Work Text:
Theo couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he chose to be a teacher. Children were annoying and teenagers were hormonal terrors with nightmare mood swings. Endless meme quotes, class clown antics, and petty drama filled the lives of his 100+ students, inevitably invading his classroom and annoying him. All the same, he did find genuine enjoyment in teaching them, their chaos moments not withstanding.
His day started at 6:30 with coffee, breakfast, and packing anything he would need for the day. Around the time each morning when he is finishing packing his lunch, Liam will shuffle out of their room, half awake, hair sticking out at odd angles, eyes squinting against the kitchen light. He’ll hand the wolf coffee that is set aside in favor of pulling the chimera into lazy kisses.
Liam is the entire reason he gets up half an hour before he needs to. The wolf is clingy when he’s sleepy, constantly wanting to be held and kissed and unwilling to let his mate leave for the day. He always lets go in time for Theo to get to work without being late, albeit with a pout that earns him a laugh and another kiss.
Most days Theo drives his truck to Beacon Hills High School, parks toward the back of the lot where there will be a little bit of shade later in the day, and enters the school twenty minutes before classes start. He has his routine and rarely parts from it: He will stop by the office, sign in, make sure his room is set for the day, check the digital systems, answer parents, and then help supervise the halls until the bell rings.
Today is no different. Entering the office, he offers an amiable smile to the staff, waving at the school’s deputy while saying “good morning” to their secretary. He usually does not stop in the office, knowing the staff there will suck him into long conversations and twenty minutes later he will be late getting to class. Instead he gives greetings as he moves, heading directly to sign in and check his mail slot. The sight of it makes him stop, eyeing it with a weary stare. This was another part of the routine, one that appeared randomly once or twice a week - and it has a part he hated. Sighing heavily, he retrieved the rose and tore the head from it before dumping the pieces into the small trash can by the counter. The stem stuck out of the bin, red petals scattered in the bag, bright and eye-catching.
He turned on his heel and walked back through the office. Ms. Linda caught sight of his frown and called out to him. “Everything alright hun?” He rolled his eyes, letting her see the gesture. “Just another unwanted surprise in my mailbox.” He said. His annoyance was not a secret, but his professionalism kept him from getting nasty. Flowers, notes, gifts, candies - all manner of flirty treats had been finding their way into his mail since the second week of school.
She pulled a face. “You’d think your secret admirer would take a hint after all these months.” She said ‘secret’ in a way that made it obvious that they both - and everyone else - knew exactly who it was. He gave a humorless laugh and a wry grin. “Oh I wouldn’t count on it.”
He saw her sympathetic nod in the corner of his eye as he began the walk to his classroom. “Oh I know. But we can hope!”
***
Liam didn’t often visit Theo at work. Even though his mate was confined to this place for 8+ hours a day every weekday, Liam’s university and work schedules almost never left him the time to stop by. Even when he did have the time, he knew the chances of Theo being able to see him would be slim, what with the chimera only getting a forty minute combined lunch and planning period where everyone tried to schedule meetings he just had to be in. Today though, his class had been canceled while he was driving from their apartment to the university. Thankfully someone from class had dropped that announcement in the group chat or he would have shown up thirty minutes later to an empty room. Already out of the apartment and with nothing to do, he realized that he could be at the high school about twenty minutes into Theo’s break.
One visitor's pass and a friendly chat with the deputy, a woman he had gone to school with, and he was on his way. He knew where Theo's class was as it was the same room he had once had biology with Mrs. Finch in. He was almost there, debating if he should announce his presence or attempt to sneak up on his mate when a clipped voice stopped him.
"Just where do you think you're going?"
Liam stopped and turned, confused, to see a petite blonde woman further down the hall standing with her arms crossed, her lips pinched in a frown as she stared him down. "I'm just -" He gestured over his shoulder with a thumb. "I'm going to-" She cut him off stiffly. "I don't want to hear your nonsense. Get back to your class, now."
Liam blinked at her. Surely, at a distance of less than ten feet, she hadn’t missed the bright yellow index-card-sized sticker on his chest that read “VISITOR.” He saw her frown and mentally shook himself, raising a hand to gesture at the ID. “Uh, sorry, I’m not-” The woman huffed, cutting him off with a hand pointing back towards the hallway where the majority of the classrooms resided.
