[ Talia responds to Derek with a cheerful noise of her own, yipping and rubbing her face into his hands--her tail wags against Stiles' lower back, and she wiggles a little more, like she's trying to wag with the force of her entire body, because papa's home.
Stiles just shifts backwards a little to try to make it easy for Derek to pull her out. It's kind of stupid but it worked, okay, even if the fact that it was a little stupid made his ears turn red. He returns his attention to the peppers he's chopping, holding the edge down with the heel of his hand, right as Derek's nose comes up against his hair.
Christ.
It's really hard to not think of things as What Could Be instead of what actually was. They were sharing the same bed, taking care of a kid together, living in the same house. It was domestic as hell, and yet they were just...well. They were just Derek and Stiles, like they'd always been. And Stiles had to learn to be okay with that sooner or later. For now his heartbeat would just quadruple every time something like this happened--and he wouldn't exactly walk away from leaning into it, just a little, like it could be construed as helping him get to Talia instead of enjoying the close contact. ]
Quit judging me, I can actually hear it without you saying anything. [ It's in the eyebrows. ] I'll show off every baby picture I want, considering most people'll see her as my dog before a kid.
I have no idea what you're talking about. [ Retrieving his pup from the carrier, Derek growls low and rubs his face into her belly as he comes around to stand at Stiles' shoulder. He's definitely pretending to not hear the way his heart jackrabbits harder, and instead focuses on the little wolf that's... well, currently stuck as a little wolf. ] Most people, true.
[ Some days, he really thinks he should just crowd Stiles up against the counter, pin him to a wall like he used to, just something and kiss him. Because they've already been working together for a good six years, been the leaders of the pack and done much of this already. The pack was made up of children in the bodies of grown adults, they'd slept in the same bed together more than once, and this was...
Well, it was right.
And every morning he wakes up with Stiles and Talia, he wonders when things started to go right for him. The slow build has been there for some time now, but it's been coupled with having to trudge slow and steady through a slew of shit. Hunters, true monsters, rival packs. And, now, they've come to this. ]
How was school? [ It comes muffled from Talia's fur, as he continues his playful greeting, ignoring the fact that his uniform is going to be covered in puppy fluff by the time he sets her down. ]
Not that any of my friends are most people. [ At the relief of weight from his back, he rolls his shoulders, hunching over and then stretching before returning to his chopping. This is seriously sickeningly domestic, and the fact that it's actually his life is kind of ridiculous. It's just the fact that there's no actual domesticity going on behind it that makes it actually believable that this farce is Stiles' life.
The other night, he'd woken up with his arm slung across Derek's chest, Talia curled up in between them, and stared at the ceiling wondering what would change if he just said something. If he stopped being a coward.
But, and he'd tell himself this a million times, every time they got in a stupid argument and he wanted to kiss the damn smirk off his face, that Derek, after all the crap that was Kate Argent, deserved someone who wasn't manic and mediocre. Derek Hale, after everything bad that ever happened to him, deserved someone special.
He watches Talia squirm with delight and bat at Derek with her paws for a minute, half quirked grin on his face, and returns to chopping, making a dramatic noise. ] Talia has more friends than I do, what else is new. The girl next to me in Ab Psych literally has never spoken a word to me and now she's asking if she can hold Tali and asking me how my day's going.
[ Funny, how Stiles doesn't realize he is that someone special. Has been for years. It takes a certain someone, to be able to make the fire burning under his skin fade, the smoke in his lungs clear. And every time Stiles is with him, he's not breathing in ash anymore. Every time they sleep in the same bed, the nightmares are held a little more at bay, and they're taken away when they do manage to slip through. ]
No, the people we surround ourselves with are definitely not most people.
[ He blows a raspberry into Talia's pudgy pup belly, before he finally lowers her and rubs his face against the top of her head. Cheek pressed between her ears, he lifts his eyes to look at Stiles again, nestling the little bundle of energy and fur in the crook of one arm. Watching Stiles work-- cooking, typing, going through evidence he brings home, plotting maps and charts-- is always something he enjoys doing.
