#sparkandwolf

"Okay, buddy, this is what we're going to do," Stiles said. "If they come back in, I need you to be polite. You don't have to say anything other than please and thank you. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Got it?"

"Yeah, if I have to," Ben replied sullenly.

"Yes, you have to," Stiles said firmly.

"Geez, dad!" Ben sighed.

Stiles stood and ruffled Ben's hair. Ben ducked away from his hand and ran his hand through the hair to smooth it out. He looked out the window to see Derek still sitting on the bench with his daughter. He sighed.

"Wait here," Stiles said. He went to the door and poked his head out. "Do we need to re-schedule?"

"No," Derek said firmly. "We'll be fine."

The huff from the girl next to Derek let Stiles know Derek was in the same position he was in.

"I'll get a table?" Stiles asked.

"That would be good," Derek nodded. "We'll be in in a minute."

Stiles went back inside and collected Ben before going on to the hostess station. "We're four people and can we get a table?" He figured it would be better than a booth. "The other two are just outside."

"This way." The woman let them to a table in the center of the room. Luckily, the restaurant was slow and the table was big enough to let them sit two to a side.

"Sit there," Stiles pointed to a seat. He sat next to Ben. They ordered drinks and Stiles didn't protest when Ben ordered a milkshake, something that was usually a treat.

Derek came in and guided his daughter to the chair opposite Stiles. Derek sat across from Ben.

"Hi, I'm Stiles," he said. "Good to meet you, Erin."

"Hello." Erin didn't look up from her lap.

Stiles looked at Derek helplessly. He forged on. "Ben, this is Derek."

"Hello." At least Ben looked up at Derek.

The waitress came by with their drinks and took Derek and Erin's drink order. The waitress pointed out the list of specials on the wall and left. They sat in silence.

As Stiles took a breath to say something, he saw Derek shake his head.

Fortunately, the waitress came by with the rest of the drinks and they ordered food.

"Ladies first," Stiles said cheerfully. "Erin, what would you like?"

Ben fidgeted but didn't say anything when Erin ordered the bacon cheeseburger that Stiles knew Ben preferred. Ben ended up ordering the exact same thing and Stiles was pleased that Ben was pleasant to the waitress.

The meal was mostly silent although Erin did say unprompted, "Thank you for dinner Mr. Stiles," when Stiles took the bill for the group from the waitress.

"You're welcome, Erin," Stiles said softly.

"I'll call you?" Derek said as they were leaving.

Stiles nodded. "Yes." He looked down at Ben. "Later?"

"That works," Derek nodded.

In the car, Stiles said, "Can it wait until we get home. Please?" Ben was just under the height to be able to sit in the front seat of the car and Stiles didn't want his son shouting at the back of his head. Stiles had been short at that age, so he understood Ben's unhappiness with sitting in the back seat and on a booster seat. At nine, it was undignified.

"Yeah, I guess," Ben grumped and then crossed his arms.

Fortunately, it was a short ride home and Stiles had them seated at the kitchen table with milk and cookies.

"Okay, tell me about Erin," Stiles said.

"She's such a pain," Ben complained. "She's a know-it-all in class and she constantly tells me I'm stupid."

"What does the teacher do?" Stiles asked.

"Tells her to stop, and she does for a while, but then she does it when the teacher isn't around," Ben said waved his arms. "Or she does it at lunch since we're in the same lunch period. She and her friends laugh at me all the time. But that's the only time I see them."

"And what did you do?" Stiles asked. He knew very well Ben was no saint.

Ben crossed his arms and got a mulish look on his face.

"Come on kid," Stiles coaxed. "I know you and you can give as good as you get."

"Well, maybe I gave her the wrong answer when she asked me for help," Ben admitted.

"Benjamin Marek Stilinski!" Stiles sighed gustily.

"She called me shorty. And she was showing off, saying she was better than me," Ben defended himself. "She should have checked it herself."

"Maybe she could have, but was that fair?" Stiles asked.

Ben slumped in his chair and stuffed a cookie in his mouth. "No," he mumbled.

"Okay, kid, enough for tonight," Stiles said. "Bath night."

"Yeah, I know," Ben admitted.

"Got everything ready for school in the morning?"

"I have to get my gym clothes out of the dryer," Ben admitted.

"Get that first, so you don't forget."

"I won't."