“I don’t care what your excuse is. Obviously you do not have a pink slip, so you should not be out in the hallway.”
Her snippy tone made his wolf rumble unhappily. He took a deep breath and tried again. “I get that, but I’m not a-.”
“No.” She cut him off, tone sharp and rude. “Do not talk back to me. You will get to class right now or I will take you to the office for a referral myself!”
Liam grit his teeth, willing his rising anger down. “Lady, I’m not a-!”
He was cut off a third time, but this time it was by a voice that soothed him immediately. “He’s not a student.”
He looked back over his shoulder to see Theo exiting the door to his classroom a mere twelve feet away. The chimera walked to them calmly, stopping just a hair behind Liam at his side. Making no effort to be discrete, he placed his hand on the wolf’s lower back while his eyes remained on the woman.
Her eyes narrowed and Liam could smell her anger at the possessive and protective gesture joining the acrid stench of her irritation. “Well then,” Her gaze bypassed him entirely and rested on Theo, all traces of her previous attitude gone. “If he is not a student, he should not be wandering the campus.” She said it sweetly and Liam felt like gagging at the obvious attempt at placating and fawning at his mate. He could have gagged just from the stench of the sickly sweet chemosignals she was suddenly giving off, mixing with the acid scent of her aggression.
Theo raised a brow, not entertaining her in the slightest. He gestured at Liam’s chest. “He has a visitor’s badge.” He stated flatly.
She blinked slowly, doe eyed. “Oh. I didn’t see that.”
Theo gave a tight, thin lipped smile. “Easy to miss.” Liam bit back a snort. Bright. Yellow. Easy to miss his arse. “Regardless. Liam is not a student, he is my fiancé, and he is here to see me.”
A twinge of satisfaction flickered in Liam’s gut as the woman’s smile became painstakingly forced, her chemosignals souring immediately. “Fiancé?”
Theo nodded. “Mm-hmm.” Liam felt pressure at his back and followed where it led, letting Theo turn him towards his classroom. “Now if you will excuse us, I only have a few minutes left before I have to get my kids.”
Liam snickered quietly to himself once his back was turned, ducking his head to avoid the side eye Theo gave him for his antics. Theo just rolled his eyes and unlocked his classroom, ushering the boy inside.
****
A week later saw Liam back at the high school to pick Theo up after school. Parking in the lot, he got out of his car and looked up at the old building. With an amused snort, he shook his head. The memories he had of this place, and all the chaos that had happened inside. Of course his mate just had to decide to work here of all places.
Speaking of, Theo was just coming out of the back door, his gaze searching out and quickly landing on the wolf. He smiled as Liam waved to him and started walking over to him. Liam met him before he got too far, jogging up to him and wrapping his arms around the man. Theo laughed as the momentum of the sudden grab rocked them both back. He quickly got his arms around Liam’s waist, holding him close as the wolf’s mouth found his. He hummed happily as they moved together, relishing in the feel and taste of his mate.
They didn’t separate as they broke apart, just created enough space so they could look one another in the eye. Liam was grinning, bright happiness-joy-playfulness-affection singing over their bond and filling the air around them through Liam’s chemosignals. Theo couldn’t even tease him about it, he knew his scent and bond were singing back the same.
“It’s a good day when you have to drop me off in the morning.” He commented. “It means I get to see you earlier than usual.”
Liam laughed. “Earlier by all of ten or fifteen minutes you mean?”
Theo just grinned. “Hey - that’s a lot of time to be without my mate!’
Liam rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh.” He stepped away, grabbing both of Theo’s hands to pull the man along with him. “Now let’s go home!”
***
Two days later, just as he was about to leave for the weekend, Theo got a call down to his room telling him he had to attend a last minute meeting in the office. He sighed heavily before he left his room, still alone where no one would hear. Meetings could take anywhere from half an hour to nearly two hours, depending on what they were about. A meeting after school? That meant there were no kids or class schedules forcing them to get on with things. He groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. Damn it. He wanted to go home. Liam was at home, and Theo wanted to take a warm shower and curl up with his mate.
