“The Winter … ” she repeated slowly. “Oh! Oh, of course. Yes, I’d love to go with you.” She grinned at him. “I was worried it was something awful, Isaac!”
His entire face lit up with a blinding smile. “Really? And…it could be something awful — we have to dress up and go dancing,” he pouted then and folded his arms across his chest.
“I like dressing up! Besides, I didn’t really get to go to a lot of dances when I was your age. It’ll be fun, Isaac! Dancing isn’t hard.” Leaning over the arm of the couch, she reached out a hand to him. “You worry too much!”
The seneschal executed a brief bow and withdrew, leaving the bedroom door open but closing the door to the outer chamber. After a discreet few moments a young boy, hardly more than ten, opened the door cautiously. “Milord? I’m supposed to help you dress … “
Dressed in his undergarments as he attempted to find the remainder of his clothing, Isaac whirled to face the small child hovering in the doorway, and he regarded him with pity. “I’m mostly done, child, but thank you all the same.” He flashed him a polite smile and then frowned. “But if you could help me find my clothing, that would be much appreciated?”
Silently, the boy pointed to a shirt draped over the firetools, then knelt to reach under a chair. He reappeared with Isaac’s breeches and an expression that suggested he thought Isaac was a bit slow.
Summer ruffled Isaac’s curls before taking his arms and drawing him toward the bathroom again. “You are not getting a list right now. Right now we’re going to take a /short/ shower and you’re going to behave and not tease and then we’re going to get Mexican.” He grinned widely. “Because you love Mexican.”
Wriggling into Summer’s hand as his fingers moved through his hair, Isaac smirked playfully and allowed his boyfriend to take the lead, laughing. “So bossy, but I love you anyway. And I do love Mexican, but not as much as you.” He hummed and pressed a kiss to his cheek, before moving to turn the shower on.
True to his word, Summer clamped an iron control over himself, watching Isaac as little as possible. He washed himself with still-familiar efficiency and climbed out quickly, wrapping a towel around his waist and staring at himself in the foggy mirror.
By about the third hesitation, Summer was kneeling on the couch, watching him with a perplexed expression. “Isaac, what in the world are you talking about? Go where?”
Trying to calm down his panicked babbling, Isaac took a deep breath and licked at his lips, forcing himself to maintain eye contact. “I…the, um, the Winter Formal.”
“The Winter … ” she repeated slowly. “Oh! Oh, of course. Yes, I’d love to go with you.” She grinned at him. “I was worried it was something awful, Isaac!”
He wasn’t allowed to sit alone for longer than it took to think that thought. The seneschal looked briefly appalled at Isaac’s state of dress, then schooled his face. “Milord, we will need your assistance with the wedding plans. I shall send a manservant to assist you in dressing and escort you to the offices, if you please. Also you have an appointment with the tailor at one candlemark past nooning.”
Isaac lifted his head and locked wide eyes on the person addressing him, nodding with obvious reluctance. As excited as he was about the approaching wedding, he was nervous too, and he was relieved that they weren’t being left to organise and orchestrate the entire thing themselves, obviously. “Thank you,” he stated simply with a polite nod, before standing up to search for some clothes, not entirely comfortable with a manservant seeing him like this, even if it was the norm.
The seneschal executed a brief bow and withdrew, leaving the bedroom door open but closing the door to the outer chamber. After a discreet few moments a young boy, hardly more than ten, opened the door cautiously. “Milord? I’m supposed to help you dress … “
Helios lifted himself up on his back legs to push at Isaac’s hand, purring loudly. “What is it?” Making an exaggerated ‘oof’ noise, she took his backpack and carried it over to the couch to join her pile of classwork. “Do you need my help with a paper again?”
Picking Helios up without a second thought, Isaac cradled him to his chest and followed after her, looking increasingly more nervous as he ducked his head. “No. I, um…well, it’s…you could be busy and that’s fine, it’s not that big a deal, maybe for girls but I kind of…I do want to go but only if you do and well…I’m making a mess of this…” he babbled quickly, distracting himself by scratching behind Helios’ ear once again.
By about the third hesitation, Summer was kneeling on the couch, watching him with a perplexed expression. “Isaac, what in the world are you talking about? Go where?”
They made brief work of the breakfast, though it was effort to keep their hands from one another. When Maire blew back in, therefore, Summer cast an apologetic glance at Isaac. Going to him, she touched his cheek and whispered, “I’ll see you later today, alright?”
“Come on, ducky, it’s time to measure you for the wedding dress.”
Enjoying a breakfast with his beloved seemed like a perfect way to begin the day (after their brief interruptions, of course), but all too soon, it was over and Summer was being ushered away.
“I’ll see you later.” He pressed a quick kiss to her wrist and then sat back in his chair, not entirely sure what he should be doing in her absence. Training seemed like a safe option.
He wasn’t allowed to sit alone for longer than it took to think that thought. The seneschal looked briefly appalled at Isaac’s state of dress, then schooled his face. “Milord, we will need your assistance with the wedding plans. I shall send a manservant to assist you in dressing and escort you to the offices, if you please. Also you have an appointment with the tailor at one candlemark past nooning.”
The empath pressed a brief kiss to Isaac’s shoulder. “Quit worrying,” he smiled. “Come in the shower with me, and stop fretting over every little thing.”
“I’m a worrier.” He shrugged and leaned back into the kiss, a wide smile stretching across his lips at the offer. “Yeah? I’d like that a lot, Summer.”
“Just as if we didn’t already do that earlier.” The words were snarky, but the tone was gentler, teasing. “That’s one of the things I love best about you — you never lose that wonder, that amazement, at what’s between us.”
Summer opened the door, smiling up at him and preventing Helios’ precipitate exit with one foot. “Hey, babe! How was school?” She pulled him inside, giving an exaggerated shiver, and stretched up for a kiss.
Leaning into the kiss and smiling widely at the much welcomed distraction, he slipped his way inside and reached down to scratch behind Helios’ ear. “It was alright. I…um…wanted to ask you something, actually?”
Helios lifted himself up on his back legs to push at Isaac’s hand, purring loudly. “What is it?” Making an exaggerated ‘oof’ noise, she took his backpack and carried it over to the couch to join her pile of classwork. “Do you need my help with a paper again?”
Of all people, it was Jackson who slapped Isaac’s shoulder after lacrosse practise, muttering encouragement. Danny tipped him a wink, though, and Stiles was all but pushing him out the school doors as soon as they finished changing out.
Scott was oblivious, too absorbed in asking Kira to the dance no doubt. Although he might be mentioning Isaac’s dilemma to her, for she cast the curly werewolf a very knowing kind of glance over Scott’s shoulder. It was probably fortunate that none of the /other/ girls in the pack seemed to know.
Lydia’s advice might have been overwhelming for the shy boy.
Managing not to flinch violently at the other male’s unexpected contact, Isaac graced him with a brief smile and a faint nod, before turning on his heel and heading out of the lockers after showering and changing. Ensuring that he had his backpack hoisted up securely on his shoulder, he exhaled a deep breath and smiled at the others watching him intently.
Oblivious to everything else around him, Isaac had one though swirling constantly in his mind, and heading toward the parking lot, he jumped in the passenger seat of Stiles’s Jeep, distracted from the boy’s usual chattering. Before he knew it, he was outside Summer’s home, and he licked at his lips, before entering the building and knocking on the door.
Summer opened the door, smiling up at him and preventing Helios’ precipitate exit with one foot. “Hey, babe! How was school?” She pulled him inside, giving an exaggerated shiver, and stretched up for a kiss.