Chapter Text
1.
Liam wasn’t sure how he expected to spend his night after fighting crazed hunters in a hospital hallway—after being saved by his… enemy.
Yet here he was. Cuddled up on the couch with said enemy.
He hadn’t been thinking when he ran after Theo. Or when he stupidly invited him back to Scott’s to clean up. He definitely hadn’t thought about why Theo agreed so quickly, his eyes never leaving Liam’s as if the decision had already been made.
Maybe they were both just too tired of fighting. Too tired to keep pretending they weren’t almost at peace around each other.
So here they were, hands loosely intertwined, dried blood peeling from beneath their fingernails. A stark reminder of what they’d done, of how neither of them would ever be truly free from this chaos.
Scott and Stiles were talking in the room next to them. Lydia was helping Malia clean up in the bathroom. Derek and Argent were speaking lowly about Monroe, about odds and territory and what came next. The house was full, loud in that post-battle way.
And yet—here he was. With Theo fucking Raeken. Holding hands.
Liam should say something. Break the silence. Make an excuse about needing to find Mason, or Corey, or talk to Scott. Something. Anything.
But he didn’t.
Not when he realized Theo’s breathing had evened out. Not when he felt Theo’s heartbeat beneath his palm—usually so erratic, always braced for the next hit—finally slowing, finally steady.
It didn’t feel like the right moment to move. Or speak. Or ruin something fragile by naming it.
So Liam stayed still.
He stayed until Theo’s head tipped against his shoulder, until the weight of him settled there like it belonged. And when sleep finally took him too, it was the quiet pull of Theo’s heartbeat that lulled him under—steady, warm, and close enough to convince him there would be time later.
When Liam wakes up, the house is quieter.
He can hear the hums in the kitchen of Scott and Lydia over a pot of coffee, or the quick banter of Stiles and Derek over something disgustingly inconsequential.
Like their lives weren’t being constantly juggled on a tightrope. Pretending like they weren’t all terrified. No, maybe it’s just him that’s terrified.
That’s when he goes to move his hand, realizing the one that was holding it just hours before had vanished.
Theo is gone from the couch, a folded blanket left behind where he’d been. There’s no note. No goodbye. Just the faint imprint of warmth beside him, already cooling.
Liam’s not sure anyone even noticed Theo was here, if they did they didn’t say anything.
Liam sits there for a long moment, staring at the empty space, heart steady and unbothered.
He tells himself it doesn’t mean anything. Theo didn’t leave, he just moved.
There will be time later.
Monroe is dealt with in an almost disappointing way, no grand victory, no clean ending. Just exhaustion, blood, and the unsettling reminder of how easily any of them could have died. The older pack members leave for college. Beacon Hills settles back into something that almost resembles normal. He goes back to school. He pretends things haven’t shifted under his feet.
Almost.
The one thing that doesn’t—can’t—fade into the background is Theo.
At first, it’s practical. Necessary. Liam convinces himself of that much, at least. Someone has to keep an eye on him. Someone has to make sure there aren’t any hunters still lurking, any loose ends waiting to snap shut. Someone has to make sure Theo doesn’t spiral.
“I’m just watching him,” Liam tells Scott. “He’s my responsibility.”
The excuses work for a while. They buy him time. They let him stay without admitting why.
But time has a way of peeling lies apart, and eventually neither of them bother pretending anymore. They stop explaining why Theo’s always there. Stop justifying the way Liam’s world seems to tilt around him. Theo starts showing up without an excuse already prepared, and Liam stops asking for one.
Looking back, Liam thinks this might have been the first real mistake.
This is where he should have said something. Should have told Scott. Told Mason. Told anyone that Theo Raeken had quietly woven himself into every part of Liam’s life, that the line between obligation and want had blurred beyond recognition.
But he doesn’t.
So here they are, after a long night in the preserve, nothing dramatic about it at all. Just lingering too long in the driveway. Just Liam sitting in the passenger seat of Theo’s truck, keys still in the ignition, engine ticking softly as it cools.
He should get out. Walk into his house. Text Theo goodnight and absolutely not lie awake replaying this moment over and over.
