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A jaw cracking yawn comes from Theo when he enters the, thankfully, empty elevator. He twirls around and presses the button for the fifth floor. He steps back after it lights up red and leans back against the railing of the elevator. He counts the seconds it takes for the elevator doors to close shut and take him to the fifth floor. He lifts his head and watches as the red glowing numbers change on top of the buttons. No one else enters the elevator and it gives Theo space to finally breathe. He’s grouchy and doesn’t do well with strangers trying to talk to him, especially that annoying preppy girl who pokes fun at him in a flirty manner.
It’s infuriating and it takes every ounce of Theo’s self-control to not flash his golden eyes and bare his sharp fangs to scare her off. Liam always warned him about scaring their neighbors, but the annoying girl should be an exception! She doesn’t know the definition of boundaries by the way she’s always in his personal space. He is always telling her to back off, but she doesn’t listen.
Why is Theo more annoyed about it than Liam? His boyfriend resembles a ticking time bomb with his diagnosed IED and the fact he’s a werewolf. Just by thinking about the preppy girl has Theo irritated.
The elevator dings, pulling Theo away from his thoughts and the double doors open. He walks out of the elevator and makes a beeline for their shared apartment. His movements are stiff and frantic. He’s tired and wants nothing more than to fall asleep on their king sized bed. Their stoner neighbors aren’t hanging around the hallway so Theo takes that as a win to finally enjoy the rest of his day off.
That is until he catches the scent of anxiety and frustration coming from their apartment the moment he manages to unlock the door and shove it open. No, that can’t be right. Theo is usually the frustrated one and stressed out with life. Liam is the sunshine in his life. Theo is going to have a long talk with the person who upset Liam before he tears them apart with his claws.
“Liam?” Theo calls out in their small apartment. For now, he settles on comforting his boyfriend.
He sets his keys on the hook beside the entrance and shuts the door close with his foot. He crouches to untie the laces of his converse and set them aside.
He has both shoes off when Liam sulks away from their shared bedroom and pads along the hallway to Theo with misty eyes. Something is definitely wrong. Liam doesn’t shift into his wolf form unless he’s out running with Theo or too emotional to handle a problem.
“Hey,” Theo whispers, reaching out to card his fingers through Liam’s fur and pat his head. Theo fell in love with the colors of Liam’s fur the first moment he saw him shift into a wolf. A warm tan color mixed with platinum grey patches underneath the young werewolf’s body. It is truly memorizing and Theo loves petting Liam, especially when he can pull small noises of enjoyment from him.
“What’s wrong?” He asks, genuine concern overcoming his features. He’s fully awake now. His grouchy attitude and tired limbs were gone in an instant.
Liam whines and bumps his nose against Theo’s hand then his chest, neck, and ends up licking Theo’s cheek with affection. It makes the older werewolf laugh quietly and poke Liam’s muzzle. “Gross! You know I don’t like it when you do that.” He shakes his head and smiles fondly at his boyfriend before standing.
Liam barks and whines again, following Theo into the kitchen when he doesn’t listen to him. He nudges Theo’s feet with his paws and walks in between his legs. Theo has to grip the counter for balance because despite Liam being smaller than Theo, he’s still too big for their small kitchen.
“I’m hungry. Shift back and eat with me,” Theo says while opening the refrigerator and scanning his eyes over the almost empty refrigerator. “We need to go grocery shopping.” He sighs and shuts the door in defeat. He looks back at Liam and quirks an eyebrow. “Well? Are you going to shift back?”
Liam shakes his head.
“Why?” Theo asks slowly.
Liam doesn’t answer him because he’s been so difficult, but he does bite down on his slacks and tug at it.
Liam barks louder and noses at Theo’s feet. “What?” Theo asks. Liam tucks his head on his forefeet and looks up pleadingly at Theo. “No, no, no.” He shakes his head. “Don’t give me that face. We need to talk about what’s bothering you.”
If possible, Liam looks heartbroken and gives him his famous puppy eyes while whining like a puppy crying after their owner left.
Stupid Liam and his stupid puppy eyes.
“Fine! You win,” Theo grumbles. Liam jumps and gives a series of yips and squeals. Theo opens the pantry door and rips open the bag of bread before grabbing a slice and eating it in one bite. “You owe me, you big baby.”
Theo strips out of his uniform shirt and slacks, folding them in a neat pile on the counter while Liam walks around him in circles. The shift comes naturally when the wolf takes over. It doesn’t hurt as it used to when his bones begin to crack and reform themselves to a wolf’s body.
Theo snorts and shakes his head, looking down at his black paws before looking up at Liam who’s practically jumping up and down. Weird. Oh well, whatever makes Liam happy.
Liam jumps on top of him and his claws tickle at Theo’s back when he adjusts himself with little difficulty. He nips at Theo’s back and bites at his ear. Theo growls warningly, but Liam ignores him to chew on his ear then lick his head. All Theo can do is lay on the tile ground of their kitchen and take the torment of Liam nibbling on his ear and poking fun at him.
Liam bites his shoulder a little too hard and Theo shoves him off. He barks at him and growls in annoyance. Liam lands on his back and looks up at Theo with his mouth open and his tongue sticking out. He can hear the laughter coming from the other wolf and Theo bites at Liam’s paw as revenge.
