Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf. This is purely for fun and feels.
The first night Isaac stayed at Derek Hale's house was weird. He'd only known the man for three days, and in those three days, his father had died and he'd become homeless.
Derek assured him that them sleeping on gross mattresses on the unsturdy floor of the old, burned out Hale House was only temporary, but it didn't make it any less shitty. Isaac had always been afraid of the Hale House, ever since that one kid with the ridiculous name (Bolinki? Solinski?) almost died in it when a stair collapsed under his foot like five years ago. In short, Derek's "house" sucked. It smelled like death and ash to Isaac's new werewolf nose.
"You can have my bed." Derek had said, gesturing to a dusty mattress on the floor of what Isaac assumed used to be the living room. Isaac shot Derek a reluctant smile and walked over towards it.
"Thanks, Derek." He had murmured in a soft voice and sat down on it, ignoring the squeaky springs and that mysterious stain.
"Yep." Derek said abruptly, then left the room. Isaac heard him rummaging around in the kitchen. He lay back on the mattress, resting his head in his hands, and closed his eyes.
When he woke up, the entire room was dark and cold. He felt… empty. Like there was a part of him that was close, but still so far away. The mattress creaked as he sat into an upright position. He could hear Derek breathing somewhere near him. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, which happened pretty quickly thanks to his boss new werewolf-eyes. Seriously, Derek was right when he said the Bite was a gift. He looked around the room and noticed Derek curled up on the floor near the old fireplace.
"Derek." He called quietly, knowing the Alpha could hear him.
"Mmm. What, Isaac?" His voice was scratchier and deeper than his usual normal pitch, muddied by sleep.
Isaac thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nevermind."
Derek sighed and pulled himself off the floor. He walked across the room and laid down on the mattress next to Isaac, pulling the younger boy back and onto his chest. Isaac laid his head over Derek's sternum and listened to his strong heartbeat.
"I know how it feels." Derek spoke, his chest rumbling against Isaac's face. "You feel like if you're not near or around part of your pack, that something's missing. You feel like no matter where you are, you want the pack to be there too. You would feel utterly drained and alone if I weren't here." Isaac looks up at Derek.
It's not like he wants to be in a relationship with Derek. He isn't in love with him. He isn't even sure he likes the damn guy yet, but he feels a pull. A connection. He feels… home. And it's pretty damn nice because he hasn't felt at home since his mom died.
"Thanks, Derek." He closes his eyes and tries to go to sleep.
"No, thank you, Isaac."
Things change when the Pack grows. They don't live in Derek's shell of a home anymore. There's a shell of a subway station and other shell-of-a-places that are dirty and gross, but as long as the Pack is there, it's home. Derek claims the dirty mattress for himself on the first night at the station, but Erica and Isaac share a smirk. Derek ends up sharing his chest with two werewolves.
Then Boyd joins because he just doesn't want to eat lunch alone anymore, and Erica and sometimes Isaac rest their head on his strong chest now. Isaac notices that Derek will wrap an arm around Isaac's waist now, and run through Erica's hair with his fingers and clutch Boyd's arm. Isaac realizes that Derek craves their touch as much as they all crave his. It makes him smile.
A year later, and the Pack has grown so much that a shell-of-a-place just isn't cutting it anymore. Derek used his family inheritance mixed with the small amount Isaac received to re-do the Hale House. Now, instead of a crusty, death-smelling dirty place, it's home. It's a place for all of the Pack to live and hang out and just be around each other. It's a home away from home.
There's a big kitchen where Stiles and Allison prepare Sunday dinners. They cook and bake all day, and when the Pack finally arrives in their separate cars, they all sit down at the large dining room table that Lydia had insisted they get. They bicker and talk loudly while eating, and Derek sits at the head of the table, opposite to Stiles who manages to give him the same look every Pack dinner. He looks at Derek like having the pack is the greatest thing that's ever been given to him. Isaac agrees.
Later, they'll make a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor of the cozy den and watch movies. Jackson will say "I'm not watching the Notebook again!". Lydia laughs anyway. Erica and Boyd manage to squeeze into the recliner. Scott, Isaac, and Allison share the couch, tangling limbs together and snuggling into a soft blanket. Danny, Lydia, and Jackson will settle on the floor, each hugging a pillow to their chest. In Jackson's case, he hugs Lydia. Danny always pulls Stiles down to the floor with them, who laughs and grabs Derek's hand as he goes. They end up leaning against the couch, Stiles in Derek's lap or vice versa. Stiles will run his fingers through Derek's hair and Derek will hold onto the back of Stiles's neck like he's afraid the man will float away.
Peter Hale will stand in the corner or brings a chair in from the dining room to sit on. He'll ignores Lydia when she beckons him to the floor. Isaac thinks Peter's pretty creepy anyway, so he's not really complaining.
Derek still lets the Pack sleep in his bed. It's crowded now, with so many people trying to cuddle on the king-size bed, but it sure as hell beats the smelly mattress.
There's Derek and Stiles first, who made their relationship official and now think that means they have to be together all the time. Derek started territorial over Stiles, frowning when someone would try to cuddle up to his boyfriend, but he got over it. Isaac thinks Stiles is softer anyway.
Isaac comes after them, because he really doesn't like to sleep unless he's cuddling. He'll pad into their room after they've fallen asleep and lay next to Stiles, putting one of his arms under the boy's waist and grabbing Derek's bicep with his other hand. He snuggles into Stiles's back.
Boyd and Erica enter shortly after him, each climbing into bed next to Derek and pulling each other close. Isaac knows by now that Erica has her face buried into Boyd's chest and Boyd is holding on securely to Derek's arm.
Then there's Scott, who manages to always curl up at the top of the headboard, with his face in Isaac's curls and his knees at his chest. Sometimes, Isaac wakes up with drool in his hair, but he doesn't care anymore.
Lydia and Jackson rarely stay at the Hale house, Danny and Allison even less. But when they do, Allison grabs Lydia who grabs Jackson, who grabs Danny, and they make a bed on the ground and curl up. Scott always joins them, commenting to Danny that his aftershave smells so good that he can't resist.
When they all wake up, they'll laugh at Jackson as he smirks even in sleep. Isaac will run a hand through his damp hair and Scott will smile crookedly. Allison always looks adorable with dimples and mussed hair, and Erica almost always comments on it, causing the girl to laugh and pat down her curls. Stiles is unusually quiet in the mornings, and Derek is unusually chatty. They lay in bed and Derek talks their ears off about whatever. Stiles will smile and cuddle into his chest contentedly.
Danny is the best in the morning, Isaac thinks, because he's always smiling. Danny is a morning person, and it makes everyone feel lighter and happier in the morning. Even Erica, who usually wants to murder everyone as soon as she's awake, is calmed by Danny's easy-going nature. Boyd is smiley in the morning, and he pets Erica's hair to make her mad, but Isaac can tell that she secretly likes it.
Peter doesn't cuddle. Peter doesn't do cuddling. Stiles had told him it would be okay, as long as he doesn't get zombie juice on their bedspread, but the man had refused. Isaac's still pretty okay with that.
All in all, there's no place Isaac would rather be than with his Pack. His favorite place in the world is sleeping in a pile of people who love him.
And that's not weird at all.
a/n: i don't even know i just got pack feels and BAM. erica doesn't want to be a freak anymore, boyd doesn't want to eat lunch alone, and isaac just wants a home.
KDGLJKFSDHGKJFHG
okay. thanks for reading! let me know what you thought, please! i love you.