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Ever since Theo had returned to Beacon Hills, the two of you had been practically inseparable. Sure there was that stint in the middle where he went rogue and went to hell, but hey we’ve all done things wrong before. The only time you weren’t together, one of you was with Liam. He’d become attached to Theo once he got back from hell, and you couldn’t argue, nor did you mind. The three of you were good together, and good for each other. Scott definitely didn’t trust Theo, and wasn’t sure he trusted you, but he did trust Liam and so he had to keep his mouth closed on the topic. Stiles didn’t, but then he fucked off to join his FBI program so you didn’t have to hear it anymore.
It was easy to get lost in the supernatural, you’d discovered since becoming a chimera. Your school work fell to the wayside in favour of hunting down creatures that went bump in the night to protect the adults around you that should be protecting you instead. The three of you were pushing through senior year together, propping each other up as best as you could, trying to stop anyone from falling behind. After everything was said and done, you’d like to actually be able to live the futures you worked so hard to protect.
The creature of the week was still unidentified, but you were fairly sure it was a feral omega shifter of some sort, and what sort it was didn’t really matter to any of you. Realistically, the difference between types of shifter were minimal enough that identifying it specifically wasn’t necessary. You all just wanted it dead or gone before it could hurt anyone else. You and Theo were firmly in camp ‘kill it’ while everyone else was slightly more hesitant. They struggled to separate the rampaging monster from the person it had once been, even if it certainly wasn’t that person anymore.
The entire pack, or those that remained in Beacon Hills, split up to explore the preserve in hopes that someone would glance the creature or better yet identify where its den was so that you could organise a trap. Instead, it found you.
The man before you was huge, looked almost exactly how you’d pictured the feral alpha that Peter had once been, based on Scott and Stiles’ descriptions. You crouched down slightly, shuffling one foot backward so you’d be able to turn in an instant, taking off for somewhere safer in hopes of getting away from the beast, but Theo and Liam were clearly ready to start a fight.
“We cannot win this.” You hissed, reaching out to gently take Liam’s wrist in yours. You couldn’t lose either of them, you absolutely refused to do that. You’d only just gotten them.
Not that you were dating, no, that would be crazy. Sure, you were kind of harbouring huge crushes on both guys but that was neither here nor there. They didn’t like you back anyway - Liam wasn’t gay, and you weren’t Theo’s type. That was more than fine with you. But that didn’t mean you were prepared to lose them in a blaze of glory. If your friendships never developed into anything more than that, you’d just be happy to have them in your life, because you cherished them as friends and held them both close to your heart.
Liam glanced at you and saw the fear in your eyes, and that seemed to sober him slightly, helping his initial anger fueled shift recede to give way to reality. You were right and he knew it, you’d never win this fight.
“When I say go, we run.” Theo said softly, maintaining consistent eye contact with the feral shifter. The three of you remained stock still, as if it would stop him from attacking, and in your defence it seemed to. You had a feeling that it was waiting for you to run so that it could enjoy the chase. In desperation, you laced your fingers with Liam’s, prepared to break out into a breakneck sprint away from the creature, your distance being the only reason you didn’t reach for Theo too. The shifter grinned at the three of you, saliva building at his lips, white and frothy, like he was preparing to eat you. You wouldn’t be surprised, considering the state of the bodies the cops had found so far.
“Go!” Theo yelled when the shifter took a swing, and you and Liam took off together, clenching each other’s hand as if it would help you move faster, or prevent the beast from hurting you. It wasn’t until you’d been running for several minutes that you realised you weren’t being pursued.
“Liam, wait! Where’s Theo?” You asked, almost tripping both of you up when you suddenly stopped. Still, Liam didn’t let go of your hand, gripping tightly like you were a lifeline.
“Did he run the other way?” He asked hesitantly. Both of you had seen his behaviour during the time of the Ghost Riders. You knew his martyr streak was a mile wide, and dread settled in your stomach like a cinderblock when you realised what had happened. He hadn’t run with you. He’d given the signal so the two of you could escape, while he attempted to fight the creature alone.
You sent a quick “S.O.S” to the pack group chat, not realising in your panic that you’d sent it to the larger chat rather than the small one that was just the people still living local. You ignored the vicious buzzing of your phone after that, focused on finding Theo.
“We can’t lose him.” Liam said as the two of you jogged back toward where you’d encountered the monster, careful to move quietly to not get hurt yourselves. There was no way of saving Theo if both of you ended up hurt too.
“We won’t.” You assured him, your hand finding Liam’s again. Your eyes met, and a thousand unspoken words passed between you both. We. There was a we.
The only sign that you’d found the spot you’d found the monster at was Theo’s shredded body on the ground, healing sluggishly, most wounds still bleeding. You threw yourself the last foot toward him, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes beside him. Liam kept his distance, a soft thud heard as his back hit the tree behind him, hand over his mouth as if it would stop whatever reaction he was going to have. For now, you narrowed your focus just to Theo.
