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

[triskehale]

Derek hasn't seen Castiel since they were stuck in that other Darrow, and Castiel left him while one of those monsters had its claws in Derek's chest. Derek understands why Castiel did it; he knows that he ranks far below Dean, as he should. Still, he tenses for just a second as he turns to face Castiel.

The tension dissipates at Castiel's words, and he smiles a little as he reaches out to take the pie. "Thanks, Cas. I'm surprised Dean let a pie get out of the house unscathed." He huffs out a laugh and nods. "Sure. What are you thankful for?"

[godless_son]

"Yes, well, I had to bake him his own personal pie," he mutters, gesturing to Dean hunkered by himself in a nearby booth. "He's angry with me because I made a tofurky and made him sit near it in the car."

He hands over the pie, fidgeting a little without something to clutch. "I am primarily thankful for the forgiveness of my friends, this year. And their importance in my life despite all appearances to the contrary."

[triskehale]

"You didn't bring that thing in here, did you?" Derek asks, wrinkling his nose. He fully understands Dean's revulsion. He takes the pie and smiles softly as Castiel speaks, hearing fully what he's saying. He switches the pie to one hand and nods, reaching out to squeeze Castiel's shoulder. "I'm thankful for all that too, Cas."

[godless_son]

"Tofu is an excellent source of protein and does not harm animals," Castiel huffs, quite certain he can get at least one person at this gathering to try it.

He nods, not wanting to make the interaction 'weird', as Dean would say, with a drawn out apology. "You seem to be in fairly good spirits. Is that a correct assumption or a facade you are putting on for the guests?"

[triskehale]

"Jesus," Derek replies, laughing and shaking his head a little before looking at Castiel in amusement. "Doing my best to drop the facade today. I've been looking forward to this since before I was taken to that other place, and I refuse to let today be ruined. I feel good. How can I not?"

He gestures to everyone milling about, all these people he cares about, and gives Castiel a small but genuine smile.

[godless_son]

"I'm glad to hear of it. It took a while for me not to take such things at face value," he says, taking in the room of friends. It's extraordinary they still do this, they still make connections after knowing that they will continue to lose each other.

"People are very resilient," he murmurs. "Dean, I think, is also allowing himself to enjoy this as much as he can. That he makes any effort is what makes me proud. Proud of all you, really."

[triskehale]

It would be easy to scoff and shrug off the words, and on another day he might have. But Castiel is being honest, and Derek gets it. He's sort of proud of them too.

"Thanks, Cas," he says, smiling softly at him. He reaches out to clap him on the shoulder, and then looks over at Dean with a light chuckle. "He knows that no one is going to try to take that pie from him, right?"