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The hunters had come unexpectedly. Theo and Liam had been running in the woods when they had appeared out of nowhere. Maybe it was stupid that they hadn’t heard them approaching, but they had been so relaxed by the run and so distracted by each other that they hadn’t noticed them until it was too late.
They had tried to fight them, doing the best they could to protect themselves while keeping an eye on the other and it had been hard to fight them off enough to be able to run away. It had been ugly and bad and Liam could only breathe properly once they were miles away, but that relief didn’t last long.
“Liam,” he heard Theo gasp.
The sight that greeted him when he turned around was one that he never wanted to see again. Theo was kneeling on the floor, hands gripping his stomach tightly and the blood slipping through his fingers made Liam want to scream.
“Theo, what happened?” He asked, rushing to the other boy’s side.
“The bullet was poisoned with something,” Theo managed to say.
Liam didn’t know what to do, or where to put his hands, he didn’t know if he should touch Theo or keep his distance. What did Theo want? Liam just wanted the pain the other boy was feeling to stop, but he didn’t know how to make it stop.
“Liam,” Theo gasped out again.
And Liam made up his mind, he wasn’t about to let Theo suffer anymore, he couldn’t bear to see him going through something like this.
“You have to heal,” he told him, kneeling on the floor in front of him and noticing that Theo had already taken the bullet out of his body.
“I’m trying,” Theo cried.
There were actual tears in his eyes and it was breaking Liam’s heart to see. Theo didn’t deserve this, especially not now, not after everything he did, how much he changed, how better he became. He deserved to be happy and unharmed, not to be hurt and bleeding.
Theo’s eyes blinked slowly and tiredly, tears slipping away and down his cheeks.
“Theo, look at me,” Liam pleaded, hands going to the other’s face. “Come on, Theo.”
Theo just made a small noise of protest, not looking like he could open his eyes and do what Liam was asking him to do.
“You should have healed by now,” Liam said frantically. “Why aren’t you healing?”
“The bullet had something,” Theo coughed. “Poison, maybe.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Liam screamed in frustration and fear. “Tell me what you feel.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong, okay? I’m just… really tired.”
Liam felt his eyes sting while looking at the clear hurt in the other boy’s features.
“Liam,” Theo whispered.
“Open your eyes,” Liam pleaded. “Look at me, baby.”
Theo’s lips twitched slightly as if he wanted to smile but couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“Of course you waited until I’m dying to call me baby.”
“Shut the fuck up, Theo, you’re not dying.”
He shook his head, blood bubbling on his mouth when he tried to chuckle.
“Yes, I am, baby wolf, don’t sugar coat it.”
“Don’t say that,” Liam whispered.
Theo took a sharp intake of breath, air getting stuck in his throat and making him cough, blood falling to the forest floor.
“You have to heal, Theo,” Liam’s hands shook where they were holding Theo’s face. “You body has to fight the poison.”
Theo shook his head.
“I can’t do it,” a resigned grimace appeared on his face.
Liam put his left hand on Theo’s neck, concentrating on the pain the other boy was feeling, trying to take it away.
“I can’t do it,” he sobbed after some seconds when nothing happened. “Theo, why can’t I do it?”
“It’s okay, baby wolf,” Theo tried to smile through the pain. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
“No… But… Theo,” Liam stuttered, tears running down his face.
Theo couldn’t die, he just couldn’t. Liam’s heart cried with his eyes just at the thought.
The chimera was pale, looking like he was a few minutes away from his end. Liam’s everything was hurting, his heart was aching and his body was shaking, he hated everything about this moment, he just wanted all of this to stop.
“Can you smile for me one last time before it all ends?” Theo asked in a small voice.
“T…”
Liam’s tears were blurring his vision when he leaned in to press his lips against Theo’s cheek.
“I’m sorry,” he choked out.
Lips moving until they found Theo’s. It was messy and wet, tears and blood mixing. Liam couldn’t bear to hear the sound of Theo’s heart beating slower and slower, his right hand caressing Theo’s neck and his left hand caressing his cheek.
Liam gasped against Theo’s mouth when he felt his lips and fingertips tingle and his body fill with pain. He didn’t open his eyes, determined to make this last as long as he possibly could, but he knew that the black veins had finally appeared on his body.
And he knew it had been right when their time was finishing. Theo’s heart had been beating so slow, Liam had thought that there was no hope, but now Theo’s pain was transferred to him and he couldn’t be more relieved and thankful.
“Theo,” he whispered when they separated.
Theo’s eyes were closed, but his breathing was more regular than it had been and Liam saw the wound on his stomach knitting itself together again. Liam having triggered his healing when he took his pain.
When Theo opened his eyes, Liam couldn’t help but smile, so glad to see the beautiful color again, so glad to know that it wasn’t the end.
“You scared me so much,” he whispered, head lowering to rest against Theo’s chest.
The chimera raised one hand to touch his hair softly, the other arm going around Liam’s back.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Let’s just get you to Deaton’s to make sure that you’re okay and then go home and rest.”
He felt Theo nod and got up, grabbing Theo’s hand and slowly making his way through the woods.
“We’ll have to talk about the way you took my pain, too,” Theo whispered in his ear.
“That too,” Liam laughed, turning his head to smile at Theo.
Both things much easier to do now that Theo was safe.