Work Text:
11:08 PM
The Devenford Prep Senior Prom was more disastrous than Liam had ever expected his prom to be.
Sure, the decorations were lovely, the venue was stunning, and the food was out of this world, but that didn’t change the fact that, as far as Liam was concerned, everything had gone to hell in a handbasket.
Liam had known that he and Anna, his highschool sweetheart, weren’t going to stay together once they went to separate colleges, but he hadn’t expected her to break up with him at prom. And what was worse? She had left prom with another guy, taking the limo that he had rented for her.
That was how Liam Dunbar, star of the Devenford Prep lacrosse team, full ride athletic scholarship recipient to Notre Dame, prom king runner-up (thanks to Brett), and Most Likely to Be On a Wheatie’s Box superlative winner, found himself walking home alone in the middle of the night, his suit jacket draped over his arm, his tie hanging loosely around his neck.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Liam Dunbar.”
Liam looked up. He didn’t immediately recognize the voice speaking to him, but as soon as he saw the person the voice was attached to, half hanging out the driver’s side window of a beat-up car, he knew exactly who it was.
Theodore Raeken.
Theo had been one of Liam’s best friends growing up. They had always been in the same class, and they had gotten along...for the most part. They had been little hellions, the two of them, and had been intentionally seated across the room from each other in almost every single grade. They would fight as much as they played together, each very quick to lash out at the other the moment something arose and spent almost as much time in the principal’s office with ice packs as they did on the playground.
Then, in fifth grade, things changed.
Theo’s sister was found dead in the woods, and Liam’s dad walked out; these events happened within two months of each other. Both boys had withdrawn, and it wasn’t long before Theo was smoking cloves under the bleachers of their middle school with older boys. And Liam? Well, Liam’s mother’s new boyfriend, a doctor, introduced him to lacrosse as a way of handling his anger, and that changed everything for him.
When Liam’s mother remarried, Liam was 13 years old, and as a wedding gift to her, his new stepfather, Jacob Geyer, paid Liam’s way to Devenford Prep. A school known not only for academic prowess, but for their stellar lacrosse team. The boys had wound up on opposite ends of the earth, despite being in the same town, and the friendship that they had shared as children had fallen away to nothing.
“Hi, Theo,” Liam said with a sigh, not really interested in whatever it was Theo was going to say to him, or whatever it was Theo planned to do.
“Get left at the altar?” Theo asked, tilting his head, curious.
“Uh…” Liam sighed, raking a hand through his long hair. “Something like that.”
“Dumped on prom night?”
“What?” Liam’s head snapped up, frowning. “How did you know?”
“Closest thing a teenager has to being left at the altar.” Theo shrugged. “Come on, hop in, I’ll give you a ride.”
“No thanks, I’m good,” Liam said.
“Oh, come on.” Theo rolled his eyes. “Dragging your feet, moping down at the ground -- you’re making me sad. Just get in the car.”
“You sure that thing runs?” Liam asked, looking over the car. It was...a rust bucket, at best.
“Okay, it’s not a Mercedes, but hey, we can’t all go to your private school and drive Ferraris. It passed inspection, but if you’re too embarrassed…” Theo shrugged, looking up at the sky. “Does look like it’s about to rain, though…"
“Fine.” Liam sighed, but walked around, getting into the passenger’s seat of Theo’s car. It would be a long walk, longer if it started raining, and it was a short drive.
“Buckle up,” Theo reminded him as he shifted the gear. “Just have to make one stop first.”
“Wait, what?”
“Don’t worry, Cinderella,” he said. “I’ll still have you home before midnight.”
Liam sighed, pressing the side of his forehead against the window of the car, wondering if it was a mistake to get in the car with Theo Raeken.
11:37 PM
It didn’t rain.
11: 43 PM
Theo pulled the car to a stop in front of a house that didn’t look familiar to Liam, but why should it? He didn’t know Theo’s friends, he didn’t even know where Theo lived anymore. For all he knew, this was Theo’s house.
Theo unbuckled and reached into the backseat, pulling a messenger bag forwards.
Liam moved to unbuckle, but Theo reached out, stopping him.
