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Chapter Text

When his mom first offers to help Theo locate any of his remaining family, Liam doesn’t think anything of it. It only makes sense that now that things have settled, Theo might want to contact his relatives. And he should. He’s been working hard to get his life on a more steady track. Of course he’d want to find his family.

At first, there isn’t a lot of luck. Any family Theo did have in Beacon Hills has either died or left town, most without a trace.

“I’m sure there’s someone out there,” Jenna tells him one night.

“But if they are, do they want to be found?” Theo asks her. “It looks like most of them have done a pretty good job of laying low. Maybe—”

“We’re not giving up,” Jenna says. “We’ll just expand our search a little bit.”

Theo nods, and after that, the topic drops. Liam thinks that might be it for a while, and it seems Theo does too. At least from the way he starts filling out job applications and talks about starting college in the fall.

“You really are taking this whole starting over thing seriously,” Liam teases.

“Well, one of us has to be serious,” Theo says. “We can’t spend the rest of our lives living in your mother’s house playing video games.”

Liam sticks his tongue out at him. “I’ll have you know I’ve already sent in my college applications months ago.”

“Right,” Theo says. “Because Jenna and David were probably reminding you about it. Not all of us have parents looking out for our best interests, Liam.”

“Maybe not,” Liam says. “But you do have my parents looking out for you.”

“I know,” Theo says. “I just don’t want them to think I’m taking advantage of that or that I’m ungrateful.”

“They don’t think that,” Liam says. “You’re allowed to take a break and relax, Theo. Especially after everything that’s happened.”

Theo shrugs. “I just find it hard to be still. I’m so used to constantly looking over my shoulder or fighting for everything I have. I’m not used to just… existing. And sometimes…”

He trails off and shakes his head, pressing a few buttons on the remote. Liam frowns. “Sometimes, what?”

“Nothing,” Theo says.

“It’s not nothing,” Liam says. “Or else you wouldn’t have brought it up.”

“Can’t you just let it go?”

“No,” Liam says. Though they both know that if Theo really didn’t want to talk about it, Liam would drop it. As much as he might like to tease and annoy Theo, he’s learned when to know his limits. Something his nose is grateful for.

Theo sighs. “You’re a nosy little shit, you know that right?”

“And you’re deflecting,” Liam says.

“Fine,” Theo says. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve all of this. Are you happy?”

Liam frowns. “Theo…”

“You wanted to know, and there it is,” Theo says, putting the remote down. “Now, can you drop it?”

“Not until you listen,” Liam says. “Which, I know, is hard for you, but you’re going to.”

“Liam…”

“You deserve to be happy, Theo,” Liam says. 

Theo shakes his head. “Even after everything I did?”

“Yes,” Liam says. “I’m not going to say all of that was okay. But you’re trying now. That has to count for something.”

“If you say so,” Theo says.

“I know it does,” Liam says. “And I’m not going to let you forget it either.”

Theo rolls his eyes. “Of course you’re not.”

Liam jumps when the front door slams open downstairs. “Theo!”

Theo looks at Liam with a frown. “What the—”

“Don’t look at me,” Liam says, even as he gets to his feet. “She called for you.”

Theo gets to his feet a little slower, and moves to the door. Liam follows him out and to the stairs. His mom is standing at the bottom, looking up at them with a wide smile. “I found something.”

Theo’s eyes widen. “What?”

“I found someone,” she says, holding a paper towards Theo. Theo makes his way down, taking it from her almost cautiously. “His name is Josh Russo. He’s a cousin on your mother’s side. He lives in Los Angeles.”

“How did you find him?” Theo asks her.

“Well, remember how we did the DNA search?” she asks him. Theo nods. “Results finally came back with a match.”

“That’s great!” Liam says, knocking his shoulder with Theo’s.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Theo says. “Do we umm… do we know anything else about him?”

“From what I could find, he works as a 9-1-1 dispatcher,” Jenna says. “He’s thirty-eight. He’s not married. No children.”

“Does he know about me?” Theo asks her.

“I haven’t reached out to him yet,” Jenna says. “I wanted to talk to you about it first. See if you wanted to reach out or if you wanted me to.”

“I don’t even know what I would say,” Theo admits.

“It’s okay,” Jenna says. “I know it’s a lot. If you don’t want to make contact…”

“I do,” Theo cuts in. “I’d like to.”

“I can help you with that,” Jenna says. “Whatever you need.”

Liam watches as they walk into the kitchen together. His mom makes a pot of tea, and they talk about what their next steps are. Liam stands rooted to the spot, suddenly feeling like an outsider. Like whatever plans they’re making for Theo’s future, he’s not a part of them.

Two days later, Josh arrives.

Liam’s not sure what he’s expecting— maybe someone cold and serious. But it’s not the man that greets him.

Because Josh is nice . From his soft looking sweater to his kind eyes and smile and how he listens attentively when Theo talks, answering all his questions easily and asking a few of his own. There’s not a thing Liam can find not to like about him.

Not that Liam was looking for anything, but… well, maybe he was.

“I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when Jenna reached out,” Josh says, taking a drink of his tea. “I haven’t heard from that side of the family in a while. Not since… well, not since I came out. Then my parents died, and I wasn’t sure there was any family left. Until you.”

“Yes, finding you was a pleasant surprise,” Jenna says. “But a welcome one. I know Theo was hoping to reconnect with his family.”

Josh laughs. “I hope I’m not too much of a disappointment.”

“Nah, it could be worse,” Theo says.

Josh raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Honestly, I was expecting a grumpy old man,” Theo says. “Or someone who liked to wear strong perfume and pinch my cheeks.”

Jenna swats his arm. “Theo.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Josh says. “I’m glad I could at least spare you from that.”

“That makes two of us,” Theo says.

“So, Jenna said you were thinking about college,” Josh says.

Theo shrugs. “I had been. Honestly, I’m not sure what I want to do yet.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Josh says.

“So, you didn’t always know you wanted to be a dispatcher?” Theo asks him.

“Definitely not,” Josh says. “I went through a few jobs before this. And then… well, I got trapped in a fire and called 9-1-1. I guess that call changed my life in more ways than one.”

“And you like it?”

“It can be hard sometimes,” Josh says. “Especially the bad calls. But yes, I do. If I can go home at the end of the day knowing that I was able to help even one person, that makes it worth it.”

Theo nods. There’s something in his eyes that Liam hasn’t seen before. Something like longing. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“It’s not,” Josh says. “It’s pretty amazing, actually.”

“Hopefully I can find something like that,” Theo says.

“I could help you,” Josh says. He looks at Jenna, who smiles, and then back at Theo. “You don’t have to say anything now, but I was wondering if maybe you’d want to come back to LA with me.”

“To visit?” Theo asks him.

Josh shakes his head. “No, Theo. To live. My apartment isn’t quite as big as this house, but you’d have your own room, and there are good schools in LA if that’s what you decide you want to do. But, as I said, you don’t have to decide today. I’ll be here a few more days. And even if you say no now, you can always change your mind.”

“I’d like to think about it,” Theo says. 

“Of course,” Josh says. “It’s a big decision. And I know you have your life here.”

Liam can’t hear anymore. Not when it suddenly feels like all the air has left the room, making it hard for him to breathe. He quietly makes his escape through the kitchen and out the back door. 

Maybe you’d want to come to LA with me .

Liam takes a deep breath and sits down on the swing. He’s not sure what he’d been expecting. He should have known though, that it would lead to this eventually. That when Theo found his family, they’d want to get to know him better, and that meant going to live with them. 

But it’s still hard because that means Theo’s leaving . Leaving Beacon Hills and everyone here. Leaving Liam.

And sure, Theo hasn’t said yes yet. But he could. He probably will. He’d be a fool not to. This is his chance at a fresh start handed to him on a silver platter. Why shouldn’t he take it? 

He expects Theo to at least talk to him about it. Maybe mull over his options as he tries to decide what to do. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t that night, or the next day. Even though he has plenty of opportunities to do it when the two of them are alone. 

Liam almost brings it up a few times but can never get the words out. He doesn’t want to seem like he’s pushing Theo for answers. He thinks, or hopes, that when Theo is ready, he’ll come to him about it.

But he doesn’t.

Liam’s starting to think that maybe it’s because Theo’s already made his choice, and decided there’s really no reason to talk about it. Not if his mind is already made up. And maybe… maybe that means he’s decided to stay.

It’s that thought that keeps him going. At least until the next morning when he wakes up early to the sound of a closet door closing. He frowns and shifts, trying to get comfortable again, in the hopes that maybe he can fall asleep for a little longer. But then there’s more shuffling, and Liam sighs. 

He gets out of bed, goes down the hall to the bathroom, brushes his teeth, and washes his face, trying to wake himself up. It only works a little bit.

The door to Theo’s room is cracked, and Liam creeps across the hall, peeking in. It’s not much. It had been used as his mom’s home office until they offered for Theo to move in. It still mostly looks like that with the desk and all the books, apart from the bed now in the middle of the room and a couple of posters on the wall. Posters that Theo had gotten from Liam.

But that’s not what draws Liam’s attention now. No, it’s the obvious glaring sign sitting in the middle of the bed that Theo has made his decision. And it’s not the one Liam had been expecting or hoping for.

“So,” Liam says, looking at the bag Theo’s packing on the bed. “You're really going.”

Theo shrugs. “He's the only family I have.”

That's not true, Liam wants to say. You have me. 

But he doesn't— can't force the words out. Because he knows that's not what Theo means. So, instead, he puts on a smile as he leans against the wall. “Josh seems nice.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Theo says. “He's a 9-1-1 dispatcher, which is cool, I guess. He says he can help me get a job if I want.”

“Do you?” Liam asks him.

“I don't know,” Theo says. “I think it wouldn't be so bad, helping people for once. It might not make up for all the hurt I caused. But it's a start. That's what I need. A fresh start. Unless there's a reason I should stay.”

And how can Liam deny him that? How can he stand in his way when he finally has a way out of this death trap of a town? When he’s finally finding the chance at happiness that Theo’s clearly been searching for. So, even though Liam wants more than anything to tell him he should stay, for him— for them— for all the things Liam never got a chance to voice, he doesn't. 

“You should go,” Liam says. “It's not every day you find a long-lost relative who offers you a whole new life.”

Theo looks at him, eyes searching his face. He sighs and shoves another shirt into his bag. “No, it's not.”

He zips it up, and there's an air of finality to the sound that has Liam fighting back a wince. “LA is nice, too. I mean, a little busier than I’m used to. But it’s not bad.”

Theo nods. “Yeah, Josh says it’ll be a change for me. But that I should get used to it.”

“Maybe umm… maybe I can come visit once you’re settled.”

Theo looks at him again, almost as if his gaze is trying to penetrate through him, and Liam tries not to squirm. “Sure.”

Liam smiles. “Great!”

Theo grabs his bag from the bed and looks around the room. “I think that’s it. Not that I had much to begin with. Just me and this duffle.”

“I’m sure that’ll change once you get to LA,” Liam says.

“I’m sure a lot will,” Theo says. “It’s a whole new world.”

“Just don’t let city life get to your head, and you forget all us little people,” Liam says, knocking their shoulders together. 

Theo shakes his head. “As if I could forget you, Liam.”

“You could,” Liam says. “LA’s a big city. I’m sure you’ll meet loads of people far more interesting.”

“Maybe,” Theo says. “But they won’t be half as annoying as you.”

Liam rolls his eyes. “And to think I was going to miss you.”

“You will,” Theo says, moving past Liam and into the hall. “There’s no one in this town like me after all.”

“Oh, I know that,” Liam says, following him out.

Theo stops at the top of the stairs and looks back at Liam. “I’ll miss you too, Liam.”

“You better, asshole,” Liam says. “And you better text me.”

“Of course,” Theo says. “The last thing I need is you sending out a search party if I don’t answer.”

“That was one time!”

“One time when I was at the movies,” Theo says. “A little hard to forget.”

“It’ll be a little harder to arrange with you all the way in LA,” Liam says, trailing behind Theo as he walks down the stairs to meet Josh, who’s waiting by the door with his parents.

“If anyone could find a way, it’s you,” Theo says. 

“Just… be safe,” Liam says.

Theo sighs and drops his bag by the door. He turns to Liam and pulls him in for a tight hug. It’s over quickly, too quickly for Liam to even hug him back. He mutters a quiet, “See you around, Liam.” Then he’s striding back to the door and picking up his bag.

“Ready?” Josh asks him.

Theo nods. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Liam watches as Theo says goodbye to his parents, promising to call when he gets to LA and keep in touch. Then he’s following Josh out the door and to the car waiting in the driveway. And Liam realizes as he watches the car back out of the driveway, just what this means. Theo’s leaving. He’s not going to be here every day like he has been the last few months. Liam is losing him, and before he even knew exactly what he had to lose.

“I think I love him, Mom,” Liam whispers, looking up at her as tears threaten to spill from his eyes.

“Oh honey,” his mother says, pulling him in for a hug. “I know. But you know this isn’t goodbye, at least not forever. You’ll see him again.”

“I know,” Liam says.

But that doesn’t stop the ache in his chest as Josh’s rental car disappears from view, taking Theo along with it.

Chapter Text

Theo jolts awake to a horn blaring somewhere outside his window. He groans and turns in the bed, putting his pillow over his head in an attempt to block out the noise. It’s easier said than done. Especially here in the city.

He’d thought he’d pretty much mastered how to control his senses—but living in LA? It’s a whole different world. It's certainly different compared to Beacon Hills. Theoretically, he knew that when he decided to take Josh up on his offer to move in with him. But knowing it and experiencing it are two completely different things. 

It’s been an adjustment. Especially the noise. He hadn’t counted on it being quite so loud .

His first day in LA, he'd been so focused on taking everything in that he hadn't noticed the noise. It had been overshadowed by everything else he was experiencing—especially his new room. 

It wasn't much, to be sure. A small room in Josh's apartment— mostly empty except for a bed and dresser and a small desk in the corner. 

“It's not much, but it's all yours,” Josh says. 

Theo can't help but get a little choked up. He's never had anything that's all his before, not like this. Not even his room at the Geyer's had been entirely his, despite Jenna's best efforts. But this?

Josh places a hand on his shoulder and smiles. “You can't paint the walls or anything. But maybe hang up some posters or pictures. Make it your own.”

And Theo had. Sure, it's only been a few days, but he already has posters on the walls and some pictures on his nightstand, desk, and dresser. There are clothes in the closet, and the only books in the room belong to him. Even his new blankets and sheets are things he picked out. 

And it's nice. Theo loves it. Except for all the noise.

“Why did no one warn me about how loud LA is?” Theo texts Liam, needing to complain to someone but not wanting to seem ungrateful.

Liam replies a few minutes later. “Because you said you'd been to the city before and knew what to expect.”

Theo sighs. Leave it to Liam to use his own words against him. “I spent most of my time in the sewer, Liam. It kind of blocked out the noise.”

