No matter how hard he tried, Derek couldn't convince Stiles to change his mind about taking everyone on an impromptu trip to Ikea. He even offered to buy the most expensive options in the catalog, but Stiles would not be swayed, especially when they found out Jackson, Lydia, and Isaac had never been before. And after Isaac got that hopeful glint in his eyes, Derek really couldn't say no.
They got the room finished and packed up in record time, skipping lunch since Stiles promised to treat everyone to Swedish meatballs with Derek's credit card, and hit the road. They stopped off at Allison's and Jackson's houses so they could exchange their cars for bigger ones and started the hour long journey to the blue and yellow beast.
Derek tried to convince himself that he wasn't looking forward to the trip, but Stiles' excitement from describing what they were heading into was kind of contagious. Isaac was sitting in the backseat of the Jeep lapping it up, like they were on their way to Disneyland instead of a furniture store. He should really think about taking Isaac to Disneyland though.
"You know this place is going to be insanely busy, right? Going to Ikea on a Saturday afternoon is a terrible idea," Derek said, glaring over at Stiles. He hated crowds, with all the sounds and smells. Derek was glad his pack had a good handle on their wolves, because it was easy to lose your cool in those situations.
"That's just part of the experience," Stiles grinned, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. He brought his lips next to his ear, his breath tickling him in an uncomfortably pleasant way. "If you're good, I'll share my ice cream cone with you."
"They have ice cream too?" Isaac asked in awe. He never minded their displays of affection, even if he pretended to in front of the others. Isaac had walked in on one of their makeout sessions enough times to become desensitized to it. And Derek thought he was pleased that they were happy enough to be kissing instead of fighting, unlike what he was used to. Isaac mentioned his mom even less than his dad, so he figured that was explanation enough.
"It's technically frozen yogurt," Derek grumbled, unable to stop himself from falling back into his typical grumpy role.
"But it's delicious!" Stiles insisted, flicking him on the shoulder. "They also have hot dogs and cinnamon rolls and tons of Swedish candy."
"How are we supposed to choose between those and the meatballs?" Isaac asked, practically salivating.
"Don't worry about that. The snack bar is near the exit, but we're getting lunch first. You can get both," Stiles chuckled.
"Shit, can I have my birthday party there?" Isaac laughed, leaning back in his seat. Derek was glad Isaac had automatically joined them in their car, instead of going with Scott and Allison. It wasn't like he thought they would do anything during the drive, but he knew he couldn't expect to have these quiet family moments for long. Derek wished he could've gotten Isaac years earlier.
By some miracle, the parking lot wasn't a madhouse. They were all even able to park together near the entrance. Stiles' face just oozed smugness.
"You got lucky this time," Derek muttered, slinking out of the car.
"Hardly. There's a new furniture store down the street having a grand opening with raffles and performers. Google is your friend," Stiles snarked, exiting on his side.
"When did you even-" Derek cut himself off, because what was the point in even asking? Stiles was always pulling knowledge out of his ass.
"This place is huge!" Isaac said in amazement, throwing an arm over Stiles' shoulders.
"More yellow? Gag me," Jackson scoffed, pulling off his sunglasses and squinting at the signs on the building.
"If that was an offer for someone to choke you, I'll gladly volunteer," Erica grinned, hopping up to ride on Boyd's back.
"Could we at least get some food before you guys ruin the trip for everyone?" Scott moaned, rubbing at his stomach.
"The next person who makes Derek frown will have to keep track of the list," Stiles commanded, making his way to the entrance arm in arm with Isaac.
"When is Derek ever not frowning?" Lydia asked.
"I smile," Derek growled, rolling his eyes at everyone's responding snorts.
"And Lydia wins the prize," Stiles called back.
"That's probably a good thing, since I'm the most organized, but what exactly am I keeping a list of?" Lydia questioned.
"You'll see when we get inside," Allison said, letting herself be dragged along by Scott. Stiles and Isaac were already halfway up the escalator by the time everyone got in the store, so they followed them up. Derek hadn't been here in years and it looked completely different, so he didn't want to get separated too much. This place was like a damn maze, guiding arrows on the floor notwithstanding.
"Who goes to a discount furniture store to eat lunch, honestly?" Jackson grumbled. Derek blew out a frustrated breath, trying to ignore Jackson's constant complaints. He knew what it was like to grow up with money, since his parents had been pretty powerful in the world of werewolves and finance, but they didn't let it change them. They used that money to provide for the pack and others who needed it. But Jackson had all his privilege handed to him and it showed. Derek was going to have to find out how to teach Jackson that bragging about something you hadn't even earned was embarrassing and to take pride in real achievements, instead of bullshit status.
The seating area wasn't very busy, but had a few families sprinkled here and there. It was probably weird to see a big group of almost all teens coming in to shop and eat. It wasn't exactly back to school time, when that would be less unusual.
"Everybody grab a tray and get what you want," Stiles said from the end of the line, shuffling everyone through. Derek sighed, thinking about how much money was going to be going toward meatballs of all things. Feeding a pack took a lot.
"Put everything on my card," Derek said, handing his credit card over to the cashier who was looking over at everyone with barely concealed alarm. She didn't say anything though, just nodding in acceptance. Derek went to the end of the line, looking over the options in resignation. He was kind of agreeing with Jackson at this point about the food. It looked like glorified cafeteria food at best.