Stiles knew he wouldn't forget. For a kid, Ben was pretty fastidious. He never shied away from getting dirty, but he hated grimy gym clothes and brought them home to wash after no more than two wearings. Stiles remembered his gym clothes that had stayed in a locker for weeks on end, so he was faintly appreciative that Ben liked clean clothes. Ben had asked to learn how to do laundry and Stiles let him do most of his own clothes and the towels.

It took another hour and a half before Ben was in bed and Stiles could call Derek.

"What a mess," Stiles sighed.

"I know," Derek replied.

"I didn't even think they'd know each other," Stiles said. "Ben's two years behind Erin in school, except for that math class."

"He must be pretty good in math to be in that class," Derek said.

"He is!" Stiles had to smile. "Takes after his Aunt Lydia. She encouraged me to have him test into that class."

"Erin was happy to be asked to be in that class," Derek said. "It's pretty much all she talks about. Although, now that I know more, she was talking about Ben."

"And now they're at each other's throats," Stiles said. "And, hey, Ben's no saint and admits to adding to the feud."

"Erin admitted to the teasing," Derek replied.

"Now what do we do?" Stiles asked. "Do we force them together?"

"I don't know," Derek said. "Erin's normally a good kid. I don't know why Ben set her off like he did."

"Same here," Stiles agreed.

"I was going to see if you guys wanted to come with us for Christmas," Derek admitted. "We go to my mom's and I know your dad isn't too far away. Two, or three with your dad, more at the party won't make a difference."

"Ben and my dad would have loved that," Stiles replied wistfully.

"Umm... maybe we can do it anyway," Derek said. "I think traveling together may be too much to ask, but if you stay at your dad's then we can meet up at the party, at the very least. There'll be enough other kids that Erin and Ben don't have to play together."

"And we can spend some quality time together!" Stiles cheered. "I know my dad would love to have Ben to himself. Maybe we can plan a day with just us."

"Would your dad keep Ben for the night?" Derek asked.

"Definitely!" Stiles promised eagerly. He loved his kid, really. But he was tired of being cock-blocked by a nine-year-old.

"Let me double check with what my mom has planned and I'll make arrangements for a hotel room," Derek said. "Mom or Uncle Peter will keep Erin for the night, with no problem."

"Perfect!" Stiles smiled.

"Should we talk to that math teacher?" Derek asked. "According to Erin, she's been getting away with a lot in that class."

"And Ben's been egging her on," Stiles nodded. "It's only a couple of weeks to the Christmas break. I suspect things will be calmer for a bit. Let's see how the holidays go and if we have to, we can meet up with her after the first of the year."

"That was my thought," Derek agreed. "Just wanted to be on the same page with you."

"Always want to be with you," Stiles teased.

"Brat," Derek said softly.

"Your brat," Stiles replied. "Okay, let me call my dad and make sure he's available. Christmas is a Friday this year, so Monday or Tuesday night will probably be best for us to get away."

"Mom will probably do most of the party things through the weekend, so that should work," Derek replied. "You know what, I'll make a reservation for the two nights and we'll see what happens."

"You don't have to do that!" Stiles protested.

"It'll just be easier," Derek replied. "And if we spend Monday night, we don't have to hurry out on Tuesday."

"Oooohhh... early morning blow jobs!" Stiles grinned.

"Breakfast in bed," Derek said.

"You twisted my arm!" Stiles agreed.

"We still on for this Friday?" Derek asked.

"Definitely!"

"Okay, see you then!"

Stiles looked at a clock and it was still relatively early. He texted his dad. You available to talk? We'd like to come for Christmas.

The phone rang not five minutes later.

"Hey, daddio!"

"You're always welcome to come for Christmas," John said. "What's the occasion?"

"Can't I come home to see my dad?" Stiles asked.

"I know you better than that," John said.

Stiles laughed. "Well, of all the people in this world, I'm dating Derek Hale."

"Really? How did that happen?"

"Yeah, I don't believe it either," Stiles admitted. "We ran into each other at a work conference, remember when I went to Sacramento a couple of months ago? The supernatural conference where I picked up a couple new clients? Well, the next thing I know he's been stealth-dating me for a month."

"Only you!"

"Oh, don't worry, I took care of that!" Stiles promised. "Anyway, we've been dating long enough and, well, it looks kinda serious. So we thought we'd get our kids together."

"I know you don't let too many of your dates meet Ben, so I wouldn't be surprised to know Derek does the same with his kid," John replied. Stiles knew that, as Sheriff, his dad knew more about Erin's mother than he did, but that wasn't -- yet -- any of his business and Stiles didn't ask. He also rarely talked about Ben's mother, so there was that.

