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"You'll find someone," Scott tells him.
It's the irony not the certainty that makes Isaac uncomfortable. "Uh, thanks?"
Prom is next week. Scott's going with Allison, and Isaac's going alone. Scott's meeting his eyes. The smooth smile that graces his lips is confident and relaxed. Defiance strikes Isaac, and he has the urge to say what he's thinking if only to wipe the smile off Scott's face. He doesn't though. Scott's innocent, and Isaac doesn't have the heart to take his bitterness out on him.
He forces himself to smile back and doesn't explain, 'I already found someone, but it doesn't count.'
Prom rolls around. Isaac doesn't go.
-
"Use a condom," Isaac jokes one Saturday night. It falls a little flat, his voice plain and smirk only half of what it normally is.
Scott laughs anyway, and Isaac can imagine the goofy and partially embarrassed grin on his face. He imagines because he doesn't look, forcing himself to focus on the TV instead. Isaac waves him off, and Scott leaves to go on his date with Allison. He only looks back at Scott when he's already walking out the door. His throat is dry when he swallows.
'Please don't have sex with her.'
The plea never makes it past Isaac's thoughts. The door shuts.
-
Scott's unsettled about Isaac moving out of the house. The truth is that Isaac is too, but he won't admit it. All of Isaac's bags are packed by two in the afternoon. Melissa hugs him and makes him promise to call her or Scott if he ever needs anything.
The apartment Isaac found from some online ad is dingy and rundown with filthy stains on the floor and cracks in the walls. The pipes are definitely faulty, and he's sure he'll discover that it's cockroach infested by week one of being there. He doesn't tell either of them this or why he's moving. He also doesn't tell them he can hardly afford it with his shitty job that tries to find any loophole possible to not pay him minimum wage.
Scott walks Isaac to his car--a Christmas present from Scott and Melissa that Isaac will never be able to repay them for. The interior of the car is spotless and smells of fresh coconuts thanks to the air freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror. The car is used, the paint is faded, there's scratches on the bumper that were there when he got it, and Isaac's obsessed with keeping it clean. It makes his single bag of stuff that he tossed into the passenger's seat look even smaller.
Isaac glances at the mattress strapped to the roof of his car and tries to will it to make him feel complete. Scott looks about as lost as Isaac feels. Isaac debates backing down from his earlier statement and allowing Scott to come with him to the apartment. He'd see how awful, seedy, and how completely uninhabitable it is. Maybe--. Scott's mouth hangs open, and Isaac's chest tightens.
'Ask me to stay.'
Isaac feels hopeful, which in the end makes him feel dumb when Scott offers instead, "Have a safe trip."
Scott's farewell is sad but genuine, and Isaac hates how he can't hate Scott for giving him the space that Isaac asked for. Isaac promises at the last minute, "I'll text you when I'm unpacked."
Scott smiles, and it's almost enough.
-
They get into an argument almost a month later. It starts in Stiles's house and drags itself out into the driveway. It's needless to say movie night is cut short this Friday, which is unfortunate since this is the first movie night Isaac has attended in weeks. Isaac storms towards his car, and Scott's right on his heels. Scott jumps in between Isaac and the car door before Isaac can reach the handle. Isaac's eyes flare gold, and a growl rumbles in his throat.
"Get out of my way," he warns.
Scott deflates a little but stays put. His lips are pressed into a thin line. He's clearly irritated, but he's not angry like Isaac is. He looks more like he's ready to huff out a sigh than shout. He does sigh, and his chest heaves from the weight of it. "Isaac, you can just tell me."
"I already did," Isaac snaps. He knows what Scott meant but doesn't want to open up a discussion. "Move."
"I know it's me, okay?"
Isaac hesitates. Scott's shoulders slump, and he continues, "I don't know what I did, but I know you've been mad at me about something for awhile now. I... I can't fix this if you don't tell me what's wrong."
The anger seeps out of Isaac. The chirping of locusts fill in the gap of their conversation when they take a minute to clear the air. A small smile forms on Scott's face when he senses a compromise.
A ringing cuts through the air and startles both of them. It's Scott's phone, and Isaac recognizes the ringtone. Isaac's expression hardens, and he mocks, "You gonna answer that?"
Scott looks down at the phone resting in his pocket but doesn't pull it out. "I'll call her back."
Isaac rolls his eyes and pushes Scott out of his way when he reaches around him to open the car door. He plops down into the driver's seat and grumbles out, "Good night, Scott."
Isaac makes it to his apartment ten minutes later, and the rattling of the engine gradually becomes silent when he turns the key. He presses his forehead against the steering wheel and realizes his heart's beating faster than usual. He feels shaky, sickly even. He closes his eyes and doesn't get out of the car. There's an ache in his chest, and he thinks about all the things he could have said to Scott. There had been a thought dancing on the tip of his tongue that he had wanted to say but couldn't.
'I'd do anything for you to look at me the way you look at her.'
Scott calls him twice. Isaac doesn't answer.