A/N: This is the second requested fic idea I got :D I'm really excited to do some Stiles+Isaac bonding! I know in the show they don't really act buddy-buddy so this seemed like a really fun idea to explore! I hope you enjoy it. I don't think it will be as long as my Scott's Secret fic but who knows, I'm only just getting started!

For this fic I'm going to ignore the supernatural aspect of Teen Wolf. It's all about Stiles and Isaac, overcoming the abuse that Mr. Lahey put Isaac through. Having Weres and Hunters thrown in the mix would only take away from the main plot point.

"Scott, why did I let you talk me into this…?" Stiles groaned, leaning against the locker, still in his gear. Practice had been hell, Coach was preparing them for the big game against Davenport, and Stiles wasn't ready for it.

"Don't you like lacrosse?"

Stiles deadpanned and looked at his friend, "Yes, riding the bench is so exciting…"

"We're getting better, we might get some play time this year, it doesn't hurt to be hopeful. Besides, exercise is good for you."

"Yea, yea." Stiles slowly started to undress, barely managing to pull his jersey up over his pads.

Scott smiled at his friend, he complained like that every week but they were both cheering the team on at each game. "I've got to go, study time with Allison- I'll see you tomorrow!" He hurried out of the locker room as Stiles breathlessly waved him off.

Stiles managed to get his pads off and then looked over towards the showers, debated it, and then decided to forgo it. He wanted to get home, he could shower there instead. So he gathered up his things and closed his locker, shuffling his way to the door. But then he heard a loud pained hiss and turned around… someone else was still in there with him? Stiles frowned and glanced down one of the aisle, eyes widening when he saw Isaac carefully massaging his back. There were multiple bruises covering his back, mostly of them an ugly purple. Stiles couldn't help but stare so he couldn't look away in time when Isaac suddenly spun around.

They made eye contact and Isaac's eyes widened in fear- someone was still there?! It was obvious that Stiles had seen his back, his eyes were huge and his mouth was slightly agape. His mind went black for a moment before he remembered the practiced lie. "Lacrosse is a rough sport huh?" he called out, hoping Stiles didn't hear the tremor in his voice. Would he mention it to Coach Finstock or would he leave it alone?

Stiles cursed himself when Isaac saw him looking, tried to wipe the look of horror off his face but he knew he hadn't succeeded. He hadn't missed the look of absolute fear in Isaac's eyes either; obviously he hadn't wanted anyone to see the bruises… "Uh yea, I've gotten a few nasty bruises myself. Must be tough being first string!" Stiles commented, smiling awkwardly. Something was off about Isaac's attitude but Stiles had no idea what it was. But he could tell that Isaac was feeling just as awkward about it so Stiles waved and turned away, heading outside. It was obvious that the marks weren't from lacrosse, Isaac had been lying when he said that. But why? Stiles looked back at the locker room door for a moment, chewing on his lip; it wasn't like he and Isaac were friends, he couldn't just ask about the bruises. What could he do?

-Days Later-

Stiles had been watching Isaac carefully the past 10 days (not including the weekend) and he was fairly certain that Isaac needed help. He'd been carefully monitoring Isaac, during practice and during class… so much so that a few of the other students had noticed. Jackson had loudly questioned if he was finally moving on from being Lydia's stalker. Then he warned Isaac to watch out. Stiles slumped down in his seat, face beyond red as everyone in class stared at him. Isaac had turned red too and looked down at his notes. Thankfully not too many people had laughed because Harris spun around and glared them all into silence. Because of his comment though, Stiles had to back off… even he knew how creepy it would be to spy on Isaac in the locker room after everyone was teasing him about it. Not that he was even stalking Isaac! Something was wrong and he wanted to know what, and if there was anything he could do to help. But no one else seemed to care… or maybe they hadn't even noticed. But Stiles did. Any time a teacher turned to yell at the class, Isaac would shut his eyes and hunch his shoulders. If anyone near him suddenly lifted an arm or threw something, he'd flinch… And if a teacher was giving him any sort of negative attention, he wouldn't maintain eye contact, he'd be on the verge of hyperventilating, and if Stiles was close enough he'd be willing to bet that his pupils were dilated.

He was sitting in the cafeteria, once again carefully eying Isaac from across the room. He was contemplating about how to approach Isaac… now that Jackson had made a comment, it didn't seem smart to just walk up to him. It wasn't like they ran in the same circles, like ever, but he almost seemed to be avoiding Stiles more since the comment. And if Isaac was worried about Stiles being a stalker, just asking about all his mysterious bruises was a sure way to come across as extra creepy.

"Stiles, seriously, are you okay?"

"No, haven't you noticed? Something is seriously wrong Scotty… I've never seen a person flinch that much, like ever. What do we do?"

Scott shrugged and picked at his lunch, glancing over at Isaac as well. "No idea… tell your dad?" Stiles had told him about all the 'signs' Isaac was showing and it seemed really serious. As in, something an adult should handle.

