."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well then stop trying to seduce me, that's inappropriate. I'll call the HR department."

"We don't have an HR department." The humor was evident in his voice as he said it. "How am I trying to seduce you?"

"With that." Derek waved his hand in Stiles' direction.

"You just waved at all of me."

"'xactly." Derek leaned against the doorframe and closed his eyes. "Stoppit."

Stiles rolled his eyes, but his smile got wider. He moved toward Derek again, pulling at his arm. "Let's go. Up. You need a bed." Derek groaned but complied, letting Stiles spin him and push on his back until he climbed the remaining steps. Stiles followed, hands on Derek's hips as he guided him to Derek's bunk. Derek collapsed on to it with a grunt. Stiles squatted down next to the bed. "You can't fall asleep fully dressed."

Derek kicked off his shoes and pulled his phone from his jean pocket, but made no other move. Stiles chuckled softly, watching as Derek drifted into sleep. He ran a finger down Derek's jaw before standing and slinking off the bus.

Derek awoke in the morning with a start, taking in his surroundings before remembering the night before and falling back to the bed with a long groan.

"Shut the fuck up, Hale, it's too early for that." Erica's voice rang out from the bunk across the way. Derek leaned over and tugged her curtain back, letting the sunlight from the windows pierce her space. "Asshole."

Derek laughed, but it died when he remembered the night before. Stiles.

Another groan followed by a pathetic weeping noise escaped him. Fuck. Did he really do that last night? Great. Just fucking dandy, Derek thought to himself as he literally rolled off his bunk and landed on the floor. Erica popped her head out from behind the curtain, shooting him a worried look when she noticed him on the floor.

"The fuck?"

Derek's eyes remained glued to the ceiling though. Erica reached a hand over to poke him in the gut and he grunted, but it broke his trance. "Shit, Erica. I'm so screwed."

"What did you do?" She propped her head on her hand and pulled the curtain open farther. Derek sighed and threw his arm over his eyes.

"I told Stiles to stop seducing me last night."

Erica snorted loudly before muffling her laughter. "Jesus, Derek. You really go for broke when you drink, huh?" When Derek just whimpered softly in response, Erica rolled her eyes. "Alright, come on. Why don't you shower and get dressed? You'll feel better. Then we can work out this Stiles problem."

Derek's arm dropped and he sent her a withering glare. "Stop enjoying this so much."

With a sharp grin, Erica smacked his chest. "What are friends for, babe?"

The tour was stopped in Orlando that day, so it was hot as hell when Derek helped the guys set up the stage at the fairgrounds. Alcide and his crew helped Derek and the Chasms roadies assemble the lifts and rigs under the bright sun. Derek refused to think about Stiles, instead focusing his thoughts and energy on securing each piece of equipment to the ground. He ripped off his shirt before noon, and when he did glance up, he wasn't the only one to shed unnecessary clothing.

Erica and one of the other stage managers showed up with coolers of water and a sub platter. She set it down on a lighting bridge that needed to be hoisted and walked over to Derek.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like a marble statue come to life? Like, how are you even real with these muscles?" She ran a finger through the sweat running down his spine.

"Erica." Derek warned, but couldn't fight off the shiver from her touch. "Stop that. I'm ticklish."

Erica's eyebrow quirked, and suddenly Derek felt the urge to run as far away from her as possible. "Oh really?"

"Motherfuck- Erica, don't." He held his hands up as he backed away slowly, stumbling only slightly over an extension cord.

"Derek, I'm just trying to help you." She sang lightly, but the glint in her eyes said differently. Derek didn't hesitate- he turned on his heel and ran. He heard her laughing behind him, but the distance between them remained the same as Erica gave chase. Derek ran through the rest of the fairground field and into the lot where the buses were parked, dodging between the equipment truck and one of the band buses. He crouched in a corner between a fence and a wheel well until he was sure Erica wouldn't find him. After a few minutes of the yoga breathing Laura taught him, he stood up and made his way back toward the field to have his lunch.

But the fates had something else in mind, because, hello, Stiles.

Derek froze when he stepped around a corner and right into Stiles' path. Stiles was on the phone, and his eyes bulged slightly when he saw Derek- after all, he was shirtless running around in jeans and boots.

