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“Abby?” Derek tapped his knuckles against the opened door to his daughter’s bedroom. The sunlight was just beginning to drift in through her window. Derek couldn’t help but smile when he saw that she was still asleep. She was sprawled out over her small bed. Her limbs tangled in a wild array among her bright blue bed sheets.
It blew Derek’s mind just how much Abby looked like Stiles. And not just in her appearance. Though she does share a remarkable resemblance with her biological father. (Derek and Stiles had figured it would be easier for all parties if they avoided the possibility of having their surrogate carrying a werewolf baby. That would be a disastrous conversation, without a doubt.)
The young girl had hardly spoken to anyone but her fathers until she was nearly three years old, so when she did need to communicate with an adult besides the two of them, she would mostly play an overly complicated game of charades as she waved her hands about. While she has shown lots of improvement in speaking to others, she still uses her hands to emphasize her tales and she can always fall asleep anywhere no matter how uncomfortable she looks.
Derek trekked over the mess of toys and art supplies and crouched next to the five year old, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently nudging her. “Abby, it’s time to wake up.”
The little girl stirred and sat up at a sluggish rate, rubbing at her eyes and yawning. “Why?” She whined.
Derek laughed softly. “You told me that you wanted to go with me on my run, remember?”
Once the look of clarity passed over her face, Abby grinned. “Oh yeah!” She quickly scrambled off of the bed, nearly falling onto the floor, if it weren’t for Derek’s quick reflexes.
“No need to rush, sweetie, we’ve got plenty of time for you to get ready and have breakfast too.” He explained, setting her on her feet.
“Sorry…” Abby looked down, embarrassed. “But you have to get out so I can get dressed.” She quickly bounced back to her excited self and used all of her might to push Derek out of her room.
Derek shook his head fondly and returned to his and Stiles’ bedroom to change out of his own pajamas. He stripped himself of his flannel pants with the occasional paw print decal (courtesy of Stiles) and the contrasting paint stains around the lower legs (courtesy of Abby). He was pulling off his well-worn t-shirt when he noticed a very familiar scent followed by an uptick in his husband’s breathing and heartbeat.
“Good morning.” He said coyly.
“‘Morning.” Stiles drawled, not moving out from under the covers. Derek had finished pulling on some sweatpants over his shorts and turned around to look for his jacket, he noticed Stiles staring at the clock.
Before he could ask why, the younger man spoke. “Aren’t you usually out on your run by now, not just getting dressed?” He sat up as he spoke, walking over to meet Derek. “Is old age slowing you down?” Stiles teased, giving his husband a wink.
“It just might be.” Derek smirked. “Abby’s decided she wants to join me on my run today. She’s getting herself dressed right now.”
“Stop, now I’m feeling old.” Stiles rested his forehead against Derek’s shoulder. “I should probably check in and make sure she isn’t putting on her halloween costume, shouldn’t I?”
“You mean that you, Stiles Stilinski, don’t want to see a werewolf and an astronaut princess running around the preserve?”
“We had enough close calls with Abby wearing that helmet on Halloween. Just because it’s called a helmet doesn’t mean it will protect her when she trips and falls since she can hardly see out of the damn thing. And you know for a fact that she’ll trip and fall if she tries to run in that dress again.” Stiles countered.
Derek smiled and kissed the top of Stiles’ head. “Go on then, before she gets too attached.”
Stiles reached up, placing his hand on the nape of Derek’s neck and pulled him in for a swift kiss before he left the room.
Derek slid on his running shoes and went into the kitchen to fix a quick breakfast for him and his daughter. He trained his ears in on the sounds coming from his little girl’s room. He heard Abby whine about how much she wanted to wear the very outfit Stiles had assumed she’d wear, followed by Stiles giving her a fantastical excuse as to why her running shorts Aunt Lydia had gotten her along with a t-shirt and her favorite leggings would be a better choice. Abby was stubborn but she had just enough love in her heart for those ridiculously patterned leggings to listen to her daddy’s reasoning.
Derek had Abby’s breakfast of apple slices and peanut butter along with a piece of toast waiting for her next to a glass of orange juice. He himself was in the middle of finishing a granola bar when his daughter came bouncing into the kitchen and took her place at the table, nearly shouting her “Thank you!” as she beamed up at Derek before digging in.
Stiles followed shortly after, still in his pajamas. He came in and kissed Derek again and walked over to Abby and kissed the top of her head. “Daddy’s gonna go back to sleep until you get back. You have fun running with Poppa, okay? Make sure he doesn’t get lost out there.”
