#daddy!sterek

One of Derek’s eyebrows arch at that as he looks over Stiles’ shoulder at their living room that is hazardly covered in toys ranging from fairy wings and princess dresses to lightsabers and toy cars.

“Yeah, she can be the one to break it to Lydia that she’s not in Laura’s life enough,” Derek snorts.

Stiles shudders in fear at the thought. “Exactly. This is the woman teaching our child.”

“Well, the school wouldn’t allow her to skip first grade and go straight into your third grade class,” Derek reminds him.

Stiles scoffs at that. “Like it was such an unreasonable request. The kid is a genius.”

With a fond smile, Derek leans in and kisses Stiles’ forehead. “She probably got it from you.”

“And I’m sure you had no help in that one,” Stiles replies dryly before stepping away from Derek and finishing the cooking. “Go tell the monster dinner is ready.”

“Yes, sir!” Derek calls out as he walks out of the kitchen, ducking when Stiles throws a dish towel at him. He jogs up the stairs to Laura’s brightly pink room filled with flowery, elegant, white furniture picked out by Lydia and approved by Laura. Stiles and Derek made sure that Laura knew she had a choice in what toys she liked and what clothes she wanted to wear, not letting gender make her decisions for her, but there was no getting in the way of Laura’s love for pink. Ever.

“Laur?” Derek knocks on her door before opening it, freezing at the sight.

“Derek?” the man sitting on his daughter’s bed asks, eyes wide and watery. “Oh my god. You’re. Wow. Sorry. I know it’s not my Derek, but I just. Hang on.” The man, who likes eerily like Stiles - like exactly like Stiles - covers his face with his hands.

“Daddy you made Papa cry!” Laura accuses, frowning at her dad. “Say you’re sorry! Kiss and makeup!”

“Sorry?” Derek says, confused and unable to look away from the Not Stiles. “Are you okay? Do you need help? Should I call someone? Deaton?”

The man shakes his head. “No,” he answers, his voice cracking. “I won’t be here much longer. I just wanted to make sure Laura made it okay.”

“You’re her dad,” Derek whispers, the realization coming to him. “So which one was it? Time travel or alternate universe?”

Not Stiles looks up at him and flashes red eyes at him, making sure to keep them away from Laura’s view. “Alternate universe, I’m assuming since you’re a wolf. You were human in my world until... There was, um, there was a pack of alphas.”

“Deucalion?” Derek asks, the fear running through him automatic.

Not Stiles frowns, worried. “He’s here too? Is she gonna be okay?”

“We dealt with him,” Derek quickly assures him. “He’s...he’s gone. Not coming back.”

The relief from Not Stiles is almost palpable as he lets out a sigh. “Good. He’s not...he’s not gone in my world. And he has the hunters on his side. Ally joined them and it broke Scott and he made me...” Not Stiles chokes, the tears falling from his eyes now. “You.”

He doesn’t have to say anymore for Derek to understand what he’s saying. Derek takes a step forward and kneels in front of Not Stiles, taking his hands. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

Not Stiles looks at him in shock and then collapses onto Derek, Stiles’ head on Derek’s shoulders. “Thank you,” he whispers.

“Papa,” Laura whines, petting his hair. “Don’t cry. Please?”

Her pleading tone is what makes Not Stiles sit up and wrap an arm around her. “I love you so much, Laura,” he whispers. “So much. Don’t ever forget that.”

“I love you too, Papa,” she tells him seriously, wrapping her arms around him tightly. “You don’t have to be sad.”

He huffs out a laugh and kisses the top of her head. “I’m sad I’ll never get to see her grow up, but I’m glad she ended up where I wanted her to be, that you guys took care of her.”

“Derek?” Stiles shouts from downstairs. “Did you two get distracted by Doc McStuffins again? Dinner is going to be cold and/or eaten by the time you guys get down here.”

“I have to go,” Not Stiles whispers. “I don’t know if it’ll mess anything up if he sees me, but promise me you’ll explain this to her when she’s older?”

Derek rests his hand on Not Stiles’ cheek. “I promise. She’s safe and loved here more than anyone can imagine.”

Not Stiles nods, leaning into Derek’s hand. “Thank you.”

There’s a sharp smell of sulfur and then Not Stiles is gone.

Stiles opens the door and looks at his husband and daughter in mock anger. “Should I be offended by you guys hiding from my cooking?” he asks with a laugh before he notices Derek’s face. “Der, you okay?”

Derek quickly nods as Laura shouts in excitement and claps. “Papa! That was the coolest trick you’ve ever done! It was like real magic! And you’re not sad anymore!”

