Sleeping With Giants

"I've met Alex's mom once. She's...well."

Martin waves his hand dismissively, and John frowns. That doesn't exactly sound promising at all. "What does that mean?"

"She's just...unpleasant," he says, shrugging his shoulders as he folds another towel. He's been on laundry duty for the past week because he lost a bet with Sierra. He's getting good at it, John will admit. Only once has his laundry come back to him smelling worse than it did when he threw it into the laundry room. But that's not the point right now.

"Unpleasant? How? Will she hate me?" John asks, wringing his hands. He doesn't like the sound of this. He doesn't like the idea of Alex's mother hating him.

Martin shrugs yet again. "She's not nice. But who knows. It's been like six years since I've seen her. Maybe she's changed."

John really doubts it. He sighs and falls back against the couch. He and Alex are going to visit Alex's parent's pack in Virginia tomorrow morning and Alex has been on edge ever since he told John they were going. John figured it just had to do with the fact that he's still not exactly his parents' biggest fan but apparently there could be more too it. Like the fact that his mother is unpleasant and might hate John and the weekend will be a disaster. No pressure or anything.

"Don't worry about it, honestly. Alex knows how she is. He'll probably warn you about her," Martin tells him, reaching out and using his free hand to brush across the back of John's neck. John inhales and relaxes, figuring Martin is right. He shouldnt panic about something out of his control anyway.

Except, maybe he totally should panic. Because later that night, when John is supposed to be sleeping and getting well rested to deal with Alex's family for an entire weekend, he's wide awake at two in the morning because Alex is locked in the bathroom with the shower running. He's been in there for an hour already, and John had kind of drifted off to sleep earlier but woke back up when he heard the shampoo bottles all fall off the shelf in the shower and Alex cursing at them.

"Good God, Alex," John mumbles, knowing that if Alex is focusing at least a little of his attention on him (but let's be real, when is he not?), he hears it. John flips over onto his back, listens to the shower finally shut off in the bathroom. He hopes Alex at least had the mind to pick up all the shit he dropped because waking up in the morning to pee and finding shampoo and body wash all over the bathroom floor would not be ideal.

"You should be sleeping," Alex says when he opens the bathroom door. The light floods out into the bedroom and John sighs and throws a pillow over his eyes.

"Yeah, well that's a little hard to do when you're in the bathroom for an hour with the water running and knocking everything onto the floor."

Alex doesn't respond to him right away. John hears him flip the light in the bathroom off, hears him walk across the room to the bed. He hears his clothes drop to the floor and that gets his attention, making him pull the pillow off his face to catch Alex as he climbs up onto the bed in his boxers.

"Sorry," he apologizes, "I just needed to-"

"Don't worry about it and just get in bed. Last thing I need is you being sleep deprived and driving me hours away from here. Got it?"

"I'd never-"

"Do anything to put my life in danger. Yeah, yeah I know. Go to sleep."

Alex rolls his eyes but he gets underneath the sheets when John lifts them up for him, instantly pressing himself up against John's back. He sighs into the back of his neck, wraps an arm around his chest and John briefly considers asking him why he's so he nervous about tomorrow. But he thinks better of it, because Alex is finally in bed and isn't pacing or pretending to shower or walking into shelves and knocking shit over. So he lets it go and chalks it up to just being nervous about introducing John to his parents and his old pack and tries not to think of all the reasons he should be concerned.



The drive to Williamsburg is three hours, give or take depending on traffic. John wasn't sure what to expect as far as Alex's road trip behavior was concerned. He's driven with Alex plenty of times but it's never been for longer than a few minutes to get from one part of Baltimore to another. But it's been pleasant so far, for the most part. Alex's Range Rover has heated seats and today is unusually windy and chilly for September.

Alex has his hand on John's knee as he drives, looking calm and content for the first time in days. John finds himself watching the older boy for most of the trip, admiring his side profile and trying his best not to look like a lovesick puppy while doing it. It's no use though, really. He will probably always look like that when Alex is involved.

