quoth the raven

The second they walked through the door, Angel was already babbling to David about their day.

They kicked off their shoes by the door, loudly recounting the details to their boyfriend, who sat in the living room. Grabbing a snack from the fridge, they went to sit beside him as he typed something into his computer.

"And so I was just trying to get my work done, then Kevin, of all people, decides to come up and ask me if-"

David grumbled as he cut them off. "Angel, can't you see I'm trying to focus? Why do you always talk so much?"

Angel's face fell as David continued typing. He didn't even look up to talk to them.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't..." Tears started to well up in their eyes as their face burned with embarrassment, "I'll just... I'll leave you alone then, I guess. Sorry."

They stood up and walked away quickly. They hated the idea of crying in front of David, especially if he's busy.

I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay, they repeated the mantra over and over in their head as they locked themself in the bathroom of their apartment.

Angel felt absolutely pathetic there, sobbing in the bathroom over one little comment their boyfriend made. It shouldn't even be a huge deal, but they hated the idea that David might not like something about them. He was a big, strong, alpha wolf, and he needed a partner that wasn't just going to sit there and annoy him all the time.

Someone who isn't me, they thought. Someone as strong as him, someone who doesn't break down at every tiny comment.

They had stayed in the bathroom for maybe five minutes before they heard David.

"Angel? Angel, where are you?" He sounded concerned. Upset, even. "Please, talk to me,"

Great. First they made him lose focus, and now they made him upset. They really were the worst fucking partner.

If they weren't so fucking annoying-

David knocked on the door abruptly, interrupting their self deprecating spiral.

"Are you in there, Angel?" he asked softly.

Briefly, they considered staying quiet, but then they realized he could probably sense them through the door already. He knew they were there.

"Yeah," they called out quietly, "I'm okay. Just... go back to work, okay? Don't worry about me. I'm- I'm fine." They hoped he would just leave. They hated crying in front of anyone, especially him.

"Are you crying?"

"I- no, I'm- I'm not crying," They were definitely crying.

"Can I come in, Angel?"

They really didn't want him to see them like this. "No, I'm sorry,"

"Okay. Can we just keep talking like this?" They heard a light thump from the other side of the door, meaning David had probably sat down on the floor somewhere.

Angel nodded, "Yeah."

"Did something happen? Was it a bad day at work or something?"

"No, it wasn't- it's not that."

"Okay. Well, you know I'm here for you, right? You can talk to me about anything."

They cringed at his words. No you can't, a tiny voice spoke in the back of their mind. You don't need to keep bothering him with your stupid fucking emotions. Get over it.

They shuddered, like they were trying to shake off the bad thoughts. "There's- there's nothing to talk about."

"You've been crying alone in a locked bathroom for ten minutes. There's definitely something to talk about."

"Not like you'll listen, anyways..." They mumbled.

"What was that?"

Angel didn't respond.

"I'm coming in, okay?"

Still nothing.

The door creaked slightly as it opened, and David was met with the sight of Angel- his Angel- sitting alone on the bathroom floor, hugging their knees, crying.

"I'm sorry," they whispered.

David sat down next to them, "For what?"

"I- I know that you're really busy and I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you lose focus like that, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to distract you and-" They started to cry again, getting more and more hysterical as they spoke- "and I'm sorry for talking so much I know I'm just being annoying and I-"

David put up his hands to stop them, "Woah, Angel, it's okay." he nudged closer to them, "Can I hold you?" They nodded, and he scooped them up into his arms. They hated how they relied on him, even after he'd said that.

"You weren't annoying me,"

"But you-" their voice was still shaky- "you said I talk to much and I was distracting you, I really didn't mean to-"

David pulled them in closer and ran his hands through their hair, "Angel, I'm... I didn't mean it like that, I..." He listened as they started to cry again, "I'm so sorry, Angel, I thought that you'd realize I wasn't serious,"

Angel looked up at him, eyes watery, "You... you weren't?"

"No, of course not," He kissed their forehead, "I love hearing you talk. I love hearing about the bullshit Kevin pulled and how Linda's affair is going. I love hearing about how you built your newest Minecraft house. Fuck, I love hearing everything you have to say because I love you."

