Chapter Text
All around him was chaos. Hunters had spilled out of the bunker as if they had spawn from the ground. After Scott had gone inside first with Malia and Lydia, it had only taken mere seconds for dozens of hunters to attack them, trying to surround them but they had expected this. Or at least, Theo had, so he had made sure that everyone was positioned at an advantage, even Stiles. With that advantage, they had managed to lure most of the hunters outside, where it was easier to fight them. But it still wasn't easy. Never easy.
In the midst of the fight, Theo kept knocking down hunter after hunter but it somehow was never enough. There were always at least two more for every single one he rendered unconscious instead of killing them, like his instincts were telling him to do. Refraining from killing them wasn't as hard and difficult as he had expected but sometimes when a hunter was being too smug for their own good, all Theo wanted to do was silence them. Like the hunter he was fighting right now.
His current hunter was enjoying this entire situation a little bit too much. She seemed to flourish in the face of chaos and pain like some sadistic demon. At least, the full insanity of her was focused on him alone and not on Liam or someone else. She was awfully strong and a good shot. Her first bullet had hit him entirely unexpected, right into his left shoulder, knocking him to the ground with the sudden force but he had recovered. He had managed to keep her attention on him for quite some time. She might be strong but Theo wasn't known for an easy surrender. He was annoyingly resilient. Like a cockroach.
But even a cockroach could be knocked down with the right strategy. Something she had seemingly figured out. With him on the ground and her hovering above him, trying to stab her wolfsbane-laced dagger into him, she was still taunting him. Apparently, she never stopped. But she wasn't immune to every villain's need to monologue when they thought they had the upper hand. Amateur mistake but it was the weakness Theo needed to defeat her.
“It's almost admirable how you thought you could defeat us with your little sneak attack” she mocked him laughingly. “But by all means, blow the bunker up. Let's see if you won't regret it afterwards”.
That has so not been the plan but Theo liked that idea and filed it for later, just in case. For now, he focused on the little malicious sparkle in her eye that told him she was holding information that she thought was an advantage. “Regret isn't really my thing, Sweetie”.
“So I've heard” she smirked down at him, still trying to weaken his hold on her but he had a solid grip on her wrists that kept her from injecting him with more wolfsbane with her stupid dagger. “A little collateral damage has never stopped you if it got you what you wanted”.
“Not caring has its perks” he tried to get her off of him but she wasn't budging. It shouldn't be possible for her to be stronger than him but he had fought at least a handful of hunters before her that had injured him, so he really wasn't at full strength. “Wouldn't you agree?”.
“I don't care about your kind. Blow em up. I won't even flinch” she bragged as if that was anything to be proud of.
Having all the information he needed, Theo pretended to get weaker to make her feel superior for a moment. “Yeah, you care so little about us that you go to all this length to kill every single one if us. Seems pretty indifferent to me”.
The sudden shock on her dumbfounded face filled him with a kind of satisfaction he hadn't felt in a while. Right now that was the right feeling to succeed. Before she could react in any way, Theo pushed her off and onto her back, switching their former positions. Knocking the dagger out of her hand, he wrapped one hand around her throat, clawless and with barely any real strength. He just really needed her to shut the fuck up.
“From one villain to another, start actually not giving a shit about anyone. Makes things a lot easier” Theo pressed down hard until she lost consciousness. “And stop the bragging”.
Tying up her hands while she was still out, Theo left her there and took a look around. Everyone else was also fighting off hunter after hunter, Monroe somewhere among them after quite literally disappearing as soon as they had attacked. She was all talk, no bite. The way she kept fleeing was pathetic. Her hunters should really rethink their priorities and loyalty. She was a horrible leader. More embarrassing than actually intimidating, easy to play but not so easy to kill, which sucked.
But for now, he pushed her to the back of his mind, thinking back to the smug hunter's words. They had someone inside the bunker, someone like them and they would probably try to use it as leverage when things got ugly. Uglier than they already were. Theo couldn't let that happen. He couldn't say why exactly but everything in him told him to head inside the bunker and get out whoever they were holding hostage.