"Are your parents going to make us sleep in separate rooms?" John asks after they stop at McDonald's to use the bathroom and grab a drink. He chews on the end of the straw in his cup and watches Alex's lips turn up into a smile.

"No, John. I'm pretty sure they aren't concerned with that kind of thing," he says with a laugh, hand moving right back to John's knee as he pulls out of the parking lot.

"Oh, good. I'm glad they aren't traditional then."

"I doubt they're the least bit concerned with us sharing a bed."

"You think they know we have sex? Like, a lot of sex? Because that's awkward and maybe-"

"Shut up, John. Jesus."

Alex scowls at the road and tightens his grip on John's kneecap. John only grins and sinks down in the seat, basking gleefully in the discomfort he's caused Alex already. It was an honest question though, really. He kind of figures he knows the answer. They have a lot of sex. Werewolves are good at scenting things. Sex has a smell. It's only logical, really. And if that's not going to be an awkward situation, John's not sure what would be. But he's not willing to give up sex in order to avoid it. Not after his birthday in August, when they totally had the best sex ever and John is pretty sure that was the exact moment that Alex completely ruined him for anyone else. Not that that there even could be anyone else. But still.

"Stop thinking about your birthday," Alex snaps, moving his hand from John's knee and John instantly misses the contact. "We'll be there in ten minutes and do you really want to smell like that when you meet my parents?"

John smiles innocently, "Smell like what? I wasn't thinking about anything. Especially not my birthday. Or how you fucked me into the mattress. And in the shower. And how many times we did it. And-"

"I am going to smother you in your sleep, John," Alex threatens, sounding a little more calm. But his hands are tight on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white.

John grins and leans his head back against the headrest, watching the road and the cars in front of them. "You sound so sexy when you threaten me with death."

For the remainder of the drive, Alex scowls at the road and messes with the radio, ignoring John fidgeting and unbuckling and rebuckling his seat belt. He's starting to feel nervous. His fingers tap on the side of the door as he plays with the straw in his cup and tries to ignore the anxious feeling. His stomach is in knots and his palms are sweaty and he really, really hopes this weekend is not a disaster. But knowing him, that's just how it's going to go.

They've been driving down the same road for a few minutes now, with no sign of any houses or anything anywhere. John thinks nothing if it, considering their own house is in a similar area back home. And when they finally pull up to a black, iron gate with an intercom and what looks like a keypad, he realizes he's in way over his head.

"You've got to be kidding," he mumbles, watching as Alex punches in a four digit number to the keypad and the gates start sliding open, revealing the beginning of a long driveway. "Are you serious?"

"You don't even know the half of it," Alex sighs, looking over at John. He's finally lost the angry and agitated expression and now just looks wary. Great.

"Well then."

John has nothing more to say. He has nothing he could even think of saying. And that never happens.

The driveway is longer than the one at their own place, and it's a few moments longer than he expects before he actually sees the house. Which is huge. Like, mansion huge. His eyes are drawn to the floor to ceiling windows on the second floor that seem to wrap around to the back of the house. There's a three car garage but definitely more than three cars parked in front of it. John's pretty sure his mouth is open and he's staring in shock. Because he knew that Alex's family is wealthy, thanks mostly to the family hotel business and also slightly thanks to the money left behind from older generations. But this is...more. Much more than he expected.

"You could have warned me I'm going to need a map to get from one room to the next," John says as meets Alex at the back of the car where Alex is grabbing their bags. He moves to reach for his own but Alex pushes his hands away and grabs it himself.

"I got it. And trust me, it's not that big inside."

That's extremely hard to believe but John says nothing, sticking close to Alex as they walk up the front steps to the front door. He's glad nobody was out here greeting them or anything. That would have been too overwhelming.

"You okay?" Alex asks him, hand on the doorknob. John figures his heart must be racing and he's giving off nervous vibes but there's not much he can do about that now. So he just nods and he earns a smile from Alex in return. "Okay."