“Why don’t you stay in the car? I’ll only be a minute.”
“I don’t mind coming with,” Liam said.
“Stay in the car, Liam,” Theo said, his tone changing slightly. “These aren’t your people. I’ll only be a minute.”
Liam took his hand off the buckle, eyeing Theo suspiciously.
“What’s in the bag?” he asked.
“Don’t worry about it,” Theo said with a charming smile. “I’ll be right back. I suggest you use this time to go through Facebook and remove all of the pictures of you and your ex together.”
Before Liam got a chance to object, Theo was out of the car and headed towards the house. And Liam? He did not have a good feeling about what was in that bag.
For the first two minutes, Liam drummed his hand on the dashboard, keeping an eye on the door, waiting for Theo to come out of the house. Minutes later, pulling out his phone and opening up Facebook, scrolling through the pictures of him and Anna, not quite able to bring himself to delete them.
He jumped when the driver’s side door opened a couple minutes later.
“Calm down,” Theo rolled his eyes. “I told you I’d have you home by midnight, didn’t I?” He tossed the messenger bag into the backseat and Liam followed it with his eyes.
“Theo-”
“Hey,” he started the car. “I said: don’t worry about it.”
“Okay.” Liam nodded, pocketing his phone and relaxing into the backseat of his car as Theo drove towards his place. They weren’t friends anymore. Whatever it was Theo had dropped off or picked up at the house? It wasn’t Liam’s business, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t thinking about it.
In fact, he was thinking about it so much that he didn’t realize that Theo had taken him to his old house until they had pulled up in front of it.
“Well, here we are,” Theo said, parking the car.
“Oh.” Liam frowned, shifting. “I...don’t live here anymore.”
“Oh, shit.” Theo laughed. “I didn’t even think about that. Well… where do you live now? Raeken’s Taxi Service can afford to make another stop.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Liam said, unbuckling his seatbelt quickly. “It’s not far. I can just walk from here. I mean, it didn’t rain, so it’s...it’s fine.”
“Liam, relax, I can drive you. You won’t be home by midnight, but this car isn’t gonna turn into a pumpkin, and I doubt you are either, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Theo, I can walk. It’s fine,” Liam said again. “I don’t want to put you out anymore than I already have.”
“Buckle back up,” Theo said. “And tell me where I’m going, unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless you’re stalling on going home by offering to walk.”
“What? No, I’m not,” Liam said, visibly flustered.
“Oh, you totally are!”
“Theo, just take me home, please.” Liam’s tone was miserable. This night was already going on far longer than he had expected, and he felt like crawling into bed and staying there for the next three months, until he left for college.
“Alright, alright, chill out,” Theo said. “Where am I going?”
“Fifth and Oak?”
“Swanky.”
Liam didn’t say anything, because Theo was right. It was a nice part of town. It was a nice house. Liam’s life had changed a lot when his mother had married Doctor Geyer, almost entirely for the better.
The car ride was silent, save for Liam’s antsy tapping on the door handle as Theo drove...right past Oak.
“You missed-”
“Nah,” Theo shook his head. “I decided I’m not gonna take you home.”
“What?!” Liam sat up straight. “Let me out of the car, Theo!”
“Calm down, I’m not kidnapping you, I’m just...you’re all kinds of wound up. You need a drink, that’s all. One drink, then I’ll take you home.”
Liam thought for a minute. He was definitely no stranger to drinking at parties. Hell, he had been planning to enjoy himself at the after-prom party, but his breakup had spoiled that plan.
“Fine,” he said. “One drink.”
12:35 AM
Liam watched as Theo walked out of the convenience store, a couple of brown bags in his hand. Slightly annoyed at being told to wait in the car once again, Liam had been growing impatient with Theo. First, he had driven them almost three miles away from Liam’s home, and then ordered him - not asked nicely, not suggested, but ordered him - to remain in the car.
“What’d you get?”
“You’ll see in a minute,” Theo said with a smile, driving the car around the corner and down an alley that lead behind the convenience store. “Come on.” He stopped the car and got out, bringing the bags with him.
