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“Groceries.”
Theo snaps his mouth shut and spins around, furrowing his brows. “What?”
Tapping his pen aggressively against the bestiary, Stiles nods more to himself than Theo. His heart hasn’t calmed down ever since Theo entered his kitchen all alone, and the very brisk ‘we need to talk’ statement really did not lower the risk of sending Stiles into an early grave. “I need to buy groceries. Dad’s schedule is all over the place this weekend.” They could technically order everything they need, but right now Stiles is doing whatever it takes to get out of this situation without being too obvious. Because he does not want to hear the truth, okay? He cannot handle Theo telling him that he realized Stiles has a crush on him and that he doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.
“You’re thinking about groceries right now?” Theo crosses the room and slams his hands on the table.
Stiles tabs the end of the pen against his eyebrow. “Yeah, sorry.” Bouncing his leg, he returns his attention to the bestiary in front of him. This is safe. This is what they should keep talking about. “Okay, so, we found a lot of remains on trees, right? It’s likely that we’re dealing with—“
“Fuck research!” Theo yanks the bestiary away from him and tosses it in the sink on the other side of the room. “Hey,” he snaps his fingers right in front of Stiles’ face — fucking rude — and shakes his head, “look at me.”
Stiles would really rather not because looking at Theo is highly distracting and since they’re alone, he cannot blame any telling chemosignals on somebody else. There’s not a single hot human in their vicinity that Stiles could pretend he would like to sleep with. Lying is what he’s good at. Keeping his chemosignals in check around Theodore fucking Raeken? Not so much. He’s still trying. Stiles knows it’s possible because Brett can do it. Liam is furious because of it. Swallowing heavily, he flicks his gaze up. “That was fucking unnecessary.” Yes, perfect. His voice comes out strong, and his tone is strict. “And don’t use that tone with me, I’m not one of your betas.” Perfect. Now, get up, walk to the sink and grab the bestiary.
But Theo keeps him firmly seated, staring at him with slightly narrow eyes. A strand falls into his forehead, and he runs his fingers through his hair. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you!”
“And I’m trying to subtly avoid it!” Stiles gets to his feet. “Get a hint, Raeken, for fuck’s sake.” They do not need to continue this conversation. They shouldn’t even have this conversation in the first place. That’s not why they’re here. They met up because people are dying, and they need to do research. So, he’s going to get this fucking bestiary, keep ignoring whatever Theo is trying to tell him, and try to figure out what’s snacking on Beacon Hill’s population.
To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Theo has very different plans. He grabs Stiles’ wrist and pulls him close. “Why are you fighting this so much?”
“Fighting what?” Stiles asks and even he notices how fucking hoarse his voice sounds.
Theo chuckles. “Do you really think I wouldn’t notice your eyes all over me?” The anger Theo harbored only a few seconds ago vanishes. Instead, there’s something else in his expression. Theo looks almost as if he’s winning a game they haven’t started playing. “Or smell your arousal?” He raises his hand and cups Stiles’ jaw. “We could have everything, but you keep running the other way.”
“I—“
“Don’t deny it.” Theo taps a finger against the inside of his wrist and turns towards Stiles. “You maybe be able to lie to your little friends, but you can’t lie to me.”
Stiles licks his lips, flushing when Theo’s eyes immediately dart to his mouth. “I’m not running.” Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he shakes his head for emphasis. He’s not running. Not really. “I’m avoiding disaster.” Because allowing Theo in, allowing his feelings in, that’s just calling for pain — and what friend would he be if he allowed himself to give in to the guy who killed Scott and drove Lydia out of her mind? A terrible one.
“I remembered you.”
He’s the only one who never forget you. Lydia’s words are ringing in his ears. She’s told him so many times, reminded him what that means, explained to him what it did and that he would still be stuck in the Wild Hunt without him.
Theo’s grip tightens. “I made not have opened a portal, but I caused the cracks.” The anger returns, but there’s something else in his eyes. A certain type of sadness, maybe. “I put my feelings for you on a silver platter. I saved your life. The least you can do is say to my face that you don’t want to see me again.”
“What if I can’t?” The words are out before Stiles can stop himself from talking, and Theo’s eyes widen in surprise. “What if I can’t be with you, but I’m too selfish to let you go?” Because that’s the truth, isn’t it? As scared as Stiles is of allowing Theo in, he would not be able to handle to see him move on, to see him watch somebody else the same way he watches him.
Theo’s eyes soften. With a small smile, he runs his hands up Stiles’ arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake, and cups his neck. “Then I’ll do what I always do, wait for you.”
“Theo—“
“As long as you have feelings for me, I will wait for you.” He smiles and leans their foreheads together, “and probably even then. But that doesn’t mean,” he whispers, nudging his nose with his and cupping his cheeks with his hands, “that I’m not going to try every damn day.”
Stiles closes his eyes, waiting for his heart to burst out of his chest.
“You will be mine, Mieczysław. Sooner or later, I am going to win you over.”
Despite himself, Stiles nods very slowly. There’s no doubt about that. He’s already so far down the rabbit hole, it’s only going to be a matter of time until he’s desperate enough to drink the poison — and Stiles is pretty sure this day is going to come sooner rather than later.