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“I want choclit milk.”
The hand on Derek’s sleeve tugs insistently, but he can’t afford to let his attention stray from trying to wrangle a wiggly foot back into its sneaker. Caleb thinks it’s hilarious, gripping the Velcro and tossing the other shoe onto the ground.
Derek gives up with a sigh. He lifts Caleb up, settling the two-year old on his hip and retrieves the shoes, shoving them haphazardly into the kid’s backpack.
“Choclit milk.” The tugging has migrated to Derek’s pant leg now that Cameron can no longer reach his shirt and Derek wonders how Laura does it. He’s had his nephews for less than an hour and he’s ready to hand them back and sleep for a week.
“We’re about to head home Cam,” he says, swinging the backpack over his shoulder. “How about we have some with lunch?”
“With cookies?” Cameron asks, eyes lighting up.
“We’ll see about the cookies,” Derek tells him, reaching for the four-year-old’s hand. “Maybe after.”
He leads them away from the park and over to the car. He’s traded in his Camaro for Laura’s more kid friendly SUV while his sister and her husband are off on some second honeymoon.
Opening the door, Derek helps Cameron scramble up into the back and starts buckling Caleb into his car seat.
“Oh, hey man. I think you dropped something.”
Derek turns at the familiar voice, gaze locking on a familiar face. “Stiles?”
The teenager—no, not a teenager anymore—man standing across from him is holding a child’s Velcro sneaker.
“Derek? No way man.” Stiles crosses the space between them, the familiar bounce in his step sending a wave of fond nostalgia through Derek. “I didn’t know you were back in town.”
“I’ve been here a while,” Derek says, accepting the shoe and stuffing it back into the bag. “I thought you’d moved to uh, New York, or something.”
“I just graduated college last month.” Stiles grins, crossing his arms over his chest, the movement drawing Derek’s attention to just how broad Stiles’ shoulders have become. “So, I’m back with Dad while I look for work. Anyway, how have you been man? It’s been, what, four years?”
“Choclit milk!”
Stiles peers around Derek at the kids on the car, his scent going spicy in a way Derek can’t quite put his finger on.
“Sorry,” he says sheepishly. “You’re probably trying to get these two home and I’m just yapping away. I’ll let you go.”
“Uh, yeah,” Derek says lamely. “But maybe I’ll see you around?”
“Choclit milk!” Cam calls insistently, tugging his arms through the child restraint belt. Caleb joins in with his brother, kicking his feet against his seat.
Stiles shrugs like ‘what can you do?’ and Derek rolls his eyes at his nephews’ antics before turning and reaching to buckle Cameron in. He tries not to flush under Stiles’ scrutiny as he checks the restraints and shuts the door.
“You know, I never pictured you as the Dad-type,” Stiles says, following Derek around to the driver’s seat. “But it’s a good look on you. I’ll see you around Derek.”
With a wave, Stiles crosses the street and Derek sits behind the steering wheel for a full minute wondering why he didn’t correct him.
***
“Oh my God, it’s like looking into a mirror.”
Derek glances over his shoulder and see’s Stiles walking up behind him. The human stands beside him, his gaze fixed on Caleb who is sulking because Derek wouldn’t let him squish the bread.
“He’s got the angry eyebrows and everything.”
Frowning, Derek looks down at his nephew. “I don’t look like that.”
“Oh really,” Stiles grins up at him. “You should tell that to your face.” He laughs at Derek’s deepening scowl. “Anyway, fancy meeting you here.” He comes to a stop beside the Derek, one hand holding his basket, the other loosely gripping the cart.
“At the supermarket?” Derek asks in disbelief. Stiles is standing so close, almost pressed up against Derek, his scent spicy and inviting. “It’s not a big town, it was bound to happen at some point.”
“Ah, so you were hoping to run into me then?” Stiles bumps his hip into Derek’s still grinning.
“No—I—” Derek quickly backtracks, his brows drawing together in confusion.
