Work Text
Liam doesn't know what Theo's thinking when he sees him advancing towards the injured boy. He registers Theo walking past him, holding his shoulder. He got shot there, his brain automatically supplies. He registers Theo avoiding the trail of blood that Gabe had left behind. The lights keep flickering, making the hue of the blood jump between something fresh and light, and then something deep and dark. In both instances it looks brutal, a path of gore, the contrast of red against the white hospital floor stark.Maybe he will put him out of his misery, Liam contemplates. Deliver the finishing blow. He remembers how ruthlessly Theo had pressed Gabe’s face against the cracked mirror, how nonchalantly he had mused about covering up the boy's murder. He knows the chimera is capable of being vicious, of enacting violence without remorse. It doesn't feel that far-fetched that he won't be gentle now, either. Gabe is dying, that much is obvious. And ending his suffering instead of prolonging it could be seen as mercy, but he isn't entirely sure if that is Theo's intention right now. Maybe he wants to add to the pain, take revenge for getting shot, for having to fight this battle at all. Liam isn't sure either, if he himself doesn't think that Gabe may deserve a painful death. He's not about to actually make it worse for the human, but it's not like he's feeling particularly sympathetic towards him right now. He watches as Theo lowers himself so that he's on eye level with the boy. And he watches, captivated, as Theo slowly reaches for Gabe’s arm. Distantly he's aware of hearing two pairs of feet coming near them, his other senses reaching out letting him know that it's Mason and Corey. He's relieved at the proof of them being safe and sound, feels the brief urge to turn to them, to check for himself that they're okay and hug his best friend. He's not able to do any of that. The urge disappears without Liam even having to suppress it, there and gone in the blink of an eye. His desire to keep his eyes on Theo– to see what Liam suspects he's about to do– is so strong that he feels it to his core, overwhelming his entire being. When his gaze catches black traveling up Theo's arms, the chimera’s veins turning dark due to the pain that he is siphoning from the dying boy in front of him, Liam almost stumbles back. His brain reminds him of the bullet in his calf and he stays put, not wanting to lose his balance in case he puts his foot down wrong. When Theo had paused in front of Gabe, brought himself to the same level as the boy and then slowly, cautiously clasped his arm, Liam had thought Oh. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Theo was about to bring on Gabe’s death, but in an entirely different way than the beta had expected. And then, as if to respond to the werewolf’s thoughts, Theo's veins became visible, black lines on pale skin. Seeing the unmistakable evidence of Theo– Theo, first chimera, former spy for the Dread Doctors, Scott's murderer– do something so… so selfless, so kind is making him feel a bit unstable. He knows that Theo is capable of more than just violence. The older boy has saved him so many times now, Liam doesn't even want to know what Theo may think he owes him. What he doesn't know is why.
Why do you keep trying to save me?
He had asked and Theo hadn't answered.
What are you doing here?
He had asked and Theo hadn't answered. This plain display of Theo taking someone's pain away– someone who had hurt him, had wanted to kill him– without any ulterior motives is making Liam view the chimera in a new light.He hadn't been able to shake off all of his doubts when Theo kept helping him. He told himself to not trust him, to stay suspicious of him. Even though he felt like Theo had changed, he hadn't been able to trust himself. Too worried that he was falling for the boy's act yet again and too scared of the potential consequences if that turned out to be the case. Now, the rest of his inhibitions to trust the chimera vanish. He'll figure out why Theo kept appearing at his side another time, most important right now is this: Theo had saved him, had fought with him and now he is taking away pain from a boy who probably deserved to be in pain for no reason other than to make it hurt less. A boy who probably deserved to be in pain, his mind repeats his previous thought about Gabe back to him and replaces it with someone else. He looks at Theo and wonders what he's seeing when looking at the human.Maybe Gabe’s eyes appear to him as a mirror. “Does it hurt anymore?”Theo's words ring in his head, loud and clear. The chimera hadn't raised his voice, spoke softly and only to the boy in front of him, but to Liam it feels like Theo could've screamed and it would've sounded the same. “No,” Gabe breathes out, a little brokenly. “Good,” Theo replies. Earnest. Sincere. He stays there, carefully putting the boy's arm back down and even once it's clear that Gabe’s eyes won't ever open back up again, Theo doesn't move. Liam is frozen as well, eyes locked on the crouching chimera. Melissa suddenly pats him on the shoulder and he twitches in surprise. She looks at him, smiling in that particular way only a mother can, and then walks over to Mason and Corey, checking them over for injuries. The werewolf hesitates only for a second before approaching Theo, coming to a stop right next to him. His lips part but no words come out, his thoughts a swirling mess and the adrenaline slowly disappearing from his body making him notice all the places where he got hit. He's about to clear his throat, since Theo hadn't acknowledged him yet, but then the older boy murmurs: “Do you hear that?” Liam narrows his eyes, immediately brings his guard back up, thinking it's a hunter that they somehow missed, but then he picks up on what Theo meant. It's a familiar voice. A voice he absolutely loathes, and it sounds staticky. The older boy shifts and Liam's hand jerks in a half-aborted movement to help him up. Once he's standing again, Theo nods his head in the direction of the noise. Liam presses his lips together and turns, walking over to where the radio from one of the hunters is transmitting. Theo follows him. He notices the chimera’s presence behind him and has to suppress a shiver at how safe it makes him feel. The werewolf crouches down and grabs the radio, doesn't bother to waste any more time listening to Monroe’s increasingly desperate orders to get a status report. His voice sounds deep and rough when declaring: “You lost.”He turns the radio off, drops it to the ground and disregards the fleeting thought of stomping it into pieces. Liam gets back up and finally, his eyes meet Mason's. Both of their expressions are blank, dumbly blinking at each other. Then Liam feels the corners of his mouth quirk up and before he knows it, they're helplessly grinning at each other. He stumbles over to the human and wraps his arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. Mason yelps and tries to hug back while muttering: “Okay, okay, love you too, but dude. Werewolf strength.” Liam lessens his grip, sheepishly letting out a: “Sorry,” and holds onto his best friend for a few seconds longer. Mason pats him on the back and after squeezing his frame one last time, the beta lets go of him. “You good?” He asks, his gaze switching between resting on Mason and Corey. The chameleon gives him a small smile and Mason, a dopey look on his face when glancing at his boyfriend, replies: “Yeah. Yeah, we're- We're more than good.” Liam's eyebrow raises slightly, noticing the tone in his voice. Later, the human mouths at him and the werewolf suppresses his chuckle at the obvious heart-eyes Mason is making at Corey. His knee buckles a bit, his body complaining about the bullet still buried in his flesh, and Corey grabs his arm, steadying him. “Are you okay?” He asks, brows furrowing with concern. Liam gently shakes him off. “Yeah. Just have to get the bullet out and I'll heal in no time.” Corey nods and then another voice pipes up. “I can help with that,” Melissa says, already guiding the beta to sit down on one of the stretchers in the hallway. “You really don't have to-” Liam starts to say, but the nurse narrows her eyes at him in a no-nonsense kind of way and he shuts his mouth. He lifts his leg onto the stretcher, begins to tug up his pant leg and then holds up his hands in an appeasing gesture when Melissa tuts at him. “This probably won't be comfortable, but it should be over quickly,” she warns and he gives her an affirmative, although shaky smile.With some forceps in one hand– Liam has no idea where she suddenly got those from– she uses her other hand to bring his leg to an angle and holds onto his calf. The werewolf looks away– he's just not good with certain objects entering a body, okay? Nothing that sinister looking should ever be near anyone's insides. He's aware of the irony that his dad is a doctor and no, he doesn't want to talk about it. “Stop being such a baby. You've gone through so much worse than getting a bullet pried out of your leg,” Mason laughs at him. Liam wrinkles his nose and purses his lips. “Yeah, supernatural stuff. This? This is someone sticking something into me that doesn't belong in my body.” Melissa raises an eyebrow at him and he shrugs his shoulders, trying to look apologetic. “I'm very grateful for that someone! I'm just not a fan of- Ow!” He ends his sentence when the nurse gets the bullet out of him in one swift motion. “Alright, you're good,” she says, entirely unimpressed, while Mason and Corey are both still snickering at him. He scowls and pulls the fabric back down over his leg, feels the flesh already knitting itself back together. Theo got shot as well, he remembers and looks around trying to spot the chimera. When he can't find him, he asks: “Hey, where's Theo? His seemed even worse than mine.”All three of them look just as clueless as Liam is, but then Nolan tentatively draws nearer from where he's been awkwardly standing at the side of their little group. “He left,” the human supplies in a quiet voice. Liam narrows his eyes. “What do you mean he left?” Nolan, almost imperceptibly flinching at the edge to Liam's voice, quickly adds: “He got on the elevator. He didn't say anything to me, I just saw him leave.”
