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Derek woke with a start covered in sweat on Melissa McCall’s couch, his partners curled up on the floor in front of him watching some movie. Derek felt a little bad about falling asleep because he promised Stiles he would watch whatever was playing, but the heat was too much. He got up to pee and get some water, shaking his head to try and push the sleep away. He yawned as he filled his cup full of water, rubbing his face. They were all there to not only celebrate the 4th of July and Melissa’s birthday a few days later, but they were also there on business. After being together for over a year, Stiles and Scott had convinced Derek to open a restaurant; the only thing they were arguing about was whether to open it in Beacon Hills or in their college town. Derek went into the living room drinking the water as Stiles got up stretching. He smiled warmly at Derek and held his hand out for the glass, which Derek handed over after a second.
“Doing ok, Bear?” Stiles asked as he took the water. Derek nodded and shifted his weight to his other leg, his hand brushing over a much thicker thigh than when he first met Scott and Stiles. In the past year and a half he had put on quite a bit of weight between Scott and Stiles consistently feeding him baked goods as well as the time it took to complete his thesis. Working out had become little more than a fantasy, but Derek didn’t mind really because he liked how the added weight gave him curves under his favorite mini-skirt.
“Yeah… What time is it?” Stiles checked his phone.
“Almost two, no wonder I’m starved. You hungry?” Derek nodded a little.
“We should get pizza,” Scott mumbled from Stiles’s lap and Stiles looked up at Derek with raised eyebrows.
“We could go to Fulton’s Pizza,” Derek suggested and Scott sat straight up.
“Oh, fuck yeah!” He shouted and they all got up to change out of their pajamas quickly, piled into Stiles’s Jeep, and drove to the restaurant where they got pizza and beer. They brought the leftovers home for Melanie, Melissa’s girlfriend, in case she woke up hungry. When they got back, Scott and Derek sat on the couch playing Harry Potter Legos on the PS3 while Stiles made his mom’s famous macaroni salad which was, in reality, nothing like his mom’s but it was tradition. One day just after his mom died, Stiles came home from school to find his dad curled up on the couch cradling a bottle of scotch and blanketed by an old photo album, snoring. Some how Stiles got it into his head that the best thing that would cheer up his dad was to make his mom’s macaroni salad. At first he tried to find the recipe, but after twenty minutes he gave up and assembled as many ingredients as he could remember: macaroni, mayonnaise, pickles, frozen peas, and little chunks of cheese. As he stood in front of the open fridge, he tried to remember what else, and started grabbing things at random including carrots, peppercinis, pepperoni, and some pickled jalapenos. The Sheriff woke up an hour later to a plate of salad being placed on his chest, and he couldn’t remember a time when he was prouder. After that it was just sort of a thing.
By the time Stiles finished the salad, Melanie had come down and grabbed some pizza and sat in the living room watching Scott and Derek play the game while Stiles cleaned up and texted his dad asking about dinner plans. Melanie still sometimes felt completely out of the loop when it came to Scott and his friends, and had absolutely no idea as to what to do with Stiles because he was her boss’s son, but slowly over the last few months she’d learned to relax because Stiles was so different from what she expected from listening to Melissa, the Sheriff, and Chris talk about him and the things he got up to as a teenager. She absolutely adored Derek if only because he was quiet and didn’t constantly try to give her a hard time, unlike Scott and Stiles.
Stiles tossed his phone to the counter where it clattered loudly making the others jump.
“Sorry,” he said. “My dad wants us to do the shopping for tomorrow.”
“I hope he is paying, cause your dumbass is broke!” Scott called as he paused the game, getting up and stretching.
“He is; he has a list and some money for us at the station.” Stiles grabbed his wallet and keys. “Let’s go! Bye Melanie!” They waved, calling out their goodbyes as they followed Stiles to his Jeep. They stopped at the Sheriff’s station, got the list and money, and took off again.
At the grocery store they wandered together getting the different things. Derek pushed the cart, staring at the list and crossing things off as Scott or Stiles put things into the cart. He was so busy shopping at first he didn’t even notice the small band of children following them around, giggling, but the fourth aisle, Derek bolted out of the aisle leaving Scott and Stiles to stare after him, brows furrowed.
