I don't own Teen Wolf.
Cut Out All The Ropes: Chapter 13
"I thought we'd put the present table over here," Lydia said, gesturing to the north end of the pool in her back yard, one hand on her hip. "We can set up the buffet table on the back porch."
Stiles nodded, his eyes staring unseeingly at the pool. He had both hands resting on his stomach as the red head paced in front of him.
"Allison and Erica are going to pick up the cake. I ordered a marble cake from Nina's; I know you can't make a decision to save your life so we might as well take the decision out of your hands," Lydia said with a wink, crossing the porch to where a large box sat on the patio table next to Stiles. "Now I have all kinds of pink, purple, blue and green balloons. I'm going to blow them up and fill the pool. Isaac should be bringing a helium tank soon for me so we can fill them and hang them around. I have a guest book, multiple collages of baby pictures of the two papa's. Did you know that Derek had baby pictures in storage? Those photo albums are fascinating. Luckily they were moved before the fire."
Stiles nodded again, running a hand through his hair as Lydia began pulling decorations out of the box. He wasn't really sure why he was there so early. It wasn't like Lydia was actually letting him do anything. Or make any decisions. He sighed, watching as Lydia's dog chewed on a small bone.
"Was there anything specific you wanted for the buffet table?" Lydia asked, pulling out a few lace paper lanterns and sitting them on the table as she dug deeper in the box. "Stiles? Stiles!" Stiles jumped as she threw a balloon at him. He blinked a couple times, turning to look at her with his head cocked to the side.
"Sorry, what?" he asked, idly rubbing his stomach.
"Are you okay?" Lydia asked, putting down a center piece and sitting down next to Stiles.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," he whispered, looking down at what he could see of his lap.
"You show up, smile, play along with the games I have planned, open presents and be thankful?" She said, a small smile on her face.
"What?" Stiles said, looking at her confused. He shook his head, sighing. "No, not about the party. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about my life. Derek being in my life specifically."
"What's going on, Muffin?" Lydia asked, looking concerned.
"Muffin?" Stiles said, his voice squeaking.
"What? I like it. Now spill."
"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. Am I supposed to forgive him? Am I supposed to trust him? What if he spaces out again? What if something happens to him? I mean he's an Alpha werewolf in a town crawling with hunters. Hell, Allison's mom is still after the pack; you can't convince me otherwise. I just don't know what I'm supposed to decide. Do I stay with my dad? Do I move in with Derek? Do I tell him all my fears and hopes and dreams? I mean I don't know, Lydia." He sniffed, groaning as his eyes started filling with tears. He rubbed roughly at his eyes, refusing to look at the girl next to him.
"Hey, hey. It's okay. It's okay to be confused and scared and worried. You've got a lot going on right now and you've got a lot of decisions to make. I'd be terrified, too, if I were you. You've got to stay strong for Derek and your dad and the pack and Thing one and Thing two," She said, giving him a small smile as she reached out to gently pat his stomach. "But Stiles, it's okay to let it out every once in a while. You don't have to keep this all inside. It's okay to be scared; your body is constantly changing, you're going to give birth to twins in a couple months. I don't even want to imagine how they're going to come out," Stiles flinched, snorting slightly as Lydia intertwined her fingers in his. "You're going to have two adorable babies that are going to rely on you. And while you don't have to do it alone, right now it's your decision that says how big of a role Derek plays in all three of your lives. That's a big deal, and you have every right to be terrified."
"I just don't know what the right choice is," Stiles whispered, laying his head back on the chair.
"Who says there's only one right choice?" Lydia whispered back, squeezing his hand again. "This is your life Stiles; whatever you choose is going to be right. But if you want my opinion…Give him another chance. Let him in. It doesn't have to be all at once; move at a pace you feel comfortable with. But I can promise you that Derek is only an ass to everyone because he's scared. I mean look what happened the last time he let someone in. But he really does care about you Stiles, and he wants to be with you. Just let him prove that to you."
"Really? Did you just play the Kate card? No fair!" Stiles sighed, wiping the last few tears from his eyes. "I hate hormones," he mumbled, trying to sit up a little straighter. "I guess I can try."