But he can’t make himself move.
Not with Theo’s laugh still echoing in his ears, bright and careless, settling somewhere dangerously close to Liam’s heart. Not with the way Theo looks at him now—eyes slow, knowing, like he’s already a step ahead.
Liam hates that look. Hates the way it feels like everyone else is already caught up to something he hasn’t admitted yet.
It’s the same look Mason gives him when Liam waves off a ride home because Theo’s already here. The same look Scott gives him when he calls to check in and Theo’s already in frame, sprawled across Liam’s bed like he belongs there.
Liam is tired.
Tired of the restless nights. Tired of thinking in circles. Tired of pretending Theo doesn’t already have his hands wrapped around every part of his life.
So he stops thinking.
He moves without planning it, without permission, closing the distance between them and crashing his mouth into Theo’s.
It’s rough. Awkward. The center console digs painfully into his side, and there’s the sharp taste of blood—Theo’s, maybe his own—when teeth clash.
Theo freezes.
For half a second, panic flares. Liam thinks of everything he’s done wrong. Of Mason. Of Scott. Of all the ways this could blow up in his face.
Then Theo’s hands are on him-–firm, steady—pulling him back just enough to breathe.
When Theo looks at him now, the smirk is softer. Real. Dangerous in an entirely new way.
Liam exhales a laugh he didn’t realize he was holding and leans back in, shifting until he’s straddling Theo’s lap.
Time stops making sense after that.
Liam isn’t sure how long they stay there, kissing like there’s something they’ll lose if they stop. Seconds. Minutes. Maybe longer.
All he knows is that when he finally pulls back, the quiet feels heavier than before.
And for the first time since the war ended, Liam realizes he’s crossed a line he doesn’t know how to uncross.
The warmth that once encased his heart is replaced by panic, and he pulls back, his head hitting the roof of the truck all too painfully.
He winces and Theo’s hand immediately reaches up to cradle his cheek, to take the pain the same way he took Gabe’s.
Theo notices the way Liam’s scent goes sour, even if Liam didn't mean for it to, and he immediately stills under him.
His eyes go glassy and the signature look of “if i don't care, i wont get hurt” returns over his face, yet he doesn’t remove his hand, instead he lets his voice fall shakily from his lips.
“Liam…what are we doing.”
It’s a quiet admission of what they have both been running from. Liam was never as good at admitting things as Theo was.
Ironic as it is.
So Liam tries to cover it up, a silent plea to just let things be, to not pry too deep into a place he doesn't want to question.
“Kissing. Duh.” The laugh that escapes him is shaky, not convincing at all, and just causes Theo to let his own head drop.
Theo lets go of Liam pushing him back into his own seat, and starting the ignition. “You should go Liam.”
“What? What are you doing? Theo?”
“Get out before this turns into something you regret, before–” Theo doesn't finish his thought, just turns to unlock the door. “Now, Liam.”
“Theo…” Liam's voice breaks and he's not sure what to say or do, “I don’t regret it, I won’t–”
Theo cuts him off before he can continue, snapping his head to look at Liam. His eyes are glassy and Liam can see the unmistakable glisten of tears starting to form. “Then say it. Say you want it, say you want– that you want me.”
Liam can’t speak, his throat closes in on itself.
Theo laughs cruelly, “Yeah. Thought so”
Liam’s panic twists sharp and ugly, curdling into anger before he can stop it—before Theo can see how badly he wants to say yes.
“This was a mistake.”
“Yeah it was.”
And with that Theo is reaching across to shut the door Liam left wide open, before speeding off. Leaving Liam, standing there on his own lawn.
The sound of the truck tearing down the street lingers long after it’s gone, ringing in Liam’s ears like something broken he doesn’t know how to fix.
His hand instinctively reaches out, his legs itching to run after him, to tell him that he does want this, that it's all he's ever wanted.
But he doesn't, it's not like Theo's really leaving.
There will be time later.
It’s a year later before Liam lays eyes on Theo again. A year since he told him the kiss was a mistake. A year since he sat and watched Theo drive away from Beacon Hills—away from him.