"It turns out that Ben already knows Erin from school," Stiles went on. "They're both in that advanced math class that Ben is taking."

"And?"

"And they hate each other," Stiles sighed. "They've been picking on each other in class. Name calling, teasing, a bit of bullying, that sort of thing."

"What about the teacher?" John asked.

"Evidently she's aware but some of it happens outside the classroom. Like the lunchroom. That's the only other place they'd be together," Stiles sighed. "Erin's two years ahead of Ben in school, so Derek and I were both surprised they knew each other."

"Almost reminds me of you and Lydia," John laughed.

"I never hated her," Stiles protested.

"Ah, but there's a thin line between love and hate, sometimes," John said.

"Well, at their ages it better not be love," Stiles groused.

"I don't know, that's about the same age you fixated on Lydia," John reminded him.

"Oh my god!" Stiles rolled his eyes. "Okay, back to the real reason I wanted to call. Derek's inviting us to the Hale Christmas party. I suspect his mom invites you and you just never go."

"True," John admitted.

"Well, if you and I and Ben go together, then, well..."

"You and Derek can have some canoodling time together," John said. Stiles could hear the smugness over the phone.

"Okay, we'd like some adult time together," Stiles admitted. "We know enough to behave at the party, but maybe Monday night, you could take Ben for the night so Derek and I can... canoodle."

"I should be able to do that," John agreed. "I have to check the schedule, but since I'm working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I should be able to have Monday night off..."

"And Tuesday?" Stiles put in quickly.

"And Tuesday," John laughed. "I'll think of something Ben and I can do together."

"Ben will love to spend time with his Pops," Stiles said. "So you won't have to do anything too special."

"I'll spoil my grandson any way I want," John declared.

"Yes, you will," Stiles agreed, not wanting his dad to change his mind. "If Monday doesn't work, Tuesday night works but just not as well."

"Got it," John agreed.

They worked through some logistics and moved on to more general topics before they hung up.

Dads pretty sure he can watch ben monday -- will let me know if he cant Stiles texted Derek, not knowing if he was up or possibly online with an overseas client. Derek's work managing archives for other packs had him working with clients all over the world. Although they worked odd hours, they found they both worked their schedule around the school day so they could be available for their kids.

Good Derek texted back as Stiles was crawling into bed.

Stiles made a deliberate effort to check in with Ben about his math class over the two weeks before the Christmas holiday. Erin had stopped teasing and had decided to ignore him completely, which Stiles had to consider a win. He went out on one date with Derek, getting the high school senior from down the street to watch Ben. They talked and texted regularly, and Stiles was really looking forward to the holidays. He and Derek both had their hands full, planning to finish up projects so they could be on holiday for the entire Christmas break.

"POPS!" Ben shrieked as he tumbled out of the car.

"Hey, kiddo!" John picked up Ben for a hug. "Good to see you!"

Stiles got their bags out of the car and called, "Ben, take your bag up to your room, please."

Ben ran back to Stiles, grabbed the bag and ran back to John. He grabbed John's hand, babbling away. Stiles could see John leaning in to listen. It was a good sight.

Stiles grabbed his bag and the bag with presents, following them into the house.

Ben and John were in the room Ben used when they stayed with John. When Stiles poked his head in, he pretended not to notice the new stack of books that 'innocently' sat on the bookcase against one wall. Ben had already pulled one down and they were sprawled on the bed, reading together.

Stiles went down to the kitchen to get something to eat. It had been only a two hour drive, so they hadn't stopped to eat on the way. Stiles eyed the food in the fridge, wondering how much was for them and how much of it his dad ate. But he and his dad had reached a more-or-less compromise on Stiles monitoring his dad's food -- as in, Stiles would stop -- when he went away to college. So Stiles ignored it and started to make himself a sandwich. He thought about it for a minute and made a plateful.

"You two want some food?" Stiles asked. John had Ben propped up in front of him on the bed as they read together.

Ben looked up. "Sure!"

"I made some sandwiches," Stiles said.

"That's what I planned for tonight," John admitted. "It was easiest if you got a late start or stuck in traffic."

"Ben, wash your hands before you come down," Stiles directed. Ben was good about the hand-washing in general, but Stiles also knew that being around his grandfather was exciting enough to make him forget.

"Okay!" Ben bounced off the bed and dashed into the bathroom. John got up slower and followed Stiles down the stairs.

"Grab something to drink," Stiles directed. "I poured some milk for Ben."

"You want a beer?"