"Really?"

"Yes. And I'm so sorry I made you think otherwise. You're my Angel, my everything. I'm..." He sighed, "I'm really bad at knowing when to stop sometimes. I'm not good at reading people so I can't always tell when I've gone too far,"

Angel nodded.

"Please, if I ever do anything that makes you feel bad, tell me," He held them even closer. "I love you, baby,"

"I love you too, Davey,"

It was barely 10pm when Darlin' fell asleep, and Sam decided to make them a decent meal for when they woke up. That is, he did, until he opened their fridge and saw the usual condiments and no real ingredients.

Sam sighed and checked on the wolf again. Still passed out. He decided they'd be okay if he went on a short trip to the store.

He ran his fingers through their hair gently. "I'll be right back, my darlin'."

***

Darlin' woke up with an awful headache. They groaned as they sat up, almost falling off the couch. Everything was too bright and loud and their head was pounding and their stomach was grumbling and god they just wanted to pass out again-

But then there was Sam, turning off the lights, holding them close, and whispering sweetly in their ear. He was being so gentle, treating them the same care and attention that someone would use with an injured puppy.

"You have a migraine, darlin'. Can I help?" He asked asked quietly, in barely a whisper, but darlin' could still hear a hint of his sweet southern drawl.

"Yes. Please." Darlin' tried to nod, but it hurt too much.

Sam held their face in his hands, placing his thumbs delicately on their temples. "Alright darlin', take a deep breath for me."

A rush of energy filled their head and then was gone, taking all the dizziness and pain with it. They finally relaxed into his arms, sighing heavily and leaning into him chest.

"Are you still tired? I can leave you alone if you want to go back to sleep," Sam ran his hands through their hair.

They shook their head, "No, no. It's fine," they tried to pull away and stand up, to no avail. "I'll be fine. I just need a minute."

"Darlin', please," Sam took their hand, "Let me take care of you."

They sighed, avoiding eye contact. "Fine."

"Are you hungry at all? I made you somethin' to eat, if you're up to it."

"Can we just stay here?"

"Of course. Do you need anything from me?"

"Just keep holding me."

"I can do that, darlin'." He held them close, feeling his breath hitch when they clung to his shirt. Were they... were they shivering? "Darlin', you're freezing,"

"It's not that bad."

"Here, just-" Sam shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around their shoulders. "Take this."

"Won't you get cold?"

"I can handle it."

Darlin' scoffed. "Hypocrite."

Sam laughed. They loved his laugh. It was sweet as sugar and smooth as honey, like music to their ears. They wanted to hear that laugh forever. And paired with his smile? That would be a recipe for Darlin's destruction.

"You're too good to me," They sighed dreamily, "you give me too much, Sammy."

"I would give you the world if I could."

They didn't know how to respond. Sam must've felt them tense, the way he pulled them onto his lap and ran his hands through their hair, holding them a little tighter.

"Are you hungry yet, darlin'?"

They nodded, "I'm not sure I can stand just yet,"

"That's alright, I'll bring it here." He kissed the top of their head before retrieving their dinner from the kitchen. "I made your favorite,"

He smiled at Darlin' while he handed them the plate, making heat rise to their cheeks and butterflies take flight in their stomach.

Both of them ate their dinner in comfortable silence, simply content in each other's presence.

Talking wasn't something that Darlin' enjoyed, so their time together was usually more like this. Quiet, comfortable, content. Darlin' appreciated Sam's patience with them, and they were still trying to wrap their head around the fact that he cared enough to wait.

They hadn't expected him to stick around for so long. But he stayed. He stayed by their side through beatings and bruises and blisters and breakdowns. He stayed because he cared. The very idea of that baffled them.

Sam noticed the wolf's eyes beginning to droop. "You gettin' tired, darlin'?"

They nodded sleepily.

"Here, just-" he put their dishes aside- "let me carry you to bed."

"Jesus, Sam, my legs aren't fucking broken-"

He cut them off, "Remember what I said about lettin' me take care of you?" He brought his hand up to their cheek and cupped their face gently. "You're exhausted, and you might pass out if you try to stand right now."

