Ethan/Isaac

Even though he knew that Braeden's work wouldn't be finished in a single day, Ethan still felt impatient to see what she would dig up. Normally he would've been more patient, wouldn't have a problem with the waiting, except for two things. The fact that this problem was child abuse and the fact that the victim of the abuse was Isaac.

Oddly enough, the only thing that really made it easier for Ethan to wait was being around Isaac. Unless someone pushed for answers he wasn't ready to give, Isaac was good at making it look like everything was perfectly fine. That mask of normality helped keep Ethan calm, which felt really strange. If anyone needed help keeping it together, it should have been Isaac. Not Ethan.

The next few days passed without any big breakthroughs in their relationship, nor in Aiden and Lydia's. Although Ethan was getting the feeling that Lydia and his brother were gradually inching closer to each other without really realizing it. Their proximity probably helped. It surprised Ethan though that Jackson didn't seem to retaliate in any way, such as by knocking Aiden off his feet during lacrosse practice or something. He wasn't sure if Jackson had a clear grasp on which number Aiden was and which number Ethan was, but if he wasn't sure about that he definitely was unwilling to get hit by Isaac again.

When Friday came around, though, Ethan didn't quite want the weekend to come. Not that he didn't like the break from going to school every day. It was just that the weekend meant he wouldn't get to see Isaac for a couple of days and that thought made him nervous. He was getting this irrational fear that Isaac might just not show up one day because of his dad abusing him. No matter how much Ethan tried to reason with himself he couldn't banish that fear.

So during lunch, when everyone else was distracted by a slightly ridiculous debate between Lydia and Stiles as to whether Star Trek or Star Wars was the best science fiction series (which had been started by Stiles again lamenting Scott not having seen Star Wars and Lydia calmly saying that Scott should really watch Star Trek first), Ethan quietly turned to Isaac and asked, "Are you working after school today?"

Isaac glanced at him, confusion clear in his eyes, but he nodded, "Yeah, why?"

Ethan grinned a little self-consciously, "I was hoping we could hang out a bit, since neither of us get to see each other's house."

Isaac still seemed a little confused, as if what Ethan had said didn't compute, but after a few seconds he grinned a little, not enough for everyone else to notice but Ethan knew Isaac's face well enough to see it, "I'd like that."

Ethan's grin grew and he nodded before glancing back at their friends, tuning into the conversation just in time to hear Lydia say that Star Trek was much more meaningful than Star Wars and Stiles scoffed before launching into a rambling rebuttal. Isaac didn't participate in that conversation and didn't say anything more to Ethan, but Ethan didn't have a problem with that. He knew Isaac was probably still a little uncomfortable being included in the group and didn't want to get into a big conversation in front of them. He'd talk more when the two of them met up at the cemetery.

For now he was content to watch Lydia riling Stiles up because it was obvious to him that that was what she was doing. Stiles had passed the point of coolly thought of responses and was sputtering a bit as he tried to refute every little thing that Lydia said to put down Star Wars or explain why Star Trek was better. Lydia, for her part, wasn't saying much, just enough to set Stiles off again, and when she did she struggled to keep herself from smiling. Isaac was focusing on his notebook again, but every so often he would glance up at Stiles and Lydia, clearly paying attention. Ethan was happy to just sit back and enjoy the show.

Ethan got to the cemetery before Isaac did. He knew the route this time, unlike the last time when he'd gotten lost on the way. Even though he'd made it there first, it didn't take long for Isaac to show up. It wasn't terribly far from the high school. Unlike last time they'd met up in the cemetery, this time didn't feel awkward or tense. Isaac didn't really say anything and didn't do anything to acknowledge Ethan's presence except nod to him, but that didn't bother him. He could tell that Isaac was comfortable, at ease.

Knowing that he'd have to be the one who got the conversation started, it was just the way it was with the two of them, Ethan started talking about the argument between Stiles and Lydia. He did most of the talking, but every so often Isaac would add a few words. He even laughed at one of Ethan's jokes, something about the chemistry Stiles and Lydia would have if they weren't interested in other people. It wasn't much of a laugh, it was quiet and short but it was there and Isaac was smiling as he took care of the cemetery grounds. Ethan instantly felt proud of himself, even if he felt a little silly at being proud at a single laugh. But he'd never heard Isaac laugh before so he'd take what he could get.

