Stiles and Derek broke apart at the sound of the car door. They moved away from in front of the door so that John could get in. Stiles cleared his throat.
"I should…um…get lunch ready. Dad's probably gonna have to leave after lunch." There was a promise in those words while Stiles looked at Derek, a question is his eyes. Derek smiled at him, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. He nodded knowing that Stiles was asking if he was staying and Stiles grinned before he could stop himself. His feelings were totally the opposite of what they had been this time yesterday. It made his head spin realizing just how happy Derek could make him. No one should be able to do that to him. Stiles turned toward the kitchen as John opened the door. Stiles didn't turn around, hiding his grin from his father. Derek saw as John's eyes flicked between them suspiciously, finally landing on Derek. John raised his eyebrow and all Derek could do was grin. John smiled in response and shook his head fondly. When Stiles was out of earshot he finally spoke.
"Are you two okay?" He asked quietly.
"We talked and he said we could try. It's a start, I guess. We'll see where it goes from there." The Sheriff nodded.
"Good. But just so you know, if you hurt him again, I know where to hide a body. The only reason I tried to help you in the first place is because I know about that ring in your pocket." Derek's eyes went comically large and his mouth dropped open. John smirked at him.
"H-how did you…?" Derek trailed off.
"I saw you pull it out once at the station. I figured either it was for Stiles or you were secretly married. Then I saw you pull his picture out and stare at it like it was the most precious thing on Earth." Derek looked like someone had just announced his deepest, darkest secret to the whole world and the Sheriff's voice softened. "What can I say? I have a soft spot for people who love my son." Derek smiled lightly, still embarrassed.
"I was going to come ask your permission before…before I decided to leave." The light in Derek's eyes dimmed, still feeling guilty. "I couldn't do it, Sheriff. I love him so much. I felt like I wasn't giving him a choice."
"I understand, Derek. I always understood but you hurt him bad, son. He would never have listened to me if I tried to explain to him. You could have come back sooner. That might have made it easier for him to accept it. You're gonna have to work really hard to gain his trust back after that. He loves you too, no matter what he says. He pretended to hate you the whole time, and he was mad at you. He may have felt like he hated you but you don't react that way unless you love someone." Derek's heart stuttered. John knew Stiles better than anyone, except maybe Scott. To hear John say that Stiles loved him gave him hope that he could fix this.
"Guys I made sandwiches! Come eat them! They're fantastic!" Stiles yelled from the kitchen. John and Derek grinned at each other before walking to the kitchen.