They sighed while leaning into his hand. "Fine. Do what you want."

"Thank you, darlin'. Now c'mere." He pulled them close again and scooped them up into his arms, carrying them bridal style to their bed. "You're real cute when you're sleepy. Nice break from all the, uh... you know. Self-destructive violence."

"Thin ice, Collins."

He laughed quietly, "You look adorable all curled up in my arms. Even when you're threatening me."

They were grateful for the darkness in the apartment, so he wouldn't be able to see the blush that danced across their face.

He placed them gently on their bed, pulling the blanket up close to their chin. He pulled up a chair next to them. He desperately wanted to climb into bed and hold them, he wanted to cuddle them and squeeze them and kiss them and give them all the love they deserved. But he held back.

"Sammy?" Sam's heart swelled at the nickname.

"Yes, darlin'?"

"Can you stay with me?"

"Of course, darlin'. I'm stayin' right here until you wake up."

"No, I meant- um," they shifted uncomfortably, "I meant, could you hold me? Please?"

Sam was startled by that question. "Are you sure? I know you're not really one for, uh... physical affection,"

"If you don't want to it's fine,"

"No, no. I want to, I just..." He laughed quietly, "I thought maybe you'd have had enough of me by now. Last thing I wanna do is make you uncomfortable, darlin'. I just wanna make sure-"

"I'm sure." They looked up at him with their beautiful eyes. Sam loved their eyes. He loved that they trusted him enough to let him see them.

"Okay, darlin'. I'd be happy to hold you." He climbed into bed beside them, putting his arm over them hesitantly.

It wasn't until his wolf turned around and nuzzled into his chest that he really held them.

"Thank you, Sammy," They sighed sleepily, "for everything."

mkay so im going the classic found family route with this and say it's something similar to this post (by the lovely @cottagecorexboy)

i'm also imagining a sort of gilmore girls-y relationship where they're parent and child but they're also like besties yknow

so p much asher meets orphan kid they bond asher adopts kid pack also collectively adopts kid so now asher has a kid good for him

ok so

asher is most definitely a classic rock/punk dad you can pry my punk asher headcanons from my cold dead hands

like every morning on the way to school he's blasting green day or ac/dc or queen or something this kid cannot get in a car with him without hearing some sort of rock music

also i think asher is the type of guy to always be watching something on his phone without headphones

like he doesn't do it in public but when he's home it's like a cloud of noise just follows him around so you always know where he is

definitely doesn't know how to say no, especially to his beloved child

they don't even have to ask they just look at something in the store for more than three seconds and asher just plops it in the cart without saying anything

they!! cook!! together!!

we all know asher is an awful cook but he makes an effort to cook with his kid at least once a week for Father Child Bonding™

plus now he's also getting better at cooking it's a win-win

if the kid is empowered, asher is there and willing to answer any questions they have about their powers or helping them find someone who can

if they're scared or nervous, he is literally so patient and caring with them he just wants them to be okay and safe 😭😭😭

they're super anxious meeting the pack for the first time but everyone loves them so much

asher: this is my kid

pack: *insert communism meme* OUR kid

within like a month this kid went from having no dad to having one dad and then to an entire wolf pack of parents

if they're empowered they have an entire community to help them understand their powers and teach them anything they need to know

especially asher. he is so supportive of everything they do so if they want to know more about magic, he's right there to help

the wolf pack

david

maybe i just have a thing for big tough men doing stereotypically feminine things but like. he does ballet

he primarily does gymnastics actually but he started ballet to help keep him flexible and in shape since he wasn't able to go to the gym all the time

he ended up kinda loving it so he just stuck with it and now it's a big hobby of his

asher

hip hop and contemporary!!

he has a massive collection of dance shoes. doesn't matter if they're falling apart. he keeps them a l l

def goes viral on tiktok for making dances and teaching them

ends up getting a part time job as a contemporary dance instructor and all his students love him

milo

i see him more as a musician guy but if i had to pick,,,,

probably jazz or tap

he practices routines on the balcony of his apartment. neighbors hate him

prefers to practice alone but he'll perform for sweetheart or asher if they nag him enough

solaire clan

vincent

absolutely no one can convince me that this man, who is literally elegance incarnate, isn't a trained ballroom dancer

he just is ok it's a no brainer

at some point he brings lovely to their living room or something to dance and they're like