“What was that all about?” Scott asked as he caught up to Derek putting six bags of marshmallows in the cart.
“Really, Scott?” Stiles scoffed and tossed in four more bags of marshmallows.
“I don’t know,” Derek said slowly before turning around, tugging his skirt down. At school no one cared. The university and town saw all sorts, and Derek never felt like a spectacle. They went down another aisle and they were back, the band of kids. Scott stopped the three of them before they could run off. They were maybe twelve or thirteen years old.
“Can we help you with something?” Scott asked. “Where are your parents?”
“Are you trans?” One of the youngsters asked Derek over Scott’s shoulder. The one who came forward was wearing baggy shorts and a backwards baseball hat and cotton t-shirt.
“Yes,” Derek mumbled as Stiles stepped closer, watching them.
“Are you- are you a trans woman?” The child asked and Derek turned fully around, cheeks burning slightly.
“This is not something I am comfortable- Where are you parents?” Derek asked causing the kid to blush too.
“Uh, I’m sorry. My dad works with the Sheriff and I heard weird things about you.”
“What’s your name?” Derek asked.
“My name is Ah- Liam. My name is Liam.” The kid paused. “And I’m a trans boy.”
“You’re Dunbar’s kid,” Stiles interjected and Liam nodded a little. Derek took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I don’t really feel comfortable- that is, the aisle of a grocery store is not the place to talk about-” Derek started again but Stiles jumped in.
“Liam, Didn’t my dad invite your folks to our barbeque?” Stiles asked, and Liam perked up a little.
“Yeah! Are you going to be there, Derek?” Liam asked and Derek sighed, closing his eyes.
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Will- Can we talk more then?” Liam asked excitedly.
“Uh, I guess,” Derek said. “So long as you and your friends stop chasing me around the store, giggling.” Liam blushed deeper.
“Sorry about that. See you tomorrow…” He and his friends rushed off leaving Derek to gape at Stiles and Scott who just laughed softly.
“Wow, that was so weird…” Derek said shaking his head a little. They got the rest of the shopping done without incident.
The next day Derek wore plain jeans and a tee but full make up and felt nervous. Every time someone came up to him, he thought for sure it would be Liam but was totally surprised when a young woman in a light blue dress with long curling hair tugged timidly on Derek’s sleeve.
“Can I help you?” Derek asked and the girl bit her lip.
“It’s me, Derek… Liam. From yesterday.” Derek tried to keep his face neutral. Liam giggled nervously. “I’m not really out… To my parent… and…” Derek bit his lip a little.
“Is it safe for you to be seen talking to me?” He asked seriously and Liam nodded.
“Like my parents are even going to notice me…” Derek took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Ok. So, do you, like, have questions? I don’t know if I have all the answers…” Derek started.
“How did you tell your parents?” Liam asked and Derek grimaced a little.
“I was at college. They saw me in a skirt and make up. It- It wasn’t pretty. We haven’t talked in a year and a half…” Derek said and Liam’s face fell a little.
“Oh,” Liam sighed.
“That’s not to say that your parents won’t react differently. You’re what, twelve? Thirteen?” Derek asked.
“Thirteen.”
“Right. I’m twenty-six. My parents found out when I was eighteen. That was almost a decade ago; so many things have changed since then. Laverne Cox is practically a household name,” Derek explained and Liam sighed, his face falling. “I’m just saying… It’s a different time. It’s not to say it isn’t still hard or that your parents might reject you or a hundred other things… just that it’s different.” Derek squeezed Liam’s shoulder. Someone came and gave them cups of water and some burgers. “Yesterday you asked me if I was a trans woman… Where…?”
“Oh, my dad said you were trans and wore skirts, but called you he, so I assumed he was misgendering you,” Liam explained.
“Ah. No. Agender.” Liam nodded a little, biting his lip.
“Sorry,” Liam said and sighed. “I’ll just-” Scott came bouncing over to them.
