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“Can we stop for gummy bears?” Malia asked from the middle left seat of the minivan.
“When we stop for gas you can go in and get gummy bears,” Scott answered from the driving seat. He checked the gas gauge and made quick eye contact with Maila through the rearview mirror, “Maybe in an hour or so.”
Liam whined, “But Scott, I have to use the bathroom.”
“You should have peed the last time we stopped for gas,” Scott said softly, making sure he wasn't waking up Isaac in the passenger seat. “Come on Liam, I’m not stopping again.”
“Yeah, shut up Liam.” Malia poked him with her clawed nail.
“That’s not what I said,” Scott called back. “Don’t be mean to Liam.”
“Malia’s right,” Theo chuckled from next to Liam. “Shut up, Liam.”
“Don't even, Theodore.”
“Yeah, Liam, shut up,” Mason said, poking Liam from his other side.
“Stop it, guys.”
From the seat next to Malia, Corey looked back, “You really should shut up, Liam.”
Liam threw his hands up. “No, stop it. You guys suck.” He grabbed the finger that Theo was trying to poke him with and the two started slapping each other and play-wrestling while stuck in their seats by the seatbelts.
From the driver's seat, Scott ran a hand through his hair. They had piled in the rental car at Scott’s house and began to drive the 45-hour stretch from Beacon Hills to MIT in Massachusetts. The pack left in Beacon Hills missed Lydia and Stiles who were now East coast based so it was time for a hastily planned road trip with children in a car. So Scott was barreling down the I-40 at almost 80mph while the stupid children in the back of the car were hitting each other.
One of Isaac’s eyes peeked open and made eye contact with Scott. “Shit,” Isaac whispered.
“How long have you been pretending to sleep?” Scott asked, his voice low so as not to alert the fighting teenagers in the back.
Isaac sighed, caught, “Since the last gas station.” He sat up and twisted his body, “Hey, why am I awake?” His eyes were tired and his voice rough, definitely working the idea that Isaac’d been sleeping the whole time.
In the back, Theo paused the second Isaac’s voice had raised while Liam jumped at the sound and sat directly on his hands, Malia grabbed her phone to fake being busy while Corey and Mason just laughed.
“Sorry, Isaac,” Liam said. “But Theo was poking me.”
Theo’s jaw dropped, “I was not, snitch.”
“Girls, girls, you're all pretty,” Malia mumbled.
“Hey, you were poking me first, in fact, you started it,” Liam called out, poking Malia in the shoulder. “Also your phone is off.”
“Shut up, Liam!” Malia chucked a pillow behind her and it hit Theo in the face.
“Malia!”
Isaac sighed, “There's no way they're going to quiet down until they fall asleep, right?”
Scott shook his head while keeping his eyes on the road, “Probably not. Or we could make Theo drive and maybe then Liam will stop fighting people.”
“I don't think Theo is the only one Liam is fighting,” Isaac said softly, inclining his head towards Malia, who was now throwing Goldfish at Liam and laughing at his reaction.
The motel brought up some bad memories for Scott and Isaac but it was, visually pretty different from their last motel experience. This motel was definitely just as shitty but it didn't smell like death and destruction so… better.
Liam and Theo were sharing a room and Corey and Mason took another, Malia decided to just sleep in the car because getting a motel room just for herself when there was a perfect shelter for her outside, and Isaac and Scott got the last room.
There was one bed. Because the actual plan was for Liam and Theo to sleep in the car and Malia to have the single bed and Isaac and Scott would take the two beds Liam and Theo were currently laying in, but Malia hated everyone and wanted the whole car for herself. Which was annoying but Isaac saw her as an annoying sister figure and agreed with her after roughhousing for a minute or two.
“So…” Isaac said. “One bed, huh?”
Scott nodded as he kicked off his jeans and socks. “I guess so. Do you have a side preference?”
“This side, if that's okay?” Isaac said, pointing towards the side of the bed furthest from the door.
“Yeah, of course,” Scott said, laying down on the side closer to the door and plugging in his phone. He spent a few minutes swiping around and texting Stiles their plan for the next day while Isaac brushed his teeth and changed into a pair of pyjama pants.
Isaac lay down and plugged his phone in, setting it on the nightstand before turning off the light on his side of the bed.
“Oh, are you ready to go to bed?” Scott asked as he turned toward Isaac, his voice low. “Do you want me to turn off the light on my side?”
