Chapter 1

The pack meeting was over and Derek was glad to finally kick all of the teenagers out of the apartment. All except one, anyway. Stiles and Derek had began a sort of friendship (if you could even call it that.) In reality, Stiles was his usual sarcastic, annoying self and Derek was his usual brooding, grumpy self but along the course of the last few supernatural battles, their banter had fallen into a sort of rhythm. Stiles was growing less and less afraid of Derek, making jabs about every aspect of his life and Derek would make empty threats on Stiles' life, pulling laughter from the boy. He hung around Derek's loft after school two or three days a week and would always stay late after pack meetings were over just to annoy the wolf.

From anyone elses perspective, this was just the same old Stiles-Derek banter that had always been there, but from Derek's perspective, it was friendship. No, more than that- it was a kind of courtship. Granted, there was pretty much no romance whatsoever in the relationship and there was no intentional wooing or deep, emotional conversations but there didn't need to be. At least, not for Derek. Although nothing had changed, Derek could feel his reactions to the loud-mouthed teen shifting, finding his babbling endearing rather than irritating, not that he'd ever let on that he felt that way.

Derek moved around his apartment, picking up cups and plates from dinner and carrying them to the sink, hoping that the teenagers would get the hint and decide to leave in lieu of helping. He really didn't mind cleaning, but he did mind the stressful blur of energetic bodies invading his personal space. It only took two trips to the sink for the pack to take the hint, everyone gathering up their belongings and slowly making their way to the door as they finished up their conversations.

"God, Lydia. What am I going to do?" Derek overhead Stiles say to the redhead as they leaned against the bank of windows with drinks in their hands.

Derek had a brief moment of hesitation as he eavesdropped on the two teenagers but quickly decided that it would be futile to attempt ignoring Stiles.

"Just tell him how you feel?" Lydia said, an obvious 'duh' indicated at the end of her statement.

"Oh, yeah, Lydia, I'll just march right up to him and tell him that I think about him 24/7, that I fall asleep to images of him dancing in my head, that seeing him naked is all I think about when I'm-" Stiles said dramatically, cut off quickly by Lydia.

"Enough! I get it, you're completely gone on him. Yeesh. Ick. I don't want to hear about what you're doing while you picture him naked."

"Come on Lydia! I can't just talk to him. He doesn't even really know me. He pretty much just thinks that I am completely annoying and weird and he ignores me 90% of the time." Stiles continued.

Derek stood at the kitchen sink, slowly scraping food off of plates into the garbage as he listened to Lydia and Stiles talk. His heart pounded in his chest as took in Stiles' words. He was totally in love with some guy but who?

"Well we already know that he's gay." Lydia started.

"Well, duh. That's obvious." Stiles agreed.

"I really don't see why its a big deal. You're both gay-" Lydia started before Stiles interrupted.

"Bi, Lydia. I'm bi."

"right, whatever. My point is that you have to suck it up and tell him that you like him or spend your whole life pining." Lydia said dismissively, shoving off from the wall and walking to the door, setting her drink on the corner of the kitchen counter by Derek's arm on her way out.

"Thanks, Derek." She said.

Derek just grunted in response.

"Bye, Lyds." Stiles called, earning him a wave in return before Lydia bounced out the door, pulling it shut behind her.

Stiles began to move around the apartment, gather plates and bowls while Derek started on the dishes. He kept his eyes on his hands as he scrubbed at the plates in the sink, silently fuming. Stiles liked someone. He was 'gone' on someone. Someone obviously gay who didn't know Stiles very well.

'Clearly not you, idiot. You know him way too well and you are the furthest thing from 'obviously gay' possible.' Derek thought to himself.

"Hey big guy, awfully quiet tonight." Stiles said as he set the remaining cups on the counter next to Derek.

"Yep." Derek replied gruffly, keeping his eyes down on his work.

"Jeez, you're an especially sour sourwolf tonight, you know that?" Stiles jabbed.

"If it bothers you, then leave with the rest of the pack." Derek grumbled, trying his best not to sound too petulant.

"Please, then you'd miss our alone-time together!" Stiles quipped, grabbing a kichen towel to help Derek dry off the dishes in the small rack to his right.

