Chapter 6

So maybe this whole soul mate thing wasn't as crystal clear as Derek had expected it to be.

As he stood off stage before the concert, he watched Stiles bounce up and down, a ball of nerves, and drink half a bottle of water. Without a doubt, he found Stiles entrancing, and after the whole numb shock incident from earlier that day, he couldn't stop noticing the singer. It was even worse than usual.

The way his throat bobbed as he drank, the shake of his hands as he bounced, the way he shook his right arm more than his left and kept glancing at Derek whenever he did, and the roll of his shoulders to release tension – everything was illuminated like a garish neon sign before Derek's eyes, and he was unable to focus on anything else.

The two of them were ten feet apart, but Derek felt like he could reach out and find Stiles within his grasp in an instant. This wasn't normal, and he really wanted to ask someone about it, if only he could look away.

You're a security guard, he reminded himself. You have a job to do.

With nothing short of a godly amount of effort, Derek forced himself to scan the catwalk and the people in the area. He recognized each and every one of them, and nothing seemed tampered with. Security was doubled, covering all available entrances, so nothing should go wrong tonight, but his chest still felt tight with worry, and he couldn't place why.

"Derek!" He heard Jennifer but didn't see her. When he turned, Jordan was holding her back from coming into the area, but she was waving at Derek to have her let through.

A quick glance at Stiles proved the singer had also turned to look at the speaker, but his eyes found Derek's almost at the same time Derek's found his, and then they both looked away instantly. Cursing himself and his hormones, Derek did his best to push Stiles out of his mind and waved for Jordan to let Jennifer come over to him.

She made the distance in rapid steps, her heels clicking daintily on the thick floor. The occasional clicking of Lydia's heels on the other side of the backstage area was completely different, and Derek wasn't surprised he could tell the difference.

Without warning, Jennifer wrapped her arms around Derek and squeezed him tightly but briefly. "Good luck with the concert," she said.

"You should probably be saying that to the performers, actually," he pointed out and motioned half-heartedly at Allison, who was preparing to go on. The crowd was jabbering loudly, just out of view, and she seemed determinedly calm. Having Lydia standing there, muttering things to her, probably helped. Derek imagined it was a badass pep talk.

"Okay, but it's your show too. Anyway, I thought maybe we could meet up tomorrow… or at least talk on the phone? And then you could give me all the best behind-the-scenes details. Although, nothing that will get you fired. I don't want to ruin your career. That's one of the things I like about you." And she tugged gently on the collar of his jacket like a period to her statement.

The weird butterflies were back in Derek's stomach, and he didn't know what to do about them. Jennifer was standing so close, her perfume in his nose, and she looked so good in her casual professional outfit with the short skirt and the red red lips. Without waiting to hear what the niggling in the back of his mind was trying to tell him, Derek leaned forward and kissed her.

It could have been a bad move. They'd only seen each other for coffee, after all. However, she responded enthusiastically. Her arms went around his neck and when the kiss ended, she pulled him tight against her. Everywhere her skin touched his, he felt warm tingles, and it was such a pleasant feeling, especially next to the inability to breathe he got around Stiles earlier. So he kissed her again, just to feel those tingle on his lips too.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he promised and earned a foxy smile in return.

"I look forward to it," she said and then turned and walked away much slower than she'd approached.

Jordan gave Derek a funny look just before he led her out, and Derek didn't really understand why, but before he could even think about asking, the alert was given. Showtime in two minutes. Allison adjusted her jacket and Lydia gave her a big hug, and then Natalie Martin was there, ready to give the sign to go on.

Allison's opening act would last for half an hour, meaning Stiles wouldn't go on for at least another forty-five minutes. But already he looked tired and sweaty.

With a frown, Derek walked over to him but refrained from touching him. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Stiles started to nod, but a sudden pain made him freeze and he squinted his eyes. "Call Scott… Please."

Derek touched his earpiece and grabbed his walkie. Very calmly, he said, "If anyone is near Scott McCall, could you please send him to the side stage."

