thanksgiving is, after all, a word of action [set on 11/26]

[triskehale]

Thanksgivings in the Hale house used to be quite the big deal. Feeding over a dozen werewolves, many of them teenagers was no easy feat. Derek loved all the chaos, and he helped out in the kitchen since he was old enough to stand on a step stool and reach the counter.

The first year after everyone died, he and Laura each got a rotisserie chicken and some biscuits, trying to hang on to some semblance of tradition, but the food tasted like ash. Laura went to bed early, and Derek pretended not to hear her cry. They stopped trying to do anything for the holiday after that.

It's been almost a decade since that disastrous attempt, and a few months ago Derek decided that he wanted to try again. While Laura and the rest of his family will always be the cause of this gnawing ache in his heart, Derek has a new family here in Darrow. He has so many people that matter to him, and care about him. It's more than Derek deserves, or ever thought that he would get, but he's grateful. He's thankful.

So he decides that he's going to do his best to put on a Thanksgiving of his own, and invite his new ragtag sort of pack. His new family.

The invitations go out and on the big day, Derek arrives at Semele's just after dawn. He puts two giant turkeys in the oven and quickly sets up the long table and chairs in the middle of the bar. With each chair he places, Derek marvels over just how many people he has in his life. It's astounding to him, and it's the perfect day to show his gratitude.

And then, all that's left to do is cook. And cook, and cook some more. If he's lucky, he'll have time to go shower and put on something nice before all his guests arrive.


[Hale pack Thanksgiving! Treat this as a gathering post. Tag in, tag around, give thanks! ♥]

Comments

[puckandpie]

It's not the first time I've heard about someone being in that place well after the fact and I feel my stomach plummet a little with worry. I haven't seen Harry Potter in weeks and now all I can do is hope he'd made it out okay. I don't know where he lives here or where he hangs out. I wish I did if only so I could check on him.

"I haven't decided yet," I admit, frowning a little now. "I haven't really been on one since I was trying to be straight and never with another guy before. I don't really wanna do a movie because I'd like to actually get to talk to him, but it's hard to find things to do in the winter. Is dinner too intimate?"

[puckandpie]

"Oh, that's Newt, right? I still need to meet him!" I say, glancing back toward the dessert table. I haven't met him officially but I've seen him and Kate together talking with a few other people at the dinner. I make a mental note to introduce myself before the feast is over.

Still grinning, I take the seat next to her and glance down at her plate. "The food's great, isn't it? I don't think I've had a turkey so good in all my life! Have you had any pie yourself yet? I can run and get you a slice if you'd like!"

[shuck_you]

Thomas wanted to tell Bitty that he was the last person that should be advising anyone on dates but then Bitty frowned and Thomas couldn't stop himself from trying to help. Maybe he wouldn't give great advice but he'd try because shaking his head and shrugging just wasn't an option.

"I think it might depend on where you go for dinner," Thomas said thoughtfully. "If you go to get like pizza or Chinese, it doesn't strike me as really intimate. If you go somewhere there's...candles and stuff, maybe a little more intimate. I went bowling with Derek once. It wasn't a date or anything but we talked and there was food there that we ate. It wasn't terrible. I suck at bowling but it was still fun."

[everyonetakes]

"I would make a beautiful tragically dead person," she says with a happy sigh. "But then again, I make a pretty beautiful living person, so I guess that only makes sense. I appreciate your tears, though. It means a lot to me."

She probably shouldn't joke about things like that, especially when she's come so close to actually being dead so many times, but shit like that, all the serious stuff, she needs to joke about it in order to give it less power.

"This is a hell of a dinner, huh?" she asks. "I mean, I know there's a lot of people here, but this is a shit load of food. I'm pretty sure I could steal half a turkey and no one would even notice it was missing."

[everyonetakes]

"It's like you want me to explode," Kate says with a groan as she kicks her feet a little. "Just make sure you take responsibility for it when Derek has to pick little bits of Kate off the walls of his bar. He won't be impressed, you know, and I'm thinking you're probably trying to do your best to impress him."

She grins suddenly, looking over at him with a sly expression. "Are you trying to do your best to impress him?" She really doesn't know much of anything about Eric, how old he is, what he likes, where he's even from, but she knows it looks like Derek likes him and as far as she's concerned, that's good enough.

