Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Fight so dirty, but you love so sweet

Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth

Late night devil, put your hands on me

And never, never, never ever let go

In the long, long list of Liam’s bad life decisions, resurrecting the person who’d tried to kill his entire pack definitely ranked high. It certainly hadn’t been popular with everyone else—Malia immediately trying to kill Theo the second she laid eyes on him, Scott threatening to rip Theo limb from limb, Stiles screeching “are you fucking insane?” after finding out what Liam had done—but Liam had been forced to admit that he likely wouldn’t be alive if not for Theo’s help. 

But God, Liam hates him for it. He hates him for everything he’s done: what he’d done to Liam, what he’d done to Scott, what he’d done to the entire pack that they were still healing from, what he’d done to countless other people who would never be able to heal, people who were six feet under or lying in pieces in a sewer somewhere. 

Liam hates what he remembers every time he looks at Theo: how easy he had been to manipulate, how close he had come to killing Scott, how he’d lived up to everyone’s worst expectations of what he really is. Weak. Naive. A walking time bomb, as Stiles had said. 

But most of all, he hates himself. Hates himself for shoving down all of that guilt, hates himself for accepting Scott’s forgiveness like he deserves it, hates himself for how quick he turns every emotion into anger, hates himself for breaking every single thing he gets involved in, hates himself for letting everyone down, hates himself for ignoring all of this and convincing himself that he just hates Theo instead. 

His complicated mess of emotions aside, Theo had still saved his life, risking his own life in the process, and Liam hadn’t even spoken to him since the fight with the Ghost Riders. Hadn’t even seen him, actually. After—everything, Theo had kind of just slipped away, probably to avoid having to deal with Scott or Stiles or Malia or any of the other numerous people he’d pissed off enough to want to kill him.

Liam can’t exactly blame him for running away from people who wanted to murder him, but it still pisses him off. How could Theo do all of that, save Liam’s life after insisting he’d sacrifice him without a second thought, fight tooth and nail to stop the Ghost Riders, and then just—leave? Some part of Liam wants to find Theo, track him down, and then—well, he hadn’t quite gotten that far yet. 

What would he do if he saw Theo again? Thank him? Yell at him? Break his nose? Given Theo’s uncanny ability to get under Liam’s skin, it was likely to be the latter. Maybe it would be good for him. Ever since Hayden had left, there’d been an ever-present rage simmering under his skin, flaring up at the slightest annoyance, itching for a chance to explode.

He’s been wondering so much about what he’d do when he saw Theo again, exactly what he’d say or do, that when he sees Theo in a gas station on the edge of town—reading the back of a package of Hostess cakes, his hair and clothes more rumpled than Liam’s ever seen them—he almost thinks he’s imagining it. But as he blinks a few times, focusing his senses, it becomes clear that Theo Raeken is, in fact, standing 10 feet away from him, and is not—unfortunately—a figment of Liam’s all-too-vivid imagination. 

Liam’s heart must do something at the sight of Theo, because Theo’s eyes snap up to meet his own, his expression doing something complicated for a split second before settling back into his usual asshole mask. He then drops his gaze back down, deliberately ignoring Liam’s presence, because apparently the ingredients of a pre-packaged gas station cake are incredibly fascinating. 

The dismissal flares something hot within Liam, fueling the ever-present simmering rage to the point where Liam has to consciously stop his claws from coming out. He storms over to Theo, mind racing with a million different things that he could say, but when he opens his mouth all that comes out is, “What are you doing here?” 

Theo flicks his eyes up to Liam, an almost bored expression on his face. “Here in this gas station, or here in Beacon Hills?” He knows exactly which one Liam’s asking, but he seems to delight in winding him up regardless.  

Liam tries not to let his frustration rise, but after weeks without an outlet, it’s taking every ounce of his control just to keep the shift down. “You know what I mean,” he snarls, digging his claws into his palms in a futile effort to stay calm. 

Theo just smirks, pointedly turning away from Liam and moving to the next aisle, forcing Liam to follow him. “Clearly, to enjoy the hospitality of the local pack,” he says lightly, like he hadn’t manipulated, betrayed, or murdered the entirety of said pack. 

Granted, he’d also saved most of their lives a few weeks ago, but that hadn’t exactly endeared him much to any of the rest of them. Liam was still—undecided. He still remembered how Theo had nearly torn them all apart, how it had taken weeks before Liam was able to look Scott in the eye, how horrible and helpless Liam had felt after everything. 

But he also remembered that raw, cracked open expression on Theo’s face in the morgue, how shocked Theo had looked after Liam shot the Ghost Rider to save him, how Theo had shoved him into the elevator to give him a chance to get away, I went through all of this to keep you from being taken. 

“Why did you help me?” Liam says abruptly, and the question seems to throw Theo off slightly, like the words don’t quite register. “You could’ve run away and left me for dead and nobody could have stopped you.”

Theo’s initial surprise seems to wear off quickly, replaced by the faint scent of amusement. “I’m pretty sure this is the definition of looking a gift horse in the mouth.” When Liam continues to stare him down, Theo just rolls his eyes and continues. “What, are you waiting for me to say that it was all part of my grand evil plan to infiltrate the pack? Been there, done that, didn’t end well.” 

Theo’s casual tone finally sends the rage inside of Liam to its boiling point, and without thinking, he grabs Theo’s arm, uncaring of the way his claws are no doubt digging into the skin, and drags Theo out a side door. Theo’s initial noise of protest quickly morphs into a laugh, one that causes the anger to burn even hotter, and Liam grabs a fistful of Theo’s shirt, shoving him up against the wall of the alley with enough force that the bricks almost crack. 

Theo’s smirk never wavers, even as Liam bares his fangs at him, his eyes flared and claws extended. “What, all this just to get me alone?” he taunts, seemingly unbothered by Liam pressing him further against the wall with a forearm across his windpipe. “You think I care about you? About any of you?” His words do nothing but make Liam angrier, and he pushes his arm harder against Theo’s throat, feeling a savage sort of delight when Theo struggles slightly on his next breath. 

“So what is it then? Are you just waiting for the opportunity to try to kill all of us again?” Liam snarls, the sound as much animal as it is human. 

Theo just laughs, the vibration of it against Liam’s arm sending a shiver of something down his spine. “Trust me, if I wanted you dead, you’d be dead,” he responds, his tone low and dangerous. He leans in as close as he can with Liam’s forearm barring his movement, a smile twisting the corner of his lips. “Or did you forget what I did to Scott?” 

The combination of Theo daring to bring up Scott and the feeling of Theo’s hot breath against his face shocks Liam enough that he stumbles a half step back, loosening his hold on Theo, and Theo takes immediate advantage, spinning them around and slamming Liam against the wall, knocking the wind out of him.

The heat of Theo’s body practically pressed up against him stirs something low in his gut, mixing with the anger already boiling away, and he’s out of breath for reasons that have nothing to do with being thrown into a wall. He furiously tries to tamp down that something, but it’s clearly already doing something to his scent, because Theo’s pupils dilate, his arrogant smile twisting into something darker. 

“Oh, what would the True Alpha say if he saw you now?” Theo says in a low, mocking tone, the words sending a flash of humiliation through him, though it’s quickly replaced by white-hot rage. “You know, I really shouldn’t be surprised that you get off on being manhandled—”

Liam cuts him off by lunging forward and crashing their mouths together, so hard that their teeth clack together and he tastes blood, though he can’t tell if it’s his or Theo’s. Theo’s initial moment of shock is enough for Liam to flip their positions yet again, this time shoving a thigh between Theo’s legs, savagely pleased at the hot, hard press of Theo’s cock against his leg. 

Theo attempts to stifle his moan by biting down hard on Liam’s lip, hard enough to draw blood, and Liam responds by pressing his thigh up harder, Theo’s answering whine more animal than human. Desperate to draw that sound out again, Liam presses up again, and again, and again, encouraging Theo to grind against his thigh, a string of desperate noises falling from his mouth. 

When Theo starts to move his hands towards his zipper, Liam grabs him by the wrists and slams them into the wall on either side of his head, the brick no doubt cutting open his hands. Theo’s eyes instantly roll back in his head, his cock twitching in his pants, and a whine that sounds like it was ripped out of his chest echoes between them.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who gets off on it,” Liam says in a low voice, punctuating his words by pressing his leg up even harder against where Theo must be aching in his jeans. Theo’s answering glare is diminished somewhat by the helpless roll of his hips against Liam’s thigh. He grins savagely at Theo’s reaction, pressing his wrists harder against the wall, delighting at the choked noise that falls from Theo’s mouth. 

“God, will you just—” Theo has to pause to draw in a shuddering breath before continuing. “Will you just fucking—do something already,” he snaps, even as his tone is trembling with arousal. 

“I thought I was doing something,” Liam responds, leaning in to lick a stripe up Theo’s neck, the taste of sweat and skin and something sharper, something uniquely Theo, sending a bolt of heat through his stomach, reminding him of how painfully hard he was trapped in his own jeans. 

Something seems to snap in Theo, his eyes flaring as he snarls, “I swear to God, Liam, if you don’t fucking touch me, I’m gonna rip your fucking throat out.” 

Theo threatening to kill him probably shouldn’t make his cock twitch in his jeans, but Liam has never claimed to have self-preservation instincts, and Theo currently looks like that, so—yeah. Liam ducks his head and sucks a dark bruise onto Theo’s neck, Theo’s answering moan feeling like it’s vibrating through his skull. 

As fun as it is watching Theo squirm, Liam has no doubts that he really will rip Liam’s throat out, so he moves Theo’s wrists together, pinning them both to the wall with one hand, relishing in the fact that he’s clearly stronger than Theo, as Theo pushes against his grip but fails to escape. Theo snarls at him when Liam just presses harder, and Liam snarls right back, conjuring up as much alpha as he can, and he feels Theo’s hands slacken in his grip, some of the fight leaving his body. 

Liam takes advantage of Theo’s pliant position and moves his free hand to Theo’s belt buckle, fumbling it and his zipper open as quickly as he can, shoving his hand inside Theo’s boxers and finally, finally wrapping his fingers around Theo’s cock. Theo slams his head back against the wall and shudders out a moan at the sensation, hips jerking helplessly into Liam’s grip. 

Theo’s leaking so much that Liam doesn’t even have to lick his palm to ease the way, his fist gliding smoothly, steadily picking up pace as Theo’s moans get more high-pitched and desperate. The angle isn’t the best, and Liam’s wrist is cramping from the limited range of movement, but he’d rather die than move away, so instead he presses even closer, simultaneously twisting his hand at the head of Theo’s cock and latching his teeth around Theo’s exposed collarbone and sucking, and Theo lets loose a muffled whine, his cock twitching violently in Liam’s grip. 

When Liam pulls his head back, Theo’s face is flushed, his mouth open as he pants desperately, his flared eyes locked onto Liam’s lips. On instinct, Liam leans in to press their mouths together once again, Theo licking into his mouth instantly, Liam swallowing every needy sound that falls from his lips. 

Theo’s hips have started giving these helpless little jerks, and Liam can tell he’s getting close, his moans becoming more high pitched, more desperate, and Liam wants to see him come, wants to see the mighty Theo Raeken fall apart. He breaks away from Theo’s mouth, moving his fist even faster, ignoring the way his wrist twinges painfully, and his eyes are drawn to Theo’s throat, the vein running up the side of it, and he wants to bite him, wants to make him bleed, and he can, so he sinks his fangs into the side of Theo’s throat, piercing the skin easily. As the taste of blood hits Liam’s tongue, a strangled moan rips out of Theo’s throat as he spills over Liam’s hand, his entire body shuddering with the force of his orgasm. 

It’s so hot that Liam can’t help but pull Theo into a furious, biting kiss, Theo’s cock still twitching from the aftershocks in his loose grip. Liam pulls his hand from Theo’s pants and, just to be an asshole, wipes it on Theo’s shirt. Theo breaks away from the kiss to glare at him, though Liam is rather less intimidated by it after bringing him to orgasm moments before with nothing but his hand down his pants and his fangs piercing his skin. 

“That was a clean shirt, you asshole,” Theo pants out, still catching his breath but clearly trying to appear composed. 

“Not anymore,” Liam quips before leaning back in and claiming Theo’s mouth. Theo’s fangs sink into his lip in retaliation, the taste of blood briefly filling his mouth before Theo promptly licks it out, which is way hotter than it has any right to be. 

“God, you’re fucking desperate for it, aren’t you?” Theo says, like he hadn’t just been the one moaning and whining from Liam’s hand on him. 

“Shut up, you’re such an asshole,” Liam spits out, and he wants to fucking kill him, but he also really wants to come, so killing him can wait. Theo’s hands are already at Liam’s waistband, and he undoes his belt and zipper with even less finesse than Liam had before shoving his hand in Liam’s underwear, gripping his cock so tightly it almost hurts, cutting off any threats of murder Liam might have made. 

Finally being touched after what feels like an eternity is almost too much to handle, and Liam drops his head down to Theo’s shoulder, drawing in a shuddering breath as Theo starts moving his fist, and Liam’s already so close, can feel the pleasure winding tighter and tighter in his gut, and he knows he’s seconds away from coming, his hips jerking helplessly into Theo’s grip as Theo continues to jerk him off. 