"Sure, that would be good," Stiles nodded.

Ben came thundering down the stairs and Stiles shared a look with his dad. Yeah. Now I get it. Ben dropped into a chair and took a drink of the milk.

Stiles dropped a sandwich on Ben's plate.

"Can we go out for ice cream later?" Ben asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"I don't know, can we?" Stiles teased.

"D-a-a-a-d," Ben whined.

"I think ice cream is an excellent idea," John grinned.

"I should make both of you walk," Stiles play-pouted. "It would serve you both right."

"I suspect you want ice cream as much as your kid," John teased.

"Hey! Don't give away all my secrets!" Stiles protested.

Ben giggled.

They went to the local ice cream stand that re-opened for just the Christmas holidays. They had a variety of holiday flavored ice cream, as well as hot cocoa. There was a small line in front of the ordering window.

"Mint chip!" Ben requested.

"Just vanilla," John said.

"Okay, get a table and I'll wait for the cones," Stiles directed.

Stiles hadn't been in line too long when he saw Derek and Erin join the other line. Stiles waved at Derek, who smiled and waved back. Erin ignored him, but Stiles counted that as a minor win. He wanted to say 'join us' but he wasn't sure if the kids were quite up to that yet.

Stiles got their cones and took them over to the picnic table area off to one side.

"Did I see Derek in line?" John asked. "You could have invited him over."

"I almost did, but he had Erin with him and I wasn't going to force the kids together," Stiles said.

"Makes sense," John nodded.

Ben craned his neck, looking around. "She is here?"

"Erin is here with her dad and they're enjoying their own ice cream," Stiles said patiently.

"Okay." Ben went back to his ice cream.

John had to work the next day, so Stiles and Ben settled in front of the television, each with a book. They were eating lunch when Stiles knew he had to talk to Ben.

"Tomorrow night is Christmas Eve and we're invited to a party at the Hale house," Stiles said. "There will be lots of people, both humans and 'weres. There will also be a bunch of kids of different ages. Which means Derek and Erin will also be there. You are not required to play with Erin but you are required to be polite. You can leave the room if you need to and come and find me or your Pops. No magic, no matter what. You're old enough to control that and you will be expected to do so."

Ben's magic was still intermittent. He couldn't always control what happened, so Stiles had worked with Ben in funneling it into something benign -- like sparks or a bright light. Ben was pretty decent at simply not doing anything, which at his age was a good thing. Stiles did not want to see what his teen-age years would bring.

"Can't I just stay here?" Ben whined.

"No, you cannot, since your Pops will be coming, too," Stiles said. "He won't be able to stay long since he has to work because he didn't know we were coming until the last minute. If he stays home, it's not fair to the people who planned to have off."

"Geez," Ben sighed.

"There will be enough kids that you won't have to spend any time with Erin," Stiles said.

"I guess," Ben reluctantly agreed.

"And on Monday, I'm going out with Derek, so it'll be you and your Pops all night," Stiles said.

"Really?" Ben brightened up.

"Yes, really," Stiles replied.

Ben threw his arms around Stiles. "Okay, I'll behave at your stupid party."

"There will be lots of good food," Stiles tried.

"There better be," Ben muttered. "Wait, do I have to get dressed up?"

"Okay, for that I have a surprise," Stiles said. "Come on." He took Ben upstairs and Stiles brought out a package he had placed in the closet. "For you."

"Christmas isn't until Friday," Ben said suspiciously.

"Open it," Stiles said.

Ben carefully unstuck the tape and unwrapped the box. He shook it for a second but it didn't make any noise. "This better not be underwear," he muttered.

Stiles bit back a snicker. That was in a different box.

Ben dug through the tissue paper to bring out... a relatively tasteful, deep blue Christmas sweater. He looked at it, puzzled.

Stiles reached into the closet and brought out the adult version of the sweater on a hanger, this one in bright red. "This is mine and I got the same thing in green for your Pops."

"Da-a-a-a-d..."

"Come on, humor your old man," Stiles teased. "Besides, you don't want your Pops to be the only one with a snazzy Christmas sweater."

Ben looked at the sweaters. "It could be worse, I guess."

"That's the spirit!" Stiles cheered. "Come on, let's make Grandma's meatloaf for dinner to surprise Pops."

"Okay!" That Ben could get behind.

John was pleased to see the meatloaf, since he rarely made it for himself. After dinner they made popcorn and watched the first Home Alone movie. At Ben's bedtime, John and Ben read a couple of chapters of the book they started the other day.

