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As soon as they had step foot into the white and brick house on Magnolia Road, Theo knew that this would be the one they'd be buying just by the way Liam looked around at everything. It was all good ideas and glances from Liam from the time they were in the foyer to the master bedroom, and the way he talked about it was like they already lived there. It was pretty much perfect from the first walkthrough - all that had to be done was get the roof replaced - which is why it wasn't a surprise when Liam suggested they go see it again.
To Liam, the house was a place to live and work. He had gotten a job at the museum just outside of town, offering guidance through the exhibits and knowledge about their subjects, but he often decided to take some of his paperwork home to do for fun. He would work on classifying and categorizing artifacts and objects until the sun came up if Theo didn't come and tell him to go to bed, part of the reason why Liam knew he should definitely be moving in with him. He was excited to move in, but a house was just a house to him with the exception of Theo's presence.
For Theo, it was different. The chimera knew that Liam didn't think about this nearly as much as he did, or, at least, he wasn't doing it in this context, but the house wasn't just a place to sleep. A roof over his head alone was something sacred, something he had gone without for so long, and it didn't matter that he had eventually gotten an apartment before he started dating Liam and looking for houses. He was too proud to admit it, but the thought of owning a home was definitely bigger to him than it was to most, and he knew it. However, that still wasn't what Theo was thinking.
During the walkthrough, Theo didn't just imagine Liam sitting at his desk that they'd probably put in the living room where there was an indent to equip either that or a bookcase. While he did picture himself sitting in the backyard, he also imagined himself mowing it, and going around a little swing set that Argent would help them build when he had a free weekend off, one swing bigger than the others so that either Theo or Liam could sit with whichever kid or kids were on the smaller ones. There would be pieces of scribbled-on paper secured with colorful magnets on the refrigerator, and report cards right next to them. They'd frame the pictures of a lakefront wedding, because this house was where they would spend the rest of their lives together.
Theo's chest ached at the thought. He'd wake up next to Liam and he'd have a ring on soon enough, since he wasn't about to wait much longer. He knew from the beginning, right after they had went on their first date, that he was going to marry this boy one day, and he wasn't breaking that promise. The first walkthrough had been the decision; the second and final would be the resolution.
Theo loved that house, the sixth one they looked at in Beacon Hills, and he was ecstatic when Liam suggested that they take another look at it, since he knew when Liam was really interested in something, they wouldn't be letting it go. That was how it worked with Theo himself, after all, so he had a pen ready to sign a lease.
"Ready to go?" Liam asked, tucking his wallet and phone into the pocket of his jeans. He had made an effort to look good for the realtor that would be dealing with them that day, but Theo was still fixing his hair in the mirror. Liam smiled and leaned against the doorway of Theo's apartment, and Theo's heart sped up a little when he caught a glimpse of him through the mirror. "You might be overthinking this again. You trying to get with the realtor?" Liam joked. Theo didn't have it in him to roll his eyes even lightheartedly. He smiled at the mirror so Liam could see and shook his head.
He stood up after situating his hair for what seemed like the millionth time and nodded. He was wearing a black button-down and dark jeans, casual but nice enough. "Alright, come on," He sighed exaggeratedly at his boyfriend's excitement, and he put a hand on Liam's back to guide him along. He knew Liam secretly loved it when he did that, and Theo loved the closeness of it all.
It was a ten-minute drive to their future home, on a quiet cul-de-sac in Beacon Hills. It was a short distance from Liam's parents' house, since the beta had wanted to stay close. After everything, it felt wrong to leave Beacon Hills, and Theo wasn't arguing. This was the only town Theo had ever found something, or someone, who resembled home, and he wasn't going to give it up.
Thinking of Liam's parents also brought a smile to his face. Jenna and David Geyer had always been nothing but kind to him, even after they knew what he had done, when Theo knew he didn't deserve it. They welcomed him into their home for a short time before he got his apartment and after when he came to visit, and they were some of the only people Theo would purposely see who weren't Liam. He still came over for lunch sometimes. Jenna baked him things and helped him through college homework when he needed it, the intelligent woman always open to assisting, and David talked with him about his future and offered someone to lean on when he was getting used to adulting.
They had been all the more accepting of him when he came out as gay a few months after he started to really know them, and they were two of the most excited people in their lives when Liam and Theo came to them, hand-in-hand, to tell them they were together. Theo already knew what their answer would be when he came to ask about marrying their son, because he was old-fashioned, and he wanted them to know about it first. He still could picture Jenna's face very clearly when he told them about his plans.
