bff bday bash

[triskehale]

Derek sent Kate a message yesterday on her actual birthday to let her know that her present would be a day late, and that it was a surprise and he won't tell her what it is so don't even try. He wanted to wait until after her actual birthday because his gift will require privacy and her full attention, so he wanted to wait.

He finds the small, ornate box that Magnus had gifted him with so long ago tucked safely into his closet and extracts one of the small vials, looking down at the precious few he has remaining. They'll go to Barry, most likely, but maybe Magnus will make him more.

Kate is worth it, in any case.

With the vial tucked safely into his pocket, he heads towards Kate's place. There's a small bit of guilt nagging at him for not including Newt, but there might be time for that later. Today is for Kate. And for Derek a little, too.

He knocks on the door and grins when Kate answers, hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. There isn't a gift bag in sight. "Hey. Did you clear your schedule for the afternoon?"

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[everyonetakes]

Kate loves surprises.

First, there's the fact that it's a surprise, the feeling of anticipation, the wait, the knowledge that something is coming, but not what it is. Second, it's the idea that someone had considered her enough to do something like this for her, something they don't want to tell her until the last moment, something they think is important enough to do in this way.

Surprises are always better. So when Derek knocks on her door, she's practically vibrating with excitement and she throws open the door, bouncing on her toes.

"Dude, of course," she answers. "Totally free. Newt's at work and I'm off for the afternoon and Jeff can stay here by herself for a couple of hours, that's fine, she'll just sleep, so gimme my surprise. Also hi."

[triskehale]

"Hi," Derek says with a laugh, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the cheek before crouching down to greet Jeff. He gives her a good scratch behind the ears before standing up and grinning at Kate.

"I can't just give it to you," Derek tells her, holding out his empty hands. "I have to take you to it. Are you wearing comfy shoes?"

While he may not be a fan of surprises, he knows that Kate is so he plans to draw this out a bit, keep her guessing until the very end. The best part is that she'll never guess, not in a million years, because Derek hasn't told anyone about the potion except for the two people who have taken it.

[everyonetakes]

Kate holds up one foot, at the end of which is a bright purple canvas runner, because she doesn't really do comfortable shoes like she thinks Derek is looking for. The canvas runners are only really meant to be cute, she doesn't own sport shoes and she certainly doesn't have hiking boots, so this is going to have to be good enough.

"Please don't tell me you're making me exercise," she says. "You know how I feel about that."

As in, she never does it. Ever. Besides the obvious physical activity she gets just by virtue of being married to a man she's deeply in love with and deeply attracted to, but she doesn't run and she doesn't play sports and she's not interested in going to the gym. That would be the worst birthday surprise ever.

[triskehale]

"Please, I would never," Derek replies. He has his friends that he can call up if he feels like company during a run, which is pretty rare. He knows Kate is not one of those friends. "We've just got a bit of walking to do is all."

He waits for Kate to lock up and then leads her out of the building and towards the park, angling towards the woods near the cabin. They'll split off a bit before the reach Derek and Barry's home, but he'll mention that once they get there.

"So how was yesterday? Newt get you something good?" Derek asks, and then seems to realize his mistake. "The PG-13 version, please."

[everyonetakes]

"Good," she answers and she should have expected as much, Derek knows her too well to make her do something she will absolutely hate for her birthday, mostly because he has to know how much she'll complain. Kate isn't the sort of person who will pretend to like something just to make sure someone else's feelings don't get hurt, and if she's unhappy, they'll hear about it. Which she's pretty sure Derek would want to avoid.

She grins brightly when Derek asks what Newt got her and then laughs and mimes zipping and locking her lips. It's not like there's nothing to tell, of course, but it's sort of fun to just act like it's all a big secret and she can't tell him anything because he won't be able to handle it.

"Not a word, I promise," she says. "But it was a great, it was a really cool day. Usually Olive has this big party because we have the same birthday, but she didn't do it this year. Or I just wasn't invited if she did, which, ouch."

[triskehale]

"I don't know Olive, but I can't imagine anyone not wanting you at their party," Derek says truthfully, stepping forward to pull a branch aside so that Kate can pass. Now, he can understand why someone wouldn't want him at a party; he's boring and he eats all the food. But Kate is lively and fun. She makes people laugh.

They reach the part of the trail that curves towards the cabin, and Derek takes them the opposite direction down a narrower, less-worn trail. It isn't too much longer before they break through some trees and reach a meadow. It's deep enough into the woods and well-hidden enough that it isn't easily stumbled upon, and Derek likes to come here in his wolf form a lot. It's where he found Jinx, and where he likes to settle down during full moons.

"Okay," Derek says, walking through the soft green grass to stand in the middle of the meadow, turning to face Kate with a grin. "Ready for your present?"