In that year, time moved on for everyone else. It didn’t slow down for them like it did for Liam.
He spent the first month refusing to leave his room, feeling like the other half of his heart had been ripped out of him in an instant. He wondered if Theo felt the same way, wherever he’d decided to settle. If it hurts for him too.
The pack didn’t pry. They checked in, asked questions, but they didn’t push—and they definitely made it their mission to avoid saying Theo’s name anywhere near him.
Liam knew they kept in contact. He knew Theo was still in the group chat, knew he and Scott talked. He’d known this would happen.
That didn’t mean he was prepared when, during an impromptu pack meeting about a group of fae that had claimed territory in Beacon Hills, Scott casually announced, “And… Theo’s coming back to town.”
Liam’s heart stops. He can feel everyone trying not to look at him, trying not to make it a thing.
He doesn’t care.
Stiles clears his throat first. “Theo? Is that necessary? I mean… he left to get out of all this, right?”
Liam lets out a quiet chuckle. So that’s what Theo told everyone. He’d never quite figured it out.
“Yes,” Scott continues, “but he agreed to come back for a week. His school’s on break, and the Dread Doctors had better knowledge on this—knowledge they passed on to Theo. He’s only staying a week.”
Liam’s heart breaks all over again at the mention of school. Of course Theo’s in school. He’s smart. Smart enough not to sit around drowning in what-ifs.
All at once, Liam can’t breathe. Memories of Theo—of him and Theo—replay in his head like a bad dream.
Except he isn’t dreaming. And no matter what he does, he can’t wake up.
Can’t pull himself out of it. Can’t do it without Theo here to help him.
Without warning, he stands, bracing himself on the back of the couch to keep from collapsing. As he passes Mason, he reaches out, gripping his sleeve.
“I—I’m gonna get some air,” he says, voice shaky. He looks back at him, pleading. “Just… give me a minute.”
The cold December air hits his lungs the second he steps outside. If breathing was hard before, now it burns. Still, he leans against the wall. He can’t make himself go back in—not with everyone looking at him like that.
He thinks about leaving. About driving away from Beacon Hills altogether. He’d have to steal a car—Theo used to drive him everywhere, so he never bothered learning.
The door swings open.
Just like he knew it would. Mason steps out, hesitant.
Mason’s seen the worst of it. For the first few months, he’d been the only person Liam actually talked to. Not details—never details—but Mason was smart. He could connect the dots.
“Mase, I’m fine, okay?” Liam says quickly. “I just wanted some fresh air—”
“Oh yeah, you’re so fine,” Mason cuts in. “We’ve all noticed how you go ghost-pale every time someone says his name.”
He steps closer, closing the distance Liam put between himself and the truth.
When Liam doesn’t respond, just stares like a deer in headlights, Mason presses. “I know you don’t wanna talk about it, but this isn’t healthy, man. What happened between you two?”
Liam’s gaze drops, heat creeping into his cheeks, but Mason keeps going.
“Did he say something? I mean, you were together basically every day. I was starting to think Stiles’ theory that you were dating might actually be—”
The shift in Liam is instant. Mason barely gets a breath out before Liam clamps a hand over his mouth, eyes wide.
“We weren’t,” Liam whispers. “I mean, not really.” Mason nods slowly, understanding dawning, and Liam lets go.
“We kissed,” he says quietly. “The night before he left. We kissed.”
Mason’s expression softens with pity, and Liam can’t stand it. He turns away.
“That’s why he left,” Liam says. “I fucked up.” His voice wobbles. He wants to continue, to explain how fucked he is, but the sound of tires crunching over gravel cuts through the night and interrupts all of his thoughts.
Because those aren’t just any tires, no, those were— Theo’s…
Mason winces. “Do you want me to make an excuse so you can get out of here?”
Liam can’t help but let out a chuckle, the offer sounds nice, and he almost takes it, but everyone would see past it. Theo especially.
He reaches a hand to rub his eye, blinking away the remaining tears that he didn't even know were falling. “Nah,” he says, “Guess I gotta face it sooner or later, right?”
