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A cool breeze nips at Theo’s skin, reddening his cheeks, as he stands in front of the house, that has quickly become his home. He watches as droplets of condensation flow down the glass panel of the door. Standing so still that he starts to wonder whether he’s actually frozen to the spot.
The glass clouds over as he exhales an anxious puff of breath. Rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, he tries to psyche himself up. Lifting a shaky hand, he forces the key into the lock.
The minute he crosses the threshold, the heavenly scent of vanilla hits his nose. Jenna must be baking again. Theo’s quite glad about it - if he’s going to completely humiliate himself by asking her for advice, on the best way to tell her son exactly how he feels about him, then he may as well get a cookie or two out of it. Soften the blow a little.
“Liam, honey, is that you?” He hears Jenna call from the kitchen.
He pads along the hallway, poking his head through the gap of the open the kitchen door. “Uh no. It’s just me.”
“Ah Theo, even better! At least I can trust you not to eat raw cookie mix” She smiles warmly at him. “Will you give me a hand shaping this batch onto baking trays?”
“Sure” Theo nods vigorously. “So, how come you’re making this many anyway?”
“There’s a bake sale at the hospital tomorrow morning. They’re raising funds for Cancer Research and you know me, I’m soft hearted when it comes to charity.” She glances at the various cooling trays littered around the kitchen. “There’s a slight chance I may have gone overboard.”
“Maybe just a little” Theo says giving her a lopsided smile.
Jenna eyes him carefully, he squirms suddenly feeling very exposed. “Well, go wash your hands and then get stuck in.” She gestures down at the mixing bowls. “And, maybe while we’re at it, you can tell me what’s bothering you.”
Theo sighs. He hates how well she knows him, how well they all know him. He’s not used to having so many people care.
“I don’t even know where to start” he mumbles, twisting the hot tap on, holding his hands under the warm spray.
“At the beginning is usually best” Jenna says, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Emotions have always felt alien to me. I understood them enough to fake them but I’d never really experienced them..not until Liam brought me back.” He voice grows quieter with each word.
“Back from Hell?” Jenna asks, shooting him a sympathetic smile.
Theo nods, not trusting himself to speak. “Everything was so overwhelming for a while. And Liam, he might not have liked me all that much but he helped me anyway. It’s just the kind of person he is.” he pauses, taking a deep breath.
“It was gratitude at first and then it changed into a genuine friendship and then into..more” Theo looks away, embarrassed. “For the first time in my life.. I’m in love with someone and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it.”
Theo’s breath catches in his throat as he hears footsteps skulking along the hallway, stopping just short of the kitchen door. Why was Liam trying to be so quiet? And, why was he just standing outside the kitchen?
Theo looks up at Jenna’s expectant face, she smiles widely at him, encouraging him to continue. He can’t say anything though because he can feel Liam’s eyes burning into his back through the gap in the door. His mom obviously hasn’t noticed him lurking in the shadows, but Theo can’t think straight now that he knows he’s there.
“Uh. Have you changed your hair?” He asks, reaching out to swirl a strand of her hair around his finger.
Jenna looks alarmed for a second before she relaxes. “Yes actually, I have. Thank you for noticing.”
“Has anyone ever told you, you’re really hot?” Theo blinks like he can’t quite believe he just said that. Why did he say that? “I don’t mean like warm either, I mean attractive hot. Like, you could probably melt the ice caps and the polar bears wouldn’t even be mad at you.”
Oh my god, stop talking he thinks to himself. Jenna looks a little wide eyed and bewildered. “No, that’s a lie” Theo carries on. “They’d actually be upset...you’re very pretty though.” Cringing, he turns away from her, bracing himself against the sink.
“Um. Thank you?” She says slowly, Theo can smell the confusion pouring from her, it’s practically choking him.
“If we were ever in an airplane and there was a problem, I’d help you with your oxygen mask first before adjusting my own. And that’s against sky code but I don’t even care, because I like you.” Theo squeezes his eyes shut. He is now absolutely certain that his mouth is no longer connected to his brain. He doesn’t even know what he’s saying anymore.
Theo can feel Liam’s anger seeping through the door. This is the opposite of what he wanted.
“Uh no sweetheart, If we’re ever on a plane, I think you should put your own mask on. Safety first” She laughs, shaking her head in disbelief.
He snickers, looking up at Jenna through his eyelashes. “You uh. You have a little something right there” Theo points at her cheek.
She wipes across her skin with the back of her hand. “Did I get it all?”
He can hear Liam’s laboured breathing from the otherside of the door. He’s still listening in. Theo’s not sure what more he’s hoping for, he’s already gotten months and months worth of ammunition to make Theo’s life a living hell.
“No” he smirks. “Let me” he reaches out, his hand cupping her cheek. Gently he rubs his thumb across the remnants of the cookie mixture.
“ What the fuck?” He hears Liam hiss. Yeah, Theo’s asking himself the same question.
Jenna’s eyes bulge out, confusion written all over her face. Theo’s own face contorts into a pain expression. He doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing. He panicked. And he’s probably just ruined everything.
“Liam? Why are you pressed against the door?” He hears a new voice ask, a voice he’s come to know very well.
As the kitchen door swings open, Theo wills himself to drop his hand from Jenna’s face but both of them seem to be frozen in shock.
“Um. Does anyone want to tell me what’s happening in here?” David asks, his eyebrows pulled down and his lips pressed tightly together. He’s looks somewhere between confused and amused.
“Well dear, I’m not entirely sure myself” Jenna says slowly, taking a step back from Theo.
“I’ll tell you” Liam snarls, turning to glare at Theo. “He’s in love with my mom .”
