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Liam takes his eyes off the road when he hears his phone buzz from its spot in one of his cupholders. Keeping his ears tuned to the road, he reaches down to grab it and sighs before answering the call he knows is from his mother.
“Hey, pumpkin. Are you doing okay?”
Liam huffs out a laugh, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Only his mother would call him three separate times during his thirty minute drive back home. He knows she means well by it. Him leaving for college was hard for her–being her only child–but this is almost comical. “Yeah mom, I’m good. I’ll be there in ten.”
“I figured. You know I have to worry about you. Listen, David just called me and asked if you would come say hello to him at the hospital when you get here?”
That’s odd. Normally his mother would want him to come straight home and see her before anything else. “Yeah, no problem, I just thought you’d want me to come home first?”
“Nobody’s there, I’m at work. Sorry, honey.”
“It’s fine mom. It’s not like I can’t see you afterwards.”
“I know, honey. Another question, are you and that boy doing well? The one you told me about last week?”
Holy fucking shit, Liam had totally forgotten about that little incident.
Ever since he told Jenna about him being a werewolf and the supernatural in general, she’s been a little overbearing with checking up on him in college. Every time they would talk on the phone or over text she always asks if he’s found a boyfriend yet, or if he’s talking to a new girl in one of his classes. Without fail every single time Liam will make up some excuse about how lacrosse has taken up all of his time, or that he’s super busy studying for exams instead of telling her the truth that he really hasn’t been interested in anyone at all.
Except for last week, when he had been scrolling on Instagram while talking on the phone with her and had seen a picture from a handle: T_Raeken09 . It was a normal picture, really–just Theo in a basic long sleeve turtleneck and some jeans staring out somewhere past the camera–but Liam had choked on the air he was inhaling and almost threw his phone across the room as soon as he saw it. When his mother had panicked and asked what was wrong with him he had replied, “It’s just a boy, mom,” his mind still on that picture.
After they had hung up Liam had spent hours staring blankly at that photo, trying to figure out what made it so mind-blowing to him. After some thinking he had realized that this was nothing important, so he tried to ignore it. He never followed the account, but he checked religiously to see if Theo posted again. He never did, so Liam wrote it off as a one time thing.
Apparently his mother had misunderstood.
Liam starts to correct her and tell her that no, her son does not have a boyfriend and yes, he is a loser but stops, considering his options. She sounded so happy for him that Liam hates to break her heart again. Before he really thinks it through he hears himself saying, “We’re doing fine. He’s great.”
“That’s wonderful! What’s his name?”
Liam blanches, trying and failing to come up with a fake name. Goddamn, it shouldn’t be this hard. Eventually he just decides to bullshit his way out of it. “I gotta go. Pulling into the town now and there’s some traffic. Christmas Eve and all. Bye, Mom.”
“Liam Dunbar, I know for a fact that there’s no damn–”
Liam feels himself start to panic even more and manages to get out a quick, “Seriously, Mom. Gotta go.” and pushes the red ‘ end call’ button before she can protest anymore.
He debates slamming his head against the steering wheel in front of him. Fuck, she’s not going to let this go.
…
As Liam walks through the doors to the Beacon Hills hospital he’s thrown by just how normal it looks. He would have expected there to be some change, at least. Maybe some windows being broken, or some visible kind of disturbance at least. The only thing different is it looks like Christmas exploded in here.
Even the waiting room hasn’t changed. Hell, the chair where he almost bled out after a fight with the hunters last year hasn’t moved either, though there is a heavily decorated Christmas tree beside it. Thankfully the scent of his blood is long gone, taken over by the overwhelming smell of other people’s anxiety and pain. The doors to walk into the main part of the hospital are the same dull brown that they’ve always been, but today they’ve been decorated with holly and other bits of greenery to celebrate the holiday season. Memories hit him like a freight train as he stands in the middle of the doors as the past few years come back to him in a rush, acting like a mental patient. After everything, he probably should be one.
“Liam?”
A smile spreads across his face as he turns, coming face to face with his step-dad as he walks out from behind the reception desk. Scott’s there too, and Liam gives a small wave and smiles as Scott returns it before turning back to the computer in front of him.
As soon as his dad reaches him Liam flings himself forward and wraps his arms around David, ignoring how half of the hospital waiting room is staring at them. Liam tunes out the whispers he always gets when he hugs his step-dad and relaxes. “Hey, Dad.”
