The rest of the week was spent falling into a comfortable routine. Every day was nearly the same; school, homework, dinner, usually followed by a movie before bed. Then going back out into the world to do it all again the next day. Stiles had no issue keeping up with his classes, as usual he was teaching himself as he tutored the others.
Noah never questioned his son, and Stiles wondered if he even knew that his house was being used as a boarding house for wolves. These were the days that Stiles remembered. An absent father who spent all of his time at work. Crime, or what little speeding and traffic stops there were in their small town, kept his father out late and gone early every morning.
Even though Stiles knew that his father had to have seen the blow up mattress that never failed to collect dust in the living room, he received no words about it.
Stiles shook his head as he finished plating their dinner for that Friday night, a spread of homemade chicken alfredo and garlic bread. He called all the kids in, thanking Jackson for setting the table and soon plates were being filled and appreciative moans filled the air.
He smiled and just as he was about to take a bite himself, there was a knock at the door. A low growl rumbled in Jackson's throat, before he subtly sniffed the air. Jackson settled down in an instant as Stiles caught Isaac's smile.
Stiles rolled his eyes and stood from the table, "Oh no, don't all jump up at once!" Laughter followed him into the living room and he swung open the front door.
Derek stood dressed almost identical to when they had first met that day that felt so long ago out on the reserve. He was handsome, the only difference now was the scruff on his face. "You've come for dinner," Stiles stated more than asked.
Behind him he heard chairs shuffling around and he barely withheld from rolling his eyes again. He stepped out of the way, allowing Derek to step into the house. For a moment, Derek just stood there, looking around the living room. He took a deep breath and his shoulders relaxed.
"You said I should be here at least once a week," Derek said simply and Stiles nodded in agreement. "What's for dinner?"
Stiles motioned for Derek to follow and walked back into the kitchen. Isaac was still sitting on Stiles' right but now the chair on the left was open leaving a spot for Derek to sit down. All of the teenagers rumbled at Derek, who snuffed back at them before they all went about shoveling down their meal.
It was strange seeing the pack dynamics in action, but Stiles wasn't going to question anything. He sat back at the table and took a bite of his food, then motioned for Scott to pass the pasta. Derek spooned some of the food while Stiles held the plate before passing it back down.
"So, Derek, tell us about your day," Stiles said around a bite and Derek looked like he was in pain. Stiles reveled in it and tried to hide a grin.
A moment of silence followed before Derek finally grunted out an, "It was fine."
Stiles took that to mean 'don't mention the house' and so he took pity and began filling him in on his own day. He wove a tale of their classes, praising Isaac for his rising grade in Chemistry, and scolding Jackson for picking on one of the new kids. Jackson's look of surprise didn't make Stiles back down one bit.
"I know all Jackson," Stiles shook his fork at him and with Derek right there at the table, Jackson only deflated.
The rest of dinner went swimmingly, with Erica loading the dishwasher and Boyd wiping down the counters and table. They worked through it quickly in a race to who got to pick the movie that night. "We should watch something scary," Lydia suggested from her place sitting at the bar.
Erica's eyes lit up and Stiles knew that they were doomed. Isaac looked nervously over at him and Stiles gave him what he hoped was a soothing look. "If it's scary, I pick the movie," Stiles said.
"As long as it's scary!" Erica trilled as she turned on the dishwasher and raced into the living room.
Stiles turned to Derek who still sat at the table, "It's tradition, you should stay and watch the movie with us."
"I really should get going," Derek said with a thankful smile, "Thank you for dinner though, it was delicious."
Stiles nodded, guiding Derek to the door. "It was nice having you, same time next week?" He offered and Derek placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his thumb against Stiles' collarbone.
"Same time next week," Derek released him and stepped out of the door and into the dark of the night. Stiles watched his headlights disappear towards the reserve before closing and locking the door.
When he turned around all of the wolves seemed to have found everything interesting rather than him. Another thing to add to the list of unending questions. He grabbed a movie from the rack and popped it into the player. Isaac as usual had saved him a seat on the couch and they all settled in to watch Alien.
That night Stiles lay awake, Isaac on his left and surprisingly, Scott ended up on the floor with Erica and Boyd. It was a new development. He supposed that as they became more comfortable with each other, it might not matter where they sleep as long as it's with someone they trust.
