Teen Wolf Big Bang: Sweetness (1/4)

[all_our_heroes]

Title: Sweetness
Author: all_our_heroes
Artist: daffenger
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 16,751
Warnings: Rough sex (semi-dub con), mentions of past abuse
Pairings: Scott/Isaac, Derek/Stiles, Jackson/Lydia, Erica/Boyd, brief mentions of past Scott/Allison, Allison/OMC, and Allison/Lydia
Summary: Scott has finally joined Derek's pack and is only just realizing how much things have changed since high school.



{ Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four }

Note: Beta'd/read over by pelters, superdeanlover, and impalafortrenchcoats. All remaining errors are my own. (And shall be fixed as soon as they're caught!) My lovely artist has been delayed by life, so only the cover she's done is here. (And I apologize about the spacing, but LJ likes to be difficult.)

DUE TO LIVEJOURNAL'S FORMATTING, I WOULD ADVISE WAITING UNTIL THIS ISSUE IS RESOLVED BEFORE READING.

~

Scott figured the aptitude for medicine must run in his blood. It was amazing ho well e did in his biology classes, considering how poorly he’d done in just about every subject previously. His mom was a nurse though, and he had years of experience at Deaton’s side, and those apparently did wonders for him. Once things had started to calm and Derek had better established himself as the alpha, Scott found himself a little less stressed out and with actua time o devote to his education. It was hard to deny he’d have a future when it was already so quickly upon him.

Sure, it wasn’t until after high school and he’d taken a few years of community college that he discovered what he wanted to do, but once he applied himself--and it did take effort, but he had the interest to back it up--he was able to get into veterinary school with few problems. Deaton’s letter of recommendation definitely helped things along and he’d ha years f experience. He’d needed to intern, but there was no question of how easy that would be or where he’d do it.

When Scott had graduated and returned to Beacon Hills, Deaton offered him a part of the practice--which Scott was more than happy to accept. If he was honest, he’d also been expecting it. Deaton wanted someone else who could deal with animals and werewolves alike and when Scott started his studies, it seemed pretty damn perfect. It would’ve been more so were he himself not afflicted by the lycanthropy… It tended to make certain animals--and werewolves--more than a little uncomfortable, but, hey, it was just their instinct. He understood and would help them overcome the doubts they had about trusting him. (If he couldn’t, he wouldn’t be very good at his job, would he?)

It was also only after his return that he actually, finally really oined Derek’s pack, despite the fact that his still completely human best friend had already been a part of it for years at that point. That had seemed weird to him when he’d first heard, not so much now.

Stiles hadn’t gone far for school, trying to keep close to his dad. It had also brought him closer to Derek. Well, to be fair, Scott had onl recentl found out that Stiles and Derek had been getting “close” back when they were in high school. How he hadn’t known then was something of a mystery, what with his werewolf senses and all, but, then again, he had been pretty preoccupied with Allison on top of all the shit that went down during those stressful years. He could also admit to himself that he was pretty oblivious to the obvious, but…it was still weird. After all, they were, like…in love. He was still getting used to it.

Scott and Allison had gotten back together a few times, only to break up again. There had been a good year or so there, even partially long-distance--perhap because f the distance--that they’d been together without much fighting. He thought--hell, he still sometimes thinks--that they’d be together forever, that they’d get married and have kids and his life could be…some semblance of normal. Chris Argent didn’t seem overly opposed to them anymore, even. He wasn’ overjoye at the idea of his daughter ending up with a werewolf, but he knew Scott had been a good kid, had grown into a kind young man with a future.

Maybe she’d realize that again, take him back. He kept hoping she might. She’d hang out with members of the pack sometimes, as they’d grown to trust her a little more and she them. To an extent, of course. Erica would get very protective of Boyd whenever she was around, but for good reason. Erica had never--could ever--forgive and forget seeing him full of Allison’s arrows as he stood to protec her.

Allison held a grudge against Derek that never quite went away. It was only after Stiles had a very serious “talk” with her--there may have been a good amount of shouting and a hard slap involved--that she could be in the same room as him without glaring daggers or plotting against him. Stile ma have pulled his own “dead mom” card, awful as it was, to get her to see that life went on. It woul always e painful, but it wasn’t worth it to let that pain and anger control you. Derek hadn’t killed her mother. He hadn’t eve bitten er on purpose. Victoria Argent had tried to kill Scott and Derek had saved him. That her mom couldn’t live with that--because her family was crazy, Stiles would remind her--was her own decision.

