Work Text:
We're Not Gonna Fall - Daughtry
Thiam Playlist - Spotify
We're Not Gonna Fall - Thiam Edit
Late one night, Liam tried to contact everyone for updates on any new Supernatural creatures, but no one answered; he tried Theo but got nothing. He eventually gave up and went looking for them. His heart almost stopped when he found them where they had sent Theo to Hell, and Theo was standing before the Pack with a terrified look on his face.
"Guys? What's going on?" Liam asked,
Everyone but Theo looked at him with apathetic looks.
"He's going back. Theo is still evil." They replied in unison,
To Liam, they all sounded like programmed robots.
"No, he's not." Liam defended, getting closer to the group.
"I'm not evil! I changed! Everyone at the Hospital saw it!" Theo insisted,
Liam tried to approach Theo, but Malia held his arms back as she repeated the response with the others.
Kira walked closer, carrying her new Katana,
"Liam!" Theo called out in fear,
"No!" Liam exclaimed, struggling against Malia's robotic-like grip, His eyes flashing his beta gold. "Stop! Let me go!"
Liam was half-shifted when Theo made eye contact with him. Seeing Liam's fear broke his heart.
"Liam, Look at me." Theo started, tears falling down his face.
Liam tried not to, but he became putty at Theo's gentle tone. He looked up, gold meeting green.
As Kira raised her Katana, Liam struggled more, a panic attack creeping to the surface.
"Liam, Look at me." Theo continued,
"Don't worry, Theo! I'll get you out again! I promise!" Liam cried,
"I know you will, Baby Wolf. Before I go, I need you to promise me something,"
"No, Theo, you're not leaving me! I'll think of something! I'll save you!"
Suddenly, Kira's Katana went into the ground, and Liam's heart stopped; the panic attack broke the surface, and he struggled to break Malia's grip again. As the ground started breaking away, Theo looked back at Liam.
"NO! NO! NO! THEO!" Liam cried,
"Liam, Please promise me one thing." Theo started, "Promise me that you'll remember I love you."
Tears streamed down both their cheeks,
"I-I p-p-promise!" Liam managed to say, his heart breaking.
Then Tara emerged and started pulling Theo back down into hell; Theo crying out his name was the last thing he heard before he was startled awake.
-
"THEO!" Liam cried out, trying to catch his breath,
He hadn't realized he was half-shifted until he saw his claws were out.
"Shit!" he muttered, trying to pull them back in, but they wouldn't.
Suddenly, a panic attack sprung out of nowhere; as he struggled to say his mantra, all he could think about was Theo.
"Is Theo okay? Should I call him? or would I be a burden to him?"
When he calmed enough, his shift receded, and then he stared at his phone on his nightstand, debating on calling Theo. He decided not to.
It's safe to say Liam didn't go back to sleep that night.
-
Two months later, Liam is still plagued with that nightmare. He's been staying up all night for several weeks; the dark circles are a dead giveaway. Liam knows he should call someone but wants to avoid burdening them with his problems, especially Theo. But looking back on the past two months, he wished he had called him that first night. As he crawled into bed with his cup of coffee for yet another all-nighter, his mind shifted to Theo. Unfortunately, his negative thoughts took over.
"Don't bother calling him; you'll just be another burden. He probably doesn't want you around anymore."
Liam scrolled on his phone for a good hour to clear his thoughts before reading some of the books in his room. He managed to read for two hours before the coffee wore off. Getting sleepy, he put on his headphones and started listening to music; unfortunately, he couldn't stay awake much longer after going on almost three weeks of all-nighters; the melodies of the music lulled him, and as soon as Liam closed his eyes, he fell fast asleep. Liam had only managed to sleep an hour when his nightmare woke him up; he was trembling with panic and almost missed the song playing in his headphones.
-
"We're not gonna fall now,
We're not gonna bleed out,
Never gonna break down,
No, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh,
Even if they come for us,
Everything can turn to dust,
You and I are never going down,
The bullets and the bombs of love,
Go ahead and fire at us,
We will never give it up..."
