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Chapter Text

Scott woke up the sound of someone banging on his apartment door. He reluctantly dragged himself out of bed to answer it. When he opened his bedroom door he saw Isaac – sleep rumpled and frowning – coming out of his own room.

"I'll get it," Scott told him, but Isaac followed him to the door anyway.

Scott opened it and was surprised to see his mother standing there, looking angry, and carrying a big pink box. "Mom?" He questioned in shock. 

"A month!" Melissa exclaimed, sweeping past him into the apartment. He closed the door and turned to face her as she continued on, "I've been waiting a month for you to tell me who your soulmate is because I wanted to give you some some space to process it and then I found out yesterday on Facebook of all places that it's Isaac!"

Scott's eyes widened as she suddenly rounded on him.

Shit, shit, shit!

"Mom – "

"I know you’re busy, but honestly Scott, this is a pretty huge thing not to tell me!' Melissa exclaimed. "I mean a call would've sufficed!"

"I forgot!" He told her.

"You forgot?" She repeated, quirking her brow.

Scott nodded. One thing that had unconsciously happened since moving out of Beacon Hills was forgetting to put his mother in the loop. 

She shook her head, and rounded on Isaac. "And you, why didn't you call me?"

Isaac raised his hands defensively, waking up under the motherly aggression. "I wanted Scott to be the one to tell you."

Melissa took a step towards him.

Isaac looked at Scott for help and Scott just shrugged helplessly in response.

Melissa surprised them both by grabbing Isaac's hand. "And that is why you get cake, and he doesn't," she said before dragging him off towards the kitchen.

Scott frowned and followed after them.

"What kind of cake?" Isaac asked curiously. 

"Oreo ice cream," Melissa said, looking at Scott pointedly.

"That's my favorite!" Scott exclaimed.

"Well maybe next time you'll remember to tell me when you have important news," Melissa told him with a glare,

Scott pouted. He watched as his mother set the box on the counter and went to grab plates and utensils, while Isaac sat down in front of the box.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I've just been a little caught up - "

"You could've texted me! That would've been ten times better than seeing a picture Stiles posted of you and Isaac kissing on Facebook captioned my best friend and his soulmate being gross at Liam's lacrosse game."

Damn it, Stiles!

"It just slipped my mind," Scott told her.

Melissa turned to set two plates on the island. She still looked angry. "Slipped your mind? Telling me Isaac, your best friend, your roommate, and my second son, being your soulmate just slipped your mind?"

Scott was at a loss for words and all that came out was, "Yes?"

Melissa stared at him in disbelief for a moment, then she opened the box with the cake and gestured for Scott to take a look.

He walked over, filling in the empty space next to Isaac.

Congratulations to my favorite son, Isaac!

Isaac snickered and Scott shot him a betrayed pout.

"But Isaac didn't tell you either!" Scott exclaimed, looking back at his mother.

Melissa grabbed two forks and a knife from the drain board. She set the forks on the plate and started cutting the cake. "But it wasn't Isaac's twenty first birthday. He wasn't obligated to call me right away."

Scott frowned. He didn't know what to say.

Melissa plated a slice of cake and handed it to Isaac with a big smile. "Besides, Isaac's always followed your lead, so I figured he was just waiting for you to say it."

"I was," Isaac confirmed before digging into the cake.

Melissa smiled and reached over to brush Isaac's curls out of his eyes. "I know, sweetie."

Isaac moved into the touch, smiling back at her.

Scott just stared at them helplessly. What was he supposed to do?

Melissa cut herself a piece of cake and then sat next to Isaac, completely ignoring Scott. She and Isaac started catching up, and despite Isaac's attempts to allow Scott into the conversation, his mother just kept shutting them down, so eventually Scott just shuffled away.

He decided to take a shower, hoping maybe his mother would forgive him by the time he got out.

"Is he in the shower?" 

Isaac nodded, unfocusing his hearing. "Just got in."

"So...how did he react when he found out it was you?" Melissa asked excitedly. 

Isaac told her everything, from sneaking into Allison's apartment, to their first kiss the day before and when he was done, she reached over and put her hand on his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"Can I just say how happy I am that it's you? I couldn't think of anyone more perfect for my son," Melissa told him with a warm smile.

Isaac grinned, pure delight sweeping through him. 

"I love you," Melissa said, "you know that right?"

Isaac nodded. "I love you too."

"Come here," she said, dropping her hand from his face and extending her arms wide.

Isaac moved into her arms without hesitation, and it felt so nice to hug her again. It made him feel safe and warm and loved. Things he'd lost hope for before he met the McCalls. 

"Do you want another slice of cake?" She asked once they pulled apart.

"Yes, please," He answered.

While she was cutting him another piece, Scott resurfaced, looking at his mother cautiously. Melissa looked up at him briefly, expression unreadable.

"Take a seat," She said, gesturing with the knife to the seat next to Isaac.

Scott shot a questioning look at Isaac, but he just patted the seat next to him. Isaac took pity on him once he was seated and grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers. 

Melissa set a slice of cake in front of Isaac, then started cutting another piece. "So, Isaac filled me in on everything you've been too busy to tell me about."

"He did?" Scott questioned.

Melissa nodded.

Isaac watched them curiously while he started in on his second slice of cake.

"And since you've been so sweet to him, I'll let this whole not telling me thing go," Melissa said, offering Scott a slice of cake. "Besides," she added, "Phones work both ways, and it's partially my fault for not calling you either."

Scott let out a sigh of relief as he reached for the cake.

"I'm so happy for you both," Melissa said, looking between them with a big smile on her face, happy tears in her eyes. It was no surprise when she enveloped them both in her arms, hugging them tightly. 

They spent most of the day catching each other up on their lives, leaving the apartment around midday to go shopping, grab lunch and see a movie. When it was just the three of them like this there was always a sense of family that made Scott nostalgic for the life they'd had before moving away. Still, he wouldn't trade it for the life he had now, or the future he'd have with Isaac – this he was sure of. 

Scott was getting ready to go to work when there was a knock on his door.

"Come in!" He called.

The door opened and in stepped his mother.

"I thought you left," Scott said.

"Not yet, I wanted to talk to you alone."

Scott looked at her curiously. "Oh, uh, okay but – " He tapped his ear and pointed towards Isaac's room.

"Isaac's waiting for you in the car."

"Oh...so, what'd you want to talk about?"

"I just wanted to ask how you were doing," Melissa said. "I think everyone knew how badly you wanted it to be Allison."

Scott sighed heavily. He was tired of people bringing that up. All it did was make him feel like a clueless idiot. "I'm doing great actually. I haven't even been thinking about Allison lately."

"Really?" Melissa questioned skeptically.

Scott turned to grab his phone from his bedside table. "Okay, maybe I have, but not in the way you might think."

"Then in what way?" 

"In a way that makes me realize that even though I loved her, and she loved me, we were never going to work," Scott said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Scott started, "she wants to travel the world after she graduates and change the hunter's code. She wants to live in Paris and teach French. But I don't want any of that. I never have. I want to become a vet and take over Deaton's clinic. I want to have a big house, and three dogs, and maybe a cat if I can get one to like me."

"And do you know what Isaac wants?" Scott continued. "He wants to become a vet too, he wants to move back with me to run the clinic, and enjoy everything we didn't get a chance to because we were busy saving everyone, and he told me that our senior year of high school – before he even knew we were soulmates."

