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“There’s only one blanket.”
Because of course, this would happen to Liam. Miles into the woods with at least another day’s walk to get back to town, stuck here with no food in his belly since that morning, of course Liam’s going to have to share a blanket with none other than Theo Raeken.
“Well then, have fun freezing your ass off tonight.”
The chimera smirked over his shoulder where he was down on one knee in the dirt, pumping up the only air mattress they had by hand. As if it wasn’t already torture enough, having to squeeze onto that thing with Theo last night, barely a pathetic sliver of space between them. Liam struggled to stay on his side while Theo was radiating with warmth and his familiar scent that made Liam’s wolf want to burrow into him.
Only natural, Liam told himself, it was nothing more than the fact that Theo’s scent was entangled with a lingering hint of Liam’s house— their home now for a while, so of course it was just Liam’s instinct to cling to him, wrap around him and—
“Fuck you, I’m not sleeping without a blanket,” Liam focused his thoughts, masking whatever was going on with his emotions.
“You should’ve thought about that before you shredded the other one,” Theo threw him another snide look, illuminated only by scattered moonlight and the flickering glow from the fire.
“Obviously, I wasn’t thinking because it was a full moon. What were you thinking when you put a blanket on me while I was totally wolfed-out?”
“I was thinking I should spare the poor forest animals from another one of your naked wolf-boy runs.”
Liam was thankful for the darkness then, covering the embarrassed flush burning on his face, “Hey, don’t act like I go out and do it all the time just for the hell of it, or something.”
“Well, you go on more feral streaks than the average person, which is none,” Theo was teasing, Liam knew that, but it didn’t make it any less humiliating.
It just didn’t make any sense. He was fine last month, kept control the entire night with only a little help from Theo, who stayed close and slept on Liam’s bedroom floor instead of the guest— his room. This time, Theo barely had time to pack the rucksack— since Liam insisted they wouldn’t need it this full moon. Ha. — before Liam lost it and took off into the woods behind the house.
Now they were here again, for the third time this year, stuck hiking back to town with almost no energy once the moon-mania died down.
Theo finished with the mattress, tossing the pump aside and looking over at Liam, “You only ran us 30 miles deep this time, instead of 40. That’s progress.”
His eyes fell softer than usual on Liam, the way they did more often lately, somehow it was even more harsh than a glare, Theo’s gaze sinking deep into Liam until every piece of him felt oddly seen.
“You didn’t have to come, you know,” Liam mumbled.
He dragged his foot along the dirt, a deflated slouch in his shoulders as the usual aftermath of guilt began to settle heavy in his bones. He watched the debris of rocks and twigs scatter on the ground, admittedly sulking and unable to hide it.
“No, but I did.”
Of course Theo did, and of fucking course he could just say it like that, like it was so obvious that he would spend the entire night chasing after Liam, who was still too pathetic to control his shift. Of course Theo would be here, keeping him out of trouble, keeping him anchored somehow as if Liam’s been his responsibility since he came back, and it was never the other way around.
“Why?” The question shot out of Liam suddenly, coming from a deeper place of frustration he hadn’t realized was there, just a little too hot beneath his skin.
Theo dusted off his hands, regarding Liam pensively for a split second before something shifted in his eyes, casually quipping back, “Somehow, I doubt your mom would let me keep staying at your house if I let you loose in the woods and the hunters turned you into a pelt.”
Liam watched as he kicked off his shoes and then situated himself atop the air mattress, notably leaving room for Liam next to him. He was glazed over with his usual nonchalance again and something about it ticked Liam, not anger, just wildly incredulous of how wrong Theo’s reason was and how much more complicated it all felt.
“So that’s why you come out here every time?” Liam said, the question felt sore in his mouth, worsening a wound he didn’t even know was there, “That’s the only reason you do… any of the things you do now.”