The door is unlocked and Alex pushes it open with ease, stepping over the threshold with a deep sigh. While the outside of the house was calm and quiet, that's not the case inside. There's a baby crying somewhere - upstairs? Maybe? - and someone yelling about no running in the house. John tries to take a deep breath and ignore the overwhelming pressure he's suddenly feeling. He isn't sure why he didn't register this fact but of course the house is going to be crowded and noisy. Alex takes his hand and starts pulling him forward just as John hears the distinct sound of kids laughing, and he only barely steps out of the way in time before he's trampledo by three of them running through the entryway.

"Alex is here!" One of them yells, halfway down the hallway by the time he finishes and John feels Alex press his hand against the small of his back, pushing him gently forward towards the hallway the three boys just ran down.

The kitchen is huge, not that John expected otherwise. It's brightly lit and there's an island right in the middle of the large room, with lots of cabinets and counter space and a sink. There's a woman standing at the sink, filling a tea kettle with water. She turns around as soon as Alex drops their bags in front of the double oven against the wall, smiling widely when she takes in Alex's form. She's small - can't possibly be taller than five feet - and she has long brown hair and green eyes and she looks like she's around the same age as John's own mother. She looks nothing like Alex, so this can't possibly be his mom...right?

"You made it," she says happily, placing the tea kettle on the countertop. She looks from Alex to John and her smile gets even brighter. John finds himself deciding that no, definitely not his mom. Not judging by Martin's descriptions of her. "And you must be John. It's so nice finally meeting you."

"Of course we made it," Alex says softly, "I called you before we left."

Okay. Definitely his mom.

"I know that. But you still could have changed your mind," she says, still smiling as she walks closer and John only has a brief second to compose himself before she's wrapping her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He brings his hands up to hug her back, glancing over at Alex over her shoulder. He doesn't look nearly as happy or calm as a normal person would be when seeing their mom for the first time in over a year.

"It's nice meeting you too," John decides to go with when she pulls back from him. She keeps her hands on his shoulders, holding him in front of her as she looks him over. He wants to back away and put some space between them but that would not be his brightest idea, probably. "Alex has told me a lot about you."

Lies. But whatever.

"Oh I don't doubt that," she says, grinning at Alex, "Everyone is outside. Want to go introduce John while I finish making tea?"

There aren't as many people as John anticipated, but still more than he's used to. His pack is small compared to this one. There are fifteen adults altogether and five kids. Alex introduces them one by one, out in the backyard. The yard is as impressive as the rest of the house and John finds himself having trouble focusing on who he's being introduced to when there's such a nice view right there.

He meets so many people he kind of starts getting their names mixed up. There's Alex's aunt, who he's almost positive is Julia. One of the kids is hers, he learns. The oldest one. He's thirteen. Then there are the four other kids, who belong to various pack members and are all between the ages of four and ten. There's only one girl and she doesn't seem to care about the fact that she's the only one. She wrestles one of the boys on the grass in the yard and the boy cries when she twists his arm behind his back. Werewolf children are terrifying, John decides. Terrifying and strong and ruthless.

But then there's Alex's dad. He's not scary, exactly. But he's tall, with broad shoulders and dark hair and hazel eyes and John finally sees where Alex gets his looks from. The man shakes John's hand, gripping it almost too tightly and John is almost afraid that when he pulls it back, he's going to have bruises.

"It's nice meeting you Mr. Gaskarth," John hears himself say, hopefully not sounding as nervous as he feels. But he's surrounded by werewolves. They can hear his heartbeat and they already know how nervous he is. He wishes he could hide it. He hates being at this sort of disadvantage.

The Alpha smiles at him from where he's sitting at the table, "You're all Alex talked about last time he came to visit. I've been looking forward to him finally bringing you here to meet everyone."

Alex's hand becomes more obvious on his back and John flushes, tries not to seem too overly embarrassed over something as simple as Alex talking about him. He doesn't want to seem like some love sick teenager. Even though that is absolutely what he is.

