“Can you please sit down? You’re making me nervous, hovering all puppy-faced like that.” She wiped at her hands, exposing shallow, bloody scrapes and peeled up skin that oozed more blood. “Ugh, I’m not even going to be able to hold a pencil, am I.” Giving a sigh, she carefully toed off her shoes, and wiped again at her palms. “I want to find that guy and punch him in the nose.” She tried to tape gauze pads over her hands, and after a minute of struggling, looked up at Isaac. “Help?”
He nodded jerkily and dropped down onto a small section that she wasn’t taking up in her sprawled out position, the coppery smell of blood causing him to gag due to his heightened senses. “I’m sorry…this is all my fault…” he blurted out helplessly and rubbed at the back of his head, nodding then and reaching out to help her bandage up her injuries. “Like this?”
She hissed between her teeth again as he pressed gently against the gauze, pressed the medical tape down. “It’s not your fault at all. Whoever that blue eyed person is, it’s his fault. I was just walking back to my car, minding my own business, when he freaking jumped out from behind that big pine tree and /growled/ at me, all fangs and glowing eyes. And then Derek jumped out at me! I didn’t even know you were there until you called my name.” She studied her hands, wounds warded behind white cotton.
Then Summer reached out and closed her hands carefully over his. “I want to know /everything/. I need to understand. And I — I want to see. What you look like. Like that. Again.” She held tight, not wanting him to pull away. Needing him to understand that she didn’t want to let go; she just wanted to /know/.
Just having the foot up off the ground seemed to make an enormous difference in the pain. Summer put one arm around his neck; he seemed to take comfort in holding her other wrist, so she let him do that. Carefully she sorted through the keys in that hand until she came up with the house key. “Onward, brave knight,” she murmured, and unlocked the door. Helios inspected Isaac’s feet as they went in, but didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
“Can you get me a wet paper towel and the first aid kit from under the sink, please?”
Hating the fact that she would ask questions that he wouldn’t want to answer, but knowing that she deserved to know everything, Isaac simply nodded and headed towards the entrance, slowly carrying her up the stairs. Once inside her apartment, he lowered her to the sofa and eyed her sadly, before heading into the kitchen and gathering the desired items, handing them over before he hovered awkwardly at the foot of the sofa.
“Can you please sit down? You’re making me nervous, hovering all puppy-faced like that.” She wiped at her hands, exposing shallow, bloody scrapes and peeled up skin that oozed more blood. “Ugh, I’m not even going to be able to hold a pencil, am I.” Giving a sigh, she carefully toed off her shoes, and wiped again at her palms. “I want to find that guy and punch him in the nose.” She tried to tape gauze pads over her hands, and after a minute of struggling, looked up at Isaac. “Help?”
“I’m not going to yell at you,” she said, through her teeth, clenched against the pain. “I think you’ll have to carry me, though. It’s starting to throb, and if I just try to lean on you you will want to carry me anyway.” It hurt so much now she felt nauseous. “Please?”
Nodding, he gingerly scooped her up into her arms and resisted the urge to kiss her tenderly on the forehead. Instead, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist and winced, blackened, charcoal-coloured veins sticking out on his arms as he tried to take her pain away.
Just having the foot up off the ground seemed to make an enormous difference in the pain. Summer put one arm around his neck; he seemed to take comfort in holding her other wrist, so she let him do that. Carefully she sorted through the keys in that hand until she came up with the house key. “Onward, brave knight,” she murmured, and unlocked the door. Helios inspected Isaac’s feet as they went in, but didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
“Can you get me a wet paper towel and the first aid kit from under the sink, please?”
“I’m not sure I could stop you if you decided you wanted to,” she said lightly. “Let me see how bad it is … ” It was awkward getting out of the car at all; she had to brace almost all her weight on her hands, which hurt, in order to get turned so she could even get the non-wounded ankle out of the car to bear her weight. Stubbornly, not because she didn’t want him to carry her but because she hated being dependent on anyone, she struggled to her feet. Gingerly, leaning on the car, she hobbled around to the trunk, and tried to put weight on that foot.
It hurt. It hurt a lot. She leaned on the trunk of the car and tried to breathe.
“I would never do anything you didn’t want me to do, Summer! I thought you knew me better than that…” He spluttered out indignantly, hurt flickering across his face as he clambered out of the car and moved around to the driver’s side. Ready to help her should she ask or needed it, but it appeared she was refusing his assistance and he ignored how horrible that made him feel. “Summer…Summer, please let me help you? You can yell at me when you’re in your home, okay?”
“I’m not going to yell at you,” she said, through her teeth, clenched against the pain. “I think you’ll have to carry me, though. It’s starting to throb, and if I just try to lean on you you will want to carry me anyway.” It hurt so much now she felt nauseous. “Please?”
“Stop it!” It was a good thing they were at the last stoplight before her apartment complex. “Stop /saying/ that. I’m not — I’m not going to — let me make my own choices. Please.” She closed her hands too tightly on the wheel and flinched, hissing with pain. “Can we get inside and I wash off my hands before you decide I’m just going to — to hunt the wolf?”
Isaac jumped violently and bit down on his bottom lip, nodding and simply deciding to remain silent. As they rolled to a stop outside her home, he reached out and then retracted his hand as she cried out, unsure if she’d want him to touch her or not. “Okay…do…do you want me to carry you?”