So, after picking Liam out in the crowd of fighting hunters and supernaturals to make sure he was okay for now, Theo turned off his brain and headed for the bunker without telling anyone. He could feel Liam's watchful eyes on him for a moment but he ignored it in favour of his new mission. Nothing and no one could stop him right now. Not even the few hunters still inside the bunker trying to stop him after they'd gotten over their initial shock of someone actually breaking in again with the fight happening outside. Stupid of them to think they were safe but that stupidity made things easy for Theo.
Advancing all the way until he had reached the ends of this atrocious bunker, Theo was met with a solid steel door. He could hear three faint heartbeats on the other side. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break it down. He lacked the strength to destroy real steel. Almost everyone did.
“Let me” Lydia's voice startled the shit out of him, making him jump back from the door without much of a thought.
With the power of her banshee scream, the door wasn't an issue anymore. When the steel hit the ground, Theo headed inside the torture room. Hung up by their wrists, three young teenagers were tied to that cliché electric fence that thankfully wasn't on but had definitely been on not that long ago. Theo could still feel the electric buzz in the air. Ignoring that feeling, he got to work and cut them free as quickly as possible.
“You're lucky Liam sent me after you” Lydia helped him with the three weakened supernaturals without question, her words making his movements falter for a moment. “How did you plan on doing this on your own?”.
“I didn't” Theo cringed at his own words even though it was the truth. Maybe especially because it was the truth. He had not thought this through and that was very unlike him but his need to get these captives out had overtaken his rational thinking, which was a new and scary feeling. He wasn't sure if he liked it. “I wasn't thinking. I just needed to get them out”.
Her loaded eyes felt like gunshots but she didn't comment on his untypical behaviour. Instead, she headed back out into the hallway with him again, making sure all three supernaturals were able to walk on their own before staying back to take care of the unconscious hunters. That she just sent Theo on his way with three very vulnerable supernaturals without any hesitation or doubt, trusting that he would keep them safe, was doing things to his heart but there was no time to untangle those emotions now. First, he had to get them all out to safety or this entire rescue mission would be pointless. Choosing to save strangers over going after her would've been pointless and Theo didn't make pointless decisions. He just didn't.
“Stay behind me” Theo said to his three rescues, who all just nodded, still absolutely terrified. “You're gonna be okay”.
But Theo couldn't know that. He couldn't promise them anything but he felt that overwhelming need to make them feel better, safer. This feeling was messing with his head. It had come so out of nowhere but he wasn't hating it. It felt a lot better than blind rage or the thirst for blood, no matter how justified it was. Was that how Scott felt every day?
Stepping outside the bunker, all those thoughts left his brain when he was met with the devil herself and the steaming end of her gun, of course directed straight at him. What else. A smirk took over her annoying face when she noticed the slight desperation he was feeling, keeping his rescues behind him. “Last chance to give yourself over to me, Theo”.
“Never”.
Even faced with imminent death, Theo wouldn't cave. He would never tell her what she wanted to know. He would never help her get her hands on weapons that could kill Liam, Alec, Talisa and Corey in a heartbeat. He'd rather die than have their blood on his hands. He would protect them in every way he could and if that meant dying, then so be it. He hadn't expected to survive tonight anyway. He had told Stiles as much, so if the pack found him dead, it really shouldn't come as a surprise. Stiles could tell them it had been his plan all along. Maybe not like this but semantics. He'd be dead any second now anyway, so who cared? Definitely not Monroe and the two hunters by her side. If he was gonna die no matter what, then he'd try to take as many opponents with him as he could, starting with her.
Before he could so much as take a single step, Monroe was knocked down from behind by no other than Liam Dunbar, roaring like the crazy reckless beta Theo loved. Jumping into action by instinct alone, Theo attacked one of the other two hunters, taking a bullet to his other shoulder but he didn't care. Out of the corner of his eye, Theo could see Isaac being right there with Liam, knocking the second hunter out without a problem and joining Liam in his attack. Monroe was fighting for her life but with two angry betas slashing her up left and right, Theo wasn't sure she stood a chance. Making eye contact with Liam for only a moment, Theo understood what Liam wanted him to do and not to do. So, without further ado, Theo went back to his rescues and signalled them to follow him.
“Corey!” Theo called out in search of his chameleon friend.
