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“Liam, please.” Stiles hoists his little brother higher on his hip. His mood is terrible which has less to do with the road trip ahead of him than with Liam having had no less than three temper tantrums in a row and the women looking at him with equal amounts of pity and disdain. Not for the first time, Stiles wants to rip their heads off. He knows what it looks like. He’s at the age where Liam could be his brother and his own kid. Even though he’s not in high school anymore and has learned to take care of himself after his mother’s death, having a child this early is still a mortal sin in some people’s eyes. His short-fuse isn’t helping matters. “We’re gonna go the ocean, remember?” Stiles whispers, kissing his brother’s temple, “the big water like you wanted to.” At least once his fucking girlfriend manages to show up.
If she shows up, that is.
Malia didn’t exactly react the way— well, she reacted exactly how he expected her to after Stiles had told her that Liam would have to join them. They’ve planned this trip months ago as some sort of a last attempt to save a relationship that’s been doomed ever since it started. They probably should’ve called this trip off long before Malia lost her shit because Stiles decided to take Liam. But his grandmother got the flu, so he’s not going to leave Liam with her. Convincing her he’d take Liam with him has already been a struggle. She really wanted Stiles to have this weekend for himself, but to be honest, Stiles doesn’t mind. It’s not like this weekend would’ve been great. Stiles has been postponing this breakup for months, but he’s not in the mood for drama after all the shit that went down earlier this year. They haven’t had sex in months, and Stiles is pretty sure his feelings for her have never really existed. But she’s fucking other guys, so it’s not like it actually matters.
Maybe he should just call an Uber and get home. The hotel room was booked on her credit card, so she can pay for it. After all, it’s her fault they’re not going. Sighing, Stiles drops the grocery bag and fumbles for his phone. Before he can reach it, however, a very familiar black truck pulls up in front of him.
The window rolls down, and Theo is smirking at him, pushing a pair of sunglasses to the top of his head. “I heard someone’s waiting for their ride to the big water?”
“Teddy!” Liam squeals, clapping his hands together.
Stiles clears his throat, pointedly avoiding Theo’s glare. This is not his fault. Nope . Theo simply should’ve never told him Tara used to call him Teddy to annoy him. He didn’t really expect Stiles isn’t going to use that information against him, right? Stiles hoists his brother higher on his hip. ”What are you doing here?”
“Because I saw Malia’s car at Scott’s place.” Theo doesn’t sugarcoat it. Theo hardly sugarcoats anything, and that’s something Stiles appreciates a lot. This information also finally confirms what Stiles has wondered ever since Kira left to go back to New York. “So, I drove over to your place, got your things, and informed your grandma that I’d be taking you and Liam to San Francisco,” he says, sounding like all of this is perfectly normal. But it’s not. Not at all. “She didn’t look surprised.” Yeah , Babcia has told him to break up with Malia too. She never liked her. "So, I grabbed the baby seat and your luggage. I also have an Airbnb waiting for us." Theo quirks a brow, still grinning. It's not the first time the chimera comes in the clutch, but booking an Airbnb for a weekend in San Francisco just in case Malia might bail on him again? That's— Lydia would probably call it husband material, and honestly, at this point, he should just stop caring about what Scott and Malia think about Theo or the relationship Stiles has with him. Theo's proven more than once how he feels about Stiles, and that he does care much more than other people in his so-called friend group.
"Thank you, Theo," Stiles says unable to stop his smile from spreading basically all over his body. Fuck, it's like even his heart is beaming — and for once, he probably should listen to it instead of his head. “I owe you.” More than he could ever repay him — especially since his dad died. Theo’s been there for him every step of the way, especially in the month Babcia had to get her things in order so she could move from Poland to Beacon Hills to help Stiles with Liam so he can at least continue his studies from the comfort of his own bedroom.
Theo shakes his head. “No, you don’t,” he says, and something about the way he sounds makes Stiles want to believe him. "So, strap him in. We got a couple of hours ahead of us, and I'd love to invite the two of you to lunch."
Heat creeps up Stiles' cheeks that’s got nothing to do with the sun glaring down on them. "Yeah, right." Still avoiding Theo's eyes, he grabs the bag of groceries and does just as he's told, handing Liam a fruit pouch and his plush sheep before slipping into the passenger’s seat as well. If they're lucky, he's asleep before they've left Beacon County.
“Are you okay?”
Stiles shakes his head. “But I don’t really wanna talk about it.” As honest as Stiles usually is with Theo, he’s not in the mood to discuss his failing relationship with Malia right now — because he knows how Theo feels about him, and Stiles reciprocates those feelings. He just wasn’t ready for the consequences that would come with dating Theo, but it looks like he doesn’t have to give a fuck about Malia and Scott any longer. Clenching his jaw, he pulls out his phone and opens his chat with Malia.
>> I wanted to be the bigger person, but honestly, go fuck yourself. We’re done. You can tell Scott to fuck off too.
Stiles hits send then turns off his phone. He’ll call Babcia once they arrived at their Airbnb, but for right now, he doesn’t want his phone to make a single fucking sound.
Without a word, Theo places a hand on his thigh, squeezing it slightly.
Stiles can’t deny how his heart jumps into his throat, or how warm his whole body becomes because of this single touch. It’s enough to make him relax. It’s enough to make him smile. Stiles places a hand on top of Theo’s and closes his eyes.
———
Stiles exchanges his phone for his glass of white wine and massages his temple. He’s not surprised Malia immediately went over to his house. Good thing, Babcia is absolutely unimpressed with supernatural rage and merely triggered the mountain ash security system before returning to her favorite midday TV shows. Malia and Scott called and texted him multiple times too, but Stiles decided that he won’t let either of them ruin this weekend and blocked them. He really just wants to savor this weekend.
