Mama's Boy

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The Hales live in New York City, which is across the country from Beacon Hills. That means that Stiles hasn’t yet met Derek’s parents even though they’ve been dating for over two years now. They met Derek’s first day on the job, but Derek had been a complete prick since he’d worked for the NYPD for eight years and felt the Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department was beneath him. Considering the fact that Stiles’ dad is sheriff, that he was practically raised at the station, and that he’s been a deputy since he was twenty, he didn’t take that kindly to some asshole coming in to his space being a jerk. No matter how gorgeous said asshole happened to be.

So, yes, they didn’t start off on the right foot, at all.

However, that eventually changed when they ended up making out in the property room one night after bickering over something ridiculous. Making out led to sex at Derek’s place which led to breakfast and more sex and eventually dating and getting to know each other. Stiles learned that Derek had moved to Beacon Hills to be closer to his sisters because Laura was working for the DA, and Cora was a grad student at Beacon Hills University. That his family used to live in the area until their house was set on fire by an arsonist with a grudge against his dad, who had been the Beacon County DA at the time. That they had relocated to New York City when Derek was fifteen, and he hadn’t been back since.

Derek has actually gone to New York City for Christmas with his family the last two years, but Stiles wasn’t able to go with him because he isn’t going to leave his dad alone for the holiday. The only time Derek’s parents came to town to visit, Stiles had a non-refundable flight to a law enforcement conference in Cleveland that he couldn’t get out of attending because he was actually doing a panel on the importance of getting rape kits processed. So he still hasn’t met Derek’s parents. He knows Laura and Cora, spends a lot of time with them, but there’s something official about meeting the parents that isn’t the same as meeting the siblings.

He vaguely remembers Joseph and Talia Hale from when he was a kid, a good-looking couple, one a DA and the other a well-known member of the city council. They were intimidating to him when he was eight, and he wasn’t dating their youngest son then, obviously, so he’s not sure what it’s going to be like meeting them now. If they don’t like him, Derek might break up with him, and that would suck ass. Not only because he loves Derek, but because they share a house, a dog, and there’s an engagement ring buried in Stiles’ sock drawer that he’s had for three months now, waiting for the right time to give it.

The right time is going to be Halloween, because he wants to propose when they’re wearing silly costumes so their engagement pictures are unique and amazing, just like them.

There’s a part of him that’s tempted to find some excuse to avoid this whole meeting the family thing, but he also really just wants to get over it with so he knows where things stand. They’re in town for a week, an entire week, so it could be a horrible seven days ahead if they decide Stiles isn’t good enough for Derek or find some reason to hate him.

Would Derek really leave him if he doesn’t get his parents’ approval? Stiles doesn’t think so, but he’s not entirely sure. Derek is unusually close to his parents, especially his mom, and they talk every Sunday for hours and text during the week. He isn’t entirely sure if Derek would choose him over his parents if it came to that. “I get custody of Loki if you break up with me,” he says, looking over at Derek, who stops moving instantly, his shirt only partially over his head.

“What?” he asks carefully, pulling his shirt the rest of the way on and smoothing it down. His eyebrows are judging Stiles.

“If your parents hate me, and you leave me, I get Loki.” Stiles nods emphatically. “Because I’ll be devastated at losing you, and Loki cuddles with me. I’ll need a lot of cuddles if I’m doomed to a life without waking up to your smiling face every day.”

“Stiles, you’re an idiot,” Derek says, rolling his eyes as he pulls on his pants. “I’m not going to break up with you. My parents will love you because I love you.”

“Hmph. Parents don’t usually like me all that much,” he points out, feeling slightly insecure despite knowing it’s ridiculous. “I’m loud, opinionated, hyper, and annoying.”

“You’re also loyal, brilliant, gorgeous, and honest,” Derek reminds him. “Now stop worrying. They’ll be here in, fuck, five minutes. And you aren’t even dressed yet, Stiles.”

“Whose big idea was it to join me in the shower?” Stiles looks at Derek and sticks his tongue out. “I told you no, but you pouted and did that whole thing you do that makes it impossible to refuse you anything, which you totally know and use to your advantage. Anyway, you’re the one who couldn’t resist me after I gave in to the sulky pout, and you wanted to have sexy times when you knew we were on a schedule.”

“Me?” Derek scoffs, giving Stiles a sly smile. “I merely offered to wash your back. You’re the one who tempted me and persuaded me that we could totally have sex in twenty minutes with time to spare to get cleaned up.”

