3Isaac and Scott's friendship was one of my favourite parts of season 3, and I had to explore to a bit more.
Isaac didn't remember anything of the journey to Scott's. After Derek yelled at him, assaulted him, and threw him out into the storm without a word of explanation, everything just went blank. Nothing unusual there. It was the only way he had been able to survive his father. After Derek, after the Bite, he thought he would never have to block out the world again.
He should be used to being wrong by now.
Melissa said nothing when she opened the door. She looked Isaac up and down, taking in his soaking wet clothes and the bag over his shoulder, and drew him into a tight hug. Isaac stiffened automatically, but his protests about getting her wet died when she just hugged him tighter.
It had been a long time since anyone hugged him. Isaac's muscles didn't seem to work properly, but somehow his head ended up buried in her shoulder and he was hugging back as firmly as he dared. He smelled hospital disinfectant and the same laundry powder that Scott used and under it all the acrid scent of anger, but when he drew back there was nothing but concern in Melissa's dark eyes.
"You can stay as long as you like," she said firmly. "Is there anything you need?"
Isaac shook his head. His throat didn't seem to be working right. Melissa's eyes softened in understanding, and she stepped back to let him in properly. "Scott's upstairs."
Isaac managed a smile, and toed his sopping sneakers off before heading upstairs. He could hear the steady thud of Scott's heart, and almost without realising it his own heartbeat calmed. Scott was here. He would know what to do.
Scott was engrossed in his schoolwork when Isaac came to the door, and though the surprise in his eyes was clear as he glanced up, concern replaced it almost immediately. He straightened in his chair, and Isaac finally found his words.
"I was wondering if I could ask you a favour."
Scott's nostrils flared slightly, and Isaac had a split-second to wonder what he was sensing before the other boy was on his feet. "Anything you need," he said firmly. "Mom said you could stay, right?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Then it's all good." He hesitated a moment, then reached out to grip Isaac's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Cold eyes and shattering glass sliced across Isaac's mind, and he couldn't suppress a flinch. His breath caught in his throat, but then Scott's grip tightened enough for Isaac to drag himself back to the present.
"Isaac?"
The genuine concern in his voice eased some of the sting, and Isaac managed to shake his head. "Not really," he mumbled. "Sorry."
Scott's eyes narrowed. "Don't apologise for that," he said softly. "You didn't do anything wrong."
Isaac wanted to disagree out of pure habit, except this time he really didn't know what he had done wrong. It was hard to dwell on it when Scott was watching him with such open warmth though. Scott caught his eye and gave him a small smile.
"If you do want to talk about it, I'll be here," he promised.
Isaac could only nod. Scott's smile widened for a moment, then suddenly vanished. "Sorry, you're still soaking. Here." He grabbed a towel from a stack of fresh laundry and handed it over. "It's clean, I promise."
Isaac could smell that, and the familiar scent and Scott's warmth was too much. His eyes stung, and he took refuge in towelling his hair dry. "Thanks."
It came out a bit choked, but Scott was kind enough not to mention it. He hovered close by while Isaac struggled to get his emotions under control, not saying anything, but just being there, until Isaac was finally able to give him a faint smile. Scott clapped him on the shoulder, then winced.
"You must be freezing," he said. "The shower's just next door."
"'M not that cold," Isaac mumbled. "Guess werewolves run hot."
Scott's brows came together in a faint frown, but he nodded. "Yeah, but showers always make me feel better." He squeezed Isaac's shoulder. "Go on. You can use anything you want in there. I'll find you something to wear tonight, and if you leave your wet stuff by the door I'll chuck it in the wash." He paused, frowning at Isaac's duffel. "Is that waterproof? Is the rest of your stuff okay? Never mind," he added, when Isaac shrugged. "I'll sort it out."
"You don't have to," Isaac began, but the protests died at the look Scott gave him.
"I want to," he said firmly.
"We both do," said Melissa, and Isaac looked up to find her standing in the doorway with another fluffy towel and an extra pillow. She smiled at Isaac, and tossed the pillow to Scott. "I couldn't find your sleeping bag so I hope you haven't left it at Stiles'-"
"It's under my bed," said Scott. He cast a quick grin at Isaac. "I only did that once."
Melissa raised an eyebrow, and Isaac found himself smiling for the first time in what seemed like forever. There was more love in this little room than there had been in the whole of Derek's empty loft. Scott glanced at him, his eyes softening. "I'll get things sorted out in here if you want that shower."
His voice was gentle but firm, and Isaac gave in. Melissa handed him the fresh towel with an equally warm smile. "I've got an early shift tomorrow so I'll be gone by the time you get up, but we can start looking for a proper sofa bed or something on Sunday. We'll soon get you settled."
It took several long seconds for Isaac to swallow down the lump in his throat enough to reply. "Thank you."
Melissa smiled, and this time he was better prepared for the hug. "It's no problem at all."
"Course not," Scott called. "It's great having you here." The was a thump and a muffled curse as the sleeping bag burst from its tiny bag, and Isaac drew back in time to see Melissa roll her eyes with undisguised fondness.
"All right I need to head to bed, but if there's anything you need, Isaac, call me straight away."
Isaac nodded, and Scott bounced up to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom."
He got a hug too, then Melissa closed the door behind her. Scott nudged Isaac. "You go and have that shower while I get things sorted here." He held up an old tee-shirt and a pair of tracksuit bottoms with a slightly sheepish smile. "They might be a bit small but I'll get your things washed and dried for tomorrow."
