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Liam sits comfortably on his carpeted floor, leaning back against his bed as he attempts to shoot the enemy hiding in the abandoned building. He bites his lip and lines up his sniper before pressing the X button on his controller to shoot. He cheers when he hits the target and hears Mason grumble curses under his breath through his headset.
Liam smirks and tsks. “Don’t be a sore loser, Mase,” he teases, smug satisfaction from winning the game flowing through his tone.
Mason grumbles under his breath, something about Liam being a cheater, cheater, compulsive eater, and Liam snickers.
“Fine,” Mason says with a huff. “One more game. But this time, I’m the sniper,” he says, his no-nonsense tone leaving no room to argue.
Liam chuckles and grabs a slice of pizza from the box beside him. It’s been a few hours since he ordered it, so it’s not as fresh or hot, but it’ll do. “Fine, set it up,” he agrees between chews.
The game flows easily, Mason and him working together well to take out the other team. He and Mason have been best friends since pre-school, so their banter is comfortable and comes naturally.
He’s about to sneak up behind the guy hiding behind the shed when he hears rustling from outside his window, followed by muffled curses. He mutes Mason and tries to listen for any more noises coming from his window, shrugging when he doesn’t hear anything for a few minutes.
Liam unmutes Mason and changes his weapon from a knife to a handgun. He misses the shot, letting the other guy spin around and shoot him when he hears groaning from outside. This time he’s confident he’s not imagining hearing things. He pauses and waits, his heart beating rapidly with apprehension.
“Ah, Mase, I’m gonna have to call you back,” he mutters when he hears another pained groan from outside. Liam’s eyes flick to his window, narrowing on the slight shadow behind his curtain.
“Wait, Liam, what? We’ve almost got these guys. You can’t just lea—”
“—I’ll call you back.” He doesn’t wait for Mason's response and disconnects the game, taking off his headset and throwing it on the ground beside him.
With one hand on his bed, Liam pulls himself up and cautiously makes his way over to his window. He takes a deep breath and slowly moves his curtain to the side. His eyes widen when he sticks his head out the window and looks down to see a bloody and bruised Theo, barely conscious, halfway up the fire escape.
“What the…” he mutters, causing Theo to lift his head, sea-green eyes widening when he sees Liam.
Remembering Theo’s condition, he shakes his head before focusing back on the older boy. “What are you doing? Get down before you fall and break your neck,” he demands. “Meet me at the front door,” he grumbles out the order before slamming his window shut and stomping out of his bedroom and down the stairs.
This isn’t the first time Theo’s shown up at Liam’s house looking like he’s just gone ten rounds with Rocky. Hell, it’s not even the fifth time. But it’s the first time since the night they shared. He can still remember the way Theo’s body covered his, protecting him, pressing him deeper into the bed. He can still remember the way Theo tasted when he kissed him, the way Theo’s lips felt on his skin.
**
“You sure you want this?” Theo asks, his sea-green eyes colliding with Liam’s deep blue. Theo’s heated gaze sends a bolt of heat slamming through Liam, and all he can do is nod.
It’s the only thing he wants right now; he thinks as Theo slowly sinks into him.
**
But he also remembers waking up alone, and Theo acting like Liam didn’t even exist at school the next day. And seeing the indifference behind Theo’s eyes when they met Liam’s—standing by his locker with his friends before turning back to Brett and laughing at something he said like Liam didn’t even exist hurt more than when his dad had walked out on him and his mum.
He feels an angry trembling through his body as he reaches the door, all the residual hurt and confusion he felt coming back and squeezing like a vice around his ribs. Taking on a neutral expression, he opens the door. Only to gasp when Theo—who was using the door to keep himself upright—immediately collapses in his arms.
“Shit,” he swears, panicked and a little breathless from holding up Theo’s weight. He closes the front door with his foot and shifts slightly so that he can lift Theo into his arms, bridal style. If Theo wasn’t covered in blood and unconscious, and Liam wasn’t still holding onto bitter resentment from what happened between them, he probably would have laughed. Instead, he huffs and ascends the stairs.