All it did was make him more confident that this would work. When he had Liam's parents to back him, he felt the reassurance he needed, and if the smile on Liam's face as he kissed his forehead was any indication, Liam wanted this too.
They walked up to the house, the sun already high in the sky at mid-afternoon. There were four wooden stairs that lead up to a large porch, and there was a porch swing that came with the house hanging on chains from the overhang roof. Theo looked around at everything, a soft smile on his face as he reached for Liam's hand without looking. Their fingers intertwined, and Liam grinned up at him.
It was at times like these, when Liam's bright eyes and smile seemed to hold so much more than what showed on the surface, when Theo wondered if Liam thought the same way he did. He wondered if Liam had ever imagined Theo sitting on their porch with their son or daughter, or the three of them in a baby pool much too small for the two men. He knew Liam wanted kids; he was pretty much the sole reason Theo was convinced he wanted them too. Still, even after five years of dating and seven of knowing each other, the chimera was always stuck in a little bit of disbelief. He still couldn't believe that they were about to put a down payment on their first, and hopefully last, real house together, or that they had what they had. He didn't know if Liam would want kids with him, part of the reason why even though he knew Liam loved him, he was nervous for the proposal.
"Are you okay?" Liam asked, a hint of laughter in his voice. "You keep spacing out, and you smell anxious."
"Yeah, fine," Theo said, and quickly followed up so it wouldn't sound like a lie. "I'm just nervous to finally have a house."
Since his heart didn't skip, Liam accepted it and they moved on. Theo put images of helping their future child up the stairs away for then and walked in like any other adult would.
Liam pushed open the front door, and the realtor, a tall man named Geoffrey, was already there and setting up his paperwork for Theo and Liam to sign. Theo followed close behind. "Are we ready to sign some documents?" Geoff asked excitedly, probably ready to be done with Theo and Liam's nitpicking and get paid. Theo could understand, and he figured he wouldn't be able to stay patient with people like themselves for long if he were in Geoff's position. Theo smiled when Liam nodded just as enthusiastically and leaned over the kitchen island, made out of white granite and covered in different papers.
When they had started the search for a house after Liam suggested it, Theo knew that there would be a lot of planning and technicalities involved that weren't there when they lived in separate apartments. He also knew that there would be more important things on paper, like the receipt in the bottom of his bedside drawer from a jewler and the text messages Jenna sent him every day asking if he had done it yet. So he was hardly listening, having heard it all before, as Geoff went over every last functional detail in their paperwork. He and Liam signed the dotted lines on every other page, and Theo's heart was beating out of his chest.
The last signature, as stupid as it sounded, felt like it was sealing down their fate. Liam signed that one first while Theo tried to steady his quaking hands, but when the pen hit paper, Theo felt waves run through him. Liam was smiling at him and from the corner of his eye, Theo drank it all in.
For not caring about much else, this was mammoth. As soon as the black ink stopped flowing, Theo untensed, standing back up straight after being hunched over the counter, feeling light but still anchored. Free, but with no desire to leave. It was quiet in his head for just a second before Geoff clapped his hands a few times for them and Liam's arms were wrapping around his middle, hugging him tight and burying his face into Theo's shoulder.
"Congratulations!" Geoff told them, already starting to gather up the papers and make his exit. He shook Theo and Liam's hands one last time before he was giving them his card and leaving, letting Theo and Liam stand there, still in an embrace.
All around the empty house was theirs. The wood floors, high white walls and big windows were all theirs to do what they pleased, but it wasn't just a new project. At that point, Theo knew that it was more than just a house to Liam too. "I love you," Liam mumbled, still holding onto him. He came up and gave him a kiss right on the mouth, something Theo would never get used to, which quickly turned more passionate. Theo wrapped his arms around Liam's back tighter and whirled him around so he was right in front of him, and Liam hummed with happiness and cupped the chimera's face in his hands. That position was momentous: their first kiss in their first house, a ring box burning a hole in Theo's pocket.
He had to keep Liam's hands on his face or nowhere at all in fear of finding the ring, so he broke away from the kiss. Liam whined. "Come on, we should check the place out a little more. You know how much I like to plan."
Liam snorted. Theo was a guy who liked a plan, which worked well with Liam's naturally spontaneous nature. Liam still held onto his hand as they started to walk around, picking out every little nook and cranny of the house.
"We can paint that wall, it would be good for an accent," Liam suggested, pointing to yet another white wall, fresh, since no one had ever lived in this house before them. "And maybe a rug there."
"Just as long as there's no carpet, we're not ruining these floors with carpet," Theo groaned, but he knew no matter how much he might've despised it, he would carpet the entire house for Liam himself. Thankfully, Liam felt the same way and nudged him in the side with his elbow. "Ouch."
