Chapter Text
People always say after a certain age your life is pretty much down hill. You get older, find gray hairs and wrinkles, things start to sag and you just get, to put it bluntly, , old and wondering what happened to the best years of your life.
Stiles Stilinksi hadn't yet reached twenty five and knew he should be looking forward to at least another decade before he felt well and truly like a failure for 'not having accomplished anything' but- kids. Kids were definitely something he felt pressured and annoyed about. Small faces, dirty hands, they were all around him at every turn and yet-
"And then they ripped each other's guts out and their heads started exploding. It was awesome!" A dirty blonde haired boy was excitedly telling the story of whatever franchise the action figure he held in his hands came from to a tall, dark haired man.
The man, his father, most likely, sounded appalled. Stiles couldn't see much besides his back, but the way the man tensed up and seemed ready to toss the figure away said he was anything but happy at his son's epic retelling of the character in the box. "And Jason's parents let you watch this?"
"Yeah, they took us to the theater and everything. It was so cool."
Stiles had to admit, not that he was eavesdropping, that did sound kind of cool.
The man turned the box over tentatively. Like a bomb he wasn't sure how to deactivate. Stiles couldn't see his frown, but he could hear it, "Cody, I'm not sure I like the idea of you owning something like this."
"But dad-"
"I know you said everyone has one, but-it's so violent."
Welcome to 2017 Stiles wanted to inform him. Where even kids programing was filled with small amounts of sex and violence.
"You're going to make me the lamest kid in school," the kid, Cody, whined. "I'm already behind the collection as it is and you won't get me the video game either-"
"A game where you can sit and blow people's heads off and pull their insides out? You're ten, what do you need with something like that?" The man shook his head. "You're far too young and this is way too violent."
"Jason's nine and his parents got it for him like four months ago," the boy argued.
"I'm sorry, Cody, but I'm just not comfortable with-"
"You want me to play with baby toys, you don't want me to have anything cool!"
"That's not true, I just don't like the idea of-"
"David will buy if for me!"
The man sounded angry now, "He better not."
Cody sounded cocky, "Mom will let him, she lets him buy me whatever I want. He gets me the cool stuff, he's not lame like you!"
Stiles wasn't sure how hurt could be heard, but he was pretty sure this kid had just crushed his dad's heart.
So anyway, kids, really not Stiles thing (a prime example of why sitting right in front of him) but you know, he kind of needed that figure. Because Scott McCall was clearly not the kind of parent who looked down on head exploding figures (or didn't know and just gave Max what he wanted regardless). Either way, Stiles wasn't telling him.
Twins, his best friend had twins which meant he had to get one gift for a boy. And another for a girl.
It seemed an odd choice to put ponies and dolls on the same aisle as head exploding mutants, but there you have it.
The man didn't say anything as Stiles grabbed for the same figure on the rack behind him, saying a quick 'excuse me'. He brushed the other man's shoulder as they were both too broad for the small space, but with a quick apology the man moved.
"See, he's a cool dad. I wish I had him for a dad."
Oh god. Stiles quickly escaped to the other side of the aisle. He could feel the man's eyes on him, maybe angry, maybe disgusted. Maybe he wanted Stiles to take his kid home with him. "I'm getting a vasectomy," he mumbled to no one in particular. Not that it mattered as his preferences in partners didn't give him much of a chance of knocking anyone up. He prefered the thicker waist and stubble of a man's jaw and the added bonus of no children, well he rathered enjoyed that too.
Stiles ignored the continued bickering, or mostly just the kid moping and his dad trying to sway him towards less violent things. Give it up, guy, he wanted to say. Kids of this generation where born with the word 'fucked' stamped on their forehead. Stiles had seen it time and time again. The internet was a parent's worst nightmare and kids had access to way more shit than they should and monitoring them only seemed to make it worse. Not that it wasn't Stiles's business. Or that he cared.
He pulled out his phone and searched for the text suggesting what his next present should be. Scott had sent it to him earlier, complete with a blurry picture Stiles couldn't begin to make out. 'Princess friendship pony doll' was all the text read.