He swallows hard when Theo curls further into his arms with a soft moan and buries his face in Liam’s neck. With a deep sigh, he pushes the door open with his leg and gently lays Theo onto his bed before heading to his bathroom.
The first aid kit is where he left it, under the sink, from the last time he needed to use it when Theo showed up at two in the morning with split knuckles, a split lip and black eye. He finds a small container, fills it with warm water, and grabs a white hand cloth before going back to his bedroom. Liam’s anxiety spikes when he catches Theo’s laboured breathing. He deposits the first aid kit and container down on his bedside table before assessing the situation.
While taking off Theo’s sneakers, Liam takes in the swelling around Theo’s left eye and the dried blood around his nose, which looks like it’s broken. There’s also a gash on Theo’s forehead, leading into his hairline. Liam’s heart sinks when he sees the red marks around Theo’s neck, and he realises what happened. What always happens.
Theo’s dad got drunk, got angry and took it out on his son.
A wave of deep anger burns in Liam’s chest, flooding his system. If there was one person Liam wouldn’t oppose dying a slow, painful, torturous death, it would be Johnathan Raeken.
Every time Liam sees that abusive piece of shit drunk in town, it takes everything in him not to lash out and cave the man's face in with a baseball bat. He hates that Theo won’t let him call the sheriff, that Theo refuses to turn his dad in.
He threads his fingers gently through Theo’s hair, pushing back the sweaty strands fallen across his forehead. Moving his hand, he sighs and removes Theo’s shirt. A sudden unspeakable pain grips him by the throat and his eyes mist with tears when he sees the different shades of bruises covering Theo’s chest and the faded white scars littering his chest and arms.
Liam throws the ripped and blood-soaked shirt on the floor and grabs the cloth that’s been soaking in the container. He runs it gently over Theo’s face until his face is clean from all the blood and dirt. He puts a butterfly closure strip over the laceration again across his forehead. Wringing out the cloth, he then gently runs it over Theo’s chest.
His breath catches when he notices a large open wound—no doubt from a knife—across Theo’s side. He drops the cloth back into the container, seeing as Theo’s chest is clean, and grabs the gauze. Once the gauze is added, he dresses the wound with a bandage. He quickly checks Theo’s pulse and listens intently to his breathing, relaxing when it seems to be steady.
Liam tidies up, rinsing the cloth and container and putting it back under his sink, next to the first aid kit, and then heads downstairs.
With his head in the fridge, he looks at what would be good to give Theo when he wakes up and decides on toasties. He’s dicing up the chicken when he hears a heavy thump, followed by a pained curse. Having an idea of what happened, Liam drops the knife and heads back upstairs.
He’s not even surprised when he finds Theo trying to climb out his window. Controlling his annoyance, he leans against the wall and crosses his arms over his chest. He waits to see if Theo notices him in the doorway, but when he doesn’t and is already halfway out the window, Liam rolls his eyes and coughs, raising a brow when Theo’s head whips around towards him, his sea-green eyes going deer-in-headlights wide.
Liam scoffs and shakes his head. “I’m not even surprised.” He motions to Theo, still hanging out the window. “But that’s a bit dramatic. Even for you.” He shakes his head and walks over to his bed, taking a seat on the end of it and looking back at Theo.
“Instead of injuring yourself more by attempting to climb down my fire escape, you could have just walked out the front door.” He shrugs, and his mouth gives a sardonic twist. “But you’ve always been one to slip away without saying goodbye. Why would this time be any different?” His voice holds a bitter note to it, and Theo flinches.
“Get back inside and use the front door like a normal person.” When Theo doesn’t move and just continues to gape at Liam, he huffs and gets up, walking towards his bathroom. “Look, I don’t care what you do, but honestly, picking up brain matter from my yard and explaining to the police what happened to you isn’t exactly a part of my journey for the weekend.”
Slamming the bathroom door behind him, he yells out, “use the fucking door, Theo!”
He undresses aggressively and gets in the shower, letting the hot water cascade down his back and calm him down. He rests his head against the white tiles and closes his eyes, wondering what he did in a past life to deserve his current predicament.
