#also getting extremely sad realizing that the only jewish traditions i had the chance to share with them were their own funerals | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

stereksecretsanta · 4 years

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Merry Christmas, @alastairWright!

SOOOO this was hard to write because I am terrible at fluff. I didn't really do pining but i did cutsie. I really hope you like it!!!

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*****

A little dash of Hanukkah

The pack was all hanging at Derek’s. They had just made a treaty with the fresh-water mermaids that had migrated to the lake in the preserve and were now realizing. It was nice, Stiles thought; being surrounded by pack and no longer having life-threatening things happen every other week. The semester had just ended and there was a whole month before everyone disappeared to their own colleges for the spring semester. Stiles was glad everyone was back together. He didn’t realize the weight that had been on his chest being so far away from pack till they were all back together.

“What do y’all wanna do for Christmas?” Issac asked, “I mean it’s the first year we aren’t completely running for our lives. We should do something together.”

Everyone else piped up in agreement. Stiles felt awkward, he knew all his friends celebrated Christmas and Stiles had no problem with Christmas. He loved hallmark movies as much as the next guy but he was Jewish and this year the middle of Hanukkah was on Christmas. Stiles knew he would celebrate Christmas with the pack but he was sad they probably wouldn't want to participate in his traditions.

“Yeah we should do a secret Santa and we can put up a tree!” Scott added excitedly.

“We can do dinner on the 27th, it’s after Christmas so we should all be done with celebrating with our families,” Lydia piped up.

“I can’t do dinner,” Stiles stated.

Stiles and his dad always spend every evening of Hanukkah together, it was the only holiday his dad made sure to take off every evening. Hanukkah this year didn’t end till the 30th and Stiles wasn’t going to miss out on it with his dad.

“Why not, your staying in town. Why wouldn’t you be free?” Erica butted in, a pout set on her face.

“It’s the sixth day of Hanukkah, I can’t do dinner. I can do it before, but dinner doesn’t work for me. I’m Jewish,” Stiles replied as he crossed his arms defensively.

“Oh okay,” Erica mumbled looking down at her lap.

“Okay, we will do breakfast then,” Derek leaving no room for argument even as a few of the pack members groaned.

Stiles was fine with it. He was able to celebrate the packs holiday but not have to compromise his own traditions. Stiles knew that if the pack had fought for dinner Stiles would have caved so he was extremely grateful for Derek alpha-ing and making it a breakfast.

After that was settled they turned on a movie and spent the rest of the evening together. Stiles spent a lot of it texting his dad and making a shopping list. He tried to rotate not only traditional Jewish Hanukkah dishes and Polish dishes. He had a steady list and he knew he had to get one more gift for his dad. He was at the long table Derek had bought for pack meals when Derek sat next to him.

“I didn’t know you were Jewish,” Derek started.

Stiles shrugged, “It didn’t come up. My parents are Jewish so, so am I.”

“We are pack we should know these things about each other,” Derek pushed lightly.

“Well, you know now. I’m an Orthodox Jew, happy,” Stiles smiled uncomfortably at Derek.

He didn’t like talking about it. For him, it was always private something he did with his family, his mom.

“Okay,” Derek responded, “What are you doing right now?”

“Making a list, I cook for Hanukkah. My dad is helpless in the kitchen. I always mix Traditional Jewish dishes with some traditional Polish dishes. I’m making a shopping list. I also have one more gift to get my dad I only have seven right now. I don't know what to get him but I have a little time. It’s not like big gifts are a Hanukkah thing, I’ll go to the store and find something.”

“If you need help cooking I am pretty good in the kitchen.” Derek offered.

Stiles looked at Derek, his head tilted. Derek had grown a lot since first being the alpha more mellow and relaxed but Stiles was still always surprised by Derek's offer to help.

“It’s okay you don't have too.”

Derek just nodded in response. Everyone left the loft shortly after their conversation. Stiles drove home, his mind whirring. He left like his brain was going in twenty different directions. His next week was going to be busy and hectic. There was no way around it. He arrived home, mumbling under his breath as he headed up to bed. Hanukkah started tomorrow and there was still so much to do.

There was a knock on the door. Stiles had just been preparing to leave to go grocery shopping. He had one shoe on and a piece of toast hanging from his mouth when he opened the door. Stiles froze. Derek was standing on his doorstep, shifting awkwardly. A neatly wrapped gift in blue and white wrapping paper with little menorahs clenched tightly in his hands.