"Lighten up, Papa Bear. I promise you'll love it," Stiles grinned, nudging him with his elbow.
"But it looks so slimy," Derek groaned, ignoring the glare he got from the server.
"Right. Tell me again about the high quality cuisine you had while living in dilapidated buildings," Stiles scoffed, grabbing an obscenely large slice of chocolate cake.
"I guess my boys have spoiled me with their delicious home cooking," Derek countered, relishing in the little pleased look Stiles gave him. It was true though. Derek would choose a meal made by Stiles and Isaac over the most prestigious restaurant any day.
"If you're trying to butter me up to get me to share my cake with you, it's working," Stiles muttered, sliding his tray further down the line. Most of the others had already gotten their food and were moving tables around so they could sit together. No crises so far.
As soon as Derek paid the surprisingly low amount for all the food, he joined them. Stiles had saved him a seat between himself and Isaac and he sank gratefully into it. Everyone was actually getting along and he was sure he caught a quick smile flash across Jackson's face, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. Why ruin the moment?
"This is my new favorite place," Isaac grinned around his mouthful of meatballs. His pup was so easy to please that it was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
"Come on Der, try some. You know you want to," Erica teased, twirling her fork in the air. Derek growled under his breath at her, stabbing a chunk a little harder than necessary. He might as well get this over with, before Stiles tried to fly a bite into his mouth like a parent does to their baby. It was known to happen from time to time. Derek took a cue from Stiles' technique and swirled the piece through the weird jam that came with it and shoved it into his mouth. He kept his face blank as he chewed, not wanting to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing he actually enjoyed it. It was no Stilinski's famous spaghetti and meatballs, but it was passable.
"I think Derek likes it," Isaac sing-songed, smiling like a Cheshire cat. He should've known he couldn't hide anything from these observant jerks.
"Keep it up and I won't share my cake with you," Derek grumbled.
"Your cake?" Stiles asked, scooting his plate further away from him.
"Don't worry, I'm already sharing with Scott and Allison," Isaac said smugly, sending a soft smile to the pair who were sitting next to him on his other side. Derek hoped that would be the only thing he was sharing with them for a while, but that was a talk for another time.
"Focus on your own balls, not theirs," Stiles whispered in his ear. All of the werewolves choked on their bites after hearing that.
"You're not as quiet as you think you are," Scott groaned, sending an exasperated look toward his best friend.
"Comment still stands," Stiles shrugged, shoveling in a mouthful of mashed potatoes.
"What did he say?" Lydia asked.
"You don't want to know," Boyd scoffed.
"How about no one talks so we can finish eating sometime today," Derek ground out, taking an aggressive sip of water. Everyone listened thankfully and continued eating in earnest. Isaac slid over a little so their arms were brushing against each other when they moved. Derek bumped him a little in acknowledgement, letting Isaac know he wasn't really upset.
"Patrick, eat your food so we can get going, okay?" a woman's voice called from behind Derek. He wasn't quite sure why he looked behind him, but when he did his breath caught in his throat. What could've been a miniature version of Isaac was sitting a few tables back, happily munching on a french fry.
One of the natural effects of being an Alpha with a mate was the drive to start a family. Not just turning others and creating a pack, but actually having pups of your own. Derek didn't think his would kick in so soon, since he and Stiles hadn't consummated their union yet, but that natural stirring in his heart that he'd felt for Isaac all along pretty much blew up once he stopped fighting his feelings for Stiles. He had a never-ending ache for his blood to be flowing through Isaac's veins and the reality that it never would was kind of devastating if he thought about it too much. Derek knew DNA didn't make family, but he still craved that connection. At least it was Derek's wolf that lived inside Isaac. And he had Isaac to focus his parental intentions on. Bringing up having kids to your teenage boyfriend didn't seem like the best plan. While Stiles had proven he was game for almost anything, Derek was sure Sheriff Stilinski wouldn't be pleased by the idea.
"Funny, the guy rushing everyone to eat is the only one not finished," Stiles said, snapping Derek from his thoughts. Thank goodness he'd turned back and started staring at his plate instead of at that kid. Getting banned from Ikea for being a creep wasn't on his to do list for the day. Sure enough, everyone else was stacking up their dishes to take to the cleaning racks, while he had half his plate full.
"What happened to sharing your cake with me?" Derek asked, stuffing his mouth full to catch up with everyone.
"You snooze, you lose," Stiles snorted, pushing his plate to the pile where Scott and Boyd were getting ready to carry everything over.
"I had to pay and didn't even get any cake?" Derek grumbled, swallowing down the last of his food just as Scott walked past to take his dish.
"Ah, the plight of the sugar daddy," Stiles sighed, grinning as he stood up and motioned back the way they came. Everyone followed except Isaac, who was darting his eyes at the rest of them. When the coast was clear, he pulled his hands up from where they were sitting in his lap holding a napkin. He shoved it into Derek's hands before shooting him a smile and scampering off to join the others. Derek unwrapped the paper and found a little piece of cake tucked inside. Isaac must've saved it for him when no one was looking. The subterfuge was completely unnecessary, but it still made Derek chuckle. The cake was good, but it was no Isaac's famous chocolate cake.