“Hey, Bear! Why you been hiding? Hey, Dunbar!” He smiled at Liam who beamed a little.
“Just talking…” Derek shrugged a little as a couple came over to them. Liam smiled up at them.
“Gotta go…” Liam said. “I’ll find you later…”
“Oh-kay…” Derek said and Liam rushed off, Scott raising an eyebrow at Liam who waved rushing off.
“Were you like that as a kid?” Scott asked and Derek just laughed.
“Not at all.” They wandered over to Stiles and talked for a while before Liam made his way back over.
“Hey, the fireworks are about to start, but here, take my number and text me! I- just- advice-” Derek took the crumpled napkin and nodded.
“I’ll text you right now.” Liam smiled and ran off as Derek pulled out his phone to input the numbers and text Liam.
Any time you need me, just text or call. I’ll help with whatever I can… He sent and turned to watch the fireworks with his partners. The fireworks were amazing and they had a great view from the Stilinski backyard. After they were done, a lot of people left, particularly those with small children. Liam texted him as they left with their parents.
Thanks Derek! Promise to not abuse this! Derek looked at Scott and Stiles biting his lip. That night as they lay in bed, Derek couldn’t stop thinking about Liam.
“What are Liam’s parents like?” Derek asked the ceiling and Stiles sighed a little.
“Don’t really know…” He said. “His dad transferred in after we went to college… But his dad is one of the few my dad invites from the office after he started dating Chris, so…” Derek sighed and rolled on his stomach.
“You worried about Liam?” Scott asked and Derek shrugged a little. “He’ll call you when or if he needs help, I’m sure…” Scott kissed Derek’s cheek. “Let’s go to sleep.”
A few days later, Derek was at the grocery store alone buying some stuff to replace what he, Stiles, and Scott had eaten at Melissa’s when he ran into the Sheriff and Chris.
“Hey, Derek!” The Sheriff hugged him and Derek waved at Chris.
“Hey,” Derek said. “Thanks again for having me over, Sheriff.” The Sheriff laughed.
“Any time…” He said. “Glad you had a good time…”
“Can I- Can-” Derek bit his lip. “What- Li- Dunbar- What do you know about the Dunbars?”
“Uh… They’re good people. Jack was one of the few who didn’t really care when I started dating Chris… Why?” He asked and Derek shook his head a little.
“I met their kid…”
“Alex,” Chris offered and Derek made a face.
“A good half of the town has seen her in her ‘tom boy’ outfits…” The Sheriff said gently but Derek kept scowling.
“And what if it’s more than that? Will- will everything be ok?” The Sheriff looked at Chris and then back at Derek.
“Um, I don’t- It should be ok?” The Sheriff managed. “I don’t honestly know. We aren’t exactlly close chums.” Derek bit his lip.
“You’ll keep an eye out for Li- Alex, right?” Derek asked and the Sheriff nodded a little.
“Yeah, Derek, no worries. There…” The Sheriff started slowly. “Do you know something?” Derek shook his head, no. “And even if you did, would you tell me?” Derek shook his head, no again. The Sheriff rolled his eyes. “I see how you fit in so well with Scott and Stiles…” Derek laughed a little.
“Everything is fine…” Derek tried to laugh, but it sounded hollow. “Promise.” They talked for a few more minutes before parting ways.
The next day Derek helped Scott and Stiles make her favorite dinner of sopes and triple chocolate cake for her birthday. The only bad part was Melissa had to work a double, which was a rarity now, but it was still what it was.
“Should we get wine?” Derek asked and Stiles shook his head, no.
“My dad and Chris are coming for dinner, too, and they are bringing beer,” he explained and Derek nodded a little. “Did you sign the card?” Stiles asked. They were cleaning as it was way too early to start dinner and they were totally bored because Scott had kicked them out while he baked the cake.
“No…” Derek muttered, and Stiles huffed a little. “I’m sorry but it says mom and while I love Melissa dearly, she is not my mom…” Stiles stopped wiping the coffee table with his rag.
“Oh… I never thought- I’m sorry…” Stiles managed but Derek just shook his head.