Finally permitted to leave the passenger’s seat, Liam was eager to get out of the car, leaving his suit jacket behind. “Where are we going?”
“Just here,” Theo said, climbing up onto the hood of his car. He leaned against the windshield, reaching into one of the paper bags and screwing the top off of...something, taking a long swig. “Come on,” he said, holding the second bag out to Liam.
Liam hesitated for only a second before climbing up onto the car, settling in and reaching for the bag. He unscrewed the top and took a swig and started choking.
“Oh my god, that’s...yeah, that’s bad,” he said, cringing at the taste of the incredibly cheap vodka.
“Bad, but cheap,” Theo said. “And it’ll do the trick. This one’s whiskey, if you’d rather that."
“I...think I’ll stick with the vodka,” Liam said. “Cheap vodka goes down easier than cheap whiskey.”
“Suit yourself.” Theo shrugged, taking another long gulp before speaking again. “So, dumped on prom night, huh?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” Liam muttered.
“Alright, well, what do you want to talk about?”
“What’s in the messenger bag?” Liam asked after a moment.
“It’s empty,” Theo said. “You can go look for yourself if you don’t believe me.”
“Fine.” Liam rolled his eyes, taking another drink, noting that it went down a lot easier the second time. “What was in the bag?”
“I told you not to worry about it,” Theo said.
“Was it drugs?” Liam asked.
“I said don’t worry about it.”
“Wow,” Liam said. “So you’re dealing drugs now? Nice, Theo. Real nice.”
“Oh, okay, that’s great.” Theo said. “I rescue you from your mopey walk home, buy you a drink, and you judge me? That’s fun.”
“It’s drugs , Theo,” he said. “That’s illegal.”
“So is that vodka you’re drinking,” Theo retorted. “And I don’t see you complaining about that.”
He watched Liam, waiting for a retort, but nothing came. After all, Theo had a point, and that made it all the more difficult to argue against.
“Besides,” Theo said. “It was just pot. I’m not, like, running around with bricks of cocaine and a .45 in the waistband of my jeans.”
“Good,” Liam said, at a loss for what else to say. This wasn’t really the Theo that he remembered, but then again, he wasn’t the same Liam that he had been when he was nine either, so how could he expect that Theo wouldn’t have changed?
Besides, Theo had been on his way down this path even in the 6th grade, Liam reminded himself, and Liam hadn’t done fuck all to stop him. Had never reached out over the years.
“Not everyone got your life, Liam,” Theo said. “I’m not saying that like it’s something you should be embarrassed by, or apologize for, just…” he shrugged. “Things were different when we were kids. We changed, we lost touch, these things happen, Liam, and you? You got a stepdad, and a house on Oak, and I got…” he trailed off, taking a sip of his whiskey.
“What?” Liam asked. “You got what?”
“Nothing.” Theo shook his head.
Liam wanted to ask, wanted to push, but it wasn’t his place and he knew that. He leaned back, taking his eyes off of Theo, resting against the back of the car, taking long pulls of vodka from the cheap, plastic bottle.
“Nice night, huh?” Theo said, looking up. There was no roof, nothing but a few electricity wires obscuring the sky from their view.
“Not a cloud in the sky,” Liam said.
“Yeah,” Theo laughed. “It’s been clear all night.”
“You said it was going to rain,” Liam frowned.
“I wanted you to get in the car.” He shrugged. “It’s not my fault you didn’t look up at the sky and check my statement.”
Liam laughed, reaching out, shoving Theo slightly before pausing.
“Wait,” he said. “Why did you want me to get in the car so bad?”
“I was curious.” Theo shrugged. “It’s been like eight years since we really talked, and I don’t know… maybe a part of me liked knowing that your life wasn’t going perfectly either.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little cruel?” Liam asked, trying not to be hurt.
“I never claimed to be the nicest guy ever,” Theo said, taking a swig of whiskey. “And you know what they say, huh? Misery loves company?”
“So you’re miserable?”
“Okay, Dunbar,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “I wouldn’t go that far, but…”
“But?”
“But life sucks a little bit, yeah,” he said with a laugh. “Not all the time, but, you know.” He shrugged.
