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A Very Merry Mixup

Chapter 12

Notes:

More Hale family traditions and wholesome goodness! I promise there will hanky-panky at some point. I will earn my rating!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Stiles doesn’t remember much of the ride back to the house, just that Deaton helped get him into the cab of the truck, and he’d nestled into Derek’s side the whole way, stealing as much heat from him than from the heater. Once they make it past Talia’s concerned face, he assures Derek that he can strip himself and stumbles into the shower. He hadn’t been in the water for long, but he feels cold down to his bones and it takes over twenty minutes of hot water pouring down on him to stop his shivering. When he finally climbs out of the shower he finds new clothes laid out on the bed. Thick wool socks, heavy sweatpants, a long-sleeve shirt, and zip up hoodie that smell too freshly of Derek to have come from the drawers.

 

When he gets back downstairs, Derek is lying half under the too big tree while Laura directs him on how it should sit. They’ve pushed the furniture back to accommodate the branches, and Stiles has to admit it kind of is a perfect tree.

 

“Hey, there he is!” Aaron says, spotting Stiles on the stairs. “You look much better now that your lips aren’t blue.”

 

Stiles rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. “Sorry about that. I didn’t meant to ruin the whole tree cutting tradition.”

 

“Oh, you didn’t ruin anything, son,” Aaron assures him, and Stiles’ heart is warmed at the endearment. “It just means Derek saving your ass is a new tradition!”

 

Stiles laughs. “Will will be thrilled about that, I’m sure.”

 

“It’s still crooked,” Laura complains.

 

“Maybe it’s meant to be crooked. Maybe it likes being crooked,” Derek snips, and Stiles can’t really blame him because the tree is massive and Laura isn’t helping hold it in place at all.

 

“Here, let me help,” he says, going to hold the tree upright.

 

Derek grunts his thanks and they finally get it into a position Laura approves of. Talia and Aaron have been stacking Rubbermaid crates around the edges of the room and Stiles is a little afraid when he realizes they’re all full of decorations.

 

“Wow, that’s, um, a lot of Christmas cheer,” he says, offering Derek a hand off the floor.

 

“I told you,” Derek says, clapping him on the shoulder and letting his palm trail down Stiles’ back. “How are you feeling?” he asks quietly as the others dig into the crates.

 

“Much better,” Stiles admits. “Thank you. For, you know, rescuing me. Again.”

 

Derek smiles, and god, Stiles loves it when he does that. “I’m going to have to add Stiles saving to my resume under special skills.”

 

“Hmm, what other special skills do you have?” Stiles asks, only realizing after he’s said it that he’s staring at Derek’s mouth. He sputters and flushes, and Derek’s eyebrows are raised, but he doesn’t look mad or creeped out, so Stiles simply walks away, hiding behind Talia where she’s sorting strands of lights.

 

Once the lights are on the tree and they’ve ensured they all work, it turns into a competition to see who can get their ornaments on the tree first, only it’s still slow moving because every ornament has a story, and Stiles hears them all. The Black Lab is for Aaron’s first dog, Bo, who died when he was ten, and the rolling pin is for the time Laura got so mad at Derek and Billy for eating the final project for her foods class that she put the real rolling pin through the kitchen window.

 

“I worked for two days on that damn pie!” Laura fumes.

 

“You left a pie unattended in a house with two teenage boys,” Derek counters. “What did you think was going to happen?”

 

Stiles laughs along at the funny stories and smiles at the sentimental ones, basking in the memories around them and the love these people so clearly feel for each other. He has to admit, though, he’s having a really hard time picturing Will here with them. He knows Will must be the black sheep of the family, but he’s just so different from Derek and Laura, Stiles can’t imagine how he grew up in this house and ended up like he is. Not that there’s anything wrong with Will, it’s just that, well, he’s different. He secretly hopes there’s a side to Will he hasn’t seen yet. One that being around his family will bring out.

 

“This one is special,” Aaron says, showing Stiles a tarnished, curved tin star.

 

“They’re all special, dear,” Talia chimes in.

 

“Yes, but if it weren’t for this one, none of the others would be here.”

 

“And why is that?” Stiles asks, encouraging him.

 

“Because Talia gave me this on the night we met,” Aaron tells him, looking at Talia with warmth. “We met at a dance organized by the social club our mothers belonged to. Something they were running for us youngsters, to indoctrinate the next generation of cookie cutter accountants and housewives.”

 

“Aaron, your father was an accountant,” Talia scolds.

 

“Yes, but he had a glass eye, so they cancel each other out.”

 

Talia rolls her eyes and Stiles laughs. Derek is sitting on the arm of the couch, right beside Stiles, and he looks down at him with a warm smile, like he’s pleased Stiles is enjoying his parent’s antics, and presses a hand to the small of Stiles’ back, his warmth seeping through Stiles’ clothing. Well, Derek’s clothing, he supposes.

 

“Anyway, I was there with another young man,” Talia continues.

 

“But he got food poisoning!” Aaron interjects gleefully. “And she found her dance card woefully empty.”

 

“Dance card? How old do you think we are?” Talia asks.

 

“Stop interrupting me, dear, I’m telling Stiles our love story. Now, being the chivalrous young lad I was, I had no choice but to take over and escort the beautiful creature standing there all alone.”

 

“We went as a group and the guy with the food poisoning was his best friend,” Talia tells him.

 

“Traitor!” Aaron cries.

 

“Oh, for goodness sake, Aaron, he was the best man at our wedding, let it go!”

 

“Never,” Aaron swears and grins at her.

 

Laura throws a handful of tinsel at her parents. “Tell him about the star already.”

 

“Well, the moment I saw Talia, I knew that was it for me. If she wouldn’t have me, I would die alone because there was no way I could love anyone the way I knew I could love her. I was so sure, I stopped my watch. I wanted to mark the exact moment my entire life changed.”

 

“That’s so romantic,” Stiles says, elbows on his knees and chin in his hands.

 

“It is, but what really got me going was when I asked for a kiss and instead she pulled a pen knife out of her purse and carved me that star out of an empty coffee can.”

 

Aaron looks at Talia and there’s so much pride and love in his gaze that Stiles chokes up. He wants that. He wants someone to look at him like Aaron looks at Talia. Like his father looked at his mother. He turns his head to find Derek staring down at him, his eyes intent and his mouth curved up.

 

“Do you believe in love at first sight like that?” Stiles asks quietly, not wanting to break the moment.

 

Derek’s eyes roam over Stiles’ face and his fingers twitch where they’re still pressed to Stiles’ back, the movement sliding his shirt up until Derek’s skin is warm and heavy on his.

 

“Yes,” he whispers, something complicated and sad shining in his eyes.

Notes:

I love how curious everyone is about how this is going to end. It's so cool to hear your theories so please keep commenting and letting me know how you like it! Cheers!