Prompt: Fireplace

Word Count: 999

Pairing: Sterek

Note: This is the sequel to A Trip Down the Chimney.

That Jolly Old Elf

Stiles was more than a little flattered that Isaac thought he smelled like Santa. It wasn't every day he got compared to a man who brought so much joy!

True, he was not chubby and he lacked a white beard, but he had the rosy cheeks down, and apparently he smelled right for the job.

He stared at the fireplace he'd only recently exited, an idea slipping into his head. It was a good thing he'd already had practice going down the chimney.

The betas were running laps when Stiles asked Derek about Isaac. "Do you know why he still believes in Old Saint Nick?"

Derek was sitting on the porch swing next to him. His feet were planted firmly on the ground to keep Stiles from rocking the bench. "His dad wasn't always a bad guy," he said at last, looking annoyed to have confessed that.

Of course, that might have been his general annoyance at life.

Stiles thought he knew what Derek meant. "You're telling me that his Dad made sure to stuff his stocking with whatever Isaac wanted every year?"

Derek shrugs. "That's the only thing I can figure. That year we spent Christmas in the depot, he cried when he woke up and nothing was there."

"Really?"

Derek shifted, uncomfortable. His feet moved a little, and Stiles got a full swing in before Derek brought them to a halt again. "Yeah," he said. "He tried not to let me see. I asked what was wrong and he said something about the depot not being a real home because Santa should have come if it was one."

Stiles frowned. "What about the last few years?"

Derek shrugged. "The next Christmas happened during the full moon. He decided Santa didn't bring presents to werewolves. Then last year he was at college and his RA left bags of candy on everyone's bed the next morning."

Stiles tried to make the porch swing move again. "I'm going to need your help later," he said mysteriously.

Derek shot him a look of confusion.

Stiles grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

"You look stupid," Derek said.

Stiles glared at him. "Sorry I'm not as fluent in Eyebrowish as you! Jeez." Then he stood up and said, "I'll see you later. I have stuff to do."

Stuff like buying a Santa costume.

He already had gifts for everyone, but now he had to buy more, this time from Santa. He kept it in the $20 range, because unlike Santa, he didn't have magical elves to just conjure really expensive gifts out of midair.

Weirdly, it isn't hard to figure out what to buy. He just picked the things he knew they'd like—a video game for Scott, comic books for Isaac, a new shirt for Erica (he is mildly ashamed that he knows her size so well, but it's her own fault for making him do laundry), some action movie for Boyd, and gift cards to the sports store for Alison and Jackson. As he always had been, he was stumped as to what to get Lydia, but he finally decide on a necklace (again). Derek gets nothing because he wouldn't let Stiles move the porch swing (that was totally a lie. Derek was getting composition paper because Stiles knew things about him that no one else noticed. Like the humming and drumming of fingers when he thought no one was looking.)

He bought a book about runes from the magic shop for himself, because he was sneaky and wouldn't let Isaac figure out the truth.

But Peter got nothing, because Stiles figured even Santa hated Uncle Bad Touch.

Then he bought a new roll of wrapping paper, wrapped the gifts in the back seat of his jeep, threw away the wrapping paper, and tried to figure out a place to hide the gifts.

He ended up shoving them into a box underneath his baby blanket, which he kept in his closet because he could still smell his mom on it. And if he could, the werewolves definitely could, which would mask the scent of presents. Which meant, as per usual, Stiles was awesome and smart.

He texted Derek. "I need you to catch me in the fireplace on Christmas Eve."

Derek answered immediately. "Is that a weird euphemism for sex?"

He laughed harder than he should have. "No, unless you want it to be. I actually need you to catch me. Like the other day."

Derek didn't answer that one, and Stiles decided to take that as a yes.

On Christmas Eve, he and Isaac baked cookies for Santa.

Erica rolled her eyes at them and muttered that Santa wasn't real.

Stiles threw his measuring cup at her and ordered her to leave the room.

"It's okay," Isaac told Stiles. "Some people forget to look for the smaller miracles, and then they completely miss the big ones."

Stiles stared at him, mouth agape. "Jeez, kid! Maybe you should go into motivational speaking."

They left the cookies on a plate on the kitchen table. Isaac wanted to know how Santa would land on the roof, since Stiles covered it in lights, and Stiles just shook his head. "Magic. Now go to bed. He knows when you're awake," he crooned.

Two hours later, Stiles shook Derek awake. "It's time," he intoned seriously.

"Are you really going down the chimney again?" Derek hissed.

"It's tradition," Stiles said, and tip toed out of their room. He climbed up to the roof using the ladder, which no one had thought to move after his escapade last week, picked up the gifts he'd stowed behind the chimney earlier, and slid down the chimney.

Derek caught him, though he looked disgusted.

"Thanks," Stiles whispered. He crossed the room and dropped the gifts into the stockings, which he'd painstakingly labeled with glitter glue the week before, and turned to Derek with a triumphal grin.

Which immediately slid off his face. "I forgot to wear the suit!"

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf

A/N: So I barely used the prompt? But uh. It was basically a vehicle to get this written because. Well. I needed to write this. Also there will probably be a sequel to this, when the betas wake up in the morning, namean? I will let you guys know. (Sort of) written for the 25 Days of Ficmas (link on profile).