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Liam doesn’t bother knocking. He just opens the door to Derek’s loft, already left unlocked, though he does make sure to lock it once he’s inside, even though he doubts there’s a burglar out there that he and Theo couldn’t take care of. Still, it’s the principle of the matter.
“Hey,” Theo says, coming out of his bedroom and Liam waves.
“Hey, dude,” Liam replies and can’t help but to feel kind of awkward, even though he’s here because Theo invited him over to watch a movie, even though it’s not even the first time. They’re friends, he’s pretty sure. But there’s still something about hanging out with Theo that’s different from hanging out with Mason or anyone else, though Liam can’t quite put his finger on what the difference is.
He mentioned it to Mason a couple weeks ago and just got a look and “you’ll figure it out soon” which was… Not great. Thanks for nothing, best friend.
“Do you want a drink or something to eat?” Theo asks, walking to the kitchenet, hands on his pockets. “I bought popcorn.”
“And sour-patch kids?” Liam asks, hopeful.
“Yes, you heathen. But I’m putting your popcorn in a different bowl. I want nothing to do with your weirdness.”
Liam laughs, ignores the way his heart skips a beat at how Theo has bought him sour-patch kids, even though he doesn’t like how acid they are and thinks putting them together with popcorn is about one of the worst food combinations you could ever do.
Theo starts puttering around the kitchen, putting a bag of popcorn in the microwave before getting two bowls out. It’s then that Liam notices that his nails are painted. He walks closer, trying to understand what color it is. Dark blue? No, purple.
“You’re staring,” Theo says and Liam raises his eyes to his face. He’s just staring back at Liam, doesn’t look nervous or anything, but Liam can still see how his shoulders are slightly more tense than usual. Not much; most people probably wouldn’t notice, but Liam’s good at noticing things about Theo.
“Your nails are painted,” Liam says, like an idiot. From the look Theo sends his way, the sentiment is definitely shared.
“Yeah, I did them myself.”
Liam blinks, almost asks “why?” but luckily his brain does serve an actual purpose than for him to just utter nonsense and he’s able to stop himself, instead going for, “they look good.”
“Thanks,” Theo says and the smile that shows on his face is small, there and gone in an instant, but Liam notices the way his shoulders unclench, how his movements are looser.
Liam’s never seen him with painted nails before, is the thing. That doesn’t necessarily mean Theo’s never painted them, though. Liam is just… He meant it when he said they looked good; Theo has nice hands and he clearly takes care of them; his nails aren’t bitten down or anything and the purple does make a nice contrast with his skin. He’s just… surprised.
“You still wanna watch Cats & Dogs?” Theo asks, moving to take the popcorn out of the microwave, then putting another bag because he’s learnt that Liam’s stomach is pretty much bottomless.
“Yes! I can’t believe you’ve never watched it.”
“I can’t believe one of your favorite films is… I don’t even know what to say about it.”
“Exactly. Its geniality defies definitions.”
“Studying for SATs?” Theo asks, laughing, though he doesn’t sound mocking.
“Scott lent me his book.”
Theo nods, then goes and opens a sour-patch kids’ bag, upturning it onto the bowl he’s just put the popcorn in. He pushes it across the counter to Liam, which brings his nails closer to him just for a couple seconds.
They’re quiet as the rest of the popcorn finish, the only sound the one from the microwave turning and the corn popping. Liam wants to ask Theo about the nails, but he can’t figure out a way that doesn’t sound judging, which really isn’t what he means to convey. Liam is just… curious. But Theo isn’t very good at being asked things about himself and not feeling attacked. Which, to be fair, most questions come from Stiles and are an attack, so Liam can’t exactly blame him.
The popcorn gets done and Theo puts them in the other bowl, grabbing it and taking it to the living area, putting it on the coffee table as he turns on his laptop and connects it to the TV. Liam sits down on the couch, continuing to eat his popcorn. He knows this will lead to him finishing his bowl before Theo’s finished his, which will then lead to Theo putting his bowl between them so that Liam can get to it as well.
“Last time to change your mind,” Theo says, hand raised and index finger pointed down towards the bar space.
“No way, dude. Cats & Dogs is a masterpiece.”
“At least it’s not Beverly Hills Chihuahua, I guess.”
“My mom likes that film,” Liam says and Theo raises an eyebrow, which resolutely does not make Liam blush.
“Right, so that’s the only reason you can quote it?”
“Look, “we’re Mexican, not Mexican’t!” is a great joke and I stand by it. You know, it’s directed by the same guy who made the Scooby-Doo live action movies.”
