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Theo opens his eyes slowly, confused when he’s just met with a dark room. There’s another groan from next to him that has Theo turning to his right. Liam is there, sitting up with his head in his hands.
He looks around the room and frowns, “What happened? Where are we?”
“I don’t know,” Theo sighs. They’re in a small concrete room, with no widows and from what he can see no doors. “This sure as hell isn't Applebee's”
“Seriously?” Liam mutters, as he stands up. “We’ve been kidnapped and you’re making jokes.”
“I’m just trying to diffuse the tension,” Theo tells him, “before I start panicking.”
“We’re not going to panic,” Liam says, walking over to Theo. He kneels down in front of him and brings his hand up to his cheek, “We’re going to get out of this. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
Theo smiles and leans into the touch, “Always.”
“Well how sweet,” A nasally voice speaks from somewhere above them. It’s only then that Theo realizes there’s a camera in the room, as well as a speaker.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Liam asks, getting back to his feet and glaring at the camera. Theo stands up and moves to stand next to Liam.
“Who I am doesn’t matter,” The voice says again, “But I suppose you can call me L. And what I want is a show.”
“A show?” Theo asks, unable to stop himself. He’s not sure what kind of show this bitch could want but it can’t be good.
“Oh yes,” L says, “A show. Let’s call it suspenseful. And a tearjerker.”
Theo really doesn’t like the sound of that. “Whatever sick game you’re trying to play we’re not interested.”
L chuckles, “You should be. You see, you two aren’t the only ones I have.”
Theo feels his heart start beating faster at that. It’s not just them? Who could she have? Mason? Corey? Nolan?
A light flashes on the wall to his left and Theo looks over, feeling his heart drop at what he sees. There’s a woman tied to a chair with her mouth gagged. “Jenna,” breathes.
“Mom?” Liam says, rushing towards the wall, “Mom? What the fuck? Why do you have my mother your psycho?”
“Tsk tsk,” L says, “Language little one. I have your mother as incentive. A means to get what I want.”
“And what do you want?” Theo grits out.
L giggles and it sends a shiver down Theo’s spine. He’s not liking where this is going, “I already told you. I want a show.”
There’s the sound of metal groaning above them before a door opens. Something drops from it, landing with a clank on the ground in front of them. Theo doesn’t look. His eyes are focused up above, wondering if there’s a way out of here.
“There’s no way out Mr. Raeken,” L tells them, “Only my way.”
“What exactly do you expect us to do?” Liam asks, his voice softer now.
“I think you know. There’s only one there. Whoever gets it first and uses it wins. The one left standing goes free, as does your mother.”
Theo frowns, confused at her words. Then he looks down and sees the knife on the floor in front of him. Theo feels his breath leave him. He shakes his head, “No. No way.”
“One of you is going to die down there,” L says, sounding far too pleased, “Either that or poor Jenna is going to lose an awful lot of blood.”
There’s the sound of shouting and Theo looks over to see someone holding Jenna’s head back by her hair as a knife is held up to her throat. He growls when the blade nicks the skin there and a drop of blood flows out. Theo feels a sense of pride when Jenna bites down on the hand of the man who tries to put her gag back in place.
Liam growls, low and threatening. Theo looks over to see his face shifted as he glares at the camera, “If you hurt her…”
“She doesn’t have to get hurt anymore Mr. Dunbar,” L tells him, “You just have to play the game.”
Liam looks over at the wall, where his mother is tied to the chair and glaring at the man in the room. Then his gaze moves over to Theo. He looks at him for a long time, or at least it feels like it is. Theo knows what he’s thinking. They have to save Jenna. But the thought of losing Liam… Theo shakes his head. He can’t do it.
“Theo,” Liam says, cupping his face with both hands and using his thumbs to wipe the tears as they fall, “It’s okay.”
“Liam…”
Liam silences him with a rough and desperate kiss. It feels so much like a goodbye that it hurts. Then Liam is moving away. He reaches for the knife and Theo releases a shuddering breath. It’s okay. Liam can kill him. Then he can get out of here and save his mother.
Except he doesn’t move towards Theo like he expected. Liam just gives him a sad smile and says “I love you. I’m sorry,” and then he’s driving the blade into his own chest.
Theo screams and runs forward, watching as Liam pulls the blade from his chest and it clatters to the ground. He rips his shirts off and gathers Liam up into his arms as he tries to put pressure over the wound.