"Oh, shush, you know that didn't really hurt," Liam sighed, heading upstairs. This was where Theo was nervous to look with him, because he felt like if he thought too hard, all of the thoughts would just spill out all over the floor. Upstairs was where all the extra bedrooms were, the ones where he imagined little blue or green eyed babies running around. That is, if they used a surrogate...? There were so many things to be determined that it made Theo buzz with anticipation. "Hey, are you sure you're alright?" Liam asked softly, stopping by the stairs and squeezing his hand a little tighter, once and then twice. "Your heart is still going a mile a minute."
Then, Theo wanted to just say what he was thinking, but he had already come up with a plan about an hour before, and he wasn't going to stray away from it. "I promise I'm okay, Li. It's just a little overwhelming."
Liam nodded. "I feel that way too," He said honestly, and Theo kissed him again. It was time to brave the stairs.
He managed not to give himself away even when the thought about the future, accidentally slipping into details he didn't think he would pay attention to, like what colors the walls in their kids' rooms would be. He had seen a frog decoration at Target, and since Theo was apparently the type of lovestruck guy now who recognized when things were cute, he remembered it and put it into the scene he was making up in his head.
With every scene though, Theo had to remind himself not to go too far or get used to it. He had no doubt in his mind that he wanted to marry Liam, and Liam would definitely want kids, but there was always the off-chance... No. Theo shook his head to get the thoughts away while Liam was preoccupied with playing with the light switches. Liam wouldn't marry him if he didn't want to have kids and really make things official.
That didn't make it better. All it did was open up a pit in his stomach. He managed to mask his chemosignals before Liam caught up with him as he moved through the house, once again trying to hold back the inevitable word-vomit.
The master bedroom was one of the places Liam wanted to plan out first (the little dork took a tape measure with him and had measurements of all their furniture) so Theo was left to stand around while he waved his hands around, plotting everything out like it was a blueprint. As he gesticulated in every which way, Theo leaned against the wall, arms folded with a small smile on his face. Instead of worrying about the negative, he took Liam in for everything he saw. I can't believe this guy is gonna be my husband.
"We should put the bed against this wall, or do you want to get a new one?" Liam asked, not really waiting for an answer and moving on with talking to himself. Theo couldn't help but think Stiles rubbed off on him with that one. "Nah, we'll get a new one. Or use your's. Your's is more comfortable."
Theo rubbed the back of his neck and looked outside; the sun was going to go down soon, and it made him jump into action. "Let's check out some more, hm?" Theo asked, moving them along while Liam was still planning on where their dresser should be. As if officially sharing a bedroom wasn't enough, Theo was starting to get more and more nervous.
Another text from Jenna came through as they stepped into the doorway of another room, and it went unread. They stopped without walking in, and Liam reached for his hand again.
There was a little alcove with a window in that room so the fading sunlight came in softly through sheer curtains, and Theo knew what had once been there. This room had been a nursery, and it showed with the faded and worn painted sheep by the floor trim.
Liam leaned his head against Theo's shoulder and didn't say a word, but there was a scent of contentedness coming off of him that made Theo's doubts wash away. He didn't say anything, but Theo could tell he was thinking the same thing he was as he kissed him on the shoulder. Theo pulled him closer to his side so he could feel the heat radiating off of him even more, his arm wrapping around his waist.
He didn't talk; he felt that this was one of those moments that were better off left silent. He'd have to be talking in a few minutes anyway.
_
"I love this house," Liam said airly as they walked out, his steps out of rythm as he kicked his feet up in the air. "And I love you."
Theo almost couldn't answer. The chimera's heart was beating out of his chest, and he felt like his head was full of rushing water, sloshing and crashing around wildly and roaring over everything else. It didn't help that he could hear every single cricket in the yard or cars passing by blocks over, either. "I love you too," He said, almost choking on his words. Luckily, Liam didn't seem to notice.
The living room was cleared, and then the foyer, and when they reached the front door, Theo's heart leaped into his throat. He grabbed onto Liam's hand, squeezing tight, fearing that he might melt into the floor if he got any more nervous.
The turn of the gold doorknob echoed in the chimera's ears, and the overhead light came on on the porch when they finally stepped out. Liam was about to head to his car when Theo stopped him, not relinquishing his hand. "Hey," He said softly, praying that his voice wouldn't crack. Liam raised an eyebrow but smiled, thinking Theo was just going to kiss him again.