Schooling his face into polite neutrality, he started the walk to the principal’s office. The chatter of a familiar voice talking to someone over the phone met his ears as he entered the office, and he offered a small smile and wave to the elderly secretary, Ms. Linda. Beaded bracelets jingled as she enthusiastically waved back her greeting. Theo’s smile remained as he moved past her, held by genuine fondness. She was a bubbly woman who dressed in bright colors and flowy dresses, pink glasses bright against her blue eyes and chin length curly white hair. Beaded bracelets always lined each wrist, clacking with her enthusiastic gestures as she told him the latest office gossip.
His smile fell as he approached a door with old blue paint, yellowish light shining through the frosted window. Through it, he could vaguely see the shapes of two people, though his hearing told him there were four heartbeats inside. He stopped beside the door, where his silhouette could not be seen, and took a deep breath.
Old Spice, hairspray, pineapple candies, and the kind of stale sweat embedded in a work uniform worn everyday. Deputy Diaz - the Latina woman who stood to his shoulder, black hair and bronze skin striking against her green uniform. She was the school’s security resource officer, a fun loving woman who was always ready to share a good joke and dark humor with the younger teachers. She was a serious woman when it came to her job though, ethical and dedicated.
Aftershave, coffee, a car’s air freshener, ink, and mothballs. That was a scent he did not know, but he was fairly sure from the musky undertones that it was a man.
Breath mints, herbal tea, and the stench of sweat that came not from work, but from a nervous disposition. That scent belonged to a heavy set, middle-aged man with thinning brown hair and a penchant for two piece suits and ties: Principal Murphey - the never present principal who put appearances over supporting his staff. Theo had quickly learned not to rely on him for anything. He was a stiff man who thought too highly of himself, but he was mostly harmless bluster. Theo could be professional with the man, but he did not go out of his way to interact with him.
Sickly artificial roses, the stench of arrogance and permanent irritation, and anticipation. Pam Warren. Theo groaned internally, already dreading dealing with the toxic woman. He avoided her at every turn he could and kept any interaction he could not avoid short and to the point. She had brown eyes, pale skin, and a blonde bob. She attempted to appear sweet, with pinched smiles and syrupy tones, but everything she touched suffered from her toxicity. Nasty rumors about coworkers, gossiping about how everyone else was horrible at their job, comments about being friends with district officials, bad mouthing other teachers to the students, and so much more. Theo could have at least offered disapproving tolerance while ignoring her, if not for how she had focused on him from the moment they met. Her attraction to him would have been obvious even if he could not smell it, and it had become a point of amusement for his students. They often voiced opinions of her that he could never vocalize outside the solitude of his home, and he usually pretended not to hear.
He schooled his features into practiced nonchalance. Raising a hand, he knocked and waited. Fabric shifted inside before a man’s voice answered. “It’s open.”
Turning the knob, he let the door swing open and stepped through. “Hello.” He addressed the four occupants. “You needed to see me?”
Principal Murphey frowned at him and gestured to the open chair closest to the door, the one facing all the other occupants in the room. “Have a seat.”
***
Across town, Liam was restless. He’d gotten home from class and lacrosse practice about an hour early. He’d eaten, showered, and dressed in under twenty minutes. He’d found himself standing in the middle of the apartment at 3:15, floundering a bit. He’d gotten home and settled more quickly than he’d expected. Normally Theo would be walking in at this point, but on the best of days he would still be fifteen minutes away at this time. He looked around their mostly clean space, restless energy bubbling under his skin, seeing a collection of small things that needed to be straightened up or cleaned. Okay. He could do that.
Dishes first, then he’d pick up the stray hoodies and blankets in the lounge area. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he headed for the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves and humming absentmindedly as he got started.
Twenty minutes later the kitchen was clean, the counters wiped down, stray comforts put away, and random knick-knacks cleaned up. He was in the middle of folding the last of the clean clothes while deciding if he should sweep the practically spotless floor when his phone rang.
****
Theo stared at the screen in shocked disbelief, then, he laughed. The others in the room were taken aback by his reaction, but he waved off their questions as he pulled out his phone. “Oh no, you’ll have to wait with your questions.” he said, not bothering to look up as he dialed. “This requires someone else to be present.”