Melissa smiled at him and took a step towards him. "Scott, do you feel guilty for not noticing he was in love with you? Is that why you're analyzing your relationship with Allison?"

Scott deflated, sitting down on his bed. "Maybe. I don't know. It's just...everyone else thought he would be my soulmate and now that I know he is it's really easy to see why Allison isn't and I just..."

"Just what?" Melissa prompted when he didn't finish.

"I just feel awful about still being in love with her."

Melissa sat next to him, grabbing one of his hands in both of hers. "Sweetie, it's okay if you still love her. She was your first love and that doesn't just vanish overnight, soulmates or not."

"But Isaac – "

"Isaac understands that you need more time to move on from Allison. He's just happy to finally be with you and for you to know how he feels."

"But he's been waiting on me for years now, and I don't want to ask him for more time."

Melissa smiled sympathetically, squeezing his hand. "Sweetie, you can't force yourself to get over someone and you can't force yourself to love someone."

"I know and that's why everything's been so confusing because I feel...well when I think of Allison it makes me...not sad, but...wistful? Like I miss what could've been, but at the same time I'm okay with not being with her even though it's all I've wanted for years now. I mean, isn't that weird?"

Melissa took a deep breath, and he could see her collecting her thoughts. "Scott, how do you feel about Isaac?

"I mean Isaac makes me happy, and I always feel better when he's around...like if I'm stressed out about school or the pack, I just look at him and I know everything's gonna be all right. He's like...well if I still needed one, he'd be my anchor."

Melissa smiled. "To answer your question, no, I don't think it's weird. I think there was a moment when some part of you shut down a life with Allison and opened up to one with Isaac. I also think you can't logic your way through your feelings, you just have to accept where they are."

Scott ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah...you're right. I'm just tired of hurting Isaac. I want to be where he is so bad, and I'm doing my best to make up for lost time and it feels so easy and exciting and I'm happier than I've been in a really long time but my feelings for him haven't changed. I haven't had a moment where I thought to myself I'm definitely in love with Isaac."

"You might not need one," Melissa said. 

Scott furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?" 

"Scott...do you even realize the way you talk about him?"

Scott instantly lit with realization. "I do, but it hasn't helped me know where my feelings are."

Melissa patted his hand gently before standing up. "You'll know someday –Hopefully soon, but I can't spell it out for you. No one can. This is something you have to figure out for yourself."

Scott frowned and got to his feet. "I was worried you'd say that."

Melissa chuckled and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to use the restroom then drive home. Have fun at work, sweetie."

Scott hugged her, then headed downstairs to where Isaac waited for him.

"Did she yell at you some more?" Isaac guessed as he got into the car. 

Scott chuckled. "No. Just wanted to see how I was processing everything."

"And how are you processing everything?" Isaac questioned curiously. 

Scott chose his words carefully, knowing how important they were to Isaac. "I'm a little confused about some things, but not about us."

Isaac nodded, lips twitching into a small smile. 

"And how are you processing everything?" Scott asked. 

Isaac tossed his head back dramatically as he spoke. "Miserably. I mean dating my best friend? Kissing him? Who would want that? It's disgusting."

Scott rolled his eyes fondly, reached over and grabbed Isaac by the front of his shirt. "Well then prepare to vomit," he said before kissing him, feeling Isaac's smile against his lips. 

Scott was overseeing a very special training session with Liam, Tracey, and Kira when Isaac showed up.

"Hey," Scott greeted when he walked in, "I thought you had a lab?"

"I did, but I finished early," Isaac answered as he got closer. "What exactly are you guys doing?"

"Mostly getting our asses kicked," Tracy supplied.

Scott chuckled. "I'm having them spar with Kira so they'll learn to move faster."

"The sword is a great motivator," Liam added, drawing Isaac's attention. His shirt was ripped in a few places, but the lack of blood suggested he’d avoided getting maimed so far.

"Oh," Isaac said, then to Scott, "Mind if I join in?"

"Go ahead," Scott said, gesturing towards the mats.

Isaac kicked off his shoes, took off his jacket and handed it to Scott. He watched as Kira swung towards Tracy who barely dodged it, then spun around and struck at Isaac. He ducked quickly.

It was fun training with Kira and the others, the wolf part of him relishing in the adrenaline pumping through his veins and preening at showing his Alpha how fast he was, how superior he was to the other betas. 

Scott rewarded him with a kiss when all was said and done, and Isaac melted against him. 

"Where's my good job kiss?" Liam teased. 

They pulled away to roll their eyes at him, laughing when Kira kissed his forehead and he turned bright red. 

Tracy laughed and pulled out her phone. "I'm telling Hayden!"

Liam's eyes widened and they started fighting for her phone. 

Isaac turned his attention back to Scott. "Go on a date with me?" He asked. 

Scott lit up. "Definitely, but...maybe we should shower first?"

Isaac sniffed at him, then shook his head. "I don't mind a little sweat if you don’t."

"You sure?"

Isaac nodded. "Come on, I'll drive." 

Scott followed him to his car after a quick goodbye to everyone else. 

"So, where are we going?" Scott asked as Isaac started the car. 

Isaac reached behind him, pulling a flier out from his bag and handing it to Scott.

Scott huffed when he saw it. 

Isaac frowned. "What? You don't want to go?"

"No, it's just that I got a flier for this the other day and I was going to ask you if you wanted to go this weekend." Scott explained, holding the bright orange flier that advertised Fright Fair next to his smiling face. 

"Great minds think alike."

"Or soulmates," Scott said, and Isaac felt his insides turn to mush as Scott grabbed his hand. 

"Or soulmates." Isaac agreed, biting his lip to contain his smile. He squeezed Scott's hand before slipping it out of his grasp so he could drive. 

It took roughly twenty minutes to get to the fair, and find a decent parking spot. It seemed the fair was packed with families seeking the appropriate spook a few days before Halloween. 

Isaac took Scott's hand as they walked through the fair grounds, assessing the booths as they passed. 

"What do you want to do first?" Scott asked. 

Isaac scanned the immediate area then nodded to the haunted house, Scott following his gaze then letting out an amused huff. 

"I bet we've seen things a thousand times scarier than anything in there."

"We are a thousand times scarier than anything in there, but that's not the point, Scott." 

Scott laughed. "All right. Let's do it."

Isaac led them over to the entrance of the haunted house – an evil clown mouth – and waited to get dared to go in by a cackling witch. It was dark inside, flashes of lightning and cracks of thunder following them down the long hallway that hung portraits of mean looking socialites. As their attention focused on the blood-curling screams coming from up ahead, a hand sprung from the wall next to Isaac and he let out a surprised yelp, moving without thinking and crashing into Scott.

Scott simply steadied him with a low chuckle, and a peck on the cheek.

Isaac flushed and powered on, hoping Scott ignored his racing heart like he did. From the dark hallway he led Scott into the kitchen, or rather, butcher's shop. The walls were covered in blood, a fake dead pig laying on the counter, a murder victim propped up against the fridge, blood covering their upper body. He squeezed Scott’s hand, anticipating a jump scare as another scream cut through the air.

Scott squeezed back and took the lead towards the open doorway next to the fridge. As soon as Scott reached it the sound of a chainsaw revving up sounded from behind them along with crazed laughter.

Isaac looked back and saw a man charging towards them just before Scott pulled him out of the room and into another hallway – this time with plastic hanging from the ceilings. He focused his hearing but he couldn’t hear other heartbeats besides Scott’s past all the noises filling the house. Isaac latches onto Scott's arm as they walk, but despite some zombies catching them by surprise, Isaac doesn’t really get scared again until they encounter a tight tunnel that requires them to squeeze through the soft malleable walls to get to the final section.