He’s just about to tip over the edge when Theo decides to take revenge for earlier, scraping his fangs hard over the skin of Liam’s throat, just deep enough to draw blood, the combination of pain and pleasure and the lingering scent of Theo’s come combined with the metallic tang of blood all of a sudden too much, and before he knows it Liam’s letting out a moan and coming so hard his vision goes white. 

When he comes back to himself, he’s greeted by the sight of Theo licking Liam’s come off of his fingers, and the sight is so devastatingly arousing that Liam genuinely thinks he might be able to get hard again just from looking at him. 

Theo just smirks at Liam’s stunned expression, pointedly closing his lips around his finger and sucking, pulling it out of his mouth with a wet popping sound, and Liam genuinely might die. “See you around, Dunbar,” he says, his earlier arrogant tone back with full force, before walking away without a second glance like he hadn’t just given Liam one of the most mind-blowing orgasms of his life. 

Liam slumped against the wall, the come cooling uncomfortably in his jeans the only physical proof of what had just occurred, the full reality of everything he’d just done finally sinking in. “What the fuck?”

Chapter Text

In my imagination, you’re waiting lying on your side

With your hands between your thighs

Stop and wait a sec

When you look at me like that my darling, what did you expect?

It had been a few weeks since The Incident, as Liam had taken to calling it in his head, and he had spent every second trying desperately not to think about Theo, and only sort of succeeding. Everyone assumed he was acting weird either because of Hayden leaving, which wasn’t completely wrong, or because of Scott’s imminent departure, which also wasn’t incorrect, and he knew he could never tell any of them that one of the main reasons why he’s been so distracted and on edge lately is because at any given moment his mind was replaying the image of Theo licking come from his fingers while his teeth were still stained with Liam’s blood. 

He’s almost grateful when Beacon Hills decided to throw more supernatural bullshit at them, because it at least gives him a distraction from constantly thinking about how fiercely arousing it had been to sink his fangs into Theo’s throat, knowing how easily he could have killed him right that second, how Theo had just submitted to him like it was something he needed, something he craved, how desperately Liam just wanted to fucking ruin him—

Well. Maybe it wasn’t a complete distraction, but there were few things that were more of a boner killer than a giant pile of dead rats, so. That was something, at least. That combined with getting punched in the face, almost shifting in a hospital full with people, and getting thrown against a locker repeatedly by a murderous hellhound was enough to completely distract him, at least for a while. 

That night, after hours of tossing in his bed, unable to fall asleep, he finally gives up, climbing out his window as quietly as he can and setting off to go run a patrol. What he’s looking for, he has no idea, but having something to do makes him feel less—useless. 

Hayden left me. Scott’s leaving. You’re the alpha now. We all have to grow up. People move. Things change.  

Everything has changed. And he’s alone. He’s alone. The only person he’s ever loved left him, and he’s alone. And he can’t even—he can barely take a hellhound in a fight, he can’t keep himself from shifting, he can’t even pick the right classes, for god’s sake. He can’t do what Scott does, he can’t be Scott, he’ll never be Scott. He can’t protect people. He can’t save everyone. He can’t save anyone. Whatever’s coming, whatever they let out, it’s going to kill everyone and it’s going to be all his fault—

The sudden crushing weight of that realization is enough to make Liam fall to his knees in whatever parking lot on the edge of town he’s found himself in, the gravel digging into his skin even through his sweatpants, his claws coming out and his eyes flaring helplessly, it’s all your fault it’s all your fault it’s all your fault—

He can barely breathe, barely even think, but digging his claws into his palms clears his head enough that he remembers, remembers how to calm down, hears Scott’s voice in his head, calm and level and with a hint of alpha force to it: What three things cannot long be hidden?

“The sun,” he whispers, sucking in a deep shuddering breath. “The moon,” he continues, his voice steadier, his claws retracting. “The truth,” he finishes, his heart rate leveling out, his breathing steadier. 

When his vision finally clears, he realizes he’s kneeling in a parking lot behind some warehouse, seemingly abandoned, empty except for a blue pickup truck parked in the far corner—wait. 

He has to blink a few times to make sure he’s not experiencing some kind of panic attack induced hallucination, and that Theo’s truck is, in fact, parked in a lot behind a random warehouse on the edge of town. Before he can think better of it, he’s standing up and moving across the lot to Theo’s truck, mind racing with all of the possible reasons that Theo could be here. Maybe there was a secret entrance inside to the operating theater? Maybe he had made some kind of weird evil chimera den inside the warehouse? 

But every single thought leaves his mind when he reaches the truck, looks in through the window, and sees Theo curled up in the backseat, fast asleep. Liam’s transfixed for a moment, staring at the sight of Theo’s face, more relaxed and vulnerable than he’s ever seen it. Some part of him is screaming to walk away, to leave before Theo wakes up, but Liam’s rooted to the spot, eyes trained helplessly on Theo’s lashes casting shadows on his cheekbones, his lips parted slightly, his hands gripping the blanket that’s draped over him like a lifeline. 

His heart or scent must do something, because Theo’s eyes suddenly snap open, widening slightly as he catches sight of Liam before closing again as he sighs and drops his head back, seemingly resigned. 

“What the fuck, Theo?” Liam asks incredulously. Theo’s response is to roll his eyes and pull himself upright, leaning into the front seat to turn the keys in the ignition, the truck roaring to life, before settling back into his previous spot and pointedly rolling the window down. 

“Can I help you?” Theo says, his voice rough with sleep, the tone absolutely not doing anything to Liam. 

Liam just looks at him with disbelief and anger, the latter of which is one of his baseline emotions regularly, but especially around Theo. “Are you sleeping in your truck?”

Theo rolls his eyes again, letting his head slump back against the headrest. “I was sleeping in my truck. Until you woke me up.” The words don’t have much force behind them, like Theo can’t quite muster up the energy to be his usual level of asshole, but Liam finds himself getting angry nonetheless. 

“How could you—why didn’t you tell anyone?” Liam demands. Theo has the absolute nerve to look irritated by this question, and Liam has to physically stop himself from grabbing Theo by the shoulders and shaking him. 

“Who exactly was I supposed to tell?” Theo asks. “Scott? What, you think he’d just let me crash in the guest room after everything I did? Everyone in your pack hates me, in case you forgot, and they should.” Liam hadn’t forgotten actually, but still . 

“Well, you should’ve told someone, even if it wasn’t Scott,” Liam argues. “Someone could have helped you—”

Theo cuts him off. “Would you have helped me? After what I did?” His voice is quiet, his tone unlike one Liam has ever heard him use before. And Liam—honestly doesn’t know. He’d like to say yes, to believe that he would have been able to ignore everything Theo had done, but—he can’t. Theo laughs humorlessly, clearly able to read his thoughts on his face. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.” And then he rolls the window up, clearly done with their conversation. 

Liam stares in disbelief as Theo starts to lay back down like Liam’s not even there, and the earlier anger flares back up as he wrenches the door open. 

Theo sits up abruptly, glaring at Liam. “Goddammit, Liam, just leave me the fuck alone!” 

Liam glares right back, the anger now back with a vengeance. “ No, I’m not going to leave you alone, you prick,” he says hotly. 

“What was your plan here, Dunbar? Angling for another quick fuck against a wall somewhere?” Theo taunts. “Did you come over here planning to carry on the time-honored McCall pack tradition of picking up strays, or were you just hoping to get your dick wet?” 

“Fuck you,” Liam spits back, ignoring the flare of heat in his stomach at Theo’s words. 

A smile spreads slowly across Theo’s face. “Oh, but you’d like to, wouldn’t you?” he says, his voice low and full of heat. “You’ve thought about it, haven’t you? Imagined what it would be like, how good it would feel?”

And Liam—definitely has. More than once in the past few weeks, he’s laid in bed, thinking about getting his hands on Theo again, touching him, kissing him, biting him, claiming him, fucking him so hard he forgets his own fucking name, and he came more than once with Theo’s name spilling from his lips. 

But now, when the object of every single wet dream he’s had for the last month is sitting right in front of him, he can’t seem to form a single coherent thought, can’t do anything except grab a fistful of Theo’s shirt and yank him into a frenzied kiss. 

Theo kisses back almost immediately, moaning into his mouth when Liam bites at his lip, and Liam is all of a sudden overcome with the urge to touch him everywhere , so he slides his hands up the back of Theo’s shirt, letting out his own moan at the feeling of hot, bare skin under his fingers. 

Liam licks into Theo’s mouth, chasing the taste that he’d tried so hard to convince himself he hadn’t been craving for the past month, scratching his nails down Theo’s back, doing it harder when Theo rewards him with a groan. Theo leans back slightly, breaking the kiss, and Liam’s about to yank him back when Theo suddenly reaches down and pulls his shirt over his head, and then Liam is too distracted by the sudden expanse of tanned skin on display to do much of anything. 

Theo takes in his dumbstruck expression and smirks, leaning back on his hands in a way that flexes his biceps and puts his absurdly sculpted torso even more on display, and Liam wants to lick his fucking abs, Jesus Christ. “Like what you see, Dunbar?” 

Liam feels his face flush, which is clearly noticeable because Theo smirks even wider. “Quit fishing for compliments,” he shoots back before bending down until he’s level with Theo’s chest, biting down hard on the muscle of one of his pecs, ripping a moan from Theo’s throat. He pulls back slightly, licking at the already healing mark, and before he can think of what to do next, Theo’s hands are pulling at the hem of his shirt. 

“God, will you just fucking—” he says, frustrated, and Liam lets him pull his shirt the rest of the way off, his nipples pebbling as they come in contact with the cool air. Theo’s eyes darken instantly as he takes in Liam’s now bare torso, and Liam doesn’t know what he’s doing, all he knows is that he would do anything if it meant Theo kept looking at him like that. “Get in here already, would you? I’m gonna fucking freeze to death if you leave the door open like that,” Theo says, his voice slightly breathless. 

“It’s August in California, dumbass, I’m pretty sure you’d be okay,” Liam responds, but climbs into the backseat of the truck anyway, closing the door behind him, tripping over his own feet and landing astride Theo’s lap. And Christ, they’re in the back of a fucking truck, there’s barely enough room for one person to lay down, let alone two, but Liam currently has the hottest guy he’s ever seen underneath him and he really doesn’t give a fuck about logic right now. 

Their faces are so close Liam can feel the heat of Theo’s breath on his face, can count each one of his absurdly long eyelashes, can see the thin ring of green around his blown-out pupils, and god, Liam wants to fucking ruin him. He surges forward to capture Theo’s lips again, running his hands over every inch of bare skin on Theo’s torso, reveling in the fact that he can touch as much as he wants. He thinks distantly that it’s a miracle his claws haven’t come out yet, since he’s barely able to think past the overwhelming scent of arousal in the truck cab, every ounce of his brain power focused on Theo’s tongue in his mouth, Theo’s hands gripping his waist, Theo’s thighs trembling under him. 

Part of him desperately wants to just stay like this, keep kissing Theo, grind down on him until they both spill in their pants, anything so that he doesn’t have to move away, but for some reason the idea feels too intimate for whatever this is. So instead, he plants a hand in the middle of Theo’s chest and shoves, Theo falling flat on his back with a surprised oof , glaring at Liam when his head narrowly misses the door. 

He seems to get over it quickly as Liam clambers on top of him, lowering his body until they’re finally touching everywhere, skin against skin, and when their hips meet he can’t help but grind down against the hard line of Theo’s cock, swallowing his answering moan as he claims his mouth once again. 

“You know, you never—answered my question,” Theo pants out when Liam breaks away from his lips to lick the sweat from the hollow of this throat, feeling the vibration of his vocal cords against his tongue. “Have you—oh god,” his words breaking off in a moan as Liam latches his teeth around Theo’s nipple and pulls . “Have you thought about it?” 

Liam lifts himself up slightly to look at Theo’s face, taking in his flushed cheeks and single raised eyebrow, his mouth open slightly and his lips swollen. “Have you?” Liam counters, simultaneously pressing their hips harder together, grinning when Theo’s eyes roll back slightly in his head at the sensation. 

Whatever part of his brain is still functioning points out that they’re lacking certain materials that are generally helpful when doing this, and he’s briefly dissuaded before he remembers how their last interaction had ended, the visual of Theo with his fingers in his mouth so unbelievably hot it had haunted Liam’s every waking moment for the last several weeks, and then he’s got a pretty good idea of how to keep going. 

Liam’s still sitting on top of Theo, his knees braced on either side of Theo’s hips, and Theo probably could get away if he tried—Liam may be stronger, but Theo’s always been craftier—but Liam’s pretty confident that he won’t. Theo’s still staring up at him, his pupils blown wide, his lips parted slightly, and Liam brings his hand up to Theo’s face, gently tracing the line of his bottom lip with the pad of his finger before shoving three fingers into Theo’s mouth without warning. Theo’s eyes roll back into his head as his lips close around Liam’s fingers and suck hard, laving his tongue over every inch of skin, moaning like he’s fucking desperate for more. 

Liam can’t help but imagine how good Theo’s mouth would feel around him, how hot he would look on his knees, his lips stretched wide around his cock, his eyes tearing up as he tries not to choke, and he’s instantly overcome with a violent surge of arousal at the thought, his cock twitching hard, and he thinks he might actually genuinely die if he doesn’t get to fuck Theo in the next, like, five minutes. 