'wow vincent you're really good at this' and he's like 'oh yeah i do ballroom dancing'

sir what

i think he just got bored at some point after his turning and decided to take up ballroom dancing

sam

cooouuuuntryyyyy boooyyyyyyyy

y'all already know the answer. line and square dancing

he was definitely raised in the south and learned there so he knows lots of country-ish dances like that

what do you mean im just a simp for southern gentleman cowboy sam idk what you're talking about

Three times.

Three times Sam had patched them up after a fight.

Two times they'd won.

And one time they'd lost.

Sam only made it in time because they called him. In any other circumstance he'd be happy that they were able to get over themselves and ask for help, but this situation was a little more life-threatening.

The door was open when he got there.

The wolf he'd grown so fond of was barely alive. They had collapsed flat on their back in the middle of the already bloodstained carpet.

He did his best.

***

"Are you sure you're alright with this? I don't have to stay if I'm needed back there."

"Sam, it's fine. I'll watch the kids, you just stay there and make sure they're okay."

Vincent hung up and left Sam standing alone in the kitchen. He sighed and put his phone back in his pocket, heading back out to the wolf in the living room.

"Well if it isn't my favorite bloodsucker," They smiled weakly at him, and he was at their side immediately.

"Are you fuckin' crazy darlin'?"

They settled back into their spot on the couch. "And now here's the lecture."

"Yes, it's the lecture now. You're lucky to be alive."

"Sam-"

"I told you to not fly off the handle! He almost killed you!" His voice became louder.

"Sam, please-"

"Gettin' yourself killed ain't gonna fix any of the shit quinn's done. It ain't gonna do shit! All it's gonna do is kill you!" He was yelling now.

The wolf shot upright and yelled back. "GOD DAMN IT SAM, DON'T YOU GET IT? IT ISN'T ABOUT QUINN. AND IT NEVER FUCKING HAS BEEN."

He didn't know what to say.

It wasn't about Quinn.

If it wasn't about Quinn, then what was it about?

They apparently took his silence as a bad sign, "Get out."

"No."

"Get out or I drag you out."

"I'm not leavin', darlin'."

They sat there with their head in their hands.

"I don't get it." They were quiet. "I don't get why you care so much."

Sam felt his heart shatter at their words.

"Can I-" He paused, "Can I hold you, darlin'?"

They looked up at him, eyes red and puffy, with tears streaming down their face.

"Yes." They whispered, "Please."

He took a seat next to them on their couch and gently took them into his arms.

They stayed like that, Sam holding them firmly in his arms while they cried.

He gently ran his fingers through their hair. "It's okay, darlin'." Tears started to leak from his eyes too. "It's okay now. I'm here, and I'm not letting go."

"I'm so sorry, Sam," He'd never heard them sound so vulnerable, "You weren't supposed to be here. It would've been so much easier if you weren't here. But now, I just-"

"Hey, hey. You listen to me, darlin'." He tilted their head up so they faced him. "It's gonna be alright."

They pulled away from him. "That's the problem, Sammy."

"What do you mean that's the problem? Darlin', what's goin' on?"

"It wasn't supposed to be alright. That's why it's harder with you here." They sighed. "Because now you're starting to make me feel like... I don't know, like I matter."

Sam pulled them back into a hug. "Fuck, darlin', you-" he took a deep breath- "You do matter. You matter a whole fuckin' lot."

"To who?"

Sam held them close and cried, "You matter to your whole pack. They care about you a whole lot."

And then he looked at them with so much love and adoration in his eyes that they thought they were going to burst, "And so do I, darlin'. I care about you a whole lot. I love you."

"Stop it." Darlin pulled away from him. "You don't love me. Don't say that."

"Darlin', I-" Sam tried to hold them again but they stood up and walked across the room.

They paced around, pressing their palms into their temples. "Don't you dare lie to me again."

Sam stood up, "Who the hell are you to tell me how I feel?"

