FIFTEEN YEARS LATER
Liam’s thumbs jammed against the buttons on the controller as he used what energy his little body could muster up to give the current level his all. The eight year old was ruthless, in the moment it didn’t matter that he was up against his father he was going to beat him for the fourth time in a row, and even gloat about it. In a moment of weakness Stiles started slapping at the kids’ controller and when that failed his hand flew up and over Liam’s eyes. He wishes he could say he was letting him win, Stiles honestly went into the game with that intention, but his son didn’t need him to be nice. No matter how hard Stiles tried Liam beat him, every single time.
Stiles’ character lie dead on the screen as his son danced in victory. He was gearing up to ask his dad for another match when his father came marching through the front door. Stiles’ eyes flew up, and the grin on his face was replaced with worry as he took in Derek’s disheveled look.
“Papa! You’re home, will you play with me? Pleeaasseee! Dad sucks”
“Hey! Way to soften the blow buddy, we wait for people to leave the room before bad mouthing them” Stiles joked with an accompanied laugh.
Derek, try as he may, was less than enthusiastic when he spoke “Later buddy” he tossed his briefcase onto the sofa. A quick finger came up and pointed to the back door where their new dog sat. Derek spoke roughly as he moved, on his way to the kitchen “Spot wants to go out Liam. I told you no more accidents in the house”
“Sorry!” he yipped before taking the dog that was the same size as him to the back yard.
No more words were exchanged once the boy was out of the house. Derek just continued right past his husband, silent and morose. Stiles discarded his controller looking around the house trying to distract himself from jumping down Derek’s throat with questions. He managed to detangle the mess of cords he and his son had made and straighten up the heap of homework Liam had strewn across the coffee table before he gave in.
“You’re home early” Stiles stated once he found Derek in the kitchen. He was standing over the the still steaming casserole on the counter.
“Yeah, didn’t want to miss dinner. Where’s Adeline?”
“Napping. Don’t you know it’s hard work being three” he joked, leaning against the same counter with his hip.
“Liam got his Xbox back?”
“He got three stars at the end of class today. And Mrs. Maybelle said he stayed behind during recess to help clean the classroom. He’s learned to kiss up early”
“Mmhm. Definitely you’re kid” Stiles didn’t have time to be playfully offended, a shaky sigh slipped past Derek’s lips as he braved himself against the sink. Stiles waited with anticipation as his husbands eyes darted to everything in the kitchen, everything but Stiles’ eyes. He figured he needed a moment, that he was gearing up to say something else, something big, so Stiles wasn’t going to push “And Kay? Where is she?”
“In her room. She came home from volunteering and hasn’t come down since. Don’t worry I’ve checked on her and forced her to eat” This didn’t seem to ease his mind, if anything he tensed up even more.
Stiles took one last glance at Liam in the yard before walking all the way into the kitchen. The man ran his arms along the length of his husbands back and shoulders. Gently he massaged the kinks as he pressed himself into his back, if for anything just to let him know he was there. Derek let out a deep breath in attempts to remove any tension. A delicate whisper finally came as Stiles kissed at Derek’s button up clad back “What’s going on?”
“Nothing” the response was quick, and easily foiled by Stiles.
“Der, I know you, don’t try to lie to me” willing to push a little more he turned the larger man in his arms so that they were finally face to face. It was then he had the full affect of the stress wreaking havoc on the man. Stiles ran a hand over the lines of his face, pressing them flat in hopes of making them disappear “Talk to me”
Shortly after their wedding, once they decided to adopt they both knew this day would come. It was a long conversation, one they had when they adopted Kay, then adopted Liam, and again when they brought home Adeline. Derek would always tend to nod and promise that he understood, but he didn’t. Because Kay was finally sixteen and Derek had been on edge all week. Stiles had figured it out from the moment Derek woke up earlier in the week just instantly grumpy, he had just been waiting on him to say so.
“How’s she doing?” Derek finally asked, his head jerking upstairs to where their sixteen year old daughter waited, inevitability pacing around nervously in her room.
“Uh, good, yeah I think she’s ready” Stiles tried answering nonchalantly.
“She’s freaking out isn’t she?”
“She’s totally freaking out”
“Yeah well so am I” the older Hale snapped, running his hands over his reddening face. Stiles stayed close having quickly learned how to take his attitudes in strides “I don’t know how to help her through this, I just want her to be okay. And why the hell aren’t you more worried?”
“Baby, there isn’t much we can do about the situation. I know you wanna be the big bad dad and keep her from everything that can hurt her but that’s just not realistic. Look, it’s going to happen, and it’s going to say what it’s meant to say. And come rain or shine we can only be there for her alright?” The words didn’t seem to have to affect on him. It was almost as if his mind was made up and he wasn’t going to calm down until they were safely on the other side of that night “What’s this really about?”
“Whatever it says—I don’t want it to effect her, I don’t want her to change the course of her life because of something some idiot will say in the future. I just don’t want-“
“You don’t want her to turn out like me”
“H-Honey, no I wasn’t-” He grabbed quickly for Stiles’ face forcing eye contact as he tried to reprimand his mistake.
“It’s okay Der, I took those words and ran with them-“
“And I don’t blame you, I’ve never blamed you. I blame me. That’s what I was going to say. I don’t want her to end up with someone like me. Someone who doesn’t think twice before he speaks” With every passing word Derek’s alert stance fell. He just needed to admit those fears bottled up in his head to feel even a little bit better
“If she gets someone even half as good as her father she’ll be lucky” the last part was said with a bop to Derek’s nose. For the first time that night he smiled, and embraced his husband. Derek’s hugs were the best. He was a big guy with a lot of love which is why Stiles figures he’s so good at it.
Stiles stretched on to his tip toes, stopping at the man’s ear making sure Derek heard each and every word “Sweetheart, if the last eighteen years together are anything to go by then you know she’ll be okay. It’s her turn now and we’ll be there for however she chooses to handle things. Life has a way of working out no matter how hard you try to fight it”
And Derek hugged him back tighter.
And that was that.
Stiles wasn’t sure when he’d become such a rock in the relationship, maybe sometime after their second anniversary, but he found he was good at it.
An hour later Liam was back on his Xbox trying to teach his three year old sister how to play. It hadn’t been going well but the young boy laughed it off explaining the rules all the same as she drooled, more interested in the lights coming from the controls.
Derek and Stiles were in the kitchen exchanging bites of their daughters birthday cake as the worries from earlier in the night seemed to have taken a back seat for the time being. Stiles gazed at his husband, the grey hairs spouting in his beard and down his neck and the subtle lines becoming more and more permanent on his face. He thinks about them now 46 and 47, the thought that all these years later and he’s still so in love when he looks at him. It eases his mind, he wants his children to know this feeling, of loving and being loved.
It was sudden when Stiles jerked forward kissing against Derek. They were at a point where neither were shocked by moments like this.
“DAD!” the shout traveled down the stairs scaring the married couple. As both their eyes snapped to the source the atmosphere changed. That staircase seemed almost eerie. At the top of it awaited a new change for them to face as a family.
“You ready?” Stiles asked as he wiped the cake from his mouth and found Derek looking almost on the verge of a panic attack.
“As I’ll ever be” Derek laced his hands tightly with his husbands and they raced up the stairs together.
The leaves changing make me happy
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