"Don't think I didn't see all those new books on the bookcase," Stile said when John came back downstairs.

"He's a kid," John laughed. "He's your kid and he reads as much as you did... do. It's not a big deal."

"I know, just saying," Stiles replied. "Don't want you to think you're getting away with anything."

John just laughed.

Stiles had Ben give John the wrapped sweater as they were getting ready for the party. Stiles knew his dad had to work later, but could change in the locker room at work. John gave a grin when he saw the deep green sweater.

"Pops! See! Your sweater matches mine and dad's!" Ben pointed out the obvious.

"That's pretty cool," John said. "We're going to be the best looking people there!"

Ben nodded.

John took the cruiser since he'd have to leave earlier than Stiles planned to leave. There were already a number of cars in the extended driveway and John parked closer to the street so that he would be sure to get out. Stiles found a spot in the middle of the set of cars and he and Ben waited for John to join them.

"Welcome!" Cora Hale met them at the door. "Come in!" She pointed. "Coats can go there, if you need. There are snacks and things everywhere. Drinks are in the den. There will be a buffet set up out back in about an hour and a half." She looked down at Ben. "There's a group of kids playing board games on the back porch that might be about your age. Enjoy!"

"Thanks," Stiles nodded. "Want to check out the board games?"

Ben shrugged. "Sure. I guess."

John laughed. "I'm going to see who else is here so I can get that out of the way."

"Good enough," Stiles said.

There were nine or ten kids about Ben's age playing a couple of games on the back porch. There was a table in the corner with a small variety of snacks and bottles of water. A group of three boys were playing Yahtzee, of all things, and Ben gravitated toward that table. "You okay here?" Stiles asked.

Ben nodded.

"Okay, I'll be around somewhere," Stiles promised. "Come find me if you need anything."

"Okay," Ben said.

Stiles grabbed a handful of mixed nuts from a bowl on a table in the hall. He never had nuts in the house since he knew he'd eat the entire container, no matter the size, in essentially one sitting. And have the stomach-ache to prove it.

Talia Hale was in the living room and Stiles made a point of stopping and saying hello and thanking her for inviting him to their party.

"If I knew inviting you would get your father to come, I'd have asked you years ago!" Talia laughed.

"You know dad, he has to work later," Stiles grinned. "Working overnight means we've cut his afternoon nap shorter."

"Ah! That makes sense," Talia nodded. "We'll have to hope for a quiet night for him."

"Now you've jinxed it!" Stiles laughed. "Although he has said Christmas Eve really is quieter. People tend to stay closer to home, and the weather looks to be decent. So quiet is the goal."

"Good to know," Talia said. "I hear you're dating Derek."

Stiles knew he blushed with that. "Umm... yeah. We met a while back and, well, seem to hit it off." Stiles shrugged. "He's a good guy."

"And you have a... son?" Talia persisted.

"Yes, Ben. He's nine. He's on the back porch playing Yahtzee. He likes dice games or games of pure chance, so that was good to find. He'll be happy all night if someone will play with him."

"Interesting," Talia murmured, almost to herself. "Well, I'm glad to meet you. Bring Ben by at some point, I'd like to meet him."

"I will," Stiles replied. He excused himself and went off to the den to get a drink. While there were options for 'adult' beverages, he never indulged when he would have Ben in the car. He grabbed a cherry flavored seltzer and moved on to the kitchen.

"Smells good in here," Stiles said. Derek turned around and smiled at him. Stiles smiled back.

"Pay attention!" Peter barked at him. "You can make heart-eyes at Stiles later when nothing's going to burn."

Derek grimaced and turned back to what he was doing on a stove. Stiles perched at the breakfast bar and watched Derek as he alternately stirred three pots and worked on something in the huge skillet in front of him. Stiles snacked on the appetizers placed on the bar.

Stiles saw Peter carving a huge roast of beef off to one side.

"Anything I can do?" Stiles asked.

"Thank you, not right now," Peter said. "But you can help with carrying things in about fifteen minutes."

"That works for me," Stiles agreed. He watched Peter move on to a huge ham and then to a turkey. Damn! He'd come here for Christmas all the time.

Peter peered into the pots on the stove and had Derek take a couple off the heat and start pouring them into bowls and serving dishes.

"Okay, it's nice enough that the food is going outside," Peter said. "The cold dishes are already out there. Here are some pot holders and you can take this tray of meat outside. You'll see a place to put it." Peter pushed the pot holders toward Stiles.