Mason gives him a small, encouraging smile.
Liam regrets his choice the second he steps back inside and everyone turns to look at him.
He doesn’t see Theo first.
He smells him—cherry air freshener and damp wood from running through the preserve. The same scent that took months to fade from his room.
Then he feels him. Feels the way his heart slips back into place like it’s been waiting.
When he finally looks at him, Theo looks older. Leaner. Like the year settled into his bones instead of passing him by.
Theo’s eyes scan the room automatically—counting, assessing—before landing on Liam.
For a second, neither of them moves.
A year doesn’t disappear. It stretches between them, heavy with everything Liam never said. And when Theo looks away first, like he always does now, Liam realizes, sickly, that this isn’t a reunion.
It’s a reminder.
Liam lifts a hand, forcing a small smile from across the room.
Theo doesn’t return it. Just turns away, like Liam isn’t there at all.
The rest of the night blurs into planning and patrol routes and strategy. Normal pack stuff.
Scott seems to pick up on the tension and sticks close to Theo, leaving Liam trailing behind Derek, who clearly wants him there about as much as Liam wants to be there himself.
It’s probably for the best. Liam doesn’t trust himself not to say the wrong thing if he’s alone with Theo. Unfortunately, that means they don’t speak at all until Theo’s last night.
Scott insists on a get-together. Last chance, he says. Everyone’s heading back to their lives tomorrow.
Liam pretends to care about the Mario game Scott and Stiles are locked into when he catches movement out of the corner of his eye.
Theo slips out the front door.
Before Liam can think, he’s mumbling an excuse and following him, catching up just as Theo reaches for his truck.
“Leaving already?” Liam blurts. “I think Mason was planning his world-famous brownies. Seriously, man, they’re—”
Theo’s hand slams down on the truck door. “Stop, Liam,” he says. “Just, stop. Please.” It’s not angry, not like Liam expected it to be, It’s broken.
“Stop?” Liam steps closer, and Theo steps back. “Theo, I—”
“Stop pretending like you care,” Theo snaps. “It’s cruel. Even for you.”
Liam laughs, sharp and disbelieving. “Theo, all I’ve ever done is care. You know that. Please tell me you know that.”
Theo shakes his head. “I thought I did. Not anymore.”
He exhales. “Tell the others I had an emergency. Make something up—you’re good at lying to them by now, right?” Then he’s gone, slamming the door and peeling out of the driveway.
Liam doesn’t think before shouting after him “FUCK YOU, RAEKEN!”
It felt good to get out but immediately the house stills and he realizes Theo probably wasn't the only person to hear it.
That night, staring at the ceiling and wearing one of the many things Theo left behind, Liam grabs his phone.
Theodorke Raeken.
His contact name. An inside joke. Payback for Liam Dumbrat.
He stares at it for a long time.
Thinks about calling.
Then he locks his phone and sets it down.
It’s fine. For now.
There’s still time.
4.
The next four years pass by as fast as the first. Life moves on for everyone, including Liam.
He finishes Highschool, goes to BHCC, even dates people here and there. A lot of girls, a few guys, nothing that sticks. Nothing that gave him the same electric rush that came with being tied to Theo.
Four years, and Theo Raeken never really stays gone.
He shows up once or twice a year, sometimes for a hunt, sometimes for something he never explains, sometimes just long enough to remind Liam that leaving Beacon Hills never actually stuck. Over time, it gets easier. Not painless. Just… manageable.
Theo is warmer now. Not soft—never that—but easier to stand beside. He laughs more. He looks Liam in the eye again. Sometimes he touches him, brief and thoughtless things: a hand at his shoulder, fingers brushing when they pass weapons back and forth. Always casual. Always like it doesn’t mean anything.
They never talk about what happened.
They never talk about what didn’t.
So when Theo shows up again, this time with someone else, Liam almost misses it.
Almost.
At first he assumes it's another hunter, another stray Scott has dragged in off the street. But then Theo’s hand settles across their back, familiar, practiced, and Liam can feel his chest tighten and hollow all at once.
“This is Alex,” Theo starts “He’s with me.”