Principal Murphey scowled. “A bit early to be including a lawyer, don’t you think?”
Theo might have snarked at him, but the person on the other end of the line answered just in time to stop him.
“Hello? This is Liam.”
“Did you check the caller ID before you answered, or is that how you greet everyone?” Theo asked in amusement.
“ Teddy!” A huff came over the line. “ Obviously I did not see who it was. What is it? Shouldn’t you be on your way home? It’s almost half an hour past when you usually leave.”
Theo shook his head, even though the other couldn’t see him. “No, I haven’t left work yet. I’m stuck in a meeting.” He eyed the room’s other occupants with a bored expression. “Actually, I need you to meet me here before we can finish this meeting.”
" Theo?’" Liam’s tone was worried. " Is everything okay?"
“Yes. Just get here as soon as you safely can.” He didn’t want to go over it on the phone.
There was a pause, and then: “You’re not visiting Ms. Barmy, are you?” Ms. Barmy was their code word for hunters just in case they were in a place where they couldn’t speak openly. Liam had chosen it, justifying it when Theo asked by saying “What? Monroe is just that - barmy!”
“Nope. Just some work stuff that I need your input on.” Theo replied.
" Okay, I can be there in about ten minutes." Theo could hear keys jingling and a car door closing over the line.
“Okay, I’ll see you when you get here.” With that, he ended the call. Liam was easily distracted and he hated when the wolf talked on the phone while driving. Never mind that he did the same. He’d literally been trained to perform surgeries with more distractions - as he would tell Liam when the boy called him out on his hypocrisy.
Sliding his phone into his pocket, he folded his hands over his stomach and settled back in his chair. “It’ll be about ten minutes.” He said casually, effectively holding the room hostage until his unknown guest arrived.
Ten minutes later - ten tense and grumpy minutes for the three people in the room with Theo and ten minutes of silent amusement for the chimera - Theo heard Liam speaking with the woman at the front desk. He focused on the wolf’s slightly fast heart rate, tracking it through the building as it came closer. He could tell that Liam was listening to him too, as the boy’s heart rate started to calm and beat close to in sync with his own. A few moments later there was a knock at the door. Theo rose to answer it before anyone else could react.
He stepped halfway out the door to greet them, smiling at the secretary who had escorted Liam. “Thanks Ms. Linda, I’ve got him.” The elderly woman smiled her acknowledgement and turned away. “Good thing too.” She chirped. “I was just about to head home.” Theo chuckled. “You enjoy your weekend Ms. Linda.”
As she returned the sentiment, Theo’s eyes moved to the wolf waiting impatiently in front of him. Quietly, so he could not be heard by those inside, he spoke. “Hi baby.”
Liam gave a tight grin, clearly worried. “Hey.” He breathed back. Out of sight of the others, Theo raised a hand and cupped the other’s cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb. “Everything is okay.” He murmured. “Warren made an accusation, it’s bullcrap and I can easily prove that.”
Liam’s brows furrowed. “Then why did you call me here?” He whispered.
Theo grinned, sharp and mischievous, and Liam perked up immediately at the sight. “Oh, because you’re gonna want to see this.” He purred.
Stepping back, he opened the door fully and made space for Liam to enter the room. Once he had done so, Theo closed the door and stepped up behind him, resting his hands just above the boy’s hips in a gentle grip.
“This is Mr. Faraday from the district’s HR department,” he gestured to the older man with greying brown hair and a trimmed mustache. “Deputy Diaz, our school’s security resource officer,” the woman raised a brow, recognizing Liam from his previous visits. “Principal Murphey,” the man behind the desk looked back at them, confused. “And, Ms. Warren.” Theo’s tone took a slight edge of disgust that was lost on everyone except for Liam. The sour woman offered only a pinched look and folded arms. “Everyone,” Theo said, mischief-amusement-satisfaction resonated over their bond and Liam braced himself for whatever his mate had gotten him into. “This is Liam Dunbar. My finance.”
The silence could have been broken by a butterfly flapping by. Principal Murphey cleared his throat. “And why,” he asked, “did you make us wait ten minutes for your finance to get here?”