Theo sends him a look, which Liam can’t quite figure it out. It’s not an unfamiliar one, though usually it’s directed at him from Mason, something that’s fond, but also kind of judging. Before Liam can spend too long analyzing it, though, Theo snorts and says, “you’re probably the only person who knows this.”
Liam shrugs, not bothered in the least, “I’m just filled with awesome information.”
Theo snorts again, “right, if that’s what you’re calling it.” Then he finally presses play, getting up and grabbing his bowl before sitting next to Liam, with enough space between them that they move without accidentally touching.
Liam doesn’t even know why this is something he’s noticed; he doesn’t usually do it when he sits around other people, doesn’t think if he’d accidentally touch Mason if he moved his arm just a bit more but right now, sitting next to Theo, it’s something that he can’t not think about.
The film plays and Theo laughs, even though the first few times Liam can hear him trying to stop it, like he doesn’t want to give Liam the satisfaction, which just makes him smile smugly. But then he does laugh and Liam… Liam can’t stop listening to it. He barely pays the rest of the film any attention, not even when the Ninja cat shows up or when the maid decides to dress up Mr. Tinkles.
When the credits start rolling, Theo turns to him, smiling and looking pretty relaxed, “ok, this was actually better than expected.”
“I told you,” Liam says but it comes out more forced than anything. He’s having a hard time focusing on the conversation, instead he wishes… Well, that the film was still rolling and he could just stare at Theo instead, listen to him laugh.
Oh, he thinks, so this is what Mason meant. Liam can’t help the way his heart starts beating faster at the realization.
Theo raises an eyebrow, “you okay?”
“Yeah,” Liam coughs after his voice comes out kind of croakily. “I’m good.”
“Okay,” Theo says, still with a raised eyebrow. Then he stretches, getting up afterwards, grabbing both his and Liam’s bowl – long put on top of the coffee table – to take them to the kitchenet, though he doesn’t bother washing them. “What do you want to do now?”
Liam doesn’t know what to say. He should probably leave, call Mason and actually talk about how he’s just realized he has a huge crush on Theo – the conversation is absolutely going to start with him going “why didn’t you tell me!?” and somehow, Liam just knows Mason is going to know what he’s talking about right away.
What comes out instead is, “could you paint my nails too?”
Theo doesn’t say anything right away and Liam gets up too, goes to the kitchenet. Theo is on the other side of the counter, face carefully blank and Liam’s heart skips a beat. Should he not have mentioned the nails again?
“Why?” Theo asks and Liam immediately thinks on how that’s what went through his head when he first noticed Theo’s purple nails, but how he decided not to ask. He doesn’t know what to feel about Theo asking him.
Liam doesn’t think there’s a right or wrong answer – or well, there probably is a wrong answer, but he imagines that would be something terrible to say and which he certainly won’t – but he still doesn’t want to say something dumb either.
“I want to try,” Liam says and realizes that it is the truth. It’s not something he’s ever really thought of before, though he remembers touching Hayden’s painted nails and thinking “they’re so smooth” but the idea of painting his own… It’s not that Liam thinks anyone would judge him, it’s just not something he’s ever really thought. Like make-up. It looks good on Hayden and on girls and if boys – or anyone else – wants to wear it too, that’s fine, but on Liam? It’s just not… what he thinks about.
“Okay,” Theo says, bringing Liam’s attention back to the conversation. “Go back to the sofa. I’ll go get the stuff.”
Theo doesn’t wait for a response and Liam does as told, heart beating faster, even though he doesn’t know why. This is certainly not dangerous or anything of the sort. It’s just… a bit out of his comfort zone. But really, Liam’s a werewolf; his comfort zone should certainly be larger than having painted nails or not.
“Here’s all the colors I have,” Theo says as he comes back, putting a wooden box down and opening it. It’s not just small bottles of nail posh inside, there’s also some acetone, cotton rounds and swabs as well.
Liam takes out one bottle at a time, putting it back after looking at it more closely. Red, baby blue, dark blue, green, orange, yellow, black, pink, the purple Theo has on…
“Don’t know what to choose?” Theo asks and Liam raises his eyes at him. He nods silently. Theo moves his own hand to the top of the box and Liam removes his. Theo doesn’t choose right away, lingering over several. Finally, he grabs the dark blue bottle. “I think it’ll look good on you.”
“Okay,” Liam says and Theo stares at him. Then he raises an eyebrow. Liam continues to look uncomprehending at him and he rolls his eyes.
“Your hand, Liam.”