Stiles frowns and opens his mouth but before he can say anything Derek interrupts by scooping Laura up into his arms. “I have told you your papa is magical, Laura,” Derek tells her, tickling her stomach.

She giggles and fidgets around in his arms until she’s upright and can bury her face in Derek’s neck. “Yeah, but that’s because you love love him.”

Derek smiles at his husband. “I do love love him. And he’s magical.”

She giggles again, and Stiles just watches them with a fond smile while still frowning in confusion.

“Later,” Derek mouths at him, and Stiles nods.

After Laura is asleep and in bed, Stiles pounces on Derek. “What the fuck did I miss?” he asks, sitting on the bed as Derek undresses for bed.

“I found out where Laura came from,” Derek answers quietly. “Alternate universe. You’re an alpha.”

“Whoa,” Stiles can’t help saying in shock. He leans against the pillows and thinks about it. “Weird. But how did we get Laura?”

“The alpha pack was a lot worse for them,” Derek explains. “They were teamed up with the hunters and it wasn’t safe for her, so he sent her here. I’m assuming he’s been trying to see her for the last five years and just barely managed it today. He didn’t stay very long.”

“It was just me?” Stiles asks. “Where were you?”

Derek shrugs. “Probably only managed one of us,” he lies.

Stiles nods, running a hand through his hair. “But this means she’s ours for good now, right? We don’t have to worry about her disappearing or being taken back?”

“No more worrying,” Derek tells him, kneeling onto the bed and taking Stiles’ face in his hands. “She’s ours.”

Kira loves playing with her, and Laura seems obsessed with staring at Kira’s fox as if it’s the most fascinating thing in her world.

The pack quickly got used to having her around. And so did Stiles and Derek. But see, trying to introduce her and explain her existence to Stiles’ dad was a bit...different.

“I told you if time travelling was a thing then I’m out,” he immediately said when Stiles brought up that there was something really weird he’d have to tell his dad.

“It’s not time travelling!” Stiles explained and then stopped. “I think. Actually, it might be. We haven’t fully figured it out yet.” And then he started rambling until his dad told him to get on with it.

And that was when Stiles had Derek come in with Laura. She squealed once she saw the sheriff, which was a good sign. She probably spent a lot of time with her grandpa wherever she was from.

Stiles’ dad looked beyond confused but also amazed. “She’s...she’s beautiful,” he whispered, reaching for her without even thinking about it. Derek handed her to him, and she went into his arms happily.

They were silent while Stiles’ dad studied her closely. “She has your eyes and nose,” he muttered, looking at Stiles with a frown. “You had a baby?”

Stiles shook his head. “Not me. But maybe a version of me? There’s actually something about that I wanted to ask you...”

“You want me to do a paternity test, don’t you?” the sheriff asked before Stiles finished because his dad knows him. Very well.

“For both of us,” Stiles added. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble or raise too many questions.”

“It would just answer what we already know,” Derek added. “Or at least narrow down the possibilities.”

The sheriff nodded. “God she looks like your mother. What’s her name?”

“Laura Claudia Stilinski-Hale,” Stiles answered. “Bit of a mouthful but better than the name you stuck me with.”

His dad playful glared at him but let out a fond laugh anyway. “She’s beautiful.”

Laura smiled at him and patted his face like she had done it a million times, which maybe she had.

“So how are you going to school and raising a kid?” the sheriff asked, getting right down to business.

“I’ll have her during the days,” Derek answered. “So that leaves Stiles plenty of time to go to his classes and work on homework.”

“And you won’t have a job?”

Derek shrugged. “I don’t really need one with the inheritance my family left me. I don’t pay rent because I already own the building I live in.”

“So you’d be a stay-at-home dad?” because apparently it was twenty-questions.

Derek nodded. “I don’t see why not until we figure out where she came from and if we can get her home.”

“What if you can’t?” The question was directed at Stiles, though.

“Then we keep her and raise her,” Stiles answered.

“How are you going to do that? You’re not even together.”

Neither of them replied for a minute, both of them looking down and avoiding eye contact.

“You’re together, aren’t you?” John sighed. “Of course. Stiles, you don’t do anything half-assed do you?”

“Nope!”

The sheriff was quiet for a moment before looking put out and asking, “You’re going to move in with Derek, aren’t you?”

Stiles blushed at that and shook his head while Derek answered, “Yes.”

They looked at each other, confused and well, maybe they should have talked about this.