“And I was right.” Stiles rolls off the bed, using the sheet to wipe come off his ass before he starts getting dressed. “It only takes me like two minutes to get my clothes on, so we’ll have three minutes to spare.”

The doorbell rings almost as soon as he stops talking, and Stiles looks at the sky. Seriously? Is this is an indication of how today is going to go?

“Except that my mother is always early,” Derek says, huffing a laugh when Stiles glares at him. “Brush your hair before coming down. You look like you’ve just been fucked.”

“I wonder why?” Stiles throws a pillow at Derek, who catches it and laughs before throwing it back. Derek leaves the room to head downstairs, so Stiles finishes getting dressed before going to the bathroom. He does brush his hair, and there’s nothing to do about his lips, which look like he’s been sucking dick because, well, he has been.

When he gets downstairs, he can hear voices. He walks into the living room and sees Derek standing by his mom, who is fussing over his hair. Derek looks up and grins at him. “Stiles, I’d like you to meet my parents. Mom and Dad, this is Stiles.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Stiles.” Joseph Hale steps forward, shaking his hand and smiling. Damn. If Derek looks like his parents when he’s older, Stiles is definitely a lucky man because they’re both still gorgeous.

“Derek has told us so much about you,” Talia says, stepping forward and hugging him.

“It’s nice to meet both of you, too. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you visited last time, but I couldn’t withdraw from the conference because I was participating in a panel,” Stiles explains.

“Oh, yes. Derry told us about it,” Talia informs him. Derry? Stiles’ lips twitch as he glances at Derek, whose eyebrows are again trying to communicate. They’re threatening him to forget that motherly nickname or else. Too bad Stiles doesn’t speak eyebrow, right? Derry has a nice ring to it.

“Would anyone like something to drink?” Derek offers before Stiles even has a chance to tease him. His mom is ruffling his hair again, and he’s grinning like an utter dork, which is pretty adorable. Stiles knows Derek likes his parents a lot, hence his worry about not receiving their approval, but he hasn’t realized just how close he and his mom actually are.

“I’ll come with you. You can show me the kitchen,” Talia says, hooking her arm through Derek’s. “I’ll want a full tour later, since you two weren’t living together when we visited last time. I love what you’ve done with your photographs, Derry. Family and friends are so important.”

Stiles listens to them chattering as they go to the kitchen, and he looks at Joseph. “I guess they’ll get us something to drink?”

Joseph snorts. “Derek’s the baby boy. Cora might be the youngest, but Derek has always been Talia’s baby. She spoils him rotten, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“He is a little spoiled,” Stiles agrees, smiling slightly. The petulant pout that Derek gets some mornings when he wants Stiles to make his toast a certain way or when he wants to get out of taking the trash to the dumpster both come to mind. “Did he often get out of chores by doing that pouting thing?”

“He still does that?” Joseph laughs. “The boy’s thirty two, and he still pulls out the pout. Don’t tell me, let me guess. You actually give in to it, don’t you?”

“Sometimes.” Stiles shrugs and tries to play it cool, but Joseph has an impressive eyebrow game, too, so he soon caves. “Okay, fine, I do more often than not. But, seriously, you know your son. How can I resist?”

“Let me tell you a few ways,” Joseph says, sitting down and talking about Derek’s childhood as a spoiled momma’s boy. As he talks, he gives fatherly advice on the ways he’d combat Talia’s utter spoiling of Derek. He has Stiles cracking up, and some of Derek’s petulant quirks suddenly make a lot more sense now.

“What’s so funny?” Derek asks, arching a brow as he comes into the room. He hands Stiles a bottle of water before looking suspiciously at his dad. “If he’s telling tales, don’t listen to him. I’m perfect and wonderful and always right.”

“Of course you are, dear,” Talia says, kissing the top of Derek’s head, which just starts Stiles and Joseph laughing again. She arches a brow and looks between them. “I have a feeling we should never have introduced these two, Derry.”

“Why ever would say that, darling?” Joseph asks, fluttering his eyelashes at his wife.

“You’re both trouble with a capital T,” Talia murmurs, sitting beside him. “So, Stiles, when can I expect you to make an honest man out of my baby boy and give me grandchildren? I’m not getting any younger, you realize, and neither is Derek.”

It appears that Joseph Hale is not the only trouble in this family. This is going to be a fun week.