“We can head back,” Scott offered.

Isaac shook his head. “I’ll be fine,” he said, but the thought of being confined by the walls left a pit in his stomach.

Scott still looked worried, but nodded. “No matter what, don’t let go of my hand.”

Isaac rolled his eyes in mild annoyance. “I’m not a child, Scott. I can handle this.”

Scott held onto him tightly anyway as he started pushing through the walls.

Almost immediately Isaac started to panic, the walls near crushing as they enveloped him, barely letting him breathe, but Scott's hand was an anchor, keeping him from feeding into his fear. Unfortunately, towards the end the walls ended up making Scott lose his grip and Isaac froze in place. He closed his eyes, and tried to stay calm, but his palms were sweaty, heart beating in his ears.

“Isaac, can you hear me?” Scott asked, voice muffled.

“Yeah!” Isaac called back tightly. His breathing shallowed, vision blurring at the edges. 

“It’s too tight to go back for you, but you’re almost at the end.”

Isaac took a shaky breath, and closed his eyes tightly. “Can you…can you do that thing?”

“What thing?”

“The Alpha thing.”

A few seconds went by and then Scott roared his name.

Isaac drew strength from the sound and forced himself to get through the last of the tunnel.

Scott rushed over to him, grabbing his forearms, but careful not crowd too close. This wasn’t the first time this had happened and he knew to give Isaac some space. “You all right?”

Isaac took a few deep breaths, clutching at Scott’s forearms. He pushed his forehead into Scott’s, eyes fluttering closed. “I’m all right.”

Scott pushed up into his forehead, and allowed him all the time he needed.

Isaac loosened his grip on Scott’s arms after awhile, and was appalled to see he'd left bruises. It made him flush with embarrassment. Something so small shouldn’t've caused him to freak out like this. If it had been anybody but Scott he might’ve run away and hid. Instead, he pulled Scott into a tight hug, inhaling deeply. “Okay, so, maybe we should've taken our chances with chainsaw dude and the zombies.”

Scott snorted, rubbing soothing circles into his back until Isaac pulled away, the sounds of someone else struggling to get out reaching his ears. Scott grabbed his hand and led him out the back and over to a picnic table near a small food truck.

“I’ll be right back.” Scott said.

Isaac nodded, and watched Scott get in line at the food truck. His gaze slipped to the table. He wished he could go back in time and avoid the haunted house completely. He may not have gone on many dates before but he was pretty sure almost having a panic attack was a mood killer. He started scratching the wood table up with his thumbnail, afraid he'd messed up another date with Scott who would be too polite to say anything.

“You look sad.”

Isaac stilled and looked up to find a young girl dressed as Wonder Woman standing a few feet away from him.

“Why are you sad?” She asked innocently.

Isaac blinked at her. “I…uh, I embarrassed myself in front of my boyfriend.”

“Is he your soulmate?”

Isaac nodded and she smiled gleefully.

“Oh, well don’t be sad then silly. Soulmates are supposed to love you no matter what."

"Yeah..."

"Everyone gets embarrassed sometimes and my mom says it can feel like the whole world is laughing at you, but all that matters is how you react.” She continued on, clearly wise beyond her years. “If you act sad about it you’ll stay sad.”

“So I should just accept it and move on?”

She nodded.

A small smile graced his lips, and he started to feel a little better. “How did you get to be so smart?”

The girl shrugged. “My mom says girls mature faster than boys.”

Isaac chuckled. “Well hope I can catch up to you someday,”

She smiled, and reached inside her bright orange pumpkin and handed him two Snickers. “For you and your boyfriend.”

“Thank you, Wonder Woman.”

She nodded, then asked, “Where is he anyway?”

Isaac looked over to the food truck, spotting Scott at the window, then looked back to the little girl. “He’s the one at the very front.”

“You both look like Princes,” She commented before rushing off. Isaac realized a second too late she was running towards Scott.

She approached Scott and gently tugged on his sleeve until he looked at her curiously.

Isaac chose not to listen to what she said, too embarrassed to hear her throw away what was left of his dignity. He groaned and looked away when Scott glanced his way.

“Faith!” An older woman called as she stepped into Isaac's view. “Faith, honey, where are you?”

“If you're looking for Wonder Woman she’s at the food truck talking to my boyfriend.”

She sighed in relief. “Thank you,” she said before power walking over to retrieve her daughter who gave Isaac a wave goodbye when she was inevitably dragged away. He waved back, then went back to scratching at the table.

“So I wasn’t sure how hungry you were but I got us four tacos, two guiso and rice burritos and a banana aqua fresca to share.” Scott announced as he sat next to Isaac.

“Agua fresca?” Isaac questioned. He hadn’t intended to speak, still wallowing in embarrassment, but he couldn't resist.

Scott handed him a large Styrofoam cup and he took a curious sniff under the lid before taking a drink. It tasted a little weird at first, but ultimately really nice. “It’s like a blend of fruit, sugar and water,” Scott informed him.

He took another sip before handing it back to Scott. “It’s really good.”

Scott took a sip while Isaac grabbed a taco. They ate in relative silence at first, but Scott eventually started expounding his day, and Isaac found himself staring fondly as he listened to him talk about Liam and the potential he saw in him to become a True Alpha. He thought maybe he could escape whatever Faith had said to Scott, but after they threw away their trash Scott said,

“So, I was going to do this anyway, but a very wise little girl said I should win you a stuffed animal to cheer you up.”

Isaac groaned. “You really don’t have to do that. I’m fine, I swear I don’t need cheering up.”

Scott gently grabbed his hands. “Isaac, not only have you barely said a word since the haunted house, but you nearly scratched off the surface of our table.”

Isaac sighed and looked down at their hands. “I just feel like I killed the whole ‘fun date' vibe I was going for.”

“You didn’t kill anything,” Scott reassured. “Sure, I was worried about you, but after I saw you were okay, I thought we'd eat to sort of reset and keep going.”

Isaac glanced up at him shyly. “And you’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

“Trust me, I’ve been on some bad dates before and this isn’t anywhere close to making the list.”

Isaac lifted his face fully then. “Mexico?” He guessed.

“Definitely makes the top five.”

Isaac furrowed his brow. “What's number one?”

“That time Kira and I tried that Thai place and got food poisoning. Remember that?”

Isaac grimaced. “I remember that you guys hadn’t come out of your room all day and accidentally hearing some very disturbing sounds coming from your bathroom when I went to see if you were awake.”

“It was awful and we could barely look each other in the eye for the next week.” Scott said.

Isaac shook his head, and Scott squeezed his hands. “So, assuming we don’t get food poisoning, our clothes don't get stolen, and we aren't kidnapped, nothing's going to kill the vibe of this date.”

Isaac kissed him. He couldn’t help it. He felt the curve of Scott’s smile as he kissed him back.

Isaac pulled away after a moment, cupping Scott’s cheek, staring into soft brown eyes. He bit his tongue to hold back an I love you because he couldn’t say it without hearing it back anymore, but every part of him was still thrumming with adoration for Scott. “You better win me something good or this whole date's a wash.”

Scott huffed a laugh. “Just pick a prize and I’ll win it for you.”

Isaac grinned.

