Chapter Text
After a ten hour flight back from France to California, nothing but lukewarm biscuits and chicken for breakfast (since of course Mr. Argent had insisted on the 6:00 A.M. flight), and roughly seven hours in a nightmarish lack of sleep brought on by a particularly displeased infant gave him serious pause to consider whether a permanent change to his eyes would be worth it, Isaac Lahey did not need any more drama in his life. Scott McCall, in a typical display of overzealous generosity had told him over the phone that he’d figured out a ride to get Isaac back to Beacon Hills from the airport, but unfortunately the Jeep was acting up again so coming personally was evidently out of the question, especially because Stiles’ nightmares were also experiencing a resurgence simultaneously. Isaac wasn’t entirely sure how a multi-day Star Wars marathon was going to help, but he also wasn’t really in a hurry to ask. Granted, the thought of six hours in the car with just Lydia Martin didn’t sound exceptionally fun, but he’d much rather Lydia than the alternative floating through his mind of Stiles showing up alone and what that experience would be like.
As he stumbled off the ramp, Isaac’s freshly de-airplaned phone buzzed repeatedly. Two missed calls and three texts from Scott, one ‘Landed?’ from Argent, and a couple dozen messages from Stiles. Perhaps because of the sheer overload, it then died. Isaac now understood why Argent had offered him a portable charger before dropping him off, and was profoundly disappointed in himself for not accepting. He considered looking for an outlet, but decided the risk of making his ride even more upset for having to wait wasn’t worth it. Besides, an overload of texts didn’t mean for sure that something was wrong. Maybe Stiles was just excited and texting random updates, maybe Scott was just being overly concerned, as he so often was. Maybe there was nothing to worry about.
That was, of course, until he stepped outside, and nearly dropped his duffel in shock. Standing there, leaning against a compact white truck, grinning smugly while holding a little sign with ‘Lahey’ written in big black marker, was Ethan Steiner. This had to be some kind of sick joke. Surely someone was going to pop out of the back and say, “Surprise! Don’t worry, we’re just dropping him off, he’s trying to mess with you again…” Maybe it was even Melissa, sweet as she was, who had agreed to make the trip for Scott’s sake. A ride like that he could handle…at least it would be peaceful.
There was an uncomfortable few seconds of silence before Ethan cocked his head to the side quizzically, “Isaac? You haven’t gone blind, have you?”
“No, you jackass,” Isaac growled, stomping over to the vehicle at last, “I’m just not exactly pleased to see you.”
“Why? I thought you needed a ride?” As he spoke, he tossed the sign into the backseat and gestured for Isaac to do the same with his duffel. Isaac reluctantly complied, noticing the motorcycle strapped to the back of the vehicle as he did so.
“I do, just didn’t figure it would be you. Is that safe?”
“Oh, what, the bike? Should be. If it isn't, we'll find out pretty soon, won’t we?”
“Shut up.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me!” Isaac snapped, eyes momentarily flashing gold. To his irritation, Ethan didn’t even flinch. “What, are you just going to murder me in the middle of an airport pickup lane?” he snarked. “Do I need to?” Isaac growled back, “Or am I just going to get stabbed halfway through the drive?”
“Why would I stab you, Isaac? What could I possibly gain from that?” Ethan rolled his eyes and opened the car door, a move Isaac didn’t mirror. “Your eyes are already blue, what’s one more body on your conscience? I can see it now, ‘Scott, the hunters shot him, I couldn’t do anything, they stole his corpse too.’”
“As though anybody would ever believe that. Do you want to get back to Beacon Hills by tonight or not?” Not waiting for a verbal response, Ethan climbed into the front seat and slammed his door shut. After a moment’s hesitation, Isaac did the same. “There, was that so hard? Now we don’t have to worry about getting towed! Isn’t friendship fun?” Ethan laughed. “As if, you twat,” Isaac mumbled. Ethan didn’t seem to care, or, if he did, he was doing a solid job hiding it.
As Ethan pulled away from the curb, Isaac found himself examining Ethan more closely. It was only then did he begin to notice why the boy sitting next to him seemed off-kilter. In the months Isaac had been gone, Ethan had thinned from his Alpha Pack days, he seemed no less strong, but the clothes he wore sat a little looser on his shoulders. There were faint bags under his eyes, and the eyes themselves bore a residual redness, as though he had been crying nigh daily, his hair was shaggy compared to the constant sharp look he had tried to maintain before, and his shoulders, once so proud and defiant, now looked almost…defeated.
“Do you have enough room?” The sudden question snapped Isaac out of his stare with a mild jump. “Uh, sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you like that.”
Isaac swallowed slowly, “D-don’t worry about it. I, ah, yeah, I’m fine. Plenty of space here.”
