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]

The way he says your Alpha like that should really not make something flip in my belly like it does. He's being protective and it's so so nice that he considers me a member of his pack but... goodness. No. I need to stop torturing myself this way.

"Does being pack mean I give up thinking for myself?" I ask him with a raised brow to mask my mess of nerves before I say, quieter, "Do you really think I'm attractive or are you... Oh, good Lord, nevermind. Please don't answer that," I cut myself off, turning away to quickly take another sip of my beer and hide my face from his view.

He's saying it to be nice, that's all it is. The sooner I stop letting myself think for even a second that there could be more to it, the better.

[triskehale]

"Not unless you're thinking dumb things about yourself," Derek tells him, raising his brow right back. Derek smiles a little as Bitty gets flustered, and Derek tells himself that he was wrong. Bitty doesn't get like this because of Derek, not specifically.

"I'm going to answer it anyway," Derek tells him, reaching for the red wine to refill his glass. He's already down one, but it's done nothing but stain his lips red and make his tongue taste vaguely sour. "Yes, I think you're attractive. And so does Simon, obviously. Kate thinks you're cute. And, as Kate will tell you, she's never wrong. So there you go."

[puckandpie]

I'm aware of Derek moving behind me, but he definitely doesn't get any closer and I take another sip of my drink. And then one more.

I have a sudden flash of fear when he mentions Kate, my head whipping back toward him as I remember the conversation she and I had earlier this afternoon, back when I thought Derek couldn't hear us. Or, well... no, he could. I'm sure he could. I'd just been stupid enough to hope he wasn't paying attention. "Kate?" I ask, wincing at the strained pitch of my voice. "She... she didn't say anything else, did she?"

[triskehale]

Derek raises his eyebrows at Bitty's reaction, looking him over and tilting his head curiously. There's this brief flash of fear, Bitty's little heart pounding away, and Derek wonders what that could be about.

"No, I've barely even talked to her today yet," Derek tells him, wondering if maybe Bitty finding out that multiple people think he's attractive has flustered him a bit. That's good, if so. Bitty could use the confidence. "But she's pretty vocal about her opinions, if you haven't noticed."

[puckandpie]

Derek looks honestly confused when I ask about Kate and not like he's hiding something or humoring or trying to very gently keep from hurting my feelings and, very slowly, I let out a breath I didn't even realized I'd been holding.

Swallowing, I give a quick nod. "No, uh. No, I've definitely noticed," I tell him, quickly hiding the constant flush of my cheeks behind another sip of beer. As fast as I'm drinking this one, I'll probably be a lot closer to drunk soon than I'd really intended. "I like that, though. She really says what's on her mind." Even if it's all embarrassing. "Anyway, uhm... thanks for saying that. That's really nice of you."

Because it is and I can't just ignore it. Even if Derek only means it as an alpha looking out for his pack, it's nice to hear. I'm not stupid enough to try convincing myself I'll be able to not dwell on him saying that one singular phrase over and over for the next few weeks.

[triskehale]

"It's just the truth," Derek says in response to Bitty's gratitude, shrugging one shoulder. He laughs a little when Bitty drinks more of his beer, attributing the redness of his cheeks to that. "Be careful or I'll have to carry you home."

He winks and then lifts his head when someone calls his name. After finishing off his wine, Derek sets the glass down and stands up, reaching over to pat Bitty on the back. "No one ever told me that being a host was so exhausting. Now don't worry so much. He'd be an idiot not to like you."

Derek gives him a small smile and nods, patting his back one more time before walking away to see what all the commotion is.