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

[theduff]

I close my eyes and put my fork down, swallowing hard. I walked right into that one.

"You suck," I tell him, resisting the urge to reach over and punch his arm. I need a little break from my food anyway, and I take a long swig of my apple cider.

Whatever. Since we're here anyway...

"Doesn't it make you sick when you shift back to human, though?"

[triskehale]

Derek cackles and steals some of her pie, popping it into his mouth as she sips at her drink. He shakes his head at her question, and takes a drink of his own beer before answering.

"No," he tells her. "Shifting burns a ton of energy, so it sort of speeds up my metabolism even more. I'm usually always starving after a shift, so if I'm too full, going either way could help."

[theduff]

Why do people keep stealing my food?

Ugh, I can't even be that mad about Derek doing so because he looks genuinely happy and it's the best I've seen out of him in weeks, I think.

"So you could eat until you're full, then shift, then eat some more?"

I want that. Everything has been so good that I wish I had a second stomach to eat it all up again.

[triskehale]

"You're really concerned with my eating habits," Derek says with a laugh. "But yeah, I guess so. I'd probably wait and digest a bit more, though."

He watches as she stares down at her plate, and lets out a fond chuckle. "You can take home some leftovers, you know."

[theduff]

"I'm just curious," I protest, but I'm sure Derek knows that already, and I know he doesn't mind. He'd tell me if he did, or do a whole frowny, broody face thing. I like happier Derek better.

I nod as I sit back in my seat, giving myself a few minutes to gain my appetite back. "Oh, I know. Believe me, I will be."

[triskehale]

"It's okay that you're curious," Derek says with a shrug, which is really his way of saying that he likes it. "It's nice to actually talk about it."

He laughs as she sits back and reaches out to snag a piece of turkey from her plate. "Eyes bigger than you're stomach, huh?

[theduff]

You don't say that sort of thing to a girl who idolized Hermione Granger as a child. I already do my best to keep a mental list of random shit to ask Derek whenever I think about werewolf-related questions.

"My eyes and my stomach are fine." I reach out lazily, smacking Derek's arm with the back of my hand. "They just need to settle for a minute from the wonderful imagery you just hit me with."

[triskehale]

"That's just nature at work," Derek tells her with an amused glint in his eye. "How do you think I got all these turkeys?"

He waits for a beat, just to see her reaction, and then laughs. "I'm kidding. I got them from the store."