"I know you don't mean it, okay? You don't have to lie to save my feelings. It's fine. I get it."

He walked over to them. "Darlin', I mean it," He took their hands in his. "I love you. I care about you. I want you to be safe, and happy. I love you, darlin'. I love you a whole lot."

Darlin's eyes began to water again. "You really mean that?"

"Of course. I love you. And it makes me real sad that you don't believe I could love you." Darlin' began to sob again as he spoke.

"I-" they cried harder- "fuck, Sam, I don't-"

"It's okay, darlin'. You don't have to say anything." He hesitated. "You're still hurt."

"I- yeah,"

Sam held out his arms. "Here, let me hold you. I'll finish healin' you and you can get some proper rest. How does that sound?"

They nodded softly and fell into his arms, clinging to him desperately. God, they were hurt worse than he thought.

He carried them back to the couch and placed them down gently. "Can I touch, darlin'?"

They nodded again. "You don't have to ask."

"I like askin'. I want to make sure you're comfortable."

They turned slightly to look at him. They looked so exhausted. "Thank you, Sammy."

just davey

davey has two necklaces that he wears all the time. one of them is one of gabe's old rings on a chain and the other is a locket that angel gave him for his birthday

the locket has a picture of angel on one side and a picture of him, asher, and milo on the other

he has longer hair that is almost always up in a bun or a ponytail

sometimes when angel gets stressed he lets them braid his hair

eventually it became a stress reliever for him too so he always asks angel to braid his hair after a rough day

lots of piercings

he has like 4 piercings on each ear and a nose stud

i could also see him with a medusa or labret piercing, also a septum ring

gabe was definitely very punk and he went all in to the aesthetic. like a million face piercings, tattoos, stretched ears, sides shaved, silver jewelry, studded leather jackets. like the whole thing

so davey was able to start getting piercings pretty much as soon as he turned 16

wolf packs/vamp clans

speaking of tattoos

i think that a lot of groups like wolf packs or vampire clans will traditionally have identifiable symbols that they wear all the time

traditionally these symbols would be tattoos, but things like rings necklaces, and bracelets are also acceptable and much more common

most of the shaw pack has jewelry but david wanted to get it tattooed. however he still has a ring and he wears it often

it's also not a requirement as an alpha or beta to get it tattooed, it's completely up to the person (asher's is a necklace)

this is just lore brain working overtime but i feel like most packs/clans could have some sort of rite of passage to officially join and get their symbol

for wolf packs i imagine it's something like a wolf's first group hunt or something

with vamps it's much less formal like they get turned and the clan king basically asks if they want to stay and if they say yes they get their symbol

with packs i think there's like. not really a ceremony but it's a big thing for a person to get their symbol

some time is set aside at the end of the next pack meeting to congratulate the newest official pack member and they get their jewelry or they show off their tattoo for the first time

traditionally if someone chooses to get the tattoo it's overseen by the alpha, and some packs actually have the alpha do the tattoo

the shaw pack is one of those packs

gabe knew how to tattoo and did david's, and eventually taught david how to do it himself. david actually really enjoys it and finds that he likes spending that time with individual pack members

n e wayz drawing time!! i included the shaw pack symbol i designed bc i like erik's but i was chronically bored that day. it's meant to kind of resemble an S

mkay so we all know he is not the most physically affectionate person

but when he gets clingy, he gets clingy

i imagine he usually gets clingy when he's really tired or overwhelmed

so angel will immediately know something's wrong bc as soon as they get home davey is hugging them and nuzzling into their neck and just being super soft and cuddly

angel is immediately like "something is wrong. what's wrong"

and davey is also not one for talking about his problems so he just kinda grunts and pulls them onto the couch or bed or whatever soft piece of furniture is closest and cuddle all the pain away

if we're talking just regular davey though, i think his love language is quality time

so he just constantly wants to be around his loved ones. all the time.

like when he and asher were roommates, anytime asher was doing anything not in his private space david would be there too. anytime ash tries to call him on it david gets all grumpy and he makes this exact face

>:(

and he says something like "i don't know what you're talking about, this is a complete coincidence im just doing [insert random task here that he definitely wasn't doing]"

he does the same thing with angel when they start living together

as much as he complains about angel's gaming habits, any time they are sitting playing one of their so-called "pointless games" david is always nearby.

maybe he has work to do and he just happened to move next to angel bc oh the wifi is better in there or there's better lighting

angel sees through all of his excuses ofc

he's a pretty awful liar when it comes to this kind of stuff

he just wants to be near his mate bc he's actually a big softie but he denies it every chance he gets bc. yknow. he has his badass pack alpha rep to keep up.

