Safe
One/One
Isaac stared at the ceiling, his thoughts a complete mess punctured occasionally by painful flashbacks.
Being trapped in that janitors’ closet with Allison; being locked in the freezer in the basement. The cup Derek threw shattering against the beam, inches from his face; pulling a shard of glass from his human cheek.
He hadn’t remembered leaving Derek’s loft, nor how he arrived at Scott’s place. But he remembered pushing through the door and climbing the stairs. He’d hesitated slightly before knocking, trying to figure out a way to let Scott know it was him but Scott had still answered, “Come in, Mom.”
Scott had been more than helpful, offering Isaac dry clothes, agreeing to keep Isaac’s presence discreet. Scott had even insisted that he and Isaac share the bed when Isaac offered to sleep on the floor.
Isaac hadn’t slept in a real bed in quite a while. Sure, he was grateful he wasn’t sleeping on straw or a floor or some patch of dirt out in the forest, but Derek’s style of living left little room for comfort. Still, Isaac found he was having difficulty getting to sleep. As he lay under the soft comforter with the pleasant pillows and mattress at his back, he began to shiver. He assumed his body was remembering the chill of the rain he must’ve run through to reach Scott. He didn’t want to think about why else his body might be in shock.
Isaac immediately felt guilty when Scott stirred in the bed beside him, thinking his shaking must have woken Scott. After all Scott had done for him, Isaac couldn’t even let the boy have a peaceful night’s sleep.
Isaac opened his mouth to whisper an apology but was cut off when he felt Scott’s firm grip on his arm.
“It’s okay, you’re safe for now.” Isaac felt his chest tense at the other boy’s words. He tried to think of another instance when someone showed him similar compassion but the first voice that came to mind said, “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Isaac shook the memory and squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on calming his body instead of reliving past moments. After a short while of continued shivers, Isaac felt Scott’s warmth as the boy moved slightly closer to him. Using his heightened senses to focus on the body heat, Isaac stopped shaking and was able to relax. Scott’s hand remained on Isaac’s arm even as the taller boy turned onto his side, away from his benefactor, but still close enough to feel the heat of his presence.
Isaac woke to the sound of Scott’s alarm clock with Scott’s arm draped over him. He could sense by warmth and scent that they had slept through the night without much movement. Instead of shrugging out of Scott’s loose embrace and ignoring the fact they’d practically snuggled all night, Isaac relished the affectionate contact and ignored the blaring of the alarm. It wasn’t until he felt Scott move that he revealed himself to be awake.
Groaning and stuffing his face into Scott’s pillow after glimpsing at the clock, he asked, “Why the hell do you get up at six AM?”
Scott reached over Isaac and hit the alarm off before getting out of bed. “My mom won’t be in to check on me for at least another hour. You’re fine, go back to sleep.”
Again, Scott’s unabashed compassion caused a twist in Isaac’s chest. With his face in the pillow and the soft sounds of Scott moving around the room, Isaac realized he hadn’t felt this safe in a very long time.
Being trapped in that janitors’ closet with Allison; being locked in the freezer in the basement. The cup Derek threw shattering against the beam, inches from his face; pulling a shard of glass from his human cheek.
He hadn’t remembered leaving Derek’s loft, nor how he arrived at Scott’s place. But he remembered pushing through the door and climbing the stairs. He’d hesitated slightly before knocking, trying to figure out a way to let Scott know it was him but Scott had still answered, “Come in, Mom.”
Scott had been more than helpful, offering Isaac dry clothes, agreeing to keep Isaac’s presence discreet. Scott had even insisted that he and Isaac share the bed when Isaac offered to sleep on the floor.
Isaac hadn’t slept in a real bed in quite a while. Sure, he was grateful he wasn’t sleeping on straw or a floor or some patch of dirt out in the forest, but Derek’s style of living left little room for comfort. Still, Isaac found he was having difficulty getting to sleep. As he lay under the soft comforter with the pleasant pillows and mattress at his back, he began to shiver. He assumed his body was remembering the chill of the rain he must’ve run through to reach Scott. He didn’t want to think about why else his body might be in shock.
Isaac immediately felt guilty when Scott stirred in the bed beside him, thinking his shaking must have woken Scott. After all Scott had done for him, Isaac couldn’t even let the boy have a peaceful night’s sleep.
Isaac opened his mouth to whisper an apology but was cut off when he felt Scott’s firm grip on his arm.
“It’s okay, you’re safe for now.” Isaac felt his chest tense at the other boy’s words. He tried to think of another instance when someone showed him similar compassion but the first voice that came to mind said, “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Isaac shook the memory and squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on calming his body instead of reliving past moments. After a short while of continued shivers, Isaac felt Scott’s warmth as the boy moved slightly closer to him. Using his heightened senses to focus on the body heat, Isaac stopped shaking and was able to relax. Scott’s hand remained on Isaac’s arm even as the taller boy turned onto his side, away from his benefactor, but still close enough to feel the heat of his presence.
Isaac woke to the sound of Scott’s alarm clock with Scott’s arm draped over him. He could sense by warmth and scent that they had slept through the night without much movement. Instead of shrugging out of Scott’s loose embrace and ignoring the fact they’d practically snuggled all night, Isaac relished the affectionate contact and ignored the blaring of the alarm. It wasn’t until he felt Scott move that he revealed himself to be awake.
Groaning and stuffing his face into Scott’s pillow after glimpsing at the clock, he asked, “Why the hell do you get up at six AM?”
Scott reached over Isaac and hit the alarm off before getting out of bed. “My mom won’t be in to check on me for at least another hour. You’re fine, go back to sleep.”
Again, Scott’s unabashed compassion caused a twist in Isaac’s chest. With his face in the pillow and the soft sounds of Scott moving around the room, Isaac realized he hadn’t felt this safe in a very long time.
♠ ♠ ♠
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