“Derek, don’t you think it’s way too soon?” Stiles asked.

“You don’t have to move into my room,” Derek told him, shrugging. “There’s another bedroom. It was for Cora, but she has her own place. You could sleep there. It’s where Laura’s been sleeping but I can move her to my room if you want so you can sleep through the night since you have class.”

“But you have her all day anyway. That’s not fair if you have to have her all night too,” Stiles immediately argued.

“Boys,” the sheriff barked out. “You’re upsetting Laura.”

They both looked at her and she was staring at them with tears filling up her eyes. Stiles was the first one to get to her and scoop her up into his arms.

“Don’t worry, Laura,” he cooed at her. “It’s all okay. It’s okay.”

Her only response was to bury her face in his neck and grip his shirt tightly.

“We need to talk about this, though,” Stiles said to Derek, trying to keep his voice light for Laura.

Derek nodded and they agreed to talk it out later.

“Well, if you need a babysitter on nights that I’m off,” the sheriff nonchalantly offered as if watching her wouldn’t be the highlight of his week.

“Thanks, Dad,” Stiles told him sincerely, giving him a one armed hug. “Really, thanks.”

John snorted. “It’ll be nice to have a quiet house again. Most of the time at least.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, but he knew his dad would miss him. Not that Stiles would be far, but he would be a lot busier as of late with the baby and classes.

Later, Stiles and Derek worked it out. Laura would stay in Stiles’ room since she was mostly sleeping through the night anyway. Stiles would get up for class and get himself and Laura ready for the day and feed her. Derek woke up around the time they had breakfast and they all ate together before Stiles left for school. They were almost like a real family.

The weekdays are busy and exhausting for the both of them, which means a lot of their investigating is pushed off to the weekends, which also happens to be when they catch up on sleep.

It’s been two weeks of this. And the actual relationship between Derek and Stiles has kind of not escalated at all. Both of them are focused on Laura. And Stiles wouldn’t want it any other way. But he’s also been waiting years for this with Derek. And now he has him, but he doesn’t really. They’re too exhausted to do anything with each other. When Laura goes to bed, Derek follows pretty soon after and Stiles is doing homework. They’ve tried to stay up and watch TV together or something, but Derek always falls asleep and Stiles can’t focus because he’s freaking out about assignments he needs to get done.

He starts spending more time at school, doing his homework in the library and getting it done before he goes back to the loft and see if that helps. It just makes them more prone to falling asleep once Laura does.

“God we’re boring!” Stiles complains to Scott one day while they’re grabbing coffee between classes. “We only kiss goodbye in the mornings. And it’s a quick peck. Other than that, I’m still getting no action. None of the action despite having an incredibly hot boyfriend. This isn’t fair, Scotty.”

“What about the nights one of us babysits?” Scott asks, confused.

“Derek falls asleep. I work on homework. I told you. We’re boring.” He sips his coffee depressingly.

“Any leads on Laura yet?” Scott changes the subject, probably hoping to get Stiles to not be so upset.

“DNA results came back,” Stiles snorts. “And I am the father! The crowd goes wild. Once the audience calms down it’s announced that Derek is also the father! Crowd goes wild again. The end.”

“So biologically she’s yours? What does that mean?”

“It means she’s probably from our future or an alternate universe,” Stiles answers, his voice hushed so no one overhears him. “Still have no idea why they gave her to us.”

“Maybe you guys were in danger?” Scott offers. “And to protect her you brought her here.”

“If we could figure out how that would be great,” Stiles mumbles. If they knew the how, they’d probably be able to guess the why and where.

Deaton proved to be no help either. Basically vaguely saying what they were already thinking.

“If she’s from our future, though,” Stiles starts thinking aloud, “then they have to come back for her somehow. It would mess things up if when Derek and I get to that point, Laura is born when the current Laura is probably ten by then. That can’t happen.”

“So we rule out time travel?” Scott asks.

“If she never gets taken back then yeah, maybe.”

*

His eyes sluggishly blink at his computer screen. It’s almost 1 in the morning, and two months ago that wasn’t late for him, but it is now. Finishing this essay tonight is useless; he can finish it tomorrow night now that he has most of it completed. After saving the document, he closes his laptop and heads upstairs where Laura and Derek are asleep. Derek had graciously offered to put Laura down for the night so Stiles had more time for his essay because Derek is the actual best and most wonderful man ever.

Shut up. He’s been awake since dawn; so what if he’s a little mushy?