“Liam,” Theo lay with his arms behind his head, looking so cool and composed and making Liam even more irrationally mad, “As much as I’d love to sit around the fire and let you gaze into the inner depths of my soul to understand every choice I’ve ever made in my life, I really just wanna sleep right now.”
“You’re such a dick,” Liam groaned, kicking off his shoes with a little too much force.
“Just get under the damn blanket, you runt,” Theo rolled his eyes, more tired than annoyed.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Liam argued even as he stalked over to the air mattress, making sure to leave as much space as possible between them without rolling off the edge, “And you better stay over there on your stupid side,” he grumbled, snatching his half of the blanket up to his chin.
Theo turned over on his side, away from Liam, humming with a smirk around his words, “Why, so you’re not tempted to spoon me when you get lonely tonight?”
“Wha—” Liam’s mouth opened and closed several times, his brain short-circuiting to find anything he could possibly say to that, finally settling so eloquently on, “Huh?”
With his back turned to Liam, Theo’s light chuckle rumbled faintly against the mattress, “Just go to sleep.”
“Don’t tell me what to—”
“Sleep.”
Liam huffed, settling flat on his back and not moving an inch, trying to forget about the endlessly frustrating chimera next to him, whose stupid warmth was almost impossible to resist nestling into.
He tried to find something else to focus on, other than the sound of Theo’s breaths evening out as he fell straight to sleep. His heartbeat calmed to a steady rhythm that was somewhat soothing to Liam, and almost too easy to sync his own rattled pulse to. He listened to the white noise of chirping crickets all around them instead, and rustling leaves and water lapping in the nearby creek, without thinking about Theo’s blood-warm body next to him, practically begging to be spooned (not that Liam wanted to and damn Theo for even putting that in his head).
He pushed it all far enough to the back of his mind, but he couldn’t stop his thoughts from revolving around yet another Theo-centered point.
Liam glared up at the stars, wondering if Theo really believed they’d ever kick him out, that Liam would just toss him in the trash if Theo chose to stop doing something that he never had to do for Liam in the first place. As if Theo felt he was just around so that they could use him when needed and if he didn’t earn his worth, he didn’t deserve to live in Liam’s house, or be in the pack, or have part in any of their lives.
It kept Liam awake for another hour, agonizing whether or not Theo knew he had a place. Maybe they never said it and maybe Liam didn’t do enough to make it clear, but Theo had to know by now, after everything, he was more than just the role he played in helping sometimes. Or maybe Theo just wouldn’t let himself believe it, so careful and calculated and too busy planning his next ten moves to even consider that he didn’t need to, still struggling so hard to forgive himself to even accept that anyone else ever could.
Liam’s restless eyes fell to the makeshift fire, watching the flames slowly devour the sticks, pondering words that were way too big for the small hours at this time of night. Maybe trust and forgiveness weren’t the right words for everyone when it came to Theo, definitely not for Stiles— at least not this century— and maybe they shouldn’t be for Scott, but he was Scott, those words were ingrained in his nature.
The fire dimmed slightly, branches shifting with a hiss and Liam watched the stray embers float into the night and die out. It filled his chest with violent memories, red eyes and unbridled rage and torn flesh that still plagued the tips of his fingers, guilt forever staining his hands. He wished he didn’t understand Theo’s need to be needed as well as he did, that need to prove he could be better despite knowing there’s nothing he could do to ever make up for what he did, but still trying, always trying.
Forgiven or not, Theo had changed. Liam was the first to see it, being that he was the first thing Theo seemed to care about other than himself, though neither of them had ever admitted it. Mason was more insightful than both of them, assuring Liam that letting Theo live with him wasn’t a death sentence, saying whatever Theo went through in hell clearly killed his hunger for power, killed all the worst parts of him.
It felt deeper than that to Liam. Theo could’ve just left the moment Liam let him out of that cell, abandoned him with the Ghost Riders and never looked back, but Theo stayed. He came back to fight with Liam at every chance, fought for Liam. No, it wasn’t just power that Theo was after anymore, it was something deeper, he wanted to belong and not even a lifetime in hell could make him really fit the way he did now. No, it was just Theo.
