He's dreaming, or at least he has his eyes closed.
Some days Isaac feels the weight of the world raining down on the window pane. It's heavy and sombre. He listens to the continuous, monotonous sound with eyes wide open, feeling immense and inexplicable sadness pouring over his dry bones. It paralyzes him. It crushes him. He spends the day in bed, completely still. Only the blood flowing in his veins, and the air flowing in his lungs reminded him that he was alive. He was alive. Today, he felt like he shouldn't be.
Pomp!
Ugh, he groans, pulling the covers tighter over his head.
Pomp! Pomp! Pomp!
Pomp!
He sighs, rustling out of bed. He recognizes the sound and heads over to the window. With the blinds up, it streamed sunlight with obnoxious intensity. Squinting, Isaac opens the window. He yawns as he waves good (afternoon) to the hunter.
"Nerf bullets," he observes, plucking the styrofoam ammunition from the window, "At least it wasn't rocks this time."
"Isaac!" Allison calls, returning the greeting. The plastic weapon sways in the sunlight, his sensitive eyes adjusting. "What are you doing still in bed? Derek sent me to get you."
Obviously. It isn't as if people visit him on a whim. Since when were the Argents and Derek cool anyway? Since when was Chris Argent cool with letting his daughter play emissary (and not in the druidly fashion) for the older man? Where were his paternal instincts, or was that something exclusive to mothers?
"Yeah... Of course. I'll be down in a minute." he huffs behind unbrushed golden locks, and retreats into his room. A minute later, he's back at the window, looking down at the beautiful Argent. Fully dressed in a plain T-shirt and blue jeans, he contrasts with her usual dark attire and skin tight leather.
"Come on," she beckons with a slight smile and elegant fingers.
He jumps out the window.
"Oh my god," she exclaims, darting out of the way as he lands far too close for comfort. His legs easily absorb the shock of the fall, yet it was his shoulder which absorbed Allison's, "I meant for you to use the stairs. The things you climb up and down?" Isaac smirks as they start walking.
"This way was quicker." He shrugs and she threatens to shoot him with a nerf dart. He shies away, smirking, with his hands up.
"You have nice bed hair,"Allison comments, petting the bouncing golden curls. Her fingers are relaxing, and they send a tingling sensation down his spine, yet the moment was fleeting. Isaac hardly feels touch, not like this anyway. He isn't used to it. So, he just bunch up his face, and curses the fact that he forgot to brush his hair today.
Sweat rolls down his temples, his chest heaving in exhaustion. They'd been at it nearly five hours non-stop. His battered body would heal, but he could still feel the pain reverberating throughout his entire being. When Derek trains him, he holds nothing back. They didn't have the time for it. Sometimes, he would have Allison shoot indiscriminately at them just to up the ante.
This isn't all about you. This training is just as much for me as it is for you.
Being the only one getting his bones broken, and pierced full of arrows sure could have fooled him.
He found that no matter how hard he tried, Isaac didn't have the strength to do any significant damage to the alpha. Even blocking was useless. Derek would just smash through his defense like a wrecking ball. No, Isaac wasn't getting any stronger, not at all. The fact remained though... Isaac could hear Derek's body rippling the air, crashing upon him in harsh tempo. Isaac his eyes. An instant of absolute silence. Derek's arm arcs in an uppercut, and Isaac can already imagine its full trajectory. Cupping his palm over the sledgehammer, Isaac uses his overwhelming strength to vault over the Alpha, landing behind him. Claws extended, Isaac turns quickly so as to swipe Derek's exposed back, but he hears the Alpha lowering his body, leg extended. A lower leg sweep. Isaac's swipe with his left misses. Forced to dodge, or get pinned to the cold concrete, Isaac cartwheels over Derek, using his back as a platform. Derek is by no means slow, using his crouched body mass to launch himself at Isaac. He can imagine all that force connecting with his ribs, and it only serves to heighten Isaac's reflexes as he calmly listen to all of Derek's movements. A clutch pirouette is the dance Isaac uses to match his music. Derek's momentum nearly has him crashing into one of the steel support beams, but he easily runs it up, transforming that momentum into a brutal downward kick. Isaac merely backsteps out of the way.
Phfew!
It's an almost painful sound to Isaac, and he hears it instantly. He catches the heartseeking arrow, eyes wide as it rolls out of his palms, clattering uselessly to the floor.
That shot might have killed him.
Derek easily catches him distracted, locking his head between his hefty arms.
"One little distraction and you died. Do better next time," Derek saids calmly to a struggling Isaac. He lets go, allowing the wolf to breathe.
"What's the fucking point of this? I'm not getting any stronger playing out of my league.," Isaac huffs between ragged breaths.
"You aren't getting any stronger, but that's not the point," Derek begins, folding his arms across his chest, glaring between fixed facial features. Isaac looks up from his spot on the floor, brows wrinkling in confusion and exhaustion.
"You're finally playing to your strengths. You may not be strong, but you are fast. In fact, you're probably the fastest beta I know." Derek smiles, genuinely proud of the progress. Isaac takes it in, and gives a brief little half smile himself. He looks over at Allison and she's beaming herself. He wishes he could be as proud as them, but there's just something bothersome about it all. He stands up, dusting the dirt off his fingers.
"Omega." he corrects, glaring with a slight hint of hatred lining his eyes, "the fastest omega you know."
Derek seems taken aback, but then softens his demeanor, "Look, you might not be my beta anymore, and you might not be pack," he points directly and commandingly at Isaac, "but you're family. Always remember that."
Stiles has more on his mind than anyone could ever know. He just had no idea when Isaac started to occupy the spaces where... He had friends to find, family to protect, and both to mourn. It wasn't anything different. His heart always seemed to be squeezing, constricting, like he just couldn't get enough air. Nothing new. It was a feeling that stayed with him since his mother died. Through the loss of his old nanny, his dad, and his best friend, he felt like drowning. Take that last breath and just drift into eternal slumber. Peacefully. Yet his mind would wander to those beautiful blue eyes, and for the moment, he didn't feel so alone. Isaac would understand. He'd give him his ass to kiss, and tell Stiles he's a neurotic jelly bean. He's running with wolves and can't keep up. Isaac knew what was behind the sarcasm; Stiles knew what was behind the sass.
He never even paid that much attention to him before. Maybe he was just trying to fill that gap.
He's such a terrible person.
He'd have to bribe Ethan into telling him what he knows.