On autopilot, he shoves down his jeans and steps out of them as he pulls his shirt over his head. It takes a few moments for him to realize there’s a lump in his bed. A rather large lump. Quickly, he checks Laura’s crib and finds her sleeping soundly with her stuffed wolf (Stiles still stands by that it’s hilarious) tightly clutched in her arms.

The lump rolls over, pushing the blankets down enough that Stiles can see Derek’s face. He must’ve fallen in the bed out of exhaustion, and Stiles thinks about waking him up, but he looks so peaceful. It would be rude to wake him up from that, so Stiles gently climbs into the bed instead. They can sleep together. No big deal, right? Scott and Stiles have done it a million times, and Derek is dating Stiles. Knowingly. This isn’t even a fantasy or anything. Not that he has enough energy to fantasize right now.

But this is the first time they’ve ever shared a bed. And Stiles really hopes Derek is okay with it. Maybe he should wake him up and tell him where he is just so he fully consents to this. Derek deserves that.

“I can hear you worrying,” Derek grumbles, voice thick with sleep.

“You’re not supposed to be awake,” Stiles whispers. “But I was about to wake you up.”

Derek snorts and snuffles his face into the pillow. “You think someone climbing into the bed I’m in wouldn’t wake me up?”

“Fair point,” Stiles admits and then hesitates for a minute before asking, “So this is okay?”

The answer he gets is Derek’s arm curling over Stiles’ stomach and pulling him closer and then resting his cheek on Stiles’ chest.

“More than okay then,” Stiles breathes out as he puts his hand on Derek’s bare back. Oh wow. They’re definitely doing this. This whole cuddling thing. And sleeping thing too. Eventually.

“Stiles,” Derek growls. “Let me sleep. Your heart is racing, and it’s loud enough to wake Laura up.”

Stiles gulps. “Right. I’ll get right on that. Controlling heart rates. I got this.” He does, in fact. Had to learn it to help control his panic attacks. He never did see it coming in handy during a situation like this, but hey, he’s not going to argue with this at all. So with deep breaths, he calms himself down, trying to matching his breathing to Derek’s soft and even one.

And that’s how Stiles ends up alone at Derek’s loft in twenty minutes looking at the werewolf he hasn’t seen in four months (the one who didn’t say goodbye or even leave a note or a text) holding a baby and cooing at her. Cooing. He’s actually cooing at her. There’s a little smile on his face, and his eyes are like lit up with happiness. It’s the weirdest thing Stiles has ever seen.

But the second he takes a step closer, the baby stops laughing and wiggles around in Derek’s arms until she’s facing Stiles. She’s a lot older than Scott led him to believe. Probably around nine months? She’s sitting up in Derek’s arms and looking right at Stiles with wide eyes and a big smiles.

“Pa!” she screams at him, making Stiles jump. She reaches a hand out at him and starts gripping the air. “Paaaaaaa,” she whines when Stiles doesn’t immediately go to her.

Derek is frowning down at her and then he looks at Stiles like it’s the first time he’s ever seen him. There’s a whole thing of realization dawning on his face, and oh, fuck. Derek figured it out.

The baby starts flashing her gold eyes at Stiles and looking a little angry and sad. She looks up at Derek with a pouty face. “Da?” she says, pleadingly. Oh god, she sounds like Stiles.

“I think you better take her, Stiles,” Derek finally breaks the silence.

“She already has you hooked around her tiny pinky,” Stiles snorts.

Derek raises an eyebrow as Stiles walks closer and gently grabs the baby. “Let’s see how long it takes her to get you too.”

Stiles takes it as a challenge, but once the baby is secure in his arms and cocked on his hip, he thinks Derek might be right. She looks up at him with a blinding, toothless smile. “Pa!” she says delightedly before nuzzling her face into his shoulders.

“Oh fuck,” he exhales. Her hair is dark brown, not unlike Derek’s, and her eyes are almost identical to Stiles’. He doesn’t want to admit it, but she looks like them. “Derek?”

The man walks closer, resting a hand softly on the baby’s head. “I know,” he whispers. “I found her in the woods wrapped in a blanket. It had her name stitched into it. Laura Claudia Stilinski-Hale.”

“You knew,” Stiles says softly. “You didn’t tell Scott, but you knew.”

“I wanted to see how much he would pick up,” Derek admits. “And I wanted to see if you could figure it out.”

Stiles snaps his head up and glares at him. “You used her as some test for me and Scott? That’s such bullshit, Derek.”

“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m saying,” Derek snaps back at him. “I needed to know I wasn’t making it up.”

And that takes him aback. “Why would you make this up?”