“That I will drink to.” Liam smiled, raising his bottle.
1:52 AM
“Fuck!” Liam laughed, attempting to pick himself up off of the ground, having just rolled off of the hood of the car.
“Okay, that’s it, Dunbar,” Theo said with a laugh, leaning over the car and looking down at where Liam had fallen. “I’m cutting you off.”
“That’s...good, yeah, I’m drunk. I’m so fucking drunk.” Liam sighed, flopping back down on the ground with a chuckle, looking up at the sky.
“You just gonna stay down there?” Theo asked, tilting his head to the side.
“Mmmm.” Liam nodded.
“Good -- best you’re lying down when I admit that I’m way too drunk to drive you home.”
“Mmmm,” Liam said again. “Good. Driving drunk is bad. So bad.”
“Yeah,” Theo sighed, sliding off the car and moving to lie down on the ground next to Liam.
“What’re you doing down here?” Liam asked.
“Blood was rushing to my head,” he said. “Leaning over the car and looking at you was getting uncomfortable.”
“So, you don’t have to be looking at me,” Liam pointed out.
“It was this or shout at you. Shut up.” Theo pushed him gently, laughing.
“You’re a mean drunk,” Liam pouted.
“I’m really not,” Theo said.
“You told me to shut up. Mean drunk.”
“Nah,” Theo shook his head. “I’m not a mean drunk. I’m just always an asshole. Now, my dad,” he said with a humorless laugh. “Now, he’s a mean drunk.”
“What?” Liam frowned, turning on his side. “Your dad was awesome.”
“Yeah,” Theo scoffed. “ Was being the operative word there. Funny what’ll happen to a nice guy when his best child dies.”
“Don’t say that,” Liam said.
“Why not?” Theo said. “It’s true. The wrong kid died.”
“You don’t really think that, do you?”
“I don’t have to think it, I know it. Tara...was kind, she was sweet, she was smart, she was...Tara, and I’m...me, man. It’s not some tragic thing -- it’s just the truth. She was the better kid. And this stuff, it happens, you know?”
“Theo…”
“Don’t, Dunbar. Don’t give me that sympathetic look, okay? I’m just -- fine. Tell me about your girl, the one who dumped you.”
“Wow.” Liam sighed. “Yeah, alright. Fine.”
“Yessssss.” Theo fist pumped slightly. “Finally, the true story of the night.”
“Shut up,” Liam rolled his eyes. “Or I won’t tell you.”
“Okay, fine, fine, fine.” Theo laughed. “Shutting up now.”
“Her name was Anna. We started dating at the end of Sophomore year.”
“Were you in looooooooove?” Theo asked.
“Yeah, but I mean...I’m going to Indiana for college, and she’s going to Washington, so, like, I knew that it wasn’t gonna last past the summer, but I thought at least she wouldn’t, you know, leave me on prom night for Chet Halliwell."
“Fucking Chet Halliwell,” Theo hissed.
“Wait, you know Chet?”
“Nah,” Theo shrugged. “Sounds like a douche canoe though.”
“Yeah,” Liam said indignantly. “He is. He’s a REAL douche canoe!”
“Fucking Chet Halliwell,” Theo said again, shaking his head.
“Yeah,” Liam laughed. “Fucking Chet Halliwell.”
“Anyways... Fucking Chet stole your girl?”
“Yuuuuuup.” Liam nodded.
“And then?”
“And then you saw me walking home.”
“Oh, come ON, that’s it?” Theo rolled onto his side, looking at Liam.
“Yup.”
“She just...said “See ya, I’m with Fucking Chet now?””
“Pretty much.” Liam nodded. “Oh, and they took the limo I rented for us.”
“Fucking pricks,” Theo said.
“Yeah…” Liam sighed.
“You looked really sad, though,” Theo said. “When I pulled up next to you? Like you were about to cry or something.”
“Well, I guess that’s not exactly how I wanted to remember my prom night. I wanted it to be special, you know? Something fun -- a night I would remember for the rest of my life, you know, fondly. Not like…” he waved his hand around, gesturing at nothing, and somehow, at the entire night.