"They're great," said Isaac quickly. They smelled like Scott, he managed not to say, but felt his cheeks heat up anyway. "I'll just, er, go..."
It wasn't quite an escape, Isaac told himself as he locked himself in the bathroom. Everything was just so different from anything else he had known that he had no idea how he was supposed to react. Scott was so different from anyone else he knew.
Not the bad kind of different though. Definitely not bad.
The shower did help. Experience had taught him not to take too long, his father had never been pleased to wake up to cold water, but the heat forced some of his tension from his muscles. He had to borrow some of Scott's shampoo, and the familiar scent was nearly as reassuring as Scott himself.
He was far more relaxed than he ever had been with Derek, he realised as he dried himself off. The thought sent a twinge of guilt through him. Derek was still his alpha.
An alpha wouldn't have thrown him out, a small voice in the back of his head said. An alpha wouldn't have hurt him, and thrown a glass at his head.
Scott would never do that.
Isaac forced that thought from his mind before he could stress himself out again. He could hear the washing machine going as he made his way back to Scott, but the other boy was back in his room. Isaac could hear the scratching of a pencil, and the occasional flip of pages being turned, and when he did reach the door he wasn't at all surprised to find Scott once again working on his homework. The tip of his tongue stuck out as he tapped away at his calculator, and the warmth that spread through Isaac's chest had nothing to do with his shower. He shifted, and Scott's head snapped up immediately.
"Hey. Sorry, didn't hear you come out."
"It's fine," said Isaac. He crossed the room to peer down at the page of neat scribblings. His own schoolwork was stuffed in the bottom of his bag, where it had been for the last week. Isaac opened his mouth to ask why Scott was bothering when there was so much else going on, but what came out was,
"How do you do it?"
Scott blinked, but reached for the calculator. "Well, you take this value here-"
"Not that," said Isaac impatiently. "I mean, all of this." He waved a hand at the papers strewn across the desk, and the piles of textbooks. "We're werewolves. We're got a pack of alphas after us, someone's going around ritually sacrificing people, and you're still acing school. How are you doing it all?"
Scott's cheeks tinged pink. "I'm not really, I'm way behind on English-"
"But you're still trying!"
Scott held his gaze for a moment, then set down his pencil and turned to face Isaac fully. "I have to," he said quietly. He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes turning distant. "All I wanted was a normal life. Play lacrosse, get good enough grades to be a vet, go to college. Last year...didn't exactly go according to plan." Isaac couldn't suppress a snort, and Scott gave him a quick grin before continuing, "But just because I'm a werewolf doesn't mean I don't get a life. Y'know, once we've stopped the alpha pack and the sacrifices and everything."
Isaac frowned. "You really think so?"
Scott looked away, his shoulder slumping. His voice was quiet enough that Isaac had to strain to hear it. "I hope so."
Isaac bit his lip. Scott was always so strong and so in control and so good at being a werewolf that he had forgotten that Scott had never asked to be Bitten. Derek hadn't been the best alpha, but at least Isaac had had some idea of what he was getting into. He coughed and ducked his head.
"You're gonna be an awesome veterinarian."
Scott's shy smile was so bright that Isaac's heart skipped a beat. He looked away, searching desperately for something else to talk about, then realised what else was different about the room.
"Why'd you change the sheets?"
Scott blinked at the subject change, his eyes flickering from Isaac to the bed and back again. "Because I didn't think you'd want to sleep in my dirty ones?"
Isaac stared at him. "I thought..." He glanced at the made-up sleeping bag, saw Scott's stuff lying on it, and shook his head. "Dude, I'm not kicking you out of your own bed!"
His father would come back from the dead just to murder him. Scott just pushed himself upright and folded his arms. "And I'm not making a guest sleep on the floor."
"A sleeping bag is fine," Isaac protested. "You know I've slept in worse."
He realised that was probably the wrong thing to say when Scott's expression darkened. Scott's jaw clenched, his eyes actually flickering gold for a second, but after a moment he visibly forced himself to relax. "You're not today," he said flatly. "Look, I'll sleep in the chair if that's better-"
"Or we can both sleep in the bed."
Isaac hadn't meant to say that. He'd thought it was better than Scott being uncomfortable all night, but he hadn't meant to actually suggest it. He opened his mouth, not knowing what he was going to say but knowing he had to say something, when Scott cocked his head to one side. "You're okay with that?"
He didn't sound angry. He sounded like he was actually considering it. Isaac shrugged. "I don't take up that much space."
Scott had to tilt his head to look him in the eye, but he was grinning enough to show his dimples. "That works." He closed his books, and grabbed his sleepwear. "Make yourself comfortable, I'm gonna wash up."
It felt weird being in Scott's bed, but somehow not as weird as Isaac had expected. The stress of the day was beginning to catch up with him, and by the time Scott reappeared Isaac was struggling to keep his eyes open. Scott flicked the light off and slid into bed next to him.
"I'll do us eggs in the morning," he said, with a yawn. "You like eggs, right?"
Isaac smiled into his pillow. "Eggs are great."
"Good." The was silence for a moment, then he added more quietly, "It's gonna be okay, Isaac."
Isaac had heard those words thousands of times over the years. For the first time in a long time, he believed them. He closed his eyes, and let the sound of Scott's heartbeat soothe him to sleep.
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