Somewhere close to the bunker, Corey appeared out of thin air right behind a clueless hunter, knocking him out instantly. Right after, Corey looked at Theo with big question marks in his eyes but then he spotted the three new supernaturals and seemed to understand immediately. “I got this”.
“When you brought them to Mason, stay there with them, okay? Keep all of you safe” Theo wanted Corey to get away from this fight as far as possible sooner rather than later. Who knew if Isaac and Liam would actually kill her?
“Who's gonna keep you safe?” Corey scanned him up and down, his bullet- and knife-induced injuries glaring at him.
“I'm gonna be fine” Theo assured him weakly, not sure for one second if that was even possible. The hunters weren't backing down and he could still hear Monroe's heartbeat.
“You better” Corey glared at him but his worry was too strong to make it a threatening gesture.
“I'll try my best, okay?” Theo sighed out honestly, not wanting to lie to Corey just to make him leave faster. “Right now, it's only important to get them to safety. They've been through enough and I trust you to keep you all safe. Please, Corey. Don't come back. Stay with them”.
Looking at him for a moment, Corey caved. “Okay”.
“Thank you” Theo felt relief wash through him at the prospect of Corey being out of harm's way. Without fangs and claws, this fight wasn't fair to him but he had insisted on helping, which Theo understood more than ever now. The best way for him to help though was by helping rescue these captives.
“I better see you later” Corey sent him one last look before turning invisible. Only a second later, the three rescues behind him vanished in front of his eyes. It made Theo feel lighter.
Taking a deep breath, Theo headed back towards the chaos of the battle, seeing Alec and Talisa wrestle down a hunter together while Derek and Braedan fought fire with fire. Lydia had emerged back from the bunker and joined Stiles' side to make sure he got out of this unharmed. Malia had joined Parrish's side while Scott was bravely facing down two hunters at once with Argent always being close by dealing with the hunters in his own way, Scott's eyes jumping to Theo for a moment with a look he couldn't place.
Trying to locate Liam, Theo stopped where he was and let his eyes scan the area. Only a moment later, Theo spotted him close to where he had left him with Isaac still by his side. A soaring pain made him lose his focus, an unwanted groan escaping him when another hunter jumped him from behind, pressing his knife right into the open bullet wound and pushing him to the ground, his face colliding with the hard surface.
Only a second later when the hunter pulled the knife out to ram it into another part of Theo's back, Liam's feet filled Theo's blurry vision for just a moment. The hunter was knocked off of him and Theo managed to turn around and lie on his back instead, propping himself up to scout out the situation. Like this, he could only watch how Liam wrestled the hunter to the ground with a ferocity Theo rarely saw in him but not without getting shot in the stomach twice by that stubborn hunter in an attempt to regain the upper hand. In vain. Liam defeated him even injured by wolfsbane-laced bullets.
Getting up on his feet, Theo looked around to make sure no other hunter would try a sneak attack. Like this, he was right in time to see Peter Hale taking over Liam's place by Isaac's side and killing Monroe as if it was nothing. Her lifeless and injured body dropped to the ground and everything froze. All hunters and supernaturals stared at the scene with bated breath. She was dead. Monroe was actually dead. The relief Theo felt was indescribable. She couldn't terrorize him and his friends any longer. They were finally free of her. Strong feeling.
Using this moment of frozen shock to his advantage, Parrish used his hellhound abilities to disarm every remaining hunter he could reach, making them drop their weapons with pained hisses. The other pack members jumped into action to tie every last hunter's hands up until the sheriff would arrive. And Theo … Theo was overcome with the relief that he didn't have to kill her. He was so glad he didn't have to spill more blood.
But that thirst for blood could definitely be awakened again for the right reasons. When he turned around to Liam, he was lying on the ground right next to the hunter, who had attacked Theo, clutching his stomach in pain. The paleness of his skin made his heart stop in terror. In an instant, Theo rushed over to him to examine the damage. The stench of wolfsbane was intense. Intense enough to make Theo's brain shut off.
“Liam?” Theo tried to make him open his eyes but they barely fluttered, too weak to do much more. “Liam!”.