-
Feeling this sudden connection to the song, Liam quickly dug around his bed for his phone. Once he found it, he hit repeat before turning up the volume, using the song to ground him. As he focuses on the lyrics, he connects them to memories of Theo. Closing his eyes, Liam remembers when they met; the thought alone makes him blush. Even though there have been many memories, some mixed between good and bad, Liam doesn't let the negative ones get in the way of his feelings for Theo. Liam realized the song was like a timeline of Theo's journey, the first verses mentioning the hard times; Liam connects it to Theo's betrayal of the Pack and going to hell. The second set of verses mentions walls caving in and the shaking of the ground; Liam connects it to Theo being pulled out of hell.
When the song gets to the bridge again, Liam embraces the lyrics. Every memory he thought of made the song have a much deeper meaning. Liam knew they had brought the light out in each other but had never realized how much had changed between them until now. He then realized he liked being around the older boy, and even when his anger was out of control, Theo knew how to keep him in line. The thought of Theo simply knowing how to help him made his heart soar. When Liam started looking back at the changes he had seen in Theo since they met, the old Theo would've never sacrificed himself to help, yet he chose to be the bait to ensure Liam didn't get taken. The memory of that night was still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile when he thought about it.
Suddenly, Liam paused, feeling a fluttering sensation in his chest.
"That was the day I fell in love with him." he thought.
Liam instantly grabbed his phone and clicked on Theo's contact without hesitation.
When Theo answered after the fourth ring, Liam let out a breath he didn't know he was holding; a part of him was afraid Theo was still asleep.
"Liam?" Theo answered, slightly off-guard but also concerned that something was wrong.
"Hey," Liam started, "Did I wake you?"
Theo checked the time on his phone; it was 4:45 A.M.
"Nah, I've been up for a bit."
Liam paused for a moment,
"Can you come over?" he asked hesitantly,
Without a second thought, Theo replied,
"I'll be right there."
After finishing the call, Liam hung up and began pacing around his room, thinking about what to say while he waited for Theo. His mind was going in every direction on how to explain to Theo why he called at four in the morning. Suddenly, the doubt seeped in again.
"if you tell him, you'll ruin everything. He'll hate you and never want to see you again. He probably doesn't even feel the same way."
Liam almost missed the sound of Theo's truck pulling up. When it registered, he ran down quickly, yanking open the door before Theo had time to knock. Liam noticed Theo looked over concernedly before pulling him upstairs to his room and shutting the door. More doubt filled his mind.
"Liam, what's wrong?"
"What?" Liam tilted his head,
Theo repeated, "What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing," he stuttered out,
Theo moved closer and pressed, "Liam."
Liam sighs, running his hands over his face. Deciding to admit what's been going on with him.
"I've been having nightmares," he pauses, "About you."
Theo froze. He expected to keep pushing Liam to open up, but he was shocked and more concerned at how easily Liam let his walls down.
"Wanna talk about it?" he asked,
Liam didn't reply, his mind once again filling with negative thoughts.
"He'll just use your vulnerability and get under your skin. He doesn't care about you."
When Liam didn't reply, Theo thought his walls had gone back up; he sighed,
"Then what am I doing here, Liam? If you don't want my help, then what?"
There was another pause; Theo then avoided Liam's gaze.
"I had a nightmare about you, too,"
Liam broke out of his thoughts instantly.
"You did?"
Theo nodded hesitantly.
Liam sat down on his bed; Theo hesitatingly sat beside him and took a deep breath.
"Normally, my nightmares have my sister, Tara, ripping out my heart repeatedly. Instead, she.." he choked, "She ripped out yours." Looking at Liam,
Seeing the emotion fill the Chimera's eyes, Liam reached for his hand. He was surprised that Theo didn't pull away but instead intertwined their fingers. Liam's heart soared when he felt Theo's thumb brushed against the back of his hand.
"The nightmare made me realize something about you," Theo admits softly,
"What's that?" Liam asked,
Theo paused,
"You're my Anchor, Li."
Liam froze as he remembered his panic attack a few weeks ago during one of his all-nighters. It was a bad one. He shook the memory from his mind.
"You're mine too, Theo," Liam replied,
Liam heard Theo's breath hitch; he could see Theo staring at him intensely out of the corner of his eye while he admired their joined hands.
"Li?" Theo asked softly,
Liam looked up, "Yeah, Theo?"
"H-Have you had any panic attacks recently?"
"Uh, yeah, a few weeks ago. Why?"
Liam then heard Theo's breath hitch again.