They walked around for a couple of minutes until Isaac spotted something he actually he wanted and dragged Scott over to a booth where he had to knock over all the bottles with a ball to win.

“What am I playing for?” Scott questioned as he paid for a turn.

Isaac gestured to a stuffed husky.

“Why that?”

Isaac shrugged. “I’ve always wanted a real one and this is as close as I can get right now.”

Scott nodded, a determined set to his adorably crooked jaw. He missed his first two shots, likely just to cover the fact that he could do it with his eyes closed, then nailed it on his third try, every bottle falling to the ground. Scott pointed to the husky when asked to claim his prize, but once he got it he walked off.

Isaac caught up quickly. “Where are you going?”

“I’m looking for something I want.”

“So you're holding my husky hostage until I win you something?”

Scott nodded. “You know, since you don’t need cheering up anymore.”

Isaac pouted. “I do now."

Scott rolled his eyes fondly, a big smile on his face. “I hope you're good at shooting hoops.”

Isaac wasn’t pre-bite, but he thought he could manage to make a few baskets now.

“What am I winning you?” Isaac asked as they reached the booth.

Scott pointed to a stuffed Charmander and it reminded Isaac of the Pikachu plushie Scott kept on his dresser. He felt a prickle of jealousy suddenly. He didn’t know for sure, but he suspected Allison had given it to Scott, maybe even won it for him.

Isaac paid for a turn, making all three shots with ease. He took the plushie as it was handed to him, and Scott held out his husky to offer in exchange. His little prickle of jealousy didn’t subside until Scott said, “Now I can put this next to the Pikachu Malia won for me,'' as they traded their prizes.

“When did Malia win it for you?”

“Last summer when she went to visit her dad,” Scott explained. “She won a lot of prizes at some kind of festival and she didn’t want them all. Didn’t she give you that little monkey on your desk?”

“Yeah, I just didn’t know she gave you something too.”

“She gave everyone something. Stiles got that little lion he keeps in the jeep, Liam got a dog, Hayden a soccer ball, Lydia a cat, Parrish a Rottweiler, Kira got a Fox, and Mason and Corey both got dragons.”

Isaac could picture every single one of these gifts, having seen them quite often without ever questioning where they came from. “Huh. And I thought I was special.”

“Well, if it helps, Derek was in town when she came back and she didn’t give him one.”

Isaac laughed. “That does actually.”

Scott grabbed his hand. “Come on, let’s play some more games.”

An hour later found them on their way out of the festival, plushies clutched to their sides. They'd won a lot of other prizes, but had offloaded them onto children or parents who failed to win anything.

“What now?” Scott asked.

“Home,” Isaac said reluctantly. “I have to finish some homework."

"Me too actually."

"Want to pick up some ice cream and do our work in the living room?"

"Is it weird that that sounds amazing to me right now?"

Isaac laughed. "Only a month of dating and we're achingly domestic. We just need a dog or two to curl up between us, maybe a cat, and then we'd really be the poster of domesticity."

Scott suddenly had this look on his face, as if struck by something – like he was on the verge of saying something, and Isaac's heart stuttered, thinking maybe Scott was going to tell him he loved him.

He didn't.

Instead, he smiled and said, "You're adorable, you know that?" 

Isaac wasn't sure what prompted the words, but he didn't think they suited him. "Oh, shut up."

"No," Scott said firmly. "You're my adorable boyfriend and I'm never gonna shut up about you."

Isaac huffed.

Scott grabbed his face suddenly, and pulled Isaac into a hungry kiss  – as if he couldn't get enough of him – making Isaac's head spin as he matched the intensity of it. Isaac's hands settled on Scott's waist, holding him close. 

Isaac felt unsteady when Scott finally pulled away, trying to chase after him. 

Scott chuckled. "We should get going."

Isaac nodded dumbly, a twinge of excitement shooting through him. 

Isaac woke with a jolt. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Scott apologized from above. 

Isaac wiped at his eyes, and sat up. "What time is it?"

"Three."

Isaac groaned. They'd both have to get up in four hours for class. Though maybe if he could wake up with Scott it wouldn't be so awful. 

"I know." Scott said 

Isaac sighed and dropped his hands from his eyes. His laptop sat closed on the coffee table. 

"Don't worry, I submitted your assignments before I turned it off."

"Thanks." Isaac got up and stretched, feeling a crick in his neck. He went to the bathroom while Scott turned off all the lights. When he came out, Scott was walking down the hall. He was half tempted to make a right and plant himself stubbornly on Scott's bed.  "Goodnight," he said, turning left. 

“Where are you going?”

“Uh...to my room?”

Scott held out his hand, and Isaac grinned. “I didn’t want to make assumptions.”

“I thought I’ve made it pretty clear by now that I don’t mind if you make assumptions.” Scott said.

Isaac took his hand, surprised by Scott pulling him in close. “Yeah, well, I’m still getting used to us being like this.”

“Intimate?”

“Yeah, I mean, I still worry that all of this is just some dream and I’m going to wake up the day of your birthday in Allison’s apartment and see you there in her body.”

Scott cupped his face and pulled him down so their foreheads met for the second time that night. “This is real, Isaac. This is more real to me than anything, okay? I…I know I haven’t said what you want to hear yet, but it’s not because I doubt what fate – what everyone has been telling me – or that I don’t feel it I just don’t want it to be spoiled by anything else."

It stung to get a confirmation he hadn't moved on from Allison yet, but it was soothed by the implication he did feel something more than friendship for Isaac. 

"I wouldn't want you to say it until you're ready," Isaac told him. He kissed Scott's forehead, and relished in the way Scott leaned into him. This was the first time he thought Scott wasn't so far off from loving him completely. 

A couple of weeks later Scott ran into Allison. He was at the campus library doing research when he quite literally bumped into her as he rounded a corner. 

"Sorry," He apologized sheepishly, heart stopping when he realised who she was. 

"It's fine, I wasn't paying attention," Allison said. She offered a friendly smile. 

He smiled back. "What are you working on?"

"Uh, a thesis paper for psychology. You?"

"A thesis paper, but for microbiology." Scott answered. 

"Sounds complicated," Allison commented. 

"A bit yeah."

This felt different. Normally there seemed to be this gravitational pull between them, even when they talked about mundane things, but now...well there was nothing aside from familiarity and a bit of awkwardness. 

Scott looked at the clock on the wall when Allison didn't try to continue the conversation. "Uh, I don't have much time before I have to meet Isaac," he said. It was a lie, he didn't have any plans with Isaac because he'd planned to spend most of the evening in the library. 

Allison nodded, expression unreadable as she asked, "How is he?"

"He's...he's good, happy, I think."

For the briefest of moments there was a sad smile on her lips, but it vanished just as quickly. "Good."

Scott forced a smile. "Yeah, um, I should probably get my stuff and get going."

Allison nodded and he turned to leave, but then she blurted, "I'm glad it's him."

Scott looked at her in surprise. "You are?"

Another nod. "You've always loved him, Scott. And I know you're probably starting to realize that, but I think it's important that you hear it from me." 

"How did you...what gave you that idea?"

Allison shrugged, looking a mix of determined and a little sad. "Just...the way you've always talked about him...How your first instinct is to look to him in any situation."

Scott turned to her fully, brain buzzing. "You never said anything."

"What was I supposed to say? You were dating Kira when I realized, and then you and Isaac planned your whole future together and I thought you'd realized it too until you told me you still had hope for us. But back then I still wanted you to be my soulmate and I thought maybe it didn't matter if you loved him too." 

