Notes: Written for Rare Pairs 2013. Not Season 3 compliant, and adorbs. Also I've been looking for an excuse to write Isaac/Danny since forever, so thank you peroxidepest17!
The first time Isaac kisses Scott, he's expecting fireworks. He thinks that maybe he'll feel a string tugging inside of him, like something that has been wrong in his life has suddenly become right. He thinks he'll burst with joy, look into Scott's beautiful eyes and feel wanted.
That's not exactly how it happens. Instead, Scott puts his hands on Isaac's shoulders, and gently presses him away.
"Whoa, Isaac," Scott says slowly, looking concerned, "That's, uh, I don't think you should do that, okay?"
Isaac nods, and instead of feeling something amazing, instead of feeling like he's just become whole inside… he feels emptier than before.
"Danny?"
Danny turns from his locker to see Scott, and his eyebrows turn down. "What is it? Who's in trouble?"
Scott actually cracks a smile, and it's the first time Danny has seen that expression on him since the whole debacle with Jackson. "No one is in trouble," Scott says, holding up his hands, "At least, not of the supernatural kind."
Danny lets out a sigh of relief. It had been hard enough finding out he lived in a town full of werewolves and other supernatural nonsense. Being involved in it, like Jackson and Lydia had demanded he be, was almost too stressful for him. "Then what is it?"
"I can't tell you, exactly," Scott says, and he looks torn. "You know Isaac, right?"
Danny nods, wondering what this is about. "We've met."
"Yeah," Scott agrees, "You know he's a really nice guy, and we're really close but… I think I messed something up between us, and I think he could really use someone to talk to."
Danny frowns. "And you're asking me?"
Scott hems and haws. "Derek isn't exactly a ball of warm and fuzzy feelings, you know? And Erica and Boyd are still missing."
Danny hadn't really know Erica and Boyd, but it's obvious from the way everyone else has been acting since they've been gone that they were important, and he wonders if maybe their being gone is one of the reasons Isaac and Derek have seemed so cold the few times Danny has seen them this past summer. "He doesn't have anyone, does he?"
Scott looks sad. "Not really. He doesn't have nearly as many people as he should."
Danny sighs. "I'll be friendly," he agrees, and Scott gives him a happy smack on the shoulder.
"You always are, Danny. Thanks!" Scott says, and then he turns and runs off down the hallway, probably to go find Stiles.
Danny wonders what he's just gotten himself into.
Danny isn't a bad guy. In fact, he's actually quite pleasant. Isaac just isn't sure why he's being pleasant to him.
Danny sits with him at lunch. He talks about band and lacrosse and makes jokes about chemistry. Isaac mostly doesn't contribute.
"You don't talk much, do you?" Danny wonders, setting down his fork.
Isaac continues to toy with his disgusting meatloaf. "I talk," he says quietly, looking around, "I'm just not sure why you're talking to me."
Danny looks at him for a moment. Then he shrugs. "Trade you your yellow j-ello for my blue? Jackson says the yellow tastes terrible to you guys."
Isaac looks at Danny's outstretched hand with the blue j-ello, and he wonders if this is some kind of test. Only everyone seems to really like Danny, and Isaac thinks his motives can't be ulterior. What's the harm in swapping j-ello's, just this once?
Isaac picks up his own, and he quickly swaps the j-ello from Danny's hand without touching him. Danny grins, and then they eat their j-ello's together in silence until the bell rings.
"Do you," Derek says in his most patronizing voice, "Or do you not have a location on that goddammed gryphon yet?!"
"Leave him alone," Jackson threatens, his eyes glowing, stepping in front of Danny.
Danny sweats. He types as quickly as he can, trying to ignore the tenseness of the situation.
"Did you just give me an order?" Derek asks menacingly, and Jackson growls. It's obvious the two don't like each other, and while Jackson has agreed to work with Derek and the other wolves in town as Beacon Hills is assaulted over and over by mythical beings, he makes it a point to let them know he doesn't like it.
Danny reaches out with a hand, tugs lightly on Jackson's sweatshirt, as if to say 'Don't'.
"Boys," Lydia comments from behind him, he assumes to Allison, "The levels of testosterone in the air are so high I think I'm getting contact masculinity."
Allison's bow creaks. "I'd just like to trap this thing and get it out of here before it hurts more people. The boys can work out their differences later."
"Well, maybe if Stiles had managed to put the tracker on it the first three times we tried this plan," Jackson says, stepping away from Derek and eyeing Stiles with his rage instead, "It'd be done by now."
"Hold on," Stiles voice comes, loud and impetuous, "Are you saying the last four bodies are on me?"
Now Scott is growling, too. Danny reaches up to wipe some sweat away from his brow, hoping he can finish writing the tracking program before everyone in the pack kills each other. He hates tense situations. This would be so much easier if everyone would just calm down…
"The only reason that thing is still killing people is because you can't follow directions," Scott says, at the same time Derek growls out, "You're computer geek had better finish tracking that thing before I can draw my claws."
"Hey," Isaac says sharply, and everyone looks over at him, including Danny. It's the first time he's spoken all night. "Leave him alone, Derek, he's going as fast as he can," Isaac says, coming over to stand by Danny. He feels protective, by Danny's shoulder, but he's not playing at being the leader like all the others. "Why doesn't everyone take a deep breath and go stand in separate corners for a while. I'll let you know when he's finished."