Why would Theo…?
Liam gets back to his feet. “You good if I…?” He asks in Mason's direction and the human immediately waves him off. “Obviously. Go.” Grateful, the beta claps Mason on the shoulder, nods his thanks to Melissa and then makes his way over to the elevator. Once he's inside it and moving down, he leans back against the wall behind him. I'm not dying for you. He brings his fingers up to his face and touches his lips. He's not sure what it meant when Theo's eyes had briefly flicked down to them. He's not sure either, what it meant when Theo had reached for him, shielding him with his own body the second that Gabe had started shooting at them. That certainly hadn't felt like sensible behavior from someone who had just claimed he wouldn't die for Liam.The elevator comes to a stop and the werewolf steps out of it. The air is so dense with the smell of gunpowder and blood, he barely manages to pick up on Theo's scent when sniffing. He shakes himself and walks out of the hospital into the parking lot, trying to spot Theo's truck and hoping it isn't gone yet. Once he catches sight of the familiar blue of it, he sighs in relief and jogs over to it. The cool, fresh air is incredibly welcoming after the suffocating smell of the building behind him. The sky is completely dark and if the parking lots lights weren't on, he'd probably have to flare his eyes to see. It was light out when I got here, he thinks to himself. This definitely makes the list of his most exhausting and terrifying days ever. Right next to the day he got bitten and the day when… He forces himself to get rid of that other thought. He really doesn't want to dwell on that particular memory right now. He arrives at the truck and freezes in surprise. Theo is sitting in the driver's seat, unmoving. His hands are clenched around the wheel and his head is leaning against the headrest, his eyes closed. Liam can't tell for certain, but it doesn't look like the chimera has made any efforts to remove the bullet from his shoulder, since his shirt is still sticking to the skin where the entry wound is. Frowning, Liam knocks on the window. Apparently, Theo hadn't been ignoring Liam's presence, like the beta had briefly considered, but actually just hadn't noticed him. The older boy’s body twitches and then, seemingly on autopilot, he lifts his hand as if to make a shooing motion. Thanks to his werewolf hearing, Liam can make out the mumbling words coming out of Theo's mouth.“Yeah, alright, I'm going… “What the fuck, Liam thinks. “Theo,” he says. Theo halts his movement– he had been reaching for his keys– and finally turns to Liam. His eyes are wide open and he looks… confused? The chimera rolls down the window and his voice sounds tired when he asks: “Do you need something?”“What the fuck,” Liam says out loud this time. “Do I need- What the fuck, Theo,” he repeats for good measure, exasperated. Theo doesn't say anything, just stares at him. Liam shakes his head and walks around the hood so that he can get in the truck and sit next to Theo while giving him a piece of his mind. The other boy releases a long-suffering sigh and rolls the window back up. “There's a bullet. In your shoulder,” Liam informs him once he's sitting. Theo gives him a wry look. “I'm aware,” he retorts, slowly, like Liam is stupid for pointing that out. As if Liam is the stupid one in this situation; he's not the one who left a hospital where a nurse was present with a bullet still lodged deep in his body. “Oh, are you? I'm not sure I believe that, since you left before Melissa could get it out of you,” he spits out. “I don't need Nurse McCall to hold my hand while picking the metal out of my body.” And his tone may be calm, but his words are still like poison to Liam. He bristles and then snaps: “Shut the fuck up. Theo Raeken thinks himself too fucking special to accept help like the other mortals, huh? Is that what it is? You couldn't ignore whatever weird complex you have and just had to sneak away again?”Theo laughs at him. It's a harsh, ugly sound. “You may wanna go back inside and let dear Melissa check if you didn't hit your head. What in the world makes you think that anyone would want to help me? You seriously think that she would've sat me down somewhere and wasted her time doing that?” Liam's lips part, an argument already on the tip of his tongue, but Theo just keeps going. “I killed her son, Liam. That woman wants me nowhere near her, or anyone she cares about, ever. She'd probably rather put another bullet in me instead of getting one out of me. If that's all you came to bother me for, you can leave. You should leave, before any of them think I did anything to you.”Liam is speechless. There's so much wrong with what Theo just said, but he's also aware that the chimera is kind of right. His frustration and anger keep bubbling up and before he's able to think of something clever to say, to disprove Theo's claims, he only manages to bark out: “Fuck you, Theo. Seriously.” The older boy laughs again, humorlessly. “Sure,” he responds. Taken aback, and frankly, extremely irritated by that reaction, Liam crosses his arms and says: “Take your shirt off.”Theo's eyes widen, a surprised expression flickering over his face so quickly Liam feels like he imagined it, and then he grins. “Very forward of you, Dunbar. Really, in the front seat? You’re not worried that your friends are gonna see us?” Not wanting to entertain Theo in the slightest, the werewolf scoffs. “I'm helping you get that bullet out. Pretty sure that's easier to do if the shirt is out of the way.”Another expression washes over Theo's face, this one disappearing even faster than the first one, so that Liam has no chance at deciphering it at all. “Alright. If that's what you need to tell yourself. It's okay to want to see me naked, you know. You wouldn't be the first one in your pack with that desire,” the chimera drawls and Liam is still stuck on what he means by that when Theo gets rid of his shirt without warning. He can't even voice how annoying Theo is for suddenly disrobing, because Liam literally just told him to do that very thing. He clenches his jaw and tries very hard to keep his eyes away from the expanse of well-defined muscle and soft looking skin. Determinedly, he focuses on Theo's shoulder and the gnarly wound there. The beta had been right. That definitely looks worse than his own injury had been. The skin around it is swollen and red and the opening is still oozing blood. “Jesus,” he utters under his breath and Theo makes a derisive sound. “You're not gonna faint at seeing a little blood, are you?” Liam squints his eyes, begins to say: “Obviously not, you asshole-” when Theo suddenly unsheathes his claws. “The fuck are you doing?” Liam asks, his voice involuntarily pitching higher towards the end. The other boy rolls his eyes at him. “What do you think? I gotta get it out somehow. This works just fine.” Liam frowns, his face switching between concern and disgust, and says: “Okay, hold on-” but Theo is already sticking his clawed fingers into the wound. Horrified, the werewolf watches as Theo doesn't even flinch. If it wasn't for his eyebrows drawing together– more like they're doing it out of concentration than pain– and the light sheen of sweat on his forehead, Liam wouldn't even be able to tell that the chimera was currently digging around in his own flesh.“How are you-” “Doing that?” Theo finishes for him and Liam tries to hide his relief at the evident edge to Theo's voice. At least he sounds like he's in pain. “Not the first time I've had to pull something out of my body. Not even the worst thing I've had in my body,” and he says it so casually. As if he's talking about what he's had for breakfast.There's a flash of a memory in Liam's mind. Laying on the hard and dirty floor, a tube shoved deeply into his body, poisoning him. The view of gloved hands beginning to operate on Hayden without giving her anesthesia. And then he remembers just how long Theo had been with the Dread Doctors. He has so many questions and he's not sure if he wants to ask any of them. The chimera thankfully takes having to make that decision away from him when he grunts and then rips the bullet out of himself. He drops it unceremoniously in the cup holder and watches indifferently as some of his blood splatters upon impact. Liam shakes himself, feeling double the amount of horror on Theo's behalf, and then narrows his eyes at the boy's shoulder. “Why aren't you healing?” He asks, unable to keep the worry out of his voice. Theo shifts his head, looking down at himself and furrows his brows again. “I'd be more concerned if I was already healing.” Uncomprehending, Liam opens his mouth to ask yet another question, but Theo huffs and gives an answer unprompted. “Not a real werewolf, remember? I don't have your super-fast healing. Yes, I heal faster than humans, obviously. Just not as fast as you,” he adds the latter information when he sees the puzzled look on the beta’s face. “Doesn't it hurt?” That question comes out sounding a lot softer than he originally intended. Theo exhales heavily through his nose. “You want to ask any more stupid questions? It's definitely not a pleasant feeling, Liam.”Liam had come out here to help Theo. He'd wanted to take him back inside and then, when it had become clear that the chimera wouldn't cooperate with that, Liam had thought he could at least help him remove the bullet. He hadn't been able to do any of that, only watching in some sort of grotesque fascination as Theo did all of the work himself. He bites down on his lip, like