“Maybe you should get some headphones,” Liam suggests. 

“I can’t wear headphones everywhere,” Theo says. “That seems a little impractical.”

“I didn’t say to wear them everywhere, Theo,” Liam replies. “Just when you’re trying to sleep. Or get one of those noise machines. Mom said it helps her block everything else out.”

A noise machine? Theo sighs. He supposes it’s not the worst idea. At this point, he’s willing to try anything to get a little bit of sleep.

A knock sounds on his door, and Theo looks towards it, waiting for it to open like it always did back at the Geyer’s. But it doesn’t. Not right away. “Come in?” 

The door cracks open, and Josh sticks his head in. “Good, you’re awake.”

Theo nods. “Yeah. I uhhh… I’ve been up for a while.”

Josh frowns, eyes scanning his face. “Have trouble sleeping again?”

Theo sighs. “Yeah. It’s… it’s the noise. I guess I’m not used to it.”

Josh’s eyes widen. “Oh! Of course. I should have thought of that.”

Theo waves him off and throws his legs over the side of the bed so he can sit up. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine if you’re not sleeping,” Josh says.

“Liam suggested some headphones or a noise machine,” Theo says.

Josh smiles. “So you’re still talking to Liam?”

Theo shrugs. “Yeah. He’s my friend. And I don’t exactly know a lot of people here yet.”

“It would help if you actually left the apartment,” Josh says teasingly.

“I’ve been trying to get settled,” Theo tells him.

“I know,” Josh says. “But today we’re going out. I want you to meet some people. And we can stop by the store while we’re out and get that noise machine.”

“So you’re bribing me,” Theo says.

Josh shrugs. “If that’s what it takes.”

“Where exactly are we going?” Theo asks him. 

“My favorite pizza place in the city,” Josh tells him. “A few friends are meeting us there. They’ve all been wanting to meet you.”

“So we’re parading around the orphan,” Theo says.

Josh’s eyes widen. “What? No! I just… I know it’s hard being in a new place where you don’t know people, Theo. And you just said—”

“I know,” Theo cuts in, feeling a little guilty for even making the remark. He hadn’t meant it. Not really. “I didn’t— I was joking. I guess it kind of fell flat.”

“Well, at least we have plenty of time to get used to each other’s humor,” Josh says.

Theo nods. “So, pizza?”

Half an hour later, Theo and Josh walk into a crowded restaurant downtown. The noise is even worse here, with the people and blaring of horns outside. Theo tries to ignore it as they make their way through the restaurant, looking for Josh’s friends.

“Josh!”

Josh grins and heads towards a table where six people are already seated. Theo takes a deep breath and follows him. He’s never been the greatest at meeting new people. Sure, he could throw on the charm in the past when he needed to. But that had all been part of the plan to get what he wanted. Now? Now, he’s just trying to figure out who he is now that he’s not fighting for his life.

“Hey, everyone,” Josh greets the group. “This is Theo. My cousin.”

“Hi, Theo,” a woman with brown hair and kind eyes smiles up at him and holds out her hand. “I’m Maddie. I work with Josh at the call center.”

“Nice to meet you,” Theo says. “He looks around at the other people gathered, all men. “Do you work with Josh too?”

“More or less,” the man sitting next to Maddie says. “We’re firefighters. So we’re the ones driving to the calls Josh and Maddie tell us too.”

“Or flying,” another man says.

“That’s Tommy,” Josh says. “He works at Harbor station as a pilot. But before that, he did work at the 118. That’s how he knows Howie.”

“And I’m Howie,” the first man says. “In case you’re trying to figure that out. But everyone calls me Chimney.”

Theo raises an eyebrow as he sits beside Josh and across from Chimney. “I feel like there’s a story there.”

“Oh, there is,” Chimney says, taking a drink of his beer. “But not one I can say in a public place.”

“I still don’t know why,” Tommy says. “The nickname came after I left, and no one will fill me in. Not even Evan, here.”

“It’s not my story to tell,” the blonde sitting next to Tommy says. Tommy opens his mouth, and Evan shakes his head. “Nope. Not even boyfriend privileges will get it out of me.”

“That’s surprising,” Chimney says. “But nice to know you can keep some things a secret, Buck.”

Theo’s brow furrows. Josh laughs. “He goes by Buck.”

“Right,” Theo says. “Does everyone here have a nickname?”

“Only if you work at the 118,” Maddie says. “Currently.”

“Right,” Theo says.

“So, Josh says you lived in a small town a few hours from here,” Maddie says.

“Yeah, Beacon Hills,” Theo says.

Down the table, Tommy starts coughing, his eyes going wide. Buck frowns and rubs his back. “You okay?”

Tommy waves him off. “Yeah, yeah. Fine. Went down the wrong way.”

His eyes drift to Theo and dart away again as he takes another pull from his beer. Theo frowns. There’s something off here. But it’s not like he knows the guy enough to question it. Yet. 

“It must have been hard to leave,” Maddie says.

Theo shrugs. “I didn’t have much left there. Just… Just Liam.”

“Liam’s a friend?” 

Theo nods. “Yeah. My only friend, I guess. He and his family kind of took me in. His mom, Jenna, is the one who helped me find Josh.”

“And we’re glad she did,” Josh says. 

“Still, it must be a change going from a small town to a big city like this,” Maddie says.

Theo laughs. “Oh yeah. The noise especially.”

“I get that,” Buck says. “I mean, I lived in quite a few cities but also a lot of rural areas where it was just quiet, you know? So, it can be an adjustment.”

“Anything help?” Theo asks him.

“You kind of get used to it after a while,” Buck says. “But I did get a white noise machine, and it helps at night.”

“We’re going to pick one up on the way home,” Josh says.

“They have ones where you can pick the setting,” Buck says. “Like the ocean or mountains and stuff. It’s pretty cool. But I tend to avoid the waves.”

He shudders, and Tommy pats his back. “He was caught in the tsunami that hit here a few years ago. There’s still some trauma there.”

Theo nods. “Got it.”

“There is enough trauma at this table to fill the whole restaurant,” Chimney says. “But here we are.”

He raises his glass, and everyone, including Theo, laughs and clinks it with his. He might not know half of what everyone’s been through, just like they don’t know anything about what keeps him up at night. But there’s still something about knowing that even if their stories are different, they’ve all been through something traumatic and survived. That they’re able to laugh and make jokes and just live.

 It gives Theo a little bit of hope that maybe he can, too.

“They all seem really nice,” Theo tells Liam that night. He’s back at the apartment, showered, and ready for bed. His noise machine is sitting on his nightstand, plugged in and ready for use. Before he could think of testing it out, though, Liam had called to check in. 

“And they’re all first responders?” Liam asks him.

“Yeah,” Theo says. “Maddie is a dispatcher like Josh. Her husband Chimney and brother Buck are both firefighters and work at the same house. Buck’s boyfriend, Tommy, is a firefighter pilot. He worked at the 118 with Chimney before Buck got there. Buck kind of took his spot, I guess.”

“They sound cool,” Liam says. “Don’t tell me you’re going to apply to be a firefighter now.”

“Hey, I could do it,” Theo says. “I think Josh would have a heart attack, though.”

“Probably,” Liam says. “He knows how dangerous it can be.”

“But it’s not like I haven’t dealt with stuff far more dangerous,” Theo says.

“He doesn’t know that,” Liam points out.

Theo sighs. That’s true. “And he won’t.”

“You’re never going to tell him?” Liam questions.

“It’s not something I can just bring up,” Theo says. “And I don’t— I don’t want him to look at me differently, Liam. He’s a good person.”

“You are too, now,” Liam says.

“But it’s still a lot,” Theo says. “I just need to think about it. If I’m lucky, I’ll never have a reason to tell him.”

“True,” Liam says. “It’s not like you’re fighting for your life out there. Which is why maybe you should pick something a little less dangerous for a job.”

“Aww, are you worried about me?” Theo teases.

“Shut up,” Liam mutters.

“You are!”

“I’m going to hang up on you,” Liam warns.

“You could, but that wouldn’t change anything,” Theo says.

Liam sighs. “Fine. I don’t like the thought of you putting yourself in danger without backup.”

“You mean you as backup,” Theo says. “Because I’d have a team with me.”

“But not me,” Liam says.

Theo sighs and rests his head back on his pillow. It’s not like he was even thinking of becoming a firefighter. Sure, the job sounds cool, and Buck and Chimney seem to love what they do. But Theo isn’t sure it’s for him. Not really. 

“I’m not really hero material anyway,” Theo says.

“You are,” Liam says. “I’ve seen it. But…”

“You still don’t think I should be a firefighter,” Theo says.

Liam is silent for a moment, so long that Theo has to pull his phone away from his ear and check that he’s still there. He is. After a few more long seconds, he hears Liam exhale. 

“If that’s what you really want, you should do it,” Liam says.

“I don’t want to be a firefighter, Liam,” Theo says.

Liam sighs. “Oh, thank god.”

“What happened to being supportive?” Theo asks him,

“I am if that’s what you want,” Liam says. “Doesn’t mean I can’t be relieved that you won’t be risking your life every day.”

“Fair enough,” Theo says.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I’m still figuring that out,” Theo says. He bites his lip. “I do want to help people. I’ve caused enough suffering. I think it’s time I try to make up for that in some way.”

“You already have,” Liam tells him. “But I’m sure Mom could send you some pamphlets or something with ideas if you want.”

“Sure, why not?” Theo says. “I need something to do so I’m not sitting around here all day while Josh is at work.”

“You could always go explore the city,” Liam suggests.

“I guess so,” Theo says.

“You don’t want to go on your own, do you?” Liam asks him. “The lone wolf wants company.”

“Now I’m going to hang up on you,” Theo says.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Theo,” Liam says. “It means you’re growing as a person.” Theo pretends to gag, and Liam sighs. “That’s a good thing!”

“If you say so,” Theo mutters.

“I do,” Liam says. “But I need you to start exploring so that you can know your way around to show me all the sights when I come vist.”

“You’re coming to visit?” Theo questions.

“Well, yeah,” Liam says. “Eventually. Once you get a little more settled.” There’s a beat of silence before Liam whispers a little more quietly, “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, Liam,” Theo says.

And he does—more than he ever thought possible. But then again, a lot of things are different when it comes to Liam. Even now, with all those miles between them, that longing is still there. But it's probably worse with the distance, without being able to see Liam’s face and hear his heartbeat. He thought being away might make it a little easier, but it hasn’t.

Maybe the damn poets were right after all. Distance really does make the heart grow fonder. Theo just wasn’t aware his could feel anything at all. Until Liam. And he has no idea what to do with that.

Chapter Text

It’s been three weeks.

Three weeks since Theo walked out the door, got into the rental car with Josh, and drove away.

Three weeks since he last saw Theo’s face, heard his heartbeat just down the hall, and smelled his familiar scent. Though some of it still lingers in the house, it’s growing fainter. Even the scent on his pillow is starting to fade.

Liam sighs and falls back against his pillows. 

He’s pathetic.

Sitting here pining away for Theo while Theo is in LA starting a whole new life for himself. He knows at first, it had been hard for him to acclimate to city life, but it seems like he’s finally starting to feel more settled. At least if the pictures he keeps posting on his Instagram are anything to go by.

Which is a whole nother thing altogether. Because, Theo, with Instagram? 

That’s something Liam never thought he’d see. Certainly not something he thought Theo would ever actively use. But he has been. When Liam had questioned him about it a few days ago, Theo had just laughed.

“Yeah, it’s weird right?” Theo says. “But it’s nice, too. May talked me into getting it and has been helping me get the hang of it.”

May.

That’s another name Liam’s getting used to hearing. It’s not one of Josh’s work friends, but the daughter of a police sergeant that’s close to Theo’s age. Which is fine. Theo needs friends his age in the city. 

It’s not even May herself that’s causing Liam so much grief. 

It’s the pictures. 

The ones of Theo playing basketball with Josh’s firefighter friends in those stupid shorts and cut-off shirts. The ones of Theo on the beach or lifting weights or even saving a damn kitten from a tree. 

Those are the things that haunt him.

So yes, Theo uses Instagram now. It’s both the best and worst thing that ever happened to Liam.

“Liam?”

Liam looks up to see his mom standing at his door. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi,” she says slowly. “Are you planning to get up today? Or is today another wallow in bed and pine about Theo day?”

“I’m not pining,” Liam mutters.

“Sure, you’re not,” his mom says.

“I just miss him,” Liam sighs. He sits up, and his mom sits next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“I know you do, sweetheart,” his mom says. “I know it was hard to let him go. But Josh is his family.”

“We are too,” Liam says.

She squeezes his shoulder. “Maybe so. But he deserves a chance to get to know his cousin and find some happiness away from here.”

“I know,” Liam says. He groans when his phone pings with a notification that Theo has posted yet another picture on Instagram. “Seriously?”

“Ah, so that’s what this is about,” his mom says. “Theo’s newfound love of social media.”

“I never thought he would actually be good at it,” Liam says. He opens the notification, and his eyes widen when he’s met with a shirtless Theo being lifted in the air by a shirtless Tommy on the beach. “What the f—”

“Language,” his mother cuts in. She looks down at the picture and raises an eyebrow. “Now, he’s cute.”

“You’re married,” Liam reminds her.

She shrugs. “Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate an attractive man. And I’m sure your father would agree.”

“Agree with what?” his dad says, poking his head in the door.

“That Tommy is a very attractive young man,” his mom says.

“Ah, Theo’s newest post,” his dad says, holding up his phone. “I just saw it.”

“You’re following him?” Liam asks him.

“We both are,” his mom says. “We want to keep up with Theo too. And it looks like he’s enjoying himself.”

“Maybe a little too much,” Liam mutters.

His mom laughs and pats his back. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m sure he’s missing you as much as you are him.”

“You think so?” Liam asks her.

“I know it,” she says. She pats his cheek and gets to her feet. “He can enjoy his new life in LA and still miss you, Liam. They’re mutually exclusive.”

Liam groans. “Why do you always have to talk sense?”

“Well, someone has to,” his mom says. “Otherwise, we’d never get anything done around here.”

“Will you be joining us for breakfast, Liam?” his dad asks. “We’re making pancakes.”

“Yeah, I’ll be right down,” Liam says. 

His parents leave the room, talking about whether strawberry or maple syrup is better, and Liam shakes his head, smiling to himself. He takes one last look at his phone and sighs before clicking the screen off and getting to his feet.

Two days later, Liam gets a text from Scott that he's back in town and wants to see him. It's not anything new. Scott has been back to visit a few times since he left for school. 

But he had just been here not too long ago, so the timing of the visit feels a little off to Liam. Still, he pushes the thought aside and texts Mason, asking him to come with him.

If there is news, Mason should hear about it too.

Scott's motorcycle is parked outside the McCall house when Liam pulls up. His mom's car is missing, which means they'll be alone.

