There were more than a few things that Theo missed since the last time he had a roof over his head, one of those, was definitely the chance of getting a steaming hot shower.
Fuck at least when he was still at school he could always use Beacon Hill’s High showers, but since he pretty much dropped out, from both education and the world of the living when he was sent in hell, he hadn’t had the chance to partake in those either.
Still, if he wanted to have a chance to participate in polite society he had to keep himself clean somehow, in fact he had found a nice spot at the preserve, secluded enough that supposedly people won’t bother him, but not too far from civilization that he could not rush to town if he needed be. He had set up camp there, out of sight from the main paths, it was unfortunate though that the pond didn’t have the same benefits, with at least a couple navigating its shores, but Theo was still counting that no one should be around to see him at the time.
Of course the water was icily cold, but it was not like he could get much better anyway, besides it was clean enough, so there was that. The young man had stripped down to his skin, leaving his clothes in a bundle between some rocks and dove down in the water. At least the day was sunny enough, that while uncomfortable, he was not going to freeze his balls off, one could tell that it was almost pleasant swimming in the pond and fuck if he needed a reprive after what his first few days back in Beacon Hill had entailed.
He had pretty much just immersed himself in water, though, when he heard the noise of a twig breaking. ‘Fuck…’ He turned to face the source of the noise, silently hoping that it was just an animal, but of course, he could not be that lucky.
returning to beacon hills was... interesting. isaac hadn’t been back long, not even twenty-four hours. he’d gotten off the plane at beacon county regional airport, a duffle-bag slung over his shoulder, and hailed a taxi that took him into the city proper where he snagged himself a cheap motel room. he’d have to go apartment hunting. find some transportation. oh, and tell people he was back in town. he hadn’t done that yet.
why? it was hard to explain. isaac wasn’t sure he had an explanation for the dread that sat dense and heavy in the pit of his stomach. it’s not like he’d left on bad terms. he’d talked to them, explained why he had to go. yeah, once he was gone, he’d become as hard to contact as a ghost but...
no excuses. he didn’t have any to offer and he wasn’t sure they’d accept any if he did. but he’d collect himself, try to think of something, before he tried talking to them. and he could do that once he’d adjusted to the jet-lag. it wasn’t even nine and every bone in his body was telling him to crawl into his uncomfortable, stale smelling motel bed. instead of doing that -- or the aforementioned doing the thing he came back to do -- he traversed familiar footpaths out to the preserve.
the air nipped at his skin, cheeks, ears. february weather in beacon hills didn’t compare to other places he’d been but fifty-four degrees didn’t feel like a sauna either. he pulled the scarf around his neck tighter, eyes scanning the woods, senses on full alert. he felt... well, not quite tame. howling reverberated inside his skull. but it wasn’t overwhelming. he’d come oh too close on the trip here but he’d had enough time to back away from that edge.
as he approached one of the preserve’s more secluded ponds, he caught whiff of another scent. unfamiliar. maybe. who knows -- he’d been gone so long. he planned to skirt around the pond, not interested in human contact, but a large stick snapped beneath his boot and that plan went out the window. the treeline offered him no cover and his eyes met those of the stranger. the one that was naked.
“bit early to be skinny-dipping, isn’t it?”
