First stop was Yosemite for a week.

It was stunning. Absolutely stunning. Stiles hadn't been camping here since before his mom got sick. It was better than what he remembered.

For six days, they slept in a tent. Falling asleep to the sound of the rushing river nearby, sitting by the fire late at night while gorging on smores and telling ghost stories, and sometimes stared up at the sky while creating stories for made up constellations. They went into the village area, visiting Yosemite Falls and a few other sights they just had to see.

No Half Dome because no. No way in hell was Stiles going to fall to his death climbing that shit. Taking a picture of it from Glacier Point was just fine, thank you.

On the last night, they stayed at the famous Wawona Hotel, sitting on the porch and enjoying a shared shower. Followed by a delicious breakfast and then a quick visit to a historical area with cabins, a bank, and stables full of horse drawn carriages from different eras.

Derek bought him a fox plush and a wolf paw necklace. Stiles bought Derek a snow globe and a baseball hat.

Next stop for four days was Pismo Beach.

They stayed at a hotel with a a view of the beach. It was beautiful. Breathtaking. They spent the first night staring at the view. Every day of their stay, they slept in, tangled up in the sheets and each other. There was no rush. The beach wasn't going anywhere.

When they finally got out of bed, they walked around. There were so many dogs! It was hard to resist not petting them all! They popped in and out of shops, visited this park with an astounding cliff-like view and a cute little boat that Stiles had to beg Derek to take pictures in, took long walks on the beach, ate some seriously ridiculous food, had a few drinks, hunted for seashells and sea glass, and surfed a little.

(Well, more like Derek surfed and Stiles kept biffing it.)

Their souvenirs were bags of candy from this cool shop, a few cheap magnets, and of course their spoils from sea glass and seashell hunting.

The next destination was a long, long drive. Or what felt like a long, long drive. The hotel they checked into wasn't all that special. Just a place to stay for the night to rest up. The real hotel was...

“Holy shit! You got us a room at a Disney hotel!?”

“For four days again. Thought it would give us time to maybe experience everything. That okay?”

“Hell yes it's okay! It's fucking Disneyland, dude! I've never been here!”

Of course, upon saying that, Derek made sure Stiles had the best goddamn experience of his life. Got him a button that said it was his first time, got them a table at Ariel's Grotto where Stiles literally had a geek out over all the princesses that he got to take pictures with (Though he was kind of bummed that Mulan wasn't there, but hey, at least Moana was there!), got them a table at the Blue Bayou, made sure they got there early for Fantasmic and all other parades or firework shows – it was practically a spoil fest!

The amount of goodies they purchased was beyond insane. Stiles was pretty sure he got his Star Wars fix. And he was certain Derek got his old era Disney fix, too.

Finally, their last destination was up in a cozy cabin up in the Lake Arrowhead/Lake Gregory area for two weeks. Apparently, this was Derek's Auntie Lulu and Auntie Brynhildr's cabin. This was where he stayed the few months he was away from Beacon Hills. It was simply adorable and well kept. The back porch/balcony view was...there were no words to describe it. Stiles was in awe of the place. Put the preserve to shame!

Derek told Stiles stories of visiting this place as a kid. He loved it so much. His aunties promised to leave the place to him when they passed away. And sadly, they did. In the fire. But that fact didn't seem to taint any of the cheerful memories he happily rambled on and on about.

They visited everywhere they could in the area. But they mostly chilled out at the cabin. It was peaceful, hearing the chirping of the birds and watching the squirrels eagerly swipe the peanuts left out for them. Cuddling by the fireplace at night. Sitting in the rocking chairs on the porch – staring at the view of the trees, lake, and mountains. In all honesty, Stiles didn't want to leave.

On the last night, the wolf took Stiles by the hand and sat him down on the floor in front of the fireplace. He stood there, anxiously asking how Stiles liked the trip. He then proceeded to explain that everywhere they went...they were places his family used to visit when he was younger. They even got the very same campsite the Hales used to camp at. As he talked about this, his voice trembled. His body trembled.

For a moment, Stiles worried if talking about all these memories was too much. He reached out for Derek, wanting to offer any form of comfort he could. But then Derek sat across from him, swallowing and looking...so small. Terrified and excited all at once. He took the hand Stiles was outstretching, holding it with shaky hands.

“I've been planning this for a long time. Wanted it to be perfect.”

Derek grabbed the tacky wolf on a rock decoration beside them, shaking it until a box fell out from the bottom. In that instant, Stiles' brain shut off. He swallowed all the air he could in order to hold back the water in his eyes. This was insane. This wasn't happening. They hadn't talked about this. Hell, Stiles didn't think that Derek had ever thought of it! It felt like a topic that was sensitive. Derek was still so fragile in their relationship that...

Derek opened the box, showing a matching pair of rings adorned in Celtic knots. His trembling increased as he took them both out.

Stiles found himself muttering 'holy fuck' like a mantra.

The rest of the night was a bit of a blur. All he remembered fully was waking the next morning, cuddling up next to Derek on the couch, somehow holding hands and mostly undressed. The ring glistened in the sunlight. Stiles stared at them for some time, trying to wrap his head around it. After that some time, he carefully reached for his phone, deciding that maybe a certain someone should know about the good news.