"Got it," Stiles nodded. He took the tray and went out the side door. The buffet table was close by and there was, as Peter said, an obvious place for his tray of meat.

They spent the next fifteen minutes getting the food outside. Peter leaned over and said, "I'm going to let everyone know, but you and Derek can go ahead and get started. You'll be ahead of the crowd and thank you for helping."

Stiles juggled two plates, one for himself and one for Ben. Ben would wander by at some point and nothing on the plate desperately needed to be kept hot. So lukewarm would be fine.

"Hey! Where's mine?" John said from over Stiles' shoulder.

"That's for Ben," Stiles defended the plate. "I helped, so you have to get your own!"

"Oh, that's the way it is!" John laughed.

"It is!" Stiles grinned.

It took a bit before John was able to get a plate and join him at the table he had staked out. That was when Ben came running up. "Did you get me a plate?"

"Yes, I did," Stiles said. "Eat what you want. There's plenty."

"Can I... can I go and eat with the guys?" Ben asked.

"Sure," Stiles nodded.

"Thanks, Dad. See you, Pops." Ben grabbed the plate and ran off to sit with the boys Stiles assumed he had been playing games with.

"So it starts," Stiles sighed. "I get left alone for 'the guys'."

"Yeah," John grinned.

"What goes around, comes around," Stiles grinned.

Peter put a plate on the table. "Is this seat taken?"

"Please, join us," Stiles said. "This is excellent food!"

"Glad you like it!" Peter smiled.

"It is good," John added with a smile toward Peter. "You made my favorite potato dish, too."

Peter smiled back. Wait. What? Stiles looked between the two men, who were sitting closer together than strictly required.

"Umm..." He waved a fork between them, then put it down. "You know what, I don't want to know."

"Good choice," John said. But Stiles could see he was blushing.

Derek came over and sat next to Stiles. Stiles leaned into Derek and asked softly, "Are they dating or something?"

"I can hear you, you know," Peter said.

Derek leaned back. "I think more something, but I also think you don't want to know."

"Okay, I can work with that," Stiles laughed.

There was a separate dessert buffet but John would have to leave before that was set up. Peter promised to bring desserts to the station later, supposedly for everyone who was working the overnight shift.

"La la la la," Stiles sung. "I don't want to know anything!"

Peter grinned.

Stiles pitched with several others to help pick up after the meal. Peter set up a small buffet in the kitchen for late-comers. Or anyone that wanted to snack. Stiles knew 'wolves could eat their weight in food on a regular basis.

"Go away," Peter shoo'd them out of the kitchen. "You're here to enjoy yourselves."

Derek took Stiles' hand and started to take him outside.

"Oh, look!" Derek pointed up, trying to look innocent. "Mistletoe."

"Isn't that poisonous to 'wolves?" Stiles was puzzled. Then he looked closer. "Ah. It's plastic."

"It's still mistletoe," Derek pointed out hopefully.

"It is at that!" Stiles grinned. "And you're standing underneath it. I guess I have to kiss you."

Derek nodded solemnly, eyes dancing. "It is a tradition!"

Stiles leaned in for a soft kiss. Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles and deepened the kiss.

"Dad! Gross!" That was Ben.

"Dad! Yuchh!" And Erin was on the other side of them.

Stiles could feel Derek laughing in the kiss. Stiles broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Derek's. Stiles could see Ben's horrified face and he turned slightly to see the same look on Erin's face.

Derek drew Stiles back in for a quick kiss.

"Dad!" Erin protested.

"That is so gross," Ben muttered.

Stiles deliberately gave Derek a small kiss. "Is this gross?"

Ben groaned. "Yes!"

Catching on, Derek gave Stiles a soft kiss on one cheek. "How about this?"

Erin hissed.

Stiles pretended to consider. He leaned over and rubbed his cheek against Derek's. "Is scenting like this okay?"

"No!" Erin protested.

Derek placed a hand on the side of Stiles face. He leaned in firmly kissed Stiles. "What about that?"

"Da-a-a-a-d-d... Stop it!" Ben whined.

Stiles leaned into the kiss and opened his mouth, tangling tongues with Derek.

"No! I won't stand for it!" Erin said. "I'm leaving."

"Yuchh... I can't watch any more!" Ben muttered. There was some not-so-subtle stomping of feet that Stiles ignored, since he was busy kissing Derek.

Derek ended the kiss softly, nuzzling into Stiles' hair.

"I think they left together," Stiles whispered.

"They did," Derek nodded.

"Huh."