“No, you're fine.” Isaac rolled over, his back to Scott. Despite the fact that Scott should probably be hurt that Isaac chose to turn away from him, this was actually very nice. It felt domestic and sweet and Scott had to text Stiles a series of weird emojis to calm down back to normal.
Eventually, Scott got tired and Stiles stopped trying to interpret Scott’s insane emoji spam, so Scott flipped off the light and rolled over, his back to Isaac.
It was quiet and dark and maybe also a little dusty. Scott felt awkward, sort of, but not quite. He felt as if somehow, he was doing something wrong, but Isaac’s back against his wasn't taut or awkward in any sort of way.
Isaac rolled over, his chest to Scott’s back in the small bed. Suddenly it was like all was right in the world and Scott fell asleep so incredibly quickly.
The next morning they were awoken by a scream of a child, “There’s a frickin’ coyote in that minivan!”
“Malia?” Isaac’s eyes were bleary and his voice quiet and husky. Scott might just pass out but…
“Yeah… that's definitely Malia,” Scott said as the sound of a couple of white women screaming from the parking lot caught his attention.
They both rushed out of bed, Scott pulled on his pants as Isaac yanked a shirt over his head. They grabbed their respective things and ran out the door, knocking aggressively on Corey and Mason’s door as well as Theo and Liam’s door.
Down in the parking lot, there was a crowd of people trying to ‘free’ the coyote from the car except Malia wasn't super interested and was more interested in sleeping.
“She’s not a coyote,” Isaac called as he ran towards it. “She's a weird-looking dog.”
“Yep,” Scott agreed. “Very weird dog.”
Malia growled softly as she glared at Scott with her angry coyote face.
“Okay!” Scott said. “Sorry, we’re just going to go now.” He ushered his friends into the car and started it up as the crowd slowly cleared.
And then they were on the road with no food and also it was too early to be awake and also Scott had to drive to find breakfast.
“How tired are you on a scale of one to ten?” Isaac asked Scott as they sat under a tree in a preserve in Northern Illinois. Up in the tree, Malia, Mason, and Corey were chucking leaves at each other while Liam and Theo were off hiking somewhere.
“I don't know,” Scott started before he watched Malia almost fall out of the tree. “Okay, maybe an 8.6. What about you?”
Isaac shrugged, “Maybe 6?”
Scott nodded softly, “I need Malia to stop trying to kill people.” Scott plopped his head on Isaac’s shoulder and shut his eyes. “I’m so tired.”
“I don't know, Malia’s a big girl.” Isaac patted Scott’s hair, “She can make her own mistakes or… uh… fall out of her own trees.”
Scott nodded into Isaac’s shoulder, “Good point.”
Isaac ran his fingers through Scott’s hair one last time before getting up to join Malia in the tree to try and smack Corey off of his branch.
“You’ve been less of a chaos gremlin,” Scott said as they lay in bed at their next motel.
Isaac laughed, “Yeah, I know. It’s harder to keep my energy up when I’m not home.”
Scott turned over in bed to face Isaac, “What does that mean, Ise?”
“Ise?” He asked softly, his face going a little bit red. “Seriously, Scott?”
Scott smiled his eyes following the curve of Isaac’s jaw. “Come on, I think it's a fun nickname. But don't think I didn't notice you avoiding my question?”
“I just…” Isaac paused and then ran a hand through his curls. “I don't really feel entirely comfortable outside of Beacon Hills.”
“Can I ask why?” Scott asked, his voice low.
“Yeah, uh, just… I know almost everyone in Beacon Hills, right? So I know if they’d be upset at whatever shit might come out of chaos gremlin Isaac’s mouth. But out here, in the real world, people aren’t as easy to understand.”
Scott nodded, from his position sitting up in the bed, relative to Isaac’s fully laying down, “That… makes sense. You know, if you're nervous or freaked out you can always hang by me and I’ll keep a conversation going?”
Isaac shrugged, his face a soft pink and his eyes bright if not sleepy, “That's sweet of you.”
Scott yawned uncontrollably, his eyes feeling heavy.
“Hey, Scott,” Isaac said, laying a hand on Scott's shoulder. “Go to sleep, it's late.” Isaac then rolled around and turned off his light. Scott nodded softly and followed suit, but stayed in his orientation, facing Isaac’s back as he drifted off to sleep
“Scott, please just stop the car for five minutes,” Mason whined from the backseat.
