Iron Claws and Fragile Hearts
Chapter 37: Anchors and Logical Phalluses
Isaac awoke with a snarling gasp to the sound of someone scratching at his bedroom window. He bolted upright, senses on high alert as he tried to identify the source of the threat and the danger level it posed.
Oh for fuck's sake!
Relief and anger dueled for control of Isaac's mood as he climbed out of bed and stalked across the room. He glared at his unwelcome visitor before unlocking the window and flinging it open.
"I couldn't get in. I mean I coulda broken it but–"
"What are you doing here, Liam?"
Isaac growled as Liam grabbed his arm and used it for support to climb into the room. He almost retched as the stench of negative emotions clinging to Liam's skin and clothes invaded his nostrils. Gone was the sweet, rich aroma of happiness and contentment that had hovered around Liam that morning; the noxious blend of rage, frustration, stress, and insecurity that Isaac likened to hot sauce and curdled milk poured into stale coffee was back in full force.
"You, uh, you said this wasn't weird 'cause we're pack," Liam said, pulsing with anxiety and uncertainty.
"Breaking into someone's–"
Isaac's protest died in his mouth as Liam lunged forward and latched onto Isaac with supernatural strength, burying his head against Isaac's chest and snuffling in a desperate bid to inhale his scent.
"You smell so good," Liam whispered, lifting his head and nuzzling his face under Isaac's throat.
You fucking reek.
Isaac held him anyway, rubbing his shoulder and sniffing his hair in a gesture of pack acceptance. Liam's heart rate slowed and his muscles relaxed against Isaac's body. He let out a long, deep sigh and patted Isaac's back.
"Okay, I feel better now. See you this evening." Liam let go and turned around, making it halfway out the window before Isaac yanked him back into the room.
"What the hell?! Do you wanna tell me what that was about?"
"Not really." Liam shook his head, completely earnest and apparently taking the question at face value. Isaac glared at him until he continued. "I just...it helped when you did that a couple nights ago at the hospital so..." Liam shrugged. "You give really good hugs, man. I thought about going to Aiden or Scott, but I've never hugged them before. Plus I don't even know if it woulda worked with Aiden since he's not a packmate, and Scott...well I'm kind of afraid of Scott."
Isaac took a breath and pushed aside his irritation with the new beta. He remembered how unstable he had felt in his first days after turning, and Liam seemed like an already unstable person. Waking Isaac up for a hug really wasn't the worst way he could have handled his problems.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"
Liam shook his head even as he opened his mouth and proceeded to do just that. "Is it normal to feel, like, everything really intensely?"
"Yeah, especially on the full moon and especially at first."
"Does it get better?" Liam asked, his eyebrows drawing together. "'Cause it feels like I'm gonna lose control."
Isaac tapped Liam's arm and nodded toward his bed. Liam grumbled but followed him and took a seat next to him on the edge.
"You're doing great so far, Liam."
Liam scoffed and gave Isaac a bitter look as resentment flared in his scent. "You wouldn't even know that. You and Scott have been ignoring me."
Isaac opened his mouth to protest but Liam kept talking.
"Aiden's not even in our pack." Liam crossed his arms but not before Isaac saw claws protruding from his fingers. "Which is stupid by the way because he's a total badass and you and Scott need to let him in – but you guys aren't paying any attention to me. You're just getting an outside werewolf to fucking babysit me because I don't matter to you, and I can't even be in Aiden's pack. It's so fucked up and unfair."
"You wanna be in Aiden's pack?" And okay, yes, there were about five other things in that rant Isaac also needed to address, but this one was the most shocking.
"I wanna be in your pack too!" Liam shouted, amber eyes glowing with fury. "I want us all to be in one pack! Why can't we do that, huh? They saved our life the other night."
Isaac's first instinct was to yell at Liam for his outburst, to threaten him, or throw him out of the room. That's how Derek would have handled a beta like Liam. However, the steady, soothing sound of Scott's sleeping heartbeat a couple rooms away dispelled that inclination. Liam wasn't Derek's beta; he was Scott's, and Scott would want Isaac to be patient with him.
Isaac cautiously reached out and touched Liam's back. "Liam, it's more complicated than–"
The air rushed out of Isaac's lungs as Liam once again surprised him with a crushing hug.
"I'm sorry I lost my temper." Liam sighed and nosed at Isaac's throat again. "I've always had an anger problem and being a werewolf is really overwhelming."
Isaac laughed and rubbed Liam's back. "It does get easier, and I meant what I said before, you're doing great so far."
"You're just saying that," Liam mumbled against Isaac's collarbone. He wasn't being modest. His tone and scent were dripping with shame.