[puckandpie]

"Oh, bowling is a good idea," I agree, not quite able to stop myself from wondering if Derek taking Thomas had been an attempt at a date even if he hadn't called it that. It's not difficult now to picture Derek letting loose now as often as I've seen it and it's nice to know he could do that around Thomas. Of course, there's still that ache in my chest, that stupid little ball of jealousy centered around the knowledge that Derek would never want that with me, but it's easier to rationalize with Thomas for some reason. It makes complete sense that Derek is attracted to him given that he's the identical twin to the person he fell in love with, and might still be in love with.

I'll never be that. I never could be that. And that's okay, I guess.

"I haven't been bowling myself in years," I continue, trying to shove thoughts of Derek aside. "I wonder if Simon ever has. He might have an advantage what with being a wizard, but it'd still be fun, I think." Either that or he'll accidentally melt the bowling ball. Which might also be funny. "That's a really good idea, thank you! You know, you say you're not good at this sorta stuff, but I think evidence is proving the opposite," I tell him with a teasing wink.

[puckandpie]

I grin as she speaks, delighting in her way with words before my smile gets a little bit stuck and I feel my cheeks flush red.

I want so badly to be able to deny it, embarrassment sweeping through every part of me, and I dart a quick glance over at Derek to make sure he's not paying attention. He could overhear, I know, with that super hearing of his. But he looks to be deep in conversation with Dean and Castiel, at least.

With a sigh, I turn back to Kate. "I really like baking," I tell her, assuming she's mostly referencing the pies. "I would've done it for any friend of mine who asked, but..." I trail off, lips twisting into a grimace as I shrug. Because Derek's different and I know Kate can tell. "I-- I do. I kinda always do. Please don't tell him."

[shuck_you]

"This is the most food I've ever seen in one place," Thomas said, nodding his agreement. Even though he'd been around for some of the prep, he didn't even want to think about how long it took to cook all this and how much effort Derek and Bitty and everyone else had gone through to get it all done in time.

"First Thanksgiving I can remember and I don't know if anything'll top this one," he added. If he'd had Thanksgivings in the past, he'd figured them to be small, contained to his parents and him. With his parents long dead, Thomas figured any holidays would be like this from now on: full of friends he'd made and could remember since everything else was locked away.

[shuck_you]

Snickering, Thomas said, "I think I got lucky with that because it's pretty much been the only thing, besides skating with you, that I've done that's just for fun. Everything else I've been doing has a reason, an aim. Bowling was just because I saw it one day and dragged Derek along with me."

Derek hadn't been that excited to go but Thomas thought he'd ended up having a good time. He'd loosened up, teased, and laughed so Thomas had considered the trip to the bowling idea a success even if he'd been terrible at the actual act of bowling. He was never going to win any tournaments or trophies.

"And even if you're bad or he's bad, it's still fun to laugh at each other," Thomas shared. "That's what Derek did with me. Just teased me and let me tease him back until we eventually just gave up and had food."

[willnothide]

"Mister Bitty!"

The moment he spots the baker, Kili all but bounds up to him with an enormous smile on his face. There's no question that Kili's been making himself right at home at this party, which he assumes is the idea, and he has a turkey leg in one hand while the other carries a beer. It's his first Thanksgiving, though certainly not his first feast, and he's quite enjoying a great deal of what this holiday appears to be about: food.

Now, faced with entire table covered from end to end with an array of beautifully made pies, Kili's face brightens as if it were being lit by the Arkenstone itself.

"You did all of this?" he asks, looking to Bitty in awe. "I'll have to beg you to teach me one day."

[willnothide]

He's been bouncing around from guest to guest, speaking with old friends and making new ones where he can, and when he finally makes his way back to his brother, Kili finds himself very exhausted. With a heavy sigh, he takes his place next to Fili at the bar, a plate of pie in hand with just a couple bites out of it because he isn't certain he'll be able to finish it off after everything he's already eaten.

Not for the next couple minutes, anyway.

"Doesn't it remind you a little of home?" he asks, glancing over his shoulder at the rest of the party, everyone merry and smiling and chatting away, as if just for tonight, they're allowing themselves to forget all the things that might otherwise cause them worry. There'd been nights like this in the Ered Luin, whether it be at home or at the tavern, he remembers them vividly. Smiling, he turns back to glance at his brother, grabbing his fork and reaching over to steal a bite of Fili's pie. He may be full, but he's not above playing the role of little brother to perfection.

"I like his holiday," Kili decides, nodding as he chews on the pie. "It's a joyful one."