Scott greets them with a smile when he opens the door, not looking the least bit surprised to see Mason. 

“Hey. Glad you both could make it.”

“Of course,” Liam says, following Scott into the house and to the living room. “Your mom at work?”

Scott shakes his head. “Nah. She's with Stiles’ Dad. She said something about lunch but she should be gone for a while. She usually is.”

He shakes his head, a small smile on his lips. Liam knows there's more that he's not saying, but doesn't question it. It's not really his business anyway.

“Is anyone else coming?” Mason asks him.

Scott shakes his head. “No. Just the three of us.”

Liam nods and sits on the couch, facing Scott whose sitting in the recliner. “Okay.”

“So, how have things been?” Scott asks him.

Liam shrugs. “Good.”

It's not a lie. Things have been pretty good. Not counting that ache in his chest every day he wakes up and remembers Theo isn't here.

“Theo seems to be enjoying LA,” Scott says. His brow furrows as he looks at something over Liam’s shoulder. “Or not?”

Liam glances behind him to see Mason waving his arms and shaking his head. He quickly drops them when he catches Liam looking. “Seriously?”

“What?” Mason asks. “It’s a touchy subject.”

“It’s not,” Liam says. “Theo’s enjoying LA. That’s great. I’m happy for him.”

Scott raises an eyebrow. “Are you?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Liam asks him. “He’s my friend.”

“Right,” Scott says. He studies Liam’s face a little longer, and Liam knows he’s probably debating on whether to push the subject or not. Luckily, he seems to decide against it because he shrugs. “Anyway, I have some not great news.”

“I knew there was a reason you were back,” Liam says.

“Hey, I could have just wanted to see my mom and my pack,” Scott says.

“Sure,” Liam says. “But you were just here last week.”

“Fair enough,” Scott says. He sighs and sits back against the couch. “Monroe was spotted a few days ago.”

Liam’s eyes widen. “What? Where?”

“Vegas,” Scott says.

Liam frowns. “You don’t think she’s making her way back, do you? Because last we heard, she was in Georgia, and that was weeks ago.”

“We can’t be sure,” Scott says. “But we have people keeping an eye out, just in case. I just wanted you to be aware in case she does decide to come back.”

Liam nods. “We’ll be ready. Or as ready as we can with most of the pack spread out.”

“If it does look like she’s coming back here, we’ll come,” Scott says. “But with classes starting soon, I can’t have everyone just pull out of school on an if.”

“I know,” Liam says.

“It’s weird, though,” Scott says. “Usually, we’ve only caught small glimpses of her since she went underground, but this time she was out in the open. Almost like she wanted to be seen.”

“That can’t mean anything good,” Liam says.

“No,” Scott says. “It almost feels like a warning.”

“But why would she warn us that she’s coming back?” Liam says. “When she could have the element of surprise?”

“That’s what I don’t like,” Scott says. “Something feels off about it.”

“Unless we’re not the ones she’s after,” Mason says.

“But if not us, then who?” Liam asks him.

Mason shrugs. “I don’t know. We’re not the only pack out there. Maybe she caught wind of someone else.”

Scott nods. “We’ll know one way or another soon enough. Just keep alert. We don’t want any surprises.”

“So much for a nice, relaxing end to summer,” Liam mutters.

“Do you think we should warn Theo?” Mason asks him.

Liam bites his lip as he debates it. Normally he would give Theo the heads up that Monroe is out there, but Theo knows that. Monroe has been out there for months. And it’s not like she’s going to go somewhere as busy as LA. Not if she’s trying to keep her head down.

“Not yet,” Liam says.

“Liam…” Scott says.

“You said it yourself, Scott, he’s happy,” Liam says. “He’s finally getting settled and has a chance at being normal without all the supernatural bullshit. I can’t drag him back into this. Especially since no one there knows his secret.”

“I respect that,” Scott says. “But I still think he would want to know.”

“If it turns out she’s getting close to LA, we’ll tell him,” Liam says. “But we still don’t know where she’s going.”

“You do know that if she shows up here and we didn’t give him a heads up, he’ll be pissed,” Mason says.

“I know, but he can be pissed at me if it comes down to it,” Liam says. “But hopefully it won’t.”

“I hope you're right,” Mason says. “I really don't think this town can handle another fight like the last one.”

“It won't be like the last one,” Scott says. “Not that the town knows the truth about Monroe.”

Liam nods. “But I'm still hoping she's smart enough not to come back.”

“We all are,” Scott says.

“So, things are okay there?” Theo asks him that night.

Liam does his best to school his features. Of course, tonight would be a night Theo wants to video chat instead of just talk on the phone. He shrugs. “Yeah. Of course.”

“Really?” Theo asks dryly. “Then why do you look so tense?”

“I'm not tense,” Liam says.

Theo raises an eyebrow. “Liam, I can almost feel the tension radiating off of you from here.”

Liam sighs and slumps back against his pillows. “I'm fine. I'm just a little stressed.”

“About?”

Monroe being out there and far too close to California. 

Missing you so much it's like there's a constant ache in my chest. 

But Liam doesn't say any of that. He can't. 

“Just school starting up soon,” Liam says instead. It's not a lie. He has been stressed about school. “You know, starting college and all that.”

Theo nods. “Right. But you'll have Mason with you.”

It's true. Despite Liam's best efforts to convince Mason to go away to university, he'd decided to stick close to home for now. 

“I know, but we'll have different classes,” Liam says. “And I know it's silly since I am still close to home, but it's still hard starting over.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Theo says.

“Have you thought anymore about what you want to do?” Liam asks him.

“I have been thinking,” Theo says. “But nothing definitive yet. I'm keeping my options open for now.”

Liam nods. “Yeah. Yeah. Of course. You don't want to just jump into anything.”

“No, I don't,” Theo says, his eyes moving across the screen. “You know me, I'm always careful with my choices.”

“Yeah, I know,” Liam says. “But you're happy there?”

Theo smiles. “I am. I really am.”

“Good,” Liam says. “I'm glad. I umm… I guess you don't miss much about this place.”

Theo hums. “Not much. But there are a few things I miss.”

His eyes linger on Liam, and Liam tries not to squirm. If there's anytime for Liam to tell Theo he misses him, this is it. But the words feel stuck in his throat.

“I don't suppose anyone there misses me,” Theo says.

And there it is. An even bigger opening. Liam just has to say the words. But he's afraid if he does something more revealing might fight its way out. 

“Yeah, I suppose they do,” Liam says softly. It's the best he can do. 

Theo’s lips twitch. “I should go. We have an early morning. But I'll talk to you soon.”

“Sure,” Liam says. “Goodnight, Theo.”

“Goodnight, Liam.”

Theo hangs up, and Liam sighs, dropping his phone into his bed.

“I miss you,” Liam whispers into the empty room.

Hundreds of miles away, those same words are whispered in a dimly lit room in the city.

Chapter Text

Theo gets a job. 

It's not all that glamorous— sometimes the opposite, in fact. But it's so something. 

And he likes it, for the most part, on the days when he's not getting cursed out or kicked or having shit thrown at him. He wishes the last one wasn't literal, but it is. At least it's never hit him— yet.

He's already seen a lot in the week he's been working as a clinical tech at the hospital down the road from his and Josh's apartment. It's a lot of work, but Theo doesn't mind it. It's nice to feel like he's helping people, even in little ways. 

He makes a mental note to himself to send Melissa a gift basket or something if these are the things she's had to deal with. Working in a hospital on top of all the crazy bullshit that goes on in Beacon Hills, especially when the two often mixed? Insanity. Theo doesn’t know how she did it. 

“How was work?” Josh asks him.

Theo shrugs and grabs the plates from the cabinet, the gesture almost strangely routine by now. “Crazy as usual.”

“No one tried to stab you?” Josh asks, probably remembering the story Theo told him a few days ago where one of his patients had lunged at him with his knife. It had been a butterknife, but still. Josh hadn’t looked all that thrilled about it.

“Not today,” Theo says.

Josh sighs. “And here I thought that working in a hospital would be the safer route.”

“You clearly haven’t spent a lot of time at the hospital,” Theo says.

Josh laughs. “No, I can’t say that I have. Thankfully.”

“It’s certainly interesting,” Theo says.

“But you like it?”

“It’s not bad,” Theo says.

“But?” Josh says, clearly sensing there’s more Theo isn’t saying. It’s strange how he’s come to read him so well in the short time they’ve known each other. In the past, that might have bothered Theo. But he finds he kind of likes it, having someone who actually cares enough to pay attention.

“I don’t know,” Theo says. “Being a tech is fine. And I like what I do. But I’ve been thinking about maybe doing more.”

“More?” Josh questions.

“Like being a nurse,” Theo says. 

Josh smiles. “That’s great, Theo.”

“Really?” Theo says. “You don’t think it’s a crazy idea?”

“Of course not,” Josh says. “Not if it’s something you want to do.”

“I think it is,” Theo says.

“You should talk to Maddie,” Josh says.

Theo frowns. “Maddie?”

“She was a nurse before she came to LA,” Josh says. “If you have questions, I’m sure she’d be happy to answer them.” He pulls out his phone and types something quickly. A moment later, his phone dings, and Josh smiles, looking at Theo. “She wants to know if you want to get lunch tomorrow. I told her you were off.”

“Uhh, sure,” Theo says.

“Perfect,” Josh says. He puts his phone back down and turns his attention back to his dinner.

Theo raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything. He’s still getting used to all the different dynamics around here. How easy it seems for everyone just to pick up the phone and make plans. He’s sure part of that has come with their familiarity with each other. After all, Josh and Maddie have been friends for years. But he still makes it look so easy.

“Everything okay?” Josh asks him.

“Yeah,” Theo says. “Why?”

“You’ve barely touched your food,” Josh says.

Theo looks down at his plate, still mostly full, and shakes his head. “Guess I was a little distracted.”

“If you want something else…” Josh says.

Theo shakes his head. “No. No. This is great. I guess I’m just not a great multitasker.”

Josh snorts. “Well, I guess I’ll have to stop distracting you at dinner if we want you to eat.”

“Not unless this is how you plan to stave me and get rid of me,” Theo says.

“Now, why would I do that?” Josh asks. “Starvation is far too slow and cruel.”

Theo raises an eyebrow.

Josh shrugs. “Dispatcher, remember? Unfortunately, I’m all too aware of the ways people can die.”

“Grim,” Theo says. “But interesting.”

“And not a subject for the dinner table,” Josh says. “Especially not if I want you to actually eat.”

“Right,” Theo says, taking a slow, deliberate bite of his food. “Happy?”

“I just want to make sure you are,” Josh says.

Theo swallows. “What?”

“Happy, Theo,” Josh says. “I know it’s been a lot with the move and the new job.”

“I’m good,” Theo says.

“You’re sure?” Josh asks. “You could tell me if you weren’t.”

“I’m good,” Theo says again. “I miss my friends, sure.” Liam . “But I like it here.”

It’s not a lie. Life in the city has been an adjustment, but he’s getting used to it and actually starting to like it the more time he spends here. He likes how alive it is, especially at night. Though, sometimes he does miss the quiet and actually being able to see the stars at night. But Josh was quick to tell him the nice spots to go outside the city if he ever wanted to feel closer to nature. He just wishes he had his truck here. Something he should have thought more about when he decided to move. 

But, maybe eventually, he can use getting it as an excuse to visit Liam.

“Good,” Josh says. “Now, finish your dinner before it gets cold.”

Theo rolls his eyes but takes another bite. “Has anyone told you that you can be a little bossy?”

“Maybe once or twice,” Josh says.

“Well, as long as you’re aware,” Theo says.

After that, the two fall into a comfortable silence as they finish dinner. Once they’re done, Theo washes the dishes while Josh dries them, and then they settle on the couch to watch a movie. After it’s finished. Josh heads to bed, and Theo trails back to his room not long after. It’s been a long day, and right now, all Theo wants is to sink back against his mattress and relax.

He plugs his phone in and reaches over, turning on his noise machine.

It’s not long before his eyes drift closed, and he falls asleep.

The next morning, Theo wakes early. It’s become another habit of his. Partially thanks to having to be up early for work. It’s hard to sleep in when his body has gotten so used to getting up before five a.m. three days a week.

He goes for a run. It's something else he’s taken to doing more often. He’s found a path in the park that’s not as busy and has a great view, especially when the sun’s coming up. Sure, it’s not the preserve, but it’s still nice. And probably less dangerous.

After that, he showers and gets ready for his lunch with Maddie. They’re supposed to meet at a diner a few blocks away at 11:30. He decides to leave a little earlier just to be sure he gets there on time and can get them a table.

Maddie isn’t there yet when he arrives. So he grabs them a table, orders a coffee, and waits. A few minutes later, the door opens, and Maddie walks in. He raises his arm and waves her over. 

“Hey,” she says, sliding into the booth across from him. “You’re early.”

“I’m still getting used to how long it takes to get anywhere around here,” Theo admits. “So I left a little earlier just to be sure.”

“Oh, I get that,” Maddie says. “And even when you feel like you know how long it takes, you’ll hit traffic, and that all goes out the window.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I don’t have my truck here yet,” Theo says. “I’ve heard horror stories about driving here.”

“It’s the worst,” Maddie says. “Especially the freeway. Never take it, especially if you’re in a rush. Not unless there’s no other option.”

“Noted,” Theo says.

They order their food. Maddie gets a coffee, and then a silence falls over them. It’s not necessarily uncomfortable. But Theo’s still aware of it. Especially since he knows he wanted to meet with Maddie for a reason.

Thankfully, she seems okay with breaking the silence.

“So,” Maddie says, taking a sip of her coffee. “Josh said you wanted to talk to me about something?”

Theo nods. “Yeah. I did. I've been thinking about what I want to do with my life. You know, in the long term. And I think I finally know.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Theo says. “I was thinking of going to nursing school.”

“That's great, Theo,” Maddie says.

“Josh said that you were a nurse before you became a dispatcher and suggested I talk to you to pick your brain a little bit, I guess.”

“I'll be honest, it's hard work,” Maddie says. “But I always felt like it was worth it, getting to see people when they're at their lowest and help them through it. It felt like what I was doing mattered.”

“I can see that with the nurses I work with,” Theo says. “Even if there are hard days, they tell me it’s worth it as long as they keep sight of why they’re doing it.”

Maddie nods. “That’s true. I know a few nurses I worked with in the past went in it for the money, and they tended to burn out really quickly. So, as long as you’re sure and you’re doing it for the right reasons…”

“I am sure,” Tbeo says. “I just wanted to talk to someone who’d actually been through it.”

“You work in a hospital,” Maddie says. “You could have talked to any of the nurses there.”

“I know,” Theo says. “But I think some of them are afraid of scaring me off. So, when Josh mentioned talking to you, it sounded like a good idea. I wanted someone who would be honest with me.”

