Work Text:
“We should get a Christmas tree,” Stiles said sleepily, from where he lay on the couch watching the rain hit the front picture window.
“Hmm?” Derek hummed in question from the entryway, taking a sip of one of the mugs of cocoa he’d just made. Not quite registering what his boyfriend had said in the still sleepy quiet of the afternoon.
“We should get a Christmas tree.” Stiles repeated, sitting up and making grabby hands for the mug in Dereks left hand. He grabbed the mug and scooted a little forward to make room for him to return to the warm nest of blankets where they’d been dozing only a few minutes before.
Derek thought about it as his boyfriend wiggled back into place, snug against his chest. He hadn’t set up a Christmas tree since the Christmas before Laura passed away, and even then it’d only been one of those small scraggly plastic trees Laura had found in the Wal-Mart clearance aisle a few years after their family died. He moved his free arm beneath Stiles’ so he could rest his open palm in the center of his boyfriend's chest to feel his heart beat.
“Too much work.” He said finally. Leaning forward to sip at his cocoa before burying his nose in stiles’ hair. “Why do we need one?”
Stiles remained silent, drinking his cocoa and watching the rain continue to hit the window.
“Stiles.”
“Hmmm?” Stiles hummed inquiringly.
“Would you like to put up a Christmas tree?” Derek asked, twisting a bit to place his mug on the floor. The room remained silent until Derek grabbed at stiles’ mug to place it next to his own, stopping when his boyfriend made a small whine and resisted.
“That’s mine, Derek. And yes, I want to set up a Christmas tree with you. This is our first Christmas living tog--”
“Then we’ll get a Christmas tree.” Derek cut him off with a kiss on his cheek.
“Really?” Stiles asked excitedly, as though Derek could deny him anything. Barring the fact that Derek would do anything for this man, it’d been a long year for all of them.
When the two had decided to finally move in together at the beginning of the year they’d been excited. But with the lockdown happening a short while into cohabitating and things had become rocky for them. They honestly needed a little bit of cheer right now. So Derek shared that sentiment with him.
“It’s been a rough year, even though everything has calmed a lot. I want us to have some good memories.”
Stiles downed his cocoa before turning quickly and kissing Derek happily. Derek laughed as his boyfriend pulled away fanning his mouth in pain from the sudden influx of hot liquid. “Don’t laugh at me you ass, it hurts.”
“Then don’t do that, you should’ve known what was going to happen.” He said gently as he placed his hand on Stiles’ cheek to take some of the pain. “Let's go get changed before I change my mind and decide we don’t need a tree.”
Stiles fell from the nest of blankets in his rush to scramble to their bedroom to get ready to go out, all the while yelling down the hallway that there were no take-backsies. He chuffed a laugh as he watched his boyfriend go. Moving at a much slower pace he began to fold the blankets to lay against the back of the couch for future use.