I claim no rights to the characters of Teen Wolf. They belong to Jeff Davis.

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Stiles sighed as he entered his and Derek's house. "Honey, I'm home!" he called out tiredly as he toed off his shoes and shrugged his jacket off. He hung it on the hanger and walked further down the hall to the living room. He groaned as he fell on the couch and buried his face in one of the soft, fluffy pillows.

It's been a long day.

A really long day.

"You still insist on that silly greeting."

Stiles chuckled and turned his head to the side to look at Derek. His loving husband was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smile on his lips.

"Had a rough day?" Derek asked and pushed himself away from the doorframe to walk over to Stiles. The younger man groaned and shifted around until he was lying on his back. Derek took a seat beside him and snuck his right arm between Stiles and the backrest of the couch.

"My day started just fine, actually." Stiles said and Derek smiled, remembering how they got up together and had coffee before Stiles left to start his shift at the hospital. "Then I had a kid who somehow managed to get peas stuck in his nose. Two 16 year olds came in with 2nd degree burns on their hands. I never found out how they got them. Then, we had an emergency; a Christmas tree caught fire and the family was asleep on the second floor of their house. The father of the family has 2nd degree burns, but thankfully the mother and the kid are alright. And then, when I finally thought I'd go home we had another emergency. Some kid didn't let go of this new sort of Firecrackers in time. He won't be playing video-games any time soon." Derek offered Stiles an understanding glance as the younger man sighed and rubbed his face in annoyance. "I hate the holidays," he grumbled and Derek chuckled.

"Move over," Derek instructed and Stiles groaned before he turned on his side so Derek could slip behind him on the couch.

"New Year's in three days, and I just know that the number of accidents will only grow. I have a feeling I'll be spending New Year in the ER."

Derek kissed Stiles' neck as he wrapped an arm around Stiles' waist and pulled him close to his chest. He nuzzled his nose behind Stiles' ear and breathed out sharply to his nose. Stiles' scent was covered with the scent of disinfectant, antiseptics and tints of blood and burnt flesh. He could smell the shampoo with which Stiles showered before he made his way home, but those scents weren't easy to wash off.

Stiles let go of a long breath of relief and nuzzled closer to Derek. His husband's comforting warmth and the feeling of his strong body against his made him feel at least somewhat better, although he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep; he would constantly listen to his beeper, waiting for a call from the hospital.

They were seriously lacking good doctors this time a year. It was difficult and taxing, but there was nothing Stiles could do. There was nothing Derek could do except be there when Stiles came home, tired and drained, fix him a cup of coffee if he felt up to it, and hold him until Stiles fell asleep, no matter how short of a sleep it was.

"Do you want me to make coffee?" Derek murmured against Stiles' ear and the smaller man sighed.

"No; don't move." He answered in a broken, tired voice and a small, sad smile tugged on Derek's lips.

"It will be over soon, Gen," he said and rubbed Stiles' stomach with his hand and kissed the back of his neck. "The holidays will be over soon and maybe you'll be able to get a few days off."

"I know I'll get a few days off. We're already arranging our vacation days. I just – Can't people be more careful? It's their holidays they're destroying by being reckless." Derek snorted and Stiles tilted his head to the side. "What?"

"It's nothing. Just – You're talking about being reckless as though you've forgotten about everything we did."

"Hey, we were fighting against monsters. Not one of us got injured handling pyrotechnics."

"Yes, but you and Scott almost blew yourselves up with that flare."

"I still don't know why Lydia told you about that, and I still insist on the fact that it was the Darach." Derek chuckled and nipped on Stiles' neck. "And you're the one to talk. You held two rabid Werewolves and allowed them to cut you up. I think that among all of us you're the most reckless one."

"Was the most reckless one," Derek corrected him and Stiles snorted. Silence settled between them with Derek listening to Stiles' breathing and heartbeat. He rubbed Stiles' stomach comfortingly, and smiled when he felt tension slowly leaving Stiles' body. "Do you want me to take you to bed?" he asked and Stiles took a deep breath.

"No. It will stink of antiseptics for days and I honestly don't have the strength to shower," he spoke tiredly and entwined his fingers with Derek's on his stomach. "Just lay with me, alright?"

Derek pulled him as close as he could get. He threw one leg over Stiles' and the younger man nuzzled his face into the pillow under his head. "Sleep," Derek said and kissed Stiles' neck again. He buried his nose in Stiles' hair and closed his eyes, listening as Stiles' heartbeat and breathing slowed down as he fell asleep, and soon enough he was lulled by the sweet call of Morpheus as well.