Maybe it's because Isaac is his Beta, Danny doesn't know, but Derek listens to him. He sets his jaw, and turns to walk a few feet away. Allison goes over to Stiles, who is muttering under his breath and she and Scott work to calm him down. Lydia distracts Jackson with kisses, which is the surefire way to make him shut up.
Danny looks up at Isaac. "Thanks," he says with a grin.
Isaac sits down next to him on the wooden crate he's on, nods to the computer program. "Nobody will say," he says, "But you're the only one who can do this and they're jealous. All their supernatural powers combined and it's the human who is going to save the day."
Danny grins, feeling a bit of a confidence boost. He keeps going at the program, and with the quiet, he has it done within two minutes.
The gryphon is at the old outlet mall, tearing through dumpsters. Lydia and Danny follow behind the werewolves and Stiles Jeep in Jackson's Porsche.
"So," Lydia wonders from her spot in the driver's seat, "You and Isaac."
"We're friends," Danny says, before she gets any ideas.
"So it seems," Lydia agrees, sounding casual, but Danny knows better. "When did that happen?"
Danny shrugs noncommittally. "I dunno," he says, but secretly he wonders the same thing.
On full moons, Derek insists that the pack be together. Isaac likes the full moons, generally, because it's the one night of the month where, regardless of what's going down in town (and there's been a lot, lately) he can sit in the room with everyone he knows and just be. Unfortunately, it's also the one time a month he has to see Peter, but with everyone else there he isn't much harm.
Jackson finally has his wolf under control, to the point where he doesn't have to be chained, so now Derek allows Lydia and Danny and Stiles to come back to his loft with everyone else. Allison shows up, too.
They all sit on Derek's second hand furniture in the living room, and Isaac picks at the threadbare sofa halfheartedly.
Allison and Scott are talking quietly in the corner, and Isaac doesn't know if everyone else is listening in, but if they are they aren't showing it. It's polite, Derek says, to give other wolves privacy; just because you can listen doesn't mean you should.
Derek is playing pool with Stiles and Peter, and the three of them are practicing their snark against each other like it's a competition. Isaac thinks Stiles is winning. If he were any good at pool, or snark, he'd join them.
Lydia, Jackson and Danny were sitting in the middle of the floor playing cards, but Lydia has just won, and she's kissing Jackson in celebration. Isaac raises his eyebrows at them when Lydia topples them over and crawls on top of Jackson, who is clearly not being a sore loser.
Danny looks over at him and sighs, rolls his eyes in a much abused way. Isaac grins.
He nods his head towards the kitchen, and Danny nods agreement and stands. They meander over to Derek's awful old fridge, and pull out drinks.
Isaac leans against the counter. Danny pulls out a beer, cracks it open, and takes a long sip from it.
When he finishes, he looks back out at the living room with amusement. "You know, ever since they got back together, they've been in this honeymoon faze. Neither of them can do any wrong, and it's like all they see is each other. Its third wheel hell," he laughs, and Isaac grins.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," he nods, and then a pang of sadness hits him. He tries to dismiss it, sips his soda. Danny is looking at him strangely. "It got that way with Boyd and Erica, near the end," he says quietly. The end, he thinks bitterly, because it had been the end. It had been months and there had been no sign of either of them.
"You really miss them," Danny says, and Isaac looks up again, see's the look of concern on Danny's face.
"They were my family," Isaac agrees, and he tries not to feel too weird about confiding this much in Danny, "And with them gone it feels like… It's not like when my brother died. It feels like I've actually lost a part of myself, like a limb. It's a physical ache, and nothing makes it go away."
"Jesus," Danny says after a quiet, moment, and then he's reaching into the fridge again, "You need a beer."
Isaac actually laughs, for the first time a while it feels like. "I can't feel it, remember?"
Danny makes a face. "I keep forgetting. Jackson drinks them with me anyway," he adds, by way of explanation.
"You know I'd never even had a beer before the bite?" Isaac says, sipping his soda. "Or anything to drink. I will literally never know how it feels to get smashed out of my mind like a regular high school kid."
Danny shrugs, smiles. "On the bright side, you can always be my DD when I go out and get smashed like a regular high school kid."
Isaac grins at him, shakes his head.
Danny reaches out and tugs on his shirt, the same way he often does to Jackson, like he's asking Isaac to follow him without words. Isaac does.
They steal the cards from where Lydia and Jackson are making out on the floor, and they sit behind the sofa and play slap jack for two hours.
Allison and Scott get back together on a Tuesday night, after a particularly difficult fight with a Wendigo.
It's all dramatic and romantic, as they cling to each other in the forest and kiss while the others disperse.
Danny rolls his eyes, follows Lydia and Jackson back out of the woods tiredly, until he notices Isaac hanging back.
He pauses, tugs on Jackson's shirt to let him know to wait.
"Hey," he says, jogging back over, "You coming?"
Isaac looks up, startled. He's leaning against a tree, his arms crossed, looking depressed. He slowly shakes his head. "I drove here with Scott," he says carefully, "And Derek has already left with Stiles, so I need to wait for a ride."
Danny makes a face. "No you don't," he says, and he taps him on the shoulder lightly, "You can come with us."
"What?" Danny hears Jackson's voice intone from ahead, but he waves a hand over his shoulder at him. They both know who is in charge in this relationship, and what Danny says goes.
Isaac looks between him and Jackson hesitantly. "No, its okay, I'll just wait here."
"For those two?" Danny asks, pointing behind Isaac at Scott and Allison, who are still making out. "You'll be here all night."
Isaac considers this. "I can walk," he decides instead, and Danny smiles at him patronizingly.
