Helpful Hand (2)

Special Chapter

Author's Note: Honestly this last month and a half sucked for several reasons. My recent problem is that I bruised my tailbone and I'm in so much pain right now, so I'm just writing this bonus chapter for coping. Maybe this chapter will give me enough serotonin to stop complaining and go to sleep.

This chapter has almost nothing to add to the plot, just pure fluff. I hope you enjoy it because I'm just crying while typing.

This is a flashback to when Hayley was still pregnant. And if timelines don't add up, just ignore it.

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In the middle of summer, Hayley and Stiles were panting in the New Orleans heat while waiting for Derek to bring them ice cream.

"I was raised in California and it gets hot, but never this kind of hot," Stiles complains while he lays his back against the mattress and his head hangs off the edge of the bed. He pants for added effect but sits up when he does not get a response.

He looks up to see Hayley struggling to lean forward to paint her toes over her protruding stomach. Her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in her considerate state, but to no avail, her stomach won. She groans in frustration and flops back against her pillow.

He sighs in pity and takes the nail polish from her fingers and continues her work. She leans back up and pouts as she says, "I thought I'd be able to do it."

Stiles snorts as he continues to polish her toenails. He doesn't look up when he says, "You almost walked out with two different shoes because you couldn't see your feet."

Hayley scoffs and punches him in the shoulder. "Hey!"

He looks up and asks, "Am I wrong?" When she doesn't answer, Stiles took the answer for what it was and smiles in contentment and goes back to painting her toes. When he finishes, Derek enters the room, with their ice cream in hand.

Both Stiles and Hayley make gimmie gimmie hands, and he rolls his eyes at their childishness. "Which one of you is pregnant again?"

Stiles scoffs and leans over to snatch the bag out of Derek's hands. "Excuse you Mister- If I don't get my sugary coffee in the morning the rest of the world will feel my rath Hale, but you can't throw rocks at glasshouses." Once again Derek rolls his eyes and goes to sit next to Hayley on the other side of the bed. Stiles tosses them their ice cream and goes to devour his.

They all moan at the deliciousness of their ice cream and eat in contentment for the next half hour. Stiles groans once he makes it to the bottom of his container but reluctantly throws it away after licking every spot of ice cream he could find.

He looks thoughtfully at the ceiling when he remembers a fond memory of his mother. He spaces out for a moment until he feels a sweaty foot kick his thigh.

"Your toes!" Stiles warns but Hayley waves him off, "They are dry by now, what were you thinking about in that brain of yours?"

He feels his mouth start to widen again in a smile, laying back down, and looking back up to the ceiling. He has one hand under his head while the other rest against his dewy chest.

He clears his throat before saying, "Um, there was this one summer, and it was the last day of school. Both my parents came to pick me up and surprised me with an ice cream day." His eyes glisten for a moment before he blinks away the tears. "And we went to the pond in the park and watched the ducks while we just ate our ice cream. That was it, that's all we did that day but I can remember it so clearly."

Stiles forces himself to look at them and he sees Hayley watching him with a fond smile, but he turns to see Derek watching the bottom of his container as if he waiting for something to appear. It was Stiles' turn to nudge Derek who jolts in surprise.

He looks at Stiles as if he was just caught doing something scandalous and it was Stiles turn to question him, "Hey, Der, it's your turn to tell the class what's on your mind."

Derek was quiet for a little too long and for a moment both Hayley and Stiles didn't think he was gonna answer, but he did. He sets the container aside and mimics Stiles's posture, completely flat on the bed and looking up as if the ceiling will reveal all the answers.

"A week after the fire it was mine and Laura's birthday. My mother had us four years apart to the exact date. Many arguments were made because of it," Derek lightly chuckles. "Every birthday since I could remember it was this big thing. But on that day we only had each other. So Laura drags me by the hand and we walk down the street to find this hole-in-the-wall ice cream shop that had a birthday cake flavor special. To us, it was fate. Every birthday since then I've only eaten birthday cake ice cream to celebrate."

Stiles scooches closer and grabs one of his hands while Hayley grabs the other, and gives it a tight squeeze. To lighten the mood, Stiles says, "I'm totally remembering that for future birthdays."

The wolf laughs at that and questions, "I don't remember telling you my birthday."

Stiles scoffs, "Puh-lease. I read your police file a few years back when I was helping my dad with a case."

"Of course you did," Derek groans.

Hayley laughs at their antics and says, "Honestly I think everyone has a good ice cream story, unless, you know you're allergic to dairy."

Stiles gasps in mock horror, "The tragedy of never eating ice cream." He clutches his chest and says, "I would rather die."

They laugh and Hayley throws a pillow at him saying, "You're so dramatic."

"He was worse when he was a teen," Derek proclaims.

"I was not that dramatic!" Stiles tries to defend himself but Derek gave him a look and Stiles relents in defeat. He makes a pinching motion and says, "Fine, maybe I was a tad bit more dramatic."

"A tad?"

"Okay, a lot more, but I was a hormonal teenager, what did you expect?" Stiles exclaims.

"Definitely not that," Derek snorts.

"Whatever Mister emotionally constipated." Stiles scoffs and throws a pillow at him, which leads to Derek throwing it back at him, and a pillow fight ensues.