Chapter Text
“Home sweet home” Theo announces, cutting the engine.
“This is home?”
He watches as Liam scrunches up his nose, clearly unimpressed by their surroundings.
Theo shifts awkwardly under the scrutiny. “Well, where did you think I’d be bringing you after saying I had a tent?”
Liam covers his mouth with the palm of his hand, mumbling something into it that Theo thinks he catches, but it’s so ridiculous that he wants to be sure. So he asks again.
“Where?” He smirked, raising his eyebrows.
Liam sighs deeply, turning to face Theo. “I said, your backyard”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought you said” Theo snorts. “I'd need a house for that. I stay here most nights and when I’m not here, I’m parked over by the industrial estate” Theo shrugs, staring at his feet. He can’t bring himself to look over at Liam’s face, too afraid of the pity that’s probably clouding his features. “For you this might be a cool night under the stars, for me it’s just life”
“There’s nothing cool about this” Liam grumbles.
Liam runs a finger slowly along his bottom lip, a nervous habit he’d picked up years ago, he had no idea this is how Theo was living. It’s glaringly obvious now that he thinks about it, the boy doesn’t have any money or family, where else would he be. Guilt hits him like a punch to the stomach, none of them cared enough to even give it a second thought.
“Sorry, I-” Liam chokes out, but is cut off by Theo waving his hand in dismissal.
“I don’t need sympathy Liam” Theo says stiffly, his jaw tightening. “All I need is for you to unload the trunk, while I pitch the tent”
Liam nods quickly, exiting the truck and practically tripping over his own feet in his haste to be useful. Unpacking a couple of bits and pieces definitely isn’t going to make up for anything, but he doesn’t need to make Theo’s life any harder. It’s a start.
****
Liam stands awkwardly as Theo pushes the last tent peg deep into the ground. “Do you need me to do anything?”
“Fire needs starting” Theo nods towards a small pile of kindling on the ground. Liam hesitates, biting at the skin on his bottom lip.
“Let me guess, you don’t know how?” Theo teases, the corner of his lip lifting in amusement.
“Nope” he admits quietly, feeling his cheeks grow warm. Liam suddenly feels like a burden, he should’ve just stayed at home, alone and hungry.
“Then it’s about time you learn” Theo says, gently taking a hold of Liam’s arm and pulling him over to a carefully placed ring of stones.
After explaining each step, bit by bit, Theo smiles encouragingly at him. And every time, Liam finds himself grinning back at the older boy. He concludes that Theo’s smile must be contagious or something because no matter how hard he tries, when Theo smiles, he smiles back.
He drops down onto a blanket as Theo crouches next to the fire. Slowly feeding more wood onto it. The soft glow of the flames highlight the older boy’s face and he finds himself unable to look away. Theo really is beautiful, Liam realises the longer he allows himself to stare. He has a cutting jawline, strong shoulders and the softest looking hair that Liam’s ever seen.
“Now that we’ve got this going, I have something for you” Theo smiles softly, forcing Liam’s gaze to snap back up to his face, instead of where it had been lingering on his collarbone. He flushes hoping Theo didn’t notice.
Liam stares at him quizzically as he moves quickly towards his truck, pulling something out of a bag he hadn’t known was there.
“Ta-da” Theo says, shoving marshmallows, chocolate and crackers into his arms.
“I thought you said this wasn’t a camping trip?” Liam grins toothily.
“Yeah well…” Theo lifts one of his shoulders in a half shrug. “Don’t say I’ve never done anything for you.”
Liam eagerly tears open the packet, sending two marshmallows flying to the ground, he wants to start making them before Theo changes his mind. He can feel the other boys eyes on him, as he forces a marshmallow down onto a stick. Glancing up he sees Theo watching him carefully, copying his movements. Well, well, well.
“Have you never made s’mores before?” Liam giggles.
“No” Theo grunts defensively.
“Do you want me to show you how?” Liam grins, enjoying every moment of this.
“Okay” Theo says slowly.
“Because I know something you don’t?”
“Yes” Theo says, his eyes dropping closed in frustration.
“Because I’m awesome?” Liam asks, still grinning
“Sure” Theo raises an eyebrow at him.
