Leave Me In Ruins

No clue

Stiles nearly threw up when he saw the familiar cop car parked outside of Derek's loft. Derek and Kai were standing beside it in what looked to be casual conversation.

Stiles tried to read the body language for any signs of an escalation in their relationship. Derek stood like he always did, firm and attentive. Stiles didn't know Kai well enough, but his blinding smile aimed at Derek like Cupid's arrow was clear enough. He stepped out of his jeep and took a few tentative steps toward the pair.

"Stiles, feeling better?" Kai asked, turning his smile into a less radiant, friendly one.

Stiles nodded. "Much." He glanced at Derek to see his shoulders tense ever so slightly. If it had been anyone other than Stiles, it might have gone unnoticed.

"Good. Well, I should get going." Kai turned his attention back to Derek.

Derek only gave a nod.

"If you need anything at all..." Kai trailed off as if the rest was implied.

"Thanks," Derek gave a small smile.

Stiles bit down on his bottom lip as Kai reached out and rubbed a hand down Derek's arm affectionately. As it reached Derek's hand, he slid it in and gave a brief squeeze before letting go.

"Think about what I said."

Derek didn't respond. His posture was stiff like he was uncomfortable, but there was a softness on his face. Stiles wondered if the stiffness would be there if he wasn't. Was he what made Derek uncomfortable? Perhaps it would be awkward to have an ex friend with benefits watching a potential boyfriend flirt with you. Or perhaps it was the touch. Derek didn't like to be touched unless he was comfortable with them.

"I'll see you later?" Kai asked.

Derek gave a curt nod.

Kai pulled open the door of his car and smiled at Stiles. "See ya."

Stiles tried to return the smile, but it came out as more of a sneer. He had no reason to hate Kai. Sure, he was a little too helpful for Stiles' liking, but the only crime he'd committed was caring for Derek. Could Stiles blame him?

There was silence for a moment as Kai pulled away, leaving Stiles and Derek alone.

"I didn't expect to see you here today." Derek gestured to the loft.

"Why?" Stiles had practically lived at Derek's loft for the past month.

"I assumed you'd be with Adrian."

Stiles' jaw clenched. "I did see him a minute ago."

"How's he doing?" Derek asked.

Stiles scoffed. "Is that how this is gonna be now?" He hated this. He hated talking to Derek like he hadn't been naked in his bed mere days ago.

Derek raised a brow, taken aback by Stiles' sudden tone.

He threw his hands up. "Pointless small talk," he clarified.

Derek dropped his head. "What would you rather talk about?"

"What was Kai doing here?" Stiles snapped his jaw shut. That is not what he wanted to talk about. Truly, the less he knew, the better.

"He was just the last to leave the pack meeting," Derek answered.

Stiles took a step back. "You had a pack meeting?" That stung a surprising amount. Stiles had never missed a pack meeting. Even when he was at the academy, he would video call in.

"Kai spoke to both Adrian and Savannah and got their statements. He wanted to come over to share them, so I called the pack in. I knew you needed the rest and thought you'd be busy with Adrian. I thought we'd fill you in later."