Every single coherent thought has burned away, replaced by pure instinct, urging him to touch, take, claim, to make Theo bleed, to make him scream, and Liam’s drunk off the way Theo’s moans reverberate all the way down his fucking spine , drunk off the spicy, overwhelming scent of his arousal, and he can barely breathe but still manages to collect himself, pulling his fingers out of Theo’s mouth and sitting back on his heels so that he can yank Theo’s jeans down off his legs, settling back between Theo’s spread legs once the jeans have been discarded. 

Thankfully, the mechanics of this kind of sex are at least somewhat similar to what Liam is used to, so he’s not completely lost, but he still feels the bite of uncertainty as he brings his spit-slick fingers between Theo’s legs. Theo sucks in a sharp breath at the first touch of Liam’s slicked up fingers to his hole, and Liam meets his eyes with a questioning glance, not wanting to ask if he’s ready, terrified that it would somehow break this bubble that they were in. In lieu of an answer, Theo tips his head back even further, baring his throat fully, so Liam slides his finger in, ignoring the voice in his head screaming that he has no idea what he’s doing. 

Theo’s so tight and hot inside, and so responsive, breathy moans escaping his lips with every movement of Liam’s wrist. He knows the slide has to be somewhat uncomfortable, his fingers slicked with nothing but Theo’s saliva, but Theo seems to welcome the bite of pain it brings, his hips hitching up as Liam moves his finger in. Liam feels half-delirious, acting on pure instinct, plunging his finger in further, rubbing against his walls, searching for the spot that he’d read about, the spot that will make Theo’s composure absolutely shatter. After a few seconds he rubs against something that feels different, and he instantly knows that it’s the right spot when a desperate cry rips out of Theo’s throat, his body jackknifing upwards before collapsing back down with a jolt. 

“Again. Do—do that again,” Theo pants out, and Liam rubs at the spot again, hard, Theo’s eyes rolling back in his head as he lets out a needy whine. For a moment he imagines what would happen if he just kept going, kept pressing at that spot over and over and over until Theo makes a mess all over himself, but the thought of Theo coming while Liam is buried deep inside him is even more arousing, so he instead withdraws his finger before roughly pressing back in with two. 

Theo tenses at the initial added stretch but quickly relaxes into it, several bitten-off moans escaping his mouth as Liam scissors his fingers, doing his best to avoid hitting that spot again. He can tell Theo is getting desperate, his moans getting louder and more unrestrained with each movement of Liam’s fingers. 

When he finally adds a third finger, he’s barely slid them in past the first knuckle before Theo is fisting his hand in Liam’s hair and yanking him into a furious kiss. Liam responds by sliding his fingers in further, hitting that spot before ruthlessly rubbing at it, and Theo moans so loud it echoes in the truck cab, his hips jerking helplessly against empty air. 

“Liam, I—” he cuts off with a high-pitched whine as Liam scrapes across the spot with his nail, taking in a shuddering breath before continuing. “I swear to god, if you don’t put your dick in me right this second, I will fucking kill you.” 

Theo threatening to kill him really shouldn’t turn him on as much as it does, but he really can’t be blamed when Theo looks and sounds absolutely fucking filthy, his voice rough from the constant stream of noises falling from his mouth. 

His tight grip on his composure is steadily failing, the arousal in his gut burning white-hot, his cock so hard it hurts. Ignoring Theo’s noise of displeasure as he withdraws his fingers, he starts working his sweatpants down over his hips, Theo’s mouth falling open slightly at the sight of his cock, and Liam once again has to aggressively shove away the visual of Theo on his knees. Next time. Not that there was going to be a next time. 

He ignores that train of thought, spitting in his palm and slicking himself up, his eyes rolling back in his head at how good finally being touched feels. He leans back over Theo and positions his cock at Theo’s entrance, swallowing back the question he desperately wants to ask, because are you okay would be too much for whatever this is. They don’t do that, they don’t worry, they’re not soft or caring with each other. This is just another way of fighting, a more pleasurable way of relieving the constant simmering tension between them. 

Instead, he just rocks his hips forward with a hard thrust, sliding into Theo and very nearly coming right then and there at how spine-meltingly good it feels, the sparks of pain and pleasure from the too-dry slide shooting through his entire body, and he can barely think past the hot press of Theo’s body, wrapped around his cock like a vice. 

Theo moans the second Liam enters him, digging his nails into Liam’s back hard enough to break skin, before wrapping his leg around Liam’s hips, digging his heel into Liam’s back and pulling so that he sinks in the rest of the way, and Theo lets out a choked noise that quickly morphs into a high-pitched keen when Liam pulls back slightly before slamming back in hard. 

He knows he’s hit the spot when Theo lets out a needy whine and clenches his fingers in Liam’s hair, so Liam does his best to hit it again, and again, and again, desperate to pull every desperate sound out of Theo’s mouth, relishing in the fact that he gets to have this, that Theo Raeken is on his back for him, moaning like a whore. Based on the choked moan that Theo lets out, Liam thinks he might have said that last part out loud. 

Liam keeps hitting that spot ruthlessly, and Theo’s moans get higher and higher in pitch, his hips jerking up helplessly, his dripping cock rubbing against Liam’s abs with each thrust. “God, you really are desperate, aren’t you?” he says roughly, punctuating his words with another hard thrust. Theo glares at him, his expression quickly crumpling as Liam grinds right up against that spot, a guttural groan escaping his mouth. If he were more patient, he would slow the movement of his hips, deliberately avoiding that spot, fuck Theo slow and deep until he begged him for more. But he can already feel the pleasure winding tighter in his gut, and he desperately wants to see Theo fall apart. 

It only takes a few more thrusts before Theo clenches like a vice around him, a guttural moan ripping from his throat as he spills onto his stomach. He collapses bonelessly back down, his cock still twitching from the aftershocks, and Liam starts to pull out, but stops when Theo claws at his back weakly. “Don’t you—fucking dare,” he rasps, and Liam stills his hips instantly. He starts rocking his hips slowly, not wanting to overwhelm Theo too much, but the desperate need to come soon overwhelms him, and then he’s fucking into Theo just as hard as before, Theo’s whole body jerking with every movement, clearly still oversensitive, punched out breathy moans falling from his lips with every thrust. 

It doesn’t take long before the hot clench of Theo’s body becomes too much, and his orgasm that feels like it’s been building up for hours finally rips out of him as he spills inside of Theo with a helpless moan, his vision going white with the force of it. 

For a moment after, he just collapses bonelessly on top of Theo, his cock softening where it’s still inside of him, both of them panting, the air inside of the truck absolutely sweltering. He’s still trying to catch his breath when Theo shoves at his chest roughly, and he somehow manages to make his limbs work and climbs off of Theo, settling back against the seat. 

All he can think of is the fact that his come is inside of Theo, and Theo’s going to smell like him, and the whole truck is going to smell like sweat and sex and Liam for days, and Jesus Christ, he just fucked Theo in his truck, where he’s sleeping, what is he doing—

“How do you live like this?” he blurts out before he can think better of it. Theo freezes in the middle of pulling on his jeans, his expression going blank in a split second. 

“I’ve had worse,” Theo mutters, almost to himself, and Liam is suddenly reminded of those long months that Theo was in the ground, imprisoned god-knows-where, until Liam thought they could use him and pulled him out, and he’s instantly overcome with guilt. 

“I—” he starts, unsure of what he’s going to say next. I’m sorry? I wish that hadn’t happened to you? But was he sorry? Hadn’t he even told Theo himself, all those weeks ago, that he had deserved it? How horrible was it so that living in his truck, probably half starving and constantly running away from cops, was preferable? “I have to go,” he says instead, afraid that anything else will either reveal himself too much or scare Theo away for good. 

Theo’s expression shutters even more, and there’s a flicker of almost—disappointment, across his face, for a split second before it’s replaced with his usual hardened mask of vague arrogance. “Not like I was going to ask you to stay and cuddle, asshole,” he snaps, his face turned away from Liam as he yanks his shirt back on. “Just get your shit and get out.” 

Theo grabs Liam’s shirt from where he’d thrown it on the floor and flings it directly at Liam’s face, pulling his blanket back up to his chin and settling back down on the seat where he’d been before, like nothing had even happened. 

Liam manages to shake himself out from whatever daze he was in staring at Theo, and pulls his shirt back over his head, pulling the door of the truck open and climbing out, daring a glance back at Theo, finding him staring at the back of the driver’s seat and resolutely not looking at Liam. 

He closes the door behind him, turning around and starting the journey back to his house, feeling somehow worse than he had when he’d set out. 

Chapter Text

You bring me to my knees, you make me testify

You can make a sinner change his ways

Open up your gates cause I can’t wait to see the light

And right there is where I wanna stay

Liam has been dealing with a lot of shit the past few weeks, including but not limited to getting the crap beaten out of him by two of his teammates, nearly shifting in front of his entire class, discovering a faceless body in the sewers that causes people to feel unimaginable fear, and failing to save the lives of two people he’d known since elementary school. 

So, Theo hasn’t exactly been the first thing on his mind. Or the second. And maybe not even the third. But still, in the weeks since their…encounter in the truck, Theo has been a constant, nagging thought somewhere in the back of his mind. Before everything had happened with Brett and Lori, he’d even set out on another “patrol,” insisting to himself that it was not just an excuse to see Theo again, ignoring the twinge of disappointment when he’d gotten nothing. Not a glimpse of his truck, not a hint of his scent, not one single sighting of his obnoxious face that irritates Liam to no end. 

And now, after Brett and Lori—well, he has every reason to believe that Theo is dead. He’s not sure why the thought bothers him as much as it does. Why he lays in bed at night helplessly replaying visions of Theo, lying defenseless in his truck, getting shot full of bullets by hunters. Why he has to resist the urge almost every night to climb out of his window to try to find Theo. Why he’s so worried when the most likely explanation is that Theo just skipped town and abandoned all of them. Why the thought of never seeing Theo again makes his insides twist uncomfortably. 

Whatever. They’re better off without him. Especially with everything else going on with Quinn and Jiang and Tierney, he doesn’t have the bandwidth to worry about Theo maybe being in danger or gone forever. 

So, of course, it throws a bit of a wrench in his plans when Theo shows up at the police station, alive and well and just as irritatingly attractive as ever, and just as much of a fucking asshole as ever. His knee jerk reaction upon seeing Theo is, in fact, offering to kill him, only half seriously, because for some reason he doesn’t actually want to see Theo dead, but he genuinely does think he’s capable of throttling Theo for disappearing for weeks without so much as a word after they had—well. 

He thinks for a moment that Monroe and her band of murderous psychopaths might do the job for him, before the Sheriff reappears and tells them all to stand down. He’s still itching for a fight, adrenaline rushing through his veins, and when Theo locks eyes with him across the room, the piercing green just as annoyingly gorgeous as ever even in the terrible fluorescent lighting, he imagines how satisfying the crack of Theo’s nose would feel under his fist, or—preferably—how good it would feel to sink his fangs into Theo’s neck again as he works him over with his fist. 

Theo seems to take the uptick in his heartbeat as an indication that he’s about to lose his temper and punch somebody rather than an indication that he’s thinking about ripping Theo’s hoodie to shreds with his teeth, as his eyes narrow and he starts over towards Liam, grabbing his arm in passing and dragging him to the bathroom. 

The warmth of Theo’s hand, even through the fabric of his shirt, is distracting enough that he doesn’t try to wrench his arm free of Theo’s grip, some part of his brain already calculating how long it’ll be before someone comes looking for them, how much they could get done before that happens, and then Theo snaps, “Monroe’s not gonna stop,” instantly pulling Liam’s mind right out of whatever gutter it had been in. “Nothing we say is gonna make them get in their cars and drive away. Those two losers killed hunters.” 

“Who killed their pack,” Liam argues, feeling the need to defend Jiang and Tierney, and suddenly, horribly reminded of how Brett and Lori’s bodies had looked, lying bloodied and broken in the middle of the road. 

“So what? ” Theo snarls. “Monroe’s gonna tear through anything standing between her and them. That means you, Lydia, Malia, and Scott. You wanna watch your friends die?”

“You wanna watch hunters murder them?” Why did you say me first, he wants to say. Why do you always put me first? “Jiang and Tierney weren’t the only ones who were part of Satomi’s pack.” 

He almost hopes Theo doesn’t know about Brett and Lori, because he desperately doesn’t want to hear Theo say anything about it, doesn’t want Theo to do what he does best and cut right to the heart of the issue, cut Liam open and see every little thing clear as day. Unfortunately, a knowing expression dawns over Theo’s face as he turns away slightly. 

“Yeah, right. The hit and run. Sorry if I’m not losing sleep over some random roadkill,” Theo says cruelly, and Liam’s vision goes red . 

“They were murdered! ” he shouts, hands clenched into fists. “Brett and Lori. They didn’t have anything to do with this!” They were innocent. They just wanted to survive. And it was Liam’s fault they were dead. It was all his fault.

“So what, you think saving those two is gonna make everything feel better?” Theo says incredulously, his hair falling over one eye in a way that should not be attractive considering how much of an asshole Theo is being. “Your dead friends are dead.” Liam grits his teeth, barely resisting the urge to let his fist fly directly at Theo’s nose, wipe the stupid knowing expression off of his face and get him to shut up. “And they’re gonna stay dead no matter what you—”

Liam cuts him off with a solid punch directly to his nose, feeling the viciously satisfying crack of bone under his knuckles, sending Theo flying to the ground. Before he can fully collapse, Liam fists a hand in his shirt, hauling him back up, and, against every single one of his better judgements, yanks him in until their mouths meet. 