he had in the elevator. “Let me help with that, then,” he says in a raspy voice. Theo narrows his eyes, the confusion obvious in his expression, and then they rapidly widen when Liam closes the space in between them. Their lips collide forcefully, Theo having surged forward once he figured out what Liam was about to do.There's nothing sweet about this kiss. Liam presses hard against the older boy, insistently licking at his lips and hungrily shoving his tongue down Theo's throat when he finally opens up with a groan. The werewolf grabs Theo's hair and wrenches his head back, adjusting the angle. He swears he can feel the subvocal whine vibrating in Theo's throat and the way he doesn't resist at all only makes Liam turn the kiss even filthier, even more heated. He barely feels the pain that he's taking. He knows there must be black lines covering his cheek, but he's so lost in getting to know what the inside of Theo's mouth tastes like, he can't really register anything else. The chimera is kissing him like he needs Liam's lips to breathe, like he'll never get to do this again and has to make the most of it. Liam kisses back just as urgently, certain he wants to do this again and again and again, but this day has been absolutely insane and his sudden realization that he likes Theo on top of his still existing, usual anger for the boy is making him a bit light-headed.He doesn't know how to soften this, doesn't want to be gentle with Theo. He wants to tear him apart, to bite and scratch and eat him whole and then kiss it better afterwards. He wants to ball up every mean, striking word the chimera’s ever said to him and give it back to him tenfold by breaking him down with his touch. To make Theo submit, willingly, and for Liam to claim him. His thoughts are getting increasingly possessive and he's not sure if his want is entirely his own or if his wolf is influencing him as well. Theo's mouth is warm and slick and it's intoxicating. Craving more, Liam licks behind his teeth, sucks on his tongue, does anything to coat his own tongue in how Theo tastes. Theo's not complaining, giving as good as he's getting, his hand tightly clasped around Liam's biceps. There's no pain siphoning going on anymore. This is just them being greedy and neither of them ever wanting to stop. They do stop, because there's suddenly someone knocking on the window and they spring apart as if the other's touch is burning them. Trying to get his breathing under control, Liam turns around and sees Mason and Corey staring at them through the window. “Great. I hope you don't mind that we actually did end up giving your friends a show,” Theo mutters sardonically behind him to which Liam just hisses a quiet: “Shut up,” before opening the car door and climbing out of the truck.Once outside, he glances back at Theo, who's currently busy putting his shirt back on. He lets the door fall back towards the truck, but keeps his hand shoved in between so that it can't fully close. It gives Theo the illusion of privacy and it makes sure that the chimera won't just drive off without talking to Liam. The shit-eating grins on the other two’s faces are already giving him a headache. “He took his shirt off to get rid of the bullet. And then I took his pain,” he defends himself and somehow, that only makes their grins even wider. “Sure. Whatever you say. Looked intense,” Mason comments and Liam feels his previous headache transforming into a migraine. “Is there a reason you interrupted us? Or are you just here to judge me?” Corey snorts, which makes Mason laugh and then it's just the worst kind of chain reaction where they keep setting each other off. “Mason!” Liam yells, and that, at least, seems to bring the human out of his very annoying activity of basically bullying Liam. “Yeah, right! Sorry,” and then he lets out another laugh, which just makes him seem not apologetic. Like, at all. “Mase,” the beta complains. Mason grins, but bites back his laugh. “Right. Scott called. Everything's fine, everybody is safe. All of it is over. Pack meeting tomorrow, sometime around noon since he figured everybody would probably sleep in.” Liam's shoulders sag and he leans back against the truck. It's over. He hadn't even noticed the tension still present in his body, but now that it's leaving him at the overwhelming relief of knowing that all of his friends are safe, his body sings with it. “Oh, thank God,” he mumbles and the other two have the decency to give him an empathetic smile. “So…” Corey starts and Mason finishes: “You need a ride?”Liam squints his eyes at them. “No. I'm good.” There's a sound coming from inside the truck, but it's so quiet and so abruptly gone again, that Liam brushes it off. “Text me once you're home safe?” Mason makes sure and Liam nods. They had started doing that once the hunter situation began to escalate. Liam found it unnecessary, but it helped the human keep a cool and level head to know that his best friend and boyfriend were safe, so ultimately he didn't mind it.“Of course,” he adds, gives both of them a reassuring smile and when they smile back, he briefly allows himself to bask in the feeling of it. It's actually over. His friends are safe. Everything's going to be okay. “See you tomorrow,” Corey says and tugs on Mason's arm, pulling him away from trying to steal glances at the chimera still sitting in the truck. The werewolf nods again and then sighs, fondness mixing with annoyance, at his friends’ antics. He watches them walk away and then turns around, getting back into the vehicle. “Didn't know that I signed up to be your personal chauffeur,” is the first thing that Theo says and Liam kind of wants to punch him. He considers it, and then does punch him. Not hard, and only against his arm, but it's still a punch. “Do I need to tell you to shut up again? Just drive.”Theo sighs and asks: “Where to?” The werewolf gives him an unimpressed look.“Stop pretending that you don't know where I live.”That forces a short laugh out of the older boy. “Who says that I memorized everything about you and your little pack? It's been a while since I stalked anyone, you know. And just because I'm better at it than you, doesn't mean I hold onto every bit of info.” Liam scowls. “Okay, first of all, you definitely memorized everything. Just start driving, I really don't wanna argue about this. And also, what do you mean you're better than me at stalking? I've never stalked anyone, there's not really any competition to be had.”Theo obeys and begins pulling out of the parking lot while glancing at Liam. “You know, you may be right. Falling into a hole and talking about how good I smell shouldn't qualify as proper stalking.” Liam feels his neck grow hot. He almost forgot about that. “You heard that?!” He hisses, his irritation thankfully covering up his embarrassment. Theo snickers. “Obviously, yes. It was quite charming, really. The way you were stumbling around like a small puppy.” Liam grinds his teeth. He's tired of people making fun of him tonight, and he especially doesn't want to hear it from the chimera next to him. “Small, sure,” he mutters under his breath. Theo throws him a curious look, but Liam doesn't indulge him by adding anything more onto his words. They stay silent for a few minutes and the beta watches the side of the road. He tries to calm down by subtly taking deep breaths, but the air inside the truck smells so strongly of Theo that it doesn't really help. Almost makes it worse, actually. “Where were you going, anyway?” He ends up asking, the question that had been bothering him since he saw Theo sitting in the truck making it to the front of his mind. He turns his head and studies the older boy’s side profile. A muscle in Theo's jaw jumps. “I don't know,” he begins tentatively, “Hadn't really thought about it yet. Out of state, maybe.” Liam hums and then stiffens. Out of state, maybe, his brain forces him to repeat. What the fuck? “What do you mean, out of state?” Theo shrugs his shoulders. “Yeah. At first I thought I'd just leave Beacon Hills, but it'd probably be better if I leave California.”The beta’s gums itch with the want to snarl at the absolute fucking asshole sitting next to him. He can't believe this is happening. “You wanted to leave. You were planning to leave? Fuck you. I thought you were just gonna drive home or whatever, not leave the fucking state without even saying anything!”Theo gives him an incredulous look. “What's gotten into you? The war is over, your pack doesn't need my help anymore. And it's not exactly like I'm welcome around here. I'd rather leave before someone decides that they prefer sticking me back in the ground.”The taut string inside of him– that has been getting pulled tighter and tighter ever since he first saw Theo back in the police station, storming into the room and once again suggesting to kill someone– finally snaps. He feels his fangs drop and the growl coming out of his throat bleeds into his words, making them sound like a roar. “Pull over.” The chimera laughs and ignores his order. Liam grips the boy's arm– his claws had come out too and now he feels blood pool underneath his fingertips where he's pressing into Theo's skin– and repeats: “Stop. I'm serious.”His voice is so low, he doesn't even recognize it himself. He's desperately trying to hold onto his control and he knows that it makes him sound dangerous. Like he's about to pounce on Theo and rip him apart. And maybe he is. Theo had hissed quietly the second Liam's claws began to draw blood and now he's jerking his arm away, wanting to get out of Liam's bruising