Maddie smiles. “I just feel like people should know what they’re signing up for ahead of time. It saves a lot of pain and frustration in the long run rather than pretending the job is perfect. No job is, Theo. That’s why finding what you really want to do is important. And if that’s a nurse, great. For the record, I think you’ll be great at it.”

“Really?” Theo questions. He’s not used to this, having people around who believe in him. Who don’t know everything about his past and won’t judge him. Who just see him as he is now. It’s nice.

“Of course,” Maddie says. “You’re a good kid, Theo. And if you ever have a rough day and want to vent your frustrations, I’m here. Trust me, I have more than a few horror stories of my own I could share.”

She smiles and holds up her cup towards him. Theo laughs and clinks his against hers. “Okay, deal.”

That night, Theo goes online and fills out his application for nursing school. He takes a picture of the screen and sends it to Liam. 

“Guess who took the plunge and applied to nursing school!”

A few minutes later, Liam replies. “No way! Seriously? That’s awesome, Theo!”

“Thanks,” Theo sends back. “Now I just have to pass my classes.”

“You’ll do great,” Liam says. “Mom and Dad agree.”

Theo smiles and closes his computer. Now, he just has to get in and survive all the classes and clinicals. It’s not going to be easy. He knows that. But he’s ready.

Chapter Text

If you had told Josh two months ago that before long, he would have a twenty-year-old living in his apartment, he wouldn’t have believed it. And yet, here he is, housing his cousin who, until not that long ago, he didn’t even know existed.

But life is funny like that, he supposes.

Having Theo around has been different. When he first met the kid, he could tell he had walls built around him that were miles high. He had his guard up, and from what Jenna told him, he hadn’t had the easiest life. So, Josh can’t really blame him for that.

Not that he got that many details on what Theo had been through. Jenna had simply said it had been “a lot” and that Theo could tell him the rest if and when he was ready. 

Surprisingly, it doesn’t take that long for Theo to start to trust him, and slowly, he’s watched those walls begin to come down as the two get to know each other. He still doesn’t know much about Theo’s life before they met, but that’s fine. Whatever it is, Josh doesn’t need to know. Not if Theo doesn’t want to talk about it.

It’s been nice having someone else around, though. He’s spent most of his adulthood alone and hadn’t expected that to change anytime soon, as much as he might wish otherwise. Sure, he has friends, but it’s different having someone that’s there all the time. Someone to come home to. He hadn’t realized how much he’d been missing that until Theo.

“So, how are things going with Theo?” Buck asks him. “Really?”

Josh isn’t surprised by the question. In truth, he’d been expecting it at some point. He had invited a stranger out of the blue to live with him. Of course, his friends would have questions about it and want to check in. And he loves them for it. 

He can’t help but wonder if that was why Buck and Tommy had invited him out tonight to begin with. Not that he calls them on it.

“They’re fine,” Josh says. “He keeps to himself sometimes, but he’s young. I can’t blame him for wanting his space, especially since he was alone for so long. It’s hard to let people close to you when you’re not used to it. But we’ve been getting there.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely not easy to let people in when you’re used to having your walls up,” Tommy says. “The kid’s lucky to have you.”

“You think so?” Josh asks him.

Tommy nods. “Not many people would let a stranger into their house, family or not. But you did. You’re a good man, Josh.”

Josh ducks his head, trying to fight off the blush threatening to rise in his cheeks. “Thank you.”

“It’s true,” Buck says. “You’re giving Theo a chance he might not have had otherwise. He’s lucky to have to.”

“That’s nice of you to say,” Josh says. “But he had a good home before I took him in. The Geyer’s really did a lot for him. Jenna, especially.”

“She’s the one that tracked you down?” Buck asks him.

Josh nods. “Yeah. I’m still not quite sure how. I was kind of afraid to ask. She’s a nice woman, but I also got the feeling that she’s someone you don’t want to mess with.”

“Sounds like someone else Theo is lucky to have in his corner,” Buck says.

Josh nods. “Yeah, she is.”

“So, you said Theo’s from Beacon Hills?” Tommy asks him, taking a sip from his beer.

“Yeah, a small town. Seemed normal enough,” Josh says. Tommy shifts slightly in his seat, glancing away quickly before looking back at the table. Interesting reaction. Josh frowns. “Why? Do you know it?”

“I’ve never been there,” Tommy says.

“But you’ve heard of it?” Josh questions. Why else would he look so shifty all of a sudden?

“Only because of my brother,” Tommy says. 

“I didn’t know you had a brother,” Buck says, frowning over at his boyfriend. 

“We don’t talk,” Tommy says. “For good reason.”

“I’m guessing there’s a story there,” Josh says. “And it involves Beacon Hills?”

“Yeah,” Tommy says. “He was a contract killer and tried to kill a deputy there once as part of some murder ring. He set the guy’s patrol car on fire with him in it. He's in prison now, and rightfully so.”

“Wow,” Buck says, his shocked face mirroring Josh’s own. 

What the fuck?

Tommy sighs and thankfully continues without prompting from Josh or Buck. “When he was caught, he kept going on and on about werewolves and other supernatural creatures. Sounded completely off his rocker. Needless to say, we don't talk anymore. Not that we did much before that. Luckily, I had decided to change my last name before all that.”

Josh isn’t sure what to say to that. Buck’s whispered wow from before doesn’t seem near adequate enough for the information Tommy just dropped on them. What does anyone even say after that? Sorry your brother went crazy and tried to kill a deputy? That doesn’t feel appropriate, either.

Tommy takes another sip of his beer and laughs. “So, hopefully, Theo wasn’t involved in all that .”

“Hopefully,” Josh says. He hadn’t even thought of Theo being connected to something like that. Until then, he’d considered Beacon Hills a pretty normal and safe place to live. And maybe it had been, except for that one incident. But then again, Jenna had said he’d been through “a lot” and had been hesitant to elaborate.

“I’m sure he wasn’t,” Buck says. “He would have only been a teenager, right?”

“Right,” Josh says.

“So,” Tommy says, smiling brightly at both of them. “Who wants another round?”

“I certainly could use another drink,” Buck says. “Josh? You have time, or do you need to get home?”

Josh looks down at his watch. It’s nearly eight thirty. So, it's still relatively early. Theo’s probably home from work by now, but he had texted Josh earlier, telling him to enjoy his night and not hurry home. He’d just order pizza. 

He knows Theo is capable of looking after himself for a few hours, and probably doesn’t mind the time to himself after a long day. Josh certainly knows he craves it, too. And then there’s Buck and Tommy, both looking at him expectantly. It’s been a while since he’s been able to spend time with them, and he’s missed it, missed them.

Not that he’s going to think too hard on why . That just threatens to nudge at a messy door that he’s not sure he’s ready to open, if he’ll ever be.

Still, he smiles and sits back in his seat. “Sure. Another round sounds great.”

“Great,” Tommy says.

Tommy smiles, and Buck beams at him, nudging his foot with his. Josh tries to ignore the butterflies dancing in his stomach at just the simple touch and smiles sent his way.

Josh doesn’t get home until late that night. Not late late. But it’s still half past ten, and Theo is in his room with his light off and the door closed when Josh lets himself into the apartment. He does his best to be quiet as he kicks off his shoes and puts his keys in the bowl by the door. 

He changes into his pajamas and plugs in his phone next to his bed. He doesn’t set an alarm, thankfully having tomorrow off so he doesn’t have to worry about being up early. He’s sure he’ll wake when Theo does, anyway.

It doesn’t take long before his eyes drift closed, and he’s asleep, visions of blue eyes swimming behind his eyelids.

Josh wakes suddenly. It takes him a moment to shake the sudden disorientation and place what had woken him. Then he hears it. Shouting.

Frightened shouting from down the hall.

Josh throws his covers back and runs out of the room and to Theo’s door, thankful to find it unlocked. He pushes it open, and his eyes scan the dark room until they land on Theo. He’s in bed still, tossing and turning and twisting in his blankets.

“No! No, please! I’m sorry!”

“Theo,” Josh says softly, moving closer to the bed. He’s heard you shouldn’t wake someone in the middle of a nightmare, but Theo sounds so scared. His voice breaks as he begs for someone in his dream to stop. And the way he’s thrashing in his sleep, Josh is afraid he’s going to hurt himself.

Josh reaches out, shaking him gently as he says his name a little louder. “Theo!”

Theo’s eyes snap open, and for a moment, Josh swears he sees a flash of gold. But it must have been a trick of the light because as quick as it’s there, it’s gone. And Theo’s looking up at him. “Josh?”

Josh isn’t sure he’s ever heard Theo’s voice sound so small. He can’t help but reach out and wrap an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. Theo tenses, and for a moment, Josh worries that he overstepped. Then he shudders and collapses against him as he sobs. Josh’s other hand comes up, rubbing down his back as he holds him.

“It’s okay,” Josh tells him. “You’re safe.”

“I don’t deserve to be,” Theo says, his voice breaking.

Josh frowns. “What? Of course, you do.”

“I’ve done things,” Theo chokes out between sobs. “Bad things. Things I can never make up for.”

Josh’s heart breaks listening to him. Especially when the sobs get worse, and he turns, tucking himself against Josh’s chest. Josh just holds him tighter. For the second time that night, Josh isn’t sure what to say. He doesn’t know about Theo’s past. About what he went through or might have done that he deems himself so unworthy of forgiveness. But he knows he can’t let Theo think any of that is true.

“Theo, I might not know what about your past or the things you’ve done. But I know the person you are now. And that is someone worthy of love and safety and forgiveness.”

Josh’s shirt muffles Theo’s next sob, but he feels the way Theo grips him tighter. “I’m not…”

“You are,” Josh tells him. “You’re a good kid, Theo. I don’t care if I have to sit here all night and fight your demons with you. I will until you believe me.”

Theo sniffles and looks up at him. “Stubborn.”

“I guess it runs in the family,” Josh says.

Theo pulls back, and Josh drops his arms, giving him some space. For a moment, they’re both silent. Theo sits, shoulders hunched, and stares at his hands. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“You didn’t,” Josh says, though they both know it’s a lie. “The city’s noisy.”

“I thought you were used to it,” Theo says.

Josh shrugs. “Guess tonight I wasn’t.”

“And you just happened to be awake and heard me,” Theo says, still not looking convinced.

“Yes, I suppose I was,” Josh says.

Another moment of silence. And Josh expects that to be it. But then Theo surprises him, whispering quietly into the dark, “Thank you.”

“We’re family,” Josh says. “I’m always here, Theo.”

“I guess I’m still getting used to that being what family means,” Theo says.

“It’s okay,” Josh says. “I sort of am too. We can work on that together.”

“Okay.”

“You gonna try to get back to sleep?” Josh asks him. “I can stay if you want.”

Theo shakes his head. “No, it’s okay. You sleep. I think I’ll see if Liam’s still awake.”

“Of course,” Josh says. He squeezes Theo’s shoulder and gets to his feet. “I’m just down the hall if you need anything. No matter what time it is or what it is.”

Theo nods, but he’s already typing something on his phone. “Yeah, thanks. Goodnight.”

“Night, Theo.”

Josh goes back to his room and turns off the light. He does his best to get comfortable, hoping to at least get a few more hours of sleep before he has to be up in the morning. But try as he might, he can’t shake the feeling of uneasiness that settles over him. He thinks back to his dinner with Buck and Tommy and Tommy’s startling tale about the town of Beacon Hills. At first, he’d been able to shake off any thought of Theo being wrapped up in something dangerous like that. But now, after Theo’s nightmare, he’s a little less sure. 

It’s not that he thinks that Theo would have been wrapped up in something like a murder ring, but he’s clearly been through something traumatic. Something he feels he doesn’t deserve forgiveness for.

It’s clear enough that he’s not ready to talk about it. Not with Josh. Maybe he doesn’t quite trust him enough. At least not yet. And that’s fine. They’ve barely known each other a month. It takes time. Especially with all the walls between them. 

Josh promises himself that whatever it is, he’s going to be there for Theo, if and when he finally decides to tell him.

Chapter Text

The warm air hits him immediately as Theo steps off the bus just down the street from the restaurant where he’s meeting Josh for dinner. It’s taken some getting used to— this whole public transport thing. Most of the time, it makes him miss his truck and the freedom that comes with it. But it’s not terrible. At least not always. It’s actually where he gets a lot of his amusement for the day, listening to the conversations and sometimes arguments of his fellow travelers. 

But today? He wishes he had his truck. The bust had run late, which meant he was ten minutes late from when he was supposed to meet Josh.

Theo shoulders his backpack and takes a few steps down the road, looking for any sign of Josh or the others near the restaurant.

“Well, well, look who we have here.”

Theo tenses at the familiar voice behind him. He suppresses a shiver at the cold laugh as he spins around, facing her.

“Monroe.”

“Hello, Mr. Raeken,” Monroe says. “I can’t say I expected to see you here in the city. Don’t you usually dwell in the sewers with the rats?”

“What can I say? I’m branching out,” Theo says.

“Hopefully not too far,” Monroe says. “I’d hate to hear you’re up to no good.”

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” Theo says.

Monroe smirks. “Maybe I would if it meant a chance to finally rid the world of one more monster.”

“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” Theo says. “I’m just passing through, and then I’ll be on my way.”

Monroe smiles, but it’s something cruel. “It better stay that way. We wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt, would we?”

“No,” Theo says. “We wouldn’t.”

She laughs again, throwing her head back, and Theo fights the urge to growl, roll his eyes, or both. “Goodnight, Theo.”

Theo watches as she walks down the road before taking off in the opposite direction towards the restaurant. Josh is waiting outside when he gets there.

“There you are,” Josh says. “I was starting to get worried.”

“Sorry, I was running a little late,” Theo says. “You know how the bus can be.”

“No problem,” Josh says. “I’m just glad you made it. Everyone’s been asking when I’d be bringing you to dinner again.”

“Well, here I am,” Theo says, gesturing to himself. “And I’m starving.”

Josh laughs and claps him on the back, leaving his hand there as he steers him into the restaurant. “Well, then, I can’t have that. Let’s get you some food.”

Theo barely tastes the food, if he’s being honest. Everything tastes faintly metallic, almost like blood. It takes him a little too long to realize it’s from him biting his tongue. 

“So, Theo,” Maddie says. “How’s work going?”

“Good,” Theo says, doing his best to smile at her. He doesn’t want to draw attention to himself. It’s not like he could ever explain the encounter he just had. Not without revealing too much. “It’s good.”

“Have you heard anything from any of the colleges you applied to about nursing school?” she asks him.

“Not yet,” Theo says.

“It’s still early,” she says. “I’m sure you’ll hear back soon. They’d be crazy not to take you.”

“I’ll still have to pass the entrance exam,” Theo says.

Maddie grimaces. “Oh, that. I wish I still had some of my review books to give you.”

“I actually got some from one of the nurses at work,” Theo says. “I’ve been going over them whenever I can.”