“Yeah, okay.” Theo hauled himself to his feet, offering his hand down to Liam. “C’mon.”
“Huh?” Liam asked, taking Theo’s hand, getting to his feet.
“Just come on,” Theo said.
“But, your car,” Liam said.
“I’ll come back and get it tomorrow,” he shrugged. “We’ve got a more important mission now,” Theo said, starting to walk.
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“We’re gonna make your prom night something to remember.”
3:03 AM
“Holy shit!” Liam’s eyes widened as they stopped at a playground.
“Remember this place?” Theo laughed.
“Of course I remember! I went to school here for five years!” He looked around. It was their old elementary school playground. Sure, it had been partially re-done in the years since they had attended, but it was very clearly still the same space that he had known when he was younger.
“Man, when I was little, I loved the swings.”
“Yeah,” Liam said, following Theo over to the swings. “I remember. You used to make fun of me.”
“Well, what third grader can’t pump and has to be pushed?” Theo laughed.
“I figured it out eventually,” Liam said defensively, sitting down on the swing, beginning to pump his legs to prove that he had learned. “Besides, you had an advantage.”
“Oh, yeah? What was that?” Theo asked.
“You had an older…” he paused. “Shit, Theo, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay,” Theo said. “Tara...existed and pretending that she didn’t doesn’t fucking help anything.”
“Yeah, but it’s sad, and I didn’t want to…”
“Didn’t want to be like me and try to make those around me miserable?”
“I didn’t say that,” Liam argued.
“You didn’t have to.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t even thinking it,” Liam said. “I promise.”
“No,” Theo smiled over at him. “I suppose you weren’t.”
“I wasn’t. I swear.” Liam said softly.
“I believe you.” Theo looked over at him. “Even when you got heated, your heart was always in the right place, Liam. You were always a good kid... probably still are.”
“Most of the time, yeah,” Liam admitted.
“You said you’re going to Indiana for college?” Theo asked.
“Yeah, Notre Dame.”
“Hey, there, Mr. Smarts.”
“Nah, mostly an athletic scholarship. Lacrosse.”
“Wait, seriously?” Theo looked at him, surprised.
“Yeah, as it turns out, I’m actually pretty athletic.”
“But you were…”
“I just needed a place to channel my anger,” he shrugged. “My therapist thought it would be a good idea, and my stepdad put a stick in my hand and...the rest is history.”
“History, huh?” Theo laughed. “I still can’t believe it. Liam Dunbar: lax bro.”
“Shut up.” Liam laughed. “But if you really can’t believe it, we still have the State Championships next weekend. Come and see for yourself.”
“Are you...inviting me to come watch you play Lacrosse?”
“No.” Liam shook his head. “I’m inviting you to come watch me kick ass at lacrosse.”
“Well, that I might just have to see.” Theo paused. “I’ll think about it.”
“Okay.” Liam laughed. “You got plans for college?”
“Nah.” Theo shook his head. “I’m not really the further education type.”
“So, what are you gonna do next year?”
“I dunno.” Theo shrugged. “Stick around here, get a job or something.”
“So, you don’t have any plan at all?”
“You make plans, you just get disappointed when they don’t work out. I find it’s just not a good idea to think too far ahead.”
“Theo…”
“C’mere.” Theo reached out, shutting Liam up by taking his wrist and pulling him from the swings. He lead him to the wooden balance beam. “Remember we used to play King of the Hill here?”
“What I remember,” Liam said, “is multiple trips to the principal's office because we spent more time whaling on each other than actually trying to win.”
“Funny, I remember you whaling on me because you were jealous that I always won.”
“Yeah, okay, sure.” Liam rolled his eyes.
“What?” Theo jumped up onto the balance beam, teetering slightly before stabilizing. “Think you could beat me now, Mr. Lacrosse Star?”
“Yeah, I think I could,” Liam nodded.
“Prove it.”
“Prove it?” Liam looked at the beam and at Theo.
“Yeah, get up here, Dunbar. Show me what you’ve got.”
“Fine.” Liam climbed up on the balance beam, carefully raising himself to his full (and still not terribly impressive) height. “It’s on, Raeken.”
