Whumptober

Scars of the past

AI-less Whumptober Prompt 19: Left behind / Why wasn't I enough?

A/N: In this AU, Kira came to Beacon Hills and befriended Malia, and they started dating while Scott remained jealous (of both) Allison and Isaac until she died and Isaac disappeared (If it's not obvious, I might be a little bitter that we never got a Scisaac goodbye scene in the actual show).

Written by: a_written_simulacra

A/N: Huge shoutout to JuJuBeesAreCandy for reading this ahead of time, and also the concept of Theo being "a shadow" comes from her! If you haven't already, please go check out her work!

Isaac couldn't stop the trembling in his hands as he drove past the Welcome to Beacon Hills sign. Dread settled in his stomach, weighing him enough that he could've sworn the car slowed. He took a deep breath and tried to shake off the urge to slam on his brakes and turn around right there.

So much bad had happened in this city. So much death. So much pain. So much hurt.

Warm brown eyes flashed through his mind, and Isaac had to remind himself that there was good along with the bad.

Except, he wasn't entirely certain that Scott would even want to see him. He'd taken off without so much as a word. Packed up his things in the middle of the night and left with Argent to start over in France.

Except, the thing that no one tells you about starting over is that there's no such thing as a blank slate. No matter how much good happens, no matter how much changes, nothing can erase the scars of the past. They can heal, but the echo of the pain will always linger.

Isaac's heart thudded against his ribcage as he pulled into Scott's driveway.

As he killed the engine and slipped out of the car, a chill settled over Isaac that had nothing to do with the frost coating the ground. All he had to do was walk to the front door, ring the bell, and wait. But he couldn't make his feet move. Couldn't do anything over than stand on the gravel, his hand still gripping the door to his car, and try to turn his shallow, shuddering breaths into anything useful.

But every time he thought about the goofy grin on Scott's face, a blade to the chest quickly chased it away. The metallic scent of blood mixed with the bitter anguish of death.

Isaac took two more deep breaths, but if the years away couldn't diminish the pain, then what hope did he have in the next few minutes?

This was a mistake. He shouldn't have come.

Yanking the door back open, Isaac scrambled back into his car. The keys slipped out of his hands, and he couldn't find the ignition switch fast enough. He had to leave, had to get out of here before—

"Isaac?"

Standing in the doorway, with his fluffy brown hair and warm, open expression, was Scott. His shoulders were broader than Isaac remembered, and his jaw more defined. He looked—strong. Even before Scott had become an alpha, he'd been strong, but this wasn't newfound strength like it had been back then. This was the strength of an alpha who'd put in the time, the effort, to be as powerful as possible.

Guilt broke over Isaac like an icy breeze at the thought that Scott must have endured so much hardship without him. Then again, maybe it didn't matter. Maybe Scott had never needed Isaac. Maybe it had always been Isaac who had needed Scott.

"Isaac!" Scott exclaimed, a grin spreading across his full lips as he dashed out from the house and over to Isaac's car.

Isaac shoved his keys into his pocket and climbed back out of the car. He'd gone over and over in his mind what he'd say to Scott when he saw him, but the second that Scott's arms banded around him, squeezing the air from his lungs, all of those words vanished from his mind completely. He wanted to melt into the alpha's touch, let himself be swept up in the comforting scent of his old friend—jasmine mixed with citrus—but he couldn't. Not when all he could picture was the look on Scott's face as the life drained from Allison.