“I didn’t expect you to…” Derek said, and Stiles started rubbing the table some more. Derek sighed and turned to start fighting with the vacuum cleaner.
After the front room was done, they poked their noses into the kitchen and Scott smiled at them warmly.
“You two are just in time to lick the beaters!” He exclaimed and the two rushed in grabbing a beater a piece and immediately began to bicker about who had more batter until Scott pointed out there was still the bowl and they both scrambled for it, laughing. When Chris and the Sheriff showed up later both Derek and Stiles were in the shower after a batter ward leaving Scott to clean the kitchen and do prep all by himself.
“What time is your mom coming home?” The Sheriff asked, Scott looked up at the clock and sighed.
“In about forty minutes. I hope Derek and Stiles come down soon..” Scott said and pulled out some veggies to start chopping.
“Can we help?” Chris asked, and Scott nodded.
“Do you wanna brown the meat or chop veggies?” Scott asked. By the time Stiles and Derek came down stairs, Chris was finishing up the meat while Scott finished off the vegetables.
“Did we miss out on everything?” Stiles asked and laughed a little.
“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” Scott accused, eyes narrowed and Derek blushed a little, adjusting his long skirt and purposefully not looking at his partner.
“I’ll set the table and Derek can put up the banner…” Stiles offered and grabbed some plates. Scott rolled his eyes, sighing as he added more spices to the meat. Melanie came in a few minutes later wearing a soft white t-shirt and old, holey blue jeans.
“Your mom is gonna be so happy…” Melanie said stealing a bottle of beer from the fridge. “I can’t cook worth shit…”
“My mom taught me everything I know…” Scott said smiling as Melanie stole a tomato and some cheese. The front door opened and Scott dropped his spatula. “Happy birthday, Mom!” They hugged tightly while the others shouted, “Happy birthday!”
“Let me just go change and we can get this party started…” Everyone laughed and Melanie handed Melissa an open beer. “My hero!” Melissa hugged and kissed Melanie. They went upstairs while everyone else talked amongst themselves. A few minutes later, Melissa came back down in shorts and t-shirt, her long hair tied back in a long braid.
Everyone had a great time at the party. Melissa absolutely loved the sopes and couldn’t stop talking all night about how proud she was of him and his partners. They talked about the diner they were planning to open, debating back and forth between Beacon Hills or not. After dinner they all watched Big Hero which Chris and the Sheriff had bought for Melissa while eating cake and ice cream. Soon after the movie ended Melissa went to bed and Melanie went to work. Stiles and Derek cleaned up while Scott stretched out on the couch playing Harry Potter Legos.
When they went up to bed, Derek started thinking about Liam and his parents once agian.
“Maybe we should open here…” He said outloud.
“People will always talk about us…” Stiles slurred and Scott hummed in agreement.
“Yeah, but is that so bad?” Derek asked.
“Is this about Liam?” Stiles asked, and Derek shrugged a little.
“And so what if it is?” He asked.
“You can’t save everyone…” Stiles pointed out and Derek sighed.
“I just keep thinking about how if there was someone, anyone who looked like me growing up, how different things could have been…” Derek murmured and Scott rubbed Derek’s stomach.
“Well, we’ll always have a couple of regulars…” Stiles mumbled into his pillow and Derek rubbed his back.
“We’ll talk about it more later…” Derek leaned over and kissed the side of Stiles’s head. They fell asleep in a tangle of bodies.
***
Eight months later, Derek locked the front door to the new McHaleinski Diner in Beacon Hills. Whatever reservations Stiles were dampened by the idea of living so close to his family. They had all found the perfect spot just off the main square. None of them had any real money, but a bank gave them a loan when Sheriff Stilinski himself cosigned the hefty loan with them. The banker who helped them, Thomas Williams, had known Scott and Stiles since they were little boys; most people thought they were crazy, but then they threw a party where everyone could come sample the baked goods to show what the town would be getting, and suddenly everyone was counting down the minutes to opening day.