"Hey, dad, I gotta go. Yeah, I love you too. I'll call you tomorrow from Miami." He hung up the phone and reached out when Derek turned to leave. "Hey."

Derek stood there a second, unsure of what to do. "Hi." He decided running away would be a shit thing to do.

Stiles' eyes wandered down Derek's chest before meeting his eyes with a flush of his cheeks. "How are you feeling today?" Stiles' reached back to rub his neck, and Derek could see the edge of a tattoo on the underside of his bicep where his sleeve shifted.

"I'm okay. My head's throbbing a little, but- nothing I can't handle."

Stiles nodded, looking down at the asphalt and kicking at a rock. "Yeah, Erica is an evil bitch and gets everyone to do Four Horsemen shots for her own entertainment." He looked up at Derek from between his lashes and gave a small smile. Derek made a noise like he agreed with the 'Erica is an evil bitch part' but didn't say anything else. They were quiet for a few moments, darting glances at each other before Stiles cleared his throat. "So hey, I was thinking. I have a few friends who go to college here, and they're having a party after the show. I thought that maybe, if you weren't completely traumatized by drinking with Erica last night, um, if you'd, uh, y'know, wannnagowithmetotheparty?" He rushed the last part and ducked his head.

Derek stared at Stiles. "What."

"Dude, that's not even a question."

"You want…me? To go to a party with you?"

Stiles sent him a shy smile, rubbing at his neck again. "Uh, yeah man. I mean, when's the last time you were in a college town on a Saturday night?"

Derek bobbed his head in thought. "It has been a few years, I'll admit."

As good as a yes, this made Stiles jump up excitedly. "Awesome. So just meet us backstage after the show. I'll tell Isaac to work you harder before the show so you can leave with us." Stiles said when Derek chuckled.

"Sounds good."

After their set, Chasms & Crevices threw autographed bottles of water into the crowd.

"God DAMN, how do you Floridians do it?" Stiles shouted into his mic, wiping sweat from his brow with his forearm. Even though the sun had gone down before their set even started, it was still over ninety degrees out. "You are all wonderful for braving this heat for hours to watch us all play. We can never thank you enough. Thank you, Orlando; you've been a great crowd!"

The second he was off the stage, Stiles ripped off his shirt. Derek was waiting next to the make-shift green room he'd set up six hours ago, and when he saw Stiles, he couldn't help but gape.

Stiles had more tattoos covering the skin under his shirt than Derek had expected. There was a large wolf's head chest piece from the bottom of his sternum to his collarbones, the scrollwork background circling his nipples and taking up his entire chest. There were other tattoos on the balls of his shoulders and down the side of his ribcage that Derek couldn't make out the details of. However, the one that really captivated Derek's attention was the pair of .44 Magnum revolvers over the lines of his hips, barrels disappearing suggestively into the band of his jeans.

Derek had seen the other band members' tattoos- Danny had some impressive tribal sleeves and Jackson played shirtless to show off his custom work most nights anyway- but Stiles had always seemed to be more straight-laced. Now that Derek could see thousands of dollars of ink (plus the tantalizing tongue piercing he saw the other day) he didn't know what to think of Stiles.

Stiles caught Derek's eye as he wiped sweat from his neck, walking to where Derek stood. "How were we?" He asked when he stopped in front of Derek.

"Incredible, as always. I sent my sister a clip from I took from the wings and she called me crying, telling me how horrible of a brother I am because I haven't convinced you guys to play a private show for her birthday next month."

"Hey, maybe we can work something out." Scott interjected as he came up to where they stood. "The tour does end in California. You should talk to Allison and Lydia."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Lydia can work some magic and arrange that for her- Lainey, right? She's the younger one?" Stiles asked, and Derek was a little floored.

"You remember my sister's name?"

Scott barked out a laugh. "Dude. Stiles remembers everything. He's so freaking smart, man." Then he squeaked out an apology before running after Allison. Stiles was hiding a blush, and Derek thought he looked so adorable. His hand reached out to touch the outline of the wolf's mouth before he thought about what he was doing. Stiles just froze, his breathing strained under Derek's fingertips on his breastbone.

"This is really well-done." Derek murmured, hand trailing outward over Stiles' nipple, a sly grin breaking on his face when Stiles' breath hitched at the touch.