"What...what changed?" Scott asked because he has to know and this might be his only chance to hear it. 

Allison stepped closer, lowering her voice as she answered. "We did...Scott, you and I, we were messy and complicated and beautiful, but when you woke up in Isaac's body I was relieved."

Those words should have hurt or even stung, but they only confused. "Relieved?"

"Because I didn't have to spend the rest of my life competing for your attention," Allison said. "You and Isaac have been inseparable since we defeated the Nogistune. I mean you live together, work together, lead the pack together. He's part of why I insisted we kept our distance. I thought it would make it hurt less if he was your soulmate instead of me."

Scott's head spun. Allison, of all people, was telling him she thought Isaac would be his soulmate. "Allison..." He wanted to say that if it had been her that she wouldn't've had to compete, but then he realizes that Isaac had always had to fight for his attention when Allison was around and the words died on his lips. 

"I'll always love you, Scott, but you were meant to be with Isaac, not me," Allison said. "And it makes me sad, of course if does, but that's okay, because you deserve someone great and who wants the same things you do...I'm not great at sitting still in one place for too long, you know that, and as much as I love you, I can't go back to Beacon Hills, or even stay on this side of the globe once we graduate."

"I could've gone with you."

"But for how long? I'd have to travel a lot to meet with hunters. We'd probably never be in one place for more than a few weeks. What kind of life would that be?"

"If it had been you, I would've found a way to make it work," Scott insisted, but he wasn't sure why. He'd already thought about that life with Allison and how miserable he'd be having to travel so much, or worse, get left behind for weeks, maybe months at a time.

Allison shook her head. "No. I know you would've tried, but you have a pack, Scott. You wouldn't just leave them on their own – especially Isaac. You and Stiles have always been a package deal sure, but you and Isaac are too. You'd need him to come with us, just like Stiles needs Malia to move to Virginia, or Erica needed Boyd to move to New York. Isaac comforts your wolf, he is home to you, and even if we could compromise a life together, nothing would have made you feel that way about me."

She was right. Isaac was home to him, to his wolf. Had been for a very long time. 

Scott felt something shift inside of him, something he wouldn't realize until later was important. "We we're always doomed, weren't we?"

"Not always," Allison said, reaching forward to squeeze his hand. "I think we had a chance for awhile there, but we got in our own way."

Scott remembered then a quiet conversation in her bed. 

"What do you think determines soulmates?" Allison had asked. 

"I dunno," Scott mumbled sleepily. 

"Well I have a theory."

"It’s not Stiles' Red String Theory is it?"

Allison chuckled. "No, it's not that."

"Then what?"

"I think the reason soulmates aren't determined until you turn twenty-one is because you start to make more permanent decisions about what you want out of life and from other people around then." Allison had said. 

"So you think it’s up to us in a way?"

Allison nodded. "I think that maybe you have potential soulmates all your life, but as you become more of who you are, fate or destiny or God or whoever shoves you in the direction of the person who can give you the life you want, or even a life you didn't know you needed until you met them."

"Huh...That's an interesting way to look at it." 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Scott confirmed, kissing her forehead. "I just hope I'm that person for you." 

"Me too." She'd said it so softly he'd only caught it thanks to his werewolf hearing. 

"Maybe we did," Scott said. "Or maybe Stiles was right after all and my red string was always tied to Isaac, but whatever determines soulmates, I think you and I were always meant to be in each other's lives."

Allison smiled, and he warmed at the way it reached her eyes. "I think we were too."

Scott returned her smile, and after a moment, said, "Allison I...I hope whoever your soulmate is they give you a reason to stay – not here necessarily, but to stay in one place long enough to build a life. I want you to find home in someone else too."

Allison's smile grew and Scott's chest swelled because he imagined this was what closure felt like. 

"I'll see you around, Scott," Allison said. 

Scott nodded. "Maybe more now that we know?"

"Maybe." Allison answered. "I'm busy with school and helping my dad, but I will definitely be at Stiles' birthday dinner."

"Great, uh, I'll see you then."

Allison walked off with a pleasant smile still gracing her features. 

Scott grabbed his stuff and left the library feeling good, lighter. He received a text from Isaac as he walked to his bike. 

| Dr. Drake said I could go home early tonight. Will I get to see you at all or are you gonna be at the library all night? |

Scott stared at the text a moment, an idea forming.  | I'm done for tonight.  I'll pick up dinner. |

| Burgers please. |

| Milkshake? |

| Duh. |

He got on his bike and drove straight towards the comic book shop he remembered Isaac mentioning a few times, but hadn't been to lately because he'd been too busy. Once inside he texted Malia. 

| Do you remember the name of that comic Isaac's been talking about lately? |

Malia texted back quickly, a list of comics Isaac wanted at the ready. She's even nice enough to send pictures of each volume. He can't afford them all, but he'll get what he can. 

| Thanks, Lia. |

| Anything for you and Isaac. |

His phone buzzes again, but this time it's a picture from Stiles captioned, | two comics max plus this | This was a Deadpool plushie currently on sale. 

| How did you know where I was? |

| There’s only one comic book shop Isaac likes enough to even mention in passing. |

Scott found the comics – grabbing one Venom and one Spider-Man – and the plushie before paying and leaving the shop. It's as he's getting their food that he realizes he can't carry everything on his bike. 

He called Isaac to ask him to meet him at a park two blocks away, relieved when he agreed easily. 

It took Isaac ten minutes to get there, greeting Scott with a lazy kiss before sitting opposite of him. He started to unwrap his burger, but Scott quickly caught his wrist. 

Isaac pouted preemptively. "If you have bad news to give me, can't it wait until I've eaten? I'm starving, Scott. I might actually die if I don't eat in the next ten seconds." 

Scott chuckled, and reached to his left to grab the bag from the comic shop. "No news, just a gift."

Isaac perked up immediately, and practically ripped the bag from Scott's hand in excitement when he recognized the shop logo. He pulled out the comics and the plushie looking like a kid on Christmas morning. His eyes snapped to Scott, a tender glint in his eyes, "God, if I didn't love you before..."

Scott felt his face heat, and he looked down shyly, scratching his nose.  "It’s not a big deal."

Isaac surprised him with a kiss to his forehead, then the tip of his nose, then finally gave him a soft peck to his lips. "Thank you," He said earnestly against Scott's mouth. 

Scott grabbed him by the front of his shirt as he started to sit back and kissed him again – chasing the warm feeling in his chest. He nearly knocks over their milkshakes, but Isaac catches them, laughing into the kiss. 

When Scott finally let him free, Isaac settled into his seat and tore into his food, occasionally catching Scott's fingers with his. They both took turns dishing about their day, Isaac going noticeably quite when Scott mentioned Allison. 

Scott reached across the table and put his hand over Isaac's. "Sorry, I know It’s still a sore subject, but I don't want to hide anything from you."

"No, I...I'm glad you told me," Isaac said. "I don't expect you to act like she never meant anything to you or that she doesn’t exist now that we're together."

Scott gently squeezed his hand. 

"Uh, how did you feel seeing her again?" Isaac asked the question innocently enough, but Scott knew he was fishing. 

"It felt different," Scott admitted. He told Isaac everything, noticing that the other werewolf seemed to hide behind an invisible wall until he finished with, "All I wanted was to run home to you."

"You did?" Isaac questioned, his lips twitching into a pleased smile. 