"Why do you ask?" Liam repeated,
"That's when I tried to leave town..." Theo mutters, looking down, "I had one too,"
Liam froze momentarily before returning to Theo, who was still avoiding his gaze. Liam gently raised his chin with his finger before kissing him.
Theo pulled back, looking deeply into Liam's eyes; he couldn't help but softly sing the lyrics to the song he had heard earlier,
"We're not gonna fall now; we're not gonna bleed out,"
Liam's heart jumped at the thought of them hearing this song simultaneously like it was fate; he couldn't help but finish the lyrics.
"Never gonna break down, No, whoa oh-oh-oh-oh."
Theo was caught off guard, but they sang the last verses in unison, with love pouring off of them in waves.
Liam slowly leaned in, and Theo closed the gap, sealing their lips in a gentle kiss that deepened quickly. Liam felt Theo gently guiding him down onto his back, as if he feared that if he went too fast, Liam would become overwhelmed. With Theo on top of him, gently caressing his cheeks, Liam entangled his fingers in Theo's hair and held him closer by the waist. Theo pulled back after the heated make-out session, admiring Liam below him.
"I'm in love with you, baby wolf," Theo admits,
"I'm in love with you too, T,"
There was a brief silence between them.
"What was your nightmare about?" Theo asked gently, brushing some loose strains away from Liam's eyes
Liam blushed as he took a deep breath, avoiding Theo's gaze. He debated whether to tell him the detailed version.
"I was trying to contact everyone to see if a new creature was causing any problems," he explained, "No one was answering, not even you. When I finally found everyone, they were trying to send you back to hell, insisting you hadn't changed. Malia held my arms back as Kira brought out her Katana and slammed it into the ground. Before Tara pulled you back, you made me promise to remember that you love me."
Liam decided on the shortened version, knowing he'd have to tell Theo the whole thing eventually.
"Scott and the others would send you back to hell, and right before you'd disappear again, you'd tell me to promise that I'd remember that you love me." Feeling the tears fall down his cheeks, he added, "I'd try to save you, but Malia was holding me back."
Theo gently wiped them as he caressed Liam's cheek with the utmost care Liam had ever felt in the last two months. His eyes brimmed with tears at how gentle Theo was being.
"Li," Theo starts wiping the last tears, "I'm not going back there again. I have you to thank for that."
A smile forms on Liam's face, which melts Theo's heart. Liam then pulls Theo in for a passionate kiss. After a moment, Theo pulls back, and Liam caresses his cheek - like he did in his nightmare. Seeing Theo freeze made Liam's heart stop. He instinctively pulled Theo down to his chest, allowing him to hear his heart beating inside, insuring Theo that he was okay. That he was alive. Knowing all about triggering actions from his nightmares, Liam begins to calm Theo down, murmuring soothing words and running his fingers through his hair as he feels the tears fall on his shirt. When Theo finally pulled back moments later, Liam could see his red, puffy eyes; he wiped the remaining tears off Theo's cheeks.
"S-Sorry." Theo stuttered, avoiding Liam's gaze.
"Hey," Liam started, "You don't have to apologize to me." He hesitates to caress his cheek.
Theo noticed and nodded slowly; Liam gently caressed his cheek, holding it in place. Theo melted in touch this time and blushed when Liam gently brushed his thumb against his cheekbone.
Liam continued, "You don't have to apologize to me for being vulnerable. That's what makes you human."
"B-But I'm not." Theo stuttered, looking down, "I'm not human."
Liam's heart broke.
"Why would Theo think like that?" Liam thought to himself,
"Only someone still part human would take the pain from someone they didn't know." Liam pointed out,
Theo smirked, "Is that so?"
Liam nodded, "Yep."
Theo's smirk grew, and then he checked the clock on Liam's nightstand. 5:55 A.M.
"We should probably go to bed," he suggested,
Liam visibly tensed, his heart escalating slightly. All he could hear was Theo's voice from the nightmare calling out to him as his mind spiraled. Seeing Liam tense broke his heart; Theo figured there was more to the nightmare than Liam let on, but he'd wait until the Beta was ready to share it. The last thing Theo wants is to push Liam to open up when he's not ready. Theo leaned in and kissed Liam gently before kissing his forehead.
