Sterek One Shots (boyxboy)

Derek Should Have Known Better

Derek Should Have Known Better by morrezela
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Nobody ever thought that Derek was going to be the alpha. Laura had all the traits for it. Laura was older. Laura had the training.

That was the excuse Derek clung to whenever Laura talked him into doing something. From an early age he had been taught to follow after Laura. Even after he became the alpha instead of her, she had still been his legal guardian. The law had compelled him to listen to her.

Allowing Laura to sway him into things was how Derek ended up standing in a changing room, staring down at a brown, fake fur costume with a red jingle bell harness. The original plan had been that he would play a fit and healthy version of Santa. But apparently a guy could get fired even when just volunteering for something.

Derek had been told he wasn't jolly enough to play Santa. As far as he was concerned, they could go stuff their production in Santa's coal bin. He would have walked out, but Laura would give him that look and possibly a lecture about doing good or meeting people or the benefits of not becoming a hermit.

Derek didn't want to suffer through that, so when they mentioned that he was the right height to play one of the reindeer, he agreed. The only consolation for him was that he no longer had to go shirtless to show off "Santa's Ripped Abs of Healthiness."

"Hey! Blitzen!"

Derek turned to scowl at the overly chipper voice calling out to him. The man ambling over his way was about Derek's height. He was already wearing a reindeer bodysuit, had makeup on his face and was carrying a pair of fake reindeer antlers in his right hand. Derek's brain did not have to strain itself to conclude that the man approaching him was going to be his harness mate.

Before Derek could deepen his scowl and inform the other reindeer that his name was Derek and not Blitzen, the guy started talking.

"Hey, I'm Donner. The guy or reindeer, I guess, who is going to be standing next to you for the next few weeks. I was totally supposed to be Rudolf, but I got relegated to understudy. Which is a bummer because I think I'd make a great Rudolf, you know?" Donner looked straight at Derek with an annoyed glare.

His eyes were brown and round, so Derek supposed that they were very deer like. Derek almost opened his mouth to say so, but stopped himself because that sort of comment could be construed as rude. Laura had made him promise not to be rude to people because it wouldn't, "... spread the Christmas spirit. Derek! Are you listening to me?"

Doe eyes started speaking again, "I suppose that Rudolph isn't all that anyway. I mean, the flashing red nose that they put on you has got to start to cause eye strain after a while. Why is it flashing anyway? Nothing in the song says that the nose flashes, only glows."

"Artistic interpretation," Derek grunted.

Mile-a-minute-mouth blinked at him. "I suppose you're right. It's still annoying though. Maybe I can channel that into my performance. Did you know that my name was originally 'Dunder'? Then it was changed to Donder and then somehow to Donner."

"You're going to play a pissed off reindeer?" Derek didn't bother hiding the skepticism from his voice.

"It's 'artistic interpretation,'" the man quoted back to him with air quotes.

"I..."

"You should try it," the guy interrupted, "you don't have your original name either."

Derek arched a single, disbelieving eyebrow. Those pretty brown eyes rolled back at him in response.

"I'm Derek. I've always been Derek," Derek introduced himself with a smirk.

"Oh my god," Derek's companion said with a flail of his arms. He stalked away, and Derek tried not to feel smug.