“Good,” Ethan smiled, “Scott gave me a budget and I couldn’t fit the larger truck into that. I’ll admit I was a little worried you’d have a, uh, episode, I guess you could call it.” It took Isaac a few moments to realize what he was referring to, and when it finally did his mind sprang back into that freezer, scratching, clawing, bleeding, screaming, and…Isaac took a deep breath. He wasn’t in the freezer, his father was dead, he was safe. His eyes refocused on Ethan’s concerned side glance, eyes darting between his passenger and the road. “Did I just…?”
“Almost cause an episode? A little, yeah.”
“Do you want to talk about it at all?”
“Not really, especially not with you.” Isaac leaned his head against the window and tried to put his mind anywhere else but here. “Isaac, before you go to sleep I need your attention,” Ethan nudged Isaac’s arm, “since we need to talk about our little roommate situation.”
“OUR?!” Isaac shot up so quickly he almost slammed his head against the ceiling. “I thought I was staying with Scott! Do they have another guest room they’ve never shown me, or…if one of us has to sleep on the couch it is not going to be me!” he yelled. Ethan’s expression was a mixture of mirth and slight confusion. “Did Scott not tell you? His dad’s still in town, so the guest room is occupied there. Hence, you’re going to stay with me for the time being, your emotions permitting,” he explained.
“I would really rather not, Steiner! I’ll just buy a sleeping bag and camp out in Scott’s room or something.”
“They’re kind of going through some family drama, Isaac, do you really want to show up again two months later and just declare yourself a resident?”
“Fine, then I’ll stay at Argent’s place, I'm sure he won’t mind.”
“Didn’t he sell that apartment?”
“Well, then Lydia? She’s rich, surely she has a guest room somewhere.”
“It’s Lydia, would you like to ask her?”
“Not particularly…can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Stiles?”
“Still not feeling great, remember? And they don’t have a guest room, so if you want to play nurse at Stiles’ side, be my guest.”
“How courteous of you.” An idea finally flashed in his brain, so obvious he should’ve come up with it as his backup plan earlier. “Derek. Derek will take me.”
“About that. I was hoping you’d have heard this from Scott, but I guess he’s been busy...Derek’s missing. We haven’t heard from him in weeks, he left a note for me on the state of the bills and where and how to pay them, and the only lead we have is a bunch of bullet casings and the fickle powers of a banshee.”
“Hang on, back up. Why did he leave a note for you? And why did no one tell me this when it first happened?”
“It was only a few days after you and Argent left for France,” Ethan sighed, “and we didn’t want to burden you with more worry while you were grieving.”
"We?” Isaac interjected. “Yes, Isaac, I’m in the loop now, well, mostly,” Ethan continued with another sigh, “I don’t always get told everything, but not everyone hates me as much as you seem to. As for the note, Derek offered Aiden and I some bedrooms–,” he winced using his brother’s name, “but now…the point is that I’ve been living there. I came back one night and Derek was gone, the note and casings were on the floor, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I was saying you could have your own room back if you wanted it.”
“Oh. You sure you’ll be okay with that?” Isaac’s rage subsided, seeing how Ethan’s face had shifted from tickled to strained in a matter of moments. “It’s not my choice to make, it’s Derek’s.” Ethan said matter-of-factly, “and I agree with you, he would kill me if I didn’t let you stay. You know he still feels awful about the night he kicked you out? Nightmares and everything.” The new nugget of information struck Isaac momentarily dumb. Derek, sourwolf Derek, showing regret and emotion, and nightmares, and sharing his feelings? With Ethan of all people? The images he’d tried so hard to banish flashed through his mind again, the outstretched claws, forced out by twin Alphas, as an innocent Beta was lowered onto them as part of a twisted ritual. Isaac forced himself to return to the vehicle, where his mouth was already moving,“Why did Derek tell you about all that? He’s not usually so–”
“Candid? Beats me. Maybe he just needed to say it, no matter who heard it.” Ethan shrugged.
“So you’re a Beta now?” Isaac asked, eyebrow raised. Scott hadn’t been too keen on the twins joining them a couple months ago during the Oni Incident, partially due to Stiles and Isaac’s vehement resistance, but with Isaac out of the country and Aiden’s sacrifice against Void, he wouldn’t put it past ever fatally kind-hearted Scott to have invited Ethan to stay. Still, how could he tolerate Boyd’s murderer in his pack?
“I’m not really sure myself. I remember being in my first pack, the shred of mental tether I had to the Alpha, and to a lesser extent the other wolves. Now though, I can just feel Scott at the edge of my consciousness, not tethered yet, but…almost like there’s a barrier in his way. The question is–”
“Is it him or you that’s holding back?”
“Exactly.”
“Do you want to be his Beta?”