hold on him. The werewolf does no such thing and only increases the pressure of his grip. “Alright! Fuck, alright. I'm pulling over, just get your fucking hand off of me.” Theo does as he says and signals that he's going to leave the road. Only then Liam actually lets go of him, reluctantly sheathing his claws and suppressing a small wince at how uncomfortable it is to force them back in. They're in the middle of nowhere, only surrounded by trees and darkness. There aren't even any other cars driving by, making them completely alone on the side of the road. Good, Liam thinks and unbuckles his seatbelt before angling his body towards the other boy. Theo mirrors his movement and clenches his jaw, rolling back his shoulders. He looks like he's bracing himself to get hit. It's not like Liam doesn't think about it. He sees that scenario play out in his head: the way he'd punch him in the face, the familiar, satisfying crack of Theo's bones breaking. The way the chimera wouldn't waste any time and swing at him in retaliation. Instead he huffs, growls out: “You're infuriating, you know that? You make me so fucking angry,” and then grabs Theo by the neck, pulling him against himself. Immediately, Theo gets with the program and they find themselves in the same situation as half an hour ago.Only this time, their kiss tastes like blood. Liam's fangs are still out and he can feel the cuts on his own tongue, trails his tongue across the cuts on Theo's. They exchange blood and spit and it's so hot and wet, Liam has never felt so turned on in his life. When the beta bites at Theo's mouth, puncturing the other boy's bottom lip, Theo chokes on a moan. Liam doesn't understand how he can still possibly be bleeding, because it feels like all of his blood is currently rushing south. The older boy buries his hand in his hair, experimentally pulling on it and Liam groans against his mouth. He releases Theo's lips, laps up the blood trickling down Theo's chin– meaning, he just ends up smearing it over his skin since his own mouth is absolutely covered in his own and the chimera’s blood– and then, while he's already there, begins to lick at Theo's jawline, kissing his way down his throat. Theo's breath hitches, tugging on Liam's hair, pulling him away and the werewolf is about to growl at him again when Theo blurts out, his voice urgent and gutter-low: “There's lube in the truck.” Liam feels the shift entering his eyes, turning the usual blue of them golden and then, his own voice raspy with desire, he suggests: “Backseat?”Theo briefly flashes his own shifted eyes back at him, golden meeting where blue should be, and repeats in affirmation: “Backseat.”How they actually get into the backseat is kind of a blur. It's Liam scrambling in between the front seats and trying to twist his body so that he can sit down while Theo is kicking off his shoes. It's Liam frantically unbuttoning his shirt– almost ripping it open with how impatient he is– and then quickly pulling the shirt underneath over his head. While his view is being obscured, Theo somehow managed to get rid of his jeans and is climbing into the back as well. He drops the lube– Liam doesn't know when he had time to grab that– on the empty seat and then straddles Liam, immediately grinding down onto his lap. The werewolf puts his hand on Theo's neck again and yanks him closer, catching the other's lips in yet another open-mouthed kiss. His other hand finds its way to the older boy’s ass, pushing against it and encouraging him into a rhythm. Theo whines, rutting against Liam and getting frustrated when it doesn't provide enough friction to properly get off. Liam chuckles against his mouth and then licks a line up the side of his neck, sucking bruises into the sensitive skin. “Liam, you need to- We need to-” Theo breaks off with a whimper when the werewolf nudges his neck with his nose, nips at it with human teeth, trying to get him to tilt his head so that he has better access to the skin there. The chimera doesn't follow his direction, instead drops his hands down to Liam's crotch and begins to work his pants open with quick, clever fingers. Being on board with that development, Liam helps him and when Theo temporarily climbs off of him again to discard his own underwear, he lifts his hips and shoves his clothes down his thighs where they bunch up around his knees. The constricting material finally being gone is an incredibly welcome relief, and he allows himself to give his hard cock a quick squeeze. Theo hasn't moved back on top of him yet, so he looks to the side questioningly and is met with a wonderful sight. Theo's pupils are blown wide open with lust and he appears as if in awe. When he notices that he's being watched, his tongue darts out to wet his lip and then he says: “Right. ‘Small.’ Apparently I was wrong.”Amused, Liam smiles. He grabs Theo by the waist, hoisting him up onto his lap again and then leans forward, nibbling at the other boy's earlobe. He whispers: “You think you can take me?” right into Theo's ear and laughs meanly when he feels the way the chimera shudders. Theo's hand reaches out to the lube lying somewhere next to them and Liam busies himself licking and kissing at Theo's neck, huffing in irritation when the neckline of his shirt keeps him from exploring more of the skin. “Why are you still wearing this?” He mutters, not waiting for an answer before clutching the fabric on his back and then tearing at it. Theo jumps, starts to say: “Liam, what-” but the werewolf pays him no attention and simply continues to take the offending fabric apart, uncovering Theo's bare torso. The chimera stares at him and the perplexed look on his face is so unusual, Liam can't help himself but smirk at him. “You ripped my shirt,” Theo says, his tone flat. Liam hums, smug, and pries the bottle out of Theo's hand, flicking the cap open. “Guess we're even now,” he retorts and then slickens up his fingers. Once he's satisfied with his work, he discards the bottle and teasingly lets his clean fingertips ghost over Theo's ass. The older boy trembles under his touch. Grinning, he grabs onto his ass, holding him open as best as he can one-handedly and then brings his wet fingers there as well, pressing against Theo's hole. “Ah, Liam, you-” Theo groans, and the werewolf shuts him up with a kiss. He licks into his mouth ruthlessly, briefly pulling on his bottom lip while simultaneously pressing one finger into him. Which is also the moment Theo's eyes screw shut in pleasure or pain or both, his panting breaths fanning across Liam's face. The younger boy abandons Theo's lips with one last filthy kiss and goes back to sucking fast-healing bruises into the skin of his neck, his throat. He drags his tongue across the meat of his shoulder and then closes blunt teeth around his collarbone, leaving a bite mark without breaking skin. All the while he sets a firm pace of pumping his finger in and out of the other boy, wanting to open him up properly, but preferably as quickly as possible. Theo's chest is heaving under the effort of drawing in shaky breaths and his hips keep rutting back and forth undecidedly– not knowing if he wants to chase the insufficient and dry friction of his cock sliding against Liam's abs, occasionally lining up just right so that he's humping against Liam's cock instead and moaning when he manages to do that, or grinding back down on Liam's, now two, fingers, scissoring inside of him and fucking into him steadily. When Liam brings a third finger to his rim, barely entering him, Theo's eyes snap open and he snarls: “No. I'm ready, c’mon.” Liam furrows his brows, raises his head from where he had been laving at Theo's chest and is about to protest, but the chimera yanks on his arm, pulling at his working hand. “Fuck me, Liam. I swear, if you don't put your dick inside of me right now, I'll-” He chokes on saliva when the beta withdraws his fingers and gives him a light slap on one cheek, muttering: “You're so bossy when you're needy,” squeezing his ass where he just hit him and then blindly searching for the lube. His own arousal, the primal urge he feels to make Theo take it, to bury himself deep inside of the older boy is too overwhelming to try and argue. He's been vibrating with want since the parking lot and now he knows what Theo feels like inside. The way he could feel him opening up under Liam's touch, his hole tight and hot and yielding upon the insistence of the beta’s fingers.Theo is sitting completely naked on top of him, covered in sweat and blood and his cock is leaking pre-come and he's so gorgeous, so fucking ethereal. If this already feels like an out-of-body experience, Liam cannot wait a second longer to find out what actually getting to fuck the chimera will be like. He squeezes some more lube onto his hand, liberally slicking himself up and groaning in pleasure at getting to touch himself after neglecting his cock for so long. He withholds from indulging in the touch, only strokes himself once, twice before lining himself up with Theo's hole, pressing the tip against him, but not yet pushing in. He looks up at Theo, and finds him already staring back at him. Slowly pushing inside, inch by inch, relishing in the feeling of splitting Theo open even wider on his cock, he's so certain that the chimera is about to complain again, to say something like stop teasing or simply grind down on Liam and shove his dick further inside of him.Theo doesn't do any of those things. Instead, he goes uncharacteristically quiet. His gaze unwavering from Liam's and the look on his face so blissed out like