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]

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.