“Why?” Scott asked as he checked the rearview mirror to make sure Mason wasn't bleeding out, or something equally bad, in the back.
Mason sighed, “My legs are killing me.”
“Stretch,” Isaac muttered.
“I can’t,” Mason hissed. “Malia has her seat all the way back.”
“Malia, please move your seat up so Mason can stretch.”
Malia didn't respond but Corey did, “She’s asleep.”
“Actually,” Theo said nonchalantly, “She’s pretending to sleep.”
“Hey,” Malia shouted, chucking a shoe at Theo. “You snitch.”
“Move your seat up, Malia.”
Theo huffed as he caught the shoe and flung it back, “I am not a snitch, you should learn how to fake-sleep better.”
“Just because you're fucked up doesn't mean I have to learn how to be too,” Malia hissed, dodging the shoe.
“Malia, move your seat up,” Scott said for the gazillionth time. “I am not going to ask again.”
“Ooh, shit,” Liam whispered. “Malia, Dad’s mad at you.”
Malia giggled.
Isaac turned around in his seat and smacked Malia’s knee, “Move your seat up, and Liam, stop it.”
“Now Mom's mad at you,” Corey poked Liam’s shoulder.
“Stop poking me!”
“Everybody shut up!”
“How long are we planning on driving tomorrow?” Isaac asked as he yanked off his regular shirt and jeans, before pulling on his flannel pyjama pants that he’d been wearing every night so far.
Scott was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth as he checked his phone. “Uh…” he spit the toothpaste out before responding. “Probably 6, like yesterday. We might stop at a national park or something so Malia and Theo don’t actually commit homicide.”
“Makes sense,” Isaac said, pulling his phone out and plugging it in before crawling into bed. “I’ll text the group chat. We should probably leave here by nine.”
“Yep,” Scott said as he packed his toiletries back into his backpack and kicked off his jeans and socks. He plugged in his phone and crawled into bed next to Isaac. “Hey, um…”
“Yeah?”
“The bed this time is pretty small,” Scott said as he tried to find a way to lie down without his leg rubbing up against Isaac’s.
Isaac shrugged, “That’s fine with me.”
“Really?” Scott asked. “Are you sure, because I can sleep on the floor if you're uncomfortable?”
Isaac shook his head, his eyes large, “Yeah, I’m sure. You can… uh… get comfortable.”
Scott knew that Isaac wouldn't lie to him. So instead of asking again and seeming like he didn't trust Isaac, Scott turned over and clicked off the light.
He lay in the bed, Isaac pretty much flush to his back, their legs touching softly.
“Um… Scott?” Isaac asked, his voice a shot in the quiet the room had been.
“Yeah?”
Isaac didn't respond for a second before he pressed his legs closer, “I would rather have full touch or no touch if that’s okay.”
“Sure,” Scott said, pushing his legs against Isaac’s.
And when they woke up Scott was turned entirely into Isaac’s chest with his arms around Scott. It felt safe and Scott kept his eyes closed to continue to feel this level of safety he had been missing for all these years.
This road trip might just be the best decision Scott had ever made.
This road trip might be the worst idea Scott’s ever had. “We are literally five minutes from Lydia’s apartment can you stop mauling each other for at least that long?” Scott pleaded as Liam snapped his fully elongated teeth at Malia’s hand as she tried to poke his nose.
Isaac pointed at the intersection ahead of them, “It's a left here.”
“But Google says to stay straight?” Scott asked, confused.
“I’ve been here before, trust me.” Isaac pointed left.
Scott shook his head, “What if it takes longer than five minutes to go your way? I need to get out of this car.”
“Scott just turn left,” Isaac said, throwing his hands up.
He drove straight.
“Google doesn't know shit, Scott. Wait until Lydia tells you that going left would have been faster.”
And in the backseat, all Scott could hear was screaming as Liam finally bit Malia who scratched Theo who was now bleeding all over the rental van. Yeah, Scott definitely wishes he had never had this ‘wonderful’ idea to begin with.
“Scott!” Stiles said, running towards the van before it rolled to a stop, Lydia trying her best to grab the hood of his sweater and failing miserably.