“Oh, right,” Liam extends his left hand first, Theo opening the nail polish before grabbing it with his left hand and starting to paint his nails with the other. Liam absolutely did not think this through. He just realized he has a crush on a close friend and the first thing he decides to do is give him a chance to hold hands? Well, okay, Mason will probably whistle and say something like “go get him, tiger” when he tells him, but the way that it’s making Liam blush, not even to mention the way his heart feels like it’s going to beat out of his chest – he doesn’t even want to think how he smells like – is definitely not good.
“Do you paint your nails often?” Liam asks after Theo has just started on his right hand, curious, but mostly looking for a topic of conversation.
“Sometimes,” Theo says, then pauses and Liam keeps quiet. It feels like he’s going to say something else; at least, wants to. “It’s dumb how we’re not supposed to, you know?”
Liam blinks, kind of lost. Theo raises his eyes to him, brush on top of Liam’s nail on his index finger.
“Because we’re guys, there’s all this stuff that we’re not supposed to do, or wear. And it’s dumb. Like we can’t paint our nails, or wear skirts, or have long hair or… It’s all bullshit.”
Liam nods again, brain caught on Theo saying “wear skirts” though he forces it past that.
Gender isn’t really something Liam’s spent a lot of time thinking on. He knows there are more than two, that some people go by them/they pronoun, that some identify as agender and others as genderfluid. That it’s really not as simple as born in the wrong body. But he hasn’t spent a lot of time thinking about it relating to him.
“Do you…” Liam starts, then doesn’t know how to finish it. What did he mean to ask?
“What?” The brush is still leaning on his nail.
Liam swallows, but he still can’t figure out what to say. He definitely doesn’t want Theo to feel like he’s judging him or anything, but he doesn’t know what the right words are either.
Theo stares at him for a couple more seconds before going back to painting Liam’s nails, though this time his shoulders are more hunched in. Being quiet definitely didn’t make it seem like Liam didn’t care.
“Hey,” Liam calls for his attention, only continuing once Theo has his eyes on him, “you know I don’t care, right? I mean, not that you need my… approval or whatever. But I’m cool with whatever you wear or do.”
Theo snorts, “imagine being more bothered about me wearing a skirt sometimes than everything I’ve done to you and your pack.”
Liam opens his mouth, wants to fight back Theo’s words, but it’s not exactly a lie, is it? Theo did betray him and his friends. But he’s here now and he’s better and that’s what Liam’s focusing on.
“So you do wear skirts?” Liam asks because clearly, that’s the pressing issue on what Theo just said. Goddamn you, brain.
Theo snorts again, “yeah, sometimes.” He stares at Liam for a couple seconds in silence, who doesn’t look away, barely even breathes, realizes that he wants to keep this, that he wants to stay the focus on Theo’s attention. “Do you wanna try one on?”
And this is when Liam’s brain decides to give up. Looking back, the question really shouldn’t come as a surprise. The conversation was clearly leading that way. Liam doesn’t know why he didn’t expect it.
Because you’re not supposed to do it. It’s his own voice that says it and it doesn’t sound dogmatic, at least he doesn’t think so. It’s not a set-in stone rule. It’s just… the way things are. But Theo’s right; that is dumb.
“Okay,” Liam says, heart rate once again skyrocketing. Theo’s nice enough to not mention it.
“Let me just finish this,” Theo turns his attention back to Liam’s nails. “I should do another layer but since the nail polish is dark, I think it works fine with just one.”
Liam nods, even though Theo isn’t looking his way and even though his words barely register. Is Liam… expected to leave the loft with the nail polish on? He knows Theo certainly won’t force him, but will he be disappointed if he asks him to remove it? What will Liam say when people ask questions? And someone invariably will.
“Come on,” Theo says, getting up.
“Where?” Liam asks, frowning, though he gets up as well.
“The skirts are in my bedroom,” Theo says and turns around, going to the one room Liam’s never seen the inside of. At least, since his heart has been beating faster since Theo first mentioned lending Liam a skirt, he probably won’t notice how this makes it go even faster. Liam swears he’s close to having a heart attack.
Theo opens the door and goes inside, Liam taking a deep breath before following him in.
It’s a normal bedroom, though bare. There’s the bed – made – a chair with some thrown clothes on top and then a big dresser, which Theo goes to open. There are shirts and pants hanging there, but what Liam thinks are a couple dresses too. Theo opens a drawer and takes out several skirts, putting them on the bed.
“I’m pretty sure they’ll all fit you,” Theo says and then goes quiet.
Liam walks towards the bed, staring down at the skirts. He puts a hand on top of one, feeling it; it’s a red velvet one. There’s a black leather one too, then a checkered blue one. A long light green skirt, then one black almost see-through with some roses.
Liam picks up one filled with flowers, longer than most others; should stop just above his knees.