Isaac gripped Liam's upper arms and tilted him back enough to look at him. "You're doing great," Isaac repeated. "You didn't hurt anyone, and you're learning to trust your pack. That's a big deal. Listen to my heartbeat if you don't believe me."
Liam's face reddened and he dropped his eyes. "Aiden tried to teach me that, but I couldn't calm down long enough to get it."
A thrill of excitement rushed through Isaac. "I'll teach you."
"Dontcha want me to leave so you can go back to sleep?" Liam leaned closer and looked up at Isaac with a hopeful smile curling his upper lip.
"No, I don't want you to leave," Isaac answered with a grudging smile of his own. It felt good that Liam had come to him for help, and it didn't hurt that he was adorable. "You were right before. You need to spend more time with pack, and we need to make you a bigger priority." Isaac's smile faded into a frown as he realized Liam wasn't the only new packmate he had been neglecting. "Malia too."
"Well, I know you guys have been busy with Iron Claw and Stiles," Liam replied with a diplomatic shrug, but he was quivering with anxious excitement as he continued, "but yeah, it'd be so cool if you could teach me that heartbeat-lie thing."
Isaac nodded and folded his leg under him as he turned toward Liam on the bed. "Okay, so when people lie you can tell by the rhythm of their hearts. Here, I'll show you. Listen to my heart while you ask me questions. I'll randomly lie about one of them." Isaac cocked his head, spotting a potential pitfall. "Nothing too weird or personal, or I just won't answer at all."
"Okay." Liam grinned, his whole face lighting up as he tilted his head toward Isaac's chest and all but quirked his ear like a dog. "What's your favorite food?"
After a couple of initial rounds of questions they ended up playing Two Truths and a Lie with Liam also taking turns stating facts about himself so that the information exchange wasn't one sided and they could get to know each other better. As Liam's lie detection skills improved they added more true statements into the mix. They were up to 'Six Truths and a Lie' and Isaac was having trouble coming up with things by the time they were interrupted by a knock on Isaac's bedroom door.
"It's your mom!" Liam announced, clearly proud of himself for divining Melissa's identity with the door still closed.
Isaac's mouth went dry but he didn't correct Liam. He cleared his throat. "Come in."
"I thought I heard voices," Melissa said, standing in the doorway with folded arms. "You're supposed to be asleep, otherwise you might as well have gone to school." She shifted her attention to Isaac's packmate. "Hello Liam. Is my brand new front door missing?"
"Huh?"
Isaac cringed as he saw where she was going with this.
"I didn't hear you knock on it."
"Oh." Liam's cheeks reddened. "I used the window."
"It was a werewolf emergency," Isaac said, bobbing his head innocently but struggling to keep a face straight as he reflected that the 'emergency' had been that Liam needed a hug right away.
"You're lying!" Liam whispered in werewolf tones, a delighted gleam in his bright blue eyes.
Isaac mock-snarled and shoved him hard enough to send him crashing to the floor. He bounced back to his feet laughing.
"Front door next time, Liam," Melissa said in a stern tone.
"Yes, ma'am," Liam answered, nodding jerkily as he reclaimed his spot on the bed.
Isaac giggled. Liam had missed the hint of amusement in Melissa's scent.
"Do your parents know where you are?"
"Yes, ma'am." Anxiety and guilty flared around Liam, and Isaac's werewolf instincts told him Liam might be lying; his human instincts told him it was more complicated than that.
Melissa hummed in assent, but Isaac recognized it as the sound she made when she was going to verify something he, Scott, or Stiles had said. Dr. Geyer would probably be receiving a check-in text from her about Liam.
"So I'm thinking Mexican for dinner?" Melissa said.
Isaac grinned and nodded eagerly, but Liam's reaction was even more animated.
"YES!" He bounced on the bed and his eyes blazed gold. His next words reverberated around the edges with a rumbling roar. "I'm. So. Hungry!"
"Dude, settle down." Isaac backhanded Liam's chest as Melissa frowned and took a half-step back.
Liam raised his palms, eyes blue again and comically wide. "Sorry, that wasn't, like, a threat or anything. I just realized I'm super hungry."
"I think we have a to-go menu in the kitchen." She gave Isaac a serious look. "You need to work with him on controlling that."
Isaac nodded, recalling that Liam had a similar reaction that morning when Ethan had offered him waffles. He hated to think how Liam would behave in the cafeteria tomorrow.
Melissa came back with the menu and they made their selections, adding Scott's usual enchiladas and Stiles' tacos to the order. They texted Lydia for her choices and picked something out for Malia since she likely wouldn't have any established preferences.