[everyonetakes]

At first she thinks they're going to his cabin, which is fine, it's probably some kind of surprise party, but at the last second Derek changes direction and goes off the other way, away from the cabin. Kate frowns briefly, looking back over her shoulder at where the path goes toward Derek's place, then shrugs and presses on, following him into the woods.

She's not much of a hiker, really, but this place is pretty awesome. It's quiet and the sunlight being filtered through the trees makes the air a little cooler and somewhere in the distance she can hear a really pretty birdsong, although if he asks her, she's not going to own up to a single bit of that. And it's not like Derek can give her a meadow as a gift either, but she likes this place, likes how private it is, and she turns to look at him, but without her usual expectation.

"It's not just nature?" she asks. "Or like, a picnic?"

[triskehale]

"Because we're both such the picnic-ing type," Derek says dryly, smirking at her as he reaches into his pocket to find the vial. He pulls it out, holding it hidden in his fist for a moment before reaching out to display it on his palm.

"This is your present," he tells her quietly. The sun shines down on the green liquid in the glass, and Derek hopes that she'll like it. "It's a potion that a warlock friend made for me. Anyone who takes it turns into a wolf for a few hours."

He shrugs, looking a little shy as he meets her eyes. "And I wanted to share that with you."

[everyonetakes]

At first, when he produces the bottle of green liquid, she wants to make a joke about Derek getting her high, but for what might be the first time a very long time, Kate keeps her mouth shut. Instead she reaches for it, looking at the way the sun hits the liquid inside, and she lets him explain.

Then her eyes widen, her gaze flicking from the bottle to Derek and then back again as she processes what he's just told her. It's kind of a huge thing. In reality, Kate has never been truly normal, not by the standards most people use to define the word, not with her crazy ass family, but when it comes to Darrow, she's pretty much as boring as they come. No powers, no abilities to turn into things, no weird world saving abilities, and definitely no monsters trying to destroy her world. Totally normal. But what he's offering her is a chance to be something else, even for just a little while.

Something like him.

"No fucking kidding?" she asks, just to be sure. "I'd be for real a wolf? But like... still me?"

[triskehale]

"You would be a for real wolf," Derek confirms, smiling a little at the wording. She seems excited about it, and Derek's shoulders relax a bit. "Barry and Bitty have both taken in, and they retained all their thoughts and memories. It'll still be you, just in a different form for a little while."

He takes a breath and steps forward, taking her hand and setting the vial in it before making himself meet her eyes. "You're my family. You're pack no matter what form you're in but I thought maybe you'd like to see the world like I do for a little while."

[everyonetakes]

"Uh, yeah," she answers. "Obviously."

It's utterly insane. Totally nutso. Her family is literally the most fucked up thing she'd ever dealt with, but even they had never once truly held a candle to all the crazy shit she's just accepted as part of her life in Darrow. Her best friend is a werewolf, that's not weird at all, and now he's offering here the chance to actually physically change into a wolf herself and she doesn't even hesitate.

It should be way stranger than it is, but she never even considers that.

"Dude, let's do it," she says eagerly.

[triskehale]

"Okay," Derek replies, laughing at her exuberance and his relief that this is going as well as he dared hope. He takes a step back and pulls his shirt over his head, tossing it aside and reaching for his jeans. "I'm going to shift. And you'll need to undress too if you don't want to ruin your clothes."

He toes out of his shoes and socks before pushing his jeans down his legs, balling all of his clothes up and smirking at her. "I won't peek. Once you're ready, just drink the whole thing. It won't hurt. Might feel a little weird, but they told me it didn't hurt."

After leaning forward to give her a kiss on the forehead, Derek turns to stash his belongings at the base of a tree. He pushes down his underwear as he lets the shift take over him, shaking his fur out once he lands on four paws. He turns to trot back into the clearing and sits down, tail thumping excitedly against the grass as he waits for Kate to join him.

[everyonetakes]

It's undeniably weird, undressing outdoors, but she goes to find a private place to do so, slipping behind a tree and undressing quickly before she carefully folds her clothes and hopes to all of the holy wardrobe gods that no one steals her outfit. The jeans and tank top might not be the fanciest thing she could have worn, but they're still not exactly cheap, and the jeans themselves are perfectly worn and torn in all the right places.

"I'm naked outside," she calls with a laugh, knowing Derek will appreciate her amusement. "This is fucking weird!"

But it's not as weird as the feeling she gets after she drinks what's in the bottle. For a second, she wonders if it's doing anything or if Derek is playing a trick on her, but then suddenly it's like she's both smaller and bigger all at the same time. She's closer to the ground, but her back is broader, her muscles heavier, and she tries to speak, but all that comes out is a weird sort of whine.

Am I a wolf? she wants to ask, but she only manages another whine, then turns to look at herself and finds a tail. There's a fucking tail. Surprises, she sits down on her haunches, then realizes she has furry fucking haunches, too.