There's a routine to it, easy and obvious from years and years of doing it. For the longest time, his routine was barren, charred at the corners. But with his pack, with Talia, with Stiles, it's grown into something better.
He chuckles, soft and quiet, and shrugs his shoulders loosely before he reaches with the hand not supporting Talia to start undoing the straps about Stiles' own shoulders. ]
Man with a baby, who can resist. Even if she's stuck covered in fur right now.
One of them used to be a lizard. [ Smiling down into the peppers, he finishes up the last slice and pushes them to the side, methodically reaching for a second one and starting. His mom had always taught him how things went in routines--how even as he got older, the only thing that ever kept his attention were things that required every single ounce of it.
And maybe that was part of why Derek was so fascinating for him--that he'd stolen his attention from that very first day in the forest and kept it, a constant orbit in his life of mild irritation coupled with begrudging affection that had grown into so much more. He was constantly there, in the back of his mind, in his peripherial; Stiles liked to joke that he was the king of the Lurk but it was more true than he could even really admit.
He glances up and catches Derek's eyes for a second, the way his cheek's resting on Talia's head, and it's absurdly attractive. He's gotten to know this side of him just as well as he has the abrasive one, the hazel and green and gold compared to bloody alpha red. It makes him look away again, as Talia basically whines a squeal and licks his face the minute she gets free, butting her head excitedly against Derek's cheek and rubbing up against him like he's the greatest thing in her life.
Which, to be fair, he kind of is. For them both. ]
She's a total chick magnet. Maybe year 20 will be the end of the Stiles Is A Virgin Forever Epoch.
Almost all of them spend a good chunk of their time as wolves. [ Funny, how often similarities cropped up in their lives. At first, Stiles had simply been an annoyance that thought he knew everything, when really he was only getting bits and pieces. But slowly, over time, Derek had started to realize just how much they wound up crossing paths, and how often Stiles had his complete attention. He even started to enter his peripheral when he wasn't there, and it was...
At first, worrisome and annoying. But then it'd become the norm, and he missed him when he wasn't there. Missed him more than he'd ever care to admit, though it was obvious if you just knew where to look when it came to the alpha of Beacon Hills.
But the moment he had warm amber in his sights, things were just at ease again.
Quirking both eyebrows up, but squinting an eye shut as Talia starts to butt and lick at him, chuffing loudly and mock-wrestling with her. It's easy and carefree, and that's pretty new, too. But he wouldn't trade it for anything, not in a million years. Kissing her face, somewhat noisily, in retribution for the licks to his face, he shrugs again. ]
Funny how the virgin trope goes both ways in fiction. The virgin lives, but then you have the virginal sacrifice. [ He's really, really not going to think about Stiles losing his virginity. He'll hate himself even more than usual if he does. ]
One of them constantly. [ That comes out affectionately, and he lifts a hand to scratch Talia between the ears--she nips at his fingers playfully and returns to wrestling with Derek, her literal favorite game in the entire world.
Stiles was--probably more than anyone--really guilty of insulting Derek's poor life decisions and bad leadership skills, but he'd absolutely risen to the occasion. In fact, he had since they first met, and Talia was just an output for what was a surprisingly amazing father and an excellent role model. He'd grown into an incredible person, someone Stiles admired, someone he was kind of also a little in love with, but you know, details.
Turning his attention back to the vegetables, he snorts, trying not to focus too much on the frankly precious sight in front of him. ]
Right? I think I'm actually willing to take the hits that might come from losing that status. I'm going to become a legend in Beacon Hills otherwise. Tourists'll pay money to see Stiles Stilinski, the Eternal Virgin. [ This is a weird conversation to be having with someone who you'd be totally down with losing it to, so maybe something new. ] Your day any better?
She'll get there eventually. Won't you, baby girl? [ Derek asks this as he turns Talia upside-down, holding her like that calmly and letting her squirm and wriggle and try to bite at him to her heart's content. He'll right her again in a moment.
Details. To be fair, Stiles (along with the rest of the pack) were responsible for his development. A lot of people would say that Stiles constantly belittling his decisions and bad leadership skills probably didn't help in the longrun, and while they were mostly grating on his nerves and further guilt inducing on top of every other damn thing that cropped up in his life... well, it was a reminder of what he needed to do better.
