I'm sorry it took me so long to update again, but I think I needed a break after Come Out and Play.

Here's the second chapter, the next one will come much faster.

Hope you like it!

(If you're wondering if I want you to) I want you to

Oblivious Boys are Oblivious

Truth be told, Isaac isn't even sure when exactly he started to pay so much attention to Stiles, or how he can feel so comfortable around him, but the thing is he does.

Having a friend in Scott had been a new experience: he had never had a friend like that before. It was hard for him before the change, before his father's death, he never allowed anyone to get close to him; and after that, with Boyd and Erica, it wasn't really friendship, it was more… well, it was just what it was: them being together because Derek said so.

He wasn't himself when he was with them either; he just tried to be as badass as the other two, even if that wasn't who he was.

And then along came Scott, who worried about everyone, and tried to save the day, and was really, really nice to him. Isaac realized he had a friend about two days before he lost Scott to Allison, and when he noticed that, he also realized Stiles had been kind of pushed aside for him.

It wasn't nice, and he felt guilty. He could also sense Stiles felt bad for him, and he didn't want anyone's pity – he hadn't accepted that when his own father locked him in a refrigerator for hours at a time, he wouldn't take it for having lost a friend.

But Stiles was alone too, and he wanted company too, and maybe, just maybe, they could make their friendship work.

The last day of classes came, and Stiles was looking so down Isaac decided to cheer him up with his company – and, surprisingly, it worked.

Maybe that's when it had started, this… liking of Stiles thing.

This liking Stiles a lot thing, like a burning, like a want to just be near him all the freaking time.

It's disconcerting at first, and he honestly tries to just write it up as new friendship feelings. That's all there is to it, nothing else.

Besides, Stiles has this bad habit of talking about Lydia all the time. It makes Isaac's heart kind of shake a bit, it's weird. He's torn between wanting to make Lydia see what a jerk Jackson is, and how amazing Stiles is, and, trust him, he knows it, being in a pack with Jackson is pretty much torture 99% of the time, and at the same time he wants to tear Lydia to small pieces, because Stiles likes her so much.

But he's decided not to think too deeply about either, and therefore, he manages to get Stiles to agree to train Lacrosse with him for the summer, at the school field.

Just because they can, and because Stiles has talent, he just needs to focus a bit.

And if the first time he tries to check Stiles, and they tumble to the ground, Stiles under him, he gets the biggest hard on he's ever gotten he tries to cover it up.

Things get a bit normal that summer, and it's actually funny that this is the most normal summer Isaac's ever had, seeing as he is now a werewolf, he's living with two other werewolves in a house that is falling apart, and he is starting to get out of the denial boat, and seeing he has a crush on his only friend.

Derek and Peter never talk to him about the whole Alpha Pack thing. He knows there's something going on, and the other two kind of argue and growl a lot, and Peter bitches, and Derek broods, but nothing is being done, and Isaac decides he doesn't want to be around for none of it.

So he leaves the house early, and comes back late – when he does come back, that is, and spends his time either wandering around town, or with Stiles.

Because the thing is, Stiles is also completely alone.

The first time Isaac is bored (and stressed out over the arguing and growling and bitching) to try and see if it'd be okay for him to hang out at Stiles' that night he's surprised to see Stiles is alone. Completely alone, all by himself, on a Tuesday night, at almost eleven.

The other teen grins and tells him he's welcome to stay, and they can do whatever, because none of them works and they can sleep in the next morning.

"What about your dad?" he asks, a bit worried, because come on, he doesn't want to get into trouble with the Sheriff, but Stiles simply shrugs.

"He's got some crazy hours, man."

And that's it, nothing else.

The more Isaac spends time with Stiles, the more he realizes Stiles is also lonely.

Sure, his dad is pretty awesome, and he's there when Stiles needs him, really needs him, and he loves his son with everything he's got – that much is clear.

But it's also clear he's never around.

It makes Isaac realize how much it must have sucked for Stiles when Allison and Scott first got together – and also how come Stiles was always with the wolves when he wasn't one himself; it's not like there'd be anyone at home to check on him.

It kind of breaks Isaac's heart, thinking of a growing Stiles, a boyish Stiles, more boyish than he is now, all alone in that house, without his dad, and he's glad Stiles had Scott. Even if it led to Stiles being all alone again, but hey, he's got Isaac now, right?

They develop a sort of routine that summer, and it's all good in the beginning. Isaac tries not to be at the house with Derek, mostly because Jackson keeps showing up, and he's got no impulse control whatsoever, and it makes Isaac itch to slap him and he can't, because Derek's the Alpha, not him. So he leaves early, and comes back late, and Peter keeps looking at him as if he wants to say something but doesn't.

