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“Thank you for sharing, Mikey,” Stiles exclaimed, clapping his hands to encourage the rest of the class to follow suit. “Your dad sounds awesome!” He received a big toothy grin from the boy and ushered him to take his seat.
He glanced down at a paper on his desk, skimming over it for moment, then smiled over at the little brunette girl in the corner. His heart melted at the shy smile he received in turn and he gestured her forward.
“Next up, we have Anya! Come on up, sweetheart.”
She wandered forward, gaze downcast, and turned to face the rest of her peers once she stopped by Stiles’ desk. He noticed her hands in tight fists at her sides and her brow low in a deep frown. He couldn't help but think of how much she resembled her father.
“Mr. Hale, it's nice to meet you,” Stiles said as he stood from his desk and shook the other man's hand. Lydia was going to hate him later when he gushed to her about how attractive this man was with his hazel eyes and well kept stubble and how is shirt revealed just how fit he was.
Stiles cleared his throat when he realized he'd been staring too long and gestured to the empty seat. “Please.”
“Call me Derek,” the man responded as he sat down.
“Alright, Derek, well-”
“Dad, can I go play with the blocks?” Anya, who had come with her father, interrupted, tugging at his sleeve.
The scowl on Derek's face that had been there since they arrived vanished in an instant, a look of fondness replacing it when he turned to his daughter. “Only if Mr. S says you can.”
Stiles glanced at the little girl and winked at her. “Of course you can. We'll be talking adult stuff anyway and that's boring.”
Anya wrinkled her nose in disgust before dashing off to the back of the room.
Stiles chuckled and smiled at the man across him. “She's adorable.”
“She is,” Derek replied, lips pulled up ever so slightly at the edges. “How's she doing in class? She's not too much of a handful, is she?”
“Hardly. She's doing very well academically, but…” Stiles trailed off as he flipped through the file on his desk, trying to remember what he'd written down.
“But?” Stiles glanced up to see the scowl had returned.
Stiles sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. “She struggles socially. You see, I have my students do group activities at least once a day. That's typically the best way to get them to interact with each other. But I've noticed she stays very quiet, only says a few words every now and then. Even at recess, she's alone.”
Derek let out a heavy sigh, running a hand over his face. “She takes after me, unfortunately. I'm sorry for the trouble.”
“No, don't apologize. She's a really sweet and smart girl. It's just a part of who she is and I think it's great.”
Derek stared at him long and hard, as though trying to figure him out, then slowly nodded. “That's good.”
“It is.” Stiles nodded with him.
He had no idea, then, that he'd be seeing Derek Hale more often after that first meeting and end up falling in love with him.
“My dad's a cop,” Anya stated, surprisingly loud. Well, loud for her. “He chases bad guys and saves kitties from trees and helps keep the city safe.” She placed a policeman's cap on her head that she'd brought with her, grinning. Stiles smiled when he noticed it was Derek's cap and felt his heart melt even more. “He's very brave and smart. Sometimes, he'll let me turn the siren on in his car!” Sounds of awe sounded from the class and Stiles chuckled. “He's busy lots, but that's okay. ‘Cause I know he's keeping me and everyone else safe.”
She turned to Stiles, eyes pleading with him to let her sit back down and he nodded. As she raced off to her chair, he clapped, the class quickly following his example.
“Thank you for telling us about your dad, Anya,” he said as he glanced at the clock. “Okay, everyone, that's it for today. Remember, we’ll be having our spelling test tomorrow, okay?” He received a loud ‘okay’ from his class just as the bell rang. He waved off every student as they left, even gave a few high fives. Once the classroom was empty, he slowly made his way around each desk to pick up any crayons or paper that the children had left.
“Mr. S?” Stiles turned to see Anya standing in the classroom doorway, looking at him anxiously.
“Hey Anya, what are you still doing here? You're going to miss the bus.”
“I just wanted to ask if you could bring some of that soup you made me once? Dad's sick and I don't know how to cook. But I remember him saying your soup was super good.”