Because this ? A quite luxurious houseboat on a river not far away from the beach with a beautiful view, Theo and his little brother? This is a memory he doesn’t want to see ruined. Theo really went all out on this romantic weekend trip even though they’re not dating and Stiles had to bring Liam. Looks like it’s not as hard as Malia always claimed it is.
Stiles downs the rest of his wine and gets to his feet. Although he’s not tired, he wants to go to bed. Mostly because he knows Theo is already in there. He knows he’s moving fast, maybe a little too fast seeing that he’s broken up with Malia merely a few hours ago. But being here with Theo, this whole day… it just feels right. And his babcia is right too; he does deserve night things.
Theo is very nice.
Biting his bottom lip, Stiles slips back into the houseboat. He barely notices the soft sway any longer. He’s been worried about Liam too, but the houseboat belongs to a family with little kids. There are more than a few security measures. He double locks the front door and drops his glass in the sink. Although Liam shouldn’t be able to get out of his crib, Stiles still checks the gate so he has no chance to climb the stairs and break his neck, or any other limb really. He is a Stilinski after all. They’re all a little accident-prone.
Stiles walks up the stairs, heart hammering in his chest. There’s one bed waiting for him, one bed with a perfect view of the river and the horizon, one bed with Theo already in it. There was a bottle of wine on the covers, as well as pralines, and a heart of rose petals. Theo tries his best to clean it up, apologizing profusely. Stiles had been just as nervous. He can still hear his words ringing in his ears. ‘It’s just for sleeping, right?’. It was such a stupid question, and Theo’s reaction was awfully sweet. ‘It’s for whatever you want it to be for.’ Theo is… the best damn thing that could potentially happen to him if Stiles manages to finally jump over his own shadow.
The thing is, Stiles doesn’t want this bed to be for more than sleeping. He doesn’t just want to wake up next to Theo. Stiles can’t tell what exactly he wants with Liam sleeping right underneath them. All he knows is that he wants to be close to Theo, that he needs to be close to Theo — as close as humanly possible if he’s being totally honest. This vacation has been more than just an eye-opener. Stiles knows Theo has liked him for a while. That’s something he noticed even without Lydia continuously pointing it out to him. Stiles’ own feelings aren’t the biggest surprise either. Maybe he hasn’t realized how much he liked Theo, but he was very aware that he’s been at the very least infatuated with him for months.
What bothers him now is that he tried to defend Malia, full-well knowing she was a shitty girlfriend. Still, he thought she was overwhelmed with Liam because of her age. But watching Theo interact with his little brother, watching him help Liam during lunch and dinner, watching him put a petulant toddler to be with more patience than even Stiles has? It changed Stiles’ perspective more than just a little. Malia simply doesn’t give a fuck, never has, never will, but Stiles has reached a point in his life where he cannot think about himself. He’s gotta think about Liam too.
“Do I gotta be worried?”
Stiles startles as the dim light switches on and stares at Theo, who rubs sleep out of his eyes. Fuck. He’s really been caught being an utter creep. Who the fuck watches their not-yet boyfriend sleep? “Sorry,” Stiles mutters, inching closer to the bed, “I was just thinking…”
“About how to kill me and steal all my money?” Theo quirks a brow, but he doesn’t even try to hide his grin.
Chucking, Stiles crawls into bed and plops down next to Theo. “You gotta work on those acting skills if you wanna make it to Hollywood.”
“Good thing I’m aiming to be a football player… or a scientist,” Theo smirks still and lifts the blanket up.
Without hesitation, Stiles slips under it and curls against the other boy. For a moment, Theo doesn’t move, but it takes merely a few seconds before he settles against and wraps his arm around him, fingers tracing Stiles’ side. Stiles has never felt this secure or at home; especially not after his dad’s death. He could’ve had this all along. What an idiot he’s been. Sighing, Stiles leans his head against Theo’s shoulder and closes his eyes. There’s a stillness with the chimera as if the world knows there’s nothing it could do to hurt him because Theo won’t let it. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to—“
“I do,” Stiles whispers, placing a hand on Theo’s chest. It’s nice to feel his heartbeat under his palm. “Not just for this. For everything you’ve done since…” he trails off and swallows around the lump in his throat. It’s been almost ten months since his dad was killed on duty, but Stiles still struggles to say it out loud. “I feel like you’re the only one keeping me sane.” Well, and his grandmother.
Theo lets out a long breath. “I care about you, you know that, right?” Softly, he places a finger under Stiles’ chin and tips his head up, locking eyes with him. “But everything I did, I did for you… still, it wasn’t entirely selfless.” This is the first time Theo outright talks about his feelings. As much as he flirted with him, everything he said you’ve been reading as friends flirting as a joke because Theo made sure to respect Stiles’ boundaries. Sometimes, Stiles wishes Theo would’ve been pushier. With the chimera by his side, he’s sure his father’s death and taking care of Liam would’ve been easier in the beginning. Stiles is proud he managed to get through it by himself, regardless, Theo probably wouldn’t have made him feel guilty for spending more time dealing with his won grief than making sure he feels appreciated enough.
Smiling, Stiles cups Theo’s left cheek. “I know.” His eyes flick down to Theo’s mouth, and he licks his suddenly way too dry lips. He swallows again, feeling anxiety prickle down his spine even though he’s aware Theo feels the exact same about him. Then again, all frists are way too nerve-wracking, and honestly, Stiles would not mind if Theo helped him out here. But he doesn’t. He’s waiting patiently for Stiles to work up the nerve to finally kiss him — and Stiles does. After what feels like forever, Stiles works up the courage for that last step.
When he finally kisses Theo, he feels so stupid for freaking out. Their lips slot together as if they’re made for each other — and when Theo’s body covers his, Stiles is pretty sure they are.