Theo’s initial noise of protest is quickly swallowed by Liam, who blindly reaches out until he can push the door closed, some distant corner of his brain hoping that it wasn’t loud enough that someone comes looking, before slamming Theo back into the door, his mouth never leaving Theo’s. The kiss is more teeth and tongue than anything else, vicious and biting and angry, and Liam wants to fucking kill him but also he looks so infuriatingly hot in his stupid hoodie with his stupid hair and the fucking blood on his face and Liam has never wanted to get on his fucking knees as bad as he does right this fucking second. 

“Where—in the fuck—have you been,” he growls while sucking dark, instantly healing marks down Theo’s neck. 

And Theo, the asshole , has the audacity to fucking laugh, though it morphs into a moan when Liam latches his teeth around a tendon in his neck and sucks hard. “Sorry I was too busy getting tortured by hunters to suck your dick,” Theo manages to get out, and Liam fucking hates him, but he also really wants to get his mouth on him right fucking now, so he drops to his knees, ignoring the jolt of the impact of the concrete floor, relishing in the surprised moan that sounds like it’s been punched out of Theo as his head drops back against the door with a thud.

“You’re such a fucking prick,” Liam snarls, almost ripping Theo’s jeans with the speed that he gets them open, giving Theo barely any time to adjust before he’s pulling him out of his boxers and swallowing him down. 

Theo’s groan practically echoes off of the walls of the bathroom, and his hips jerk up helplessly, nearing choking Liam, before he puts his hands on Theo’s hips and pushes them back against the door. 

“You’re gonna—oh, God—you’re gonna get us fucking caught, Jesus Christ,” Theo pants out, breaking off in a whine as Liam’s response is to suck him even harder, pulling back just a bit before sliding all the way back down until Theo hits the back of his throat, and Liam can’t help but moan at the sensation, Theo echoing his moan instantly, his hands fisting in Liam’s hair so tight it hurts. 

Liam scrapes the underside of Theo’s cock with just a hint of teeth, and Theo immediately has to pull a hand from Liam’s hair and bite down on it, muffling the needy moan that threatens to spill from his mouth. He can already tell Theo isn’t going to last much longer, his hips twitching upwards even with Liam holding them in place, desperate noises falling from his lips despite his best attempts to silence them. 

Theo pulls on Liam’s hair, clearly as a warning, and Liam considers for a moment listening to it and then realizes that he really doesn’t want to, so he instead swallows around Theo’s cock and digs his claws into the skin of Theo’s hips, feeling the blood well up under his fingertips, a high-pitched whine falling from Theo’s mouth as he spills down Liam’s throat. 

Theo’s still trying to catch his breath as Liam is standing up, wiping off his mouth with the back of his hand, adjusting the hardness in his pants so his arousal is less noticeable, hoping desperately that no one will pay too much attention to his chemosignals. Theo’s eyes flick down to the still-obvious bulge in his pants and he makes a movement towards Liam, clearly trying to reciprocate, but Liam shoves him away, his anger from before returning with a vengeance, and wrenches the door open, leaving Theo behind him, his pants still undone, the taste of his come still in Liam’s mouth. 

And Liam wants so badly to turn around, to punch Theo in the face again, to kiss him and lick the blood from his mouth, to shove him to his knees, to bend him over a table and fuck him until he cries, to scream at him until he understands just how much Liam fucking hates him. 

Or—more accurately—how much Liam wants to hate him, and how much he wishes he did hate him. How much easier it would be if Liam hated him. 

He should hate him. He should fucking despise Theo, should want to kill him with his bare hands for everything he’s done, should want to break his nose a thousand times over and make him feel even a fraction of the pain he’s caused. 

But he doesn’t. He can’t . So even though all he wants right now is to turn around, he forces himself to keep going, not letting himself look back. It’s never happening again, he tells himself fiercely. I’m done with him. Forever. 

But no matter how many times he said it, he still couldn’t quite make himself believe it.

Chapter Text

Underneath the pale moonlight

Dreaming of a circus life

Carousels and ferris heights

I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine

Cause I’m so lonely, I’m so lonely

If you hold me, I’ll be your only 

When Liam blinks awake, his cheekbone throbbing, it takes a moment for him to process where he is. He gradually becomes aware of his surroundings, the inside of the truck cab slowly coming into focus.

“I had to knock you out,” Theo says, his voice cutting through the lingering haze. 

Well, that explains the throbbing pain in his face. “How many times?” he says dully. 

“Five,” Theo says, entirely too pleased with himself, glancing over at Liam with a grin. Liam can’t even muster up the energy to be angry, feeling empty and wrung out, like he’d burned away every ounce of rage when he’d almost killed Nolan. 

He’d almost killed Nolan. He remembers every second, despite Theo’s best efforts to give him permanent brain damage. Remembers how angry he’d been, how he’d wanted to kill Nolan, to rip him apart with his bare hands, remembers how good it had felt seeing Nolan so terrified. 

“I almost killed him, didn’t I?” he asks quietly, already knowing the answer. 

“Almost. But you broke your hands trying not to.” Liam stares down at the blood staining his knuckles, already healed from where they’d split open as he slammed them against the rock next to Nolan’s head. 

“I guess that’s something,” he mutters, unable to tear his eyes away from the blood on his hands. The blood that would always be on his hands. Maybe they were right. Maybe he is a monster. A murderer. 

“Next time you come up with a plan like this, pick a place that doesn’t trigger a murderous rage,” Theo says plainly, like he has any fucking idea what he’s talking about. 

Liam rolls his eyes, still unable to conjure up anything above his usual level of irritation towards Theo. “I didn’t know this was going to happen.” Didn’t even realize until he got there, until he was standing in one of the cages, exactly what had happened the last time he’d been there. 

Until he was suddenly 15 again, cowering in a corner as his teammates, his friends, hurled lacrosse balls at him, laughing every time one had struck him, Brett’s voice piercing through the pain and embarrassment, mocking him for the tears that spilled helplessly from his eyes. And then seeing Nolan, remembering how he had felt in that classroom, just as helpless, defenseless as Gabe and Nolan had punched him, choking on his own blood as he tried desperately not to shift—it’d felt almost like his first full moon again, that endless, overwhelming rage, burning in every cell of his body, turning his vision red, replacing every single thought with the violent urge to kill. 

“Whether you planned it or not, you picked the spot,” Theo says, and Liam can’t help but look over at him, their eyes locking for a brief moment before Theo looks away. “You made the plan. You wanted me to help.” He says the last part quietly, like he still can’t quite believe it. 

Honestly, Liam’s not exactly sure why he asked Theo to help. There were—well, maybe not plenty of other people he could have asked, but there were at least a few. Certainly ones that had less of a penchant for getting under Liam’s skin. But when Scott had asked him who he wanted to go with him to the zoo, he’d barely hesitated before saying Theo’s name. Scott had looked initially taken aback, but had agreed quickly, trusting Liam’s judgment. 

And Theo had been helpful, coming up with an alternative plan fast when Liam’s initial one had failed, though his alternative plan had in fact involved punching Liam repeatedly in the face and ripping his favorite shirt. 

But deep down, he knew that wasn’t really why he’d asked Theo to help, as much as he’d like to say that it was a well thought out, strategic decision. He didn’t generally excel at well thought out, strategic decisions when it came to Theo, but thankfully, no one else had seemed to notice that yet. 

“If I needed your help for anything, it’ll be so I get angry enough to kill you myself,” Liam says, though he knows the threat comes out half-hearted. Theo’s clearly not intimidated, smirking at Liam’s deflection. 

“That hasn’t worked out too well for you recently, has it?” Theo says, his voice low and full of heat in a way that indicates he’s thinking about exactly what happened the last time Liam got angry at him. Or the time before that. Or, you know, the time before that. 

And now Liam’s thinking about it, his cheeks flushing, heat stirring in his gut that has nothing to do with anger. “That was a mistake,” he mutters, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, trying to think of anything besides what had happened the last time he was in Theo’s truck. 

“Which time?” Theo quips back, glancing over at Liam and grinning as he clearly smells the arousal helplessly building in Liam. 

“All of them,” he snaps, his mind refusing to think of anything except the exact noise Theo had made when Liam had come inside of him. 

“You know, you can deny it all you want, but I can smell how much you don’t regret it.” Liam can feel his face flush even darker, arousal stirring even stronger in his gut, which he aggressively shoves down. The worst part is that Theo’s right, he doesn’t regret it. He wishes he did, but as much as he tries to, he can’t seem to regret anything that happened between them. 

Everything in his life has always been so—out of control, and it’s only gotten worse recently. He constantly feels like he’s just treading water, trying desperately to keep his head above the water while everything tries to pull him underneath the waves. Hayden had kept him afloat, at least for a little while, but with her gone he feels lost, helpless, like at any moment he could drown under the crushing weight of everything in his life. 

With the Anuk-ite, he felt like he couldn’t keep control of anything, like he was caught in the middle of a storm and every time he managed to force his head above the water he got dragged back down. Most of the time, he feels like he can hardly breathe, choking on the weight of expectations and responsibilities and the constant, overwhelming fear. 

Theo was—not a good decision, but a decision, one that he made, and the sex—however ill-advised—was something he could control. And as much as Theo constantly got under Liam’s skin, he also had an uncanny ability to settle something in him, like the ground was more solid under his feet when Theo was around. 

Nothing in the world seems to make much sense anymore, but everything with Theo—that makes sense. He doesn’t understand why it makes sense, but it does, and he hates that something deep inside of him constantly needs it, craves it, hates that someday soon Theo will leave, snapping this strange lifeline that Liam has formed to him, leaving him stranded in the waves once more. 

But right now, he’s here. Sitting barely three feet from Liam, infuriatingly and effortlessly attractive, the moonlight casting his features into sharp relief, accentuating the slope of his cheekbones and the contour of his jaw, the curve of his lips and the long line of his throat, and Liam can remember the taste of Theo’s sweat on his tongue, can remember sinking his teeth into his flesh until he could taste blood, and Liam thinks he might actually die if he he doesn’t get his hands on Theo right now. 

“Pull over,” he growls, his tone not leaving any room for argument, and Theo gives him a questioning glance, swearing under his breath as he takes in Liam’s appearance, his cock already tenting his pants and his scent flooded with arousal, and then he’s jerking the wheel to the side and skidding to a stop on the shoulder. 

Theo’s barely thrown the truck into park and unbuckled his seatbelt before Liam is clambering over the console into his lap, planting his knees on either side of Theo’s hips, fisting his hands in Theo’s hair and yanking him forward until their mouths slam together. 

Theo moans into his mouth at the contact, Liam taking advantage of him parting his lips to lick into his mouth, the feeling of Theo’s lips against his more satisfying than any one of the punches he’d thrown earlier. 

And he’s been dreaming about Theo for weeks, for months, has thought about him in every single position, fantasized about every possible way he could make Theo fall apart—but now, straddling Theo in the front seat of his truck, he can’t think of a single thing he’d rather do than stay right where he is. 

He grinds down hard, letting out a moan as the friction sends sparks of pleasure up his spine. Theo’s hips grind up in response, his cock just as hard as Liam’s, and Liam has to break away from his mouth to catch his breath, Theo taking immediate advantage and licking a stripe up Liam’s neck, his hands gripping Liam’s hips hard, encouraging him to grind down. 

“Tell me what you want,” Theo pants out. “ Please, Liam, anything you want.” 

Liam’s so overwhelmed with the heat of Theo’s body pressed against his and the thick scent of arousal in the air that he barely registers that this is the first time he’s heard Theo say please. He can feel Theo’s lips against his neck as he speaks, the shape of his mouth around the word instantly addictive, and Liam wants to hear him say it again, wants to hear him scream it. 

“Like this. Just like this,” he says, breaking off in a groan as he punctuates his words with a slow grind of his hips. Theo echoes him with a groan of his own, and Liam pulls his head back so he can lean in and claim Theo’s mouth again, so he can swallow every desperate noise that falls from his lips. 

Liam gives a smooth, slow roll of his hips, the combination of the friction of his jeans and the pressure of Theo’s cock against his own ripping a whine from his throat, and Theo’s practically shaking under him, his hips twitching up with every movement Liam makes, his moans pitching higher and higher. 

He tightens his grip on Theo’s hair and pulls hard, baring the side of his throat, Theo letting out a punched out moan as he takes advantage of the new position to trace the tendons on the side of his neck with his tongue. Theo starts moving his hips in tandem with Liam’s, grinding up to meet him, their rhythm becoming more and more unsteady with every movement. 

Liam can feel the pleasure winding tighter in his gut, the pressure increasing with every needy sound that falls from Theo’s lips, and he wants so badly to see Theo come, feel him shake apart underneath him, see his carefully maintained composure absolutely shatter. 

He can tell Theo’s getting close, the movements of his hips getting more erratic, and he can feel the vibrations of every moan that Theo lets out from where his lips are pressed against Theo’s throat. 

“Liam, I’m gonna—can I—” Theo gasps out, breaking off in a moan, his head falling back against the seat. 

Liam nearly comes in his pants when he realizes that Theo’s asking for permission, and he’s never felt this turned on in his life, like his veins are filled with fire, his awareness reduced to nothing but Theo, the softness of his hair twisted around his fingers, the salty taste of his skin against his tongue, the hardness of his cock pressed against Liam’s own, and he can hardly breathe, hardly think, but he somehow manages to gather enough breath and pant out, “Only if you say please.” 