Alex, right, now Liam remembers. About a year ago Theo had mentioned starting to date someone, not to Liam, never to Liam, but to Scott, casually, like it didn’t matter. Like it wasn’t something Liam would notice.
Liam speaks up before he can stop himself, “So you told a random human about the supernatural,” he says, sharp and biting, “and decided to bring them here? To the hive mind, that is Beacon Hills?”
It comes out meaner than he intends, but he pretends not to notice the way Theo’s eyes track him, slow and unreadable.
Before he can say anything though, Alex speaks up, “I uh… already know about all of… this.” He smiles nervously around the room, eyes landing on Liam finally, “I mean, before T told me everything, my mom was an emissary for a pack back home. I even learned some of her tricks.”
Liam scoffs and rolls his eyes, he wants to say something about how it's still reckless, about how they can't even be sure they should trust him.
That’s when he sees how Theo’s looking at him—not angry, not defensive. Just tired.
Like Liam has confirmed something Theo already believed.
Like Liam has somehow crossed a line he didn’t even know was there.
Almost as if he's reading his mind, Theo speaks up, “He’s here because I trust him, he knows because he’s smart.”
Then Theo turns away from Liam and settles his eyes back on Alex, and Liam realizes, with a dull, aching certainty, that whatever this is now, it isn’t his. Not even a little.
Liam steps back without thinking, retreating to the edge of the room as conversation picks back up. The hunt is routine, a rogue werewolf, nothing Scott couldn’t handle on his own. Hell, Stiles with a bat and too much adderall could probably manage it.
Liam leans against the counter, eyes fixed anywhere but Theo. Theo, whose fingers are threaded through Alex’s like it’s second nature.
That's when Liam remembers, remembers the night after the hospital, the night of Theo’s head resting on his shoulder, the feeling of their heartbeats as they fall into one with each other. How his fingers felt in between Theo’s.
That's when he looks up, expecting to find Theo looking at Alex, but instead he finds him staring directly atLiam.
His expression is unreadable, a mix of something Liam’s too scared to try and place.
The hunt is supposed to be easy.
That’s what Scott says, anyway. A lone rogue werewolf, half-starved, running too close to town. Cleanup work. Something to keep everyone sharp.
Liam doesn’t miss the way Theo ends up beside him anyway.
“Try not to get sentimental out there,” Theo mutters as they move through the trees, voice low enough that only Liam can hear. “And don’t expect me to save your ass again, Dunbar. Stay on your toes.”
Liam bares his teeth in something that might be a smile. “Didn’t ask you to.”
They both look at each other for a short moment before eventually Theo gets called over from Alex, another stark reminder of what he doesn't have.
The preserve is quiet in the way it always is before something goes wrong—too quiet. Leaves crunch underfoot, the air sharp with pine and damp earth. Liam focuses on his breathing, on the rhythm of the hunt, anything but the awareness of Theo somewhere to his left.
He feels the werewolf before he sees it.
It comes fast. Faster than it should be.
Liam pivots just in time to block the first swipe, claws scraping against his forearm, pain blooming bright and hot. He shoves back, growling, adrenaline roaring in his ears. The thing stumbles—but not far enough.
There’s a second shape in the shadows.
Liam turns too late.
The world narrows to teeth and claws and the sudden, sickening certainty that he’s fucked.
Theo hits the werewolf like a freight train.
One second the thing is mid-lunge, jaws inches from Liam’s throat, and the next it’s flying sideways, slamming hard into a tree with a crack that echoes through the preserve. Theo is already on it, pinning it down, claws out, eyes feral and bright.
“Move!” he snaps, without looking back.
Liam doesn’t realize he’s frozen until the danger passes. Until the second werewolf bolts and Scott’s voice crackles through the comms, calling it in. Until Theo finally steps back, chest heaving, blood streaking down his arm where claws caught skin.
Liam’s heart is still racing when he grabs Theo’s wrist.
That's when he smells it, blood, Theo’s blood. He reacts without thinking, reaching to pull at Theo's shirt. He lifts it up to reveal a wound the size of a softball.