[puckandpie]

It's weird maybe, but there's something about that I like, that Thomas enjoys going skating just for fun, that it doesn't have to be something with any particular goal in mind. Not that goals aren't good to have, but sometimes it's nice just to relax and have fun and I'm so so glad I can be a part of that.

"Derek's never mentioned that you did that," I say, though it's not really any revelation. There's plenty Derek's never told me and it doesn't mean anything. "That sounds really nice though. And fun. For both of you. Have you, uhm." I hesitate a second and it's probably only the two beers I've had that give me the courage to ask, "Have you ever thought of... of something with him? I know you said before that you're not really sure the type of person you like and I'm sorry if I'm being really nosy. You can tell me to shut up, you won't be the first person to say that to me ever. I'm just curious. I think-- I think he could really like you."

[shuck_you]

"Something with Derek?" Thomas repeated, glancing over and finding Derek in the crowd. Thomas had thought about a lot of things when it came to Derek but his feelings were a general mess and he didn't really know what he wanted and how to go about getting it.

"I -- maybe not something but I've noticed him," Thomas said, not sure if that was the right thing to say or even if it was true. Maybe he had thought of something more but just hadn't acted on it because of everything else that took precedence.

"I'm not really someone who should be doing that, though," he insisted with a shake of his head. "I've just stopped thinking I'm gonna die. I wouldn't want to put that on him. I wouldn't want to put that on anyone until I know what I'm doing. I've got some other things I should take care of first."

[sciencesaggressively]

Newt looks good. Like, real good. More importantly, he'd dressed himself, which means he'd actually made an effort for this Thanksgiving get-together that's got Derek all amped and shit, so Newt's pretty proud of himself. He knows some of the people here, Derek included, have had a rough time of it lately and maybe he isn't the best equipped to comfort any of them, but he's definitely available for the kind of entertainment value that can hopefully take their minds of things.

If he can make Mindy smile after a surprise baby had shown up for her in a printer box, he's pretty confident he can do the same for anyone else.

First thing's first, though, and that's food. There's no sense in trying to do nice things for other people if stomach's not personally satisfied first.

[puckandpie]

I've been called many things in my my eighteen (nineteen, technically) years but Mister Bitty is a new one. Adjusting the label for the sweet potato pie, I glance over my shoulder and light up when I see Kili's familiar face.

"Kili!"

I haven't seen him since he ordered nearly half my baked goods at the fall festival, but Derek's mentioned inviting him to his feast and I'm so, so happy to see his smiling face.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you could make it!" I tell him before glancing proudly at the arrangement of pies on the table. "I did! Derek asked me to be in charge of the pies and, of course, I couldn't turn down such an honor. I'd be more than happy to set aside some time for baking with you if you ever want to! How are you doing? Did you like the cupcakes?"

[puckandpie]

I'm still not really sure how Thomas would describe his sexuality. But even if he's only mostly straight, Derek Hale is the type of pers to make even the straightest guy gay. Maybe I'm biased, but it's difficult for me to imagine anyone not wanting him.

So I'm not surprised by his answer at all. Who doesn't notice Derek?

Ignoring the twist of my stomach, I frown a little, watching Thomas carefully. "Put what on him? And what do you need to take care of?"

[shuck_you]

Thomas started to answer but stopped, fixing Bitty with an appraising look. He hadn't really expected so many questions about Derek especially from Bitty.

"Why does this matter so much, Bitty?" Thomas asked, deciding against saying anything else for the moment. He could have listed any number of things that he wanted to come to grips with before saddling anyone with his myriad of issues and insecurities.

"I'm just not ready to take something like that on with anyone," he said, shaking his head. The closest he'd gotten was with Krem and even that seemed like a memory after their time spent in the other city. "I want to enjoy not dying first."

[puckandpie]

That's not a look I've seen often from Thomas and I immediately feel a sinking weight of guilt. I duck my head against it, frowning down at my hands.

"It doesn't, I guess," I tell him before giving a shrug with one shoulder. "I just. I want to see you both happy. And I know Derek... He's told you about Stiles, right? And you look just like him." It's probably an unfair thing to put on someone and, if I'm perfectly honest, I wish so, so much that maybe I looked like Stiles so I might have a chance. But I don't and I never will and if I can't make Derek happy, then someone should.

But it doesn't have to be Thomas. Especially if it won't make Thomas happy. "Do you think you'll ever really be used to it?" I ask instead, still frowning and wringing my hands a little when I look up at him again. "To not dying, I mean."