“Rules are...there are no rules?”
“Last one standing is the king of the hill.” Liam nodded.
“HA!” Theo reached out, swiping at Liam, who ducked back, wobbling, more due to drunkeness than anything else. “Nice save,” Theo said.
“I could do this all day.” Liam paused for a moment before reaching out, shoving at Theo, who, also largely due to drunkenness, lost his balance in his attempted dodge, grabbing Liam’s arm at the last second.
Both boys fell, Theo landing on his back on the bark chips with a soft thud, and Liam landing flush on top of him, both of them laughing.
“Okay, maybe we should try that again when we’re slightly less…”
“Intoxicated?” Theo asked, looking up at Liam. Really looking at him for the first time that night.
“I was gonna say drunk, but...but yeah,” Liam gulped. Something felt different, and not just because they were pressed together. “Intoxicated.”
They stayed like that for several seconds, just staring at each other, hearts beating slightly faster, though Liam was ready to blame that on the alcohol as well.
And then Theo leaned up, pressing his lips to Liam’s. The kiss was quick, a rushed peck that ended with Theo’s head resting back on the bark chips, looking up at Liam, trying to read his face. He waited, holding his breath for Liam to answer, to shout, to push him away, maybe even to hit him, but he didn’t. Liam waited just a moment, to get his head around the situation before leaning down, pressing his lips to Theo’s in a deeper, longer kiss.
It wasn’t long before they were merely a tangle of arms and legs, kissing frantically, rolling around in the bark chips as though fighting for control. They ended their tussle with Theo on top, one hand on Liam’s cheek as he kissed him deeply, the other fumbling with the buttons of Liam’s dress shirt.
Once he had the buttons undone, he pushed the shirt away, revealing the white undershirt beneath. He slipped his hand under the shirt, his hand running over Liam’s defined abs as he continued to kiss him. Liam reached up to do the same, his hands beginning to run over Theo’s sides before he stopped.
“Theo, what’s this?” he asked, his fingers falling upon a long line of raised skin on his left side.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Theo said, leaning down to kiss Liam again, but Liam pulled away, wriggling his other hand around to pull Theo’s shirt up, revealing a long scar.
“Oh my god, Theo…”
“I said don’t worry about it,” Theo said, pulling away, pushing his shirt back down.
“Was that...your dad?” Liam asked.
“Let it go,” Theo said, getting to his feet, brushing bark chips from his hair and body.
“So... it was.” Liam frowned, getting to his own feet, hastily working to button his shirt back up.
“It’s not like it’s some grandly unique experience,” Theo said.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I remember your dad, Liam,” Theo said. “He was a mean, angry man. I remember your mom used to bring you over for impromptu sleepovers when he was having particularly bad days.”
“He never hit me,” Liam said softly.
“No, cause your mom protected you, like mothers should, but he would have, Liam. Maybe not in the beginning, but they always get there, you know?”
“You don’t know that!” Liam said.
“I’ve got the proof,” he said. “You just saw it.”
“So you think...you think I would do that?” Liam asked.
“What do you mean?” Theo asked.
“I’ve got the same anger issues that my dad had, that explosive rage? That’s inside of me too, Theo.”
“I didn’t say-”
“No, you didn’t have to,” Liam said. “I got what you meant.” With that, he turned, heading for the exit of the playground.
“Liam, wait.” Theo chased after him, reaching out and taking Liam’s hand. “I didn’t...that’s not what I meant, okay? It’s really not. I don’t...I don’t think that you would do that.”
“You sure about that?” Liam asked, trying to hide the hurt in his voice.
“Yes.” Theo nodded. “I don’t think you’re like him, like my dad...like yours.”
“But what if I am?” Liam asked. “My dad -- he wasn’t a bad guy, Theo, he didn’t know how to control it, what to do with his temper, what caused his outbursts. That’s why he left, you know? So that he wouldn’t wind up doing something he’d regret, so that my mother and I didn’t have to spend our whole lives balancing him out.”