“I’m going to go outside. You don’t have to come out if you don’t want to,” Theo says and before Liam can do or say anything – what? – he’s already out.
Liam takes a deep breath. It’s so stupid, the way he feels excited, but also fearful, of putting a skirt on. It is one measly skirt. It’s not going to hurt him and Theo isn’t going to mock him. And like he said, Liam doesn’t even have to show him if he doesn’t want to.
He feels pinpricks in his eyes. Then he takes another deep breath and puts down the skirt, sitting down on the bed to take off his sneakers. He gets up to take off his jeans and then, slowly, puts on the skirt.
There’s a mirror on the inside of one of the dresser’s doors and Liam slowly goes to it, standing in front of it.
He looks… well, like himself, with a skirt on.
What would happen if I went out like this? Liam can’t help but to wonder. He might get some shit but while he’s not the tallest guy around, he knows he’s built, plus, there’s that werewolf strength, so it’s not like he’d have to take anyone’s shit. But there’d probably be questions, the ones he’s thinking of, but hasn’t asked Theo, the ones about pronouns and names and… He takes a deep breath. Maybe it is something to think about, but not right now. Right now, it’s just him, wearing a skirt. And with dark blue nails.
He raises them up; they do look nice. He smiles, then laughs. Then takes a deep breath to make sure he doesn’t start crying.
Liam turns around and before he can stop himself, walks with socked feet to the door and opens it.
Theo’s sitting on the sofa, back to him. He could go back inside and Theo would never see him. “Hey,” he calls out and immediately Theo turns around, eyes widening. It makes Liam’s heart race faster.
Theo slowly gets up. “You look great,” his voice comes out kind of rough and Liam… Liam takes a step forward.
“I feel nice,” he says and Theo nods.
Then it’s just the two of them, staring at each other like idiots.
“Do you… Do you want me to call you anything differently? Or… Or use different pronouns?” Liam asks, slowly, and Theo shakes his head.
“I don’t mind going by he/him. It’s more like… I just find the idea of gender stupid. Because if it’s not what you do that defines it, or how you feel, or what you wear… Then what is?”
Liam blinks but before he can answer – though what, exactly, he was going to say, even he doesn’t know – Theo continues, “though, obviously, just because that’s my idea of gender, or my non-idea, I guess, it doesn’t mean everyone should feel that way.”
Liam doesn’t know if Theo is sending some type of look his way or if he’s imagining things. But he thinks he knows what he’s saying. Later, he’s going to think about that. For now, Liam takes another few steps forward, until there’s barely any space between the two of them.
“Can I kiss you?” He asks, because standing here, in a skirt and with dark blue nails, Liam feels brave. If Theo says no, then that’s it, he’ll accept it and move on. But if he says yes…
Theo nods, then puts a hand on Liam’s waist, the other on his cheek and even though it was Liam who asked, he closes his eyes and let’s Theo close the space between them. Slowly, he feels Theo’s face coming closer to him, can hear him breathing, can feel the warmth coming from his exhales, before finally, their lips are touching.
It’s a chaste kiss. It’s also possibly the best one Liam’s ever had.
Liam sighs against Theo’s lips, raising a hand to play with Theo’s hair, while the other goes to his back, fingers kind of digging in.
Theo’s the first to lean back, though only enough so they can look at each other without going cross-eyed.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey,” Liam smiles and gets one in return.
“Have I told you, you look really beautiful?”
Liam laughs, “maybe not in those words.”
“Well, you do.”
Liam’s laughter turns back to a smile, soft. “Thank you. You’re pretty beautiful yourself.”
Theo laughs, then kisses Liam again, though it doesn’t quite work with the way their lips are both too upturned for it. “How about we watch another film?”
“I’d love that,” Liam says, already imagining cuddling with Theo on the sofa.
“I get to choose this time, though.”
Liam rolls his eyes, “alright, Mr. Director I can’t even pronounce the name correctly.”
Theo just laughs, then leads Liam to the sofa by his hand. “Do you wanna change?” He asks, just as Liam is about to sit down. He blinks, not understanding right away what he means. Then he realizes; he’s still wearing the skirt.
Liam looks down at it. He knows Theo isn’t going to care one way or another and it doesn’t bother him. There is more air going through his legs than normal, but the temperature isn’t exactly low, so it’s alright.
“No, I’m okay.”
Theo nods, smiles, leans forward to kiss him on the cheek and then goes to open his laptop. Liam raises a hand to touch where he’s just kissed him, then finally sits down.
He looks down at his hands, the dark blue staring back at him. Well, the day certainly has turned an unexpected turn. But not a bad one. He looks back up, sees Theo staring at him, before he turns his attention back to the laptop. No, not a bad one at all.