[shuck_you]

"He's told me about Stiles. I've seen Stiles," Thomas answered, shaking his head sharply. He didn't know if he really liked what Bitty was trying to imply but he wasn't sure if it was intentional or just born out of a sense of Bitty wanting Derek to be happy.

Still, it rankled slightly and Thomas rubbed the back of his neck, staring down at his feet to try and get his irritation in check.

"Maybe," Thomas said once he thought he could talk without sounding pointed and harsh. "I just learned about it and then I ended up in to that other city, surrounded by reminders of what happens when you get past the Gone. With Newt here, the Flare's still around. It's just not in me."

[puckandpie]

It's obvious I've upset him and I can only assume it's because of what I've said about Derek, like I'm equating him with Stiles when they're obviously two completely different people. I don't even know why I'm pushing it if I'm honest. I want Derek happy and I want Thomas happy too and I guess, somewhere in my head, there's some part of me that thinks they'd be happy together.

That's stupid, though. I can't make assumptions and neither one of them have implied they'd be happy with the other.

So I stay quiet, nodding as he speaks and then staying silent for a long moment before finally nodding. "It's not in you," I repeat, a little firmer. "That means you should be okay, right? Or at least as okay as the rest of us. Do you just think you're not allowed to be happy?"

[shuck_you]

"It's not in me but it's in Newt and I have to make sure I'm around so I can keep him well," Thomas explained quietly, not wanting to let Newt's business out to people he didn't even know. If Newt wanted to share, he could, but Thomas wasn't going to broadcast it to so many people.

"I'm fine with how things are," he continued with a nod. "This is more freedom than I can ever remember having. I'm enjoying just getting used to not having WICKED over my shoulder and not worrying about dying. I'm not gonna try and do that by taking someone else's place, either."

He looked like Stiles but he wasn't Stiles and he wasn't going to pretend to be Stiles.

"I just want to do things on my own time and when I'm ready."

[everyonetakes]

"I mean, when you put it like that, it's a pretty great Thanksgiving to have as your first memory, right?" she asks, looking around. It's true that she does't know everyone here, she's not sure she even knows all their names, but they're all important to Derek and that makes sense. It also makes her happy, seeing that he's got so many people around him who care, and she's totally going to use this as evidence of all the people who love him the next time he gets down on himself.

It's entirely possible she's not the most compassionate person, instead preferring to shake people until they admit they're loved.

"No one's fighting, no one's punching the food or throwing it at the walls. I don't think anyone is drunk enough to start puking everywhere," she says. "That's my experience with most family holidays, so you're really getting off light here. I feel like I should purposely cause some drama just to make it more American holiday appropriate for you."

[everyonetakes]

"Oh my god," she practically groans, throwing her head back against her chair. This is something she doesn't get, not even a little. There's such a limited amount of time people have in this world, whether they go back where they came from or they die or whatever and she really thinks people should just seize whatever potential happiness is in front of them and go for it. Whatever it might be, so long as it's nothing awful like kicking puppies or throwing babies off bridges.

"Why not?" she asks, lifting her head again. "I mean, come on. 'Oh, Eric, what colour are my eyes? Are they green today? Please stare deeply into them and tell me and I swear this is totally platonic gazing.' Please. After that display, I'm pretty sure the two of you should be like, snuggling in the corner or something."

[shuck_you]

"Punching the food?" Thomas asked, picking that particular tidbit from everything else she said because it just sounded the most amusing. The way she said it, the specific detail of it made it sound like this was something Kate had experienced and not just an insane situation she'd thrown out at random.

"Has that happened at your holiday dinners before?" he wondered curiously. "Has someone punched some food and thrown it in your experience? That seems like an awful waste of something good."

Frypan had made some terrible meals before but Thomas knew that if he'd even thought of throwing it at a wall, the ground, or someone else, Alby would have smacked him silly and thrown him in jail. Thomas wouldn't have blamed him either.

[puckandpie]

Even after having met Newt, I hadn't realized the virus was still in him. He seemed okay when we spoke, definitely in good spirits and I remember him saying what Thomas had done for him, but I suppose I'd been naive in just assuming that'd be the end of it. Given everything else Thomas has told me of his world, not to mention what I've actually seen now, it makes a certain sick sort of sense that this will linger for him. Always.

A growing guilt gnaws at my belly and I nod again, frowning as I look up at him. "I'm sorry," I tell him, fidgeting at the cuffs of his shirt. "It's not good of me to presume what anyone wants and I don't even know why..." I trail off, shaking my head again. "I'm really sorry."