"I'll be right here, Li," he whispers reassuringly as he rests his forehead against Liam's, "I'm not going anywhere."
"Same with me,"
They both melted under the covers, wrapped in each other's arms as they fell into deep sleep. Theo relaxed into the mattress for the first time in a while, and feeling Liam relax next to him made him melt further. They slept through the night without any nightmares.
-
Theo woke up around noon to find Liam still curled into his arms. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes; for the first time in months, he felt well-rested, and that was all because of Liam; he wouldn't trade that for anything. Liam stirred a few moments later and nuzzled into Theo's side. Theo blushed, but it didn't stop his thoughts from last night from surfacing, including some new ones. Liam woke up moments after Theo and saw him frozen with tears falling down his cheeks. He gently wiped the tears, which caused Theo to flinch at the touch.
"What's wrong?" Liam asked gently,
"N-Nothing," Theo stuttered, "I-I-have to go." He stumbled out of Liam's bed and tried to find his shoes;
"What? No, Theo, don't go! Please!" Liam pleaded, his voice cracked, "Please, don't go!"
Theo didn't hear him; he was too lost in his head. The thought of being without his anchor again scared Liam to no end; he thought he was about to have a panic attack, but unfortunately, Theo beat him to it. As he fell to the ground, trying to find his breath, Liam suppressed his emotions and instantly ran to Theo's side, guiding him into his arms, trying to coax him back to the moment and calm his breathing. Liam could only make out Theo's pleas for him to stay off his erratic breathing.
"Shh, Shh, Theo. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Liam soothed,
Theo clutched onto Liam's shirt as tight as he could, trying to catch Liam's scent, but it wasn't working.
"K-Ki-ss…m-me." Theo shakily stuttered,
Liam looked at him in shock for a moment before caressing Theo's cheek and kissing him as gently as he could, making sure Theo could feel every ounce of love he had for him in the kiss. Theo's breath hitched as his mind shut down, and everything went silent. Theo leaned into the kiss as he pulled Liam closer, melting into Liam's arms. Liam pulled back hesitantly just in case he needed to be kissed again. Theo looked at Liam with his eyes all glassy, his breathing finally slowing down. After a brief moment, Liam broke the silence.
"You okay?" he asked,
Theo didn't trust his voice; he shook his head. There was a few moments of silence until he spoke.
"No," He muttered, pausing,
"I'm a failure; I don't deserve you; you probably don't even love me. I deserve it if you're using me to get back at Scott and the others." Theo rambled, tears streaming.
Liam's heart broke at the way Theo talked about himself.
"Theo, Theo, hey, Look at me," Liam started, wiping the tears, "Shh, Shh, Look at me. I love you, Theo, more than you know. If I didn't, would I ask you this question?"
Theo's tears subdued as he looked deep into Liam's eyes.
"Theo, would you be my boyfriend?"
Liam waited as Theo processed; he watched him briefly pinch himself with his claws before receding them.
"Yes," Theo finally whispered,
Liam smiled as he leaned in to kiss Theo again; Theo reciprocated the kiss, deepening it slightly before pulling back.
"You're not a failure, Theo." Liam started, "I'd never use you to get back at anyone."
"Promise, Baby wolf?"
"I promise," Liam assured,
There was another brief moment.
Liam then suggested, "Let's get back in bed,"
Theo only nodded as he slowly stood, reaching his hand to help the Beta to his feet. Liam took his hand and stood. Still holding Theo's hand, he led them back into bed. They fell fast asleep instantly, the panic attack taking a lot out of both of them. As they curled under the covers, they knew the other would be beside them when they woke up, safe and sound in the other's arms, standing by their silent word that they would go to the ends of the earth for each other if anything were to happen. As they both fell asleep, a word echoed in their thoughts as their hands intertwined.
Anchors...
-
Four hours later, Theo woke up and instantly knew something wasn't right. Liam's heart rate was high, and his grip on his hand tightened.
"Li?" Theo whispered, gently brushing his thumb against the back of Liam's hand.
Liam didn't respond,
"Liam?" Theo tried again,
Liam then began whimpering in his sleep and clutching Theo's arm; he was locked in his mind.
Liam's nightmare came back, but this time, it was different, and Theo noticed.