"Yeah," Stiles replied breathlessly, "It's my favorite piece."

Derek's fingers traced the swirled blue background up to Stiles' shoulder before dropping his hand with a sigh. "I didn't know you had this many tattoos."

Stiles exhaled shakily at the loss of contact. "My dad wasn't exactly thrilled when we all got our first together," he lifted his arm to show the tattoo Derek has gotten a glimpse of earlier- an intricate Celtic knot on the underside of his bicep. "It's our logo. We all have one here. My dad freaked, said something about hooligans and visible tattoos. After that, I just started getting them in places I can hide if I'm ever not a touring musician." He finished with a shrug.

"You should show them off though. They look great, and I know how much money this all had to cost- my older brother has a half-sleeve. These deserve to be seen." You deserve to be seen. But that went unspoken.

Stiles visibly blushed this time, glancing down again, obviously speechless. Luckily, he was saved from any responses by a loud whistle and a shout from behind them.

"STILINSKI! You motherfucker, I've MISSED you!" A curvy girl with long curly brown hair and green eyes was walking up to them with a wide smile.

"Ari!" Stiles met her a few steps away with a big hug and a loud smacking kiss on her cheek. "How are you, love?"

The girl grinned. "Not as good as you, mister big-shot rock star." She glanced at Derek briefly before pushing Stiles away and sweeping her gaze over Derek a bit slower. "Who's this gorgeous creature?"

Derek's eyes widened when Stiles just laughed. "Derek, this is my friend Arielle; Ari, this is Derek, he's our lead guitar tech."

Arielle sashayed the last foot over to Derek and offered a hand. "Nice to meet you, Arielle." Derek told her when he took her hand.

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine, baby." She purred at him, and Derek laughed. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, the same one Stiles kissed- that wasn't why he did it though. He knew Arielle's type, and his mother raised a gentleman. Flattery would get him everywhere.

"Ari, back off. You can't have him, you greedy bitch. You already have a boyfriend." There was just a hint of unrestrained tension in Stiles' voice. Arielle just smiled wider at Derek.

"Stiles, darling," she spoke, eyes still sweeping up and down Derek's body, "I have 2 boyfriends, but I am always looking to recruit." Someone snorted in laughter, but Arielle just looped her arm through Derek's. Derek let himself be guided away, glancing back at a fuming Stiles with a reassuring smile. "So, Derek, tell me about yourself while Stiles cleans up. Then we can go party."

Derek heard Stiles stomp away behind them and watched Arielle laugh.

"So how do you two know each other?" Derek asked when the three of them were packed tightly into Arielle's bright blue hatchback.

"Stiles broke my heart three years ago."

"Ari, Jesus fuck."

"What?" Arielle asked defensively. "You did!"

"Not knowingly. Goddamn, woman, you're making me look bad." Stiles flailed in the backseat.

"Well, maybe if you didn't interrupt me, Derek would know that by now." She shot him a pointed glance in the rearview mirror. Stiles muttered something under his breath but sat back and let Arielle talk. "So I was at a show with my boyfriend at the time, waiting to see the headliner. We were in the front, and we'd been there all day. Right there at Fairgrounds, all day in the unbearable sun like I imagine today was. So Chasms & Crevices came out and performed. They were killing it too."

Derek jumped in. "I think we can safely say that's their standard." Stiles swatted at his shoulder playfully and Arielle laughed as she turned into her apartment complex.

"Well, I ended up passing out from dehydration. I was told later that Stiles automatically threw down his mic and jumped off the stage to make sure I was okay. I got put in an ambulance and sent to the hospital. When I woke up, I was super upset I didn't get to stay the whole show, but Stiles and Danny came to visit me and gave me backstage passes to the Tampa show the next day. I got to meet everyone from all the bands on tour, and my boyfriend was really excited to be there with me. Well- that was until the female bassist for the opening band sunk her claws into him and I walked in on them fucking in a storage closet." She parked in front of her apartment and shut the car off.

"What a dick."

"You have no idea." Stiles piped in as they climbed out of the car.

"Yup. Stiles saw me crying, pulled me into his lap, and held me until I was okay. Then he introduced me to one of the drummers and I redirected my anger into a healthy dose of rebound sex." Arielle winked at Derek when she said it, throwing open the door to her apartment. There were already about twenty people inside, and the stereo was cranked up louder than was probably permitted. Someone handed Arielle a cup once she stepped in.