A local officer copied, and Derek nodded. Relief went through Stiles like a wave, but worry went through Derek. Scott said Stiles' condition wouldn't get in the way of work, so why was it happening now – right before a concert?

Allison went on stage and the crowd roared to life before she did so much as wave, and Lydia perched herself just out of view, watching everything like a hawk ready to strike. With her around, Allison didn't even need security.

A hiss from Stiles brought Derek back to what was happening right in front of him, and when he looked, Stiles was pressing a hand into his chest and his right arm was tight against his side. Despite the concern on his face, anyone that could only see his back would suspect little. He still bounced like before, but to Derek it now looked like someone trying to let off excess tension from pain and not merely anxiety.

It took less than two minutes of Allison's performance for Scott to show up. He took one look at Derek standing less than a foot from Stiles and his face turned to stone. One stern look from Derek, however, had him trying to look downright cheery instead.

"Hey, you wanted to see me?" he asked as he approached and put a hand on Stiles' shoulder.

"Did you bring one?" Stiles asked quietly and pulled his hand from his chest.

Wordlessly, Scott dropped one of the smaller pills into Stiles' hand. Stiles put it between his teeth and then swallowed it with a chug of water without complaint. A few panting breaths later, and all the tension drained from Stiles' body. It was a good thing that medication worked as fast as it did.

"All good?" Scott asked, and Stiles nodded.

"Sorry, bro. Didn't mean to drag you away. Were you with your mom or Kira?" And as usual, Stiles perked up and started acting as if nothing had happened, which only made Derek frown deeper.

"Both actually, but Mom should be coming over pretty soon to give you one last pep-talk before the show. Not that you need it." And Scott pat his friend heartily on the back. "You're gonna kill it out there."

As long as no actual killing went on, Derek was totally behind that statement. He'd actually enjoyed the stadium concert the other day. It had gone so well, he'd actually been worried about it. The whole way back to the hotel, he kept thinking the bus would flip or Stiles would trip and break his leg on the stairs.

"Right, well go back to your ladies, and hey, take Loved-Up with you. He's hovering," Stiles said and motioned to Derek.

"Loved-Up?" Scott asked, brow knit, and Stiles must have given him an interesting look in reply, because the assistant stage manager quickly let it go. "Alright. Come on, Derek."

He started to leave, but Derek didn't. Instead, he grabbed Stiles gently by the upper arm and dared himself to look straight into those confused, caramel eyes.

"Take it easy," Derek said, voice low. "No one can save you from yourself. Not even me. Especially when you act like nothing's wrong."

The numb feeling was spreading through his chest, and Derek knew that if he stayed there much longer, he would find trouble breaking away, but he waited for Stiles' response regardless. Stiles swallowed thickly and pressed his lips into a thin line.

"I'm fine," he said quietly. "Now go. I don't need you watching over me like I'm going to break."

"But are you going to break?" Derek asked, intensely serious.

Now Stiles' eyes narrowed and he barely shook his head. "See? This is why I didn't want anyone to know." He shook Derek off and looked away, breaking the moment. "Get out of here, Derek."

And though it was his job to stand on the side stage, Derek obeyed. With an easy call on the radio, Jordan took his place and a local took up guard at the entrance. Several paces ahead, Scott waited for him, but once Derek caught up, he wasted no time in exiting the area.

The booming from Allison's music could be heard throughout the building, but the actual words and treble notes were severely muffled. As they passed into this muted part of the area, Scott sighed.

"Stiles actually likes you, did you know?" he said, linking his hands behind his head.

"What?" Derek almost stopped walking but then doubled his steps to catch up.

"I know, I know. He just kicked you out from backstage, and yeah he tells me you guys fight all the time – in fact he'll take any chance he can get to rant about your complete lack of social skills, but that's special. Stiles doesn't talk about anyone the way he rants about you – good or bad. And he sent me to keep you company during the signing event, and like… I don't know. I think he wants to be friends," Scott explained.