Concern raced through him, but he put his best smile on for her. “I'll see what I can do, sweetie. Now hurry up! I don't want you to miss your ride!”
Anya smiled. “Thanks Mr. S!” Stiles shook his head as she disappeared in the hall. His mind wandered to Derek and he bit his lip in worry. He quickly finished cleaning the room, packed his bag and hurried out to his car.
About a month ago, Anya had missed a week of school due to a nasty cold. No one had asked him then, but he'd made a chicken noodle soup that he took from his mother's recipe book and dropped it off at the police station for Derek. The following Monday, Anya had come back with a note from her father, thanking him.
He hurried home and grabbed the leftover soup from his fridge that he’d made for Mrs. Edwards the other day. Then he got back in his car and drove straight to Derek's house. After about the third parent-teacher conference and the ninth time running into him in public and starting up a conversation (not that he was keeping track), Derek had given him his address. He had said it was just in case Anya missed the bus, but Stiles had a feeling it was for more than that. However, he'd never had a reason to go to his place before.
He pulled up in front of the small house that had a police cruiser parked in the driveway nearly fifteen minutes later. He picked up the soup and headed up the front steps, knocking on the door once he reached it.
It was Anya who opened it and smiled brightly up at him. “I knew you would come! Dad didn't believe me!”
Stiles smiled back and handed her the container. “That's because you're very smart.”
If possible, her smile grew.
“Anya?” Stiles looked up to see Derek making his way over, hugging a blanket tightly around him. He spotted Stiles and paused before standing beside his daughter. His nose was bright red, hair sticking to his forehead with sweat and eyes dull from fatigue. “What are you doing here?”
“Anya told me you were sick and requested the soup I made her,” he explained. “No offense, but you look horrible.”
Derek rolled his eyes before suddenly going into a coughing fit, holding the blanket over his mouth.
“I'm fine,” he replied once he could speak again.
“Yeah, right. Here, let me warm this up for you. Go sit down.” Stiles took the container from Anya who quickly realized what he was doing and led him into the kitchen. He heard Derek grumble something, but shut the front door and shuffle into the living room.
Anya hopped up on the counter and pointed to where the pots and pans were when he asked, quietly watching him warm up the soup.
“Can you teach me how to cook someday, Mr. S?” Anya inquired, kicking her feet.
Stiles froze for a moment then focused on the soup. “I don't know about that, sweetie.”
“Why not?”
“I can't really teach you that at school.”
She let out a soft giggle and he couldn't help but smile. “I meant here!”
“Oh, that's up to your dad.” Images of cooking for the three of them entered his mind and he quickly shook his head to rid himself of them. He blamed it on the long day he had. “Now, where are the bowls?”
Anya turned and opened a cabinet behind her, pulling one out and handing it to him. He turned the stove off and poured some of the soup into the bowl. Anya jumped off the counter and opened a drawer, handing him a spoon, before skipping into the living room. Stiles smiled and put the spoon in the soup before following after her.
Derek was sitting on the couch, shoulders slumped, as he stared at the TV which had some kid show running for Anya.
Stiles sat down on the coffee table and handed the bowl to Derek. The other man blinked and looked at it for a moment before he took it.
“This is really good,” Derek told him after taking a small bite.
“Anya mentioned you'd said that last time,” Stiles responded with a grin.
If Derek wasn't already flushed with a fever, Stiles would question the redness on the tips of his ears and rising up his throat.
“She talks too much,” he grumbled before taking another bite.
Stiles laughed. “That's what kids do.” Derek nodded as he continued to eat. “Anything else I can do for you while I'm here?”
“Go out with me,” Derek blurted. Stiles blinked and leaned back a bit in surprise. “I mean, that's not, um…”
“I'd love to.” Now it was Derek's turn to look surprised. “But you have to get better first. I have kids that need me to teach them and they hate substitutes.”