Coming to the conclusion that God hates him and his life sucks, he groans and slides down to the floor. He pulls his legs into his chest and rests his head against his knees. The pressure of the water hitting his body is a nice distraction, and he enjoys it for a little bit longer before standing up and brushing his teeth. He rinses the suds off his body and then wraps his towel around his waist.
Reaching his chest of draws, he pulls out a pair of sweatpants and drops the towel. Only to let out a squeak when he hears a throat clear from behind him. Using the sweatpants to cover his junk, he whirls around, only to see Theo sitting on his bed and looking uncomfortable. But his eyes are full of mirth, and there’s a little twitch to his lips as he looks at Liam.
Ignoring the impulse to run and hide, and with confidence he doesn’t have, Liam moves the pants away from his dick—ignoring the heated gaze he can feel coming from Theo—and puts them on. “I thought you left.”
Theo blinks a few times and gives his head a visible shake. “I was going to. I almost did,” he confesses softly.
“Why didn’t you?”
Theo looks at him, his eyes big and lost. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
Liam’s expression softens as he looks at the scared and vulnerable look on Theo’s face. He sighs. “Yeah, you do,” he tells Theo and tries to express the pain and understanding in his eyes. He can’t help the soft hopefulness that flickers behind his eyes, hoping that Theo takes the help he’s offering.
Theo gives a shaky nod, his bottom lip between his teeth. “I guess I do,” he murmurs softly, looking down at his hands curled together in his lap. “I think I always knew that. That you—your home—was somewhere safe for me to go.”
“Always,” Liam assures him, honestly.
Deciding to give Theo some space and hide the tears forming in his eyes, he turns and heads for the door. “I’m going to make something for us to eat. There's a towel in the bathroom if you want to have a shower. They might be a little tight but help yourself to my clothes.”
He’s putting the last chicken and cheese toasty onto the plate when Theo shuffles awkwardly into the kitchen. His wet hair curls at the ends, looking ruffled and not at all like the usual style Theo wears. Liam definitely prefers this style— without all the products Theo puts in it. He’s wearing a pair of black sweats that hangs low on his hips and Liam’s favourite grey sweater. He looks so boyish and innocent, and it takes everything in Liam not to cross the island table and wrap his arms around the older boy.
“Have a seat,” Liam tells him, moving the plate across the kitchen island. “Do you want something to drink?”
Theo shakes his head, but his eyes are wide as they gaze at Liam before moving to the plate of food. He takes the last few steps towards the kitchen table and cautiously takes a seat.
Liam bites the side of his cheek to hide his smile and turns around to turn the stove off. He busies himself by putting the frying pan and spatula in the sink and gives them a quick rinse off.
After a few minutes, he steels himself and turns back around, taking a seat across from Theo. He flashes Theo a smile and takes a bite of his toasty. He moans, enjoying the delicious combination of melted cheese and Peri-Peri chicken.
“I know I’ve already eaten half a pizza and a bag of cheese puffs today, but this is soo good. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed,” he says between chews before taking another greedy bite.
Theo rolls his eyes but lets out a hum of agreement. He’s already onto his second toasty. A low, soft warmth flutters in his stomach as Theo’s whole posture seems to ease.
It’s only after the silence drags on, just long enough to become awkward, that he asks the question he asks every time a night like this happens, hoping for a different result. Other than Theo’s usual, neutral-sounding ‘No, Liam. I’m fine.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
The older boy tenses, and Liam prepares himself to be shut down again. But he’s surprised when Theo’s eyes meet Liam’s steadily, his face showing signs of weariness and exhaustion. “I think,” he starts, wetting his lips. “I think he’s going to kill me.” Theo closes his eyes and draws a deep, steadying breath. “I'm scared one of these days I won’t be able to get away. That something will set him off, and he won’t be able to stop himself.”
And, yeah, that’s one of Liam’s biggest fears too. And if he knew Theo wouldn’t totally hate him, he would have gone to the sheriff the first night Theo showed up bruised and broken. But he knows Theo and knows he would have denied it, protecting his dad, and completely shut Liam out. All he could do was be a safe place for Theo to go to when it got bad.