Liam was the last to accept he’d really changed, not because he didn’t know, but because he wanted to since the second Theo shoved him into that elevator. Then every second after, when Theo helped him with the plan at the zoo and smiled at him in the passenger seat of his truck and reluctantly crashed on his couch after that exhausting night at the hospital, Liam wanted Theo to belong with him so bad that it scared him.
It took him a while to tame it enough to trust himself to even be near Theo and let the wall down. It took even longer for Liam to accept that Theo found where he fit inside without wrecking through it or having to manipulate his way in. But there Theo was, deep into Liam, the anchor tethered to his ribs that he somehow trusted not to drown his heart, terrifying but so needed.
Liam huffed a tired breath, screwing his eyes shut to force his stupid brain to shut up so he could sleep. His own chemosignals were keeping him up, distraught and bitter, a heavy fog suffocating him. He rubbed his eyes, seeing chasers of firelight as he let out a tired yawn. Though he tried to keep quiet and not jostle the air mattress too much, Theo stirred next to him anyway.
Liam stilled suddenly, his ears picking up a faint noise Theo made, something about it setting his instincts on edge. He looked over at Theo, curled in on himself and gripping the blanket so tight in his sleep, it’s a wonder he hadn’t torn a hole. It was then that Liam realized the chemosignals keeping him awake weren’t his own, distress radiating off of Theo as he slept.
“Shit,” Liam cursed, knowing how hard it was to bring Theo back when the nightmares took over, even after he woke.
“Theo…?” Raising his voice a little, Liam reached over to try and gently shake Theo awake, lightly gripping his arm beneath the blanket.
Of course, it wasn’t enough to wake Theo, his nightmares always seemed to take him somewhere much deeper than just sleep. The first time Theo had one so bad that his fear and panic seeped through the walls of Liam’s bedroom and jolted him awake, almost nothing could bring Theo out of it. Even when Liam finally woke him up, he was still stuck in there, trapped in his thoughts, his eyes distant from Liam for hours after.
“Hey, Theo…” Liam tried again, gripping Theo’s arm firmer, which did nothing to wake him, but it did seem to do something else.
Liam carefully peeked over Theo’s shoulder, seeing the furrow of his brows soothe out in the shifting shadows of the firelight. Slowly, Theo’s heartbeat wasn’t thundering in Liam’s ears, steadying as his chemosignals eased out too.
Liam’s pulse, on the other hand, rocketed to his throat, realizing he’d somehow stopped Theo’s nightmare just by the touch of his hand, lulling him into a quiet sleep. It should’ve put Liam at ease too, nothing in the air but slow burning wood and Theo’s even warmer scent, but Liam was just as conflicted as before, more so now.
Was he just supposed to keep holding Theo’s arm the entire night? No way could he sleep like this, hyper aware of the inch of space separating Theo’s back from his chest, the almost non-existent divide between their legs, sharing body heat under the blanket. He laid his head back down, stiff and trying to use as little movement as possible, guiltily recalling how tired Theo was after trekking the woods all day, not wanting to wake him knowing he could never go back to sleep after and wouldn’t get any rest.
Even more so, Liam worried that now he had the insanely crucial task of keeping his hand exactly where it was, unsure if Theo would slip back into the nightmare without his touch. So Liam just laid there, about as comfortable as lying in an animal cage getting pelted by lacrosse balls, not moving or breathing too hard, not trusting himself to sleep.
The minutes ticked by the chirp of crickets and the rustle of leaves, his eyes were growing heavier while his mind softened to the pull of exhaustion, with Theo’s body heat so close and enticing, Liam was on the brink of giving in when Theo stirred again.