he's never felt something better in his life. His eyebrows furrowed, his mouth hanging open in a silent moan and he's wildly clenching and unclenching around Liam, his body trying to get away from the girth entering him and Theo forcibly relaxing so that Liam can continue to press inside. It's beautiful to watch and Liam groans loudly once he's completely inside of Theo. “Fuck me,” Theo demands breathlessly. Liam's hands settle on the other's hips, gripping them bruisingly tight, and pull Theo up just to instantly drop him back down again, setting a punishing, brutal pace right from the start. He uses a little bit of werewolf strength to lift Theo's weight more easily and ends up barely having to thrust at all. Still, his hips greedily jerk up, chasing the tight heat whenever he pulls out of Theo's body, only the tip of his cock staying inside before burying himself deep again. Theo is loud. High-pitched whimpers and gorgeous moans tumbling out of him, nonsensically babbling ah, fuck, yes, Liam, and he's so unrestrained, so submissive. He doesn't fight Liam for control, doesn't even try to fuck himself back on Liam for his own pleasure, just accepts what the beta decides to give him. His eyes are shut again, his eyelashes fluttering, and his hands are tangling in Liam's hair, holding onto him. Liam suppresses his growl, but doesn't stop his claws from coming back out, digging only the very tips of them into the flesh of Theo's hips, scratching and smearing the blood all over his skin. The chimera cries out at that and clenches up again, making Liam pant even more wildly with the effort of fucking into him. Suddenly, Theo keens, a sound so obscene leaving his body it makes Liam's cock twitch inside of him, and his fingers lock up, harshly tugging on the werewolf’s hair. Liam tightens his hold, not wanting to lose his current angle and bites out: “There?”Nodding frantically, Theo squirms, trying to grind Liam's cockhead against his prostrate and mumbles: “Yes, there, fuck, Liam-” He gives another whorish moan when the beta begins to relentlessly pound into him, hitting that exact spot. “Right there– ah, fuck– don't stop-” He keeps pleading and frees one of his hands from the strands of Liam's hair so that he can take himself into his hand. Liam kind of wants to bat his hand away, wants to jerk Theo off himself, but he'd have to remove his hand from Theo's hip for that and he's not about to risk potentially losing the angle he found. The way Theo is stroking himself can't be entirely pleasant, no lubricant except for the bit of pre-come to make the glide smooth, his palm dry against his cock, but that doesn't seem to deter him. The chimera whines and throws his head back, completely baring his throat to Liam. In a daze, Liam wets his bottom lip, pulls it in between his teeth and follows the exposed line of Theo's throat with his eyes. Imagines himself biting there and thrusts up particularly hard while also slamming Theo back down onto him and Theo wails. “Liam, don't fucking stop, don't you dare stop-”Liam doesn't plan on stopping, grunts and fucks into Theo roughly, impossibly increasing the speed of his thrusts. The chimera seizes up and cries out, clenching down hard on Liam's cock and then convulsing with the intensity of his orgasm. His come spurts all over his own hand and up against his own abdomen, and he's violently gasping for air. Breathing heavily himself, the werewolf blinks the sweat that's dripping down his face out of his eyes and fucks Theo through it, watches in amazement at his body trembling and the come still dribbling out of him. When another whimper rips out of Theo's throat, this time sounding more like he's in genuine pain instead of out of pleasure, Liam forces himself to slow down. He's so achingly hard and dizzy with arousal, it feels impossible to pull out of the slick heat of Theo's body. He doesn't want to actually hurt the other boy though, so he manages and is about to lift Theo off of him when the chimera clenches again and pulls on his hair. Frowning, and still gulping for air, Theo mutters: “What are you doing? Keep going, you idiot.”Bewildered, Liam's eyes widen and he stutters out: “But-”Theo's eyes narrow and he starts to roll his hips, grinding down on Liam, his thighs twitching uncontrollably because of the strain and overstimulation. Derisively, he snarls: “I said don't stop, didn't I? Keep fucking me.”Liam's eyes screw shut for a second, the way Theo's hips are undulating, feeling so good and he digs his claws deeper into the other's skin, trying to resist the urge to thrust. Blood is running down Theo's hips, his thighs, dripping onto Liam as well. “Are you sure? Because I can totally-”Seemingly out of nowhere, there's a hand on his face. It grabs him by the jaw– not careful at all, thumb pressing hard against his cheek– and tilts his head back. The beta opens his eyes back up in surprise and is instantly captivated by the intensity of Theo's stare. “Keep going,” Theo says, his voice completely wrecked from screaming and when he catches the uncertainty on Liam's face, he flashes his eyes at him. Helplessly, instinctively Liam's eyes flash back and when he goes to bite down on his lip– a bad habit of his when he's nervous– he gasps, his fangs pricking the sensitive skin. “Fuck, okay. I won't take long, I just need-”Theo grips his face even harder and hisses: “Do it.”Not wanting to draw this out any longer and his control over not mindlessly chasing his own orgasm slowly fizzling out, the werewolf listens and continues to fuck Theo. He picks right back up where he stopped, his thrusts hard in their brutality and if it wasn't for the way he's keeping the chimera’s body in place, he'd probably be bouncing on top of him. Theo's hand wanders from his face down to his shoulder, scrambling to hold onto him. High, lupine-like whines and overwhelmed moans are forcing themselves out of Theo's mouth and when Liam goes to kiss at his jaw again, wanting to drag his tongue over the dried remnants of blood there, he tastes salt instead of iron. He licks the skin and follows the path of Theo's tears with the tip of his tongue. He doesn't know why he does it, but when he reaches Theo's cheekbone, he leaves a close-mouthed, almost tender kiss right underneath his eye. It feels weirdly inappropriate in comparison to how fierce and aggressive everything else they've been doing has been. It's probably the first and only time he's touched Theo without in some way hurting him. It makes him feel disoriented, his thoughts foggy with the entirely out of place gentleness with which he had kissed Theo just now. Liam blinks, tries to shake off the unbalanced feeling that's spreading through him, and kisses his way down to Theo's neck instead while ramping up the pace of his thrusts. The older boy’s noises turn into tiny sobs and then they suddenly grow quiet, Theo pressing his hand against his own mouth, muffling himself. The heat in his gut curls tighter and tighter and he can tell that he's close, panting heavily against the wet skin of Theo's neck. Thrusting up once, twice, three times, he seizes up, his cock pulsing and releasing inside of Theo. The second that he comes, he buries his fangs deep in the juncture of Theo's neck and shoulder. His sharp teeth break the skin easily, sinking into the flesh without problem and there's blood filling his mouth, dripping down his chin. It's dripping down Theo as well, gushing out of him and painting even more of his skin red. The other boy makes a weeping sound behind clenched teeth and his restricting hand, and his whole body is shaking. Liam's hips twitch, causing him to jerk inside of him and he groans with Theo's flesh still clasped in between his teeth, slowly coming down from the high of his climax. Theo hiccups out another sob and the beta stills, carefully withdrawing his fangs as not to tear at the already damaged skin. Taking in a deep breath, he raises his head and studies Theo's appearance. He looks thoroughly taken and utterly wrecked. His whole body is covered in a thin sheen of sweat, but that's definitely not the only bodily fluid on him and the one Liam's least interested in right now. Slowly dragging up his gaze starting from his hips, Liam catalogs everything. The blood spread all over his hips and the drying come sticking to his stomach. The blood still oozing out of the bite wound Liam had left behind, trailing down and pooling at his collarbone. The barely visible mixture of blood-and-spit all over his neck and jaw and chin, glistening slightly. His swollen lips, red and spit-slick with how bitten they are. The dried tear-tracks down his cheeks and the small tears that keep forming in the corner of his eyes.Theo looks heavenly. He looks like he's Liam's. The chimera is still trembling and slightly swaying forward, hooded eyes fixed on Liam's lips. Kind of amused, and extremely fond, Liam grins and stays put, waiting for Theo to close the distance and kiss him like he so clearly wants to. Only, Theo doesn't kiss him. He seems to catch himself, almost flinching backwards and averts his gaze, rapidly blinking the tears out of his eyes. Confused, Liam finally releases his hold on Theo's hips, retracting his claws while he's at it, and wants to pull his face closer again. He's not able to do that, because Theo twitches as soon as the werewolf’s hands leave him and then mumbles, with a heavy voice: “Sorry, I'll get off of you.” He raises himself on his knees, wincing when Liam's cock slips out of him, and falls back on the empty seat next to Liam. Liam's head is spinning. Theo