Another few steps had them stopping in front of Stiles' prep room. Typically he'd still be in there, but not tonight. Melissa and Kira probably were, though.

"Friends," Derek muttered and thought about the numb feeling still receding from his body. "Friends could be… nice."

Scott turned on his heel to face Derek, but he didn't speak. His expression was confused, his brow knit and his lips a little tighter and his head tilted slightly to his right. Perhaps he was wondering if Derek didn't want to be friends with Stiles and then why that would be.

He couldn't possibly know what Derek was really thinking, because Derek was thinking about Jennifer's red, red lips, and how he'd kissed them, but when he imagined pulling back, it was from Stiles' thin lips. He was thinking about the break up album, and wondering if Stiles used to have someone special, the way Derek had, and if that was why he was so satirical.

"Stiles-," Scott began and then hesitated. He dropped his arms to his sides and frowned. "Stiles' opinion of his security guards is everything in whether they get hired long-term or not," he said. "Most groups don't make it past two shows, and no one has made it longer than half a tour in five years. After your actually horrible first impression, Stiles told us he didn't want anyone else but you guys. We tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't budge."

The beat of Derek's heart matched the upbeat rhythm from the concert.

"Don't you get it? He's the only reason you're here. He's never done that before… I just thought you should know how rare it is for Stiles to really want to be around someone these days… and I hope you appreciate it." Scott turned for the door and shrugged. "You can go do something else, if you want. We don't actually need you in here."

But Derek wasn't done. He took a step forward, catching Scott's attention, and squared his shoulders. "What happened five years ago?" he asked.

Five years ago, Stiles' mother passed away. Five years ago, John Stilinski went into rehab. Five years ago-

"What happened eight years ago?" Scott countered. "With you, I mean."

The numbness in Derek's chest now had nothing to do with Stiles. He pressed his lips thinly together. "What are you talking about?"

"What, you think we didn't do a little background digging before we hired you?" Scott asked. "Eight years ago, your uncle is on a job and you're there to learn the ropes. Afterward, your name doesn't appear on any work record for two years. So what happened?"

"That's none of your business," Derek bit out, brow creased and eyes hard.

"Exactly." And Scott was so calm that it almost shook the scowl right off Derek's face. "We all have personal things we don't want people to know. So back off and stop digging."

Before more could be said, Scott opened the door and left the hall. For a moment, Derek didn't know what to think, where to go, and then he was turning and walking back toward the stage.

Scott was right, and the ice in Derek's chest was proof of that. Derek wouldn't want someone poking his past with sticks, so he should stop poking Stiles'. It was only fair. Derek didn't want to talk about eight years ago. He didn't want to think about it, much less let someone else know about it, so he shouldn't expect Stiles, or anyone else on the tour, to just spill their guts about the hardest time in Stiles' life.

But he still wanted to know. He wanted to know so badly that his body kept tensing with pent up energy, and he had nowhere to release it. Why? Why couldn't he just let it go? He wanted to let it go.

Backstage was out of the question even though Allison would be leaving the stage now and Stiles would be too distracted with preparing to take any notice of Derek. Instead, Derek wandered into the audience area and walked the edges. Everyone was thrumming with energy and excitement and it just made Derek feel all the more twitchy.

He needed… He needed… What did he need? What did he want?

Jennifer spotted him from her seat on the left side of the stage and waved him over. Moving with more urgency than the situation called for, Derek pushed past innocent concert goers until he was standing almost too close to Jennifer.

"Derek, I thought you were-"

But he cut her off, cupping her face and kissing her hard. She was shocked, but she didn't protest, placing a hand on the back of his neck and pulling him closer. Derek kissed her like he was dying and would never see her again, and the intensity sucked the tension from his shoulders just enough that he could function again.

"Wow," Jennifer gasped when they parted.