Stiles lowered the phone and immediately wanted to cry. The wall of Princess Friendship pony dolls was monstrous and he felt a bit ill from all the purple and pink assaulting his eyes. There was every sort of mythical horse and all he could do was stare and wonder which one the picture was supposed to be. Unicorns, pegasus, human, sea ponies (the fuck was a sea pony?) they all looked back at him with giant, glittery eyes and rainbow colored tails. "Great." Talk about being out of your element. Just because he liked men, didn't mean he knew a thing about freaking ponies and whatnot.
Stiles took a step back when a small girl he hadn't noticed before scooted her way beside him. Her big green eyes stared at him, but she said nothing. She couldn't have been more than four or five and held the ends of her blue summer dress in one hand, while using the other to rub at her eye. Her slightly disheveled braid and tired eyes said she'd probably been taken up from a nap too soon. Thankfully, she wasn't cranky and seemed intent on an item high on a shelf she couldn't reach. Stiles followed her line of sight to the fanciest looking unicorn in the entire set. "Is she your favorite?" he asked, before thinking better of it.
The little girl's pale skin and light eyes against her dark hair made her undeniably cute. The kind of cute that was going to have all the guys (and girls) falling after her the older she got. She nodded at his question.
"Oh, okay," Stiles reached for the box, watching the little girl's eyes light up. If she was this excited then Stiles could deduce this doll was popular and probably the one he should get, "Did you want me to get one for you too?"
The little girl stared at the box in his hand, then back to Stiles. Her brows crinkled in thought. Stiles gave her a moment, hoping he hadn't creeped her out and wondering if maybe being the grown man talking to the small child with a pony figure in his hand wasn't the best idea. He handed her the box, regardless, and reached for the one behind it. The box was almost the same size as the girl and she looked at it with the widest eyes Stiles had ever seen. And then she took off, nearly tripping in her excitement.
Stiles shrugged, not thinking much of it. The girl was cute and someone should have been watching her, but he wasn't responsible for other people's kids. He studied the figure in his hand to make sure it wasn't misshapen. He was wondering if he should sack the presents in bags or actually attempt to wrap them, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"And that's the one you want?" The same man from before, voice a bit softer, was holding the little girl's hand and moving back towards the Princess Friendship Pony dolls. Stiles was ready to move out of his way and let the man have free reign of the section, all while sending condolences at his having not one, but two children, but he was stopped by a small child once again at his side. "Uh," the girl was beaming at him. "Hi again."
"He likes ponies, daddy," she said quietly to the man. Not quiet enough that Stiles couldn't hear her. A child's version of quiet. It wasn't said mockingly, more like the little girl thought Stiles might be some kind of amazing person she should he in awe of.
"Oh no, I'm actually buying it for a gift," Stiles shouldn't be explaining himself, not to a child, but the girl didn't look like she quite believed him.
"Liv," the man said calmly, with a great deal of patience. "It's probably for his little girl too."
"No, I haven't got-" Stiles turned around, pony in one hand and destructive mutant in the other. He looked full on into the other man's face for the first time. Big mistake. "-kids,' he finished weakly. Sure that his mouth was going to fall off at how hard it was gaping open. Stiles was positive the man would sweep his daughter away and threaten Stiles three different ways to stay away from them. His large arms and toned build told Stiles he might be well attuned with kicking asses, all with a ridiculous out of this world face. Instead, the man raised an eyebrow. His hazel green eyes were distractingly pretty and Stiles found it hard to look away from them, "They're for my niece and nephew, they turn six tomorrow." Stiles tried for a small smile. "Must be the toys all the kids want."
"Seems to be," the man agreed with a return smile. He had deemed Stiles not a creep, apparently. Which was-good?
Stiles searched for the one thing he always did when checking out another man. A wedding ring. The man didn't have one and based on the conversation with his son (his very bratty son, Stiles reminded himself) the man was probably divorced. Divorced with two kids. Stiles needed to turn around and walk away. NOW. Except the man was biting at his lip as if considering something. He was almost an exact copy of the small girl at his feet and they shared the same, quiet demeanor. He was looking at the mutant figure in Stiles's hand and suddenly asked, "Is that really something all the kids have?"