just apologized to him. After sex. After letting Liam fuck him and bite him to the point that he had begun to cry. What is going on? “Why- What are you- I don't… Huh?”He stumbles over his words, and there's a lump in his throat that he can't manage to swallow down. Dread settles over him and he doesn't understand. Theo looks at him, as indifferently and nonchalantly as always, even though he's naked and covered in the evidence of Liam claiming him. “You got it out of your system, yeah? I don't expect you to lick my wounds or help clean up the wreckage you left behind. I know you're not interested in that and you can go fuck yourself if you think I'm gonna beg for it.”Horrified, Liam can do nothing but stare at him for a moment. “Beg for it? Not- Not interested? Theo, what are you talking about?”The chimera laughs and it's such an ugly sound. Liam hates hearing it. “Oh, please. Spare me the theatrics, you owe me that much. We both know what this was. You and your friends just survived the genocidal-supernatural-apocalypse or whatever the fuck you want to call it. You were high on adrenaline, you hate me and you hate that you find me attractive, so you wanted to fuck me about it. Well, mission accomplished. Congratulations.”I don't hate you, he wants to scream at him. I hate that I don't hate you, he thinks and then hates himself, a little bit, for having that emotion. For having any of those emotions. But he's still stuck on something else. If Theo thinks that Liam doesn't like him, then why did he…? “Why’d you let me fuck you, then?”He can't even enjoy the baffled look on Theo's face at hearing that question. “Why do any of it? Why did you even stay, if you apparently wanted to leave so badly? You could've left the whole time. You could've left after the wild hunt, but you didn't. And then you kept showing up and helping me. You've saved me so many times now and you keep refusing to tell me why.”Liam takes a steadying breath, forces himself to keep his eyes on Theo even though the urge to look away is strong. “Why did you do any of that, Theo?”The chimera stays silent for a long moment, the seconds trickling by like agony to Liam. “You really don't know,” he says quietly, at last. The werewolf gives him a desperate look, conveying that yes, he doesn't know. “Liam. I really haven't tried all that hard to hide it. How can you not know?”Liam lets out a rueful laugh. “Well, I just don't. I have no idea what you're talking about.”Theo shakes his head. “Use your fucking werewolf senses for once and tell me what you find.”Affronted, Liam scoffs, but when Theo just raises an eyebrow at him, he obeys and sniffs the air, searching Theo's scent for… something. At first, he doesn't find anything. The entire truck smells like Theo, he had noticed that before. And now, it smells like sex and blood as well. Trying to ignore those impressions, he zeroes in on Theo's chemosignals. He's never been that good at understanding those. He doesn't suck at it, but he knows that in comparison to others– the chimera next to him, for example– he definitely has some room for improvement. Still, he breathes in and lets the scent linger in his nose, mentally picking it apart, placing words and feelings to the smell. He stiffens, surprised and disbelieving. There's love. A lot of it. There's love and admiration and devotion. Fondness, too. And then he swallows, feeling his own eyes tear up, at that overwhelming, soul-shattering amount of bitterness. There's almost as much of that as there is love. Desperation and misery and regret and grief and resignation. A horrifying kind of acceptance. Heartache. Theo smells like he's in love with Liam. And he smells like he's aware of it and has already come to terms with the fact that he won't be loved back a long time ago. “Oh,” he manages to say in a small voice. Theo laughs, completely without humor, and replies: “Yeah. Oh. No need to worry, I'm not gonna get my hopes up just because we had sex.” He pauses and sighs. “I'll drive you home. You should probably text your friends before they think you're dead in a ditch somewhere. I'd be the first suspect and I'd really prefer avoiding that conversation.”The beta shakes his head. “Theo, I-”“Liam,” the other boy immediately interrupts him. “Please. Please, don't make me beg.”Liam purses his lips. He nods and Theo lets out a relieved sigh. He looks down at himself, eyebrows furrowing at the absolutely filthy image he makes, and then shrugs, picking up his discarded underwear and pulling it back on. The younger boy follows his example, and tugs his own clothes back over his hips. Doing that, he notices Theo's shredded shirt on the floor and frowns. “You can have my shirt,” he says, sheepishly, and holds the shirt he'd been wearing underneath his first one out to Theo. “It'll probably be a bit too tight around your shoulders but it should be better than driving without one, right?”His bad attempt at lightening the mood fails miserably, because Theo just stares at him like he's grown a second head. “Why would I need your shirt?” Liam scowls. “You want to drive without one?” Theo huffs and then pinches the bridge of his nose, a suffering look on his face. “How can you be so smart and so oblivious at the same time?”That's absolutely not the case and really just rude of Theo to say and he's about to inform the chimera of that, when he grabs something from underneath the seat. He pulls forth a duffel bag and heaves it up onto the backseat in between them. Pointedly, he opens it and Liam is met with the sight of clothes. Theo's clothes. Seemingly, all of Theo's clothes. “Why do you have all of your… “ He trails off when he remembers Theo's words from earlier. Out of state, maybe. Right. Theo had been planning to leave. Obviously he'd have packed all of his clothes. “Nevermind,” he mutters and then, unable to keep back his curiosity, “Only your clothes though? You seriously didn't want to bring anything else?”That makes the other boy look even more incredulous. “Liam, you cannot be this dense. I don't have my clothes in my truck because I was thinking about leaving. I keep them here because I live in my truck.”Several pieces of information click together. Theo's reaction when the werewolf had knocked on the window, as if he was used to being disturbed and getting told that he needed to leave. The way the inside of the truck is drenched in Theo's scent, so intensely that it smells more like a home than a car. The way he had wondered where Theo went on the days he didn't get to see him and how he'd always just show up out of nowhere, as if he had been around anyway and didn't need to drive from his house to wherever Liam currently was.And now the clothes. The unignorable, physical proof that Theo didn't have a house to go home to. A cold shiver goes down his spine. How had he not noticed this? How long had Theo been homeless? “Since I brought you back,” he realizes and Theo's lips press together. Liam didn't need any more confirmation, knew he had come to the right conclusion, but the chimera’s expression gives it to him anyway. He's my responsibility, he had told Scott. Back then he was talking about making sure that Theo didn't murder anyone, but he can't help and see a different meaning in that declaration now. “Keep your pity. I don't need it,” Theo suddenly barks at him, a line of tension stringing through his body.Liam has seen the chimera in multiple incredibly vulnerable states this night. He's seen him take a dying boy's pain and dig a bullet out of his own body. He's seen him fucked out, moaning in pleasure and crying in overstimulation. And he's seen him begging Liam to not talk. Please, don't make me beg. Theo contradicting his own words in the same sentence, pleading Liam to not make him beg even further. Theo hadn't seemed uncomfortable under any of those circumstances. Affected, yes, but not to the point that his usual aura of confidence and nonchalance had disappeared. Now, his facade cracks. Liam finding out that he sleeps in his truck, or maybe just the way Liam isn't reacting with indifference to that information, was apparently the last straw for the older boy, because the embarrassment and humiliation he's feeling are coming off of him so strongly that even Liam doesn't struggle with identifying it. The beta wants to make it go away, has never seen such obvious unease on him and doesn't like it at all. “I'm not pitying you,” he starts and holds up his hand when he sees Theo wanting to cut him off. “I'm not,” he repeats. “You're capable of taking care of yourself, I know that. You don't need my help and I'm not gonna force you to accept it. But I do want to help you.” Theo's chemosignals change, which Liam is glad to notice, but they only get replaced by disbelief and confusion, which isn't the best upgrade. “Why the fuck would you want to help me?”Liam tilts his head. “I guess you were right. Your stalking skills are kinda rusty. Why don't you use your nose this time and tell me what you find.”He can't control his chemosignals the same way he knows Theo can, so he hasn't been hiding anything in the first place. Still, he looks at the other boy intently and tries to let himself feel his emotions freely. He focuses on how conflicted he feels towards him. His ever-present anger, his frustration, his old hatred. It makes Theo tense, and that's when Liam lets his mind flood with everything else.His relief, everytime that he saw that Theo was still alive, still around. The blanket of safety settling over him, his body relaxing whenever the chimera stands behind him, guarding