Liam immediately did not like this man nor his tone. Ignoring that, he glanced back at Theo over his shoulder. “Why did you call me here Theo?” The mischief-amusement-satisfaction feeling spiked and curled like a tiny coiled creature ready to spring. “Ms. Warren here has decided to make a baseless accusation.”
“Which is?” Liam pressed. Theo just grinned and addressed the room. “Go ahead. Tell him why we are here.” annoyance-curiosity-resignation flared from Liam to Theo, but the chimera’s bond only sang back amusement-anticipation .
Ms. Warren was about to answer, and they could all see that she was getting herself worked up in a righteous flurry. Principal Murphey cut her off. “A member of our staff has accused Mr. Raeken of inappropriate conduct with a student and has provided evidence to support that claim.” He said in a clipped tone.
Liam stiffened in Theo’s hold, his head turned slowly so he could look at his partner. “What? ” He asked, the word deathly calm and flat. Theo just kept grinning.
“I saw him! In the parking lot. He was forcing himself on a student, kissing them and- and fondling them!” Ms. Warren spit, so worked up she had to repeat her words to get them all out, her hand waving through the air in wild gestures.
Liam turned back to her, just as slowly, deathly calm. “What?” he repeated.
“Wednesday.” Theo added, voice tight with amusement. Liam’s face scrunched up as he tried to figure out why Theo had said that. Then his face blanched in disbelief. He looked at Theo. “You have got to be kidding me.” Theo grinned, all teeth and amusement as the feeling of mischief-amusement-satisfaction soared. “Oh, it gets better.” He nodded towards the computer monitor on the desk, turned so they could all see it. “They have the security recording from the parking lot.”
Liam cocked an eyebrow. “Oh really?” He drawled, sarcasm dripping from his words. “Can’t wait to see this earth shattering revelation.” He looked at Principal Murphey. “Well? Go on. Show me.”
“Now I really don’t think that this is any of your business, young man.” The principal protested.
“No, go ahead. Play it.” Deputy Diaz instructed, catching on to what the couple were getting at. Principal Murphey scowled, but did as he was told.
There was no audio, but the picture was clear as day. There was Theo leaving the school and entering the parking lot. There was a figure waving at him and jogging over to him. And there was that couple kissing, arms wrapped around one another as they swayed together and laughed.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Liam deadpanned, unsure if he should laugh or just stare in gob smacked disbelief.
“Young man!” Principal Murphey spluttered, aghast. “We do not use such language here!”
Principal Martin had moved up to a district position years ago... apparently she had taken all the brain cells with her, as her successor apparently had all of half the ability for logical thinking she did and couldn’t look at a computer screen clearly. Maybe he had early onset blindness. Liam could give him the benefit of the doubt. His eyes turned to the woman sitting stiffly, her lips pinched, a premature look of victory in her eyes. It dawned on him suddenly that if the annoyance coming from her chemosignals was any indication, she recognized him. He sure as hell recognized her. She’d been a thorn in Theo’s side since day one.
He let out a slow, strangled sigh and spoke to the man behind him softly. “Teddy,” his slightly too high tone caught the chimera’s attention. “Your answer is going to decide how I behave during the next 60 seconds.” He stated bluntly in a light tone that was wholly inappropriate for the situation. “Do you want to keep this job?”
Theo snorted softly, the breath from it tickling Liam’s neck. “I’d prefer to, yeah.”
Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shouldn't have shaved my beard." he grumbled just loud enough for Theo to hear, causing a rumbling sensation of amusement like laughter to travel across their bond from the elder. Liam sighed in earnest this time. Dropping his hand, he narrowed his eyes at the people in front of him. “You,” he pointed at the principal, “need glasses if you think the person on that screen is a child.” He turned his gaze and his pointing hand to the blonde woman without waiting for a response. “And you, with your clear lack of brain cells, shouldn’t be teaching anyone, much less children.”
The principal started to sputter but was cut off as the woman bristled, an angry flush coloring her cheeks. “How dare you! I have a duty to report suspicious activity that could harm the kids!”
Liam glared at her. “Sure. And I’d believe that was what happened if it weren't for three things.” He held up a finger. “One, you’ve been leaving gifts for my fiancé and flirting with him since he started working here.” He held up another finger. “Two, you can clearly see in that footage - and from wherever you were watching us I’ll bet - that I am an adult and that I was wearing a letter jacket with my name and university on the back in giant letters,” He held up a third finger. “And three, you’ve met me before.”