"Or," he corrects, turning and wrapping his arm around Isaac's shoulder and tugging him along with him as he walks, "You can come with us. It's like, six miles back to Beacon Hills, and it's freezing."
"It's really okay," Isaac starts, as if getting in the car with Jackson is physically scaring him.
"Stop being such a masochist," Danny instructs, and he pushes Jackson along in front of him, "Jackson will be nice."
"Jackson will delete Danny's World of Warcraft account," Jackson says threateningly, but Danny just rolls his eyes, gives Isaac's shoulders a squeeze before he drops his arm. "Which he pays for out of the kindness of his heart."
Lydia, walking arm and arm with Jackson, turns her head over her shoulder to look at Danny accusingly and say, "Boys."
Danny and Isaac squeeze into the back seat of Jackson's Porsche, and Danny kicks Jackson's seat every time he say something mean to Isaac.
It makes Isaac smile, and eventually Lydia has to put a stop to all talking in the car because Isaac keeps saying things to provoke Jackson so that Danny can kick his seat. In the end, they end up quietly giggling in the back while Jackson blasts angry music at them.
Danny lets his head lull back against the seat and he closes his eyes with a smile, glad he has someone who can help him push Jackson's buttons. He's drifting off when he feels Isaac pick up his arm, and he looks down.
"You're hurt," Isaac says, and he's lifting up Danny's sleeve, which some blood has soaked through.
"What?" Jackson says, turning the music down and pulling the car over. He's got the light on overhead and is turned around in his seat so fast it makes Danny snort. Jackson can sometimes be a little too protective.
Isaac has pealed up Danny's long sleeve shirt to reveal a small scratch that Danny hadn't even noticed until now. Of course, now that he sees it, it hurts like a bitch.
"Ow," he complains, reaching down to touch the place where the Wendigo's claws had gotten him.
"Oh no," Lydia says, sounding annoyed, "You aren't going to turn into one of those things now, are you?"
"I doubt it," he says, but he is a little bit fearful. The scratch isn't too deep, though, and he remembers Stiles saying something about the size of the claws making a difference. "It's not that bad, I'll take care of it when we get home."
"Here," Isaac says, touching Danny's arm again, "At least let me take your pain away."
Jackson's head snaps to Isaac. "Do what now?"
Isaac looks up before he's done anything, looking confused. He looks between Lydia and Danny, and Danny raises his eyebrows at him. "Derek didn't tell you?" Isaac asks Jackson.
Jackson sets his jaw, his anger bubbling just beneath the surface. "It's become apparent that there are a lot of things Derek had neglected to fill me in on," he says harshly, "But by all means, go ahead, enlighten me."
Isaac looks back at Danny, and then he gingerly touches his arm. The veins in Isaacs hand go black, but then all the pain seeps out of Danny's arm. Danny lets out a surprised puff of air, grins. It's like the best pain medicine in the world.
"Better?" Isaac asks, and Danny nods enthusiastically.
Jackson stares at the display for a moment, before angrily turning around and starting the car again.
"Derek doesn't trust me," he tells them a moment later, and Danny tries not to sigh at the impending best friend angst. "He doesn't tell me anything!"
"Maybe you should trust him first," Isaac says quickly, accusatorially.
Jackson eyes him in the rearview mirror. "Do you trust him?"
Isaac shifts in his seat, crosses his arms and looks out the window. "I don't trust anyone," he says quietly, and suddenly it's like his mind is somewhere else.
Danny tries not to feel hurt at the realization that Isaac doesn't trust him.
Erica and Boyd show up to school the next Monday, as though nothing has happened.
When he first sees them, Isaac feels like he's going to burst with joy, like his heart is going to explode in his chest. His happiness is so great that he runs towards them and flings his arms around them both, laughing, with tears pricking his eyes.
It's only when they don't hug him back that Isaac's joy turns to ashes in his mouth, his heart breaking all over again, as he pulls away and looks at them.
"What happened to you?" Isaac asks, and Erica smirks at him. "What's going on?"
"Out of our way, Lahey," Boyd says harshly, pushing past him. "We've got business with McCall."
Erica steps around him distastefully, like she doesn't want to touch him again, and Boyd slams into his shoulder as he passes, an act of aggression completely unlike anything he's ever seen from Boyd.
Isaac stands there watching them go, his stomach bottoming out and his anger and hatred welling up inside him. For months, months, he's been worried sick about them and this is how they act when they come back? Don't they know how much he's been missing them? Can't they feel his pain like it's their own?
"Isaac?" Danny's voice registers in his head, but Isaac doesn't turn.
Isaac feels himself about to cry, but he can't do it here. He leaves his backpack on the floor and sprints through the hallway, down into the locker room as fast as he can, his breathing coming in heaves. It's empty, and he goes in and slams the door, and crushes his fist into the first locker he sees.
He punches the metal lockers again and again, until his hands bleed and break and heal, and he's so angry with them, but also with himself, because he feels so lost.
There are arms wrapping around his torso, dragging him away from the lockers. Isaac melts at the contact, dropping down to the floor with a broken howl, someone's arms still around him, helping him down to the floor and holding onto him as he dissolves.
"It's okay," the voice is saying, slowly, evenly, "Calm down, it's alright."
Isaac looks up, not sure what or who he's expecting. He sees Danny's face there and it takes a long moment to register. Danny had followed him?
"Are you alright?" Danny asks him.
Isaac shakes his head slowly. "No," he adds, his voice cracking, "Not alright."