“That’s great!” Maddie says. “And if you need any help studying, you let me know. I might not be working as a nurse, but I still remember a lot of things.”

“Like muscle memory,” Chimney says. “It’s definitely come in handy in a crisis.”

“Good to know,” Theo says. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” she says.

The conversation shifts, and Theo sighs, turning his attention back to his plate of barely touched food. Next to him, Josh nudges his shoulder. “I thought you said you were starving. Is the food okay?”

“It’s fine,” Theo says. “I guess I wasn’t as hungry as I thought.”

Josh studies his face for a moment before nodding. “Okay, but if you want to order something else…”

“It’s fine, Josh,” Theo says. “Really.”

“Everything okay?” Josh asks him.

“Yeah, just a hard shift,” Theo says.

Josh smiles sympathetically and pats his back. He doesn’t get a chance to say anything else, before he’s pulled into a conversation by Tommy and Buck. Something Theo is grateful for. He hates lying to Josh. But it’s not like he can tell him about his run-in with Monroe. That would raise too many other questions. And he doesn’t want to drag Josh into that. Not if he can avoid it.

No, for now, it’s safer if he doesn’t know.

Theo goes about life as normally as he can the next few days, most of it spent between work and studying and then taking his entrance exam. There are a couple of days where his and Josh’s schedules don’t quite line up, and he barely sees him with Josh usually still asleep when Theo gets up for work or at work when Theo gets off. 

Tonight is the first night they’ll both be home for dinner at the same time. Josh is off and had texted him early this morning asking him what he felt like and if he wanted anything special from the store.

It was a typical day, full of the usual chaos of work and Theo taking the little time he had to rest during his lunch break. His brain feels fried from all the studying, and then finally taking his test yesterday.

He was looking forward to being able to relax when he got home and spend some time decompressing with Josh and some stupid movie.

So, it’s a little confusing when Theo unlocks the door and finds all the lights off and no sign of Josh.

“Josh?” Theo calls out into the dark apartment. 

There’s no answer. Theo frowns. He doesn’t hear his heartbeat either, which is strange. Josh was off today, and they had plans to have dinner together tonight once Theo got home. Josh should be here. Unless he forgot or maybe ran late doing something else.

Theo grabs his phone from his pocket, pulls up Josh’s contact, and presses the call button. At the same time it starts to ring, Theo hears something vibrating in the living room. Unease builds in Theo as he walks around the couch and sees Josh’s phone on the table.

Something definitely isn’t right here. Josh never goes anywhere without his phone. Even in an emergency, he would never just leave it.

Theo glances around the apartment, trying to see if anything else seems out of place, but nothing immediately catches his eye. 

He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but then a strong wave of Josh’s scent hits him, but it feels wrong. His heart pounds heavily in his chest as he follows the scent into the kitchen, taking everything in, looking for anything out of place. Then he sees it.

A piece of paper is stuck to the fridge. There’s a note written on it in bright red. And he knows immediately what it is— Josh’s blood.

“So much for just passing through. If you want Josh back, you'll have to find him. Hurry though. He might not have much time. Come alone, or else.”

No.

Theo’s legs threaten to give out, and he falls back against the counter.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

He’d been so careful. Done his best to keep Josh away from his past and all the things that could hurt him. But it had caught up with him. He should have known it would eventually. Especially after Monroe had shown up. But he was sure he’d done a good job of getting her off his trail.

But apparently not. Because she’d clearly seen him with Josh and had figured out who he was to him— That he was someone important. 

Theo’s hands shake as he pulls up Liam’s number on his phone. He places it on speaker and sets it on the counter, not trusting himself to hold it.

“Hello?” Liam’s voice comes through the speaker.

“She has him,” Theo says. “She has him, and she’s going to kill him.”

“Wait, slow down,” Liam says. “Who has who?”

“Monroe,” Theo says. “She took Josh. She must have seen me with him the other day and put the pieces together, and she’s taken him.”

“Shit,” Liam says. “You’re sure it’s her?”

“I ran into her, Liam,” Theo says. “I told her I didn’t want any trouble and was just passing through. I thought that was enough, but damn it, she must have seen me meet Josh at the restaurant. And now she has him.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, Liam!” Theo snaps. “She left a note in his blood! She said if I want him back, I’ll have to find him and to hurry because he doesn’t have much time.”

“Shit,” Liam says.

“I have to find him, Liam,” Theo says. “I can’t let him get hurt because of me.”

“It’s not your fault, Theo,” Liam says. “Monroe is just psychotic.”

“But she only took him because of me,” Theo says.

“Look, Mason already called Scott and filled him in, okay? We're on our way,” Liam says. “But it could be a few hours. In the meantime, maybe you should call the cops.”

“And tell them what, Liam?” Theo questions. “That a group of hunters kidnapped my cousin to get to me because I'm some lab-made werewolf, and they want me dead? I'm sure that'll go over well.”

Liam sighs. “You don't have to tell them that. Just that Josh has been kidnapped, and you need help finding him.”

“And then they get dragged unknowingly into a supernatural versus hunter war,” Theo says. “That isn't any better.” He sighs and runs a hand down his face. “I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me, Liam.”

“This isn't…”

“She took him because he knows me,” Theo cuts in. “I should have known better than to think I could actually start over.”

“You can,” Liam says. “Look, I'm coming. Just don't do anything stupid before we get there.”

“I make no promises,” Theo says. 

“I know, but you can't go up against a group of hunters on your own,” Liam points out. 

“I know,” Theo mutters. “Just hurry. Alright?”

“I am.”

They hang up, and Theo sits heavily in Josh's recliner. He tosses his phone aside and puts his head in his hands. What the hell is he supposed to do now?

He knows Liam told him to wait for backup. But it feels wrong to sit here knowing Josh is out there in danger. He could at least do something, try to track Josh’s scent, and maybe get an idea of where he could be before Liam gets to town. So that when help does arrive they’re not wasting time scrambling to find him.

He nods to himself and jumps to his feet. He grabs his phone from where he left it on the counter and his keys and runs out the door, barely remembering to stop and lock it behind him. He takes a moment and breathes in, searching for Josh’s scent. It’s there but faint. Theo can’t be sure if it’s from tonight or lingering from the other times Josh had stood in this exact spot. He sighs and takes off down the hallway towards the elevator. He hesitates a moment and then decides to take the stares to the back. 

Monroe wouldn’t have been stupid enough to take Josh into the elevator and out the main door. It was too big a risk of someone seeing them. No, she would have gone out the back to the alley. So, that’s what Theo does. Josh’s scent is stronger in the stairwell, along with the metallic smell of blood. Theo’s stomach turns as he fights back a wave of nausea.

Underneath all the fear and guilt is also anger. At himself for being foolish enough to think Monroe would actually leave him in peace and Monroe for daring to bring Josh into this. Josh, who had opened up his home and his life to him without question. He didn’t deserve whatever twisted plans Monroe had for him.

He must be so afraid right now, having no idea just what sort of mess he’s been dragged into or the danger he’s truly in.

Theo uses that anger to help fuel him as he moves through the streets, trying to catch Josh’s scent. It grows fainter after the alley, and Theo knows they must have put him in some sort of vehicle to take him to wherever they’re hiding, which is going to make this even harder. Especially with how diluted it already is in the city, dulled down by the thousands of people here. 

But Theo isn’t going to give up. He’ll search however long it takes until he has Josh back and knows he’s safe. 

Chapter Text

Josh blinks his eyes open with a groan. His head is killing him— a sharp, throbbing pain going through it with even the tiniest of movements. 

What the hell happened? And where is he? 

The last thing he remembers is coming home from the store and putting the groceries away in the kitchen. He’d heard a noise by the door and turned, and then… nothing. That’s where things start to get blurry. Had someone hit him? That would explain the splitting headache.

But who…?

There’s a loud clanking of heels against concrete, and Josh squints, trying to make out the figure walking towards him. But even as she gets closer, nothing about her seems remotely familiar. Two men follow behind her with guns in their hands that are pointed right at Josh.

“Hello, Mr. Russo,” the woman says.

“Do I know you?” Josh asks her.

“Not yet,” she says. “But you and I are going to get very acquainted soon.”

Josh frowns. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Why did some woman he’s never met or seen before kidnap him and bring him to some… he looks around the room. It’s big and open, almost like a warehouse. Josh fights back a snort.  How fitting.

“Sorry about all this,” the woman says, looking bored and not the least bit sorry. “It's nothing personal.”

“You have me tied to a chair with guns pointed at me,” Josh says. “It feels pretty personal.”

The woman looks at the two men and nods. They lower their guns and step back. She smiles and pulls up a chair, still keeping her distance as she sits facing him. “As I said, it's not personal.”

“Then why am I still tied up?” Josh asks her. 

“So you don't try to run,” she says. “I can't have you getting away before our guest of honor arrives.”

“And who is that?” Josh asks, still trying to figure out just what her game is. He doesn't recognize her. Can't figure out what she could possibly want with him. 

“Your cousin,” she says. “Theo.”

Josh's heart drops. Theo? What could Theo possibly have to do with any of this? “Theo's just a kid. He's innocent.”

The woman laughs, the sound echoing off the concrete walls. It's not pleasant. Then again, he supposes neither is she. “Oh, he is far from innocent. He's a monster.”

“Says the woman who ties people up and threatens them with guns,” Josh says. “Theo hasn't done anything.”

“Theo has done plenty,” she says. “His hands are far from clean. He's killed people.”

Josh shakes his head. “No.”

I've done things. Bad things. Things I can never make up for. 

The words come back like a whisper in the back of his mind. Words Theo had spoken between sobs when he'd woken up from a nightmare. Words Josh had shushed away with a hand down his back and whispered reassurances that it doesn't matter. 

“Do you even know your cousin at all?” The woman asks him. “Do you know the monster you've let into your home? Into your life? Do you even know how much danger you're in because of him?”

“He's a good kid,” Josh says. “He'd never hurt me.”

“I wouldn't be so sure,” she says. “He did kill his own sister, after all. Why should you be any different?”

Josh shakes his head. “No, he wouldn’t—”

“He really does have you fooled, doesn’t he?” the woman asks. “He has you thinking he’s some sweet kid when really he’s a monster and a murderer.”

“Shut up,” Josh mutters.

“He killed his sister,” the woman continues. “Left her to freeze to death in a creek and then took her heart for his own. He killed his parents, too. And so many other people.”

Josh averts his gaze, not able to look at her as the words wash over him. He just can’t reconcile it— what she’s saying with the boy living in his apartment. 

I’ve done things. Bad things.

Josh shudders. 

Oh, Theo. What have you done?

Josh squares his shoulders, not wanting to show the woman that her words have had any effect on him. She could be lying, trying to turn him against Theo for all he knows. He can’t let that happen. No matter what she says, it doesn’t matter. He’s not going to trust it unless he hears it from Theo.

“No matter what you think he may have done, he’s good,” Josh says. “He’s building a life for himself here.”

“And why should he be allowed to?” she asks him. “After all the pain and suffering he’s caused, why should he be allowed a second chance?”

“Because he’s trying,” Josh says. “He’s working hard and trying to do better. He’s helping people.”

“All to ease his conscience, no doubt,” she says. “But it won’t erase what he did. Nothing will. It's time he learns that lesson.”

“And you think you should be the one to go teach him that?” Josh asks her, trying to figure out what her plan is.

“Who else?” She asks. “No one else seems up to the task. I may have even failed at it myself in the past. But I plan to make sure it sticks this time.”

“You're not going to touch him,” Josh says, his anger and fear rising. 

She smiles. “Oh, no. With this lesson, I won't have to. But he'll wish I had when his poor heart breaks.”

“What are you going to do to him?” Josh says as she gets to her feet. He fights against the ropes digging into his skin, but it’s useless.

“I never said I was doing anything to him,” the woman says.

Josh freezes, a cold fear running down his spine as he starts putting the pieces together. She kidnapped him and brought him here. She said she wants to teach Theo a lesson that sticks. One that shows him he doesn’t deserve to start over. 

She’s not going to kill Theo. 

She’s going to kill him while Theo watches.

Josh fights back a shudder. 

“You could at least tell me your name,” Josh says. He’s not sure why it matters anymore. But he still has to ask. He has to keep her talking. Maybe buy a little time. For what, he’s not sure. “I think I deserve to know who you are if you’re going to kill me.”

“You think you’re smart, don’t you?” she asks him. “That you’ve figured it all out?” She shakes her head. “Theo also thought he knew everything too, and look where that got him. Still, I suppose it can’t hurt to tell you. It’s not like you can ever do anything with that information anyway. I plan to be long gone before anyone figures anything out, and this will all have been a tragic accident.”

A tragic accident. Is that what she considers murder? She’s seeming more and more unhinged with every word she speaks.

“Tamora,” she says. “Tamora Monroe. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I need to make sure everything is ready for when our guest arrives.”

She turns and leaves without another word, the two men following after her. And isn’t that insulting? She must not think he has much chance of escaping if she’s not leaving someone to watch him. Josh sighs and sinks back against the chair. She’s right, though. No matter how much he struggles with the ropes, he can’t get them free. He can’t remember the last time he felt this helpless.

He just hopes wherever Theo is, he knows better than to come here and walk into whatever trap this Tamora Monroe is setting for him.

Josh isn’t sure how long he’s been sitting there before Tamora walks back into the room. She’s alone this time. No men pointing guns at him. Just her, sitting in the same chair, facing him.

“I hope you’ve taken some time to think,” Tamora says.

“Think about what exactly?” Josh asks her.

“Your cousin,” Tamora says. “And all the things he’s done. All the people he’s made suffer for his own gain.”

“I’ve thought about it,” Josh says. And it’s not a lie. He’s had a lot of time to sit here and think about the things she told him about Theo. But try as he might, he’s still struggling to reconcile the person he knows with the monster she’s claiming Theo is. It just doesn’t make sense to him.

“You still don’t believe me,” she says.

“Why should I?” Josh asks her. “You kidnapped me and tied me to a chair. Then you tell me my cousin killed his own family for no reason and that he’s hurt other people. Why should I believe you?”

“Oh, Josh, I never said it was for no reason,” Tamora says. “I’m just not sure you’re ready to know everything.”

“Try me,” Josh says.

She shrugs. “If you insist.”

“I do,” Josh says.

Because if she’s going to kill him because of something she thinks Theo did, he deserves to know why.

“I already told you Theo watched his sister die,” she says. “Then he took his heart. But that’s not the only thing he gained that day. You see, a trio of scientists took him in and gave him his sister's heart. But they also gave him something else. Abilities. I can’t say they made him a monster since he helped kill Tara, his sister, when he was still human— a child at that. But they made him wrong.”

“Wrong, how?” Josh asks her.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of werewolves,” Tamora says. “Supernatural creatures like that. I’m here to tell you that they exist, Mr. Russo. And they’re closer than you think.”

