I Would Fake Forever With You(Sterek)

Marriage

Stiles sat anxiously at the table as Derek's family filed in around him. Derek looked tired as he reached for his second glass of whiskey. Stiles would be driving home at this rate, not that Stiles could blame him. Derek lived with this for so long and still had to deal with it all the time. Stiles just had to get through one dinner.

"Andrea Lynn, what are you wearing?" Haley snapped at her daughter at the sight of her outfit.

"Auntie Laura's boots," Andrea answered with a sad pout.

"And what have I told you about wearing boy stuff?" Hayley crossed her arms over her chest.

"If they're made just for boys then why do they come in girl sizes?" Andrea crossed her arms to match her mother.

Stiles choked slightly on his water at that. Derek pursed his lips to hold back a smirk.

"Hayley, sit down and mind your own. They're boots for crying out loud, what are you afraid of anyway, that she's gonna be gay?" Nana Hel scolded.

Hayley's mouth snapped shut as she took a seat.

Stiles couldn't help but notice how no one seemed to argue with Nana Hel. In fact, there were several things that Stiles noticed. For one the seating order was odd. Benjamin sat next to Stiles, but Dominic sat next to Derek. Laura and Lena took their spots next to Dominic. Talia sat at the end of the table while Nana Hel sat at the head. Next to Talia was Cora, then Isaac. Then Alexandria sat across from Derek with Damon between her and Issac. Hayley had taken her spot across from Stiles with Elijah next to her. Sebastian was next to Nana Hel, though his eyes remained on his phone, and Peter had claimed the spot on the other side of Nana Hel, next to Benjamin.

It was all making sense to him now. This wasn't a family, this was a war, and people were picking sides. There was those who favored Derek and those who didn't. Those who sat on Derek's side of the table and those who sat on the other. Dominic had taken his place next to Derek putting himself between Talia and Derek. Ben put himself between Nana Hel and Derek. Ben was obviously Nana Hel's favorite, that much was obvious to Stiles. Laura and Lena were buffers for Dominic from Talia. Cora of course being her favorite took her spot next to Talia. And then there was Alexandria. She had taken her spot across from Derek. She wanted to be on his side. She liked Derek. More than she should considering she was married to his brother. Damon wasn't oblivious to this. Then there was Hayley, sitting as far from her mother as possible without having to be directly beside Nana Hel.

Stiles assumed they sat in this exact seating arrangement every time the family got together as the family filed in claiming their seats like it was expected. Stiles only wondered how him being there changed things?

Stiles couldn't believe the mess that this family was. No wonder Derek moved three states away.

Having so many people made the table loud with conversation giving Stiles the chance to ask the question he was dying to know.

"How do you fit in with all this? Like how did you manage to be so..."Stiles glanced around the table for an appropriate word.

"Different?"

Stiles only nodded. He was thinking more along the lines of stuck up, snotty, self-entitled, but different worked.

"I used to be, til about halfway through high-school. I met Erica."

"Erica? The Erica you work with?"

Derek nodded. "She was getting picked on for having holes in the knees of her jeans by this guy who I didn't like. I stood up for her. Not because I felt bad, but because I hated the guy. It pissed him off. I was spiteful. Anyway, he tried to make it a habit and so did I. Next thing I knew I was friends with her. We got to talking and I learned her family didn't have a lot of money. They struggled with most things. I was shocked. I had never not had money. She challenged me to try living the way she did for a few weeks so one summer break, instead of going to camp like all my siblings, I spent the summer with Erica and her family. It was eye opening. I saw how loving and close they were despite having nothing. They had a small house and only had one crappy vehicle. They bought clothes from the hand me down shops and ate a lot of ramen noodles. Erica's mom had been in a bad accident and couldn't work, but she couldn't get assistance so her dad worked extra to make up for it, but it just wasn't enough. But her dad never resented her mother. Instead he loved her. Things changed for me after that summer. I tried to explain it to my family, but they didn't understand. How could they? They'd never had to want for anything. I barely understood it myself."