Theo’s eyes roll back in his head and Liam can feel his cock twitch in his pants where they’re pressed together, a shudder going through his body as a high-pitched whine rips from his throat. His hips give a helpless jerk upwards, and Liam’s so close already, but he needs to see Theo come first, needs to make him come first, so he grinds his hips down, long and slow, biting down hard on Theo’s neck, and Theo moans out a desperate “Please,” and Liam can’t find it in himself to deny him anything. 

“Yeah, Theo, do it, come for me,” he says, the words spilling from his lips without even thinking, and Theo’s hips give one final jerk upwards as he lets out the neediest moan Liam’s ever heard and comes, his body shuddering with the force of it, and it only takes a second before Liam is falling over the edge right along with him, muffling his groan with his face pressed against the side of Theo’s neck. 

It takes a long moment for his body to stop twitching from the aftershocks, his hands falling from Theo’s hair to rest on his shoulders, and the warmth under his palms is calming, grounding, helping him to level out his breathing. 

He pulls back from Theo’s neck to find Theo already staring at him, their eyes locking helplessly, and Liam feels his breath catch in his chest, his heart pounding, and he wants to lean forward to press their mouths together again, but they don’t do that, they don’t just kiss, but they’re so close he can see all the flecks of color in Theo’s eyes, can feel the heat of Theo’s breath on his face, and he’s frozen in place, helplessly staring back at Theo, and all he can think is one word: beautiful. 

That’s enough to shock him out of whatever trance he’d fallen into, and he jerks back from Theo, climbing off of his lap as quickly as he can without either elbowing Theo in the face or banging his head on the roof of the car.

When he manages to settle back into the passenger seat, he can’t bring himself to look at Theo, staring sightlessly out the window, his mind racing. “We—we should get back. Make sure everyone’s okay,” Liam says, hoping his voice is steadier than he feels. 

He can practically feel Theo’s gaze on him, but he can’t bear to turn around, knowing that if he looks Theo in the eyes he’ll say something he shouldn’t, something far too revealing, far too tender for whatever this is. 

It’s a long moment before Theo puts the truck in drive and pulls back onto the road, and it isn’t until they’re cruising down the highway that Liam finally feels like he can breathe again, though every deep breath he takes in does nothing to ease the ache in his chest. 

What am I doing? he thinks helplessly, his hands shaking, only stopping when he clenches them into fists. He can’t—can’t do this, can’t think past the tangled knot of emotions in his chest, can’t even begin to figure out whatever it is he’s feeling. 

Whatever temporary respite he’d found from the relentless storm is gone, and he’s right back where he was before, struggling to stay afloat, sinking underneath the waves, crushed by the pressure. Every part of him aches for Theo, for the contact that always brings him back, for something, anything, anything other than this horrible empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

But he can’t, can’t reach across the car for the one thing he knows could help him, because that’s not what this is. That’s not what they are. And he doesn’t—care, he doesn’t, he can’t, because it’s Theo, and they’re barely even friends, much less—anything else. 

And it’s fine. He doesn’t care. I don’t care, he tells himself fiercely, shoving down every lingering feeling, staring resolutely out the window at the scenery speeding by.

Chapter Text

Just one more hit and then we’re through

Cause you could never love me back

Cut every tie I have to you

Cause your love’s a fucking drag

Liam could still feel the anger burning in his veins like an inferno as Theo snapped at Gabe to get the hell out and shoved him out the door none too gently. He almost killed him. He wanted to kill him. And he would have killed him, had Theo not stopped him. Why did Theo stop him? More importantly, why was Theo even there?  

He could be long gone by now, a thousand miles away without a care in the world, but instead he’s apparently decided to follow Liam around and occasionally attempt to give him advice on how to not murder people, like he should be a trusted source on that. Theo had already admitted, multiple times, that he didn’t care about protecting anyone but himself, so why did he seem so fixated on protecting Liam? 

He’s pulled out of his musings when he hears Theo say Scott’s name, and some part of his brain points out that whatever Theo’s saying is probably important, and he tunes back in to see Theo looking at him expectantly. 

“What?” Liam says, unsure of how much he’s missed. 

Theo just rolls his eyes. “I said, I texted Scott about Aaron and the other bodies, him and Malia are gonna meet us here so we can come up with a plan.” 

“Okay,” he agrees, leaning back against the wall, his mind still racing. Why do you keep trying to save me?  

“We should try to find Aaron first. Maybe check security camera footage around the school, try to figure out—”

“Why are you still here?” Liam blurts out, cutting him off. 

Theo looks at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “Are we really doing this again?” 

And Liam remembers that day, those long months ago, remembers storming up to Theo in a gas station and demanding what are you doing here, remembers Theo’s snarky response, remembers dragging him outside and—everything that came after that. He hopes the room is dark enough to hide the way his face flushes at the memory. 

“You didn’t give me a straight answer last time, so yeah, I guess we’re doing this again.” Liam stares at Theo pointedly, waiting for him to respond. 

Theo just sighs, leaning his head back against the wall. “Would you believe me if I said it’s because I want to help?” 

Liam studies him for a moment, pondering the words. “I don’t know,” he says finally. “I think it’s more than that, though.” He stares at Theo, who’s still pointedly not looking at him, trying to read his expression. “Is it because of me?” The words come out of his mouth before he can think better of it, the shape of them too revealing, too close to that uncomfortable truth he’s been trying desperately to shove down. 

“For the last time, I’m not waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill you,” Theo says, his tone flat, still refusing to meet Liam’s eyes. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Liam responds, irritated. 

Theo finally looks at him, his eyes glimmering in the fluorescent light. “You’re not that good at sex.”

Liam sputters incredulously, Theo smirking at his response. “I don’t exactly remember hearing any complaints, asshole,” he shoots back, still reeling from Theo acknowledging their…whatever out loud like that. 

Theo’s expression morphs into one Liam’s now all too familiar with, his eyes dark, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Maybe I just need a reminder,” he says, his voice low and full of heat. 

And it’s a terrible idea, genuinely terrible, but everything he’s done with Theo since that day in the gas station has been a terrible idea, and everything is so out of control right now and he honestly—could use a terrible idea. 

So, before he can think too hard about it, he’s pushing Theo the rest of the way against the wall and crashing their mouths together so hard their teeth clack. Theo’s hands immediately slide up into his hair, his fingers twisting around the strands, and some small part of Liam’s brain becomes slightly concerned about the fact that he’s going to look like a fucking mess when Scott and Malia get here, but it’s quickly drowned out by how overwhelmingly good it is to have Theo pressed up against him, his lips pressed against his, his tongue licking into his mouth. 

Is it healthy that this is the best he’s felt in days? Definitely not. But it doesn’t change the fact that he actually feels alive, feels present and grounded and in control of something, even if that something is just terrible decisions with someone he really shouldn’t even trust. 

He doesn’t know when his life got to the point that this is what makes him feel better, making out with a guy that once tried to kill almost everyone Liam loves, but he can’t deny that something in him settles the second he touches Theo, even as the rest of him lights up. He feels like he’s been drifting out of his body ever since Scott’s house got shot up, but now he’s here, feeling every inch of where he’s pressed against Theo, hyper aware of the growing hardness against his thigh where it’s wedged between Theo’s legs, matched by the way his jeans are starting to become uncomfortably tight. 

Theo pulls his hair and Liam sinks his fangs into Theo’s lip in retaliation, and the ever present back and forth of their dynamic is almost comforting, the knowledge that even now they’re still fighting, just in a different way. He can taste Theo’s blood on his tongue, heady and addicting, and he has his hands up Theo’s shirt, sliding over every inch of bare skin he can reach, Theo’s hands still fisted tight in his hair, like he’s scared if he lets go Liam will move away. He doesn’t know how to tell them that he’s not sure he even knows how to move away, if he’s even capable of it after everything. He certainly doesn’t want to move away now, not when he’s got Theo right where he wants him. 

He’s gearing up for a repeat of what happened in Theo’s truck when suddenly Theo stiffens, dropping his hands from Liam’s hair and shoving him away roughly. Liam’s brows furrow in confusion for a moment before his senses finally come back online and he hears what had caused Theo to pause: footsteps. Shit. 

His eyes widen in panic, his hands furiously combing through his hair in hopes that it’s not irreparably messed up, willing his erection to go down by thinking of the absolute least sexy things he can conjure up, refusing to look at Theo, who’s moved a respectable distance away from Liam and is now leaning against the wall, infuriatingly calm, like nothing had even happened. Like his tongue hadn’t been in Liam’s mouth approximately 15 seconds ago. Like he hadn’t been a few minutes of making out from coming in his pants. Like he hadn’t insulted Liam’s sexual prowess and then basically dared him to do better. 

He attempts to collect his thoughts as Scott and Malia walk through the door, thankfully appearing to be too preoccupied to pick up on what Theo and Liam had been doing just seconds before. As Theo begins to explain the bodies and Aaron being half of the Anuk-ite, Liam occasionally chiming in with his own commentary, some distant part of his brain can’t help but point out: he never answered the question. 

After Scott and Malia leave, Liam finds himself back in the locker room, staring at his fractured reflection in the shattered, bloodstained mirror. Stained with Gabe’s blood. Gabe, who had beaten Liam half to death barely a week ago. Gabe, who might have been the person to open fire on the McCall house the night before, nearly killing Liam’s best friend. Gabe, who Liam almost killed. 

You think we’re monsters? Maybe we should be.

Or maybe he already is one. Maybe he’s always been a monster, long before he got claws and fangs and glowing eyes. Maybe when Scott bit him, all he did was give physical form to this creature that’s always been inside of him, vicious and snarling and always so angry, constantly itching under his skin to be let out. 

When he looks at his face in the mirror, he can almost see his shifted form, flashes of it bleeding through even as he remains fully human. Maybe that’s all he is now, all he’s ever been: a monster masquerading as a boy, a beast hiding behind human skin. 

He suddenly can’t bear to stare at his face a moment longer, hatred boiling in his heart at the sight of himself, and he considers slamming his fist into the mirror, shattering the glass entirely, adding his own blood to that which he’s already spilled, staining his hands beyond repair, because he’s already beyond saving, beyond redemption, beyond help, because what would salvation look like for something like him?

He’s a split second away from pulling back his fist, hoping the pain will silence the constant screaming in his head, even if just for a moment, when another reflection appears beside his: Theo, his appearance distorted by the cracked glass, but unmistakable nonetheless. At the sight of him, Liam feels something in his chest loosen, even as his other muscles tense up. 

He almost says something, but realizes he wants Theo to speak first, needs to know where they stand before proceeding, needs some guidance so he doesn’t get lost at sea again. 

“Are you okay?” Theo asks quietly, his tone almost—soft, and if Liam didn’t know better, he’d say he sounds concerned. But he can’t be, because concern would imply that Theo cares, and Liam knows he doesn’t. 

He hears the question, but isn’t sure how to respond, because on the one hand, how could he possibly be okay? His best friend is in the hospital, he’s almost died about half a dozen times in the past week, every member of his pack is in danger, the entire town is full of psycho nutjobs armed with assault rifles that all want to kill them, there’s a primordial being wandering around bringing everyone’s terror to the boiling point, and he’s never felt more powerless in his life. 

He turns around to face Theo, preparing to say something along those lines, but the moment he locks eyes with him—mere inches away, his face devoid of its usual emotionless mask, the green of his irises so captivating they might as well be the only color in the world—he can’t seem to make the words come out. 

Because, no, he’s not okay, he’s scared out of his mind, helpless and angry and alone, and he can’t remember the last time he was okay, except he can, because it was the last time he’d had Theo’s arms around him, Theo’s lips against his, Theo’s breath mingling with his own, Theo’s body pressed up against his. 

So no, he’s not okay, but—he could be. And he almost wants to say something, wants to make Theo understand, but at the same time, the thought of being that honest, that vulnerable, is more terrifying than anything from the Wild Hunt could ever be. Instead, he swallows back whatever words had been forming, and surges forward to kiss Theo, who initially stiffens with surprise, but quickly relaxes into it, responding in kind. 

And everything in him just melts as Theo kisses him, and it’s insane that this is what makes him feel safe, but it is, and he needs more, needs everything, needs every part of Theo, needs to kiss him and touch him and make him fall apart, needs to put him back together and do it all over again, needs to kiss every scar and broken part of him, needs to do whatever he can so that he’ll always have this, needs to make Theo want to stay. 

But he can’t say any of that, so he just kisses him harder, deeper, and there’s something different in this kiss, less frantic and angry than it usually is, and it’s better than anything he’s ever felt, everything he never knew he was missing. 

Theo pulls him forward and Liam follows, because he always does, and he doesn’t know where Theo’s leading him and he doesn’t care, doesn’t even bother to open his eyes, blindly trusting that Theo won’t hurt him. And maybe it’s a terrible idea, blindly trusting someone who could kill him in an instant, but he can’t bring himself to care. 

A moment later, he finds himself pressed against something cold and metal—one of the lockers, he realizes, barely able to conjure coherent thoughts when Theo’s kissing him slow and deep like he’s trying to savor it. And nothing about this feels like it has before—it’s not angry, it’s not vicious and biting and frantic, it’s not blood and fangs and claws and bitter words, it’s not just another way to fight. It’s something else.