"We've been good friends ever since. She comes to all of the Florida shows she can, and I fly her out to wherever I am for my birthday. She's my best friend outside of the band guys." Stiles finished explaining while he ushered Derek toward the kitchen. "Are you feeling okay enough to drink?" Derek nodded.

"We have bottles of almost everything. Stiles, your disgusting Bailey's shit is in the fridge. I'm going to go find Jason." Arielle flitted out of the room in the blink of an eye. Stiles opened the fridge and pulled out the Bailey's. He held it up to Derek.

"Irish Cream?"

"I'm not a fan of dairy and alcohol."

Stiles scoffed. "That's what most people say, but they always love it when they drink it."

"Is there any whiskey?"

Stiles looked around the designated bar area before pulling out a bottle of Maker's Mark and one of Chivas Regal. "Bourbon or Scotch?"

"Bourbon."

Stiles grabbed a cup and filled it with ice from the large cooler at the entrance of the kitchen. "How do you like it?"

Derek couldn't help the cheeky grin. "That's a loaded question."

The bourbon stuttered on its way out of the bottle when Stiles jolted. He met Derek's eyes with wonder. He then raised an eyebrow with extra sass. "Whiskey sour?" Derek nodded, moving closer to Stiles when other partygoers spilled into the small kitchen noisily. Stiles made them both drinks- just Bailey's straight for himself- and they slipped out onto the back porch. There was an empty worn sofa in the corner and Derek motioned to it. Once they sat down, Derek took a sip of his drink.

"Thank you."

Stiles just wiggled his nose at Derek. "So, I don't mean to ruin the mood or anything, but I just want you to know that I will stop seducing you, if it will make you more comfortable."

"Fuck." Derek breathed out, and Stiles laughed.

"I mean, you'll have to tell me exactly what it was I did, because I'm not even sure I know." Derek, at a loss for words, just gaped at him. Stiles set his drink down on the table in front of them. "However, I will gladly stop whatever it is. I just- I want to do something first."

Derek couldn't find it in him, couldn't think of any good reason to stop it when Stiles leaned in. When their lips touched, any coherent thoughts escaped him and all he could do was lift a hand to keep Stiles there. The kiss was soft, delicate, a warm mix of mint and liquor and Stiles against him. Derek needed more. He shifted, opening his lips to let Stiles in. Stiles let out a noise of pleasure before wrapping a hand around Derek's neck to angle the kiss deeper.

"Stiles, baby, I don- shit, sorry." At Arielle's voice, Derek pulled away, and when they looked over, she was blushing.

"Ari. Perfect timing as always." There was a hint of affection behind the otherwise tense statement.

"I didn't- shit."

"Well, what were you looking for me for?"

Remembering her original purpose, Arielle brightened. "Jason wants to jam a little. He's got sticks for you, if you're interested."

Stiles' mood seemed to lift at that, and he actually smiled at her. "Absolutely. Give me five minutes." He still had his hands on Derek. Arielle nodded and ran back into the house. Stiles turned back to Derek, glancing down at his lips almost nervously. Derek saved him the trouble and closed the distance to press a hard, reaffirming kiss to Stiles' lips. When he pulled back, Stiles' eyes stayed closed even though he was smiling. "I knew you'd be a good kisser." He said, eyes still pressed tight.

Derek ducked his head humbly. "I guess I've never had any complaints."

Stiles opened his eyes at that, looking at Derek straight-on. "So I haven't scared you off yet?"

"No." His response was quiet, slow, but Derek reached out to slip his hand into Stiles'. "I've never done this before, not like this."

"With a musician? Or with a guy?" Stiles couldn't help but poke fun at Derek. Derek just scowled.

"Both, actually."

Stiles' laughter died. "Well. It's not that different, with the exception of certain aspects. But I don't want to make you uncomfortable. You control this, okay? I won't pressure you for anything. I want you to be okay." He rubbed a hand over Derek's stubble.

Derek nodded, sighing. "Thank you. I just- I mean... I'm insanely attracted to you," Stiles' face distorted in a goofy grin at this, "so I don't want to ignore it. I don't really know what to do with it all."