They spend a little bit of time outside, with John trying to remember names and ignore the heavy weight of Alex's hand on his knee. Everyone is friendly for the most part. They ask John questions and seem genuinely interested in him. Only, neither of his parents seem to be bothered. They sit at the head of the table together, watching John a little too closely for his liking. Alex must catch on to his discomfort, because minutes later, he's following him to the third floor of the house to 'get settled and wait for dinner to be ready', as Alex's mom put it.

"Your family is nice," he says quietly as Alex drops the bags down on the floor by the closet. He watches as he inhales, clenches and unclenches his fists and John knows better than to approach him right now. "At least, they seem nice. They've been...nice..."

He has no other words to use and he realizes how utterly stupid he must sound. But it's true. His family is nice. They were kind to him right off the bat and nobody tried to eat him or kill him or anything. And that's more than he could hope for. But Alex doesn't seem to think so. He rolls his eyes and goes to sit down in the edge if the bed, head in his hands.

John frowns, follows him there and sits down as well, keeping a bit of space between them. "Did I miss something? Were they scenting me because they plan on eating me for dinner and notbecause they just wanted to get used to me?"

"It's nothing," Alex assures him, "Everything's fine. Just tired, I guess."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not-"

"You think it's all bullshit."

Alex shakes his head and runs his hands through his hair, clearly anxious about something. Sure, John does not catch on to most things right away but he knows when Alex is lying to him. And he also knows how skeptical Alex is of his parents. How he doesn't quite trust them as much as he used to.

"Not all of it. Just my parents."

"Well, you'd know better than I would. I did kind of...think it was a little fake at first. But I figured that was just because everyone sort of warned me about...you know."

Alex laughs a bit, "About my bitchy mother?"

"Alex! What if she's listening!"

The last thing John needs is Alex's mom to hate him. He will totally not last the weekend if she does. But Alex just laughs again and moves back on the bed so he's sitting right in the middle. "John, this is my old bedroom," he says, looking around. His eyes land on a bookshelf in the corner, mostly empty. "When I was eleven my mom got sick of listening to me throw a temper tantrum every time I didn't get my way. It's sound-proofed, nobody can hear us."

Of course it is. In that case. "Well then. Yeah. Martin told me she's not the most pleasant person."

"She hates Martin almost as much as she hates that I'm an Alpha. She's convinced that if I had never saved him that I would have come back home eventually."

"That's insane. They made you leave. Why would you go back?"

"I don't know," Alex sighs, "It doesn't matter anymore. I never went back and my life is better because of it. It's hard for her to accept that sometimes. But I don't care. She could have stopped my dad from making me leave but she didn't. So it's not my problem."

"That's...complicated."

"It doesn't matter anymore. I have you and I don't care if she approves or not. So all we have to do is make it through the rest of tonight and all of tomorrow and we can get out of here really early Sunday morning. Sound okay?"

"I think I can handle it. But you know...if we don't take advantage of the whole 'soundproof' thing...I'll never forgive you."



Alex had never really planned on introducing his parents to anyone he thought he might be able to spend the rest of his life with. He hasn't been able to connect with them since he was thirteen and forced to fend for himself and he never even thought about bringing someone back home to meet them. But then he met John. And now here he is, watching John laugh with his mom while looking through old family photos and almost certainly embarrassing Alex to death. It makes him sick, the way his mom fakes it all so well. But he's glad John trusts him enough to believe him when he says she's full of shit.

The only reason he decided to visit this weekend was because he didn't want John feeling like he was missing out on something. John had asked about his parents multiple times and after the first few, Alex figured he might as well just get it over with. The shortest amount of time he could get away with was a weekend. Anything less would just upset them and that's the last thing he needs these days. So he'll tolerate sitting in the kitchen, watching his mom fake her way through getting on John's side (in her eyes, anyway) and getting way too close to him for Alex's liking. Normal werewolves wouldn't care if their mate smelled like their old pack - especially not after spending time with them. But Alex can't stand the idea of it and the sooner he can take John upstairs and get rid of every other scent but his own, the better.

"Don't be so miserable, Alex," his mom laughs, catching on to the glare he's been sending her way for the better half of the day. "You're supposed to be relaxing."