The district representative sat up straighter. “I’m sorry. You say Ms. Warren and you have met before?”
Liam nodded, not taking his eyes off her. “Ye-p.” He said, stressing the last syllable. “About a week or so ago. She very rudely stopped me in the hall of Theo’s building and wouldn’t let me speak long enough to direct her to the giant yellow tag on my shirt and tell her I was not a student. Just told me not to talk back to her and threatened to write me a referral.” He snorted. “Would have been funny to see her try. Theo had to come out in the hall and tell her I’m his finance for her to back off.”
The district man turned to the woman with a raised brow. “Is this true Ms. Warren?”
She flushed. “Well I must not have put two and two together. Honestly! Why would I ever make up such a silly accusation?”
Liam glared, anger flooding his chest as heat crawled up his neck. “Why? Maybe because you have been chasing after Theo since you met him, despite every gentle hint and flat out refusal he’s given you? Maybe because you’re a bitter hag with all of two brain cells who was either too stupid to recognize that I am not a child or dumb enough to think whatever ploy this was would work?” The hands on his hips tightened marginally as Theo turned his head in towards him, mouth up against his ear. “Your mantra, Little Wolf.” He murmured, too softly for anyone else to hear. Liam scowled, trying to bring his temper down before he lost it. It wasn’t working though. The woman was blathering on, defending herself, and his wolf was pissed at this bitch pursuing his mate and threatening the safety of his career. Theo must have known it too, because he kept talking. “Or, you could just think about fucking me breathless up against the wall after you’ve already made me cum and overstimulated me the way you like to.”
It was said so calmly, like he was commenting on a pretty flower or the shapes of the clouds. Liam almost choked. It did the trick though. His wolf redirected immediately to their mate, irritation still there but pushed aside at the reminder of just how thoroughly Theo would let them claim him. He didn’t have to look to know a small smile was curling over Theo’s lips as the chimera straightened up.
“Enough.” The quiet, firm command had everyone falling silent, all eyes turning to the chimera. Theo looked at them all with a neutral yet stern expression. “As you can all clearly see on the recording, I am interacting with my partner of six years , not a student. We are in the parking lot after hours, not in the school during hours.” There was little inflection to it. Where Liam was angry and defensive, Theo was stating facts calmly. “I have never and will never interact with a child in any manner such as that.” His eyes turned to the Mr. Faraday and Officer Diaz. “As far as your investigation, you have all the evidence you need that there is no case of child abuse that requires your attention.”
He looked at Principal Murphey. “Mr. Murphey.” The man paled. “While I understand the necessity of protecting our students, you jumped to conclusions and made accusations without due process while ignoring evidence. I should hope that in the future you will take matters of procedure more seriously.” The rebuke landed and the man nodded with a shaky “Y-yes, of course -.”
Theo did not allow him to finish, his gaze landing on the woman who started this mess. “Ms. Warren.” She flinched. “It is no secret to anyone of the faculty that the mysterious flowers and notes and gifts that appear in my mailbox are from you. I had hoped throwing them away in plain sight, rejecting your invitations, and refusing to converse with you beyond professional matters would have been sufficient. Your unwanted attentions end. Now . I will no longer tolerate your unwanted harassment. Should you bother me with any matters that do not concern the extremely limited overlap in our jobs, I will involve HR.” His eyes narrowed. “Even if I were not happily bonded, I would have no interest in anyone as toxic as you have proven to be.”
She started to respond, her cheeks burning red and the air filled with the scent of her anger and embarrassment. “How dare you!-” Mr. Faraday sat forward, holding a hand up to stop her. “I think we’ve all heard quite enough.”
He addressed the couple. “I apologize for wasting your time, Mr. Raeken, Mr. Dunbar. Clearly the situation was misrepresented and handled poorly by your administration.” He gestured to the officer beside him. “Deputy Diaz and I will finish our reports and put this matter to bed.”
