Human is Just a Word 19/?
Chapter 19
Stiles put the plate on the counter in Isaac's kitchen and then went to search for the werewolf.
"If you skip the fur you should consider pants." Stiles stood in the door of the bedroom where Isaac was lying on top of the covers, not in the slightest embarrassed about his nakedness. After a few pack nights Stiles wasn't bothered by this anymore, much, at least not when it came to the betas. Derek was a whole different matter.
However, there was this thing called decency and that called for pants.
Isaac gave him a look but rolled off the bed to put on some clothes.
While Isaac ate the pancakes Stiles studied the werewolf in search for any signs of distress. But he seemed to be okay. For now.
"You don't need to tell me your life story." Stiles finally said. "But it would be good to know what freaked you out. You know, so it won't happen again. Was it something my dad said or did?"
Stiles forced himself to sit still while he waited for Isaac to answer. He always had the urge to move while he figured things out but he had the feeling that the werewolf would response badly to sudden movements.
Most of the time Isaac was cool with his flailing and wild gestures but sometimes he got this mood and then Stiles knew that he had to keep his distance. Like right now.
Isaac cleared his throat and kept his eyes on the pancakes in front of him. He had eaten with appetite at first but now he was pushing the pieces around on his plate.
"My dad." Isaac started but didn't seem to know how to continue.
"Your dad's an abusive asshole?" Stiles guessed.
"He was." Isaac agreed in a small voice. "He's dead now."
"Good."
"Derek found me shortly after." Isaac continued.
"So my dad reminds you of your dad." Stiles summed it up. Isaac wasn't ready to share details, Stiles got that but he didn't need details to get the picture anyway. "I'll talk to him, he'll keep his distance." He promised. As the sheriff his dad had seen his fare share of abused kids, he would get it.
"Don't tell him." Isaac's head shot up and there was a flash of gold in his eyes.
Stiles considered it but then he nodded. It would be easy enough to keep them apart without having a heart to heart with his father first.
"Want my company again tonight?" Stiles renewed his offer.
The smile Isaac gave him was answer enough.
When Stiles came back upstairs, Derek and his father were sitting at the kitchen table, lazily nursing their coffees.
"Is Isaac okay?" His dad asked.
"Yeah, he's just not used to guests." Stiles said easily. "No big deal."
Before his dad could ask more questions, Stiles went into suggestions of what they could do today. They had only today and tomorrow, John had to be back in Beacon Hills by Monday.
Derek hurried to say that he had work to do so it was just Stiles and his dad.
The weather was nice so Stiles decided to show him the park first.
Stiles liked the park, he had been there quite a few times over the last week, but the main reason he liked to go there was that he could call his dad without any werewolves listening in. And that was the exact reason why he suggested to go there now. There he and his dad could talk freely. Not that Stiles had anything to hide but there were things they just couldn't say with Derek in earshot.
"So." His dad said when they had sat down on a bench. "How are you doing? Really?"
"I'm fine." Stiles said. "Living with Derek is, I don't know, normal? I feel the bonds right here." He pointed at his head. "But that's all. I have my own room, I can do whatever I want, I can go out whenever I want. And now with my car here I'm even more mobile."
"Does he hurt you?" His dad asked, watching him closely.
The wounds on Stiles face were almost healed by now and there weren't any new ones but that said nothing about the rest of his body. And there were ways to hurt somebody without leaving any marks or even touching them, Stiles knew that.
"He never laid a finger on me." Stiles answered honestly. "Neither did the others."
"How do they treat you?" His father brought up the other issue. In Peter's pack the humans were kept as pets, slaves at best.
"Not like expected." Stiles admitted. "I think they have accepted me as part of the pack. It's not like home and I miss you but it's okay. It's like I'm off to college a bit early." He tried to lighten the mood but the emotions were stuck in his chest.
"I miss you too." His father admitted. "The house is too quiet now."
Stiles didn't know what to say to that.
"It's not that I expected you to stay forever, but I thought that we had more time." His father draped his arm over Stiles' shoulder for a one-armed hug. "And I never expected you to leave like this."
"Me neither."
They sat there for a long time, talking about nothing in particular. School would start soon and Stiles had thought about college as well. When he'd suggested that Derek should claim him, he had thought that he would never leave the alpha's side ever again and now said alpha was going out of his way to make every college Stiles wanted to attend to available for him.
"He said that he would come to an agreement with the local pack." Stiles repeated something Derek had said the other day. "He said that it's quite normal for pack members to live away from the pack for a while."
"So you don't have to live with him?" His dad asked.