Scott woke up a little while later, greeted them, then after showering and getting ready for the evening, joined Isaac in training Liam in scent and sound detection. Isaac was both amused and concerned about Liam's dynamic with Scott. Liam obviously wanted Scott's approval but was almost painfully uncomfortable around him, alternately seeking out his attention then shrinking away from it.
"I'm gonna go shower," Isaac announced, standing and going to his closet for clothes.
Liam yelped and followed Isaac across the room before trying unsuccessfully to seem casual. "I think I'm tired of training. Can I go downstairs and watch TV till dinner?"
Scott frowned. "Liam, I can answer your questions. I'm your alpha."
"I know. I just don't have any."
"Don't lie to werewolves." Isaac smirked and nudged past Liam to get to his dresser.
Liam growled at him but continued his previous statement like he hadn't been finished. "–that need to be answered right now. And I know you're busy, so I can just ask Aiden stuff tonight."
It was Isaac's turn to growl. In what universe could someone be more comfortable getting help from Aiden than Scott?
"You know Iron Claw doesn't come out during the day, right?" Scott asked softly, guilt wafting off of him.
"I know," Liam answered, but the look he shot Isaac clearly said hurry!
Isaac ignored him as he grabbed his phone and left the room. Scott sure as hell didn't need his help putting someone at ease. The best thing he could do for the situation was leave them alone to work it out. He texted Stiles as he strolled down the hallway to the bathroom.
Isaac: Liam spent all afternoon whining about Scott not paying attention to him, now he's freaking out that he is.
Stiles answered while Isaac was brushing his teeth.
Stiles: Liams already there? Should I head over?
Isaac: Yeah, see ya soon. I'm getting in the shower.
Isaac was already naked and pulling back the shower curtain when his phone buzzed with a response.
Stiles: Pics or it didn't happen
Isaac laughed and rolled his eyes, Stiles and his dumb pretend flirting. Feeling playful, Isaac snapped a waist-up picture of himself flipping Stiles off in the bathroom mirror.
He waited a few seconds, confident that Stiles' reply wouldn't take long. It didn't.
Stiles: [clapping hands emoji]...where's part 2?
Isaac didn't respond. He didn't want to further encourage Stiles' behavior. He was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable about the fact that Stiles didn't know he was bi. Would it change anything between them? Would Stiles quit making sexual jokes if he knew Isaac might take them seriously?
Stiles and Liam were now the only two people in the pack who didn't know about Isaac's bisexuality, and it had almost come out with Liam that afternoon when he had mentioned that his best friend, Mason, was the new guy Danny was talking to. Only the fact that Stiles didn't know yet had kept Isaac from using the opportunity to mention that he liked guys too. Stiles really shouldn't be the last person to find out. Whether Isaac was ready to confess his feelings for Stiles like Lydia wanted him to...well that was something else entirely, but it was definitely time to come out to Stiles.
By the time Isaac was out of the shower, Lydia and Malia had arrived and Melissa had left to pick up the food.
"You missed Ethan," Scott remarked as Isaac walked down the stairs to the living room.
"What?! No, I didn't," Isaac answered defensively. He totally hadn't been picturing Ethan while he was in the shower.
Scott furrowed his brow. "Um, yeah you did."
"He just dropped Malia off." Lydia's tone hinted at amusement that Isaac could only hope would go unnoticed by everyone else.
"Aiden didn't think he would be welcome here." Malia scowled at Lydia then narrowed her eyes at Isaac.
"But that's stupid because he's a friend of the pack, right?" Liam gave Isaac an expectant look.
Isaac smirked and shrugged. "That's Scott's call, not mine."
"He's a friend of the pack," Scott affirmed, giving Liam and Malia reassuring smiles.
Isaac growled under his breath. Scott had made the wrong call.
It was a relief when Stiles arrived a little while later. Isaac was closest to the door and without thinking about it, he wrapped Stiles up in a long hug, scenting his neck the way Liam had done with him earlier.
They shared a look that was unexpectedly intense as Isaac pulled back.
"I missed you," Stiles said quietly, still clutching Isaac's elbows.
"You missed Ethan too," Malia said matter-of-factly.
Stiles scrunched up his face and shook his head. "I really didn't."
Stiles hugged Scott, Lydia, and even Malia in greeting but ended up doing an awkward half-hug, half-handshake with Liam as they each went in for something else then overcompensated the other way.
The pack made casual conversation until Melissa returned with dinner, and they all took their places on the couch, chairs, and floor around the coffee table in the living room.