This conversation had led to a lot of mutual sobbing and guilt and then the attempt to relieve each other of aforementioned guilt until they were both too tired to argue. It had been a cleansing day, if not completely successful. Stiles was just happy she had stopped shooting and shootin a Derek, even if the alph did et on his nerves sometimes.

Yes, even through this point, Scott had not known Stiles and Derek were more than just maybe-almost-friends. All he’d had on his mind was Allison.

The pack, for the most part, was doing well. Jackson had disappeared for a while after the whole kanima ordeal, leaving Lydia a little heartbroken and very vulnerable around Peter--those had been dark times--but he had come back. They now thought themselves better than everyone else, as they always had, but with much more zeal, Lydia at her immunity that had once been such a plague and Jackson at his lycanthropy. He had always been better at everything than Scott before hi co-captain ad been turned, so any feelings of inferiority t Scot were long gone by now. They were, to any outsider, the perfect rich couple. They had gotten married about two years ago and even without real claws, Lydia had taken back her place as head bitch in charge. As maid of honor, Allison had found her secondary duty in apologizing to guests Lydia had been…less than pleasant to. It allowed Lydia to do what she wanted while still preventing the people around her from planning a vicious revolt.

Jackson, having left after she had been brave enough to face him as the kanima and to save his life in doing so, had left Lydia quite unwilling to pander to him once he had returned. The two of them lived in a nice house up a little further into the hills than everyone else. It had been helped along by their parents, but Lydia, certainly, and Jackson, as well, for the most part, had gone into their professions based on their merits. Lydia hadn’t quite won her Fields Medal yet, but she was well into working on it. Jackson was a lawyer. It only made sense. He might’ve had a bit of an unfair advantage with his werewolf senses, using it to rip his opponents to shreds, but at least he wasn’t literally tearing them apart. He may have taken some satisfaction in knowing that he could though, especially when things didn’t go exactly as planned. Despite Peter’s involvement and very presence among the Beacon Hills wolves, the couple had joined the pack. It had even been Lydia’s idea, given the voice of reason she was for the both of them. It didn’t make him look weak if it made him actually stronger.

Erica and Boyd ran a sex shop together. The kind of place that ha everything ut made anyone who dared overcome their embarrassment and enter rather…regretful. It could get very uncomfortable as Erica would stare, raise an eyebrow, and/or wink if a customer so much as glanced in her general direction. Boyd was better, but a customer would be extremely lucky to catch him working the store alone. He’d even let people get away with calling hi Vernon. Erica enjoyed the power she had over everyone, showing their patrons mercy b no gracing them with he glowin presence would’ve been a crime. Hey, she coul smell heir nervousness, their fear, their arousal, of course she used it to her own advantage--and amusement. She especially enjoyed reading sections of Stiles’s new books aloud. After all, accurate werewolf porn was hard to find, but always nice to share.

Stiles’s career made Scott almost as uncomfortable as Erica liked to make everyone else. What was he supposed to think though? His best friend wrote “adult novels.” About werewolves. Sure, he’d screw up the little details to keep hunters off their backs, but still… It freaked him out. Stiles--Stiles--knew all of those things fro experience. The guy had always been an avid researcher, always very thorough, but Scott could only fool himself for so long into believing that as where the information came from. He never would’ve read any of the books himself, but Erica had read i to im. It was too late before he’d realized what it was and slammed his hands over his ears. That memory woul stick. Each time he could smell what Stiles and his alpha had done, he’d be forced to picture t, thanks to Erica. When he tried to express his outrage at this, she had simply shrugged and told him it was “hot.” It became more disconcerting after that, if anything.

Derek was actually a pretty great alpha, Scott had to admit. He kept everyone in line and under control without taking away their freedoms. He and Stiles… The worked. Not just as a couple, but as pack leaders. Besides occasionally Peter, Stiles was the one who could change Derek’s mind, call him out on his bullshit, and even dominat him. As a human. His instincts and strategies put them all to shame. However, Derek was far better at training them. Peter was still creeping around, but he wasn’t killing anyone. It was about all they could ask for.

Everyone had come a long way since high school. Well…everyone but Isaac.

Isaac had been turned and lost his father almost immediately after. It hadn’t been such a loss at the time, what with the amount of abuse his father was doing to him, but i hurt. Isaac had turned to the pack as his new family only for it to be torn apart. Derek’s leadership skills at the time had certainly been lacking, but Isaac was the only one who remained at his side throughout. Isaac had looked to Derek and t Scott f all people for advice on what he should be doing. Isaac trusted Scott when Erica and Boyd had abandoned ship, turned t him o find answers. Things had changed with the alpha pack, with the position Peter Hale took in their pack, but Scott would sometimes catch Isaac jus looking t him and he’d smile at the other boy. Isaac’s face would practically light up when he did.