Derek rolled his eyes.
Abby laughed loudly and mock saluted Stiles. “Yes, sir!” Stiles saluted right back.
Once Abby finished her breakfast she ran to the front door, leaving Derek to put away her dishes.
“Poppa!” She called out, stretching the two syllable word into nearly five. “Come on!”
Derek grabbed two small water bottles and placed them along the running belt resting along his hips and hurried to find his daughter struggling to open the front door. He quickly scooped her up without warning and placed her on his hip. “Let’s go then, baby girl.” He opened the door easily and stepped outside.
Derek and Stiles’ house did not sit in the preserve like Derek’s childhood home, but it was close enough that Derek could walk there without tiring.
Derek spent the entire trek listening to his daughter argue about why getting ice cream after their run was the best idea in the whole wide world followed by her gushing about how much more fun this was going to be than her P.E. class since she’d really get to run instead of playing games that didn’t require nearly as much energy as Derek knew she had pent up inside her. Just like her dad.
When they reached the familiar trail, Derek set Abby down and crouched down to be at her level.
“Alright, Abs, you ready?” He smiled warmly at her.
His little girl nodded excitedly and yelled out her affirmation.
“What are the rules?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Always make sure I can see you. Or you can see me, because I’m gonna run super fast!” She giggled at Derek’s playful eyeroll before she continued. “Stay on the trail. Don’t touch any new plants or funny flowers - ‘specially the purple ones. Speak up if I get too tired. Don’t talk to strangers. And don’t trip Poppa.”
“I mean it about that last one, missy.” He poked her stomach in jest. “Just because Poppa’s boo-boos go away faster doesn’t mean they don’t hurt.”
“I said I was sorry!” She argued like she was trying to sound sincere but her grin betrayed her.
“Yeah yeah,” Derek tried to sound as stern as he could but he ended up just smiling right back.
He stood back up. “You remember what we do now?”
“We run!” Abby jumped up and down.
“We stretch.” Derek supplied.
“Oh… right.”
Derek showed his daughter all the stretches he does before running and was all too close to pulling his phone out as she copied him. Once they were done Derek looked down at Abby who was bursting with energy.
“Can we go now?” She let out a fake whine.
“Yes, sweetheart.” Derek chuckled to himself and watched as she immediately began to run down the trail before following suit effortlessly.
For the first few minutes, Abby was running at full speed, fast as her little legs could take her. Derek enjoyed the relaxed pace he was able to job at while still staying on Abby’s heels. After a few yards, Abby slowed down to running right beside her father who listened intently as she rambled on about anything and everything that came to her head.
They’d been jogging for what felt like ten minutes when Derek noticed how Abby's cheeks were looking pink from running in the cool autumn air. He knew going into this that he wouldn't get to go as far as he usually does but he didn't mind.
He made them stop for a water break and when Abby asked about Stiles coming with them next time, he laughed at the memory of a teenaged Stiles doing suicide runs after mouthing off to Finstock during lacrosse practice. He told her they could try and convince the younger man but he made no promises.
The two rested for a few more minutes then started jogging back down the trail. They didn't make it far before Derek noticed Abby falling behind. He immediately slowed down in effort to let her still think she could outrun a fully grown werewolf. But instead of a boastful grin, Abby's expression was still labored and growing redder.
"P-poppa..." She called out in a panting voice.
Derek stopped jogging. He turned around and crouched down, doing his best to get his daughter to look at his face. "Abby? Baby, what's wrong?"
"My... My chest hurts..." She managed to say quietly.
Derek did not hesitate to pick Abby up and start making his way out of the preserve. He’d never been so thankful for living in a town as small as Beacon Hills as he moved at his proper speed to the hospital. He was not taking an risks.
Derek felt Abby press her face into his neck and shoulder and push short labored breaths against his chest. He lifted on hand to rest on the back of her neck and felt the burning sensation as his veins turned black and his daughter’s pain traced up his arms.
The Beacon Hills Memorial emergency room was mostly empty and Derek said a silent thank you when he spotted Melissa McCall.
“Derek?” Her brow furrowed as she approached the man. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Abby.” Derek got out, using all of his concentration to speak without faltering. “We were running and she suddenly stopped. She’s having trouble breathing. I don’t think she’s having a reaction to anything. She-she isn’t a wolf but its still a rule of ours that she doesn’t mess with plants in the preserve...”