But Derek was looking past her now, up onto the stage. Stiles was in the darkness, just in view from their spot, and he was staring right at them. The two men locked gazes, and a new tension filled Derek's bones. He couldn't read Stiles' expression, but he knew what his body was feeling… and it was a feeling he wasn't allowed to have.

"Wow," Jennifer said again, still breathless, and caressed his cheek. He looked down at her, at how beautiful she was, and focused on that warm tingling that originated from her fingertips.

Knowing Stiles had seen him kissing Jennifer made Derek feel… surprisingly possessive. It made no sense, but he felt like he was somehow daring Stiles to prove himself right about Derek and Jennifer's relationship. He wanted Stiles to tease him and pester him and ask about the relationship.

He wanted Stiles to get jealous.

Which was ridiculous because it wasn't like they were seeing each other, and damn it, usually he could forget about Stiles when he was with Jennifer.

Trying to push the singer from his mind, he kissed the reporter again, gentler this time, and she sighed at the end of it. "A girl could get used to this," she warned blissfully and rested her head against Derek's.

"Good," Derek grunted and forced himself to imagine spoiling her with random kisses like these. It worked to get his mind off Stiles… at least until the music started and even Jennifer's attention was on the stage.

Stiles sang with an energy Derek hadn't seen at the stadium concert, and maybe he was imagining it, but Stiles seemed to look at Derek a lot between songs. Or maybe 'look' was the wrong word. Glare. That was a better word. Stiles seemed positively mad whenever he spotted Derek standing by Jennifer, and in that moment nothing could make Derek happier.

After the concert, Jennifer and Derek made plans to have a coffee date over Skype the next morning, since Derek would be out of town and Jennifer wouldn't be joining up with the tour again for the next two shows.

No dangerous shenanigans happened during the concert or the clean-up process, but there was some trouble with trying to leave. Someone had slashed all four tires on the main tour bus while it was left to its own devices during the show.

"What now?" Scott asked as they all stood around, staring at it. They'd considered just taking Allison's bus for the time being, but the same issue had happened to hers too.

With a sigh, Melissa pulled out her phone. "John's still in the area with his personal car. Nothing we can do but go buy some new tires or call a tow-truck to do it for us." Then her call connected and she was explaining the situation to Mr. Stilinski.

Laura ran a hand through her hair and groaned, and beside her, Lydia let out an angry huff.

"I can't believe this. I know this one isn't the security team's fault, exactly, but who the hell is doing this? Sabotaging the busses? I just-" And there was her exasperated groan.

A gentle hand was set on her shoulder, and Allison chuckled. "Calm down, Lydia. It's nothing an hour won't fix. We're not behind schedule or anything."

"It's the principle of the matter, Allison," Lydia argued, but she did seem to calm down regardless.

A soft clearing of the throat drew Derek's attention from the girls and he saw Stiles standing by the building's back door. He still looked upset when he stared at Derek, but it wasn't the anger from on stage.

"Alright, everyone," Melissa called out after she hung up her phone. "Myself, Jordan Parrish, Scott, and Laura Hale will be going to the tire store with John Stilinski to pick up some fresh tires. The rest of you, please go back inside and rest until we get this sorted out."

Lydia's mom was left in charge until Melissa got back, which made the woman perk up like a complimented peacock and resemble her daughter even more. People started shuffling inside, except those whose names had been called out, and Derek debated asking why she asked for Laura and not him… except that Stiles was still hovering by the door and letting everyone go inside before him, and it seemed increasingly apparent that he was waiting for Derek.

When almost everyone else had filed inside, Derek joined the flow of people and reentered the building. He was shortly followed by Stiles, who covertly motioned for Derek to follow him as he broke off from the others and headed for his ex-prep room.

No one else came down this hall, preferring instead to go sit in the main lobby where there were plenty of chairs and space. Still, Stiles looked around for others before letting Derek into the room and then following behind him. The door shut and then the lock clicked into place, causing Derek's stomach to coil.

"Stiles, what-" But he didn't get to finish.

"It makes no sense," Stiles interrupted, body thrumming with energy and eyes on the ground. "I'm- Ugh you're so irritating!"

