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

[shuck_you]

Thomas bounced the leg that Derek had his hand on, not to dislodge it, though. It was more of a reactionary movement, a response to someone touching him that he wanted to acknowledge somehow.

"You have a black hole for a stomach," Thomas decided, shaking his head. "Did Bitty even make enough pie for you to eat?"

[triskehale]

"Werewolf metabolism at work," Derek says with a laugh, squeezing Thomas' leg once more before letting go. He puts both hands on his flat stomach and pats it, looking over at Thomas with a sly grin. "I might have put two of them in the back for later, but he made enough for everyone twice over, I'm pretty sure."

[shuck_you]

"How long was he here cooking?" Thomas wondered, sliding further down on the sofa and stretching his legs out in front of him. He was comfortable and full, content to just sit there like a lump the rest of the day.

"He's slept, hasn't he?" Thomas asked, very obviously joking. "Slept in a bed, not the kitchen, right?"

[triskehale]

"He's been at it a few days, but as far as I know that was in shifts," Derek says after a laugh. "But he showed up just after I did this morning."

Derek watches as Thomas stretches out and then follows suit, knocking their boots together. It's something they always seem to find themselves doing, and Derek nudges his toe against Thomas' ankle as he nestles back into the overstuffed cushions. "We have to get up sometimes, you know."

[shuck_you]

"Yeah, I know," Thomas said, sighing and tilting his head back so he could stare up at the ceiling. He knew he'd have to get up and take himself back home where he'd promptly fall into bed and sleep until the sun rose in the morning.

"But, does it have to be right now?" he asked, shaking his head. "I don't think so."

[triskehale]

Derek slowly drags his boot back over and crosses his ankles. He looks at Thomas for a moment, at the long line of his throat, and then turns his head to look up at the ceiling as well.

"No," Derek says after a few breaths, placing one hand on the couch between them as he rests the other across his chest. "You can stay as long as you want."