Alex doesn't bother with a response, instead getting up from the table to make himself some coffee. He catches John's tiny smirk as he passes him, and he takes the time to flick the back of his head. "Shut up," he mumbles, knowing his mother can still hear him. He doesn't care.

"Do you want coffee John?" He asks as he stands in front of the high tech and overly complicated coffee machine, looking through all the different kinds of coffee pods.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks-"

Before John can finish his response, he's interrupted by Alex's mom. "Only use the decaf ones, Alex. I haven't gone shopping and your father won't be happy if he doesn't have enough caffeine for the week."

Alex hears the slight, barely noticeable tick in her heartbeat. He turns to look at her, narrows his eyes in suspicion. Why would she lie about coffee? But she just grins back at him and then turns her attention back to John, excited to point out a photo from Alex's third birthday. John has absolutely no idea that anything is wrong, and Alex would rather keep it that way. So he just makes decaf coffee for the both of them. It's probably just her being a bitch just for the sake of being a bitch. Wouldn't be the first time.



Alex manages to completely avoid his dad almost all day on Saturday. Alex doesn't have nearly as bad of an aversion towards him as he does towards his mom, but they're both alphas. It's difficult for the two of them to talk like they used to, before Alex left. His mom is a bitch just because she wants to be. She's the reason he doesn't have a close relationship with her. Alex's dad doesn't pretend at least. He doesn't pretend that it's Alex's fault that they're not close.

"John is good for you," he tells Alex when he corners him in the library on the second floor where Alex had been searching through all of the old books he left behind. "Despite...you know."

"The fact that he's human," Alex finishes for him, stacking another book in the pile he's been gathering. "You're wrong. He's good for me because of it. Not despite it."

"Have you ever considered it though?" His dad asks, sitting down in one of the chairs by the bookshelf across the room. He watches Alex like he knows he needs to watch what he says. His son is an alpha. He can't just expect him to be fine with every word he says now. "Turning him?"

"I'm not biting him. Not that it's actually your business, because that's between me and John. So stay out of it," Alex warns, putting another book in the pile just for something to do. He uses a bit too much force though and it make a loud sound in the library, causing his dad to raise his eyebrows in question. "I'm not having this conversation with you."

"I'm not trying to challenge your decision, Alex. I'm just trying to give you advice. You know how much stronger you'd be if John was like you. In more ways than one. How much time do you spend worrying over whether or not he's safe? I heard about what happened last year. What if that happens again?"

Alex can feel the tension running through him and he knows it's only going to get worse. He keeps his back turned on his dad, knowing if he looks at him, he's just going to get even more worked up. He didnt come here to fight with him. "I'm not going to compromise who John is just to settle my own fears and make myself feel better. If I have to worry about his safety for the rest of my life then I will."

"I understand that, but-"

"It's not something up for debate. Especially not with you. So if you don't mind I'd really prefer if you'd leave before I do or say something I'll regret," Alex finds himself pleading, voice strained as he tries to keep himself under control. He focuses on the books in front of him, tries to concentrate on them as he hears his father getting up to leave. He holds his breath and doesn't let it go until the library door opens and closes behind him and he hears his dad walking towards the stairs. He sighs and shakes his head, gathering the books he's already collected in his arms to bring them upstairs. He didn't come here to be lectured or to have his choices questioned.



It's Saturday night that Alex notices something. He's in the middle of making sure they haven't forgotten to pack anything, checking under the bed for a missing shoe or a t-shirt that found it's way underneath. John is showering and he left the door open, letting Alex come in and out to pack up toiletries and whatever else. He's in the middle of shoving his razor into his bag when John turns off the shower and tells Alex to hand him a towel.

"You act like I have never seen you naked," Alex teases, holding the towel out as John glares at him from behind the shower curtain. "I literally just saw you naked last night-"

"Not the point," John informs him, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around his waist. He steps out of the shower and stands in front of the mirror, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I need a haircut."

"You've been saying that for two weeks babe," Alex reminds him, leaning in to kiss him. He just barely gets his lips on John's when he smells it. He pauses, letting his hand come up to rest on the back of John's neck. "Did you use a different soap?"