Picking him up from the ground, Theo headed blindly for his truck, ignoring everyone around him. Only Liam mattered right now. Theo had to get him to Deaton before it was too late. He didn't know how much wolfsbane was inside of Liam but it was definitely too much to hold on for long. After putting Liam into his truck as carefully as he could, Theo himself got inside and drove off. Disregarding the speed limit, Theo sped the way back to Beacon Hills and to the animal clinic. Crashing to a halt right outside, Theo jumped out of his truck, picked Liam up again and carried him inside, where Deaton was already waiting for him. Theo didn't care how and why. He only cared about Liam surviving. He couldn't die. Not for him.
Theo held his hand and siphoned his pain while Deaton was burning the wolfsbane out of Liam. When it was sure that Liam was alright and only needed rest, Theo let out a heavy breath, feeling his own injuries acting up. Still holding Liam's hand, the vet burned the wolfsbane out of Theo as well but it didn't even take half as long as it had with Liam because Liam's injuries had been way worse. He barely felt the heat of the burning flame, too focused on Liam's still unconscious form.
But he still heard the rest of the pack showing up at the clinic to make sure Liam was okay. He heard Deaton tell them to wait outside until Liam was awake. He distantly picked up on Deaton gathering some things to take care of everyone else's wounds as well while they waited. Detecting Alec and Talisa's heartbeats and scents put him finally at ease. Everyone was safe. Everyone had survived. Everyone was here while she was finally gone. Gone and never to come back. Success.
“Theo” Liam's quite voice immediately got his attention.
“Liam” Theo looked into Liam's hazy blue eyes, reaching out to stroke some hair out of his dirty face because he was feeling way too much right now. Love and relief were an intense mix to experience, especially when it was still new and foreign to you. “Hi”.
“Hi” Liam offered him a half-smile, still a little weak. “Are you okay?”.
“Me? Are you insane?” Theo couldn't believe his beta was for real but he really shouldn't be surprised. This was typical Liam behaviour. “I'm okay, thanks to you”.
“Good” Liam closed his eyes for a moment, letting his fingers travel down to where his bullet wounds were still healing. “I was worried about you”.
Laughing to himself in disbelief, Theo squeezed Liam's other hand he was still holding. “You were worried about me. I … Liam, you were the one who ran straight into a gun filled with wolfsbane bullets. You shouldn't have done that. Why on earth did you do that? I could have …”.
“You could have died” Liam cut him off with a strength he shouldn't have right now, causing Theo to just stare at him in wonder. “I did it because I wanted you to make it out alive. I need you alive, Theo. When will you finally understand that?”.
Right now, Theo thought. Right now he seemed to finally understand how deeply Liam meant those words. There was nothing this reckless beta wouldn't do to keep him alive. Liam would never let Theo die if he had a say in it and Theo needed to get that through his thick skull. It still didn't make any sense to him but maybe it didn't need to for him to understand how serious Liam was about this. The intensity in Liam's eyes left no room for doubt. Theo understood now. He really did.
“I'm starting to understand”.
-------
“Good”.
Liam could tell that something had just clicked in Theo's brain and that made him smile. After the worry he had felt during the fight, this new sort of relief was nice. Theo being here right by his side meant Liam had succeeded in his mission to get him out alive, even though that hadn't been easy. He had lost sight of him countless of times but had found him again every time, making sure he wasn't heading into a hunter's bunker alone or saving his life from a ruthless Monroe. Or taking a couple bullets for him when he had seen a hunter overpowering him; after hearing a groan from his direction that made him freeze enough for even Isaac to notice it while inflicting more injuries on Monroe. It has all been worth it. He was alive and well.
And now it even looked like Theo was starting to understand that he deserved to be alive and well. That his death wasn't the only way he could help the pack. Knowing that he had thought that made Liam's heart feel heavy. Those thoughts shouldn't even exist but now that he knew for sure that they did exist, Liam wanted to make sure they were replaced by better thoughts, more positive thoughts. Nice thoughts.
Being alone with him right now, Theo still holding onto his hand and simply looking at him without it being awkward … it made him wanna tell Theo the truth. He deserved to know someone loved him despite all of his mistakes and struggles and flaws. He deserved to know he was loved the way he was and that there was at least one person who wanted him to stay alive. Not because he could be useful or because he had some sort of information. Simply because he was Theo.