Theo interrupts his train of thought when he breaks away to bury his face in Liam’s neck, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses to his skin, his tongue licking the sweat away, and he can feel the phantom sensation of Theo’s fangs sinking into his flesh, but there’s not even a hint of sharpness now, just the softness of Theo’s lips and the heat of his tongue. 

Liam’s eyes have been shut since he’d first kissed Theo, but when he feels Theo pull away, his eyes fly open, terrified that he’ll look at Theo’s face and see regret, but instead, he’s greeted with quite possibly the hottest sight he’s ever seen: Theo, dropping to his knees in front of Liam. 

He’s pretty sure he’s been turned on since they’d made out in the classroom, but that sight by itself—let alone what it implies—is enough to send a knee-buckling wave of arousal through him, and his cock is so hard it almost hurts, and he’s sure all the blood has left his brain and flowed south, because when greeted with the sight of Theo Raeken on his knees, he can’t seem to conjure up a single reason why this is a bad idea. 

Theo looks up at him through his lashes, a questioning look in his eyes, and Liam’s nodding in agreement before he can even think twice. He half expects Theo to make some kind of snarky remark about how desperate he is, poke fun at him or say something cutting, but instead he just unbuckles Liam’s belt without another word, undoing the button of his jeans and pulling down the zipper before rucking up Liam’s shirt, pressing his lips to the bared skin of his stomach. 

The soft press of Theo’s lips is somehow more arousing than anything else he’s done so far, and Liam barely manages to swallow his moan, his mind completely blank, his awareness narrowed to nothing but Theo’s lips against his skin. He wants so badly, so strongly that he doesn’t even know how to articulate everything he wants, can’t even begin to form the words, but thankfully Theo seems to understand anyways, pressing his mouth over where Liam’s straining in his underwear. 

A moan rips out of his throat at the sensation, and he’s so turned on he can barely see straight, but he forces himself to keep his eyes open, determined to not miss a single second of this. Theo locks eyes with him as he pulls Liam’s jeans and underwear halfway down his thigh, maintaining eye contact as he leans in and licks a stripe up the underside of Liam’s cock. Liam feels a shudder run through his body, a groan falling from his lips, and the corner of Theo’s mouth tilts up slightly, seemingly pleased at his reaction. 

“Theo,” he pants out. “Theo, please.” He never thought he’d say those words, never thought he’d be here, begging Theo Raeken for anything, but he’d also never imagined how gorgeous Theo would look on his knees, how addictive the feeling of Theo would be, how once he got a taste of it he’d never have enough. 

Theo thankfully doesn’t seem inclined to make him beg any more, taking Liam into his mouth without protest, the wet heat of his mouth so mind-numbingly arousing Liam’s head slams back against the locker, his mind wiped clean of everything that’s not Theo, Theo on his knees in front of him, Theo with Liam’s cock in his mouth, Theo swallowing Liam down like it’s nothing. 

Liam’s knees nearly buckle as he feels Theo’s throat constrict around him, and he fists his hands in Theo’s hair just for something to ground him, and when he winds his fingers in the strands, tugging just slightly, Theo moans, the vibrations going straight up Liam’s spine, his hips hitching up just slightly before he can stop them, and he can feel Theo gag at the movement, and he’s about to apologize before Theo lets out a whine, more animal than human and so unbelievably hot Liam nearly loses it right there. 

Some distant part of his brain registers the implications of Theo’s reaction, and he realizes that he doesn’t have to stop himself, doesn’t have to keep his hips from moving, so he thrusts his hips forward just slightly, fucking deeper into Theo’s throat, and Theo moves with him, taking Liam even deeper into his throat, moaning around him, so Liam does it again, and again, and again, until he’s fucking into Theo’s mouth with abandon, each movement ripping more noises from Theo, the pleasure in Liam’s gut winding tighter and tighter with each one. 

“Theo, I—I’m gonna—” he tries to warn, knowing he’s mere seconds away from falling apart, and he tries to tug Theo off of his cock, but Theo only moves in impossibly closer, swallowing around him, and a desperate moan rips out of Liam as he spills down Theo’s throat, the orgasm more intense than anything he’s ever felt. 

Theo doesn’t even falter, swallowing every bit without hesitation, and Liam’s bones feel like they’ve been turned into jelly, his knees very nearly buckling as he glances down to see Theo pulling off of him, his lips swollen and his pupils blown so wide there’s barely any green visible. 

He’s still trying to catch his breath, but some stupid orgasm-addled part of his brain refuses to have distance between him and Theo, so before he can think too hard about it, he’s grabbing Theo’s shirt collar and yanking him back up to his feet, fast enough that Theo stumbles slightly, but Liam just catches him, pulling him in closer and slamming his mouth against Theo’s. 

Liam shifts his leg slightly until his thigh is between Theo’s legs, pressed right up against where Theo’s hard and straining in his jeans, and Theo moans into his mouth at the contact, his hips grinding helplessly downwards, seeking the friction he must have been so desperately craving. 

He considers for a moment breaking away from Theo’s mouth, sliding his hand into Theo’s jeans or going to his knees and returning the favor, but he can’t bear to move away, needing Theo close, right up against him, but even with every inch of Theo pressed up against him he still needs more, needs him closer, needs him to stay. 

Theo seems to share the sentiment, as he just kisses Liam harder, continuing to rut against Liam’s thigh, Liam swallowing every needy sound that falls from his lips, the roughness of the denim of Theo’s jeans rubbing against Liam’s thigh and his oversensitive cock sending sparks up his spine, and Liam has no idea how he ended up here, but he wouldn’t change a thing, can’t think of a single place he’d rather be than right here. 

The movement of Theo’s hips speeds up, becoming more unsteady, his hands grasping Liam’s hips so hard he’s sure they’re leaving instantly healing bruises, and for a moment he curses his supernatural healing, wishing so desperately that there could be some physical proof of what they did, some reminder that it was real. 

Liam can tell that Theo’s close, and he wants so badly to see him come, to see him fall apart completely, so he puts his own hands on Theo’s hips, encouraging him to grind down even harder, and it’s only a few seconds before Theo lets out a desperate moan that sounds like it was ripped from his chest and spills into his jeans, his hips twitching with the aftershocks for a long moment afterwards. 

Theo had broken away from the kiss as he’d fallen over the edge, dropping his head onto Liam’s shoulder as he panted, the heat of his breath against Liam’s skin grounding Liam, bringing him back to reality. 

The unfortunate side effect of that is that a wave of realizations suddenly crash over Liam. Everything they’d done today, everything they’d done in the past few months, every time Theo’s presence had calmed something deep inside of Liam, every time Liam had felt drawn to Theo, every time the touch of his hand or the press of his lips had made the world seem real again. 

How desperate he’d been for Theo to stay. How he couldn’t seem to stay away from him no matter what his better judgment said. How all of this had started as another way to fight, but just days ago Liam had looked into Theo’s eyes and thought he was beautiful. 

I’m in love with him, he realizes helplessly. He’s in love with Theo, the person he’s supposed to hate, the person who tried to kill almost everyone Liam cares about, the person who told Liam to his face that he didn’t care about any of them. And Theo doesn’t feel the same, he can’t feel the same, why would he ever feel the same, and Liam suddenly can’t breathe, feels like he’s choking, and Theo’s closeness, which had just moments before felt comforting, is suddenly suffocating, and Liam’s pushing Theo away before he can think better of it. 

He can’t bear to meet Theo’s eyes, terrified that every one of his emotions is written all over his face, so he keeps his gaze locked on the floor as he yanks his pants back up, zipping and buttoning his jeans with unsteady fingers. 

“Liam?” Theo says, sounding confused and the slightest bit hurt. Liam hates that he’s made Theo sound like that, wants so badly to fix it, to draw Theo closer, make him see, make him understand, but he can’t. 

“This can’t happen again,” Liam says, hoping the words come out steadier than he feels. He finally manages to look at Theo, whose face is unreadable, although not fully settled into its usual emotionless mask. 

“Doesn’t matter to me,” Theo mutters, his voice hard. “Not like I was going to stick around and watch you all get killed anyways.” 

“Then why don’t you just leave?” Liam spits out, the ever-present anger rising to the surface, some part of him wanting to hurt Theo, make him feel some small part of the pain Liam feels pushing him away. “Seems like that’s the only thing you’re good at.” 

He hates himself for the words as he’s saying them, and hates himself even more when Theo’s expression shutters entirely, and Liam feels something deep inside of him break, every ounce of comfort he’d managed to build up disappearing as Theo stares at him for a long moment before turning around and walking away, slamming the door to the locker room behind him. 

He feels cracked open, shattered, empty, and every cell in his body is screaming at him to go after Theo, to tell him the truth, to stop him from leaving, to make him stay, but he can’t. He knows Theo doesn’t love him. This has never been about more than sex for him, he was probably just biding his time, hoping to get laid a couple times before skipping town and never looking back. 

He’d never expected more. Never wanted more—until now. Now he wants everything, and he knows he can never have it. He can still feel the phantom sensation of Theo’s hands on his hips, Theo’s lips against his, the warmth of Theo’s body pressed up against him, and he feels cold without it, like there’s some piece of him he didn’t even know was there that’s been ripped away from him. 

Liam suddenly feels tears spring to his eyes, which he furiously blinks away, swallowing back the rising emotion in his throat, forcing every thought of Theo from his mind, refusing to allow himself to fall apart right now. When he manages to regain his composure, he takes a deep breath, his mind clear even as his heart is breaking. It doesn’t matter, he tells himself fiercely. It can’t matter. Theo can’t mean anything to him, because he doesn’t mean anything to Theo. And he never will.

Chapter Text

And I snuck in through the garden gate

Every night that summer just to seal my fate

And I scream, “For whatever it’s worth,

I love you, ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?”

Seeing Theo in the elevator had felt like a punch to the stomach, the sight of Theo’s green eyes and tousled hair stealing every breath of air from his lungs, and Liam had wanted so badly to kiss him when he’d said I’m not dying for you, had wanted to press him against the wall and do everything he’d been dreaming about for days, but he couldn’t, not then, so he’d just repeated Theo’s words back to him, even though they both knew it was a lie. 

But I will fight with you. And they had. They’d fought together as easy as breathing, moving in sync without hesitation, for once fighting side by side rather than with each other, and it’d felt so good to have Theo close to him, like a puzzle piece slotting into place. Because Theo had come back. He didn’t leave, he came back, and Liam was never letting him leave again. 

And after it all, he’d stood in that hospital hallway, his body still racked with pain as his wounds slowly healed, and he’d watched Theo crouch down beside Gabe where he was slumped against the wall, choking on his own blood, his life slipping away. He’d watched Theo go to him—a boy who had tried to kill them all, who’d had a gun pointed at Liam’s face not five minutes ago, who’d shot the McCall house full of bullets and nearly killed Liam’s best friend—and take his pain away, making sure that someone who had caused so much suffering did not have to suffer in his last moments. Liam loved him so much he could hardly breathe. 

He can sense Theo’s presence behind him as he speaks into the walkie talkie, the words coming out with a sense of finality, even as some part of him knows that it isn’t really over. But he can’t bring himself to care about that at the moment, not when the adrenaline from the battle is still rushing through his veins, not when they’ve finally won, not when Theo is right here. 

Liam stands up, and Theo is barely a few feet away, his eyes locked onto Liam’s, his face more open than Liam’s ever seen it, the hint of a smile twisting his lips. 

“You didn’t leave,” Liam says, and he knows he sounds every bit as in love as he feels, but he doesn’t care, not when Theo is looking at him and smiling, more beautiful than ever. 

“I didn’t leave,” Theo responds, and Liam has a million things he wants to say, but he can’t seem to think of a single one of them, can’t seem to do anything other than look at Theo, some part of him afraid that if he looks away for even a second, Theo will disappear. 

He’s not sure how long they stand there, just staring at each other, but they’re finally broken out of their spell by someone clearing their throat loudly, and Liam startles, looking over to see Mason staring pointedly at him, a knowing expression on his face. He’s never been able to hide a single thing from Mason, and he knows this isn’t any different, but he doesn’t really care, and he hopes Mason doesn’t either. 

“Scott texted,” Mason starts. “The Anuk-ite is trapped again, somehow, and everyone’s alive. Scott said we should regroup tomorrow at his house, figure out what to do next.” 

It’s as good a plan as any, and Liam feels a sense of relief wash over him at the news that everyone is okay. They survived. They won. And Monroe is still out there, with god knows how many followers, but that’s a problem for tomorrow, and tonight they can go home, rest easy with the knowledge that they came out on top yet again. 

He hugs Mason goodbye when he and Corey leave, Ms. McCall pressing a kiss to the top of his head when she does the same, Nolan hovering awkwardly for a moment before giving Liam a jerky nod and leaving as well. That just leaves him and Theo, standing in the aftermath of a battle that could have killed them all, their clothes riddled with bullet holes and stained with blood, staring at each other without a single idea of what to do next. 

And Liam doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know how to move forward, but he does know that he needs Theo close to him tonight, can’t bear to let him out of his sight, not when he’s just now gotten him back. 

“Come home with me,” he says softly, even as some part of him is terrified that Theo will say no, that he’ll leave again, that he’ll break Liam’s heart once and for all. Please say yes, he thinks desperately, unsure if his heart can handle being broken again. 

“Okay,” Theo says, his voice so quiet it’s almost a whisper, but the word unmistakable nonetheless. Liam feels a smile spread helplessly across his face, and god, he loves him so much, and Theo came back, and he’s going to stay. He’s going to stay. 