Danny sits there on the floor with him for a long time.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to grab onto an enraged werewolf?" Isaac tells Danny quietly while he washes the blood off his hands. "I could have torn you apart before anyone even heard you scream."
Isaacs's voice is dangerous, like he's trying to be threatening, but Danny has just held him as he cried on the floor of the locker room all through first period, and he isn't afraid. "I knew you wouldn't hurt me."
Isaac turns, his eyes wide and puffy. "You don't know that."
Danny crosses his arms and shrugs.
He walks back over to the four lockers Isaac has virtually destroyed. "Greenburg is going to be pissed," he remarks, running his hands over the place where Isaac had punched and clawed.
Isaac comes up behind him, staring at the damage too. "I was so angry," he says, "After I saw them."
"Erica and Boyd?" Danny guesses, having seen them walking away before Isaac had sprinted off. Isaac gives a short, terse nod. "What did they say to you?"
Isaac is quiet for a long moment. "Nothing," he says at last, "They didn't say anything to me."
Danny considers this. He's about to say something when Isaac's phone buzzes in his backpack. Isaac bends down, picks it up, reads the text. Danny glances over at the phone.
The text just says, Need you. Now. Parking lot.
Isaac hauls his backpack up onto his shoulders, and Danny follows suit. They're walking out the door when Isaac stops, and Danny almost runs into his back.
"Thanks," Isaac says, looking at the floor, "For bringing me my stuff."
Danny nods carefully, knowing there is a lot more to that thank you than Isaac is willing to let on right now. Then they rush out to the parking lot to confront Boyd and Erica.
It's been a long month for Isaac.
It took them three weeks to catch Boyd and Erica, and two more to get through to them. It's sort of comforting to Isaac that it only takes them that long, when it had taken months for the alpha pack to brainwash them into thinking they were their enemies.
They come back to themselves slowly, and it takes time. Isaac doesn't go to school at all, despite Stiles and Scotts warning he'll get held back. He doesn't care. There are more important things.
They've cooked up an excuse for him, of course, awful accident, bed ridden, yada yada. And every other day Danny brings him his homework, so he doesn't fall that far behind.
"There's a pretty awful essay from Mr. Harkins," he tells him that afternoon as he hands Isaac as stack of papers, "But the calculus is short today, at least."
"Thanks," Isaac says, flipping through the yellow assignment sheets quickly.
"You want I should stay and help you with it?" Danny asks.
Isaac looks back over his shoulder at Erica and Boyd, who are sitting on the couch in their pajamas. Erica is petting Boyd's head, and Boyd is somewhere else entirely. "Today's not a good day," he says, turning back, "But maybe another time."
Danny nods, pats Isaac on the shoulder and turns to leave.
Isaac goes back over to Erica and Boyd. He drops the stack of homework on the table, catching their attention. "I have an idea," he tells them, grabbing onto both of their hands, "Let's play a game."
Isaac makes them both jump around the loft with him, get's them up and moving. They do better at remembering things when they're active, when they move around and use their senses. The alpha pack had kept them cooped up while they trained them; it had been their undoing.
They end up in a heap on the floor, the three of them cuddled together in a tangle of limbs, just like the old days, before all the bad things happened. Erica runs her fingers thought Isaac's curly hair, and Boyd curls into Isaac's side, listening to his heartbeat.
"He likes you," Erica says dreamily after a while.
"Hmmm?" Isaac wonders, pulling himself out of the blissful haze.
"That boy who brings you your homework," Erica says, "What's his name?"
"Danny Mahealani," Boyd answers quickly, like he's reciting memorized information, "Human, Junior, not a threat."
"Yeah," Isaac agrees, and he gives Boyd's arm a squeeze, "And we're just friends."
Erica hums back at him. "Isaac and Danny, sitting in a tree," she whispers, fingers tapping in his hair to the rhythm.
Before Isaac can object, the loft door opens, and Boyd and Erica start. Derek walks in with Stiles in toe, and they have six large bags of food between them.
Erica stiffens, and Boyd starts growling. Isaac holds up a hand to signal Derek to be still.
"Boyd," Isaac says gently, petting him, "It's just Derek, remember? Derek's our friend, and our alpha. We like Derek."
"Derek has food," Derek adds, and that seems to be the thing that finally calms Boyd enough that he comes back to himself.
Derek and Stiles enter to loft as they get up from the floor, and Stiles ambles over to Erica, handing her a bag of food. "Catwoman," he says, before backing away quickly.
Erica seems to like that Stiles is still scared of her. "Thanks, Batman," she says, before taking a seat and digging into her food.
Derek offers Boyd his food, and Boyd just stares at him. After a long moment, Derek sets the food down on the table, and only then does Boyd deign to touch it.
Erica and Boyd have gotten pretty good around almost everyone in the pack. They don't even growl at Allison anymore.
But for whatever reason, they still haven't been able to forgive Derek.
Erica, Boyd, and Isaac come back to school after Winter Break. Isaac has managed to keep up with his school work enough that he's passing everything. Since Boyd and Erica had been traumatically kidnapped, they're starting with a fresh slate, and the school has allowed them to remain juniors instead of making them repeat the year.
It's the first time the entire group of them starts eating lunch together, but Danny sort of likes it.
Scott, Stiles, Allison, Lydia and Jackson all sit on one side of the table, and Danny, Isaac, Boyd and Erica sit on the other. Stiles tosses fries across the table to Erica, who catches them in her mouth to a round of applause. Isaac and Danny trade j-ello's so that Isaac can have a flavor he likes, and they do it without even asking.