"Me?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. Part of him worried the stress and tension evident in Stiles at this moment would trigger his condition, but part of him didn't care. He was angry at Stiles just the way Stiles seemed angry at him.

"You!" Stiles exclaimed, eyes darting up from the floor to pin Derek in place. "You!"

And then he was rushing Derek, shoving him against the wall opposite the door. Derek raised his hands to detain the singer if he continued to assault him, but then Stiles was pressed against him, hands on either side of Derek's face, and head so close to Derek's that their surprised breaths mingled.

Stiles' caramel eyes were just far enough away that Derek could still see them clearly, and that numb feeling spread rapidly from his chest at their proximity. Luckily, Stiles seemed to be having a similar problem, because his breathing was shallow, like Derek's.

"I hate you so much," Stiles murmured, and it held no heat. "You're an insensitive grouch."

"And you're a disrespectful, spoiled child," Derek grunted back. One of his hands found its way to Stiles' back, drawn their like a magnet, and moved slowly up to the singer's shoulder blades.

As soon as Derek's fingers reached Stiles' shoulders, the singer leaned forward, as though Derek had pushed him, and pressed his lips to Derek's. All the anger in Derek was quickly proven to be anything but anger as he instantly slid his eyes shut and kissed back. It felt like lava was pulsing through his heart instead of blood and electricity ran through Stiles'. Stiles was pulling on the back of Derek's head and Derek was gripping hard to Stiles' shoulders and they were kissing!

One kiss, two kisses, three- Stiles nipped at Derek's lower lip and Derek jolted back to his senses, pushing the younger man away several inches.

"Stiles," he grunted.

"I don't know, okay?" Stiles said, irritated. "I just- I saw you kissing her and I got so angry. But when I saw you alone again, I just- It's just- I don't want you to date her."

"But I am dating her," Derek reminded. "And you kissed me."

"And you kissed me too," Stiles pointed out. "And you're holding my shoulders so tight I'm gonna bruise. What's your point?"

"I'm taken." And Derek forced himself to release Stiles' shoulders. "And we hate each other." He shifted and moved out from between Stiles and the wall, putting space where it needed to be if he was going to keep his head.

"Obviously not. I don't know about you, but I don't make out with people I actually hate." Stiles started to cross his arms but then twitched and put his hands on his hips instead. "Maybe we just really like each other."

"You can hate someone and still be physically attracted to them," Derek argued, running a hand through his hair.

How had this happened? Not five minutes prior, he'd wanted to throw Stiles against a wall and… And then nothing. He'd just wanted to push Stiles against the wall. He hadn't thought past that part. Obviously Stiles had. And maybe Derek was lying. Maybe he'd thought past that too. But he couldn't. This wasn't professional. And it wasn't moral. He was dating Jennifer, wasn't he?

"So go back to Jennifer then," Stiles said, and his voice was all hard lines. "But our relationship isn't normal either. You kissed me back. Don't think I'm going to pretend this never happened."

"Why not? It's how you handle everything else." And he knew the words were too harsh as soon as they left his mouth, but he couldn't pull them back.

Stiles frowned and took a deep breath. "Wow, dude. Just wow." He walked to the door and unlocked it. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are just a grumpy asshole, and maybe I am just a spoiled brat, cause wow, I'm not attracted to you at all right now."

He opened the door and waited, a silent order for Derek to leave. For a moment, Derek was rooted to his spot, wanting to say something but knowing it would come out harsh and would only make things worse. Then he let out a heavy breath and slowly left the room, staring at Stiles until he was out of the room and the door was shut in his face. Shut, he noticed, and not slammed.

As soon as he was alone, he cursed. What the hell was wrong with him? And what the hell was all that?

Preview, Chapter 7:

Laura maybe, kind of, sort of doesn't approve of Jennifer. Stiles does a beautiful job of avoiding Derek, but that doesn't stop Derek thinking about him all the time.