Needing to sit up for this conversation; if Theo wouldn't run from him as soon as he knew; Liam propped himself up on his right elbow and Theo immediately caught on to what he was trying to do, helping him sit up as gently as possible, which only strengthened Liam's need to be honest right now. The gentleness with which Theo was handling him almost made Liam cry. He knew Theo had never known such treatment, had never really received kindness and gentle care but he was still able to show it to Liam. If a bit clumsily. It was a far cry from where they'd started.
“Theo …” Liam started a little breathy, his eyes locked on Theo's beautiful hazel eyes that seemed almost more brown right now for some reason. “I …”.
Just when he was about to just blurt out what he was feeling for Theo to finally hear; not really knowing how to word this; he heard the voices of his pack growing louder and coming closer and that made him snap his mouth shut. He did not want them to walk in on such an intimate moment. He didn't need them to overhear his confession, so it had to wait again. Bracing himself for the force that was his pack, Liam smiled curtly at Theo before the door to the examining room burst open and every single pack member flowed inside; Theo retreating.
“Liam, are you okay?” Mason was the first to reach him, the rest of the pack probably letting him because they knew he was worried the most.
“Getting there” Liam answered honestly, his entire body wanting Theo close again but he had retreated into a corner of the room like a scared animal. He didn't like it one bit.
“What happened?” Mason looked him up and down in worry, reminding him that he was still shirtless.
“A hunter” Liam said vaguely, not wanting to give anyone a reason to blame Theo for this when it wasn't his fault. Liam had chosen to intervene and protect Theo, fully knowing their guns were filled with wolfsbane bullets. He hadn't cared.
“Thank God, every single one of them is in custody now. They won't bother you anymore” Mason still looked so angry. Liam didn't like that look on him. He should always be happy.
“I'm pretty sure there are still some of her hunters out there” Liam just knew they hadn't all been there tonight. She had more than one hide-out. They weren't all gone.
“But with her death, they're leaderless and might lack the motivation to do anything” Mason pointed out optimistically.
“He's right. When the leader falls, the rest will follow” Lydia agreed with his best friend, smiling at him. “For now, it's only important that you're okay”.
“What about me?”.
“You're fine, Isaac”.
“I wasn't”.
“But you're now”.
“Barely”.
“You're breathing, right?”.
“Obviously”.
“Then you're fine”.
“I …”.
“Scott!”.
“Give it a rest, guys” Scott rolled his eyes at Stiles and Isaac's antics, taking a step closer to him. “I'm really glad you're okay. That was a reckless move”.
“It was worth it” Liam insisted unshakeable, knowing Scott had seen exactly what had happened. He knew Liam had gotten injured this badly to save Theo.
“I know” Scott smiled at him with an understanding in his eyes that Liam had missed for a while. He felt lighter seeing it again but his heart faltered when Scott turned his attention on Theo in the corner, who was staring at the floor. “I'm also glad you're okay”.
At that, Theo's head snapped back up to stare at Scott in pure confusion. “Me?”.
“Yes, you, Theo” Scott walked closer to him with everyone watching them, holding their breaths, especially Stiles. “Saving those three supernaturals wasn't part of the plan and could have gotten you severely injured but you still went for it. Thank you for that”.
“It was no big deal” Theo waved the matter off, going for dismissive as usual but it fell flat. Everything about him screamed bewildered and overwhelmed. Liam hoped it wasn't that obvious to everyone else. Theo hated being vulnerable.
“It is to me” Scott stopped right in front of him, his posture relaxed and unthreatening but Theo still looked scared. “We wouldn't even have known about them without you. You saved their lives. Just like you saved Liam's life again by bringing him here so quickly. So, thank you. I really appreciate it”.
Barely breathing, Liam watched how Scott offered his hand to Theo, who hesitantly reached out to shake it. Only because he was so micro-focused on Theo, Liam was able to spot the shake in Theo's hand. This was all too much for him. Liam needed to do something. He couldn't let Theo spiral right here with everyone around. It would only result in him running.