“Jesus— Theo, you said you wouldn’t.” It comes out harsh, panicked.
Theo stills, looking up at Liam, trying to pull away but Liam doesn’t let him.
“Yeah,” Theo says quietly, “I guess you aren't the only liar around here.”
Liam should be hurt, he should be offended, but he’s not.
How can he be when Theo’s looking at him like that, like the years of distance, of mixed feelings, unspoken words mean nothing.
“Next time,” Theo speaks up again, his signature cocky smirk reappears on his lips, “Do us all a favor and pay attention littlewolf.”
Something blooms in Liam's chest at the nickname, and he can't help but chuckle. He lifts himself up from where he was crouching over Theo. “Yeah, but then who would keep all of the senior citizens on their toes.”
Theo grabs the hand being extended to him and just shakes his head, “How did you survive here without me.”
Liam’s resolve shakes with that, right, without him, Theo wasn’t his. Still he doesn’t let it show on his face. “Well it helps you weren’t there to get me into trouble in the first place.”
He knows its bullshit, he was always the one dragging Theo into his shit, forcing him to clean up all of his problems.
Still Theo laughs, before it is quickly cut off by Scott coming in through comms, “Are you two alright, we caught the werewolf but I smelt blood, Alex said you went to help Liam.”
Liam reaches around to grab Theo’s device before Theo can hurt himself trying and replies to Scott, “Yeah, we’re good, Theo has a wound on his left side. I did some first aid and it doesn't look too bad, but have Melissa ready just in case.”
With that he drops it into his pocket, ignoring the questions Alex has about what happened.
When they make it back to Scott’s, Liam can sense everyone already there waiting for him. It took them longer than it should to get back because, of course, Theo was being a stubborn asshole that insisted it wasn't that bad and he could drive.
Theo then proceeded to make Liam drive ten miles under the speed limit, and every time he went even a little fast Theo clung to his seat like Liam was driving them to their death.
The same Theo who used to climb up Liam's roof and drag him out of his room at 12am, just cause he felt like going for a joyride.
Although Liam started to think after a while that Theo just hated being alone, and as much as he would never admit it, those nights saved him as well.
When he walks in the first thing he notices is Alex’s smell of overwhelming panic and the way he immediately rushes over to try and take Theo out of Liam's hands.
Liam doesn’t let him, he lets out a low growl, he doesn’t even mean to, but he backs down when Theo’s hand on his lower back squeezes lightly and he whispers “Li… it’s ok.”
He finally relents and lets Scott take Theo carefully over to the couch where Melissa is already waiting with gauze and other additional herbs to speed up his healing process.
Liam never goes too far, not until he sees the way Alex is hovering, the worry in his chemosignals, making Liam want to vomit.
It gets to a point where Liam can't handle it, so once he knows Theo is alright he stands up and makes his way out the door and onto the porch.
He stands there for a few minutes, thinking about all that's happened, what's led him here. The bite, the dread doctors, the ghost riders, how it all leads back to Theo. How everything he is, is Theo.
He hears the door creek behind him, expecting it to be Mason, he saw the look he gave as he ran out the door.
“Look Mason, I’m fine really, just–” He turns around. “Oh.” His heart drops, because in the spot he expects to see Mason, is Theo, walking over to him.
He exhales slowly, “Hi” he inwardly curses his awkward behavior, before Theo lets out a greeting just as shaky.
“Hey,” Theo takes the momentary silence to step forward next to Liam.
“Look about–” before Theo can finish Liam’s overlapping him, “Thank you.” He smiles nervously, “for saving me, I mean.”
Theo just exhales, “Don’t question it, really.”
Neither of them talk for a minute before Theo finally breaks the tension again. “Look, I'm sorry, about before,” his voice goes quieter, almost a whisper “and for… leaving– like I did.”
Liam can feel his heart stop, the only sound he can hear is the way Theo’s breathing stills, before he can lose the courage he speaks up too. “Me too. I mean– for not being honest, for letting you leave like that.”
Theo laughs again, this time it feels like a million weights have been lifted off his shoulders, “I guess neither of us were quite as honest as we could have been, huh?”
