Stiles Stilinski + Derek Hale

i used to love you

A/N: I RLY LOVE THIS ONE AND IM SO PROUD OF IT (but there won't be a second part lol)

IMPORTANT: i'm trying to put out a new one-shot every other day this week but it would be nice to see if you guys actually like them or not. Some of you guys left some rly nice comments in the past couple AUs and I rly appreciated them. 

I hope you all are safe and healthy :)

Dealing with Stiles was Derek's least favorite part of his week. It wasn't that he hated Stiles because he didn't. Sometimes he even had to try to convince himself that he didn't love Stiles anymore. It was more of the fact that every time Derek had to talk to Stiles, whether it was over the phone or in person, there would be a pang in his heart.

Stiles and Derek finalized their divorce a few years prior and their daughter, now fifteen, was floating between the two of their houses. To Derek, it wasn't the most ideal situation, but he knew it was best. This way, there wouldn't be any repeated court visits concerning custody, and Lyla would be able to see both of her parents.

Because of this, Stiles and Derek were forced to maintain communication as a means of ensuring Lyla's safety. When they started their separation, the former couple decided that it would be best to minimize the pressure placed on their daughter's shoulders. As a result, it became absolutely necessary for Stiles and Derek to put aside their feelings and behave like civilized adults when it came to matters concerning their daughter.

At least once a week, Derek would have to endure an hour-long phone call with his ex-husband to discuss Lyla's schedule for the week (who she was hanging out with, what days she had soccer practice, etc.) and make sure the transition from one parent's house to the next went as smoothly as possible.

Derek hated this, as it was a constant reminder that, no matter how much he tried, he would never be able to take Stiles out of his life, not completely anyway. It stung a little. Rather than finalizing the divorce and trying to move on, Derek had to revisit the same pain every week.

Lyla and Derek were a lot closer than most father-daughter duos and when Derek told Lyla of his fears, she frowned, "But I just don't get how you and Dad could ever stop talking all at once. It doesn't make sense to me."

Derek sighed and looked around his daughter's room for guidance, obviously finding none.

"I love your Dad. I do. But being married just wasn't what was best for us. And sometimes I feel like I need more than a week to recover from the stress at work and then having to see my ex-husband."

Lyla nodded as if she understood what her father was going through, despite being only fifteen.

"Then why don't you and Dad agree that I spend like two weeks with one of you and then two weeks with the other. And then we go back to our normal schedule. That way you can take a LITTLE bit longer of a break."

Derek grinned before pulling Lyla into a headlock and rubbing his opposing fist in her hair, "But then I don't know how I would survive two weeks without my baby."

Lyla started wriggling while laughing in the headlock, "PApaaa. I'm fifteen! I'm not a baby anymore."

Derek placed slobbery kisses all over her cheeks, "Yeah you are."

"No, I'm not!"

There was a knock at the front door, causing Derek to stand up from his seat on the twin bed. He turned around so that his back was to the bed and Lyla jumped on his back, her arms latching around his neck. Derek had done this every morning ever since she was old enough to figure it out, and he was determined to do it until he couldn't lift her anymore.