"I can't, not until I know what's going on. Dad can't just ask him what's wrong, Isaac wouldn't tell him the truth. And his dad wouldn't tell the truth either, if he even knows about the problem. He's covered in bruises and he acts afraid but there's no telling where the bruises are coming from. I really don't want to assume it's his dad and be wrong… But as far as I can tell it's not anyone at school…"

"He is kinda a loner, I mean he's great at lacrosse and none of the other guys make fun of him or pick on him. But he never hangs out with them," Scott added.

Stiles nodded, "Yea, and he doesn't go out of his way to avoid any of them either- like if someone on the team was physically abusing me, I'd definitely avoid them at all costs. Maybe he's in trouble, like some gangsters? Drugs?"

"I hope not… That sounds dangerous, and if you start following him around, that means you might get in trouble too."

"I'll be fine Scotty." Stiles slowly finished his lunch, still trying to come up with a way to approach his teammate. He was pretty certain that Isaac wasn't getting hurt by some thug, the marks were consistent but non-life-threatening. A thug would kick the crap out of someone once as a lesson and then hospitalize him if he continued to 'disobey' any rules. So it just didn't make sense that it would be some sort of crime related thing, it was too small for that. Stiles didn't like the leftover options.

-After Practice-

Stiles slowly put all his gear away, counting on the fact that Isaac was going to wait until everyone else left to get undressed. He had to say something to him, he couldn't just let it go on. Especially since no one else seemed to notice. So he sat on the bench and waited, slowly counting the seconds as the locker room got quieter. He waited until he was sure that he was the only one left- in fact, Isaac was so quiet that Stiles almost thought he waited too long. But when he turned the corner, Isaac was there, carefully pulling his jeans up over bruised thighs. "Isaac…?"

He spun around so fast he nearly lost his balance; he didn't say anything, just stared at Stiles. Had he seen? Stiles had been watching him carefully over the past week… ever since he saw his back. At first Isaac had hoped Stiles had bought the lie- he never tried to ask questions about it… but apparently he was suspicious. Isaac hadn't even noticed until Jackson had called out that stalker comment. It had been embarrassing but it had been eye-opening too- he hadn't noticed that someone else had been watching him so carefully. Isaac needed to hide the truth, he couldn't afford for anyone to ask questions… if his dad got wind that anyone was getting concerned about his health, it would only get worse. His father had made it clear that no one would ever save him; if he ever tried to get out he'd pay for it. Stiles noticed a lot, he was always making comments about the small stuff that happened around him. The past few days he hadn't 'spied' on him in the locker room so he assumed it was okay. That maybe Stiles had let it go… Just in time too… The other night his father had beat him with the broken end of a chair leg so the backs of his thighs and most of his butt were bruised and cut up. He'd made sure to get to three of his classes well before Stiles, so he could slowly sit in his chair without him seeing how much it hurt. But if he was still here now, then he'd probably seen, or at least fully suspected his injuries weren't lacrosse related.

"Isaac… have you told anyone about… y'know…?"

"It's no one's business," Isaac whispered.

"I want to help, let me help. Tell me what's happening, we can go to my dad and-"

"No!" he cried out. He couldn't tell anyone! But he did relax a little bit as he realized that Stiles didn't know the truth, only figured out that something was happening. "I can't tell anyone… No- there's nothing to tell!"

Stiles tilted his head, "There's no point in lying. I've been watching you pretty carefully Isaac… all this week, during lacrosse. You've been hit a few times, knocked down like maybe twice. There's nothing that could give you the bruises you have. Not to mention the flinching and the reactions to yelling… Isaac… something is going on. Besides, those bruises on your arm, those are finger marks. Like someone grabbed you and dug in… You have to tell someone."

Isaac shook his head, turning his bruised arm away from him, "I'm fine Stiles. Just leave me be, please." He hurried and put his shirt on, grabbing his bag and rushing out of the locker room.

Stiles stood there, dumbfounded. Isaac didn't want help? He knew that sometimes it was hard for people to start the conversation but to completely ignore a helpful hand that was reaching out? What could he do now? Slowly he grabbed his own bag and trudged out to his jeep. Someone was clearly hurting Isaac… if Isaac didn't want to accept help, did that mean he was worried there'd be no chance of being saved? Was there more at stake than just Isaac? Stiles punched his steering wheel in frustration- he needed more answers! "Well, there's at least one way to narrow it down," he mumbled to himself. Then he started his vehicle and decided to head to Isaac's house. He didn't want to admit it but he had followed him a few days ago, just to see if he made any side-stops before heading home. He hadn't thought to stop and check the house… But today he would, because all signs pointed to it being Mr. Lahey. If there was nothing to see then he'd try something else, maybe ask his dad for help. He drove slowly, not wanting to beat Isaac to his own home, and then he talked himself into getting out of the car.