Josh laughs. He can’t help it. This woman really is crazy. “Are you telling me that these scientists took Theo and made him a werewolf?”

“A chimera, actually,” Tamora says. “Part werewolf and coyote. But yes. They made him. And many others. They killed the ones they claimed were failures. They even tried to kill Theo, too, at some point. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is Theo, the very monster living under your roof.”

“Why should I believe you?” Josh asks her.

“Because it’s the truth,” she says. She gets to her feet and walks closer. Josh tries not to flinch back. But she stops a few feet away and pulls down her shirt, revealing a nasty scar. Josh shudders. “No ordinary animal gave me this. And while it wasn’t Theo himself, it was another one of the monsters born in the same lab. And he let it run loose on the town, terrorizing and killing people, laughing all the while.”

Josh shudders and looks away. She laughs. “I know. It’s hideous. It’s something I have to live with every day. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you or anyone else. That’s why I’m doing this.”

None of this makes sense. Werewolves? That’s insane. And yet… 

He thinks of Tommy telling him about his brother and his claims about werewolves in Beacon Hills. How he’d tried to kill someone because of it. 

At the time, he’d hoped that Theo hadn’t been close to all of that.

But if Tamora is telling the truth, he’s been wrapped up in it for far longer than that. 

He shakes his head. Scar or no scar, it can’t be true— none of it. Theo can’t be… He can’t be what she says he is. 

“I know it’s hard,” Tamora says. “It always is at first. But I can help you.”

“How?” Josh snaps. “By killing me.”

“You’ve got it wrong,” Tamora says. She kneels in front of him and takes his hand. “I’m not going to kill you, Josh. Now that you know the truth, you’re going to do the right thing.”

“And what’s that?” Josh asks her.

“You’re to help me rid this world of a monster,” Tamora says. “The one that lied to you. That invaded your life and your home. Who pretended to care about you. Who used you.”

Josh frowns. He doesn’t like where this is going. Not one bit. “What exactly do you expect me to do?”

She smiles. “You’re going to kill Theo.”

Chapter Text

It’s nearing midnight when Theo gets a text from Liam. “Where are you?” It’s quickly followed by another one. “We’re at your apartment. Come home.”

Theo sighs and looks around the empty street. Going home now feels like giving up, but he’s been out here for hours searching for Josh with no luck. He’d hoped to have a lead by now.

He sends Liam a text that he’s on his way and then turns around, heading toward his and Josh’s apartment. 

He doesn’t see anyone outside when he gets back, but he can hear multiple heartbeats inside, Liam’s being the most obvious one. He doesn’t bother thinking of why right now.

He barely steps into the apartment when Liam barrels into him, hugging him tightly. “Are you okay?”

Theo sighs and pulls back. “I’m fine. I’m not the one that was kidnapped.”

“This is the note?” Scott asks, nodding towards the note on the counter.

Theo nods. “Yeah, that’s it.”

“And there was nothing else?” Stiles asks him.

“No, nothing,” Theo says. “The place was just as we left it. So, they must have snuck up on him.”

“Any luck tracking him?” Liam asks him.

“If I had, I wouldn’t be here,” Theo says.

“That’s true,” Liam says. “You probably would have done something stupid like go in alone.”

“I can’t let her kill him, Liam,” Theo says.

“I know,” Liam says gently. “We won’t let that happen.”

“Besides, it’s not really him that she wants but you,” Derek says.

“Which is exactly why you’re not going alone,” Liam says.

“But the note—”

“I don’t care what the note says,” Liam says. “I’m not sending you into a trap by yourself!”

“He’s right,” Stiles says. “I might not be your biggest fan.”

“Understatement of the year,” Theo mutters.

“But,” Stiles goes on as if he hadn’t heard Theo. “You can be useful. Sometimes.”

“Touching as that was, we need a plan,” Derek says. “We know Monroe isn’t working alone. We have to be smart about this.”

“Meaning no running in with claws out,” Stiles says.

“Yeah, I got that,” Theo says. “Not that I would. Josh doesn’t… he doesn’t know.”

“Maybe not before, but we can’t be so sure he doesn’t now,” Scott says. “There’s no telling what Monroe has been telling him.”

Theo sighs and rubs a hand down his face. “Great.”

“Josh is smart, and he trusts you,” Liam says. “He’s not going to let Monroe manipulate him.”

Theo nods but still feels a sinking feeling in his gut. He’d been so worried about Monroe hurting Josh that he hadn’t stopped to consider what she might be saying to him, all the lies she could be telling him— and even worse, the truth. He’d been so careful to keep his secret and now Josh could be hearing some twisted version of it. 

Scott’s phone vibrates, and he pulls it out, reading over a text message. “It’s Lydia. Malia and her spotted Monroe and followed her to a warehouse not long ago.”

“Then we have to go,” Theo says. “Now!” He grabs his keys and runs to the door. He stops when he notices no one is following him. “What?”

“The plan?” Scott says.

“We can talk about it on the way,” Theo says. “We’ve already lost too much time. And I don’t— I don’t know how much Josh has left.”

Scott shares a look with Derek, who shrugs. “Chris said he’s not far. He can always meet us there.”

“Good enough for me,” Scott says. “Let’s go.”

“You can ride with me,” Liam tells Theo. “Scott, will you text me the address?”

“On it,” Scott says.

“You drove separately?” Theo asks Liam as they make their way down to his car.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of us,” Liam says.

“You mean more than you, Scott, Stiles, and Derek?” Theo asks him.

“Yeah, man,” Liam says. “Lydia, Malia, Corey, Mason, Parrish. Argent is on his way here with Peter and some others. They all know we can’t let Monroe get away again.”

Theo nods. “No, we can’t.”

He knows this is bigger than Josh. That Monroe has been a threat for a while and they’re all anxious to stop her before she hurts anyone else. But she has already. It’s hard to see the bigger picture when she’s out there right now, hurting Josh.

“We’ll get him back,” Liam tells him as they climb into his car.

“I hope so,” Theo says. “I can’t lose him, Liam.”

“You won’t,” Liam says.

He reaches over and squeezes Theo’s hand before turning the car on and plugging the address Scott texted him into his GPS. Then, he calls Scott to go over the plan once they get there.

It seems simple enough. Theo will enter the warehouse with Liam while everyone else waits outside as backup in case things take a turn. Theo’s hoping they won’t. He doesn’t want to risk Josh’s safety more than they have to, but he also knows Monroe isn’t going to give up without a fight.

He looks over at Liam as they approach the door to the warehouse. “It’s not too late for you to turn back.”

“Nice try,” Liam says. “But I’m not letting you go in here alone.”

“Even though that’s what she asked,” Theo says.

“We’ll just say that part was smeared,” Liam says.

Theo rolls his eyes. “Right.”

They enter the warehouse and quietly make their way down the hall. It’s mostly dark, but Theo can see a faint light ahead and knows that’s where they must be keeping Josh.

“Theo,” Liam says softly. “Have you noticed how quiet it is?”

Theo nods. He had noticed. He doesn’t hear any voices or footsteps, and there are only two heartbeats besides his and Liam’s. It should ease his worries that he’s not walking into an ambush, but it doesn’t. 

This feels almost too easy.

They enter the room, and Theo’s eyes instantly land on Josh. He’s sitting in a chair on the other side of the room with his head bowed.

“Josh,” Theo whispers.

“I’m glad you could make it, Mr. Raeken,” Monroe says, stepping out of the shadows and next to Josh. “We’ve been waiting. Haven’t we, Josh?”

Josh looks up at her, and then quickly away. He doesn’t say anything.

“Josh,” Theo says, taking a step forward. “Josh, are you—”

“He’s fine,” Monroe says. “Just a bump on the head. But it’ll heal. But his heart? Oh, that’s another story.”

“What did you do to him?” Theo snarls.

Monroe tuts. “Oh, me? I just told him the truth. We had a nice chat about you. At first, he seemed reluctant to hear it, but we got there in the end.”

“Right, so you tried to fill his head with your bullshit,” Liam says. “Just like before.”

“It’s not bullshit,” Monroe says. “It’s the truth. And everyone sees it in the end.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Liam whispers. “He seems… off.”

Liam’s right. Josh’s shoulders are tense, and he still won’t look at Theo. It feels wrong. All of this does.

Monroe leans down next to Josh. “You remember what we talked about?”

“I do,” Josh says.

“And you know what has to be done?” 

“I do,” Josh says again.

She pats his cheek and stands up. “Good.”

She pulls out a gun, and Theo tenses. 

“Easy,” Liam mutters.

“Everything alright in there?” Scott asks. “Do we need to come in?”

“Not yet,” Liam says quietly. To Theo, he says. “This doesn’t feel right. Where is everyone?”

“I don’t know,” Theo says. His eyes are still on Monroe and the gun. She’s looking right at Theo and smirking. She raises the gun but doesn’t point it at Theo or Liam like he’s expecting. Instead, she holds it out towards Josh. 

“What the—?” Liam asks, his words mirroring Theo’s own confusion.

Especially when Josh takes the gun and finally lifts his head, meeting Theo’s eyes.

Theo gasps. “Josh?”

“You know what you have to do,” Monroe says.

“I do,” Josh says. Theo’s starting to hate those two words. Josh gets to his feet and stands facing Theo.

“J—Josh?” Theo whispers.

Josh’s face is blank as he looks at Theo and raises the gun, pointing it right at him. Next to him, Liam is frantically saying something, and Scott answers. But Theo can’t register anything except Josh.

“Josh, you don’t have to do this,” Theo says. “Whatever she told you, we can talk about it.”

“I think you two are way past talking,” Monroe says. “It’s time for action. Just like we discussed, Josh.”

Josh takes a shuddering breath and closes his eyes. A tear slides down his cheek. When he opens his eyes, there’s pain there. “I know what I have to do.”

“But you don’t,” Theo says, his voice breaking. “You— we can talk. I can explain everything.”

“There’s no explaining away what you’ve done,” Monroe says. 

“And what about you?” Theo asks her. “What about what you’ve done? All the people you’ve hurt? You’re not innocent either.”

“I did what I had to do,” Monroe says. “To rid the world of monsters like you.”

“Including killing your own,” Theo says.

“I did what was necessary,” Monroe says. “Just like Josh is now. Isn’t that right, Josh?”

Josh’s hand shakes slightly, but it’s enough for Theo. Enough to give him hope that he can still get through to Josh.  “Josh, please. You don’t have to do this.”

“But I do,” Josh says. “I made a promise, remember?”

Theo frowns. A promise? What is he…?

I’ll always fight for you and protect you, Theo. I promise.

Theo gasps, understanding suddenly washing over him as he flashes back to the night Josh had said those words after Theo had a nightmare. How he’d promised to protect him. “Josh…”

But it’s too late. Josh spins suddenly, turning the gun on Monroe. He fires off a shot just as the doors behind Theo burst open, and the room is filled with chaos, from gunfire to roars and screams. None of it matters. Theo has to get to Josh.

He’s barely made two steps forward when Liam shouts his name. “Theo!”

Theo grunts and falls to the floor as something hits him— hard.

He looks up, barely registering a man's face before he’s thrown aside, and Liam looks down at him, yellow eyes blazing. He reaches down, pulling Theo to his feet.

“Was this part of the plan?” Theo asks him.

“Hell, if I know,” Liam says.

Theo shakes his head. “I need to find Josh. Last I saw, he was with Monroe.”

“I’m with you. We just have to get through all of that.” Liam nods his head at the people between them, friend and foe. 

Theo sighs. “Nothing we haven’t faced before.”

Liam smiles. “Still not dying for you, though.”

“You better not,” Theo says.

“You either,” Liam says.

“Are you two done flirting?” Stiles asks. “We could use your help!”

“Coming!” Liam says. He turns to Theo. “Ready?”

“Let’s fight,” Theo says.

They fall into a familiar rhythm, fighting side by side as they make their way through the swarm of bodies. Then there’s a break, and Theo runs through, sliding to a stop, when he finally lays eyes on Josh and Monroe.

Josh is back in his chair, with Monroe behind him, holding a knife to his throat. She sneers over at Theo. “There he is,” Monroe says, gripping Josh by the hair and yanking his head back so he’s looking right at Theo. “The monster has come out to play.”

“Let him go,” Theo tells her.

“I’d planned to,” Monroe says. “Until he betrayed me and showed me he couldn’t be trusted.”

“He’s not part of this, Monroe,” Theo says.

“He is now,” she says. “And he’s on the side of monsters. There’s no coming back from that.”

She digs the knife harder into his throat, and Josh gasps. “Theo. Just go.”

“No,” Theo says. “I’m not leaving you.”

“She’ll kill you,” Josh says.

“Not if I get her first,” Theo says.

“See?” Monroe says. “That’s who he is. A killer.”

“I don’t really think you have room to talk,” Theo says. “Considering you have a knife to my cousin's throat.”

“It’s merely self-defense,” Monroe says. “Considering he shot me.”

“And yet you’re unfortunately still standing,” Liam says.

“He needs to work on his aim,” Monroe says.

“Or he wasn’t trying to kill you,” Theo says. “Because he’s a good person. He doesn’t deserve to die.”

“Maybe not,” Monroe says. “Maybe he doesn’t have to. If you take his place.”

“No,” Liam and Josh say at the same time.

Theo never understood it before, the whole sacrifice thing. It was always himself above anyone else. It wasn’t until he met Liam that he learned that maybe there was someone he was willing to die for. And now there’s Josh. One of the kindest people Theo has ever met, who’s loved and trusted Theo without question. Theo can’t let him die. Not for him. Not if he can stop it.

“If that’s what it takes,” Theo says.

“Theo,” Josh says. “Don’t.”

Theo looks at him, unable to stop the tears from escaping. “I never wanted you to get hurt. I’m so sorry.”

“Theo…” Liam says, reaching out a hand to stop him as Theo steps forward.

“It’s fine, Liam,” Theo says. He doesn’t look at him. He can’t. He can’t look into the eyes of the person he loves when he knows what he’s about to do.

“It’s not fine,” Liam says. “Theo…”

“I’m not letting anyone else get hurt because of me,” Theo says.

“You mean that,” Monroe says, tilting her head as she studies him. “You’d really sacrifice yourself for him.”

“Yeah, I would,” Theo says. “Bet that’s not in your monster rulebook.”

“No, it’s not,” Monroe says. She smiles. “So, thank you, Mr. Raeken. For showing me your real weakness.” She raises her hand with the knife and grins. “Now I know what I have to do.”

It happens quickly. She starts to drive the knife down towards Josh, and Theo growls, eyes flashing as he starts forward, trying to get to her before she can hurt Josh. Then, a loud BANG! sounds from behind Theo, and Monroe stumbles back, eyes wide, and the knife clatters from her hands. She hits the wall, slides down, and doesn’t move again.

Theo spins around to see Chris Argent standing there. “Well, it’s about time you showed up.”

