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“You are not driving my kid around in that death trap of a Jeep” Derek scowled throwing a disdainful glare directed at Stiles’ car.
“Don’t say that, you’ll hurt his feelings” Stiles protested and Laura giggled when he patted the hood mumbling: “Don’t worry, he didn’t mean it” consolingly to the car.
“Whatever, she’s not going anywhere in the Jeep, understand?”
“Whoa, easy there, tiger.” Stiles held up his hands. “Your kid, your decision and all that. Totally respect your parental authority, dude, like one hundred percent. But I bet she’s been looking forward to that dance lesson all week and it would be a shame for her to miss it.” Stiles distractedly scratched the back of his neck as he spoke and Derek tried to ignore the fact that the action pulled his shirt up to reveal a surprisingly toned stomach.
“Don’t call me dude” Derek snapped, yanking his gaze away from Stiles’ pale skin, only to fall on his daughter instead. He shouldn’t have, since Laura looked at him with big, pleading eyes.
“Please, daddy, I really want to go” she said sadly and Stiles was pretty impressed that Derek didn’t cave immediately. That kid would seriously be a tough opponent for Scott McCall if ever there was a competition on who makes the best puppy dog impression.
“See?” Derek said annoyed. “Look what you’ve done.”
“Don’t you huff and puff at me, Sourwolf, I’m not the one telling her she can’t go” Stiles retorted quickly. “I’m only here to drive her because you asked me.”
“I told you to get a sensible car, not that piece of crap.”
“Daddy! Swear jar!” Laura quipped in sternly and Derek looked sheepishly at her.
“Sorry, pup” he mumbled and ran a hand through his stubble. “Listen, Stiles…”
“No, you listen for once” the other man interrupted. “I don’t have another car, all right? Everyone is not rich enough to just buy a car, got it?” Maybe Stiles was taking this a bit far but both his lack of money and his Jeep were touchy subjects. “I tried to borrow someone else’s but everyone is either busy or out of town today” he continued. “And I guess that you wouldn’t want me to take my father’s cruiser to drive her in, because then everyone would immediately jump to the conclusion that she’d been arrested and you wouldn’t want the people of Beacon Hills to think that she’d already followed in your footsteps at this tender age and…”
“I suppose that you forgot the part about who got me arrested in the first place?” Derek interrupted pointedly, eyes glaring.
“It was one time, Sourwolf, get over it already.”
Since the supposed adults were busy arguing like children it was up to Laura to point out the most logical solution.
“Daddy, why can’t Uncle Stiles borrow your car?” Both Derek and Stiles looked at her surprisedly but then Stiles’ face transformed into a look that Derek knew only too well. That look meant trouble.
“Yes, Derek, why can’t Uncle Stiles borrow the Camaro?” Stiles smirked.
“Oh for the love of…” Derek huffed. “You can’t be serious, last time you barely…”
“But it makes sense, her car seat is already in there and everything is ready to go” Stiles interrupted. “And since we’re running out of time…” He looked pointedly at his watch but Derek could sense the grin that tugged on Stiles’ lips. He already knew that he’d won.
“Fine!” Derek snapped. “But if you so much as scratch it…” he continued threateningly only for Stiles to interrupt him again.
“You’ll rip my throat out. With your teeth, got it” Stiles answered sounding slightly bored as he buckled Laura’s seatbelt and closed the door.
“That threat is getting old, Sourwolf” he continued. Derek’s glare seemed to intensify by a tenfold.
“And if she as much as scratches her knee…” he snarled.
“You’ll rip my head off, yes yes, you’re the big bad wolf, no harming the pup, got it” Stiles retorted sarcastically and Derek barely managed to stop himself from slamming Stiles against the car. He could feel his claws itching at his fingertips and he’d already dropped his fangs. Stiles gave him a look that was both unimpressed and more than a little hurt.
“Derek, do you honestly think that I’d do anything to hurt her?” Stiles asked. “I had the Jeep looked over last week, I’d never driver if I thought it wasn’t safe.” What he said shocked Derek and left him sputtering for an answer. He hadn’t meant it to come out like that, he just wanted Laura to be safe and…
“I didn’t…” he started but got interrupted by Laura who knocked impatiently on the window.
“Uncle Stiles! We need to go!”
“Talk to you later, yeah?” Stiles said before getting in the car and pulling out of the lot, but he still looked irked and Derek wouldn’t be surprised if he just dropped Laura off and then went straight home.
“Fuck!” Derek spat out, although not too loudly. His daughter was a werewolf after all and he didn’t want her to hear him and make him put yet another dollar in the swear jar. Still, for him to imply that that Stiles wouldn’t care enough about Laura’s safety was about the worst thing Derek could have done if he ever wanted to get into Stiles’ pants, or even keep him as a friend, and Derek felt that he was entitled to at least a little cursing. And if no one else was around to swear at him for being an idiot he’d just have to do it himself.