Torn between jerking his hand away or pretending to be asleep and sparing himself from whatever sly remark Theo would surely make, Liam ended up freezing altogether. His pulse pounded hard as he waited to see what Theo would do, but rather than pulling away or turning around to tease Liam, Theo didn’t even fully wake up. He shifted a little in his sleep, lifting his arm slightly so that Liam’s hand slipped down, his palm pressed to Theo’s side now.
Liam immediately basked in the heat there, having to stifle the urge to just curl into Theo, feeling that he was just as warm and solid as Liam had admittedly been imagining for a while. He tried to stay still, his mind in a battle between pulling away and getting closer, but his hand slipped further around Theo as the other boy stirred even more. Liam held his breath as Theo made a soft noise in his sleep, nestling further under the blanket, causing him to shift closer to Liam until the dangerously small space between their bodies was no more.
Theo slipped right back into his slumber, while Liam was practically paralyzed for a solid minute. It burned a bright, hot line where his chest was now pressed to Theo's back, his arm tucked all the way around Theo's waist, soaking in all his warmth. Pleasant chemosignals filled his senses, wanting to nestle in where Theo's hair still smelled wet from when they rinsed off in the creek before making camp, where Theo's clothes smelled of home in a way that satisfied Liam's wolf, where Theo's scent was so strong and warm and begging Liam to come closer.
Liam couldn't resist, he let his head tip forward, resting his temple in the soft tufts of Theo's hair, his nose right at Theo's neck where his scent was the strongest. Nestling against Theo flooded Liam with warmth, his every nerve softened with an amber glow, melting away all the complicated thoughts until there was just Theo's body wrapped in his body and nothing mattered beyond that.
Only then, by the crackle of the fire and the thrumming heat of Theo in his arms, could he finally give into the pull of exhaustion, and let himself rest.
-
It was never warm in Theo's dreams, always a torturous cycle of chilling despair followed by pain and unbearable emptiness, and on and on again. So when a foreign feeling of comfort had gone on long enough and deep enough to reach him all the way in his sleep, it woke him.
Slowly blinking awake, past the split second panic of remembering he was lying on an air mattress in the middle of the forest, it didn't take long for Theo to become aware, very aware of what that feeling was.
He was covered in Liam.
Behind him, snoozing softly into the crook of his neck, Liam was curled around him, an arm caging Theo's waist and his chest pressed flush to Theo's back. They were nestled in a pocket of warmth beneath the blanket, their scents twining together like smoke drifting off the small campfire, hearts beating steady in tandem until Theo's started to pick up a bit.
It wasn't the first time he found himself in some maddening form of touching, whether he was grabbing Liam's arm to yank him along in a movement that wasn't entirely necessary, or Liam plopped down next to him on Scott's couch and their thighs were pressed together the entire pack meeting. There was always a certain intensity between them, sometimes they'd get too close and send little shocks sparking off. But right now, waking up in Liam's arms, he wasn't just buzzing with static, he was burning with heat.
The kind he'd been feeling more often lately, when their typical back-and-forth edged into something more charged than banter. When Liam's scent grew hot from something other than his little surges of anger that Theo admittedly liked riling out of him sometimes. He might've teased Liam about sharing the blanket, but he wasn't actually expecting to wake up wrapped in the little wrecking-ball beta's arms— Not that he liked it, not that he didn't like it either— hell, Theo didn't know how he felt. He wasn't even sure if Liam did it on purpose and for whatever reason, he didn't want that to be the case.
“Liam,” he pushed his elbow back, nudging the other boy, “Liam?”
After a couple seconds, Liam stirred behind him, still half-asleep and sending chills down Theo's neck where he hummed, “Mm— huh?”
“What are you doing?”
Liam went slightly rigid, as if he only just realized his body was draped around Theo's like a blanket, “Helping with your nightmares, obviously.”
“... by spooning me?”
Theo smirked, feeling Liam's fists tighten where it was twisted in the front of his shirt, flustered but there was no point in trying to play it off when he'd already been caught.
“Whatever, fight me, it worked.”