Before Stiles could do anything to ruin this moment and actually make Theo run for the hills; because he looked like he wanted to say something but everyone else seemed to share Scott's opinion, so that made Liam feel a little better; Liam let out a loud fake yawn, gaining everyone's attention. Pretending to hide his tiredness, he could see everyone moving on from that moment and focusing solely on him. Wonderful.
“Sorry” Liam had to stifle an actual yawn now, still a bit dizzy from everything but that came in quite handy now.
“Don't be. You must be tired after everything” Scott walked back over to him, nudging his knee lightly. “Go home and get some rest. Let your body heal and recover completely”.
That Scott wasn't offering or even insisting on driving him home himself to make sure Liam was fine confused him for a moment until he realised a bit belated what Scott was implying with his words. What he wasn't saying because he didn't need to. Scott just knew Theo would drive him home and make sure Liam was safe and now, he was fine with that. Scott was finally accepting that Theo was no threat to him. Or them. It brought back his need to cry but he blamed it on his exhaustion.
“I will” Liam willed the tears back, not in the mood for crying over Theo being accepted in some way or form by his alpha.
Nudging his knee again, Scott smiled at him before looking over at Theo again for a second, who still hadn't moved. With the rest of the pack, Scott headed back to the door. “Get home safe. Rest”.
Liam only nodded at him and watched him leave the room with Stiles, Isaac, Malia and Lydia. The puppy pack hung back for a moment and Liam didn't blame them. He had been very worried about them too and was glad to see they were all fine. He still couldn't believe this was over. They had done it.
“What about me? I got severely injured too”.
“Seriously, Lahey. Shut up”.
“Or what?”.
“Scott, tell your whatever he is to shut up or I'll kill him”.
“Wow, you're a true hero”.
“Will you two ever stop?”.
“No”.
That interaction made Liam smile to himself. Somehow this mindless banter put him at ease. It proved that they were all fine and things were still normal when they didn't feel all that normal yet. It still felt surreal to think about Peter killing Monroe so effortlessly. He was glad it hadn't been him.
With the older pack members gone, Alec immediately ran over to Theo and hugged the living shit out of him, not caring that Theo froze up at the sudden impact, looking like someone had slapped him real hard. “God, I'm glad you're okay”.
Staring straight into the light and blinking rapidly a few times, Theo returned Alec's hug awkwardly but sincerely. It made Liam wanna look away and give them a moment but at the same time, he wanted to push Alec away and take his place. He should be the one hugging Theo right now.
“Me too, baby wolf” Theo mumbled almost inaudible but Liam caught it, frowning a little. “Me too”.
“Come on, guys. We should head out, get some sleep after all of this” Mason cleared his throat, which caused Alec and Theo to break apart but still stay close. Irrationally jealous, Liam averted his eyes and was met with Mason's knowing smile, a little teasing tilt to it. That clever bastard.
“I could sleep for three days” Corey stretched his arms over his head to make his point, his eyes twinkling with the same knowledge Mason seemed to have. Liam hated them.
“We have school tomorrow” Mason reminded him cheekily.
“You mean today” Talisa corrected him tiredly.
“Can't we skip?” Corey groaned at the thought of going to school so soon when he was still this tired. Liam could relate.
“I might” Liam had no motivation for school later.
“That's a conversation for later. Now, let's get us home and into bed. We all need some sleep” Alec chose now to be reasonable for once. “Mason, could you drive me and Tal home? I really don't wanna walk”.
“Sure” Mason didn't even think about mentioning Theo living in the same damn building and being the more obvious choice to drive them home. He just left the room with Alec and Talisa, Corey hanging back for a second.
Pretending to be busy with getting off the exam table, Liam gave them a moment of fake privacy but it was all they had.
“You made it out” Corey stated the obvious.
“So did you” Theo matched his tone of voice.
“You made sure of that, I'm afraid” Corey clicked with his tongue as if he was annoyed by that fact when he wasn't.
“It was the smartest choice” Theo's voice sounded loaded and tired and emotional. “Where are …?”.
“Derek's with them” Corey knew what Theo wanted to ask. “He's trying to figure out if they have family or a pack”.
“Good. That's good”.
“It is”.
After a beat of silence, Liam didn't expect them to keep talking but then Theo spoke up again. “Thank you”.
“Any time” Corey's voice had softened and taken on a more emotional touch than whatever that had been before. It had been very them. “Thank you, Raeken”.