And he did start to do better. Has been doing better for some time now. ]
Mm. [ He's more than happy to take the subject change, too, considering he's a someone that would be "totally down" with helping him lose it. ] Well, no one's died yet today. I think I can count a boring day at the station for a win.
[ Talia makes her best impression of a squeal--it's more of a howl than anything else--and squirms around in Derek's arms, batting him in the face with her tail and kicking all four of her limbs. The sight of that puts a grin on his face; maybe she's learning from him after all.
Pushing aside the peppers, he starts on an onion, adding what he's already cut into a large pot of what looks like sauce. School had been obnoxiously stressful today, which, at the moment, meant lots of detox cooking time and a very, very large meal tonight. Stiles wipes sweat from his brow and looks back at the sight next to him, mouth quirking into a smile. ] Boring days at the station have been my favorite thing since I was six.
[ ...but then. ] Was it really that boring? Because a little bird--[ that wasn't Stiles listening in on the radio ] told me there might have been a 297A in the shopping plaza today.
Pfft. [ Swatting Talia's tail out of his face, Derek supports her with one hand before he rights her again so he can nestle her in the crook of his arm and against his shoulder. He watches Stiles still, though, his shoulders slowly easing down as he takes in what's a fairly relaxing thing for him, too. Just watching Stiles these days has gone from mindboggling and frustrating to just... anchoring.
He cocks an eyebrow, though, before bringing his free hand up to set the heel of his hand between Stiles' shoulder blades. It's an easy contact, and one that lets him press it in easy circles to find the student's knot that starts there. ]
A little bird, huh. [ He still rubs, though. ] I sent a rookie on that one, just so I could see his face when he came back.
Ohhhh my god. [ As Talia wriggles into a comfortable position, chuffing and tucking her nose under Derek's ear, Stiles practically melts at the sudden pressure of his hand against a knot in his back. So he'd been leaning over studying for his ab psych test almost all day, and there's a resounding crack when he arches his back away from it. ]
Hrrrgh. [ Ahhhh god that's the spot. He's kind of banking on never having to give up Derek, ever. If Derek gets a hot girlfriend (very likely), then this is probably going to stop. ] That's awesome.
I'm drowning in shame. [ Head tilting to press against Talia's gently, Derek continues his slow trek down Stiles' spine to work out a line of tension. If anyone knows about knots, it's him. After all, he's practically made of them on an everyday basis, and there's no two ways around it. So he knows that Stiles-- a college student and an alpha's second-- is going to be lined with at least half as much soreness.
He digs his thumb under his shoulder blade absently when he finds a knot, letting out an amused hum that vibrates through his chest and up his throat, something like fond affection quirking at the corners of his mouth.
It's easy to stand here like this, and let his world narrow down to just the three of them. ]
Good answer. [ Leaning over the sink, he pauses and braces his hands on it, dropping his head down and groaning. God, that feels good. It vaguely hits him how domestic this is, how many "wow, you two are like an old married couple" jokes are actually really, kind of true, but he's not going to admit that out loud.
Or the fact that he enjoys it like that, either. Instead, he lets his eyes flutter shut and enjoys that, completely ignoring the vegetables still needing to be chopped. ]
Glad to hear you think so. [ He shifts around to stand directly behind Stiles, using his hand that's attached to the arm that Talia is sitting on to rub at the lower portion of his back. His other hand raises higher again, digging gently below the base of Stiles' neck so he can remove all of the tension from his spine.
A part of him just wants to tuck his nose into his hair, bury his face against the back of his neck. But he ignores the feeling, smiling where Stiles can't see it. The vegetables will still be there once he finishes turning him into a pile of goop. ]
What did dad think of that? [ A little smile crosses his face, amused at the thought (probably eternally) of Derek taking orders from his dad, and he leans over a little more, content to let his eyes fall shut and enjoy the contact. When this is over, it'd be so easy to just lean backwards into him, scratch Talia behind the ears, kiss him...