“My god,” David’s arms tighten around him. “You’ve gotten so strong. Where did that little scrawny kid your Mom and I sent off to college a few months ago go?”
Snorting, Liam pulls back to flex jokingly. “Lacrosse is a whole new level in college.” He’s not lying. He had given up on the idea years ago that lacrosse would ever challenge him again post bite but his coach has brought him to the point of tears more times than Liam would like to admit. “How’s everything here?”
His dad shrugs, reaching a hand up to adjust the collar of his coat. “Nevermind that. You wanna tell me why I got a call from Jenna telling me you’ve got yourself a boyfriend?”
Shit. “Mom really doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut, does she?” Liam nervously laughs out, scrabbling to come up with some kind of diversion. “Is that a new doctor’s coat? It looks great. It really suits you.”
David hits him with the most deadpan look and Liam knows that he’s fucked. “I’ve had this since your mother and I started dating. Don’t try to change the subject. I’m just asking for his name, Liam, not his entire birth chart. Please tell me you at least know the boy's name.”
Liam opens his mouth to respond but he cuts himself off when he sees who just walked out of the main doors. The familiar way in which he moves transfixes Liam, and he tries not to gawk as he realizes just how much hotter Theo Raeken’s gotten since he left. His hair is a bit shorter and his cheeks a little less sunken in. The bags under his eyes are less prominent and his eyes are the same greenish-gray Liam remembers. Fuck, do not get a boner in front of your step-dad.
“Is that him? The chimera boy?” David asks, having followed the line of Liam’s blatant staring and figured out who it is. “Good snag. He’s handsome.”
At that very moment Liam comes up with what might just be the dumbest idea he’s ever had. Almost robotically he swings his attention back to his step-dad, painting a shallow smile on his face. “Yes, actually. Will you give me a minute? I haven’t gotten to see him since I left.”
Liam starts quickly walking to where Theo’s leaned up against the wall, hand pressing down on his stomach. The faint scent of blood, metal, and gunpowder hits him and Liam fights back a laugh as he realizes Theo got himself shot again.
Abruptly Theo’s head snaps up as Liam gets closer, eyes immediately locking with his. A series of emotions passes through his face too fast for Liam to catalog before settling on careful-curated neutrality. Liam waits until he’s far enough out of earshot of his step-dad before whispering, “I can’t explain right now, but I really need you to just go with what I’m about to do.”
Theo’s expression doesn’t change, but after the longest few seconds of Liam’s life he mummers, “The fuck are you going to do? Kill me?”
Frusted, Liam growls out, “Please, Theo?”
A loud, heavy sigh is heard before Theo quickly nods, the movement so sharp and small that someone–like David–wouldn’t be able to pick it up unless they were looking for it.
Taking a breath to gather his courage, Liam exclaims, “Sweetheart!” Before throwing himself at Theo.
To Theo’s credit he doesn’t so much as flinch, just catches Liam and wraps his arms around his waist, hissing out, “What the hell, Dunbar?” with pure surprise on his face. Liam hopes his step-dad thinks Theo’s happy to see him and not three seconds from ripping his throat out.
Liam can feel David’s eyes on his back so he reaches one of his hands up to tangle in Theo’s hair. He whispers out a genuine, “I’m sorry.” before pulling Theo to him and crashing their mouths together.
It’s short and sweet and everything Liam’s ever wanted–and imagined. Theo’s lips are soft and slightly chapped as they move against his and every single feeling Liam had buried the moment his tires had left Beacon County comes flying back to him in a rush. Liam’s knees start to buckle underneath him as he continues to press against Theo, who wraps an arm around his waist to hold him up and Liam could stay like this for the rest of his life and die a happy man.
All of a sudden Liam can feel Theo’s tongue slip into his mouth and he has to bite back a moan, instead letting out a soft whimper. His noise snaps both of them back to reality and Liam jerks back at the same time Theo pulls away. Liam can feel how hot his face is and when he really looks he can see that Theo’s ears are a light shade of pink. Cute.
“You boys done making out?” David asks drily, and his question only serves to deepen Liam’s flush. He steps out of Theo’s arms to turn and face him with a sheepish expression.
“Sorry, Dad. It’s just,” Liam sneaks a glance back at Theo, who cocks an eyebrow at him, lips red and little kiss-swollen and it's making it difficult for Liam to focus, “We haven’t seen each other in months and I really missed him”
David hums, having walked towards them while they were kissing so he only has to take a few steps forward to wrap Liam in another hug. “Sounds good, kiddo. I just got paged, but I’ll see you at home, alright? You can catch up with Theo here while I’m gone.” David shoots Theo a look that Liam can’t see from behind him and watches as Theo’s ears turn bright red. He mutters out, “Yes, sir.” as David passes him, and now Liam’s really interested in what just went on.
