Work Text:
The first package was waiting for him on his bed. It had been delivered before he even arrived at the foster home: a box wrapped in brown paper, with the name Isaac Lahey and his new address printed in a kid’s handwriting. Inside was a blue cashmere scarf along with a note in the same handwriting which said:
Dear Isaac, I don’t want kids to give you a hard time about your bite, so keep it covered when you’re at school. I’ll send you another scarf soon. J.
Isaac couldn’t help laughing: they’d only been mated a day, and they’d barely spent three hours together since they were six, and Jackson was already so bossy. But he couldn’t help loving the scarf. He’d never felt anything so soft. It felt good to have his Alpha take care of him, and it wasn’t like Isaac’s life had been overflowing with people trying to do that. He could put up with a little Alpha bossiness.
***
The second package came directly from Apple and had a brand new iPhone. It also had a note:
Dear Isaac, I am sending you a new cell phone because everyone should have a cell phone to be safe. I have programmed in my cell number, the direct numbers for the police, Beacon Hills Hospital, the fire department, Dr. Deaton, your new school and your foster mother’s home number. I couldn’t program her cell since I don’t know it but you should program it in as soon as you can. I put my number first. You should call me right away if you need anything so I can get it for you. Alpha Hale said I shouldn’t call you for a few weeks. She said you need to settle in. But you should still call me if you need something. She said that was okay. J.
***
The third package came two days later. He came home from his first day at his new school and found three large boxes from a store named “Schweitzer.” Inside were two sets of new sheets for his bed, a down comforter, and a pillow. The note said,
Dear Isaac, These are 600 thread count, and the site said they were the softest in the store, and the best for omegas. They are new and won’t have any scents on them, which is good because I don’t like it when you have other scents on you, even if I can’t see you. I think you will sleep better in these. You should get a lot of sleep so you’ll be healthy. J.
Isaac opened the sheets and made up his bed right away. The sheets were as soft as Jackson said. They were the nicest gift he’d ever gotten except for the phone and the scarf, which was his first gift from Jackson and would always be his favorite. He thought about writing Jackson a note to say thank you, but he didn’t want to tell him that none of the kids at his new school would talk to him or let him in their puppy piles because they were scared of his bite. Jackson would worry and that wasn’t good for him. He was going to a new school and living with strangers just like Isaac. Maybe he could send something to Jackson. He didn’t have any money, but maybe he could make something.
***
The fourth package was the smallest yet. Inside was a bottle of vitamins. The note said:
Dear Isaac, I have been studying about omegas, and I read that they need extra B vitamins and micronutrients. This brand of vitamins is the highest rated by Consumer Reports and WebMD for omegas. You need to take one every day. It doesn’t say what time, but I think you should take it in the morning since that’s when I take my vitamin. I’ll send another bottle next month. DON’T FORGET to take it every day. J.
P.S. Cora showed me how to set the reminder function on my iPhone—it has a little alarm. You should set it to remind you to take your vitamin. I’m sending an email with the instructions. J
Isaac felt a little guilty, but he really didn’t want to wait until morning so he opened the bottle and tried one of the vitamins right away. It tasted like grape mixed with chalk, not good but not terrible. He thought about pretending that he was taking the vitamin in the morning, but then decided that would be like lying so he wrote a note:
Dear Jackson, I decided to take the vitamin right away so I could start being healthy as soon as possible. I will set my phone alarm for 3:25 when I get home from school. I promise I WON’T FORGET. Thank you very much for the vitamins, sheets, iPhone, and scarf. I like them very much. Love Isaac.
***
The next morning at school, he asked his teacher, Mrs. Meyer, if she knew something he could make as a gift for his Alpha. That day during Food Fun she taught them how to make shortbread cookies, which Mrs. Meyer said was one of the best cookies to send as a gift. He also made a card during Art Period with a picture of himself wearing the scarf, standing next to his bed, and holding the phone and the vitamins. Inside he wrote:
Dear Jackson, today at school we learned how to make shortbread cookies. My teacher said these are good to send to someone. I hope you like them. Love Isaac.
P.S. Today I met someone named Stiles. He is kind of weird and loud, but he loves puppy piles and tickling and action figures. He doesn’t like LEGO as much.
P.P.S. He’s my friend.