Chapter Text
"Good Morning, Class," Mr. Ethan Carver announced. "I need you all to please settle down. We don't want to be impolite to our very special guests today, do we? So how about we all sit in our desks?"
"Okay!" The class got up from the reading floor and scrambled to their assigned seats. They had all been super excited for Career Day. Little kids loved showing off their parents. They got in their chairs and were all silent, staring eagerly at Mr. Ethan and the parents standing before the whiteboard.
"Before we start," Mr. Ethan said. "We need to be very, very sure that we show some respect to the moms and dads that took time out of their day to spend time with us okay? Who here knows some ways we can show some respect?" Every kid raised their hands up. Ethan scanned the room, looking decisive. "Let's start with Erica. How can we show respect?"
"By not talking while they are talking," she said with a big smile.
"Very good! Does anybody have any other ideas?" Ethan asked. Once again, hands went up in the air. "Isaac?"
"We need to pay attention to them and look at them and not look at the stuff in the walls," Isaac said.
Ethan laughed a little. "Indeed. Keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouths closed until it's question time, ok?
"Yes, Mr. Ethan," the class said in unison.
"Our first speaker is Mr. Derek Hale!" Ethan said excitedly. He gestured for him to step forward to the center of the class. Derek waved hi and the class started clapping, welcoming him.
"My name is Derek Hale. I am Isaac's father. Before I tell you what I do, I want to ask a question. It may seem sort of silly, though. Who here can remember what they had for breakfast a week ago? Raise your hand if you can." Derek asked. The kids looked at each other, confused. Some were thinking hard. Some of the kids shrugged and shook their heads no. Not a single hand went up. "Sometimes little details like that are easily forgotten. But it's not that big of a deal, it's just breakfast. And as important as Breakfast is, you get Breakfast everyday. Now what about events that don't happen everyday? Like birthdays or graduations of weddings? Those you want to make sure you remember. Because those are made up of a lot of little details. And once you start to forget a lot of little details in those big events, you start to lose the big picture. My sister and I are photographers. We take cameras and we take those big pictures that you never want to forget. You can look back on a picture years down the road, and if you've forgotten little details, looking at a photograph will instantly help you remember. Memories, are unfortunately sometimes temporary. Photographs can last a lifetime."
The class started clapping and Derek smiled. Isaac looked so proud of him, he was grinning so big that his teeth lit up the room.
"Does anybody have any questions for Mr. Hale?" Ethan asked. A lot of hands went up. "Kate?"
"Why can't people just take their own photos?" Kate asked.
"Some people do, and that's understandable," Derek said. "The disposable cameras you can buy are certainly a lot cheaper, but there's a limit as to how many photos you can take on those, and if there's any you don't like, you're stuck with them. I can take hundreds of photos because my camera is a bit fancier, and the quality of the photos will be better because there are settings I can change. Also, any photos you don't like don't have to be printed. All those pictures of celebrities and advertisements are taken with photos like mine. Also, if let's say your mom was taking photos, she wouldn't get to be in any of the photos. I can make sure everyone gets included," Derek said.
"Anyone else? Kira?" Ethan said.
"What's your favorite part about being a photographer?" Kira asked.
"I get to work with a lot of different people. I get to see memories being made. I get to see people be happy, and I get to help with that. It's really rewarding."
"Thank you, Mr. Hale," Ethan said. Derek watched and listened to a few other parents. One woman was a veterinarian, which made the kids happy. Another mom was an editorial writer for the town newspaper, the Beacon Hills Bulletin. One dad owned his own bakery, but did not bring samples, much to kids' dismay. Derek had gotten distracted and forgot what the fifth parent did, or who they were. But he regained focus when he looked towards the ground and saw the most beautiful butt Derek had ever laid eyes on. He was immediately paying attention to the last parent.
"Hi, I'm Stiles Stilinski. I am Erica's father," he said.
Erica. That name was familiar. Mr. Carver called on her earlier. He scanned the room and found the blonde girl bouncing in her seat with excitement. That was her.
"I am currently just a police officer on the Beacon Hills force, but I'm working really hard to become the Sheriff for when my dad decides to retire. Some of you may want to follow in the footsteps of parents, and some of you will not. Some of you might have parents that want you to be something, but you gotta do what makes you happy. My dad, ironically enough, didn't want me being a cop. He said it was too dangerous. But I had watched him as a kid, and I had actually helped him sometimes. And it made me happy when my dad saved someone or helped someone, so I wanted to be able to keep doing that. I wanted to keep helping. And sometimes it's hard. Sometimes bad guys get away. Sometimes good people get hurt. And that makes it really hard to be a cop. But nobody is one-hundred percent perfect. Most of the time, ninety-percent of the time, we stop the bad guys. We save the good people from getting hurt. And you just got to focus on the good in life, and the good you've done. And its all worth it," Stiles said.
Holy crap. Did this guy just give these kindergarteners a life lesson that most people don't learn until later in life? That was beautiful. And then Stiles turned around, and Derek realized that he was even more beautiful. Derek's jaw dropped a bit. His eyes were pretty. His lips looked kissable His smile was breathtaking. And he had the cutest little freckles all over his face.
"And that's the end of Career Day, guys. Sadly, after lunch we need to get back to math," Ethan said. The whole room erupted in 'Awwwws'. "What do we tell our guests?"
"Thank you!" the whole class said in unison.
"Okay, guys. I'm going to escort the parents out real quick. Get your lunch boxes if you have them and line up at the door, but do not leave," Ethan said. The class got up out of their chairs and Mr. Carver walked the adults out of the room. "I just really wanted to say thank you again for taking the time off of work to come in. The kids really appreciated it. I hope you all think it went as smoothly as I did. Sorry, Mr. Hale if Kate's question was a bit rude."
"No, it's an important question. Don't feel bad," Derek said.
"Well, that's a relief," Ethan said. "If you guys have any questions about what your students are doing or how they're doing do not be a stranger and contact me by email. I really appreciate you guys coming in."
The parents all thanked Ethan for having them and then they were headed for the main entrance by the office. Derek felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and it was Stiles.
"Hi, Mr. Hale. I'm Stiles. Sorry to scare you. I just wanted to ask if Isaac was your son," he said.
"Yeah, he is. Why do you ask?" Derek raised an eyebrow.
"Just that Erica talks about Isaac a lot. They're good friends from what she's told me," Stiles said. They opened the front door and started walking to their cars.
"I can never keep track of everyone Isaac talks about, but I'll be sure to keep an ear out for an Erica," Derek said. "My car's over this way, so I gotta split. It was really great meeting you."
They shook hands. Derek was touching Stiles. That made him smile a little bit.
"It was great meeting you too," Stiles said with a smile. Derek got in his own car and sighed. He should have asked for a phone number or offered for the kids to have a playdate or something. He was so stupid. That guy seemed perfect, and Derek let him slip through his fingers,