There were of course some who worried about Derek and his clothes and makeup which was further confused by the fact that no one in town knew who was dating who and all that that implied, but overall, it was to be expected, and they were all happy when the restaurant hired some local teens for bussers and such. When Liam found out they were moving to Beacon Hills, he sent Derek a text vowing to come to the diner everyday.
Schmidt helped them immensely, hooking them up with all his favorite distributors and suppliers, helping the get dishes and silverware and everything. Three days before they opened, Schmidt came up to see how things were going, they thanked him profusely, but he just shook his head.
“If Claudia hadn’t- If your parents hadn’t helped me, I don’t know where I would have ended up…” Schmidt finally said during a lull. “I’m really proud of all of you…” They all blushed.
“Thanks,” Stiles murmured and Scott smiled a little at him. “I can’t wait for opening day.
Derek felt anything but ready, but Stiles and Scott were extremely excited. Derek woke up at 3 a.m. on opening day and couldn’t go back to sleep so he got up and decided to go for a run which turned quickly into a jog which was really more of a walk. He walked a couple of miles, and it took him an extremely long time to do his short circuit that used to go by in a matter of minutes, but it didn’t really matter because he had to pass by the diner and his heart swelled when he saw what they had accomplished. They would all be working there. Stiles was going to help wait tables, Scott cook, and Derek was going to be the host/ess/waiter/cashier depending on how busy things got. It was a small space, but that was good for them just starting out. There were twenty two tables, and ten bar stools. It was crowded, but perfect. If they needed more room they could always move--or just, you know, plain expand. Derek stood outside the building, panting a little, pouring with sweat, but none of that mattered because this was his life now.
He went back to their small apartment and took a shower. By the time he got out, he could hear them in their shared bedroom blowing off steam in their own way so he just flopped on the couch and played on his phone while he waited for them to finish. Sometimes he’d go up with them and watch, sometimes not, but this sounded like they were almost through anyways, so he didn’t even bother. Mostly he liked the beginnings any way, because often they would pull him into the make out parts before sliding away after a while to get wrapped up in themselves. Derek was right about this morning though, because a few seconds later, Stiles grunted loudly and was followed quickly by Scott, the sounds of squeaking bed and slapping skin ceasing. Derek listened to them as they got up together and showered before he got up and went to pull on clothes. He found his favorite green t-shirt and soft grey striped skirt, decided he didn’t really care that they didn’t go together. By the time the others got out of the shower it was almost five and they had to get going soon so they could open on time at 8:30.
“Is that what you’re wearing?” Scott asked as he came down the steps in jeans and a t-shirt. Derek blinked and nodded a little. Scott and Stiles had never commented on Derek’s clothes in a negative manner. “You look good,” Scott said and kissed Derek on the mouth. Derek sighed, his muscles releasing. “Stiles, we’re going to leave without you if you don’t come down now!”
“I don’t know what to wear!”
“Derek is going casual! Jeans and a t-shirt! Just hurry! We have a lot of prep to do!” Scott called back as his phone went off. He glanced at it before answering. “Hi, mom.” Pause. “No, we’re not there just yet…” Pause. “Stiles can’t decide what to wear.” Pause. “Casual. We’ll be there soon. Love you, mom.” He hung up. “My mom is already there! Let’s go!”
“Fuck you!”
“He already did that today!” Derek called up and Scott about died laughing.
“I know where you sleep Hale!” Stiles grumbled as he came down the stairs in a holey Star Wars t-shirt and jeans. Scott made a face.
“When I said casual…” Scott started and Stiles groaned turning back around. And around and around. He went to where Derek was sitting and flopped next to him shoving his face in Derek’s stomach.
“I just don’t- I can’t…” Derek squeezed Stiles’s neck.
“Why don’t you just wear your new Captain America shirt?” Derek suggested and Stiles groaned some more.
“Fine…” He grunted and got up, and went upstairs to change his shirt. By the time they got to the diner, they were fifteen minutes late, Chris, the Sheriff, Melanie, and Melissa stood waiting outside eating coffee and donuts.
“I think I’m insulted,” Scott said as he pulled the keys out of his pocket.
“Haven’t you heard of second breakfast?” Chris asked and they all laughed.