“LA traffic is a bitch,” Argent says, and then turns and walks away to where Scott and the others are tying up the rest of the hunters.

“Guess we won,” Liam says.

“Guess so,” Theo says.

Theo turns back to where Josh is still sitting in the chair. He looks mostly unharmed, but Theo can see blood on his shirt, and he’s shaking. Theo moves forward, kneeling at Josh’s side. 

“Are you hurt?” Theo asks him.

Josh just looks at him with wide eyes. “So, she was right. You're— you're— what are you?”

“Werewolf,” Theo says. “Mostly. I can explain everything later, but right now, we need to get you out of here and to the hospital.”

He helps Josh to his feet. Josh sways, and Theo reaches out to help him, but Josh flinches back. “No. I've got it.”

“Josh…”

“I've got it, Theo,” Josh says. 

There's something laced in his voice that Theo can't place— is afraid to. But it's there on his face too. Fear? Anger? Disgust? All the things Theo never wanted to see there. The reason he'd fought so hard to keep his secret. And now it's here, out in the open. Josh had seen him for who he is.

“I'm sorry,” Theo whispers. “I— I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how. I didn't want you to hate me.”

“Theo…”

“But that's too late,” Theo says. He shakes his head. “I'm glad you're okay. I’ll call Buck and Tommy so they can meet you at the hospital.”

He turns and starts walking away, ignoring Josh's calls after him, ignoring Liam, too, as he tries to stop him. 

There's a mess to clean up, Theo knows. A mess he's responsible for. Because if he'd never come here, this never would have happened. Josh could have kept living his life oblivious to the dangers that lurk in the shadows. 

Theo can't fix that now. 

But he can make sure Josh never gets pulled into it again.

Chapter Text

Josh hates hospitals— or, more accurately, he hates being a patient in the hospital. 

Which is why when he wakes up to white walls and blinding lights, he can only sigh in dismay.

“Are you in pain?”

“Do you need your nurse?”

Josh looks over to see Buck and Tommy sitting at his bedside— their lips pulled down in matching frowns. 

“You’re here?” Josh asks. He clears his throat when it barely comes out more than a rasp. Before he can even think of asking, Buck jumps to his feet and grabs him a glass of water. “Here. Drink.”

“Of course we’re here,” Tommy says. “When Theo called and said you’d been hurt…”

“Theo called you?” Josh asks them. He vaguely remembers Theo saying he would, but the whole night feels like a dream— or a nightmare, rather—especially the end when Theo had all but run away.

“He did,” Tommy says. “He seemed— off. But he told us you’d been hurt and you were being brought here. We came right away.”

“We were pretty worried,” Buck says, sitting back down next to the bed. “He didn’t really tell us what happened. And when we heard you’d been kidnapped and then stabbed…”

“We’re just glad you’re okay,” Tommy says.

“Yeah, I guess,” Josh says.

“So, where is Theo?” Buck asks him. “We kind of figured he’d be here.”

“I was wondering the same thing.” Josh looks to the door where May is standing, her arms crossed and frown in place.

“I don’t know where he is,” Josh admits. “After everything was over, he left.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” May says. “He wouldn’t just leave you when you needed him.”

“I think he feels guilty about what happened,” Josh says. “He blames himself.”

“And he went into self-deprecating mode,” May guesses.

“From how Liam acted, it’s not the first time he’s done it,” Josh says.

“Ooh, Liam’s here?” May questions, a slight smirk on her lips.

“Yeah, he showed up to help Theo search for me,” Josh says.

“Maybe that’s where Theo went,” May says.

“No, I don’t think so,” Josh says.

“What I don’t get is why not call the police,” Buck says.

“I think he was afraid to,” Josh says. “Pretty sure Monroe warned him to come alone, or she’d kill me.”

“And yet she tried to do that anyway,” Buck says.

A knock sounds on the door, and Josh looks up to see Athena there. He sighs inwardly. He knew this was coming eventually. But he’s already talking about it, so he might as well get this out of the way.

“Since you're in your uniform, I'm guessing you're not here to check up on me,” Josh says.

“I am,” Athena says. “But I also need to ask you a few questions about what happened.”

“Right.”

“So, this woman that took you, you'd never seen her before?” Athena asks him. 

Josh shakes his head. “Not until I woke up in that warehouse.”

“And did she say why?”

Josh bites his lip. This is the part of the questioning he's been dreading. “I— she said she wanted Theo. But she— she seemed completely off her rocker.”

“Why would she want Theo?” Buck asks him.

“I guess she knew him in Beacon Hills,” Josh says. 

“Yes, she did cause some trouble there,” Athena says. “She was wanted for multiple counts of kidnapping, torture, and murder. Not just there but throughout the United States.  I don't know how she flew under the radar for so long.”

“She probably had help,” Josh says.

“But how much is the question,” Athena says. “We recovered her body and some of her associates, but it's hard to say how many more are out there.”

“Wouldn't it all just fall apart without their leader?” Josh asks.

“That's the hope, but given their level of delusion, it's hard to say,” Athena says. “If they believe as strongly as she did, that's not just going to go away.”

“Believe what, exactly?” Buck asks her. 

“I don't even want to say it,” Athena says. “It sounds too crazy.”

“I'm sure we've heard worse,” Tommy says.

“Werewolves,” Josh says. “She said Beacon Hills was full of werewolves.”

“Then why did she want Theo?” May questions. “Wait— she didn't think—?”

“She did,” Josh says. “She said he was a monster, and she wanted me to kill him. And I— I took the gun from her. I never planned to shoot him, but I needed her to believe I would. But I think he did, too.”

“You haven't heard from him at all?” Athena asks him. 

“No, not since he took off,” Josh says. “I just hope he's okay.”

“He probably just needed to cool off,” Buck says. “I'm sure he'll come home soon.”

“I hope so,” Josh whispers.

He hates the thought of Theo out there on his own, thinking Josh hates him. He also hates himself a little bit for how he’d acted at the warehouse. But it had all been such a shock, and after the adrenaline had worn off, he’d had trouble processing it all. So he hadn’t handled it the best. He knows that. He just wishes he could talk to Theo and make this right. But he can’t do that here.

“I want to see my doctor,” Josh says. “I need to get home.”

“Josh, you were stabbed,” Tommy says incredulously. “You’ve barely been here twenty-four hours.”

“And that’s already too long,” Josh says. “I feel fine. And I need to get home to Theo.”

Tommy shares a look with Buck, who shrugs. Tommy sighs and gets to his feet. “I’ll find your doctor or your nurse. Someone that might be able to talk some sense into you.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Josh says. “I’ve made up my mind.”

“And all without talking to a medical professional,” Athena says. “You really are just like the rest of these knuckleheads.”

“Hey,” Buck says.

“Oh, hush,” Athena says. “As if you haven’t tried to rush out of this place multiple times before you were ready.”

“Maybe before,” Buck says. “But I’ve gotten better about it.”

“Mmhmm.”

“This is hardly like any of that,” Josh says. “I was stabbed. It’s not a big deal.”

Buck narrows his eyes. “No big deal? You were stabbed. That is a big deal. If the knife had hit even a little bit left or right, you could have died, Josh.”

“But I didn’t,” Josh says. “And I’m fine.”

“You’re lucky,” the doctor says, walking into the room with Tommy right behind her. “And your friend is right. If your assailant had better aim, you might not be sitting here talking to us right now.”

“But I am,” Josh says. “And I’m fine, right?”

“You are,” the doctor says. “There was minimal blood loss, and nothing critical was hit. We were able to patch you up. I would prefer to keep you another night and monitor you…”

“I want to go home,” Josh says. “If I have to sign myself out, I will.”

Tommy sighs. “Josh…”

“That won’t be necessary,” the doctor says. “As long as you have someone there with you…”

“He will,” Buck says. “Don’t worry.”

“Alright. If you or anyone notice any bleeding, lightheadedness, fever, anything out of the ordinary, then come back,” the doctor says. “But try and take it easy, Mr. Russo. You are fortunate. Let’s not wind up back here.”

“Trust me, that’s the last thing I want,” Josh says.

“I’ll have the nurse come in and review your paperwork,” the doctor says.

“Thank you,” Josh says.

She leaves the room, and Josh sighs, leaning back against the pillows. He looks over at Buck and Tommy, neither of which looks all that impressed.

“Are you sure you want to go home?” Buck asks him.

“I’m positive,” Josh says. “The sooner I get home, the sooner I can find Theo.”

“Well, then, I guess we’re staying at your place tonight,” Tommy says. “What do you want for dinner? I’m thinking pizza.”

“Pizza sounds good,” Buck says. “There’s that place just down the street from his apartment that you like.”

“You guys don’t have to do that,” Josh says. “I can take care of myself.”

“You heard the doctor,” Tommy says. “She doesn’t want you to be alone tonight.”

“And someone has to keep an eye on you,” Buck says. “So that’s what we’ll do.”

“Your own personal caretakers,” Tommy says. “With two of us, one will always be awake if you need us.”

Great, Josh thinks. Which means they’ll be watching to make sure he doesn’t sneak out to look for Theo himself.

“Well, it looks like you’re in good hands,” Athena says. “We’ll leave you to it.”

“Please let me know if you hear from Theo,” May says. “And have him call me when you find him.”

“I will,” Josh says. “And you’ll do the same if he reaches out to you?”

“Of course,” May says.

May and Athena leave, and Josh closes his eyes for a moment, listening as Buck and Tommy continue talking about pizza while he waits for his nurse to come in.

An hour later, Josh is letting himself into his apartment. It looks exactly as he left it— nothing out of place. Theo’s keys even sit in the bowl by the door, and Josh’s chest aches at the thought of Theo leaving them here on purpose. Unless…

He looks down the hall at the sound of movement in Theo’s room. Is he here? 

He starts to move forward, but a hand on his shoulder stops him. “Wait.”

“It could be him,” Josh says.

“But it also could be an intruder,” Tommy says.

“But Theo’s keys are here,” Josh says. 

“I know, but…”

“Theo?” Josh calls. “Is that you?”

Theo’s door opens, and Liam’s head peeks out. “No, it’s me. Sorry. I was— I was looking for Theo. I just found this.”

He holds up an envelope towards Josh. It’s unopened. 

“You didn’t read it?” Josh asks him as he takes the envelope. He can’t even be mad that Liam was in his apartment. Not when he knows he’s just doing what Josh has been desperate to do, and that’s find Theo.

“It’s addressed to you,” Liam says. “I didn’t want to pry.”

Sure enough, Josh’s name is written across the front in Theo’s now familiar writing. 

Josh’s hands shake slightly as he opens the envelope and pulls out the letter.

Dear Josh,

I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess. I never wanted that. I never wanted you to get hurt. I thought if I left Beacon Hills that maybe I could get a fresh start— a chance to start over where no one knew me and all the things I did, all the pain I caused. Where they wouldn't look at me and see a monster but just a kid. And for a while, I had that. I got to know what it was like to have a family and someone who cared about me for who I am. So thank you for that. I'll never forget everything you did for me. For the chance you gave me, even if maybe I didn't deserve it. I'm just sorry you got pulled into all of this and got hurt because of me. I hope that someday you can forgive me, but I understand if you can't and if you don't want me around. Please tell Liam I’m sorry. You won't hear from me again.

You deserve to be happy, Josh. So maybe do us all a favor and tell Buck and Tommy how you feel. Please. Take the chance I never got to take with Liam. Be happy.

Sincerely, 

Theo

Josh closes his eyes against the sting of tears that he can't hold back. They fall freely down his cheeks. “What have I done?”

“Josh?” Tommy asks, concern evident in his voice. “Everything okay?”

Josh shakes his head. “No. No, it's not.”

“He ran, didn't he?” Liam asks.

Josh sighs. “He did. He said to tell you that he's sorry.”

Liam rolls his eyes. “That damn idiot.”

“Do you have any idea where he'd go?” Josh asks him.

Liam shakes his head. “No. You were… you're the only family he has. At least that we could find. And I doubt he'd go back to Beacon Hills.”

“Still, he can't have gone far,” Tommy says.

“Did he bring his phone?” Buck asks.

“Yeah, but I doubt he'd answer,” Liam says. “I've already tried.”

“He doesn't need to answer,” Buck says. “It just needs to be on.”

“Oh!” Josh exclaims, finally catching up to what Buck's plan is. “Oh, Buck, I could kiss you!” It's only when Buck raises an eyebrow, and Tommy smirks that Josh realizes what he said. “I mean…”

“You could,” Buck says. “But maybe now isn't the time.”

He winks, and Josh clears his throat. “Right.”

“We'll talk about that later,” Tommy says. “And what exactly Theo meant at the end of that letter.”

“You read it?” Josh asks him.

“I was right behind you,” Tommy says. 

“Right.”

So much for keeping those feelings close to his chest, but neither Buck nor Tommy seem mad or put off by it… The opposite, in fact. But that’s something to think about later. 

“So, are we tracking his phone or what?” Liam asks. “I can see if Mason can do it. He's picked up a thing or two from our friend Stiles. Maybe Stiles can help him. Together, they should be able to track him down.”

“I'm betting these things aren't exactly legal,” Josh guesses.

“Does it matter?” Liam asks him. “Because you could try filing a missing person’s report and wait and see if they want to try tracking his phone or do anything at all.”

Josh sighs. He knows how long that would take if there’s even anyone willing to file the report, considering Theo isn’t technically missing. At his age, he wouldn’t even be considered a runaway— just an adult who made a decision to leave.

“Fine,” Josh says. “Do it. I just… I don’t need to know how.”

Liam nods and pulls out his phone. “Hey, Mason. I need a favor.”

“You sure you don’t want to do this officially?” Buck asks him.

“Theo’s not technically missing,” Josh says. “He’s twenty years old. They’d all probably laugh me out of the station if I tried to even say he ran away.”

“Not if you went to Athena,” Buck says.

“There’s still only so much she can do,” Josh says. “And it’s already been too long. I can’t have Theo out there alone thinking that I hate him.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t think that,” Tommy says.

“I don’t know what he’s thinking,” Josh says. “I didn’t even get to ask him or talk to him. He just took one look at my face after— after it was over, and I don’t know what he saw there, but…” Josh’s voice breaks, and he trails off, dropping his head into his hands. “I failed him.”

“You didn’t fail him,” Tommy says, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. 

“You don’t know that,” Josh says, lifting his head to look at him. “You don’t know what I did.”

“Maybe not,” Tommy says. “But I know you. I know how much you care about Theo, and he knows that too.”

“He just might need a little reminder,” Buck says, squeezing his arm. “But we’ll find him, and you can tell him.”

“And when this is all settled, you can answer a few of my questions,” Tommy says.

“About?” Josh asks him.

“The letter to start with,” Tommy says. “And then werewolves.”

“Werewolves?” Josh questions. “What do I know about werewolves?”

“I’m pretty sure, more than you’re admitting,” Tommy says.

