two. of course
liam dunbar and theo raeken

   He doesn't remember when it happened, but he knows one thing: he's in love with Theo Raeken. He knew that he was attracted to guys [but who wouldn't be if they got to see Brett Talbot shirtless in the locker room... and on the field... and maybe in his bed once or twice]. But he had fallen in love with Hayden. At least, he thought so. But when she offered to be bait for the ghost riders, he hadn't really fought her too much, even if they weren't 100% sure they'd be able to bring her back. But then Theo was there, throwing him in the elevator and saving him by offering himself up for bait, and Liam was screaming 'no' as the doors shut between himself and the slightly older chimera. The thought of losing Theo, of forgetting him, of his possible death was just too much for the young beta to handle.

    And after they defeated the Wild Hunt, after their town was safe, maybe he expected Theo to actually stick around. But, of course, the chimera took off and then Hayden moved away, effectively ending their relationship [or whatever was even left of it, honestly]. The realization that Scott and the rest of them would be leaving soon, too, hit him hard one day. The loneliness that he would feel sunk in, even though he knew he would still have Corey and Mason [at least, until he went to a different college than them, because of course they were going to the same college]. He just didn't have all of the people he wanted and of course Theo was one of them.

    Everyone had notice how sad the beta seemed to be, but no one commented on it, not even Lydia - who had wanted to smack the two boys upside the head, then make them kiss like they were her Barbie dolls from when she was younger. Even Malia, with her contempt and hatred for the chimera, was smart enough to keep her mouth shut on the matter. It was harder for Mason, and eventually Corey, not to say something. But they all knew that Liam wasn't completely accepting of his own feelings, knew that Liam wasn't ready to tell them that he cared deeply about Theo.

    And then, one night, they all ended up in the Sheriff's station and to his surprise, there was Theo Raeken. Sure, he wasn't in a jail cell, but he was getting released and suddenly anger flooded the beta's body because of course Theo was back in Beacon Hills, but hadn't even reached out to him. The anger in his eyes surprised the older chimera, making him take a step backwards in shock. But when Malia offered to kill him, Liam was the one to tell her no in the most offended tone that he could muster up, again surprising the chimera. And as the night went on, he was even more surprised when he got punched in the face by the blue eyed boy and then dragged to safety by the same boy.

   After that night, the pack wasn't all that surprised by the amount of time that the two spent together. Theo was always there to save Liam's ass, whether it be from hunters or from himself. They didn't talk about Theo leaving or Liam's feelings, instead just letting out their aggression with snide comments and fists flying into each other's faces. No one comments on the way their eyes linger on each other, the moments where they look to each other's lips for a moment before continuing with their little rant, the way they seem to gravitate to one another.

     The day they're at the abandoned zoo, Theo watches as Liam struggles with his anger problems. He watches as the boy breaks his hands to stop himself from killing a hunter and ends up knocking him out a handful of times [five] to help stop him and help control him. That night, in the car, the blue eyed boy tells the chimera about his past concerning the zoo. The anger that floods his body at the image of a younger Liam being bullied by Brett Talbot and the rest of the Devonford team surprised him, but then he thought of course he was angry. He just wanted the best for the slightly younger boy who had grown up so quickly.

    And so, when Theo decides to take off after saving Mason from the Anuk-Ite, Liam is hurt but not surprised. His first thought is of course and then he's almost grateful, knowing that Theo will be safe and far away from the mess that Beacon Hills has turned into. Even if he's hurt that the boy didn't want to stay and help him fight the hunters. When he ends up in an empty hospital hallway, guns pointed at him, he starts backing up and regretting not following Theo and escaping the town. But then the elevator doors slide open and arms reach out, wrapping around him and of course it's Theo, saving his ass again. It takes everything in him not to kiss the chimera in the elevator after lying to him, saying he wouldn't die for the older boy [but only after Theo had said the same thing and Liam had heard the hitch in his heartbeat]. But they had left the elevator and kicked ass together, until both getting shot trying to protect each other.

     And of course the first time Theo takes pain from someone is Gabe, who's bleeding out on the ground and no one but the chimera moves to help him, not even Nolan. They all silently watch as Theo squats down in front of the dying teen and places a hand on his wrist, taking the pain as the boy continues to bleed out. It hits Liam then that he knows exactly why Theo is able to take Gabe's pain: he can see himself in the boy and he doesn't want him to die alone. And that's when realization sinks in that goddamnit, of course he's in love with Theo fricken Raeken. And when they meet up with the rest of the pack, which included Stiles and Derek who had come back to help and Isaac who had shown up just a little too late, as well as Jackson and Ethan who had come to find Scott for help, he introduced Theo to the pack members who hadn't known him. Derek might have punched Theo in the face, then Isaac made a sarcastic joke about everyone getting some type of redemption from angelic Scott McCall [who then promptly smacked him upside the head and muttered the name Allison, which quickly shut the curly haired wolf right up]. Ethan had smiled and told Theo that he was glad that the pack was able to save him too, and Jackson had eyed the pair and made an offhand comment about anchors, but no one paid him any mind because of course they already knew. And somehow that night instilled in the boys that they had become pack, had become family and that together they would be safe.