It's all very weird, but he's rolling, because he's a werewolf, so weird is pretty much the only thing on the menu.

While he's out those first few days, he tries to find some work, and finds it in the library, in the mornings. He helps there five times a week, from eight to twelve, because no one really wants to work at the Library in the mornings during the summer. This way he is out of the house and also making some money.

He wanders a bit after that, and usually has lunch with Stiles, who is just waking up on most days, because it's summer and he likes to stay up all night long when he can.

In the afternoon they head out to the school field to practice – in the final game Stiles was just amazing, and if he can keep that up for one training session he may even be first line next year – so they train hard, trying to correct Stiles' technique, and Isaac doesn't use his wolfy-powers, as Stiles calls them, to cheat.

This – this him-not-using-his-powers – means something to Stiles; it means a lot, but Isaac is not sure why, so he lets it go.

The important thing is that it does mean something, and it's something good, so there's no need to try and analyze it too much.

And this is how two whole weeks of the summer goes by, and it's perfect.

And because it was perfect, of course it had to end, because this is their life now, so nothing good ever lasts.

X

"I really don't mean to tell you how to run your pack, dear Alpha, but have you noticed that your little Beta is never home?"

Derek closes his eyes and counts to ten – because that's what he has to do pretty much every time Peter opens his mouth these days.

And the really annoying part is that he is always right.

What he wouldn't give not to have this man annoying him all the time, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

"What do you mean?" he asks, frowning, even as he realizes that, yes, Isaac is never seen in the house, hasn't actually, since the beginning of the summer. He's got a job in town, though, so Derek is not worried.

"Really, Derek?" Peter asks, rolling his eyes and there is Derek counting to ten again, "Isaac is never here. Yes, he has a job in the morning. And if it's escaped your notice, there's another make-believe Alpha in town, and Isaac and him were pretty close last time we heard of it. A lonely, teen Beta; a nice, cuddly, teen Alpha. You do the Math" he says and stares, leaving Derek to brood on it on his own.

Okay, maybe he's handling this just as awfully as he has been handling all the rest of this Alpha deal. He can't afford to lose another Beta, not with Jackson as volatile as he is, and Peter as untrustworthy as he'll always be. Isaac is actually the one who didn't constantly give him a headache, and that's why he was forgotten.

Not he's got to find a way to know what Isaac has been doing, and God help him if this is Scott again, because he can't take that boy anymore. Not even having him in his pack would make Derek not hate him again.

Ok, so he has to work out what to do about Isaac, and not screw this up. He is actually trying, and that has him thinking, and he can just feel the smug look on Peter's face, until he gets tired of it and growls "What?" at the man.

"Well, have your teenage Beta take care of your teenage Beta. Make Jackson look for Isaac and find out what he's doing. Maybe he isn't even near Scott, but it wouldn't hurt to know, and having Jackson seek him out won't look bad on you."

Derek doesn't thank Peter even though he knows he should – it's hard dealing with the man and his personality.

Peter has always been like that. Bitchy and sassy, and sarcastic and narcissistic, but he's always been helpful – he just doesn't like to come across as helpful. Back before the fire Derek used to laugh at the faces his mom and dad pulled when Peter was around, and Laura was particularly fond of him.

It kills Derek that he killed her, even though consciously he knows Peter was beyond reason when he first woke up, and for a few months after that. He's done more damage to their family than any Argent has, and yet, Derek can't send him away.

He can't forgive him either.

It's all very confusing, and he has no idea how to deal with that, so he keeps going. And in moments like this, when Peter actually helps, Derek can almost forget he's the one who killed his Alpha.

Not completely, though. Never, ever completely.

He doesn't say he'll do it, but the very next day, when Jackson comes around for training, he tells him to go and seek out Isaac, and see what the hell is going on with him, why he's never at the house, and, most importantly, to check that he's not with Scott.

Jackson is not happy about it, but he does it.

Turns out he's probably the one Beta who can actually follow orders.

X

Stiles narrows his eyes and stares at Isaac – he can do this. He can totally do it.

"Come on, Stiles, I promised I won't use any powers, you can trust me. Just come at me, bro."

Stiles laughs out loud at that, and sees Isaac smiling too – wide open and free, and he feels happy that Isaac is smiling like that when he's around.

Isaac is so cute sometimes.

But he's not thinking that, because, come on, it's his friend, pretty much only friend, as Scott is always busy with Deaton and Allison and whatever else he's got on his plate nowadays, and Isaac, on the other hand, is always there for him.