Theo turns toward the door, and Liam follows him without hesitation, because he always does, and he always will. 

Theo drives them to Liam’s house without question, and maybe Liam should be concerned that Theo knows exactly how to get there without direction, but he’s really not. He parks his truck in the driveway, and Liam knows he’s going to have a lot of explaining to do to his parents, but he puts that in the ‘tomorrow problems’ pile, one that is becoming increasingly larger, but he refuses to dwell on it any longer. 

Theo glances over at him after he turns the truck off, almost as if he’s not sure Liam actually meant it when he asked him to come home with him, like Liam hasn’t been losing his mind every second he hasn’t been with Theo since the last time they were together. 

“Come on, let’s go inside,” he says, opening the truck door and closing it behind him before Theo can protest, and as he walks towards the front door he can hear Theo’s footsteps behind him, knowing he’s following him even without turning around. He fishes the spare key out from underneath the mat and unlocks the front door, opening it as quietly as he can and slipping inside, Theo close behind him. 

It’s surreal, being back in his house after everything, even more surreal seeing Theo in his house, but it’s still comforting, the scent of home combined with Theo’s presence settling something deep inside him, a sense of calm washing over him. 

Theo looks somewhat unsteady, hovering in the doorway, and Liam just looks at him before tilting his head towards the stairs, an offer, a suggestion, and a question all in one, and Theo nods in response, trailing behind Liam when Liam makes his way up the stairs. 

Liam goes straight into the bathroom when he enters his room, knowing he needs to clean the blood from his skin before he can do anything else, and he locks eyes with Theo’s reflection in the mirror, and he can still hardly believe that he’s here, that he’s alive, that he came back. 

He grabs a washcloth from the cabinet, running it under the faucet to get it damp, then turns back around to face Theo. “I know you got shot, let me get the blood off of you.” He tries his best to keep his voice level because even though getting shot is now part of their regular routine, it never quite feels like it, especially when it’s Theo. 

Theo gives him one of his half smiles, and Liam swears it lights up the whole bathroom. “If you wanted me to take my clothes off, you just had to ask.” 

His words are teasing, but Liam sees them for what they are: a deflection. An attempt to hide from vulnerability, keep himself protected in the way he always tries so hard to. Liam just raises his eyebrows pointedly at him, and Theo rolls his eyes in response, grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head. 

No amount of dirt or blood or bullets could ever make Theo less gorgeous, and Liam has to consciously stop himself from getting lost staring at his bared torso, focusing instead on the dried blood caked onto several spots on his skin, the bullet wounds healed but still leaving traces that not even supernatural healing could erase. 

He takes a half step forward, bringing him closer until he’s barely a foot away from Theo, and fits his hand around Theo’s hip, gentle, soft in a way that he knows they both need after the violence of today. He pretends not to hear the sharp breath Theo sucks in at the contact, and focuses instead on wiping away the blood with his washcloth, rubbing until every trace of red is gone from his skin, starting first at his shoulder, where Liam knows the bullet had entered because Theo had shielded Liam with his body as they ran, taking the bullet meant for him. 

He cleans every last bit of blood from Theo’s torso, keeping his eyes trained on the movement of his hands rather than looking at Theo’s face, though he could feel Theo’s eyes fixed on him as he moved. As he wipes away the blood, he can’t help but feel like he’s doing more than just cleaning the remnants of bullet wounds, like he’s wiping away every drop of blood he’s made Theo spill, like he’s making up for all the hurt they’ve caused each other, like he’s begging Theo with this small action to see everything it implies. 

When he’s finished, he goes to put the washcloth in the sink, prepared to put that in the ‘tomorrow problems’ pile, but Theo’s hand darts out and grabs his wrist, stopping him in his movement. “You too,” Theo whispers, like he’s scared to speak any louder. Liam just nods in agreement, scared to open his mouth for what he fears might come out, and instead just pulls his own shirt over his head, discarding it on the floor. Tomorrow problem. Yet another shirt ruined by bullet holes and blood, another occupational hazard of being a werewolf that Scott had failed to mention. 

Every thought of Scott leaves his mind when he feels Theo’s calloused palm rest gingerly on his waist, his strong and practiced hands grasping the washcloth as he scrubs the blood from Liam’s skin, so gentle, more gentle than Liam ever knew he could be, and Liam abruptly feels like he might cry, because he’s alive, and Theo’s alive, and they’re here, together, and Liam is so in love with him he can hardly breathe. 

Theo finishes and his hands leave Liam’s body, too soon, and he’s too far, even as he’s barely a breath away, even as Liam can feel the body heat radiating off of Theo, but Theo doesn’t move away, stays just inches away from him, his hands resting uncertainly at his sides, his eyes darting around the room like he can’t bear to look Liam in the eyes. 

“Why did you come back?” Liam says, needing to know the truth yet still so scared of the answer. Theo’s gaze snaps up to meet his at his words, and Liam stares back unflinchingly, searching his eyes for some confirmation of what he suspects, what he hopes so desperately is true. 

“I almost didn’t,” Theo says quietly, glancing down at the floor. Liam wants so badly to reach out and touch him, but he has to let Theo finish, needs to hear him explain. “I was in my truck, on my way out of town, and—Scott called. He said you were trapped, that you needed help, and I just—I couldn’t leave.” He takes a deep breath, locking eyes with Liam once again. “I came back for you.” 

Liam feels his breath catch in his throat, and he can’t think of a single thing to say, can’t think of anything to do except lean in and press his mouth to Theo’s, the kiss softer than any they’d shared before, and Theo kisses him back, and Liam wants so badly to keep going, to press closer until they’re so entwined he can’t tell where he ends and Theo begins, but he forces himself to pull away, knowing he has to say what he’s feeling before he loses his nerve. 

“I want you to stay,” he blurts out, hoping those words are less likely to scare Theo off than the ones he truly wants to say. 

Theo looks at him for a long moment, studying his face, and Liam feels like everything in his heart is written all over his face, but he forces himself not to look away. “Why did you tell me to leave?” 

His tone isn’t accusing, or angry, like it has every right to be, but Liam feels guilty nonetheless. “I—I was scared,” he manages to get out. Scared that you didn’t care. Scared that I cared too much. Scared that it wouldn’t ever matter.

“I never—wanted to protect anyone else, before. I never really had the luxury of caring about anyone else. My whole life, it was either keep myself alive at any cost, or—die.” Theo’s voice is measured, but Liam can hear the years of pain behind it, everything he suffered to make it through. “All I wanted was power. I didn’t care about a single person besides myself—until you,” Theo finishes, his voice wavering slightly. 

“You—care about me?” Liam says incredulously, because even after everything, he still can’t quite make himself believe that Theo cares about him, that there’s even the slightest chance his feelings aren’t one-sided. 

Theo looks at him with his ‘you’re a fucking idiot’ expression that Liam is unfortunately all too familiar with at this point. “I’m in love with you, dumbass,” Theo says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, like of course he is, like Liam hadn’t driven himself into a full blown panic attack not two days ago because he was convinced that Theo could never love him back. 

And then what he’s saying finally sinks in: Theo’s in love with him. Theo loves him. And for the first time in what feels like forever, Liam’s finally not scared anymore. 

He surges forward and kisses Theo, harder than he maybe should have because their teeth clack together painfully at first, but they settle into each other quickly, like they always do, and then they’re kissing, shirtless in Liam’s bathroom with a bloodstained washcloth in the sink behind them, and Liam probably still has blood in his hair and a bullet hole in his jeans but he doesn’t care about any of it because he’s kissing Theo, and he’s in love with him, and Theo loves him back, and none of the rest of it matters. 

This kiss feels nothing like any of the times before, because they’re not fighting, they’re not desperately clinging to each other, they’re not using it as a way to hide the words they want to say—they’re just here. Together. And Theo’s pressed up against him, the heat of his bare skin against Liam’s everything he’s been missing for months now, and he’s laid in his bed so many nights dreaming about Theo, thinking about every way he could have him, and not a single time had he dreamt something as good as this. 

Theo’s hands have made their way to his hips and he’s pressing Liam back against the cabinets, the hard line of the counter digging into his back, but he barely feels it because Theo’s licking into his mouth and scraping his bottom lip with just a hint of teeth, and Liam presses their hips together and finds that Theo’s just as hard as he is, and the moan he lets out is immediately echoed by Theo, and Liam’s suddenly desperate to get his hands on every inch of Theo’s body, and he might die if he doesn’t get Theo into his bed in the next five seconds. 

He pushes Theo back gently, guiding him back through the open doorway, his lips never leaving Theo’s for a single second. Theo goes willingly, stepping backwards and trusting Liam blindly not to run him into a wall, and isn’t that a good thought, and he imagines briefly backing Theo up against the wall, plastering their bodies together and fucking him that way, but the allure of actually getting Theo into bed is too strong, so he instead moves Theo back until his knees hit the edge of the bed. 

Liam’s honestly not sure if any of his higher brain functions are operating correctly right now or if he’s just running on pure instinct, because he doesn’t even think before he’s planting a hand in the middle of Theo’s chest and pushing, and Theo falls back on the bed with a look of mild irritation, one that quickly disappears when Liam climbs on top of him, guiding Theo to lay the right way on the bed and then lowering himself down onto Theo, capturing his mouth once again, rolling his hips against Theo’s in a slow grind, a choked off moan falling from Theo’s lips. 

And the thought of just grinding their hips together until they both spill into their jeans is tempting, but Liam refuses to not take full advantage of the fact that they’re in a bed for the first time. He finally has the chance to do everything he’s dreamed about, and he’s not about to waste it. He raises himself up onto his knees, just high enough that he can reach between them and undo the button and zipper on Theo’s jeans, and Theo lifts his hips up, allowing Liam to pull them along with his briefs down his legs, the fabric briefly tangling on his ankle before Liam is able to pull it free, discarding them on the floor without looking to see where they landed. 

That leaves Theo finally, gloriously naked, sprawled on Liam’s bed, illuminated by the moonlight, looking like an angel fallen from heaven, so devastatingly beautiful that it steals every breath of air from his lungs. 

He’s dreamt so many nights about getting Theo exactly like this, underneath him, completely at his mercy, willingly submitting to him the way Liam can tell he so desperately craves, and the reality is proving to be so much better than he ever could have imagined. He can’t resist leaning back in to kiss Theo, a soft press of lips that quickly becomes more heated, Theo letting out a choked whine when Liam grinds their hips together, the rough press of denim against bare skin providing intense friction. 

Liam blindly reaches out towards his nightstand, refusing to break away from Theo’s mouth for even a second, only slightly regretting that decision when he painfully slams his hand against the hard wooden surface. He manages to tug open the drawer and grab what he needs with minimal searching, breaking the kiss and sitting back on his heels to provide him better access. 

Theo looks momentarily irritated before he spots what Liam has in his hand, his pupils dilating at the sight of the half empty bottle of lube. His legs spread slightly, clearly unconsciously, and a dark flush spreads down his chest as he realizes. Liam just laughs. “Should I take that as a sign that you’re on board?” he asks, a hint of teasing in his voice. 

Theo rolls his eyes in response. “At this point, I feel like it’s a given that I’m on board.” 

Liam smirks, leaning back in to press his lips to Theo’s neck, delighting in the hitch in Theo’s breath. “Maybe I wanna hear you say it,” he whispers, his breath ghosting over Theo’s skin. 

He can tell Theo is desperately trying to maintain a hold on his composure, even as Liam can hear the pounding of his heart, the hitches in his breath with every touch. “What, you want a written invitation? Yes, carry on, proceed with fucking me,” Theo says, somehow still managing to be an asshole even when Liam has him pinned to the bed. 

As much as Theo might like to think otherwise, Liam decidedly has the upper hand here, and he intends to take full advantage of that. “Say please,” he says, the words practically a growl, and Theo’s reaction is instant, his scent flooded even further with arousal, his hips hitching up against Liam’s leg, his head tipping back and baring his throat, a low moan falling from his mouth. 

“Please,” Theo breathes out, every ounce of fight gone from his tone, his body pliant and submissive underneath Liam.

Liam surges in to kiss him again, only lingering for a few seconds before pulling back again, opening the lube bottle and drizzling some on his fingers, rubbing them together briefly to spread the lube evenly, Theo’s eyes locked on the movement of his hands all the while. 

For all his bravado, he has to take a moment to breathe through some of his own hesitation, moving past the brief spike of fear at doing this again, unable to hide behind bitter words and violence, and even though he’s the one in control, he feels just as laid bare as Theo. 

Theo seems to sense his uncertainty, as he takes Liam’s clean hand in one of his own, drawing it towards his mouth and placing a gentle kiss on the knuckles, the soft press of his lips the lifeline Liam needs to ground him. Liam locks eyes with him, and Theo nods slightly, wordlessly giving him permission.

Liam lifts one of Theo’s legs up, encouraging him to wrap it around Liam’s hip, allowing Liam to move his hand between Theo’s legs, pressing his slick fingers against Theo’s entrance, Theo sucking in a breath at the sensation. He considers for a moment teasing Theo even further, maybe making him beg for it, but finds that he really doesn’t want to deny Theo much of anything right now, he wants to give him everything, every single thing he wants until he’s begging for more, until he’s so fucked out he’s crying, until the only word he remembers how to say is Liam’s name. 

