Chapter Text
A sharp squeal of excitement announced her arrival faster than the servant chasing her could manage. A head of chestnut curls was the first thing Stiles saw before his daughter passed by the rose bushes and came into full view. She was smiling and giggling with excitement as she ran towards him with arms open.
“Your Grace, I’m so sorry,” the servant quickly apologized as she caught up to them.
Stiles was already kneeling on one knee as he scooped his daughter up in his arms. His smile widened as he held her tightly, pressing his face into the curls cascading over her shoulder.
“Missed you,” he softly spoke.
“Miss you,” Kara answered as she squeezed her little arms around Stiles’ neck.
Stiles looked up at the servant as he stood. “It’s alright, Anna.”
Anna nodded quickly as she took a step back. “Her Grace asked me to take her to meet you, but I lost my grip on her when she saw you.”
Stiles took a look at Kara when she leaned away from him.
“Missed you,” Kara restated as she clasped her open hands against Stiles’ cheeks.
Stiles smiled at her. “Missed you too, darling.”
“Lady and Lord Hale are here as well.”
Stiles felt his heart swell with news of Derek. He was happy to be seeing him sooner than expected. He carried Kara in his arms as he made his way into the garden. He hesitated for a moment. “Anna, are you the only one working?” He turned to look at her.
Anna smiled, “Yes, Your Grace.”
Stiles nodded, releasing a sigh of relief.
Anna had become one of their most trustworthy servants, knowing she would never speak an ill word of them.
More often than not, they spent many of their days together. The rumors that swirled were more centered around the near constant relationships they had with one another. Four people appearing inseparable had somewhat baffled more of society than it angered them.
It helped that they had their respected children.
Kara fussed when she saw the others, uttering a soft ‘down’ to Stiles.
Stiles obliged and placed her down.
Kara’s legs moved as fast as she could, racing back towards her mother.
Lydia heard her, turning her head from Allison briefly to spot Kara racing towards them with Stiles in tow. She shifted her hold on the bundled baby in her arms, smiling when Allison picked Kara up into her lap.
“Allison’s baby!” Kara exclaimed with excitement as she pointed at the baby Lydia was holding.
Stiles had seen Evelyn for only a few weeks before he had to leave. It warmed him to see how much Evelyn looked like Derek even now.
Allison looked over Kara with adoring eyes as she fixed the young girl’s hair to adjust from her face. She looked up at Stiles, about to ask him about his voyage when she stopped herself. She could see the slight disappointment in Stiles’ features.
Stiles’ brow furrowed when he didn’t see Derek.
“He’s fixing the fountain,” Allison offered, knowing Stiles was wondering where Derek could be. She offered a small smile of understanding.
Stiles softly laughed at that. “Of course he is.”
“He noticed it was broken the other day, and he just couldn’t wait for someone to come fix it,” Lydia explained. She shifted the baby in her arms, cooing down at Evelyn when her small hand shot up to grab at Lydia’s red curl.
“He’s been …” Allison hesitated, frowning some. “He’s been melancholy with you gone for so long.”
Stiles sighed. He had wished he could have returned sooner, but his responsibilities in the Capital had retained him longer than expected. He enjoyed writing to Derek, but he wanted nothing more than to be with him during those times.
“I think we can handle our girls if you want to go help him,” Lydia offered. She discreetly winked at Stiles.
Stiles cleared his throat, pretending that his blush wasn’t rising. He excused himself as he made his way to the fountain.
~*~
Derek focused on piecing back together the gears and mechanisms he had taken apart. He ignored how the fountain water he was half submerged in had completely soaked through his trousers and part of his shirt. He had the foresight to remove his vest and jacket before starting.
None of this was the distraction he had hoped it would be.
He had been on edge since Stiles left.
He loved their life together. He loved having Allison and Lydia as a part of that. He loved his daughter, and Kara. There had been little lines drawn between them as a family of four who quickly grew into a family of six.
The tension of addressing children had vanished after their conversation all those years ago. When needed, they would try–together–for children. It made things easier to share in those nights than to lay alone questioning.