    Theo stuck around for a few more weeks, spending lots of time with Liam and Mason and even Corey, all of whom had forgiven him and accepted him into their small pack. Liam had invited him to stay with him and his family, no longer wanting the chimera to live out of his truck. Life calmed down and the older pack members all left for school or traveling [Scott followed Malia to France, Isaac and Jackson and Ethan all went back home to Europe, Derek went to visit his sister], leaving the younger wolves alone in Beacon Hills.

     But one morning, Liam woke up and he could tell something was different. At first, he wasn't sure what it was that had changed overnight. It took him a few hours to notice that Theo's scent within the house was fading. With a burst of energy at the revelation, he rushed up the stairs two at a time and found himself in the guest room that the chimera had been using. The bed was perfectly made, everything left the way it was before he invaded their home and their everyday life, and all of his stuff was gone. Except for one hoodie, draped over the back of the desk chair, a note on top of it. With greedy hands, Liam grabbed the note and read the messy handwriting and felt so many different emotions swell up inside him all at once. As he read, he unconsciously grabbed the hoodie and held it to his chest.

Liam. Thank you for everything. You have my number, call me if you need me. Keep the hoodie, I know how much you wanted it all this time. -Theo

     He didn't even move an inch, pulling out his phone and angrily calling the stupid chimera's number and holding the phone up to his ear, crumpling the note in his other hand. The line only rings a few times before the call is answered by Theo, his voice almost instantly calming Liam [except of course he's still angry that he's been left by Theo AGAIN].

     "Liam?" the chimera asks, his voice almost surprised.

    "Screw you!" the wolf answers, the note dropping from his hand as he sits down on the edge of the bed.

     "What?"

     "You left me. Again," is the answer provided and it shocks Theo.

     "I didn't-."

     "You left me," the blue eyed boy says, tears beginning to gather. "After everything we went through together, after the rest of the pack finally decided to forgive you and give you a spot, after you saved my life time and time again. You just left me with a stupid fucking note and a hoodie that doesn't even smell like you anymore because you washed it."

     "Liam-"

     "You're my goddamn anchor, Theo whatever your middle name is Raeken. Of course you are, how could you not be? You were always there to hold me back and keep me from spiralling out of control," Liam says, rubbing the back of his hand across his face. "And I thought you wanted a pack, that you wanted a home. I was giving those to you, but you left."

     "Karl."

     "What?" he asks, caught off guard by the question.

    Theo chuckles, "My middle name is Karl. But go on, keep talking."

     "Ass," the younger boy chuckles, then gets hit with more anger. "It's not fair! Scott is gone, Lydia and Stiles are gone, Malia is gone, even Kira and Hayden are gone. All I had left was you and Mason and Corey. But you left too. 'Call me if you need me'? Really, you fucking asshole?"

      "Liam-"

    "No! You don't get to talk yet. I'm not done," Liam hisses, once again cutting off the older boy. "Of course I fucking need you. I can't believe you could even think that I don't. You're such a dumbass and I don't even know why you mean so much to me. But what you're not allowed to do is leave and look at that, you have. And it's just not fair."

     During his long speeches, he hadn't been paying much attention to his senses, like the sound of Theo's truck turning on and off or a door opening or shutting or the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs or even the creak of the floorboard outside the guest room. But, of course, he can't ignore his senses when he's flooded by Theo's scent and the older boy's reply was no longer coming through the phone.

     "Are you done yet?" Theo asks, eyebrow quirked as he looks at the blue eyed boy, who is sitting on the bed with the hoodie clasped in his hand and a distant look on his face.

     Liam looks up with wide, ocean blue eyes. The phone drops from his hand and hits the ground. When he stands up and approaches the older boy quickly, both of them are expecting Liam to punch him in the face. It surprises them both when Liam wraps himself tightly around Theo and buries his face in his neck. Hesitantly, Theo wraps his arms around the younger boy and rests his chin on top of his head, reveling in the feeling of the unexpected embrace. When Liam breaks it, he of course sends a punch flying into the older boy's jaw, but that was to be expected from the two of them. Theo rubs his jaw and lets out a quiet groan at the shock, but doesn't send a fist flying back at the younger boy who looks almost broken.

     "What the hell are you doing here? You left," Liam says, crossing his arms.

    "You didn't let me talk, dumbass," Theo replies, dropping his hand from his jaw as he crosses his arms against his chest as well. "Had you let me talk, I would have told you I didn't leave."

    "Then what's all this?" Liam questions, throwing his hands out around them in exasperation.

    "I moved out, Liam. I didn't leave Beacon Hills," the chimera says, amused by the reaction. "Finstock and I have become somewhat friends since the whole battle, since he saved Jackson and Ethan. I figured that you'd want some space from me, that I was invading so much of your life, so when he offered me the guest room in his house, I accepted. I wouldn't leave Beacon, you idiot."