Liam presses his finger forward, Theo opening up easily for him, relaxing into the touch, his eyelids fluttering as Liam moves in further, crooking his finger slightly. Everything about this feels so different from that time in Theo’s truck: where last time every movement had been frantic and rough and biting, now their movements are slow, gentle, unhurried, every touch careful and exploratory, not a hint of claws or fangs to be found. 

When he feels he’s spent enough time with one finger, he briefly pulls out only to press back in with two, so careful, refusing to let Theo experience even an ounce of pain, not now, not tonight. Theo gasps out a moan when Liam gently scissors his fingers, stretching Theo even further, and he’s never wanted to take his time as much as he does right now. Every breath, every gasp, every moan, every whine, every single noise that Theo lets out is the sweetest sound he’s ever heard, and he wants to draw as many as possible out of him before the night is up. 

He knows he’s hit the perfect spot when Theo’s hips jacknife off the bed, his back arching as he lets out a desperate, high pitched whine. Liam just rubs against the spot again, delighting in the moan that rips from Theo’s throat, and Liam remembers the last time they’d been like this, crammed in the backseat of Theo’s truck, the scent of blood and sweat permeating the air as he’d fucked Theo open on his fingers that were slicked with nothing but spit, how he’d wanted to see Theo fall apart just like that, how he’d stopped himself because he’d wanted to make Theo wait. 

And now he just—really doesn’t want to make him wait. So he pulls his fingers out once more, pressing back in with three, finding that spot again with ease, and presses down hard. Theo jerks so hard he nearly makes Liam lose his balance, so Liam pins his hip down to the mattress with his free hand, continuing to rub up against the bundle of nerves, a string of desperate noises falling from Theo’s lips. 

“Liam—Liam, I’m gonna—” Theo’s words cut off in a guttural moan, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he gasps for breath. 

“Yeah, Theo, come for me,” Liam says, the words coming out without even thinking, his brain unable to think of much else besides how unbelievably hot Theo looked on the verge of falling apart. 

He presses down even harder with his fingers, massaging at Theo’s prostate, and Theo’s eyes roll back in his head as he lets out a noise so high pitched it’s barely human, his entire body shuddering as he spills untouched onto his stomach. 

He immediately collapses, boneless, onto the mattress, his body shuddering with the aftershocks, and Liam gently pulls his fingers out, mindful of how sensitive Theo must be, Theo letting out a little sound of displeasure at the sensation, and Liam is still wearing his jeans for christ’s sake, and he’s so hard it’s actually starting to become painful, but the only thing he can think to do is lean in and kiss Theo. 

It takes a moment for Theo to actually respond to the kiss, clearly still out of it from his orgasm, but Liam quickly loses himself in it, falling so deeply into the kiss that he almost forgets how unbearably hard he is in his jeans. Except Theo clearly hasn’t forgotten, because it doesn’t take long for him to press a hand over Liam’s cock, the simple touch enough to send a shudder through Liam, and he presses forward unthinkingly into the contact, desperate for some friction after having nothing for so long. 

“I’m pretty sure it’s your turn now,” Theo murmurs into his mouth, continuing to rub Liam’s cock through his jeans, and an over the pants handjob should not feel this good, Jesus Christ, but he nearly collapses from the pleasure anyways. “Are you planning on following through or what?”

His meaning is obvious, and god, does Liam want to, but—

“I don’t wanna hurt you,” he says, his tone as sincere as it can be when he’s half naked and Theo’s naked underneath him with his stomach covered in come. 

Theo’s face softens, and Liam’s so in love with him he could cry. “You’re not gonna hurt me, I promise. I want you to,” he assures. 

“Are you sure—” he starts, before Theo cuts him off. 

“Liam, I swear to god, if you don’t put your dick in me in the next five minutes I’m gonna kill you,” Theo says, but with none of the heat behind it that there had been before, that night in his truck those long months ago, when Theo had spit out threats like they were poison, used pleasure like a weapon, all sharp edges and fire, both of them emerging burned and bloodied. There was none of that now. Liam looked into his eyes and saw nothing but love, light and warmth where before there had been nothing but cold and emptiness. 

“You know, you say that enough times and it kinda loses its weight,” Liam says teasingly, but stands up to pull his jeans and briefs off anyways. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dunbar,” Theo shoots back, not even attempting to hide the way he’s staring at Liam undressing. “I could definitely kill you if I wanted to.” 

Liam climbs back on top of him, and there’s finally nothing between them, just skin against skin, and it’s everything he’s ever dreamed about and more, everything he’s wanted since the moment he laid eyes on Theo in that gas station. “You wouldn’t kill me,” he says, pressing his lips to Theo’s pulse point. “You love me.” 

He expects Theo to roll his eyes, say something to deflect or shy away from the truth, but instead he just looks at Liam, his gaze soft, running a gentle hand down Liam’s side. “Yeah,” he says softly. “I do.” 

Liam wants to say it back so badly, but he can’t, not right now, so instead he just surges forward and kisses Theo, pressing his hips forward and letting out a moan at the sensation, his cock sliding against Theo’s hip, the friction sending sparks up his spine, and he’s never wanted like this before, never felt so turned on in his life, like every one of his nerve endings is on fire, like nothing else exists in the world besides Theo pressed up against him. 

He’s just about to pull back and search for the lube bottle when he feels a slick, calloused hand wrap around him, the touch so mind-numbingly good he has to break away from Theo’s mouth as he shudders out a gasp, his hips rocking forward slightly into Theo’s grip. Theo spends a long few moments slowly jerking Liam off, and the simple touch shouldn’t be enough to nearly set him off, but it’s Theo, and they’re in Liam’s bed, and Liam loves him, and Theo loves him too, so it just—definitely is. 

But as tempting as it is to let Theo keep going until Liam spills over his hand, he’d much rather come inside him. So he gently bats Theo’s hand away, taking himself in hand and positioning his cock at Theo’s entrance, looking to him for some confirmation and getting it when Theo nods slightly, and then he’s pressing in, and Theo’s so loose from Liam’s thorough prep and his earlier orgasm that Liam slides in easily, and then he’s buried inside Theo, his hips pressed against Theo’s ass, and he has to take a moment to collect himself so that he doesn’t come right then and there. 

He’d dropped his head down to bury his face in the crook of Theo’s neck when he’d pressed inside, and he takes advantage of the position to lick a stripe up the side of Theo’s throat, the taste of salt and skin on his tongue only heightening his arousal, and then he’s being pulled back by a firm hand in his hair, Theo crashing their mouths together a second later. 

He moans helplessly into Theo’s mouth, the onslaught of sensations almost too much, but he still has the presence of mind to remember that he made a promise, and he grinds his hips forward, swallowing Theo’s answering groan. 

Once again, he can’t help but remember the last time he’d fucked Theo, how he’d fucked into him roughly, uncaring of anything besides his own orgasm, remembers claws scratching his hips and fangs piercing his skin, and he’s desperate for this time to be nothing like that. He needs this to be different, because they’re different now, no longer using sex as a way to fight, as a shield to hide their hearts behind. He wants Theo to feel good, wants to give him everything, wants to tell him he loves him with every movement of his hips, every press of his lips. 

He pulls his hips back until he’s just barely inside Theo, then drives his hips forward, making sure to go slow, ensuring Theo can feel every inch of him, and Theo moans into his mouth, shuddering underneath him. 

Liam loses himself in the slow back and forth movement of his hips, shifting his angle slightly until he’s hitting Theo’s prostate dead on with every thrust, and they’re not kissing anymore, just breathing each other’s air, their sweat-slick foreheads pressed together, and every other time they’d had sex it’d felt like a race to the finish line, the arousal burning like a wildfire, but now it feels more like the steady smoldering heat of a campfire, the pleasure building steadily with each moment. 

Theo’s fully hard again, his cock bumping against Liam’s abs with every thrust, leaving streaks of precome on his heated skin, and Liam knows he has to be sensitive after his previous orgasm and the continued stimulation of Liam fucking into him, and he opens his eyes to look at Theo, wanting to see if he’s still okay, only to be greeted with the sight of Theo’s lashes clumped together with tears. 

“Theo, are you—” Liam starts, terrified he’s hurt Theo, but Theo cuts him off, his voice shaky. 

“I’m fine, Liam, I promise, it’s just—it’s so—” Theo cuts off with a whine, his cock twitching as Liam thrusts forward again. And maybe there’s something wrong with him, but the sight of Theo literally crying because Liam’s fucking him so well, half out of his mind with pleasure, is genuinely the hottest thing he’s ever seen. 

Tears start to roll down Theo’s cheeks as Liam continues fucking into him, every thrust of his hips punching another moan out of Theo, and he wants so desperately to see Theo come, to watch him fall apart, hear the noises he makes when he’s driven over the edge a second time. 

“Are you close?” Liam pants out, and Theo nods frantically, opening his mouth to say something, but only a desperate moan comes out. “Come for me, Theo, come on, I wanna see it, wanna watch you come, baby, please—”

As the last word falls from Liam’s lips Theo moans, long and loud and unrestrained, and comes, again, adding to the mess on his stomach, his entire body shuddering with the force of it, tightening around Liam’s cock as he comes, and the added pressure is too much, and Liam spills inside him a split second later, echoing Theo’s moan with one of his own. 

His orgasm feels like it lasts an eternity, like every bone in his body is dissolving, every nerve ending set alight, his vision going white for a long moment, and then he just collapses on top of Theo, his cock twitching from the aftershocks where it’s still inside of Theo. 

He comes to and the first thing he registers is Theo’s fingers gently carding through his hair, and Liam can barely form a single coherent thought but is still suddenly overwhelmed by how in love with him he is. He pulls back slightly, his softening cock slipping out of Theo’s hole, and shifts until he’s laying next to Theo, turned onto his side to face him. 

Theo rolls onto his side, shifting back to give Liam more space, and Liam can’t help but lean forward to kiss him, just a soft press of lips, breaking away after a moment to meet Theo’s eyes. And they’re both naked in Liam’s bed, covered in sweat and come, adrenaline still buzzing through their veins, but Liam can’t stand to go another minute without telling Theo how he feels, so he doesn’t really care where they are, because there might never be a perfect moment, and they know better than anyone that tomorrow isn’t promised, so why not now?

“I—” Liam begins, breaking off as he chokes on the words, some part of him still terrified even though he knows Theo feels the same. And Theo looks scared, like he’s worried Liam’s about to reject him, or kick him out, and that’s more than enough to give Liam the courage to tell him what’s in his heart. “I love you,” he blurts out, and it feels like a physical weight has been lifted off of his chest, like he’s been keeping the words inside for so long, like they’ve always been there, just waiting for him to give them shape. “I love you, Theo,” he says again, because he can now, and no words have ever given him this much pleasure to say, and he wants to say them again, every day for the rest of his life, wants to shout them from the rooftops and whisper them into the space between the two of them. 

And Theo looks so surprised, like there’s any possible way Liam couldn’t love him back, like there’s any universe where Liam isn’t completely, utterly, catastrophically, head over heels in love with him. “But I—you—”

Liam cuts him off. “Theo, I swear if you say something self-deprecating right now, I will punch you in the face.” His words are teasing, but they’re really not, because Liam knows how low of an opinion Theo has of himself, how he thinks he’s not worth anything, and he hates that, hates that he can’t convince Theo that he’s worthy, that he’s amazing, that he’s everything Liam’s ever wanted, that he’s so far removed from the person who’d hurt them all. 

Theo just looks back at him, his face so open and vulnerable Liam feels his chest tighten, and he’s so in love with him it hurts. “I love you too,” Theo whispers, so softly it’s barely audible, and Liam wants to hear him say it again, wants to memorize the shape of his lips around the words. 

“I’m not scared anymore,” Liam says, calling back to his previous words, his weak excuse for why he’d told Theo to leave. And he means it. He’s been scared for so long, about so many things, but now—the love he feels is infinitely more powerful than his fear ever has been, and he knows he has the strength to carry on, to be brave, now that he knows he has Theo by his side. He looks Theo in the eye, his gaze never wavering. “You help make me—not scared. You always have. Even when you were a massive prick, there was always something about you that—brought me back.” 

Theo laughs slightly, but there’s nothing cruel about it. “I pushed everyone away, everyone who could ever care about me—cause I knew I didn’t deserve it. And I tried—I tried so hard to push you away, but I—I don’t want to anymore.” His voice is soft, only wavering slightly. “I want to let people in. I want to let you in. Liam, I—I want to stay.” 

I want you to stay. Those were the words Liam had whispered to Theo in the bathroom, a love confession in its own right, and this was Theo’s way of answering. Of agreeing. Theo wants to stay. Theo’s going to stay. And Liam loves him with every fiber of his being, every cell in his body, every inch of his soul. 

“Stay here. With me,” Liam whispers, and he means tonight, but also every night after that, every sunrise and sunset and full moon and everything in between, every minute of every day until he draws his last breath. 

“I will,” Theo whispers back, his breath ghosting over Liam’s lips, and Liam can’t help but kiss him again, pressing their lips together like a promise, putting every ounce of love in his heart into the kiss, and he hopes Theo can feel it, hopes he understands how much Liam loves him, hopes Liam can spend the rest of his life showing Theo how much he loves him. 

“I love you,” he murmurs against Theo’s lips. I want you to stay.  

“I love you,” Theo responds. I want to stay. 

I’m not dying for you.

I’m not dying for you, either.

But I will fight with you.

I will stay with you. 

And for the first time in what feels like forever, Liam’s finally at peace.