Chapter Text
Mason has been best friends with Liam Dunbar since their first day of Kindergarten. They went all through elementary and middle school together before Liam ends up shipped off to Devenford Prep for freshman year. He’s the one Liam calls when he destroys his teacher’s car and the one who calms him down after he’d been diagnosed with I.E.D.
Despite the circumstances in which Liam ends up attending Beacon Hills High just after the break, Mason’s excited to have his best friend back. They’re not even a week in when Liam tries out for the lacrosse team and everything suddenly changes.
Mason isn’t there to see Liam’s try outs as he’d had to go home to look after his little sister while his parents are both at work but he hears about it from Garrett that same night. He tries calling Liam to find out if it’s as serious as it sounds but gives up after his sixth call goes to voice mail.
When Mason gets to school the next day, worried because Liam hadn’t been on the bus, he’s surprised when Liam suddenly appears. His leg isn’t broken, isn’t even sore if the fact he ran three miles to school is any indication. Mason watches his odd behaviour with concern, startled when Liam suddenly takes off for the front door of the school.
His worry for his best friend only gets worse when he can’t find Liam at the party at Lydia’s lake house. He can’t get a hold of him all weekend and it’s not until Monday morning in the gym that he sees him again. His concern skyrockets when Liam doesn’t seem to be paying enough attention to even notice how much weight he’d been lifting.
It’s not until Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski interrupt Liam and Brett’s meeting that he begins to even guess what’s really going on. McCall’s got Liam by the shoulders, pulling him away from Brett while Stilinski distracts with his usual level of sarcasm. Then the pair are pulling him away and disappearing into the lacrosse locker room.
Mason doesn’t see Liam again until just before the game and while he’s still angry he’s calmed down enough to smile at Mason’s words. When the game begins, however, the anger is clearly back in full force and it’s only McCall and Stilinski that stop him from starting a fight with his old team mates. The two older boy’s sudden interest in Liam is disconcerting considering they were the ones who had supposedly injured Liam in their first training.
Then Brett’s suddenly on the ground and McCall’s got his bare hands around Liam’s arm and Mason can’t see what he’s doing. Brett’s carried off the field and the other players are given a moment to catch their breath. Mason only notices first McCall and then Stilinski take off because he’s watching Liam interact with them so intently.
When the game is suddenly cancelled and first the Sherriff’s office and then the FBI are showing up by the car load, Liam takes off to. It’s not until almost an hour later that he overhears that Violet of all people tried to kill first Brett and then McCall – that they’re only alive because McCall knocked her unconscious against the locker room wall. Then he finds out that Violet and Garrett are serial killers and all he wants to do is find his best friend and talk to him about it.
When he tries, however, he finds that Liam has disappeared along with McCall and Stilinski and all their friends. He doesn’t hear from him until the next morning when they go for their usual morning run but when he tries to talk to Liam about it he takes off running and disappears.
At school, Mason asks everyone he knows if they’ve seen Liam but no one has. It’s not until the break between first and second period that Mason catches sight of McCall coming down the hallway towards him, surrounded by his group of friends. He hesitates only a moment before stepping in front of him.
“Oh, hey,” he greets, coming to a stop. “Mason, right? Liam’s friend.”
“Yeah,” Mason frowns. “Look, have you seen him today?”
McCall glances around at his friends, all of who shake their heads in answer, before looking back at him and drawing out his answer, “No. Why?”
Mason shifts, lifting his bag further up his shoulder, “He ran off this morning and I haven’t seen him since.”
Mason has never seen someone’s face drop like that.
“I’ll help you find him,” McCall says just as the bell rings, waving his friends off as he does so.
They spend the whole period looking for him, even going so far as to ask coach if he’s seen him only to find out he’s skipped class.
It’s almost ten o’clock that night before Mason’s phone lights up with Liam’s name.
“Where the hell have you been?” he demands by way of greeting.
“Uh…” and that’s not Liam’s voice. “Mason, its Scott. Just thought you’d like to know I found Liam.”
“Can I talk to him?” Mason asks immediately.
“He’s sleeping,” the older boy replies quietly and Mason realises he’s trying not to wake Liam up. “I’ll get him to call you when he wakes up tomorrow, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” Mason agrees after a moment’s hesitation. “Where’d you find him anyway?”
Scott sighs, “He never left the woods.”
