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Derek's leg jiggles in nervousness as the three of them sit in the waiting room. Stiles sets a hand over his arm to try and calm him, while Alara giggles as she bounces on her father's leg.
"At least she's not nervous," Stiles says, "You shouldn't be nervous, either."
"They're going to give her a shot, Stiles. How can you not be nervous? Why didn't we just ask Melissa to do it? Is she here? I trust her." Derek has a harshness to his voice, thinking it's blasphemous that sticking their daughter with needles is okay. But he does understand, it's so she doesn't get sick. Pain or sickness. That's the choosing. Derek's hesitant on everything, since Alara isn't like him, she's fragile and human and can get sick.
"Melissa's working. Calm down," Stiles tells him, "She'll hear that you're not okay in your tone, and she'll get scared. When her Papa's not okay, she's not okay."
"Papa." She smiles back at them, looking up at Derek. He smiles fondly and brings her close, hugging her to his chest, planting a kiss on her cheek. His favorite part of being a father is probably that moment when she slumps against him like he's the most comfortable thing she's ever seen, and smiles and grabs at his cheeks, scratching her little fingers into his beard and then laughing about it.
"Alara." A nurse says, coming out into the waiting room with a friendly smile. Derek instinctively holds his daughter closer. Stiles gets up from his seat, squeezing Derek's shoulder for him to get up as well. He does reluctantly.
They follow the nurse into a room and Derek assists with holding her up while they weigh and check her height. She's happy though, shakily running around while Derek goes after her while Stiles is being talked to. Then it's time for her flu shot.
"This better not hurt her." He says as he lifts her up onto the table, stands beside her.
"It's just a little pinch. Some kids take it very well." The nurse tells him, pushing up Alara's pink ruffled sleeve and wiping over the skin.
Alara watches curiously and Derek almost picks her up and runs from the room when the needle comes into view. Stiles has a hand on his back to keep him steady and Alara does cry when she gets the shot. Her eyes well up with tears and she huffs and sobs, hugging herself to her Papa once it's over.
"It's okay. All done." The nurse puts a band-aid over the spot and Derek pulls her sleeve down again, arm turned away from the nurse streaked with black veins as he takes away the pain, the sting, the pounding ache.
Alara settles down like she does every time Derek takes her pain away, stretching her little arms around his neck to be as close as possible. He rubs her back and marches from the room, "It's okay, princess. It's all to protect you. We'll go home, and play with all your toys, okay?"
"'Tay." She sniffles. Stiles jogs up next to them, kissing her head.
"How's my big girl?" He asks.
"Ow." She deadpans, pouting at him.
"I know. Daddy has to get them, too. But it'll be better soon. What if Daddy cuts you a piece of that pie in the fridge?" He offers, knowing whenever she's around in the kitchen when they open the fridge, she's sticking her fingers in the filling.
She smiles a little, "Ya."
"Yay, a smile!" Stiles beams, bouncing as he goes. Derek chuckles softly at him.
"Daddy's a ding-dong, isn't he, princess?"
"Ya."