Liam scrambles to get up and starts running away but Theo is quick to chase after him and tackle him in the living room. Theo pins him down and bites down on his neck with his sharp fangs until Liam stops struggling under his weight. Theo pulls back and grins at him before bolting out of the room. He hears Liam scrambling after him but Theo’s faster than him.
They chase after each other for about an hour when Liam starts to get tired. He whines at Theo and bumps his nose against him until Theo huffs and lays down on the carpet of their living room. Instead of laying down next to him, Liam decides to crawl on top of him and collapse on his back. Theo huffs from his weight. Rude. He growls, but Liam ignores him by shifting around to get comfortable.
Theo rolls his eyes and lays his head on his paws once Liam finally settles and his breathing starts to slow. Asshole is going to fall asleep on me? It’s rude to shove him off and Liam was reeking of sadness earlier. Now he smells like peaches and his favorite lavender tea. I guess I’ll let it slide this time.
Theo huffs and closes his eyes. He can feel sleep (and Liam) weighing him down and finally takes the opportunity to rest after a shitty day from work. It seems like Liam didn’t have a great day either.
They’ll have to talk about it when they wake up.
• • •
Theo regains consciousness when he feels strong fingers petting him and scratching at the sensitive spot behind his ear. He yawns and blinks his eyes open to look up at Liam’s (now in his human form) smiling face. Liam leans down and kisses his nose.
The smile on his beautiful face falters as he lets out a heavy sigh. He doesn’t stop carding his fingers through Theo’s sleek black fur as a swarm of emotions changes his scent. Theo nudges his nose against Liam’s cheek and licks his face, eliciting a giggle from the younger werewolf.
“I’m ready to talk,” Liam mumbles.
Oh, right. Theo shifts back to his human form and bites back a groan as he stretches his arms over his head to shake off the numbness. He always hates shifting back after a good nap, but this is important. He can see the conflict on Liam’s face.
Theo ignores their nudity in favor of wrapping an arm around Liam’s shoulders to pull him close against his chest. Liam goes willingly and tucks his head under Theo’s chin while lazily drawing swirls on his boyfriend’s chest.
“Talk to me, sweetheart. What’s wrong?” Theo asks quietly while wrapping his other arm around Liam and rubbing his back soothingly.
Liam lets out a puff of breath and taps the pads of his fingers against Theo’s warm skin. “Scott called a pack meeting,” he starts and nuzzles against Theo’s neck to scent him. The strands of his hair tickle the older werewolf, but he refrains from reacting to listen to Liam. “But only wants me.”
Theo knows the meaning behind it. Scott and the rest of the pack don’t want you there.
Liam’s pack always had a huge dislike towards Theo when they first met him because he was described as a freak for being half-werewolf and half-werecoyote. His wolf usually dominates his complex, but he can’t ignore the coyote part of him no matter how much he tries. To outsiders, he looks like a normal werewolf with his golden eyes and black fur, but when they get a little too close to scent him they just know.
A hybrid.
Theo doesn’t let the words get to him but it’s hard to ignore the fact no one wants him in their pack. He’s been a lone wolf for as long as he can remember until he met Liam, but there are still complications to it. Liam’s pack disapproves of their relationship, and it has put a lot of stress and doubts in their bond, but Theo knows as long as Liam wants him he isn’t going anywhere.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Theo speaks out loud and inclines his head downward to kiss the top of Liam’s head. “Just know that, and you should go. You haven’t seen them in weeks.” Because of me.
“Are you sure?” Liam asks, lifting his head to look at Theo. “You think I should go?” The desperation in his eyes tells Theo that Liam does not want to go. Not if it hurts him.
But it doesn’t. He’s grown used to their scowling looks and discouraging words. Liam’s love for him is far greater than their grudge against him. “Yes,” he finally says with a firm nod. “They’re still your pack, and I don’t want you to cut off ties with them just because of me.” Theo tucks a loose strand of hair behind Liam’s ear and smiles at him. “You need your pack and I get that. You’re important to me.”
Liam sighs and bows his head. “I just wish things were different,” he mumbles.
“Me too,” Theo admits, but he knows things can’t be different. They have to accept that. “But I love you, and that’s what’s more important.”
Liam looks up at Theo through his eyelashes and gives him a shy smile. Theo grins when he sees the blush forming on the younger werewolf’s face. He finds it adoring how shy Liam gets when Theo expresses his love for him. “I love you too,” he says, his tone of voice clear and stronger than it was before. There’s no doubt that Liam loves him.
Liam shifts closer and presses his soft lips against Theo’s. The older werewolf leans into the kiss and squeezes Liam’s arm. After they part, Liam leans back against Theo’s chest and lets out a quiet sigh. The warm breath makes Theo shiver. “Can you hold me until I have to go?” Liam asks.
“Whatever you need I’m here.” Theo grins and tightens his hold around Liam. He looks down at the young werewolf in his arms and keeps an ear out for his heartbeat; the sound he loves so much and uses to anchor him.
“Sorry for biting you by the way,” Liam mumbles so quietly Theo almost missed it. “And falling asleep on you.”
“I highly doubt you are because you always sleep on me.” Theo rolls his eyes.
“Hm, true.”
