"Hi, Kira!" her mother greeted. "Hmm, is everything okay? I thought it was just you and Scott coming over for dinner."
Kira looked back to Lydia and Allison before focusing on her mother again. "Mom, I said I had something important to tell you and Dad. Can we come in?"
"Sure, come in."
They filed into the living room with Scott at the rear, while Kira's mother, Noshiko, fetched Kira's father from his studio.
"Maybe you should've told her before," Allison whispered as she passed next to Kira.
"And do it alone?" Kira raised her voice, slightly anxious.
"A heads-up over the phone?" Scott suggested.
"Scott, that's a terrible idea and you know it," Lydia said, grabbing Kira's hand. "It'll be fine, Kira."
"Yeah," agreed Allison and Scott.
Kira leaned her head on Allison's shoulder and let Scott and Lydia hug her from the sides. They pulled apart when someone cleared their throat behind them. Kira felt herself blush, but she took a deep breath to center herself before speaking up.
"Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you," she started. "Sit down please."
Her parents walked around the sofa to sit down while Lydia sat down on the loveseat on the far corner of the room, legs crossed at the ankles, hands resting on her lap. Allison and Scott stood to her left, a comforting presence as always.
"Remember how I told you Scott and I gave each other time to see other people a couple of months ago but we started seeing each other again a couple of weeks ago?" Kira said in a rush.
Her father looked in Scott's direction. "Yes, I remember that."
"Well, Scott is still seeing Allison. We're seeing Allison together. And Allison is also seeing other people."
Neither of her parents spoke or moved.
"I'm also seeing Lydia, Stiles and Derek," she finished. "We're an open polycule."
"An open what?" her mother asked.
"Polycule," Lydia said, matter-of-fact. "It's a play on the words polyamory and molecule. It's a relationship network."
Noshiko looked in Kira's direction. "Kira, what's going on?"
Kira's stomach tightened as she braced for the worst possible reaction. "This is what I wanted to tell you about. I've been tying myself into knots trying to find a way to explain it by myself but I thought it would be better if we were here together for this… I want you guys to be involved in my life and that means accepting my relationships."
"Kira, I—"
"We're surprised, that is all, Kira," interrupted her father. "We didn't think you and your friends—"
"My partners—"
"They were just your friends a moment ago, Kira, give me a second to process this."
"I'm sorry, Dad," she apologized, lowering her head. "I know this is not traditional but I wanna be with them."
Her father nodded. Her mother, on the other hand, was frozen still.
"Mom?"
"You are an adult, you can make your own mistakes," she said, standing up.
"Mom—"
"Ken, I'm not hungry anymore. Serve them dinner if you wish."
With that, she left the living room in silence.
Ken stood up and followed her with an apologetic smile. "I think it's best if you come back another day."
Kira nodded and watched her father go. Once he was out of the room, Lydia was standing next to her, grabbing her arm; Scott held her on the other side as Kira sobbed. She cleaned her cheeks with the sleeve of her cardigan and let herself be pressed on all side by her partners.
"Let's go to Derek's," suggested Allison. "You know the guys will be happy to have an excuse to order pizza."
Kira huffed a sad laugh. "Let's go to Derek's."
Lydia kissed Stiles goodbye first, long and lingering. Then, she kissed Derek in the same fashion.
"Let me know if you want me to pick you up," said Derek.
"Will do!"
As she waved them goodbye, Rose from Accounting came to a stop next to her.
"Did you break up with Ally?" she asked by way of greeting.
"Huh?"
"Two guys dropped you off, Lydia."
"Yeah, Stiles and Derek. My boyfriends."
"I thought you were dating the brunette? Allison, right?" Rose pushed.
"I'm still dating Allison," she said.
"But—"
"I'm also dating three other people if you needed to know. Screwing two more on the regular. Is that enough info for your gossiping ring?" Lydia watched the woman flush, embarrassed. "That's what I thought."
When the elevator arrived, Lydia walked inside decidedly. Rose shook her head and picked up a call outside. Lydia knew she'd get a call from her boss at one point during the day.
Worth it.
Allison laughed at Scott as he put on one of the Spirit Halloween wigs that vaguely resembled Elsa's hair. Behind him Isaac came holding a plastic knife menacingly. She got out her phone and took a picture of it before bursting into giggles. Isaac dropped the fake knife and came to grab Allison by her waist to turn her around. Then he kissed her as he put her down. She loved him a little more for it.
"Isaac!"
"Hey, can I get some of that action too?" Scott asked.
Isaac turned to him and dropped a brief kiss on Scott's lips. Allison couldn't even get it on camera.
"There's kids in this store, you know?"
Allison turned around, her smile frozen on her face. "Excuse me?" she asked the woman grabbing a Wednesday wig.
The woman looked at her with a malicious smirk. "These guys are kissing where my kids could see them."