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"Fuck!"

Derek woke up with a start when Stiles' warm body suddenly disappeared from his hold and he found his husband on the floor, on his knees, juggling his beeper as it beeped incessantly. He finally managed to grab it and he turned it in his hands until he could see who was calling him.

"Fuck." He breathed out tiredly and quickly got on his feet.

"The Hospital?" Derek mumbled as he stood up, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"M-hm." Stiles quickly fixed his shirt and trousers, trying to straighten the wrinkles. A few seconds later he gave up, brushed his hair back and rushed into the hallway to pull his shirt and jacket on.

Derek checked his wristwatch and frowned when he saw that it has only been 3 hours since Stiles came home.

He really hated normal humans sometimes.

"Derek, could you drive me to the hospital? We'll need to pick up some coffee on our way there, and I'm honestly in no condition to drive," Stiles rambled as he hopped on his right leg as he tugged his left shoe on his foot, before he threw himself on the couch and hurriedly pulled his right shoe on.

"No problem," Derek said and left to get his shoes and jacket. He was just in the process of putting his jacket on when Stiles rushed over to him, grabbed his face between his hands and pulled him into a kiss.

"I love you, you know that, right?" he asked and Derek smiled at him.

"I know."

"Good." The younger man turned on his heel and all but ran into the kitchen. He came back seconds later with a piece of toast hanging from his mouth and another in his hand, and all but tore the door out of its hinges on his way out.

Derek followed after him, not even bothering to lock the door. They lived a good way out of the city, so they didn't worry about burglars. Anyway, everyone knew about Derek Hale and Genim 'Stiles' Hale, and even though Derek wasn't the psychotic murderer he was accused of being over 10 years ago, people were still somewhat wary of him. It didn't help that he was the sheriff's son-in-law either.

They got into their SUV and made their way to town with Stiles finishing his meager lunch in record time. He waited in the car while Derek went to Starbucks to buy him coffee, and not half an hour later they were on the Hospital parking lot.

"I'll call you when I'm done so you can come and pick me up, alright?" Stiles said as he opened the door and Derek smiled at him.

"Alright."

Stiles took a deep breath as he got out of the car and ran over the parking lot and into the hospital. Derek sighed and drove the car back on the road.

It was the same every year since Stiles finished college and started working at the Beacon Hills Hospital. They seriously lacked good doctors, which meant that during holidays of any season, Stiles and the others were neck deep in trouble.

Derek knew very well Stiles wasn't the only one working practically 24-7, but that didn't mean he liked that. He knew that the next two weeks would be much the same. Stiles would again lose weight. He would be cranky and tired all the time, and there was nothing Derek could do about it.

He frowned when his cell phone rang and picked it up just as he took a right turn, driving onto the road leading to his and Stiles' house.

"Scott?"

"Hey, Derek! I was calling Stiles but he's not answering. Troubles in the Hospital again?" Derek sighed as he stopped the car.

"You know how it is around Christmas and New Year." He said and got out of the car. He slammed the door closed and made his way to the house. "Did you need something?"

"I just wanted to ask if you have something planned for New Year. Lydia and Aiden came for coffee and Allison suggested we celebrate New Year together."

"I don't know, Scott." Derek murmured as he entered the house and closed the door. "With how everything seems right now, Stiles will be needed at the hospital and I thought I'd go and see him."

"It's that bad?" the Alpha of the McCall Pack asked and Derek snorted as he threw himself on the couch and crossed his ankles on the corner of the tea-table.

"He was supposed to take the morning shift. I just returned from driving him back to the Hospital. He managed to get 3 hours of sleep today."

"Damn."

"Yeah." Derek rubbed his face with his free hand. "Worst thing is that there's nothing I can do to make it easier on him."

"I know. Mom told me that they're up to their necks in patients."

"How is she? We've been over for Christmas, but she had to go so we didn't have much time to talk."

"In the same condition as Stiles. We've been over to see them yesterday and John said that the only difference between you and Stiles, and him and Mellissa is that he at least sees her when he delivers some drunken idiot to the hospital."Derek chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Seeing them makes me really glad I'm a mechanic." Scott laughed and Derek chuckled.

"Did Cora call?"

"Yeah. She and Isaac are having the time of their lives in Switzerland. She said that next year we should all go together."

"Only if by some miracle Stiles manages to get a vacation for the Holidays, although I have a feeling he'd be called back within a day."

"I know." Derek rested his head back on the backrest as Scott chuckled. "Sometimes I really hate normal humans."