It draws Jackson's eyes, and he frowns. His own yellow j-ello remains untouched on his tray. He maybe glares at Isaac for a bit, but Isaac is so happy he doesn't notice, and Danny kicks Jackson under the table.
"You never want to go see what I want to see," Allison is accusing Stiles, who is smirking.
"Because there's never enough explosions!" Stiles says, and Scott nods emphatically.
"Hey, I missed a whole summer of blockbuster hits," Erica complains, waving her hands around like it's nothing, "I really think the movie should be my choice!"
"That's a pretty fair point," Isaac agrees.
The bell rings before they can make any kind of decision, but it's generally agreed upon that Friday night shall be spent at the theater, loitering in the parking lot, playing the arcade games and arguing about pop culture.
Friday after school, Lydia and Danny go over to Allison's to hang out and get ready, but before they do, Lydia pulls out Danny's nice button down shirt from his closet and holds it up to him.
"I think you should wear this," Lydia says, examining him.
"That's one of my best shirts," Danny objects, trying to put it back, "Who am I trying to impress?"
Lydia purses her lips, tilts her head. "Isaac will be there," she says, and Danny narrows his eyes.
"Isaac doesn't care how I dress," Danny says back, wondering what Lydia is scheming about.
"You're right," she says, tossing the shirt on the bed and picking up her purse to go, "He probably prefers you with clothes off."
Danny waits a moment before following her, considers the shirt.
He goes with his second best, instead, because he doesn't like letting Lydia win.
When Lacrosse starts up again, Isaac isn't sure he even wants to go out for the team. Boyd decides to, with Derek's blessing this time, and Isaac goes to the try outs still undecided.
Erica, Allison, Lydia, and Derek are sitting on the bench cheering (save for Derek, who just looks like he's been dragged there against his will), and he's about to go join them when he feels a tug at his elbow.
"Why aren't you in gear?" Danny asks, looking him up and down.
"I don't think I'm going to try out this year," Isaac tells him, nodding toward the field, "But good luck."
Danny makes a clicking noise at him. "That's a shame, I was looking forward to kicking your ass."
Isaac raises his eyebrows and tilts his head at him, as if to say 'Serious?'
Danny nods his head, backing up with his arms out like he's challenging him.
Isaac watches him for a moment, his lips quirking.
"You gonna let him talk to you like that?" Derek's voice calls from the bleachers, and Isaac looks back at the cheering section.
Derek and the others are all looking at him like he's been served, and he feels heat in his cheeks.
Isaac rushes back to the locker room to change, and makes it back to the field before Coach has really started anything.
Danny grins at him. Isaac jostles his shoulder in return.
Danny dates Arthur Young from band for about a month in March. He wasn't expecting a great response from his friends, but he didn't quite expect the looks of disappointment on their faces when they see him with Arthur.
He asks Jackson about it one afternoon after Lacrosse practice.
Jackson looks annoyed as he says, "Its cause they don't think he's right for you."
Danny frowns. "Why not? I mean, it's not like I have a lot of other options at the moment, and I'm sick of being the only person not dating anyone in our group."
"You're not the only person," Jackson says tightly, and Danny wonders what he's hinting at. "Everyone thinks you should be with someone else."
"Who?" Danny wonders.
Jackson stops, and begrudgingly turns back to the field. "Really?" He asks, like he's genuinely surprised Danny doesn't know. Danny shrugs at him. Jackson gestures with his stick. "You should be with Isaac."
"Isaac?" Danny asks, glancing back at the field where Isaac, Stiles and Scott are still talking. "Who thinks I should be with Isaac?"
Jackson sighs. "Everyone."
Danny has to think about that. Lydia had teased him about it a few times, but he'd never taken her very seriously. No one else had ever mentioned to him that Isaac might like him, or even that he and Isaac might be good together. Save for Scott, when he'd first made Danny be nice to Isaac all those months ago.
Danny looks back at Jackson. "Do you think I should be with Isaac?"
Jackson scoffs, rolls his eyes. "I don't care," he says, and then he starts walking off the field again.
Danny watches him go, knowing better. The fact that Jackson had said anything at all meant that he did care, and that he probably felt the same way as the rest of their friends apparently did, but wouldn't say it. And if Jackson, who didn't even like Isaac, though he and Danny should date…
Danny doesn't know what to do about that.
Isaac and Danny wind up alone in the loft on a Sunday night.
It was supposed to be everyone, but Stiles had called saying he didn't feel well, which meant that Derek had rushed to his side. At the last minute, Allison and Lydia had remembered a test they had to study for, Jackson had told Danny he didn't want to go if Lydia wasn't going, and Scott had said he had to help his mom with something at the hospital.
Boyd and Erica were nowhere to be found. Isaac eventually gets a text from Erica telling him to enjoy his evening.
He and Danny sit on the couch, watching an old movie on Derek's cheap bulky TV, and eating popcorn.
"You know," Isaac says conversationally, during a lull in the movies action, "When Scott called earlier, to say he had to help his mom at the hospital?"
"Yeah?" Danny asks, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"He was lying," Isaac tells him, "And he didn't even try to hide it. He seems really amused about it, actually."
Danny turns his head to him. "You can tell when someone is lying over the phone?"
"Only someone I know well enough," Isaac admits, because he hadn't been sure about Stiles, but his excuse had seemed fishy, and Derek had already had his shoes and jacket on, like he was expecting to go.
"Weird," Danny says, turning back to the TV.
"Yeah," Isaac agrees, "Weird."