Mason draws in a startled breath, “What? Is he alright?”
“He’s fine,” Scott assures. “He was just cold and tired. He’ll be fine to go to school tomorrow.”
“Thanks for calling,” Mason says after a long moment of silence.
“You’re welcome,” Scott replies, still in that quiet voice, before hanging up. Mason stays up another hour simply staring at his phone.
* * * * *
Mason wakes up the next morning to the sound of his phone ringing, answering without looking at the caller ID.
“What?” he asks grumpily.
“Hey, Mase.”
Yesterday’s events coming flooding back at the sound of Liam’s voice and he shoots up into a sitting position.
“Liam! What the hell happened yesterday?”
The other boy sighs, “You’ll probably hear about it at school anyway. Garrett’s dead.”
“What?” Mason says blankly.
“He kidnapped me,” Liam admits softly. “Tried to use me as leverage to get Violet back.”
“Oh my god,” Mason breaths disbelievingly. “How did he…?”
“Shot by Sheriff Stilinski,” Liam says before he even finishes asking. “Violet too.”
“Oh god.”
There’s a quiet noise in the background of the sound coming through the phone that sounds like Liam’s name followed by what sounds like Liam covering the receiver. Mason hears it anyway.
“That Mason?”
And that’s definitely Scott McCall’s voice.
“Yeah,” Liam says in reply, sounding tired. “You said I could –“
“Hey, it’s fine,” Scott says softly. “I’ll be down in the kitchen when you’re done, yeah?”
“Okay.”
There’s a moment’s pause before Liam’s back on the phone, “Mason?”
“I’m here,” he says.
Liam sighs, “Look, I’ll see you at school later, yeah?”
“Yeah, okay,” Mason agrees, frowning slightly. “Was that Scott McCall?”
There’s hesitation from Liam, “Yeah.”
“What’s he doing at your place so early in the morning?”
“He’s not,” Liam says, sounding tired again. “I spent the night at his place. Look, I’ll talk to you later, alright?”
He hangs up before Mason can reply. Mason stays staring at his phone all over again with the knowledge that after spending a day in the woods being held hostage by a serial killer Liam chose to spend the night with Scott McCall rather than at home with his parents.
* * * * *
When Liam finally shows up at school, it's in the back of Stilinski's jeep. He climbs out behind Scott, who seems to have forgone his bike for the day. Liam swings his backpack over his shoulder and slams the door shut behind him. Stilinski climbs out of the front seat and even from this distance Mason can tell he's berating him.
Liam smirks at the other boy who backs off when Scott reaches out to wrap a hand around the back of Liam’s neck. Scott uses it to propel the younger boy forward and they fall into step together as Stilinski and his girlfriend link hands behind them. Scott’s hand moves but only to wrap an arm around his shoulders instead.
Liam seems perfectly content with it though, curling slightly towards the other boy as they walk.
“Hey Mason,” he greets as they approach. He doesn’t so much as twitch away from Scott.
“How you feeling?” Mason asks, eyeing the pair curiously as Stilinski and his girlfriend step up on Scott’s other side. A moment later and Lydia Martin and their other friend, Kira, step up beside Liam.
They make an image like that, the six of them stood in a solid line in front of Mason. Four sets of eyes star at him challenging – daring him to do what exactly he has no idea – while Scott stares at Liam and Liam eyes the ground between his feet.
Liam shrugs in reply, looking back up at him as he moves impossibly closer to Scott, “I’m fine.”
Mason takes in the way Scott is rubbing circles in Liam’s shoulder curiously but the bell rings before he can say anything.
Liam makes an odd sound in the back of his throat and turns his whole body towards Scott. The older uses the arm he still has around him to pull him close, pressing his mouth directly to Liam’s ear.
Whatever he says is lost to Mason but Liam nods and appears to calm slightly. Scott releases him but lets him move away on his own.
“I’ll see you at lunch, Liam,” Scott says, moving away with the others following. “Mason.”
Mason returns the other boy’s nod and watches them walk away. When he turns back, Liam has his arms folded over his chest and his wide blue eyes are still focused on the door they just passed through.
“You sure you’re alright?”
Liam’s eyes dart towards Mason before he closes them and take a deep breath, “Yeah.”
Despite the small smile he throws him, Mason has the distinct impression that it’s a lie.