"You should hate reckless humans. Not everyone ends up in the hospital for the holidays."

"I know."

"Why don't you come over for coffee? Allison and I wanted to watch a movie. The kids are over at a friend's house. We've got place for one more." Derek chuckled and shook his head.

"I'm waiting for Gen to call. I have the car."

"That could be anytime between an hour and a whole shift, Derek. You know that just as well as I do. Come on. Allison just baked a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies, and I know we have some marshmallows somewhere in the pantry. You can take some to Stiles when you go to pick him up."

"Scott-…"

"Derek, come on. You can wait for Stiles to call with us. At least you won't be sitting in your house alone." Derek sighed and hit his head back against the backrest.

"Alright. I'll be there in 20 minutes." Scott chuckled and Derek smiled a small smile.

"See ya!" he ended the call and got up.

At least he won't sit around feeling useless.

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"Any more emergencies?" Stiles asked as he walked over to the front desk.

He smiled at Mellissa when she tsked at him and placed her hands on her still thin waist. Even in her late forties, she still looked beautiful, and Stiles couldn't help but think that his dad was the luckiest man on Earth. First he had Stiles' mom and now he had Mellissa. Claudia Stilinski was a beautiful, kind, loving woman. Mellissa Stilinski-McCall was kind and energetic, and beautiful in her own right.

"Stiles, when was the last time you slept? Scratch that, when was the last time you went home?" she spoke strictly and Stiles sighed as he brushed his hair back with his fingers.

"Honestly? Derek brought me to the hospital over 29 hours ago. I managed to get some sleep between shifts in the back room." Mellissa shook her head and Stiles rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me like that. Either I stay or Dr. Sawyer has to stay, and she has two kids at home."

"Yeah, one is 11 and the other is 10 years old! And her husband is home as well!"

"Mel-…"

"Don't you 'Mel' me, young man!" she snapped and the few nurses that were there turned to look at them making Stiles wince and blush. "You look dead on your feet! Now, you will go and take a shower while I call Dr. Sawyer. You're going home and no one will be calling you back until tomorrow after-…" in that moment the door of the hospital slammed open and several policemen with John in the lead rushed in, each one holding either a young man or a woman. They had different cases of broken bones and cracked heads, but they all had two things in common; they were bloody and drunk.

"You were saying?" Stiles sighed gravely and John shot him an apologetic smile. "I need six beds freed in the next 10 minutes, and someone go and prepare the ER, STAT!" Stiles rushed down the hallway before John reached him, and the Sheriff looked at Mellissa who shook her head and took the phone.

"You have someone on reserve? Because New Year has just begun," John said while Mellissa dialed a number.

"We don't have anyone on reserve, but I'm calling Dr. Sawyer in. Stiles needs to go get some sleep."

"You know he won't leave the hospital," John drawled and Mellissa snorted.

"I said he needed to rest." John's eyebrows met the line of his hair. "Dr. Sawyer; we need you to come back." John rested his left elbow on the desk and leaned on it. "Look, doctor, I know you have kids and I know its New Year, but I think you're forgetting that besides you we have only Dr. Hale and Dr. Jefferson on ER. Dr. Jefferson worked the afternoon shift, and Dr. Hale hasn't been home in 29 hours. If you're not here in 20 minutes, I will be handing in a report to your superior." She ended the call without waiting for a reply and spared John a glance. He was looking at her with raised eyebrows and amusement written all over his face while she dialed another number. "What?" she mouthed and John chuckled and shook his head.

"You're sexy when you're all commanding," he murmured and she winked at him with a smirk.

"Hey, Derek! Where are you?" John's eyebrows all but disappeared under his hair and Mellissa grinned at him. "Tell them all hi for me. I need to ask a favor though." John crossed his arms on the desk and leaned closer in interest. "I need someone to get Stiles out of here. While we are neck deep in drunken idiots, I called Dr. Sawyer in. She and Dr. Jefferson will be enough to handle everything for at least 12 hours. Stiles needs food, shower and sleep; not necessarily in that order." She smiled at something Derek said and nodded. "I'll see you in 15 minutes then." She ended the call and placed the phone back in its place before she sighed in content and grinned at John. "Don't you love it when people do as they are told?" he laughed and Mellissa giggled.

"Sawyer's still not here, Mel, and you have yet to talk to Stiles."

"I'm not worried. Sawyer knows both you and I are on first name basis with the heads of the hospital, and Stiles won't be able to say no to Derek, especially since he hasn't seen him for more than a day." John chuckled and shook his head. Before he could say something though, his phone rang and he answered it with a sigh.

