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You deserve better

Stiles' fingers slid across his keyboard as he typed up the notes for Derek into the word document. He had slipped from the studio to get a head start on it.

Derek walked into the office with Caroline, Bonnie and Ethan in tow. Elijah was nowhere to be seen.

"Stiles, my office," Derek said pointedly, as he passed Stiles' desk.

"Can you give me like five minutes, I'm in the middle of—"

"Now, please," Derek snapped.

Stiles took in a deep breath before pushing back from his desk.

Derek took a seat in his chair. "Close the door."

Stiles clenched his jaw to keep from snapping at Derek and did as he said. It was clear Derek was mad. And if Stiles was being honest with himself, he wasn't in the mood for Derek's feigned jealousy.

"Sit."

Stiles frowned at the small black plastic chair that sat opposite Derek. He rarely sat while in Derek's office unless they had planning to do for the magazine. But Derek never closed his door. Only when it was a very personal conversation.

Stiles cleared his throat, "Can we just get to the point? I really have a lot I need to—"

"Sit," Derek snapped again.

Stiles rolled his eyes and took a seat. He crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for Derek to speak.

Derek stared down at his hands, which were clasped in his lap.

"Look, I get we're trying to make this authentic, but can we not do the whole jealous boyfriend act on the clock? Elijah's not even here to see it," Stiles spoke. His patience was gone.

Derek looked up at Stiles before sliding his hand across the desk. When he lifted it, there was a small rectangular card left behind.

Stiles stared down at the business card Damon had tried to give him.

"I uh, had to act...bothered. But if you are really interested, I don't want to...stop you."

"I couldn't call him if I wanted to. We have to keep up appearances. It would probably give it away if I went on a date with another guy," Stiles pointed out.

"Elijah doesn't have to know," Derek spoke stiffly.

"That's kind of dangerous. Don't you think?"

"I roped you into this. I can't dictate who you date."

Stiles ran a hand over his face. He hated how complicated this all was.

"Look, I know it's not a genuine relationship. But it's real. I've told you this. And I'm gonna treat it as such. So I'm not gonna flirt with the shop owner or take the model's number. I'm dating you." Stiles slid the business card back towards Derek.

Derek's chest twisted at Stiles' words. He wanted nothing but to go across the desk and kiss Stiles. Instead, he simply nodded, afraid of his own voice at the moment.

"Is that all?" Stiles asked, standing.

Derek only nodded again.

Stiles walked towards the exit, before pausing with his hand on the door. "Also, there's talk around the office. A few of them think that Elijah still has feelings for you. Just thought you should know."

Derek's head jerked up. "What?"

Stiles looked over his shoulder to a confused looking Derek. He couldn't decide if the look on Derek's face was hope or fear. His stomach knotted at the possibility of it being hope.

"You deserve better." Stiles pulled the door open and forced himself forward. He wanted to stay and beg Derek not to go back to him. Why had he told Derek? He knew why. Elijah was conniving and he didn't trust him. He hoped if Derek knew he'd be better prepared for whatever tricks Elijah might try to pull.

Derek watched Stiles leave his office, the door closing behind him. He looked down at the business card Stiles had pushed back towards him.

'You deserve better'

Derek looked up through the glass where Stiles was busy on his computer once again. There was once a time when hearing Elijah still had feelings for him would have been a dream come true. But now...he only felt angry. It was too late. Elijah had lost his chance.

Stiles was a better boyfriend than Elijah had ever been, and he wasn't even really dating Stiles.

His words echoed in his mind.

'I know it's not a genuine relationship. But it's real.'

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose to collect himself. He was getting too close to Stiles. He needed to build up those walls again. But it was so hard when Stiles was...well Stiles.

A knock on his door pulled his attention from his own head.

"You got a second?" Elijah's head popped in.

"Sure," Derek gestured for Elijah to come in.

"Are you okay?" Elijah's expression pulled into a concerned scowl.

"I'm fine."

Elijah sat in the chair Stiles had just been in.

"I recognized that look down in the studio."

Derek narrowed his eyes at Elijah. "If you're here to try and convince me that Stiles was flirting with Damon. You're wasting your time. I know Stiles. And I trust him."

Elijah raised his brows. "I wouldn't do that Derek. He didn't once reciprocate Damon's flirtations. I wouldn't lie and say he had. I was just checking to make sure that you didn't think Stiles had done something wrong."

Derek frowned but said nothing. Why would he do that? Maybe everyone was wrong, and Elijah didn't still have feelings for him.

"Listen, I know things have been...uncomfortable between us. I'd really like to clear the air. Join me for dinner. Tonight. It's not a date. Just a way to put some things behind us so that we can work together more smoothly," Elijah suggested, an innocence to his voice that Derek didn't know if he should trust.

"I really don't think that's a good idea." Derek straightened in his chair.

"Do you need to run it by Stiles first? I can talk to him if—"

"No. I just think we shouldn't expand this relationship outside of work."

Elijah rose his brows in surprise.

"This is what I'm talking about. You're clearly still hurt by how things ended, and I'd like to put it behind us. Just one dinner—"

"No. I don't want to put it behind us. I want to remember exactly how you made me feel so that I can never feel it again."

Elijah lifted his head as if trying to show his stoicism. "You weren't the only one that got hurt."

Derek scoffed a laugh. "Don't try to turn this around on me."

"I'm not blaming you. I'm saying we both got hurt."

"And I'm calling you a liar," Derek snapped.

Elijah's jaw clenched.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. And I think you do as well." Derek turned to his computer.

Elijah turned and stalked out of the room without another word.

When Derek was sure he was gone he let out a breath. That had been difficult. He wanted to go to dinner and hear Elijah apologize, but he knew that wasn't what he'd get. He'd get guilt tripped and conned into thinking Elijah was so great. He'd start to have feelings for him again. He couldn't afford that.

Stiles' words echoed in his mind once more.

'You deserve better.'

Maybe Stiles was right.

*AN*
Hope you like it! 😊