Isaac hadn’t really found anyone. He had tried, only to be taken advantage of. His newfound confidence in being a werewolf had only taken him so far and when someone seemed kind? Well, it was hard for him not to fall for it. He tended not to let himself get involved much anymore. He was pretty happy to just be with the pack, even if he’d feel like the odd one out when everyone curled around their mates after the full moon.

Isaac was alright though… Could be worse.

~

On his mother’s insistence, Scott stays with her in his childhood home. Once Scott is well and truly settled, he attends a pack meeting. Everyone is there--including Peter. He feels strange about the whole thing, but a pack made the wolves in it stronger, and more than just physically. It would help them keep control, even during the full moon.

Scott had been okay while he’d gone away to college, but he had generally isolated himself during “that time of the month”…or he’d call Allison. There had only been a couple of really close calls, but drunk dudes just assume they imagine the glowing eyes and fangs. Usually the surprise of having attacked someone, the look of fear they get, is enough to shock him out of it. After years of being a werewolf, it got easier, but he was by no means perfect.

The pack meetings were held, of course, at the Hale house--Hale-Stilinski ouse, Stiles would probably correct. Sometimes they took place inside and sometimes out in the woods, both of which had their own special benefits. Full moon meetings always took place outside though, because Stiles di not ant a bunch of disobedient puppies ruining his house, or so he’d tell them.

Tonight, they were inside. The living room was surprisingly cozy, but, then again, it was obvious Derek and Stiles--if not the whole pack minus Scott--had put a lot of effort into making it that way. The stench of death and rot no longer surrounded the place and Peter had been kicked out years ago despite his complaint that it was th Hale amily house and he was indeed a Hale. Derek had almost let him stay. That was until Stiles had had a very serious talk with him about all the things Peter had done. When he got to what Peter had done to hi personally, Derek had needed no more convincing. Peter may have been worse to the others, but none of them were Derek’ mate.

Isaac waves and Scott somehow finds himself squished on half of the couch between Isaac and Boyd as Erica sprawls across the other half, feet tucked under Boyd’s thighs. Lydia and Jackson are on some sort of ski trip or some other ridiculous thing. Scott is uncertain, he had seen Stiles receive the text, frown, explain, and move on. He hadn’t quite heard the explanation, too busy watching as Derek nuzzled his best friend while he spoke.

Isaac cocks his head, “It’s hard to be happy for them when they act like that, isn’t it? Cute, but…gross.” His nose scrunches up as he speaks, smirking at Scott.

"Yeah," Scott replies immediately with a laugh, turning his head towards Isaac before realizing how close they were. He turns back, assuming it would be awkward to stare with so little distance between them. Out of his peripheral vision, he can still see the other beta watching him.

“You two going to start talking or just make us watch?” Boyd asks after a moment goes by in which Derek and Stiles exceed the proper amount of strange affection.

“Shhh,” Erica chastises. “I was enjoying the show.”

Stiles rolls his eyes. “Thanks,” he tells her sarcastically, “I live to entertain.” Derek stops his near molestation of his mate, but sits closer than he needs to. Stiles has noticed how Derek’s behavior has changed, and he knows exactly why. They don’t have anything to say to the pack about it yet, not until they have an answer, so he ignores the questioning gazes of the betas, Peter included, and clears his throat. “Scott, would you like to introduce yourself to the group?” Stiles asks, not sure if he’s channeling a camp counselor or a kindergarten teacher, not that there was much difference. The worst part was what an apt discretion of his role in the pack it was. He wasn’t sure if it was better or worse than when they called him “mom.” Officially, they were no longer allowed to do that since Peter had followed the example of the others and it had gone from funny-cute to awkward-creepy-weird very quickly.

Scott looks around, sees a room of eyes staring at him expectantly, “Oh. Really?” The stare continues. “I’m Scott. We all…went to high school together,” he finishes lamely.

“Ah, Scott. You’re joining my pack,” Peter says, smirking. “Just like I knew you would.”

Erica looks vaguely disgusted at Peter, “Stop being so creepy.”

The entire group, minus Derek, nods, side-eyeing Peter. “What?” the ex-alpha asks, holding his hands up innocently.

“Why is he still here?” Scott stage whispers to Stiles.

