Forget Me || Derek Hale.

six.

Eli.

All night, he'd tossed and turned. Flashes of his father's angry face, his mother's disappointed frown, and Logan's apparent fear of his father plagued his dreams. He thought about the talk he'd had with his father when they arrived at home, after his mother had stormed into the house. The guilt creeping through his gut only increased the more he thought about the whole incident. He'd heard the stories of his parents' life together from before he was born and just after. He'd heard all about the harpies and the way his father sacrificed his alpha status to save his mother's life, only to win it back before their final battle against the horrid creatures. He'd heard all about his mother's dreams and how she'd tricked Kate Argent to save both him and his father. He'd heard about his father being poisoned and how he'd tried to kill his own wife. He'd heard of their soul bond and how it connected them.

So the more Eli thought about his father's reaction to Mr Brittle last night, the more it made sense. Sure, he'd probably sentenced Eli to a long and embarrassing school life, but he understood it. He understood his father's desire to protect his wife. He just hoped that his mom would understand, too. His parents didn't fight often, but Eli hated it when they did. As he'd told his father last night, they always ended in one of two ways, and Eli preferred not to be present for either outcome. He loved his parents, and he was pleased they were happy and in love, but there were some things he didn't need to witness.

After he ate the breakfast served up by Mrs Davis, Eli packed up his things and thanked the family for allowing him to stay. He'd had to give them a reason for his late arrival last night, and he knew his parents wouldn't want him sharing their personal business. There were also things he couldn't tell them at all. Like his father going all alpha on a man. However, he was too tired and too anxious to leave the house to come up with anything other than his parents were having a disagreement. He just hoped he'd downplayed it enough that Mr and Mrs Davis wouldn't ask his parents about it.

When he arrived home, he shoved his key into the lock, taking a deep breath to prepare himself as he turned it and pushed the door open. He couldn't hear any yelling, so that was a good sign. He crept through the house, glancing into the living room. There was no evidence that his father had slept on the couch, another good sign. As he got closer to the kitchen, he heard the calm voices of his parents and let out a breath of relief. That didn't stop him lingering in the doorway before entering the room, though. Just because they weren't mad at each other didn't mean they weren't still mad at him.

"Is it safe for me to come in?" Eli asked nervously, glancing around the room.

His father sat at the island counter with the laptop in front of him. Beside him, his mother stood with an arm resting on his shoulder. They both looked up at Eli.

"Yes." Charlie chuckled. "It's safe for you to come in."

Eli took a few hesitant steps into the kitchen. "Are you guys done fighting, or should I hide in my room all day?"

"We're done." Charlie smiled, running a hand down the back of Derek's head. "And I'm sorry we let it escalate to the point you felt you had to leave."

Eli shrugged his shoulders as he dropped onto the stool opposite his father. "It's cool. Figured I'd give you your space to either work things out or kill him."

Derek snorted a laugh, eyes on the screen in front of him, but Charlie narrowed her gaze, slapping his shoulder.

"What?" Derek exclaimed, looking up at her.

"I would not have killed him." She said to Eli, ignoring her husband.

"Nearly did last night." Derek mumbled, smirking to himself, earning himself another slap from Charlie.