Stiles let go of his hand, picking his drink up off the table and standing. He held a hand out to Derek. "To start? Come watch me play with my friends."

Stiles seated himself behind a neon green drum set before taking off his shirt, winking at Derek when he tossed it to him. Arielle's boyfriend Jason handed Stiles a pair of drumsticks and pulled on a matching neon green guitar. There was a small amp next to the drums that Jason plugged into and played a few notes. The stereo had been turned down in this room- the dining room of all places. Only in college, Derek thought to himself.

Stiles started on the kick drum when Jason found a tune he's familiar with. A one-two click of sticks sounded out before Stiles brought them down on the drums, churning out a beat that the partygoers nodded along to. Derek watched, completely transfixed by the way Stiles played, arms moving in an orchestrated rhythm to create beautiful noise with Jason. The tattoo on his chest seemed to come to life as he drummed, every raise of his arms bringing the wolf to full height over the drums, then coming down low with the powerhouse hits. After a few minutes, a layer of sweat covered his chest and the tops of his shoulders.

Someone pushed a mic into Arielle's hand, and soon Stiles and Jason were easing into familiar songs for Arielle to sing. She had a good voice that, paired with the drums and guitar, rang out in the apartment and grabbed everyone's attention. The three of them played like that for half an hour, stopping only when Arielle's voice cracked and she laughed in the middle of a song.

"That's it for me! I didn't warm up, so I can't keep going." She turned the mic off and Jason played one last riff. Stiles, however, was a total showoff and used the opportunity to do a very impressive drum solo. When he finished, everyone clapped, including Derek. Stiles hopped down, grabbing the cup from Derek's hand and chugging the contents. He made a face.

"Whiskey. Ugh."

Derek laughed. "You play the drums."

It wasn't a question, but Stiles nodded anyway. "I played in Chasms before we got signed. Our producers said we needed a front-man, not a drummer who sings. It made more sense to find another drummer. Danny was an easy fit."

"You're really good. I can tell you love it."

"I do, but I love what I do now more." He pulled his shirt from where it was slung over Derek's shoulder. "Come on, we need to get back to the fairgrounds. The buses leave in an hour."

Derek leaned in to kiss him, catching Stiles off-guard. "Sorry. Just getting used to this."

Stiles grinned again. "Never apologize for kissing me. Ever. Okay? Now, where is Ari? ARI! Drive us back!" Stiles dragged Derek toward the door. Arielle was standing there with her keys.

"God, Stilinski, shut the hell up. Go." She waved them out the door and into the car. She smiled but didn't say anything when Stiles slid into the backseat with Derek instead of the passenger seat. She even angled her rearview mirror up when Stiles placed a languid kiss to Derek's lips, just to give them some privacy.

"Hello?"

"Hey big sis." Derek said, his phone wedged between his ear and his shoulder.

"Derek! I didn't even look at the caller ID, I'm so stupid. How are you?" Laura sounded excited to talk to him.

"I'm well. How're mom and dad?"

"They're the same, Derek, you know that. Mom told me you called her this morning."

Derek shoveled more of his soup into his mouth. "That I did."

"Well? Aren't you going to divulge?"

He let out a small laugh. "Mom didn't already do that?"

"All she said was that you two had a lovely little talk that was deep and heartfelt and Jesus Derek, just tell me." She hissed.

Derek sighed, pushing away his lunch. They were in Miami and the venue was indoors with a static stage, so the crew set up in less than an hour and had until show time to do whatever they wanted. "Well, I think I'm dating someone."

"You think? Derek. How do you not know if you're dating someone?"

"It just happened last night, and we haven't really talked about it yet. But there's definitely something, and I wanted to talk to you and mom about it."

"I'm at your disposal, oh brother mine."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Do you remember talking about Stiles, the vocalist for the band I'm working for?"

"Yeah." There was an edge of anticipation in her voice that made Derek nervous.

"Um. It's him."

There was a short squeal before her reply. "Derek! That's so exciting!"

Derek froze, hands no longer tearing apart his discarded napkin. "What? Really?"

"Yes, really! What did you think I would say?"

"I don't know. Aren't you the least bit shocked or something? I mean, he's a guy."

