Chapter Text
First kiss - Anger
The first time Liam and Theo kissed ... Liam remembered it perfectly, even if he would never admit it out loud.
It had happened at the zoo, when they were trying to implement his plan, a plan that Liam was amazed to have come up with in one day. He had only woken up feeling that thirty tons weighed on him. He was in one of the zoo's labyrinthine corridors and was being carried on the shoulder by someone. Theo, he realized, smelling his perfume and recognizing ... he didn't really know what, maybe the gait, the smell, the feel of the skin or the dress, but something that was purely Theo's, Theo's without any doubt.
- What happened? - he growled, stunned.
Theo stopped and took the time to take him off his shoulder to get him back on his feet. It wasn't really delicate, but it wasn't blunt either.
- You almost killed one of your little classmates - the chimera calmly replied with his eternal smile that forced Liam to swallow his anger every time. - I had to knock you out. -
Liam groaned again, the memory returning little by little: Nolan, the hunters, the other boy's terrified gaze, his fist constantly falling on the wall next to him, and this devouring fury, this desire that finally someone pays....
- Why didn't you let me finish? - he murmured unhappily.
Theo started walking again, shamelessly turning away from him. Liam sighed, but followed him.
- It would have been completely counterproductive - Theo replied with a little arrogance.
- I realized we were trying to get out of this war alive, not to be killed because you gave the hunters another reason to revenge -
- They are already taking revenge - said Liam.
- They fight to survive, that's all. -
Liam clenched his fists and stopped.
- Why do you agree with what they do now? -
Theo turned back toward him, exasperated.
- What do you think? That I want to die? Obviously not. But for them, their fight is fair and we're not going to solve the problem by killing a miserable frightened high school boy. We would just end up making things worse. -
Liam took a furious breath, trying to calm down - helplessly.
- Oh yes? I can't believe you just say that. -
Theo's eyes narrowed, obviously upset.
- I would like to be the first to say that eliminating the threat is the best way to get out of it alive, but you know like I do that it would be the dumbest thing to do ... that's what they expect from us. And turning yourself into a killer because you have a vengeance to carry out or because you have been beaten is the worst option. -
- So we have to be victims? -
The fury was rising in Liam, impossible to restrain. That Theo knew what had happened to Brett and Lori and that he knew what Nolan and Gabe had done to him was unbearable. How dare he ... And he did nothing! Nothing ! Brett and Lori were dead, they were all going to die and he didn't care!
-I suppose that's normal, after all - he yelled, clenching his fists so hard that the claws sank into his palms. - You don't care that Brett and Lori are dead, you don't care that we're all doomed, you don't care about anything! The only thing you care about is yourself! -
- Oh yeah? - Theo exclaimed with a wicked smile. - Explain to me why I'm here, supporting you in your stupid plan, when I may have already left Beacon Hills then? -
He was right, and that bothered Liam even more. He didn't know why, but he resented Theo. For hitting him to lure the hunters as intended, for following him in this stupid plan, for knocking him out, for being so unreliable, for being right, maybe for wanting to join the pack, being selfish, taking care of them.
- Anyway - Liam continued - you will betray us as soon as you can. As soon as you have the opportunity to sell us to save your life, you will. People don't change, let alone people like you. -
Theo's eyes lit up with anger. Liam knew he had hurt him, and somehow that made him happy. Why should he be the only one to suffer, the only one to be guilty? And on the other hand, he felt even more repugnant to accuse the one person who was trying to implement his plan and help him.
-You need to calm down, - Theo said in his mildest tone. (It had to be, it was obvious. Why was he holding back? Why wasn't he going wild?) - Anger keeps you from being lucid. If this continues, the hunters will catch up with us. We need to keep walking. -
- Let's avoid the topic, huh? - sneered the beta.
A small part of him was aware that the anger was talking now and that he had no real reason to be so angry. But he refused to listen to it.
- Look, get out! - he shouted then - Leave me alone! I do not want to see you ever again ! I just want to get them all! All of them! -
He leapt forward, but Theo grabbed him barely, surrounding behind and preventing him from going to retaliate. Furious, Liam fought, kicked and struck in the air, flailing in all directions. Theo had a bad grip and was forced to let go. Suddenly, Theo was the perfect target to vent all this anger. Liam hated him for holding him back, for trying to reason with him, for being with him, and punched him in the face. The crack emitted from the chimera's nose when it broke was an intense satisfaction for him, as did Theo's eyes that lit up.
The chimera began to grab his arms, but Liam pushed him violently, watching him fly off into the distance, his face full of blood. Theo hit him almost immediately as Liam joined him. Liam threw a punch that nearly missed Theo, destroying a section of the wall instead. Theo pushed him violently against the wall, Liam pushed him back. The beta grabbed his jacket, ready to destroy it with his claws. Theo grabbed his arms and for a few seconds they were content to carry out assaults on each other and brutally push themselves away. Liam grabbed Theo's throat, Theo picked it up and then tried to knock him out again. They fought for a few more seconds, beating each other, fists hitting each other in the chest, claws scratching their cheeks, Liam grabbing Theo's hair and Theo lifting Liam's hands over his head;
and suddenly, Liam didn't know how, they found themselves kissing harshly.
They were continuing the fight, in a way. Their tongues clashed, each claiming dominance over the other. They pushed each other as close as possible. Theo bit his lip and Liam pulled his hair, tilting his head. Theo's claws pierced his back as they exchanged a savage kiss.
When they finally separated, out of breath, none of them had really won. Liam was stunned by what had just happened and saw in his eyes that Theo was as confused as he was. But the chimera, unlike him, seemed to have regained clarity. His gaze was more fixed, more resolute. Liam threw up his hands, not knowing exactly if he should face him or not now, and not knowing if he was still furious ...
And suddenly everything went black.
Everything was then lost in a dark and colorful mixture of exchanged blows, claws and fangs, violence and anger. Everything was blurry, but when Liam woke up in the passenger seat of Theo's car, he thought confused that the same scene had happened over and over again. He hit Theo, Theo reacted, knocked him out and carried him further each time, to save him from the hunters.
He could only be grateful for what Theo had done for him.
But there was that kiss ... obviously, it had been just the heat of the moment, like one more attack, an unleashing of violence so intense it had taken on more aggressive and insidious forms. They had devoured each other rather than kissed. Liam wasn't sure how he felt, other than extremely embarrassed.
So he pretended to not remember anything.
For his part, Theo didn't even say a word about what had happened.
It was as if nothing had happened.