“Liam,” Theo whispers, grabbing the back of his neck and holding his head up. “Liam why would you…”
“I had to save my Mom,” Liam tells him, “I had to. And I knew you’d never be able to do it. And I couldn’t hurt you.”
“But you don’t deserve this Liam,” Theo says.
“Neither did you,” Liam whispers, “You have to promise me you’ll get past this. And you’ll look after my Mom for me.”
“This isn’t fair,” Theo sobs as he holds Liam tightly to his chest. “There wasn’t enough time.”
“There never is,” Liam sighs, “but that’s life. We all die eventually.”
“But it shouldn’t be this soon,” Theo says, “you should still have years left Liam, decades even. There has to be something.”
“Well there isn’t,” Liam tells him. “So please just... talk to me. Tell me something nice.”
Theo knows that getting him to talk is a good way of distracting himself as well as Liam, but he does it anyway. He’d do anything for the man in his arms. He just wishes he could save him. Not hold him while he dies, and what’s worse is that it was by his own hand. He’d hurt himself in order to save Theo and Jenna.
“When I was little I had a hedgehog named Sonic,” Theo tells him.
Liam snorts, “Of course you did.”
“Tara had convinced me if I named him that he’d be able to run just like Sonic did,” Theo says, “Imagine my disappointment when he didn’t.”
“How old were you?”
“I was 5.”
“So it must have been traumatizing,” Liam says, giving a wet laugh.
“I never looked at hedgehogs the same after that,” Theo admits. He looks down at Liam to see him watching him. His eyes are shining with unshed tears. Theo leans down and brings their foreheads together, “I never looked at a lot of things the same after I met you either. You helped me see things differently, helped me realize I could be better.”
“You would have gotten there on your own,” Liam tells him, his words starting to slow.
“Maybe,” Theo says, “But you definitely helped. You’ve made my life so much better Liam Dunbar. I don’t think you know how much. I love you so much.”
“I love you,” Liam tells him.
Theo leans down and kisses him, soft and sweet and slow, just wanting to savor the moment while he can. He can hear Liam’s heart and breathing slowing. He knows what that means, and he hates it. He wants to scream and yell and beg Liam to stay but he knows it won’t do any good.
“Be happy,” Liam mumbles.
Theo watches as Liam takes one last shuddering breath and then stops moving. He waits, his eyes on Liam’s chest just hoping it will move again. It doesn’t.
“Liam,” Theo sobs, shaking him a bit, hoping that will rouse him. Deep down he knows it won’t.
Theo looks from where Liam’s body is hanging limp and lifeless in his arms to the knife on the ground next to him. He doesn’t think before dropping Liam onto his lap and reaching for it. He brings it up, turning the blade towards his heart. It would be so easy to drive it in. So easy to ends this. Because he knows any life he has to live without Liam won’t be a good one. It will be empty and lonely. But Liam had killed himself so that Theo would survive. As easy as it would be to end his life he just can’t. He can’t make Liam’s sacrifice be for nothing.
He drops the knife and gathers Liam back in his arms, burying his face in his neck as sobs wrack his body. His chest aches in a way that’s unfamiliar to him. If he thought Tara ripping his heart out over and over again was painful this is something else. It’s worse. It’s real. It’s all consuming and it’s crushing him.
“Liam,” Theo sobs, “Liam please wake up. I can’t do this without you.”
There is no answer. He didn’t expect there to be. Liam is gone. At least the Liam he knew. The Liam who laughed and whose eyes shone brightly when he looked at Theo in that way he always did. The Liam he had planned to spend the rest of his life with. He’s gone somewhere Theo can’t reach him, probably not even in death. That thought makes him cry harder as he clutches Liam’s body likes it’s a lifeline.
There’s the sound of a wall moving to his left and then Jenna is entering the room. She takes one look at Liam dead in Theo’s arms and screams as she stumbles forward. She takes his head in her hands and brushes the hair from his face.
“My baby,” she cries, “Oh no. Not my baby.”
“Jenna I’m so sorry,” Theo whispers.
Theo expects Jenna to snap at him. To yell at him and demand to know why he couldn’t save Liam. She doesn’t. She just wraps an arm around Theo’s waist and hugs him while they both hold Liam.
“It’s not your fault,” she tells him.
All Theo can do is nod. He’s not sure he believes it. The ache in his chest tells him something else. He spent so long alone and thinking that he didn’t need anyone but himself. Then he found Liam. He fell in love. He might not be alone now but the one person he needs isn’t here. He never will be again.