Work Text:
1. Scott
You're not overreacting.
---
It’s the morning after Isaac showed up at the McCalls’ house soaking wet and asking for a place to stay, and goddamn, he feels like an idiot. Why did he go to Scott? Why not just crash in an abandoned building for the night and talk to Derek in the morning? Even before he -- even before, Derek was acting cagey. There must have been something going on. If Isaac goes back and talks to him, maybe he can get Derek to tell him, or at least to let him move back in.
Except the thought of moving back in with Derek after he threw a -- and he knew, he knew that was what -- but no, it’s whatever. It’s Derek. He does shit like that, but that’s just because he grew up surrounded by werewolves, so it’s not a big deal. He doesn’t understand what it means to be hurt; or, no, he understands that perfectly -- he’s been hurt, tortured,so many times, Isaac can barely fathom it, but he -- he’s never had to deal with the all-too-real fear of disfigurement, of broken bones that take more than an hour to heal, of weeks or months spent in pain and dodging questions because of the reckless actions of one night. And Derek’s his Alpha, and that means something. Turning Isaac was a choice, and it’s not like he can just abandon him now, right?
.
But none of that even matters, really. Isaac can’t stay here - it’s not fair to Scott, and it’s especially not fair to Ms. McCall. Even if Derek did -- it doesn’t matter. Isaac’s being stupid. It’s not a big deal. It doesn’t matter.
By the time Scott knocks on the guest room door and Isaac calls for him to come in, Isaac has already re-packed the little stuff he brought with him, stripped the bed sheets for washing and folded the comforter, and has started tidying up the rest of the room, trying to erase any evidence he’d been there at all.
“Woah,” says Scott as he opens the door and looks around the room, face betraying his surprise. “You’re gonna be staying here for awhile, Isaac, so unless you’re really into having clean sheets - which would be totally fine - you don’t need to keep the room this nice. It’s yours, Man.”
“No, it’s -- I was just leaving.” Isaac says. He can’t quite bring himself to look at Scott’s face.
“What?” Asks Scott, eyes widening with surprise. “Why?”
“I’m gonna go to Derek’s, see if he’ll talk to me now that it’s morning.”
“Isaac,” says Scott, his face growing serious. “You showed up here last night soaking wet and not really...” He pauses, as if searching for words that won’t be taken the wrong way. “Not really okay. If you left, there was a good reason. What happened?”
“Its nothing, seriously,” Says Isaac, looking down. “Derek tried to kick me out because Cora’s moving in. I overreacted. I’ll go talk to him, and if he still doesn’t want me staying there, I’ll find my own place.” There, thinks Isaac. That’s simple, but detailed enough that it’s something Scott should accept.
“Isaac, you don’t need to do that.” And the worst part is that Scott is so fucking earnest, like he doesn’t realize how inconvenient it will be to have Isaac living with him and his mom. Isaac knows just how much of a burden he can be. “You can stay here for as long as you need to. I already talked to my mom about it, and she was for it even before I told her you offered to help pay for food.”
“Scott--”
“No, seriously! You can go talk to Derek if you want to, but you can totally stay here for as long as you need.”
“I--” And this is why he was trying to leave before he talked to Scott. Because the more Scott talks - the more he offers a place in his home and his life - the more Isaac’s resolve crumbles. He knows leaving is the best choice for everyone; even if he can’t bring himself to go face Derek after what happened last night, he should still get out of the McCall’s. Staying will only cause trouble, but it’s so hard to remember that when Scott’s acting like Isaac would be doing him a favor by crashing in his guest room.
“But I don’t think you should talk to Derek,” Scott continues. “At least, not yet. You were freaked out when you showed up here last night, and I know he’s done a lot for you, but I know Derek, too. He does things without thinking, or with really stupid thinking, and maybe he doesn’t mean them to be, but those things can be pretty terrible. And yeah, he’s your Alpha, but that shouldn’t mean you always have to put up with his bullshit.”
“He threw a glass at me,” Isaac blurts out. He can’t not, not when Scott’s saying those things and looking at him like that. “At my face. He told me to leave and he threw a glass at me, when he knows that’s the last thing my dad did before I ran, before he --” Isaac looks away, his hand curling into a fist. He wants to hit something, but everything in the McCall’s guest room is too nice to destroy. Scott’s not saying anything, and suddenly Isaac’s face flushes with humiliation. Scott must think he’s so stupid, he’s overreacting, he’s so fucking useless, he’s weak --
“What the hell,” Scott says, then growls. Full-on werewolf growls. Isaac looks up and Scott’s fuming, like he’s about five seconds away from wolfing out. “Isaac, that’s not okay. That’s really fucked up. What the hell is his problem?” He growls again, and if Isaac didn’t know better, he’d think his eyes just flashed Alpha red.
“He just --” Isaac starts, automatic, but Scott cuts him off.
“No. You don’t need to defend him. I know Derek too, okay? Maybe not as well as you do, but I know him. And I get that he’s messed up, or whatever, and, like, maybe he even had a reason for kicking you out, but that still doesn’t make what he did okay.”
“Yeah, but -- I still shouldn’t have come here. It’s not a big deal, I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
Scott looks just short of horrified. “Dude, no. Of course you should have come here. Even if it wasn’t a big deal - which it totally is, by the way - you’re my friend. You can always crash here. Or stay here. For a while. Because you shouldn’t go back to Derek.” Scott’s hands tighten into fists. “I’m not going to stop you if you really want to go, but - Isaac, he knew what it would make you think of, and he did it to hurt you. Like, really hurt you. And that is really fucked up and really not okay.”
Isaac opens his mouth to - he’s not sure. Defend Derek again? Shit. He wants to say something, but he can’t think of anything that’s not an apology - for Derek or just for existing - and he’s pretty sure Scott won’t accept either of those. Instead, he closes his mouth and shrugs, non-committal. “I guess.”
Scott looks him straight in the eyes. “I know.”
Isaac keeps his gaze for a few moments before looking away and shuffling his feet. He still feels like he’s invading the McCall’s space, but if Scott really doesn’t want him talking to Derek, and if he really doesn’t mind him staying... he fights back the urge to sigh in relief as he feels a knot loosen in his chest. Not much, but a little. Enough to be getting on with.
Scott seems to notice shift in energy, because he lets the serious look slide off his face and smiles, brightening up the whole room. “So you’re staying, right?”
Isaac doesn’t say yes, but he doesn’t say no either. He looks down. Scott gently lays his hand on Isaac’s shoulder and squeezes. Isaac can’t help but lean into the touch as he feels his body still -- he hadn’t even realized he was shaking. He nods - a slight jerk of his head downward, and back up again, but not high enough to meet Scott’s eyes. Scott squeezes his shoulder again, reassuring, then lets go.
“Great!” He says, beaming. “I’m gonna go tell my mom. You can put your stuff back - use the closet and the drawers, whatever you want, the only things in either are pillowcases and sheets and stuff, and some random storage at the top of the closet, but there’s still plenty of space.”
He starts to walk out, but turns and pauses in the doorway. “And seriously, Man, thank you for staying. I’m really glad you’re here.” And with one last smile, he’s out the door.
Isaac stares after him, heart pounding. He still feels guilty, but Scott -- Scott doesn’t think he’s overreacting, and he wants him to stay. And Isaac knows that it won’t last, but maybe, right now, he can let that be enough.
Isaac’s lips curl upward into something that’s not quite a smile but is quiet and soft and almost content, and he begins unpacking his bag.