“You, sir, are no hobbit…” Scott said rolling his eyes and letting them all in. Stiles and Derek gratefully accepted the proffered coffee and Stiles even stole a few bites of the Sheriff’s donut as they walked in. The next few hours they all ran around prepping food, the coffee, making sure the silverware was all ready. The parents sat at a table watching the youngsters run around, laughing when Scott took away the tail end of the prep, not wanting other customers to see it, so he claimed. They were ready at 8:27.
“I’m gonna puke,” Scott muttered as he stood with Scott and Derek behind the counter, staring at the door where a good handful of about 20-30 people stood smiling and talking animatedly.
“We’re gonna be fine…” Stiles squeaked, face pale. Derek stared at his watch, eyes following the second hand ticking. He felt about as good as Stiles looked.
“Ninety seconds!” Derek muttered.
“Do you think we can just go tell them it was all a clever ruse?” Stiles asked. “Just you know, ha ha, Scott can’t actually cook, we just made it up. All that food came from Krispy Kreme.” Scott glared at Stiles, murder glinting in his eyes. Stiles smiled widely at his partner. “I’m just kidding, don’t kill me!” He kissed Scott’s cheek.
“One minute!” Derek said louder and the group of parents looked over at them and laughed.
“Whose idea was it to invite them?” Stiles grumbled.
“Yours,” Scott muttered back and they stepped back from each other eyeing the crowd.
“Who is going to open the door?” Derek asked and both Stiles and Scott pushed him forward a little.
“You, the host/ess are…” Scott said and Derek turned around, eyes wide.
“That’s your towns people out there!” He muttered.
“Yeah, well your biggest fan is out there…” Scott pointed out and Derek turned back around to find Liam and some of his friends staring in at them.
“You’re a minute late…” The Sheriff called over to them, and Scott nudged Derek harder.
“Go!” Stiles called and Derek went to the front door smiling. He took a deep breath and unlocked the door stepping back to pull the doors open it and let the first customers in.
“Hi, welcome! Hello! Please be seated wherever, and Stiles or I will be right with you. Welcome, thank you for coming,” Derek called as the people streamed in and found seats. Many people had come in groups, which meant that while there were a lot of people, there were still about ten tables free. Derek closed the door and turned to start helping take orders.
The first morning was pretty crazy. Derek kept trying to steal Stiles’s orders, but Scott was on it, telling him which orders were his and which were Stiles’s. They found they hadn’t quite prepped enough, but Melissa had the day off from the hospital, so she helped out in the kitchen periodically. Derek made more coffee than he had ever in his entire life, and after spilling it on his hands and onto a table for the third time in twenty minutes, he briefly regretted all of his life’s decisions up to that point (well other than falling into the relationship he was in with Scott and Stiles, but that had led him here, so…), but when he went to hide in the kitchen for a moment, Scott kissed him and handed him one of his world famous eclairs.
“Even if you scare away all our customers with hot coffee, I would still love you,” he murmured and Derek laughed a little as he pulled Scott close. After eating the eclair, Derek went back to the dining room and kept working. Finally about 10:30 everyone had cleared out, work and school taking them elsewhere. Derek wished he could just sit, but he there was lunch prep to do, silverware to prep and tables to wash down.
Eleven to one-thirty saw another rush of people, but then there was an hour to relax and prep after that. The three of them ate at a table with the parents feeling more exhausted than excited or nervous any more, but they were almost done with their first day.
At two-thirty, a few students came in wide eyed. Some just bought pastries and coffee to go, others found seats, pulled out homework, and ordered sodas and fries. Liam was amongst the group to stay despite having come in that morning. Derek made sure to wait on his table, sneaking them extra fries and even contemplated getting them milk, but decided that would be too weird.
By the time the dinner rush started around 4:30, the students had cleared out and families and couples were back. Work was steady all the way to closing at eight, and by the time the last customer paid and left, Derek wanted nothing more than to crawl into a booth and sleep for a week, but of course it was just time for after dinner clean up. He had been periodically been going around wiping tables and flipping chairs so largely all he had left was to count his drawer, make sure the bussers were filling the napkins, salt, and pepper, and such. Derek was going to mop when they were gone. Stiles was in the kitchen helping clean there while another busser did dishes.