Theo did kiss him, if only to buy himself some time. His throat felt thick and he wondered silently if his childhood asthma was somehow coming back, since he felt like there were stones in his lungs and he couldn't breathe. Liam smiled against his lips and they rested their foreheads together. "You know I love you," Theo said, not sure at first where he was going, but he knew he had to say something. If he didn't keep talking, the moment would be lost, and Liam would go back home. "and that I want to do everything with you."
"Oh, keep talking," Liam purred, a little bit of laughter in his voice. His eyes were still closed while Theo's weren't, so he didn't see the tiny smile the chimera cracked. "I like where this is going."
It was a little cold outside, making his entire body shiver with anticipation and chill. Liam wouldn't and didn't suspect a thing when he took a shuddering breath because of it, since his words had run out.
He looked around, green eyes flickering back and forth in a panic, before he set on something right by the railing of the porch behind Liam. A small green frog, staring in all it's bug-eyed interest at the two of them. "Theo?"
"Liam, there's a frog!" Theo exclaimed, hushed, knowing it would work. Sure enough, the beta whipped his head around to look, and Theo took his chance.
He dropped to one knee with a thud hard enough to hurt on the light wood while Liam looked at the frog.
"Aw, it's cute!" Liam said, cooing at the little thing too loud, which made it hop away.
Theo's heart was in his throat.
"Damn," Liam sighed, shaking his head and turning back.
Theo wasn't even sure if he had lungs anymore.
Liam froze, and Theo looked up at him hopefully. "Holy shit," The beta whispered, his mouth falling open in a small 'O.' Theo gave a watery smile, his hands trembling as he reached into the pocket of his jeans. "Theo-"
The velvet case came out and Theo was afraid he was going to drop it right onto the wood underneath him. "I...don't really know where to start," Theo admitted quietly, but Liam would hear everything he said loud and clear. "But ever since we walked into this house, I couldn't stop thinking that this was where I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you." Liam, always a crier, had a hand pressed over his open mouth and one finger caught his first tear. Theo's voice shook even more than his hands. "No matter what I did, I couldn't stop imagining you and I here, with kids, or with a dog and cat, and Liam-" Theo's voice broke entirely, and he broke his gaze on Liam for just a second to regather himself. "You complete me. I never thought that I'd find love before you, let alone ever even consider all of this with anyone, but you took me in, gave me a chance, and I love you. And I want to be your husband, and marry you in front of a lake like those pictures we always see, and I don't ever want to go a day without you." Theo stopped his rambling when he had to take a breath, but Liam hadn't minded it. He had since taken his hand off of his mouth, and a shocked smile had taken over his face. "So the real question is, Liam..." Liam's heart was just as loud as his. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes!" Liam exclaimed as soon as Theo was done talking, and Theo's nervous grin melted into one of pure relief. He couldn't help but look surprised as he slipped the silver ring onto Liam's finger, and when it touched the base of his finger, Liam was flying forward and wrapping Theo in a hug.
The beta was always a little stronger than he was, so he was almost bowled over, but Theo managed to stand up with a pleased little grunt. "Oh god, oh god, I love you so much," Liam repeated like a mantra into Theo's shoulder before he finally caught up and kissed him. Theo's hands snaked into his hair and his eyes closed out of instinct; even if he couldn't see, he already knew how beautiful the two of them looked in that moment. "Yes to all of it. Yes to marrying you, and finally being able to call you my husband, and the lake, and-and having babies," Liam rattled off, and Theo felt himself start to cry out of pure joy, something that he had never done before. If it was with Liam, it felt good.
"Good," Theo breathed, resting his cheek on Liam's head when he didn't pull away, holding him tightly, as tight as he did after the fight with the Anuk-ite. Liam pulled off just a little to peck him on the lips again. Theo rested their heads together and he stared into Liam's eyes, the most gorgeous man he'd ever seen right in front of him, illuminated by the dim light in the dark sky. "So, what do you think about me changing my name?" He asked, maybe a little prematurely...but as said before, Theo was a planner. Liam gasped quietly.
"You want to change your name?" He asked, shocked, but another wide smile was quickly spreading across his face. "You want to be a Dunbar?"
"I always thought Theo Dunbar sounded good," Theo mused, taking Liam's hands in his own between them. "What do you say?"
"Yes," Liam whispered again, and went in for another kiss.
One ringed hand was resting on Theo's back and the other one was cupping Theo's face, but no matter what the position they were in, Theo knew it would be perfect, and that he wouldn't forget that night for the rest of his life.
Because now that he was complete, Theo could stand back and enjoy the moment.
Ocean water, porch light, warm blankets.