his back. The way he trusts him, how he hadn't allowed himself to do that and then did it regardless. His fascination, his urge to claim him by roughly taking him apart and the just as strong urge to be tender and careful with him, indulging in soft touches afterwards.The warmth he feels when he thinks of Theo as his partner. His partner in battle, the way they drew on each other's energy and effortlessly understood each other's cues without having to talk.His desire for Theo to be his partner in other ways, too. “Jesus Christ,” Theo utters under his breath. He looks like he's about to cry again. The beta smiles. “Get it now?”Theo laughs and finally it's something soft and light. It sounds happy, Liam thinks. “Yeah, I got it. Liam, what the fuck. How can you- This doesn't make any sense.”The werewolf shrugs his shoulders. “I don't care. It feels right. That's really all that matters to me.”The chimera stares at him with wide-open eyes. “You- Okay. Alright. You're ridiculous, you know that, right?” Liam grins and tilts his head again, not bothering to verbally respond to that. Instead, he reaches for Theo's hand and interlaces their fingers, tugging on his arm. Shaking his head, but smiling, Theo follows his direction, shoves away the duffel bag and settles down on Liam's lap again. The familiar position makes the werewolf’s gaze drop to Theo's neck. The wound has healed by now, but it still looks gruesome, blood completely covering the skin. “Sorry for… “ He doesn't know where he's going with that sentence. For biting him? For making him bleed so much, with his fangs and his claws? For being so aggressive, for their first time having sex with each other having happened in a car on the side of a road while Theo was under the impression that Liam hated him? For sending him to a prison underground without giving him the chance to redeem himself? Theo huffs. “Don't apologize. For anything,” he demands. Liam inhales shakily and nods. If Theo's okay with letting the past be the past and moving on, he is too. “You wanted to kiss me earlier,” Liam says quietly. The older boy hums in agreement. “Are we talking about the elevator or after you mauled me?” The werewolf rolls his eyes and squeezes Theo's hand. “Shut up.”Theo grins and drawls: “Gladly,” before leaning in and kissing Liam. None of their kisses have been this gentle. It's just lips pressing against lips and tongues languidly dragging against each other without urgency, wet but not heated. It feels amazing and Liam makes a small, happy sound against Theo's mouth. The chimera seems to be enjoying himself as well, pushing Liam harder into the seat and tangling his free hand in his hair again. This time, he doesn't pull, but runs his fingers through it. Liam hums approvingly and rests his own hand on Theo's thigh, stroking his thumb over the bare skin. They lose themselves in these lazy, purposeless kisses and both jump at the same time when a ringing sound fills the silence where only the muted, wet noises of their mouths meeting each other had been before. Liam groans. “This can't be happening, again,” he complains, briefly struggles to get his phone out of his pocket and once he accepts the call, he bites out: “What, Mason?”
“Dude, you didn't text me! What do you mean ‘what’? I know we said everything's over, but who knows how many stray hunters are out there tonight!”
Theo chuckles, finding the whole thing extremely amusing apparently, and Liam glares at him. “Right, sorry. I'm sorry. I'm fine,” he assures his friend, feeling guilty for snapping at him.
“So you're home? Safe and sound? Can I relax?”
Liam chews on his lip and feels his cheeks slightly flush. “Uh, no, I'm not home yet. Everything's good though and I'll be there soon. Promise. I'll let you know as soon as I step through the door.”The grin on Theo's face is absolutely infuriating. He's reminded of his frustration and the overwhelming desire he'd felt to fuck that exact cockiness out of him and raises his eyebrows at him as a warning. Theo, unbothered, just flutters his eyelashes at him. “You wanna tell me why you aren't home yet? Don't tell me you started another fight with Theo. I thought you got over that stage when we caught you earlier.”Liam coughs and averts his gaze, really not wanting to have to deal with whatever Theo's face is doing. “No, we didn't fight. Or, not really, just… We got… distracted.”Silence.
“...In the truck? Seriously? You couldn't wait to put your dick inside of him until you were home?”
Liam's blush spreads all the way down to his chest. “Mase, you know that he can hear you too, right?”Theo cackles and Liam pries his interlocked hand free, muffling the chimera’s laughs by putting it over his mouth.
“Oh, God. You two are gonna constantly enable each other's bullshit. I'm gonna grow gray hairs before turning twenty, Liam! The human body is not meant to be put under this much stress!”
Theo licks his palm and Liam, not having expected that, jerks his hand away. “Calm down, Hewitt. I'm gonna drive the overgrown puppy home and I'll even tuck him into his bed if it helps you sleep better,” he says, raising his voice so that the phone can pick it up. Puppy? Liam mouths at him, raising one eyebrow. Pointedly, he flexes his thighs and jostles Theo on top of him, reminding him that he's not exactly small. Theo inhales sharply and then holds his breath, probably not wanting Mason to pick up on any potential sounds that may come out of him.
“I'm sure you'd be doing that for me and not for yourself, Raeken. Give him a goodnight kiss too, will you?”
Theo licks his lips and the look on his face is so… so seductive, Liam really needs to hang up the phone now. “Okay, Mason, thank you. I'll text you when I'm home. Bye!” He yells the last word when he hears the human starting to make more comments about what exactly Theo would be doing in Liam's bed. He puts his phone away again– ignoring the bloody fingerprints he had left on it for now, mentally taking note to deal with that later– and says: “As much as I'd love to continue, we really should get off the road. I don't think I've ever needed a shower more in my life.” The chimera squints at him. “You have no right to complain. I can literally feel your come dripping out of me. If anyone needs a shower, it's me.” The images those words put into his head– his come inside of Theo, his come trickling out of Theo, Theo naked and wet while taking a shower– make a flash of arousal go through his body. Having picked up on where Liam's mind has gone, the other boy groans and shuts him down. “Absolutely not. I'm still sore. I can jerk you off, if you're really that horny, but you're not putting anything inside of me tonight.”Liam thinks back to how he had barely prepped Theo, relentlessly pushed inside of him and then fucked him through his overstimulation. And while doing all of that, constantly bringing Theo's blood to the surface.“You're right. Sorry. Here, let me,” he mumbles, apologetic, and catches his lips in a soft kiss. Theo gasps, but doesn't take long to reciprocate.There's not a lot of pain to take– just the ache in Theo's limbs, the soreness of where he got penetrated and a numb throb where his skin broke. As soon as there's no more echoes of pain pulsing through him, Liam withdraws and whispers against Theo's lips: “Better?”Theo gives him a small nod and there's a curious look in his eyes. “Was that your attempt at convincing me to let you fuck me again?” Startled, the beta puts more distance between their faces. “No!” He hastily denies. “No, that wasn't- I didn't mean to-” The chimera hides his face in the crook of Liam's neck and the frame of his body starts shaking.Shocked, and concerned, Liam tentatively asks: “Theo, are you-” and then breaks off when he hears the other boy laughing. “You asshole! I thought I upset you!” Liam hisses and shoves at his shoulder. Theo, still chuckling, presses his lips against the werewolf’s neck in apology. “You should've seen the look on your face. Like you accidentally kicked someone's puppy,” he tells him cheerfully. “I hate you,” Liam announces, annoyed, and then freezes. Not the best word choice. The older boy raises his head and smiles. “No, you don't,” he promises Liam and swallows the beta’s response with another kiss. They lose another minute– or five, Liam isn't exactly counting– doing that and when they let go of each other, he belatedly confirms: “No, I don't.”They put their rumpled clothes back on in silence, Theo rummaging around in his bag for some wipes and cursorily rubbing his neck and face. He tosses some at Liam as well and seeing the werewolf’s confused expression, dryly says: “You look like you ripped someone's throat out with your teeth. On the off-chance that we get stopped by a deputy or that one of your neighbors likes to hang around on the front porch in the middle of the night, at least try to clean up.” His cheeks heat up again and he follows suit. The drive home is quiet. It should be weird to not talk, Liam figures, but to him it just feels comfortable. His exhaustion is finally catching up with him and he's content to lean back into the seat and watch Theo's face while he's driving. When the chimera glances at him, Liam smiles and then beams at him when Theo smiles back. They stumble through the front door, Theo pushing his hand into Liam's jeans, and the judgemental look on the beta’s face disappears when he sees the other boy holding out Liam's phone to him. “Right. Thanks,” he keeps his voice low. There's no need to whisper– neither of his parents are home– but it somehow feels wrong to talk at a