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The night was warm and beautiful. The stars were shining in the sky, the full moon looking down at the few people in the streets. A wolf howl could be heard in the distance, somewhere in the woods, probably.
Liam was used to the full moon by now. It still affected him, but it wasn’t as much now; he had learned how to keep calm, how to control himself, his emotions and his shifts. Being in control had been hard for him, but things had gotten better. He had grown up and he had found an anchor. All that had helped him understanding his wolf better, being more at ease with it and fully become one with it.
It had taken time, but it had gotten to this point. The point of being able to sit here with the full moon shining above and feeling in control, being able to be here without feeling overwhelmed by the moon, without having the urge to shift and run.
It really had been a wild ride. A rollercoaster of emotions and difficulties. Liam was really glad that he had been able to go through all of that and come out better.
“Do you remember back when Scott and Stiles had to chain you to a tree to keep you controlled?” Theo asked, seemingly reading his mind.
They were sitting on the rooftop of an almost abandoned building, stars and the moon shining above and streetlamps and car lights shining below. It was peaceful and comforting, being only surrounded by the night, the city and his anchor.
“I really came a long way since then,” Liam chuckled.
“I’m proud of you,” Theo stated.
“I am, too,” Liam smiled.
He really was proud of himself, of all the things he had overcome, of how much he had grown up.
“I’m really proud of you, too,” Liam added, eyes shifting to the other young man beside him.
There was a moment of silence, both boys just looking at the sky and sinking into the feelings that were surrounding them. The comfort, the understanding, the pride, the love.
“I had never believed I would be able to change,” Theo started. “I had always been the bad guy, I was good at being the bad guy, so I really didn’t know how to be good and deserving. When I went to hell it was like my eyes finally opened to reality, I was finally seeing how things really were, I was finally understanding the seriousness of what I had done.”
Even after all the years, hell was something Theo didn’t talk about often, understandably, so Liam kept quiet eyes shifting to the sky because he knew Theo didn’t feel comfortable with his eyes on him while he was opening up.
“When you brought me back, I felt so guilty about everything I had done, I wanted to go back and change everything, I would have done it if I could,” he sighed. “The thing is, I started trying to redeem myself, show that I was different, that I was seeing things in a different light. But, there was a part of me that kept telling me that I could try redeeming myself as much as I wanted, I could help, come up with plans, save you and the others as many times as I could, but I would never be forgiven for what I had done. For a really long time, I believed that I didn’t deserve it.”
Liam turned to look at him.
“Don’t look at me like that, Liam,” he laughed. “I know I earned my place, I know everything I did after you brought me back was good, I know I redeemed myself. But I also know that the things I did before that are never gonna be forgiven, they can’t be forgiven. I accept that because it’s reality, it’s how things are. And I’m happy things are this way.”
“You changed so much, you became a better person and I’m so glad I was here to see you grow so much, Theo, it really was amazing to witness. I’m proud of you and I will never stop saying it because after you were raised by mad scientists that used you, trained you and manipulated you into being a killing machine. And despite all that you were able to understand your mistakes and try to make up for them. You’re an amazing person with an astounding character growth, Theo Raeken.”
Theo smiled at him. A big smile that lit up his face, eyes crinkling in the corners and shining beautifully just like the stars in the sky. He was beautiful, Liam thought.
“You helped, Liam, you made me this way. You made me better.”
Liam smiled and shook his head.
“You made yourself this way, Theo, you changed on your own. I might have given you a little push, but the work was mostly yours.”
Theo leaned down and kissed his cheek.
“We make each other better, let’s agree on that.”
And they stayed like that for the rest of the night. Beacon Hills growing quieter and quieter as time passed, the moon in the sky not bothering Liam at all. On the contrary, he had finally learned to see the beauty in it, just like he had learned to see the beauty in the boy lying next to him on the rooftop.