“I–” Ethan hesitated, bit his lip, then continued, “I should want it. My brain knows that, I’ve fought hard for an opportunity to stay here, not to mention I might as well finish school at this point for the sake of getting a job later, but I guess there's still something missing.”
Like half of your heart is missing, Isaac thought to himself. Aiden and the rest of the Alpha Pack died, Deucalion left, so really the only part of Ethan’s life in Beacon Hills that hadn’t vanished was…”What about Danny?” Isaac blurted out. The twinge of pain on Ethan’s face immediately after made Isaac bite his tongue and regret the sudden reminder.
“We broke up. He said he couldn’t handle dating a Werewolf right now.”
“He–wait, you told him?” Issac shouted in realization.
“Apparently he’s known for a while,” Ethan chuckled, “you guys must not be very subtle about hiding the supernatural.”
“Well there was that time last year he was paralyzed by his best friend turned Kanima, that probably tipped him off to something unusual around here if nothing else.”
“Kanima? There was a Kanima in Beacon Hills?”
“Yeah, Jackson Whitmore, rich, athletic, and a total dick. Also now can roam the night as a part-wolf part-kanima hybrid. It’s a long story. He lives in London now.”
“Danny did mention a Jackson that used to live here, now that I think about it. Is that why–” Ethan cut himself off.
“What? What were you going to ask?” Isaac turned his eyes back from the dashboard to the driver.
“Trust me Isaac, you don’t want me to finish that sentence,” Ethan murmured, hands tightening on the wheel. “It’s…I was going to…no, never mind, it’s not worth bringing it up.”
“Well now you’ve piqued my interest too much to not get an answer. So go on then.”
Ethan took a shaky breath, “Alright, is–is that why Erica and Boyd were fleeing Beacon Hills the night they were captured?” Isaac inhaled sharply before making an odd noise much like a canine in pain. In truth, Isaac had just bit his tongue to avoid blurting out a straightforward rebuke. Ethan noticed the scent of blood, but resisted the urge to comment on it.
After a few moments to regain his composure, Isaac opened his eyes and forced out in a dull voice, “Partially. It was the kanima and Gerard’s hunters combined that caused them to run. They also, notably, heard another wolf pack in the hills. Don’t suppose you’d know anything about that?”
“Wolves don’t live in California, Isaac,” Ethan muttered.
“Is this a joke to you? Or are you just masking your guilt with bad humor?” Isaac growled.
“Neither. Look, I’m sorry, for what happened to your pack, but I didn’t kill either of them.”
“Really, is that how you see it?” Isaac’s eyebrow shot up. “You were just an innocent bystander as you grabbed Derek’s claws and drove them into Boyd’s chest?” Isaac’s voice was now rising towards a yell.
“I didn’t have a choice!” Ethan shouted back, this time his eyes flashing, and Isaac could see him gripping the wheel like a vice, trying desperately to hold his claws back. “Kali killed Erica, and then she killed Boyd. Aiden and I were still the bitches of the Alphas, it’s not as though we could stop her!”
“And me?”
“What?”
“Me,” Issac growled, “If you had caught me that night with Braeden, would you have killed me?”
“Deucalion wanted you alive.”
“That’s not an ans–”
“Isn’t it? Let me flip the question for you, if you’d never met Cora, and Scott told you to kill her, would you? Would you kill for your Alpha?” Ethan asked flatly.
“That’s–it’s not the same thing! You were an Alpha too! Why couldn’t you stand up to Kali? Why couldn’t you leave and start your own pack? You had the huge double wolf form, what did you have to fear?”
“Even in the combined form, we wouldn’t have stood a chance,” Ethan said softly, “Kali alone could bring us down, and with Ennis and Deucalion as well, we’d be dead before we landed a solid strike. Kill or be killed. That’s how the saying goes, right?”
Isaac’s brain felt scrambled beyond belief. If Scott asked him to kill, would he? Sweet, kind, handsome Scott, he would never do something like that. But if he did…Isaac somehow felt he wouldn’t be willing to say no. He meant to express that to Ethan, hoping to undo the air of anger and blood boiling around them, but the words that came out instead were less helpful, “If you joined us, you wouldn’t have to kill.”
Ethan trembled, and to his shock Isaac saw a couple tears welling underneath the former Alpha’s eyes, “I know that. I would like that. But I can’t change the color of my eyes now. I–I’m sorry about the part I played in killing your pack. I doubt you’ll ever be able to forgive me, and I doubt Scott will ever really trust me, but without Aiden…I don’t think I have another option but to try.”
Instinctively, without even really thinking about it, Isaac slid his hand across the console and rested it on Ethan’s knee. Ethan’s heartbeat was out of control and if Isaac didn’t do something, he was beginning to be concerned about a wreck. “Derek has blue eyes, and still Scott is doing everything he can to find him. That took time, and effort, and a few beatings on both sides, but Scott trusts him now, and I’m sure he can find a way to trust you.”