“I’m not sure I could stop you if you decided you wanted to,” she said lightly. “Let me see how bad it is … ” It was awkward getting out of the car at all; she had to brace almost all her weight on her hands, which hurt, in order to get turned so she could even get the non-wounded ankle out of the car to bear her weight. Stubbornly, not because she didn’t want him to carry her but because she hated being dependent on anyone, she struggled to her feet. Gingerly, leaning on the car, she hobbled around to the trunk, and tried to put weight on that foot.
It hurt. It hurt a lot. She leaned on the trunk of the car and tried to breathe.
The laugh that escaped her was harsh and shocked. “The right moment? The right /moment/?” She couldn’t find any other words; it just seemed so absurd — she didn’t even know what kind of right moment he meant. “Wh-what kind of right moment is there for ‘I’m secretly a faery tale creatu—’ Oh, fuck me. What I said, the other night — the Red Riding Hood — oh my god.”
He flinched and scooted a little bit away from her to press against the door, wondering whether or not he should just run now, for she couldn’t possibly still want him if her tone was anything to go by. “I don’t know, okay? This…it’s become normal for me and I never thought I’d have to tell anybody about it, and you…I didn’t want to push you away, Summer…”
“Stop it!” It was a good thing they were at the last stoplight before her apartment complex. “Stop /saying/ that. I’m not — I’m not going to — let me make my own choices. Please.” She closed her hands too tightly on the wheel and flinched, hissing with pain. “Can we get inside and I wash off my hands before you decide I’m just going to — to hunt the wolf?”
She drove for a little distance before she answered, trying not to move her ankle too much or grip the steering wheel too hard. She realised she probably should have washed her hands off, or wrapped them in something, before they left, but it was too late now. “I’m not scared of you. I could never be scared of you. The … who had the blue eyes? He’s frightening. He popped out from behind a tree at me, for fuck’s sake.” Now that there was time between her and the incident, her fear was starting to convert to anger.
“He…I think he thought that you were a hunter, but I’ll ask him to apologise…I’m so sorry, Summer. I didn’t…I didn’t want you to find out this way.” He twisted to face her, his eyes comically wide as he gazed at her fearfully, flinching back from her anger. “I wanted to tell you myself, I was just waiting for the right moment.”
The laugh that escaped her was harsh and shocked. “The right moment? The right /moment/?” She couldn’t find any other words; it just seemed so absurd — she didn’t even know what kind of right moment he meant. “Wh-what kind of right moment is there for ‘I’m secretly a faery tale creatu—’ Oh, fuck me. What I said, the other night — the Red Riding Hood — oh my god.”
“Wh— no, no. It’s the other ankle. I’ll just wrap it up.” Very gently, she disentangled her hand from his, and turned the car on. “You aren’t a monster. I would know. It wasn’t you.” She looked down at the gearshift for a long moment, and her voice wobbled a little. “Will you stay with me?”
Clutching at his knees, he nodded slowly and exhaled a deep, shaking sigh. “But…I have fangs and everything. Aren’t you scared, Summer? I know you have a lot of questions…” He mumbled and then nodded, casting her a weak smile. “Always.”
She drove for a little distance before she answered, trying not to move her ankle too much or grip the steering wheel too hard. She realised she probably should have washed her hands off, or wrapped them in something, before they left, but it was too late now. “I’m not scared of you. I could never be scared of you. The … who had the blue eyes? He’s frightening. He popped out from behind a tree at me, for fuck’s sake.” Now that there was time between her and the incident, her fear was starting to convert to anger.
Summer jerked up, looking at him with wide eyes. “No, I don’t /hate/ you! Why would you even — ” Her mouth began to tremble, and she closed it sharply, and swallowed hard. “You’re still the same you. I know you are.” She squeezed his hand, and glanced toward her ankle. “I, um, I should get my ankle checked before I try to go running through the woods again.”
“I’m a monster…you were so scared that you screamed and fell…you got hurt because of me…” he whispered hoarsely and lowered his head, too afraid to look her in the eye for fear of what he might see there. “I…I’ve been wanting to tell you, but I just…I thought you wouldn’t believe me and I need you to…I can’t lose you, Summer. Not you…it would break me…” He trailed off then and bit down hard on his trembling bottom lip, before twisting to gaze at her foot. “Do…do you want me to drive you to the hospital?”
“Wh— no, no. It’s the other ankle. I’ll just wrap it up.” Very gently, she disentangled her hand from his, and turned the car on. “You aren’t a monster. I would know. It wasn’t you.” She looked down at the gearshift for a long moment, and her voice wobbled a little. “Will you stay with me?”
She reached out and put a hand over his, forcing it to be still. “I don’t understand /any/ of this. Who /were/ those people? Are you all werewolves? Were you — why do you all have different colour eyes?” She leaned forward, resting her head on the wheel, and made herself take a deep breath. “Do you — need to be out there with them? Because it’s the full moon?”
“Do you hate me?” Were the first words out of his mouth, his eyes widening as he appeared to realise that he’d uttered them aloud, before he exhaled a deep sigh and shrugged helplessly. “I…they’re my pack. Derek turned me – he’s the one with the red eyes, and he’s an Alpha. So’s Scott, actually, but he’s got in his own pack, but we all sort of…combined together when some bad stuff happened? It’s weird.” He rubbed the back of his neck, wondering if she even wanted to be around him right now. “Yes and no. My…my wolf part wants to, but my human part…I want to be here with you, Summer…”
Summer jerked up, looking at him with wide eyes. “No, I don’t /hate/ you! Why would you even — ” Her mouth began to tremble, and she closed it sharply, and swallowed hard. “You’re still the same you. I know you are.” She squeezed his hand, and glanced toward her ankle. “I, um, I should get my ankle checked before I try to go running through the woods again.”