Scott nodded, smiling softly. "And it wasn't just because of what we were talking about. I know I've always gotten caught up in Allison's presence, but the truth is, you're the one I always get most excited to talk to."

Isaac looked down at his Deadpool plushie to hide his smile. "I could say the same about you."

Scott's smile grew bigger. He brought Isaac's hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it, making Isaac look up at him through his long lashes. His heart stuttered, struck by how gorgeous Isaac looked. 

"Isaac..." He trailed off breathlessly. 

"Yeah?" 

Hope lit Isaac's eyes, and Scott a twinge of guilt, but still said, "You're like...super hot."

Isaac blinked at him a moment then laughed. "And here I thought you were about to say something romantic."

Scott rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry."

Isaac shook his head. "Don't be. You calling me hot does great things for my ego."

Scott chuckled and watched as Isaac cleared away their trash, then got on the table. "What are you doing?"

Isaac planted his feet on either side of Scott as he sat down in front of him. He cupped Scott's face with his hands, and leaned over to rest their foreheads together. "I think you're incredibly sexy," He whispered before kissing Scott softly – a silent I love you. 

Scott melted inside, and kissed him back. It wasn't long after that he found himself on top of Isaac, heart racing and arousal pumping through his veins – His wolf screaming for him to claim Isaac then and there. "Can I touch you?" Scott asked.

"God yes," Isaac answered enthusiastically. "I know I made such a big deal about just kissing before but I'm ready for a makeout session that doesn't end in a cold shower."

Scott laughed. He made Isaac come undone in his hand, and then they laid looking up at the stars awhile, talking about their future after this place. 

This was the day Scott let go of Allison fully and without regret. 

"I know I'm new to the whole pack thing, but is it supposed to feel like you're my Alpha too?" Tracy asked as Isaac came to a full stop at a red light.

"Well see normal wolf packs have two Alphas, one is male the other is his mate who's typically female," Mason explained before Isaac could think of a response. "My guess is that with werewolves the gender part doesn't matter, but the mate part does."

"So, because he's Scott's mate and I've accepted Scott as my Alpha, that makes Isaac my Alpha too?" Tracy questioned.

"Exactly," Mason confirmed.

"That explains his scent," Tracy said.

"My scent?" Isaac prompted just as the light turned green.

"Well ever since I first came to you you've smelled like an Alpha and a Beta," Tracy said. "It was really confusing, and it helped me trust you, but I've been wondering about it for a while now."

"Oh, well, now we both know," Isaac said.  

Mason started talking about pack dynamics in wolves versus werewolves and Isaac mostly tuned him out. His phone rang a few minutes later and he answered it just as he turned onto Lydia and Parrish's street, putting it on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Isaac, hey, where are you?" Stiles asked, sounding a little too casual.

"I'm about to drop off Tracy at Lydia's. Why?"

"Because Scott lost his flash drive and he's freaking out because it had his paper for Microbiology on it," Stiles said. "Do you happen to know what he did with it?"

"No idea."

"Okay, well, please get home soon because he's really upset and won't listen to me." Stiles hung up, but not before a loud crash sounded in the background. 

Isaac frowned. Scott had been working on that paper for weeks and it was due the next day. It would be near impossible to write it all again before then meaning the only option was to get home and find the flash drive.

"Hey, Mason could you – "

" – ask Parrish to give me a ride home?" Mason finished for him. "Sure.'

"Thanks," Isaac said, feeling relieved.

He waited until Mason confirmed Parrish could take him home and then he was off.

The apartment was a mess when Isaac finally opened the front door twenty minutes later. All the furniture was askew, all the drawers were open – some even scattered around and emptied – and for some reason traces of flour were everywhere.

"Scott?!" He called out into the ransacked apartment.

He heard a loud crash come from Scott's room followed by someone running down the hall. His fingernails shifted and he readied himself to fight on instinct.

Stiles came charging towards him, looking frazzled. "Thank god, you're here," he exclaimed before grabbing his arm and dragging him back down the hall.

He forced his claws to shift back as he asked, "What happened to the apartment?"

"Scott," Stiles answered simply.

Isaac didn't get a chance to ask anymore questions because they'd reached Scott's room and he saw it looked even worse than the rest of the apartment. Clothes, books, papers, and practically everything Scott owned was strewn about the room.

Scott himself was digging through his closet, flour covering his entire head and chest.

Isaac looked at Stiles, raising his brow.

"I told you he was freaking out," Stiles said quietly to him, then to Scott more loudly he added, "Hey, buddy, I'm gonna go search at the library, okay?"

Scott didn't acknowledge him, but Stiles just shrugged at Isaac before walking off.

Isaac walked over to Scott, putting one hand on his back and the other on his left arm. Scott seemed startled by the sudden touch, but relaxed as soon as he saw Isaac.

"Come sit with me," Isaac said softly.

"I can't," Scott protested, but he let Isaac lead him over to the bed.

Isaac cleared off a place for them to sit. Once they were seated, he grabbed both of Scott's hands. "Stiles told me you lost your flash drive."

"I can't find it," Scott said. "I've looked everywhere."

Isaac gestured around the room. "I can see that."

"It has my paper for Microbiology on it and if I don't find it I'm going to fail," Scott told him unhappily, obviously itching to get up, but Isaac kept him in place.

"When was the last time you remember having your flash drive?" Isaac asked.

"A couple hours ago," Scott said. "I had it when I ate lunch with Hayden and Tracy, and when I came home to drop off my leftovers, but after that I don't remember seeing it."

"So why is Stiles going to the library?" Isaac asked.

"I saw Kira and went to talk to her before I came home to finish editing my paper and that's when I noticed it was gone," Scott explained. He tried to get up, but Isaac pulled him back down.

"Scott, you need to calm down," Isaac said firmly.

"I have to find it, Isaac!"

Isaac didn't like the panicked look in Scott's eyes. He scooted closer. "I know, and we will, but you're not thinking clearly so just take a moment to gather your thoughts, okay?"

Scott looked as if he might just jump up anyway, but instead he nods and takes a deep breath. He takes quite a few and rests his forehead against Isaac's.

Isaac closed his eyes and listened to Scott's heartbeat as it slowly went from frantic to a steady rhythm. It felt nice to be here like this for Scott for a change. "Better?" Isaac questioned.

"Much," Scott said, pulling away to kiss his forehead.

Isaac opened his eyes, a smile starting to form but then he saw something that made him frown instead.  "You're wearing my shorts."

Scott looked down at himself. "Oh...I guess I put them in my drawer by mistake. I was in a rush this morning so I just put on the first thing I grabbed."

"No, but Scott those are the shorts I used to complain about all the time, remember? The pocket – "

" – the pocket is ripped on the inside in a really weird way and it always made you think you were losing things," Scott finished. He stood up and without warning, pulled down his shorts.

Isaac watched Scott fiddle with the pocket of his shorts until he finally tossed them to the ground, holding his flash drive up triumphantly. "I found it!"

Scott flung himself at Isaac laughing hysterically as he pinned him to the bed with his weight, knocking off all sorts of things. Scott kissed his cheek, then his nose, then his other cheek before giving him three quick pecks on the lips and jumping up.

"Now, where's my laptop?" Scott muttered to himself.

Isaac sat up, watching Scott dig around the room for his laptop. He doesn't think he's ever seen Scott's mood change so suddenly before.

Scott found his laptop under a pile of clothes and lifted it into the air. He turned to face Isaac. "I promise to clean the apartment after I finish editing my paper."