Theo's smirk widened, an oddly large part of him was glad that Liam hadn't pulled away, and even more glad to know that Liam had done it intentionally.
“Admit it, Dunbar, you just wanted to cuddle up with a big armful of Raeken, didn't you?”
“No, I just wanted to sleep but you wouldn’t stop—” he huffed, his tone softening a bit, “You were having nightmares, and I didn’t know if I should wake you or just— It helped, when I touched you,” he mumbled sleepily, rumbling against Theo's back. “Then you… in your sleep, you pulled my arm around you.”
Theo fought the urge to shiver, or comment that he clearly wasn't having a nightmare anymore but Liam was still holding him, and Theo hadn't pulled away either.
Neither of them commented on it.
Theo murmured, “Oh.”
“Do you want me to—”
“No.”
Theo gripped Liam's wrist where his arm was locked around him, holding it in place and surprising himself with such a brazen move. They were always so touch-and-go, a flicker behind a gaze, a hand that lingered a beat too long, subtle flashes of something deeper, something hotter, something so subtly intense that Theo could've been imagining it.
He wasn't imagining this.
“Didn’t think so,” Liam smirked against his shoulder.
“Mm, presumptuous of you.”
“You’re literally holding onto me, dumbass,” Liam grumbled, “But I guess I could just go back to my side if—”
“Don’t you dare, asshole.”
Now they were back to that teasing edge, static tingling at the base of Theo's spine ready to spark. Theo knew he wasn't going to be able to rest like this, a lingering smile on his lips and a pleasant flutter in his chest, but he didn't mind so much honestly, not wanting to miss a second of this to sleep. Liam was always too wired and tense to ever let Theo get this close, understandable considering a year ago Theo would've twisted it to his advantage, but now he was giving into the underlying pull between them.
Liam's breaths fell in steady warm puffs against Theo's shoulder. He wasn't sleeping either, the slightest bit of tension in his body as he tried not to move, careful not to tighten his hold on Theo but not letting him go either. He was overthinking it, so was Theo. No one questioned Theo more than he questioned himself in the last year.
After Liam inevitably found out Theo had no real place to go, it took him a week of brewing and taking out his frustration on his poor backyard trees to decide to let Theo move in. Meanwhile, Theo had driven to the edge of Beacon Hills every night that same week, contemplating if he should just keep going and never look back, but it's like something was always pulling him to stay.
Theo circled Liam's wrist involuntarily, tucking his arm tighter around him, unsure which one of them was basking more in the warm medley of their scents. Liam nestled in closer, pressing his nose to the crook of Theo's neck, breathing him in and sighing pleasantly. There was something so incredibly intimate about it. Theo had never been held like this before, like Liam was holding every part of him and every piece of Theo felt felt somehow.
It was easier out here to just let whatever this thing was happen, in the middle of nowhere with only the stars to witness. Some things were like that with Liam, didn't need to be talked about or questioned, like how Liam could pull him out of his nightmares and flashbacks with just a touch of his hand, or how Theo could settle Liam's outbursts just as easily as he could rile them.
They didn't have to talk about this wildly inexplicable bond between them, just knowing it was there was enough. Sometimes though, sometimes it gnawed at Theo, not knowing if his place was more like an anchor or just a temporary tether, wondering how long it would take before it frayed and snapped and he was useless to Liam.
“You know,” Liam murmured behind him sometime later, both of their thoughts running wild in the silence too long, “You're not... Theo, no one's gonna kick you out. So don't feel like you have to do anything for me, or come here with me just because—”
“Liam,” Theo sighed, releasing his words like they were something heavy on his chest, “That’s not why I do it. I could’ve moved out of your house months ago, you know? Could’ve left town any time, if I wanted.”
Liam was quiet for a moment, letting the words settle between the crackle of the fire and the static buzzing stronger between them. When he finally spoke, it set off a little flare inside Theo.
“So then why did you… stay with me?”