David walks through the double doors–deeper into the hospital to see a patient more than likely–and now it’s just Liam and Theo.
Liam just stares at him, getting a sense of deja vu. The last time they were standing like this was in the elevator a few feet to Liam’s left when he wasn’t sure that he was going to make it out of this hospital alive. He’d almost shoved Theo against the wall and kissed the hell out of him. Like he just did.
The phantom feeling of Theo’s lips on his brings Liam back to the present, and he refocuses on Theo’s smirking face as he muses out, “So you missed me, sweetheart ?”
Liam opens his mouth to retort something smart, but right before he can he catches sight of Scott’s shocked face behind Theo’s shoulder, still sitting behind the reception desk where he was when Liam walked in. Pasting what he hopes is a lovesick smile on his face, Liam pushes himself up on his toes–not that he would ever admit that Theo’s that much taller than him–to kisses Theo’s cheek sweetly. “I gotta go help my mom with something, but I’ll see you later?”
Before waiting in response from Theo’s shocked face, Liam spins on his heel and promptly sprints out of the hospital.
As soon as Liam makes it inside his car he opens his text thread with Mason. They had already made plans to meet up later tonight for dinner but he needs to talk to someone about what just happened.
—
dog handler
change of plans
meet me at the lacrosse fields asafuckingp
tf? are you okay????
not bleeding out if thats what u mean
i kissed someone
that’s great? i’m confused why you need to meet up now
did you kiss your ex or something??
no why tf would u think that
with your lifestyle i have no idea what to expect
JUST MEET ME PLEASE
ok chill your beans homo
i’m otw <3
—
Sighing, Liam throws the car into drive and starts backing out of the hospital parking lot, head spinning.
He kissed Theo Raeken. And he kissed back.
…
As soon as he takes one step out onto the lacrosse field he’s ambushed by his best friend.
Mason runs towards him and almost tackles him in a hug–Liam’s really glad for his supernatural strength or else he would have ended up on his ass–and wraps himself around Liam like an octopus. Laughing, Liam manages to unglue his arms from where Mason has them pressed against his side to hug him back. God, he’s missed him.
After a few moments Mason steps away, releasing his death grip on Liam to wipe quickly at his eyes. Liam would make a joke about it, but he’s pretty sure that his eyes are a little watery as well.
Sniffing, Mason’s expression shifts into one of curiosity as he stares at Liam. “Now, do you wanna explain what the hell you’ve got going on?”
It all comes out in a rush. “My mom thinks that I’m dating someone because she wants me to, I don’t know, find someone before I leave college? But I played into it and when I showed up at the hospital a few minutes ago David asked about it, and then I saw Theo behind him and–”
“Hang on,” Mason interrupts, raising an eyebrow. “Why was Theo at the hospital?”
Liam represses the urge to growl. “I think he got shot. Can I finish now?” Mason motions for him to continue with a roll of his eyes that Liam pointedly chooses to ignore. “Anyways, I asked him to go with what I was about to do and he agreed, which is surprising if I’m going to be honest, so I kinda threw myself at him? And then kissed him?”
Mason’s eyes are so wide they look like they’re about to pop out of his head. “You kissed him?”
Liam sighs, running a hand down his face. “Yes, and then when David walked off and I let him go Scott was watching the entire thing so I kissed him on the cheek and ran out of the hospital.” He’s a little out of breath from how fast he was speaking.
“I don’t know what to say.” Mason finally says after a beat of silence. “He just, let you kiss him? Doesn’t sound like Theo at all. Did he kiss back at all? Or was he shocked into stillness or something?”
Liam groans, trying to fight back the blush he can feel creeping up his neck. Based on Mason’s gasp, he didn’t suppress it well enough.
“You liked it!” Mason almost screeches, and Liam throws a hand out frantically to shush him. It doesn’t work. “Oh no, you don’t get to try and deny it now. I’ve always known you liked him, you idiot.”
Liam feels his jaw drop open at that. “You knew? You knew and never confronted me about it?”
Mason nods like it’s common knowledge. “Well, of course. We’ve been best friends for years, you think I can’t tell when you're in love with someone?”
“Telling me would have been nice.” Liam grits out, mind reeling with the new revelation. “You could have helped me get rid of it.”