Stiles shrugged as his eyes found the figure too, "I can't say, it's just what I was told to get. I can imagine it is, though." Blood and exploding heads, of course little boys would want something like that. He wasn't a moral compass as to whether it was right, but gore and little boys went pretty much hand in hand.
The man fidgeted and dammit, Stiles was caught off guard when the word adorable entered his mind, "Am I fighting a losing battle by not getting it for him? I don't want to be too protective but, he's only ten."
"Boys will be boys, right?"
The man didn't look like he liked that answer, "I guess."
And as much as he thought exploding heads probably weren't the worst thing in the world, Stiles wasn't for bratty kids getting their way either, "Stand by your guns, if you don't want to get it for him, then don't."
"He already hates me," the man admitted with a sigh, hand moving to his forehead as if to ease away a pain.
And now Stiles had opened up a door he never meant to. "I uh-he's ten, I told my dad I hated him pretty much every day when I was that age."
"I didn't," the man said softly. His eyes fell and Stiles was reminded of a kick puppy, though he was pretty sure this man was older than him.
"Don't be sad, daddy," Liv said, tugging on his arm. "Cody's just bad."
"Don't talk like that about your brother, Liv. He's not bad."
"He is," the girl insisted not to her dad, but to Stiles. As if it were dire news he needed to know, "He gets really mean."
Stiles had to put his agreement with Liv. Cody did seem like a spoiled brat to him. Then again, maybe being denied the hottest toy when your ten is enough to make anyone unpleasant. Stiles had the disadvantage of seeing this man as the walking emptomy of sex on legs and not a stingy dad so his judgment might have been a bit skewed.
"He's mean to my daddy."
"Olivia," the man said, looking embarrassed.
"I don't like it when he is," the girl continued, undeterred. Perhaps she wasn't as shy as Stiles had first thought. He honestly kind of liked how earnest and truthful she was. "Daddy's so nice and he's so mean."
"Olivia, that's enough."
"Will you be my daddy's friend?"
The man's face quickly changed to a bright red that went all the way to his ears. Stiles was both amused and incredibly turned on at the idea of becoming this man's 'friend'. Kids, he reminded himself, divorced single dad with kids.
"She's joking," the man said, trying to usher the girl away. "Olivia, that's not something to joke about, let's leave this man alone." He looked at Stiles hopelessly appalled at his little girls brashness. The poor guy, Stiles felt beyond sorry for the bastard, "I'm sorry, she shouldn't have-"
"It's okay," Stiles assured him. He leaned down so he could speak to Liv, feeling a spark of something he hadn't felt in ages. Cody was still on the other side of the aisle, listening to music in his earbuds so loud, Stiles was pretty sure he couldn't hear a word they were saying. He held a Transformer in his hand but looked anything but thrilled about it. Definitely a brat. "I'd actually really like to be your daddy's friend," Stiles meant it mostly so the girl wouldn't feel like everyone was mean to her dad. It wasn't right for a kid to think their dad didn't have friends. 'He seems pretty cool."
"He is," Liv assured with a determined look and nod. "He's the best."
Stiles looked up at the man who was wearing an unreadable face. He seemed frozen and unsure. All Stiles's senses said the man wasn't entirely straight, but again-kids. He'd been with a woman long enough to have two kids and seemed uncomfortable under Stiles's stare. Stiles smirked, "I'm sure he is. Tell you what," Stiles reached for a business card from his back pocket and handed it to her, "Give this to him and tell him to call me."
The girl nodded solemnly.
The man shook his head, "You don't have to-"
"Ignore the first name on there, my mother was polish. Just call me Stiles."
Before the man could respond or Stiles could see the fate of the card, he was gone. Stiles's feet carried him out of the aisle and it wasn't until halfway to the cash registers that Stiles had a near panic attack. He'd just hit on guy with two kids who might not even be gay. This was one for the books of stupidity, not because it was the first time he'd handed out a business card in such a way. But because it was the first time Stiles knew he would be crushed if he didn't get a call. And to top it off. He didn't even know the man's name.