“I’m just joking,” Stiles’ laugh is rich and throaty. It triggers something in Derek and he just wants to hear it again. He doesn’t quite understand this reaction. Sure, he’d liked teenaged Stiles well enough, but there’s something about this new, adult Stiles and Derek can’t help but stare.
“So, you going to introduce me?”
“Oh, um. This is Caleb,” Derek says, flushing. “And that’s Cam—”
“No.” Cameron stands up in the cart. “I can do it.”
Derek catches Stiles’ amused eyeroll and makes the same face back at him.
“I’m Cameron.”
Stiles crouches down in front of Cameron. “Nice to meet you little dude. I’m Stiles.” He straightens up, turning to Derek. “So, have you guys got big plans for the day?”
“We’re gonna play dinosaurs,” Cam says, bouncing in the cart. Derek winces for the groceries being trampled by tiny werewolf feet.
“I love dinosaurs,” Stiles tells him, grinning at the way Cameron’s whole face lights up. Derek groans internally. Whether he meant to or not, Stiles just made a new best friend.
“Come!” The four-year-old practically vibrates. “We can play.”
“Oh, I’m not sure,” Stiles says, looking to Derek. “You’ll need to ask your dad.”
Cameron looks around in confusion and Derek panics.
“Oh, I’m—I’m not—”
“It’s fine,” Stiles cuts him off with a wave. “Maybe another time, kiddo.”
Cameron deflates, his whole body sagging and bottom lip wobbling.
“You can come over,” Derek blurts, desperate to avoid a tantrum in the middle of the cereal aisle. “Honestly, it’ll be nice to have another adult around for a while.”
“Yeah?” Stiles’ smile is warm and sincere and Derek’s heart races. “Sounds great.”
***
Derek watches Stiles chatting with Cameron.
They’re surrounded by dinosaur figurines and toy trucks. Stiles hands every truck to Caleb to inspect before it’s placed down on the mat spread out on the floor. Both kids had taken to him immediately, chasing him around in the back yard demanding to be swung around.
“You’re really good with them.” Derek sits down on the floor beside Stiles, appreciating the way he arches back and stretches after sitting hunched over dinosaur figurines with Cameron.
“I like kids,” Stiles says, stretching out his legs before crossing them at the ankles. “Yours are especially cute. It’s super unfair man.”
Stiles has come back every day to hang out and it’s been great, but Derek still hasn’t explained to him that Caleb and Cameron are his nephews. He’s tried. Several times. But now it’s reached the point that he’s lowkey hoping Laura just doesn’t come back. Derek’s pretty sure he’d get custody of the kids over Cora.
The knock at the front door startles them both.
“Where are my babies?” Laura’s voice echoes down the hall and both kids take off screeching towards the front of the house.
“Mama.”
Stiles’ scent turns sharp and Derek panics. He’s not ready. He was hoping to at least have another day to figure out how to fix this mess.
“Hey Derbear.” Laura walks into the living room with a kid in each arm. When she spots Stiles, her lips tick up at the corner and she grins wolfishly. She ignores Derek’s subtle head shake. “I’m Laura,” she says, voice coloured with barely contained laughter.
“Stiles.”
“You’re cute. Where’d you find him Der?”
Derek is going to kill her… once he’s done being mortified.
“The supermarket,” Stiles quips, rising to his feet.
This time Laura does laugh. “I like you.” She puts Cameron down, kneeling in front of him. “Time to say goodbye to Uncle Derek.”
Derek gives his nephews a hug and helps Laura collect their things before walking them out to their car.
When he returns, Stiles is waiting for him, arms folded across his chest.
“I cannot believe you let me think they were your kids,” he says, his voice teasing.
“In my defence,” Derek says weakly. “I did try to tell you, but after the third attempt I gave up.”
“Uh huh.” Stiles nods a long very seriously, but his eyes are dancing with unrestrained glee.
“I did,” Derek insists. “You just talk way too much.”
Stiles steps up into his space. “You know,” he says, smirking. “There is one way you can shut me up.”
“This doesn’t sound very kid friendly.”
“Oh, it’s not.”