It's not different though, Alex decides, pressing his nose against John's neck. It's the same scent as always, just...not right. In a way he can't quite explain.

"No, you freak," John laughs, pushing Alex away from him. "Same as I always use. You're lucky I used any at all. I was feeling particularly lazy in there."

It's not off in a bad way, Alex acknowledges, furrowing his eyebrows and staring at John's neck. And it's not because he's been hanging out with a different pack. It's just...the same scent as always. But more. More obvious. But yet somehow still not right there. It's weird and Alex has no idea what to make of it.

John seems to catch on to the concern, bringing a hand up to his neck. "What? Do I smell bad?"

"No," Alex is quick to tell him, not wanting him to worry. Especially not since there's nothing really to worry about. That he can tell, anyway. "No you're good."

John doesn't seem convinced, but he shrugs and lets it go, turning back to the mirror to finish getting ready for bed. Alex leaves him to it, heads back into the room to finish their packing so they can start heading back home as early as possible tomorrow. He pushes the concern over John's scent to the back of his mind. It's nothing, more than likely. John probably did something today that would make it more obvious than usual. Whatever that could be.

After he finishes their packing and gets into bed, he waits for John to put their shampoo and body wash and whatever else is still in the bathroom away. He only has to wait a few minutes before John is joining him.

"You know what I was thinking?" He asks as he takes his usual spot against Alex's side, letting his arm fall around Alex's waist. "We should soundproof our room."

"Not a terrible idea," Alex muses, "Probably piss everyone off though. That whole...trust thing."

John sighs, "Right. Would have been nice not to hear Zack and Martin across the hallway."

"I'll take it into consideration."

John nods and takes it, tightening his grip around Alex's waist as he drifts off. Alex focuses on the way his heartbeat evens out and be decides that if this new scent on John were to stick around, he wouldn't hate it. In fact, he kind of likes it. A lot. And it makes him turn over onto his side and press John back so he's lying flat, mumbling in his sleep about strawberries, or something. Alex presses up against him, lays so he's covering most of John without suffocating him, breathing in deep and deciding that yeah, it can definitely stay.



Leaving in the morning is supposed to be quick and painless. Alex wakes up at six, spends an hour waking John up and promising him they can stop for breakfast as soon as they're at least a half hour away from this house, and ends up in the kitchen at seven-thirty, watching his mom make John a cup of coffee for the ride. He notices she picks the decaf coffee again. But he says nothing.

"You'll have to come back and visit soon," she's saying, pouring some milk into the coffee. "Everyone is going to be so upset to wake up and see that you guys left."

"Yeah maybe we can come back soon," John tells her, taking the cup she holds out. "Thanks for the coffee. I'm half asleep and Alex will yell at me if I fall asleep and leave him with nobody to talk to for the whole ride."

She smiles at him and brings him in for a hug, makes him promise her that he'll take good care of himself, and Alex is officially suspicious. He watches John walk into the living room to say bye to his dad, and then he turns on his mother, opens his mouth to ask her what, exactly, she's planning.

But she beats him to it.

"Don't tell me you still haven't figured it out yet?" She says, sounding way too amused and Alex just scowls.

"You smell it too, then? Is he okay? I can't place it and clearly you know what's going on. So what it is it? Is he sick?"

She laughs, sounding way too happy for someone being awake so early. But she just shakes her head in amusement and leans her elbows on the kitchen counter. "He's perfectly fine, which I think you already know. It's the opposite, actually. He's not sick."

"What does that mean?"

"I actually can't expect you to be able to recognize it - you haven't been around anyone who was pregnant in a long time."

"But what - what?"

Alex stares at her, watches her still smiling and clearly finding joy at how oblivious her son obviously is. Because now that she's said it, it's so obvious. So obvious that what he's been smelling on John is nothing bad and nothing to be concerned about. It's just...more John. And more Alex. Because there's a baby. And okay. Maybe that is something he definitely needs to be concerned about.