Emerson yawned and looked to the clock on his bedside table. 9:15 am on Thursday, June 24th. He'd been staying with David Shaw for almost two months now.

A pit grew in his stomach. June 24th.

He sighed and got up to get dressed for the day.

Walking downstairs, he was greeted by the smell of waffles and David standing in the kitchen in his pajamas.

"Hey kiddo. How'd you sleep?" he asked.

"Fine." Emerson grabbed some waffles and started eating.

David looked over his shoulder skeptically, "Is something wrong?"

Emerson said nothing.

"Is it something you can't talk about?"

He nodded, mumbling, "Sorry,"

"Don't be, it's fine. If you don't want to talk, you don't want to talk. Just know I'm here if you need me."

He nodded again. "Thanks."

David grabbed his own plate of waffles and sat down at the table. "I have some, uh... pack matters to deal with this morning, so Asher and Milo offered to pick you up and hang out with you today."

"Okay." Emerson glanced at the time. 9:27 am. He tried to ignore the date.

A few more minutes passed before someone came knocking at the door, and he grabbed his phone before opening it.

Asher grinned. "Hey Em! Do I get a hug from my favorite nephew?" He held out his arms.

"Not today, sorry." Emerson forced a smile.

"Okay then, let's get moving."

***

David had three hours to set everything up after Emerson left.

He knew Emerson didn't want a big party. But he also knew that he'd never had a real birthday before. And he knew he wanted to make him feel loved, and cared for.

He wanted his son to be happy.

And he was determined to make that happen.

***

Milo knocked on the door, which Emerson thought was weird.

"I have a key," He said, "Is it locked?"

Milo looked panicked, "No! I- I'd just rather wait for David."

As if on cue, the door opened to reveal David, covered in flour and frosting.

Emerson looked at him. "What happened to you?"

The wolves glanced at each other.

"You guys are all acting weird today. What's going on?"

Asher finally spoke up, "Let's just tell him, David."

Emerson felt the anxiety start to build up in his core. His mind filled to the brim with everything he thought he'd done wrong. They were going to kick him out again. They were leaving. They were leaving, they were leaving, they were leaving-

"Woah, Em!" David caught him as his knees buckled and he almost fell to the ground. Everyone was talking but he couldn't hear them anymore. All he could hear was the cacophony of voices in his head, shouting at him.

David brought him inside and sat him on the couch. The tears finally escaped from his eyes as his brain screamed at him. He wanted them to be quiet. He begged them to be quiet.

He hadn't realized he had started hitting his head until David took him firmly by the wrist, but it was still so loud. Asher was trying to talk to him, so was David. His head was still screaming. It was too much. Too much, too much, too much-

David finally started to realize what was going on and grabbed his headphones from the table, making sure the noise cancelling was on before placing them gently over Emerson's head.

In an instant, he switched from David to Pack Alpha and gave some orders to Asher and Milo, who scrambled to do whatever David had asked. He sat there with Emerson for a moment, presumably making sure he didn't start hitting or scratching himself again.

Soon, all three wolves were back and Emerson had a weighted blanket around his shoulders and his favorite plushie in his hands. His head finally started to quiet down, and his eyes began to dry. He leaned into David, who was instantly doing his best to comfort the kid in front of him.

***

Eventually Emerson took off his headphones, and David motioned for Asher and Milo to wait outside before trying to talk to him.

"Hey kid. Are you feeling any better?" he asked softly.

Emerson nodded.

"Do you think you can talk at all?"

He hesitated before nodding again.

"Okay. Do you think you can tell us what happened?"

