Derek was sat on the small couch in the living room of the Hale house, the television playing in the background, but he wasn't paying attention to it. All he could hear was the nervous heartbeat of the Beta wolf on the staircase. Isaac had been living with them for eight months now, and he had noticed that whenever the two of them were together, Isaac began to show signs of attraction. Elevated heartrate, sweaty palms, inability to speak to/look at that person, flushed skin, and more importantly, he would take a sudden breath if Derek were to ever touch him in anyway. Just the other day, he had accidently bumped into his shoulder and Isaac had looked as though he had groped his arse.
So yes, Derek was aware of his feelings, but he also knew that it wasn't right to anything about it yet. Isaac had been abused by his previous pack members, including his father, and it had left a lot of emotional scarring. For all Derek knew, Isaac's attraction was simply because he had no intention of slamming his head through a window and locking him in a freezer. So he hadn't approached Isaac about his feelings before, but recently, Isaac had grown more confident around him. From small, unnecessary touches to flirtatious comments either when they were alone, or whispered to him when everyone else was too busy to notice. It was flattering, and Derek would be lying if he said he wasn't interested.
There were lots of things Derek liked about Isaac. For starters, he was beautiful. A tall and average build with broad shoulders and lean muscles. Curly, dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes that contrasted against his pale skin, and an amazing smile that always made Derek feel breathless whenever he saw it. Plus, Isaac was a good person. He had started volunteering at the hospital with one of the nurses that had helped him when he was admitted that last time and he loved helping there at every opportunity he could. To the extreme that Nurse McCall had to remind him that while it was lovely he was so passionate about helping, he shouldn't really spend every night at the hospital. She didn't even do that. Isaac was smart, funny, and very strong emotionally, considering his past. The fact that he was willing to admit to his emotions so early after his trauma had shown that. Isaac had a hope for those around him, a hope that they weren't like the others before them, that they were good and loyal and would respect him as much he did them.
"Derek," He heard a warm and quiet voice say behind him. Derek turned on the couch to see Isaac standing in the doorway of the living room. He was dressed in an old t-shirt and jogging bottoms with bare feet that patted across the floor softly as he made his way into the room further. He was fiddling with his fingertips and staring at the carpeted floor of the living room. His hair was slightly damp, showing he had just come out of the shower. God, he was gorgeous. Derek gulped as Isaac took a seat next to him.
He cleared his throat, "What's up, Isaac?" He asked politely, a friendly smile on his face. He had learned early on that letting Isaac know he wasn't bothering you was one of the ways to make sure he understood his role in his new pack. That he was an equal with all the other Betas.
Isaac bit his bottom lip, his teeth gnawing at the skin softly, and moved so he was sitting closer to Derek, "Can I ask you something?" He asked shyly, looking up at Derek with an innocent and vulnerable expression. His eyes were raw with emotions and had Derek's head spinning for a few moments before he remembered how to speak.
"Y-Yeah." He said.
Isaac breathed in deeply, his chest rising and falling gently, before he turned his body so he was facing Derek directly, who copied the position so they were eye to eye. Isaac shook his head with a small smile on his face and his eyes seemed to water slightly, "Can I trust you?" He asked.
"Of course." Derek insisted.
Isaac smile widened, but his eyes seemed to water more, "Good. You know, I don't think I would be where I am right now without you." He confessed, "I'm not saying I wouldn't get there in the end, but having you there to support me and help me through it all was really amazing. I couldn't imagine being here without you here as well."
"Well, it is my house." Derek joked.
Isaac laughed, "Don't interrupt me," He said, biting his lip again. His eyes traced over Derek's features and his breath seemed to catch in his throat, "I built a lot of walls while I was with my old pack, but being here with you…they've all just completely crashed down. It's insane how important you are to me. It isn't right, really, I've only been here with eight months and I completely…" He trailed off, staring into Derek's eyes intensely.
Isaac leaned forward slowly, his movements hesitant, and pressed his lips to the corner of Derek's mouth. Not quite a normal kiss, but still enough to know that Isaac wanted more from Derek then they had right now.
Derek moved his right hand to Isaac's cheek and rested his left on the back of the couch for balance before moving forward and kissing Isaac on the lips. They were warm and soft and tasted of mint toothpaste. Derek traced his thumb across his cheek and moved back again. Their faces were mere inches apart, the tips of their noses close to touching, and Derek could feel their hot breath mingling together as they both breathed in rhythm.
"Was that okay?" Isaac asked nervously.
"Yes," Derek said. He brushed a few loose strands of hair Isaac's forehead and smiled at the faint blush that covered his cheeks, "That was okay."
Isaac kissed him again. And again. And again. He let out a small, relieved laugh and said, "I – I don't just want to just kiss you though."
Derek hesitated and scratched at the back of his neck as he tried to find the right words. He sighed, "Isaac, I don't think we should. Yet."
"But why?"
"I don't feel right doing this right now. I think we should wait for a little while." He explained, "Whatever this is, it's still new and I don't want to worry about pressuring you even if you are ready or not. I think we should slow down for now and just try to understand each other more. I am attracted to you, but I feel like there is still so much that I don't know about you." Derek said before reaching out and holding Isaac's hand, "There isn't anyone else, and I want to be with you as well. We just have to learn how to be…together."
Isaac nodded slowly, allowing the words to process in his mind before smiling softly and kissing Derek on the cheek. "Okay." He agreed, "We'll wait."