“Isaac…” Ethan stuttered, before his face hardened into a sad smile, “do you really think that?”
“If I know anything about Scott, it’s that he’s trusting to a fault. As long as you’re not planning another murder anytime soon, you’ll find your way in.” Isaac gave him a sly smile, before withdrawing his hand and leaning into the seat, feeling his eyelids drooping.
“Thank you, Isaac…really.” Ethan let out a slow breath, “Do you trust me?”
Isaac turned his head over his shoulder and gave Ethan a narrow-eyed glance, “It’s a process, and you’ve made progress. Now let me nap.” With that inspiring message, Isaac was off to dreamland.
“I can work with that,” Ethan smiled to himself.
***
Isaac was awoken by a gentle shake of his shoulder, “Isaac, we made it, time to wake up! NOW!” The last part was accompanied by an almost Alpha-like roar, and Isaac nearly jumped out of the window in the sheer panic that suddenly had gripped his chest. The terror ebbed as it was overtaken by the cackling laughter of Ethan, the culprit. “Sorry, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be–” he broke into another round of explosive laughter, “you just weren’t moving, and I couldn’t resist.” Isaac clambered out of the truck with a scowl and snatched his duffel out of the backseat. The bike had already been unloaded, though Ethan was still standing next to the truck with his keys. “Here,” he tossed Isaac a small, bronze key, “I assume you know what that does. I have to go drop off the truck, but then I’ll pick up takeout on the way back. You good with pizza?” Isaac, still drowsy, caught the key, but before he could respond, his stomach growled like an earthquake. “I’ll take that as a yes then. Your sheets are on your bed, laundered, and folded, there’s some beverages in the fridge and a couple apples, but tomorrow is grocery day so there’s not much.”
“Wait, how long will you be gone?”
“What, are you going to miss me?” Ethan teased, “about an hour, depending on how fast the service is everywhere. And don’t forget to recharge your phone!” he shouted as he pulled out.
Pulling open the door to Derek’s loft brought a rush of nostalgia and bitter memories, staying here after the Alpha Pack arrived, the surprisingly good burritos Derek excelled at, the bottle flying at his head as he stuffed some clothing in a duffel and fled, and the awful night when Boyd died, and Isaac had been powerless to stop it. The scent was also…different. Under Derek’s care the entire space had smelled faintly of wet dog and bleach, with an artificial woody scent to overwhelm the nostrils. Derek’s use of air freshener was…less than gentle. The entire apartment had a slightly neglected quality to it, Derek wasn’t very concerned about appearances or cleanliness, which Isaac supposed made sense considering he had lived for years in a burned out house and an abandoned subway car. Now though, the windows looked like they’d received a severe scrubbing, the counters were polished to perfection, and the whole space smelled like cinnamon and fresh bread. Isaac couldn’t remember the last time it had been this bright in here; even in the mornings when the sun would catch the panels just right to splash in Isaac’s face.
His room was exactly how he remembered it, a comfortable (if somewhat old) mattress, sizable window, lovely little end table with a triskelion carved into the top, and an old dresser that, by the looks of it, had been dusted very recently. Plugging in and turning on his phone delivered him another slew of buzzing noises from various sources, most notably another thirty texts from Stiles, most of which were just “Isaac?” copy and pasted over and over. Argent hadn’t sent anything else yet, but that wasn’t unusual for him, and there was even a message from Lydia of all people.
“Could you please text Scott and Stiles? They won’t stop asking if you’re dead, which I know you aren’t. Text them, call them, facetime them, whatever, just…please hurry up.”
And finally, two more texts from Scott, and two more missed calls:
“Hey Isaac, hope I catch you before you board, I need to chat with you about your ride…there have been some developments you should probably know about. Call me."
"I’m guessing you boarded without seeing the first message. Just know, I had to call Ethan to give you a ride. Please try not to tear each other apart. Good luck."
"You should have landed by now according to Stiles’ flight tracker website, so could you give us a message so we know you’re safe?"
"I couldn’t get a hold of either of you. Are you okay? If you don’t respond within a couple hours, we might have to worry about the Calaveras, or worse? Please call or text or something, I’m worried.”
The calls were more or less the same, Scott’s voice sounding slightly more panicked in each one, shattering Isaac’s heart a little at the thought that his dumb mistake had caused Scott so much grief. He quickly tapped out, “We made it back, my phone was dead when I stepped off the plane, Ethan’s getting us takeout. Sorry for causing you so much worry.” Isaac then left his phone to charge while he worked on his limited unpacking. It took him forty minutes to realize that he had never mentioned his dead phone to Ethan.