-
Liam stood there, watching his nightmare, but this time, no one could see him, let alone hear him, no matter how loud he roared...Theo didn't even acknowledge he was there. He was invisible to them. As the nightmare continued, the scene shifted to Liam waking up in bed; Theo was no longer there, and all that was left was a note.
"Don't try to find me; You're better off without me."
Liam's heart shattered. It was like all the air was sucked out of the room at once as he began to spiral; When he roared, he woke himself up.
-
Liam awoke mid-roar and half-shifted, then suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and flinched; his heart and emotions were still racing as he tried to grip his surroundings.
"Liam?" said a voice beside him,
He didn't respond.
When Liam's eyes locked onto Theo's, he subconsciously jumped back. Theo instinctively held Liam's waist to keep him from falling off the bed.
"Liam!" Theo called out a bit louder,
He flinched again, his breathing escalating.
"Liam, breathe; it's me. I won't hurt you," Theo reassured,
Liam tried to calm his breathing and get his shift under control, but it was useless. When Theo was about to give up, he got an idea and pulled out his phone. He queued up their song, putting it on repeat, then pressed play, letting the beat and melody fill the room. Theo watched as Liam slowly began calming down. After a few minutes, his breathing regulated, his claws and fangs started to recede, and his eyes turned back to their ocean blue. When Theo heard Liam softly singing along with the song, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Theo gently pulled Liam closer, and his heart sank when he felt Liam tense in his arms. As he lifted Liam's chin, looking into his dazed eyes, Theo leaned in and kissed him gently. Theo feels Liam melt into it slightly before pulling away, hesitatingly making his way into his lap.
"Shh, it's okay, Baby Wolf." Theo whispered, rubbing his back soothingly, "I got you."
After a few moments, Liam slowly eased into Theo's arms with the song still playing on a loop in the background. Theo held Liam in his arms, rocking gently, hoping to distract him from the nightmare he just had. Minutes turned into hours until Liam was finally ready to talk, and even then, he wouldn't speak.
"When you're ready to talk, I'll listen." Theo starts, "I just want to make sure you're okay."
After an additional few minutes, Liam finally spoke, his walls coming down.
"I'm not okay." Liam whispered, "I've barely slept in months and have pulled all-nighters for three weeks."
Theo's heart shattered at the thought of Liam fighting to stay awake for weeks to stop him from waking up from his nightmares. He wished Liam had called him because he would've come over instantly. He held onto Liam a bit tighter, pulling him closer.
"I didn't call anyone because I didn't want to burden anyone, especially you, with my problems."
As he held Liam closer, Theo wished he called first.
"Li, look at me." Theo started, bringing Liam's gaze to his, "You will never be a burden."
Liam melts into Theo's arms even more.
Theo adds softly, "I thought I would be a burden to you if I called.."
"You will never be a burden to me; I love being around you."
"I love being around you too, baby wolf,"
There was a brief moment of silence between them before Liam continued.
"I had my nightmare again, but this time, no one could see or hear me. I was practically invisible watching you get sent to hell again."
Theo's heart shattered once more; he pulled Liam closer to his chest, hoping to protect him from the nightmares.
Liam melted into his arms as he continued, "Then it shifted and woke up in my bed alone; there was a note telling me not to try and find you, and from that, I just broke down and spiraled until my roar woke me up."
Theo could sense that Liam had been bottling everything up. He needed Liam to break down the last of his walls, or it would take hold of him. As Liam's boyfriend, he couldn't allow that. He couldn't watch Liam's nightmares that had messed with him for months eat away at him anymore, and he knew Liam was thinking the same thing about him. They are both in vulnerable states, but they need each other. Liam nuzzled into Theo's neck, trying to ground himself. After a few moments, the rest of Liam's walls came down, and he cried into Theo's shoulder; Theo rubbed his back soothingly as he gently rocked him until Liam eventually fell asleep. Theo didn't dare to move, fearing that if he stepped away for a moment, the nightmares would return. Luckily, Liam's mom checked on them and brought food so they weren't starving.
As Theo processed the last several hours, it was safe to say he wouldn't change this for anything.
"I love you, baby wolf," Theo whispered,
Liam stirred and looked at Theo with love.
"I love you too, Teddy."
Theo leans in and kisses Liam with love before resting their foreheads together and spending what was left of the day in each other's presence.