A few minutes go by, and the second minority bites it in the cheesy horror movie, so that the only people left are the pretty white girl and the buff dude, and then Danny is reaching down to his laptop bag and pulling out his computer.
"What are you doing?" Isaac wonders, watching Danny boot up his laptop. He turns off the movie that neither of them has really been watching.
"Testing the theory that our friends are all manipulative jerks," he says, typing something in.
Isaac leans over against his shoulder to watch, confused, and he feels a momentary rise in Danny's pulse when he touches him. He pulls back, because he doesn't want to make Danny feel uncomfortable.
A window pops up, into which Danny types some things, and then there's a picture of Stiles room on the screen and- all of their friends piled into Stiles' room.
"I still don't see why it had to be at the loft," Derek is saying, while he flips through a giant book. Stiles is standing beside him against the wall.
Danny raises his hand to his lips to let Isaac know to be quiet, and he nods.
"Because if we'd had the get together at Danny's and then all canceled he'd think it was because we don't like him," Allison says from her spot on the bed next to Lydia.
Lydia nods, says, "He's sensitive."
Derek rolls his eyes where he sits, and Erica laughs. "It'll be worth it. They'll be adorable together."
"What is it with girls and matchmaking? I mean, why do you always have to meddle?" Jackson wonders, and he's off-screen somewhere, probably lingering by the door.
"Hey, don't blame this on us," Erica says wryly, and she points over at Scott, who is sitting in the computer chair, "Scott started it!"
"I didn't mean to!" Scott objects, laughing. "I just thought they'd end up being friends, you know, Isaac was lonely."
Isaac raises his eyebrows at the screen, and he feels Danny looking at him, but he keeps his eyes forward.
"Whatever, they belong together, we're just giving them a push," Allison says, and she leans back on the bed, like she's done with all of them.
"It is kind of strange though," Lydia says, twirling some hair around her finger to make herself look less threatening, the way she always does when she's about to say something smart, "How people in groups with even numbers end up pairing off. It's actually evolutionary biology, you know. Strength in numbers, the pack survives and the lone wolf dies, etcetera, etcetera."
"Alright, what the hell are we doing with our Sunday night then?" Jackson asks, and Danny closes out of the window and shuts his laptop down.
"I have a theory," Danny says casually, "That our friends are manipulative jerks."
"They think I'm lonely?" Isaac wonders as he sits back.
Danny eyes him. "Weren't you? When Boyd and Erica were still missing?"
Isaac looks over at Danny and narrows his eyes at him. "Is that why you started talking to me? Because you pitied me?"
Danny shrugs, looking uncomfortable. "Scott asked me to, originally. But that's not why I kept talking to you."
Isaac frowns, feeling uncomfortable. He hadn't thought…
"Apparently our friends want us to date," Danny continues, changing gears, and he stretches, like he's trying to act extra casual, "For evolution."
Isaac tries not to smile at that. He feels betrayed, like his entire friendship with Danny has been a lie and a burden… but its Danny, and Isaac always laughs at Danny's jokes. He tries really hard not to, though.
"I feel both flattered and annoyed," he continues, "Flattered because it's obvious they care about us, and annoyed because they think neither of us is capable of getting laid on our own."
Isaac snorts. "When was the last time you got laid again?" He asks.
Danny's mouth falls open in mock-horror, and he shoves Isaac hard in the arm and Isaac topples away from him on the couch. "Alright funny man, I'll make the jokes here!"
Isaac laughs, pulls himself upright, and turns a little towards Danny. They get a little quiet, Danny folding his arms over his stomach and Isaac leaning his head against the back of the couch.
"We could fuck with them, you know," Danny starts, grinning mischievously. "Go to school tomorrow and hang all over each other, act completely smitten. Then have a huge public break up, like one day after school in the parking lot, and seriously angst over it while they all panic that their plan has backfired."
Isaac grins a little at the idea, shrugs.
"It would teach them a lesson," Danny continues, "Though I'm not sure they'll ever learn."
Isaac sighs, runs a hand through his hair. "Why not?" he asks, feeling sad, "I mean, our whole friendship is a lie anyway, right? We're only friends 'cause Scott asked you for a favor."
Danny opens his mouth, and then closes it like he thinks better of it. Hurt radiates off him, and Isaac feels bad about it, but he doesn't say anything else. "I'm nice to everyone," Danny says softly, "I'd have been nice to you eventually."
Isaac shakes his head at him. "Nah, you don't know that."
Danny rolls his head to the side on the couch, stares at Isaac's face. "Does it matter?" He asks, raising his eyebrows. "We are friends, right?"
Isaac isn't sure at the particular moment in time, but he nods anyway. "So how do you want to play it?"
Danny's nervous.
He waits for Isaac in the parking lot, leaning against his car. He's nervous about more than just pulling one over on their friends. Isaac had been really upset by the fact that their friendship had started under false pretenses, and Danny can't blame him. Isaac's been lied to and betrayed by every person he knows, and Danny hates to be added to that list.
He doesn't want to make things worse with their scheme, funny though it may be. And he's maybe worried that he had feelings for Isaac that are slightly more than platonic, and he doesn't want to go tempting fate, either.
Isaac walks over to him, gives him a head nod. Danny straightens, ready to offer Isaac the chance to back out of their plan.
Only Isaac puts a brilliant smile on his face and comes right for Danny, reaching out and grabbing his hand to hold onto it, and leaning forward to whisper in Danny's ear, "Smile, Allison's watching."
Danny does smile, and he tries not to let his heart flutter.