Stiles opens his mouth to respond, but Derek answers for him, “Because it’s better for him to be here, where we can keep an eye on him, than out in the world without a leash.” He’s less wary around his uncle now, but he’ll never really trust him again. He questions not killing him--or letting the hunters kill him, although only incidentally--but the thought of losing him again, even if he was the one to slash his throat in the first place brings about a strange ache in his chest.

Stiles’s jaw drops for a second, staring at Derek, before he flails. “You made a dog joke!” He grins. “I am such a good influence on you.”

Derek glares at him, and it’s pretty much the same glare he’s always aimed in Stiles’s direction, everyone is just more familiar with it now. “No,” he says, not that it really means anything.

“I’m assuming I can make dog jokes again,” Stiles continues, nodding to himself as if it has already been okayed.

“It’s not like you ever stopped.” Erica props her head on her hand, elbow resting on the arm of the couch.

“I cut back!” Stiles defends, receiving disbelieving looks from everyone including the Hales. He sighs. “You’re so going to regret not trusting me here, guys,” he murmurs half under his breath, although he knows they’ll all hear him.

“So, do we have actual business to attend to tonight or are you just keeping me from embarrassing virgins buying vibrators for no reason?” the blonde woman asks, sitting up straight so that she could stretch out her legs, leaning on Boyd to her other side now instead of the arm of the sofa.

Stiles has the beginning of a pout, “Maybe I just miss your stupid faces, alright?” Peter opens his mouth and Stiles adds, “Not yours.”

"How often do we do...this?" Scott asks, gesturing to the group.

Stiles's new expression starts as a glare, but turns sarcastic quickly, "Gee, you know, Scott, we only have these to torture you. Why don't we--"

"Stiles," Derek growls.

Stiles huffs in annoyance, “I’m feeling seriously under appreciated here, guys.”

Erica opens her mouth, but sees Peter’s smirk and freezes, she sucks in a breath and smiles sweetly.

“The full moon is in two days and there are hunters coming into town. You’re not going to be able to run around and get your wolf on like usual.” Stiles chews on his lip. “I know we usually meet here at the house, but you guys are just going to have to be on your own this time. It’s too risky.” He and Derek already have a room ready for locking Peter away for the night, but they know the others can be trusted to take care of themselves. It’s less fun, of course, denying them freedom and the pack bonding the full moon allows for, but Chris Argent seemed worried. The pack had to stay under the radar and the hunters--with some help from Allison’s father--would move on.

Scott isn’t sure how to describe what he’s feeling at the announcement. If he’s honest, he’s happy to have more time before he must actually adjust to the ways of the pack. More time to do things how he always has, to hide himself a little bit longer…but he’s still disappointed. He’s never had the chance to run around under the full moon, to surround himself with pack, for his lycanthropy to make him belong and be able to embrace it.

~

“Why didn’t you join the pack before?” Isaac asks, leaning against his car.

Scott’s beside him, staring at the other beta. “To be honest, I thought doing it on my own would be better. You saw how that turned out.” He scratches his head.

“You had more control than I did, at the time,” the blonde admits.

Scott can feel the slightest shift, the way Isaac’s shoulder just barely brushes his and hears a breath like a chuckle. He turns his head, watches the man’s wry expression. “What?”

“It just…” Isaac shakes his head. “It seemed like we could’ve been friends.” He chances a glance in Scott’s direction, holds it when his eyes meet the brunette’s.

“We were,” Scott protests.

Isaac makes a noise in his throat, disbelieving but not quite brave enough to fully voice it.

Scott turns to face him, side sliding against then pushing away from the metal of the door. He wants to explain it away, to say that he had been there, but when he thinks on it, he realizes it may be a bit of an overstatement.

That hesitation is enough, and Isaac leaves him be.

~

The full moon passes rather uneventfully. The hunters out prowling the woods--which Derek was none too pleased about--while the pack hole themselves up individually in their houses. It’s not too difficult for Derek, with his human mate there to calm him and keep him in check. Lydia is careful, but she helps Jackson through it. Erica and Boyd can lose their humanity with each other and still make it mostly unharmed. Scott advises his mother to stay at the sheriff’s house for the night and she complies.

It’s times like this that he feels most reliant on Allison, misses her. She had always been the voice, the heartbeat his senses attuned to. Her smell clinging to their bed and he’d just let himself drown in it all, when he could. There were other times, of course, when they were broken up or away for school, when he’d lose control. Even without her, he had survived, it was just hard to be alone. So, Scott does what he can, locking himself away in his mother’s house. At least it still feels like home.