“Don’t go back,” he begs, pleads, letting every ounce of desperation he feels bleed into his tone. “You can’t go back there, Theo. Stay here.” Please. Just stay. “The spare room, it’s yours. For as long as you want it. Just don’t go back there.” Hell, he’d even be happy for Theo to stay at Scott’s or Stiles’ house.
Theo doesn’t say anything, not that Liam expected him to. He knows Theo better than anybody and knows Theo needs time to process everything and figure out his thoughts. He gets dickish and defensive if he feels backed into a corner or feels someone is pitying him.
So he sits patiently, exuding a calmness he doesn’t feel, and finishes off the last half of his toasty.
“Do you really mean it?” Theo finally asks, moving his empty plate away and wiping his hands on his pants. He pauses, avoiding Liam’s gaze, and then says, “will your parents even let you?” His brows furrow thoughtfully. “They don’t even know me.”
They know of you, Liam doesn’t say. He knows Theo’s not ready to hear that.
His parents are celebrating their wedding anniversary in one of those fancy cabins by the lake and won’t be back until late tomorrow evening. Still, they don’t even need to be here for Liam to know that they would welcome Theo into their home with open arms.
He shrugs, a knowing smile on his lips. “I have a feeling they won’t mind.” His expression turns soft as he catches Theo’s eyes. “Trust me,” he whispers.
Theo leans back in his chair and looks at him, his eyes searching over Liam’s face thoughtfully. Liam keeps his expression open, letting Theo find whatever he needs to see.
Finally, Theo nods, his expression soft and relieved. “I trust you, Li. You’re one of the only people I do trust.” He sighs and buries his hands through his hair, completely ignoring the internal freak out Liam is currently having.
He knows trust doesn’t come easy to the football captain, especially with the expectations that come with being Theo Raeken and the secrets he’s forced to keep. But it warms something in Liam’s chest and fills him with hope knowing that he’s one of the few people that get to have Theo’s trust. To see Theo with his guard down, see the real him.
“Alright, I’ll do it,” Theo suddenly says, his tone full of resolve and determination. His eyes find Liam’s, a tentative smile on his lips. “I’ll stay.”
Liam's relief and pride hits him like an all-consuming tidal wave, and it takes everything in him not to let it show. He knows Theo wouldn’t know how to deal with all Liam’s emotions. The positive emotions directed at Theo anyway. But, that will change, he promises. Theo deserves to feel safe, loved and appreciated, and god help him. Liam’s going to do everything in his power to give Theo that.
For now, Liam just grins. He grabs both their plates and rinses them off in the sink. He feels Theo’s eyes appraising him, watching him as he moves around the kitchen. It’s a comforting feeling and helps Liam centre himself and figure out his next step.
He shakes his hands in the sink before grabbing the tea towel hanging off the oven. Drying his hands, he spins around to face Theo. “Do you want to watch a movie? The new spider-man movie just got released on Disney Plus,” Liam tells him, not even trying to hide his excitement.
Theo chuckles. “I forgot how obsessed you get with Marvel. It’s cute.” A smile plays around his lips. “Dork,” he says fondly.
Liam splutters incoherently for a few seconds, then throws the tea towel at Theo. He grins, letting out a cheer when it hits Theo on the face before falling onto the kitchen bench.
“Don’t act like you don’t have a huge boner for Sebastian Stan, Theo,” he teases. His grin turns into a small smirk when Theo glares, but there’s no heat behind his green eyes.
“I do not,” Theo grumbles, a flush colouring his cheeks.
Liam hums consideringly. “So you don’t want to watch The Falcon and The Winter Soldier?”
Theo doesn’t lose the glare, but his eyes briefly shift towards the living room before flicking back to Liam. Liam arches a brow when Theo stubbornly keeps his mouth shut. Theo huffs and folds his arms over his chest. Liam takes that as a reluctant yes.
“That’s what I thought,” he says, sounding way too smug. “But we are watching the new Spider-Man first. I don’t even care.”
