Like it or Not

I expected...

Stiles caught up to Derek in the parking lot where their cars were parked. Derek reached his car and leaned his hands on the back of the sleek Camaro as if it were the only thing keeping him upright.

"You okay?" Stiles dared ask as he approached.

Derek only shot him a glare over his shoulder.

"Right, stupid question, sorry," Stiles put his hands up in mock surrender.

Derek straightened and took a deep breath before rounding his car towards the driver's side door.

"Why don't I take you home, you've had a lot to drink," Stiles suggested.

Derek let out a huff, his chin dropping to his chest.

Stiles waited patiently for Derek to respond. He didn't know the best course of action to take with Derek when he was like this. Gentle or stern? He bet Elijah would know.

"I'll call a cab," Derek finally spoke.

Stiles rolled his eyes, "Don't be stupid, get in the car," he gestured to his own jeep that was parked next to Derek's car.

Derek glared at Stiles again but made no move to do as he said.

"Look, you can be pissy and pout in the car, but I want to make sure you get home okay. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I made you call a cab?" Stiles' patience was waning. He realized that was something he didn't have much of for Derek.

With a defeated sigh, Derek made his way to the passenger side of Stiles' jeep.

-

The car ride started off silent. Stiles would normally have been fidgeting with the radio, but he felt like Derek needed to talk, he was just afraid to.

Stiles waited patiently for ten minutes before clearing his throat.

"Don't," Derek snapped before Stiles could get a word out.

"You don't even know what I was going to say," Stiles countered.

"Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it."

Stiles clenched his teeth, "I was just going to ask if you wanted to talk about it."

"About what exactly? The horrible dinner we just endured? You were there."

Stiles took in a breath, willing himself to find more patience. "I was there, and I didn't think it went that bad. Not until the end anyway."

"I just wish I knew his game," Derek ran a hand over his face. His head was fuzzy from the alcohol. He couldn't remember the last time he got wine drunk.

"What if there is no game?" Stiles shrugged. He doubted Derek would believe that, but he didn't know what to say. He didn't know Elijah like Derek did. He didn't know why that bothered him so bad.

"He wanted something out of this dinner, I just don't know what it is. I expected him to be flirtier with you. I expected to be ignored more...I expected...I don't know what I expected," Derek's hand was now carding through his short black strands.

"He seemed a bit flirty with you," Stiles pointed out, recalling the 'Darling' pet name.

Derek only scoffed.

"I'm just saying, maybe there's no game. Maybe he just wants you back," Stiles shrugged, tossing a glance over at Derek.

Derek turned his head away to look out at the night sky, preventing Stiles from seeing his expression.

"Not a chance in hell," Derek disagreed in a quiet tone.

"Are you sure? I mean what exactly happened between you two?" Stiles pressed gently.

Derek's fingers clenched, forming a tight fist. "I already told you."

"It just seems like-"

"Things aren't always what they seem, Stiles," Derek snapped, turning to look at him.

Stiles put his hands up, once again, in mock surrender, "Okay, sorry. I'm just trying to understand."

"Look, I loved him, and he didn't feel the same way, simple as that," Derek said in a much calmer tone, though there was still a lilt of annoyance.

"But five years?" Stiles shook his head, "That's a long time to not feel the same way."

"Why don't you ask him," Derek snapped again.

The shrill sound of Derek's phone interrupted the conversation.

Stiles saw the name Alaric flashing across Derek's screen before the call was rejected.

"Dodging the best friend?" Stiles raised a brow, tossing a glance at Derek.

"Not dodging, just putting off the inevitable conversation," Derek shrugged.

Stiles' fingers tapped on the steering wheel as he debated pushing the Alaric topic.

"It's not like that between us, if that's what you're wanting to ask," Derek spoke before Stiles could. He'd noted the uncomfortable pause and fidgeting.

"I would just like to know. Cause an ex-boyfriend is one thing, but an ex-boyfriend and a pining best friend...I didn't sign up for this."

Derek dropped his head, "You didn't sign up for any of this," he looked to Stiles as he parked in Derek's driveway.

Stiles met Derek's apologetic eyes. The need to reach out swept over Stiles suddenly, catching him off guard.

"I'm sorry I got you into this. If it's too much, we can-"

"Hey," Stiles reached out much to his own surprise, placing his hand on Derek's forearm, "I just need you to be honest with me. I promised to help you and that's what I'm doing, but you gotta be more open with me. If Alaric is a concern..."

Derek tensed under Stiles' touch but didn't pull away. The comfort was nice.

"I promise you, he's no threat. Elijah just wants any excuse to blame someone other than himself for what happened."

Stiles nodded, satisfied that Derek believed that. He only wondered if maybe Derek was blind to it.

"Thanks for the ride," Derek gave a forced smile before climbing out of the jeep.

Stiles' hand fell to the now empty seat. Something in his chest ached as he watched Derek walk inside alone.

It took several minutes for Stiles to back out of the driveway. He couldn't decide why. Was he worried Derek was too drunk to put himself to bed? Was he worried about leaving Derek alone after such a stressful night? Whatever the reason, Stiles didn't like it. Since when did he care about Derek?

*AN*
Hey guys, I'm back! In case you didn't see my posts, the whole family got sick so I was out of commission for a while. Thanks for all the sweet messages and well wishes!