"What is it?" he asked and winked at Mellissa. "Coming." He ended the call and leaned over the desk to kiss his wife. "Another car accident. I guess I'll see you soon."

"Be careful!" she called out after him as he rushed out of the hospital, and she pressed the intercom button. "Dr. Hale please report to the front desk!"

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"Genim Hale, I've been calling you for 10 minutes already! Get your ass to the front desk! Don't make me come for you, young man!"

"I'm here!" Mellissa grinned brightly when Stiles all but ran over to the desk. "Where's the fire?"

"Nothing's burning, dear," she said as she checked him over. She grinned when she looked over his shoulder at the furious woman that just marched in. "Ah, Dr. Sawyer. Stiles, Melinda was kind enough to say that she will take over the night and morning shift for you."

"What?" Stiles looked at Mellissa with wide eyes full of confusion while Melinda Sawyer marched beside the both of them without a word.

"Smile, Dr. Sawyer! It's New Year!" Mellissa called after her and Stiles choked up a bit.

"She's furious!" he hissed and Mellissa waved him off.

"I don't care. She tried to bail on us and let you and Dr. Jefferson do all the work. Daniel came in 8 hours ago so he'll be fine. You on the other hand are barely standing."

"Mellissa, I can't-…"

"Yes, you can," she interrupted him and grinned as she looked over his shoulder. "And your ride is here!" Stiles turned on his heel and his eyes widened when he saw Derek walking towards them with a small smirk on his lips. "Derek, please take him home. I don't want to see him until tomorrow afternoon."

"My pleasure," Derek said and Stiles just stared at him in complete confusion. "Gen?" Stiles looked at Mellissa who just raised an eyebrow at them.

"Come on; get going. We'll have a few more people coming in and I can't have you standing here. This place is crowded as it is." Stiles looked up at Derek when the Werewolf took his hand in his, and the young doctor nodded slowly.

"I'll – I'll see you tomorrow, Mel," he said and Mellissa smiled at him.

"Get some rest, dear."

"Go to the car. I'll go and take your things." Derek said and Stiles nodded. He took the keys from Derek and walked away and Mellissa smiled at him. "Thank you for calling Sawyer in. Stiles really needs to get some rest."

"Don't mention it. We'd sure use another pair of hands here, but we'll manage. Go; before he falls asleep in the car." Derek nodded and rushed to the back rooms to get Stiles' things. He waved at Mellissa on his way out and ran over to the car.

He smiled when he got in and found Stiles already dozing off in the front passenger seat. The younger man twitched awake when Derek closed the door and looked around in confusion while Derek started the car and drove off of the parking lot.

"When did she call you?" Stiles asked to try and keep himself awake and Derek chuckled. "I thought you were with the others."

"She called me 20 minutes ago and I was. They're saying hi and that you should get some rest." Stiles sighed and hit his head back against the headrest.

"I'm sorry things turned out this way. Dr. Sawyer was supposed to work this afternoon, but she begged me to take the shift instead of her. I didn't think she'd try to bail out of the night-shift. To be perfectly honest I didn't even see how late it was."

"It's okay," Derek said and placed his right hand on Stiles' knee. "Do you want me to drive by Macy's? We don't have anything prepared at home to eat."

"If it's not too much of a bother."

Derek glanced at Stiles before he focused on the road quickly and gave Stiles' thigh a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay."

The rest of the ride home was spent in silence, and Stiles managed to doze off again while Derek stopped to buy them something to eat at their favorite diner. He debated whether he should wake Stiles up or not when they finally came home, but his debate was of short lasting because Stiles jumped awake the moment the engine stopped running.

"We're here already?"

Derek chuckled as he grabbed the bags from the back seat. "Come on. I bought your favorites," he said and they got out of the car. He waited for Stiles to walk over to him when he saw his hunched shoulders and how his arms hung tiredly by his sides.

He wrapped an arm around Stiles' waist as they made their way into their house and Derek led Stiles to the living room. He placed the bags on the tea-table while Stiles took a seat on the couch. Derek kneeled in front of him and took his shoes off.

"I reek," Stiles grumbled and Derek snorted.

Yeah, the scent of the hospital was stronger than usual, but Derek couldn't be bothered by it. He carried Stiles' shoes out in the hallway and placed them beside his before he made his way back into the living room where Stiles unpacked their dinner.