“What?” David chuckles, but Theo notices his shoulders tense.
“ What?” Jenna shrieks. “Liam, where are you getting this nonsense from?”
Theo screws his eyes shut. This cannot be happening to him. “I’m not-” Theo mumbles quietly, his voice breaking. Coughing, he clears his throat. “I’m not in love with Jenna.”
“Okay” David says hesitantly. “So, I don’t have to defend my wife’s honour against an eighteen year old, that’s good to know. I would like to know what’s actually going on though?”
“You’re not? But I heard you- you said you were in love with someone and then you started hitting on my mom .” Liam stutters, his anger subsiding.
Theo groans, holding his head in his hands. “You heard wrong. I do love your mom, she’s amazing. She’s done so much for me, you all have. I’m not in love with her though.” Theo can’t bring himself to look at Liam even though he can feel the boy’s eyes on him. His leg begins to shake nervously. He needs to get out of here.
“Liam! You shouldn’t eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, it’s rude. Poor Theo was trying to bare his soul and-”
“It’s okay" he interrupts. “Now is as good a time as any, I suppose.” Theo runs his hand up and down his neck, trying to soothe himself. The way Liam is staring at him so intensely, is making this all so much harder.
“I am in love with someone” he says breathily. Finally looking up to face Liam head on, he doesn’t expect the forlorn look that’s currently taking over the boy’s entire face. It throws him for a second.
“Who?” Liam whispers. Theo can see tears building in the corners of his eyes, what does he have to be upset about? It’s Theo who’s putting his heart on the line here.
Feigning all of the confidence he can muster, he looks Liam dead in the eye. “I love you” he declares.
Beside him, Jenna claps her hands together. A small squeal manages to escape before she catches herself.
“Excuse us” Liam says, his eyes never once leaving Theo’s. The young wolf takes a hold of his arm, dragging him from the kitchen.
“Boys” David calls after them, walking out into the hallway. “Just remember that while we may not have supernatural hearing, we do have something better. It’s called a parental sixth sense. So, don’t do anything up there, that you wouldn’t want your parents” He looks sternly at Liam. “Or your guardians” He gives Theo a pointed look. “To know about. Understood?”
The strong smell of embarrassment is practically flooding the entire downstairs. Theo’s not even sure if it’s mostly coming from him or from Liam at this point.
“ Oh my god” Liam groans, his grip tightening around Theo’s wrist, pulling him further up the staircase.
As they approach Liam’s bedroom door, Theo pulls back. “I really need to wash my hands before we talk” Theo says wiggling his cookie mixture covered fingers at Liam.
“Fine” Liam growls, rolling his eyes.
Theo moves quickly along the hall, to the bathroom. He pauses as he reaches for the door handle, sensing a presence next to him. “I know how to wash my hands. I don’t need any help, Liam” he grumbles.
“Leave the door open” Liam pouts. “I don’t want you trying to climb down the drain pipe or something.”
“You can’t be serious. I-” Theo bites out, snapping his mouth shut at the sight of Liam’s glowing eyes.
“I don’t want you to run away and avoid this. It’s too important. Please just..” Liam trails off, looking at the floor.
Theo nods dumbly. He’d be lying if he said the thought of running from the situation, hadn’t crossed his mind. Liam knew him all too well.
He quickly washes his hands under Liam’s watchful gaze before making his way back to Liam’s room. The boy slips his hand into Theo’s somewhere along the way.
Liam shuts the door behind them suddenly looking less sure of himself. He looks like he's the one who wants to run now.
“I can’t believe you honestly thought I was flirting with your mom” Theo blurts out, trying to break the awkward tension.
“You were! And I use the term ‘flirting’, very loosely. You were like a hyperventilating walrus.”
“Sometimes you are the most difficult person to deal with-”
“Yeah, this isn’t any better Theo” Liam frowns.
“Let me finish” Theo growls. “You’re difficult. So fucking difficult . But other than that, I think you’re perfect and I am disgustingly..and hopelessly.. in love with you.”
“Oh. Oh. Yeah, that’s definitely a lot better” Liam whispers.
Theo rolls his eyes, grabbing a fistful of Liam’s shirt and pulling him closer. “Do you have anything you’d like to say to me?”
“I can’t tell you the exact moment where everything changed. All I know is that I can’t imagine my life without you anymore” Liam runs his fingers across Theo’s chest. “And I have a very active imagination so it should be easy for me but I just.. can’t . It hurts when you’re not around. I love you too.”
Theo rests his head on Liam’s shoulder, trying to hide his smile. Liam huffs out a soft laugh, lifting Theo’s head up. As he stares into Liam’s eyes, something melts inside of him. He dips his head, capturing Liam’s lips with his own. All of his longing, his dreams and anguish transform in this moment, it's like everything suddenly makes sense. Liam kisses him harder and deeper, with an earnest urgency that Theo’s never known before. He clings to the boy, pulling him even closer into the non-existent space between them.
After a few minutes, Theo pulls back, his head feels hazy. He glances at Liam, his eyes roaming over his face, leaning forward he presses a chaste kiss against his soft red lips.
Theo finally understands that every other kiss he’s had in his life, before this, was wrong. Liam’s kiss takes his breath away and then gives it back.
“You know..you’re really cute, like a tiny rabbit in the woods. But you’re also tough, like a tiny rabbit in the woods, who is independent and can take care of himself” Theo smiles as Liam groans, shoving him away.
“I hate you so much”
“Nope. You already admitted you love me, you can’t take it back now.”
“I’m already forgetting all of the reasons why..”
“Maybe I need to remind you then” Theo smirks, taking Liam’s hand and leading him over to the bed.