Scott parked the van as quickly as supernaturally possible and threw the door open. The fresh air was amazing and the embrace of his best friend since childhood was even better. “Oh thank god,” Scott said, breathing in Stiles’ scent. “I thought I was going to die in that mini-van.”
Malia and the younger teens piled out of the car and said their hello’s as Isaac checked on Theo’s arm and Malia’s hand. “There was a lot of biting,” Isaac explained to Lydia as she tried to hug him over his shoulder.
After all the welcoming and the piling of backpacks into the house, Scott lay on Lydia and Stiles’ couch, his head hanging off one side and his legs off the other (it was a small couch). It was quiet. Stiles had gone to show Malia the forest and Liam and Theo had gone with. Mason and Corey had gone out to a close coffee shop for much-needed alone time and Lydia had to finish a paper before she could properly hang out. So it was just Isaac and Scott in the apartment.
Isaac was elbow deep in sudsy water, washing up the dishes from their lunch.
“You know you don't have to do that, right?” Scott asked as he could see around the armrest and into the kitchen.
He watched Isaac shrug and respond, “I mean we’re going to be staying here for a week, and they're busy right now, I might as well help out.”
Scott sat up, “You're not wrong.” He walked into the kitchen on soft feet before he stood right behind Isaac. “Want help?” he asked as he propped his head up on Isaac’s shoulder, understanding just how intimate this position was but knowing that he wouldn't do anything to break this moment by moving again.
“Nah,” Isaac said, placing a clean plate on the drying rack. “But you can put them away once they dry.”
Scott raised an eyebrow, “Or I could dry them right now and put them away.”
“Or you could just stay right there,” Isaac muttered, low enough that Scott was sure that it wasn't supposed to be heard. But it was kind of hard to not hear it when Scott’s ear was so close to Isaac’s mouth.
Scott closed his eyes, his body relaxedly draped over Isaacs. He wasn't going to dwell on this because what would be the point? It would create a feeling of awkwardness where there shouldn't be any.
Scott McCall thought that Isaac Lahey held the sun, moon, and stars and Isaac wanted Scott draped over his body as he did domestic chores. These felt like facts.
But Isaac’s body had stilled, despite Scott feeling comfortable. “Scott, I-”
Scott pulled away, “Oh, sorry, did you not want-?”
“No, no it was-”
“Because I can-”
Isaac took one of Scott's hands in his wet and clammy hand. “I don't want you to hate me, but I really do like you, in fact, honestly, I might actually love you. Even if that's insane or weird or… a betrayal.”
“No,” Scott said quickly his words falling out of his mouth like a river. “It's not a betrayal, Ise. I could never hate you, not ever. I care about you, I like you, and I love you.”
“Not a betrayal to you,” Isaac admitted, his usually strong and confidant voice sort of a special kind of soft and wet it got when he was talking about Her.
Scott reached a hand out to brush a curl off Isaac’s forehead and out of his eyes. He held eye contact with those blue irises that were a window into such a big heart. “She wanted you to be happy.”
“You make me so happy,” Isaac breathed out. He finally let go, falling into Scott’s arms.
Wrapping Isaac into an embrace felt like the most natural thing in the world for Scott. It was soft and jagged, Isaac’s hands grasped at his shoulder blades and his chin dug into Scott’s shoulder but that was what Isaac meant to Scott, soft curves followed by jagged edges that weren't made to heal.
What part of Scott would ever want that to be any different?
Isaac drew away, wiping the small pinpricks of tears away from the corners of his eyes. “Thanks,” he said, his voice sounding shot.
Scott pressed a soft kiss to Isaac’s cheek, “I really do love you, you know that?”
“I do now,” Isaac said with a soft throaty laugh. He turned around and stuck his hands back into the soapy water, “I’m going to finish these and then you're going to dry them and then we're going to kiss so hard the worlds going to stop spinning.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Scott said, draping himself over Isaac’s back once again.
It wasn't their apartment, they hadn't even kissed yet and they had another 45 hours to drive with those assholes in a week, but none of that really mattered because they were happy and it was going to be hard to change that.
“Oh my god, Scott tell Malia to stop touching me!”
“I’m not touching him!”
“They're both touching each other.”
“Ugh, can we run out the back and pretend we were never here?” Scott whispered.
Isaac laughed quietly in Scott's ear, “You love them too much to do that.”
Scott sighed, “Yeah, I know.”