Liam ignores Theo’s grumbling protests, flipping him off as he walks out of the kitchen. He hides his smile when he hears Theo’s huff and his heavy footsteps leading towards the living room. Theo doesn’t acknowledge him, just sinks into the couch, leaving a comfortable distance between them, and puts his feet up on the coffee table.
Liam snorts, kicking Theo’s ankle lightly. “Oh, stop pouting, you baby. You’ll get your Bucky fix soon enough. After I get my Tom Holland fix.” He lets out a dramatic, wistful sigh. “He can get it. There’s just something about a guy with an accent that hits different.”
Theo scowls petulantly. “He doesn’t even have an accent in the movie, idiot.” He pauses and then grumbles under his breath, “Italian sounds better anyway.”
He lets the Disney app load and twists his head to Theo, a smirk playing on his lips. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you sound a little jealous, Raeken.”
Theo huffs his gaze firmly on the large flat screen. “I’m not jealous. I just don’t think British accents are all that.” He shrugs, looking offended. “He’s not even that hot.”
“That’s a bold-face lie, and you know it,” he declares, pointing a finger at Theo. “Tom Holland is a national treasure.” He smirks as Theo's expression darkens. “Don’t worry, Theo. You’re still hotter.”
He doesn’t even try to hide his laughter at Theo’s pleased expression or the way his chest puffs out.
“Idiot,” he chuckles.
He finds the movie and presses play, letting a comfortable silence envelop between them.
They barely make it through Spider-man without falling asleep on the couch. Liam loved the movie. It was awesome, though Theo would disagree. He was just too exhausted to focus and actually enjoy it for the masterpiece that it is.
He drags a grumbling, sleepy Theo up the stairs and shoves him onto the bed. He watches with a fond smile as Theo lets out a sigh of contentment and nestles his head deeper into the pillow. Shaking his head, he walks over to the wall near his bathroom and turns off the light. He curses as he kicks his toe on the bottom corner of the bed but finally manages to make it to his side of the bed.
Grumbling, he lifts up the blanket and gets in. Laying on his back, he looks up and counts the glow in the dark stars covering his ceiling. It's a poor distraction, but it's enough to ignore his urge to curl himself around Theo.
Theo sighs. “I’m sorry I left," he whispers into the dark, breaking the peaceful silence between them. "I didn’t want to, believe me. It was so hard leaving you after what we did, what we shared. But I knew my dad would be looking for me and most likely pissed."
Liam's body goes tense at hearing Theo's words. He doesn't even know if he's breathing at this point. But he doesn't care because Theo is talking, and he's sharing, and like hell, he's going to let a little thing like breathing scare Theo off from opening up.
Fuck no. Screw that noise.
He lets Theo's voice and words wash over him like a warm blanket.
"You looked so peaceful sleeping, so perfect. I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I thought it would be better that way, easier to leave if I didn’t have to see your cornflower blue eyes, which always seem to make me lose all sense of reason. So I didn’t. I snuck out like a coward.”
Liam’s heart pounds beneath his rib cage, and the urge to see Theo’s face is almost suffocating. He shifts, turning on his side that faces Theo and lets his eyes trace over Theo’s face. Even with the bruise around his eye, the slight swelling around his nose and the gash on his forehead, Theo is still beautiful.
“I didn’t want my dad, anyone , to know I was gay.” Hearing the shame in Theo’s voice is like a punch to the gut, and Liam has to bite his tongue not to interrupt and argue with Theo about it. “My dad would have killed me if he found out what we did. If he knew his son was a fag and had sex with a man.”
Liam can’t help the pained sound he lets out.
“I wanted to protect you,” Theo murmurs, turning on his side, so he’s facing Liam. “I wanted to keep you away from my dad. I wanted you so far removed from that part of my life. I didn’t ever want his attention focused on you.”
Liam sighs. The sad thing is he kind of already expected that was the reason why nothing really ever happened between them. Besides that one incredible night, they shared together. Just them, giving in to their feelings for one another, hidden from the world, and letting their walls down.
Waking up alone hurt and being left hurt. Seeing Theo every day and not being able to touch him, talk to him, be with him hurt. Knowing how those fingers and lips felt against his skin, how good it felt being under him, and not being able to reach out and touch him was the worst kind of torture.
