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“Stiles, puppy eyes won’t work.”
Stiles refuses to give up. He can make like a Precious Moments figurine for hours if it’ll get him what he wants. And Stiles wants a goddamn dog.
Derek levels a supremely unimpressed look at his husband. “You’d think, after four years of marriage, two years of dating, and seven years total of knowing each other, you’d have learned this by now – it’s not going to work.”
“UGH, fine,” Stiles huffs and folds his arms over his chest. He flops back into the armchair and stares balefully at Derek, who has gone back to reading his newspaper. “I don’t understand why you’re so against getting a dog.”
Derek sighs and folds his paper again. “I don’t understand why you want one so much.”
Resisting the urge to pout, Stiles leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You can’t laugh at me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Stiles dropped his chin, looking at Derek over the top of his glasses.
“Ok, I wouldn’t dream of laughing too hard.”
He shook his head and tilted his head back to study the ceiling. “It’s just…I get lonely sometimes. You’re gone all day and I’m here, on my own. Yeah, I’m working, but it gets so quiet. And music can’t cover up that kind of silence. I just want...something that breathes, and that I can take care of.”
Derek frowned. “Stiles,” he stood and crossed the living room to sit on the arm of Stiles’ chair. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“What would be the point?” Stiles threaded their hands together and smiled sadly at Derek. “You can’t cut your hours back, and you can’t teach classes from home. It’s nothing serious, I promise.”
That didn’t make Derek feel any better.
“Ok. We’ll go to the pound this weekend.”
Stiles eyes went comically large. “For serious?”
Derek picked up their joined hands and kissed Stiles’ knuckles. “For serious.” And if Derek winced at the squeal of joy that exploded from Stiles’ throat, that was ok. Making his husband happy was kind of what Derek lived for.
***
Stiles woke up reaching for Derek and found cold sheets instead. He sat up to look around the room and frowned, got out of bed and shuffled downstairs, following the faint sound of Derek’s voice.
“Babe? Who’re you talkin’ to?”
“Shhhhh.”
Stiles stumbled to a stop and felt his knees go watery. Derek was flat on his back next to the radiator with their puppy dozing on his chest. One of the pup’s back leg kicked a bit and her ears twitched.
“Derek,” Stiles whispered, sitting next to Derek’s shoulder. He reached forward and ran a finger lightly over the dog’s muzzle.
“I got up for a glass of water and she followed me down. We had a little game of tug-of-war with the cuff of my sleep pants and she led me over here. We’re bonding.” Derek was the most adorable combination of smug and awed.
“I can see that.” Stiles leaned down to kiss Derek’s forehead before stretching out next to him. “So, I was thinking.”
“Oh, no.”
Stiles slapped at Derek’s thigh. “Shut it. I think we should consider adopting.”
Derek turned his head, staring at Stiles with a confused expression. “Uh…we just did. We’ve had Hogley for two weeks now.”
Stiles smiled and pressed their foreheads together. “I mean we should think about adopting a kid.”
He didn’t miss the way Derek went completely still and the way his eyes widened.
“Stiles…Please don’t joke. We talked about this when we got married. You said—“
“I said I wasn’t ready. And I wasn’t. I’m ready now.” He pressed a soft kiss to Derek’s slack lips. “Let’s adopt a baby.”
Hogley whined when Derek moved her to the pile of soft blankets and pillows, snuffling into her nest before dropping off to sleep again. She didn’t wake up when Derek pulled Stiles up the stairs, pausing every other step to kissing him hard and deep. And she didn’t so much as stir when Stiles laughed as their bedroom door closed on Derek’s growl for Stiles to take his damn sweats off.