THIRTY DAYS OF US
DAY 21 - BAKING OR COOKING
Pairing: Sterek
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf.
A/N: The next chapter will be a long one! Enjoy for now!
"So you'll bake the cake, and I'll grill the steaks? Wow. Take that, gender stereotypes!" Stiles exclaimed as she fist-bumped the air. Derek rolled his eyes at the girl but smirked when he had his back turned. It was the Fourth of July, and Derek had decided to include his pack in his old family traditions for the holiday. Normal, human families normally had hotdogs and hamburgers. Werewolves had dozens and dozens of raw steaks. Of course, Lydia, Allison, Stiles, and Danny all refused to eat raw steaks, though, as did Scott and Jackson. Derek knew that the two would get taste buds for raw meat soon enough, though, so he said nothing of it.
It was a fantastic occasion, the Fourth of July. Stiles had already decorated the Hale house with red, white, and blue decorations of all sorts- streamers, banners, and at least half a ton balloons. Outside, in the large back area that was treeless and had been dubbed the official backyard of the Hale pack house, Stiles had convinced Derek to set up a few picnic tables and hang balloons and lanterns from the trees. Three large boxes of fireworks and fire-based toys, mostly poppers, sparklers, and a surprisingly large amount of Roman candles, sat on the back porch, waiting to be used.
At the moment, Derek and Stiles were getting ready for the pack to arrive. Allison and Danny had both promised to bring chips, dips, and other snacks, so Stiles and Derek were focusing on the main courses. Stiles had nonchalantly brought up the steak situation, and Derek admitted, with a fierce blush, that he couldn't cook steaks on the old-fashioned charcoal grill. The last time he had attempted it, the newly-refurnished Hale house had almost been burned down. So, Stiles offered to cook the steaks. She and her father still had an old-fashioned charcoal grill that she had been cooking on since she was old enough to walk. It had been after Stiles got the steaks out that Derek suggested he bake a cake, since every time Stiles tried to cook any dessert other than ice cream, it ended in sorrowful ashes.
"Gender stereotypes be damned!" Derek heard Stiles shout as she ran outside with the first plate of steaks. He chuckled lightly to himself as he set about preparing for a half-chocolate, half-vanilla cake- the standard for holidays, or so he was told. Looking outside as he set the first cake in the oven, Derek frowned. Stiles was slaving over the hot grill, wiping sweat from her forehead and hands. Derek could hear his girlfriend's rasps as she struggled beneath the hot sun. It hadn't been that long, he knew, maybe only about fifteen minutes, but they were in the middle of summer in California. And Stiles was only human.
So, Derek grabbed two ice-cold water bottles from the fridge and made his way outside. Stiles jumped and squeaked when Derek held one of the bottles up to the back of her neck, but relaxed easily when Derek let the water drip between her shoulderblades. "Mm... Thanks, Der..."
The werewolf kissed Stiles's cheek as he came to her side, having her drink from the other bottle. "Maybe you should teach me how to do this, in case you're ever not around while we want more steaks." Derek would never admit to Stiles how he just wanted her to go inside before she got heatstroke again.
"Yeah, sure!" Stiles exclaimed happily, a white grin on her face. She quickly set about showing Derek all the parts of the grill, making sure he knew how to load the charcoal and let it cool, how to douse it when it got too hot and how to get the meat on without getting any black grit on it. She held his hands and let him flip the steaks, laughing when he dropped one on the ground. "We'll give that one to Scott." Derek enjoyed the marinade, mostly because the smell was good to his sensative nose and made his mouth water. Stiles laughed when Derek bit down on a raw steak absent-mindedly, chewing as he concentrated on flipping the steaks.
As soon as the steaks were done, Derek dragged Stiles inside the house. The cake was done only a short few minutes later, and the werewolf took it out and let Stiles sample a small piece before he set it aside. "I'm going to teach you to bake," Derek said strongly, nodding his head as he gestured for Stiles to gather the ingredients. Three broken eggs and two cups of spilt flour later, Stiles and Derek had a chunky-looking batter going. The two were covered in flour, sugar, and egg, but they only laughed and smiled as they mixed the batter up. Derek showed Stiles how to flour the pan and how to set the oven on a convection setting, explaining about the cycle of air that made the cake moist. He let her pour the batter, looking over how a good chunk of it somehow made it onto the floor and walls of his kitchen, and taught her how to test a baked cake to see if it was done or not.
By the time the pack arrived, Derek and Stiles were both terrible messes. The pack laughed at them, Scott and Isaac especially, before Lydia sent the two off to shower and change. Stiles and Derek sent each other meaningful looks as they parted ways to their separate bathrooms.
And if half of the steaks were charred a bit too much, and if one of the cakes was burnt to a crisp, none of the pack said anything because their Alpha and his mate were happily gazing into each other's eyes all night.
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