Mason blinks at him, face morphing into confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You could have helped me get rid of my stupid crush years ago so we wouldn’t be in this situation.” Liam states like it’s obvious. “I would just have moved on after the fight with Monroe at the hospital and never thought about it again, but now I’m having a mid-life crisis because I fucking liked it, Mase.”
“I think you're too young for a mid-life crisis.” Mason replies, and Liam can see the wheels in his brain turning as he stares at him. “Why is this a problem? Theo obviously liked it as well because he didn’t, like, stick his claws into you. So…”
It’s like flipping a lightswitch. Mason must see it on his face because he goes, “ Finally, oh my god. You are the slowest person I know with this kinda stuff.”
Liam’s not sure what expression is on his face but he’s sure it’s concerning because Mason walks up to him and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I think you should go talk to him. Tell him that you still love him.”
Sucking in a breath, Liam looks away from Mason to stare at the ground. “I still love him?”
Mason shrugs, squeezing his shoulder lightly. “I can’t answer that for you, but it sure as hell looks like it. I mean, you wouldn’t be so messed up about this if you didn’t.”
Slowly, almost robotically, Liam looks back up at Mason and says with certainty. “I still love him.”
“There we go.” Mason exclaims with a smile. “Progress. Now, how about you go talk to him? I know he works at the Sinema, so I’d check there. Otherwise I have no clue, I’ve been back in town all of two days.”
Nodding, Liam can feel the revelation hitting him. He’s not sure he ever stopped loving Theo, not even when he left town. “Okay, okay, Sinema, got it.” He turns to walk away but stops, whipping back around to turn and give Mason a smile. “It really is good to see you again, Mase.”
Rolling his eyes with a playful smile on his lips, Mason says, “It’s good to see you too, Li. Now go,” with a wave of his hand that draws a small laugh out of Liam. The warmth from it stays with him as he gets into his car and drives away, a new destination in mind.
…
Liam’s starting to regret his decision.
There’s too many bodies that are masking the scent of anybody he knows, and he can’t see or smell any sign of Theo as he makes his way through the crowded dance floor. Sweat and sex are heady in the air and Liam has the brief impulse to cover his mouth with his shirt to mask it. More than one person tries to push up on him to dance, but Liam shoves them away each time to keep walking.
Finally he manages to push through the dance floor and away from the mass of bodies. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he walks to an unaccompanied spot on the wall to lean against and catch his breath, eyes scanning across the crowd for Theo.
He’s nowhere near prepared for when he does see him, though, standing behind the bar and mixing up a drink for someone with a sultry grin painted on his face.
Ink is the first thing Liam notices, out of everything. Not the fact that he’s shirtless, not the rippling muscles on his biceps and stomach, but the tattoos.
They’re everywhere. Lines and lines run over and through his chest, individual markings coming together to make a bigger picture. One of his arms is completely covered in them, the sleeve making the tan skin underneath almost invisible. There’s a snake that starts at his belly button and travels down until it reaches the waistband of his boxers and abruptly cuts off.
Fuck, he’s never been harder in his life.
Theo chooses that moment to cast a glance sideways, making eye contact with him. Liam debates acting embarrassed and averting his eyes, but decides to hold his gaze, unwavering. Theo’s face doesn’t change from blatant surprise, but he does mutter loud enough for Liam to hear, “I get off in five,” before turning back to serve another customer. Liam’s not sure whether to take it as a good thing or not.
As Liam watches Theo make drinks at the bar, his confidence wavers. He’s blindly trusting Mason here, and from the way that Theo’s smiling down at a guy who’s leaning much too far over the bar he might be about to make a complete fool of himself.
After the longest five minutes of his life Theo sets down the metal mixer, whispering something to a small blonde girl entering the bar as he walks past her and makes his way towards Liam. He can’t help but gawk at Theo’s toned body under the colored strobe lights and those goddamn tattoos . He wants to trace every single one with his tongue.
“Can I help you?” Theo’s gravelly voice fills his ears and Liam prays to whatever’s up there that he can’t smell his arousal.
“Uh, yeah. You…” Liam trails off, realizes he has no idea how to say this. Thankfully Theo starts talking and saves him the trouble of stuttering through whatever nonsense was about to come out of his mouth.
“Liam, why are you here?” Theo asks, his face an unmoving neutral that Liam’s come to hate. “If you're looking for an apology, you’re not going to find one.”