     "Oh my God," the younger of the two mumbles, looking down to his face. "So you mean I cried over your for no reason?"

     "You cried?"

     "Of course I did, you asshole!" he let out, looking up with anger and a bit of amusement in his eyes. "I love you and you're my anchor and I need you."

      "You... love me?" Theo asks, this being the most shocking thing that Liam has revealed since reading the note.

      This is when the wolf realizes what he's let slip. In surprise and maybe even a bit of denial, he takes a step back and starts shaking his head. But the weight of what he's said settles upon the both of them and it becomes impossible to deny the truth anymore: the way he looks at Theo, the way he cares most about what Theo thinks, the way he reaches out for Theo in any situation [whether it be good or bad]. So Liam stops shaking his head, though his hands are trembling as he looks at the boy he's fallen irrevocably in love with. Theo looks right back at him, eyes wide as things begin to click into place in his mind, cataloguing the change in Liam since they first met, since Liam dragged him out of hell, even since the first time he saved him in the hospital.

      "Of course I do," Liam finally mumbles, looking down to his feet once again. "But it's okay and I don't want to ruin our friendship, so please pretend I didn't say that and go back to Coach's house and we can forget any of this even happened."

    "Liam-"

    "Please," the younger boy whimpers, tucking his shaky hands in his pockets as he looks down, afraid to see the disgust on his friend's face. "Please go."

     "Lia-"

     "You're just making this harder."

    "If you'd quit interrupting me, that'd be nice, you idiot," Theo finally snaps, causing Liam to look up at him in shock. "Are you gonna let me talk now?"

     Liam simply nods in answer, taking in the expression on Theo's face. He was expecting to see disgust and anger when he looked up, but instead, he's seeing wonder and awe. Just that is enough to make his palms sweaty in his pockets, wondering what the chimera could possibly have to say to him.

     "Normally I think your rambling is cute, but not when it prevents me from telling you to chill out," Theo informs him, a soft smile on his face. "And that's all you've done today, Li. First when you freaked out on me for 'leaving' Beacon Hills and when you told me you love me, but didn't even give me a chance to reply before shutting me out and trying to get me to leave. And to think I'm the one that's supposed to be emotionally stunted after being raised by Dread Doctors and, yaknow, being sent to hell."

     "Would you get on with it?" Liam teases, feeling more at ease now that he knows that Theo isn't disgusted in him and what he's said hasn't really changed their dynamic that much.

     "I love you too, dumbass," he says, making Liam freeze and stare at him in shock. "I didn't think I was being that subtle about it. I'm pretty sure everyone knows, but you. Even Stiles, who was here for like ten minutes before taking off with Lydia. Even Isaac, who doesn't even know us. Hell, Jackson is the one who made the joke about us being anchors, and he's the one who hates everyone and fled town first. Because after I fell in love with you, you became my anchor and I've been yours since Hayden left. So yes, you idiot, I love you too."

     "Oh."

    That's all Liam can muster, still standing there and letting the older boy's words sink in. The fact that he loves him too, that he's his anchor, that everyone except for him knew how he felt and hadn't said a word. Other things begin to make sense, like why Theo stayed in Beacon Hills after the Anuk-Ite was defeated and everyone else left, the fond expression on his face whenever Liam would do something incredibly endearing [or stupid, whichever sounds more believable], the soft tone of his voice whenever he spoke to the younger boy. Liam couldn't believe he had been so oblivious, but neither could Theo about himself, so that made it equal right? But, of course, they stand there in silence staring at each other at they process what has been brought to light. Amusement twinkles in Theo's eyes moments before opening his mouth and breaking the silence.

     "I tell you I love you and all I get is 'oh'?"

    "Well, I told you I love you and all I got was you questioning me, then calling me an idiot," is Liam's response, somehow finding it in him to chuckle.

     "That's not as bad as 'oh'! I've always called you an idiot," Theo replies, stepping closer to the younger boy. "But it's a term of endearment coming from me."

    "Oh, so you love Corey too?" Liam teases, taking a step closer to Theo and pulling his hands out of his pockets to grasp the material of Theo's hoodie in his fists. "You called him an idiot last week."

     "Oh, yeah, definitely," Theo says, the sarcasm palpable as he gently cups Liam's face with his hands. "You fricken idiot."

     "But I'm the idiot you love," Liam retorts, smiling up at him. "And also the idiot you still haven't kissed yet. You gonna fix that anytime soon or?"

     "I guess," he laughs before closing the distance.

    Their first kiss is better than either of them were expecting, somehow perfect. Maybe it's because of how in sync they've become, their undeniable chemistry, the way they fit together like puzzle pieces that had been waiting for eons to be completed. Either way, no matter what it is, their kiss is [excuse the cheesy quote] bliss. Their lips move together perfectly and maybe Liam didn't expect Theo's lips to be so soft and Theo didn't expect Liam's lips to taste like strawberries [of course, Liam had been eating them when he realized what had changed overnight, so it is explainable], but neither of them were expecting this to be this... perfect.

written in 2017
also posted on ao3