“But you have resources that he didn’t have, Liam,” Theo said. “Like you said, you’ve got a therapist, and an outlet…”
“Yeah.” Liam gulped. “Doesn’t mean I don’t have outbursts, get into fights sometimes.”
“Hell,” Theo said. “We all get into fights sometimes.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Theo nodded. “And hey, a little aggression here and there isn’t the worst thing ever…”
Liam couldn’t help but smile, gently shoving Theo up against the chain-link fence surrounding the majority of the playground.
“See?” Theo grinned. “Now you’re getting it.”
“Shhh.” Liam leaned in, kissing Theo again, his hands resting on the other man’s waist. This kiss was different, slower, more passionate, more skilled and deliberate than their frantic battle on the bark chips.
“You’re...pretty good at that,” Theo said softly.
“I’ve had some practice.” Liam smiled.
“Want to get a little more?”
“Hell yeah.” Liam leaned back in, kissing Theo again.
4:45 AM
“I’m sorry that things never...got better for you,” Liam said as he and Theo walked away from the playground, hand in hand.
Both boys had begun to sober up, making their trek much easier than it had been on their way to the park.
“It’s okay, Liam,” Theo said. “It’s not...not everyone gets to have the world’s best childhood. Yours was rough early, and mine was rough later on. It’s a balance.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a shitty balance.”
“I won’t argue with you there,” Theo said with a gentle smile.
“What about your mom?” Liam asked. “Why didn’t she, you know, protect you?”
“It was easier for her to just pretend that it wasn’t happening, I guess. I mean, losing Tara fucked her up, Liam. Real bad. She didn’t turn to alcohol, but I’m not...she didn’t really turn to anything. She was just sort of...there.”
“That sucks,” Liam said softly.
“It wasn’t great,” Theo admitted. “But I mean, it wasn’t like my dad just lashed out at me, you know that, right? I was smoking, I was skipping school, I was a little shit - I mean, I still am.” He laughed.
“Doesn’t make it okay, though,” Liam said.
“No, I know.” Theo looked down at the ground. “I know.”
They fell silent after that, just walking around the neighborhood that they had grown up in together. It was dark, and the streets were quiet. It was just the two of them, side by side, hand in hand.
Liam was thinking about Theo, and how he wished that he had known sooner, about what he might have done to help him if he had. How things might have been different...or how they might not have been different at all.
Theo’s thoughts were elsewhere. He didn’t like to think about how his life could have been different, how his life might have been better if there had been something else to it. If his sister hadn’t died, his family might have stayed perfect, yes. But right now he was thinking about the moment, how nice it felt to have Liam’s hand in his, to just be walking in silence with someone that didn’t seem to have any agenda or ill will when it came to him.
Maybe this wasn’t a night that Liam would remember the way he wanted to, but Theo? He was sure that, whatever happened, it was a night that he was going to remember for the rest of his life.
5:23 AM
“Okay,” Theo laughed, pulling away from Liam to take a breath. “I know Anna is like, not your favorite person right now, but I might have to send her a thank you card for helping you practice, because you’re a fantastic kisser.”
“Shut up!” Liam laughed, shifting on the park bench they were sitting on, pulling Theo in, kissing him again, long and deep.
These kisses were somewhere in between the two sorts they had shared at the playground, the sort of making out you’d get from two teenagers finally left at home on the couch while their parents ran to the grocery store. It was comfortable, but full of desire. Tasteful, in the sense that they weren’t ripping each other’s clothes off, but still fueled by plenty of emotions, by want, by need.
“Time out, time out,” Liam said, pulling back after several more minutes, chest heaving.
“What, need a break? I thought you had better stamina than that, Mr. Lacrosse Star,” Theo teased.
“No, look,” Liam gestured ahead of them. “The sun’s starting to come up.”
“Yeah,” Theo smiled, putting his arm around Liam. He knew that he could make a crack here, about how sappy it was that Liam wanted to stop and watch the sunrise, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment.
“It’s kind of beautiful,” Liam said, shifting, resting his head on Theo’s shoulder.
“Yeah,” Theo said, looking down at Liam, watching him rather than the sunrise. “It kind of is.”