"You are my god," Stiles moaned when he saw a Cheeseburger and a double portion of Curly Fries, and a slice of apple pie just waiting for him. Derek took a seat beside him and raised an eyebrow when Stiles pulled him into a hug. He smiled and returned it as he buried his nose in Stiles' neck. "Thank you, Derek. I'm really sorry about this."

"It's okay." Derek rubbed Stiles' back and kissed his temple. "Now, eat. I'll help you take a shower later and you're going straight to bed." Stiles groaned as he let go of Derek and started on his dinner. Derek shook his head with a fond smile only to frown when his phone rang. Stiles looked at him as he answered the call, half a fry hanging from his mouth.

"Scott, what is it?"

"I just wanted to ask if you and Stiles made it home alright. We saw on the news that there've already been three car-crashes in town."

"We're home and we're both alright. We'll eat something, and then we're going to bed."

"Alright. Tell him we say hi and that we're hoping to see him soon."

"I will. Have fun."

"What is it?" Stiles asked after he swallowed.

"Scott just wanted to make sure we made it home alright. There have been a few car-crashes in town already and they were worried."

Stiles took a deep breath as he finished his Cheeseburger. "The holidays are supposed to be a happy time," he grumbled around a bite of the apple-pie and Derek nodded as he finished his chicken nuggets.

"Some things just can't be avoided," he said and wiped his hands on his thighs. "Come on; shower then bed." He stood up and Stiles followed with a groan.

Derek wrapped his right arm around Stiles' waist as they climbed the stairs and walked straight into the bathroom. He quickly undressed before he helped Stiles out of his uniform. He started the shower before he followed Stiles inside and wrapped his arms around the younger, smaller man from behind.

Stiles rested his head back on Derek's right shoulder and simply breathed for a few moments while the warm water cascaded down his front and Derek's strong body held him up. "I missed you," he murmured and a shiver wrecked his body when Derek kissed his neck and hugged him closer.

"I missed you too," Derek said and reached for the bottle of shampoo they used.

Stiles could barely stand as Derek helped him wash himself. His eyes were hardly open, his limbs were heavy, and he was falling asleep on his feet. Derek did quick work with Stiles hair before he quickly showered himself and shut down the water.

By the time he was done drying both of them with their respective towels, Stiles was shivering from exhaustion. He led his half-asleep husband into their bedroom and managed to pull the covers to the side before Stiles collapsed on the bed. Derek chuckled fondly before he got in and covered them both.

Stiles nuzzled closer to him and Derek wrapped his arms around his husband. The younger man sighed in content as he rested his head on Derek's chest and Derek kissed the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, you know?" Stiles murmured and yawned, and Derek chuckled.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. You're a doctor. It's in your job-description."

"And I'm your husband, and I do think it's in the job description that I should spend way more time with you. I mean, Danny and Ethan are having their second baby, and look at us! 9 years of marriage and I'm working so much we don't even have enough time to really try." Derek laughed quietly and buried his nose in Stiles' damp hair.

"Idiot," Derek murmured and Stiles laughed tiredly.

"On the other hand, I really don't need to be awake for that, do I?"

Derek rolled his eyes as Stiles raised his head to look at him. "We have all the time in the world, Gen," Derek said and Stiles huffed, only for it to turn into another big yawn.

"I'm gonna quit my job at the hospital. I'll open a small, private practice. I'm done covering for Sawyer."

Derek raised an eyebrow at him. "You're just saying that."

Stiles shook his head. "Nah; I'm serious. I've been working in the Beacon Hills Hospital for years now and she tries this every year for every major holiday. I'm honestly tired of that."

Derek hummed and rubbed Stiles' back comfortingly. "I won't complain if it will mean that you'll be home more often, but you and I both know that you love working there."

Stiles sighed and rested his head on Derek's chest again. He wrapped his left arm around Derek's waist and entwined his legs with Derek's. "I know; doesn't mean I like working double shifts." Derek kissed the top of his head and nuzzled his nose in Stiles' hair. "We need at least two more doctors in the ER."

"I know, Gen, and I'm sure the directors are working on it."

Stiles nodded against Derek's chest and tightened his hold on him. "I almost forgot," He murmured when he saw the digital clock on the bedside cabinet. He raised his head and looked at Derek. "Happy New Year."

Derek smiled and leaned in to kiss Stiles lovingly.

"Happy New Year."

"I hope this one will be better than the last one was," Stiles grumbled and rested his head on Derek's chest. Derek closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I hope so too, Gen. I hope so too."

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A bit different than normal Christmas stories, but never the less it's important that we remember the ugly side of the Holidays. Be careful, peeps! Always be careful!