𝐃𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐤 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

Tipsy

Derek was surprised, to say the least when you told him you were going out for some drinks with Malia, for many reasons but the biggest was the fact that he knew without a doubt that you were a lightweight and in comparison to Malia who quite literally couldn't get drunk, he knew the night wouldn't be ending all that well for you. So, when Malia called saying you refused to let her drive you to her place because you insisted that Derek pick you up, he wasn't surprised and didn't waste much time driving over to the bar to get you.

He heard Malia lovingly reprimanding you before he even turned the corner to see you sat on the curb, twiddling your feet to the beat of the music streaming out from the bar, looking a lovely mess as you hummed along. He couldn't help a small grin at the sight of you, already expecting a rough ride home when you jumped up and stumbled, caught by a very frustrated yet not any less caring Malia who was just as happy as you were when he stopped in front of you.

"Bear," you cooed, excitement earning a little hiccup from you as you reached for him, his arms ready to catch you as you hugged him, hands snaking around his torso as you brushed your face up and down his shirt, unintentionally mimicking a cat, delighted by the fact that he came.

"Hi, honey," he purred right back, a warm hand resting on your lower back as he shook his head, knowing the use of the pet name would keep your dazed mind busy long enough for him to turn his attention to his cousin watching the whole scene play out. "You were supposed to watch her," he reminded her and looked down at you, eyes fighting to stay open as you brought a hand up to fiddle with the zipper of his jacket. "How much did she have to drink?"

"Not enough to have her this drunk," Malia argued and she was right, you'd have defended her if you were more yourself, you truly only had a few cocktails, maybe a few more than you should've but definitely not enough to have you pushing a little past tipsy. "She only had a few of those sweet drinks, she clearly just can't hold her liquor."

"Okay, thank you for calling me and for staying with her, I'll take her to my place," you were happy with that, looking up at him with big eyes and your chin on his shirt as he brushed some smudged mascara from the side of your eye. "You like the sound of that?" he teased and when your smile grew he simply had to kiss your nose, it's boyfriend taxes for having to witness such cuteness without warning.

"Is Eli home?" now, were you sober that question would not have made you excited, were you sober you'd have been completely terrified to officially meet Eli for the first time in this state. You'd heard all about him and him about you, greeted each other over voice notes, or waved at him over facetime before he headed to school, but never the big deal first meeting.

"He is," you gasped, and pulled away, wiping at your face, then softer than a second ago you brought a hand up to wipe at his as well, fixing his beard and nodding when you approved of your work. "Now we look pretty," you explained and turned to Malia who had assumed you'd forgotten that she was there, to begin with. "Do you want to come to meet Eli too?"

"I think we've had enough Malia time tonight, don't you?" Derek was already searching for his keys in his pocket, a little nod telling Malia that he owes her for looking out for you, the girl giving you a quick side-hug and pretending to ignore you very loudly saying goodbye to her.

It was a mission getting you into the car, you insisted on walking yourself and failing horribly at the act, you'd never really mastered walking in heels sober let alone a little drunk but Derek humored you. However, when you were trying to buckle yourself in with shaky hands and pouted lips he decided to step in.

"You all settled in?" he asked, looking around to make sure you were comfortable, a stray jacket he'd left in the car already propped behind your head and legs folded rather uncomfortably under you.

"Almost," you breathed and he raised a brow at you, curious about what you needed, trying to think of something to use in case you were feeling sick but you simply pouted your lips more, lifting a red-painted finger to point at your lips. "A kiss," you demanded and he would be cruel to make you wait, he wanted to cave instantly, but of course, he didn't.

"You want a kiss?" his hand was still on your stomach from where he held you back to buckle you up and he was happy for that because it gave you an excuse to touch him, both hands gripping his as you nodded. "Alright, since you asked so nicely," and he didn't make you wait any longer, brushing a quick kiss onto your impatient lips.

"Okay, now you can take me home," he laughed lightly at that, squeezing your hand before closing the door and walking around to the other side of the car. You took hold of Derek's hand again as soon as the car started, twisting yourself so you could watch him, the smile not leaving your lips as he drove, not even when you started falling asleep.

Derek carried you into the house, trying to be quiet in the living room but it wasn't much use when he bumped a lamp with your legs, cursing under his breath when the light in the hallway turned on a few seconds later, a tired and confused Eli stumbling into the room.

"Dad?" he was barely awake, looking around for context clues until his eyes landed on you, fast asleep in his dad's arms, snoring lightly and Derek quickly reminded the boy to be quiet. "Is that Y/n?" he asked, much softer this time, with many more questions on the tip of his tongue after his dad nodded. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, I'm going to get her into bed and then I'll explain," and that's what he did, cooing softly when you moved around after he tucked you in, mumbling incoherently but cuddling further into his pillow, entirely unphased by your surroundings now that you were surrounded entirely by his scent.

"You have a girl in your bed," Eli noted from behind the kitchen counter, a smirk on his face as he took a long sip from his glass, the now empty jug of orange juice standing next to his fisted hand.

"I've never done that before," Derek replied, looking back to make sure he closed the door before joining his son in the kitchen. "I didn't want it to happen like this, I know she didn't either. We had a plan and I was supposed to talk to you about it first."

"It's fine, dad," he sighed, and Derek was surprised to see the smile on his lips, the boy looking rather smug from where he stood. "It's not like it's just some girl, it's Y/n," he stated very lightly, and he'd never say it out loud, but it was annoyingly obvious how much happier his dad was since meeting you and it was even more obvious how much he cared for you. "Your Y/n," he added and Derek wasn't sure his heart could be filled with so much pride because of such a simple sentence but he was wrong, very wrong.

"You'll love her," Derek beamed, in thought really, trying to figure out how to make the next morning as perfect as possible, for you and for Eli. "She's so special, Eli, you'll love her."

"I'm sure I will," he agreed and they shared a light laugh, them having a heart-to-heart was a foreign concept in the Hale house, foreign but entirely welcome. "So should I bring up her being drunk at breakfast?"

"Not if you enjoy living," and Eli knew the man was not kidding.