"Where are your kids?" Allison asked.
"That's beside the point."
"Look, if you have a problem with my faggot boyfriends, you have a problem with me," Allison said, standing straight. "And while they're not gonna hit a woman, I'm not above slapping a bitch."
The woman turned around and walked away, mumbling a curse.
"Allison," Scott called, reaching for her hand. "Are you okay?"
"That bitch!" she said.
"It's okay, Allison." Isaac moved her hair out of her face, pushing it behind her ear. "We're fine."
"Who does she think she is?" she continued, enraged. "I'm going to—"
"We're going to calm down, buy only what's on the list Lydia gave us, and leave without causing a scene," Isaac said, holding his hands up defensively. "And tonight we'll punch shit together, how about that?"
Allison took a deep breath and nodded, going into Isaac's arms for a brief hug. Scott kissed the top of her head before taking the wig off and putting it away.
When they left, they had enough supplies to celebrate Kira's birthday. At night, her partners entertained her long enough that she forgot about the unpleasant woman altogether.
As they did the rounds telling each other's parents of their new official relationship arrangements, Stiles' dad and Scott's mom were the most difficult to reach and have available. But they ended up being the second set of parents to know when they found themselves having dinner together on the night Stiles was going to come clean to his father.
"Dad?" Stiles asked when he entered his father's home.
"In the dining room with Melissa," he said.
Stiles turned to Scott and saw him frown. "What is my mother doing here?" he whispered.
Isaac raised an eyebrow at him. "I told you they are together," he mumbled back at him.
"Isaac!" Scott said.
"I'm with the guys," Stiles raised his voice to add. "Do you have a minute?"
"Is everything alright?" Stiles heard his father stand up from the table and walk to the living room where they had filed into while Stiles greeted his dad.
"Yeah, everything is great actually," Stiles said.
"What's going on?"
"Dad, you know that Lydia and Derek and I are dating, right?"
Sheriff Stilinski frowned as he put 2 and 2 together. "Seriously, Stiles?"
"Yes, dad, we are dating Scott, Allison, Kira, and Isaac."
"You are not dating Isaac, Stiles," his father said, completely serious.
"We have a peace treaty," Stiles said. "Negotiable in bed."
His father looked like he sucked on a tart lemon. "Stiles, I did not need to know that."
"Look, I made a power point presentation—"
"Stiles—"
"—I'm serious, I did research for this!"
"Research on how to introduce your other four partners to your father?"
"Yes."
"Stiles, get me a drink," his father said. "Melissa! You're gonna wanna hear this!"
Scott visibly flinched as he heard his mother make her way to the living room.
"Oh, it's finally happening? Am I supposed to be surprised or can I jump straight into supportive?"
"What," Stiles said, confused.
"Ever since Scott came over to introduce Kira as the new partner, I knew one day I'll see the rest of you in my living room," Melissa said.
"Mom?" Scott asked. "You knew?"
"If you were in a polyamorous relationship and Stiles was in a polyamorous relationship of his own, all I had to wonder was how long it was going to take to end in this exact moment."
Stiles' father scratched the back of his neck. "And you didn't think of warning me?"
Melissa smiled. "It's more fun to keep you guessing."
Stiles clapped his hands together before saying, "excellent. Two birds, one stone. And you handled this much better than Kira's family first impression."
"Perhaps you could have done a big meeting and come out as polyamorous then," Melissa teased.
"It took us a long time to get where we are," Stiles said, "who knows if we would have made it if we'd done that."
Melissa hugged him then, a big welcome to the family in her books.
After properly introducing each other as partners and being passed around for hugs, Stiles did convince his father and Melissa to look at his presentation. He set up the small projector and showed them a bunch of slides about their different relationships, putting emphasis on the words open polycule.
His father looked extremely baffled by the concept but only made respectful questions about what were their plans in case a baby happened. To which Stiles replied, "Dad, we've barely decided what we are to each other. Don't make us have that conversation before we're ready."
Melissa intervened then, "it would be nice to know you guys are being responsible about this."
"We are, mom," Scott said, mildly embarrassed. "I promise you we don't need a safe sex talk, We're all over 25 here."
"Good," she said, trying to hide her smirk.
"I think I've just learned more about my son's private life than I wish I ever knew," Stiles' dad said.
"Well, you have to start thinking about what we'll do for Christmas, Dad," joked Stiles.
Later that night, as the guys left together, Stiles stayed behind to catch his father and asked him if he was alright with all of this.
"Son, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life," he said, sincerely. "But you should know, it's not going to be easy."
"I didn't choose this because it was easy. I chose it because it's what I want," Stiles said.
"Then you must fight for it, Stiles."
"I will. I am."
"Good." His father put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Now, go with your guys. I'll be fine."
"Thank you, Dad."
"I'll speak to the Yukimuras!" he called as Stiles left.
Stiles didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't necessary.