Isaac jumped off the bed. "Don't worry about it. Just go finish your paper in my room, okay?"

Scott smiled and crossed the room to kiss Isaac's cheek. "I'm really lucky to have you, you know that?"

Isaac felt butterflies in his stomach. "I know," he said.

Scott chuckled and left the room to go work on his paper.

Isaac tried to fight the dopey smile trying to break out across his face, but he failed miserably. He sent a quick text to Stiles, then went to the kitchen and started cleaning up. Once that was done, he set some chicken out to thaw and moved on to clean the living room.

He shook his head as he took in the damage. The things he did for love.

Scott sighed in relief as he finally closed his laptop. He’d finished editing his paper and had turned it in immediately, not wanting to risk losing it again. He set his laptop aside and sunk down into Isaac's bed.

He closed his eyes, intending to let his back recover from being hunched over his laptop for so long. The smell of chicken and rice eventually reached his nose and he smiled.

He really didn't know what he did to deserve Isaac. 

Scott got off the bed and went to his room to drop off his laptop. It was still a mess, but Isaac had cleared a path to his bed, and moved everything on it to his desk. He went to the kitchen where he found Isaac hovering over the stove. He walked over and wrapped his arms around him, on his tip toes as he  rested his chin on Isaac's shoulder.

"Did you turn in your paper?" Isaac questioned.

"Mmhm." 

"Good," Isaac said, leaning back into him. "Does this mean you're done freaking out?"

"Yes," Scott assured him, hugging him tighter. He nuzzled into Isaac's neck and inhaled, taking in the scent of honey, sweat, cleaning chemicals, beta and mate.

"I probably smell awful after cleaning," Isaac commented, trying to pull away, but Scott pulled him back.

"You smell perfect actually," Scott corrected before kissing his neck.

"Liar," Isaac accused.

Scott spun Isaac around, and took the hand that wasn't holding a spoon and put it to his chest, right over his heart. "You smell incredible."

Isaac's face slowly broke into a grin. "Well you smell awful," he said. "I think my eyes are watering a little from the stench."

Scott pouted and dropped Isaac's hand, starting to back away, but Isaac grabbed his shirt, pulling him in close. He smiled as Isaac kissed the corner of his mouth, then the tip of his nose and his forehead before giving him a proper kiss on the mouth. 

Isaac pulled away after a moment, pushing Scott away. "Go shower. The food should be done when you get out."

Scott stole another kiss and said, "You know, I got flour all over your bed...Guess you'll just have to sleep with me tonight."

Isaac grinned. "What a shame." He had this soft, amused look in his eyes, and Scott felt his heart skip at the love he saw in them. 

He never wanted Isaac to stop looking at him like that, even when he was being a total basket case like today. He thought he just might die without it.

Scott was reading over one of Isaac's papers, Isaac's head in his lap, running his fingers through Isaac's curls while he watched Young Justice when he heard, "Scott?" 

"Yeah?" He asked distractedly. 

He felt Isaac turn his head to look up at him, and moved the paper out of his way to meet his gaze. 

"If I asked you to come somewhere with me, no questions asked, would you?" Isaac looked a little unsure of himself, vulnerable, as if he needed Scott's answer to be yes more than anything.

Scott didn't even have to think about it. "Yeah," he says softly, brushing Isaac's hair back from his forehead. "I'd do anything for you.'

Isaac smiled and leant into the touch. "Can we go now?"

Scott nodded. It was eight thirty PM on a Friday, and for once they didn't have anywhere to be or any assignments to catch up on so he had no reason to deny Isaac even if he wanted to. 

Isaac stood up and offered his hand to Scott to help him up. 

They pulled on their shoes, grabbed their keys, and got into Isaac's car. The radio played softly, but other than that it was quiet. 

Scott had a thousand questions, but didn't ask any of them. Wherever Isaac was taking him, Scott trusted he had good reasons for not wanting to explain himself just yet. 

Isaac grabbed his left hand at a red light, and didn't let go, driving one handed. 

Scott frowned when he saw that they were leaving the city, but bit his tongue. He felt Isaac pull his hand up and looked at him as he kissed the back of Scott's hand, a small smile on his face.

Scott smiled back, and pulled Isaac's hand over to him, twisting their joined hands to kiss it gently in return. 

Isaac's smile grew. "Think anyone'll notice we're gone?"

"Nah, I think they're too excited about showing Tracy around to worry about us." 

"Let's hope they don't scare her off."

Scott chuckled. "They're not that bad."

"They're all demons."

"Tamed demons."

Isaac laughed. "Still demons though."

Scott's lips twitched into a small smile. They settled into a mostly quiet drive, occasionally singing along to the radio or mentioning things they'd forgotten about until they were left alone with their thoughts. 

Scott furrowed his brow when he eventually read Welcome to Beacon Hills. He wondered why Isaac would bring him here, but kept his promise not to ask, even as they pulled up to the cemetery. 

Isaac got out of the car without a word and Scott followed after him. Isaac didn't look at Scott or slow down until he reached his destination, turning on his heel abruptly to face a headstone. 

Scott came to stand next to him, grabbing Isaac's hand when he read Camden Lahey, beloved son, brother, and soldier, July 18th, 1987 - March 3rd, 2011. 

"I've been thinking about him a lot since our first date," Isaac said quietly. "My mother too." He nodded to the grave to the right of them, but Scott kept his focus on Isaac. "You said I could talk to you about them and I want to. I don't want them to be forgotten like that bastard wanted."

Scott rubbed his thumb gently over the back of Isaac's hand. "I'm listening."

Isaac squeezed back, looking at Scott with a mixture of love and relief, before shifting his gaze back to the headstone. "Camden wasn't always the greatest brother, and he left me to deal with Dad's shit alone, but...I miss him."

Scott squeezed his hand, to offer comfort, and to encourage him to go on. 

"He was Dad's punching bag before I was, you know, and part of why he wanted to go into the military was so he could be strong and not have to take shit from anybody anymore...the same reason why I wanted to become a werewolf...God, it sounds so stupid now."

"It's not stupid," Scott told him gently. "You needed someone to protect you for so long, and nobody ever did, so you did what you had to to protect yourself."

Isaac huffed. "But I wasn't protecting myself at first. I was blindly following Derek because I owed him for turning me and I didn't realize I was on the wrong side until one of my classmates, a guy I'd never really spoken to showed me that he genuinely cared what happened to me. Showed me that having power didn't mean I couldn't show mercy or restraint even to my enemies." 

"Sounds like a smart guy." Scott joked. 

Isaac smiled at him, that soft light in his eyes. "He’s smarter than anyone gives him credit for. He just gets overshadowed by a literal genius, and a smart loudmouth he calls his best friend."

Scott felt his face heat, and looked away shyly. Lydia occasionally looked at him with pride when he said something smart or got a good grade in his harder classes, but no one ever really told him outright that he was smart. 

"And I love him so much because he's my best friend and he taught me that's it okay to trust people again."

Scott squeezed his hand. "I think he's glad that you came into the clinic that day and told him that you trusted him and that you chose to stay and fight by his side."

Isaac's smile grew. "I'll always fight by his side."

Scott mirrored his smile. "And he'll always fight by yours."

Isaac didn't say it again, but Scott saw the I love you in his eyes. It made his chest swell with unbridled affection.

Say it, he thought, say it. 

Scott opened his mouth to finally say the words, but Isaac looked away before he could make a sound. 