He couldn't hold it back then, this feeling bursting inside his chest. He had to turn around, shifting in Liam's hold, he had to face him and look him in the eyes when he said this, “You’re seriously asking me that?”
Liam's brows furrowed over his deep blue gaze. Theo was close enough to see the specks of gold in his eyes reflecting from the fire, and he couldn't help it. He fisted the front of Liam's shirt, wanting to dig his claws in, to latch under Liam's ribs and refuse to let go, to make Liam feel how he felt for the last year, a visceral bind chaining him to this damn boy.
“I stayed with you,” Theo whispered fiercely, “I did everything to graduate on time so you wouldn't have to go to college by yourself. We’re moving in together. We’re alone in the woods and you’re spooning me under a blanket next to firelight beneath the fucking stars and you still don’t know?”
The words left Theo breathless with how they fired out of him. Liam didn't have to feel the same, but god damn it, he had to know.
There was something like surprise on Liam's face, like the burning intensity rushing through Theo had spread to him too, catching fire behind his gaze.
“I guess I didn’t think you—”
Theo silenced the rest of Liam's words with his lips, not needing to hear what they'd both been saying for a while now, without ever having to speak it. The little noise of shock Liam made was muffled against Theo's mouth, immediately giving into the kiss after a stunned second. It burned where their lips met, setting off something so bright and hot inside Theo that not a single ember in the wild little fire next to them could compare to.
He pulled back, his pulse thrumming hard in his throat as he breathed Liam in, their mouths an inch apart, eyes dazed as their breath fused between them.
“Do you get it now?” Theo rasped, his voice edging on desperate.
Liam's wild eyes searched Theo's face as his hand trailed up to thread his fingers into Theo's hair, “I think I need a little more explaining,” he mumbled before pulling Theo back in.
Their smiling lips met again, more tender this time, no fireworks, they were just a slow melt beneath a small flame. Liam's fingers gripped his hair slightly and Theo's mouth fell open with a sigh, running his tongue along Liam's bottom lip before slipping inside. They kissed deep and idle, no real intent behind the press of their lips, just opening up to each other and soaking each other in, their scents warm and satisfied and mixing like they belonged together.
Theo knew all the complicated feelings would surely come, could already feel the knots in his stomach along with the flutter of heat, but he pushed it aside to handle later. For right now, he melted into Liam's kiss, just enjoying what they finally had now.
It wasn't long before Theo's eyelids started to grow heavy and Liam was getting tired too. The kiss fell lazy until they were just mouthing at each other, Liam dropping a sleepy little peck to Theo's chin before it fell apart.
It was a good kind of tired, one that wasn't so restless down to Theo's bones, that kind that would actually let him sleep. He could fall asleep like this, so much tension relieved between them, Liam's body pliant and soft and tired and all over Theo. He could sleep like— well, not like this.
He shifted again, turning around in Liam's hold, who automatically curled around him, nestling together like two pieces that fit. It was so fiercely comforting, putting a sweet ache in Theo's chest that made him want more, more warmth more touch more Liam. So he put his arm over Liam's around his waist, their bodies aligned just right and tucked together beneath the blanket, and just let himself be held and felt.
A little while later, Liam nosed at his neck, murmuring sleepily, “You know, I never figured you for a little spoon.”
Theo hummed, fighting a tired smirk, “Tell anyone and I'll kill you.”
He felt Liam's light laugh rumble against his skin, making him shiver, “Don't worry, your secret's safe with me,” Liam's words fell soft in the night, “As long as you let me have a turn sometimes.”
The sweet ache in Theo's chest spread deeper, something visceral and real that made him clench Liam's arm tighter around him, “Anything, you know,” there was an intensity behind those small words, flowing hot from Theo, “... for you.”
Liam's hold tightened around him, a quiet fervor charging through them as he murmured back, “... anything for you too.”
Theo didn't have to say anything else. It was all right there. Everything he wanted, everything he needed, everything he was, it's all right there in Liam's arms.