01

And so, allowing the warmth from Scott's clothes to give him a burst of confidence, Isaac climbed delicately into Scott's bed. He was careful to fold the blankets back onto the opposite side of the bed and pressed his long, lanky frame into a stock-still line at the very edge of the mattress. He's sure that with one deep breath, he'd end up falling right off and onto the hardwood floor, but he was determined not to disrupt anything more for Scott.

Scott had already supplied him with a hot shower, dry clothes, and a place to crash for a while. He even tried to feed Isaac, but it was already too much. He was taking too much.

And now he's lying in Scott’s bed, waiting with a rabbiting heart for the Alpha to join him.

He heard the sink from Scott’s bathroom shut off, and he closed his eyes lightly. He knew he wasn't going to get away with feigning sleep, but he couldn’t help it.

“Dude, what are you doing?” Scott questioned, suddenly standing, hovering over Isaac.

His eyes shot open, and he scrambled to sit up off the bed. “I-I, uh, I'm sorry– I thought you said–”

“Whoa, whoa. Isaac,” Scott brought his hands to cup Isaac's face. He halted Isaac's movements and encouraged their eyes to lock. “Yes. I said we could share the bed,”

“So..what did I do wrong?” Isaac whispered, confusion clouding his blue eyes.

He saw Scott’s eyes swirl with disbelief and pity. His face was released gently, and Isaac immediately looked down with a small glare. He hated pity.

“Nothing. I just wondered why you weren't under the covers and with how close you were to the edge, I'm not sure that counts as sharing the bed,” Scott finished with a small huff.

Isaac chanced a glance up at Scott through his eyelashes. It was weird, looking up at Scott. With their height difference, it was always him looking down to Scott. He hated it. Made him feel gangly and out of place.

This felt different. It felt safe, warm, and almost intimate.

He cleared his throat and looked at his hands in his lap. “It's, uh, cool. M’fine,” This was already leagues ahead of the flat, hard ground that he slept on at the train depot or the thin couch at the loft that just barely fit his length.

And as if just to prove his point, Isaac settled back down. He resumed his same stiff position and crossed his arms for good measure. Which was a bit awkward to do with him on his side. He closed his eyes and willed the Alpha to drop the issue.

Scott lingered for a few moments more before sighing and retreating to his side of the bed.

His heart still hammered against his chest, and the bed dipping behind him didn't help. He tried to take small, steadying breaths through his nose, but that only filled him with Scott's scent. The pillow was obviously ripe with the smell of the Alpha, but Isaac hadn't really paid it any mind until now. Until the lamp had been turned out and replaced by the light of the moon, giving his mind a chance to wander in the stillness of the air.

He could just barely hear Scott's heartbeat over his own racketing one, but he could tell it was elevated. He briefly wondered why before–

“Seriously, dude–”

Isaac yelped and fell face first onto the hardwood.

“Oh shit, man, are you all right?” Scott clambered over the mattress and peered down at the beta.

“I’m sorry, I was actually trying to prevent that,” Scott replied sheepishly and watched Isaac get to his feet and rub the bridge of his nose.

“It's fine, your fingers were just..uh, warm…and it caught me off guard,” Isaac shrugged and shuffled from foot to foot, embarrassed and unsure.

Scott nodded before scooting back to his side. “Well?” He asked expectantly.

Isaac ducked his head and climbed back onto the mattress, but didn’t lay back down. He didn't know how.

He sat with his back against the headboard and his long legs flat in front of him. He picked at his thumbs to try and quell his nervous energy. His wolf was restless now with all the commotion and overall upset of the evening.

He watched Scott reach out and place a firm hand over his own. He didn't stop trying to pick at his thumbs, but he melted a bit against the warmth. His hands were buzzing, tingling slightly, with what? He wasn't sure, maybe anticipation? It felt more than that, though, more tangible, more real. Isaac couldn’t describe it, but lately, it had him keeping their physical contact to a minimum.

“Come on, you’re cold, and you need to get some sleep. We both do,” Scott spoke and tugged at his hands, slowly guiding Isaac down under the covers he held open with his other hand.

He hesitantly followed the pull and settled on his back. They were shoulder to shoulder, and Scott had yet to release him this time.

Isaac blinked at the ceiling.

“How’s your face?” Scott whispered into the dark.

He huffed out a laugh. “That’s– It’s fine. Any bruising?” He turned his head to give Scott a better view of his nose.

Scott pulled his hand away, and the tingles went with him. Scott turned his whole body to face the beta. “Nah, you're perfect– I, uh, mean good as new,” Scott stumbled out.

Scott's brown eyes held a sparkle of embarrassment, but it was nearly masked by the intense sincerity Isaac found staring back at him.

Isaac found himself shuffling to face Scott head on. He put a hand under his head for better support and licked his lips absentmindedly.

A low rumble sounded, and Isaac curiously met Scott's eyes once more.

Scott cleared his throat. “Sorry, I'm tired, brains not functioning. Let's sleep,” And with that, he reached for Isaac and pulled the beta close to his chest. He nuzzled the top of Isaac's head once, twice with his cheek before breathing in deeply.

Isaac folded himself easily into the Alpha as though their bodies were sculpted specifically for one another. Isaac could practically hear his wolf purring at the security that he felt flowing through him from Scott. He wondered briefly if Scott felt secure too and if this was what it felt to have a pack that cared deeply and looked out for one another.

He finally took a long, much needed deep breath, and his senses were engulfed with everything Scott. Alpha.

Isaac let out the breath with a sigh of content and finally felt his body relax completely against his pack mate.

Sleep came to him easily then.