Wait, wait, slow your roll, Stilinski. Focus on something else. For now he just fidgets along with Derek's movements, body shifting and rolling up where necessary. ]
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Stiles just shifts backwards a little to try to make it easy for Derek to pull her out. It's kind of stupid but it worked, okay, even if the fact that it was a little stupid made his ears turn red. He returns his attention to the peppers he's chopping, holding the edge down with the heel of his hand, right as Derek's nose comes up against his hair.
Christ.
It's really hard to not think of things as What Could Be instead of what actually was. They were sharing the same bed, taking care of a kid together, living in the same house. It was domestic as hell, and yet they were just...well. They were just Derek and Stiles, like they'd always been. And Stiles had to learn to be okay with that sooner or later. For now his heartbeat would just quadruple every time something like this happened--and he wouldn't exactly walk away from leaning into it, just a little, like it could be construed as helping him get to Talia instead of enjoying the close contact. ]
Quit judging me, I can actually hear it without you saying anything. [ It's in the eyebrows. ] I'll show off every baby picture I want, considering most people'll see her as my dog before a kid.
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[ Some days, he really thinks he should just crowd Stiles up against the counter, pin him to a wall like he used to, just something and kiss him. Because they've already been working together for a good six years, been the leaders of the pack and done much of this already. The pack was made up of children in the bodies of grown adults, they'd slept in the same bed together more than once, and this was...
Well, it was right.
And every morning he wakes up with Stiles and Talia, he wonders when things started to go right for him. The slow build has been there for some time now, but it's been coupled with having to trudge slow and steady through a slew of shit. Hunters, true monsters, rival packs. And, now, they've come to this. ]
How was school? [ It comes muffled from Talia's fur, as he continues his playful greeting, ignoring the fact that his uniform is going to be covered in puppy fluff by the time he sets her down. ]
wow I was sure I hit enter on this.
The other night, he'd woken up with his arm slung across Derek's chest, Talia curled up in between them, and stared at the ceiling wondering what would change if he just said something. If he stopped being a coward.
But, and he'd tell himself this a million times, every time they got in a stupid argument and he wanted to kiss the damn smirk off his face, that Derek, after all the crap that was Kate Argent, deserved someone who wasn't manic and mediocre. Derek Hale, after everything bad that ever happened to him, deserved someone special.
He watches Talia squirm with delight and bat at Derek with her paws for a minute, half quirked grin on his face, and returns to chopping, making a dramatic noise. ] Talia has more friends than I do, what else is new. The girl next to me in Ab Psych literally has never spoken a word to me and now she's asking if she can hold Tali and asking me how my day's going.
whoooops.
No, the people we surround ourselves with are definitely not most people.
[ He blows a raspberry into Talia's pudgy pup belly, before he finally lowers her and rubs his face against the top of her head. Cheek pressed between her ears, he lifts his eyes to look at Stiles again, nestling the little bundle of energy and fur in the crook of one arm. Watching Stiles work-- cooking, typing, going through evidence he brings home, plotting maps and charts-- is always something he enjoys doing.
There's a routine to it, easy and obvious from years and years of doing it. For the longest time, his routine was barren, charred at the corners. But with his pack, with Talia, with Stiles, it's grown into something better.
He chuckles, soft and quiet, and shrugs his shoulders loosely before he reaches with the hand not supporting Talia to start undoing the straps about Stiles' own shoulders. ]
Man with a baby, who can resist. Even if she's stuck covered in fur right now.
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And maybe that was part of why Derek was so fascinating for him--that he'd stolen his attention from that very first day in the forest and kept it, a constant orbit in his life of mild irritation coupled with begrudging affection that had grown into so much more. He was constantly there, in the back of his mind, in his peripherial; Stiles liked to joke that he was the king of the Lurk but it was more true than he could even really admit.
He glances up and catches Derek's eyes for a second, the way his cheek's resting on Talia's head, and it's absurdly attractive. He's gotten to know this side of him just as well as he has the abrasive one, the hazel and green and gold compared to bloody alpha red. It makes him look away again, as Talia basically whines a squeal and licks his face the minute she gets free, butting her head excitedly against Derek's cheek and rubbing up against him like he's the greatest thing in her life.