“What? No.” Liam exclaims, throwing his hands up as he tries to explain himself. Theo eyes the hand that’s closest to his face warily, going a little crossed-eyed. Fuck, he’s even prettier up close . Full pink lips that Liam’s had against his not even an hour ago and that reminder is making it hard for him to come up with anything to say. “I came to–I don’t know, honestly.” He lies, and he knows Theo hears his heartbeat skip. “I guess I came to apologize, because I kissed you without really asking and I’m sorry for it, even though you’re a really good kisser and I–”
“I’m a good kisser?” Theo asks incredulously as he interrupts him, eyebrows almost disappearing into his hairline. Liam freezes, what he just said coming back to him in a rush. He wanted to at least tell Theo how he felt before he went back to college–because what does he have to lose at this point, his dignity is already on the floor–but he didn’t want to do it like this.
Desperately Liam tries to save himself. “No! Well, yes. I mean, I liked the kiss even though I know you didn’t and I just wanted to say that because…well, bye.” Liam knows his face is red as he whirls around and starts to run away from him just like he did at the hospital, but before he can get more than two steps Theo calls out, “Liam, wait.”
Immediately he stops in his tracks, turning around slowly as he forces down whatever emotion is bubbling up inside of him.
“Because what?” Theo asks, voice rising as he stares at Liam with an unreadable expression. “Because what, Liam?”
Throwing all caution to the wind, Liam all but screams, “Because I love you, okay? I’ve loved you since I brought you back from the skinwalker hell, and I sure as hell haven’t stopped.” He pauses, watching Theo’s face carefully, praying to god Mason was right. When Theo’s surprised expression doesn’t change, Liam feels his heart break and clamps down on whatever sadness his scent has taken on as he manages to choke out, “I know you don’t feel the same way, but I needed to tell you before I went insane. Goodbye, Theo.”
This time when he walks away, Theo doesn’t stop him.
Forcing back a sob, Liam frantically pulls his phone out of his pocket as he reaches the doors, pushing them open as he texts Mason to scream at him for making him do this, for making him believe that Theo could really love him back, for making him get his hopes up just to have them crushed. Before he can get the first word typed out there’s hands on his waist, yanking him backwards and into a firm chest and suddenly there’s lips on his.
Stunned, Liam just stands there frozen for a moment and lets Theo press a featherlight kiss against his lips. After a few seconds Theo pulls away, something akin to hurt and confusion on his face and that spurs Liam into action. He reaches a hand up to settle gingerly on Theo’s cheek and brings his mouth to his, lips coming up to give him a short, watery kiss. Liam knows this is goodbye, so he forces himself to step away and looks down, trying to hide the tears streaming down his cheeks even though he knows Theo can smell them.
“Why are you doing this? To make fun of me? Because that’s really fucking shitty, Theo.” Liam forces out, trying and failing to keep his voice steady.
“What?” Theo says, the genuinely confused tone of his voice making Liam look up. “I thought–but you said.”
“It’s okay, Theo.” No, it’s really not. “I know you don’t love me, it’s okay.”
Theo lets out a frustrated growl as he takes a step forward to cup his cheek. Liam knows he should pull away, should stop letting himself continue to get hurt, but he can’t bring himself to step away from what he’s always wanted even though it’s fake.
“Of course I fucking love you too, Liam. Why the hell do you think I chased you all the way out here? For cardio?”
Oh.
Oh.
Liam blinks up at him, mind reeling as he tries to take what Theo just said in. “You what?”
Heaving out another sigh, Theo’s thumb gently swipes across his cheek, wiping away the tears. “I love you, Liam. I don’t know how you couldn’t have seen–mmph.”
Liam cuts him off by throwing his arms around his neck and kissing him hard , listening as Theo moans as his tongue slips inside his mouth, his dick twitching. Liam takes and takes and takes and Theo gives as he falls apart underneath him, hands coming up to grasp at his arms weakly as he kisses Liam back, moaning again as Liam tangles a hand in his hair and god he wants to spend all night learning what kind of sounds Theo makes.
When Liam pulls away they’re both panting, barely far enough apart to see each other's eyes. Tilting his head down to rest against Theo’s forehead, he lets himself bask in this, something he never thought he could have.
“I love you.” He whispers just because he can, and when Theo murmurs, “I love you too, baby wolf,” nothing else matters as Liam surges up to press another kiss to his lips, eyes fluttering shut as he tightens his grip on Theo’s hair.
Maybe Mason was right. Maybe he did just need to get his shit together.