It's strange, because even when they were the best of friend, Stiles could never count on Scott like that.

He is so afraid of losing this that he tries to squash down all and every urge to think about Isaac in any way that isn't friendly, and friendly alone.

So, there will be no crushing on his only friend, period.

He runs towards the other teen and puts all of his strength into the shove, their bodies clashing together, making Isaac actually grunt as he falls down. Stiles turns around and looks at the teen on the ground, and sees Isaac is smiling up at him. He looks as if he'll say something, but then someone else beats him to it.

"You know, Stilinski, if you played like that all the time, you wouldn't be an official bench warmer."

Both teens look up and see Jackson on the stands, a small smirk on his face. Stiles sighs and offers Isaac a hand, which Isaac takes, while glaring at Jackson.

"Of course, even if you were first line, you'd still be a loser, so I don't see why you're trying so hard" Jackson continues, because it's apparently impossible for him not to be a jerk.

"What do you want, Jackson?" Stiles asks, even if Jackson is not looking at him but at Isaac.

"I came to see where Isaac's been all day long every day. If I'd known he was hanging out with you, I wouldn't have come near this field. After all, I don't want to catch loserdom."

"You really shouldn't attempt to sound clever, Jackson, it's not your forte" Stiles replies, shaking his head. Isaac is glaring at the blond teen, his whole badass persona coming back again, and Stiles really doesn't like seeing that.

Isaac is warm and cute and funny. He's got one of the most beautiful smiles he's ever seen – his smile is even prettier than Lydia's, mostly because when Lydia smiles it usually means something bad for everyone else, but okay.

He's not going there.

"Whatever" Jackson replies, and turns to leave. Isaac only stops glaring when he sniffs the air, and, Stiles thinks, can't smell Jackson anymore.

"What do you think that was about?" he asks Isaac, and the other teen shrugs.

"Maybe he really wanted to know where I was? That guy is so weird."

Stiles laughs at that.

"Truer words have never been spoken."

Isaac smiles at him.

"Wanna try again?" he asks, and Stiles smiles back.

"Hell, yeah."

They train until it's getting dark, and then they go home, and Stiles cooks, while Isaac helps. When the Sheriff gets home he doesn't look surprised at seeing Isaac there and smiles at him.

Things are good.

X

"So, was he with Scott?" Derek bites out that night, when Jackson shows up, Lydia in tow, to tell him what his Beta – who isn't home, by the way – has been up to every day.

"No" Jackson says, looking down – Lydia's hand is in his, and she's actually eyeing Peter with something like hate. She's not afraid, though, Derek had to give her points for that, "He's been hanging out with Stilinski."

Derek looks confused – what?

Lydia actually snorts delicately, and Derek raises an eyebrow at her.

"Seriously, none of you saw this coming?" when the two younger men simply stare at her, she looks at Peter and sees he's smiling, obviously having caught what she meant. She flips her hair over her shoulder before speaking again, "Scott and Isaac hung about for a few weeks after the whole fiasco at the end of the school year, but then Scott started things with Allison again, and he abandoned both of his friends. Stiles actually took to Isaac pretty fast, and they have been hanging out ever since. You didn't need to send Jackson to spy on them, you just had to ask any functioning teenager."

Derek's face is blank again, and they can't tell what he is thinking – if he's pissed off or pleased, if Isaac hanging out with Stiles is better or worse than him hanging out with Scott.

"If I may?" says Peter, coming forward, and Derek turns to look at him, a threat in his eyes, and the man does his best to be as far away from Lydia as he can, while still being in their little circle, and not outside of it as before, "I think this is an opportunity. Stiles is smart and clever, he's just as brilliant as Lydia is, even if a bit more difficult to… show it. He's probably good for Isaac, who has no one outside of the pack, and Isaac is good for him. This will make Scott one pack member short, and our pack two pack mates stronger. We can use this to our advantage."

Derek doesn't like this, because he doesn't like the idea of manipulating teenagers – he tried that, and look where that got him with the whole Erica and Boyd situation.

"You want us to befriend them" Lydia states. And Peter inclines his head.

She shrugs and looks at Jackson.

"We'll do it" she says, and when Jackson looks as if he'll argue, she frowns at him, and he shuts up, "It won't be too hard either, don't worry."

Derek is quite sure it will be hard, but he lets them go and doesn't say anything against this plan.

If it works, it works.

If it doesn't, well, at least they tried.

Setting things in motion here, not much happening, but oh well.

I hope you guys enjoyed it, and will keep following!

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