Liam can feel his heart start to beat again, the way it echoes and reverberates through his body. He can feel the tension in the air, waiting to snap, he knows Theo can feel it too.
They both move towards each other, leaning in slowly, neither are sure what they are doing, only moving their bodies along a supernatural pull towards each other.
Just a little more–
The door behind them bursts open and they both jump back guiltily, that's when Alex’s voice cuts through, Mason behind him. “Oh! There you guys are! Come back inside, Stiles is about to see how many marshmallows he can fit in his mouth!”
Theo looks at Liam guilt in his eyes, but makes his way over to his boyfriend anyway.
Liam’s eyes never leave him till he realizes that Mason is settled in the place Theo once was. He wants to turn to him, to tell him they were just talking, that it’s not what it looks like, but he's not sure that's the truth.
When he says nothing Mason just shakes his head and sighs quietly before patting him on the back gently, ushering him towards the door.
After that night, Alex and Theo head back home. This time Liam isn't forgotten in the goodbyes, Theo hugs him, and quietly whispers goodbye in his ear.
That should be enough, a quiet ending, Theo telling him they are over. But it doesn't feel like it.
Not when Theo is leaning back and Liam can see the look in his eyes, the same heartbroken one he gave him all those years ago, as he drove out of Beacon Hills the first time.
As the weeks go by he quietly keeps in contact with Theo. There's no big declaration or anything just updates, things that used to go through Scott now return to where they were previously through Liam.
Everything is great, until a letter arrives in the mail.
“You are cordially invited to the wedding of Theodore Karl Raeken and Alex James Austin”
His heart stops, he's not sure how many times his fingers trace over Theo's name. Enough for the sun to set and his room to go dark he guesses.
It’s ok,
There is still time.
“You know… you don’t have to go,” Mason says, voice cutting through the hum of the road as the car passes the Now Exiting Beacon Hills sign.
From the passenger seat, Corey adds, “Yeah. I’m sure Theo would understand if you, I don’t know, got sick or something.”
Liam laughs from where he’s sprawled across the back seat, staring at the ceiling like it might offer answers. Truth is, he gets why they’re worried.
After Theo’s engagement, Liam spiraled.
Not his usual kind, the quiet one, where he shuts everyone out and pretends nothing’s wrong. This was louder. Messier. Self-destructive in a way that scared even him.
It took a month of him throwing himself into danger with zero regard for his own safety before Scott finally stepped in.
“Guys, I’m fine,” Liam says, too quickly. His eyes catch Mason’s in the rearview mirror. Mason doesn’t look convinced.
“Really,” Liam adds. “I swear. Sure, his engagement made me realize that everything I’ve ever wanted is slipping through my fingers and there’s nothing I can do about it. Sure, I haven’t been able to love anyone seriously in the last six years because I’m still hung up on a high school crush I kissed exactly once. And yeah, maybe I do have to sit there and watch him walk down the aisle while every last tie I have to him gets cut, quietly, without a second thought.”
He stops, chest tight, and has to take a second just to remember how to breathe.
“But other than that,” he says lightly, forcing a grin they can’t see, “I’m doing great. You don’t need to worry.”
Mason and Corey exchange a look—long, loaded, disapproving. The unspoken understanding that this is going to end badly hangs heavy in the car.
Oh well.
Liam turns his head toward the window as the road stretches out ahead of them, leading straight toward the thing he’s been dreading for years.
When they finally arrive they shuffle up to their assigned rooms, after a lot of begging from Liam, Derek sighed and agreed to give him his own room.
His years of third wheeling Mason and Corey are finally over.
The restaurant is nicer than he expected. it's hard to believe they are here celebrating Theo, the same Theo that was stuck living in the sewers for 8 years of his life.
Liam sees the seating chart before he sees Theo, that's his first mistake.
Seated directly across from each other. Theo and Alex on one side, Liam on the other, a clear divide.
He takes his seat anyway.
Theo arrives a few minutes later, hand warm and familiar at the small of Alex’s back, guiding him through the room like it’s second nature. Like he’s done it a hundred times. Like Liam hasn’t been the one Theo used to grab without thinking.