"Do you mind if we just sit and talk about Camden for awhile?" Isaac asked. 

"I don't mind," Scott answered quickly, squeezing Isaac's hand. He could tell him later. 

They sat in front of Camden's grave and the whole night seemed to pass by in a flash as Isaac shared stories about his lost family – sometimes happy or silly or sad or anger inducing. He talked and talked and Scott listened, absorbing every word because this was everything Isaac had been keeping inside for years. He never wanted Isaac to feel like he couldn't speak about things with him, especially the people he'd lost and still so obviously missed.

Isaac didn't stop talking until the sun started to rise, his head resting on Scott's shoulder as he blinked away sleep. 

Scott planted a kiss to the top of Isaac's head. "Come on." He said. "Time to go."

They snuck into their old home through Scott's bedroom window and fell asleep in Scott's old bed, cuddled up, and feeling closer than over. 

Isaac, much to his disappointment, woke up alone a few hours later, but when the smell of coffee and food cooking wafted in from downstairs, he smiled. He usually cooked, but occasionally Scott would surprise him by making breakfast. He slipped out of the nice cocoon of warmth that was Scott's old bed and went to the restroom to freshen up. 

He slipped on one of Scott's old tank tops, and a pair of sweats before heading downstairs to the kitchen where he found Scott flipping pancakes. He walked up behind the Alpha, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. "Good morning," he said, voice rough from sleep. 

Scott leaned back into him. "Morning." He turned his head, kissing Isaac's cheek before flipping a pancake. 

He nuzzled into the side of Scott's neck, inhaling deeply. He smelled predominantly like sweat and pancake mix with a hint of cinnamon and the underlying scent of Alpha. "Need help?" Isaac questioned. 

"Pour the coffee?" 

Isaac kissed a trail up to Scott's ear, nibbling playfully on his earlobe, and enjoying the soft sigh Scott let out. He pulled away after a moment and got to work fixing their coffee. 

"Did you sleep well?" Scott asked. 

"I did actually." Isaac answered. "I had a really great dream." He felt Scott's eyes on him, heard the silent question. "I dreamt I was shopping for comics with my mom and Camden. He was making fun of me for having a crush on Superman, and mom was trying to explain that no, I actually had crush on Batman."

Scott appeared amused when Isaac looked at him. "Did you explain that you were actually in love with Deadpool?"

"No." Isaac smiled as he relived his favorite part. "I told them I was in love with the greatest superhero of all time..."

"Wonder Woman?" Scott guessed, a hint of amusement in his voice. 

"Scott McCall." Isaac corrected. He focused his hearing and heard Scott's heart stutter. 

Scott looked down at the pancakes in embarrassment. "I'm not a superhero though."

"You are to me," Isaac said softly. "To the whole pack really." 

Scott clicked off the stove. "I'm just a man. Well, a werewolf technically, but you know what I mean." He used the spatula in his hand to put the last two pancakes on the plate next to him. 

"A good man," Isaac said, "and sometimes that's enough."

Scott didn't respond so he continued on, looking down at what he was doing, "Anyway, you showed up a few seconds later and we all went out for ice cream and then the ice cream shop got attacked and you saved the day and right before we kissed I woke up." He finished fixing their coffees. He felt nervous suddenly, worried he was coming on too strong. 

But then he felt Scott grab his shoulder and turn him to face him. 

"I believe I owe you a kiss," Scott said, crowding into his space. 

Isaac grinned and kissed him – firm and insistent. 

Scott pulled away after a moment and rested their foreheads together. "I'm glad you had a nice dream, but I'm worried you think too highly of me. I've made a lot of mistakes, Isaac."

Isaac pressed gently into his forehead. "Heroes aren't defined by their mistakes, but their patterns and yours show that you always try to do the right thing."

Scott was quiet a beat then said, "I hope I can live up to the idea of me you have in your head."

"And I hope I can live up to yours  – whatever it is."

Scott smiled softly. "You always have."

"Yeah?" Isaac asked. 

"Yeah. I don't expect you to be anything other than what you already are."

Isaac caressed his cheek, Scott leaning into the touch. "The same goes for you."

Scott gave him an eskimo kiss, and Isaac chuckled, filling with warmth because small affections like these are all he's ever wanted. He kissed Scott, losing himself in it because he could, and Scott did too, pinning Isaac against the counter. 

A throat clear, followed by, "Boys?" is what brought them back to their senses. 

They jumped apart, and turned to look at Melissa. 

She looked sleep rumpled, confused, and a little amused. "Not that I'm not happy to see you both again so soon, but what are you two doing here?"

"Uh, we went for a drive and it got late, and Beacon Hills was closer," Scott answered. 

Melissa didn't look like she quite believed that, but she accepted the answer. "Coffee?" She asked. 

Isaac grabbed the mug he'd prepared for her and offered it to her. She smiled, and walked over to take it from him. 

"Coffee and pancakes. You boys are too good to me," She said. She gave them both a kiss on the cheek then went to sit at the table. 

Scott grabbed the pancakes, and three plates while Isaac grabbed the coffees and syrups. They settled in for a nice breakfast, Melissa asking about school and work and how they were doing. Isaac had to admit, as much as he loved his mornings with Scott, he missed the ones they used to have here with Melissa. 

After, Melissa went to shower, leaving the two of them to do all the cleaning up. Scott washed, Isaac dried, and it was perfectly domestic, but not boring. Scott splashed him with water and that's all it took to start a war between them, soap and water getting everywhere. 

Isaac laughed, feeling free and happy as Scott's wet hands tickled him. He slipped and fell, pulling Scott with him. 

Scott laughed in his ear, and pulled himself up so he could stare down at Isaac, his soft, brown eyes warm and full of affection. He put his hand on Isaac's cheek, stroking Isaac's cheekbone with his thumb. "I love you," Scott blurted. 

Isaac's heart skipped, eyes wide. 

"I love you," Scott repeated firmly. 

A big grin slowly spread across Isaac's face. "Yeah?"

Scott nodded, a soft smile on his face. "I have for awhile now, but I can be kind of oblivious sometimes."

His answer should've made Isaac jump for joy, but instead it made his stomach twist. "And Allison?" He was scared to ask, but he had to know. He wanted Scott all for himself, and he didn't care if that was selfish, or asking too much. He deserved to be happy and loved and a soulmate who was fully his. 

Scott's smile didn't vanish and it made hope stir in Isaac's chest. "Over the past few weeks I've realized something," Scott said, still stroking his cheek. "I haven't been in love with Allison since our junior year of high school, I've just been in love with the idea of her. And I wish I could tell you when exactly I fell in love with you, but I can't because loving you has always felt so second-nature to me – like breathing."

Isaac couldn't stop himself from replying, "Didn't you have asthma?"

Scott huffed a laugh. "Fine, then like blinking, or my heart beating – you know what I mean!"

Isaac nodded, reaching up to brush Scott's hair back with his fingers. "So...you're only in love with me?"

"I'm only in love with you," Scott confirmed. 

Isaac felt tears well in his eyes, but he couldn't bother to be embarrassed by them. "I love you, Scott," he said. 

"I love you too, Isaac." Scott kissed him softly, and Isaac wrapped his arms him, holding him close. 

It took them a few minutes to get back to washing dishes, and though they'd stopped horsing around, the atmosphere around them remained happy and free. 

After a quick goodbye with Melissa, Scott drove them home, and as Scott took his hand, Isaac thought this was the first day of that happily ever after Malia talked about.