normal volume. He sends off a quick text to Mason– resolutely ignores the try to keep it in your pants next time he gets back, grins at the second message saying happy for you though and responds love u, talk later– before taking Theo's hand and making him follow him up the stairs. Once they're inside Liam's room, he sighs and longingly looks at his bed. Shower first, he reminds himself and tugs his shirt back over his shoulders. He's about to get rid of his pants as well, but halts his movement when he notices that he can't hear Theo doing the same. He can only hear the other's heart and the way it's beating a bit too fast considering they're not doing anything strenuous right now. Confused, he turns around and is met with the sight of the chimera standing stiffly right by the door. He's never actually seen Theo forcing himself to relax before. The way his muscles let loose and the expression on his face changing from something pinched to his usual smirk. His entire body had been strung tight just a few seconds ago and now he's holding himself with an unbelievable amount of lazy confidence.His heart had skipped a beat when the werewolf had turned to him, and then slowed down so suddenly that Liam feels like he imagined hearing it. He doesn't bother smelling the air, is certain Theo's chemosignals will tell him absolutely nothing right now. Before he can tell him that he really doesn't have to do that, that he's allowed to be himself, the older boy is already talking, sounding almost bored. “You want me to wait until you're out of the shower and really give you that goodnight kiss? Or why did you bring me up here?” That makes Liam's body stiffen. He felt like it had been fairly obvious why he had brought Theo into his room. He forms his hands into fists and feels his anger rising back up, fresh and familiar. And then Liam forces himself to relax. He closes his eyes and takes deep, steadying breaths. Inhales the comforting smell of home, and the comforting smell of Theo. Reminds himself of his promise to himself to be gentle with the chimera. He's already roughed him up enough tonight.Also, he's pretty sure that Theo is being this provocative out of some fucked-up kind of defense mechanism. He's been homeless for months and until like an hour ago, he was convinced that Liam hated him. No wonder he's overwhelmed by the suggestion of why the werewolf actually brought him into his home. Liam opens his eyes and purposely makes his voice soft and quiet. “We're gonna shower together. And then we're gonna sleep. Both of us, in my bed. If you're okay with all of that,” he adds that last sentence, not wanting Theo to think that he has to do any of that if he truly doesn't want to. Theo's expression begins to crack. He's still keeping rigorous control over his body, but he can't do anything to hide the yearning look in his eyes. “You need to stop being so nice to me,” he replies hoarsely. Liam smiles. “And why is that?”Theo shakes his head. “I'm selfish, Liam. I'm not gonna stop taking. If you keep being nice to me, I'll- I won't ever leave you.”Not seeing a problem with that scenario at all, the younger boy takes a step towards Theo and holds out his hand. “Then stay,” he urges him, his voice firm. The chimera laughs, incredulously and wetly, but he takes Liam's hand and lets himself get pulled into the bathroom without any further protest. Liam turns on the shower while Theo undresses so that it has time to get warm. He quickly gets out of the rest of his clothes as well, turning to Theo afterwards and gently pushing him under the spray. The older boy shudders, and closes his eyes. Just stands there letting the water run down his body. Probably savoring the feeling of consistent water pressure and the water actually being hot, Liam figures. The werewolf watches him for a second and then steps in as well, grabbing his body wash. He pours some of the liquid into the palm of his hand and then begins to apply it to Theo's skin. Theo jumps and his eyes snap back open. “You don't have to-” He starts to say, but Liam shushes him. He keeps lathering up Theo's chest, his shoulders, watches as the foam turns pink because of the dried blood. “Let me. I want to,” he tells him. Theo blinks, repeatedly, and then nods. He takes his time doing it. Runs his hands carefully over the other boy's skin. He spends a lot of time on his upper body, thoroughly rubbing the area around his shoulders where the skin broke twice today. Gets rid off all of the dried spit that must be on his chest from Liam's tongue, washes away the dried come still on his stomach. He goes to get some more soap and spreads it over Theo's arms, his back. All the spots where he got marked, all the spots where he didn't. Once he's finished with that, he kneels in front of Theo. The chimera looks down at him, his eyes wide open. Liam slowly presses a kiss against his hip, and then scrubs at the remnants of blood there as well. He strokes his hands over Theo's thighs, lets his fingertips brush in between them and gives Theo a questioning look. The chimera swallows, his throat bobbing with it, and widens his stance as his response, spreading his legs open. He cleans his inner thighs, and then, trying to be as gentle as possible, lets his fingers trail over Theo's ass, spreading him apart and cleaning him there too. Theo's breathing starts getting heavier and his cock is hardening a bit, but he doesn't say anything, doesn't push back against Liam's probing fingers. Liam sits back on his haunches and asks: “Do you want me to?”“No,” Theo says, his voice trembling. “Just- Just keep doing whatever it is you're doing.” A beat of silence. “Please.”Unable to deny him that request, Liam does as asked and covers the rest of Theo's skin in soap. He's slow and methodical about it, doesn't miss a single spot and silently appreciates the entirety of Theo's naked body. Eventually, he gets back up on his feet and guides Theo to stand directly under the spray of water again, helping him to wash off the suds of soap. The older boy reaches for the bottle that Liam had used, but the beta stops him. “Your hair, first,” he insists. Theo blinks at him again and his lips part, although no words come out. Liam picks up his shampoo and then washes Theo's hair, slowly working the gel out of the strands. He takes less time doing that, but is just as gentle and thorough about it. He tips Theo's head back by the chin, letting the water run over his head and cards his fingers through the wet hair, making sure that no product is inside of it anymore. Theo submits to every single one of Liam's touches, following his direction without any resistance at all. Pleased, the werewolf kisses him, slow and soft. Theo kisses back, but leans away sooner than Liam would've liked, mumbling: “You too,” and then makes to grab for the bottle again. Swiftly, Liam clasps his wrist and shakes his head at Theo. “Next time, if you really want to. I'm good with just rinsing off. We both need sleep,” he explains to the chimera. Wide-eyed, and with obvious reluctance, Theo nods. Liam smiles, pecks him on the lips and then makes quick work of washing his own body. He watches Theo watch him and it's… It could be arousing, to be so intently looked at while touching his own body. He's not being suggestive about it– his hands wander over his skin on autopilot, as if he was taking a fast shower after lacrosse practice. Still, Theo's gaze feels heated and Liam shivers.It's more than just that though. Theo doesn't look like he's thinking about sex. It's more like he's simply admiring Liam's body. That thought makes another shiver go through him. He omits washing his hair and shuts off the water. Theo stays put, waiting for Liam's cue, so the beta takes his hand again and helps him step out of the shower. He reaches for his towel and dries off Theo first. It's damp when he uses it to dry himself, but he's not too bothered by that, ignoring the droplets of water trailing down his chest. “Come on,” he says and pads back into his room, the other boy trailing after him. He scans the clothes scattered around his floor and picks up some sweatpants that he knows are slightly too big on him– he always puts them on, gets annoyed and then they lay around somewhere until the cycle repeats. Liam holds them out to Theo, ignores the amused grin on his face, and then searches for another pair for himself. Once they're both partly clothed, the beta grabs Theo's hand and lets himself fall backwards onto his bed, pulling the chimera with him. Theo makes a surprised sound when he ends up on top of Liam, his weight crushing the beta’s body underneath him. “Mh, this is nice, actually,” Liam murmurs and wraps his arms around Theo, keeping him close. Theo laughs quietly. “You seriously want to sleep like this?” Liam considers it and then sighs. “No,” he concedes, letting go of the other's body. Theo rolls off of him and Liam tugs on the blanket, slipping underneath it and then holding it up, inviting him back into the bed. The older boy’s lips quirk up and he climbs into the empty space right next to Liam. They're face to face and their hands and legs tangle with each other, anchoring each other. Liam strokes his thumb over Theo's knuckles, lifts his hand and then presses a firm kiss there. “Stay,” he whispers. Theo hums. “I will,” he says. His tone makes it sound like a warning, a threat. To Liam it sounds like a promise. The chimera initiates another kiss– just as soft as all their previous ones, nothing like the ones they had shared in the truck– and Liam kisses back, never wanting to stop.