"That's my Muffin," Lydia said with a grin, standing up and ruffling Stiles' hair. "Now, what do you want on the buffet?"
"Pickles," Stiles said immediately. "And macaroni and cheese. And weenies wrapped in bacon. Oh and that tomato basil bread your mom makes. And lots of carrots and baked corn." Stiles stopped, rubbing his stomach as he licked his lips.
"Right…"Lydia said, rolling her eyes as she wrote down all his requests. "This isn't the most random menu ever. And do you know how long it takes to make weenies wrapped in bacon?"
"Just put Isaac to work tonight. We all know he's spending most of his time here anyway."
"What do you mean 'we all know'?" Lydia said, her hands on her hips as she squinted at her pregnant friend.
"By we all know, I mean the pack knows and Danny mentioned that when Isaac sneaks back to their house, he always smells like you," Stiles said with a shrug as he tried to push himself out of his chair. "Okay, I need help."
Lydia sighed, gently pulling Stiles out of the chair. He stretched, groaning at the twinge in his back.
"What time should I be here tomorrow?" he asked, smiling at Lydia.
"Sometime in the morning, preferably before 11, please. We should have everything set up by then." She smiled, pulling Stiles in for a hug. "Do you need a ride?"
"Nope," Stiles said with a grin. "Dr. Jeffer's says I'm good to drive for at least a while longer. Thanks for everything, Lydia. Seriously."
"It's the least I could do."
"Hey kid," Steve said, putting down the newspaper he was reading as Stiles waddled into the kitchen. "How'd things go with Lydia?"
"I finally get those weenies wrapped in bacon I've been wanting," Stiles said with a grin as he lowered himself into his chair. "I didn't really pay attention to much else. But she talked me through some stuff I've been thinking about."
"Derek?" Steve asked with a knowing smile.
"Uh, yeah…" Stiles trailed off, not meeting his father's eyes.
"And what have you decided?" Steve asked, taking a drink of his coffee.
"That I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing lately. Taking thing slow, letting him, listening to what he has to say and just see where things go. What can it hurt?" Steve nodded, taking another drink of his coffee.
"Have I told you lately how proud I am of you?" Steve said quietly after a few moments. Stiles head shot up, squinting as he looked at his father in surprise. Steve chuckled, leaning forward on the table as he met his son's eyes. "I'm not saying I'm proud that you had unprotected sex and got pregnant at the age of seventeen. I am, however, proud of how you've handled this whole process. I mean between the Adderall withdrawal, morning sickness, the car accident, everything with the Argent's and Derek and the pack. You've been so brave and I'm so proud of you. And these babies are going to be so loved and they will have the best father ever, even if that doesn't include Derek. If we have to, we'll make this work by ourselves, okay kid?"
"I, uh," Stiles mumbled, swallowing thickly and licking his lips. "I love you, Dad," he whispered, looking up with tears in his eyes. "I wish mom could be here."
"I do too, kid. I do too." Steve climbed to his feet, crossing the room to stand behind Stiles. He squeezed his son's shoulder, letting out a small smile. "But I'm sure that she would be just as proud of you as I am and that she'd love to spoil these kids rotten. Since she's not here, I guess I'll just have to cover that job for her. I love you, Stiles." Steve squeezed Stiles shoulder before leaving the room.
Later that night, Stiles lounged on his bed surrounded by baby books. He was holding a name book when someone knocked on his door. Stiles groaned, letting his head fall back on his pillow.
"Come in," he called, rubbing at his temples as his door opened slowly.
"You okay?" a voice came from the doorway, and Stiles looked up to see a worried Derek.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a bit of a headache. I've done a lot of thinking today." Derek nodded, quietly closing the door behind him. Stiles pushed a few of the books out of the way so Derek could sit next to him.
"What are you looking at?" Derek asked quietly, helping Stiles sit up again and gently rubbing at the knots in his shoulders.
"Baby names," Stiles said, holding up the book so Derek could see it. "Wanna help me pick out some good ones?"
"Sure," Derek said, a small smile on his face as he burrowed down into Stiles' pillows. Stiles hesitated for a moment, turning slightly to study Derek's face before shrugging and snuggling up to the older boy's side. "What have you been thinking?"