After the night when Kara was most likely conceived, Derek remembered laying in that ridiculously large bed with Stiles wrapped around him, tucked safely against his chest. He remembered almost drifting off to sleep when a delicate hand touched his bicep. He looked at Lydia, noticing that she was still awake, wrapped up in Allison’s arms.
She had offered Derek a warm smile before softly speaking, “Thank you.”
Derek’s brow had furrowed for a moment.
“For loving him,” Lydia explained. “I love him deeply, but Allison is the love of my life. And I wanted that for him. For so long, Derek.”
Derek reached his hand up to take Lydia’s, making sure not to dislodge Stiles with the gesture. “I do love you and Allison both,” he offered back. “But the sentiment is similar–Stiles is the love of my life, and I couldn’t imagine being without him.”
Lydia blinked as the tears that prickled the edge of her eyes. “I can’t wait to raise children with you both,” she spoke softly as a yawn started to take over.
Derek faintly chuckled, releasing Lydia’s hand as he watched her turn in Allison’s arms.
That night was one that repeated throughout their years, random and not as often as they thought would be necessary. There was a fondness for those nights, though, when all four of them would share a bed.
Laughter, understanding, kindness.
Love.
Derek didn’t feel a bitterness he had feared. But to be left alone in these recent months, to be reminded that he couldn’t accompany Stiles to the Capital for any reason less of business, had a heaviness on his heart.
“When did you become a mechanical engineer?”
Derek’s hand froze when he realized who spoke. He turned to look over his head, catching sight of Stiles sitting on the lip of the fountain.
Stiles sheepishly smiled at Derek, sneaking glances down at the water as he swirled his fingers through it.
Derek placed the pieces to the side before turning to walk closer to Stiles. He gently leaned against the lip of the fountain, keeping a small distance between them in order to avoid soaking Stiles too.
Stiles slid closer to Derek with a smile on his face. “I missed you,” he softly uttered as he leaned in to kiss Derek.
Derek cradled Stiles’ face in his hands, pulling him closer. He released a light chuckle as he leaned backwards, keeping a distance between them. “You’ll get wet.”
Stiles looked down at Derek’s clothes, reaching a hand up to pull at the buttons of the dampened formal shirt. His fingers trailed over the material as he admired Derek’s tattooed skin. “I wouldn’t mind,” he uttered, looking up at Derek.
“I missed you,” Derek confessed as his eyes flickered over Stiles’ face–taking in his open features with determination to map any changes.
Stiles smiled, looking up at Derek. "And I you," he echoed in sentiment. He leaned forward to kiss Derek. "And you'll be happy to know that's the end of it."
Derek pulled back briefly to look at Stiles in slight disbelief. "You mean… no more visits to the Capital?"
Stiles nodded. "The Empress offered to be more accommodating. There will be one more trip, but I won't be making it alone."
Derek released a soft sigh. "Lydia does love the Capital."
"Yes, she and Allison both do." Stiles agreed as he stared at Derek, waiting for him to put more of the pieces together. He gently shook his head, taking pity on him. "Which is why it will be nice that since you have to accompany me, they'll have each other."
Derek's brow rose slightly.
Stiles poked Derek's furrowed brow with a delicate press of his fingertips. "I would enjoy having my husband with me while on holiday in the Capital."
Derek looked at Stiles with the remnants of the vulnerability he felt these days alone. He offered a weak smile. "I felt lost, Stiles," he finally admitted. "It drove me crazy being without you."
"I know," Stiles replied. "I insulted a Marques. I ignored him because I was writing you a letter."
A smile pulled at Derek's lips.
"But I never want to leave your side, Derek. Never again," Stiles reassured him. "From now on, any boat I sail away from Beacon on, you'll be with me. Always."
Derek pulled Stiles into a searing kiss.
Stiles couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up when Derek pulled him into a tight embrace, both of them wading into the water of the fountain.
He couldn't care if his clothes were soaked. He belonged in Derek's arms.
This was happiness. This is what it meant to be happy, and Stiles wasn't willing to let him go.