“Wait, you don’t think they’re real?” Buck whispers. “Do you?”

“I always thought my brother was crazy how he went on about them,” Tommy admits. “But now this thing with this Monroe person? It can’t be a coincidence.”

“It’s not,” Liam says. 

“Liam,” Josh warns. 

“It’s fine,” Liam says. “You trust them, right?”

“I do,” Josh says. “With my life.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Liam says. He opens his mouth to say something when his phone starts ringing. “Hey, Mason. Wait— you did? Where? Okay, can you send me the address? Awesome! Thanks, man!”

“Good news?” Josh asks him.

“Yeah, he was able to track Theo’s phone,” Liam says. He types something on his phone and tilts his head, holding it out to Josh. “Do you know this place?”

Josh looks down at the address and shakes his head. Next to him, Tommy speaks up. “I do. It’s an old firehouse. Hasn’t been used in years.”

“But it’s still standing?” Liam asks him.

“It is,” Tommy says.

“Perfect,” Liam says. He looks at Josh. “Let’s go.”

“Wait a second,” Tommy says. “You two can’t just go running off.”

“I have to,” Josh says. “I have to find Theo and talk to him. And I need to do it alone.”

“You just got out of the hospital,” Buck tells him. “You shouldn’t be driving.”

“I’ll be fine,” Josh says. “I’m not on painkillers or anything. I’m good.”

Tommy sighs. “I still don’t like it. At least let us drive you. We’ll stay in the car.”

“Fine, whatever it takes,” Liam says. “Let’s just go!”

“Alright then,” Josh says. “Let’s go find Theo.”

Chapter Text

Theo knows he can’t stay here forever. Sure, it’s one of the better places he’s hidden out in, considering there are still beds in the old bunk room. Theo just wishes it had electricity and running water, but he can’t be picky. It's not like he'll be here long anyway. Just until he figures out what he's going to do.

He knows he can't go back to Josh's apartment, not after what happened. 

His phone vibrates in his pocket, and he sighs, pulling it out and seeing multiple text notifications.

Where are you?

We’re worried.

Please call me.

Call Josh. 

He’s worried, Theo.

I'm worried, too, asshole.

Please just tell me where you are.

Theo, I’m sorry. Come home.

That last one has a lump forming in his throat. While the others had been from Liam, the last one was from Josh. 

Come home. 

After last night, Theo wasn’t sure if he even had a home anymore. He didn’t think Josh would want him around. But here he is, apologizing as if he’s the one that did something wrong. That just makes Theo feel even more guilty. He’s the reason Josh got kidnapped, and yet Josh is saying he’s sorry. It doesn’t make any sense.

He debates at least texting Josh or Liam back and telling them he’s okay but decides against it. Maybe it’s best to be silent, and then, eventually, they’ll give up and move on. It’s what’s best for everyone.

Himself included. He’d been foolish to think he could have a normal life. That he could have something worth keeping. It had been a nice illusion for a while, but now it’s broken, and reality is setting in. 

He probably has enough money in his bank account to last him through the month, maybe a little more. That should be enough to help him get out of town and find someplace else to lay low. 

It would be nice to have his truck, but he’s not sure he wants to risk going back for it. Even with Liam out of town, his parents are still there. And the last thing Theo needs is to come face to face with a disappointed Jenna.

No, he’ll leave his truck for now. Maybe steal another car.

Theo sighs, frustrated with himself, when his conscience nudges him, saying that maybe he shouldn’t steal. He has money, after all. He could always buy a cheap used car rather than take it from someone else.

It’s not ideal, but if he could pay in cash, he’d still be able to lie low and give a fake name. 

Theo’s head snaps up at the sound of a car pulling up. He stays still as he listens. It’s not the first time someone has come by and tried to get in. It’s mostly been kids looking for a place to get drunk or high or hook up. Theo’s done a good job of discretely scaring them off with some growling and once flashing his eyes.

But he knows it’s not going to be that easy this time. Not when two familiar heartbeats reach his ears.

“You think he’s in there?” Josh is asking.

“That’s what Mason said the tracker showed,” Liam says. “And well, I can hear him.”

“Hear him?” Someone that sounds like Buck says. “How?”

“I just have good hearing,” Liam says.

“Alright,” Josh says. “You stay here.”

“But—”

“I know you have some things to say,” Josh says. “But I need to talk to him alone first.”

Theo just knows Liam must be pouting right now. It almost makes him smile. “Okay,” Liam mutters.

Theo stands frozen as the door downstairs opens. Part of him wants to run, but he knows if he tries, Liam will catch him before he makes it too far. 

Sure enough, he hears Liam’s voice again. “Don’t you dare run away again.”

Theo groans. “Fine.”

“Idiot,” Liam mutters.

“Theo?” Josh calls, his voice echoing off the walls. “Theo? I know you’re here. I just want to talk.”

Theo tells himself it’s fine as he gets to his feet. If Josh were going to yell at him or cut him out of his life, he wouldn’t have bothered coming. He’s not that cruel. Or, at least, Theo doesn’t think he is.

Still, Theo’s full of nerves as he walks down the stairs and comes face to face with Josh. For a moment, the two just stand facing each other. Until Theo raises his hand in an awkward wave. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Josh says dryly. “You disappear on me, and all you can say is hi.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d still want me around,” Theo shrugs. “So, I was doing us both a favor.”

Josh sighs. “Theo.”

“I almost got you killed,” Theo says. “You should hate me.”

“I don’t,” Josh says.

“But you should,” Theo says.

“Theo, nothing could make me hate you,” Josh says.

His heart remains steady, and that’s enough to almost break Theo. That after everything, Josh could still care for him. “Josh.”

“Come home, Theo,” Josh says.

“That's what you want?” Theo asks him.

“You're family,” Josh says. “I might not know everything about your past yet. But I do know that I love you. I know the young man you are now, and that is someone strong and brave and worthy of love and forgiveness. So come home. We can figure out the rest later.”

Theo nods, hastily wiping at his eyes even as tears keep falling. “Okay. “ 

When Josh pulls him in for a hug, he lets him. He buries his face in his neck, breathing him in. He smells like family— like home. “I love you, too.”

“Let's get you home,” Josh says. “There’s someone out there that’s pretty anxious to see you.” 

He pulls back but keeps one arm around him as he leads him out of the station and to the car, where Liam waits with Tommy and Buck.

Liam immediately runs to them, throwing his arms around Theo's shoulders with enough force that they both stumble back. He briefly registers Josh stepping away, saying that he'll be waiting in the car. 

“I was so worried about you,” Liam says, swatting his arm lightly. “What were you thinking, just leaving like that?”

“I thought I was doing what was best for everyone,” Theo says.

“Well, you weren't,” Liam says. “So, next time you get the bright idea to run away, tell me, and I'll come with you.”

Theo raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes,” Liam says. “I love you, you idiot. In case that isn't obvious. I've been miserable without you, and then you just go and—”

Theo's head is spinning, Liam's words— I love you. I love you. I love you— echoing in his head on a loop even as he keeps rambling. 

Theo kisses him, drawing a surprised oomph! from Liam. Even as Liam presses himself closer and kisses him back with enough enthusiasm that they stumble back again. 

“I love you, too,” Theo murmurs when they both pull back.

Liam grins. “Good.”

Theo shakes his head and nudges him towards the car, where Josh is waiting with Tommy and Buck, pretending like he hadn't seen them making out on the sidewalk moments before. 

“So, LA is nice,” Liam says as he slides into the backseat with Buck and Josh. Theo doesn’t question the seating arrangements. Instead, he focuses on Liam’s words. “I hear there are some great schools here.”

Theo meets his eyes in the rear view mirror, a silent question there. Liam just smiles and reaches up, squeezing Theo's shoulder briefly before sitting back in his seat and buckling his seat belt.

“You two could start together in the fall,” Josh says.

“I have to get in first,” Theo reminds him.

“I was going to wait to tell you,” Josh says. “But your acceptance letter came yesterday. They emailed both of us..”

Theo’s eyes widen. “What? It did?”

“It did. Check your email,” Josh says, grinning at him. “You’re going to nursing school, Theo.”

“I knew you could do it,” Liam says.

“Congrats, man. I’ll tell Maddie. She’s going to be thrilled,” Buck says.

“Thanks, guys,” Theo says. “Now we just need to find Liam a school.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Josh says. “I know a few.”

Josh is going on about some of the schools in the area, Liam listening intently and offering his opinions based on the research he's done. Buck and Tommy both chime in two with their opinions.

Theo lets their voices wash over him as he looks out the window, watching the scenery go by with a smile. This day had taken an unexpected but welcome and pleasant turn.

The rest of the day passes in a blur. There are a lot of questions, not just from Josh but Buck and Tommy as well. Josh assures him that he can trust them but tells him they can talk alone if he’s not ready to share his story with anyone else. 

Theo’s not sure what harm could come from filling them in. It’s not as if he’s telling them everything. Just enough to cover what happened with Monroe and the whole existence of werewolves. He doesn’t want to overwhelm them, especially Josh, who takes it all in stride.

“So, looks like your brother wasn’t all that crazy,” Josh says.

Tommy shakes his head. “No, he’s still crazy. He did set someone on fire. He just happened to be right about the supernatural existing.”

“You know, I always had a feeling,” Buck says, nodding to himself. “Too many strange things happening, and not just during full moons.”

“He’s definitely going to go on a research spiral now,” Tommy says, looking fondly over at Buck.

“I’m sure Mason could email you some things,” Liam says. “He’s been converting a lot of the books to digital, so if you’re interested…”

“I am!” Buck says excitedly. “I mean, if he wants to send them, that’d be great.”

“Someone isn’t sleeping anytime soon,” Tommy says.

“Josh?” Theo asks, looking over at his cousin. “You okay?”

“I just can’t believe you went through all that,” Josh says. “And that’s not even all of it.”

“There is a lot,” Theo says.

“And I want to hear it,” Josh says. “But not all at once.”

“Fine by me,” Theo says.

They only scratched the surface tonight and haven’t touched any of Theo’s past. He’s sure Monroe told Josh some things, but he’s not ready to put it all out there yet. Not that he doesn’t trust Josh. Josh had said himself that there was nothing that could make him hate Theo. He’s just not ready to test that yet. He wants to take his time and not overwhelm him. 

On the couch, Josh yawns, immediately drawing Buck and Tommy's attention.

“You need sleep,” Buck tells him.

“I’m fine,” Josh grumbles.

“Josh, you haven’t rested properly in at least forty-eight hours,” Tommy says. “Evan is right, you need sleep.”

“They’re both right, Josh,” Theo says. “We could all use some rest.”

Josh sighs. “Fine. But only if you rest, too. No staying up all night with Liam.”

“Taking all my fun away,” Theo says.

“I mean it, Theo,” Josh says.

“Fine, as long as you don’t stay up all night with Buck and Tommy,” Theo says, winking at him.

Josh sputters. “What— I— you—”

Liam snickers. “I think you broke him.”

Tommy shakes his head and puts a hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Breathe.”

“Yeah, we still need to talk,” Buck mutters. He raises his hands, shooing both Theo and Liam away. “Alright, off with both of you. To sleep .”

“Why does everyone keep telling us that?” Liam asks Theo as they walk to his room.

“Because they like to meddle,” Theo says, just loud enough for Josh to hear.

“I heard that!” Josh calls back. A beat of silence, then quieter. “Sleep well, Theo.”

Theo leaves Liam in his room while he slips into the bathroom and takes a quick shower before dressing for bed. Liam’s sitting on the edge of his bed typing on his phone when Theo walks in and sits next to him. 

“Mom and Dad say hi,” Liam says, not looking up. “And that they miss you.”

“I miss them too,” Theo says.

“You’ll have to visit before school starts,” Liam says. “We can get your truck and some of my things and drive back together.”

“Won’t you need your car?” Theo asks him.

“Nah, you can just drive me everywhere,” Liam says. “Which, I should tell you, Josh said I could stay with you guys for a while. I was going to check with you first before I said anything. I didn’t want to assume.”

“No, that’s— that’s great, Liam,” Theo says. “I like having you here.”

“Good,” Liam says. “I like being here with you. I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Theo says. “That was the hardest part about leaving, you know? Not having you around.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” Liam says. “You know, the day you left, I wanted so badly to ask you to stay.”

“Why didn’t you?” Theo asks him.

“Because I didn’t want to stand in your way,” Liam says. “I knew it would hurt being away from you, but you deserved a chance to find your happiness. Even if it wasn’t with me.”

Theo can only look at him. At those blue eyes, shining with nothing but love and honesty. Liam’s always been so open, but it seems even he’s had his secrets these last few months. 

“You okay?” Liam asks him, when Theo’s stayed silent for probably too long after his confession.

Theo sighs and lays back on the bed. Liam still sits on the edge, looking down at him. Theo reaches out his hand, relieved when Liam takes it. He turns his hand until his palm is pressed against Liam’s and laces their fingers together. “She was wrong, you know?”

“Who? Monroe?”

Theo nods. “She said she’d found my one real weakness and the way to hurt me in how much I care about Josh, but she hadn’t.”

“But you do care about Josh,” Liam says.

“I do,” Theo says. “But that’s not the only thing that could have hurt me that night.”

“What else is there?” Liam says. “Or do you not want to reveal all your secrets?”

There’s a teasing tone to his voice, but Theo knows he’s also giving him a way out. He knows that Theo has always kept himself guarded and close to his chest and might not want to reveal it. And Theo appreciates that more than he could ever say. But this? Theo doesn’t want to keep this from him. Not anymore. He already told Liam how he feels about him anyway, so what’s one more confession?

“It’s you, Liam,” Theo says. He laughs and shakes his head. “She was standing there with a knife to Josh’s throat, and I was terrified of her hurting him, but I was also grateful she hadn’t figured out how much I love you, so you were at least safe. That she couldn’t try to take you away from me, too. So I guess you’re my weakness.”

“No,” Liam says.

Theo frowns. “What?”

“No,” Liam says again. He moves until he’s straddling Theo and takes his face in his hands. “I’m not your weakness, Theo.”

“But—”

“No, I need you to listen,” Liam says. “Love doesn’t make you weak. It makes you strong. It gives you something to fight for. And yes, something to lose. But that just makes you fight that much harder to keep it. And you fought so damn hard last night, Theo. You’ve been fighting for us. But you don’t have to fight anymore, okay? Not right now. I’m not going anywhere, and neither is Josh. Okay?”

“Okay,” Theo whispers.

Liam kisses him, and Theo sighs, tanging a hand in his hair and pulling him closer. 

He thinks that maybe this is something he can keep. This thing with Liam, and the life he’s building here in LA with Josh. A life that Liam’s going to be a part of now, and not hundreds of miles away. It’s starting to feel a little less fragile. Like something he can hold onto, not tightly out of fear, but with an open heart he knows is safely guarded by those he loves.

Whatever lies ahead, he knows he’s ready for it.