Isaac doesn’t have anyone the night of the full moon. He’s become accustomed to the presence of the pack for comfort, and for stability. He keeps them in mind, he keeps his father in mind. He focuses on the people he cares about and as his claws dig into his palms, he remembers Scott. Scott at the meeting, Scott when they were sixteen and he had no one else to go to… He allows himself to think about the other beta several times over the course of the night, as he thrashes restlessly in his apartment. It’s only when morning comes that the hopelessness comes to him. He likes Scott, has been harboring feelings for him for almost as long as he’s been a werewolf now. It’s just another desire that won’t work out well for him, he’s sure, not that knowing that has ever stopped him.

~

Scott feels guilty. He thinks of himself as someone who tried to make the right choices, going out of his way to be good, do good. How did he miss so many things in high school? Derek and Stiles were only the tip of the iceberg.

Scott had turned Isaac into an ally, sure, but he should have known how much the other teenager was hurting. Isaac had lost his father, his home, his life as he had lived it--not that he wasn’t in some ways lucky to have lost it--and had been hunted. Scott wanted to be there for him, he did…but Isaac was part of Derek’s pack and Scott hadn’t wanted anything to do with it. When Isaac came to him on his own, of course he’d help him. He had sought Isaac down several times for both werewolf business and just to see how he was. Those times, however, were few and over the course of a year, had filtered back down to nonexistent. It had become supernatural issues only that had brought them together in any sense of the word after that.

He knew, knows now, how much talking to someone meant to Isaac. Derek was obviously not a great alpha in this regard, so who else did the blonde boy really have to express his feelings to? It was too personal and he was too shy. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t strut around abusing his new power, but wasn’t that just a big show anyway?

Scott shakes his head. There’s no point dwelling on what he’s done wrong when he can go out there and try to fix it.

~

Scott doesn’t miss any pack get-togethers in his effort. Stiles has been quite clear on the fact that Isaac always comes to them, which is why he tries to have them so often. No one needs to admit weakness when Stiles is the one dictating these less than necessary meetings and he’s actually pretty cool with being the pack mom--again, as long as Peter doesn’t start calling him that. Isaac is lonely, has always been lonely, but Stiles doesn’t want him to be stuck that way. When Scott says he wants to come to as many meetings as possible, Stiles is delighted. He does his best to schedule them around Scott’s work so as to make it easier on his best friend.

Often, another member or two of the pack, or even Allison, will attend these meetings. Jackson likes training, as is usually their purpose, but he’ll come for the occasional movie, as well. Stiles loves pulling out horror movies and following them with classic comedies and cult films.

Sometimes, it’s just Scott and Isaac with Stiles as even Derek needs time off, and Peter is often banned. The three of them get along well, but Stiles will fall asleep when they begin a new movie or after he eats an extra large pizza, and Scott and Isaac will stay. The two betas will finish the film, always. Scott doesn’t feel guilt anymore, but there’s a warm feeling in his gut that he thinks is a good thing. The more time he spends with Isaac, the better it gets.

When The Princess Bride ends, Derek scoops his sleeping mate off of the couch and does the manly equivalent of shooing Scott and Isaac out of his house.

“I don’t want to go home yet,” Scott admits. “My mom went on a date tonight. She kinda…hinted about wanting the house to herself.” He cringes.

Isaac shrugs, “You could come over to my place.”

Scott agrees, that warmth blossoming in his chest, as well, a nervous flutter joining it that he chooses to ignore, and follows Isaac’s car in his own.

After two frozen pizzas and another movie, Scott falls asleep on Isaac’s couch.

Isaac bites his lip and goes to bed, wondering if Scott’s smile had meant anything.

This happens three more times before Scott realizes that feeling that’s been spreading through his body is not just happiness and friendship. Isaac tells him what he’s been through, how patterns keep repeating, confides all these literal secrets in Scott that the brunette can only handle knowing that he’s here to prevent from happening again, even if he won’t tell Isaac that.

The blonde looks at him, calculating, the way he does before he lets Scott in on some new aspect of his life.

“What?” Scott asks, despite the candy bar he’s just shoved into his mouth.

Isaac shakes his head, “It’s stupid.”

The other beta frowns, lifting an eyebrow questioningly as he tries to chew through the mouthful of chocolate and peanuts.

Isaac sighs, smirking a little at the sight, “I like you, Scott.” He puts on a movie and Scott stays quiet for a long time.

{ Part Two }