Which, to be fair, he kind of is. For them both. ]
She's a total chick magnet. Maybe year 20 will be the end of the Stiles Is A Virgin Forever Epoch.
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At first, worrisome and annoying. But then it'd become the norm, and he missed him when he wasn't there. Missed him more than he'd ever care to admit, though it was obvious if you just knew where to look when it came to the alpha of Beacon Hills.
But the moment he had warm amber in his sights, things were just at ease again.
Quirking both eyebrows up, but squinting an eye shut as Talia starts to butt and lick at him, chuffing loudly and mock-wrestling with her. It's easy and carefree, and that's pretty new, too. But he wouldn't trade it for anything, not in a million years. Kissing her face, somewhat noisily, in retribution for the licks to his face, he shrugs again. ]
Funny how the virgin trope goes both ways in fiction. The virgin lives, but then you have the virginal sacrifice. [ He's really, really not going to think about Stiles losing his virginity. He'll hate himself even more than usual if he does. ]
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Stiles was--probably more than anyone--really guilty of insulting Derek's poor life decisions and bad leadership skills, but he'd absolutely risen to the occasion. In fact, he had since they first met, and Talia was just an output for what was a surprisingly amazing father and an excellent role model. He'd grown into an incredible person, someone Stiles admired, someone he was kind of also a little in love with, but you know, details.
Turning his attention back to the vegetables, he snorts, trying not to focus too much on the frankly precious sight in front of him. ]
Right? I think I'm actually willing to take the hits that might come from losing that status. I'm going to become a legend in Beacon Hills otherwise. Tourists'll pay money to see Stiles Stilinski, the Eternal Virgin. [ This is a weird conversation to be having with someone who you'd be totally down with losing it to, so maybe something new. ] Your day any better?
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Details. To be fair, Stiles (along with the rest of the pack) were responsible for his development. A lot of people would say that Stiles constantly belittling his decisions and bad leadership skills probably didn't help in the longrun, and while they were mostly grating on his nerves and further guilt inducing on top of every other damn thing that cropped up in his life... well, it was a reminder of what he needed to do better.
And he did start to do better. Has been doing better for some time now. ]
Mm. [ He's more than happy to take the subject change, too, considering he's a someone that would be "totally down" with helping him lose it. ] Well, no one's died yet today. I think I can count a boring day at the station for a win.
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Pushing aside the peppers, he starts on an onion, adding what he's already cut into a large pot of what looks like sauce. School had been obnoxiously stressful today, which, at the moment, meant lots of detox cooking time and a very, very large meal tonight. Stiles wipes sweat from his brow and looks back at the sight next to him, mouth quirking into a smile. ] Boring days at the station have been my favorite thing since I was six.
[ ...but then. ] Was it really that boring? Because a little bird--[ that wasn't Stiles listening in on the radio ] told me there might have been a 297A in the shopping plaza today.
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He cocks an eyebrow, though, before bringing his free hand up to set the heel of his hand between Stiles' shoulder blades. It's an easy contact, and one that lets him press it in easy circles to find the student's knot that starts there. ]
A little bird, huh. [ He still rubs, though. ] I sent a rookie on that one, just so I could see his face when he came back.
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Hrrrgh. [ Ahhhh god that's the spot. He's kind of banking on never having to give up Derek, ever. If Derek gets a hot girlfriend (very likely), then this is probably going to stop. ] That's awesome.
[ Wait. ] I mean, that's awful, shame on you.
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He digs his thumb under his shoulder blade absently when he finds a knot, letting out an amused hum that vibrates through his chest and up his throat, something like fond affection quirking at the corners of his mouth.
It's easy to stand here like this, and let his world narrow down to just the three of them. ]
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Or the fact that he enjoys it like that, either. Instead, he lets his eyes flutter shut and enjoys that, completely ignoring the vegetables still needing to be chopped. ]
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A part of him just wants to tuck his nose into his hair, bury his face against the back of his neck. But he ignores the feeling, smiling where Stiles can't see it. The vegetables will still be there once he finishes turning him into a pile of goop. ]
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Wait, wait, slow your roll, Stilinski. Focus on something else. For now he just fidgets along with Derek's movements, body shifting and rolling up where necessary. ]