"Oh, yeah, I'd really miss you talking my ear off and annoying me half to death. I don't know how I'd survive." Derek deadpanned, stealing a glance at Stiles.

Stiles just scoffed, bumping his hip against Derek's playfully before reaching up to place the plates back in the cabinet.

"Can you just get out of my hair for one night, you pest?" Derek asked, turning to glare at Stiles.

"Don't you mean 'out of your fur', wolfie?" Stiles responded, turning to lean against the counter, shooting Derek an evil smirk.

"I will rip your throat out-" Derek started dangerously.

"With my teeth." Stiles said deeply, imitating Derek's angry-voice and rolled his eyes.

Derek returned his gaze to the dishes in the sink, cleaning them efficiently. It was only another two or three minutes before he was done completely.

Stiles yawned and walked slowly back into the living room, plopping down on the couch and flicking on the television. Derek walked over and sat on the opposite end of the sofa and watched as Stiles scrolled through the Netflix queue.

"OOH! YES!" Stiles exclaimed, "They finally added Ironman!"

"Stiles, do you have to watch idiotic superhero movies EVERY SINGLE TIME you hijack my Netflix? You're messing up the suggestions." Derek complained, flopping arms down on the couch beside him.

"You're messing up your own Netflix queue with your awful taste. If anything I'm enhancing it." Stiles said, cooly.

By now, the movie was starting and Derek crossed his arms over his chest grumpily and waited out the movie.

After 20 minutes or so, Derek realized that there was no way in hell this movie was going to be able to hold his attention, so he let his mind wander back to the conversation that he overheard earlier.

Stiles was pretty much in love with someone else. It was clearly a man-an attractive man, actually, according to Stiles' desire to picture him naked. An attractive, obviously gay man. An attractive, obviously gay stranger, even. Derek didn't feel that he fit into any of those categories, except maybe attractive. He wasn't vain or anything, but he figured that by the attention that girls gave him, he wasn't exactly the ugly duckling.

And while Derek had realized that he no longer had any interest in women after what Kate had done to him, he didn't exactly pine for all sorts of hot men either. He wasn't even totally sure that he was gay, just that he was uninterested. In both genders, really. With one loud, obnoxious, pale, skinny exception. Still, even if this interest in Stiles was enough to classify Derek as gay, he knew that it wasn't obvious. He was only interested in one person and he was confident that no one knew about his crush.

Suddenly, Derek was smacked hard with realization. Stiles was crushing on Danny. It all made sense. Danny was handsome and athletic, very openly gay, and while he was friends with Stiles to a degree, the two rarely talked. Stiles was completely gaga for Danny and that caused a swell of anger to rise up in Derek's chest.

A snore from Derek's left pulled him from his thoughts and he looked over to see Stiles sleeping on the couch next to him, arms flopped out at his sides and his head lolled back against the cushion behind him, mouth hanging open.

Derek couldn't repress the smirk that crossed his face and he sighed as he stood up.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, go home." Derek said gruffly, shaking Stiles' shoulder.

"Huh, what?!" Stiles said as he jolted awake, eyes scanning the room, settling briefly on the half-over movie still playing on the television before he looked up to meet Derek's gaze.

"Oh, I dozed off. Sorry, man. I should go, you're right. I have school tomorrow." Stiles said, rubbing his eye and yawning.

Derek stepped aside, allowing Stiles to stand up and reach for his backpack before heading to the door.

Just before Stiles stepped out into the hallway, he spun on his heel, facing Derek who was pointing the remote at the TV.

"Oh, I almost forgot. A bunch of us are going to play a scrimmage game of lacrosse tomorrow to get warmed up before the season starts. It should be fun, wanna come?" Stiles asked.

"Who all is going to be there?" Derek questioned wearily.

"Uhh, me, Scott, Isaac, Boyd, Jackson, Danny…" Stiles trailed off, "a bunch of us. You in?"

Derek's stomach twisted at the thought of Danny and Stiles playing lacrosse together. Before Derek could stop himself, he turned towards Stiles and spoke.

"Count me in." Derek replied watching as Stiles gave him a thumbs up and turned to leave, shutting the door behind him.

Derek decided then that he'd win Stiles back. He'd make him his again if it was the last thing he did.

Danny was going down.