By the time lunch rolls around, the word has spread across the entire school that Danny and Isaac are a thing. Their friends are waiting in gleeful anticipation at their table, and as Danny and Isaac stand in line for their food, Danny turns to him with a questioning look.
"I just thought of something," he says, frowning, "Won't they be able to tell we're lying?"
Isaac glances over at them, see's several of them quickly look away. He shakes his head at Danny. "They want to believe, so probably not. Just don't tell blatant lies, you know? Say things that are actually true, like 'We get along really well' and 'We realized something last night'."
Danny smirks, nods like he gets it. When they get to the end of the line, Danny goes to grab his tray, but Isaac grabs it for him, carrying both their trays as Danny leads the way to their table.
Everyone stares at them as they sit down.
"So," Danny says casually, as Isaac sets his tray in front of him and sits down in front of his own, "I guess you've all heard."
Allison pulls back from sipping from her water bottle and does her best as a surprised expression. "Heard what?" she asks with wide eyes.
Scott rolls his head to his side, like he's saying 'What was that?'
Allison cracks up laughing, and then says, "Yeah, we've heard. But it's good! We're really happy for you guys."
"Yeah," Jacksons says from across the table, and he gives Isaac a strange look, "Who'd have guessed?"
Lydia must kick him under the table, because he makes a little movement that seemed pained, and shoots Danny a really annoyed look.
Danny reaches over and wraps his arm around Isaac's shoulders. Isaac leans into him, like he's observed Erica do to Boyd. "Yeah and if it weren't for you guys all canceling last night, we'd have never even thought about it."
"Aw," Erica says from across the table, smirking into her salad, "How sweet."
Isaac tries not to make eye contact with her or Boyd, just in case. It occurs to him that their friends are far too invested in their lives as they go about their lunch acting like a couple, but he finds himself being more and more amused by it.
And dating Danny is not without its benefits, he supposes.
After one of his classes, Jackson finds him at his locker. Isaac is expecting the 'Don't hurt my best friend speech' Danny had warned him about, but instead Jackson leans against his locker looking amused.
"You guys are awful people," he says, and he sounds… fond?
Isaac stares at him for a second before going back to pulling things out of his locker. "I have no idea what you mean."
"Yeah, I know Danny better than anyone," Jackson says, waving a hand, "So I'm completely on to your little scheme. Let's just be clear though, I think it was just as messed up as you guys do that they all pulled the little switcheroo on you last night, so I'm keeping my mouth shut."
Isaac closes his locker and turns to Jackson, leaning against the locker with a smirk. "Really?"
"Oh yeah," Jackson agrees, "Play them. Play them hard. You have my complete support."
Isaac nods at him, stands and starts to walk away.
"Unless," Jackson calls out, and Isaac stops but doesn't look over his shoulder, "Danny actually has feelings for you and you hurt him. Then I get to rip you in half, so really this is a win/win for me."
Isaac keeps walking, but he feels Jackson's eyes on him until he turns the corner.
Danny thinks they play their parts exceptionally well. They cuddle, hold hands, and Danny kisses Isaac on the cheek after Lacrosse practice.
The charade drops a bit, though, when in the middle of the week a Manticore shows up and kills two people in the park. Of course it's up to the lot of them to take care of it, and they rush into action.
Allison has been teaching Danny and Lydia how to use weapons, but they're still pretty useless when it comes to anything that moves, so they sit it out, waiting in the car while the battle rages.
It takes a long time. So long that even Danny is considering rushing in to help, when finally they see their wolves coming back, dragging a giant dead Manticore with them.
Isaac looks exhausted. His shirt is ripped, he's all bloody, and he's missing a shoe. Lydia runs for Jackson, and Danny used to think that was stupid, hugging someone after a battle when they were sore and gross. Only… he's actually really relieved to see Isaac, and when Isaac reaches him, Danny can't help but pull him into a soft hug.
Isaac hugs him back, probably thinking Danny is only playing, but it takes Danny a long time to let Isaac go.
Isaac falls asleep on Danny's shoulder on the drive home.
They plan to do the public break up Friday afternoon, and Isaac stays up all night Thursday night thinking about it.
He isn't sure he's going to enjoy tomorrow, after all. Everyone, even Derek, had seemed so genuinely happy that he and Danny had gotten together. Did they really think they belonged together?
At school, Isaac mopes. He doesn't mean to, but he feels like he's actually going to lose something today, and it gets him down. Even Boyd notices.
At lunch, he waits for Danny to fill the seat beside him, the seat all of his friends have left open, and chews on his lip.
"Danny!" Lydia calls as Danny walks over, "Come kiss your boyfriend. He's being incredibly morose."
Isaac flips a carrot at her with his plastic Spork. Lydia dodges it with her freaky, non-werewolf reflects and sticks her tongue out at him.
Danny sits down, looking between the two of them. "He seems perfectly fine to me," Danny remarks, but he takes the spork out of Isaac's hand and puts it down anyway.
Danny does lift Isaac's hand to his lips and give it a quick peck, to which Jackson coos sarcastically, "Aw, that's affectionate."
Danny shoots him a look, because he knows Jackson's in on it, and he doesn't need to push. The others do enough of that on their own.
"Come on," Scott pipes up, sipping his soda mischievously, "Give us a kiss."
Danny rolls his eyes, and Allison nudges Scotts elbow. "Leave them alone. Maybe Danny will kiss him if everyone stops looking."