"Derek Anthony Hale, do you really think that is important in a relationship? Someone's gender?" He could practically see the hand on her hip as she chastised him.

He cringed. "No?"

"Dear God. Derek. Maybe this is why you always felt like something was missing in your other relationships. You have absolutely no idea what love is."

"That's not true, I-"

"Don't interrupt me, Der. This is important, if you want to see where things could go with Stiles, I need you to be a little more open-minded. I swear, you can be such a blockhead sometimes."

Derek grinned at that. "Love you too, Lulu."

"Yeah, yeah. Look, don't ever limit yourself by conforming to society's notion of gender stereotypes. Love who you want to love; fuck who you want to fuck; and be who you want to be. It's that simple, little brother."

Derek took in her words, nodding as she spoke. "Jeez, Laura, when did you become such a master guru in love and sexual identity?"

"I may or may not have slept with a few of my sorority sisters back in the day." Derek couldn't hide the peal of laughter that escaped him. "That's irrelevant. Just be happy, Derek. It's been so long since you've been genuinely happy."

Grabbing his tray, he stood up. "That's pretty much what mom said when I talked to her. She just told me that anyone who caught my eye had to be something special."

"She's right though. You don't bring many people home, so if you're already concerned about our opinions, he must really be something."

Derek saw the black SUV the band had left in this morning for an appearance pull into the lot as he threw his trash away. There was a wide smile on his face when the doors opened and Stiles slid out, scanning the lot until his eyes landed on Derek. At Stiles' own smile, Derek started toward him. "Oh, he is, big sis. He most certainly is."

The next several weeks were a complete blur. After the Miami show, the tour picked up and covered more ground each night. Derek worked all day every day, asserting himself into the earlier shifts so he would be done sooner each night. He would pack up the guys' guitars and amps before dipping out to spend time with Stiles and the band in their bus. The third night after Miami, Stiles dragged Derek to his bunk for a steamy make-out session that ended when Scott (whose bunk was directly below Stiles') dumped a glass of water over their heads. They laughed it off once Stiles chased Scott out of the bus and around the Alabama venue lot.

A week after that, Derek fell asleep in Stiles' bunk when Stiles scrambled out to answer a call from his dad. Stiles just nudged him closer to the wall and curled up with him. It became common for Derek to wake up on the band bus in the mornings, practically falling out of Stiles' taller bunk and slinking his way back to his bus to shower and change.

There was... an incident when they got to Texas. Alcide had offered to take over Derek's duties for the day so he could join Chasms & Crevices at a radio appearance in town. Stiles had been excited to have Derek along and wouldn't let go of his hand- even when they had to fight their way through a crowd of fans at the entrance of the station. Upon seeing the commotion and the way Stiles refused to let Derek away from his side, the radio host had asked Stiles some probing questions.

"Stiles, man, you are such a cool dude." the guy had started once the standard questions about the band and next album had been asked. "I know the ladies love you. You move around on stage with such energy."

Stiles let out a loud laugh. "Ah, yeah, I just really love doing this, and we are all so grateful, you know?"

"Right. So tell me, the question every girl listening is waiting to hear- is there a special lady in your life?"

"Well, I haven't quite found a girl willing to put up with all my crap yet. I'm really high-strung in all aspects of life, not just my performances." Stiles answered automatically, a standard personal question when one has any sort of fame. Derek couldn't help but be impressed by the band's professionalism at these appearances.

"No girl? There are thousands of girls here in the Dallas area full of hope now." The whole room seemed to laugh at that, and Stiles reached a hand back to graze Derek's thigh subtly. The movement, however, caught the host's attention. "What about a fella? There have been plenty of stories in the tabloids about your elicit affairs with both sexes."

Derek felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, meeting the host's gaze and staring at him disdainfully. Stiles blushed, stammering a moment before collecting himself and answering. "I don't believe in discrimination like that. If I like someone, I like someone. It's as simple as that, man."

Before the host could say anything, the guys jumped to Stiles' defense. "We all kind of believe that, though. It isn't just Stiles." Jackson, surprisingly, was the first to interject.

"Hey, speak for yourself, I'm exclusively gay." Danny broke in, earning a loud bellowing laugh from Boyd.