Stiles could hear Jackson's snores from where he and Lydia were in the living room and it was easier to blame his insomnia on that than to really admit what was bothering him. And truly, he didn't have anyone that he could admit it to. He was the support for the wolves, but he didn't have anyone to really support him.
He sighed and rolled over, shifting Isaac slightly so that he could have his arm back. Stiles was well versed in odd sleeping positions but he never did get used to having his arm go numb just so Isaac could feel close. It was like his arm just disappeared; very unnerving.
All Stiles knew was that he had a mountain of questions, not really concerns, that he wanted answers to. Like, why was he the chosen one for the pack to flock to? It didn't bother him, not in the slightest, but it would be nice to know why.
Also, why was Derek okay with Stiles being the, what was it that Jackson called him. Oh yeah, the pack mom. That one bothered Stiles a little more than he liked to admit. Was it just out of convenience or was there a deeper reason behind it? Stiles had questions, but answers were in short supply.
He sighed again and flopped the other way. He just couldn't get comfortable.
Just then, Isaac snuffled in his sleep, yawned widely and rolled over to snuggle close into Stiles' neck. "Are you okay?" Isaac asked sleepily, blinking up at him.
Stiles pulled him closer, automatically shoving his raging thoughts onto the back burner. They didn't need to see him so stressed. "I'm fine, just having trouble sleeping."
Isaac sat up and out of Stiles' arms, nodding solemnly, "Let's go for a short walk, the cold air will help."
To that Stiles couldn't think of any objections, after all, it wasn't a school night. "Alright, but we have to be quiet." They carefully scooched their way out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Jackson grumbled in his sleep but after cuddling his nose into Lydia's hair settled back down.
Together they made their way out of the house and out to the street. Stiles looked around, he wasn't used to this, the feeling of not knowing. "Let's go this way, there's a diner that's usually open by now." Isaac suggested and that was when Stiles really got a sense for what time it was.
"How far?" He asked, patting his pockets to make sure he had his wallet and keys.
"Maybe a mile?" Isaac said, "They open around six."
"Well, let's get walking," Stiles said and off they went. Isaac was right, the cool air seeped into Stiles' body and seemed to chase his doubts off to the far corners of his mind. The sky brightened around them as the sun started to come up and filtered through the trees.
They walked in silence, listening to the occasional passing of a car and the songs of the birds. Halfway to the diner they even saw a deer and a fawn in a clearing. They stood and just watched it for a while and Stiles couldn't stop his throat from getting tight. When he felt that he was on the verge of tears he started walking again, rubbing harshly at his eyes.
Even though Isaac must have been able to smell it, he didn't say anything and for that Stiles was grateful.
By the time they made it to the diner, it must have been seven. Stiles immediately recognized his father's cruiser in the parking lot. His stomach sank and he looked to Isaac who didn't seem to notice. He sighed and steeled himself, they had already walked all that way.
When they entered the diner, it took a moment for Stiles to spot him, but there Noah was sitting in the far corner. "Why don't you go ahead and choose a table Isaac, and I'll be right back," Stiles said and Isaac looked around the restaurant. He too must have seen the sheriff because he just nodded and went to find a seat at the bar.
Stiles walked over to his dad, who was eating some steak and eggs. He didn't have the heart to remind him that his cholesterol was high so he needed to be careful. After all, he hadn't really seen the man in a couple weeks.
Noah had always kept his life and work separate. It just so happened that his work was more important to him. After a while, Stiles wasn't even bothered by it any more. "Hey Dad," He said and watched Noah startle.
He coughed into a napkin before looking up to meet Stiles' eyes. "Stiles, what are you doing here?" Noah asked and Stiles felt what was left of his hopes die.
"I couldn't sleep so Isaac and I decided to take a walk," Stiles explained.
"Do you need a ride back home?" Short, sweet, unsentimental.
Stiles shook his head, "No, I just didn't want to not say hello."
Noah nodded, "You all be careful getting back."
And just like that, the sheriff stood up and left his only son standing in the middle of a nearly empty diner. Stiles felt like the world was caving in around him.
He shook it off as best he could, before turning and shooting a not so genuine smile at Isaac. He went over to the bar and took a seat, where a nice lady was waiting to take his order.
When they got back to the house, everyone was still in the land of dreams and Stiles was suddenly exhausted. He and Isaac piled back into his bed, cuddled close together for warmth and before Stiles could count sheep, he was already asleep.