“Um... you used the door,” Stiles said blankly, his brain shorting out.

“Yeah, I got you a gift,” Derek awkwardly thrust the gift towards Stiles.

“Oh thanks, you wanna come in,” Stiles offered, standing partly to the side to let Derek in.

Derek walked in and Stiles took the gift from his hands.

“What’s this for?” Stiles asked.

“Hanukkah, I want to make sure your holiday is celebrated,” Derek spoke softly his ears tinged pink.

“Oh thanks,” Stiles felt a blush creep up his face.

Stiles accepted the gift. Carefully opening it to reveal a cable-knit sweater. It was a light blue with snowflakes on the shoulders and the neck-line. He picked it up, the yarn was soft and the sweater looked warm. He felt warmth bloom in his chest and his heart constrict. He pulled it out of the box, holding it up.

“Thanks, Derek,” Stiles spoke, his voice thick with unspoken emotion.

“Your welcome,” Derek ears tinged with pink, looking down at his hands.

Stiles knew Derek didn’t really do Christmas in general and for him to go out of his way to celebrate Stiles. They met each other’s gaze, heat pooling between them.

“Are you going to do this every day of Hanukkah then?” Stiles joked trying to break the weird tension that had started between them.

“Of course I am,” Derek looked at Stiles seriously.

Stiles swallowed, a blush rising on his cheeks, “Oh, why?”

“You deserve to be appreciated, especially your heritage. It’s important,” Derek explained.

“Thanks, Derek, I appreciate it,” Stiles told him seriously. It meant more than Stiles could express.

Stiles glances quickly at the wall where the clock was. Crap he was running late.

“Sorry, Derek I have to go to the store,” Stiles stood up quickly.

“Of course, I’m glad you like the sweater,” Derek told him shyly, looking down at his shoes.

Throughout the week Derek showed up every morning with a gift. They were all small and sweet. Stiles hadn’t felt so loved by someone before. Derek and him had been building to something for months but Stiles had been to scared to step over the unspoken line. But this past week had changed something in Stiles. Even without the gifts, Derek had come over a few times to help him cook meals. Derek had been asking questions about Stiles and his dad’s traditions and the meaning behind them. Stiles hadn’t had a friend ever take that much interest in him. Scott never cared and still asked him what he and his dad were doing for Christmas every single year. He felt warmth in his chest. Watching Derek meticulously make the recipes and follow Stiles’s instructions while they moved around each other was something else. It felt like they were like planets orbiting each other this past week. The build was coming to a head and Stiles was scared but excited scared. Stiles’s heart leaped every time the doorbell rang and was so excited for the small gifts. Derek put thought into every gift down to the wrapping. The care that Derek had put into it was so much.

He hadn’t seen Derek since yesterday morning when he dropped off his gift and was now about to walk into the diner the pack was meeting for brunch. It looked like he was the last to arrive, the rest squished into a big corner booth in the back. Stiles slid in right next to Derek who had previously been in one of the end spots.

“Hey guys sorry for running late,” Stiles apologize picking up his menu.

The pack gave a chorus of ‘okay’ and ‘it’s fine’.

Brunch was nice, it was soothing. He was able to relax and enjoy the time with his friends. They were able to hang out and just have fun. Everyone was able to share what they did for Christmas and the fun they had. Stiles was also able to share some of what Stiles and his dad had done together during the holidays. As Stiles was leaving the diner after brunch Derek called his name.

“Yeah,” Stiles looked up.

“Here you go,” Derek handed him another neatly wrapped gift.

“Thanks,” Stiles blushed opening the box, inside two movie tickets, “Is this the new Star Wars movie tickets? Thanks, I hadn’t gotten a chance to see it yet.”

“I know, I was thinking we could go together,” Derek shrugged his shoulders.

Stiles beamed, “I would love it.”

“Great it's a date,” Derek smiled softly back.

Stiles nodded dumbly. Derek said it was a date. They were going on a date. It was happening. Derek just nodded back and went to his car, driving away while Stiles still stood there dumbly. He was ecstatic, he couldn’t wait. The tickets were for Friday and Stiles couldn't wait for the start of whatever adventure for them was to come. This thing between them was building and it had come to head and Stiles could not wait.

#alastairWright #stereksanta14 #*fics19 #*gifts19

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