"I've been with my girl for years but we don't believe in relationship restrictions like monogamy on top of the gender bias, so we aren't exactly hetero-normal either." He confessed.

Scott looked a little wide-eyed when Jackson glared at him to add something. "Yeah, I think overall, as a band, we're all about breaking the restraints placed upon us by other people's expectations." He managed, and Stiles grinned at his best friend.

"Actually, that's exactly what our new album is about. We have one song specifically that's about a girl who loves another girl, and the way Jackson wrote the melody, it's absolutely heartbreaking in its beauty." Stiles brought the conversation back around to what was important, and once the interview was over, Derek noticed the way Lydia pulled the host out of the room with a furious look on her face. The following morning, Stiles had an emailed apology from the station and Allison informed them that their lunch would be catered on the station's dime.

The tour went otherwise as expected. Two weeks before they were expected in California, Derek asked Lydia if she'd been able to arrange a show for Lainey's birthday.

"No, but our last show is in L.A. so I can reserve a set of backstage passes and tickets for her and a group of friends, then we can throw a party in a nearby club. My dad owns a few restaurants and clubs in the city."

Derek threw her arms around her and picked her up in a big hug. She squeaked but laughed as he spun them around. "Lydia, you are my queen. Thank you so much! She's going to love this. I'll be her favorite brother forever."

"There are twelve tickets and passes that will be waiting for her at will call the day of the show. Just tell her that she owes you!" She giggled when Derek planted a big, sloppy kiss on her cheek before setting her down and running off to tell Stiles.

Before he knew it, the tour was almost at a close. It was the last stop before the L.A. show, and Derek was insanely nervous. He'd managed to wrestle another four ticket/pass combos out of Lydia for his brothers, sister-in-law, and Laura. Lydia, true to her word, organized a surprise party at a nightclub just down the block from the venue for Lainey- she'd even managed to get ahold of Lainey's friends list and invited everyone to the party that wasn't going to be at the show.

Lainey hadn't stopped texting Derek all week.

omg Der, u r the best bro evr. even if u did steal my boyf unknowingly. ~Laineyy

Isaac had Derek and Erica hanging the backdrops for the Fresno show when Scott and Stiles found them, craning their necks to call out to them on the bridge.

"Reyes! Hale! Come down here." Scott called excitedly. Shooting a look at Derek, Erica shrugged and climbed down, Derek following her.

"What's up?" She asked when they got to the ground.

"The label just called, they're sending us on a fall tour to Europe." Stiles announced enthusiastically. "God, I can't wait! I fucking love touring Europe!"

Erica jumped up and down. "Yes! Me too, God, the chocolate in Spain- ugh!"

Derek watched the three of them freak out over the good news, trying to figure out what it meant for him and his relationship with Stiles.

Stiles looked over, a questioning look on his face. "Derek? Why aren't you excited?"

"I'm not sure why I would be. I'm not a permanent crew member."

The flurry of Scott and Erica's movements stopped, both of them turning to stare at Derek. Stiles' face flashed, full of emotion, before a stoic expression slid into place.

"Why the fuck wouldn't you think you're permanent crew?" Erica hissed. "Of course you are, Derek. You fit in here; you're our fucking family now." Scott continued to gape at him and Erica's face was distorted in uncontrolled rage.

It was Stiles' face that made Derek's gut twist. He looked empty, void of emotion, and it hollowed Derek's chest. Derek stammered. "I just-"

Before he could hear Derek's answer, Stiles shook his head and walked away. Derek trailed off, resigned as he watched Stiles stalk off. Scott's expression turned to fury, and Erica just shook her head.

"You know, you're an idiot." Scott threw Derek one last glare before running after his best friend. "Stiles! Stiles, wait!"

Derek blinked at their retreating backs. When they disappeared from view, he turned back to Erica's soul-burning wrath. She made a few aborted moves to punch him, snarling and spinning on her heel to pace in a small circle. When she finally gathered enough words to speak, the anger had been replaced by exasperation.

"Mother of fuck, Derek! I can't even- what the fucking fuck is wrong with you? Are you demented? Were you dropped on your head as a child? Like, what could possibly be going on up there that you would think you aren't- God DAMN it! You know what? No. I don't want to see you right now. Take the rest of the day off." She waved a hand at him in dismissal and stormed away.

What the hell just happened?