Stiles spent considerably more than ten minutes getting ready the next afternoon. He'd been up half the night alternately planning and worrying, before finally crashing out at four am... only to be woken up at 8 by a supposedly worried Scott, who'd just gotten his emergency text from more than twelve hours previously.

Team Werewolf was amazingly on the ball this week. If Peter had been planning something more homicidal, he would be gnawed on bones in a shallow grave by now. After calming his very annoying best friend down, and assuring him of Stiles' continued safety, he crawled back under the covers and planted his face in his pillow. He managed another three hours.

Eventually he made his way downstairs. It was almost noon, so he started lunch for him and his dad. Not that he actually cooked, per se. He could cook about five things well, and four of those were on the big giant list of shit his dad was not allowed to eat. So... he opened a can of low sodium soup, dropped that in the sauce pan to heat up while he sliced whole wheat bread and then pulled out the low fat cheese and the turkey versions of various lunch meats. He also pulled out the low-fat mayonnaise and as many vegetables as he could find.

He had the soup in cups, and the sandwiches mostly made, he was just debating whether or not to add chopped broccoli to the sandwiches... and deciding not to, when his dad started coming down the stairs. He slapped the low-fat mayonnaise on the lids and then started moving everything to the table as his dad trudged around the corner.

His dad took one look at the table and then spun around to look at Stiles. "What did you break and how much money do you need to bribe your way out of trouble?" He asked suspiciously, while backing slowly towards the sandwiches on the table.

Stiles grabbed two bottles of juice, laughing and followed him to the table. "I'll have you know this is all health-"

"No!" His dad barked, dropping to his seat.

"What?" Stiles asked, honestly confused.

"Whatever is on that plate looks and smells delicious. I don't want to know how healthy it is, what bean curd its actually made of, or how its going to add years to my life. I want to eat it and hope it tastes as good as it smells."

Stiles grinned and drank a sip of his soup before grabbing up half of his sandwich and taking a huge bite. He waited until his dad was halfway through his sandwich, and completely finished with his cup of soup before he started the conversation he knew needed to be held.

"You're working tonight, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I should be home by one or so, unless something comes up. Why?" He asked, eyes on his son, curious.

"I was just wondering. I'm not going to be here most of the evening, anyway. I uh, sort of have a date you know... tonight." He said, with faux casualness.

"Oh, that's... that's great, Stiles." His dad replied, pleased, but a little thrown. "Make sure you get her home before curfew. I'd hate to get a call from an irate parent, if you're late getting your date home." He grinned.

Stiles' face twisted a little at that, before he turned to look at his dad. "It's a him actually, and his parents aren't an issue, really. In either sense. I mean um, they passed away, and he's old enough to set his own curfew, or that is to not have a curfew, I mean." Stiles wasn't nervous about any one of the many issues. He knew his dad would be cool about the guy thing, and cool about the 'older' thing... within reason, but when you add it together with the whole 'accused him of murder' and 'person of interest' things? Well there were only so many cool points his dad could use up before he ran out, right?

"Is this the first time you've gone out with this person?" He asked taking another bite of his sandwich.

"We've hung out as friends, or friends of friends or whatever, but not romantically, until now." He answered carefully.

"So have I met this friend, or friend of friends or whatever?" Another bite.

This was the moment Stiles was actually worried about, but if this really was going to become a lifetime commitment, he wasn't going to start it out with lies to his dad. There were more than enough of those already. "Yeah, it's Derek Hale. I asked him to dinner, maybe a movie, if dinner goes okay."

His dad didn't say anything at first, chewed a bite of his sandwich slowly, methodically, while he considered the situation. "I guess you really did know him a little better than you said at first."

"I do now, Back then it really was us just kind of getting stuck together over some of Scott's drama, which is Scott's drama so I can't get into it, but I swear it wasn't anything illegal, but over the last year Derek and I have become friends. I know he's a little older than you're comfortable with, but after the fire, I think he kind of closed down for awhile. I pretty sure I'm only person he's dated since then. I know he hasn't seen anyone since he came back here, and well when your first girlfriend turns out to be responsible for killing most of your family..."

"Wait, him and the Argent woman?" His dad asked, derailed.

"From what I can tell, she used little bits of things you tell someone you're with, you know stories about what this sister did, or your uncle's hobbies, to find out what she needed to know in order to figure out the best time to kill them. She just decided they didn't deserve to live and killed them, and from what I can tell, she decided that before she started dating Derek."

"And Scott is dating her niece?" He asked. "Not that I blame her, or anything, but is that part of why Hale was around you two?"

"I think he was afraid Kate was gonna try to mess with Allison's head, make history repeat itself. Between what was going on back then, and how Allison's been acting lately, I can't say she didn't try. Allison's mom's suicide was like some kind of trigger. I think her Dad has her straightened out, and might be working on getting her to see a therapist or something, but for awhile there she was kind of scary. Scott and her are broke up. I just don't know if it's a permanent thing or not. I guess it depends on if she gets help, you know?"

"Yeah." He finished his sandwich. "So, and don't yell at me, does this whole date thing have anything to do with that girl from before, um... Lydia? with her being in love with someone else?"

"I think I already knew that she was in love with Jackson, I have for awhile. I honestly didn't think Derek would be interested, so I didn't let myself consider the possibility, and then I found some stuff out, and I think he found some stuff out. Like, I referred to him as a friend, and he got confused. Not because he didn't want to be friends, but because he didn't think I would want to be friends with him, because he doesn't seem to think he deserved it, with all the baggage from Kate. After all that, we kinda had this weird 'moment' thing, and I might have um... kissed him."

"Son... if he's that messed up still over-" His dad started, carefully.

Stiles cut him off. "I know we have to be careful about this. That's why I asked him to dinner instead of dragging him off to do things neither of us will ever EVER discuss. This date thing is us seeing if we'd be good together. Who knows, he might decide he can't handle being with a hyperactive spaz or I might decide his brooding is nerve-wracking, but if we do, we'll just back off and work on being friends instead. But, I really think we might be good for each other, and I didn't want this becoming one more thing I can't talk to you about."

"Son, you can talk to me about anything, I promise no matter what, even if my initial response is to yell and scream, I will hear you out and try to understand."

"I know Dad."

"If in the distant, much later, future, you decide to do any 'things we never ever EVER discuss', please be um... careful." He said, avoiding looking at Stiles, while gathering his plate and cup to put in the sink; his face red.

Stiles made a sort of choked off gulp hiss and began staring at his own plate. "Yeah, um... yeah. Will do." His own blush covering his face and down his neck. He stuffed the remainder of his sandwich in his mouth so he could avoid the need to speak anymore and started washing up the lunch dishes.

His dad clapped him on the back once, thanked him for lunch and fled the scene.