6:37 AM
“Thank god for pancakes,” Liam said with a smile, sitting across the diner booth from Theo as their food arrived.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been so hungry in my life,” Theo admitted, tearing into his bacon and eggs almost before the plate hit the table.
“I just need something to soak up the last of that vodka,” Liam admitted. “That really was terrible.”
“Yeah, well, you get what you pay for, and I didn’t pay much,” Theo laughed. “Whatever. It did the trick.”
“God, these pancakes are awesome,” Liam said with a grin.
Theo reached out his fork, stealing a bite of heavily blueberry-laden pancake from Liam’s plate.
“Mmm, you’re right, those are pretty tasty,” he said with a smile.
“Hey!” Liam laughed, not doing a damn thing to try and stop Theo from taking a second bite.
“So,” Theo asked through a mouthful of Liam’s breakfast. “What do you think?”
“What do I think about what?”
“What do you think about tonight?” Theo asked. “Do you think you’ll remember your prom night the way that you wanted to?”
“Hell no.” Liam shook his head.
“Oh.” Theo looked a little disappointed.
“Theo,” Liam reached out, taking his hand across the table. “Never in 10 million years would I have imagined my prom night involving...well, any of this, so is it the way that I wanted to remember my prom night? No.” He shook his head. “It’s way better.”
“Good.” Theo looked at Liam, a smug expression in place on his face.
It was funny, how he had started out the night looking to antagonize Liam a little, just piss him off for 10-15 minutes before dropping him off at home. It was funny, how things changed in the course of a few hours, over the course of just one night.
7:16 AM
“So,” Liam bit his lip as they walked down the street, hands at their sides, as the world was more awake now. “I have to ask, why do you, you know...with the pot?”
“Oh.” Theo shoved his hands anxiously in his pocket. “I just…”
“Whatever it is,” Liam said. “You can tell me. I’m not gonna narc on you or anything like that.”
“No, I just...my parents have said I’m out when high school is over, and I don’t really have anywhere else to go, you know. So I thought I would save some money, and I was talking to my buddy - he grows - about it, and he just said, you know, I could make good money making deliveries for him. It’s relatively safe, you know, mostly home calls...not actually a bad gig, if i’m being honest.”
“Yeah, but it’s illegal.”
“So are a lot of other things.”
“Yeah, but...I dunno, I don’t…” Liam trailed off.
“Aw, come on, you going all soft on me? Don’t want to see me get arrested?” Theo elbowed Liam playfully.
“No, maybe I don’t,” Liam said. “Is that so wrong?”
“Nah, nothing wrong with that, I guess.” Theo couldn’t help but smile down at the ground. “It’s kinda nice, actually.”
“Who’s going soft now, huh?” Liam asked.
“Shut up.”
“You shut up.”
7:57 AM
“You didn’t have to walk me all the way home,” Liam said as they approached his house.
“Well, you know, about nine hours ago I said I’d get you home, so...just wanted to make good on my offer.”
“You more than made good,” Liam said, stopping on the pavement in front of the walkway. “Thank you,” he said softly.
“Hey, it’s no problem. It wasn’t that far, I mean, this town isn’t huge.”
“Not...not just for walking me home,” Liam said.
Liam leaned up, kissing Theo softly.
“Oh.” Theo smiled. “No, you’re welcome. And hey, when I get the car back, I’ll bring your suit jacket by.”
“Oh.” Liam snorted. “I totally forgot about that, thanks.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Theo said with a grin.
“I’ve heard that a lot today.”
“Figured maybe if I say it enough, one time, you might listen to me.”
“Okay.” Liam smiled. “I won’t worry about the suit jacket.”
“Deal.” Theo leaned down, pecking Liam quickly on the lips. “I had fun tonight.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Liam shifted awkwardly. “I should...my parents are gonna be up and freaking out that I never came home, so…”
“Oh, yeah, go, go.” Theo gestured towards the door.
Liam turned around, shaking his head, grin still in place on his face as he started up the walkway.
“Hey, Dunbar!” Theo called as Liam neared his front door. “You around this summer?”
“Yeah.” Liam turned back, a smile on his face. “I’m around.”