By the time everything was done, it was almost ten, and they were all exhausted as they wandered home only to crash into their bed and fall asleep almost immediately.
It took them about two weeks to find a good rhythm and to not leave every night feeling bone crushingly exhausted and to start actually enjoying their work. So far as any of their worries about anyone having issue with their queerness, no one had come in and harassed them, so they just counted it as a win and moved on.
By that point, Liam had established a pattern and had a regular booth. Derek and Stiles could tell what he wanted just by watching him through the window and the time of day he came in. His clothes varied so drastically between super femme and hyper masculine that Derek knew he hadn’t talked to his parents yet, and the few times the Dunbars came in with him, Derek had to make Stiles wait on them because he couldn’t stand the looks Liam gave him, like he was asking to be saved or outed or something, anything, he didn’t care.
A month after opening, some of the original excitement from the town had ebbed, but they had quite a few regulars and honestly they felt like they were doing pretty good. Life was good. Derek found he didn’t at all regret not pursuing his Ph.D. because this was so much better than that could have been. The only thing he wished was that he could be more involved with the LGBTQ youth, but the more time went by, the more he started seeing that they had become some sort of LGBTQ hub. Queer couples were constantly coming in, almost everyone who came in alone between the ages of eighteen and eleven who came on their own looked like they were pretty queer. Stiles gushed almost every afternoon about how cute all the little ‘gaybies’ were, which really just made Derek roll his eyes at him, but in secret he loved it too.
One Thursday afternoon, Liam came rushing into the diner just after the lunch rush but before school got out absolutely sobbing. He threw himself into Derek’s arms before either of them even knew what was going on, and Derek turned, caught Stiles’s eye, and they just nodded at each other. Derek led Liam to the back with the bread and extra salt and pepper, rubbing his back.
“What happened?” Derek asked after pulling up two buckets and sitting Liam down.
“I can’t- I won’t- I-” Liam started and the rest of his words faded into sobbing. Derek let him cry for a few more minutes and eventually Liam sat up again, wiped his cheek, and took a deep breath. Derek handed over some tissue he had in his pocket, which Liam took and blew his nose. He took another deep breath. “My period came, and I can’t… I can’t do this.... I need to get hormones. Will you- Can you help me?” He looked up at Derek with such hope. “Please?”
“What kind of help?” Derek asked.
“Well, you’re a grown up, and I thought-” But Derek cut him off.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” Liam’s face fell, eyes dropping, and he bit back a sob. Derek squeezed his shoulder. “I can sit with you when you tell your parents,” Derek offered. “And I can help advocate for you, if that’s what you want…” Liam made a face and just sighed.
“I don’t- I’m not- I’m not ready for that…” He managed and Derek just squeezed his shoulder again.
“I know it’s scary, but there are a lot of people supporting you, it will be ok. Even if- It will be ok,” Derek said, and Liam sighed.
“I just-” He paused. “I just- what if they…?” Derek nodded a little.
“Then they do. And we cross that bridge, but they might not.” He paused. “Even if you’re not ready today, right now, I won’t tell them… I promise.” Liam nodded a little, and rubbed his arms.
“Can you take me home?” Liam asked. “I need to stop by the school, too. I left- My bag is…” Derek nodded and they got up and went back to the front of the diner. Liam went outside while Derek talked to Stiles.
“I have to take Liam home… This might be a while. You should call in Jenny; she’s been itching to learn to wait tables. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Stiles nodded and kissed Derek’s cheek. Derek went out front and led Liam to his car wishing for once that he hadn’t worn his shortest skirt that day, but what could he do? They stopped by the school first, where Liam rushed in and grabbed his bag. Liam told Derek where he lived and they drove the short distance there in near silence. Derek pulled up infront of the small house and looked at Liam as the young boy just sat there staring at his bag near tears again.
“It’s going to be ok, Liam…” Derek murmured and Liam just nodded and put his hand on the handle but just sat there crying. “Are your parents home now?” Liam nodded a little.