"I…I hope you don't mind, but I don't want to name them after any of our family. It's…I don't know how to explain this."
"It's okay. Just explain it the best you can," Derek said, reaching down to intertwine his fingers with Stiles'.
"It's just a lot of pressure, you know? It's like were asking them to live up to their namesakes reputation. So to name her after my mom, or your mom, or Laura, it's like were asking her to live up to the things they did. I just don't want to put that kind of pressure on them. I feel like they have enough to deal with being werewolves and kids, anyway. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I get that. I'm okay with not naming them after anyone in our family. Do you already have names picked out?" Derek asked, squeezing Stiles' hand, reaching out to help prop the book up on Stiles' stomach.
"A few. I thought I'd have options in case we didn't agree. Um, Mason?" Stiles asked, and Derek wrinkled his knows.
"Isn't that a Kardashian kid?" He asked, an eyebrow cocked.
"You know who the Kardashian's are?" Stiles asked, surprised. "Never mind. Alexander?"
"I…uh I had a nephew named Alexander who died in the fire…." Derek said quietly, looking away.
"Shit, sorry. I think I knew that but I forgot. Um…Noah? Aiden?" Derek was silent for a few moments before nodding.
"I like both of those. What about using Noah as a middle name? Aiden Noah Stilinski?"
"I was actually going to give them your last name," Stiles said, biting his lip as he glanced back to Derek. Derek's breath caught in his chest as his eyes grew wide.
"Seriously?" he asked, his voice coming out in a hushed whisper.
"Yeah. They're your kids. This is a way to carry on the Hale name. Besides, do you know how old I was when I finally figured out how to say Stilinski? Let alone spell it. Let's just say I was almost in double digits when Stilinski actually sounded like Stilinski."
"But what about carrying on the Stilinski name? I mean you're an only child."
"I have cousins," Stiles said with a shrug. "Maybe we can hyphenate it and let them go by Hale. We can talk about that later. But I like that name; Aiden Noah."
"One name down, now one to go," Derek said, kissing the side of Stiles' head.
"Isabella?" Stiles asked, grinning when Derek gave him a dirty look.
"No Twilight names," the Alpha deadpanned, rolling his eyes.
"Sophia?" Stiles suggested, burrowing closer to Derek's side.
"That sounds kind of old." Derek said, letting go of Stiles' hand so he could wrap it around the boy's shoulders.
"I really like Alexis," Stiles said, chewing on his lip while looking nervously at Derek. Derek mulled the name over before nodding his agreement.
"I like that name too. What about a middle name?" Derek asked, idly tracing circles on Stiles' arm.
"I thought maybe Lauren? I mean it's similar to your sister's name. And it was my mom's middle name. It's not quite the same as naming them after Laura or my mom. Or does that make my hypocritical?"
"No, no. I like Lauren. Alexis Lauren. I like it."
"What about you two?" Stiles asked, his voice wavering as he placed his free hand on his stomach. "Are you happy with your new names? Huh Aiden Noah and Alexis Lauren?" Derek grinned as Stiles continued to baby talk to his stomach.
"I've got a surprise for you tomorrow," Derek whispered close to Stiles' ear.
"Yeah?" Stiles asked, turning to him with a smile. "Are you coming to my shower tomorrow?" Stiles asked, rubbing the spot where a baby kicked.
"If you want me to," Derek said. "I stopped by to check on Isaac and Lydia had him wrapping bacon around weenies and was yelling at him about eating raw meat."
"Mmmm weenies wrapped in bacon. And you wolves are weird with meat."
"That's all you've got? Nothing about Isaac being wrapped around Lydia's little finger? She was laying out a list of things she needed him to do before you got there tomorrow and I'm pretty sure it was longer than my arm."
"That's Lydia," Stiles said with a shrug. He met Derek's eyes with a small smile on his face. "I used to be like that, but not anymore."
"Oh? What broke you of the habit?" Derek asked, a small smile on his face.
"Well, I decided to give the hot Alpha in my life another chance. So don't let me down, big boy. Now, I have to pee. Help me up." Derek snorted, gently helping Stiles' off the bed and watching him waddle out of the room.
AN: Thank you for all your support! The semester is over and I should be able to update a bit more often before classes start up again. I hope you liked it!