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The day after Derek leaves, Stiles actually hears about it.
"What?" he asks, going still, mouth partially wrapped around a congratulatory-hey-no-one-died-or-at-least-no-one-we-care-about stack of Twizzlers.
"Yeah, he’s totally gone," Scott confirms, manfully sucking on his solitary Twizzler. Solitary. Single. Stiles doesn’t even know why they’re friends sometimes. "Place cleared out and everything - not that he had much," Scott adds quietly, looking thoughtful. "He sent me a text last night."
That…bothers Stiles. He and Derek weren’t bros but they were something. He’d saved Derek’s life enough times - hey, and he’d totally saved Cora’s, too! Stiles definitely deserved a goodbye. Okay, this was Derek, so all he’d probably get was a message that literally said ‘goodbye’, but he deserved even that much. “What did he actually say?” Stiles has to know. Dad always said his curiousity would kill him, one day. Mom always said it’d make him happier than anyone else.
"Here," Scott says, digging his cell phone out of a pocket and handing it over.
Stiles takes it with eager hands, unlocking the phone and flicking to messages.
From: Derek Dorkface
Cora and I are leaving town. It seems right. I wish things had been different in so many ways but I’m glad that, in the end, we worked together. Good luck with your pack. You deserve the position.
Derek sent that? “Derek sent this? Derek?”
"Yeah…?" Scott frowns, clearly confused.
"It’s practically a love sonnet!" Stiles complains and, okay, maybe he’s way more upset by this than he should be.
Scott’s deepening frown proves that yes, he is. “Are you okay, dude?”
Stiles immediately tries to throw Scott off the trail. “Fine, fine. Hey, so how’s Allison doing?”
The shitty thing is that it doesn’t even work. “No way, dude. No distracting me. What’s up?”
"Now you go and grow a non-Allison-obsessed brain? Now? Oh my God, you are the worst friend in the world.” Scott just gives Stiles his ‘I know you’re talking bullshit to me right now’ face - he gets it from his mom - and Stiles just throws his hands up in the air.
"I don’t wanna talk about it!" To be honest, he’s not even sure what there is to talk about in the first place.
Stiles just knows that he waits all of one minute after leaving Scott’s place to send a text message of his own.
To: Joe Manganiello
dude, you left town without even saying goodbye?? harsh
Stiles stares down at his hands after sending it. He really hates his hands sometimes.
It doesn’t take long getting a response. Stiles may happen to fumble and nearly drop the phone when the notification beeps, but only Scott’s neighbour - Mr Purnell, definitely a furry and not the werewolf kind - is there to see it.
From: Joe Manganiello
Goodbye.
Rolling his eyes, Stiles takes the time to compose the perfect response.
To: Joe Manganiello
1. that’s not the point. 2. you are totally predictable. 3. also an idiot
From: Joe Manganiello
Look at the message you just sent and then ask again why I didn’t say goodbye.
Stiles winces.
To: Joe Manganiello
point. but that was our thing, right? we insult each other but help each other out anyway?
There isn’t an immediate response. Stiles panics and starts walking home - his jeep is still in the shop and he’s hoping she’s not really dead, this time. He makes it all the way to the end of the block and is about to give in and compose a witty, self-assured, totally relaxed message - whatever it is that he hasn’t thought of yet, it’ll be awe-inspiring - when his phone finally beeps.
From: Joe Manganiello
I thought our thing was that you never listened to a single word I said and then I had to save your ass.
Stiles is all set - more than ready - to point out the many, many fundamental and logical flaws in that theory, when the phone beeps again.
From: Joe Manganiello
Have to go. Cora’s threatening to throw my phone out the car window if I don’t stop texting while driving.
And suddenly Stiles has a whole different texting priority.
To: Joe Manganiello
OMG ARE YOU CRAZY??? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY ACCIDENTS THAT CAUSES EVERY YEAR??? DON’T MAKE ME CITE STATS AT YOUR FURRY ASS!!!
Yes, the capital letters are over the top, but Stiles really feels they help to make the salient point.
Less than a minute later, his phone beeps again.
From: Joe Manganiello
Message received.
Feeling like his point has been made - in more ways than one - Stiles nods to himself and sends what he intends to be his last message.
To: Joe Manganiello
fyi, you text better driving than i do standing still. DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR ENCOURAGEMENT
The response is thankfully brief.
From: Joe Manganiello
Then stop texting me. And thanks.
Deciding to be magnanimous and let Derek end the ‘conversation’ on a high note, Stiles pockets his phone, also deciding not to examine exactly why he feels so pleased right now. He makes the rest of the way home at a leisurely stroll, not expecting to hear from Derek again that day.
Technically he’s right, because his phone doesn’t beep again until after 2am.
Jerking up, then flailing, then fumbling for his phone and squinting at it in the dark, Stiles reads the message before flopping down onto his back and staring up at the ceiling.
From: Joe Manganiello
For everything.