"I can feel it if I'm too far away from him." Stiles admitted. "But he says that's because the bond is still forming. His sister went to college in New York and she was human too. And apparently Body has spent half a year in Cleveland. Don't ask me what he did there. Who moves to Cleveland?"
Stiles jumpted into speculating about the reasons for Boyd's departure and John just leaned back and listened.
When Stiles' train of thoughts slowed down for a moment, John did squeeze in a question here and there but otherwise it was just Stiles talking.
"What's going on with Isaac?" His dad brought up a question Stiles didn't really want to talk about. "I asked Derek earlier but he more or less told me to drop it."
"It's nothing personal." Stiles answered as vaguely as possible. "It's just that you remind him of somebody. Just don't bother him and don't mention it when he sleeps in the den again tonight."
His dad thought about it for a moment and then nodded in understanding.
"Is Derek treating him right?" His father asked.
"He is." Stiles said, knowing that it was the truth. Sure, Derek had messed up a little just yesterday but who didn't mess up from time to time. Fact was that Derek cared about his pack. "He would never hurt one of us." Only when he'd said it, Stiles realized that he had counted himself as part of Derek's pack. The way his dad looked at him he'd noticed it too.
They returned to Derek's place in the early afternoon where they found Derek and to Stiles' surprise Isaac as well. Derek was sitting at the kitchen table and Isaac at the coffee table both with their laptop in front of them and books and notes spread all over the tables.
Isaac hurried to gather his things but John stopped him gently.
"Don't let us interrupt you." He said. "You look like you're in the middle of something."
Isaac glanced at his screen, clearly debating what to do.
"Did you guys have lunch yet?" Stiles intervened before the situation could become too awkward. "I bet you didn't. Dad, would you help me?" With that he was dragging John towards the kitchen, leaving Isaac to his studies.
Derek was in the middle of something as well but by now Stiles knew that it didn't bother him if Stiles was clattering around him in the kitchen. Derek had never said something but Stiles was convinced that Derek actually liked the company and the noises around him. Sure, he didn't get as much done as he would if he could work in peace and Stiles respected that and didn't bother him too often, but from time to time Derek just liked him being around. At least Stiles hoped that that was what Derek's eyebrows were trying to tell him.
Stiles and his father threw some sandwiches together as an easy snack for lunch and Derek had to pack his things away to make room for the meal. Reluctantly Isaac left his studies as well and joined them at the table.
Nobody said anything about it but they all made sure that Isaac and John sat as far apart as possible.
Stiles knew that there were a lot of questions John would like to ask Isaac. He was the closest to Stiles' age and already in college. Stiles wasn't a werewolf but he was part of the pack so Isaac probably could ease some of his dad's worries but the man didn't ask. Instead he mostly ignored Isaac and focused on Stiles and Derek instead.
When they were done eating, Isaac gathered his things and went downstairs, where he could study in peace as he put it.
"I shouldn't stay at his place." John said. "I can get a hotel room for the night."
Stiles and Derek were both quick to dismiss the idea but it took a while to convince him to accept the offered guest room.
"The person who ..." John started. "He's not in his life anymore, is he?"
"He's dead." Derek answered with a cold glare.
"Good." John said and didn't ask farther.
After that they dropped that topic and went on with their business. Which meant that Derek went back to work and Stiles and his dad switched the TV on to watch the game.
The afternoon went by quickly, Stiles just enjoyed having his father around again, and way too soon it was time for dinner. Boyd and Erica would stay out all night because of the event so they were only four people.
Stiles had planned to cook but without Boyd and Erica it felt wrong. So they ordered Chinese and ate in front of the TV, watching trashy action movies. Those were Isaac's favorites and despite his wariness of John, Isaac joined Stiles' nonstop commentary half-way into the movie.
For the second movie they got out some blankets and pillows, setting up a little den where Stiles and Isaac could lie on their stomachs while the adults stayed on the couch. Not that Stiles really counted Derek as an adult. He might be grown up but he wasn't that much older than Isaac.
The evening went by more easily than expected with his dad and Isaac in the same room.
When it was time to turn in Isaac did become nervous. He was twitchy enough to compete with Stiles and was throwing glances at John out of the corner of his eye which everybody pretended to not notice.
"I think I'll turn in." John said and stretched. "I take that your going to stay here, Isaac?"
"I can show you …" Isaac started, already scrambling to his feet, but John laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"It's okay, I know where everything is." John assured him. He wished everybody a good night and then left.
Isaac stared after him even after the door had closed behind him.
"I think I kinda like your dad."
Chapter 20
Masterpost