"Not sure it solves the problem, but it's a start," Derek agreed.

"It is," Stiles agreed. Since they had the hallway to themselves, he went back to kissing Derek.

Christmas was relatively quiet, since his dad had to work. Stiles and Ben slept in and Stiles made pancakes for them both to watch in front of the television. Stiles threw together an 'egg pie' for his dad to have when he got home. Stiles had called a quiche an 'egg pie' at one point when he was younger and the name had stuck. But John appreciated the food after the long Christmas Eve shift. Tonight's shift wouldn't be quite as long, but he ate quickly and went off to sleep.

They waited for dinnertime, when John was finally up, to open presents. Ben had out-grown Santa early, so opening presents didn't need to be done at the crack of dawn.

John had given a book of magic that Stiles had been looking for. "Oh, you had Peter find this, didn't you?" Stiles asked.

John shrugged. "It's something you wanted, isn't it?"

"He tell you what he paid for it?" Stiles knew how much this specific book was worth, so he frowned at the thought of what his dad paid.

"I repaid him, don't worry," John grinned.

Stiles thought he detected a small blush. "Okay, I don't want to know," Stiles decided.

Ben was enthusiastic about his own books and video games but did groan at the box of underwear from Stiles. Especially since some of it was fandom related. The Iron Man briefs and the Wonder Woman t-shirt were Stiles' personal favorites. (He may or may not have looked for the same items in adult sizes.)

They ate too much food and stayed up too late but that made it a fun holiday. The rest of the weekend passed similarly.

"Okay, you be good for your Pops," Stiles said to Ben. "I'm not going far away but Derek and I are going to do some adult things together."

"Like kissing?" Ben was horrified.

"Yes, like kissing," Stiles grinned. And more...

"Then go away and do it," Ben said, making a face.

Stiles laughed. "I'll have my cell phone but you should be fine," he said.

"Pops can take care of anything," Ben said staunchly.

"Yes, he can," Stiles nodded. "Don't have too much fun."

"We won't," Ben rolled his eyes. "Just go."

Stiles ruffled his hair and laughed as he left the room. Derek was picking him up shortly.

"Safe, sane, and consensual," John said.

"I should be making sure you're doing the same thing," Stiles retorted.

John grinned.

There was a knock at the door and Stiles went to answer it. Derek looked good in well-fitted jeans, a sweater with snowflakes and a leather jacket. Stiles grabbed the backpack he was using as an overnight bag. "Ready!"

"Don't have too much fun!" John said as they went out the door.

Stiles laughed. "I just told that to my kid! So, where are we going?"

"I figure I could woo you with curly fries," Derek grinned.

"My hero!"

"Thought a meal would be good," Derek said. "I have a room at Flanigan's B&B for tonight and tomorrow. So we can stay as long as we want tomorrow."

"Ooohhh... fancy!" Stiles teased. He leaned in and kissed Derek. "But very nice."

They got to the diner and Stiles ordered a basket of curly fries before the waitress got to take their drink order. "What? You promised me curly fries!" Stiles said when Derek sighed at him.

"Erin asked about kissing," Derek said.

"I told Ben we were would be doing adult things tonight, and he asked if we'd be kissing," Stiles admitted. "He was properly horrified."

"So was Erin," Derek nodded.

"I don't know how to deal with this," Stiles said. "I thought maybe they'd be stand-offish or cool, which I could see with the age and gender differences. But I really don't know how to address this."

"Well, I'm thinking we just make them deal with it," Derek said.

"Of the 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all' dealing?"

"Exactly," Derek nodded. "At some point, either they'll bond over being horrified by the kissing or they'll at least be polite in front of us. And we come down hard on both of them if there's any bullying."

"That's reasonable," Stiles said. He took Derek's hand. "I was going to wait until later but I wanted to ask if you would consider moving in with me? I have room for both you and Erin in my house, and I can partition off a room in the basement so we each have an office."

"I'll see your moving in together and raise you one," Derek got a small, crinkly package out of his jacket pocket and put it on the table in front of Stiles. "Marry me?"

The waitress put the first basket of curly fries down -- Stiles had ordered another with is dinner -- and their drinks.

"See? There is a perfect moment in life!" Stiles gushed. He leaned in for a kiss. "Yes, I will marry you. I promise to be properly enthusiastic later, but... well... hot curly fries!"

"You dork," Derek smiled.

Stiles reached for the unbox-like package and unwrapped it. "A ring pop! Oh, that's perfect!" Stiles slipped it on his thumb.