“Get out, Bryant. Your boyfriend's waiting” Theo pushed his shoulder lightly, making Corey smile shortly.
There was a twinkle in Corey's eyes when he turned around and left the room without another word. A twinkle that had made Theo's heart stutter for a second. Liam wasn't sure what he had missed but he was curious now. It looked like Corey could have said something that Theo was nervous about but he had chosen not to do it, still reminding Theo wordlessly that he could have done it. Their friendship was odd.
Deciding not to comment on it for now, Liam just headed out of the clinic as well, Theo following along and saying goodbye to Deaton on the way. Although he was blocking down his chemosignals more than ever, Liam could clearly feel Theo's anxious energy. There was a storm brewing inside his mind and Liam wanted to be there when it broke loose to mend the sharp edges and broken pieces and soften the blow, catch him when he fell because he would fall. Liam just wanted to make sure he wouldn't be alone.
So, when they reached his home after a silent drive, there was only one thing on Liam's mind. Only one thing he could ask Theo. “Will you stay?”
Turning the engine off, Theo looked at him with a hurricane of emotions in his eyes. “You know the answer”.
Together, they made their way inside in silence, trying not to wake his parents up. He would deal with them in the morning. Now, it was only important to get them upstairs and in Liam's bed, so they could unwind and let their minds run free without anyone around. Talk if they wanted to. In safety.
First though, Liam needed the bathroom for a moment. The dirt on his face was starting to annoy him and he needed other clothes to wear for bed. As comfy as Theo's hoodie was; that he had given Liam before driving off because Liam's shirt had been ripped to shreds; it was also dirty from the fight. Stripping out of his worn clothes, Liam quickly cleaned himself up a little until he felt it was okay for now. Putting his new, comfier sleep clothes on, he exited the bathroom and was met with Theo already lying on his bed, on top of the covers, wearing some of Liam's clothes, his old ones lying on the floor.
The anxiety coming off of Theo made it impossible for Liam to dwell on that for too long. The worry and concern were back, especially when Theo didn't even notice him entering the room or stepping closer to the bed. He was lost in his head and whatever was happening up there didn't look pleasant. So, Liam just plopped down on his bed and crawled over to Theo, shutting his brain off and just lying down on Theo with his entire weight like some living and breathing weighted blanket to help with his anxiety. Of course, Theo was more than just confused when he finally took notice of him, tensing up only a little bit and that was a win in Liam's book.
“What are you doing?” Theo asked perplexed.
“Resting. Isn't it obvious?” Liam decided to take the route of nonchalance, acting as if nothing was amiss or strange.
“On me?” Theo's voice sounded almost squeaky.
“Yes?!” Liam's ear was resting right over Theo's heart, which was racing like crazy. “Don't tell me you don't like it”
“I don't”. Theo's heart skipped a wonderful beat.
“Uh-huh. I don't even need to hear your heart to know you're lying” Liam grinned to himself, trying to keep the nonchalant act up for as long as possible. “Besides, I'm still recovering. You have to give me everything I want”.
“Is that so?” Theo relaxed under his weight now, Liam could clearly feel it, so he just hummed. “And why is that?”.
“Because I say so” Liam took a deep breath, inhaling Theo's scent and not caring if he was being obvious. Theo was alive underneath him. That was all that mattered, which brought him back to something he needed to address even though it could and probably would ruin the moment. “Also, I stopped your suicide mission from being a success. I think that deserves some kudos”.
“What?” Theo sounded a little lost.
“I've heard you talking to Stiles” Liam confessed a little scared, his own heart anything but calm.
“Oh” Theo went rigid underneath him at his words and Liam hated it but he wouldn't take them back. None of this had been okay and Theo needed to hear this.
“Yeah, oh” Liam rested his chin on Theo's chest now to look at him, eyes locking immediately. “I know he approached you and I'm still mad at him but I'm also mad at you. How can you just throw your life away like this?”.
“I didn't …”.
“You were planning on it though. Don't lie to me” Liam didn't give him the chance to act like he hadn't planned on sacrificing himself just because he was alive right now. Not this time. “I don't like it. Your life is not worth less, you hear me? You are not disposable, Theo. We … I need you, okay?”.