A couple of them chuckle, and Danny lets out a much abused sigh before he turns to Isaac. Isaac raises his eyebrows at him, silently questioning. They've held hands, and hugged, and kissed each other on the cheek… but they haven't actually kissed, at all, and since they're breaking up today anyway, Isaac doesn't see much point.
Danny shrugs though, and leans forward quickly as the other coo awe's at them.
Only Danny kisses him, soft and full on the lips, and Isaac… Isaac leans into it, feels something snap inside him. The noise in his ears gets to loud it rings and then shuts off, and the only thing he hears is his own heart beat, ratcheting in chest. He feels warm, and right, and… wanted. There's an emotion coming off of Danny that Isaac has never felt before, but it makes his stomach flip, makes him want to pull Danny closer. It's as though something has burst within him, something he hadn't expect to be there. An emptiness he'd forgotten about fills up, and when Danny pulls away, Isaac just stares at him in adoration for the rest of lunch.
"See," Lydia coo's, picking apart her bread, "All he needed was a little affection."
When the bell rings, it's all Isaac can do to help bus their trays and follow Danny out of the cafeteria, but then he grabs onto his hand and tugs. Danny turns, a questioning look on his face. Isaac just tugs on his hand again, and eventually Danny lets him pull him down the hall, into one of the old unused classrooms still ruined from the mysterious monsoons two months ago.
"I have to get to class," Danny is saying, but Isaac shuts the door, and he turns to Danny.
He hesitates for only a second, and then he puts his hands on either side of Danny's face and kisses him.
Danny pauses, his hands raised in the air, as Isaac throws himself at him. He presses into Danny's mouth, his heart picking up again, and then he feels Danny's hands tighten around him, and he steps closer. That same emotion, the momentary one from the cafeteria, starts coming off Danny in waves, and it makes Isaac want to laugh and smile and jump for joy. He feels like a puppy, one who's just been adopted at long last.
Danny pushes him back towards the wall, presses him up against it. He turns his head as they kiss, and Isaac lets go of his face to wrap his arms around Danny's shoulders, let's Danny's hand work its way up under his shirt, sending shivers down his spine.
Eventually, Danny breaks the kiss, and he pulls his mouth away from Isaacs and rests their foreheads together tenderly.
"About the break up," Isaac says, breathless.
"Yeah, I don't think we should do that," Danny says, and then he kisses Isaac again,
Isaac laughs, and Danny smiles, and they're both ridiculously late for class, but Isaac doesn't care. He runs his fingers over Danny's neck, giggles when Danny shivers so hard he has to pull back and shake his head.
"I have to go to class," Danny says, and Isaac pushes himself off the wall, nodding.
But then before Danny leaves, he leans in close to Isaac, grabs onto Isaac's backpack strap to keep him there, and presses their lips together again. It's soft, gentle, and full of promise.
Then he quickly looks out the door and walks out, smiling back as Isaac as he goes.
God, Isaac thinks, their friends are never going to let them hear the end of this.
When their friends find out the whole of it, they're even more smug.
"You can all go to hell," Isaac tells them all with a grin while they hang out at the Sonic late into the evening. Danny is holding onto him from behind, partially keeping Isaac from lashing out at their friends.
"I'm telling you," Lydia says, "I have an eye for these things. You never should have tried to fool us."
"We did a pretty good job though," Danny objects, resting his head down on Isaac's shoulder.
"Save for the part where you actually fell for each other," Erica laughs, tossing a tater tot at them, "But no, yeah, great job!"
"You're all terrible," Isaac tells them, leaning back against Danny and closing his eyes, "and I hate you."
"We love you too, shnookums," Derek says wryly, sipping his milkshake.
Isaac watches Danny from across the room, where he's playing pool with Stiles and Derek and Peter. Peter says something sassy as he sinks a ball, and Isaac grins. He hasn't made a shot the whole time, but he's at least kept Derek from winning, so he feels pretty okay about it.
Danny is sitting with everyone else on the sofa's arguing the merit of standardized testing, and Isaac can't help glancing over at him every couple of minutes.
"Isaac," Stiles is saying, and he taps Isaac on the head with his pool cue, "Your turn."
Isaac shakes his head, sets his cue down. "Nah, I'm out."
Stiles feigns disappointment at him, but Isaac just waves him off as he goes over to the others. Allison is saying something to Jackson about the American education system being ranked 13th in the world, to which Jackson is replying that Beacon Hills doesn't count because most of the teachers are criminals or creatures of the night, when Isaac walks between them and starts crawling into Danny's lap.
"Hello," Danny says happily, at the same time Jackson objects, "What are you doing?"
"Stealing him," Isaac tells Jackson without taking his eyes off Danny. He tastes like beer and mirth, and he wraps an arm around Isaac's waist.
"We're having a conversation here," Jackson says, but his voice does that thing where it's clear he'd fond and not annoyed.
Isaac quickly looks behind him at his friends. Erica is braiding Lydia's hair, while Boyd and Jackson drink soda's on the opposite couch. Allison and Scott are curled up together in a bean bag on the floor, and none of them look too annoyed at Isaac's intrusion. "Mmmm, yeah," Isaac sasses them, "How do you like it?"
Everyone laughs, and he's sure someone makes a witty retort, but he doesn't hear it as he rubs his nose against Danny's, and Danny presses up and kisses him.
He kisses Danny, and for once he's somebody's somebody, and he doesn't feel left out or alone. He feels like he's exactly where he's supposed to be, and that feeling that radiates off of Danny, that feeling that whispers love in his ear…
That feeling tells him Danny feels the exact same way.