“Because the student has become the master?” Liam asks, he knows he’s pushing it now.
“Forget it, I’m just going to eat them the old fashioned way” Theo huffs, shoving an entire marshmallow into his mouth and pushing himself to his feet.
“I’m kidding, come back” Liam whines.
Theo rolls his eyes as he listens to Liam complain about feeling sick. “Shouldn’t have eaten so many s’mores then” he says, dropping backwards onto the blanket, wriggling until he gets comfy. He tugs at Liam’s sleeve, silently telling him to lay down too.
“Woah” Liam whispers.
Theo rolls his head slightly so that he’s staring at the boy next to him, smiling softly at the childlike wonder radiating from Liam’s face, as he watches the twinkling stars covering the entire night sky.
Liam’s cheeks are pinkish from the heat of the fire and he has a lazy smile plastered on his face. Theo can’t seem to tear his eyes away. He aches for Liam in unimaginable ways but they’re barely even friends, so he knows it’s pointless. Theo has refined the art of hiding his feelings for months now, he’s basically a pro at it.
****
“Y’know” Liam says as they’re collecting firewood the next morning. “I can’t picture you, Scott and Stiles as being friends”
“We’re not” Theo says bluntly.
“Well not now obviously, but back then. I can’t imagine the three of you hanging out”
“I was a lot different back then. We all were” he says, hating how small his voice sounds. “Now I-” he coughs, trying to find his voice. “Just- everything’s a mess up here” he touches his temple with his finger. “It’s fucked up. I’m fucked up”
He’s not entirely sure why he’s choosing to willingly share this information with Liam, he’s allowed himself to become too comfortable around the boy. He just hopes it doesn’t come back to bite him in the ass.
Liam’s gaze feels heavy, like he’s trying to analyze Theo piece by piece.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re all that fucked up, not anymore.” The younger boy shrugs. “No more so than the rest of us anyway. None of us have it particularly easy, we’ve all been dealt a shitty hand and we’ve all done bad shit” Liam says gravely, reaching out to give Theo’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.
Theo tries to swallow the lump in his throat, unsure what he’s supposed to say to that. He opens his mouth, but the words aren’t cooperating. He doesn’t get another chance to say anything though, because the next moment Liam plasters a smile onto his face and takes a step back, bending down to pick up a bit of wood by his feet.
“Actually now that I think about it, I can see some similarities in your personalities” Liam says, “you all like telling me what to do for starters”
Theo snorts. “I wouldn’t go around saying that if I were you, they might kill you for the comparison”
They both chuckle and it echoes around the trees like something more.
Liam shuffles in his seated position on the cold ground, bringing a knee up to his chin as he tucks the other leg beneath him. He feels so content, watching Theo cook their food on the stove, that he’s almost a little giddy. He’s unsure whether it’s due to the fact that for the first time in his entire life, there’s no pressure or because Theo’s laughing and shaking his head at another one of Liam’s dumb jokes.
It’s probably more so the latter, if Liam’s being completely honest with himself. Which he rarely is.
“Theo” he giggles, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “Did you hear about the kidnapping at school the other week?”
“What?” Theo frowns, taking his eyes off the stove for a second to glance over at him.
“Oh don’t worry, everything’s fine, he woke up”
The groan, followed by a melody of euphoric laughter tumbling from Theo’s throat is mesmerizing. Liam thinks he might have found his new calling in life, he wants to be the reason Theo laughs and smiles for the rest of their lives.
“You’re an idiot” Theo says once his laughter has died down.
Theo’s expression falters and his mouth turns downwards. Liam frowns because all he wants is for the smile to come back.
“Are you okay?” Liam asks, moving closer. Theo shakes his head so slightly, that he almost misses it.
Theo leans an elbow on his knee and drops his chin into his hand. “We have to find a way to bring them back” he says, sounding almost resigned.
Liam’s heart plummets.
Don’t
, he almost says but then he remembers about his parents and Mason. His chest starts to throb, he can’t believe he’d forgotten about them all. He stands up, storming off towards the tent, no longer hungry. He doesn’t know if he’s angrier at himself for forgetting or at Theo for reminding him.