But he gets it. He got it then, and he gets it now.
He reaches out and takes Theo’s hand into his, running his thumb along the side of Theo's index finger. “I appreciate that. I do,” he tells Theo gently because he does. Despite how hurt he felt at the time. “I understand you wanting to protect me. Wanting to protect yourself.”
He pauses, looking at Theo intently. “But I didn’t need you to protect me. I just needed you.” His voice softens. “You don’t need to do all this alone, Theo. Not anymore.”
He feels Theo shudder and pulls him into his side. Theo tenses minutely before he lets out a sigh and nuzzles Liam’s chest under his cheek. “I got you,” Liam promises, running soothing fingers across Theo’s back.
Exhaustion hits Liam like a freight train, intense and all at once.
He lets the soft, content sounds from Theo, the relaxing movements of his fingers running over Theo’s back, and the warmth of Theo’s body lull him into a sleep-like state. He feels his eyes start to droop and tries to fight it.
“You gonna be here when I wake up?” He needs to know. He needs to trust that if he lets his guard down and falls asleep, Theo will still be here tomorrow.
He feels and sees Theo smile. The shy, soft smile that’s just for him. “Yeah, Li, I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Trusting Theo and his words, he lets himself drift off.
A WEEK LATER
Liam’s gaze lifts as he stares at the large imposing building of Beacon Hills High and blows out a deep breath. He would rather be anywhere else, doing anything else, than here, forced to attend class and socialise with people. After the week he and Theo have had, all he wants to do is sleep, wrapped up in Theo’s arms.
As expected, his parents were more than happy to take Theo in and care for him. Theo was shocked and tense at first, but after a few days of walking around on eggshells, he slowly started to relax and make himself at home. His mum, bless her overbearing, kind-hearted soul, was her usual patient, gentle, loving self and gave Theo all the love and motherly affection she gives Liam. He could tell how much Theo appreciated it and craved the attention.
After they told his parents about Theo’s living situation, they decided to wait a few days before involving the sheriff, wanting Theo to feel comfortable and safe with them, and have a support system before he dealt with the police and pressed charges on his dad.
It wasn’t easy, it was a lot for Theo to deal with, but Liam was with him every step of the way.
The sheriff was quick to put a restraining order on Theo’s dad while they investigated the abuse allegations. But after seeing the bruises and scars on Theo’s body and the split knuckles on Johnathan’s hands, as well as the photos Liam had been taking and slowly collecting each time Theo showed up bruised and bloody, they finally arrested him.
Apparently, though, according to his mum, life must go on, which is why she forced them to go to school this morning, driving off with good luck and an encouraging smile.
His eyes flick to Theo’s, frowning at how tense Theo looks. He moves so he’s standing in front of Theo.
“Hey,” he soothes, titling Theo’s chin, so he’s looking at him. “You’re going to be okay, Theo.” It’s a promise—a hopeful inevitability.
He knows how strong Theo is, and if Liam were to bet on anyone, it would be him.
His expression softens at the troubled look on Theo’s face. “You survived all the abuse your Dad put you through,” he murmurs, his thumb drawing gentle circles over Theo’s cheek.
Theo’s eyes shut for a second, and he leans into the touch. Then, when Theo’s eyes open, he holds his gaze and says, “You’re going to survive the recovery, Theo.”
And Liam’s going to be with him every step of the way.
He steps back and takes Theo’s hand firmly into his, giving it a gentle squeeze, smiling when Theo gives their hands a small squeeze back.
Theo searches his face for a moment, letting the corners of his mouth curl softly and then turns back towards the school.
Theo lets out a reluctant sigh with a determined nod and starts dragging them towards the large building. “Let's just get this over with.”
“That’s the spirit,” Liam quips, grinning when Theo turns to glare over his shoulder at him.
The glare on Theo’s face softens when Liam blows him a kiss.
Theo shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips as his green eyes hold Liam’s. “You, Liam Dunbar, are trouble.”
Liam doesn’t respond. He just lets himself be pulled into the crowded, noise-filled hallway with a grin on his lips.
THE END.