"Liam, I had a phone call with your step-dad while I was waiting for the food," Melissa said a few minutes into the meal from her seat by the couch. "I think there's something you need to tell the pack about yourself."
Liam's heart rate spiked and he growled at her, amber eyes burning with anger. He was sitting on the floor in front of the couch between Isaac's and Scott's legs. Scott lowered his fork to his plate, alarmed, but Isaac had already smacked the back of Liam's head.
"Stop that. Don't ever growl at her again." Isaac dug his claws into Liam's shoulder, not hard enough to tear his shirt or break the skin, but hard enough for him to feel it. "Got it?"
Liam hung his head and nodded. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, not looking up from his lap.
"You have an anger problem." Melissa's tone was steady but apprehension lined her face.
"I already told Isaac and Scott that," Liam snapped, dropping his fist to the table with a thud.
This time Scott's hand landed on his shoulder. "Calm down." Scott laced the command with alpha authority.
Liam whimpered and shrunk in on himself, fear clouding his scent.
"Tell them and the rest of the pack more about it," Melissa said.
Liam hesitated and Isaac wanted to demand that he tell them what she was talking about, but Scott's hand was back on Liam's shoulder, this time rubbing it.
"It's okay, Liam, whatever it is, we're going to help you through it."
Liam turned and gave Scott an anxious look. Scott nodded and held eye contact. Liam's gaze then flicked to Isaac. He wasn't sure why his response mattered very much, but he nodded too.
Liam took a breath and turned back to the others, his elbow leaning against Isaac's shin. He glanced around the room before muttering, "I have Intermittent Explosive Disorder. It means I lose my temper sometimes for no real reason, and I have trouble controlling myself."
"IED? You're literally an IED?!" Stiles was sitting on Scott's other side on the couch. He groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. "That's great. You're a walking time bomb with super powers."
Scott ignored Stiles and kept his attention on Liam. "Are you on any medication for it?"
"They prescribed Risperdal," Liam answered.
"That's an antipsychotic drug," Melissa said.
"Psychotic. This just keeps getting better." Stiles shook his head.
"I don't take it."
"Of course you don't."
Lydia silenced Stiles with a withering glance.
"It has a lot of bad side effects." Liam folded his hands in his lap and stared at the floor. Scott rubbed his back and after a moment's hesitation so did Isaac. Liam turned and gave them a look that pleaded for understanding. "I've been in anger management for awhile now, and I'm getting better."
"Well gee, I wonder how turning into an anger-driven monster is gonna affect that?" Stiles remarked. This time it was Melissa's glare that silenced him.
"Were you able to control yourself last night for the full moon?" Scott asked.
Liam shrugged. "Sort of. Aiden let me run around hitting stuff for like two hours, but then I calmed down."
"Aiden let you run free?" Isaac clenched his jaw and growled in the back of his throat.
"Not free exactly," Liam answered, frowning at Isaac. "He corralled me and made sure I didn't leave the woods."
"But you didn't attack him?" Scott asked.
"No, I did." Liam shrugged one shoulder and laughed. "But every time I hit him, he hit me back, and he hits way harder than I do, so eventually I stopped."
"He hit you?" Isaac felt his eyes blazing amber. Aiden was specifically not supposed to hurt Liam.
"I had it coming," Liam answered without any bitterness in his voice. "Fighting with him was even kind of fun. I heal so fast now that it was no big deal. But I mostly just punched trees and chased animals. Once I wore myself out, he started teaching me werewolf stuff."
"Did he tell you anything about anchors?" Scott asked.
"Yeah, but, I don't know who mine is yet. I was thinking maybe my parents or my friend Mason."
"What's an anchor?" Malia asked. She was sitting on the floor at the end of the coffee table in front of Lydia's chair.
"It someone that keeps us tethered to our humanity," Scott answered, "something we cling to in the darkness."
"Oh, you mean like Aiden's penis?" Malia nodded her head in understanding.
Everyone gaped at her.
"What? I love clinging to it in the darkness." She shrugged. "Or the light. Ooh, or the shower!"
Scott coughed and shook his head. "No, it should be something substantial that you can feel deep inside you when you close your eyes."
"Uhh, Scott?" Stiles shook his head.
"Yeah, I hear it now," Scott answered, cringing and holding up a hand.
"Malia, it's none of my business, but I hope you're using protection," Melissa said, laying her fork across the edge of her plate and addressing the werecoyote calm, no-nonsense tone.
"I can protect myself," Malia responded, eyes flaring ice blue.
Liam snickered at her. "She means condoms. To protect against STDs and stuff."
Malia gave him a blank look.