With glassy eyes, Theo looked at him for a long moment and Liam didn't dare to look away or blink too much, afraid he might destroy whatever moment they were having. He hoped Theo would find what he was looking for in his eyes. There was no way he would let Theo believe his precious life was exchangeable in any way. It wasn't.
“Okay” Theo said quietly, breaking the silence between them and looking down now. “I just thought it would be better for everyone if I was dead. With me gone, all their information dies as well and no one can ever use that against you. I don't want your blood on my hands, Liam”.
“Just your own” Liam frowned at him even when he couldn't see it. He was sure Theo could feel it anyway. He knew him.
“I think Stiles would appreciate that” Theo sounded so sad when he said those words. He was going for cheeky but it just sounded broken and fragile. Stiles needed to stop.
“I don't give a shit about what Stiles wants. I only care about you and your messed-up mind” Liam felt his sadness and despair turning into anger, like usual. But being this physically close to Theo right now; even if it was for Theo's benefit; helped him in ways he couldn't describe. His anger was there but it wasn't trying to lash out, especially not at Theo. “You deserve to live, Theo. I'm gonna tell you that until you actually believe me. You saved people today and it wasn't the first time. I'm sure it won't be the last but only if you stay alive. Not for me or anyone else. For yourself”.
After his little outburst, Theo looked at him again without saying anything, his eyes still glassy but the tears wouldn't fall. Liam knew that fragile state and hated it. He didn't know how to help Theo through this, so he just waited until his mind had decided on what to say next. If there was more to say.
“For the longest time, I wasn't sure I wanted that or deserved it but now …” Theo let his chemosignals engulf Liam, his shield down but his words still chosen carefully. “After tonight, I feel different. You're right. I didn't plan on surviving this fight but … saving those captives on my own felt good. I don't even know why I did it. Something in me took over and decided that was the right thing to do”.
“It was. They're alive because of you” Liam had to let him know that doing this hadn't been wrong. That it had been a good thing. Something good people would do. Like him.
“And you” Theo lifted his arms to wrap them leisurely around Liam's back, locking them in like this. The butterflies in his stomach were going crazy. “You sent Lydia after me”.
“I didn't like you going in alone. Not with what I knew” Liam swallowed dryly, his eyes never leaving Theo's.
“I'm glad you did it” Theo actually smiled at him. Only a little and only for a short moment but it was a smile nonetheless. “Without her, I would have failed to rescue them. That steel door was impossible to get through for anyone but her. I … Doing this with her, someone who should hate me … It felt odd but good at the same time? Saving them felt good. Cutting them loose and giving them over to Corey and all that. I'm not used to that feeling. Doing something good with my hands”.
Feeling his heart swell at Theo being so openly vulnerable and honest with him right now, Liam let his right hand wander mindlessly over Theo's covered collarbones, feeling him shudder under his touch. “I think you should always feel like this. Not anxious or overwhelmed or anything. Just … like you did something right because you did. You do. You do a lot right and you deserve to embrace that feeling. Your hands are very capable of doing something good. I knew that and now you do as well. You don't have to be scared of them anymore”.
Feeling like he said way too much and probably crossed a line; also, what the fuck even was this mess of a rant; Liam closed his eyes and rested his head on Theo's chest again, still able to hear his fast heartbeat. Theo wasn't hiding it after Liam's whatever that was. That must be a good sign.
When Theo's arms lightly tightened around him and his fingers started caressing his back even lighter, Liam almost made a very embarrassing sound but he managed to keep it in, just so. “I'm still scared”.
Liam felt like Theo meant a lot more with that admission than just being scared of his own hands still. He was scared of something else and Liam had a feeling he knew what that was because he shared that feeling. He was also scared of losing Theo. Of hurting him without meaning to. “Me too”.
And for a while, they simply stayed like this, breathing each other in and fighting their demons together, in silence. Liam didn't want to be anywhere else. In Theo's arms was where he was meant to be, where he felt safest. In his arms, nothing and no one could hurt him. This was where he belonged and he really hoped Theo felt the same. Moments like right now made it look like it was mutual, in some way at least but he wasn't sure. Guess there was only one way to find out.