Liam stiffened in Theo’s hold. “No.” He snapped. Theo’s hands tightened and he pulled back on the younger man slightly. “Li, it’s okay.” He said placatingly. Liam’s head whipped around and he bared his teeth at the man behind him. “ No. They are not going to put a damn record in your file that they investigated you as a possible pedophile .”
“That isn’t what he means.” Officer Diaz spoke up, her calm authoritative tone pulling Liam’s attention to her. “This whole matter was handled incorrectly. There never should have been an ‘investigation’ to start with, as none of the proper procedures leading up to that point was followed.”
Liam’s anger simmered, but he settled enough to bring his tone back to something polite, if strained. “Then what reports does he mean?”
Mr. Faraday answered. “Our reports will note that an accusation was made, that evidence - including what kind - was reviewed, and the claim was found to be completely unsubstantiated.”
Deputy Diaz shot a look at Ms. Warren, who had the sense not to meet her eyes. “Possibly made with malicious intent - which will also be noted in the reports.” Ms. Warren paled, but no one bothered to address her.
“Additionally, my report will note that proper procedure was not followed.” Mr. Faraday added, his eyes on Principal Murphey, who shrunk back in his seat. “All administrative personnel involved will be required to attend mandatory training on procedure to ensure this never happens again.”
Liam relaxed back into Theo’s chest, leaning on him ever so slightly. “Oh. Okay.” He said softly. Theo chuckled and shook his head lightly. “See?” He asked Liam. “Everything’s alright.”
Liam huffed, a tiny bit of bashfulness coloring his scent. “Well excuse me for being protective.” He muttered.
Theo grinned. “And I appreciate it, but everything’s okay now.”
The sound of a throat clearing broke them from their private moment, reminding them that they were in a room with other people. Tracking the sound, they looked at Principal Murphey. “Mr. Raeken, I’m sorry for my poor handling of this situation.” Theo arched an unimpressed brow at him. “I’m sure you are.” He drawled. “Regardless, we are leaving now.” He stepped back, pulling at Liam with a hand on his side. “If there is some part of the paperwork that requires my input, you know where to find me.” He nodded politely to two of the occupants, pointedly ignoring the others. “Mr. Faraday, Deputy Diaz.”
They didn’t wait for a response as Theo guided Liam from the room with a gentle hand and steered him towards the door to the parking lot. They both breathed a deep sigh of relief, relishing in the fresh air as they stepped outside.
“Come on Li, let’s get out of here.” Theo’s tone was light, unburdened and free of the restraint he had shown inside. Liam grinned and set a brisk pace, his hand tangling with Theo’s to pull him along.
Liam stopped abruptly halfway to their respective vehicles. Theo came to a halt just behind him, eyeing him curiously. “Li, what are you up to?”
Liam spun on his heel abruptly and looped his arms around Theo’s neck, pulling him down into a heated kiss. He wasn’t shy about it, licking at the chimera’s lower lip and greedily sucking the man’s tongue into his mouth when he opened for him. Theo got with the program quickly, wrapping his arms around the boy and pulling him closer. After a moment, Theo broke away with a laugh, tilting his head back and grinning up at the sky. Opening his eyes, he looked down at the wolf in his arms. A wolf looking back at him with a sly grin.
“Please tell me you did not flip off the camera behind my back.”
Liam grinned. “As much as I wanted to? No.” He nudged their noses together. “You did say you wanted to come back.”
Theo huffed. “Yes. Though I’m not sure why I want to deal with these knot-head kids and such interesting people.” Liam just grinned. “You love most of those little shits, don’t even deny it.” Theo stared into the distance over Liam’s head and gave a long-suffering sigh, pretending to hate the admission he was about to give. “Yeah. I do.” His grin gave him away.
Liam chuckled at the antics. He pulled at the chimera, making the taller man rock forward into him. Theo tilted his head back down to look at him. “Hmm?” He questioned with a hum. Liam’s grin grew into something primal. “Let’s go home.” He pulled Theo’s head down further, resting his mouth next to the chimera’s ear. “You can’t remind me of pinning you to the wall and fucking you senseless and not expect me to do just that.”
Theo shuddered once, then stilled. When he pulled back, the smirk that always infuriated Liam while simultaneously lighting a fire in his gut was on full display. “Then we better get home, shouldn’t we sweetheart?”