"You know, sexually transmitted diseases."
"Oh. We can't get those," She answered.
"What?! We can't get those?!" Liam looked around the room with a huge grin on his face. "I'm immune to STDs?"
Melissa side-eyed Liam but focused on Malia. "You can still get pregnant."
"But I can't!" Liam's heart rate stuttered and he turned to Isaac. A horrified look had replaced the grin on his face. "Wait, I can't right?"
Isaac considered winding him up, but laughed and shook his head. "No, of course you can't."
"Don't worry. Aiden wears lots of condoms," Malia said, returning her attention to the taco salad she was eating.
"He wears lots of condoms?" Stiles asked, arching his eyebrows. "You mean, like, all at once?"
"No, back to back." Malia giggled. "Well, he doesn't wear them on his back but on–"
"We all know where condoms go," Melissa answered, raising her hands and motioning for Malia to stop talking.
"His penis. He wears them on his penis."
Lydia groaned and steepled her fingers against the side of her head.
"I was gonna guess there!" Stiles declared with a smirk before taking a crunching bite of his taco.
"You would have been right," Malia answered with an earnest nod of her head. "I find it very reassuring."
"Oh, that he's serious about safe sex?" A small look of approval had formed on Melissa's face.
Malia's brow furrowed. "No. I meant his penis. I find his penis very reassuring. I think it's my anchor."
"Can we please talk about something else?" Isaac asked, adding a low rumble for emphasis.
"You see why this guy's my hero?!" Liam wolf-whispered to Isaac in a playful lilt.
Isaac growled and shoved Liam's shoulder.
Once dinner was over, everyone stood and congregated by the door. Isaac felt guilty. He would be spending the last night of the full moon at the McCall house with Stiles, and while it was certainly important to keep an eye on their possessed packmate, it seemed unfair that he would be having a quiet evening at home while Scott sat in a dungeonesque basement with Ethan, Lydia guarded a feral Malia at school, and Liam ran around the woods with a homicidal lunatic.
"Call me if you have any problems," Isaac said, gripping Liam's bicep and giving him a serious look.
Liam smiled and threw his arms around Isaac. Their packbond hummed and Isaac channeled as much comfort and support as he could through it, trying not to feel self conscious about the fact that he was the only member of the pack Liam was this affectionate with. Isaac's only guess was that it had something to do with Liam having bonded with him first. Isaac had done it to save Liam's life and he didn't regret it, but he needed to talk to Scott about this.
As the pack finished exchanging goodbye hugs, Stiles surprised Isaac by also winding himself around Isaac and going completely slack against him.
"I'm not going anywhere," Isaac said with a laugh, dutifully tightening his arms around Stiles relaxed body to keep him from falling.
"I know," Stiles murmured, his face against Isaac's chest.
"Is Isaac Stiles' anchor?" Malia asked as she followed Lydia outside.
Stiles wouldn't have been able to hear Lydia's response as the door closed, but Isaac heard it and his cheeks warmed in a blush.
"Yes, I think so."
Isaac lifted Stiles into his arms and nuzzled his neck, savoring the rich, satisfying scent of pack and the tangy-crisp buzz of Stiles' personal scent – sage, sap, and rain be damned.
"So, Netflix and cuddlefest?" Stiles asked hopefully, fingers tickling the back of Isaac's neck and thighs warm against Isaac's hips.
Isaac pulled his face back from Stiles' neck and – Fuck! Stiles looked so happy and innocent Isaac could barely breathe.
"Uhm..." Isaac closed his eyes and nodded, and then Stiles' forehead was against his own, skin warm and tingly. When Isaac reopened his eyes their faces were inches apart.
Stiles lips were barely a finger's thickness from Isaac's and his breath tickled Isaac's mouth when as he said, "I know this might be a stupid question but–"
"Isaac!"
They both jerked their heads back and Isaac fumbled to keep Stiles from falling out of his arms.
"I need your height!" Melissa called from the kitchen. Isaac heard the hinges of a cabinet squeaking open.
Isaac cleared his throat and deposited Stiles on the couch before going to help Melissa with her task.
-000-
End Notes: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know its focus being on Liam, Malia, and the pack might not be to everyone's liking, especially if you're more here for the Isaac/Stiles or Isaac/Ethan romance, but rest assured things will heat up on both fronts quite soon. In the meantime I felt like it was important to the show the pack bonding and spending some non life-or-death time together. LOL, this chapter was getting a silly title no matter what. The alternate title was, "Isaac Gets a Puppy," but I decided to go with wordplay instead of sarcasm.
Please let me know what you thought of this chapter if you get a chance!