Melissa nodded and rested a calming hand on Derek’s shoulder while she got a better look at Abby.
“Derek, I need you to calm down, I’m going to take Abby to a doctor.” She gently lifted the five year old out of her father’s arms. “Sit down and breathe. Call Stiles. Let him know you two are here. She’ll be okay.” Melissa brought out her professional voice to get through Derek’s panic and walked away, whispering comforting things to Abby as she did. The nurse motioned for one of her coworkers to bring him an admittance form to fill out.
Derek did as he was told. He sat down in the ER waiting room, staring at the paperwork and rubbed his face in his hands before pulling out his phone and dialing Stiles.
The tone sounded three times too many before Derek heard his husband’s voice, still rough from sleeping in.
“Hey, are you two still on your run?” Stiles asked in a voice so obliviously calm, Derek nearly laughed.
“Uh, no. No, we’re at the hospital-”
“What?! Why? Derek is-”
“Abby’s with Melissa and the doctor right now.” Derek answered Stiles’ question before the younger man could worry himself sick. “We were on our way back to the house but Abby was getting red in the face and she said her chest hurt, I don’t think she was breathing easily. I-I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Derek said in effort to comfort both Stiles and himself. “But I know she’ll feel better if we’re both here.”
He and Derek said their goodbyes before Stiles hung up to be on his way before he got to work on the forms on his lap.
He finished before Melissa walked back into the waiting room. “Now, every case can be different, but to me, it looked like she was having an asthma attack.” She said in lieu of any sort of greeting. “They’re also running a couple of simple tests to make sure it wasn’t an allergic reaction, just to be safe. She’ll be fine now that she’s calmed down.”
Derek just nodded, barely able to move otherwise. “ Thank you.”
Melissa’s professional face dropped and she gave Derek a warm smile and took the finished form from him.
Derek leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees and clasped his hands together.
Hardly any time passed before he saw Stiles stampeding into the waiting room. He was nearly silent as he found his seat next to Derek and took the werewolf’s hand in his own.
They spoke to each other quietly, Derek was nearly finished telling Stiles all about his and Abby’s run before he brought her to the hospital just as Melissa told the two men to come with her.
They entered a small, one-bed room and were met with a loud exclamation, “Poppa! Daddy!” from Abby and watched as her face lit up. Stiles rushed over and enveloped his little girl in a hug.
Derek settled for simply resting a hand on his daughter’s back as he turned to listen to the doctor’s explanation.
They both listened attentively as the doctor told them that Abby seemed to have exercised induced asthma and gave them the prescription for emergency inhalers. Derek could practically see the wheels turning in Stiles’ head as they processed all of the doctor’s precautions and instructions. They thanked the physician once they were given leave to take Abby home.
Stiles lifted his daughter onto his hip and gave her plenty of kisses on her cheek in relief.
“Does this mean I can’t go runnin’ with Poppa anymore?” Abby asked in a miserable voice as Derek buckled her into her carseat.
“Not at all, sweetheart.” Stiles looked at her in the rearview mirror and started up the car. “It just means we’ve got to be extra careful about how much you run.”
“But the doctor said…” The five year old didn’t finish her sentence.
“Asthma just means running can be harder for you, not that you can’t run at all. Your Uncle Scott had asthma when he was little, you know. And he even played sports at school.” Stiles provided as he drove his family home.
“He did?” Abby’s eyes were as big as saucers.
Stiles nodded with a smile. “Yep! I think he was just a year or so older than you when he first had to go the doctor for his asthma. And he had it until, well until your Uncle Peter bit him.”
Derek could see the idea forming in his daughter’s eyes. “That does not mean that you can ask Uncle Scott to bite you too.” He said sternly.
Abby pouted and crossed her arms but didn’t try to make an argument in favor of her receiving the bite, which was a good sign. However, her pout was gone once they returned home. Derek pulled her from the back seat, carrying her inside and sitting her down on the kitchen table.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Abby.”
“Me too.” Stiles stood next to Derek, giving both of them a kiss. “And what did we learn today, baby girl?”
“Don’t run faster than Poppa when we go running.” She answered, fully serious.
Derek shared a look with Stiles that roughly equated to ‘close enough’.
Stiles rolled his eyes and pulled Abby into his arms, squeezing her tight, eliciting a myriad of giggles before setting her down and sending her off to play.
When Stiles wrapped his arm around Derek’s waist, Derek released a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
Everything was alright. Abby was alright. He could relax.
At least, until Abby tried to drag her fathers out to go running again.