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

[light_of_the_world]

Hild felt better. Better was a thing to be measured in inches and seconds these days, sometimes only noticed in the way her hand did not drift to the hilt of her seax so often or how common shadows did not give her pause. The arrival of this holiday, with its feasts and warm feelings, was timely. The affection and warmth of her friends -- not only shown to herself but visible in interactions with all others -- filled up the hollow spaces inside her until Hild felt almost, in moments, like herself again.

She had arrived early to help Derek and his other hands with preparing the food and setting the table, but now she sat, sated and sipping at her wine, simply watching the others interact. She felt a twinge, a pull at something inside of her, encouraging her to step forward to a cluster of friends and join in the conversation, but not strong enough to bring her to her feet. Not yet.

[myfavoritedream]

"Hey," I said, dropping into the seat beside her and reaching out to flick at one of the gold leaves hanging from her ears.

Things were weird, for a lot of us, and had been for a while. I felt like I hadn't been hit by it as hard as everyone else, because I'd already been stripped of whatever part of myself that might've been vulnerable to the things I saw, the things I did, down there in the ash. Like I was made of mostly scar tissue, and had been, for most of my life.

Or maybe I just had it easy, skulking around in Derek's shadow and letting him do all the hard work.

But she seemed good. Looked good. I took a swig of my beer and knocked my knee gently against hers.

[light_of_the_world]

Hild gave him a mildly perturbed look when he sent her earring swinging, batting his hand away as one would shoo a fly. That annoyance faded in the second it took for him to settle beside her. Having the understanding company of so many friends, who did not push her to speak when she did not wish to and would sit quietly beside her, helped Hild feel comfortable, safe. It made speaking less scary. For one day.

She rested her head on Neil's thin shoulder, groaning softly as she rubbed at her stomach.

[myfavoritedream]

When she started rubbing at her stomach, I snorted out a laugh and slipped an arm around her waist.

"I guess it's not Thanksgiving unless you're bloated and in pain."

Even when money was tight, Mom had tried to make the holidays special, but usually it was just me and her. I'd never seen a spread like the one Derek had laid out, and I sure as hell had never been to a Thanksgiving dinner with so many people.

[light_of_the_world]

Her gaze darted, in a flash of discomfort, to his face at the mention of pain, but it was soon soothed away, barely lasting a moment. She was still too sharp, reacting too quickly, but she saw it, knew it, calmed the fear, forced herself to move past it.

"And thankful," she murmured, whispers of words hidden in his shoulder.

[myfavoritedream]

"Yeah, I guess," I conceded. Even when things were shit, and I was making a mess of my life, there was always something or someone that I was grateful to have. My mom, Wendy, even Eric. And since I'd come to Darrow, that circle had only gotten wider.

[light_of_the_world]

Hild raised a brow, but it was an expression without much strength. She knew better than to assume Neil's half-hearted words were a sign of half-hearted feeling.

Her hand snaked out to grab hold of the neck of the beer bottle and pull it toward her.

[myfavoritedream]

"You're not going to get your own?" I asked, when she tugged my beer bottle out of my grasp. I didn't really care, one way or another. I was already pleasantly buzzed, and it wasn't like I couldn't go get another.

Besides, I didn't mind having her in my space, warm against my side, her hair tickling my cheek.

[light_of_the_world]

She gave him a look -- of course not -- and tipped the bottle back to allow her a few sips of his beer. It was not the same quality of beer that she knew back home, but Hild found herself growing accustomed to it.

Hild handed the bottle back to him, and smiled as she gave him a reassuring pat on the cheek. Still enough left for him.