"Oi!"

Derek jerked out of bed and looked around his sparsely furnished room.

"Give it back, Izzy!" came a voice from outside the room.

"No! You can have juice." a male replied.

Derek relaxed as he registered Isaacs and his cousin Deryk's voices in the kitchen/living room.

"I don't want juice!" Deryk huffed. "I want my KERFER!"

"Crazy people don't get coffee."

"I'll show you crazy little boy, C'mere!"

The alpha heard a shriek and a thump before the scuffling began. He immediately thought back to the times when his own siblings and cousins would wrestle about the house. It seemed like all families had their mini-battles from time-to-time, and apparently not just the wolves got rough. Then he heard a crash and smash before everything went abruptly silent.

"Oh shizz..." Deryk whispered. "We're gonna get yelled at."

Derek sighed and opened his door, turning into the room. He took in the blonde teens, his upturned chair, and the now dark lamp lying in a puddle of mug pieces and coffee. He glanced back at the twins before closing his eyes and pinching his nose. A quick shot of his mother in the same pose flashed behind his eyes.

"Isaac started it." Deryk said in a flat tone.

"What?!"

"You stole my coffee."

"You threw muffins at me."

"You flipped a chair at me."

"Near you!"

"And then spilled my coffee!"

"You shouldn't be drinking coffee!"

"That's not up to-"

"ENOUGH!"

The cousins flinched and bolted upright, turning to Derek with lowered eyes. The mans stomach knotted at the look he'd seen several times during Isaacs retelling of his childhood. Seeing both wear it like a familiar mask, hands fisted at their sides, made his skin crawl. Knowing it was his fault made him soften his features and voice.

"I don't care who started it." He said just loud enough for Deryk to hear him. "Just stop the liquid that is creeping toward the power bar, please."

The teens nodded and got to work, one grabbing a towel while the other gathered the box of muffins from behind the couch. Derek righted his chair and set to picking up the pieces of mug on the floor. Deryk reached over and unplugged the lamp so the older male could set it on the table and get to pulling out the shattered bulb. Isaac got the broom out and swept up the smaller bits of glass and porcelain around the floor. Once all was said and done Derek went into the kitchen and pulled down his own mug to make up a coffee.

"Oooh, coffee." Deryk reached for a new cup.

"No."

"Shut it, Izzy."

Derek groaned and rubbed at his hair.

"Just, sit." He said, taking a chair at the table.

They all sat down, Isaac to his one side, while Deryk chose to make a coffee and then sit on his other side.

"What is with the coffee?" He asked, turning to his ward. "Issac?"

"It messes with her body." Isaac began.

"Messes with your body..." Deryk mumbled into her mug.

"Stop." Derek said, causing her to pout at him. "What do you mean?"

"The caffeine screws with her heart." Isaac said.

"Oh garbles," Deryk rolled her eyes, "It does not. The holes messed with it. The coffee is made of caffeine and happiness."

"Deryk."

"Isaac."

Derek put a hand on each of them, halting their words. He lowered his hands and turned to Deryk.

"Holes?" He asked.

"I was born with them." She replied, "It's actually pretty common. Mine just didn't heal as fast as normal babies. Mothers a smoker."

"And a drinker and a user." Isaac added.

"That, too." Deryk nodded.

"And now?" Derek asked.

"All healed. Got the x-ray last week." Deryk said, eyeing her cousin.

"You didn't tell me that." Isaac murmured.

"I was gonna this morning. With yummy muffins, but you went psycho on my beverage." Deryk said.

"Oh."

"Yeah. OH."

Derek looked between the two before downing the rest of his coffee and standing.

"I'm going back to bed. Don't break anything else."

"Rude." Deryk said.

"Have a good sleep." Isaac offered.

Derek patted the boys curls and made for his still open bedroom door.

"Hey, you with the scowl-y face." Deryk called.

The man sighed and turned around to look at her.

"You really need to buy a shirt." She said with a manic smile.

Isaac burst out laughing, Deryk joining in immediately after. Derek shook his head and turned back to his room. He closed the door with a small smile playing on his lips.

Interesting, indeed.