When Theo looks up their eyes meet, and suddenly the months of spiral come back to him all at once, the tightness in his chest, the walls closing in on him.
Until Theo smiles and waves kindly.
Liam downs his drink. It’s specially made, something Melissa helped with years ago. Alcoholic enough for werewolves, a careful recipe that includes a trace of wolfsbane. He’s not complaining.
Conversation buzzes around them, wedding details, travel plans, Stiles being banned from making a speech, but Liam hears it all like he’s underwater. What he hears instead is Theo’s laugh. Softer than it used to be. Real. The way it sounds when he isn’t pretending.
Alex reaches for Theo’s hand.
Theo lets him.
Liam orders another drink.
By the time plates are cleared, his head feels light and heavy all at once. Loose in a way that makes his thoughts dangerous.
That when Stiles stands.
There’s a chorus of “oh no” around the table, Derek actually reaching out like he might physically force him back into his seat.
Stiles clears his throat, raising his glass in the air before clinking his spoon against it, “Ok, ok, before I get tackled I just want to say a few words.”
Liam feels bile rising in his throat but he chokes it down, and drains the last bit of his drink before ordering another one.
Beside him Mason whispers, “Dude, maybe you should slow down–”
Liam waves him off without looking. He knows how to handle himself. Mostly.
Stiles continues, already very clearly drunk. “I’ve known Theo the longest out of anyone here, so I think I’ve earned the right to this toast. Which means you’re all legally obligated to listen.”
Theo looks like he’s mentally cursing every life choice that led to this moment.
Stiles turns to face him fully, that old familiar determination in his eyes—only now it’s tempered with something warmer. Something earned.
“I was asked to keep this short,” Stiles says. “Which is rude. Because if you’ve survived Theo Raeken, you earn speaking privileges.”
A few snorts ripple around the table.
“But here’s what I’ll say,” he continues. “Theo Raeken is the biggest prick I know. Which is saying something, because—hey—we’ve all met Peter, right?”
He jerks a thumb in Peter’s direction and grins. The table dissolves into laughter. Theo buries his face in his hands.
Stiles presses on. “If you’d told me years ago that Theo Raeken would be standing here looking… happy. Like real, not-faking-it-for-strategic-advantage happy, I would’ve asked what kind of drugs you were on. And then I’d probably want some.”
More laughter.
“But here he is,” Stiles says, softer now. “And whether he believes it or not, he deserves this. He’s not the easiest person to know. Or trust. Or understand. And yeah, I had reasons for that. But I’ve watched him learn how to stay. How to choose someone without an escape plan.”
Liam’s grip tightens around his glass.
“Years ago,” Stiles adds, “Theo tried to convince me he wasn’t capable of love. Or worthy of it.” He smirks, lifting his glass. “Bet you feel pretty stupid about that now, huh, Raeken.”
Liam lifts his head without meaning to.
Theo is already looking at him.
Liam wants to plead, to not look at him like that, to not make this harder than it needs to be.
But alas, the alcohol is already messing with his ability to think straight.
He lifts his glass in a mock toast, “Yeah I guess he proved us all wrong.”
Liam can feel Mason stiffen next to him, and he stares as he watches the hurt, the regret, flicker across Theo's face, before it’s all too suddenly replaced by something fake, and Theo whispers under his breath, something only Liam could hear, maybe Scott or Derek if they really tried, “Liam… please, please don't.”
Liam wants to push further, wants to force him to explain himself finally instead of running away, but he doesn’t.
Instead he finishes his drink.
The dinner winds down naturally. Plates are cleared. Someone brings out dessert. Normalcy resumes like his heart isn’t being repeatedly torn from his chest.
He watches as Theo laughs, and jokes, and talks like he isn't there.
At the end of the night he watches as Theo excuses himself from the table, Alex having already made his way up to his personal suite, to prepare for the big day and all.
Liam thinks about following him, about chasing him and telling him not to go through with this, that it's obvious it isn't what he wants.
Instead he finishes his drink.
It’s fine.
Liam will make time for it later.