Oddly enough, that laugh seemed to open the floodgates a little bit. Isaac started talking more, not to the same degree as Stiles but it was more than what Ethan usually got out of him. Mostly it was about Star Trek, which was surprising mostly because Isaac never talked about himself or what he liked. But Ethan had no problem holding up his end of a conversation about Star Trek. They ended up debating, in a much more friendly way than Stiles and Lydia at lunch, who was the best of the five captains. Ethan preferred Picard, but Isaac seemed to like Janeway.

They'd been walking around the entire cemetery for a while when Isaac came to a stop in front of two graves, kneeling down in front of them to brush away a few leaves with his hands. Ethan frowned, wondering why these two graves would be special, then he saw the names on them. They were Isaac's mother and brother. Ethan glanced over at him to see if Isaac was feeling alright, bring at the graves of his family. He'd honestly never thought about where Isaac's mother and brother were buried and it seemed rather macabre for someone to be working at the same cemetery where their family was buried.

But Isaac seemed fine as he looked up at Ethan and his lips curved up into a small smile, "I, uh, know that this isn't the normal way you meet a friend's family, but I always stop here when I have to work. This one's my mom's and this one's Camden's, my older brother."

Ethan took a step closer and knelt down next to Isaac, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, "For what its worth, I'm sorry."

Isaac glanced at him and nodded then looked back at the graves, "Thanks. You don't have to worry about it. I, uh, can tell that you do and I know I'm not a big talker, but … I'm not about to break down or anything. Its been a few years since Camden died, longer since mom died. I'll be okay."

Ethan nodded and stood, knowing he wasn't going to be very comfortable if he kept kneeling for much longer, "How did they die? If you don't mind telling me."

The last bit was rushed out, he didn't want Isaac to feel like he was being pushed. But Isaac seemed alright, calm. He just stood up and it reminded Ethan of how tall Isaac was. Isaac didn't tower over him like with Stiles or Lydia, but Isaac was easily one of the tallest guys at school when he actually stood to his full height. Which was very rare to see since Isaac usually hunched his shoulders as if he was trying to avoid having people see him or something.

Isaac's voice was quiet, but Ethan heard everything he said since there weren't any other noises to drown him out, "For my mom … it was cancer. I can't remember which kind it was, just that she started getting tired and weak all the time. She tried to make it seem like nothing was wrong … I had a feeling anyway. Then she was in the hospital all the time and she just didn't come home one day."

Ethan didn't know what to say to that so he decided not to say anything. It was a melancholy subject and Isaac looked a little down, but Ethan had seen a lot more emotion from him before. Talking about his family wasn't a happy subject, but it seemed like Isaac could handle it.

Isaac was silent for a moment, then he continued speaking, "Camden joined the military. My father was proud of him for that … until he got killed in action."

There was more to that story, Ethan could tell there was a lot being left unsaid. But Isaac just ran a hand through his curly hair and sighed, done talking about his family. Ethan couldn't blame him for that. He was surprised Isaac had told him even that much. Slowly, so that Isaac could avoid it if he wanted, Ethan reached out and took his hand. Isaac immediately looked down at their hands, like he was surprised at what was happening and couldn't quite believe it. But he didn't pull away or say anything. He just looked back at the graves.

They stood like that for a few minutes, Isaac staring at the graves of his mother and brother and Ethan staring at Isaac. When Isaac took a step away and said that he had to head home, Ethan let go. He wasn't going to push for more than he'd already gotten for one day. He thanked Isaac for telling him about his family and watched as he rode away.

As he got on his motorcycle, he hoped that Isaac would say something soon about the abuse. Isaac didn't deserve that and Ethan hated that it was happening. But he wouldn't push for what Isaac wasn't ready to give. He knew that would only be counterproductive. It didn't mean that waiting and hoping was any less frustrating, however.