“Mr. Harris wasn't nice,” Anya stated from her spot on the floor in front of the TV. Stiles and Derek chuckled before meeting each other's gaze.
“Sounds like a plan,” Derek responded. “Although, I have no idea how long I'll have this cold, so you might need to bring more soup by.”
Stiles smile grew. “I think that can be arranged.”
Two weeks later, Stiles arrived at the police station, twitching nervously. He glanced around and realized several officers were staring at him. He moved to a corner of the room and stood there until Derek walked in, still in his police officer uniform. He glanced at him and smiled.
“I hope you weren't waiting long,” he said as he walked over. “Anya was delaying going to the babysitter’s for some reason.”
Stiles chuckled. “That's because she wanted to hang out with us tonight.”
“Ah. That makes sense. Well, are you ready?” Stiles nodded and walked with Derek to his cruiser, letting the other man open the passenger door for him. He slid into the seat and let out a shaky breath. He knew he didn't need to be nervous, but he couldn't help it. It was their first date after months of just casual conversation and parent-teacher conferences.
Derek got behind the driver's seat and started the car. “Sorry about the uniform. I wasn't able to change after my shift.”
“Hey, no worries. Kids are a hassle. I should know.” They both laughed softly as Derek started driving. “Besides, you look good.” This time, Stiles could clearly see the tips of his ears redden and he smiled, pleased that he could do that to Derek.
“Thanks. You look good, too.”
Stiles wanted to keep complimenting him, but decided against it and instead started some small talk. Only because he was half paying attention due to other thoughts of them finally going running through his mind.
They pulled up to a restaurant after about twenty minutes and Stiles impatiently waited for Derek to get his door. Once out, he took a deep breath and gently tapped his fingers against Derek's. He couldn't help but notice the smile on Derek's face before he felt their fingers intertwine as they walked into the restaurant.
“Table for two, please,” Derek told the hostess. They followed her to one of the back rooms and sat down across from each other. Stiles refrained himself from scowling when he noticed her eyeing Derek as she made a show of handing Derek his menu, dropping Stiles’ loudly in front him, and sauntering away.
“Do you get that a lot?” Stiles inquired as Derek opened his menu.
Derek paused and glanced at him. “A lot of what?”
“People staring at you, being flirty, getting all up in your face…”
Derek shrugged. “Comes with the job.”
Stiles sputtered. “But stuff like what she was doing?!”
Derek set his menu down and met his gaze. “Stiles, I'm a cop. Women like a man in a uniform. Well, some do. And yes, that's a common occurrence.”
Stiles shook his head. “It's not just because of the uniform, Derek.” Derek’s eyebrow rose and he sighed. “You're really attractive. Anyone can see that. That's where all the attention comes into play. The uniform doesn't help that.” Derek chuckled and glanced down. Stiles knew unease when he saw it and reached a hand out, placing it on the other man's arm. Derek looked back up at him, a small, nervous smile on his lips. “But I see more than that. I see a good father, a patient, loving man and a brave and selfless cop. That's why I'm here with you now.”
Derek's tense shoulders visibly relaxed at his words. “That's why I like you, Stiles. You're so kind and honest. A wonderful man.” Stiles smiled, feeling a blush rise up his cheeks. Suddenly, Derek leaned over the table and pressed his lips against Stiles’. Stiles’ made a noise of surprise before he kissed him back. After a moment, though, Derek pulled away and sat back down. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“Thank you for asking me out,” Stiles replied as he finally looked down at the menu. He barely noticed they were holding hands across the table until after they'd ordered and their food arrived, forcing them to let go.
Derek took a spoonful of the soup he'd ordered and made a face. Stiles covered his mouth to keep from laughing.
“Is it that bad?” he asked.
“Your soup is so much better,” Derek said flatly as he glared at the steaming bowl in front of him.
“Sounds like another date.” Stiles waggled his eyebrows, forcing a laugh out of Derek.
“Definitely.”