Derek blushed. "I thought maybe we'd look for something we like together. But, well, I didn't want to wait any longer."

Stiles had to kiss him again. "Perfect. Now, hot curly fries wait for no man!"

It was late Tuesday afternoon before Derek took Stiles back to his dad's house. Stiles felt properly exhausted and loved, and he thought Derek looked the same.

They parked in the driveway and Stiles leaned if for another kiss. "Want to come in or should you get home?"

Derek debated but decided, "I should get home. I promised Erin we'd go for pizza tonight."

"Not a problem," Stiles nodded. "I'll talk to Ben tonight and call you later?"

"That works," Derek agreed.

Stiles sappily watched Derek pull out of the driveway and pull away.

He went into the house and Ben charged down the stairs. "Dad! You're home!" He leaped into Stiles' arms.

"Oof! You're getting kinda big for that," Stiles said as he hugged Ben firmly. He had taught Ben the 'Stilinski hug' from the very beginning and Ben gave great hugs.

"Have a good time?" John asked as he came out of the kitchen.

Stiles nodded, smiling. "The best!"

John looked at him. "Umm... looks like a very good time."

Stiles knew he had a love bite on his neck but he was kind of proud of getting Derek to lose control enough to give it to him. Stiles grinned. "It was!"

"Pops said we could order pizza tonight!" Ben said.

"He did, did he?" Stiles teased.

"He did." John said firmly. "And I've already put in the order, so you can't mess with it."

"Too happy to care," Stiles sighed.

"I know that look," John said, frowning.

Stiles grinned then put Ben down. He knelt to be at eye-level with Ben. "I know you won't be happy about all of this, but Derek and I have decided that we're getting married and moving in together."

"More kissing?" Ben rolled his eyes.

"Yes."

Ben sighed. "Pops and I talked about it and, well, I guess it's an adult thing I don't understand yet." Then he paused and his eyes went wide. "Erin will live with us?"

"Yes," Stiles said. "She'll get the guest bedroom and Derek will sleep with me."

Ben mulled that over for a bit then shrugged. "Okay."

Stiles was surprised. "Just okay?"

He got a sly look. "Pops said that might happen, although he didn't think it would happen like right now, so I've had a chance to think about it. At least she's smart."

Stiles shook his head. "Thanks, buddy. I appreciate that."

"Come here, kid," John hauled Stiles up and drew him into a warm hug. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Stiles replied into his shoulder, inexplicably overwhelmed by emotion. He drew back. "Just a small thing with friends and family. Probably closer to Easter break so we can take the kids with us on a vacation. They can afford to miss some school, but we're not going to abuse that."

"We get to go?" Ben asked, surprised.

"Sure," Stiles promised. "You won't get to go with us all the time, but we've already decided the first vacation includes you and Erin."

"I can live with that," Ben nodded.

After Ben went to bed, Stiles sat down with his dad. "I know we didn't get to do this with Ben's mom. That was so different..."

"I know," John nodded. "Neither of you expected Suzanne to get pregnant and then not telling you that she was engaged to someone else wasn't fair to you."

"That was a hard moment, but it was harder when I finally realized she didn't want Ben at all," Stiles said softly. "I've toned that down for Ben, but he's going to ask some tough questions about his mom some day. I'm not looking forward to that discussion."

"He knows how much you love him," John assured him. "Just keep at it and it'll be okay in the end."

"Thanks," Stiles replied softly.

"So, wedding plans?" John asked.

"Oh, I'm just going to throw it all at Lydia and let her have her way with it," Stiles laughed. "But we want to keep it simple and just the immediate family will be there. If we start inviting pack or our friends it'll be huge. And we'll come back here for the ceremony. Derek did admit he'd like to have the ceremony in the Preserve."

"Sounds like a plan," John nodded.

It wasn't necessarily easy, but Stiles and Derek made it work. Ben and Erin were polite at first but mostly ignored each other. By the time of the wedding, they were reasonably friendly, which as much as Derek and Stiles could ask for. They were already house-hunting since Stiles' house was okay but they agreed that more space would be better.

At the reception, Stiles heard a familiar groan of gross from Ben and he had to see what that was all about.

Stiles caught his dad and Peter snickering while kissing in a small alcove near the kitchen.

"Ewww.... gross," Stiles teased as he shook a finger at them. "Come on kid, Derek and I can do better than that!"

"Aww, dad, do you have to?" Ben protested.

Stiles caught Derek looking at him with a promise of more than kissing in his eyes.