“Wish fulfillment?” Derek suggest, running his hand over Laura’s hair. She sighs happily and grips Stiles’ shirt in her little fists. “I’ve always wanted a family again. Somehow, you fit into that.”

Stiles just blinks, trying to register what Derek is saying. “I’m barely nineteen. I can’t raise a baby. I can’t even take care of myself. And, and why would you even want this with me?”

The weight of the baby starts hurting his arm as she sinks down into sleep. Derek effortlessly takes her from Stiles and sets her down on the couch, building a blanket wall to make sure she doesn’t roll off.

“I didn’t know at first,” Derek admits softly before walking to the kitchen, expecting Stiles to follow, which he does. The werewolf grabs two glasses and fills them with water, handing a glass to Stiles. “It took me a while to figure it out. How I felt about you. And when I did, I came back here. That’s when I found Laura. I don’t think she had been out there that long. Whoever put her there must’ve known I was coming.”

That gets Stiles started on the possibilities on whose baby this is. “She can’t be ours,” Stiles whispers.

“I agree with you, but Stiles. You saw her. She has your eyes and she recognizes us.” Derek sighs and leans against the counter, taking a drink of his water. “I know logically she can’t physically be ours. But she came from us. Another version of us, whatever. A Stiles and a Derek out there had a baby together and now we have her.”

“You know, this could be some romantic shit,” Stiles points out, waving his hand around, careful not to spill the water he’s holding.

“But you don’t feel the same way, I know,” Derek mumbles, his voice sounding almost hurt.

“Never said that, buddy,” Stiles quickly interjects. “You haven’t even given me a second to digest that information let alone respond to it.”

Derek looks up at him, almost hopeful. Almost. “So take a second. Please.”

Stiles just stares at him, remembering everything they’ve been through together. He remembers how much he hated Derek and how much he wanted to save him, hold him after Boyd’s death. And he doesn’t know when the feelings changed or grew but they did. He’s always known that. Has known that he was into Derek for a long time. Maybe after the first time he left. That’s when he knew for sure. But it was never the right time for them. And then when it could’ve been the right time, Derek left again. And Stiles couldn’t let himself hope he’d come back again this time or if he did come back, that he’d stay.

He looks away and runs a hand through his hair. “How will I know you’re not going to run away again?” Stiles whispers, wincing at how his voice cracks.

“I promise I won’t,” Derek answers, his voice just as quiet. “Stiles, I can’t stay away from you. And if we can’t get Laura back to her actual parents, then I’m not going to take her away from you ever. She’d kill me if you don’t first. Don’t act like you won’t go to the ends of the earth for her already.”

“Fuck,” Stiles hisses before lifting his head back up and setting his water down before grabbing at Derek’s face. He rests his forehead against the other man’s and buries his fingers in his hair. “Don’t leave me, okay? Just don’t. You’re not allowed to again. I need you here.”

Derek nods against his forehead, gripping Stiles’ hips. “I’m staying, Stiles. I promise.”

Without any conscious thought, their lips are pressing against each other, both of them pulling the other closer and closer. Stiles feels wetness on his cheeks but ignores it in favor of opening Derek’s mouth up and tasting as much of him as he can.

There’s crying in the living room that causes them to slowly pull apart. Derek reaches up to cup Stiles’ cheek and wipe away a tear with his thumb. “I know this is a lot too soon,” he whispers. “I know. Way too much way too soon. We can take this slow.”

“We’ve been taking this slow for three years,” Stiles tells him. “This has been building since we met, and I’m choosing this. I’m choosing you.”

“I’m not a Pokemon,” Derek jokingly growls.

Stiles laughs at that, maybe a little too hard. Sue him, he’s a little emotional right now. “You’re such a dork.”

Derek smiles at that, and they’re leaning closer before they hear the crying again.

“We’re being summoned,” Stiles whispers, jerking his head in the direction of the living room. He frees himself from Derek’s grip and then grabs the man’s wrist and pulls him along.

“Laura,” Stiles calls sweetly to calm her down. “What’s all the fuss?”

Her cries let up, and she hiccups before her head pops up over the couch to see Derek and Stiles. She smiles and starts babbling at them and holding her arms out at them, reaching for either one. Derek rushes over and scoops her up and holds her over his head. She starts giggling and grabbing at Derek’s face, her fingers brushing through his beard.

“Dadadadadada,” she says, telling him a story.

Stiles pulls out his phone and takes a picture. He’s sentimental like that. He sends it to Scott with the caption: “You’re an uncle. Congrats.”