“My- my dad is… My mom works till- till four…”
“Do you want me to go in with you?” Liam slumped in his seat a little.
“I want none of this to be happening,” he groaned and Derek nodded a little.
“I get that,” he said. “Do you want me to go in with you?” Liam took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Could you? I’m scared of what he’ll say when he sees…” He looked down at himself and Derek realized Liam was still wearing his boy clothes.
“Yes, of course…” He squeezed Liam’s shoulder again, they got out of the car, and walked up to the house. Liam let them in and Deputy Dunbar looked up at them as they came in.
“Alex, what’s wrong?” Deputy Dunbar asked. “Why- why are you dressed like that?” Liam looked up at Derek and took a deep breath.
“I-” He started and stopped. “It’s just-” He bit back a sob. Deputy Dunbar came towards them.
“What is it, baby? Are you ok? How- Why-?” He looked at Derek imploringly but Derek just looked away.
“Dad, I don’t want- I don’t want you to call me Alex. I want you to call me Liam,” Liam finally managed.
“Liam? But that’s-”
“I know, dad. I’m a boy. I want- I need- I can’t-” Understanding and some semblance of relief flooded the deputy’s face.
“Oh, Ah- Liam…” He closed the distance between them, and pulled him into a tight hug. “It’s ok. It’s going to be ok… I promise…” He rubbed Liam’s back and squeezed him tightly. “Whatever you need, we’ll do it.” Liam gasped and squeezed his dad tightly.
“Thank you. Thank you so much,” he sobbed into his dad’s shoulder. Derek bit his chipped nails and looked around the house for a few minutes, unsure of what to say. Eventually Liam calmed down enough to pull back and look up at Derek. “Thanks for your help,” he said and Derek smiled down.
“You’re welcome, even though I didn’t do much…” He said, and Liam hugged him tight. The deputy looked at Derek.
“Hi, I’m Derek Hale. I know the Sheriff because I’m in a relationship with his son…” Derek held out his hand, and the deputy shook it.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from the Sheriff,” the deputy said. “Thank you for helping my d- my son.” Derek smiled and nodded a little.
“Liam has my number, and if you have any questions, I will be more than happy to help however I can…” Derek said and the deputy nodded. “Call me if you need anything,” Derek said to Liam. “Seriously.” Liam hugged him again and Derek left. He was sure he would be getting a phone call soon from Liam’s parents asking to confirm and explain everything, and Derek found he was really looking forward to it. He liked Liam, and if Liam’s mom was half as supportive as his dad, then Liam would be just fine.
The next afternoon Liam came in smiling with a new hair cut. His friends piled into a booth but Liam went directly to Derek and hugged him again.
“My parents are taking me to the doctor next week,” he said. “My mom is a little nervous, kept saying things about cancer or whatever, but I think it really will be ok. I’m sorry about yesterday… I just didn’t know where else to turn…” Derek smiled at him.
“It’ ok. I’m just glad I was here so you could talk to me. I’m even more glad your parents have proven to be so supportive,” he said and Liam beamed at him. “Go sit with your friends. Free round of shakes for all of you, on me…” Liam smiled even wider and rushed to his friends. Derek put the order in and Stiles rolled his eyes a little, laughing.
“You can’t give all the youngsters free stuff…” Stiles joked, but Derek just laughed.
“I saw you sneak a whole pie in what’s her face’s bag the other day, don’t you give me that Stilinski!” Stiles laughed as he started making the milkshakes and the door chimed as the Sheriff came in smiling. He went to the counter and sat down. Derek got him a cup of coffee without even being asked.
“Deputy Dunbar came in this morning and told me to thank you again for helping last night with Liam,” the Sheriff said and Derek shrugged.
“Your son has requested I stop feeding you donuts and eclairs,” Derek said and the Sheriff laughed.
“You’re no longer my favorite,” the Sheriff muttered as he accepted the bagel and cream cheese Derek handed over. The afternoon went by quickly and Derek couldn’t help but feel full for once in a long time.