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There was a strange burning spreading through his chest. Something that Liam didn’t know how to name yet, but that seemed to bother him to the last hair. An involuntary fear that he’d end up shifting in the middle of a lacrosse game because of this was beginning to buzz in the back of his mind like an insistent mosquito dancing over his ears in the middle of the night.
It wasn’t even a full moon, come on! This was no time for his wolf and I.E.D. to fight each other. Because the only person to lose in this fight would be Liam. And maybe all the people watching the lacrosse game from the bleachers.
Liam’s lips trembled, guilt and anger mingling, piercing his mind. His eyes itched a little.
No. No. No. No.
This shouldn’t be happening right now. He had just scored his second goal of the night. His team was winning!
Mason was standing in one of the rows, an ear-to-ear grin lighting up his face; Liam’s number painted red on one cheek and Corey’s on the other, celebrating not only his success in an important game but supporting his boyfriend’s new career. Next to him was his mother. Eyes bright with pride and tears glistening in her eyes, a sign with his name waving above her head fervently. Liam’s stepfather beside her, just as proud. He’d done everything he could to get time off from the hospital, promising Liam he’d see him play tonight. Liam heard all their cheering and David’s applause from a distance. And barely contained the beaming smile behind his helmet when he heard him shout ‘That’s my boy!’ after his second goal.
Liam was vibrating. Of course he was happy to make everyone proud of him. Not just his parents and friends, but his teammates as well, who greeted him with friendly pats and squeezes on his shoulders.
It was Liam’s night. So naturally, everything should be right. Everything should seem right.
But… that wasn’t the reality.
Something was wrong.
Something was… missing.
And Liam wasn’t enjoying it.
“Dunbar!”
Coach’s voice boomed in his head like an ambulance rushing toward an accident, loud and alarming. It was worse than the shrill sound of his whistle, always swinging around his neck. Liam even suspected that Coach took this weird pleasure in torturing him with it, because he was always blowing that crap around him. It was at those times when he wished his hearing wasn’t so acute.
“What the hell are you doing?! He yelled again, finally gaining Liam’s attention. He was standing in the middle of the field like a lost puppy, not knowing what he should do next; his mind buzzing with thoughts as he tried to calm down.
Liam could feel the roar stuck in his throat, his eyes stinging; but he swallowed hard and got into position, keeping his head down. He was afraid the gold threatening to shine over his blue eyes would become noticeable to the eyes of the others. Liam had his helmet on, but that didn’t stop his eyes from being seen. He still hadn’t had ‘the talk’ about the supernatural world with his parents. And that wasn’t how he wanted to reveal his not-so-new-werewolf status.
The whistle sounded again.
One of Liam’s teammates passed him the ball, but this time, an opponent went after him and Liam ended up losing his balance. And the ball. And the same boy scored his team’s first goal.
Liam growled, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth; a low growl escaping without his permission.
The sun. The moon. The truth. The sun. The moon. The truth. The sun. The moon. The truth. The sun. The moon. The truth…
When Liam got to his feet, brushing the grass off his shorts, a shiver ran through him at the sound of a voice. And not just any voice. It was Theo.
“I can’t believe you asked me to come to this bloody game just to watch you lose, little wolf.”
Liam bit his bottom lip. His heart felt like it was doing its own drum solo, bouncing in his chest as if it had just come back to life.
He sucked in a breath, identifying Theo’s familiar scent. Grass. Nature. Concern and…something that Liam wasn’t sure he was judging right. It was as sweet as roses, soft as the brush of their hands on the familiar Thursday commute to Liam’s favorite diner after lacrosse practice.
It looked like...
“Li. I’m here, okay?”
Liam shook his head, recovering as the game continued. His eyes always returned to the space between the two bleachers on his left side, where Theo watched him with his arms crossed and his face enigmatic. Like he was too cool to be in a stupid lacrosse game.
However, Liam knew that wasn’t true, because, under his crossed arms, he was wearing his lacrosse hoodie. The big number 9 printed on the red fabric glued to Theo’s body.
It was as if Liam had a coat hanger in his mouth. He couldn’t stop smiling.
“Win this crap, Li” Theo cheered, a quiet whisper in the wind. It sounded like his favorite song. “Prove me wrong.”
And that’s exactly what Liam did.
The Cyclones won the game with two more goals. Liam was attacked by the rest of the team and watched amidst the hugs, his parents (Mason totally out of Liam’s sight, but certainly somewhere nearby with Corey) smiling and leaving the stands. Liam knew they were coming to congratulate him like the rest of his team. However, there was one thing he wanted to do before worrying about the glory of his victory.
Theo was still in the same spot, moving away from the people passing by as if he were waiting for someone. His arms were no longer crossed and his face looked softer, a slight crooked smile gracing his handsome face. (And no, Liam wouldn’t scold himself for saying that Theo was handsome. Both of them knew the truth).
“Hi,” Liam couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice as he whispered over the noise.
“Hi,” Theo replied, his voice husky. The smile on his lips becoming softer. They were too close, chests almost touching.
“You came.”
Theo took the helmet rolled up between Liam’s side and one of his arms, looking at him. Strangely, his countenance looked… proud.
Liam’s heart warmed, the heat spreading through his body like an afire.
“I did,” Theo stated. “And…you were…amazing there.”
Theo looked... shy? That was it?
“Because of you,” Liam amended, taking another dangerous step. But Theo didn’t seem to mind because he hadn’t objected to it. “You were rooting for me. You helped me…”
“I literally just stood here…”
“You’re wearing my hoodie, Theo.”
“I’m cold.”
Liam rolled his eyes, a cheeky smile tugging at his lips. He pulled Theo by the soft fabric of his hoodie and kissed him.
In the midst of all the post-game turmoil, people talking, leaving the field, and heading home like any other night, Liam was kissing Theo. And Theo, who had been taken by surprise —so much so that he dropped Liam’s helmet on the floor—, grabbed the fabric of his sweaty jersey, pulling him closer. But Liam knew he wasn’t going anywhere. There was nowhere else he wanted to be but in Theo’s arms.
His mouth tasted like toothpaste and bitter coffee. That should be bad, but it was Liam’s favorite taste that night. Because it was true. What he was feeling during the rest of the game, the sweet and soft fragrance emanating from Theo. Love. Kindness. Passion. For him. For Liam.
It was reciprocal!
And that was all Liam wanted.
“You smell good, you know that?” Theo murmured against Liam’s lips as if he was struggling to pull away; his eyes still closed.
Liam let out an awkward chuckle.
“I’m all sweaty, Theo.”
“I don't mind.”
Theo kissed him this time, cupping his face carefully, as if Liam might break at his touch. It was warm and soft. And everything looked as it should. The riddle had been solved amid their tangled tongues. There was no more game, background noises, or people. It was just Liam and Theo, alone like any other night playing video games in Liam’s room.
Liam was light-hearted, all that weird worry he’d felt earlier gone like that afternoon’s sunset. And everything in him got back to Theo. How he showed up late and cast out all his fears and calmed his wolf and I.E.D. fighting inside Liam. How Theo’s voice stayed with him for the rest of the game, keeping him in the here and now; focused…
Theo was his anchor.
Liam nearly choked when he realized it.
“Is everything okay?” Theo asked worriedly.
Liam smiled, grabbing Theo’s hand and lacing their fingers through his.
“It's perfect.”
And it was true.