“Theo..” You whispered, gently pressing two fingers to his neck to see how faint his pulse was, hoping against hope that he’d manage to heal, even with wounds so severe.
“You were meant.. To run.” He gargled, then coughed blood onto the sleeve of his hoodie, one that he’d borrowed from you a few weeks ago.
“We couldn’t let you die out here alone.” Liam said softly, kneeling down on Theo’s other side despite the view overwhelming him with emotion. Liam took one of Theo’s hands, and you took the other, pressing the cold limb against your heart.
“You’re so stupid.” You muttered, laughing even as tears slowly began to roll down your cheeks.
“No.. you.” He muttered, even as his breaths became wheezy. You were watching your best friend die, the guy a part of you hoped to marry one day, the guy you wanted at your side for the rest of your life regardless of the form your relationship took.
“No. Por favor. No nos dejes.” You whispered desperately, leaning down to press your forehead against Theo’s. Liam laid on the ground beside him, tucking himself against Theo’s side. Neither of you could help him, you didn’t know how. When the loud yell of the feral shifter echoed around you, clearly having returned to finish Theo off, you settled in as Liam had beside Theo, prepared to die together like this.
“Run.” Theo begged, tears escaping his own eyes despite his attempts to remain strong in the face of his own demise.
“No.” Liam refused, reaching across Theo’s still bleeding body to take your hand.
“Eres mi vida, no puedo vivir sin ti.” You added, squeezing Liam’s hand firmly. Liam didn’t understand enough Spanish to truly know what you’d said, but you could tell from the look on his face that he understood the sentiment well enough. Another roar then rang out, one that all three of you recognised more clearly.
[No. Please. Don’t leave us. / You are my life, I can’t live without you.]
Derek.
When the beast entered into the clearing where you lay, it did so stumbling, wounded by both Theo and now Derek. His eyes glowed a bright blue, fangs and claws practically gleaming in the moonlight. He said nothing as he furiously sunk his claws into the feral shifter’s stomach, and then ripped through it, effectively disembowelling the creature. That’s when Scott entered the clearing from the other side silently, his claws dragging across the back of the beast to send it to the ground, then he was at your sides.
“Who’s hurt?” He asked hurriedly, looking over all three of you.
“Just Theo.” Liam managed to say, shuffling away to give Scott clearer access to Theo.
“I.. can’t heal.” Theo explained, looking at Scott reluctantly. He’d never looked so small, so scared, so desperate. There was a moment of silence between them, their history colouring their present relationship.
“I accept you as my beta.” Scott said finally, surprising all three of you.
“W- what?” Theo asked, suddenly coughing again aggressively, more blood spattering the hoodie he’d borrowed.
“Accept the bond, and you’ll heal.”
“It won’t work if you don’t mean it, Scott.” You snapped.
“Él también fue mi amigo una vez.” Scott said, and you nodded, lip tightly caught between your teeth, slowly worrying it until it was bleeding.
[He was my friend once too.]
“I accept you as my alpha.” Theo whispered, voice hardly there. There was no dramatic change, or a flare of light to signify that anything had changed. You all held your breath, waiting for a sign that Theo’s healing had started. When he coughed again, but this time no blood flew from his lips, you knew you were in the clear. Liam fell backward, relief flooding through him, and you just continued to desperately hold onto your friend.
Scott stood and stepped away to talk softly to Derek, determining what to do with the shifter that had attacked you, had been killing hikers. Corey and Mason chose that moment to make their appearance, and rushed to Liam, wrapping him up in their arms.
“He’s going to be okay.” You told them, and they just nodded, both trying not to look too closely at Theo’s wounds. Theo remained quiet, though he’d leaned slightly toward you to leech some of your body heat.
Once Theo was healed enough, you helped to haul him to his feet, and with Liam on his other side, you helped him back to his truck. You got into the driver’s side while Liam climbed into the backseat, letting Theo lay down with his head in Liam’s lap. You drove the three of you to your house, knowing your parents wouldn’t mind, and the three of you headed up to share your king size bed. There were no more words exchanged as you all stripped down to your underwear, not bothering to try to find sleeping clothes, and collapsed into bed together.
“También te amo.” Theo whispered into the night, and you almost physically startled.
“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.” You said softly, turning to face him. His hand found yours, and you intertwined your fingers.
“I started learning recently, for you.” Theo confessed. He only smiled indulgently when a sleepy Liam turned over and snuggled into Theo’s back, pressing a sleepy kiss to his shoulder.
“So we’re dating now, right?” He asked, voice already rough with sleep, as if he’d been on the brink of slipping into sleep when Theo had spoken.
“Are we?” Theo asked you, slowly pulling your hand up to his face.
“Yeah. We are.” You agreed, and he pressed a kiss to the inside of your wrist.
“Good. Don’t know what I’d do without the towns two prettiest boys on my arms.” Theo said, a small smirk on his lips, and while Liam just blushed, you gently shoved Theo’s freshly healed chest.
“Shut up and get some sleep, you martyr.”
[I love you too.]