Emerson's breathing was still shaky, but he nodded. "You were just-" he sniffled- "you were trying to get me out of the house and then when I came back and you wouldn't tell me what was going on, I just panicked, and..." he felt sick to his stomach again.

David still looked concerned. "And what?"

At that point, Emerson was clinging to David like his life depended on it. He was close to tears again as he spoke, "I really like it here and I really like living with you and this is the happiest I've been in a really long time and I get that you probably don't care about me but I really don't want to be alone again," He began to cry again openly, "please- please don't leave me. I don't think i can take it if anyone else leaves me again,"

David was practically in shock as Emerson hugged him. He hated the thought that he might've made him feel unwanted. "Hey, listen to me for a second." Emerson looked up a him, brown eyes full of tears. "Why would you think I don't care?" David asked.

"What?"

"Why would you think that I don't care about you?"

"Well, because most people don't. It's okay, I know I'm too much and I'm too annoying and I can't control my magic and-" David cut him off.

"Hey. You're not too much. You're not too annoying. You're a person, and you deserve to be loved." He held his son closer. "Anyone who told you otherwise is wrong. They told you that because they were selfish and manipulative, and they didn't realize how lucky they were to have you in their lives."

Emerson looked up at him with big brown eyes. "So you're not... you're not leaving? Or kicking me out?"

"I'm not. I'm so sorry I made you think that,"

David wasn't used to giving apologies. He was the stoic pack alpha, and he prided himself on making good decisions that made most people happy.

But he'd fucked this one up pretty bad.

Emerson wiped his tears on his sleeve, "Then why won't you tell me what's going on?"

"I'm so sorry, kid. I didn't want to tell you because it was supposed to be a surprise," David sighed. He made a mental note: no more surprises.

"What are you talking about?"

David got up and motioned for his son to follow him to the kitchen.

Emerson followed, still dragging his blanket around his shoulders.

"Ta-da," David ruffled his son's hair. Emerson looked around the room.

There was a sign hanging from the ceiling that read "Happy Birthday" in big cursive letters. On the counter he saw a chocolate cake decorated with baby blue frosting flowers. Emerson's favorite snacks were on plates around the room, and streamers decorated the walls.

"You... you did this all for me?"

"Of course we did, kiddo."

"Why?" He looked bewildered, almost confused.

David's chest tightened as he stared at Emerson. His son. "Because we care about you. A lot. We did it because we love you and we want you to be happy,"

"Well, yeah, but..." Emerson rocked back and forth on his heels, "this is too much. I- I'm not sure I deserve all of-" David sat down on the floor in front of his son.

"You deserve it. I know you don't think you do, and you're not used to it, but you deserve it." he took Emerson's hand. "I know that you have a lot of bad memories associated with today, so Asher and Milo and I wanted to help you start making some good memories too,"

Emerson felt his eyes water again as he laughed, "God, please don't make me cry again,"

"Ok, sorry," David smiled. "If you're too overwhelmed, we can stop talking and just hang out. Or if you want Milo or Asher to leave and have it just be you and me, that's okay too. Everything is up to you, kiddo."

Emerson wiped the stray tears away from his eyes. "Can it just be us?"

David nodded, "Of course. So what do you want to do first?"

"Can we eat first? I'm kinda hungry,"

"Of course, kid."

***

By nine pm, they had just barely finished a movie when David glanced over to see Emerson, focus drifting and eyelids heavy with drowsiness.

"Hey," he nudged his shoulder, "are you getting tired?"

Emerson nodded, blinking slowly.

"Okay, kiddo. I think it's bedtime for you." David stood and scooped Emerson up in his arms, carrying him upstairs to his room.

By the time he tucked him into bed, Emerson was already half asleep.

David was about to leave when Emerson called out to him, "Hey, dad?"

Dad. He called him dad.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you,"

"Of course, Emerson. Happy birthday."

David Shaw wasn't an emotional man. He was an alpha wolf. Emerson and his pack was his family, and he would give his life for any of them.

David Shaw didn't know if his surrogate son was going to accept him as family too, but there he stood, smiling like an idiot, still processing the fact that his son just called him dad.

David Shaw wasn't an emotional man, but right then he felt tears well up as he looked at his son.